#christen press one shot

[outsideratheart]

Secrets & Lies (Christen Press x reader)

Based of this request.

A/N: This is the longest fic I have ever written with 11,599 words. I hope it isn’t too long and that you all like it. One more thing, ANGST!!!

You had been keeping a secret since the day you were born. Only a few people knew about it and that's because someone else told them but at what point does a secret turn into a lie?

You spent your childhood having bi yearly surgeries but they were only temporary fixes until the doctors felt your heart was strong enough to take the stress of a more complicated surgery. This came when you were 15, it meant you could play the sport you love, and to the naked eye your condition was non existent as long as you took your medication. It wouldn't be the last surgery you had, in fact the doctors told both you and your mom that they would have to do the same surgery again in around 10 years.

It resulted in you learning to live one day at a time and you never looked too far into the future but you couldn't ignore the fact that every year is one step closing to needing a second surgery. So when you turned 25 you couldn't help but feel like you were on borrowed time. Two years after that, the hospital visits became a monthly occurrence in order to keep an eye on your condition and your doctor was surprised that your heart was holding up well and it was but that feeling of being healthy soon came to a halt.

First came the shortness in breath followed by the chest pains, they are symptoms that you are all too familiar with. At first it was manageable but then it got hard to hide the toll it was taking on your body.

"Are you ok kid?" you feel a hand rest on the small of your back as you bend over in attempt to catch your breath after a sprinting drill.

"It's getting worse" you look up at your captain Christine Sinclair "I'll be ok, I have to be. The olympics are around the corner and I can't miss them" the panic in your voice sparks concern within the Canadian.

"Ok, ok, calm down. We will handle this like have in the past, just me, you and the doctors. Have you told Tobin or any of the others how bad it's getting?" you shake your head "Maybe it's time you tell Christen. The two of you have been tog—“

“No! Christen doesn't need to know"

"And when will she? When she is calling an ambulance?"

Christine Sinclair had many abilities and the one you hated the most was how well she showed tough love.

"No Christen and no Tobin. This is my fight and I know how to handle it" you know that the conversation is no where near over but you don't have the energy to talk about it and you don't want to risk the rest of the team hearing you.

At first only you and the Portland Thorns team doctor knew about your heart condition but then your mom told Christine when the thorns were playing Gotham. She wanted someone to know about it in case you were to have an episode. They didn't happen all that often, especially as you got older, but when they did come they were bad.

Portland were in Houston playing the dash before the players would go to their respective national teams. It meant that you had to pack for 3 weeks away. You made your checklist, packed your bag and then went through the list twice, you had everything.

The Thorns ended up beating the dash 3-1 with goals coming from you, Tobin and Lynsey so when you arrived at camp you were all in fantastic moods although yours could have something to do with the fact that you would be seeing Christen for the first time in a month.

As you enter the reception you are told that you are the last to arrive and the team are in the conference room handing out room assignments. As you enter the room you eyes eagerly search for your girlfriend but she isn’t there, worry starts to set in and you nudge tobin who in suit shrugs her shoulders. So her girlfriend and best friend didn’t know where she was. You are just about to raise your hand to ask the question when you feel two arms snake around your waist.

“Looking me for” Christen says quietly as not to interrupt Jill.

You remove one of her hands and place a kiss on the back of it.

“I better not be sharing with Kelley again” You tip your head back to rest on her shoulder.

“You’ll be happy to know I persuaded Jill to let us room together but you have to be on your best behaviour”

“Me!” You turn to face Christen. Your increased volume becoming apparent when Jill calls you out.

“Is there something you would like to share with the team” Jill encourages you to speak up.

"Nothing she can repeat in front of the youngens, right Y/N?" Kelley teases.

The defender knows that you will bite straight away if the teasing had to do with your relationship, more so what goes on behind close doors. You are on the verge of retaliating when Christen places her hand over your mouth.

"Sorry coach, continue" Christen tells Jill.

The team meeting runs a little big longer than you had hoped. Jill taking this time to discuss the basic plan for the camp as well as assigning rooms and then reassigning them when she gets complaints.

You and Christen waste no time in making up for being away from each other. It might have been a few years since the two of you started dating but the way she makes you feel never failed to catch you off guard. The connection you shared reminded you of fireworks and no matter how many times they went off you always jumped.

The two of you cuddled in bed, covered in nothing but the white hotel bed sheets. Christen's head rested on your chest whilst her hand traced shapes on your stomach.

"Your heart feels like it is about to beat out of your chest" whilst Christen jokes it is a reason for concern to you.

You think about it for a second. The Thorns schedule has been gruelling recently and you knew that you were putting stress on your heart but it was fine, you were taking your medication then it hit you, you hadn't taken it this morning.

"My heart will always skip a beat for you" you stare up at the ceiling in fear that Christen will see your pain if she looks you in the eyes.

The pair of you get ready for training all whilst worry starts to sink deeper into your thoughts. Christen knew you took several supplements in a morning but she didn't know what they were and you wanted to keep it this way. When you are on your way down to the lobby you see your chance.

"I'll meet you down there. I forget to take my vitamins" You daren't use the word medication because you know it will cause her to worry. It's the reason why she has no idea about your condition. You saw what the worry did to your mom growing up and you wouldn't put that on your girlfriend.

Luckily Christen doesn't ask any questions and she doesn't follow you back to the room. By the time she gets to the lobby the whole team is there ready and waiting.

"What, no Y/N?" Pinoe asks her fellow forward.

"She forgot her vitamins" Christen says fully unaware of the looks that are shared between Emily and Tobin.

Emily tips her head towards the elevator and Tobin picks up on what she is suggesting.

You are rummaging through your bag hoping that you will find your medication but it is no where to be found. You thought you packed enough for the Thorns trip and the national camp but you hadn't. You didn't know what to do, you knew that if you told Dawn about it she would have you benched and that couldn't happen because you were playing Canada and the team needed you. The sound of someone knocking at the door pulls you out of your head. At first you ignore them, you had more important things going on right now and the person on the other side of the threshold could wait but the knocking continued only louder and more persistently.

"Y/N let me in"

Tobin, just the person you both wanted to see and did not want to see. When she enters she recognises the panic on your face immediately.

"You forgot?" Her tone reminds you of your mom and you didn't care for it.

"I'm fine now" It was a lie but you didn't have a choice  "I'm just tidying up. You know how much of a neat freak Chris is"

You had been taking this medication for 12 years surely you built up enough strength to live without it for a week.

Training was tough to say the least but you chalked it down to the Arizona heat. Tobin kept a close eye on you and even went out of her way to partner up with you during drills which pissed you off more because you wanted to work with Christen. Dawn watched you from the sidelines and at first you didn't think anything of it until you saw her whispering in Jill's ear.

When the coach calls you over in the middle of scrimmage, it gains the attention of the entire team. Players only ever got called out of a game when they were in trouble but Jill eyes wasn't filled with anger, they were filled with pity and your suspicions were confirmed when you saw Dawn mouth 'i'm sorry'.

"Do I need to be worried?" Jill asked.

Here's the thing with Jill. You know she knows and she knows you know she knows but the two of you have never spoken about it. She keeps an eye on you during training and Dawn let's her know if there is a reason for concern.

"No. I forgot to take my medication this morning so it's taking a little bit longer for it to work"

Another lie.

"You were struggling out there and don't say it's because of the heat. I have seen you when we play in Australia and you aren't phased at all"

"I'm already feeling better. Watch and you will see that I am fine" you shut down the conversation before it can go any further.

When you're back on the pitch you score within seconds and dedicate your goal to your coach with an arrogant salute. Instead of it making her believe you're healthy, your celebration makes Jill think the opposite. You are trying too hard to show her you are ok.

The next couple of days are more difficult than you would like to admit. You were tempted to ask for a personal day and fly back to Portland but it would lead to more questions and you were trying to keep your amount of lies to a minimum.

With game day getting closer and closer, you begin easing off the physical side of preparation. You took a back seat in training and when asked about it you stated that as your role as captain you want to use this time to pass on your knowledge to the younger players.

When it comes to the afternoon lift session, Dawn pulls you aside and tells you that you will be working alone. She puts you on the treadmill whilst the rest of the team focus on the weights. Her attempt at testing your fitness isn't as subtle as she hopes.

"Wait, why is Y/N the only one doing a fitness test?" Tobin asks. Christen wants to know the same thing. She had seen the change in your behaviour over the past couple of days. It happened in the blink of an eye, one minute your the confident player the world loved the next you are on the sidelines trying to catch your breath like a rookie.

"Because I am the fastest on the team and Dawn wants to see if I can improve my stats from last camp"

Your girlfriend buys it, Tobin on the other hand isn't so easy to persuade. In the end she walks away but not before talking to Sonnet who looks at you and shakes her head.

Great! You aren't well and now you have pissed off the two people that could out you to the entire team.

"I've seen you watching me and I'm fine but if I am sick then I will get worse by doing this" you whisper in Dawn's ear before setting the treadmill to 15 where you begin sprinting as if you have a perfectly good heart.

By the end of the treadmill test you can barely breathe. Dawn helps you to chair before getting you a bottle of water. You hear her shout of Christen and within seconds your girlfriend is by your side.

"Y/N breathe for me" Christen begs. She had never seen you this out of breath.

"It hurts" you clasp both of your hands over your chest. This couldn't be happening, not here, not now.

"What's going on with her?" Christen asks dawn.

"She is--" Dawn tries to answer but Tobin and Sonnet come running over.

"She took an elbow to the chest in our last game and it's causing her some problems" Tobin tells her.

"She'll be fine. Here, use this" Sonnet gives you an ice pack knowing that it helps with your chest pains.

Your hands shake whilst you hold the cold block to your chest, so much so that Christen ends up taking it from you.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Christen asks.

When you look to Christen you see the hurt you are causing her and this is because she didn't know about a tackle that didn't happen. In a matter of seconds you go from feeling pain to feeling guilty.

“I—" part of you tries to tell her the truth, even it it's only a half truth.

"It's best if she doesn't talk" Tobin cuts in.

Dawn tells you that you're done for the day and that Christen should take you back to your room. Your girlfriend talks to the performance coach in hopes that she can tell her what to do to make you feel better.

"I don't know what's going on with you but you cannot tell her when you're like this. She will think you’re ill" Tobin whispers in your ear.

"That's because I am ill and I always will be. She deserves to be with someone who isn't a burden" your breathing begins to even out.

"Y/N don't do anything stupid. You trust us with your secret, you can trust her too"

"No, my mom trusted you. I didn't want people to know because they look at me like—“

"Like what"

"Like that" you point at both of the friends "Like I'm broken"

Walking away you feel their eyes burning into the back of your head but you don't look back. Christen stands near the door with her hand extended waiting for you to take it.

Once back in your room Christen goes straight into the bathroom and begins running the bath. It is something that calmed the two of you but funnily enough you haven't done it whilst being at camp. Your girlfriend comes back out to find you laid back on the bed, your eyes closed with one hand on your chest. She can just about hear you counting your breaths.

"Join me" Christen says from the door way but she doesn't get an answer, you don't even move.

"Baby, come join me" the softness in her tone when she calls you the name that made you feel like you're the only girl in the world gets your attention.

"I think i'm just going to lay here for a while"

"Look at me" your girlfriend demands and upon doing so see her standing there in nothing but her underwear "I wasn't asking"

The smirk that pulls at your lips in uncontrollable. The sight you saw had the power to bring to your knees and the past had proven that.

"Then I won't say no" you stand and remove your shorts and as you walk towards her you remove your top.

Christen is the first to get into the bath and she slides forward so that you can slip in behind her. She grabs your arms, wraps them around her and then covers your arms with her own.

"I love you Christen Press" you place a kiss to her jawline "but if something were to happen to me then I want you to move on" you feel a tear roll down your cheek but you cannot wipe it away "Please don't waste your years mourning me and don't be afraid to open your heart to another. You wouldn't be betraying me and although i'll be gone, i'll always be with you, in here" you place your hand over her heart.

"Y/N--" Christens shifts her weight.

"Don't look at me"

This was strange. You and Christen are very open about your feelings and aren't scared to be vulnerable around each other but whenever you shared these moments you wanted to feel as close to her as possible which lead to the two of you having eye contact.

"You are my one true love Y/N Y/L/N and should the worse happen, that will never change. I cannot make a promise to move on because I am not in control of my heart but I will promise to let love in should it come to me"

"I will love you Christen until my last day on earth and then long into the afterlife"

This time you don't stop her as she turns in the water so her legs are either side of you. You craved her touch and reassurance that everything would be ok only she couldn't tell you that. That night Christen makes you forget about how this pain in your chest has ended in the past and you don't think twice about whether you future is going to last a year or ten years.

Game day came on day 5 without your medication and you were starting to regret not going home to get them. Sleep had become nothing more than a long nap and every time you ran it felt like a marathon. Still you had been able to downplay your struggles and Jill put you in the starting 11 despite being concerned about you.

You knew there was one person you couldn't fool and you did your best to avoid her until the whistle. At the pitch inspection you stayed away from the Canadians but you saw Christine staring at you from a distance, by the look on her face you knew she knew. When she tipped her head towards the tunnel so she could speak with you, you shook your head.

"You should go see her" Christen nudges towards where your club captain is standing.

"And fraternise with the enemy. I would much rather fraternise with you" you whisper in her ear.

It seems that Christen buys your distraction as she doesn't bring it up again even when Christine waits by the locker room after the warm ups.

You think you have managed to evade your friend's questioning but when you stand in the line waiting to go out you have a bad feeling in your gut so when Christine walks by you grab her arm and pull her back towards you.

"I didn't bring enough medication with me" you confess.

Up until now you haven't been scared but the look Christine gives makes you feel just that.

"How long?" she keeps her reply short given the crowd of players that surround you.

"5 days" You see Christine eye up Jill as she walks past "No, don't. I can handle this game but you need to know if case something happens"

"What makes you think that?"

You bring you hand to your chest "gut feeling" you reply.

Once gain Christine's expression changes and the worry is not something she can hide. She pulls you into her arms and whispers in you ear.

"I know you can handle it especially when playing so be smart out there kid"

And that is exactly what you do or at least for the first 50 minutes it is. All of sudden you feel your chest tighten and you feet give way underneath you as your body goes into fight or flight response. You do everything in your power to fight but it is too hard. Within seconds you are laid out of the floor, instead of your heart beating rapidly it is slow, too slow.

"Y/N, what's wrong?" Christen kneels beside you.

Your eyes lock onto her, she is the reason why you want to fight but your lack of response does more harm than good. The team don't know what is happening so they don't call the medics over.

"Is it your heart?" Tobin asks having no care in the world about who hears her.

"What's wrong with her heart? Is this about the knock you took?"

You had been dreading this moment but somehow it has turned out worse than you imagined.

"I'm" you take a deep breathe "sorry"

"Why are you sorry? Tobin what is she sorry for? What is going on?"

Tobin looks at you and you use whatever energy you have left to shake your head.

"Sincy" you look at Tobin and she understands what you want but she doesn't want to leave your side.

Emily picks up on this "It's ok, i'll get her"

The defender turns to get your team mate only to see the opposing captain already running over.

"Move out of my way" Christine pushes her way through the white shirts.

"Sincy, it hurts" tears start to fall as fear begins to set in.

"Tobin get your medics now"

Christine looks at your team mates but her gaze ultimately falls on your girlfriend who looks petrified. Christen has one of your hands in hers, squeezing it so tightly that part of your fingers have turned white.

"I don't want to die" your words earn gasps from your team mates. Some of the Portland players are trying to hold back from crying as they know what this could mean.

"You're not going to die" Christen places a kiss to the back of your hand "Why would you die? You can't die. Christine" Christen looks up to the older player only to see her holding Tobin in her arms as she tries to console her "Tobin" at the sight on her best friend in tears she knows that something much bigger is going on.

The medics come running onto the pitch and in that very moment you realise that the secret you have kept for the last 27 years is about to come to light. When one of them starts asking question you know that you don't have it in you to answer them,  a mixture of not wanting to and not having the ability to.

"She has a heart defect and hasn't been taking her medication" Christine says when she realises you wouldn't say it. Your club captain proceeds to explain your condition in detail as well as your medical history.

"No" Christen shouts "She is fine, tell them you're fine Y/N. You're not sick, you just took a knock in your last game. I know you're not sick because you would have told me, we don't have secrets" tears are flowing freely down your girlfriends face.

"Y/N" Christen whispers when she feels your hand slowly loosen it's grip from her own.

"I don't want to die. I wan’t—" your breathing hitches once again as your bodies tries to inhale a much oxygen as possible.

"Baby, no" Christen leans forward and rests her forehead against yours.

"I'm sorry. I love you" those are are the last words you say and Christen is the last thing you see before it goes black.

"She's going into cardiac arrest. I need everyone to back up so we can try and save her life" One of the doctors say as the other one sprints away in search of the defibrillator.

"No, i'm not leaving her" Christen holds onto your unconscious form. It is only when Ashlyn pulls her away does she let go and begins sobbing into her friends arms.

The team stand there, helpless, as they watch the medics try to resuscitate you. All of them feeling a mixture of emotions. Some are angry at you, why didn't you tell them things had got this bad. Others feel guilty having known nothing about your condition, they begin wondering if the signs where there and they had just been too ignorant to see them.

Christen feels every emotion under the sun but the strongest one of them all is rage. You were her girlfriend and not only did you keep this from her, her best friend did too. You were the two people she trusted the most in the world yet today made it clear that trust wasn't reciprocated.

You are loaded into an Ambulance and taken the the nearest hospital. Christen is asked if she wants to go with you but she says no. The game gets suspended and the teams head back into their locker rooms. The US players planned on getting changed and heading straight to you.

The atmosphere in the locker room is something that neither of them have experienced before.

"You knew!" Christen shouts at Tobin.

"Chris" Pinoe tries to pull your girlfriend towards her locker but fails.

"No, I deserve an answer. My girlfriend was sick and you didn't tell me"

"It wasn't my secret to tell Christen. She made us promise not to tell you"

Tobin's words didn't exactly instil faith and calmness in her friend.

"Us?" Christen takes a step back and she scans the locker room. Now that's she is looking, it is very obvious who knew and who didn't "Emily, Lindsey. You knew too" Christen couldn't believe it.

"I didn't know things has gotten this bad. Y/N has episodes but she handles them on her own" Emily tells her.

"She doesn't like to talk about it" Lindsey adds.

"And Christine Sinclair knew" It isn't a question. The woman's action on the pitch made it obvious that she is very aware of your condition.

"I did"

Turning around Christen comes face to face with the women she was talking about.

"I have known since the beginning" the invisible spotlight that was placed on Christine made her nervous "I'm going to the hospital. Come with me and I will tell you everything"

Christen quickly replaces her boots with a pair of trainers, grabs a jacket and follows your captain.

Christen sat in the hospital waiting room alone. The seats either side of her remained empty because although her teammates wanted to support their friend, they knew it was just as important to give her space. It didn't make sense at first, you being ill, but then she begins replaying some of your recent conversations. Obviously the one you shared in the bath a few nights prior wasn't as hypothetical as Christen thought. Did you really think that Christen could move on from you?

"Family of Y/N Y/L/N"

Upon hearing your name the entire USWNT flock towards to the man clad in scrubs.

"I'm her girlfriend" Christen says as she stands directly in front of him.

"I'm sorry her file says to only discuss medical matters with direct family or Christine Sinclair, is that you?"

Christen couldn't believe what she is hearing. Even when you are in god knows what condition you are still determined to keep this from her.

"That's me. This is Christen Press and you can discuss Y/N's condition with her" Your friend has had enough of your secrets, Christen deserves the know the truth and at this point she knew that you could no longer hide it but that you would still try.

"Unfortunately Y/N coded again on the way here. Her heart had to work overdrive just to beat regularly and in the end it couldn't take it"

"No, She" your girlfriend couldn't believe what she was hearing "She can't die"

"She's alive Miss Press" The doctor confirmed "What I meant is that her heart couldn't take it which lead to the incident during your game. I spoke with her doctor in Portland and we agreed that minor surgery was needed until she can have a full exam when she returns home. Y/N is in recovery right now for observation then we will move her to a private room. I will have someone come get you when she is allowed visitors"

Christen stands frozen in her spot. Her mind, body and soul had grieved your death twice now even if it wasn't permanent.

"This is a good thing Chris" Tobin ignores the looks she gets as she talks to her best friend.

"How is this good Tobin? She almost died, no she did die. I lost her"

Tobin tries to pull Christen into a hug but she fights it. She takes her anger, which is rightly or wrongly is aimed at you, out on Tobin before surrendering.

"How could she not tell me Tobin? I'm suppose to be her person, she tells me she loves me yet—“

Christen is cut off before she can finish her sentence.

"You really don't get it do you" Christine says. After speaking to the doctor she found a seat near your Portland team mates "Y/N does love you more than you realise. It is the reason why she hasn't told you. I know that doesn't make sense but it does in her mind. Y/N has never told anyone about her heart condition"

"That's not true. You know, Tobin, Lynsey, Emily and I guess Becky knows, oh and dawn too, maybe even jill"

"You're right but that's not because Y/N told us. Her mom is reason why we know. She told us for this exact reason, in case something happens to her daughter and she isn't there to help her. In Y/N’s eyes she was protecting you by not telling you"

"That does sound like Y/N" Ashlyn sees sense in what the Canadian is saying.

"It doesn't make it ok"

"No it doesn't and for what it's worth Tobin has been begging Y/N to tell you since you started dating" Christine comes to her team mates defence.

Christen knows deep down that none of this was Tobin's fault and that her reaction was uncalled for. The way Tobin looks at her is something she has never seen before but then it hits her. You might have been her girlfriend but you are Tobin's best friend.

"I'm sorry Tobin. It just the thought of losing her is—“

"I know. It's scares me too"

When the pair hug, the team awe in response. For a brief moment the energy changes but it doesn't last long.

"Y/N is awake"

Having not needed to be told twice, Christen heads straight towards the nurse.

"You're going to have to wait sweetie. Y/N only wants to see Miss Sinclair"

It hurt. Once again you were choosing Christine over her and quite frankly Christen has had enough. A huge part of her wanted to say 'screw you' and leave. If you didn't want to see her then she wasn't going to stick around.

"Let's go get a coffee" Pinoe suggests which Christen agrees, Tobin follows in suit.

The three of them return just as Christine is storming through the hallway. Clearly nothing good happened in your room but it wasn't clear if the bad thing was related to the incident or something else.

"Christine, wait" Christen grabs her hand as she strides past them "What's wrong"

"She's unbelievable and all yours. I'm done"

Christen heads straight for you room, alone. The rest of the team know that there is conversation that needs to be had between the two of you and they had no right to be a part of it.

The sight itself is worrying. You are laid in the hospital bed, hooked up to several hospital wires and have a nasal cannula which is helping you breathe. All in all you didn't look well and it made the next words that came out of your mouth that much more frustrating.

"Don't look at me like that, i'm fine" your attempt at reassuring your girlfriend seems to have the opposite affect.

"No more lies Y/N. You're not fine. I watched you die, do you know what that was like?" Christen starts the speech that she had been planning in her head for the last couple of hours.

When you see her eyes begin to well up you want nothing more than to get out of the bed and comfort your girlfriend but you simply didn't have the strength. Instead you used what strength you did have to move over slightly so there was room for her near you.

"Come here"

Christen does so happily. Even though she is mad she has been craving the feeling of being in your arms and the solace it brings her.

"You knew this would happen. It's why you talked about you dying when we laid in the bath. You held me in your arms and we had a conversation which you knew could happen whilst I thought you were being hypothetical"

"I meant what I said. When I die I want you to move on with your life, not live in the past, in our past" once again you cannot bring yourself to make eye contact with your girlfriend.

Christen hovers her hand over your chest before placing it on your heart. The room goes quiet, enough so that you can hear her counting the beats under her breath. She is worried about you and you knew what the next couple of months would look like. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. You never wanted things to come to this and you certainly didn’t want to be the reason for Christen’s pain. It’s why you know the thing you are going to next is the right thing to do.

“Why did Christine leave?”

Well it looks like Christen is going to be the one to initiate the conversation only she has no idea what is about to come.

“I told her i’m not going to have the surgery when I get home. If I do then I'll miss the olympics and that isn’t something I am willing to do. I am going to have another minor surgery and work with the doctors so that I make it until the summer”

Christen lifts her head so she can see your face and what she is met with worries her. You are blank, almost emotionless but it was the facade you chose to put up in order get through this talk.

“No! You—“

“Christen the last few years we have shared have been incredible and I wouldn’t change a thing. I know you are mad at me for keeping this from you but I don’t regret it. If I had it my way you would have never found out. I wanted to protect you from the pain that comes with my condition because I saw what it did to my mom and I won’t have you going through the same worry”

“Y/N” Christen doesn’t like what she is hearing.

“I love you Christen Annemarie Press more than anything in this world and it’s why I can’t be with you”

Her eyes well up within seconds. Her breathing becomes erratic and it matches the increasing beeps on your monitor. You may be calm on the outside but the wires hooked up to your chest tell a different story.

“No. You don’t get to tell me your dying then break up with me, that’s not how this ends, I won’t let it” Christen refuses to acknowledge that you have decided to end your relationship.

“Chris” You reach out for her hand but she pulls away just as your fingertips touch.

“Why are you doing this? We’ve talked about our future, marriage and kids. I may not have known you were sick but you did and you still had those conversations. Were they lies too?”

You get up out of bed against your better judgement. You ignore the pain in your chest and the rapid beeping coming from behind you.

“I never lied to you, I withheld the truth, there is a difference. Those conversations we had were a fantasy, one that made me look forward to a future I knew I might not have. I am doing this because I love you way to much to break your heart just because mine is already broken”

Your emotions are starting to get the better of you whilst Christen has tears rolling down her cheeks. It was naive to believe you could break up with the love or your life and not have her fight for you.

“You are so selfish Y/N” Christen’s sadness has turned into rage “I am willing to stand by your side though all of this and you are pushing me away. You are making a decision for our future without letting me have a say”

“I might not have a future Christen!”

The volume of your tone is the last straw. Doctors who had been monitoring your vitals come rushing into the room to make sure that you are ok, your team mates follow in suit.

“Miss Y/L/N I need you to get back into bed before you rip open your stitches” One of the nurses try to usher you back toward the bed but you don’t move.

“Christen, Listen to me. I am doing this because I love you, one day you will see that. I have to let you go”

Christen waits in your room to hear you out but she doesn’t respond before leaving.

When you are back in bed you cannot bring yourself to look at any of your team mates. There are those that knew and some that didn’t. You chose to stare out the window and your friends leave one by one, soon enough it is just Tobin and Emily in the room.

“You’re not getting the surgery?” Emily asks you. She had been the one to follow Christine to find out what happened.

“I can’t. I want to go to Tokyo and I can’t if I get it. My doctor said the risks are very high given the stress that my heart is currently under and he’s not sure if it can take it. I meant what I said on the pitch, I don’t want to die” The blonde understood your reasoning and didn’t question it any further.

Tobin on the other hand. She has had enough with your stubbornness and you knew that a lecture was coming.

“Please don’t” you beg her

“You two were made for each other and you just threw that away, why?” Tobin asks you.

“Because it easier to mourn someone you hate than someone you love”

The next month was tough. You were back in Portland, a place you called home, but you had never felt more alone. Your friends were mad at you for not getting surgery, even Christine only spoke to you when her captain duties called for it. Christen spent the first week after the incident texting and messaging you. She was fighting for your relationship but you couldn't step into the ring for her.

You had to take a temporary step back from the team to recover and get back to a place where you can play high level soccer. You released a statement saying that you were stepping away in order to focus on your health. You didn't give the fans anymore details and they respected your wishes, the press on the other hand, well they wanted to know what the damage was.

Truth is you missed your friends and the loneliness that your stubbornness caused became overwhelming which only made things worse. Your doctor was pleased with the improvements you were making but after the first few weeks things took a turn for the worse. The temporary surgery you had in Arizona had reached its limits a lot sooner than your doctor had hoped.

It was three months later when it came to a head.

"When do I have to make the decision?" you ask.

You had just completed another round of tests and as you sit in your doctor's office you can tell by the energy in the room and the lack of eye contact of his behalf that things weren't good.

"I would like to do this as soon as possible and before you ask, it is my recommendation that we do the full repair"

"But what about the risks? I want to go to Tokyo and you said the best way for me to do that is to have the smaller surgery and reevaluate when I get back"

"Y/N if we don't do this surgery I cannot guarantee that you make it to the summer"

"So what you're saying is I have the surgery or become part of the 27 club?" You let out a small chuckle but nothing about this was funny.

"I'm sorry things have come to this and I know it isn't what you wanted"

"It's ok, these things happen" It was as if you had already admitted defeat.

When you get up from your chair it's as if time had slowed down. You walked over the window which ironically looks over Providence park. You had made so many memories there and you truly thought you would have years to make more, now though you're not too sure.

"Can I give you a piece of advice?" your doctor stands beside you "Talk to someone. It doesn't have to be about this but you can't close yourself off from everybody. You shouldn't keep your friends at arms length Y/N, they are there because they want to support you"

"I don't want to become their problem"  you confess.

"I made a promise to someone but they're not my patient you are" He goes back to his desk "Christen Press calls my office once a week to get updates on you"

You were both happy and angry after hearing this. On one hand it was nice to know she still cared but you had been killing yourself, literally, so that you could keep her away from this and your doctor has been telling her anyways.

"You had no right"

"No I didn't but it was the right thing to do. That women loves you Y/N. When faced with death most of my patients live life there's no tomorrow. They do all the things that are on their bucket list, they make memories with their friends and confess their feelings but you, you have done the opposite. You refuse to see or speak to anyone unless it is unavoidable and you push away the woman you love most in this world. I made a decision, one that I won't apologise for"

At this point your doctor was like family so he didn't mind calling you out when your were being stubborn or stupid.

"What if I hurt her?"

Dying doesn't scare you because you had been preparing for it your entire life. Being the reason that Christen cries herself to sleep at night, that is one of your greatest fears.

"You already are by pushing her away"

You knew he was right. It became obvious the moment you broke up with her but in your eyes you were hurting her a little bit now in order to keep from hurting a lot more later on.

"Can I call you tomorrow with an answer?"

"Of course"

When you leave his office your phone feels like it's burning a hole in your pocket. Every part of you wanted to hear Christen's voice but something was stopping you.

Ignorance had been your greatest ally as of late. If you weren't at the hospital or at rehab then you would tell yourself that you are healthy but you were no longer able to ignore the uncertainty of your future. Portland has been home since you went No1 in the draft so subconsciously you take yourself to Providence park which isn’t all that strange considering it’s about this time of day when training ends. You stop at a poster of you and Tobin after you won the championship last season, the two of you looked so happy and carefree.

"It's a good photo" you don't need to turn around in order to know who is there.

"Y/N and Heath, Portland's unstoppable force" It was a nickname that the fans gave the both of you years ago and it has stuck ever since.

"Well one of us is" Tobin jokes.

"I guess I deserve that. I've missed you Tobs" you hug her tightly with a force that she returns.

"You're scaring us Y/N. Everyone is worried about you. Christen isn't herself, she is barely sleeping, every time she closes her eyes she sees you on that pitch or worse. She told me the other night that she finds herself walking through cemetery and it is your headstone that she goes to"

"I never wanted any of this to happen. I just wanted to protect her, you do know that don't you?"

"Of course I do and she does too. I know you don't want to talk about it but please tell me you're getting better" Tobin pleads.

"I wish I could. I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to put you in a position where you have to lie but I need to have the big surgery, the one I have been putting off, and i'm not sure if i'm ready to have it yet"

"You're scared?" Tobin asks and you nod "You will make the right decision Y/N and I know you want to do this alone but if you want me to then i'll be by your side through it all"

The offer meant more than Tobin knew. You truly thought that your behaviour over the past couple of months had burnt the bridges that you call your friendships.

"Thank you Tobin"

She joins you as you wander the city but after an hour she picks up on the fact that you wanted to be alone and before leaving she reminds you once again that she is only a call away should you need her.

You find a bench that over looks the water. You put your earphones in and dial Christen's number, praying to the higher powers that she answers, she doesn't. It didn't come as a surprise, you didn't deserve her time. You try again only this time you decide to leave a voicemail.

"Hi bab—, sorry I mean Christen, it's Y/N. I have been told that I should talk to someone and you are the first person that came to my mind. I—“

"Y/N? Are you ok? Is something wrong"

"Christen?" you pull your phone out of your pocket to see if the call has connected "you didn't pick up, I thought I was leaving a voicemail"

"Sorry I was in the shower. Is everything ok?"

"I want to talk to you but I need you to treat me like the old Y/N, not the weak and broken Y/N"

"You're not broken Y/N. You are human and sometimes humans get sick"

"Chris, please"

"Girlfriend Y/N or cocky and confident Y/N? Just so I know which Y/N I am speaking to?" she chuckles slightly as she allows herself to get lost in the game are playing.

"The one that loves you unconditionally"

"My favourite Y/N"

You ignore the butterflies that you feel when you hear Christen's voice. Despite everything that is going on with you and her, she still manages to calm you down without even trying.

"I remember the first time you took me home to meet your family, I was so nervous. I know how much they mean to you and although you are this independent woman who doesn't need anyones approval, you still wanted theirs and I thought for certain I wouldn't get it"

This was news to Christen. She couldn't have imagined this is how you felt given the way you strode into the Press family full of confidence and not willing to let anyone get in the way of your relationship.

"I didn't know that"

"Can you remember the end of the night when you Dad asked to speak to me outside?" you hear Christen hum on the other end "That was the calmest I had been the entire night"

"Y/N, that doesn't make sense"

"It does because I knew the 'nobody will be good enough for my daughter' speech was coming. He asked me if I deserved to be in his daughters life and I said no. It was an easy answer because although I had known you for a few years, we had only being dating for a few months and in that time you showed me just how amazing you are and part of me knew from the moment I met you that you were too good for me Christen. The next morning Channing and Tyler cornered me in the kitchen and asked me the same type of question. The only person who didn't was your mom"

"She told me to tell that she's really mad at you"

"She'll have to get in line. Can I continue?"

You take her silence as a yes.

"Your mom asked me why I don't trust that her daughter is making the right decision. I said because i'm not capable of loving you like you deserve and whether it be in one year or ten years, I will break your heart"

"Y/N"

"She told me breaking someone's heart isn't always a bad thing because if you have the power to do that then they must love you with every fibre of their being and that isn't something to be sad about. She said when the day comes, I won't do it on purpose because if I do then I would be hurting myself in the process"

"When the day comes? She knew?"

"I asked myself the same question. Her words were filled with so much comfort that I was sure she did but it wasn't possible"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I knew from day one that this wasn't going to end well and I pursued it anyways. I was selfish and I have hurt you when I spent years making sure that didn't happen"

When the line goes quiet you are sure that Christen has hung up. You wouldn't be angry if she did, it was nice of her to give you the time that she had.

"Can you remember the night before the world cup final when we walked the streets of Paris?"

This is how the rest of the night went. You and Christen went back and forth sharing your favourite memories from your time together. Every so often she would change the subject to your health but it was only for a second then she would go back to her story.

The night draws in and the temperature drops but you are too content sitting by the water, admiring the view and talking to Christen. A dog comes running up to you, the bark makes Christen question where you are.

"Y/N where are you?"

"On a bench"

"You should go home"

"But I don't want to say goodbye"

Both of you go silent. The heaviness of the words you just said bring back the reality of what has been going in.

"There's no reason for you to say goodbye" Christen says and it's obvious even she didn't believe the words that are coming out of her mouth.

"Chris"

"No, I won't have this conversation with you over the phone. If you want to say your goodbyes then you do it in person"

"I love you and my heart, as broken as it may be, belongs to you and it will do until my last day on earth and then long into the afterlife"

A strong sense of Deja Vu hits you and Christen. You had said this before but the meaning is different now.

"Stop"

"I need surgery Christen and the risks are high but if I don't have it then I don't know how long—“

"Y/n, please" Christen begs you from her end of the phone "I know you broke up with me and I know why but I love you"

"Christen, stop. I can tell what you're thinking. Please don't come to Portland"

"But I want to be with you"

"I am only a phone call away but I need space to do this ok?"

"I want to make a deal. No more radio silence. You call me every day, whether it is a good day or a bad one. I'll give you your space but I need you in my life"

Christen's determination was admirable and you wouldn't expect anything less.

"We have a deal"

"Pinky promise?"

"Ok"

"I need to hear you say it"

"Christen I pinky promise to call you everyday"

You decided not to get the major surgery. Life is short, you know this more than most, so you took your chances and worked with the physios to get you fit and healthy in time for the summer. It was difficult and there were days that you felt like giving up but you persisted, maybe a little too hard.

The bad days came along more than the good days but you kept your promise to christen. You called her everyday, sometimes twice.

You were promised a spot on the olympic roster if the doctors cleared you. It didn't matter if you didn't take part in the camps. The staff and players knew you belonged on the team, you could take a year off and still step on the pitch like no time had passed.

Just before the send off series, a rematch against Canada was organised. Due to the history of the fixture both teams felt they owed the fans a full 90 minute match. They agreed to have the game in Portland seen as though the city means so much to you.

Christen wanted to go to your apartment as soon as she landed but in the end she chooses to respect your wishes.

Your absence in the locker room was obvious. It was the first time that the national team had played without you in years and each player struggled with the thought of not having you on the pitch with them. Christen kept checking her phone every few minutes, you hadn’t had your morning call and something didn’t feel right. What she saw next seemed to add fuel to the fire.

“You can’t wear that?” Christen says when she watches Mallory change into her shorts. There on the left side was the number 7.

“Y/N told me to wear it” Mal’s defence was honest. She remembers getting the call from you, at first it was strange but then you explained the reason why and the young forward saw it as an honour.

“She would never do that” it is Tobin who speaks up “It’s her number and she wouldn’t give it up, not when she knows she’s—“ your best friends stops herself when she realises what you have done.

“When she’s what?” Mal asks.

“Never mind” Tobin retreats to her locker where she tries to call you only to get your voicemail.

The game ends in a 1-1 draw. Both halves were uneventful but the post match press conference made up for that. Canada goes first and as Christine Sinclair sits down she has no idea what she is in for.

The US team watch from the changing room given that their captain is next and they want to see what she gets asks.

“Christine do you have a comment on the latest news regarding your Portland Thorns team mate Y/N Y/L/N?”

It was a question that threw not only her off but the entire USWNT locker room. As far as they were aware you were recovering well and on track to return to the team.

“What news is that?” Christine says as she ignores the pit that is forming in her stomach.

“What are they talking about?” Christen asks Tobin. The insecurities of been left in the dark regarding your condition come straight to the surface.

“I don’t know” Tobin tries to hide her worry.

The journalist who asked the question remains quiet. It was clear that Christine didn’t know what he was talking about and he knew that a press conference wasn’t the right place to tell her and he shouldn't be the one to do so.

“Tell me, please” Christine encourages the journalist.

“I have a source that tells me Y/N was brought into OHSU this morning by ambulance and that she was rushed into emergency heart surgery” she can tell by the tone of his voice that he didn’t want to say it.

“This press conference is over” Christine leaves and heads straight for the opposing teams locker room.

The room that holds your team is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. They were all in a state of shock that left them frozen in their spot. The first to move is Emily who calls your number time and time again hoping that if she does it enough then you will pick up. Tobin is next, she calls you mom who doesn’t answer either.

“Hello”

Christen’s voice fills the locker room.

“Ok, I understand”

Her team mates watch and wait for her to tell them something, anything. Christen takes a deep breathe before turning her attention to the team.

“That was her doctor’s office. All they can tell me is that she is in surgery”

Christen takes a deep breath. A few days ago she begged you for honesty and against your better judgement you gave it to her. You told her everything and what followed was never part of your plan. After cooking a meal together over face time Christen asked you to say goodbye and you knew you owed her that. It wasn't a sad goodbye and you didn't talk about your past. You talked about a life where you are healthy, get married, have children and live long enough to grow old together then at the end you said your goodbyes.

It is the reason why Christen remains in her locker when the rest of the team get ready to go the hospital. Even as Christine comes to tell them the news that they already know, she remains still and calm.

"Christen, get your stuff together, we need to go" Tobin tells her.

Yet she doesn't move.

"I'm not going"

"I understand that things aren't great between the two of you but this is bad and she needs you"

That's the thing, even though you wasn't dating, you and Christen were in a good place. There were no more lies between you and it made your friendship stronger than it ever was.

"I've already said my goodbye and I don't want my last memory to be of her in a hospital bed"

The team couldn't believe what they were hearing. They had no idea you were at a point when goodbyes were necessary.

Given the seriousness of the surgery you were having, most of the team decide to go back to the hotel while a handful of them went to to the hospital.

Christen however asks for space and the team give it to her. She doesn't go back to the hotel, instead she goes to your apartment and uses the key you gave her to let herself in. She goes straight to your room and gets changed into a pair of your joggers and grabs a hoodie as she brings it up to her nose she takes a deep breathe in, it smelled just like you.

She gets into your bed, the one that you shared many times before. Then she gets her phone, opens up your thread of messages and scrolls until she find the one she is looking for. It was a voice note followed by the text 'don't listen now. Wait until it's time'. At first she thought it was vague but right now she knew now is the time you were referring to.

Hearing your voice knowing that there's a chance she won't hear it in person again brings Christen to tears and all you're doing is mumbling words of frustration as you have knocked a drink over whilst recording.

"Sorry about that. Now, what was I going to say? Oh yeah, I love you. It's been a while since I have told you that but if you're listening to this then i'm guessing you need to hear it. I know you are scared right now but I want you to know everything is going to be ok, I promise"

"How can you promise that?" Christen says to the phone.

"And I can promise that because you are one of the strongest people I have ever met"

She laughs at little at how much you know her.

"I know we said our goodbyes but now I want to say thank you. Living the life I have means that I have cherished everyday I've spent on this earth and those days have been better than I could have ever imagined because I got to share them with you. You see I was determined not to fall in love but then you came along and I found out how naive I was to think I had a choice in the matter"

"I didn't have a choice either Y/N" she replies as if you are there in the room with her.

"I never feared death growing up but now the thought petrifies me and it's because I have something to lose and somebody to live for. I want a future with you, I want to marry you, will you marry me? No Y/N what are you doing you can't ask the women to marry you over voice note pull yourself to together"

A small chuckle escapes christen's lips are she listens to you tell your self off.

"Would you marry me?"

She had never heard you sound this unsure before.

"I would" she answers your questions.

"I hope you said yes otherwise this next part is going to be very awkward. I take it your in my apartment right now and in my bed, if I am correct then you can open the draw to the left of you where you will find a small box"

Christen's interest had spiked. How did you manage to plan all of this over a voice note. Just as you said she finds a red box and awaits further instructions.

"Open it"

She does so and finds a diamond ring.

"This ring is open for interpretation but for me it's a reminder. Should I die I want you to remember the love that I have for you. I bought it during the world cup but I told myself that I would only give you it after I had told you about my condition. Can I class this as me giving it to you?"

You are about to answer your own question once again but out of nowhere you begin coughing and Christen winces at the sound. She doesn't know when you recorded the message but given that you are in surgery she can guess it was recorded in the last couple of days.

"Sorry, give me a minute"

Christen listens as you try to get your breath back.

"I really hope this is not the last time you hear my voice" she can tell you are scared.

"My dying wish is that you find peace"

"Don't say that" Christen begs.

"I truly am sorry for the pain that I have caused you. I never wanted it to happen. Goodbye my love"

Christen waits for you to say to more but you don't. That is the last part of the voice note. She lays in your bed long enough to watch the sunset through your window. In the same draw that held the ring is a photo album, one that you had made. There were photos taken over your career, of you and your friends and quite a few of you and her.

Later that night Christen receives a text from Tobin saying that you are out of surgery and that you should wake up in a few hours once the anaesthesia has worn off. Then she received a second message saying that you had woken up but Christen stayed in your apartment. When her phone goes off again she assumes it will be Tobin asking why she hasn't come to visit but that isn't the case.

Have you been watering my cactus?

Christen cannot believe it. You have just had major heart surgery and this is the thing you say.

You don't need to water a cactus. They live in the desert.

I knew that. I was just testing you.

She doesn't get the chance to respond before you send another message.

I know I scared you. Will you come and see me? It doesn't have to be today, it can be in a couple of days or whenever you are ready. It's not like I can go anywhere.

I'll come by the day after tomorrow. You need your rest.

You were disappointed to receive Christen's reply. You may have been surrounded by your mom and close friends but the only person want to see wasn't there.

Just as she said, Christen walks the halls of the hospital two days later. She finds your room but cannot muster up enough courage to go inside.

"She's ok" your mom's voice causes her to turn on her heels "The wires make it look worse than it actually is"

"I don't know if i'm ready to see her like that yet" Christen admits. It was the reason why she had waited this long to come.

"I understand but she has been waiting for you. You were the first person she asked for when she woke up"

"Is she alone?"

"No Tobin is in there with her now. She hasn't left the hospital since she got here after the game but she was asleep when I left. I'll give you some time with her" and with that your mom walks away.

The door to your hospital room opens and you are expecting your mom or more doctors but instead it is the person you love most in the world.

"Hi"

When you see Christen you notice the dark circles in her eyes and the way her smile is forced. You look her up and down as if doing your own inspection and that is when you see it.

Christen is overcome with emotion as she saunters over towards you and before you can say anything her lips are on yours. Nothing in this world compared to moments like this, when your connection with Christen is proven through a small act of intimacy.

When you pull apart Christen sits on the side of your bed.

"Nice ring" you hold her hand up just enough to see the diamond glisten in the lights.

"Crappy proposal"

At least now you know Christen listened to the voice note and wasn't just snooping around.

"It's wasn't a proposal remember? And I don't recall telling you which finger it was for" There is a hint of playfulness in your voice but the truth of the matter is you were happy to see Christen wearing the ring but then she takes it off and gives it to you.

"Y/N you gave me this ring because you thought our story was over but it isn't. Regardless of how long it is, we have a future together and I want to spend it with you so no more running, no more secrets or lies and no more protecting me from this" Christen gentles rests her index finger on your heart "You may not have proposed but right here I take the vow to love you in sickness and in health and to be your partner in the good times and bad"

You didn't know what to say. Christen knew everything and she still chose to stand by your side. You always said you didn't deserve her and now you know this more than ever but the difference is you are determined to spend your life making up for the years you spent keeping her in the dark. You will earn back her trust and show her just how much you love her.

#uswnt x reader #uswnt one shot #uswnt imagine #woso x reader #woso imagine #woso one shot #christen press x reader #christen press imagine #christen press one shot #angel city fc x reader

[greynatomy]

this is the second part of my life of baby preath social media fic

this series won’t have long fics or many pic posts cause i don’t think it needs a lot as you won’t need any context of things if that makes sense

it’s my bday, hope y’all enjoy

-grey

———

liked by mrapinoe, christenpress and 30,844 others

tobinheath just five hours ago, we welcomed baby press-heath into the world. christen is the strongest woman i know and today proved that. mommy and momma can’t wait to show you the world

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christenpress most precious baby

alexmorgan13 can’t wait to have cousin playdates with baby

mrapinoe i will be stealing your baby a lot

preathfan1 OMG BABY PREATH!!

preathfan2 BABY PREATH IS HERE

liked by tobinheath, alexmorgan13 and 43,829 others

christenpress amaya press-heath.

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preathfan3 ITS A GIIIIIRRRLLL

tobinheath our baby girl

alikrieger congrats!

alexmorgan13 can’t wait for the play dates with charlie

#preath #preath x baby!reader #preath x child!reader #christen press one shot #christen press imagine #tobin heath #christen press #woso x reader #uswnt x reader #woso #woso imagine #woso imagines #uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt #christen press x reader #tobin heath x reader

[vivalas-vega]

new perspectives / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / part seven

another chapter with our favorite love birds!!! this chapter is a bit more of a filler... just a glimpse into what their lives look like now and tbh I love it. they deserve all the fluff (and meddling children lol) as always lmk what you think!

new perspectives / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / part seven

prologue - one - two - three - four - five - six

add yourself to my taglist

word count: 2.8k

warnings: language, drinking, allusions to smut, brief mentions of injuries !!! 

“You’re stealing my roommate,” Rooster grumbled as he carried another box inside and you giggled as you whipped up another pitcher of margaritas for the boys, watching not-so-subtly as they all went back and forth from the moving truck. You were thankful for the heat today, come the end of the evening you would be curling up in bed with your boyfriend that you lived with, and getting to watch all the pilots with their shirts off and muscles flexing was just the cherry on top. “The audacity to steal my roommate and not even help with the boxes.”

“Stop whining, Roo, you’re ruining the atmosphere,” you shot back, handing him a fresh glass as he stopped to take a break. “You’re welcome for the refreshments.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he said and you chuckled at his sour mood. 

“Stop looking at everyone else,” Jake teased, sneaking up behind you as he wrapped his arms around your waist and you craned your neck up to place a kiss on his jaw.

“I only have eyes for one pilot,” you said, smiling when he pressed his lips to the top of your head. “Okay, but I’m only looking, not touching.” you added with a mischievous giggle and he turned you around to press your head into his chest, shielding your eyes as Coyote walked through the door. 

“Are you going to get mad at me if I suggest leaving all the boxes in the living room tonight?” he asked and you looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

“Why would we do that?”

“Well… I was thinking we should kick all of these fools out, finish the margaritas and christen the house?” 

“Jake,” you whined, there was nothing more you wanted to do. “We promised them dinner in exchange for their free labor,” you said with a sigh.

“I think we could negotiate down to covering their tabs at the bar next time,” he replied and you raised your eyebrows.

“I think dinner would be cheaper,” you chuckled and he groaned as he rested his head atop yours.

“You’re killing me in these shorts,” he said, hands coming to rest on the tops of your thighs and you pulled your head back to kiss him. You all but sighed against him, wrapping your arms around his neck as he trailed his tongue across your bottom lip and your skin felt hot as he tightened his grip.

“Oh come on,” Fanboy groaned, dropping a box in the kitchen rather dramatically, “there are kids present,” he said and you pulled apart to shoot him a questioning glance.

“What kids?” you asked and he gestured to Bob, who was leaning against the fridge and sipping his margarita, pretending to be very interested in your collection of cookbooks. 

“You can make it through dinner,” you said, giving him another quick kiss and ignoring the groan he let out, “I believe in you.” You busied yourself with sorting out the boxes, dropping them in their respective rooms to make unpacking a little bit easier, whenever the two of you got around to it and you couldn’t help but feel overjoyed. You were currently moving Jake into your house… a house you had inadvertently bought for the two of you despite not knowing where you stood at the time and it felt so good. You pulled your buzzing phone from your back pocket and smiled as you answered, your phone screen filling with Mary’s face.

“Hey Mary,” you greeted, chuckling at her excited expression.

“How’s move-in day going?” she asked as you walked down the hallway and into the living room, flipping the camera to show your usually-pristine home filled with boxes.

“See for yourself,” you said and she laughed, but was cut short when Rooster stepped into frame.

“Oh, Bradley!” she called and he stopped in his tracks, looking around to see where the voice had come from before settling on you and feeling rather sheepish as he crossed his arms over his chest and walked over to stand beside you.

“Hi Mrs. Seresin, how are you?” he asked as you stifled your laughter. Mary had a particular soft spot for Rooster, and you thanked your lucky stars her medical issues were limited to her brain and not her heart at his sudden half-naked appearance. 

“I’m good, dear, are they being good hosts? You look thirsty, Jupiter, get that boy a glass of water,” she said and you laughed.

“Mary, he’s drinking me out of house and home right now, he’s doing just fine,” you replied and she shook her head, giving you that famous Mary look that had you passing the phone to Rooster as you went to pour him a glass of water. As you went to hand it to him you indignantly took several gulps of it before passing it off, like a petulant child, and you ignored Mary scolding you… saying something along the lines of I saw that. 

“You two are like siblings, I swear,” she said through her own laughter and Jake looked at you questioningly as he walked through the front door.

“Mom?” he asked, crossing the room and snatching the phone from Rooster’s hands. “What are you doing talking to Chicken?”

“Jacob Seresin, you be nice to your friends. I wanted to check in and see how the move was going?” 

“It’s good, Ma, we’re just about wrapping up now,” he answered. 

“Did you get that package I sent? I had it sent to your old-” you couldn’t catch the end of her sentence, Jake’s eyes had widened and before you knew it he was scurrying off and locking himself in the bedroom as you chuckled.

“What was that about?” Rooster asked, finishing off the water and silently asking you for a refill, to which you obliged with an eye roll as you walked into the kitchen.

“He thinks I’m stupid,” you answered and he raised his eyebrows in confusion. “I’d be willing to bet money Mary sent Grandma’s ring in the mail,” you said.

“Ring? Like an engagement ring?”

You nodded, “it’s not really an engagement ring… it was this beautiful art deco piece she always wore, Grandpa had gotten it for her birthday one year. If there was one thing Grammy Seresin didn’t play about it was her jewels,” you chuckled. “I just adored it, they always joked Jake would put it on my finger one day. She actually willed it to me, along with some other pieces I quite honestly don’t feel comfortable owning, but Mary’s been holding onto it all for me.” you explained.

“You think he’s really going to pop the question so soon?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink and you shrugged.

“No idea, I mean our relationship exists in a time vacuum so I wouldn’t be surprised but… if anything that’s Mary getting overexcited and sending it of her own volition,” you laughed. “She was hinting about a wedding in the hospital and ever since we got back together her and my mom have been relentless.”

“I love weddings,” Bob chimed in as he took a seat at the countertop and wiped a hand across his forehead. “Never been a groomsman before, do you think Jake’s going to want the stereotypical bachelor party?” he asked and Coyote nodded as he joined.

“Definitely, I’d say prepare for a Hangover-level bachelor party,” he joked.

“Damn, I’ve gotta get a new suit,” Fanboy mumbled and Payback looked at him questioningly as he trickled in.

“Why are we getting suits?” he asked.

“Jake and Jupiter are getting married,” Rooster answered and you looked at all of them incredulously before picking up a dish towel and using it to hit their shoulders.

“Out, all of you,” you ordered as they looked at you in shock.

“But we haven’t had dinner!” Coyote protested and you kept whipping the towel against their skin as you herded them out.

“I don’t care, get out,” you said, ditching the towel and opting to use your hands as you now pushed them out the door. “Thank you for your help, have a great night.” you said, slamming the door in their face and you turned around to see Jake looking at you confused.

“What the hell was that about?” he asked and you quickly crossed the distance between you, jumping and wrapping your legs around him as he caught you with ease.

“Your idea grew on me,” you said through a smirk and you giggled as he all but ran through the house to drop you on your bed. 

“I could really get used to this,” you sighed, drawing absentminded patterns across Jake’s bare chest as your breathing regulated. You were acutely aware of the sheen of sweat currently sticking both of your bodies together but you couldn’t find it in you to care… not when you were so wrapped in perfect bliss. 

“Well, you better sweetheart, because I’m not going anywhere,” he said and you smiled as you let your eyes flutter closed.

“Wouldn’t let you even if you tried,” you responded and he chuckled beneath you. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now.”

“Oh god, what a shame,” he groaned dramatically and you swatted him playfully. 

“So… since we make all of our big decisions after sex…” you started, propping yourself up on his chest to look up at him, “I had an idea.”

“And what idea might that be?” he asked, more than content to indulge your whims as he carded a hand through your hair.

“What do you think about getting a pet?” you proposed and you watched as his eyes lit up.

“Are you serious? Yes! What are you thinking, dog or cat?”

“Definitely dog, would be a shame to just let that yard go to waste, wouldn’t it?”

“I love this,” he said, running a hand along your back and you smiled up at him. “Planning for our future, this is just… perfect,” he said and you nodded, placing a kiss on his chest. It was almost as if the universe had decided this moment was too perfect, too blissful, too serene as your pager went off on the bedside table and you groaned.

“I’m not even on call,” you grumbled, picking it up to see 911 flashing across the top. You tossed it aside, “I’m not on call.” you repeated, laying your head back to Jake’s chest but it just beeped again and you felt him move to grab it.

“It says 912, what does that mean?” he asked and you sat up as you grabbed it, wanting to see for yourself.

“Means it’s more urgent than 911…” you grabbed your phone, dialing the extension attached to the page and rubbed a hand over your forehead as one of the interns picked up. “Do you want to tell me why you’re paging me when I’m not on call?” you asked, clearly annoyed and Jake chuckled as he stood and slipped his shorts back on. 

“I’m sorry, Dr. J, I wouldn’t have paged unless it was urgent… there’s uh- well, a trauma just came in and it’s-” 

“Will you spit it out?” 

“It’s your friends,” he said, and you shot out of bed and rushed to your closet, sandwiching the phone between your ear and your shoulder as you grabbed a pair of scrubs and started gesturing at Jake.

“You wanna give me some information or just leave me hanging, Rogers?”

“Yes, sorry, seems like there was some kind of accident on the beach, there’s a lot of… arguing, I don’t really know what happened but they mentioned they knew you so I said I would page,” he explained and you rolled your eyes.

“I’m on my way,” you sighed, hanging up and tossing your phone on the bed as you finished pulling your scrubs on and throwing your hair in a ponytail. “It’s our idiot friends, all they said was some kind of accident on the beach.”

“Accident on the beach?” Jake asked, stepping into the closet and slipping his shoes on as you grabbed your keys and shrugged, already moving down the hallway towards the front door.

“Your guess is as good as mine, didn’t sound quite as urgent as a 912, though.” you said as you climbed into the car and began the short drive to the hospital. “What the hell happened to you?” you asked as you ran through the emergency department to see Rooster, Fanboy and Coyote all in beds while Bob, Phoenix and Payback stood off to the side, looking rather disappointed.

“Dogfight football gone wrong,” Rooster winced as an intern was stitching above his eyebrow and looked over to see Fanboy in the same boat. 

“Get up, that’s going to scar,” you said as you pulled some gloves on and Rooster’s eyes widened. 

“Scar? Jupiter-” he started but you gave him a look that shut him up. 

“Do you see me taking over?” you asked and he nodded, “exactly, calm down.” you said with a chuckle as you gently pulled out the sutures to start over. “So you had the baby doctor’s page me for what, two cuts and a sprained ankle?” you asked as you looked over to see Coyote with an ice pack secured to his foot.

“Fanboy got scared when they pulled the needles out,” Phoenix laughed and he scoffed.

“I did not get scared.”

“Then why has no one started on your stitches?” you asked, lifting your eyes from Rooster long enough to give him a questioning look and you saw how his cheeks flushed.

“Okay, so I got scared!” he exclaimed. “Sue me for wanting the best doctor,” he grumbled and you felt your heart warm at the sentiment.

“Aw, Mickey. That’s really sweet,” you said, finishing up and applying an ointment along the stitches before bandaging it. “Those should dissolve in a week, I’ll check up on them as I see you,” you said as you stood and swapped for fresh gloves before sitting beside Fanboy. 

“That’s a big needle, Jupiter,” he said as you picked up the lidocaine and you gave him a soft smile.

“It only looks big, I’m barely going to insert it, and trust me once I start on the stitches you’re going to be glad you did it.” you said, bringing the needle around his line of vision so he couldn’t see it as you lined it up, “alright, deep breath and little pinch,” you said as you administered it as quickly as you could.

“Oh, I barely felt it,” he said, looking sheepish for being scared in the first place and you chuckled.

“That’s what you get for holding out for the best,” you said as you started his stitches and finished in record time. “You know, if you guys were mad at me for kicking you out you didn’t have to land yourselves in the ER,” you teased as you picked up their charts to scribble down your notes. 

“You kicked them out?” Phoenix laughed loudly as you reached into the supply cart to your left and pulled three lollipops from the top drawer to distribute.

“For being such good patients,” you said with a smirk and they gave you a look of annoyance but took them anyway. 

“Yeah, she used us for our manual labor and then kicked us to the curb,” Rooster pouted and you rolled your eyes.

“You were being annoying, now get up, you're wasting beds in a busy emergency department,” you said as you walked over to the desk to sign off on their discharges.

“I’m sorry for paging, Dr. J, I know we could have handled it but-” Dr. Rogers started but you shook your head.

“You did the right thing, if anyone comes in here saying they know me always page me, even if it’s a bunch of grown men whining over sprained ankles and small lacerations,” you joked as you walked over to see Jake helping Coyote out of bed. “Well, now I need a drink. Meet at the Hard Deck?” you asked and everyone nodded as they headed into the parking lot and dispersed to their cars, chuckling as Coyote threw out a thanks mom and dad as Phoenix loaded him into her car.

“So much for our perfect first night in,” you sighed as Jake opened the passenger door for you.

“I think this is about as perfect as it was going to get for us, sweetheart,” he said, leaning in to give you a kiss before softly closing it. “Besides, I’m going home with you at the end of the night… doesn’t get much better than that.” he said as he pulled out of the lot.

“Cheeseball,” you chuckled, looking over at him as the setting sun illuminated his profile and you sighed in content. The past ten years had been full of ups and downs, but you couldn’t have imagined a high better than this one as his hand came to settle on your thigh. You finally had Jake, you were planning your future and you had friends that might have been annoying but always showed up… and called when they needed you. Every long night so far away from him, every stressful exam and every tedious surgery during your residency led you here, and you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt you had never been happier.

previous / next 

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#jake hangman seresin #jake hangman seresin fan fiction #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x you #jake seresin #jake seresin fan fiction #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x you #hangman #hangman fan fiction #hangman x reader #hangman x you #top gun maverick #top gun fan fiction

[royal-ruin]

red, white, and royal blue fanfic rec (part 3)

other rwrb fic recs here personal favorites are starred, by the way. everything is complete unless stated otherwise.

the too much that you aren't by DemonPoxHerondale (~2k)

Henry has always been an introvert. High energy situations can get overwhelming, and as much as he loves his boyfriend, it's impossible to deny that he's high energy. Back when they were sneaking around to see each other, the short bursts of interaction meant that they never really clashed. But now that they're living together, well, it's another story.

as an introvert, i get it

champagne problems by alec_rhee (~3k)

Henry’s eyes are otherwise occupied as he closes them, planting a kiss to Alex’s head, but Alex sees Benjamin’s eyes move to Henry’s lap. Where they stay for at least five seconds.  Alex knows; he’s counted. “Look, Benjamin,” Alex begins. “I know we just met but if you look at my man like that one more time I will not hesitate to punch you in your fucking face.” “Alex!” Henry yelps, withdrawing his lips from Alex’s curls. “What on God’s earth are you doing?” “Look,” He says again, his attention still focused on Benjamin. “He’s damn gorgeous. I don’t blame you for looking. I truly don’t, but he’s taken. Happily.” OR Jealous!Alex

jealous/protective alex made my entire day

don't go where i can't follow by coffeecatsme (~4k

Henry turns away, hair silvery under the moonlight. He doesn’t even bother to look at Alex, and something like anger flashes in Alex’s gut when he sees him reach for his backpack, like it’s that easy to abandon Alex, like Alex didn’t bare his heart to him just a day ago. “You could’ve fucking said goodbye,” he whispers before he can think about it; his voice is quiet through the knot in his throat, yet it echoes in the room like a gunshot, stopping Henry in his tracks. Alex wakes up at the lakehouse before Henry leaves.

angsty, but i swear it gets better

in violent symphonies by saltfics (~16k) part 2 of a series (doesn't need to be read)

“So that’ll be a fun surprise. Any chance your brother’s friends are actually… you know… any fun?” Henry halts to a stop halfway out the door, his mind screeching like a shaken record. He can feel the pull of his memory towards things he doesn’t want to think of, feels the heavy weight of it as he forces himself to focus on something else, fast so he won't acknowledge towards which twice locked door his thoughts are wandering.  Sequel to In White (but could potentially be read without it).  When Henry and Alex return to England for the christening of the new baby prince, Henry finds out his nephew's new godfather might be a terribly familiar face.  Sometimes it doesn't matter how deep you lock away a memory if it insists on showing up at your door. (But maybe you can ask for help to keep it out.)

i love henry angst :)

those markings on your skin by saltfics (~62k) incomplete

Originally a collection of one-shots based on Tumblr Prompts, but now a series of interconnected prompt-based chapters regarding a series of assassination attempts towards HRH Prince Henry, and the effect on their relationships with each other that comes with it, featuring most of the main cast. (Plus a few standalones in between).

fair warning, i haven't read it all, so i don't know everything it contains. please beware of the tags.

Home Safe by HMS_Chill (~2k)

Alex is out later than normal, and Henry is left home to worry.

as you can see, after i read God Save the Blessed American President Mom by zipadeea i got just a little obsessed. no mcd here though.

*lifelines by indomitablelove (~27k

Shaan is told by a woman from the press office. Zahra is asleep when he calls her. She calls Ellen. Liam is in the library. Oscar finds out from Twitter. Catherine hears it from her equerry when she gets the morning papers. It's Leo who tells June. --- or, the emails. From everyone else's point of view.

Lockdown by bibliosoph (~4k)

Alex and Henry have a fight before Henry leaves to go to England for a bit. While in England, there is an attempted assassination and Alex loses his mind because he can't get in touch with anyone and he left things with Henry up in the air.

don't worry, there's no mcd, just alex angst.

*Soon You'll Get Better (Because You Have To) by wafflesandkruge  (~4k)

Two nights after the shooting, Henry receives an email with a pre-recorded video from Alex. He gets one every night, and although it breaks his heart to see Alex happy and alive, he's terrified of when they'll stop coming.

i wasn't lying when i said i was obsessed. no mcd.

#rwrb fic recs #rwrb fanfiction #rwrb movie #rwrb fanfic #rwrb #red white and royal blue #royal's rwrb fic recs #henry fox mountchristen windsor #alex claremont diaz

[helpinghanikan]

Alejandro Vargas A to Z (NSFW)

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

He stays close as possible after finishing. Laying over your back, pressing against your chest, while taking heavy breathes.

He doesn’t really care about the mess or the sweat. He just wants to be close as you for a bit longer. Give you more kisses while you groan about his weight. Not whining enough to make him stop, but enough to make it obvious you aren’t that easy.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He considers his hands to be almost magic. They’re worn from work and precise from practice. Easily the best thing about himself, it’s why he likes to cup your face when kissing.

On you he likes your back. A large expansion of skin he can run his hands down and touch gently. He especially loves when you hug or dance, then he can slide a hand up the back of your shirt. Giving gentle strokes as he sways with your body.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Condom king. He always has some in his wallet, his car, he’s even snuck some into your purse. He’s a military man, you can’t expect him not to be prepared.

He doesn’t like the mess that fucking raw creates. In a contained wrapped he can just tie it off and toss it away. He’s never missed so far but there isn’t a hotel you’ve stayed in that hasn’t been christened.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He keeps a dirt picture of you on his person.

It’s a very specific photo that doesn’t show you face. No tattoos or visible scars in the shot. It was just your body in a hotel bathroom. A birthday gift he had specifically asked for.

This way he can keep you close but doesn’t have to worry about someone finding it and tracking you down.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Alejandro got around in his youth. Rudy will tell you about if you ask. Especially when they both joined the military; women love a man in uniform after all.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

He likes you on your back. Where he can move your legs over his shoulder, pull them together, anyway he wants. In this position he can also reach your face for kisses, keep his lips near your ear, and overall stay closer than he could in another other position.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

He’s serious about it. Not really seeing sex as a time or place to be making jokes or trying to get a laugh out of you.

Giggling is different. Getting you to giggle at his kisses and tingles are a sign that he’s going in the right direction.

H = Hair (how well-groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He’s the closest thing to a bear you’ll find when it comes to hair. Dark curls on his chest, his arms, and legs hairy. This includes his pubic hair; something that he is also self-conscious about.

He asks you at least once a month if you like how his hair is. He honestly listens and changes for your tastes. But that doesn’t stop him from asking again.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

He’s a freaking sweetheart to you both before and during. Whispering and giving little kisses that make you giggle more than moan. He likes to have candles going if you aren’t going to bed right after.

He’ll declare his love both in the heat of the moment and in the afterglow. Wanting you to understand that he really means it. In everyway a man could.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

He’s a chronic masturbator. Whether on a mission or at home, he doesn’t want to bug you all the time. Sometimes it’s just easier to rub one out than to go searching.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

He likes to give massages. It’s a way to get closer to you without it being actual sex.

He has oils and candles too. If anyone asks he just says it’s yours. But this is only because he knows someone is gonna ask for a massage if they knew his skills.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Your shared bedroom. It’s a safe place that Alejandro had never felt the need to be on guard in. Where else would be a better place to bare himself? Literally and metaphorically.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Seeing you all relaxed. Like when you’re about to sleep and you stretch out of the bed like a cat. Smiling up at him in your pajamas. Practically begging for him to get those jammies off.

Giving a massage is another one. He likes to pamper you with those magic hands. Laying stomach down on the floor, only a pare of shorts to act as modesty. He has to pace himself from moving too fast. The looser you are, the more he can move.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Public, there are far too many variables to worry about. Not just the indecent exposure charge but that someone could recognize him. He’ll never be able to look his men in the eye again if he’s caught with his pants down.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He’s self-conscious about blowjobs. He can never tell if he washed enough, if his pubes were to your liking, or if he was moving the right way. It’s too much to focus on to get any serious pleasure from it.

Because of this he’d rather go down on you. He doesn’t have to think about anything. He just needs you to orgasm from him. That’s the best kind of reward.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

He tricks you by being all slow and sensual at the beginning. Acting all worried about if you can take him or if you’re being hurt. Just to start moving faster and faster, a hand over your mouth as if to hide the moans you make.

He eats you out slowly too. Making drag until the orgasm reaches the very tips of your toes. Continuing the rhythm in his massages and fingering. It’s only when his cock is involved does he start going faster.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He doesn’t like them. He prefers to have you completely, take his time, make it an event.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

The riskiest thing he does is a threesome, and that’s only if you both know the persona really well. Everything else is off the table; no public stuff, he’s not gonna tie you up, and absolutely no one is allowed to watch who isn’t invited.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He’s a one and done kind of guy. Wanting you to cum at least twice before he penetrates. Usually using his hands but also eating you out when he can get you on your back.

He sees it as a way to make himself feel better. That way when he starts tot fuck he can go a little faster. Focusing more on his pleasure than yours when he moves inside of you.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Toys have never been his thing. You may have vibrator or dildo for when he’s gone but Alejandro has never gone out of his way to buy anything.

He has used said vibrator on you. When he wants to know just how far he can get you.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He’s not big on teasing. At most he’ll run a hand over your ass when passing by at home.

If he wants you, he’s blunt about it. When in public he leans down and whispers in your ear with a gentle hand on your shoulder. When alone he’s blunter about it; asking if you knew the effect you were having on him, and if you were doing it purpose.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

He speaks in a low voice when fucking. A deep baritone voice that changes from English to Spanish without a single care whether he is making sense or not. He talks the entire way through; giving praise and demanding more in equal succession.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

With your blessing he really likes to have Rudy join in. But he wants him in the middle of the two of you.

If both of you are dominant he likes to have Rudy become a mess under both your hands. If you’re more on the submissive side then he takes his rule as a commander into the bedroom. Telling how and where to lick and Rudy.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

He’s longer than he is thick. About six inches, circumcised.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

It’s probably a bit lower than average. He doesn’t have the time to spend nearly as much time with you as he wants. He’d rather talk to you, have a meal together, even going for a drive with his hand in yours is a better option.

This isn’t to say he sees sex as a waste of time. It’s just a less important activity than being with you.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He tries his best to stay awake, he really does. But there is something about sex that takes him out soon as he’s done.

You crawl out of bed, try to get a bit clean, and he’s already asleep. Not enough that he won’t cuddle with you, though.

#reader insert #Call of duty smut #call of duty mw2 #Call of duty Alejandro Vargas #Alejandro vargas x reader #A to Z

[bitepoint]

hiii <3 so ik we’ve never spoken before but can you elaborate on that mini multiverse circle jerk post (pls my mind is going brrrrrr every time I try to conceive of such scenarios bc ummmm hot) anyway, luv ur stuff ::)))))

oHhh i am here i am standing at attention and reporting 4 duty all at once o7. i saw your tags earlier too and they made me so happy so also thank yoU n hello hehe

its just,,, the circle jerk thing works so well in any regimented type setting and/or for characters who went through that. i went a little crazy over this .

circle jerk + chris redfield

18+. chris x gn!reader. 1.5k^. circle jerk (vhs tape assisted), exhibitionism, voyeurism, chris is so . fucking cooked over u in this

chris redfield who’s still in his air force years, long enough by now that the CO-speared brow-beatings’ve gotten more overt, half-tempered by his hefty commendations, ones that keep him toeing the line in their ‘good graces’ — a misstep or two away from the threat of a court martial.

word spreads around, because of course it does. speculation that’s sparse on context means he’s been hearing ‘redfield’ more often these days from peers on top of superiors, even by some who’d gotten around to calling him by his given name first, before.

not you, though. no, never you. you still call him ‘chris’, same as ever, same as when he first met you, and you do it even now when he can barely acknowledge you back with a call of your name — all ‘cause his heart’s got this habit of kicking up into his throat when he hasn’t geared up to see you around. his shoulders have a habit of sitting a little stiffer, at attention from the presence but never the same type of discomfort from starched hierarchy and bad decisions. doesn't know what to do with them. doesn’t know what to do with his hands, either.

he hadn’t meant to find you. not here, and not in this.

in some backroom back at base, once dusk had already set but no call for lights out had been given, that he walks into, light-stepped and unassuming. a scattering of thread-bare armchairs and beanbags rested near the worn couch you’re laying back on, arm thrown over the back.

you’re facing away from him, technically, from the door the same way most seats are — because they’re all faced, semi-circle scattered, towards the shitty pull-out TV at the furthest-back wall, VHS grain and color-bleed providing the dim light that filters through the room in light washes. most are occupied. some type of gathering, maybe spontaneous maybe not, faces he knows and ones he doesn’t among the dozen or fewer men in the room.

it'd be almost intimate if it weren't simultaneously impersonal, the way they're watching the screen or each other — some crowded close together on the same seating intended only for one, and some apart, pressed only along the seams of their thighs or the leather of the same standard-issue boots.

most unlaced and unbuckled, though, states of undress below dangling belts or with a shirt pulled up to rest a few inches above the waist, cocks flush in the low-light held in slow hands or lying heavy against their abdomens — pre gleaming each time the old tape, garden variety home porn contraband, cuts to a different shot of the couple christening their furniture and each other.

feels heat creep all over him, a desiccated throat as his jaw works slow over the processing. the door's kept ajar by the part of him that'd leaned into the room shoulder-first, one boot in and one out — but chris' big enough that it matters, on the treshold between here and there. he's never seen himself as the brightest, nor dimmest, and he can't consider much of anything when your head turns over your shoulder and your eyes meet. can't really read you, not that he ever could, but he thinks he spots a slight surprise at… him being there? maybe his existence?

and then other eyes in the room flit over to him, slow, and take notice too. he meets them, fleeting and a little uneasy, before they return to yours. can't decide whether to double-down or— you grin, a little lop-sided, before he makes up his mind to shift his weight onto his back leg and step down. down, and away from this.

"chris?" his name again, from you. soft-spoken enough that it doesn't draw much attention despite the tease in your eye, and your head tilts towards him, "planning to stand out there all night, or…?"

he might be half gone up there, revisits the memory of a near forced suspension for supposed insubordination and wonders whether he should've taken the out when it was given. a sound mind is half the job, but he steps into that room with a slow-drawn inhale and the door leaned shut by instinct. all because of you and his name and your easy smile.

the only spot rests on the couch next to you, and he's slowly made aware of the way it’s your domain alone to keep. the only person in the room, himself excluded, without their trousers pushed half-down or hands kept otherwise fulfilled is you. he settles in, considerate enough not to drop his weight down, to your right — all too aware of the right arm you keep draped across the back, and the way you seem a little too warm even at the modest distance between you, the soft moans on recording in the background.

you don't fuss over him, instead leaning your head back to keep watching the tape, and he settles, somewhat. somewhat. lets curious eyes wander. glances, at first, like the kind where you expect blow-back on getting caught out — red-handed in the cookie jar. state of undress is nothing new, not really, not here. there’s more to worry about than modesty in the service, he doesn’t really make it a habit to stop and take in the sights when some guy drops his drawers in the changing rooms. this isn’t the same as quick showers and rushing your way out of the barracks, though. it’s not the same when he thinks about you, instead of some faceless stand-in.

it’s not the same, not at all, not with the way he’s watching them, both unknown, sliding his cock in and out of her, hands large and heavy on the hips up on the screen; the way he can hear hitched breaths around him, a low exhale and a few sharp inhales, the soft slide of fists over cocks — slick and slow, or lingering to tease the head; the way he keeps thinking about you and the reality that you’re here, thigh pressing along the seam of his from the weight distribution of the couch, the dip in the middle because he hadn’t had the foresight to sit further away from you at some corner near the armrest. his cock throbs, aching, against the stiff stretch of his trousers, leg kept stiff where it touches yours.

chris doesn’t realise you’re watching until he takes the risk, the glance, caught-red handed at the way your head is tilted, lazy, eyes drawn to the thick bulge of his crotch and outline marked by his cock.

his pulse is in his throat, heavy and thumping, when your eyes slide to his face and you notice his on you already. holds his breath when you lean in, as though privacy means anything here and he finds he’s grateful for the gesture, “this okay?”

he’s not the brightest, probably, maybe, but there’s some part of him that knows — maybe the same part that wants. won’t rise — risk — to question, and it’s not from practicing service, but from the fact that it’s you. he swallows thick.

the sound of his belt is deafening as he unfastens it, unhurried on the pretense of routine, unbuckling and unzipping his trousers with large hands. stifles any tremble. he frees his hard cock with the drag of a hand that pushes the layers down only as far as he needs, grips the thick base, supporting, length heavy as it lolls left and lazy.

there’s no breeze; the heat of the room drawn up enough by these parallel activities to bypass that first shiver, but it happens anyways at the way it seems to lean towards you and the way your eyes have their own single-minded focus, paying no mind to anything but chris and his cock. he lifts his hand, a cursory stroke to the top of the shaft before his thumb slides over the leaking head, and doesn’t miss the way your tongue swipes across your lip for a moment as you watch, unable to take his eyes off of you just the same.

his pulse is in his throat and his heart might spill out of it. it happens long before he's aware of it, when he feels the light press of your cheek to his left shoulder, muscle twitching when you ask, “this okay?”

breath hitches, and he can’t help the shutter of his eyes when you ask, again, balm over the tremor in his chest, “chris?”

exhales something shaky. tests the curl of his fist over his cock and strokes it, once, pre already loosening up the glide. stiffens a soft moan at the back of his throat, the pressure licking hot through him, abdomen tight. “yeah.” rolls his hand again and feels the press of your thigh along his, “fuck— yeah.’”

man his size, and he’s still considerate enough to try not to jostle you too much on his shoulder as he kicks up a slow rhythm, the press of your cheek to his delt enough to get him gone while he strokes himself with his right hand. his hand's just enough for the girth, and you wonder if yours would be, too. honest-to-god flinches a little when he feels your breath, an exhale that’s a little too cool to not be purposeful, across the tip of his wet cock.

he’ll blow his load too quick if you keep leaning on him like that. wonders if you know, if you like it, because you press a hand over his left thigh to keep his hips from chasing after the seal of his own fist, cock truly and well fucked on it, and it gets him that much closer despite his slowing down. for you. keeps his eyes on you, despite the fact that they don't often meet, and you have to know. because you have to know. you have to.

would you touch him, if he asked? can he ask? you dig into the meat of his thigh.

up, further than you’d been — close — the fat and muscle giving way before they tense, terse, and he moans, leaning his body towards yours on instinct, touch like a brand, and spilling hot and warm and heavy across his fist. keeps it pumping, throbbing cock drooling cum over a slowing fist and slick fingers, dripping down to the back of your palm as you rest it on his thigh, where it belongs.

#miss oranje disco dancer......... fellow klaasje enjoyer i see u #chris redfield x reader #chris redfield #resident evil #resident evil x reader #unspecified ranks w air force since chris / you are meant to have the same 1 dont look too closely #.writing tag

[badfry]

lightheaded

۰ ۪۪۫۫ · you cut your hair. someway, somehow, that led to rosalie hale spending the night with you.

☾ warnings—cheating (my apologies, emmett)

☾ word count—2.2k

☾ notes—i wanted self-indulgent soft collegiate rosalie to christen this blog with. as ariana grande once said: i want it, i got it. written with f!reader in mind, but it can be read as gn!reader. sfw (with the potential for a sequel...)

At first, you didn’t think she was ever on campus during the day—you never ran into her at the college bookstore shopping for textbooks at the start of the year, or at the coffee shop downing a triple shot espresso before her classes, or at the bar crying into a shot glass after them, like you had with everyone else.

So in the beginning, you only ever saw her during your night class.

But when the second semester started, you could have sworn you saw her everywhere, all the time. You thought you were karmically doomed; you’d spent the entirety of the last semester staring at the back of her head, imagining what it would be like to lean over her shoulder and press your lips to the perpetually downturned corners of hers—maybe she’d melt a little, smile the smallest smile, but you’d be able to feel it once she pressed back into you—

Maybe you were doomed. Or maybe she was just that magnetic, and now that your eyes knew her shape, they would forever be drawn to her—no matter how big the crowd or how dark the room was.

Her name was Rosalie; she never responded to Rose. There was a big, gleaming, asscher cut diamond perched prettily on her left ring finger. She never said a thing in class, even though she sat in the front row. She wasn’t eager to answer any of the professor’s questions or awkwardly overshare about her life like the others who sat beside her. You didn’t know if she was really engaged, or if she was just rich with flashy tastes, but you stupidly hoped it was the latter.

Her hair fell to the middle of her back in perfectly blown-out golden waves. She never put it up. She never grew it longer, cut it shorter, or dyed it a different color. She was simply pristine—never a hair out of place or a split end to be trimmed.

You thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. So did everyone else. Your classmates all took their turns getting shot down, and you sat back and watched them all get their hearts broken. You took it as a reminder: your imaginings would never be anything more than that, so it was best to move on.

You cut your hair at the end of the semester when you were sure you’d never see her again. People in movies always cut their hair after something big—a break-up, a rejection, whatever—to help them get over it. It had never really worked for you in the past, but you still did it every six months or so. Your head felt lighter even if your heart didn’t.

You suspected that you would spend the rest of your life thinking about Rosalie; often now, then less and less frequently over time, until one day it would just be every once in a blue moon. She wasn’t the sort of woman you could forget.

Especially when you saw her everywhere you went.

So when a late-night study session at the library turned into a café-crawl for a pick-me-up, you shouldn’t have been surprised to see her there—but you were. Your heart even skipped a beat.

She was sitting at a table for two right next to the door, reading a book. She had a cup of coffee, but it looked cold and untouched. For some reason, you found yourself asking her, “Does it suck?”

Rosalie peered up at you through her lashes. In the dim light of the café, her eyes were dark and sensuous. She grimaced, and you felt your stomach turn to lead. “Pardon me?”

You wanted to turn around and run away. What the hell had gotten into you? Why did you think you could just walk up and talk to her? She was out of your league. She was probably taken. And yet you gestured weakly to her cup despite all of that. “The coffee. It looks like you didn’t like it.”

Rosalie stared at you for a moment longer, then glanced at her cup of coffee. “No,” she said slowly, “I’m more of a tea person, is all.”

It sounded like she was tasting the words before she settled upon them. You wondered if that’s how she usually spoke; carefully, reverently, like each word meant something special to her. “I guess you were feeling adventurous today,” you said, partly to her, partly to yourself.

“I suppose so,” she said, closing her book and laying it on the table. She ran her eyes up and down your frame; you felt a shiver crawl down your spine. “Would you like to join me?” she finally asked.

“Yes,” you said, far too eagerly. “I mean, sure. I need to order, but I’ll be right back.” No shit, Sherlock, you thought to yourself. Could you embarrass yourself any worse? You hoped not.

You ordered yourself a drink, and when the barista asked if you’d like anything else, you hesitated. She was a tea person, but what sort of tea person? Green tea, black tea, decaf? Maybe it was a bad idea—it definitely was a bad idea—but—

When you came back to the table with a drink for both you and her, Rosalie appeared unsurprised. People probably bought her drinks all the time. Disappointment curdled in your gut, but you still sat down across from her and pushed the tea her way. “I hope you like Earl Grey.”

Rosalie closed the book she was reading and closed her pale, bony fingers around the handle of the mug. “I… do,” she said. She pulled the mug closer to her, then cradled it between her palms. She didn’t sip at it; she seemed to be too busy enjoying the way its warmth seeped into her.

You sipped at your own drink nervously. Your hands were trembling, so you kept them wrapped tight around your mug. Despite your drink’s warmth, your hands went cold from the lack of circulation. You’d officially run out of things to say.

“You cut your hair,” Rosalie suddenly pointed out.

“Oh, um, yeah,” you stuttered. You hadn’t expected her to remember you, let alone how your hair used to look.

She must have misread your expression, because then she asked, “Do you not like it?”

“I do,” you assured her. “Sort of. I’m still getting used to it.”

Rosalie tilted her head and examined you far too closely. You tried and failed to swallow past the lump in your throat. “It suits you,” she said, and your heart nearly leaped out of your chest. “And even if you end up disliking it, it will grow back.”

“That’s true.” She was still staring at you, something indecipherable hidden behind the dark depths of her eyes, and as much as you reveled in her undivided attention, it made you panic. “Have you ever thought about cutting yours?”

“No,” she responded immediately. “Why? Do you not like it?”

You barked out a strange little laugh before you could stop yourself. “I love it,” you said. “It’s beautiful, really. I just can’t leave my hair alone, so I find it hard to believe anyone else can.”

Rosalie smiled. You thought she looked sad, somehow. “You’re sweet,” she sighed. “My hair grows very slowly, so I never thought cutting it any shorter would be smart.”

“Oh, it’s always a stupid idea,” you admitted. “But that’s part of the fun. And like you said, it’ll grow back, slow or fast. And if all else fails, you could get a wig.”

Rosalie looked away from you, brows furrowed. You were worried—had you offended her? Maybe you’d come across as too pushy or judgmental. You should change the subject. Your eyes flitted about wildly, desperate for something to talk about that wouldn’t send her running away from you; they landed on her ring, which was certainly not a topic that would help you out anytime soon.

“Are you engaged?” you asked anyway because you loved to stick your foot in your mouth.

But it made her look at you again. You could have sunk into her eyes and never resurfaced. “Not exactly,” she murmured.

What does that mean, you wanted to ask, but you didn’t get the chance to.

“I think you’re right,” Rosalie said. “You should cut my hair.”

You blinked. “What?”

Rosalie smiled, and this time, you thought she actually looked happy. “You should take me home and cut my hair.”

Your face went numb. “Okay,” you choked out.

And so you brought Rosalie Hale home.

She sat in your desk chair and stared at you through the mirror you’d set up in front of her as you asked her how short she wanted to cut her hair; she held one hand up to her shoulder in response.

“Above or below?”

“What do you think would look better?”

You lost the unofficial staring contest Rosalie had started. “You could pull off anything, really. But it doesn’t matter what I think.”

“I wouldn’t ask if it didn’t matter,” she said.

“Why does it?” you asked.

“You said my hair is beautiful.” Rosalie tilted her head back until you looked her in the eye once more. Under the bright white light of your lamp, her eyes looked lighter than they had in the café—maybe they were hazel. “I’d like it if you still thought that after cutting it.”

“As long as it’s what you want,” you told her, “I can promise you I will.”

Luckily, she seemed to take you at your word. "Above, then," she settled on.

"Alright," you agreed, carefully gathering her hair between your hands without tugging it too hard. It was thick, coarse, and ridiculously weighty in your palms, although it had always appeared delicate and sleek from afar. "This might take a while. Do you want a drink or something?"

"No, thank you." Rosalie made having good posture look easy. "Take your time. I believe I trust you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," you said, half-joking. Your cheeks were burning. Rosalie's trust weighed on you heavier than her hair. You had no clue how you'd earned it, but you never wanted to lose it.

It took you a little over an hour to cut her hair. Your arms were sore and the fingers on your dominant hand ached to hell and back, but you didn't care. Your eyes were glued to Rosalie's reflection in the mirror; you thought she looked sad again. "What do you think?" you asked her, stomach churning.

Rosalie stared at herself in silence for what felt like the longest minute of your life. Then she gave herself a smile, tremulous at the edges, and said to you, "It's not so heavy anymore."

"It's kind of weird, right?"

"A little," she admitted huskily, peering down at the golden strands that littered your floor now. Her chest rose and fell swiftly, but you couldn't hear her breathing.

"It's normal to cry, the first time," you were quick to assure her. You hesitated, then laid a hand upon her shoulder. "I won't judge."

Rosalie took a deep breath in, held it for a moment, then sighed, "No. I'm fine." After a moment, she stood up and turned to you. Her eyes were warm, flitting back and forth across your face rapidly. "Do you still think my hair looks beautiful?"

You couldn't answer her when she looked at you like that—like you were something special. You looked at your feet, the hair all over your floor, and eventually, you asked her, "Do you regret it?"

"No."

"Then yes."

Rosalie huffed out a laugh. "Are you worried you might hurt my feelings?"

"No," you muttered, "I just think you're beautiful when you're happy. In general, I mean."

Rosalie took a step closer to you. Your heart fluttered in response. As though she had heard it and wanted to feel it for herself, she reached her hands up and pressed them to your chest. "Look at me," she whispered.

You tried, but you couldn't. She dragged her hands up each side of your neck, leaving millions of tiny goosebumps in their wake, then cradled your face between her palms. She pulled it up to hers gently, beseechingly, until finally, you could look her in the eye. "I'm sorry," you sighed. You thought of how she'd said she wasn't exactly engaged, and how at that moment, you could feel the white gold band of her ring rubbing against your skin; even still, you thought of how long you'd imagined yourself pressing your lips to hers.

"Don't be," she entreated. Then she wrapped one of her hands around the back of your head, pressed her chest to yours, and kissed you ever-so-softly.

You shuddered; your breaths entwined. Rosalie's lips were colder than you'd thought they would be, so you sucked the bottom one into your mouth, then the top. When you pulled back from her, her mouth was warmer and wetter than it had been to start with, gleaming prettily in the white lamplight.

"Would you mind," Rosalie panted, "if I stayed the night?"

"Of course not," you said, against your better judgment.

Rosalie grinned and kissed you harder than before. You could feel it, just like you'd always imagined; it made you grin, too.

#☾—fry writes. #twilight #rosalie hale #twilight x reader #rosalie hale x reader

[dailyunsolvedmysteries-movedd]

Ape Canyon’s Bizarre 1924 Bigfoot Attack

In July 1924 five miners claimed that they were attacked by a group of apemen. The story goes that a member of the mining party, a man named Fred Beck, took a shot at one of the creatures after being spooked. Later that night, the monsters appeared at the miners’ cabin, tossing boulders and rushing the door to break it down.

According to The Oregonian, the first paper to break the story, the apemen were covered in long black hair. They stood at 7 feet, weighed over 400 pounds, and possessed great strength. At one point, they made a hole in the cabin’s roof and dropped a rock inside, knocking Beck in the head. Despite the apemen’s mastery of rock-throwing, the gun-toting miners were able to hold their ground. By the morning, the creatures had retreated, allowing Beck and the other humans to run out the log-fort and return to civilization.

At a time when the word “Bigfoot” hadn’t been coined yet, people referred to the miners’ violent apemen as “mountain devils” and “gorillas.” As word of the ambush spread, the story also became increasingly outlandish. A skeptical mention in the Engineering and Mining Journal put the number of combatants involved at “more than twenty animals,” while one Native American editor tied the apemen to the Seeahtik, a mythical tribe who used hypnotism to hunt for their game.

Although the Washington media’s interest in the Bigfoot assault eventually faded, the gorge where it happened was christened “Ape Canyon,” ensuring that the battle remained a part of local folklore. After the modern conception of Sasquatch took off in the late 1950s, researchers like journalist Betty Allen rediscovered the Ape Canyon incident and incorporated it into Bigfoot mythology. Probably encouraged by this new Bigfoot mania, Fred Beck sat down with his son Roland to create a memoir of the failed 1924 siege, titling his 1967 booklet “I Fought the Ape Men of Mt. St. Helens.”

Despite the long passage of time, Beck remembered the greatest Bigfoot brawl of the century rather well. Before that fateful day in July, Beck and the other miners had already come across large, unfamiliar tracks. The week of the incident, they heard whistling outside every evening, as though two creatures were trying to communicate with one another. During his description of the attack in the booklet’s first chapter, Beck clarifies a couple details that were misreported in the press. It was actually his friend “Hank” (a pseudonym) who shot the first apeman, for example, and it wasn’t true that Beck was hit in the head by a rock.

At most, Beck and his mining party saw only three apemen at a time, although there might have been more. When things quieted down in the morning, the miners came out of their cabin, and Beck spotted one of the creatures standing near a cliff. He shot it three times, sending the damn dirty ape over the edge, down to a fall that was four hundred feet below. After fleeing to a park ranger station at Spirit Lake, Beck wanted to keep the whole ordeal a secret, but “Hank” couldn’t keep his mouth shut. The story spread, journalists requested interviews, and curiosity-seekers and law officers scoured the area for signs of the attackers.

In the second chapter of the booklet, Beck reprints a 1964 news article about the Mt. St. Helen apemen, mentioning his own incident and the 1950 disappearance of a skier on the mountain. Further on, he admits to having been clairvoyant since childhood, noting a history of “visions” and “spiritual meetings.” Because a psychic element just wasn’t enough, Beck completely twists his story and speculates that the apemen were beings from a lower plane of existence. As a lost link between humans and their ancestors, the apemen sometimes manifested into our own dimension, anxious to ascend their petty state. They are curious, largely harmless critters, and are only searching for a higher consciousness.

This spiritual gobbledygook, although not entirely unwelcome for entertainment purposes, is entirely absent from the original ’20s reportage. There’s been debate over how much influence Roland had on his father’s written account, and even whether Fred Beck could remember the story as accurately as he thought he did. In terms of more practical solutions, a logger named Rant Mullins admitted in 1982 that he rolled rocks onto a cabin in the Mt. St. Helen area in 1924. Mullins had also faked giant footprints for decades, suggesting he was responsible for another important part of Beck’s “ambush.”

Another theory argues that the miners mistook a rock slide that hit their cabin for the monsters, and yet a third maintains that the assailants were teenagers from a local YMCA, who couldn’t be seen clearly due to the time of night. As for the Bigfoot that Beck shot and sent down into oblivion, this was either the case of an overactive imagination, or the brutal assassination of an innocent apeman attempting to reach a higher consciousness.

#1924 Bigfoot Attack #bigfoot #unsolved #Cryptoids #myths

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

Ape Canyon’s Bizarre 1924 Bigfoot Attack

In July 1924 five miners claimed that they were attacked by a group of apemen. The story goes that a member of the mining party, a man named Fred Beck, took a shot at one of the creatures after being spooked. Later that night, the monsters appeared at the miners’ cabin, tossing boulders and rushing the door to break it down.

According to The Oregonian, the first paper to break the story, the apemen were covered in long black hair. They stood at 7 feet, weighed over 400 pounds, and possessed great strength. At one point, they made a hole in the cabin’s roof and dropped a rock inside, knocking Beck in the head. Despite the apemen’s mastery of rock-throwing, the gun-toting miners were able to hold their ground. By the morning, the creatures had retreated, allowing Beck and the other humans to run out the log-fort and return to civilization.

At a time when the word “Bigfoot” hadn’t been coined yet, people referred to the miners’ violent apemen as “mountain devils” and “gorillas.” As word of the ambush spread, the story also became increasingly outlandish. A skeptical mention in the Engineering and Mining Journal put the number of combatants involved at “more than twenty animals,” while one Native American editor tied the apemen to the Seeahtik, a mythical tribe who used hypnotism to hunt for their game.

Although the Washington media’s interest in the Bigfoot assault eventually faded, the gorge where it happened was christened “Ape Canyon,” ensuring that the battle remained a part of local folklore. After the modern conception of Sasquatch took off in the late 1950s, researchers like journalist Betty Allen rediscovered the Ape Canyon incident and incorporated it into Bigfoot mythology. Probably encouraged by this new Bigfoot mania, Fred Beck sat down with his son Roland to create a memoir of the failed 1924 siege, titling his 1967 booklet “I Fought the Ape Men of Mt. St. Helens.”

Despite the long passage of time, Beck remembered the greatest Bigfoot brawl of the century rather well. Before that fateful day in July, Beck and the other miners had already come across large, unfamiliar tracks. The week of the incident, they heard whistling outside every evening, as though two creatures were trying to communicate with one another. During his description of the attack in the booklet’s first chapter, Beck clarifies a couple details that were misreported in the press. It was actually his friend “Hank” (a pseudonym) who shot the first apeman, for example, and it wasn’t true that Beck was hit in the head by a rock.

At most, Beck and his mining party saw only three apemen at a time, although there might have been more. When things quieted down in the morning, the miners came out of their cabin, and Beck spotted one of the creatures standing near a cliff. He shot it three times, sending the damn dirty ape over the edge, down to a fall that was four hundred feet below. After fleeing to a park ranger station at Spirit Lake, Beck wanted to keep the whole ordeal a secret, but “Hank” couldn’t keep his mouth shut. The story spread, journalists requested interviews, and curiosity-seekers and law officers scoured the area for signs of the attackers.

In the second chapter of the booklet, Beck reprints a 1964 news article about the Mt. St. Helen apemen, mentioning his own incident and the 1950 disappearance of a skier on the mountain. Further on, he admits to having been clairvoyant since childhood, noting a history of “visions” and “spiritual meetings.” Because a psychic element just wasn’t enough, Beck completely twists his story and speculates that the apemen were beings from a lower plane of existence. As a lost link between humans and their ancestors, the apemen sometimes manifested into our own dimension, anxious to ascend their petty state. They are curious, largely harmless critters, and are only searching for a higher consciousness.

This spiritual gobbledygook, although not entirely unwelcome for entertainment purposes, is entirely absent from the original ’20s reportage. There’s been debate over how much influence Roland had on his father’s written account, and even whether Fred Beck could remember the story as accurately as he thought he did. In terms of more practical solutions, a logger named Rant Mullins admitted in 1982 that he rolled rocks onto a cabin in the Mt. St. Helen area in 1924. Mullins had also faked giant footprints for decades, suggesting he was responsible for another important part of Beck’s “ambush.”

Another theory argues that the miners mistook a rock slide that hit their cabin for the monsters, and yet a third maintains that the assailants were teenagers from a local YMCA, who couldn’t be seen clearly due to the time of night. As for the Bigfoot that Beck shot and sent down into oblivion, this was either the case of an overactive imagination, or the brutal assassination of an innocent apeman attempting to reach a higher consciousness.

#1924 Bigfoot Attack #bigfoot #unsolved #Cryptoids #myths

[writtenbymisunderstoodnerds]

Not how this was supposed to go (USWNT x Reader)

This is my first time writing for USWNT, let me know what you think. Let me know if you want a part 2.

I also want to try some Christen Press x Reader, so if you want that or have any ideas let me know :)

Words: 1.6k

The second half had only been going for 10 minutes when I was taken out by a mistimed tackle. I had felt a split second of blinding pain before everything went black. When I came to again, I opened my eyes before slamming them shut again when pain shot through my head. I felt someone squeeze my hand and reassurances that everything was going to be okay.

I was taken off the field to the treatment room much to my relief as things got quieter and not so bright. It was confirmed that I had a mild concussion, they wanted me to go to the hospital, but I refused. Hospitals were not my thing. They relented when it was clear I absolutely wasn't going to go and I promised I'd go instantly if things got worse. I had managed to get the trainer to send a text to my girlfriend, Cam. We had been dating for about a year and a half now and no one knew. I knew she was in the stands watching me play as we were playing in our city and would be super worried. All I wanted right now was her, she was all I wanted when bad things happened.

The trainer told me that Cam would come by the hotel later. After the trainer had told her my room and when we would likely be back, he left me alone to rest saying he would be back soon to check on me.

My head was pounding, the lights were bright and every sound was like it had been amplified by a hundred. I had been moved to the locker room as we were only a few minutes away from heading back to the hotel. The girls were trying to be quiet, well at least the vets were. They had the hard job of trying to reign in the others while making sure I was okay.

Once we had gotten back to the hotel, I was put straight into bed. I knew I needed a shower, but I was so tired. Ashlyn, Ali and Christen were fussing over me when there was a knock at the door. Ashlyn answered and I could just hear the conversation.

"Who are you?"

"I'm looking for y/n."

"I'll ask one more time, who are you?"

"Her girlfriend, now let me in."

"Like fuck you are."

I managed to speak up loud enough for them to hear, "Cam."

I heard Cam tell Ashlyn to move before someone knelt down beside me taking my hand. Instantly, I knew it was Cam. I tried to pull her closer to me, but wasn't strong enough. She climbed into bed next to me as I wrapped my arm around her waist and rest my head on her chest.

"I got you baby."

This was not the way I wanted the team to meet her. I loved the national team girls, but they had always been over protective. I wasn't even the youngest on the team, but I was often treated like I was. Probably, because they were the only family I had. My parents had disowned me when I came out to them, I didn't have any siblings and the rest of my family except one cousin had followed my parents lead. Ashlyn and Ali had adopted the role of my team 'Mums' while Christen had become like a big sister, a mentor of sorts. Most of the time I didn't mind the overprotectiveness, them making sure I had eaten, went to bed at a reasonable time or keeping track of where I was incase something happened as I often went off by myself.

What did bother me was how overbearing they got sometimes, or when they wouldn't leave me alone when I needed it. Not letting me sort things out for myself, the badgering questions if they even thought I was talking to someone. That's why I hadn't told them about Cam. I knew they would try to interfere, push their way in demanding to know everything and get overprotective. Cam was one of the best things in my life. She had such a loving and bubbly personality, there was always a smile on her face. She was always there for me even if I shut down occasionally to sort my mind out. Cam was my number one supporter, had been for years even before we started dating. I didn't want them to scare her off, especially when we had first started dating. From then I had just enjoyed being able to have something that was just mine. That didn't involve input from anyone, but us.

"What the fuck y/n?" Ashlyn said, voice raised. She was pissed. The loudness of her voice made me whimper and push myself more into Cam. Both from pain and anxiety. I hated being yelled at, more often then not it drove me to a panic attack. Everyone knew it especially Ali, Ashlyn and Christen. I felt Cam tense slightly before speaking.

"Don't you dare use that tone with her, you know better then that. I think it's best if you leave for now. Y/n needs to rest." Despite the anger I could hear in Cams voice, she never rose her voice at them. "If you're going to yell or raise your voice don't say anything. I've got her from here, I'll let you know if anything happens." Cam finished leaving no room for arguments. I felt two different pairs of lips press against my temple, my guess was Ali and Christen before the door opened and closed.

"Needa shower," I mumbled.

Cam wrapped her arm around me a bit tighter, "You need to sleep, the shower can wait. I love you y/n."

I buried myself further into her, "Love you Cam."

---

Two days had passed and I hadn't spoken to Ashlyn at all and only a few words to Ali and Christen. After the way they found out about Cam, I didn't want to face it yet. I couldn't face it yet. My head was still throbbing more often then not, nausea that hadn't gone away and I was still so tired. I had been in my room since the game, mostly sleeping or just lying there in the dark. Today I decided to go for a little walk while Cam went home to get some things. She was determined to stay with me until I was fully recovered since coach wanted me to stay at the hotel so medical could keep an eye on me. I had agreed as long as she could stay.

When I stepped outside I was very glad I had my sunglasses, it was brighter than I expected. Before I could get any further a hand rested on my shoulder, I turned around to find Ashlyn standing there.

"Y/n stop ignoring me, please," Ashlyn spoke when I went to turn around again.

"I can't handle a fight right now Ash, my head is still killing me."

Ashlyn sat down, patting the seat next to her, "I just want you to talk to me kiddo, tell me what you're thinking."

After hesitating for a second, I sat down next to her, "I appreciate that you care, man sometimes I even appreciate that you're over protective, but I'm not a child. I'm 23, I can make my own decisions. That includes who I date and what I do with said person."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"It wasn't that I didn't want to Ash. I know what you guys are like, how protective and at times overbearing. Cam and I have been friends for years, at first I just wanted a chance to explore the romantic side of our relationship before we told anyone, then I just kind of liked having something that was just mine, no outside interference. This wasn't how you were supposed to find out. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry y/n. I never meant to make you feel like you couldn't tell me things. When you first joined the team you were quite frankly a mess. After all you've been through we just want to make sure you stay okay. I know we can get a bit much at times. From now on we'll take a step back." I raised an eyebrow at her making her roll her eyes, "Okay, I will take a step back. Just know that we're always here for you, always have your back."

My arms wrapped around her waist as she held me tight, "I'm sorry for raising my voice. When you got hurt I was so scared, it all just boiled over. It won't happen again. For the record I like her, she stood up for you without hesitation even if it meant making a bad impression. It was kind of scary actually."

"That's my girl. Cam is a total softy most of the time, the happiest, most loving girl you'll ever meet until you mess with the people she loves."

Ashlyn pulled away and pointed to where Cam was standing, "Speaking of, I think it's time to introduce us properly."

Cam stood next to me looking slightly nervous, I pushed myself under her arm, feeling her relax almost instantly, "Cam this is Ashlyn, Ashlyn this is Cam, my girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you Cam."

"You too Ashlyn. I'm sorry for how I spoke to you the other night, not the best first impression."

"Thinking back I'd say it was a pretty good impression. You looked after her even if it meant risking how we'd see you. I'll say this once though, you hurt her and you will have me and about 21 other women to deal with."

I hit her arm slightly, "Ash!"

"What? Everyone dating someone on this team gets the shovel talk. This one however, has more weight behind it. Just remember that Cam. Now are you two going to be down for dinner tonight?"

"I don't think I can Ash, everyone is so loud and I'm still suffering the effects of this concussion."

Ashlyn kissed my forehead, "Looks like you're safe for now Cam."

#uswnt x reader #uswnt imagines #uswnt imagine #woso imagine #woso x reader

[outsideratheart]

Little One (Christen Press x reader)

People told you that the love you have for your child is like no other and you never fully believed them. Surely the love is the same you would have for your husband, wife, mother or father. Oh how you were wrong.

The love you felt when you held your daughter for the first time was indescribable. Christen’s birth was straight forward with no complications. Both you and her mother were in the room when the baby was born. The asked if you wanted to cut the umbilical cord and you panicked, even asking if it would hurt the newborn. Your reaction brought laughter to the room. Stacey gently placed a hand on your shoulder to tell you that she wouldn’t feel a thing but still you made her promise.

You and Christen decided to move to LA for the last couple of months of the pregnancy and that she would have the baby there. This way you knew that she had her family when you were still playing with the royals and then the press clan would be there for the both of you once the baby was born. 

It was something that you would be forever grateful for. Each member played a role during the first couple of months. Whilst you and Christen was determined to do most things, you especially wanted to do the night feeds so that your wife could sleep. During the day you and christen would be able to relax and rest as Cody took your daughter for a walk around the neighbourhood after her morning feed, Stacy would read to her in the afternoon and Tyler and Channing spent as much time with her as they could, both of them knowing that they wouldn’t see her as often when you went back to Utah.

After 2 months, you and Christen decided it was time for your family to finally go home. With a bittersweet goodbye the three of you boarded the plane for the 2 hour flight. 

A couple of weeks ago Tobin texted you to ask if she could through you and Christen a welcome home party. She knew better than to try and keep it from you so she settled on surprising her best friend instead. Tobin told you that several of the national team wanted to be there for your homecoming, you happily complied having missed your best friends dearly. 

As you pulled onto your drive you took your time getting your daughter out of the car as Christen collected some of the bags from the boot before opening the front door.

You could only have been a meter away, you daughter comfortably in her car seat when you heard them.

“Welcome home” 

Christen turns to look at you, tears on the verge of falling, you know what she wants or more like who she wants so you happily give her the car seat.

Once in the house, your team mates crowd your wife and daughter. You never thought this would happen, you never expected to have a family of your own, especially whilst you were still playing soccer but Christen soon changed that.

You let them have their moment as you get the rest of the bags from the car. You take refuge in the kitchen whilst almost everyone else is the living room. The open floor plan allowing you to watch from a distance.

“I’ve never seen her this happy” Tobin tells you.

You couldn’t agree with her more. Christen took to motherhood like a duck to water, you had never seen anymore more made for this than her. At times it made you feel inadequate but she always told you that you are an amazing mama to your baby girl and with each passing day you started to believe her.

“I wish I could take all the credit but I have nothing to do with it. That is all the little ones doing” 

Tobin looks at you, how after all this time could you not see just how happy you make Christen.

“It isn’t just her, you make her happy too”

You feel your cheeks heat up at the compliment.

“Thank you” Tobin wraps one of her arms around you shoulder “I never thought anyone would be good enough for her but you, you are the best thing to happen to her”

“You trying to make me cry Heath because I’m almost there. The little one had turned me into a pile of mush” 

Meanwhile curiosity gets the better of Kelley.

“I know you want to keep things private and I respect that but please can you tell us her name?” The defender asks.

When you announced the birth of your daughter on social media you made sure not to show her face and you didn’t reveal her name. You always planned on telling your friends but you wanted to do it in person and not over the group chat, this way they can have a proper introduction.

Christen looks back at you “Do you want to?” She asks as you and Tobin make your way into the living area.

“I do” you place a gentle kiss on your wife cheek before taking your daughter from the car seat.

“We would like to officially introduce you to” you pause for dramatic affect, Kelley and sonnet’s sighing makes you satisfied.

“Sierra Press” 

There is a mixture of awe’s.

“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl” Pinoe says “Can I?” She asks.

“Of course. I mean as her godmother you should be one of the first to hold her” 

You watch Megan’s face drop at the suggestion. 

“What?” Your best friends asks you.

“I cannot think of a person more suited for the role, well technically I can think of two more but I am trying to be sentimental”

“Tobin, Ash. I guess that means you are the next two to hold her” Christen says.

Almost immediately Ash has you in a bear hug, Tobin doing the same to Christen.

*********************

When you realise that you won’t see your daughter for a while you sit on the kitchen countertop. Your wife soon joins you when she comes to the same conclusion.

She stands in between your legs as she wraps her arms around your torso. 

“How did we get so lucky” she tells you.

“I have been asking myself that for years. I must have done something really good in my past life to have found you in this one” Christen looks up at you “I mean it Chris, I love you more now than I ever thought possible and that little girl over there, I love her so much it hurts”

Christen loves it when you show your soft side, it has only every been reserved for her but now she gets to watch as you open yourself up to Sierra. Something that was once foreign comes so easy.

You see Lindsey holding Sierra, the later smiling at the faces Emily is pulling.

“I love our family. Not just me, you and Sierra but all of them. Our little girl is going to be surrounded by so many incredible women” Christen says as she watches the group of women.

You just hum in response, not taking your eyes of your team mates. This family, as dysfunctional as it can be, is the best thing to come from your career. 

“And you know who the most amazing one is” Christen says even though she knows she doesn’t have your attention “her mama”

This gets your attention.

“I will try my best to make that statement true” your tone filled with doubt and insecurity.

“It’s already is true Y/N” she reaches onto her tip toes so that she is at your height. Her lips finding yours for a short yet meaningful kiss.

********************

A hour later and Sierra begins to fuss.

“I didn’t do anything, I promise. She just started crying” Mal says as she begins to panic. She rushes over to Christen, handing her your daughter.

“Mal, you did nothing wrong. She is hungry, that’s all” Your wife tries to reassure the young player.

You go to the fridge to get the milk that you prepared earlier and put it in the bottle warmer. 3 minutes later the milk is ready.

Walking over to your friends, Christen gives you Sierra. Her eyes lighting up as she watches your daughter lay in your arms, her tiny hands reaching up for your face as she grabs your cheeks. 

“Hi little one” you say as you turn to kiss one of her hands.

The team watch the moment between the two of you in awe. It is a like you are an entirely new person, the once stoic demeanour replaced with that of a devoted mother. 

“I’ll admit, that is cute” Kelley nudges Christen’s side.

Truth is cute didn’t come close. Christen cherished these kind of moments, the ones where you seem to forget about the world around you, all that matters is the baby girl in your arms. She watches you on a night time when you tell Sierra stories of the national team and what they have accomplished, the way you would explain a game, play by play until she fell asleep.

“She’s amazing with her. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to have on this journey” Christen say profoundly.

After Sierra has finished her bottle you see her visibly fighting sleep. Not even ten minutes later the two month old is fast asleep in your arms.

“I’m going to take her up” You whisper in your wife’s ear.

“Goodnght my sweet angel” Christen says as she kisses Sierra’s temple.

You lay Sierra in her crib, watching as her chest rises and falls with each breath.

Before you leave you grab the baby monitor. You adjust the camera that is on the shelf so that you get a better view of your daughter on the little screen. Once you are satisfied you head back downstairs. Much to your surprise the only person there is your Wife. She tells you that the rest of team thought it best to leave, give the two of you the chance to settle in before you go back to training.

You make yourself and Christen a cup of coffee. By the time the drinks are poured Christen is already settled on the sofa, a blanket covering her lower half. She pats the spot beside her as if you was going to sit elsewhere.

You place the monitor on the coffee table. Both of you sit in silence watching your daughter sleep.

“I remember when we used to watch movies” you laugh as you remember moments from you life pre Sierra and how long ago it feels.

“We can still do that, if you want” Christen says as she nestles into your side, her legs intertwining with yours.

“I didn’t say that” you are quick to respond.

You watch your daughter for a few more minutes before Christen turns the tv on. 

“You know what’s weird?” You ask your wife and she shakes her head, knowing that you didn’t really want her to answer, that it is was more of a rhetorical question.

“Our house—“ 

“feels like a home” Christen completes your sentence. 

#christen press x reader #christen press one shot #christen press imagine #woso x reader #woso one shot #woso imagine #uswnt x reader #uswnt one shot #uswnt imagine

[greynatomy]

Announcement

Christen Press x Reader

This is the second part of Recall. Hope y’all enjoy!

masterlist

———

Y/Instagram is live

———

That was the notification Christen got on her phone early in the morning. She got out of bed, careful not to wake her fiancé, and clicked on the notification so fast.

———

“Uh, hey guys. It’s been a while, huh?”

Christen stared intently at you, eyes going over all of your features. You looked different, good different, great even, she thought. You’d cut your hair short, it no longer reaching to your shoulders, your face was more defined. You looked a lot healthier from what she could remember five years ago.

“Where have you been?

I’ve been home. I, uh, moved away five years ago, far.

Where tho?

Spain, actually. I just got up and left, no clue what I was doing, just always wanted to visit and its now become my home.

What have you been up to?

I’ve still been writing songs and producing songs for people, good friends of mine. Okay, I actually have to go, but I went live for a reason. I have an announcement to make. I know I’ve been away for a long ass time, but to my supporters, thank you for sticking by me even with not hearing or seeing me for five years. I appreciate the hell out of you.

Now for the announcement, I am doing a concert in a week from today, Saturday. I don't know if I’ll do anymore concerts after that because the life I’ve built while I was M.I.A. is something I don’t want to change, but you never know what could happen on the future.

Tickets go live at midnight. I am signing off, and if you can make it, I will see you there. See you when I see you.”

———

Spain and concert. That’s all Christen got from the live.

You’d been in Spain the whole time, not like she’d know. She didn’t know what to think after seeing you for the first time in five years. It was through a screen, but it was still you.

She wants to see you in person and going to your concert might be the only way to do it.

Next Part

Taglist:

@leafoster17 @crimeshowjunkie @mmmmokdok @mjl877 @yourssincerlyj @karma-reader

#uswnt x reader #uswnt #uswnt imagines #uswnt imagine #uswnt one shot #christen press x reader #christen press #christen press imagine #christen press one shot #woso #woso x reader #woso imagines #woso imagine #soccer #athletes #fútbol

[leveloneandup]

2022 PHOTO CONTEST: GEORGIA SOARES

Walk us through the journey to taking that winning photo.

I had always wanted to shoot Christen Press, but she was in Europe for a while, COVID was going on, and things just hadn’t lined up. But I checked the NWSL schedule and saw Angel City was playing in DC, so I knew I had to go. It was a midday game, and the light was beautiful. I didn’t like much that they put us photographers off to one side, though, packed in this little corner.

But I remember for that goal, Christen Press had the ball, and I was just following what she was doing. I thought I was going to lose focus as soon as she stepped behind the post, but I kept tracking her through the net. It wasn’t supposed to work, but I just kept clicking. I went to check the photos and just thought, ‘No way.’ I quickly took the card from my camera, put it on my computer to see it on a bigger screen, and when I looked at the picture, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe I had been able to get that shot. I was just shaking my head, and I texted my friend saying, ‘Wow, I believe I just took the best shot of my life.’

It’s been great to hear the different reactions that people have about your photograph. From your own perspective – as the person who snapped the photo – how do you feel when you see it?

I feel joy, and I like that you can see the range of emotions that happen when someone scores a goal. I still can’t believe I got the composition just right. You get to see Christen smiling as she’s about to score, and the pained reaction of the defender. I don’t have another picture that I took that compares to that one. Everything aligned just perfectly. I could have lost her behind the post or the faces could have been blurry, but everything worked out.

—Georgia Soares/georgiasoaresphoto via CLUBELEVEN

#christen press #angel city fc

[robbiefischer]

Hiiiiiii I have a prompt for you but also I have zero chill and love your OCs so much so I may be sending multiple prompts, but FOR NOW, from that holiday prompts list, 🔥 🦠🌲 for Julian and Niko? Maybe with my boy Niko as the one not feeling good?

It feels only fitting that I christen my blog with Niko and Julian, my not-even-a-little-bit-secret-faves. This is such a cute prompt, thank you and I hope you like this!

Niko & Julian

Holiday fluff prompts

Cuddling by the fire, sniffles & holiday movies

Julian watches Niko from the bed as his husband shuffles slowly through their bedroom. He's standing at the foot, just out of the shower dressed in joggers and a black t-shirt, rubbing a towel over his hair. He looks tired, his eyes heavy-lidded and shot slightly pink, irritated like he'd spent his whole shower rubbing the sleep and cold-ish irritation out of them. Niko's been extra busy at work for weeks, between preparing for an artist lecture series, a handful of pop-up exhibits, children's-night-at-the-museum and last night's opening of a much-talked-about traveling exhibition of a previously private collection. It's been exhausting, and the last few days of looking tired and rundown seem to have caught up with him.

"Do you even need to go in today? I thought last night's opening was your last big thing for a while... maybe let Archer handle things for you, he needs the experience." Julian keeps his tone light, casual, as he takes the towel from Niko and tosses it in the hamper. If he pushes too hard he knows Niko will likely drag himself into work out of sheer bloodymindedness.

It's so slight he might have missed it if he weren't watching his husband so closely, but the tension in Niko's body - stretched tightly from shoulder to shoulder - melts away at the suggestion. Julian busies himself making the bed; He smoothes the sheets back and fluffs up the pillows, giving Niko time to mull it over.

He's straightening the duvet, half-convinced Niko's gone back to getting dressed for work. But then Niko's at his side, perched on the edge of their bed. Julian slides an arm around around his shoulder and squeezes it gently.

"How are you feeling, sweet pea?" Julian asks. He runs a hand through Niko's shower-damp hair, and pulls him closer when Niko slouches against his chest into the touch.

"I'm dying," Niko coughs, sniffling a few times behind his wrist as he lets himself fall back in bed onto the pillows Julian's just rearranged then rubs at his eyes. "Call the attorney, I need to update my will."

"That bad?" Julian teases, not bothering to keep the slightest hint of a smile from his face. He knows Niko can't be feeling too rough if he has the energy to be dramatic about it all. Bad enough to want extra sympathy and fussing, maybe a touch more honey than usual in his tea, and to complain at Julian but not miserable. "Poor thing, you sound stuffy. Headache?"

"Scatter my ashes in the gentle waves of the Aegean," Niko mumbles through the pillow he's pressed his face into. Julian thinks he sees his head bob into a nod. "You get all of my stuff."

Julian rolls his eyes but a smile pulls at the corners of his mouth. He doesn't point out that of course he does, they're married. Instead, he rubs Niko's back, then presses a kiss into his hair. "Of course, love. Would you like some tea while we await the inevitable?"

"Ooooh, tea?" Niko peeks one eye out from his pillow and rubs at his nose. "Tea does sound nice, I could stick around for tea."

* * *

It's a few hours later and Julian's pulling a tray of cinnamon rolls out of the oven when Niko shuffles into the kitchen, all sleep-warm and rumpled in one of Julian's sweaters, fingertips just barely peeking out from below the cuffs. Niko pads over to his side, sets his now empty mug on the countertop as he slips an arm around Julian's waist and presses his head against Julian's shoulder. A few strands of his dark hair are hanging down in front of his face and Julian strokes his fingers through them, pushes them back behind his ear then rests the side of his hand against Niko's brow. Warm, but barely. It's a relief, and when Julian speaks he knows his voice is utterly, impossibly fond.

"Did you get back to sleep, Izzy?" Julian asks. He hums a small sound of approval as Niko nods against him, tsks as he clears his throat roughly. "I'll make you some more tea for your throat, these need to cool for a bit. You want to go get comfy on the couch?"

"You made me cinnamon rolls?" Niko asks in a small voice, more congested than he'd sounded before his nap.

"I always make you cinnamon rolls," Julian says. He knows they're Niko's favorite, tempting even when nothing else sounds good. And it's a good distraction for him, all the mixing and kneading, instead of worrying about his husband.

"I know but... s'nice," Niko yawns, and his dark eyes go big and soft when he looks up at Julian after. "And you made a fire. In the living room. You know I love that."

"We have gas, Nik. I flipped a switch," Julian says, feeling his face flush a little. It doesn't feel like enough, not for his Niko. "It's not a big deal."

"Will you just let me appreciate you, please? God..." Niko says, sounding exasperated but oh so affectionate. His voice goes rough and cuts out in the middle, only to come back after a few hoarse coughs.

"Go lie down, sweet pea. I set up the Hallmark Channel for you. I'll be right there," Julian says, a little firmer this time. He'd set a bag of cough drops on the coffee table, next to a fresh bottle of water and Niko sounds like he needs both right now.

Niko's eyes brighten then, "oooooh that sounds ... w-wait. Shit." He turns his face away to muffle a congested, tired-sounding sneeze into his shoulder. He curses under his breath, and Julian waits as he pulls away to grab a tissue from the box on the kitchen island, sneezes again, and scrubs at his nose, sniffling a few times. He winces after, like the sneezes had kicked up the sore, swollen ache in his sinuses even more, and squeezes his eyes shut. Julian raises a thumb to brush away the shimmer of moisture beneath them then presses it to the bridge of Niko's nose, rubbing gentle circles as he murmurs a soft bless you. Niko nods and lets out a stuffy little sigh, then heads for the living room. Julian can hear him groan quietly as he lets himself fall onto the sofa.

The kettle chimes, water's poured into a mug for tea and Julian's just a minute behind him. Niko's already made himself comfortable and he shifts on the sofa towards the front of the cushions, patting the space behind him in invitation. Julian smiles as he sets down the mug of tea; Niko looks ready for another nap and he might just join him. He slides behind Niko, loops an arm around his waist and pulls him closer, other hand stroking lightly up and down his back.

"You set up my favorite movie!" Niko exclaims as he grabs for the remote on the coffee table.

Julian thinks back to all the times they've been in this exact same position; Niko's back pressed against his chest and his arms around his husband as he coughed and sniffled his way through a steaming mug of tea - "A Very Merry Magic" playing softly on the TV in the background. It's not that he likes it when Niko's not feeling well, but there's something about these quiet, warmly tender moments with his husband, when Niko's just so soft and affectionate, that he can't help but get lost in.

"Of course I did, sweet pea."

He presses a kiss to the back of Niko's neck, reaching down with the other hand to pull the blanket hanging over the sofa arm up and tuck it over both of them as the familiar notes of the opening credit music starts. Julian slides his eyes shut as Niko snuggles into him. He wouldn't miss these moments for anything.

#cillian writes #oc: julian #oc: niko #sickfic #fluff #i never really explored this aspect of niko in my fic before but i love it #you can accurately gauge how he's feeling by how dramatic he is #if he's absolutely miserable he's too exhausted and withdrawn to be the drama #julian can u pls let yourself be appreciated for gods sake #they're my favorites #i know i'm rusty i'm sorry it's been y e a r s #it'll get better #prompt fic

[houseofbrat]

I have a demitasse of tea that I think I will spill here. Disclaimer: I cannot vouch for the complete veracity of this we will just have to see if it plays out in time...

Notice that until the past couple of months, the awards she bought were recognizing her and Harry together and now they are all just recognizing Meghan alone This is allegedly the ILBW's intentional strategy to begin marketing herself as a solo act, i.e. it's one more preparatory move towards unloading Prince Harry.  We've gone into overtime on my March 2023 prediction, but I'm still on a DivorceWatch for the near future and you can see how she may be laying the foundation now. She's got Todge admitting addiction, and anger problems in his book as well as to Oprah. She's had People Magazine name her kids as Prince and Princess. She's going overboard trying to get the only bit of work that she did last year, the podcast, recognized and rewarded.

These two are reportedly not living together nor have they been together in many weeks. But as usual, Meghan is over-egging the pudding as the evidence the Royal Family holds against her is vast and goes back decades.  In my opinion, Big Daddy Chuck will help Harry when it comes to divorce and separation procedings, but only in a private capacity and only through lawyers. Harry will never be trusted again, nor will he be welcomed back and restored as a working Royal. If he does go back to the UK sans-Meghan, and I think he will once she has fully discarded him, he will interact with his family only in a private capacity and will probably be tucked in a cottage somewhere in the country where he will always be closely monitored and kept out of the public eye.  That's just my prediction.

Moving on. There's some gossip going around about the Tyler Perry.... Rumor has it that he was indeed on the outs with Meghan at the time that he asked her and Todge to leave his house a few years ago because of her abuse of his staff. However, in the intervening years, she apparently spun that story, making it sound like she was somehow the victim there and then proceded to give him the doe eyes and tell him a ton of sob stories about how awful the racism was that she experienced in the UK. He is by all reports a very kindhearted and empathic person, and whatever she said, he bought it, hence the new support for her that first emerged on her last birthday. Well, Tyler has reportedly found out about whatever shady dealings the ILBW has dealt because his presence at the Christening was not the happy party replete with gospel choir that Meghan has told her press outlets that it was. He apparently learned something upon arrival or shortly before arrival that had him fulfilling the bare minimum of his godfatherly duties during the ceremony and getting the Hell out of there afterwards. This is also allegedly why there are no pictures of Tyler partying on at the spiritual event of the 21st century: the Christening of Princess Lilibucks. I predict that if any pictures exist of this event, only formal shots from the ceremony will emerge.

Some people have asked me what I know about the Gettys, and this is why I've heard: the Getty family got wind of something about Meghan that was allegedly manipulative and creepy enough that when they told Getty, he was like, "Yeah that's fucked up," and so he ended their transactional relationship. So there's that.

Again, Meghan's recent deluge of awards have all been centered around her podcast. I heard that this is because Spotify is or was also allegedly not buying a second season of Archetypes. They did comment on social media about her Gracie Award, but there is still no commitment to Archetypes 2: Stereotypes Rebranded. She's drawing attention to it to try to force Spotify's hand into another season. Will this work on Spotify? Well on one hand, we saw that they posted a grammatically incorrect comment on the Twitter announcement... but we also know that they know the real stats, that she is AWFUL to work with, and so I doubt she's been worth the trouble. We'll have to see . There is no financial reward to be gained from it... Gracie award or no, there's no reason for them to subject themselves and their staff, who reportedly called the show "Stereotypes" in-house because they know the real definition of Archetypes, to another season of that shite. But still Meghan needs money coming in for the future. Ill-fitting clothes, bronzer, and and another new face just aren't gonna buy themselves.  This is ansituatjkn though of Meghan needing Spotify more than Spotify needs Meghan. It'll be interesting to watch how this pans out.

That's all I got, and again... take this tea with at least a grain of salt.

#reddit #rumors...conjecture #2023 Sussex Divorce #Prince Harry #that dumb prince's stupid wife #Spotify #celebrities

[skippyv20]

From 2 months ago Reddit,  it interesting…..

I have a demitasse of tea that I think I will spill here. Disclaimer: I cannot vouch for the complete veracity of this we will just have to see if it plays out in time...

Notice that until the past couple of months, the awards she bought were recognizing her and Harry together and now they are all just recognizing Meghan alone This is allegedly the ILBW's intentional strategy to begin marketing herself as a solo act, i.e. it's one more preparatory move towards unloading Prince Harry. We've gone into overtime on my March 2023 prediction, but I'm still on a DivorceWatch for the near future and you can see how she may be laying the foundation now. She's got Todge admitting addiction, and anger problems in his book as well as to Oprah. She's had People Magazine name her kids as Prince and Princess. She's going overboard trying to get the only bit of work that she did last year, the podcast, recognized and rewarded.

These two are reportedly not living together nor have they been together in many weeks. But as usual, Meghan is over-egging the pudding as the evidence the Royal Family holds against her is vast and goes back decades. In my opinion, Big Daddy Chuck will help Harry when it comes to divorce and separation procedings, but only in a private capacity and only through lawyers. Harry will never be trusted again, nor will he be welcomed back and restored as a working Royal. If he does go back to the UK sans-Meghan, and I think he will once she has fully discarded him, he will interact with his family only in a private capacity and will probably be tucked in a cottage somewhere in the country where he will always be closely monitored and kept out of the public eye. That's just my prediction.

Moving on. There's some gossip going around about the Tyler Perry.... Rumor has it that he was indeed on the outs with Meghan at the time that he asked her and Todge to leave his house a few years ago because of her abuse of his staff. However, in the intervening years, she apparently spun that story, making it sound like she was somehow the victim there and then proceded to give him the doe eyes and tell him a ton of sob stories about how awful the racism was that she experienced in the UK. He is by all reports a very kindhearted and empathic person, and whatever she said, he bought it, hence the new support for her that first emerged on her last birthday. Well, Tyler has reportedly found out about whatever shady dealings the ILBW has dealt because his presence at the Christening was not the happy party replete with gospel choir that Meghan has told her press outlets that it was. He apparently learned something upon arrival or shortly before arrival that had him fulfilling the bare minimum of his godfatherly duties during the ceremony and getting the Hell out of there afterwards. This is also allegedly why there are no pictures of Tyler partying on at the spiritual event of the 21st century: the Christening of Princess Lilibucks. I predict that if any pictures exist of this event, only formal shots from the ceremony will emerge.

Some people have asked me what I know about the Gettys, and this is why I've heard: the Getty family got wind of something about Meghan that was allegedly manipulative and creepy enough that when they told Getty, he was like, "Yeah that's fucked up," and so he ended their transactional relationship. So there's that.

Again, Meghan's recent deluge of awards have all been centered around her podcast. I heard that this is because Spotify is or was also allegedly not buying a second season of Archetypes. They did comment on social media about her Gracie Award, but there is still no commitment to Archetypes 2: Stereotypes Rebranded. She's drawing attention to it to try to force Spotify's hand into another season. Will this work on Spotify? Well on one hand, we saw that they posted a grammatically incorrect comment on the Twitter announcement... but we also know that they know the real stats, that she is AWFUL to work with, and so I doubt she's been worth the trouble. We'll have to see . There is no financial reward to be gained from it... Gracie award or no, there's no reason for them to subject themselves and their staff, who reportedly called the show "Stereotypes" in-house because they know the real definition of Archetypes, to another season of that shite. But still Meghan needs money coming in for the future. Ill-fitting clothes, bronzer, and another new face just aren't gonna buy themselves. This is a situation, though, of Meghan needing Spotify more than Spotify needs Meghan. It'll be interesting to watch how this pans out.

That's all I got, and again... take this tea with at least a grain of salt.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SaintMeghanMarkle/comments/12ap7qp/how_many_more_awards_will_meghan_buy_before_the/