240414. "drowning" i cannot explain in words the emotions i felt upon seeing this live ;u;

open for better quality | no reposts

Sand Boy 2.0 (Ripped Out)

Thanks to @gale-of-the-nomads for this fanfic idea and @papyreads for the support! Knowing you're interested is very motivating and uplifting! Also fuck you, Gale because I have other fanfics to be writing and you inspired me to procrastinate those. (Lol jk thanks dude for your permission!) Hope you enjoy! (Warning: Blood and descriptive injury and lots of angst)

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Another day, another akuma, another miraculous ladybug and another pound it. Hawkmoth had been very lacking in creativity. He'd been akumitizing so many of the same people, and giving them the same powers, not altering them or anything. I mean, yeah their powers are based off of the victims emotions and trauma, but Hawky could change the power and still fit in, not to mention you'd think there would be more people in Paris going through some real emotional shit that could really make a powerful akuma. Not that Marinette was complaining of coarse. It all made it so much easier to handle being a superhero and a high school student and a bakers assistant and a fashion designer. A nice nights sleep would be sure to help her out in her duties. It was crazy, really. She had gotten so used to everything, it was always Mr. Pigeon, Lady Wi-fi, Miracle Queen, Volpina, all of them. Though in reality there was one she forgot she hadn't seen in a while. She woke up to a panicked text from her parents. She had it so her phone would chime louder if her parents called her or texted her. She was super lucky she did. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have gotten info of an akuma. *Marinette, are you okay?* After that, her father seemed to spam her. *Please answer, Marinette!* And it went on and on until she assured him she was okay and asked why he was so scared all of a sudden. *We got a call that you had been kidnapped by Hawkmoth! With all of these akumitizations we had to be sure.* She looked to her purse and shook the chain that was looped around the edge of the foot of her bed. She assured him that she was safe and he should go back to sleep, and wished him goodnight before going onto the room to see if she could see anything. On the room, she looked around and saw a familiar mist. Glittery yellow and going into peoples homes. It could only be Sandboy! That poor kid had to have been watching scary movies again. It probably took so long after the first time because he was too scared to do it again, especially after finding himself in the middle of nowhere that very same night. "Tikki, we have an emergency!" She declared in a hushed enough tone that no one else could hear, but still got across the fiery determination she always felt when she was needed. "Tikki, Spots on!" ------------------------------ When she arrived to the fight, Chat was already there. He was trying to slow the boy down, but those wafts of sand moved on their own and avoided Chats baton on every hit. "M'Lady! Glad you could finally join me!" He called, smiling as he used that same metal stick to vault his way over to the spotted heroine. "Last time we beat him because of how dumb my nightmare you was. This time... I'm not entirely sure that we'll have that kind of luck. Nightmares change all the time after all." "And what's your nightmare, Chat?" The lady asked out of pure hope that they could use it to their advantage again. Totally not concern. He smirked, deciding it wasn't important to be serious in such a moment. "Well, not being able to call you my bugaboo, of coarse!" Giving his normal wink. His lady of coarse rolled her eyes. How could she not see that coming? "A nightmare? Then you're living in one, Chat." Despite her harsh-ish words, she didn't sound mad or upset or even slightly annoyed. Maybe a little bad, even. "The sand boy just checked in, now nightmares can begin!" The boy chimed, looking to the two superheroes. Though blue eyes noticed that the villains gaze wasn't directly at them, more like he was looking behind them. With a quick turn, she saw a mother and her baby in a stroller. The mom was shaking and covering her baby as she frantically tried to pull the baby and run, though Sand Boy shot a bullet of sand towards them. What could a lady do other than save a mother in need? She was brave, jumping in front of the line of fire, but she knew it would come at a cost. At first she was worried she wouldn't be able to call onto her lucky charm, but when she noticed her Yo-yo working fine, she seemed confused. "What? But it wasn't working last ti-" Her words cut off. With the simple sound and yet another familiar voice caused the girl to freeze. Luckily the mother was able to run, but Ladybug found herself unable to as she heard a little diddy sang. She could tell it was soft and farther away, yet it sounded like it was playing directly next to her ear at the exact same time. She shook, and she could tell Noir was staring. "A little kitty on a roof," the voice played, "All alone without his lady~" She slowly looked up to a nearby building to see those eyes. Disturbingly blue and icy gaze looking right back. "There you are, M'lady!" He called as he jumped down. "I have to admit, I've been fee-line lonely since you abandoned me in that other time line. You never came back to me and I was left all alone!" She backed away, shaking her head as tears threatened to prick out of her eyes. She needed to look strong! For Chat and Hawkmoth. "I-I'm not-" "Scared of me? Oh but M'lady I think you are. You're so scared that... You might fail me. Fail Paris- the world even. You know that if I find out your identity then you will have to go through the same thing... Over and over and over-" "Stop it!" That same voice interrupted itself, but it was far less cold. "M'lady, what's going on? I thought your worse fear was losing your-" And then before another word was spoke, before anyone could finish a single sentence, Sand Boy shot another pound of sand at the Chat, smirking. "Shit..." He called. He could already feel it. The bracelet on his wrist. His trust in Ladybug represented so clearly on his arm- if anything happened, he knew Ladybug would figure him out. But it was far too late anyways. "Chat!" His lady called from an entirely different direction than she was already visibly seen. Right behind him, in a state much like the Ladybug senti-monster was when he first came to her aide. A peacock flying away as she laid on the ground. "I... I don't feel too good... My Chat Noir-" Both the heroes now occupied, Sand Boy could easily use these nightmares to get those jewels for him. That in itself would be far worse than any nightmare they could even know. The real Ladybug was being backed up and taunted. "Oh Bugaboo, you know if you give me your miraculous we can fix everything! We can get rid of all the negativity in the world and make peace with everyone. We could be happy to together like we were before!" Finally, our spotted heroine was against a brick wall. Her heart was racing and her limbs were trembling. She couldn't fight him- it was her partner. Even if a nightmare, she felt so guilty- like she deserved any heart break that came to her, like she deserved to have harsh words thrown at her, like she deserved this torture of knowing she let everyone down. No, none of it happened. It was all fixed, but it just showed how capable she was of fucking up again. And as Chat Noir bent down to cradle his fake lady in his arms, his own nightmares, the real one felt the rough terrain of brick against her back move as she slide down, silently sobbing as she stared at the twisted grin her akumatized partner shared with her. "M-M'Lady?" Noir cried as fake bug reached up and caressed his cheek. He couldn't lose her- not again. So many times watching her disappear in front of his eyes, he couldn't do it again. And yet, as she faded away in a wisp of dust, still knowing what would happen, he reached down to that piece of metal at his wrist. But it was no longer there. In actuality it was never there to begin with. It was never meant for him, it was meant for Luka. Looking up, he watched Ladybug running to him, she looked panicked and lost. He quickly stood and reached to grab her, but his hand only met air as the limb of the woman slowly disappeared, fingertips to shoulder, then shoulder to chest, and spread through her body like blood pumps through veins. His heart ached as and dropped, every time his lady appeared and died...He felt himself get lost in what to do. He could only stand and watch as they all fell down, screaming to himself as he reached for his bracelet over and over again, knowing what the outcome would be but hoping it wouldn't. And yet through the haze of dust and tears, he saw her. One white clawed hand reaching down, followed by another for the sides of her head as they went in for the earrings. And suddenly, all the others didn't matter. She had been staring at him, whereas he knew her eyes were previously on the other. She saw him reach, she saw him panic and saw him scream the words he was so tired of using. After over twenty-five thousand times, it gets old. But he needed to focus. Right now, there was a bigger problem to solve. "Ladybug!" Noir called. Dashing to the others side, he used his metal baton to flick the white cat to the side, to remove him so he could pick up his lady, support her and help her stay balanced. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry for-" "Not now, Chat! Right now we need to get rid of this nightmare..." She spoke through quivering lips. As expected, the nightmare wasn't wasting time to come back up, strutting to them from the other side of the street. "Tsk tsk tsk, M'Lady. You're still fighting it? Still fighting me? Against the inevitability of your partner finding you out?" She gulped, pigtails bouncing with the force of her throat as it processed her saliva. Chat Noir didn't flinch, instead held himself in front of her, keeping her safe from him. "Whatever you mean by that, leave her alone." "Oh of coarse! You weren't there... Or shall I say it... Wasn't the place and time." He snickered, distracting them from a looming threat getting closer, step by step. A paw out, a small energy ball erupted into existence. "She's not afraid of a little kitty cat. She's afraid of love, and afraid of what it would do to the world as a hero. You see," He continued, not once looking over to give away anything sneaking up behind the two. "I found out who she is. And although she doesn't know how since she doesn't know who you are, she does know that if you find out her secret identity before the right time, you'll destroy the world, kill everyone, explode the moon and make the ocean drown everything. And she's scared, because she knows our love did it. It was all because she fell in love with you." She flinched, looking down at the ground. Because it was true. But... Now she knew something she hadn't before. "Chat Blanc," The heroine called, "Maybe I'm scared of him finding my identity out. Maybe I'm scared for my future, but I'm not longer scared of love. I know who you are now, and I think I know how you came into existence." She took a deep breath, stepping forward away from Noir, watching her steps carefully. Of coarse, she wasn't stupid. "You saved my life so many times, Chat. I never meant to upset you, and I never should have let you find me out, but now I know how to stop it. How to keep you from making my nightmare an irreversible reality." Turning around, the hero looked towards the black cat. She reached up and gently rubbed her friends cheeks with her thumbs. "Adrien. I should have known it was you all along. Brave and smart, funny when you want to be. That one time you solved an akuma attack speaking Chinese and fencing, even having the same allergies. I should have found out sooner." She pulled her face closer and closer to the others, who was nervous. Ladybug... She really was in love with him? She loved him now that she knew he was Chat. She didn't love him for him. "LB, Chat Noir is more 'me' than anyone named Adrien could be." She smiled, shaking her head. "I'm afraid of what my love will cause. Well... I was. But now I don't need to be. I'm in love with you Chat. I was just so scared of what our love would do, like when it destroyed the world in another time line. I wanted to tell you but I've been so terrified." There seemed to be a never ending train of water escaping her eyes as she went on. "Scared that I would hurt you. But now I know how to stop it, how to avoid it." This time, Adrien didn't stop her. He didn't tense or shake or pull away. He held her close, and pulled her closer, until finally their lips- -Didn't meet. Something happened. Something that he couldn't describe. One moment, Ladybug was there leaning up to kiss him, the next moment she was yanked away from him and on the floor as she appeared to transform back. She wasn't unconscious or dead, she was very much awake- though from the looks of her ears she probably wished she were. Her earrings were yanked from her ears and her cries were now pained and nearly screams as blood ran from them. And suddenly, his Ladybug became Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Eyes went wide, he had forgotten all about his own nightmare. Losing the love of his life and forgot that there was still another threat. And right next to his own evilized self was his own image of Ladybug. But now, she had holes where her earrings should have been, and she wore pink pants, a white shirt, black jacket, and no mask. She smirked just as eerily as her partner as they bumped fists, mocking their normal victory 'pound it.' "Of you scatterbrained cat, you really forgot about me? How could you..." She looked away, lost and upset. This version of her had died so many times, she seemed to have a hazy hole through her stomach, as if impaled. "I'm hurt... You never saved me. Not once in over twenty-five thousand times, months of work. All for nothing and proof that you aren't meant for me. We aren't made for each other, and that's what hurts the most." After that and seeing Marinettes sobbing form on the ground as she profusely apologized for not paying enough attention, he lost his normally cool temper. Using his baton he would swing and clash and smack every chance he had to get rid of these monsters. Several minutes of trying and attacking for naught, as he failed each time. He was losing breath, and Marinette needed medical attention. But before he could pick her up, she pushed him away. "My earring, Chat. Get them back- I-I can't use my miraculous ladybug- You have to do it. My ears- I can't put them on- I'll be better when you use them, please." She sobbed. The dark haired girl couldn't bare the pain as her ears rang, irrefutably getting more infected as time went on. Chat trusted her blindly, as he always had. He went over those damn nightmares and gave it his all- his lady needed him and he couldn't help but put everything he had into it. And finally his hard work paid off. He hadn't caught them, but the faded girl had tripped and thrown one of them by Chat. With only one earring, he couldn't transform, but... He did have an idea. It was a very sharp object. And his baton would again, save the day. Using said stick, he extending himself into the air, Sandboy had been caught off guard as Chat jumped towards the pillow and used said sharp object to tear the pillow. He had almost dropped the earring since the material was so tough, but he managed to get a big enough hole that his hands could tear though it the rest of the way, catching the little boy before he fell to the ground. Rushing over to where Marinette was- well the fake one, he found the missing earring and ran back to Marinette. "M'Lady? Can you hold this for me?" He said as he removed his ring and handed it to Mari. "I don't want to accidentally cause the end of the world by bringing them together, you know?" He laughed softly, hoping the happy sound might draw out a smile. And although she tried, her head hurt too bad to smile or laugh. "Silly Kitty, thank you." He smiled and put the earrings on, a small and familiar creature appearing. "Marine-tte..!?" The kwami started as a yelp, but ended in a question, as both the holders were very much unmasked and seeing each other. "A lot happened, okay?" Plagg started, having been able to tell what happened based on Marinettes state. And the fact that his miraculous was still on his wearer so he could see everything that happened. "Don't worry, bud. Just do what you have to." He grinned. He knew what would happen. Adrien stood, not really realizing what exactly would happen. He called on a lucky charm which gave him a paper and pencil. He was a little surprised, but Plagg seemed to know what to do. Taking it, he wrote a little note. The boy was bewildered, but nonetheless let the black creature scribble away. Once it was handed back, with the note torn out, it was tossed in the air, words were spoken and ladybugs appeared out of nowhere. But when faced with it, Adrien couldn't remember what happened. Why was Plagg holding a piece of paper? Why was he in Bug boy form and why was Marinette crying on the ground? "Oh my- what happened?" He panicked and watched as Plagg looked, noticed Marinette there, and handed Adrien the note. Bug Boy didn't have time to read it though, he just picked up the sobbing girl and carried her all the way to the hospital where they quickly took her in. They kept asking about what happened, why was she all beat up and had her ear lobes torn. He answered as truthfully as he could, but he didn't know a lot of answers. So he referred to the note, hoping it would enlighten him. "Dear Chat Noir, I had entrusted Marinette with the Ladybug Miraculous for an emergency on my end that was unavoidable. If I hadn't, it would have given away my identity. I was informed by another kwami I had brought with me that something was wrong and I saw everything that happened. Hawkmoth almost got her earrings but you saved them. She couldn't perform the Miraculous Ladybug with her ears in the shape they were in but you stepped up. I wrote all of this down and had it sent by the horse miraculous to let you know what happened, since I knew that everyone would forget with the power of the miraculous Ladybug. Thank you, Bug Boy again for saving the day. I'm sorry but I will be back soon. In the meantime, have Plagg send me back the earrings. He knows where I am since I rushed back just in time. Please remember to get the black cat miraculous back from Marinettes finger. You had given it to her to protect herself after her earrings were stolen. Love, Ladybug." The hero smiled. He was glad he could be of service. He let the nurses know what happened and took the ring back, then went off home and de-transformed. "Here, Plagg." He said and laid back against his bed. He felt a little... Shaken and he didn't know why. His heart was racing, he was tired and scared. Though he passed it off as being worried for his friend. When the kwami came back, Adrien told him about how he was feeling about what happened. He didn't know what happened, but it still seemed to have some kind of affect on him. And once Marinette woke up from the surgery that had to be performed on her ears, she knew that whatever happened had affected her too. Her ears were fixed but she was told not the wear the earrings for at least six weeks. Six whole weeks of not being allowed to save Paris, and it sucked so much. Luckily, the two kwamis were able to arrange something so the two could switch earrings secretly and not find out about each other, but it was so weird. And she still couldn't help but think about it. How she felt. The night they met in the catacombs under Paris, they were on either side of a turned edge so they couldn't see each other, and gave each other the miraculouses by sliding them across the floor in their boxes. Who knows how Plagg was able to convince Adrien that Ladybugs ears were fine but they needed to trade miraculouses. "Hey Chat?" The lady question. "Yes, M'Lady?" He answered. She felt so much less afraid of her feelings. How they would affect their mission. "I may be a bit late on this, but I just wanted you to know that I'm in love with you." It sounded so much better in her head, blunt sounded like a girl confessing her love to a boy that shared his oreos with her. "I mean-" "I understand." Chat said, putting the earrings on. "And I'm happy you feel the same. If I'm to be honest, I feel more myself as Chat Noir. Though, I guess for a while I'm going to have to be Bug Boy again, huh?" The two laughed. It lasted a few moments, and then it died down. "I'm still in love with you. You're not late, but... How would this whole thing work? We aren't allowed to find out our identities and we can't use our miraculouses for personal use." The sigh Lady Noir let out was dragged out. "I didn't think that far ahead." It was true though. "I guess we don't have any choice but to wait until Hawkmoth is defeated." And suddenly, the blond felt an impending doom fall over him. He knew that they would be fighting Hawkmoth for a long time, as Time tagger had taught them. He felt so hopeless. But he knew it was for the best. A least until he saw a black flutter stop in front of him.

5 Times (Theodore Twombly x Fem!Reader)

Prompt: Theodore navigating a relationship with a reader who has a kid. OR…4 times Theodore feels like a dad, and 1 time he actually becomes one.

For @reynoldswoodcock who requested a fanfic of Theodore with a kid. I know I changed the prompt just a bit, but I hope you still enjoy it. :)

Warnings: None. Fluffy. Not going to lie, this one’s kinda garbage though.

Word Count: 4,111

C/N = Child’s Name (Pick what you wish)

Theodore could feel the beads of sweat sticking to his forehead as he moves through the park. His hands tremble slightly at his sides. This was the first time he was meeting your daughter, and he was nervous beyond belief. He had been dating you for a little over a month before you came to him with the idea of finally meeting the four-year-old. He understood why you wanted to wait; truth be told, he wanted to wait too.

Between his past marriage with Catherine, and his brief, but passionate love affair with Samantha, he knew how important it was to work out all the kinks in the relationship before introducing something as crucial as a child to it.

On his way to the park, all he could feel was excitement. Every time you talk about the little girl, he watches as your eyes fill with adoration and pride. Finally, he was going to be able to encounter the real-life version of the spark in your eyes. However, now that he was ten feet from the spot he agreed to meet you at, he was reconsidering his past excitement.

“Theodore.”

He turns at the mention of his name and sees you walking towards him with a little figure trotting next to you. His eyes flicker down to the little girl, and his brain nearly short-circuits. Standing in front of him was a miniature version of you— all the way from hair color, to eyes, to the small smile on her face. He took a deep breath before bending down to match the girl’s height level.

“Hi, I’m Theodore,” he says, offering her a small smile. “What’s your name?”

“My name’s C/N,” she says. “Do you like lions?”

“I love lions,” he chuckles before looking up at you, only to see you smiling too. “Why do you ask? Are lions your favorite animal?”

“Yes! I think they are big and loud,” she squeals. “They are big cats!”

“I think you’re right,” he tells her. “I bet lions are bigger than the tallest building in the city.”

The little girl giggles, moving away from you and towards Theodore. “No, silly. Lions can’t be that big.”

Theodore taps his finger to his chin in thought. “Hm, they must be small then. I would need a magnifying glass to see them.”

Another squeal erupted from the child as she shook her head. “No! Not that tiny Theo- Theodorf.”

He chuckles. “Actually, it’s Theod—” he pauses. “You know what? How about you just call me, Theo?”

“Okay, Theo!”

The little girl looks up at you before tugging on your jacket.

“Can I go play on the swings?”

“Sure, baby,” you say, but she remains next to you, tugging on your jacket once more. “What’s wrong?”

She glances at Theodore before mumbling to you, “Can Theo push me?”

“Ask him,” you smile encouragingly at her, and you watch as your boyfriend matches the smile.

“Theo?” She asks, looking bashfully at the man towering over her. “Can you push me on the swings, please?

“Sure, sweetheart. I’d be honored,” he says.

The child lets out a ‘yes’ as she pumps her fist high into the air and takes off towards the swing set. Theodore and you both let out a laugh as he takes a few steps forward to greet you.

“Hey,” he says when he’s finally in front of you.

“Hi,” you wrap your arms around his waist. “Thank you.”

His eyebrows furrow together as he tangles his arms around you too. “For what?”

“For being you. For being so great with her. Seriously, I think she loves you already.”

“No need to thank me, Y/N,” he says. “She is…absolutely incredible. I see why you adore her so much. However, I am glad to have you for a moment.”

“Oh, yeah? And why’s that?”

“Because I can do this,” he leans down and captures your lips in a kiss. Before you can really start to return the kiss, you hear a small voice yelling from behind you.

“Hello? Theo, come push!”

You break apart, chuckling, and walk hand-in-hand over to the swig-set to greet your daughter. As Theodore picks up the child and places her on the swing, he listens to her giggles and mindless chatter, not believing he was actually nervous about this moment earlier.

He thinks he’s going to like this new chapter in his life quite a lot.

—

The next milestone comes months later when he asks you both to stay over. The movie you were watching—Nemo, he thinks—came to an end; he could see exhaustion pour through your features—your eyes threatening to close any minute. He wasn’t sure if spending the night was something you’d be comfortable with yet, especially with your daughter around. He surely didn’t want to rush either one of you.

“Y/N,” he says quietly, glancing over at the four-year-old who’s already passed out between you. “She’s already sleeping, and you look like you will be soon. Why don’t you, if you want to, of course, stay over tonight?”

He watches your face closely for any signs of discomfort, but he only sees you smile softly at him while nodding.

“Sure, if it’s not too much trouble,” you say. “Where will C/N sleep?”

“Don’t worry; you can put her in the guest room. If she needs anything, we’ll be right next door.”

Theodore stands up from the couch, stretching out his limbs from the prolonged sitting. He turns off the TV and gathers up the dishes from earlier’s dinner as you pick up your daughter and head towards the guest room.

After putting the plates in the sink, he heads in the same direction. He finds you placing the little girl onto the bed gently, careful not to wake her up. Little eyes flutter open anyways, as she tiredly glances around the unfamiliar room.

"Where are we?“

"We’re still at Theodore’s. We’re going to sleep here tonight, is that okay?”

She nods, eyes already drooping once more. You place a kiss on her forehead before moving to tuck her into the bedding.

“Hey,” Theodore says, quietly stepping into the room. “Do you think I can tuck her in tonight? Is- is that overstepping boundaries?”

“Not at all,” you smile. You make sure it’s okay with your daughter before placing one last kiss on her forehead and stepping aside to let your boyfriend do the honors.

“Are you all ready for bed?” He asks.

“Yes. Theo?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Are we going to live here now?”

“No, you’re going to go back home tomorrow,” he reassures her. “we’re just having a sleepover tonight.”

“But I like being here wif you,” she grins, sleepily. “Can I say a secret?”

He chuckles lightly, his heart filling with warmth. “Sure.”

“My mommy likes you,” she whispers, although not very well. He can hear you laugh from the doorway behind you, and that makes him smile in response.

“Well, you can tell your mommy that I like her too.”

“Really, you do?”

He nods at the little girl, and the corners of her mouth fly up into a smile.

“Can I say ‘nother secret?”

She doesn’t wait for his response; she only grabs him by his white pajama shirt and yanks as hard as her little arms would let her until his face is next to hers.

“I want you to stay wif us,” she says, placing a quick kiss on Theodore’s cheek before turning over in the bed to go to sleep.

Theodore could feel everything in the room stop as those words left the child’s mouth. He wills his eyes to stay dry, not wanting to scare the girl or make her think she’s said something wrong. He only pulls the blanket around her tiny figure, making sure she’s secured in the bed before flipping off the light and leaving the room with you.

As soon as you both enter his bedroom, he turns to you. “Did you hear that? Did you hear what she said?”

“I did,” you tell him, trying to keep your emotions in check too. “She’s getting attached to you. I didn’t expect it to happen this soon.”

“I feel the same way,” he says, adjusting his glasses out of habit. “When I was with Catherine, we talked about having kids. We were both just so busy with our writing, and to her, nothing she ever did was good enough. So, when it came to kids, being a mother was just another thing she struggled with picturing. With C/N, not that she is my kid or anything, but I just feel like I matter to her. She’s only four, so maybe it’s just in my head.”

“It’s not,” you reach your hand up to run your fingers through his short, curly locks. “She adores you. I can see it. I know I say it all the time, but I really, really want to thank you for being here.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he smiles and leans in to connect your lips. He moves his mouth slowly over yours, capturing your bottom lip between his teeth. He can still taste the remnants of earlier’s champagne with a hint of what makes you, you. He adores the way your mouth fits perfectly with his, and the way you make him feel just by a simple kiss or touch. He’s absolutely, one hundred percent completely, in love with you. The hard part now was telling you that.

—

Theodore knew as soon as he woke up in the morning that it was going to be an awful day. Since the night you and your daughter had stayed over for the first time, you both had become a frequent fixture in the Twombly house— often sleeping over, spending the day together, or just coming over for a movie.

However, you had called him this morning and told him that work was keeping you busy tonight, and you and the little girl might not be able to make it over that day. Although he understood, his mood was undoubtedly ruined. On his way to Beautiful Handwritten Letters, he receives his second call from you that morning—this time, asking him for a favor.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Theo; I know you’re on your way to work,” you say before explaining to him the situation. “Apparently, there was a fight at her preschool. Can you please go pick her up? I’m so sorry to ask, but I can’t leave work.”

“No, it’s totally okay. I’ll just let Paul know I won’t be in, and go right over. Will they let me pick her up since I’m not her dad?”

“Yeah, I told them you were coming. Thank you so much; I’m sorry again.”

“Stop apologizing, I really don’t mind,” he says over the phone. “I’ll let you know when we’re back at my place.”

When he arrives at the preschool, his eyes travel over the cement walls filled with crayon drawings and messy paintings, to the colored desks, and cluttered play areas. A man with shaggy black hair and brown eyes waves him over to where he’s standing with C/N, who has quite the dejected look on her face.

“You must be Theodore; I’m Mr. Conrad,” the older man says. Before Theodore can move to introduce himself, the little girl flies out of the teachers’ grasp and bolts towards him.

“Theo! You’re here,” her tiny bottom lip pushes out as tears spill down her cheeks like waves. She crashes into his legs, and he slides his hands under her arms to lift her up, bouncing her gently on his hip.

“What’s wrong, lion?” He asks, using the nickname he had given her because of her knowledge of the animal.

“Don’t be mad,” she cries. “I didn’t mean to play wif him.”

“I won’t be mad,” he assures her, rubbing soothing circles on her back. “Tell me what happened.”

“I played wif this boy, but- but he didn’t want to play. He said I was stupid. Am I stupid, Theo?”

Theodore’s heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces as the girls’ tears dripped down her cheeks, and her broken voice uttered those offensive comments.

“No, sweetheart. You aren’t stupid,” he cooed, gently rubbing his finger over her cheeks to catch the tears. “You are super smart. Who knows so much about lions?”

“I do,” she murmurs sniffling.

“And who’s learning how to read really well?”

“Me.”

“And who thinks you’re the smartest little girl he’s ever met?”

“You,” she says, already knowing the answer. Theodore offers her a smile and nods.

“Yep. I think you must be smart. You’re probably the smartest person in the whole world.”

The little girl bursts into a giggle. “No, Theo. You’re fibbing.”

He shakes his head, confidently. “I am not!”

Her giggles continue as he jokes about sending her away to “smart people camp.”

The teacher watches with a fond smile, playfully interjecting with a few jokes of his own at times. This dynamic continues until every last tear has been shed and dried up.

“Are you ready to go?” Theodore questions, resuming his previous action of bouncing the little girl on his hip. “Do you want to go to mommy’s house or my house?”

“Your house!”

Both adults laugh, and Theodore bids the teacher goodbye after the man promises to set up a parent-teacher conference to address the events that transpired.

“I think the smartest person in the whole world deserves a treat after today,” he tells the girl in his arms as they leave the school.

“Ice-cream?”

“Ice-cream,” he says, recoiling as high-pitched squeals fill his ears. “Just don’t tell your mommy I let you have some before dinner.”

You, obviously, found out about the ice-cream. It turns out, your little girl isn’t so keen on keeping her mouth shut. As soon as your feet cross the threshold of Theodore’s apartment, C/N’s mouth starts moving faster than light to try and unravel the day’s events.

“Then, we got ice-cream!”

You raise your eyebrows at Theodore, and he shrugs, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. “My bad.”

“And before dinner,” you whine facetiously. “Really, Theodore?”

“She asked! How could I say no to my cute little lion?”

“I didn’t ask, Theo. You said we would get treat,” the child grins up at the green-eyed man next to her, exposing his lie.

You smirk at the pair, watching as your boyfriend glares teasingly at your daughter.

“I can’t believe you told your mommy that,” he says before looking at you, offering you his best puppy dog face. “Sorry.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” you warn him, your eyes shining with adoration.

Theodore falters. Surely you didn’t mean to say those three little words; he wouldn’t blame you for accidentally rambling them out as you joked around.

“You love me?”

Even before the words finish leaving his mouth, he knows the answer. Your eyes are sparkling a similar shine held for gazing at your daughter, only now it was directed at him too. He sees a glimpse of panic cross over your features, but it’s gone as quickly as it came once his lips curved upwards into a beaming smile.

“I do. I love you,” you say, eyes wet with unshed tears. Theodore’s eyes gloss over too, as he thinks back to the last person he used those three words on—Samantha. He knew you were better. He knew you wouldn’t hurt him. He knew you were the one. So, he did the only thing he could think of.

“I love you too.”

—

Screams can be heard all around the store as tiny feet rush around to put their hands on whatever they can grab. It was nearing Christmas time, and past Theodore felt it was an acceptable idea to take C/N to Toys-R-Us. Present Theodore did not agree.

The little girl bounces from aisle to aisle, pointing at every toy that piques her interest. Theodore pushes the cart alongside her, while you trudge close by, looking down at your fingers.

“What’s wrong?

You glance up to see Theodore’s eyes no longer on the long stretch in front of him. Instead, they are focused on you.

"Nothing,” you reassure him. “Just looking at the ring.”

Your fingers trace over the diamond ring, smiling as the events of last weekend resurface in your head. It was your daughter’s birthday, nearly six months after your first 'I love you’s’ were uttered, when Theodore brought you aside after the party.

“I know this isn’t your birthday, but you work really hard,” Theodore said. “I love you so much, Y/N. I wasn’t sure if I was going to feel this way ever again before I met you. I was convinced I had felt true love with Catherine and Samantha, and maybe I did in a way. But nothing compares to the pure, and utter happiness I feel with you. I want that to last a lifetime; so, lion and I got you a little gift too.”

The small girl skips over to Theodore; he hoists her up into his arms, and she leans over to you and sets a small box into your waiting fingers.

“Open it, mommy!”

Theodore watches nervously as you carefully prop open the box, a small sob escaping your lips as you see the contents inside.

“Marry me,” Theodore mutters, just loud enough for you to hear.

“Yes. Oh my God, yes,” you choke out, chuckling out of disbelief. Your eyes meet, and Theodore’s smile grows twice it’s size as he slides the ring onto your finger.

That will be a moment you never get over, and never fully recover from. The sheer happiness you feel just by thinking about your future with Theodore is enough to make the tears threaten to appear.

“I know, it’s beautiful,” Theodore jokes, nodding towards the ring. You shove him playfully and resist the urge to kiss him right in the middle of the store.

“Mommy! Theo! Look!" 

You both turn towards the voice but are met with a massive stuffed lion in place of the little girl. Theodore chuckles as she attempts to poke her head around the toy to gape up at the pair.

"I found a big lion!”

“He’s as big as you baby,” you smile at your daughter, who’s still attempting to carry the overly-humungous plush.

“Can I take him home?”

“Christmas is coming up,” you remind her. “We’re only looking for gifts you might want.”

“But mommy,” she whines. “What if he’s gone then?”

“They’ll restock,” you say.

“What is restock?”

“It means they’ll bring more lions to the store when they run out,” Theodore explains. The little girl doesn’t seem satisfied with that answer. Her lips start trembling, and her eyes soon filled with tears.

“But, Theo, this is the one I want. What if someone takes him?”

Her small cries become louder, so Theodore takes the lion out of her tight grip, sitting it down on the floor before kneeling in front of her.

“What if we make a deal?”

She sniffles, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Like what?”

“Mommy and I will get this lion for you since this is the one you want, but you have to wait until Christmas to play with him.”

“No! I need him now, Theo,” she hiccups.

“I hear you, sweetheart. We know that you want it. I bet the lion you picked out was the best one they had here, right?”

“Yeah,” she says quietly.

“We will take it home with us. You just have to be good, and you can have it for Christmas.”

You kneel next to your fiancé, wiping the tears off the little girls’ cheeks.

“You know what, baby? Christmas is only a few sleeps away,” you tell her. “You’d see him again really soon. You just have to be patient with mommy and Theo. Remember what Theo taught you about patience?”

“Yes.”

You smile, moving to stand up with Theodore. “Okay, so can we take the lion home and put him away until Christmas?”

“Okay, mommy.”

You both smile at each other triumphantly, and Theodore places the plush lion in the cart. You take ahold of the cart this time, as C/N holds her arms up to Theo, asking to be carried. He picks her up and struts after you down the aisle.

You both only get a few steps in when one of the employees nearby stops you both.

“I’m sorry if I overstep, but I have a new son; he was just born,” the young man says. “I’ve been worrying about how to handle certain situations, and toy buying was one of them. I overheard you guys, and I just wanted to say I think you handled it perfectly. You make great parents; she’s lucky to have a mom and dad like you.”

Theodore blushes at the comment, and neither one of you make an effort to correct the employee. Instead, you thank him and continue your journey to the cash register, sending loving glances to each other the rest of the way there.

—

When Theodore’s birthday arrives, the day is hectic for you and your daughter as you attempt to arrange the perfect 'family’ party for you three. Theodore insisted that you not plan anything; he really just wanted to stay home with his girls. And honestly, you wanted the same thing. So, that’s how you ended up on the couch all day, vegging out on cake and watching films until nightfall.

Although it wasn’t much, Theodore couldn’t have pictured a better day. His birthday, which was usually spent alone or with past flames, was now filled with love and laughter from his two favorite people in the world.

A few gifts were exchanged throughout the day. You had purchased him a new watch for him to wear, a blue button-up shirt, and a couple of other miscellaneous items that he loved. C/N had also gotten him a gift, but you were both saving it for the end of the night. When the time came, you led him to a chair and sat him down in it.

“Can I get a hint at least? I’m nervous,” he chuckles, and you lean down and place a lingering kiss on his lips. “If that’s your hint, I think I’m going to like this surprise.”

You roll your eyes at him before calling C/N over. She comes running with a yellow folder in her small hands, as well as a card. She reaches her hands out and gives them to Theodore.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he replies.

She holds her arms up, and he helps her climb onto his lap before tearing open the card.

You may not be my dad now, You were not at my birth. But I love you all the same. The greatest guy on Earth.

You call me little lion. And I don’t want that to stop. You make me feel at home, And I love you a whole lot.

You look at me with pride, Like I hung the stars and moon. You may not be my dad now, But will you be real soon?

Theodore finished reading the card, and he couldn’t stop the tears that cascaded down his pale cheeks.

“Did you and mommy write this together?”

“Yes! We wrote a nice letter, just like you do,” the little girl smiled proudly. “Open the folder!”

With shaky hands, he rips off the seal of the folder, pulling out the papers from inside.

“Adoption,” he breathes out, “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, Theo,” you chuckle, your own tears welling up at the sight. “We love you.”

“Don’t cry, daddy.”

Small hands pat his tear-stained face, as he holds back another small sob after hearing her call him dad.

“I’m okay, Lion. Just happy,” he says. “You really want me to be your daddy?”

“Yes! It will be the best ever!”

He keeps her held in his arms as he jumps up from the chair. He drops the papers onto the floor and twirls her around as she squeals.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he kisses her cheek before walking over to you. “And I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too, Theo.”

You beam at each other, and Theodore captures your lips, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of your mouth on his own.

The little girl groans. “Mommy, daddy, stop kissing!”

He chuckles against your lips, pulling away reluctantly. Parenting may be hard some days; he learned that even before he became one. But, he knows with one hundred percent certainty, he wouldn’t trade any of this for a single thing in the universe.

Meeting the Bakusquad [Eijiro/OC Commission]

I got another commission! :) This time from the super sweet @asrasdarling​. They are a pleasure to work with, and this prompt is a fun one. 

Now, their OC is something of a self-insert, which is kinda what mine are lol. 

Anyway, Asra asked for a Kirishima X OC piece where the OC isn’t from UA, but is Kirishima’s girlfriend, and how he introduces her to the Bakusquad. I thought that was a super cute, fun prompt and eagerly accepted! 

Only thing is I’m not terribly dirty-minded, so I might not have been able to fully capture your OC, Asra, but I hope you like how I portrayed Jenna!

Sorry it took so long!

As always, if you want your own Commission, please look over This Post Here about pricing and how I do my commissions. 

One last thing; word count, as usual. This piece sits at 3026 words. 

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we? 

God Bless and Good Day!

~The Lupine Sojourner

(Thought this GiF was super cute! (: )

Jenna ran along the hall, eager to get to class before the bell rang, before she crashed into someone, leaving them both on their butts on the ground, whatever had been in their arms spilled out between them. 

Jenna looks up and sees a boy with black hair and red eyes, blushing in embarrassment as he offers her a hand up. 

“S-sorry!” He murmurs. Jenna is tugged to her feet quickly and she dusts herself off.

“Hey, no big deal. Take a breath.” She advises, picking up her stuff as quick as she could. It’s then she takes another look at him and realizes she may know him. “Hey, you’re Eijiro, right?” She asks. He nods, seeming to recognize her, too. 

“Yeah, that’s me. We have English and Science together, right?” Jenna nods. 

“Yup!” They finish grabbing their things and face each other. “Speaking of, we should go.” 

Eijiro nods. “Yeah, or we’ll be late.” They walk together, neither speaking. 

The classes went by quickly and soon enough it was lunchtime. All day, Jenna had struggled to focus on classwork, but her mind seemed drawn to Eijiro. He seemed like a nice kid, but she didn’t know much about him. 

Jenna liked mysteries. And so, she sought him out for lunch. 

“Hey, this seat taken, hot stuff?” She asks, winking for good measure. 

Eijiro spits out a bit of his drink. “I-I’m sorry?” He asks, blushing a little. Jenna laughs. He was cute when he blushed. She bet he was easy to tease.

“I asked if this seat was taken.” She decides against continuing to flirt with him...for now.

“Oh, uh, it isn’t. Feel free to sit.” Eijiro replies politely. 

The pair share a decent lunch, and that seems to be that. 

=#=#=#=#=

 Since that first encounter and lunch, Jenna had decided she was going to pursue Eijiro.

Thus began a series of flirtatious remarks and awkward, unsure responses from Eijiro. 

Jenna liked seeing him blush. She knew it was childish and that she should simply make her intentions known, but they were still in middle school. It’d be a bit weird to start dating right now, even if they were nearly graduated.

Or so Jenna told herself. “Hey, Eiji! Wait up!” She calls, shaking herself out of her thoughts and running after Eijiro.

He turns. “Oh, hey, Jenna. What’s up?” 

“Which high school are you going to?” She asks. Eijiro suddenly seems incredibly nervous, paling and scratching at the back of his neck. 

“We-well, I, uh, haven’t decided.” He explains. 

“Didn’t you say you wanted to try for UA?” 

“I did, but, you know, it’s a really big school, and super hard to get into, so I guess I’m just keeping my options open.” Jenna nods. 

“Makes sense. Race you to the bus stop!” She cries, running after him. He laughs, forgetting his previous insecurity for a moment, and chases her, easily winning. Jenna was a little surprised. 

“You been working out or something?” She asks. 

“Yeah. I do want to- -I am still tossing around the idea of being a hero, so…” Jenna frowns. He seems off somehow. Unsteady and unsure, which was so unlike him. 

Normally, Eijiro was the kinda guy that knew what he wanted and would do what it takes to get there. 

Now, it was like he was afraid to say he changed his mind, but still having second thoughts. 

“...You okay, Eiji?” Jenna asks. “You don’t seem your usual self today.” Normally, she’d have made some flirty remark, but this seemed serious, so she knew better. 

“Y-yeah, never better.” He mumbles. Jenna huffs. 

“And I’m All Might.” 

“I’m serious, Jenna. Leave it alone.” There was no fight in his words. There wasn’t much emotion, either. There was just...nothing. 

“Ei, I’m serious.” Jenna murmurs, hands on her crush’s shoulders. “You can talk to me.” 

“I’m fine, Jen, just please go!” There were tears in his eyes. Jenna decides to take a different approach. 

“Alright, alright. Text me later?” Eijiro nods mutely and walks away as soon as Jenna’s hands let go. 

“...sure.” 

As soon as Eijiro was gone, Jenna pulled out her phone, typing up a search for the latest local news. Scrolling down just a little, she saw that there had been a villain incident just last night. On a street Eijiro would have been walking home on since the buses needed maintenance. 

Suddenly, the pieces fell into place. Eijiro had seen a villain situation and had been scared out of his mind. He was still dealing with that fear now. 

Jenna had an idea. Waiting til after she’d gone home and ran, she texted Eijiro and asked if they wanted to meet for sparring, something they sometimes did after school. 

Surprisingly, Eijiro said no. He said he had already run himself and that he was working out at home. Something told Jenna that was a lie, but she didn’t have it in her to press him. 

Jenna accepted it and wished him luck in his workout before going at the punching bag. 

Her Quirk, Archer, let her sharp shoot anything with a bow with pin-point accuracy, so she needed to get good at hand-to-hand combat if she was ever going to make a real difference. 

Unlike most people, Jenna didn’t want to be a Hero. No, she wanted to be a police officer, using her Quirk to protect as many average citizens as she could. 

As her knuckles slammed into the bag, Jenna considered how best to break down Eijiro’s walls and get him to tell her what was going on in that amazing mind of his. 

There was something eating him from the inside out, Jenna could easily tell, but how could she press him into talking to her without jeopardizing the friendship between them? 

=#=#=#=#=

Turns out, the answer was nothing. 

He voluntarily told her after basically avoiding her all day with that awful, defeated look on his face. 

Then, once they’d done their runs, he randomly called Jenna and she instantly picked up. 

“Hey. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you all day.” He begins.

“Did you miss me?” Jenna asks, winking at him through the video chat. She feels a little better when he manages a small smile.

“Very funny. I guess I did a little. Anyway, that’s not why I called. I called to say I’m ready to tell you what happened, why I’ve been off lately. It’s true. There is something wrong.” Jenna doesn’t dare interrupt, nodding to show she was still paying attention. “The other day, there was this villain...and I saw some of the girls from school being questioned by the villain to find some agency. I wanted to help, but...but my body wouldn’t move. My spirit was too weak to do anything. I realized I didn’t have what it takes to risk it all to save people. At least, that was how I felt after what happened, but then...let’s just say I’ve found my spirit again! I’m not gonna regret anything anymore!” Jenna grins, excited to see the flame in Eijiro’s heart ignite again, burning brighter than before. 

“Hell yeah! Let’s do this, Eijiro!” She calls, pumping her free fist excitedly. 

“Yeah!” 

And so, the pair began sparring more and more, getting better and better. Jenna also helped Eijiro increase his Hardening’s strength by firing at him while he stood there, unafraid, his arms and face Hardened and determination blazing in his eyes. 

Weeks went by quickly and Jenna was the happiest she’d even been, Eijiro by her side and with a fiery determination to match his renewed spirit. Jenna could tell Eijiro had truly gotten over his slump and was back on track, chugging along and making up for lost time like he’d never faltered. 

And Jenna was right there, chugging along beside him on her path to being a cop. 

Jenna noticed that Eijiro spent an increasing amount of time with her these days, a fact which she was quick to use in her flirtatious remarks, and a fact that made her heart quicken a little. 

Even after weeks had gone by, Jenna still found herself crushing on Eijiro and wishing she had the guts to tell him, but every time she opened her mouth to confess her honest feelings, it came out as just another flirty joke, another poorly veiled attempt to get him to see her the way she saw him. 

Eijiro never saw through the flirting to the genuine feelings Jenna held for him.

That is, til one day. 

It was shortly before the entrance test for UA, and the pair were hanging out after a rough sparring session. 

“Hey, Eijiro?” Jenna asks, squirming a little, but determined not to back out this time. 

“Yeah?” Eijiro asks. 

“You’re going to UA, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve told you. Why?” 

“It’s just...we’re not going to the same high school, and there’s some- -well, I’ve been meaning to tell you something before we separate.” Eijiro laughs, turning to look at Jenna, who was focused on her fiddling fingers.

“Jenna, c’mon, lighten up! We’ll still be best friends, right? What’s the big deal?” 

“The big deal is I like you, dummy!” Jenna blurts. “And now you’re going away and I won’t see you that often, and- -”

“Wait, what? You...you like me? As in...like like?”

“Yes, you baka!” Jenna barks. “Geez, you’re oblivious!” Eijiro hugs her so he could get a word in edgewise. 

“Jenna, look. I...I like you, too. I just figured you didn’t feel the same way. And besides, we’re not going to stop talking to each other and sparring and stuff, plus, um...maybe dating stuff, too, like hiking and picnics, and- -wait do you like picnics? Or hiking?” 

Jenna playfully smacks his shoulder. “You dork! I was so worried you didn’t feel the same way I felt! You mean to tell me you like me, too?!” 

He pulls you into a kiss in the heat of the moment and Jenna can’t find it in herself to complain at all as her body lit up at the feeling inside her, knowing Eijiro liked her back and they were finally kissing. Her hands wound themselves into his hair and she pressed herself against him as the kiss lengthened. 

Eventually, Eijiro leans back and stares at the girl in his arms. 

“That was...amazing.” He murmurs. 

“You’re telling me.” Jenna replies breathlessly. 

“What was that about being worried about separating?” Eijiro teases. 

Jenna laughs. “I don’t remember.” 

Eijiro nuzzles into Jenna’s neck, laughing. “You’re a dork.” 

“And yet...you kissed me.” 

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” He retorts. 

“Oh you like me, huh?” Jenna couldn’t resist teasing him. 

“Did I not make it obvious?” 

“No! No you did not! As far as I knew, you only thought of me as a best friend! I had to sit there, crushing over you and burying my feelings cus I didn’t think you felt the same!” 

“Sorry!” Eijiro squeaks, suddenly slammed with guilt as accidentally upsetting the girl he’d slowly come to like...a lot. “I’m not great at this romance thing! I thought you were flirting for fun!” 

Jenna groans, running a hand down her face. “Good Lord we’re morons.” 

“Yeah...sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize, Ei. Kiss me again and I might forget all the waiting.” 

Eijiro instantly obliged. 

=#=#=#=#=

“How much further to the top?” Jenna asks, huffing a little as you continue trekking up the mountain. 

“Not too far, you baby.” Eijiro calls back teasingly.

“This was your idea, idiot! I wanted to watch Netflix!” 

“And I said this was a better idea!” 

Jenna huffs. “Yeah, yeah.” 

“Listen, when we get to the top, the view will be worth it.” Eijiro promises, dropping back a little to walk beside his girlfriend.

“It better be, Ei.” She grumbles.

Eijiro kisses Jenna’s temple. “C’mon, sourpuss. Once we’re done, we’ll shower at my dorm and by then my friends should be done shopping.” 

Jenna could never stay mad at him for long, so she grabs his hand and continues walking, determined to get to the top. 

Once there, Jenna could begrudgingly admit that Eijiro was right; the view was amazing. She could see the buildings that made up UA in the distance, proud and tall among the other buildings in the city. 

“There it is.” Eijiro muses as if reading her thoughts. “UA High.” 

“It’s so amazing you got in.” Jenna asks. Eijiro nods, smiling eagerly. He always loved talking about UA. 

“Yeah, I can’t believe it, either! It’s so incredible there!” 

“I’m sure it is.” Jenna replies, genuinely happy for him as she leans her head against Eijiro’s shoulder. 

“I’m really proud of you, too.” Eijiro says as he wraps his arm around her shoulder. “You’re on your way to your dream, too.”

“Thanks, babe.” Jenna grins and leans up a little to kiss her boyfriend. As always, she let it continue for a while. 

Once it ended, the pair stayed and enjoyed the view for a while as the city bustled beneath them. 

“Speaking of schools, how are things in your high school?” Eijiro asks, feeling bad he couldn’t remember the school’s name off the top of his head. 

Jenna nods. “They’re going great! I’m loving it!” Eijiro squeezes Jenna to him proudly. 

“That’s my girl. I’m happy for you.” He kisses her temple and they return to admiring the view. “Hey, we should probably head back down.” Eijiro notes after a few minutes. “Your mom might start worrying.” 

Jenna nods. “Knowing her, she’s worrying already.” She chuckles. “C’mon, loverboy.” 

The pair half-run, half-walk down the mountain and then walk to the subway station nearby. 

=#=#=#=#=

“Ah. You must be Jenna.” Iida calls once he spots the pair entering the dorm building. “My name is Tenya Iida.” Jenna extends a hand and Iida shakes it firmly. 

“Pleasure.” Jenna intones politely. 

“Ashido, Sero, Kaminari, and Bakugo are not back yet.” Iida reports and Eijiro nods. 

“Yeah we’re gonna shower real quick before they get back, then we’ll have lunch and hang out.” 

Iida nods. “Alright then.” He motions them on. The couple leave and Jenna has to school her thoughts carefully as she walks toward the dorm her boyfriend stays in. 

Her mind kept wandering, however, and she couldn’t fight a blush. 

She walks in, and...her jaw drops. “Dang, babe, this is...impressive.” She says, trying not to succumb to her knee-jerk reaction of ‘what is this?’. All around her were ‘manly’ things and workout equipment, including a punching bag. 

“I call my ‘cave of manliness’.” Eijiro explains proudly. Jenna laughs. 

“It’s great, honey.” She replies, kissing his temple. 

“Really? Hagakure said if she had a boyfriend with a room like this, she’d dump him.” Eijiro murmurs, scratching the back of his neck nervously. 

“Well, she’s a bit petty, then. This room is great! Perfect for you!” Jenna replies, waving aside any thought that she’d dump Eijiro on such minor grounds.

“Thanks, Jenna.” Eijiro breaths out, smiling a little shakily.

“Eijiro, don’t listen to anyone who judges you based on such petty things like room decorations. They’re being a little shallow.” Eijiro nods.

“I’ll try not to.” He then takes a breath. “Now, we need to shower. Mina texted me that they’re heading back and they didn’t go that far.” Jenna nods, smirking a little. 

“Want me to join you, save time?” She teases, unable to resist.

On cue, Eijiro’s cheeks turn as red as his hair, and he backs up a few steps. “J-Jenna!” He squeaks, putting his hands over his face. “C’mon! Don’t do that!” Jenna laughs, unable to help it. 

“Ei, I was teasing. It’s adorable when you blush.” Eijiro pouts, cheeks still red. 

“Jen…” He whines. 

“Look, I’ll take the first shower real quick, and then you can shower.” Eijiro nods mutely in embarrassment. 

Soon enough, the showers were done and Eijiro and Jenna were back in the main living area of the building. 

As it they’d timed it, the doors open and the quarter of students enter, Katsuki yelling at Kaminari as usual. Eijiro walks over. 

“Hey, guys!” He greets. Katsuki turns to him once he was through with what he was saying. 

“Hey, Shitty Hair.” Katsuki retorts. “Where’s this girl we’re supposed to meet?” Eijiro turns and motions Jenna over. 

“H-hi.” Jenna says, trying not to stutter, but feeling a little nervous now that the moment had come. 

These were Eijiro’s friends. What if they didn’t like her? 

“...Not bad, I guess.” Katsuki sniffs, walking away to head into the kitchen, grumbling at whoever was in there to get out so he could cook.

“Yeah, she’s a cutie!” Kaminari chirps, walking over. “Good to finally meet you!” He says, almost in a flirty way. Jenna chuckles as she shakes his hand. 

“You’re not bad yourself. What’s your name?” 

“Oh! Sorry! Denki Kaminari.” 

“Good to meet- -”

“Hi there! I’m Mina Ashido, but you can call me Mina!” Ashido interrupts, shaking Jenna’s hand eagerly. “It’s so awesome to meet you!” 

“Awesome to meet you too!” Jenna replies, easily feeding off Mina’s energy, which seemed to ease Jenna’s nerves. Mina then finally lets go of Jenna’s hand as Sero walks over. 

“I’m Hanta Sero. Good to finally meet yah, Jenna.” He says, bring a bit more calm into the meeting. 

“It’s great to finally meet everyone.” Jenna says, meaning it. 

And, it seems, they liked her already, so she had nothing to be nervous about. 

“Who’s hungry?” Eijiro asks. “I think I saw Katsuki walking into the kitchen, so we should follow and get lunch.” 

Jenna clutches her stomach, not realizing how hungry she was till someone mentioned food. “Yes, please! Good God, I’m hungry.” Eijiro takes her hand as they walk, unashamed. 

Katsuki took convincing to let them help, but eventually they were settled at the table, food and drinks aplenty, banter and stories flying back and forth as the group enjoyed lunch. 

Jenna quite liked Eijiro’s friend group, she decided. They were all so unique and boisterous in their own ways, and she could easily find her place among them, even if she didn’t go to UA.

A Cinderella Story - Part 7

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

So we have arrived at the end of this little series and I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who liked, reblogged and commented. I can’t even begin to describe how much it means to me and all the asks and comments were so kind and sweet. By the time this is posted, the first chapter of this series will be up on A03 (my username is the same as here, if anyone wants to look at it) Anyway, after deleting this chapter three times because I hated it, I’m finally posting so I really hope you enjoy! <3

Draco stared out the small, dusty window above the sink. The clouds loomed overhead, the grey sky darkening the little kitchen, as Draco lifted the heavy water-filled bucket onto the ground.

The only sign that the ball had occurred, that the moments with Harry had been real, was the dull, permanent aching of Draco’s heart. The night had been awful. Draco could barely control the sobs that had wracked through his body and the sharp, agonising pain in his chest when he had realised that he would never see Harry again. He had stayed awake all night, wishing and praying that somehow, in some other universe, they would be reunited again. He had done the same thing when his mother, then father, had died. Only this time, it seemed he was the one dying.

Draco hoped death was quick. He hoped death was soon.

A low, heavy rumbling sounded from outside, shaking Draco from his thoughts. Draco peered outside to find the source of the noise. The courtyard was empty, but now the sound, which Draco had realised was hooves hitting the ground, was growing closer, until a burst of colour and noise flew past Draco’s window.

“What in Merlin’s beard…?” Draco murmured, staring out the window.

The bottom of what seemed to be a large, black and gold carriage now stood in front of Draco’s small window and the noise of men shouting travelled into the kitchen. Draco leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of the full carriage, but the kitchen was below ground and the window was slim.

It was unusual for anyone to visit the Manor this late, especially in a carriage like that one. No one visited Bellatrix unless it was for some ancient, illegal spell or to offer her a place in their weird, evil cult.

However, Draco’s confusion intensified when a black, leather boot stepped out of the carriage door. Because that boot had a lion’s crest imprinted on it. That boot belonged to the palace.

“Yup, Bellatrix definitely lives here. No one else can give a house a look of doom and gloom as she can.” Sirius Black’s deep voice came from outside, shaking Draco from his shock. The boot must have belonged to him but Draco still had no idea why he was here. Yes, Bellatrix and Sirius were cousins, but Draco was sure they only spoke in curses to each other.

Draco was still considering this when the world seemed to stop. His heart paused in his chest, his lungs stopped breathing, as a voice sounded from above. That voice. Harry’s voice.

“The Manor always scared me, even before Bellatrix. I would have to hold Draco’s hand during the night anytime I came for a sleepover as a child.”

Draco’s mind was whirring, but his heart was still, as he tried to understand, tried to comprehend why Harry was here. Outside the Manor. Outside Draco’s home. He came up with no explanation, but despite his confusion, despite everything, he could feel his heart reach out to Harry.

“You mean you just used that as an excuse to hold Draco’s hand,” Sirius responded, as Harry stepped from the carriage, a guard or servant, Draco didn’t know which, standing by his side. Draco blinked at Sirius’ statement.

“Shut up!” Draco could hear the embarrassment in Harry’s voice. There was silence for a moment as no one moved, until Harry spoke again, this time much quieter.

“What am I meant to say, Padfoot? I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Hey, Draco! I know it was you last night at the ball, and I just wanted to let you know I’m kind of obsessed with you. I have had a crush on you since I was twelve and I’m probably in love with you. Do you want to go out sometime?”

Harry snorted but quickly turned quiet again. “Seriously, Pads. What am I going to do? I can’t mess this up.”

Sirius’ feet stepped towards Harry’s. “I have known you since you were a baby, Harry Potter. I know you won’t mess this up. Just be honest with him. Tell him exactly how you feel and leave nothing hidden, because only then can you gain. You might wanna leave out the part that you have dreams about him though. That’s a bit creepy.”

Draco heard Harry sigh before whispering a sincere “thank you” to Sirius and walking away from Draco’s small window and towards the door.

It is hard to put into words the feelings one may experience when a dream sets itself into reality, especially a dream that revolves around love. No simple word can even begin to describe the happiness Draco felt in that moment. His chest ached, not with pain, but with love and joy, as he tried to comprehend that Harry felt the same, that Harry wanted him. Draco had never allowed himself to delve into the possibility of Harry reciprocating his feelings, the danger of getting lost in the dream too real, but now. Now, Draco didn’t have to dream anymore. Now, his dreams were real.

Draco spun around and ran for the door. He needed to get to Harry. But a shadowy figure blocked his path, a small smirk on the face.

“Now,” Bellatrix said, her voice sharp and cutting, “where do you think you’re going?”

Fear inched its way into Draco’s heart. “The Prince is at the door, Miss Bellatrix. I need to answer it.”

Bellatrix’s laughter filled the room, but there was no amusement in it. “And why do you think I would let you do that?”

“Because...because that’s what I usually do. I always answer the door to guests.”

“Well, don’t worry. I do not require you to answer the door this time. Especially since you’ve spent so much time with the Prince already. I’m sure he is sick of your company by now.”

Draco’s heart stopped. Did she know? How could she know? Draco’s question was answered when his aunt held up a small silver mask. His mask. He felt as if he was going to be sick.

“You see, Draco. I know everything. I know that you’re in love with that stupid little prince, and I know that somehow he feels the same. But the thing is, that doesn’t suit my plans. I want one of my sons to marry him and you are really getting in the way of that. So if we can’t have him,” Bellatrix dropped the mask to the floor and stamped on it, snapping it in two,  “then neither can you.”

The chime of the doorbell echoed through the house, and Bellatrix turned away. Draco stood in shock, staring at the small, broken mask on the ground, before looking up to meet his aunt’s gaze once more. She smirked, before slamming the door shut behind her, leaving Draco in the kitchen alone.

Draco ran forward, pulling the handle down, but the door was locked.

“HARRY!” Draco yelled, pounding his fist against the door. “I’M DOWN HERE! HARRY, PLEASE!”

He punched the wood, not caring for the blood dripping from his knuckles or the pain in his throat. He needed to get out of here. He couldn’t lose Harry again, not now, not after everything he knew.

As Draco shouted Harry’s name again, a sudden flame seemed to ignite inside of him. He felt the fire spread across his body, each inch of skin filled with power. It was magic. His magic that was pumping through his veins for the first time in years. The wooden door flung open without Draco even needing to cast a spell, and he ran. And this time, he wasn’t running away.

“What do you mean he doesn’t want to see me? Can’t he at least tell me that himself?” Harry’s voice travelled down the halls as Draco sped down the hallway, his magic surging him forward.

Bellatrix’s voice grew louder as Draco ran. “I apologise immensely, your Highness, but Draco is simply refusing to-”

“Refusing to what?” Draco skidded into the hall, his heavy panting echoing off the marble walls as everyone stared. Sirius stood at the door, his eyes wide, while Vincent and Gregory stood in the corner. Draco could feel Bellatrix’s outraged glare, but he ignored it, instead choosing to look at Harry who stood a few metres in front. Harry who was looking at him with those bloody emerald eyes that did crazy things to Draco. Harry whose face was displaying millions of emotions. Harry who Draco Malfoy loved.

Harry glanced between Draco and Bellatrix. “What in the bloody hell is going on?”

“Your Highness, he is a crazy man. I did not want to upset you further by telling you this, but after his parents’ deaths, Draco lost his mind. He is gripped by insanity and-”

“For Merlin’s sake, shut up!” Draco interrupted. Bellatrix’s voice suddenly cut off, her eyes wide, as she opened her mouth but no sound came out.

Draco looked down at his hands, feeling the magic burn in his fingers, and grinned. His magic had made her silent. He lifted his hand towards Bellatrix and flicked his fingers, and the witch stood rigid. Her body was completely still and her arms looked glued to his side. Draco thought he could get used to this.

“Draco…?” Harry stepped forward, his eyes asking all the questions he couldn’t voice.

Draco smiled a small, secretive smile. “Hello, Harry.”

Harry’s mouth slowly morphed into a grin brighter than the sun and the stars, and Draco suddenly had a hard time breathing. They each stepped forward, both trepidation and purposefulness in their movements, and Harry reached out, pulling Draco against his chest like he was scared Draco would disappear if he didn’t. Draco was scared Harry would disappear too.

“What’s going on, Draco? Where have you been all these years? And why are you dressed like that?” Harry asked, pulling back and scanning Draco’s torn, dirty clothes.

Draco looked away. He didn’t know how to explain what hell was like. “After father died, Bellatrix wanted me to earn my keep. I’m -I’m sort of a servant here.”

“More of a slave, really,” Gregory stated from the corner, while Vince nodded his head in agreement. Neither seemed too bothered by the idea.

Harry looked from Gregory to Draco, his eyes full of shock. “What? What do you mean? I don’t...” Harry expression changed from shocked to pity, then anger, then guilt as he studied Draco’s thin form.

“It’s not your fault, Harry. How could you have known?” Draco placed a hand on Harry’s cheek. He couldn’t let Harry blame himself for how Bellatrix treated him. “We haven’t seen each other in years, and she didn’t allow me to write to you, never mind firecall-”

Harry’s arms tightened around Draco. “Wait, what?! You never wrote to me?”

Draco shook his head.

“Then that means it must have been… her. She wrote that bloody letter!” Harry’s eyes were full of anger, before softening again once seeing Draco’s confused expression. “I got a letter from you, well her, just after your father’s death. It said that you couldn’t bear the sight of me as I reminded you of everything you had lost, and asked me to not visit you any longer. I was devastated. I cried for days. But I did what you asked and I never came. I thought you hated me until last night.”

Draco’s heart ached at the thought of what could have been. Years of pain and loneliness could have ceased to exist if it wasn’t for that letter, but he couldn’t hate Harry for what happened. He could never hate Harry.

“You must have thought that I hated you. I never came to see you. Merlin, I have been such a fool.” Harry’s eyes were glassy with tears and his voice full of guilt.

Draco leant his forehead against Harry’s. “We have both been fools. But I think I’m the bigger fool for falling in love with a Prince.”

“I believe I’ll have to disagree with you,” Harry replied, smiling. “I’m the one who fell in love with a masked stranger at a ball.”

Harry gazed into Draco’s eyes, as his hands moved down Draco’s spine. The green eyes dropped to Draco’s lips, a hungry flame now burning in them, and every fibre in Draco’s body was telling him to inch closer, to lean up and close the distance between them. Draco’s heart was telling him to kiss Harry Potter. And so he did.

Draco ran his hands through Harry’s hair, revelling in the way the soft curls felt through his fingers, as his lips pressed against Harry’s. Harry’s hands pulled Draco closer, causing waves of electricity to shoot through Draco from every spot where their bodies touched. The kiss was soft and gentle, years of loneliness and separation instilling caution into each of them, but there was a quiet confidence in how their lips moved together. When Harry sighed into his mouth, Draco was sure his heart had left his body and made a home in Harry’s own. It belonged there anyway.

Draco didn’t remember much after that kiss, his heart was too full and his mind too preoccupied with Harry’s hand in his for the rest of the afternoon. Bellatrix was arrested by the guards, but, at Draco’s request, Gregory and Vincent were allowed to go free. They only really followed their mother’s example after all.

“How did you know it was me at the ball?” Draco asked, as the carriage moved further away from the Manor and to his new home with Harry. Anywhere would be home as long as Harry was there.

Harry laughed, pulling Draco closer to him. “You called me “Potter”. Only you have ever called me that. Plus, my magic sensed it was you as soon as I laid eyes on you. It just took me a while to recognise it.”

“Good thing you did recognise me,” Draco replied, leaning his head against Harry’s shoulder.

A small kiss was pressed to Draco’s head. “Yes, it was a good thing. I think it was one of the best things I’ve ever done actually.”

As the carriage moved on, Draco glanced back to the glooming house behind him. He didn’t know if he could ever go back there. Too much pain, too much suffering had taken place in that house for even years of healing to mend.

Draco glanced to the man above him. He was his Prince Charming, his knight in shining armour or whatever other fairytale cliche came to mind, but Draco knew Harry Potter was so much more than that. Harry was Draco’s hope and that meant more than any story could describe. 

That meant everything.

Tags: @defluoxx @lolsarah322 @rose-grangerweasleyisbae @satanrealblog @@chrismasfairylights  @reading-till-5am @orkedad @crazyconglasses @anotherbadharrypotterblog  @blue-dragonblood  @just-some-bibliophile @scillsthrills @gryffindeku @thehawkarrow @imadumbbinch @ljetno-sivilo @third-winchester-second-potter @serooks @bunnymyeondragonkris @joyfulblazestarlightlove

Ayyy for the bingo thing could you do a hunk centered one for the breathing through the pain one.... sorry that sounds kinda confusing

I honestly think this is the first time I’m writing Hance and I don’t know why. Anyway I hope you enjoy! 💙

Hunk couldn’t think of a time in his life where he had been so scared. He had been through so many things, been involved with fight after fight, but nothing could ever compare.

They had been ambushed in their own Castle while waiting to complete a treaty. Unfortunately, the planet was home to Galra sympathizers, hellbent on completing a mission for the cause.

It made it that much more appropriate that they fought with fire. Literally. They were able to manipulate flames, using them as a weapon against the paladins and somehow they had managed to infiltrate the Castle. The leaders of the planet’s kingdom had informed them of the presence of them on the surface but they had been on a roll lately and their confidence was at an all time high.

And they had underestimated them.

From the beginning they were at a disadvantage; Keith, Coran, and Allura had all been knocked out before the ambush started and basically left where they were throughout the Castle. That left only Hunk, Shiro, Pidge and Lance to defend the Castle and get rid of the enemy threat.

Although they managed to finish them all off; they had managed to severely damage the healing pods in an effort to stop the team from being able to heal after their battle. They were helpless as they started smashing at them with anything they had in their hands, too occupied with the swarms they were fighting.

By the end of the battle, only Hunk was left conscious, and only Lance was left fighting for his life.

Someone had managed to hit him, with what? He didn’t know. How bad? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he was unconscious and there was a puddle of blood underneath him. For a moment he just looked around at the carnage; there were bodies of the enemy scattered around the room, his teammates laid around motionless, the expanding of their chest the only real sign of life, the healing pods were sparking, some melted a bit from the flames, some completely obliterated. That’s where he saw him; a few feet away from the last pod, one of the enemies another few feet away. He’d managed to fight off the last enemy before getting hit by the same soldier, and maybe even saved the last viable pod left.

He gasped scrambling to his feet and stumbling over to the pod to whip open the control panel to run a diagnostic on it. He hissed as his fingers came in contact with the metal and plastic but ignored it until it ran, then he looked down at his shaking hands.

His palms were raw and scorched around the edges, his fingers were swelling, blisters forming on the skin. How could he have forgotten that they were literally fighting with fire?

He shook his head and got up, only allowing himself to grab some bandages and the tools he needed to fix the pod. He made another concerned glance at Lance and rushed back to the pod, pulling off the remains of his gloves and crudely knotting the bandages around his palms before sinking in front of the control panel and immediately getting to work.

He clenched his teeth against the pain, sweat sliding down his forehead at the motion. For some reason, he always thought that a burn was the same amount of pain that a cut would inflict. He was wrong. It was so much worse; it was so hot, every movement set a blaze through his hands.

He tried to delicately hold the tools in his hands but was only able to give up after a few moments and face the pain in order to go faster. Only when the pod started rebooting the main systems did he look over at Lance. He was lying so still and Hunk let out a tiny hiccuping sob. He didn’t deserve it; he could hear his wheezing breath from where he was and pressed his sweaty forehead against the pod’s glass. 

He let out quick panting breathes as his hands twitched involuntarily. He took those few moments to think and feel, let himself get lost in his emotions for a second to fully realize what was at stake.

Everyone else was completely fine, they had been knocked out and out of all of the paladins it was only Lance that was severely hurt.

The love of his life was hurt.

On death’s door.

Why aren’t you doing more?

His whole body trembled at the voice, at the truth that it held. Why wasn’t he doing more? Why wasn’t he able to get the stupid fucking pod running more quickly? What if something bad happened while he was trying to get it up again? What if Lance died because he couldn’t fix it?

He let out a quiet yelp as he unconsciously clenched his hands into fists and a few of the blisters popped. His teeth ground together and he raised them up to his eyes. Although he knew that it didn’t help, he couldn’t help but blow on them for a couple seconds hoping that it would alleviate the pain slightly. 

Distantly, he heard a hitch of breath from the side and turned to face blearily blue eyes that stared up at him. He mouthed his name in shock, not expecting him to wake up, considering the ring of red that was by his side. He didn’t notice though; all focus was on Hunk’s face if the wide smile was anything to go off of.

“Hey Honeybun,” he whispered with a small smile. Hunk’s surprised expression split into a smile at the nickname, tears coming to his eyes and once again he ignored all of the pain that he was going through.

“Hey baby, how are you doing?” He replied. His grin faltered when Lance’s expression changed from affection to confusion and concern.

“Why are you crying?” Lance asked softly, pushing himself up on wobbling arms to try and get closer to him. It was clear from the blinking and confused noises coming from him that he had no idea what was going on or how much danger he was in. That was Lance after all; loyal and kind to a fault. The fault being that he put other’s wellbeing over his own, especially when it came to Hunk.

Hunk gasped pulling his hands away from the control panel to lift Lance closer to him, knowing that he would refuse to stand down from what he wanted.

“Nothing baby, it’s going to be okay, I promise,” he said, letting Lance curl up against his chest while his attention went back to the control panel. The reboot was taking much longer than he had hoped. Maybe it was because of the adrenaline pumping through his system, maybe it was the universe giving him a big ol’ fuck you.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” Lance asked from the crook of his neck. His voice was raspy and weak but his fingers clawed into the back of his vest, desperate to stay close to his boyfriend. Hunk’s eyes squeezed shut and tears rolled down his cheeks.

If he thought the physical pain was excruciating, it was nothing compared to the emotional pain.

“I’ll be okay when you’re okay,” he sniffed, holding his head tight in the crook of his neck. His tears fell on the back of Lance’s head but his eyes stayed on the progress bar of the pod, praying that for once the universe would be on his side. Just this once.

“But I am okay Hunk,” Lance muttered, laying his head sideways on Hunk’s shoulder and looking up to meet his eyes. Hunk’s stomach dropped; there was no spark in his eyes, barely a sign of life. He tilted his head towards the ceiling, letting the tears roll down his neck as he tried to hold back the sobs that wanted to come out.

“Can I hold your hand?” He asked quietly, fingers clenching against the hard armour. Hunk swallowed back the tears slightly and nodded holding up one of his trembling hands for Lance to put his in. He wrapped his other arm tighter around Lance’s waist, ignoring the wetness that pressed against his skin.

“Of course baby, whenever you want,”  he answered, his voice cracking.

Despite how weak he had gotten, Lance gripped Hunk’s hand tightly. Hunk bit his lip as agony shot down his arm and let out panting breaths through the pain. He watched Lance’s face closely, as it started to go slack and held him tighter, pressing his head against his with a hitched breath.

He wasn’t ready to let him go. He wasn’t ready for him to go. He couldn’t go. He couldn’t.

They were going to get back to Earth. 

They were going to get married; on the beach, with both of their families and their friends. 

They were going to buy a fixer-upper in a little neighbourhood with lots of families. 

They were going to adopt children and give them the best lives they could offer. 

They were going to grow old together.

They were supposed to grow old together.

He was sobbing into Lance’s hair; uncaring off who could hear him. He didn’t care anymore, about anything. He was losing Lance. He was losing the one person who completely had his heart. 

And he would have lost him.

But then the pod lit up.

He stared at it stunned for a moment, eyes wide, tears and snot and sweat dripping down his face before leaping up, Lance secure in his arms. He didn’t think about attempting to get him in a suit, it didn’t matter anyway according to Coran. He only pulled off his jacket before laying him in and activating the healing process.

He didn’t move from his spot in front of the pod until Lance came out days later. 

My Bingo Card

Her Story | Chapter 2: Dreams

Chapter Word Count: 3,006 / Total Word Count: 4,559

The sun set, casting an orange glow through the white sheer curtains in Julien’s flat. He pulled a light v-neck sweater over his button-down shirt, opting for a trench coat this time. Slipping his wallet and keys into the deep pockets of his coat, he sprayed two pumps of cologne on his neck and headed out the door for the second time that day, this time at a more relaxed pace and without the camera.

A short walk and subway ride later, he was standing in the lobby of one of Manhattan’s signature high-rise buildings. It was a fancy lobby with low lighting, and a concierge discreetly reading a book behind the counter. Leaning against the cold granite wall, Julien shuffled through the photos from the shoot that morning, using the app to rate each photo between 1 star and 5 stars. They didn’t need much post-processing, so he’d be able to wrap that up tonight with some time to spare. He was in a good mood. 

Every now and then, the elevator light would blink and the door would open with a whoosh, gracefully breaking the silence. Each time, Julien looked up in expectation, only to glance back down. The thick doors had parted to reveal a businessman checking his phone, then two young women chatting away, then a janitor. Not the person he was waiting for. The photo review was interrupted by a notification of a new text from Gabriela. Sorry, just wrapping up. I’m coming down now. Julien smiled and shot back, Ok, see you soon. He tried to cover his excitement by continuing to review the photos, but his mind wasn’t there anymore. He ran through different scenarios of what he would say when the elevator opened, knowing he would just end up going with the flow anyway.

True to her words, the next elevator arrival revealed the person Julien was there to meet—Gabriela. She was smiling, her long, slightly-wavy dark brown hair spilling over her shoulders. She was wearing a buttoned-up green pea coat and a brown textured pencil skirt with elegant beige kitten heels. Julien slipped his phone into his pocket and greeted her with a smile as she stepped out of the elevator. “Hey,” he called out.

“Julien!” She came to him with open arms and gave him a quick hug of greeting. “How’s life?" 

“Pretty good, actually,” he answered. “How was work?" 

Gabriela sighed. “It was a long day, but I’m glad it’s over and I get to spend some time with you. Where are we going?" 

Gabriela was a friend he had known since high school. She had gone to college in a different city, but had moved to New York several months ago for work, and they were meeting up for the first time since high school. They had been in the same circle of friends in the past. He wouldn’t have said he was close to her at that time, but they had spent many evenings in the company of the same group of friends, watching movies or hanging out. He had found her attractive back then, but wasn’t one to act on his feelings, so it never progressed beyond the faint suggestion of a high school crush. 

Thanks to modern technology and Facebook though, they had developed a closer friendship post-college. For some inexplicable reason, he had sent her a message one day asking how she was, and it led them down the rabbit-hole of long Facebook chats about a variety of topics, from broad life events, to deep philosophical questions. He had never known their minds would align so well. Whenever he needed someone to vent to about his thoughts or whatever was going on, she was the only one that he felt comfortable speaking—or rather, typing—his mind to without worry that she would judge him. 

He supposed it was a bit of an unusual relationship they had. They had never spoken much in the real world, back in high school, and they hadn’t seen each other in almost 10 years. Yet they had a degree of intellectual closeness that was unmatched by any of the other relationships he had in his life. Because of that, he was a bit nervous about tonight and unsure of how to act. He decided to just follow her lead and play it cool. 

“You like Thai food, right?” Julien asked, remembering she had mentioned that before. 

“I do!” Her eyes lit up. "Do you know a place?” 

“Sure do,” Julien grinned. “Follow my lead. It’s not too far, so no need to take the subway.” 

Gabriela laughed and held the door open for him. Wow, Julien thought. He had forgotten the sound of her laugh. She’s gotten even cuter. Wait, what was he thinking? They were just going out as friends, to catch up and reconnect after all these years. He mentally shook his head to clear the thought. He knew she was dating someone anyway. 

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Julien gestured toward the right. Falling into step beside Julien, Gabriela shifted her purse to the opposite shoulder so it wouldn’t get between them. 

“So, I have to say this feels a bit weird,” Julien confessed, chuckling. 

“Weird? Why?" 

“Well,” he began, “We’ve been chatting on Facebook, and I feel like I know your mind as well as I know my own. But we haven’t seen each other in almost 10 years.” 

“I guess that is a bit strange,” Gabriela laughed. “Well, everything’s new to me here, so I’m glad to see a familiar face.” 

“How’s your new job going?" 

“Oh, I love it,” Gabriela sighed, “I’m part of the creative team for the cultural reporting program, so there’s always something new. The people are great, the office is beautiful, and I get to do quite a bit of field work too. It can be tiring of course, but that’s life. And it’s a good kind of tired I guess.” 

“You’re still singing too, right?” Gabriela used to be in the theatre program in high school, and although her career path had taken her somewhere different, she had mentioned that she wanted to maintain her singing ability by getting involved in whatever she could. 

“Yeah,” Gabriela answered, “Lately I’ve managed to land myself a side job, singing at bars with a band. The Cat’s Meow.” 

“That’s what they’re called? That’s cute.” 

“Yeah, it was a chance meeting. I saw them play at a bar one night and made some conversation with them. Turns out they were looking for a singer." 

“That’s awesome. Let me know when you’re performing next, I’d love to come watch you guys.” 

“Sure!” Gabriela grinned. 

Julien slowed down, holding out one arm to point at a shiny glass restaurant facade. The interior was dimly lit with orange-hued down lights and paper lanterns. “We’re here. After you.” He opened the door for her and she nodded her thanks as she stepped in. 

“Two people,” Gabriela told the host, who led them into the restaurant to a booth. They took off their coats and settled in. There was a tea candle at the center of the table, floating in a dome of water with a flower submerged inside. Across from them, a large reef aquarium displayed beautifully colored tropical fish, glinting in the low light while anemones gently swayed. 

“This place is fancy,” Gabriela commented. “Have you been here before?" 

“Yeah, once,” Julien answered. “For a friend’s birthday. Their mango-on-sticky-rice dessert is amazing." 

“I guess we’ll have that to look forward to,” Gabriela winked, picking up the menu. 

They spent a few minutes choosing their dishes and placed the order. Julien went with his typical pad thai, and Gabriela chose a green curry. After ordering, Julien stole a glance at Gabriela across the table, suddenly feeling a bit shy. Even though this was supposed to be an outing of friends, the glamorous environment, candle on the table, and privacy of the booth made it feel a lot like a date. Gabriela was important to him of course, she was a great friend, and he had liked her before, wondering if there was potential for them to be something more. But he had no intentions of getting between her and her boyfriend. He hoped she wouldn’t take this the wrong way. 

“So,” he started, breaking into a grin and hoping it looked natural, “Uh, you’re dating someone right? Eric was it?” She alluded to him sometimes in her messages but didn’t talk about him a lot. They usually went pretty deep in their conversations about emotions and ideas, but surprisingly didn’t talk much about the details of their lives and the people they surrounded themselves with. 

“Yeah. Well…” She looked away, a pensive expression on her face. “I was dating him." 

“Was?” Julien looked at her inquisitively. 

She continued to look away, as if it were a topic she wanted to avoid. “Yeah… we broke up recently." 

“If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s ok,” Julien reassured her. 

“No, it’s ok.” She sighed. “I mean, I’m not sad about it. I’m the one who broke it off. But I guess I’m just… kind of annoyed by the whole situation. He keeps trying to get me back somehow. Sending presents to my job, letters in the mail.” 

“Wow.” Julien didn’t know what else to say. He couldn’t resist asking, “Why did you break up with him?" 

“Well…” she struggled to find the words. “It was inevitable. I always felt like there were parts of my personality that he wasn’t willing to accept. We had some good memories, but I don’t think we would have made it in the long run." 

“Oh really?” Julien looked down at the napkin he was turning over in his hands. The thought came into his mind, If she’s single, then does this count as a date? He pushed the thought away again. It was too soon. Does she see it as a date? She looks pretty dolled up. No. Too soon. Julien shook his head. It wasn’t time to flirt, it was time to be a good friend. “Well, it was wise of you to recognize that. Are you sure you’re ok?" 

“Yeah,” Gabriela smiled. “I’m relieved, actually. And glad I’m here with you tonight. If I were still dating him, I’m sure he’d be texting and calling me now to make sure nothing was going on between us." 

Julien shuddered internally. That would’ve been stressful. He couldn’t stop the words from slipping out, “So I guess we’re in the clear.” He winked at her. Ugh. Why? Anyway, it just felt so natural. 

Gabriela laughed. The waitress brought their drinks—just water for both of them. 

Swallowing a sip of water, Gabriela asked him, “So, what are you up to these days? Still freelancing?" 

“Yeah,” Julien answered. “It’s a pretty sweet life I guess. I have appointments almost every day. And in my off days, I take art shots and sell photos online. Sometimes I have to travel for photoshoots, so I get exposed to all kinds of new people and places." 

“That sounds exciting." 

“It is. And it’s going pretty well, so I can even afford to take time off if I need or want to." 

“I guess we can thank your rebellious teenage days,” Gabriela joked, referring to the times in high school he would opt to roam around town taking pictures instead of doing his homework. Back then, he did it out of a mild depression and longing for an escape from his suburban student lifestyle, but that had been when he started his Instagram. It was true, what had started as a side hobby had led him down his career path. He was one of the lucky few, he supposed, who got to make a living out of doing what he loved. 

The meal passed with this type of quiet conversation. Thought it felt like a first date, with two people meeting for the first time in years, there were many moments that reminded both Julien and Gabriela that they had a shared past and knew each other very well already. It was comfortable and intimate. To Julien, it felt like a dream. He had been nervous that the dinner would be awkward, but on the contrary, he felt as though he had slipped into a pocket of space and time that would last forever. They talked about the past few years of their lives, joked, and shared tastes of their dinners. He enjoyed the night more than he had imagined he would, and reading Gabriela’s demeanor, it seemed the same was true for her. 

Soon enough though, their dessert plates were empty and Julien was signing off on the receipt, slipping it into the black leather holder with a few bills. “Shall we?" 

Gabriela nodded, and they walked out of the restaurant into the chilly autumn air. Julien’s cheeks felt warm, glowing with the aftermath of laughter and pleasant company. He saw Gabriela shiver and held out an arm for her, hoping she didn’t find it too forward. “Let’s keep warm,” he said sheepishly. To his relief, she took his arm with a grateful smile. “Where are you going?" 

“I have to take the 5 train north,” she replied. “I think the subway entrance is right up the block." 

“Yeah,” Julien nodded, “I’m taking a different train but we can walk together to the station.” 

“It was… really nice meeting with you,” Gabriela said quietly as they walked. Julien smiled, feeling a flutter in his chest. 

“Yeah, thanks for coming out with me,” Julien replied. “I know you must be tired from work. It means a lot to me." 

“No problem! It was a treat.” Gabriela turned to smile at him, her eyes catching the light from the neon signs they were passing. Her cheeks were flushed from the chilly weather, framed by her wavy hair that blew gently in the breeze. Even with the slight heels, she was about a head shorter than him, and had to look up to meet his eyes. 

Julien almost stumbled, feeling his cheeks get warm again and suddenly very conscious of her arm in his. “Oh,” he said, breaking her gaze, “Here’s the subway. Watch your step." 

They descended into the grimy station, a pungent cocktail of smells suffocating them. “This is my platform,” Julien said quietly, indicating a set of steps to their right. “I guess this is where we part ways." 

“Yeah,” Gabriela answered, pulling him into a hug. “It was fun. Let’s meet again sometime." 

“Sure.” He hugged her back, catching a whiff of her shampoo. Her hair was soft on his cheek. 

The embrace felt natural, comfortable, and lasted maybe a little longer than she had intended. She stepped away and smiled at him. “See you next time." 

“See you." 

Julien walked up the steps to his platform, hearing her kitten heels tap the hard floor of the subway tunnel, quieter and quieter as she walked away to the next platform. He sighed. He really hadn’t known what to expect from tonight, except reconnecting with an old friend. But he felt a warmth in his chest and cheeks that told him he had come away with something he hadn’t expected. This girl, who had been in his life for years and had existed in his mind as a distant memory, who had long been his confidante in the virtual world, was now a very real presence in his immediate life. And this dinner had opened his eyes to how much he actually liked her, how well they got along in the real world. Not only that, but she had just gotten out of a relationship, meaning that he wouldn’t be a complete jerk to entertain thoughts of dating her. 

Finally back home in his silent flat, he switched on his computer. It was 9:03 p.m. and he still had to get through the rest of the photos and do some post-processing. He had a meeting in the morning, but it was normal for him to go to bed past midnight, so he had at least 3 hours to finish everything up. That was plenty of time. 

Clicking the mouse as the photos flashed before him in a routine he was now well accustomed to, he let his mind wander, picturing the way Gabriela’s dark hair framed her face, the way her eyelashes looked as she blinked, the faint shine of her cheeks in the candle light, the sound of her laugh. She had been a tomboyish, outgoing girl in high school. Who knew his pen pal had grown into such a charming woman? He hadn’t expected her to have this kind of effect on him. Stopping what he was doing for a moment, he pulled out his phone to send her a text, using the nickname she was called by in high school. Hey Gabi, I had a great time tonight. Thanks again. 

A few moments and a few photos later, the buzz signaled her response. Me too. Good night! 

He smiled and responded, Good night. 

Sighing, the warm feeling felt somehow a little painful in his chest as he forced his mind to return to the work in front of him. He could tell this was going to be rough on him. He was a bit of a hopeless romantic. After having had his heart broken during his college years, he had turned away from relationships and focused solely on work for the past few years. He didn’t want to go down that path again. But he could fell himself falling hard. He didn’t even know if she would want to date someone so soon after a breakup. 

He sighed and went to the kitchen to brew a cup of coffee to help him focus. I guess it’s too late now. Here we go again… Grabbing his mug from the Keurig machine, he settled into his desk chair and turned on some jazz on his phone, prepared for the usual long night.

The Long Way Around 11

Finally! The good stuff! I know this is just SF prep but golly, I do like this chapter because it's the first time I feel Izuku has really come into his own. It took a little bit to get here, but looking back to chapter one, our boy has come a long way. I hope you enjoy! The Sports Festival is 5 chapters of intense physical and emotional battles.

Also this is the last of the biweekly updates. The next chapter will out next Sunday!

AO3/Fanfiction

Chapter Eleven: That's the Idea, Patrick

The door to 1-A is... quite huge.

Izuku finds himself staring outside the door admiring just how large it was because he was stalling. Yes, he was big enough to admit it. It had been a great idea at the time, baking nearly twelve dozen cookies with his mom yesterday morning with the intention of handing them out to 1-A but now that he's actually here, he was doubting himself. After the week they've had, the last thing those hero kids probably want is to see the quirkless kid in General Education.

And besides all that, he still doesn't know if Kacchan will be coming in today. Izuku had stopped by his house twice yesterday to check on him. The first time Kacchan had been asleep and the second time he'd refused to see Izuku. Kacchan would be crazy to be in school barely a day after his injuries but somehow Izuku suspects he'll be there anyway. And what would Kacchan do if he saw Izuku, especially after their disastrous encounter in the cafeteria?

That's the question that has Izuku hovering outside 1-A's homeroom early on a Wednesday morning.

"Excuse me, do you need help?" a light voice says from behind him. Izuku turns and hears a delighted little gasp. "Oh it's you! From the entrance exam!" Izuku catches sight of bouncing brown hair and a friendly smile and he blushes from head to toe. It was the friendly girl he'd almost knocked over in front of the Heroics exam entrance. She pops before him with a bright smile.

"Yep, it's me, I uh remember you too," Izuku grins back awkwardly. "Uh sorry about what happened, back then but-but I'm uh glad to see you passed the exam."

"Oh don't worry about it, I run into people all the time," the girl says with a cute little chuckle. "I'm happy to see you got into Yuuei too. I can't believe I haven't seen you around, are you in 1-B?"

"Oh no, I uh well, I went for the General exam and that's where I am now, class 1-C. I mean I'm sure it's not nearly as exciting as your class is but it's nice, I like it." Izuku babbles, feeling his face heat up as he continues to embarrass himself. "I um," Izuku swallows nervously and looks at her cute face which only doubles his nervousness. Oh boy. He shakily holds out the box containing the cookies.

"I-I heard about what happened the other day, with um USJ not that I thought you'd uh forgotten or anything. But my mom and I baked a bunch of cookies and I thought it might be nice to share some with you guys. A-as a bit of a pick-me-up," Izuku stammers. Luckily, the nice girl doesn't seem bothered by the fact that he's making a fool of himself.

"That is so sweet of you! Thank you so much! Everyone will love that! Oh, I don't think we've been properly introduced, I'm Urakara Ochako! Here let me lighten your load a little." She says, brushing her fingers on the side of the box, instantly lightening it as she takes the box out of his hands. He thinks back to when he started floating at the entrance exam and a lightbulb goes off in his head.

"Zero Gravity!" Izuku says out loud only to backtrack. "Uh not that you wouldn't know the name of your own quirk, I uh," he fiddles awkwardly with his hands and looks away. "I'm Midoriya Izuku," he finishes lamely.

"Well it's nice to officially meet you," Urakara says cheerily, shifting the box's hold in her arms. "There's still some time until homeroom begins, why don't you say hi to everyone?" she says as she slides opens the enormous door. Izuku shakes his head and backs up.

"N-no, I don't want to," have a confrontation with Kacchan, "bother anyone. I just wanted to drop that off. Besides, I need to get back to my own classroom. It was nice seeing you again, Urakara!" He says with a wave, turning to head back to 1-C when the weight in his coat pocket stops him.

"Oh wait, one more thing," he tells Urakara, digging into his pocket. "Please give these ones to Kac- uh Bakugou, they're cinnamon, his favorite," Izuku says as he deposits the small baggie on top of the box.

"Bakugou was pretty beat up the other day," Urakara says with a little frown. "I don't think he'll be in for a few more days but I can save them for when he's back."

"You don't know Kacchan then," Izuku says with a wry smile. "He'd crawl here using only his teeth if he had to." The warning bell rings above him. "I hope you enjoy the cookies, maybe I'll see you around!" He says with a wave as he begins the long sprint back towards the General Education department. He reaches the door to 1-C just as the final bell rings.

"Sorry, I was-" Izuku says in between panting breaths.

"Enough, just get in your seat, this announcement especially concerns you." Chiura-sensei says with a dismissive wave, waiting for Izuku to stumble over to his seat and settle for a moment before continuing. "I'm sure you're all aware that the Yuuei Sports Festival is just around the corner. In two weeks, the lines between departments will become broken down and blurred as you will stand beside Business, Support and Heroics students and compete on live television."

"It's something of an open secret," Sensei continues on passively, "that hero class 1-A has an available spot and the teachers will be actively scouting for someone to fill that position. I've worked with Aizawa before and he may be a stickler but he's reliable. This isn't an opportunity that happens very often, the chances of this happening again in your high school career are minimal." Izuku sits up straighter as he feels his teacher's hard gaze land on him.

"Midoriya, Shinsou," Sensei says, "both of you have the ambition to become heroes and this Festival is your best chance. I said at the start of this semester that transfers don't happen often and that's because so few are capable of it." Chiura-sensei smiles and it's not exactly a warm smile but instead fills Izuku with a fiery passion. "All you have to do is make a good showing at the Sports Festival and, if I feel you've earned it, I'll give both of you a recommendation. So train hard, this could be your hero academia."

"You can do it, Midoriya," a voice speaks up. It's Fuyuko at the front of the class, he's turned around in his seat to smile at Izuku. "You show those hero kids what the quirkless can accomplish."

"Yeah, fight on Izu-kun!" Kyoshi says with an enthusiastic pump into the air. "You too Hito-kun! You can do it!"

"Make 1-C proud," Motome says with a small little smile. "Show them what you're made of."

"Kick their ass, Midoriya!" Kamoto shouts, banging on his desk a few times. "Put those punks in their place with your sick martial arts moves and show us a real good time!" And pretty soon the whole class is clapping and cheering them on. Chiura-sensei, normally so quick to silence any unauthorized talking, just stands there with a knowing smile on his face.

Izuku finds his face getting hot and even worse, his eyes getting wet. He sure has come far in a month, in a year. Fuyuko had been too embarrassed to speak to him a week ago, Kamoto had been making fun of him on the first day of school. Even Shinsou, who'd started the school year angry and isolated, looks around at the cheers being sent his way.

Patrick and Taketsu are grinning and throwing in their own congratulatory words. Even Korudo, who Izuku would expect to be sullen has a warm look on his face as he claps his hands together.

"Thank you everyone," Izuku blubbers. "Seriously, your support, you have no idea what this means to me." He scrubs at his face, trying to pull himself together. "I'm going to do my best, I'm going to shoot for the very top and let the world know what the quirkless are capable of." He continues in a much steadier voice, trying to make his voice heard above the cheers.

Yes, he was going to use this positive synergy and shoot all the way for the moon. But what was that saying? Even if you miss the moon, you'll still land amongst the stars. He was going to give it everything he had, and then some, at the Sports Festival. But it wouldn't be the worst thing, he thinks looking around at his classmates fondly, if he stayed right where he was among friends.

XxX

The two weeks leading up to the Sports Festival seem to go by in a blur but, looking back, Izuku doesn't think he could have done anything more to prepare.

He spent his class periods robotically taking notes even while he mentally compiled strategies and worked through plans on how to defeat any quirk he came across.

He even took some time to talk to his other classmates in 1-C, a few of them coming over to wish him luck during lunch or throughout the day. To think Izuku started the school year feeling out of place and now people were voluntarily seeking out his company.

Aneko had stopped by their table once or twice as well, just as much a whirlwind as she had been the first time. She'd done good work promoting excitement for their performance in the Festival. In addition, she also gave Izuku some more tips on how to refine his image. A couple of her suggestions were a bit out there but she was right in that if he wanted attention, he had to grab it with his own two hands.

Only a few days after USJ he got the call from Hatsume that his equipment was ready to be picked up and tested out. The bō staff she'd created, the one he'd painstakingly described and workshopped with her, came out better than he could have ever dreamed. It was 134 cm in length, perfectly measured to suit his size.

It was made up of a mix of steel and tungsten to make a weapon that could stand up against most physical attacks along with inconel which was incredibly heat resistant should Izuku find himself up against Kacchan. Part of the bō was collapsible meaning he could easily strap it to his back when he wasn't using it. He'd asked Hatsume to add some gripping material to the middle half to allow for easier handling. He'd flipped it around experimentally, testing the weight and it felt good, like an old friend.

In addition, Hatsume really outdid herself with his protective gear. She'd modified some biker's gloves but with additional protection and heat buffers. There were steel tips in his knuckles meaning he could really pack a punch with these things. Same with his steel lined boots, designed to give his kicks additional weight but also for added shock absorption. He was really impressed with her idea to add small cleats in the tread should also prevent him from slipping on uneven terrain.

In some way, it felt like he was cheating to have such specialized equipment but Izuku recognized that he was already at a massive disadvantage without a quirk and all this did was even the playing field a bit. Hatsume herself was planning on using the Festival to show off all the other crazy inventions she'd made over the semester. When he'd asked how he could possibly repay her for her incredible work, she'd just waved him off and told him to put her 'babies' to good use. That, he'd told her, wouldn't be a problem.

Izuku trained with his weapon endlessly, throwing it around before and after school, twirling and twisting it in his living room to gain familiarity and dexterity. The bō was heavier than the wooden staffs Izuku was used to, but he'd built up his muscles over the past year and adapted to the weight easily enough. He swung and flipped and lunged for hours and hours until the bō felt like an extension of his own arms, until he felt ready to take on the whole world with it.

He'd practiced a few times with the gloves and boots too but never with his friends. It was humbling to realize how much more dangerous his accessories made him, how easy it would be to break bones or cause serious damage with a kick or a punch. Izuku worried about it, late at night as he wondered just how badly he wanted that open hero spot. Yes, he wanted to win but he didn't want his victory to come at the cost of someone else's safety.

"It's easy to learn how to hurt people, Midoriya," Rikimaru-shishou said when Izuku had brought it up once during their training sessions. "It's another thing entirely to disable without harming, which is the true goal of martial arts. So many people, like that bully of yours, only see fighting as a show of strength. But you see the art as a way to save, rather than hurt, others. Your kind nature is one of your better points but in a serious fight it can also be a weakness."

"I know," Izuku said, dodging his master's attacks with his bō. "You know how badly I want to prove myself and I know I'm capable of being a strong opponent but I'm also afraid. These weapons, my training; I could really hurt someone with them. How do I know how much is okay?" Rikimaru-shishou smirked and stopped his attack.

"Of course the quirkless kid would ask me that," Shishou said with a wry grin. "Learning to regulate your power so it doesn't hurt yourself or others is the first lesson most people with quirks learn, especially the dangerous ones. I can't tell you how many times when I was a kid I got stuck to the ground, unable to move and unable to figure out how to regulate my power."

"So how did you learn?" Izuku asked.

"Practice and a knowledge of myself and my body. You need to look hard at yourself and ask how far you are willing to go to get what you want. It's easier said than done, I admit, and I can guarantee you that in the heat of battle, your priorities are going to shift when your dream and maybe even your life is on the line," Shishou assured him.

"But how do I-"

"You'll just know, kid. Look at your opponent and how they're faring. You'll know when you're going too hard or being too soft. That's all I can tell you, Midoriya. Use your head, listen to your gut and use both of them to make the right choice. I wouldn't get too worked up over it, everyone knows this is just a high school tournament. Besides, Yuuei has some of the best medical facilities if you do happen to crack a few heads," Rikimaru-shishou said with a wink.

"I don't want-" Izuku began only to have his staff wrenched out of his hand and used to knock him off his feet. He blinked dazedly from the floor, feeling the sting of his own weapon being used against him.

"Like I said, your kindness is also your weakness," Shishou knelt down, still holding onto his bō. "Don't you ever forget that you will be a lamb in a den of lions. I admire your desire not to hurt others but you will be the weakest link out there and you will have to be tough and you may even have to be vicious just to stay afloat, do you hear me?"

Izuku frowned and aimed a quick kick at his master's face, it wasn't intended to land but it did make him withdraw slightly which gave Izuku the room to sit up and deliver a more powerful blow to the man's side. While Rikimaru-shishou was dealing with the hit; his grip on the staff slackened, giving Izuku the opportunity to steal it back and put one of the dulled edges at the older man's neck.

"Yeah, I hear you," Izuku replied cheekily as he settled into a strong stance, ready for whatever counterattacks his tricky master had up his sleeve.

"You know, I think that's first time you've ever been able to best me," Shishou said, not looking all that upset. "Keep up that attitude and those kids are going to fold like paper under you." He shook his head slowly with a proud smile on his face. "You know a year ago, I'd have said it was next to impossible for a quirkless kid to be a hero but I'll be damned if you haven't convinced me. You go out there Midoriya and you show the world what you showed me."

"I will Shishou," Izuku responded, for once free of tears because he was too full of passion to feel anything but steady. If his master thought he could do it, then all Izuku had to do is go out and prove it. "I won't let you down."

"Oh I don't believe you will," Shishou smirked. "Now show me a little more of that attitude young man. I want to see what those punks are going to face in the ring." Izuku grinned back and threw himself into the attack.

XxX

"I can't believe how fast that time went," Taketsu says, looking a little panicked. "Can you believe the Sports Festival is tomorrow?" Hitoshi can't help but give her an annoyed look. He likes Taketsu well enough, she's smart and she has a wicked sense of humor but her tendency to be all talk and no action was a little grating at times. Oh well, he supposes not everyone could be as crazy driven as Midoriya.

"It's fine, you'll be fine," Midoriya says with a cheerful smile. "We've all been working very hard and I'm sure we'll do well. Even Shinsou has learned how to throw a proper punch," he adds cheekily.

Now Hitoshi would have taken offense in the past, taken Midoriya's comment as a sign of disrespect but he lets it slide. He's learned a lot in the past two weeks about how people work and how their company can be enjoyable and aggravating in equal part.

"It's a miracle and maybe one of these days you'll stop falling for my quirk," Hitoshi retorts causing both Takamitsu and Taketsu to snicker to themselves. "Come on, school's over but I have somewhere I need to go first."

"What am I supposed to do? Not answer you at all? How will we be friends if I can't talk to-" Hitoshi activates his quirk and Midoriya freezes. Korudo groans as he waves his hand in front the Midoriya's face.

"Doesn't that get old after a while? It's like taking candy from a small child, there's no honor in it," Korudo comments.

"Put your stuff away and pick up your bag, Midoriya," Hitoshi commands as he also gathers his things. "If he doesn't want to be brainwashed then he should learn to be quiet."

"It's called being nice, Shinsou, you could learn something from it." Taketsu says with a disapproving look but there's an amused tilt to her mouth that hadn't been there previously. A lot has changed in the last two weeks and he can't say it's all been bad. "Now cut it out so we can leave, where did you need to go anyway?"

"You guys don't have to come but I'm checking out 1-A," Hitoshi announces as he frees Midoriya who's looking down at the bag in his hands like he has no idea how it got there. "They're the ones to beat this year, the ones who were attacked by villains the second week of school," he says as they walk out of their classroom. "Maybe you should come too, Midoriya, after all, you're going to need all the advantages you can get."

"I'll go," Midoriya adds, once again seemingly unaffected by the fact that Shinsou just took over his body. "Not just to see the class but I also want to check in on Kacchan too. His cast came off last week ago but I'm still worried about him fighting so soon after his injury."

"Remind me again, this is the same Kacchan who tried to fry you in the cafeteria week one? The one who starts screaming like he's possessed if he sees you in the hall?" Korudo asks like he's afraid of the answer.

"We have a complicated relationship," Midoriya says casually. Midoriya... has terrible taste in friends, present company included.

"You're a mess," Korudo sighs, echoing Hitoshi's thoughts. "Just avoid that freak in the Festival tomorrow, okay? There's going to be a lot going on and we won't always be there to help you out. Who knows what that maniac will do if given half a chance."

"He's not going to hurt me and I keep telling you, I don't need you guys to babysit me," Midoriya remarks testily. "Kacchan used to bully me a lot in the past but we've moved beyond that, we're both different now."

"Yeah, but does he know that?" Korudo says, pointing on ahead to the huge crowd gathered around class 1-A. Looks like Hitoshi wasn't the only one who'd thought about scoping out the competition. And sure enough, front and center, Midoriya's childhood friend is standing imperiously in front of the crowd.

"It's pointless to try so why don't you piss off, you goddamn mob," the blond bully spits out causing the kids both inside and outside the classroom to start yelling at him. Jeez what an asshole, what does Midoriya even see in him?

"Kacchan, why do you have to escalate every situation?" Midoriya moans quietly under his breath.

Hitoshi has only known Midoriya for about a month, been friendly with him for even less but still that stupidly naïve idiot has grown on him. His drive to succeed despite his setbacks, his ability to switch from ruthless to kind in an instant and the incredible fact that he still willingly opens his mouth to Hitoshi despite suffering the consequences time and again. Hitoshi would never say it outloud, but he's got a lot of respect for Midoriya. Maybe that's why when that red-eyed bully catches sight of Midoriya in the crowd, Hitoshi steps forward.

"I came to see what you hero kids are made of but I had no idea you were so arrogant," Hitoshi says above the din of the crowd, nudging his way through. "Are all the Heroics students as bad as you, Kacchan?" he teases, drawing the bully's attention away from Midoriya and onto him. "I'm disappointed, really I am."

"There's lots of kids who end up in General Education or the other departments because they failed the entrance exam. And based on the results of the Sports Festival, people can possible be transferred into Heroics," Hitoshi thinks of himself while he speaks, of his own ambitions, but also Midoriya who has worked harder than anyone just to be on equal footing. He then looks at this bully, his face a snarl of anger and pride, who doesn't deserve to hold a spot in Heroics.

"And the reverse is also true. So maybe I am here to scope out the competition but a Gen Ed kid like me is also thinking, 'why don't I pull the rug out from under these hero students while they're riding high? This," Hitoshi concludes with a smirk, "is a declaration of war."

"Yeah," Korudo says, pushing through the crowd to stand beside him in solidarity. "Just because you've tussled with villains doesn't mean you should get comfy. Class 1-C, and everyone else, is coming for you and you had better be prepared." Pretty soon, even more kids were making their declarations known, from class 1-B all the way down to a couple of other Gen Ed kids from other classes.

"Out of my way, extras," Midoriya's Kacchan sneers, trying to get through the crowd even as Hitoshi spotted Midoriya and Taketsu coming in closer out of the corner of his eye. Oh that wasn't going to end well at all.

"Hey man, what did you just do?" A voice from within 1-A shouts. "Stop getting the haters all up in our grill!"

"It doesn't matter," the bully says, "none of that matters once you're at the-" It looks like he's spotted Midoriya. Shinsou is pushing his way through the crowd to intervene if necessary. This close, Hitoshi can see the ugly scars on Kacchan's right hand from the attack at USJ. He frowns, he isn't going to start something in this big of a crowd, is he?

"K-k-kacchan!" Midoriya squeaks, already tensed and ready for a confrontation despite his supposed nerves. Takamitsu and Korudo, always on Midoriya protection duty, look ready to jump in themselves. "I'm uh I'm glad to see you're doing better. Did you get the cookies I made for you? They were uh your favorite."

For a moment, it looks like Kacchan is going to explode like he did that time in the cafeteria. Instead, the blond stalks forward and roughly brushes past Midoriya.

"Stay out of my goddamn way tomorrow, Deku or I'll fucking crush you." He says in a surprisingly calm voice before pushing his way through the crowd and then begins to walk down the hall.

Midoriya stares after him with a thoughtful but powerfully determined face. Hitoshi can't help but smirk, whatever happens, tomorrow should prove interesting at least. After all, anything could happen when Midoriya set his mind to something. The hero kids have no idea what was coming their way.

XxX

Toshinori is trying to doing his best to get out of the school unnoticed. Because he's in his true form, the students don't pay him any mind but the Principal and Recovery Girl have been nagging him about his health and recklessness and he's just not in the mood for that right now. His time with One For All has diminished significantly since the attack at USJ plus he's been spitting up more blood than usual and gotten noticeably weaker. He's so tired, he just wants some peace.

"Yagi-san!" he starts and clutches at his chest as Young Midoriya bounces before him with worried eyes. "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you, are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, perfectly fine my boy," Toshinori says behind his fist as he quickly wipes the blood away from his mouth. "It's good to see you again. I trust you're ready for the Festival?"

"I am," Young Midoriya nods confidently. "I know it will be difficult for someone like me but I'm going to go out there and give everything I have with no regrets."

"Someone like you?" Toshinori questions.

"Oh well," the boy ducks his head a little before making eye contact again, "I'm quirkless you see." He chuckles and rubs at his neck, "it must sound kind of silly to you, a quirkless kid trying to be a hero but it's been my dream since I was a kid. After USJ, I'm more determined than ever to be someone who saves others, even in small ways."

Toshinori wonders if it's just him or if everyone is just as surprised by Young Midoriya. The boy shuffles his feet a little bit at the scrutiny but otherwise holds his ground. It had been hard being quirkless when he was a boy. He can't imagine how difficult it must be nowadays when quirks are so much more prevalent. What fortitude it must take to not only to live with that label but to own it.

"Some might call it silly," Toshinori says with a smile, "but I think it's brave to follow your dreams despite adversity."

"Brave," the young man mutters to himself before standing up straighter. "I guess it is in a way. Thank you, Yagi-san. I don't know how it'll go tomorrow but at least I'll know I didn't back down."

"I'll be rooting for you," Toshinori says sincerely. "I don't want to keep you, young man. Enjoy your day and be sure to get plenty of rest for tomorrow."

"I will," Young Midoriya chirps. "Also, this uh may be a little weird but you haven't by any chance seen All Might around? I've been um looking for him since the semester began. I overheard someone say he was over this way so..." Toshinori coughs into his fist at the unexpected question, suddenly very conscious of his, All Might's, yellow suit.

"Ah I'm sorry but I believe he left alright, you know saving people and such," Toshinori lies awkwardly, looking up at the ceiling uncomfortably. "But he'll be at the Sports Festival tomorrow, I hear he'll be the one giving out the medals."

"I guess I'll just have to win a medal then," Young Midoriya says in a joking tone but his eyes convey how absolutely serious he is. Toshinori wants to grin, this boy was not someone who should be underestimated. "Well my mom's probably waiting on me, it was good seeing you again, Yagi-san," Young Midoriya says with a wave as he disappears into the crowd.

"You show them, my boy," Toshinori says quietly to himself, "for us quirkless boys."

XxX

It was finally here, Izuku's one and maybe only chance to make it into Yuuei's hero department. Well, it would be here tomorrow. It's only 10 pm but he's already ready for bed as he needs to be up extra early tomorrow. Izuku finishes working through his nightly stretches even though he didn't train today but the routine is relaxing in it's familiarity.

In a way, he's almost calm despite his nervousness which is the opposite of how much of a wreck he was before the entrance exam. He'd tossed and turned for hours then but now Izuku feels steady as a rock as he crawls into his bed, his normal anxiety strangely muted.

Maybe it's because he's grown a lot these past couple of weeks, become happier with himself and more confident in his capabilities. Even if he had more time to train, Izuku doesn't think he could be any more prepared than he is now. He has to be, he has a lot of people supporting him: his mom, Taketsu, Patrick, Korudo, Shinsou. Then there was Chiura-sensei and Rikimaru-shishou and even Kacchan has inspired Izuku in his own way.

Before the entrance exam, Izuku had been beating himself up for not trying to take the Heroics test. While he can't say he knows how his life would have turned out had he gone for Heroics, he thinks he made the right decision going into General Education. He doesn't regret any of the time he spent in that class, getting to know all those wonderful people.

The All Might poster on the wall next to him grins widely, his strong, powerful arms resting on his hips as he strikes a heroic pose. Izuku still hasn't seen the hero in person yet but maybe tomorrow, if he's lucky, he'll get the chance to ask the question that's always burning in the back of his mind. All he has to do is beat all of the kids in Heroics, not to mention General Education, Business and Support. He smirks to himself, for the sake of his dream, he'd take on the Number One himself.

"Wait for me All Might, I'm coming. I'm not big or strong like you and I can't do all the things the other students will be able to do but I'm through letting other people tell me what I can and can't do. Wait for me, I'll make you proud, I promise." With that said, Izuku turns over in his bed and quickly falls asleep and when he dreams, he dreams of victory.

“The right call” - Gabrielle’s 100 Follower Challenge!

Author: fangirlofeverythingme

Reader gender: Female

Paring: Sam x Reader

Words count: 5 500

Warnings: smut, a lot of graphic, delicious smut, hair pulling kink, oral sex (both receiving), swearing, awkwardness

A/N: Awfully late as usually, but here is the third fic for @bradygabrielle-blog Gabrielle’s 100 Follower Challenge. This time the prompt was “You’ve been a very bad boy.” This one is also for the great @andtheraincamefalling, because I know she wanted to know if Sam called. She also gave me the best hint to make this fic so smutty. Hope you’ll enjoy it!

 Technically a part 2 of “This is (not) the way to girl’s heart” but can definitely be read as a separate piece.

@kathaswings @iwantthedean @growleytria @d-s-winchester @ashleymalfoy @salvachester @ilostmyshoe-79 @but-deans-back-tho

Sam called.

It wasn’t like you didn’t expect it. After all, when he left your shop that evening with your number in his pocket at last, he’d promised he would call as soon as he was able. You didn’t have any reason to doubt he was a man of his word.

But, as hours passed, you started wondering. True, he had a hunt to finish first, that’s why he’d appeared in your herbal store in a first place, and you knew how those gigs were going. He wasn’t a first monsters fighter you’d met. That didn’t stop you from thinking that maybe he’d changed his mind, realized that you weren’t what he’d been looking for.

You tried not to give it too much thought, making yourself busy around the house. You did some cleaning, got rid of the laundry that was drying off for over a week now, waiting for your motivation. You also changed your sheets and took a long shower, spending some extra time on shaving your legs properly, you know, just in case.

Figuring out you wouldn’t hear from him till night hours, you threw on your fuzzy robe and grabbed yourself some leftovers from the fridge as a substitute of dinner. Plopping on the couch, you set your feet on the coffee table to relax.

You tried to focus on your show, but a little voice in the back of your head wouldn’t let you. It kept you excited about what was coming your way, telling you how lucky you were. It’d been a while since you dated and Sam seemed like a really nice guy. He was sweet and funny and intelligent and smokin’ hot. Just dreamy.

Almost too dreamy to be real. He implied his interest, but what if it was just it – an impression? Maybe he’d never intended to call you? Or maybe he’d be so beat up by the hunt he’d decide to sleep through it and call you tomorrow or the day after, and you’d be waiting like a dumbass. There were  various hunts, some went  good, some went bad. What if he’d never get a chance to contact you, ‘cause he… You didn’t want to finish that thought.

The battle in your head continued, two different sides of your consciousness offering you opposite scenarios, making you in turns: hot and bothered with excitement and need, then hot and bothered for a very different reason.

It was 11:30 p.m. when you finally heard the salutary ringing.

You were on your feet and by the phone in a split second. Your hand was halfway there when you stopped yourself and thought again. If you answered too quickly, it would make him think you’d spent the entire evening charging by the receiver. You’d come out eager and thirsty and that wouldn’t be a good thing. You couldn’t show Sam you cared too much, it might scare him off.

You counted to ten before you picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Y/N? It’s Sam… from the shop.” a harsh voice on the other side of the line made you exhale in relief.

“Oh, hi there!” your voice was too high with emotion for your liking.

“Sorry for the timing. Hope I didn’t wake you up?” he said a little hesitantly.

“No, not at all. I was…” ‘waiting for your call’ you wanted to say but you bit your tongue just in time “…reading.” you finished.

The awkward silence hung between the two of you. It gave you a chance to think and you noticed that he sounded a little breathy, like he was panting. It meant he did exactly as he’d promised – called you immediately after the hunt. So maybe he waited for this as much as you did.

“So, how’s the hunt?” you asked, remembering you wanted to maintain that dialog.

“Done. We’re just wrapping it up here. It was a little draining, a lot messy, but mostly surprisingly smooth.” he said and you could hear a smile in his voice. “That’s because of you. Thanks for all the tips, they made it so much easier.”

“No problem. Always happy to help a fellow witch.” you laughed.

The conversation broke again and you searched for something to say but Sam took over the reins.

“Look, Y/N. I know it’s late but…” his voice dropped an octave as he spoke and your stomach flipped with anticipation. Finally, a concrete offer. “You still wanna go for that drink?” he asked and you could swear he seemed nervous.

“Actually…” you hesitated for just a second but it was enough for Sam.

“Or we can always get a raincheck…”

“No!” you replied too quick and too eager, but you didn’t care. You didn’t want to lose your chance. “I really want to see you. Only…” you stammered a bit, then took a deep breath before you said the rest of the sentence. “I thought maybe you could come over to my place?”

There was a moment of silence before Sam spoke again.

“You sure? I mean, I could take you on a real date some other day…” he said and he sounded much deeper now, more confident, cocky even. There was something so hot in that change that you didn’t care if he knew how much you wanted him.

“Yes, I’m sure.” you simply said.

There was a little grunt at his end of the line, followed by the sound of clearing throat and you chuckled. Someone was as impatient as you were.

Sam agreed for the meeting so you gave him your street name.

“I’m gonna need more than that.” he suggested.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll know the house when you see it.” you smirked.

He wanted to say something more, but instead, you heard a distant man’s voice, a strangled growl calling for him “Sam, a little help here?!”

“Sorry, I gotta go.” the hunter murmured apologetically. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

That’s how you found yourself on your couch, talking to Sam. It was a little awkward at the beginning. Actually, it became awkward the second you’d hung up the phone. Instantly, you’d realized you’d just refused to go on a date like a good girl and invited to your house the man you practically knew nothing about. It just screamed quick hook-up to you.

It had been awkward thirty minutes later, when you’d opened the door for him and when he’d hugged you to greet you. Seeing him, you regretted right away that you wouldn’t put on a dress, because he’d made an effort of wearing a dress shirt, while you’d decided that simple t-shirt and jeans shorts would be enough.

It had been awkward when you’d led him to the couch, sitting in a safe distant from him. But then you’d started talking. The wine was being opened and everything fell to its place, because talking to Sam was the easiest thing in the world.

You chatted through one bottle, the one that Sam brought, very tasty and quite expensive, you noted, so you pulled out another. When the hunter had showed up at your door, he’d seemed tensed, still a little on edge from the job. The crimson liquid let you both relax as you shared stories from your lives, some serious and some making you laugh hard. With every sentence you got to know each other better.

“You’ve got a big , beautiful house.” he said, looking around the place. “You live here all alone?”

“I have two sisters to keep me company. But they're on vacation right now.” you replied, beating at your lower lip and the smile he gave you in response left no room for doubt. You two already knew where this conversation was heading and he just made sure no one was going to interrupt you.

That was when you heard a sound of glass hitting the floor coming from the kitchen.

Sam leapt to his feet in a blink of an eye, a gun in his hand appearing out of thin air and you let out a surprise squeak. You quickly followed him to the other room. He moved inaudible, gun aimed. He suddenly switched on the lights in the kitchen to surprise the intruder, only to see a black cat sitting on a counter, looking unimpressed at the remains of the plate he’d knocked to the floor.

“Oh God! There is also Salem! He doesn’t like to be left out.” you snorted a laughter and the pet confirmed your words with a loud meow.

“Apparently.” Sam huffed in relief. He leaned against the doorframe, the tension in his shoulders visible as they rose and fell with his heavy breaths. You could almost hear the pounding of his heart, pumping the adrenaline through his veins all over again. So much for the relaxation.

You carefully walked past the broken plate to the small kitchen window and cracked it open to let the cat out. He gracefully hopped through the slit and you watched as he vanished in the darkness of the night.

When you turned to Sam again, he was staring at the gun in his hand, scratching the back of his neck, embarrassed. “Sorry about that.” he mumbled, tucking the weapon back behind his back.

“No need to apologize.” you shrugged, discarding the pieces of glass before you walked over to him. “Must've been one hell of a fight if it still keeps you on edge.”

Absentmindedly, you reach out to place a hand on his arm and you felt the muscle twitch under your touch. God, he was all knots.

“Well, it was no milk run, but I had worse. The bad guy is down without any casualties on the way, my brother and I made it out alive, so I count it as a win.” he smiled weakly, avoiding your gaze.

Your palm squeezed reassuringly around his biceps, most of it anyway, then slid down to his wrist to finally fall by your side. It was a small gesture but he took a hint and followed you back to the living room.

The two off you sank to the couch again and this time you took a place much closer to him, folding your legs under yourself so you could face him. Grabbing your glasses you both let out another relieved exhale.

“Three ladies and a black cat, hm?” Sam chuckled, a smile returning to his face and you laughed at his comment.

“Yeah. If you asked anyone in this town where the witches lived, they would undoubtedly point at this old house.” you joked, your shoulders shaking with your giggles and your hand landing on his thigh, this time on purpose.

It didn’t escape Sam’s notice. He adjusted on the couch just a bit, so he could face you properly, his arm  stretching on the backrest, long fingers inches from you. Oh, how you’d love to feel them on your skin. He had that look on his face that was so very Sam, when just the corner of his mouth turned up with a small smirk and his eyes narrowed, darkening with lust. He bit on his lower lip and you were done. You felt like you were going to combust under his gaze if you wouldn’t take that situation any further.

“You seem to know a lot about hunting?” he said curious, tilting his head but his eyes didn’t change, roaming your body, making your blood boil. It was all you could do, not to throw yourself at him. There was no way he didn’t know what he was doing to you, you were sure it was painted all over your face. He enjoyed this.

Well, if he wanted to play that way, you were game.

“That’s because you’re not the first hunter showing up on this doorstep.” you answered as calmly as you could and his face dropped just the tiniest of a bit, a jealousy sting that you quickly soothed with an explanation. “My grandma was a real witch, she used to run the herbal store before me. She also had a way of looking into the future. A lot of hunters were coming for her help at the time. One of them was so grateful he left her a little thank-you gift in my mom’s tummy – me. ” you smiled.

“Your father was a hunter?” Sam said, raising his eyebrows in surprise, before realizing, maybe you weren’t so happy about not knowing your father, and getting a little embarrassed. “I mean… Sorry, to here that.”

“That’s all right. No hard feelings for your ‘kind’.” you waved it off with a laugh. You shifted in your seat, leaning slightly toward him, looking him straight in the eye, before you spoke again, your voice quieter and lower than previously. “Actually, it might be why I have a soft spot for bad boys now.”

“You do?” he said, a playful smirk dancing on his lips as he watched you sliding closer.

“Uhm.” you murmured, drawing you bottom lip between your teeth. “And you’ve been a very bad boy.”

For a short second his forehead crinkled in confusion, but a cheeky smile and sinful tone you said that with made your intentions obvious.

“How’s that so?” he asked in deep voice, his tongue darting out to lick at his lips and his eyes focused on yours.

“The spell you came with today.” you explained “I recognized it and I know what you hunted. I know what you did to get rid of it. Takes one hell of an attitude to pull this off. Never thought you’d be the one for black magic.”

The admiration in your tone flattered him. “Yeah, I guess that puts me in a bad boy category.” He grinned, dropping his gaze before it flicked back to you, the same darkened, wanton look he gave you before.

You reached your breaking point.

He watched as you took a glass from his hand, setting in on the table and moved to sit on his lap. He did nothing to stop you or urge you, just waited for your next step. You studied his face for only a second, your face an inch from his, then leaned forward.

It started off slowly – a hesitant kiss, lips barely touching as they gently moved together, and you pulled away, searching for his reaction. But before you could read anything from his expression, he grabbed your face in his colossal hands, pulling you down for another kiss.

It was hot and passionate, all tongues and teeth, and you moaned into his mouth. He bit at your lower lip, drawing another needy sound from you. His tongue soothed the bite before sliding past your parted lips. He felt soft and tender despite how deep and demanding was his kiss. His hands felt strong but careful as they travelled down your back, pulling you flush against him.

It was so good, so safe to have that solid man beneath you, a broad chest you lied on, thick muscles of thighs you sat on and strong arms wrapping around your waist. It made you high and lost in this perfect specimen on human being. You draped your arms around his shoulders and let him take over your senses completely.

At some point in all of this, you laced your fingers in Sam’s long hair, as smooth and silky as you expected them to be. His quiet grunts coaxed you as you ground down on him in a slow, satisfying pace, and you wanted to get to the source of those sweet noises. Your hands pulled at his hair on their own, and they pulled hard, to expose his throat and that was when you heard it. A low, almost animalistic growl, raising deep in his chest, that made you shiver.

Your first reaction was to pull away and apologize, but there was nothing to be sorry about, because what you saw in his face was pure hunger. His hips snapped up at the sharp sting on his scalp, letting you feel his length pressing against your thigh through his jeans. You knew what you did was right, he enjoyed it very much.

“Y/N, are you sure about this?” his voice was a gruff strained whisper when he spoke, trying to control himself. “’Cause if you wanna stop, this is the last chance.”

Instead of an answer, you pushed yourself off of him, standing up. You reached out your hand with a reassuring smile. He took it and let you lead him upstairs, to your bedroom.

Not a word was spoken as you closed the door behind the two of you and walked over to him. He stood straight, tall and confident, observing your every move with penetrating look. He reminded you of a predator waiting for a prey to come in his range. He made you want to fall into his trap.

Next thing you knew, the two of you were all over each other, greedy hands tugging at the clothes, hungry mouths searching each other. It was like you couldn’t stand a second apart from one another.

Sam took a cautious step, walking you backwards to the bed. Your back hit the mattress and your now bare chests crashed together as he landed on top of you, careful not to crush you with his weight, though you wouldn’t really mind. Feeling him on your body was all you could think about and you just wrapped yourself around him, pulling him impossibly closer.

He looked at you, his eyes scanning every part of your body, studying it, memorizing every newly discovered carve and bend. He admired you like he would admire a trophy. You might had been offended if you weren’t too busy adoring the miles and miles of his tanned skin and the roll of chiselled muscles in his back.

His hands roamed over your body, from your neck, down the valley of your breasts, over your ribs. They felt rough, finger calloused with years of handling guns more often than women. It made a prefect contrast to your smooth skin, rising goose bumps and making you tremble with anticipation.

His mouth followed the path, heated, open mouth kisses impatiently placed on your body as he moved down the bed, lower and lower till he reached the hem of your shorts. He made a quick work at the zipper and his fingers curled into the waistband as he shoved the jeans down your legs.

Sam leaned back to look at you again, his lustful gaze sending shivers down your spine and heat down between your legs. The more he looked the wetter you felt.

You whimpered as he pushed himself away from you. Placing one foot on the floor, the other leg kneeling on the bed, he reached to the back pocket of his pants, tossing a package of condom on your nightstand.

“You came prepared.” you grinned.

“And you didn’t?” he rose his eyebrow suggestively, taking in the back lacy set of underwear he had revealed stripping you off your clothes.

You only giggled and nod, but it quickly turned into a desperate moan as you watched his hand reaching for the belt buckle. You gave him a smouldering look, beating at your lower lip as you flipped to your hands and knees, crawling down the bed to him. He watched amused as you shook off this hand and begun undoing his pants, your eyes never leaving his. You didn’t know where you got the courage for this. Normally, you’d be embarrassed by your scandalous behaviour. But this man in front of you was making you down right horny.

You pushed his pants down his thighs, waiting as he got rid of them and his boxers, and your jaw dropped. You believed in proportion of this man, he had everything long – long legs, long fingers, long hair. But you were so not prepared for what you saw. Now you knew there was nothing small about him, nothing at all. The guy was huge, bigger than you’d ever expected.

You tongue darted out, wetting your lips and your mouth watered at the thought of having him. Your eyes were wide as you forced yourself to look away, back at his face.

“Y/N, you don’t have to…” he started, uncertain, voice hoarse with desire.

“I know I don’t have to. I want to.” you purred, sitting down on your heels, making yourself comfortable. You planned to stay there for a while.

You took his half-hard cock in your hand, pumping him a few times, feeling him grow in your palm. His head fell back and a low groan escaped his lips. You watched mesmerized as blood coloured his chick and his cock, precum already leaking from the tip.

You leaned forward taking the head of his dick in your mouth, tongue running over the slit. He let out another groan and you accompanied him, moaning around him at the taste of his wetness. Without warning, you sank down on him, taking him as far as you could, before you moved back up and hollowed your cheeks, sucking hard at his head. His hand flew to your head, holding you in place.

“Fuck, that’s so good.” he growled and you couldn’t get a better encouragement.

You sucked again, then sank back down, pushing him as far down your throat as you could handle, gagging a little. You throat contracted around him and you could feel tears swelling in your eyes but you didn’t care. The obscene sounds you pulled out of Sam made you wanna keep going.

You felt his grip tightening on your scalp, fingers grabbing at the long strands of your hair and he pulled. You chocked again, trying to moan, earning a loud curse from him and your pussy clenched around nothing. God, that was hot, the way he yanked at your hair, taking control over your rhythm, pushing you down on him and pulling back up. You just wrapped you palm around the part of him you couldn’t take and let him lead the way. Every tug at your locks send electric shocks from your scalp to your clit, making you more and more aroused  and you started thinking if you could actually come just from hair pulling while you sucked him off.

Unfortunately, you didn’t get the chance to find out, because after another moan vibrated from you throat to his cock, Sam decided enough was enough.

“You gotta stop. I won’t last.” he panted, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to regain control. You let him go with a pop, licking your lips indecently and he pulled you all the way up his body, one hand still in your hair, another under your chin, until he could press his lips against yours. He gave you a rough, quick kiss, before pushing you on the mattress. “Now it’s my turn.” He smiled cockily, taking a few deep breaths to compose himself.

You couldn’t take your eyes off of him as he scooted down the bed, his lips hovering inches away from your skin, but never touching you. He took one of your legs, propping in on his shoulder. You watched with wide eyes as he turned his head, placing a soft kiss on your ankle. You flinched, letting out a sigh as his tongue danced over it, then travelled slowly up your calf. He licked at the side of your knee, then under it, sucking a little mark there, but he didn’t stop for long. His desire led him higher, up your thigh, over its inside. He flicked his tongue over it, placing kiss here and there, roaming his teeth over the sensitive skin.

He went torturously slow, taking his time to appreciate the softness on your flesh and the strength of your muscles, his fingers digging into your hips. By the time he got to the juncture of your thigh and removed you tongs, you were punting and moaning, wounded up so tightly you were ready to beg. You wanted to squirm, move him where you needed him the most, but he held you down, arms wrapped around your legs and pressing your hips down to the bed.

“Sam, please. I need you.” you meowed, not caring how needy you sounded, but he only chuckled, sucking a red mark on your pubic bone. “Do it or I’ll make you.” you warned, though you strangled voice wasn’t much for a threat. It only made Sam laugh.

“I’d love to see you try.” he sassed with a wide grin that crinkled his eyes.

“You don’t think I can?” you huffed and he just smiled.

Oh, you’d teach this arrogant bastard a lesson! Maybe he was holding you down, but you had one card in your hand he’d given you himself and you were going to use it for your benefit.

As he leaned down to press another tender kiss to your lower stomach, your hands dropped down, sinking into his hair. He drew in a sharp breath but you already held his brown strands and you tugged harshly, moving him to your heated centre.

He groaned, partially from the painful burn you caused, partially from the smell of you that invaded his senses. Either way, he gave in and dipped his head, burring his face in your pussy.

And when he got to work, you thought you died and went to heaven. His tongue darted out, parting the lips of your pussy and searching your clit. It flicked over it, just once, to see your reaction and your hips came up instantly, a cry of pure ecstasy falling from your lips. He groaned delighted, your response spurring him on, the sound vibrating through your core and making you shiver. He pressed harder, licking a broad strap from your entrance to your clit and back down. He dipped his tongue inside you, circling it, before he moved back up.

With his every move your grip on his hair tightened, but unlike him earlier, you didn’t take control. You could only hold on for dear life as he worked you up higher and higher. His tongue was hard and demanding, flicking your clit in a restless pace. You squirmed and arched your back as his sucked on you, a sloppy sounds mixing his your sinful moans.

You were so drunk on the sensations you didn’t care for the pornographic noises you’d be ashamed of tomorrow. Right now all that mattered was that Sam pressed his tongues flat against your clit, a pressure to much to handle and you exploded. The force of the orgasm made your hips come off the bed and your thighs squeezed around his head, and he kept going, lapping all your juices, drawing every last tremor out of your body.

You yanked at his hair again, forcefully enough to hurt him, but he just growled against you, even more stimulated, sucking once more, before he pulled away, panting heavily.

You watched with hazed eyes as he pushed himself up on shaky hands, letting your legs fall from his shoulders. He was breathing hard, his cheeks flashed deeply, a sheen of sweat covering his face and chest. He sat back and you could see how hard his cock was, dark red and twitching under your gaze. Looking down, you noticed a wet spot where he was laying and you realized that if you didn’t let him go, he’d have probably came with you.

The very thought of how much you’d been turning him on made you clamp around nothing. You let out a small whimper at the emptiness you felt. Sam needed to fix it right away.

You reached to the nightstand, where he tossed the condom earlier, searching blindly for a little package, your eyes glutted to the prefect picture in front of you. You ripped the thing open with your teeth and forced your stiffed muscles to let you sit up.

He instinctively leaned down, grabbing your face and kissing you deeply. A groan left your mouth as you tasted yourself on this tongue. Reluctantly, you pulled away and looked down to roll a condom on his shaft.

His forehead pressed against yours, his eyes closed and lips parted as you stroked him a few times, slowly but firmly, letting yourself feel the weight of his cock in your hand. He pushed gently at your shoulders to lay you on your back but you shook your head.

“Not like that.” you whispered against your lips.

You flipped to your stomach, then thought better and propped on your hands and knees, pushing your ass up for his view. And there it was again, a low growl that made you weak in your knees as he crawled behind you.

You felt his palms roaming over your ass, squeezing it, before they curled into the meat of your hips. You waited, shivering in anticipation as he lined himself up with your entrance. The tip of his cock slid over your wet lips, coating with your juices. You gasped at the sensation, but it quickly turned into a moan when he slid past your opening, entering you slowly.

You both groaned as he bottomed out, the sweet burn of the stretch made your head drop and your legs shake. He pushed into you again, harder this time, then stopped. You felt him lean down, arms wrapping around your waist and his mouth pressed at the line of your spine, teeth grazing over the shoulder blades.

Then he moved again, pleasure grunts reaching your ears, his hips snapping forward, over and over, faster and faster. You cried out, gripping the sheets, as you felt him hitting your g-spot, begging internally that your hands wouldn’t give up.

Sam held you firmly, his hand so tight on your hip he was probably bruising it, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. His other hand find your hair again, shoving into the locks, scraping over your scalp. He jerked at them, your head snapping back up and you cried out again. He attacked your exposed throat with his mouth, leaving an impression of his teeth on your shoulder.

The move of his hips pushed you forward but he held you in place, a firm grip on your hair never loosening the slightest bit. It made your back arch perfectly and he told you that, leaning over to whisper the filthy words in your ear that made your pussy flutter around him.

He sensed you were getting close and his hand slid from your hip down between your legs. His fingers rubbed your clit harshly as he fucked you fast and hard, pushing you over the edge for the second time. Your vision went white, your pussy clenching and relaxing on Sam’s cock. It was too much for you to handle, the waves of pleasure took away the last bit of control you had. You fell forward and Sam collapsed on top of you with a satisfied groan.

He released you, dropping to the other side of the bed and you rolled over to your side to face him. The two of you laid in a comfortable silence for a few moments, your slowly calming breaths the only sounds in the room.

Sam reached out, pulling you closer to him, kissing you gently, first on your lips, then the forehead. You smiled to him and he smiled back, none of you feeling the need to ruin the moment with talk. Instead, you slid even closer to him, burring your face in his chest, the warmth and scent of his body lulling you to sleep.

“It was fun.” you said an hour later, as the two of you stood in your hallway, fully dressed again.

“Yeah, it was.” he admitted, before leaning in for a quick, sweet kiss.

When he pulled away, a little awkward silence filled the room. What now? One entertaining night that was ending now and that would be it?

“Y/N… ” he stammered and you lifted your eyes, hopeful. “Would it be okay if I call you sometimes?”

“I’d love that.” you smiled, relieved. So it wasn’t over, thank God.

Sam turned his steps to the front door, though it was obvious he wasn’t eager to leave.

“You know, you could stay…?” you suggested shyly, shoving your hands in the back pockets of your shorts.

“I should really go, check on Dean. He had it rough today.” he said, an apologetic grimace on his face, and your shoulders dropped, smile disappearing from your lips as you glanced on the floor.

You did understood that he had a brother to take care of. It wasn’t fair to stop him. You only hoped you’d see him soon, ‘cause you already missed his arms.

The squeeze on your waist pulled you out of your gloomy thoughts and you realized Sam was right in front of you again. He looked down at you, a playful smirk turning up the corner of his mouth.

“You know what? He’ll survive till the morning.” he said and the wide grin brightened your face, as you pulled him back into the house.

I NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THE SHARING A BED STORY. I NEED ALL THE BACKGROUND ON THAT ALEXANDER AND lAURENS. pLEASE SHARE.

Haha, thanks, buddy! :D

I don’t plan on expanding that rn as my docket is currently ghosthunters shitty summer, fem4ham, ghosthunters fall term, ghosthunters mirrors, so here’s what was going on in my head while I was working on that.

(as a refresher, here’s the original ficlet)

So, John and Alex grew up together, at least for the bulk of their adolescence. Something something Alex came to the US as a child and ended up in South Carolina, I guess, and they met and became instantly inseparable. There were probably a lot of sleepovers contingent on whose parents were annoying them at the moment, lots of exploring and secrets and crushes and finally, maybe their sophomore year of high school, they started dating.

This John’s depression and anxiety are a little amped up from how I read him historically and how I write him in ghosthunters (…for the most part. Uh. To be continued, there.), but he’s more or less coping, sometimes much less, and Alex has made it His Job to be there constantly, whenever John needs him, to do whatever it takes to de-escalate him, an unfortunate symptom of Alex’s own issues. His problems stay kind of below his father’s and teachers’ radar because a) when he goes on an anxiety spiral, unlike every other aspect of his life, instead of lashing out in anger, he turns his pain inward and gets quiet and hurts himself (minorly. Not so much self-harm as looking down after a panic attack and realizing that he was trying so hard to be quiet that he chewed his nails down to the quick or stabbed his nails into his palms hard enough to draw blood or picked a scab open or, not infrequently, yanked his hair so hard that his scalp is red and throbbing and he tore some out) and b) John is ashamed and goes out of his way to cover it up and Alex believes that He Can Handle Everything, so he sort of facilitates that.

Anyway, they do dumb high school sweetheart shit, they go to dances, they lose their virginity, they have huge fights and tearful make-ups, they talk about the future, etc. When the time comes, they both apply to a bunch of different colleges and promise that neither of them will throw their future away for the other. If they both get into the same place, great, but if not, they can handle long distance. Alex secretly fears that John won’t be able to handle long distance, but it doesn’t matter because they both get into Columbia and Alex gets enough financial aid that he doesn’t have to worry about going into debt for the rest of his life.

And John is sure that things will get better in New York, away from his hometown and expectations and terrible memories of things in his past. Alex is, again, doubtful, but he hopes as much as well. And, tragically, Alex is the one who’s right in this case. The stress of trying so hard to leave his anxiety behind just makes him more anxious. He’s overwhelmed and depressed and doesn’t know what to do or how to be a person and eventually Alex gets a call at three o’clock in the morning and it’s John, sounding drunk, saying, “Alex, I did something stupid” and then dropping the phone. And Alex gets the pleasure of running to John’s room and making the RA unlock the door and discovering that John drank quite a bit of vodka and chased it with all of his ativan.

So John–unconscious–and Alex–hysterical–are transported to the hospital, where John’s stomach is pumped and his system is flushed and all that good stuff. Someone at the hospital calls John’s dad when Alex discovers he’s shaking too much to use the phone and, thank god, he’s listed as John’s emergency contact, so at least he gets updates from the doctors as he waits to see how John’s doing.

The long and short of it is that they have John admitted for a mandatory psych eval and, though at first he’s insistent that he’s not crazy and he should be allowed to leave, by about twenty-four hours into his seventy-two hour stay he starts to realize how messed up he’s let himself become, so he agrees to be admitted for a slightly longer stay.

It ends up being a few weeks, I think, and Alex visits him religiously,  every single chance he’s able. His dad stays in New York for the length of his admission and he starts to put his life back together and begins the search for more helpful medication and starts therapy for the first time and mostly just has a few weeks when the world stops. Which is all he’s wanted for years and years, since his mother and brother died. A few days when everything just stops and he has time to breathe and think and make decisions.

Alex comes up a lot in his therapy, obviously, and one of the things that’s been making him extra anxious is his desire to please Alex, his desperation to be good enough for him, to be someone he deserves. And no matter how many times Alex tells him he has nothing to live up to, he’s perfect the way he is, it’s something that John struggles with. So his therapist suggests that maybe he and Alex should take a little break so John can focus on being good for himself instead of being good for his boyfriend. And it is the last fucking thing that John wants to do, but it makes sense. And, in family therapy, Alex very earnestly tells John that John is his best friend and he will always be there for him, and if he needs some time to himself to get his shit together, Alex understands. Just because they’re not together doesn’t mean Alex is going anywhere.

Which kind of seals it for John. He likes the idea of being able to spend a few weeks breathing and existing without losing Alex’s emotional support. As long as he still has Alex as a friend, he’ll be okay.

And it’s just a few weeks to start, but by then the new semester is starting and John is severely behind due to his leave of absence the year before, so he needs more time to focus on that. He figures they’ll stay apart as long as it takes him to catch up on classes. But then spring semester ends and John’s got a summer class to make up a class he had to drop in the fall and Alex has a job and he doesn’t want to distract either of them. And then it’s fall and John starts to backslide, so he takes more time and then, before he knows it, it’s spring of their sophomore year and Alex is awkwardly asking him if it would be okay if he went on a couple dates with someone else.

“Just, like, messing around,” Alex says quickly. “Not–just until you’re ready. I love you. But I want you to be ready and I don’t want to rush you and–nevermind, this was stupid, I can’t believe I asked–”

“No,” John says quietly. “No, that’s…that’s a good idea. I think you should do it.”

It’s feels like the hardest and worst thing John’s ever had to do, even though he knows, objectively, that’s not true. But he doesn’t know when he’ll be ready for a relationship again and he doesn’t want Alex to wait forever. That will just brew resentment, eventually, and he wants Alex to be happy. If that means he’s gonna go out and fuck some other guy…then so be it.

Alex is simultaneously surprised, relieved, and disappointed. He didn’t expect John to give him a straight answer and certainly not immediately. And he’s interested in a guy and kind of wants to explore the world outside of his relationship with John before they settle down forever. He’s only ever been with one other person–John hasn’t been with anyone outside of Alex. But at the same time, it feels like something is ending. Part of him had hoped that John would say, You know what, let’s try being a real couple again, and that they’d pick up where they left off and everything would be okay again. And things are good now–he still has John in all the important ways, John is still his world, but there’s a part of him that misses kissing him and being kissed and touching him and the fragile intimacy of having sex with someone he loves so wholly.

But John has to move at his own pace. So Alex asks out this guy and John hates him. He pretends, for Alex’s sake, to tolerate him, but he thinks he’s vain and selfish and stupid and not nearly as hot as Alex thinks he is. He knows that most of the reason he hates him so much is because he’s kissing Alex and John isn’t, but he figures as long as he doesn’t say any of that to his or Alex’s face, he’s okay.

And after that guy, Alex has a couple more flings, guys and girls alike. And by the time they’re getting ready to graduate and John feels like he’s maybe ready to be Alex’s boyfriend again, Alex has been accepted to law school and John finds out he’s short a couple credits, so he has to take some summer classes and they’re just so busy. And Alex has this friends-with-benefits thing with their buddy Angelica and he actually seems like he’s taking it kind of seriously? And John doesn’t want to fuck that up, especially when Alex says, sheepishly, that he’s been invited to spend the summer with Angelica’s family. John tells him to go and have fun and, based on the pictures on social media, he totally does. And John is alone and bored in New York, trying not to be resentful of Alex’s summer with Angelica and her sisters, and there’s this cute guy in his building who keeps bumping into him in the halls and one night he’s drunk and lonely and they bump into each other and John let’s the guy take him back to his apartment.

And, two days later, he’s trying to figure out how to tell Alex that he slept with someone else when Alex calls him and starts the conversation with, “You can say no.”

John says, “What?”

And Alex says, “Um, I met this girl.”

And John says, “I thought you were there with Angelica and her sisters.”

And Alex says, “I am. Uh, it’s one of her sisters. You know me and Angelica were always just casual. But. I kind of like her sister.”

And John says, “Then you should ask her out.”

So Alex does and John waits a couple weeks and then casually says, “There’s this guy in my building who’s really hot.” 

And Alex pauses for just a second too long and then says, “Then you should ask him out.”

And John is a little sad, a little wistful at giving up his first love, but he figures that’s just the way it was supposed to be. He feels better about it when Alex comes home from the shore and is still everything he was before–John’s inseperable best friend, always there for him at a drop of a hat, eager to spend as much time together as they can manage. Alex was, before anything else, his best friend and as long as he has that, he thinks he’ll be okay.

Alex, meanwhile, panicked the moment he felt that first pull towards Eliza, sitting up around the bonfire with her, talking about everything, hours after Angelica and Peggy went to bed. He tells her all about John and she listens and nods and he realizes he wants to kiss her and realizes she’s not the kind of girl you kiss and few times and fuck for a couple weeks and then move on. When he calls John, he almost wants him to say no, but he doesn’t, so he goes ahead and asks her out.

“What about John?” she asks.

“I talked to him,” Alex admits. “And he told me to ask you out.”

“I’m not going to be a distraction while you’re waiting for him to want you again,” she warns him. “If we’re together, you’re with me. You’re not biding your time.”

“I know,” Alex says. “And I love him more than anything. And I always will. But I get to have a life too. And at this point, I don’t think we’ll ever be on the same page, so I might as well go out and make one.”

When he hears about Francis a couple weeks later, his heart freezes in his chest. He feels like he wants to throw up, which is selfish–he has Eliza, now, he doesn’t get to have a say in who John fucks. And maybe it’s just fucking. Maybe they’re not even going to date. So he sucks it up, only a second or two too long for polite conversation, and tells John to ask him out.

He drinks a lot that night and Eliza doesn’t ask why, but she does hold his hair back when he pukes the next morning and hold onto him while he cries.

And after that, life just…goes on. Alex gets caught up in law school. John gets a job as a freelance illustrator as he tries to figure out what he wants to do with his life. Alex and Eliza stay together, then break up for a few months after Alex cheats on her (and John never has to know about how she shouted, I always knew you’d do this, but I just assumed it would be John you fucked! in a moment of petty weakness that Eliza is too ashamed to mention again and Alex is too guilty to mention again, because he thinks if John asked, he would have), and then get back together. John breaks up with Francis and dates a few other guys, a couple he even thinks he might be able to love one day. John starts his own photography business and manages to do pretty well for himself. Alex graduates law school and accepts a position at his mentor’s law firm. John and Francis get back together. Alex gets offered substantially more money to move out to Philly and work in the office out there. Eliza moves with him and John’s a little surprised they haven’t gotten engaged yet, but doesn’t like to think about it too hard, though he doesn’t examine why. After six months, Eliza gets offered a job in California and, after a long conversation with Alex, decides to take it, even though Alex won’t leave his job to come with her. A few weeks after that, Francis and John have one last shouting match that ends with Francis shoving all of his stuff in John’s apartment into a garbage bag and storming out.

And then, about a month later, after the holidays, Alex calls John at two in the morning and says, I think I made as mistake.

And then, here we are.

recovery.

Mentions of self harm. ----- "Hey, sweetie. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Alice popped her head out the kitchen door, a small smile on her lips. However, her eyes were red, her face was tired, her eyebrows furrowed. "Of course, what's up?" Elizabeth Cooper stepped down into the kitchen, her head cocked to the side in wonder. She was a straight A student, a cheerleader. She was friends with Veronica Lodge and Cheryl Blossom, the two most popular girls in school. She had an on the side fling with Archie Andrews. Her life was basically perfect, almost. "We're going to have someone stay with us for awhile-" Alice is hesitant. "Who?" Her eyebrows raise. "Forsythe Jones, you remember him? His father isn't in the best place and well-" Truthfully Alice Cooper had been in love with FP Jones since high school, and when learning that his son was on the streets with no where to go, of course she'd be the first to take him in. Betty's memories of Jughead flash before her eyes, 4 years old and in the treehouse. She nods, understanding her mothers history with the Jones'. Unknown to most, Alice had been having an affair with FP for at least a year, having already known Jughead for quite some time. But Betty, she had a lot to learn. ----- Jughead was the type of kid you stayed away from because you knew his history. He was a serpent, he was from the wrong side of the tracks, raised by a dad who tried his best but always got the short end of the stick. Of course he remembers Betty, long golden hair and big green eyes. But he assumes she just might be like everyone else. Perfect. Judgmental. He had a lot to learn too. It's a normal Summer Thursday. Betty is on the couch, long sleeves and sweatpants on, covering the past decade of scarring she'd left on her skin. The T.V is switched on, reruns of New Girl playing silently in the background as she stares blankly ahead. She doesn't even notice the doorbell ring, shaken from her trance as Alice opens the front door, smiling and laughing at something Jughead must of said before she grabs the one bag he owns from his hands. His leather jacket is snug over his shoulders and it shocks her to see her mother embracing someone like him. She shakes her head and turns back to the T.V. ----- He hadn't even said hi to her and it had been days. He assumed she must not remember him, so he couldn't bother. He'd sleep on the couch, Betty sometimes in passing in the middle of the night for a glass of water would quickly glance over him, jacket slung over the edge of the couch, hair messed up and shirt on the floor. He was good looking. There was no doubt about it. She wonders why she never noticed before. ----- School starts up soon enough. Betty had been mutilating herself more than normal, the anxiety eating her alive. Medication just wasn't doing it anymore. There's only so much it can do. She'd been sitting at the table, pushing the food around on her plate with her fork. "Is it bad today?" Alice looks to her daughter, who smiles slightly and shakes her head just to please her. Jughead catches the last half of the conversation, wondering what could be so terrible about her life. Jughead knows better than any one though not to be judgmental of those you don't know. "The meds are good." Betty reassures her. "You sure?" Alice knows her daughter, she wasn't very good at lying. "Of course." ----- She lets him walk her to school that morning. It was the start of a friendship, moving slowly. And one night Veronica forces the both of them to see a double feature at the Bijou, Betty grabbing his hand quickly during the horror movie in fright. Slightly, just slight her sleeve of her shirt rises. And he sees it. ----- "Why do you do that?" On the walk home he turns to her, although it's none of his business, he's curious. "You don't have to tell me." "It's ok, I want to." She smiles slightly before her lips press into a firm line. "I must've been fourteen at the time-" She lets out a sigh before she continues. "-things were...alright I guess. My parents had been fighting, it was awful, nothing a teenager doesn't go through, but still. My father was a real asshole and one night they fighting had gone too far." "My mom had gone to sleep. And he'd asked me to...you know. I couldn't...he was stronger than me. And now he's gone, he's gotten away with it and I just, I don't know, you know?" "Betts-" "I'm sorry." And he is, but he knows there's nothing he can do. "You can't fix me. I have to do that on my own." She knows he would pity her. Everyone does once they know. But she also knows she's strong enough to overcome and recover. Just not right now. It felt good to tell someone. To talk about it. Tonight instead of her usual trip to the bathroom cabinet where the razor hides, she sits on the couch, next to him while an episode of her favorite show plays in the background. ----- It becomes a weekly thing. Double feature at the Bijou and burgers at Pop's. Sometimes with Veronica, most times with out. He makes her laugh, he makes her forget. She makes him laugh, she makes him forget. It's a perfect combination, just the two of them. She feels vulnerable with him, in a comforting way. And he feels the same. And that night he kisses her, under the blue and red lights of Pop's diner. She smiles against his lips and he does hers. It's quick, it's soft, it's sweet. It's perfect, unlike them. ----- He doesn't want to make Betty uncomfortable, he wants things to go slowly. Sometimes she has different ideas. Alice isn't home this particular afternoon after school. And when they walk in the door, his beanie falling between his fingertips and onto the floor, she pushes him slightly to rest on the couch. Legs either side of his, she sits comfortably in his lap, his fingers pull through her hair and his lips kiss hers gently. She wants more. More than she can handle. She presses her hand to his throat, tongue delving deep into his mouth, tasting him. He tastes of nicotine and honey. She can't get enough. Her hips roll forward. Doing so, although her own actions makes her still. She's frozen. She clambers off of him, panting. "Sorrysorrysorry-" Her face is flushed, eyes blown wide. "Hey-" "Don't. Not yet, that's fine." It's going to be a slow process. He knows that. He's more than willing to wait. And a week later she's more than willing to try. Maybe not go all the way, but she's ready to try at least something. He'd been sitting at the kitchen table, piece of toast in his mouth and coffee in one hand. "Juggie?" "Mhm-" "I want you to touch me." He practically chokes, swallowing hard, pressing his hand flat against the table as he lets out a cough. "Like-like...now?" "Yeah-" "You sure?" She nods quickly, pulling him by the sleeve of his gray, thickly knit sweater, practically tripping up the stairs as she drags him along. Pushed against her bed, sheets perfectly white and room a pinkish hue, he pulls away his beanie, letting his fall. She's smiling, green eyes bright and cheeks flushed pink. She looks innocent, unknowing about the world of pleasure. And God, was he about to show her how good it can be. She's pressed underneath him now, dress halfway up her thighs, his jeans tightening at the sight of her. "Are you sure?" He exhaled deeply, there wasn't enough air in this world, she left him breathless. Her hips pushed up to his, thumb looped through the side of her panties, threatening to pull them down. "Touch me." She whimpered in response leaving his head spinning. "I just want to make sure that you're sure about this." He questions one more time, slowly tugging down her panties before she even answers. "I'm sure." Her thighs are already spreading further and he has to close his eyes for a couple seconds before he passes out. She wants him to take every last ounce of her innocence and it becomes more and more tempting as he slides her panties all the way down her legs, fingertips trailing around the inside of her thighs. "Please, Juggie. Please." She pleads. She opens her mouth again to speak, but he brings his lips to hers, warm tongues instantly meeting before she can get a word out. His fingers travel further between her thighs, slipping between her, her wetness already coating his fingertips. Her hips lift against his touch. His thumb flicks over her clit, her lips parting as she lets out a cry, her hot breath against his face. "More Juggie." She moans directly in his ear, his jeans tightening even more around him than he thought possible. He pumps a finger into her, and then another and another, her breathing quickening and her moans becoming louder. She winces as he moves them deeper, but lifts her hips again anyways, pleading for even more. He pulls his fingers from her, leaving her with an empty feeling, lifting his fingers to his mouth. She tastes so sweet and he can't help but crave for more. She takes his fingers, bringing them to her mouth, taking them between her lips, the taste of herself on her own tongue. He can feel his sanity slipping away as she wraps her lips around each of his fingers, looking at him through her lashes. He pushes her further against the headboard, sliding down further until his face is where not only he, but she wants it, straight between her pale thighs. She licks her bottom lip before biting down, looking at him with young, innocent eyes. He watches her every emotion intently as he brings his lips to her, tongue savoring the sweet taste as he coaxed in between her thighs. She cries out almost immediately, biting down harder onto her lip, almost hard enough to break the skin. He repeats the action, this time slower, her fingers threading through his hair. His nails dig into her thighs, pulling her closer, wanting more, always wanting more. His tongue flicks over her clit methodically, her hands pushing his head against her even harder, her lips parting uncontrollably in soft whimpers. A shiver runs through her, the light scruff on his face tickling her thighs. Her nails dig into his scalp, her legs hanging over his shoulders as he moves his tongue faster, wanting her to let go. He stops for a second or two, demanding her to come under his tongue and not a minute later she complies with his pleas, her legs shaking and her lips trembling with profanities. "Fuck!" She cried out looking down to him as her orgasm shook her, her eyes still shy and innocent. "I want you now." She pleaded, pulling him up to her, but he could tell she was a little uncertain. "Just kiss me for awhile." He suggested to make her less uneasy, lips meeting hers roughly as he pushed her into the bed. She flipped him over, her legs on either side of him. He sat up, pulling her flush against his chest, his tongue running over hers, exploring every inch of her mouth that he already knew so well. He couldn't ever get bored of her cherry flavored mouth, ever. Her hips began to rock, a groan vibrated through his throat, his reaction making her giggle excitedly like a child. They begin to undress, him watching her so carefully. He tells her it'll hurt, because it will, but that's okay. Because she trusts him and she wants him. "I need you to tell me if you want me to stop." He's inside of her, it's painful for her, but she doesn't want to stop. "No, no don't stop. You can move." She encourages him to go on and his hips begin to move slowly. She winces, she cries. It hurts, but it all gets better. A couple of minutes pass and she pleads him to go faster, claiming the pain has subsided. He hears her moan, and that's when he knows. "Fuck Juggie, harder." She moans and he lets out a sharp gasp, the pleasure already too much to handle. He places a kiss under her ear before doing as she says, moving into her harder. "Are you okay?" He asks as she winces, hips starting to slow, scared that he's hurt her. "'More than okay. Oh f-fuck, don't slow down, keep going." She cries, leaning forward to bite into his shoulder. He looks to the door to make sure he remembered to lock it, thrusting deeper into the girl below him. A door closes downstairs and he hears a shouted hello, signaling Alice was home. Betty wraps her legs around his waist letting him go deeper and he knows that he don't want to rush this, even if Alice is home. "I'm going to need you to be quiet for me, okay?" She nods, biting into his shoulder again, her fingers tugging at his hair. He hits her at one deep angle, deep enough to have her cry out uncontrollably. He covers her lips with his, swallowing her moans. "Fuck Juggie, I'm-I'm gonna come, fuck." Nails digging into his back, clawing and scratching, hard enough to draw blood, air stinging the fresh wound, but he only works on driving into her harder. "Come, let go." He presses a long lasting kiss to the side of her neck, deciding he didn't care anymore how loud she calls out his name, because the way it sounded rolling off of her lips was enough to make his vision blur and his head spin. His hand moves between the both of them, finger rubbing lazy circles over her clit, making her cry out his name even louder and this time he doesn't stop her. She tightens and shakes around him and he comes inside of her, arms on either side of her to be sure he doesn't crush her fragile frame. They're sure at this point they love each other. No doubt. And after the first time, they become insane with need. It was quite simple actually, how they made love. She wasn't screaming and yelling and thrashing the whole house awake, no. No, he knew that at 3:29, a minute before she opened his door and shut the rest of the world out behind them, she would pull the bed a few inches from the wall. To make sure that when together they rocked back and forth, slower, faster, then slower again and then just a little bit harder on that bed she's had since she was 10 years old, the headboard wouldn't slam against the wall, and doom their middle of the night secret. But if it was however, one of those nights she needed more than what the 7 year old bed limited them with the creaking wood and the out of shape bed springs, if it was one of those nights she was in the mood to scream, and to yell, and to thrash the whole house awake, she would ask him to lay on the floor and she would climb on top of him. And with no creaking wood, no out of shape bed springs, she would fuck him, so much harder and so much faster until just maybe, he was the one wanting to scream. And then when they were done, they'd fall back into her bed, markings of his mouth at her neck, at her breasts and her thighs, all over. ----- It's a normal night at the Bijou when he tell her he loves her and she does the same. After they say they love each other they become sex crazed. They have to have each other, all the time, every minute of every day. He begins to pick her up from school so he can fuck her in the back seat of the truck, her skirt pushed up and his jeans pushed down. She'll ride him in the small, confined space till he comes inside of her and then they drive home. They aren't good at being discreet. They'll leave the dinner table so he can fuck her, pushed up against just the other side of the wall of the dining room. He'll pull her into the bathroom during movie night and fuck her on the bathroom counter. She'll pull just the right clothes out of the way so she can fuck him on the couch while Alice leaves for a minute without getting caught. They'd been so desperate one night after coming home from a party that when they stumbled through the door and fall, he just fucks her right there on the floor while her parents are asleep upstairs. They'd been sex crazed. No doubt. It's early one morning, Betty is in the bathroom covering up the markings he'd left last night. One knock at the door and she knows it's him, opening quickly to pull him inside. "Come here." She says turning to him once she notices the bruise she'd left on his skin, tube of concealer in hand. "No. Uh uh. Don't put that on me." He backs away, hands up before she fists his t-shirt in one hand, forcing him forward. "Jug, just get your ass over here." She tells him and he finally listens to her. He always does. Smearing it all over his neck he begins to look down at her, eyes on hers. "I never thought you'd do it." He laughed. "Do what?" She asked him, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Make me fall in love with you."

Season 6, Episode 15 - “Glue”

When Nick freaks out after Reagan lands him a book signing, Jess scrambles to boost his confidence and help it go smoothly. Meanwhile, Winston reveals to Schmidt and Cece that he's proposing to Aly, but needs their help to execute the big plan.

Let’s begin this breakdown with a moment of silence for Robby. Thank you. Nick enters the loft wearing his running bottoms and his hoodie, to Jess, Cece, and Schmidt’s shock and concern. Especially the fact that his hoodie has been washed, which is bone-chilling. Raisin may not understand the need for concern, but Winston sure does. He enters the loft shortly after Nick leaves in a panic and rushes to the window to shout, “Nick! Are you okay? I see you! And I love you!” This is all strangely endearing. But in Raisin’s defense, “No one here emotes in a normal way.”

Winston sits down with Cece and Schmidt, making plenty of eye contact with the couple, as they try to enjoy their boba tea. Winston makes a spot-on comparison of his relationship with Aly to the tea, but Schmidt does not follow. “I haven’t known what you’ve been saying for three and a half years.” Same. Winston finally gets to the point that he’s going to propose to Aly and needs their help. Cece tells Winston that he will make a great husband and father some day, though he points out that he is already a father because Furguson is his blood.

Meanwhile in Jess’ room, Raisin is worried that she’s never going to figure out Nick. “I feel like I found a forest baby, and I don’t know when it’s hungry or in pain or afraid of the kitchen light.” Jess gently explains that he’s an enigma wrapped up in a bunch of Chicago Bears crap. Jess offers to help because she cannot extract herself from their relationship and goes to Nick’s room to find out what’s wrong. It turns out that a publishing company turned down The Pepperwood Chronicles and he’s too embarrassed to tell Raisin. No surprise there, these two cannot communicate. Jess tries to convince Nick to share everything with Raisin. “Don’t just keep her in the perfect front room. Let her in the back with the weird rooms and the dead bulbs and the wet walls.” Nick acquiesces, “All right, but I’m not letting her go anywhere near my crawl space.” He explains that it’s the significant other’s job to clean out the boxes in there, but isn’t Raisin his significant other? But I guess that makes sense since when Jess literally tried cleaning out his boxes, they broke up. Jess is satisfied and leaves to go back to her room. She fills in Raisin on the issue and passes the baton on to her. It’s Robby’s baton, he was really into competitive male twirling.

Anyways, Winston sits down Schmidt and Cece at the bar to explain his plan. He’s going to suggest an activity for the four of them, then back out, leaving the two of the them to distract Aly while he prepares a beautiful and glorious picnic next to her favorite plant, the common cactus. Schmidt is so excited, he has a scream and nowhere to put it. Aly shows up and Cece and Schmidt nervously giggle in anticipation. Winston smoothly covers with, “We all had bubbly water. It made us giggle.” Winston invites Aly to paint their house, catching Cece and Schmidt off guard since their house is almost entirely painted. Schmidt recovers and chimes in with, “We wanted our best friends to finish it. Not professionals. Like our new home was some treehouse in a little league baseball movie.” Aly has never painted before, but reluctantly agrees, and Winston immediately backs out.

Back at the loft, Jess sees Nick sitting alone in the living room, “What’s up, boy in the hood?” Nick explains that Raisin’s, “Been on the phone all day like a grandpa who missed a package. Like… “Hel…” I’m not even gonna do it.” Shame we never got to hear that impression. Raisin cheerfully enters the room to announce that she found a bookstore that will sell Pepperwood, but they need 30 copies for the big reading that night.

Nick freaks out that he will have to do a reading, he doesn’t even know what to read. Thankfully he has his book for that, but that does not assuage the feeling of his heart pumping out scalding hot toilet water. Jess to the rescue, again, with a prototype of the book with perfect perfect-binding she made using her craft wagon. Raisin realizes the reality of having to make all of the books and begins to freak out like a robot, aka not react at all whatsoever. Jess tells Raisin that Nick needs to be kept occupied making the books so he doesn’t lose it again. “Gather around, my little Gutenberg's!” Solid printing press joke. She leaves the two to figure out how to make the books, allowing Raisin to be there for Nick like she always is. And by leave I mean step away five feet to sing with Winston about books and loan him her cactus gloves.

In Cece and Schmidt’s master bedroom, Aly is badly painting the walls. Schmidt describes her technique as, “Begrudgingly covering up graffiti.” I assume she gets that from her law enforcement background. Aly notices Cece and Schmidt whisper arguing in the doorway and offers to leave. Of course, they have to keep her occupied so they make up that they have marital problems. Aly is way too quick to agree.

An undetermined amount of time passes when Jess checks in to see how the books are going to see that Nick is alone with one poorly made book. Which reminds me, remember when Nick and Jess built an indestructible stool from newspapers? Just saying. Jess offers to help Nick finish and hauls out her glue she keeps on her non-mobile craft cart. #CraftCartGoals. It’s quickly evident that the glue is extremely strong and their constant sniffing gets them high which results in an array of nonsensical dialogue including Nick saying, “I think I’ll read that whole book in two minutes.” That book looks bigger than the fifth Harry Potter book so I kind of doubt that. Jess questions if Nick’s hair always looked like that, if it’s brown, and why didn’t he tell her (spoiler: it was a secret). The icing on the cake was Nick pretending to birth the book and Jess congratulating him on the paperback. Raisin returns before this can go any farther. She immediately notices their odd behavior and the strong smell and states what we already know, they are totally high.

Raisin wants to cancel the reading since they are both inebriated. Nick claims that he can still do it, he just has to buckle up his shirt, but the problem with it is that it’s made of honey and is too sticky. Jess still wants to go too and tries to walk off with a backpack full of books before falling hard onto her back like a clumsy turtle.

Back at the house, Cece calls Winston in a panic and they need him to hurry up with his plan. Unfortunately he’s at a costume shop so Cece and Schmidt have to fend for themselves. Schmidt tells Aly, “So many marital problems we have. My baby’s got a real sweet tooth. Just the other day, she ate an entire sleeve of pecan sandies and punched the top right off a parking meter. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” Cece says that Schmidt is addicted to gambling and cocaine. Aly is fed up with their bizarre behavior and  tries to leave, claiming that she knows they are trying to distract her from a prank. She tells them that she’ll play along to get it over with, but since she only think it’s a prank, we’re okay with the slight deviation from the plan.

Raisin reluctantly brings a high Jess and Nick to the bookstore for the reading. Jess says she can read everything from where she is and finds a secret world in what is actually a pop-up book. While Jess is off exploring, the bookstore owner introduces Nick with a quick reminder that they are dying and to please buy something. Nick approaches the podium to announce that we are all dying before collapsing into an anxiety attack and hiding in a child’s playhouse.

Jess tries to coach Raisin what to say to calm Nick down and ends up pouring out her soul, “Nick, you’re one of the most people I’ve ever met. Everyone here is lucky to hear your book, because it’s a part of you. And if you fail, it doesn’t change how special you are. And no matter what happens here, I’ll always love you.” Be right back, crying. Raisin attempts to comfort Nick and ends up telling him he’s a special boy and pretty much nothing else of value. But she does believe in him, so I can appreciate that kindness. Nick emerges from the playhouse and approaches the podium to read with Jess and Raisin in the front row.

We are saved from this depressing bookstore by a beautiful shot of Malibu as Cece, Schmidt, and Aly arrive to meet Winston. Aly questions what is going on and Winston presents her with a picnic, complete with a cactus. She is pleasantly surprised. Cece and Schmidt watch on to see Winston fake them out by getting on his knee to tie his shoe, give Aly a gummy vitamin, then tie his other shoe. This is why Schmidt double-knots his laces! Why does Schmidt tie Winston’s shoes? We never find out because Winston tells them that they can head off. He also tells them that he’s not actually proposing today and this is part of a 20-phase plan, with subphases, obviously (think of them as annoyingly elaborate smaller phases). Winston explains that Aly deserves the grandest proposal which is kind of sweet, but mostly frustrating. He boops Schmidt and runs back to Aly.

After the book reading, Jess introduces Nick to his biggest fan, a girl who weirdly resembles her. She buys a book for a dollar and scurries off. Nick tells her not to read it all in one place, which is downright adorable, but is worried about the shed scene. Jess suddenly remembers and freaks out too. I’m still not convinced Raisin ever read the book because she doesn’t remember it. How could you forget such an incredibly graphic sexual scene?

Originally Aired 2/07/2017

Book Tour Grand Finale for

One Night with the Army Doc

By Traci Douglass

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch - Note from the Author Hi All! I’m so excited to share my debut Medical Romance with you, One Night With The Army Doc. This story developed out of my love for TV medical dramas like ER and House, M.D. and also to show my appreciation for all the brave, courageous medical professionals serving in our armed forces around the world...

It's All About the Romance - Excerpt Dr. Jake Ryder replaced the receiver on the dashboard two-way radio, feeling the familiar buzz of adrenaline that always followed a call to arms pumping through his blood. “Ready for action, Doc?” EMT Zac Taylor asked from the driver’s seat. “Always.” Since taking over the Emergency Medicine Department at Anchorage Mercy Jake didn’t get to spend much time out in the field, so this was a special treat. “I’ll get things ready in the back.”

Book Lover in Florida - Excerpt Molly shook her head and snorted. “Go to Alaska,” her executive producers had said last week. “A high-profile sports case is the best way to raise the ratings.” Normally she would’ve told them that her soon-to-expire contract clearly stipulated she got final say on all cases portrayed on her reality medical drama, Diagnosis Critical. But, considering she was on thin enough ice with the MedStar cable network, those ratings might be the only thing saving her career. And her career was all she had these days.

Declarations of a Fangirl - Excerpt Zac parked the ambulance, then leaned around the partition separating the front cabin from the treatment area. “Looks like a real zoo at the crash scene, Doc. At least the cops have the perimeter blocked off.” “Great. Let’s roll.” Jake zipped up his pack, then pushed out of the rig with the heavy duffle slung over one shoulder. Sirens wailed and red and blue emergency lights blazed from all directions. One of the police officers gave them a rundown while they weaved their way toward the overturned vehicle. 

E-Romance News - Excerpt Determined, Molly pulled back out onto the road and continued around a slight curve—only to slam on her brakes again. Now she could see why oncoming traffic had been virtually non-existent. Judging by the array of emergency vehicles blocking all four lanes, there had been an accident. As a licensed physician, it was her duty to assist when needed. Critics of her show always complained that she had the bedside manner of dry toast, but her real skill was as a diagnostician. And when she was working on a case everything else fell by the wayside—friends, family, romantic relationships. She’d sacrificed everything for her patients, and success was her reward.

underneath the covers - Excerpt Jake walked to the agitated male standing between a police officer and a firefighter. “Evening, sir. I’m Dr. Jake Ryder.” He set his pack on the ground near his feet. “I hear you had a run-in with a moose tonight?” The guy, who looked about forty, and pale as death, nodded. “We’re here on vacation and were out sightseeing. Next thing I knew this huge animal ran out in the road and everything happened so fast and—” Recognizing the lingering signs of shock, Jake cocked his head toward the fireman and together they helped maneuver the father until his weight rested against a nearby squad car.

Nicole's Book Musings - Excerpt Her cell phone buzzed and Molly pulled it from her pocket, hoping for an update from her crew. Instead, all she found was the same dumb message that had been on her screen since before takeoff from O’Hare. The stupid text from her ex glowed brightly, its cheerful white back- ground at direct odds with the dismal words. I can’t do this anymore. Not sure you’ll even notice I’m gone. She resisted the urge to mic-drop the useless device into a nearby mud puddle and instead returned it to her pocket. 

Inside The Mind of an Avid Reader - Review "One Night With The Army Doc by Traci Douglass is inciteful and wonderful. I loved everything about Molly and Jake. They were perfect. They pulled each other out of there comfort zone's..."

Becky on Books - Excerpt He reached into his bag for the stuffed animal, then knelt beside the mangled car, clicked on his flashlight, and peered inside. Two huge dark eyes stared at him from the shadows. It was the child, still protected in his booster seat. “Hey, buddy. My name’s Jake. What’s yours?” The boy’s bottom lip quivered and tears welled anew. Jake hung his head. Here he was—a former special operations combat medic, trained to think on his feet with a hundred snipers poised to take him out at any second—yet all he wanted was to make this scared little boy smile again.

Rockin' Book Reviews - Review "I enjoyed this story. I like the way Jake was able to understand Molly. They have a great relationship. The characters are well-developed and easily visualized. I could feel their emotions well. the setting is also developed well and I would love to see Alaska...I recommend this book to other readers."

Hearts & Scribbles - Excerpt A man stalked over, his gray eyes sparkling with fury, his impressive build only adding to his imposing presence. “The cops are supposed to keep any rubberneckers away.” Molly looked around to see who he was scolding and realized, too late, that it was her. “Get out.” He stood at least a foot taller than her. And from the top of his dark brown hair to the tips of his black work boots the guy looked every inch the alpha protector. “Before you get hurt.” “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

Thoughts of a Blonde - Review "With her first jaunt into the Harlequin Medical Romance line, Traci Douglass brings us a riveting read. It’s fast paced, has an air of intrigue to it and is full of family drama and simmering attraction! I really enjoyed the connection between Molly and Jacob as they raced against time to try to save his friend. He didn’t want to like her, but she was more than he was expecting. Very entertaining!"

Colorimetry - Excerpt Reluctantly, Molly’s curiosity about the daring rescuer blossomed. She watched him cuddle the child, coaxing a smile from the little guy, and a fresh pang of loneliness stabbed her— along with a lingering worry about ever finding someone who’d look at her that way. Considering her relationship with Brian was DOA, Molly had grave doubts. For a woman brilliant in her profession, when it came to her personal life she was one big mess. Not that flirting at an emergency scene was appropriate, but she wasn’t good at it anyway. She’d always been a wallflower—one more check in her Don’t-Date-Much column.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven't already.

One Night with the Army Doc By Traci Douglass

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 256 Pages

August 1st 2018 by Harlequin Medical Romance Is one night enough… To convince her to stay? Traveling to Alaska to film the latest episode of her TV show is just what brilliant diagnostician Dr. Molly Flynn needs. It’s the perfect escape from her family’s expectations. Until she clashes with privacy-loving former army doc Jacob Ryder over her patient’s care! Only, as friction turns into flirtation, can Molly trust that Jake sees the real her and loves her—just the way she is? Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Harlequin│iBooks│Kobo

Thrilling Tales of Suspense, Fantasy, and Happily Ever Afters… USA Today Bestselling Author Traci Douglass writes fiction bursting with romance and action, usually mixed with a healthy portion of fantasy, urban edge and/or snark. Her stories feature sizzling heroes with quick wits and dark pasts and smart, independent heroines who always give as good as they get. She’s an active member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), Indiana Romance Writers of America (IRWA), and the International Thriller Writers (ITW), and holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Website│Goodreads│Amazon│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest│Instagram│BookBub

3 signed paperback copies of One Night with The Army Doc US onlyEnds August 15th

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