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rorywritesjunk · 4 months

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The stars in their courses will run and bring their hearts earthward to hear her.

Buggy brings his son in to the bakery to get a treat for his birthday. You like decorating cakes. Rating: PG-13ish. Warning: Listen, Buggy's already in love. I write that man always as a Love At First Sight kinda guy. Some day I'll write him differently but today is not that day. There's also the need for Communication and Boundaries with these two. A/N: Now that Birdie has a name I think of her a lot tbh.

Title comes from “Girl in the Garden” by S.J. Tucker.

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6

Chapter Five

In the week since you arrived and set sail, Buggy was rather clingy in a way. He didn’t want the crew talking to you, looking at you, anything just in case something upset the baby you were carrying. Darby being clingy was fine, he was a child and getting used to having you around, seeing you in his daddy’s room in the morning, cooking meals for them, that sort of thing. He wanted to be in your arms when you read him a story before naps and bedtime, and he liked resting his head over your heart because the sound was comforting to him.

Buggy, on the other hand, was driving you crazy.

When you went out on deck with Darby to find Buggy one day, the little one holding your hand as he dragged you along with him, one of the crew came to ask you a question. Before you could answer, Buggy was there, glowering and threatening the crew member to back off and give her space, she's carrying my baby! So you intervened with a hand on his chest to gently push him out of your personal bubble.

“Okay, time for a meeting.” You told him as you picked Darby up and headed for the kitchen. “C’mon, Captain. We're talking now.”

And to your surprise, the clown followed after you, arms crossed over his chest and grumbling as he shot looks at the crew, daring any of them to talk to you. He was like some overly protective cocker spaniel: he didn't look scary until you were up close and he was pissed off. Once you were in the kitchen, you pointed to a chair for him to sit while you put Darby down in his lap before getting a snack for the kid.

“You need to tone it down.” You started. When he opened his mouth to start protesting, you held a butter knife up, giving him a warning look. “Let me talk. We've been at this a week and already it's a bit too much.” You unpeeled a banana and sliced it into rounds, setting the plate in front of Darby. “Why don't you want the crew talking to me?”

“No reason.” Buggy shrugged, one hand resting on the table while the other held Darby securely on his lap. You slammed the butter knife point down between his fingers, the curved tip of the blade embedding itself into the wood. Buggy’s eyes widened slightly before he cleared his throat and looked up at you. That was kind of hot.

“Not good enough.” You said as you put your hands on your hips. “Look, despite how I reacted those months ago the first time you asked, I am happy to be here now, but we have to get some boundaries established, Buggy. I can talk to the crew if they talk to me, okay? One conversation isn't going to induce labor or… or make me run away with someone.”

“I don't think that!” He insisted as Darby held up a piece of banana for his dad. Grumbling, he took it and scowled, but you were used to him making that face and it didn’t bother you in the slightest.

“Think what?” You asked. “That I'll suddenly give birth or that I will think I made a mistake being here and run off? Because hovering, telling the crew to not interact with me, and things like that make me want to. It's a little suffocating. If you don't trust your crew around me then maybe I shouldn't be here, Buggy.”

You didn't miss the fearful look in his eyes when you said that, the uncertainty, but you had to be firm with him. You weren't going to cater to every one of his whims. There was no romantic relationship between the two of you, it was only for co-parenting the baby you were carrying, as well as helping with Darby. Sleeping together was just something fun for the two of you but you were wondering if maybe you needed to start sleeping in your own bedroom now.

“We want you here.” He mumbled, looking like a scolded puppy. You wouldn't cave, staring down at him as you retrieved the knife. “Okay, I really want you here. I said it, okay? I don't want you thinking I'm a mistake and you run off with someone. I don’t want you to think I’m a mistake.”

“Are you already in love with me or something?” You suddenly asked. “Because why would you think that? I’ve been here a week, Buggy. You can’t fall in love with someone that fast.”

“Look, I can't help-”

“Mama, I want a drink.” Darby interrupted, holding his fist up and bringing it to his mouth. Both you and Buggy looked down at him, caught off guard for a moment before you went to get him a cup of water. This wasn't the first time he called you Mama since you arrived but it still surprised you when he did.

“Here, sweetheart.” You put one of the sippy lids on the cup before handing it to him. He smiled at you before taking a few sips. “Buggy, be honest, are you already falling in love with me or something?”

“Fall in love? Do I look like the type?” Buggy chuckled, trying to diffuse the conversation just a bit. He refused to look at you just then.

“I think you are.” You said. “Falling in love, that is. But I don’t know if I’m really the right person for you.”

“You don't know that.” Buggy shot back. “I don't even know you.”

“Exactly.” You pointed your finger at him. “You don't.”

“I want to and, y’know, we got plenty of time.” He grinned. “And we'll have plenty of sleepless nights to chat, get to know each other. You're going to have a hard time not falling in love with me.”

You slapped your hand over your face, dragging it down slowly as you sighed in exasperation. This fool, this stupidly charming fool . Damn him. You hated that he was like this because being flirty and charming was what got you into the situation you were in.

“How about this, Buggy. You back off a bit and I'll consider letting you fall in love with me.” You suggested. “But you have to back off a bit, okay?”

“I'm sorry, you'll let me fall in love with you?” Buggy asked. Darby grabbed his arm for attention. Buggy grabbed a napkin to wipe his face but the kid just wriggled around, trying to avoid it. “I’ll fall in love with whoever I want, and… and it’s you, okay, you can’t stop that!”

You took the plate away from the table and set it in the sink. Darby whined when Buggy wiped his nose and the little one reached for you instead, wanting away from his dad trying to clean him up. You were there in seconds, scooping Darby out of Buggy’s lap and bringing him to your body, letting him rest his head against your shoulder. You saw the way Buggy’s eyes softened, how his shoulders relaxed just a bit as he leaned back in his chair. Oh. You frowned at him.

“Buggy, can I ask you something? And I want a real, honest answer.”

He shrugged. “I’m as honest and real as they come, babe.”

You tried not to roll your eyes as you started to sway gently where you stood, rubbing Darby’s back as he relaxed in your arms. “Why me? Why did you ask me to come all those months ago? You’ve had to have met many other people that would be better for this.”

Buggy stared at you for a moment, brain putting together an answer, before his gaze turned to Darby. He was in your arms, eyes closed with his thumb in his mouth as he drooled a little bit. For Buggy, he would fight against naps, and he definitely scowled at you a few times, but lately he’d fall asleep like this: in your arms, limp, not a care in the world except that he got to have cuddles before nap time.

“Darby loves you, that’s why I asked you, okay?” He sighed. “He hasn't had someone like you around and… he already loves and trusts you. You were obnoxiously wonderful to him on his birthday and… and sometimes people aren't, okay? People are horrible, they stare at him and me, make comments, and then we meet you and you give him a free birthday cake! Then you give me one! Who does stuff like that without expecting something in return?!”

You kissed Darby on the top of his head and looked at Buggy, sighing softly as you smiled a bit. “I just wanted kids to have a good birthday, that’s all. The only thing I wanted in return was to know the kid was happy.”

“Darby’s happy.” Buggy mumbled as he looked down at the indent on the table left from the butter knife. “Really.”

“I know he is.” You told him as you reached over to touch Buggy’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “He's one of the happiest kids I've ever met.”

“I’m trying.” He sighed as he leaned on the table, head supported in his hand as he watched you with his child. It was a weird little thought to have, but seeing you like that, pregnant and holding a sleeping Darby, it just looked natural to Buggy, like it was something just for you. He wished he could take a photo of what was before him, something to memorialize the moment in front of him because it was so sweet to him. He watched in silence for a moment before speaking, “Are we having a boy or a girl?”

You shifted Darby in your arms, making sure he was secure in them. “Oh, I don't know. Never found out. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Huh, okay.”

“What about you?” You asked as you reached for a chair to pull out, but Buggy’s hands beat you to it, pulling one out from the table for you. You sat down, letting Darby get comfortable on your lap while he kept dozing. “What would you want? Boy or girl?”

Buggy shrugged. “Considering I never expected to have even one kid, the thought of a second one is… a bit much so I don’t know, girl? But… I’ll be happy if the kid is healthy… and…”

“And?” You watched him for the answer, wondering what he wanted to say before trailing off.

He looked over at his son. Darby was clinging to you as he dozed, relaxed in your arms as you pressed a kiss to his forehead. His head was turned to the side, his nose pressing into the collar of your shirt. His hand went over to Darby, resting on his back as he mumbled a bit in his sleep.

“And nothing, just a healthy and happy baby, that’s all I’d ask for.” Buggy said as he got to his feet. He couldn't say how he wished the next kid wouldn't have his nose, wouldn't have to go through life with the stares and ridicule he often faced, but it wasn't fair to Darby who had inherited it. Buggy did what he could to protect one kid from it, he wasn't sure if he could do it for another. “He should go down for a nap. You’re not his bed, so I’ll take him. He can sleep in his room.”

“Uh, okay?” And before you knew it, Buggy was lifting Darby out of your arms carefully, holding his son to him as he murmured softly to him, not wanting him to wake up before hurrying out of the kitchen. That was… a little odd, his reaction, but you didn’t want to say anything yet. The conversion got a little sidetracked, you still wanted him to give you a little space, but at least he talked a bit and opened up some.

“So, why not tell me something about yourself?” Buggy asked later that night in bed as he rested his head against your stomach carefully, waiting to feel the baby move. Darby was sleeping beside him, having woken up from a bad dream already and wanting cuddles from the both of you. “You bake free cakes and now you live on a pirate ship, and you have a really good grip from making butter, that’s all I know.”

You reached down to stroke his hair, staring up at the ceiling as you tried to come up with an answer. You didn’t want to tell him that much about yourself for some reason, it seemed a little too fast even though so far, the last week had gone by pretty fast already. Leaving the bakery, moving onto the ship, living with him and his son while Buggy admitted he was already falling in love with you was just a little much.

“I mean, that’s… really all you need to know.” You shrugged as you moved a little on the bed to try and get comfortable in just the right spot. Your back was a little sore. “Nothing really to say.”

Buggy lifted his head up, eyebrow raised as he looked at you. “Oh, come on, I need something. Any stupid stories from being a teenager, or deep dark secrets about your family I should know?”

You shrugged again, running your fingers through his hair gently. “A little late for family stories, Buggy.”

“You do have some, right?” Buggy frowned. You looked up at the ceiling, not answering him immediately. “Stories, I mean.”

“Gotta have a family to have family stories.” Was your reply as you moved your hand over his mouth to quiet him. “I need to sleep, so time for bed, Buggy.”

His voice was muffled by your hand as you stuck your tongue out at him and closed your eyes. He couldn't believe you'd say that to end a conversation and then pretend to be asleep. He'd just have to poke and pry you a little bit.

#buggy the clown #birdie x buggy #buggy the clown x reader #buggy x reader #buggy the clown x you #buggy x you #buggy the clown x oc #buggy x oc #opla buggy the clown #opla buggy the clown x reader #opla buggy x reader #opla buggy the clown x you #opla buggy x you #opla buggy the clown x oc #opla buggy x oc

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ktwritesstuff · 7 months

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Nothing Else Matters (a Triple Frontier shifters AU) Chapter 5

Title: Nothing Else Matters Fandom: Triple Frontier Rating: Explicit Characters & Pairings: Reader x Triple Frontier Boys reverse harem style Word Count: ~2,000 Summary: Things with Santiago reach their boiling point.

Content Notes: rough sex, a little d/s with shifter dynamics, etc.

Chapter Five

After three days, Will’s fever finally broke. Arrangements were made to have Tom’s remains cremated and returned to the states. And then there was the matter of the money: five million and change. Split five ways it wasn’t enough to live on even if you spent the rest of your days as misers. To hear that Santiago’s woman got two million of her own left you seething, but still you put on your best dress and got Luna ready to go to the bank with the others to finish the paperwork.

You sat at the back of the room as the accountant explained the processes and fees. Luna cooed and babbled, excited by the novelty of being out of the house for the first time in weeks. At just over seven months of age, she had a few word-like sounds in her lexicon, like ba-ba and da-da, but you were still waiting in eager anticipation for those bona fide first words.

When the time came to sign the contracts, Will asked for his share of the money to be included in the trust for Redfly’s family. You don’t know what you were expecting. Will saw himself as the noble warrior, doing right by his fallen comrade, but still your eyes went dark. Of course, Benny followed his brother’s lead, signing away his share of the money as well.

You rose from your seat, approaching the table to stand beside Frankie, balancing his child on your hip as you leered down at him. He pointedly refused to meet your gaze as he crumpled up his set of paperwork before scrawling his name on the family trust documents. Luna could tell you were upset, pulling at the neck of your dress to try to get to your breasts. You pried her hands away and she whined loudly in protest.

“Are you serious right now?” you moved in front of Frankie as he made his way to the door.

“Don’t,” Frankie warned, stepping around you.

You let him go, returning your attention to Santiago.

“I hope you’re happy,” you said, looking down at him. “You destroyed our lives.”

At the end of the table the accountant cleared her throat, as if reminding you of her presence would persuade you to reconsider the awkward exchange.

If Ironhead were there, he would have torn you a new asshole for challenging Pope in front of an outsider. Whatever disagreement you had with Santiago was pack business.

“Shame on you,” you snapped.

You stormed out of the bank, buckling Luna into her carseat in enraged silence. Frankie started the car and you rode back to the safehouse in the same heavy quiet. You regretted that Frankie was hurting, but you didn’t worry about him. He would come around, he always did. It was Catfish’s nature to blow up then calm down. Things would return to normal until the next cataclysmic event.

More pressing was your realization that Santiago was intent on leaving. Soon. That was the only reason he would insist on imploding your relationship with Frankie before Redfly was even in the ground. He wanted it out in the open before he rendezvoused with his human and her millions.

Parking the car, Frankie tried to come around to take Luna out of the back seat, but you snarled at him, forcing yourself between him and the car door. He backed down, trudging up to the house after the others without another word.

“Come here, baby,” you said, unbuckling Luna and lifting her out of her carseat. “It’s just you and me against the world, isn’t it.”

You felt like your family was falling apart before your eyes. Santiago would leave again, and then what? Will and Benny would be useless without someone to give the orders. Frankie would backslide, God forbid relapse. If Santiago thought he could just implode your family over out of stubborn self-righteousness and disappear back into the desert, he had another thing coming.

You put one hand on Luna’s head and pressed your nose into her baby-fine hair, soothing yourself with her sweet milk and powder smell.

In the house, the boys lingered quietly in the front kitchen, as though the gravity of the past weeks had finally set in. Tom was gone and so was the money. Sooner or later, in all likelihood, some very bad men were going to come looking for it. The person you usually counted on to figure these things out was dead and now there was nothing left but to forge ahead without him.

“Congratulations, boys,” you announced bitterly. “You should all be very proud of yourselves.”

“We got Lorea,” Santiago said, leaning heavily on one of the kitchen chairs.

“Of course,” you mocked. “After years of training, the best shifters in the world managed to achieve their ultimate goal: killing one guy. And let’s not forget the consolation prize, a measly five million dollars.”

“It’s enough to take care of Tom’s girls,” Benny said.

“I am so sick of hearing about Tom’s daughters,” you said. “Hell, even Santiago’s whore got her cut!”

You paced the room in agitation.

“What about my daughter? Who’s looking after her future? Certainly not her deadbeat father—can’t even be trusted to do the one thing he’s good at.”

It was a cruel thing to say, too cruel, and you knew it. Frankie shook his head, but said nothing. It wasn’t him you were trying to provoke anyway.

“You need to remember your place,” Santiago warned you.

“So do you!”

If it were possible, Santiago’s eyes grew darker.

“Frankie, take the baby,” he said coldly.

Frankie looked between you nervously.

“Pope, don’t hurt her,” he said.

You were almost touched; after everything you had said and done, he was worried about you.

“Take the baby,” Santiago ordered, already stripping off his clothes.

You scoffed, handing Luna over to her father.

“Oh please,” you said, turning to face Santiago, you could feel the pressure building in your head as your eyes flashed amber. “I’m not afraid of him–two bad knees and a spinal fusion. Go ahead, if you still have it in you–”

Pope hit you like a freight train, but with Ginger roiling so close to the surface, you had shifted before you hit the ground. In truth, it wasn’t much of a fight. Just enough to keep up appearances. Everyone already knew how it would end. You hadn’t given Santiago much choice. You had openly defied him in front of the pack. It was either mark you or kill you and Pope wasn’t so cruel as to do that to Frankie and Luna.

Ginger submitted as Pope’s jaws clamped down on your shoulder, a careful strike, missing the tender vein in your neck by centimeters. You cried out, shifting back, Pope naked on top of you. He grabbed you by the hair, dragging you toward the bedroom, the others watching in anxious silence as he slammed the door behind you.

Santiago threw you onto the bed, climbing over you. You panted hard, struggling to push yourself up.

“Turn over,” he growled, grabbing you by the waist to flip you onto your back. “You’re going to look at me.”

He pinned both your hands over your head with one of his, taking no time at all to stroke himself to hardness with the other. You shivered in anticipation.

“If you’re going to act like a bitch, I’ll treat you like a bitch.”

Santiago pressed into you all at once without hesitation or preamble. Big enough that you felt yourself tear and whimpered at the stab of pain.

“Is this what you want?” Santiago growled. “You want me to take you like a fucking whore?”

Santiago placed one hand over your throat, fingertips squeezing with expert precision. He barely withdrew from you, just stabbed deeper in. The pain didn’t last, hormones raging, the need to submit to your alpha overriding every other instinct. You moaned, back arching, womb clenching with need.

Santiago’s hands began to roam, groping the soft give of your belly, squeezing your thigh hard enough to bruise. You moved to hold his face–his dark curls plastered to his forehead with exertion–but he caught your hands and pinned them back on the mattress.

“No.”

He lowered his face to yours, snarling with fangs bared, but all the hostility was out of him now, replaced by hunger, desire, yearning. He nuzzled against your face, interlacing his fingers with yours as he rutted into you. The sick squelching of your eager, creaming pussy barely audible over the blood rushing in your ears.

“Take it,” Santiago growled, head bowed toward your breasts. “Take it all. Or I’ll eat you up.”

A lewd sound escaped your lips as he pinched and pulled your nipples to swollen points. The animalic scent of your combined arousal pierced by creamy sweetness as your breasts began to leak.

Santiago took your breasts in his hands, squeezing hard, milk spilling between his fingers.

“Mine,” he proclaimed, the word a barely intelligible snarl. “These are mine. You’re mine.”

You whimpered, squeezing your eyes closed as he sank his teeth into the flesh of your left breast, sealing his mouth over the sensitive nipple, drinking from you as his pelvis ground into the soft pad of your mound, his back arching.

Santiago was too lost in his own desire to protest as you moved again. Sliding one hand down his back, drawing him toward you as the snug muscles of your inner walls tightened around him with your climax. As you moaned, he caught your mouth in a harsh, possessive kiss, his lips still tasting of milk and blood.

Santiago shuddered with his release, the hard pulse of semen filling you up as the head of his cock swelled inside your already impossibly stretched pussy. You cried out, quivering with relief as spurt after spurt of hot cum surged against the mouth of your womb.

Santiago relaxed into you as he finally emptied himself inside you. He had never been like this with you before: forceful, demanding. But somehow you knew, he had always had it in him. You felt a sudden pang of gratitude that he had finally let down his guard for you.

“Thank you, Alpha,” you murmured, combing your fingers through his hair as he rested his head between your breasts. “Thank you.”

Pope slept for close to an hour as you rested beneath him, enjoying the pleasant surge endorphins. He stirred slowly, his weight shifting over you as he eased himself out from under the covers. His eyes fell on the dried bloodstains on the sheets twisted between your legs.

“I hurt you,” he said quietly.

You hummed softly, sitting up in bed.

“I earned it.”

“I shouldn’t have lost my temper,” Santiago said.

He went to your medkit on the dresser, cracking open an instant ice pack to tuck between your legs. The cold felt nice against your swollen heat.

He doused a clean gauze pad in antiseptic wash and brushed the hair away from your neck to blot at the bite mark on your shoulder, although it had long-since stopped bleeding.

“It doesn’t hurt,” you assured him, your eyes cast down in submission.

“What do you need?” Santiago fretted, the gravity of what he had done sinking in.

Not even Redfly had dared to give you a claim mark–a scar that could been a death blow–a sign for all to see that you were alive by his grace alone. To abandon you after that would be considered a cardinal sin among wolves, and above all else, Santiago needed to see himself as the hero.

“Water would be lovely,” you cleared your throat. “Please, Alpha.”

Santiago poured you a glass from the pitcher on the dresser and waited patiently at the bedside while you drank to take the glass from you when you were finished.

“What else?” he asked.

“Luna needs to be fed soon,” you said.

“Of course. I'll bring her to you,” Santiago agreed, sticking his head out the bedroom door where the others were still gathered in your laughably small living area, pretending they hadn’t heard what had just gone on behind closed doors.

“Fish, Ginger needs to nurse the baby. I can take her.”

“No, I got it,” Frankie insisted, pushing past Santiago in the doorway with Luna in his arms.

Santiago arranged the pillows comfortably around you, placing the densest one in your lap to support the baby. You brought Luna to your breast and she latch eagerly.

“She’s got a good appetite,” Santiago remarked, stroking her little foot.

“We haven’t had any problems,” you agreed. “It’s been a blessing.”

It had been a hard birth–complicated somewhat by your insistence on laboring at home–everything after had seemed like smooth sailing in comparison.

“Are you hungry?” Santiago asked. “I can bring you something.”

“There’s leftover soup in the fridge,” you said. “It just needs to be heated up.”

“I’ll get it ready,” Santiago agreed.

As Santiago rushed off, Frankie paced the room anxiously.

“Please try to relax,” you said, supporting Luna with one arm as you beckoned him to you with the other. “You’re making me nervous. Just sit down.”

“Sit down,” he repeated, lifting his cap to tousle his hair before replacing it, slightly off-kilter. “Where my best friend just fucked the mother of my child?”

“Don’t say it like that,” you said. “You make it sound obscene.”

“How do you want me to say it?” Frankie asked.

“Come here,” you pleaded. “Just come here.”

Frankie took a careful seat on the bed beside you, placing a hand on Luna’s head as you took his chin in your hand.

“I love you, Francisco,” you said. “I chose you. And I chose Pope. You knew that it was never going to be just one. It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“I know,” Frankie sighed, his large dark eyes wet and shining. “I just wish you hadn’t done that.”

As much as you assured him that you didn’t care if he took other partners, that you wanted him to explore those parts of himself, Frankie insisted he only wanted you. You suspected he was still holding out hope that you would marry him one day, but now that hope was marred by knowing he could only have you if Pope allowed it.

“I did what I had to do,” you said. “He was going to leave us. I wasn’t going to stand back and let it happen. I’m sorry you’re upset, but I won’t be held hostage by shitty ultimatums. I love you.”

“I know,” Frankie nodded, placing one hand on the back of your neck, bowing his head toward yours. “I love you, too.”

Santiago returned, a warm bowl in hand, and took a seat on the other side of you to offer you spoonfuls of barley and broth.

“You’ll have to tell me if it’s warm enough,” he said.

“It’s good,” you nodded wrapping your lips around the spoon to mask your smile. “Is there enough for the others?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Santiago assured you. “You just rest. I can take the baby for a bit, if you need a break.”

“I’m fine,” Frankie said, leaning into you possessively.

“Fish,” you warned, touching his face lightly. “Let Santi help. You could use a few solid hours of shuteye. These bags are out of control.”

“Then it’s settled,” Santiago agreed, setting your dishes aside. “I will spend some quality time with my beautiful goddaughter and you two will get some sleep.”

Santiago lifted Luna from your arms, her body pliant and relaxed in her milk-drunk state, as he lifted her to his shoulder to rub her back soothingly.

“Sleep,” Santiago repeated, uncharacteristically light-hearted as he carried Luna from the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“You need to undress,” you instructed, reaching for the buttons on Frankie’s shirt.

“It smells like blood,” he protested, reaching to stop your hands.

You pulled him closer, stroking his face and combing your fingers through his hair. Frankie whimpered like a frightened pup, fists balled and muscles taught.

“It’s fine, Frankie, you’re exhausted. Just lay down.”

None of the boys had truly recovered from their misadventure, and while Will was still healing from physical wounds, Frankie hadn’t had much opportunity to recover from the psychological trauma between waking up for late-night feedings and diaper changes.

“Luna is safe. I am safe. Relax.”

It took some cajoling, but you finally convinced Frankie to take off his clothes and settle down beside you in bed. He climbed under the covers and turned onto his side. Certainly the sheets could use a good wash, but that could wait until after some much-needed sleep. You rolled over to press your front against his back, hitching your top leg over his hip and drawing him close.

“This is nice,” you reminded him, slinking an arm around him, resting your hand on his chest. He entwined his fingers with yours and nodded.

You breathed slowly, consciously, your breasts pressing into his back and soon you felt his breath grow deeper and more even, the wings of his heart pressing back into you with each rise and fall.

Baby's First Taglist: @hiroikegawa

#triple frontier fic #shifters au #reverse harem #reader x frankie 'catfish' morales #reader x santiago 'pope' garcia #reader x will 'ironhead' miller #reader x benny miller #pedro pascal #oscar isaac #charlie hunnam #garrett hedlund

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subliminalbo · 8 months

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Since I'm on the most regular writing schedule that I've had in like eight years, I thought it would be fun to talk a bit about my writing process. I've always been a bit more chaotic in the way I approach writing, especially when it comes to planning. I'm just not a very organized person no matter how hard I try.

Specifically for the blog, I have two types of stories that I write. The longer form stuff come with chapters and titles and arcs and often go well over two thousand words. I have to think a lot more about those. Captions are quick and usually written on the fly as ideas come to me. They're more a necessity than anything else. Sometimes I'll get so locked in on writing a series that I'll disappear for months until its finished, so the captions are mainly to remind people that I still exist.

Series typically begin as captions. It's rare that I ever approach an idea with the intent to write several chapters about it. This was the case for A Kingdom for a Mistress, which started as a brief caption and quickly got out of hand. Sometimes I'll sit down to write a caption and realize that it's not going to be a breezy five hundred words.

Brevity hasn't always been a struggle for me, but looking back on my older work, it's my least favorite thing. For example, the next chapter of Assimilation is about a character who struggles with the transition to college life. There's a lot of character detail to explore there, but in my earlier effort (the original chapter was written in 2016), I was so eager to get to the mind control that I only dedicated a few sentences to her conflict. Whether you're reading mind control smut for the character detail or not, it's bad writing because it violates the rule of show, don't tell:

Six months had passed since Nina's assimilation. She graduated high school. [...] Though the college was only a few miles from home, it felt like she was a world away from her parents. Though Nina had been a quiet girl growing up, she found herself blooming into a social butterfly. School always came first, Nina would remind herself, but that didn't stop her from attending parties, dating boys, exploring her newfound sexuality.

Gross.

Anyway, what really sets series apart from captions is a focus on characters and a more deliberate pacing. I don't put myself on a word count, I don't rush myself to show the mind control. This is largely because I wrote a lot of stuff like that when I first started, and it got redundant really fast.

Once I know that a caption is going to be something bigger, I try to lay out a pathway for myself. I don't do a lot of outlining, but I will put some thoughts on a sticky note to reference in the future. Notes are huge for ideas. Just getting a quick elevator pitch down in writing, or bulleted plot points that I plan to hit, or even lines that I want to use.

Stickies are also useful for keeping track of characters. Betas has a larger cast than I've ever written about, so I took down notes on who plays who and minor details about those characters that is super useful to reference when you haven't written those characters in a year.

More recently, I've started taking notes on plot points, mapping out beat-for-beat what moments I want these stories to hit. Notes on Classified Information #2: The Sound look like this:

Probably the biggest thing about this pre-writing process, is that I rarely explore my first idea. I might put a thought down on a note and leave it be for an entire year before I go back to it. The first arc of Alphas, which I still haven't finished for the Tumblr, took me three years to write because I got stuck on the last two chapters. I knew how I wanted the story to end, but the events in the middle felt so clunky that I sat on it for years before going back. I'm still not happy with how that series developed and it's the reason I'm rewriting it from the start.

I have some stuff to say about captions and the development of Quick Hits, but I think I'll save that for another inside hypnoball. Mostly I wanted to talk about actual writer things like outlining and plotting.

#inside hypnoball

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alexbkrieger13 · 1 year

Text

I know this story might upset some powerful people in the football world. You’re not supposed to talk about this side of the game. But I have to tell the truth.

Everybody knows the image of my former club, Lyon.

Eight Champions Leagues.

The best players from every country.

It’s one of the most successful clubs in football. Jean-Michel Aulas, the president, has invested a lot in the team, making fair pay and good conditions for players just as big a priority as winning.

Being from Iceland, I always dreamed of playing in the biggest leagues in Europe. When I turned pro, I literally told my agent, Dietmar, “Wolfsburg and Lyon. I want these.”

I played four great years at Wolfsburg, then in the summer of 2020, I moved to Lyon. And while I was there, I did live out my dream. I’ll never forget the feeling of winning the Champions League. Scoring in the final and winning the title with Lyon was one of my proudest moments in my career.

And then I got pregnant.

It was March 2, 2021, when I realised. I told my boyfriend, Árni, that I was running a bit late, but I thought I’d be starting my period soon. He asked if I wanted to take a test, but I was like, “No, no, no, I feel it.” Another day went by, and we were like, OK, that’s weird. So that evening when I came home from training I took a test. You’re supposed to wait two minutes, but in one the results were there — two blue lines. I was definitely pregnant.

At first, the only thing I felt was happiness, but then reality hit me.

Shit. How is the team going to react to this?

In Europe, for a long time it just hasn’t really been a normal thing for a player to get pregnant. There’s been progress, but the culture is still the culture. So when I saw the pregnancy test, it’s like of course I’m so happy. This wasn’t planned, but I knew I was with the person I wanted to start a family with, and I didn’t think for a second that I wouldn’t have my baby. But in the back of your mind, you still feel like you’re guilty of something. Like you’re letting people down.

It was all really nerve-wracking. So when I told the team doctor, we decided together to keep it secret. The doctor told the physios at that time in Lyon, and they were instructed to monitor me and help as needed — which they did — but to keep it a secret as well. I was only about five weeks pregnant, so it was still really early, and we had important games coming up. I felt a lot of pressure to find the right moment to tell the girls, so they wouldn’t be affected by it. So a month goes by, and I keep training normally.

Then the PSG game comes around. Jean-Luc, the coach at the time, came up to me in the warmup and asked how I was doing because the day before the game, we were training on that pitch in Paris, and I threw up three times. I felt horrible. So on game day, when Jean-Luc asked if I could sub-in at halftime, I had to say no. And that’s not me — I would never. But it was just too much.

I knew I had to tell my teammates the truth. I felt that in this club, at this level, if I couldn’t train 100% then I shouldn’t be training.

So about a week later, I told everyone. We were sitting in the locker room, the whole team. The director, staff members, physios, they were all there. And I just said I’d been feeling sick the past few weeks because, “Yeah…. I’m pregnant.” It was funny to see their reactions because some of them were so shocked. I think there were a lot of mixed emotions — when a player says she’s pregnant, it’s a special moment, but it also comes with quite a few unknowns.

I think once it really sank in, everybody was so happy for me and super excited. But they naturally had a lot of questions because I was the first person in the history of Lyon to get pregnant and with the full intention to come back and play.

Dietmar told me the director was surprised but happy for me, and arranged a meeting with us, where we discussed the next steps. The doctor said I should stop playing at this point. Also, several people on the team had gotten COVID, and it was continuing to go around. I was worried about what could happen if I got it. I didn’t know how that would affect the baby. I just wanted to carry out the rest of my pregnancy at home in Iceland, where I could understand the doctors in my native language and be around my mom and my partner and my family. So we asked the director, and he said yes.

But I wanted to return to Lyon after giving birth. I was very clear about that. I believed that being the first player ever for Lyon to return from pregnancy would be something we could all celebrate together.

So the team signed off on my plan, helped me with the paperwork for the insurance, and I flew to Iceland on the first of April.

As soon as I’m up in the air, it’s almost like a weight has been lifted. I had been carrying so much stress and tension in my body trying to figure out how to break the news. When I landed in Iceland, it all just melted away. It was like, OK, I can breathe now.

For a while I just had so much else going on, I didn’t have time to think or be concerned about my salaries from the club. I didn’t have any reason to think anything would go wrong.

Until I didn’t get my first paycheck. All that was deposited was just a small percentage from social security.

To be fair, there was a lot of logistical stuff to deal with, so I didn’t think too much of it. Probably a clerical error. But, I checked with the other players just to be sure.

They were paid, right on time.

Then I missed another. So I’m like, Hold on. I called Dietmar, and he wrote to Vincent, the club director. There was no response, so my agency reached out again. Then, we sent formal letters.

When Vincent finally responded, he apologised for two of the months I was missing, and said I would get paid for those. But for the third month, he says something about how they’re going by French law — meaning, they don’t owe me anything else.

I said to Dietmar, “No that’s not right, they should be going by the FIFA rules.”

These rules were pretty new, but I vaguely knew about them because of a random conversation I had with some players one day. This was before I got pregnant. I remember we were all talking about kids, and everybody was like, “Yeah, there’s no security for us.” And I specifically remember Jodie Taylor was sitting on this table, and she said FIFPRO was working on pregnancy and maternity leave for professional footballers. I thought that was cool, but I really didn’t dig deeper at the time.

Now, I’m thinking, What even are my rights???

It’s not a position you expect to be in, especially with a team like this.

Dietmar kept pushing the issue, telling them, “Hey, still lacking salaries.” But we’d get no response. The players’ union in France became involved, and then FIFPRO. Weeks turned to months. Still no full paycheck.

Lyon refused to give a clear answer on what the criterion was that was being applied. Finally, Dietmar told Vincent that FIFPRO was going to fight this at the FIFA level.

Vincent said: “If Sara goes to FIFA with this, she has no future in Lyon at all.”

She has no future in Lyon

I couldn’t wrap my head around that. I was just shocked. And I’ll be honest, I was hurt. The whole situation made me feel crazy. How could any team get away with this?

There wasn’t going to be a discussion or negotiation. Vincent completely shut it down.

So, I’m in Iceland. Pregnant. And now I’m thinking, Wait, did I just lose my job?? I was seriously angry.

This should have been the happiest moment of my life.

All I wanted was to enjoy my pregnancy, and work my ass off to come back to help the team and the club.

But instead I felt confused, stressed, and betrayed.

I don’t know, maybe they thought, She’s just going to Iceland to go on vacation. But I was training like a maniac during my pregnancy. Once I got over the nausea, I felt really fresh. I hated not being able to play football, but I could still run, and I could swim. I was working with a strength coach every day, which I paid for myself…. I had to pay for everything out of my savings. I took a lot out, and I wasn’t sure I was going to ever get it back. That’s not a good feeling, especially when you’re starting a family.

And all this time, I still had a bunch of regular questions going through my head about being a mom, like how will I manage doing both, being a professional and being a mom on this level??? Training while breastfeeding? How’s it going to be when I’m back in Lyon with my family?

I was trying to focus on the things I could control, trying to listen to my body. Trying to feel good and trying to just, in a way, enjoy the pregnancy. There were positive moments too, that I’ll never forget. I looked forward to every check-up to see the little hands on the ultrasound and listen to the baby’s heartbeat. In those moments I’d tell myself, I’m forgetting everything. I’m completely letting go and living in this moment.

But I could never completely forget. Because it’s hard enough coming back after pregnancy at this level, and moving abroad where there is no family around to ask for help.

In the back of my head, I can’t stop thinking, I have no future at the club.

Does that mean that I’m not going to play the next six months, that I’ll just be kept in the freezer for the rest of my contract??

The worries just kept piling up. I felt like shit. One night I said to Árni, “Maybe I just have to quit.”

When I’d first told the club about my pregnancy, they seemed very happy for me and said they’d do everything to support me, and I believed that. But now, I wasn’t so sure.

From the first of April, when I came to Iceland, until August, I didn’t hear from anyone in the front office or the coaching staff. I was still in close touch with some teammates, as well as the doctor and the physios, just personally. They were all good friends of mine. But the club never formally reached out. No one checked to see how my training was going, how my pregnancy was progressing.

Then one day, amidst all the craziness … I went into labor.

It was the most amazing, indescribable feeling, becoming a mom. You feel like a superhero after a birth like that.

I flew back to Lyon in January of this year with Árni and our son, Ragnar.

And I have to be completely honest, a part of me wanted to come into the club and just tell everybody how angry I was for what they had done and leave.

But I told myself I would go back and do everything at 110%. I was like, I will show you guys how fit I will be. I was ready to just play.

But that didn’t work out how I planned.

Training was different when I got back. I was treated differently.

The coaches, including Sonia, had reassured me that they would help me and fight for me to get everything that I would need.

But I was being asked — no, told — all sorts of things, like not to bring my baby with me on away trips. They said it was because it could really disturb the players on the bus or plane, if he cried the whole way. I shook my head and told them I’m not signing anything like that. This was while I was still breastfeeding, and he was so small and so dependent on me. If they wouldn’t budge on this, I couldn’t attend the away games.

In the end, it was decided that they would give me and Ragnar two away trips to test it and see how it would go. I shook my head again! I wasn’t comfortable with him being “tested.” I wasn’t going to put myself and Ragnar in that situation. The understanding between us just was not there, and I felt that. They always made me feel like it was a negative thing that I had a baby.

Meanwhile, FIFPRO was still trying to get me my full wages from the period when I was pregnant, via the FIFA tribunal. I couldn’t help but think the case was having an effect on my relationship with the club.

Vincent said in a meeting with me, after I got back, that he still didn’t understand it, but that I had every right to do what I needed to do, and they had every right to defend themselves.

The president also walked into the room while I was there. It was the first time he had seen me since I had returned with my baby. He didn’t even greet me, didn’t look at or acknowledge Ragnar. But Vincent had just reassured me, five minutes before, regarding the case, that “it wasn’t personal.” After that moment, with the president, it was clear that it was.

I told Vincent, “Yeah, I have every right to defend myself because there’s a contract telling me that I have the right, and there’s a law telling me that I have the right.”

He just shook his head and said that they were going by the French Law, and they were sticking by that.

He said that it wasn’t personal, only business.

I asked him about what he said to Dietmar, how if I went to FIFA then I wouldn’t have any future in Lyon.

He said he didn’t say that, and it was the coach, Sonia, who decided she couldn’t see me as a future player in her team.

I was so exhausted from all the fighting. It was clear that, regardless of what was said, the essence was true: As a new mother, I didn’t have a future with this club.

They were going to make it impossible.

We got the decision from the FIFPRO lawsuit in May.

The club was ordered to pay me the unpaid salaries — the whole amount I requested and exactly what I was owed.

Lyon requested the grounds of the decision, which one normally does if one is intending to appeal. And once we got that, we could really read how FIFA analysed the case and arrived at the conclusions.

They talked about the “duty of care” of the club, that there was no contact with me during my pregnancy. No one was really checking on me, following up, seeing how I was doing mentally and physically, both as an employee, but also as a human being. Basically, they had a responsibility to look after me, and they didn’t. After Lyon received the grounds, they decided not to appeal.

I was entitled to my full salary during my pregnancy and until the start of my maternity leave, according to the mandatory regulations from FIFA. These are part of my rights, and this can’t be disputed — even by a club as big as Lyon.

That’s why I’m writing this. The victory felt bigger than me. It felt like a guarantee of financial security for all players who want to have a child during their career. That it’s not a “maybe,” or an unknown.

Ragnar is almost a year old, and we’re in a great place as a family. I’m at Juventus now, and I’m very happy.

But I want to make sure no one has to go through what I went through ever again. And I want Lyon to know this is not O.K.

This is not “just business.”

This is about my rights as a worker, as a woman and as a human being.

I’m very hopeful about the women’s game. There’s a lot to celebrate. The facilities? The investment? The level? The fans filling up the stadium? We’ve come so far. That’s undeniable.

But the reality is, when it comes to the overall culture? There’s a lot more work to do.

We deserve better.

#sara björk gunnarsdóttir #woso #woso article #olympique lyonnais

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sparkagrace · 1 year

Text

I posted 5,357 times in 2022

That's 4,347 more posts than 2021!

225 posts created (4%)

5,132 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@musette22

@possibleplatypus

@cable-knit-sweater

@alpineandbucky

@not-withoutyou

I tagged 5,303 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#queued - 3,489 posts

#steve x bucky - 2,660 posts

#fanart - 1,372 posts

#fanfic - 797 posts

#bucky barnes - 752 posts

#ca:tws - 503 posts

#steve rogers - 503 posts

#ca:tfa - 459 posts

#ca:cw - 436 posts

#sebastian stan - 295 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#you're so compelled by the winter soldier before you even see him and then everything after as it fits in around steve and bucky's history

My Top Posts in 2022:

be kind, rewind: ch.8

author: sparkagrace notes: a Stucky 90s AU written for @stuckyhistoricalfiction rating/words: T (47k) ship: steve/bucky tags: shrunkyclunks, alternate universe - 1990s, slow burn, mutual pining, getting together, movie references

summary:

Bucky opens his mouth because he could tell Briony about Steve and Becca, and he could tell her about how he doesn’t know how to start picking his life back up, but he swallows it down and lets it hang in the air between them. “He told me once that anything can be fixed. Starting is the scariest part, but once you do then it all feels easier. Just start small, Bucky.”

This fic is now complete! You can read Chapter 8 here.

Previous chapter posts: [one] [two] [three] [four] [five] [six] [seven]

Thanks so much for all the support and lovely comments over the last few months. I hope you like the final chapter (and there's some headcanons at the very end of the fic) 💖💖💖

89 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

title: be kind, rewind author: sparkagrace rating/words: T (47k) notes: a Stucky 90s AU written for @stuckyhistoricalfiction. tags: shrunkyclunks, alternate universe - 1990s, slow burn, mutual pining, getting together, movie references, bucky hates star wars and has a thing for hugh grant

summary: It's 1994 and Bucky Barnes is stuck in a dead-end job at Blockbuster trying to figure his life out. That is until a recently unfrozen Steve Rogers walks through the door and asks him for movie recommendations.

"You lookin' for something for your kid or your niece or… the kid you babysit?" The employee's nametag reads 'Bucky', and in a smaller font underneath is the word 'Manager'. "No." Steve frowns, then follows his glance up towards the sign that reads: CHILDREN'S. He picks up Snow White and shows it to the employee. "Found it." "Alright, dude. Whatever floats your boat. Lemme know if you need anything else. Your Cinderellas and your Sleepin' Beauties. That Jasmine chick from Aladdin is a pretty big hit." Bucky crosses his arms over his chest and that polo stretches a little. "Unless it's the dwarves that getcha goin'." Steve opens his mouth and then shuts it. "Um, what?" "Look, if you're gonna perve over cartoon girls, can you wait until you've rented them out? This is a family establishment."

I wrote a little thing and have had so much fun rewatching classic movies. It's eight parts in total so check it out if you love the 90s and lots of movie references.

Read on AO3

114 notes - Posted June 15, 2022

treading water | @sparkagrace steve x bucky | mature | wip

tags: olympics au, swimming, sports au, established relationship, amputee bucky barnes, break up, getting back together, depression, coming out, suicidal ideation, angst, eventual happy ending

Olympic swimmer Bucky Barnes always believed that when the time came to retire, he would walk away with his medals and world records firmly in the history books and never look back. He never thought the water would leave him first.

updates on the 3rd, 13th and 23rd of every month.

lane lines series: lane lines | lumiere | new traditions

121 notes - Posted November 13, 2022

OFF THE RECORD

written by sparkagrace ; art by @konfundus for @shrunkyclunksbang rating: mature words: 37k | 5 chapters summary:

The Avengers have a problem. Six months after the Battle of New York, public opinion is beginning to turn on them and they are in dire need of a PR boost. Reporter Bucky Barnes needs to impress his boss enough to get a promotion onto the Features desk. This assignment might get him there, but the fact that he really hates the Avengers is the least of his problems today…

Chapter 1 is up now, and there will be a chapter a day until 12th August.

155 notes - Posted August 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

hearing someone irl (at work!) say the "we deserve a soft epilogue" quote is jarring, but also 👀

she followed it up with "i don't even care about captain america or the arm man, but i see that quote everywhere and i like it".

163 notes - Posted July 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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socalwriterbee · 2 years

Text

Better In Time: Chapter 2 - Memories of Us

Want to catch up on Chapter 1? Check it out here: Collide

Chapter Title: Memories of Us

Series Title: Better In Time

Book: The Nanny Affair

Characters: Samuel (Sam) Dalton, Wyatt Kent, Marie Castro

Rating: Fluff/Some Angst/Adult Language

Word Count: 8006

Series Summary: For two years Marie thought Sam would change, be the man she wanted and the father she knew he could be. But broken promise after broken promise, Marie leaves the city she has come to know and the man she fell in love with. Moving across the country back to her home state of California, needing to put the ghosts of her past behind her and move on with her life. Meeting someone new was out of the question until one day on the beaches of Malibu she meets a handsome stranger she befriends

Chapter Summary: Back in New York, after another failed attempt to get in touch with Marie, Sam remembers the night she left.

The day is finally here, Wyatt gets to see Marie again. A day spent riding the waves, how could he possibly not feel more, then the friendship he is trying to convey.

A/N: Friendly reminder that This series has 3 POV's Marie's, Wyatt's and Sam's.

A/N 2: I finally get to share the incredible artwork from Ainna on Instagram (handle: artbyainna) check her out! She is AMAZING! I've attached it at the end of the chapter 🥰🥰 I will post the image alone later.

some characters in the series/chapter belong to pixelberry

🔹🔹🔹

Sam

Time heals all wounds.

I hated that saying. It was said to me when my boys and I lost Addison. And now it was being said again, not in the same meaning as before but still being said.

I hated it then and I hate it even more now. With Addison she had died, she wasn’t coming back. I grieved my wife, the mother of my children. Marie on the other hand was still very much alive, what am I to grieve, she wanted nothing to do with us, scratch that nothing to do with me. She spoke to Mason and Mickey on occasion but once I tried getting on the line she would tell them goodbye and hang up.

The warm orange glow of my desk lamp illuminated the lonely space I created once more around me. The silence of my office clashing with the knowing loud sounds and bright lights that colored the dark sky of the city outside. The look of happiness on Marie’s face that stared back at me, sat on my desk, next to the one of my boys. If I didn’t have every feature, the feel of every curve of her burned to memory before, I did now. I will forever wonder what had I done right in my life to have a love like hers. At one point in our time together we were happy, those smiling faces looking back at me confirmed that.

Time.

Time or rather the past, I would say, caught up to me. My mistakes making a comeback but this time tenfold. Apparently I hadn’t learned anything from the past, I thought she was different but in the end it was too much for her. Just like before.

The Dalton Persona overwhelmed another.

It’s been five months. Five months and twenty days to be exact that Marie left to California. Six months and nine days since she broke up with me. I, we— the boys and I haven’t been the same.

That wasn’t really true, having fallen back to the same pattern that she always said I never got rid of. I was the same Samuel Dalton before she came into my life, the one Addison knew well and like Marie tried to change.

But when you have the weight of a family business, a child’s future to secure that work ethic and responsibility was instilled into me no matter the cost. My flaws of working late, not spending time with my sons, a list that could go on and on. It’s my safe place, the one place I knew what the outcome would be. I did this and I got that. Simple.

Except it wasn’t.

It’s what I expected to happen when we started our little publicity stunt. Making our life as simple as can be. She was better than what I was trying to mold her to be. Deep down I knew that, that was my first mistake. No, that had been one of many. Was I a fool thinking that was the way she needed to be for my world to accept her?

I wasn’t.

She would have been chewed and spit out if she didn’t have the guidance of Naya and everything that came with it. And I couldn’t bear seeing that happen again. I would do anything, throw any obscene amount of money at it to not lose the person that I love with everything that I am in this lifetime.

In the end, I had lost her.

Twice.

It was late Friday night and still no word from her. I would check my phone what felt like every five minutes waiting for a text or the phone to ring.

It didn’t.

I called her on Tuesday, she hadn’t answer. Foolishly I was expecting to hear her voice on the other end. All I got was just a taste when her voicemail greeting picked up and told me to leave a message. So I did. It was a small victory because I wasn’t blocked. But I would never know if she indeed listened to my plea, my apology. Was I on her mind every second of every hour of everyday, like she was on mine.

That night she broke things off played in my mind like a horrible rerun that I would live with until my last breath or until she returned to me. God, how I wished every time that it wouldn’t be forever. The days had turned into weeks and those weeks turned to a move across the country and my hope was slowly diminishing as the months went by. Six months, a rather much bigger moment apart in our lives than I expected. This life of ours, the one were we were meant to spend forever together.

“It’s all a lie. Don’t you see that.”

“All that matters is that we know the truth.”

“What is the truth anymore Sam, the lines have blurred past recognition.”

I had just gotten home, I was tired. Arguing with her was the last thing I wanted to do that night. She had been waiting for me and I knew immediately that our night would end in another fight.

My tie loosened, tired hands on my hips, I watched her in silence, Marie sat down on the edge of the bed in my bedroom.

When Naya had wanted her to move out, the day she packed and moved to another penthouse that would be the last time it would be our bedroom. I feared it would never became ours again.

Her shoulders slumped over in a signal of defeat, head lowered, she wouldn’t look at me. She hid her face in the palm of her hands, her brown hair cascading down. A whimper escaping from her and filling the quiet space between us.

I run a hand through my unruly hair as the memories of that night play once more. Bringing the glass filled with the liquid gold of scotch to my lips, tossing back the remainder, the burn no longer having an affect on me, as that night continued to haunt to me.

I couldn’t see her like this. I was the cause for the pain. I went on bended knee in front of her, silently pleading for her to look at me. She wouldn’t budge. She removed her hands from her face, taking them instantly into my own and held onto them. Her small hands always fit perfectly into mine. Now, I wasn’t so sure. I saw tears run down her face, I reach up and gently wipe them away with the pad of my thumb.

“Say something. What can I do to make this right?” I wince with regret as soon as those words left me lips. Throw anything at a problem and it’ll go away. It's what I did, no matter the person, no matter the situation. I did this with Marie to many times to keep track of. Flowers, jewelry, a day away from the chaos and sex.

“You can’t just keep throwing pretty things and empty promises at the problem and expect them to change.” Her voice was soft as she spoke, she repeated as if she could read the thoughts that ran through my mind.

“I know.” I did, know that is. But it was how I solved all the issues I came upon. Another fault of mine, one more to add on to the ever growing list.

There was a tremble in her voice when she said.“I’m sorry.”

“I’m the one that needs to be sorry. It’s just that I am this close to taking over once dad finally steps down…”

She cuts me off before I could give her that same apology that I have come to memorize these past years.“Sam.”

The moment her whiskey brown eyes flooded with tears, finally looked at me, I should have known this wasn’t going to end the same way our arguments ended. Her body intertwined with mine and with my whispered promises to change and do better for our family as she fell asleep in my arms.

“Talk to me baby. Whatever it is we will work through it.” my voice huskier, pleading with her trying to stop what I fear is about to come.

“I—I can’t do this anymore.” She says calmly, gone the tremble in her voice. Marie pulls her hands away from my grasp. Straightens her back and firmly tells me,“I can’t do this anymore. I. just. can’t.”

I try taking her in my arms ignorantly thinking that would make her rethink this but she pulls away from my touch. “Don’t. Please.”

“I’m sorry.” She repeats.

My mind racing with every possible plea. Everything I could possible say, staying on the tip of my tongue refusing to be spoken. Was it because I knew deep down they would turn into promises I couldn’t keep?

It was too late, I fucked up over and over. Nothing I could say would change her mind. So I didn’t. What would be the point. She would hate me more. My world had finally caught up with her.

My vision blurred. staring blankly at nothing but at everything in front of me, if I didn’t focus on what was happening, it wasn’t real. The future that was waiting for me wasn’t real. The silhouette that sat on my bed shifted. I felt the warmth of her body brush against my side as I watched the shadow move past me. The sweet scent of magnolias, citrus and her surround me as a faint click of the door opened and closed.

She was gone. Gone with out saying another word and I let her…

A gentle knock on my office door brings me back to the present. I glance down at my Rolex, a gift from Marie, one I wear everyday. The time blurry, I’ve had one to many drinks to help drown the past. Or were they un- shed tears threatening to finally fall? If I read the time correctly it’s just past one in the morning, Saturday. How long I had been lost in the memory of Marie that time slipped away from me?

“Mr. Dalton.” the smoky voice seeps through the door, the boys new nanny.

It was late, I wonder what she was doing up at this hour. The boys were asleep when I finally arrived home, she immediately excused herself to her bedroom. I call her in. “Come in Kat.”

Poking her head in, her luscious golden blonde hair in a messy bun sitting at the top of her head. Her lips form a smile, the green in her eyes pop from the rosiness flush on her cheeks. She steps into my office, leaving the door slightly opened. Kat was wearing shorts and a tank top and from here I knew she wasn’t wearing anything underneath that top. I had no issue with what she wore when the boys were asleep, but coming into my office like this was not acceptable. I would need to have a talk with her, and the temptation she displayed innocently.

“I saw the light on.” She says it as if she offering an apology. “I was getting some water when I noticed..”

“Yes, well.” I clear my throat. “I was about to call it a night.”

Kat hesitates “I see.”

“Something on your mind? Have the boys been behaving?” I hope to god they have, I couldn’t go through looking for a nanny again.

“Yes of course, as well as nine year old boys can behave.” She says as a sigh of relief leaves me. “Are you ok, Sam?”

My jaw tenses, I don’t have a clue why. That is my name. I never allowed her to call me by my name. I had given that privilege to Marie, right on the spot of her hiring. I’d given her everything I could think of that mattered to her and she left. Shaking the last thought from my head I didn’t need Kat to know about Marie.

She seemed to have noticed and immediately apologized “I’m sorry Mr. Dalton. It’s not my place, I didn’t mean to cross into something personal.”

I run my fingers through my hair before answering. “No need to apologize. It’s just been a long day is all.” It’s been a long fucking six months.

“Well than if that’s all, goodnight.” She bites her bottom lip before the raspiness in her voice says “Mr. Dalton.”

“Goodnight.”

I waited until I was alone in my office once more before pouring myself another drink. Taking my phone from the desk, our last family Christmas picture greeting me. It was just past ten o’clock at night on the west coast. A few swipes and clicks of the phone and I would hear her voice, I wanted to know what she was doing. How she was doing. I never got enough information from Robin to satisfy my need of her. Mr. Castro, her dad, would let somethings slip about her when I called him, I tried making those calls rare so she wouldn’t notice her dad was still talking to me. But it was never enough, I closed my eyes to let the happy memories of the our little family take over the unpleasant ones.

That rarely happened and it wouldn’t happen tonight, they were always much stronger.

🔹🔹🔹

Wyatt

My calloused hands tightened the harness of the dark colored strap to the roof rack of my jeep, securing the boards in place. The crunch of the gravel from passing cars on the road made me look up every time. The cars that brought my hopes up drove by slowly, looking for a spot to park before the beaches became crowded. And every time they didn’t stop in front of my house, the hope I had for Marie to show up faded with each passing minute. It was ten pass five in the morning and she wasn’t here. Yeah, the view from my home was beautiful but not the spot to surf, at least not for us. Every Saturday, the boys and I would all meet up further up the coast, spending the morning riding the waves. And in a few minutes that was where we were heading but as of right now it would be just my brother and I.

Marie hadn’t shown up.

“She’ll show.” Michael said.

Hoping he was right, I spent a sleepless night thinking about today. I tossed and turned counting down the minutes when I would see her again. I regret not getting her phone number before she left Wednesday night, but the way she looked at me and how well she got along with my family made me forget the simplest things.

“If she doesn’t I get to have her breakfast burrito.” He adds.

I roll my eyes at him, he could have mine if he wanted for all I cared. All I wanted was for her to be here. “I’m gonna get the rest of the stuff. Make sure everything is tightly in place.” I instruct him, Michael gives me a salute letting me know he’s got this. He should he’s done it hundreds of times before. Cool it Wyatt, telling myself just be grateful that he doesn’t have a smart ass comment to throw back.

Stepping through the front door, looking at the cooler on the floor and up to the streamers hanging on the hook. Right were I left them the night before and minutes ago after rearranging them multiple times to make them easy and ready to grab and toss in the car once Marie showed up. It would take me less than five minutes to make sure everything was locked and to get everything in the car.

Not enough time for her to show up.

I paced around like a fool, running my hand through my hair. Letting out a deep sigh as I hated coming to terms that she didn’t show. She said she looked forward to seeing me today. What if she was just being nice? Hoping that I didn’t scare her off, every thing that I could remember played as I secured the locks on the doors. Did she not like me calling her ex idiotic? Because he was. In the little time I had spent with her, I didn’t want to let her go, I didn’t want her out of my life. Checking the final lock, I was out of time. We needed to get going.

Grabbing the streamers and cooler, I made my way through the front door. Micheal was standing on the foot step of the car, the passenger door open and his upper body leaning over the roof of the car. I couldn’t make out what he was saying to the person on the other side. Looking around, there was no car parked in front. It must be a very early beach goer he was surely flirting with, I couldn’t tell with the tint of the windows.

I call out to him a bit irritated. “Michael.”

“You look like crap. Beautiful but like crap.” Michael said, this time louder for me to catch.

What an odd thing to say to someone, I thought that was until I heard it. Her laugh. Marie. She was here. Happiness, that wasn’t the right word, it was much stronger feeling pulling at the strings of my heart knowing that she came, came over me. She said something that I couldn’t quite make out that made Michael laugh.

“Michael.” I call out, louder this time. Both of them oblivious to my presence. “Michael.” I call once more.

He turns to me with a foolish grin on his face. “Wy, look who the cat dragged out. Your prayers have been answered.” He says stepping down, making his way to me and grabbing the items from my hands.

And that’s when I laid eyes on her and yes my prayers had been answered. She stopped at the rear of the Jeep,

“Hi.” She smiled.

“Hi.”

Rocking my weight back on my heels, taking her in. Michael had been right, she was beautiful today, just as the day before. Standing there in dark gray linen shorts, sandals, a white cropped tank top with the hunter green color of her bathing suit top peeking through, her hair in a high ponytail with whispers of hair framing her delicate face.

“Sorry it took me so long, I was wrestling with the covers.” Marie jokes, blowing away a strand of hair that fell over her eyes.

The image of her dragging herself out of bed after she admitted that she liked her sleep made me chuckle. That would be a lovely image to have burned in my mind for the rest of my days. But I told myself once more that I was a friend. How was I to make it through the day, when my heart beat faster when she was near.

“Wyatt here thought you weren’t gonna show. I, on the other hand never doubted you.” Michael called out as he exited the car and stood next to her. I held back a laugh as I watched her roll her eyes at him.

“Never doubted? You just told me that you wanted my breakfast.”

“That’s in the past. Now M, are you ready to get pummeled by the waves?” He playfully nudges at her.

“Are you ready to lose the best set of the day to a newbie?” She nudged back.

“Oh you’re on.”

“Ready?” I ask the both of them.

She nods as Michael shouts shotgun. “Michael you’re going in the backseat. Marie sits up front.” I tell him.

“Does shotgun not mean anything anymore?” He asks but still makes his way to the backseat.

“You remind me of one the boys I used to take care of.” Marie told him, patting him on the shoulder. “He’s just more adorable than you are.”

“Hey! I do not act like a little boy. Besides he must be awesome if you are comparing him to me.” He answers back.

“You do act like one most of the time.” I call back.

After locking the front door and hurry to open the passenger door for Marie. I close the door once she is settled in, then make my way around to the drivers side. Turning on the engine, Island in the Sun by Weezer plays through the speakers as I lower the windows to the car. Glancing at Marie before pulling out of the driveway, making sure she is safely buckled in once more.

During our drive, I listen as Michael and her debate on whether Marie should introduce her best friend Jenny to him. She said no but Michael keeps trying to convince her for that to happen. She stirs clear from any mention of the boyfriend and what I am assuming are heartbreaking memories of her life there. The life the press wrote about, one I got the picture of when curiosity got the best of me.

I hated to admit that I looked her up. But not after the many times of deleting her name, only to have typed it again. And then finally hitting enter. Article after article. Photo of photo of them together. Of their family together.

It all sounded like a fairytale. Almost to good to be true. The press ate it up, a widowed father of twin boys, a failed engagement and finally having found love with the boys ex-nanny. I had to stop I couldn’t see her with him. It had me seeing red, jaw clenching red when I stared too long at the photos of how she looked at him. What I wouldn’t give to have that look staring back at me.

So I did what any non-jealous man who had just met the most amazing beautiful person. My fingers glided across the keyboard and typed, Samuel Dalton. He had been another rabbit hole I went down. The man she clearly came to love back in New York, the golden boy of the Dalton family, the soon to be CEO once his father retired from Dalton Enterprises. A man who lost his wife in a tragic accident. An engagement to his friend that was leaked to the press. A man that in the end didn’t lift a finger when the press’s love for Marie turned. Or so I read.

“Will it just be the three of us?” Marie asked.

My thoughts being interrupted “What was that?” I glance over at her before returning my attention to the road.

“Will it just be us?” She asked again.

I hadn’t told her that Ben and Daniel would be joining us and from the sound of it Michael hadn’t either. I told the guys the next day and they welcomed the idea, my sister and Bridgette not so much, not because they didn’t like her. They weren’t big on surfing. I wanted Marie to be comfortable, the last thing she needed was someone trying to hit on her. Me, I was that someone. I knew from the moment I asked her, it was going to be a group thing.

“No. Daniel and Ben will meet us there.” I say. “They should be there already actually.” Giving my watch a quick look to see the time.

“What about Olive and Bridgette?”

“They are not really into it. They already had plans, when I mentioned it Olive almost killed me for inviting you without them being there.”

“It’s not like Olive and Bridge surf.” Michael chimes in.

“Maybe next time, we’d just sun bathe.” I could hear a giddiness in her voice without having to turn around, I knew the expression she would have on her face because I knew I had the same one. She wanted a next time.

For the remainder of our drive, we talk about all sorts of things from sports to Michaels many adventures around the world. Moments later I pull into an open spot next to Daniel and Ben, who are already in their wetsuits.

“Good Morning.” Marie cheerfully calls out from the open window to them. “What’s with the gloomy weather?”

“It should burn off in a couple hours. It’s good to begin the morning surfing like this.” Daniel tells her.

I turn off the engine and we all make our way out, making my way around to see Marie hugging my best friends, there goes the beating of my heart at her comfort level around us.

“So Marie, what do you know about surfing?” Ben asks her.

“Well. I did some research on it..” She begins. “It was very interesting…”

“Hold up. You researched surfing?”

“Yeah.” There is a shyness in her voice that I find adorable at her admitting she looked into surfing.

“Please, please please don’t tell us your gonna give a report.” Michael butts in.

She shakes her head at him. “No. Not unless you want one.”

“I think it's a good thing she did.” I add.

“You would. Suck up. Wyatt, she likes you already.” Michael joked.

My head drops with embarrassment at Michaels words. He could have said anything, anything at all and he decides to say that. When I look back up my eyes land on Marie, she is looking at me with what I want to be hope.

“I didn’t want to be clueless, of course there are things I need to learn by actually doing them than reading about it.” Marie answered. “Besides I like all of you. I’d like to consider each one a friend.” She did catch Michaels remark. My face warms with embarrassment.

“Ouch. Friend zoned Wy.” Michael whispers to me with a chuckle.

Ignoring his comment, through the open car door I grab everything we need for a day out on the water.

“We should get into these, once in those we could head towards the water.” I tell Marie, handing her the black suit I got her.

“Ok.” She takes it from my hand, looking around at the four of us all of us looking at her and then she settles back to me.

Daniel points towards the beach as the three of them begin their way down “We’re just gonna go get our spot. See you in a few.”

We watch as they leave us alone. “It’s pretty easy putting it on.” I nervously say, pointing to the suit. “Once you get into the streamer..”

“Streamer another name for the wetsuit.” She proudly tells me.

“Yeah. you did do your research.”

“Of course. I’m not just a pretty face.” She teasingly says to me.

Opening the passenger door, she places the suit on the seat. Marie begins to undress, pulling her top over her head, tossing it in her bag. Next she kicks off her sandals, unties the string on her shorts and pulls them down, the sandals and shorts go into the bag. Standing there in a hunter green bikini, staring as if I had never seen a woman in a two piece bathing suit, I turn around and give her some privacy to let her suit up. A little to late for that.

“Wyatt.” She calls out.

“Yeah?”

“It’s a bikini. It’s safe to say you’ve seen a bit more the first time we met.”

“I know.” Answering awkwardly, I was trying to be a decent guy, at the end, to give her some privacy.

Calling out once she is finished. “That wasn’t as hard as I thought it be.”

Turning around to her as she is tugging the string to pull the zipper closed. Taking a couple steps, I close the gap between us. “Here let me.” I tell her, securing the zipper with the velcro closure.

“What do you think?” She says turning around, moving in the streamer. “Do I look like a surfer now?”

I simper like a fool at her. “It looks good.” She looked beautiful. “You may look like one but the challenge is to have you be one.” I say.

“Your turn. I could turn around and give you some privacy. You now do the decent thing before you strip down.” She winks at me.

God I’m in trouble, I’ve been in trouble since I first laid eyes on her.

I smirk. “You can.”

Marie turns around and I begin to undress tossing my clothes into the car haphazardly. Standing there in my briefs, I catch a pair of brown eyes looking over her shoulder as I step into the suit.

Once I’ve secured the zipper, I hand over one of the boards to Marie so she can carry it. Tucking them under our arms, we head towards the guys waiting on the sand. Standing the board in the sand when we get closer with Marie lowering hers onto the sand. Watching her tentatively, she glides her hands over the rough layers of wax that cover the top.

“It’s put on so you have a better grip when your on.” I inform her.

“I read about it.” She tells me, but there is this look on her face as she continues to feel the wax.

“What is it?” I ask in wonder.

“Is it safe?”

“Of course. It’s why we use it.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I was wondering if it's environmentally safe.”

“I..I uh. I’m not a hundred percent sure.” I fumble, looking towards the guys, seeing the look on their faces of “What?” Wondering where she was going with it. As if she could feel me and the guys staring at her, she looks around and her lips spread as if she realized some crucial information about her as not been shared with us.

“I’m a chemist.” She tells us.

“Fuck off.” Michael quips. “Really?” “Oh shit.” Chimes Ben. “Impressive.”

Laughing at their response. “Yes. I’m a chemist. I work and help manage the environmental lab at Cal Analytical and before that for Dalton Lab, a division at Dalton Enterprises.”

Her ex’s company, the one he was soon to take over. Though she was working under someone else not him, if I remember correctly. I read the hoopla of her working for her boyfriend and the nastiness of her sleeping her way into the company.

“So the question.” I bring up again.

“Oh that. Well..umm— you see if pieces of wax chip off and go into the ocean, the sea life would eat it. And if it’s toxic for human consumption, imagine for wildlife.”

Color me fascinated. I didn’t think she could surprise me more but she has and in the best and most impressive way.

“So imagine the smallest form of life in the water, plankton and such and then whatever feeds on that and so on and so on until you get to the top of the food chain. You have the whole ecosystem in chaos, granted it may take many years but at the rate the oceans are being destroyed…”

She stops herself as she looks back at us, the guys and myself stand there with our jaws dropped.

“Oh, I get a bit carried away with..” Marie nervously tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

“No. It’s actually quite fascinating.” I say. In awe of the passion that comes out of her when she is discussing her career. “Is that something that would be doable?”

“Making something environmentally safe?”

I nod.

“Yes. With some work and research one should be able to find a suitable alternative.”

“Well as much as I would love to hear you nerd out M, we are gonna get started while you begin your lessons. The waves are calling my name.” Michael winks at her.

“Yeah, sorry that’s why we are here.” Marie stands and wipes the sand from her hands. “So where do we start.”

“Well, I uh..umm. Let's get you into the water.” Picking up her board and heading into the water.

“What about your board?” She jogs to my side, the cold water crashing at our feet. Sending goosebumps through out my body, but it's not the water that does this to me, its the company in present.

“It’ll be easy if I don’t have to hold on to mine when I’m showing you how to stand on yours.”

Marie nods “Right.”

Side by side, we move further into the water. Stopping when the water is a bit calmer, chest level to me, tapping on the board. “Hop on.” I tell her, holding it still, watching as Marie steadies herself against it and swings a leg over, straddling it. “Good. Now lay on your front.”

She does, my grip on the side of the board steady as the water laps over her and crashing into me. “You are going to to push yourself up, not all your weight in the center. Just a bit off the center and back. Legs slightly bent at the knee, your gonna want one leg back and the other forward. Whenever you’re ready stand up.”

She nods again that she understands.

“Whenever you’re ready my little daredevil.” I affectionally say.

Letting out a breath she pushes herself up. Her arms flailing up as she tries to catch her balance only to go off the side and into the water. I call out her name and just as quickly as she went in she pops right back up. The biggest grin on her face as she wipes the water from her face.

“You alright?”

“More than ok. I’m not a fragile little thing Wyatt. I can handle some rough waters that knock me down.”

“I’m beginning to learn that.”

“Let me try again.” She says with determination.

“Try keeping your arms at your side. It should help you balance.”

“Ok.” She hops back onto the board.

Trying a handful more times, Marie is able to stand without falling over, only I’d say about three times in all. “That’s a bit harder than I thought. Or my balance is completely off. So when do the cool maneuvers come in? The weaving through the water —“

I chuckle. “How about we get you to learn the basics before you go pro on us.”

“Ok.” She beams.

“You can try a few more times if you like or we can meet up with the guys. The swells are decent this morning. Good for a beginner.” I tell her as she sits on her board.

“Can we go to them?”

I nod. “Paddle over to them. I’m gonna get my board and I’ll meet you there.”

“Yay!” She cheers, leaning down and placing a quick kiss on my cheek. She gives me one of those smiles I’ve come to like. If the sensation of her kiss was not burning against my cheek, I could easily say I dreamed it. “I’ll see you out there.” Maries says as she begins to paddle her away from me.

After grabbing my board, I make quick work and close the distance. All four of them seem to be in a serious discussion when I finally reach them, catching only the end. Having no idea what they were talking about, I don’t ask, only because it’ll cut into our time.

Staying by Marie’s side as Ben, Daniel and Michael each catch a set, pointing out somethings here and there. I fidget with anticipation, wanting to get on one begins to show but I try my best to hide it. Moving my board and myself closer to her.

“So you see where they begin to paddle their way onto the wave and then get on their feet.” I point out to her. “For you, that’s what you want to be doing at first.”

“Wy.”

“Yes.”

“Go. I know you’re dying to get ride one.”

I look at her, her brown eyes staring back at me, a faint smile spreading across her lips. “Go.” she says again.

“I will. Just waiting for the right moment.” It wasn’t just the waves I was talking about. The right moment will come.

Some sets later, I get the one I’ve been waiting for and start to paddle before it breaks. Pushing myself up onto my feet the cold ocean water spraying on me as I sway back and then down, gripping the board, riding the wave until it begins to die and crash against the shore. Jumping off and into the water, quickly surfacing, running my hands through my wet hair. Reaching for my board and getting back on top I make my return to her.

But before I could make it far enough, I catch Marie making her way onto a set. Peddling, hearing what I can say are shouts from the guys, until the right moment comes and she pushes herself up and arms flailing just slightly before she brings them down. Her knees wobbling trying to find her balance, not really moving along with the wave, just a simple ride until she looses her balance for a brief moment but that is all it takes for her to lose a perfect beginner set and slip into the water.

Making my way towards the guys, I line up next to them. “Did you guys send her?”

“Yeah. Not bad right?” Ben tell me. “Picked a good one for her.”

“It was good. Lasted a bit longer on it.”

“She is a fast learner Wy. She’ll be one of us before you know it.” Michael says.

“It’s what I’m hoping for.” I whisper under my breath as Marie makes her way back to us.

A huge grin on her face. “Oh my god, did you see that? That feeling you get right before, during and after. I feel like I am falling in love.”

Burning the morning away, with the five of us having enough sets under us. Muscles burn from the workout, we make our way back towards the shore. The sun and blue sky having taken over the gray gloom from earlier. With our surfboards tucked under our arms I turn and catch a glimpse of delighted Marie looking straight ahead. The carefreeness in her demeanor brings a smile. Something I can’t help when I’m around her.

“That was so much fun. Thank you.” She tells me.

“I’m glad you liked it.

“Not bad for a newbie M” Michael tells her.

“Thanks. I’ll get you next time.”

“Uh huh.” Michael slowly jogs passed us, setting down around our things.

“Now, where are these famous breakfast burritos I heard about because I am starving.”

****

After spending a couple more hours at the beach we packed up and headed back to my place. Michael saves me a trip and more importantly an odd or awkward introduction of Marie to our parents when he decided to go with Ben.

Hopping into the Jeep, I hand over my phone to Marie so she could pick the music on our drive back home. A subtle way of trying to a sense of what she likes.

“What do I do with this?” She asks, raising an eyebrow curiously.

“I’m letting you pick the music.”

“Hmm.” She eyes me suspiciously. “You trust me with this?” She waves the phone in the air, as I begin to pull onto the road.

“The way you’re looking at me has me thinking twice on it.” I joke. “I can promise there isn’t anything highly inappropriate. Just my schedule, family chats nothing too crazy.”

From the corner of my eye I can see her smirk. “Shame.” She mutters with a laugh. “So you’re saying I wouldn’t find pictures of your exes you still hold on to or Tinder or naughty pictures?”

At that moment there is a chime of a notification that rings from my phone.

“Oh, my! Wy?” She gasps.

I could feel my face flush with embarrassment as I have no clue what could have possibly popped up. Her laugh fills the car, I turn and she is staring at me, phone in her hand showing me what came up but quickly pulls it back to her.

“You should see the look on your face. You are absolutely blushing.”

“I’m not.” My face heats up with even more embarrassment.

“Huh uh.. yeah right. Totally believing you right now.” She giggles.

The next thing I hear is the clicking sound of the phone’s keyboard. “What are you doing over there?”

I feel her hand move gently over my arm, making the hairs on it raise with awareness “Oh you know. Just responding to this very sexy text that came through. I think I should be able to respond like a guy. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

Ground just suck me up right now. I have no clue who could possibly be on the other end. I haven’t seen anyone in months, I haven’t been with anyone for a bit longer. A drought would be an understatement. I hold my breath waiting for Marie to say something.

“There all done.”

My voice shakes. “What is all done?”

“I think you may have a chance. Although I’m not sure how much you like her but….”

I interrupt her “Who in the hell..”

Marie lets out a deep laugh. “Now you have my number on your phone. I sent myself a message so I can have yours.”

I try to wrap my head around what she is telling me, surely she sees the look of confusion that has settled on my face.

“We didn’t exchange numbers the other day.. so I thought what the hell. You know.”

I rub the nape of my neck, god she got me. For a second I was really racking my brain around who I could possibly be having a conversation with.

“Wy.”

The way she says my family nickname for me, as me shifting in my seat and swallowing the lump forming in my throat.

“You have a date later next week. Alex sent you a reminder. She or He wants to confirm.”

Crap. Double crap, I forgotten about that. “It’s something Olive set up a while ago. I keep canceling or rescheduling.” I answer quickly. “It’s with a woman, the date that is.”

“No need to explain. I get it.”

“Will you be putting some music on or..” I begin, stirring away from the date topic. I need to cancel that for good.

“I’m liking this blushing Wyatt. But I fear that is all I’ve come to know today. I really don’t know that much about you.”

I could say the same thing, I tell myself. “What do you want to know.”

“Everything. What do you? Please don’t tell me you’re a trust fund baby who spends his days surfing.”

I laugh at the typical outsider assessment. “No. I mean, my family is well off. I won’t lie.”

My father did instill a hard work ethic in all of his children but he also wanted us to live a life away from work. Money wasn’t everything. Family is and always will be first. “I’m in charge of the family business. My grandfather started it then my father took over and now it’s myself and my siblings.”

“And what is the family business?”

“Architecture.”

“Olive is an architect?”

Shaking my head no. “Olive does interior design, for the company and independently. Michael and I would be the architects and occasionally contractor. When the project permits, I’m out there working with my crew.”

She lets out a sigh as if she is wrapping her head around what I said. “How old are you?”

“Thirty-seven. You?”

“Thirty-two. Oh I know! What is something you’ve built that you absolutely love?”

“My home.” I say proudly. “Not built from the ground up but gutted and added on.”

“It is beautiful.” She whispers.

“Thank you. Tell me what would be your dream home would be?” I ask, turning onto the street that will take us to my home.

“Will you renovate it and get every last detail down to the T?” She chuckles at some inside joke she only knows.

“Possibly.”

“That sounds like some Notebooking to me.” She says.

I don’t answer as I pull in and stop in front of the house. Until I park and turn the car off “What’s Notebooking?” Turning my attention to her.

“Come on.” She smiles. “You know the movie The Notebook. Noah spends a long time renovating the home Allie dreams of.”

I reach up and cup the side of her face, her eyes holding my stare as her breath hitches at my touch. I smile “No. I don’t know what your talking about. But that sounds clever.” I drop my hand and reach for the door and open it. The smile never leaving my face as I go around to open the door for Marie. “Come on.”

She looks at me with a look that tells me she isn’t buying it. “What’s your favorite movie?”

Letting out a hearty laugh. “The Notebook.”

Marie lets out a gasp and playfully smacks me against my chest and begins to walk away. Reaching out, grabbing her by the wrist I pull her into me. Our eyes lock on each other, the last thing I see before lowering my lips to touch hers, is her biting her lower lip. But my lips never do touch hers because she gets out of my hold and runs up the stairs.

Dropping my head in frustration, why did I think it would be ok to kiss her. The look in her eyes told me she wanted it too. Or was it all in my head. When I look up, I see Marie’s biting her lip as if she was holding back a laugh. Oh, she is messing with me. I can play along.

Shutting the door to the car, I make quick strides and close the distance. Fumbling with the keys to the door, until what feels like hours I get it open. We both walk in not saying a word, tension bouncing off us.

Until Marie finally says. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to freshen up.”

I watch her disappear.

As I wait, I begin to open the windows and sliding door. Letting the refreshing, cooling ocean breeze in, a perfect, at least I hope its perfect, idea comes to mind. Taking my usual spot on my living room sofa, I turn on the television. Searching for the perfect movie for us to watch. Having found it, letting it play and pausing at the right spot so I don’t give anything away. I make myself comfortable and wait.

Boy, does she make me wait, not an obscene amount of time but enough for me to lose comfort in my spot. “Are we taking the things out from the car?”

I look to my left and watch her walk towards me. “Not right now. I thought maybe we could just chill and watch something.” I say.

“What are we watching?” Marie asks as she comes to a stop next to me.

For the second time that day, I grab her by hand and pull her down right next me. Her body pressing against my side. I look down as she makes herself comfortable, snuggling closer to me. She rests her head on my chest, right over where my heart beats like crazy for her.

“My favorite movie.”

“Which is? And don’t say The Notebook because I don’t believe you.”

My body shakes with laughter, “Fine. You’re right. It’s Point Break.”

“Not stereotypical at all. A surfer loving a surfer movie.”

Pointing the remote to the TV. I press play. “It’s more than a surfer movie. Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, the ultimate cop and robber film.”

The music begins to play, the lake and red sky come on screen, the name of the cast appearing on the bottom of the screen. No reaction yet comes from Marie until the man on the boat begins to row across the lake and she lets out a squeal of excitement.

“The Notebook.”

continue to… Chapter 3: Delicate

Tags: @choicesficwriterscreations @thenannyaffair-fanfics @cariantha @issabees @txemrn @chemist-ana @nikirennie87

#better in time fanfic #marie x wyatt #choices sam dalton #marie castro x sam dalton #chapter 2 memories of us #surf date #the nanny affair #choices tna #choices art

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alguienmasenestelugar · 1 year

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hiaaaaa, at the end of this blog I will tell you important things for this account, anyway, thanks for reading this title and happy san valentine ((and friendship day))

well, this is what kyle (adult) would give you for valentines,💐😻

First of all, he doesn't like this day very much for more private reasons, but if it's for you, he'll celebrate it, he's been preparing your gift for months so he's waiting for you to like it, but it's a secret

what would you do in the morning?

It would start very, very affectionate, I woke you up with a sweet voice that said to you: good morning my love. And you were still half asleep so you just said to him: b-good morning my love and you looked at him fixedly and he said to you. :Hey, wake up! do you know what day it is today? and you answered him very hard: yes, I know, I think it's obvious. and he told you: if you know so much, get up quickly because I want to have a nice day with you, After a minute I yelled at you: love!!, breakfast is ready, I went downstairs and told you: I know you like this dish a lot, honey. And I understand at that moment with a soft but clear voice: are you cold?, can I give you my sweater? you answered: well, love 💋 you kissed his cheek and it was sooooo red jsjsjsj and he only has enough words to say: mmm... the food is going to get cold my life... hahaha he was nervous and kind of weird... in fact, very weird he was nervous about everything

It's already late, and it won't be long before he shows you his surprise 🙀

But, first of all, he took you to a super luxurious five-star restaurant, and you asked him why he took you there and he He said: I have always wanted to have a partner, and take her to places as beautiful as these, it was so... romantic, he told you beautiful things all day long and very thoughtful, you felt very poor for just giving him some roses and other little things, but he doesn't care

Night came, and he was more than ready, so if he bathed, changed, and prepared everything, at that moment you didn't know where you were, the only thing you knew was that he was at that moment, next to you, when I sat you down In a chair he told you: I have been waiting for this moment for a long time and today is the day, he commented with a very happy voice and told you: You will open your eyes when I finish counting. And he began to count slowly: 10.....9....8....7......6.....5.....4.....3.. ....2....1....0 you opened your eyes and you saw him, he was very happy, and he looked cute and he told you: you look at me, look at my hands you looked at them and there... there He had a ring and he told you: do you want to marry me? 😮 You didn't know what to say and you only reacted after a few minutes: yesssss!!!

and is this the end?

Nope, as of today you are officially his wife🤭, according to him, you are the best woman he has ever had as a partner in his life, and they have two children🙀, how epic, right?

hiaaaaa, I told you that I am going to tell you something very important for this account, the thing is, now I am going to write more than anything, although my blogs will be varied to attract more people, well, I am still going to draw pictures, well, byeeee 😚☝

#south park post covid kyle #sp kyle #san valentin

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calciopics · 1 year

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What Happened When I Got Pregnant

I know this story might upset some powerful people in the football world. You’re not supposed to talk about this side of the game. But I have to tell the truth.

Everybody knows the image of my former club, Lyon. Eight Champions Leagues.

The best players from every country.

Being from Iceland, I always dreamed of playing in the biggest leagues in Europe. When I turned pro, I literally told my agent, Dietmar, “Wolfsburg and Lyon. I want these.”

And then I got pregnant.

It was March 2, 2021, when I realised. I told my boyfriend, Árni, that I was running a bit late, but I thought I’d be starting my period soon. He asked if I wanted to take a test, but I was like, “No, no, no, I feel it.” Another day went by, and we were like, O.K., that’s weird. So that evening when I came home from training I took a test. You’re supposed to wait two minutes, but in one the results were there — two blue lines. I was definitely pregnant.

At first, the only thing I felt was happiness, but then reality hit me.

Shit. How is the team going to react to this?

I knew I had to tell my teammates the truth. I felt that in this club, at this level, if I couldn’t train 100% then I shouldn’t be training.

So the team signed off on my plan, helped me with the paperwork for the insurance, and I flew to Iceland on the first of April.

For a while I just had so much else going on, I didn’t have time to think or be concerned about my salaries from the club. I didn’t have any reason to think anything would go wrong.

Until I didn’t get my first paycheck. All that was deposited was just a small percentage from social security.

To be fair, there was a lot of logistical stuff to deal with, so I didn’t think too much of it. Probably a clerical error. But, I checked with the other players just to be sure.

They were paid, right on time.

Then I missed another. So I’m like, Hold on. I called Dietmar, and he wrote to Vincent, the club director. There was no response, so my agency reached out again. Then, we sent formal letters.

I said to Dietmar, “No that’s not right, they should be going by the FIFA rules.”

Now, I’m thinking, What even are my rights???

It’s not a position you expect to be in, especially with a team like this.

Lyon refused to give a clear answer on what the criterion was that was being applied. Finally, Dietmar told Vincent that FIFPRO was going to fight this at the FIFA level.

Vincent said: “If Sara goes to FIFA with this, she has no future in Lyon at all.”

She has no future in Lyon.

I couldn’t wrap my head around that. I was just shocked. And I’ll be honest, I was hurt. The whole situation made me feel crazy. How could any team get away with this?

There wasn’t going to be a discussion or negotiation. Vincent completely shut it down.

So, I’m in Iceland. Pregnant. And now I’m thinking, Wait, did I just lose my job?? I was seriously angry.

This should have been the happiest moment of my life. All I wanted was to enjoy my pregnancy, and work my ass off to come back to help the team and the club.

But instead I felt confused, stressed, and betrayed.

But I could never completely forget. Because it’s hard enough coming back after pregnancy at this level, and moving abroad where there is no family around to ask for help.

In the back of my head, I can’t stop thinking, I have no future at the club.

Does that mean that I’m not going to play the next six months, that I’ll just be kept in the freezer for the rest of my contract??

The worries just kept piling up. I felt like shit. One night I said to Árni, “Maybe I just have to quit.”

When I’d first told the club about my pregnancy, they seemed very happy for me and said they’d do everything to support me, and I believed that. But now, I wasn’t so sure. From the first of April, when I came to Iceland, until August, I didn’t hear from anyone in the front office or the coaching staff. I was still in close touch with some teammates, as well as the doctor and the physios, just personally. They were all good friends of mine. But the club never formally reached out. No one checked to see how my training was going, how my pregnancy was progressing.

Then one day, amidst all the craziness … I went into labor. It was the most amazing, indescribable feeling, becoming a mom. You feel like a superhero after a birth like that.

I flew back to Lyon in January of last year with Árni and our son, Ragnar.

And I have to be completely honest, a part of me wanted to come into the club and just tell everybody how angry I was for what they had done and leave.

But I told myself I would go back and do everything at 110%. I was like, I will show you guys how fit I will be. I was ready to just play.

But that didn’t work out how I planned.

Training was different when I got back. I was treated differently.

The coaches, including Sonia, had reassured me that they would help me and fight for me to get everything that I would need.

Vincent said in a meeting with me, after I got back, that he still didn’t understand it, but that I had every right to do what I needed to do, and they had every right to defend themselves.

I told Vincent, “Yeah, I have every right to defend myself because there’s a contract telling me that I have the right, and there’s a law telling me that I have the right.”

He just shook his head and said that they were going by the French Law, and they were sticking by that.

He said that it wasn’t personal, only business.

I asked him about what he said to Dietmar, how if I went to FIFA then I wouldn’t have any future in Lyon.

He said he didn’t say that, and it was the coach, Sonia, who decided she couldn’t see me as a future player in her team. I was so exhausted from all the fighting. It was clear that, regardless of what was said, the essence was true: As a new mother, I didn’t have a future with this club.

They were going to make it impossible.

We got the decision from the FIFPRO lawsuit in May.

The club was ordered to pay me the unpaid salaries — the whole amount I requested and exactly what I was owed. Lyon requested the grounds of the decision, which one normally does if one is intending to appeal. And once we got that, we could really read how FIFA analysed the case and arrived at the conclusions.

Ragnar is almost a year old, and we’re in a great place as a family. I’m at Juventus now, and I’m very happy.

But I want to make sure no one has to go through what I went through ever again. And I want Lyon to know this is not O.K.

This is not “just business.”

This is about my rights as a worker, as a woman and as a human being.

I’m very hopeful about the women’s game. There’s a lot to celebrate. The facilities? The investment? The level? The fans filling up the stadium? We’ve come so far. That’s undeniable.

But the reality is, when it comes to the overall culture? There’s a lot more work to do.

We deserve better.

#The Players Tribune #Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir #sara bjork gunnarsdottir #Iceland WNT #Juventus F.C. Women #lawsuit #Olympique Lyonnais feminin #football maternity pay ruling #football #fussball #fußball #foot #fodbod #futbol #futebol #soccer #calcio

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sportsgr8 · 5 months

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ATP Tour: Nadal Romps To Another Impressive Win In Brisbane, Reaches Quarters

Pat Rafter Arena: Spanish legend Rafael Nadal's comeback to the ATP Tour continued seamlessly with a stylish victory in the second round of the Brisbane International here on Thursday. The former World No.1, who recently returned to action after a 12-month-long break due to injuries, dismantled Australia’s Jason Kubler 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals. The 37-year-old Nadal, who started with a rock-solid opening victory against Austria's Dominic Thiem, picked up where he left off at the hard-court ATP 250 event by scoring an equally impressive victory on Thursday. Nadal, who had not played a competitive match for nearly 12 months due to injury before this week in Brisbane, continued to move impressively around the court as he powered past Kubler in 83 minutes. “I think I started the match playing very well, with a very good determination,” said Nadal in his on-court interview. “I saw videos of Jason before the match and I saw him playing very solidly from the baseline, so I came on court and tried to be aggressive with my shots from the baseline." “It worked very well. I think it was a very positive match for me and the chance to play again tomorrow means a lot to me. Two victories after a long time being outside of the professional Tour is something that makes me feel good,” the 22-time grand slam title winner said. Nadal, the 92-time tour-level titlist, won 12 of the first 13 points in his maiden meeting with Kubler and barely looked back thereafter as he booked a last-eight meeting with another home favourite, Jordan Thompson. The Spaniard, whose highlights against Kubler included a stunning backhand smash that simultaneously showcased high-class agility and timing, will step on the court against the World No. 55 Thompson having won 10 of his past 11 tour-level matches against Australian opponents. “I need matches, I need health, I need to keep practising well and of course the past two matches here help, and even the doubles on the first day,” said Nadal, who has hinted that 2024 may be the final season of his career. “Of course, victories and hours spent on court help. For me, every day that I have the chance to play is great news, so I’m just happy for that, happy that I came back after a long time and feel competitive. Let’s see how far I can go,” said Nadal, who is hoping to add to his 22 Grand Slam singles titles at the upcoming Australian Open, to be played from January 14 to 28 in Melbourne. Nadal has won the year's first Grand Slam twice -- in 2009 and 2022. Nadal’s lightning-fast start gave Kubler, the No. 102 in ATP Rankings, little time to settle inside Pat Rafter Arena, and the Australian appeared hampered by an issue with his right arm, for which he received treatment from the physio both during and after the first set. Nadal, the 14-time French Open winner, trailed 0/40 when serving at 5-1 but he recovered to seal an opener in which he dropped just five points on serve. With his heavy-whipped lefty forehand forcing Kubler to deal with plenty of high, spinning balls, Nadal continued his charge with his third break of the match in the opening game of the second set. That set the 37-year-old on course to victory, and he finished the match having struck 20 winners, including four aces. Earlier on Thursday, Grigor Dimitrov notched an equally comprehensive second-round triumph when he accelerated past Daniel Altmaier 6-1, 6-2. The second-seeded Dimitrov, who battled past former World No. 1 Andy Murray in three sets in the opening round to become the player with the most wins in tournament history, is now 20-7 at an event where he lifted the trophy in 2017. The Bulgarian converted four of the six break points he earned against Altmaier to advance in 68 minutes. His opponent in his seventh Brisbane quarterfinal will be home wild card Rinky Hijikata, who battled past Tomas Machac 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(4). Read the full article

#AndyMurray #ATPRankings #ATPTour #AustralianOpen #BrisbaneInternational #DanielAltmaier #DominicThiem #FrenchOpen #GrandSlam #GrigorDimitrov #JasonKubler #JordanThompson #PatRafterArena #RafaelNadal #RafealNadal #TheSpaniard #WorldNo

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bokura-no-digital-world · 1 year

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Ken Week 2023 - Day 4: Childhood

Days: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Title: The Red Sweaters Characters: Ken Ichijouji and Hikari Yagami Pairing: Ken/Hikari Summary: Ken and Hikari tell each other childhood stories.

Cross-posted on AO3 and FFN

Ken was sitting in the living room going through some boxes with things he bought from his parents’ house and came across an old photo album. “What is it?” Hikari asked when she walked in and sat down next to him. “It’s a photo album I found with pictures of me as a child.” “Really? Can I see them?” “Sure.” He went back to the first page and started going through the pictures again. “Is this you?” “Let me see.” Ken looked at the picture she was pointing. “Yes, that’s me.” “You were a pretty baby.” “Are you saying I’m not anymore?” “You’re saying it, not me.” She smiled, still looking at it. “How old were you here?” “I’m not sure… maybe eight months.” “Has your mother ever told you stories about you as a baby?” “As a matter of fact, she has.” “Tell me one.” “Okay, as long as you tell me one about yours later.” “It’s a deal.” “So what moment do you want to know about me?” “About the day you were born!” Hikari pressed her hands together excitedly. “Has she told you about it?” “Yeah, I think so. But it was a long time ago, I’m not sure I remember it. But I’ll try.” “I’m so excited!”

It was a very hot summer day. The Ichijoujis had taken their son, Osamu, to eat some ice-cream in an ice-cream parlor near their house. Mrs. Ichijouji was eight months pregnant, almost nine, and it was just a matter of time until she got into labor. She was really hoping they had a daughter again, but she was also very happy with another boy. They were relaxing and enjoying their desserts until Mrs. Ichijouji winced in pain. “Honey, what happened?” “I think I’m having contractions.” “You think?!” Mr. Ichijouji dropped his ice-cream while he was rushing to help his wife. “How far are they?” “I don’t know, I’ll let you know when I have the second one. Maybe it’s just a false alarm, you know? My water hasn’t broken yet.” “Still, isn’t it better to take you to the hospital? Just to be sure.” “It’s not really necessary, everything’s fine.” She looked at him and saw his concerned look. “I can feel the baby, but it’s too important for you, we can do it.” “It’s too important for me.” “Then we can do it.” “Thank you.” He helped her stand up and then grabbed Osamu’s hand. “Let’s go, son.” “But you weren’t born then, were you?” “As far as I know, no. I took a few more days for that.” “Tell me about it.” “Well, my mom had to stay a day or two in the hospital because her blood pressure was high. They had discharged her in the morning and she had to come back in the afternoon because her water had broken. And then…”

The baby almost couldn’t wait until Mrs. Ichijouji was taken to the OB section and into a room. As soon as she was placed in the bed, the baby started crowning. Five minutes later, she was already holding him in her arms. “Isn’t he cute?” “He is, and he has blue hair like Osamu.” “It’s true.” Mr. Ichijouji turned to their oldest son and picked him up. “Osamu, meet your younger brother.” “Ken.” “What?” Mrs. Ichijouji asked, puzzled. “Are you choosing his name?” “I think so. Is that what you want, son?” “Ken.” “I guess it is.” She looked back to the little baby again. “Hello Ken. Welcome to our family.” “I like this name, to be honest.” “I like it too. It suits him.” “So your brother named you? That’s so sweet.” “Yeah.” Ken kept looking down at the photo album. “I miss him.” “I know.” Hikari rubbed his back gently. “I can’t imagine how that must feel like.” “The first months were very difficult, but the truth is… it never gets any easier.” “The ones we love never leave us completely.” She said softly. “I’m sure you still cherish the moments you spent with him and that he’s taking care of you from heaven.” “I hope so.” “You know, Taichi choose my name as well.” “Really?” She nodded. “He said my presence lighted up the whole room, so he thought Hikari would be a perfect choice.” “I completely agree with him.” “Of course you would.” She couldn’t help but smile. “So do you have any other childhood moments you’d like to share? If you’re comfortable with it.” “I am.” He nodded and then went through a few more pages. “This is my first bruise.” “Bruise?” She asked surprised. “That thing is huge! It’s so scary! How did it happen?”

It was Christmas day. The streets of Tamachi were fully white due to the snow that fell during the night. The temperatures were cold, but that didn’t seem to bother four-year old Ken that day. He had woken up early, desperate to find out what he had gotten from Santa. “Mommy! Daddy!” He ran into their room and tried to wake them up. “Wake up, it’s Christmas day! We need to open our presents.”

“You woke up your parents because of your presents?” “I was four years old, just so you know.” His tone was light and jokingly. “That’s fair. Go on.” “So they said…”

“Ken, we went to sleep late last night. Can’t you wait a little more for that?” “No, mommy.” He pulled her blanket away and grabbed her hand. “Santa won’t wait much, he was other houses to go to.” “I’m afraid he’s already gone, darling.” “Oh no… so we won’t get any presents this year?” Ken ran to the living room to check. A wide smile appeared on his face when he found quite a few gifts next to or under the tree. He ran to it and knelt down. “Santa left presents for us! I knew he thought we were good children this year! Hey, Osamu, come open your present.” “Taichi was always this excited for Christmas. He’d ask for a soccer ball every year, even though he already had a couple of them.” “Did he get them?” “Sometimes, yes. It was a good thing he had other choices of presents in his list, so our parents could buy something else.” “I feel relieved for them.” “Me too.” She laughed. “And then what happened?”

“Ken, what are you doing?” Osamu walked in, looking very sleepy and rubbing his eyes. “You’re gonna wake the whole neighborhood up if you keep being this loud.” “Come open your presents, Osamu.” “He’s just excited about it.” Mrs. Ichijouji said as she passed by him and went to join her youngest son by the tree. “Look, mommy!” Ken said excitedly as he finished unwrapping his gift and showed her what he had gotten proudly. “Santa got my letter and sent me the soccer game I asked.” “That’s great, sweetheart.” She gave him a warm smile. “But there’s more.” “What?” His face beamed with happiness. “How do you know?” “Santa told me.” “He told you?” The boy was surprised. “That’s so cool! When did you meet him?” “He made me promise to keep it a secret, so I can’t say.” “Ah.” He was disappointed. “I wanted to see him.” “I’m sorry, Ken. He was in a hurry and had to go to other houses. But he asked me to tell you he were a very nice kid this year and…” She tapped a large present next to her. “Also to give you this.” “Wow!” His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. “Are you serious?” “Absolutely. It’s yours.” “How could Santa fit this in his bag?” “He uses a powder that shrinks them, so they could fit. And when he arrives at a house, he uses another one to make them go back to their normal size.” “That’s so cool!” “Mom, you shouldn’t fool him. Why don’t you just tell him the truth?” “The truth?” “Don’t listen to him, he’s only joking.” Mrs. Ichijouhi said. “Come on, open it.” The boy opened his second gift with quite some enthusiasm and very fast. He came across a white bike. “Mom, it’s a bike! Just like the one I asked Santa.” “Well, he got your letter after all.” “Can I ride it?” “Not today, son. It’s too cold. I’m afraid you’re gonna have to wait until the weather gets better.” “Ah, okay.” He seemed a little disappointed, but it only lasted a few seconds. “Mom, can I write a letter to Santa to thank him for my gifts?” “Of course, sweetie. He’d be happy to receive it.”

“And that’s it.” “That’s a sweet story, Ken.” Hikari said with a smile when he finished it. “I have no doubt you were a good child. A great one, actually.” “Thanks, Hikari. You I have no doubt you were a great child too. I’ve heard some stories about you.” “Really? What did Taichi tell you?” “He didn’t tell me anything.” “He didn’t?” She looked at him surprised. “If it wasn’t him, then it was my… oh, I get it now. No one told you anything. It was a set-up to see if I shared some stories with you.” “What?” He pretended he didn’t know what it was about, but couldn’t hide his laughter. “Don’t play this on me. You know it’s exactly this.” “Okay, fine.” He admitted. “So…?” “So what?” “Do you want to share any stories of your childhood with me?” “As a matter of fact, I do.” She stood up and put two locks of her hair behind her ears. “I’ll be right back.”

Hikari returned about two or three minutes later with a photo album and sat back down where she was previously. She opened it and pointed to a picture where her face was painted in blue. “What happened here?” “It’s one of the many Taichi’s Christmas pranks.” “What?” “You heard that right. Every Christmas he’d pull a trick on me. Most of the times were harmless ones, but sometimes they were… well, this.” “I’m sorry about this.” “It’s okay. It’s funny now that we think about it.” “That’s good. So since you’re comfortable with it now, I’d like to know what happened.” “Of course. Taichi spent the whole Christmas’ week telling me Santa was only giving gifts to people who had their faces painted blue. Otherwise they’d be considered bad children. Needless to say I was beyond scared of that.” “I don’t blame you. That wasn’t a very nice thing to do.” “It really wasn’t.” “And then what happened?” “My mother freaked out when she saw me and lectured him before grounding him. Luckily, the ink came out very easily, for her happiness. And then Taichi never did anything like that again.” “I’m happy for you.” Ken smiled at her. “Thank you.” She returned the smile and then bent over to grab a wrapped box Ken hadn’t noticed she brought with the photo album, handing it to him. “What is it?” “It’s something I bought for you.” Hikari said simply. “This I know. But why? I mean, it’s not my birthday yet and Christmas is a few days away.” “I don’t need a reason to get you a present, do I?” “That’s a very good point. But I didn’t buy you anything.” “Don’t worry about it.” She assured him. “Right now I just want you to open this one.” “Alright.” He said a little suspicious, but quickly changed the focus to the package in his hands. He placed it in front of him and started tearing the paper up. He came across a wooden box and raised his eyebrows. “Come on.” The woman encouraged him to keep going when he hesitated for a moment. “For some reason, I can’t seem to be. It’s like I’m paralyzed or something. I’m feeling nervous and don’t know why.” “It’s just a gift, honey.” “I know, I know.” He took a deep breath and pushed himself to open the box; his heart pounding so hard on his chest he was sure she could hear it clearly. “A sweater?” “It’s not any sweater. Go on, pull it out and unfold it.” Ken felt like his heart would come out his chest when he held the clothing in front of himself. He could barely believe what his eyes were seeing. “Daddy?” He glanced at her and was surprised to find her walking back into the living room. “When did you leave?” “Were you so shocked by the sweater that didn’t pay attention to your surroundings?” Hikari joked lightly and sat down by his side. “I wasn’t expecting this at all.” “I know. I have one too.” “Really?” He looked at her again and saw she was wearing another red sweater, but with the word ‘mommy’. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice it when you walked in.” “Yeah, I’m surprised you missed it. You’re so attentive to these small details.” “What does it mean though?” He asked while he put his on. “Are you pregnant or something?” “No.” She shook her head. “At least I don’t think so. It may sounds mean now, but I was thinking of playing a trick for Taichi.” “Let me see if I get this straight. You want to get him into believing we’re gonna be parents to get back at the prank he did to you?” “I knew you were so smart! No wonder why you’re a detective.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re right, it sounds mean.” “Maybe I should just let it go.” “I say we should do it.” “What?” She blinked with surprise. “It’s become personal now.” He winked and smiled at her. “I like that.” A smile appeared on her face too. “By the way, where did you get these sweaters?” “I ordered them from Sora. She thought it was a cute idea.” “Did you tell her your plan?” “No, I said we were giving them as a gift.” “What if we actually follow through with it?” “You mean having a child? This sudden?” “You don’t want it?” “I do, but can we talk it through first?” “Of course.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it lightly.

#KenIchijoujiWeek23 #KenIchijoujiWeek #Ken Ichijouji #Hikari Yagami #KenKari #Digimon #Fanfic #Fanfiction

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frontproofmedia · 2 years

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Jose Pedraza & Richard Commey Battle to A Draw

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Published: August 28, 2022

TULSA, OK — Two former world champions came to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa in desperate need of a victory. Neither man accomplished that mission. Puerto Rican standout Jose "Sniper" Pedraza and Ghana's Richard Commey battled to a highly disputed 10-round draw in the junior welterweight main event Saturday evening. The scores — 97-93 Pedraza, 96-94 Commey, and 95-95 — reflected the bout's back-and-forth nature. Commey (30-4-1, 27 KOs), who once held the IBF lightweight world title, won two of the first three rounds on all three judges' cards. Pedraza (29-4-1, 14 KOs) swept the final two rounds to salvage the draw and keep alive his goal of winning a world title in a third weight class. The fight turned when a clash of heads opened up a cut over Commey's left eye in the sixth round. Pedraza, fighting out of a southpaw stance, started backing up the noted power puncher and ripping shots at close range. The punch stats were razor thin, as Pedraza outlanded Commey, 165-149. “Even though my eye was inflamed, we understood that it was done because he has a good right hand. The entire night, the whole point was to neutralize that right hand. Despite the fact that it was inflamed, I was able to do that," Pedraza said. “I’ve never turned down a fight, and I’m not going to start now. Whatever Top Rank wants for me. If they demand a rematch, I’m ready to give Richard Commey a rematch because he deserves it and I have the utmost respect for him. Ultimately, my goal is to win a world title once again. Whatever I have to do, that’s what I’m willing to do." Commey said, “It is a draw. Obviously, I have to go back home and see my people. I love my people, and I gotta go back there, do what I gotta do.” The Real Big Baby with the BIG KO Jared "The Real Big Baby" Anderson improved to 12-0 with 12 knockouts, knocking out Serbian veteran Miljan Rovcanin (24-3, 16 KOs) with a chopping right hand at the end of the second round. Anderson, from Toledo, Ohio, returned to the ring for the first time in nearly nine months and made up for lost time. He hurt Rovcanin to the body and then focused on the head. Anderson now has nine knockouts in two rounds or less. “I was very calm. I was very patient. Actually {trainer Darrie Riley} was more nervous than I was as usual, though. I felt very relaxed, pretty much the most relaxed I’ve ever been," Anderson said. “I heard my coach tell me to switch {to southpaw}. I listened to him as always, so that was really the reason I switched.” Torrez Jr. Stops Canedo in 1 U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (3-0, 3 KOs) obliterated Marco Antonio Canedo (4-3, 2 KOs) in just 44 seconds, the second first-round knockout for Torrez in as many months. Torrez, a southpaw from Tulare, California, knocked down Canedo with a straight left hand 20 seconds into the round. He followed up with a crisp combination that culminated with a right hook that collapsed Canedo face first. Torrez turned pro in March following last summer's Olympic run in Tokyo and has thus far been as advertised in the paid ranks. “I am happy with the result, but my thoughts right now are with Canedo," Torrez said. "He’s a tough man, and I have the utmost respect for him. It happens to the best of us.” Junior Welterweight: Tiger Johnson (5-0, 4 KOs) TKO 5 Harry Gigliotti (8-4, 3 KOs), 2:17. Gigliotti had never been stopped as a pro until he ran into Johnson. For nearly five rounds, Johnson battered and bloodied the Massachusetts native until referee Mark Nelson waved off the fight following a series of left hooks. Johnson landed 55 percent of his power blows and outlanded Gigliotti, 136-21. Heavyweight: Efe Ajagba (16-1, 13 KOs) TKO 2 Jozsef Darmos (14-5-3, 10 KOs), 1:15. The comeback is on for Ajagba, who stopped the overmatched Darmos with a pair of knockdowns in the second round. Referee Gary Ritter stopped the fight immediately following the second knockdown, which was courtesy of a right hand to the side of the head. Ajagba had not fought since last October's decision loss to Frank Sanchez. Following the Sanchez fight, Ajagba had surgery on both elbows and returned to vintage form with a clean bill of health. Heavyweight: Jeremiah Milton (6-0, 5 KOs) KO 2 Nick Jones (9-5, 6 KOs), 2:49. Tulsa native Milton brought the thunder to the hometown crowd, icing Jones with a right uppercut to the temple late in the second round. Junior Welterweight: Kelvin Davis (6-0, 4 KOs) UD 6 Sebastian Gabriel Chaves (5-5, 2 KOs), Scores: 60-52 3x. Davis picked up the biggest win of his young career, as the 25-year-old southpaw from Norfolk, Virginia, knocked down Chaves twice en route to a wide points victory. Chaves, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, has now lost four in a row. Lightweight: Frevian Gonzalez (6-1, 1 KO) UD 6 Gerardo Esquivel (3-3-1, 1 KO), Scores: 58-55 and 59-54 2x. Gonzalez, a stablemate of Pedraza, picked up his second consecutive win with a convincing six-round verdict over the rugged Esquivel. Gonzalez was in control for five rounds until things nearly came apart in the sixth. After getting stunned early in the round— and then having a point deducted for holding — Gonzalez returned fire with a series of looping right hands that forced Esquivel to retreat. Lightweight: Abdullah Mason (4-0, 3 KOs) UD 4 Angel Rebollar (5-1, 3 KOs), Scores: 39-36 and 40-35 2x. Mason knocked Rebollar down with a right hook less than 20 seconds into the opening round, but Rebollar did not relent. The 18-year-old prospects went toe-to-toe as Cleveland's Mason went the distance for the first time in his career. Rebollar did find a home for his right against the southpaw phenom. Light Heavyweight: Dante Benjamin Jr. (4-0, 2 KOs) UD 4 Leandro Silva (3-7, 2 KOs), Scores: 40-36 3x. Benjamin had his hands full against Silva, a rough-and-tumble fighter who is also a veteran of nearly 40 MMA bouts. Silva held and grappled on the inside, making Benjamin uncomfortable at times. Benjamin found his groove late in the fourth round, posing with his hands behind his back and ripping combinations to Silva's head.

Featured Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images

#HF #Jose Pedraza #Richard Commey #ESPN #Top Rank Boxing

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rorywritesjunk · 1 month

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There's no race, no ending in sight

r rating. title comes from "two of us on the run" by lucius

(enjoy. since i'm so invested in this now i wanted to do a ✨flashback✨ part and i love emporio ivankov and been hyping myself up on trans croc lately too so... this happened. mentions surgery but nothing graphic, threats to others safety. also mentions of someone's first time)

taglist: @hey-august @thoraeth

pt 1 + pt 2 + p3 + p4 + pt 5 + p6 + pt 7 +Pt 8 + Pt 9 + Pt 10 + Pt 11 + Pt 12 + Pt 13 + Pt 14 + Pt 15 + pt 16 + Pt 17 (End)

Pt 9

twenty years ago

"I'm sorry, what?" The nineteen year old looked confused by the demand. Sunny had only been at the job for five years, she still had so much to learn, but this customer came in, one she had seen frequently in the last year, making adjustments to their clothes when it didn't feel right in the arms, the chest, hips, and length.

"I said marry me, shop girl." The cigar smoke was awful, lingering in the air as it dissipated. He was grinning at her.

"M-Mister Crocodile, I can't. I'm only half way through my apprenticeship and... and we don't know each other very well." Sunny tried to reason with him. Why would he want to marry her? "Besides, um, I'm not... ready for marriage."

He chuckled, reaching across the counter to touch her cheek gently; she shuddered, his touch was dry and coarse, like sandpaper against her skin. "It's not in your best interest to say no to me, girl, not when I can show you everything in the world, all the riches you could ever want, the prettiest clothes you could ever wear."

"I don't-"

"Saying no to me means you care little for your friends and family, you know. It won't be hard to destroy their livelihoods in an instant." He continued, tilting her head to look up at him. He was so much taller than her, larger even, that she was scared. Was he threatening Miss Pins and her parents? Why? Why did he want her out of countless others?

"But-"

"Just say yes."

Sunny's eyes widened. She didn't know or understand what this man could be capable of but she feared him. She couldn't risk her family being hurt or her boss. She didn't want to die either, not yet.

"Promise?" She asked as he studied her face, raising an eyebrow at her question. "Promise... you won't hurt me o-or my family. And... and I'll marry you."

His face split into a grin. "Good girl. I'll make sure you're happy."

Sunny didn't understand where they were. A man taller than her husband greeted them as they arrived on a new island, calling him "Croc-boy" which Sunny found kind of funny. They'd been married three months now and while he would call her darling, she hadn't thought of a pet name for him yet. Nothing seemed to work for him.

"Who's this sweet young thing?" The man asked Crocodile, giving Sunny a look over. She stood beside her husband, trying not to stare up at either of them. She felt so small beside them even without the height difference.

"My wife." Crocodile said as the three started walking along. "I decided to get married before coming to you."

"Hello! I'm Sunny." She said, not wanting to be rude. "I, um, like your outfit."

The outfit being a one piece leotard with very little front, showing off his chest and stomach. Despite working with clothing, Sunny wasn't quite used to seeing someone that exposed but she shook it off. Her parents and boss always taught her not to judge someone's clothes or how they presented themselves.

"She's cute." He chuckled. "My dear, I am Emporio Ivankov, but you can call me Iva if you please." He didn't hesitate in pulling Sunny away from her husband, having her walk beside her with Crocodile behind. "So, he's finally settling down. I hope he's treating you well."

"He... is." She said, glancing back at him. "Um, he's kind to me. I appreciate it." She looked back up at Iva. "Why are we here?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Iva hummed softly. "Figures he wouldn't, but won't worry about it. You'll only be here a few weeks and then you can continue on your way."

A few weeks of Sunny staying by Crocodile, making sure he ate while checking his bandages with Iva. The marks on the side of his body looked fine, they healed quickly, but the ones on his chest would take longer, according to Iva. He couldn't use his abilities to take care of that.

Sunny didn't ask questions at first. Her husband wouldn't answer them anyway, but when she was making lunch for him, she finally had to ask Iva.

"I don't understand what you did or what happened."

"Oh, honey, your husband just wanted to be himself, that's all." Iva told her as Sunny put the bowl of soup on a tray. He looked her over again, a grin on his large face. "You really don't know your husband, do you?"

"No, not really." Sunny sighed. "I don't know if I even want to."

Sunny only saw her husband naked once before his visit with Iva. It was the only time he seemed uncomfortable around her, his unwanted body exposed to her. She was kind, not saying anything as she kissed him, unsure of what to do, but she told him she thought he looked so handsome, that his body was beautiful, being mindful where she touched him. She meant it. Sunny never wanted someone to feel uncomfortable around her.

After the surgery, however, he didn't have any problems with nudity around her. He seemed happier, more relaxed when he undressed around her, smirking at the way she stared at him as her cheeks reddened.

He was gentle with her the first time, knowing he was much larger than her, not wanting to hurt her or make it a horrible experience. It was a uncomfortable for Sunny but only because she didn't now what she needed to do for him. He insisted she just needed to let him do everything and that she just needed to enjoy herself.

She was allowed to visit her parents a few times. It was awkward introducing her husband to them. He really didn't care to meet them but he put up a front of loving husband, gifting them jewels, spices, and other things from around the world.

Her parents weren't stupid but Sunny insisted she was fine and that she was happy with him. He took good care of her and loved her, never raised his voice at her or threatened to hurt her. Everything was fine.

She didn't like Alabasta. It was too hot, dry, and she hated spending most of her time at home. Sometimes her husband would bring her to his casino, and sometimes she'd put on different clothes and sneak out to walk around the town but it wasn't often.

When that boy in the straw hat showed up and defeated her husband, allowing him to be arrested by the Marines, she finally felt free, even after interrogation after interrogation, she insisted she knew nothing, that she thought her husband just ran a casino and everything, she had no understanding of what he had been up to or what Baroque Works even was.

Which was a lie, Sunny knew more than others thought. She had listened in on some of his conversations when she'd bring him lunch and he'd hold her in his lap, giving her a kiss on the cheek while having a meeting over a transponder snail or in front of others. They didn't make any comments about his wife. They knew better.

Her freedom didn't last long. He managed to track her down in a little village far from Impel Down. She wasn't sure how he did, but seeing him again after time apart was heartbreaking. She didn't want to return to him but he maintained his original threat when they got married: he would never hurt her but the same couldn't be said for her family.

"I'm sorry, a clown owns you money?" Sunny thought that was the funniest sounding sentence to her and she snorted. "Why did you loan him money in the first place?"

"There was promise of repayment." Her husband replied, stubbing out his cigar on his plate. She had made him breakfast, one of the few things she enjoyed doing for him. She took a sip of her coffee and frowned.

"Huh." She grinned. "Good luck getting it back. Maybe he spent it all on peanuts for an elephant or something."

"I don't see how this is amusing, darling."

"It's not, really, but the idea of a clown owing you money is funny to me." She shrugged. "Have you talked to him about getting it back?"

"Not yet." He sighed. Sunny nodded and set her coffee cup down, sitting up in her seat.

"Can I go talk to him?"

Crocodile looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you want to?"

"Something to do." She shrugged again. "I'll talk to him and see if we can come up with an agreement about paying you back in a timely fashion, how does that sound?"

"We'll talk about after lunch." He said as he got up. "I have things to tend to."

#buggy the clown #sir crocodile #sunny x buggy #sunny x crocodile #buggy the clown x oc #buggy x oc #sir crocodile x oc #crocodile x oc

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blouisparadise · 3 years

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We frequently get asked what our members favorite fics are, so for today’s rec list, we asked each member of BLP to choose FIVE favorite fics for this list - no repeats allowed. Please keep in mind that this is not a complete list of our favorites - there are so many amazing BL fics out there that we all have a lot more than this! Still, we hope you enjoy. Happy reading!

1) Take Off Your Business Suit | Explicit | 3082 words

“Yes, let me get another chair.” Louis said, leaning up off of the desk. He stood up but before he could leave the office to get another chair, Harry was grabbing his hand.

The words that came out of Harry’s mouth made Louis’ knees weak and heart beat quicken. “Just sit on my lap.” Harry said. Whatever he said afterwards didn’t make it into Louis’ ears as he was moving quickly over to Harry and placing himself on Harry’s lap.

Louis would take anything Harry wanted to give him; hand touching, lap sitting, all of it. Louis hadn't realized he was holding his breath until it came out in a quiet sigh. “Okay so th-this one will be slightly different right?” He asked as he pointed at the sheet of paper in front of him.

2) Quietly Our Hearts Beat | Explicit | 7539 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Louis and Harry in the universe of ‘A Quiet Place’.

3) A Love Reaction | Explicit | 9968 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Louis’s staring up at him, head tilted slightly back, and his blue eyes are glassy, locked with Harry’s in an unblinking and gentle gaze. He looks ready to do whatever Harry says, to please him whatever way.

4) To Love Without Reason | Explicit | 8854 words

“Come on in, soldier,” Louis pats Harry’s chest and walks away, leaving Harry to follow behind.

Harry stands in the living room, looking around at Louis’ dwelling. Family pictures placed high on a shelf, certificates of Louis’ practice, and other trinkets that make Harry entirely too nostalgic.

“I have to warn you,” Louis says as he puts the kettle on, the water droplets from his hair trickling down the golden skin of his back. “The door jams if you lock it so you'll have to leave it ajar.”

Harry acknowledges with a soft hum, too entranced by Louis’ glistening skin to form a coherent reply.

5) No Good Unless It’s Real | Explicit | 17021 words

Louis is a very busy farmer who’s just trying to make it to his next nap and Harry’s the new hot vet that’s determined to infiltrate every area of his life.

6) A Springtime’s Wilt, An Autumn’s Bloom | Explicit | 20593 words

Harry is Louis' personal chauffeur, and although he hides his feelings for his boss behind a wall of rigid professionalism, Louis still manages to squeeze through the cracks.

7) Ready To Fall | Explicit | 21220 words

“Ninety and rising,” Nick says triumphantly, as though making Harry’s heartbeat pick up by thrusting an obscenely attractive person in front of his face is any kind of success. “Louis Tomlinson has just walked into our control room and suddenly our dear Harry Styles has lost all ability to speak. Could this be some kind of strange coincidence?”

“I hate you,” Harry hisses, forcing his eyes back into Nick’s direction, uncaring that the mic must have picked it up. “I thought we agreed that you were going to play fair.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Nick denies, except he’s holding up a picture of Louis’ face now, sharp cheekbones prominent, soft lashes nearly sweeping against his cheeks as he looks down, and his fucking mouth –

“A hundred and two!” Nick crows, all but clapping his hands together in glee. “The highest it’s ever been!”

“To be fair, I did bend over the desk on purpose,” Louis’ voice comes crackling in the headphones. Harry practically breaks his neck whipping his head around at the sound of it, gaping at him through the glass panel. “You can’t really blame him for getting a little excited about that, can you?”

8) Written In The Stars (That’s You And Me) | Explicit | 22632 words

Louis pushes himself up on one elbow and stretches enough to just barely trace his fingertips over Harry’s jawline. Harry’s eyes drop to track his movements as he does it again. “D’you feel that?” he whispers.

To him, it feels like all of the universe’s magic lives just beneath his skin when he touches Harry with intent. It feels like something special. Louis watches Harry’s lips part and wants to touch that too. He almost does, but then Harry shakes his head. “Feel what?”

9) Middle Ground | Explicit | 23561 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Harry moves to a new town for work where he meets the enigma that is Louis Tomlinson.

10) England Has My Bones | Explicit | 24087 words

The next time Harry thinks about calling, it’s 4.14 in the morning on a Parisian hotel balcony.

11) Like A Siren In The Night | Explicit | 24868 words

“There is an infestation in my home,” Louis hisses, righting himself quickly and pushing his way past Harry, heading directly for the kitchen. He’s rather haphazardly dressed himself, a coat thrown on over a loose flannel shirt and black pants, slippers on his feet.

Harry resists the urge to sigh, closing the door and trailing behind him slowly. “What kind of infestation?”

For all he knows, Louis is going to claim that there’s a ghost infestation. Harry has no idea what the end game is here – all he knows is that Louis has found at least three complaints a week to bring up since he’s been living on Harry’s property, and he’s been living here for six months.

It’s way too many fucking complaints, is what Harry is saying. Especially when most of them are ridiculous to start with.

12) Hold Onto This Heaven (Of Yours) | Explicit | 25213 words

An ode to being too young, too sad, and too in love.

13) The Devil’s In The Details | Explicit | 25372 words

He squeals when Harry smacks his bum as he bends over to pick up his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. Harry smiles smugly at him, bottom lip caught between his teeth. “When are you going to start calling me professor?” He asks.

“When you actually are one,” Louis says with his hand on the doorknob. He cocks his head to the side in curiosity. “Isn’t that how words work? You did study English, right?”

Louis’ quick to slip out the door before Harry can smack him again, his laugh echoing through the hallways as he makes his way to his next class with flushed cheeks and a bright smile.

14) A Trail Of Honey Through It All | Explicit | 27086 words

The boy in front of him, well really, the man in front of him, was like something out of a confusing wet dream. Built, tall, tan and muscular, his skin glistened with sweat after a long day of working outdoors with his hands. He was wearing a cut up old American football shirt, the bottom hem was torn and the sleeves were cut off to the point where the t-shirt was really just a loose tank top. The shorts he had on had clearly been full length jeans at one point, and were now just crudely cut off above the knee. His white socks were pulled up too high on his calves, and the brown work boots he had on were old as fuck, the leather peeling along the edges of the soles. Curly brown hair stuck out from the edges of his backwards snapback, and there was a smudge of grease wiped along his brow bone. The smattering of hair along his jaw proved that he hadn’t shaved in a week or two, the hair growing in thicker across his upper lip and around his chin. His sinfully bowed mouth was pink and plump, and Louis was suddenly hyper-focused on the way that he chewed at the toothpick stuck between his lips. He looked like he needed a shower. Louis wanted to lick him.

15) You Fit In My Poems (Like A Perfect Rhyme) | Explicit | 27598 words

The one where Harry works in an old bookshop and Louis is the pretty stranger that ends up stranded there in the middle of a storm.

16) Where The Lights Are Beautiful | Mature | 31170 words | Sequel

The accidental bonding A/B/O fic.

17) Once Upon A Dream | Explicit | 33319 words | Sequel

Louis is psychic and gets caught in the middle of a murder investigation led by FBI Special Agent Harry Styles.

18) Stuck On You | Explicit | 33983 words

Louis’ life revolves around his stickers. Harry’s life revolves around his job. The universe has decided their worlds should revolve around each other.

19) Coeur De Pirate | Explicit | 34207 words

He tilts his chin up as the Captain strides across the deck, his footfalls falling loudly against the planks. The crew watches them from afar.

Stepping into his space, the Captain wraps an arm around Louis’ waist and pulls him in. He lowers his head to breathe his words against Louis’ cheeks. “I won,” he whispers, “I’ve come to claim my prize.”

20) What This World Is About | Explicit | 34472 words

An eighties American high school AU; there are first times, football games, and feelings.

Alternatively titled: the beginning.

21) Close To Nowhere | Explicit | 34589 words

Louis and Harry are psychics who kind of hate each other. They go to Tennessee to investigate a haunting.

22) Before We Knew | Explicit | 39830 words

Louis has been skeptical of soulmates for years so it seems like fate when he finally bumps into the owner of the obnoxiously large signature printed onto his skin since age sixteen: Harry Styles, a human rights attorney who is firmly against soulmates.

23) The Space Between | Explicit | 39917 words

Harry Styles is the alpha rockstar who can’t sleep and doesn’t know why.

Louis Tomlinson is the omega PhD student who helps him figure it out.

24) The Sweetest Incantation | Explicit | 40580 words

Harry is a witch who's still working on developing his powers and Louis is a werecat who falls into his life and turns it upside down.

25) Worth Dying For | Explicit | 44906 words

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Louis says, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. In the center of the table, a set of three glossy photos stares up at him, mocking him.

“A security detail is non-negotiable, Louis, you know this,” his mum reminds him, tapping the middle photo with two fingers.

Louis doesn’t look back down at the pictures, gesturing towards them wildly, over-dramatically. “This is not a security detail!” he protests. “This is a lanky college student. In what world do you hire someone like this kid to protect me?”

26) Tastes Like Summer, Smiles Like May | Explicit | 47519 words

A cold prince, an alpha with nothing left to lose and a kingdom with a secret.

27) Love’s Truest Language | Explicit | 48195 words

The first part was meant as a joke. He didn't really expect Harry to buy anything. It was just Louis’ way of softening the ‘get the fuck out’ blow.

“Where's your order forms, then?”

“I don't want your flowers.” Louis chided before directing all of his attention to the arrangement in front of him.

Harry laughed under his breath as he stood to his full height, “Who said anything about them being for you, love?”

28) Through The Wheatfields And The Coastlines | Explicit | 52855 words

The one where Louis needs inspiration, and a certain cowboy and his lamb are the perfect distraction.

29) Latibule | Mature | 54322 words

A Spirited Away AU of sorts where Louis just wants to heal and be left alone, only for all his plans to be destroyed by the hands of an infuriating British God.

30) Warming Up To You | Explicit | 56227 words

Prompt 111: Louis and Harry are strangers that somehow got stranded during a blizzard. They find themselves in an abandoned cabin and have to cuddle for warmth. Cuddling leads to much more.

31) Feeling Borrowed, Always Blue | Explicit | 68214 words

Louis has been dreaming of his wedding since he was young - he just never expected it to happen like this.

32) Curly Bun Man | Not Rated | 68597 words

I just paid for these Doritos but they're stuck in the vending machine and I know you've been waiting but I am not going to let you buy something until you help me. AU.

33) Waiting On You | Explicit | 76584 words | Sequel

“Vampires,” Louis says with disgust, glaring over at the vampire who is noisily slurping from the woman’s neck nearby.

Zayn gives the neat fang marks on Louis’ neck a meaningful look.

“Can’t live with them, can’t live without them,” Louis finishes, ignoring Zayn when he rolls his eyes.

Louis takes a long sip of his milkshake, presses his fingers against the marks on his neck, and definitely doesn’t think about the vampire who left them there.

34) Through Struggles, To The Stars | Explicit | 80582 words

Louis is a Starfleet captain trying to find his place in the universe. Harry is a prince just trying to do what's right.

35) I Want You So Much (But I Hate Your Guts) | Mature | 83648 words

AU in which Louis gets accepted to play for the Manchester University Alpha-Beta Football Team. The only problem: Louis is actually an Omega. He is determined to make it big in the football world, though, and he can't do that bound to an Omega team. With the help of a faked doctor's certificate and some pretty strong suppressants he is ready to fight for his dream.

That Harry Styles (Alpha, second year and youngest football captain of the A-B team in ages) doesn't seem to like him complicates matters, though.

36) Where You Lay | Explicit | 86038 words

When Louis's upcoming heat threatens his success at his new dream job, he asks the best (and only) person he can think of to help him through it: his best mates' best mate, Harry Styles. Harry reluctantly accepts, and together the two navigate a strange friends with benefits relationship that quickly turns complicated.

37) And Down The Long And Silent Street | Mature | 86090 words

Wherein Louis and Harry are on the opposite ends of the social ladder, but their paths still cross on the filthy streets Louis calls his home. The odds are staked against them from the beginning, and even more when Louis' past finally catches up with him.

38) Swim In The Smoke | Explicit | 101778 words

“What about this, Captain?” Liam asks, nudging the boy kneeling between their feet with the toe of his boot. The boy hisses and swipes at him, slurring out something unintelligible around the makeshift gag Niall had to stuff in his mouth. He misses by a mile and tries again, just as ineffectively.

Harry looks down at him, at the way the sun streams over his face and shoulders, at the way the gag stretches his mouth, lips pink and chapped. He’s lithe and pretty, smudged all over with dirt. They had found him tied up below deck, mostly unconscious, next to a barrel full of gold. He’s clearly a prisoner, but there’s something familiar about him, something that niggles at Harry’s brain. Something he can’t quite put his finger on.

“Put him in my cabin,” Harry decides, turning back to deal with the rest of the loot. The boys screams out jumbled curse words at Harry’s back, muffled by the gag, and Harry can’t understand any of it.

39) The Galaxy’s Edge | Explicit | 113921 words

Things never quite go as they are planned during a simple rescue job.

40) Tainted Saints And Velvet Vices | Explicit | 126057 words | Sequel (WIP)

A self-fulfilling Hogwarts AU in which Louis is new to seventh year and Harry is the resident devil-may-care Slytherin set to make his entire experience a living misery. Due to less than favourable circumstances they're forced to forge an unwilling, tentative relationship for their own survival. Repressed emotions, decidedly unromantic ballroom dancing, Triwizard Tournament tasks, creative jinxes and twilight flying above the Forbidden Forest ensue.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

#fic recs #blp fic recs #bottom louis #top harry #larry

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