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#columbia meeting when?
endlesslytired · 6 months
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steddieas-shegoes · 1 month
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Steve grows up playing piano, absolutely hates it, but is so good at it. His parents aren’t around enough by the time he’s a teen to force him to his practices, so he slowly stops going.
His music teacher happens to be Robin’s mom, who studied at Juilliard, and traveled for nearly a decade with various orchestras and bands before settling down with her husband in Hawkins.
She can see what’s going on with Steve from day one, but knows better than to interfere.
Until he quits.
She can’t stand by and let someone so musically gifted give it up.
She shows up at his house with a violin, her own violin that she hadn’t used in years.
He’s hesitant at first, but decides to give it a try as long as she doesn’t tell his parents. The last thing he wants is for them to find out he picked up a new instrument.
She can’t give him official lessons, so she shows up to his house twice a week and hopes that he practices in his own time.
He’s a natural.
He takes to it like a duck to water.
She encourages him to perform in a local talent show, all kids under 18, most of them not half as talented as he is.
He only agrees when she says she’ll be front row.
And sure enough, for once in his life, someone shows up when they say they will. She’s sitting front row with her husband on one side and her daughter on the other. She smiles as he takes the stage, nervous about people who know him seeing him and reporting back to his parents.
He performs with heart, something he lacked with the piano. He performs with talent, something he may have with any instrument he picks up.
But most importantly, he plays with a smile. He’s having fun.
He sticks around to watch some of the other people performing: Tammy Thompson singing a very out of tune rendition of America The Beautiful, some kid from one of his classes playing piano miserably, and some band performing very loud, very angry music.
Steve wins, and for once, it feels better than when he wins at a swim meet or basketball game.
He spends the next three years secretly practicing, only performing in shows out of town, never saying anything to his parents.
He doesn’t want them to ruin this for him.
He applies to Juilliard, not thinking he has a chance in hell, not with his academic grades.
Luckily, they see that he’s “exceptional with the strings” and “plays with emotion that can’t be trained.”
He gets in.
He goes.
He thinks he may actually be able to do this, use a gift he has to make his life better.
His parents even find it acceptable, mostly because he got into the best school he could have. They still don’t bother showing up for his shows, but Mrs. Buckley always finds a way.
In his sophomore year, Robin gets in, and they both move into a small apartment off campus together. He promised to look out for her.
She tells him that music wasn’t really her passion, she was just good with a trumpet. She really wanted to be an engineer.
In his junior year, Robin transfers to Columbia, starts doing what she really wanted to do from the start. He’s proud of her, but misses having someone on campus during the day to have lunch with.
Until he stumbles, literally, into someone vaguely familiar.
“Sorry, man. Running late.”
Steve pats the man on the shoulder and turns to get to his class when the man stops him.
“Harrington? You’re a student here?”
He turns back and finally recognizes the man in front of him.
“Munson? When did you get here?”
“I got in this year. Kinda fucked up my first audition last year and they were kind enough to give me another shot.” Eddie smiled. “What on earth are you here for?”
“Violin. You?”
“Guitar and songwriting.”
“That’s great, man. I’m just really running late. Catch up soon?”
Soon was two weeks later, when Steve ran into Eddie again while leaving class.
“We should probably stop running into each other like this,” Eddie smirked. “The universe is trying to tell us something.”
“What’s it trying to tell us?”
“Not sure. Maybe we should go grab dinner and find out.”
“Now?”
“Why not? Got better plans?”
Steve thought about how Robin was barely at the apartment due to studying for midterms. He thought about how his only other friend from here was busy rehearsing for their senior showcase.
“Nah. Let me bring this home first,” he held up his violin case. “Actually.”
Steve was on a budget. His parents gave him money, sure, but they thought he was living on campus so the money they sent covered rent and groceries and nothing else.
“I could make dinner. If you want?”
“Steve Harrington cooks? And plays violin?” Eddie fake swooned. “Be still my beating heart. How will I not be seduced?”
Steve rolled his eyes. He remembered Eddie’s dramatics from school and knew better than to feed into them.
“I can make some spaghetti. Nothing fancy.”
“Spaghetti sounds great,” Eddie’s fake swoon turned to a soft smile. “You want some help?”
Steve didn’t need help, usually didn’t even want any.
But something about the way his stomach dipped when Eddie stepped closer, and the way he thought about having Eddie in his apartment, made him agree.
“Sure.”
They walked to Steve’s apartment in a comfortable silence, though Eddie kept tapping the back of his fingers against Steve’s hand.
Eddie fit next to Steve. They cooked together, they ate together, they even managed to clean up together. It was easy to find something to talk about. He’d never clicked with anyone like this, not even Robin.
By the time Robin came home, Steve and Eddie were both passed out on the couch, fingers laced together as if they hadn’t been brave enough to do anything more before they fell asleep.
By morning, Steve’s head was on Eddie’s shoulder, Eddie’s arm wrapped around him loosely.
Waking up to a soft kiss on his lips was something Steve couldn’t have imagined when he first ran into Eddie, but he was pretty glad it was how he started his day.
And almost every day after that, whether he woke up to a kiss, or met up with Eddie on campus for a kiss, he started his day with love on his lips.
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hsficrecommendation · 2 months
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Hello everyone! This is masterlist #7 and #8 (Nov and Dec of 2023!) for all of the fics I have reblogged on this side blog I hold super close to me. Remember to leave feedback and reblog the writings if you read them!
Also, a huge thank you to all the writers mentioned, I adore you so very much and I hope you keep writing <3
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••• NOVEMBER •••
Chiffon | Lace | Satin | In which Harry is grumpy and mean to Y/N, who's just shy and trying to get through the day, and they're both teaching assistants for the same class. - @cupid-styles
Love's An Ache In The Jaw | A fic about TA!Harry and TA!Yasmine who hate each other more than anything in the world. - @harryforvogue
Sunkissed | Part 2 | Where (Y/n) is a single mom to an uncoordinated kid, who happens to have surf lessons with a very cute man. - @harryhoney-bee
Knockout | The one where Harry is a handsome stranger who always comes to your diner covered in bruises. - @freedomfireflies
Athens | Harry’s in his fourth year teaching university, and he knew he was bound to have a favorite student but he didn’t know he would meet someone like y/n. - @moonchildstyles
••• DECEMBER •••
Halo | Harry doesn’t believe in love and Y/N tries to figure him out. - @parkersroses
Baby, It's Cold Outside | In which Harry is the right person at the wrong time. - @havethetimeofyourstyles
Where The World Takes You ♡ | In which you study in a different country and meet someone along the way. - @havethetimeofyourstyles
Lonely This Christmas ♡ | You and Harry broke up earlier in the year, but at Columbia’s Christmas party you see each other again, and you both realise just how much you miss each other. - @enthusiasticharry
Fine Line | Harry plays you Fine Line for the first time and some things get said. - @harrystylescherry
Delicate | Harry has a bad past with relationships and is waiting for when Y/N decides to leave him. - @gucciharrywritings
Love of my Life | Where Harry and Y/n, who is a part of the love band, end up married without the media and the fans finding out. But Harry finally lets the news out by introducing Y/n Mrs. Styles. - @gucciwins
Number One | In which Harry jumps in to help when Y/n is stressing about a little lie she told her family, but is the new lie -- actually a lie? - @watchmegetobsessed
Masterlist for more recs! My Writing account - @0oolookitsme
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mariacallous · 8 months
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Updated vaccines against Covid-19 are coming, just as hospitalizations and deaths due to the virus are steadily ticking up again.
Today, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized new mRNA booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer, and a panel of outside experts that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to recommend the shots to everyone in the United States ages 6 months and older. Once Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Mandy Cohen signs off on the recommendations and the vaccines are shipped, people can start getting the boosters.
The recommendation is projected to prevent about 400,000 hospitalizations and 40,000 deaths over the next two years, according to data presented at the meeting by CDC epidemiologist Megan Wallace.
This year’s mRNA vaccines are different from the 2022 booster in a key way. Last year’s shot was a bivalent vaccine, meaning it covered two variants: the original one that emerged in China in 2019, plus the Omicron subvariant BA.5, which was circulating during much of 2022. This fall’s booster drops the original variant, which is no longer circulating and is unlikely to return. It targets just the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, which was dominant throughout much of 2023.
Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines work by introducing a tiny piece of genetic material called messenger RNA, or mRNA, that carries instructions for making SARS-CoV-2’s characteristic spike protein. Once it is injected, cells in the body use those instructions to temporarily make the spike protein. The immune system recognizes the protein as foreign and generates antibodies against it. Those antibodies stick around so that if they encounter that foreign invader again, they will mount a response against it.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the virus has acquired new mutations in its spike protein and elsewhere. These mutations result in new variants and subvariants that diverge from the original virus. When enough mutations accumulate, these new versions can more easily evade the antibodies created by previous vaccine doses or infections.
The constantly evolving nature of the virus is the reason health regulators decided last year to update the original mRNA vaccines, which were designed against the version of the virus that first appeared in 2019. This year, once again, the virus has changed enough to warrant an updated booster.
In June, an advisory committee to the FDA recommended that this fall’s booster be a monovalent vaccine—targeting only the then-dominant XBB.1.5 subvariant.
At that meeting, committee members reviewed evidence suggesting that the inclusion of the original variant may hamper the booster’s effectiveness against newer offshoots. “The previous bivalent vaccine contained the ancestral spike and thus skewed immune responses to the old spike,” says David Ho, a professor of microbiology at Columbia University whose research, which is not yet peer-reviewed, was among the evidence the FDA panel reviewed. “This is what we call immunological imprinting, and it results in lack of immune responses to the new spike.” He thinks taking out the old variant should optimize the immune response.
But over the past few months, even newer Omicron offshoots have arrived. Currently, EG.5.1, or Eris, is the dominant one in the United States, United Kingdom, and China. Meanwhile, a variant called BA.2.86, or Pirola, has been detected in several countries. Pirola has raised alarm bells because it has more than 30 new mutations compared to XBB.1.5.
Even though the new boosters were formulated against XBB.1.5, they’re still expected to provide protection against these new variants. “The reason is, while antibodies are important in protection against mild disease, the critical part of the immune response that’s important for protecting against severe disease is T cells,” says Paul Offit, a professor of vaccinology at the University of Pennsylvania and member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee.
These cells are a different part of the immune response. Unlike antibodies, which neutralize a pathogen by preventing it from infecting cells, T cells work by eliminating the cells that have already been invaded and boosting creation of more antibodies. Both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccines produce long-lasting T cells in addition to antibodies.
It’s why, Offit says, when the Omicron wave hit in late 2021 and peaked in January 2022, the US didn’t see a dramatic increase in hospitalizations and deaths even as cases rose significantly: People’s T cells kicked into gear, even when their antibodies didn’t recognize the Omicron variant.
“In some ways,” says Offit, when it comes to vaccine booster development, “it almost doesn’t matter what we pick to target” because the coronavirus has yet to evolve away from T cell recognition. “Everything works.”
Scientists think T cells are able to protect against severe Covid because they’re recognizing parts of the virus that have remained unchanged throughout the pandemic. “I suspect that as we continue to vaccinate, there are some conserved regions [of the virus],” says Jacqueline Miller, Moderna’s head of infectious diseases. “So even with the accumulation of mutations, we’re still building on previous immunity.”
People who have hybrid immunity—that is, have had a Covid infection and have also been vaccinated—seem to have the best immune responses to new variants, she says, which suggests that previous exposure shapes and improves immune responses to new variants. Preliminary studies show that antibodies generated by previous infections and vaccinations should be capable of neutralizing Pirola.
Earlier this month, Moderna issued a press release saying that clinical trial data showed that its updated booster generated a strong immune response against Pirola, as well as the more prevalent Eris variant.
In a statement to WIRED, Pfizer spokesperson Jerica Pitts said the company continues to closely monitor emerging variants and conduct tests of its updated monovalent booster against them. Data presented at Tuesday’s CDC meeting showed that Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated booster elicited a strong neutralizing antibody response against both Eris and Pirola.
The FDA expects that Covid-19 vaccines will continue to be updated on an annual basis, unless a completely new variant emerges that requires a different approach. “We will always be a little behind the virus,” says Ho. “In this instance, we won’t suffer too much, but that might not be the case going forward. Surveillance is imperative.”
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starry-eyes-love · 11 days
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Never Letting You Go
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Masterlist
Pairing | Agent Javier Pena x Agent F!Reader
Summary | What starts out as a shitty Valentine’s Day turns into everything that you’ve ever wanted.  Javi treats you the way you need, by never letting you go.
A/N: First time writing for Javier's character, forgot this was in the vault. Enjoy
(As a reminder I'm no longer doing tag lists, make sure to turn on notifications on my page for when I post).
Warnings | 18+, Minors DNI, Smut
Language, angst, mentions of prostitution and Agent work, mentions of the cartel, mentions of cheating (from your previous relationship), grinding, mentions of penetrative sex, soft fluffy moments.   
Word Count: 5.5K
“Fuck baby,” he said, grinding against your ass with a little bit more force. “Do you feel that?  See, that’s what you fucking do to me woman.” Javi was now rocking harder into you, giving you slow deep thrusts. You could feel his hard outline in his pants as he was seated firmly against you. “This is what you’ve always done to me. I don’t hate you, fuck baby, I like you. I want you. So if you’ll shut up long enough, then maybe you’ll hear me say it.”
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Today was Valentine's Day, and usually this was something that didn’t concern Javier Peña. He was a DEA agent that was in the middle of trying to bring down drug dealers and drug lords, he didn’t have time to be concerned about feelings or emotions on a specific day on the calendar.  But yet here he was, in the files room pacing back and forth, trying to calm his nerves.  Javier was never nervous when it came to the opposite sex. He usually was always so calm, cool, and collected when handling them.  Well, except for today that is, and especially when dealing with you. Somehow you had gotten under his skin just enough that now he was pacing back and forth, mind racing of what to do if you didn't like the gift that he just left you on your desk. He was so lost in his own head that he didn’t hear the door open and Steve Murphy step in.  
“Javi, what the hell are you-” Steve said, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Javi pacing back and forth, running his hand down his face.
“She ain’t gonna like the gift. Why did you say it was from you and not a secret admirer? Jesus. Soy un idiota (I’m such an idiot).” Javi mumbled to himself.
“You got a lady a Valentine’s gift there Peña?” Murphy said, slamming the files on the desk and causing Javi to jump.  Javi just stood there, not answering his friend and fellow DEA agent’s question.  Steve, seeing how nervous Javi was, continued to tease him slightly. “Who’s the lucky girl, Peña?”
Before he could answer, they both heard you marching down the hall, yelling, “Peña, I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you, you arrogant bastard.” 
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About a year ago you were transferred to Columbia in an attempt to assist in the capture of Pablo Escobar. At first, you were excited about serving your country and bringing the bad guys to justice. That was before meeting your two male DEA partner’s, however.  The first time you met Steve Murphy and Javier Peña it was love at first insult. You were the head female DEA agent hired to work alongside them in helping bring down the Medellín Cartel, and subsequently Pablo Escobar.  However, your transfer to Columbia somehow pissed both of them off.  
Since you had arrived, all those two idiots did was piss you off one way or another.  They were the biggest source of your headaches and irritations to date, and one of the biggest reasons why you hated your current job. They wouldn’t listen to you, and they continuously left you out of the loop on information. To make matters worse, when they got bored you were the target of their practical jokes, like today.
Today was Valentine’s Day, and one day on the calendar that you wished you could just completely remove. You hated Valentine’s Day with a passion, ever since you found your ex-fiance balls deep in your sister on Valentine’s Day one year ago.  It was after that you found out that the man who you thought loved you had always cheated on you with your sister, from Moment. Fucking. One.  You were together five years with him, and apparently all those five years he was also fucking your sister every chance he got. You were happy to hear that her husband caught them in bed and had filed for a divorce.  You thought it was poetic how she lost a man who made a shit ton of money for an asshole who could hardly pay rent for his shitty apartment.  So when you took the job transfer to Columbia you felt okay with the situation that had happened, as shitty as it sounded.  
But then last night your sister called you and informed you that she was getting married, and that she was pregnant too. She advised you that it would be best if you didn’t attend the wedding because of hard feelings the two of you had. When you asked who the soon-to-be husband and dad was, she had informed you that it was your ex-fiance and that they both were happy they found someone that loved them deeply. As soon as you heard that, you told her to ‘go to fucking hell,’ and then slammed the phone down. Out of anger and rage you grabbed the bottle of alcohol that was on the counter, and downed most of it in one go. Yeah, you weren’t going to that fucking wedding. 
When you woke up and realized it was Valentine’s Day, you seriously contemplated calling in work sick.  But you remembered that you had a morning meeting with your bosses and you knew that Javi and Steve wouldn’t show up.  So you begrudgingly got up and showered, swearing underneath your breath of how life wasn’t fair.  You hated today, Valentine’s Day, with a passion.  Six years ago you met your ex on Valentine’s Day because he was stood up on a date, a date with your sister you found out much later.  Then last year, on Valentine’s Day, you caught him cheating with your sister.  How did life get so fucked up? 
To add to your already sour mood, when you got into work early you noticed that all the rest of the females in the office had big bouquet of flowers on their desks from Javi and Steve. Each of them had a note saying that they really appreciated all the hard work that they have done, and that they were special angels for helping them out.  When you got to your desk you didn’t see any flowers or note telling you that you were special.  The only note that you saw was from Steve saying “don’t fuck up this meeting” and asked if you took your “anti-bitch pill today yet.” Yeah you hated this fucking day.
The meeting that was only supposed to be an hour went on for three long hours, and you were berated for two out of the three hours in the meeting. You had to once again mop up the mess that both Steve and Javi had created, promising to get results instead of excuses. Recently, all the leads that your department was getting in capturing Escobar were cold, no one had seen him or heard of him in almost a month.  Even when you went in and shook the crime tree, nothing fell out of place which made everyone uneasy, especially your superiors. 
Finally when the meeting was over with you were able to return to your desk to try to let your heart and blood pressure return to normal.  When you approached your desk, you saw a little basket there with a pretty red ribbon with sparkles in it.  You looked around quickly to see if anyone noticed or was standing there, you also glanced quickly under your desk to make sure Steve or Javi wasn’t sitting there waiting for you to relax so they could scare you.  When you noticed nothing was out of the ordinary you felt your heart flutter in your chest, especially when the tag read “to the most special DEA female agent” in Javier’s handwriting.
At first your heart fluttered, thinking that finally someone, Javi, took the time to give a shit.  If you were being honest with yourself, you did like Javier Peña.  He was very sexy and attractive. When he wasn’t being an asshole, he was truly sensitive and understood the female sex with their emotions. You thought that he didn’t care anymore about you, but the longer you looked at the name tag on your gift, the more you thought that maybe you were wrong at your assessment. Your heart raced and you felt the heat creep up your neck at the thought that maybe Javi did see you as something more than just an individual who worked with him each day. But when you opened the basket and saw the gift that was laying there for you, your wonder turned into embarrassment as your face fell. Then when you read the note inside you saw red with anger. That bastard took it one step too far this time.
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Once Javi heard your voice he suddenly froze, slowly listening to where you were coming from.  When he realized that you were getting closer, he glanced over at Murphy with wide, scared eyes. He mouthed “shh, shut the fuck up,” when Steve went to open his mouth to ask Javi something.  
As Steve stood there he was trying to understand what the hell his partner had done to anger you so much. He mouthed to Javi ‘what the fuck did you do man?’  Javi just shook his head and placed his finger to his lips to silence Steve’s further questioning.  He wasn’t trying to be a coward, but with how angry you were right now, he didn’t want to come face to face with you.  Yes, Javi had a knack for pissing you off so much that you’d threaten to kill him. But from how angry you sounded, he figured that if he was standing in front of you right now, that you would in fact shoot him dead.
Javi and Steve continued to stand in silence together for a few minutes. Javi was hoping that you would just continue down the hallway and not stop outside of this door.  For a moment it sounded like you had moved on, so much so that Javi felt himself visibly relax and let out a sigh.  But that moment was short lived.  When Javi heard the door knob turn he quickly said, “shit Murph, lie,” and then he ducked behind one of the filing cabinets against the wall.
“What the-” Steve said, looking confused, but for only a minute as you quickly came bursting through the door seething with anger.
“Murphy, where is he?” you said, steam practically coming out of your ears at how mad and pissed off you were at Javier Peña.
“I don’t-”
“Don’t give me that I don’t know shit. You two are practically glued together at the hip, so where the hell is he?” You bit back, standing right in front of Steve’s face.
“Woah, now wait just a second there princess, don’t be biting my head off. I don’t know where he is, or what he’s done, but you can just curb that attitude of yours and-”
“Don’t act like you don’t know what he’s done. This smells like both Peña and Murphy antics to me,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest.
“Well sorry cariño, I don’t know where he is or what he’s done.”
Huffing, you let out another long sigh, balling your fists up and slamming them tight against your side.  “This is what he’s done,” you said, shoving the box you were holding with the card in his face.  “And if you happen to see him, you can tell him that I’m looking for him.”
You went to leave, but Murphy blocked your exit saying, “wait a second here princess, don’t go and give me something like this and then take off. Let’s see what’s gotten your panties in a twist.”
“I knew it, it was your idea. I don’t get why you both have to always be so-”  But before you could finish Steve had opened the box and saw what was inside it.  Steve pulled out a pair of black lace panties that had a vibrator attached to them, and as he did he noticed the note at the bottom of the box.  The note was written in Javi’s handwriting and said, “for all those lonely nights baby, when you’re so wound up and don’t have a man that can be inside you. Enjoy.” Signed, Javier Peña.
Murphy was shocked at what he saw and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.  He knew Javi loved to rile you up, and he had to hand it to his partner, he definitely got you going. It was the perfect gift to get even for all those irritating moments the three of you had. But when he looked up at you he immediately froze, his laugh dying out in his throat. Your eyes were red and puffy now as frustrated tears streamed down your face. Steve could tell that the jokes maybe went a little too far this time.
“Sweetheart, we’re-”
“Don’t, just don’t Steve,” you said, grabbing the box and throwing everything back inside, not wanting to look up at him.  “I get it, it’s a joke. A really fucking mean joke, ya know. You all can have any woman that you want. And here I am, in Columbia, and I can’t even get sleazy drug lords to choose me when I’m undercover. Shit, I couldn’t even keep my ex-fiance faithful on this day. You guys will find this hilarious, last year I found my ex fucking my sister. Apparently he never wanted me, wanted her cause now they’re getting married and having a baby and I’m not welcome around my family any more, cause I guess I can’t keep anyone happy.  So nice of you to give the other girls flowers, and tell them how great they are when they don’t even fucking do anything for you.  Meanwhile I have five bullet wounds and several cracked ribs for covering your asses.  By the way, you guys are getting a raise in pay and I’m getting a 5 dollar reduction in pay.  Apparently the superiors feel that it’ll give you guys motivation or something. So yeah, you’re right, perfect joke.  Happy fucking Valentine’s Day to me.” And with that you left, slamming the door.  
This was a joke that Peña and Murphy started with you about six months ago when you were placed undercover to go and try to extract information of the whereabouts of Pablo Escobar.  They placed you at a brothel, knowing that some of Pablo’s higher up men were going to come to choose women to give them sexual favors for the night.  With the help of a few informants, they had dressed you up and gave you pointers on how women acted in these places in Colombia.  Javi had made a joke at you that you were the highest paid prostitute on the street, but when it came time for Pablo’s men to take you, you were the only one left behind.  You weren’t ugly, you actually were quite beautiful, but that night Javi and Murphy had a hay day with you, as you were the only one that was not chosen.  To make matters worse, you had gone out with them that night and couldn’t even get a guy to buy you a drink at the bar, let alone talk with you.  And now the joke, you thought, had gone too far.  Humiliated and embarrassed, you went and gathered your things and left to go home for the day, not wanting to see anyone again.
After you stormed out, and Murphy knew you were gone, he walked over to where Javi was, facing the back wall. “You got her vibrating panties?” Steve said, shaking his head and laughing.
“At the time, I thought it was a good idea. But something got lost in translation I suppose,” he said, still not wanting to leave his hiding spot. 
“Peña, let me give you some advice.  If you like a girl, don’t get her vibrating panties and then give her a card that says ‘for all those lonely nights when you don’t have a man.’  It just makes you look like an even bigger dick than what you already are.”
“Yeah, I realize that now,” he said, still not coming out of his hiding spot.
“Did ya know any of that other shit she was talking about?” Steve said, pulling a cigarette out and lighting it. Javi shook his head no as he came out of where he was hiding.
“Kinda fucked up if you ask me. Fucking her own sister and then marrying her.  Talk about a cold hearted son of a bitch.”
“Yeah, I never knew. Fuck Murph, what do I do?”
“You already know what you gotta do man. Or do I need to call her back in here so she can spell it out for you?”
“Fuck you,” Javi said, walking out the door to go find you.  He felt like the biggest dick right now.  The gift and note wasn’t a joke from him, and he hated to think that you felt like it was.
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Javi eventually learned that you had decided to go home for the day, leaving your work here. “She’s taking a sick day,” is what Maria, the secretary in the front office, had told him.  Javi had attempted to get some paperwork done, but he kept thinking about you and how hurt you sounded when talking with Murphy.  He didn’t mean for it to come off as a joke, in fact Javi wanted you to have the panties for a good reason, he wanted you to wear them for him.
Javi had been the biggest pain in your ass from the start.  He was always coming over to your desk, forcing you to work through his work, making you work in the field with him, etc.  To you it felt like he was punishing you for being good at your job. But in reality, he secretly liked you and wanted to be with you.  Javi didn’t know why he couldn’t communicate his feelings to you, why he always had to make fun of you or rile you up.  “I’m taking a sick day,” Javi told Murphy as he walked towards the door.  
Murphy, who was still at his desk, said “Connie said she’s at home now.”  Connie was one of your best friends here in Colombia.  Being in a foreign country was hard, and making friends was even harder, especially what you did for a job. Your friends back at home disagreed with your career choice of being sent to Colombia, so your entire support structure was no longer there.  Connie was one of the nicest women you had met or seen in the longest time.  She understood your career choice, and didn’t hold it against you when your plans would change.  
Javi had stopped and bought a dozen flowers from a street vendor before he got to your house.  When he knocked on the door he softly said, “querida, I’m so sorry. Please open up, I didn’t mean to make you cry, I-”
“Who the fuck said you made me cry Peña?” you said, opening up the door suddenly, looking up at him with bloodshot eyes, tears at your lash line.
“No one I, Jesus woman, c’mere,” he said, stepping inside and placing the flowers on the end table by the door when he saw your face.  He then reached for you, pulled you tight into his chest, holding you as the dam opened up again and the tears fell. “I’m so sorry baby, so sorry. I didn’t mean how it came out, fuck-”
“What did I do for you to hate me?” you said, voice muffled in his chest.
“Nothin’ baby, I don’t hate you, I-” he said, rubbing his hand up and down your back, trying to soothe you.  This was not going the way that he had hoped.
“I mean, I pull extra duty, and am one of the strongest hitters on the team.  Fuck Javi, I even have brought in more leads than Murphy and yet you publicly humiliate me.”  You said, as a sob broke free from your mouth.  You didn’t know why you were opening up, allowing Javi to attempt to soothe you.  You just didn’t have it in you to fight right now, too emotionally worked up to even care.
“No, no, baby. It ain’t like that, look at me,” Javi said, pulling you away from his chest and gently cupping your face with his hands.  “Querida, I got them for you and for me, for you to think about me.”
Shaking your head you stepped back and said, “what? Peña, what the fuck are you talking about for you and me? I’m not-”
“Shit, this ain’t coming out the way I wanted it to,” Javi said, pacing back and forth in your living room.  Javi was mumbling to himself, unsure of how to deal with the situation and correct it.  Not knowing how to place it into words, his feelings, he thought that he could show you. He immediately reached for you and kissed you hard on the lips.  Javi, once again, was hoping the kiss would show you that he cared, but all you read was he was being condescending once again. You immediately pulled back and found your strength and slapped Javi hard across his face.
“Javi, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?  Just because I’m crying, trying to understand why the guy I have a crush on hates me, doesn’t give you the right to-”
“I like you,” he said, rubbing the sting site he felt across his cheek.  Damn that woman could hit hard, he thought to himself.  You continued to talk overtop of him, not realizing what he just said. You kept saying how much of an asshole he’s been to you and how much you hate men as you’ve always been taken advantage of.  Javi shook his head at you, hearing words such as dickhead, asshole along with other words such as, pendejo and cabrón. You kept telling him off, not listening to anything that he had just told you. 
With a sarcastic laugh, he said, “I can’t fucking believe you, you don’t listen baby.” He was now getting just as frustrated at you for not listening to him. She says I don’t listen, hell, she doesn’t listen.
All you heard was ‘I can’t fucking believe you’ and nothing else. Once again, you marched over to smack Javi hard across the face. But this time, he caught your hand mid-air saying, “I don’t think so cariño. You only get one free hit, and you already used it up for today.” 
The sadness that you felt earlier had now turned into blinding anger and rage. You started fighting back.  You were done with men treating you like assholes, for cheating on you with your sister, for not listening to you or even attempt at paying attention.  You started hitting Javi’s chest, yelling at him and saying, “you’re an asshole,” over and over again.  You were throwing a temper tantrum, frustrated about the last few days, and Javi was your outlet.  However, Javi didn’t see your attitude nor behavior as enduring or even cute.  Him, having about enough of you using him as a physical punching bag, decided to take matters into his own hands to calm you down.  He grabbed your hand and threw it behind your back, slamming you to the ground while yelling, “Enough.”
You kept trying to kick him, to hurt him more.  You weren’t part of this planet anymore, you just saw red at reliving every shitty moment for the last six years.  Of taking the smacks to the face your boyfriend gave you when he was drunk and you questioned why he had red lipstick stains on his shirt and around his cock as you undressed him from a night out with his friends. What you didn’t know is that it was your sister’s lips that were around him, and not some other woman.  It didn’t make those moments easier, but you always thought that maybe it was just a one night stand, not a five year long relationship behind your back. 
You kept kicking Javi, yelling that you were done with people hurting you, clearly not seeing him anymore. To help calm you down, Javi maneuvered his body so he was sitting on your ass, with your arm behind your back.  Your chest was laying flat on the floor, his chest then tight on your back as he snarled in your ear, “you’re gonna stop this shit, right now, stop trying to hit me.”
“Fuck you David-” you said, not realizing that you called him your ex. 
“I’m not him baby. I never was, nor will I ever be him. So stop calling me David, my name isn’t fucking David.” Javi growled in your ear, leaning harder into you to get you to calm down.
You finally relaxed at hearing Javi speak to you, reminding yourself that he wasn’t your ex. As soon as you relaxed Javi released your arm, but stayed firm against you, hands on both sides of your head as he breathed hard and fast at the fight that you gave him.  It was then that you remembered everything that Javi and you were, everything that you were alone.
Sometimes at night when you couldn’t sleep you’d go back into work and find Javi working alone at his desk.  He’d always come over and ask you why you were showing up at work around midnight on a day where you just placed in 12 hours. Alone the two of you would always find moments where you could be soft with each other.  He’d order you both greasy pizza to eat at night and he’d tease you of picking off all the pepperoni. Nights where you were scared to be home alone, he’d take you back to his house and you’d sleep in his bed when he slept on the couch.  When you got shot several times, after you were discharged home, he’d stay with you in your apartment. He even slept next to you on your bed a few times.  
He also bathed you when you got sick with a fever from the infection of the bullet wounds, and nursed you back to health for several weeks.  If you were being honest, Javi was your best friend when the two of you were alone.  But at work, he was the biggest dickhead.  You were jealous when he started flirting with the new secretary that came in, Phillis, and hated when you saw him at the brothel down the street.  Javi never attempted sex with you, and honestly, it upset you. You wanted him, but apparently he never wanted you.  So at work you took out your frustration the only way you knew how, you became a pain in his ass like he was a pain in yours.
But when Javi didn’t move, continuing to breathe hard in and out, you knew that something had changed.  You went to move your ass and immediately he hissed “don’t” as his hips stayed tight against yours, not moving nor letting you up.  After a moment of submitting to him you heard him ask in a strained voice “are you calm enough for me to move or do we have to keep you like this for a little longer?”
You didn’t know why you felt like saying it out loud, but you didn’t want to play this game of not being honest with him anymore. “I’ve calmed down, but Javi, I’d like it if you stay like this for a little while, hell you can even push deeper into me if you want.” You gave Javi a little wiggle of your ass at his statement.
The air around the two of you changed, thickening with sexual tension. “Shit baby, ya can’t say that to me,'' he said, slightly leaning forward and pushing his crotch tighter to your ass.  You felt him slightly rock back and forth, groaning at the feel of you beneath him.
“Fuck baby,” he said, grinding against your ass with a little bit more force. “Do you feel that?  See, that’s what you fucking do to me woman.” Javi was now rocking harder into you, giving you slow deep thrusts. You could feel his hard outline in his pants as he was seated firmly against you. “This is what you’ve always done to me. I don’t hate you, fuck baby, I like you. I want you. So if you’ll shut up long enough, then maybe you’ll hear me say it.”
You slightly arched your back, pushing up so he could kiss your neck.  When you changed the position both of you moaned loud in unison, feeling his hips slowly grind harder into you. You never remembered feeling this good by just letting a man grind into you, but fuck, Javi was slowly making you feel feral. 
“Javi, I don’t-” you said slowly.
“No,” He growled, not wanting you to tell him to stop.  He couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t hold back. He wanted so desperately to be deep inside of your warm cunt that he was struggling right now to keep his composure. “Fuck hermosa, feel what you do to me.”  
But you were, you felt how much Javi wanted you and you knew how much you wanted him.  You laid there and let him slowly grind his hips into you again until something snapped inside.
“Javi, fuck me,” you said, pushing your ass harded back into him.
Javi immediately stilled his hips at your statement, looking down at you, trying to determine if what you were asking was what he thought.  When he didn’t respond again, you said with a little more bite, “Javi, you gave me a vibrator for all those lonely nights when I don’t have a man’s dick inside of me.  Please, I don’t want to use the vibrator tonight. For once on Valentine’s Day I want a man inside me that fucking cares. If you really care, please give me that.”  
You felt Javi get off from you and walk away, towards the door, rustling around with something.  You laid face down in the middle of your living room, tears welling up in your eyes at being rejected once again.  You hated this fucking holiday, but when you let out a little sniffle you felt his hand cup your chin, turning you to the side. With the softest eyes possible he said, “come on now, no more crying. Now up you go,” as he helped you stand.  Once you were standing he smiled down at you and then gave you a slow tender kiss on the lips.  When he pulled back he held out the black lace panties in front of your face.
“Here, I bought these for you. Now, go and put them on, and let me see them on you.  Then I’m gonna fuck you like you deserve, like a man that’s wanted to be with you from the moment he laid eyes on you. Fuck what you stupid ex did to you last year-”
“And every year before,” you said softly.
Javi’s eyes got impossibly dark, anger and lust mixing with them.  He hated your ex, the man that broke you.  If Javi had to spend the rest of his life showing you that you deserved more, then he would do it.  Fuck his superiors, or anyone else that thought he and you shouldn’t be together. 
“The fact that you say that makes me angry that any man would ever-”
“Forget it Javi, it’s-”
“No. Now pay attention sweetheart, cause I’m only gonna say it once. No man should ever make you feel like this, ever, you hear me? Now, go put them on baby, and let me see you in them. Then, I’m gonna take you to bed and show you how a man is supposed to treat the woman he cares about.”
“Oh, and how’s that Peña, what are you gonna do that makes me forget all the stupid shit other men have done?” You said, playfully nudging Javi and his cockiness that you have found you love.
Javi grabbed you by the hair and tilted your head back while whispering above you, “I’m gonna fuck you so good that you’re gonna forget every man before me, baby.  Then I’m gonna show you how a real man treats the woman he’s crazy over. It’s just you and me, and I’ll remind you of that every night before we go to sleep. There’s no one’s pussy I’d rather be buried in than yours. I only want to be balls deep in you, and not anyone else.”  Javi then slammed his lips onto yours and gave you a kiss like you deserved.  
Maybe you had to have David be in your life and screw you over, because without him, you’d never have met Javier Peña. Javi was a real man that made good on his promises, of being the man that you needed.  Before the night was over, and after you came down from your intense rough sex with him, you found yourself looking into his eyes and seeing the potential for a future once again.  As Javi slowly rocked into you, making slow love at the end, he whispered, “you’re mine cariño, and I’m never letting you go.”  And that was the thing that tipped you both over the edge, moaning each other’s names and kissing each other like you both had just found your future soulmate.
Javi did make good on his promises, he never let you go.
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bratzforchris · 7 months
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Billionaire Baby
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Summary: In which Luke pays off your tuition in full and only asks for one thing in return
Pairing: Sugar daddy and investment banker!Luke x sub!reader
Warnings: Smut, dom/sub dynamics, nonsexual submission, overstimulation, jacuzzi fucking, doggy style, mentions of free use, unprotected p in v, fingering, underage drinking given to reader by Luke, sugar daddy mentions, student (university/18+) x older male relationship, bondage, Luke has an obedience kink, overall really fucking filthy and a bit fluffy ;)
Word Count: 5.1k
A/N: Luke leans more towards boyfriend instead of sugar daddy than I originally planned, but I still adore this work anyway. I put my heart and soul into this piece, so reblogs are much appreciated :)!
DNI under 18
“What the fuck…” You mumbled, scrolling through your email. 
You were sitting in the library, trying to study for your upcoming biochem exam, but failing a bit. You were getting distracted by everything, hence why you were scrolling through your email on your laptop instead of studying. The email was from two hours ago and it was asking you to come to the dean’s office today at three for a meeting. 
You began to panic a bit, wondering why on earth the dean wanted to have a meeting with you. You had never, ever been in trouble academically or ever, for that matter. You were a bit behind on your loan payments, but not so much they were rescinding your admission, right? You cursed when you realized that it was currently two-thirty, and the dean’s office was on the other side of campus. 
Quickly shoving your laptop, books, and stationery into your bookbag, you hurried out of the library that you loved oh-so-dearly. Going to Columbia University had been your dream since second grade, and that day that you saw the main library on your tour in tenth grade just confirmed that this was the school for you. 
You slowed your pace a bit when you got closer to the building, taking a moment to soak in the crisp, fall air and the splotches of autumn that decorated the New York City sidewalks. You pulled your cardigan tighter around yourself and hurried up the steps of the School of Professional Studies. 
“Hi,” You whispered quietly to the lady at the front desk as you signed in. 
“Oh, it’s you,” she said, eyeing you up and down. “You’re a very lucky girl.” she winked. 
You furrowed your brow, wanting to ask what she meant, but not wanting to be rude. You eventually just shook your head and sat down in the lobby while you waited to be called back. This was a huge school, full of children of the rich and famous. She must’ve had you confused with someone else. 
“Y/N Y/L/N?” the dean asked, walking out into the lobby. “Follow me.”
You quickly picked up your backpack and followed him, deep into the building where his office was sat. You struggled a bit to keep up with his long strides, being a bit out of breath when you finally reached his office. 
“Take a seat,” he said not unkindly, opening the door for you. “This will be quick.”
You took a tentative seat on one of the down chairs on the opposite side of the desk, trying to control your breathing. You were afraid your features would show your fear, so you tried to keep your face even. 
“Ms. Y/L/N, you are extremely lucky…” he started. “Your tuition has been paid in full by an anonymous donor, to include everything you will need to complete your undergraduate degree.” he smiled. 
“I’m sorry, what?” You asked, trying to stay polite, but also wanting to know what the fuck was going on. 
“Someone has paid your tuition in full. Do you have any idea who it could be?”
“I…no…” You said, hoping the blush wouldn’t creep onto your cheeks. 
You knew exactly who it was. There was only one person in your life that had that much money. Ivy League schooling wasn’t cheap, after all. You wouldn’t tell the dean who it was, though. That wouldn’t be good for a number of reasons. 
“Enjoy your time here at Columbia, Y/N. You’re free to go.” the dean smiled, nodding towards the door. 
You stood on shaky legs and walked out of the room, trying to process what you had just heard. No more student loan payments, no more living paycheck-to-paycheck, no more working at your shitty fast food job until 2 am. You pulled your phone out of the back pocket of your jeans and typed out a message as you walked out of the building and stood on the steps. 
You: was it you???
Luke: Was what me, darling?
You: you know exactly what i’m talking about
You sighed, deciding to walk the half a block to your favorite cafe while you waited for Luke’s response. Your relationship with the blond was complicated. He wasn’t quite your sugar daddy, but he also wasn’t fully your boyfriend. It was never meant to spiral into a relationship, but Luke made you want more. Being a Columbia graduate himself, you had met him at a philanthropy event last spring. You had shared drinks and dancing, before he took you back to his large penthouse for a hook-up. 
Ever since then, Luke had made it clear that he enjoyed your company. He spoiled you beyond belief, both with material things and with a very active sex life. Being a Wall Street investment banker had given him the attitude that he would take what he wanted, and you were no exception. As much as you were an independent woman in your studies, having Luke in your life took some of the stress away. Going over to his place after a long day of classes, only to receive a mountain of physical affection and usually a gift or two, was just what you needed. 
Just as you finished ordering your chai latte, your phone pinged with a new message. You sat down at a cozy table in the corner and pulled out your laptop while you waited for your coffee, looking over the text. 
Luke: Come over. You’re done with classes for today, right?
Luke: I’ll order dinner. 
You smiled, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen loose from your braid behind your ear. You quickly typed out a message, thumbs flying across the screen. Even as frustrated as you were at the possibility of Luke paying off all of your tuition, you couldn’t help the way your heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing him. 
You: getting coffee, then i will<3
You smiled when Luke typed back three red hearts. He was never one for emojis, mostly because of how professional he was. Every now and then though, you were the lucky one to see that softer, less-professional side of him. As soon as your coffee was placed in your hand, you dashed out the cafe door, walking towards the nearest subway station to catch the train to Luke’s apartment at the southern end of Central Park. 
Your heart was absolutely racing as you got closer and closer to the blond. Luke was unlike anyone you had ever met. He had an almost electric pull on you. Luke bore a striking resemblance to a prince, or maybe a king. The way he commanded his office and then carried that dominance home to you was probably the hottest thing you had ever experienced in your twenty years of life. 
As soon as the subway pulled up to your stop, you were leaping off the train and up the stairs to the sidewalk. As soon as you got out of the tunnel, you couldn’t help but to crane your neck. No matter how many times you came to Luke’s apartment, you couldn’t help but to be in utter awe when you came upon Billionaire’s Row. The sky-high buildings made of glass and steel were highlighted so beautifully by the rest of the city lights. 
You hurried your pace a bit, eager to see Luke inside of one of those penthouse suites. Eventually, you came upon the building that you knew all too well. Walking inside the lobby, the man at the front desk smiled at you, his name tag reading Randy. 
“He’s home,” he smiled. “Right over here.”
“Thanks,” You smiled. “I don’t mind taking the regular elevator, y’know.”
“Oh, please. Take this one.” he unlocked the private elevator that would take you directly to Luke’s apartment. 
“Thank you,” You smiled as the doors began to close when you stepped in. “I’ll see you later?”
“If you leave tonight.” Randy chuckled. 
As soon as you were on your way up, your heart began to flutter faster. You hadn’t seen Luke in a few days because the stock market had been picking up and so had your classes, which made you so beyond eager to be around him once again. The elevator dinged and the doors to Luke’s apartment opened. 
You stepped out onto the plushy, white carpet, looking around for the blond. “Luke?”
“Hey baby,” he hummed, coming out of the kitchen and wrapping you in a hug. “Miss me?”
You giggled when he buried his face in your neck, his stubble scratching your neck. “I did.” You said sweetly. 
As soon as Luke pulled back, you looked up into his deep blue eyes before speaking again. “Luke, were you the ‘anonymous donor’ that paid my tuition?”
“I was. What? I can’t spoil my girl?” he led you into the kitchen, rolling up the sleeves of his white button-down. 
“Luke,” You insisted. “I never said that, but that’s hundreds of thousands of dollars. You don’t need to do that.”
“Watch your mouth, princess.” Luke gave you a stern look as he poured you a glass of Merlot. 
You blushed, shrinking under his gaze. Even when it wasn’t sexual, Luke had a dominant aire about him. Maybe it was because he worked in such a high power industry, or maybe it was just the way he was, but the blond made you want to submit to him, clinging onto his every word. 
“I just want to make sure we’re, y’know, equal. I want to make sure you feel loved, too.”
Luke slid the wine glass across the island to you, where you had taken a seat at the bar. “I don’t need that.”
You snorted. “Contrary to popular belief, you like feeling loved too.” You craned your neck and placed a kiss on his cheek. 
Luke rolled his eyes, walking around the island and wrapping his arms around your midsection. “So you wanna know how you can make me feel appreciated?”
“If you wanna call it that, sure.” You shrugged. 
“You can be my little toy for the next week. You’re free use for me,” he smirked, growling softly in your ear. “You think that’s equal?”
You nodded quickly, knowing Luke was going to take free advantage of the week, but not caring. “I think so.” You giggled. 
“You know I love you, right?” Luke asked. “I don’t want you worrying about your tuition anymore. It’s done, it’s taken care of. You’re going to relax and let me make you feel good, darling.” he hummed, massaging your shoulders. 
You blushed under the subtle dominance of Luke’s words, relaxing into his touch. You nudged your head into Luke’s chest and he chuckled softly, knowing exactly what you wanted. 
“You’re so cute when you need me, baby girl.” he picked you, holding you under the ass and abandoning your wine glass on the counter so he could carry you to his large master bedroom. 
You laid your head on his shoulder, speaking out a soft ‘I love you’. It had been a long day between classes and the stress of the news you’d received and now you just needed Luke to take care of you so you could relax for a little while. 
Luke placed you down on his soft, silken sheets when you reached his bedroom, humming softly. “On your knees, honey.”
You did as he asked, kneeling softly and looking up at your dom with soft doe eyes.  You were practically reeling with relaxation and happiness over Luke’s validation. You watched him softly while he bustled around the room, taking off his watch and getting things ready for the night. 
“Good girl, baby,” Luke praised you. “You’re doing perfect, honey.”
“Thank you.” You said sweetly, knowing Luke enjoyed it when you responded verbally. 
“Go wait in the bathroom for me, honey. I’ll be there soon.” Luke told you, looking at you sternly but speaking softly. 
You scampered off to Luke’s luxurious bathroom, wondering what he had in mind. Usually, he would dom you in bed. You wasted no time on kneeling on the bath mat beside the jacuzzi tub, still fully clothed. If there was one thing you loved to do, it was be Luke’s sub. Something about letting someone else take the reins and guide you, sexually or not, helped you relieve your stress from attending such a demanding university. 
Luke didn’t make you wait long. He came into the bathroom and saw you kneeling, giving you immediate praise. “Look at you, honey. Waiting like a good girl.” he cooed, flashing that million-dollar smile that had been on the cover of Forbes magazine last month. 
You blushed, giggling softly. You could feel yourself slipping into subspace, that floaty feeling taking over your head as Luke fussed over you and took care of you. You leaned into his touch as he ran a hand through your hair, before moving to start the bath water. 
“Nothing like a nice bath to help you relax, right love?” he smirked. “Arms up.”
You did as the blond asked and Luke pulled off your sweater. He left your glasses on, but reached for the button on your jeans. Luke slowly helped you stand up and then pulled your pants and your panties off, trailing little kisses from your collarbone down to your pubic bone. You could feel the way your body had completely relaxed into your subspace, molding like jelly at whatever Luke told you to do. 
The blond fiddled with the settings on the tub, turning on the jets and adding the red lights, which were his absolute favorite. Luke put your favorite, rose-scented bath bomb into the tub before speaking. “Get in the bath, honey.”
You stepped into the large jacuzzi tub, holding Luke’s hand and sinking into the warm, fizzy water. “Thank you.”
Luke smirked, enjoying the way your face was tulip-pink at all the attention being showered on you by him. He wasn’t going to push you today; he had seen the stress lines that had burrowed their way deep onto your face. Besides, you two still needed to have the tuition conversation and he didn’t want you to be totally fucked out for that. Just enough to help you relax. 
“I think you need some entertainment while you’re in the bath, hmm? Wouldn’t want you getting distracted…” he smirked, running his ring-clad pointer finger under your chin. 
You immediately rested your chin on the ledge of the large tub, watching Luke with expectant eyes. He pulled back for a moment, just enough to make sure you were fully paying attention, but not enough to make you panic. Luke began to undo the buttons of his white shirt, smirking at you as he teased you so fucking slowly, ringed fingers pulsing as he worked. 
Letting out a few soft, sensual moans didn’t seem to phase the blond. He simply continued to slowly undress, making sure you were watching the whole time. He wasn’t not not acknowledging you, but he also wasn’t giving you the attention you were oh-so-craving. Finally, Luke came to his gray, Calvin Klein boxers. He slid them off slowly, smirking at you as he did so. 
“Mmmm, want you to dom me, Luke. Please. It’s so big.” You whined. 
“Ahh ahh, we don’t whine, honey. I think you forgot to ask nicely, hmm?” Luke stood towering over you, completely naked, but in all his godlike authority. 
Even in your fuzzy subspace, you could see why all of Luke’s female assistants fawned over him. He looked like something sent straight from Mount Olympus with his blond curls, perfect nose, and regal body type. He had a commanding aura about him, no matter what he was doing, and despite his multiple (yes, multiple) PhDs from different Ivy League universities, it was easy to understand how he did so well in the New York Stock Exchange. 
“Sorry sir,” You whispered out. “Can you please dom me?” You asked in a sultry tone. 
“That’s what I like to hear,” Luke planted a kiss on your head as he stepped into the tub with you. “Good fuckin’ girl.”
You giggled and blushed, still kneeling even in the bath. You kept your eyes trained on Luke, which proved a difficult task from here. Luke’s master bathroom was made up of crystal clear glass windows that allowed for a view of practically the whole city since he lived on the 69th floor.  With the sun starting to fade into a hazy dusk and the lights of the skyscrapers popping on one-by-one, it was hard not to get distracted, but you wanted Luke’s pleasure much more than you wanted to enjoy the view. 
You and Luke sat face-to-face, and he watched your eyes intently, wondering what joys he would unlock tonight. He began to rub your thigh up and down with his hand under the soapy water, keeping his eyes trained on you. 
“Relax, pretty girl,” he whispered. “Just let me take care of you.”
You began to relax under Luke’s touch and gaze, that is, until he began to sneak his fingers closer and closer to your opening. You unconsciously clenched your thighs around Luke’s hand, your nerves sensitive. You began to whimper, wiggling your hips closer to meet his fingers. 
“Oh god.” You whined. 
Luke smirked, running his fingers along your wet slit and trailing it over your clit. He smirked as he did so, scooting closer to you. “I want you to cum all over my fingers, princess. Get all that stressed properly fucked out.”
You moaned, thrusting your hips against Luke’s pulsating fingers. The blond began to make small, raindrop-like pulses on your electric spot, enjoying the view as you squirmed under him, practically riding his fingers. 
“Good girl, honey. Takin’ it like the slutty little school girl that you are.” he coached you. 
Your climax was beginning to build up, and you couldn’t help the moans and whimpers that escaped from your mouth as Luke finger-fucked you. As he tapped near your clit, he used three fingers on the other hand to slowly slide them in and out of your pussy. 
“That’s it, baby. That feel good? Yeah?” he smiled, knowing you were entirely too close to say anything other than small ‘yes’’s and ‘uh huh’’s. 
You were nearly crying as you tried to hold yourself back from clenching and cumming all over Luke’s fingers until he told you to do so. Your sex was absolutely throbbing with the way Luke was touching you, and the warm water from the tub was not making it any easier. 
“Luke,” You nearly screamed out. “Making me need to cum.”
The blond gave one last time of really working up your rhythm, before kissing your chest. “Go ahead and cum for me, baby. Cum all over my fingers.”
You didn’t need to be told twice. You quickly released, and your walls began to clench around Luke’s fingers, coating them in your cum. The blond coached you through your climax, offering lots of praise and compliments. 
“You are so pretty when you cum, princess,” he cooed when you had finished, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Takin’ my fingers like a good girl.”
You blushed under Luke’s words, leaning your head against his shoulder when he pulled you into his bare chest, hand running up and down your side. Luke had an almost intoxicating way of making your orgasms one of the most exhausting, but best, things you did. 
“I think you need one more for good measure. Make sure all that stress is properly fucked out, yeah?” he asked you. 
You quickly nodded, never saying no to Luke pleasuring you. The blond ran his fingers through your hair and down your face and upper body, making sure to keep you fully relaxed in subspace. Because you were essentially sitting on his lap, you could feel Luke’s cock hardening under you and you couldn’t help the blush that spread across your cheeks. 
“Turn around on your knees, honey,” Luke coached, moving you off his lap. “Right over the jet.” 
Doing as Luke asked, you had to bite your lip at the sensation of the rushing water tingling your clit. “Oh.” You moaned. 
The blue-eyed man chuckled, caressing your upper back. “Feels so good, doesn’t it, princess?” he whispered in your ear. 
You nodded, gripping the edge of the tub to keep yourself steady. Luke grabbed his white button-down that he had oh-so-conveniently placed on the tub ledge. He quickly used it to wrap your hands around the faucet. 
“I want to make sure you enjoy this in the right way.”
You moaned at Luke’s erotic words, angling your hips back so that your ass would meet Luke’s boner. He pulled you back by the hips slowly, offering you lots of praise as your body melted like butter in his hands, allowing him to touch where and however. The blond told you to stay on your knees and lean forward into your bond, angling your back, and you whined as you felt the pressure placed on your already sensitive pussy, even without Luke’s dick. 
Luke was practically a sex expert, and he knew your anatomy almost better than you did. That being said, he knew he needed to take you from behind in order to hit your G-spot. Your second orgasm was always faster than the first, and he wanted to make sure that he would get the pleasure of you cumming not only on his fingers, but on his dick as well. 
He slowly straddled you from behind, his hips pushing into your ass, before inserting only his tip into you. The pleasure on the blond’s face was evident as he heard you release tiny moans and pants, already nearly overstimulated, just from an inch of him inside you. 
“Someone’s eager,” he chuckled. “Did studying all day wear you out? Made you nice and needy for my dick, baby?” 
You moaned, nodding your head and straddling against your restraints. “Yes…” You breathed out. “Yes sir.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Good girl.” Luke slid more of his dick inside of you, painstakingly teasing you. 
You pushed your ass further against him, trying to take as much of him into you as possible. Luke was a big fan of doggy style and you had gone through this many times before; Luke didn’t give in to what you wanted right away, but nevertheless, you always tried. You tried desperately to distract yourself by looking out at the scenic cityspace in front of you, but the view was no match for the magic that was Luke. 
“You are so fucking hot when you listen to me, Y/N,” Luke growled, tugging on the ends of your hair slightly. “Obeying just the way you’re supposed to like a good sugar baby.”
You moaned, craning your neck back and arching your back as the jets overstimulated your clit and electric spot and Luke’s dick teased your hole. “Uh huh…oh god, Luke.” You whined. 
Finally, after what felt like forever to you, Luke slammed all eight inches of himself inside of you, bucking his hips so that you could feel his shaft pulsating. He began to ride you at an almost frenzy rhythm, slamming his hips into yours so that the sound of skin hitting skin and jacuzzi water splashing echoed around the room. The blond knew that if people in other high-rises looked hard enough, they could see him riding you doggy-style within an inch of your life. He didn’t care, though. You wanted to act like a good sub that was practically begging with your eyes for a slutty fuck, that’s what you would get. Besides, billionaires were too scandalous themselves to speak about their colleagues’ sex lives. 
“Luke,” You nearly sobbed out, overstimulated by the jets rocking your clit and Luke railing you from behind. “Need to cum.”
Your second orgasm was always faster than your first and you could feel the tight ball building up in your lower stomach, begging to be released. The overstimulation from pressure on your clit and penetration from Luke was having tears running down your cheeks. Luke wasn’t letting up though. He wanted you to be so worn out that you could just relax and let him take care of you. 
“You can cum, honey,” he hummed, fucking into you one last time before slapping your ass. “Cum all over my dick.”
You immediately did as told, crying out and straining against your bond as you released your climax. “Uh uh…feels so good.” You panted out, walls clenching around his cock. 
Luke rubbed your back as you did so, gently guiding you through it. “That’s it. Good girl. Cumming all over my dick.”
You moaned loudly, thoroughly exhausted. “Thank you.”
“Ah ah,” he tutted. “You’re not done yet, baby girl,” Luke slowly untied the shirt that had bonded you. “Turn around.” he huffed coldly. 
You did as he asked, looking up at him through your lashes. He had a smirk on his face, body radiating dominance and power as he lifted your heads above your head and tied them once again to the faucet with the shirt, only this time, you were facing him.
“You really thought you were gonna be done without me getting my pleasure off you?” the blond asked. 
You blushed under his gaze, unconsciously bucking your hips to meet his. “Use me. I love you, so use me.” You panted. 
“Think you need a nice facial to help you relax, hmm sweetie?”
You nodded quickly, knowing what Luke was getting at. “Please.” You said, eyeing his massively-hard boner. 
Luke began to pump himself with his right hand, rings still on. It was probably the hottest thing you’d ever seen, with his head thrown back, blond curls wet and plastered to his forehead, and his muscles bulging as he worked himself. You wiggled in the grasp of his white shirt, moaning loudly. You were beginning to get cold in the water without his body on you and you were making it very clear that you wanted him again. 
“Gonna cum, baby.” he huffed out. 
“Do it. Cum all over me, sir.” You whined in a sultry voice. 
Luke didn’t need to be told twice. He immediately came all over your face, coating your eyes and cheeks in white ropes of cum. 
“God, baby. So pretty.” he said, watching you blink the cum out of your eyelashes as he rode out his high. 
You blushed. “It’s because of you.”
Luke reached for a washcloth in the fine basket beside the large tub and dipped it into the water, slowly wiping your face off with the warm, wet rag. “I love seeing you when you know you belong to me, princess.” he crooned. 
You giggled softly, loving the floaty feeling that was coming from being in your subspace. “Thank you.”
The blue-eyed man continued to wash you off with the cloth, removing the stickiness from your face and body. Luke looked over and realized he had left a crystal champagne flute by the tub the night before. 
“Do you need your hair washed, princess?” he asked. 
You immediately nodded, absolutely loving it when Luke washed your hair. “Please.”
Luke smiled, placing a kiss on your forehead before using the flute as a sort of cup to wet your hair and using his own shampoo (which was vanilla scented, but no one else needed to know) to wash your hair. You melted under his touch, allowing Luke to take full control, directing you to close your eyes and lean your head back so he could wash your hair. 
“All done, honey. Sit in the bath while I dry off.”
His words hardly registered in your brain. The wonderful feeling of being totally fucked out and having someone wash your hair had made you so sleepy. Luke quickly stepped out of the jacuzzi, wrapping a plush, white towel around himself and grabbing his phone from the vanity. The view of you naked, fucked out, in his huge jacuzzi and against the background of crystal-clear glass and the lights of Billionaire’s Row in Manhattan was too pretty for him not to snap a photo of. 
The blond quickly dried himself off and dressed in a pair of cozy gray sweats with no shirt. No matter how much money he made off of Wall Street, that outfit would always be his pajamas. Luke pulled the plug in the tub, lifting you out of the tub easily and wrapping you in a pink towel with your initials monogrammed that you left at his apartment for hookups like tonight. 
“Kneel, honey, so I can dry you off,” he told you. “Good girl.”
You melted under Luke’s touch as he dried you off and lathered you with sweet-smelling lotion. He slipped your red, silken nightie with lace details over your head before picking you up. Being your sugar daddy, he figured it was only fair to spoil you after you had pleasured him so well and that was exactly what he planned on doing. Luke carried you to bed, tucking you in softly. “What are you feeling for dinner, baby?” 
You shrugged, feeling so sleepy and out of it. “You pick.”
“Nope, it’s your night, princess.” he chuckled softly. 
“You already did, well, what you did today with the money and all. Let me order it.” You said, reaching for your phone. 
“No ma’am,” Luke jerked it back. “You’re going to let me spoil you. You have two choices, baby. Seafood or steak.”
“..steak. Thank you.” You blushed. 
Even though you had known Luke since the spring, you were still getting used to the whole “sugar daddy” thing. It was still rather unfamiliar to you to let someone else care for you, especially someone as rich as Luke. The blond easily ordered the food from both his and your favorite Michelin Star restaurant, easily curling up in bed with you after. 
“Thank you for today. For everything. Are you sure it’s okay?” You asked quietly. 
“Princess, I told you. The only thing you owe me is free use of that slutty little body for the next week.” he told you, burying his face into your neck as he spooned you. 
You blushed and giggled softly, pushing yourself further into him. “That sounds good to me. But seriously, thank you. Helping me with my education means more to me than you know.”
“I know. That’s why I did it. Besides, smart girls are hot girls.” he smirked. 
You happily cuddled into Luke’s side, sighing happily. And if Luke spent the rest of the night being beyond soft and caring for you, no one else had to know. 
545 notes · View notes
bellaxgiornata · 8 months
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Bella's Masterlist of Matt Murdock Fics
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Matt Murdock x Fem! Reader Series
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Falling For the Devil [Installment List]
Warnings/tags: 18+; series contains lots of smut, fluff, angst, humor
A very long series/collection of one-shots about a nervous/awkward journalist Reader meeting, falling for, and dating Matt Murdock. Meant to feel like a realistic look into dating Matthew Murdock and all the sweet, vulnerable, sexy, and dark sides that come with him. Reader also gradually gains more confidence in and out of the bedroom as the relationship progresses.
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All These Years [Installment List]
Warnings/tags: 18+ contains angst, emotional hurt, delayed comfort, and eventual smut
You met Matthew Murdock unexpectedly at Columbia University and you couldn't deny that there was an instant attraction–for you. But for Matt, you became as close of a friend to him as Foggy did. As the years pass by, your feelings only grow for your best friend, but all you can do is watch as he dates and sleeps with every other woman on campus and eventually in New York City but you.
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Seeking Forgiveness [Installment List]
Warnings/tags: 18+ contains angst, emotional hurt, delayed comfort, pregnant Reader
Matt always made protecting Hell's Kitchen his priority, you knew that when you'd begun dating him. What you hadn't expected was just how much he'd eventually make it a priority over you, breaking promise after promise to spend his time with you. But when you unexpectedly discover that you're pregnant and Matt yet again breaks a promise to you, the pair of you end up in a fight that ends the relationship before you can even break the news. Though when he later learns the truth, Matt becomes hell bent on seeking your forgiveness.
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The Devil at Your Window [Installment List]
Warnings/tags: 18+; fluff, flirting, sexual tension, light angst, pining, eventual smut, identity reveal, and lots of black suit Matty
In the middle of a New York City blizzard, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen accidentally lands himself on your fire escape–quite literally. When he accepts your invitation to warm up inside your apartment, you're surprised at how well the conversation flows all night with the curious and attractive masked vigilante. He's intriguing, though what you find even more intriguing is his unexpected returns to your window after that night–and his flirting. But when it seems like you're not the only one beginning to develop real feelings, he pulls back and you're left wondering two things: Why did he disappear and who really is the mysterious Devil that you've inevitably fallen for?
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Break the Tension [Chapter List]
Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader
Warnings/tags: 18+; Enemies to lovers, sexual tension, smut, semi public sex
When Marci first asked you to be the Maid of Honor at her and Foggy’s wedding, you'd already been forewarned that your old college rival from Columbia, Matthew Murdock, would be Foggy’s Best Man. And while you'd expected a long weekend filled with tension between the pair of you, you hadn't anticipated all of the sexual tension–or the sex.
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Borrowed Time [Installment List]
Warnings/tags: 18+; heavy angst, no happy ending, violence, death DEAD DOVE (possibly more warnings to come)
While walking home after your night shift at Metro-General Hospital, you meet the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen by chance when he saves you. Surprisingly, he continues to escort you on your walks home most nights after your shift ends and you offer him medical assistance in return. Eventually a relationship grows between you both, unexpected but strong. Though everything changes one night on your walk home from work when things don't go as usual.
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Keep Coming Back to You [Chapter List]
Warnings/tags: 18+ contains smut, angst, horror, multiverse travel, friends to lovers to enemies than back to lovers
Serena McKenna–that was the name you’d given yourself years ago. There was no point going by your real name, not when you’d lost your old life long ago. It’s not like you belonged anywhere, either. Not when you constantly traveled the multiverse–or rather you hid in the multiverse. From them. You’d been on the run ever since they’d learned of your existence, back when you’d been trapped on the hellish world of Nightmare 1, the place you’d spent years perfecting the control over your emotions just to avoid being pulled there against your will again.
Then one day you met him. Matthew Murdock. The only person you’d ever let get close enough to love, and the one who inevitably broke your heart. But for some damn reason you kept finding yourself right back in his path no matter how far you tried to run.
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You've Been Gone So Long, Baby [Chapter List] 《Completed Series》
Warnings/tags: 18+ contains heavy angst, delayed comfort, pregnant Reader
Matt had never let anyone so deep into his life until you. But when everything was going so perfectly, when he didn't think he could possibly be happier, he loses everything he loves in a single second–and he's absolutely powerless to fix it.
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Holding on to You {UPCOMING SERIES}
Warnings/tags: 18+; angst, hurt/comfort, mutual pining, friends to lovers, violence/attempted sexual assault, depression, alcohol use, eventual smut
In the continuing search for your missing brother, you move to Hell’s Kitchen and hire a private investigator–Jessica Jones. Unemployed in a new city, Jessica recommends you for an office manager position that opened up at her friend’s law firm: Nelson, Murdock, & Page. It isn’t long before you form an ill-advised crush on your boss, Matt Murdock, but he seems more interested in his associate Karen Page. Or he was, until one day both Karen and Foggy disappear along with half the population. While Matt continues to hold on tight to the law firm, he keeps you firmly at arm’s length. But while you grow closer to Jessica, spending evenings drinking away your pain with her, the infamous Daredevil seems oddly determined to keep you close.
Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader/Frank Castle xFem!Reader Series
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Jealousy [Installment List]{Coming Soon}
Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Fitness Instructor!Reader and Frank Castle x Fem!Fitness Instructor!Reader
Warnings/tags: 18+; Sexual tension, flirting, lust/love triangle, friends with benefits, smut, jealous Matt and Frank
Your days are spent training members of Fogwell’s Gym as well as keeping the place running for your elderly uncle. Though if you were being honest, your favorite part of working at Fogwell's had always been the handsome man who'd long ago struck a deal with your uncle to use the gym after hours. Despite his constant denial, you'd quickly figured out that he was Daredevil. While the pair of you had often flirted during his late night visits when you were still around, nothing more had ever happened between you two. Until one day he shows up with a very attractive friend and everything changes. You soon find yourself the center of both their attentions and unable to choose either one. But what's wrong with a little competition among friends?
Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader One Shots & Shorts
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As Luck Would Have It {Coming Soon} [1] [2]
Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader
Warnings/tags: Humor and fluff
Stressed out while working on a deadend case at Nelson, Murdock, and Page, Matt isn't too thrilled when Foggy interrupts and asks him for a favor. Despite his annoyance at another task being added to his list of things to do, Matt is shocked when the potential client Foggy asks him to call turns out to be a wrong number. What's even more surprising is how much Matt enjoys chatting with the woman on the other end of the line.
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Acquaintances
Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader
Warnings/tags: 18+; bit of light angst, running into exes, brief fluff, and a hopeful ending
He was once the love of your life in college–someone you'd been planning a future with–but seeing him now, he felt just like a past acquaintance in a bar.
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If We're Being Honest [1] [2]
Warnings/Tags: Angst with a happy ending, confession of feelings, delayed comfort, anxious Reader
Already having an awful week, you're a bit out of it while at Josie's with your friends, too busy sulking and drinking down your feelings to keep up with conversation. The sight of Matt wandering off with a beautiful woman yet again certainly doesn't help. But when you stay behind by yourself to finish your drink and wallow a bit more, you're surprised when Matt reappears and offers to let you stay the night at his place. Eventually, the night takes a turn you weren't anticipating.
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Right Here, Right Now
Warnings/tags: 18+; smut, public fingering, and Matt being a little shit along with his filthy mouth also deserves a warning
Matt had been working hard on a case for over a month now, meaning the two of you had barely seen each other in weeks. After he, Foggy, and Karen finally have their win in court, he invites you out to Josie's to celebrate with them. Though it soon becomes apparent to you that he has something in particular on his mind tonight.
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Distracted
Warnings/tags: sweet fluff, hurt/comfort
Matt has meditated around you many times before, and every time you've always had the urge to sit in his lap and see how he'd react. So, this time you do.
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Stop, Just Breathe
Warnings/tags: panic attack, emotional hurt/comfort, light angst, fluff & a soft Matty, Matt POV
When Matt returns home from work, he finds you on the verge of a panic attack and quickly tries to calm you back down.
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Under the Weather
Warnings/tags: 18+; Nothing but fluff and a stubborn, flirty Devil
Despite the fact that he's coming down with a cold, Matt refuses to heed your advice on staying inside instead of running around Hell's Kitchen in the freezing autumn rain. In the morning, you're left with an even sicker, more stubborn Devil.
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Underneath the Mistletoe
Warnings/Tags: Nothing but holiday fluff and first kisses
Tired of enduring the obvious pining between you and Matt, Foggy and Karen plan a way to get you and Matt to admit your feelings - or at least to kiss.
Matt Murdock x OFC Series
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Life Worth Living [Chapter List]
Warnings/tags: 18+ contains fluff, angst, violence, PTSD, smut; also contains our beloved Defenders and lots of plot twists
When Olivia Allen moves to Hell's Kitchen hoping to start over in a new city, she doesn't expect to form a crush on her charming and persistent neighbor, Matt Murdock. Plagued by her past and desperate to be "normal," Olivia must come to terms with who she is in order to protect the life she fought hard to build. But as she eventually learns, her powerful and dangerous ex-boyfriend isn't the only one she needs to worry about. After all, there's secrets about herself even she never knew...
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Caught in the Undertow [Chapter List]
Warnings/tags: 18+ contains fluff, angst, domestic violence, PTSD, smut
Eight months ago Emily Diehl moved from Hell’s Kitchen to the Upper West Side as her wedding photography business successfully took off. But between her recent, traumatic break up with an ex who won't leave her alone and her increased workload, she's lost touch with her friends, family, and herself. Struggling through grief and depression, Emily ends up confiding in one of her best friend's and former crush along with her old neighborhood's mysterious vigilante, Daredevil–though Emily doesn't realize the two are one in the same. Every day she is left wondering what it will take to find herself again. And as she slowly finds her way back, she's beginning to wonder just why Daredevil cares so much...
551 notes · View notes
redclercs · 10 months
Text
DELICATE✰ CHARLES LECLERC.
xii. oh no, i’m falling in love again.
— the one where he changes your ticket home.
“𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘺𝘦𝘴. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰.” ― 𝘎𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘭 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘤í𝘢 𝘔á𝘳𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘻, 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢.
warnings: this is fiction so we're going to ignore everything that doesn't adjust to our real world timeline, okay? okay. ft. timothée chalamet, paris inaccuracies, alcohol consumption. 3.4k words (+articles!)
currently playing: labyrinth by taylor swift!
also the song referenced in the first article is this one.
masterlist ✢ next
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by Alan Gomez
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After months of awaiting its release, Aidan Kim has graced us with the first single of his upcoming album “MIRRORS”.
The first song off the album, called “In Your Pocket” was released last Friday august 4th, and reached its peak at #7 in the billboard 100. The track, in which Aidan participated both as a lyricist and producer, talks about a dying relationship thanks to the girl being a cheater and protecting the evidence by not showing her cellphone to her counterpart.
With a constant “show me yours, I’ll show you mine,” and “it should be really easy if you have nothing to hide” Kim depicts what could be his personal experience with ex-girlfriend y/n y/ln, who was accused of cheating with a Formula 1 pilot last May.
The album expects its release in October 5th.
SEE ALSO:
→ Victoria Presley takes a break from social media: "My free speech is being disrespected."
→ Who did Aidan Kim date before y/n y/ln?
→ Mia Kim loses role on Netflix's Heartstopper.
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By Beatrice Mann
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With the release of his first single, Aidan Kim keeps pushing the same old narrative that he got cheated on by his ex-girlfriend actress y/n y/ln.
The thing is, there is absolutely not proof of this to be true. y/n herself has said that despite everything going on in her relationship with Aidan Kim, cheating never crossed her mind. Plus, the allegations that involved Formula 1 driver, Charles Leclerc have been debunked by the monegasque himself saying he had “the pleasure of meeting y/n” in April.
Aidan Kim is manipulating the narrative to make himself look as the one who was blindsided, however no one is holding these facts against him, when it’s clear lying has never been past him.
Even Joel Austin who spent most of the 2010’s working with Aidan Kim in Star-5 has called him “deceitful” and “jealous”.
It is extremely harmful that, despite y/n refusing to say Aidan Kim’s name in public and choosing to only refer to him as “my former partner”, Aidan can’t keep her name out of his mouth to save his life. Tell me Aidan, who really is freeloading of the other one’s fame?
SEE ALSO:
→ Former Star-5 staff says Aidan Kim played a key part in the group's disbandment.
→ y/n y/ln looks radiant leaving Columbia Pictures HQ.
→ Swifties prove they're #TeamYN with new trend praising the actress.
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August 15th, Paris, France.
Laughter fills your hotel suite, you're stumbling around the room barefoot, in an attempt to dance to ABBA's 'Dancing Queen' while Matilde takes pictures with a disposable camera and holds her aching middle.
You're supposed to be getting ready for a Fashion Show happening in an hour and a half, one both Matilde and you got invited as guests for Dior. Your outfits are hanging by the door to the suite, away from the mess you've made with spilled champagne and a half-eaten fruit platter.
It's the first time in days that the lyrics to 'In Your Pocket' aren't playing in the back of your mind as you try to go on with your day. Being with Mati always helps you forget the outside world, even for a little while.
The music fades as you pose in the middle of the room and Matilde snaps a picture that leaves you seeing stars for the following seconds.
"Okay, let's get serious now," you say through a chortle. "We need to be ready!"
These public appearances are becoming increasingly important for you, they are the few chances you get to show everyone that you are still likable enough to get invited to events and therefore, not an awful person at all. Although actual awful people get invited too, you're hoping to give the opposite impression.
Your styling team will be getting there in ten minutes, assuming you're showered and ready and not in pajama shorts and your hair in a bun on the top of your head.
"Fine!" Matilde takes a deep breath, soothing her laughter before giggling again. "Go on, take a shower and I'll pick our stuff up."
"Thank you!"
You make a stop before running to the bathroom. Your cellphone rests on top of your bed, facing down. A text from Charles pops up as soon as you lift the phone, the screen unlocking with your face. It's a simple 'see you later, soleil' that has you smiling like an idiot against your will.
"What's that?" Matilde wonders, picking runaway crushed grapes from the marble floor. She knows exactly what it is that's got you smiling like that, you spilled everything last night, when you were drunk on red wine.
Your stupid little crush on Charles isn't your best kept secret anymore, but there is no one you trust more than Matilde to keep it with you.
Surprisingly, despite her initial warning, Matilde didn't judge you at all as you hiccuped and whined about how good Charles looked at the wedding and how unfair it was that you felt butterflies every time you thought of him.
The butterflies didn't last long, though, supplanted by worms of anxiety. Falling in love was not a conscious decision, no matter how much you wish it would be otherwise. And it was so frightening. Falling felt like flying, until you ended up crushed on the ground.
“Nothing,” you say, locking the phone again.
“Huh,” Mati is holding back a smile, wiping the stickiness from her hands on her pajama top. “Weird.”
You smile at her, a sheepish ‘I’ve been caught’ smile that finally makes Mati herself grin. You’re glad she didn’t repeat her “you don’t wanna do that” sermon, although maybe it would have helped you make your mind up about whether you want to explore your feelings or throw dirt on them to extinguish the fire.
Maybe you just have to get through one day at a time, if there's anything you've learnt since your downfall began is that the future is unpredictable. You wish you had a crystal ball, though.
─────────
It's at the After Party that you actually get five minutes alone with him, or as alone as you possibly can in Le Carmen, surrounded by half-drunk people and loud music blasting.
"Here, soleil," Charles hands you the Vodka Soda you ordered, before taking his whiskey. It makes you remember the smell of his breath, so close to your neck, while you danced at the wedding.
You take a sip of your drink before Charles can clink his glass to yours, and he just laughs as embarrassment fills you. "Sorry."
He looks impeccable in his tailored suit and with his hair slicked back. Your hands are sweating and you try not to let it show how nervous you suddenly feel, this isn't you. Not around Charles, anyway.
"It's okay," he says, sipping his drink too, a smile still on his lips.
Red lights flash on your faces as you try your best to hold a conversation about the fashion show. Charles was a guest for Armani, and had to sit exactly opposite to you facing the runway.
"Hey! y/n!" someone is grabbing the upper part of your arm before you have even turned around.
"Oh, hi!"
You saw Timothée around a couple times tonight, but with his popular kid aura, all he'd done was greet you with a smile and a wave before disappearing through the crowd with a drink in his hand. To be honest, after what you'd said about him on your Youtube video you felt a little shy, but he never seemed to remember or mind your comments, he said he was on your side once or twice, even.
"How's it going?" he asks, his hand has left your shoulder and dropped to his side, but you notice the way Charles' eyes follow it. "Also, nice to meet you," he offers the same hand to Charles who takes it immediately, giving it a strong squeeze.
"C'est mon plaisir," is all Charles responds.
"All good," you half-sigh. Stress is a normal part of your life now, but it doesn't mean you're okay with it. "You?"
Timmy shrugs, imitating your response before drinking from his glass. "Just wanted to say hi, i'll see you soon, yes?"
"Hopefully?"
The exchange can only mean one thing. He has gotten the call.
Your little trip to Los Angeles was for a chemistry read at Columbia Pictures with Timothée for Greta Gerwig's new version of Little Women. It's the furthest you've gotten all year to landing a role and just thinking of it has the vodka churning in your stomach.
Charles watches the conversation with his brows furrowed, gripping the whiskey glass tightly. You give him a smile that he doesn't return before downing his drink.
"I'm sure I'll see you," Timmy is smiling again and his long fingers squeeze your bare shoulder once more. "Exciting, right?"
"Oh, you have no idea," you finish your vodka soda and immediately regret it. The alcohol is going to go straight to your head if you don't slow down.
"What are we talking about?" Charles questions, finally done with being the outsider, and letting his annoyance get the best of his manners.
Timothée and you open your mouths at the same time, but before words can come out, someone is dragging your could-be-costar away not caring at all that he's busy, and all he does is say a quick 'sorry' and 'bye'.
Awkwardness falls between Charles and you as you stare at your shoes, then his, and finally look up at his face, the lights have changed to blue and green and hide the color of his eyes.
"Want to get some air?" you suggest, "I'll tell you all about that." you signal to where Timothée disappeared with your head and bite your lower lip. Charles' expression softens and he nods, following you out as people woo for Rihanna's 'We Found Love'.
You take a deep breath once you're out of the club, the air is warm and pleasant. Charles observes you, leaning against the wall of the building. The back is empty, albeit a little creepy, but you don't mind. It's quiet and you're alone with Charles. Okay, maybe that you mind a little. When did you forget how to act around him?
"So," you begin, standing in front of him. Charles' demeanor is still mildly off-putting and you know you'd be the same had you been excluded in the way you did to him. "It's not a big deal, really. I haven't told anyone because, well, you know how things are right now and, yeah..."
Charles raises both eyebrows, his lips form a thin line briefly, before he switches to a good attempt at being neutral.
"I auditioned for a movie, Little Women, and finally got a callback. We had a chemistry reading a couple weeks ago," you explain quickly, rubbing your forehead in an anxious gesture. "His 'see you soon' is just wishing me luck, he's already got the role."
"Soleil, that's wonderful," Charles pushes himself off the wall, holding both your shoulders with his warm hands. "Why didn't you tell me?"
You shrug, making his palms slide to your biceps. "I didn't want to die of embarrassment when I didn't get the role. Which I can still do, by the way. Die, I mean."
Charles laughs, and you break into a smile too. "Seriously, Charles."
"You're not dying of embarrassment, not on my watch," he squeezes your shoulders. "I'm so proud of you."
"I'm sorry that you felt left out back there," you apologize, and it takes more than a little effort not to look away from his eyes. "It was really rude."
Charles shrugs—all nonchalant—as if he wasn't about to crush a whiskey glass with one hand just ten minutes ago. "That's okay, soleil. You can keep your secrets."
"You can keeps yours too," you joke, and it's like the air shifts around you. Heavy with secrets and unspoken words.
Charles lets go of you then, taking a step back. "I don't want to keep secrets from you, y/n."
Your heart wants to jump out of your chest, and the knot in your stomach tightens so much it turns heavy. You cannot say that you don't want that either, because keeping this secret from him is self-preservation.
It's not the time to think about him, and you hate yourself for it, but when Aidan's face flashes through your mind you're filled with fear. And you hate him more than you could possibly loathe yourself. Because he's made you afraid of falling in love.
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You plan to meet up with Charles for brunch the next day. You ignore Mati's chants of 'It's a date!' all morning as you move around your shared suite, trying to pick out the perfect outfit, excusing the indecision with how 'unpredictable' the weather is. Although it's been mild for the past fourteen days.
The flight you're taking back to New York with Matilde leaves the next day, and you're carrying the dread of packing the mess you've left at the hotel. The press has been right about one thing only that involves you or your friends, Matilde is going back to Broadway and since your home is finally just yours again, you offered it to her while she figures her stuff out.
"y/n, chill, okay?" Mati is lying on her unmade bed, holding her phone above her face. "Your packing will be done just in time, just worry about your date."
"It's not a date," you repeat, running the brush up and down your cheeks again, painting them a glowy peach. "Is it?"
Mati rolls her eyes, and before she can turn to face you, she drops her phone right on her face. "God damnit!"
You burst out laughing before you can help it, but still leave your chair to check on Matilde. "Are you okay?"
She rubs her nose, tears in the corner of her eyes. "Never better,"
"You'll be fine," you assure, blood doesn't come out and the redness is probably just from her incessant rubbing. "Be careful next time."
"Sure mom," Mati rolls her eyes again and sits up on the bed. "Oh, loving the makeup!"
"Thank you," you stare at your reflection in the mirror for thirty seconds straight, urging your eyes to find a flaw. Is the line on your eyelid crooked? Are your teeth stained pink? Maybe you should have chosen another shade for your blush.
"y/n," Mati is still pinching the bridge of her nose and you feel really sorry for laughing. "You look beautiful, okay? Stop looking at yourself like that."
You flashback to a time Victoria told you maybe you should just 'stick to what suited you' when you tried a shorter haircut.
"Thank you, Mati," you take your eyes away from yourself. "Sorry for laughing, are you sure you're okay?"
Mati nods, showing you her clean palm. "This has happened to me more times than I care to admit."
You giggle, running your fingers through your hair one last time. "I promise I'll finish packing as soon as I get back."
"Can you just focus on one thing at a time?" Mati picks a stray hair from your forehead and puts it back in place. "If Charles doesn't tell you how beautiful you look, I will kick his ass, by the way."
You laugh, but you hope he will actually think so.
You get a déjà vu feeling when you get to the restaurant and Charles is already there, tapping his foot on the white linoleum and fixing his empty cup on the little plate.
"Am I late again?" you ask after the host leads you to his table. You're smiling and your cheeks are about to protest in pain.
"I'm just too early, again," Charles gets up to pull your chair, and you hold your breath as he kisses your cheek before moving on to the next task. "You look gorgeous, soleil."
At least Mati won't have to kick his ass.
"Thank you Charlie," you beam wider, enjoying the moment of satisfaction before anxiety presents itself. "You look very handsome."
His beige shirt and glasses aren't otherwordly on a normal basis, but you love the way they look on him. And you're proud of yourself for being able to return the compliment for the first time.
Lunch goes by smoothly as you recap last night's party, the good, the bad and the ugly. You spent the rest of the night dancing with him and Mati, and doing your best to stay away from the vodka to soothe your nerves. You even saw Timmy again before he left, and he wished you good luck in his own strange way before saying goodbye in slurred French to Charles and you.
"So, what are you plans for the rest of the break?" you're on your third cup of coffee, not your best idea, really.
There's around twelve days left before Charles has to go back to racing.
"Maybe taking a trip, spending a few days at home too. I just want to rest."
You nod. As an actress sometimes you have to travel a lot, but it can't compare to the way he's always away from home, you just got the tiniest taste as an Elix ambassador.
"Sounds like a great plan, Charlie,"
It's like Charles is always inviting you to join him in anything he plans to do, and this is not the exception, as the words that come out of his mouth next are: "Do you want to come with me?"
“Come where?” You laugh, to be honest, most of the time you think his offers just come out of being polite. Like when you offer someone a piece of your food and you secretly hope they’ll say no.
But Charles is always authentic when it comes to his offers, especially to you. “Anywhere you want,” he smiles, his eyes become small behind his glasses. “Have you ever been to Greece?”
You can’t help but throw your head back and laugh. “Seriously?”
Charles nods, semblance unchanged. He is smiling but he isn’t joking at all. “Italy? though you know that already thanks to Matilde. Carlos says Tenerife is beautiful.”
“Why?” You gulp, your right hand is gripping your thigh under the table, anxious.
“I want to go with you,” Charles admits, and it’s the first time his calmness falters, just for a split second. “I like being with you.”
The line between what you two are and what you’re not is blurring again, and you’re uncertain as to which side it’s the one you want to choose to remain at, although you’re sure which is the safest.
“Why?” You repeat, your tongue is sandpaper in your mouth. You want to hear him say it, and you dread it all the same.
“Because I like you, y/n. I like you a lot, and I want to be with you.” Charles doesn’t skip a beat and the juxtaposition between how soothing his words are and how nervous they make you, has your head spinning. Sure, it’s not the first time he tells you he likes you. But you know this is different. "Why don't we hang out before you get busy with filming?"
You scoff. "Oh you do have a lot of faith in me, don't you?"
Charles frowns, always disliking every time you self-deprecate. "Yes, and so should you. I'm sure you're getting that role."
"Right," you sigh, annoyed at yourself for going straight down the self-hate line in front of him. Though it's not like he hasn't witnessed it before.
"So?" Charles jumps back to the previous topic swiftly, "Where should we go?"
"I have to go back to New York, though," you wince, your excitement and anxiety dying at once. "I made a promise to Mati."
Charles is unable to hide his disappointment as he looks down at the table. He's unsure of how much longer he can keep playing this game where he's okay with being just friends with you although it's clear you keep crossing each other's lines and taking a step back every time it gets too real. And he promised himself he'd be patient, because what he feels for you is real. But the pain he feels every time you find a polite way to reject him is also very real.
"I understand," he assures, smiling.
"Thank you, Charlie. I'd love to go with you, though."
It's the first time Charles isn't sure you're not lying to him.
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"Are you actually out of your mind?" Mati gasps, her fork clanking against the plate as she lets it go. "Why did you say no?"
"H-How was I supposed to say yes?" you mutter, directing an apolegetic look to the rest of the customers Mati has startled.
"y/n my beloved, you just had to say yes, just like that. "Yes Charles, I'd love to go" finito."
"Right, you make it sound so easy."
Mati softens then, drinking from her sparkling water to gain some time. "Did you want to go with him?"
You find yourself nodding.
"Then why did you say no?"
"We have to go back to New York, Mati, I couldn't leave you hanging."
"First of all," Mati's accent comes out with her slight exasperation. "I can stay at a hotel, y/n. It's not the end of the world. Or you could always give me a key, you know," she raises both eyebrows, and it makes you laugh. "Why don't you put yourself first, y/n?"
This refers to pretty much everything going on in your life for the past 6 months. But the one time you put yourself first meant the beginning of the end.
"I'm scared," you whisper, avoiding Mati's eyes.
"I know," Matilde reaches for your hand and gives it a soft squeeze. "But you deserve to be happy, inspite of the fear. Maybe Charles can add on to your happiness. How will you find out if you don't even let yourself try?"
You know you cannot keep letting fear control your actions and stop you from getting what you want. You've done that enough, it wasn't patience that stopped you from speaking up for yourself all that time while Aidan and Victoria ran you through the dirt. It was fear.
"Could you excuse me while I make a phone call?"
Mati just cackles in response.
─────────
The prickle on the back of your neck has returned, and you're trying to get more air into your lungs while you wait for Charles to pick up the phone.
"Allo?"
"Hi Charlie," you breathe, failing at hiding your anxiety.
"Hello, soleil," you can hear the smile in his voice, "Are you okay?"
"Um, yes. I just wanted to ask you something."
"Go ahead,"
"So um, is it too late to join your trip?" you speak too fast, but you barely have time to wonder whether Charles understood, because he lets out a short, breathy laugh that's filled with relief.
"It's never too late to change your mind. Can New York really wait, though?" Charles fears he's said too much, or that he sounds sarcastic enough to make you regret taking the initiative.
"New York will be there, and so will Matilde," you laugh.
"Let's change your ticket, then, soleil."
You're still falling. You're still afraid. But you're going headfirst.
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─── team principal radio: ❝it's finally here! thank you for reading! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. please let me know what you think, i appreciate all of your interactions with delicate so much! if you're a ghost reader, don't be afraid to interact too. we're all very nice here❞
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fortheloveofwonderland · 11 months
Text
My Reply | S.R
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This one was a request from the lovely @reidsaurora-replies for my milestone celebration which got wildly out of hand. I think I damn near used every lyric of the song in this one. Also, Maeve does not exist in this universe. I felt like his phone calls with her were too similar to the letters with reader and not needed
Summary - Spencer writes his deepest tragedies down on paper for his pen pal. After ten years of exchanging letters and some divine intervention from JJ, the two of you finally come face to face.
CW - this one covers most of Spencer’s canon storylines including Tobis Hankel and his drug addiction, his moms illness, his fathers abandonment, getting shot in the knee, his headaches, Emily’s “death”, prison arc, Mr Scratch and Emily’s kidnapping, angst, interfering friends, lots of literary quotes.
WC - 6.3k
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Making friends was always something Spencer Reid had been inherently bad at. He was always too young or too smart which always seemed to put people off of forming friendships with him. 
When he joined the BAU, his team called themselves his friends. But Spencer knew if he’d met any of them outside of work he would have nothing in common with them. 
They were simply friends by proximity, which admittedly was better than having no friends at all. But he couldn’t talk to them about everything, afraid to scare them away with talk of his mothers illness or his fathers abandonment. 
And sometimes he just needed to talk to someone. 
It was Garcia’s idea that he sign up for a pen pal. When she found out about his mom during the course of the fisher king case, he’d confessed that he didn’t feel comfortable talking to the team about such things. 
At first she’d actually suggested talking to someone online, she had many online friends who she talked to in various chat rooms. But after almost an hour of trying to explain that to the technophobe doctor and getting little more than a deep frown in response, she changed tact. 
A pen pal appealed to Spencer greatly. He already wrote daily letters to his mom and found it somewhat cathartic, getting his thoughts down on the page, but he never bothered her with the darker stuff. 
The idea of a faceless person he’d never meet reading his deepest, darkest thoughts was actually intriguing to him. And so with the help of Penelope he found himself a pen pal. 
In his first letter he’d just introduced the basics, his name and age, what he did for a living and that he lived in DC. 
He went on to explain how hard he found it to make friends and the difficulties of talking to his already established friends about the darker parts of his life. He ended the letter with a quote from To Kill a Mockingbird.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” - Harper Lee.
He received a reply little over a week later. 
Your name was Y/N and you were twenty two, three years younger than him and a grad student at Columbia University. You told him you would be happy to read whatever he sent you, that you were more than willing for him to write to you about the things he didn’t tell his friends. 
You signed off with a quote of your own quote from the book Infinite Jest.
“You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realise how seldom they do.” - David Foster Wallace. 
And so he did just as you said and he wrote another letter. 
His second letter to you was five pages long. He went into great detail about his mothers illness, how he’d been left to deal with it alone at ten years old. He wrote about how he’d made the decision at eighteen years old to have her committed to a sanitarium. 
He told you about growing up as a child prodigy in Las Vegas and how hard that was. You were the first person he ever told about Alexa Lisbon and being tied naked to a flagpole. 
He spoke about the events surrounding Elle leaving the team and how it didn’t feel complete without her. 
He ended the letter by apologising profusely that he’d wasted your time with his long winded rambles and said he hoped to hear from you soon and scrawled a quote from The Great Gatsby.
“The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald.
He said he would understand if you didn’t reply. But you did. 
The letter took two weeks to arrive and you explained that it was because you wanted to really process his words and give each and every one of them the time they deserved. He read the last few lines of your letter over and over again in a loop even though they were etched into his memory after only one glance.
I wish there was something I could say, to erase each and every page you've been through,
even though it's not my place to save you. 
“When I get lonely these days, I think: so be lonely. Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience. But never again use another person’s body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilled yearnings.” - Elizabeth Gilbert - Eat, Pray, Love. 
He wasn’t familiar with the book and so he’d gone out and brought it and read it cover to cover within an hour. 
Reading your letter made Spencer feel understood for the first time in his young life. You didn’t pass judgement on him. Spencer found that between the pages of your letters he found a kindred spirit. 
The letters continued back and forth for several months until one day you didn’t receive a reply. His last letter had been penned to you on route to a case in Atlanta, which you’d responded to the day you received it. But there was radio silence from Spencer. 
You shouldn’t have been as worried as you were, but you couldn’t help yourself. His letters had become such a huge part of your world, often rereading them hundreds of times just to make sure you didn’t miss any little nuance on the page. 
His handwriting was ingrained within you, his scrawly, sometimes barely legible penmanship danced behind your eyelids every time you closed your eyes. His letters had rapidly become the best part of any day. And for over a year you didn’t receive a reply. 
After a while you’d stopped holding out hope every time you collected your mail. Eventually you gave up ever expecting to hear from him again. Maybe he didn’t need you anymore. Perhaps he’d made a real life friend, maybe even a girlfriend and you’d been rendered ineffective. 
But then little over a year after you sent your last letter, you found an envelope in your mail slot with the familiar handwriting you adored so much and the DC postmark. 
Y/N,
I don’t really have any excuses, all I can say is I’m sorry. I have written you fifty three letters over the course of the last year but never mailed a single one. They are piled up on my desk, addressed and even stamped, but I couldn’t bring myself to mail them. 
I’ve been struggling, I can’t lie to you. I can’t even lie to you through a letter and tell you I’ve been fine because I haven’t. I think you would see through my prose, know that I wasn’t being truthful. And you’ve never given me a reason to be anything but honest with you.
The case in Atlanta was one of the hardest I’ve ever worked. I’m not going to beat around the bush, I’m just going to tell what happened and hopefully this letter will end up with you and not in the pile on my desk. 
I was kidnapped by the man we were hunting down. I spent two days tied to a chair being beaten within an inch of my life but a man with multiple personalities. In fact, that’s not strictly true. I wasn’t beaten within an inch of my life; one of the personas killed me. 
I’m not entirely sure how long I was technically dead before he revived me but obviously not long enough to cause permanent neurological damage. Irreversible brain damage occurs after four minutes without oxygen so it stands to reason it was less than four minutes. 
But during that time, my life flashed before my eyes, including every single word of every single one of your letters. 
One of the alter’s drugged me in his own way of trying to save me. Drugging me was supposed to help with the pain, both mental and physical. I fought it at first, desperate for him not to stick that needle in my vein. But after that first hit, I stopped resisting. 
I think you can probably already see where this is going. You’re incredibly smart and you seem to know me so well. After I shot Tobias Hankel dead I took three vials of dilaudid from his corpse. 
I should have prefaced this by saying I am now ten months sober, and offered up the good news first. But there were several months that I continued using the drug in secret, hoping it would aid in erasing the memories of it all. 
It took a case in New Orleans in which I met up with an old friend Ethan and ended up almost destroying my career for me to decide to get sober. I’ve had a lot of difficulties in my life, as you know, but getting clean is the hardest thing I have ever done. 
And now for the first time in months I’m craving again. Maybe that’s why I’m writing to you, determined to send this letter this time. I need to know that everything is going to be ok and you are the only one that I will believe it from. 
My team tries. Now it's all out in the open, they try to help. But you don’t even need to try. Your help is so effortless, so easy and I’m in real need of that right now. 
His letter went on in this vein for another six pages. He also included several pages of handwritten poetry which he had copied out of a book to send you. With each word you consumed you felt your heart breaking for him a piece at a time. 
And he signed off with a surprising choice of quote from The Lorax.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” - Dr Seuss. 
You spent the next month or so trying to cultivate the perfect reply, but for the first time in your life, words failed you. 
It was three days after Spencer received his one year sober chip that your letter arrived. 
I got your letter and the poetry you sent me, postmarked in December of last year. I really hope you’re doing better, all your friends close by your side, one step closer to recovery.
I hope by the time you receive this you are close to one year sober, but if you didn’t make it you need to know that’s ok too. Life is full of ups and downs Spencer. If you didn’t make it this time you will the next time. Or the one after that. 
If you relapsed I need you to not beat yourself up over it. You will be ok, Spencer Reid, for that I am certain. 
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” Maya Angelou - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 
***
When he got shot in the knee, he wrote to you from the hospital. He told you how hard it was for him to turn down pain medication when he was in so much agony. But he was over two years sober now and he wouldn’t do anything to risk a relapse. 
Your reply spoke of how proud of him you were and how you knew it couldn’t have been easy for him but you hoped the fact you were proud went some way to aid him. 
He told you it meant more to him than you would ever know. 
Then he started having headaches and the letters became sporadic. When he did write he told you how painful it was for him to try to focus on the words in front of him. 
I’ve seen so many doctors and no one can tell me what’s wrong with me. It’s like they think I’m making it up, like this pain isn’t real. 
On my good days it’s a dull throb but on the bad days it’s nearly paralysing. I’m so scared that this is a precursor for schizophrenia. I'm still young enough for my first break, and it is a genetic illness. 
I love my mom but I can’t turn out like her, Y/N, I just can’t. I'm so, so scared. 
But your letters are the greatest comfort to me. I don’t think there are words to describe how much they mean - I will try to surmise it with a quote from Charlotte's Web -
"'Why did you do all this for me?' he asked. 'I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.' 'You have been my friend,' replied Charlotte. 'That in itself is a tremendous thing.'" - E.B White.
You could feel his fear through the pages. His handwriting was somehow even harder to read than usual and sentences often tapered off with no ending. There were whole passages scribbled out so violently his pen had ripped the paper in places. There were crude drawings of brains and dark rain clouds in the margins. 
Spencer, 
I am so sorry you are going through this and that no one can give you the answers you seek. But this isn’t the end for you, even if it is schizophrenia, you can still live a full and normal life. 
If you'll just hold on for one more second, if you just hold on to what you have, you will wake up tomorrow. Behind every rain cloud lies the sun. As Victor Hugo said in Les Miserables -
“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” 
In his next few letters he seemed to be getting better, his headaches slowly dissipating until they only hassled him every once in a while. Things seemed to be looking up for him. 
But then one of his best friends died. 
His detailed letter told you all about Ian Doyle and Emily’s history with him and went on to conclude how she died on the operating table. 
I’ve been through a lot of trauma in my life, lost a lot of people close to me but never like this. I’ve never had to bury someone I love and honestly I don’t know how to move past this. 
My initial reaction has been dilaudid. It's the only thing I can think of to take the pain away. 
Tell me not to do it, Y/N, please. Please tell me that this grief will get better and that using drugs again is not the answer. Please help me stay clean. 
"When someone you love dies, and you're not expecting it, you don't lose her all at once; you lose her in pieces over a long time — the way the mail stops coming, and her scent fades from the pillows and even from the clothes in her closet and drawers.” John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany
It took you longer than it should have done to formulate a reply. You felt pressured, like his sobriety hung in your hands. You hated that his friend had died but you didn’t think it was fair of him to put this on you. And you told him such.
Spencer,
I am sorry to hear about Emily, I know how close the two of you were. I’m no expert on grief, I can’t tell you how to deal with this.
You know full well that using dilaudid again is a bad idea, you really don’t need me to tell you that. Honestly, I’m a little frustrated at you for putting this on my shoulders. 
I am always here to help Spencer, in any way I can but sometimes I think you expect too much from me. We’ve been trading letters back and forth for the better part of five years and I don’t think you’ve ever really asked me about myself aside from those first initial letters.
And it’s fine, you needed this friendship more than I did. But over time this has started to feel so one sided and I don’t always look forward to your letters as much as I once did. 
I realise this is not the best time for me to be saying these things but I can’t hold back any longer. I’m glad I can be someone you can turn to but I have my own life, my own issues and I have no one to talk to about them. 
You put too much pressure on me Spencer and it’s a lot to take. I’ve tried to help shoulder your misery all these years but it’s starting to bring me down. All I can say is you need to wake up, you've gotta believe; you can't give up. Time keeps going on without us, long after we're dead and gone.
And you finished it with a simple quote from After You by Jojo Moyes.
“No journey out of grief was straightforward. There would be good days and bad days.” 
It was no surprise to you that you didn’t receive a reply. 
***
Y/N,
It’s been two years and I’m sorry for that. Two years, one month and eleven days. The truth is your last letter was hard for me to read as you can probably understand. 
The hardest part of reading it was the fact that I knew you were right. I’ve been selfish all these years. I’ve treated you like a sounding board for my problems and never once asked how you were. 
It's taken me time to write this because I wanted to get to a better place before I responded. I was angry at first, I felt like I was being abandoned again and my anger would not have been conducive. 
Then I was hurt, hurt that the one person I thought would always be there for me had turned their back on me. I displaced my grief over Emily’s death onto you and anything I would have written in that time would have only been the rage fuelled epitaph of a grieving man. 
And then once I dealt with those emotions, life simply got away from me. Emily was alive and well, her death was faked to get Doyle off of her back. Again I was angry about being lied to by my friends but eventually I was just happy she was alive. 
Then I turned thirty and had a crisis of faith I suppose. I guess with my intellect I always assumed I would be doing something more with my life and turning thirty kind of threw me through a loop. 
We had some changes to the team, new agents coming and going. All in all things have been somewhat hectic. 
But that’s not why I’m writing. 
I am writing because I really do want to know everything about you. I want you to be able to open up to me the way I always have to you. I want to be your shoulder, your repreve. I really hope I haven’t completely blown our friendship and I hope to be the kind of person who you can talk to. 
These arms remain stretched out to you and maybe someday you'll accept them. Maybe it's too late to save a young girl's heart that's long stopped beating. But I hope that it isn’t. 
“You have been in every way all that anyone could be…if anybody could have saved me it would have been you.” Jennifer Niven - All the Bright Places. 
You wanted to tell him it was too little too late, that after two years of silence you weren’t interested anymore. 
You wanted to simply not reply, ignore him entirely like he’d done to you. 
But you couldn’t. And so you replied. 
It was your longest letter to date, depicting in great detail how he’d made you feel over the years and all the hardships you’d faced without having someone to vent to. 
But getting to write it all down had been purifying, and by the time you were finished you weren’t mad anymore. 
I am willing to give this another shot, but things have to be different. If we’re to continue this friendship then it has to be a two way street. 
But I can’t pretend that I haven’t missed your letters because I have. I see pieces of you between the words, parts of yourself I’m not sure you realise you leave on the page. 
I’ve painted a picture of you in my mind's eye and even after two years with no letters, I’ve carried that picture with me wherever I go. 
I feel like I somehow know you better than I know myself and I hope going forward you can start to know me the same way. Charlotte Bronte once said -
“Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear.” - Jane Eyre. 
***
Spencer didn’t know how it happened, he only knew that it had happened. Over the course of all the years writing to you it was almost a surprise it hadn’t happened sooner. Or maybe it had and he just didn’t realise until now. 
Spencer Reid had fallen in love with the woman who wrote her prose to him. 
It had been ten years of letters, every single one of which he kept in their envelopes in date order in the bottom drawer of his desk at home. 
Those letters were his lifelines on bad days, the one thing that kept him tethered. He didn’t even know what you looked like, even what you sounded like but he loved you. He loved you with every fibre of his being. 
And he couldn’t stop himself from telling you exactly what you meant to him. Even if it inevitably destroyed what the two of you had, he couldn’t stop the words from flying across the page. 
So that’s pretty much everything that’s happened these past few weeks. Mom’s doing ok but obviously it's a huge adjustment for her and I’m not entirely sure how long I can keep her living with me but for now it works.
How did the interview go? I have absolutely no doubts that you blew them all away with your presentation, you’re a hard person not to fall in love with.
Your presence in my life has brightened my every waking minute. You once told me that behind every rain cloud lies the sun; you are the sun behind my clouds. Your letters bring me back to life, your handwriting penned onto my soul. 
Is it foolish of me to be in love with someone I have never laid eyes on? William Makepeace Thackery said in Vanity Fair -
“It is better to have loved wisely, no doubt: but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.” 
I suppose that’s as good of an answer as any. 
***
Five days after he penned his love confession, he was arrested in Mexico. Once all the drugs had left his system, only after he was extradited and arraigned and placed at Milburn was he able to dwell on the fact he never received your reply. 
And being trapped in a cell gave him way too much time to think about that. 
It was possible you had replied, maybe even just to tell him he was crazy to even think he could be in love with someone he had never met. But he was sure you wouldn’t have even bothered to respond, thinking him a lunatic you needed to cut ties with. 
After a month in prison on one of JJ’s visits she brought a letter with her which she had found in his apartment. She recognised the handwriting on the envelope from several she’d seen him reading over the years. 
She wasn’t allowed to give him the letter but she offered to read it to him. At first he’d declined because he had no idea what to expect from your reply but after several long minutes he’d decided to let JJ read it to him. 
Spencer,
I am pleased to hear your mom is doing well but I do think you know that this solution won’t work in the long run. You say you live in a one bedroom apartment? You and I both know that you can’t sustain having your mother live there permanently. But I know you and I know you will figure out what’s best for you both.
The interview was amazing and they offered me the job on the spot. If it wasn’t for all your help with the presentation there is no way I would have gotten it, so thank you so much for that. 
As for the other thing…
For some time now I have been wondering about feelings I didn’t understand. You’ve been such a large part of my life for so long and even though we’ve never met I feel like we have, if that makes sense? I feel like in my heart I know you. My heart knows your heart.
Falling for you was as inevitable as the sun rising each morning. Perhaps it is foolish but I believe Thackeray knew what he was talking about. And I also believe Emily Bronte was talking about me and you when she said, “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” 
Spencer had interrupted JJ then, when she was smiling from ear to ear as she read your words out loud. 
“That’s enough.” He cut her off, burying his head in his hands.
“Wow, Spence, I had no idea you’d met someone.” 
“I haven’t met anyone. She is simply a woman at the other end of a series of letters.” 
“How long?” JJ placed the pages down in front of her.
Spencer looked up at her, a small blush on his cheeks. He didn't want to be talking about this, least of all on the other side of a plexiglass screen with his other inmates nearby but he responded all the same.
“Ten years.” He shrugged. 
“Ten years?” JJ sounded incredulous. “Ten years of letters and you’ve never met? Why?”
“I, uh, it never really came up.” It wasn’t a lie, you’d never once discussed meeting in all those years. 
“Is it like a distance thing? Does she live far away?” 
“No,” He sighed with a shake of his head. “She’s in New York.” 
“New York!” She huffed. “New York is a five hour train journey, Spence!” 
“Jennifer, now is really not the time for this.” He lowered his voice as JJ’s had garnered eyes in their direction. “There is really no point in discussing this as we have no idea when or even if I’m going to get out of here.” 
“Don’t say that.” She shook her head.
“It’s true.” He shrugged sadly. “I really can’t think about all this right now, ok? Just take the letter back to my apartment and pretend you didn’t see it. Please?” 
If it weren’t for the desperation in his eyes she might have argued it. But she didn’t want to waste what little time she got to spend with Spencer fighting.
“Ok.” She relented with a small roll of her eyes.
“Thank you, JJ.” He offered a tight lipped smile. “How are the boys?” 
JJ filled him in but she wasn’t really focused anymore. In her head, she was already penning a letter of her own…
Y/N,
My name is Jennifer Jareau, JJ, and I work with Spencer at the BAU. I’m not sure if he’s mentioned me to you or not. He hasn’t really told me too much about you if I’m honest. But I have learned that he has strong feelings for you and you for him. I’m wondering if I can make a suggestion…
***
When you received the strange letter from Spencer’s friend JJ in response to yours, you’d been initially extremely confused as to why he was letting his teammates read your secret correspondence. 
But when she’d gone on to tell you that Spencer had been arrested along with all the details surrounding his incarceration and how she’d read your letter to him during their visitation, you started to understand. 
But then a few days later, before you had a chance to reply to her, you received another letter from Spencer with a postmark from Milburn Correctional Facility.
Y/N,
Maybe Thackeray and Bronte were right or maybe they were wrong, I can’t say for sure. What I can say with certainty is that I can’t carry on like this a moment longer.
Something has happened to me, it won’t be hard for you to figure out what as soon as you see the postmark. I am not willing to get into it or explain how I ended up here. But I have no idea how long I am going to be inside and I don’t want the rest of our communication to be sent through a string of guards who will pick apart each tormented sentence. 
I ask you not to write me back. This has to be the end of the road my dear. This letter has to be our last. I don’t know how much longer I will continue to be able to live like this. Each day my hope dies a little more and I’m sure I won’t make it out of here alive. 
I am writing simply to say thank you. Thank you for all your years of listening, for all your patience and kind words and your hopeful prose. In my darkest hours you have shown me the light, dragged me out of the shadows of my own creation. 
I love you for all that you are and all that you have done but even you can’t save me this time. This really might be the end for me and I don’t want you to blame yourself. You are the only reason I made it this far in this treacherous game we call life. 
Take care of yourself, continue to live your absolute best life. And in time I pray that you forget me and are able to love someone far more tangible. 
All that is left to say can be summed up by a quote from The Miniaturist - 
“You are the sunlight through a window, which I stand in, warmed. My darling.” Jessie Burton.
You replied firstly to Spencer, his heartbreaking words more pressing than JJ’s letter. You kept it short and to the point, knowing that various other prison guards would read it before it even made it to his hands. 
I appreciate but can't accept this thank you note that's sealed with your last breath and I won't stand aside and listen to you give up. 
You are stronger than that Spencer Reid and if I know anything about your team from all the years of hearing you speak of them it’s that they are the best at what they do and they will prove your innocence. 
Just remember what Ernest Hemmingway said in A Farewell to Arms -
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are stronger at the broken places.” 
You will be stronger at those broken places, Spencer, I have no doubt about it. 
And besides, if you don’t make it out of there, how do you  propose to ever meet me? 
Whilst on a role, you grabbed a clean sheet of paper and started scrawling again. 
Jennifer,
Thank you for your letter. I have spent some time musing on your suggestion and I think you might be right. 
I think it's time for me to take a trip to DC…
***
Spencer never opened your last letter because he had no intention of replying to it. If he didn’t read it, he could pretend you had never sent it and he wouldn’t be tempted to write a response. 
Instead he stuffed it between the pages of his book and tried not to think about it. 
After two and half months his team proved his innocence and he was released but he was thrown into the deep end of trying to find his mother. 
And even once he found her unscathed, he was rapidly thrust right into Scratch’s web after he kidnapped Emily. 
Taking the elevator back up to the BAU alongside JJ after they’d escorted Emily to the hospital it already felt like a lifetime had passed since he left prison. And all he wanted to do was chronicle all of it to you. 
Maybe once the dust settled, once he’d wrapped his head around everything that happened he would open your letter and send you a reply. 
But for the first time in ten years, Spencer didn’t want to drag you into his mess. 
JJ was strangely quiet as the elevator made its ascent. He didn’t even want to be here, he’d planned on going straight home after leaving the hospital. He hadn’t slept in his own bed for two and a half months and he couldn’t wait to collapse into it. 
But JJ had insisted that instead of him getting the metro home, if he popped back to the BAU with her to collect some paperwork, she would drive him home. 
And honestly he was just too exhausted to decline. 
JJ’s eyes were hyper focused on the digital floor numbers as they got higher. A few seconds after it displayed number five, one floor below the BAU, she turned and looked at him. 
“Don’t hate me for this.” She blurted out. 
“Excuse me?” Spencer frowned, too tired to try to understand what she meant. 
“I couldn’t just let it go.” She shrugged, a guilty smile on her lips. 
“Let what go?” His frown deepened. 
Her eyes flicked back upwards as the number five rolled into the number six and the elevator started to judder as it prepared to stop. 
“Just remember I love you and that’s the only reason I interfered.” She shrugged as the elevator stopped entirely and soon the doors were peeling open. 
Spencer looked away from her and out of the open doors to where someone was standing just a few feet back. 
Spencer’s eyes landed on the stranger only it wasn’t a stranger. He wasn’t sure how, but he knew exactly who this person was standing on the BAU floor. 
He remembered the way JJ had read him your letter and how you’d told him your heart knows his heart. 
Well his heart knew yours too. And he knew the heart beating a few feet away from him was yours. 
“Y/N?” He croaked, slowly stepping out of the elevator but not too close to you. 
“Spencer?” You smiled at him, the kind that reached all the way to your eyes. 
Neither of you noticed JJ slipping quietly away, wanting to give you some privacy. 
“What are you doing here?” His brows were furrowed and he was rolling his bottom lip between his teeth. 
“You’re friend JJ wrote to me. She told me everything that happened to you. And she made me realise that ten years is too long to wait for a first meeting.” Your voice was like honey to Spencer’s ears. 
Your prose was beautiful, but hearing the words from your lips as you stood in front of him in all your ethereal glory was more than any letter could convey. 
“I…I am actually speechless.” He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. 
“You? Speechless?” You giggled and Spencer felt the sound all the way to his heart. 
“You’ll come to learn I am much more of a wordsmith on paper. In person I am incredibly awkward and often trip over my words. I ramble when I’m nervous or clam up entirely, no in between. I spout facts and statistics rather than have a meaningful conversation. I am much more comfortable writing my words down on paper than speaking them out loud.” He let the words spill out of his mouth, proving his point entirely. 
“I’ve waited ten years to hear your voice. Please never stop talking.” You smiled so brightly at him he felt like he was floating. 
You were here in front of him, not just hidden between pages of letters. You were real, tangible; within his reach. 
And suddenly the last thing Spencer wanted to do was talk. 
He took a few tentative steps towards you and cautiously raised a hand to your cheek. You sighed in content when he cupped your face and nuzzled against his palm. 
“I could talk to you about anything and everything all day long, my love.” He smiled, inching his face closer to yours. “But at this moment in time I have one slightly more pressing desire to do with my mouth rather than speak.” 
“Oh yeah?” You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer. 
The warmth of your body and your smile encompassed him. As he looked into your eyes, finally looked into your eyes, every bad thing that had ever happened to him slipped away. 
“Love starts as a feeling, but to continue is a choice. And I find myself choosing you, more and more every day.” He quoted Justin Wetch’s Bending the Universe. 
“Spence?” 
“Yes Y/N?” 
“As sweet as that is, I thought there were more pressing desires to use your mouth for?” 
“If you insist.” He smiled and quickly closed the small space between you.
When his lips finally met yours it felt like all the pieces of the universe were falling into place. 
For ten long years you’d communicated in the pages of letters, constructing replies to what felt like one sided conversations that were confined to only live on paper. 
As the kiss deepened every single one of those words seemed to float in the air around you, spiralling like a tornado made of a decade worth of missives. 
He swore he could hear each and every word whispered to him in the voice he’d longed to hear all these years as he kissed you like you were the most important being on the face of the earth. 
And when he pulled back and mumbled I love you against your lips, it was the easiest reply you’d ever given. 
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leclerc-s · 6 months
Text
paint the town red - part one
THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA
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series masterlist
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biancastark_potts 'all the rumors are true'
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username bestie which driver will you be the race engineer for?
username is sebastian coming back? tell me that rumor is true
tonystark you're supposed to be working!
↳ biancastark_potts i am working. ask anyone. except harley, he'll lie to you.
↳ harleykeener she's being no help! spanish was not one of my public school requirements. i don't think i am qualified for this job.
↳ peterbparker I CAN SPEAK SPANISH! LET ME BE SAINZ'S RACE ENGINEER!
↳ harleykeener YOU FOCUS ON YOUR PHYSICS! LET ME HAVE THIS PARKER!
↳ biancastark_potts dad literally made you social media admin for the offical ferrari account. a mistake on his part truly.
↳ tonystark i regret everything now.
username so, stark will be race engineer for leclerc and keener for sainz?
↳ username an iconic group truly and i know nothing about this keener kid
↳ harleykeener i got a stark internship because i made a potato gun for tony one time when i was a child.
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scuderiaferrari meet ferrari's newest race engineers. bianca stark-potts (24) (left) will become charles leclerc's new race engineer, replacing xavier marcos. while harley keener (20) (right) will become carlos sainz' new race engineer, replacing riccardo adami. these two will also be taking on the roles of lead engineers for our cars and they know they can deliver a championship winning car. these two are excited to be taking on the world of formula one.
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📍peterbparker this was all proofread by mrs. pepper stark-potts. i would've gone with something like 'out with the old in with the new.' but apparently that's not professional or something.
username ferrari is about to become the most attractive team on the grid. i take no complaints.
↳ username no you're absolutely right.
username what exactly are their qualifications to becoming an f1 driver's race engineer?
↳ username bianca is an MIT and columbia graduate, she has a phd in mechanical engineering and a masters in electrical engineering. harley is a columbia graduate with a masters in mechanical engineering and studying at MIT for a masters in computer science and engineering. if anything they're overqualified for the job. they've also developed few of the suits tony stark's uses. definitely more qualified than ricciardo and xavier.
↳ username that doesn't matter, we'll finally have a decent car and might even win the drivers/constructors championships.
charles_leclerc welcome to the team!
↳ biancastark_potts thanks, happy to be here!
↳ harleykeener thank you, even if i'm not your race engineer.
carlossainz55 bienvenidos!
↳ harleykeener gracias, mi amigo. (i don't speak spanish that well. we'll both be struggling through this, as you saw last week.)
↳ biancastark_potts good luck with him. thanks for the welcome!
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scuderiaferrari you knew him as 4x world champion of red bull, you knew him as a ferrari driver, now you'll know him as ferrari's new team principal. ladies, gentleman, and non-binary folks, the formidable sebastian vettel is back!
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📍peterbparker not added was 'sorry not sorry we took your golden boy red bull' again, mrs. pepper potts-stark said that was unprofessional so i was forbidden from adding that. the urge to add a multi-21 joke in there was strong but i resisted.
↳ maxverstappen1 no need to rub it in. christian is crying. (i’m joking, he’s upset)
↳ peterbparker TU-TU-DU-DU MAX VERSTAPPEN!! (get me oscar piastri's number)
↳ maxverstappen1 no.
↳ peterbparker i'll settle for lando norris if you want. don't worry i'm not after either of your men (charles and danny)
↳ maxverstappen can i get you fired?
↳ biancastark_potts i've been trying since 2018 when he walked into my life. all i achieved was my parents emotionally adopting him.
username i fucking love this new ferrari admin. they're unhinged.
↳ peterbparker thanks, pepper does not find it as amusing. i've been told to keep it 'professional' until the season begins then i'm allowed to be unhinged.
username HE'S BACK! I KNEW RETIREMENT WOULDN'T LAST LONG.
username please tell me he is still caring for his bees. seb and his bees is iconic
↳ peterbparker proud to announce that seb and his bees will continue. we will be bringing awareness to the bees with every race. seb's buzzin' corner for every race? MR. STARK MAKE IT HAPPEN!
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scuderiaferrari mood cause we're back! preseason testing begins in two days!
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📍peterbparker i'm allowed to shit post now people! the ban has been lifted! WAR IS OVER!
↳ peterbparker I'VE BEEN FOUND BY PIERRE GASLY. NOOO! HOW COULD I HAVE BECOME A VICTIM SO SOON?
username admin is acting like a teenager
↳ peterbparker i'm 20.
↳ maxverstappen1 that explains it.
↳ peterbparker so about piastri's number...
↳ maxverstappen1 no.
↳ harleykeener you have a girlfriend parker.
↳ peterbparker she doesn't need to know
↳ michellejones this is a public instagram post
username let's hope stark industries can deliver with all the hype surrounding them taking over ferrari's f1 team.
↳ username i just hope they aren't being overhyped, because if they fail to deliver they'll be such a dissapointment.
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¡leclerc-s speaks! you can blame charles' shitty race for this story. other than that we won't speak further on the events of the us grand prix (i'm living in delusion) (congrats to logan for scoring his first points and congrats to williams for their double points!) i had been wanting to do a mcu x formula one crossover but i didn't have the motivation to do so until now (you can guess why).
¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!
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writingonleaves · 3 months
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and all at once, you’re all i want (i’ll never let you go) - jack hughes
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pairing: jack hughes x original female character
warnings: literally nothing. fluff! some minor worship of nina hischier (the goat), a little love letter to my alma mater
title: "king of my heart" by taylor swift
word count: 10.3k
author's note: first fic in the new year is for @wyattjohnston 's winter fic exchange 2k24!! i had the absolute pleasure of writing for @wildrangers <3 taylor, i hope you enjoy this as much as i enjoyed putting it together and demi, thank you for your endless hard work for putting this on!!
four times where jack hughes and ashley grassie showed up for each other and one time where everyone showed up for them
*****
one - two months
“Jack, are you sure about this?” Ashley asks, fiddling with the silver rings on her fingers. 
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He responds confidently, sparing a look at her from the drivers seat before turning his eyes back on the road. “Everyone’s expecting you.”
“You told them?”
“That my girlfriend was coming with me to a New Year’s party? Of course.” He squeezes her thigh lightly. “They’re excited to meet you. And not while we’re working.”
“I’m excited to meet them too.”
“You sure?” He teases lightly. “You’ve been quiet all afternoon.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about.” They stop at a red light, and he leans over to kiss her cheek. “Ash, baby, they’re gonna love you.”
“But you don’t know that,” she protests softly. 
“I do, actually. Because everyone loves you.”
She rolls her eyes. “You can’t promise me that everyone’s gonna even like me.”
He shrugs. “I’ll prove you wrong. You’ll see.” He tugs at her gold sweater. “Is this new?”
“Yeah. Seems fitting for the occasion. Sparkles equals New Years, right?”
“I like it a lot.”
“I know what you’re doing,” she deadpans. 
He smirks. “And what might that be?”
“Distracting me.”
“Maybe so. You’re so smart, Miss Columbia Grad.”
“Jack,” she whines, making him laugh. 
He picks up her hand and kisses the back of it. “Trust me, okay? It’ll be great. And I’ll be with you all night.”
Ashley swallows, before forcing herself to nod. 
The thing is, after two months of dating officially (she’s not counting the month beforehand when there wasn’t a label on things even though there should’ve been), there are still important parts of each other’s lives they have yet to experience together. She’s gone to a few of his games, but has never met any of his teammates (except for Luke, but he doesn’t count), choosing to meet Jack back at his place after instead of waiting for him at the rink. She also doesn’t count that one Devils game she had to fill in for, which is how she met Jack in the first place. The few times he’s invited her along when he does go out with them, she’s been busy with other things. 
New Year’s is kinda a big time to be meeting new people. People that mean a lot to Jack. But that could just also be all in Ashley’s head. She’s never really done this before. The last serious boyfriend she had was in high school where everyone knew each other. There was no need for introductions. 
Jack squeezes her hand. “Thank you.” 
“For?” 
“Coming with me to this. Taking off work early. I appreciate it a lot.” 
She shrugs casually. “It’s about time, right?” She pointedly ignores the look he shoots her, because she doesn’t want him to know how nervous she really is.
Before they know it, Jack’s pulled into the driveway of the Toffolis and her hands start sweating again. She gathers the flowers on her lap and the wine bag as Jack rounds the car and opens the door for her. He grabs the bag, presses a kiss atop her head and hand in hand, they walk to the front door. She lets Jack take the lead as he just walks in. They walk into the kitchen area, as Cat pulls her into a hug and thanks them graciously for the flowers and wine.
It turns out that Ashley really does have nothing to worry about. Getting thrown into a whirlwind of introductions and new names is a lot, but she doesn’t mind. A wave of comfort crashes over her as Luke practically hauls her into a hug. 
She finds herself besides Nico after he hands her a glass of wine. “You’re a journalist, right?” He asks.
“I am.”
“Do you ever watch Jack’s media interviews?”
Ashley giggles. “I do once in awhile. Trust me, I have my thoughts. I also met him for the first time from that. And you, technically.”
“Right, right. Will we ever see you in the locker room again?”
“Probably not. I was just filling in for Danny. On the rare chance I do sports, it’s usually for the Jets. Besides, better to watch and support you all without any stake professionally.”
“What do you usually report on?” Nico asks with genuine curiosity. 
She perks up, like anytime she gets to talk about her job. As she talks, using her hands animatedly despite one of them holding a drink, Jack looks on from a distance with a lovesick look in his eyes.
“She is way too cool for you,” Dawson says, fixing his cap.
Jack rolls his eyes. “Shut up.” But Jack knows his teammate’s right.
Jack’s not clingy, perse, but it’s hard for him to watch Ashley just…be and not be touching a part of her. Even if it’s just sliding up against her so her body is pressed alongside his, he just wants to be near her all the time. 
(Quinn once sent some random thing he found on Instagram about love languages a few years back and Jack had remembered absolutely roasting him. But maybe he had a point)
“So,” Nicole starts, refilling both their glasses up with champagne a bit later in the evening. “Why Jack?”
Ashley snorts. “Your guess is as good as mine.” From beside his girlfriend, Jesper barks out a laugh and from next to Ashley, Jack pouts. Ashley laughs, leaning into Jack’s side. “I’m kidding. Mostly. I was hesitant at first though.”
“Oh, yeah. He told me about this,” Jesper says. “Said he chased you down the hall after post-game media and asked you out?”
“Sounds about right.”
“And you said yes to that?” Jesper asks. Jack whacks his teammate in the stomach. 
“Not right away,” Ashley admits. “He gave me his number and told me to text him if I was interested. And I ended up being interested.”
“Lucky for him,” Nicole chuckles. 
Jack squeezes Ashley’s waist fondly. “Lucky for me.”
She listens on in interest as Nicole talks about how she and Jesper got together. Somewhere throughout the conversation, she can’t help but let her mind drift. They’ve been together for years now, been living together for a bit and are looking to move into a house. She literally moved away from Sweden full-time for him. 
Ashley swallows as Jack asks about how their house search is going. There’s a very little chance that Jack will be leaving Jersey anytime within the next half decade. But her mother warned her that his career could take him places in the future unexpectedly. 
And in a way, so could Ashley’s. But it’s not as easy. 
She scolds herself for even thinking this far. They’ve been dating for literally two months. That’s nothing in the grand scheme of things. They’re celebrating entering the new year today, but she has no idea if they’ll even be together for all of it.
She’s hoping they are. God, she really fucking hopes so. But she could hope until the end of the world and have it fall short. She smoothes her sweater out with her suddenly-clammy hands, chugging the whole glass of champagne before putting the flute down on a nearby table. She excuses herself politely to use the bathroom, which she does, before getting some air. 
She definitely looks a bit crazy outside on the Toffoli’s porch in the dead of winter, but she doesn’t mind the biting edge of cold. It’s grounding her, actually. 
“Was looking for you.”
Ashley doesn’t even look at Jack, humming as she hears him walking out to stand next to her. “Did my sparkle sweater give me away?”
“No, Neeks did, actually. Said he saw you walking out.” She finally looks at him with his eyebrows furrowed. “You’re not cold?”
“Don’t even think about offering me your jacket,” she warns. “I know you’re only wearing a t-shirt underneath.”
“Then come back inside so we both don’t die.”
“In a minute,” she promises. 
He huffs, rubbing his hands up and down her arms to try and generate some heat. “Everything good?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Just, you know, minorly freaking out at her boyfriend’s teammate’s place about the fact that she might be falling in love with him even though it hasn’t been that long and what a future could look like for them and how that future could fall apart in an instant.
So regular New Year’s Eve thoughts.
“Unlike you, I don’t have a college degree, much less two,” Jack grins. “I can’t read minds.”
“And you think I can?” She jokes back weakly. He just chuckles. She continues. “Your friends are nice. I like them a lot.”
He lights up anytime someone he loves gets brought up in conversation. “Yeah, they’re cool. They like you too.”
“That’s good,” she says softly. 
He taps her forehead with his pointer finger. “Countdown’s soon. Come back inside?” He laces their fingers together. 
“You gonna kiss me at midnight?”
“Think so.”
“You only think so?”
Jack smirks, kissing her deeply. “Shut up.”
Ashley is absolutely floored.
two - one year and one month
Cam’s wedding crept up on her. 
Of course, Ashley knew it was coming, but still. Though she was surprised when Jack told her that he was free of games on that particular early November weekend somehow, only having to miss an optional practice and that he would notify the coaching staff far in advance. 
It’s not the act of bringing Jack that she’s nervous about. Cam and Amanda, his fiance, came into the city a few months ago and they all grabbed lunch before heading to a game at The Rock that night. She’ll never forget how ultimately “traitor-like to the Bruins” Cam felt, Ashley and Amanda finding it hilarious. They both had a good time though, and that’s all that matters, and Cam, who has always looked out for her even before she had ever asked, subtly gave his approval. 
(“I’ll admit my assumptions about him were wrong,” Cam had said. “He’s awesome, and he really cares about you. If he’s the one, I won’t be mad about it. He’s very lucky.”)
It’s more of a particular person that’s going to be at the wedding. 
Weirdly, when she and Alex broke up way back when, one of the thoughts that circled her mind months after was exactly this. If and when the day of Cam’s wedding came, and they were both still close to him, they’d both be there. And here they are. 
She’s over him — obviously, considering she’s in a happy, long-term relationship and it’s been four years — but how do you prepare to see your ex-boyfriend when the last time you saw him you had just broken up and you were in tears?
She and Jack drive up to Cape Cod early the day of the wedding and she feels a bit bad that he’s driving after he had a game last night and has one in just two days but he doesn’t mind, happy to be driving as long as she’s in the passenger seat next to him. They’re switching off anyways, and she had driven the first half. Cam and Amanda rented out a bunch of rooms at a few inns for their guests so her and Jack will get ready there before heading to the venue. 
From a quick rundown Cam gave her a month ago when they caught up over the phone, she’ll at least be familiar with a good amount of people at the wedding. She’s excited to see them all again and catch up, those memories that were bittersweet at some point, all water under the bridge so many years later. 
It’s what you get for dating within a friend group. Ultimately, at some point, sides are chosen.
At the end of the day, it’s Cam, someone who has always been there for her since they were 16, even when she didn’t necessarily do the same. He’s given his friendship selflessly to her for over a decade. The least she can do is come to his wedding to celebrate. 
And she has Jack with her. Nothing can go wrong with Jack by her side. 
“You okay?” Jack’s voice breaks her out of her thoughts as he squeezes her thigh, sneaking a look before focusing back on the road. “You’re quiet. You’re rarely quiet in the car.”
“It’s a 5 hour drive, Jack.”
“I’ve been playing country nonstop for the last half an hour and you haven’t chirped me once.” She starts playing with his fingers and his eyebrows furrow. “Alright. What’s going on, baby? What are you thinking about?”
“You know what I’m thinking about.” She shoots back with no malice. 
He sighs, linking their hands together and bringing them up to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Yeah. I got you though. I’ll be with you the whole day.”
“It’s dumb, really. Four years. And I haven’t thought about him in a long time.”
He shrugs. “He was your first heartbreak, and you haven’t seen him since. This is gonna be some sort of closure, even if it’s four years later.”
“You seem awfully cool about this, considering, you know, your current girlfriend is lowkey freaking out about seeing her ex again.”
“I’m not worried,” he replies easily. “You need this closure. I wasn’t smart like you back then and actually saw my exes probably way sooner than I should’ve. Besides, I’m the one on your arm now. Not him. I’m not pressed.”
She scoffs at yet another country song playing and skips it, snorting when ‘Suburban Legends’ by Taylor Swift comes on. How fitting. “I’m definitely hyping it up in my head. It’s nothing. And Cam told me that he purposefully put us at separate tables, in case Alex says some questionable shit while drunk.”
“No worries about you saying anything questionable?”
“Compared to Alex? No way.” He snorts, amused. But he knows enough about his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend to not push it. “I wonder if he’s bringing someone. God, I hope he is.”
“Why? Don’t want to rub it in his face that you’re happy and in love?”
“That’s mean,” she says airily. “No. I hope he’s bringing someone because I want to know what kind of girl can tolerate his ass. I did, but I was 20 and stupid. I wanna see what kind of girl can tolerate him at 26.”
“Does he know I’m coming?”
“Cam?”
He snorts. “No. Alex.”
“Who knows? Even if he does, he probably doesn’t care and isn’t overthinking it like I am.”
“I think you’d be surprised,” she looks at him, confused and he bites his lip. “Even if they play it off, guys are affected by that stuff more than you’d think.”
“What is there to be affected by?”
“You,” Jack says simply. “Not that I’m biased or anything, but you leave quite an impact on everyone you meet. And that lucky ass got to date you. As someone who also has had that privilege, I can relate a bit.”
Ashley chuckles before squeezing his hand. “Thanks for coming with me. I know your schedule is really busy with the season and everything-”
“You don’t need to thank me. Isn’t half of having a significant other just bringing them as plus ones to weddings?”
“Fair.” She leans her head on his shoulder momentarily as he pushes the sunglasses on top of his head to his face. “Thank you, though. I feel bad that you’re missing practice.”
He snorts. “Don’t.”
“They didn’t give you a hard time?”
“Not really. It’s an optional, anyways. Nico just told us to have fun and I think Lindy has a soft spot for you somehow. I’m excited. I like Cam. And I’m happy to be here with you.” He smirks, adding. “Come on, baby. Did you think I was gonna leave you to dry when your ex is gonna be there?”
“You don’t know anybody at the wedding. And Cam grew up in a hockey-loving family from Boston. There’s bound to be people who recognize you.”
“So I’m the arm candy for the night. That works perfectly for me.” 
They arrive at the inn just past 1, and decide to stop by a nearby cafe to grab a quick bite. Jack decides to take a short nap before they have to start getting ready and head out while she scrolls on her phone and plays with his hair since his head is on her lap. Occasionally she finds herself staring outside the window at the water with a smile. Even if not in the summer, the Cape is beautiful.
Once it hits 4:15, she figures that she should start getting ready, but she can’t move without disturbing Jack since he’s still sleeping soundly on her lap. She gently whispers his name and presses a few kisses on his forehead as his breathing changes, groaning a bit as he stretches and opens his eyes. 
“Time to go?”
“In like, an hour. I need to start getting ready.”
He hums, puckering his lips and she takes the hint, kissing him soundly twice before ushering him off her lap. She lays out the few makeup products she has, moisturizing her face before putting light foundation and concealer on. As always, she focuses more attention on her eyeshadow, deciding to add a bit of gold glitter to compliment her pink dress. She clips a matching pink bow in, liking the way it blends with the natural brown of her hair. She decides to save the lipstick for right before they leave and turns to Jack, who’s buttoning his shirt. 
“What do you think?” He looks up as he’s buttoning his cuffs. “Too much glitter?” She asks.
“Never too much glitter. You look beautiful.”
She looks at his blazer and tie that he’s laid out on the bed, looking at him with minor confusion. “Since when do you own that tie?”
“Since last week when I bought it.”
She looks at where her dress is hanging. “It matches my dress.”
“Yes it does.”
She looks towards him as he tucks his shirt in, a sudden wave of love rushing through her heart. “I love you.”
He looks up and immediately walks over to her, placing a hand on her waist and kissing her. “I love you too.”
She puts on her dress quickly, smiling when she doesn’t even have to ask Jack as he comes over to help her zip it up, pressing a chaste kiss on her shoulder. His phone ringing interrupts and she brushes her hair before she puts on her accessories. 
“Sup Quinny?”
Quinn’s voice crackles through Jack’s phone. “Where the fuck are you going all dressed up on a Saturday? I know for a fact you don’t have a game today, considering Luke just sent a snap of him playing Chel with Dawson 10 minutes ago.”
“I’m in the Cape, asshole. One of Ash’s friends is getting married.”
She peeks into the view of the camera and waves after putting in one earring. “Hi Quinn!”
“Oh! Hey Ash. You look beautiful.”
She beams. “Thank you!”
Jack scoffs. “I’m here too.”
Ashley leaves the brothers to catch up as she starts gathering her things and puts on her lip tint before sitting at the edge of the bed since they still have 15 minutes left before they have to head out and she’s mostly all ready to go. She chimes in once in awhile, always happy to talk to Quinn as Jack shrugs on his suit jacket, ties his matching pink tie and clasps on his watch.
“Looking good, you two.” Quinn says as they both stand in front of the phone. “Matching tie, eh? Good move, Jacky.”
“We look good enough to make an ex jealous?”
She just rolls her eyes as Quinn’s eyes lights up, immediately catching on. “Absolutely.”
“Don’t encourage him, Quinn.”
Quinn just laughs and bids them farewell as Jack smooths down his tie. She puts on her jacket and grabs her boots and slips them on. As she’s about to bend down and tie them, Jack ushers her to sit on the bed and kneels down. He does it too quickly for her to dwell too much on how much she loves him, but he probably knows, if him gently rubbing his thumb over her ankle and the kiss on the inside of her knee tell her anything. 
It’s only been a little over a year, but she really does think she could spend the rest of her life with him.
They end up running into Nick in the lobby and even though it’s been…four years since she’s seen him, she corrals him into a tight hug. She introduces Jack and Nick introduces Melanie, his fiancee. The only indication from Nick that he knows who Jack is is a subtle comment that’s delivered in a way that’s so Nick it makes her heart ache — “Jack Hughes. Only Ash would show up after almost five years in the flesh with a professional athlete at a wedding where her ex is gonna be at. Always gotta do some out of pocket shit.” — and makes Jack laugh as she slaps him.
The four of them walk the short seven minute walk to the venue together, with Ashley and Nick mostly leading the conversation. She can’t remember where they left their tentative friendship in their late teens and early twenties when the world was shut down and the future looked the most uncertain it had been. Even though they don’t immediately pick up where they left off, years of rust littered in their interactions and memories, she’s extremely happy to see that he’s doing well. 
(Jack’s just happy to be there, holding his girlfriend’s hand as she leads the conversation. It’s nice not having to lead for once. There’s not many situations where he’s the one tagging along) 
As they enter the ceremony space, Ashley immediately sees plenty of other people she recognizes. She chuckles to herself as she realizes many of the guys are from the soccer team. It’s touching to know they still keep in touch. Logan, one of said guys, greets Nick goodheartedly, before wrangling her into a hug. As pleasantries are exchanged and people are introduced, she does feel a bit out of place. But that’s natural, reconnecting with people after so long that clearly still hang out with each other and only hear about her through sporadic updates through Cam when they ask. 
Sides were chosen, even if not intentionally. Ashley’s learned to be okay with that. Even if she thinks it’s unfair that Alex got to keep a lot of their mutual friends and she didn’t.
As everyone settles down in their seats, she squeezes Jack’s hand, opening her mouth to apologize for…something. Not preparing him in giving the whole lore of how she knows all these people? How the only reason she knows the sport of soccer is so well is because of Alex? Not explaining clearly the mixed feelings of her coming to the Cape this weekend? 
But Jack’s enraptured in a conversation with Logan, and she smiles. Of course. Logan played hockey back in high school as well. 
(Out of instinct, Jack does squeeze her hand back though, even placing them in his lap even though he’s not looking in her direction at all)
When Alex comes into view, a pretty redhead’s hand around the crook of his elbow, Ashley starts sweating. Thank goodness she has deodorant in her bag. Jack, who’s still talking to Logan, notices, and she’s about to apologize for her clammy hands as he sends her a confused look but the nearby exclamations of Alex’s name answers his question. He just presses two kisses to her temple.
Logan, to his credit, grimaces. “You gonna be good, Ash?”
She waves his kindness away. “Of course. It’s been so long. And it’s Cam’s day.”
And it is Cam’s day, as everyone falls silent watching both sets of parents and the groomsmen and bridesmaids walk down — she chuckles when she sees Sean walking down, forgetting that he and Cam got closer in college even after going to the same high school — before grinning as Amanda walks down in her beautiful A-line, ball gown of a wedding dress. Ashley wipes a tear away watching Cam do the same and she thinks if only 16 year old them could see themselves now. 
(She has a moment when she looks at Jack where her stomach flips, thinking of the day they could be the ones at the altar. She quickly focuses her attention back to the front)
Cam and Amanda are pronounced husband and wife and she cheers as he dips her and kisses her, beaming and tearing up and laughing as she hears Nick wolf-whistle. People start dispersing, the large heated patio hosting a cocktail hour before the doors to the reception hall open back up again.
While she’s sipping on a glass of wine, she hears a familiar voice calling her name and she beams, carefully making sure she doesn’t spill any wine on Sean’s tuxedo as he towers over her and hugs her tightly. He introduces himself to Jack and she watches in slight amusement as they talk. 
Sean and her never really were friends, more friends by association. He was more in the popular crowd in the school that Ashley herself was never inclined to push her way through. Her and Sean shared plenty of classes together though, and always got along when forced to work together. And in another life, sometimes Ashley thinks that she would’ve had a crush on the blonde boy. 
Instead, she dated one of his teammates. And, well, that turned out the way it did.
(Ashley rolls her eyes when Sean makes a comment about how it “makes complete sense that you’re the one who ended up dating a professional athlete” because sure, Sean. Sure.)
Jack may be among many Massachusetts natives who live and die for the Bruins and are not hesitant in chirping him within 5 minutes of meeting him, but he smiles genuinely as his hand instinctively finds a way on her lower back. After dating Ashley for over a year, he’s used to the good-intentioned bluntness of New Englanders. She only starts rolling her eyes when high school gets brought up and stories about her start piling up. In contrast, Jack loves this and just eggs them on, eager to hear the stories. 
With a quick glance at the seating chart when they’re all starting to filter back into the reception hall, she finds that the high school crowd is split between two tables, and that Cam kept to his word and put her and Alex at different ones. The tables next to each other, but still. She won’t have to worry about making accidental awkward eye contact with him across her chicken. She’s the slightest bit surprised she hasn’t crossed direct paths with him yet. But there’s enough people that they wouldn’t ever be forced to interact. And maybe that’s for the best. 
Dinner passes by without incident, Ashley squeezing both Cam and Amanda tight as they come around to toast every table as Jack gives Cam a tight bro-hug and Amanda a polite kiss on the cheek. The dance floor starts to open up, and as usual, Ashley’s one of the first ones on, dragging Jack and practically their whole table out. She feels light on her feet and happy as she leans into Jack with a big smile. He ditches his suit jacket at the table and his pink tie is loosened and she thinks he looks so handsome. She’s happily tipsy enough where the curious glances and whispers from probably the entire fucking reception hall about why an NHL player is here don’t bother her. She knows he’s used to it. She doesn’t know how.
(Jack may not know everything of the lore and context behind Ashley’s relationship with the people she knows here, but he knows her and how deeply she feels and nostalgic she can get and how that can change her perception of her own memories and how that in turn, can make her extremely self critical. 
So this whole evening, he’s tried to make it as easy as possible, talking with her old friends and classmates — which isn’t much of an ask, they’re nice enough — and just squeezing her hand or waist or kissing her temple or cheek when he feels her focus trailing off. If she talks to Alex and wants him there, he’ll be right next to her. If not, he’ll make himself scarce. Whatever she wants)
Ashley’s resting at her chair while Jack’s in a casual conversation with Cam as Alex comes up behind Cam, tapping him on the shoulder. She swallows and sits up straight and Jack automatically places a gentle hand on her back. Cam and Alex exchange a few words she can’t hear before Cam turns his attention back to her and Jack feels a surge of gratitude towards Cam, who looks extremely apologetic. 
Jack watches as she stands up and steps towards Alex with a small smile. “Hey.”
Alex blinks. “Hi.” She gives him a quick hug before stepping back next to Jack as he stands up. “Alex, this is Jack, my boyfriend. Jack, Alex.”
“Nice to meet you, man.” Jack says with a firm, polite handshake and he doesn’t really see (or care about) Alex’s reaction before turning back to Ashley again, trying to read her. She gives him an almost imperceptible nod. Jack’s eyes flicker to Cam, who also nods behind Alex and he clears his throat. “I’m gonna get a refill. You two want anything?”
“All good, man.”
“Rum and coke, heavier on the coke?”
“You got it,” Jack presses a quick kiss to her hair before he and Cam walk to the bar. 
Jack waves to the bartender for a whiskey sour for himself as Cam gets a gin and tonic. They both lean against the counter and Jack sighs, watching Alex take Jack’s previous seat. “Was that a good idea? Leaving them alone?” Because he knows her, of course, but Cam’s known her longer. And he had a front row seat to her and Alex’s friendship before they got together, their relationship when they got together, and the fallout of their breakup. 
“Honestly? I don’t know. But they’re both 26 year old mature adults.” Cam’s eyes flit over to a redhead woman a couple seats away from the bar and waves her over. Jack’s trying to remember if he’s met her tonight
“Hi Cam,” she says lightly. 
“Hey yourself,” he nods over in the direction of her and Alex. “You initiate that?”
She snorts, “Of course I did.” She perches herself on a stool and sticks her hand out to Jack. “I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m Francesca, but please call me Fran. I’m Alex’s girlfriend.”
Jack gives her a small smile. This is something. “Jack. Ashley’s boyfriend.”
“I’m aware,” she teases. “I grew up in Jersey and my brother’s a huge hockey fan. I’ve been to a couple of your games throughout the years.”
“Always nice to meet a fan,” He responds smoothly and genuinely. “Especially in a room filled with Bruins fans that could honestly poison my drink at any moment and I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re lucky there are no Rangers fans here.” Cam waves him off as Jack and Fran laugh. 
“What a way to meet someone for the first time,” Fran says.
“While our exes are talking for the first time in over four years?” Jack says and Fran and Cam both snort. “You could say that.”
She turns to Cam, “Cam, you can go off and mingle, you know? It’s your wedding. Jack and I will be fine here.”
Jack opens his mouth to agree but Cam just shakes his head. “It’s fine. I need a second to breathe anyways. And also make sure this doesn’t go downhill.”
“Ashley seems like a smart girl and Alex isn’t that stupid,” Fran says. “They wouldn’t make a fuss at your wedding.”
Cam sighs and Jack thinks about how thankful he is that Cam has been there for his girlfriend way before Jack even knew her. Jack then turns to Fran and asks how she and Alex met and the conversation starts there, all three of them turning to the two exes from time to time to make sure there’s no flames or glasses being thrown. 
Fran talks about how she and Alex met at work and laughs in amusement when Jack explains that it was the same with him and Ashley, talking about how Ashley had been filling in for a colleague for an interview and Jack practically fell in love with her the second he saw her and had to tell himself to not sound stupid in front of the pretty girl. 
And honestly, as Jack talks to Fran, he laughs to himself a bit ironically. She reminds him a bit of Ashley. A bit too much for him personally and harsh in a different way than his girlfriend, but decent company nonetheless. So maybe he and Alex are more alike than they think. 
Meanwhile, the conversation happening merely 20 feet away between two exes is not as casual. Not as comfortable. 
“Been a long time, huh?” Alex remarks. 
Ashley tries not to scoff. “Four years.”
Alex curses under his breath. “Yeah. How are you?”
What a loaded question. She goes along with it. “I’m good.”
“Cam mentioned you’re in New York?”
“I am. Moved out there about a year after college for work. Then went to grad school there.”
“Journalist?”
She shrugs. “More or less. The title’s changed a couple times throughout the years but all in that field.”
“That’s awesome.” He runs a hand through his hair and it looks so familiar yet unfamiliar. “I still remember when you told me you got into BU. Seems like the path was always laid out for you, huh?”
She’ll have to unpack that one later. “Guess so. How about you? I heard you were in Portland. Real estate, right?”
He nods, “Yeah.”
“That’s great. I’m really glad you’re doing well.”
“Thanks.” A moment of silence there. “For what it’s worth, it is really good to see you again.”
Ashley lets out a genuine smile. Small, but genuine. “Same.” 
The sound of his laughter kinda aches a bit, but not in a way that has her sad. Just nostalgic. There is some easy banter, and somewhere in the back of her mind, Ashley’s remembering a bit of why she loved him in the first place. 
There’s a pause in the conversation, before she continues, “I haven’t gotten a chance to meet whoever you’re here with yet, but-”
“Fran.”
“Fran, right.” she says. “But I’ve heard a bit. How long have you two been together?”
“Are we really going to do this?”
She swallows the urge to fire back, shrugging instead. “Why not? And don’t pretend like you’re not curious about Jack either. I figured I might as well just go first.”
Alex laughs. “Around three years for Fran and I.”
“You love her?”
“I do. A lot.”
She smiles. Genuinely this time. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
“How about you and Mr. NHL Superstar?”
Again, she swallows down her instinct to fire back. “A little over a year now.”
“You happy?”
“Very.”
Alex nods once and doesn’t quite smile but has a pleasant expression on his face. “Cam said that he likes him. Which is a lot, considering I’m pretty sure he used to think that he was a cocky asshole.”
Ashley knows it’s not meant in that way because she knows that her boyfriend has somewhat of a reputation, but she gets defensive. “People aren’t always what they seem. Even if he’s a pest on the ice sometimes, he’s a wonderful guy.” You should know, she wants to say. You were the exact same way in high school.
They’re trickling into dangerous territory. She wonders if he’ll take the bait. If he does, she wonders if she’ll be strong enough not to fall for it. She wonders if he’ll apologize, not because she needs it, but because she knows she deserved one all those years ago. 
Alex leans back casually, putting his arm over the empty chair next to him. “From me to Jack fucking Hughes. I don’t know if I should be flattered or offended.”
Ashley doesn’t know at all how she’s supposed to take that. Like everything he’s always done, he says it casually, taking a drink of water as she’s figuring out how to respond. She doesn’t. For the first time, she feels like she doesn’t have control of this conversation.
He notices she has no response and keeps going. “Hey, he’s a decent player and the money can’t hurt. I’m glad you’re happy.”
She swallows. A gold digger? Is that really what he’s hinting at?
Ashley almost sighs in relief when she catches sight of Jack, Cam and a woman who she presumes is Fran walking back towards them. Immediately she plasters on a smile and introduces herself to Fran, because it’s not her fault that her boyfriend still has the ability to get under her skin even so many years after their break-up. Jack presses a rum and coke in her hand silently and she thanks him quietly before making small talk with Fran. Just having Jack next to her has her blood pressure lowering. Soon enough, they all but shove Cam back into his own wedding and bid farewell as Fran excuses her and Alex and heads over to chat with someone she doesn’t recognize. 
Jack leads her outside of the main reception hall into one of the hallways, where there are people sporadically chatting and also getting away from the music for a second. 
Jack grabs her drink and faces her with a concerned look. “Ash? You okay? It seemed to get a little…tense at times.”
Ashley shrugs and chuckles. It’s bitter though, and he knows it, immediately placing a grounding hand on her waist. “I was how I always am to everyone.”
“Sure,” he responds skeptically. 
She sighs. “It was fine. I’m fine. It didn’t go badly. I don’t know if it was good. It just…was.” She squeezes her eyes shut. “It was fine. It’s not a big deal. It’s been four fucking years and it’s not like I love him anymore. I shouldn’t-”
“Hey. Stop. None of that,” Jack says softly but firmly, leaning in closer and kissing her forehead as she bites her bottom lip harshly. He holds her hand gently and presses it against his chest. “Open your eyes, baby. Take some breaths with me.”
She obeys, looking into blue eyes that have become another home for her and taking deep breaths. “Thanks.”
“Always. Wanna talk about it?”
She debates in her mind. “No. It’s a wedding. Let’s go back and have fun and dance.”
“You sure?”
She nods, before placing a peck on his lips. “I’ll probably be more in my feelings tomorrow about it. Or the next week. But for now, come dance with me.”
“Lead the way.”
Ashley doesn’t even look at Alex’s direction for the rest of the night, instead looking at Jack when she feels like the floor beneath her is gonna get pulled away. The stupidly romantic thing is, she knows he’ll catch her everytime.
three - one year and nine months
“What do you think?”
Jack looks up from where he’s sitting on her bed and his eyes pop open, jaw dropping with it. He tosses his phone to the side. “Ash. Holy shit.”
Ashley twirls around in the yellow ruffle dress. “I like this one the most, but I don’t think it’s fancy enough.”
She looks up to see him biting his lip, eyes scanning her body. She blushes as he beckons her to stand inbetween his legs. “Don’t care. You have to wear this one, please. It fits you perfectly.”
She smoothes down the ruffles. “Are you sure it’s fancy enough?”
“Honey, most of the guys probably won’t even be wearing ties,” she settles her hands in his hair. “Wear this one. I know you love it and you look beautiful in it.”
She lets out a breath. “Okay, yeah. I can pair it with those flower earrings and matching bracelet and I think Scarlett has white heels I could borrow and-”
“Woah there,” he chuckles, rubbing his thumbs on the fabric at her hips. “Did you have too much coffee today? You’re talking a million miles a minute.”
“No,” she drawls out. “I’m just…nervous? This is the first thing we’re going to that’s so…”
“Public?” He finishes for her. She nods. He pushes her gently so that she’s sitting next to him. “I get that. I’m a bit nervous too. But I’ll be there the whole time. And you’ll have my parents and Quinn. And Nico will be there too. Besides, you’re great with people. I’ve seen you in action.”
She shrugs modestly. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”
“Then what is it you’re worried about?”
She swallows at his tone, because she doesn’t think he gets it. Why would he? He’s not the one that’s going to be scrutinized by his fans. At least not to the degree she would be. “Everyone else’s thoughts.”
Jack nods slowly in realization. He leans in to kiss her lips twice. She has to admit it makes her feel a bit better. His kisses usually do. “You know no one else’s opinions mean anything. Besides, it’s very clear to anyone that I’m happily taken.”
And he has a point. She’s made an appearance on his Instagram with two photos in his annual summer dump — one was just of her in the city and the other was of the two of them by the lake in Michigan — and he hadn’t tagged her, but it was clearly a message to the world that he wasn’t a single man. Social media doesn’t matter and it never will, but it had been a decision they both had come to, Jack approaching her gently and asking if he could post them. 
But having it through a screen and having it in real life is different. 
“I know it’s stupid,” she says. “But you know me. I don’t particularly enjoy being out of my element.”
“I know, I know,” he bumps her knee with his. “It’ll be fun though. We’ll get drunk the night before and maybe I’ll be hungover the next morning and you get to tell Luke if I do anything embarrassing.”
Ashley laughs. “That does sound fun.”
“Exactly.” He cups her face in his hands. “I gotcha, baby. Always.”
She trusts in that when she lands in Boston a few days later. She trusts in that as she gets swept in a world she’s not quite comfortable in, but finds there are a lot more similarities than differences compared to environments she’s been in. She’s a journalist after all. It’s her job in a way to blend into different lives in order to get the best and most impactful stories. She trusts in that as she’s rolling her eyes fondly at Jack, who’s chatting with practically everyone at the bar. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen this many hockey players in one room. She trusts in that as Jack then always drags whoever he’s talking to so that he can introduce her. 
For someone who has always valued their privacy, Jack is making it pretty obvious that the “stunning girl in the floral shirt” is his. Ashley can’t say she hates it, even if it’s a little bold for her particular taste. 
“He looks happy, doesn’t he?” Ellen asks as they both watch Jack across the room with Auston Matthews. Ashley’s cousins in Toronto would be freaking out right now. 
Ashley snickers. “Drunk or happy?”
“Both?” Ellen raises her glass up to knock it against Ashley’s in a toast.
“I’ll drink to that.” 
“Thank you for coming. I know it means a lot to Jack that you’re here.”
“Thank you all for having me,” Ashley responds, suddenly a bit shy. “It’s, been, uh, a bit overwhelming, to be honest.”
“I can imagine,” Ellen smiles sympathetically. “All this hockey stuff, business wise, is more Jimmy’s scene than mine.”
“Really?” Ashley thinks to all that Jack’s told her about his mother and all the warmth Ellen has emitted since they’ve met, not to mention how everyone they’ve talked to — player, coach, agent — has gravitated towards Ellen.
To her credit, Ellen chuckles. “That’s fair. Jack tells me that you know how to work a room, which is something that Jimmy’s always said about me.”
Ashley traces the rim of her glass. “I think Jack gives me too much credit.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Ellen says with a knowing smile. “I read your article the other day. The one about the family who’s had to travel across the country to get care for their child. Quinn sent it to me, actually.” Quinn read it? She doesn’t remember sending it to him. Did Jack send it to him? “It’s an incredible piece of work. How long did that take you?”
“From start to finish? Around two months.”
Ellen grins, placing a motherly hand on her shoulder. “You’re so talented, honey. I try to keep up with everything you write, but you do so much that sometimes I lose track.”
"You really don’t have to do that. But thank you, Ellen. T-that means a lot to me.” 
“What does Mom not have to do?” Jack asks, squeezing himself next to his girlfriend.
“Read my articles.”
Jack grins. “Why not? They’re so good. Our family group chat is filled with them. Dad always loves your profiles.”
Ashley swallows. She’s pretty confident that the Hughes family likes her, but the fact that they all keep track of her published articles is a bit too much for her to handle right now. She downs the rest of her beer and waves Jack away when he opens his mouth to ask if she wants his. Instead, he asks the bartender for a ginger ale. Ashley’s grateful. 
The next day, Ashley smiles as Jack’s walking the carpet. He’s up for the Hart trophy this year and as he squats down to greet a little boy and sign his jersey, Ashley can’t help but let her love and pride for him soar. She’s as out of the way as she can be, trying not to get overwhelmed with all the voices and flashes around her. It helps that Ellen and Jim seem to always be nearby and she makes fast friends with Nina and Luca, who are watching Nico do similar things. 
She gets pulled out of her own world with a familiar hand on her waist. “Hey,” Jack murmurs into her ear. 
“Hi.”
“Do you wanna jump into a few pictures with me?” Jack asks softly. “It’ll only take a few minutes. No pressure if not.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
He beams, offering an arm as he leads them over to where the photographers are. She tries not to blink too much as the flashes hurt her eyes and hopes she and Jack are looking in the same direction. 
“You look beautiful,” he pairs his sincere compliment with a squeeze of her waist. 
She smiles at the cameras for a few seconds before turning to him slightly. “You already said that.”
“I know. It’s worth repeating.”
Thankfully, it’s only about 30 seconds before everyone else — Quinn, Jack’s parents and Nico’s family — are being ushered in for a group photo. She finds herself inbetween Jack and Nico and giggles as Nico tries to blow his hair out of his face. She takes pity on him after a few tries and she reaches up to fix it for him quickly, Nina laughing on the other side of her brother. 
“Stop messing with it,” Ashley scolds lightly through clenched teeth, smiling for the pictures. “You’re gonna make it worse.” She giggles when Nico pokes her side a few seconds later. 
When Jack wins the Hart, Ashley leaps out of her seat in excitement. To her, he’s always going to be the best player she knows because she sees firsthand how hard he works, but it’s nice that his peers are recognizing it too. He places a quick kiss on her lips before going up on stage and Ashley’s clapping and laughing to herself. He was dreading having to make any sort of speech. 
After the ceremony, she just follows everyone to whatever swanky rooftop seemingly the entire NHL is gathering at. She finds herself flocking towards Nina for a lot of the evening as they both exchange fun stories and memories of their own lives over drinks. Ashley thinks she could keep talking to Nina for the rest of her life. She’s just so damn cool. 
The next day, she drags Jack around the BU campus and is happy pointing out buildings that she had classes in, cried in, cheered in and lived her life in. They walk from one end of Com Ave to the other, Ashley dutifully pointing out Agganis Arena (“I’m sure Trevor has some good memories in this building”), their starting point.
She stands in front of the College of Communication building and stops. Jack dutifully stops next to her. “This building kinda looks like shit.”
Ashley snorts. “Yeah, I know. Especially compared to all the science buildings.” She bites her lip. “It all started here.”
“What did?”
“The dream.”
And yeah, maybe that’s a bit dramatic. But Jack said similar things when he brought her to Toronto earlier this year, so she knows he understands. 
Almost two years together now, she’s convinced that no one will really ever understand her like Jack does. 
He nudges her hip with his, the breeze blowing comfortably through her hair and rustling the plants around them. They watch as a student walks through the front doors. “Wanna go in?” 
She shakes her head. “Nah, I’m good.” She tugs at his hand while sipping the lavender lemonade from Pavement in the other. “Come on. I’ll show you Bay State. I lived there my junior year after I came back from studying abroad in Dublin.”
Bay State Road is beautiful as always in the Boston summer, Ashley’s hand in Jack’s. She drags him out into the middle of the road and only squeals once when a car is coming and he pulls her to the sidewalk. 
Campus isn’t the same when classes aren’t in session, but she hopes Jack can still feel some of the magic in the air through her stories. 
“It suits you.”
She turns to Jack. “Hm?”
“This city. It suits you.”
“Oh,” she blushes for some reason. “Thanks.”
“Do you miss it here?”
“All the time,” Ashley admits. “New York is great, but Boston will always be home.”
“Would you think of working here? If given the option?” Jack asks. 
“Maybe,” Ashley squeezes Jack’s hand, “But I also have reasons to stay in New York.”
He smirks, but it quickly transitions into something gentler. “Yeah?”
She could throw something snarky back at him, but she looks around the brownstones and lets out a deep breath. This is home, but flashes of Hoboken and East Village flicker in her mind and that’s also home. 
She looks at Jack and feels overwhelmed. Oh. It’s Boston. It’s Hoboken. It’s East Village. It’s him. Jack is home.
four - two years
“Big day, huh?” 
Ashley just smiles at Carissa, nudging her side. “We’ve come a long way since that phone call at 2 a.m.”
Carissa just snorts. “That phone call got us here.”
“True,” Ashley squeezes her arm as they make their way to their assigned table. “Love you, girly.”
“Love you more. I’m proud of us.”
Ashley grins, looking around as everyone is mingling amongst each other. There are past award winners here and Ashley’s already done some of her internal fangirling, especially when Lynsey Addario came up to her and wanted to talk to her. 
She’s still decently new in this industry and knows she has so much to learn, but it’s comforting to see that all of her hard work has paid off. 
People are starting to take their seats and Ashley looks around at her colleagues. Everyone’s dressed up and looks so lovely and Ashley smiles, looking down at her midnight blue dress. When Jack had seen her walk out of the changing room in it a few weeks ago, his eyes had popped out. 
(“Fuck,” he had said. “Now I’m even more pissed I can’t make it to the dinner.”)
And yeah, it would be nice if he was here. But the Devils are playing the Islanders tonight. It sucks that he’s so close but so far away, but after two years now, it’s just part of the gig. And they make it work. So Ashley isn’t too upset about it, even if Jack is. 
She’s a bit confused when there is an empty seat next to her, as it seems like the ballroom is filled. There’s no nametag there either, but her attention soon drifts off to the front. She has to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling too hard. 
The Pulitzer Prize Awards Ceremony at Columbia University, also her alma mater in a way. Her 18-year-old-self who was sitting in the front row of Introduction to Journalism in Boston could’ve only dreamed about this day. 
Opening remarks start and Ashley really does try to listen, but her eyes glaze over as her mind drifts off. She claps as the first few awards are being presented. She thinks about all the hours that it took to get this piece down, but also all the hours before — in her classes, at her college paper, in her internships, during her job search. The times she wanted to throw in the towel and just do something else. Anything else.  
“I didn’t miss too much, did I?” She blinks, turning to the voice next to her. She freezes. 
“Jack?” She breathes out. She hasn’t been sleeping much this week, so this could very well be a hallucination. 
He beams and she reaches to place her hand on his cheek and she realizes as she scans her eyes up and down.  Oh. He’s in her favorite suit of his. And he’s here. 
“Oh my god,” she wraps her arms around his neck as her whole table cheers. Thankfully, there’s a lull in the ceremony where the whole room is blanketed in a low buzz. “What the f-don’t you have a game?”
“Technically,” Jack says, nodding at her coworkers with a charming smile. “Took a personal day.”
“What? You can do that?”
“Yeah,” he shrugs, like he didn’t just skip a game to be here. He rubs his thumb on her shoulder as he kisses her temple. “This is a huge deal, baby. I wasn’t gonna miss it. I’m so proud of you.”
“Lindy’s not mad? Nico’s not mad?”
Jack snorts. “The second you won, I told Lindy to count me out for the game so he can do what he wants with that. Nico’s lowkey pissed he also can’t be here.” He turns to Carissa on the other side and beams. “Hey Care. Congrats.”
“Thanks, Jack,” Carissa beams. “Surprised you pulled this off.”
“Surprised we pulled this off.”
Ashley looks at Carissa. “You knew about this?”
“Of course. Who do you think made sure he would have a seat?”
She looks between her colleague and her boyfriend. Something creeps up her throat that feels a lot like love. 
When her and Carissa are recognized and they have to go up to accept the award and give a short speech, it’s kinda a blur. All she remembers is Jack’s kiss on her cheek and receiving a standing ovation as she and Carissa walk up together. So many hours with her eyes glazed over glaring at the laptop. So many hours interviewing with people and reconfirming facts. So many hours dedicated to this one piece. 
She wouldn’t have it any other way. 
As Carissa is speaking, she locks eyes with Jack. He’s beaming and his eyes are actually sparkling. His hair tousled and he’s so handsome and he’s hers. 
(She almost trips walking back to him) 
He chuckles, pulling her into another tight hug. “You’re amazing, baby. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” she chokes out. “Thank you for calming me down all the times I was freaking out.”
“Of course. I’m sure all those glasses of cold water helped,” he jokes. She always said the ice cold water he would place next to her laptop would wake up her brain. 
She laughs into his shoulder. “They did.”
He pulls away and just stares at her, smile still on his face. Their attention is taken away by someone who wants to congratulate Ashley and has no recognition on their face when looking at Jack. 
(Jack looks on with pride)
plus one - three years and four months
Stanley Cups are interesting. Even some of the best athletes of all time have never gotten one. And some that are only slightly above average perhaps were just placed on the right team in the right season. 
But this Stanley Cup, in Ashley’s completely unbiased opinion, this one was fully deserved. By every single person on the team. 
She doesn’t think she’ll ever forget the absolute joy in Nico’s eyes as he lifted the cup in the air to a roaring crowd at The Rock, or how long the hug between Jack and Luke was when the final whistle sounded, or seeing Ellen cry as her two sons beckoned her in for a picture with the cup, her other son and husband standing close by with pride in their eyes. 
The picture of her and Jack by the cup as he’s kissing her cheek as she smiles so widely her eyes are shut might be her favorite picture of them of all time. 
Ashley had wondered if Jack was going to bring the cup to Toronto or Michigan. He ended up bringing it to Toronto while Luke brought it to Michigan. It ended up being all the same, since they were both present at both. 
Jack winning the Cup is obviously a huge celebration. But he’s not the only one with something to celebrate.
Yesterday, when they were out to lunch with some of his extended family, Ashley had found out by phone that she was just promoted to be a director of her team. After her phone call, she had just covered her mouth in shock as she sat down on a nearby bench. It wasn’t until a few minutes later when a concerned Jack came up to her and asked what was wrong, before she told him and he smothered her face in kisses. 
The parade around his pseudo-hometown is absolutely insane. Ashley doesn’t even know how she has a voice by mid-afternoon, much less how Jack has one considering that he’s been yelling all day. At some point, she forces him to sit down and chug a giant water bottle. 
But she can’t overthink too hard. Her phone’s filled with pictures of Jack with his loved ones and she just feels proud. 
Some of Jack’s extended family who still live in the area offered their home to host a party that night with just friends and family. Ashley did all she could to help prepare, which included coming over to decorate the night before and parking herself in the kitchen the second they got there to offer a helping hand. Well, she tried, before every single person pushed her away and insisted she go join the celebrations. 
She finds herself in a long, in-depth conversation with one of Jack’s younger cousins who’s thinking about working in media when she notices it suddenly becomes quiet. Suddenly, the light flickers off and Ashley is confused.
Jack then walks in with a circular cake with candles lit paired with his beautiful smile. Ashley blinks in confusion as everyone’s eyes fall on her and before she can ask what the hell is going on, Luke bounds over to her and swings an arm around her shoulder, shaking her. 
“Congrats on your promotion, Ash!” Luke exclaims. 
Her mouth drops open and she looks around as everyone in the room cheers and shouts out their congratulations. She chuckles in shock as Jack walks closer. And then suddenly, all she can focus on is him. 
“What are you doing?” She whispers, suddenly wanting to cry. 
“Come on,” he says with the softest smile. “You didn’t think I’d just keep the news to myself, did you?”
“But this is your day,” she chokes out. 
“My day. Your day. It’s all the same, eh?” Jack nods at the candles. “Hurry up. My arms are getting tired.”
A watery laugh from her before she blows out the candles at everyone’s cheers. Jack places the cake on a nearby table before smothering her in a tight hug. Ashley’s heart could burst right now at the love she feels from the people in the room and the person in her arms. She gets a chance to really look at the cake, which is white and sage with “Congratulations Jack and Ashley!” in beautiful script at the center. The lights turn back on and Quinn’s the first one who comes up to hug her. As Ellen is giving Ashley a kiss on the cheek, she sees Jack over Ellen’s shoulder, smiling at her. 
She swallows as she pulls away, before glancing at the ring on her left finger. Ashley’s never let herself want much in her life. But if someone asked her what she wants with her life, she would just place them in this room. Right here. Right now. 
(They cut the cake together. Ashley feels a buzzing joy throughout her bones)
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Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy (Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader)
Author’s Note: Happy Halloween, everyone! Yes, it’s still technically Halloween, so I’m getting this in while I still can. I kept meaning to write this all month, but I never actually remembered to--one Hocus Pocus viewing later, and voila! Enjoy! :)
Summary: Getting in the holiday spirit, you, Matt, Karen, and Foggy to a themed Halloween costume, enjoying drinks at Josie’s after work when you make a passing comment. Come the end of the night, an opportunity arises that lets both you and Matt explore your words from the bar.
Warnings: Fluff (friendly banter, Matt and Reader are close, Reader knows about Matt’s hobby), swearing, smut (oral- f!receiving (cuz Matt can’t help himself), cowgirl, praise, p in v unprotected sex, more smut insinuated), bad plot because I wanted to write this so don’t @ me
Other Characters: Foggy Nelson and Karen Page
Word Count: 2,363
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“Well, if I do say so myself, we look good,” you sigh as you lean against the bar counter. “I think we need to do an office theme group costume every year.”
“I don’t know about that,” Matt he says, clearing his throat before sipping his beer.
“No, I agree with (Y/N)—we look damn good,” Foggy seconds, tipping his hat. 
“Agreed,” Karen sighs. “Best law firm in the west.”
“I just don’t remember agreeing to the Western theme,” Matt adds with a shrug. 
“Well, it is what it is. And, think of it this way: we’ll be an economical option for any new faces that wander into the bar or we meet in passing tonight.”
“I’m not following,” he trails. 
“Well, you know what they say, Murdock. Save a horse, ride a cowboy,” you tease, lightly bumping your hip into his. Matt clears his throat as he shakes his head in amusement and annoyance while Foggy and Karen double over in laughter. 
“It wasn’t that funny,” you say with furrowed brows. “How much have you two had to drink?”
“We might have started at the office while you guys wrapped up at court,” Karen admits, but you can tell there’s something off in her response. 
“Well, don’t go too nuts, yeah? My liver hurts at the idea of how much you two might drink tonight.”
“And I don’t think (Y/N) or I want to have to maneuver the streets of New York on Halloween to make sure you get home safely,” Matt adds.
“Mm!” you hum, cutting your drink short to agree with Matt. “And don’t even try to counter with cabs and ride-shares—never on Halloween.”
“Fine,” Foggy concedes. “We won’t get too sloshed, I promise. Scouts honor.”
“You weren’t a Scout,” Matt interjects.
“Just take the sentiment, hm?”
Matt and you turn to one another, speaking in your longtime friend telepathic bond before you turn back to your friends and tip your hats in unison.
“Sounds good, partner,” Matt says with a twang. 
“Yeehaw,” you second. 
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“You should really wear flannels more, Matty,” you tell him as you walk arm and arm down the sidewalk, Foggy and Karen having broken off to walk towards their apartments.
“Thanks,” Matt nods. “I’ll make sure to add some to my shopping list.”
“Come on, it feels soft, and it must be keeping you nice and warm.”
“It is. You good? Staying warm?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Anyways, I have a human radiator walking next to me. It’s just a bummer that your apartment is before mine.”
“I’m not letting you walk home alone. I thought you knew me better than that.”
“And I’ve told you I don’t like you walking home by yourself, either. You might have all your abilities to back you, God forbid anything ever happens, but to the rest of the world, you’re just a blind man walking the street. I worry about you, Matty.”
“Well, how about you just stay over tonight?” he suggests. “We don’t have to worry about each other. I’ll even throw my Columbia sweatshirt in the dryer since you’re chilly.”
“What, no cuddles?” you joke.
You don’t need to have Matt’s super hearing to hear how his breath hitches at my words. 
“I mean, if it’s a dealbreaker, I guess I can cave on it,” he chuckles.
You move to take off your hat, holding it in your hand as you rest your head in his shoulder. “Okay, Matt. You’ve got yourself a deal, lawyer-man.”
Matt laughs lightly a little more, holding your close as you round the corner to his building. When you make it up the stairs and into his loft, you hum in delight as you feel the warmth of Matt’s apartment wrap around you like hug, the lights from the billboard bathing the entire place in glorious reds and blues.
“Let me go get some clothes and throw them in the dryer for my chilly best friend,” Matt smiles, putting his hand lightly in the small of your back as he moves behinds you. The movement brings goosebumps to your skin and makes your cheeks burn hot. “You alright?”
“Yeah,” you lie. “Still a bit cold, I guess.”
“Then it’s good I’m going to warm you up, then.”
You take a deep breath in through your nose and bit the inside of your lip, trying to keep the tingliness you feel at bay. While he does that, you sit on the couch, tucking your legs under yourself as you wait for him. 
“Those should be good in fifteen minutes,” he says with a smile, glasses off, sitting next to you. “You’ll have to suffer just a bit longer, I’m afraid.”
“I think I’ll survive,” you sigh dramatically, resting your head in your hand, your elbow propped on the back of the couch. 
“You have fun tonight?”
“I always have fun with you guys. The question is if you had fun.”
“I did,” he smiles, copying your body language. “But I think you want to tell me something, though.” 
“That’s not fair you can tell things like that,” you grumble. 
“But spot on,” he smirks.
“Yeah,” you sigh. “Listen, I’m sorry if what I said at the bar crossed a line.”
“What did you say?”
“The horse and cowboy thing.”
“It’s okay. You saw the opportunity and took it. It’s a good joke. And it’s okay to be a little horny on Halloween.”
You swallow as you feel your heart begin to tick up. “Are you saying you’re horny tonight, Matty? Is that why you invited me back?”
“No.” You’re suddenly very aware of how close he is. “But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it.” His forehead rests on yours. “Please tell me you’ve thought about it.”
Leaning forward, you close the small gap between you and feel his lips on yours, soft, warm, and welcoming. His hand cradles your cheek, slowly moving to the back of your head, threading his fingers in your hair. You sigh into his lips, focusing on the way his scruff scratches against your skin and how his mouth moves against yours. While you get yourself lost in the fluidity of his lips, you’re unaware of how his body reacts to you. When his hands move to grip your waist and bring you on his lap, you gasp, your lips opening into an “O” as a bright smile spreads along his face. You bring your hands to hold his face, pulling him back in for a deep kiss, your bodies rocking back and forth on the couch. Matt’s finger scrunch up the blend of your shirt in an effort to hold you impossibly close to him, pulling his lips from yours to press large, damp, needy kisses along your jaw and down the column of your neck. You whimper as his mouth secures around your pulse point, feeding on the flesh like a hungry animal. 
With a grunt, Matt lifts your bodies from the couch and takes purposeful steps toward the bedroom, his mouth never once faltering from its work on your flesh. Matt leans over on the mattress, locking your body between him and the bed as he moves his fervent kisses from your neck back to your lips, but not before retracing the path he initially took. When Matt’s mouth reaches yours once more, he slips his tongue in, exploring how you taste, smushing your noses together. Your legs latch around his waist, pressing the strained tent in his jeans against your core that you feel growing wetter with each passing embrace.
You clear your head long enough to pull your lips from Matt’s, placing quick and sloppy kisses all over his face before moving to tug at his earlobe. The moan that escapes Matt’s lips is sinful, dipping his head just so to kiss your chest.
“Matty,” you whisper in his ear. “Matty, please. Let me takes these off of you.”
“Yeah angel?” he hums, dragging his nose up your throat.
Removing his body from yours, Matt doesn’t waste any time, ripping open his shirt and quickly discarding the material to his left on the mattress. While he works to get his jeans off, you mimic his movements and take your clothes off as fast as you can when you get an idea. Your panties come off with your skinny jeans and you quickly remove your bra, but not before Matt lowers his lips to your bare stomach and right to your pussy, waisting no time. Judging by the pace that he laps and sucks at the skin, he’s either incredibly horny, or he has thought about doing exactly this for a long time—the manner that his hands palm and squeeze the meat of your spread thighs make you inclined to believe it’s the second one.
Abruptly, he pulls his lips from your core and brings them back to my lips for a deep kiss and letting you taste how you mix with him. The embrace is sloppy and raunchy, making your head spin with delight. Feeling how his rock hard cock presses against you, you take advantage of the situation, rolling you around on the bed and moving down the length of his body.
“Not so fast, Matthew,” you chuckle, gently taking hold of the base of his cock, the heavy weight of his length nothing short of glorious in your hand. Tentatively, you lick the tip of his pink head, tasting the saltiness of his precum and spreading it around before slowly take him in your mouth. Matt lets out a throaty moan, and you hear his head drop onto the pillow. What you can’t fit into my mouth you supplement with your hand, moving up and down him at a steady pace, using your tongue to feel the veins and minute contours of the muscle. The more excited you get, the sloppier your movements become, and the faster the whimpers and whines fall from his lips.
“Angel,” he pants. “Fuck, you’re doing so good for me. Good girl, good gi—fuck. Just like that.”
With a delighted hum, you move back up from his length and release him with a loud pop.
“If you liked that, Matty, I think you’ll like what comes next,” you smile. 
Giving him a few more pumps, you move to straddle this hips, hovering just slightly. Sliding on his discarded flannel, you tie it tight just under your breasts and lean forward to take the cowboy hat from his head that has managed to stay on this entire time, putting it on your own. A dopey, lopsided grin spreads across his face.
“And what do you have planned, exactly?” he asks with a quirk of his eyebrow. 
“What I said earlier tonight,” you tell him, positioning his cock right at your entrance. “I’m going to ride a cowboy.”
With that, you sink down on his length and feel a glorious stretch. Your eyes close in delight, and you can only assume Matt’s expression matches yours from the way he interlaces his fingers with yours. Taking a moment to adjust to his length and girth, you slowly begin to move up and down him. Your moans and pants slowly start to fill the room, the sound making your heart race and your skin grow warm.
“So big, Matt,” you moan as you switch from up and down motions to rocking your hips back and forth. The change makes Matt cry out in pleasure, pulling his fingers from how they’re clasped to hold tightly to the flesh of your hips, guiding you to keep a steady rhythm. One of your hands moves to rest on his abdomen while the other holds onto the hat to keep it on.
“S-shit,” he curses. “You feel so good for me, riding me like that, sweetheart. So wet, baby.”
“Matty,” you moan as you move my hips faster.
“I know, I know. Give me those curves, baby.”
Leaning forward, you move down and kiss him, allowing him to continue guiding your hips.
“Fill me so good,” you mutter into his skin. “Hit the spot.”
“Yeah? You like how I feel in you? Huh? Fuck, you’re perfect.”
The pace and angle starts to become too much, your breathing becoming more erratic and your cries more desperate.
“Are you gonna be a good girl and cum for me?” Matt grunts in your ear, placing kisses wherever he can on your face. “Can you do that for me?”
“Y-Yes,” you pant, focusing only on Matt’s skin and how his heart thunders in his chest. It’s just enough to push you over the edge, and you squeeze his cock, your hands desperately clutching onto his shoulders while his hands maintain your momentum. “Matt!”
“I know, I-I’m clo—ohh, fuck!” Matt moans, his hips slapping hard into you, filling you with his load. “Fuck, angel!” 
As you ride out your highs together, you collapse on his chest, your chests heaving from the exertion.
“Howdy,” he chuckles, pushing the hat back to kiss your forehead.
You giggle before you return the greeting: “Howdy.”
“You’re really good at that, you know.”
“You’re not half bad yourself, Murdock.”
Bringing your lips back to his, you kiss him once more, the sweetness and slow nature of the embrace different than the heated passion from your other exchanges. Matt takes the hat from your head, putting it somewhere to the side as he rolls you over, somehow staying inside of you in the change of position. 
“Still want those clothes from the dryer?” 
You smile and shake your head in disbelief. The sass of this man is incredible.
“I think I might be okay, especially if you let me stay in your arms for the night.”
Matt’s fingers ghost up to the knot of his shirt on your body, letting the cotton blend fabric fall to the side and expose your breasts as he lets his lips hover just over yours, teasing you as the corners of his curl up. “I don’t see that being a problem at all, angel. In fact, I don’t have any intention of letting you go.”
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Permanent Taglist: @majesticavenger​ @steampowerednightvaler​ @themusingsofmany @just-the-hiddles​ @toozmanykids​ @dangertoozmanykids101 @clints-worldavengers @theburningbookshop@itwasthereaminuteago @peter1ismybrother@hellskitchens-whore​ @dpaccione
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selvyyr · 2 months
Note
I loved your work so much I came back imagine a columbia reader genshin impact
Her being angel looking demon overlord but how whoud the overlords react to her she looks so pretty and adorable but she is feard so looks like a cinnamon roll but will kill you.
I love how mysterious she is and her disingn looks so beautiful.
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QUITE FUNNY THAT I HAVE COLUMBINA!READER FIC ON MY WATTPAD LMAOO AND OFC!FEEL FREE TO REQUEST!
|MASTERLIST!|
୧ ‧₊˚ ❄💗 ⋅ ☆
MELODY DEMON
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↪People don't know if you are fallen angel nor sinner..But you appeared around the 1600-1800 year..
↪You had two tiny pair of wings around your head while one pair of wings on your back..You almost looked like an angel..
↪When you first appeared in hell..You almost killed most of the overlords and made alot of deals with sinners somehow..
↪You always spoke in sweet and caring voice with gentle smile and touch..
↪People called you "the melody demon" because of your gentle and sweet voice singing on night time when overlord dies..
୧ ‧₊˚ ❄💗 ⋅ ☆
Zestial
↪You and zestial are like siblings..You two would often talk about serious topics and such..
↪It isn't suprising if anyone catches you and zestial drinking tea together..
↪You were always listening what he talk about..Zestial one time had asked you if you were fallen angel or sinner.. But you chuckled and poked his nose..
Carmilla
↪Carmilla really like how you always is postive in overlords meetings..
↪You would usually take half of her work without her knowing and finishes it over few hours later..
↪You had tried some of the angelic weapons she sell but it was useless..
↪Her daughters always finds themselves falling asleep whenever you sing to them..
↪Carmilla sees you as sister while her daughters see you as aunt..
Vox
↪Vox tries to get you to join the vee's since you are more powerful than him.. But does not work..
↪He had tried to hypnotize you but you got him falling asleep when you started singing a melody..
↪Vox often spies on you with his screens but everytime you sing a melody as the screen would break and glitch out..
↪He was very annoyed and angry at this point..And he had tried to fight you..Which got him on the floor with few broken glasses on his screen..
Valentino
↪You hate how he treats his employees especially the one called "angel dust"..
↪When he met you.. He tried to touch you in which didn't work since you kicked him away..
↪Whenever he was in the meetings you would sit far away from him..
↪You wanted to kill him so badly but vox had told begged you to not
Velvette
↪velvette is the only vee's you like to hang out with..
↪Velvette finds you very stunning and beauty..So whenever you two hang out.She would often give you some high quality clothes and such.
↪You two match your themes sometimes too..Velvette likes your voice alot..
↪When she was having hard time..You sang her a very calming melody for her to fall asleep..
Rosie
↪Rosie loves you alot.Since you are cannibal like her!
↪It isn't really suprising to see you walking sround the cannibal town
↪Rosie would spill some teas with you and you two giggle about it
↪You would sing songs,melodies in her town which she loves to hear!
Alastor
↪Alastor knew you when he first arrived in hell..You two got similar names!
↪You two would often be talking and taking a walk together
↪You like his radio broadcast which he liked about.
↪You would sing melody,songs in his radio broadcast and get some sinners fall asleep.
EXTRA
LUCIFER
↪When lucifer first met you he thought he was seeing things..But whe he realized he wasn't...
↪His breath hitched in his throat..How were you here..?You are the high throne angel!
↪After some time..He become close to you again..
↪He would often show you some of his latest creations and stuff..You love it alot!
LILITH
↪Lilith likes you alot..You defended her and lucifer when they were getting punished.
↪Lilth and you would often sing songs,melodies together
↪Lilith loves it when you come to her performances
↪She was in heaven with bit of your help ofc..
Charlie
↪charlie sees you as aunt,her parents were happy when she told them about it..
↪You were there when she was child..You played with her and etc..
↪She really likes how you sing..She took some lessons from you!
↪Your gentle and sweet voice would always make her fall asleep..
↪You were very supportive of her idea about redeeming sinners!If you ever come to the hotel she would be happy to welcome you!
୧ ‧₊˚ ❄💗 ⋅ ☆
A/N:HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS!<3HAVE A NICE DAY/ EVENING/NIGHT!<3
୧ ‧₊˚ ❄💗 ⋅ ☆
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wosowrites · 9 months
Text
Against All Odds (Jessie Fleming x Reader)
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warnings: none
prompt: in which reader is a super buff boxer but gets all soft around Jessie, making Jessie’s teammates tease her.
a/n: for @woso-scotland
Growing up with 5 older brothers meant one thing. Chaos. The only time you all got along was when you were watching boxing on the TV. However, when you were 11, the middle child, Jacob, died. You had never heard the house so quiet, it haunted you to this day. He had only been 15.
But, 11 year old you wanted to make your family feel better, she wanted to give her family back the five boxers for children they had before the accident.
That’s why when you told your father you wanted to take up boxing, he didn’t say no. Your dad was your biggest fan. He came to every game, gave you tips until you were too good for them, and supported you through everything including your coming out. You were the only person in the family that had continued boxing, your brothers turning into architects, police officers and family men while you stayed nose deep in the world of boxing.
By the time you were 20, you were incredibly well known in the boxing world, and at the same time, a certain 20 year old was growing a name for herself too. Only in the football industry. However you would only meet Jessie Fleming years later at a gym…
You were ripped, to say the least. But not the kind of ripped that would go noticed to everyone. You wore hoodies and sweatpants and it made your build discreet, but the second you were in a sports bra and shorts it was undeniable you could take anybody in a fight.
Jessie met you at the supermarket in London. It was the middle of COVID and your boxing season has been cut short. You were wearing light blue Columbia sweatpants and a matching crewneck with a black mask. Your sneakers were white, but just barely as you only left your house for essentials.
You had always lived in LA which made the sudden move to London, England shocked to your family. But you knew you needed to get away from the world during this virus thing.
You turned the corner, holding a basket in your hand which was filled with vegetables, milk, fruit and some protein bars. As you did, you felt a cart come crashing into your legs and sending you flying backwards, landing on the ground.
"Oh my god! I’m so sorry," the young woman squealed, quickly leaving her spot behind the cart and rushing to your side. "It’s okay, i’m fine," you laughed, rubbing you knees and standing up. "I’m- Im so sorry I was just lost in my own mind and I didn’t see you," she apologized again. "What are you, Canadian? Enough apologies. I’m okay," you teased. "How did you know?" she asked, helping you place your own groceries back into your basket. "Know what?" you questioned, only realizing now how beautiful the girl in front of you was, or at least what you could see of her was. "That i’m canadian?" she said.
"Oh. I didnt. I was just kidding, but that makes sense now, and the accent," you laughed. "Okay American," she clapped back, rolling her eyes teasingly. "I feel like i’ve seen you somewhere," you said to her, narrowing your eyes. "Uh- no. Probably not. I’m your average girl," she said.
"So am I," you said.
The next week, you saw her again. This time, you had just come from the gym so you had on shorts and a tank top, showing off your features. Jessie was there too. "Hey!" she said to you as you met her in. the dairy alley. "Hi. How are you?" you asked her. "I’m good. And you’re jacked," she said, not so discreetly passing her eyes over your body. Usually, someone staring at you like that would make you self conscious, but the way Jessie did it made you feel good.
"Uh, yeah," you laughed. "Oh my god. When I left here last week I thought i recognized you too. That’s because you… box, right? On TV! A few of my teammates have a crush on you. They hate boxing but they love watching you," she laughed. "Oh really now? Well I don’t really care what they think but I care what you do. Because I recognize you too. Jessie Fleming, olympic athlete, two times world cup attender, and Chelsea player," you said, listing her honours.
"Stalker," she accused. "Yeah," you smiled. "Okay well how about I get to know you through another mechanism than google," you suggested. "You mean a date?" she asked, clearly blushing. "I do,"
But then the whole world went into lockdown again and your dates were more like king calls till midnight and face time dates.
Everything worked out though, because on this day of April 14th 2023, you were dating and more in love than ever.
Jessie’s Canadian teammates found out first. You had travelled to Ottawa with her for the celebration tour of winning the Olympics. Jessie had a video of you screaming your guts out by yourself in your apparement when they won the games. You were yelling, crying, and got a noise complaint the next day. But you didn’t care. All you wanted to do with your life was support your girlfriend, and that’s all she wanted to do with hers.
So, that’s how you found yourself front row in tiny little place TD stadium, sitting on a chair that was a little tight on your quads. Jessie scored a penalty, mimicking the one she did at the Olympics and you yelled for that too. You were probably the only American that loved the Canadian team more than anything.
After the game, the team walked around clapping to the fans and when Jessie got to you she stopped and hugged you over the barrier. "Come down, the security here is light," she said to you. So you climbed over the railing and hopped onto the turf. "Janine!" Jessie called, ushering over a blonde who had been talking to a man who looked like her brother. Janine jogged over and looked at you with wide eyes. You were pretty menacing to people who didn’t know you. "This is… y/n, my girlfriend," Jessie said. "You’re- your what?!! How long have you been together?" Janine asked. "Um, well we’ve been taking it slow a year but we made it official like six months ago," Jessie said. "Six. Months?!" Janine whisper yelled. "Hi, I’m y/n," you said, sticking your hand out.
Janine had clearly forgotten you were there as her her snapped towards you in confusion. "Oh, sorry. Hi, I’m Janine Beckie," she said. "Y/n Y/l/n," you smiled, shaking it. "Like the boxer?" she asked. "Uh, yeah," you laughed.
The introductions were then made in the Canada locker room which was even scarier as what felt like hundreds of pairs of eyes were on you.
"Okay. So I don’t do this… it’s not my thing but I thought after keeping our… relationship… secret for months you guys deserved to know. This is my girlfriend, y/n. And yeah she’s the boxer," Jessie said.
You blushed furiously and smiled at the girls who started asking questions all at once. "How did you meet?"
"She hit me." you said. "Okay woah! You need to add context there," Jessie laughed. "She hit me with her shopping cart," you added.
"Okay and what are your intentions. Because this is Baby Canada right here and she can’t play with a broke heart," Chappy said, summoning her motherly side. "My intentions are to never let her go a day without feeling loved and supported. My intentions are to… watch her play with a smile on my face and make sure she knows that she is the most wonderful person I have ever met. My intentions are to go broke because I buy all of her jerseys," you said, ranting a little bit.
"Okay softie," Stephanie said, winking over at Jessie and giving her a thumbs up. "Sorry to do this y/n but the post game talk is just for players. Gotta kick you out," Bev said, heading towards the door. "Oh right. Okay well it was nice meeting you all," you said. You turned to Jessie and gave her a quick kiss on the lips which she responded by placing her hand against your abs and kissing back before you left the room.
The second you closed the door chatter erupted in the room. "Okay Fleming I see your type now," Vanessa teased.
Teasing and more teasing echoed in the room, Even Bev chipped in.
But eventually calm settled over TD place and Bev started the post game talk.
The Chelsea girls found out about Jessie’s relationship at the start of the season… by accident.
You had called her after practice to let her know that your car had broken down on the side of this little street in the middle of suburb London and you were lost. She answered your call in the changing room.
"Hey Jess, can you come get me? My car broke down and the car repair people came and got it but they couldn’t give me a ride. I’m literally standing in this random street that looks like it’s in the middle of a forest," you groaned down the phone. "What? Are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah. Im fine, just… it’s gonna rain soon Jess. I was coming home from visiting a friend and-"
"Babe, I’ll be there as soon as possible. Send me your location," Jessie said and then hung up.
"Babe?" Magda asked, the whole room silent. "Yeah. I have a girlfriend by the way and her car broke down so I gotta go get her," Jessie said, quickly putting on a matching adidas hoodie and shorts and stuffing her belongings into her gym bag. "Jessie! You’re giving four people a ride home. It’s your carpool day. Which means…" Niahm started saying.
"You are not coming with me." Jessie said sternly.
"Road trip!" Niahm, Lauren, Sam, Zecira and Emily said at once. "Wait. We want to come too, meet the girl," Pernille said, pointing between her and Magda.
"Please no," Jessie groaned. "Wait, who doesn’t want to come," she asked.
No one raised their hand.
"Everyone get in a car and follow mine," the Canadian exhaled.
Turns out you were thirty full minutes away, but that didn’t discourage anyone within the four cars trailing behind Jessie’s honda.
There was music blasting in every vehicle and when rain started pouring, Jessie knew you would be in a bad mood.
"Someone grab my phone and text y/n telling her i’m almost there," Jessie said, fumbling with her device and tossing it to Emily in the backseat.
Jessie saw you the second she turned the curve in the road. You had your hood up, your arms crossed and you looked ready to kill. She knew that you were just pissed off and would never hurt a soul, but to the other girls, you seemed positively menacing.
Jessie jumped out of her car and ran towards you, hugging you tightly. "I’m so sorry, everyone wanted to come and-"
That’s when you saw the four other cars behind your girlfriends, but you didn’t care, you just kept hugging her and let the tears of frustration mix with the raindrops on your face. "It’s okay baby, they were bound to meet me one day," you said, brushing her now wet curls out of her face.
You had excepted everyone to stay in their cars due to the insane amount of rain, but before you knew it, the entire Chelsea Women’s roster was in front of you in the street. Magda and Pernille hugged you gently, giving each other a wide eyed look as they both felt your muscle mass. "Holy shit. You’re the boxer. I watch you on TV like all the time," Guro said, eyes wide.
"Well so do I- I watch you, I mean. Not myself. I watch all of you guys," you laughed.
"Your Guro’s celebrity crush is what she’s saying," Jessie teased. "Well not anymore!" The Norwegian laughed.
You spent dozens of minute talking in the rain, the cold downpour not seeming so bad when you had Jessie’s hand in yours.
Eventually, you got into the front seat and banished Sam to Magda and Pernilles car to make room for you.
You talked to the girls in the car and answered questions that the Canadian team had already asked. But you didn’t mind because those questions just meant you were lucky enough to have Jessie Fleming sitting beside you.
"She gets super focused when she drives," Emily said. "I know, I think it’s because she’s a bad driver," you teased. "I’m not! It’s just the whole reverse thing is confusing. The cars go the opposite way then they do in Canada," she said, keeping her eyes fixed on the road.
You kept on looking at her, your eyes full of love. Jessie knew you were staring, but she just let the blush creep onto her cheeks and gave you a quick smile, returning the lovey dovey eyes.
Zecira snapped a picture from the backseat. The forest was clear through the windshield, and so were the droplets of rain. You could see Jessie’s blushing grin but not who it was directed too. She posted it to her story and closed her phone, enjoying the sound of the rain… and the one of Emily and Niahms arguing.
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goblinontour · 4 months
Text
To The First Girl Who Lit Him A Flame (Part 2)
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alex returns the favour with your help
warnings: smut, oral (f receiving), it gets sticky, nothing crazy there’s quite a lot of fluff too
word count: 4.2k
your head was pounding by the time you got home, who would’ve thought the night would end up with you sucking off alex turner in the bathroom? you were smiling to yourself thinking back to it as you threw yourself on the soft bed in your room. your eyes were closing and as you were about to fall asleep your phone chimed and all the tiredness dissipated when you saw it was alex texting you.
you two made sure to exchange phone numbers by the time you had to go home, and even though it was already late you ended up texting till the morning, both equally excited for later that day.
you said your ‘good nights’ somewhere around 6am and you immediately fell asleep.
things couldn’t be more different for alex on the other hand. he was lying in his bed with his arms crossed behind his head and he kept staring at the ceiling, overthinking and already panicking. why did he invite you over? well, because he liked you of course, but he didn’t know how any of this worked, didn’t know what he was supposed to do. he thought about telling one of the guys and asking for some advice but they weren’t any better, they were still virgins as well and didn’t have any experience with girls, as far as he knew.
he was about to embarrass himself in front of the girl he liked and ruin all of his chances of this going anywhere, he thought. at some point he rolled over and straight up screamed into his pillow. this was happening regardless, no way to back out now. it wasn’t like he didn’t want it, he was just stressing out. and so he forced himself to at least get a couple of hours of sleep so he wouldn’t be completely knackered by the time you came around.
when he woke up he popped out to the store to get some snacks and drinks or whatever. on his way back home though he passed a pharmacy and stopped in his way. should he buy condoms? would he need them? how far did you think tonight would go? was he ready for that? he decided to get some just in case, better prepared than not.
he started pacing around the house, stressing once more, but he busied himself by cleaning up and tidying his room so it would look nice. he was snapped out of his little bubble by one of your texts.
“you never gave me your address al”
“yeah sorry i forgot i guess, but don’t worry about it, i’m picking you up, you live near royal on columbia right?”
“yes xx see you there?”
“definitely, 5?
“perfect”
by picking you up he meant see you there and walk together to his house. he didn’t have a car yet, still shared it with his mum and his parents were away with it.
he just waited for the time to pass, had a shower and tried to make himself look as good as possible.
in the meantime, you were bursting with excitement. you didn’t think you’d ever end up going to his house and for that reason out of everything, but you liked him, he was really nice and sweet and you didn’t see how anything could go bad. you did your makeup and all that and decided to wear your matching black lingerie set for him, to make it all the more special. you popped on a little miniskirt and sweater number, it was still quite cold and you wanted to be comfy at the same time.
it was about 10 to 5 when you spotted him outside. he was pacing on the spot, hoping he was in the right place. so you didn’t leave him waiting for any longer, grabbed your bag and went to meet him.
you grabbed him by the shoulders from behind but he was wearing his earphones so he didn’t hear you coming up behind him and you scared the shit out of his already hyper self, making him jump.
“sorry alex didn’t mean to scare ya”
“it’s alright” he giggled while wrapping the wires around his phone and stuffing them in his pocket “you look really nice y/n. very pretty indeed” that last part wasn’t supposed to be said out loud, it was more him thinking to himself but the words came out anyway.
“thank you” you murmured, hugging his side and squeezing his waist a tiny bit as you two started walking to his.
it didn’t take that long, he lived just a few blocks away and you were too into the conversation to even notice how time slipped and you were already at his front door.
“make yourself at home” he told you, but he felt anxious again “what are we uhm…what do you wanna do?”
“why don’t we just watch a film for now?” you suggested, thinking it would be easier to just hang out and get him more relaxed first.
“drink?”
“yes please, thank youuu” getting louder towards the end for him to hear you as he was walking towards the kitchen behind you.
he stayed in there for quite a while, you were starting to get a bit worried honestly. you went in to check on him and he was just standing there, leaning over the edge of the counter holding it by the edge and staring at the drinks in front of him.
“you alright al?” he didn’t say anything so you messed with the hair at the back of his head “hey”
“yeah i’m fine just…popcorn?” he was panicking.
“yes” you agreed, kissing him on the cheek. he couldn’t help but smile and he got all blushy, but you let him do his thing, staying close by.
when he raised his arms to get the bowl and everything else from the cupboard his fitted long sleeve climbed up as well, exposing his waist and his hips where his jeans didn’t quite cover his underwear, leaving the waistband visible. you bit your lip thinking about how you’d get to touch that later.
the two of you settled on the sofa and fought over what movie to put on until you came to an agreement. he was sitting close to you, but not close enough, and he didn’t know how or when to initiate anything so you took the first step and cuddled up closer to him, which encouraged him to wrap his arm around your shoulder, followed by you resting your head in the crook of his neck. in his mind he was going crazy and he hoped you couldn’t feel his heart beating to the point he felt it was going to burst out from his chest. of course you did, but you weren’t going to mention it.
you just couldn’t wait any longer. feeling him so close, right there within your reach, you couldn’t help yourself. you pressed a kiss to his neck, immediately feeling him tense up as he straightened his back. but as you kept leaving little kisses to his soft skin he started to melt into you, and even though you could hardly hear it due to how quiet it was, you felt a moan vibrating in his throat against your lips. He turned slightly to face you better, and he looked at you for a few seconds before asking
“can i kiss you?”
“how could i say no silly?” you replied, forcing yourself to not just grab him already, leaving him to do it. and he did, he leaned down and your lips were together again, and it was just as perfect as it had been that first time. your hands quickly found their way into his hair, making a mess of it, again, pulling on some pieces to get him to make all those pretty sounds that were like music to your ears. he got some more confidence and nudged you to get on his lap, and you happily complied, moving to sit on him. you pulled his head back by his hair to expose that big neck with so much space, just ready to be adorned with marks. although it took all the strength he had in him, he pulled you away.
“i said i would return the favour, let me.”
he followed in your steps, doing just as you had been doing to him, kissing your neck, leaving little bites all the way from behind your ear, down to your collarbone, holding the neck of your sweater pulled down with one of his fingers, so he could have proper access. you were so turned on, like you’ve never ever been in your life. you couldn’t quite put your finger on what it was exactly, he wasn’t giving you anything you haven’t received before. maybe it was just him.
“wanna take it to your room then?”
“yes…mhmmm” he trailed off, mumbling something else you couldn’t make out, his face was still buried between your sweater and your neck, getting covered by your hair falling over it. he picked you up as his lips connected back to yours and started walking backwards to the staircase. he wasn’t quite so shy anymore, his hands finding their place on your ass, grabbing at it and going under your skirt, touching you directly over your skin. you’d decided to not wear any tights, despite it being cool out, you knew they’d be painfully in the way of your activities.
the moment got cut off however when alex fell on his ass on the stairs, bringing you down with him, of course. you both burst out laughing and it was addicting, the way his whole face lit up and that little scrunch of his nose ugh.
it didn’t stop you for long. his lips found yours once more, picking you back up and getting you two, safely, to his room, where he laid you down on his bed and crawled over you, both adjusting more to the middle so you could sit comfortably. he kept kissing your neck, feeling your body carefully, stopping when his hand was almost touching your breast to ask “is this okay?”. you nodded, aching for him. you could feel the arousal pooling in between your legs already as he started kneading one of your breasts over your top, if you weren’t wearing black there’d for sure be a wet patch visible.
“please alex” you said in a breathy tone, the air feeling heavy around you from how worked up you got. “can i?” you asked, fingers hooking at the bottom of his shirt, pulling on it slightly to show him you wanted it off, now.
“yeah” with his approval, you didn’t waste anymore time, bringing the top over his head and taking a second to admire his bare torso. so delicate. “can i take yours off?”
“thought you would never ask” you joked “please.”
he took off your sweater, leaving you in just your bra and your skirt that’s been riding up, resting all bunched up at the top of your thighs. his eyes trailed over your body, flicking between both breasts, he couldn’t believe his luck, that this was happening and it was real. he started kissing you again, slowly going down your body, caressing the sides with his big hands, his fingers dragging across your skin making it break out in goosebumps and tingles.
“i need you, touch me, please” you were getting desperate, would start begging if he didn’t attend to you soon enough.
he didn’t stop in his way this time. he sneaked his hands under your waist to raise you up so he could pull down your skirt. he continued by placing kisses to the newly exposed skin, down the insides of your thighs, getting closer to where you needed him the most. he hovered over your clothed pussy for a second, his breaths hitting it, making your need for him grow, until he finally left a kiss over it, his nose accidentally nudging just the perfect spot.
“please alex”
“uh…okay, okay” he said nervously now that he would actually have to get on with it. he pulled down your panties and you pushed them off from where they bunched up at your ankles, landing somewhere on the floor but you paid no mind to it now, too focused on him. his breath hitched in his throat and his dick twitched in his pants when he laid his eyes on the sight in front of him. “just a second” he pleaded, getting up to take off his jeans that had his growing erection strained. he just couldn’t stand them anymore. you took that as your queue to also take off your bra, leaving you completely bare under his watch. he sat on his knees, in between your parted ones, inviting and begging him to touch you. he snaked his arm around one of your legs and rested his face against it. he was just stalling, not knowing how exactly to start, what he should do, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself.
“what should i, you know…could you guide me through it so it’s good for you?”
you brought your own hand in between your legs and started touching yourself, running your fingers through your lips, gathering some of the wetness and bringing it to your clit, stopping to give him some pointers.
“right here. see?” moaning quietly from how needy you felt, and to rile him up more.
“yeah” his response barely audible from how entranced he was while watching you touch yourself.
“alex” you called out, to get him to focus properly.
“mhm?”
“your turn now.”
“oh. uhm…okay, alright”
he lowered his hand where yours just was and he used two of his fingers to spread your pussy lips apart, exploring all of this carefully, as it was his first time ever experiencing it. he started by playing around with your clit, just like you showed him, and he got the hang of it, applying the perfect amount of pressure, slowly getting you there, the tension of it all making you hornier and you knew it wouldn’t take that long, even with his inexperience. you tried not to watch him too intensely, so he could relax, but those little glances you’d catch of him all focused were delightful.
he pleasantly surprised you when you noticed him scooting down on the bed so his mouth could reach your pussy, attaching his lips to your clit, where he previously played with his fingers, and you gasped as you felt his tongue poking out to lick it. he went lower to lap at all the wetness that kept pooling down there.
“you taste so good. fucking delightful” you couldn’t help but get a bit amused by his dirty talk, not that it was bad, you just weren’t used to it. the guy that wouldn’t risk getting too close to you on the sofa earlier was now complimenting how your pussy tasted. you could get used to it though.
your thoughts were interrupted when a loud moan, almost a cry, escaped your lips as you felt one of his fingers enter you, while he kept teasing your clit with his tongue. god his fingers were so long. You could feel every ridge of his knuckles as he pumped it in and out of your dripping cunt, so wet, just for him.
“more” and he obliged, instantly adding another finger and you already felt full, full of him.
“does that feel good?” he was enjoying it as well, by now he started subconsciously rutting his hips into the mattress, dying for some friction, anything to fix the aching hard on he had.
“yes, oh my god, how are you this good” you asked, more to yourself, not really expecting an answer, but this was all too good. maybe you were just too horny, but you didn’t think so. he was doing a really good job. and that was because while he kept going at it, he watched out for how your body responded to each one of his moves, keeping in mind what seemed to make you feel the best, like when he curled his fingers and you tightened your grip on the sheets, or when he touched your clit just right with his tongue and he could feel your thighs closing around his head.
you were so close, just needed a little bit more, so you started playing with your nipples, pinching them lightly, but he quickly noticed and took over one of them with his free hand, rolling it between his fingers just like he would do to himself when he was wanking, he loved how the double stimulation felt, and it was particularly pleasurable for him, so he thought the same would work for you. and it did. he kept hitting that perfect spot inside you, and his mouth. god. he switched between sucking that little sensitive bud between his lips and licking it and he found a delicious rhythm and position that made you bring your legs over his shoulders, wrapping around him and trapping him in there so he wouldn’t dare move, your hand flying to his hair, getting all tangled up, pushing him deeper into your heat. he was also moaning and making little whimper sounds. although muffled by his face being all up in your pussy, doing god’s work, you could feel them against your skin, the vibrations giving you all the more pleasure.
everything was just too much, you came apart beneath alex, saying his name over and over, mumbling praises for how amazing he was and how fucking good he was making you feel. it was one of the best orgarms you’d ever had, not even joking. no one had been able to make you cum like that, that good, except yourself, but that was different. was he sure he didn’t do this before because goddamn. you came all over his face and fingers until you pulled him away, becoming way too much. he pulled his fingers out and before he could do anything else you leaned over and grabbed him by the wrist, taking them in your mouth, cleaning them up, humming in pleasure as you tasted yourself and his jaw was on the floor as he was watching you. you did taste good, he wasn’t wrong. you then grabbed his jaw and pulled him into a kiss, pulling his body back up over yours and you felt him hard against you, his erection rubbing over the inside of your thighs through his tight boxers. you brought your hand down to feel him and he bit his lip to suppress the moan he was about to let out as you squeezed his hard cock.
“do you wanna, you know…?” you asked him.
“fuck” he let out as you kept touching him, the pressure feeling delicious.
“yeah, that” you giggled, you knew that wasn’t what he was trying to say by ‘fuck’, but once you realised how it came out right after your question, you couldn’t help yourself.
“no i meant-” you cut him off before he would start overexplaining and getting all stressed again.
“i know baby”
‘baby’, he liked how that sounded from you.
“i don’t think uhmm…if you don’t mind, i just, i don’t think i’m quite ready for that yet, if that’s okay? ‘m sorry”
“don’t apologise al, it’s more than okay, do you wanna maybe try something else, so you can…so we can fix this” squeezing him a bit tighter as you said that.
“like what?”
you flipped the pair of you over so you were on top of him now, sitting on top of his thighs.
“can i take these off?” referring to his underwear, your fingers toying with the waistband.
“mhm…yeah, yes.”
you pushed them down, not bothering to pull them all the way off, they wouldn’t be in the way. his cock was painfully hard, resting on top of his lower tummy now. you went to sit a bit higher up, your pussy rubbing over his length for a split second, making you shiver, still sensitive, as you positioned yourself over him. he was getting nervous as to what you were planning on doing. you rested your body over his, your chests pressing together. his hips automatically bucked up as you left a wet kiss to his neck, and his cock rubbed in between your bodies. and it felt so good. it wasn’t that far from actually fucking, but to him it was different, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it right now, he was still a bit scared. but this was good. you could hear him grunting quietly as he kept moving to get that friction.
“i was thinking of finishing you with my hand.” you said before nipping his earlobe with your teeth, making him moan louder now.
“mmno, this is…good, so good…”
“keep going baby, make yourself feel good”
this was something new to you, and it was so fucking hot. you weren’t getting much stimulation from this, if any, but that didn’t mean it didn’t bring you pleasure, seeing him under you, his face all scrunched and his eyes squeezed shut as he was desperately working to get his release. and also you being the reason he’s this worked up in the first place, eating you out making him get this weak.
you pushed more of your weight down on him, and to help him get there you started rolling your hips slightly, in sync with his moves.
the added pressure, and everything else, from your rocking over him, to the lingering touches and breaths on his neck, and your praises and encouragements, did the trick.
he stalled his movements and you could feel his warm release as he came in between your bodies, coating his belly and yours.
you rolled off from him when he was done so he could get some space to breathe, watching his blissed expression as he was panting and his chest was rising up and down rapidly. as soon as he came down from that lovely high he pulled you back to his side and kissed your temple, grabbing your waist to pull you closer but he winced as you accidentally touched his now soft cock with your leg.
“sorry”
“‘s all good” he assured you. one of his hands went to rest on his stomach but he was reminded of the dirty mess he made when he felt his sticky cum on his palm.
“we should clean up, i’ll just be a sec”
he got up and pulled his boxers back on, going to grab some wipes for the both of you. he insisted on cleaning you up as well, saying it’s his mess to clean. adorable. he gave you one of his tshirts and once you were all done he disappeared into the bathroom for a moment. the truth was he just needed a moment alone to freak out now. was this real? did that just happen? he was the happiest boy in the world in his mind, except for one thing. he hoped you wouldn’t blow him off completely because you didn’t fuck.
that wasn’t even a concern for you, it wouldn’t make you change your mind about him at all.
when he got back he had a shirt on as well, and a new pair of boxers. he jumped over you on the bed and hugged you close to him, peppering your face in the kisses you were now accustomed to, and you could get used to then happening more often, you were weak for him, completely whipped at this point. even though you’d only known each other for basically two days, you couldn’t think of just forgetting about this and pretending none of it happened.
“thank you” he hummed, his face now buried in the crook of your neck as he stayed on top of you like a little fluffy bear. “and ‘m sorry we didn’t, you know…”
“you don’t have anything to apologise for alex” you reassured, your hands playing with his hair. “that was honestly so fucking hot” making him laugh against you.
“okay”
you were happy that he agreed. and it wasn’t a lie just to get him to feel better. that was truly so hot to you and you didn’t mind it at all, he’d already given you a great orgasm. you guessed playing guitar does have its advantages, cause those fingers did a spectacular job for being his first time ever doing that to a girl.
you stayed like that for a while, cuddled up with him on top of you. he even fell asleep not short after you’d ended talking about that film you were watching earlier. the weight was comfortable. he was like a cat of some sorts, you could barely feel him but it was bringing you that comforting warm feel, his breathing like a kitten’s purring.
a/n: IT’S HEREEE, i really wasn’t expecting so many people to like the first one, i hope you’ll like this too, and i’m sorry they didn’t fuck for real but i had this in mind and i just needed to get it out there. it’s 5am as i’m posting, i tried to check it but the words started to look like a big blob from how long i’ve been staring at it, so i’m sorry if there are any mistakes. also i decided to keep the same title so it would be easier to find, in case i end up doing a part 3 if you really want it. AND if anyone cares, the title is a play off one of the lyrics from the song ‘From Me, the Moon’ by Lav (apple music / spotify)
tags: @4chaos @picturezonthewall @st7rnioioss @theonlyoneswhoknowsblog @whitepontiac
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mayullla · 2 years
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Title: La Signora's little follower(?)
Character(s): All the harbingers except Scaramouche (Genshin Impact) Pierro, Columbina, Pulcinella, Pantalone, Tartaglia (Childe), Dottore, Capitano, Sandrone, Arlecchino
Summary: The harbingers stand before the Fair Lady, La Signora casket. They didn't think a small visitor would arrive, adored by the woman who turned to ashes.
Note: This might/will become ooc later in the future or the very next day I post this but who knows and who cares! Writing this all I have is the vid "A Winter Night's Lazzo", Childe's voice lines about them and leaks so please be understanding later if it does happen.
Warnings/tags: Gn!reader (if by chance she/her is used for reader tell me I will edit it as soon as possible!), child!reader, slight soft yandere vibes from Childe (or protective vibes either one), implied cult au, Genshin leaks
Another note for tags: Isekai (implied), God!reader but child, like sagau cult kind of thing but never really mentioned till later, an au in one of my series called 'the child with gold blood' (which you don't have to read to understand this.)
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...It was a surprise really, who would expect that when the butterfly that belonged to La Signora would erupt into a huge flame covering most of the casket that many of the harbingers had to take a step back.
They were about to put it out... what was what they planned to till they noticed something or someone inside those flames. There was a slight panic in the voices of the harbingers, as they got their weapons ready, yet it was Capitano who told them to stop and wait, curious as to what the Fair Lady could have gifted them after her death.
Just as soon the flames came to the world it died down living nothing but ashes and body…?
It was a small body as if it belonged to a child. Still alive, when they saw the small movements it made, still breathing. Columbia was the first to comment on it, how adorable you but at the same time in wonder who you were.
"Why is a small child here?" Sandrone asked in surprise, as the robot moved her closer to the casket, towards you. "Did Signora bring this child here?" She continued to ask.
"Interesting there is not a single lick of flame scorched that child." Dottore also walked close to the casket, everybody could see the sick interest that danced in his eyes, the calculated planning.
Yet when Dottore tried to reach for the small child a flame erupted covering you away from the man's hand at the sudden heat he hissed in pain taking a step back away from you. Sandrone's robot also took a step back shielding the surprised girl from the screams of fire.
Only a few moments went by till Pantalone spoke teasing Dottore, stating that either it was Signora's huge distrust towards him or the perverted malice that the doctor had shown. Dottore could only glare at the other man, stating that he keep his mouth shut.
"But that still leaves the question, who is this child? There were no reports that La Signora had a child nor is she the type to adopt one." Arlecchino stated as she watched the flames die down once again when Dottore was far enough away from the child. There in her eyes was interest but there was also a hidden pity in them.
It was Capitano and Pierro who noticed the 11th harbinger quiet as he only stared at the child on the casket of the Lady not saying anything yet holding familiarity towards the sleeping body.
"Tartaglia do you have something to say?" Pierro asked, staring as the young man whose eyes widen in surprise for being called suddenly... as if caught in the act.
Tartaglia called away from his thoughts, looked at the Jester. His face looked conflicted as he walked over to the child.
"This kid followed Signora around. I meet them at Liyue after Signora got the Gnosis from the Geo archon." He tried to explain. "So La Signora really did adopt a child?" The husky voice belonged to Capitano.
Tartaglia shook his head. "No Signora found the kid to be more annoying than anything. She tried to shoo away this kid multiple times but the kid kept on coming back."
"I am surprised, you would think not many children would like the lady because of her rather strong... personality." Pantalone raised an eyebrow when he watched Childe cautiously take the kid into his arms. The little kid didn't have any thick clothes instead wore something more for spring.
The poor thing was shivering as the 11th harbinger wrapped his red scarf around their neck.
"I also thought she didn't like kids well till I received a letter from her a few days after her death," Tartaglia grumbled moving the child a bit so he could also cover the child's body with his coat. "One of her trusted subordinates gave me a letter asking me to take care of this kid in case she ever dies. I didn't think she would have ever written something like that because of her pride but she did."
"Hmmm, then why did the child appear here like this then? La signora died a few days ago, why isn't the kid with you?" Dottore was unamused, annoyed even as he looked at his slightly scorched gloves, burned by the fire when he reached for you.
"You aren't gonna say that you would take care of the child, are you? Give them to me and I will bring them to the orphanage." Arachhino said, raising her hand as if asking Childe to hand the kid to her.
"Sorry but no. I will be taking care of this kid." There was no humor in Tartaglia's voice, moving as if to shield the child from Arlecchino. He was never fond of her to be fair. "The kid disappeared soon after Signora's death both my subordinates and Signora's all tried to search for this kid along with some others but we weren't able to find them."
"Tartaglia, who are these others that you mentioned?" Pantalone asked, staring at the hump on Childe's jacket.
Suddenly the members all heard a groan, small and childish they knew that the child had woken up. Childe watched you try to shift your position yet unable to do so, you slowly opened your eyes. Staring at him yet showed no recognition.
"Hey, kid woke up?" Childe said his tone was almost soft. As he watches you shift again to an almost sitting position in his arms where your head poked out from the fur collar of his coat as you rubbed your eyes.
"Who are you?" You grumbled, you didn't see the other people in the room all watching you yet you could hear one or maybe two people giggling or chuckling at you as you squinted at Childe's face.
"Ah aren't you that mister!" You paused surprised, Childe raised a brow when he saw you stopped, as you struggle to remember him. "How cruel, child. You forgot about me." You laughed when he booped your nose with his gloved hand. "Isn't mister teammates with Signora?" You tilted your head.
"Yes… Something like that…" It wasn't Childe who said that, but another voice. Looking to your side you saw other people, all wearing a similar outfits to Childe. The man who said it wore a mask as he looked at you with a frown on his mouth.
"You shouldn't be so mean to the child." Another voice said but you didn't look to see who it was as you stared at the man who showed clear discomfort. 
"Mister must be Dottore?" You tilted your head, your face curious as you lean to get a closer look at him. "Hmmm, didn't know La Signora would talk about me." There was sarcasm, you didn't see the glare on Childe's face as he tighten his hold around you. You blinked as if not catching the sarcasm at all
"Signora told me that you are mean and bad. But mister looks nice."
"Eh-?" "Huh?" Disbelief but giggles also spread in the room at what you said, Dottore looked at you as if you have lost your mind but you meant what you said yet it was hidden behind his mask.
"They are such a cute child." Childe looked down surprised when he saw a small lady standing right beside him. You looked at the girl tilting your head as you saw her pretty black hair with pink streaks. "Hello dear~ do you perhaps know my name?" She asked curiously.
You looked at her mask, her outfit, the small pretty wings on her hair. Signora had told you about three ladies in her team, one of them she told you had almost a fairy-like appearance. "Columbina?" You looked at her closely. "You are so pretty!"
"You really are such a cutie." Columbina laughed. Quickly she pointed at two girls in the room. "Can you guess what their names are?"
You looked at the lady standing with one hand on her hips, white hair and eyes that had a red x on them. "Umm… Arlecchino..?" You looked hesitant, you looked at the lady who sat in the hand of the robot your eyes glittered at the thing but you quickly shook your head to focus. "Uhh… Signora told me about someone who makes those big robots! Uhh.. Sa-Sandrone?"
"You are a very smart child~" she giggled, she tried to take you into her arms when Childe took a step back keeping you away from her hands, protective and guarding.
"Hmmm interesting, I didn't think that La signora would grow attached to someone this much that she would tell you about us." You looked at a man, smiling at you with his hand on his chin thinking. "Greeting young one, my name is Pantalone. I guess that the Fair Lady has talked about me?"
Your eyes lighten a bit. "Un! She told me that you are the richest man in teyvat!" You flayed your hands as if to show how rich he was. Pantalone chuckled.
"How did you meet La Signora child?" You looked at a short man looking at you, his face soft towards you compared to others. "Mister Pulcinella?" you asked.
"Why yes. That is correct. Did Signora talk about me too?" There was a warm smile on his face, "Nope!" You sang as you looked at the man who was holding you "He was the one who told me about you!"
"H-hey" Childe looked flustered at what you have done all the while Pulcinella looked a little contemplated.
"You haven't answered his question."
A gruff voice asked, it would have made anybody intimidated yet maybe because you were so young that you were so influenced by it glancing at the man who spoke you asked Childe to place you down.
Hesitant, he did and let you go as you trotted to the man who spoke. The man had a mask on... helmet? even with the light, you could not see the man's face hidden in the darkness. "I meet Signora at in Monstade, Mister Captain sir! I was lost back then and could not find a way home and she found me." You told the man. "She saved me when I was running away from a hilichurl that was chasing after me. After that, I start to follow her hehe!"
"She let you in?" The man asked but you shook your head, looking down almost ashamed, "Signora didn't like me at first…" you explained, it was so cute when you looked at the red scarf around your neck in interest. "But later when we are in Liyue she took me in. She didn't tell me much but she started to take care of me a lot!" You looked at the masked man. "Signora showed me many things! Many pretty things! Things that I have never seen before!"
"But why didn't you go back home instead child?" He asked, you looked at him as the light in your eyes dull a little.
"That is because I was told I can't go back..."
It wasn't a straight answer, an answer that explained yet left so many questions for a child to say with a lonely smile on their face.
"Then child, are you not sad that La signora passed away." Another voice asked another deep and powerful voice that was quiet this whole time ever since you opened your eyes. Everyone looked at him, and you also looked at the old man who spoke. "Signora told me that there was a man in her team that wore a mask on one eye that is the leader of the team! You must be Mister Pierro!" 
"You are correct, child. Now tell me why are you not sad that she passed away? As you stand on her tomb right now." His words were harsh, commanding. It was as if he wanted to test you, see what your reaction would be.
Yet instead of tears, you looked at the man straight in his eyes your smile gone. You didn't see how close Childe was to grabbing you into his arms again yet could not. The 11th harbinger was stopped when Pierro glared at him, silencing him from making a dumb decision in front of him.
Instead, you stand in the middle of the group all staring down at you, waiting for your answer.
It was odd.. it was unnatural really for a child to do so. The smile that graced your small face, wasn't that naive and childish like but something softer yet knowing, kind and loving yet with grief.
It didn't match your age, not at all and it made everyone only cautious instead of feeling pity.
"La Signora isn't dead, she is only sleeping."
It was as if time stopped for a moment at your answer, nobody was sure what to say yet before someone could say something the big door that where once closed suddenly slammed open as one of the fatui, one of low-rank suddenly burst in.
"I apologize for interrupting the meeting! But this is an emergency!!" The fatui member almost shouted, his voice rattled and panicked. 
"It must be important that you would rudely barge in like this." There was annoyance in Pantalone's voice as he placed his hands together. His face was smiling yet everybody could see his anger.
"The archons- No the nations Monstade, Liyue and Inazuma are going on a rampage!!" 
What?
"And what do you mean by that?" Pulcina asked. 
"They are attacking all the fatui members that are stationed there demanding we give back what is theirs!" The fatui member stuttered out.
"What are they looking for exactly?" Pulcinella asked tiredly, it wasn't like they were after the gnosis. The Anemo Archon is too weak to cause this much of a reaction, the Electro archon didn't care for it, while the Geo Archon made a deal with them for the Gnosis. He wasn't one who would turn back on a contract.
"They are looking for a small child!"
The members all looked at you, standing in front of Pierro yet instead of you standing on the floor you were in Childe's arms holding you tightly almost like a mother protecting her child. 
Who… are you?
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Edit/Update: Edited again after a year TvT Thank you so much for all the love that has been shown to this fic but I will not be making a part 2 or a continuation to this little story unfortunately. It has been a long time now and while I did try to think out some stuff nothing really clicked, and that motivation just kind of died too at some point. If you want more platonic yandere stuff I do have more stories for that which you can find on the masterlist just not this particular one. Thank you again for understanding ^^
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