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streamingcolors-gvf · 7 months

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Skin Deep Part 10.2

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x f!reader x Male OC , Josh Kiszka x f!reader x Jake Kiszka

Word count: 8.3k

A/N: It’s here, lovelies. The chapter that’s got me quaking in my boots. (Ya girl is anxious about this one). If this isn’t your thing, I’m warning you now. This chapter is purely smut. So if you decide to skip this update, I broke this chapter up so it’s not going to really affect much of the story for you. (Also apologizing for any editing mistakes)

Little shout out to Hannah, Nessa and Rachel for helping me work through this chapter. Love ya ❤️ and to everyone I bugged along the way

As always, love and appreciate all the support and feedback y’all give me. Hope you enjoy this one!

Warnings: cursing, alcohol consumption, drug use -marijuana, sexually explicit content - MINORS DNI 18+ (unprotected penetrative sex, protected anal sex, oral m!receiving, oral f!receiving, dirty talk, spit kink, c*m play)

This chapter depicts explicit scenes of queer sex.

Masterpost, Chapter 10.1

Fifteen minutes. Fifteen excruciatingly long minutes you have to spend crammed into the backseat of this Uber wedged between them. You’re drunk enough to lose yourself the feeling of hands and mouths roaming your body, but sober enough to be aware that your driver has made several glances in the rearview mirror.

Changing traffic lights blur in your periphery, passing street signs become unrecognizable. Josh’s insatiable hunger for you has only grown since you left the bar. With his mouth attached to your neck, his fingers slip under the hem of your dress, inching farther up the inside of your thigh. If you could get your way without the risk of being thrown out of the car, you’d have them inside you already. All you can do is writhe across the middle seat, hoping that they miraculously do.

Kai seems the most level-headed one between the three of you, making polite conversation with the driver — small talk that doesn’t hold your attention. What does keep it, is the feeling of his erection straining beneath your wandering hand. With what he’s teased for free on his socials and what’s straining beneath your palm, you’ve created a mental image, but the limitations of the denim keep you guessing.

You massage your thumb across the length of his covered cock. He chuckles and leans in close enough to whisper, “I thought you didn’t want me to assume anything.”

You squeeze your hand around it, making his eyes flutter for a second before his hand rests on top of yours. The intensity of his stare into your eyes grows as he waits for you to say something. The car pulls up at the end of the twin’s driveway, interrupting your thoughts. Josh rushes to pop the handle of the door and drags you out with him, causing you to stumble out of the car trying to get to your feet, but he’s quick to catch you.

“Oh shit!” You break into giggles, clutching onto him to keep your balance.

“You okay, baby?” He laughs, pulling you in tight by an arm wrapped around your waist. You nod, playing with the golden sun swinging across his sternum. Despite his entire torso being exposed from his unbuttoned shirt, you can feel his warmth beneath your hands. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen you like this.”

“Seen me like what?”

“A little tipsy,” he teases, swaying you slightly before giving your asscheek a firm squeeze. It’s all making you feral — his musky scent of sweat and cologne mixing together, the feeling of his fingers skimming along the lace edge of your panties, even down to the way he’s grinning at you. Your hands have a mind of their own, sliding up his smooth chest to hook around the back of his neck, tugging him into a kiss. “…and this horny.”

“You just want me to stand here or what?!” Kai shouts from a distance. You whip your head around to see him standing on the front stoop waiting for you now that the Uber is long gone.

You and Josh share a laugh as you start walking up the driveway. He takes your hand, but before you reach the halfway point, he stops to ask you, “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s okay if you want to back out.”

His nervousness is starting to reveal itself now that the moment is becoming more real by the second. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t feel it too. Throughout the summer, you’ve become familiar with him and Jake. This, however, was new. Very new.

You give him a reassuring smile, squeezing the hand that’s starting to sweat against yours. “I want to if you do.”

That glimmer returns, flashing over his irises that are illuminated by the porch light. “Yeah?”

“Fuck yeah.”

“I love…just…ugh.” He bites his words through a groan before yanking into another kiss. “You’re amazing. I don’t fucking deserve you.”

“We can do that inside the house, you know?” Kai interrupts. He’s still waiting, leaning against the side of the house with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You sound impatient, Kai,” Josh giggles as he searches for the key on the ring. You’re not helping in the slightest, nipping at Josh’s ear to feel the cold, gold hoop against your tongue. It distracts him, making him use up every ounce of willpower to unlock the front door, but he manages.

“Says the man who has had a raging hard-on for the last hour,” Kai quips back.

Josh’s laugh cracks through the air as he pushes the door open and enters the dark house. “Once your cock has been inside her, you’ll know why.”

You would’ve smacked his arm, playfully scolding him, but Kai’s hand hooks your wrist before you can, pulling you toward him. As if he were a shadow consuming you, he coos with a calming lilt, “Is that true, kitten? Are you so irresistible that you’ve got our Josh pussy blind?”

You’re learning quickly that he loves this game — each play to see who is chasing who, and right now, he’s been batting you around to see where his little mouse runs off to. You meet his jade-colored eyes, hoping your rapid breathing and flushed cheeks aren’t giving you away. “Only one way to find out.”

A devilish grin pulls over his teeth, and he releases his gentle grasp around your forearm to set you free. You watch Josh make his way around the living room, flipping the tableside lamps on to bring the house to life. Kai soaks in the glowing light, taking in the space around him. “So…when’s Jake supposed to be home?”

Josh huffs out a laugh, “He’s not.”

“He isn’t?” You cut in, sounding far more disappointed than you truly are. You’ve had plenty of distractions tonight, pushing him out of your mind until now. Being here, seeing all his possessions laid out in front of you without him brings those feelings you’ve been shoving away to the surface.

“Yeah, he texted me that he’ll be at Sam’s tonight. He usually stays in town at his place if we go out,” Josh explains as he turns to face you, seeing the fleeting turmoil casting over your face. He walks over to you, giving you a reassuring embrace. “Hey. He’ll be fine, okay?”

Doubt bubbles in the pit of your stomach when you remember how Jake acted and looked at you at the bar. You feel Kai’s eyes on you as he stands off to the side, gauging the situation playing out in front of him. Josh smiles, guiding your attention back to the present with him. “I promise, baby. You want this, right?”

“Yeah,” you reply softly, breathing in his presence.

You watch as Kai steps into your view behind Josh and sinks his teeth into the side of his neck. Josh sucks in a sharp breath and lets a strangled moan free as Kai’s tongue travels to his ear. Satisfied with the reaction, Kai hums into his flushed skin, “Then there’s nothing to worry about, is there?”

Josh emphasizes with a heavy sigh, “We have the whole house to ourselves.”

Kai continues to walk around him until he’s standing directly behind you. He then places both hands on your shoulders, sending the breath of his words across the shell of your ear, “You hear that? The whole house.” A shiver rolls down your spine at the thought while his fingers massage you. He’s so close to your cheek that you feel his lips move as he speaks to Josh, “Got anything to drink?”

“Yeah. I think there’s a bottle of tequila in the cabinet.”

“That’s perfect. I think she and I will go ahead and make ourselves comfortable.” He slips away from you and sits on the couch, leaving you with Josh.

Josh’s hands which have yet to leave your waist, squeeze around your hips when he asks for himself, “Would you like a drink, baby?”

You know mixing liquors is probably a poor decision, but it’s become the least of your concerns tonight. “Tequila soda?”

He flashes a warm smile before kissing you. “Coming right up.” He separates from you and makes his way into the kitchen. Within seconds, that fluttery nervous feeling returns knowing that Kai is waiting for you.

“C’mere,” Kai beckons while tapping his hand on the top of his thigh. You’re drawn to him without further thought, sliding yourself onto his lap with his guiding hand. He balances most of your weight on his right leg, wrapping his arm around your waist to hold you close. “That’s it, sugar.”

His ringed fingers skim over your dress and down your legs draped over him. “Are you gonna tell me your favorite places you like to be touched?” His lips ghost along your jawline, making you squirm against him. The tip of his nose dips into your cleavage to breathe in your scent. “Or are you gonna make me work for it?”

“It wouldn’t be as fun if I told you,” you tease, combing your fingers through the soft, raven-black curls at the nape of his neck.

He groans at the feeling and traces circles on the top of your knee that’s exposed below the hem of your dress. “Here?”

You giggle from how the sensation tickles, “You’re getting warmer.” You watch as he slowly pulls the fabric up inch by inch, revealing your freshly shaven legs. His fingertips skate along your inner thigh, making a moan push past your lips.

“How ‘bout now?” He asks through the wet kisses being showered all over your neck. You should be embarrassed by the effect he has on you, but that’s a fact you’ll have to accept later. Here you are, falling apart on another man’s lap, drenching your lace panties when he’s barely touched you.

“Kai…” you whine, most likely meant as a warning or perhaps a plea — that, you can’t be sure. He responds to you calling his name by digging his fingers into the thick flesh of your thigh hard enough that it might leave tiny bruises, making you gasp loudly. You feel his hardening cock beneath your ass as he grinds you across his lap.

You look up to see Josh watching you from the kitchen. He seems entertained, smiling at you before dropping his focus to the drinks he’s still preparing. Kai’s hand slides farther up, now inches away from where you want it.

“Now?”

Your voice catches in your throat, coming out as a broken whimper, “Warmer.”

A throaty laugh rumbles in the depths of his throat as he drags his middle finger over your covered pussy. You can’t hold back from bucking your hips when he rubs over your throbbing clit. “And now?”

“Hot. Hot,” you groan, gripping his hair by the root in your clenched fist.

His finger slips under the fabric, sliding effortlessly through your slick. “Fucking Christ you’re so wet,” he huffs, quickly retrieving his hand to pat the top of your thigh. “Stand up for me.”

Confused, and a bit disoriented, you struggle to lift yourself from his lap to stand to your feet. He stops you before you can, redirecting you, “No, no. Up here, kitten.”

You hesitate for a second once you realize what he’s asking of you. “I don’t know…”

“I got you. Come on,” he reassures, taking your hand in his. The alcohol in your system throws off your coordination and balance, but he helps you onto the couch with minimal effort. With your feet planted on either side of his legs, his hands dive under your dress and hook the band of your panties at your hips. He tugs them off in a swift motion and tosses them out of sight.

He pushes up the front of your dress, bunching the material at your navel to expose your bare pussy that’s right at his eye level, mere inches away from his mouth. You suddenly feel self-conscious, worrying about placing too much of your weight on him, and brace yourself against the wall so you can hover.

“Fuck, I love women,” the proclamation leaves his glossy lips as he kneads his thumbs into your thighs, admiring the sight before him. He lifts one of your legs and places it over his shoulder before burying himself in you.

“Oh, god!” you cry out, instantly overwhelmed by his pointed tongue rolling over your clit.

“He was right…” he confesses through panting breaths that cling to you. With a hand secured to your hip and one cupped under your ass, he drives you down onto his face. “…You taste fucking incredible.”

Everything about him is new — the curious passes of his tongue as he learns your body. He’s proving himself to be a quick learner, picking up on what makes you tick. Before you know it, you begin to ride him, chasing the tongue that never stills, even for a second. It feels as though he’s everywhere, yet nowhere all at once.

A guttural, nearly primal sound breaks free from your chest, “Oh my god!”

Instead of focusing solely on making you finish as Josh would, he thrashes his head aggressively from side to side, lapping and sucking mercilessly on your clit with unexpected enthusiasm. He fills the room with the lewd, wet, pornographic sounds. They’re obscene, borderline louder than your own moans. His movements are sloppy, meant more for the show of it than for your pleasure.

He’s being a fucking tease, making you feel as though you’re close while being farther away than when you started. You let your frustration out with a harsh yank of his hair, causing him to growl into you.

He pulls you by the waist, throwing you down on the cushion beside him. Stunned, you stare at him wide-eyed and slack-jawed, “What the fuck?!”

He smiles at you, but the swipe of his thumb across his bottom lip does nothing to clean off his mouth. Your wetness coats the entire bottom half of his face, causing it to shine in the golden light. “Oh, we’re just getting started.”

With eyes glazed over, you look over to Josh, seeing him leaning against the kitchen island. It’s casual— the way he’s standing with his legs crossed comfortably over each other. You’d ask him why he’s not by your side yet, but the feeling of Kai’s fingers trailing up and down the inside of your shaking leg distracts you from him.

You hear his giggle, “Having fun, baby?” Before you can process the words, he’s standing in front of you offering you a drink. You struggle to sit up until you can take it from him. You blink through the haziness clouding your vision, watching as Josh downs one of the shots of tequila in his hands. He winces through the burn, and with the other shot glass in his hand, he crawls onto Kai’s lap, straddling him.

“Oh, hello,” Kai purs, placing his large hands on Josh’s hips to rock him closer. He reaches for the second shot thinking it’s for him, but is surprised when Josh brings it to his own lips instead.

Josh smirks as he tips the glass back, but doesn’t swallow it this time. He takes Kai by the chin with his free hand and tugs him forward, silently asking him to open his lips. He instantly catches on and accepts, allowing Josh to spit the stream of tequila into his mouth. Kai swallows it without a single change of expression, looking up at Josh through his lust-heavy lids as he plucks the empty shot glasses from his fingers to set them on the table beside them.

Josh cradles his face in his hand and licks a languid stripe up Kai’s chin, cleaning the spilled liquor threatening to dribble down his throat. His tongue reaches Kai’s mouth, tasting you off his swollen lips. You witness the switch flipping inside Josh as the same hunger he felt for you in the backseat reemerges. He deepens the kiss and rushes to shrug off his shirt, becoming more aggressive with every pass of his tongue.

It’s when he starts frantically popping the buttons of Kai’s shirt, that he stops him with a hand around his throat. Kai nips at his bottom lip, correcting him through a dominant growl, “Slow down, pretty boy. We have nothing but time.”

Kai’s grip loosens around his neck once he hears Josh’s whimper, and lets his open hand slide down his tattooed body. They’re both breathing heavily, taking in the sight of each other this close. Kai admires the inked sparrows on either side of Josh’s chest with a gentle touch, following the linework of red poppies down his torso. Keeping eye contact, his hand finds Josh’s cock straining against his thigh beneath the tight leather of his pants.

Kai rubs his thumb across the head, giving an admission through a sultry voice, “I’ve thought this more times than I can count.”

Josh’s eyes flutter closed, and he starts to grind himself against Kai’s lap in response, whining, “Oh fuck. Just touch me. Please.”

Kai gives in to him, moving them both into a new position. Josh is now seated beside you with his back against the cushion, Kai stands to his feet in front of him. You take the chance, slipping in behind Josh to hold him between your legs.

He settles in, leaning back against your chest so you both can watch Kai take his time, popping each tiny button at a sinfully slow pace between his nimble fingers. Like ink strokes against pristine paper, his porcelain skin is decorated with a vast collection of black and gray pieces. He rids himself of the long-sleeve shirt, showing off the new pair of scorpions between his hips that are now at the tail end of the healing process.

He unhooks his leather belt with a single hand and kicks his dark jeans off to the side, leaving the black pair of boxer briefs. Even with the dark color of the satin fabric, you can see the distinct, and equally impressive, outline of his hardening cock.

He drops to his knees between Josh’s open legs, feeling across the slippery leather covering his thighs. You hold Josh tight, nestling against his ear, hearing the shallow breaths that flutter rapidly from his open lips.

Kai teases him with a featherlight touch of his fingertips across the bare skin of Josh’s stomach just to see the muscles quiver. He sucks at the vulnerable flesh between the tattooed roses between his teeth, causing Josh to groan with every mouth-sized fuschia mark mottled across its surface.

Just as Kai’s tongue is about to dip into Josh’s navel, he cries out through the dryness plaguing his mouth, “Don’t! It’s still healing.”

Kai clicks his tongue in disappointment, humming, “That’s a shame. I’ve been waiting to do that all night.” He continues his path, mumbling through the open-mouth kisses down the trail of hair, “What other surprises are you hiding?”

You consider mentioning the hidden tattoo below Josh’s waist, but Kai spots it before you can. He traces the tip of the leaves poking out with his finger, sighing with intrigue, “Oh? And what are you?”

His eyes flick up, catching Josh’s that are full of desperation before they move over to yours. Your brow wiggle sparks his curiosity even more, causing him to pop open the button of Josh’s pants.

He peels back the leather, discovering the cherry tattoo barely an inch from the base of Josh’s cock that’s still tucked away. You watch the gears turning in his head as he looks over its details before a knowing grin forms across his face.

“Is this…?”

“For you?” Josh answers with a shaky voice. He’s looking down at Kai’s fingers drawing over the outline. “Yeah. I got it done after that night you brought me to The Twisted Cherry for the first time.”

“Josh…” Kai trails off, collecting his thoughts. “We didn’t even do anything that night. Flirted for a few hours and had a few drinks, but…”

“What can I say…” Josh chuckles. “You have an effect on me.”

You had thought about how he had gotten the tattoo, but never about why. “That’s the real story behind that?”

“Yeah. It was about a year ago,” he explains. “I was probably still drunk when I walked into Marley’s shop that next morning.” He reminisces while you watch Kai fight the blush rising to his cheeks. “One of my more horny and impulsive decisions, but I’ll never regret it. The ladies love it.”

Kai’s gaze stays locked onto you. “I bet they do.” He lowers himself to place a kiss directly on the cherries. “To inspire a tattoo…and to think my ego couldn’t get any bigger.”

He bites the delicate skin — just as you had done weeks ago. Josh whimpers loudly, tightening his grasp around your forearm that’s draped across his chest. Kai pulls down Josh’s pants farther down his legs, causing his cock to spring free against his stomach. He takes them off the rest of the way, leaving Josh completely naked.

Kai takes Josh in his hand, wrapping his tattooed fingers around his length, and strokes him gently with a loose fist. “I’ve always known you’d have a pretty cock.”

Josh only responds with a delirious nod. He’s dying with anticipation, fighting the temptation to fuck himself into Kai’s hand. He’s restless and squirming against you to chase any bit of friction he can.

“Relax, baby. Are you gonna be good for him?” You coo softly against Josh’s ear, brushing your parted lips across the velvet plushness of his buzzed hair.

“Mmhmm,” he whines, furrowing his brow and dropping his mouth to form a perfect circle.

Watching Kai lick a stripe up along the underside of Josh’s cock ignites something inside you that you couldn’t have anticipated. You quickly realize he can pleasure him in a way that’s different from you. He knows what feels the best, what can get Josh there faster than you ever will. Jealousy could very well rob you of this moment, but instead, you take note and appreciate how Josh falls apart in your arms.

Kai seals his lips around Josh’s cock, forcing a strangled moan to break free, “Oh, fuck!”

You hook your chin over Josh’s shoulder and appreciate the sight before you. Josh has lost his ability to focus and throws his head back, extending his neck for you. You nuzzle into him, kissing along his clenched jaw up to his pierced ear. “Be a good boy for us and watch him, hmm?”

Curses slip past his lips through the pitchy moans, but he’s losing himself in the pleasure of it all. Whenever you’re going down on him, you’re too distracted by the drive to make him feel good to watch the expressions on his face or remember all the little sounds he makes.

You continue peppering affectionate kisses along the sharp edge of his jaw, sighing into the taut skin, “Does his mouth feel as good as you imagined it would?”

You know he can’t answer you. There’s no chance he can form a single coherent thought right now with how Kai’s spoiling his cock. Not a shred of the enthusiasm he had with you is being sacrificed for him. It’s messy, with the evidence left being Josh’s entire lap shining with his spit, but it’s deliberate. You give in to the urge and reach out to brush back Kai’s fallen curls draping across his forehead, guiding the rhythmic bobbing of his head.

“Look at him, Josh,” you say with an innocent lull as you pet his hair which is becoming damp with sweat with your free hand, encouraging him to open his eyes again. “You’ve fantasized about him sucking your cock, right?”

Sharing his point of view is almost too much for you to bear yourself. You can’t imagine how he must feel.

“Yeah…” Josh confesses as he finally blinks his eyes open again. Kai, sensing that he’s watching him, suddenly changes what he’s doing, pushing his cock deeper toward the back of his throat. Josh shakes his head frantically and clenches his fingers around your arms to ground himself to you. “Fuck! Wait! wait…You’re gonna make me cum if you keep doing that.”

Kai hears his plea and pulls his cock from his mouth and smiles, tapping the head against his rosy, wet lips as he pumps a tight fist now that it’s lubed with his spit. “I think that might be the point.”

“I know…I just don’t last long if I’ve been drinking. I-I just want it to last,” he manages to say in a breathy laugh, but he’s starting to shake uncontrollably with every downward stroke of Kai’s slick hand. “I… I…I’m so fucking close.”

“Let him make you cum, Josh. I wanna see it,” you beg with your sultriest voice, adding an emphasizing nip to his earlobe. The surface of his skin is so feverish to the touch that it’s sticking against every bare spot on your body.

Knowing it won’t take much more of his effort, Kai focuses his remaining attention on the special spot beneath the head of Josh’s cock — using the same rapid flicking motion of his tongue that he used on your poor clit minutes ago. You’re still so deprived, left to deal with the lingering denial while Josh reaches his own climax in your arms. He unravels within seconds, and he tries to warn Kai, but the words never form past a grunt. His orgasm takes over without mercy, and all you can do is hold him against you as his cum glazes Kai’s flattened tongue.

Josh relaxes with his release, melting into your chest as the energy drains from his body. Kai licks him clean, swiping some that’s dribbled down the length of his cock with his finger before offering it to you. He gives you a taste by running it across your tongue, and you seal your lips around him. You lightly suck on his finger, making him stand to kiss you.

The kiss is far from subtle from his mouth being puffy and wet, the heat of his tongue slipping over yours. He tastes of Josh and tequila, coaxing you to your feet with a strong pull of his hands around yours. As he explores you, his fingers slip the straps of your dress off your shoulders, tugging the garment down to a pile at your feet. His hand is busy roaming down the length of your spine and cups over your ass, sending you forward with a powerful squeeze.

“Fuck…” he groans in response to your pitchy yelp, nipping his way down your throat. “I can see why he’s so obsessed with you.”

“And why’s that?” You hum, feeling your way down his toned stomach to play with the band of his boxers. He sighs as you kiss down his chest and lower yourself to your knees before him.

“Well, for one, you’re way kinkier than I thought you’d be.” He brushes your hair back, holding it at the crown of your head while you take off the only clothing still left on him.

Your giggle is cut short with a gasp at the sight of his cock displayed in front of you. He’s larger than you expected, slightly longer, but considerably thicker than Josh. It intimidates you at first, leaving you frozen in place while you stare.

“Holy shit.” You hear Josh’s breath of awe behind you. “You look so much bigger in person.”

Kai laughs, holding it at the base before giving himself a few strokes to show off. “Been looking at my account, huh?”

“You expect me not to?” Josh answers with his usual vibrancy returning to his voice.

Kai’s attention drops back to you kneeling at his feet. “What do you think, kitten?” His fingertips graze against your scalp while he taps the head of his cock against your bottom lip. “Is it too much for you to handle?”

“Show him how amazing you are, baby,” Josh encourages you, and the couch creaks with the shift of his weight as he sits up behind you.

You replace Kai’s hand with your own, feeling the weight of him as his steady heartbeat pulses against your palm. You’ve become so familiar with Josh, memorizing every detail of his body in the past weeks together, that Kai feels like an entirely new experience, and the pressure to perform suddenly overwhelms you.

Kai senses your hesitancy and tips your chin to look up at him. “Don’t get shy on me. Just relax and take your time, okay? It’s just a cock, baby.” Kai’s use of Josh's pet name instead of his own gives you a strange sense of comfort. It’s soft coming from him, meant to remind you of the fact that this is still the three of you.

Feeling a wave of confidence, you start by kissing the tip. They’re teasing and soft, warming you up to the delicate licks until you feel bold enough to swirl your tongue around him. You feel the rake of his dull nails across your scalp as he praises, “That’s it, kitten.”

You slide him deeper across your tongue, stretching your mouth around him. There’s no way you can fit all of him, so you have to compensate for what you can’t reach with your hand.

Josh’s hands caress your shoulders and neck, holding your hair back in a makeshift ponytail. “Fuck, you’re so hot.”

You’ve gotten a pretty good idea of what Kai’s into, and decide to put on a show of your own. You make a point to gag dramatically, letting your drool flow freely down his length.

He shudders as you twist your wrist furiously around him, “Fuck… that feels amazing. Nothing like seeing a pretty girl choking on my cock.”

Kai thrusts himself deep until you can no longer handle it. You’re forced to pull back and gasp for breath while the tears stream down your cheeks.

“You’re doing so good, baby.” Josh kisses your temple, giggling, “He does like it a bit rougher than me, doesn’t he?”

You laugh through your panting, looking up to see Kai breathing just as heavily as you. He runs his fingers through his messy hair, glancing down at you with a grin.

“I need to feel your pussy. Right now.” Kai steps away to sit on the couch beside Josh, taking you with him by the hand. “Come here.”

With the coordination of a newborn fawn, you crawl onto his lap. He pulls you into a kiss, lifting your ass enough to glide the head of his cock through your wetness. He meets your entrance after a few passes and tries to nudge himself inside. You suck in a breath of fear from the sheer size of him, and lock your body involuntarily, anticipating the sting. He shushes you against your lips, “Shhh, it’s okay. You’re fucking soaked, kitten. Just go slow.”

You brace yourself on his shoulders and start to lower your hips. Josh joins in by placing his hand between your legs, circling your swollen clit with the faintest touch of his middle finger.

Josh hums into that little spot below your ear, “Talk to us.” Kai nods in agreement, sitting perfectly still with his hands secured around your waist, giving you full control. A response for them is lost as you ease him into you, using the sensations on your clit as your guide to stretch yourself inch by inch.

You eventually settle onto his lap with him buried completely inside you, more thankful than ever that he prepared you for it. The full feeling he gives you is almost too much, threatening to push past your limits.

“Fuck, you’re so tight,” Kai groans, pushing himself against your cervix with a roll of his hips. He throws his head back, showing the massive beetle tattoo covering his throat. After stopping to adjust, you finally start to move, riding him with a cautious sway.

“I told you,” Josh murmurs, leaning in to kiss him. Kai captures his lips with far less control than earlier in the night. A flash of your greediness takes over, and for a moment, you want the kiss for yourself.

You let out a whine of protest, causing Josh to break away. He bites in his bottom lip, and sighs, “Did you think I forgot about you, baby?” He kisses you with the passion you so desperately crave. “Ride him for me. Show him how good your pussy feels.”

As you bounce on him, you realize how different Kai feels, hitting spots and stretching you out in ways that Josh doesn’t. But you can also admit that Josh makes you feel things that he doesn’t. Kai’s body feels harder, colder to the touch. His polished jade eyes take in your beauty, but they don’t cherish you the same way Josh’s honeyed ones do. He touches your body in the right places, but you know it’s how he would touch any other woman.

This is pure lust. Attraction with one goal in mind.

You do notice how gentle he’s being with you, knowing that he would rail you into this couch the second you say the word. He’s patient with a playful smirk on his face, accepting that this is about you and Josh more than it is for him.

Josh simply can’t keep his hands or his mouth to himself. He takes turns kissing you both, caressing you anywhere he can comfortably reach.

“I could fuck you for hours,” Kai admits, but once he realizes how you’re starting to tire, he shifts his intentions. “Here. Let’s turn you around.” He maneuvers you with a confident amount of strength, changing the position so you’re now facing away from him. You balance yourself the best you can, leaning back as he slips himself back inside you. He takes on most of the work, pumping his cock in and out of your pussy at a quicker pace.

Josh, wide-eyed, feels across your naked chest, holding your bouncing tits in the warmth of his palm. “You’re so beautiful…taking him so well.” He sucks one of your nipples into his mouth, wetting it before blowing a cool stream across it to watch it harden. He kisses his way down your stomach, settling on his knees between Kai’s legs — mirroring the position from minutes before.

There’s no coyness to his actions. He dives right in, licking a broad stripe over your needy clit. He sucks it gently into his mouth, pleasuring you in the way you desperately need it. His tongue draws your favorite patterns with the perfect pressure as Kai’s cock glides effortlessly inside your cunt.

It’s the depraved combination that catapults you right into your building orgasm. You resist your body’s response to close your eyes, wanting to watch him. You’ve missed him — the way his lust-riddled eyes float up your naked body until they meet yours. You feel the teeth of his smile against you just as his mouth leaves your clit. He then retrieves Kai’s cock from you, leaving you with a sudden empty feeling. You might’ve complained because of how close you are, but seeing him take Kai into his mouth renders you speechless.

You hear Kai’s muffled whimper beneath you as Josh licks your arousal off of him. He takes full advantage of the chance to play, going back and forth from rolling his tongue over your clit and sucking Kai’s cock.

Hearing Kai’s sounds mix with your own is too much for your drunken brain to process. Josh isn’t oblivious to your eagerness and impatience and guides Kai back inside you. “You have the prettiest pussy. I swear I could look at this all day.”

“Make her cum,” Kai commands through a faltering thrust, giving away that he’s a bit closer than he’d admit. He bends your back into the right curve, making sure to hit your g-spot while Josh smothers your clit.

Kai snakes his hand up around your throat, tilting your head back to rasp against the shell of your ear, “Does he look pretty between your legs?” When you don’t answer right away, he squeezes his fingers into your pulse points, but only with enough pressure to get your attention. You nod and whine, making him continue, “You love how he’s worshiping that pussy of yours while you take my cock?”

His sinfully enticing voice, paired with the silken feeling of Josh’s tongue and the slick glide of his cock sends you over the edge with no chance of returning. You fall apart within a matter of seconds, dependent on Kai’s ability to support you above him. Josh keeps your legs from snapping closed as you spasm and flutter around Kai’s cock. He laps you up as if you were a sweet syrup, riding you through the crashing waves of your climax.

“I’m gonna cum,” Kai warns as he rushes to pull himself out of you. Josh takes over the final strokes with an expert hand, causing his cum to cover and drip down your pussy. He plays in the mess, rubbing across your sticky clit with the pad of his thumb before licking you clean until overstimulation ravages the both of you.

Kai huffs an exhausted laugh through the shakes, letting you collapse against his chest. He rubs his hands over your body to smooth out the goosebumps rising to the surface and gives your pussy a teasing spank. “I think we should move this party to the bedroom.”

You roll your head against his shoulder listlessly. “Do you know the way?”

He chuckles, lifting you to your feet. “No, but I’m sure you could lead the way, kitten.”

You pad across the hardwood floor, feeling the soreness between your legs with every stride, and before you make it to the threshold, you peer over your shoulder. They’re both sitting, leaning back against the couch, watching you. You quirk a brow, teasing, “Well, are you two coming? Or am I gonna have to fuck myself in that big ole bed?”

Darkness swims in Josh’s pupils as he leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He studies you, biting back a mischievous grin before his eyes narrow. He suddenly lunges, taking off from the couch to chase after you. You scream, barreling your way down the hall to his bedroom.

Laughter and the thunderous sounds of his footsteps echo throughout the hallway. You make a quick turn, run into his room, and leap onto the giant mattress.

He grabs your flailing ankle, yanking you to the edge of the bed through your fit of giggles. He throws himself on top of you, boxing you in to tickle your sides and bite at the sensitive skin of your neck. “I can’t fucking wait to be inside you, baby,” he pants, grabbing your ass to throw you to the center of the bed while driving his hard cock against you. He hovers to kiss you, causing his necklace to dance on your bare chest. “Watching him fuck you first would have been torture if it wasn’t so hot.”

You reach for his cock, giving it a firm squeeze to feel it throb in your hand. “Now you know how it felt when he sucked you off before I could.”

You feel the vibration of his hums as he kisses you. Licking into your mouth, he rocks with the stroke of your hand around him, hooking your legs around his waist, and buries his face into your neck to mumble into the tacky skin, “Touche.”

With him in your grasp, you line him up with your entrance, persuading him with the slight rise of your hips. He doesn’t need more convincing, plunging into you with a single, fluid thrust.

He gasps, breathing the words into your tangled hair, “Fuck, I missed this so much.”

You hear Kai’s voice in the distance, “Starting without me?” He’s standing by the door, watching the two of you go at it. You can’t even be sure how long he’s been there. “You two do look great together. I should’ve brought my camera.”

You almost let your thoughts wander with the idea. “Maybe next time.”

Kai laughs, but Josh is distracted by you to join. He’s fucking you deep and slow, making up for lost time apart tonight. Even though the speed never changes, the power behind the thrust increases with each one. You can only clutch onto him, giving him your song of moans as a reward.

Normally the talkative one, Josh falls rather silent, soaking in all the seconds with you wrapped around him. You’re so consumed by him that you barely even notice that Kai’s moved to the bed and has started touching himself. It’s only when Josh changes positions to sit up that you see the sluggish strokes of Kai’s wrist.

Impatient, Kai also sits up to kneel behind Josh, kissing a line from his shoulder to his ear. He whines from the feeling of Kai’s lips exploring him, letting his thrusts into you fall out of rhythm, “Fuck me. Please.”

Kai pulls away from Josh’s ear and stares blankly at him, breaking his nonchalance with a look of concern on his face. “Josh… are you sure? We don’t have to—”

Josh looks down and slips out of you, gauging your immediate reaction. You give him an accepting smile and glance at Kai to see worry pulling his dark brows together. “I want you to. I want this.”

Kai hesitates, thinking over Josh’s request in his head. “Have you…practiced?”

Josh lets out a bashful laugh as a blush pinkens his cheeks. “Of course.”

His answer comes as a little bit of a surprise to you despite knowing his kinkiness. Toys, especially those kinds haven’t been talked about between the two of you before. “You have? Why didn’t you tell me?”

He laughs it off, but you can hear his shyness, perhaps even nervousness in the throaty sound. “I guess I was waiting for the right time to bring up the fact I like anal.”

Kai quickly cuts in, resorting back to his sarcastic edge, “This is so fun. We are learning so much about each other, aren’t we?” He reaches forward, sinking a knee into the mattress to root around the drawer of Josh’s nightstand. Finding what he’s looking for, he fishes out a small bottle of lube and a condom before settling back into his spot behind Josh.

As Josh lowers himself back to you, a moment of realization strikes Kai. “Wait a minute… is this the first time?”

“Yeah,” Josh responds in a meek voice. You both hold your breath, anticipating the possibility that Kai might change his mind now.

He does the opposite, popping open the plastic cap of the bottle with his thumb, “We’ll just go nice and slow, right, kitten? I know how much you both like that.”

You watch Josh’s face contort as Kai drips lube over his body and giggles, “I swear, you have the cutest little ass.”

“Thanks,” Josh shudders, perhaps from the cold sensation or nerves, but he tries to take a steadying breath to calm himself.

Kai tosses the closed bottle onto the bed beside you, reassuring him in his most soothing tone, “Just using my fingers for now, alright?”

Josh whimpers from the contact, sewing his brows tight. You can’t see what Kai’s doing, only hearing the sounds it makes and Josh’s responses.

Something changes, making Josh groan loudly and tense up against you instantly. Kai’s voice is tight, but precise as he talks him through, “Relax, babe. I really don’t want to hurt you. So make sure to tell me if it does, okay?” Josh nods, resting his forehead against your shoulder. Kai then looks at you directly. “Play with his cock. Make him feel good.”

You blindly search for the bottle hidden in the duvet, squirting a generous amount in your open hand before wrapping it around Josh’s waiting cock. It’s surprisingly hard, twitching from your feminine touch. Glazed in an absurd amount of slippery lube, you jerk him while Kai’s fingers go to work.

The noises that come from Josh are ones you’ve never heard. He’s in a state of shameless bliss, his consciousness lost somewhere within his own body.

He finally croaks out in need, “I’m ready.”

Kai pauses, huffing with shortness of breath, “You don’t have to rush, Josh. I’m not small.”

“Kai, please,” Josh begs. It’s pathetic and sweet. It’s a side to him that’s never been explored by you until now.

You hear Kai peel the foil wrapper and the following latex sound of the condom being rolled down his length. He holds his waist steady, and after a few seconds, Josh bucks forward from the pressure. “Oh, shit! Fuck. Fuck. Oh, fuck. Hold on. Wait.”

Kai hears the panic in his voice and instantly stops all movements, but doesn’t pull away just yet. You pet Josh’s curls back, rubbing your thumb over the shell of his ear to bring him back to you. “Shhh, baby. Remember what he said. Relax for us.” His eyes open for the first time in minutes, showing blown pupils that are having trouble focusing. “You’re doing so good.”

“Do you want me to stop?” Kai asks in a calm, low voice. “I’m barely in.”

“No!” Josh shakes his head frantically, taking in a deep inhale. “Keep going.”

Even you feel the pressure of Kai slowly sliding himself inside Josh. It’s taking far longer than it did with you, as he makes sure to give him plenty of time to adjust to each added inch. Kai grunts, letting his own pleasure reveal itself. “I’m all the way.”

In a voice that barely sounds like his own, Josh pleads, “Please move.”

As Kai starts to slide in and out, you take the cue to stroke Josh at the same pace. He clenches the bedsheet in his fists so tight his knuckles turn ghost-white.

“That feels so fucking good.” A string of moans flows as freely as the beads of precum dripping from the head of his cock. Kai’s thrust becomes easier, finding a lazy pace as Josh relaxes and arches his back. Knowing he doesn’t have much time, you swirl your fingers around your overstimulated clit. You don’t care. You’ll do everything in your power to finish with him this time.

You play with yourself, sighing against his flushed cheek, “He making you feel full, baby? I’m so proud of you. You're taking his cock better than me.”

He’s delirious, and completely cock drunk. You don’t need him to tell you, because you feel him harden even more with his impending orgasm. “I’m so close… I can’t… please. Please, pretty please.”

You pump him even faster as you hold his head into the crook of your neck, taking every pitched cry into your memory. He lets go without a second warning, spilling his warm cum across your stomach. In a split second, Kai withdraws himself and quickly rips the condom off. He works himself, chasing the second high alongside you. You bring yourself there, and within a minute, you’re tipping over into another orgasm. Somehow you hear Kai’s sharp breath amongst your own as he paints the curve of Josh’s ass with his own release.

A minute passes with only ragged breaths shared between you. Without saying a word, Kai slides off the bed and disappears out of the bedroom. You then hear him walk down the hall and enter the bathroom, followed by the sounds of him opening up cabinets through the wall.

Josh lifts his head from you, asking, “You okay?”

“Me? Yeah, why?”

His eyes drop to his fingers mindlessly tracing the details of your bare chest. “I don’t know. A lot has happened and we really haven’t had the chance to talk…about it.”

There’s no doubt that there is a heap of things for you to discuss, but you’re not ready to deal with the weight of it all just yet. Wanting to push it off, you brush your fingers across the height of his cheekbone. “I’m sure it can wait until tomorrow.”

You feel his tension dissipate as he smiles softly and brings his eyes back to yours. “You’re right. You had fun though?”

“Fuck yeah.”

“Atta girl.”

Kai returns with his black boxer briefs on, a glass of water, and a few damp washcloths in his hand. “Hope you’re not talking about me.”

“Only the bad stuff,” Josh quips back over his shoulder, laying statue still as Kai wipes the cloth over his backside.

Kai offers the second washcloth to him after tossing the first into the hamper and sends you a wink. “That's all there is, I’m afraid.”

While Josh carefully separates himself from you and cleans the mess from your stomach and legs, Kai peruses the random contents littering the top of his dresser. He spots a jar of pre-rolled joints that catches his attention and raises it in the air, asking, “Care if I light one of these?”

Josh beams with a rush of excitement, “Fuck no! Lighter should be in the bowl next to you.”

You prop yourself up against the pillows and get comfortable in the sea of blankets, watching Kai bring the flame to the end of the joint. Josh finds his way back on top of you, resting his head against your chest. Kai blows out the heavy drag, and settles back on the bed, leaning up against the headboard with the joint hanging from his lip.

You spend what feels like ten minutes, passing the burning joint back and forth. Embracing the sleepy high taking over, you twirl the growing curls at the nape of Josh’s neck, dragging your nails gently down his back. Kai finally ashes the finished joint, extinguishing the cherry in the glass dish sitting on the nightstand before breaking the silence, “How are you feeling, Josh?”

He thinks on it for a moment until pushing out an exaggerated sigh, “A little drunk, really high, and like I got fucked in the ass. So pretty good for a Friday night I think.”

TAGLIST:

@gretavanbitches @dannyandthekiszkas @asparrowofthedawn @ageofnations @garbagevanfleet @lvnterninthenight @pennylanefics @writingcold @alexxavicry @gvfficrecs @jakeyboiiiiiii @doodle417 @richjaaasss @pr41sethemoon @gretavanflowerpowerrr @joshskittytickler @tripthelightfatality y @maddie-van-fleet @sarakay-gvf @josiee-gvf @milkgemini @sammiejane22 @gretavanbear @capturethechaos @welllauragvf @averagemisfit03 @myownparadise96 @givemeyourtots2 @gretavangroove @objectsinspvce @myownparadise96 @feilores @josh-iamyour-mama @givemeyourtots2 @joshkiszkasbigtoe @mydarlingdanny @shutupdevvie @twinszka @busybeingtrash @carlybubs @demonrat444 @high-fidelity1 @jake-kiszkas-smirk @sunandthemoontwinflames @gvfcinema @klarxtr @sacredthethreadgvf @gracev0609

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sparrowofthedawnsworld · 10 months

Text

Princess Of The Prisoner - Pirate!Jake Kiszka AU

A/N: I’m BACK!! And god, is it good to be. I’ve missed you all so, so much. I thank you all for your patience and endless support. You all mean the world to me <3 I hope you all enjoy this - finally. I love you! (Only lightly edited for the moment).

WARNINGS: Semi-light Violence, bl00d, unconsciousness, fighting, use of weapons.

This is MAJOR 18+ Minors DNI! AT ALL. Bondage, kn!fe play, edging/orgasm denial, light overstimulation, fingering (F), oral (F&M receiving), choking, slapping, degradation, unprotected sex (be smart, be safe!)

Masterlist

•••

“I am no where near equipped for what you are asking of me.” You speak firmly to your father, fighting the intense urge to stomp your foot against the shiny, glassy floor like that of a child.

“If I didn’t see you fit, I would not send you.” Your father says to you, sounding just as sure of his plan as ever.

As always.

“I will not be used as bait for one of your enemies.” You straighten your back, holding his blazing and frustrated stare. “You’ve lost your sanity, father.”

“I have not asked you, I have told you what you are to do.” He remains stubborn and firm. “I expect him here no later than morning. Don’t disappoint me, dearest. Now, you best be off.”

Your face twists in the purest form of anger as you turn away from your father to leave him be at his throne. You storm across the palace, back to your own room.

“How could he put me in such a dangerous position?” you mutter to yourself, gathering up a new dress to change into for your days journey.

“Sending me off to find some god forsaken ship, to hunt down a man for him,” you continue to ramble to no one other than yourself and the over-decorated walls.

Or, so you think.

“Let me guess-“ The cook of your palace stands in your doorway. You have grown quite close with her, given she is one of the few women around anymore. “-You’re being sent off on a mission, per your father’s orders again?”

“Yes,” you sigh heavily, undoing your corset. “I must be off shortly. I’m essentially being used as bait for the captain of some ship, Jacob Kiszka.”

Her eyes look as though they are going to fall out of her head, “Do you not realize who that is, Princess?”

“I haven’t the first clue who he is, no,” you admit.

All you know is that his ship would be arriving sooner rather than later, and Jacob is after a specific sword of your father’s. You are not sure why the sword is so significant, all you know is that Jacob is indeed after it.

“I’m sure he’s some gross old man-“

“Far from it, actually. He’s quite young if I remember correctly,” she informs you, laughing lightly at your shocked expression.

“Young?” you scoff in disbelief. “There is no possible way…”

“Oh, but there is. He could only be a few years older than you,” she continues and laughs lightly at you, unintentionally adding to your frustration more. “Not to say that I am at all on board with your father using you, but I understand why he’s asked you. He’s just a young lad.”

“This is just absolutely ridiculous,” you huff. “Sending me off to capture some boy, who could probably still kill me with one hand, regardless of age!” Your arms flail around you in dramatic emphasis. “How do you even know this information about him?”

“He’s actually quite well known,” she answers, eyes falling to the floor. “But… how I know him personally is not relevant.”

A heavy silence falls over the two of you for a moment.

“I know very well that your father has taught you to be an incredible fighter,” she speaks up, softly breaking the silence. “…Perhaps if you’re truly so worried, you should take another man with you. Daniel, maybe?”

You think on her suggestion for a moment, ultimately deciding it isn’t a bad idea after all.

“Will you please retrieve him for me?”

“Of course, Princess.” She nods to you politely. “I should not distract you any further. Good luck to you, dear.. I shall send for Daniel for you at once.”

“Thank you,” you mumble under your breath, sending her a rather forced smile.

Gathering the rest of your things, you are going off to find Daniel yourself, but you realize he has finally come to you, by the soft knock at your door.

“Princess,” he greets with a charming nod of his head and a smile that can undoubtedly melt the coldest souls. “It was brought to me that you are in need of my assistance.”

“Yes,” you start, casting him your undivided attention, just as he is giving to you. “My father wants me to capture this Captain…Jacob Kiszka. He is after something of his and Father wants him taken care right away.”

“With all respect, Princess, shouldn’t you be demanding he send someone else to do such a job?” Daniel’s face turns immensely concerned and fearful on your behalf. “Jacob is a very skilled and clever man. You have no business-“

“-I’ve tried to change his mind all I can, but you know how he is,” you speak warily, cutting him off. “But that’s why I’ve asked for you. I would love for you to join me.”

Daniel’s eyes widen and the Adams apple of his throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly.

“Princess, I truly don’t think this is-“

“-I have no other choice, Daniel!” You firmly cut him off once again. “Now… Are you coming, or are you going to stay here as though you are some sort of coward?”

Daniel is far from a coward and you know that without a doubt, but you have to convince him somehow.

“When are we to depart?” He caves, speaking through a sigh of defeat.

“Right now.” You nod curtly, grabbing your belongings and walking right past him.

He mumbles to himself from behind you, taking long strides to keep up alongside you, “What have I gotten myself into…?”

“Just look at it as an adventure, Daniel,” you jest in attempts to lighten the mood.

“And suppose one of us gets hurt? What shall happen then?” Daniel questions rapidly, speeding up to reach the door of the palace before you. “Ah! Do not dare to touch that door.”

“I am about to capture a thief and you are concerned about me opening but a single door?” you chide lightly, cocking an eyebrow as he opens the door for you anyway.

You step out first, waiting patiently for him to follow after you.

“And stop thinking in such worrisome ways,” you add, once he joins at your side. “You are quite frankly putting a thorn in my side.”

Your light teasing brings a small smile to Daniel’s face and he huffs a soft laugh before changing the subject entirely.

“How would you like to travel, princess?”

“On foot,” you tell him, taking off in the direction of the area in which Jacob and his ship are suspected to be coming to.

He looks at you with shock filled eyes, “Alright, you are officially out of all of your senses.”

“It is not that far from here,” you roll your eyes, the pair of you walking farther away from the palace. “They’re going to anchor at the closest point they can, but far enough away as to not be perceived from the palace.”

“And how can you be so sure?” He’s full of never ending questions.

“Enough questions, Daniel, seriously,” you sigh in slight annoyance. “It would be in your best interest to simply trust me.”

The two of you walk in silence for quite some time, taking in the nature around you and putting mental marks on things that you walked by, as to not leave any chance of getting lost on your journey back.

“How much farther are we going, Princess?” Daniel breaks down and asks yet another question.

You open your mouth to answer him, but the sounds of various voices shouting about, swiftly interrupt you.

“Stop.” You place your hand out to stop Daniel in his tracks beside to you. “Voices. I hear voices. Do you hear them, Daniel?”

He looks around, listening intently and after a moment or two, the same shouting fills his ears as well.

“I hear them.” Daniel nods, confirming that you are not losing your sanity.

Quickly, you put your plan of attack into motion.

“Daniel, whatever you do, do not leave my side.” You tell him, giving a curt nod as you made your way towards the tree line that followed the edge of the river bank.

The closer you get, the louder the voices become and the more your nerves threaten to overtake you.

You and Danny make your way through the trees, stopping just out of view of the surprisingly nice ship haphazardly docked just before the shoreline.

A beautiful, fit and young man treads his way through the shallow water and up on to the sand, looking far more put together than the rest of the crew surrounding him.

“That must be him…” you point towards him, Daniel’s eyes following your index finger. He nods, confirming your guess.

“Princess, please, let me take care of this?” Daniel pleads quietly. “There are far too many of them to take on alone.”

“Nonsense. I shall do what I was sent to do,” you insist. “We must figure out how to capture him without the rest witnessing. They will surely come looking, if they see us leave with him.”

“Not to mention that we walked here,” Daniel reminds you. “I suppose that means I will be carrying him back, surely?”

“You have always been incredibly smart,” you tease and answer his question all at once.

“Now, then! Now, then!”

Soft gasps are shared between you and Daniel, as who you presume was Jacob, starts to loudly gather in his crew.

“Now that I have the undivided attention of all of you dandy crewmen, I shall be off in attempts to get in to the King’s palace at once!” he begins to explain, voice somehow much louder and firmer than you expected it to be. “I hate to break one’s heart, but all of you are to return to the ship and remain there until I return! I cannot risk my plans being tampered with. Am I clear to all of you?!”

They all express their understanding in almost perfect unison.

“That will be all, then! Please, return to the ship right away!”

Like well trained animals, everyone files back to the ship as Jake stands around to watch on, ensuring not one person is staying behind.

He is so breathtaking… It almost drowns out the hatred that you already hold for him.

You shake your intrusive thoughts of the captain away, putting on your brave face to continue on with a new plan.

“Come, Daniel!” you yell in a whisper, creeping your way back out of the trees.

“Come on!”

Once you both make it out, he begins his frantic questioning once more, “What ever are we doing now, princess?!”

“Hush,” you silence him. “We must go back towards the palace. I believe it best that we ambush him there.”

He simply shakes his head in understanding, glancing over his shoulder quickly to be sure no one has spotted either of you and is following.

You stop at the bushes near the entrance of the palace, breathing heavily and shaking your head in exasperation as the two of you duck down out of sight.

Daniel lets out a frustrated and tired huff. “We are back where we started, princess. I’m starting to question your oh-so elaborate planning.”

“You are being such a sore thumb today. I beg of you to just do as I say.” You send him a pleading look.

Silence fills the air around the two of you for a while, until the cracking of rocks beneath boots captures Daniel’s attention.

“Princess,” he nudges at your shoulder. “The Captain is upon us.”

You peak through the flowers and leaves, eyeing him as he makes his way carefully up the path.

You catch yourself gawking at him again; the way he walks, his long tresses and the beautiful dagger hanging from a strap across his chest.

“Your majesty, please,” Daniel begs, knocking you from your trance. “Please, tell me what you want me to do.”

“I… I want you to wait until he walks by us. If we stay here, he won’t see us right away. Once he passes, we will attack from behind. I need him unconscious,” you explain quickly. “Once he is unconscious, I will tie his hands and you shall help me carry him to the cells.”

Just as you finish and Daniel gives you his quick, verbal understanding, Jake passes through the gates and bushes, slowing his pace and ducking every so often to avoid possibly being seen.

“I will tell you when,” you whisper into Daniel’s ear and he nods once.

The captain walks a few more feet up the pathway, ducking down behind a rose bush and unsheathing his dagger from its case.

Daniel copies him, pulling his own dagger from its casing.

“Now,” you mutter with unbridled urgency.

Daniel has Jake plummeting to the ground within seconds. You watch on for only a moment, before fear takes over and you feel the need to join him.

Groans and curses are being hurled between them, swings and bone crushing punches being thrown along with their noises of pain.

Jake holds his dagger backwards, swinging the handle towards the side of Daniel’s head.

“NO!”

You bolt towards them, taking Jake to the ground upon your collision - sparing Daniel of the bone-crushing blow that was mere seconds away from colliding with the temple of his head.

Daniel recovers rather quickly, throwing you off of Jake and taking your place on top of him.

One strong and well-timed swing from Danial is all it takes and the Captain falls limp against the ground as he goes unconscious.

Daniel falls away from him, chest heaving and covered in small droplets of blood here and there. His hand clutches over his chest, as he fights to recenter himself.

“Are you alright?” you ask frantically, pulling the rope from around your waist and tying it securely around the Captain’s hands.

“Just perfect, Princess,” Daniel chuckles sarcastically, dusting himself off as he stands to his feet. “Here, allow me.”

“I think not.” You swat his hand away. “Rest for another moment. I will take care of this.”

Once you have the knots tied, you stand up and let Daniel take over again. He scoops him up like a rag doll, throwing him over his shoulder as though the Captain weighs little to nothing.

You bend down and pick up Jake’s dagger, shoving it down into your pocket and following after Daniel as he starts making his way up towards the palace.

“How long do you think he will stay unconscious?” you ask, making your way through the lower levels of the palace.

“Not much longer, I’m afraid.” Daniel answers, stopping at the large cell at the end of the cold, dimly lit hallway.

“Just put him on the bed. I shall take it from here.” You order rather gently, confident that he can’t hurt you from behind the bars of the cell.

“As you wish.”

Daniel drops him down onto the bed and unties him carefully, tossing the rope to the side thoughtlessly as he goes.

Just as he finishes Jake lets out a low groan of discomfort and Daniel quickly makes his was back out of the cell.

You close the door and lock it, watching Jake for a moment to find that he is still mostly out of it, when there isn’t another sound to be heard from him.

“Do you wish for me to inform your father that we have the Captain?”

“No!” You look up to Daniel with panic-filled eyes. “I will tell him myself. He doesn’t know that you accompanied me and I would rather him not.”

“Understandable, Princess,” Daniel says. “I shall keep my doings to myself.”

“I am most grateful for you,” you smile up at him, placing a gentle hand on his bicep. “Thank you.”

Removing your hand from his arm, Daniel brings it up to his lips in a gentle kiss as he bows, “You are most welcome, your majesty.”

He releases your hand, standing upright and beginning his way down the hallway.

Before he gets too far, he turns back to face you with a serious look. “Princess?”

You whip around to face him also, “Yes, Daniel?”

“If anything is to happen and you need my assistance again, you know where I reside.”

Not awaiting an answer - knowing you understand without having to say so out loud - he disappears through the large door. The loud sounds of it closing sends an eerie echo around the concrete walls and floor.

You slowly turn back towards the cell, watching and listening to Jake intently for any signs of movement or noise.

“Bloody hell,” Jake’s voice rumbles in a low groan, his arms struggling to push his weight away from the bed he is sprawled across.

He finally gets himself upright, looking around in a pure panic at his surroundings.

Stumbling up to his feet, he spins around and freezes in place when his eyes land upon you.

“Oh, well is this not just lovely?” you speak rather tauntingly. “The captain is finally awake.”

“And you are?” Jake saunters up to the door, rough hands wrapping around the cold bars.

“Princess of The Garden, at- well… I am not at your service,” you stumble over your formalities, forgetting that you owe him not a single one. “Not much of a kingdom we have around here, more so a small, royal family on secluded land.”

“I am very well aware of practically all of that.” Jake bites matter-of-factly, full of anger.

There are a few moments of intense silence, the loud and unsteady breathing from Jake being the only constant sound.

“Would you be so kind as to remind me how I managed to get here?” Jake questions bitterly, clearly trying to contain his rage.

“Me,” you smile at him with hardly contained pride. “Well, me and another accomplice.”

“Quite weak of you to have to bring a companion along just to capture me.” Jake smirks, his face noticeably contorting in discomfort as he assesses with his fingertips, the bruises that Daniel had left on his jaw. “Someone ought to teach you how to fight.”

“You know nothing about my fighting skills,” you say dryly, sending him a death glare through the bars of the cell. “I would be a fool to travel alone, regardless of how well I fight.”

“You seem to be a bit of a fool anyway,” Jake chuckles, glancing up at you with bold eyes.

If you could smack him across his careless mouth, you absolutely would.

“Letting your father send you into such danger…” Jake shakes his head, giving you a judgmental once-over. He turns and walks towards the hard bed in the corner. “You aren’t cut out for such violence.”

“I wish you would stop speaking as if you know me.” Your arms cross over your chest. It isn’t a very good response, but it is as good of one as you can seem to gather. “You know absolutely nothing about me.”

Jake ignores the comment entirely.

“If I may ask, why are you still lingering, princess?”

The name falling of his tongue is like a drug. The most addictive drug one could find. Somehow he makes the most flattering and important name, sound so degrading.

You stand frozen in place for a few moments too long, struggling to find a genuine reason for staying around - of which you do not have.

He hums to himself, head tilting back slightly, “Just as I thought. You haven’t any good reason.”

You open your mouth to attempt some sort of protest.

“If I may, your majesty,” Jake stands to his feet and saunters back to the door. “You are quite the gem. So exquisite and beautiful…” he trails off for a moment, a sly grin spreading over his lips as he looks over you. “Too bad you are too feisty and disobedient for my liking.”

Your whole body begins to boil with various emotions; you’re flustered, angry and immensely intrigued by him. He is setting you ablaze in a foul, but irresistible way.

“And… you are much too disrespectful for my taste,” you seethe, faltering for a moment so short, you hope it goes unnoticed. “Speaking to royalty in such a despicable manner…”

“And yet, the royalty herself, seems to be enjoying it.” Jake grins wickedly.

You can’t tell if it’s your body’s attempt to be intimidating, or seeking closer proximity to Jake. Regardless, without really thinking, you step forward, “What makes you believe for a second that I am enjoying any part of this?”

“Many reasons, Princess…” Jake starts, speaking low and hushed. “You’ve taken at the very least five steps closer to this door. You could have left the second your… ‘accomplice’ dropped me in here.”

“You are terribly-“

“-Quiet, Princess. I don’t take well to being interrupted.” Jake cuts you off abruptly, holding up a single finger that you can not seem to tear your eyes away from. “I would almost say you enjoy being spoken to this way, don’t you? Everyone gets tiresome with constantly hearing praises… And I’m sure praise is all you know, is it not?”

“Perhaps.” The word leaves your mouth bitter and clipped. He is very much right - you both know that very well.

“Mhm, as I thought.” Jake grips the bars of the door above his head, leaning forward as far as he can go. “You know… I could show you so much more. Make you feel so much more.”

“And what could you possibly be hinting at with such words, Captain?” you question, attempting to throw his title back at him the same he had yours. Only to sound much more breathy than you intend.

“If only I had the keys to open this-“ He gestures to the large door, the only thing keeping the two of you separated. “-I could show you much better than I could ever tell you, your majesty.”

“Never in a million years would I consider letting you out,” you scoff, shoving the key that is now damp from your sweating hands, back into your pocket.

“Who said anything about letting me go?” Jake asks you. “Just join me. You have the key to leave whenever you so please.”

“And… if I do choose to join you…?” You narrow your eyes, taking in his blown out pupils and all the little details surrounding them.

“Then I shall do just as I have said and show you things you will never forget.” Jake promises lowly, leaning in closer. “Things you will never want to forget,” he adds.

Your faces are as close as they can possibly be, you can feel the warmth of his breath as he speaks to you.

Without once looking away from him, you hastily retrieve the key from your pocket and unlock the door.

Jake steps back, allowing you the proper space to slide the door open just enough to squeeze your body through and get into the cell with him.

You turn around and close the door, closing your eyes for a split second in attempts to slow your pounding heart and process what you have just done.

As you turn around to finally face Jake, he immediately outstretches his hand towards you and bows before you ever-so-slightly.

Hesitantly, you place your shaking, sweating hand in his and he brings it up to his lips, “‘Tis quite the pleasure, Princess.”

Jake places the first kiss to the top of your hand, holding your stunned gaze. He shifts his hold up to your wrist, his lips following and placing another kiss higher up.

He continues the same actions, kissing all the way up your arm, until his hand reaches your shoulder and his face is inches from yours.

Slowly, he backs you up until you can feel the uncomfortable firmness of metal bars against your back.

“You are truly quite the brave one for joining me.” Jake whispers against your ear. “Just to make things sort of even, I fully plan to tease you until you’re begging and pleading for my mercy.”

“And what leads you to believe I would ever beg someone like you?” You tilt your head back defiantly.

Jake only smirks In amusement, “Is that a challenge?”

“If you can make me beg, I will let you go and tell my father you didn’t dock where he expected,” you bet with him rather smugly… and stupidly.

“My, my. The princess is going to beg me like a whore and lie to her father?” Jake tsks with a faux disappointed shake of his head. “It seems I have corrupted the sweet, royal, princess already. And suppose your accomplice -as you called him- goes back and tells him…? What lie should be grand enough to cover us then?”

His nose is practically brushing against your own, a tension so unbearable further blooming between the two of you.

“T-That is not his place. My father didn’t know that I took him, nor will he. I asked Daniel not to speak of his hand in helping me, or even that we have you,” you inform him truthfully. “It was my duty to capture you and bring you here, not his. I shall be the one to tell my father what it is he must know.”

“Well, then, I suppose I can have my way with you.” Jake purrs, teasing his lips over yours. “Is that what you want, your majesty?”

“So many words and promises, but you’ve yet to show me a thing.” You just barely chase after his lips.

Grabbing each side of your face with both of his large and calloused hands, Jake connects his lips with yours roughly.

It takes you a moment to catch up to his pace, especially with losing every bit of air from your lungs within the very second his lips met yours. Your tongues move against each other, fighting for dominance as whimpers flutter from you and into his warm mouth.

He pulls away, breathless and practically hissing out his next words, “Sweet, sweet princess. You do not know a bit of what you have in store for yourself. Stay right there.”

Jake steps back from you with a finger pointed to the floor where you stand, bending down to pick up a lengthy piece of rope that you and Daniel had him tied up with not so long ago.

“Do you trust me?” There’s a twinkle in his eyes, amusement behind them as he asks you the ridiculous question.

You stare down at the rope outstretched before you - shocked, but you remain shamefully aroused by it all the same.

“Trust- trust you? You are nothing but a complete stranger,” your voice wavers.

“Nonsense. We have spent at least few hours in one another’s presence, now, haven’t we?” His crooked smile sends waves of heat to your core. “Stranger? yes, in some sense. But I’m not a complete stranger anymore.”

You drop your eyes from his, back down to the rope in his hands. Jake pushes it out a little closer to you, eyes deeply studying your cautious but curious face.

Slowly, you lift your hands up and lay your wrists over top of his hands, looking up at him in question as if to say, ‘is this right?’

Jake holds your burning stare and starts to wrap the rope around your wrists, binding them together tightly, but still comfortably somehow.

“Outstanding,” Jake hums, walking off to a corner where another small piece of rope has been discarded.

“Just one last thing,”

Jake makes his way back over to you, placing a hand on your shoulder and pushing you back a few steps until your back collides with the cold metal bars.

His hand travels from your shoulder, down your arm, until it reaches the rope around your wrists. Grabbing it, he watches your breath quicken as he lifts your arms up and over your head, securing them to the bars with a second piece of rope.

“Mm-“ you clear your throat nervously. “-And how do you presume you will be able to remove my dress in such a position?”

“Lovely of you to inquire,” Jake smiles wildly, pressing his body against yours and leaning in closer to your ear. “I just so happened to see this-“ his hand travels the corseted curve of your side, dipping into your pocket. “-the handle of my dagger shining, while you were standing outside the cell. Not only are you a princess, but a little thief.”

“Well- I...” you stutter weakly, feeling mindless for forgetting to leave it with Daniel.

“You what?” Jake presses, biting at the shell of your ear.

Your only response is your labored breathing, unable to form an intelligible response.

He unsheathes his beautiful dagger from your pocket, resting it over your chest.

“You think too little of my schemes, princess.” He places a kiss over your nose. “I already planned to take my dagger back to use just for this moment. Why take your clothes off with my tired hands, when I could cut them off?”

“Jake,” his name rushes out of your lungs in a heavy sigh.

He grabs you by the waist, turning you around to face the bars and skillfully cut the strings of your corset.

Turning you back around to face him, he pulls it off of your body with ease and continues on with cutting away at your other garments.

Each piece is slowly pulled from you, neatly cut and haphazardly tossed to the side by Jake’s calloused hands.

As he yanks the last piece away, you are then completely naked before him - eyes never lifting to meet his burning gaze upon you.

“Breathtaking, your majesty,” Jake all but whispers, seemingly a little lost in the site that he is beholding.

You draw in a deep breath, exhaling it even slower than the slowness at which you had taken it in, “I’m sure I look far more suitable than anyone you have ever laid with.”

Upon your overweening remark, your eyes finally meet with his and you swear you see fire flash within them.

“How witty of you, princess,” Jake snaps sarcastically, pressing his body into yours. “Haughty of you to assume you are not the one that I would graciously turn away.”

It stings, but somehow you know he doesn’t mean it. Part of you hoped he didn’t, at least.

“Your mouth is foul and full of disrespect,” you snap quietly; silently wishing your hands were free, so that you can act on the resurfacing urge to smack him.

Jake stays silent, bringing the handle of his dagger down against your stomach and slowly dragging it down. The golden handle makes goosebumps form across your skin, your hips writhing about ever so slightly in anticipation.

Just when the end of his handle is close to your heat, he jerks it away entirely.

Instead, he dips his own finger down farther to feel the wetness pooling between your legs himself.

Jake glances up at you with wild eyes, flashing you a wicked smile. “The princess, so proper and poised and innocent… soaked as though she’s dipped into the river.”

Adjusting his careful hold around the blade, Jake lays the handle right where it had stopped before he pulled it away. He continues its slow descent down to your clit, where it halts to rub in the slowest, softest circles.

“Oh, Jake,” you gasp, pushing your hips harder against it.

“Oh, that’s just lovely,” Jake smirks, leaning in to place kisses over your exposed chest. “My name sounds beautiful coming from that pretty little mouth.”

He uses his own hips to hold yours in place, so he that can move the handle of the dagger at whatever pressure or speed he so desires.

“Let me hear it again, princess… ‘Jake,’” he repeats his own name to you, as though you don’t know it.

“Jake,” he repeats again.

Trying to hold onto your defiance and composure, you harshly bite at the inside of your mouth to keep from doing as he asked.

“This won’t do at all, your majesty,” Jake clicks his tongue, moving the handle in faster circles, while his other wraps around your throat. “Did I not say I want to hear you again? Come now, let me hear what pretty noises you can make. I’m sure you’re fantastic at it, little whore.”

He presses the handle harder into your bundle of nerves, drawing firmer circles against you. It’s untamable; the noise that erupts from your lungs, echoing through the cold cell and likely even through the long hallway.

“So beautiful. Keep going…” Jake encourages, tilting his head back as he watches on to your pleasure.

Jake leans forward, his free hand securing itself around your jaw to tilt your head to the side. His lips meet with your neck, biting roughly at the tender skin and soothing the sting with the softness of his tongue.

A soft laugh floats out of him each time you whine or struggle against him and the rough ropes that secure you in place.

“Jake,” you whimper through a labored exhale. The feeling of sweet release is already beginning to bloom in the pit of your stomach.

“Is the princess getting close?” Jake questions with a sly cadence. “Already, your majesty?”

You choose not to answer him, in light of climbing to the peak of your orgasm without chance of interruption.

Alas, Jake is the least bit stupid.

“Are you trying to fool me, princess?” Jake asks lowly, slowing the circles that the handle of his dagger are making.

The urge to relent and beg him is already far greater than you anticipated, but you are determined to stand your ground.

“Not trying to fool you, only avoiding the act of begging a thief,” you speak breathlessly.

“That’s a shame,” Jake grins, trailing his hand down your body to your arousal. A single finger plays at your entrance, “I would let you cum if you were not so hell bent on being a stubborn little brat.”

Just to antagonize you further, he sinks his finger inside you, purposefully curling it upwards just shy of the sweet spot within you.

“Mm…”

A tight lipped whimper tumbles out of you, your body arching into his touch ever-so-slightly.

“Oh? Do you like that, princess?” Jake taunts, looking down the bridge of his nose as he watches you. “You love having attention on your pretty little pussy, don’t you?”

“I…” You aren’t really sure what you had planned to say, or even what you want to say. All thoughts are either jumbled, or lost entirely.

“You what?” Jake pries, sliding the handle of the dagger through your folds to collect more of your wetness.

The second the handle returns to your throbbing bundle of nerves, something snaps inside of you.

“Jake,” you whine, tugging at your restraints despite the incessant burn of the rope. “Jake, please!”

“There it is.” Jake’s smile is pleased and cocky.

Feeling ever so gracious, he pushes in a second finger and deepens their rhythmic thrusts.

Jake presses his lips to the corner of your open mouth, “Tell me how good it feels, princess. Tell me.”

“I-it feels s-so good. Feels so good,” you stutter, tempted to turn your head and capture his lips in a kiss, all on your own accord. “Please!”

“Please?” He parrots mockingly. “Please what, your majesty?”

The feelings of your impending climax finally starts to build once again. This time, you are not going to give it up.

“Please let me cum!” You nearly sob, rushing every single word from your mouth. “Please, captain, I’ll do whatever you want… J-just please let me cum.”

“Give it to me, then,” Jake demands. “Right now.”

The band of pleasure breaks within you, sending you into an earth-shattering spiral of bliss that you could not have ever prepared yourself for.

Your knees buckle beneath you, leaving the ropes binding your wrists to be the only thing holding you up. The sting of the rope not even registering, as cuts and burns surely form around your wrists.

“What a good girl you are for me, princess,�� Jake praises you, removing his fingers from you first to wrap his arm around your body, holding you up.

“J-Jake,” you choke out, squirming in his hold against the overstimulation that he was beginning to cause you. “I- It-s-“

“Shhh,” he silences you, a little reluctantly pulling his dagger away from your core. “I know, princess.”

Studying your face, he takes in your half-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks. The slightest bit of pity took over him.

Jake tucks the dampened handle of his dagger beneath your chin, tilting your head up to meet his gaze. “Will you be a good girl if I untie you? Hm?”

“Y-yes, sir- I mean, Captain,” you answer him, correcting yourself once more just for good measure. “Yes, Captain.”

Flipping the weapon around, he drags the tip of the dagger down your throat with only enough pressure to make it resemble a feather, making your breath hitch in your chest. Fear starts to rise back up inside you, along with adrenaline. The combination is intoxicating in a dangerous way.

“Will you truly?” Jake cocks a single eyebrow at you.

The sharp tip moves across your chest and down your stomach, goosebumps forming as you shudder.

“Yes! Yes,” you promise, breathing uneven and more labored than it has been so far.

The tip dips into your belly button, eliciting some sort of choked whimper from your throat.

Jake smirks at that, “Feels nice, doesn’t it?” He begins to trail it back up your body, the same way it had descended down.

You’re struck silent, unable to manage a single word.

Finally reaching your bindings, with two flicks of the dagger, the ropes fall from your wrists.

Your body immediately collapses forward into Jake’s. He tosses his dagger to the floor with a high-pitched clink, just in time to catch you.

“Falling at my feet so soon, princess?” Jake snickers, hauling you back up and guiding you to the bed.

“You forget yourself,” you scoff, clearly displaying your distaste for the thought of being at his feet. “One place you will never find me is at your feet.”

“No, your majesty-“ Jake tangles a hand in your hair, yanking your head back. “-You have forgotten yourself.”

Letting go of your hair, he hastily works to undo the buttons adorning his vest, pulling it away to be discarded onto the dirty floor of the cell - his shirt following directly after.

“What happened to being my good girl?” Jake inquires, stepping closer to you, his face mere inches from yours.

Your response is quick and confident, “Being your good girl is only applicable if you’re pleasing me, Captain.”

“Oh, is it, now?” Jake places his hand over your sternum, sliding it up until it splays around your throat and tightens there. “Is that not what I just did? Please you?” You struggle to draw in air as his grip stays unrelenting, his hold never once wavering as you slowly sink to your knees. “And you’re so needy and desperate that it still wasn’t good enough for you?”

He leans down to be eye level with you as he fires questions at your flushed face, “You’ll take what I feel so inclined to give you, your majesty.”

Jake releases his grip, standing straight up as he watches down on you, gasping to refill your burning lungs with air.

While you work on regaining some form of control over your own body and mind, Jake begins removing the rest of his clothes.

You look up, watching him attentively through your lashes. The perfections of his body are not lost on you.

“Perhaps we should try this again,”

Jake suggests, taking himself in his hand. Your mouth waters at the sight of him. His free hand cups your cheek, “Are you going to be my good girl?”

All you can muster is a nod, unsure that your voice can even function to its fullest abilities.

His thumb, gentle and featherlight in touch, traces over your bottom lip before sinking into your mouth, “Prove it to me, then.”

Your hands are reaching up to wrap around him, before your brain can even fully process the movement.

A kiss far too innocent for the actions you wre about to take part in, is placed over his tip. You hear the shaky breath Jake draws in, encouraging you to repeat the same little kiss once more.

You drop one of your hands down to your lap, sliding your hand down to his base. Sinking your mouth down over the rest of him, you can tell that his whole body shuddered from the pleasure you’re providing him.

“That’s it, princess,” he encourages you, his hand coming up to tangle into your hair.

The twitch of his fingers against your scalp, serves to enlighten you on his urge to push you further. Taking a deep breath, you take him as far as you can go, breathing through the urge to gag around him.

“Fuck,” he curses, hips jerking on their own volition. “Your mouth is too good for me, angel, but you look absolutely lovely taking me like a little whore.”

A whimper sounds from your throat, sending the slightest bit of vibration through him. You start to find a steady rhythm, his hand still resting in your hair.

Every so often, his grip will tighten when you do something he particularly likes. Within a minute or so, he is throbbing inside of your mouth.

“Fuck, alright- enough.” He pulls you away abruptly, breathing significantly more labored.

He takes a moment to gather himself, staring up at the ceiling, as if fighting to hold onto his composure.

“Stand up,” he demands, releasing his grip on your soft tresses.

You scramble up to your feet, dizziness plaguing you for a brief moment.

Jake takes no more than a single step closer to you, eyes scanning over the expanse of your naked body that is displayed before him. He reaches up, dragging the back of his knuckles along your temple, letting the gentle touch travel its way down your face, your neck and to your breasts.

The tip of his finger grazes over your nipple, causing your eyes to flutter closed as your breathing increases.

“Oh, the ways I could ruin this flawless body…” Jake trails off, dragging the tip of his finger down your stomach slowly. “So perfect and not a single blemish or mark in sight. A true beauty, you are, aren’t you?”

With every word that so gracefully purrs its way out of his mouth, he backs you closer to the bed.

“M… mark me.” The words fly out of you before you can stop them.

In one quick movement that you are far too dazed to notice, you’re laying beneath him. His cock rests against the inner part of your thigh, hard and still throbbing softly every few seconds.

“Mark you?” he repeats your words back to you in question. “How could I, your majesty?”

There is a playful cadence to his tone, very clearly telling you that he will gladly oblige to the idea.

Jake quirks a single eyebrow at you, “And how do you suppose I do so?”

Given the fact that you hadn’t meant to say it, you haven’t thought that far ahead. Visuals of the silver blade of his dagger lightly grazing your skin, replay in your mind. Along with the imagines of bite marks and bruises that you will surely have to find the means of covering.

“Speak up,” he grumbles, lips ghosting over the center of your throat.

You quickly come to the conclusion that you will allow him to do whatever he pleases, as undeniably insane as it is.

“Do what you wish.”

Jake sits up, bold, widened eyes boring directly into yours.

You stare at each other for a few long moments, before you watch the corner of his mouth twitch and curl up into his increasingly familiar smirk.

“Mmm,” he hums in acknowledgement to your words.

Both of his hands smooth over your hips and up to your breasts, where he cups them and brings his mouth down to capture one of your nipples in his mouth.

“Jake,” you whimper, gripping at the firmness of his bare shoulders.

“I refuse to mark you permanently just yet…” Jake says against your skin. His left hand retreats from your chest, palm harshly colliding with your thigh. “Temporarily, of course-“ his palm cracks against you once more, surely leaving a red tint in its wake. “-I suppose, will do for now.”

You inhale and exhale shakily through your mouth; hung open in shock and the slightest hint of pain.

“Take me, please,” you beg him pathetically.

“Take you where, your majesty?” Jake inquires, a teasing inflection to his voice. He knows.

“Right here,” you sigh, pressing your hips up into his. “You know what I want.”

Reaching between your bodies, he glides his fingers in between your folds - still completely soaked.

“Perhaps I do.” He toys around at your entrance, paying your clit the slightest bit of attention afterwards. “There’s a chance that I don’t, though.”

A low, sinister laugh erupts from his chest as he watches you squirm underneath him.

“Tell me, princess,” Jake demands, voice low and raspy. You can feel his cock teasing your entrance, just waiting for you to say the filthy words he wants to hear so badly. “Take. You. Where?”

Pathetic as it may be, a sob tears its way out of your lungs, “Take me right here, please...I want- need you inside of me.”

“She needs it,” he taunts, barely pushing into you. “Sweet little princess just needs to be fucked…turned into a filthy mess.”

“Oh, god- fuck-“ Your nails dig deeper into the skin of Jake’s back.

“Princess is no good for anything but getting ruined by the man she’s supposed to be capturing.” Jake pulls out almost completely, only to drive himself back inside of you roughly.

The moan that rips its way out of your throat is anything but pure and elegant, bouncing around the walls around you and likely beyond.

“Quiet.” Jake places a hand over your mouth, his other holding his body above yours as he starts to sharply thrust into you. “God forbid you get us caught… Get ME caught.”

Jake begins working his way up to a steady, brutal pace. The depths at which you can feel him is sending an almost unbearable pleasure through you. From the center of your body, out to the tips of your fingers and toes; the pleasure completely consumes you.

You can’t help the volume that your moans have taken on.

Jake attempts to silence you by capturing your lips in a hungry kiss, but it proves to be of very, very little help.

He pulls away abruptly, hand wrapping around your throat, “Shut. Your fucking. Mouth, princess. Will you?” He rasps into your ear through gritted teeth. “We can’t possibly have His Majesty hearing how much of a whore you are for a thief.”

Your head lulls back, face contorted in concentration and immense pleasure as Jake continues to fuck into you relentlessly. Mercilessly.

“Good girl,” Jake praises you, starting to lose control of his own breathing.

The hand wrapped around your throat, travels up to your face; a bruising grip forcing you to look at him.

“I want you to cum for me. Quietly,” Jake growls, adjusting himself above you to bring his other hand between your two bodies. His fingers find your swollen clit, “You can do that, yes?”

“Mhm,” you hum your response, afraid that if you are to open your mouth too much, the unholiest of noises are sure to free themselves from your lungs.

“Come on, then,” Jake urges, pinning your body in place on the rather uncomfortable bed with his own. “Let me have it.”

You feel that addicting burn spreading through the pit of your stomach, mere seconds away from taking over your whole body.

As soon as Jake watches your eyes roll back into your head and your mouth fall open into the perfect little ‘o,’ he crashes his lips into yours to ensure that all possible noises are muffled.

Even he groans lowly into your mouth, forcing your to swallow it down as he continues kissing you with mind numbing passion and fervor.

Your lungs start to tingle, your body buzzing and thrashing all at once; riding out an orgasm unlike any you have ever had.

Jake’s orgasm is only seconds after yours. He spills inside you, gasping to refill his lungs with air when he pulls away from you.

“Damn it,” Jake moans. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Bliss has overtaken the both of you, leaving you to bask in stunned silence for what felt like an hour.

“I… I must say,” Jake finally speaks up. “You are quite something, your majesty.”

For once, his tone doesn’t have any malicious intent or taunting cadence behind it. It seems genuine.

You gaze up at him, slightly shocked. “Thank you…”

He removes himself from above you, laying to your side closest to the wall, leaving you the space to leave the bed.

Staring up at the ceiling, hands on his chest, he reminds you of his previous promise, “You’re free to go if you please, I shouldn’t keep you here any longer, your majesty…”

You blink a few times, struck speechless by his sudden change. You think over your next decision carefully before speaking.

“I… I think I would like to stay here with you…” You tell him, settling back against the worn blanket.

Jake has turned to look at you, now, “What?”

Moving closer to him, you cuddled into his arm, “I want to stay here with you, Jake.”

You blink a few times, trying to rid your eyes of their sleepiness.

Suddenly, the loud slamming of the cell door startles you nearly senseless. You roll yourself over and sit up, all in almost one swift movement.

“Jacob?!” you yell, anger and fear flooding your entire body as you scramble up to your feet. “What ever do you think you are doing?!”

“No hard feelings, my Darling,” he starts with a faux, pitied smile. “You were absolutely magnificent. I almost brought you along. I’ll let them know to come retrieve you as soon as I step foot back on my ship.”

You mouth falls agape, your chest becoming dangerously tight as it heaves up, then shakily back down.

Jake pulls the key he had stolen from the pocket of your dress out of the lock, taking a few steps backwards before bending down and laying it gingerly on the ground.

He straightens, kicking the key just so. It slides towards the door with a few high pitched clinks, stopping just out of your reach.

Jake smiles brightly, shooting you a sly wink, “If we ever cross paths again, let’s revisit this…escapade, shall we?”

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@greta-van-chaos @of-infinite-wonders

@skankforjakekiszka @demolitionndann

@sarakay-gvf @runwayblues

@colorstreammind @mybussyinchrist

@ofburningskies @streamsofstardust @twistedmelodies @gvfpal @joshsindigostreak @writingcold @juliensbakery @stillstreetjoshua @alwaysonthemend @gold-mines-melting @gretavanfanfics

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stardustndreamsofsilver · 6 months

Text

Honey, All I See Is You Masterlist

Jake x reader (f)

Warnings: will be on each individual part

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

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littlemisslipbalm · 9 months

Text

Demonology

Part 3: I Think There's Something You Should Know

Series Summary: A new demon has come to Nashville. Josh and Jake's ways of life have been thrown off by her arrival. The angel and demon have lived with an understanding of one another, but with Y/N stirring up trouble and asking questions, they're forced to work out a new normal. And why is she so powerful for a human turned demon anyway, that's unusual, right?

A/N: Hiiiii! Part 3 is here. Keep adding yourself to the taglist or catch up on the rest of the parts from the masterpost. I think this story is looking like maybe 6 parts...we'll see. oh boy lots of plot in this lol enjoy hopefully and lmk what you think :)

Chapter Summary: Two demons walk into a bar and an angel greets them. What on Earth could they be talking about? There's actually no good punchline to this.

Word Count: 4.0 k | Warnings: Swearing, alcohol consumption, horny demons and angel, 18+ maybe some brief descriptions/mentions of sex - still no explicit smut (next chapter tho...), dubious understanding of demonology in reality

Taglist | Series Masterpost

Part 3: I Think There's Something You Should Know

The wind rustling her drapes woke her up in the middle of one evening when she hadn’t gone out or seen anyone beside Rori all day. It had been a good day.

The moon was almost full and was one of two lights illuminating the street below the window behind her bed. She didn’t have to sleep anymore, but she still liked to. She stared out hazily for a moment and hurriedly closed the window, feeling a human sense of nerves and dread before calming down, remembering that the things that went bump in the night were now scared of her.

Jake had been teaching her ways to skirt Hell’s system. How to get the job done without doing much. Which she was thankful for. And she’d finally run into Josh briefly a few times, but not as many as she’d like. Not for as long as she’d like. She knew he was keeping his distance. ‘Avoiding temptation.’ That’s what Jake always said when she asked after Josh.

Tonight, she was annoyed the wind had woken her. Her dream had been extra sweet tonight. Josh had sought her out, giving her sweet gifts and feather kisses all with the backdrop of the Sunset Strip. The warm sheets were kind of like his warm chest beneath his clothes.

The next night, the night of the true full moon, Jake was at her door. He knocked when the moon had reached its peak for the evening.

Jake had also kept his distance in the way that mattered since that first night together. He had deemed it a moment of drunken vulnerable weakness not to be repeated. It only happened because she’d whispered his favorite fucking poem in his ear—how weak was he? Practically human in that moment. He didn’t bring it up and she felt the heaviness of his silence when she had joked about the hook up the next time she’d seen him. He was to be her mentor only.

Leaning against the doorframe, an arm on his hip and his wide-brimmed hat on his head, he spoke lowly. “Come out with me.”

She can’t see his eyes, just his lips and jaw moving.

“I’m not at your beck and call,” She rolled her eyes, a defiant crossed arm look staring back at him. A black tank top and sleep shorts sat low on her hips, she was happy to get wine drunk in her home now that she knew she didn’t need to go out all the time.

He leveled his head with her, making eye contact now. “Come.”

“I’m not a dog.” She remained unmoved. Rori slinked around her legs, sniffing at Jake unamusedly. The actual dog had had to warm up to Jake these last few weeks and Rori was begrudgingly okay with him since he could feel the power the demon exuded.

Jake rolled his eyes and greeted the dog. “Don’t growl at me. I didn’t even bring my familiar…”

Rori had not been a fan of Jake’s crow that he kept around. Y/N wouldn’t even deem it a familiar since he was really only around so Jake could shapeshift into a bird if he really wanted but Jake insisted they were close. Sure.

After a minute of heavy silence, Jake got the final word. The stare down not really going anywhere. He flashed his yellow eyes and she hated how it made her fall in line. Jake’s true nature was malevolent despite his serene facade he often operated under. She didn’t want to ever see him truly angry with her. She’d seen glimpses of it during some of their outings together. It wasn’t anything like the man she had seen inside his mind.

“I’m your mentor. Be a good mentee. Go get dressed.”

She got dressed, grumbling the whole time to Rori and forcing Jake to wait outside as she blasted Fleetwood Mac—for some reason, Jake’s least favorite band from her time. He rolled his eyes as he heard Stevie Nicks’ voice turned up to a fever-pitch.

“Jake.” Y/N sniffed as she pushed past him out of her door. “Altar boy name, by the way.”

He chuckled under his breath and shook his head, falling in step with her and locking her door with a flick of his hand when he noticed she had forgotten.

When they arrived at this unfamiliar almost empty room that Jake refused to give her information on, her eyes cast around taking it all in with a vigilance she’d never applied as a human. Now she liked to know her exits, note any potential men who might try and cause her trouble, potential targets, etc.

It was an old dark and gloomy bar, lined with wood that had been worn down by glasses and hands over many years. It seemed it had been loved once, now a shell of its former self. Maybe 10 people in total in the entire tired place.

A bright light cast in the corner that caught her eye after a moment. Josh. He was perched on a chair at a four-top, patiently tapping his fingers along the table, nodding his head to the live music from a lone guitarist.

He glowed like anything but no one else seemed to notice. Maybe it was just for her. She thought about asking Jake if he could see the glow. His bright white long sleeve tonight fell over him, perfectly fitted and pushed up to his elbows. The same blue jeans on his legs that she dreamed about feeling beneath her thighs every other night or so.

She wet her lips, watching his angelic face, eyes shut nodding to the melodies. His lips slightly parted and she missed them. How soft and sweet they’d been when she’d licked into his mouth, giving him the show of his life. Forget that. She needed to be cool. She straightened her posture, looking like a killer about to pounce on her prey.

Jake cleared his throat, watching Sal watching Josh, looking jealous that she looked at his brother with more desire than she did with himself. Not that he actually cared. She was his mentee.

She rolled her eyes at him and followed him over to the table.

“Brother,” Jake spoke first, hands leaving his pockets to grip the back of one of the chairs.

Josh smiled, standing, and touched his brother gently on the shoulder, “Jake.”

Then a silence fell between the three of them. Who was going to be the first to acknowledge her? She stood exactly between the angel and the demon and she wished that Hell’s mouth would open up beneath her feet and swallow her whole. Rori could stay on Earth if he wanted, she didn’t even care so long as whatever the tension was passing between them stopped right this instant.

She widened her eyes and opened her mouth to greet Josh before losing her nerve. “I’m gonna go get a drink!”

“You don’t have to do–” Jake starts, but she’s already disappeared in a flash of crimson and black.

Jake raised his brows at Josh while blush crept up the angel’s face and ears, the two men sat. Y/N knocked back two shots on her own at the bar while waiting for three beers. She didn’t know what they wanted and she didn’t care. Beer would have to do.

“So,” She drawled, attempting a more cool and collected approach now that she was back. Afterall, she was a demon who was meant to thrive in situations with sexual partners. She knew how to be cool around people she was attracted to–except, what didn’t come easy to her was behaving normally around someone she actually might potentially teensy weensy care about. She didn’t even want to think that it might be two someones. Especially when her heart was supposedly dead.

She huffs a slick smile onto her lips, slinking into her chair evilly placed between them with the beers. “What are we all doing here? A Celestial+ Committee meeting? Immortals anonymous…bit of a problem, though,” She leans forward and whispers. “I think we all know each other?”

“Sal,” Josh starts, his tone measured. He was trying to be kind, but she felt the tightness in his throat.

Jake flashed his eyes to the angel, a warning. He set his hat on the table, making it crowded with the three glasses.

She settled into the uncomfortable chair, widening her legs and taking a gulp of the beer. Her top might as well have been nonexistent, the deep red lace sheer and showing off her torso and breasts. The black tight vinyl pants caused both beings to flicker their eyes to her movement as she pushed her hips towards them. Josh cleared his throat and averted his eyes, taking a grounding sip of the pale ale she’d gotten for him.

“We’re here,” Jake starts, giving an unamused look to her as she wiggled her hips and smirked in triumph. “Cut it out, sometimes the slut schtick isn’t cute. We have something real to talk about, Sal.” He widened his glowing yellow eyes at her and she sat up, immediately shrinking again. Just as she was feeling more confident, his accusatory eyes scared the absolute shit out of her.

Josh shot a look at his demon counterpart, unhappy with the word he had just used, even if it was to describe the demon who had led him into temptation. He had been repenting for the last three months, bathing in holy water twice as often, and an extra time whenever his mind wandered to Y/N and what she’d shown him.

“We need to find out why you’re so powerful. Who you are.” Josh says calmly.

“I told you already.” She insisted. “Why does it matter anyway?”

“Okay, well maybe you don’t realize this but the way you’re treated down in Hell is not normal,” Jake sneers condescendingly.

“What he means,” Josh intervenes again. “Is that, perhaps, you don’t know who you really are either. We’re worried…”

“No!” She immediately shoots forward, eyes blazing with hellfire.

“C’mon Sal, you know how fucking powerful you are. That’s not normal! You’re not normal!” Jake doesn’t sound smug anymore, he sounds a little…scared. He didn’t like not knowing.

Josh reaches a hand out to Jake’s shoulder, his touch somehow calming even though an angel’s touch should’ve been repulsive to a demon.

“Listen, Sal,” Josh smiles, trying to bring peace to this strange situation. “Nothing is going to change. It’s okay to be scared, but Jake is right. You are far too powerful for even a run-of-the-mill average demon and you believe you were a human turned demon. You’d have even less powers then.”

She gulps at her beer, more than half-way through it. “Why does it matter? Why do you two care?”

Another silence falls between them. The tension returns and she can tell there’s something they’re not telling her.

“Fucking tell me,” She spits. “Or I’ll…I’ll, fucking…I don’t know, I’ll fucking kill everyone in here. Since I’m so fucking powerful.”

“There’s not that many people in here, Sal. You wouldn’t really be making much of a point…” Jake shrugs. “Also, why would I care?”

“Because I know you, Jacob,” She seethes, staring darkly into his eyes. Her eyes had been black since the hellfire had left them, she was in defense mode. “Should I share with Josh what I found in your mind the other night?”

Jake sat up straight and instantly Y/N’s mouth was shut. Not by a look, but by Jake’s powers. It felt like he was crushing her windpipe. His voice was in her head. ‘Do not say another fucking word. How dare you. You promised.’ She immediately felt meek and her humanity seeped back into her. Regular eyes flickering back to life, she slumped in on herself, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. She was scared too.

Josh watched the interaction, only seeing the physicality of their two bodies change. He looked up to the ceiling, lord give him strength and please don’t let anyone die tonight. “We think you might be a cambion.” He rushes it out before he loses the nerve or before Jake stops him.

She stays silent, staring up at the angel with red-rimmed eyes–not technically demonic, simply because she had begun to cry and she wasn’t allowing the tears to fall. Jake grunts unhappily and finishes off his beer, getting up to get a refill and pointedly telling them not to discuss further until he returned.

He came back five minutes later, silent and nodded his head gruffly for them to continue. She stares between the angel and demon again, confused and upset with both of them.

“What does that mean?” She asks, her voice soft and child-like, shaking slightly. Had her whole life been a lie? It couldn’t be possible. Why did they want to flip her life upside down or sideways or something? This second life was already confusing enough without an identity crisis.

“It means you were half-human, half-demon in your first life.” Josh speaks softly, barely strong enough to keep himself from pulling her fragile body into his own just to attempt to comfort her. He knew how scared she must be, he’d seen people crumble through history at the realization of their lives being built on lies. “Usually cambion are offspring of an incubus or a succubus and a human.”

“That would explain your special treatment in Hell,” Jake interjects, feeling more subdued after walking it off and two shots of ‘Jamo’ himself. “But it doesn’t explain the powers. At least, not fully. It’d have to be an ancient–older than us–and powerful one to have been one of your parents and that’s just almost unheard of, even 70 years ago.”

“Okay….” She tries to absorb the information, eyes still flitting between the two figures before her, feeling a weird sense of unreality that had never happened to her. Given all the weird shit that had happened to her since dying, it was surprising this was so hard.

“That’s why we wanted to talk to you about it. See if you knew anything or could think about anything abnormal about, maybe, your upbringing or parents.” Josh tries, even gently soothing his hand over the one Y/N had shakily rested on the tabletop. “Anything at all.”

Jake’s eyes watched them. The way her body relaxed at Josh’s touch. How her eyes sparkled as she looked from their touching skin to Josh’s face. Even her smile was softer with Josh. Josh’s eyes were aglow as well, an angelic white instead of a black pupil.

“Okay,” She says, looking between Jake and Josh again, feeling calmer but also, admittedly, terrified for the first time since she’d been back. “Can I think about it for a few days? I don’t think I’ll come up with anything with you two staring me down right now.”

She didn’t understand why it mattered to Jake and Josh still but the amount of energy and emotion running through her had made her forget momentarily. Her mind was like static, the thoughts running into one another and jumbling until nothing was coherent.

“Yeah, of course,” Josh moves his hand to rub over her back. He couldn’t help himself, he was a healer and a helper. Even with her. Especially with her. “Write things down as they come to you. It might help.”

“Whatever,” Jake rolled his eyes, downing his beer and heading for a third. He needed to be drunk and as a demon it took a lot more work. He thought that was unfair but there wasn’t really anyone he could complain to. Maybe the big one Upstairs, but his key card didn’t work anymore.

This night had gone about exactly as he expected when Josh had continued to pester him about it. When he returned, Josh had disappeared and Jake hoped he’d left for the night. “Can we get plastered now?”

“Please,” She sighed, taking the second beer from Jake’s hands. “I need to dance and drink off this stress. Fuck you for this by the way.”

“Did Josh leave?” Jake ignores her complaint about the night, looking around. It wasn’t like he’d wanted to be here either.

She shakes her head while gulping at the beer, already moving to the dance floor that was scuffed up and empty. The live musician had left during their conversation so Jake wasn’t surprised when the old stereo turned from 2000s indie rock to 1970s hard rock. “Said he was coming back. Bathroom or something…You gonna dance with me, cowboy?”

She grinned at Jake, already pushing the anxiety of the evening away, utilizing her favorite coping mechanism: drunken debauchery.

He shook his head at her and sauntered closer, abandoning his beer and allowing her arms to rope him closer, pressing her hips into his. He hummed with mild satisfaction, staring at her down the tip of his nose. She stared up at him, thinking back to when he had tumbled in the sheets with her. How surprisingly kind and tender he had been to her and how she’d never seen it again. She wanted to see it again. She’d do anything to see it again.

She ran her hand up and down his torso, taking inventory of his warmth with teasing fingers, “You owe me. That was worse than Hell on Earth.”

Jake leans his head down, lips heavy on her ear. “I don’t owe you shit, Sal.”

She threw her head back in laughter and Jake’s arms held her waist more firmly, just to keep her from falling. Returning upright to stare into his eyes, she spoke with a saddened sort of lust. “You love talking rough to me don’t you, Jake? Just admit it.”

“It’d be a big help if you could remember your real name while you’re writing down all your feelings later.” Jake ignores her again, allowing himself to drift his hands over the curves of her ass as she sways against him. He indulges in how the press of her breasts into his chest feels and the intoxicating scent of her perfume as he traces his nose up her throat and over her jaw.

She whines against him. “Just shut up and kiss me if you won’t fuck me right now. I need a distraction.”

Jake chuckles darkly, his eyes casting around the room as he tightens his grip again making her hum with a grin on her face. “You’d like that wouldn’t you, little one? In front of an audience? Sick little freak.”

She looks down for a moment, a flicker of shame at Jake’s condescending voice before she feels the energy seeping off of him. He desired it too. She wasn’t the only sick freak.

Jake makes eye contact with Josh at the edge of the dancefloor. The angel had been watching for the last few moments after returning from wherever he had disappeared to. He shifts his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

Jake decides to lean down as Y/N leans up with parted lips, awaiting his touch. He teases her, licking his tongue out past his lips but not quite touching hers. She breathes out a whine and pulls his head closer by the back of his neck and he obliges, sinking his tongue into her mouth. She melts into him.

Josh watches on still. He can’t tear his eyes away, how their bodies snake around one another so perfectly. How she fits into him, how Jake has no problem claiming her body, touching her and alighting her skin with desire. Josh shuts his eyes for a moment. He wants to leave, he knows he should’ve walked out the door and not come back, but he can’t. She’s still here and he hasn’t seen her in so long. He knew it was a sin to be consorting with her, but, Jesus, he was already there, what was another hour or two of it?

She pulled back from Jake’s lips, chest heaving for air that Jake didn’t seem to need. He smirked and licked his lips, moving his hand away from the back of her delicate neck.

“C’mon, let’s go back to my place.” She tries. Her hand tightens in the collar of his shirt, needing this to make her forget her distress.

Jake shakes his head. “I’ll dance with you and I’ll kiss you till you drop, but we’re not doing that again. Never again.”

She twirled a piece of his hair that had come free from his low bun. “Why not? We had a lot of fun.”

“Too much fun.” He removes her hands from himself, beginning to step away. It wasn’t the fun he was worried about, it was the feeling. “I’ll see you soon, kid.”

“Fuck you, Jake.” Anger masks the painful stab to her heart, or whatever it was that felt inside her still, at his rejection. Kid.

“Keep dreaming,” He winks, turning on his heel and patting Josh’s chest as he goes to make his exit. “She’s all yours. Nice and fired up. Good fucking luck, brother.” He plucked his hat from the abandoned table, strutting out of the bar and disappearing instantly, as if he’d never been there in the first place. Except he had and she was pissed.

“Thanks,” Josh murmurs under his breath, eyes downcast. He stops Y/N from running after Jake with a hand around her waist when she went to move past him, knowing that whatever fight she tried to start wouldn’t end well.

“Hey, hey, hey,” He gets her attention, the fury fading from her eyes with one look at Josh. “It’s okay. You don’t want to fight him tonight. You’ve got a lot on your mind and it’ll only come to no good.”

“No good is what I’m supposed to do,” She stomps her foot, petulantly but resigning to Josh’s hold. The drunken debauchery wasn’t going well and she was starting to feel depleted and depressed. An identity crisis, one rejection and likely another on the horizon with the way Josh was looking at her.

She felt herself beginning to cry again. This time she couldn’t stop the tears.

“Oh, god,” Josh whispered quickly, ushering himself and the demon to the sidewalk outside of the bar. The darkness of the night would cover up the sight that would raise human eyebrows. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. Please.” His voice is soft, feathery and concerned. Pleading.

“What’s the point? Why’d they even send me here? Who am I?” She wailed, her eyes streaming tears of blood. “Why the fuck do I cry blood? This is so unfair!”

Josh wanted to curse Jake, but he knew he was already eternally damned so it really wouldn’t do anything. He shushed the crying demon who really just looked like a young drunk girl except for the red tears. Josh held her as she sobbed, blood staining his white shirt. It didn’t matter to him. He offered soothing words to her and eventually, after back rubs and deep breath exercises, she pulled it together.

“You can come see me whenever you need, Sal. How’s that?” Josh offers as he rubs soothing patterns across her clammy back.

She wiped at her face and her hair that was now all over the place. “Thanks, Josh. Thank you for being kind to me. Even though…I am who I am.”

“Of course,” Josh’s voice is full of emotion. He couldn’t help it. She needed him. “Take care. I’ll see you soon.”

She nodded and sniffed, holding her head high again, the bloody tracks on her face looking horrifying in the dark light but Josh tried for a hopeful smile. She waved and then she was gone, disappearing into the dark and empty night. Jake must have taught her his trick.

She’s not sure what made her decide what she did next. But she was a little drunk and confused and dejected and needy for attention. Rori was asleep on her hardwood floor when she walked in the door, dead to the world till the sun came up hours from now. So after 30 seconds in the empty silent apartment she turned back around, leaving again.

to be continued

taglist: @ofthecaravel @gretavanfreaky @sinarainbows @jaketlove @mysticalstarcatcher @whiterosekiszka @sacredjake @beingextraisfun @malany-gvf @joshysgirl

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gretavanlace · 11 months

Note

Totally support your decision to keep writing Josh!

From a josh girl, a thought on future fics in general … Although nothing has technically changed from a fan standpoint, as a reader i do wonder if it will be different to read josh smut now since most writing is rooted in what we know of their personalities - and given what we know now - it does alter the realism of fem reader fics (ie the ‘real josh’ wouldn’t say/do these things) does that make sense?

obviously bigger picture this is such a non-issue and we’re all still so proud of Josh and love him 💕 glad you’re back!

Well, if we’re looking at it from that angle, we’ve never really known if the ‘real josh’ (or any of them) would say/do these things.

First, I want to point out that what we shouldn’t do is assume anything. Josh has yet to label himself, and by automatically believing that he is strictly attracted to men, we are labeling him. It seems to me, that for whatever reason, he avoided that carefully. With love, we should do the same.

I totally get what you’re saying about the writing being rooted in the truth of what we know of them. But the truth of what we know of them is really only what they want us to see at the end of the day, and that’s fine! They owe us absolutely nothing.

We’ve got some really wonderful, incredibly written AU fics in this fandom. Knights and sea captains, demons and vampires, disco gods and bootleggers…

I mean, would the real Jake Kiszka fuck you in a suit of armor up against the wall of a castle? Actually, that’s a bad example, because yeah, he probably would 😂

But, you see what I mean. These are fictional versions of them, in fictional scenarios. At the end of the day, each and every fic is an AU fic.

I also agree with you on the bigger picture! We do love him, and we are proud! Thank you so much for being so careful and kind with the thoughts expressed in your ask ❤️

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basiccortez · 2 years

Text

in collaboration with @capturethechaos

Only The Good Die Young word count: 1.1k masterlist playlist

warnings: THIS IS AN AU. mentions of death, mentions of torture, mentions of mafias/mobs/gangs. STRICTLY 18+. MINORS DNI

'I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints, the sinners are much more fun'

Some people believed that the whole mafia, gangs and mobsters died back in the 1940s, but the truth was, those monsters just went into hiding. Everything is run by the mob. The girls on the corner, the guns the cops used, the drugs in the prisons, the boxing matches on pay-per-view, sometimes, even the clothes on your back.

Most of the famous mobs had died out when Al Capone finally bit it, so did the crash of the New York Five. But between the mobsters tearing each other apart, between the shadows, two other families were building up their ranks.

The shift between the downfall of the Luciano family and the rise of the Kiszkas was easy. Nobody ever pointed a finger at a Polish man selling guns on the street corner. Kiszka didn’t sound like “Mangano” or “Gagliano” or “Bonanno”. Patrick Kiszka was a smart man, and decided to move the vast mafia playground to a quieter city that would draw less heat. He switched from bright, light, bigger city Broadway, to the Country Broadway strip.

The Kiszkas were one to be feared. Their mafia bloodline was passed down from generation to generation. The current leaders were 3 beautiful brothers and their best friend, who was basically another brother. You didn’t mess with any of them, unless you had a death wish.

Samuel, the youngest, was smart, his brain like a human computer. He was able to infiltrate government sanctions with ease. You didn’t know you were hacked until it was too late and your porn search history was blasted all over your workplace. Sam had ghosts, things that haunted him when he closed his eyes at night. He was too smart, too gentle for his own good, which caused his heart to break and his mind to be scarred.

Daniel was the muscle, and Sam’s best friend. He was slender and tall, with beautiful curly hair. He was a dark, gentle soul, who hid in the shadows. He was like a snake, letting you get close until he struck, quick and quiet. His closet was full of skeletons he was yet to bury. Sam was one of the only people in the family to know about the horrible things Daniel had done. Wherever you saw Sam, you saw Daniel, and vice versa.

Then, there were the twins. Two beautiful fuckers that could not be more different. Josh was smart (not quite as smart as Sam), and handled the money of the family. The Kiszkas were dripping with money, and probably would’ve gone broke if it wasn’t for Josh. Josh had been a part of putting the Kiszkas into a legal business, buying casinos on the Vegas Strip.

And last but not least, their fearless leader, Jacob. That fucker dripped confidence and power. He could have women pulling their panties aside with just a simple look. Even though Josh was the oldest, it just made sense that Jake was the family leader. Jake was a cocky fucker, having a painting of him in a blood red suit hanging over his desk like he was the real fucking Don Vito Corleone.

There was one crime family though, that refused to die without a fight. The Santiagos had fled New York when the FBI started rounding up all the mobsters. Don Michele Santiago was a smart bastard, and was the one who gave the heads up to the power 5 of what was to go down. Everyone thought he was just some crazy Italian and didn’t listen. They wished they’d listened when they were on the line in front of the firing squad. Michele took his wife and his sons and moved them from New York back to their small quiet town in Sicily. Michele raised his eldest son, Rafael to take over the family business when the time would come. Rafael was only 10 when they moved, but as soon as he hit 18, he was sent back over to the US to be a spy for the family. Michele Santiago and Patrick Kiszka were friends, but Michele didn’t trust the whole innocent Polish man act.

When Michele finally bit it, and Rafael took over, his wife produced him three sons and a daughter. Rafael raised his sons to be ruthless blood thirsty killers.

Paulo was the eldest, and was the golden prize in Rafael’s eyes. There was not a single thing he could do wrong. Paulo kissed his father’s ass if that meant being the heir to the whole Santiago fortune when the old bastard would finally make it to the grave.

Gianni was the middle son, and a told fucking wild card. His nickname was “X-ray”, the kid was always searching and scanning like a fucking detector. Gianni loved torture. It was his favorite past-time. Gianni was the protector of the family, putting his life on the line to protect his own blood. He had proved that he wasn’t afraid of the consequences, and wore the scars he had on his body with pride.

Narciso, just like his name would insinuate, was a self-righteous asshole. His appearance was everything, and he demanded only the best be put on his body. His wardrobe consisted of Gucci and Versace, ironically. He was smart, understanding the way business and stocks worked better than anyone in the family. He was more of a businessman than Paulo, but no no one would ever admit it. Narciso got the short end of the stick, not inheriting anything much like his brother Gianni.

Rafael never wanted a daughter, and it was clear to anyone who saw it. Y/N Santiago was a hidden gem. She was smart, drabbled in the art of torture, and dressed to impress. Rafael had a plan for her the second the doctor said it was a girl. Her life had already been decided on and she didn’t even know it. Her mother, the woman who was also a business player, knew of her daughter's fate. Marie Santiago had been the same way, being betrothed to a man she never would’ve married if it wasn’t for the family business she had learned to love.

When Y/N was a growing child, she was sent off to prep school, in hopes to teach her how to be a proper woman. Rafael wanted her far away from this life, in his mind, the less a woman knew, the better.

But his plans of keeping her away came crashing down when she had met Fransico Solano. What was supposed to be an innocent relationship turned dark and bloody, and ended up with a battered and tortured Y/N on his father’s front door. Rafael could see the end of his legacy crashing down, and knew what he had to do to help his legacy succeed and grow. Even if that meant sending his daughter across the ocean.

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note: I hope y'all love the teaser! updates will be posted on Tuesdays. This series is also fully completed and ready for you guys to read:) thank you to my lovely co-authors I couldn't have done it without you.

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kxnsy · 2 years

Text

Night Moves Pt. II - Jake Kiszka

Summary// a storyline based off of the song Night Moves by Bob Seger. Jake and you have found yourselves in quite the predicament, and you both decide to make the most of it.

Warnings// 18+ please! this is pure smut. mentions of underage drinking, teenage recklessness? and a whole lot of fun ;)

Word Count// 4.7k+

Author's Note// Hi everyone! Thank you SO much for all of the love & support on part 1 of Night Moves, I really appreciated it all<3 I knew that I wanted to do a part 2 for it, and I may have gotten a little carried away with this one, but it was so fun! I do plan on continuing this to a part 3, and I have some really fun things planned for the future, as well! This chapter is probably most representative of the song Night Moves, so feel free to listen to that song as you read along!

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy! :)

-Kensy♡

Night Moves Pt. I

Around 8 AM, you felt the urgent need to pee, which woke you from your otherworldly sleep. As you opened your eyes, though, you were met with a different setting than what you expected. As you spotted the guitar in the corner of the room, along with the pile of guitar picks on the desk next to it, it all clicked: you were in Jake’s room, in Jake’s bed, and Jake’s arm was slung over your waist, his fingertips lightly grazing your skin as they hung off the side of your stomach.

You suddenly felt like your bladder could wait, the sudden urge to run your fingers across the expanse of his bare chest seemed all too enticing. His mouth was slightly open, taking in a deep breath to make his chest rise and then a slow exhale to make it fall again. His eyelashes nearly touched his cheeks as he lay asleep before you. He just looked so pretty, how were you ever supposed to look away?

At that thought, you shocked yourself enough to bring you back to reality, which was in fact that your bladder could no longer wait. You tried your best to gently remove Jake’s arm from you, but as you sat up, his arm seemed to slide off of you just too fast and land on the bed with a thud. The impact elicited a grunt of disapproval from Jake as he stirred in the bed. You let out a whispered sorry as you padded across the floor on your tiptoes, in a desperate search for a bathroom.

As you washed your hands, sighing in relief, you finally noticed what you were wearing. A baggy red t-shirt that was littered with a few holes here and there, looking to be about the size of loose ashes from a fire. You noticed the outline of your nipple poke through the thin fabric of the t-shirt. In what seemed to be shock, you looked down to your legs, seeing a pair of plaid boxer briefs hung loosely around your hips. The sharp inhale you took worked in tandem with your eyes as they widened–did something actually happen last night??

Just as quickly as you ventured to the bathroom, you found yourself replicating that same speed to get back to Jake’s room. As you stepped into his room, you moved quickly to the side you had apparently slept on, crawling back under the covers in an attempt to conceal yourself.

You poked at Jake’s side with your finger, once again earning a disgruntled sound from Jake. Instead of apologizing this time, though, you continued to poke him, even shaking his arm that was somewhat tucked underneath the pillow your head was laying on.

Jake whipped his head around to face you, the remainder of his body not moving an inch. He let out a deep sigh, a hum slipping into the air along with it.

You looked at him expectantly, as if his reaction was pathetic compared to how you were reacting? Why was he so calm? Based on the fact that you’re in his clothes this morning, and without a bra, you think a conversation should definitely be happening.

“Good morning to you too,” he mumbled, his words coming out more as one long word rather than a sentence. As he shifted his body to face yours completely, you bite back the words on your tongue at the sound of his morning voice: you’re fucking flawless, even when you just wake up.

He smiled at the sight of your pretty face, skin still fresh and void of any make up. He stretched his arms out above the comforter, his bare chest peeking out once again. You took your opportunity to admire his tanned skin and defined muscles that ran down his arms, his chest, his stomach…

You cleared your throat before speaking, “Good morning, Jake. I think there’s a few things we need to talk about.” You tried to keep your voice flat and serious, but the effect he had on you right now just seemed to alter the way your voice came out.

As a result, Jake let out the squeakiest chuckle you’d ever heard, and it made you smile in return. He tucked his hands under his head as he faced you, blinking slowly as he nodded before speaking, “Okay then, let’s talk.”

You sighed softly before speaking, “Did we…” you struggle to find the right words to describe what might have happened, “...do something last night?” As soon as it left your mouth, you felt dirty and embarrassed, but you didn’t know why, you haven’t even found out if you did or not.

He squinted his eyes in obvious confusion, shaking his head abruptly.

“What? No, remember what I suggested to you? And your response to my suggestion?” His eyebrows rose as he spoke, stressing the sounds of the vowels in certain words.

“Well yeah, I remember that much but I thought I fell asleep after that.”

“I mean, you did, but only for about five minutes before you woke up and complained how hot it was in my room.”

You were sick of hearing everything that led up to the moment you wanted to know about, so you got right to it.

“Jake, how did I get your clothes?”

A smirk appeared on his face as he began to recollect the scene.

“Well, you started pulling off your sweatshirt, and then your pants..” He let the sentence float through the air, not quite finishing it as he chuckled in the middle of it.

“...and then I saw you reaching behind your back, and soon enough your bra was off.”

Now it was your turn to raise your eyebrows. As if you weren’t underneath the covers enough, you felt like you wanted to curl underneath the covers even further and conceal your burning red face. What the fuck were you thinking?

“Okay? And then what happened?” You urged him on from beneath the covers, hearing him chuckle once again at your eagerness.

“I mean as much as I would have loved to sit and stare, I knew you weren’t trying to initiate anything, considering how absolutely drunk you were.”

He shifted once again, reaching his arm out to tug lightly on the shirt you were wearing.

“I took my shirt off and tossed it to you, and thankfully you put it on without a fight. Now the boxers were a bit harder, you kept going on about, ‘I don’t wear pants to bed’.”

You rolled your eyes in complete disbelief of your actions.

“That’s all that happened, right?”

He nodded as he spoke.

“Yeah, and then we just slept in the same bed but you kind of hogged the bed. You were rollin’ all over, like, all night long.”

He smiled at the sound of your embarrassed groan.

“Well I should probably get changed back into my clothes and then head out. I’m sure my parents are just losing their minds over where I am on a Sunday morning.”

Jake nodded, agreeing with you by saying that you might want to leave through his window to avoid any bug-eyed looks from his family as you walk out of their son’s bedroom.

You hopped down from the windowsill and onto grass below, only grimacing for a second as the jump wasn’t too far. You looked back up to Jake as he leaned out from his window.

“Don’t forget about our little agreement! We can talk it over when I take you out on our little date,” he winked to you, smiling his big and beautiful smile to send your stomach into a frenzy of butterflies.

“Well then you’d better get to planning, you don’t want to keep me waiting forever, do you?”

He shook his head, eyeing your figure as you walked towards your car.

“Never in a million years.”

Not even five minutes after you pulled into your driveway, Jake was texting you to make sure you made it home safe. You responded with a simple yes, thanking him for checking up on you. Although you wanted to throw in some sort of flirtatious statement in there, you were unsure of not only what to say but also how Jake would react. As far as the whole “arrangement” goes, you weren’t entirely sure just yet if he was serious, and if he was, what all that would entail.

Over the course of the next week, though, Jake had been texting you at an increasing amount. You remember exactly what you were doing as you received a phone call from him, and your heart nearly dropped to your stomach. With a deep breath, you answered the phone.

“I’m calling about that first date.” You could hear the smile he wore as he spoke, which obviously made your pre-existing smile even wider.

“Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?”

Later that night, you found yourself sneaking out of your window to meet Jake at the end of your driveway. You felt so giddy as you jogged down the driveway, the feeling of freedom spreading through your veins. This was what teenage life was about, right? Late, summer nights and sneaking out with some boy: what could top it?

As you hopped into his old truck, you let out an excited squeal before reaching over and grabbing his face in your hands, planting a quick and chaste kiss upon his soft lips. As you pulled back, his eyes roamed your face and his lips curled into a smirk.

“As much as I’d like to start all of the fun now, I think we should find a spot that’s a bit more reserved.” He really did have to force himself to look away from your perfect self. You never look less than angelic, he thought.

Within minutes, you two were on a backroad surrounded by cornfields, headlights off, and music softly streaming through the speakers. As you both chatted about present projects and future goals, the air seemed to get thick with tension. His eyes bounced between the expansion of your body and your face in the dim light. Your eyes zoned in on his lips and the way he was running his finger along his bottom one.

“So about the agreement?” You broke the silence that lasted in the tense span of 20 seconds.

He smirked at you, widening his legs apart.

“I figured we could practice all of the fun things we wanted to learn with each other.”

His eyes searched your face for any sign of how you were feeling.

“That’s only if you want to, though.” He was quick to assure you that this was most certainly a mutual idea. You chuckled at his break in character, going from sensual to concerned. It made your stomach bubble with butterflies.

For someone who didn’t exactly know what they were doing, you found it extremely easy to assume. You climbed over to Jake’s lap, planting yourself on his growing erection. He let out a soft moan as he looked up at you and you could hold back no longer. You brought your lips to his with an immense amount of fervor, finding it just too simple for the two of you to find a steady rhythm for not only your tongues, but your hips that were rocking back and forth against his.

You broke from the heated kiss to tilt your head up to face the moon roof. Jake littered your neck with wet kisses, experimentally nipping at the delicate skin below your ear. You hummed out in bliss, loving every ounce of attention he was giving you. He slid his hands from your lower back to rest on your ass, squeezing it between his calloused hands to encourage your hips at a faster rate.

“Jake, what now?” You breathlessly moaned, feeling his lips trail over the skin of your chest.

“You want more?” He tilted your head down to meet your eyes, planting a chaste kiss to your lips.

He smirked in response to your eager nod, nodding his head in a quick motion for you to sit up. He began by removing your jeans, watching your eyes as he tugged the zipper down. You anxiously rocked your hips against his hand in an attempt to gain some friction, and his other hand met your hip to hold you still.

“Wait for me, babe,” he cooed softly. He was melting you in his lap right this very second, and you nodded in absolute mesmerization of him.

When you had both got the awkward removal of your jeans done and over with, the shirts were next. Ever since the morning after the party when you had an intimate glance of his bare chest in his bed, you couldn’t stop fantasizing about taking off his shirt. And now, it was happening all too easily.

You watched as he removed his flannel from his arms, his eyes never leaving yours. You barely waited a second after to grab the hem of his shirt, fingers lightly grazing his stomach. He smiled up at you as you lifted it. He tugged it the rest of the way over his head as your hands found themselves occupied along his chest. You traced your hands down the center of his torso, trailing back up to place them on his chest. As his head popped out from under the shirt, he ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it. You bit your lip to refrain from audibly gasping at the sight before you: Jake in just his boxers, hands resting on your bare thighs and eyes gleaming back at you admiringly.

He worked to remove your shirt with ease as you unclipped your bra beneath it. In a movement that seemed all too simple, your shirt and bra were off in an instant. Feeling suddenly exposed, you shivered and reached an arm across your chest to conceal yourself. Jake caught your wrist, stopping you before you could.

“Don’t. You look so pretty like this.” A blush crept across your skin, making the air feel hotter and thicker than it already was.

He brought you closer to him with a hand on your lower back. He looked to you, keeping eye contact as he brought his lips to your chest. In a way that seemed both completely innocent yet purely lewd, he circled your nipple with his tongue. Fighting back the urge to moan, you dropped your mouth into an “O” shape, pulling his head closer to your chest with your fingers in his hair.

As he sucked your nipple into his mouth, he bit down softly to earn a gasp from you, followed by a smirk from you both. He closed his eyes for just a second, pulling you somehow even closer and moaning against your hot skin. He brought one of his hands on your hip to grasp your other breast, massaging and kneading the skin beneath his hands. As he pulled back from your tender and swollen breast, he leaned down to connect his lips to the other.

His tongue was dragging across your nipple, and you could feel the blood rushing through your veins as your body temperature was increasing by the second. His teeth, once again, bit down softly and you couldn’t fight the jerking of your hips against his hardening dick. He moaned around your breast, fingers digging into your other breast and your hip.

As he leaned back from your chest, his eyes beamed at the sight of the red spots littering your chest. You heard him mutter, “so beautiful,” beneath his breath before looking back to your eyes. You pulled him into your lips again, swirling your tongue against his in an attempt to somehow get even closer.

You hummed into his mouth at the feeling of his hands running up your thighs. You shivered in anticipation of what was next. The closer his fingers moved to your center, the more you arched into his touch.

He pulled back from your lips, looking to you with a slight nod towards your panties. Understanding what he was indicating, you grabbed his wrist and placed his hand directly over your clothed core. He swallowed at your directness and bit back a moan as you whispered, “touch me.”

He ran his fingers over the lace of your panties that concealed your modesty, and it fueled the flames in your stomach that wanted more. You sighed impatiently as he gently stroked over your clit, and as you opened your eyes to look at him, you saw his eyes flicking between your face and your pussy.

“Please, Jake, take them off.” You were begging him to touch you now? It was going to be an impeccably fun night.

“Okay, pretty girl. Lift your hips for me.”

With that pet name, you’d do anything for him.

As he pulled the black lace down your legs, you inched closer to his groin. He placed a hand on your hip as his other hand found itself cupping you. Out of plain cluelessness, you grinded down against his hand, the heel of his palm planted against your clit. You sucked in a sharp breath, and as Jake watched your face contort in pleasure from the interaction, he smirked to himself, discovering how to keep you moaning for him.

His hand pulled away from your core, and your eyes shot open in disappointment. He quickly redeemed himself as his index finger slid between your folds, spreading them as he went. You wriggled beneath his grasp, and as his thumb met your clit, you moaned out his name sharply, digging half moons into his shoulder. Catching you by surprise, he slipped a finger in you. It was an easy feat with how wet you were. He monitored both your face and his fingers as he rubbed circles against your clit and now, pumped his finger in and out of you.

You don’t exactly know how he knew what to do but you’re thankful he did. He had you rocking your hips against his hand in such a filthy manner that even he, himself, couldn’t believe how fucking obscene you looked right now.

Your hair was knotted from his hands running through it, your skin damp and glistening in the moonlight, and your voice hoarse from the overwhelming amount of cries of pleasure bouncing against the inside of Jake’s truck.

He was the hardest he had ever been, his dick twitching with every groan of his name you let slip past your swollen lips. He could feel the slight mess he was making in his boxers, and he knew he wasn’t going to last long when he did eventually fuck you.

With one final erotic groan, you contracted around his fingers. In a way that you could only describe as a rubber band snapping, you shivered at the feeling of a release in your body. Something within your lower stomach felt like a blissful fire that spread throughout your legs, and then your chest, and finally your arms. You were twitching in Jake’s grasp, holding him close to you in an attempt to control the muscle spasms. Jake stroked your hair as you choked on air, helping you to ground yourself once again. Your fingers had surely left marks on the soft skin of his back, but he didn’t seem to mind.

You felt so dirty for the thoughts in your mind at that very moment. Though you truly had no experience in all of this, you wanted him to fuck your brains out. You wanted his mouth everywhere on you, leaving marks all over for you to touch later on and remember exactly how his tongue felt against it. You wanted him to watch you fall apart at the very touch of his fingers, smiling as he listened to you moan out into the night. You wanted him to make you cum, even though had only first experienced it just seconds prior. You wanted him, all of him.

As he looked at you with extreme adoration, you kissed him with salacity. He hummed into your mouth as your fingers found the waistband of his boxers. You tugged on them, and he pulled them down his legs, never breaking the kiss. Your hands traced down his stomach softly before reaching his cock. He gasped into your mouth as you began to stroke him, increasing the speed at which your hands moved with each sound that left his mouth.

He pulled your hips closer to his dick in a swift motion, gripping your ass between his hands.

He patted it softly, and then lifted his hand to slap it experimentally. You inhaled at the contact, but as his hand smoothed over the tender skin, you whined against his mouth. You couldn’t get enough of him.

He broke away from the kiss, planting a gentle kiss to the corner of your mouth before looking you in the eyes.

“You’re sure about all of this? We don’t have to-”

“I’m sure Jake, I want to do this with you,” you cut him off before he could even suggest the furthest thing from your mind right now. You noticed his eyes flicker between your eyes and your lips before a smile broke out across his lips. He whispered a sweet, “Okay” before meeting your lips again.

From the compartment against the door, Jake fished out a condom, ripping the package while keeping your tongue swirled against his. He leaned back to place the condom over himself, looking at you as you inched closer to him. His fingers lightly tapped the cheek of your ass, and you lifted your hips in response.

You shimmied even closer to him until he had himself lined up with your entrance. He focused on your eyes as you lowered yourself on his member.

You both took in a sharp breath as your hips lowered to meet his. Your hands found themselves planted on his shoulders yet again, one curling beneath his arm to wrap around him. Jake moved slightly, attempting to bring you just a bit closer to him. Your hips jolted at the contact of your clit to his pelvic bone.

“You okay, babe?” He moved the hair away from your face, planting a kiss on your cheek.

“Yes, just move,” you whispered into his ear.

You felt his hips softly buck into yours, and although it wasn’t necessarily the feeling you thought it would be, his twitching dick inside of you felt almost narcotic. You wanted more of it, more of him.

Your hips began to subconsciously rock against him in an attempt to garner more pleasure. His head fell back against the headrest, eyes locking on yours.

Now it was your turn to watch him fall apart beneath you. His hands were languidly rubbing circles on your hip bones, and you tensed your jaw as you bounced on his dick, reveling in the sounds he was producing.

“Fuck, (Y/N), you’re so good. You feel so good, babe.” He choked on his words as your hips collided with his to create the harmonious sound of you two searing with absolute pleasure.

In an instant, his hand was between your legs, lazily running circles against your clit once again. Your hips stilled as a result of his touch. He wrapped his arm around your waist, pounding up into you with all that he could muster.

Your hips were sore from the odd angle you had been in for well over an hour, but you didn’t care. You had never been in such a state of serenity. No drug or beverage could amount to the sheer dopamine you had soaring through your veins this very minute.

“Fuck, I’m close, are you close, baby?” He left a string of kisses down your neck as his fingers worked overtime on your clit.

As much as you wanted to tell him you were, your voice was impossibly raw, and all you could produce was a restless nod.

You pressed yourself tightly to Jake’s chest, his hand stuck between your sweaty bodies. You could feel the band in your stomach stretching to the brink before the fire spread throughout your body once again. Your moans rang through the interior of the truck, and Jake used them as motivation to reach his own climax.

He let a moan of your name rip through his throat, and you mentally noted how fucking hot he sounded when he came. He bucked his hips, waiting for his dick to twitch one final time as an indication that his high had ended.

As he huffed against your collarbone, he placed a line of sweet kisses against the skin there. He leaned back against the seat, taking your head in his hands and kissing your hair softly.

Maybe you were reading into the moment too much, but it all seemed so tender. He lifted your hips off of his, tying his condom and throwing it in a trash bag on the floorboards. He motioned for you to come over to him once you had both finished getting dressed. You leaned against his side, resting your head on his shoulder as you admired the night sky through the foggy windows.

“What did you think of it all?” He stroked the skin of your arm, drawing simple circles across it.

You hummed as you exhaled a deep breath before placing his hand on your knee. You looked up at him, smiling as he felt your legs bouncing from the post-orgasm muscle spasms you were experiencing.

He let out a light-hearted laugh, the sound rumbling through his chest and vibrating against your shoulder.

“How about you?”

He caressed your cheek in his hand, looking you in the eyes and placing a sweet kiss on your lips.

“It’s the best I’ve ever had.”

You playfully smacked his chest, rolling your eyes at his lame joke.

“No but it really was perfect. I’ve never felt that good before.”

For God knows what reason, you blushed at his statement. He must’ve noticed because when you looked back up to him, he had a full smile across his face, showcasing his flawless teeth.

After checking the time and seeing that it was nearly 2 in the morning, Jake raced along the dirt roads to your house, eliciting the most pure sounds of joy from you as you held onto the “oh shit” handles in his old truck.

As he pulled up to the front of your house, you looked at him with a weak smile, not really wanting to leave the hospitality that his presence offered.

“So when can we practice next?” The smug tone in his voice brought what seemed to be your hundredth blush that night across your cheeks.

“You tell me and I’ll rapunzel my way out of my window again.”

He squinted at you before breaking into that big and beautiful smile once again.

He told you goodnight, waving as he pulled out of your driveway. You followed his headlights down the road with your eyes, your heart feeling like it was being stretched across your rib cage. This was not the first unfamiliar feeling this evening brought to you, but this one wasn’t welcomed like the others.

As you laid still in your bed, replaying tonight’s events, you couldn’t help but smile at the mental vision of Jake’s smiling face. His eyes beaming bright as he looked over at you, taking a corner a little too sharp and watching you yell to him about focusing on the road. His laugh danced with the soulful music blaring through the speakers, and the memory seemed too good to be true.

In that moment, you questioned the true incentive behind your thoughts. They were just memories, ones that brought a smile to your face. They brought a smile to your face because they were fun, right?

It couldn’t possibly be because you had caught feelings. No, you two were just teenagers having fun and working on mysteries without any clues. You were both just living in the moment, and that’s where these thoughts were from.

“Just friends, just friends.” You repeated the saying in your head until it was the lullaby that put you to sleep.

Laying there in the dead of the night, thinking of Jake Kiszka’s radiant self, you half wondered how anyone could still use that line. But you knew why, of course. It was used because people still believed it. Or at least they wanted to.

#jake kiszka #greta van fic #jake gvf #jake kiszka smut #jake kiszka x fm!reader #jake kiszka fanfic #jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka au #josh kiszka #danny wagner #sam kiszka #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet imagine #greta van fleet fan fiction

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writingcold · 16 days

Text

Bound

AU Jake X Chris slash

A/N: At the announcement of Mirador, and that first picture of Jake and Chris, my brain went to the following blurb. I have been working on an AU currently titled The Dead. This story is about soulmates that have been cursed to live apart - and at the time of story, they have lived many lifetimes apart. Within the story there are 6 versions of our Jake set in many different eras, just as there are 6 different versions of Maéva - the Y/N character. It has been so fun to write! But I am rambling. The point is, the following blurb is just ONE of the lifetimes that Jake has across 400 years. I was only going to share it with a few friends, but then @katuschka, @its-interesting-van-kleep and @thewritingbeforesunrise really have thrown their support behind me and this blurb. The rest I’ve shared with - you know who you are - are such an amazing group, so I hope they enjoy the revisited blurb. I’ve cleaned it up a bit, polished it, honed it a little more. This will NOT be in the story proper, it’ll be mentioned, but not known to the main character. At least at this point, it is not. Our secret. And as always, thank you to @edgingthedarkness for listening to me carry on and on and on and on… and on about this story and being so patient with me over the mess that it is.

***This is an 18+ story for adults only. This is a blurb of Yakov Petrov (Jake) and Christian Hertel (Chris Turpin inspired). It is an AU set in time when Michigan was voted in as a state.***

Content warnings: Sexual situations m/m, oral, unprotected sexual situations, a little angsty (of course, and loops back to the actual story), a touch of Yakov (Jake) being a brat.

Word count: approximately 2600

Journal Entry - Yakov Petrov, June 1862

The commission had come in August of 1854 to survey the new territories of the northwest. Christian had reservations, but the money would be good, lodging and food was included. He had enough hands to set out like a grand jungle expedition into the wilds of the unexplored lands of the United States. I did not understand his reservations. To set out into the wilderness that only those native to the land had known? What adventure. What a privilege to see and paint and study. But, my Christian was the one who gained the commission, not I. It would be his decision to go and his decision to take whom he felt would be fitting to the project. Just because we shared our appetites with each other, did not mean that I would attend the expedition.

We had boarded the ship in Boston, May of 1855, that would take us first to New York, then up through the St. Lawrence Seaway, into Lake Ontario. We’d then follow the Niagara River to Lake Huron. From Lake Huron, we’d find ourselves on the Detroit River to finally push our way into Lake Michigan. Detroit would be our destination for a fashion. Christian had called it our last stop of frayed civilization before traversing into the untamed wilds of the north lands.

I will not be untrue - being aboard those ships brought me a joy from the core of my spirit, but a mournfulness as well. I felt this joy to be old, sunk down in the marrow of my bones and beyond me in a way that was confusing and best forgotten the moment my feet touched the land of Detroit. We were housed in what was considered a grand house of the region, but after such luxury in Boston and Philadelphia, I was finding myself holding my tongue from spoiled and rude comments. A tent in the grand garden of our townhome would have been more comfortable.

A month of those conditions prepared us for the path before us. We had native guides and set out with a troupe of sixteen hands to carry and maintain our academic venture. Christian was a marvel in his organization of those men. He wanted to start at the northern point of Sault Ste. Marie. That meant more travel by water, which was fine. The commission demanded each step be documented - not just in paint and charcoal, but recording for scientific reasons, the flora and fauna, the animals, the geography. All of it was to be recorded and sent to Washington, DC, for study. That was to be our nature of work, and we would follow it to the letter.

My foot touched the aged pier of Sault Ste. Marie and I felt an illness within that I could not explain. Christian wanted to send me home to Boston, I was so taken. I took to a bed in a passable inn and shook with a fright that I could not shake. It was in my blood. It invaded my breath. I sent Christian on with the promise that I would catch up if he were to leave me a guide. I was behind him by weeks, only, but in that time, my soul seemed to cry over the wild, windswept land that was this already old place. I found myself walking upon the grounds of a once great shipmaster’s house that overlooked the great lake of Superior. The French manor house that barely clung to its elaborate balconies, was a ruin. It was a ghost of memories that seemed to dance and toy with any and all who passed it by, eliciting the imagination of grand balls and fancy turns of women’s voluminous skirts.

It was on this scrap of field that I felt it for the first time, an ache that would go on to haunt me the rest of the journey. I set up my easel and painted what I saw: the town and the port beyond this desolate beauty that hurt my spirit for unknown reasons. Perhaps it colored my stroke a bit, leaving me with a melancholy piece that once set, was boxed and housed to make its way back to the capital. This ache was ever present as I finally was well enough to move across the peninsula to catch up with Christian. It was a dogged feeling that I knew this land as sure as I knew myself. Odd, as I never had been anywhere except the grand cities of the east coast.

It was a reunion of quiet touches and catching up when I did finally reach the party. My Christian was always so enigmatic when it came to our relations. He might one day grasp me by my whole body and not let go without a laugh and caresses that were never hidden, while the next, may only be in the form of a clandestine brush of the back of his hand against my thigh. I did not mind. It kept me guessing and intrigued and returning to him for more. This reunion, however, he walked away from me as if upset. I followed him, calling his name like a wounded puppy might.

I followed into the deep woods, where the light dappled on the ground as if fighting to penetrate with its goodness. I suddenly realized, goodness was not meant to see what he needed, nor wanted from me. His mouth crashed into mine with a carnal anger that left me breathless and needing more. No coherent words passed between us. Only desperate touches and demanding utterances graced us as he nearly tore my clothes from my body. His fingers knocked my hat from my head and his eyes stilled in absolute offense.

“Damn it. Why did you cut it, Yakov?” he growled as he discovered my hair much shorter than when he had left me.

He tugged it at the roots, pulling my head back to expose my throat to him. He ravaged my skin, leaving not an inch untouched. My man knelt in the black dirt and sucked me down, leaving me ruined and ready for him and only him to love as only he could love me. He kissed and lapped and ground his mouth on me until I was nearly weeping and close to orgasm before he clutched me with a kiss that was full of passion. He wrapped his hand around both of our girths and began to rub hard. Feeling his cock against mine was one of my favorite things, and to have him eye to eye with me, reading my face as he fed my need was near otherworldly. My love poured out on the air in my sighs and moans of pleasure.

He turned me, helped me to find my hands on the gnarled bark of a tree. His mouth sucked at my shoulder with promises of love and adoration as his cock found my entrance. And he loved me. He penetrated me in a hard press that filled me with a desire that no one had ever given me. He loved me. Each in was demanding while each out was a caress and need for more. Yes. He loved me. And when we both reached a pitch that could no longer be staved off, we danced in ecstasy as our high crescendoed into a shared gratification. He held me and I held onto him in the dirt. Our skin was inflamed with joy and our words gentle towards each other.

My fingers tangled in his sun kissed golden hair and smoothed across the manicured mustache that resided over his lip. How many days had I woken to this face only to be so enraptured by it each and every time. And he looked upon me the same. His fingers in my dark brown threads, even though I had cut it quite short, and across the hair on my chin. Always with such love. Always with such care.

We worked our way across spidery waterways. Through dense forests and broad meadows. One word was always on my tongue - beautiful. There was no green like it on the wind battered east coast. Surely, this virginal green was unlike anything on this fledgling continent. It was strong against the eye, yet the wind pushed it as if with a whisper of promise of what settling it would provide. Eagles, in grand mass, relegated in towering pines, while the deer were thick in numbers, grazed unaware of the dangers that were to come. Industry was waiting. It was our purpose to sell the dream of this ground to industry. Christian both hated the idea, but loved it for what riches it would bring to the region. Hated for it would surely be destroyed under the bootheel of man. Loved it, as he captured the most natural golden beauty through our work.

We had been in the wilds for well over a month. We pushed our way south, sketching, recording, painting. Day after day brought something new to be cataloged. Something new to be puzzled over. But most of all, captured. We were capturing the spirit and nature of this land.

The cold came swiftly in this region. Our party was forced to choose - build cabins and wait out the harshness of winter, or try to rush to the south and east to Detroit before the ice bound up the land and winter there. Christian ordered for cabins to be built - we were to settle and capture a winter’s season in the new land. We were not the only ones in this region. A new village was chartered and was beginning to grow as the last of our timbers were set in place for our shelters. I spent hours sketching and painting - even putting in the men as they labored. Frankenmuth. They were going to call the village Frankenmuth, so I titled the painting as such.

I knew hard winters. I knew winters where the sun seemed to extinguish itself for days on end and the ocean would lash at the shore in unrelenting undulation that was sure to tear permanently at the land. But this - this winter in this land of Michigan was beyond me. There were moments of crystalline beauty and desperate cruelty of storms that lingered. Christian laughed at my poetic rendering of what was around us, but it is what it was. Horrid. But beautiful.

The spring of 1856 was slow to thaw. Despite there being still snow on the ground, Christian and I were out, wrapped in heavy furs and easels in hand to sketch the landscape. It was midafternoon before I realized that he had put me into the picture he created. I laughed at him as he gazed at his work with an eye that I knew well. He was smitten with me, still. He had started to apply paint here and there, but he left it unfinished as my ministrations to him had become too blatant for him to ignore. My usual trick to get him to love me rather than paint me.

On the eve of our resumed expedition, he held me with the lament of wanting me to be his forever. He wanted to marry me as he would a wife. He seemed so adamant and passionate about it. We were together, that was enough for me.

He became sullen and started to argue with me. He pulled away and it was as if the Earth was pulling away from the moon. He was unconsolable in the moment about how I was changing with this land. I was changing? How? He said to look at his drawing, how I looked to the land like it was my lover. I was baffled. He said that I would talk in my sleep about love. At first he thought that it was himself that was causing my midnight sighs and caresses.

“Unless my name is suddenly changed to Maéva, I doubt very much that it is I who is featured in your deepest dreams, Yakov,” he had argued.

“But if you’re angry about dreams, surely you see the absurdity of your argument,” I fought back, showing that I was totally unaware of what he was talking about.

I smoothed back his hair, dragging my fingernails over that patch of skin just behind the shell of his ear. I watched as he quivered under my touch. I pressed kisses to his furrowed brow, cooing and whispering my love. I promised that I would be his husband and he would be mine in our hearts. It would be enough. I took his tongue into my mouth, sucking it hard enough to elicit a soft chirp. I relished the taste of his creamy skin, passing my mouth across the sparse, downy patch in the middle of his chest.

“I want you to quit cutting your hair,” he growled as I found his cock with my lips. “Why do you cut it when it’s so pretty?”

I pressed behind his ball sack hard as I slid my mouth up the shaft with a saucy pop. “Ever think it’s to make you upset with me, Chris?”

His eyes pinched at the edges as I looked up at him, my chin coming to rest on his thigh. He trailed his fingers down my cheek. I knew what he wanted of me. I knew and so I took him into my mouth until I was downright slobbering. I spit into his entrance as he moaned loudly, egging me on. I wrapped my hands around his thighs to spread him enough for me to enter him. And we made love, face to face. My eyes roved across his lean body, loving each turn of bone and stretch of skin. The way his mouth stretched with pleasure, and how the head of his cock peeked out as he stroked himself tightly as I moved with confidence within him. I bent, his thighs pressed hard around my hips as I lapped at the precum on his head with a moan of satisfaction. The hard inhale of breath and I knew one more trick to send him into another plane. I swirled my tongue over the head as I pressed in, snapping my hips into his rump. My fingers dug at the meat of his flanks as I dragged my tongue over the softness of his belly, circling across his nipple before sinking my teeth into the flesh of his shoulder to unravel each other until we were a complete mess.

In the darkness, he slept well as I held him close. I listened to his breathing for hours. It was shame that kept me stirred. He was not wrong about how this land was claiming me. This woman - Maéva - was haunting me in my slumber. The meaning of it was so blurred. It made me hold to him all the tighter. It was him that I loved. I belonged with him. He understood me best. Yet, this woman was a memory of deep time. She belonged to another time, another existence. I knew it deep in my bones, just as I had felt the joy of crossing all those rivers to come to this land. But my heart was cleaved in two, wasn’t it? A fractured shard that belonged to one that was not in my time of now. It was that piece that I could never surrender to my Christian. And he was mine. I pressed my face into the mass of golden hair to allow his perfume to swell around me. He was mine.

I hope you liked my tangent here into Yakov’s life. It was such a tangent that strangled me, and continues to play in my brain even though this is pretty much it for Cake Lane in this story. I’m not sure when The Dead will be ready to go. Life has been so busy, making writing time sporadic, but I’m getting there. I will be putting out a new tag list sign up when we’re closer to release, but for now, this will remain tag-less as it's just a one off. Until then - happy reading, happy writing, happy creating!

#mirador #greta van fleet #mirador fan fic #greta van fleet fan fic #greta van fleet fan fiction #mirador fan fiction #jake kiszka #chris turpin #au jake kiszka fanfic #au jake kiszka fiction #mirador au #greta van fleet au #gvf The Dead fan fiction

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streamingcolors-gvf · 1 year

Text

Skin Deep - A Birthday Treat

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x f!reader x Jake Kiszka

Word count: 5.4k

A/N: This is mostly kind of unedited, so be kind and don’t judge me too harshly. I wanted to get this out yesterday, but life just sort of got in the way. Hope y’all enjoy!

Appreciate all the love, support and feedback!

Shout out to Nessa @asparrowofthedawn for helping me work through this “blurb” idea ❤️

Warnings: mentions of alcohol consumption, cursing, sexually explicit content - MINORS DNI! (Oral m!receiving, oral f!receiving, dirty talk, ice play, spit kink, degradation kink)

Masterpost

Skin Deep Playlist

You adjust the fit of your new lingerie, a set you had picked out specifically for this day, shimmying it beneath your matching sundress as you stand in front of the bathroom mirror. The guys had thankfully kept themselves occupied by playing one of their video games in the living room, giving you plenty of time to fix your hair to your liking, a half-up twisted knot. You had even gone as far as to pack your curling iron from your apartment to style the ends so they sit nicely against your bare shoulders. Leaning in so you’re a few inches from the mirror, you give a final swipe of the carefully selected lipstick across your bottom lip.

You look good. Really good.

It’s not that you never wore makeup or dressed up like this, but being around them gives you a sense of comfort like this was your second home. A place where you can be yourself and feel confident knowing that they’ll appreciate your natural beauty. Josh makes a point of it, telling you over and over that he finds you the most irresistible when you’re wearing nothing but a pair of cotton panties and one of his favorite t-shirts.

But today was special, and you’re more than determined to prove that to them. There’s no doubt you’re turned on by how quickly you’ve soaked through the panties you just put on minutes ago. You can’t help it, the thought of having both of them within your reach is nearly too much to bear.

You iron out the wrinkles of your dress with a pass of your palms while giving yourself one last internal pep talk. The little plan you’ve schemed is coming together, and now all you have to do is execute it.

The t.v can be heard echoing throughout the hallway as you make your way into the living room with each confident stride. Josh’s boisterous laugh cuts through the sounds of the game, making you smile before you even get into their line of vision.

Just like you predicted, Josh is the one to notice your presence first, breaking his focus away from the screen in a fleeting glance, only to follow it with a double take. As they lock on to you, his gaze lingers, making his eyes instantly light up as he takes you in, absorbing every single detail into memory. His smile, one that you think can’t get any bigger — the one that you adore so much — shows across his face until he sinks his teeth into his bottom lip. He tosses the controller onto the coffee table with a loud thud and stretches back into the seat cushion.

Jake has only been paying attention to the game since you’ve been standing here and throws his hands up in frustration as he snaps at his twin, “Dude, what the fuck—“ But his thought is cut off once he sees you like his brain suddenly blanked out. “—Oh.”

He pauses the game and tosses his controller to the side to eliminate any distraction, an action you’re convinced is unnecessary based on how he’s staring at you right now. His eyes are wide in shock, giving you that cliche deer-in-the-headlights look — an expression you rarely ever see from him.

Normally you would fight the shy, bashful feeling that’s bubbling in your stomach from that reaction, but instead, you use it to your advantage. You let the rising blush show on your face while you play with the curled ends of your hair, dropping your eyes away from them to look down at the pattern of the hardwood floor.

You allow the tension of the moment to linger for a few seconds, giving them the time to study all the details you had put so much effort into. Pulling your eyes back up to Josh, you see him leaning back against the cushion, smiling at you like he always does. The glint in his eyes is telling you he’s onto whatever this is and is welcoming it with unbridled enthusiasm.

He decides to break the silence, with the tone of his voice saying more than the actual words, “Hey baby, we don’t have to be ready to go for a couple more hours.”

You feel Jake’s eyes following your every move as you close the short distance between you until you’re standing inches away from their legs. While making sure to give them both your attention, you say softly, “I know…but I wanted to give you both a present first.”

You follow through with your next move by sliding onto Josh’s lap with your hands braced on his shoulders, which makes your sundress ride up your legs as you sink onto him. You can feel the excitement radiating through him as you adjust, rolling your hips ever-so-slightly so you feel the rough fabric of his jeans grazing the back of your thighs.

You can feel everything through the delicate, sheer fabric of your panties, the friction of rubbing across the denim alone driving you right to the edge. His thigh muscles flex beneath you as he rolls his hips up, driving his already-hard erection into your core.

It’s no surprise to you that he’s amped up already. You had been teasing him with the idea all day since the two of you woke up this morning, even if it made you feel slightly guilty for making him wait as long as you have.

“But it’s my birthday, baby,” he whines against your ear with that certain rasp of sleep, a sound he knows is sure to make your thighs clench in need.

“I know…” You want to give in, to worship his cock for hours with no end in sight, to hear him plead from overstimulation, but you have other plans in mind. You gather whatever is left of your self-control through a shaky sigh, “…but you have to wait until later.”

His parted lips brush against the nape of your neck, tickling the tiny hairs with every languid sweep of his mouth. You have to give it to him for trying because you can’t help but grind your ass against him because of it. “You are a cruel, cruel woman. I think making me wait for birthday sex is the worst thing you’ve ever done.”

You giggle, imagining the pout on his face while separating him from your back with a nudge of your elbow. “For some reason, I think you’ll survive.” He retaliates with a nip at your skin with a squeeze of your breast through your tank top. “And stop trying to make me horny, Joshua Michael.”

“Oh, did you just full name me?” He scoffs as he props himself on an elbow to look over you. You bury your face into the pillow to muffle your laughter just as he leans in to place a kiss below your ear through a smile.“I’ll wait, but I will make no promises on that.”

His soft hands slide along the top of your thighs, slipping below your cotton dress to find the divots of your waist, pulling you even closer. While his thumbs trace along the thin band of your thong, he tips his chin up, breathing in the floral scent of the perfume that you’ve sprayed to the pulse points of your neck. “Giving me my present late, baby?”

You glance over to his left to see Jake acting restless as if he’s been contemplating whether to stay or go, most like a response from thinking this is a private moment between you and his brother. You hum in thought, redirecting your focus while taking Josh’s chin between your fingers and thumb. “I think you might have to share this one, Joshy.”

While you predict that there might be a spark of jealousy from your implication, you’re only met with Josh exchanging a certain look with his twin. One that’s mischievous and knowing given the grin that’s curling on the corners of his lips, causing Jake’s unsure expression to transform in seconds. Usually, silent communication is something you choose to usually ignore, accepting that it’s the product of this dynamic you share. This time, however, is one of those times you wish you could hear all of their inner thoughts.

You guide his attention back to you by bringing him in for a kiss, releasing your hold on his face, and letting your fingers roam over the path of buzzed hair to wrap around the nape of his neck. He’s impatient and greedy, licking across your lips to taste you without a care in the world that they are coated in a velvety-pink hue. He tastes like the tequila and soda he’s been sipping on throughout the afternoon, giving you a teaser of how your evening will pan out. His thumbs hook around the band of your panties while his fingers massage into the supple flesh of your hips.

Before you run the risk of venturing too far and losing yourself, you break away from him and lean into Jake. He’s startled at first by the brazenness of the action, but melts into the kiss nonetheless, deepening it with every reconnection of your lips. He’s more reserved than Josh today, staying cautious and calculated with the gentle passes of his tongue along yours. He holds your face with his hand as you’re hit with the strong tartness of lime as he had recently sucked on the wedge now floating in his glass only moments prior. You take a needed breath, and because you’ve caught him before he’s gotten ready for the evening and had the chance to put on his favorite cologne, the only things you smell are the detergent off his t-shirt and his natural scent.

The kiss is continued along his jawline, and he quickly offers you the expanse of his throat with the upward tilt of his head. You spoil his warm, soft skin with lasting kisses, following the delicious path to his ear, and whisper in your sultriest voice, “You can unbutton your pants now, birthday boy.”

While Jake scrambles to pop open his belt, you slowly sit back on Josh’s lap to admire your work of art before you — both your boys covered in a collection of your lipstick marks. Josh is grinning at you, basking in the afternoon sun with smears of pink across both of his lips. Jake is in a similar state, peering down at you through heavy lids as he palms himself over his boxer briefs.

“So this present…” Josh massages his fingers into your waist as he grinds himself against you. “Can I unwrap it?”

You bite at your bottom lip as you give him the go-ahead with an enthusiastic nod. He needs no other signal and grabs fistfuls of the dress that’s bunched up around the top of your legs, and before he can pull it off you, Jake interrupts with an extended hand, “Careful!” While Josh freezes his movements, he pauses to look at you before adding, “That’s a new dress, isn’t it, dove?”

You blush at the thought of Jake paying enough attention to you to know what’s new in your wardrobe. “It is. Do you like it?”

“I love it.” There’s something about the drawl of his gravelly voice that holds a deeper intrigue.

“Sorry, baby.” Josh watches his fingertips trace over the tiny roses on the pattern of your dress, traveling up the curves of your body until they stop at your neckline. They dance along the supple skin on the tops of your breasts until he decides to tug on the hanging strings that you’ve tied into a bow as he whispers, “I love it too. It’s beautiful on you.”

With Jake’s instruction, Josh makes a point to be more careful with removing the dress from you. He peels it up your body with your help of lifting your arms as he pulls it over your head. You arch your back to give them the best view of the lingerie set you’ve picked out, hoping they notice that your dress matches perfectly with its sheer white fabric that’s adorned with tiny embroidered pink roses.

You had chosen it for its soft and feminine details, so sensual in its delicate floral elements that carry a certain grace of spring — something that seems so fitting for this day. From what you can tell, it’s clearly stirring something in Jake for him to see you like this when he’s only ever witnessed you in black or red garments. Josh, however, would probably fuck you if you wearing nothing but one of those cheap Halloween banana costumes. To him, all lingerie you wear is a treat, even if it will most likely end up on the floor minutes later.

They both stare for several seconds, looking you up and down and in unison, mutter under their breath, “Fuck…”

Jake dares to reach his hand out, presenting the image of the skull inked across the top to the touch to the band of your panties resting on your hip before trailing his fingers toward the embroidered roses decorating the front. Josh is busy focusing solely on your chest, fixating on the same pink flowers on the cups and straps of your bra.

Josh lowers his mouth to your covered breast to graze his lips across your hardening nipple through the lace. The heat of his breath clings to your skin, adding to the sensation of his wet tongue licking across the fabric. You feel the metal of his piercing, which causes a whine to leave your mouth without warning. While he commits to showering your chest with attention, his open hands begin to roam up the length of your back.

Once Josh’s nimble fingers find the metal clasps, Jake interrupts for a second time, but with a noticeable desperation in his voice, “No, wait! Leave them on her.”

He abandons the hooks to play with the straps instead, mumbling into the hollow point of your throat, “Looks like these are a favorite, baby.”

Your preparation has paid off and you can’t hold back the smile forming as you kiss him again. He’s not as rushed this time by letting you take the lead, and while you stay for only a moment, you eventually leave his lips to make your way down his throat as you slide down his body. You take your time placing each perfectly pink imprint of your lips onto his golden-tanned skin until you’re stopped by the collar of his crewneck.

He throws his hands back behind his head as his throaty laugh fills the room. “I fucking love birthdays.”

You sink to the floor between his legs, thankful for the living room rug that’s padding your bare knees. Adjusting to the new position, you run your hands over his legs to massage the tops of his thighs, inching closer with each roll of your fingers over his tight-fitting jeans. He responds by shifting forward on the cushion, extending his back in such a way that gives you easier access to the button of his pants.

You can see he’s struggling to stay patient with how hard he is — his cock throbbing wildly within his right pant leg without reprieve. You add to the torment by ghosting over the very obvious erection and dipping your fingers underneath the hem of his shirt, pushing up the soft material up his torso to expose the sensitive skin of his belly. You linger around the metal button of his pants, playing up the act you’re putting on before popping it open with a flick of your wrist.

Jake disrupts the moment by speaking up, revealing some annoyance in his tone as he asks, “Why does he always get to go first?”

Before you have a chance to respond, Josh huffs out a harsh laugh, “Because I’m older, dipshit.”

His go-to remark makes you think back to the memory of that first night you had spent together in the tattoo shop, causing a smile and blush to appear. As much as you enjoy every intimate moment with each of them, the times like these always stirred something special in you.

“By five fucking minutes!”

Josh only taunts back, “And you’ll never live it down.”

To avoid ruining the moment, Jake concedes with an aggravated grumble, “Asshole.”

While they’re preoccupied with their immature bickering, you start pulling the zipper of Josh’s jeans at a painstakingly slow pace, taking his attention away from Jake and back to your hands. You peel the fabric away to the sides, revealing his white boxer briefs as you squeeze his covered cock through the denim.

Despite the fact you’re concentrating solely on Josh, Jake is the one to scold you, “Stop teasing.”

“I will when you stop playing with your boxers and decide to finally pull your cock out,” you quip back, giving him more attitude than you ever have before. You cast your eyes away as you can’t look at him directly in fear of what his next words will be. If it wasn’t for Josh acting as your buffer to save you from punishment, you probably wouldn’t have risked it.

The following seconds are thick with tension from Jake staring down at you and Josh’s stunned expression frozen on his face as he fights back the laugh that wants to escape him.

Jake eventually releases a heavy sigh, muttering under his breath, “Smart ass.”

A giggle escapes you and Josh quickly joins in, earning himself a painful smack to his arm from the back of Jake’s hand. “Ouch!”

Jake finally takes your cue and pulls himself out of the snug-fitting black cotton. You watch him while slipping your hand beneath Josh’s, causing a loud, visceral groan to push past his lips the second you touch him. He’s warm in your hand, the suede-soft feel of skin brushing against your palm as you wrap your fingers around his length. Feeling the heavy pulse of his heartbeat, you retrieve his cock from the restrictions of his pants and boxers, bringing him out into the open air.

You look up to see Josh peeking through his lust-draped lids, his mouth hanging open in anticipation with panting breaths puffing past his lips. He prepares himself for what’s about to happen by reaching for his drink that’s been sitting on the end table, and taking a large sip of the liquid courage. You extend your free hand, silently asking for a sip as well.

The tequila soda is watered down considerably at this point, but you’re not worried about the alcohol or taste. What you’re after is the cube of ice that you’ve now dropped into your mouth, stashing it safely against your tongue before handing the glass back to him. Without wasting another second, you place a chilled kiss on the head of his cock, causing a violent shiver to roll through his spine.

The muscles in his body go rigid as he sucks in a sharp breath when you slide him across your cold tongue. After a few seconds of keeping the ice pressed against the side of his cock, he begins to relax as it starts melting in the heat of your mouth. An unexpected grunt leaves him through this, and he follows the sound with a string of curses as the dual mixture of temperatures overloads his brain.

Josh wets his lips, mumbling out into the open, “Oh my god, that feels so good.”

The shocking surge of cold, soothed with the intoxicating heat of your mouth is sending him closer to the edge than both of you expect. You swirl your warming tongue around his cock while keeping the base of him wrapped with a loose fist. You know everything that Josh enjoys, the feather-light flicks of your tongue beneath the head of his cock, the twisting strokes of your fingers, the gentle sucking with your lips sealed around him — a sensation that keeps his brain buzzing.

Your reward is the pitchy whimpers echoing in the base of his throat as his adam’s apple bobs with each harsh swallow, the clawing of his own fingers across his chest and legs, the way he throws his head back and clamps his eyes shut.

With one hand still wrapped around him, you feel across Jake’s right thigh with the other, taking his cock from his loose grasp and finding that he’s just as hard to the touch. You stare at him through your lashes as you start to stroke him at a lazy pace, watching his expression shift with every one of your movements. While holding your gaze, he tips his head slightly forward and parts his mouth, and allows a long, dripping trail of spit to fall from his bottom lip, down to the head of his cock.

It hits your hand as well, causing your now-wet fingers to glide over his length with ease. The lewd image takes your breath away, causing you to stall on Josh as he stays right below your lips, just as Jake intended. Satisfied, a cocky smirk hooks the corner of his mouth as he leans back against the cushion.

You twist your hand up and down the length of Jake’s cock, admiring every detail that makes him unique. He’s hot to the touch, throbbing against your fingers each time you slow

Josh doesn’t seem to notice the display and writhes against your arms in need of release. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful.”

The praise sparks your need aching between your thighs, and you push his cock into your mouth, sinking onto him in a single motion, nudging the tip of his cock as far as it can go. You relax the muscles in steady, deep breaths, opening your throat to push him that much farther. It’s another thing that takes him by surprise, causing his fingers to fly to your hair as he breathes, “Holy shit.”

You hear Jake’s raspy chuckle above you, “I taught her that little trick.”

The new technique combined with the dancing rolls of your tongue to the underside of him sends him over in seconds. His body simply acts out of his control now, causing his hips to buck, the grasp around your hair to tighten, and for him to whine with brimming urgency, “I-I’m gonna cum, baby. Baby—“

He pants your name like a mantra, erupting into the back of your throat through a shaky thrust, emptying on your tongue as you swallow his release down. You lick him up, not wanting to leave a single drop of him until the overstimulation starts to set in. You eventually come to a stopping point, and withdraw him from your mouth to place an open kiss on the cherry tattoo before biting at the soft flesh of his stomach just to feel him squirm.

While his chest heaves with every ragged breath as he collects himself, you slide away from his lap and slow yourself between Jake’s legs. He sweeps the fallen lock of hair from your cheek and tucks it behind your ear, giving you that recognizable devilish grin he always seems to have with you.

You continue stroking Jake as he tugs at your bottom lip with the pad of his thumb, showing your bottom row of teeth while cooing in a silken voice, “That’s a pretty shade on you, dove. What’s this one called?”

Before you answer him, you wrap your painted lips around his thumb, sucking it into your mouth to leave the faint pink ring around the base, pulling away enough to whisper in a heavy breath, “Love Trap.”

He moans at the feeling of your tongue licking across his skin, humming in approval, “Well, that’s fitting.”

You kiss the shaft of his cock as your fingers work around him, taking the opportunity to tease him before he ultimately takes control. Josh begins to move in his seat and reaches down to guide you up off the floor, repositioning you so that your knee sinks into the cushion with your other foot planted on the floor. You sense him dropping down to his knees behind you, feeling his hands explore the curves of your hips and ass.

You whine from the proposition and look over your shoulder. “Josh…the present was supposed to be about you.”

He giggles, watching your eyes as he buries his face between your legs so you feel the hot air clinging to your body with each drawn-out exhale. He kisses the fabric covering your core, making you instantly clench around him, before answering in a pleased sigh, “Oh baby, this is the present.”

You guide Jake past your lips just as Josh’s fingers feel the bands of your thong that rest on either side of your hip, pulling at them slightly to release with a teasing snap against your skin. He curls his fingers around them and slowly tugs them down, carefully maneuvering your legs to remove them from your body.

“Happy Birthday,” he calls out to Jake, slingshotting the lingerie over you for him to catch. You watch from below as he feels the delicate material between his thumbs as if entranced in his world by the garment alone. He then does something you don’t expect by holding them up to his face — burying his nose in the white fabric woven between his fingers — to breathe in your scent. As it fills his head and lungs, his fingers pull at your hair while his eyes flutter closed with a low groan rumbling deep in his chest.

Josh sucks at the sensitive skin of your inner thighs hard enough to bruise the flesh between his teeth, leaving little pink marks of his own while his fingers slip between your folds. You jolt at the feeling of him rubbing with firm pressure against your clit, and moan around Jake as he glides across your flattened tongue.

With one hand bracing your hip, the tip of Josh’s tongue glides through you in a single pass, the taste of you causing him to groan in satisfaction as he hears your muffled whimpers. He always loves to take his time and edge you, but you’re too impatient for that today and back into him, begging him for more.

There’s no denying that focusing on Jake is difficult, but you’re adamant to take the challenge. You use every trick you know, every learned detail that drives him insane. Whereas Josh prefers the drawn-out tease, Jake wants the full show. He wants to see the trails of drool leaking past your swollen lips and the black tears streaming down your face. You give it to him, playing off the sounds he makes in return, gauging how hard his fingers pull at your hair.

Meanwhile, Josh devours you like you’re his last meal on Earth, knowing that he doesn’t have much time with how close Jake seems to be, and abandons his usual method of teasing you for as long as you can stand it. The determined rolls and laps of his tongue across your swollen clit make gag around Jake through a groan, causing a growl to rip through his teeth, “Yeah, dove. Fucking choke on it.”

His hand snakes to the back of your head to push you farther down his cock, the pressure threatening to make your throat spasm around him again. You know Josh heard it from how he suddenly pauses every movement of his tongue, stalling inches from you before pulling away from you. “Jake…”

Jake doesn’t seem to register Josh’s concern, as this is a normal thing between the two of you. He’s falling into his role, emphasizing his point with a tug of your hair as you continue working your mouth around him, “Spit on her. She likes feeling it run down her pussy and thighs.”

You can sense Josh’s apprehension by the way his fingers press into your hips and the whispered curse slipping past his lips. He takes a second to think about it until he eventually obliges by spitting directly onto you, causing you a shudder to roll through you and your toes to curl as his saliva drips down your pussy and thighs — just as Jake had described.

Josh runs his fingers through the added wetness, mesmerized by your reaction, causing Jake’s ego to run at a high as he croons, “See? I fucking told you, didn’t I?”

You’ve been so turned on throughout the day, that it doesn’t take much for him to take you to the edge of your tipping point. You chase only it by forcing Jake as deep as he can go, impressing him with the skills he’s so clearly proud of you for. He’s fighting it through every drag of his nails across the dark wash denim of his jeans as he curls his fingers over his lap. His chest is tight with every strained breath his lungs push out as he tries to hold out for as long as he can, but there’s no secret he’s closer than you are.

It doesn’t take long for you to get to the point where you’re no longer concentrating on Jake, but rather on the work of Josh’s tongue licking and tasting you, gagging around his cock again. You pull him from your mouth to catch your breath and compensate with your hand, revealing how desperate you’re becoming when you cry out, “Josh… please don’t stop. I’m so fucking close.”

Your words must have affected him because seconds after your pathetic plea hits Jake’s ears, he unravels before you without the same warning Josh had managed to give you. The first shot hits your face as a cursed apology leaves his lips, making you flinch before you have the chance to wrap your mouth around him again. You can’t be bothered to care, taking your reward, swallowing him down just as you had done so with Josh.

Josh’s fingers dig into your hips with his determination to make you cum, filling the room with the obscene sounds of his mouth on you. With the final circle drawn over your clit with his pointed tongue, your orgasm comes crashing down, sending you into the unforgiving waves of your pleasure. He rides it out through listless passes from your entrance to your overstimulated clit until your legs begin to shake around him.

He finishes with a kiss and presses his sweat-covered forehead against your ass as he calms his breathing before sitting fully on the floor to rest the back of his head on the armrest. After taking the time to come down, you stretch out your limbs and stand on your feet, seeing Jake completely spent. You note the beads of sweat that also cover his forehead and brow, how his eyes are staying closed as he licks across his lips, the way his t-shirt is wrinkled beyond belief as his softening cock is between his stomach and the band of his boxers.

As per usual, Josh is the one to finally break the silence, “I think it’s safe to say that beats getting socks.” Jake even chuckles at the dumb joke, joining in the collective laughter between all three of you.

Suddenly aware of your disheveled state, you look down at Josh sitting cross-legged at your feet, and ask, “Is my makeup messed up?”

His gaze climbs your mostly naked form before it reaches your face to study the damage. He puts up a weak attempt to hide the smile while brushing his fingers across your outer thigh, admitting with that special glimmer in his eye, “Uh…I think we might have to freshen you up, baby.”

You giggle, wiping your finger beneath your eye to gather the wet mascara that had started to run.“That bad?”

He slowly stands to his feet, pulling you into a close embrace with hands locked around your lower back, and mumbles into your cheek, “Nothing a shower can’t fix.”

Realizing that Jake has no intentions of moving anytime soon, you follow Josh’s lead as he takes you by the hand toward the bathroom. Once you’re in the hallway, he pulls you in closer now that he’s out of earshot from his twin with concern laden in his voice, “Is that how he speaks to you? Do you like that?” You try to think of a well-thought-out response, but expression tells him everything he needs to know, making him shake his head. “I think I learn something new about you every day.”

TAGLIST:

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groggyvanfleet · 2 years

Text

chapter 2: the agreement

summary: after an unfortunate turn of events you're faced with an agreement, on that you didn't know of.

word count: 4.2k

(warnings! slight nsfw themes, mentions of blood, weapons, language, violence (punching), please let me know if i forgot anything)

A week. You had been at Castle Leoch for a week. It felt like an eternity. The days weren’t so hard as you spent time in the kitchen with Mrs. Fitz, helping her prepare meals and other duties but the nights were the worst. You’d lay in bed and just cry, cry out for your parents, your brothers, your home, home. You weren’t even sure if you'd ever get back. The thought of never seeing your family again only made your wails louder, how you haven't woken anyone up was beyond you.

As a new day began, you were sat in the chair of the small vanity, Mrs. Fitz behind you as she slowly brushed your hair, a sorrowful look plastered on your face.

“What's wrong dear?” she said, stilling the brush in your hair.

“Mrs. Fitz, can I tell you something?” she nodded her head “Of course you can.” turning around to face her, taking a deep breath to calm your nerves before speaking.

“I’m not from here, from this time. I was on vacation with my family…in the year twenty-twenty two..two hundred years from now. It was Samhain and I went to Craig Duain and touched the stone and somehow I ended up here. I don’t think I can ever return to my time.” as her face contorted into fear she began backing away from you, gripping her chest. “I have to get back to the stone.”

“I see you for what you are now.”

“What?”

“Be done, evil demon! I abjure thee!” she yelled out, turning away to escape, you chasing after her. “No, Mrs. Fitz..”

“I’m a good Christian woman! I’ll not let you spell me.” she screamed as you grabbed her arm, attempting to bring her back, her fighting against your hold.

“Witch! Witch!”

“Mrs. Fitz, no!” you yelled out, a hand coming across your face, bringing you back to reality. There you still sat in the small wooden chair, the woman who you had imagined slapped you, still brushing your hair.

“Oh, aye.” she said, hands still at work “Hundred of Kiszkas will be turning up in the next few days for the gathering. Are you listening to me, child?”

“Sorry, what? Gathering? I’m not familiar with that term.” you said, bringing your head up.

“Tis where all the Kiszka men come from Poland come and plight their oath to the clan in hope of protection from Kelly. You see child Poland’s aristocracy is falling, every wealthy person being

driven to all parts of the world. Young Kelly and Karen narrowly escaped with the wee ones, including Danny, poor boy his parents didn’t make it so they decided to take him in. Last gathering was decades ago when Kelly was made laird. I’m fair glad you’re here to handle the physicking. You do well with that. They will not forget it.” she explained, setting down the brush on the vanity before moving onto the next task. If you could get in Kelly and Dougals good graces, perhaps they would trust you enough to finally be able to leave on your own, without the watch of guards.

~~~~

Walking into the grand hall for dinner once again all eyes on you as you made your way to your designated seat. Standing up, Jake pulled out your seat for you, muttering a quiet thank you as you sat down. Eating the meal in front of you, Josh looked over at you, a small smirk on his lips.

“Mistress, do you have a husband?” he asked, making you choke slightly on the food.

“Pardon?” you asked after you had swallowed your food successfully this time.

“Well a beautiful lass like you must already be married.” Josh said. Shaking your head at him you let a small smile play on your lips.

“No, I am not married.” you replied, your confession making Josh shoot a wink at Jake, who had a small blush on his cheeks. Was Josh asking if you were married for Jake? Was Jake too shy to ask himself?

“Mistress Evers.” Kelly said, grabbing your attention. “I have a question to ask ye.”

“Yes, my laird?”

“Our castle has been without a healer for quite some time. I was hoping you would take the position seeing since you bandaged up young Jacob here and fever hasn’t carried him off yet.” Kelly was asking you to stay, indefinitely, meaning your chances of returning home were nonexistent anymore.

“Certainly sir, I’d love to.” you lied.

~~~~

A few of Kelly’s men show you what the past healer liked to call his ‘surgery’, a dungeon-esque room filled with books on medicine, an assortment of herbs, amongst other things that could be used for this time period.

“You know the uses for these positions and such?” one of them asked. Nodding your head the men grunted and took off, leaving you alone in the cold, dark and damp room. Grabbing onto your stomach you brought yourself down to the ground slowly as broken sobs left your mouth, the sounds bouncing off the stone walls causing a small echo. The realization had set in that you would never go home, that you were destined to spend the rest of your days here.

“For headache, take ye one ball of horse dung. It is to be carefully dried.” you muttered to yourself, pacing around the surgery as you read from one of the books. Medicine and caring for those of Castle Leoch seems the most logical way for you to earn their trust, but in order to do that without raising suspicion, you’d have to find a way to apply 21st century medicine using only the methods and equipment available in the 18th century.

Picking up a small jar labeled ‘slaters’ you popped the lid off, dumping its contents into the palm of your hand. Small brow shaped things cupped in the palm of your hand you soon realized them to be bugs. Letting out a yelp you threw them down onto the ground, wiping your hand off on the skirt of your dress. “Woodlice! Jesus Christ!”

As you moved around the surgery, tidying up to your liking, one of Kelly’s men stood at the door, Angus was his name you found out, keeping a watchful eye on you as you moved about. Alongside the jars of pigeons’ blood, ant eggs, and powdered human skull, whose you wondered. There were a number of herbs and extractions in the old healers collection that might actually be helpful.

As the days moved along countless people came to you with wounds that needed tending, ranging from men to small children. The man who was supposed to be your guard began to spend his time in the kitchen with one of his friends while you were seeing patients. You told yourself this was a good sign of trust, a feeling he would hopefully share with Kelly and Dougal.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” you said, placing your body in front of the two men who had mugs of whatever alcoholic drink. “I could use some help in the surgery. The discarded medicines need to be disposed of.” your voice with a stern and commanding tone.

“What are you two drunkards still doing taking up space in my kitchen? If you’re not working here, be gone with ye.” Mrs. Fitz said, pointing at the two men.

“We’re just following orders. Keeping an eye on this one.” Angus slurred.

“Oh, and has she been hiding at the bottom of your mug for the past two hours?” Mrs. Fitz countered, making you giggle out as you shoved a few berries into your mouth. Suddenly the sound of a plate crashing grabbed everyone's attention, Mrs. Fitz ran over to the woman who stood there, small cries coming from her.

“Oh, Shona. Dinna fash yourself over this. Go on home now. Be with your other wee bairns.” Mrs. Fitz said with a comforting tone as she ushered the woman out of the kitchen. Walking over to Mrs. Fitz, planting yourself beside her as she resumed her work. “Who was that?” you asked.

“Kelly’s chambermaid.” she said, looking at you for a brief moment,

“Is she going to be all right?” you asked, truly wondering if she was okay.

“Aye, in time. Her boy died last night, wee Lindsey Mchale.” she said, crossing her fingers over her body, the guards doing the same.

“What happened? Why did nobody come and get me?”

“Oh, Miss, what ailed wee Lindsey has no mortal cure.”

“He went up to an eaghais dhubh, he did. Cursed land full of demons.” Angus spoke up, shivering at the words. Nodding your head, deciding not to push further into the uncomfortable subject.

~~~~

Mrs. Fitz had requested your help with gathering food for the kitchen. Grabbing a small wicker basket and venturing out past the walls of the castle. Walking across the field a small herd of sheep enjoying the green grass you found a sense of pleasure in touching growing things once more, your mother always said you had a green thumb as your apartment was always filled with lively green plants, and felt the satisfaction of helping them thrive. In your past when you weren’t on long shifts at the hospital you would be home, reading through a book of different plants and flowers, studying their uses, which ones were safe and which ones could kill you in a minute.

Bending down you saw a small cluster of mushrooms growing on the side of the tree. Picking a piece off and bringing it up to your mouth to blow the dirt off.

“Those kind are poison.” a voice came, startling you, making you jump and hit your head off a low hanging tree branch, a small laugh coming from the mysterious voice at your mishap. Turning around you saw a woman draped in a light blue cloak, red fiery hair peeking through.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.” she said.

Sighing you let yourself laugh at the situation as well “I imagine it was funny from over there. Thanks for the warning though, but I do know those mushrooms are poisonous” you said, removing your hand from the spot on your head.

“Who is it you're planning to do away with?” she asked, her cheery voice came across “Your husband, perhaps? Tell me if it works and I’ll try it on mine.” laughing at her statement you walked over to the area she was sitting at, bending down to inspect the herbs beside her in the small garden.

“Actually...Now, while the caps of these mushrooms are poisonous, you can make a powder out of the dried fungi. It's very effective in stopping bleeding when applied topically” you explained.

“Fancy that. My name is Geillis. Geillis Duncan.” She introduced herself.

“I’m sorry I should’ve introduced myself. My name is-”

“I know who you are, Y/n” she cut you off “The village has been humming with talk of ye since you came to the castle.”

“What is it they’re saying about me?” you inquired, hoping it was all good things.

“That you’re likely a Sassenach spy.” she said, rising from her spot and walking closer to where you were bent down at. “You know, those will start bleeding.” pointing at the pale purple flowers behind you, making you turn back to look at them. “To get rid of a child you don’t want, brings on your flux. But only if you use it early. Too late, and it can kill you as well as the child. The girls in the village come to me every now and again for such things.” she said walking behind you. “They say I’m a witch.”

“...Are you?”

“Hardly. Although I am aware of how wood betony can transform toads into pigeons.” she ended with a chuckle, you returning one. “You should come visit me sometime down in the village. I have a cabinet full of potions and medicinal I wager would tickle your fancy. But I hope I’ll see you tonight at the hall.”

“The hall?”

~~~~

The sound of bagpipes filled the room as the crowd separated as Kelly and his men walked in, you standing beside Geillis as you watched him make his way to his seat. Taking his seat he held up his hand, the music instantly stopping as the man in the corner of the room announced a name.

“Masters William Talbot and Fingal Duncan, will ye stand forth?” two men walked up to where Kelly was, stopping just shy of a few feet as one began speaking Gaelic. Turning to Geillis in hopes of translation she returned the look back. “They’re neighbors.” she said softly only for you to hear. “Having a dispute over a cow.” making you both chuckle lightly.

“A cow?” you questioned, finding the idea funny of men arguing over cattle. Kelly continued the conversation in the same language, ending his sentence as the room filled with laughter at the end. As the laughter died down you turned back to Geillis.

“He says. Well, let me see..”

“It’s all right. I have quite the feeling something would be lost in translation.” you said, bringing your attention back to the man who made the announcements throughout the night, Geillis translating the whole time for you.

A young woman was brought forth to Kelly, a man gripping her arm as she looked at the floor, as the man began speaking.

“Uh-oh.” Geillis said, pressing her fingers to her lips. “Her father accuses her of loose behavior.'' The emotion in the room was tense and on edge as the man continued, the girl trying to break free of her fathers grasp. “Her father wishes the Kiszkas to have her punished for disobedience.” turning your head you could see Jake standing with his brothers, arms crossed over his chest as he watched intently. Kelly spoke, murmurs coming from the onlookers as Jake turned to Josh, whispering in each other's ears. Four men surrounded the girl, grabbing each arm to secure her, your attention still on the twins as Josh now had a hand to Jake’s chest before he shouted out something, making the room gasp out. Moving from his brother to his father you watched as he made eye contact with the girl before turning to his father and speaking to him in the language they had been all night. “He’s offering to take the girl’s punishment.” Geillis said with a bit of hurry in her voice.

“What.” you said unbelievably. “But he’s still injured.” Geillis just nodded her head. The man and Jake begin speaking back and forth “They're arguing it now.” she translated. Kelly spoke up, ceasing the argument, the look of relief on the girl's face at his words, a smirk playing on Jakes. “He allows it.” Soon the positions were changed, Jake taking the girls place as she ran off to the side where Mrs. Fitz had appeared, embracing the old woman with small cries. Jake spoke up one last time, murmurs filled the air once more. “He chooses fists.” scoffing, you shook your head. “Fists?” Geillis nodded. “Rather than the whip.” Josh walked up his brother, pulling him in “If ye’d wanted a beating. I’d been happy to oblige ye.”

“Aye, but…You might have done some real damage.” Jake replied back.

“Watch yourself, brother. Our uncle is up to something.” Jake smirked and scoffed at his brother's words. A man situated himself in front of Jake, turning around to look at Kelly who simply nodded before the man landed a blow to Jake’s stomach making him keel over before regaining his composure with a chuckle as the man landed another blow moving behind Jake as he brought his knee up, connecting with Jake’s back. Turning to Geillis, worry painted on your face “How long must this go on for?” you whispered.

Looking back at you, a piece of her red hair twisting between her fingers “Only until blood’s drawn. Usually when their nose is broken.”

A blow landed right on Jake’s nose making you suck in a deep breath at the sound. Coming back up Jake spit out blood that entered his mouth onto the ground. “This is barbaric.” you hissed, disgusted at the fact this was a punishment a father had let his son take. More blows landed on Jake, each one to a different part of his body till one last hard punch sent him to ground, blood flying from his nose, groans coming from the crowd. You attempted to run up to him but was stopped by Geillis. “Y/n, stay here.” she said softly, holding onto your arm. Josh walked over to his brother, extending an arm to help him up as Jake glared at his father and uncle as he walked up and bowed the best he could before walking away with Josh’s arm wrapped around him. Moving from your spot to follow them Geillis stopped you once more. “This way is quicker and you’ll stir less gossip.” she said, taking you by the arm as she led you down a secret way to the surgery where Jake was already waiting for you.

~~~~

“Here.” you said, pouring a mixture of warm water and herbs into a cup, handing it off to Jake who happily took it.

“Why did you do that?” you asked, grabbing his attention as he brought the cup down from his lips. “Take that girl’s punishment? Do you know her?” grabbing a wet cloth as you dapped at the blood that caked his face, grunts of pain coming from the man.

“Ken who she is.” he said with a grunt. “Haven’t really spoken to her, though.”

“Then why?”

“It would have shamed the lass to have been beaten in the hall before everyone that knows her. Taken a long time to get over it. It’s easier for me. I’m sore but I’m nae really damaged. I’ll get over it in a couple days.” he explained, you still dabbing at the cuts on his forehead, eyes staring right into each other.

Mrs. Fitz walked into the room, carrying a tray full of different plants. “Oh, here ye are, lad.” she said, setting the tray down on the table, mixing a liquid that was in a cup. “Rinse yer mouth with this. It’ll cleanse the cuts and ease the pain. Willow bark tea with a bit of ground orris root. Ground up well.” bringing the cup over to him, Jake taking it from her hands with a smile as took a mouthful quickly swallowing. “Top of life.” he said.

“What you did was kindly meant, lad.” Mrs. Fitz said softly, placing a loving hand on Jake’s shoulder. Turning her attention to you she explained how the girl was her granddaughter, a muffled sob in her words as she left, most likely to go back to her. Grabbing the cups and placing them on the table. “Take that bandage off your shoulder in the next two days.”

“Would it not be easier if you did that?” he asked, a smile still on his face.

“Yes, but I’ll be gone tomorrow. I’m visiting a friend down in the village.” you explained.

“Ah. I see.” he said, slight disappointment on his face as he stood up from the stool he was sitting on. Both of you stood there in silence, staring at each other before a loud crash came from up stairs, breaking the peaceful silence. Quickly grabbing his stuff Jake made his way up the stairs and back to the hall as you followed closely behind him. Reaching the hall you saw men in British army uniforms surrounding the guests, guns pointed at them ready to fire in case anyone stepped out of line.

“Now, tell me, where is the colonist?” the familiar voice rang in your ears. The same voice from the man who attacked you on the river bank when you first showed up. He was standing near Kelly, a gun pointed right at him. The sound of your approaching footsteps announced your arrival, making him turn back to look at you. “Ah there she is. Ma’am, please allow me to formally introduce myself.” he said, tucking the weapon back into his belt as he took off his hat. “I am Alexander Jonathan Remus, captain of his majesty's 8th dragoons. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Standing up from his seat, Kelly drew the blade that was at his side, pointing it straight at the man. “We dinna care for who you are, what do you want with mistress Evers?”

“We have deduced that this woman is a stowaway from the colonies and we intended to take her back to where she belongs, now if you’d so kindly hand her into my custody if you may.” Alexander said, holding out his hand to you.

“She’s not going anywhere.” Jake seethed, drawing his blade as well. You moved yourself behind him, his free arm reaching behind him to make sure you were out of harm's way.

“Well so be it, if the woman is not brought to Fort Williams in three days we will come back and take her by force.” he said, collecting his men and just like that they were gone.

~~~~

“We do not have much time Captain Remus is expecting Mistress Evers to be delivered to him in two days. Now, we are all about to embark on a boat made entirely of paper. The letter of the law is the only thing keeping Y/n out of Remus’s hands. And so if it is to work, then we have to follow it to the letter. The marriage must be consummated right away and witnesses must swear that they were present in the building if not in the room itself.” Ned, the family lawyer, said to Kelly who was silent as thoughts raced through his head.

“Does Y/n know about all this?” Jake asked from beside Kelly.

“She has no say in the matter.” Dougal said. “She’s a smart lass. She’ll see the reason for it in the end.”

“It's settled then. I’ll make the announcement at tonight's gathering.” Kelly said, quieting down the room. All nodded in agreement.

~~~~

As the hall filled with chatter, men lined up in front of Kelly to swear their allegiance to him. You watched silently as they all spoke the same words over and over till the last one.

The crowd of people shuffled into the dining hall, taking seats wherever. Just as you were about to sit down one of the servants came over and stopped you. “The laird has requested that you sit at the family table beside Jake Mistress.” she said, leading you over to the open chair beside Jake. Sitting down you gave Jake a confused look, him returning one as well. Standing up, Kelly shouted out, making the room go quiet.

“After careful consideration from yesterday I have decided to announce the engagement of my son, Jacob Thomas Kiszka, to the lovely Y/n Evers!” the sentence leaving Kelly’s mouth, making your blood run cold and your body tense up. Grabbing your hand, Jake brought you both up from your seats as the room filled with cheers. You had just been informed that you were engaged, engaged to a man you’ve only known for a week.

~~~~

“You knew!” you screamed at Jake as you paced around your room. “You knew and you didn’t tell me!”

“It’s for yer own protection, lass.” he said standing up, placing his hands on your shoulder, stilling your body.

“They want us to be married and you’re willing?” you said.

“Well, ye’ve mended my wounds more than once. I feel I owe ye something for all that. Besides what kind of friend would I be if I left ye to that mad bastard Remus” Jake thought of you as his friend after a week, you barely knew anything about him and he was willing to marry you just so you could be protected?

“But surely there's someone else you're interested in?” you asked, hoping he would say yes.

“Oh, am I promised?” he said with a laugh. “No. I’m not much of a prospect for a wife. Most women don’t like it when their husbands are off everyday getting themselves shot.”

“So that’s it then. As far as you’re concerned we can just get married tomorrow?”

“Aye. Whatever suits ye.” he said, taking a seat on your bed.

“Jake, I’ve..I’ve laid with men before. Won’t it bother you that I’m..not a virgin?” you confessed, searching for an ounce of disgust and regret on his face at the situation he agreed to but what you saw was the complete opposite, his face was more nervous than anything.

“Well, uh, no. As long as it dosena bother that I am. I reckon one of us should ken what they’re doing.”

All you could do was stare at him in complete silence as he got up from the bed and left, bidding you a good night.

Getting ready for bed, the thoughts racing through your mind even as you laid in bed, all you knew was that tomorrow you would be married. A wedding full of people you didn’t know, a man who was now going to be your husband that you knew nothing about, a wedding where your family wasn't in attendance. A wedding where your father won’t get to walk you down the aisle, a wedding where your drunk friends would share the most embarrassing stories about you, a wedding you didn’t ask for. As tears began to slowly trickle down your face, landing on the pillow below your head, you cried yourself slowly into sleep, praying that the sun wouldn’t come up.

taglist: @gaby-gvf @seventieswhore @garagebandvanfleet @angelbabyivy @irrevocably24 @doodle417 @myownparadise96 @gardenofgreta @gretasmokerising @t00turnttrauma @gretnabancheese @fictional-duchess @thefleetofdreams @the-weightof-dreams @shutupdevvie @joshkiszkas @tripthelightfandomtastic @ascendingtothestarsasone @gvfrry @gretavancreep @age-of-nyahh @janegvf

#greta van fleet au #greta van fleet smut #greta van fleet fan fiction #jake kiszka x reader #outlander!jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka smut #jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka gvf

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writingcold · 7 months

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Why hello there!

I was looking over @hearts-hunger writing prompts for her Halloween Event and I thought to myself that I’ve never, ever tried to write spooky. I doubted that I would ever — wait. What was this? #18 Visiting a Graveyard? Oh really… I started to sketch out this just to play with it and let me tell you - shit happened. My brain would not stop. My hair may have caught fire. Wow.

So, in this process, the story that I thought would be a quick one, has possessed me and has turned into a much longer, multi-chapter fiction. And you know that I’m not a big fan of posting while still in the writing process - but! I really want to share this opening chapter of this very gothic, paranormal romance that somehow went from exploring a graveyard to a cursed love that will span across five lifetimes, and over 300 years. Yeah. You know it, I’ve been at the research again. Lol I say that like it’s an addiction. You might want to check in with @jakekiszkasbuttsweat as I’ve been torturing her with all of this mess and some pretty out there ideas. Thank you, my friend! I so appreciate you. And a big thank you to @allieisacrybaby for putting together the amazing Jake collage together for me! It's so pretty.

I’ll shut up now, but I hope you enjoy this first chapter. I’m hoping to begin posting this as soon as the story is completed. Be sure to check out all the other stories that are attached to this project. They are by some of the best writers and brains. You can find the masterlist here!

Contents Warning: None. Just gothic overtones and a smidge of blood.

Word Count: approx. 3300

The Dead, Part 1: The Entity in the Graveyard

It was a season of newness. Rebirth. He had slumbered for a spell. Of that he was certain. His vision started out blurred, but sharpened as the human days passed, allowing him to grow in form. He sat, perched like a gargoyle on his headstone when the sight of the church across the road came into focus. Ah. The familiar white boards were still full of peeling, toxic paint and were cupping from years of weathering and neglect. The stained glass still caught the morning sun to reflect out onto the unkempt blades of grass and weeds, albeit was not as vibrant as it once had been. The bell still clanged its ghostly chime if the wind screamed from the north or south.

He could feel the air did not welcome his presence. Why had he stirred? He should have slept through the years until the time of the Thinning. He stood straight up on his stone, face trained to the muted colors of the night sky. He watched the music of the cosmos twist and twirl amongst the stars. His senses had finally begun to stretch across the graveyard, assessing his, for lack of a better word, kingdom. He was, after all, the oldest resident of the grounds. There were no new ghosts to speak of but there was a scent upon the air that he could not place. It was close to his stone and carried the heaviness of iron. It carried the rapacity of cells. It carried life. He began to move, seeking out the source of that life. Surely no one of the living had visited the grounds, aside from him - the caretaker. It had been years since anyone new had been planted into their grave, and all of the families of the rotted in the ground were long, long gone. So why would…

He paused when he drew upon the edge of the rock bordered path. Iron. Cells. Life. He moved down against a particularly sharp stone, his spectral fingers drifting across the surface as wonder touched his thoughts. Life. Actual life that had fueled a living human was spilled across the smattering of rocks. He moved his face in close to feel the faint vibration that was still carried in the blood. It is a joy to feel this. A joy to know that a life had passed across the grass and taken in the space of his graveyard. The corners of his mouth curled and stretched as he retreated back to his headstone. There had been life present. Was that why he had been roused? He felt his essence tremble over the possibility. Instead of resuming his slumber, he decided to wait; watch; contemplate the oddity.

His hand pushed through the headstone that had anchored him nearly every day of the human year, save the thin times when the fabric would fail and allow those of the living to confuse those of the dead as one of their own. His index finger traced the deep cut ‘J’ in the polished stormy granite that marked the first letter of his name. The letters no longer truly held meaning. No one was left to mourn him. No one was left for him to remember through faded fondness and cooled over warm memories.

It was an odd feeling whenever it struck. No one was left to remember him. How many ancient cultures believed that if the soul was remember by those of the living, then in fact the one who was dead lived on? And wasn’t it also believed if the one who was dead, and not remembered, the soul would cease to exist? And yet, he was there, chained to the stone his melted corpse resided beneath. Chained to the grounds that only the dead could dare to know on such an intimate level.

He was by no means alone. Although many had disappeared, embracing the light or welcoming the fire when the solitude gripped too tightly for too long, or perhaps when their patch of ground grew too putrid and obnoxious that either joy or damnation would be accepted readily. Not him, though. The radiance was never offered, while the hellfire never beckoned like a lover either. He truly was part of the in-between. Not that it bothered him. The Thinning time was his glory, even though it was rare and erratic.

Each Thinning, she would appear. She was neither of the living nor of the dead. He wondered if she was a goddess - eternal like time, ethereal like nature. Perhaps she was a forgotten entity, purged to make way for man and his foolish and mostly stupid beliefs that he was any better, any smarter, any stronger. If there was one thing he understood from his centuries of life and death was that man was nothing but juvenile. Juvenile in their handling of life. Juvenile in their handling of grief. A woman on her own understood life, understood grief. She could survive alone just fine.

Time flowed beyond his attention. The grass began to push through the patches of stubborn snow that clung to the hope that the cold would remain. There was a brightness that curled and sweetened the sky with a life’s breath that only the dead and those of the in-between could appreciate enough to see. The vibrant peach and lavender of the sun’s trail caught his eyes long enough to push wildflowers from the earth to bring forth the swarming of the crickets and bugs of the early summer.

‘A’. The letter had a chink in the cross where the stone cutter botched it up. He dragged his finger across the flaw for human hours at a time, grimacing over the tortured frame of what it meant to be the letter ‘A’. The fog was growing thicker as the supposed witching hour of the night drew forth. He often wondered over the purpose of such an hour. Time never affected the dead or those of the in-between. The so-called witches that the time was meant for never were concerned to wait for the practice of their sacred rituals. Perhaps it was used for those who were of the veil but not of his own likeness. He smiled as his sight passed over those who were his incognizant companions in the graveyard. They never acknowledged his presence, nor that of each other for that matter. It was a point of contention when he first discovered himself in the cemetery. Why would there be such division beyond the veil of the living? Was it the casting of purgatory to punish those who were arrested in the frozen state of death before the larger powers to claim their own dead beings? Baffling.

He lazed before his stone; his thoughts stretched out beyond the land he was bound to, images of lives he had lived projecting out of him like a film, though he scarcely could remember what he could only identify as vague memories. How could he have sailed the Great Lakes and trod across virgin land, and travel the earth in search of great knowledge and culture, and stain his hands in a vineyard as a farmer and strummed his fingers against the frets of a guitar for the enjoyment of many? Surely not just in one lifetime. There were overwhelming moments of fragility, pain, love and… ugliness.

Frustrated over the toil of his thoughts, he moved across the fractured landscape to the wrought iron gates. The chain of his headstone gave him a gentle tug with each inch that he passed along. He could feel the air of the living billowing on the other side, dancing in the sunlight of the day. Wasn’t it just night? He glanced back to find indeed the sun had risen and passed overhead. A wanton expression passed over his otherwise unmoving lips.

He drifted north, following the chinks and twists and flaws of the neglected fence as if he could ever leave the boundary of his world. He paused at the edge and forced his vision to dim to nothing so that he might feel nothing. It would be easy enough as only fields of early crops and a singular road stretched out before him in an endless roll of land. But…

A light beckoned. It sparkled on the very horizon like a star, but cooled as it drew closer until it faded into a human form. A human-shaped woman in all her fragility and vigor was walking along the broken asphalt of the road. Dressed in a flowing fabric drenched in light, she demanded his attention through her silence. He trailed behind her until finally, he stopped, face to face with her, discovering her reaching for the cemetery gate as if reaching out for him. Her skin, smooth and without the tarnish of age, shimmered with a perfume that he is sure is beautiful like apple blossoms, or perhaps delicate lilacs. Her graceful gait makes her appear to be floating over the hidden rock and fissures of the ground. He was compelled in his interest by the creature as the corners of her eyes began to fade and signs of aging began to whisper across the skin of her hands and throat. Her hair began to thin and lose its luster. He had never come across such a human as to grow old before him. Perhaps she was wraith, untethered and unseeing of his being.

He followed her step for step through the graveyard. Her body grew small and bent by gravity. Her face becomes ancient and heavily marred by time. Her eyes cloud over as is always the case of the elderly, as if they can take in more of the world around them. And yet - she is beautiful. Delicate. Alluring. He was drawn to her like a lighthouse calling him to shore.

“What are you?” he whispered into her scraggle of hair that had loosened from its tether.

She appears to nearly tumble across the stone path and he is in awe that she comes to a stop before his headstone. Her body is ancient. Her clouded eyes blur and close as her breath labors to enter and leave her body. A badly twisted hand snaked out from the woman’s shroud and landed against his name. He watched silently as she lowered herself to her knees, resting her forehead to the granite before her. Her breath became shallow… unmeasured.

“Are you dying?” he asked, his eyes wide as he came to rest beside her.

She stretched out onto the hardness of the ground, cheek resting upon her arm. He lays beside her like a forgotten lover. He longs to touch her. To ease her pain as a mumbled sting of ache bubbles from her mouth. For a span of minutes, there is nothing. No breath. No sound. No… life. He watches her in utter fascination, finding himself unable to do anything other than lay beside her.

“Are you…”

His words fail in a crackled mess as a note stirred within him. A note of bitter familiarity that clawed and scratched at his mind like it was trying to force him to remember something that refused to be revealed. The creature gasped and sputtered and choked, startling him. One gnarled hand, followed by the other, began to push against the earth. He rose up over her, stunned as in painfully slow fashion, she gathered her knees beneath her once more. Her noises are guttural and deep as she uses his headstone to make her way back to standing. He moved around to the back of the stone as she paused to capture her breath once more. He looked into her face and a pang of awareness crashed upon him like a wave. The knowledge of this person was a blackened spot to him, but there was a sense of familiarity that he could not place. She began to turn away, the brittleness of her bones crinkled and popped against his ears.

Achingly slow, she began her journey back towards the gate. He drifted around her, looping his mist through her fingers and against the exposed skin of her cheek. The breeze tickled shades of blush and orange against her hair and he noticed the age that had tugged and blurred and swirled against her to bend her was reversing. Her back became straighter with each of her steps. The deep lines of wisdom and life were fading. The full curve of her lip and striking beauty of her skin bloomed before him and fully returned by the time her hand pushed open the heavy gate.

For the briefest of moments, he stood before her. Her eyes appeared to be locked upon only him. Had she known of his presence all along? He wondered if she could see him as he had been - wisps of chestnut strands that floated across his shoulders and the hair that curled around its tie that fell between his shoulder blades. The coy ghost of a smile that always seemed to be present upon his mouth. Did she see the dark swirl of earth tones in his eyes and the caramel tint of his skin?

Her eyes shimmered as he dared to reach his spectral hand out to brush against the heated flesh of her cheek. He pretended to press the palm against the plump flesh and smooth the pad of his thumb across the ridge of her cheekbone. For a fraction of a second, she even seemed to lean into his hand like a welcomed lover. And then…

She walked away from him, dragging a light that grew brighter the further away she moved. He watched the light, beaming like a star until it disappeared beyond the horizon.

The ‘C’ of his name was the most elaborate, but most shallow of the cuts into the stone. It scrolled with a flourish that left him to wonder if it was created to remind him of a flamboyant moment that he had once lived. Or perhaps the stone cutter thought he was being funny, perhaps cryptic with such a deliberate act. Regardless, it could keep him enthralled for days, tracing the intricate loops and noticing how quickly the craftsmanship faded over the years.

There was not much of his human self he remembered. Perhaps he was rather insignificant and there was nothing of notoriety to remember. He could not recount the number of spirits who cried over their being, only to wail as their loved ones drifted through the tall grass and treacherously uneven grounds to mourn their passing. He wondered if time had given him so much distance from his human self to no longer realize that simple magic of the world and thus, released his mortal memory to allow the wonderment of the dead in.

The days were stretched to the limit, gobbling up each extra second like a greedy tick. He felt the air shimmering fat around him with a heat and kiss of life that he seldom took the chance to relish. His fingers pressed into the center swirl of the ‘C’ as his thoughts bent to the creature. She was not present on the mortal daily, but her appearance had become fixture - stretching from the horizon, her light bellowed in like a tidal wave. He could not help but to follow as she tread through her aging process to stoop and drop a lily. He tried to grab her attention. He tried to test to see if she could see him. Each time, he would be left to wonder. Her reaction was always the same, one that could be construed as the human tilt of her head, a longing look to join him, maybe. There was no definitive proof that she offered in her visits.

‘O’. Never ending. No beginning. No ending. Maybe the ‘O’ was like himself in that manner. How a blink of his eye could find him removed and forwarded by whole earthly seasons. The air had turned. It no longer held the breath of warmth and sunshine of summer. Instead, it held the darkening, faded breath of life. The line between those of the living and those of the dead was thinning. He could feel it against where his skin once resided. If he were amongst the living, he would inhale this air until his lungs could hold no more. To the point of it burning and almost painful but the perfume too beautiful to not relish in such a manner. Alas, his body required no lungs, no skin.

The creature’s visits were growing more sporadic. He watched from up close and from afar. He tried to touch and tried to ignore. It did not matter. Her tread was always the same. Her return to the horizon was unfettered by whatever antics he would attempt. To say that it was maddening would admit to feeling something of his residual humanness. Was it impatience? Curiosity, perhaps. Whatever it was, he did not like being centered around this being that could come and go, taking his attention and thoughts with it.

‘B’. His final letter allowed him to return and finish his own name. The letter resides just as deep as the ‘J’, but the flag at the top bends backwards in a trail that weaves through the loop of the ‘O’ and tangles with the flair of the ‘C’, like a tree branch. It skews the ‘A’ and hovers over the ‘J’, providing a fancy little cap to the name he had known as his own for all his time. Jacob.

It was not the first incarnation of his name. There were older forms of the name that he had known. All meaning the same thing - the surplanter. He wondered if he had been a good man. Had he been evil in a good world? The fuzziness of his memories were mere echoes of what could have been but never concrete. Never accurate.

The brittle leaves of the poplars and birch rattled like an old, sick man’s breath and were yellowed like his teeth. He tilted his chin upwards, looking into the gray sky beyond the dense canopy above and caught sight of the swirl of the cosmos that only those beyond the veil were privy to. The stars were dancing and singing, though no human could ever hear the beauty that was always wrapped around them in their ignorance. And yet, he tapped his toe and hummed along like a human would to their most favorite tune. The crinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened over the idiocy of the moment, but then, who was he not to enjoy a little morsel of what it was like to be the human he once was? Music stirred deep within him like nothing else. It saddened him, maddened him, and filled him with the feeling that he once had been real, although he was unsure of how long he had indeed been dead.

Days were shortening. They were becoming like a careworn silk belt on a robe. He enjoyed sitting on his headstone, watching the wind play against the grass. Humans couldn’t see the colors that are pushed around flying like dandelion fluff, carrying the fallen leaves and bits of life too dry to survive upon its host. Perhaps it was one of those things that were put forth to mesmerize the eye of the dead to distract from the living. He didn’t care. If the colors of the world and the cosmos of the sky were placed there to keep him from terrorizing the grander scale of the world, so be it.

Divider by @cafekitsune

I hope you liked this intro chapter. If you would like to be added to my taglist, let me know - reply or send an ask. The Dead will probably not be ready fully for posting until after the first of the new year. I really have a lot of work to do on it. In the meantime, I do have a new fiction starting soon that is rather angsty. See you again soon!

@lvnterninthenight @doodle417 @luverleaver @jakesgrapejuice @fictional-duchess @milkgemini @positivegvfthings @songbirds-sweet @streamingcolors-gvf @gretavanbitches @samsurfgreenbass @gardensgatedaisy @babyhoneygvfarchive @myownparadise96 @josh-iamyour-mama @starcatchercarol @loveisonaroll @jakesstarlight @reesetrippingthelight @builtby-gvf @ignite-my-fire @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @wetkleenex-gvf @gold-mines-melting @starsasone @mysticalstarcatcher @montenegroisr @takenbythemadness @way-to-go-lad @cal-a-bungaa @lightmylove-gvf @thewritingbeforesunrise @leftjudgeempathsuitcase @brokenbells11 @imborrowedshesblue @vanfleeter @sammysvanfeet @jakekiszkasbuttsweat @jaketlove @redsierra1960 @gvfmarge @becinabubblegvf @wildbluesorbit @sinarainbows

#jake gvf #jake kiszka #greta van fleet #gvf #jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka fan fiction #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet au #the dead: gvf fan fic #gvf fan fic #gvf fan fic au #gvfhalloweenfics

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writingcold · 6 months

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Welcome to Chapter Nine and Ten of Best Laid Plans

A/N: I know. Just trust me. I have said that it will have a happy ending. Just not yet.

This is a complete fiction - totally made up. I do not, nor will I ever know Jake or any member of GVF. That said, this story is mine. Please respect that.

Are you starting to understand the barrage of bullets that @takenbythemadness has taken while proofreading this thing for me? Yeah. Send her all your positive vibes and forehead kisses, please and thank you.

Content warnings: Language. Deep depression. Poor view of self. Poor mindset. Talk of adultery. Misogynic character. Verbal arguing. Divorce. Be ready for a big reveal. It hurts. It’s not horrible, but it hurts. Well... maybe a little horrible.

Word count: approx. 9500

Chapter 9: May, 1990: Jake POV

Life was a sham. My life was less than the frail mist that hung amongst the branches of the tree that I could see out my back window. I had sat for hours, the bottle between my fingers steadily grew lighter while my spirit grew atrophied and heavy. She was gone. Amanda carried everything out with her like she did not realize what she had taken from me. And I allowed it. Just like always.

I stirred against my better judgment. My vision was blurred and my body was full of ache. A familiar hum stuck my ear from the void beyond the couch that made me want to retreat into the bottle to hide my embarrassment.

“Dear lord, it moved,” Josh’s voice rumbled in my ears without humor, but it also lacked malice.

I coughed as I leaned forward, my fingers reaching for a bottle that was no longer on the table before me. I frowned as I realized that everything before me had been cleared away leaving only a tall glass of water. “How long have you been here?” I asked as I oozed back into the couch.

“Couple days. Henry called Ronnie…”

I grimaced as Josh ran through the line. I had forgotten my parents were in Hawaii for an extended vacation. I could just picture Ronnie pounding on my door, to which according to Josh, she wanted to kick my ass for not answering.

“But then, she got scared, so she used the key to find your nearly naked ass passed out about where you are now,” he explained with a shiver through his shoulders.

I scrunched up my face as the heat of embarrassment flooded my system. “Fuck,” I sighed as my innards started to jiggle in protest.

“So, she called me and I happened to have some time,” Josh remarked as he was swiping at the counter with a disgusted look. “Jesus, Jake, when was the last time you cleaned this kitchen?”

I could barely hold my head up as my mouth started to flood with spit.

“Anyway, I’ve been covering what I can at the shop. Sam got here yesterday and has been covering as well. He brought Danny with him, so between Danny and Henry, all your lessons are covered for a few more days. Dan’s heading out on tour, so we really need to get your ass back into your shop.��

My brain felt like toasted marshmallow and my mouth felt like it was filled with paste. Josh continued to clean, peeking into the oven to reveal the smell of food. He said that Ms. Ada sent a casserole - well, actually had sent many over. One for each day of this week. My stomach soured with the smell and produced a round of nasty burps that sent me flying to the bathroom. I retched everything out as if all the alcohol was fleeing my system by any means possible. I could hear Josh’s ramblings as I thought for sure my internal organs were next to exit my mouth. I was shit. I was lower than shit and did not deserve any kind of help in the matter.

“Let’s get you into a shower,” he said softly, pushing me by the shoulders to rest against the wall.

I had no fight left in me. I watched as he turned on the spray, holding his hand under the water just like our mom used to, even did the little toe tap as he waited. He ordered me to take off my rags and helped me over the ridge of the bathtub. The water was like an acid spray as it struck my skin like hot sandpaper. I sputtered and choked as I made a show of doing what he wanted me to do while he stood protectively at the edge of the tub. I pushed my face under, allowing the sensation of heat and clean to consume my ravaged skin. Josh, satisfied that I was not going to fall over like an idiot, walked away for a few minutes.

“This is clearly not about Georgia,” he said, returning with clothes to set on the vanity. “You danced a fucking jig when you signed those papers. What gives? I thought everything was going good.”

“I can’t talk about it,” I whispered, allowing the water to pour down and beat upon my back.

“Bull shit,” Josh remarked loudly. “The last time I saw you like this was with… god dammit. Please don’t tell me you did something stupid and Amanda is involved.”

The stab in my chest was brutal. I inhaled water and sputtered through a cough before regaining my senses. “You’ve been at the shop. Have you seen her next door?”

Josh stayed silent for a long time, leaving my guts to twist. “She stopped in yesterday afternoon with treats for us from the morning poetry reading.”

I rolled my eyes shut, fighting myself from asking if she inquired about me; wondered if she noticed my absence. Another strangled breath as I waited for more from him.

“I guess it makes some sense, now that I look at it,” Josh remarked coolly.

His words toiled in my belly as I heard him leave the bathroom for a few minutes. The sound of the closet door opening and drawers being forced to shut matched the cogs of my thoughts. He could not hide, however, the exasperated sound that he ground out in my room.

“You’re the reason that poor woman looks destroyed,” he said, his voice full of a hard edge. “Meg and Bugger thought it was because her husband was back in town...”

I kept completely still. I could feel it. The pieces were falling into place slowly, each clicking with a metallic click that I could feel happen for my twin.

“Fuck, no, Jake,” Josh growled, incredulous.

I shivered despite the heat of the water and steam all around me. “Go make a pot of coffee. I’ll tell you everything.”

I waited for him to argue with me right away. Instead, I realized that he actually listened to me. Finishing up my shower, I found that he had left a set of clean clothes for me on the vanity along with a new razor and shave cream. It did not take long to feel human again, though my innards begged to differ.

Josh had the hot dish waiting on the kitchen table and the coffee was just finished brewing. Just the smell of real subsistence made my body beg for respite. Josh gave me a double portion along with the biggest mug of coffee, smoking a cigarette while he waited as I ate. The food felt good in my belly, I could not lie.

“Okay,” Josh remarked as I pushed my near empty plate away. “Spill it. What the hell have you been up to and how are you going to fix it.”

“There is no fixing it,” I answered, feeling the exhaustion creep over me like a monster.

It started with a word. Her name. Amanda. Followed by another word, followed by another until it was all falling out of my mouth like a wave. Josh asked no questions, gave me no interruptions. Just sat and listened. When I felt my breath escape me as my shame rose, he waited. When my face turned red and my voice curled with anger, he leaned away, but did not stop me. He let me spill all of it onto the table between us like a demon that needed to be exorcized. When I finally collapsed back in my chair, a cigarette between my fingers and my mouth quiet, Josh let out a long, low whistle.

“Damn, Jake,” he whispered, his face full of emotions. “That’s more than… a lot.”

I rubbed a hand across my face. It was not all of it. I took a long, deep drag before stretching my neck. “And all of it is because of a lie.”

His brows furrowed as he picked up my dishes and moved to deposit them in the sink before refilling our cups. “How’s that?”

“Liam was not mine,” I whispered.

His face hardened. “What the hell, Jake. How is that true?”

“Georgia lied. She was already pregnant when we…” I refused to be crass, even if it was Josh.

“How do you know? Did she tell you?”

I shook my head as my words tripped over a sob. “She’d go off on these rants when she was really out of it. But I got the gist of it - she pretty much said I was not his dad.”

I felt the emotion swell and bubble until I couldn’t hold back the tears that pushed from the corners of my eyes. I swiped at them as Josh sat back down before me. His eyes were full of love and compassion as his hands reached for my shoulders.

“You are that little boy’s dad. Do you hear me?” he said, voice full of tears, the same as my own. “You loved him. We all did. We all wanted him to stay. Jake, I’ve never seen you so full of life as I had when I saw you holding him. Your boy.”

I was nodding as we cried together. My heart wept daily for Liam. Just because he was not of me did not mean he was not mine. I knew this. It was a burden that was carried for so long already. To be able to share the burden with Josh was a relief.

“Do you think Mandy will leave her husband?” he asked after a long silence.

I shrugged. The beauty of my previous week lay as toxic sludge in my chest. For her to walk out, I understood. It took me a while to figure it out - she was leaving me so as not to allow Roger the satisfaction of throwing me into her face. If she left him, she could have no mar to find that would allow him to have an advantage. I got it. I understood it. But goddamn to have our brief time twisted into something wrong shoved me into a hole that I was struggling to climb out of.

Josh folded his arms with a troubled look. “It won’t be an instant remedy, Jake. If Mandy leaves her husband, their assets are more than what you and Georgia contended with. Roger doesn’t seem like the kind of man that is going to be amicable no matter what situation he was caught in. Mandy could lose her Sparrow.”

I felt the line of my mouth harden as my teeth mashed together. “Motherfucker,” I grumbled. “I didn’t think about it. Fuck.”

Josh’s expression told me he was already miles ahead of me. He began to tap the table with thought. “You’re going to have to keep your distance, Jake. For her. During all of this - you’re going to have to keep your distance.”

I kept my mouth shut for I knew something stupid would fall out if I said anything. All I could do was shake my head ‘no’. My teeth buried themself into my lip as if I was an angry toddler ready to drop a fit.

“I mean it. You keep your distance.”

I was back to the shop the next morning, my shell back in place despite it feeling like it was two sizes too big. Bugger was on shift, his eyes watching me like I was going to either explode or evaporate into the fog. I had closed myself into one of the practice rooms with one of the new acoustics that we had gotten in to give it a spin. I heard movement on the other side of the shared wall. I imagined that it was Mandy, setting up for the Tuesday brunch crew. I smiled as I landed on “It Hurt Me Too” by Hound Dog Taylor, my fingers digging into the frets in hopes that she would hear me. I added in all my loud flourishes and soft touches until drawing into “These Arms of Mine”. I just needed her to know we were okay. That we would survive.

I was in my office when I heard the buzz of the door chime and Bugger’s voice flowing through the shop. I stood up when I realized it was not just a customer that he was talking to. Stepping beyond my door to find Mandy handing him the leftover treats from her group with a shy smile made my chest tighten. Josh was right, she was not out in the world like everything was fine. She had not noticed that I was there, so I took the time to collect myself and keep Josh’s sentiment of keeping my distance in my thoughts.

“Glad to see you back, Jake,” she said with a wave. “Feeling better?”

I nodded, playing along. “Yeah. Much better.”

“Josh stopped in earlier on his way out to your parents,” she replied as she watched Bugger make off with double brownies, chocolate chip cookies and Bailey bars. “It was nice to get a chance to catch up with him. Sounds like he’s got a huge project coming up.”

She was keeping to safe talk, though her eyes kept traveling to mine with a threat of tears. I wanted to reach out to her. I wanted to tug her into my office and hold her until it was better for us both. I could only hope that she could see the broken heart that was within me. We continued to chat for moments only before I saw the quiver in her lip. I sucked in a breath knowing that I was about to lose my composure.

“I’ve got a call I need to get to,” I said, glancing back to wherever Bugger had dragged the food away to. “Are we up for coffee tomorrow?”

She swallowed and nodded. “See you before open?”

“I’ll be there.”

Routine was my saving grace in my life with Georgia. It could be once again through whatever the hell it was that we had moved into between me and Mandy. I could set a routine and keep to it if it meant that we could share a space. If we could share a love.

Amanda POV

When I left Jake’s house, I made it to the bottom stair of my building before I had to sit down. It was like all my breath, all my blood, all my fight had been leached out of my skin. I left my entire being with him in hopes that he would use it to keep himself strong. I left nothing for myself. My body was racked with sobs so painful I thought for sure I would disappear into the ground.

Instead, my cries softened. My pain sunk deep within. A single word stuck me - yet. I could not be Jake’s - yet. I could not openly love him - yet. I could not show the strength that he imbibed into my flesh over the week - yet. I tucked the three letter word into my spirit and branded it in my mind. Something so small could be just the armor that I was going to need for the fight that was to come.

Monday morning thankfully was quiet. In the evening, over a lovely cup of tea, I started to put all of Roger's clothes, neatly folded, into a large shipping box. His personal items, the bank and credit cards, all the important papers between us went into the singular box. I took down all the pictures of him and us together and emptied out the frames, leaving the photos on the table. I scoured the apartment, erasing any evidence of Jake’s presence from both the physical space and myself. I hid away my feelings - both the hurt and the love.

Though I was half of myself, I forced myself to move. I forced myself to do what I expected of myself. I was in the shop for each group and customer. I presented my smile and professional self, all the while, my spirit was weeping. I noticed that Jake was not next door. My concern, however, had to be buried with everything else.

Thursday rolled around. The morning’s poetry reading thankfully went quietly. I took the leftover danish into Martin’s, moreso as a way to see Jake, but to my surprise, Josh was manning the counter. I caught sight of Mr. Henry in one of the practice rooms with a client.

“Amanda,” Josh said warmly as Bugger practically ran him over to grab the tray I held. “It’s good to see you.”

“I - I’m sorry, Josh. I wasn’t expecting you to be here,” I said, my eyes scanning for any sign of Jake.

“That’s okay. Jake’s been sick,” he said quickly, his hand coming down on my arm with a comforting pat.

I could not hide the urgency in my body as his words stuck my ears. “He’s okay, right? I mean, nothing serious?”

“Just a bad bug. I’ll have him back on his feet soon,” he said with a flash of a smile. “You doing all right there?”

“Oh,” I squeaked out. “Yeah. Just. Rough day. I better get back.”

At that point, I notice that both Bugger and Meg are watching me from the counter. I waved and headed out, hoping to god to regain my composure. Jake. Sick. It had put a crack into my composure. I needed to fill it with concrete. I needed to shut off the worry and just…

When I returned to the shop, I noticed that Mick was looking confused at the counter. “You all right?”

He nodded as he cleared his throat. “Uh, Roger just told me that you are head upstairs.”

“Mick,” I said, moving directly in front of him, “what did he say exactly?”

He grew even more uncomfortable, unable to meet my eyes. “He told me to tell that bitch to get her fat ass upstairs.”

Involuntarily, my lips rolled between my teeth. The embarrassment on the man’s face was hurtful. I reached out and touched his arm, just a brush of fingers. “Thank you. I’m sorry he did that.”

“I don’t think you should go. He was really angry,” he said quietly.

I nod before I place one pat on the counter between us. “It’ll be fine. Really.”

I did not allow the blaze of my anger show as I smiled and headed for the back door. I took a moment to notice that at least no one else was in the shop to hear what was to come. I walked the steps, noticing that the door was ajar. He had found what I had done. I could hear movement, but could not discern what he was doing. One more breath. One more thought of…

I pushed the door open to find that he was pulling everything out of the box that I had so neatly packed for him. His eyes flashed at me with absolute fury. I leaned against the doorframe with no intent of closing the door.

“What the fuck is this, Amanda?” he raged, digging out his clothes.

“Your things. I got them ready to go to your home. Your home with Lydia,” I said, keeping my tone level and calm.

He straightened. His eyes darkened with threat. “Get in here and close the damn door.”

“No,” I said, making sure to keep my body still. “I should tell you that my employee downstairs will be contacting the sheriff’s office if this gets out of control.”

It was not a lie. The way I left Mick, I knew that he would be on alert. I realized that I felt strong. I felt strong in this man’s presence that had made me feel like I was only part of his shadow. I folded my arms across my chest and decided to remain right where I was.

“This is ridiculous. Get in here and get my shit back to where it belongs,” he said sharply.

“No. You will be removing your stuff and getting out of my apartment. You are not welcomed here.”

A flash of memory. A flash of Jake and I laughing across the kitchen table that all of his stuff was cluttering up. A warmth filled me like I was finally moving in the direction I was always supposed to be moving in. I just needed to trudge through this maze, this obstacle course that was stretching out before me and Jake would be waiting for me on the other side. The prize that I so dearly wanted.

“If you think you can leave me -”

“I’ve contacted a lawyer, Roger. This - this bull shit of a marriage is over. I’m done.”

“You can’t be serious. Mandy - that girl you talked to was lying. I don’t know this - “

“I’m not an idiot, Roger. I will not be treated that way. Not by you, not by anyone. You have made it abundantly clear that you hate it here. You don’t like my shop. You don’t like my life being here. This is where I am and where I need to be. I’m done. I’m done with you playing my husband for thirty days of the year.”

His mouth twisted as he stared at me. “So I’m right, then. You’re already fucking someone else.”

“No. Not that it matters, Roger. You have never been faithful. Our entire marriage-”

“I’m a man. I’m on the road. I have needs, Amanda.”

“You had a wife at home to provide for those needs. You chose to do otherwise. You chose this path. And I’m done walking it.”

“Don’t think that I’m going to make this easy.”

I shrugged.

“Don’t think I won’t take this place from you, you bitch. When I’m done, you’ll have nothing.”

I shrugged. It wasn’t my job to make him aware that it was not mine. It was in a family trust that belonged to my family. Protected. I had scoffed when my father suggested this step, and then my lawyer backed it up. I thought it was an unnecessary step. And yet, I did it because a tiny voice said what would be the harm of taking that advice. What wasn’t protected, I was quickly finding I did not care. My lack of emotional response only infuriated him more. I forced myself to keep cool. I continued to keep my distance. Little snippets of my interlude with Jake played behind my eyelids. The loud laughter, the softest of touches. It was like he refueled my skin, and recast my armor. I could do this. I could survive this fire that the man before me would cause.

But then I returned to the minutes before. Jake was sick. My heart constricted as I silently watched Roger shove the items removed back into the box carelessly. I offered to ship the box wherever he needed me to, to which he just glared at me. I was going to have to have a long conversation with my parents. I was going to have to talk with my sisters. My brain was making lists of what I needed to do, and yet, my heart wanted nothing more than to go to Jake.

Roger nearly threw the box over the railing as he huffed down the stairs. I followed at a distance. Before he could open the backdoor to the store, I stopped him.

“The key. I will be needing that key back,” I said, keeping my voice void of feeling.

I watched as he yanked the keys from his pocket and threw them at me with intent. I let them fly past and he bumbled through the store. Poor Mick was standing with a customer in the mystery section, his face blanching of color. I caught his eye before I went behind the counter to fetch the yellow pages. A quick call to Mr. Peterson, and I was on the schedule to have all the locks of the building changed before the end of store hours.

I was on my way. I had finally been strong enough to take those steps that would allow me to grow my broken wings back. I apologized to the two pairs of eyes that watched me before I excused myself with the promise to be back after lunch. I grabbed the discarded keys on my way back into the apartment. I closed the door behind me to just take a moment to digest what I had done. Echoes of Jake continued to pull me through the minutes bobbing through the wake of Roger’s departure. The memory of him shoving the couch to the side so we could dance stupidly and fall against each other in a moment of heat and passion made me calm.

I put the kettle on with a smile. I breathed out an embarrassed laugh as the next thought struck: Jake setting us up with coffee and pancakes when I had been so thoroughly fucked into the matress that I couldn’t move without laughing hysterically. Yeah, he had been proud of himself that morning. He was humming Cheap Trick and the swagger was oh so real.

Friday arrived and life continued. Jake was still not in his shop, but neither was Josh. Mr. Henry waved and accepted the coffee that I had brought. Sam waved from behind the counter as he was talking with Bugger. Sparrow was busy that day and just when I thought it wouldn’t get busier, it did. It was all right though - it made the day go that much quicker.

Saturday morning there was a tap on my door, well before it was time for the store to open. I was surprised to find Josh on my stoop, waiting with a warmth plastered to his mouth and concern etched in his eyes.

“I brought breakfast,” he said, holding up a little pastry bag from Blaine’s. “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

“I happen to have coffee, come on in,” I said after a few beats. “You’ll have to excuse my mess… Been a little crazy around here.”

He barely glanced around as he took the seat at the table I pointed to. “It’s quite lovely up here isn’t it? It’s very calming.” He paused, his eyes tracing over the shared wall of Martin’s Music. His eyes rolled closed as he chuckled. “Probably not so calming when there’s a band up here though, is it?”

“Your brother is very strict about the schedule. Of course, that didn’t happen until I threatened to kick his ass after the first time I was in here with some garage band with way too loud amps and way too late,” I laughed as I sat down with him. “Of course, he might have just been afraid of the Siouxsie Sioux t-shirt and bed head.”

I was graced by one of his infamous belly laughs that set the air between us to a comfortable level. He set out fresh apple turnovers before me with a grin. The fact that he remembered warmed me. We had had breakfast way before I left for college and the three of us just about turned ourselves inside out on these down at the diner. I believe we cleared the case and Cindy just obliged to keep them out of her own mouth. He took the first bite, letting out a groan of delight.

“Lord, I’d be like three hundred pounds if I still lived here,” he complained through a mouthful of apple.

“Well, there is a reason why these are only available once a week now,” I pointed out. I took my own bite and breathed through the amazingness of the pastry. I knew he was stalling. Totally not a Josh move. A sip of coffee, a bite into my lip and I sat back in my chair. “Is he okay?”

He shrugged. “He’s not sick. I’m sorry I lied, but it’s our cover story.”

“I thought as much.” But that was a lie. I was scared. Jake never missed a day. “Well. I had hoped, really.”

He gave me a sideways stretch of a smile. “I’m worried, that’s why I’m here. There’s only two people that put my brother into this kind of tailspin - Liam and you.

“I had to watch him fall apart with Liam. He had made so many sacrifices for him, Mandy. He had lost so much weight I was afraid that he was going to be ill in the worst way. He was giving her everything and it didn’t make a difference. But you -”

He was shaking his head as he pushed himself back from the table. “There are only two people that he would literally bend himself inside out to protect. Do you understand that? Two. I’m worried that you are walking a road that is going to be torture for him to have to watch. Do you understand me?”

“What did he do?” I whispered the words, knowing that Jake had tripped into a hole because of me. Because of my words and actions.

The hesitation returned. I watched him swallow down a gulp of coffee. “He will be fine, Mandy, that’s what is important. I’m not going to lie though, he’s fragile. He was finally beginning to stand on his own - truly on his own, just taking care of himself after the divorce. It’s been good.”

My heart tripped. My spirit faltered. I knew what he was asking of me before he got to the words. I was going to have to get through this trial without Jake. I released a burning breath as I hid behind an interested gaze.

“I am worried. You see where I’m going with this, Mandy?”

I nodded. “I was trying to figure out how… I mean. His friendship has been so very important. I don’t think I can move through this without it.”

“I am not saying to disregard him completely. But he needs to heal more - on his own. Just as you are going to need to, as well. There may be a day where it is possible,” he said with a nod. “You two seem to always find each other. It just may not be in the manner than you think.”

My lips rolled into my mouth as I stifled a sob. Josh was sure that we were wrong to be together. He reached out and laid a hand on my arm. A touch that was meant to be reassuring, comforting. And it burned like hell. I chewed the inside of my cheek as I fought again saying anything. I knew he was right. He was so damn right about it all.�� I had had my chance. Jake had…

“Accept it for what it can be, Amanda.” Josh stood up, his touch still heavy on my arm. “Friendship is about the only thing that is fine between you at this point. Accept it.”

I watched as he left, leaving my heart in shreds. In less than thirty minutes, he had taken every stitch of strength that Jake had given me. I breathed into my empty apartment. I was going to have to do this without Jake.

Chapter 10: September, 1990: Jake POV

My precious week with Mandy had been erased. I would wake each morning haunted by the love that we had shared. My heart would bleed out as I tried to stuff it back into my chest so that I could carry on without her as a normal human being. I had survived the summer tourist season. We had fallen back into our routine - I would meet her for morning coffee. I would keep to safe talk, topics ranging from her book readings to my sponsoring the summer concerts in the park on Thursday nights. With the Autumn Street Fair approaching, I worked on the committee to help plan and organize the event just like I had in years past. This time, with the addition of Mandy, our time worn event got some fresh perspective.

Josh pretty much ordered me to go out and date. Jeanette, the sweet soul that she is, had called to invite me to dinner, but I just couldn’t. I wasn’t shutting myself away. My wounds were too deep to find anything but a false smile. So, like when I was surviving my time in my marriage, and after the divorce, I fell into routine. I woke, I worked, I slept. It took three months just to be able to go out for beers with Bugger and Meg. I pretended that my time that I had felt the most free never happened. I pretended that Mandy did not reside under my skin and within my very being. And it was killing me to have to watch her struggle.

I could hear the frustration she was living through. Roger was making her life hell, fighting the divorce every step of the way. She had grounds of infidelity. She had grounds of neglect. But apparently Roger was able to procure a better lawyer who was making every day a nightmare for her. She admitted to feeling like her every move was being watched. She was convinced that Roger’s lawyer had someone watching to record any interaction with friends, family - men, women, it did not matter.

By the first of October, I had begun to feel strong enough that I could stand in Mandy’s presence and still be okay. I started to go out with Henry and Ada, Ronnie and her husband, David. I was like the kid who was just learning how to roller skate - holding onto the wall for dear life because I was afraid to fall on my ass - again. I started meeting for beers with a few of the soccer dads a couple of times a month. Before I knew it, the holidays were storming through in the typical chaotic manner. Josh and I were having a drink at Miller’s when Jeanette was walking in with a group of friends. It was not lost on my twin that she had once again caught my attention.

By the end of February we were dating fairly regularly - once again, not exclusive. And it was enough. I felt like I was returning to that person that I could be while I watched Mandy grow thin and weary of her situation. I did all I could while remaining at my distance, to support her, to love her.

Jeanette was kind. Josh pointed out in our phone calls that I needed to ‘do right by that woman and make it serious’, but in truth, she was setting our boundaries. I know. I know, but it’s true. She was on the same plane as my own, broken by experience and unsure if she really wanted to share that deeply with anyone. So really, we were each other’s support system. A way to have that human contact and interaction without the intense emotional tethers that were required for a serious relationship. And it was better than trying to shack up with Tessa again. That woman… just no.

We survived the rest of winter and the spring thaw without too much drama. Jeanette and I were spending weekends away after discovering that we actually traveled together very well. I felt healthy.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to see you right now, Georgia,” I had said, trying not to let my impatience show as I shuffled papers across my office desk as a way to keep my hands busy.

Georgia had called out of the blue. It had been years since I had heard her voice and I was fine with that. I had moved on from what we had and healed, mostly, from our time together. My hands came to a full stop when she fell silent and I found myself listening to her breathing across the receiver for a long moment before she continued.

“I know you’ve heard this from me - many times, Jake,” she said, her tone even and present. “I’m trying. Really trying. I’ve been sober a full fifteen months this time. I’ve been trying to… I’m trying to really do it this time.”

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. This was the same conversation that I had heard too many times before. The only difference was that the hurt that once had been attached to her words was absent. I blew out a long breath and was shaking my head like she could see my answer across the phone.

“Jake, I need to make amends,” she whispered. “There are things that I need to say to you - for you to hear from me. You owe me nothing, and I get that. I do. But I think if I allow myself to just-”

“Allow yourself? Do you hear yourself right now? How absolutely selfish that sounds, Georgia?” I let the words go before I thought them through. I was once again buying into her game and I needed to just stop.

“Sorry. Sorry. Really. I don’t mean to sound selfish.” I could hear the tears in her voice and I forced myself to soften. “Please. Just give me a half hour of your time. It will be good for both of us, Jake. Please? I can meet you after your soccer practice at the park. You still do that, right?”

June first and I had my team running their asses off up and down that field starting at eight in the morning. Each and every one of those kids loved it, too. I had brought out the big box, booming music across the grass. I let them pick the day’s band and I supplied the tunes. I noticed Georgia waiting at the edge of the field. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, looking too thin as her blonde hair fluttered in the wind. I could have been kind and wrapped up practice on time, but the kids were having too much fun, so I let it run over by nearly twenty minutes. The parents were joining in at the end, their smiles wide as they bounced around with their children.

To my surprise, she waited until after I had cleaned everything up and packed the car before she moved towards me. Her dark eyes were clear and healthy. Her smile was honest.

“Thank you for seeing me, Jake,” she started, her voice even and strong.

I nodded once, my guard up and locked tight.

“Do you want to walk, or sit, or…” she laughed nervously.

“Just say what you need to, please,” I said as I folded my arms across my chest, wary of what was to come.

“Right to it, then,” she said, hands sliding into her pockets as she let out a nervous laugh. “I wronged you from the start. I know this is going to be hard to hear, but Liam…”

I swallowed hard. My eyes flattened as I looked at her. “If you’re going to tell me that Liam was not my son, Georgia, I already know.”

She flinched. “When did you know?”

“I don’t know - maybe I started believing it after one of the several dozen times you begged for his ‘real daddy to stay’, or if his ‘daddy was a better man he would’ve stayed’?” I did not attempt to hide the heat of anger that was spiking in my brain.

“If things would have been different… If he was still here,” she was struggling, faltering across her words like the only thing that could save her was a drink. I knew it. I knew that stammer and that look of need too well. I slowed down, she did not need to be provoked. “If he was still here, Jake, you would’ve been his daddy no matter what. You would’ve loved him-”

“I love him still, Georgia!” I shouted, all my venom leaking through my mouth with bitter accuracy. “I was there in the hospital. I held him. I touched him and sang to him every moment that he was with us. He’s with me every day. Every day! Do you hear me? I talk to him, sing with him. My son. No matter what.”

She wiped at her face. I wiped at mine. The rage was not simmering down as it normally would. It pulsed through my veins at a dangerous pace. I needed to walk away. I needed to just be rid of her presence.

“If that’s all you have to say, I’ve got to go,” I said, digging in my pocket for my keys.

“Jake, stay,” she said through her jagged breaths. “That's not all.”

“The fuck,” I growled, unable to hide my emotions.

I watched as she shored herself up while I felt my whole foundation begin to crumble beneath my feet. Her eyes turned to the ground for a long moment like she was gathering her words.

“I listened to you talk about your Amanda all that night,” she said quietly. Too stunned, I found my chin sliding forward so my ears could hear better. “How in love you were. How good of a man you were. I knew I was pregnant. What you all didn’t see was I was in full panic that whole night. Clint had left me the day before once he knew about the baby. I knew I couldn’t do this alone.”

She paused. I felt like all my air was being wrung from my lungs as I tried to keep my focus.

“I knew you would be the kind of man to take responsibility, Jake,” Georgia said, her voice warbling across each syllable. “I watched you leave the party. You had had too much to drink. I made sure of it. I helped you out of your clothes and got you into bed. We never had sex, though. You blacked out. It was so easy to make you think otherwise.”

Shock would not begin to explain what happened in my system in that moment. My world gave way as my knees buckled beneath my weight. A sound emitted from my gut that came close to the pain of losing Liam. It was a sound that carried the loss of a life that should have been. It carried every ounce of dreams and hopes and wishes for a life that was concrete and real and full of love and possibilities. A life with Amanda.

Georgia knelt down beside me and my broken frame. She tucked her hands in her lap. There was shame and remorse etched across her breath for what she had done. We cried together, but for different reasons.

“Jake, to say I’m sorry is not enough,” she whispered, her back bending because of the pain she had caused. “There is no excuse other than the fact it came from a place of absolute fear. I was so desperate-”

“You fucking took my life,” I mumbled. I stared at a blade of grass as my brain tried to clutch at the devastation that had been put upon me. “You didn’t just do this to me. You did this to her. You did this to hurt her. And I was faithful. You made me believe that I hurt her. That I fucking broke our relationship. I…”

The breeze against my flaming skin did little to cool me. Georgia sat with me as I tried to put two words together that would make a lick of sense, to make what she did okay. But it was so wrong. All of it. Quiet tears leaked from the corners of my eyes and I could hear her beside me stifling sniffles. My eyes shifted to her, honing in on the guilt that bubbled from every pore of her. There was no fix. There was no repair that could ever return me to my path that should have been.

“I don’t ever want to see you again,” I whispered, my voice void of me. “Do not call. Do not come back here - at all. If you were looking for forgiveness-”

“I was not looking for forgiveness,” she said, her voice quivering. “I was only looking to give you a truth that has tortured me for all this time. Maybe give you back a piece of you that you thought I had ruined. This is the amends that I extend to you, Jake. Somehow a way to forgive yourself. To-”

“You didn’t just ruin me. You obliterated everything. How is that giving me back anything?”

She blew out a soft breath. “I said that wrong. What I mean was that you were always a good man, Jake. You were always good. I know what you thought you had done to Amanda, how you thought you had broken her trust…” She let out a fractured sob as she shook her head. “You were always hers. Mine sometimes. But you were always hers, Jacob.”

I watched as she stood. My body fought against my wish to rise up with her but I did. I held my arms out to her. It was not forgiveness. It was acceptance. I hugged her for a moment before letting her go. I moved my feet towards my car and did not look back at her. That book was closed. It will stay closed this time.

Amanda POV

If I thought that I was lonely before, I was sorely wrong. The absolute isolation was crippling as I began my filing for divorce. My lawyer, Mr. Upton, was very good, very empathetic. But Roger’s lawyer, Mr. Roburn, was more expensive with more resources at his disposal. Sparrow, of course, became the first point of contention. Roburn argued that it was my original plan to leave Roger, hence my reasons for placing my store into a trust. Mr. Upton, utilizing all fiscal records and legal precedence, that regardless of reasoning, the shop did not belong to me, but to my family and was not a joint asset as Roger had assumed. Of course, then it was argued that I had used my husband’s money for the down payment of the building…

Back and forth. East and West. Round the circle once more. Roburn’s whole strategy was to wear me down. Mr. Upton, on the other hand, stayed in step with the correct argument that kept me protected and Sparrow in my hands. Then came the implications that I had been unfaithful. Pictures were presented of me having coffee with Jake, along with Mick and Robin, Bugger and Meg. It was totally innocent of course, but it led to other pictures where I was talking just with Jake. That was an uncomfortable conversation with Mr. Upton - one where I was not truthful.

Jake was called into a deposition by Mr. Roburn, to which it was suggested, as well as pictures shown, that I had an ongoing relationship with him. Jake explained that we had had a relationship over the summer of 1981 and that we were merely close friends. He then pointed out that the pictures that were showing just me and him talking were actually just a zoomed in photo of the previous ones, in his music shop with plenty of others present.

He had become distant. It was fine. It was enough that I could still share a space with him as I struggled my way through my day to day. The nights were hard. Too often, I tried to manifest him to be with me. Be in my bed holding onto me so that I might not fly apart. But he never came to me.

I retreated. It was all I could do. I kept my social circle to my family only. My parents were beside themselves and were absolutely stunned as my dirty laundry was being dragged out for everyone to see. They let me cry about it behind their closed doors, though. I came to realize that it was not just me that was the topic of Frankenmuth’s hot gossip tongues, but my family as well. It was gross and wrong, but I had to just keep my head up and live through it. I had done nothing wrong to warrant such loose tongues.

As the weeks passed, I watched from the sidelines how Jake healed and returned to his life. It was nice to just be friends again, to talk and laugh. It hurt when I was out at the farmer’s market with Jenni and her little boy and I saw him with Jeanette Williams. He did not see me. His whole attention was on her. At first I was anxious, my skin feeling like it had been stomped on. But then… I stilled and watched as he smiled at her. Really smiled. His whole body was relaxed and at peace. And it was not because of me or my presence. Jeanette had been in Ronnie’s class in school. She always had a reputation of just being kind. I knew she had always been well liked. Perhaps it was something that nurtured him in his time of need without me…

What a selfish thought it was and I knew it the moment that it struck. I tried to move away. To allow my nephew to tug me towards the homemade candy, but I chanced a glance back to see what had been there a year before - happy. Jake was happy. There was no denying what I saw because it was so lovely to see.

The months lingered on like the calendar refused to shed its days and weeks in a timely manner. It hurt. Everyday there would be a call regarding this or that from Mr. Upton. I watched as those around me seemed to move with such life. With such pleasure. I was rooted to my spot. Not allowed to drift amongst the stars or through the leaves that scattered across my path. It was truly the first time that I had no idea what my tread would look like when I emerged from this blackened tunnel that I had found myself wandering through.

My Sparrow was my salvation. No matter what - she was there providing my steady company and sure footed companion that continued to grow and evolve and bear fruit under my care. I could hide amongst her books and hold up new ideas that would take on a life of their own for those who entertained such fancy things as the offerings of a soon to be divorcee’s book shop.

Yeah. The opinion I entertained of myself was pretty low. I was not coping well with all the punishing gut punches that the divorce was dishing to me. It was not like I was asking for anything other than for my marriage to be over. I did not want his money. Roger was very, very comfortable. He worked hard to be so comfortable. I did not deny that. I had worked excruciating hours at Franklin and done well, myself. I did not care that a portion of my funds were still residing in our joint accounts. I would have gladly given him it all just to walk away. During mediations, I even blurted out the fact that I wanted nothing. I questioned why he was dragging his feet on the matter. He had another woman. He had not one, but two kids with her. In the wake of the silence that followed, I excused myself with the last bit of what he had done to my body against my own wishes. Was that not enough to wish to escape that marriage?

August of 1991 was hot. It was the kind of hot where you would shower, towel off and be wet before you reached the bathroom door. It was gross and sticky and smelly and I was wishing for the weather to break. The thunderstorms were coming like crazy, but as soon as one would bring relief, another cycle would start up. The a/c in Sparrow was down. I sent Mick and Robin home and hung a sign that we were too hot to function. I had to wait a few days before I could get anyone out to actually look at the unit. I stayed in the hotel at the other end of the street as the apartment was like a twenty four hour sauna. I watched as my precious books were beginning to buckle under the humidity. I had to invest in a window unit just to keep the moisture from ruining my stock.

It was one of those weeks where I had not heard from Mr. Upton. I was not sure if that was a good thing or not. Perhaps it was too hot in Detroit, too, and he decided to distance himself for a respite from my idiot case. The 14th found me on the phone once again with my a/c man in hopes that he would be there before the end of the day. I had just crossed my fingers when the chime on my door rang out admitting Mr. Upton.

I watched quietly as he pulled a large manilla envelope from his briefcase and held it out for me. “You asked for nothing but the dissolution of your marriage. He has finally given it to you.”

The relief that rushed across my body left me breathless. Sparrow was safe in my care. I asked for nothing and nothing was given. I carefully opened the sheath of papers and took the extended pen from Mr. Upton. His kind eyes met mine for the briefest of moments before he began to point to each spot that required my signature, explaining each passage with a patience that exuded a comfort. On the last page, the moment swelled. I stared at Roger’s huge, elaborate strokes across the heavy paper. He had relented. I licked at my lips before I leaned over once more and slowly scratched my name into the paper that would untie the chain that had kept me locked in place.

I shook the man’s hand and watched as he loosened his tie before leaving the shop. I looked around and absorbed the stillness. I may have wiped a tear or two away. My gut told me to go next door and tell Jake. But my spirit told me to stop. Take in the stillness a little longer. I sat down at one of the cafe tables and just breathed. I allowed my chest to rise and fall uninhibited. I was free.

Instead of telling anyone in the family, I called Mick, followed by Robin. They agreed to take care of the shop and make sure the a/c repair was finished and assure them the bill would be paid upon arrival. I walked up the steps to my apartment and found my bag. Within thirty minutes, I had packed a few outfits and everything that I would need. I jumped in my car and I left Frankenmuth - alone.

I drove. I took breaks at rest stops. I stayed in shitty motels. I had called my parents from some town west of Toronto and assured them that I was fine. I just needed out for a few days. It was the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done, but I drove all the way to Maine, finding a little cottage motel that I stayed in for three days, right on the ocean. It was like all the heat, all the damage, all the injury was relieved. I walked the beach. I drank the sea breeze and fed on the wildness of the landscape. I landed in the bar and got picked up by a very attractive man who said he was on his way out to sea. Didn’t matter if it was true or not. He fucked me sideways and made me cum hard for two damn days.

I celebrated myself for twelve days. I took my time getting home, taking in the first hints of the autumn as I was passing through Pennsylvania. When I got home, I relished it. My parents welcomed me, my sisters laughed with me. It was two days since my arrival back and I dared to walk into Martin’s to find Jake. I knew he had heard the news the moment he looked at me. His smile welcomed me into a hug that my body had been screaming for for months on end.

And he held on. I was sure Bugger and Meg were drifting away from just being uncomfortable, but I didn’t care. I breathed him in and let him hold me while my trials over the past year settled into my bones and across my flesh. It was a victory. It was a victory worth savoring. As he let me go though, I knew I wasn’t ready. I looked into his face and it was a whispered agreement. A ‘maybe’, but not yet.

I’ll see you next Wednesday. 💚

I have a tag list if you would like to join, or you can just reply to this or message me.

@lvnterninthenight @doodle417 @luverleaver @jakesgrapejuice @fictional-duchess @milkgemini @positivegvfthings @songbirds-sweet @gretavanbitches @gardensgatedaisy @babyhoneygvfarchive @myownparadise96 @josh-iamyour-mama @starcatcherc @loveisonaroll @jakesstarlight @reesetrippingthelight @builtby-gvf @ignite-my-fire @wetkleenex-gvf @gold-mines-melting @starsasone @mysticalstarcatcher @montenegroisr @takenbythemadness @way-to-go-lad @cal-a-bungaa @thewritingbeforesunrise @leftjudgeempathsuitcase @brokenbells11 @imborrowedshesblue @vanfleeter @sammysvanfeet @jakekiszkasbuttsweat @jaketlove @gvfmarge @becinabubblegvf @wildbluesorbit @sinarainbows @livkiszka @thetroublegetssoloud71 @gracev0609 @gretavangroupie @fleet-of-fiction @edgingthedarkness @joniizzle-blog

#jake gvf #jake kiszka #greta van fleet #gvf #jake kiszka fan fic #greta van fleet au #gvf au #greta van fleet fan fic #jake kiszka au #best laid plans

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writingcold · 11 months

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Bootleggers & Wildflowers Masterlist

The Kiszka/Wagner Company is relatively new to the community of Kingsford. Cora is seeking for a way out of certain starvation and ruin for her family when she gains employment under the new ownership of the mercantile and general stores. Rumors of shady business practices of her new employers aside, she is certain that she is on a path that will see her family out of debt and into a better light.

Content warnings: Adult situations, alcohol and drug consumption, hard language, violence, character death, abuse and neglect, poverty.

Chapters

1 - Introductions 2 - Wounds and New Friends 3 - Rescues and Business 4 - Friends, Heartbreak, and Futures 5 - Permanent Post and Junie's Wedding 6 - Dancehalls, Visiting, and Drives 7 - Distance and Trouble, Sunday Suppers and Picture Shows 8 - The Chase, Behind the Curtain, and Courtship 9 - Decent, Heart Sick, Care 10 - Debt and Realization, Learning, Protection, End of Act I 11 - Bank, The Moon, and The Lantern, Junie's Plight 12 - Fear, Kidnapping Junebug, Aftermath 13 - Appearances, Healing, Needs 14 - Safety, Falling Apart and a... 15 - Energy, Marriage, and First Disagreement 16 - Dark Horizons 17 - Conversations 18 - Long, Bleak Winter Through Three Sets of Eyes 19 - Rough Roads, Pending Storms, Tasting Colors 20 - What is to Come, Cat and Mouse, A Picnic... 21 - The Story of Jacob and Beatrice 22 - Arrests, Anger, Kindness, Sabotage 23 - Saying Goodbye, The Beginning of Their End, Flicker of Hope, A Bucket of Fear 24 - Going Sideways, Small Victories, And... 25 - Safety and Endings Epilogue - Blessings

#greta van fleet #gvf #jake gvf #jake kiszka #josh kiszka #josh gvf #sammy gvf #sam gvf #daniel gvf #danny gvf #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta van fleet fanfic au #greta van fleet au fic #greta van fleet x ocs #bootleggers and wildflowers

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writingcold · 6 months

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Welcome to Chapter Thirteen and Epilogue of Best Laid Plans

A/N: We made it. The finish. We have a few more hoops to pass through to get to our happy ending - but there will be a very happy ending.

This is a complete fiction - totally made up. I do not, nor will I ever know Jake or any member of GVF. That said, this story is mine. Please respect that.

A huge round of applause for the ever lovely, ever gorgeous @takenbythemadness for all of her help and patience with this one. Love you, my friend.

Content warnings: Language. Angst, arguing. Self doubt/self hate. Lack of confidence. Alcohol. And more of a heads up than a warning - there is a little switch up in the Epilogue to a reader insert pov.

Word count: approx. 8700

Chapter 13: October 1992: Amanda POV

I was relishing the quiet of my Sunday morning. It had been a week since the Fall Festival and we were still getting back into shape after everything, but it certainly was a success. I put on some Handel to soothe the nerves as I sat down at my table with coffee in one hand and my journal in the other. I started journaling once again. It’d only been a few days, but after the revelation the prior Sunday, I just knew - I needed to put down thoughts that had been bottled up and kept me from moving on. I had just gotten these cool, leather bound journals that were carved with dragons, flowers and fairies for the shop. I picked one with an imprint of a moon. Yeah. You get it.

I had just lifted up my pen when there was a knock on my door. To say I was surprised to find Jake standing there with pastries from Blaine’s would be an understatement. His eyes looked exhausted, with black smudges beneath them like he hadn’t slept in days. But his lack of smile caught me off guard. As he sat down and I put a mug of coffee before him, I realized the air was heavy between us. I cleared the table before setting down plates and napkins, like I was intentionally being busy to keep us from talking.

“I, uh,” I started as he fiddled with the handle of his coffee mug, only to stop when he brought up his destroyed gaze to meet my own. I nearly bit through my lip in my effort to retreat from him. My brain literally went the only route I knew that may be safe. “Jeanette must be on at the hospital-”

“Stop,” he whispered.

The abruptness cut me. I fell back to quietly sipping at my coffee, eyeing up the corner of the table closest to me. There had been a change. It was still too early to know if it was good or bad. Whichever it may be, I felt my gut twist with an anxiousness that I did not want to feel.

He rubbed his hands together before coming to rest his elbows on the table and fingers pressed into his forehead. “I’m, uh, going to go for a while.”

I could not hide my confusion. “You okay, Jake?”

“Honestly? No,” he huffed with his palms pressed into his eyes. I watched as his chest pumped air in and out before he settled back in the chair. “I just need to be out of here for a few weeks.”

“Where do you plan on going?” I asked, intentionally keeping my tone soft.

“New Mexico,” he answered.

“What the fuck is there?” The words flew out before I could stop. His eyes flared open with a bit of humor before he blew out a breath. “Sorry. Just…”

“Mountains and desert. I just need something so opposite of here that I figured New Mexico would fit that bill,” he explained with a nod.

“Something happen with Jeanette?” I asked carefully.

He nodded slowly. “We parted as friends.”

“Oh.” I took a swallow of coffee that stuck in my throat like a half molten rock. The scalding shred of my gasp brought his attention to me as I started to sputter. I could feel the embarrassment tinge my cheeks scarlet.

“I can’t take you anywhere,” he muttered with a grin, pushing a napkin in my direction.

I laughed, which of course only made it worse. I stumbled to my feet and reached for a glass for water. With my back to him, I realized the significance of him being here. He was no longer with Jeanette. He was not upset because of it. I sipped slowly to cool my nerves and slow myself as I returned to the table.

“Better?” he asked, shooting me a sideways grin. I could only nod before he continued. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Oh, while you're gone? Water your nonexistent houseplants?” I asked, trying to keep my words light. “Or something with Martin’s? I can replace a spit valve on a trombone like nobody’s business.”

“I need you to let me go,” he said quietly.

“You don’t need anyone’s permission to go to New Mexico.”

His eyes drifted closed. “Not what I mean, Mandy.”

Jake's tone made me roll my lips in between my teeth. “Okay. Tell me what you mean then.”

He wiped at his nose before turning his eyes to meet mine in a steady gaze. “I love you. I’ve been in love with you forever.” His mouth stilled and his gaze fell away as he swallowed hard. “I came upon the truth that I covet you. Jeanette asked if she was a placeholder. I didn’t understand at first. I didn’t even realize I made her feel that way. It was horrible. She did not deserve to feel that way. But she was right. I’ve been waiting. But I’m not the only one.”

The air turned sharp. I wrapped my hands around my mug in search of something warm. When I started to open my mouth to speak he shook his head.

“I realized last night that I cannot continue this. I cannot feel like…” He rolled his eyes up to the ceiling as if searching for the right words. “That’s not right. It’s not coming out right.”

My eyes fell to my fingers. My feet started to brush across the floor. “Jake?”

“You never got angry with me. I guess I never gave you the chance to. I just told you about Georgia and I left like a fucking coward.” He cleared his throat nervously.

“Jake, we don’t have to-”

He slapped his hand down. The crack made me sit up straight. His face grew hard as he leaned into the table. “Yeah. Yes, we need to talk about this because this is everything - everything that is standing in the way.”

Against my better judgment, I jumped up from the table and started to move away. “Fuck that. We can’t change what happened. It’s done.”

It was like all the trust that he had rebuilt in me, all the time that had passed fell away in one long swipe. My heart thundered in my chest and I couldn’t even tell you why. Perhaps it was because I knew to this day, I did not acknowledge his fault in this situation. He… Jake… He put something into me that made me have doubts in this world. I did not need this pain. I did not want to face this pain. I did not need to feel this pain.

“Amanda, stop.” The sound of his chair scraping against the floor turned my stomach sour. He moved before me, his body solid. Real. “We need to talk about this because it ruined everything.”

“YOU!” I belted out before I could stop it. “You ruined it, Jake!”

Oh my. Where the hell did all of this come from? How could a wound that happened years before still feel fresh. I clutched at my chest like I had that day, as if his words were new, but instead of being so damned surprised, I knew what it all meant. I knew that this wound had been allowed to become infected and blistered and blackened.

“Liam was not my child,” he whispered, his eyes welling with tears. “I’m sure you surmised that on your own, though.”

My jaw dropped as I emitted a sound that made me sound like I was incredulous. But that was not the case. Never had I thought that Liam was not Jake’s son. Never had I thought that Georgia had not been truthful.

He was shaking his head. “He’s still my son. I love him so much, Mandy. He was so innocent. So perfect. But he was not me. Not biologically.”

My heart broke at the sight of his struggle. I felt my spirit settle into a calm that was the direct opposite of how my body trembled. Every ounce of my flesh wanted to bolt and not turn back. However, every inch of my soul wanted to reach out in comfort and love.

“Georgia came to me a few years back,” he continued, wiping at his eyes. The tip of his tongue pressed against the corner of his mouth like he was fighting to keep the words from coming out. He let out a stuttered breath as his hand combed through his hair. “She lied about everything. I had believed that I had broken your trust. That I had slept with her-”

“Oh my fucking god!” I shouted at him like an idiot. My hands were in the air. My face was twisted with heat. My sight was white with absolute rage. It was like he was clawing at the wound to make it bigger, making me bleed out all the faster. I tried to move away from him, but it just seemed like I couldn’t even force myself to budge.

“She made me believe that I was bad,” he whispered. “She would throw it in my face any time she knew you would be home for a stretch where there was a chance of me seeing you. I didn’t understand it. Not until after she told me everything. She knew. She knew that I would shelter her if I thought Liam was mine. She knew that I would step away from you if I just believed her. I was so panicked that I thought I was doing the right thing all along. She used my naivety against me and used it frequently to keep me with her.”

His words struck my surface with feather light brutality towards himself. They were slow to penetrate and sink through the layers of my dermis to strike my spirit in a way that was meaningful. “I do not believe with all that is of me, that Jake betrayed me. It is just not in him to be so reckless, so thoughtless of what we had as to be with another woman. I don’t care if he was drunk. I just cannot believe he could be so not loyal to us.” My own words roared back against me and I gasped in surprise. He had been loyal. He had been faithful. The wrong was never his own. Not fully.

“I allowed a lie to be my guide, Amanda,” he said, his face downcast, his voice ruined with emotion. “I was stupid enough to believe it. I was stupid enough to allow her to take advantage of me. I’m so, so sorry. In the end, I still did this to us. I allowed it to happen because I didn’t think enough of myself to believe I had done otherwise. I broke our plan.”

My rage blinded my cooler thoughts. I doubled over with my arms wrapped across my stomach. “Fuck the goddamned plan! She ruined more than just a goddamned plan!”

He inhaled sharply. It was like he wanted my anger to wash over him; cleanse him. He set his jaw, but his eyes were full of such sorrow that I swear I could feel the shattering beneath my feet. My world was about to change once more. It would break apart and wait for me to try to glue it back together again.

“Well, this isn’t where I expected this conversation to take us,” I seethed, unable to stop the fury that bubbled through my throat.

He nodded as he shoved his hands into his front pockets. It was then that I realized he wore no jacket, no flannel. He wore old, holey jeans and a plain white tee, and a set of ancient vans that I could not see how they kept together. His face was unshaven and his tired eyes were now beyond destroyed, red rimmed and sore looking. I was no better, I’m sure. I stopped as his previous words finally wrapped back around to me.

“What do you mean I have to let you go?” I said, unable to say all the words without hiccuping across many of them.

“It was my choice to leave you behind. My choice to face what I thought I needed to do,” he said, fresh tears beading up at the corners of his eyes. “I kept this idea that sooner or later we would be together again. And then…”

I knew where he was taking me next. “That was my need. My choice, Jacob.”

The deep blush across his chest as the shared memory of those precious few days flashed so very clearly. I bit into the inside of my cheek. I refused to be angry about that time. I was desperate and I could swallow that my infidelity was my sin. My own fracture of what I knew was good and holy. It was so easy to be unfaithful when I knew that Roger had broken vows first. I had wondered, often, during the divorce if I could've allowed myself to have loved Jake the way I did if I had not known about Roger’s infidelity. Once I knew he had broken his vows, it was like I was no longer married to him in my heart. In reality, I wanted to make him hurt as much as he had hurt me, twisted me and shamed me for being lonely. That was his play - keep me deprived to keep me believing that our marriage was real. I pushed my hands across my hair as I turned away from him.

“I will not apologize for what I have done,” I said sharply. “You gave me something that I needed desperately. You extended to me kindness when I most needed it. And it was my choice to walk away when I did. I had to walk away to protect us both.”

He sat down like he would've fallen down had he not. “And this whole time, no matter what, I have felt like you were coming back around to me. Like you knew that I was waiting.”

“Waiting? You weren’t waiting for me.”

His eyes pinched hard until they closed.

“How were you waiting for me? You had Jeanette this whole time. I thought you loved -”

I stopped. Goddamn, I was dense. What he said to start this argument clicked into place.

“You would’ve hurt her if I asked you to,” I said quietly, my eyes closed against him.

“I would’ve hurt anyone I was with if you would’ve said the words,” he answered plainly.

“Damn it,” I sighed as the fight leaked out of my bones.

“I know you feel it, Mandy,” he said, his tongue thick against his voice. “Everytime I’m near you, I can’t fight the pull you have across me. It’s only gotten stronger over the past few months. And I’m telling you, I cannot do this anymore. I can’t stand here and wait without knowing that you are working your way back to me. I need you to let me go. Tell me to fuck off. Tell me that I need to get my head out of my ass and forget it. Forget us.”

“And if I don't want to?” I asked, feeling my mouth tremble across the thought.

His face erupted in a wave of emotions that I could only pinpoint as being in pain. I was holding him in a spot that was not fair to him. But my stupid heart began to pound fear into my system. If I let him go, would he be back? I drew in a tattered breath that barely soothed my aching lungs.

“I don’t want you to go, Jake,” I said finally.

He let out a sob that was mixed with joy and sorrow, mixed with all of his emotions in between. “Please, Amanda. I need it. We need this. How this is - right now - this is not it. Not how it should be.”

“I’m scared.”

The way his lips curled downwards broke the last shreds of my resolve. He held up one hand for me to take and I jumped at the chance to touch him. He pulled me in and I was instantly overcome by him - the scent of his fresh washed t-shirt, the smell of his skin and the soldiness of his body. I did not hide my tears or my fear. I pressed my lips to his, nearly whining over the familiar that I had so desperately needed for so long. His hands wrapped around me as he deepened the kiss in a way that sent shockwaves across my skin. I traced the ridge of his cheek bone as he pulled away. The way the light draped itself across him made my heart swell all the more.

“I love you,” I whispered as he cupped my cheek. Our hearts were breaking in unison. I could feel it. “I’ve only ever loved you. I wish it was enough. I wish I was enough.”

He cursed quietly as he brought his forehead down against my temple. “Thank you.”

I am not sure if I saw him leave. I know I stumbled to the couch and lay down. The CD that I had been playing, repeated and I’m not sure how many times either. I stared at the edge of the coffee table until my vision blurred and I drifted on a sea of thoughts and memories and heartache and hurt. Somehow, it was five a.m. and I needed to get my ass moving. Somehow, I put myself through a shower and got to work. Thankfully, Mick and Robin were quiet and the day progressed without drama. Lord knows, I had enough of that shit in spades.

I had no way of knowing how Jake was going on his trip - car, plane, train, bus. I had no idea if he was safe. I had no idea if he arrived wherever in New Mexico he was going. It tore at my thoughts and chewed at my insides. Day four I discovered something - I had gotten too good at hiding the depth of what I was actually living with. Those around me had no clue I was struggling as badly as I was without Jake near. But that was the issue, wasn’t it? Jake being my fuel. Me needing Jake to be my air.

What was supposed to be two weeks, turned into three. Normally, time zipped by in a flurry of work and life. These three weeks, however, moved like wet concrete in January. Time has never moved like that for me. Ever. Not the days after he had left me the first time. Not during the long hours of when I was alone during my marriage, or how I was strung along during my divorce. Jake had been close through most of that. I watched the first snowflakes come and turn to rain and return to ice crystals again.

The in-between times caught me gaining strength. I was able to breathe. I was able to find warmth and a smile that was easy. I wondered if Jake was the same. Were we going to be okay? Were we going to find our way back to each other was not the focus. I was finding my feet on my own. I was mending wounds that Jake had inflicted. I could feel the strength that was my own begin to return. My world did not revolve around him; did not need to be only him. I had self-worth to bring back to the table. I had a ‘me’ to bring to any form of relationship. I could sit with him as an equal once more and be able to offer myself instead of just taking what I need. I had survived for so long on my own. I was not the girl I was when he first loved me. I was not the woman at the bottom of her barrel when he loved me again. I was renewed in my own form, just as he was.

Day thirteen brought me to a morning of silence. It was dark outside still when my eyes fluttered open from slumber. Just the soft amber light of the street lamps glowed in the haze of pre-dawn. I breathed in a few times, just feeling the softness of my sheets and blanket around me while the cold air of the apartment touched at the tip of my nose and ears. It was when I realized that I forgave him. I accepted that he had been fooled into thinking the worst of himself. I could only imagine what that had been like for him - he had tried so very hard to be a good man. To know that he had been manipulated to control him crushed me. It crushed me that Georgia saw his goodness and turned it into a weapon. But I forgave him. He only followed the purity that had been within him to do what was right. Perhaps fate put him there to do good for her. Too bad it was a ‘good’ that she in the end, did not grow from.

“I forgive you, Jacob,” I whispered into the void, not that I expected him to hear, or that the universe would instantly make him appear at my doorstep with flowers and joy. I said it for myself. I felt the rubber cement and sticky tape that I had been binding my wounds for so long fall away. Instead of bleeding out like I had been afraid to do for all that time, I stood whole. It was the best feeling I had ever had. I had returned to being just me.

Midday at the shop was quiet. The poetry group had come and gone and I had deposited the leftovers at Martin’s. (A secret: I always made sure I had extras so as to take next door for Meg and Bugger. Always.) I waved at Mr. Henry who was in the middle of a lesson on the piano. I was in mid-sentence when Robin ran through the door to fetch me. My stomach lurched as I bumbled behind. My hands were shaking when I reached for the waiting phone behind the counter. My voice was trembling when I asked Mom what was wrong…

Jake POV

I took the bus down to Albuquerque. I wanted to watch the land roll by, shifting from farms and woods to fractured, dry scrap, to angry uplifting of mountains and hard, dehydrated desert. The dry air was stabbing my body, robbing it of every drop of moisture as I stepped off the bus at the station and found a cab to get to my motel. Lord, it was a shit hole. But such as it was, I collapsed into the bed after an inspection made me realize that indeed, the sheets were clean.

When I woke, it was to the hardscrabble of the high desert and the Sandia mountains. The fresh sunlight washed across the peaks in a way that made me stare like it was the first time I had ever watched a sunrise. I shivered in the morning air, the iciness surprising me, but it felt good. It felt different from home.

I had paid for an extended camping/hiking tour because lord knows, I was not stupid enough to go alone. I rented a car to carry me up the mountain to the arranged meeting at the trailhead and I was on my way. Evan, the guide on the tour, took eight of us out for a four day journey deep into the landscape and it was amazing. I trailed behind for much of it, seeking more solitude for pieces of beauty that I wanted to digest and feel on my own. By the last day, I was not wanting to leave. I had fallen in love with the land. I had fallen in love that I had found within myself the strength to force myself forward and through the syrup that had engulfed me in regards to Amanda Fischer.

When I returned to my crappy motel room, I cleaned up, rubbed my aching muscles and I think I slept for nearly twenty four hours. It was glorious to feel the scratchy sheets and questionable pillow surrounding me in such a foreign way. I could hear the stirrings of life outside the tiny, smelly room. People waking. People fighting. People fucking. And I smiled.

I wandered through bars and salsa clubs, absorbing the music, observing those around me. I was even pulled to the dancefloor for a disastrous turn of salsa. Yeah, this Midwestern boy’s hips do not swivel like that. But she was lovely in trying to help me through it. I returned to the motel and as I put my wallet on the nightstand I debated with myself if I should call home - let them know I was fine. But that was a lie. I didn’t want to call my parents. I wanted to talk to Mandy. I wanted to hear her voice.

When Georgia told me that I had never slept with her in the first place, it was a sucker punch to my entire self. She picked me because I had been in love. She picked me because I was so unaware of anything but that love. She took my goodness, my idea of what being a good man was, and used it as her shelter. I suppose what my father had said after we lost Liam took on a whole new meaning: I was meant to hold Georgia through an incredibly difficult time and share the grief of a dream that was never to be. Though she went about it in every way that was wrong, she needed someone to extend her kindness. Love. I did love her. I grew to it slowly, but I did. Was it the innocent love that I harbored for Mandy before my marriage - no. I guess that was what made it all feel worse in the end. It was something for Georgia to harvest and control.

What I did to Jeanette was due to my own self imposed ignorance. I could be an ass and say that none of what she felt was true. I was present for the entirety of our relationship. I could point out that I was following her lead and keeping things casual. But that’s not true. I was forcing them to stay casual because I could not get over my arrogant ass and stop myself from expecting Mandy to heal up right quick after the divorce and fall back to me. Jeanette was an amazing woman that I short changed. For us to find each other and heal together was something that should have been celebrated. For us to part as friends is a show of how strong the woman’s grace actually was for me.

I spent time in Santa Fe and drove through the Jemez mountains. I gave myself the gift of just being alone. And I relished it. So much so that I called Henry and asked if he would be willing to cover me for another week. He must have heard my need. Must have heard my strength returning. Although he mumbled about how Ada was going to kick his ass, he agreed without any convincing. I knew it would hit my credit card, but I would sort that out later. I wanted to glut myself on margaritas, beer and amazing food a little while longer. I wanted to hike and stare at the mountains out the grimy window of my shitty assed motel room. I wanted to watch people dance and listen to the music and watch street mariachi and… Do it alone.

I changed while I was there in the desert. I forgave myself for the man that I had been - naive. I forgave myself for the man that I had been recently - arrogant. I thought of my son. I would never have been blessed to love him if I had not been the man that I had been with Georgia. I wondered if I would ever have a child to take hiking. The selfish part of my brain pointed out that Mandy could not have children. I told it to fuck all the way off. I had already proven to myself that I could love - be a father - to a child that was not my own. That was good. Liam had shown me so much, taught me so much, in the few hours of his presence. It was long enough for him to invade my soul and reside in my skin. Every waking moment I think of how he would fit in, how he would see the world around us.

The bus ride home was full of stillness. I traveled back across desert and mountains, the incredibly boring flats of the panhandle and Oklahoma, the endlessness of Texas, the fractured plains of Kansas and finally back into the wooded farmland that was close to home. Dad came to pick me up from the bus depot in Detroit. We had coffee in a diner before stopping off in a guitar shop for a few hours of lost time. He laughed as I out-riffed him on a pretty cherry red SG. Our drive to Frankenmuth was full of conversation that left me spilling out my guts and him just listening.

We got home just after dark and Mom had a casserole ready for us. Before walking inside, he smiled at me as I got my bag from the trunk.

“I’m proud of the man you are, Jacob,” he said plainly.

He held me tight for a long moment before dragging me inside for supper. Getting home and looking around the tiny rooms of my house warmed me through despite the freezing temps outside. Dad had swung by to make sure my heat was on and the mail was on my table. I would have to buy that man a drink to call it square.

To lay down in my own bed brought me all the way back to the moment at hand. I was ready to return to what was ahead of me. I was ready to accept whatever lay before me - be it with Mandy in friendship, or more.

I returned to work to find that it was just as I left it. I had brought Henry back a guitar that I’m sure Ada would huff about, but it was a really pretty guitar. I was digging out my desk when Meg popped her head in with a hello. We were slow to catch up, sipping coffee and she filled me in on the happenings up and down the street including news about Mandy’s dad. I grimaced.

“Heart attack,” she explained. “Mandy was in yesterday with treats from the book club. Said he was getting out today.”

I shook my head as the situation filtered through. Henry showed up with a smile and wanting to help out on the day to “ease” me back into it. I did not turn him down. I may have peeked next door to see if Mandy was there, but just waved when I saw Mick behind the counter and Robin in the front window talking with a customer. I spent the rest of the day buried in bills and invoices. At closing, Henry tucked in with an invitation for a beer at Miller’s. How could I refuse?

There was already a large crowd inside when we stepped in. The Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket” was playing loudly. The song brought a smile to my lips. It had been a long time since I heard one of Mandy’s favorites. Henry found a booth while I got us a pitcher. The jukebox rolled into another one of her favorites, Joe Cocker’s “Black-Eyed Blues”, swooned through the speakers. I started looking around to see who this crowd actually entailed, but didn’t really recognize anyone.

“What’s buzzing you, Jake? For a man that just got back from vacation - extended vacation - you’re being a jumpy little shit,” he laughed as he raised his mug to who I supposed was myself.

“Vacation, huh? Is that what I was doing?” I quipped as I took a long pull of lite amber colored water. My lip curled in jest. “Just had a lot to figure out, Henry.”

“And did you figure it out, Jacob?” he asked as his eyes trained back over my shoulder.

He grinned and waved at someone. I glanced around to see who it was, thinking it was a customer or maybe a friend but couldn’t see who it was that had captured his gaze. We chatted about the shop, and he listed everything that he tried to ‘fix’ but wound up leaving it to the boss since you know - that was me. And then it hit - a memory as Queen’s “Love of My Life” started.

We were listening to records a few days before we parted for school for the fall term. We were dancing and singing, making love and just being us, when I put this record on. She giggled as she was putting on my t-shirt before flopping back on my bed.

“It sounds like a school concert at the start, don’t you think?” she teased as I crooned on, feeling far from foolish. “Like, could you just imagine Mrs. Walker pounding out that on her piano while the little kids are just singing along?”

I pretended to be wounded but continued to sing on. I wanted her to hear me. I had known that I just wanted to love her forever and in my young man folly, I had no idea what was around the corner.

This time, I stood up, looking around because three important songs to us just didn’t just happen. It was like someone was looking into my brain and pulling out some of the sweetest, most dear memories and laying them bare for anyone and everyone to see.

“What’s wrong, Jake?” Henry asked, his warm smile betraying the situation.

“Henry, what the actual fuck is going on?” I asked, trying to look for anything familiar in the murk of the bar.

And that’s when I saw her, close to the pool table buried behind a table filled with her family. Jenni was animatedly talking over everyone while she just sat there, eyes on me. I froze to the spot immediately. She was the most beautiful thing I had seen. The way the corner of her mouth tugged just a hair into the hint of a grin sent my blood racing. Next to her, sat her dad, quiet and still, just soaking up his family. Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” made her eyes fucking twinkle as her gaze stayed steady on me. I sucked in a breath as I had to hold the table to steady myself. She had sung me that song so many times as we lazed around, touching, laughing. My heart felt like it was quivering in my chest while all I could do was release a soft breath.

“Damn man,” Henry chuckled. “I’d say go talk to the girl.”

I looked down at him. “Did you know she would be here?”

“Maybe.”

It was the only answer that he gave me. Instead of watching me fumble the ball like I was doing, he stood up, patted me on the shoulder and said his goodnight. I watched as she crossed the floor, four empty pitchers in between her fingers as she threaded her way towards the bar. I reached for my beer and sipped gauging my next step. She looked back at me, her eyes full of… a smile. It was my smile. My heart melted a bit. It was my Amanda that was walking towards me with two glasses in her hands.

“Hey, Jake, right?” she asked, her lips parted in a knowing smile as she held out a whiskey neat.

I groaned and nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Mandy, right?”

Epilogue - The Wrap: August, 2003 - reader insert pov

“AMANDA!” Jake yells with his chin pointed up towards the ceiling so that she could hear him through the floor of the second story. “What the hell is this?”

He’s looking directly at you - all of you huddled in his living room. There’s a few shuffled feet, a few nervous giggles as he looks at you expectantly like any one of you has answers as to why you are in his home. The house is large with a huge array of toys, books and instruments for little kids, big kids, teens that are everywhere. The home is comfortable, in that large family kind of way where things are squished down on the couch and carpeting, and the pictures are so cluttered that one has to walk directly up to them to be able to see what the hell is being featured. The air is filled with life and the smell of cookies and dinner in the oven. You find a spot on the heavy rug to sit down, waiting for the ‘talk’ that is to come.

“OH!” Mandy gasps out as her feet are carrying her down the stairs. “Jake - don’t you remember - I told you about this.”

“You said ‘book club’, I stopped listening,” he huffs, eyes drifting over the whole crowd with apprehension. “I thought you meant Mrs. Warner and her interesting takes on romance novels.”

“No. Not exactly,” she sighs as she drifts back into the kitchen to retrieve a tray that is ladened with cookies and goodies. “Grab the big pitchers will you?”

“Why do we have eight pitchers of – whatever this stuff is?” Jake calls out from the depth of the kitchen.

“So we have a variety - mojitos, margaritas, and sangria,” Mandy says with a cheeky smile and a wink. “And for anyone who just wants a beer, I do have that. Or there’s water, ice tea and coffee is brewing as we speak.”

Jake comes in with the first pitchers. “Jesus - are you planning on sending everyone home toasted?”

There’s a collective laugh that ripples through the room. You feel your cheeks warm just a bit as Jake reacts to hearing the laughter, his eyes glinting and mischievous smirk tugging at his lips. He shifts around the hem of his shirt as he turns to head back to the kitchen. Mandy reappears with a whole host of glasses, napkins and cutlery on another tray. Her smile is huge and full of anticipation. It’s hard not to be caught up in her energy. A few of the other participants pop up and start helping to pass out preferred beverages. You find yourself walking around with bags of popcorn and other goodies to share. There’s a shared atmosphere of happiness that can not be hidden. Mandy, very graciously, accepts the aid and starts bringing in the huge coffee percolator and Jake follows with styrofoam cups, cream and sugar. He turns his eyes to the wall as if he could see and hear what is going on outside. You realize his Dad radar has been activated as he quickly heads back to the kitchen and you hear an exterior door open and close.

For the briefest of moments, you hear Dad Jake unleash the power of his dad voice. There are a few of you that side eye each other with a bit of a rub between the knees. You know who you are. Once everyone is settled back with treats and libations, Mandy returns to move around a few chairs, notably to have her and Jake in the fore so as to best answer your most pressing questions. Jake returns to find his wife just beaming with a glass of sangria balancing on the ridge of her denim clad thigh. He pauses for a beat before disappearing back to the kitchen with a grumble about ‘don’t worry - I can get my own damn beer’. You join in the soft laughter that bubbles up from the group.

“All right,” he huffs as he sits and gets comfortable before cracking open his beer. “What am I here for?”

“Well, all of these lovely people have taken the time to write down some questions for us to answer -”

“Why did they do that? We’re not that interesting,” he mutters, casting a wary eye across the group.

Mandy flashes a knowing smile out to all of you. “Just roll with it, babe.”

“Roll with it,” he sighs before taking a sip from his can. “I guess I can do that.”

She produces a small notebook and sets her glass down after taking a hearty sip with a flair of drama. “Okay, let’s see what’s our first question… Oh.”

You all giggle as you see the pink blush cross the ridge of her cheeks. Her eyes flip up to meet yours before flicking over to Jake’s.

“That can’t be good,” he mumbles, reaching across her to look at the notebook. There’s a ripple of nervous laughter that rolls over the group at the sight of Jake’s blush that starts at his cheeks and blooms downward towards the top of his t-shirt collar. “Really? Who the hell asked that question?”

Mandy clears her throat and shifts a bit. “So you want to know what happened after we said ‘hi’ at Miller’s? We uh… well. We danced a bit. Played a bit of pool. Yeah. Yup. We did that.”

“Are they really wanting to know exactly what happened that night?” Jake asks, his eyes widening with a whole new gleam dancing across the iris of his eyes.

You all nod your heads as a few let loose “Yes - yes we do.”

Mandy rolls her lips in between her teeth as Jake shifts about. You all get the drift, but love watching them squirm. One of you gets brave and says, “You had mind numbingly amazing sex that lasted more than a week. Got it. Mrs. Warner would be so proud.”

Everyone laughs as Jake blanches. Every note of color washes out of his face like a tide. Which of course, makes the situation all the funnier. Even Mandy, with one hand on his knee, is doubled over laughing.

Jake swipes the notebook in an effort to keep this show on the road. He clears his throat while playfully glaring at Mandy before casting his eyes down on the paper. “Next question: how did you propose? Well that’s simple. After the weeklong, mind numbing fabulous sex that Mrs. Warner would have wished to have read about, I asked her and she said…”

“No. I said no,” Mandy laughed as he slid his hand into hers, threading their fingers together tightly.

“What the hell? Why would you do that?” someone in the group blurts out.

She shrugs with a glance at Jake. “I don’t know. It didn’t feel right, I guess. But, as you can see - we did get married. I asked him about a month later. He made this beautiful dinner, and there was an Otis Redding album on. It just felt right so I asked.”

“I made her get down on one knee and everything,” Jake laughed before he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “What she didn’t know, I had a ring in my back pocket ready to do the same thing. So, she put her ring on my finger when I said yes.”

There is a collective sigh that ripples through the room. Jake flashes a tight little smile like he wasn’t getting caught up in the feels, instead taking a sip of his beer and setting the can to the side. Mandy laughs as she rescues the notebook and looks at the next question.

“The wedding. Yeah,” she is nodding as her eyes roll up to the ceiling. “So I had this stupid huge wedding when I married Roger. Jake pretty much eloped when he married Georgia. With that in mind, we decided to shoot for something in between. I mean, we wound up buying this house - my parent’s house before the wedding. We got married in the backyard and had a whole house full of family and friends. It was so beautiful. Perfect.”

Jake is rubbing at the back of his neck as the group shifts around expecting him to talk. When it becomes obvious that he was going to trust that Mandy’s answer was sufficient, he suddenly gets interested in the label on his beer, despite the sets of eyes that were turned to him in question.

“What?” he asks finally, making contact with Mandy. She holds up both of her hands to kind of nudge him along. He huffs a bit before settling back down. “Mands was gorgeous, of course. Josh stood up for me while her sister Jenni stood up for her. We didn’t need the big wedding party. We didn’t need much of anything, actually. But the party after - that was a lot of fun.”

Mandy perks an eyebrow at him but figures it is good enough. “Okay, so our next question is about the shops. Yes, the shops are doing great, actually. They keep us pretty busy. Jake’s doing more production work than lessons, now.”

“Yes. I’ve partnered with a few studios in Detroit and so I’m using my producing skills for different bands now,” he explains as he sat up straight and folds his arms across his chest. “I had to bring in a few hands to cover lessons, but it’s really been a good run.”

“And Sparrow continues to do very well. We’re now one of two bookstores left in this region, so we are definitely keeping busy.”

Mandy hands the notebook back over to Jake. He looks down at where her fingers were holding the place of the next question. He seems to turn shy for a moment, but then lets out a laugh.

“So, you may have noticed, we have quite the family,” he said, his grin turning wider by the moment.

Mandy’s own smile is beaming as he loops an arm across her shoulders. “Since we can't have them, we decided to start with fostering.”

“Somehow, we’ve ended up with six right now,” he laughs, wiping a hand across his cheek like he was amazed. “We’re fostering two, and we’ve adopted four - two girls and two boys. We’re trying to adopt the two we are fostering, two more girls.”

“Jake says we’ll just keep adopting them until we’re like ancient and can’t do it anymore,” Mandy laughs out, leaning into his side with such devotion.

The joy that they exude for each other laps out into the room. So much so that there are a few of you that are wiping at your eyes, some of you just have a smile that seems to be reaching up from the bottom of your toes. You watch as they lean forwards, their hands seeking the other to entwine and give a little squeeze of assurance. They turn their faces to each other with a smile only they can truly understand.

The back door slams and a young voice is calling out for “Dad!” It breaks the moment and everyone kind of just shakes it off like you all were spellbound. Jake waves his hands like he was relieved to be allowed to move. He ducks through the kitchen door, his tone questioning, then getting firmer.

“Is your hand falling off right now?”

There’s a moment where there is no sound and you all are just frozen to your spots. You heard the sniffle and the tears. Mandy takes a sip of her drink, although her eyes are straying to the closed door behind her. Slowly, the door swings out to reveal Jake and a boy about twelve, cradling his wounded hand. He is nearly as tall as his dad, with long, thick blonde hair, worn just like dad. You all grin as Jake navigates him to the bathroom with a look to his wife.

“Just a cut,” he says quietly, maneuvering him into the hallway beyond.

Mandy is nodding and turning her attention back to the notebook. “Hey, I can answer this one. Has Jake returned to New Mexico? Yes. We spent a good ten days down there after the wedding. It was beautiful. He really found some solace down there. He did take Jasper down for his tenth birthday and camped for a week. He’s now fourteen and I’m sure the source of Mattey’s upset.

“Oh, I just realized, I can take a bit to brag about the kids. So, there’s Jasper, he’s the oldest at fourteen. He was our first foster, with his sister Tamara who is now twelve. Mattey came next. He came to our family when he was nine, all knobby knees and the biggest green eyes you’ll ever see.” Mandy grins as her soft spot for the boy is revealed in such a grace filled moment. “Bonnie was next. She came to us when she was just two - our first kiddo that young. She’s napping with our fosters, Mary and Becca, they are two and ten months. All of them are just wonderful kids. We’re so lucky to have them in our family.”

There’s a pop of a stuck door that snaps down the hall before Jake reappears with a very shy boy at his side. You watch as their eyes snap to the mama to find reassurance. Mandy holds out an arm and Mattey is quick to melt into her side. Jake mutters a warm ‘mama’s boy’ while he brushes his hand over the boy’s hair. He means in it the best of ways. There is a collective sigh as Jake sits down and tells the boy to head back outside.

Mandy takes a moment to check to see if everyone has enough to drink as Jake eyes up the snack offerings, landing on a bag of popcorn. They seem to settle back, side by side, in the most lovely way. You realize that your time in the house is going to be coming to a close soon. There’s only a few more questions left to be answered. You sip at your drink with a little bit of apprehension - you’re not sure if you’re ready to let them go.

“Okay, so what’s next,” Jake remarks before shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

“Well, let’s see,” she says quietly, turning her eyes back to the notebook. “Uh, so our tenth anniversary is coming up and Jake just turned-”

“Thirty,” Jake broke in with a laugh.

“Forty one,” Mandy corrected with an eyebrow lift and cocky grin. “But a very sexy, handsome forty one.”

There was ascension amongst you, which in turn made Jake all blushy and shy. It only made things worse with more ‘awws’ that turned the man’s cheeks a red that was beyond endearing. Mandy pats his thigh before gripping it tight with a belly laugh. She is so proud of her man; just as much as he was of her. Even in stillness, you could see their spirits dancing so close, so happy.

“I’m not sure what he’s been scheming, actually,” Mandy said, her teeth mashed together in a grimace. “It could be naked lounge singing on a cruise, or -”

“No, no, no,” he laughed, making everyone in the group laugh with him once they realized where she was taking them. “Hey, that is still going to be a surprise, love. I can say that the beach and ocean will be involved.”

Your cheeks are hurting from smiling so much. There’s stirrings upstairs and Mandy’s attention is drawn up the second floor to the sounds of ‘Mommy’ being called out by the littlest of voices. It’s time. Were all the questions answered? No. But that’s okay. You know that Jake and Mandy have extended this time to you as only a courtesy and it was well worth it for all involved. You all thank the lovely couple for the time and wonderful hospitality before heading off into your own part of the world knowing that although their love story was not always a happy one, they most certainly are happy now.

The End 💚

Thank you to those who have read it through during posting and thank you to those who will binge it all in one go. I hope you have enjoyed BLP. I told you there’d be a happy ending!

#jake gvf #jake kiszka #greta van fleet #gvf #jake kiszka fan fic #greta van fleet au #gvf au #greta van fleet fan fic #jake kiszka au #best laid plans

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writingcold · 6 months

Text

Welcome to Chapter Eleven and Twelve of Best Laid Plans

A/N: We’re nearing the finish of this sad little story, and getting closer to that happy ending. I appreciate everyone that has taken a bit of their time to read this one. Amanda and Jake are important to me. It’s been a story that came together so naturally and I hope that even though they experience so much heartbreak, that perhaps you can see the good bits that they’ve had as well. Little pieces of happiness and strength and just life.

This is a complete fiction - totally made up. I do not, nor will I ever know Jake or any member of GVF. That said, this story is mine. Please respect that.

@takenbythemaddness deserves all the love here. She really did a lot of screaming at me, but those screams guided me. Thank you my friend.

Content warnings: Language. Alcohol. Hints of sex, and sexual situations. Adult relationships. Talk of old trauma and old trauma caused by relationships.

Word count: approx. 7000

Chapter 11: August, 1992: Amanda POV

The swoon of The Black Crowes filled the air of Sparrow as I moved around, dusting, shifting books on the displays, adding new stock to the shelves. It must’ve been close to midnight. I was belting out “Seeing Things” like it was my entire life. Funny how lyrics can match your spirit coming and going with whatever is happening in your life. I had found strength. I had found life without Roger was better than with him. I had found my smile and the ability to stand on my own. Sparrow was flourishing. And in it all, I became my own woman.

A tap at my door caught my attention, my cheeks blushing over the possibility of being caught singing so far off key, I might’ve found it again. Jake stood, his body leaning down so as to see below the closed curtain.

“Having a party?” he asked lightly as I let him in.

“Naw, just doing chores,” I said as I hurried to the stereo. “You want a beer?”

I held up my two down six pack from the open cooler. He grinned and reached out in answer. I opened my third and took a sip before pausing to listen to the new song roll out of the speakers. Jake grinned. Joe Cocker. Of course. “You are So Beautiful” leaked in the air between us. He laughed as he took a long drink before setting the can aside.

“Come here, beautiful,” he whispered, holding his hand out and sweeping me into him.

I was instantly overwhelmed by his warmth, his sounds, the way he hummed and murmured the lyrics. I pressed my cheek to his chest when he brought his fingers up to stroke my hair. Call it muscle memory. Call it a siren call. Call it whatever the fuck you want but I shuffled my feet in between his in perfect time, just like always. My heart was swelling beyond the capacity of my chest. My very soul was crying out for this man that held me for all of two minutes and forty some odd seconds.

We stopped moving as a stupid restaurant commercial started jingling from the speakers. I felt my throat constrict as his fingers pressed into my back. My brows pinched as I breathed in one more time before I moved away.

“I have missed you,” he said quietly.

I was sniffling and running towards the counter to hide my emotions behind a tissue. Instead of waffling, I plastered my best smile on and shook off the anxiousness of the moment. When I turned back to him, the only thought that struck me was “I desperately want to be yours once more”, but I did not allow the words to dance across my tongue and be spoken into truth. They could remain my dream for now.

“How is Jeanette?” I asked instead, reaching for my can to take a drink.

His mouth scrunched to the side, capturing the hint that ‘us’ was not a topic to discuss. “She’s good. We’ve gotta get-away coming up after Labor Day. Heading up to Sault Saint Marie. Should be pretty.”

I grinned and nodded. “It’ll be gorgeous this time of year. Must be getting serious, surely.”

I turned to grab my duster and to hide my eyes rolling closed. I may not have wanted to broach the topic of ‘us’ but I sure as shit did not want to be talking about Jeanette either. I knew they were dating. I knew they might as well be dating exclusively from what the town gossip rags were raging about.

Jake shrugged. “We are just enjoying each other’s company, I guess. I don’t know.” I shot him a questioning look. “Are you serious? Jake, you two have been ‘dating’ for what, at least 18 months?”

He shrugged again. “She likes how things are right now. It’s comfortable.”

I nodded as I started getting back to work. He chatted about the pending meetings with the Fall Street Fair committee. Of course, I had been approached to chair the group this year, although I am sure I didn’t quite agree to being said chair. It was fine though. I had some ideas to expand things and incorporate a dance to bring in more people to the evening events.

We finished the six pack and Jake left with a wave. Into my apartment, I was sure that I was going to fall asleep from sheer exhaustion. Instead, my mind swirled, latching on how he called me ‘beautiful’. How he had held me. It wasn’t that I was not dating. I had been out more than a few times with nice men. They just weren't Jake. I took what I could, selfishly at times. And that was all right. Whatever happened between us - falling back together or remaining friends, it would be enough to sustain me. Probably.

Jake POV

I woke up in her bed. My dream had placed me squarely in Mandy’s arms, but instead, I smiled into the sleepy face of Jeanette. I traced her cheek before planting a kiss to her forehead with a promise of making pancakes for breakfast.

“You’re too good, Jake,” she moaned as she yanked the blankets up to her chin and snuggled in.

She really was a lovely woman. She cared for me in a way that satisfied me. Was it love? In a fashion it was. But it was a shadow compared to what once had been mine. What was still with Amanda. I felt it the previous night. That heat that echoed between us - acknowledged but unnoted. Our steady return to friendship meant everything. I listened to Jeanette as she bumped around on her way to the shower. She was about to be on shift at the hospital for the weekend. I had promised her a good breakfast as well as dropping her off supper tonight. I promised to stay away after that, a request she had to keep her focused as she entered her second fourteen hour shift. She’d just laugh and say that the super bitch would emerge, so best to not see her in that condition.

I heard her calling me from the beyond and I put a pause on flipping pancakes. I grinned as I was met with a mountain of steam and a sigh.

“You need something?” I asked as my fingers wrapped around the shower curtain.

I will admit all I could see was how her fingers ghosted up the curve of her hips to the swell of her breasts, the bubbles of the soap leaving trails down her lush skin. I don’t think I even bothered taking my clothes off before I jumped in with her. But that was what we had. That moment sums up our relationship quite well. Spontaneous. Fun.

“You’ll be busy with the festival committee, yeah?” she was asking as she buttered up her pancakes.

I was nodding as I dragged a towel across my hair. “Not looking forward to it, but it is what it is. Should be good though. We’re bringing back the dancefloor since that was such a hit last year. But instead of a DJ this year, I’ve gotten the Jewel boys lined up to play.”

“Ooo, sounds romantic,” she said before taking a big bite.

“Should be,” I agreed as I reached for my mug.

She followed me out her front door and we parted with a warm kiss, lingering over the glow that we had given to each other. It was easy with Jeanette.

I stopped in Martin’s to get Bugger and Meg set up to start the day before I headed out to the meeting at the hotel. Mandy was already there, her smile wide and filled with energy. She gave me a little wave as she was listening to a group talk at her at rapid speed. I edged the perimeter, making sure I was seen without having to interact just yet. Mrs. Button latched onto my arm and practically dragged me over to her business partner, Mrs. Olsen, with suggestions on flowers and plants that they just needed my opinion on. Mandy had pointed out they just liked me in particular - young, single, and handsome. I smiled as they bubbled over their pictures all spread out in an array of color.

“I happen to like the stonecrops, petunias and hydrangeas, ladies,” Mandy remarked, her eyes on me as she walked up to us. “The bolder the better, eh?”

The two ladies cackled like crows as they began to shuffle through the photos to bring together the suggested fauna. She tucked in close to me, all the while nodding and agreeing - ferns? Sure. Perhaps we need to feature local grown… Coneflowers? How lovely. I stood and absorbed her presence. For the first time in a very long while, I felt it. The gentle tug starting at the very tips of my toes reaching out as her gravity beckoned me.

I sat across from her during the actual meeting. Everything from the grand opening at noon on Saturday to the dance Sunday evening was discussed. The carnival rides would be making a return to the park, and main street would be turned into a walking only venue for two whole days. I watched her as she presented costs and features and alternate plans in case of bad weather. And yet.

The thoughts that tumbled through my mind was the fact that I had been in love with the woman before me since I was seventeen. She had given me direction, motivation, and purpose. She gave me memories and solace when I thought times could not get worse. We knew each other without a singular touch or word between us. I could recall in a fraction of a second every smile, every hushed moan, every ounce of touch she had ever given me. In her current state, she was healing. Her wounds are still visible, but closing. Nearly a year away from Roger had given her inklings of confidence that I had been privy to so long before. Nearly a year, and she was visibly healing.

Jeanette and I had stopped at Babcia’s for dinner when I saw Mandy in the corner booth with a guy I did not know. That was back in April, close to my birthday. I teased her about it the next day. I was given a blush across her cheeks and an instant withdrawal by her, but I will not lie, I was a little hurt that I had not been her first date. I had wondered at the time if she realized it. When I saw her walking into the diner with Adam Walker the following week, I knew. She was trying to find a path away from all of her hurt. Seeking comfort with those she did not have such an extended history with. And that was fine. I could continue to live off our friendship. I would survive on our walled off and restrained notions of love.

Our trip up north had been amazing. Jeanette was truly a partner for my curiosity. We were a good match in our shared interests and we both had a desire to find adventure in the little daily pieces of life. She brought me a smile that I could not deny in that manner. She took me on the lock tour, while I wanted to walk the downtown for window shopping. She dragged me out to hike the park, and I made us go to a few of the taverns. We both enjoyed the music shop and the book store. Not unlike our town, they happened to be side by side.

“I bet best friends do not own those,” Jeanette said, her tone light as we were walking away, her eyes full of warmth.

I had paused at her comment. It was not the first time that she had brought up Mandy in such a fashion. There was no intent there other than to acknowledge the closeness I had with Amanda. There wasn't any suggestion that there was anything other than friendship. I had glanced back at the two shops and smiled.

I had not shared anything of what Georgia had dropped upon me two years prior with anyone. It took six months just to process the information that she had so totally duped me into believing I was horrible for betraying my girl. Jeanette knew enough about Georgia, and the reason I could not stay in the marriage. She had listened to me while I had expressed my doubts that Liam was my child, though in my heart he would always have a residence. I listened to her and her heartbreak. The loss of her husband, Gabriel, in a car accident that had left her hospitalized for three weeks and him in the ground. I guess we were a pair. Each finding solace in the other over the level of loss that had been tattooed on our spirits. We certainly found a way to extend comfort and patience to the other across the many times of need.

Once returned to Frankenmuth, we parted ways with a promise to see each other soon. I was unsure if the committed non-committal thing was what kept me right with her. Or maybe, we were just two similar souls that were in a holding pattern for the next big event that would pull us apart. Regardless, once home, laundry done with a beer in my hand, I was ready to start the work week relaxed.

Morning coffee had turned into Mandy’s coffee since her completion of the coffee bar and treat case. The idea was a hit. She had people waiting for shop opening at eight every morning and the morning pastries were gone within the first hour. I would show up about nine, to which she would have my cup at the ready and a saved cafe table that was closer to the back door. When I walked in the morning after the trip, her face was a mix of relief and question. When I prodded her, she just shook her head and pointed out that she had a new round of biographies that I would be interested in.

The cooler weather was kissing the air and tickling the town. I invited Jeanette to supper at my place a few weeks after our trip away. She brought the wine and I cooked way too much shrimp and pasta, but it did actually come out amazingly. We sat on the deck to eat and drink and laugh. I had put on an album inside so it could drift outside in the background. She looked lovely that night. Her smile was inviting. Her mood was light. So when the question came around, I was caught off guard.

“So, am I just your placeholder for Mandy? I mean, are you just waiting for her at this point?”

“Placeholder?” I repeated the word. The fact that she used it to describe herself struck a chord. “No…? I’m not sure where this is coming from. I just thought we were…”

She puffed out her cheeks before taking a sip of her wine. “Relax, Jake. Just a conversation that I think we’re overdue for.”

“Why would you call yourself a placeholder? What does that even mean?” I asked, still not liking the direction.

She stayed quiet for a few beats that chewed into my system. “Don’t mind me. I think I’m just off tonight.”

I watched her confidence evaporate instantly, leaving her near silent in her rush to leave. “Jeanette, wait. Pardon me being dense here. Why would you think you were a placeholder? Like what we have doesn’t mean anything?”

“Forget it. I gotta get going anyway. I’m on at seven tomorrow morning,” she started grabbing plates and standing up.

I reached out but couldn’t stop her. I grabbed the rest of the dishes and caught her inside the kitchen. “Just stop, please. It hurts that you would think this whole time you thought I was just waiting things out for Mandy. You’ve been very important to me. I thought we…”

Her eyes glistened as she was reaching for her purse and keys. “Jake, now I’m just embarrassed. Please. I’m just going to go and we’ll forget I said anything.”

I caught her around the wrist to stop her. “Jean, hey, stop. Just for a minute. I don’t like seeing you like this.”

“Really,” she huffed, shaking her head. “It’s fine. Just let me go.”

I watched as she left, pulling out of the driveway quickly to make her escape. I called her place to make sure she got home, but she did not answer. Fuck. I left a quick message on her machine to call me. Instead of losing the night in her skin, I lost the night in thoughts of me not making her feel special enough. For not making her feel like she was important enough. For that I was…. Fuck, I was an idiot.

Chapter 12: October, 1992: Amanda POV

The first week of October had arrived. The carnival trucks rolled into town on Tuesday and the park was being set up quickly for the launch on Saturday at noon. Main Street was being cleaned up and prepped for all the fixings to be set out. The tents had arrived. Assignments and locations were marked and mapped. This thing was ready to launch.

Jake seemed off for more than a few days. Distracted seemed to be a good word for him. I was too busy - words I felt guilty saying even to myself - to stop long enough to check in on him. Instead, we continued our paths, side by side, just like always.

I blinked and Friday appeared. The street was blocked off so shop owners could start setting up their tents along the wide sidewalks. Saturday morning was a flurry of activity. Mick and Robin were manning the shop while I brought on a few extra hands to be in the booth with me. I noticed that Jake was all set, a wide collection of tables set out with old wooden beer case bins holding vintage albums. I caught his eye and gave a wave as I was running down towards the park to make sure the stalls for the Farmer’s Market were in place. It was enough to give me a little flutter. He had his hair pulled back just at the crown of his head, allowing the length that now spilled over his shoulders to hang loose. I might’ve looked a little too long and ran into the flower power girls and their carts of ferns.

Once I untangled from Mrs. Button and Mrs. Olsen, I marched down to the park to see the carnival rides and game row all in place, being given their final safety clearance. The Farmer’s Market corner was lovely and filled with all sorts of cool stuff. At noon, the wagons were sent out for those parked at a distance for free hayrides into the event. The local 4H manned that helm and the kids were given an avenue to talk about their club and animals and whatever the hell else they wanted to.

People were lined up for the late afternoon parade. It seemed like nonstop activity. The high school band led the festivities and the amount of candy thrown was shocking. The evening was ushered in with the end of the parade. The carnival would stay open until midnight, while the shops on main street closed up at seven. In the midst of carrying coolers and pitchers, I caught sight of Jake dragging tables back towards Martin’s. I started to smile until I saw Jeanette appear, stepping into his waiting touch, his waiting kiss. My heart clenched at the sight of how lovely they looked.

Whipping myself around before I was caught, I cleaned up quickly. I could feel the yearning in my skin for his touch. For his singular attention. The way he would clench his jaw as he watched his fingers trace the line of my thigh haunted my dreams. I was on the verge of rupture when I was blessed with Mick stepping out to start helping carry the heavy trays. I retreated upstairs after lights out and put on a CD of something instrumental to fill the air with something other than my lingering thoughts of a man who I had no claim to. Pouring out a cup of hot chamomile, I worked through my night routine - locking the door, washing up, jammies, book, tea and my bed covered with a million cute pillows.

My book landed next to me while my thoughts swirled around. I had dated a grand total of four men - all of them nice. I even slept with two of them. I had nearly forgotten what it was to be desired. Jake had been the first to remind me. Adam had been the second. Chris was just… strange and I’ll leave it at that. No - really. Not strange. That’s the wrong word. It just kind of happened and I was not hurt when I did not feel the need to return that man’s call. But now… My eyes closed as the heat of Jake’s touch crept through my memory. He had a way of making me feel like I could fly. Like I could set the world on fire and he would gladly supply the gasoline. The way he would smile so softly as he explored my body, and how the corners of his eyes would crinkle when I pressed kisses to those places he couldn’t stop the moan from escaping from his lips. Fuck.

I rolled to my side and snapped the light off, discovering the dark only made things worse. I slipped out from the bed with a strangled huff, latching on to my mug and retreating to my kitchen table. My eyes caught sight of a long forgotten navy blue spine with little silver stars that had been carelessly tossed on top of the fridge. In all the crazy of the summer, I had forgotten that Jenni had brought a box of stuff from our room. She was helping Mom repaint and prepare the house for sale. The folks were officially downsizing. Odd to think that our home would be host to someone other than the Fischer family.

I reached and grabbed the journal that I had so brokenly discarded more than a decade before. I chewed the corner of my mouth as I sat down, instantly spilling out a bunch of photographs. I smiled as I pushed them together in a pile with careful hands. My smile began to twist and curl as I looked upon the joy that was stretched across our youthful faces. I looked upon fond memories of days down by the river, cuddle moments in his parent’s basement, a picture snapped of us being total idiots at Miller’s. Each one I could tell you the day, the time, the occasion, the feel, the smell, the tenderness, the laughter that happened. My eyes skated over my tumbled out thoughts and trilled secrets. I re-read passages of hope and love and desires. I giggled over sketchy ideas of what it would be like to have sex with Jake, followed by ‘holy shit’ revelations. It was all there. My eighteen year old self was so right when I said that “Jake was the joy of the sun, the soul of the moon, the river between my toes, the breath in my lungs, the love of my life.”

I paused. I knew what the last entry was. I knew the words that I had scrawled; the tear marks that blotched the heavy paper. I ran my finger over the edge, allowing myself to feel the stain of the memory. To go from such a high of seeing him coming home to see me, to celebrate us, and then to fall to such waste and anger in seconds was enough to make me feel like I had snapped my spine and broke my spirit.

Another moment of hesitation and I turned the page to find that picture of Jake in the red swim trunks, his mouth stretched wide in an open smile. I dragged in a breath. There were the splotches in the ink from my angry, leaked out tears. There was the wrinkled corner from where I nearly shredded the page from the book. I did not read the words that I had written in such a blind rage, but more so took in the heavy slant, the hard press into the paper, the sloppiness, the carelessness… But then at the bottom, my eyes froze. I did not remember writing the last sentences and my heart broke all the more for my young self. “I do not believe with all that is of me that Jake betrayed me. It is just not in him to be so reckless, so thoughtless of what we had as to be with another woman. I don’t care if he was drunk. I just cannot believe he could be so not loyal to us.”

There it was again. A stubbornness to not believe what was, and not heal from the wound that had buried itself so deep. Breathing in, I knew there was still scar tissue, still marks from that first swipe of ‘forever’. Roger had blazed across every nerve ending and exposed brain cells. He had ruined my confidence and eroded my edges that made me - me. I admit, I dwelled on how I had allowed that man to run me over and obliterate what I thought were the best parts of me. I thought I would never heal. I thought the damage done would be permanent. It was not lost on me that this situation had been a repeated one. While Jake’s trespass had been a mistake, Roger’s had been intentional. Intentional harm. Intentional destruction. In order to get beyond Roger’s damage, I had to also recognize the older, persistent trauma that had been entombed in the recesses of myself behind a wall of doubt. Had I allowed my perceived goodness in Jake to cover what had been done? Maybe. A little bit of me still wanted to believe that what Jake had done was not real.

I am totally not sure how I had finally wrestled myself to rest, but I did. Day one of the Fall Festival was a success. Now, just to live through day two. I fixed myself a fast breakfast and was downstairs, setting up for the day within a half an hour. The day was chilly but clear. Mick dragged himself through the door, while Robin flitted in with a huge smile and a breakfast casserole to share. Festivities for the day were more focused on the farmer’s market, carnival rides, and the ending with the dance and live music. I had gotten the insulated pitchers of hot chocolate to the counter when Jake appeared.

“Good morning,” I chirped as I plugged in the big coffee percolators to get to work. “I have coffee inside…”

He grinned and followed me in, a sleepy glance to his tent next door. “We did really good yesterday, Mandy. Everyone is saying that their foot traffic may have been near double of what it was last year.”

I nodded as I poured him a cup. “Taking Jeanette to the dance tonight?”

I hid the internal groan that I chomped down in my throat. Why would I ask that kind of a question other than to divert my thoughts that he would never know were going on in the first place. Damn I am an idiot at times.

“I guess. She’s going with a group and I told her I’d meet her there,” he answered before blowing across the heat of the coffee. “You? Are you taking anyone?”

“Just myself. No one wanted this hot little number today,” I said, shimmying my hips like an idiot. I mean really? Who was this person, for surely it was not me.

He frowned for a moment. Thankfully, Mick and Robin were banging around as they struggled with filling coolers for the day. Of course, Robin shoved a hunk of casserole under his nose to share with Bugger in particular, and Meg. We fell into routine as if both of us just needed to retreat into the comfortable instead of my awkwardness. The day rolled through with lots of visitors from out of town as well as residents. The street music that Jake provided was a fun addition, setting a tone that was light and put people at an ease. The day was feeling its Autumn self - mostly cloudy and a little breezy. We had to rush to refill our hot chocolate and coffee more than a few times. But it was fun. It was fun to see our town awash in pumpkins and flannel and little clear twinkle lights and just everything. It made me love the town all over again. To know I had a hand in it… yeah.

The evening brought our shops to close at five, even though our foot traffic was still heavy. We moved our operation down the street to the park for the dance and ending with fireworks. The Jewel Boys were a large farm family that were renowned for their musical talents. The seven brothers came together to play a variety of music from bluegrass, to country, to hillbilly rock and of course old time ballads and standards. They had been a local draw for years. I smiled as I watched Jake helping them set up, eyes just twinkling as he looked over their gear and guitars. The dark navy of his blazer set off the auburn that was in his hair as it fell across his shoulders and back. I had not seen him smile like that in a very long time. It was his realm. Music. He belonged to it in such a way that although we all saw it in Martin’s, but on the few occasions I had seen him on a gig - it made me wonder if he belonged in another life. A life that he was born to be on the stage for all to see.

He waved at me while I gathered up the mayor for their big thank you for coming speech. Mayor Pauley smiled and waved as Jake tried to hand her a microphone, giving up and just grabbing hold of her hand to place it directly in her palm. Everyone laughed as he backed away dramatically and she continued on with the task of introductions and welcomes and thank yous. I took my bow when she mentioned me and the business committee that made the whole event possible. Upon completion, she introduced the Jewel Boys to an uproar of applause. People crowded the dancefloor and the surrounding area just to watch the spectacle. I admit, I rode the edge. It was enough to just watch everyone else have fun.

I took note that Jeanette was dancing with friends, her face all lit with light as Jake stayed on stage, playing mandolin for the first few songs. I wondered if she saw what I did when he played like this. He was not just Jake. He was the kind of beautiful that you could see the music was seeping out of his pores and absolute joy shone in his eyes. He was effortlessly golden.

I chatted with those around me, just appreciating the music and the happy mood that clung to the air. Jake took his bow and introduced the next song before taking off to be at Jeanette’s side. I caught his gaze for a few moments. His gravity was strong, yanking me across the distance. I forced myself to move away and instead, I turned to find Mr. Henry, asking me to dance. How could I say no to that handsome man?

I found myself belly laughing as Henry serenaded me as we danced. He was amazing. Somehow, just before the song ended, though, I found myself face to face with Jake. He had tapped on Henry’s shoulder to interrupt. The band slipped into some bouncy pop song that we were completely silly to. It just felt good to see my friend cut loose. Just as I was about to bow out, the next song swooned across the masses. The space on the floor suddenly widened as a slow melody took root to swish away the singles and welcome the couples.

“The Nearness of You” was a soft spot for me, and Jake knew it. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment before stepping in close to bring my body close to his. We shuffled across the floor, our eyes upon each other as he hummed along the notes. To be held to him so close made my heart feel sick. My skin longed for his caress. I let out a nervous laugh as he softly sang the first words…

It’s not the pale moon that excites me

That thrills or delights me

Oh no

It’s the nearness of you…

He turned me gently. He held me tenderly. When I looked at his face, I could see our path stretch out, coming back together just as it was supposed to be. His gravity wrapped around me and mingled with mine. For a moment, I thought for sure we were the only ones dancing within that most perfect of memory. I could feel his heart racing as my fingers came to rest on his chest. I’m sure he knew my breath was coming way too fast. I smiled as a soft hum rippled through him - familiar and warm and… As the notes faded, he closed his eyes as a breath escaped from between his lips.

And then it was done. That moment. It was like one of those moments where you’re instantly questioning if it happened the second it is over. Our bodies stopped and started to move away from each other.

“Mandy, look at me,” he whispered when I could not lift my chin to even smile a thank you.

“I can’t,” I said, my chest choking on so many words that wanted to pour out. It was neither the time, nor the venue to do so. “I have to go, Jake.”

The last words of my little girl journal struck me as I walked away. You would think that these words were full of venom and hate and betrayal and confusion. Though the words were full of fire, they contained none of it. It was lament. Lament for what was in front of Jake at that time. A sorrow. A concern for only him in what he was facing. Nothing of me. Nothing of my hurt. It was like the moment of cauterization of our relationship all over again. We were both healthy. We were both happy. Was there just too much scar tissue to allow us a way back to each other? It was undeniable that there was still love. A deep love that flowed like an underground current through us both.

I drifted away feeling very much like I had left myself behind with him. I had to focus on my next task to finish the night and leave the moment behind. The chill in the air danced across my skin and realized that there was dampness on my face. Wiping at my cheeks, I had no idea why there needed to be tears. I caught sight of Jeanette as she and Jake were walking towards the staging for the fireworks. She had a smile that seemed off. I wondered if she had seen it. Seen me being an absolute juvenile while dancing with a man she was obviously so right for, even if I did not want to admit it to myself.

When the night was over, and I was sliding into my bed, I grabbed hold of my pillow and hugged it tight. I was feeling those threads, that current strangling me in a way that was forcing me to see very clearly: I needed to say goodbye. It was time. My relationship with Jake had shaped me for over twelve years. Twelve years that we were not together. It was foolhardy to hold a standard of what I had for a fleeting six months to anything that I could possibly treasure now. Treasure that I could have as my own and grow away from Jake. He needed to have what was right in front of him - a good woman who so loved him in a way that was nice to see him have. I did not need to fuck with that. Perhaps it was time to finally heal the last bit of wound that was there and move on.

Jake POV

To watch Amanda walk away from me with tears in her eyes hurt. Deeply. I yanked myself together like a patchwork quilt and returned to my spot to watch the rest of the music set. Jeanette seemed to sense a drift and stayed away until it was time for fireworks. Her touch was warm as we walked side by side down into the park by the river. We found my folks and Ronnie, Dave and the kids. I was knee deep in my nephews and niece; a welcomed respite from the thoughts that troubled me.

I had taken Jeanette home after the festivities, leaving her with a kiss at her door as she was supposed to be on shift at seven the next morning. I took a moment, standing in my boxers in my kitchen, a glass of water between my fingers, to play back the moment that I had her next to me, against me. I could feel her warmth still. My heart was angry with it. My breath was tainted with it.

I pretended to be normal for a week. Jeanette was on a week from hell, covering shifts while working her own. Our contact was me dropping off plates of food and phone calls that lasted moments. I could tell she was holding something back. We had not taken the time to really get into her upset from a few weeks back. We merely had fallen back in step of our comfort.

Saturday evening brought her around to my place for a dinner date. I was going to take her to a little cafe that we had stumbled upon closer to Flint. I figured getting out of town would be good. Just a little space and a long evening would be good. However, when she landed on my doorstep, I knew we were going nowhere. Instead, I made a pot of coffee and sat with her in the living room. I could feel her defenses were up, despite her smile and warmth that danced in her eyes.

After our pleasantries and catching up from a busy week, the silence beat for a bit too long. She seemed to be mulling over her words. I did not want to tread forward until she was ready because I truly did not know how to broach the subject that seemed to weigh on her and I did not want to force it.

“You know, Jake,” she started, the corner of her mouth pulling up into a half smile, “when I was young, I watched how my grandparents looked at each other. My grandfather had the absolute audacity to look at my grandmother like she was the queen of his whole world. I was brought up to think I deserved that kind of love. And there are so many around here that have that. You ever notice that? Mr. Henry and Ada. Lord, your folks have it in spades. I’ve dreamt of being that for someone. I know I had it with Gabe. I don’t want to be selfish, but I would like to have that again.”

I felt my stomach drop to my feet. I knew what she was talking about. It clicked.

“You have to admit, these past few years have been amazing,” she said quietly. “I’ve hoped to have… I’ve hoped that you could have been my person, Jake. But truth is, that’s not going to happen.”

“Jeanette,” I managed, trying to reach for her hand.

“I love you, Jake,” she breathed out, the words tangling up in her throat. “I know you care very much for me-”

“Hey.” I stopped her, my heart swelling as I reached for her hand. “You can’t say I’ve not loved you.”

She grinned sadly. “Thank you. You’re right. You have. But Sunday I realized something. Amanda Fischer has been your person for so long. You still want her. And that’s okay. I know that what we have has been so special to me. I think we’ve been good to get over some pretty hard stuff, haven’t we?”

I perked my eyebrow at her sentiment. She was correct. It had been years since I had felt as whole as I had in recent days and weeks. It was like I was a clean slate with only hints of fissures and glued together cracks of what I was in the past that were just barely visible. She had made that possible.

“I better go,” she said, her voice growing strong. “Thank you for everything, Jacob.”

I tugged on her hand to bring her close. “Thank you, Jeannette.”

I kissed her softly and pulled her into a hug. It was not a mourning of parting that I felt. Instead, it was the opposite. I felt like we were celebrating. Like we were graduating beyond our grief; our damage. She felt it, too. I watched as she left and absorbed the quietness that she left behind. It was not a bad thing. It was mine.

I’ll see you next Wednesday for the final chapter and epilogue. 💚

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