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fadingdaggerr · 7 months

Note

Can you make a fic based on my two fav melissa schementti fantasies

melissa calling reader by pet names and making them completely flustered x melissa making reader jealous on purpose

basically all this happens before they date/confess

and when melissa has had enough of reader not making any moves and hiding from her, melissa takes charge and ends up making out w reader.

i know this is a little difficult to write but tysm i really love ur fics 😭🫶🫶

wishful thinking

pairing: melissa schemmenti x gn!reader

summary: request above!

warnings/includes: ridiculously clueless!r and a not clueless mel, gary but only for plot purposes, making out

translations: gioia (joy/happiness), tesoro (darling/treasure), gavone (pig/slob)

note: i’m so sorry i haven’t been active. i’ve been dealing with a lot the last few months and haven’t had even a second to breathe. better note at the end <3

Melissa would never admit to anyone how much she liked the effect she had on you. She loved to watch your head duck down nervously when she complimented you or guided you along with a hand on your lower back. Every single time she left the light tremor of your body, but not once did she mention it. You were glad she couldn’t feel your heartbeat the moment her attention was on you.

—

The first time she noticed it changed her entire perspective on you.

Melissa wasn’t the kind to talk to the new hires, the turnover rates at Abbott were laughable and they never stayed more than a couple of months. But after a few months, she started to pay attention. Over time, she got to see just how much you really cared for the kids. She had stopped by to ask if you had an extra purple whiteboard marker, but she was met with the sight of you kneeling in front of one of your students, big, sad tears in her eyes. She could just barely hear the mutterings of I know it hurts sweetie and the one that made a little smile cross her lips, of course I have shark band-aids, what am i? A chump? She sees you start to stand to grab the bandage and decides to move now before she gets caught staring.

Right as she steps close to you, you rise and spin around. Your action staggers as you notice her form too late, and nearly falling as you try to avoid running into her, nearly. Strong hands grasp your upper arms, saving you from landing flat on your ass.

Your head tilts up to face her, finally registering that it was Melissa. It takes you a second to breathe before you let out a little, “thank you.”

“Of course, hon. My fault anyways,” she says with a small smile. There’s an almost too long pause before she realizes her hands are still on your arms, dropping them immediately to fold them across her chest. You’re almost in a daze just looking at her, but you have to keep up appearances.

“Did you need something?” You say with a soft smile. Melissa noticed how your eyes never left hers for a second after she called you hon, she also thinks that you’d never looked her in the eyes before then. It had never gone unnoticed that you always looked at her bangs or the frame of her glasses whenever you’d spoken before.

Interesting... Melissa thinks to herself.

—

And then Melissa began to see a pattern.

You’d given her the extra dollar she needed for her iced tea, four quarters stacked tails-up in front of her. She didn’t ask anyone, only sighed when she checked her purse.

“Thanks sweetheart,” Melissa said without really thinking.

Your eyes widen for a fraction of a second before you catch yourself, accompanied by a quick inhale. Licking your lips and averting your eyes from her, you quietly say, “yeah. of course, anytime.”

Barbara must notice Melissa’s intrigue suddenly and speaks up, “dear, why don’t you come sit with us? I don’t think we’ve gotten a chance to know each other just yet.”

This marked the start of yours and Melissa’s friendship.

—

“You got plans Saturday?” Melissa says as she pours a cup of coffee into her Tucci mug.

You look up from your phone and take a breath in, “I have lunch with my cousin at noon, but I’m free later on. Why, what do you have planned?”

“That flea market’s coming back around, the one with the good antiques and the petting zoo,” you almost speak but she cuts you off, “oh, and that apple cider you liked.”

You smile at her remembering that detail before responding, “yeah, that sounds perfect. I can text you when I leave the diner.” Your voice thankfully doesn’t seem to give away how nervous you were trying not to seem. You take a sip from your mug to hide yourself for a moment.

“Great. I’m looking forward to it, babe,” she says through a sip of her own coffee. She stays just long enough to watch you nearly choke on your tea, and then slips out to walk to her classroom with a satisfied smirk on her face.

—

At the development week meeting, she turned to see you looking around for a place to sit. When you miss her wave to get your attention, she decides to yell your name across the gymnasium to get you to look in her direction. Your head whips her way, a grateful smile on your face when you see her waving you over. She decidedly loves the shy smile that was reserved for only her.

Stepping over nurse Makiah to get to the free seat, you finally plop down next to the redhead. Something possesses Melissa and her arm moves on its own to rest across the back of your seat, hand resting on your arm. She feels you stiffen for a moment, almost thinking she’d overstep, but you relax into her touch.

“You didn’t have to save me a seat. These are prime real estate to bleacher-leaners,” you mumble to her as one of the eighth grade teachers goes on about something that wasn’t as important as her fingers tracing little patterns over your shirt.

Melissa chuckles lightly, squeezing your shoulder lightly. She leans in to answer, “but then I wouldn’t have you sitting here, tesoro.” Your eyes go to your lap as you fail to hide the smile from her words, making the redhead’s heart rate pick up.

“You’re too nice to me, Schemmenti,” you say as you lift your head, with what little courage you have, to look at her and smile, leaning into her for a second.

—

Then an idea struck Melissa

Tuesday was vending machine restock day. Tuesday was your new least favorite day of the week. Totally unrelated.

Gary, the vending machine guy, had started a habit of flirting with Melissa. He started with giving her a free iced tea straight from the truck, and then chatting, then complimenting, and then just straight up checking her out with no shame. Every time he entered the room, your voice died in your throat, and your eyes stayed trained on him with a special kind of hatred. You were at least thankful Melissa hadn’t noticed the rage you felt when he had a conversation with her breasts. Melissa, in fact, did notice.

She watched how you stared daggers into his back as he spoke to her, completely unaware of her attention flicking to you every now and then. Your fork angrily stabbed at the lunch she’d brought you, not a single bite being taken since the vendor walked in the door. The more forward Gary got, the quieter and angrier you became. Once he left and Melissa’s focus went back to you entirely, as it always was, your shoulders relaxed and the assault on the pasta stopped.

Melissa decides she has a theory to test. She plays into Gary’s flirting some more, enough that the man is clearly picking up on it, and your hand stills. By the third week, Barbara is begging her to go on a date with the man.

“Girl, he likes you. You should give it a shot, he’s a nice man. Handsome too,” Barbara says with enthusiasm. Your eyes roll as you look at your phone, trying to tune out this conversation. Your resolve cracks a little when Ava mumbles that’s generous in response to Barbara’s comment, a tiny chuckle espacing you.

The kindergarten teacher nudges your hand, “don’t you think she should go for it?”

You struggle with trying to not just flat out say no so instead you settle with, “yeah. Gary seems really nice.” The thin smile on your face is unconvincing to both women, and it’s easy to read on both their faces. You quickly grab your stuff and stand, “I’m gonna head back to my room and pass out their math quizzes. I’ll see you later.”

Once the door closes behind you, Barbara looks at Melissa, “what was that?”

Melissa just shrugs, feigning obliviousness.

When Gary finally gets the nerve to ask her out, she laughs and agrees. You think the gods above must have it out for you, not letting you escape any interaction between the two. The fork in your hand just stabs harder at the food in the tupperware. After watching with a tinge of regret, Melissa finally speaks up.

“You alright over there, gioia?” She asks, her voice filled with real concern. You look at her for a moment, considering what to say, but settle with a nod. When your gaze drops again, you miss her lips dipping into a small frown.

—

Monday morning after the big date, you realize that being in the lounge was a mistake. You should have known to go straight to your classroom, but the need to see Melissa overrode your actions.

As you walked in, everyone was facing Melissa and asking her about every little detail of the date. Where’d they go? Was the food good? Did he offer to pay it all or ask to split the bill? What did she wear? She gives them all they want to hear, and only Ava asks what you didn’t want to know.

“Cut the bull. Did you let him hit or not?”

A chorus of AVA! goes around the room.

The redhead just sighs before answering, “why did you say it like that? And no, I did not ‘let him hit,’ Ava.” You hate that some tension leaves your shoulders after that. The rest of the time is spent with your eyes trained at the floor and ringing in your ears.

Melissa regrets her idea a lot more when she stops seeing your smile altogether and your eyes stop meeting hers.

—

She finally snaps.

Janine had planned to make a whole outing for the Abbott crew, inviting everyone out to a new arcade-bar that Erica had told her about. She’d told Melissa that she should invite Gary, saying that everyone wanted to meet him in a social setting and not just in the ten minutes he was in the school every Tuesday. Inviting Gary couldn’t hurt, she reasoned.

Gary’s phone went to voicemail for the fifth time and all eight of her texts were unanswered. He said he would come, that he wanted to meet everyone for real, but now he was a no show. Melissa felt like a teenager again, getting stood up by her date to homecoming while she waited outside for him. She turned to walk back in, almost running into you as you were coming to check on her.

“Everything alright?” You ask, knowing the answer already since she can’t hide her emotions well when she’s upset.

She huffs a laugh, “peachy. Jackass said he would be here almost an hour ago and won’t return my calls or anything.”

“Want me to beat him up for you?” You ask jokingly, but there’s a certain hope she’ll say yes that sits in your chest. Your heart almost can’t handle it when she smiles at your words, arm looping with yours as she drags you to the pinball machines.

You’d probably lost a student-loan payment in quarters by the time either of you had even won a single game you played. In the course of two hours, both of you had only managed to get a collective hundred tickets that could maybe win you each an eraser. Melissa pretends to not notice you cheating in the driving games, and you pretend not to notice her taking quarters from your cup.

You watch an equally competitive Ava and Melissa play a scary-good match of air hockey, each of them likely to have bruises on their knuckles by the end of the night from how hard they played. Each time she scored, the redhead’s eyes moved to you for approval, and each time she’s met with a little applause and smile from you.

“Wasn’t your man supposed to be here? Or were the Kit-Kats not behaving?” Ava says when they finally take a break from the game to take a drink.

Melissa just shrugs, “he hasn’t answered anything. If the gavone decides to say anything, then he’ll be getting an earful, or a bat to the head. Depends on what he says.”

“Do you even like this idiot?” Ava asks incredulously, saying exactly what you’d been thinking for weeks since they’d had their first date.

Melissa shrugs, “he’s alright. The first date was nice, but the rest have just been him trying to get in my pants.”

“Well,” Ava’s brows bounced a couple times, “are you gonna let him in or not?”

You check out entirely before listening to Melissa’s answer, not even caring how suddenly you left the conversation, just letting your legs carry you until you could finally breathe. You find yourself back with the old pinball machines that no one but you and Melissa had played. Only a few seconds of silence manages to pass before you hear the muffled stomp of boots on carpet, stopping right behind you.

“You gonna tell me what that was?” Melissa asks with your back facing her.

You should have known it was her that would follow you. Part of you wanted to lie and say that the drinks made you feel sick, but you both knew that they were too watered down to even intoxicate a toddler. The other part of you just wanted to scream about how it should be you on those dates with her, driving her home and walking her to the door. You turned to meet her eyes and any courage you had left, feeling like putty when she was so focused on you and you alone. Even though you know what her response will be, you just say, “it was nothing. I’ll be back inside in a minute.”

“It wasn’t nothing,” she says, stepping closer, “you’ve been doing that a lot lately. Just... I dunno, just leaving. You can be in the same room as me and it feels like you’re miles away.”

Your gaze drops to your feet, suddenly feeling insecure now that you know she’s noticed your behavior. You put all your energy into stabling your voice and keeping your lips from quivering at the thought of upsetting her. All you can muster in a tiny voice is, “I’m sorry.”

Melissa surprises you by pulling you into a tight hug, whispering to you, “is this about Gary?” Your heart stops at her words, knowing you’d been found out. The lack of answer and the way your body stiffens tells Melissa everything she needs to know, what she already knew.

Melissa knows that you’ll likely try to explain away anything the second she loosens her hold on you, that you’ll run and she’ll never get this close ever again. So she does the only thing that she can think of at this moment.

As she pulls away, Melissa’s hands cup your face, pulling you into her lips. Your eyes nearly bulge out of your head as you feel her lips press against yours, soft and eager. After a moment, she realizes you’re not kissing her back, her heart cracking as she pulls away from you, ready to run. Her hands drop from your face, eyes blinking rapidly as doubt clouds her mind. Your mind catches up, realizing what had just happened. Melissa begins to turn to leave, but is stopped by your hand in hers. You tug her back to you, cupping her face and leaning forward to finally kiss her back.

She tasted like lipstick and watery vodka, her hands were warm against your wrists where they held tightly. Your mind was in hyperdrive as you took in her lips and her touch, hardly noticing her moving you until your hips met the game behind you. Melissa’s lips parted, her tongue brushing across your bottom lip to ask for entry. You were quick to allow her in, letting her dominate your lips as her hands dropped to grab at your waist. The taste of her lips and tongue became quickly addictive, the feeling even more so. Your hands migrate from her face to her hair, pulling her even closer to you as the kiss turns sloppy from the sheer desperation radiating from both of you.

Melissa’s hands grab at your hips harder as you tug at copper strands, cold fingers creeping under your shirt to rest against warm skin. The force of her body leaning further into you boggles the machine you’re pressed against making a loud buzzer sound and the automated voice yell just a quarter to play! The sudden noises make you both jump, breaking the kiss. Your eyes meet and you both stifle a laugh at the whole thing. Her lips immediately gravitate back to yours, this time softer. The smile you feel against your lips brings your own out, breaking the kiss again. You drop your head against her shoulder, basking in her presence and her hands on your skin.

“You knew,” is all you say, voice muffled against her shirt.

She smiles and rests her head against yours, “I did.”

“How long?”

“The whole time, give or take,” she’s a little surprised when your head pops up, almost smacking her chin.

Your eyes stare straight into hers, “and you said nothing?”

“You didn’t say shit either, don’t even start,” she says with a laugh, no malice hiding in her voice. Her only response is a grumble that sounds something like touché.

There’s so much love behind your eyes, it chokes her up. The way your eyes never left hers, something she missed in the last month, made her feel like the most precious stone. She looks at you for a moment longer before quietly asking, “can I kiss you again?”

The smallest smile crosses your lips as you answer in an equally quiet tone, “you can kiss me whenever you want, Schemmenti.”

feedback appreciated as always <3

note: again i’m sorry for not being active. i started school again and have been working full time while also being a full time student. i also had a death in the family that hit me very hard mentally and i had to take a step back as to not end up in the hospital. i’m going to try to be more active and take time to write more. thank u for being so patient. ilyvm

#melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti #abbott elementary #lisa ann walter #lgbtq #lgbtq fanfiction

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pinkthrone445 · 1 month

Text

-Let it burn to the ground-

Pairing:Melissa Schemmenti x Reader

Gender:love, hurt, confort, funny

Warnings:Mention about past trauma, fires, future smut(?)

Summary:Melissa lets the fire of love consume her when she meets the new chief of the fire station.

Melissa Schemmenti, a woman who has had many things in life, including different experiences in love, had her first love in college, was married, was cheated on, divorced, was in a relationship again, broke up since they didn't have the same goals, and now she was having an affair with the fire captain... It was casual, with no feelings, just sex. She just wanted him for that, she even wanted to avoid talking about personal things and get him out of her house as soon as possible, but when he started staying overnight and eating breakfast with her and Jacob, the fire captain started to get the wrong idea.

Melissa didn't want a relationship with him, it was just casual, but he wanted to share more and more things about his life even though she didn't want to hear it.

One night, while they were together, the redhead wanted to undress him as quickly as possible before he started talking, she had even thought about buying a gag for him. But while she tried to undo his pants, he kept letting out sighs, so she stopped to ask what was wrong, even if she didn't really cared, she wanted the sings to stop, because she knew they wouldn't have sex if he didn't talked about what was bothering him first.

-"Okay, talk, what is going on with you? Why are you complaining so much?" - The redhead asked, crossing her arms and sitting on the bed looking at him

-"I'm tired of my work" - he confessed and the redhead rolled her eyes getting up of bed again

-"Okey, now that you got that out of your chest, can we have sex?"-The woman asked, raising an eyebrow, and he looked at her with a frown

-"I didn't even started talking about it, aren't you going to ask why I'm tired of my job when I used to love it?" - he asked a little offended by her lack of interest

-"Yeah yeah, go ahead, tell me please, I'm dying to know, why you are mad at your job" - The redhead said sarcastically, putting on her dressing gown and sitting up on the bed again

-"I got a new fire chief for the district, an asshole chief that is babysitting my station because the district got a few complains about us... I don't like it when there's someone watching my every step and checking what I'm doing wrong... On top of that the chief has a shitty humor, I think they need someone to have sex with, although I don't think anyone wants to touch them even with a 3-meter pole..."-Melissa listened to him complain for a long time, her desire to have sex had disappeared and now she was bored and upset, she didn't want a relationship, it was something casual, and what was happening was not casual at all-"They thinks that because has a badge of honor and a higher title they can command us however they wants, a couple of scars don't make others respect you, it's so annoying, that's why no one has touched them for years probably"-This time he rolled his eyes and Mel sighed looking at him

-"Do you feel better now that you've got that off your chest?" - The redhead asked and he nodded-"Good, you can go home now" - She said curtly and he looked at her confused

-"What? Why?" - he asked

-"Tomorrow I have to be at school early..."-Mel replied

-"Since when is that a problem? I can stay overnight..."-He offered, but she refused, getting out of bed, lifting the clothes that were on the floor and giving them to him

-"It's a problem since we said this would be a casual thing and you're making yourself very comfortable in my house, staying in my bed to sleep, leaving your toothbrush, eating Jacob's cereal, wanting to have deep talks... That wasn't our deal, I need you to go"-Melissa practically pushed him out of the room, insisting until she managed to get him to leave.

For a few days they didn't even talk by text, until one afternoon after school he was outside the doors waiting. The redhead approached confused and annoyed

-"What are you doing here? I don't want to see you yet..." - She whispered in an annoyed tone and he rolled his eyes

-"Get off your horse, princess. I'm not here for you, my stupid boss send me to get their son..."-He replied in an annoyed tone pointing at one kid that was waiting by the door with Barbara. Mel narrowed her eyes looking at the little guy, he was definitely a new kid at school since she hadn't seen him before.

When Barbra gave the signal that they could get out, the little boy ran to the fireman and stood next to him looking at him

-"Hi. My mom told me that you would come for me because she had to stay at the station cleaning..."-Commented the little boy. Actually, his mother had meant that she had to stay at the station cleaning the mess that Captain Robinson had made, but she couldn't tell that to the kid.

Mel frowned listening to the little guy

-"You didn't told me your new boss was a woman" - she whispered to the firefighter

-"Yeah, 'Cause if I'd told you she was a woman when I was complaining, you would've thought I didn't like her just because she was a woman and no because she is an actually asshole that has me running errands instead of giving me actual job" - He muttered, looking at the redhead annoyed. The little boy frowned

-"You're going to have to put money in the jar... You said something bad" - The boy said, adjusting his backpack annoyed.

-"What jar?" - Mel asked and the boy turned his attention to her

-"His mother put a jar in the station for us to put money in when we are aggressive or bad-mouthing co-workers, she said it would help make us a team..."-The firefighter commented annoyed and the redhead laughed at him

-"If it doesn't work like she wanted, at least she'll make extra quick money with you and your big mouth" - Melissa commented, laughing and patting the man's back, which rolled his eyes

-"Come on boy, your mother is waiting for you and I don't want her to take points away from me for being late again" - He muttered through his breath in annoyance and the little guy started following him

-"Goodbye Miss Schemmenti" - The little boy waved his hand before leaving

-"Goodbye little one, say hi to your mother, tell her that I like her very much even though I don't know her" - The redhead shouted before going back to the entrance of the school.

A couple of weeks passed and it was the day when Barbara's class would present who were the heroes for each children. Since Mel's class was in gym and she was free, she decided to stop by her work wife's class to listen to the kids.

Several children introduced their "heroes," some talked about their favorite heroe from a movie o cartoon, others about a soccer player, others about their pets, and some about their parents, who some of them were present.

Last of all, Barbara called the boy Melissa had met a few weeks ago

-"Cris... Come here please, it's your turn" - Barbara called the little boy to the front, who stood up carrying a fireman's helmet that was almost as big as his body, The little boy put his helmet on Barbara's desk playing with his little hands

-"My mom was supposed to come..."-He whispered in a shy tone

-"Hi, excuse me" - Mel felt a sexy but soft voice behind her and as she turned she saw a woman with a beautiful smile, wearing a blue T-shirt and firefighter pants with red suspenders. You passed by her side but the redhead stood in the place staring at you dumbfounded, lost enough to really listen to what you had asked her. Immediately Melissa thought you were the most beautiful and perfect woman she had ever seen, she had to admit that she had a weakness for women in uniform, but you were something else. Dumbfounded, she watched as you approached the little boy and knelt beside him hugging him

-"I'm here my baby" - You whispered and the boy hugged you with a lot of emotion

-"You came!"-The little guy hung on to you like a little koala and you stand up with him in your arms

-"I promise I would... And I never break a promise..."-You whispered and kissed his forehead making him smile-"Now I think you've got a presentation to give little gentleman" - You whispered and he nodded letting you lower him to the ground to present, you knelt next to him again to be at his level. Your son started talking excitedly mentioning the reasons why you were his hero, among them he mentioned your job as a firefighter chief and supervisor, your job as mom and you knowledge about medicine. Then he showed his classmates the helmet and they made you do push-ups with some kids on your back to show your strength.

Your son was very excited, being in a new school and feeling included was something that made him happy, and thanks to you being there it was possible. And even though you were tired of exercising, you were more than happy and was worth the effort to see him happy.

The kids took turns climbing on you excitedly, while others tried on your helmet and some parents took pictures. While you were only focusing your eyes on your son, the redhead was focusing on you, almost literally salivating for you. The way you smiled made it seem like you weren't making an effort, even though the sweat that collected on your forehead gave you away. Melissa had her eyes fixed on the way your arm muscles twitched and your bright smile shined. Her mouth had literally filled with saliva about to drool for you, but may the earth swallow her if she let others see her like that for you or anyone.

The redhead swallowed and cleared her throat when the kids decided they had enough and let you get up. Barbara congratulated your son on his presentation and let the class leave.

Your little one ran to get his backpack and came back to you jumping up and down, you picked him up smiling and placed your helmet on his head, walking to the exit, which was blocked by the same redhead from before

-"Excuse me..."-You whispered sweetly, but she didn't move, just like when you arrived

-"Miss Schementti!!" - Your son screamed, snapping the redhead out of her trance

-"Oh! I'm so sorry..."-she whispered, looking at you

-"It's okay, I'm sorry for my son, he is very exited that I came to school, that's hard for him to contain his emotion..."-You whispered and your son laughed mischievously but very cute

-"I get it... I would get very exited too if I see you come... I mean if I see you visit me at school" - The redhead blushed as she heard her own words-"I'm sorry, firefighters get me exited too..."-she whispered and you laughed tenderly at how cute she looked blushing

-"That's sweet..."-You whispered looking at her

-"I'm Melissa by the way... I teach third grade... I hope to have your children one day" - The redhead blushed again at how bad that sounded and you couldn't help but laugh again

-"You sure do... I'm (Y/N), it's a pleasure..."-You replied by reaching out your hand to shake hers, when you did the redhead was surprised with how soft your hands were despite the strength you had-"I have to go home to bath this little prince, but I hope to see you again sometime Miss Schementti" - You whispered close to her ear making her shiver before you went down the hall with your son in your arms, while Mel followed you down the hall, she realized that her favorite sound in the world was hearing her name coming out of your mouth.

The days began to pass and you couldn't stop spinning in the redhead's head, either on the nights she was at home she thought about how your muscles tensed under your t-shirt, or in broad daylight she remembered your sweet voice and beautiful smile. She needed to see you again and her head couldn't stop thinking of a plan to get it done.

As fate would have it, the perfect opportunity presented itself when Janine mentioned that they would do a fire drill in conjunction with the firefighters since the last time there was an accident, they were not well organized. Melissa was sure that you would be in that drill since your son was going to that school.

On the day of the drill Mel decided to spend more time than usual on her appearance, she spent more time putting together her curls and styling her hair, applied more makeup and perfume than usual, chose her best outfit and put on her best bra, the one that most settled her breasts and made them look well lifted. As she left the house, Jacob couldn't help but notice the change and comment on it

-"Wow, you look amazing... What is going on? Does it have anything to do with the fire captain that used to come home?" - He asked curiously, but Melissa laughed in denial

-"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm not interested in him anymore..."-she responded by starting the car

-"Then it's for someone else..." - The young man was quickly able to draw the correct deduction since he had spent a lot of time with the redhead lately and had gotten to know her well-"I'm sure is a firefighter, you've always liked people in uniform and it's no coincidence that today you dressed up better on the day of the drill... Am I going on the right path?"-He inquired but she didn't say anything, concentrating on driving-"Come on you know I'm an excellent wingman, if you tell me I can help you..."-He commented in a knowing tone, the redhead just gave him a quick glance trying not to show her true interest. The truth is that she could do it alone, but she could use help to find out if you had a partner or if the father of your child was still around.

-"That's fine, but if you do anything to embarrass me, remember that you live in my house and that I could easily get you into a fatal" accident", you understand?"-she whispered in a threatening tone, and his housemate nodded excitedly, paying no attention to the threat

-"Tell me who it is and what can I do to help" - He smiled and clapped his hands with a grin from ear to ear

-"It's the fire chief and supervisor, the parent on Barbara's class... I need to know if they are single, that's all..."-She whispered a little embarrassedly with her eyes fixed on the road

-"But the fire chief is a wom... I knew you were bi! My gaydar is never wrong" - He whispered more to himself than to the redhead-"Consider it done" - It was the last thing they talked about in the car before they got to school.

Melissa spent most of her class hours training her students for the drill, the teachers weren't supposed to tell the students, but the redhead wanted to do everything right to see if you noticed her and praise her even a little.

When the redhead heard the sirens outside the school, her heart jumped with excitement and joy, she ran excitedly to the windows just to see you get out of the truck with all your uniform on, your gazes met momentarily when you were looking for the window of your son's classroom, the redhead smiled and you smiled back waving at her from a distance before entering the school.

Seconds later, Jacob appeared at the door of Melissa's classroom, breathing heavily from running, trying to keep his composure, he approached the redhead who was waiting for him excitedly

-"My" friend" from the fire station told me that she was married, but her husband passed away a couple of years ago and that no one has seen her with anyone or found out that she is in a relationship... My work here is done, I need to get back to my class before the drill starts"-He commented as fast as he could before running off again

-"Thank you!" - The redhead screamed excitedly and decided to put perfume back on and check her appearance on her mirror.

When everything was ready, the drill began and with it the control of the students and the entire building. Every time you passed by Melissa's side, her perfume blocked your senses and left your judgment clouded for a few seconds until you recomposed your posture, you loved perfumes like that. One of your weaknesses was when someone smelled good.

Surprisingly, the redhead's classroom was the most organized and several times you used it as an example of how to behave in a real fire. After all the control of the facilities and the drill was over, you greeted your son before he went back to school and decided to visit the redhead for her good preparation and behavior.

When you got to her classroom, she was sitting at her desk checking some assignments and wearing her glasses while her kids where focusing doing homework. Softly you knocked on the door getting her attention. Mel got up carefully and walked to the door smiling

-"Hi chief" - She whispered in a deducible tone and a tender smile-"Can I help with something?" - Asked

-"Hi miss Schementti... No, I just wanted to come and congratulate you personally on how well you and your class behaved in the drill..."-You whispered holding your helmet in your hands, taking a big but sneaky breath to feel her perfume, which the redhead noticed and couldn't help but smile

-"Thank you... I take the safety of my students very seriously... Thanks for noticing" - She whispered a little nervously about your presence and leaned into the doorframe looking at you

-"I'm glad to hear that... This is for you" - You handed her a pin that said "you're the only smoking hot thing I'll let it be out of control", laughing a little-"They where from the pride parade that we did last month, sorry. But I wanted to give you something for your good preparation... And this is for your students" - You handed her stickers of firefighters smiling a little embarrassed as she watched the pin smiling-"Since I've done everything I needed to do, I'll go drive the truck now... I hope to see you again sometime... Have a nice afternoon Schementti..."-You muttered making a couple of excessive gestures with your hands because of your nerves for the silly pin

-"Thanks for the pin and the visit... Do you want to see each other again outside of school soon? Maybe to grab a coffee or a bite to eat?..."-The redhead asked confidently, taking you by surprise

-"Oh yes... Sure, I'd like to go for something to eat...maybe tomorrow? It's my day off..."-You replied smiling and she nodded excitedly

-"I'll ask Janine for your number and I'll call you to work out the details... See you tomorrow chief" - Melissa commented, and when you went to the truck, she did a little dance of victory for getting a chance to go out with you.

#melissa schemmenti smut #melissa ann schemmenti #melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti fanfic #melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti #abbott elementary #lisa ann walter #abbott elementary fanfic #abott elementary #abott elementary fanfic #lissa ann walter #lisa ann walter fanfic #pinkthrone445

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janeyseymour · 4 months

Text

Fire in My Heart pt 3

for @sleep-deprived-athlete who asked for a part 3

summary: Would you do a part 3 of fire in my heart where the reader is introducing Mel to the fire station at like a department picnic or something?

Part 1 Part 2

wc: 2.5k exactly!

“Are you ready?” you ask your girlfriend softly as you gather your things for the annual barbecue at the firehouse.

“Are you?” Melissa asks you with a raised brow. She has her purse slung over her shoulder, and she already has two trays of mac and cheese and two trays of ziti in her hands. “Don’t be nervous, hun.”

“You don’t get to say that when you were a nervous wreck when your friends came over,” you huff playfully.

“I was not,” she rolls her eyes.

You hit her with a pointed look. “You absolutely were.”

“C’mon, hun. It’ll be fine, I know it. I know how to shoot the shit,” she promises you with a gentle hip check.

“Okay, okay,” you sigh. You grab your own bag, take two of trays into your own hands, and kiss the redhead sweetly. “If it becomes too much, or they become too much, you just say the word and we can leave.”

She rolls her eyes but kisses you back. When you pull away, you can’t help but nearly drool at the sight of her. She has just a plain green tank top on and a pair of jeans, but you swear she’s an angel on this earth.

“Quit drooling over me, and let’s get a move on,” Melissa rolls her eyes as she expertly balances the trays to open the door.

“I can’t help it that my girlfriend is incredibly hot,” you shrug, but you follow her lead.

The two of you walk into the firehouse where Randy already has a grill set up, and you can’t help as you roll your eyes.

“Oi,” you groan. “Who thought having a grill inside would be a good idea?”

“I don’t know, chief,” he chuckles. “I was just following orders to have a grill.”

“Take it outside,” you laugh. “We don’t need no fire in our house.”

He grumbles something under his breath, but he follows your order. You and Melissa put down the different pastas on the table that’s been set out with other sides, and one of the younger firefighters is immediately at your side.

“Is that homemade?”

“By yours truly,” Melissa smirks.

“Oh, hell yeah,” he grins and immediately reaches for the serving spoon that you had put into one of the dishes not thirty seconds ago.

“Mel, this is Jake,” you laugh. “He’s the one who asked about your ziti the day we responded to the fire at Abbott. Jake, this is my girlfriend, Melissa.”

“What the hell do you put in this stuff that makes it so damned good?” he asks through a mouthful.

“You ain’t getting the Schemmenti recipe,” Melissa quips with a laugh. “But I’m glad you like it, kid.”

“Enjoy it before it goes,” you tell him. “Because it’ll go quick.”

He grabs another mound of a serving before giving your girlfriend a thumbs up and walking away.

“You want a drink, babe?” you lean in to ask Melissa. At her nod, you take her hand and lead her to the cooler. She pulls out a Yuengling, opens it, takes a sip, and sighs. You opt for one of your preferred seltzers, and clink your can against her bottle.

“That’s the good stuff,” you sigh softly. “You ready to meet all of my coworkers?”

“I believe you mean subordinates,” she chuckles. “You are the chief.”

“Only when I’m on the clock,” you roll your otherwise. “Off the clock, I refer to myself as ‘Melissa Schemmenti’s girl’.”

“You’re a dork.”

“Melissa Schemmenti’s dork,” you quip. She bats at you playfully as you head towards where the rest of your coworkers are.

Before the burgers and dogs are served, you spend most of your time milling around and introducing Melissa to your second family.

“So,” Randy smirks at the teacher as the two of you approach the grill outside. “You’re the one who makes one hell of a ziti and has taken our chief off the market.”

“That would be me,” Melissa says back just as lowly.

“You new?”

“If three years of dating is new,” the redhead rolls her eyes playfully. “Then sure.”

“Three years?” Randy raises a brow as he glances at you.

“Three years,” you affirm.

“Chief didn’t even tell us she swung your way,” he laughs. “No wonder she turned down every guy who tried to hit on her or any guy we tried to set her up with.”

“No one asked,” you shrug. “And it don’t much matter. I love who I love, and I do my work well. That’s all that matters.”

“Damn right,” Melissa grins as she hangs off of your arm. She kisses your cheek for good measure.”

Before you know it, Randy has finished cooking all of the burgers and dogs, and you’re all sitting down to eat family style- you always have at the firehouse. Meal times were the one part of your day where everyone sat together and talked freely. Usually, that time got interrupted by the alarm going off, but it was always nice the time you did get together. The men in your crew were like brothers or uncles at this point. With your position, you sit at the head of the table, Melissa to your right. A gentle hand lays on your knee as the two of you eat, and there are choruses of praise sung to your girlfriend for her various pasta dishes.

“Damn, chief,” one of the older fighters chuckles. “If you don’t wife this one up quickly, I will just so I can have her cooking for the rest of my life.”

“Not a chance in hell,” you point your fork at Jim warningly before continuing to eat your meal. “She’s mine, and you make one move on her- your ass is out. Capiche?”

“Capiche,” he mumbles as he looks back down at his plate.

“Hun, he was joking.”

“I know. I just want everyone here to know that you’re mine,” you direct that statement towards your coworkers.

“We hear you loud and clear, chief,” Jim laughs. “Schemmenti’s yours.”

The two of you listen as the others chat about anything other than work, you filling in the blank spaces for your girlfriend so she understands what’s happening. Then all eyes are on the two of you, not that you really notice. You’re so busy filling in Melissa and laughing at the small comments that she’s making- you only have eyes for her right now.

“Oi, chief,” one of your coworkers laugh. “Stop making googly eyes at your girlfriend and tell us how the hell you two met.”

“And when you’re getting married, if those eyes tell us anything!” Luke yells. “I swear to god, if I’m not a part of this wedding!”

“Ain’t nobody said nothin’ about a wedding,” you roll your eyes, trying to keep up your facade. “At least not yet.”

“I’d put money on it, it’s happening eventually.”

“What would you even be, Luke?” you laugh. “You’re a grown ass man who can’t walk straight sober.”

“I don’t know!” he grins. “But I want to be part of the chief’s wedding!”

“You can be a beer boy,” Melissa rolls her eyes and tells the younger man. He fist pumps with a grin on his face.

“So, how did you two lovebirds meet?”

You glance to Melissa, who tells the tale. “I was just hanging around one of the bars I like to go to with some coworkers after school. They all left at this point, and a guy I was hanging around with at the time was supposed to meet me there a little later. Turns out, the jackass was too busy fucking his ex-wife to be decent enough to let me know he wasn’t coming.”

You roll your eyes. He really was a dick for that.

“So I was sitting at the bar, ready to drown my sorrows in alcohol, as one does,” she sighs. “And I notice this woman sitting at the other end of the bar by herself.”

All of your subordinates throw you a questioning glance.

“Sometimes after a hard shift, I need to blow off some steam, and I’m no tramp,” you shrug.

“She looked pissed, I looked pissed, so I head over. I says to her, I says, “Oi, you get stood up too?” and Y/N looked at me like I had three heads.”

“I couldn’t believe someone so gorgeous was standing in front of me, much less talking to me,” you sigh.

“Ooh, who knew our badass fire chief was a total softy when the right person comes around!” Another of the younger firefighter whoops from the back.

“We ended up staying at the bar until it closed, just talking. Why I was there, why she was there, and anything else we could come up with. When we were leaving, she walked me to my car, and-”

“-They don’t need to know everything else,” you cut her off quickly.

“Oh, c’mon!” Luke groans. “It was just getting good!”

Your girlfriend smirks at you before continuing. “Your boss became a flustered mess as she clumsily asked me for my number.”

“And we’ve been together since,” you finish off, cheeks bright red. “She got her firefighter, and I got my hot redheaded teacher.”

The barbecue lasts well into the night, all of you dancing and drinking now that ‘family dinner’ was over. As the crowd starts to thin out, you begin to clean up the mess that everyone has left.

“Let me help, hon,” your girlfriend says softly as she starts to take serving spoons out of various trays.

“I got it,” you say softly. “Go dance, I know that dancing is more your thing than mine.”

“Eh,” she shrugs. “It’s better when I have an audience…” she glances towards the other men who are dancing with their partners. “An audience that I would want, anyway.” She means you, and you know it.

“Do you want to dance?” you ask her gently as you finish spooning some of the desserts into a Tupperware container. At her nod, you pull her to the makeshift dance floor. She grins as she gets to do what she loves.

After a while, she pats your butt gently and kisses you. “Thank you for indulging me. You don’t have to keep dancing if you don’t want to.”

“I need a break,” you tell her honestly. “But you stay. I’ll be watching.”

As you walk away, she does a move that practically has you swooning.

“Jesus, Y/N,” Randy laughs as he comes up to the dessert table where you’re back to cleaning up. “Is there nothing your woman can’t do? She cooks, she dances, she teaches… you got yourself a good one.”

“I know I did,” you chuckle as you watch her dancing. She’s having the time of her life with your group of coworkers.

“You gonna marry this one?”

“I already got a ring hidden in my office,” you chuckle lowly.

“Good,” he claps you on the back. “Don’t let this one get away.”

“I don’t got no plans to let her go,” you tell him.

“Good. Now, I’m heading out unless you need any help cleaning up,” he says.

“Go,” you tell him. “I may be a badass fire chief, but I also know how to clean up and be domestic every once in a while. I’m just gonna put the food away, and then tomorrow someone else gets to put all of the tables away.”

“I’ll make sure Zach gets it done,” the older man tells you. “Enjoy your day off tomorrow, chief.” He heads out after that.

You finish putting everything away before you head back towards your girlfriend.

“Hey, love,” she grins as she pulls you in close, still dancing. “Are you ready to head home?”

“I have to lock up,” you tell her. “But I’ll stop the party whenever you’re ready.”

“I’m ready,” she chuckles.

You head over to the speaker, turn off the music and turn towards those that are still here. “Alright, I’m calling it a night. The woman and I have to get home and in bed if we’re going to be up for Church tomorrow.”

“You go to church?” Zach asks. “I thought you didn’t-”

“Melissa’s catholic, so we go,” you roll your eyes. “Not that it’s any of your business what I do outside of work.”

Luke makes a whipping noise, eliciting a chuckle from the small crowd that’s left- including your girlfriend.

“Okay, get out,” you turn your chief voice on. “That’s an order. I need to lock up.”

It takes about ten minutes for everyone to gather their things and head home, and then it’s just you and Melissa in your office gathering your things.

“This was nice,” your girlfriend sighs softly as she takes your hand gently. She lets out a small yawn.

“It was,” you agree as you glance at the drawer where her ring is stored.

“I have one dance left in me, if you want,” you offer softly.

“Really?” she asks quietly- hesitantly.

You give her a small smile and take her bag, putting it on your desk. You pull your phone from your back pocket and start playing your song softly. You tug her in closely. For once, you lead the small steps that you take- she usually takes the lead while you struggle to keep up. She hums the song softly, and it’s taking everything in you to not drop down to one knee right now.

“I love you,” you whisper into her ear.

“I love you too,” she mumbles into your neck as the two of you sway back and forth.

While the song is playing, you really do consider just pulling out the ring and asking her right here and now. You want Melissa to be your wife more than anything. But the song is over, and you have to quickly fumble with your phone when the next song- a real mood killer- comes on. If the moment hadn’t been ruined, you know you would’ve popped the question.

“You ready to head home, hun?” she asks you quietly. You don’t quite register her words, still consumed with your own thoughts. “Hun?”

“Huh?” you shake your head. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

“You okay?”

“I’m all good,” you promise her.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Just thinking about how well tonight went, and how lucky I am to have you by my side,” you tell her with love in your eyes. It’s the truth- just maybe not the whole truth.

“I think I’m the lucky one,” she kisses your cheek as she turns to grab her bag. You open the drawer where the ring box is and pocket it.

The two of you lock up the building together, and you sigh when you get behind the wheel. You pull out of your parking spot.

Maybe tonight wasn’t the night, but you know it’s coming soon. You thumb the box as you drive- you’ll get your chance soon enough.

#melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti fanfic #melissa schemmenti #abbott elementary fanfiction #abbott elementary fanfic

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be-missed · 6 months

Text

Not Strong Enough (Chap 5)

Jenna Ortega x Fem!Reader

(pictures not mine)

Summary: Jenna was visiting her mom in the hospital to drop off the food that will be eaten for the hospital party, but she met a resident surgeon and she thought "God forbid I ran into an accident, but I want her to open me and stitch me up." While the surgeon tries her best to keep her fan girling low-key.

Warning: curse words.

A/N: 5th chapter, thank you for waiting. I'll be using a different POV her, please tell me if this is better or no. Also, I think if I start using this POV, y'all need to be guessing what's inside of Jenna's (in the story) mind.

Masterlist

Chap 1 | Chap 2 | Chap 3 | Chap 4 | Chap 6

______________________________________________________________

Chap 5

"Hey, thanks for today, I really enjoyed the concert. See you around!"

You kept on reading the last text message that Jenna sent you after the concert. In the past few days, you are trying to keep your distance from the girl that you have been liking for some quite time now. After the concert, listening to the songs, it feels like you are having a revelation; you can't and you won't be the love of her life you thought.

So what you did was to be more productive than you are to stop yourself from thinking of the other girl and checking your phone. In the hospital when Jenna visits, you try to lessen your interaction and dismisses her telling that you are busy and needed in the surgery room. But one time, Jenna caught you seating in the chairs and watching a video on your phone. You didn't know that she'll go visit and unfortunately she asked around and asked what time is your break.

You were watching Melissa Barrera's 'Get To Bed With Me' YouTube video for Harper's Bazaar. "So, you are on a break, right?" You heard from your side and that got you surprised, it is Jenna's voice and you answered "Hey, I didn't know you were coming." and she chuckles and said "I came to surprise you, you were always on the go when I visit" she said and sat beside you.

You look at her whole figure intently, nothing has change, still the same chipped nail polish from the concert, same chuck taylors that she loves to wear, her headphone hanging around her neck, that necklace she wears sometimes when she is in the mood and a few rings.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry... there's a lot that's been going around here" you said with a sad smile and Jenna answered "No worries, I'm just glad I get to talk to you." and smiled at you.

Why does she need to smile like you are the softest thing that she have ever seen. "So, I just noticed, I mean I don't want to assume, because like, you know, it's not good, but I would like t you know, ask maybe, or like no, I've been meaning to tell you-" Jenna started to rumble but you held her hand and squeezed it and said "Hey you're rambling, it's ok breathe."

"Okay, I noticed that you are kinda ignoring me. You haven't replied to my message last last week, you have been ignoring me when I go here, I mean yes, we talk in facetime but you end it so quickly. I just... I miss you." Those words came out of Jenna's mouth.

She misses you. SHE MISSES YOU.

"Oh..." You started "I'm sorry if you feel like that, but I have been really really busy." You ended. But you feel like Jenna knows that you are lying to her.

"Sure, I mean, I'm sorry to bother you." Jenna said and went up to stand but you stopped her "Hey, please don't think that you're bothering me, that can never happen" and you smiled at her.

"Okay..." Jenna said and accepted your answer "So, do you have any plans for Halloween?" she asked and you answered "Yes, actually My friends and I are having a Halloween Party, just the four of us since we can't handle big events" and ended with a laugh.

"That sounds really nice, what are you dressing up?" Jenna asked you with such curiosity and you answered "Well, I'll be dressing up as Mavis from Hotel Transylvania."

Jenna took a mental note on that. The both of you heard a blaring sound and a voice said "Code Blue" and that alerted you.

"Hey, I'll be calling you, I am needed, duty calls." You said and kissed Jenna's cheeks and hugs her and you bolted out.

---

"Y/N please stop walking around, please" Ava stated while you pace around the break room with you friends watching you like you were in a loop. Beatrice enters the room, kissed her wife and looked at you weirdly.

"What is happening here?" Bea asked and her wife answered, "Well your friend here kissed her little princess, IN THE CHEEK." Ava exaggerated the last words that made Bea chuckle and said "Wow, a kiss on the cheek made you like that, how about when you get to kiss her." and the wives made fun of you that made you stop from pacing.

"GUYS! This isn't even funny!" You said that made the both of them laugh even more, "Chill down Y/N, girl friends kiss each other in the cheek." Beatrice emphasize the space between girl and friends "And please calm your thoughts down, try to stay in the present and no overthink yeah." Beatrice added.

"Okay, sure sure, I will try" you sat beside them and drink your water.

"So are you ready for our Halloween Party?" Ava asked and you just nodded "Okay, I can't wait to see you in your costume."

---

"TRICK OR TREAT" Those are the three words that the four of them hearing while they are having a dinner and playing monopoly.

"Damn, it's so late and there are kids outside." Ava stated as you went up and opened the door to give them candies and give them compliments for the effort that they did for their costume.

As you take your seat again "You can't blame them. I'd be walking the whole neighborhood just to get lots of candies" and rolled the dice, you moved your character that landed on boardwalk. You hollered and celebrated as you got the most expensive property in the game.

"That's not fair Y/N, you need to leave some property for us." Camila exclaimed while pouting like a little kid, "Oh stop it, you almost owned all of the land on the other side."

Beatrice gave you a house and the card for the boardwalk. Another knock on the door and a "Trick or Treat" can be heard, with a happy feeling, knowing that you'll be crashing Ava and Camila in the game, you happily get the bucket of candy and opened the door, and it stunned you.

Jenna was the one that is in front of the door, with her little cousins.

As you scanned her face, you could also see a surprised look, she probably doesn't assume that you will be the one opening the door and will be giving them the treats.

"Hey..." you said with the brightest smile, feeling like a fucking winner even if the game hasn't ended, but looking at Jenna with her orange long sleeve under a yellow jersey T-shirt, cargo shirt, and on her adidas rubber shoes. You intake in everything that is on her and she replied back with a smirk on her face "Hey back to you beautiful."

"Can I get my candies now?" You hear a littlw voice and you looked down and answered "Sure sweetie, here get anything you want" and almost gave all of the candies to Jenna's cousin.

"Whoa there, that's a lot for you miss." Jenna exclaimed seeing that you almost empty the candy bucket that you have.

"Didn't know you live around our block?" Jenna said and you answered "Oh no, this is not mine, this is actually where Ava and Beatrice lives" and scratched your head, "You wanna join our party?" you asked Jenna and she answered "Oh I would like to, but as you can see I'm tasked to bring the kids to trick or treat"

That made you sad because you won't be hanging with Jenna.

"But... I can come after we round the whole block if that's alright?" She asked and that made you smile and you answered "Sure, that's great" and you watched them walking away. The both of you shared a small wave.

As you went back to the table, you said to the group " I hope it's okay that I invited someone later?" and that made them look at you "It's just Jenna, so I hope you don't mind?"

"Wow, so now you got the guts to invite her huh? But yeah, it's okay for me, how about you my love?" Bea said and Ava nodded because her mouth is currently full with m&m.

"It's about damn time I get to meet her. I'll show her how I fucking nailed Wednesday's dance" Camila exclaimed and both you and Beatrice said "Please no."

---

An hour passed and the four of you are just watching a horror film when the doorbell rang. When you opened the door, you saw Jenna standing with a wine on her hand.

"Hey you didn't need to bring something" you said and Jenna answered "I think it's good to impress your friends" and the both of you entered the living room that made the other three stare at you.

Beatrice paused the movie and Camila said "Wow, you got your whole costume planned huh?" and that made you look at her questionly.

You then scanned Jenna's costume, orange long sleeves under a yellow jersey T-Shirt, a cargo short, and a rubber shoes. That's where it clicked, SHE WAS DRESS AS JOHNNY, Mavis' husband.

"Surprise" Jenna said in a little voice and looked at you worriedly.

You bit your lips and said "Well good to see you husband." You kissed her cheeks again and pull her to the sofa to the spot where you were seated earlier and the movie continued.

"I hope it's okay" Jenna whispered and that made you look at her, you were so close to her face, the lights of the TV illuminated her face, and that just took your breath away.

"What do you mean?" You asked, a bit of perplexed on what she's asking. "I dressed up as Johnny" she said.

You thought, why would she feel sorry for dressing up as your husband, as Mavis' husband? Because what she just did for her costume, being in a couple costume with you, sent you heart beating impossibly fast that you fear it will just stop and Jenna will be seeing you body lying on the floor while your three friends are trying to perform a cpr on you.

"No worries, I kinda like how you played it off, it looks good on you." You said and if the lights were on, you will notice how the blush on Jenna's face creeps in. "You are beautiful as well Y/N" Jenna said.

"Can we please now watch" Camila said to the both of you because she is just literally seating close to the both of you, which made the both of you said your apologise quietly and sat comfortably beside each other.

The night went on, and the five of you finished two movies. Beatrice and Ava are now cleaning the living room while you clean the dining room which leaves Camila and Jenna in the living room.

Camila broke the silence and said "I really liked you on Wednesday." and that made Jenna smile and said a thank you, Camila then continued "You know, if I may, I can show you how I perfected the dance you did in the ball" Camila stands up in the middle of the living room and within a second you tackled Camila into the floor, not wanting to make Jenna feel uncomfortable since you have watched a lot of her interviews about the Wednesday dance and also you are concerned about your friend who can't really dance to save her life.

"WHAT THE FUCK Y/N" Camila exclaimed and pushed you off of her "I'm sorry, I just missed you" you answered while you are still lying on the floor.

Jenna went to you and helped you up "Are you okay?" she asked and you just nodded.

"That was not fair Y/N, I was about to show Jenna my dancing skills" Camila said with a pout on her lips, and that just made you giggle.

Jenna buts in and said "Maybe you can show me next time when we meet each other again."

But that just made your head shakes for a no, earning a few "no" that can be heard from Bea and Ava.

Finishing up and gathering your things, you said your goodbye to Ava, Bea, and Camila. Jenna by your side walking towards the street.

"Thanks for inviting me tonight" Jenna said kicking stones that got in her way.

You looked at her like a little kid, thinking it was fun to see her like this, enjoying herself and being young & free. "No problem, I love having you around and the girls have been wanting to meet you since they only got to greet you in the hospital" you said.

"Really? I'm glad to hear that. I also enjoyed spending time with them" She said.

Walking a few more streets and you were nearing Jenna's house. No small talks were made, only the noise of the neighborhood can be heard and your small hums.

Jenna the breaks the silence "I just noticed that you always invite me to do something while I just go and say yes."

"Well, I like hanging out with you" you answered, because it is true. You know for yourself that even if you don't have any feelings for Jenna, you would enjoy her company.

"How about if you come to our Family dinner next time, sounds good?" Jenna suggested and it surprised you. How come you got invited to a Family Dinner and that made you super shy because you will gonna be surrounded with Jenna's family and you were scared that they will not like you. But then you reminded yourself to calm down and live on the now.

"Uhmm sure, if that's okay with your family, I don't want to intrude" you answered and Jenna smiled and said "Oh trust me they would love you there, my mom was also planning in inviting you, she said you are like a daughter to her"

Wow, Natalie has plans on inviting you, that was the first time you heard that. You know that you and Natalie have this bond and you feel so treasured and loved, thinking that Natalie thought of you more like her daughter.

Stepping in front of the Ortega's front door, you and Jenna faced each other earning a sweet smile on both of your faces.

"Thank you for tonight" Jenna said.

That moment, this moment, you were so sure that you wanted to kiss Jenna, you are thinking, you have stopped yourself many times to not kiss her so maybe this is a good chance to let go and just kiss her. Live on the now, you think. Your heart beating loud and you try to block the negative thoughts.

So one of your hand went into Jenna's side, you were slowly leaning in, waiting for a movement from the other girl to pull away and you felt none, so you persisted and you felt that Jenna was also leaning in, placing her hands into your shoulder.

A flashing of lights and a honk is heard that broke you apart. The windows rolled down and you saw Jenna's dad waving, getting down the car and going towards the both of you.

"Hey girls, hope I'm not interrupting something?" said and hugged Jenna and looked at you.

You introduced yourself "Good evening Sir, I'M Y/N, Jenna's friend and Natalie's co-worker.' and stretched your hand to shake his hand which he did shake and exclaimed "So you are who's Jenna is talking about, huh?"

Jenna nudged her father "Dad, please stop" which made her father laugh and said "Well, if you are hungry you can go inside and dig in." and leave the both of you outside again.

You broke the silence and said "Well, I'm gonna go home" you take Jenna's hand and kissed the back of it, "Good night my husband" You said with a teasing smile referring to Jenna's costume and you started to walk down their front yard.

Jenna then said "Good night to you my wife, call me when you're home" and blow you a kiss which you catch and kept it in your pocket that made Jenna laugh.

And that maybe was the greatest Halloween that you could have ever have in you whole life.

______________________________________________________________

Chap 6

A/N: an update, hope this was good. Thanks for reading!

#jenna ortega #jenna ortega x fem!reader #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega x y/n #jenna ortega x you #fanfic #fiction #jenna ortega imagine

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is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not · 13 days

Text

Angels From On High

“MAKE IT FASTER!” screeched Melissa Hazen, Commanding General of the SLDF into her quarters’ bedside commpanel. Two hours… TWO HOURS since the distress beacon. Two hours in which her friend might have died. She would not allow it. Katrina was trothkin, sibkin, a sister. She would not die today. “General, we are dropping at maximum safe -” the voice, a Clan one from its tone and accent said, neutral, trying to provoke her anger. But it did. “I do not give one stravag damn what is safe! Push the engines to breaking if you have to! Katrina is not dying on me!” Another voice cut in, and Melissa froze as Theodora sat up beside her.

“Melissa, listen to me. We have done all we can for now. Save your fury for those who have earned it.” The beautiful, Germanic voice, tone measured and calm. Theodora. Her Theodora. Her wife-to-be. And her fellow warrior. Melissa, poised to strike the wall in anger, stopped, breathed. She was still angry. But not at the dropship crew, not at anyone, really, other than herself. It was her planning that led to the delay. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The problem had started when Melissa entered the Mechbay, twenty minutes later. Karrie and Sigrid were working on the Nest. Karrie had bodily swung herself out of the cavernous seeming left torso as Melissa and Theodora walked up. She had looked up to Sigrid, whose head was poking out of the cockpit access hatch. “Is it clear?!” Karrie had shouted to her assistant. “Nope!” “Well, shit,” Karrie had whispered to herself, then turned and beheld Melissa walking over. She waited until the two MechWarriors were close before saying, “General, ma’am, I’ve got a problem with the left side #3 magneto array on the reactor. It’s giving a drop on run-up. Now I’m pretty sure it’s just the sensors. I can fix it while you walk.” That had brought Melissa up short. “Seventy-five percent reactor power?” she asked levelly, a statement more than a question. The Nest couldn’t sustain drop velocity jump jet operation on seventy five percent power. But Karrie, her face unchanged from its state of determined confidence, had simply said, “I can do this, ma’am.” Theodora’s Germanic accented voice spoke next, almost incredulous. “That's verrückt. What are you going to do, ride in the torso?” Karrie merely looked over her shoulder at the towering Highlander ‘Mech, and then back at Melissa, who said simply, “very well, give it a go,” and walked past Karrie to perform her pre-start checks. “Yes, ma’am,” said Karrie, as Theodora, still standing in front of her, merely nodded in respect.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “I'm not sure about this, Love,” said Theodora’s voice over the radio, as Melissa maneuvered the Nest out of her cubicle, to stand by Theodora’s Gewitter on the centerline of the Mechbay, beginning their slow march to the doors, which were open, showing the chaos of the landing operation - PPCs opening up from the ground, aerospace fighters swarming about, and more. Music, bagpipes, came from outside. “Fixing a reactor on the hardstand is one thing, but on the move?” Theodora asked rhetorically. Melissa answered anyway, the cockpit hatch of her ’Mech open as she walked. With each step, the music grew louder. “Karrie says she will do it, she will do it… believe… believe,” she said, her tone full of belief. “Yeah, yeah…” Melissa leaned out of her cockpit and yelled. “HOW ARE WE DOING THERE, KARRIE?! I HAVE TO LEAD THIS DROP.” Karrie’s voice, amplified by a throat mic, answered from within Nest’s torso. “On it, General! Going as fast as I can!” She rooted about, adjusting the magneto arrays with a micro-screwdriver, flashlight held in her mouth. “40 meters to go, Melissa,” cautioned Theodora as the two ‘Mechs continued their march towards the open doors. “40 METERS, KARRIE!” yelled Melissa. “General, you have a mic, I hear you fine!” Karrie said, through a mouthful of flashlight. She worked hard, using her micro-adjustment tools to make minute changes to the array. With every step, the louds of the music grew louder. Thirty seconds later, Theodora warned, “20 meters to go. It’s not too late to scrub the drop. We could step aside, let the others go first.” “We’re almost up,” said Melissa to Karrie. “Almost there, General!” she replied, at the exact moment she lost her grip on an adjustment wrench. It fell through the sweltering air inside the torso, threatening to drop into the black depths of the Highlander’s leg. Karrie flailed and caught, sighing to herself. Right as the Highlander slowed, and then stopped, turning to face one of the deployment doors. Karrie could hear the sounds of rushing wind grow louder, as the ‘Mech began moving again. That means only, what… 15, no, 10 meters to go! She verified quickly that the repairs were good. The music was now incredibly loud, even through her ear defenders. “You’re good, General!” With that, Karrie swung out of the ‘Mech’s torso, as it passed an inspection lift. She jumped off, tumbling onto the deck of the lift, smiling. She allowed herself a second to watch, as Melissa gave her a thumbs up, and shut the Nest’s cockpit. The Highlander paused, briefly, to gingerly make its way across the final meter. Sealth and Tolki’s Orca waited behind the Highlander, with Melissa stopped at the edge; she bent the ‘Mech’s knees to look down slightly. The world of Helios unfolded beneath her like a great green angry blanket. Fire wreathed the dropship as the last of the reentry plasma sputtered and vanished the hull. And Highland Sights, the official march of the Black Watch, played on the multi-ton reentry-rated speaker arrays molded into the DropShips’ side, played. It was perhaps the loudest music ever played. And it was the signal. That the angels were coming from on high. That Katrina didn’t have fear any longer. Melissa keyed her microphone to the frequency she hoped someone was listening to, spoke nine words, kicked the speakers mounted to her ‘Mech to 11, revved up the jump jets… and stepped off the dropship. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Katrina? Can you hear me?”

The voice of Melissa Hazen sounded in Katrina’s ear, but at first she nearly didn’t recognize it from fatigue. The Ragnarok was at full flanking tilt as she slammed one of the rudder pedals down to use an anchor turn to bring the assault mech to a stop. Dirt carved into a furrow as she skidded and came to rest. Carefully she observed the 360 view in her neurohelmet for movement. Gregory’s Hammerhead slewed its torso over to the right while turning, slowly coming down to a stop nearby.

The streaks of fire through the sky had ceased, instead replaced by music that reverberated throughout the environmental audio sensors. She knew this song. But what song was it? She had heard it before. And how was it being played? What were the- wait. She knew this song.

“Katrina? On your left.”

The Black Watch had arrived on Helios.

@killer-orca-cosplay

#battletech #mechwarrior #story event #oc rp

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novamirmirsblog · 1 year

Text

Pt 2: Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows

Pt 1

Genre: Smut. Icl, it’s basically just porn you dogs

Request: Kinda

Word count: 1945

Warnings: Smut, +18 please <3

Summary: Melissa has a crush on a parent. What happens when Jacob and Janine find out - the date

A/N: The gay gods are clearly blessing me this pride month as I have suddenly overcome my writer's block!

Nerves were not something Melissa often experienced. She didn’t feel them the first time she had sex, or when she handed Joe divorce papers, and not even the countless times she had to shake people down. Yet just the thought of you coming into her home had her heart fluttering like a trapped butterfly. The closer the clock got to 18:00 the more ill she felt. What if you hated her food? What if you thought her house was dated? What if you thought she was dated? She was old enough to be your mother. Before Melissa could spiral any more, her doorbell rang. She rushed over to the door, checking her hair in the mirror before opening it with a smooth smile in the hopes that her nerves would calm down.

You looked stunning. Your hair emphasised the softness of your eyes and the deep green of your shirt complimented her hair in a way that made her want to devour you right there. The two of you weren't even officially together and you were already acting like you were hers. The thought of that made Melissa clench.

“Hey Melissa.” You handed her a bouquet of sunflowers and a bottle of red wine. You hadn’t been sure which gift to get so you opted for both and Melissa’s slightly agape mouth made it worth the extra $15.

“Gorgeous…” Melissa had a dazed expression on her face, almost as if she couldn’t believe you were actually here.

You giggled, biting the inside of your cheek to try and suppress the full blown laugh that was threatening to escape.

“The flowers!” Melissa quickly recovered, inviting you in “The flowers are gorgeous, and you are too.”

Melissa shut the door behind you and you took in her house. You moved over to some of the pictures hanging on the wall and let out a gasp.

“Melissa whatever-your-middle-name-is Schemmenti, is that you as a teenager?” The picture you were currently looking at was of a young Melissa in denim jeans with a cigarette hanging loosely from her lips.

Melissa stood behind you, looking over your shoulder to see the photo “Ann” you tried to suppress a shiver at the puff of breath that made your neck tingle. “And sorta. I was 23 when that picture was taken.”

You subtly closed your eyes as Melissa continued to tell you about how she had stolen her cousin's motorbike and cigarettes for a dare. Melissa watched as you subconsciously leant back towards her, unintentionally allowing her to see the effect she had on you. A smirk grew on her face when she saw you bite your lip as her voice got a little more husky. Her eyes trailed from your lips, over your jawline to where your neck and shoulder met. Melissa bit her own lip in an attempt to ground herself before she did something a little too forward. Luckily, an alarm rang, jolting the two of you out of whatever fantasies you were both wrapped up in.

“Shit, the pasta.” Melissa rushed into the kitchen and you followed dutifully behind.

Melissa glanced over at you before turning her attention back to a sauce that was bubbling “Sit sweetheart, make yourself at home.”

You let out a quiet sigh as you sat down, ignoring the slight wetness Melissa had caused when she said ‘sweetheart’. You weren’t surviving the night.

~~~~~

Dinner had been pleasant; the food was excellent and the company was even better. The two of you had talked for hours about almost everything. It was getting late and you were dreading having to leave but you knew it was for the best.

“So I should probably get going.” You glanced towards the door, then back to Melissa. “Tonight has been amazing though.” You smiled at her as you put your plate in the dishwasher and began to collect your things.

“Yeah, we should do it again some time.” Melissa smiled back at you. “What time is Ivy’s sitter expecting you back?”

“Oh, no, Ivy is at my friend’s place tonight. She gets on with her two kids like they’re her siblings.” You laugh, fondly remembering all the times Ivy begged you to let her go to Aunty Sandy’s house so she could play with her kids.

“Okay, well I’ll see you later kid.” Melissa walked you to her door, getting lost in your eyes for a moment before placing a chaste kiss on your cheek. You giggled again and Melissa nearly dragged you back in to the house to fulfil her fantasies of fucking you over her kitchen counter. If your laugh was that sweet, she could only imagine how melodic your moans would be. You softly bid her goodnight and made your way to your car.

Melissa closed the door behind you and began to put the rest of the dishes in the dishwasher. Once she was finished, her mind couldn’t help but go back to that tight shirt you had been wearing. She knew it was wrong as her hand wandered underneath her tight pants to touch where she had been aching all night. She gently rubbed herself as she made her way to the sofa, forever grateful she had the hindsight to put plastic coverings on the cushions. Her face began to flush as her fingers worked faster, occasionally dipping down to where she needed it the most. Her breathing picked up and she threw her head back, seeing a flash of white. You had left your scarf behind. It wasn’t cold and she was sure you wouldn’t miss it. She pulled her other hand from where it was nestled in her underwear and reached for the scarf when, for the second time that evening, the doorbell rang, startling her.

“Hey Mel, sorry- I forgot my-” You noticed her flushed face and messy hair. “Are you okay?”

Melissa could do nothing but let out a whimper. You raised your eyebrows in shock before realising you had inadvertently walked in on her. “Oh shit- sorry, I’m just gonna… I’ll get out of your hair” You tried to rush out but Melissa grabbed your forearm before you could and dragged you into the house.

“Stay?”

You answered her with a searing kiss to her lips. Were you moving too fast? Probably but you had been dreaming of this moment since you first laid eyes on Melissa Schemmenti. You walked her back and she hit the wall, hissing as your teeth clashed together at the force. Melissa was silently thankful she now had the wall to support her as she felt her knees grow weaker. As you tried to pull away for a breather, Melissa tangled her hand in your hair and snuck the other one underneath your shirt. The two of you looked at each other, both panting hard.

“You sure you want this?” Melissa asks, her expression uncertain.

It takes you a minute to answer, too occupied revelling in the tingling feeling on your scalp as Melissa plays with your hair. “The only time I can cum now is if I pretend it’s your fingers fucking me rather than mine.”

The look on Melissa’s face was priceless.

She was sure she was going to cum right there so she dragged you over to the sofa and sat you on her lap. She slipped her hand into your underwear and gasped when she felt just how wet you were. She wanted nothing more than to make you work for your pleasure but there would be plenty of time for that. Your moans spurred her on as she worked her hand faster and faster. Your dishevelled look and the way your head was thrown back made you look heavenly. Melissa kissed your neck and chest, sucking and biting, before pulling away to admire her handiwork. She felt giddy as she watched your skin go red where she had marked it, knowing those marks weren’t going away anytime soon.

“Mel, are you sure marking me up is a good idea?” You said through laboured breaths, getting closer and closer to your climax “Iv might-”

“Shh, I have to mark you hon, how else will Gregory know you’re mine.”

Melissa’s possessiveness made you clench around her fingers and she drove them into you harder, enjoying the way your juices spread over her palm. Melissa watched you in awe as you came undone on top of her.

By now, Melissa was soaking. Watching you had just about pushed her over the edge and she was prepared to beg for you to finish her off. Luckily, you wouldn’t make her beg this time. You looked at her with lust filled eyes as you got off her and kneeled in front of her. You patted her thigh to signal to her that you wanted her to raise her hips and you took off her jeans and underwear. Her thighs were slick and it made your mouth water. You licked your lips before licking and nipping your way up her inner thighs. Melissa moaned and unconsciously spread her legs wider. Her breath hitched as she tried to hold back another, louder, moan when you finally reached her core. You pulled away from her, making her whine and buck her hips up.

“Nuh uh, I want to hear every one of your sounds or I’ll stop.”

Melissa removed her hand from where it was over her mouth and you returned yours to her core, licking and sucking where she needed you to. Melissa’s legs began to shake as she chased her high, weaving her hands into your hair to ground herself. You reached up and ran your nails under her breasts, making her shiver. You took your dominant hand from where it was tracing patterns on Melissa’s skin and dipped your fingers into her, pushing her over the edge and into bliss.

Once the two of you had both caught your breath, you let out a stuttered “Fuck”

“Not yet baby but I’ve got a strap that’s begging to have your mouth wrapped around up in my room.”

You let out a breathy laugh as Melissa hauled you to your feet, leading you upstairs to her bedroom.

~~~~~

It was 7:34 when you woke up. Light streamed through the curtains and you felt sore from last night’s activities. Melissa was a mess of hair and she had her arm swung possessively over your midriff. She snored softly and all you wanted to do was melt back into her embrace but you had to get Ivy. You attempted to sit up but Melissa pulled you back down, holding on to you tighter.

“Mel” you whispered out - not quite sure why you were whispering when you wanted her to wake up. She grumbled, but let go of you long enough that you could get up.

Melissa was a surprisingly heavy sleeper. You got changed, sighed at the amount of hickeys left on your body, and tried to find some paper and a pen to write a quick note for the sleeping redhead. You felt bad for leaving like this but if you were late for Ivy, Sandy would kill you. Plus, you were pretty sure if you woke her up you would either be killed or Melissa wouldn't let you leave her bed and you really had to go. You clicked the front door shut and made your way back home to hopefully hide any evidence of what you had gotten up to last night from your best friend and daughter.

You were just glad you weren't the only one covered in marks. You hoped Melissa had a hard time covering up the ones she had too.

#melissa x reader #melissa schemmenti #melissa schemmenti x reader #abbott elementary #Melissa schemmenti smut #melissa schemmenti imagine

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rhoorl · 9 months

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Delta Landscaping |

Chapter 4: The Pool Party

Series Summary: In this AU, the boys of Delta Force start a new business post-Colombia.

Series Masterlist

Rating: Explicit (18+) - This is here as a blanket rating

Word Count: 8.8k

Chapter Summary: It’s pool party time. Once we get to the party we are going to be bouncing around to a lot of little scenes amongst various characters. Some stuff from the party hit the cutting room floor.

Chapter Warning: Allusions to cheating, co-dependent relationship. Some military/veteran talk. If something else should be added here please let me know! Also, I don’t have a beta for this, so any mistakes are all me.

A/N: At the beginning of this chapter, I provide some background on another one of the neighbors – the most in-depth I think I've gone since Lucille. I’m not trying to pass a moral judgment on this character one way or another, but I think it’s important to lay out some of her past.

Also, shoutout to @laughing-in-th3-purple-rain whose comment from Chapter 3 about Benny’s choice in swim trunks took me down a rabbit hole. Another shoutout to @trulybetty for bouncing ideas about one of the storylines with me!

“So…that Santiago sure was giving you the fuck me eyes wasn’t he?” David chuckled as he, Ty, and Melissa made their way back to their respective houses after the watch party at Lucille’s.

“Yeah, Mel, the guy couldn’t take his eyes off you."

“Oh it's fine, just some harmless flirting,” she waved them off. “Doesn’t hurt that he’s also gorgeous and probably a really good kis-” she cut herself off as they side-eyed her.

“Ten cuidado con eso,” Ty cautioned her. “It's harmless flirting to you, but he may not see it that way…"

"Yea, girl…don't write checks your ass can't cash."

Melissa rolled her eyes as the trio stopped in front of David and Ty's house.

"Anyway," Ty cleared his throat. "With the party tomorrow, I guess we have to cancel our appointment with the event planner at the golf course. That's the third venue in a row we've canceled. You getting cold feet or somethin?”

“No, of course not,” she shook her head, nervously laughing. "We can always reschedule, right? Everyone seemed so excited to do it tomorrow so why wait…sorry for the short notice, I didn't leave you with enough time to come up with a theme.” She wanted to change the subject and change it fast.

_______________

Melissa was no stranger to turning heads. She was one of the younger women who lived in Torrey Hills. She was fit, attractive, and had an infectious laugh and quickly bonded with David and Ty over RuPaul's Drag Race after they saw Melissa wearing an Alyssa Edwards shirt one day. The three alternated locations for their weekly watch parties, even going back and watching old seasons in between the new ones.

They also bonded over wedding planning. David and Ty were some of the most sought-after wedding planners in the greater Tampa Bay area. And when Danny confided in them that he thought Melissa was overwhelmed with wedding planning, trying to do it all herself, they knew they had to step in and help…free of charge.

The idea of a wedding and impending marriage loomed over Melissa like a dark cloud. She loved Danny, they were high school sweethearts, but more and more she felt like her life was planned for her and not by her. For the last 12 years, all they knew was each other. They were each other's firsts and last in so many respects. First relationship. Last kiss. And when it came to sex, they had been each other's first and last in almost every respect.

In high school, Danny was the star quarterback and Melissa was the head cheerleader, so of course they were bound to get together. When Danny suffered a torn ACL in the last game of his senior season, all hopes of a college scholarship were dashed. Devastated, he had to rethink his plans since the hopes of a prospective NFL career were no more. He reluctantly decided to follow in his father's footsteps and attend Embry-Riddle and start on the path toward being a commercial airline pilot.

Melissa was a fantastic athlete in her own right and received a cheerleading scholarship to attend the University of Florida. Despite the distance, she and Danny wanted to make it work; everyone told them since they were high school sweethearts, and clearly soulmates, this was just the next logical step for their relationship.

They alternated making the two-hour drive on weekends to see each other. Although it was tough for Danny to attend the football games, wishing it was him on the field, he absolutely beamed seeing Melissa on the sidelines getting tossed in the air and leading the crowd in cheers.

When it came to her college experience, Melissa had a much different one than her sorority sisters. She didn't go out with the girls as much because she was either visiting Danny or he was there seeing her. It was hard for her to turn down social events. One of the reasons she decided to go to a big school like UF was to live the ultimate college experience. But, she loved Danny and the distance was hard, so she relished any opportunity to see him even if it meant they wouldn’t leave their rooms the whole time.

Fast forward a few years, and a couple of changes in majors, and Melissa graduated with a degree in health education with a minor in Spanish. After he graduated, Danny benefitted from the pilot shortage and quickly made the jump from a regional to a major airline. Moving in together after college was the next milestone on their trajectory – their families assumed marriage and babies wouldn’t be too far behind.

The next few years they moved wherever Danny's job took them, before ultimately landing in the Tampa Bay area. Danny knew he wanted to marry Melissa from the moment she agreed to go on a date with him. She was it for him. He proposed during a romantic beachside dinner in Clearwater Beach 10 years to the day he asked her out for the first time. He even organized it so their families were there as a surprise. Everyone was absolutely over the moon as the next milestone got checked off the list.

Danny was all in on wedding planning, suggesting they attend a local wedding expo so they could start to meet with vendors. Melissa, on the other hand, was not as gung ho to get started. Most of her sorority sisters either were married already or in the midst of wedding planning, so she was no stranger to the machine that was the wedding industry.

Everyone had questions. Were they having an engagement party? Where were the bachelorette and bachelor parties going to be? Did they want a local wedding or a destination wedding? Were kids going to be invited? What colors for the bridesmaids' dresses?

Melissa's head was spinning with all of these decisions she needed to make. Everyone meant well, encouraging her to do whatever she wanted because it was her day, yet she came to the realization that this - a wedding, marriage, kids - wasn’t what she wanted.

This epiphany tore her up inside and she hated herself for it. Danny was a good man and deserved to be with someone who worshiped him the way he worshiped her. But, at the same time, she didn’t know how to navigate life without him. He was her best friend and had been by her side through her highest highs and lowest lows.

She couldn't bring herself to call things off, she couldn’t bear to break Danny's heart. She rationalized her hesitation saying it was a phase or something she needed to work through. So, she tried to find some distraction to help put off wedding planning just a bit longer – and buying a house seemed like the perfect distraction. Their focus would be on stalking Zillow, going to open houses, and driving around looking at neighborhoods.

When they drove through Torrey Hills with their realtor, Melissa immediately fell in love with 305 Mulefall Court, a house newly on the market. She was awed by its spacious, inviting interiors and massive backyard. She could envision a life with Danny here. Things moved quickly from that point on from making an offer to closing, and before they knew it, the two of them were homeowners.

Once they moved in, her focus immediately went to making her home perfect. She had a list of projects, which included lots of additions, including a pool, and Danny was receptive to it all. He hadn't seen her this focused and excited in a long time.

"Whatever makes you happy babe," he'd say whenever she came to him with an idea.

Every so often Danny would broach the subject of wedding planning and Melissa would find some convenient excuse as to why she couldn't focus on it. She was changing jobs, she didn't want to compete with another friend's wedding, or her sister-in-law was pregnant. She latched onto anything that could delay wedding planning more.

When construction started on their pool, the last of the big home improvement projects, Danny upped the pressure for a date. Melissa, David, and Ty went to see nearly every possible wedding venue in Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater and even drove to Orlando to check out what a Disney wedding would entail. Making matters worse, their respective parents were also starting to run out of patience, blaming it on their desires to spoil their future grandchildren.

Melissa knew she was destined for a crossroads and she felt the walls closing in on her. She was turning 30 in a few months and had lost track of who she was. Danny was the only boyfriend she had ever had. He was the only sexual partner she'd ever had. And for the past 12 years, they navigated life together, their whole adulthood wrapped up in each other.

_______________

"Hey…Fish and I are at the store, what do you need us to pick up again?" Santiago stared at the wall of beers as Frankie checked out the whiskey selection.

"You know the beers we all like, but maybe add in some…uh…I don't know…hard seltzers or something." Will tried to be sly with that inclusion. The other day coming home from his run he noticed Katie had an Instacart delivery which included hard seltzers.

"Hard seltzers? The fuck? You watching your figure?"

"Shut up. I’m just thinking we should bring…a variety. We don't know what everyone likes to drink."

"A variety…ok man. Lemme add some Sunny D and juice boxes while I'm at it." Santiago countered sarcastically.

"Fuck off, we'll see you and what I imagine is your obnoxious as-hell swimsuit soon."

Will hung up the phone as he walked into the kitchen, shaking his head. Benny was at the kitchen table doodling in his notebook.

"Are they on their way?" He asked without looking up, concentrating on his drawing.

"Yeah, they’re wrapping up at the store. What are you working on?"

"Oh, nothing…just had an idea I couldn't get out of my head," Benny looked up and gave a half smile. He heard his phone ding and saw it was Connor.

Connor: Guess what I did?

Benny: ?

Connor: I asked Aria if she and her parents were coming to the party.

Connor: I had Mom ask Ms. Melissa if that was cool, but turns out they were invited already lol

Benny: FUCK YEA

Benny: I mean hell yeah!

Benny: You excited?

Connor: Haha. Yea. And nervous.

Benny: I get it. I'll give ya a pep talk when you get there 😉

"What are you smiling at?"

"Oh, it's Connor," Benny waved his phone. "That girl he likes is coming to the party."

"He's a good kid. You're not trying to replace me are ya?"

Benny rolled his eyes and laughed. "Nah, man. Wherever you go, I go, you know that."

___________________

"Wait, I thought we were supposed to go look at a venue today. I leave tomorrow for a couple of weeks, Lis, what're we doing hosting a party?"

Danny was the planner. Meticulous and always wanting to have things in order. And, for the most part, Melissa was the same way. Except in recent months, he noticed she was getting more spontaneous, erratic even, randomly deciding to go off and do things with a moment's notice…including hosting the entire neighborhood at their house for a pool party.

"I know, but I was talking with D and we just don't think that place is our vibe, so like why waste everyone's time."

"Well, what is our vibe? Jesus Lis, you've seen like, what 20 places…you don't like any of them? Budget isn’t a hurdle, you know. I want you to have your dream wedding."

"I know, baby,” she walked to him, putting her arms around his waist. “I want it to be someplace special. I'll know it when I see it. I just haven't had that..feeling yet when I've gone places. But we're close, I know we are." She kissed Danny, trying to reassure him although she could practically see his patience wearing thin.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. "At this point, why don't we just go to the courthouse?"

"The what?" She pulled back to look up at him.

"Yea. It's just a piece of paper anyway. Then we can go on a trip or something…whatever you want - Lord knows I have miles for it. Take the pressure off of planning a big party," he rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

"You know both of our moms would not go for that. Heck, I'm my dad's only daughter so he will be heartbroken if he can't walk me down the aisle," she chuckled. "We'll figure it out, baby. Now, can you help and put the tables out back?"

___________

"Lulu, need help?" Megan opened the door to Lucille’s. She had Connor bring their wagon, knowing that Lucille was going to have several different platters to haul down the street.

"Sí, por favor!" She called from the kitchen. It was no surprise that she had made a ton of food, including a flan, another one of Connor’s favorites.

The three of them got everything loaded up and started walking toward Melissa and Danny’s house, stopping abruptly when they heard a loud whistle from behind them. Turning, they saw Benny giving them a big wave with his free hand as he hauled a case of beer on his other shoulder.

He was decked out in what, on a normal person, would look like the most obnoxious pair of swim trunks, but somehow he made look cool. They hung low on his hips and were all black, with a retro flame design in various shades of orange, red, and yellow extending up from his knees towards his crotch. His shirt choice was much more understated, a red cut-off shirt paired with a white Houston Astros baseball cap which he wore backward, of course.

Will followed, donning a pair of mostly red swim trunks with alternating stripes of white and navy blue near the waistband, and a plain gray T-shirt. Behind him was Frankie who had on solid black swim shorts with a light gray, button-down short-sleeve shirt with what looked like a crane pattern on it. He left the top several buttons of his shirt unbuttoned exposing his tanned chest. His signature baseball cap was affixed to his head and his aviators were tucked into the pocket of his shirt.

Santiago trailed behind with the shortest trunks of the bunch, showing off several inches of thigh. They were navy blue with white and baby blue tie-dyed roosters scattered across them. He paired the shorts with a baby blue tank top. Not wanting to mess up his hair, he went sans hat but did have on his Oakley sunglasses.

All the men carried various cases of alcoholic beverages. Frankie knew they should have just driven it all over, but the other three insisted on walking.

"Wait up!" Benny called after Megan, Connor, and Lucille.

"Hey, where's the party?" David shouted from his porch across the street as Ty wheeled their wagon full of goodies down the driveway. "You boys actually planning on going into the water?"

"Well…yea…I mean, it's a pool party right?" Benny was confused at the lack of swim attire and towels from David and Ty.

"David never goes into the water, he prefers to sit on a lounger and get the chisme from Lucille. Those two know everything," Ty laughed.

David and Ty bickered about their pool party behavior as they all made the relatively short trek to Melissa and Danny's.

"So, Megan…is uh…Melissa's fiancé cool?" Santiago asked as they reached the driveway.

"Oh, Danny? Yeah, he's a sweetheart, really nice guy."

"Awesome…great," Santiago said flatly, trying to avoid the confused look he could feel Frankie giving him.

"Party's here!!" David announced as the crew made their way into the backyard.

The backyard was almost as big as Will and Benny’s. It was a little sparse, with just a few palm trees, but it had lush green grass and a large sparkling pool. The lanai was expansive with a full outdoor kitchen and a table that could easily seat eight comfortably. Loungers and chairs were scattered throughout for seating.

Danny was just finishing setting up the last of the foldout tables as Melissa walked outside with a plastic tablecloth to cover it.

"Oh hey! Welcome!" She gave a dazzling smile to everyone, pleased that the four new additions to the neighborhood all came with their swim trunks on.

She had a black, sheer cover-up on over her blue and white tie-dyed bikini, a more revealing swimsuit than her usual pool party attire.

“Ok hot momma, I see you!” David whistled as he saw her, bringing her in for a big bear hug.

When David finally put her down, her eyes immediately connected with Santiago, who tilted his head down to peer from over his sunglasses. He didn’t hide the up and down he gave Melissa, leaving her a bit flustered at the attention. She walked over to Lucille who was helping Connor and Frankie unload the contents of her wagon onto one of the tables.

"Lulu, esto es demasiado…you didn't have to make all of this!"

"¡Ay, basta! You know I can't help myself when there’s a party," she winked.

"Oh babe, here meet the guys," Melissa called Danny over. "This is Will and Benny, they moved into 319. And these are their friends Frankie and Santiago."

"Hey guys, nice to meet you," he shook all of their hands. "You guys are fixing that house up really nicely, it looks awesome."

"Well, it couldn't look any worse," Will joked.

Once they started talking, Danny and Frankie immediately hit it off once they realized their aviation connection.

"Do…do you need help with anything?" Santiago asked Melissa as Frankie and Danny started to nerd out about engines on their walk over to the grill.

"Uh…yeah. Actually, I have a cooler I need to bring around from the garage."

"Lead the way," he opened his arms for her to pass, trying to discreetly check her out as she walked by him.

Frankie quickly side-eyed where his best friend was going, trying to not make it too apparent as Danny continued on his rant about the impending pilot strike.

Melissa could practically feel Santiago’s eyes on her as she walked toward the front of her house. She put a little extra sway in her hips, not hating the attention but knowing she was playing with fire.

Danny loved Melissa and tried to show her as often as he could, but his work schedule had definitely put a damper on their sex life. Gone were the days of ripping each other's clothes off at a moment's notice and having passionate sex everywhere and anywhere they could. With Danny away for work as often as he was, they'd had more phone sex than actual sex over the last couple of months and she was going a little stir-crazy. A handsome stranger certainly didn't help things either.

"Here it is, think you can handle it?" She turned to face Santiago. She resolved that she wouldn’t do anything other than flirt with him.

"Oh, I think I'd be able to manage just fine." He winked.

For his part, Santiago was conflicted too. He was never one to shy away from a beautiful woman flirting with him, but he drew the line if they were taken. He had been there, done that, and didn’t want to go down that painful road again. But he also couldn’t deny that there was something there when he looked at Melissa.

He didn’t want to say anything to the guys, especially Frankie, because he knew what their reactions would be. They’d tell him that he was just attracted to her because she was the young, hot thing on the block and remind him that she was very much unavailable.

"That's uh…a nice suit you have there," he nodded towards her. "Looks like we both like tie-dye," he chuckled.

The two stayed with their eyes locked on each other, trying to read the other’s face for what felt like minutes before they heard someone clear their throat.

"Oh hey, sorry we're late!"

They turned to see Olivia, with Diana on one hip and a baby bag slung on the other shoulder. Her husband, Chris, and their sons CJ and Max were right behind followed by Katie who was helping the family with their bags.

"It feels like we have to pack the whole house even when we just come down the street," Olivia laughed, oblivious to the awkward tension between Santiago and Melissa.

"Aw don't even worry, everyone just got here! Come, they're out back!" Melissa waved toward the backyard.

Santiago introduced himself to Chris, who helped him bring the cooler along with a couple more fold-out chairs to the back.

Frankie spotted Santiago as he came back with a man carrying a cooler and some more chairs. Seeing Olivia and her kids, he figured it was her husband. He also clocked how Santiago's eyes lingered on Melissa, who was walking in front of him.

"Hey babe, where are the burgers?" Danny yelled out to Melissa.

"They're inside, here I'll help you."

"I'll be right back," he told Frankie.

As Danny and Melissa headed inside, Santiago stopped to get a beer before walking over towards Frankie. He could feel the side eye Frankie was giving him.

"Don't."

Frankie lifted his hands up in protest. "I haven't even said anything."

"Yeah, but you're giving me that look."

"She's engaged, hermano. Besides, isn't she a little young, even for you? Ow-"

Santiago slapped Frankie in his chest. "I'm not that much older. And besides, I'm just…flirting with her. Nothing else."

"Ha, yea ok, Pope," Frankie took a swig of his beer, shaking his head.

Frankie knew his friend had a knack for fixating on the most unavailable women. He never understood why Santiago did this, he was arguably the biggest flirt of the bunch and a good-looking guy, so he could, and did, get any woman he wanted. But yet, it was as if he thrived on the drama, on the secrecy of it all.

“Don’t act all high and mighty, you were right there with me too.” Santiago snapped back.

“Yeah, but I wasn’t the one who caught feelings…that was you, remember?”

Santiago rolled his eyes and walked over to Lucille, who was arranging a plate of food for herself.

____________

After more neighbors trickled in, the party really started getting going. David and Ty were in charge of the playlist, rolling their eyes whenever Olivia glared at them for playing a song that wasn't child-appropriate.

"There's literally a summer barbecue playlist on Spotify, just pick that one!" She went over to them in a huff.

"Ok, momma bear. No more Cardi B noted!" David teased.

"Boys no running!" Olivia called after her sons as she dipped a carrot in some ranch.

"Are they twins?"

She heard a low voice, turning to see it was Frankie next to her.

"Yes, unfortunately," she sighed and then smiled. "They're great, just a lot of fucking energy."

"Ha, I can see that. And how old are you?" He bent down smiling at Diana, who was still attached to her mom's hip.

"Oh, this is Diana, she's nine months, 10 months in two weeks!"

"Well, she's beautiful," he rubbed the little girl's cheek with his thumb, which elicited a small smile, barely visible from behind her pacifier. Her eyes were fixated on Frankie.

"Ooo she likes you, she doesn't smile for just anyone."

Frankie smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Do you have any kids?"

"Ah, n-no. My sister has two, so uncle mode is where I'm at these days," he chuckled.

“Ah, well maybe someday…”

“Maybe…I’m getting a little old…” he rubbed the back of his neck. “But, I like kids, so I dunno, we’ll see.”

“I mean, I can give you one of mine if you want,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood after she unintentionally struck a nerve.

_________________________

"Havin' fun?" Benny walked up to Megan, as she loitered around the coolers, observing her son who was pacing near the back of the yard by some bushes.

"Huh, oh yeah," she looked over at Benny, giving him a smile. "Hey, do you know what's bothering him? He's seemed on edge since we got here."

"Uh…yea…at least I think so. I think he's waiting for a girl to show up."

"Aw, is it Aria?" She looked over to Benny who nodded. "Ah, I knew it! I swear that boy has had a crush on her since middle school…has he…told you anything? Does he like her?"

"Yeah he likes her, he's just too scared to ask her out."

"My sweet baby, of course, he is…did he…talk to you about it? I've tried but I'm mom you know…"

"He mentioned it, I just listened. Tried to give some advice. I was a teenage boy at one point, ya know," he chuckled.

"Well, you have one on me there. I can't believe I'm at this stage now, where he likes girls," she shook her head.

"Want me to go talk with him? I told him I'd give him a pep talk if he wanted."

Megan's heart was about to burst at how sweet Benny was being toward her son. She felt a pang in her chest that Jacob wasn't here to see how much their son had grown up.

"I'd like that," she smiled.

Benny squeezed her shoulder, before bending down to the cooler to grab a soda and a beer and head toward Connor.

"Where's your girl?" He asked as he offered the boy the can and cracked open his beer.

"She's not my girl…and I don't know…" He tried but couldn't cover his disappointment, wondering why she hadn't shown up yet.

Benny put his arm around his shoulder, "She'll show up, the party just started man. Maybe she wants to make an entrance,” he winked. “ C'mon, let’s go kick Will’s ass in cornhole," he smirked.

Megan wiped away a tear as she observed her son and Benny, thankful for the little family she had created and fostered in this neighborhood.

______________

"Ooo hard seltzers, yes!" Katie pumped her fist as she opened the cooler to see her drink of choice nestled right on top.

"Which flavor’s your favorite?" Will appeared behind her with a smirk, pleased with himself that his plan to surprise Katie with her favorite beverage worked.

"Oh, hey…um, black cherry," she held the can up to show him. "Ty hates that flavor so we usually end up doing a swap whenever one of us buys a case since I'm not a huge fan of the grapefruit one. It works out for both of us," she chuckled. "You, ah, gonna go swim?" She motioned over to the pool, whose only inhabitants so far were Olivia’s twins and her husband. As Will turned to look, Katie gave him a quick up and down, trying not to salivate at the thought of him shirtless.

“Yeah, it’s so hot out, I’ll probably go in. How about you? Did you bring your suit?” He was thankful his sunglasses were able to hide his eyes as he checked her out.

“Sure did!” She lifted up her tank top just enough to show off her one-piece, which had cutouts along her hips.

The glimpse of her suit, and bare skin, caused Will to choke a bit on his beer. “N-nice, well, we’ll have to get in soon.” He smiled, annoyed at himself for being so awkward.

Katie was amused that a guy who looked like a male model would be nervous talking to a woman, and with her no less. It definitely was a bit of an ego boost and gave her the courage to continue the conversation to try and learn a little bit about Will. After all, the only thing she really knew was that he was a hot, seemingly nice guy with equally attractive friends.

"So, tell me about yourself, Will."

"Well, what d'you wanna know?" He asked as he leaned onto a table, getting a little bit closer.

“So, you casually build fences with your friends and know how to do a bunch of other house stuff. You work in construction or something?"

“Ha, well, when it comes to the house stuff, Benny and I would be kicked out of the family if we weren't handy," he laughed. "Our grandfather was a contractor…had his own business. When he passed, our uncle took over since he and his family already lived in Austin. When I was in high school, I spent my summers there working for him, with my cousins. When Benny was old enough he came too."

"Ooo a family business, then?"

"Yeah, my cousin actually took it over a couple of years ago. He's been helping me with questions I've had for the house, so I can't claim to have done it all myself," he smirked.

"Well, you're still the one who did the work. It looks great…so, what do you do? When you're not calling your cousin for construction advice?"

"Ha. Well, I used to be in the military. Actually me and the guys. It was like…damn, almost 20 years…felt like a lifetime,” a quick wave of sadness flashed across his face. His mind was flooded with memories of all of the horrific things he had seen and done over the years, the most recent memory being the death of their leader Tom. “But…we all got out and retired. We…uh…saved well and have taken some time to just live as civilians,” he rubbed the back of his neck.

“So, were you guys some like badass G.I. Joe’s?”

“Ha, something like that,” he tried to play it off. “We were part of a special unit called Delta Force.”

“What kind of stuff do you do as part of this special unit…if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It’s not that I don’t mind, it’s just I can’t really tell you a lot … it’s … uh …classified,” he scratched his head, bringing one arm to rest on the back of his neck. “We traveled all over, did a bunch of different things...”

Will and the boys had long since agreed that they would never talk about any of the details around their missions to anyone…especially Colombia. Tom’s wife and daughters didn’t even know the true reason why he was in South America. He knew Katie meant well and was just trying to make conversation, but this was a prime example of why he didn’t like talking about himself.

Katie sensed his unease, chastising herself that she made him uncomfortable. She should have known better than to start asking a bunch of questions without knowing him. Her own brothers never really wanted to talk about their time in the service. She hoped she didn't just trigger some bad memories for him.

“So uh, what do you do now then?”

“I try to do stuff for veterans. There's some speaking engagements I do from time to time, but I mostly volunteer at the VA. We have this uh…service, where we basically are like their Uber to doctor’s appointments. But I don’t just do that, I’ll drive them wherever they need to go, even if it's to the CVS to get some M&Ms,” he chuckled.

“That’s nice, I bet you meet some interesting people,” she gave an encouraging smile.

“Yea. I mean, some of them don’t really like to talk much, which is fine. But for those who do, I’m there to listen. A lot of times they don’t have anyone who can relate to them as veterans or gives a shit or wants to hear what they have to say, especially the older ones. So I am just an unbiased ear for them…I’ve met some cool people. Some of the old timers have some crazy stories.”

Katie was a bit thrown off by this thoughtful and considerate side to Will, it was so unexpected. He seemed like this quiet, hard ass, but there was a depth to him that piqued her curiosity.

“So, you’re patient and a good listener, quite the winning combo,” she teased, moving to sit against the edge of the table inches from Will.

“I’ve been told I listen and follow directions quite well,” his eyebrow twitched as he looked her up and down, now a bit more obviously, before clearing his throat. “So, now it’s my turn to uh…listen. Tell me about you.”

“Me? Oh, it’s not a very interesting story.”

“I’m sure that’s not the case.” He moved even closer as both of them sat perched at the edge of the table, their arms slightly touching.

“Well, let's see…I'm originally from Chicago. I moved here a few months ago. I work from home which has been pretty sweet. I get to rock sweatpants most days,” she laughed.

“What made you move to Florida?”

Katie hesitated but ultimately gave her rote answer whenever anyone asked what brought her down to Florida from the Midwest. “Well…I…I moved down here for the weather, couldn’t take another blizzard, ya know” She kept her gaze forward as she took another swig from her drink.

"You move down here alone?"

"Uh, yeah."

"For the weather?" He furrowed his brows, knowing there was more to the story.

Katie turned her face slightly to face Will, trying to put on a poker face.

"The weather was a reason."

"But not the only one?"

"Were you an interrogator in this military unit?" She countered.

"Shit, sorry. I didn't mean to pry…" He shook his head, annoyed at himself for pushing.

"It's ok. I don't like to just dump my whole life story on someone. The weather thing’s usually enough…most people who ask that question don't really care, it's just for conversation."

"Well, I'm not most people."

Katie gulped down another sip of her drink, the can almost empty.

"I'm divorced." She blurted out.

Will continued looking at her, waiting for her to elaborate, but it seemed she was waiting to gauge his reaction.

"Oh okay."

"That's it?" She furrowed her brows.

"Whaddya mean?"

"You don't want the sad backstory with all the gory details?"

"Not if you don't feel comfortable sharing it."

They sat in silence for a little bit. Will didn't mind awkward silences, hell there were some veterans he drove who had only spoken five words to him in months. But Katie, on the other hand, was not the same. She always felt the need to ramble and fill any silence.

"My husband…ex-husband…he left me. Just up and left one day.” Her nose wrinkled.

"That's shitty, I'm sorry."

"Yea…It was for his ex,” she huffed. “I shoulda known, honestly. He was never really over her. She was always kind of like a dark cloud over our relationship…'The one that got away,'” she made air quotes. “Honestly, from her perspective, it was probably the most romantic shit…the love of her life coming to his senses and getting her back. Problem is nobody ever sees it from the other side of the story.” She emptied the can and reached into the cooler for another one.

Will stayed silent, unsure how to react – he wanted to give her the space to share whatever she felt comfortable sharing.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to unload that all on you,” she shook her head, bringing her hand to her forehead.

“Hey, hey…it’s ok,” Will put his hand on her back, lightly rubbing circles with his thumb. “I’m a good listener, remember?” He winked.

The corners of Katie’s mouth curled up. Will was a good listener. Megan was the only person who knew the details of her divorce, all of the red flags ignored, and the scars left behind.

“Well, thank you. And to answer your question from earlier, no the weather wasn’t the only reason. He kept the house, which is a joke if you ask me, I was the one who actually gave a shit about that house…” she took a swig of her beer.

“How so?”

“Our house was my little project, I had a Pinterest board for pretty much every room and every occasion,” she laughed. “And Seb, my ex, he thought I was being too much, too extra about it. But it was a lot of fun for me, the creative stuff you know.” She looked over at Will who nodded.

“Is that what you’re trying to do with your house now?”

“Ha yea…”

“I was serious when I said I, er, we would be happy to help you … not saying you can’t do it yourself or anything. Just let me know. I can come over sometime to see what you have in mind, you can show me a Pinterest board or two,” he bumped his arm against hers, which elicited a small smile from Katie. “That way I can tell you if it’s somethin’ we could take care of. May be able to help you save some money too so you don’t have to hire someone,” he chuckled.

“Really? Yeah, that would be awesome. So…Mondays tend to be a little lighter for me, so would you want to come tomorrow? Is that too soon? You're probably doing your VA stuf-”

“Sure!” he interrupted. “I mean, yeah, tomorrow’s great. What time?”

“Really? Uh…I usually take lunch around noon…would that work?”

“Yea. I…uh…I can bring over lunch. If you want.”

“Hold on a second. You’re coming over to help me and you’re bringing food? I feel like that’s too good to be true,” she winked.

“Well, let’s see what kind of uh, projects you have in mind first,” he laughed. "Here, gimme your number so I can give you a heads up when I'm on my way," he handed her his phone.

Katie smiled to herself and she typed in her number.

"Nice, here let me text you so you have my number…it's a…plan, it's a plan," he smiled.

“Hey! I was looking for you,” Benny bounded over with Connor on his tail. “Hey, Katie! I was going to ask Will if he wanted to take Connor and me on in some cornhole, but do you want to join too? It’s probably more fair for it to be two on two anyway,” he chuckled.

“You mean bags? Uh…sure, let’s do it. Sorry in advance Will, you may have been better off alone,” she laughed as she walked towards the cornhole set.

“I doubt that…” Will whispered to himself.

_____________________

"Oye jefa," David squeezed Lucille's shoulder as he sat down and brought her a rum and Coke. "Extra limes, just how you like it."

"Thanks, mijito. Are you having fun?"

"Yeah, although I will be having even more when the boys decide to go into the pool," he winked as Lucille rolled her eyes and laughed at him. "So, have any good chisme for me?"

"I saw Ethan at Publix earlier today and he told me that another house is going up for sale on the block."

"Ooo, which one?" David scooted his chair closer. He didn't know how she did it, but Lucille always had the best gossip on the block.

"Melissa's neighbors, 306."

"Oh, aren't those the snowbirds?"

"Yes, apparently their son and his wife are having triplets, can you believe that? So they are going to stay up in New York to help with all of the babies."

"Woof, three babies?" David shuddered. "Ugh, I hope that we don't have some rental company come in and scoop up that house."

"I said the same thing to Ethan. He figured someone would want to scoop up that house pretty fast once it goes on the market, not like Benny and Will's house," she laughed.

"D'you think he'll give you a heads up on who the buyers may end up being…when we get to that point?"

"Oh yes, as long as I make him some empanadas I think we can find out whatever," she giggled.

"Speaking of, I need another one. Quieres algo?"

"No, mijito, I'm good."

________________

"Ari!" CJ and Max said in unison, jumping out of the pool and running over to give Aria a hug once she, her little, sister, and parents made their way into the backyard.

"Boys! I said no running! Also, give Ari some space ok? She's here to have fun, not watch you two," Olivia winked.

She hired Aria last summer to help her watch the boys once she got too pregnant to do much of anything. The boys loved her and she had been a big help over the last year as Olivia transitioned to life with three kids.

Benny and Connor had their backs to the party, so they didn't see Aria and her family walk in. But once he heard the commotion of the twins, Connor tensed up.

"Showtime, bud!" Benny slapped the back of his shoulder. "Hey, Katie, Will, I think Connor and I are gonna take you both out of your misery. Let's get some refills on drinks?"

As they turned around, Connor saw Aria taking off her coverup. The twins were begging her to get in the pool to play with them.

"C'mon, Ari let's play sharks and minnows!" CJ jumped up and down.

"Yea, c'mon let's gooooo," Max whined.

"I'm coming, gimme a sec. Do you two have sunscreen on?"

"We don't need sunscreen, a kid at school said we have more melly men so we don't need it," CJ said confidently.

"It's melanin, and that's not true. We need to wear sunscreen too, c'mere." She grabbed the spray bottle of sunscreen from her bag and doused the boys and her little sister with it before using it on herself.

She spotted Connor and gave him a nervous wave. She recognized the guy with him in the hat, he was the same guy who complimented her dog. The two were making their way across the yard toward the pool.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Davis," Connor smiled and waved at Aria's parents. "Have you all met Benny, he lives in 319?"

"Oh, so you're the one making that house look beautiful," Mrs. Davis winked.

"Yes ma'am, well it's my brother Will and I. We moved in not too long ago."

Benny stayed talking to Mr. and Mrs. Davis as Connor made his way to the pool, which brought a little smirk to Benny's face.

"Hey, Aria!"

"Hey, Connor!" She went in for a sideways hug, which caught Connor off guard. He could feel his face getting hot and his mouth went dry.

"Connor, are you going to play with us?" One of the twins said, he honestly wasn't sure which one because his brain was short-circuiting.

"Yea, wanna play? I'm going to need help trying to chase these two," Aria giggled.

Connor couldn't find words, but as if he telepathically knew, Benny was there to save him.

"What're we playing?" He said with the biggest smile on his face, wrapping his arm around Connor.

"Mr. Benny, d'you wanna play sharks and minnows with us?" Max asked, tugging on Benny's shirt.

"Hmmm…let me think about that," he bent down to get on Max and CJ's level. "We gotta set some ground rules if I'm gonna play, ok?" The boys eagerly nodded. "Ok cool. So I'm gonna be a shark and you two are minnows. Aria, you're a shark. Connor you're a minnow. And see that guy over there in the red shorts?" He pointed towards Will whose head was thrown back in laughter as he talked with Katie and Megan. "We're gonna all need to work together to get him, ok? He's a special kind of shark."

The twins were already halfway to the pool before Benny could finish.

"Will, c'mon we gotta catch some minnows, and I'm not talking about you Fish!" Benny laughed as he took off his shirt, flip-flops, and hat, and threw them down on a lounger.

He saw Connor hesitate, knowing the boy was self-conscious to take his shirt off. It didn't help he was standing next to all six foot three of Benny who had a toned stomach and a defined upper body.

"C'mon kid, she's into you, I can tell."

Once Connor got his shirt off, Benny lifted him up and threw him in the pool. He followed by doing a cannonball, which made all of the kids laugh.

By this point, the rest of the party was focused on the pool. Will and Katie headed over, getting down to their swimsuits and getting in. Will was immediately tackled by CJ and Max.

"Hey! What'd I do?" He laughed as he hoisted each of the boys out of the water to throw them, which elicited lots of laughs from both.

"Mr. Benny said you're a special kind of shark, so we had to work together to get you!" Max panted as he caught his breath from all of the excitement.

"Did he now? Well, did you know he and I are brothers? So if I'm a special kind of shark, that means Mr. Benny over there is one too!" Will winked over at Katie who was smiling at the interaction.

"Hey, Mr. Benny! You didn't tell us you guys were brothers!"

"Yeah, that means you're a special kind of shark too!"

"Oop, you caught me!" Benny flashed another brilliant smile as he started swimming away.

"We're chasing Benny? Sign me up!" Santiago jumped in and tackled Benny, followed closely by Frankie.

The four men ended up chasing after the boys, although Will spent most of the time near Katie, pretending to try and catch her a few times too.

"Got ya!" Connor had been play chasing after Aria and finally caught her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. They both froze, Aria turning her head toward Connor and they both smiled.

Splash

One of the twins splashed the pair as they were frantically trying to get away from Benny and Will who were in wild pursuit.

_________________

"Again, can we just acknowledge the fact that we are seeing this all for free?" David laughed as he, Ty, Lucille, and Melissa watched the antics of the poolgoers from a table.

“Are you losing your mind now that Frankie’s hat fell off?” Ty teased.

With all of the splashing and playfighting, both Benny and Frankie had lost their hats. Frankie’s curls stuck to his neck as Benny’s bangs kept getting into his eyes.

“Baby, that’s not the only thing making me lose my mind!”

“Ay, dios mio!” Lucille shook her head laughing at them.

“Oh come on, Lulu, you can’t tell me you’re not enjoying the view too, right?” Melissa asked as she kept her eyes on the pool. Santiago was in the midst of hoisting one of the twins up and throwing him - his biceps flexing and the water dripping down his chest as he jumped out of the water.

“It’s definitely not the worst way to spend an afternoon,” she winked, giving a sly smile.

“Katie seems to be having fun with Will, right Meg?” Ty asked.

“Yeah…best believe I am getting all of those details later,” Megan replied, noting how close Will had stayed to Katie the whole time, the two were now laughing in a corner, talking as the rest of the guys splashed with the kids.

"Ok everyone, food's ready!" Danny called out.

______________________

Megan smiled as she saw Connor and Aria sitting together on a lounger wrapped up in towels, laughing and talking.

Benny came up and handed her a beer.

"So, that's your doing?"

"Nah, that's all him. I just gave him a push, well, I guess it was more of a toss," he winked.

"He really liked hanging out with you guys yesterday, by the way. Couldn't stop talking about it," she chuckled as she took a swig of her beer. "He mentioned something about you both working out together?"

"Y-yea, we talked about it yesterday while driving. Would you be cool with that? I think it may help his confidence a little."

"I think that would be really nice Benny, thank you. But don't let him take up too much of your time, I'm sure you have a girlfriend or something, right?"

"Ah, no. I'm not dating right now," he moved his bangs out of his eyes, realizing he needed to go find his hat.

"I may have some friends if you’re interested," she laughed.

"Ha, no, I appreciate it. I'm uh…taking some time for me. I'm not really looking for anything right now."

"You know, I feel I wanna make some type of liar liar pants of fire kinda joke," she motioned to his swim trunks. "But that feels too on the nose," she laughed.

"Hey! I like these trunks, I usually get a lot of compliments about them," he smiled.

__________

The party continued well into the early part of the evening. After the raucous game of sharks and minnows followed by a big meal, the twins were starting to lose steam, so Olivia and her family left.

Aria and her family were next to leave, she went over and gave Connor a hug goodbye. He watched her walk away before turning back to see Benny smirking at him.

Connor walked over to Benny and the older man gave him a side hug and messed with his hair.

"Proud of you, bud."

"Ha, thanks. I had a good time. I think we might hang out soon."

"Hell yeah!" He gave the boy a high five.

"Well, I guess we're going to head out," Lucille said as the rest of the neighbors got their things together. "Thank you so much for hosting us all mija it was beautiful as always over here."

"Thank you, Lulu," Melissa gave the woman a kiss on the cheek.

Melissa and Danny gave hugs and handshakes to everyone. When it was her turn to say goodbye to Santiago they both hesitated on whether to go in for a hug or a handshake, but he committed and went for the hug. Whereas normally he would reach for the waist, resting his hand on the upper part of a woman's ass, he decided to hug her around her shoulders. For her part, Melissa put her hands on Santiago's midback, feeling the cords of his muscles tense.

"Have a good night," he said softly as she smiled at him

Frankie gave Lucille his arm to make the walk back to her house as Santiago wheeled the wagon. David and Ty chatted with Megan, Connor, and Benny, as Will and Katie lagged behind.

David and Ty said their goodbyes, followed by Connor and Megan. Lucille asked if Frankie and Santiago could help unload her wagon. Knowing that it probably meant they would get leftovers to take home, the two men eagerly agreed. That left Benny, Will, and Katie.

Benny looked at his brother, knowing very well that he was trying to put the moves on Katie.

"Ah, shoot!" he smacked himself in the forehead. "I forgot, Tommy called me earlier, let me go call him back, see ya Katie!" He gave his brother a wink over Katie's shoulder as he hugged her goodbye.

"So…and then there were two, huh?' Katie laughed.

"Ha, yeah. I'm…uh, looking forward to lunch tomorrow," he smiled. "Hey, speaking of, what do you want me to pick up?"

"Oh, I'm not picky. Surprise me. Whatever's your favorite. Just as long as there's no pickles."

"Got it, extra pickles," he winked as they both let out a nervous laugh. "Just kidding, I just so happen to love pickles, so if you ever get them I'll gladly take them off your plate."

"Well, aren't you my hero!" She teased.

"Here, let me walk you home."

"Will, it's like three doors down," she smirked.

"I know, but it's late and I just want to know you made it safe."

"Ok, Boy Scout let's go."

The trip to Katie's house was short, but Will didn't mind.

"Well, this is me. I had fun today."

"Yeah, I did too," he smiled, keeping her gaze for a beat before she reached into her bag for her keys.

"I'll ah see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yea."

They both looked at each other for another moment before Katie went in for a hug, which Will reciprocated.

"Good night, Will."

"Good night, Katie. See you tomorrow."

She closed the door and Will turned on his heel to head back home. He didn't realize that a smile hadn't left his face the whole walk back.

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

A/N: I know this was a longer chapter, so thank you if you made it this far! Our little soap opera continues to unfold.

What didn't make the cut? I had an additional scene with Santiago and Melissa along with one with Danny and Frankie, but decided we could cover what happened in conversations later on.

Let me know if you want to be on the tag list moving forward!! Apologies if I accidentally left you off, I added it all manually and may have missed someone … just let me know!

@goodwithcheese / @gemmahale / @trulybetty / @patti7dc / @periodtsparadox / @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin / @maggiemayhemnj / @mysterious-moonstruck-musings / @avastrasposts / @meveispunk / @chaoticfestninja / @beholdbebravethings / @casa-boiardi / @katw474 / @linzels-blog / @laughing-in-th3-purple-rain / @primosworld / @lynnchun / @anoverwhelmingdin /@lilmizmoz / @pedrit0-pascalit0 / @titlee78 / @noisynightmarepoetry / @inept-the-magnificent / @perennialdoll247 / @for-a-longlongtime / @readingiskeepingmegoing / @harriedandharrassed / @musings-of-a-rose / @anavatazes / @sherala007 / @midnightraain

#delta landscaping #triple frontier fic #triple frontier fanfiction #triple frontier fanfic #triple frontier au

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estrellami-1 · 11 months

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(Push Away the) Lonely Times

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Hopper sighs after his phone call with Jim Bronsaw. He does that a lot, after a conversation with him. He rubs his hands over his face, desperately wishes for a cigarette, and decides on one on the way to the Harrington house.

He gets there in record time, even with the lights on his cruiser off. He parks on the curb and spends a minute just looking at the house.

It’s a nice place, all things considered. He sees a four-car garage, which makes him want to roll his eyes, and a flowerbed that’s obviously someone’s pride and joy. He wonders, briefly, if Melissa Harrington has ever gardened, or if she pays someone to do it for her. If she has flowers in the front of her house because that’s how houses are supposed to look. The yard itself is well-kempt, save for one stray wiffle ball.

He steps over it on his way to the front door. Knocks. Waits.

The door cracks open after a minute. “Hello, Chief,” Steven Harrington says.

Hopper smiles. “Hi, Steven. Are your parents home?”

Brown eyes widen. “Uh. N-no, sir.”

“That’s alright. Do you know when they’ll be home?”

“No, sir.”

Hopper sighs and gently asks, “Steven, can I come in?”

“Oh!” Steven opens the door wider. “Yeah. Sorry.” He bites his lip when Hopper’s inside. “Um. Can I get you water? Or something?”

“Water would be great,” Hopper says, understanding the need to be doing something. He follows Steve to the kitchen, watches as he stands on tiptoes to reach the glasses, then moves to grab a pitcher from the fridge. It’s obvious that it’s a little heavy for him, but it’s also obvious that Steven has had practice. He pours without spilling a drop, puts the pitcher away, and hands the glass to Hopper. He takes it, then looks at Steven. “I know your parents are out of town, kid.”

Steven blinks. His eyes shift from side to side, like he’s trying to find a way out. “I-I- um. It’s. It’s really okay, sir, they don’t ever leave for very long, and I’m old enough to take care of myself anyways, and-”

“Steven,” Hopper interrupts, “I’m not mad at you.”

“Y-you’re not?”

“No. Your parents, maybe, but it’s not your fault they left. Can I ask you for a favor, though?”

“Of course,” Steven says, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“Let me know when they’re gone and when they get back. I’d like to keep an eye on you.”

“Oh. That’s really not necessary, sir, I can handle it-”

“I know you can,” Hopper says, then sighs. “How about this? I understand it could be weird, talking to the chief of police. You know my friend Jim, over at Melvald’s?”

Steven nods. “Uh-huh! He gave me a Snickers!” Immediately he shrinks, like he realizes telling the chief of police his friend had stolen wasn’t the best decision.

Hopper chuckles. “He would. Would you be more comfortable checking in with him, instead?” Steven hesitates, so Hopper adds, “Whatever you want, Steven. Whatever makes you most comfortable.”

Steven nods, but won’t look at him. “Yes. Please.”

“Okay. I’ll let him know. But remember, I want you to let him know when your parents leave and when they get back, alright?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright then. Thanks for the water, Steven. Have a good afternoon.”

“Yes, sir. You too.”

Hopper leaves, not looking back.

Permanent Taglist: @justforthedead89 @ilovecupcakesandtea @madigoround @bookbinderbitch @suddenlyinlove @nburkhardt @artiststarme

#stranger things #steve harrington #Jim hopper #Jim Bronsaw #(push away the) lonely times #kid fic #as in Steve is a kid in this one #starambles

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bb-olicity · 19 days

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On An Island Alone

It’s been 3 weeks since Chenford’s breakup and I feel like I’m on an island… alone. The day after 6x06 aired, I made the decision to walk away from The Rookie. Well, at least until after the finale. I’ll decide if I'm walking away permanently once I check online and see how the season ended. And before I go any further, to anyone who wants to say I'm not a true Rookie and (most importantly) Chenford fan: I have just as much right to stop watching the show as you do to keep watching it.

So why am I choosing to no longer watch the show?

The main reason I started watching the show in the first place is/was Chenford and I can’t sit there and watch them redo Seasons 4 and 5A and I won’t. Especially considering the fact we already know from Eric’s comments to TVLine they’re not getting back together by the end of the season finale. I do not see them getting back together until at least the midseason finale next season. Actually, if I’m being completely honest, I’m not sure they will get back together or if they even should. I know me saying that will make a lot of people mad, but after reading Melissa and Eric’s post-episode interviews, I got a sense of finality when they were talking about Tim and Lucy’s relationship as a couple and the breakup. Plus, I honestly don’t see how they can come back from what they did, which leads into the other reason why I’m not watching anymore.

Tim’s whole storyline rubs me the wrong way in so many ways. They could’ve brought in his military past in so many other ways and still had him struggle without destroying his character in the process. As it is, the storyline feels extremely forced just to cause drama for the sake of drama and, for me, irredeemably destroyed Tim’s character. They completely erased 5 ½ seasons of character growth in the matter of only 1 ½ episodes. And I'll never be able to see Tim the same way again, even if he goes to therapy. I personally would never be able to trust him again and I honestly don’t see how Lucy could either. That’s also why part of me feels like they should not get back together. Yes, I know it’s a short season and everything is condensed, but Alexi and the writers should not have done the storyline this late in the season, knowing they would not be able to do it justice with only 4 episodes left and not knowing the show’s fate by the time they finished filming the finale. Since they were planning to break them up, I feel like they should’ve done it at the end of the premiere or by 6x03. That way there would’ve been time for Tim and Lucy to work through their struggles individually then work them as a couple by the end of the season.

Why do I feel like I’m on an island alone?

After the episode aired, a lot of the fandom was angry and a good number said they were done to show. However, over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that number dwindling and a lot fans are now justifying the breakup who weren’t before and they have absolutely every right to. I can see where they’re coming from, to a certain extent. Tim and Lucy both were hiding things from each other since they started dating and would just gloss over things that needed deep and meaningful conversations to work them out. That said, I personally will never agree with the breakup or the whole (Tim’s) storyline and will always maintain the breakup was completely unnecessary and they could’ve (and should’ve) stayed together and worked through their struggles as a couple. So yeah, I’m on an island alone… and that’s okay.

#The Rookie #The Rookie Season 6 #The Rookie 6x06 #Secrets and Lies #Chenford #Chenford Breakup #Breakup #Lucy Chen #Tim Bradford

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ghulehthezombiequeen · 3 months

Text

little sunshine. - i wanna dance with somebody (who loves me)

cardinal copia x sister of sin! reader part 6.

masterlist. / little sunshine masterlist.

taglist: @gothicwonderlust, @jaymechaos, @siouxbauhaus, @millerthats

a/n: dude... idk why this took me so long to write but i really really hope you enjoy it! this is the longest chapter i've ever written (i think) as well! also we're not gonna talk about the theme being winter when valentine's day is literally next week,,,,,, i swear i started this in january ok

warnings/things to note: female reader, pet names, autistic Copia (perhaps), established relationship, this is basically the 'prom' episode of the series ykwim

enjoy <3

word count: 3,012 words.

The weeks preparing had flown by, the decorations slowly but surely popping up around the halls of the Ministry. You were walking to pick up your dress from the dry cleaner’s. It wasn’t new (you’d found it hanging in your closet left by the previous Sister who’d moved away), but it fit you perfectly, as if the previous owner had left it for you on purpose. The dress itself was drop-dead gorgeous— a wine red with some black lace trim on the Halter-strap bodice, and the Grucifix logo embroidered on the left side of the hip, the skirt flowing downwards in a trumpet style.

As you carried it to your room, your friend Sister Lucie was walking along with you, chatting about some sort of ghoul drama.

“Allegedly he tried to bury them in the garden, but one of them escaped the hole and lit half of the plants on fire!” She tittered, holding her royal blue dress delicately.

You couldn’t help but giggle as well. “That seems so silly. Do you know whose ghoul that was?” “Oh, uh… I think it was your boyfriend’s.”

That made you stop in your tracks, your heart dropping to your stomach. “Boyfriend? What are you talking about?” Lucie stopped as well. “Well, yeah… you and that Cardinal dude, the one with the rats? You guys fucked, didn’t you?”

You coughed, your face heating up. “Just because I spent the night in his room doesn’t mean we fucked!” Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. “Oh… sorry. But you guys are an item though, right? Sister Audrey caught y’all making out in the kitchen a few weeks ago.”

You rolled your eyes in annoyance, “It’s fine. And yes, we did. But we’re not… official yet, I don’t think. I mean, I’d like to be, but he’s, y’know, pretty shy about all this, so..” She nodded in understanding. “I get it. But really?? Copia, of all the Cardinals?? I don’t mean to be rude, but girl— you can do better than him!” You shook your head and smiled. “I know, but I really like him!”

Finally, you reach your room, where Sister Leah was already starting to get ready, her hair in silk curlers which she’d left in overnight. “Who’s your date, hm?” You teased as you hung up your dress, sitting on your side at the shared vanity space.

“I’m going by myself, you know me. I like being single, thank you very much.” Leah replied, rolling her eyes as she slid into her dress— a black-and-gold fitted dress, with off the shoulder sleeves.

You checked her out and smiled. “You’re gorgeous, girlie! What are you going to do with your hair though?” She took out her curlers and lightly combed her raven-colored hair, matching perfectly with her tan skin. “No idea. Maybe just this or have Melissa braid it for me when I’m there so it won’t get in the way when I dance. Oh, I forgot to ask! You’re coming down with us, right?”

“No, no this time.” You shook your head and smiled. “I’m going with Copia!”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Seriously?! You were for real about that?! Is he, like, holding you at gunpoint or something?! Did his rats bite you and you’re contracting rabies?!” You laughed. “No! I just… I like him a lot. He’s actually really sweet and considerate. He’s very old-fashioned, you know? Not because he’s old, but— you know what I mean, right?”

She made a face, sitting next to you as she started to apply her makeup. “Whatever you say.”

Around 7pm, you were ready to go. Leah and a few of your friends were making TikTok’s about their outfits and hairstyles. You wore dark red-to-black eyeshadow, fiercely sharp cat-eye black eyeliner, and of course, deep red lipstick to match your dress. You’d also put your hair half up half down, lightly curled and adorned with golden rose charms. Your friends were all gorgeous, but your beauty was unmatched.

“Ugh, all my friends are hot!!” Sister Calista whined as she looked at the photos on her phone.

You and Copia had been texting back and forth as well, sending snippets of each other’s outfits. The one that made you audibly snort was when he tried taking a mirror selfie, but he was holding Biscotti in one hand and on the verge of dropping him as Biscotti seemed more interested in chewing the phone case than posing for the photo.

You made it your lock screen because it was just so adorable.

Five or so minutes later, you heard a knock on the door, causing everyone’s heads to turn. You stood up in your black platform Mary Janes, making you maybe two or three inches taller than usual, and opened the door to see a nervous Copia standing in front of you with a bouquet of roses. His suit was similar to his Cardinal’s robes, probably a standard uniform for formal events, you figured. Only this time he was wearing a tie with the Grucifix logo printed on it as a design.

Upon seeing your beauty, of course his face would immediately flush almost as red as your dress. “Eh…. You look… Wow. I-I mean—! Ugh, why is this so difficult…” he mumbled, turning his head and holding out the bouquet for you. “These- these are- they’re for you. You like roses, yes? Please say yes…”

You were so touched by the romantic gesture, taking them delicately and cooing. “You’re so sweet, thank you! Give me one minute, I’ll put these by my bed.”

“Oh, okay. Good. Yeah, go— go do that. Mhm.” He nodded awkwardly, giving you a lopsided smile as you closed the door briefly, showing off the flowers to your girlfriends, who also collectively ‘aww’ed.

“I’ll see you guys there!” You called as you opened the door again, stepping out and holding your black clutch bag. “Aww, you got all dressed up for me.” You purred, smirking mischievously as he stood staring at you like a dumb fool.

“Eh? Oh! Y-Yes, hello!” He cleared his throat and fixed his tie before offering his arm out. “I-I can take your bag? Or you can keep it, that’s- that’s fine too.”

You handed your clutch to him with a small titter, lacing your arm into his as well. “I-I’m so glad we can do this… you are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, amore mio…” he mumbled timidly.

“And you are the most handsome, sweetheart.” You smiled and he flushed even redder, this man was pathetic. But you loved him either way.

The formal was being held in the main chapel of the Ministry, all the pews cleared off to the sides and replaced with round tables and chairs. There was an opening in the middle, presumably the dance floor. To the left, a photobooth where a group of Siblings were bombarding the poor photographer. To the right was the dessert and beverage bar, ranging in many different cuisines to fit everyone’s dieting habits. Everything was decorated with icicles and snowflakes, little ice skates placed intricately around the room and miniature light-up snow globes as centerpieces. Copia let out a low whistle as he checked out the area. “Wow… very fancy-shmancy, ain’t it?”

You nodded with a soft chuckle. “Yeah, they really went all out this year. Wonder why?”

He shrugged. “Did you, um… want to take a photo when it’s not busy? O-Or we don’t have to! I… I don’t know. I just wanted a nice photo of you for my wallet. N-Not in the stalker way, though! Like, eh… W-We’re together now, right? S-So– I-I mean!–”

He buried his face in his hands again, and you pried them away gently with a soft smile playing at your lips. “You’re so silly. Never change, Copia. Never change.”

He gulped and nodded, unable to look you in the eye as his cheeks continued to burn red. “You’re too good to me. I-I don’t deserve you… I’m so pathetic.”

“Hey, hey.” You took the sides of his face in your hands, forcing him to meet your gaze. “Don’t talk like that. You are just as deserving of love as anyone else in this room, okay? Now, we’re here to have fun and celebrate the new year, yeah?”

He nodded, an apologetic smile on his face, leaning to yours and lightly pecking your nose. “Thank you, amore.”

You hummed in contentment, releasing his face but not before you returned the gesture, your lipstick transferring onto his nose but neither of you noticed. As you sat at your assigned table together, chatting about some of your interests (he was heavily invested in some retro game called ‘Driving Miss Daisy,’ which you’d never heard of before), a ghoul approached you both and got you two as it was your turn for the photo booth.

“Ahm.. good. Good-good, let’s go, yes?” he smiled crookedly, offering his arm yet again.

You walked arm in arm and stood in front of a periwinkle backdrop decorated with sparkly blue and white streamers, along with snowflake cutouts and a few blue and silver balloons. The ghoul told you both that you could take up to four photos, and pointed to the table nearby where there were cutout props and cheap boas in different colors. You took a white one and wrapped it around Copia’s neck, drawing him in closer until your bodies were flushed together. You smiled and looked at the camera, where the ghoul was ready to take the first photo. Copia on the other hand was mumbling a multitude of unintelligible words in Itanglese as the ghoul snapped the photo, the flash stinging your eyes a bit. “Aw, c’mon, baby! Smile!” you giggled and tossed the boa back to the table, now switching your pose to the classic prom pose, only your arms were around his waist, his back pressed against your chest as you hugged him closer.

“Eh… Amore, this– this is the wrong way,” he mumbled. “I’m supposed to be holding the girl, n-not– um..”

“But you’re the babygirl in this relationship,” you teased as you propped your chin on his shoulder, your cheeks grazing each other’s. He squeaked and whimpered a weak reply, his voice unable to be comprehensible.

The ghoul took another photo, cooing softly at the sight of you two being so affectionate.

You took two more photos, one of him with your lips hovering over your cheek and you copying him in the other. However, you actually kissed his cheek, and this time you did notice that your dark lipstick had left an imprint on his pale complexion. You chuckled but didn’t say anything, taking his hand and waiting for the ghoul to put the photos in a collage and print out two copies.

Copia kept glancing around nervously, as if he was ashamed to be seen with you in fear of others thinking you took him to this event out of pity.

You lightly squeezed his hand, causing his head to snap back at you. He gulped as he saw your warning expression, causing him to nod and take a deep breath.

The ghoul chirped to get both of your attention, holding out the photo strips for you to take. You thanked the ghoul and gave him a few appreciative scritches to his chin, causing him to trill and clap his hands in joy.

You handed him his copy as he led you back to the table, noticing a few Siblings giving him playful smiles as he still hadn’t noticed the kiss mark you left on him. However, he turned to you as you both sat down, looking at you timidly. “Do I… have something on my face?”

“Oh, only a little gift I left you from earlier,” you hummed and opened your clutch, handing him your compact mirror so he could see. His eyes widened as he saw the outline of your lips on his left cheek.

“S-Sorella! Amore mio, perché non me l'hai detto prima? I-I-I look like un idiota!” he sputtered out quickly, taking his glove off and rapidly swiping at it to get it off. His face was almost as scarlet as your dress from how embarrassed he was.

You couldn’t help but laugh, taking out a makeup remover wipe and helping him.

“Ugh, you torture an old man,” he groaned.

“Oh, honey, it’s not that bad.”

“It is! Now I look even more pathetic…”

You were about to say something sarcastic in return, but more Siblings and their dates had arrived at your table and kept grabbing your attention. However you kept your hand securely fitted with Copia’s under the table, trying your best to include him in the conversation but it seemed like the Siblings were too scared to confront him due to his rank.

As more people filed in, Copia’s hand gripped your own hand tighter. He was anxious, he had never been good with big crowds of people that he knew. Sure, he could sing nonstop for two hours for thousands of people, but these were people he saw on a day-to-day basis.

You held up his hand and pressed a kiss to the back, running your thumb on the side soothingly in hopes to calm him down, which evidently worked; he took in a deep breath and smiled weakly.

“I-I’ll go get some drinks. Did you want anything, water, soda?” he offered, he was so polite.

You opted for water, smiling and watching him as he wandered to the beverage bar. The Siblings sitting at the table with you took this opportunity to talk to you alone.

“Girl, why?” Brother Nathan asked.

“What do you mean ‘why?’”

“Because he’s– eugh!” Brother Theo made a sour face, holding onto Nathan’s hand tightly. “He’s a Cardinal, much higher ranking than you! Is he your sugar daddy or something? Because honey, we can call someone to raise your paycheck at the library–”

“Stop, ew! He’s not doing anything like that!” You scoffed. “I actually really enjoy his company. He’s just shy, if you would just give him a chance to warm up to you, and maybe even warm up to him in return, you'll know he’s very sweet and considerate!”

“Right… and this is the guy that has like… fifteen rats?” Sibling Everest grimaced.

“Oh, stop it, E.” Sister Nicole huffed. “Don’t say that like we don’t have a pet snake in our room.”

“But it’s only one of Nugget! There’s multiple rats!” They defended themself.

“Guys, maybe we should chill. I don’t think he’d appreciate us talking smack about him behind his back like this. We’re supposed to be having fun, remember?” Theo spoke up before the argument got heated.

Everest sighed. “Whatever.”

Copia returned not a minute later, holding five drinks in both hands. “Eh… I got you all some, uh.. Some water. Here,” he passed them along the table, now noticing some tension in the air from the previous conversation.

“Ah… it’s about my rats, isn’t it?” he chuckled sheepishly. “They are perfectly healthy, no- no bad germs, I can assure. And they mostly stay in my room, don’t worry.”

You chuckled as he attempted to socialize, holding his hand gently in reassurance. The rest of the Siblings nodded and tried to be more friendly, though every time they spoke to him, they gave you all skeptical looks.

After everyone had filled their stomachs with food and drinks, Sister Imperator made a few announcements congratulating the upper ranks on a very successful turnout of new Siblings and churchgoers, along with a few achievements from the newly summoned ghouls. She made it pretty short as Papa Nihil needed some medical attention and was wheeled out of the room on oxygen, clutching his saxophone and grumbled in a rusty voice, “I can still play, Seestor! Let me play just once!”

Soon after, I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston started playing, courtesy of the ghoul manning the DJ booth. Siblings just sat awkwardly, unsure if they could dance on the floor or not. You took this opportunity to grab Copia’s hands and yank him out of the chair, pulling him to the dance floor. “C’mon, baby! Let’s go make this official!”

“A-A-Amore, I cannot dance!” he whimpered shakily as you took him to the middle of the dance floor, suddenly twirling him around and making him do the same to you, causing you to giggle. “Yes, you can dance! I’ve seen you on stage before!” “Well, y-yes, but not like this!!” he gasped as you dipped him, pecking him on the lips once more, the watchful eyes of the Siblings widening and a few gasping in shock and amusement. Not a moment later, more Siblings were slowly crawling to the dance floor, singing along and dancing with their friends or partners.

“I-I don’t know the dance to this song, amore!” Copia mumbled, letting you take the lead as you sang the lyrics to him, laughing. “There’s not supposed to be a certain dance, hon! Just feel the music!”

As the song continued, Copia began to feel more confident, finally twirling you around a few times and dipping you in return. “Is it like this, eh… baby?”

“Mhm,” you smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck as he brought you upright again. You both took a breather to gaze into one another’s eyes, a faint blush on both of your faces. Copia gulped before impulsively leaning in and pressing his lips to yours, holding the kiss for several seconds. You could feel his hands starting to coil around your waist as you both ignored the collective oohing from your peers, and just as he pulled away you followed him, kissing back. This wasn’t a kiss of lust, nor of desire. This felt natural, as if you two were meant to be together, in each other’s arms. It felt like true love.

As you finally pulled away with a chuckle, you could swear you could hear Copia singing under his breath, “I wanna dance with somebody, with somebody who loves me…”

~~~

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