#Full Commercial Kitchen Cleaning

[bengals-barnesbabe]

There’s Something You Should Know

Pair: Dad!Joe Burrow x OC , Dad!Joe Burrow x ExFianćee!Reader

Desc: Joe’s new girlfriend is in for a big surprise when she drops by unexpectedly.

TW: Jealousy, Toxic Gf, talks of divorce, childhood trauma

a/n: just a little idea I had and worked on for 2 weeks :)

Main Masterlist

WC: 4.9k

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August weekends are some of Joe’s favorites, not because he goes out with friends or showers his girlfriend with the attention she desires. No, he loves days like this. Days where his living room doesn’t stay clean for more than a few hours, mornings filled with cute giggles and sticky-syrupy little fingers, and nights controlled by a little girl with beautiful hazel brown eyes and a head full of dark tight curls, who picks the same bedtime story every night. These are his favorite moments.

Like now as he picks up the pink and purple lego sets off his living room floor while his little girl is off playing with some other toys in her playroom. From down the hall, he can hear all the make-believe scenarios the stuffies are going through. Currently, Who Dey the tiger and Joey the kangaroo were shopping for skirts but there was only one pink sparkly one left, it was a heavy debacle that Joe couldn't help but chuckle at while putting away the rest of the legos. 

Elliana, or Ellie for short, is the no doubt most important person (albeit little person) in his life. From the day she was born, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for his little girl. Now at 4 years old, the bubbly and charismatic girl is taking in some of his interests, hence the immense collection of Lego sets that decorate his home. Sure this hobby came back to bite him in the rear when he would fall to victim of said legos by stepping on them, but the time they spent together just playing around was worth all the lego injuries in the world. But they also have house slippers now, to protect both of their feet.

Joe moved to tidy up the kitchen after double checking that all legos were in their rightful spots, not that he was actually going to count every single lego. To prepare for his 4 day weekend with Ellie, he made sure to restock on all her favorite meals and snacks but also ingredients to make the Bengals-themed cookies that she hadn’t stop talking about since she saw them on a commercial for a grocery store they don’t even have in Ohio. Joe wasn’t much of a baker, he only began cooking real meals when Ellie started staying over for multiple nights. Give him a box of Kraft Mac N Cheese and some dino nuggets and he’d turn it gourmet for his daughter, but for now that’s as far as he could go. So he called in reinforcements for this mission.

*ding dong*

His saving grace, Ja’Marr Chase. Joe was forever grateful to have a best friend that loved and cared for his daughter like she was his own. Ja’Marr was a great uncle and Ellie thought so too.

“Daddy, daddy! It’s Uncle Marr, he’s here to make cookies!” He smiles as the squeaky voiced girl comes running down the hall. Before she passes the kitchen, he sneakily pulls her into his arms before she could notice him. “Daddy!”

“What did I say about running in the house? I know you’re excited but you might fall and hurt yourself and that would make daddy really sad.” He lightly scolds bending down to her height.

“I’m sorry daddy. No more running.” Ellie cutely nods and places her small hands on his cheeks to lift his faux frown.  A grin quickly returns to his face and he kisses her forehead. 

“That’s my good girl, how about you go wash your hands so you and Uncle Marr can get started?” Her face beams as she wraps her arms around his neck. He returns the hug almost as tightly to take in the warm sense of comfort that having her in his arms brings. His arms could probably wrap around the young girl twice, but the contentment of having her little ones squeezing onto him so tightly is a feelings he never wants to forget. When she finally lets go, she kisses his cheek then skips down the hall in her fluffy pink slippers.

The door bell ringing again brings Joe back to his full height, but his brows furrow when he doesn’t hear his friend do his usual call out. ‘He’s probably on the phone.’ He thinks walking over to front door. He opens the door wide with a smile to greet one of his best friends, but gets replaced with his eyes widening and mouth dropping in shock.

“Hi babe!” 

Joe blinks then narrows the door’s opening to only fit half his body. “What are you doing here?” He asks the woman he’s been seeing for 6 months.

“I thought we could spend some time together. I know you said you’d be busy this weekend, but you’re busy every weekend. But since you’re actually home, we could watch a movie or something.” She smiles trying to peak inside. “Are you going to invite me in?”

Joe can hear the faucet in the first floor bathroom turn off and another car pull into his driveway. He looks behind him and zeroes in on every detail in his house that screams ‘this is my little princess’ castle’ then turns back to his curious girlfriend. “Um, now’s not a great time Kate.”

The short brunette’s jaw clenches and just as she’s about to respond, Ja’Marr walks up behind her. “Wow- so what, Saturdays are for the boys?” She barks. Actually they’re for the girls, little girls.

“Kate-

Loud giggles erupt from behind him. “UNCLE MARR! Daddy he’s right there I see him!” 

His teammate breaks out in a smile and waves to Ellie. “Hey babygirl.” Ja’Marr excuses himself from behind the woman and Joe lets him in the house.

Kate stands in front of him now dumbfounded. “You have a daughter?”

When Joe met Katelyn, he hadn’t had a long term girlfriend in a while, not since you. So he didn’t have to introduce anyone to his daughter. His team already knew her, his friends were great with her and she had a mom and dad who would do anything for her. Joe didn’t even feel like dating after your engagement ended two years ago. He had some hookups here and there, but getting into a relationship was not on his mind. Funnily that’s how this ‘relationship’ started, she was just someone he could call and was cool about it. Then he took her out to dinner to test the waters and half a year later he’s here.

When you broke up, you and Joe agreed not introduce your daughter to anybody without the other’s consent. You both wanted to make sure that she was your priority and her safety always came first. Then Joe implemented the rule to not introduce Elliana to romantic interests until at least 9 months into the relationship, he said it was him being protective but it was also so he didn’t have to see you without anyone else until it was serious. You also didn’t broadcast your daughter to the world like other parents, so not many knew that he did have a daughter unless they watched his every move. 

So long story short, Katelyn did not know.

“We should talk.” He said as she shoved his body to the side and stomped into his home. “I guess I deserve that.” He shook his head and shut the door.

Thankfully, the kitchen and the living room were a decent distance from each other so when she plopped down on the farthest end of the sofa, he could relax knowing Ellie wouldn’t hear any distinct words the woman might start throwing his way. Kate sat facing the blank tv screen, he took the spot in front of her so he could still see some of the movements in the kitchen through a wall cut out.

“Listen Kate.”

“No me first.” She cuts him off with a hand in front of his face. He just nods and allows her to speak. “Why didn’t you tell me? Is she actually yours? Where’s her mother? How come no one knows about her? Why didn’t you fucking tell me? I thought I was your girlfriend, do I mean nothing to you? Who keeps this kind of giant fucking secret? Fucking talk!” She huffs.

“I was letting you go off- whatever. Yes, Elliana is mine. She just looks exactly like her mother” He mumbles the last part, combing his fingers through his hair, a nervous tick he’s had since he was little.

“She’s 4 and I have dual custody over her, so I mostly get her during the weekends. I didn’t tell you because her mother and I have an arrangement and I would have to talk to her about it first. Her mom lives here- well not here here, she lives in the city. You know I don’t like the attention the spotlight gives so it was easy for us to decide to leave her out of it as much as possible. I guess was going to tell you at some point.”

“What do you mean, you guess? I’m your girlfriend! Don’t you think I have the right to know that the guy I’m seeing has a kid?” She crosses her arms red faced.

“Calm down, we haven’t been seeing each other that long. We were never that serious.” 

“Of course not, every time I want to spend time with you there’s a new excuse. Oh you have a game, or practice that evidently takes all fucking day. Maybe you’re hiding me because there’s someone else.”

“I promise the only other girl in my life right now is my daughter. And everything you just said is a valid excuse, I have a job and child that require all my attention.”

“Why can’t she just stay with her mother? Do you have this stupid arrangement so she can come by and give you what you’ve been missing? I bet you’ve been fucking her this whole time.”

Joe scoffs, her words starting to make his blood boil. “Katelyn, what do you not understand about us co-parenting our daughter? I barely have time to spend with you, so what makes you think I have time to cheat? If you have a problem with me being a father, then you should leave.”

“I don’t have a problem with you being a dad, I have a problem with you not talking about your ex. What, was she so special that it hurts to talk about her? Was she the one, Joe? What exactly is your relationship like with her now?”

“I told you, we co parent. There’s nothing going on with me and her mother, that’s all in the past. Can we stop talking about her now, she’s not going to just pop up out of nowhere?” He rolls his eyes. 

“I’m not convinced, you’d only hide her if there was still something between you.” 

“Yea her name is Elliana, the four year old making cookies in my kitchen right now.”

Before Katelyn can come back with another complaint, the doorbell rings, again. Joe sighs and looks out the window to see another very familiar car. Spoke too soon Joe.

He opens the door to see another one of his close teammates and the very woman he was just talking about. 

“Tee, Y/n what are you doing here?” His eyes lazily flicker between the pair and you send him a sheepish smile.

“Oh you know, we were just in the neighborhood.” Tee nods very nonchalantly. You nudge his side with a chuckle.

“I got a 911 call from Ellie, she said there was an emergency.” 

“Really?” He starts to pat down his pockets and realizes his phone is missing. He turns around and spots a smiling little girl with two long braids neatly done with purple bows in her hair. “Ellie…”

“Yes daddy.”

“Did you call mommy with my phone without telling me?” 

“Yep!”

You stop the laugh from bursting out your mouth when he sends you a pointed look. Taking that as a sign to go ‘confront’ your daughter. “Elliana why did you call me saying there was an emergency?

“There is an emergency momma! Uncle Jay is eating all the cookies!” Ja’Marr turns around shocked at his little partner. 

“Ellie, what did I tell you about snitches?”

“Snitches get stitches.” She relays matter factly. Joe shakes his head in confusion because clearly he wasn’t aware she knew about snitches yet. While you chuckle and run in to snatch up your girl.

“Ellie what did I tell you about taking advice from Uncle J?” You ask placing her on the counter.

“You said to tell you when he teaches me something new. He just did momma, see I told you!”

“Wow, Joe see what your friends have done to my sweet little girl.” She giggles wrapping her arms around your neck.

“They’re your friends too. How is it my fault, I had no idea?”

“There’s your answer.” You smirk. “Now Ms. Ellie Dae Burrow, is there any other emergency I need to know about?”

Freeing herself from your grasp she nods her head. “We don’t know how to ice cookies mommy.” Then takes your face in her hands and turns you towards the powdered sugar mess next to her baking buddy.

“Ellie, did you touch the cookies before touching mommy’s face?”

“Um yes?”

“Did you wash your hands after touching the cookies?” The young girl looks at her flour caked hands curiously. 

“No mommy.”

“Remember what I said about touching your toys with dirty hands?” Ellie nods her head. “Well that goes for people too, cause now I’m covered in flour.”

“Oh, sorry mommy. I’ll go wash my hands now.”

You go off to get washed up then Ellie returns to the kitchen to continue helping with the cookies while you join Joe in the living room.

“I hope you guys didn’t have anything planned, Ellie clearly has a mind of her own.” Joe jokes with the couple.

“Not much, we were just going to pick up some lunch and maybe catch a movie.” Tee shrugs.

“That’s what we were going to do, how funny.” Kate perks up with hidden mischief in her eyes. This is when you realize you have no clue where this woman came from nor who she is. 

“Joe?”

“Oh how rude of me. I’m Katelyn, Joe’s girlfriend and I assume you’re his baby mama.” She fake smiles holding her hand out.

The eyes of the men in the room widen at her bold choice of words. You smirk and shake the woman’s hand. “Yep, that’s me. The mother of his only child, you must know how great of a dad he is right? Whenever he has any time off, he’s always picking her up or coming over to see her. Truly father of the decade and she isn’t even 5 yet.”

Tee sits next the father hiding his face in his hands and chuckles. “I bet this isn’t how you wanted this to go.” He whispers to him. Joe just groans in his hands.

“Well, you should have a seat.” Kate invites.

“Oh I will, thank you for the hospitality in the house that my ex fiance asked me my opinion on over a year ago.” You grin and sit on the other side of Tee.

Katelyn’s kind demeanor shifts with a fake smile wide on her cheeks as she sits next to Joe. “So why’d you break up?”

“We are not starting here!” Joe’s eyes go wide and he straightens up. “Ask anything else please.”

“Joseph, your girlfriend wants to know why we’re not married right now. Why don’t you tell her?” You say forgetting how the whole thing happened for a bit. Thankfully those cherished memories come floating back to your mind and you hoped he decided to change the subject to cover your mishap.

“You just met, aren’t you supposed to be doing the making sure she’s safe for Ellie to be around thing?” You let out a muted sigh before replying.

“Oh please, and you haven’t?”

“No.” He mutters.

Your face hardens as you kiss your teth. “You let this woman around my daughter without screening her first? Joseph what the hell?”

He throws his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t think it was going to last this long, I wasn’t thinking about it.”

“Then why is she here?” You question turning your body completely towards him.

“Your guess is as good as mine!”

Katelyn scoffs, “excuse me, I’m sitting right here!”

“Unfortunately we see that too. How long have you been together anyway?” You hope that their explanation has to do with the restrictions you came up with to keep your daughter safe.

“7 mont-

“6 months- They say at the same time.

“Damn, this is awkward. I’m gonna go.” Tee announces. “I’ll text you.” Then he leaves.

“Looks like that didn’t last, maybe that’s why Joe left you. You attract drama everywhere you go.” Joe grimaces at her just wanting her to stop talking.

“Oh no hun, I left him. Not like it’s any of your damn business cause you don’t know me or him that well either. But let me guess, he told you he was busy but you showed up anyway hoping he’d let you in and give you whatever you want. I wouldn’t stress about him not making enough time for you, there’s a lot of worst ways he could be treating you. Just remember that at the end of the day, I’m that little girl’s mom and he’s her dad. I’ll always have a key in the door, when you won’t even get to see the open house.” Then you got up and went to the kitchen. Joe watched in amusement as Katelyn seethed. Then peaked behind him to catch a glimpse of you and your daughter baking together.

“You need to talk to her, she needs to know that I’m your future and she needs to make room.” Joe rolls his eyes.

“She’s right. They’re my past, present and my future. You were just a distraction and now I don’t need you anymore. I’m going to have to ask you need to leave my daughter’s house.” 

She shakes her head. “Joe, we can have our own family. You don’t need them. I can do that for you.”

“Katelyn I want them, not you. It’s time for you to go.” He stands and walks over to the door.

“You’re going to miss me and regret this, but I wont open the door for you. When you want me back I’ll have someone way better than you. Please don’t do this, don’t break up with me.” Rolling his eyes at the quick change in behavior he unlocks the door for her.

“Joey, I thought we were having fun. You don’t want to throw that away do you?” She asks as a final strand of hope glistens in her eyes.

Joe sighs, “it was fun, but I’d rather play with flower shop legos and bake cookies.”

“Fuck you Joe!” She stomps out with expletives shooting from her mouth. 

⍣ ೋ

“Daddy was your friend crying because you hurt her feelings?” Ellie asks with frosting covering her mouth when he arrives in the kitchen. He picks her up and kisses her sugary cheeks.

“No bub, she hurt her own feelings.” 

“Joey hurt my feelings when left to join the circus.” She pouts talking about her stuffie and licking her sticky fingers.

“Are you eating the icing before we can put it on the cookies?” He asks the orange dye covered girl.

“Nyooo.” She chuckles.

“What are we going to do with you?”

“Mommy said we’re all going to the park to feed the ducks.” She smiles. You turn around with wide eyes and an amused smirk, halting your current task of making more orange frosting.

“I did not say that. Ellie Dae why are you telling your father stories?”

“I think she wants to go feed the ducks.” Ja’Marr snorts while eating some of the cookie dough.

“Uncle Marrrr, you can’t eat more cookies! It’s for the ducks.”

“Ellie ducks don’t eat cookies.” Joe chuckles putting her on a part of the counter that’s not covered in sugar.

“Kaia said they do.” Your daughter yawns mentioning your next door neighbor’s teenage daughter that likes to babysit her.

“Well you’re going to have to ask Kaia where she found the cookies made for ducks.” Glancing over at the oven clock you hum realizing its 2pm. Naptime. Looking back over at your ex, you watch him wrap his arms around your daughter as her eyelids struggle to stay open. “Joe.” You whisper. He looks up at you then the time and nods.

“Come on babygirl, let’s go upstairs.” She whines as he lifts her, but still wraps her arms around his neck.

“But daddy, I’m not tired. Cookies.” She yawns laying her head on his chest. He smiles and kisses her head.

“I promise the cookies will be there when you wake up, and maybe we’ll even take some to the ducks.” You can’t help but smile as the pair climb the staircase up to her room. You always knew Joe would be a great father, especially when the you were surprised by the idea of having a baby so young and so early in your relationship. But he only stepped up in ways you couldn't have imagined, watching him become a father felt like one of life’s greatest privileges. It’s one of the things you love loved about him. Joe’s caring nature was unlike any other, in those 4 years together you’d never felt so loved and cherished by anyone like him.

Turning around to go back to your icing duties, you’re faced with a smirking Ja’Marr Chase. “What?”

“You’re ridiculous.” He chuckles setting a timer for the cookies that you now notice are in the oven. 

“I don’t understand.”

“You look at him the same way he looks at you, which is the exact same way when you were engaged. You just need to put the ring back on and plan the damn wedding at this point. I mean he broke up with his fling for you.”

You just shake your head at his nonsense, there was no way you and Joe would ever get back together after how it ended- after how you ended it. “No, I’m with Tee. They just had a mild disagreement, the second Ellie comes home with me he’ll be calling her back over.”

“You’re fucking with me right?” He scoffs. “You and Tee are not together.”

“How would you know?”

“He texted me the minute you got here. The only reason you two were out together was because we’re all still friends. Don’t try and bullshit me. You’ve been trying to make Joe jealous for weeks.”

“I have not, lower your voice. If you think he would ever take me back after the shit I said that night, then you’re delusional. I already fucked up with Joe.”

“But you want him to though.” He tilts his head with a soft smile. “I bet you still have the ring on you.” Your eyes go straight to the floor.

“You didn’t give it back because he wouldn’t take it. You can’t put it away because of who it reminds you of and you won’t sell it because you still care. In fact Ellie said you put it on a necklace and kept it in the smallest pocket of your purse.” When you look up, he’s somehow produced the same ring Joe proposed to you with on that beach date when Ellie was 8 months old.

“She really is a little blabber mouth.” You sniffle taking the chain.

“She’s smart and a thief. She showed it to me after you went to go clean your face. She knows how much it means to you and whether she understands it or not, she wants her mom and dad back together.”

“Oh please, this is the same little girl that wants to feed ducks sugar cookies.”

“All I’m saying is you should think about why you’re still carrying that nice ass ring around and talk to him. Alright I’m gonna head out, you got this right?” You nod and share a friendly hug.

“Remember what I said.” He says as the front door opens then shuts.

You lean over the counter with your hands on your face and let out a groan. There’s no possible way for Joe to ever take you back. You don’t even know why you still carry the ring around, but somehow leaving the house without it makes you feel untethered to reality.

“I doubt the cookies are that bad.” You gasp startled by the man leaning on the entryway to the kitchen.

“Goodness, Joe.” Your right hand covers your eyes while still clutching the gold chain. 

“Wow,” you drop your hand remembering what you were holding. “That’s something I haven’t seen in a while.”

“Yea- um. I was having it cleaned.” You bite the inside of your lip, then replace it with a pout when his face tells you he knows the full story. “Joe-

“Put it on.”

“Listen- wait what?”

You want to believe he’s joking, but the look in his eyes is all seriousness. “I want you to put the ring back on.”

“I can’t, not after the way I ended things. It wouldn’t be right.”

“You can, because I want you to. I need you to put the ring on.”

“Joe there’s something you should know.”

He sighs and takes the chain from you. “I know you and Tee hooked up once, I’m still debating on if I need to sucker punch him for it.” Then unclasps the chain and releases the 7 karat diamond into his hand. “I know that we spent the last 2 years trying to forget everything that went down between us only to remind each other every weekend when Ellie is dropped off.” He begins to fiddle with the ring between his fingers. “I also know that nothing you said that night was true.”

You gulp locking eyes with the man you’ve always wanted to call your husband. “Joe.”

“On April 10th, your mom called you and said ‘never get married’ because she had finalized her divorce with your father after spending 25 years in an unhappy marriage, that without a doubt gave you enough trauma in itself. April 11th, I came home from a night out where I drank way too much and reminded you of a part of your childhood you tried to run away from, which is something I’m extremely sorry for. April 12th, we spent the entire day arguing about the dumbest shit because I couldn’t see the pain you were harboring. Then you said ‘I can’t spend the rest of my life with a man that doesn’t care how he comes home to his family. I won’t let you run me into the mud like he did to her, I want to be happy. I can’t marry you.’ And took your ring off.” You couldn’t stop the tears from falling down your face as he recalls the last night you spent together as a couple. A night you’ve regretted since it happened.

“Joey, don’t let me do this to you. You don’t deserve this, you could do so much better better than a damaged bitch with trust issues.” With one hand he wipes your tears and with the other he takes your left hand. “Joe think about this.”

“I think there’s something you should know.” He repeats your words with a more lighthearted tone, then gets down on one knee. 

‘There’s no way, no way. Nope, he’s not doing this.’ You echo to yourself while shaking your head.

“I spent two years thinking about this. Two years driving back and forth so we could have equal time with our little girl. Two years of wondering if I’d ever have you back in my arms the way I dream of at night. Even spent one in this house thinking about how hollow it feels without you living in it. I bought it for you, so we could raise our family here together. I know this probably won’t top the first one and I don’t have a new ring yet.” He winks causing another wave of tears to fall, this time happy tears. 

“I can’t see myself happier with anyone except this damaged woman in front of me with trust issues. Shit I’m not that happy now, cause every time I look in our little girl’s eyes all I see is her beautiful mother. She’s a constant reminder of the woman I miss more than anything. I thought we could do this co-parenting thing and stay friends so Ellie could have a happy childhood, but I spend more time with you than I do without you. I don’t want to wake up with anyone else in my bed that isn’t the woman right in front of me. And I’m thanking Elliana for bringing you here, because I need you. I want you back more than anything in the world.” 

His voice starts to tremble. “I’d step on a million legos for you, bake and burn a thousand dinners for you, miss hundreds of games for you- fucking anything. Anything you want, it’s yours. Just say yes.” 

You can feel the way your heart breaks for him, just proving how much you don’t deserve him. “I can’t.” 

“Why not?”

You can’t look him in the eye and break him again. You try to suck in the sob but there’s no use.

“I’m pregnant with Tee’s baby.”

.

.

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SIKE

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.

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i'm sorry that was childish, don’t hate me lol here’s the real ending

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ꕥ

“I can’t,” You giggle when his pout deepens. “You haven’t asked the question yet.”

A bright smile breaks out on his face as he sighs in relief. “You need to stop scaring me. Y/n Y/l/n, will you marry me?”

“Yes, yes I’ll marry you, Joey. I'll marry you a hundred times if I have to.” You beam as he slips the ring back in its rightful spot then stands and pulls you into the most passionate kiss. 

After two years, you’re back in the arms you love, felt the most comfortable and cherished in. You feel so lucky to have found a man, a fiance so caring, thoughtful, and understanding. Lucky that every time you pushed him away, he just pulled you in harder. And you can’t wait to finally marry him and give him everything he’s ever wanted. Including a bigger family.

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

so any critiques, comments, concerns. i'm open to any and everything🫶🏾 oh and don't forget to reblog for more :)

[yikimiki]

Can I please request;

King eren who's been lusting after his personal maid for the longest time. Smut when he has her clean every inch of him during a bath and tells her to clean his cock with her mouth.

I LOVE fantasy aus, this was heaven-sent. Note! Eren is older here, around his early 30s, and I imagined reader to be around early/mid 20’s (though age isn’t specified). Also this is LONG! I don’t know WC Bc I wrote on tumblr but i guess around 4-5K!! 🪦

>> of marble and gold

⚠️ warnings: smut, obvious power imbalance/abuse (so dub-con), dark content because Eren is… obsessive, heavy objectification/degradation of reader (“whore” and such), oral, creampie, bruising/marking

—

The brown leaves twirl to the ground as a new season begins, and King Eren’s patience — and self-control — has reached its limit. After almost fifty years of the Jaeger family negotiating with the neighboring kingdom, the new ruler broke tradition like it was nothing more than a frail wax seal. The message is clear: no more commercial settlements, no more food trade, until they returned with the treasure they had stolen nearly a century ago. Until the vaults are full, and his people are once again able to enjoy their own crops, friendly conversations are off the table.

Surprisingly, it works. After panic has subsided and a tense meeting is scheduled, the threat of an upcoming war is larger than the power of negotiation — with that, a new system is at play, and the table dips a little more towards Eren’s kingdom.

It’s one of the easiest years in a long, long time — plates are full, the people are happy, and the small economy is finally blossoming into something more substancial. Eren is constantly surrounded by all types of people who seek to impress him (or take his newly found riches), little annoying flies buzzing around him during the day, then trying to enter his chambers at night.

But Eren is difficult to impress. He’s a serious man with serious goals, and a short dress skit or an inviting deal isn’t enough to make him pay attention. However, amidst all that calamity, you manage to make him double take.

The influx of people to his lands came with the news of a fruitful economy, so it isn’t a surprise that he doesn’t immediately recognize you. There are countless new servants in the castle, some of which are constantly out of his sight, so your random appearance is, in a way, expected. And, yet, amongst so many faces, his gaze stills in yours.

Once again, Eren is a serious man with serious goals — and with even more serious needs and desires. The switch of your position (from a kitchen servant to his personal maid) is swift and direct, leaving no room for objection. It’s not typical for women to assist royal men in such personal affairs such as bathing or clothing — not officially, at least — so he expects that the change with cause a little fuss. But no one has the guts to go against him.

The first time you see King Eren, he is a giant in front of you, watching closely as you kneel in front of his throne. There are dark shadows over his face and his green eyes shine with amusement, long brown hair falling like a cascade over his features. There’s a hint of a smile on his lips as he tells you to stand, and countless scars on his hand as he holds yours and orders you to be at his chamber at nightfall, so you can help him bathe. You agree and leave hurriedly, heartbeat booming in your ears.

Eren is a handsome man, that much you knew. But what you didn’t know is how massive and overtaking his very presence is — well, you suppose that is expected of any monarch, but it’s different when you witness it yourself. He is the center of the galaxy and everyone else, yourself included, is simply gravitating around him, moving aimlessly through life until he, even if briefly, gives meaning to it. To have someone so great, so respected, to personally chose you amongst so many to serve him… is strange.

You’re not naive — the years being both a commoner and a woman have taught you more than most maids in the castle would’ve dreamt of living. You know what men want, especially powerful ones like Eren, and you know your position is extremely delicate. Even if, now, you don’t wish to deny any of his advances, you know that the mere possibility would mean death to you. So you accept, even knowing you’re placing a noose around your neck. Even knowing you’re only getting out of this if he loses interest or, somberly, dead.

The first night you spend in Eren’s chambers you know that the first option is nearly impossible. He looks at you like you’re a mythical being, the finest piece of art, watching your movements closely as you help him bathe — your hands moving up and down on the water, keeping the circle of wetting the rag, cleaning his skin, and wetting it again. You’re strictly professional, never staring at his body, especially the parts beneath the water. From your peripheral vision, you see his defined muscles and deep battle scars, but don’t dare to look at it directly.

“Where did you come from?” He asks eventually, scaring you and making you drop the piece of soap in your hands. Eren’s voice is deep and commanding even in such intimate situation, and you feel yourself shrinking. “You’re not from here.”

The second part isn’t a question. “I came from the East, my king.”

Eren isn’t satisfied by your answer. “Why did you come?”

“My family’s farm was burnt down and I needed to work, my king,” you tell him, placing the dirty rag aside as you move to reach for the soap. Thankfully there is a layer of bubbles on the water now, and there is nothing else to see. “So I came here.”

He hums, laying back against the cool material. “Look at your king,” he orders. You blink, overwhelmed, and do as he says. His eyes are looking directly at your soul, one wet strand of hair glued to his forehead, and you squeeze the bar of soap so tightly that your nails dig to the surface. “Better. What is your name?”

You tell him.

“You’re beautiful,” he says. You gulp and sit back against your heels, watching as his hand moves closer to you, pushing your hair behind your ear. Shadows and candlelight reflects on his face like a dream. “It’s quite obvious you’re a foreigner. We don’t have women as beautiful as you.”

“T-Thank you, my king.” You look down. Your heart hammers like a caged bird against your ribcage, your lungs fight against expectation. His touch lingers. “I believe your bath is finished, your highness, do you wish for me to help you into—“

“Finished?” He raises one eyebrow, and you feel the noose around your neck tighten. “It is not. You forgot a place.”

You lower your head. “My deepest apologies, your highness.”

He hums, then startles you as he abruptly rises from the water. You use all your force not to look up at him. “Come. Dry me.”

You blink. “My king, what about…”

“Don’t argue, sweet girl. Your king commands you,” Eren says. There is poison dripping from his lips and you nod, getting up to your feet. “Dry me.”

You swallow. “Yes, my king.”

The pace in which you dry Eren’s body is torturous, your gaze glued to your own hands as you move the dry towel over his skin. First his face and hair, where he stares at you intently, then moving down to his chest, his arms.

Eren himself is enthralled, unable to cut his thoughts of you. Up close, you’re flawless, divine. Every movement you make is perfect, even the way you bite your lip and blink at him makes him dizzy with desire. He has never seen someone as beautiful as you, a young maiden with plump breasts and a delicate face; someone who listens to him so closely yet keeps their distance, respectful and fearful of their king — as all should be. He must have you. More than this, more than as a worker, he must have you, body and soul.

Your body arches as you move closer to his abdomen, touches becoming clearly more clumsy as your hands approach his private parts. The mere anticipation of having you so close makes Eren’s cock grow, thick and heavy, until it’s almost fully erect and you pause, startled.

“There, love. That’s where you missed a spot,” Eren says. You gulp and look up at him, wide eyes searching for something in his expression. He signals towards his erection with a movement of his head. “Clean it.”

“M-My king,” you speak, nervous. “Do you wish me to… clean you? There?”

He nods. “With your mouth. Be a good girl and clean it all up.,” he says. You lick your lips and look down at his large member — you knew it would come down to this and, yet, you are taken off guard. You didn’t think it would be this way. “And it’s Eren. These titles are making me mad with rage.”

You kneel in front of him — Eren realizes he is quite fond of that position. “Yes, my- Eren.” 

Your hand seems so small against his cock, now fully erect, barely taking him halfway before your lips touch his crown. Eren is both long and thick, throbbing in your hand as you suck on his head, humming around him before daring to go a little deeper. The size makes you choke up slightly, but you prevail. You want to pleasure your king, and if this is the way, so be it.

“Don’t be afraid to put it all inside, love.” He sighs. You do as you’re told, fighting against the tears as you push more of his size inside your mouth. It touches your throat and you gag, but you don’t stop. When Eren starts to moan, a deep groan in his throat, you start to set a rhythm. “There it is, there’s my obedient whore. Just as perfect as I had imagined.”

There’s wetness building between your thighs at his filthy words, a growing desire inside you as you look up at him. Eren is a god above you, made of marble and gold, looking down at you like you’re nothing but a hole for him to use. The defined muscles of his abdomen are contracting as you suck him harder, his eyes focused on your stretched-out lips as you struggle to take him.

“Fuck… what a perfect little mouth you have,” he breathes out. You close your eyes and take him even deeper, making a string of curses and threats fall from his mouth. His large hand meets the back of your head and pulls a handful of your hair, moving your face as he likes on his cock. “Good fucking whore,” Eren moans. “My fucking whore from now on. No one will fuck you. Only me.” You gag around his cock, but he doesn’t stop. Eren fucks your mouth until you’re sobbing, until he’s about to spill inside it — and then he pushes your head away. “Get on the fucking bed. I’m going to make you mine forever.”

You’re so overwhelmed that you barely process the walk between his bathroom and the large bed — in fact, you don’t even have time to think about how that is the single largest piece of furniture you’ve ever seen before you’re thrown on the bouncy mattress. One second you’re standing next to your king, and the next Eren is looming over you, kissing you like you’re the air that he breathes, like your mouth is made of honey. His hands are all over your body, literally tearing and ripping your dress in a desperate, animalistic attempt to get you undressed.

“Fuckin’ perfect,” he mumbles before he latches onto one of your breasts, sucking as his hand squeezes the other one. You’re fully naked now, lying in a bed of rags — rags that used to be your dress.

Eren marks you up with his hickeys, spanks the skin of your thighs until it’s bruised and you’re whining for him to stop. You sob and cry, but he shuts you up with another kiss just so he can tear those pretty sounds from you again.

“M-My king, please,” you beg. The wetness between your legs is embarrassing, and your body is all marked up by the time Eren is done with exploring it. He is lost in the mission of making — of marking — you his, barely even hears what you say. “I need…”

Then something clicks. He holds your face in his hand and pushes it closer to his, squeezing your cheeks together. There is fire burning at the bottom of his eyes, and you know you’ve said something wrong. “You don’t need anything, you don’t request anything. Understand? I’m your king, and you’re my whore. Act like it.”

You swallow — your throat hurts. “I’m sorry.”

“You will be.”

Eren is a serious man and a man of his word. You can’t even think about what to say to redeem yourself before he starts pushing his cock against your pussy, rubbing the tip against your folds once, twice, before slamming himself deep inside you. You sob at the feeling, walls fighting to adjust to his size, but he doesn’t even let the burning sensation subside before he starts fucking you.

“What is it? Did you not need this?” He coos. You half-nod half-shake your head, not even sure of it yourself. Eren sneers at your pathetic situation — all teary eyes and messy hair, holding onto his arms as he drills his cock in and out of your tight hole. And, yet, he still thinks you’re the most heavenly thing he has ever seen. “Your pussy feels so fucking… so fucking good.” He moans. “I’m going to fill it up every night. Get you all full with cock and cum every chance I get.”

Your eyes roll back at his words, as promise feels like a dream. You’d like that — after so many years of struggle and hard work, you would love to be a brainless little hole for your king to use and abuse whenever he wishes. You’d love to be dressed in the finest of silk and kissed with fervor, be treated like royalty, even if it isn’t true. You would love it with all your heart.

“Look at me when I fuck you, whore. Look at your king,” Eren brings you back to reality. You do as he says, meeting the savage look in his eyes as he fucks you harder, deeper, hitting all the sweet spots you didn’t even know you had. “Who do you belong to?” He asks, frowning. “Tell me.”

“Eren— I belong to you, Eren, my king,” you answer without hesitation. Your cunt squeezes him tightly as you cum hard, moaning loud and unashamed. You’d regret it in the morning but now… now you’re made of gold and marble too.

“You’re your king’s. Remember that,” he says. You nod, barely aware of the world around you as you dive deeper into pleasure. “Going to cum,” Eren strains. Forget that — now he looks like a god. Muscles tensing and jaw clenching as he uses your body however he pleases, plunging his cock inside you again and again until your wet pussy milks him dry; cock throbbing as he cums inside you. “Fuck, fuck,” he moans, hips faltering as his cock releases inside you again and again. “God, that’s so much fucking cum.”

A whine escapes your mouth as you feel it soak the sheets beneath you, but you say nothing. You dive into the moment like it’s your last one on earth: a moment in which you’re monarchy, loved and fucked into bliss, not a care in the world but the feeling dripping between your thighs. Though, the illusion never lasts long — you watch as Eren finishes and then rolls around next to you, staring at the ceiling with a sigh.

Even after everything, it feels wrong. Like you shouldn’t be here. “M-My king,” you speak after a second of silence, “should I go?”

He turns to you, somber as always. You can’t decipher his tone as he answers. “Not yet,” Eren speaks. “Only when the sun comes up. If I’m done with you by then.”

[f1bordeaux]

An Verstappen one with “Did you ever really care about me?” and “Please stay.” Thank you

If You Cared (Part 1) | mv1

It's been years since you've indulged in a vacation. What better time is there than summer? Your family, the beach house in Italy-it seems perfect. But, for things to be just like good old times, your family needs to invite his. So of course you are having mixed feelings as the boy who broke your heart re-enters your life like nothing happened. Warnings: None Pairing: Max Verstappen x Reader Word count: 2.1k Poetry style | Story style A/n: Hello! This story came to me as soon as I saw this request. I got so many ideas and I'm actually super excited to keep writing this. There will be more parts to follow, so keep a look out. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy! Part One|Part Two|Part Three|Part Four|Part Five

You always longed for the familiarity of summer.

It was by far your favorite season. Something about the warmth, the life, the atmosphere, the memories-something about it all brought you comfort. You were head over heels in love with summer. Or perhaps it was just more exciting this year knowing that you would go on a real vacation for the first time in a long while. “Let’s visit the beach house this year,” your mom had suggested. “Sure there is probably some dust in the corners, but it’s nothing we can't sweep off.”

When thinking of summer memories, the beach house in Elba, Italy, was the primary setting for all of them. From the time you were born until the time you moved out, your family would spend a handful of weeks there, drinking up the sun and inviting friends to visit. You learnt to swim in the pool behind the summer house. You learnt to cook in the kitchen of the summer house. You had your first kiss in the living room of the summer house. Right, that. Something you preferred not to think or talk about.

“Mom!” you wrapped her in a hug the second you could. After moving away from home to pursue work, you rarely saw her in person. You rarely had time to cook yourself dinner let alone come home. It would be nice to get away for a month-just you, your mom, your dad, your brother and sister and the Italian shores of Elba.

“How was your flight, my baby?” She asked, pulling your backpack from off your shoulders.

“Which one? The one from New York to Florence or the one from Florence to Elba?” As a child you always made a fuss about how secluded Elba was. It’s a small, mountainous island off the west coast. A small airport, no larger than the biggest grocery store in town, was all they had to offer. They didn’t take commercial flights from New York. Nope, you had to get on a small, ten person airplane with five other people and fly over that way. It was nostalgic, truly.

Your mom rolled her eyes. “Still dramatic as ever.”

You shrugged, a smile stamped on your face. “What can I say?”

“Let's go, your dad is at home making dinner. It should be ready when we arrive.”

Your heart felt so full, so satisfied. You felt like a child again, like a little girl viewing the world from innocent eyes. Your mom was carrying your backpack, your dad was making dinner. You wondered if they’d offer to tuck you in at night. This is what you needed the most, and you didn’t even realize it until you were in the passenger seat of your mom’s rental car, watching the coast of the island roll by in the dimming sun. New York was busy. It was loud and dirty. Elba was quiet. It was beautiful and clean.

This summer, you told yourself. I’m not going to have a single worry, not a single care in the world.

“The Verstappen’s are coming by next week.”

You almost choked on your food. “What did he just say?” Dinner on the patio was already off to a ravishing start.

You don't notice it-too busy dabbing the corner of your mouth with a napkin-but your mother swatted at your brother who held a smirk on his lips. He knew it would bother you and he also knew that mom hadn’t told you yet. He loved being the bearer of bad news. He loved pestering his older sister.

“You know, Max’s family?” He pushed on. “The boy who left you for cars-”

“Luca.” Your mom cut him off. “Enough.”

Silence hung over the table like it was a light fixture. Your dad and sister said nothing and you knew it was because those two were in favor of the Verstappen’s coming to stay. Hell, your dad was probably the one to extend the invitation. You knew your sister would back him up because she loved Victoria-the younger sibling of the two Verstappen children. Your brother obviously didn’t care. He idolized Max and his racing. It seemed like your mother was the only one on your side.

“Was nobody going to tell me until Max knocked on our front door one day?” You asked, cutting at the food on your plate.

“Max probably won't even be able to make it,” your mother tries to reassure you. “The only ones who have confirmed it are Sophie and Victoria. Ooh-Victoria is bringing the babies so that should be fun-”

“Are you just trying to calm me down, mom?” Again, the silence made itself known. You spoke first, shaking your head with an upside down smile. “You know what? I don’t care. Max or not, I’m here to have a good summer. No childhood crush or-”

“Childhood boyfriend who broke your heart.” Your brother corrected you. You kicked him from under the table, exerting an ouch from him.

“No childhood drama is going to interfere.” You finished.

“She's gone crazy.” Your sister whispered to your dad. You kicked her too.

“I’m going to have a good summer. Nobody will ruin that for me.”

And in the beginning, you did have a good summer. You spent your first full day in Elba catching up on jet lag. When you finally decided to roll out of bed at two pm, you went to the beach with your sister. The two of you had a chance to catch up, sitting on the sand with a small array of fruits to eat while you spoke. The weather was perfect, the ocean was calming, and you were reminded of how much you loved your younger sister.

“What did you do for the big twenty-two?” You asked, referencing her birthday that had preceded about three weeks prior.

She shook her hand, the grapes in her palm shifting. She picked out a bruised one, adding it to a small pile of other undesirable fruits. “Went out with some friends. I had an exam due that day though, so most of it was spent in my room working on that.”

College. Something you tried your hardest to avoid. All was futile, though. After only a few weeks in New York you realized you’d need it. “Sounds fun. Were you mad you had to leave all your friends for the summer?”

“No,” She popped a grape in her mouth. “I was excited to come back to the beach house.”

“Me too.”

“Can I start a conversation without you getting mad at me, y/n?”

You sighed. “If you start by saying that, then no.”

“How are you going to react if Max really does show up on Monday?”

It was your turn to search through the handful of strawberries you had. One strawberry had a large hole. The rest looked fine, you thought. Max. Right, that's where the conversation was. Max Verstappen. Your first crush, your first kiss, your first-boyfriend? Was it ever that? Really, you didn’t know what it was and what it wasn’t. He was Max, and you were y/n. That was all the facts you knew surrounding the two of you.

“I’ll be nice. I have no reason not to be.” You finally responded.

Your sister peeled her sunglasses off her face. She looked at you amusingly through her brow. “No reason? Really?”

A shrug lifted your shoulders. “What? Max and I were never dating.”

“Sixteen-year-old you would say otherwise.”

“Sixteen year old me was delusional.” You looked at the ocean in front of you. You were just a delusional child, right? Max was your first kiss. Max was your biggest crush. Max did break your heart. It’s pretty damn hard to break someone's heart when you’re not together, no? “I don’t care about Max anymore. If he comes, he comes. If he doesn’t? Then so be it. I really don't care, Mia.”

“Alright,” She said dismissively. “I guess we’ll find out.”

The two of you wouldn’t find out for another five days. During your time-waiting for the possible arrival of Max and his mom and sister-you explored the city, you occupied the beaches, you read some books, you went out on the boat with your brother and dad. Life was calm. There were no obligations you had to fill, no tasks at hand, no work to be done. It was you, the Italian sun, the ocean and the breeze. You seriously considered moving there. Mom would let you have the beach house, right? How could she say no to the oldest?

All was good. All was calm.

“Max is here, y/n!” Luca swung open the patio door, yelling at you with a smirk. You were lying on a lounge chair next to your sister-the both of you only wearing swimsuits as you tried to tan. “He’s a fine specimen.”

You picked up your hat from the ground and threw it at your teenage brother. “Fuck off, Luca.”

“I’m serious! Max, Victoria and Sophie are here.”

You looked over at your sister. “Go inspect.” You instructed her.

She groaned, standing up from her chair and wandering inside, not before slapping Luca on the back of the head, however. The two of them shut the door, a waft of cold air swiping across your body before disappearing. There was soft music playing from a speaker near the pool. If a car pulled up, you wouldn’t have been able to hear it. Maybe they were here, but was Max seriously with them? Did you want him here? Would it actually be easier without him here or did you want some fun this summer? Did drama entertain you? Maybe you just wanted something nice to look at while you were here.

The back door slid open. You were lying face down, the sun warming your back. You didn’t bother looking up, assuming it was Mia coming to deliver the news to you. It would be better if she didn’t see your face while telling you. Maybe you would be disappointed at the answer-whatever it may be. “Well? Is he here?” You asked, voice muffled by the lounge chair.

“Is this your hat?”

You looked up so quickly that you pulled a muscle in your neck. “Fuck.” You whispered to yourself, rubbing your fingers over the pain. Did you curse to yourself because Max was standing right infront of you, your ball cap balancing off his index finger, or because of the pain? Both, you decided. It was for both reasons.

“I’ll leave it,” He set it on the table next to you. “Here.”

“Thanks.” You readjusted yourself, sitting up on the edge of the chair. He definitely got a much better view of you than he was hoping for. You were older now, almost by ten years. Sixteen year old you and twenty five year old you looked a lot different. He figured that out pretty quick.

“Good to see you, y/n.” He smiled before turning on his heel to go back inside. His back was broad, his shoulders looked stiff. He had some stubble, but it suited him. He looked-good? No. Stop thinking like that. He probably had a girlfriend or something. He was a rich, famous, Formula One driver. No way he was single walking around looking like that.

“Right.” Nobody was around to hear you say it. So, nobody was around to hear you follow it up with, “What the fuck.”

Hesitantly, you picked up your ball cap, slipping your ponytail through the back. You walked inside, scanning the room before making any more steps forward. Mia and Victoria were in the living room. Sure enough, Victoria had brought her two children and husband. Mia was emitting plenty of ‘aww’s’ and ‘that is so cute’s’. Max was bringing luggage in through the front door. Great, they're planning on staying. Your brother shot you a smirk from where he sat at the kitchen bar. Told ya’ so.

“Max, how’d you manage time off from F1?” Your mother asked.

“It’s summer break,” He said matter-of-factly. “I don’t race again until late August.”

“So you’ll be here for the three weeks you mother and sister will be?”

Please say no, please say no, please say- “I plan to, yes.”

The sliding door snaps behind you as you let go of it. Everyone turns to look at your bikini clad figure. Victoria exchanges a concerning glance with your sister. Victoria’s husband looks at her, confused as to why there is such a thick tension in the air.

“Y/n, go shower and get dressed, we’re all going to dinner in a bit.” Your mother said, her lips pressing into a thin smile.

“Right.” You said, weaving past all the bodies. “I’ll go do that.”

Oh what a summer this was playing out to be.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Wow, this is 1931 home in Winnetka, Wisconsin is impressive. 9bds, 9ba, $8.9M.

Wow, look at the carved wood walls. There's an original tile floor in the foyer, too, and a leaded glass inner door.

You know, I like the white carpet on the stairs. I wouldn't want to clean it, but it looks beautiful. This home has those bas relief ceilings, too.

Is it the way they're photographing the room to get the ceiling in, or are the ceilings low? The large sitting room has wood paneled walls to match the entrance hall, plus the same ceiling and a beautiful fireplace.

Very classy guest powder room. Black marble floor with white veining, and the marble counter on top of an antique dresser has a sink ringed in gold. The gold wallpaper ties it all in.

Comfy home office. The rounded desk looks art deco and is nestled perfectly in a triad of framed windows.

The library shelving is gorgeous. Oblong octagonal cutouts in carved shelves, and that gorgeous fireplace in the middle has a pediment with a pineapple and a black & white marble surround.

I like this light dining room. Cream and pale blue bas relief ceiling is so soft and stunning.

These cheery bright dining spaces are so pleasing. This is a breakfast room in creamy white and it gets a lot of sun from the windows to the garden.

The kitchen is a professional chef's kitchen. It begins with a large pantry done in the same cream color with large glass paned doors on the cabinets so you can see the dishware. The kitchen cabinetry looks maple and has a cute corner fireplace, black countertops and copper pots hanging over the double island.

At the top of the stairs on the 2nd level is a magnificent oval leaded glass skylight. The glass panes are opalescent. And, there's a large sitting room up here, too.

They've made a walkway between 2 area rugs in the huge primary bedroom. On one side is a lovely mahogany canopy bed that contrasts well against the white room and the other side is a sitting room.

There is a huge home office up hear with a pretty French Provincial desk and a chaise lounge.

The bath is nice, there's a separate room for the toilet, and a lovely vintage marble counter on the sink. Love the rust-colored marble on the floor.

What a lovely guest room. It's so large, there's a huge picture window between 2 full-sized canopy beds.

Down in the large basement is a rec room that looks like the ultimate man cave. Rich dark wood furniture, a red pool table with an unusual pool lamp- it's not the usual stained glass, this fixture has foxes in red waistcoats holding up electric candles - love that.

Wow, man cave indeed. That fireplace is the size of a room. You can definitely walk in there. And, look at the life-sized butler statue in the corner. Is he creepy?

The home gym looks commercial. Mirrored walls and a black ceiling make it look industrial.

Outside, the iron gate makes it look like a secret garden.

The hedges are cut in patterns.

It must cost a fortune to maintain these gardens. The property is 3.25 acres.

Is it me, or does the pool look like a fidget spinner.

I love conservatories and this one is lovely. The plants and wicker furniture really bring the outdoors in.

This is the prettiest tennis court with the trees and latticed fencing.

An elaborate play set for the children looks like it conveys.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/44-Locust-Rd-Winnetka-IL-60093/70453195_zpid/

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

A hard bargain

Summary: You knew how he could get when he was focus on a case. But he forgot your ten year wedding anniversary, leaving you sitting alone over the dinner you had prepared to celebrate. And even though you were sad, disappointed, you couldn't find it in you to be mad at him when you woke up with him in your bed the next morning.

Pairing: Tim Rockford x fem!wife reader

Wordcount: 2k

Rating: E

Warnings: angst, fluff, kissing, smut (unprotected sex (though it's more implied than actually written out)), cockwarming, feelings

A/N: So this happened lmao I can't believe I wrote a fic about a character in a commercial

follow @toomanystoriessolittletime-fics to get notified for new fic updates

You stared at the candle as it flickered once, twice before it finally went out. Your chin rested on your hand as you leaned with your elbow on the fully decorated table, the dinner, his favourite meal, cold and your glass of wine full, the bottle almost empty. 

You closed your eyes, breathing in deeply, releasing a long sigh as you exhaled, your eyes finding the clock across the room when they opened. 

00:34 am. 

Your husband had officially forgotten about your anniversary. 

Again. 

You did not ask for much. You knew he loved his job. He was one of the best detectives in his department. But he had the tendency to get lost in his cases. Sometimes you did not see each other for days, the only memory his arms around your body as he slipped into bed long after midnight, only to be gone again by the time your alarm went off in the morning. 

But you had seen his calendar for today. Your ten year wedding anniversary marked in big letters on top with dinner marked at 8 pm sharp. 

You and Tim had met twelve years ago on a blind date you had both been set up on by your closest friends. The rest, as they say, was history. 

You knew he loved his job, yet you couldn’t help feeling disappointed that he did not even talk to you today apart from two text messages, the messages you had sent him in the last three hours not even marked as read. Maybe he finally had a breakthrough in his latest case and forgot… No. That still wouldn’t excuse today. 

Emptying the glass of wine you got up from your chair, setting the empty glass down on the table, not bothering to clean the table. You shook your head, huffing once before you went out of the dining room, switching the lights off on your way upstairs into the bedroom.

You took a quick shower, drinking a big glass of water and taking a painkiller for the headache in the morning before you went to bed, cuddling your naked body against his pillow under the covers before you fell asleep.

—-

It was almost 3 am when he came home last night. He was so close to finishing his case, he could feel it. He was in a tunnel, focused on the evidence on everything he had unravelled. 

He had only seen the words ten year anniversary on his calendar as he was searching for something on his desk. The immense guilt he felt towards you immediately was so overwhelming he had to sit down for a moment. 

You were the love of his life. The best thing that ever happened to him. 

And he was constantly letting you down. 

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had kissed you. Really kissed you. Held you. Made love to you. 

Pulling the first drawer of his desk open he grabbed the little velvet box with the ring he had found for you months ago, opening it to look at the diamond ring. 

When he proposed all those years ago he did not have the money to give you the big ring he had imagined for you. The ring you deserved. Even though you insisted the ring he proposed with was perfect, having only rarely taken it off since he put it on you, he wanted to give you something… new. Something bigger. Something to show you how much he loved you and how far the both of you had come. 

He had found the kitchen and dining room with the evidence of the night you had planned for the both of you, feeling more guilty with every minute he cleaned the table off. 

He took a shower in the downstairs bathroom, not wanting to wake you up.

And then, once he was in bed, he had watched you sleep. Your face relaxed, hugging his pillow against your chest, because he had not been here to keep you close, to keep you warm. 

—-

You woke up to the sun shining in your face. 

Slowly blinking your eyes open you sighed quietly, thankful that it was the weekend and you had nowhere to be. Slowly you turned to lie on your back, startled when you found Tim sitting against the headboard looking down at you. He looked tired, exhausted, guilty. 

“Good morning sweetheart,” he said quietly and you sighed. 

“Hey,” you mumbled, still so very tired. 

“How mad are you?” he asked, and you huffed. 

“Too tired to be mad. Ask again in two hours,” you hummed before you pulled yourself up to cuddle against him. His arm came around you as he slipped down to lay on the bed, pulling you against his chest. You felt his lips on your forehead.

“Don’t think you off the hook Rockford,” you mumbled sleepily, lightly slapping his chest. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he hummed. 

“And you better be here when I wake up again to beg for my forgiveness.”

—-

It was your turn to watch him sleep when you woke up again. The clock on his bedside table told you that it was almost noon, yet you could not bring yourself to get out of bed. You were comfortable, you were warm and Tim was here and you knew you should be mad but fuck you had missed him. 

You slowly turned in his arms, your chin resting on his chest as you looked up at him, your fingers tracing invisible lines over the thin shirt he was wearing. 

“Still too tired to be mad?” he asked sleepily and you smiled softly as he blinked one eye open to look down at you. 

“Not mad. Maybe a little sad. But I know how you get when you work and…” you sighed and he shook his head, his hand taking yours that was resting on his chest. 

“Don’t make excuses for me. I fucked up. We’ve been married for ten years sweetheart. Can you believe that?” he smiled. 

“Well you only have been present for eight of those years…” you teased and he groaned. 

“Ouch. I deserved that.”

You hummed before you kissed his chest, just over his heart. 

“I love you,” he mumbled and you smiled. 

“I love you too,” you pulled yourself up to kiss him. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you closer as he deepened the kiss, his hands running under the covers and up your naked back. 

“I…. I think I know how you can make it up to me….” you mumbled against his lips and he smiled. 

“Yeah?” he asked. You nodded, sucking his bottom lip between your teeth as his hands wandered down your body, pulling you on top of him so you were straddling him. Your hands came to rest on his chest as you pulled yourself up, the covers slipping from your body, looking down at him with dark eyes. 

“How did I get so fucking lucky?” he asked himself and you grinned down at him as he pushed himself up, his lips kissing up your neck. You closed your eyes, tilting your head to the side to give him more access. Your hand pulled at his shirt, before you slipped it off his body, throwing it to the floor. 

You could feel him hard beneath you, only the boxers he was wearing separating you two. 

“Tim…” you moaned, your hands in his hair as he kissed himself down, his lips closing around one of your nipples, sucking softly. You slowly moved your hips on top of him, grinding against his hard cock. 

“I can feel you soaking through my boxers. Fuck…” he groaned, biting into your breast, marking you. His hands were on your ass, his fingers digging into your soft flesh as you moved on top of him. 

“Fuck baby….” you arched your back, searching for some friction. Some relief. 

“Need you,” you whined, kissing him hard. One of your hands went down between your bodies, pulling his cock out of his boxers, your fingers wrapping around his length. 

“Sweetheart….” he closed his eyes, his forehead falling against your shoulder. You gathered some saliva in your mouth, letting it drop between your bodies, making him groan as it landed on his cock before you slowly began to pump him. 

He looked up before he brought one of his hands up, two fingers dipping into your mouth before he slipped them between your bodies, finding your clit. 

“Shit, you’re soaked,” he hissed, his fingers slipping between your folds, two fingers entering you slowly, moving deeper and deeper. 

“Think you can take my cock?” he asked, his voice hoarse. 

“Please,” you whimpered.

You let go of his cock, pushing yourself up as his fingers pulled out of you, lining his cock up against your pussy, before you slowly sank down on him. 

You closed your eyes, parting your lips as you let your head fall back, feeling every inch of him enter you until you were sitting on his lap with his cock deep inside of you. 

“Look at me,” he hummed and you opened your eyes, looking down at him. 

“I love you,” he said, tears in the corners of his eyes. You smiled, your hands coming to rest on his cheeks before you kissed him. 

“I love you too,” you smiled against his lips.

“I have something for you,” he said and you frowned. 

“Now?” you chuckled. 

“Yeah. Cause if you move right I will cum immediately. I need a second,” he groaned and you giggled. He reached behind him, blindly searching for something until he hummed and you sucked your bottom lip in when you saw the little velvet box in his hand. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here yesterday. And I can’t promise it won’t happen again. But I’m… I will try. Because you deserve the best version of myself. You… I just love you so fucking much and I want to do better,” he said and you kissed him again. 

“I knew what I was getting into when I married you, baby. But I won’t complain if you decide to maybe be home a little more in the future,” you winked and he chuckled. 

“Deal,” he said, kissing your nose. 

He opened the little box then, making you gasp as you saw the beautiful ring inside of it. 

“I wanted to give you a little upgrade for our ten year anniversary,” he said carefully, watching your reaction. You were speechless, looking at the ring and at him. He had joked about giving you a diamond once he could afford one but you had always told him that you do not need diamonds. You had him, and that was enough. 

“Baby…” you whispered. 

“Can I put it on you?” he asked. You nodded. He took your hand, pulling your wedding band and engagement ring off before he pulled the new ring out of the box and slipped it on your finger, followed by your wedding band. Bringing your hand up he kissed your fingers and you felt a tear run down your cheek as you looked at your hand. 

“It’s beautiful,” you whispered in awe. 

“I’m glad,” he kissed your cheek, his arms wrapping around your body, to get you closer, wanting to feel your skin against his. You clenched around him, making him groan. 

“Am I forgiven yet?” he asked and you hummed thoughtfully. 

“I don’t know Mr. Rockford. Diamonds are great but….”

“But?” he grinned. 

“An orgasm or two would maybe make me forget about spending our anniversary alone…” you said. 

“And breakfast after,” you added, making him grin. 

“Pancakes,” you said seriously.

“You drive a hard bargain, Mrs. Rockford,” he said. You shrieked when he manhandled you, managing to stay inside you until you were laying on your back with him hovering above you.

“But I accept,” he winked, before he began to move. 

[chvnnie]

Letter Two: Nightmares

Love Letters Series Page

wc: 4.7k

genre: angst

warnings: apocalypse au, creature feature, use of weapons, HEAVY MENTIONS OF PTSD AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ANXIETY ATTACKS. this chapter is heavy and sad as it dives somewhat into the backstory of one of the members. please keep these warnings in mind. if i missed anything, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

summary: when the world's a nightmare, it's hard to deal with your own.

this is a work of fiction. this fic in no way represents the stray kids members as people or as a whole. you are responsible for the media you consume. please read responsibly.

series taglist: @straystayvlive, @fawnpeaks, @strayingawayy, @almighty-obsession, @ershyni, @chai-papa, @moon0fthenight, @djeniryuu, @boomfrogg, @everglowdaisies — comment to be added

Hey, you.

You know what I’ve been thinking about lately?

The day the world went to shit.

I know a lot of people consider the day of the lab breakout the turning point, but I don’t. That was to be expected; we knew nothing about Nots. Keeping them in those glass chambers, studying their habits and transforms didn’t help much. A domesticated animal always acts differently than a wild one.

The day that I consider the end, we didn’t even know about Nots. You and I were in bed for the evening, the television playing softly while you read. I was in the bathroom shaving, hardly paying attention to the cheesy sitcom joke and recorded laughing. 

I remember the razor nicking my jaw, tongue between teeth as I hissed. Fuck, the sting of it was awful. The razor fell in the sink, taking your attention from your book. 

“You okay?” You ask, leaning in the bed to get a look in the bathroom. You laughed when you saw the little toilet paper square stuck to my face. 

“It’s not funny.”

Though, I was smiling. I like hearing you laugh. God, I can’t wait to be with you again. 

I remember washing my hands before I started to clean the wound, the show cutting to commercial break. 

If you or your loved one have ever taken the drug by the name Nottingal, you may be entitled to financial compensation.

You asked what that medication was for. I said I wasn’t sure, but texted Seungmin to ask. He responded within seconds: A blood thinner. That’s all it was, just a simple pill taken once daily to reduce the risk of blood clots. A lot of people take it. Nothing out of the ordinary. 

It still gives me the chills how easily we forgot about the medication, going to bed without a second thought. We moved past it, went to work the next day. The world kept turning, and the name faded from our memory. 

Just a common, everyday drug. Why would we give it more thought?

An oddly cold weekend in March. You walked the dog, I went to the gym with Changbin. Our lives crossed over around lunchtime, stuffed in the tiny apartment kitchen as we tried to make our meals. 

“We need a new apartment.” You complained. “I can hardly move in here.”

“What, you don’t want to be pressed up against me all the time?”

You scoffed at my joke, taking your sandwich and chips over to the couch. I was steps behind you, leaning close to my bowl of cereal so I didn’t spill any as I walked and ate. I sit, and you turn the tv on, left on the news channel for some reason. 

“Ah.” I said through a mouth full of cheerios. “Turn this shit—“

And then, we saw it. The early stages of a Not. A woman in her 40s, hospitalized for an adverse reaction to Nottingal. She reported having chills with extreme nausea, nothing holding in her stomach. Admitted overnight just for observation, her symptoms got worse. At first it was just a fever — but then it kept climbing and climbing and climbing, to the point where the woman was almost boiling. She would claw at her hospital robe, screeching from the intense heat. Doctors eventually had to secure her to the bed. 

Then, it started to get weird. They called it mania, at first. She wouldn’t speak, only responding with this terrible screeching sound, comparable to metal doors scraping against concrete. Her nails started to grow (both hands and toes) at a rapid pace, which was odd enough on its own. 

Only made worse by the way they started to fuse into the skin, the color darker than the night sky. Claws. A nurse checked on patient zero one day and reported hearing something that sounded like the snapping of bones. After further examination, she saw that the woman’s back was starting to arch, spine taking a new shape—

The claws scratched the nurse across the forearm. The nurse said it didn’t feel like anything more than a deep cat scratch, bandaged up and went about her day. Just to end up at her workplace that night, stumbling into the emergency room. Chills. Nausea. A fever that’s a little too high for comfort. 

That’s how we found out that it’s not only the pills that could cause a transformation. If the claws scratch you, the tip comes in contact with your bloodstream. That’s what it all comes down to; blood.

Two months. That’s all it took. From that commercial to the fall of humanity. Two months, and the world went to shit. 

I’m not really sure why I wrote all of that. You experienced it too; the fear, doubt. Really, does anyone see the end of the world coming? I don’t think I’ve fully grasped that this is my reality now, that it’s not some kind of fucked up dream an edible gave me. 

I so badly wish it was. Because even if this is the demise of mankind, not having you by my side is greater than my worst nightmare. 

Speaking of nightmares, Jisung’s are back. I was sure that after we settled at our new base (right next to the mail stall, conveniently) that they would settle more. It’s been a while since he’s had one, especially this extreme. 

We found an abandoned house. It’s not very big, but it fits all of us comfortably. Two floors, four bedrooms. The bathroom is still functioning, which is a treasure we’re not taking for granted. It’s funny how we still have running water, yet most places we hide out are missing that feature. The first shower I took in there almost made me cry; it was freezing, but it was a shower. Little things really do make the apocalypse easier. 

Jisung’s in one of the upstairs rooms. It looks like it belonged to a child — bunk beds decorated with floral sheets and stuffed animals. The walls have drawings tacked on them, a bulletin board with movie tickets and notes from friends. It’s hard to look at. Wherever that child is, I hope she is safe. She was well loved. 

Nobody wanted to stay in that room. It’s difficult to swallow, to be surrounded by the reminders of such an innocent life. But it has the best view of the front of the house, the boarded up windows have enough space for the barrel of Jisung’s sniper to fit through. He dropped his duffel by the closet, setting up his gun. 

“Are you sure?” I had asked Jisung, an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It still happens now whenever I walk in there. “There’s space on the office—“

“I’ll be fine.” He looked through the scope, positioning the gun accordingly. “It has the best view.”

“I can stay in here, too—“ Hyunjin started to say, but was quickly cut off. 

“I said I’m fine.” Jisung doesn’t spare us a look. “Don’t worry about it.”

It was weird how he snapped at him. Honestly, ever since we left midtown, Jisung has been a little rougher than usual. Especially with Hyunjin. Remember how long it took to convince him that picking him up was the right thing to do? I feel like every letter I wrote you after we found Hyunjin was about his distaste for him. But I thought we had turned a corner — in fact, they were literally inseparable in midtown. Then we left, and…

Jisung is hiding something. 

There was no reason to push the issue. You know Jisung, once his mind is made up, it’s almost impossible to change. Hyunjin is bunking with me in the master bedroom. He’s a cold sleeper, I’ve learned, often waking up with him huddled by my back. It’s made me miss you even more; how many mornings have I woken up with you attached to my back like a koala? Face buried in my shoulder blade, snores vibrating against it. 

I can’t wait to wake up to that again. To you again. 

The nightmare came a night when I wasn't on guard. I had been sleeping pretty soundly, actually. Hyunjin’s fluffy hair was right in my face, the cotton sheets nice and cool against my bare chest. It had been a while since I slept so well.

Earth shattering screams tore me from that peaceful sleep. Both Hyunjin and I practically jumped from the bed, weapons easily accessible and in hand. Did something get in? Were one of our men hurt? 

Hyunjin’s face went pale when we heard the scream again. He dropped his knife, mumbling the younger man's name before sprinting from the room. 

Jisung was on the bottom bunk, comforter low on his hips. He wasn’t dressed in anything other than sweatpants, the scar on his left rib cage looking more red than usual. Almost irritated, raised. The perfect circle as angry as the cries coming from its owner. 

His nails were scratching at his neck, thrashing in the bed as he cried. Round tears rolling down his cheeks in earnest, voice cracking and turning raw. Whatever was happening behind his eyelids was devastating, all of his fears brightly burning for him. 

“Jisung.” Hyunjin had said, climbing into the tiny bunk with him. His body jerked, trying to resist the hold he was put in. Head cradled to his friend’s chest, he starts to rock. “It’s not real. It’s not real.”

Jeongin came over the walkie. It’s his night on guard. “No breaches at the back. Bin?”

“Front is clear.” Changbin responds quickly, the unasked question obvious to all of us. 

“Clear up top.” I responded, keeping my voice as low as possible. “It’s Jisung.”

No response. None needed. Everyone will keep their post, or try to go back to sleep. Too many hands and it only makes things worse for him. 

Hyunjin is good at soothing him, bringing him out of the nightmare with minimal damage. Softly, he brushes the fluffy hair from his face, keeping a firm rocking motion. Gentle reminders whispered to him; he’s safe, it’s just a dream, it’s not real. I watched him rock my friend for at least five minutes, the screams coming to an end as he started to twitch awake. With a string of fearful whimpers, Jisung’s eyes finally opened and found Hyunjin’s. 

The moment felt like years. Their eyes locked, the tears finding an end as they stared at each other, seemingly lost in the gaze. Hyunjin smiled softly at him, and it looked like Jisung was melting. An immediate peace washing over him, the nightmare so far out of grasp it’s forgettable. 

Then he’s shoving himself out of his arms, cursing and mumbling under his breath to “let him the fuck go”. It was hard to miss the way Hyunjin’s face crumbled, though he quickly composed himself. 

“You had another nightmare.” Hyunjin’s voice is so gentle, though it cracks with an emotion he’s trying to suppress. 

“I know.” Jisung snapped, bringing his knees to his chest as he huddled into the corner. Body pressed against the wall, avoiding his gaze. 

“Do you want to—“

“Can you fucking leave?” He asked, though it didn’t sound convincing. “I want to talk to hyung.”

Hyunjin smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. With a nod, he climbed out of the bunk bed, patting my shoulder as he walked past me. When the door shut, I heard him release a shaky gasp. 

I stayed by the door, wanting to give Jisung as much room as I could. He kept his head facing the wall, breaths starting to even out as he worked on grounding himself. In and out, like you taught him. Think of happy thoughts, remind yourself that the world is more than the darkness that consumes you. I watched as his shoulders relaxed, body starting to slump as he found the peace he was looking for. 

“Sit with me?” It was hard to hear, the question whispered into the foundation of the house. I crossed the tiny room, sitting by the ladder leading up to the top bunk. Giving him as much physical space as I could. 

It was silent between us. Our breaths filling the dark room—

Wait. It’s completely dark. When I stood, I could hear his lips part, the start of protests rolling from his tongue. I didn’t walk far, only to the closet. Flicking on the light, I pulled the door open, letting just a sliver of it spill out. 

“Why didn’t you turn this on?” I asked softly, trying to keep my tone steady. I didn’t want him to think I was accusing him, or blaming him for the nightmare. 

Jisung shrugged. “I wanted to try.” He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, rubbing tight circles. “Obviously it didn’t work.”

I returned to my seat. With the light on, it was easy to see what Jisung was doing before he fell asleep. His journal face down on the floor, an uncapped pen right beside it. His favorite book, worn out and damn near falling apart, was tabbed open with a photo of the two of you (remember that beach trip we took last year? When he was home on leave? It’s from when the two of you were building that sandcastle, the polaroid still as clear as the day I took it. It’s one of my favorites) and a sketch of what looked like daisies. Yellow and pink, they cover the page, only broken up by a little signature in the bottom. One we all know too well at this point. 

There was something missing from his pile, something that the picture reminded me of. “Where are your dogtags?”

He seemed tense at that question, sighing as he brought his hands down. “I think I lost them in midtown.”

It didn’t feel like the truth, but there wasn’t any need to press it. I simply nodded, taking the lie for what it was. 

“I’m sorry I woke you.”

I huffed a laugh. “Don’t apologize for that shit.”

“Sleep is so precious now, I hate taking it from you—“

“Seriously, Sung.” I looked at my friend, who I was surprised was looking at me. When our eyes met, I gave a reassuring smile. “You know we don’t mind.”

Jisung didn’t believe me. He never does when I tell him that. Yet, he nodded, knowing that doubt will never leave him. “It was bad.”

“Sounded like it.” Never push him. That’s what I’ve learned. If he wants to open up, he will. But when it’s so fresh, so heavy in his mind, focusing on the details could drive him mad—

“The Nots.” He said softly, resting his chin on his knees. Not once did his gaze stray from me, wide eyes filling with fresh tears. “They came. Here.”

I will admit, it confused me as to why this upset him so badly. We had seen at least five groups of them by this point, a few even crossing the front gate. They never stayed, always distracted by something in the distance. He had even shot a few. 

Staying in this room was a bad idea. I knew it from the moment we arrived, even though he was insistent. I should have forced him into a different room, made him sleep anywhere else but here. It’s no surprise that the previous owner appeared in his dream, her small body twisted into the horror that we’re too familiar with. 

“It got me thinking.” Jisung started to cry again. “Nots like to stay close to home—“

“No.” I cut the thought off before he could finish it. “You can’t go there, Jisung.”

He knew I was right. But you know him; stubborn as can fucking be, clinging to things with an annoyingly tight grip. As soon as it crossed his mind, there was no way he was letting it go. Instead of arguing, he just nodded. Mumbles something in agreement. It wasn’t going to escape him, and it would be silly for us to pretend it would. 

“Will you sleep in here with me?” He asked. 

I couldn’t help but wince. It didn’t feel right, the idea of resting here. “Why don’t you come to the master bedroom with me? There’s enough room for you, me, and Hyunjin—“

As soon as I mentioned his name, Jisung’s eyes went dark. “No.” He said simply. “I would rather stay here.”

I wanted to tell him no. To go back to the comfortable bed where I could sleep easily, not worrying about being haunted by a life not fully lived. 

“I just don’t want to leave my gun.” Jisung said. “That’s it.”

Another lie. I had no choice but to take it as is. Nodding as I climbed the ladder. 

As far as I know, Jisung didn’t talk about the nightmare with anyone else. The day following was spent with Minho, organizing the weapons in the living room. He sat on the ground, wiping the blood and dirt from barrels of guns. Sweat beaded his forehead, glasses low on his nose. But he laughed, joking with everyone who walked past.

Except Hyunjin. 

I cleaned out the old pantry with Seungmin, still keeping the good food while disposing of the others. “They left in a hurry.” He said as he chunked another fruit cup in the trash. “Something must have happened here.”

They must have recently gone grocery shopping. A lot of snack boxes were untouched, the expiration date still a month or two away. “Can’t blame them.”

“No.” He threw a can of expired condensed milk at the trash can, shooting it like a basketball. Somehow, it made it. “You really can’t.”

That night, Jisung and I took every precaution to avoid a nightmare. The closest door was cracked open, yellow light filling the room. His old radio was tuned to some station that hasn’t been manned since the fall, playing the same jazz songs on repeat. The loop starts again every three hours, but even in the annoyance, it’s enough noise to help him sleep. 

I had barely fallen asleep when he had another nightmare. To the bottom bunk I went, holding my friend and rocking him until he woke up. We did it again the next night, and the next, and the next. Nightmare after nightmare, though the details were always the same. A group of Nots, the smaller one in the back of the group. Vicious and hungry. 

It was the room. It had to be, baby. I’ve been racking my brain for an explaination, because if it isn’t the fucking room, then I don’t know. And not knowing is the scariest part; all of this is so…predictable. 

But these nightmares. They were anything but. 

Jisung couldn’t sleep one night, the impending nightmare driving him mad. He sat by the gun, rereading his book with his feet propped up on the window sill. Or, it looked like he was reading. When I got closer, I saw him tracing the painted flowers with his finger. 

“I’m going to bed.” He snapped the book shut when he realized I was there. “You should, too.”

Jisung pushes his glasses up, nodding as he rubs his eyes. “I’ll try in a bit.” He gave me a weary smile. “Sleep well, okay?”

I didn’t. My eyes didn’t even shut, focused on counting the bumps on the ceiling. I couldn’t allow myself to, not until I knew Jisung was on the bed beneath me, trying to rest despite his fears. You made me promise I would take care of him, and it was an easy one to make. I’m trying my love, even if his stubborn ass makes it incredibly difficult. 

He was mostly quiet in his corner, humming a song or two before falling silent. Every time I glanced at him, his back was to me. Same position as before, thumbing through the book this time. Actually reading. 

My eyes had started to shut when I heard the walkie click. 

“Min.” Hyunjin’s voice cut through. “How’s the back?”

A beat. “Meh.” Seungmin responded. “Per us—ah, fuck.”

“Don’t say it like that.” A whine came from the older man. 

“You’ll see them soon. Mid sized pack, moving quickly.” The walkie cut off, familiar squawks of Nots heard even from my bed upstairs. “Must be hungry.”

The book snapped shut, chair squeaking as Jisung pushed it out. I watched him stand, lean over the scope as he focused outside. 

“Look at those ugly fuckers.” Hyunjin says with a sigh. “There are so—Jesus!”

Click. Hyunjin is gone, his exclamation is enough to make me sit up in bed. Jisung fumbled for the walkie, his hand shaking as he pressed the button. “Stop messing around, Jin.”

“Sung—“ He clicks back immediately, shock heavy in his tone. Is it from hearing Jisung’s voice, or what he saw? “Sorry, that pack just took out a stray.”

I listen to Jisung curse under his breath, annoyed at how the older man frightened him. Made him think we were under siege. He puts his eye back to the scope, and the walkie falls from his hand. 

Then screams. Earth shattering screams. 

Jisung is on the ground, sitting beneath the window with his hands over his ears. Back and forth he rocks, sobbing loudly with his eyes shut. “No, no.” He cries out. “No, no, no, no—“

I don’t have to ask. I don’t even have to look through the scope, but I do anyway. In the back of the pack is a smaller Not. Brown hair, waves breaking the straight pattern.

The worst thing about Nots is if you know who they were, they won’t be hard to spot after the transformation. There goes the little girl whose room we’ve slept in, tailing behind what looks like her parents. 

“Jisung?” Hyunjin cuts through the walkie again. “What’s going on? Answer me.” 

He responds with another scream, kicking the walkie as far from him as he can. The weight of it is weighing down on him, crushing his already fragile being into nothing but dust. His back is hitting the wall, nails in his throat. My friend, almost unrecognizable on the ground next to me. 

“I’m coming up.” Hyunjin says, and I snatch the walkie from the ground. 

“Keep your post.” I said. “I’m with him. If they get close, shoot.”

I don’t hear what Hyunjin said to me. Dropping to a squat in front of my friend, I gently remove his hands from his neck. “Jisung, talk to me.”

“I t-told you.” He says in a broken sob. “I told y-you, I told you—“

“Shh, I know.” I tried my best, really. I think you would be proud of me; everything you taught me about him, how to be the friend he needs in big moments. Though I’m convinced no one could ever be as good as you at this, I think I’m a pretty good third. Or like, fourth or fifth option. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen better.”

He shook his head, hiccuping through his tears. I kept a firm grasp on his wrists, letting him rock as much as he needed to. Tears stung my eyes; it’s kind of a given that watching your friend experience something like this is hard. But rarely do we talk about just how gut wrenching it is. My brave friend, nothing but a shell in my hands. 

“Jisung.” I said his name softly. “We have to do it.”

“No!” He shouted loud enough to make the earth vibrate. “H-hyung, can’t. I c-can’t—“

“Hey, hey.” I grab him, pulling him into a hug. He fought it for a second, pushing at my chest to try to escape, though he eventually caved. The tears were warm against my shoulder, violent sobs muffled. “You don’t have to. I will.”

That’s when his eyes shot open, the fight returning to him. “D-don’t do that to her.” He cried. “She’s just a k-kid—“

Baby. I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how I can pretend that this didn’t hurt me. Her pictures were everywhere; in the living room, across the hallways. The bulletin boards held strips of her and her friends. No more than nine or ten. A life barely lived, forced into an existence that she can never escape. 

I cried. Sniffling in Jisung’s ear and swallowing dryly. “It isn’t fair to leave her like this.” I told him, though it was more for myself. Trying to convince both of us it’s the humane thing to do in a society that’s anything but. 

Jisung was limp. Sobbing into my shoulder, mumbling weak pleas. Reconsider. Let her go—

“Seungmin.” Hyunjin’s voice cut through. “How’s the back?”

“Clear. You?”

“Not. They’re approaching.”

It had to be done. I had to let Jisung go, to let him curl into a ball as he covered his ears, awaiting the inevitable. Picking up the walkie, I clicked through. “Changbin, are you awake?”

He didn’t even wait a second. “Yeah.”

“Relieve Hyunjin. Take Minho with you.”

No questions were asked. There was no protest from the ball at my feet, shaking as he quietly sobbed. I waited, the sound of footsteps rushing past the door until the ones I needed found their way inside. 

Hyunjin’s hair was a mess. A headband kept the frizzy locks out of his face. But that isn’t what caught my eye. The tags resting in the center of his chest, the ones we know all too well. 

He moved to Jisung, the younger man letting him pull him close. Carefully, he sat him in his lap, rocking him. Back and forth, back and forth. Whispers of comfort heard even through the hands that clasped his ears. 

When it comes to Jisung’s comfort, you are first. But there’s no doubt that Hyunjin is second. 

Through watery eyes, I look through the scope. The gun is lightweight, easy to maneuver. Bodies of Nots litter the front yard, the ones who haven’t taken a bullet yet clawing at their own. I watched as another was it, terrible squeals released into the night as it twitched to its death. It took me a moment to find her. Behind the gate, lost in the body of an unrecognizable animal. 

After I aimed, I shut my eyes. I don’t know how she died, my love, but I know I’ll never forget how painfully human her cries were. Freshly turned, returning to her home. Nots don’t like to wander far. 

I boarded that room up today. Lock the door and hid the key somewhere no one will ever find it — within our group, or others who seek refuge here. She deserves to rest, and I’ll be damned if anyone disturbs her. 

Jisung requested the sniper be moved to the office. Minho and I worked on it for him. He refused to touch it. It’s been a few days, but I’m the only one who has used it. I don’t know how long it will take him to be comfortable with it again. 

At least he’s finally sleeping. The master bed was big enough for all three of us, though now Hyunjin seems to cling to Jisung. When he wakes, the younger man will shove him away. Though, I’ve caught him pretending to sleep. Enjoying the hold the artist has on him. 

It’s a good home. I think we’ll be here for a while. The guys seem to like it a lot, and the normalcy that’s felt here — well, you don’t need me to explain how valued that is. 

I’m glad to hear all has been going somewhat well for you guys. Felix has been asking nonstop about you. I think he’s a little obsessed with the idea of a ranch. You’ll have to teach him about the horses; he’s been reading up about them since his injury (which has gotten better, by the way. He’s off crutches as of yesterday according to Dr. Kim. Don’t tell him I called him that). The idea of getting to ride one has kept him going. 

We’ve been mapping a route out there, but still have some things to finalize. I don’t want to get your hopes up, so I’ll tell you more when I know more. 

I love you, you know? If it’s possible, this shit has made me love you even more. In the nightmare of this world, you’re like a guiding light. I hope I don’t have to wander much longer to find you.

Stay safe, my love. I’ll be upset if I have to cuddle Hyunjin forever. 

Forever yours,

Chan

[bomberqueen17]

farm life

Am at the farm. Just gonna witter on uninterestingly about that behind the cut because I"m too tired to be interesting.

Initially we were going to make chicken sausage this week but BIL decided not to, but then when I said I was coming anyway, he decided to cut up some chickens.

In past years they've always sold out of chicken parts way before they've sold out of whole chickens. But a couple of years ago a chef friend told him there was nothing really wrong with thawing a chicken, cutting it up, and refreezing the parts, and initially we were just thawing whole chickens to cut up to grind into sausage, but we did some tests and determined that actually, no, there's really no discernible loss of quality in the parts. So now we don't sell out of chicken breasts in December anymore, but can keep bringing them to market all winter.

So this year we took the whole chickens out of the store, stopped bringing them to market, and are *only* selling the parts, and are saving the whole chickens to thaw and cut up and refreeze as parts. It's working great. It's more work, but it's more profit, and also more sales. People just don't buy whole chickens that much.

So anyway we cut up 88 chickens, and saved like 60 of the carcasses into a pair of huge stock pots. Packaged all the parts up, labeled and weighed them, then put the stock pots on to boil. Today we packaged 89 quarts of chicken stock. I was going to deep-clean the commercial kitchen, but it's not ready for the full spring treatment: we're still washing eggs in there, which means baskets full of chicken-shitty eggs are coming in and getting set on the floor. So I just cleaned and sanitized the heck out of the stuff we were using, and also the floor drain, but have held off. In April when the temps don't go below freezing at night anymore, when the vegetable washing station can move out of the eviscerating room so the egg washing can move back in there, *then* I will haul all the big equipment out and wash the whole room from the ceiling to the walls to the floors to the back of the grinder, under the mixer, under the fridge, under the freezer, all of it is getting powerwashed within an inch of its life.

But not this trip.

Next week we're making pork sausage.

I have been taking my dose of adderall at 8am immediately before I go out to work. It's hard to judge the efficacy, actually, because I'm so busy and so rarely totally self-directed. The real test would be to have me have a day of idleness and half a dozen things I need to accomplish. But I can concretely observe that I don't get a sort of dizzy head rush when it kicks in anymore, and I don't crash around 3 or 4 pm anymore. No, instead I'm just physically exhausted at that time, but it's understandable that I would be, because despite my best efforts to work out all winter, I am in no way prepared for the amounts of heavy lifting, repetitive movements, and sheer mileage you have to walk around here.

Today I finished cleaning the kitchen and then spent a couple of hours with my trusty old pruners, helping Farmsister and Veg Man harvest pussy willows to sell at market in decorative bundles. They just chainsawed the trees off a couple inches above the ground, and then we went at them with pruners and only took the nice branches, and the rest are going through the woodchipper to be mulch. VegMan pointed out the line they'd cut back to last year: this is how you coppice willows, and you can harvest them like this every year. They were fifteen feet tall, all new growth.

Soon we'll have daffodils. Mom had too many at her house, and a couple years ago she and Dad dug up buckets and buckets of them and brought them over and we dug a trench in the hillside and tipped them in. And now they're about ready to be divided again, LOL.

We have pullet eggs too. The chickens are laying pretty well, manageable amounts. We've started packing the eggs by weight, which is a little time-consuming.

OK that's enough wittering. Have I got any photos? Hmm.

the view from the little creek down into the Quackenkill, alongside the back of the old granary. Morning, sun coming through the trees and lighting up the red-stained old siding, the neighbor's house visible at the other end of the cut.

2. A pig friend, muddy snoot questing toward the camera in the sunshine of the winter livestock barn, which has a plastic south-facing roof to let in all the light it can.

3. Farmsister, in her chainsaw chaps and safety gear, chainsawing down the pussy willows in front of the solar panels. (They measured, before they planted the little trees; they'd have to be 40 feet tall to block the light on the solar panels in any season, which I don't think a pussy willow would do, but it's still important to prune them back whether we harvest them for the catkins or not.)

That's all, happy spring. I'm so tired.

[babybratzmaraj]

Fairytale Part 2: unappreciated

Starring: Yourrage as Javion Davis

You as Yourself

Summary: After a week of being a assistant for Javion, you weren’t shit but exhausted, you just might’ve reached your breaking point. Until…

Warnings: contains foul language, dual povs, sexual content, drug and alcohol use (teehee) brief arguments (and by argument its just {REDACTED}

A/N: brainrot! im loving this series suarrr much, this is the chapter i said we will be whores on but IT WILL BURN SLOWLY AFTER THIS😭 my mind went other places, hope you enjoy this one, like comment n reblog fa mo!

Taglist: @megamindsecretlair

You had your AirPods on blasting your usual playlist, Slow Down by Bobby V. had your hips swaying like Ava from Abbott Elementary

💫Slow down, I just wanna get to know you. But don't turn around, 'Cause that pretty round thing looks good to me. Slow down, Never seen anything so lovely Now turn around And bless me with your beauty, cutie💫

You had Jay’s stream on your iPad while your music played off your phone, tapping on the right one in your ear to pause your music, you tuned in to hear his stream. He was reacting to Like That by Metro Boomin, Future, and Kendrick Lamar, and man did he love it, you heard his screams of excitement from the kitchen, you resumed your music, glad one of yall were having a good week.

It hasn’t been a full week and you were stressed the fuck out, and he did not make it better not one bit. Most days were sane and stable because Shanae was there, but on the days she had to go see her OB/GYN? felt like a badass kid in a store. The responses grew colder, he did not listen and he avoided you every chance he got, if it wasn't for the dispensary G hooked you up on, you would have been lost your shit.

You took a hit of your pen and tucked it back in your bra, washing the dishes that were left in the sink by the residents of the house.

Call it your inner mama, but cleaning with some nice music always destressed you, the dishes piled up more since you got here and it’s been bugging you every time you ask him to wash them and he completely ignores you. You reached your breaking point but you refuse to back down now, mama ain't raise no bitch!

You paused your music just in time to listen to Javion give his opinion on the song: “I fuck with all parties involved, but Drake ain’t gone do shit, Cole waiting to drop his response because we know that nigga strategic with his shit. Actually, My nigga Cole caught a stray if you think about it.”

“On god he did! My nigga Jermaine ain't do shit!” you yelled at the screen as if he could hear you, which he and his chat did.

“‘Who the fuck was that?’ Yo mama. I was banging her and she making me breakfast as we speak nigga.” He clapped back at a commenter, making you chuckle.

You felt somewhat happy that he took your defense in a way, even after all of these days he's been ignoring you, you take what you can get from the little shit.

You ignored the rest of the stream as you resumed your music again, returning your focus to the dishes still in the sink, putting some elbow grease into these dishes.

He put his stream on a commercial break to stretch his legs, thinking of a nice but not too-nice way to tell you to keep it down. Javion didn’t inform his followers that he would be having a new assistant/manager, so as of right now, you were a private residence.

He walked out of his room to hear pots and pans and plates clanging around, growing more concerned about what you were doing.

Jogging down the stairs, the closer he got, the more he realized you were doing the dishes, the smell of green apple dawn dish soap and bleach smacking his nostrils.

“Damn!” He shouted fanning his nose, “Smell like you down here cleaning a murder scene.” His comment fell on ghost’s ears as he couldn’t see your airpods.

He shook his head as he examined his newly washed dishes, he hadn’t seen any of these plates in weeks, so he picked up one to see his reflection with no problem.

“OH bashota,” he heard you breathe, turning his head to see you leaning forward clenching your heart. “Youn know how to make yourself known?” you questioned him while tapping your chest, “Giving a nigga heart palpitations.”

“I said some ‘bout a murder scene, you ain't hear that?” He sat the plate down on the sink, staring directly into your eyes.

You threw a face at him before removing an airpod, his eyebrows raising from realization. “My bad, didn’t know you was listening to something.”

“I’s forgives you massa, I’ll keeps it down.” you joked, making him smile a bit showing you his pearly whites.

“Thank you. save that pretty voice for the party tonight.” he softly hit your shoulder before turning around and walking back up the stairs.

Shit. With all the management shit and runarounds and cleaning you've been doing, you completely forgot about the party in a few hours for his 100k subscribers that he hit two days into your stay and he had to celebrate it, by throwing a house party.

You stared at the outfit you had on the bed, still trying to figure out if you were going to hide yourself in your room or force yourself to be the social butterfly you wished you were.

You bit the corner of your bottom lip, staring at your phone and then the fit. Sighing a big irked sigh, you facetimed your best friend, praying that she answered the phone.

The phone swooped and there was Megan, propping her phone on the counter chopping up onions, “What’s it to ya toots?”

“Fashion meeting pretty princess.” You propped your phone on the nightstand.

“At your service Bunny boo, what's the problem?”

“My outfit for this damn party tonight,” you rubbed your temple, “I’m afraid it's too boring.”

“Throw it on and let me decipher,” she asked politely.

You took off your hoodie and basketball shorts for the planned-out outfit, you tipped your glasses up the bridge of your nose and zipped up the jacket before stepping back into the frame.

She gave you a look before tossing the diced onions in a bowl, “Bitch don’t piss me off, I like this fit.”

“You do?” you gave yourself a once over, snapping your neck around to the mirror behind you.

“Yes, Plus who gives a fuck what the fuck you look like? It’s not they problem nor job to deal with it.” she said waving the knife around, “And if they gotta mu’fuckin problem widdit, tell 'em to give you some money!”

“Money makes the world go around.”

“All around town.” she finished, dragging all of her words making you both giggle.

“What are you even making? cutting up veggies n shit like you Gordan Ramsey.”

“I'm making me some breakfast.” she answered, pouring the egg mixture into the skillet.

“It’s 7:48 pm.” You reminded her, causing her head to jerk to the side.

“Mother if you don’t get off my phone! I is a grown-up!”

“A grown-up who probably left a piece of shell in the eggs.”

“Bye Felicia!” she hung up the phone, probably proving your point.

You chuckled and grabbed your phone, walking out of your room to hear Shanae and G having their usual bickering session, because, of course, he didn’t get the other chicken option.

You laughed to yourself, prepping your mind to tell your boss he needs to start getting ready and head downstairs. ‘Hey Jay, get ya clothes on, party starts in 10’. You rehearsed multiple times approaching his door.

You fuckin hated talking to him, not because he’s a bad person, he's great with others but shit with you, you just couldn’t understand why the fuck he resents you so much.

Kicking your nerves in the ass, you opened the door to him fully dressed and ready for the party, his room smelling like nothing but toothpaste and cologne fresh off of a Macy's commercial. “What?”

“I see you ready, so you gotta head downstairs in 5 minutes to help them with how you want everything.”

“They know how I like shit, they don’t need me or you,” He shot at you, your heart dropping into your stomach.

The way he spat his response just made you tear up, the coldness making you anxiously hot.

“Ok but still,”

“But still nothing, they don’t need me. You dismissed.” He waved you off, heating your face up to the point hell couldn’t even compete with you.

“You know the fuck what,” you finally snapped, having enough of his shit. “You wanna act like a fuckin’ female? Be my fuckin’ guest, but you ain't finna snap on me like I’m some fuckin pussy ass bitch.”

The weight that came off your shoulders was so relieving, but you weren’t done. “After this fuckin party? I QUIT! I won’t be your assistant, We both can enjoy this party, I’ll go home after. Everyone Wins! So fuck you, Jay.”

You slammed the door walking down the stairs to Shanae and Gerald's eyes bugged out like they just walked in on two people doing drugs. “Let’s go get that chicken G.” You insisted, after all, it was your last day being an assistant to this household.

You walked out of the house into the Dallas heat and it distracted you from the tears that came, your face becoming sticky and wet from the salty tears. “You Good?” G asked, placing his hand on your shoulder. “Just ready to enjoy my time.”

You stood in the corner with a red cup with your drink and a blunt intertwined with your fingers. You didn’t smoke anything besides a pen inside the house out of respect but that went out the window, plus other niggas were doing it too so boohoo.

You bopped your head to the music, You hired a DJ but you gave him some songs to play and you smiled when the song you chose played, happily sipping on your drink.

Shanae waved you over to the food table with two freshly manicured fingers mouthing something to you but you couldn’t make out what, you were a little crossfaded with the music blasting right in your ear.

After the blowup you had, You and G went shopping for drinks and you took it as a chance to buy some Russian Cream Backwoods, almost fighting G who battled with you to pay for your stuff, he won the battle when he sipped the cashier his card when you went to get other snacks.

You took one long last inhale before putting out your blunt, exhaling, you put your blunt behind your ear like a pencil.

She pulled you into a hug, rocking you both side to side, “I know he being an asshole love,” She said a little louder to compete with the music. “Do not let him fuck up your mood, enjoy this party and enjoy your time.” she broke the hug to rub your arms with her thumbs, “We will talk about this in the morning when we had enough rest and everyone is calmer.”

You smiled to hide the fact you were almost brought to tears. You had been brought to tears at the fact that someone didn’t see you as the villain, that you weren’t automatically the bad guy for standing up for yourself.

You mouthed her a sweet thank you and returned her hug with a sweeter one. “I have to use the bathroom, I’ll be back down in 10 minutes.”

She nodded and pointed to the one upstairs. The bottom one was for the guest and the residents used the upstairs one, you were glad she reminded you because you were crossfaded as fuck.

You sat down your cup and grooved up the stairs walking past your room which you locked. Glad you did, not because of people, just to keep you calm and not have one of those paranoid highs.

You finally reached the bathroom and closed the door behind you, staring at yourself in the mirror, you finally let everything out. The tears, the little curses turned into sounds of tiny wails of exhaustion, and your legs buckled but you found the support of the sink keeping you up and your feet grounded, everything you had kept from this week was coming out and it felt fuckin amazing.

You breathed short breaths until your breathing regulated, wishing you had your cup with you to drown out your sadness, you just had a blunt behind your ears which you forgot about till now.

The door opened and you quickly turned towards the wall that faced away from the door, not letting who even walked in see you weak, you hated that shit.

“You crying?” Javion asked, sounding genuinely concerned, which had you stuck. He never sounded like that towards you, which made you cry harder.

You yelped as you felt his hands pick you up as if you were as light as a baby and set you on the sink, his deep brown eyes searching for something in yours. You both were silent. No words, no movement, not even someone else to ruin the moment, just words being exchanged through eyes and all you could see were apologies and worriment.

He cupped your face in his big soft hands, rubbing away your tears with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I’m so fuckin’ sorry.” he repeated his apologies, resting his head on yours.

He wrapped his muscular arms around you as he sunk his head into the crook of your neck, rocking you both side to side, and you finally saw what you've been yearning for, been wanting to experience from him, been craving for him to be towards you, caring and loving.

“Please don’t leave, I didn’t mean it.” he begged

“You can just treat me like shit and just expect me to stay loving,” you managed to say through your tears, choking up on your words. “Breathe then speak.” He rubbed your back slowly, giving small pats in between.

You finally returned his hug, throwing your arms around his neck. You felt at ease, relieved that you two were not enemies anymore, happy that you two were having a moment, a moment you two can look back at and smile at.

He broke the hug and returned his gaze to yours, his eyes now not as heavy as before. You smiled at his face, feeling your face heated up. You felt like you were on a cloud, a goddess looking at her perfectly built god, his smile growing wider than yours, felt like you were dreaming this whole thing. “Am I dreaming?”

“This ain’t a mu’fuckin’ dream.” He smiled, locking the door beside him. You caught him looking at your lips while he licked his, “Do sum,” and he did, crashing his lips onto yours. You tasted his cherry chapstick on your mango lip gloss with a hint of Tequila. he removed your gray jacket and tossed it on the floor, returning his arms back around your body.

You didn’t know if it was the alcohol or the weed, but what you did know? you were kissing your boss and you didn’t give a fuck, guilt can settle in tomorrow morning.

The attraction you had for him before you took this position all came rushing back, the days you’d wish you can just see what he felt inside of you just made your pussy flutter, his voice was the cherry on top, you just knew he could talk you through it.

“Stay with me,” He spoke between kisses, picking you up off the sink making you tighten your grip around his neck.

“Jay!” You shrieked, grabbing onto him and he chuckled, pissing you off a little.

It ticked you but made you happier than a kid in a candy store that he was able to pick you up, you've been a big girl all your life and we’re jealous that you weren’t going able to experience shit skinny girls do, but Javion debunked your insecurities by carrying you to his room, closing the door with his foot and locking it.

He set you on the bed, standing back up to remove his beige satin pants while you removed yours, thanking god you didn’t wear granny panties tonight.

Smiling at each other with lust-filled glares, he returned on top of you, placing kisses on your neck while he slowly pressed his bulge against your wetness. “Don’t leave me,” He moaned onto your neck, hooking your legs on his shoulders as he dragged you to the edge of the bed, continuing his steady pace.

His gold chain dangled in your face as he rocked his hips into you, your moans filled the air and covered the room corner to corner, wall to wall, he just felt amazing, making you wonder what the real thing would be like.

“Fuck,” you moaned grabbing the back of your legs while he leaned in between your legs, giving you lazy sloppy kisses, his tongue desperately searching for yours.

Without breaking the kiss, he flipped you two over so that you were now on top, he laid his back down on the bed so that now you were in control, and that was all that you needed.

You rested your hands on his chest to steady yourself, breathing a shaky breath, you rocked your hips in a circle, feeling his member press into your wet entrance which boosted the little demon that sat on your right shoulder.

“Use me,” He growled, “Use me like the good little whore you are.” and you did, quickening your pace almost spelling words on his thick member.

“Fuckkk,” You both hissed in unison, his hand repeatedly smacking your ass leaving pleasurable stings of pain on each cheek when you felt something form in the pit of your stomach.

“I’m finna cum, baby girl.” He gripped your hips and moved your lower half with his to match his pace, your eyes rolled to the back of your head, “Use me,” you threw back at him.

He moaned lowly, searching for your hands as he intertwined his fingers with yours. You rested your head on his chest as your legs started to shake uncontrollably, moaning into each other's ears as he rutted into you through each other's orgasms.

“Ou, Fuck!” you shook for a few minutes until you went completely numb, twitching whenever you felt him twitch as well.

The room that was once filled with moans was silent, with nothing but asymmetrical breathing and the bass from the music down below, you giggled loosely as he rubbed your back to bring you back to reality.

You couldn’t lie, that was the best sex-but-not-actual-sex you had in a while, didn’t even think you could do all of that but you did, and it felt good as fuck, even if it was with your boss.

You two stayed in the same position for however many minutes passed by, his chest rising and falling underneath you.

“You good?” he asked, checking his Apple watch.

“I am now.”

“Good, because I was due for a speech 20 minutes ago.” he swiftly reminded you that there was a party going on downstairs.

“SHIT!” you jumped off him and scurred to find your pants, sobering up little by little. “Why didn’t you say shit?”

“They coulda waited, they waited this much.” he smirked, raising up to pull his pants to his knees.

“Besides the point! An assistant is supposed to keep you on trac- Where is my jacket?”

“In the bathroom.”

“See! This is why I need to get sat in a corner.” you sighed before rushing out of the room to the bathroom.

He calmly walked down the stairs, immediately getting dragged by Shanae to the party area, “I’m kick yo fuckin ass, you better give this speech and hope ion kick yo skinny scrawny ass into the next eclipse.” She threatened with a smile on her face like she did this shit one too many times, and she did, it’ll be your turn soon.

She scooted him into the living room and signaled to the DJ to tone down the music, as the DJ obliged, he passed off the microphone to Jay, his smile waved across his face as he tried to find some words.

“Ian gone lie, I don’t know what the fuck to say,” The room erupted in laughter, it was very on brand for him to just blurt shit, one of the things that made him relatable and loved.

“I do want to thank the folks who followed me, this whole shit wouldn’t have even been possible without y’all. My mama, for believing in a nigga, and not kickin’ my ass out.” he nervously chuckled. “Her brother, My uncle. He ain't a man of many words, just don’t give that nigga a Budweiser and we good!” He joked with scattered laughter as a reaction. “My best friend, who I owe my whole career to,”

He zoned out until he met with your eyes, fighting a smile which he ended up losing very badly while waving you over. “And to my new assistant, who I can’t wait to share many memories with and hopefully won’t leave my ass with the coyotes.” The room stared at you along with him and gave you an applause, mouthing the words ‘We forever.’ while nobody was looking at him.

He watched you slowly approach him, shyly waving at the applauding audience. As you reached the spot next to him, he threw his arm around you, scooting you closer to him you could almost taste the cologne he reapplied before walking back down into the party.

“Thank you all, please, enjoy yall selves for the rest of the party, and don't fuck up my shit.” he ended, setting the mic on the DJ booth, scooping you away from the people of the party, away from the attention that could be drawn to you two.

“You good?” He asked, facing you towards him with his back to the crowd.

“I’m horny, high, and ready to sleep, what do you think I am?”

“One of my elite employees!” he jokingly smiled making you burst out of laughter, not caring if anyone heard you at this point. “They still want this meeting tomorrow, do you still want to go through with it?” He checked in on you, reminding you of your blowup which you wish you didn’t have, but if you didn’t, none of this would be happening.

“Yes, we just have to set shit straight, no bullshit, just gonna get it over with, and man you look sexy in this lighting,” you confessed, a chuckle leaving both of yall’s lips. “Go enjoy yourself, you can have a piece of me in the morning.” he rubbed your back, smiling at you, closing your eyes while you licked your lips.

“I’ma go get some punch, I’ll see you around boss.” you tapped his chest as you walked away, not turning around as he stared holes in each spot of your body. He shook his head and smiled, he was ready for what adventure god would throw at him, as long as you were by his side.

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2024-07-08

House isn't full of people anymore, time to spend like three weeks washing things and getting a routine going again

Listening: My parents """excuse""" for visiting me was the Rod Stewart concert at the O2, which they insisted on getting me a ticket for even though I'm pretty mid on Rod Stewart. He's fine! I don't hate his music but like, not a show for me, especially when I'm now much more used to random bands I've never heard of in a bar.

He's doing the best show an 80 year old man can do, leaning heavily on his supporting act to fill in for the fact that he can barely amble across the stage. Still sings pretty well, within the bounds of all the effects that are used to punch up live performances this big. Here's Sailing

Watching: subbing in a podcast here for reasons: Finished The Magnus Archives. God dammit I see why everyone hated that! They almost did the good thing! They were so close! Kill the world and stop the things in their tracks! Leave the boy, we don't need him!

The final season has a lot of really good individual statements and moments but man that really does kill it dead.

Reading: Trains back and forth to Vienna were a good chance to read a bunch of The Traitor Baru Cormorant, I'm almost done. It's so good, especially when I can compare this to A Memory Called Empire and Iron Widow, which are respectively quite similar but good in a different way and very different while struggling with the kind of finickly politics that Baru handles so well.

Baru Cormorant is so up-front with its empire. I mentioned when I read AMCE that it felt (rightly) sanitized partly because we were ambassadors in the Imperial core, well, Baru Cormorant goes the other way, putting you right at the forefront of the Empire.

Playing: Nothing really, although I did put my parents through some VR demos because they wanted to try it out and I think they did genuinely like it, especially fiddling with some of the fun tactile demos that Facebook and Valve have put together. It's such a different way of interacting with the computer.

Making: A lot of photography that needs to be processed.

Tools and Equipment: Things that come up when other people are in my kitchen: you really don't need dedicated cutting boards for meat and vegetables in the home kitchen. The purpose of this is to isolate vegetable ingredients that may be used raw OR cooked and you don't know which at preparation time, which is a commercial kitchen thing. If you're cooking everything you're working with you can freely mix meat and vegetables without worrying too much.

The only time it matters is if you're, say, chopping fresh garnish or salad, where it will not be cooked, in which case a second chopping board or just washing your current one is a good idea. You do not, however, need to keep track of which boards you use for what, since if you're not cleaning your boards well enough that you need to worry about this you have bigger issues.

[trivialbob]

Last night Sheila and I drove to a far suburb for a party at the house of some people we know. Because it was going to be late night and a bit of a drive, we got a hotel room. We hired a young woman in the neighborhood to stay overnight with our dogs.

The party was nice, but it's breakfast the next day that I want to write about.

The hotel provided the typical free breakfast. The little dining area was clean, the food was fresh, and the coffee hot and plentiful. But it's the same hotel breakfast we've had plenty of time. Lucky for us, across the parking lot was a family owned restaurant known for bakery and breakfast dishes.

We were seated promptly. Our timing was excellent, because a small line soon formed at the waiting area by the front door.

This is one of those places where the servers, like the hash browns, are well seasoned. These competent women were really good, even the youngest one. How do they hire someone new who seemingly has five years of experience already working in that very same restaurant?

Even though a single server was assigned to our table, every other time a different one walked by she'd check on us. It's quite possible I could have had a refill of hot coffee after every three sips. I didn't need that much coffee, so I declined. Had I dropped a fork it likely wouldn't have hit the floor, as one of those servers would have caught it and had a new one in my hand before I knew it.

If the tables were nucleui in atoms, the bus boy was an electron, constantly moving around them. When his hands were full the servers grabbed what they could to help out.

We could see plates coming out of the kitchen. I ordered corned beef hash, but with each plate for other people I observed I second guessed my choice. Until I got my corned beef hash.

There was a lot of food. It was another instance where Sheila and I should have split a meal. I devoured my hash and eggs. A piece of toast the size of a license plate covered half my plate. When I moved it I found another helping of hash!

Sheila ordered her favorite breakfast, eggs Benedict. Most of it came home for lunch or dinner.

Nothing made us feel rushed. The employees simply do their best to not waste a nanosecond of anyone's time. Turnover is swift. It's not unlike fast forwarding through TV commercials. No need for that fluff, just get to the meat and potatoes of the program.

Payment is at the front counter. There's none of that song and dance about here's the check, come back, grab a card, bring it back with a receipt, sign the check, put card away.

When we returned after being away 21 hours the dogs acted like they'd been in solitary confinement for a year. I am absolutely certain the woman who watched them did a good job. The dogs are just drama queens.

[sayorseee]

Perfectly, So Happily, ‘Til Forever

The Post Z3 Fic

Chapter 5: Two Large Pizzas and a Couple Sodas

Zed can hear the faint, muffled sounds of conversation and laughter all the way from the front door. He feels it too, the overwhelming joy of having Addison back in his life had him practically floating the whole way home. He pushes his way inside, smiling at his surprise house guest as he does.

“Dad! Zoey! I’m home!” he shouts toward the kitchen.

Addison has to cover her mouth to suppress her giggles. She’s been surprising everyone for the past twenty four hours. Her friends, her family, her boyfriend, and now, her boyfriend’s family.

From deep in the house, Zoey calls out, “We’re in the den! Hurry, Judge Zerro is about to start!”

Zed chuckles to himself. He leads the way, although the path is familiar for both of them. Past the mantle full of pictures, accolades, and family memories, around the wobbly end table, through the kitchen, completely ignoring the stacked up pile of dishes that Zed definitely needs to clean, through the next set of doors but bypassing the dining table, and into the dimly lit den. Addison hides behind his tall frame, intent on keeping her return a surprise.

Zoey and his dad huddle together on the small, mismatched patchwork couch, swaddled in blankets despite the blazing heat outside, a bowl of popcorn between them. They’ve saved him a seat on his favorite end of the couch. The tv glow barely lights their faces, a string of local, cheesy commercials playing in the background. Puppy at Zoey’s feet, half asleep.

All three of them look up when Zed walks in.

“It’s the middle of the day!” his dad proclaims.

“I know, I know, we got a little held up on the way,” Zed says, purposely emphasizing the ‘we.’ He can hear Addison’s barely contained squeal behind him.

Zoey catches it first, perking up instantly and scaring the brains out of Puppy. “We? Who’s we? Did Wynter come with you!?”

“Not quite.”

Zed grins, then hops to the side as Addison jumps forward into the room, throwing her hands up excitedly. They both shout, “Surprise!”

Read More: Ao3 | fanfiction.net

[t-am-i-the-asshole]

AITA for not cleaning the kitchen well enough to my flatmate's standards?

I (18, he/they) have just moved to a new town for university and am now sharing a flat with four other people and we all share a kitchen. There's only a few main chores to do and the kitchen is altogether pretty sterile except for dishes to be washed up that are sometimes left behind.

I have unmedicated adhd and really struggle with cleaning up, and taking out the food bin is the task i struggle with the most in the kitchen. It's been a week ish since i took it out last i think, and if you open the cupboard and sniff you can kinda smell it a bit, although i could only smell it if i shoved my face in it.

(For some context, in Scotland, not sure about other places, we have little bins in the kitchen for collecting just food waste separate from regular waste that gets commercially collected and i think composted)

This evening I came back to find that my flatmate E(18, she/her) had left a note that read "If you need to use the food bin please take it out the day of, otherwise please use the regular bin. The food bin stinks and it is making the kitchen somewhat unbearable."

My argument would be that the food bin doesn't smell that bad, and i don't think it needs to be taken out every single time someone uses it, especially as it's not even full. That seems wasteful and excessive. It's also not like I'm not contributing at all, as i usually empty our recycling weekly, clean my dishes in a timely manner, I've taken out the regular bin a few times, and I clean the surfaces.

I admit it does need done now, so I'm going to do it first thing tomorrow morning (I got back very late tonight) although I'm worried my flatmate thinks I'm not contributing at all. She knows I'm the only one that uses the food bin, and so I feel singled out by the note.

AITA?

[jeansbabylove]

Black Clover as Uni Students, pt. 2

Black Bulls, pt. 2

Finral Roulacase

was sent to a provincial university because his family was embarrassed that he did not get into the capital's university

still takes up business administration like his dad wanted

not because he had no choice but because he can't think of other options

he had no motivation to study tbh

a terrible student, he'd rather skip classes and meet girls

dabbled into alcohol, drugs, and then drag racing

he had the talent for it so he raced for a few years

it was not a profitable profession and what he was doing was technically illegal, so he stopped

also because he had a wake up call that his supposed fiancée might get married off to his brother instead

went back to school but to study automotive and hopefully become a car mechanic or an engineer

Charmy Pappitson

food is life for this girl so she took culinary arts on weekdays and went to pastry school on weekends

also a social media influencer that focuses on travel and mostly food

she also posts about her monthly private restaurant, where she makes food for her friends (grey and vanessa are a crowd favorite)

people are eating it up and it is the content that everyone looks forward to every month

due to high demand, and like an accidental plan, she opens up charmy's kitchen right after graduation

but because of her nature of wanting to always travel to taste good food, she convinces her mentor jamon in keeping up the business while she makes up recipes

their regulars are usually from rich families like mimosa vermillion and lolopechka heart, where charmy and jamon started extending their services to catering for private functions of their regulars

Gauche Adlai

a thief, a shoplifter, he did all kinds of odd jobs to keep him and his sister afloat

went to juvie, which forced his sister into being kept in an orphanage

their misfortune in life and his time in juvie motivated him to get a proper education so that he won't get scammed by people ever again

once out of juvie, he worked multiple jobs to save up for uni

studies financial management at the local college while keeping some of the jobs he had

visits marie once a month and swears he'll take her back into his custody soon

goes into law school with a scholarship after college, and graduates with honors

gets hired at the largest financial firm in the country and funds marie's college education as well when she got out of the orphanage

Grey

studied biology in the local college

after graduating, she was offered scholarship to continue her masters degree while she worked in the university as a research assistant

she also works at a cleaning company to help with her living expenses

because of her schedule, she usually gets the closing shift of cleaning a commercial building in the city

it was late one night when she almost gets harassed by some men

she was saved by gauche who was clocking out of his shift in the cafe at the second floor

ever since, he would wait for her shift to be done as well and he walks her home since their places are on the same way

continues to work at the university as a full-time researcher while also working on her phd

she quits the cleaning company after a few years but bumps into gauche in the uni and she learns he had enrolled into law school

Zora Ideale

didn't go to college

was previously a gang member until he realized his way of life had no direction and was not what he envisioned

became motivated to turn his life around

would definitely be one to sign up multiple accounts for free online classes

fucking lost his mind when certifications are actually to be paid for

took decent part-time jobs to get his certificates

started his security company from his meager savings and tremendous efforts

was able to grow it into a mid-size company in just two years

okay i am legit so obsessed with black clover these days and i wanna keep going with these scenarios. i was thinking of part 3 for the rest of the black bulls but i also wanna do the golden dawn babies. aaaaaa i might continue this later, see u!!!

up next... tba

[applestand]

Cleaning resources master post;

I grew up with the kind of mom who kept everything either PERFECT or a hoarder mess, so I'm making this to help you out if you also struggle to do normal clean.

First things first- don't mix bleach with anything at all other than water. Technically it's "don't mix bleach with acids" but acidity isn't always listed on packaging, and if this goes wrong you'll warcrime yourself, so just do not. Mixing any commercial cleaning products is a bad idea- you'll occasionally be told to mix soap and vinegar and water, this is fine.

Also on that point, do open your windows if you can. Even if that's all you do, it'll help get clean air in.

The first thing you should do in all situations is get your employees working- what this means is that if you have the washing machine going and the dishwasher going *something is happening* and if that's all that happens today then that's okay.

Laundry: get colour catchers. They're not super expensive and they save a lot of trouble.

You don't have to separate individual colours, you can do light and dark. Warm colours and cool colours are also a valid division.

White clothes need to be washed separately. Not white with a pattern, not very pale blue, just white. Plain white cotton or polycotton (like bedsheets) can all go in together if you don't have enough white shirts to make up a load.

Dishes:

Wood doesn't go in the dishwasher. Anything antique or special also shouldn't, and anything with that nice shiny gold paint (like your grandma's teacups or something) shouldn't go in either.

Big pots should be mostly cleaned by hand, small pots and other "tough" washes go on the bottom rack, delicate things with no major gunk (like coffee cups and glasses) go on the top.

Dusting:

Vaccum if you can.

Get a cheap air purifier (IKEA has one for £30)

Damp dusting doesn't need a specialist sponge (although they can be helpful) just use a cloth thats a little damp. It'll catch the dust and stop you kicking it all up.

Furniture polish does actually have a purpose in that it repels dust- use the spray kind of you're not a masochist and your furniture isn't antique.

Emergency care:

Sink full of dishes and you're worried about flies but literally can't do them now (dishwasher is already full or you are disabled and don't have the energy)?

Open put a bin bag and tape it over around the edges. Critters won't get in, and that's what matters here.

Can't leave your room right now?

Assuming you have enough drinks to last and you're getting food somehow, big Ziplocs are your friend. Dirty dishes in the Ziploc, put them all together. They might go gross but they won't make you sick.

Not sure where to start in a depression mess?

get bin bags. Fill one, indescriminately, with whatever you can see that needs to go out.

Put all the dirty laundry in one place. That place can be the bathtub. We're just getting it away. You can also do this with all your bedding. You don't have to even take the cover off the duvet, just get it out of the space.

Put all the dirty dishes together. This can be in the kitchen, or in a huddle in the hallway if it needs to be. This can also be in a bin bag if you're worried about contamination. You can take them out later.

Look again. Is that better? Can you see more things to go in the bin? Can you see more laundry? Can you see more dishes?

If you can move around again, crack out the surface wipes. Get the gunk off anything that has gunk.

At this stage, try to go put the dishes in the dishwasher and get a load of washing in the machine. You don't even have to start the machines if the idea of hanging out the washing makes you feel ill.

Get a sheet on your bed. You don't need to do the duvet or pillows (you can use a blanket) but the mattress will be uncomfortable and harder to clean.

Go have a shower. If you can't, just do an English bath (flannel to the bits and pits, deodorant, mouthwash)

Sleep, in your now much more useable room.

Resources:

Cleanipedia.com

this is a wiki of cleaning advice- it's made by Unilever so it's occasionally trying to sell you things, but the advice is solid.

Ann Russell (on YouTube or tiktok)

https://youtube.com/@annrussell5531?si=K6SUjvOxF6_q7qwh

She used to be a cleaning lady and she's lovely- lots of videos on how to fix specific things, but searching is hard, because tiktok. YouTube is a little better.

Sweepy

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.sweepy.sweepy

This is an app that tracks how often things have been done and gives recommended frequency- I've added each room in my flat, and also myself as a room, since you can add custom tasks and it lets me know that it's been three days since I've washed my hair etc.

If you have any tips to add please let me know and I'll add them!

[hometoursandotherstuff]

1925 penthouse for sale in New York City is fully renovated, but the current owner is an art collector and it's full of pop art, that is not included in the sale. 4bds, 6.5ba, $26M + $38,440 monthly HOA fee. The buyer will have to be extremely wealthy just to afford the HOA fee! (It's one of those stock cooperatives where you own stock in the building.)

The unit has 2 elevator access points.

The stark white reno was done to showcase the large bold art. Love those coffee tables. Special gallery lighting is installed to properly illuminate the art.

The large paintings take up whole walls.

Almost every room, like the TV room, opens to the roof top deck.

There is a den off the TV room. Notice the carpet is the same pattern, but it's white & brown where the TV room's is black & brown.

The dining room has an amazing view of the New York City skyline.

And, it's even more amazing all lit up at night.

The eat-in kitchen also has a great view of the city and commercial stainless steel appliances.

This appears to be a bar and even has a dishwasher.

The primary bedroom also has a wonderful view and door to the roof, and it's a very large room with space for a sitting area. I can't tell if that's a carpet or a hard floor, but either way, how in the world do you keep clean it?

The primary bedroom has a closet that's as large as a clothing store.

The library is a lovely cozy space, but the red sofa and ottoman really make it pop.

This bath is very spa-like.

Large home office.

One of the secondary bedrooms is very attractive and has a door to a the roof. There are also 4 staff rooms in the home.

[hedgewitchgarden]

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

Posted on January 15, 2014 by My Kitchen Wand

Can you believe we are half way through January already!?!? The time is flying for me and it is a good reminder that reaching my goals means staying on track. Imbolc will be here before you know it.

Imbolc happens at the same time as Candlemas and they have many connections as traditions from one are layered over the other. In the Celtic calendar it is considered the beginning of spring, a time when the ground is first awakened. The Goddess of the spring in Celtic traditions is Brigid. She is associated also with fire, arts and crafts, as well as livestock such as dairy cows and poetry.

A common custom of farmers was to take a loaf of bread, mix it with milk and sacred water before laying the mixture in the first plowed furrow. St Brigid, whose feast day happens at the same time was honoured with a loaf of bread left on a windowsill, like milk and cookies for St Nicholas.

This is a very traditional, hearty loaf that goes great with cheese, soups, or steaming from the oven with a little butter and jam. My understanding is that a softer variety of wheat was grown in Ireland and consequently baking soda was a better option than yeast for making breads rise. Additionally, whereas over time, England moved towards the concept of bakeries and bread making “in house” lessened, Irish housewives kept the tradition of daily bread for much much longer and soda bread was the bread of choice.

A 100% traditional loaf would be only whole wheat. White, all purpose flour is a relatively new invention and once it arrived, it was seen predominantly on the tables of feudal lords. This recipe is a 50/50 blend, not as heavy as days gone by and still full of flavour.

Buttermilk is the preferred liquid in soda bread. The acids in the buttermilk work with the baking soda to create bubbles and help the bread to rise. This makes absolute sense as buttermilk is the liquid left over from churning milk and all good farms used everything available for something. It is called buttermilk not because it is made from butter but because it is the liquid remaining once the butter has been made. Commercially made “cultured” buttermilk, which is what most of us have access to today has added Lactococcus lactis culture to turn regular milk into buttermilk.

You will need:

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 1/4 cups buttermilk

Deep Breath…..”In my kitchen filled with care, I welcome, Water, Fire, Earth, Air“. Let’s begin.

Soda bread would have been baked in a bastible ( think cauldron) over an open fire hearth. Bastibles come with an indented lid so that the cook could put coals on the lid allowing for heat to come from both directions to bake the bread. I will assume you will be using your oven.

Grease and flour your pan. I would suggest only the area the loaf will sit on as this is going into a 450 degree oven and the excess flour will burn. ( Turn oven on to 450 degrees ).

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Darina Allen from Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, says do this with your hands, allowing the flour to drizzle through your fingers ( a women after my own heart ). She says it will incorporate more air into the mixture, making the finished product lighter.  

My reference comes from my training days when the kitchen instructor would shout at the class, “God gave you hands before he gave you utensils, USE THEM!” Probably not what you would hear in the classroom today.

Make a well and add the buttermilk.

Your intention is to work gently and quickly. Overworking will make your bread tough and it will not rise as well.

Old recipes will say use your hand and mix the ingredients together by opening your hand and holding the fingers stiff. Keeping one hand clean will make life easier.

If you would prefer a spoon, start in the center and stir outwards to the edge of the bowl.

Once mixed a little more than the picture shows, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently shape it into a ball.

It will be soft.

Press down to about two inches and cut a cross in the top of the loaf. Cutting the cross will allow the bread to rise even more. You will also recognize the symbol the loaf makes as the wheel of the year.

I read somewhere that Darine Allen says in her cooking school that cutting the cross “lets the fairies out“. I can’t remember where I read it but I always remember the words when I am making soda bread. It is highly appropriate right now as spring is the season of fairies.  “Garden fairies come at dawn, bless the flowers, then they’re gone“.

And what is Imbolc if not a time to bless the land and the seeds that will keep the community healthy in the coming year?

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes and then reduce the oven to 400 degrees and continue baking for another 25-30 minutes. The bread will be done when it sounds hollow when knocking on the underside. Allow to cool.

Now, Spotted Dog. All countries cuisines have their unique names and this is one of them. If you add raisins (say 3/4 cup but it is up to you) to soda bread it becomes Spotted Dog. Usually, a couple of teaspoons of sugar are added as wellas you are making a sweet bread.

Additionally, if you had eggs on the farm, one might be part of the liquid mixture to help with the rising of the bread. When using an egg, it is a good idea to lower the temperature and bake the bread a little longer as eggs assist in the browning of baked products.

Life is returning to the Earth and things are starting to grow again. Whether you make this recipe to place on a windowsill or an altar or beside a bowl of hearty body warming soup; if you add the raisins and gather a group of friends together with butter, jam and a cup of tea; or bake it plain to serve with other tasty bits, I wish you and yours the time and peace to enjoy the customs of Imbolc, in whatever way you choose to honour them.