#hope you like it Katy and that it was worth the wait!!
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11. up from the dust, inconceivable love
Woman | Joel Miller X Female Reader
Rating: Mature/Explicit
Chapter Summary: Ellie learns the truth. Your family gains a member.
Tags: Joel Miller X Female Reader. Age Gap (13/14 years). HBO Characters. Mostly cannon compliant for show & game. Timeline is changed.
Chapter Warnings: pregnancy related things, angst, hurt & comfort and no comfort?, self worth issues, canon violence, anger, child birth, spoilers for TLOU 2 (we’re entering the timeline that starts to burrow things for part 2 of the game)
Notes: huge thank you to my constants, my rocks @ramblers-lets-get-ramblinand @janaispunk for beta reading and letting me yell and scream and break their hearts.
If you have checked out Before, I would encourage you to do so for more backstory on our dear reader! The final part is out now!
Words: 5352
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“What do you think of Peace?” You ask, propped up in bed, hand over your swollen stomach. You’ve gained more weight this time, probably because you’re not in the throes of grief.
“I mean, I’m a fan. I hope everyone is.” Joel says, trimming his facial hair with the bathroom door wide open.
You bite your lip, admiring the expanse of his bare back. If getting out of bed wasn’t an event, you would be behind him right now, kissing his shoulders.
“No, as a name for a girl,” you say. Joel turns around looking at you like he’s contemplating checking you into a psychiatric ward if those still existed. “A middle name, not a first name.”
Joel sets his trimmers down, leaning in the doorway shirtless. “And what would her first name be?”
“Willow.”
Joel furrows his brow stepping into your bedroom, your shared bedroom. “Darlin, I know we live in a commune, but we’re not hippies.”
“You bring me wildflowers and we walk barefoot through the fields. I wouldn’t be so sure.” You can’t help but laugh. Joel cracks a smile. “Do you have suggestions then?”
“Thought about naming Sarah- Katherine.”
You make a face. You know one too many Kates and Katies even in Jackson.
“It’s not a bad name,” Joel chuckles.
“Neither is Willow.”
“Is this your way of telling me you’re a hippie?”
“Would you leave if I said yes?”
Joel shrugs “I don’t know, but I knocked you up so I guess I have to stay.” He crawls into the bed. His head is level with your stomach as he watches for movement.
You roll your eyes. “How romantic.”
He grins up at you and then his eyes are back on your belly. He rests a hand at the top, staring, waiting in wonderment. Neither of you can believe this is all real. Your baby moves around all the time, kicking your bladder and lungs, signifying life. A life you did not think would make it.
You thread your fingers through Joel’s soft brown hair. The outline of a foot appears and then disappears. Joel’s eyes sparkle and he kisses the same spot. He’s soft and gentle. In these moments, all your anxieties are carried away like leaves on an autumn breeze. This is your peace.
“What other names did you have picked out for Carter?”
You bite your lip. “We didn’t have any other boys' names.”
“And if he’d been a girl?” He’s still enthralled with your stomach as if there’s been an enchantment cast over it.
“Sarah.”
His head snaps up.
“Tommy and I talked about her a lot when I was pregnant. She was on my mind… being a part of Sarah’s life made me realize I wanted a family… even in this world where I had no right to do so.”
You keep playing with his hair. His eyes go glassy making you wonder what memory is playing behind his eyes. You stay like that until Joel is ready to talk. Eventually, he sits up, clearing his throat. His lips touch yours.
“What about Willa?”
You tilt your head to the side. You don’t really see how it’s any different than Willow, but you’re not going to bring that up. “I like it.”
“And Miles for a boy.” His smile returns. He doesn’t tell you that he’s positive you’re having a girl.
“Miles is an old man's name!”
“Good, then he’ll grow to be an old man.”
You take in a sharp breath. It’s just an offhand comment, but it carries so much weight. It’s a stark reminder of the heaviness of the world, and the twinge of guilt you feel bringing another child into it.
Joel takes your hand, kissing your palm. You see it in his eyes too. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’tve-”
“It’s okay.” Your fingers comb through his hair. He leans into your touch. His grays are more noticeable than they were a year ago, but the brown still outnumbers them.
“Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?” he asks.
“I don’t know… I- I haven’t really let myself think about it until today.” It's true. The fact of the matter is you’re within a month of your due date. You and Joel are so close to welcoming this baby into the world and are wildly unprepared.
“We’re getting close… We need a crib.”
“The one I used for Carter is in the attic.”
“I can bring it down in the morning.”
“I need to get some baby clothes. I traded all of Carter’s.”
“Looks like we have a bunch of work to do, Mama,” Joel smiles, kissing your forehead. He still hasn't told you about the swaddles and onesies tucked in the back of his drawer, but it seems you’re finally ready for them.
You cock your head to the side, contemplating the nickname. There’s a mix of emotions with it. You’re already a mother. Joel is a father, but this is a life you’re bringing in together. It’s uncharted territory for both of you. Sarah’s mom was out the door before she was six months old. Neither of you have done this part with a partner before.
A sharp knock on the front door pulls your mind from its wandering. Joel’s brow furrows, rolling out of the bed. People don’t knock on your door often. They usually barrel right in, unless it’s bad. Your stomach drops.
Joel is out of the bedroom, shrugging on a shirt. Dina’s voice calls through your home. “Hello?” She sounds worried, desperate.
You swing your legs over the side of the bed. It takes more time to stand these days. If you try too quickly, your head rushes making you feel dizzy.
“Dina? What’s wrong?” Joel’s at the bottom of the stairs now, but his voice carries. You have to stop at the top of the stairs to catch your breath.
“Ellie is gone.”
You freeze, grabbing the railing for stability. “What?”
Joel turns around, worry etched in his face. “Where did she go?”
“I don’t know. She mentioned something about the Fireflies and a hospital, but she wouldn’t talk to me.” You make out the flicker of hurt in Dina’s face. Those two tell each other everything, or most things. You’re not sure Ellie has told her about her immunity. You all keep that one pretty close to your chests.
“Shit,” Joel mumbles. He glances between you at his back and the front door in front of him. You see the push and pull. He needs to go after her. He needs to be here for you.
His eyes settle on you. Your hand settles on top of your swollen belly. He’s looking for permission. You want to give it, but what if he’s needed here before he gets back.
“She’s been off lately. I don’t know why. She won’t talk to me.” Dina seems to sense the silent conversation going on. “I can go after her, but-“
“No, I need to go.” Joel swings back toward the teenager, both hands placed on his hips. You try to bite back the panic rising inside you. He’ll be fine. They’ll both be fine. “Do you know when she left?”
“Probably sometime before the sun came up. Shimmer isn’t in the stable.”
Joel lets out a ragged sigh, hands running over his face. You try to keep the tears away, your hormones making it difficult.
“Will you let Maria know I’m going after her? I need to pack.”
Dina nods, her eyes flickering up to you before she’s gone in a flash of dark curls. Joel turns around, hand resting on the banister at the bottom of the stairs. You swallow and walk back into the bedroom.
It’s silent at first, nothing but the sounds of draws opening and closing and the soft slaps of his leather saddle bags. You sit in silence at the edge of your bed, chewing on your lip as you watch him. Ellie needs him. It echoes on repeat in your brain.
“I can probably catch her. We’ll be back in two weeks if I don’t.”
You stare down at your ever growing belly. You could easily be pregnant when he returns, but what if you’re not? You’re fairly certain you’ll have this baby sooner rather than later, but Ellie needs him too.
“Why does she want to go back to Salt Lake?”
Joel freezes for a second, like he’s contemplating his answer. It sets an uneasy feeling in your bones. “I don’t know. Maybe she thinks some of the Fireflies are still there? That this whole cure business is still an option?”
You nod, thoughts drifting to her face when you looked at her blood a couple months ago. She looked desperate. You hadn’t seen her like that before. It was almost unnerving, like the need to be needed by humanity had returned tenfold. It made you wonder if you’d been there for her enough these past few months.
“I have to go after her.”
There’s a desperation you don’t quite recognize in Joel’s eyes, sending a thread of dread through your body. Is he leaving something out? Not telling you something? You nod, biting your lip. “I know.”
He lays his hand on your bump, fingers stretching out over it. “We’ve got time.”
You nod. “Hurry back, and be safe, okay?”
Joel kisses your forehead. “Always.”
He rides out thirty minutes later.
You try to stay busy while they’re gone, cleaning the clinic and the house thrice over as the nesting and anxiety sets in. You ask Tommy to get the crib out of the attic as you prep the corner of your bedroom for the baby, wiping it free from the dust and cobwebs.
Maria hosts a small get together for you pulling together some semblance of a baby shower, something you hadn’t had with Carter. It's nice, but you feel like they skirt around the questions nagging in their brains. Where did Ellie and Joel go? Will they be back in time? You don’t have answers. You have the same fucking question. Will they be back?
The braxton hicks kick up, so much so you think you’re in labor ten days after Joel rides out. The fear that courses through your body is so paralyzing that you just lay in bed. Your body tenses with the memory’s of Carter’s labor. It’s not the physical pain of it, but the emotional rollercoaster you went through, alone. You’re not supposed to do this alone this time.
Then, the contractions stop with no explanation and you fall into a restless sleep. You miss Joel, his warmth and comfort. His unspoken love that fills the room. You’re becoming more comfortable with the idea of it.
You miss Ellie too, worried about what she’s going through. Providing it’s still vacant, Salt Lake won’t hold any answer for her. What lengths will she go to? How many miles will she travel in search of answers you believe don’t exist? How will she handle reality?
You see the differences in Carter too. In his mind, Ellie and Joel have always been here. Two weeks without them feels like a lifetime to him, and to you.
On day twelve, your front door flies open as you come down the stairs. Ellie bursts through looking frantic and frazzled. Her short cropped hair sticks up in certain places. Dirt smudges her forehead. You’re too relieved to see her to worry about her appearance. If anything, it’s expected after two weeks of travel, but your relief is short lived.
“Did you know?” She yells. The door stays wide open behind her, rage flaming in her eyes.
“What?”
“Did you know?”
“Know what?” You step toward her, reaching out, but she backs away like a wild animal.
“He killed them! All of them!”
“Killed who? Ellie, take a deep breath.”
“Joel! He killed the fireflies! They had a cure!”
Your breath catches. It’s not that Joel has killed people. You know about the years he spent as a raider. You know the cost of surviving in this world, but this isn’t the story you have been told about Salt Lake. When you asked him why she would go back, he lied. He knew. Knew the story hadn’t lined up in Ellie’s mind.
“So he lied to you too!”
“Ellie!” Joel is stern as his frame fills your doorway.
She spins around, the week of silence she spent next to him on the road back, wrath bubbling over and focused on him. “Tell her! Tell her, Joel!” She steps toward him. “Tell her what you did!” She shoves against his shoulders.
“Ellie…” He repeats her name, softer this time.
“Don’t do that!” She turns back to you, tears streaming down her cheeks. “They were going to make a cure from me, and you stopped them! You slaughtered them!”
“They were going to kill you!”
Your eyes widen, and it makes sense. Why Joel hasn’t talked about it. Why he needed to go after her. Why Ellie feels so useless. She’d been promised the cure. He’d taken that from her with a facade of an excuse.
“You should have let them!” Ellie screams until she pushes past him, rushing out of your house.
Joel lets out a sigh, defeat evident across his features. You can’t even enjoy their homecoming, their safety, your head spinning too much.
Joel shuts the door behind him, stepping closer like he’s expecting an embrace, but you step back, a mother’s anger building in your bones. He looks surprised. “Sweetheart…”
“You lied to her.”
“I protected her.” Joel’s eyes narrow. He’s tired and irritable. Neither of you expected a fight to ensue the moment he got home. “And I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“You’ve watched her struggle with this for years!”
“They were going to kill her!”
“Have you listened to anything she’s said?”
You almost don’t recognize the Joel in front of you. He looks like a shell of the assured, warm man you know. You wonder if this is the version of Joel Tommy used to speak of. The one Joel has told you about during those late night chats when you spilled the depths of yourselves to each other, or you thought you had. The one who floated through his days, barely living.
“I couldn’t lose her!”
“Except you did!”
Joel straightens, shoulders setting in denial. “She’s alive! That’s what matters.”
“You’re missing the point!”
“You’re saying I should have let them go ahead with it! Let them cut open her head for a cure you don’t believe is possible!”
Fire blazes in Joel's eyes. You see it. There’s no rationalizing with him about this. In his eyes, there were no choices to be made. He did the only thing. It doesn’t matter what else he has to sacrifice, she’s alive and that’s all that matters. “That’s not-”
He scoffs, cutting you off. You see the pain and hurt ripple through his body, causing him to step back from you. “Sure sounds like it.”
“Joel!”
“Don’t.” He yanks the front door open. “I can’t be here right now.”
He disappears across the threshold in the blink of an eye leaving you with a mountain to process and a growing tension across your stomach.
Joel knows he’s in the wrong. He knows he shouldn’t have lied to Ellie, held the truth from you. He’s a grown man, of course he knows what’s right and wrong, but that admittance doesn’t do anything to calm him. He needs to get out. Out of the house. Out of the walls into the open. It doesn’t matter that he just came from two weeks out there.
He sneaks over the wall with more ease than he should be able. Instantly, he feels the tightening in his chest begin to ease. He paces the outside of the wall like a caged animal, the series of events reeling through his mind. He doesn’t realize how much he’s been pushing it back since they left Salt Lake. Her words, her pleas, over and over. She’d given him every opportunity to tell her the truth and he kept the lie going.
There was no cure. The words he’d utter to her after they found that couple, one dead the other infected while out on patrol.
He’d almost told her, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t lose her. Couldn’t risk it.
His pacing becomes more frantic as he remembers the fear he felt at the thought of losing Ellie, the fear that pushed him into wiping away every firefly that crossed his path. The same fear that put lies in his mouth before he had time to think, that kept him from telling her the truth. He knew this would happen one day, but hadn’t been enough. He’d kept it from everyone, including you.
Tell me, she had pleaded with him, begged him and he still felt the pull to replace his lie with another.
She’d had to poke and prod to get the words from his mouth. Had to threaten to leave before she got the truth. That hurt almost as much as the fallout. Everyone thought he was a better man than he actually was. Ellie, you, himself, but when it came down to it. He failed that test. Good men don’t make someone threaten to leave to get the truth.
I’ll go back, but we’re done.
Joel wears a path in the fresh grass beneath his feet, letting the spring chill take over when the sun sets, leaving him in darkness. Ellie had kept her word. He’d never heard her stay quiet for so long. The loss had begun to settle in with her riding next to him.
Joel’s muscles ache from two weeks out on the road. He misses you and Carter. He hasn’t even touched you yet. Will you let him?
Getting over the wall from the outside proves more difficult than it had the first time. Which is a good thing, but had Joel feeling every one of his 59 years. Embarrassment creeps over his cheeks with each step toward your home. The one he shares with you, but he feels like a guest as he climbs the steps. He doesn’t catch a glimpse of you or Carter or anyone else through the windows.
The house is silent when he enters, no signs of life except for the faint buzzing of light bulbs. His brow furrows. You wouldn’t have left the lights on if you weren’t home. Then a faint sound comes from upstairs, movement at the very least. He follows it, placing his hand on the closed bedroom door before cracking it open.
Soft groans come from behind the cracked bathroom door followed by a whispered curse. Maria's voice follows. Joel’s throat drops into his stomach. His boots echo off the wood floor as he crosses the room. “Sweetheart?” he calls, staying on his side of the door. “Is everything alright?”
“Joel? Get in here,” you groan out.
It sends some reassurance through him to hear you so clearly before he swings the door open. His eyes go wide at the sight of you in the tub, sweat staining your skin as Maria kneels next to you. “Shit, are you?”
“Make yourself useful and hold my hand.”
He nods, kneeling beside you. Maria stands, grabbing a few instruments from the bathroom sink, she gives Joel a look that lets him know you’re near the end of labor. Your baby will be here in minutes. It sends a rush through him. “I’m sorry, Darlin.”
You grab onto his hand tightly. It’s wet from the bathwater sloshing around you as you fight to get comfortable. It’s a useless pursuit, but it doesn’t keep you from trying. “Can we do the apologizing later? I’m kinda busy at the moment.”
“Yes,” Joel takes a deep breath, his heart pounding in his ears. He squares his shoulders next to you, giving an air of assurance you know he doesn’t have. “I’m here for whatever you need.”
“I think you missed most of it.”
“Not that you’ve had much to miss,” Maria says, stern. She pissed at him, which is more than fair given everything. You’d had some time to explain what happened. “We tried to find you. Her labor progressed pretty quick.”
“Speaking of which-” You let out a gasp, face twisting in pain. “I think the baby is crowning.”
“She must be in a hurry,” Joel says.
“She?”
“Just a hunch.” Joel smiles, kissing your head.
For the next few minutes, the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Your fight never happened because there’s only one thing on your minds, bringing your baby into the world. The world goes silent again, but not in a bad way. A way that makes you feel at peace, Joel’s warm hand in yours. It doesn’t take long until she announces her arrival with a fiery scream once Maria pulls her out of the water.
You hold her close, tears of relief gathering in your eyes. Joel leans in, his forehead pressed to your temple, arms wrapping around you and your daughter as she pulls air into her lungs.
“You did great, Sweetheart.” He whispers into your hair as he kisses your cheek, cupping your daughter’s head. “She’s beautiful.”
Your eyes flicker between him and your newborn. It’s the moment you’ve been envisioning for months, the one you thought you’d get with Gabe when Carter was born. A little piece of you mends. Your child soothes against your skin.
After you’re both cleaned up, Joel helps you into bed, then settles beside you. She sleeps in your arms, tiny fist clenched around one of Joel’s fingers still curled up in your softest bath towel. You brush her cheek softly.
“I believe we decided on Willa Peace?”
“Did we?” You tilt your head to the side, a grin verging on your lips. “I thought we weren’t hippies.”
Joel shrugs, tracing your shoulders. “I had a lot of time to think about it the past couple of weeks.”
“Joel…”
Dirt still traces over his face. He hasn’t had time to clean off since he got back. You catch the faint smell of sweat on his clothes and skin. “I know.”
“I would have done the same thing to save her. You know what I think about cures.” You keep your gaze on your child. It only reminds you what you brought her into. “You lied to her over and over when she needed the truth.”
“I was trying to protect her.”
“I wish you would’ve told me.”
“I know.”
“This only works if we’re open with each other.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know you are.” You bite your lip. “I’m going to need some time with this one.”
Joel nods, arm wrapping around you. “I know.”
You lean into him, enjoying the quietness that surrounds the three of you.
“Willa Peace Miller,” You smile. “Has a nice ring to it.”
“Yeah.” Joel hums beside you. “Can’t believe she’s actually here.”
“And we’re both okay.”
He nods, and neither of you can tear your eyes away from the precious little being in your arms. You hang on every rise and fall of her chest, everything micro movements, the soft flutter of her eyes that never quite open. It all feels so fragile, so sacred.
You remember similar moments with Carter. When the grief and the world got too loud, you would lay on the floor or bed with him on your chest asleep. The weight of his small body was a tether that kept you from flying away.
Even in this moment, as your heart inexplicitly expands, you feel that thread of fear winding itself through your body. Another person to love and protect. Another person to keep from the jaws of the world. Another person you can’t bear to lose.
“You know,” you say, pulling Joel’s attention. “If you were ever gonna pull those baby clothes and blankets out of your drawer, now would be the time.”
His brow furrows and then eases with realization. “How long have you known they were there?”
You let out a soft chuckle. “I washed them the next time you went out on patrol. I wasn’t going to leave those filthy things in your drawer.”
“You were going through my things, I see.”
“Next time don’t try to hide something in your drawer from the person who washes your clothes.”
Joel laughs, easing out of the bed to fetch the items from the drawer. “Got it, I’ll be sneakier next time.”
“Can you get the onesie with the yellow flowers?” You bite back a smile. He doesn’t know how you often pulled the drawer open and just gazed upon the items. It helped you visualize it all even when the fear threatened to take over. Another child, and here she was. You’d been most drawn to the little yellow flowers.
Joel laughs, grabbing the onsie and the swaddle with little yellow flowers to match. You’re gentle with her as you work the small article of clothing over her tiny body. It’s a bit baggy, but you can’t complain. It just means she can wear it for longer. She sleeps through all the jostling as if she’s fully absorbed her middle name.
She’s settled back into your arms when a soft tap echoes on your door. “Mommy?” Carter’s voice comes through muffled.
“You can come in.”
The door flies open as your son bursts through the door, grin spread wide on his face. Ellie stands behind him, looking like the space might envelope her.
“Aunt Maria said I have a baby sister.”
“You want to meet her?” you ask.
Carter nods eagerly, dashing toward your bed. Joel catches him before he can jump onto the bed beside you and potentially on you.
“Daddy!” Carter’s eyes go wide. He hasn’t seen Joel in almost two weeks.
Joel laughs, arms tightening around the boy. “Hey, bud.”
Your eyes meet Ellie’s. Her eyes are red, bags deep underneath. You motion her next to you. She hesitates before sliding onto the bed beside you. She’s timid, keeping to the edge, eyes flicking over you and Willa.
“You can get closer.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I never got to hug you earlier.”
She looks down, eyes scanning over your comforter like she’s reliving her homecoming. Once she’s close enough, your arm slips around her shoulders, tugging her close. She nuzzles into your side like a child seeking comfort. “You’re alright?” she asks.
“Yeah… we both are.” You say, kissing the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything.”
“But I’m still sorry you’re going through this.”
Ellie seems to sink into your further, eyes pinned to Willa. She doesn’t answer you. She doesn’t look at Joel as he sinks next to you with Carter, but you feel her tense when he does.
“What’s her name?” Ellie asks.
“Willa,” you reply.
“Baby Willa.” Carter grins proudly.
And the five of you sit there together in silence. You try to push it out of your head that it’s the last time you all might be together for a while. Even now, you feel the underlying anger rolling through Ellie’s body. This is a wound that’s been festering. It’s going to take time to heal.
Eventually, Ellie slips from your side without a word to leave. She’s barely out the door when Joel goes after her.
“Ellie,” Joel says, catching her on the front porch.
Her head whips around, expression set in stone. “I’m here for them, not you.” She keeps her voice low to not be overheard by nosy neighbors. “They’re my family. Do you understand?”
Joel’s apology catches in his throat. He’s been apologizing the whole way back from Salt Lake. He knows there’s nothing he can say to rush this process. He made a decision, and these are his consequences. “Yeah… I got it.”
“Good.”
She doesn’t give him a chance to say anything else.
The bed is empty next to you, the sheets cool to the touch. Your eyes blink open. Cool moonlight shines through the window. You glance at the bathroom door. No light shines through the crease. Joel’s name is on your lips, interrupted by his voice.
“Do you like the butterflies?”
You turn to your side. Joel sits next to the crib, talking to Willa. She’s awake, moonlight reflecting off her big eyes. She’s content and still.
“Your big sister liked butterflies. When they come out in the summertime, I feel her around me.”
She stares at Joel, mesmerized by his voice. Your eyes float upward to the mobile Joel made. He hadn’t explained it to you, but you already knew. Sarah had pinned them all throughout their Austin home. You keep one stuck to the window above the kitchen sink. There’s one tucked in his nightstand drawer.
“I think she sent you to me.” He lets it sit there, contemplating the weight and depth of what he said. “I think she sent you to me, your momma, Ellie, I suppose she’s your big sister too, Carter. All of you.
“Her name was Sarah. She would have loved you.” He chuckles. “She used to ask me for a baby brother or sister. I didn’t know your momma yet… Well, I guess I did, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.”
You stifle a laugh unsuccessfully. Joel’s eyes lock on yours. He smiles, shooting you a wink. He looks younger under the moonlight, more at ease. The creases in his skin are less apparent.
“Your momma, she’s quite a bit younger than me.” The smile stays pinned to his face. “It’s not so creepy now- least that’s what she tells me- but it would’ve been then, and I was a decent fella back before the world went to shit. Besides, between you and me.” He leans closer to Willa’s ear, but his eyes are still on you. “Your momma had a pretty big crush on me back then.”
You groan, heat flushing your cheeks. It shouldn’t be embarrassing, but it is. You chuck his pillow at him. Joel catches it, laughing. It’s the kind that sits deep in one’s chest and bubbles up with the purest kind of joy. You can’t help but smile.
He slowly stands, grunting as he does. You hear the familiar pop of his joints. He leans into the crib. You notice Willa’s eyes have fallen shut. “I love you, my little wildflower.” He kisses her cheek before falling back into bed next to you.
His arm wraps around your waist. Pulling you close, he steals a kiss on your forehead. “I’m getting too old to sit on the floor like that.”
“You’re getting too old to have a newborn, yet here we are.” Your fingers run through his hair.
“Still can’t believe she’s here… you’re both healthy.”
“Neither can I.” You glance back at the crib. She’s just a few days old and already, you can’t imagine life without her.
Tears well at the corner of your eyes. Your heart has grown so much. You thought you couldn’t open it to more people, yet here you are. The you of 4 years ago would be too terrified of losing this life to give it a chance, the price of pain too high. Yet here you are, embracing it, taking that risk, because this is living, and the love and belonging far outweigh the potential for pain even as it grows with every passing day. You fell into the trap,and it’s a crowded one, but it’s a happy one.
Joel kisses your cheek. “You should get some sleep before she wakes up hungry.”
“Mmm,” you hum as his hands move soothingly over your back. “Someone not named Willa woke me up.”
Joel chuckles. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart.”
But even now you feel your eyelids getting heavier.
“Did you mean what you said?”
“About?”
You let your eyes fall shut as Joel massages out a knot in your back. You lean into it. “About Sarah sending us to you.”
“I did.” He kisses your forehead.
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Okay, now it is YOUR turn to talk about what your Laurence's (eventual?) vices/flaws are! There is a general theme of Laurence having good intentions but growing corrupt, but at the same time something's always unique and all. I reckon yours is an impulsive and arrogant asshole of sorts, but what else / how can it be elaborated?
OH INDEED.
Fucking Kotya lmao
Ok, so…I drew this pic literally to answer these asks, because I figured a portrait of young Laurence looking all ✨ambitious✨ would suit the whole thing, so here.
Free art for u
I am now recieving reports that he looks like Light Yagami from Deathnote even though I have only seen a few pictures of Light in my life and I also totally drew inspiration for this design from a totally different character but ANYWAY
Lol. Ok, now for the headcanons!
My Laurence is pretty straightforward. He has rich kid with a chronic illness syndrome. That’s it. Bam. (I’m kdding. Kind of).
In all seriousness, from day one I saw Laurence as someone that was born into wealth and into a different lifestyle from most people. That’s why the “he’s from Cainhurst” thing was perfect for me, because yeah, of course he is. He comes off like that. (I’ll get to the chronic illness thing).
I’m not just going on some “billionaires can be careless individuals that wreck people’s lives because they can’t fathom being poor or desperate or barred from certain privileges” rant…but I am acknowledging what I see as one of Laurence’s biggest issues, and that’s…well…he’s too reckless with human life. I don’t even think it’s entirely sinister or intentional, but he simply doesn’t get it. He thinks he can treat the world like a lab experiment and everything will be just fine.
(This is also why I think Micolash was more deprived as a child, because he’s sacrificial with human life in a more deliberate way. He’s desperate as hell and is willing to brutalize countless people to reach the top. That urge and drive to even reach a higher plane just screams “lack” to me. Micolash wanted to claw his way out of the slums, but I won’t go into that now and if anyone dares suggest I am saying that less privileged people are more cutthroat, I am NOT. This applies to a very specific type of bastard ffs 💀).
Oh and, since we are not just going over flaws in light of me answering both your asks, I will give more detail on my headcanons for Laurie’s background. After all, it also ties into the flaws discussion.
—
Bakckground 🔱
So. For some background context, I headcanon that Laurence’s father was, in fact, That Guy we always point out (Beltran) on the portraits and for the same reasons you do.
Credit to you for the reference obviously, but that pendant…the Cainhurst/Yharnam/Healing Church links…well, yeah. We know.
Anyway, so Beltran was a pretty famous Cainhurst academic professor and research expert on the Pthumerian genetics of the Cains in particular. (When I say I think Cainhurst was full of experimental scholars around the time Byrgenwerth was founded, I am dead serious. I SWEAR IT MAKES SENSE. Byrgenwerth and Cainhurst. Two sides of the same coin, my friend.)
Anyway, Beltran was married to a non-royal but wealthy lady from Hemwick that descended from a Loranite family that happened to be full of priests and seers. Yippeee!
This couple’s only child was Laurence, and he was raised in their oh-so-fancy rich lifestyle where the father was constantly being invited to snobby scholarly events and the mother was holding tea-centered socials in their lavish mansion parlors. Like ya do.
I picture Laurence growing up trying to fit in with his parents’ lifestyle like this:
Lmao, so long story short…it wasn’t his thing. He didn’t quite vibe with the snobby richies he grew up with.
In fact, I like the idea that he absolutely hated his parents’ high class world and felt that they expected too much from him. He was too restricted and stifled. They expected him to be them. His mother was strict, disapproving and nagging; his father was absent-minded and a bit too focused on his life’s work, which, when he wasn’t lost in, was the only thing he tried to connect with Laurence on.
“You should be a great scholar too, Laurence!! Uh hur hur.”
This is where Laurence started to rebel and go his own route, while also developing plenty of complexes along the way (of course). He would be a better academic, better influential figure, better leader, better plutocratic socialite, etc., oh yes. His parents would see.
He had all the makings of these things too, because despite bucking against his childhood influences, he was ,quite frankly, obsessed with enriching study, scientific pursuit, old mythologies and religions, etc.. He loved the world of academia. He was fond of the ancient tales of glorious heroes and scholars that changed the world for the better, and he often fancied himself one of those “types.”
I even like the idea that he discovered the (Bloodborne equivalent) tale of of Saint Laurence the Martyr and saw it as a sign that he was destined for greatness. He tended to reference lofty epics and historical novels in everyday discussion to add a sense of meaning and grandeur to everything. He didn’t want to live a common, mundane life. He wanted to live a glorious one.
And one of the key contributing factors to this mindset Laurence had was his own chronic illness.
Now, this is my favorite thing to headcanon actually because it fits so well??
As a child, Laurence developed early on what I consider to be Cystic Fibrosis, and had horrible lung issues for most of his life. When he was young, the doctors told him and his parents that his life expectancy was likely to be about 30 years. (In the real world, this was actually the life expectancy not too long ago).
Knowing this, and being disappointed in his doctors for not providing any sort of cure, was the catalyst for half of Laurence’s ambitions. He only had so much time to live life, and he was determined to leave his mark on the world…and maybe also find a cure. Yasss bestie!!
—
Byrgenwerth 🍎
Laurence’s parents sent him off to Byrgenwerth at 16 to gain an intense and long-term education from Yharnam’s leading scholars. He went with Ludwig, a childhood friend.
A bit on my Laurence/Ludwig headcanon to add context:
The two had both grown up somewhere near Hemwick, and while Laurence lived in a more isolated, wealthy world, Ludwig was a sturdy farm boy that had helped to keep his family’s ranch afloat after losing their larger fortune. While they had come from Cainhurst in previous generations, family chains of bad habits and broken ties led to a lower class lifestyle for Ludwig’s parents.
Laurence personally knew that Ludwig was a primary caretaker for his parents and many siblings. He was a good, loyal kid, and it was through him that Laurence learned empathy for people with less fortune than himself. I mean, Ludwig would drag Laurence around to visit neighbors and even donate to those that were struggling with money like it was nothing, and I think this is where Laurence started to “feel” for the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, his arrogant streak also tainted it with a sense of, “See! Look how good of a person I am!”
(I think Ludwig did have an impact on him though, so it was always a mix of self-righteousness and a genuine desire to help others. He would have also admired Ludwig and secretly envied his…dead-honest heart for those in need).
Ok. Going back to the storyline, and considering this bond that Laurence and Ludwig shared, here we have them at Byrgenwerth. Laurence was already planning his great ascension into glory and sleepy Ludwig is just happy to be there with his friend and to have been lucky enough to even attend by the graces of a family friend. Yipeee!
My Laurence was at his most fiery and impetuous at Byrgenwerth as a young teen/young adult. He was passionate, talkative, charismatic, fierce, etc., and he made quick work of getting to know everyone in the school right away. They couldn’t escape him. To Laurence, every other student was a potential ally and “part” in the epic tale of his life.
(This was also when Laurence and Ludwig met Gehrman, who was basically Byrgenwerth’s most well-known “security guard” when it came to warding off beasts or general supernatural weirdness. Gehrman was this odd, older kid in his 20s with an insane skillset. He was already an infamous hunter and Laurence greatly admired his bravery. He and Ludwig sought out the antisocial weirdo that was always hiding in the woods and adopted him into their friend group. Aaaand that’s where all the trouble began lol).
Soon, everyone in Byrgenwerth held some kind of connection to Laurence. Rom, Micolash, Maria, Caryll, Damian, Yurie, etc., and they all had their own thoughts and feelings on the brash auburn scholar. He was a handful to be sure. In a way, Ludwig was the only one that could ever “hold Laurence back” a bit, but only in a very brotherly, good-natured manner.
That’s the thing too; people liked Laurence a lot. He was popular, but they could also hate him or grow tired of him. He knew how to be charming and how to talk others up by pointing out their strengths, but then he could turn around and be so arrogant, self-centered, and envious that it would irk his audience.
They wanted to be apart of the grand tale he was telling them that he planned to weave, but they also wanted him to just shut up sometimes; if that makes sense. He was a bit of an endearing, irritating, egoist with a lot of outward appeal and an inward intrigue.
His true friends also knew that he was secretly very insecure around people he didn’t trust or know, and would be vulnerable on occasion with those he did trust. That bit of heart he could show is what proved to his friends that he wasn’t actually a total impulsive snob. He cared. He just also wanted to prove himself to the world and literally everyone in it.
“I swear, you guys don’t realize how important I am to the modern age yet!!”
After years of studying and researching his beloved histories and mythologies, he began to take an interest in medical science, archeology, and the mysterious history Yharnam had with Pthumerians.
His illness also grew worse as his thirties approached. He began to study directly under Provost Willem, and that’s when the board was set with all the right pieces.
—
The Church and Research Hall 💉
Ah, here we go.
I think, for obvious reasons at this point, Laurence’s interest in the ancient records of the Pthumerians and their superhuman traits was to be expected. It was exactly what he was looking for.
Divine blood? A link between gods and men? Ascension? It all seemed like the earth-shattering discoveries he had dreamt of all his life; it seemed like the dream of changing the world for the better, making an impact, and even the subtle hope of finding a cure for chronic illness. Needless to say, Laurence was fixated. Willem was right there with him.
Laurence was an assistant professor to Willem by that point and they began to experiment with all of our lovely blood and eyes in the Research Hall. I love the thought you have expressed before about testing antidotes during that stage as well; something Laurence would have been interested in.
Laurence, with all his bright ideas, was the one to suggest a Church as a way to distribute and test their research. Willem agreed, and that’s where our beta Healing Church began. Laurence wasn’t really a religious person himself, but Yharnam thrived on it and he was smart enough to know that religious authority was absolutely an asset, one that he could peacefully utilize to spread his influence and agendas.
He knew Yharnam had always believed in the Great Ones, and discovering a holy medium to use as proof of their interference was everything they needed.
Now, moving on with the lore implications that we have discovered about Byrgenwerth and the Church having been united at one point, AND the subsequent schism having been more of an internal divergence within that union rather than the precedent to a direct, dramatic academic/religious split…let’s jump ahead a bit…
Post-Fishing Hamlet and Byrgenwerth schism Laurence was someone a little more cold and cutthroat. He was still impulsive, but his spitfire characteristics were tamer, more subdued…he had taken up the authority of the Healing Church, reluctantly separated from Willem, and dealt with the aftermath of the Fishing Hamlet—something he absolutely felt guilt over, but was too afraid to acknowledge. He hid everything. All that mattered was what the blood could give him.
There was also a new burning drive in his heart upon reaching his thirties, which he had never expected to see. The blood had seemingly lessened the effects of his Fibrosis and acted as a temporary cure. It was his salvation and the salvation of Yharnam. Totally. 100%
Nothing will go wrong.
—
Yharnam’s Downfall 🩸
We know how things went down from here, but Laurence by this point was, I guess you could say, at his lowest and worst. The mistakes he had made in his earlier years with the Hamlet, the Schism, and the Research Hall were catching up to him, and as Yharnam began to gradually grow worse under the blood ministration, Laurence grew worse with it.
In the public eye, he was a gracious and holy figure that distributed alms and medicines to those in need, who endlessly made promises he probably wouldn’t keep, but everyone that believed him would be dead before they even understood that. Behind closed doors, things were different.
He was harsher with his colleagues, heavily depressed, and more desperate than ever. His illness was like a reoccurring nightmare; something that reared its ugly head in the worst moments and sent him into darker, more hellish states of mind. He suppressed it every time, taking more and more blood to heal himself, but he wasn’t stupid. (I think?)
He knew that the blood wasn’t working the way he thought it was supposed to. It was temporary, brief, fleeting…and if anything, it affected his pscyhe for the worse. He was becoming more paranoid, more withdrawn and bitter. Like a solitary beast. (Omg foreshadowing!)
Most of his old friends either left him, betrayed him directly, or simply tolerated him from that point on. Gehrman was too miserable in those days to draw close to anyone, and Ludwig himself was sinking deeper into self-loathing and disillusionment. Willem was gone, Rom was doing Rom things, Yurie and Caryll were gone…Micolash had become somewhat of a monster, and Maria was strongly opposed to most of what Laurence stood for.
He had lost most of the old ties that had saturated his Byrgenwerth days, and needless to say, it took its toll. This is when Brador came into the picture, but you remember that whole headcanon I’m sure ;)
This is when all bets were off. Laurence was angry, grieved, condemned, and vengeful. Bro went ballistic.
He ordered the Cainhurst massacre, he allowed more unethical experiments in the Church walls, he tolerated the mistreatment of certain people groups in Yharnam, and eventually he oversaw the burning of Old Yharnam. He hid most of his sins too, hiring assassins and spies to take care of any prying eyes.
This was the ruthless, cruel Laurence that the fandom loves, but I don’t personally see him as having been gloating or laughing through it. I think he was giving himself to hatred and self-hatred, abusing his public image to allow a certain amount of “justified” mercilessness. I also can absolutely see him being paranoid out of his mind.
His former desires to appear as a heroic figure were twisted into these evil decisions as Vicar, but there was also a side to his determination that was fueled by the notion of “If this world is going to be so unfair and unkind, I’ll wrest order from it, I’ll bring us to glory if it kills us.”
This was his true downfall. BAD LAURENCE. BAD.
The End 🔥
Yharnam was ruined.
Broken down, defeated, and heartsick…Laurence had lost everything. Cainhurst was gone, Hemwick lay in ruins, Old Yharnam’s people were given to the plague, and every old friend Laurence had known had fallen into darkness. Ludwig was dead, Maria was dead, Willem was in a vegetative state, Rom had ascended, Caryll was dead, and Micolash had lost his mind in Yahar’gul.
I also have this theory that not long before the time of his transformation, Laurence discovered that his mother had been living in Cainhurst when the massacre had taken place. His father had died years earlier, and he had not exactly been devastated considering he barely knew the man, but Laurence’s mother, for all of her cold-heartedness, had been a relevant presence in his life. Knowing that he had been the cause of her death threw him into despair and even further regret.
His sickness also finally came through despite all the blood consumption. Blood itself was something Laurence began to regularly cough up as his lungs ruptured. He was going to die soon and he knew it. He was also possibly on the verge of something worse. The bestial taints of his flesh were omens he could not ignore.
That’s when Laurence finally shattered and accepted his fate. He had achieved…a lot. None of it good. Brador pitilessly remarked that nobody would consider him a good man even after his death, and Laurence lamented the dream he once had of dying in a sacrificial, heroic death in flames like the ancient Saint Laurence had done.
The greatest sacrifice he could make was to die, and spare the world from any further ruin, Brador said. He would never be a saint, but he could still die a martyr’s death. An ironic, perverse variation of one.
Laurence’s final action was to summon the Moon in a last-ditch effort to gain Flora’s help, to help the heart-broken Gehrman bring Maria back, to plead for mercy and freedom from the curse of beasts. Laurence promised Gehrman that they would fix everything, that it would all be made well if the Hunt continued. Gehrman believed in Laurence and the promise, but the latter did not. He knew it was over.
The Moon descended, Gehrman vanished into the Dream, Old Yharnam burned, and Laurence turned at last, accepting his demise. Brador finished him off with fire and blood, beheading him afterwards and wearing his scalp as a twisted symbol forever after. Laurence was in his fifties and had truly died a grand martyr’s death. He got everything he wanted. Yipeee!
—
THERE I DID IT! Damn, I am glad you made me do this, because even though I always really liked Laurence, I never quite loved him. I hadn’t done the character deep-dive yet, but this?? This did it.
I love the reckless, spitfire teen/young adult Laurence of Byrgenwerth, the kid that wanted so badly to prove himself to the world and change things for the better, who wanted to trump his own lifelong illness, and who wanted to be better than the people that raised him. He was arrogant yes, but he was admirable to others in his sheer force of will to succeed and conquer life. I love the idea that he wanted his life to be like an epic, full of heroism and sacrifice.
I don’t think he ever initially used people, and I don’t think he lacked empathy. He had learned it from his friends and from simply observing the world. Yes, he was insecure and envious of others that seemed better than him, but he also vocally expressed genuine support and encouragement on their behalf. They were characters in the story too! They had valuable parts to play! (Oh the irony).
Yes, he was careless with human life. He was simply ignorant as a youth because of his upbringing wherein the “elite” were the ones that decided the fate of others. That carelessness turned sinister only in his later years when he began to lose sympathy for the world. Yes, he made a grave mistake in that.
But there was always remorse. Laurence’s heart was not buried. He regretted every needless death, every failed experiment. He may not have admitted it until just before his death, but he was never entirely without shame. Guilt wasn’t something the heroes in his favorite tales were supposed to feel.
I love all of the symbolism that can permeate his character as well. Blood in health and illness, the forbidden fruit that is dangled to lure men into beasthood, the antlers he carries as a beast, which are symbolic of a glorious crown in most interpretations, etc..
Just how he burns with hellfire, wearing this ironic crown, a sign of his perfectly orchestrated downfall. It’s beautiful.
I love him. You made me love him by writing about him. Congrats lol. Hope this answered all your questions about his flaws and the headcanons!!
Au revoir!
#I DID IT FINALLYYYYY#WOOHOO!!#this felt great#i love this character now like officially#it took a while to click but i see it now…i get it fandom#i wish things were…a little different in the neighborhood and everyone could share without feeling judged but anyway i won’t go into that#hope you like it Katy and that it was worth the wait!!#:D#laurence the first vicar#bloodborne#bloodborne headcanons#CrowSketch#long post#gif warning#asks
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For what it's worth, I'm sorry and I don't really hate you | Inner Demons
⟫ Alphabet Challenge, F - For what it's worth, I'm sorry and I don't really hate you
Pairings: leah williamson x teen reader, arsenal wfc x teen reader
Hello, I'm back with part 6. Sorry it's been a bit of a wait, life gets in the way and makes it hard to write, but here's the next part. I honestly don't know how many chapters this will have because I'm really enjoying writing it, so hey ho, I might even just make this one small fic series of many ideas' I currently have in my head :)
I don't know if this chapter does make much sense at all and non of it's been proof read again, so it could be a bit all over the place but please let me know what you think!
Thank you for all the ongoing support so far, it's overwhelming to see how much that you all love this, and it gives me motivation to continue to write!
My asks are open for anyone to drop me an any ideas' on this fic or anything else that people would like to see be written, however, I am only comfortable writing anything platonic though :)
You're progressing well to get better and you're slowly returning to usual happy, self chaotic self.
TW: angst and mentions of SH, MH, suicide and death.
"So, what's the food in this place like then?" Kyra broke the silence in the room, where all the girls were all crowded in as they came to visit you in the pysch ward of the hospital during the visiting hours.
It had been 46 hours since you had been detained, 46 hours since you all but shouted at Leah that you hated her.
You really did regret it.
You didn't actually mean that though, and you had been feeling terrible about it ever since the words escaped your mouth.
"Seriously, Kyra?" Steph stares at the younger Australian in disbelief.
"What? I'm just trying to make conversation here" Kyra replies, shrugging her shoulders.
Caitlin can't help but snort. "And you decide to start with asking what the foods' like?" she teases the twenty-one-year-old.
"Yeah, cos' I've heard that hopsital food is disgusting and all" Kyra remarks to the older girl, sticking her tongue out at her.
"Very mature" Steph rolls her eyes at the two of them.
"So, what is the food like then?" Vic asks, peeking interest to know the answer.
"Terrible, I think that even Leahs' cooking might be better than what they're serving on the menu here" You can't help but grin cheekily.
"Ouch it must be bad then" Beth joins in with the joke.
"You'd better not let her hear you say outloud or I think she'd been offended" Viv tells you as she can't help but smile slightly, just happy to see you slowly returning to your old self.
"So, she didn't come with you guys then?" You ask as you pull at the sleeves of the hoodie you currently had on.
You don't miss the look that all the girls share with one another. You weren't an idiot to know something was going on.
"Just tell me what's going on" You stare at them all, trying to get an answer out of them.
"She's outside in the waiting room with Lia" Jen admits, exhaling a sigh.
"Oh" Your smile falters at the disappointing news.
"She wanted to come in with us Y/N but it was hard for her" Beth explains on behlf of the blonde, who you miss terribley. "I'm sure when she's ready, she'll come and see you" she adds, trying to keep the hope alive.
You really had messed up with what you said, you doubt that she would want to visit you, nor would she want you to come back to the flat where you lived with her.
"Oh uh, well then that's okay I guess, I mean I don't blame her for not coming cos' what I said was horrible and stuff" You make up an excuse as you find sudden interest with the floor beneath you.
"It's not your fault for being angry, Y/N" Katie pats you on the shoulder.
"How're you feeling now?" Alessia asks, concerned as a way to try and change the subject.
"Is this your way of subtly asking me if I'm going to try and attempt to kill myself again?" You glance around at all of the girls' faces in the room.
"Y/N" Kim shoots you a disapproving look.
"The answers no by the way" You mumble quietly.
"Y/N" Kim repeats again, a bit louder.
"What? You know I like to make dark humour jokes in this type of situation. It's just a coping mechanism" You tell your captain as you hold your hands up in mock-surrender, who continues to look at you with a certain look that makes you back down straightaway. "Alright, okay, I'll tone it down with the death jokes" You mumble, slouching further down in your seat.
"How's she been doing?" Leah stands in the reception area of the hospital and fumbles with her hands, as she speaks to one of the doctors.
"Y/N has making good progress. I think another day or so and she'll be ready to come home" The doctor explains with a kind smile.
"That's great news" Lia says, smiling as she glances at the blonde for her reaction.
Leahs' eyes widen in surprise and smiles slightly. "Yeah, that's good to hear. I'm proud of her making so much progress in such a short space of time" she tells the doctor.
"It is, Y/N/N has really thrown herself into trying to get better, the therapy sessions seem to be going well too" The doctor tells them honestly. "Are you going to go and see her? I'm sure that she'd love to see you" she adds.
The blondes feels apprehensive, her eyes dart over in the direction of where the doors led to the psych ward, where you would be with the rest of the girls that had all visited.
Leah had wanted to as well, she just couldn't find the courage to actually take the steps and dipped out at the last minute.
"I hate you, Leah" The words that you shouted at her, played in her head on a constant loop.
"Uh, I don't know about that. I'm not sure if she's going to want to see me" Leah confesses, shoving her hands in her pockets.
"Le, you don't know that" Lia squeezes the blondes' shoulder gently as she tries to reassure her.
"I know that she hates me, Wally. You heard what she said before" Leah replies quietly, shaking her head as she takes another glance towards the doors.
"You know that she didn't mean that, Le. You know she is just a kid with a lot of feelings sometimes" Lia tells the blonde, smiling at her.
Leah looks a bit more apprehensive as she shakes her head. "There was so much hatred in her voice when she said, it felt like she did mean it" she disagrees with her.
"She was angry the other day though, Le and you even said that yourself" Lia reminds the younger girl.
Leah hums as she bites her bottom lip "But what if she doesn't want to see me? I know she's going to be angry with me for leaving her here in this place" she admits to the older girl.
"She's been asking for you every day since she has been here" The doctor pipes in, gently smiling at the two girls.
"Really?" Leah asks, blinking in slight surprise.
"Yes, Y/N has told me about the visits from all of the girls but the only person she mentioned that she actually wants to see is you, Leah" The doctor tells the blonde.
"See?" Lia smiles at Leah and sqeeuzes her shoulder. "I told you that I don't think Y/N could ever hate you or be angry, you know that, Le" she insists.
"I know" Leah bites her bottom lip anxiously, taking another glance at the door ahead. "I just can't help but feel horrible for making the decision and I'm weary incase she resents me for it" she admits, quietly.
The doctor frowns at them both. "I know it must have been hard to be the one to make that call but it was for the right one to give her the best possible chance to get better" They explain.
"You shouldn't be blaming yourself for this, Le. It's what was needed" Lia repeats the doctors words, so to speak.
"Yeah, yeah I know" Leah admits, pulling at the sleeves of her hoodie that she had on.
"You're nervous to see her?" The doctor asks, making the brief observation.
Leah can't help but snort slightly. "That obvious?" she jokes.
"I've been in this job for a while now, it's easy enough to pick up on things like this" The doctor chuckles amusedly. "Regardless of what may have been said, I have a feeling that Y/N will be happy enough to see you" They add in.
"SNAP" You scream loudly as you slam your hand down on the deck of cards that are on the table. "HA! I win!" You cheer in glee.
Kyra let's out a irritated huff while she glares at you. "Why are you so vicious with this game?" she asks.
"I want to win" You smirk and stick your tongue out at her, pulling the deck of cards towards you.
"Kyra, you're literally losing a child" Vic chips in, watching the game amusedly.
"Said child is a menace" Kyra mumbles as she pouts.
"Sucks to be a loser" You can't help but quip as you reshuffle the deck of cards in your hand.
"Room for a couple more visitors?" Leah pokes her head round the door and braces herself for your initial reaction to seeing her.
"LE!" You dart up from your seat and run to the blonde, abandoning the game of cards completely.
All feelings of anger had been swept aside as you were just happy to see her in the room. You thought you'd blown it when you told her that you hated her.
"Hi bubs" Leah instantly embraces you in her arms and kisses the top of your hair. "I've missed you, Y/N/N. I'm so sorry I haven't been to visit you" she apologises.
"S' okay, you're here now" You mumble, burying her head in her chest as you refuse to let go off her.
"Oi I'm here too, you know" Lia jokes playfully, knowing that you would want that moment with just the blonde.
"Yeah, yeah. Hi Wally" You grin cheekily at the older girl before you turn back towards the older blonde girl. "I'm sorry for what I said cos' I didn't mean what I said about hating you, I was angry and upset and I really don't hate you I promise!" You tell her honestly.
"It's okay bubs, I know you were upset and didn't mean it" Leah smiles as she squeezes you a bit more tighter than before, being careful in case she caught any of your bandages on your arms.
Moving to sit down on the now vacant chair, Leah plonks you down on her lap as she keeps her arms wrapped around you tightly since it was apparent you weren't going to let go any time soon but she was okay with how clingy you was after she hadn't seen you in a few days.
"Whats' been going on here then?" Lia looks towards the game that was previously being played.
"We were playing cards, but Kyras' being proper salty because she's loosing now" You grin, sticking your tongue out at the Australian girl.
"How do you even loose at that game?" Steph wonders.
"I didn't know you could even loose at snap" Beth chuckles, amusedly.
"Apparently so" Jen jokes, joining in with the two of them.
Leah can't help but laugh amusedly as she runs her fingers through your hair. "The doctor said that you're making good progress" she tells you.
"Mhm" You mumble, resting your head on her shoulder.
"That's good news!" Vic overhears the conversation as she smiles at you.
"Yeah, that means you'll be able to come home soon enough" Alessia pipes in.
Katie can't help but scoff. "She should've never been here in the first place" she sneers in the direction where Leah is sat.
"Katie" Kim glares at the Irish girl.
"What? It's true!" Katie exclaims in outrage, not backing down from glaring at the blonde. "You and I both know it, we all do! She should've never been here, she should have been at home with people that care about her" she insists.
"It's what was best for her" Leah fires back just as quick.
"Was it?" Katie scowls at her.
"Can you guys please not talk about me like I'm not in the room?" You huff and glance between the two older girls.
"Sorry kid" Katie apologises.
"Sorry bubs" Leah apologises.
"Hey, Y/N/N, it'll be good that you're getting out of hospital soon enough now" Kyra slyly grins at you, looking forward to the pair of you being able to cause mischief in no time.
"Yeah, partners in crime reunited again" You grin at the Aussie girl.
"No, no! Absolutely not!" Steph protests, shaking her head. "It took me at least a week to get the ketchup of the ceiling after the last stunt that you two idiots pulled" She adds.
"I don't know what you're talking about" You try to act innocent as you slyly smirk at Kyra.
"Oh, really? So the baking soda just happened to find it's way inside the ketchup bottle, did it?" Steph narrows her eyes' in the direction of the two of you.
"Maybe" Kyra can't help the shit eating grin on her face.
"I know that look, the pair of you are definitely going to be up to no good" Viv shakes her head.
Jen chuckles in amusement. "You two willl definitely be under a careful watch now incase the next prank gets out of hand" She notes.
"Sure, cos' I'm not going to already be watched like a hawk now anyways, right?" You remark sarcastically, peering up at the older blonde.
"What do you think?" Leah replies back, raising one of her eyebrows.
"You can relax, Le. I'm not going to attempt to kill myself again any time soon" You joke, not realising that now probably isn't the best time to make any type of comment like that.
"Y/N" Kim and Leah both scold you at the same time.
You huff when you realise the pair of them are already ganging up on you and remember that being the baby of the team definitely sucks sometimes.
"What? I'm just saying, I'm not gonna, well unless Leah attempts to try and cook dinner again then it's an easy way out-- Ow! What the fuck?" You continue to make jokes about the situation at hand, jolting in shock when you feel a light pinch on your thigh from said blonde you are sat on.
"Language" Leah states sternly, giving you one of her famous glares.
"That was mean of you to do that! Too soon to make jokes about it then?" You pout and rub your thigh to try and relieve some of the pain. "Yep got it" You add, smiling innocently at the blonde.
"So, I thought you weren't going to come in because it was hard for you?" Katie scoffs at the blonde, deciding to bring the subject up now that you were out of the room, having gone to grab a drink with Jen, Steph and Beth.
"Katie" Viv glances at Katie and exhales a sigh.
"It has been hard Katie" Leah admits, biting her bottom lip.
Katie scoffs again. "Oh? I'm sorry, I'm sure it must have been so hard for you, Leah" she deadpans.
"You don't know how hard it has been, Katie!" Leah shouts loud around the room, attracting a few looks in her direction.
"Wonderful" Steph speaks up first, exhaling a sigh.
"Not again" Beth mumbles, shaking her head.
"They're fighting again, aren't they?" You huff as you walk back towards the room with Jen as you can hear the raised voices from the two girls, who weren't seeing eye to eye now
"I think so" Jen agrees.
"Fantastic" You mumble, slowly walking back into the room.
"Oh? And how do you think it's been for Y/N/N? You made the decision to keep her in here!" Katie continues to argue with the blonde, not afraid to be open about her feelings. "You haven't even visited her once while she's been here" she adds.
The Irish girl really hadn't been happy with the whole decision that had been made but there was nothing that she could do herself to stop it from happening.
It had left a tense atmosphere between the two girls and they'd shared a few cross words ever since.
"It wasn't my choice Katie!" Leah insists, continuing to argue with the fiesty Irish girl.
Katie couldn't help but scoff and roll her eyes. "Sure, but you could have said something to stop it!" she fires back at the blonde, not willing to back down from the argument just yet.
"Girls lets' not do this here" Kim looks between the two of them as she notices you walk back into the room with the older girls.
"Katie, come on, just leave it" Caitlin takes a hold of the girls' hand to try and calm her down.
However, neither of the girls were willing to back down just yet.
They were both just as stubborn as one another sometimes.
"The doctors thought it was best since Y/N/N--" Leahs' words were cut off by you, walking in right at that moment.
"Tried to kill myself, I tried to end my life, and it would have worked if Leah hadn't ran in and stopped me, so everyone thinks keeping me locked up in here it will help to keep me safe"
The room is suddenly so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
Whoops?
"Hey, at least the therapy is somehow helping to help me express my feelings now. Yay" You deadpan, plonking yourself back down on Leahs' lap as you rip open the packet of Haribo Tangfastics you had brought from the hospital shop. "So, does anyone want a sweet?" You offer, like you hadn't just said what you did.
#arsenal x reader#woso x reader#leah williamson#woso#woso fanfics#woso imagine#arsenal women x reader#leah williamson x reader#woso one shot#awfc x reader#awfc imagine#arsenal wfc x reader
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pick a card: love letter received (valentine's special)
Holyf- all these songs and cards that I shuffled are sooooo fucking good. YA'LL ARE BEING SPOILED. I keep squealing reading these messages lmfao. Anyways! These letters are from anyone you have a romantic connection with; soulmate, future spouse/lover/girlfriend, boyfriend, the one, whatever you wanna label!
methods used in this reading: tarot & intuition.
MASTERLIST
࿐ DISCLAIMERS:
Tarot or any forms of divination is not set in stone. It’s not your only future, but a probable one with the current energy you have right now. If a reading doesn’t resonate, simply let it fly away and shift your energy. Because you can change your reality, and you have the undeniable power to do so.
Please keep in mind that my readings are for entertainment, positive, or inspirational purposes only. Please don’t take them as a professional or medical advice. Any actions or decisions taken are your responsibility.
The images I use in my blog are not mine unless I say so. The pictures belong to their respectful owners.
Let your intuition guide you and enjoy the reading, folks!
letter #1
shufflemancy: Never Really Over by Katy Perry
My dearest,
I know you think sometimes that you don't deserve the good things in your life, and that you don't deserve a love like we have. God, you're so stubborn. How many times will I have to tell you that you deserve each and every wonderful thing in your life and more? Oh, well. I'm coming home soon to you anyway. And I don't mind reminding you everyday that you deserve all of it, that you're worth it, and that I love you with all I am. I truly believe that we are fated to be with each other, and even though you may have a hard time believing that, you can't escape the love that we have. Sorry, not sorry! >:)
Anyways, keep doing the things that make you become the best version of yourself. You're doing good. We'll find each other soon enough. I love you.
Until we meet,
Your lover.
about them: they're such a romantic, but they also have this sarcastic and chill personality, HAHA. Assuring person. They only have their eyes on you. Encouraging, they really love cheering and rooting for you. Will always comfort you in your times of need.
signs i saw for you: daisies, co-workers, september, purple aura, someone likes to listen to taylor swift, letters; j, v, d 444.
Hope you enjoyed your reading! Remember to love yourself the way you want others to love you! Any thoughts on this reading? Leave a feedback!— Ivy
letter #2
shufflemancy: I Will Spend My Whole Life Loving You by Imaginary Future & Kina Grannis
Hi, babe!
I can't wait for us to be together. I promise you, it will be anytime soon. It won't even feel like you waited. Just keep being you and be cool (wink). I'm so excited for all the things that we're going to do together, I really can't wait to spend this life with you. I know I can come off as someone who's annoying and blunt sometimes (wait, I think it's most of the time? LOL) but I hope you'll accept and love me for who I am. It's hard to be my authentic self around others, I really hope I can be with you, because I want to. When we've come together one of these days, I promise to give you all my love and everything that you deserve. I will do my best to make you laugh and smile everyday. Make you relax and just wind up after a long day from all the chaos and noise in the world. (Your name), I am ready to spend my whole life loving you and living with you.
(their nickname)
about them: they're clingy, but in a good and adorable way though lol. they really like to annoy or tease you out of fun. very cheerful and warm energy here. doesn't seem to be like it, but they do have some insecurities (notice how they hope for you to love and accept them despite their personality in the letter?)
signs i saw for you: 444, 555, letters; w and s. tropical island/country. north america.
Hope you enjoyed your reading! Remember to love yourself the way you want others to love you! Any thoughts on this reading? Leave a feedback!— Ivy
letter #3
shufflemancy: Love Never Felt So Good by Michael Jackson
Dear (your name),
I hope you know that I appreciate and love you so much. There are times when I worry that I may not be showing that enough to you, and I'm sorry. But this is me telling the truth. I adore you with all of my heart, and honestly, these words are never enough to fully express my love for you. I hope you know that you're an amazing person. You give me so much light, inspiration, and life. You teach me a lot of valuable things and I really admire that about you. Don't let anything dim the light that you shine in this world. Keep on shining, my love. Life makes so much sense and more worth-living when I'm with you.
With all my love,
(their name)
about them: they're a person who doesn't open up easily, or someone who somehow struggles expressing their emotions to you. ah, they're so adorably shy. quiet. a quiet person, someone who's meticulous. logical.
signs i saw for you: 333, 222, sunflowers.
notes: fuck. the last line in their letter made me sooooo 🥹🥹🥹 AAAAHHHH. KEEP THEM, BRUH. i don't necessarily show cards in my readings, but i'll spoil you with this one; i practically squealed when i got the queen of wands and the sun for you. LIKE AGH. I love this combination, especially since they both have sunflowers. And I totally felt so much warmth in my heart while writing their letter UwU
Hope you enjoyed your reading! Remember to love yourself the way you want others to love you! Any thoughts on this reading? Leave a feedback!— Ivy
letter #4
shufflemancy: love somebody like you by joan
Hey Princess/Prince,
I understand that you're not in a pretty situation right now, you really wish you could just escape, don't you? Don't worry. Even if I'm not there with you physically in the time that you're reading this, I'm always with you in your heart and in spirit. Listen, I'm proud of you of how far you've come. And I know that you have the strength to get through this. You can do it! I wholeheartedly believe in you, babe. Just so you know, I'm your biggest cheerleader, haha. Sooo... just do it, okay? There's no need for you to be afraid. I promise that once you've overcome this, something really amazing is coming for you. And it's worth it. Mmm, I can't say for sure if this surprise is me coming in to your life, but welp, who knows? :) Love ya!
- (their name)
about them: they're such a fun person to be around. gentle and polite, wholesome, like a happy kid in an adult body HAHA. jester. golden retriever energy (gosh, i effing love people who has this energy.) passionate about art. is into music that doesn't seem to match their personality and vibe (eg: they love listening to metal.) might be into anime.
signs i saw for you: 222, party, celebration, a park, carnival or something. someone's born in 2002, or something significant happened in 2022 for either of you, like a drastic change in your life of some sort.
notes: They really want to call you princess/prince, I'm sorry if you don't like it but that's that LMAO- why do i get the feeling that some of you are in some sort of relationship (not necessarily romantic) that is not stable, and healthy, and you're definitely advised to put yourself first now, leave, and heal from it.
Hope you enjoyed your reading! Remember to love yourself the way you want others to love you! Any thoughts on this reading? Leave a feedback!— Ivy
letter #5
shufflemancy: So My Darling by Rachel Chinouriri
Hi, love.
You've gone through so much, life hasn't been much fair to you, to us. But no matter how hard it is, it's important for us to never give up and stay strong. But it's not easy to stay strong either. Let me give you a gentle reminder that it's ok to cry and break down when you have to, okay? It's okay to let it all out and not bottle all the negative feelings inside. And then once you've done that, you can slowly get back up, take back your strength, and have stronger faith for the future. I know you're strong, I see it in you :) You're really capable more than you think. And it also gives me strength to see your strength. Don't allow yourself to be defeated, okay? We'll get through this. And once we meet, we won't have to go through it all alone. We'll be fighting alongside together.
Yours,
(their name)
about them: a positive person. stylish and classy. for some of you, they might reside in london or is from the uk. might tend to see things through rose-colored glasses. machiavellian.
signs i saw for you: paris, france. travel, foreign country, 222, 333, rainbow.
Hope you enjoyed your reading! Remember to love yourself the way you want others to love you! Any thoughts on this reading? Leave a feedback!— Ivy
#bewitchingivy#pick a pile#pick a card#free tarot readings#tarot reading#intuitive reading#divination#pac#tarot#witchblr#tarot community#general tarot reading#witch community#valentines day#valentine#letters#future spouse#soulmate#channeled reading#channeled message
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Snake Eyes 5
Warnings: noncon, coercion, manipulation. Proceed with caution.
Note: thanks all for reading and I hope you’re excited for this one. All feedback is more than welcome and loved and appreciated. Reblogs are most helpful.
Part of The Club AU
The service industry is less than formal. There’s not much red tape in the hiring process and less administrative restraints. So, after a short video interview with Sif, you accept a job for the weekend. It’s not entirely your choice of venue, a yacht, but the pay even before gratuity is enough to convince you.
More peculiar about the job is that it’s not a single night. You’re slated to work through the weekend at breakfast, lunch and dinner. It beats handing out shots to tipsy coeds; these wealthy investors will have deeper pockets.
So much for being destitute all at the whim of that snake. It’s the nature of the business. Gigs don’t last long and when they do, you’re miserable. If it was up to you, you’d be working at one of the upscale cocktail bars in the downtown core but they rarely open up applications.
You pack a bag and take your time getting ready. There’s a dress code of course. All black, no pants. You know these sorts of events. They only hire women and their purpose is more than serving, they have to be nice to look at. Well, you can doll yourself up.
You put on a sleek halter blouses with a leather skirt. You’ll sweat your ass off but it’s what you got. You have just enough outfits to last you through two days. Oh, and some anti-nausea meds to counteract the sea sickness.
The job will reimburse you for the cost of the uber. You don’t think you’ve ever been to the dock. You weren’t a part of the college crowd with their party boats and aren’t generally a fan of being on the water. You tip the driver on your phone as you get out and look around.
There are two other girls in black hovering around. You approach them, assuming they're in the same boat as you. The pun barely worth thinking.
“Hey, um, are you meeting Sif?” You ask.
“You must be the new girl,” they look at you with their drawn on brows, “Tara,” the tall redhead introduces herself.
“Zadie,” the shorter woman with the spiral curls flicks her lashes derisively.
You offer your name in return, sensing their coolness. They’ve worked together a while, that means you’re the rookie, you have to prove yourself. That isn’t difficult, you have faith in your own skills.
“You’re pretty,” Tara preens, “love the gloss.”
“Thanks,” you accept the compliment.
“I could never pull that shade off,” she continues, “very harsh.”
You nod and force a smile. You’re sure that is only the beginning of your act. You shoulder your bag and turn on your heel listlessly. You’re not here to make friends.
“Girls,” Sif’s heels draw your attention as they click across the dock, “thank you for waiting. The captain was a bit late with his safety review. Ugh, so we have to hurry with set up. The investors will be arriving shortly. Can’t have you standing out here like a bunch of stray cats.”
“What happened to Katie?” Zadie asks as she steps forward first.
“She’s at her sister’s wedding,” Sif returns smoothly, “don’t worry, she’s vetted and very capable,” the dark haired woman gives you an appraising look, “you might learn a few things, Zee.”
Zadie rolls her eyes and Tara grins over her shoulder, trying to hide her amusement. You shrug and follow them towards the boarding ramp. Right, just don’t think about the water.
🍸
The boat is a flurry. After you are shown your cramped cabin, leaving your bag on the bed, you are taken to the gala deck. There, you are acquainted with the bar and set to your prep. The familiarity of the work welcomes you in and your nerves calm even as the subtle swell of the water rocks the ship.
As you work in tandem with the other girls, the lights adjust and music begins to waft around the space. You look out at the tables, set and ready for diners. It seems a rather overdone event. You’re not sure if you had yacht money, you would waste it on these pompous displays. Maybe that’s why you don’t have any money.
The first investors begin to trickle in. You hear Sif’s voice rise above the building din as she beckons them in and shows them their seats. Some sort of auction for charity. Funny, how these things are always fundraisers…
As the crowd burgeons in, the first patrons of the night come by the bar. Tara elbows past you to take the lead. You let her. You know her type. They approach the job like a competition. No use playing that game.
“Miss, a drink,” you hear from your left. You turn to greet the man, his silty tone only registering once you face him. Loki smirks as he drapes his arm over the trim, “I believe you know my preference.”
You withhold a scowl. You don’t know how to respond. You can’t scream at him so you turn and begin to put together a dry martini. You feel him watching you. Of course, he’s one of them.
“Mr. Laufeyson,” Zadie comes up behind you, “nice to see you.”
“You too,” he says silkily.
“Hon, why don’t you let me take over for Mr. Laufeyson?” She offers as she touches your arm.
“She’s got it,” he shoos her with his fingers.
You present him the tall glass and meet his eye. He watches you with that imperious gloating grin. He reaches for it, sliding it closer with two fingers around the stem.
“Now I should be suitably bolstered to face my guests,” he declares. You squint at him, his guests? “Darling, should you require anything, you know you only need ask. I do take pride in accommodating my staff well.”
You blink, lips sealed and tight. His eyes rove up and down as he lifts his martini, “cheers.” He takes a sip and winks, before spinning on his heel and strutting off. You should’ve known it was all too easy.
#loki#dark loki#dark!loki#loki x reader#drabble#au#the club#series#snake eyes#avengers#mcu#marvel#thor
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I Want My MTV 🎤 | Jake Seresin Imagine
Takes place after the events of TGM
TGM Masterlist
Characters & Pairings: Jake Seresin x popstar!reader (romantic), dagger squad x reader (platonic)
Content Warnings: fluff, profanity, implied suggestive content if you squint | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 8.6k
Premise: glitter and writing love songs are her favorite things in the world…..and also music that gets people dancing and wishing they were a fictional character in a fan edit. When she meets Lt. Jake Seresin, he becomes not only the light of her life but also the source of her inspiration because every love song has to have a muse. And for international popstar Y/n L/n, the man they call Hangman is the muse that keeps her going.
Requested 📨 yes/no (by the lovely @avaleineandafryingpan w/ some suggestions from @gizmodear on this post)
Note: I’m so sorry this took a bit (forgive me, school has been crazy) but I really really enjoyed writing this and i hope its everything you imagined @avaleineandafryingpan 🥹♥️ I made sure to add all the little hc’s you sent in & added some things of my own I thought would be great so I hope you don’t mind! Please let me know what you think!
Songs headcanoned by popstar!reader: ‘34+35’, ‘Love Me Harder,’ ‘Break Free,’ & ‘Imagine,’ by Ariana Grande + ‘Rain On Me’ w/ Lady Gaga. ‘Summertime Sadness,’ ‘ Young & Beautiful,’ ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell,’ ‘Video Games,’ & ‘Love Song,’ by Lana Del Rey. ‘Last Friday Night,’ ‘Teenage Dream,’ & ‘Firework,’ by Katy Perry. ‘Power,’ ‘Secret Love Song,’ ‘ Between Us,’ & ‘Salute’ by Little Mix
———————————————
August 2026
“Deep breathes, darlin’,” his hands were smooth against her shoulders, instantly calming her nerves. Y/n took a deep inhale, nodding as she slowly let the air leave her lips. Jake beamed at her, “This ain’t the first time you’ve been on stage. You got this.”
“I know, but performing on live television for millions of people is different than a few thousand in a venue,” she reminded him, feeling the anxiety return causing her to close her eyes. “It’s been six years since my last VMA performance, Jake. Also,” she nervously laughs, “This is the Vanguard award they’re giving me—I’m, quite literally, shitting my pants. I want this to be amazing.” To be fair the reason for her not being invited back to the VMAs was a mini break from music she went on after they got married in 2021. The birth of their children was another factor so it wasn’t until late 2025 that Y/n had released the music she’d been working on.
The break was much needed, but she was missing the stage, the touring, the fans. It was what kept her going and made her career worth it. Music was her life, but so was her family which is why she took so long to release an album. Now here she was years later about to step foot on the VMA stage for the first time in six years. Another thing that made it worthwhile was she was being honored with the MTV Video Vanguard Award. Leading up news outlets were covering her return and on the red carpet reporters were eager to know what Y/n was cooking up.
“And it will be,” he told her, cupping her face in his hands, careful not to mess up the gemstones and glitter around her eyes. She could feel the cool metal of his wedding band against her skin. “You are one of the best vocalists of our generation—the High Note Princess. One of the best stage performers of all time—it’s gonna be an amazing show. You’ve been working so hard for months,” he gives a comforting squeeze to her shoulders. “So just breathe with me and then you’ll go out there and sing your pretty little heart out. And it’s gonna be the best performance of the night.”
As she mentally prepared while waiting for the stage manager, Y/n leaned more into Jake’s arms and let her mind wander. Memories started to appear, reeling back to when her career kicked off all the way to when she met her husband and finally to the present day.
February 2008
Like any aspiring star, Y/n L/n made the rash decision to quit college and move to Los Angeles in hopes of achieving her goal of becoming a singer. Hollywood was calling her name, so she spent months applying to jobs in the area before finding a small studio apartment and packed up her little Honda and set sail for the city where dreams are made. Time would be the make or break factor if she stayed or retreated back home with her tail between her legs.
One year.
That was her deadline. One year to get a job at a label, get discovered, or possibly find something worth renewing her lease. Working as a singer at a jazz bar could possibly have one of the options come true. Again, it would take time before something happened.
Y/n wasn’t the only singer at the club. Another girl was on stage Monday’s, Wednesday’s, and Saturday’s whereas Y/n was booked Tuesday’s, Thursday’s, and Friday’s. The club was closed Sunday’s and the nights Y/n didn’t sing she was a server or bartender. The pay was good for the most part with her tips racking in more income than the biweekly check for singing and serving. Sometimes she’d get compliments from patrons, especially the older crowd saying, “You have such a unique voice—the way you have control and range makes me think you should be on the radio and not some little jazz club like this. Your talent shouldn’t be wasted, dear.”
The words and support always boosted Y/n’s confidence. Truly did it make her feel she could make it big. Actually break through into the industry. But that takes time and sometimes the opportunity arises when one least expects it.
Maybe she could audition for American Idol. Maybe she could upload videos on that new website YouTube. Maybe she could be bold and send some demos to labels, praying it would land on someone’s desk.
Or, someone important from said label would wander into the club.
That idea seemed like a far stretch. But just three months shy of Y/n’s deadlines she was approached by a gentleman after she finished her number one Friday night. A business card in his hand, he said, “Give me a call Monday morning, I’d like to set up a meeting to talk with you about your potential. Bring some demos if you have any.”
A notebook of songs in her hand and a CD of demos she spent the whole weekend working on, Y/n left Capitol Records that morning with a copy of her contract in hand and the promise of bringing forth the best music of her life. There were tears shed as she relayed the exciting news to her family back home. Her coworkers whom she adored threw her a party at the club in celebration that night. She wouldn’t leave the club just yet. Just because she had signed didn’t mean she would make it big in the long run. No, she decided to stay at the club until she at least was at the level where she could financially afford to.
The first time Y/n heard herself on the radio she broke into tears. It happened unexpectedly too. After packing up her car with two weeks worth of groceries that cost her entire paycheck Y/n switched the the radio to the pop station and was singing along to the tunes when she heard the beginning chords to her song, ‘Teenage Dream.’ Cars honked around after she slammed the brakes and abruptly pulled to the side of the road, eyes wide with her hands covering her mouth.
“You think I’m pretty without any makeup on. You think I’m funny when I tell the punchline wrong. I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down.”
Y/n literally changed the channel just to change it back to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. That it was actually her song playing.
“Before you met, I was alright, but things were kinda heavy. You brought me to life, now every February, you’ll be Valentine. Valentine.”
“Let’s go all the way tonight. No regrets, just love. We can dance, until we die. You and I, will be young forever.”
“Oh my God!!!” She got out of her car just to scream while jumping up & down. People on the sidewalk were looking at her crazy but she didn’t care. Not when her own song was blasting from her car on the radio.
“You make me, feel like I’m living a Teenage Dream. The way you turn me on, I can’t sleep. Let's run away and don’t ever look back. Don’t ever look back.”
Y/n’s entire life took a 180 after that very day. Her talent agent and manager from Capital Records were calling her saying she was on the Billboard Hot 100. They were planning on releasing her second single earlier than planned in order to push up the release of her album. Every radio station was playing ‘Teenage Dream,’. There were days Y/n would be in a store and would hear in playing, causing her to break out in a grin.
Before long Y/n was getting calls left in right with her manager and publicist securing television appearances and interviews. Her second single ‘Firework’ was an instant hit, becoming a gold certified record in just a few weeks. People auditioning for X-Factor and American Idol were covering it. Videos being posted to YouTube. Then Y/n released ‘Last Friday Night,’, becoming a popular song for teenagers and young adults. The full album shot her off into stardom.
“SNL?” She dropped her muffin, staring wide eyed at her manager. “SNL wants me to perform?”
“I got Lorne Micheals on the phone—I literally have him on hold—and he’s awaiting your answer.”
“Tell him my answer is ‘fuck yeah!’”
“I’ll tell him…you said yes.”
The appearance on SNL only increased Y/n’s popularity. Following it was invitations to the Kids & Teen Choice Awards, the Billboard Music Awards and the MTV VMAS, in which she won Best New Artist at all shows and Song of The Summer at the TCA’s. The first time she won she was a stuttering mess, thanking the fans and people who voted for her and her family, managers, execs at Capitol Records all while trying not to cry on live television.
Then the 2009 Grammys happened. And she won Best Pop Album and Record of The Year for ‘Last Friday Night’. Her hands shook as she accepted the award from none other than Usher, trying not to fangirl as she approached the microphone. She was never gonna get used to meeting the people she admired.
“O-oh wow,” she stuttered over the screams, feeling the cool surface of the award in her hand. A Grammy. She was a Grammy Award winning recording artist. “This is the greatest honor I’ve ever received—bigger than when I graduated with high school honors,” she laughed nervously, causing people in the crowd to smile at her. “Huge thank you to the Recording Academy for this award. It’s an honor to be part of a group with so many artists I admire—some of whom I’ve listened to for years a-and I can’t believe I have the privilege of being in your presence. I-I wanna take a moment to thank everyone at Capitol Records, my managers Raven and Paul. To everyone who helped me on this album who put their heart and soul into it—this award is not just mine it’s yours. To my family watching at home, I know you’re all losing your minds in front of the tv,” she grinned at the laughs around her, “I love you all so so much and thank you for your support—helping me get to where I am. I’m sorry if I forgot anyone else—t-there telling me to wrap up—b-but thank you—thank you so much for this, I’m so blessed and honored—I can’t even put it into words. Thank you!”
All of 2009-2010 was dedicated to her second album. Y/n was in the studio, writing songs on napkins when she was out with friends, mentally hearing the tunes in her head. She presented and performed at award shows and she went on tour. The goal was to have the songs ready and written by the time the tour ended. Luckily she achieved that goal with at least twenty potential for an album. Anytime Y/n found inspiration she made sure to write it down as quickly as possible.
Now with two Grammys under her name, one of which was for her debut album, the pressure was on.
“This is totally different from what you’ve been doing,” her producer said to her after reading the songs.
“I know, that’s the whole point,” she gave a pointed look, “I don’t want everything to be or sound the same. This is gonna have a different sound than what we did last year. Trust me it’s gonna be big.”
Might as well call her psychic cause that’s exactly what she was.
“It’s been a great week for popstar Y/n L/n, her recent single ‘Summertime Sadness,’ has shot to the top spot of this week’s Billboard Hot 100. A new sound that’s more mellow than her previous work, it’s been well received by fans and critics. L/n is finishing up the American leg of her world tour and is set to release her second studio album in the fall. Just two years ago L/n became an international star after winning two Grammys for her debut album and appearing on television such as Saturday Night Live, Ellen Degeneres, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. With her unique voice and style she’s been viewed as the next pop diva, joining that of Madonna, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga.”
‘Video Games’ was released when the tour concluded and it became her best single to date. The music video was played on MTV early in the mornings and predicted to be nominated for every award one could think of. It was that single combined with the critical acclaim from her album in 2011 that had Baz Luhrmann calling Y/n to write a song for his upcoming 2013 movie ‘The Great Gatsby.’
“And the Oscar goes to….” Y/n’s hand clutched her manager’s, keeping a calm face since the camera was panned on her and the other nominees. In Halle Berry’s hand was the envelope with the winner of the 2014 Oscar for ‘Best Original Song.’ Heart pumping out of her chest, she barely registered her song and name leaving the actress's lips. “Young & Beautiful,’ by Y/n L/n.”
Baz jumped from his seat, as did her manager and producer, the latter of whom she was sharing the Oscar with. A hand flew to her mouth, feeling her arm tugged as they lifted her from her seat while the theater erupted in applause. It felt like she was floating when she approached the stairs, taking the arm of her producer when he offered her help.
“Congratulations,” Halle said, opening her arms for a congratulatory hug before handing the gold statue to the singer. Y/n let out a mix of a sob and laugh as she replied, “T-thank you.”
Another statue was presented to her producer, Y/n waiting for the applause to end until giving her speech.
“O-oh my God, I just met Halle Berry,” there were some chuckles, the singer pausing to hold a hand to her thumping heart while the other clutched the Oscar. “I-I don’t know how to start. First, thank you to the Academy foremost—it’s an honor to be receiving this recognition. Shout out to the other nominees and their incredible work—you all are amazing and we’re so lucky to be almost you all. We all have one major thing in common, and that’s music. Music and movies bring people together—it’s a universal language that we get to be a part of and I am so grateful everyday for being a part of it. Thank you to Baz for allowing us this opportunity—it was so fun working on this song for you and your spectacular film. This Oscar is for you, Baz,” she saw the director blow a kiss from his seat. “Thank you to my producer, Tim—who’s standing right next to me. The magic behind Young & Beautiful, Tim you are a genius and I love you so much. Lastly, to my family back home—ah!” She waved the trophy like a little kid, “Look! I love you all so so much—thank you and I can’t wait to celebrate with you when I come home. Thank you everyone!”
Each year came with more success. The rest of 2014 going all the way to 2016 was nonstop energy. She was working day and night, touring, performing on talk shows, collaborating with other artists—like Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, The Weekend, & Justin Bieber—and dabbling in acting jobs. Y/n secured roles in films like The Greatest Showman, The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials & Death Cure, & The Shape of Water. Some television roles included MTV’s Teen Wolf, American Horror Story and guest appearances on Criminal Minds, Greys Anatomy, and Doctor Who. Her role on AHS garnered her an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. After the award show her manager told her with a wink, “All you need is a Tony and you’re part of the EGOT club.”
EGOT. The ‘grand slam’ in show business. Where only more than a dozen people have achieved the status in which they have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. The biggest awards in television, music, film, and theater.
After she heard that….well you could say Y/n was on a mission.
She continued to release music while pursuing acting. She leased her third and fourth studio albums in the span of eight months—a rare sighting for an artist. Both broke records in their own right. ‘Break Free,’ was playing in every club and ‘Imagine’ was used in Riverdale. She won the Grammy for best Pop album once again and performed ‘Imagine’ at the show. The second it was revealed she got the role of Christine in Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera, the buzz was already on if she would achieve EGOT status if she was nominated for the Tony.
The show opened in early 2017, selling out at a rapid rate with people coming from all over the country solely to watch Y/n perform. She already showed the world she was a brilliant singer and actress, now it was time to combine the two.
Never did she think she’d meet the love of her life at a show.
Jake Seresin wasn’t much of a musical man, but his sister and nieces were so he sucked it up and attended with them. Now Jake wasn’t living under a rock, he damn well knew who Y/n L/n was and frankly the man was a fan. A lot of his exes were fans of the popstar so he was quite familiar with her music and even enjoyed her acting. So of course he was more keen to the idea of going to a Broadway show if it meant he got to see her perform live.
What he didn’t expect was to—literally—run into her on his way back to the hotel. After telling his sister he’d pick food up since her daughters were too tired to go to a restaurant, Jake took a shortcut which happened to be the alley between the show venue. The bag in his hand dropped, the pilot falling to his ass when the door suddenly opened and hit smack in the face.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” A voice shouted followed by a gasp. “Are you okay, sir? ‘Please don’t have blood-please don’t have blood.’
“I’m fine,” he moaned, shaking his head a bit and feeling for any sign of a wound. Thankfully he found none. “It’s alright, ma’am.”
“Here let me,” she helped him up, Jake stumbling a bit and apologizing when he bumped into her. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need me to call an ambulance in case you have a concussion?”
“No, no,” he insisted, finally looking up which only resulted in him freezing. The woman he watched on stage not even an hour ago was standing in front of him. “Oh wow.”
Y/n was frozen too, for he was the most attractive man she’d ever laid eyes on. The glow from the street light shined down on him, illuminating his green eyes and blonde hair. His bone structure was what most Hollywood heartthrobs would die for. Come to think of it he could literally pass as a young James Dean.
“H-hi,” she smiled, feeling a bit flustered all of a sudden. It didn’t help that he was still holding onto her shoulders, and she was clutching his forearms.
“Hi.” Gosh even his voice was attractive. A southern accent could be made out with the simple word.
“I’m so sorry for not looking before pushing the door out like that. I—,” Y/n cut herself off when she spotted the discarded bag of what appeared to be food. Some of it spilled out causing guilt to fill her, “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry about your food.” Stepping away she reached into her bag to pull out her wallet. “How much was—.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jake says, but the singer shakes her head.
“No I insist,” she takes out a random amount of bills which was likely triple what he had actually paid but she didn’t care. She extended her hand out with the cash, “I rammed a door into you and made you drop your food. Please let me make it up—otherwise I’m gonna have to drag you to the place you got it from and replace it myself.”
Jake couldn’t help but smile, taking the cash and examining it before only keeping the amount he had originally paid. “No need to give me more than what it was worth. Here,” he hands back the extra, making her frown but she takes it regardless. Her eyebrows then raise when he goes, “But you could make it up to me in another way?”
Tilting her head, she can’t help but say, “How so?”
“By having a drink with me. If you’re available.”
So that’s how Y/n L/n met her soulmate. By hitting him face first with a door. He literally fell for her if one thought about it—pun intended.
What made it even better was Broadway not only gifted her future husband, but her status as an EGOT winner.
“Last night was a record breaking night for popstar Y/n L/n. The 30-year-old singer and actress has become one of just over a dozen to join the prestigious EGOT Club after winning the Tony for her Leading Actress in a Musical for her role of Christine in Broadway’s Phantom Of The Opera. L/n won the Grammy for Best Pop Album and Record of The Year in 2009 followed by the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2014 for The Great Gatsby. She then went on to appear in several television series including the popular horror series American Horror Story in which she won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. It was rumored L/n would venture into Broadway to possibly add a Tony to her collection of numerous awards, confirming this in mid-2016 when the cast for the 2017 run of Andrew Webber’s Phantom Of The Opera was released. Classically trained as a child, the popstar showed she can belt a lyric and hold a tune. It was a spectacular night for Y/n L/n, receiving a standing ovation when her name was called for the award and dedicating the Tony to her family, friends, cast members, and managers who’ve been with her since her debut in the music industry almost a decade ago. She is one of the youngest stars to ever achieve EGOT status and the fastest ever in a career.”
Many many songs were inspired by her relationship with Jake. Her entire album released a year after they got together was basically a love letter to him. ‘Love Song’ was regarded as her most beautiful record to date, a source for many fan-made videos for their favorite fictional characters and features in movie soundtracks. ‘Love Me Harder,’ & ‘34+35’ had fans go crazy with how frisky they were. Though their relationship was a secret it was obvious the popstar was in love. It only made fans want to know who was the special man to take her heart.
Jake learned pretty early on the price that came with dating a critically acclaimed songwriter: that if messed up there would be a song about it.
Immediately speculations arose that Y/n and her secret partner were broken up with the release of songs like ‘Woman Like Me,’ & ‘Power.’ She had to get on instagram one day to settle the rumors with a picture of their interlaced hands saying, “You drive me wild sometimes, but my love for you overpowers all.”
Their relationship was eventually exposed when Jake appeared in her music video for ‘Secret Love Song,’ released just shortly before he was set to return to Top Gun. People could easily tell the chemistry between Y/n and her ‘love interest’.
Maybe a little too much chemistry.
Dedicated fans were able to find out who Jake was in less than a week. Matching up his social media post locations and dates with hers, they didn’t even need them to confirm their suspicion to know they were together.
“I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Jake chuckled, showing Y/n his phone screen with a picture that was just sent to TMZ of the two in San Francisco.
Y/n simply shrugged, “I’m fine with it if you are. I’m happy we got to keep it to ourselves for this long. And considering people are now asking about this—,” she held up her left hand, flashing the diamond engagement ring Jake spent his entire year’s paychecks on. “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”
Was Jake still the arrogant, egotistical pilot amongst his peers? Yes. But was he the type to boast about how he was engaged to one of the best musical artists of the century? Surprisingly no.
He actually enjoyed keeping that little detail a secret. To Jake his personal life was for him and him only. And he didn’t want people going around saying he was a gold-digger or wanting to be that guy who got to say he hooked up with a celebrity. Nah, he was in love with Y/n with his entire being. She was the gravity that kept him down to Earth. Sure they bickered like any couple but never once did either of them cross a line.
The only time they ever had a big argument was when he did get jealous over one of her former co-stars trying to have a shot at her. Y/n tried brushing it off saying it was nothing, but Jake could tell the signs and it upset him Y/n was not taking him seriously. “I just don’t see why you’re being so childish about a dinner party that’s gonna have multiple people.”
“Have you even asked who else is coming? Or wondered why he’s started texting you more when you guys finished filming ages ago? I’m not trying to be insecure or jealous, Y/n, but I know when a guy is trying to flirt. He didn’t even acknowledge me as your date when we were at the premier party. In fact I don’t think he said hello to me when he approached. All his eyes were was on you—which I don’t blame because you’re the most beautiful woman on the planet—but trust me, I know that look because I have it every second I’m with you.”
Needless to say you didn’t go to that dinner party and instead were doing what ‘Love Song’ was about the entire weekend.
When Jake goes to Top Gun for the special detachment, he’s still the arrogant asshole the others thought him to be. But if they were being honest they could see a difference in him. Maybe it was because he wasn’t flirting with anything with legs. Maybe it was the fact he rejected the drink from a pretty blonde. Maybe it was because they caught him smiling at his phone whenever he got a text. Whatever it was, they wanted to find out.
The only person in the detachment who knew of Y/n was Javy considering he was Jake’s best friend. She met him roughly eight months after she and Jake got together after much discussion. Their relationship was still a secret by then so they were hesitant to let anyone besides her team know, but Javy was an important person to Jake. He wanted his best friend to know the woman he loved.
Natasha being the amateur sleuth she was pretty much discovered Jake’s secret in a few days, “No fucking way.”
The evidence was presented to Jake during their lunch break the day after she found out, Nat holding the phone up for him to see. She literally watched the gears turn in his head, a sly smirk forming on his lips. “What about that, Trace?” The question caught the attention of their colleagues, who were trying not to show they were eavesdropping.
“Is that not you?” Nat looked at the screen to make sure it was on the zoomed in image of him and Y/n L/n. The entire music video Jake’s face was pretty much hidden from view, but briefly his face could be made out at certain angles.
“It is,” he shrugged, going back to his sandwich. A cluttered sound indicated Nat had dropped the phone on the table, scrambling to pick it up.
“So you just casually ended up in Y/n L/n’s music video for her iconic song?” By now heads turned, expressions of absolute shock. Well all except Coyote. He just raised his brows at Jake while holding back a laugh, wanting to see what he would say.
“No, I ended up in my fiancé’s music video for her iconic song.”
“You’re what?!”
“Babe, I got a favor to ask you,” Jake’s voice was tainted with exhaustion when he FaceTimed Y/n that night. She was at their Fresno home since he was stationed at NAS Lemoore and was planning to meet him in San Diego that weekend. Raising a brow at him through the screen she could tell he looked apologetic.
“What is it?”
“You think you could come down earlier than planned?” At her reaction he explained, “My detachment found out about us and well……they’re accusing me of photoshopping the photos of you and I—even though they literally saw us make out in your music video. And I want to prove to them I’m telling the truth.”
A moment passed and then Y/n burst into laughter to the point of tears. What got her was the photoshopping accusation.
“Stop laughing,” he pouted, “I’m fighting for me life out here—I could use some backup.”
“My goodness, Jake Seresin,” she calmed down, shaking her head at his butt hurt expression. “You’re something else you know?”
“So does that mean you’re coming?”
“I’ll book my flight for the morning as soon as we get off.”
One could envision the confusion on the pilots/WSOs when Jake prevented them from leaving the airstrip at the end of the work day. It was pushing five in the afternoon, they were tired and hungry, and honestly could care less about what Jake had to show them.
That was until the black SUV with tinted windows pulled up to the parking lot where they were standing. When the door opened jaws dropped to the floor with eyes bulging out at the person emerging from the vehicle. Who happened to jump into Jake’s awaiting arms. Fanboy had to rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing clearly. That it was Y/n L/n sharing a kiss with the resident asshole.
“Oh my God he wasn’t kidding,” Rooster said with a mix of awe and disbelief. Javy patted him on the chest, moving first to greet the popstar who shocked the pilots again with her warm welcome to them. None knew how to react when the couple approached hand in hand.
It’s not everyday someone meets a fucking EGOT winner.
“Hello,” Y/n smiled a dazzling grin, drifting her eyes over each of them and committing their callsign to memory. She could tell what they were likely thinking, ‘How the hell did Hangman manage to pull a fucking popstar?’ And ‘He must be brainwashing her, blink twice if you need help,’ kind of stuff.
Introductions were in store as well as explanations for how the couple came to be. In all the years they knew the pilot, none could’ve predicted that kind of secret. They quickly learned Y/n was not the typical celebrity—some of them were even ashamed to think she’d be stuck up, arrogant, snobbish. They were almost convinced the personality she had in interviews and fan interactions were fake, but Y/n was a truly genuine person. Not only did she come from humble beginnings, but she was a hard, driven worker who truly earned everything she’s gained.
And she was perfect for Jake. They were like two peas in a pod, with Y/n being the only one who could bring him back down to earth. Truly was an amazing thing to witness and the daggers were having trouble comprehending it at times. Hearing the story of how the two met brought tears to Rooster and Fanboy’s eyes by how funny it was, while Phoenix was covering her mouth to hide her smirk at how embarrassed her colleague was.
“In my defense,” he puts his hands on his chest when Bob asks why he thought to pass the side door, “I didn’t expect anyone to still be inside and potentially use that door.”
“He just hates when I tease him about how he literally fell for me,” Y/n winks, making them all smirk.
Later on in the night after going to the Hard Deck for drinks and pool, Rooster says, “You know I feel I won’t be able to use my karaoke song if we ever go cause I’ll be too flustered to sing a song in front of the person it’s written by.” Y/n couldn’t help but blush, giggling lightly.
“What is it?”
“Last Friday Night. Such a banger—really gets the crows going.”
Even after the Uranium mission happened, the daggers continued to remain in contact. Many were offered jobs of instructors but the real surprise came a couple months later from the Pentagon asking if they could remain a permanent team. Selling their San Francisco home, Jake and Y/n moved to San Diego, which was better since it was closer to L.A. The team hung out often with Friday nights reserved for the Hard Deck.
Y/n even found musical inspiration with them.
“So I have a proposal,” she hums to Nat and Callie one day while the guys are playing football on the beach. “Not a marriage one Jake claimed that one already,” she pauses when they all laugh at the joke, “but a ‘if you want to be a part of it I would love it if you did but I understand if you can't be’ kind of one.”
Nat tilts her head curiously, Callie mirroring her, “What is it?”
“I wrote a song….that you two helped inspire,” Y/n smiles at their expressions, “and I’d love for you both to be in the music video after I release it.”
Nat loses it, “OH MY GOD YOU WHAT?!!”
“Can we hear it!?” Callie blushes, “I’m so honored—oh my God I literally don’t know how to react to that.”
“Girl you cannot just drop that on us,” Nat playfully points with narrowed eyes, “If you weren’t Jake’s soon to be wife I would marry you right now.” Y/n just laughs, rummaging through her bag to find her notebook to show them the song.
“If he messes up you’ll be the first to know and we can head to the courthouse.”
“Don’t play with me now, Y/n,” Nat shakes her head. “No man has ever done something like that. Write a song inspired by me?” She gives a dramatic sigh. “Feels like I’m living in a romance novel.”
Both read the song, both fell in love with it and pretty much cried. It was empowering, motivational, a love letter to women, everything they wished they heard growing up in a field where men dominated and looked down upon them. Y/n made sure to keep them updated when she was in the studio, allowing them to hear it first before it was released.
2020 was a year no one could’ve expected.
It started off great with the singer releasing ‘Salute,’ shortly after the New Year and filing the music video in February. The song was well received from fans and critics, with people already calling it the ‘anthem of the year.’ Jake loved it and would send clips of him in the car to Y/n belting the lyrics. The guys all loved it too and loved that their colleagues were the source of inspiration.
Halo and Phoenix were part of the MV as well as women who in real life were doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, athletes, students, astronauts, & scientists from all ages, races/ethnicities, genders, etc. Not all of them were in the armed forces, but a couple were along with Nat and Callie. Special permission from the Navy & Top Gun was needed to put cameras in the F-18’s on the exterior and interior to capture footage of the two flying. Halo was Nat’s backseater for that day and the guys came out just to watch and support.
Released just before March, the music video hit 100 million views in less than 12 hours. It only grew from there with people praising Y/n and the women included in the project. There was talk of ‘Salute’ being nominated for the upcoming awards, Team USA asked permission to use the song for promotion for their women athletes for the upcoming Games. Y/n was over the moon, really looking forward for what the year held. Especially with her wedding around the corner.
Then the world shut down. Literally.
A global pandemic altered everything and everyone. Anything that required a group of people ranging from small to stadium level was banned. States were on curfew and not letting people cross borders, international traveling was restricted. Lockdown was mandated for pretty much everywhere to the point Jake was working from home for a couple months.
In that time Y/n threw herself into writing songs to release her next album. Her reason: she was in need of a break. Not a ‘I’m retiring from music,’ but a ‘I’m drained and in dire need of taking time for myself and start the family I’ve always wanted.’ It was always her plan for after she and Jake got married, just to have a few years for themselves and see where life takes them.
Thankfully when the pandemic hit Y/n was already done with her collaboration with Lady Gaga. The fellow popstar had been her friend since she joined the industry and it was a long time coming for the two to work together. Not to mention they were on American Horror Story together. The Mother Monster approached the High Note Princess in late 2019, both sharing ideas and writing the song together before recording to release in 2020. Filming the music video, they combed both of their aesthetics and styles to create a pop masterpiece.
Fans went crazy. They loved the return to classic pop when both singers had gone off to pursue acting careers and change their sound a bit. Many felt deprived of being able to dance to ‘Rain On Me’ in a club since going out was restricted. And you can best believe the Daggers felt the same—especially Rooster who loved to dance his ass off, “I would be tearing it up right now if Rona wasn’t such a bitch.”
Surprisingly the 2020 VMAs still happened. It was roughly six months after the outbreak and very strict regulations were in place for the show to go on. With ‘Rain On Me,’ being so popular and popstars releasing albums, Y/n and Lady Gaga were invited to perform. After prepping for weeks and self-quarantining, the daggers all gathered around at the couple’s home to watch the live show. Lady Gaga was the first to perform solely when it was their turn, then Y/n joined causing the select few in the crowd to cheer—with her friends and loved ones going crazy in their living room. All were in awe when she hit a high note, killing it with the choreography and honestly being the best performers of the night. Finally Lady Gaga left the stage with her dancers allowing Y/n’s to appear in time for the popstar to sing ‘Salute.’ At the house, Halo and Nat were dancing along and belting the lyrics with the guys while recording the performance on their phones.
“Sisters, we are everywhere! Warriors, your country needs you! If you’re ready, ladies, better keep steady, ready, aim, shoot! Don’t need ammunition, on a mission—now we hit you with the truth! Divas, queen, we don’t need no man, SALUTE!!”
2021 came with hope and breaths of fresh air. A vaccination was developed, restrictions were lifted in most locations meaning Y/n and Jake could finally plan for their wedding. It took a few months to plan, desiring an intimate private wedding at their home with their close friends and family. The daggers were all there, including Maverick, Cyclone, Warlock, and Hondo. Their families were all there as well as Y/n’s managers & agents, some cast members from the shows/films she grew close to, as well as artists like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, David Guetta, and The Black Eyed Peas, the Jonas Brothers, & Miley Cyrus.
A sweet ceremony, Y/n squealed when Jake tipped her back to the cheers of their loved ones as he kissed her passionately. “I love you so much, Y/n. Or should I say, Mrs. Seresin.”
“I love you too, Mr. Seresin,” she kissed him again, “Now let’s show them we’re the life of the party.”
Rings on their fingers, grins plastered their faces when they ran through the Arch of Swords the guys of the Dagger Squad set up on the aisle. Then came time for the reception. Jake presented Y/n with a sword, per military tradition, to cut the cake and Y/n poured the champagne over the tower of glasses. They had their first dance, which Javy made sure to do his best man duties and record everything.
Which came in handy when it was time for Y/n’s surprise for Jake.
Seating him in a chair at the front of the dance floor, Y/n smirked at his confused expression as she took the mic from the DJ, calling everyone's attention. “All of you know I’m one for surprises. And tonight is no exception,” biting her lip she signaled for her maid of honor, who started rounding up the bridesmaids. “I thought it would be great to give Jake a little treat tonight—do not take that the wrong way, I can already see your minds going somewhere,” she pointed at the daggers who were hollering, giggling as she continued, “Stop it. Anyways, we’ve been cooking up this little number for the past month and now it’s time to let it shine. Baby, this is for you.”
Jake slapped a hand to his mouth containing his expression of glee when the opening chords to Y/n’s ‘Power’ echoed through the speakers. Her bridesmaids got into place, the singer discarding her veil and moving to the center. Everyone was on their feet hooting and hollering, capturing the performance on their phones for memory. Javy even put the phone right up in Jake’s face, Payback slapping the pilot on the back as the others whistled and danced. Just the expression of his mother and family sent Jake into tears of laughter.
She was flabbergasted. Unlike his sister and brother who were having the time of their lives witnessing the masterpiece that was Y/n practically seducing her husband live and singer her own song.
“I don’t think she’s heard this song until now!” He shouted over the music to the phone, blushing when Y/n winked at him. To be fair, the bridge of ‘Power’ was a little on the frisky side and Y/n was edging closer to Jake until she was basically in his lap.
“Don’t be fooled, I got you wrapped up. In the arms of an animal—get you thinking that I’m all innocent. But wait ‘til I get you home. If you don’t, baby, you should know. I’m the one who’s in control.”
Hell yeah she was in control when she got home that night….well at least for a few rounds she was.
Sadness came with the announcement of her break from music. The hot topic for media outlets, Y/n had released a statement on Twitter and Instagram confirming the suspicions many had after her wedding. Fans were understandably upset that their favorite artist wouldn’t be releasing new material until further notice, but they’d rather have Y/n at her best and not give half ass energy in her work. She was burnt out. It was time for a break after 13 years with six albums, each with their own tour. Don’t get her wrong, the popstar loved to be on the road, but after a while she was ready to just stay home for some time without planning for what was next.
In the meantime she sold songs for other people, collaborated on writing with artists, and acted when filming was either in L.A or San Diego. She and Jake were happily married, little to no financial stress or personal issues, and were ready to expand their family. By mid 2025 they had/adopted two kids, two dogs, and a cat. They were a full house with no dull days whatsoever.
“Are you going to get back in the studio like you mentioned the other week?” Jake asked at dinner, helping cut his son's food into smaller pieces.
Y/n nibbled on her floor while also assisting their daughter, “Yeah I think this weekend I’m gonna call Jack up and see what his schedule is like. I got some lyrics I’d like him to read.” Sipping on her drink briefly she then asks, “How long do you think this next mission is going to be?”
“Probably a week or two. Mav is working out the details and hopes to tell us Monday. I just pray I’ll make it in time for your birthday.”
Y/n feels her heart skip, giving a soft smile, “You know I understand if you can’t, honey. If the Pentagon is tasking you then you know it’s important. We’ll celebrate either before or after you get back,” she assured, reaching over to hold his hand when he frowned.
“I just hate the idea of missing it, you know? It’s your birthday and I missed our anniversary last year,” he pauses to sigh, “I just hate leaving you guys for so long. And I never wanna make you feel like you’re always alone.”
“I knew what I was getting into when we fell in love. Don’t feel like you’re missing out or I’m going to suddenly start giving ultimatums because you know I’m not that person. If it was our anniversary or another memorable date I would still feel the same. You have a job, Jake, you’re the best there is to do it. There will be plenty more birthdays for us to be together for.”
Being back in the studio felt like a whole new world. It had been nearly five years since her last single was in late 2020. When Jake was working the kids would come with her and be the stars of the crew, playing in the mini play area they had set up while Y/n was recording. Besides the people she worked with, only Jake knew she was releasing new music. Quite literally Y/n did not announce anything until the night before with a single Tweet and Instagram post with the art cover and the caption, “Tomorrow at midnight, Between Us.”
She broke the internet to put it lightly.
@ Y/ns_microphone: WE’RE GETTING NEW MUSIC OMFG PLEASE TELL ME IT’S A WHOLE ALBUM!!
@ livinginharryshouse: y’all the High Note Princess is back I’m gonna lose it.
@ a_teenage_dream: 2025 ending on a great note 🥹 five years and the wait is over!!!!
@ dylanobrien ✔️: crying, shitting, throwing up. Thank you @ Y/n
August 2026
18 years in the music industry and the rush before a live performance had Y/n pacing backstage during the commercial break of the VMAs. Their children were being occupied by her manager while Jake helped her mentally prepare. He was going to be the one to present her the award at the end of her set, so they were just waiting for the green light from the stage manager. The performance was going to be nearly ten minutes, the longest she’s ever done live on an award show since it was going to be a medley of some of her classic hits while also including ‘Between Us’. Lady Gaga, Y/n’s close friend and who collaborated with her again on her most recent album, was going to introduce her.
“Deep breaths with me, baby,” Jake held her in his arms, kissing her forehead. “I can feel you shaking. But once you get on stage it’s gonna be like you never left.” Taking a strong inhale, Y/n let it out slowly before repeating.
“I know it probably won’t happen,” she starts to laugh, “but I can’t help but dread the idea of me falling on my ass or forgetting my lyrics.” Jake laughs with her, shaking his head while pulling away to look at her.
“Knowing you, you’d fall gracefully and make it look like it was intentional. Also you mumble those lyrics in your sleep…you won’t forget them.”
She leans more into him just as the stage manager yells, “You’re on in five, Y/n!” The commercial break must have ended. Lady Gaga was already being pulled on stage after wishing the popstar good luck with a hug and friendly kiss to the cheek. “We need you over here please.”
“That’s your cue,” Jake grins, cupping his wife’s face before bringing her in for a passionate kiss. Y/n smiles into it, nuzzling their noses together causing him to chuckle. When they pull away he says, “Go out there and have fun. Bottom line, baby, have fun out there and sing your heart out. I’m so lucky and honored to be your husband and share this life with you. Don’t start crying,” he playfully scolds when her eyes tear up, “you’ll ruin your nice makeup your team worked so hard on.” That makes her laugh. Jake kisses her again, “I love you, baby. I’ll see you at the end.”
“I love you, Jake,” she hugs him tightly, feeling comfort in the smell of his cologne. “Thank you for being by my side everyday. You’re the light of my life—,” she nods to the stage manager who was waving frantically. “Fuck okay, I wanted to be more romantic but I got to go before they drag me.”
“Go, go,” he kisses her cheek, Y/n moving quickly to kiss her children and hug her managers before waving goodbye. “We love you!!”
Running to the nearly annoyed stage manager, she throws off her robe to reveal her stage outfit and takes the microphone. Heart pounding, she adjusts her earpiece as they escort her to the spot she was needed just as Lady Gaga finished her introduction speech, “Los Angeles and to everyone watching at home, it is my honor to present to you your recipient of this year’s MTV Video Vanguard Award. Get on your feet and make some noise for the one and only, Y/n L/n!!”
It was still dark on stage where Y/n was hidden from the audience as all attention went to the giant screens all around showing the pre-recorded video montage with her face in black and white and eyes closed. The crowd was already going crazy as the camera zoomed in toward Y/n’s face while audio played of her talking about her love for music and the thrill of performing. The camera continued to pan in, the popstar on stage thinking about everything that had led her to that moment. From starting out her days singing in a jazz club, to becoming one of only 19 EGOT winners, and now the recipient of the Video Vanguard award.
The microphone went to her mouth, Y/n putting on the show of the year when the video ended with her eyes opening and voice echoing the music channel’s iconic phrase in the stadium, “I want my MTV!!”
…………
TGM Tag List: @avaleineandafryingpan, @caitsymichelle13, @poppyalice2001, @cutelittlepotatofry, @luckyladycreator2, @americaarse, @elenavampire21, @back-tooo-black
#Spotify#jake seresin imagine#jake seresin x reader#Jake seresin#hangman x you#hangman x reader#hangman imagine#lt jake seresin#jake hangman seresin#jake seresin x you#glen powell#top gun maverick imagine#top gun maverick fanfiction#top gun imagine#tgm imagine#dagger squad#dagger squad x reader#dagger squad imagine#popstar!reader#singer!reader#tgm x reader#jake seresin fluff#tgm fluff#hangman fluff
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Sky Full of Stars - Chapter Three.
Huge thanks to the scant few showing interest in this. I really hope I can drum up a few more readers, too! :)
Previous chapters - One Two
Tag list - In the comments
Words - 3,473
Warnings - 18+ content throughout. Minors DNI!
It was the most uncomfortable bed he’d ever slept in, not even a bed at all, but having her curled up against him made it completely worth the fact he felt every bump in the road as the bus sped through the night.
They were still absconded to the rear lounge, Jade pulling the removable couch seat cushions down onto the floor, her pillows and blankets from her bunk keeping them warm. He even had fresh, clean clothes. Katie was a big proponent of comfort, wearing t-shirts three times too big for her, so loaning one to him along with a pair of the boxers she enjoyed sleeping in. He certainly filled them out a lot better than she did, Jade couldn’t help but notice after he’d arrived back with her after washing and changing in the tiny bathroom.
There was a shower in there, too, drainage facilitated by a small drain in the centre, but it didn’t work while the bus was in motion. Lesson one of tour life; learn to strip, wash yourself down with a soapy washcloth and get dried and dressed again in a three by four-foot space. It was not easy. Again, though, having her there made it worth it. As did the comedy he was subjected to by certain other people on the bus.
“Skip?” Jen called, Adrien immediately snorting softly with laughter. Yes, he’d been made aware of the story behind her nickname.
“What?” she softly yelled back, reaching for her bottle of water.
“You guys banging yet?”
“No.”
“Alright.” There was a brief pause. “Can you let me know when you start? I’m horny, and I want some live action porn to listen in on. Hey, if you’re feeling it, I’ll sit back quietly if you let me watch?”
Jade winced, shaking her head as she hissed with giggles. “Jen?”
“Yeah?”
“Go to sleep!”
“I can’t, homeslice. I’m entertaining your boy! I hear him laughing back there!” she called, “S’up, Adrien? How’s bus life?”
“Not too shabby,” he called through his chuckles.
“You lie, it’s gross and you’ll hate it after a week.” There was another pause, both thinking the little entertaining spiel had ceased for a moment. “Adrien?”
“Yes, Jen?”
“If I come and lick your face again, will that get the ball rolling?”
Various other giggles emerged from the bunk area, Jade hearing their bass player Jess telling her to stop it, Adrien closing his eyes with a soft frown.
“Is she always like this?”
“Oh, yeah. Especially when she’s drunk,” Jade confirmed, fingers wandering in a circle over his chest.
“Well?” Jen called.
“Go to sleep, Jen,” he laughed.
“No! I can’t do that, I’ll miss the sex!”
Oh, god. Yes, Jade had considered spiking her with sleeping pills in the past just to shut her up, wishing she was wired like a canary she could throw a blanket over to trick into sleep. Jennifer Crowley always was and always would be much too chirpy for her own good.
“You might as well, because it isn’t happening,” he called. Suddenly, there was a bump, two feet landing on the gangway, footsteps preceding the lounge door flying open.
“What?” she asked sharply, eyes wide.
He shrugged. “Not happening tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because it isn’t. Besides, no condoms.”
“Wait!” Off she headed, the sound of rummaging becoming audible, the drummer returning to hurl a strip of Trojan’s at him. “There! I have provided. Go forth and bang!” She couldn’t keep her laughter in, a few drunken snorts sounding the air, waving her hand dismissively. “I’m just playing, I’ll stop being a terror. Love ya!”
The door closed, Jade retrieving the condoms from the blankets and throwing them to the side, not needing the temptation right there in front of her before cuddling up against him again. “I’m sorry, she’s insane.”
“She’s fine, she’s a lot of fun.” he reassured her, tightening his hug as he slid his thigh between her legs, Jade resting hers over his hip as they shared a few kisses. In truth, she was a little too boisterous for him, but he kept that to himself. Besides, it wasn’t the drummer he was there for, it was the beautiful woman he kissed with soft longing.
A few more moments of affection elapsed before they fell asleep, Jade dead to the world, used to the motion of the bus beneath her, Adrien woken up at several points as the huge vehicle shunted its way towards the city limits of Oakland, where their next show was taking place that night. As such, he didn’t feel very well rested when he awoke, lying there checking his phone, the bus having come to a stop at some point while he’d still been fitfully sleeping.
Looking up when a soft tap sounded the door, he saw it open to reveal the wide smile of the one member of the band he hadn’t properly met yet, Jess, their tiny bass player.
“Hi!” she beamed, pointing at him. “No way, you’re Adrien Brody!”
Her whispered exclamation was as cute as she was, Adrien nodding. “Guilty as charged. Nice to meet you, Jess.”
“Sorry, I won’t fangirl. You probably hate it. How’d you take your coffee?”
“Black, one sugar, please.”
She grinned again. “Be right back.” They were a very nice group of women, Charlotte and Jess definitely the quietest of the five, with nothing really topping the hyperactivity and volume of Katie and Jen. Well, Katie wasn’t so much loud as she was extremely fast talking. Then there was the sleeping woman beside him, who he could never classify as quiet, with her ear bursting roar. Who she was away from the stage was definitely more toned down and understated, though, but as he’d learn later that afternoon, she was right when she revealed to stand no bullshit.
He was in the backstage area keeping himself inconspicuous, chatting to a few of the road crew as they scurried around, when he heard her begin to become agitated out on the stage. He’d only just returned from heading out to buy himself a week’s supply of everything he needed from the nearby mall, returning to the venue to hear the girls running through a soundcheck after their techs had been out to set everything up.
“Nah, mate. Left is definitely lower,” Jade spoke through the mic to the guy at the back of the venue, sitting behind the sound desk.
“Isn’t. They’re both set at seven.” He both looked and sounded completely disinterested in her complaint, which never failed to begin turning the key in her back.
“I’m fucking telling you, it isn't level. When you stand centre stage, it’s coming through way louder on the right.”
He still couldn’t be convinced. “Happens, mainly if you’re wearing cheap IEM’s.”
“Yo!” Katie shouted into her mic, “I just stood and played in the centre and she’s fucking right, my guy. It’s louder on my side, and that’s my fucking feed, too, so if you’re putting too much juice through then I’ll be drowning out both Jade and Jen.”
“And our IEM’s cost over a grand, you rude fuck,” Jade added, folding her arms. Gone were the days of cheap in ear monitors, the girls now opting for much better quality equipment.
He stood up then, throwing the copy of Rock Sound magazine he’d been perusing down. “Wanna quit with the attitude?”
“Want to actually do your job instead of stonewalling me, since you’re too precious with your desk to let our sound guy up there and do the job he’s bloody paid to do?” she fired back, noticing Adrien appear over by the long bar that ran down the side of the venue. Well, if he was going to witness her at her feistiest, it might as well be right at the start. “I mean, by all means, get off your arse and come down here, listen for yourself?”
“Don’t need to. Levels are even.”
Placing her mic back into the cradle atop the stand, her jaw tightened as she swung her arms down, clicking her fingers in annoyance while pacing a circle. “I’m gonna fucking chin the twat. Why the fuck won’t he just let Scott up there? Fucking jobsworth wankers!” she fumed, Jen giving her wide eyes from her place behind the drums, Jade hearing a short, sharp little whistle behind her. Turning, she saw Adrien at the front of the stage, holding up a plastic cup containing something that looked suspiciously like...
“Here, double Jack. Looked like you needed it.” He’d remembered. She only mentioned it in passing, that Jack Daniels was what she sought in times of needing to calm herself down. Taking it, she mouthed her thanks, knocking it back, Adrien reaching for the empty cup again.
“I’ll leave you to it. Give him hell. You’re right, he is rude. And it is louder on the right,” he winked.
“Ain’t a thing wrong with your ears, huh, bro?” Katie spoke, pointing a wiggly finger at him.
“Nope. Same can’t be said about your man at the back there,” he said with widened eyes, jerking his head back towards the rear of the venue before walking away to return to the backstage area, Jade clasping a hand to her chest as she poked out her bottom lip.
“He’s so cute!” Katie cooed, watching her nod.
“I know! He just watched me go full indignant beast and he just casually bought me a drink and told me to give him hell!” she spoke, her voice a little pinched. It definitely calmed her ire towards the troublesome sound engineer, returning to the mic to speak to him a little more civilly.
“Can you please just turn it up a notch on the left, or down on the right? Come on, it isn’t like I’m asking you to rewire the entire PA system, is it?” she spoke, the man rolling his tongue around his cheek a little, thoughtful for a good ten seconds.
“Going up on the left.”
Another brief run through confirmed they were happy, thanking him before leaving the stage. Usually, it was a job solely fulfilled by their various techs, but should they have the time, they always wanted to go up to hear the levels for themselves, perfectionists that they were regarding how their show would sound. Heading backstage, Charlotte and Katie retreated to the bus for a while, Jen, Jess and Jade entering the dressing room, the latter collapsing down on the provided couch next to the man waiting for her.
“Sorry you had to encounter me being a beast,” she spoke, Adrien pulling her legs across his lap, stroking her thighs. It was something she very much liked about him; how openly affectionate he was with her, but not in an overstated way. And to think, they’d only met the day before. Almost exactly twenty-four hours ago, to be precise. It felt so easy with him, like she’d known him for years.
His brows upturned a little, shrugging. “I didn’t see any beasts, just a woman intent on making her point, for the good of the job she’s up there to do.” He then paused, holding up his thumb and forefinger, a small gap between. “Maybe this much of a beast. Beast I can handle, though.”
“You provided the correct medicinal tonic in taming of said beast you can handle, too. Some definite points were scored there, Mr. B,” she quipped, watching him point casually towards his head.
“Stored the information on the hard disk.”
Oh, how she was enjoying herself with him, the witty repartee, the laughter, how she’d slept so very soundly right next to him all night long. Usually, sharing her sleeping space with a new person made her feel a little anxious, especially since she was famed for her embarrassing sleep noises. With him, she’d simply curled up with nothing more on her mind than slumber.
Well, that hadn’t strictly been true.
After the show, the girls took advantage of the venue having showers backstage, getting fresh after fulfilling meeting the legion of fans waiting at the rear doors, sighing autographs and posing for pictures. They then returned to the dressing room to have a few drinks before boarding the bus, Jade taking Adrien straight to the rear lounge where a surprise waited.
“When did you get chance to do this?” he exclaimed, looking down at the much more comfortable looking bed laid upon the floor.
“I didn’t, but Kim, our assistant did,” she began, kicking her flipflops off and flopping down on the airbed below. “Ahhh, that’s good. Come try this, it’s good. Really good. Incredibly good.”
“Ahh, but is it good?” he joked, joining her. Oh, she wasn’t wrong.
“It’s a bed. Air it might be, but we have a comforter, and two pillows each. I’m happy.” Moving onto her side, she propped her head up on her hand, rooting in the pocket of her cargo pants to pull out the near ever-present tube of throat lozenges. “I could stand to be happier, though. I’m still on a high from the show, and I feel like further alcohol would improve this.”
His mouth tilted into a grin. “I’m game.” Getting up, they relocated to the front lounge, all the other girls present, Jen the final to jump on while shouting goodbye to a few fans still milling around, the doors hissing closed as she thrust her arms forward. There in her grasp, a bottle of Crown Royal in each hand.
“Venue manager gave ‘em to us, to apologise for the sound guy being a dick!”
Well, that was the six of them set for the evening, the bus pulling out as large measures were poured, topped off by the tiniest dashes of Pepsi, Adrien knowing that while he was no lightweight, drinking with five rockstars required he bring his A game to the proceedings. When he saw the speed they put away those first huge drinks with, though, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t internally wince.
He did keep up with them, though, the alcohol flowing, music blaring, enjoying when Jade commandeered the stereo and put on the album Life After Death by Notorious B.I.G so he wasn’t forced to listen to the ear-splitting metal Jen had been insisting upon.
“Hey, I used to drive for this guy!” Marv spoke from the front as soon as the opening bars to Hypnotize blasted out, Adrien’s head swivelling in the direction of the front.
“For real?” he exclaimed, Marv popping a fresh piece of gum into his mouth.
“Hell yeah, brother. Ain’t ever seen so many strippers in one place at one time in all my days, and I used to drive for Motley Crue back in the eighties. Tells ya everything, my man!” He could imagine well. Just then, he felt a soft nudge at his side, Jess holding out a joint that was almost as big as her.
“Hmm,” he mulled. He did smoke weed very, very occasionally, but... “Don’t know whether I should. I have two modes when stoned. Either I fall asleep, or...”
Her eyebrows arched, poking him gently with her finger. “Or?”
“Or the horny sex demon comes out.”
Looking around him, she nodded at Jade, locked in conversation with Katie. “She hasn’t gotten laid in a while. You have a fifty-fifty chance of a very happy ending tonight. Smoke the damned weed, buddy.”
“Well, if you put it light that.” Taking the joint from her, he took a few puffs, nudging Jade and passing on to her. “Damn, that’s strong.” he croaked, Jess beaming her megawatt grin.
“I don’t bother with the chronic unless it is. It’s my only vice, other than buying expensive bass guitars I’m then too scared to take on tour with me. I dropped way too much money in an auction for one of Jaco Pastorius’s old ones a while back. That’ll never leave the house. I was too scared to play it for the first three days, I just sat staring at it in awe that I owned something one of my biggest influences had used.” she explained, Adrien listening intently, reaching to rest his hand on Jade’s thigh while he sat back and enjoyed a conversation with her bandmate.
As the night wore on, he definitely felt it was the former taking a hold of him, his eyes growing heavy at close to 3am, Katie and Jess already returned to their bunks, Charlotte and Jen going strong, and Jade curled into his side just as they were entering Los Angeles. The band had the next day off, resuming the tour on Tuesday, playing three shows in LA before they’d hop on a plane and move down to the southern states for the next leg of the tour, playing Dallas that coming Saturday.
He’d be gone by then, he thought with much lament, nudging the sleepy woman at his side and then lifting her with ease, saying goodnight to the others as he carried her to the back of the bus. A quick brush of teeth and wash each prepared them all they needed for bed, curling up under the covers, both asleep within moments. No horny sex demon would prevail that night, but in the morning, however...
When Jade awoke, feeling a little bleary and in dire need of mouthwash, the warm body beside her was still lost to slumber. Pressing a kiss against his shoulder, she stroked his hair softly before getting up, going to the bathroom to kickstart herself with her morning routine. Once freshened, she returned to him, finding him awake and smiling, welcoming her into his arms with a big kiss.
“How’d you feel?” she asked, happily entangling herself within his long limbs.
“A little rough,” he admitted through a yawn. “It’s nothing a coffee the size of my head wouldn’t fix, though. How about you?”
“A certain way,” she spoke, lifting her head to press a kiss beneath his chin.
“Mm?” His inquiring hum was met by a look not even a blind man could mistake, his eyebrow raising as his finger slid beneath her bra strap. “Would you like me to help with that?”
“I would, but not on an airbed. You have a rental place in LA, right?”
“I do,” he confirmed, “but it’s an hour away. Well, not an hour, but LA traffic, right?”
She nodded knowingly. “Hold on, let me make a call to my home from home.” With her home there now vacated and on the market for rent, there was one place she knew she might get lucky, calling up the Chateau Marmont, the iconic hotel located on West Sunset Boulevard, just fifteen minutes from their current location. “Okay, get your stuff together. Got us a room and we can check in early. Gustav loves me to death, so he pulled some strings.”
While the hotel manager who did indeed adore the first lady of metal had a room prepared, they got themselves ready, a cab pulling up beside the bus ten minutes later. The usual smog clouded thick over the city, the heat of the late summer morning beginning to rise, but it truly had nothing on what the two people sitting in the back of that cab felt burning between them.
For Jade, she didn’t dare look at him too much, save straddling his lap and beginning what she was longing for right there on the back seat. She did, however, allow her hand to trail up and down the hard muscle of his thigh, knowing she was going to enjoy every last second of acquainting herself with the ripped body beneath his clothes, the thought alone leaving her with the familiar ache of arousal tingling through her apex.
The check-in was done rapidly, Adrien insisting on giving Gustav his card, a small battle between him and Jade enduring that he eventually won through staunch insistence. They were escorted down to Bungalow Three, famed as the place actor John Belushi had died from a drug overdose, Jade tipping the bellboy before he left.
“Finally,” she spoke, sliding her jacket off and casting it onto a nearby chair, “you, me, a hell of a lot of privacy and a nice, big bed.” Her gaze locked to his, blue meeting green unblinkingly as she removed her t shirt, then her bra, sauntering towards him. “Whatever shall we do next?”
Feeling her bare breasts brush against the cotton of the black t-shirt he wore, her lips pressing softly against his throat as her fingers trailed through his hair, his heart almost broke ribs with the severity it began to thump with. His reply came in the form of a fiery kiss, lifting her with ease, and charging her in the direction of the bedroom.
#adrien brody fanfiction#adrien brody#adrien brody smut#adrien brody x ofc#adrien brody fanfic#adrien brody fic#sky full of stars#adrien and jade
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Seamus' face turned quickly from surprise to laughter as what his best friend had just said. Dean chuckled along, starting to jog lightly ahead of him.
"We're gonna be late, Seamus!"
The shorter boy snorted. "Give me a reason to care." He didn't bother picking up his pace. "Just walk with me, will you?"
Dean made a show of rolling his eyes but ran back up the hill to meet his roommate. They kept walking towards the quidditch pitch, hands hanging carelessly at their sides. Seamus blushed as his pale fingers brushed those of his dark-skinned friend. not just a friend, a part of his brain tried to correct him.
But Seamus was jolted back to reality as the duo reached the bottom of the hill and a flash of red hair stepped into Dean's waiting arms. The Irish man had to look away as his roommate's lips met those of his girlfriend.
"I was wondering if you would end up showing."
"I always do." Dean stepped away.
"Just with less time to spare every day." She threw her sweaty hair in a ponytail. "Hey Seamus."
"Hey, Ginny. Good to see you." Seamus sported a weak smile. He liked the youngest Weasley, he really did, but he had a hard time not resenting her when she's got the boy he's sure he loves wrapped around her finger.
"Can we head up?" Once again, Seamus was brought back to his current position by Ginny Weasley's voice.
"Sounds good to me, Seamus you coming?" Dean grabbed his girlfriend's hand, not unnoticed by Seamus.
"Uh, no you go on ahead I'll meet you back in the tower."
Dean and Ginny exchanged a glance. "Are you sure? You're welcome to walk with us."
"Yeah, I've got something I've got to take care of, I just remembered."
"Alright mate," Dean seemed to accept his answer. "See you up there." He turned, slipping his arm around Ginny's waist, and they headed up toward the brightly lit castle.
Seamus walked the other way. He thought he'd sit in the locker rooms for a minute and just collect his thoughts. He had to get a hold of himself.
The sixth year sat down heavily on a bench right outside the pitch, staring off into the darkening sky.
"You okay?" A brighter female voice spoke this time.
Seamus looked up into the concerned eyes of Katie Bell, who's hair was thrown haphazardly into a do similar to Ginny's. "Oh yeah, I'm good. Sorry, just... enjoying the weather." The lie was awkward but Seamus hoped Katie didn't notice.
Clearly, she saw right through him, though he wasn't sure she could read what exactly he was thinking. "Well I was just about to head back up to the common room, d'you want to walk with me?"
"Sure." He stood and they began to walk. After a moment or two of heavy silence, Seamus spoke up again. "Um, Katie. This is awkward but I was wondering if you might want to go with me to the next Hogsmeade weekend."
She looked over at him, studying him for a long time without responding. He shifted.
"No."
He just stared back at her, his cheeks starting to heat.
"You're hot Seamus, sure, and I know I'm hot, but you're not interested in me."
"What? Of course I am! You're beautiful and you have nice tits and..." He trailed off, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, I can't do this."
"Exactly. I can't be a distraction for you." Katie looked up the hill to where Dean and Ginny had reached the castle. "How long have you liked Thomas?"
Seamus looked up sharply. "What?"
Katie just rolled her eyes. "I don't know you very well, Seamus, but I can tell. You've fallen hard for Dean."
A moment of silence and Seamus sighed heavily. "So what if I have. There's nothing I can do about it."
"I'd say not asking girls out when you know you're gay would be a pretty good start."
"Noted." He glanced up at her.
"And for what it's worth, Dean and Ginny aren't going to last. You'll have your chance with him soon enough."
A foreign glimmer of hope rose in Seamus' chest. "What makes you say that?"
"I've seen Ginny at practice, she's worse off than you, pining for Harry. She'll never be happy with anyone else. That and Dean treats her too much like a lady, that's not the kind of person she needs."
"I wouldn't mind being treated like a lady." A soft grin rose on his face.
"Just give it time."
#deamus#pining#one shot#dean thomas#seamus finnigan#katie bell#ginny weasley#hinny#missing moments#hp hbp
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Amorous Facades - Chapter Two
A wild night out leaves the lives of Jamie Tartt and Ophelia Adams more intertwined than they ever would have imagined.
Will their decision to try and use the situation to their advantage work out in their favour or will they realize that they should have cut their losses when they had the chance?
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previous chapter
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Note: Thank you to everyone who liked, reblogged or commented on the last chapter! I'm so excited to hear what everyone thinks about this story and every comment really means so much so please let me know what you think!
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There was something about pulling up outside her mediocre-at-best flat in Jamie’s fancy car that had the situation really hitting home for Lia.
The contrast between her humble abode and his incredibly expensive vehicle had her realizing that she was entering a world that she had no business being in and that she didn’t really know what she was getting herself into. Jamie had so easily trusted her with a car that was so far out of her price range that it was hard to even imagine and maybe he made enough money that he didn’t care if she simply stole it and never spoke to him again or maybe it was worth the risk for what he potentially stood to gain, but she had agreed to move in with him - basically a complete stranger - with hardly more than a second thought and for very little potential reward. Her behaviour in the last twenty-four hours really was starting to feel like a perfect showcase for why alcohol was harmful to the human brain because clearly she’d lost all common sense.
But she was committed to it now.
She’d promised Jamie that she would give it a try and she wasn’t going to back out before it even started - letting people down was just not something she was programmed to do - so, with a sigh, she pulled her phone out of her bag on the passenger seat beside her as she tried to work up the courage to go inside and face the storm that she knew was waiting for her. The twenty-eight unread text messages and fourteen missed calls from Katie were enough to make her want to drive away forever and start a new life somewhere else, but she knew that her friend would be worried - especially because she couldn’t remember saying goodbye to her before leaving the club with Jamie. She typed out and deleted several replies to the string of long and increasingly frantic messages, but in the end she decided that going inside and explaining things in person would be the right thing to do.
But she regretted that decision as soon as she walked through the door.
“What the fuck, Lia?!” Katie practically shrieked before she even had the chance to close the door behind her. “I’ve been worried sick about you!”
“I was fine,” Lia weakly argued, knowing how she would feel if the tables were turned. “I did message you to let you know that.”
She’d seen the message when she’d scrolled back through their conversation and she knew the garbled drunken text did very little to strengthen her argument and the roll of Katie’s eyes showed her agreement with that thought.
“That message was hardly reassuring, it made no sense!”
“Well, you didn’t seem very worried at the time.”
It was a fair counterpoint considering Katie had simply replied with something along the lines of ‘hope you’re having fun’ and a winking emoji, but the reminder did little to ease her flatmate’s frustration.
“Because I thought you left with Daniel!”
Even just the sound of his name had Lia’s mood quickly shifting. She’d felt guilty for vanishing and for ignoring Katie’s messages that morning while she sorted things out with Jamie - she completely understood why that would be worrisome for her friend and she knew she wouldn’t have appreciated the silence had she been in Katie’s position - but hearing those words leave Katie’s mouth had her suddenly no longer feeling very apologetic.
“Why would you think that?”
She didn’t even bother keeping the disgust out of her voice and Katie shrugged in response.
“Because we went to dance and when we came back you were both gone.”
“Well, I don’t know where he went,” Lia admitted. “But he stormed off shortly after you two went to the dancefloor - right after Jamie stopped him from attacking me.”
The look on Katie’s face could only be described as skeptical and Mike - who had been watching them quietly from the couch, staying out of it as he usually did when they started bickering about anything - drew their attention as he let out a groan of protest.
“We’re all tired, Lia,” he sighed. “Let’s not start with all that right now.”
There was something about his scolding, disappointed tone that had Lia wanting to do as he said and let it all go. He’d become like a brother to her over the years that he dated Katie and she didn’t want to hurt him or create any problems for him, but she was tired. She was tired of being forced to be around Daniel - a man who had never shown her even an ounce of respect - and being treated like a whiny baby whenever she tried to tell them how upsetting his behaviour was for her.
“I’m not trying to start anything, but it’s true,” she told them, keeping her voice soft in an attempt to prevent the usual argument. “He forced me to sit in his lap as soon as you two left the table and then when I managed to get away and headed to the bar, he followed me and tried to grab me even when I was very clear that I wanted him to stop.”
Katie had the decency to look surprised by what she shared, but Mike was clearly not bothered as he rolled his eyes.
“He just fancies you. He doesn’t know how to flirt, that’s all it is.”
A scoff fell from Lia’s lips as she couldn’t believe how easily he dismissed her concerns and her disbelief only deepened when she saw Katie relax as she accepted the way that Mike explained away his friend’s indiscretions. Maybe it was the fact that Daniel’s persistence the night before had truly frightened her or maybe it was because her hangover and her unbelievable morning had her already feeling emotionally maxed out, but she found herself quickly losing her patience and her ability to bite her tongue just to keep the peace.
“That’s not all it is,” she insisted. “He’s a predator! And I don’t want to think about what would have happened if Jamie hadn’t shown up when he did.”
“A predator?” Mike questioned, the word laced with incredulity. “He’s my best mate!”
“I know that, but you still need to hold him accountable and I’m fed up of you making excuses for him,” she informed him, crossing her arms as she turned to face Katie. “And I’m supposed to be your best friend so it hurts that you always take Daniel’s side over mine.”
In an instant, any hint of sheepishness disappeared from Katie’s face as Lia’s accusation had her recoiling as if she’d been slapped.
“Oh, that’s rich coming from you!” Her words were said with a laugh, but it was obvious that Katie didn’t find the situation at all amusing. “You wanna talk about betrayals? Why don’t we talk about how you got married without even telling me that you were seeing anyone!”
It felt like a cheap way to deflect from Lia’s very valid complaints, but she was surprised it hadn’t come up already and a sigh fell from her lips as she explained.
“I’m not married. That whole wedding last night was just for a laugh, it’s not a legal thing,” she assured her, but she braced herself for Katie’s reaction as she added, “But Jamie and I have been dating for a couple of months so we’re going to let people think that we’re married to see if it helps turn his reputation around a little bit.”
She’d hoped that by the time she had to explain their plan, she would have thought of a way to make it sound a little less insane, but from the dropped jaws and blank stares her news received it was obvious that it still seemed just as crazy as it had when Jamie had first suggested it. She gave them a moment to process her words, but just as she was about to offer some more reassurance, Katie found the strength to speak.
“Are you still drunk?” She blurted out. “You must still be drunk or I’m going to start worrying that you’ve lost the plot.”
“No, I’m completely sober.”
“Okay, then you’ve lost your mind,” Katie decided. “Because the Lia that I know would never agree to pretend to be married to a footballer that she doesn’t even know.”
“I do know him,” Lia insisted, feeling a pang of guilt for pushing the lie she was trying to sell to her best friend. “I told you, we’ve been dating for the last few months.”
“Oh, really?” Katie huffed, her hands settling on her hips as her scepticism was written all over her face. “Then why have I never heard about it? Or met him?”
“He asked me to be discreet,” Lia shrugged, the lie making her throat tighten as she tried to be convincing. “Until we were more serious. So I told you that I was working late if I was going to see him and he only stayed over if I knew you would be at Mike’s.”
“Where did you meet?”
“At the bookstore when I was working,” she informed her, thinking back to the story that they’d come up with in Rebecca’s office. “He came in looking for a book for his mum and I helped him find it.”
“I’m not surprised he needed help,” Mike sniggered from the couch. “I doubt Jamie Tartt could read any of the titles without someone there to help him sound out the words.”
It was similar to the joke that Roy had made and she remembered how much it had annoyed Jamie. As Katie laughed along with Mike, Lia suddenly felt a flash of protectiveness over her new ‘boyfriend’ and their ‘holier than thou’ attitude was really beginning to get under her skin.
“You don’t even know him,” she snapped. “But we’re moving in together so maybe you can come over sometime and actually meet him before you judge him so harshly.”
There was another stunned silence, but the next words out of Katie’s mouth only added to Lia’s frustration.
“Is he paying you?”
“No! You know I’m not like that! I care about him, Katie. We’d been talking about it anyway so with all this marriage stuff happening it just makes sense.”
“None of this makes any sense,” Katie huffed. “He’s a manwhore and from what I’ve seen he’s pretty proud of it so you must be really naive if you’re willing to go along with this insane scheme to trick the general public into thinking that Jamie Tartt isn’t a huge slut when he absolutely is.”
“He’s changed and he deserves a second chance.” Considering the brief amount of time she’d spent in his presence, Lia wasn’t entirely sure she believed that statement herself, but her irritation towards them had her giving a truly Oscar worthy performance as she defended her actions. “And I think it’s pretty disgusting that you’re more against me being with someone whose only supposed issue is that he used to be promiscuous than with a dangerous pervert like Daniel!”
“Oi!” Mike barked from the couch. “Stop slagging off my best mate!”
“Everything I’ve said about him is true and you both know it.” Lia’s gaze fell on Katie as she waited for her to speak up - to agree and finally take her side in the seemingly never ending debate - but Katie appeared to suddenly be very interested in a spec of dirt on the carpet and was no longer able to meet her eye. Tears pricked the corners of Lia’s eyes as she gave Katie a moment longer to do the right thing, but when she was met with a lingering silence, she scoffed as she shook her head. “Whatever. I’m going to go pack some things, but I’ll come back to get everything another day and I’ll pay rent for the next two months so you have time to find someone else or figure something out.”
Going into the conversation, Lia had planned to offer to pay her share of the rent indefinitely. With the uncertainty of her arrangement with Jamie, she didn’t want to set herself up to have nowhere to live in a couple of months if it all fell apart, but after what had been said and the continued lack of support in regards to Daniel’s unwanted advances, she was rethinking that decision. She felt hurt, she felt disrespected and she felt like staying in their flat or leaving the door open to return would just be accepting the way they minimized her feelings and would let them think that she was okay with everything that had happened.
She hesitated - leaving space for Katie to stop her, to finally take her side when it really and truly mattered - but when the only response was a huff of annoyance and a roll of her eyes, Lia hung her head and accepted the situation as she marched to her room to start packing her things.
The flat suddenly felt suffocating.
The place that she’d called home for over a year now felt cold and unwelcoming and she was so desperate to get away that she was almost tempted to leave without taking anything, but she knew some time away from her so-called best friend would be the best choice and the only way to do that was to focus and take enough things to last her a couple weeks at least.
She started working quickly - in an uncharacteristically unmethodical and sloppy way - and it didn’t take her long to have two suitcases and a few tote bags ready to go. Not eager for another argument to start, she was anxious to even leave her room and was almost relieved by the cold shoulder she received from Katie as she took the first couple of loads out to the car. However, she wasn’t going to leave without saying goodbye so as she leaned her final suitcase against the door, she paused.
“Alright, well that’s it for now,” she informed the couple who were sitting on the couch. “I’ll let you know when I come back for everything else.”
“Okay,” Katie nodded and the wounded look on her face almost made Lia feel guilty for rushing off after their argument, but the words that followed had her guard immediately going back up. “I just have to ask, who told you this whole pretend marriage thing was a good idea?”
“Well, it was Jamie’s idea,” she admitted. “But I agreed and so did AFC Richmond’s head of marketing.”
“Is that Keeley Jones?”
Despite the surprise she felt at Katie’s sudden knowledge of the staffing team of a random football club, it seemed like an innocent enough question and Lia nodded her head.
“Yeah, it is.”
“Well, that explains a lot,” Katie laughed, a smirk sliding onto her face that had Lia’s stomach tightening in knots. “Did you know that she’s his ex-girlfriend? She’s probably just pawning him off on you to get him out of her own hair.”
While that little tidbit of information had Lia feeling very confused and surprised that no one had thought to mention it at their meeting, what bothered her the most was how smug Katie was as she told her. She wasn’t sharing the news with the intention of gently coaxing Lia away from a situation that she thought was bad, she was sharing it to prove a point in some kind of big ‘gotcha’ moment. So, Lia kept her face steady as she shrugged.
“I know, we’ve met before,” she lied. “But she isn’t pawning him off on me, I care about him and I want to be with him.”
Her insistence was met with nothing more than another sarcastic laugh from her friend and Lia turned away, walking out the door without even wasting her breath to say goodbye.
------
Should I be concerned?
The text came through from her father that evening as Lia sat at the table in the dining area of Jamie’s kitchen - her kitchen - with a mug of tea in front of her. She felt a flash of anxiety as a link to the article came through immediately after to let her know what he was referring to and she quickly typed out a reply.
No, everything’s fine. I’m not married but if anyone asks, just tell them I am. I’ll explain tomorrow.
Almost immediately he sent back a thumbs up and a heart and after her disastrous experience with Katie that afternoon, she was relieved that he was choosing to take a more understanding approach. She wasn’t entirely sure that he’d be happy about the situation once he found out all the details, but she knew that he would support her no matter what and she was still reeling from the disappointment of finding out that her best friend didn’t feel the same.
She let out a sigh as she put her phone back down on the counter and looked around the room. She hadn’t been entirely surprised to find Jamie’s cupboards and fridge rather lacking when it came to food. There were plenty of protein powders and energy drinks, but the kitchen was pretty devoid of anything with any real nutrition. The house was tidy though - more so than she’d expected from a young, hotshot bachelor - and it was far more luxurious than the tiny two bedroom flat that she’d been living in before.
Again, she found herself reflecting on the fact that pretending to be married to Jamie Tartt wasn’t the worst situation in the world, but when she heard the door handle click as it turned and the creak of the front door opening she couldn’t deny the nerves that hit her.
Strolling into the kitchen a moment later, Jamie flashed her a smile as he tossed his coat onto the back of one of the chairs across from her.
“Hiya, you alright?”
“Yeah, you?”
She tried to match his welcoming smile, but it felt strained and from the skeptical look that slid onto Jamie’s face, he’d noticed it too.
“Yeah,” he nodded, reaching down to his coat pocket. “I actually got something for ya.”
“You did?” The surprise was clear in her voice, but she couldn’t deny that after the combative afternoon she’d had the gesture had her feeling very touched. However, when he slid a small velvet box across the table and she opened it to reveal a much larger and fancier ring than the one currently resting on her finger, the surprise shifted into shock and awe. “Jamie…this is too much. I can’t accept it.”
“Course you can,” Jamie insisted. “Can’t have you walkin’ around with a ring like that. It looks like I bought it at Poundland.”
Despite her reluctance to accept the expensive gift sitting in front of her, his observation was very accurate and Lia couldn’t hold back the giggle that slipped from her lips.
“You probably did buy it at Poundland,” she mused, admiring the cheap ring on her finger. “Where else would we have found rings in the middle of the night? Especially ones this tacky.”
“Exactly, that’s why you need one that’s a bit more flashy,” Jamie insisted. “And then when this is all over you can sell it or whatever, get something for your trouble.”
“Oh, I see, this is your sneaky way of still trying to pay me for all this.”
“No!” An indignant scowl slid onto Jamie’s face, but his furrowed brow relaxed as Lia’s attempt at keeping a straight face broke into a smile. “You can keep it forever for all I care. Save it as a memory of me to get you through those long, lonely nights.”
“I’m sure it’ll provide a lot of comfort.”
The sarcasm in her voice had Jamie chuckling softly as he wandered into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water as Lia carefully took her new rings out of their box. She had to credit him for his good taste. Even though it was flashier than the costume jewellery they’d found the night before, it was simple and classy and she had to admit that it was almost exactly the kind of ring that she would like to be given in a real proposal. However, she was well aware that it was probably worth more than she earned in at least six months and the weight of how indulgent it felt to wear such a beautiful piece of jewellery weighed heavily on her finger as she slid it into place.
“Looks nice,” Jamie commented as he joined her again at the table. “So, why’d you look so miserable when I walked in here? Hope it wasn’t because you were thinking about being stuck with me.”
The sudden change in topic caught her off guard, but she was quickly learning that Jamie didn’t seem like the type to beat around the bush. He was direct, but she couldn’t quite figure out if he just didn’t want to waste time by sugarcoating things or if he just didn’t care enough to.
“No, I wasn’t,” she assured him. “I was just thinking about how I’m in the market for a new best friend.”
“Oh,” Jamie frowned. “Is she not a fan of me?”
“Apparently not,” she admitted. “And I think she thinks that’s why I’m upset, but for me it’s more to do with the man you saved me from last night.”
A flash of something dark crossed over Jamie’s face - something that felt almost protective - and Lia felt a little flicker of comfort despite the loneliness she’d been feeling before he came home.
“Yeah? What’s the story with that prick?”
“His name is Daniel and he’s my best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend,” she explained, pausing as she watched him try to mentally follow the trail of people connecting her to the man in question. “He’s always made me uncomfortable. Even though I’ve told him a million times that I’m not interested in him, he keeps pestering me and trying to convince me.to give him a chance. He touches me all the time in ways that I don’t think are appropriate, but everyone just laughs it off when I complain about it. They make excuses for him all the time and I’ve had enough of it. I think that’s why he got so aggressive last night because I finally lost my patience with him and really put my foot down.”
“You should’ve used your foot to kick him in the fucking balls,” Jamie suggested. “Men like that are fucking disgusting.”
“I’m glad you agree. I told them about what happened when I went to get my stuff this morning and they just kept dismissing it and acting like I was overreacting, I was starting to feel like I was the crazy one,” Lia admitted, feeling a genuine wave of relief that Jamie hadn’t taken their side. From how quickly he’d come to her rescue the night before, she was fairly certain that he’d realized the severity of the situation, but she’d heard enough stories about professional athletes to doubt Jamie’s true intention when he’d helped her out. Which led her to her next point. “And then Katie started acting like you potentially being a bit promiscuous was just as bad - if not worse - than how Daniel had behaved and it just really upset me.”
The dark look quickly slid back onto Jamie’s face and Lia wondered if perhaps she should have kept that information to herself.
“Are you serious? That’s a fucking joke,” he protested. “I mean, I’ve been lucky over the years, you know, sexually and yeah, maybe I could’ve been more respectful sometimes after the fact, but my mum raised me right and I would never harass a girl who tells me no or says she’s not interested.”
There was a pleading edge to his voice that cut through his understandable indignation as if he wanted her to know that what he was saying was true and there was something sincere about his annoyance that had her nodding her head.
“I believe you,” she assured him. “I know we barely know anything about each other and I don’t know much about why your reputation is in such dire need of repair, but I’m very grateful for how you stepped in last night and I think you seem like a pretty decent guy.”
“I’m trying to be,” he insisted before adding a little more information, “But I’ve been known to be a little bit of cocky, selfish twat.”
His blunt admission had a laugh falling from Lia’s lips as she covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from spitting tea all over the table.
“Well, it’s big of you to admit that now.”
“It’s true, I can’t deny it,” Jamie shrugged. “It’s…complicated. I just always felt that I had to be the best and then I was the best and I knew it. And I was so worried that people might think I’m weak that I acted so tough that no one could ever doubt me. But I can see now that it isn’t worth it, that it’s better to be a team player. I’m just trying to figure out how.”
“I think the fact that you can see your own faults and actually want to improve is a pretty great start,” Lia mused. “We all have flaws and being cocky and selfish aren’t impossible things to fix.”
“I hope so, but it’s left me with a few bridges to build.”
“And I’m sure you can do it.”
Lia flashed him what she hoped was a supportive smile and was relieved when he matched it with one of his own.
“So, what did the rest of your friends and family think about us being married?” He asked. “I hope I haven’t turned everyone against you.”
“No, I don’t think you have,” Lia assured him. “But the only person who’s reached out is my dad and he’s not worried.”
“No?”
“He trusts me,” she explained before laughing to herself at how ridiculous that claim might seem based on what Jamie knew of her. “Contrary to what last night might make you think, I don’t usually do wild stuff like get wasted and marry strangers. I don’t even drink very often and I almost never drink enough to not remember the whole night so he probably knows that I have a decent explanation for whatever happened.”
“Do you?”
There was a hint of a smirk on his face as he questioned her that had her giggling again as she shrugged.
“No, I guess not, but I work at the bookstore with him so I have until tomorrow to come up with something reasonable.”
“Good luck to you,” Jamie teased. “And let me know if you do.”
“I will,” Lia smiled. “But what about you? How did your teammates take it? Have you told your family?”
“The team didn’t care, but I don’t know if most of them really care about me at all right now. And I don’t talk to my dad much, but I told my mom.” Just the mention of his mother had a soft smile sliding onto his face and Lia felt a flicker of endearment at his obvious love for her. “She told me me that you look smart.”
That claim had Lia barking out a laugh as she stared at him in disbelief.
“She saw a picture of me drunkenly marrying her son and thought that made me seem intelligent?”
“She’s a good judge of character.” Jamie told her, the pride shining through in his voice. “And she wants to meet you actually.”
“In Manchester?” Lia’s eyes lit up as she felt a flicker of excitement that only grew when Jamie shrugged and nodded his head. “That would be nice. I love Manchester, I spent a lot of time up there when I was younger.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Lia nodded, smiling at how hopeful he sounded. “My aunt’s a teacher so I used to spend most summers with her so I didn’t have to go to work every day with my dad over the school break and her husband is proper Mancunian so they’ve lived there for as long as I can remember.”
“Proper Mancunian?” Jamie asked, suddenly looking a little sheepish. “Is he City or United?”
There wasn’t very much that Lia knew about football, but she was informed enough to know that those were the names of the two big teams in Manchester. However, she wasn’t informed enough to know exactly how to answer.
“Um, is one of them blue?” She asked, waiting for him to confirm before she continued with more confidence. “Then that’s the one he likes, the one that wears light blue.”
“Ah, probably won’t like me much either then.”
“Oh,” Lia frowned. “Why not?”
“I used to play for them, for Manchester City” he explained. “I left when I went on that show and definitely burned a few bridges. Almost wrecked my whole career actually, I don’t know what I’d be doing right now if Richmond hadn’t taken me back.”
There was a sadness in his voice as he made that confession that really tugged on Lia’s heart. She believed that he was capable of being a ‘cocky twat’ as he’d so delicately put it - his own admissions and Katie’s harsh judgements supported that fact and she’d seen glimmers of it throughout their conversations - but even in their brief time together, it was obvious that there was more to him than most people thought. He had a softer side - a sweeter, funny side - and Lia felt a renewed sense that she was doing the right thing. He was clearly troubled by something and if he needed to get the public off his back and turn their opinion around to give him the confidence to work through his issues and become a better person than she was happy to help him out.
“Your team can’t care about you as little as you think then,” she pointed out. “They must think you deserve a second chance.”
“Or they just want to win and know I can help ‘em out.”
“Well, whatever the reason they let you back in, I’m sure you can win them over and prove to them that you’re trying to change,” she assured him. “And once my uncle thinks we’re together, he won’t say a bad word about you. He loves me too much to disrespect my boyfriend - or husband - so maybe he’ll put in a good word for you with the rest of the City fans too.”
Jamie didn’t look convinced, but he appreciated her support enough to accept her words of comfort without any arguments and a silence fell between them as Lia finished her now cold tea before a yawn slipped from her lips. She glanced at her phone and saw that it wasn’t quite nine o’clock, but the wild night before and lingering hangover had her already itching for bed.
“So,” she started, catching Jamie’s attention again. “Can you show me where the guest room is?”
She watched as his face went from confused to understanding until it settled on something a little sheepish.
“I can, yeah,” he nodded. “But there’s not much in there. Just some spare gym equipment.”
“That’s okay. As long as there’s a bed, that’s all I need.”
“There’s just some spare gym stuff,” Jamie repeated. “That’s all there is, there’s no bed.”
Flooded with a flash of panic, Lia stared at Jamie for a moment as she tried to puzzle out if he was joking.
“You can’t be serious,” she groaned as the look on his face made it clear that he was. “Where does your mum sleep when she visits you?”
“She hasn’t been since I moved here,” he shrugged. “Figured I’d buy one if anyone ever did visit, but I haven’t got around to it yet and it hasn’t been an issue.”
Her initial anxious reaction quickly shifted into one of annoyance as she couldn’t believe that he’d asked her to move in without realizing that he had nowhere for her to actually sleep, but her exhaustion left her quickly resigning herself to her fate.
“I guess I’ll just take the couch then.”
“No, I can’t have you doing that,” Jamie insisted, looking at her like she’d suggested something truly farfetched. “We can just share my bed.”
The panic came back as she felt her cheeks heat up at the thought of spending the night curled up in bed beside him and the smirk that slid onto Jamie’s face as he noticed the flush of colour only added to her embarrassment.
“Won’t that be weird?”
“Why would it be?” He countered. “We did last night, didn’t we? I don’t want you sleeping on the couch and if I do then I’ll be done in for training tomorrow.”
It was a valid point and it only took a minute of mulling it over for Lia to realize that sharing a bed wasn’t really that outrageous. She’d shared a bed with Katie several times over the years in a completely platonic way so there was no reason why she couldn’t do the same with Jamie and since they had no idea how long their little arrangement was going to last, it didn’t make sense for one of them to suffer indefinitely by sleeping on the couch - even though she was sure that Jamie’s couch was top of the line and probably more comfortable than her own bed had been.
“Okay,” she nodded in agreement after her moment of thought. “You’re right, it makes the most sense. Do you mind if I go to bed now? I’m pretty tired and I have work in the morning.”
“Course I don’t mind,” Jamie assured her. “I’ll help you with your suitcase.”
“Oh, you don’t have to…”
Her protests fell on deaf ears as Jamie rose from the table and headed down the hall to where she’d left her things by the front door. She tried again to stop him and was ignored once again, but she had to admit that the way his muscles strained under his shirt as he carried her heavy suitcase up the stairs had her wondering if she’d really be able to resist the temptation that came with sharing a bed with such a handsome and fit man.
-
chapter three
#jamie tartt fanfic#jamie tartt fanfiction#jamie tartt x ofc#ted lasso fanfic#ted lasso fanfiction#ted lasso#jamie tartt#amorous facades
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THIS IS GONNA HURT, BUT IT'S WORTH IT
TRUTH SEEKERS MIGHT BE DAMNED
I'LL REMAIN FOREVER LOYAL
Truth Seekers by Sleigh Bells
So he takes a trembling breath. He steps forward once, and then again, until he’s close enough to touch. He remembers the first time he’d done this; the first in a long line of impossible stolen moments. Spider-Man doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even flinch. He just waits, patiently, hanging on to Tommy’s every word. (Pun intended.) “Well,” Tommy says, his voice much steadier than he thought it’d be. “You’ll at least let me say thank you, right?”
sunflower by @jovenshires
look sometimes you read your friend's Spider-Man AU and then it changes your brain chemistry, what can I say? I literally haven't stopped thinking about this universe since I read sunflower last week, and then I told Katie that this Sleigh Bells song was so ThemTM coded and then TODAY I blacked out and created this. [jazz hands] this is not an exact representation of this gorgeous scene in your fic, Katie, but I hope you like it anyway
#fan art#WHAT do i even tag this as truly#its been ten plus years since i uploaded art to tumblr#spider man#smosh#fuck it all the tags#my art#katie i hope you like it 😶🌫️🫠🥺#spommy#snel art
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My Valentine
| Dreamcatcher Dami x GN! s/o
| Genre: fluff, tiny angst, also a quickly written story
| 1k words ~
A/n: for Katie :) @panda-writes-kpop
—————-—-/—————-/————-——-
Being separated from your lover on this day wasn’t anything new. With both your lives came immense responsibilities that none could escape.
Stuck at school, you impatiently waited for the day to be over. You dreamed of coming back home to her, to feel her warm embrace and the endless comfort and love she provided you.
On the other side, Dami was patiently waiting for her day at the studio to be done with. She knew great things took time, and if doing her job right meant she’d see you earlier, then she was more than willing to be patient.
Luckily for her, unlike you, her day was cut short.
Dami had prepared for this day. Although she hates to admit it, she’s been thinking about it for months, trying to find the perfect way to make this day perfect for you.
Would she prefer going out? Staying at home? Dami decided on the first option, seeing as though you'd be coming back from a long day out at school.
Staying at home didn’t mean she was gonna let it get boring though. She had a very special list with her, which she had written months prior without ever letting you know.
As she got out of work, she took her special list out to start her journey to what she hoped would be the perfect valentine's day for you.
She had wanted you both to stay home today, but seeing how important your studies are to you, she let you follow your heart. Resulting in you going to study at school and working hard like you always do.
But before she could let you go. She pulled you back into her embrace, leaving another lingering kiss on your lips. Letting her hands gently caress your hips before hugging you close.
Dami wanted to cherish every moment with you, forever trying to remind you how much she loved you.
You truly were a miracle to her, a source of light in this sometime dark world. Someone that reminded her why life was so worth it and how amazing it could be.
She kept thinking about you every second of the day. And now, as she was making her way to your favorite coffee shop, she couldn't stop herself from smiling as images of you were replaying in her mind.
Although this was a coffee shop, Dami would be getting your favorite milkshake here.
After getting the largest size possible, she made her way to a nearby bakery to get some of your favorite treats.
Next was the flower stand near your shared apartment. Dami picked many different colored roses to make a bouquet that reminded her of you.
Now that all her errands were done, she made her way up to your apartment, unlocking the door before placing all her gifts on the table.
She decorated the apartment with a few red colored decorations before ordering takeout from your favorite place.
After giving out the address, a knock was heard on the door.
She quickly looked at herself in the mirror, trying to tend to her appearance quickly before opening the door.
Calmly, she greeted you with a charming smile. ‘’Welcome home my love’’ she offered her hand to you, making you follow her to the living room, where her gifts were spread out in the shape of a heart.
You gasped at the sight, immediately kissing her soft lips to thank her before kneeling before the table.
Dami watched in admiration as you excitedly tasted every treat and smelled all the flowers.
When you turned around to thank her once again though, she had yet another surprise.
She sat beside you before pulling from behind her two panda plushies. The both of them were adorably stuck to each other, holding a heart together.
‘’It’s us’’ she smiled.
You cooed at her before jumping to her, making her fall from your hug. She giggled while rubbing your back as you laid on top of her.
‘’You really are a simp’’ you teased her, making her ears turn red.
‘’Only for you’’ she replied before muffling your laugh with her lips.
Before she could tease you back at how she successfully stopped you from laughing, a knock was heard yet again, meaning your dinner was here.
She grabbed her wallet before opening the door to pay. Now placing the food before you on the small living room table.
She put on your favorite comfort tv show and brought you a glass of water to help with the food.
——
About an hour later, you were both full and comfortably laying on the sofa
Dami had even applied a clay mask to your face to help you relax, taking it off gently with a warm towel while your head was laying in her lap. She then massaged your temples before leaving a kiss on your forehead.
Although you felt sleepy, dami had one last surprise for you.
Carefully getting up from the sofa, she grabbed her phone to play one of your favorite songs. When you realized what she was planning, you couldn't help the smile spreading on your face.
Dami slightly bowed before offering her hand to you. ‘’Would you allow me this dance miss?’’she grinned
You stood up to join her, both your bodies quickly colliding in a warm embrace. As she swayed you within her strong grip, you let your head lay on her chest.
Although Dami wasn’t one to express her feelings with words, she gave you the words you had been waiting for all day.
‘’I love you so much’’ dami said through a slightly blurry vision, feeling forever grateful to have you
‘’I love you too baby’’ you replied before cupping her face to give her a kiss the both of you wouldn't be pulling out of for a while.
#dreamcatcher x reader#dreamcatcher imagines#dreamcatcher dami x reader#dami scenarios#dami x reader#dami imagines#dreamcatcher dami
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Christmas in August, part 5/5
Newlyweds Shane and Chloe have just added a new extension to the Bartlett-Fleming-Morris family, but when it seems like the couple won't be able to make it "home for the holidays", Tim comes up with an idea to make their first extended family Christmas happen.
Characters: Shane, Chloe, Tim, Miranda, Jack, Lisa, Amy, Lyndy, Lou, Katie, Nathan, Paul.
A/N: Sets around the time of the season 17 finale.
Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!
****
Suddenly, it was as if Miranda remembered how to breathe as she let out a long sigh. Tim looked at her funny. Shane on the other hand was confused.
The emotions were all over the place.
"Oh, thank god, you're here", Miranda said, feeling relieved and mentally exhausted for trying to keep this secret from Shane, "I couldn't come up with another lie."
Shane kept glancing back at them, going from Tim to Miranda and then back to Tim again. "What the heck's going on?"
Clearly this had something to do with their little scheming, but what exactly was the plan, Shane wondered.
"Come. Have a look who I have here with me", Tim said, gesturing Shane to join him.
Shane put the brush aside, not knowing whether he should be angry at his parents or not, but at least he had to see who Tim had with him before he could fully make up his mind.
They went to the trailer, and Tim opened the back of it. Miranda trailed Shane, looking guilty, but also somewhat hopeful that this had all been worth it.
It didn't take Tim long to unload the horse that was inside, and Shane immediately recognized him.
"Pal...?" he said with disbelief. "But... I thought he was no longer around..." Shane continued, walking closer to his old horse and giving Tim a confused look.
"Well, he is still mine on paper, but a buddy of mine is leasing him for ranching purposes. Pal's great at cattle work, so I always thought it was best for him to do what he's great at. He may no longer be at Heartland, but... he's still around", Tim shared, looking at his son admiring the horse that had made him a cowboy.
"I can't believe this..." Shane mumbled, shaking his head.
Chloe would love this...
"And if your visits here will be more frequent now, maybe he'll be around a lot more", Tim added, hoping that Shane would be able to pick up his hint of him wanting his son around more.
Shane gently caressed the horse's cheeks and it looked like the horse was curious about him, but didn't necessarily recognize him right away.
"So... wait -- mom knew...?" Shane rewound everything, checking the facts in order to finally solve this case.
"Yeah, she was in on it", Tim confirmed. "I mean, I wanted to make your last day here special and when I heard you mention Pal's name yesterday, I just knew I had to go and get him for our last trail ride."
Shane was at a loss of words.
He felt so many emotions all at once; frustration and happiness were the ones on top for him right now, but he chose to focus on this grand gesture and the gratefulness it brought with it.
It really made it clear Tim was listening to what he was saying.
"It's not that I'm not happy to see Pal, but..." Shane began after a while, "I just thought something else was going on. And I already got so mad at mom and--"
"Oh, it's fine - I'm used to it", Miranda said, smiling and waving her hand. "I'm just glad you were able to reunite with Pal again."
Shane didn't like the way she said it. He didn't like that his mom was "used to it". Used to it coming from him?
Was there room for improvement...?
"So... should we get ready for the trail ride before it gets dark?" Tim asked. "Maybe your mom and Paul should join too?" he suggested.
"Oh, I don't know", Miranda shook her head. "Paul's never ridden a horse and it's been a while since my last ride too. So, you three just go, we'll catch up with you later."
Tim nodded. He didn't want to to exclude Miranda - or Paul - from this family event, seeing they were family. And besides, these days they got along just fine.
"Okay, if you're sure", Tim checked.
"Yeah. Oh, and..." she remembered and dug out keys from her summer dress's pocket. "Here are your car keys. I'm sorry, I just... I had to keep you here as per your dad's request."
"I'm sorry too", Shane had to say. "I feel bad for getting so upset."
"Well, you only reacted accordingly to whatever thing I was trying to spin at you", Miranda assured, smiling a little bit. "I don't take it personally."
Shane now knew that Miranda had been lying in order to keep Tim's surprise, but there were still some things he wasn't sure had been lies.
But maybe time for that conversation was not now.
"I love you", Shane said and came to give Miranda a hug.
Miranda was surprised by the reaction, after everything that had happened, but embraced it quickly. It wasn't often something like this happened.
To Tim's eyes, he didn't really see anything strange going on between them, as he had missed out what had happened while he had been gone, so he was just happy to see his son and Miranda hugging like this.
"I love you too", Miranda said, giving Shane's cheek a quick peck. "Now, off you go."
There was some type of melancholy tone in her voice.
Even though Miranda was talking about the trail ride, her explanation earlier about having hard time letting him go in order for Shane to be an adult was still lingering at the back of his mind and it made him think maybe the words had a double meaning.
"Come on, Pal", Shane said then, taking the lead from Tim. "I have someone I'd like you to meet..."
****
The next couple of hours were spent exploring the 600 acres of land that Jack Bartlett owned. Tim made sure to keep the pace steady for Chloe's sake as she was still new to riding.
Even though the scenery was the biggest hit for both Chloe and Shane, the moments of meetings with the wildlife during the ride was exotic for them too. All the animals kept their distance, thankfully, so the newlyweds didn't have to go through another dramatic event on top of everything else they had already endured.
"As much as I love all this, we should probably head back to the cabins and start packing", Shane said when it was starting to get late.
Tim, leading the ride with one of the Dude Ranch horses, glanced over his shoulder.
"Of course", he said. "There's just one more thing I want to show you."
They rode along the trail and for Shane, it was starting to look like they were heading to the wrong direction, further away from the cabins.
"Dad, are we sure we have time for this?" Shane checked.
"We're almost there", Tim assured him.
When they rode pass the trees, they suddenly found themselves out of the woods. It took Chloe a second to recognize the place because she had never seen it from this direction.
"Wait, we're at Heartland...?" she checked from Shane, wondering if that had been intentional.
Shane - who was the last rider - knew that for sure, but didn't understand what they were doing here. "Dad...?"
Tim said nothing, but steered them to the front of the house.
As they were turning the last corner, they could all hear an ominous, slowed down version of some Christmas song. It added a creepy layer to the confusion both Chloe and Shane were feeling.
It took them a while to realize there was an inflated snowman next to the porch and the music was coming from inside of him. The snowman looked like he had seen better days as Chloe spotted some tape on his side, like he had had a tear and someone had tried to nurse him back to health.
"Didn't realize it was Halloween just yet..." Chloe chuckled a little.
The snowman seemed so out of place with no snow around.
"Dad, what's going on?" Shane repeated his inquire.
It seemed like getting Pal wasn't the only thing Tim had planned for them.
When the old cowboy unmounted his horse, he looked at the couple. Because Tim seemed calm, Shane wanted to let down his guard too.
"Come on, let's get inside", Tim said, doing something with his horse's girth that Chloe wasn't able to see. "I have something else to show you."
Chloe looked at Shane, wanting to follow his cue. When he got down from the saddle, she looked around.
"What do we do with the horses?" Chloe asked, then getting down too. "Do we just leave them... here...?"
"I guess", Shane figured, since Tim was doing it now too. "Here, I'll show you", he said, then demonstrating Chloe how to tie the horses to the pole of the fence in front of the house safely.
Tim waited them at the gate and when they approached him, he then lead them inside. He didn't say anything, but looked mischievous.
The evening had just started to get dim enough for them to see that inside there was a cozy looking light. When Tim opened the screen door for them, Shane and Chloe were met with familiar smells, but somehow - just like the snowman standing by the porch - they seemed... out of place as well.
They didn't seem like they belonged to August.
Stepping inside the ranch house, with a guarded feeling, Shane went in first with Chloe coming behind him. As Tim stepped in and made the mudroom space smaller, it urged Shane to step in further.
As soon as he walked pass the frame of the mudroom and entered the kitchen, Shane saw twinkling lights in the living room and the whole family gathered together in festive clothes.
Katie was even wearing a playful reindeer antlers on her head that you could usually see on children during Christmas.
The place looked like something out of a Hallmark movie. There were holiday decorations everywhere, candles were lit in the middle of the dinner table and then... there was even a Christmas tree in the corner.
"What---" was all Shane could let out before the whole family welcomed them in in unison.
"Merry Christmas!"
Chloe stepped behind Shane and looked around. She gasped a little. "Oh my gosh... What is this?!"
Tim walked next to them, looking pleased with himself. "Well, you said you couldn't make it here for Christmas and so... we decided to celebrate Christmas now", he explained, shrugging a little bit, like it was not surprising or even a big of a deal.
Jessica walked over, shaking her head when she saw Shane and Chloe's faces. "This was all Tim's idea. We just helped."
Shane laughed, completely taken by this surprise as he walked closer and looked around. "You made all this happen in a day...?" he couldn't believe it.
"Hey, you saw that we could pull together a pretty nice wedding, why are you so surprised we couldn't pull together a Christmas celebration too?" Lou asked, acting hurt, but was actually just pleased how they had all been able to make these two events happen for Shane, hopefully proving him that they wanted to keep the momentum going.
"This is amazing!" Chloe said, pressing her hands against the lower part of her face. Her eyes were glistening with tears. "And so beautiful!" she sighed.
When she finally was able to look at something else besides the decorations and the tree, she noticed Miranda and Paul had joined the family too.
Chloe nudged Shane and after she had been able to get his attention, she nodded toward her new in-laws.
Shane was just blown away by all this effort and how everyone had been able to keep it a secret. It was all starting to make sense to him again - why Miranda had wanted to keep him away from Heartland.
Even though he didn't like secrets, maybe he could forgive this to his mom and dad - just this once.
****
After dinner, the whole family was sat around in the living room and even Lyndy was feeling well enough so she could join them for the part where Jessica was handing the newlyweds their Christmas gift.
"I hope you like it", she said as she gave Shane and Chloe the present. "I couldn't find any appropriate wrapping, but... hopefully you don't mind", Jessica commented the plain looking exterior.
"Not at all", Chloe assured. "Let's see..."
The couple was sat on the couch, and Chloe handed Shane her drink so she could open the present. Carefully, she discovered a photo album under the wrapping.
"Oh my, look at this", she sighed adoringly and slid her hand across the leathery surface.
Everyone looked at her and the gift curiously as she flipped open the first page.
"Oh, look it's our names and the wedding date", Chloe showed Shane. "You have beautiful handwriting, Jessica", she glanced at her quickly.
"Aw, thank you", Jessica said, smiling from under Tim's arm as they were standing around the living room. "You're so kind."
Chloe then proceeded to flip open another page, presenting a picture from the preparation for the wedding with Lou and Amy helping with her hair and dress.
"Oh, wow", Shane commented immediately.
"Oh my gosh", Chloe sighed. "This is beautiful..."
Everyone looked proudly at Jessica as she had been able to wow the bride with her picture.
"It's so nice to see this moment too as I wasn't there for that", Shane commented, after looking at the pictures with curiosity and admiration. He loved seeing her sisters help her wife out during such a pivotal moment.
It almost made him choke up, in fact. To think the journey they had had and how his family had all embraced this woman he loved so much.
Flipping over pages, Chloe presented Shane new pictures, starting from moments leading up the wedding, then to the ceremony and some were even from the after party.
With each moment captured, they could really appreciate all the effort that had gone over to arranging their wedding and the love their now-united families shared with one another.
"This is truly amazing, Jessica", Shane said when they closed the last page. "We'll cherish it forever", he promised.
It made Jessica happy as she had not really known how to find her place in this new setting, but at least she had been able to help them capture one of the happiest days of their lives.
Jessica pressed a hand over her heart, gesturing she would cherish Shane's comment in return.
"And all of this..." Shane then said, looking around the room as people were standing around or sitting down. "I just..." he began, but then felt a lump in his throat while the tears started forming in his eyes.
"Oh, honey..." Chloe said, gently caressing his husband's back.
"Sorry, I just..." Shane said, clearing his throat, "coming back here hasn't been easy. There were good memories, but also some bad that I had to face. And while it has been the perfect setting for our wedding, and you've all been so welcoming, it has taken me time to really believe that things have changed and we have all changed."
Lou glanced at Amy who was holding Lyndy on her lap and they changed a meaningful look. While their relationship with their brother was still budding in a new way, they were now completely committed to keeping in touch and really maintaining that relationship.
Shane's speech continued.
"And we will continue to change even from now on. But... while that was scary in the past and it's almost been something that has torn us apart... Change is also needed for us to grow into something even better. And while Chloe and I are off to have this new adventure together", he continued, then looking at his wife lovingly, "I will never, ever be that far from you anymore, because this time together has truly shown me that... dreams do come true."
Lisa glanced at Jack next to her, pursing her lips together in the form of an emotional smile. Jack smiled back and kissed his wife's temple softly.
"I mean, I was this lonely kid back in the day. I dreamed about having this cool dad", Shane chuckled a little bit and then directed his eyes at Tim who looked back at him, "and while we had a rocky start, yesterday I had him by my side as my best man. And he's actually way cooler than I could have ever imagined."
Tim smiled, moved by his son's words.
He would have never thought they would be here now, like this.
"And not only have I gotten to know my dad, but I have sisters too", Shane continued, now looking at Amy and Lou. "And that's been something I never knew I wanted, but... after getting to know you two, I feel privileged to get to call you my sisters, because you're both amazing people and I've learned so much from both of you."
"We love you", Lou whispered, blowing him a kiss across the room.
Amy nodded along, agreeing.
"And then... there was more", Shane went on, looking around. "Jack. Lisa. Jessica. Katie. Lyndy. You're my family too. It's just been more than I ever could have wished. And I just feel so lucky to be able to call you my family, but also introduce you to Chloe, my wife."
Chloe looked back at him, and they shared a quick kiss in front of the family. The room was filled with cooing.
"But... none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for my mom", Shane said, then looking at Miranda, not wanting to forget her. "For the longest time, it was just the two of us", he echoed the words Miranda had said earlier.
He still wasn't sure if his mom had pulled that up from thin air in order to buy more time before Tim's arrival, but something told him that that had actually been honest.
For once, Miranda had had no tells.
Miranda looked surprised by this type of attention, but listened attentively.
"I understand now that it probably wasn't very easy for her most of the time, and I may never come to understand everything or the choices she's had to make, but I know one thing; my mom has always loved me. And she will always love me. It doesn't matter where I go; whether I run off to Heartland", he said, making some of the family members laugh at that memory, "or go off to study law. Or maybe start a family of my own."
Wiping the corners of her eyes, Miranda listened. Paul gave her a gentle squeeze from the side.
"So I'm really thankful for everything - and everyone. Without you guys, I wouldn't be here", Shane said, looking around again. "And I have to say that I will remember this Christmas for the rest of my life. Not only because it happened in August, but also because for the first time in my life I have my whole family here, together. Couldn't be any better than that."
"I'll cheers to that!" Jack said, raising his glass.
"Cheers!" everyone joined him and raised their glasses.
****
The next morning, Tim was helping Shane and Chloe get their car packed. It was time for them to say goodbye - for now.
"I still can't believe you went and found Pal", Shane said when they got the last of the suitcases inside the trunk.
"Of course. I wanted this Christmas to be special", Tim said, closing the trunk when Shane had moved out of the way.
"Well, it definitely was", Shane assured with a grin. "And hey, just because we spent this year's Christmas here, the plans for next year are still on, right...?"
Tim smiled, as he loved to hear that. "Absolutely. I know New York's great during Christmas, but you really gotta experience true Heartland Christmas to really know what you're actually missing out."
Shane laughed. "I mean, I already got a taste yesterday, so I can't wait to see what the actual thing will be then..."
Tim pulled Shane into a hug from his neck and squeezed him tightly.
"Have a good time in Banff - and in China. I'm gonna miss you, kiddo."
"I will", Shane said. "I'll miss you too, dad."
They lingered a little bit longer, then getting interrupted by Chloe closing the cabin door behind her and walking at the porch toward them.
"All locked up now", she said, then coming to hand Tim the key.
"Thanks", Tim said, taking it and spreading his arms, signaling to Chloe he was going in for a hug.
"Thanks... dad", Chloe said, then feeling Tim twitch. She leaned back and looked at him. "Can I call you "dad"...?"
"Uh..." Tim grimaced as he had never been a fan of that coming from Ty - but then again, maybe it was time to give it a new try. After all, he was a more improved version of Tim now. "Sure. If that's what you want."
"Okay", Chloe said, smiling. "I'll text my parents that we're on our way to Banff", she then let Shane know.
Miranda and Paul walked over to say their goodbyes to the couple too, and Tim watched as they embraced before going off to separate ways.
He never would have guessed that back in the day, this very spot where Miranda had dumped him, he would be watching all of this happen, feeling happy about the way things had turned out to be.
It might be August, Tim thought, but this really feels like a Christmas miracle.
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A Kiss Can Change Everything • glen powell
Requested by: @kati-1997
Hello! This is a new request made by @kati-1997, who I apologise to for making wait so long but I hope this is worth it. I really hope you all enjoy reading it and that I’ve managed to create everything requested/wanted in this one shot. I really enjoyed writing this one, please let me know what you all think if you’d like, either on this post or privately. Same goes for requests (which are currently open) you can either ask me from “Ask Me Anything” or privately if you’d feel more comfortable but it’s entirely up to you otherwise I hope you enjoy reading this.
Callsign is Rose for the character (Y/N) plays as requested by @kati-1997 but is not shown in either image above.
Gif is not mine, belongs to the owner.
Warnings: age gap (mentioned very briefly), fluffy
Glen Powell x fem!reader
Word count: 1,964
(Y/N) thought her character fit her perfectly. Of course the whole point of acting is becoming somebody completely different to yourself, immersing yourself into this person, but it felt as this role was made for (Y/N).
Her characters callsign, Rose, was like a play on words to the beautiful flower, she has a balance of being sweet and a tad shy like the delicate petals and has a feistiness and hint of danger like the thorns that protect the flower, hence her characters similarities that she sees in herself. The role of Rose for (Y/N) became important and another version of herself that would hopefully empower other women when watching Top Gun: Maverick in cinemas all over the world.
She knew there was going to be a kissing scene, she had read the script of course, her character had a budding romance in the film, but she wasn’t expecting it to be today. Right now at this very second. She needed to prepare herself for this moment, and she wasn’t feeling at all ready for it.
Because she and Monica were the only female pilots in the film, they had grown close and (Y/N) had felt comfortable enough in a moment of weakness to admit her attraction she had for Glen, the man she was currently working herself up about who would be the one she has to kiss.
“Hey, don’t be nervous, everything is going to be okay.” Monica says trying to soothe (Y/N)’s nerves.
“I know and I’m trying but it’s not working. How is it that he can be so calm?” (Y/N) asks, looking in the direction of where Glen is currently stood with the guys laughing and standing with his arms crossed looking all relaxed while internally for her butterflies were fluttering around like crazy.
Monica smirks following (Y/N)’s direction of sudden interest. “I’m sure he’s just as nervous as you. The only thing is, he’s just better at hiding it.”
(Y/N) rolls her eyes at Monica’s attempt at reassuring her and looks at Glen more closely trying to find even a hint of panic at what is about to happen but comes up empty in her search.
“Glen, (Y/N), we’re ready for you.” The director calls out, waving them over to where everyone is set up with the cameras and over head microphones.
(Y/N) takes a deep breathe, trying to calm her nerves and find some confidence that she knows she has hidden somewhere. She steels her shoulders back and begins walking over as Monica joins the rest of the cast who look on from the side.
She looks over to everyone looking for reassurance. Everyone gestures with their hands, creating a sweeping motion for her to go for it.
“I’m ready.” Glen says confidently looking at her for agreement. She nods seeing how the focus is now being put on her.
“Okay. And… action.” The director announces as the ringing sound dies down, the clapperboard moving away from view as cameras begin to roll.
“You can’t be so reckless all the time Rose. You could seriously hurt yourself, hell, you could even kill yourself with the way you’re flying out there!” Glen chastised angrily, getting into character.
(Y/N) shrinks back away from Glen as his character, Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin shouts at her, finding her own persona for her role. Her own character, not being one for confrontation but willing to stand up for herself if she has to, replies with her lines. “But I didn’t Hangman, did I? I’m okay, I’m here on solid ground. I don’t get what your problem is all of the time.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Glen asks as Hangman, an exasperated look on his face as he shrugs in disbelief and his hands come out from beside him, his actions looking almost realistic.
“What don’t I get Hangman? Hmm?” (Y/N) folds her arms over her chest, trying to appear stand-offish to him overreacting.
What no one sees from the recording camera is that (Y/N)’s heart is starting to beat like crazy against the inside of her chest, she knows what is about to happen and doesn’t feel totally prepared for it.
“I worry about you out there because I’m scared. I’m scared of one day not being able to tell you how I feel and regretting not having had that chance. I like you Rose, I have for a long time and every time you put yourself through harms way, it terrifies me. I’m terrified to lose you.” The raw emotion in his voice as he spoke his lines had everyone around them hooked by the power in which he conveys his feelings.
“You… you like me?” A smile graces (Y/N)’s lips as she stays in character, even though on the inside she feels distress because she wishes it was real. That the words, “I like you”, weren’t spoken from a script about pretend but came from his heart for real.
“Yes, I do.” Glen reaches out his hand and cups (Y/N)’s check, the pad of his thumb caresses against her cheek.
They stare at each other so intensely that when his lips touch hers for the first time, she doesn’t know what to do or how to react.
(Y/N) freezes in the moment, the feel of his lips against hers rendering her motionless. She tries to get out of her racing head filled with thoughts and control her beating heart that slams against her chest but she can’t seem to reciprocate his kiss.
“And cut. We’ll go again in 5 minutes, okay everyone?”
(Y/N) walks over to the group and drags Monica away for some privacy.
“That was amazing!” Monica screeches, shaking (Y/N) by her arms leaving her feeling dizzy.
(Y/N) flushes from Monica’s words, looking back to Glen who is already looking at her, while still feeling the lingering touch of his lips on hers.
She hears Monica sigh from beside her. “What?”
“It’s so cute. Seeing the way he looks at you and you at him and neither of you have got a single clue.” Monica laughs, patting (Y/N) on the shoulder who suddenly feels left out of something important.
“Okay, we’re ready for you (Y/N), Glen.”
Confused by Monica’s reaction, (Y/N) gets into position opposite Glen in front of the cameras.
“Are you going to kiss me this time or what?” Glen questions once they’re in the right spot, close enough for her to hear him.
(Y/N) stares at him speechless as he catches her off guard at his directness.
Before the silence can linger for too long, Glen smirks and continues. “Remember to actually kiss me back this time, alright?”
“Alright everyone, get back into position. One, two, three, action.” The director calls the numbers down, his voice cutting out getting quieter as he finishes and points for them to begin.
They start redoing the scene, the kiss coming up in just a minute.
“You… you like me?”
“Yes, I do.”
(Y/N) prepares herself this time for the touch of his hand on her cheek, the pad of his thumb gliding over her cheek, his gaze even more intense than before.
He slowly leans in and (Y/N) closes her eyes, feeling the softness of his lips as they brush against hers tentatively then gradually increasing the speed and deepening the kiss caressing her tongue with his and tangling his hands in her hair taking over the control.
They separate, opening their eyes to only focus on one another, the sound of the director calling out “cut” going unnoticed by either of them.
Glen’s breath brushes against her patted lips as she catches his eyes focusing back and forth from her eyes to her mouth, before lingering his attention on the latter.
“Are you going to kiss me or not?” She blurts out, the words leaving her mouth so suddenly she can’t fully comprehend what she’s asking, turning his own words loosely against him from minutes earlier.
Glen’s eyes widen in surprise before opening and closing his mouth, no words coming out. (Y/N), feeling ridiculous and embarrassed by her sudden forwardness, tries to back track. “I’m sorry. You know what, can we please forget everything I just said?”
He smirks at her hastened question but doesn’t reply. (Y/N) feeling stupid for making such a silly comment, begins to retreat her steps away from him. His large, warm hand wraps around her upper arm pulling her back to him. She gasps from the intimate touch, never having been so close to him in such a manner. The touch was welcomed if not surprising and unlike any other time.
His hand reaches out to touch her cheek again, very much like how he had twice before but this time the cameras weren’t rolling and there wasn’t any pressure of remembering lines. (Y/N)’s breathe hitches as she’s made more aware of the close proximity as she watches his face inch up to her.
The kiss is unlike the others, this is for them and no one else. This one is filled with passion and they manage to find a rhythm as she reaches up and holds the back of his neck and plays with the wispy hairs at the base, melting in his strong hold.
The clapping and cheering of everyone around them surprises them and makes them slowly begrudgingly pull away from each other.
(Y/N) and Glen look out over to where their friends, the rest of the cast, are watching and celebrating, and walk off to join them.
“Well it’s about time you two.” Miles says as he claps Glen on the back in a hug.
“Yeah, we were beginning to doubt if it was actually going to happen.” Lewis chimes in.
“We thought all that age gap crap you’d spew was beginning to get to you and put you off saying anything about how you really felt but I’m happy to see that it didn’t.” Greg adds as he looks specifically at Glen who looks embarrassed at being called out.
“It doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you. The age gap thing I mean.” (Y/N) says from next to Monica having just finished hugging and catching what Greg said.
“Really?” Glen asks, shocked by her reply.
(Y/N) smiles as she looks at Glen’s face, lit up in wonder and full of hope. “Really.”
“So tell us, how long did it take for you to film your kissing scene together? I think I can speak for everyone when I say that the kiss definitely stole the show.” The interviewer asks, looking at them both with interest in her eyes.
Glen laughs as he finds (Y/N)’s hand beside him with his and begins to play with her fingers as he processes the best way to answer the question.
“It’s quite a funny story actually. Let me start at the beginning, so…”
After filming the scene after their confession of liking each other, the next take was perfect and everyone could see how much feeling went into it and was no doubt the take to include.
The confession had also meant that their relationship had the opportunity to blossom and everyone thought it was only right if they would do interviews together when it wasn’t everybody together.
Looking back now that filming was complete and she got to walk away with friends for live and an amazing boyfriend, (Y/N) doesn’t understand why she was so nervous about the kiss anymore. It managed to all work out for her and she couldn’t be happier. A kiss can change everything.
#glen powell x reader#glen powell#top gun maverick#miles teller#monica barbaro#lewis pullman#greg tarzan davis#masterlist
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five years ago || P.2
(writing without any plans, just what U'm thinkung at the moment, so I hope that it will turn out ok lol)
//<;- Part one // Part three ->
Summary: What happens when you find your way back to a good friend from the past through a song he wrote five years ago?
A week later
It has been a week since I made that post , and ever since then I didn't return the note with his song back to the box, I put it right next to my computer.
I already memorized the note because of the number of times I have read it.
I didn't believe that he would see my post, like, what are the odds? But….I check my email every day, even though I'm trying to just forget about it.
Anyway, it has been five years, will he even remember it at all?
"Bestie, did you check your email?" Kat asked, "Yes, I did, nothing new, Katie, we should just forget about it, it's a bit ridiculous, I guess," she laughs. "Oh, come on, don't tell me that you don't want him to see your post, that you are not waiting to talk to him again, so he could write songs for you again." I looked at her smiling—" not funny, didn't laugh “.
She got up and went over to the door of my room. "Come on, party pooper, let's go out , maybe an ice cream will cheer you up." I got up. "Who said that I'm upset?”.
The weather is getting hot, summer is around the corner.
"Kat, do you really want to go out of town now?" I asked my very lovely friend, who just loves doing stuff spontaneously. "YES, It’s going to be fun! " she said as she held my arm while we were walking towards the freaking train.
20 minutes later
"Ice cream, Katrina, ice cream," she looked at me, rolling her eyes, "I know, Y/N, I know! Sorry, Mcfly, but I know this good place, and they have amazing ice cream” She calls me Mcfly because of my favorite movie, "Back to the Future."
"I really hope that this ice cream is worth it, Styles." guess why I call her like that.
Few minutes have passed, and there are a lot of people in the train station, obviously, people who are going to work, people who are going to meet their friends or family members, hang out, and there are people who are not going on the train, people that are trying to make money by singing or playing instruments in the train station here.
Our train finally came, since there were many people it was kinda hard to get into the train.
As the door opened we were getting pushed by the people around us, people that are trying to get into the train like we are.
As we tried to get in,I accidentally pushed someone, causing them to drop the drink they were holding.
Somehow I managed to bend down to the floor to pick up the drink, while all the people around me rushed to the train.
I just prayed that I wouldn't get pushed or something.
“ I’m so sorry sir, I didn’t mean to” he got up and I looked at him “ no no that’s fine- Y/n? “ Everything stopped, for a moment I forgot about the train and Kat, it felt like a weird dream, he was the last person I thought I'd see “ Eddie? “ it was hard to even hear what he was saying because of the loud noises in the background but I swear that he said my name. “ Y/N WE NEED TO GO “ Kat grabbed my arm and then he held my hand, I don’t know what he tried to do but everything was going so fast that I held his hand for a second and I was already on the train.
We didn’t find a place to sit in the train for obvious reasons, we were a bit squashed because of the amount of people that were in the train.
I looked at my hand trying not to drop what I'm holding—a ring, a ring that slipped off one of his fingers, a ring that really made me believe it was really him and not just someone who looked like him.
Back at home
It was a nice day, honestly , and it went by really fast.
After we got out the train I told Kat what happened before she grabbed my arm so I wouldn't miss the train. We were in the line for the ice cream, it did look like a very promising place if you ask me.
“ What the fuck Y/n, are you joking ? “ she said and her voice was getting high from what I told her “ I wish I was joking Kat, I’m really confused “ the line was getting shorter.
“ What are you going to do now? “ I looked at the ring and said “ no idea Katie, probably nothing you know “.
We were talking about what happened, Kat wanted me to have fun and not overthink so much ,so we went to the mall and we just enjoyed the day together until the evening.
And here I am now, sitting in front of my computer in the dark, thinking about what happened in the train station, until my thoughts were cut off when a notification sound came out of my computer.
I got a message from my Gmail, so I clicked on it,
It was from someone named
- @ Michelle86
would you like me to continue?
Btw, my favorite movie is back to the future lol
#eddie x you#eddie stranger things#eddie x reader#eddie munson#eddie x y/n#eddie munson fic#eddie munson x y/n#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson imagine#stranger things 4#boyfriend#fun fiction#imagine#rockstar eddie munson#eddie munson x you#stranger things#harry styles#back to the future#marty mcfly
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virtus
Part 2 of Triumvirate
Pairing: Javier Peña x f!reader x Katie
Word Count: 14.2k
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Ever since you and Javi invited a third person into your bed, you're happier than you ever were before in your life. Still you can't help but feel that something is missing.
Warnings: mention of food | so many feelings!!! this is 50:50 on feelings and smut | smoking | power dynamics | a lot of bi panic | threesome (f/f/m) | Javi is in charge (as a treat) | the oral fixation in this is … a lot | oral (f and m receiving) | size kink | brief hand job | cum eating | a bit of dirty talk | praise kink | fingering | voyeurism | masturbation (m) | spanking | (unprotected) p in v sex
Notes: I am so sorry for the delay, first for making you guys wait for more than a year for an update and then not posting the update when I said I would post it. But it's finally here: Triumvirate Part 2! I can't believe it took me almost a year to write this, but I hope it was worth the wait. As ever, this fic wouldn't exist without its co-author Dani @adricnchase who probably spent just as many hours working on this as I did. And I want to thank all of you who patiently waited for an update for such a long time and didn't give up on this story. You guys are amazing!
***
It was supposed to be a one-time thing.
You had a deal.
Javi would get to live out his fantasy; granted, it was on your terms, but he would get to have two women in his bed, he would get to fuck them both.
And you would get a friend.
In a way, this is exactly what happened. Javi had changed since then, and not in a bad way. Since you had let him have this one thing, this encounter that had been making regular appearances whenever he had taken care of himself, he had become more open with you. Not less, as a small part of you had feared. He is a man, after all, and you know men – you know how they see women as vessels for their own pleasure, how they often forget about their partners’ needs. But this isn’t like that at all. Yes, Javi had a sexual fantasy that most men have at least once in their lives. So no, seeing it fulfilled didn’t make him into someone you were afraid he might become.
The first time you talked to Katie after the events of that night was when she called you to ask if you were free to have coffee with her. She had a short hour between two meetings and you both had talked about getting to know each other better, as she reminded you in a small voice, one that was either timid on purpose to show you she wasn’t a threat or one that showed you a side of her you hadn’t seen yet – one that was scared of rejection. The first time you saw Katie after the events of that night was awkward. You both didn’t quite know what to say to each other until you found common ground – Javi. And with him came all the other things you could talk about.
With Javi, things changed on a physical level. He sees you differently now, and he asks for different things, too. He asks to restrain you with his handcuffs (late one night, his voice so low you think you’ve misunderstood him at first), he asks you to wear a particularly revealing dress out to dinner one night (one you hadn’t worn in public before), he asks for you in the middle of the night with hungry kisses and urgent touches. And he gives, he gives so much that you feel like you’re floating most of the time. And it’s not just sex, either. It’s presents and date nights and surprise visits during lunch break. He doesn’t just do it to show how grateful he is. He does it because something has changed.
With Katie, things changed on an emotional level. You think of her as a friend now, and once you’ve gotten past the initial awkwardness you realize how much you two have in common. You talk about books and music, you talk about your dreams and aspirations, you talk about your families back home, the boyfriends you’ve loved and lost, the places you still want to see. You talk about work, too, and sometimes about Javi. But when you’re with her, there is so much else that fills your mind, so many curious questions you want to ask and funny stories you want to share that you don’t need to talk about Javi to keep the conversation going. And coffee with Katie becomes a regular occurrence.
And sometimes, those two halves that make you whole collide. Sometimes Javi gets home and says, “So Katie was telling me today that you don’t like my menudo,” to which you reply, “Oh, that little –” but before you can finish the sentence, Javi has caught you in his arms and kissed you. Sometimes, Katie sits down opposite you in your favorite coffee place, a slight flush dusting her cheeks because she hurried to get to you despite the Colombian heat, and she says, “You really think my blouse from the other day looked nice on me?” And then it’s your turn to feel the heat on your face as you mumble, “It made your eyes shine,” all the while making a mental note to remind Javi about how your private conversations are supposed to remain just that – private.
You feel happier than you have in months, hell, in years. You’re the happiest you’ve been since you arrived in Colombia. For the first time you feel like your life is whole, that you have a place, a home. And it should be enough. You have a loving boyfriend, you have a friend you can share everything with – that’s more than most of your friends back home can claim for themselves. And yet sometimes when you hear Katie laugh because of something funny you said or when you feel Javi’s breath against your hot skin as he slowly takes you apart with hard thrusts and whispered praises you feel … incomplete. But you never examine that feeling too closely.
You don’t dare to.
You are terrified of what you might find once you do. You’re terrified of what it might mean, this ache you feel in those moments. Because what you have is good. What you have is better than anything you dreamed of for yourself. And you have no right to feel incomplete, none at all.
After all, it was supposed to be a one-time thing.
_______
You look forward to meeting up with Katie because you love hearing about her work. It is the same as Javi’s but she sees it with different eyes, and she talks about it with an air of lightness. Javi doesn’t love what he does, he sees it as a necessity and he’s good at it, maybe even the best, but he doesn’t talk about his work when he’s at home. This hasn’t changed since Katie. But she indulges you, she tells you about her daily tasks, about fun colleagues and stupid bosses, about all the paperwork she has to do. And she always has an exciting story or two to tell when you meet up.
There is always a slight nervousness you feel when you wait for her in that coffee place. Today is no different. As you watch the brooding sky outside, foreboding with dark-gray clouds, you ask yourself if you should tell her. But tell her what? You don’t know yourself, even though it’s been one and a half months since she was lying under you, touching you, while Javi was behind you, and … You shift in your seat, uncomfortably aware of the hot weather. What’s there to tell? Hi Katie, I liked having you in our bed. Could we do that again? You laugh at how silly this sounds, even just in your head. And how would you react if Katie rejected you? You don’t think she has a boyfriend, she would’ve mentioned him to you, but it was supposed to be one time, one fucking time, and just because you can’t stop thinking about it doesn’t mean she can’t either. Just because you’re greedy and selfish doesn’t mean she’s the same.
And you’re terrified of her rejection, and you’re terrified of the possibility that she might not want to see you again afterwards.
But then you spot her outside the big window and all the tension leaves your body. It doesn’t matter if you tell her or not, all that matters is that she’s your friend and you get to have these coffee dates with her.
And then you spot him behind her, almost like a shadow – Javi.
Your heart leaps to your throat as you watch him hold open the door for her and lead her inside, his other hand on the small of her back. Maybe you should be jealous – any other woman would be – but you’re not. It’s the first time all of you are in a room together since that morning, and all the conflicting feelings you’ve been feeling are suddenly pushed aside. All you can think about is how good they look together … and that they’re both here for you.
You stand up, hitting your knee on the table leg. Javi’s stern face lights up with a small smile as he leans down to kiss you. He tastes like cigarettes.
“Hi, baby,” he says, one of his big hands squeezing your side.
You squirm at the sensation.
Neither you nor Javi care for keeping time, but you’ve been together for a while now, and still every time he touches you, you feel a flicker low in your stomach. He is always overwhelming yet safe, dangerous yet protective. You raise your hand to squeeze his arm through the sleeve of his tight-fitting suit, but before you can, he turns away from you to pull out a chair for Katie.
She smiles up at him as she sits down, and then she smiles at you. “Hi,” she says.
You let yourself fall back into your own chair and take a steadying breath. “Hi,” you echo, your heart beating so loudly you don’t hear the sounds your mouth emits.
“Javi wanted to come along,” Katie explains, as an apologetic gaze flashes across her face. “He wanted to know what,” she drops her voice, “you girls get up to when I’m not around.”
Javi smirks as he sits down himself, between you and Katie. “That doesn’t mean I wanted to come along,” he explains. “I was just asking.”
“You’re free to leave anytime,” Katie remarks.
“Now that you’ve dragged me all the way across town, I’m staying.” Javi crosses his legs and his arms, the fabric of his suit straining.
Katie mirrors him. “For the record, no one is keeping you here.”
“No, they’re not,” Javi agrees. “But I’m taking this opportunity to find out what you girls say about me when I’m not around.”
“What makes you think we’re talking about you?” Katie asks.
“What else would you be talking about?” Javi teases.
He teases. You sit up straighter, your gaze wandering between the two of them and you wonder if they’re always like this, even at work. You don’t think they are because it wouldn’t be professional, but you also wonder … maybe it’s not just you. Maybe Javi is thinking about her, too. Maybe they are already … no, they wouldn’t. You refuse to believe the two people you care about so much would hurt you in any way.
“Oh, we have plenty to talk about,” Katie answers him with a small laugh. “Clothes, makeup, boys …”
“Don’t I fall into the ‘boys’ category?” Javi wants to know, a challenging smirk on his lips.
For a moment you think Katie will push him further, you see this mischievous gleam in her eyes she always gets when she’s about to overstep a line. But then she leans forward, looks at you briefly, and drops her voice. “You’re much more than a boy, Javier.”
A pleasant shiver runs down your spine – excitement, thrill, arousal. You push it aside; this is neither the place nor the time to be feeling any of this. But when you look to Javi and see your feelings reflected on his face, your efforts turn into a losing battle.
Fuck.
“Should we order?” you ask, your voice deliberately calm. “You two probably don’t have much time.”
They both turn to you. And now you see guilt on Javi’s face and the challenge on Katie’s and your face burns hot with emotions you can’t place. Luckily, a young waitress comes to take your order right then and you’re spared from a deeper analysis of the shift that has occurred between the three of you.
“So.” You clear your throat and straighten the fabric of your trousers by running both palms over the smooth material. There is not a single wrinkle on it, but the movement grounds you. “How are things at the office?” It’s probably a futile attempt since you never discuss work with Javi and only sometimes with Katie, but you have to try.
Katie laughs, a warm, happy sound that makes your hands tingle. “I thought we were going to discuss All the Pretty Horses.”
Yes, you were. Last week, you had both gone to a bookshop not far from here and picked out a book to read, a new one, one neither of you had read before. You had been looking forward to the lunch date for a few days because you need to share some of your observations with Katie, and you are keen on hearing her opinion. Your already battered copy rests in your bag that is slung over your chair, nested somewhere between an old notebook and your house keys. But now, under these changed circumstances …
“Oh, Javi hasn’t read it,” you answer with a small shrug, looking past your boyfriend at Katie. “I don’t want him to be bored.” It’s only half the truth. The whole one is that you’re not sure how to act around Katie when Javi is there with you, who to be around her now you’re all together in one place again. The nervous jitter in your leg surprises you, as does your rapidly beating heart and your inability to look at either of them directly.
“I didn’t bring him along so he can ruin our lunch.” If another person had said it, anyone else, it would have sounded mean, hostile even. But when Katie says it, it sounds like an inside joke, jovial, amiable. “He can listen.” She narrows her eyes at you. “Or are you trying to hide something? Haven’t you read it? Is that it?”
“No, I’ve read it.” You almost stumble across the words in your haste to get them out. “It’s just …”
“Please don’t let yourself be distracted by me.” Now Javi has re-entered the conversation you can no longer ignore him. The mischievous glint in his eyes tells you to relax. And then there suddenly is a hand on your thigh, just above your knee, stopping the trembling. It’s warm and strong and careful, the steadying grip calming your nerves and muscles. “I’m more than happy to listen.”
“See?” Katie says with a nod at Javi.
You shake your head to get rid of the residue of tension in your neck and shoulders, then agree with an, “Oh, fine.”
Katie immediately lunges into an in-depth analysis of the main character and his motivations, while you listen and nod, agreeing with her until you don’t and you both end up in a heated discussion, Javi all but forgotten if not for his palm pressing into your leg, his fingers gripping your thigh. He doesn’t interrupt you, but he also doesn’t ignore your conversation. He listens intently, his gaze wandering between the two of you, his brow furrowed in concentration, his lips slightly parted – he always looks like this when someone catches his interest beyond a brief stimulation. When Katie challenges you with a, “No, that’s simply not true. Do you know anything about young men from Texas?” he looks at you with a look that says, “Well, do you?” and it makes you smile so broadly you’re unable to answer her. Later, when you say, “Well, then let’s agree to disagree,” and Katie says, “You’re only saying that because you know you’re wrong,” Javi stares at her in mock offense, a comical rendering of the very real feeling dancing across your features.
And despite Javi not being a part of the conversation, you couldn’t imagine it without him. You wouldn’t want it any other way. He’s more than happy to listen to you, giving you both the space you need, allowing you to be yourselves despite his presence. He never interrupts, never tries to stir the conversation into a direction that will let him allow to join in.
When your order finally arrives, he uses his cup of coffee to hide a smile as he listens to your discussion. Part of you wishes he had read the book and you could ask him for his opinion, but you’re not sure he’d be on your side, so it is better you’re fighting this battle one on one. And Katie does make compelling arguments, you’re prepared to admit that, but this is a matter of principle. You can’t let her win, not in front of Javi.
Katie, who ordered a pionono with her coffee, lets you ramble on about how Alejandra should have accepted John Grady’s marriage proposal, while she eats the treat slowly, careful not to spill anything onto her blouse. But when you call Alejandra a coward and it makes Javi snort into his cup with laughter, Katie glances at him and spills some of the dulce de leche onto her chin.
“Oh!” she exclaims in surprise, followed by a soft chuckle. “These things always get so messy.”
Your brain isn’t processing what she’s saying. You’re transfixed by the milk jam clinging to the corner of her mouth, to the tip of her chin, on the verge of dripping down onto her pretty clothes. A tremble runs through your body as you fight the urge to lean forward and clean her up, as your mind runs hot with endless possibilities.
Your hand, holding a napkin, softly dabbing at the corner of her mouth.
Your finger swiping up the cream, feeding it to her from its tip.
Your tongue licking her clean.
You know you’re staring but you couldn’t care less, not when that urge to fuss over her turns into something sexual you’re too weak to push away. You remember an image from six weeks ago – Katie between Javi’s legs, how sweetly clumsy she was, clumsy but determined. It made you want to care for her back then too, but now, with both those images in your mind, forming something so delicious, your breathing becomes shallow. Heat rises up to your cheeks as you imagine taking things further, cleaning her up after Javi comes down her throat …
Javi.
He’s watching you, his eyes narrow with observant curiosity. That breaks the spell, and you turn away from Katie as she gathers the cream on her fingers and licks them clean. She doesn’t know what you’re thinking, she’s completely oblivious – all she wants is to enjoy her lunch break in peace. And you’re not about to spill the thoughts you just had, let them both in on what goes through your mind, but you become quiet, so quiet Katie asks you if you’re all right.
You nod, laugh it off, pretend you just realized the argument on the book you were about to make doesn’t make any sense, and you just noticed how Katie was right all along. That makes her shout out an excited, “Ha!” before she turns to Javi to seek out his approval.
But Javi still has his eyes on you, quietly observant. You can’t hold his gaze.
He’s going to want to talk about this tonight.
_______
You don’t. He’s called away into the office before you finish cooking dinner, and even though he asks you to stay, you’re fast asleep by the time he gets back. He curls up behind you, pressing you against his chest, and buries his face in your neck, breathing in your scent. You, in a state between waking and dreaming, hold onto his arm as sleep overtakes you again.
Then there are two days where you don’t see each other at all. Javi has to travel – he doesn’t tell you where he’s going, he never does, and you don’t ask. Both of you believe it’s better not to, out of some old superstitious belief that he might not come back if you discuss the mission beforehand. He does come back though, lets himself into your flat late at night, and is on you immediately, barely finds time to undress himself. You never ask about the things he sees when he’s away, just let him take what he needs when he gets back, let him find comfort in your warmth and your embrace.
He's gentler than usual tonight, and afterwards he stays in bed next to you, offers you a cigarette and lights it for you before he lights his own. And then he says, “We should talk.”
You learned to dread those three words a long time ago, know they can never be the bearers of good news, only of disappointment and heartbreak. But this is Javi, and he would never play games like that, not after what you just did, after you clung to him and he held you until you were so overwhelmed you couldn’t stop the tears from falling and he kissed every single one away. Not after he cleaned you up with a warm cloth and brought you a glass of water before even thinking about his own needs. This isn’t a man who is about to break your heart.
“Sure,” you say, pushing down the rising dread.
“We said it would be a one-time thing …,” He hesitates, and you’ve never seen him hesitate like that. Maybe he is about to break your heart because there is only one way this could go. He saw the way you looked at Katie and is about to remind you of your deal. Maybe he’s even going to ask you to stop seeing her.
That thought is impossible to bear.
“Javi, I am so sorry.” Maybe he’ll be more forgiving if you show true remorse.
Javi, about to take a drag from his cigarette, stops his hand halfway up to his parted lips. “What are you sorry for?” The surprise on his face would have made you laugh under different circumstances.
It also allows you to open up, hoping you might have misinterpreted the direction your talk is going in. “I saw you looking at us in the coffee shop the other day.” There is no reaction from Javi, none. Nothing that tells you if this is what he wants to talk about. “I know we said it would be a one-time thing, but …” You have to take a deep breath, steel yourself for what you are about to say, and then get it out before you can stop yourself. If you don’t say this now, you never will, and you’ll carry that regret around with you as a heaviness that will weigh you down. “I wouldn’t mind if we invited her back.”
“Oh.”
Fuck. You got this all wrong. “I’m so sorry.” The words are tumbling out of your mouth. “You don’t have to say yes. I just thought …”
He doesn’t allow you to finish, instead taking the cigarette from you and carelessly discarding it in the ashtray next to your bed. Then he pulls you down by your hips until you’re lying pressed into the mattress. He’s on top of you before you can process what is happening, kissing you possessively. “Yes, fuck. Of course I want her to come back.”
“Of course?” you echo, not quite sure if you’re saying this in surprise, relief, or mock offense.
“I know we said it would be a one-time thing but I …,” he kisses you again, slower, with more care, but despite his gentleness you can feel him growing hard against your thigh, “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I’ve been thinking about her a lot.”
This isn’t at all how you thought this conversation would go, not when he announced there was something you needed to talk about. You weren’t expecting such a positive turn of events and your mind is spinning with the endless possibilities this opens up for you. You hadn’t realized it before, but every time you missed her in bed beside you, every time you thought about her with anything but feelings of friendship, you felt guilty about it. His confession erases that guilt in one broad swipe, and makes you feel nothing but joy and relief.
You nod encouragingly, eager for him to continue.
“I am attracted to her.” Javi doesn’t look away or hide his face when he confesses this. His gaze is on you. He’s not presenting a challenge or an ultimatum, he’s just stating a simple fact, one that is as certain as the sun rising in the morning. Maybe this confession should hurt, but it doesn’t. It just encourages you in your own attraction to her, the one you’ve been careful not to examine too closely. “And to you.” It’s not an afterthought, not something he says to dampen the pain. It’s just another indisputable fact, one that he follows up with a scorching kiss. “And seeing you two together again …”
He doesn’t finish that sentence, but he doesn’t have to. You immediately think about the implications of seeing you two together, think about how this isn’t about his own sexual gratification, at least not entirely. Yes, he will definitely get off on watching you two, a thought that makes you press into his thigh involuntarily, but that also means he’s confident enough to let you explore your own attraction to her.
“I …” You want to tell him, talk about what this means to you, to get this freedom, to have him say yes to a repeat of one of the best nights of your life, but you can’t. You can’t tell him you’re attracted to her too because you’re not yet sure yourself. Yes, you feel something for her, but it’s not ready to be discussed with anyone, not even with him. And admitting it is different for you anyway because you’re not a man. The implications are unconventional and you’re not ready to delve into that yet. But you can give him something else. “I’d love it if she came back. I like her a lot and we had so much fun last time.” That much is true, and it’s something you’re confident enough to share with him.
It barely scratches the surface of what you could say, but he understands you. The look he gives you is full of warmth and comprehension, and even though he can’t quite grasp the full scope of things, he gets it in some part. And that’s enough. It’s enough for the both of you. He doesn’t have to hear you say it to understand.
When he speaks again, he moves the conversation back onto familiar ground, ground that you can both handle, that doesn’t make you feel like you’re drowning in unspoken things. “I have rules though.” The smile he gives you is impish.
“Oh?” you make, your voice trembling with anticipation.
“Two rules,” he clarifies. “I want you to ask her.”
You agree without a moment’s hesitation. “Yes, sure.” It can’t be a problem, right? You’re very good friends, after all, and you should be able to talk to her openly about this. It’s no big deal.
His next demand makes you clench around nothing. “And I want to be in charge this time.”
You try to hide how flustered you are behind a teasing, “You do, do you?”
He pins you down with his entire body, traps you beneath his broad shoulders. “I have some ideas …”
Your mind is running wild with the endless possibilities that lie behind those four words. They make you think about him wanting to see you and Katie together, and that thought turns you on so much he has no trouble working two of his fingers into you. You welcome them, welcome the slight burning sensation, the feeling of being filled by him, while you think about his beautiful brown eyes on you as you do the same to Katie.
Later, he fucks you, finishing with a low, satisfied grunt.
_______
Katie is in a very good mood today. She hasn’t stopped giggling since she sat down, and it’s only been getting more exuberant with every sip of coffee she’s had. The other patrons are a constant source of joy for her, and she keeps pointing things out about them on the quiet. Under different circumstances you would’ve joined in gladly, would have encouraged her in her funny observations but today you are dying a slow and painful death.
Your hands are resting in your lap, the coffee in front of you barely touched. Your heart is such a tight knot in your chest that you can barely get out a sentence, let alone this complicated, intricate demand you were tasked to present her with. Shouldn’t this be easy? Isn’t it supposed to be easy? You agreed to this so readily because it’s supposed to be the easiest thing in the world. Then why is this so fucking hard?
It's because she could reject you. And if she does, things between you and her will be unbearably awkward.
Katie notices something is up, of course she does. “You’re so quiet today. Is everything all right?”
Is it? “Yes, sure,” you answer, then take a sip of your coffee, trying to hide how much your hand is shaking. If only your heart would stop racing so you could form a coherent thought.
Katie narrows her eyes. “You do realize I’ve been trained to tell when someone is lying, right?” But then her demeanor changes completely, from the DEA agent to your friend. “Do you want to talk about it?”
You feel panic spread from your heart into every corner of your body, terrible, unbearable panic. She’s offering you the ideal gateway, but you have absolutely no idea what to say to make sure you don’t ruin this. You’re so fucking terrified.
Finally, you shake your head.
Katie nods once. “Well, if you’re sure … but you can always talk to me about everything.”
You know this. If there’s anything that has become obvious over the course of the last six weeks it’s how much you can rely on Katie. She is always going to be there for you. And that’s what is keeping you from just coming out with it … what if you lose her when you tell her what is on your mind?
“Is there something I could do that would make you not want to see me ever again?” The second the last syllable leaves your mouth you regret asking the question. It gives too much away.
There is a big question mark on Katie’s face. Yes, she might have been trained to read other people, but she is an open book when it comes to her own emotions. “Nothing comes to me off the top of my head,” she answers after hesitating only briefly. “Did you have something specific in mind?”
You know she’s only joking because she sees you could use a laugh, but somehow it feels like she’s making light of the situation. It only occurs to you that this assessment is unfair after the thought has crossed your mind – after all, you haven’t told her what’s up. She has no way of knowing what she’s making light of.
Finally, you answer, “Yes.”
“Oh, okay.” She sounds slightly worried now, shifts in her chair to sit up straighter. Her arms are resting against the tabletop, forming a wall between your body and her chest.
You don’t say anything.
“Well, aren’t you going to tell me?” There is an undercurrent of impatience there, one you wish you could ignore, but now that you’ve heard it, it burrows itself deep into your mind, takes over every impulse, makes it impossible to come up with a way out of this situation.
You open your mouth, close it again without letting out a single sound. Your stupid heart is in your throat, choking you, working like a stopper to keep down the words.
Then she smiles at you softly. “I don’t think you could ever do something that would make me want to stop seeing you. Unless you kill my entire family, which I doubt you will.”
It makes you smile too, despite the panic and the trepidation and the dread. “Okay, yes,” you grant, “but what about doing something that would make things between us so awkward you wouldn’t be able to stand being around me?”
Her face falls slightly, and worry begins to cloud her soft gaze again. “You’re starting to worry me now.”
“God, fuck, I know.” You bury your face in your hands, so you don’t have to see the worry on her face. This isn’t at all going like you wanted it to go. “I’m so sorry.”
Katie touches your arm, strokes it encouragingly. “Hey, it’s okay.” Your initial reaction is to flinch away from her and it’s only the paralyzing fear you feel that stops you. But the longer you feel her fingers against your skin, the calmer you become. “Just take a deep breath, okay? It’s going to be fine.”
The understanding and compassion she has for you make you feel like you could cry, but that is definitely the wrong thing to do in this situation. The right thing to do would be to get it over with, just put it out there and let her decide what to do next. “I …,” you start, raising your head, “we …”
The words won’t come, no matter how hard you fight the feelings holding you back. You hate yourself for agreeing to be the one to ask Katie. And you begin to understand why it took Javi so long the last time.
“Hey,” Katie says again, “I’m sure it can’t be that bad.”
“How do you know?” You don’t mean for it to sound so accusatory, but your breathy voice makes it sound like you’re confronting her.
“Well, you said you’re worried I wouldn’t want to see you again,” Katie explains, “so you’re not about to tell me you want to end this friendship. That’s pretty much the worst thing I can think of.”
She’s serious – you can tell by the look in her eyes. And you’re suddenly sure, surer than you’ve ever felt, that no matter what her reaction to your proposition is going to be, your friendship will survive this.
“No,” you say, “I don’t want to end our friendship. I want …” Are you starting this sentence right? Is this about something you want? “Javi and I were wondering …” The longer you talk, the quieter your voice becomes. You cannot look directly at her for what you are about to say next. “We would like you to come back.”
When you do risk a glance in her direction, you find her face a neutral mask. There is no way to tell if she understood you.
You take another deep breath. “We would like you to … be with us again.” You’re not sure if you’re making any sense – you probably aren’t – but you already feel relieved. You mastered the worst part of it – getting out the words.
“You mean like …,” Katie starts.
You quickly interrupt her. “If you want to, of course. No worries if you don’t.”
There is disbelief in the look Katie gives you. But you don’t allow yourself to panic, not yet anyway.
“You want me to come back and have sex with you two again?” Her voice is steady, like she is asking you to clarify a work order you’ve given her. You admire her for it, for the way her voice doesn’t break, for how she doesn’t lower it. You wish you were only half as brave as her.
You just look around you nervously, anxious that someone could overhear. “Yes …” You should say more than that, shouldn’t you? “We really … I would really like you to.”
She’s sizing you up, scanning your face, your body language. What she finds there remains a mystery to you. All you know is that this isn’t the total disaster you were expecting, that she hasn’t thrown her coffee in your face yet and stormed out. And that’s good enough for you.
Then she licks her lips. “Yes, okay.”
Your heart stops. “You sure?”
She laughs lightly. “Yes, of course I’m sure. And I’m very happy you asked … it’s not like I haven’t thought about it.”
It probably shouldn’t surprise you that she has since you have thought about little else, but her admission still makes your heart race – for a very different reason this time. “You have?”
The look she gives you is so gentle it makes your palms grow sweaty with a need you can’t quite place. “I think about you constantly.”
You have no idea what to say to that, so you change the subject. It’s easier than facing whatever she’s making you feel right now. “He wants to be in charge this time.”
“Oh?” Her brief hesitation at hearing this is followed by fiery sparks lighting up her eyes. “That should be interesting.”
_______
The sunshine lights up Javi’s entire flat, fills it with warmth and light. Katie has only ever seen it during the night, the one time she’s been here, and you watch as her gaze wanders around the living room, taking in all the details, from the worn-out couch and leather chairs to the fading art the previous owner left hanging on the wall.
You don’t talk about it, and yet you three always find yourself in the living room first, on neutral ground. Going straight into the bedroom would be too big of a step, you need to pretend that this is a normal visit first. You find yourself brimming with excitement though – you watch with restless eyes and on restless feet as Javi and Katie sit down next to each other on the couch. Is this really necessary? You already established the rules the last time, there is no need for friendly chit-chat.
Although you did break one of the rules right away.
“Do you want something to drink?” you ask, looking for a way to make yourself useful and pass the time until Javi decides it is time to start.
“Some water would be nice, thanks,” Katie answers.
Javi just nods.
You make your way to the kitchen, aiming for a casual stroll that turns into something a bit too fast. You get two bottles of water from the fridge and pour them into two glasses. Some of it spills onto the counter because your hand is trembling.
There is no reason to be nervous – after all, you’ve done this before, and it turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of your life. And you’re not that nervous anyway, more tense really. Javi wanting to be in charge this time takes a lot of the pressure you felt away, makes you excited to find out what he has in store for you. But still, after all the time you spent with Katie and despite all the love you feel for Javi, some nervousness is lingering, making your feet grow cold and your heart pick up speed.
Why did you agree to do this in broad daylight where everyone can see the insecurities in your eyes and there are no shadows to hide you from the scrutiny of others?
Carrying the glasses in both hands, you make your way back to the living room where you’re met with the sight of Katie straddling Javi’s lap, their tongues buried deep in each other’s mouths. The trembling stops at that sight, your body freezing up in response to it. Not because you feel betrayed, overlooked by them, but because you weren’t expecting them to make it so easy for you. No awkward small talk, no negotiations, just picking up where you left off.
The glasses in your hands make your skin grow damp and clammy as you watch them, watch Javi watch her with a concentrated frown, heat flickering in his eyes. His hands are placed on her hips in a conveniently neutral position, but you can see them twitch as if he wants to grab her harder and in different spots, pull her close and kiss her senseless. You wish he would because you crave the sounds Katie makes when she’s turned on, when she finds pleasure with someone. And she is quiet right now, apart from the occasional airy huff, the occasional intake of breath.
But then Javi does raise one hand to tangle it in her hair and pull her closer. Encouraged, she lifts her hips and starts to grind down on him, a slow, rolling motion that draws a quiet growl from him. It’s so quiet in the room you can hear her throaty pants, even hear her underwear brush against his tight jeans if you focus hard enough. Your knuckles on the glasses are turning white.
Katie shifts again to adjust the pencil skirt she’s wearing, pulls it up higher so the fabric doesn’t stretch so much and she can spread her legs more. Both you and Javi watch as more of her legs are exposed, muscles flexing under her skin every time she grinds against the growing bulge in Javi’s pants. It would be so easy to walk over there and take Javi’s cock out, make Katie take it, hear her whimpers as she tries to take him all in, hear her hiss when he adjusts himself, see her ... but no, this isn’t the right time. Despite how much you enjoy seeing them together like this, hearing the moans and sighs they pull from each other, you’re not ready to cross that line.
Carefully, you put down the glasses on the couch table, making sure not to spill anything, before walking around it to Javi and Katie. They both don’t acknowledge your presence with words, but you see Katie’s shoulders shift and you feel Javi’s eyes on you. Heart pounding, you lean down, pushing yourself between Katie and Javi, blocking her. He doesn’t let go of the back of her head until you capture his lip between your teeth and bite down, not hard but firm enough for him to let out a surprised huff. He kisses you back immediately, tongue in your mouth, the hand that was just in Katie’s hair on your cheek, and you’re sure you’re imagining it, but you can taste a certain sweetness on his lips that you don’t usually find there. You could get lost in this kiss, forget where you are and for how long you’ve been there, were it not for Katie’s body right next to you, her sweet, soft perfume clouding your senses that are usually focused on Javi’s strong smell. Javi’s cigarettes and sweat are mixed with something more feminine, something that sets your nerves on fire and makes you itch all over. You want them both so much it feels overwhelming.
Katie, refusing to be put on the sideline, shifts once more, and your gaze lands on her, on her eyebrows that are raised in a challenging question. That look ignites a fire at the base of your spine and you feel your pussy clench in anticipation. A small growl from Javi, demanding your attention, only piles onto that burning desire between your legs. Holding Katie’s gaze, you both agree: This time should be about Javi and his desires. The nonverbal dialogue happening between the two of you goes unnoticed by him, who is shackled by the sight of Katie sinking to her knees in front of him. A smug smile darts across your lips at his wide eyes and flushed cheeks, at the way his mouth hangs slightly open as he watches Katie unbuckle his belt and unzip his jeans.
A part of you would like to watch and see how this all plays out, but instead you kneel on the couch beside him and kiss his neck, long, deep kisses, worrying his skin between your teeth, licking at it when he gasps at the sensation, enjoying how the tendons jump beneath your lips. If you pause for long enough, you can feel his pulse, hard and fast, accompanied by bursts of air tickling the top of your head. You kiss lower, move lower with your whole body, kissing his chest as you unbutton his shirt, slowly, lavishing attention on every bit of newly exposed skin. He rewards you with deep rumbles and breathless sighs, while he watches you and Katie working on taking him apart.
Once his shirt hangs open, you lean back to look at his exposed chest, the light freckles and hard nipples, content with your work. Now you can watch his ribcage rise and fall, watch how fast his breath is coming, watch how the muscles in his belly tremble in anticipation. And then you lower your gaze further to where Katie is kneeling in front of him, pushing his jeans down to his ankles, and you see his hard cock, already leaking, resting against his lower abdomen. A small moan, a sigh’s cousin, escapes you, and his gaze is immediately on you, smugness beneath his lust-dazed expression. Katie is looking at you too, up from where her naked knees press into the hard floor, a question in her eyes.
You nod, giving her permission.
Careful fingers close around the base of Javi’s cock, lifting him up. He likes it when you’re rough with him, but Katie is still so new at this that he doesn’t ask for what he needs. Instead, he watches her in awe as her lips close around the tip of his cock and she hollows her cheeks, pulling a strangled moan from him. You’ve seen them like this before, but not in broad daylight, and you’re transfixed by the sight in front of you, by the angry, red flush spreading on his chest and neck, by her furrowed brow as she tries to take more of him in. He’s holding back, hands balled into fists, resting on the couch next to his thighs. You know how much he’d like to grab the back of her head and thrust into her warm mouth, and how much self-restraint it takes him not to. He’s determined to give her time to get used to his size, even though he might not get as much pleasure from it as he could if he just took from her. And even though his consideration makes your heart grow big with love for him, a tiny part of you wishes he would just let go and fuck Katie’s mouth and throat until there were tears streaming down her face.
Before you can examine that thought too closely, you glide down on the floor next to Katie, wanting to help with the task at hand. While she’s still busy with his tip, trying to take as much of him in her mouth as she can, you carefully untangle her fingers from the base of Javi’s cock and then lick up his length until you’re almost touching Katie’s lips with your tongue. Javi hisses when you do it, and grabs your shoulder in a hard grip, so you do it again, with a little more pressure this time. An encouraging squeeze is your reward.
You leave small kisses up and down his length, hot little marks that make his cock twitch. It’s only when he gives you a strangled, “More,” that you go back to licking him, eager, fast, moving further up with each swipe of your tongue, until you’re almost at the tip, almost at the spot where Katie’s lips hold him. Your tongue runs across her bottom lip and then you’re both there, kissing his tip, kissing each other, hungrily, with Javi’s cock between you.
You grab Katie’s chin to pull her off him, to kiss her more, feel her whimpers against your fingers and cheek. She follows you willingly, leaning into you, a hand finding your thigh to hold onto you. And while you kiss her like a starving woman, like her lips and mouth and tongue are the only things that will keep you from a painful death, you keep your hold on Javi, jerk him off hard and fast. The living room is full of wet sounds, the sounds of your kisses, the sounds of your hand on Javi’s cock, wet, ragged bursts of breath from all three of you. And once your hunger has been sated at least for a little while, you lead Katie back between Javi’s legs and push her mouth down, a hand at the back of her head, tangled in her hair, refusing to let her back up again until you hear him groan deeply.
His chest is vibrating with pleasure, and he lets his eyes fall shut, trusting the both of you to take care of him. His head falls back while his legs open wider, and you see the tiny thrusts he’s allowing himself now, not much, but definitely there, up into Katie’s mouth. That sight is almost too much for you and you shift, wishing there was something between your own legs to grind on. The realization of just how aroused you are hits you unexpectedly as you clench around nothing in time with Javi’s thrusts, whimpering desperately. For a second, you think about touching yourself to bring you some kind of relief, but you want to focus on Katie instead.
Her skirt is bunched up around her hips, and you see her underwear peeking out from beneath the hem, dark, lacy panties that don’t cover up much. While still holding on to Javi’s cock with your right hand, you start to stroke along her thigh with your left, appreciating how her skin immediately responds to your touch with goosebumps. She tries to move away yet closer to you, as if unable to decide if she welcomes or curses the touch, but then you push two fingers between her legs. Her responding moan is so loud and deep, you’re sure Javi can feel the vibration along his length.
Javi’s eyes snap open. “Don’t make her come, baby.” His voice is so deliciously deep and ragged, and you’re so aroused you could come just from hearing him talk.
“Don’t worry,” you assure him, your voice less breathless than you would expect, “her first orgasm is yours.”
You press down harder against Katie, giving her just enough time for a small whimper in response to your promise. You roll her clothed clit between your fingers, and are rewarded with more addictive moans and a little twitch of her hips that sends a pleasant tingling down your spine. Javi keeps a watchful eye on you as you play with Katie, his fingers digging into your shoulder. In response, you tighten your grip around the base of his cock and increase the pressure between Katie’s legs once more, so she pushes herself up onto her knees, chasing the friction. You feel how wet she is through her panties, and it sparks a different kind of hunger in you, a desire to taste her on your tongue again. She’s losing some control, becomes distracted, sloppy, and it’s just how Javi likes it.
He comes, accompanied by unrestrained pants, spilling down Katie’s throat. In response, you feel a gush of arousal on your fingers as she shifts to catch it all on her tongue, eager for his taste, too turned on to think about concepts such as dignity or restraint. But it’s too much for her, she can’t handle it all – some spills onto her chest and neck as she does her best, and you watch Javi coat her skin, his hand now covering yours, squeezing himself.
You’re taken back to a few days ago when you were meeting at the coffee shop, and Katie spilled some of the cream from the cake she was eating onto her chest and fingers. You remember the feeling of wanting to lean in and help her clean up, to swipe a finger through the mess or use your tongue to lick at the sweet cream and her even sweeter skin. How so many factors – internal and external – were holding you back and you watched her laugh it off and clean herself with a napkin. The tremble that goes through you now at the memory is one of longing.
Javi, observant as he is, noticed your struggle back at the coffee shop, and he notices it now, too. “You wanna help her, baby?” he asks, leaning back comfortably against the couch, his voice deep, fucked out, yet unbearably soft. “Go on, help her.”
You lean forward and give a small rope of cum along her neck an experimental lick, just to feel her quick pulse beneath your tongue. You suck at the spot and hold her in place with a hand at the nape of her neck, then move lower to where Javi spilled some at the top of her cleavage. Carefully, you cup her breast to push it up a little, so you have better access, relishing how her nipple hardens immediately under your touch. Her soft skin is so hot beneath your tongue, and she tastes so sweet that your head starts to spin. Javi’s taste is much harder, but you love it all the same, and you’re so eager for more of the both of them.
While you make your way back up her neck to her jaw, Javi, in his soft voice, whispers, “You did so well, Katie.” He swallows hard, then continues. “You looked so pretty with my cock in your mouth, and you took me so well.”
She shivers beneath your touch, her eyes closed, taking in his praise and your soft licks. You nibble at her jaw, at her earlobe, then kiss her cheek all the way to her mouth to lick at the last bit of Javi’s release there. The licks turn into a breath-stealing kiss, one that makes her lean into you and grab Javi’s leg for support.
“You’re such a good girl, Katie,” Javi adds somewhere above you.
She breaks the kiss and looks up at him. “Thank you, sir.”
The glance they exchange, the unfolding power dynamic between them makes you shiver. It feels like there is more to this, like Katie is taunting him, maybe even disrespecting him in a way she could never do at work, and the desire to see this unfold turns you on even more. You, too, look up at Javi, a question in your eyes, waiting for him to decide what the next move is going to be, hoping for something that will scratch that infernal itch inside of you.
Slowly, he toes off his shoes and steps out of his jeans. They form a heap between you and Katie, a heap that grows when he adds his shirt to it. He’s naked, and confidently so. A smirk dances across his face as he stands up and watches you and Katie ogle him – how could you not? How could you not stare at his skin, still flushed from his recent orgasm, at the flexing muscles in his thighs, at his broad shoulders when he extends you each a hand, at his straining arms as he pulls both of you up.
His hand is warm and softly calloused, and you close your fingers around it, welcoming his steadying grip. On his other side, Katie is trapped beneath Javi’s arm that slings around her shoulders, a heavy weight against her small frame. She doesn’t hold onto his hand but slings an arm around his middle, her fingers brushing your side as she does. Linked like this, Javi leads you into the bedroom.
Once there, he positions you both in front of him, then cups your cheek and presses a gentle kiss against your lips, one that ends with a small nip and an apologetic lick. Both draw a gasp from you. His hand still warm against your cheek, he leans over to Katie and kisses her too, rougher, her fingers scraping his scalp. He growls against her hungrily and you see her break into a proud smile.
“Undress,” he says to no one in particular, swallowing hard.
You don’t hesitate for a single second. Pushing Katie by her shoulder until her back connects with the wall, trapping her in an open-mouthed kiss, you start to unbutton her blouse, the blue one you love so much. Katie only takes a second or two to catch on and immediately gets to work on the zipper of your pants, pushing back against you with a sigh. Your knuckles brush against her hard nipple and you can’t resist the urge to roll it under the pad of your thumb – her faltering breath is your reward. She gets you back by running her finger along the hem of your underwear, then just beneath it, making you gasp and widen your stance, impatient for her to go lower.
“Eager,” she comments, removing her hand.
“Katie, please.” You sound so desperate that it makes pride sparkle in her eyes.
She leans in close until her mouth is against your ear, tickling you, when she whispers, “Oh no, you don’t get to ask for anything, not after what you did back there.”
You’re breathless when you retort, “What exactly did I do?”
She unzips her skirt and steps out of it before roughly grabbing your wrist and pushing your hand into her panties. You groan when you’re met with heat and wetness, when you feel how soaked she is, when you run your fingers over her clit, between her folds. She rocks against you, chases friction, lets her head fall against your shoulder. A shaking hand finds its way under your shirt, and she cups your breast, squeezing hard. You lean into her touch, pressing her against the wall, trapping her.
“This isn’t just him, you know,” she whispers, then sighs when one of your fingers slips into her. “This is also you.” She swallows hard. “I want … I want …”
Before she can finish the sentence, a broad hand closes around your wrist and pulls. Katie makes a sound akin to a sob at the loss but doesn’t fight it.
“I said undress,” Javi presses, making you take a step back.
You pull your shirt over your head, then drop it to the floor.
“Good,” he observes with a nod.
Katie unhooks her bra and lets it fall, which earns her an appreciative glance from Javi. “Can I touch her?” she asks.
Javi cocks his head to the side, considering her request, but then shakes his head. “No, there will be enough time for that later. Go lie on the bed next to each other.”
You both take your time undressing, you with unsure hands while your thoughts race in every possible direction this could go in. Katie, her chin raised in defiance, steals a glance at you whenever she can, heat in her eyes, and you want her to know how much she turns you on, how much you want her, but you don’t dare defy Javi again. He’s right … there will be enough time for that later.
You lie down on the right side of the bed, Katie on the left. It’s so bright in the bedroom (was it always so bright?), and you toy with the thought of covering yourself up because you feel too much on display, too vulnerable. But then you look to your left at Katie, and see how she looks at you, eyes roaming over your naked form, over every blemish, every wrinkle. And you allow yourself to look at her, at her firm breasts (so much firmer than yours), at her taut belly, at the way her chest rises and falls fast, every breath full of longing and desire and desperation. Her flushed cheek rests against the cool bedspread, her right hand against your left side.
“Good,” Javi says from somewhere above you.
You look at him then, watch him run a hand up and down your thigh, toward your center, teasing you. You lift your hips slightly, impatiently, and he removes his hand in response, but just to kneel down between Katie and you. And then he’s fast, towering above you, pushing two fingers into you, burying them deep inside, stroking that spot that makes you see stars. You clench around him, hard, fast, desperate, fighting to keep him inside of you. He draws moans from you, deep ones, loud ones that make your ears ring.
“Baby, you’re soaked.” You barely register that Javi is talking to you because your body is so busy processing the onslaught of pleasure he’s inflicting on you. “Did it turn you on that much to watch her get me off?”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. How do you even answer that?
“I think it turned her on to be watched by you,” Javi goes on. “Didn’t it, Katie? Or was it both – having my cock in your mouth and her fingers on your clit?”
Katie groans and thrusts her hips so hard you feel the bed shake. You lift your head and realize that he also has two fingers deep inside her, allowing her to fuck herself on them while he fucks you. Her eyes are shut tightly, and her legs are trembling so much she collapses back onto the bed. Javi takes over right away, fucks her, a sight that makes your limbs tingle, that makes pressure build at the base of your spine.
“It turned me on to clean her up after you were done with her,” you say.
Your answer surprises all three of you – both their heads snap in your direction, Javi’s gaze full of heat, Katie’s aroused, lust-clouded look mixed with a tinge of disbelief. He rewards you with a particularly deep, hard thrust that pushes you further up the bed.
“I liked being watched by her,” you hear Katie’s voice through a thick cloud of sharp arousal. “I liked the weight of you on … on my tongue …” She groans, and you know that Javi just crooked his fingers inside of her. “And I-, I-,” she stammers, arching her back, a strangled, high moan interrupting her.
“You what, Katie?” Javi asks, playful condescension in his tone.
Katie swallows down another onslaught of voiced pleasure before she answers. “And I loved how she toyed with me.”
You clench down hard on Javi’s fingers, two times, and you know what’s about to happen next.
“Javi,” you warn, gripping his wrist tightly.
Then his fingers are gone, leaving you empty and aching, pulsing with need. You groan in frustration, ready to complain. But before you can form the words, you see Javi push his fingers, the ones that were just in your cunt, into Katie’s mouth. She closes a hand around his wrist in response, holds him there, and you watch as her throat moves, as she sucks eagerly, lewd sounds accompanying it, her eyes closed in pure bliss. You blink a few times in disbelief as she arches her back, rolls her hips to push more of Javi’s fingers into her, sucks and sucks and sucks, licking his digits hungrily, tongue swirling around the tips, making the sweetest sighs and moans.
Javi’s pupils are blown wide as he watches her. His chest is rising and falling with deep breaths while he tries to work up a steady rhythm. Experimentally, he presses down against Katie’s tongue and gets a choked moan as a response, so he does it again and her eyes fly open just as her legs start to tremble uncontrollably.
Javi looks at you then. “Do you think she can handle a third?”
You watch her briefly, the utter desperation in her eyes, the small, eager nod she gives you, the way her fist at her side grips at the bedspread. “Yes,” you say, your voice hoarse, sure you could come untouched if this goes on for much longer.
Javi adds a third finger at both ends, and her eager, thankful moan, muffled by the weight on her tongue, turns into a series of pants, groans, and eager cries. She’s trembling hard as she comes and Javi holds her like this, the fingers in her mouth stilling, the ones in her cunt pumping in and out of her fast. You feel your face heat up at that sight, a delicious, uncontrollable heat that makes you ache all over with desire. It’s not until Javi turns his attention back to you that you realize you’ve been rolling your hips in tight circles, begging for some kind of friction to release the unbearable, burning pressure you feel everywhere.
Before Katie has recovered, before she has even stopped shaking, Javi pulls his fingers out of her cunt with a wet sound and immediately pushes them past your lips into your mouth. You don’t wait for him to tell you what it is he wants you to do because there is nothing you want more in this world right now. Your licks are eager and fast as you try to catch every bit of Katie’s release on your tongue, both of your hands around Javi’s wrist to keep him in place. Unable to keep your eyes open, you give in to desire, overwhelmed by Katie’s taste, one you’ve been unable to forget, one you’ve longed to savor again. Licking it off Javi’s strong, thick fingers like this is so overwhelming you don’t register that he has three fingers inside you at first. You also don’t register Katie groping for your hand.
It’s only when she gasps as you dig your nails into her, when the pressure between your legs becomes so unbearable it snaps that you become aware of the other two being there for you. Your orgasm hits you hard, slams into you with rapid relief, breaking something that has been building up steadily for too long. You know you’re leaving dents in Katie’s skin, you know Javi can feel your desperation as every wave of pleasure grips his fingers tighter, and you want them to know. You want them to know how good they make you feel, how much you want them to see what they do to you, how much you trust them. Katie’s taste in your mouth only spurs you on – they both worked together to give you this much bliss and they both deserve to know it.
Once Javi is satisfied, once you’ve stopped writhing beneath him, and once Katie is the one holding your hand instead of the other way around, Javi presses a kiss to your lips, growling possessively at the unfamiliar taste there, then leans over to kiss Katie, letting her nip on his jaw afterwards.
"You both did so good,” he mumbles into Katie’s hair before leaning over to stroke your arm from your shoulder down to your hand, intertwining your fingers. “Let me get you cleaned up.”
He squeezes your hand then lets go, pushing himself off the bed. You watch him disappear into the bathroom, then let yourself fall back with a happy sigh.
Katie is immediately there next to you, pressing her torso against yours, cupping your cheek. She kisses you lazily, like she has all the time in the world, like she could do this for hours. You kiss her back, closing your eyes and allowing yourself to just feel. Your body is still humming with pleasure, and even though you felt satisfied a minute ago, you now realize that your desire runs much deeper.
Katie shifts so she’s on top of you, pressing one thigh between your legs. You push down, immediately seeking contact; that familiar tingling at the back of your spine urging you on. An encouraging sigh is your reward, one that turns into a throaty moan when Katie feels how wet you still are.
“You look so pretty when you come,” she mumbles between kisses. “Have I ever told you that?”
You don’t know – you don’t remember. But if she were to ask you your own name right now, you also wouldn’t know the answer to that question.
“Can I touch you?”
Now this is a question you know how to answer. It feels like your body has been set on fire, deep desire making your blood boil, anticipation making you shiver.
“Yes, please,” you reply with an eager nod, opening your legs to give her better access.
“You’re always so polite,” Katie observes, kissing down your neck. “I wonder what you are like when you let go, when you ask for what you want instead of wait for it to be offered to you.”
You could tell her exactly what you’re like when you ask – after all, didn’t you ask for this? Javi wasn’t the one to admit he wanted to repeat this … it was you. You long to tell Katie that, see the response on her face, surprise her. But then her hand brushes up against your folds, your swollen clit, and you hiss, still tender from earlier.
Katie drops down next to you and nods toward the bathroom door. “Look at him,” she mumbles into your neck, “I think he likes to watch us.”
You turn into the same direction and see Javi standing in the doorframe. One hand is holding a washcloth, the one he got to clean you up. With the other hand, he’s slowly fisting his cock. His mouth hangs slightly open, but he doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t tell you what to do, he just watches. Being seen by him like this turns you on so much you push up into Katie’s touch and she rewards you by slipping the tip of her index finger into you.
When you asked Javi if you could invite Katie back, you had your suspicions. Your hopes. Him wanting to watch Katie and you together was something you wanted him to want but hadn’t dared to ask him for because it had felt like you would be revealing too much of your deepest desires, the ones you can’t yet label yourself, the ones that are still so new you haven’t had time to properly examine them yourself. But you get it now – after all, you know what he feels right now. You felt this too when you wanted him to take from Katie, when you wanted to watch them fuck each other. That image alone is enough to draw a moan from somewhere deep inside your chest. Yes, this is complex and complicated and something the two (or even three) of you need to have a conversation about, but right now you only want to give him what he wants.
You begin to roll your hips, pressing your clit against Katie’s palm, and she obliges by increasing the pressure. Her gaze wanders between you and Javi, and she has a small, beautiful smile on her face, one of contentment. You whimper as a jolt of pleasure shoots through you, and her eyes land on you, not cloudy with desire, but scorching with it instead – her pupils are blown wide, yes, but she looks at you with steely determination and defiance.
“Let’s put on a little show for him,” she whispers so quietly only you can hear it.
And then she does.
She kisses your neck, devoting a lot of attention to the spot behind your ear that, when nipped, draws a sharp breath from you. She kisses your shoulders, kisses the top of your breasts, sucks one of your nipples into her mouth and swirls her tongue around it. The sensation makes you arch your back, makes your body beg for more. There is still that slightly bitter aftertaste on your tongue, left there by her words, by calling this a show, because it doesn’t feel like one. It feels like she’s not doing this for him, she’s doing this to pleasure you, and, by extension, herself. The nagging thoughts make you lose focus, and you sigh in frustration, angry with yourself for letting this get to you so much. Katie doesn’t notice as she kisses across your stomach, your sides, your lower abdomen.
Then she’s suddenly there, with her tongue, licking against your clit, and you snap right back into the moment, grabbing handfuls of the bedspread to keep you grounded. She’s so much softer than Javi, much more careful with you, not yet sure how you like it. And you don’t tell her how close you suddenly are, how seeing her between your legs, looking up at you curiously while she licks through your desire, coating her chin and lips and the tip of her nose in it, pushes you right toward the edge.
“Katie.”
It’s a warning, leaving no room for discussion. When you look toward Javi, you see he has stopped touching himself and is just watching you now, fingers flexing while he has to hold back from stepping in. And suddenly, unexpectedly, it hits you how much you love him. There is this man who asked you to allow someone else into your bedroom, this man who let you set all the rules, who makes this about you and Katie wherever he can, who makes you feel wanted and desired even with another woman there, a woman who is younger, firmer, prettier than you. It’s all so much, the love you feel for him, and suddenly all you want is to have him inside of you.
Katie, however, has different plans. With Javi watching you like he’s about to rush over and pull her up from between your legs, and her tongue licking into you, her mouth sucking on your clit, taking everything you give her, you don’t last long. There is no slow buildup, no way to prepare or warn either of them. Vaguely, from the edge of your consciousness, you hear Javi urge, “Katie, don’t you dare make her come,” but it’s too late.
Your release coats Katie’s tongue, smears all over her chin as she licks you through it. She moans when she feels you pulse against her, pulls you close by your hips to devour more of you. It’s impossible to lose yourself entirely in her when you hear Javi growl, a mixture between possessiveness and interest. That’s what you were missing earlier, what you were suspecting was going on between Javi and Katie, what you longed to watch play out – Katie needs to disrespect Javi’s authority, and the only place she can do that is here, in the safety of his bedroom. Here, she can ignore his orders, fight him on them, rile him up. And he is willing to fight her, to make her follow him, in a way he could never do at work.
But the realization that gets you most, that makes you clench, immediately makes you hungry for a third orgasm, is that it’s you they’re fighting over. Katie is using you to get to Javi, not because you’re conveniently there, but because she enjoys having sex with you. And Javi wants to be the one in charge so he can look after you, make you feel good, fuck you until you can’t walk properly. He hadn’t counted on the woman he asked to join you to have such an effect on you, and it brings out his possessive side, a side that makes you want him even more.
You just don’t know how to talk to them about it yet.
But before you can get lost in your thoughts, Javi pulls Katie off you roughly and holds her pressed against his chest, one arm slung around her middle, the other one around her neck and shoulders. Her eyes are blown wide in surprise, and you allow yourself to look at her, to look at the tightly curled hair between her legs that is slick with arousal, at her nipples, hard with anticipation, at the way the sun falling in through the window onto her makes the sweat on her skin glisten.
“Lie down,” Javi orders her, holding her tighter against his body, pressing his hard erection into her soft skin. She gasps and nods slightly, his grip not allowing for more movement. When he lets go of her, she hurries to comply, lying down on the bed next to you, propped up on her elbows to watch him.
“And you.” Javi hovers above you, solid, imposing, filling almost your entire field of vision. He leans down, and then he kisses you, oh so softly, a tender caress that makes you whimper into his mouth. “Are you okay?”
He makes you feel so loved you feel too overwhelmed to answer him with words. All you can do is nod slowly because yes, you’re very much all right.
He caresses your cheek, cups it in his strong hand. “What do you need?”
That is a question easily answered. “I want you inside of me.”
“Yes.” He sounds so breathless. “Anything for you, baby …” His eyes flicker to Katie’s for a second, then they’re back on you, and you can see an idea forming behind them, can see the little cogs in his brain turning. “Do you want to teach her a lesson?”
Yes, fuck, you do. You want to get back at her for making you feel so vulnerable, you want to help Javi take back some of the control he had to surrender to her. But mostly you want him to come inside of you, to mark you as his.
Javi tells you to get up on your hands and knees above Katie, trapping her between your limbs. You hurry to comply, your heart pumping blood so fast through your veins you hear it rush in your ears.
“Watch what happens when you disrespect me,” Javi tells Katie, and then his open palm lands against your exposed ass with a loud slap, making you sway forward.
Katie’s mouth falls open and you can feel the desperation radiate off her body. Javi does it again, and you moan, relishing how your skin stings where his hand landed. You hope he’s leaving a mark, one you can admire tomorrow morning and remind you of how much you’re wanted. The third slap is harder, and you fold, lowering yourself onto your elbows, your face an inch from Katie’s. All the confusing feelings are gone. You’re grounded, you know exactly what you want, and you feel so good it makes your head spin. This is what you wanted – what you needed all along, and you’re set on enjoying whatever Javi and Katie have in store for you.
You push back to taunt him, push against his erection with your ass, until he grips your hips to still you. “Go on, Katie,” he says, and you can hear the permission in his voice, the voice of a man who is used to people listening to him, “see how much she’s enjoying herself.”
You groan when Katie presses her palm and fingers against your soaked folds, the heel of her hand against your clit, the tip of three digits pressing into you with the slightest of pressure.
“Fuck,” she breathes out, and you don’t need her to tell you what she found because you know only too well, but you want her to say it. And she does. “She’s soaked.” The way Katie says that word, with breathless surprise verging on the edge of desire has you press your cunt against her hand and your lips against hers.
Before Katie can slip her fingers into you, Javi pulls you back by your hips, his grip hard as steel, unrelenting, impossible to escape. You feel the head of his thick, full cock against your folds for only a second and then he fills you, stretches you, pushes and pushes until you’re shaking so hard it becomes almost impossible to hold yourself upright. Sensing your predicament, he grabs the back of your head and presses you down, right between Katie’s legs.
You didn’t know how much you were starving until you taste her again, feel her soft, wet folds on your tongue, get to bury half your face in her sweet cunt. You drink her up like a parched woman, lick into her, roll your tongue over her clit, breathe her in. And with every thrust Javi gives you from behind, he pushes you up against her, making this so much easier for you. You sling one arm around Katie’s thigh, rest the other against her stomach, holding on to her when Javi starts to fuck you harder.
“Hold down her head.” His voice is so strained you can tell he’s holding back. “You can be rough with her, she can take it.”
Katie’s hand lands on the back of your head, her grip soft and testing. This isn’t enough, and definitely not what Javi had in mind. You struggle against her, trying to lift your head, and she puts more force into her hold, pushing you down against her cunt, and then holding you there so there’s nothing left for you to do than lick and suck and moan into her softness.
“Yeah, like that, that’s it.”
Javi picks up speed, slams into you with quick snaps, and you realize you’re clenching around him, pulsing with desire kindled by the feeling of Katie holding down your head, rolling her hips against your tongue, by Javi fucking you from behind with such force you feel each push deep in the pit of your stomach. You’re trapped. They’re both just taking from you, chasing their own pleasure, using you as a means to an end. You’ve never been more turned on in your life, more eager to give, desperate to be used.
Javi stretches you open, buries himself deep inside of you with each thrust, holds you in place with both hands on your hips. The stretch from this angle is burning, bordering on painful – a pinch of pain in a sea of pleasure. It would be overwhelming for you if it was only you and him, but the feeling of Katie’s soaked folds on your tongue, of her hand holding you in place, of her nails digging into your neck with each thrust Javi gives you makes you forget everything but them. You don’t even care where this ends for you, just as long as the other two find pleasure and completion in your body.
Then Javi’s finger presses against your clit and your world begins to tilt. You moan his name loudly, muffled by Katie’s cunt, but you know they both understand you perfectly. Javi groans behind you, increases the pressure on your clit, and Katie …
She’s coming, pushing herself up into your mouth so you can feel every pulse on your tongue. Her steady moans turn into desperate little sobs and whines, and when you open your eyes to look up at her, you find her watching you, letting herself be watched by you, showing you every detail of her orgasm on her beautiful face. You drink up every last drop that she gives you, clean her eagerly, savoring her taste, committing every nuance to memory.
Once Katie shivers and pushes you away, you lift your head, only to feel how Javi is pulling out of you. Your protesting sound turns into one of surprise when he flips you onto your back next to her and guides himself back into your warmth, burying himself deeply in your pussy and your neck. Warmth floods you and you hold him, run your fingers through his hair, as he rocks into you gently with a steady roll of his hips. It’s so intimate you almost forget she’s there, but then she presses into your side. Soft kisses land on your neck while she plays with one of your nipples, pinching it to make you gasp, then stroking it with feather-like touches.
When she speaks her voice is so quiet Javi can’t hear her. “It’s never just for show.”
Something expands inside of you at that admission, and the last echo of a nagging voice dies down. This is just as meaningful to her as it is to you, and a tiny sob of relief escapes you, lands somewhere behind Javi’s ear as a tickling burst of breath. He lifts his head and kisses you so very, very softly, like he’s putting all the love and tenderness he feels for you into that one brush of lips.
“Come for me, baby.”
You can’t deny him, and when you do, he joins you, spilling into you while he guides you through the crashing waves of pleasure. It’s only when he’s satisfied with his work, when your whimpers against his neck turn into deep breaths, that he rolls off you and pushes himself between Katie and you.
Your hand immediately seeks out the warm skin of his stomach, caressing it, feeling how he breathes in and out slowly, satisfied. Katie’s hand joins yours and you tangle your fingers together, hold onto each other. You rest your head against Javi’s shoulder and sigh happily.
“I love you, Javi.”
He kisses your forehead. “I love you, too.”
You squeeze Katie’s hand, a poor substitute for all the things you want to tell her. There is so much you need to say but you don’t yet know how. You don’t even know what it is you’re feeling yet but being with her makes you happy. She makes you happy. But that’s something you need to examine for yourself first before you can tell anyone about it. You don’t yet understand what it means.
Javi kisses your forehead again, then Katie’s. Then he pulls you both close. “My good girls.”
Katie squeezes your hand, glancing at you across Javi’s chest. And you wonder if she feels the same.
triumvirate taglist: @1andthesame | @acdeaky | @batdarkladyvampir | @beskarprincessjenny | @darksber | @darnitdraco | @deliriouslybewitching | @desir-ae | @dobbyjen | @doin-stuff | @fireproofmarta | @floraandfrost | @for-my-satisfaction | @highsviolets | @itssmashedavo | @jettia | @justanotherblonde23 | @kesskirata | @knivesareout | @lavenderluna10 | @lawfulgranola | @leannawithacapitala | @letaliabane | @lovesbiggerthanpride | @MSWarriorBabe80 | @nicks-nelson | @noctiscorvus | @omgreally | @pedropascalsx | @pedrostories | @phoenixhalliwell | @pilothusband | @practicalghost | @rebel-fanfare | @redcrvette | @reluctantlyresponsibleadult | @silksaddle | @skyshipper | @softpedropascal | @spacenerdpascal | @sweetgirlray | @tacticalsparkles | @tanzthompson | @the-blind-assassin-12 | @theorganasolo | @thesmutslut | @vanemando15
javier pena taglist: @pookipedia
permanent taglist: @adricnchase | @amneris21 | @aurelacmoon | @chronic-nosebleed | @din-jarhead | @harriedandharassed | @jazzelsaur | @lestradeslover | @martellthemandalor | @nyfeeer | @nobodys-baby-now | @pedrorascal | @radiowallet
#javier peña x reader#javier peña x you#javier peña#agent peña x reader#agent peña x you#javier peña x reader x katie#javier peña x you x katie#narcos fanfiction#pedro pascal#pedro pascal character fanfiction#about a million years late but it's finally here!!!!!!!!!!
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Hi! It’s been a while!
I’m sorry I haven’t shared anything in a while. Things have been really stressful and I’ve been pretty down for the past few weeks, but I finally got this done in the meantime. Writing has been the best distraction from all the strain I’ve got in my life at the moment.
This is something I wanted to write for a while, so I hope you like this!! It’s a Christmas one shot for my Familia AU! I figured out how to use the link thingy too so I’ll link the song Katie sings in this one at the end too!!
Happy holidays and Happy New Year!! ☺️
Familia: Forever
Feliz Navidad, mi Familia!
Holidays were supposed to be fun. At least, that was what Katie used to think. This was long before the inter-dimensional travel or the crazy realm hopping bullshit she’d been roped into. In her world, this time of year was one to take as a relative breather. A chance to look forward to cheesy movies, sugary candy that was sure to grant you cavities, the change in weather was just cold enough to wear comfy sweaters, or buy everything you could get your hands on until your wallet crumbled to dust. Minus the stress the tumultuous spending habits one picked up once December arrived, the Christmas season was certainly a festive occasion.
Katie remembered when her niece was little, when she was young enough to still believe in Santa, she and Grace would stay up for hours the night of Christmas Eve to deck the apartment in wondrous decor, dusting baby powder across the floor and using Katie’s combat boots to create impressions on the rug for the immersion of Saint Nick having visited, along with a half eaten plate of white chocolate chip cookies— Grace’s favorite. It was worth the effort to watch the girl race into the living room with stars in her eyes and a bright smile as she stared at a decently sized pile of wrapped presents awaiting her.
It was something she wouldn’t trade for the world.
But those were just memories. Fleeting, gone in an instant due to high amounts of stress. It hurt to recall those happier moments amidst the chaotic whirlwind she found herself in now— separated from her family, possibly forever at this point, sporting a robotic arm, becoming a wanted fugitive in three different dimensions, and a surrogate mother to five unruly boys that needed guidance in a universe where every single person wanted to either capture or kill them.
Needless to say, Katie had enough to put up with. And with the holidays fast approaching, all she could think of was one thing—
What am I going to do?
********************
December 24.
That was the date on the calendar. Katie couldn’t help but glare at the number from afar, black coffee piping hot in her hands through the thick ceramic mug she cradled close. The longer she stared at it, the more the reality sank in. It seemed to taunt her. Nothing could change the fact that there was only a few days left until Christmas.
Taking a slow sip of her caffeinated beverage the detective leaned back against the countertop. Breathing deep, she sighed heavily through her nostrils as they flared, taking in the heat of the coffee, savoring its bitter taste. Don’t think about it, Katie tried to scold herself. Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, just pretend it’s another day. It was better to make believe things were business as usual than accepting the depressing reality of her current situation.
Three years.
Three. Years.
This would mark three years she hadn’t seen her family. Three Christmases spent running, hiding, fighting to survive. Three entire years of not being surrounded by the people she loved.
That was a decent amount of time spent not knowing if her sister or niece were still waiting for her to come home. This wasn’t New York— not hers, never hers— but the faint memories of the two lingered through streets that felt vaguely familiar. Ghosts of their presence followed where ever she traveled, and here was no different. Wandering through Central Park alone at night she could almost hear the sound of Lilium’s laughter ringing in the trees, or Grace’s voice echoing in the dark, calling for her to come home.
It ached. It hurt.
It was empty.
Thin, spindly arms found themselves wrapping around her middle from behind. What otherwise would have startled the woman made her breathe easier as she was gently pulled backward to better fit into his embrace. Quietly, the voice asked, “You doin’ okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” she nodded. Without dropping her mug she brought a hand up to reach behind her, cupping the face of the man who’d stayed by her side through all this mess. How he’d been willing to put up with her for this long was something she would never understand, but she was grateful all the same. “I’m fine. Just… not feeling too great.”
Danny looked over her shoulder, muted gold eyes boring into the depths of her soul with a ragged understanding that years of being a hardened criminal had provided. Ears pricking, he asked, “Want me t’ get you anything?”
“Unless you have a magic phone that can help me call my sister to let her know I’m not dead in a ditch somewhere, then not really,” she snorted dryly. “Just homesickness. I’ll be fine.”
Danny frowned. “How long?”
“Hmm?”
“How long has it been? Y’know. Since ya saw them.”
“… long enough to know I miss them.”
The yōkai tightened his arms around her waist. “Sorry, hon. Wish there was a way we could get ya home.”
She shrugged lamely. “Does it matter anymore?” She turned enough in his hold to face him— aging wrinkles under his eyes gave way to a softer expression of compassion. “I’ve got other things to focus on. I have five boys to take care of. I can’t let myself get distracted.”
“That ain’t exactly a healthy way t’ deal with things,” Danny lifted a hand to touch her cheek. His claws scraped across her skin delicately, making her shudder. “Let yourself be upset. It’s okay.”
She paused, soaking in his touch, leaning her face into his palm with a sigh. Doubt began to settle upon weary shoulders, her lips pursed into a frown. “Is it though?”
Danny actually looked baffled by this notion, staring at her with bewildered eyes. “What do you mean ‘is it’? You’re allowed t’ have emotions ya know.”
“But I gotta be the reliable one. I’m the one making the money to support all of us. You guys need me to be dependable. If I’m not one hundred percent, then I’ll let you guys down.”
“Ya gotta nip that in th’ bud, doll. That’s a toxic mindset.” The yōkai decided to use his hand to push her bangs out of her brow to better gaze into her eyes. His tail wrapped around her waist in place of his arms, drawing her closer to him. “I’m more than capable t’ take th’ load offa your shoulders. I can get work— honest work— in th’ Hidden City. Ya don’t gotta carry it on your back alone.” Danny grinned with a smile full of warmth. “That’s what I’m here for now.”
Katie, still struggling to withhold her emotions, leaned her head forward until her forehead came to rest on his collar. She could smell the lingering scent of his favorite cologne, ocean breeze and cigar smoke clinging to his frame. She could breathe it in until her lungs were sore. “I’d be selfish for putting that on you when you’ve already got shit to deal with.”
“Then be selfish.” Danny held her closer, the mug in her hands crushed between them. “I can handle it. The last thing I need is for you t’ get sick offa this stress.”
CRASH! Somewhere in the living room the sound of glass shattered, along with a cry of ‘it wasn’t me!’ Coming right after as Raph could be heard in the background scolding someone.
Katie cringed, mourning the loss of the tender moment. “When I’m not breaking fights up, THEN I’ll let myself cry.” She chugged her coffee with one quick swig, unfazed as it burned the root of her mouth and seared her tongue before untangling from the yōkai’s embrace to hurry into the room. Upon stepping into the doorway, Katie dropped her jaw at the unbelievable scene taking place.
One: the carpet was stained with ink. Sharpie markers had been broken in half, spilling the contents upon a giant scrap of cardboard and floor amongst a cluster of things strewn around the ground. Casey and Donnie sat in the middle of it, smeared in bright red and blue across their hands, looking like deer caught in headlights.
Two: Leo standing over the broken remains of a lamp, trying in vain to hide the pieces under the ruined rug, his feet covered from the ankle down in dark blue ink, tracking a trail from the spot where Casey and Donnie currently stayed. Behind him a festive Christmas paper popper lay torn in twain, confetti all over the place.
Three: Raph was giving Leo an earful, not too keen on having half his plastron coated with neon pink sharpie ink. Poor Mondo stood with his face coated in purple and green, desperately trying to scrub it out of his eyes as he yelped and cried out on pain.
“Leo, are you crazy!?”
“I said I was sorry!”
“Kat’s gonna kill you! Look at the floor!”
“I told you this was a stupid idea! Why do you never listen to me?!”
“Instead of yelling at me, how about helping me scrub this out?!”
“DUDES MY EYES ARE MELTING! I’M GOING BLIND!”
“Wait he can’t really go blind, right?”
“ARE YOU REALLY SAYING THAT?!”
… it wasn’t even ten in the morning, and the boys had already managed to find themselves in chaos.
Resisting the urge to grab her smokes, Katie swallowed her frustration back down in order to reign in the madness unfolding. “What in the name of God are you boys doing!?”
Almost immediately four heads snapped towards her direction, minus Mondo who still tried to get the inky gunk out of his eyes. And just as swiftly, Donnie and Casey pointed to Leo with an accusing finger. “He did it!”
The red eared slider, highly offended, threw his hands up with a dramatic motion. “Jerks! I can’t believe you ratted me out!”
Mondo’s hands pried themselves away from his face, squinting, only to yelp painfully as the ink spread further into the tear ducts. He flailed his arms and stumbled, knocking himself into the wall with a thud. “Mom, help!”
She hurried to his aid, placing a steadying hand upon the gecko’s shoulder to keep him still lest he knock himself out. Turning her gaze unto Leo, Katie turned her voice stern. “Okay, spill! What’s going on?!”
“Nothing!” Leo tried to act casual, folding his arms behind his shell as he leaned against the couch with a shaky grin, gaze shifting quickly back and forth between the broken lamp and the markers. “Just, uh… playing Monopoly!”
Deadpanning, Katie raised a brow with an unamused frown. “Really. Monopoly. I didn’t know buying Broadway meant snapping open three sharpies and handing over two hundred to move forward.” Unfazed, she pressed on. “Why is the room a mess?”
“It’s nothing, really!” Leo tried to assure her, waving his hand at the floor. “Just an accident while we were making some posters for—“ his eyes widened, as though he realized he said something he wasn’t supposed to, and he averted his gaze from Raph— who looked ready to pummel him where he stood.
“For what?” Katie asked.
“… the Hidden City?” Leo slowly responded. Raph hissed under his breath, “Hypocrite.”
That made her blink. Looking to Raph she questioned, “Why does he want to hang up posters in the Hidden City?”
Raph wouldn’t budge. When Casey opened his mouth to reply, Donnie jammed his elbow into the other boy’s ribs, shutting him up as he interrupted. “To buy groceries!”
Katie continued, not buying it. “Really. Grocery shopping?”
Leo looked sheepish. “Uuuuuh… yes?”
Mondo flailed his arms around again, whimpering as he grew panicked. “I still can’t see!”
Katie, still fighting to stay sane, chose not to start this argument. “Okay,” she easily picked the gecko, him being lightweight enough to carry in her arms. “Leo, since this was your idea, you’re cleaning this mess. I gotta go get this out of Jason’s face before he actually goes blind.”
“What?!” Leo gaped. “But what about going shop—“ he didn’t get to finish his sentence before Raph clamped his mouth shut, gesturing for him to be quiet. That made her suspicious.
“… is there something I should know about?” She inquired, narrowing her eyes to give the ‘Stern Mom’ look.
“Nope!” “Not really.” “Absolutely not!” Came the instant replies of three not-so-subtle boys who were fighting to look innocent. Raph was doing a better job than Casey and Donnie, but Leo’s poker face needed work. It was obvious they were trying to hide something…
“Kat,” Danny suddenly entered the room like an apparition— perfect timing if she had anything to say about this— “Why don’t ya help Jason and I’ll help the boys clean this mess up?”
This was getting stranger by the minute. Why was everyone acting so shifty? It wasn’t like them to keep secrets like this, but Raph? Danny? Why were they behaving like this? Katie hummed suspiciously, pouting, hefting the still-whimpering Mondo in her arms to help him. “… alright. Make sure you get that stain out. If you can’t, just chuck it.”
“Can do,” Danny gave her a two-fingered salute as she made her exit. The way he spoke suggested things were casual.
But it still didn’t make her any less suspicious. What’s going on with them?
******************
The moment Katie was out of range— and earshot, once he’d picked up the sound of the restroom door being closed— Danny’s smile fell, quickly replaced by a panicked hiss as he whipped around to face the teens. “Who told?!”
All present pointed to Leo. The red eared slider flailed his arms, fed up. “I didn’t mean to! It just slipped out!”
“Just slipped out?!” Raph repeated, eyes popping open wide with shock. “You almost gave us up! I told you to keep our plan on the down low and what do you do?!”
“She still doesn’t know!” Leo defended. “I didn’t say anything important! It’s not like I said ‘Guess what? We’re gonna give you a Christmas celebration this year!’”
“What’s the point of a surprise if you spoil it?” Casey brushed some of the ink off his palms, leaving bright yellow stains across his previously black jeans. “That’s, like, not even worth it.”
“Jesus,” Danny pinched the ridge of his snout with a heavy sigh, shaking his head. His tail curled around his ankles, refraining from striking the floor. “Okay. Okay, fine, so she’s still in the dark. As long as she doesn’t know, we’re fine.”
“Why shouldn’t she know?“ Donnie chimed in. “I mean, it’s almost Christmas, so why not just let her in on the plan?”
“Cuz this is FOR her,” Danny reiterated. “This is her third Christmas separated from her family. And I’m sure th’ rest of you have been homesick during th’ holidays long enough. After all th’ bullshit we’ve put up with, I think a demonstration of our appreciation is in order t’ get her in a better headspace.”
Casey shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, leaning against the couch. “So what’re are we doing again? Have we even picked an idea?”
“None of us are in agreement,” Danny sighed. “We ain’t doing a circus—“
“No fun!” Leo protested, but he went ignored.
“We don’t got th’ cash for a fancy dinner or a night at Yankee stadium, and we can’t drive into th’ Bronx if we’re being tracked by Draxum.” The rat yōkai’s tail swished around his feet in silent frustration. “So unless we got another plan in th’ back burner, we’re gonna have to do something here.”
Donnie picked up the ruined artwork on the sign, frowning at the garbled wording beneath the dark ink. “It was starting to look cool, too. It took me hours to get that design to look right! Why did you break the markers?”
“I saw a video online that showed me how to make a gradient using the ink of you broke them the right way!”
“And you just… did it?”
“Clearly I did it wrong! Can we stop rubbing it in?!”
**********************
“Alright, mijo, let’s look at the damage.” Katie shined a small pen light in Mondo’s eyes, moving it side to side while keeping track of his pupils. He sat on the lip of the tub, tail curled around to sit in his lap, his face scrunched into an expression of pain as she gingerly pried an eyelid open with precise fingers. “Can you see the light moving?”
The gecko squinted, wincing, but he nodded. The gold of his orbs were dark red, the veins in his eyeballs visible from the burning, but his pupils followed the movement. “Yeah. It stings though…”
Humming, Katie released his eyelid gently, clicking the light off. “Good news! You’re not blind, clearly, but there’s irritation and it’s probably gonna look real blurry for a couple hours, but there should be something in here I can use to fix that,” she reached inside the restroom cabinet at her side, combing through the selection of medicines she’d obtained. Mystical ointments and brightly colored liquids bobbed around within uniquely shaped bottles and glass jars labeled with words Katie couldn’t translate yet. She swore some of this stuff was just glittery sugar water disguised to look like healing tonics.
Finally, she’d located a small tin that looked like the type of medical salves she’d glossed over in the drug store. Snatching it up Katie popped open the lid to scoop some of the white cream into her fingers. “Try holding still for a minute, hon. If you need to talk about something to distract yourself, just do it.”
Mondo nodded, holding tight to the end of his tail. “Gotcha,” he replied with worry.
Katie knelt to his level, beginning to apply the cream around his eyes as the gecko flinched, fingers starting to dig into his tail scales. Sensing his discomfort she decided to speak, “Hey, what are you asking for this Christmas?”
Mondo paused, flinching a little as the irritation in his eyes flared up. “I think… I asked for a new board.”
“Oh yeah?” Katie smiled a little. “Any type of board, or just a regular one from the shops?”
“It’s a limited edition kind,” Mondo’s smile was infectious as he started to ramble about the skateboard. “I think Tony Hawk had one just like it! It’s like all decked out with these retro decals that aren’t on the market anymore, they painted it this gnarly neon blue—“ mindlessly chattering about his dream skateboard helped to keep his mind off the burns from his eyes, thankfully. It continued on like this for the next five minutes, the boy happily recalling all the things he’d written down on his list— new sneakers, a boombox for his cassette tapes, spray paint— all the things a kid his age was interested in.
It was only after she completed getting his eyes treated with the ointment that the gecko squinted through the cream on his face, beaming. “What about you, Mom?”
Katie paused momentarily, screwing the lid to the ointment closed. “I didn’t have anything in mind,” she lamely shrugged.
Mondo, being as intuitive as ever, knew she was hiding the truth. “Come on! There’s gotta be something you want!”
Katie still remained hesitant. “What I want… it’s a thing I can’t have.” She put the jar away, repressing the bubbling turmoil that brewed inside her chest.
This made Mondo curious. “What do you mean?”
Katie paused. Closing the cupboard, she folded her hands before her to avoid fidgeting. “… it’s… my family.”
Mondo’s expression changed from confused to sympathetic. Even squinting through the mess of cream around his eyes he could see the immense grief that rested on her shoulders. He could tell she missed them, that their absence had driven something painful and deep into her core. He knew what it was like, wishing the people you cared for were there when you were thousands of miles away from everything you knew. “I don’t think I ever asked what they were like.” He sat up a little straighter, hands folded on his lap this time. “Can you tell me?”
Katie’s lips quirked into a fond smile; one full of warmth and gratitude. Easing herself to sit beside the gecko, she pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled through her photos, selecting one from a folder she’d labeled ‘Familia.’ It was of Lilium’s twelfth birthday; the last time she saw her sister and niece. They’d decked the house in bright pinks and oranges, glittery streamers dangling on the ceiling, having gone all out for her. It had been themed after fairytales— she’d dressed herself up as a princess, complete with a Renaissance hairstyle. Grace had dawned a lovely gown made from fine turquoise fabrics. Mother and daughter were grinning for the photo, sitting in the living room as sunlight cascaded through the sheer curtains and illuminated their smiles as if to immortalize them. It was one of the only photos of them she had left.
Lilium would be fifteen now. Grace would have recently turned thirty-five.
“This is them.” She showed Mondo the photo. “Grace and Lily. She’d be around your age,” she pointed to the cheerful girl. “I think you two would get along really well. Grace would spoil you rotten,” chuckling softly Katie stared at the face of the woman who had been there for her through thick and thin, through the worst of her breakups, the terrible binges of her drinking habits where she’d seen the darker part of her demons, something only Danny caught a rare glimpse of. “We’d always go to the park on Sunday and have ice cream. Every week we would pick a random movie on the TV commercials to see and laugh about it.”
Katie’s smile faltered as her reminiscing turned into melancholy. “Lilium has an incredible singing voice for her age. Real Lea Salonga-like. She dreams of starring in a big movie musical someday. All she talks about is Broadway and the latest show she wants to audition for. And Gracie always knew what to do when you were depressed. She’d whip up your favorite meal and let you vent for hours if you needed it. Sure she was a little timid, but… she always seemed to know how to make a shitty day better.”
Mondo frowned with remorse. “You miss them?”
“More than anything,” Katie murmured in response.
Mondo pulled his tail back into his lap, guilt creeping into his chest. “… for what it’s worth, I think they’d be proud of you. I mean, you kicked serious bad guy butt, you traveled across dimensions, and helped us out! You took care of me even when my folks didn’t!” He laughed a little if only to shake off the underlying truth of his biological parents rejecting him.
Katie cracked the smallest of smiles. Reaching up she scratched the top of his head like she always would to calm him down, quietly pulling him close to sit at her side. “Thanks, mijo. You’re a good kid, you know that?”
“Yeah!” Mondo boasted playfully. “I’m pretty great!”
That caused Katie to laugh, the somber emotions she’d been feeling subsiding a little to allow herself to breathe. It granted a moment of reprieve long enough to keep hers wits about her and not lose herself to depression. But ever the attentive son, Mondo noticed the grief that clung to his mother. His hands fidgeted with his tail once more to think of how he could fix the pain his caretaker harbored…
And an idea sprang up in his mind.
*******************
“… that’s my plan! Sounds good, right?”
“Honestly that’s ten times better then what I’ve got.”
“It better not be another freakin’ circus.”
“I keep telling you, it would be an amazing gift!”
“You think we can pull it off?”
“… I mean, at this rate, we’ve got nothing. I say let’s do it.”
“Awwwww man! Missed opportunity!”
“Can it, Blue. Jason, you sure this’ll work?”
“Yeah! She’s gonna go bonkers for this, I know it!”
**********************
Katie couldn’t sleep.
It was an old habit, she knew. From years of Lily bursting into the guest bedroom, bright eyed and excited in the early hours of Christmas morning, pulling her arm and squealing that Santa had visited and left behind presents. And as the old saying went, old habits die hard. She stared at the ceiling with exhausted eyes counting the cracks that spiderwebbed along the chipping plaster, phone sitting on the dresser beside her bed, almost wishing it would ring to alert her to a call from her sister. She prayed she could at least receive a text from her, but for the past three years there was nothing.
Emerald eyes fell upon the clock near her phone. Four-fifty in the morning.
She’d been up for hours…
The hideout was silent, questionably so. All day long the boys were on their best behavior after the ink incident— no pranks, no stress, no fights, not even one broken bone or shattered vase. They were oddly helpful and eager to finish the chores when asked, which was NOT normal in the slightest, and once night fell they’d all but ushered her off to bed. “I’ll deal with th’ kids. Get some beauty sleep,” Danny had coaxed with a playful wink. “Lord knows you could use it.”
It was a tempting offer she couldn’t refuse.
But still, sleep evaded her.
So much for getting rest.
Her conversation with Mondo had gotten her thinking, once more, of her family and friends back home. How were they now? She wondered. Did Lilium like high school? Was she making friends? Had Grace found love at last? Did the Chief finally decide to retire? So many unanswered questions she would never get to know because they were gone, far off in another world that was lost to her now. So many birthdays, so many anniversaries, so many celebrations, too many things she’d missed because she’d been reckless. All of it, gone.
Almost daring herself to do so, Katie grabbed her phone from the dresser. The brightness of the screen illuminated her face, slicing through the darkness. Unlocking it, she opened her texts to scroll down to the last messages she’d received the day she’d gone on this rocky road.
Fourteen missed calls from her sister. Three from the Chief. Nine from her partners. Twelve from Lily…
Sis ✨;
Thursday October 12, 2017 at 2:35pm
Hope you have a great day at work! Lily’s asking for Monica’s tonight for dinner, want to join?
Sis✨;
Thursday October 12, 2017 at 7:12pm
I saved you some food from tonight! I got your favorite; fettuccini and shrimp! Just let me know when you get out of work so I can heat it up!
Sis✨;
Friday October 13, 2017 at 10:33am
Are you alright?
Sis✨;
Friday October 13, 2017 at 3:02pm
Kathrine please call me. This isn’t like you.
Sis✨;
Saturday October 14, 2017 at 12:46pm
Henderson said you haven’t shown up to your shift in days.
Are you okay? Lily’s been worried about you, as am I. Please call me.
Sis✨;
Saturday October 14, 2017 at 3:24pm
Kathrine please. If you don’t call me I’m going to have to use my spells. I just want to know if you’re safe.
I know you’re busy, but I’m worried about you. I pray you’re alright.
Munchkin🎼;
Saturday October 14, 2017 at 12:30pm
I miss you Auntie…
Katie finally put the phone down, no longer able to stomach the messages. An awful burn stung her eyes. Those were the final texts she would ever get from her family.
There were so many thoughts running through her head. Some of them were pointless, mundane. But the majority were filled with anguish. She knew better than to verbalize that in front of the kids— keep it closed off, shutter it tight, push it aside and pretend it’s not there. The well-being of those boys were more important than her mental health. But the more she ignored it, the harder the headaches struck. They turned into cloying migraines that pounded and rattled her brain with a powerful vengeance, reminding her of the awful truth of her situation; I’m never going home and I’m never going to see Grace or Lily again.
It was a bitter pill to choke on, but she knew it was one she had to swallow.
Going back home was a pipe dream, forever out of the realm of possibility. Katie lost that hope ages ago, when she’d gone to space with Fugitoid.
Katie’s vision blurred. Breathing shakily, she rolled onto her side, clutching her comforter tight against her aching chest. She couldn’t complain. She couldn’t. She chose this life. She chose to follow Karai all those years ago into that vortex. She chose to pick a fight with crazy people. The Chief was right about her; she never learned when to quit.
Katie gripped her blanket tighter, shutting her eyes. Breathe, moron. Christmas has to go well for the kids. Do NOT worry them.
Breathe in…
Breathe out…
Breathe in…
Breathe out…
Breathe in…
Breathe—
CRASH!
… out?
Katie shot up, startled. Did she hear that right? Did something break?
Hushed, rapid whispers she couldn’t pick up shot back and forth. She recognized Danny’s voice amongst the mishmash of voices beyond her door. There goes any chance of sleep…
Kicking the thick comforter off, Katie climbed out of bed, snagging one of the fuzzy robes from the edge of her bed frame and pulling it on to stave off the cold. Upon reaching the door she twisted the knob ever so carefully to avoid making a sound, she opened it just a sliver to catch the panicked conversation. While hushed, she heard pieces of it.
“What’d you do?!”
“Don’t look at me!”
“Shut up shut up! She’ll wake up!”
“You broke th’ freakin’ lamp, dumbass! She’s gonna hear!”
Opening the door enough for her to slip out, Katie clutched her robe around her chest as she headed for the living room, where most of the commotion resided. She silently carried herself down the dark corridor to avoid being detected. The voices of her boys and Danny were no longer muffled by the distance as she reached the entryway of the threshold—what piqued her curiosity immediately was, dancing along the ceiling spilling out onto the ground were colorful lights; red, green, blue, pink, yellow. They spun in a slow, lazy circle against the darkness.
“Nononono don’t do that, you’ll cut yourself—!”
“Dude, be careful with that!”
“Can we all calm down for a damn minute and get this done?!”
Katie peeked around the lip of the entrance, taking the chance to look inside…
… it wasn’t what she expected.
It looked as though Christmas vomited all over the place. The entire room was decked out with festive decorations; handmade, cutout snowflakes were dangling on strings along the ceiling, all of which were designed to look like marigolds. Plastic figurines of Saint Nick and his reindeer pulling his sleigh guarded a tray full of crispy sugar cookies messily traced with blue and white frosting to look like snowmen. Tinsel was hung up in long loops on the walls, silver and gold woven into thin braids. Stockings were pinned on the mantel, all of them in varying sizes and styles, the names of their matches embroidered in thick white thread from oldest to youngest— Danny, Kat, Raph, Casey, Leo, Mondo, Donnie. The couch wasn’t spared either, red and white plaid Christmas pillows fluffed to perfection.
But it was the eight foot tall pine tree currently standing in the corner of the room, where everyone was gathered, that caught her eye. It was massive— easily towering over everyone. Pine needles were scattered all over the rug. It was rotating on a stand that helped to keep it from wobbling. Ornaments had been hung upon the branches, strings of colorful Christmas lights wrapped all around the tree. It amused her to spot handmade decorations also hung on the thick branches. Tinsel had been discarded in a bundled up ball, tangled, bunched into knots. One of the lamps had been knocked to the floor again, the porcelain broken in shards.
Danny was struggling to keep his sanity. He was wearing a hilariously ugly violet sweater with pompoms on the sleeves, a piece of cheese on the front with the words ‘Have a Cheesy New Year’ embroidered in massive white letters. On his head he wore a pair of reindeer antlers. Donnie was placing boxes of hastily wrapped presents under the tree, wearing a dark green sweater with some kind of anime character on the front. Helping him, Leo hefted giant shopping bags onto the couch with a grunt, trying to make sure he didn’t drop anything. His own baby blue Christmas sweater was geared more for fashion, white stripes wrapping around his arms and collar. She nearly burst into giggles when she realized he was wearing a bright red nose on his snout.
Casey wasn’t dressed up, in fact he looked the most casual in a black long sleeved shirt with black and green plaid lounge pants, but he was busying himself with cleaning the mess currently sitting on the floor. Raph attempted to grab the fallen ornaments that had been knocked off, growing agitated when the silly elf had he wore kept slipping down his brow to cover his eyes.
What really got her was Mondo, dressed up like Santa Clause, fake beard included. He was perched atop a small step ladder holding the tree topper— a dopey looking Christmas angel with beady eyes and floppy wings, watching everything unfold with a wince.
Finally stepping into the room to take all of it in, Katie giggled. “What is this?”
The heads of the culprits shot up to meet her gaze, caught red handed. Danny’s tail flicked around his ankles nervously, an unconfident smile on his snout as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Aaah…! Kat! Hey! Doll, what’re ya doin’ up?”
“Heard something break,” Katie, nonchalantly, reached up to touch one of the snowflakes with delicate fingers, taking in all the detail with a fond expression. Her eyes sparkled in awe. “Just wanted to make sure we weren’t being burgled.”
“In the sewer?” Leo raised a ridge, deadpanning, until Donnie smacked him in the leg.
Mondo took this change in stride. Beaming, he hopped off the ladder and tossed the angel to Raph, the white pompom hanging off his Santa hat jingling. “Mom! Merry Christmas! Surprise!” He waved his arms wildly to gesture towards the tree. “Do you like it?!”
“Surprise?” Katie blinked.
“Well, duh,” Casey nodded. “It’s a Christmas surprise!”
“What for?”
“For you!” Mondo grabbed her hand, tugging her inside to lead her to the loveseat. “Since you’re up, we can do it now!”
Laughing as she was seated, Katie found herself asking, “Do what?”
“Give you your gifts!” Mondo happily replied. He looked to the others, pointing to the boxes and bags. “Come on! It’s technically Christmas morning!”
Everyone exchanged skeptical glances. Whether it be from their shared exhaustion or doubt, nobody made the motion to move until Raph shrugged, smirked, and nodded. “He ain’t wrong,” he agreed. “We’ve been up for hours anyways.”
Katie’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, hours?”
Ignoring her bewilderment Danny shoved one of the boxes into her lap as a suitable distraction. “Never mind that Doll, here, open these.”
“Hold up! If she’s going to open anyones’ gift first,” Leo pushed a massive blue shopping bag with the Macys logo on the sides at her feet. “It’s mine!”
“What? That’s bogus!” Casey shot back at the prankster. “I wanna give mine first!”
“Guys, really, knock it off. What are we, five?” Raph rolled his eyes at the childish display. “If one of us is gonna go b’fore th’ rest of us,” he nudged Mondo forward with an encouraging nod. “It’s Jace.”
Donnie smiled in agreement, giving the gecko a thumbs up. Bolstered by his friends Mondo scurried over to retrieve a package obviously wrapped by him— bright red paper with lightening bolts, crinkled and messy, taped to hell and back, with a shoddily tied bright blue bow in the middle. He offered the box forward with a giant smile, tail thumping against the floor in glee.
Accepting the gift, Katie looked at her son with a tired grin. “Mijo. You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I know,” Mondo nodded. “But I thought you’d like something that came from all of us.”
Katie couldn’t stop herself from looking taken by surprise. “What…?” She raised her gaze to Danny to search for an explanation, but the rat was sitting on the stepladder, a similarly fond expression written across a face usually wrought with stress and anger. Yellow eyes glistened, his grin gentle, kind, almost loving. “Listen t’ th’ kid,” he said. “I think yer really gonna like this.”
So, taking this in mind, Katie obliged. She gingerly pulled the paper apart, undid the bow, took the lid off the box to look at what had been given to her…
And her heart began to pang with emotion.
Perched in her lap was a scrapbook. Black leather, golden stud clasps punched into the corners… and in metallic gray sharpie marker in bold lettering was written, ‘Best Adopted Mom.’
Katie opened the book. She was greeted with photos of herself and her boys, from the happiest parts of their journey. Each one of these pictures showed them all smiling bright for the camera, either taken by surprise or charging the cameraman— probably Casey or Leo.
Coney Island. Yankee stadium. The diner. Raph learning how to drive the old pickup truck, Leo pointing and laughing hysterically at the other turtle. Casey in the ice rink teaching Mondo how to play hockey, Donnie holding onto the wall for dear life. Game nights, where by the end of it hell broke loose. The yōkai carnival. Halloween. The Day of the Dead gala— which, how the hell did they take the photo of her and Danny from that far at such a distance?— the beach. The arcade. There were sections of the book with color coordinated chapters to represent each of the boys— dark red for Raph. Sky blue for Leo. Electric purple for Donnie. Gold for Mondo. Black for Casey.
The photos ranged from mundane, to funny, to impressive shots of either duo in combat, to celebratory snippets cut out of newspapers or magazines. Fun stickers were pasted on the sides to give the paper more décor, doodies adorned every page, funny puns and quotes covered every inch of the book.
It wasn’t until she’d reached the final page that her heart backflipped.
The last page of the book contained two photos glued to a piece of pale pink paper: one was a group photo of herself and all the boys covered in bruises and battered, sitting at a table in Hueso’s restaurant, enjoying a pizza for the first time in months and looking completely at ease in the midst of a crowd of yōkai. They were beaming for the camera, a celebration of their newfound family in the aftermath of all they’d endured.
The second…
A photo of Grace and Lilium, the same one she’d shown Jason hours earlier. Underneath these pictures was a note.
‘To the best mom I’ve ever had! I’m sorry you can’t go home, but you’ve got us now! We can be your new family if you want! Thanks for always being here for us, for helping us, and for never giving up on any of us.
We love you, Mom!
Signed—
Leonardo
Raphael
Donatello
Casey
Jason.’
Katie remained still in her seat, the scrapbook cradled in her hands like it was a precious heirloom. She failed to realize she was shaking slightly. She didn’t notice how her vision started to blur again, only this time she truly couldn’t see anything past a misty haze of colors.
The silence that followed started to worry the others. Concerned, Mondo stepped forward, taking his Santa hat off and wringing it in his hands. “Mom…?”
The barriers shattered.
The walls came down.
Finally, for the first time in years, Katie burst into tears. It hurt. It stung like a bastard. Hot, furious waterfalls streamed along her skin in thick trails. Clapping a hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs as they overcame the detective, she allowed herself to release the bottled up emotions she’d kept under lock and key. Naturally everyone gathered to her side in moments, both baffled and confused while she wept over the book, messy tears dripping off her chin and jawline to plop onto the laminated pages.
A fuzzy, filling feeling flowed throughout her core, washing her hardened interior to melt away, giving in to an incredible emotion she hadn’t felt in years.
Love. To be loved by the people who had accepted all of her. To be loved by those who saw past the ugly pieces and kept her regardless. To be a parent to a group of amazing kids who, in turn, gave her purpose. To be loved by a man who only saw her— not the hybrid, not the magpie, nor the mixed breed… just Kathrine.
Is this what it felt like to be a mother?
Was this how Grace felt?
“Mom?!”
“Holy crap, are you okay?”
“What’s wrong?!”
“Guys, back up, give her air—“
“Did we do something bad—“
“I knew we shouldn’t have—“
“How?” Katie asked through sobs, quieting the boys. When no one responded she asked again with a shaking sigh, “How?”
“How what?” Leo frowned.
She scrubbed at her eyes with her sleeves, emerald orbs turning dark red in an attempt to wipe the tears away. “H-How did I… get so lucky?” Raising her head she met their gaze with a watery smile filled with joy and happiness, pink coloring her cheeks. “To find such great kids?“
Mondo blinked slowly, hat still twisted in his hands. “Do you… like the book?”
“Like it?” She asked, looking stunned, as if the question was outlandish. “Like it?”
Mondo gulped, the hat twisted thin between his hands. “Is it that bad? I didn’t think the pictures were that blurr—EEEP!”
Katie wrapped her arms around the gecko to pull him into a strong embrace, clutching the smaller of the mutants close. Against the tears that still made her eyes sore, the woman smiled, looking completely at ease in the presence of those around them. “Mijo,” she sniffled. “This is the greatest gift I’ve ever gotten.”
Mondo’s face lit up with glee, returning the hug readily, tail slapping rapidly against the floor in excitement. “Radical!”
There was a lack of movement from everyone else. Katie lifted her head, meeting the eyes of her boys with a watery chuckle. “What, you think there’s a favorite in this household?” She extended an arm towards Donnie, a silent invitation to join. “Get in here!”
Donnie instantly took the offer, jumping into her arms with a similarly giant smile, his glasses going askew on his snout. Casey followed suit, finding a space at Katie’s left side. Leo was just as eager to join the fold, practically leaping forward, starved for paternal affection. Raph, though slower to accept the overt display of emotion as the older ‘loner’ brother, inched his way over to his comrades, crouching beside the bunch to place a hand atop the lip of Leo’s shell, trying not to show the fond grin on his beak.
It was a sweet image; a surrogate mother hugging the sons who chose her, internally blessed to have them in her life.
Danny, awkwardly, stood out from the huddle. The rat yōkai used his clawed index finger to pull on his turtleneck collar, shifting on one foot to the other, tail curled at his ankles. Katie noticed, untangling one arm from the cluster of mutants to reach for him.
His eyes widened. Danny, wordlessly, pointed to himself to ask, ‘you sure?’
Katie just nodded. Her fingers wriggled to motion for him to come.
His tail twitched. He swallowed, suddenly anxious. Slowly, he crossed the short distance across the carpet, the Christmas lights still spinning and dancing in rings along the walls. Kneeling, Danny timidly lifted a hand to reach for her, every fiber in his body telling him he didn’t belong here, he didn’t deserve this, he wasn’t worthy, he wasn’t allowed to share in this moment—
But Katie took his hand. She threaded her fingers through his own, clasping it tight. Her brilliant emerald orbs shined like gemstones in the colorful hues of the lights behind them, a beautiful smile gracing her strained features. For the first time he detected no sign of stress, no wear and tear, no grief…
It was just Katie.
And there was no other magnificent sight Danny wanted to bask in.
******************
An hour later, everyone commenced with the festivities proper. After drying her tears Katie had rushed to the closet to bring the rest of the presents she’d hidden from the boys— “I KNEW I should have checked that one,” Casey lamented with a snap of his fingers. Soon the sound of wrapping paper ripping and boxes being torn apart echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls and the sewer pipes overhead. Cheers and gasps of awe were soon to follow as everyone began to show off their gifts.
Mondo’s wish for a new skateboard came true as he hugged it chest, eyes scouring over the details of the designs and admiring the classic 90’s paint job. New converse sneakers, a box packed with vintage comics, an old school GameCube console and games to go with it sat dutifully in his corner.
Casey had yet to go through the pristine selection of metal baseball bats or hockey sticks that were set up in a leather carrying case along with the repaired rollerblades, but he couldn’t tear his eyes off the grey varsity jacket baring the name of his favorite hockey player currently clutched in his hands.
Raph didn’t react the most outwardly, but the pleased grunt he gave meant more than words. He totted a new set of boxer’s gloves, a black windbreaker, fingerless leather gloves custom made to fit for three fingers, a thick textbook on the history of motorcycles, knitting needles and yarn, as well as a rubix cube to help cope with his temper.
Donnie’s pile had a consistent theme; retro Pokémon games for his Gameboy, anime t-shirts, a BTS hoodie, refurbished laptop, plenty of Kpop CDs, Japanese snacks of varying kinds from chocolates to gummies, and a Gundam model kit to put together.
Leo hadn’t stopped squealing as he went through his selections, dramatically fainting over the sight. On top of receiving new clothes that would make David Bowie envious, the slider admired a set of neon nail polish to try out. He slipped on a pair of aviator sunglasses with dark red lenses as he tore into one more bag that had yet to be opened, and the sound he made caused his neighbor— Casey— to wince at the volume.
“NO. YOU. DIDN’T.” He pulled free a bright pink onesie with a hoodie and a horn on the top, a matching plushie tumbling out of it. Stars shined in his eyes under the sunglasses. “YOU GOT ME A UNICORN ONESIE?!”
“I mean,” Katie laughed as the slider hugged it to his chest, bouncing on the heels of his feet as he squealed. “You asked for one forever!”
“You’re the BEST!” Leo held up the fuzzy loungewear with pride, clearly over the moon with his present and holding it aloft as if it were Simba. “I now possess the coolest Christmas gift of all time! All of you can now be jealous!”
“If you say so,” Raph chuckled. He picked up a small wrapped bundle, tossing it at the prankster. “This one’s from me.”
Leo caught it, surprised. “Did I hear that right? RAPH got ME a Christmas gift?”
“Well, if ya don’t want it, I’ll give ‘em t’ Casey—“
“HELL NO,” Leo ripped the bright green paper off the strange bundle… revealing a pair of caramel brown fluffy, dopey puppy slippers with goggly eyes and floppy ears. Leo’s mouth dropped wide open with shock, holding the footwear in his fingers for all to see, earning a few giggles from Donnie and Casey.
“Nice shoes,” the human teen chortled.
“SCREW YOU I LOVE THEM,” Leo loudly proclaimed, shoving them on to spite him.
As the kids laughed and showed each other their gifts, the adults finally sank into the comfort of the couch. Lounging in the sofa with a relieved sigh, Danny took his antlers off, looking to Katie as he spoke. “So,” he murmured with a light chuckle. “Is that everyone?”
Katie, snorting, gave him a playful swat on his shoulder. “There’s still you, dummy.” She grabbed a rectangular box that looked quite fancy, handing it to him with a knowing expression. “Feliz Navidad, mi amor.”
“Baby,” blushing a dark crimson, Danny took the present into his hands. “Ya didn’t need to—“
“Course I did. You’re family now,” she folded her arms atop the couch cushions to rest her head there, watching him with adoration. “I couldn’t just leave you out.”
Danny’s face went blank, caught off guard.
“Was that wrong of me?”
“Nah. Just… haven’t been part of something like this in years. Not since Leonard or Mickey.” He went quiet for a moment, tugging the paper off the box carefully. “Ya know something? I thought I’d never get outta that life. I thought I was stuck in that cycle forever— but if I’m honest…” he reached a free hand towards hers, taking her hand into his own with all the tenderness of a class-A gentleman. He gave it a squeeze. “I’m glad I chose you over everything.”
If it was feasible for a human to turn into a living cherry, Katie’s face would have magically transformed into one. She blustered, a feat he thought impossible, as she held his hand tighter. “You jackass,” the detective giggled. “You gotta do this to me?”
“I aim t’ please…” Danny’s free hand had pried open the box at last, pushing the lid off. He stared down into the contents of what lay before him, and he genuinely looked touched.
A three piece suit, made of refined black satin, and a crisp silk tie dyed a pleasing dark violet, sat innocently in his lap. Sitting on top of that was a gold lighter with beautiful engravings, with his name etched along the metal in elegant cursive.
“You needed a suit to go dancing in,” Katie smirked as his fingers plucked the lighter from the box, thumb brushing across the engravings. “And you ask for a lighter all the time, so…”
The rat yōkai stared at the lighter for the longest time, snapping it open with a practiced flick of his wrist. A bright purple flame of magic origin burst into being, swishing in mystified motions. It captivated him. There was a beauty to its color, mysterious and alluring, it was almost perfect.
Danny found himself smiling. Snapping the lighter closed he squeezed Katie’s hand. “You know how t’ leave me speechless.”
“I aim to please,” Katie quoted back at him, sitting upright to better lounge into the sofa. “NOW we’ve got everyone.”
“Not yet.” Danny stood, going for the tree this time, moving through a mound of shredded paper and boxes. “I still haven’t given ya my gift.” He rummaged around for a second before he grabbed onto the object, yanking it free of the mess of tinsel and branches.
She almost had to do a double take. In his hand, having been freed from its hiding place like Excalibur from the stone, was a gorgeous dreadnought acoustic guitar, but by the looks of it this was a custom model. The base of the guitar was dyed a rich reddish-black with a shadowy gradient blending the two tones on the sides, likely mahogany. Nylon strings finely tuned along the thin neck of the instrument. It was massive, bigger than the one she recalled owning years ago before Bishop decided to take a Glock to it.
Katie was left marveling. “Is that…?”
“Heard your old one got shot fulla bullet holes. Thought it was better that ya got an upgrade.” Danny handed her the mighty item. Though it was hollow, it still surprised her that the guitar managed to be slightly taller than herself.
The boys had all flocked to the couch, sitting either on the carpet or on open spots in the couch and loveseat to watch their mother handle the instrument with delicate care. Scarred, calloused fingers smoothed over the polished wood, absorbing its beauty with an awesome breath. “Dios Mio…”
“Helluva beast,” Raph complimented. “Bet it’ll make some great music.”
Flopping onto a couch cushion with his plushie clutched in his arms, Leo eyed the guitar with wonder. “Sooooooo is this the time where I can ask for lessons?”
“Hell no!” Casey barked out a laugh, falling into the loveseat. “If you try to play it, you’ll break the strings!”
“Dude, how would I break it? Are you sure you’re not talking about yourself?”
“Definitely! I’m a pro at anything! Casey Jones can master any instrument!”
“Uh-huh. Sure. I’ll believe that when carrots fly.”
Mondo hopped into the open seat at Katie’s left, tail falling to rest at his lap. “Can you play something for us?”
“Right now?” Katie couldn’t help but chuckle, tuning the strings. “Haven’t really had the time to practice my skills!”
“Come on, please?” Mondo clasped his hands together, putting on the ‘poor puppy dog eyes’ face to better try and convince her, adding the quivering lip for dramatic emphasis. “For Christmas?”
“Ooooh no, I see what you’re doing, it’s not gonna sway me.” Katie teased, but when she looked to her right eye found the soul-crushing teary eyed expressions of Leo and Donnie doing the same thing. These kid and their damn emotional ploys. “… okay, okay, fine, you win.”
Earning cheers from her boys, the detective sat upright to better adjust her grip on the dreadnought, cradling it close, fingers coming to rest upon the base of the guitar prepping for its first performance. It was as though the strings were humming in her ears, an energy beyond her understanding, yearning to be used, to be played, to be heard.
“What’re you gonna play?” Donnie asked.
“Yeah! I mean,” Leo tucked his legs beneath him, eager to listen. “Do you have a song in mind?”
… that was something she hadn’t thought of yet.
Katie spared a glimpse at her boys, looking at their smiling excitable faces. She looked to Danny, leaning against the wall near the tree, regarding her lovingly. She thought of Grace and Lilium, their laughter a distant echo in the sewers as though their aura still remained.
Yeah… she had a song in mind.
Fingers plucked at the nylon strings. A calm melody started to flow from under worn and calloused fingertips. Then, with a soulful voice, the words came free.
“Candles in the window,
Shadows painting the ceiling.
Gazing at the fire glow,
Feeling that gingerbread feeling…”
The boys were instantly captivated; their postures relaxed, lulled by the sweet melody, soothed by her voice, enjoying the company of their strange family whilst Danny’s smile softened significantly, watching on in silent pride.
“Precious moments.
Special people.
Happy faces.
I can see…”
Katie’s heart felt lighter than air. The stirring of emotions that had conquered the woman’s otherwise tense and painful heart had finally allowed for the vulnerable side to break through, to be willing to open herself up and be freed from the overwhelming amount of grief that had kept her tethered to her shortcomings. Yes, she had lost a part of herself that would likely never be returned to her. She doubted the likelihood of the family reunion she’d desperately longed for with Grace and her niece.
Yes, she’d never get to see them again… but Katie still had a family.
She had her boys. She had Danny. She had them… and they would always have her there to keep them supported.
And that was more than enough.
“Somewhere in my memory
Christmas joys all around me.
Living in my memory,
All of the music. All of the magic.
All of the family home here, with me…”
********************
Tada!! Hope you liked this!! It was fun to get this done! The song Katie’s singing is a cover rendition of ‘Somewhere in my Memory’ from Home Alone! I liked this version a ton so I imagined Katie would sing like this!
Enjoy, and see ya soon!! 😊
@queen-with-the-quill @tending-the-hearth @lameboobah @wasted-and-ready @figuringitoutasigoalong @tmnt-tychou
#tmnt#teenage mutant ninja turtles#tmnt au#familia: forever#tmnt fanfiction#tmnt oc#tmnt 2012#rottmnt#rise of the tmnt#tmnt mutant mayhem#tmnt 2007#tmnt mondo gecko#tmnt 2012 casey jones#tmnt raphael#mm donnie#rottmnt leo#rottmnt dastardly danny
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