#Given I live next to some small ranch

[seeker-of-peace]

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[maddieplum]

Floral Legacy Challenge

So a while back my computer died and I lost all of my saves and screenshots and because of that I haven't wanted to play in a while. However, recently to get myself back into the game I wrote a legacy challenge for myself based upon flower meanings. I have started playing it and really been enjoying it, so wanted to share with anyone who might be interested as well!

This is more of a story based legacy than a challenge one, with goals written more as guidelines for what story to tell in a given generation than objectives or challenges to complete. Each generation I have chosen 1-3 aspects of a flower's meaning to focus this story around and I've compiled them in a way where I think it makes sense how one generation leads to the next.

If you are interested, more is under the cut!

Sims 4 Floral Legacy Challenge:

Some housekeeping: As far as general rules go, make this your own! Traditional legacy rules need not apply unless you want them to. This is for my personal gameplay and if you want to do it, choose what rules you want to hold yourself to that will make the gameplay fun for you. I tend to use cheats in ways that make sense from a storytelling perspective (e.g. for the iris gen I will likely cheat to give a coworker the genius trait). You can also opt not to follow any of my generation guidelines if you don't want - just take what interests you!

The only required packs are Horse Ranch, Spa Day, and City Living, but I added optional and recommended goals incorporating packs I either already have or hope to buy. If you don't have the required packs you can still definitely play this by either skipping those gens or modifying them to fit what you can do. I would recommend using the generation theme written under the flower name to help guide you in your choices as well (these are the aspects of the flower meanings that I have chosen to focus on for each given generation).

And without further ado:

Gen 1: Bluebell -humble beginnings and everlasting love- Choose one of more of these traits: generous, good, loyal Career: something that means humility to you - ideas: education, gardener, barista/babysitter/other part time careers, self employed by selling collectibles Aspiration: Soulmate Style: any, but live whole life in a small home (not necessarily by the game's standard but no more than 3 bedrooms), blue should be a main color, stay away from pricey furniture as well

You are a simple sort of sim. All you ever wanted is a place to call home and someone to love. Moving to a new place was scary, but you think you are starting to figure it out. However, things get a little more complicated when a choice you make on a lonely night results in a surprise pregnancy. Even though you aren't sure you're ready for single parenthood, you are going to give it your best shot, you already love the kid to bits after all. Luckily, your kind neighbor is there to help out. Wait, they're kind of cute…

-Start on an empty lot or in an unfurnished house with 0 simoleons -Recommended: live in willow creek -Make money to build/furnish your house through your career -Have a child from a one night stand with someone you meet at a public lot before your house is fully finished (this is the next gen heir). -Never date your child's other parent but optionally remain good friends. -Err on the side of leniency as a parent (e.g. if you have parenthood, hug it out to discipline your kid, use the permissive family dynamic from growing together). -Fall and love and get married to one of your neighbors, completing the soulmate aspiration. Stay together in a happy marriage until death. -Optional: have 1-2 more kids with your spouse -Until you switch to the next gen, go on at least one date every week with your spouse.

Gen 2: Crocus -playful childishness- Recommended Traits: lazy, goofball, outgoing, family oriented, childish, cheerful Career: any except entertainer - do not reach level 10 in your career, continually neglect work tasks and goof off/socialize at work to lower work performance if need be - optional (or if laid off): switch careers several times Aspiration: Big happy family - optional: if you have high school years you can complete the live fast aspiration as a teen Style: any as long as its casual, shouldn't look too put together, t-shirts would be good

As a kid you were loved and admittedly somewhat spoiled by your doting parent. At times you neglected your responsibilities and your homework preferring to goof off with your many friends. Growing up… well, you never really did that did you? You did eventually get a job (even though you aren't the best employee) and you gave dating the old college try as well. Unfortunately, just like working, being in a relationship doesn't seem to come easily to you… Luckily though there is something you're good at: parenting. Being part kid yourself, you find it easy to connect to your many kids and you're always ready to cheer them up with a laugh when they are feeling down. That, at least, is something worth devoting your time too.

-Neglect homework as a child (optional: age up with the irresponsible trait if you have parenthood) but have several friends at school -Perform poorly in a career of your choice (NOT entertainer) - do not reach level 10 in any career (if you get close, lower job performance or quit and start a new job) -Live in childhood home until parents die or until you have too many kids for everyone to fit -Get divorced from / break up with every partner you have (your choice how many people to date, but must die single) -Have 3-6 kids - at least one should be adopted and one should be biologically yours but the exact ratio is up to you -Be best friends level with all kids -max out comedy skill -Complete happy family aspiration (may require temporarily returning to this gen after some kids are adults) -Optional: whenever someone leaves the household, get a pet so the household is continually at 8 members (the idea of this gen is cheerful chaos after all)

Gen 3: Dahlia -creativity and true love- Required traits: non commital, Recommended: creative, maker, art lover, green fiend Career: Something creative - recommended: making money through painting or fabrication or photography Aspiration: Any in the creativity category (or the jewelry one, which is IMO creative but not in that category) Style: Colorful and eclectic, feature warm colors and travel Knick knacks, bohemian

You grew up in a chaotic but joyful home surrounded by your siblings and raised by a parent who loved and accepted you as you were. Your creativity was able to bloom and flourish in this environment and you learned the value and power of familial love. However, you never quite understood romance in the same way as you watched your parent struggle to maintain a loving relationship. In high school you found someone special, but your relationship was too important to put through the trials of romance. You maintained your friendship into adulthood as you followed your passions into a career and your heart into several (failed) relationships, all the while standing by each other. Then one day you realized, what if this elusive goal of romantic love had been right besides you all along?

-Complete the creatively gifted aspiration as a kid -Briefly (briefly) date your best friend in high school, then decide to be just friends (option in social menu). Maintain friendship (remaining just friends) into your young adulthood and adulthood, spending lots of time together. -Have a creative job and max out your career / chosen creative skill -Get married and divorced at least once and date and break up with at least 3 people total -Have at least one kid -After a midlife crisis start a relationship with your best friend and get married - this time stay together until death do us part (optional: at this point swap out the non committal trait with the loyal trait via cheats or self discovery moment) -Go on vacation at least twice with your family and your best friend/best friend's family

Gen 4: (white) Lily -beauty, mourning, and rebirth- Recommended traits: gloomy, romantic Career: something you associate with beauty - ideas: actor/actress, style influencer, social media Aspiration: any - ideas: soulmate, world famous celebrity, master actor/actress Style: classic, somewhat minimalistic, elegant (think Kennedys)

Growing up in an artistic household, you quickly developed a keen eye and a strong aesthetic and sense of style. Unlike your parent however, you were very interested in what was popular. You built your knowledge of trends and used it to cultivate your own look until it became your passion, and ultimately your career. You were becoming quite successful, loving your job more and more every day, when you met… them. The love of your life. You remembered watching your parent dance around their love all their life, and had seen how much time they wasted because of it. You weren't going to make the same mistake. You had a whirlwind romance, engagement, and marriage that grew into a stable, enduring love. You had everything, a great career, a wonderful relationship, and you and your spouse had just welcomed a child when tragedy struck. And now, without your love, you don't know what to do. How will you go on?

-Enter and max out a career that is associated with beauty -Optional: if you have get famous, become a celebrity with a good reputation -Meet your spouse through your career -Date, get engaged to, and marry your spouse quickly (within 1-2 sim weeks) -Have a relationship with your spouse at the soulmate level -Have exactly one kid with your spouse -Before your kid is a teen, your spouse dies -Mourn your spouse for the rest of your life (at least 3 times weekly visit grave/urn) and never get into another romantic relationship -Optional: after spouse's death, change outfits to be all black for mourning colors (or what ever mourning colors are in your culture) -Neglect child emotionally because of your sadness (less than good friends level friendship) -Repair relationship with child after they move out and your grandchildren are born (they return the spark to your life)

Gen 5: Dandelion -resilience and recovery- Required trait: horse lover Optional: active, loves the outdoors, adventurous Career: Rancher/self employed Required aspiration: championship rider Style: western, rustic farmhouse decor, country

You grew up in the midst of a tragedy. All you remember is the dark cloud that seemed to surround your parent everywhere they went and the loneliness that came from all but raising yourself. As soon as you could, you got away, following your heart to the countryside. In the picturesque small town of chestnut ridge you built your own life, learning to ride the horses you had grown up loving, and making a living by building a ranch. The solitude of nature was like a balm to your wounded soul. Eventually, you fell for one of the locals and got hitched. They moved in to help grow your ranch and before long you were building a family as well. As you discovered the joys of parenthood, it brought your mind back to your own parent, and you started to wonder if those bonds could be reformed…

-move out to Chestnut Ridge as soon as you become a young adult -Complete the championship rider aspiration and max out the riding skill -Fall in love with an marry a sim you meet in Chestnut ridge with the rancher trait -Have 2-4 kids with your spouse -Optional: name one of your kids after your deceased parent -After your first kid is a toddler, start to reconcile with your parent (inviting them over to meet grandkids) -build back your friendship with your parent before they pass (good friends level or higher) -run a thriving ranch

Gen 6: (red) Carnation -justice- Recommended traits: good, hot headed, self assured Career: Politics, charity organizer branch Aspiration: any - ideas: neighborhood confident, city native Style: any - alt fashion would work well, esp. punk, dark colors with red accents also good

Life as a child in the countryside was idyllic, but you always had bigger dreams. Bright eyed and with a zest for life you moved to the city as soon as you could. But once there, your idealistic nature quickly shattered. The world wasn't as nice outside of your small town bubble. Rather than fall into despair over it however, you decided to rise to the occasion. You would dedicate your life to fighting for change and making the world a better place. Even if it was just a drop in the bucket, you would do everything you could to make a difference. After all, what better way to spend your time than speaking truth to power?

-move to San Myshuno as a young adult -Join and max out the charity organizer career -meet your spouse at a protest -fall in love and move in together, but don't get married -have at least one kid -join or start a protest at least once a week -have at least one wealthy enemy (bonus points if they are in the politician career or a landlord) -Optionally: have a midlife crisis / burnout (via growing together mechanics or imaginative storytelling) during adulthood and change your life around (stay in same career, but protest less and pick up a hobby, spend more time with family)

Gen 7: Iris -intelligence and prestige- Required trait: genius Optional traits: perfectionist, ambitious, neat, overachiever, loner, hates children, bookworm Career: something you associate with intelligence - ideas: doctor, scientist, law, engineer, astronaut Recommended aspiration: any in the knowledge group or bestselling author Optional: complete the goal oriented aspiration as a teen and the academic aspiration as a young adult Style: academia (dark or light), traditional, have at least one library / study in the home

Your parents were smart people, you'll give them that, but they didn't care enough to do anything with it! They could have been something great, but instead they decided to waste their time fighting for 'justice' without making any real change. You wouldn't be making that mistake. From an early age you dedicated yourself to your studies, determined to learn everything you possibly could and become someone important. Learning fascinated you, and you loved using your intelligence to figure out solutions to hard problems. This was what was important, not love, or family, or doing good, or whatever other nonsense your parents and grandparents believed. This was how you really changed the world, intelligently. Now just to get that one coworker of yours to stop pestering you at work and challenging your ideas. Wait, why do they want to meet you for coffee?

-Complete the mental aspiration as a child -Enter and max out a career related to intelligence - optionally: then switch careers and max out a second -max out at least four skills of your choice, writing and publishing skill books related to them as you do so (this may require you to max out the writing skill, if so this counts towards your four skills) -Date and marry one of your coworkers who also has the genius trait (bonus points if this is a former workplace rival) -Have exactly one child with your spouse via the science baby option -Be a strict parent (maintain this family dynamic if you have growing together) and be emotionally distant from your kid (less than good friends friendship level ideally) -If you have discover university, attend university and complete the academic aspiration before beginning a career

Gen 8: Lotus -rebirth and self-love- Required trait: high maintenance Recommended: perfectionist Career: start in something you see as a high stress job - ideas: salary person, business, anything that uses the logic skill - then switch to making money via spa day activities Aspiration: any or all in the wellness category Style: minimalist, biophilic (plant parent), 'zen'

To say your parents had high expectations growing up would be putting it lightly. Nothing you ever did seemed good enough for them. Even so, you continued to try, pushing yourself towards excellent grades and into a career (and relationship) they would approve of. It was hard but you were managing it, and you kept pushing and pushing until… One day you just couldn't do it anymore! You quit your job, ended your relationship and changed trajectories. Now you are focused on healing and self-love, and on helping others on their self love journey as well. It might take some time, but you are learning to be happy with yourself. Next, to start building a new family, one you'll be happy to be a part of.

-maintain an "A" level grade throughout your education -Enter a high stress career as a young adult -Start a relationship with someone in a 'respectable' career as a young adult (you decide what counts as 'respectable') - if you have growing together you should have bad compatibility with this person -sometime during young adulthood (bonus if after in game burnout) while your sim is feeling badly (tense, angry, uncomfortable, or sad), quit your job and end your relationship -Optional: before this switch dress and decorate in your parents style, afterwards, change to your own style -Switch to a wellness career - continue this until retirement -max out wellness skill -complete at least one of the wellness aspirations -marry someone you meet at the spa -have 1-3 children with them

Gen 9: Lavender -family and home- Required trait - at least one of three: loner, paranoid, socially awkward Recommended traits: family oriented, foodie, loves the outdoors, animal enthusiast Career: make money through cooking and/or baking - this can involve running a bakery, the culinary career, or using the food stall from home chef hustle OR be a stay at home parent and partner makes money Choose one or more of the following aspirations: Appliance whiz, master chef, country caretaker, super parent Style: French country, cottage core, pastels

You grew up in a peaceful and tranquil home with caring and kind parents. Lucky for you because as it turns out - the rest of the world? Not so peaceful. Being outside your home and surrounded by strangers was always stressful for you, and as you grew up you learned to retreat towards the things you knew: your family, your pets, and the delicious things you loved to cook. Another support for you was always your best friend turned love; you've promised to stay by each other's side through thick and thin and you can’t wait to build a home together. Will these supports help you get through the stresses of adulthood? Will be able to find and build a home that's peaceful and safe for your new family? Only time will tell…

-From teenagehood to death have at least one pet at all times (including non household animals like cows) -Marry your childhood best friend / high school sweetheart and stay together until death do us part -max out the cooking skill (and baking if you have get to work) -have 3-5 kids with your spouse -maintain best friends level friendship with all kids, spouse, and any cats or dogs you have -don't maintain friendships with anyone outside the household (this can change when you switch to playing sunflower gen if need be) -make sacked lunches for all family members at least twice a week -Make money through food (chef career, bakery, or food stall) OR be a stay at home parent -Recommended: live in Henford-on-Bagley -Max out one or more of the following aspirations: Appliance whiz, master chef, country caretaker, super parent

Gen 10: Sunflower -friendship and loyalty- Required trait: loyal and choose at least one of: cheerful, outgoing, generous Career: any Aspiration: one or more in the social category Optional: Additionally complete successful lineage or big happy family and continue gameplay Style: any - home with lots of space for hosting gatherings, yellow as a focus color would be a good choice

You had a pretty perfect childhood - supportive parents, siblings to play with, space to roam, the whole nine yards. Only… it was still a little lonely. There's a whole world out there, and as much as you love your parents, they didn't really expose you to it, preferring to stay home. Well, you're grown up now, and you are going to bring the world to your family and your family out into the world. There's so many cool people out there and you are going to be friends with them all.

-Complete the social aspiration as a child -Maintain a group of friends (use club system if you have get together) your whole life, adding members as you age and make more friends -maintain good friends level friendship with all club members -Fall in love with and marry someone with the family oriented trait -have at least two kids -take at least one family vacation -maintain friendship levels with all family members (siblings, parents, spouse, kids) at at least the good friend level -host family and friend gatherings frequently - if you have growing together: have a family reunion at least every 4 sim weeks - if you have seasons: host gatherings for every relevant holiday (e.g. no gathering needed for lottery day or love day, but harvestfest yes) -Optional: have one parent die as an elder and move the other in to live with you and your family, take care of them until they die -Optional: have a pet dog all your adulthood -Recommended: complete an aspiration in the family category as well (successful lineage or big happy family) - this will require continuing to play a bit beyond the 10th generation

[aheathen-conceivably]

🎶 In the desert you can't remember your name 'cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain

It had been months of looking for work, of walking the compacted sands and hot asphalt of Strangerville as Antoine’s hopes dwindled closer to nothing. The most recent shop that turned him away had given him directions to a ranch so deep in the valley he hadn’t even known anything was there before. He had second guessed going at all, wondering if it was a fool’s errand or a disgruntled local’s cruel idea of a joke. 

But as he walked onto the plateau that spanned the top of the landscape, his worries melted into stunned silence. It was like a different world, suspended above the one below with vistas so grand he didn’t know they could possibly exist in this world. As though his wonder couldn’t grow, he suddenly heard neighing that he recognized from his fondest memories.

There was no word for the horses other than magnificent, no way for him to express how much they fulfilled every dream he ever had of this place or every feeling of freedom he expected to find here. They seemed to live the way he wanted to, simply existing in the hot desert air without any bounds placed upon their heads.

“Hey, mister! Mister! You looking for work or somethin’?”

Antoine pulled his eyes away from the horses begrudgingly, toward the voice that had spoken to him. It was a lone man across the enclosure, his heavy boots marking every step he took across the sand toward where Antoine stood. 

For a moment, Antoine smiled at him. When he left New Orleans he had never expected to see anyone here who looked like him, and the unexpected presence of another black man immediately made him feel more comfortable, “I am, sir. Work on your ranch. I was told you were looking for help.”

Antoine’s relief quickly dissipated as the man narrowed his eyes and spit into the sand, “Well that was before all you Okies started passing through. You know I’ve got a family to feed too right? I can’t just hand out jobs to every straggler who walks by.”

For a moment Antoine went to respond, but he could see the purposefully hardened expression tighten on the man’s face, so he simply tipped his hat and walked away.

Before he could take ten steps a small, breathless child ran in front of him, “Sir, wait! My momma just finished a loaf of bread, if you wanna come inside! She can spare a slice or two and maybe some jam, maybe…”

Before he could finish a loud voice boomed from behind him, “William you leave that man alone, you hear? I’m sorry, mister. My son, he’s a bit soft hearted, I’m afraid.”

Antoine looked down at the boy and smiled, “That’s alright, I’ve got a girl just about your age. Her name is Violette. But you tell your momma to save that bread for someone who really needs it, alright, son? I’ll be just fine.”

The sound of heavy boots approached again, and the man put his arm around his son before looking back up at Antoine, “You ain’t no Okie, are you? Not with that voice. Where are you from, anyway?”

“New Orleans. We have a farmhouse down the way, just before town.” 

“New Orleans, huh?” The man looked back down at his son with a whistle, as though the words themselves were foreign and impressive. Then he gave him a quick tap on the back, “Go back inside to your Momma, Will. Tell her I’ll be in shortly.”

As his small feet ran away, the man looked back at Antoine, “Listen here, I’m Abraham. I don’t have much, not enough to guarantee pay week by week, but at least it’s something. And your girl, Violette you said? She’s welcome to eat here if you need. My wife works down at the schoolhouse but she’s a mighty cook. We can get you set up with schooling too. But don’t expect much else; I reckon the pay round here isn’t gonna get much better with time.”

It was a better offer than Antoine had heard since he arrived, and pay seemed inconsequential next to that fact that Violette wouldn't have to go hungry again; maybe she could even have a friend in this lonely and foreign place. He looked down at the the man’s hand extended in front of him and reached out to it like a lifeline, “I’ll take it, sir.”

[creedslove]

HEARTLESS 💔 - PART NINETEEN

Agent Whiskey (Jack Daniels) x f!reader

Summary: Jack needs to go on a mission and leave you and Wyatt at home; it hurts him but he needs to get the job done, at the same time you and your son prepare yourselves for Halloween 🎃

(This is the nineteenth chapter of my HEARTLESS 💔 series)

• PART ONE TO EIGHTEEN ON MY MASTERLIST

Warnings: fluff, a little bit of angst and overall no other warnings to avoid spoilers so you are on your own here besties

A/N: I missed our cowboy so much, my besties! As this is almost the end of our lovely story, we need to let him and sugar go with their happy ending, but of course there's still some Halloween treats going on. Also, kind of obvious but this chapter takes place on Halloween

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If someone asked Wyatt exactly what a marriage was, he wouldn't be able to explain it properly, he didn't understand much about grown up stuff, it was boring and his little life of playing with animals and with his toys and eating his mommy's delicious food while being a cowboy with his daddy was way more important to him; however, Wyatt had watched enough cartoons to know that mommies and daddies lived together with their babies and his dad had told him that if his mommy accepted his surprise, then that would happen to them and he was excited about that.

Wyatt was so willing to have you and his daddy together for good, he took all the instructions Jack had given him seriously, because he wanted everything to be perfect for you, he wanted his mommy to be happy with his daddy after all, and for that, he would help Jack do whatever he needed, but luckily, his daddy's first instruction, apart from being completely silent about the beautiful, glowing ring, Wyatt was asked to act as normal as possible, so he could surprise you when the moment was right, and so was it that the next few days went by completely normal, you and Jack were going strong in your recent relationship as Wyatt was enjoying farm life more and more, and the very few times you actually had to go back to the city in order to pick up more clothes, check on your apartment and make sure everything was in order, your son was each time sadder and sadder to leave the ranch. He had everything he ever loved in there, a life with his mommy and daddy, animals, Silver Pony and Silver Star and the mere prospect of having to go back to the city scared him to death. He loved his home and his family and he had made up his little mind he wouldn't leave without a fight. Luckily to him, you also had no plans of returning to the city, as the weeks passed and your relationship progressed with Jack, you didn't see the need of returning permanently to the city. Of course it was still necessary to do so, eventually for some doctor appointments, shopping for new clothes and stuff like that, but if you were going to be honest with yourself, you also didn't see you and your son going back to a small, cramped apartment once you got used to that gorgeous ranch. It was beautiful, spacious and it had everything you needed; not to mention you had re-encountered love once more. Saying you weren't madly in love with that stupid cowboy would be a huge lie, it's not that you had ever fallen out of love with him, you hadn't, even during the worst time of your life and how cruel he'd been to you; you should have done it though, however, you simply couldn't. Even during the hard moments in which you burned with anger at the mere thought of what he'd done to you, that intense love was just there, underneath all. You had both dreamed and dreaded the moment Whiskey would walk back into your life not knowing what to do, and even if it was hard at first, then you were thankful it happened in a way you are able to see Jack really meant his feelings and you both couldn't fight the passion any longer, even if you still felt a paralyzing fear of being hurt, you decided to trust your man in your own terms: he had a chance, the only and final one, and in case he did anything to ruin that, then you and him would be history.

Luckily to you and Wyatt, Jack was nothing but the best and most caring boyfriend and father; all he wanted was to make sure you and your son were happy and well. He would spoil the two of you and do anything in his power so you would be next to him. He loved you more than anything in the world and his son was the most precious little thing he could ever ask for. He was taking care of his family like he should have from the beginning and there was no stopping him this time. That's why he went over his plan with Wyatt for several days, talking to his son and using his help to form an alliance in order to make you the best proposal he could think of. Yeah, you two had been engaged before your son's birth, but you didn't want it to be like that, especially because you both had come to an agreement of having a new beginning. So Jack kept your former engagement in a box and locked it in his closet, it was a pretty ring, but he still remembers coming home still feeling hot headed after the argument you two had over the revelation of your pregnancy. One of, if not the biggest regret he'd ever had in his life was definitely his reaction towards the news that changed both of your lives. He didn't know what to say or what to do after you broke the news to him, it was in fact, as if he had stopped processing facts for a while. However, when he finally realized what had happened it was as if something had broken inside of him, he felt as if he had lost the ground under his feet and above all, he felt betrayed, as if it didn't matter to you the family he had previously lost. Of course Jack knew that wasn't it, he knew he was severely mentally ill at the time and that was a reflection of it, and yet, he also knew he should have been a decent man for you and your son. But instead, he'd told you unspeakable things, he'd made you the vilest proposition someone could ever think of - for you to choose between him and your son - and he left you crying, on your own and went to a bar to get wasted.

When he came back home, all he found was the silence and emptiness he felt surrounded him and also around him. Your clothes, belongings, accessories, everything that made that home a little more yours than just his were gone, and the only proof you'd ever been there was the engagement ring you left on his pillow. You'd made your choice; you'd chosen your son.

So that was the whole reason why he thought it would be a nice idea to get you a new engagement ring, he had a feeling the previous ring carried a lot more negative meaning than the two of you would like to admit. Besides, he got to choose a brand new jewelry for you, not sparing any money - one of the greatest advantages of being a high profile Statesman employee after all. After gathering his son's help, Jack waited for the perfect moment, he was anxious and nervous, as he hadn't really planned on a specific scenario, instead, he tried to find a suitable time and place, feel in his heart when it should happen, preferably when Wyatt was also around, as your son showed great interest in it, being a supporter of the idea since the beginning.

It happened in the late afternoon, just a regular day of the week that ended up becoming one of the most special days of your life. You and your family had gone for a horse ride, Jack deciding - with your agreement - that Wyatt was already old enough to learn how to ride a horse, you three stopped by at the stables but the little boy went with Silver Star, which didn't stop her from trying to running and that lead your cowboy to use his lasso to stop her and your son from going too fast. On one hand you were a little scared, your heart racing from seeing your baby boy looking so big and independent from his parents, but also a huge wave of pride to see him becoming a cowboy just like his dad.

You'd made a basket with treats and sandwiches in order to have a picnic and the moment you three settled by the willow trees - one of your favorite places at his ranch - and Jack realized the sun was setting, creating the perfect atmosphere of laughter, happiness and a beautiful landscape. He winked and nodded at his son showing him it was time to propose to his mommy. Wyatt clapped his small hands in excitement and watched intently while the cowboy got on his knees in front of you, taking your hand and professing you love words. You knew what was happening, but at the same time it felt like you didn't, as your heart was racing so much and the tears simply couldn't stop clouding your vision. You held your breath the moment he showed you a brand new engagement ring, it was one of the most beautiful jewelry you'd ever seen in your life and there was no way you could ever say no to that.

The moment Jack finally asked you the question, proposing to you and you said yes, it was as if time had stopped and there were only the three of you in the world, your happy little family, you, your son and your future husband. You had said yes and that was how you were officially engaged to Jack Daniels once more.

•••

"Sugar, listen to me…" Jack placed his hands on your waist and pulled you closer "it will be a short mission, in a few days I'll be back home, I ain't even looking towards any women, you know they don't compare to you. I've never been unfaithful to you and I ain't starting now sugar…"

You could see the honesty and pleading in his eyes and even if it was recomforting to be assured like that by him and acknowledge how dedicated he was to you, however, you would be over the moon if your concern was reduced to only a bunch of whores throwing themselves onto your man.

"Cowboy, it's not it, I mean, I know you're faithful and I'm also faithful to you, and I will always be… but I'm scared and worried. You remember what happened on your last mission… I don't want that to happen again, I mean, I don't even want to think of the slightest possibility of it, please. You have a family now, me and Wyatt, you are leaving us home, but we want you here with us" You used just about the same pleading eyes in order to convince your cowboy to stay, you couldn't place your finger exactly on why you were so anxious and needy, but if it were up to you, you'd use his lasso to keep him tied down to your bed, not letting him leave at all. You felt so vulnerable without even understanding why, but your biggest desire was to be held by him and assured he wouldn't move an inch away from you. He placed his hands on the side of your face and stroked your cheek so gently, affection and love pouring from him as he saw you looking so helpless at that moment. He leaned in for a kiss and smiled

"It will be fine, sugar. It will be just a few days as I said, I'll be alright, keep my ass safe… you know it's an emergency, that's why Champ called me, I will call you every day, and I'll make sure to keep you updated, I have a gorgeous family to come home to, and I ain't never let that go, now please, help me out because I can't have two sad puppy faces staring at me like that without breaking my heart" he pointed at Wyatt who pouted and looked at his daddy's bag. You felt emotional and didn't know exactly what to do, but you nodded, as your future husband needed help. He was the best damn agent that place had ever seen, of course he would come back home safely.

You wiped your tears and lowered yourself, picking up your son and snuggling him.

"Don't be upset my angel, daddy will be gone just for a little while, right daddy?!" You looked at him, who picked up the cue and nodded

"Yeah buddy, daddy will be away for a couple of days to work, but I need you to be a strong cowboy and take care of mama, can you do that for me?" Wyatt nodded reluctantly, his red eyes almost making the cowboy turn around and give up the idea of going to work. He couldn't though, otherwise he would've done it once for all. The cowboy couldn't resist the urge of wrapping his arms around his son, pulling him for a tight embrace.

"You know daddy loves you and mama more than anything in the world, right? It will be for a short while, and soon enough I'll be here for you, remember you wanted to go out trick or treating? Daddy promises he will be back before Halloween, okay?"

After Wyatt nodded, sighing but snuggling him and you also pulled him into a real needy and long hug, leaving home to go on a mission was definitely the hardest task that cowboy had done; he questioned himself if he was doing the right thing, after all, when he got suspended from Statesman, all he wanted to do was get back on the field and show them all he was still a top notch agent, the best they'd ever had and that he could handle any kind of situation, but once he saw how his family felt anxious and upset about him leaving, he felt tortured to go to work, he didn't have to, he had plenty of money and wouldn't need to work violent and dangerous job now he was settling down once more. Still, he felt like he owed that to Champ, even if he disappointed the older man with his bad conduct during the last mission, they still shared a very special bond - Jack was like the son Champ never had, and the younger cowboy envisioned the older one as a fatherly figure. No wonder why Jack ended up only in therapy after nearly sabotaging such a serious mission instead of going to prison. He hopped on his Bronco and drove to the headquarters, trying not to think much of his broken heart to be gone.

The first night was rough without your cowboy, even if Whiskey had called, and then he had video chatted and talked to both you and Wyatt, it was still so sad and lonely without him. Worse than the years you spent alone with your son, the absence of Jack now was depressing, after staying with him, living almost an endless honeymoon it was upsetting to say the least. That night, your sweet Wyatt snuggled closer to you in bed and you only fell asleep with your face buried deep into his curls.

What really changed your routine happened the morning after Jack left; it was as if you knew something was up but you couldn't actually get a hold of it, instead, you simply woke up with the worst wave of nausea you'd ever witnessed. It was odd, you hadn't had dinner the night before nor eaten anything suspicious, so the first thought that crossed your mind was immediately dismissed. You couldn't and you wouldn't.

As much as you tried to push aside those thoughts, they insisted on coming back whenever you got distracted, you tried your best keeping your mind busy, focusing on the son you actually had. So you and Wyatt spent most days together, playing, cooking and baking, even if the slightest food smell made you feel sick to your stomach and riding and petting the horses. You knew Halloween was approaching and Wyatt was excited to go trick-or-treating, as it was going to be the first ever Halloween his daddy would be a part of it and even if you two had actually to drive downtown to do it, as the ranches were too apart from each other, you still promised him you would carve the pumpkins with your son, and you sort of kept your promise, if it weren't for the fact the moment you began cutting open the pumpkins, the smell was enough to make your stomach twist and you had to rush to the bathroom, however, this time wasn't possible to hide it from your son, which caused Wyatt to run to you worriedly

"Are you okay mommy?" He asked you while placing his small hands on your back "can we call daddy please?"

You shook your head and smiled weakly at him

"No baby, mommy is fine, I just got a tummy bug, that's all" you assured him, even though you knew there was more to it and you simply just didn't want to admit it. You asked your son for a bottle of water from the fridge as you grabbed your phone and checked the app you used to keep your cycle in check and even if you knew the answer, a part of you was still so stubborn you couldn't bring yourself to believe it. Taking turns between checking your app and the calendar, you sighed and closed your eyes, letting yourself digest the information that your period was late.

There was a huge chance you were pregnant again.

You couldn't sleep at all that night, tossing and turning in bed and playing the most different scenarios in your head. Jack would be happy, wouldn't he? He was the one who was insisting on having a baby, but you also terrified yourself at the possibility that maybe, he was just trying to convince you to marry him. What if he changed his mind and panicked? What if he never came back from the mission? No, you shook your head and squinted your eyes, trying to physically keep your anxiety away from you. The very little you managed to doze off were filled with dreams about you and the cowboy getting into a huge fight and breaking up. That was something that couldn't happen, you knew your heart wouldn't take that kind of disappointment for a second time, and if he even threatened to walk away from you both, well, from you three, you would never see him again.

But a part of you desperately begged you to calm down and relax a little, maybe you weren't even pregnant, you couldn't say for sure without a test, and all of that could've been just a mind trick after panicking so much at the idea your body actually began reproducing that kind of symptoms. It wasn't the first time your period was that late and it could have been a stomach bug, after all you hadn't been eating well since your cowboy left you a week ago. There was still at least another one to come and the idea of actually buying yourself a pregnancy test was horrifying. However, since Wyatt started asking you to dress up as a zombie cowboy, you knew you would have to buy him some things such as fake bruises stickers and a costume hat, as you wouldn't risk ruining the beautiful and expensive stetson Jack had gifted your son. It would be the perfect excuse, you would do some Halloween shopping and also get yourself a test, everything would be just fine, you assured yourself, after all, you still had a small hope in your heart things were nothing but your mind playing tricks on you.

The next morning, while Wyatt went to get dressed as fast as he could so you both could go out and get him his costume, you watched yourself in the mirror. We're your breasts larger? You didn't know if they actually were or if you were under the wrong impression, if Whiskey had been there, he would be able to tell it immediately. In fact, he would probably be the first one to even notice it. Then you stared at your stomach, was it a little swollen or you were just getting paranoid? As you were lost in your thoughts with your blouse lifted you felt tiny hands on your tummy and looked down at Wyatt's smiley face staring at you

"You look so pretty, mommy!" He said happily and smiled big at you, his small arms wrapping around your waist as he rested his head against your womb and sighed deeply. He was an affectionate boy, but he had never done that before… Why start it now?

You stroked his curls very gently and lowered yourself to his level

"Do you think mommy looks different?" You asked

"No, just pretty" he shrugged happily and ran outside the bedroom.

•••

Another week had passed without any confirmation nor denial; you simply didn't have the guts to take that test and see for yourself if you were indeed pregnant or not. You talked to your cowboy every single night, and even if he thought it was odd you weren't up for some web sex with him, he didn't push it, as you simply lied by saying you were on your period. Whiskey could tell something was off, but he assumed it was just a combination of his absence and your tiredness. Besides, Wyatt was staying up later each night, so he could talk to his daddy which caused you both to behave yourselves.

You had taken Wyatt out for shopping, he'd bought as many Halloween things he wanted, you also bought some extra candy just in case some trick or treaters passes by the ranch, which you thought it wouldn't happen, but you didn't want to risk not having any and while your son was too distracted by the shampoo aisle - you'd asked him to pick the best shampoo to wash his hair - you grabbed your pregnancy tests. Tests. Because you wouldn't trust just one, so you decided three would be a decent enough number. It broke your heart to see how sweet Wyatt was the moment he spotted a mother shopping with her baby girl. The moment he saw her, he giggled and rushed to them "look mommy! A cute baby!!!" Wyatt had squealed just as you hid the tests under a bunch of other stuff you followed him, smiling at how sensitive your son was. You nodded and agreed with him, playing with his soft curls.

Not only that, after the episode, Wyatt spent the whole week asking you about babies. If you thought they were cute, if he was a nice baby, if you and his daddy had a baby would it be a normal baby or would it be a cowboy baby. In other circumstances, you would be very amused by his questions, but given what was going on, you felt extremely anxious about it. Perhaps that was the whole reason why you kept postponing the test for days; however, you knew Jack was about to come home any day now, and you needed to have an answer, it wasn't fair to you or him, not to mention he would see right through you and figure something was definitely wrong. So the day before Halloween, you made your son dinner - chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes and peas, his favorite - and played with him until he fell asleep. When you were sure you wouldn't be interrupted, you finally took courage, grabbed your tests and followed the instructions.

And the wait began.

And it felt like forever, until the whole three of them showed the lines indicating that indeed, you were pregnant.

You didn't react for several minutes, perhaps it was the shock, even if you deep down inside already knew you were expecting a baby. You were going to be a mom, again. You got pregnant by the man who abandoned you and your son once, would it go wrong this time? You didn't want to believe it, at the same time you were flooding with all kinds of anxious thoughts and feelings. You wish you could just curl up on the couch and fall asleep until you could come up with a solution to that situation, but Wyatt's fast steps drew your attention "mommy!!! Help me get dressed!!!" He giggled as he barged in his cowboy outfit, holding his fake blood and wound stickers. His excitement was so adorable, it made your heart warm at how cute he really was. You wrapped your arms tight around him, pulling him closer and snuggling your son. He was a little confused at your affection but giggled "help me mommy!" He asked as he couldn't wait to go out.

The moment you saw your son, your heart warmed and filled with love, he was so precious, the most important little thing in your life, and you'd just learned you were growing a new life inside of your womb, his baby brother or sister, you didn't know, but at that moment, only Wyatt mattered, the way he looked so excited, his little chocolate eyes glimmering you decided you would stop feeling sorry for yourself, you were a grown woman, you had been through a pregnancy once and you could do it a second time. No matter if your cowboy was going to step up or not, though you hoped really hard he would, you would focus on your son, making sure he had the Halloween he had waited for all along.

•••

Wyatt jumped excitedly, although he still held your hand and smiled big

"I got a lot of candies, mommy!!!" He giggled as you carried his bag which was indeed way heavier than what it could be considered healthy. His costume was adorable, a mix of zombie and a cowboy as he fit in perfectly with the other kids. You had driven downtown where all the people gathered and enjoyed the festive day, seeing how your life would be like for the following years. You knew Jack had no intentions of moving away, definitely not going to the city, which you also agreed. You liked that atmosphere, the small town kind of warmth, it was nice and you also remembered you would need to start looking for a new school for Wyatt. And not only that, you would need to care for a whole new baby, and Jack wasn't even there to calm you down. And that was when it hit you: he hadn't called you that night, even worse, he had promised you and Wyatt he would spend Halloween with you both, as a family, but instead, he had established no communication and a wave of anxiety and worry rushed through you as you began picturing the worst possible scenarios. The story of Jack nearly dying his last mission, the cruelty of the death he nearly faced still haunted you and you would be lying if you didn't wake up quite a few times at night after having a nightmare about losing your cowboy. You couldn't give into those horrible thoughts, not at that moment, your son was happy, you were spending a very nice time together and if it weren't for the fact a lasso wrapped around you and Wyatt, making you both stop dead in your tracks…

And a lasso?!

You and Wyatt exchanged confused looks before turning around and facing Whiskey's shit eating grin as he was in his fight position, lasso in hands and looking every bit of devilish handsome he always did. Damn, stupid pregnancy hormones.

"DADDY!!!" Wyatt's deafening squeal was enough for Whiskey to loosen the rope around you both as he opened his arms to receive his son's sweet hug. They had missed each other so much, he couldn't even believe he had actually had the guts to leave his family to go on a mission, but the important thing was that he was back, in time to spend one of his son's favorite holidays. He wrapped his arms around Wyatt and snuggled him, kissing the top of his head and ruffing his hair gently, loving his costume, and chuckling at the enthusiasm in which your son told his daddy every single little thing that happened the days he spent away. And then it was your turn to rush to your cowboy, being too emotional after everything that happened, including the mini internal meltdown you had at the mere fear he had died during the mission, you rushed to him, wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. Your cowboy was finally back home, to you and your family, and you couldn't be happier as you needed him more than anything now.

Jack was so happy at the warm welcome he received from his family and he knew that was exactly what he wanted all along; he wanted to have a good reason to come back home to, and now he had it. He wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you for another kiss, he saw how beautiful you were, you were almost glowing and there was something different about you even if he couldn't actually tell what it was.

"I missed you sugar" he whispered against your lips and looked down as Wyatt kept tugging at his sleeve, wanting to spend some time with his daddy, after missing him desperately

"Come on daddy, let's trick or treat!" Wyatt begged with his cute puppy face, his energy restored to the fullest now he was surprised by the wave of excitement at the fact his father was there, for him and for his mommy.

•••

Jack had returned from his mission just about an hour before meeting his family, he thought of calling you and let you both know, but instead, he decided to surprise you and it couldn't have been better. He knew you two would be downtown, so it wasn't difficult to spot his family, but as much as he wanted to come closer, you were both walking fast at a reasonable distance from him, so the best idea that came to his mind was simply using his lasso on the two of you, which was both funny and cute, since you never saw it coming, but to him, the best part was when the two of you rushed to him, as if he'd been gone for months instead of just two weeks. It made his heart clench with love and affection, he was finally home, with his family and he cherished that like no other. The way they spent the rest of the evening walking around, getting Wyatt more candy, then they stopped by a small cute place to have some corn dogs and then the three of you headed home.

Wyatt only fell asleep after hours home, he had eaten some of his candy, while you figured what you'd do with the rest of it since it was way too much. Your cowboy had barely taken off his jacket and was already all over Wyatt, leaving you some time for yourself, in which you showered, and got ready for bed. You still didn't know how or when you'd break the news to him, but you felt your stomach twisting the moment you saw him walking towards you with a bottle of wine. You couldn't drink that, what were you supposed to say? Luckily to you, Jack hadn't insisted and even if he was a little suspicious, he didn't question you why you'd said you had a headache, though he seemed a little disappointed to miss you the opportunity to have a drink with you, he still kissed your lips gently and went to shower, needing the relaxation and the hot water pouring over his sore shoulders. He was so happy to be home, all he wanted was to finish his warm shower and get under the covers with his sugar, so he could relax and enjoy a moment of peace. Once he finished showering, he decided to shave, wanting his face to be smooth as possible in case his sugar decided to ride her cowboy. It didn't take him too long to finish, just a little trim on his mustache and he would be good to go. He didn't know exactly why he looked down, at the trash can, but for whatever reason he did it, and at first when he saw those boxes in it, he thought maybe they were antibiotic boxes, but that didn't make any sense, if either you or Wyatt got sick to the point of getting antibiotics you would've said something, so the cowboy squinted his eyes in order to take a better look at it and felt his heart skipping a beat the moment he realized it was indeed a pregnancy test.

In fact, it wasn't just a pregnancy test, there were quite a few boxes, which meant you really made sure to know whatever the result was. Now, it deeply saddened him to know why you hadn't said anything, you hadn't even mentioned the suspicions you had; and it also made sense why you were acting a little off. Jack shook his head and swallowed hard, he had desired to have a baby with you, another one, to give your son a baby brother and sister, and it hurt him to see you decided to be silent about it because he had hurt you way too many times. However, he couldn't simply shrug it off and pretend nothing had happened, he needed to talk things through and for that, he took the proof into his hands and went after you.

•••

When you heard Jack calling your name instead of 'sugar' you knew something was wrong. You swallowed hard, knowing something was up, just by the way he walked towards you. Your heart neatly dropped the moment you saw exactly what he was carrying. That was not how you wanted him to find out about things, you wish you had prepared him beforehand, talked to him or perhaps prepared him a cute surprise, you weren't sure, but you were so scared.

"Is this what I think it is? Are you really pregnant sugar?"

"I-I am so sorry Jack, I didn't mean to get pregnant, it was an accident, I didn't want to do that, please don't be mad and don't leave us, please" you begged but you were interrupted by the cowboy falling onto his knees in front of you. He wrapped his arms around your waist and with tears in his eyes, he lifted your shirt up only enough to see your belly. He placed an affectionate kiss to it and rested his head against it in complete silence. He didn't need to say anything else, he was hopelessly in love with the fact he was going to be a father again and this time he would do things right.

____

A/N: I hope you besties enjoyed this chapter, because the next one will be the end of this beautiful series 🥺❤️

[darkpuppysuit]

🎀Tie up the ends of a Dream🎀

Pairing: CountryBoy!KimTaehyungxCurvy!Reader

Warnings: Domestic Abuse, cursing, smoking, fighting (verbal and physical) Mature themes, MDNI.

Words: 5.2k

A/N: I'm giving minor characters names. I'm sorry if you don't like that but it makes my brain do the burr if I don't. Also I hope you guys really like this because it's been stuck in my head all damn day lol. I'll probably write a part two for this considering where I left off....

Taehyung is a young man living in a trailer on a half acre of land the little old lady at the farm next door let him occupy for free until he got on his feet when she saw him in an alleyway practically begging on the streets.

He was small and skinny at the time, no meat on his bones, his cheeks looked a little sunken in too. So the old lady asked him if he wanted a job and a place to call home. Of course Taehyung accepted her offer with no hesitation, anything to get him out of the cold.

He started working the following spring when calf season started late March to early April. He helped Barbra by doing all of the manual labor for her. Scraping out the barn once or twice a day, he actually learned how to drive by taking hay out to the cows out in the field and when he turned sixteen the nice lady took him to get his drivers license and he passed, barely, but he passed and that was the end goal.

By the time Taehyung had turned eighteen Barbra had gifted him the old Ford truck her late husband had in the shed. She told him that if he could fix it and use his own money for the parts then he could have it and sure enough he did.

It took him a couple months of waking up early enough to get a head start on the daily chores he would do for Barb including feeding the chickens, leaving the egg collecting to her.

Once he was done which would normally be by eleven in the morning, he'd be back at his trailer working away at that truck of his until the light pole turned on, telling him it was time to go inside. 

He'd drag himself inside barely tripping over the lip of the door frame with his steel toe boots. Raking his fingers through his hair trying to tame the curls that were slowly getting out of control and grabbing a water bottle from the mini fridge on a card table where a larger fridge should be.

Taehyung always kept his living space clean and tidy but there were times where he would get lazy from working on the truck that was proving to be more of a hassle than it was worth in his eyes. 

A few well worn jeans lay over the loveseat, many unmated socks sit in the corner of his old lazy chair waiting to be mated and put in his dresser.

The kitchen table was littered with instant dinners and random cheese stick wrappers, soda cans and, water bottles.

Taehyung needed to clean up as soon as possible but first he really needed a shower because he smelled more of burnt motor oil than man right now. 

Fast forward ten years and Taehyung is walking down the aisle of the church dressed in black, a few stray tears rolling down his cheeks. Barbra, the sweet lady who had given him a place to live and a paying job too, passed away sometime in the night. "At least she died peacefully and without regrets." Her daughter in law spoke at her funeral with that finishing line.

Taehyung thinks back for a moment and remembers one of their late night talks in the study as she was going through some papers Taehyung wasn't sure what they were at the time. "I regret not being able to give this cattle ranch to any of my kids. I just can't trust them to run it correctly, if at all." She murmured to herself as Taehyung was prattling off about the truck yet again. She did have at least one regret and she took it to her grave that day Taehyung had to help five other men put her in the ground.

A few weeks later Taehyung was standing on his small front porch smoking a cigarette. He has good enough sense not to smoke inside unless it was winter and even then he sat next to the window with it opened a little bit to let the smoke out.

He watched a large red truck roll down the dirt road with a trailer attached to the back with a bunch of furniture in it and behind the truck was a moving van. Both vehicles pulled into the loop driveway of Barb's old house which made him stand up straight. 

If there's people moving in that means he might lose his job working under the table including the trailer he had fixed himself so it was livable.

Hell, he might even lose the truck he finally got to start a couple months ago. There was every possibility Taehyung could think of and all he could think about was losing the one place he's ever truly known. 

Then she stepped out of the truck, well more like jumped down but, when she walked around to the trailer Taehyung's mind stopped for a moment.

The new ranch master was beautiful, her hair was bright and glossy. She was short and curvy just the way he liked his women, his breath hitched in his throat when she stepped on the truck's tire and threw her lovely legs over the side of the truck with a smile on her face. 

He needed to introduce himself, maybe make a good first impression maybe then, he could keep working here and stay in his trailer. He quickly put out his half cigarette and brushed his hands off on his jeans, his hands were clammy and he was nervous to say the least. There was a million ways this could go as he made his way over to the young woman who was now climbing down from the truck down to level ground again. 

He stands behind the woman as she takes her boot off, shaking a loose pebble out of it before putting it back on. "Uhm, hi... my name is-" The woman jumps two feet in the air clutching her chest as she whips around to the new voice behind her.

When she sees him she has to glance up to look him in the eye in order to talk to him. He was a tall man, he looked strong enough to handle hard labor, broad shoulders and big hands to boot. But he looked as if he was trying to curl in on himself, like he was almost scared? Shy perhaps?

The woman stares at him for a moment before her eyes light up and she quickly makes her way to the front of the truck pulling out some folders which the ranch hands information on them. "You're Taehyung right? Kim Taehyung?" The woman beams at him as she rounds the truck for a second time looking down at the folder in her arms.

"Y-yeah that's me." He stutters awkwardly shoving his hands deep into his jean pockets. "I'm Y/n O'Brian." She offers him her hand for a hand shake and Taehyung looks between her and her hand for a second before he takes her small hand in his with a small smirk on his lips. "Looks like you're one of the ranch hands who have been here the longest?" Y/n asks as he releases her hand with an awkward chuckle for holding it for so long. "Yeah the uh, bunks are in the back over there in the little yellow barn. I live in the trailer just across the way. Not too far- if you uh, ever need anything." Taehyung rubs the back of his head with a small smile on his lips making Y/n smile back at him.

"Thank yo-" Y/n is cut off by an arm draping over her shoulder giving it a tight squeeze making her wince a little bit. "That's good to know, ain't it honey?" The older looking man grits his teeth looking down at Y/n who puts on a fake smile and chuckles quietly to the man next to her.

He looks back at Taehyung, standing there with a grimace on his face. Extending his hand to the ranch hand with an ugly smirk on his face, they shake hands roughly. "Nice to meet you kid. My name is Joshua, just Josh is fine though. My wife and I hope nothing will go wrong while the ranch is under our care." He chuckles darkly when Taehyung removes his hand from his and takes a step back. "Yeah, let's hope not." He sneers back at him.

A few weeks pass and everything is as follows; Taehyung and the other ranch hands wake up a little before the sun starts rising in the sky. The cattle is moved from one field to another so they can continue grazing freely.

The horses who aren't being used by the cattle hands are put into the field with the cows so they can stretch their legs. A few horses are training for shows and contests in town and around the countryside.

The smaller animals such as the chickens and pigs were taken care of by the ranch master and in this case would be Josh but Y/n was awake anyways.

She wraps her robe around herself and ties it off at her middle, grabbing the old wicker basket at the back door and stepping out to take care of the chickens.

Y/n was quietly humming to herself as she picked at least two dozen or more eggs from the chicken coop. The chickens clucked around her feed waiting to be fed almost tripping her a few times when Taehyung comes riding in on one of the many horses.

He offers help every morning when he sees her half asleep and grumpy. His heart aches for her when he sees a new bruise or cut on her delicate skin, he wishes he could do something for her but he knows he can't do or say anything without potentially losing his job and place of living.

He's gone toe to toe with Josh before when Y/n went to her garden with a bruise under her right eye. Taehyung was pissed that her husband thought it was okay to hit her like that, his parents never laid a finger on each other before one day something changed and they started looking sick.

He never left them because they were his parents he loved them so much. When they stopped moving one day Taehyung had ran away to the next town over where Barbra found him a few days after he had made it to town. 

A few months would pass and Y/n, Taehyung and a few of the other ranch hands were becoming really good friends. They all went out for some drinks one Friday night, somehow Y/n had made it past her abusive husband to come out with them.

They played pool and darts most of the time while enjoying each others company. It was the first time Y/n felt free, more like herself than she had in years.

When one of her favorite songs came on over the speakers Y/n couldn't hold her excitement as she grabbed Taehyung by the hand, pulling him onto the dance floor with her. 

After Taehyung had started driving Y/n home in his truck because she had one too many drinks, she shuffled closer to him on the bench seat, nuzzling under his shoulder until he moved to wrap his arm around her.

Her cheeks were red and warm as she laid her head on his chest while he kept one hand on the wheel down the dirt road. She started playing with his hands, measuring her hand against his, tracing the lines on the joints of his fingers. Even ghosting her finger tips along the palm of his hand making Taehyung shiver under her gentle touch.

Especially when she drunkenly lays her hand on his thigh making him squirm in the bench seat next to her until he pulled into the driveway of his trailer.

The door was barely opened before Taehyung stumbled inside with Y/n's legs wrapped around his hips as he held her by the back of her thighs, holding them tightly with his large hands as they made out.

Both of them clumsily made it to his bedroom, Taehyung lays her on the bed gently, driven by the alcohol coursing through his system and the feelings he has for Y/n.

This beautiful woman who had captured his heart with her sweet accent alone. He kisses her feverishly but slowly trying to hold back as much as he could until she wanted more of him. 

She tugs on his plaid shirt a few times as Taehyung leaves a small mark just between the cleavage of her breast where it could be hidden easily. He feels her pull on him and quickly disposes of his shirt revealing himself to her.

She stares at him for a moment, admiring his hard muscles that twitched under her touch as he kneels on the bed between her legs. She slowly un-buckles his belt causing Taehyung to look down at what she was doing then back at her.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna do anything you aren't comfortable with." He coos, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear looking at her with all the love in the world. "I'm sure Tae, please? I need you. I want to feel safe again." She cries the alcohol in her system playing with her emotions. Taehyung coos at her again, giving her soft slow kisses all over her, making sure she knew she was meant to be loved just like this.

Taehyung didn't see Y/n much after that night, he would stay outside doing chores while also keeping an eye out for the ranch master's wife.

By Gods he hated admitting that someone got to marry that beautiful woman before he did, he would mentally kick himself over nothing every time he thought about it.

Taehyung couldn't do much about the abusive nature of her husband either, the few times that he had stepped in he either got a black eye or a few bruised ribs when he tried to defend her to him because obviously she had done nothing wrong in the first place. 

He almost lost his job three or four different times over the course of eight months but he made sure to tell Y/n that he was always there if she wanted to talk or just simply sit in silence for a while.

She would tell him the same thing every time too. "I'll be find don't worry about me. Too much of a hassle to deal with anyways." Without fail Taehyung would watch her silently from the other side of the fence during the work day and keep a closer eye on the house once the work day was over. 

Every so often by the light in the living room window he could see their shadows dancing around the curtain when Joshua would get angry with her for what he didn't know but Taehyung bets it has something to do with the food being too spicy or too bland.

The man was never happy with anything his wife did which made Taehyung's blood boil when he saw that Y/n was trying her best to please him.

The next day comes and goes by in a hurry as the evening sun sets against the horizon just beyond the pasture. Taehyung lights a cigarette and takes a seat in his little lawn chair facing the ranch house, the same little window like he had been staring through the last few weeks since the night Taehyung knew he crossed the line but it was a beautiful line to cross in the first place.

Tonight's fight was no different than all the others, Josh was waving his hands around, yelling and screaming so loud he could hear it from his trailer.

The only difference was he heard Y/n yelling back at him, making Taehyung stand pin straight taking a long drag off of his cigarette before throwing it to the side, leaning over the banister a cold expression on his face as he stares intently at the window. 

All of it happened so quickly Taehyung had barely processed what happened before he had jumped clear off his porch and ran to the ranch house.

He bangs on the door a few times before he slams his body weight against the frame, breaking it with two hits of his body. Once the door was down he ran through the kitchen and into the living room tackling Josh to the ground and wrestling him for the gun as Y/n sits shell shocked against the fridge, watching the two of them beat on each other.

Taehyung manages to throw the gun out of Josh's reach and against Y/n feet as she tries to shakily talk to the emergency operator on the other side of the phone.

Josh stands into the living room grabbing the old lamp Y/n's grandmother had given to her and smashes it over Taehyungs head making him fall to the ground.

He shakes his head trying to get his vision to focus when Y/n's raggedy husband grabs a fistful of Taehyung's curly hair and pulls him to his feet. 

"You think- just because you fucked my wife- that you can just barge in here unannounced?!" Josh screams in Taehyung's face as he huffs out a get fucked at him with a smirk on his face, spitting a mix of saliva and blood at his feet.

He punches the ranch hand in the gut and he doubles over onto the floor holding his stomach. Y/n looks at him worriedly her eyes as round as saucers, trying to hide the phone from sight.

She lifts her index finger to her lips to let Taehyung know to be quiet and that help was on the way. "I could beat on my wife all day. You're more fun-" Josh grabs him by the collar lifting him up to meet his gaze. "You actually fight back, gives me a challenge." He chuckles darkly pulling his large fist back to hit Taehyung's bloody face again when the click of a gun is heard behind him.

"Leave him alone Joshua- the cops are already on their way so stop this right now." Y/n orders her husband aiming the gun square at his head. Josh scoffs at her but gently puts Taehyung back onto his own two feet. "You won't do shit, if you were- you'd have done it already bitch." Josh makes his way towards her and she fires the gun into the ceiling without a second thought making the three of them flinch at the sudden change in volume.

"Stay back, I'll shoot you Joshua O'Brian I swear to any god that will listen. I will paint the walls with your brain, if you even have one." Y/n snarls at him when a wave of intense pain washes over her, Y/n goes down kneeling onto the floor holding her stomach.

Taehyung quickly makes his way over to Y/n cradling her in his arms. "The baby." Y/n gasps holding onto his forearms. "Baby? What baby? Y/n?" Taehyung asks frantically keeping the gun within his line of sight. "Yours- Our baby Tae. Fuck this hurts." She curses when Josh chuckles darkly at the pair of them on the floor.

"Bastard child." He scoffs wiping the blood off of his knuckles as sirens can be heard off in the distance and for once Josh actually looks scared. 

Two weeks pass after that night, Y/n had moved Taehyung into the ranch house with her because of the nightmares she would have. The first night it happened was the same night the police had taken Joshua away in the back of their cop car.

She woke up in the early hours of the morning and walked over to his trailer, looking like a kicked puppy when Taehyung sleepily answered the door and let her inside. The pair of them slept soundly for the first time in quite a long time.

The day after the court hearing and the divorce papers were signed Y/n steps outside of the courthouse taking a deep breath of fresh air, feeling truly free for the first time in years.

Taehyung walks up beside her and takes her hand in his, his other hand rubs on her stomach as he kneels down level with her stomach making Y/n giggle and smile down at him as he presses kisses along her stomach.

"I love you little one, I don't know if you're a boy or a girl but, either way. Your Daddy is so happy to have you." He whispers against her as the baby kicks Taehyung on the forehead making him take a second to process what just happened. He looks up at Y/n with tears welling in his eyes. "Did they just-" She giggles at him when he wraps his arms around her middle gently.

"Your daughter is quite the fighter." Y/n jokes as she pulls Taehyung back to his feet, brushing the loose dirt from the ranch off of his shoulders with a small smile on her lips.

Taehyung looks into her beautiful eyes, completely entranced by her beauty. "Just like her Mommy." He says leaning down for a kiss and their lips connect for the first time in months 

In the next month the baby had made her way into the world quietly, the only time she cried after Y/n had labored for thirteen hours in the hospital delivery room.

She had Taehyung's dark, curly hair and big brown eyes, she was small like her mother even her lips were tiny too. The sight of his two girls curled on the hospital bed as Y/n breast fed was the best thing he's seen for a very long time.

He was mesmerized by them especially Y/n, the same woman who he watched for nearly over a year be beaten the shit out of on a daily basis, who took every hit and every mentally abusive remark for who knows how much longer than he had seen.

She was indeed a strong woman and perfect role model for their daughter. Y/n looks to Taehyung who is lost in thought, staring intently at the two of them with that beautiful boxy smile on his lips when she catches his eye.

"Do you want to hold her?" She asks him and he hesitates for a moment, his daughter is so much smaller than him, he could hurt her if he wasn't careful. "I don't want to break her." His hands shake a little as he walks over to his girls. "You won't hurt her Tae. Just support Naomi's head and you'll be alright. Just like that, good job Dad." Y/n slowly helps Taehyung hold the baby correctly, cradling her in his arms.

She moves in her swaddle a little bit making the tiniest, cutest sound she could possibly make and Taehyung just stares at her in awe. Something so little could produce a smaller sound out of her lips. "She's beautiful. You did such an amazing job darlin'." Taehyung coos at Y/n who stands on the other side of their daughter stroking the tuft of curly hair on top of her head smiling happily. 

A year later Taehyung and Y/n are celebrating Naomi's first birthday with the ranch hands and a few other family members in attendance. "Hey sis? Could you hand me the cake cutter? Or a knife I don't care hand me something woman." She chuckles moving through the kitchen swiftly and smoothly like a ballerina performing on stage.

Y/n's father walks into the living room where Taehyung and Y/n's mother sit chatting away while the older kids ran between the kitchen and outside, playing in the sprinkler out in the yard.

"So, Taehyung is it?" Y/n's father accidently interrupts the light hearted conversation, making Taehyung stand and shake her fathers hand firmly. "Yes, I'm Taehyung s-sir." His eyes widen as he stutters, making him curl in on himself.

Her father just chuckles at the poor boy relaxing his posture a little bit, hoping to make the boy a little more comfortable with him. "Don't worry about that kid, you should've heard me the day I met Her mother's dad. Damn, you could see the sweat for miles when I stood on that front porch with flowers in my hand. I was nervous to say the least."

Taehyung takes a breath of relief nodding to her father when her mother confirms it for him by smiling and nodding her head. "Listen son, if you truly love my daughter unlike that no good son-" Y/n's mother coughs, staring him down before finishing for him.

"What he means sweetheart- if you want to marry our daughter, you have our permission to ask her." Taehyung swallows hard as his hands become clammy and he chuckles with Y/n's parents in the living room when the lady of the house comes into view. "Everything's ready! Tae could you go get Naomi? I think my sister has her outside in the sprinklers." 

Everyone gathers around the large dining table in the middle of the kitchen, Y/n let Naomi "open" her presents first so she didn't get cake on them. She got plenty of baby toys and more blankets and a few hand made wash cloths from the neighbor down the road.

A few more hours pass of Naomi opening her new toys and Dad putting a few of them together for her. One by one each family member left the house. Y/n said goodbye to her parents last because her mother had helped her clean up the mess when Taehyung and her father picked up the toys from the side yard. 

Taehyung waits until Naomi was sound asleep in her crib, thank god that child slept like a fucking rock too because if Taehyung was going to go through with this, the baby needed to be out like a light.

Y/n was getting ready for bed in their master bathroom when Taehyung comes up and hugs her from behind, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck and wrapping his arms around her middle, almost missing the baby bump she used to have.

"I love you, Y/n." He whispers into her ear making her shiver as his hot breath hits her cold skin fresh out of the shower. Taehyung and Y/n makes eye contact through the mirror in front of them and she can almost see the predatory glint in his eyes as his eyes scan her body only to meet her gaze again.

"I love the way you wake me up in the mornings. I love the way your night gowns give so much but leave just enough to the imagination. I love the way your hair blows in the wind when we sit outside together. I love our daughter we made together. I just- love you so much." Taehyung starts to tear up and Y/n coos at him lovingly. "I love you too, Tae. What's wrong baby? Did my dad say something?" His grip on her body tightens the slightest bit when she mentioned her father.

"N-no he didn't- I mean he did but- that's not the point. I'm trying to be romantic and you're ruining it." He playfully scoffs giving her ass a light slap and grabbing it making her squeal. "Okay, okay I'm sorry. Continue please?" She pouts into the mirror holding onto his forearms around her stomach. Taehyung takes a deep breath as he speaks again only a little irritated.

"You're as pretty as south Georgia peaches and as hot as any Tennessee June. Did you know that? Every time I look at you I fall more and more in love with everything you do. Even if the little things you do irritate me sometimes, like not believing me when I tell you you're beautiful." Taehyung pauses to place a few kisses along Y/n's jawline and neck, his hands roaming her body as he talks to her lovingly.

Y/n giggles against him and turns to face him when he pins her to the bathroom sink. "But I think the thing that's got me hooked on you the most is when you say you love me in that sweet, soft, slow, southern drawl of yours. It drives me crazy Y/n, sometimes I think you lay it on thick on purpose." He smirks down at her innocent eyes.

"I ain't got a clue what yer talkin' about sweetheart." Y/n looks around the room when Taehyung rolls his eyes back, tilting his head slightly with a low groan.

"That- That right there is what I'm talking about little lady. It's like you love driving me crazy just by speaking." He teases her, pulling her gown up just enough to reveal her thighs he's been thinking about all day, he couldn't wait to be between them. Taehyung dips down to her level locking eyes with her once again before his gaze drops down to her sweet lips.

"Say my name." He deadpans his eyes still locked on her lips, waiting patiently as he can for her to speak. Y/n stutters when he picks her up to sit her on the bathroom counter top next to the sink. "T-Taehyung." She says softly when one of his large hands smack the counter next to her hip, sliding to her hip giving it a squeeze as he closes his eyes.

"I love it when you say my name baby," He purrs in her ear making her shiver again when his hand ghosts over her stomach. He opens his eyes again pressing his lips to hers with fervor almost pushing her against the large mirror before picking her up again and taking her to the bed.

He lays her down gently like he had the first time they had been in this position but this time there were no repercussions of their actions.

They continue to kiss each other like it was the last time they're going to be able to. Y/n pulls him closer to her by the back of his neck giving the little hairs on the back of his neck a tug earning a soft moan from Taehyung. He angles himself to look at her, propping himself onto his hands on either side of her head as he hovers over her. 

"Marry me." 

Y/n takes a moment to look at the man hovering above her curvy frame. Did he- of course he did, every chance he got he would mess around with the idea.

Y/n never took any of it too seriously considering the hell she had just gotten out of just a little over a year ago. Y/n caresses his cheek softly looking up at him with stars in her eyes as the tears began to pool at the brim. "Yes. yes Taehyung I will marry you. Just please, don't hurt me." She pleads with him and he hushes her worries with a kiss that hopefully portrayed all of the emotions he had for her. He latches onto her neck leaving a good sized love bite on her neck before he kissed her cheek.

"I could never hurt the one person who has made me happier in the last two years, than I have been my entire life."

[atinylittlepain]

Could I request a Joel and F/reader where the reader is scared of Horses, but really wants to pet one, but is worried it will bite her, so one day Joel shows her they are friendly and soft as well as telling her he likes her and wants to be with her.

I just need some soft Joel after everything that has happened.

this is such a sweet and tender idea, i had to write it <3

gif by @a7estrellas

Spring Foals

Joel Miller x f!reader

Joel Miller masterlist

She's not so sure about horses. He shows her there's nothing to fear.

warnings | 18+ the mildest angst, fluff abounds

......................

He doesn’t mind patrol shifts, but given the choice, Joel would always prefer working at the stables in town. He had grown up with horses, spending weekends at his grandparents’ ranch outside of Austin, riding hard alongside his brother just for the sake of it, joyous yelps as they bounded over the land. His grandfather had taught him how to take care of the animals, how to set horseshoes, how to birth foals, and how to treat those wild creatures with respect. So any chance he got to take a shift at the stables in Jackson, he jumped at it.

It’s a lucky spring day that he does get to work at the stables, warmth starting to thread through the afternoons that coaxes people into t-shirts and out onto their porches. They had three successful births over the winter, and he’s helping out with training the foals in one of the smaller pens. He’s a bit distracted though, watching what must be a class of school kids being led around the stables on a makeshift field trip. His eyes keep darting over to her, the pretty schoolteacher who lives two houses down from him and Ellie. 

They had shared some friendly conversation with each other, at community meetings and whenever they ran into each other around town, and she always offered him a smile that made his heart squeeze. Ellie had been giving him endless shit for the so-called “dopey look” he got every time he talked to her, and had also been hounding him to “make a move already.” He’d been staving off her pestering with noncommittal grumbles. The truth was, he wanted to make a move, more than anything. But it was clear to him that this was a complete pipe dream. She was her, younger and lovely and liked by everyone in town. And Joel was– well, enough said. So, he resigned himself to the reality that it was never going to happen, stealing glimpses of her when he could, trying to tamp down his ridiculous crush.

He’s broken out of his swimming thoughts by the sound of shrieking kids coming his way, being led by another teacher and one of the stable hands . She’s pulling up the rear of the group and Joel has to look twice to confirm the furrowed look of worry across her face. He’s always been good with kids, and has no problem holding court as he explains to the small group what it takes to train the young horses up so they’ll be ready for riding. As he finishes speaking, two of the other people working at the stables offer the kids buckets of grain to feed the foals, guiding them into the pen. They take to it with obvious enthusiasm. She however, hangs back along the railing of the pen, biting her lip as she watches her class. Still in the pen, Joel sidles up next to her, offering her a crooked smile.

“Not a fan of horses, huh?” She shakes her head, a small smile across her lips.

“I think they’re beautiful, really. I just– ugh it’s embarrassing– but I guess I’m a bit afraid of them.” Joel raises his eyebrows at her and she bites her lip again, looking down at her hands where they rest along the railing.

“Have you ever been near one, up close?” She sighs as she looks up at him, squinting lightly in the afternoon sun.

“Only really when I first came here. I’m sure you’re familiar with the, uh, welcoming committee.” Joel hums at that, indeed remembering the ring of riders he and Ellie had encountered, what had really been an ambush of terror.

“I can see why you’re not too keen on them then. But I promise you, that was more the humans than it was the horses acting tough. Here– can I show you?” That furrowed look settles across her face again as she bites her lip, but she nods. He murmurs a quiet “be right back” before stepping back into the middle of the pen in which kids are still petting and feeding the foals. He grabs one of the buckets of grain and coaxes one of the foals along with it, back over to the edge of the pen where she’s standing. 

She jerks away from the pen just slightly as the horse comes closer, a breathy laugh leaving her lips as she looks to Joel questioningly. He nods, an easy smile across his face as he holds his hand out to her. When she takes it, stepping closer, Joel’s mind goes hazy for a moment with the feeling of her palm in his. He clears his throat, letting go of her hand to offer her the bucket of grain. She takes a handful and stiffly holds it out, but the instant the horse comes closer, she shuffles back, letting out another nervous laugh. Joel can’t help but chuckle a bit.

“It’s ok, I promise. Here–” He holds out his hand to her again and she very tentatively steps forward. This time, Joel slides his palm under the back of her hand, encouraging her to hold her hand out flat with the grain in the center of her palm. He lightly curls his fingers around her wrist, guiding her hand down as the horse shuffles closer. He can feel the muscles in her wrist jump as the horse sniffs at her palm, but he holds her steady with his thumb lightly stroking the side of her hand. She laughs, eyes crinkling as she looks between Joel and the horse. He grins watching her.

“If I’m remembering right, they named this one Dolly.” She whispers the name to herself, smiling lightly.

“She’s so pretty.” Joel can’t take his eyes off her, the wonder clear in her expression.

“Yeah, she is.” The words leave his mouth before he can even think about them, and from the way she looks at him, a shy grin on her face, it’s clear she knows that Joel wasn’t talking about the horse. They look at each other for just a beat too long, but are quickly snapped out of it by the snuffling whinny of the horse. She jerks her hand away and out of Joel’s hold, letting out another nervous laugh.

“Well, um, thank you, Joel. I think you may have just proved me wrong about horses.” He laughs, rubbing the back of his neck as they watch Dolly trot away. He looks back at her and she offers him a grin.

“You were right, the humans make all the difference.” Before he can respond to that, she’s already moving away to call her class to come back together. The other teacher on duty starts leading the group away as she brings up the rear. Joel sighs, turning to get back to work with the foals, but he’s quick to twist back around when he hears her call his name. She jogs back to the pen, pressing up against the fencing as he walks over. Before he can say anything, she’s lifting onto her tiptoes to lean over the railing, laying a fluttering kiss to his cheek. He’s pretty sure his heart stops for a few beats as she leans back, a small smile across her face.

“I’ve really gotta go. But would you like to come for dinner some time? I’d like to repay you for the, um, free exposure therapy.” All he can do is laugh, he’s so stunned by her question. She glances over her shoulder to her class that’s continuing to walk away before turning back to look at him. He’s pretty sure if Ellie were here right now, she’d be laughing at the “dopey look” that’s definitely plastered across his face. He clears his throat, nodding at her.

“Um, yeah, yes. Dinner– I’d like that.” Real smooth. She offers him a broad smile, laughing lightly as she starts to walk back toward her class.

“I’ll see you soon, Joel.”

Ellie was smugly excited to hear that night that Joel had finally made his move, with just a little help from a horse.

[not-ur-boy-toy]

Hartbreak Ranch Chapter 2

AN: Chapter 2 has finally arrived after a massive delay!! Not much romance going on so far for the two, BUT, it is getting there, I'm trying to not get too impatient, but gotta build it up... ;D If you'd like to be tagged in this series, please let me know as well! :)

TW: foul language, addiction mention as well as drugs mentioned (lightly)

Word count: 3.4k

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“Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my home?”.

The voice rang out through the living room as Shawn stood still as a statue. It was an odd situation. Shawn was in the middle of the room, in the middle of nowhere, by himself. He didn’t exactly blend in either, he couldn’t have been an ‘neighbour’ just coming to borrow some sugar. By any sane person’s mind, they would have thought he was trying to rob them. Shawn knew he should have answered by now, but his mind was elsewhere… Mostly admiring the cowboy in front of him.

“Oh uhh.. I-.. Well..-” Shawn stuttered out before being interrupted by the man who now stood in the doorway, his warm chocolate eyes now holding a dangerous glare. 

“Spit it out, I don’t need a story. Name and what the hell are you doing in my home” the guy repeated with a slight hiss, aggression now starting to build up in his tone as he moved  towards Shawn. 

This was all that Shawn needed to reply back as quick as possible. He had dealt with plenty of fights before. But, that was with a bodyguard who knew about his bad temper and sharp tongue. Cowboys weren’t his forte to fight with either..

“Sorry! Right, I’m Shawn, I’m guessing your brother, Owen, brought me here!” Shawn blurted out quickly, not risking to anger the other.

Shawn was praying that Owen would return fast, especially as the man stared Shawn down. It was hard to figure out what he was thinking, especially as the guy stayed quiet. Was he gonna punch Shawn? Beat him up? Or perhaps Kiss him?... Probably not the last one. The blond really needed to stop watching those romance films at 2AM. 

The doubtful look Shawn was given was surely about to seal his fate. His money winner face (literally) was about to get decked by an attractive, muscular guy and thrown out into the middle of nowhere again. Shawn backed up slightly, trying to give himself a bit of space in case things turned, however, fate was clearly on his side for once as he heard Owen’s chirpy voice from behind.

“Bret! Didn’t know you’d be here yet,” Owen laughed out as he walked over with a grin, oblivious to the growing tension in the room, “Shawn here is just stayin’ with us for a few days, I felt awful leaving him in town… His car had broken down and you know how far the closest motel is”.

Bret, which Shawn just learnt the man-who-was-gonna-beat-his-ass name was, stared at Shawn one last time before those same dangerous eyes softened as they looked at Owen. 

“You have too much of a soft heart, Owen… You know how I feel about bringing strangers home” Bret lightly scolded Owen, although Bret did receive an odd stare from his brother. One that clearly read that he didn’t actually know what the other was talking about at all.

“Don’t be such a grump, Ma and Pa don’t mind people being here.. Or well at least Ma doesn’t,” Owen chuckled out before looking at Shawn, “Oh! Sorry Shawn, this is my brother, Bret, don’t mind him, he can be quite the grouch after a long day”.

Once again, Bret and Shawn stared at each other, the tension building once again. 

“Nice to meet ya, Bret” Shawn hummed out trying to break the ice, however, his attempt was pushed away as Bret walked towards the kitchen instead, mumbling under his breath something about ‘lemonade’. Owen gave Shawn a small pitiful smile,

“Like I said, don’t mind him, I don’t know what’s up with him…”, Owen glanced over his shoulder to look in the direction Bret went before huffing and turning back to the blond, “Anyways.. Let me take you to the guests room!”.

Heading upstairs with suitcase in hand, Shawn followed after the cheerful man. The next floor of the house continued the rustic, homey feeling, having plenty of family photos dotted around, however this time, flowers in vases decorated the hallway on small, pine cabinets. Lavenders, some roses and a few other flowers that Shawn didn’t know were blooming from the elegant vases, filling the area with a soft, relaxing and refreshing aroma. There were five different doors, one on the left that was white with painted pink flowers and ‘Diana’ painted delicately across it, another next to it  was a pine door with painted on sunflowers, the third was a dark mahogany door with simple gold detailing. Across those doors were two other doors, one was a double door, clearly the master bedroom, and the furthest away was just a simple pine door. Owen guided Shawn past the doors until they reached the plain pine door. He opened the door with a soft smile, 

“This will be your room, if you need any blankets let me know… If you need me, my door is the one with the sunflowers”, Owen hummed slightly, trying to think if there was anything else he needed to tell the other. “I’ll knock on when supper is done” With one last smile, Owen left Shawn to get comfortable, heading to his own room.

The black boots Shawn wore clicked softly against the wooden floor as he entered the room that he’d call ‘home’ for the next few days. Compared to the rest of the house that the model had seen, this room felt rather… empty. There weren't any family photos, there weren't any carefully embroidered pillows or even any bright colours. Instead, the room had a simple double bed in the centre of the room, leaned against the right empty wall, the bedding was a cool white with a few fluffy pillows that looked like they were brand new and untouched. Two bedside tables laid beside the bed, both having a pull-cord lamp and one had a singular alarm clock that seemed to echo in the room. Next to the bed, there was another closed door which Shawn assumed was the bathroom. On the opposite side of the room, there were two panel doors, which once again, Shawn assumed was a wardrobe. A lounge chair sat in the corner of the room with a small table next to it, however there was nothing on it. No flowers, no leftover mug of coffee. This room truly felt abandoned, almost lonely compared to the rest of the house that Shawn saw. The only thing that was rather interesting to look at was the window which showed off the large farm from behind. He could see a few roaming animals around as well as an old barn by a few, large trees.

A soft huff left Shawn’s lips as he leaned his suitcase against the wall, admiring the view he had, “Just a few days… that’s all..” he quietly reminded himself.

Getting himself situated in the room didn’t take too long at all. Shawn had hung up his clothes which he deemed weren’t entirely appropriate to wear at a farm, his extra pair of shoes were lined up in the wardrobe, and he had made sure his cigs and bottle of vodka was hidden away in one of the bedside tables. He was gonna save them for when he met up with Ramon, Kid and Diesel, but desperate times called for desperate measures if he needed them. He even had some ‘extra’ measures hidden in his cig packs as well, something that relaxed him more than the cigs. But that was for extreme desperate times. Or fun times. Shawn’s shampoo and conditioner was lined up in the bathroom right next to his cherry and vanilla scented body wash, his hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste was also placed on the sink as well. It felt mostly like home now. Although, there was a small problem. Or well, two small problems. One was that there was no TV, did these people live like cavemen? And the second, his phone was getting pretty low and there was no plug socket.. He had double checked the whole room just to make sure! There was none behind the bedside tables, there was none behind the chair that could be hidden, there wasn’t even one in the bathroom! 

Staring at his phone screen, he weighed out his options. He could ignore his phone, save up the battery… But  having Diesel panic and get on his ass? Yeah, he needed to phone up his bodyguard. Shawn paced around the room as he held the phone to his ear, listening to the ringing before that familiar gruff voice appeared as Diesel picked up.

“Shawn? Everything alright? Are you at your hotel?” The questions instantly rang in from the protective man which made Shawn awkwardly chuckle.

“Yeaah… About that…”

“Shawn, please don’t tell me you’re lost”

The blond chewed on his bottom lip nervously, “Well… Not exactly lost… I mean, I don’t know where the fuck I am…” he started, “But don’t panic! I’m safe, I’m all good, just gonna be late for the photoshoot, y’know?”.

A deep sigh filled Shawn’s ear from the otherside of the phone, he could tell that Diesel was rubbing his temple.

“Telling me to not panic makes me panic more… and how late are you talking about?” the bodyguard questioned.

“Well, maybe a day or two… or more… I don’t know ‘kay?! My damn car broke down, but this guy is fixin’ it up” Shawn mumbled out before moving the phone away from his ear as he knew what was going to happen.

“YOUR CAR BROKE DOWN?! I KNEW I SHOULD'VE DROVE YOU HERE!” the voice bellowed down the phone as Shawn played with a strand of his silky hair. “Jesus fucking Christ Shawn, just-.. Are you at least somewhere safe?” Diesel asked with a loud huff.

Shawn moved the phone back to his ear before speaking, “Yeah, I’m safe, my phone is probably gonna die though, just gotta find somewhere to char-”

“AND YOUR PHONE IS ABOUT TO DIE?!”

A small hiss left Shawn’s lips as Diesel’s voice picked up again, “Let me finish my sentence, asshole! Givin’ me a goddamn headache, I get your point!” Shawn tried to argue back but the model was greeted by silence. “Diesel?” He hummed out, “... Big Sexy??” Shawn continued, believing the other was being petty enough to give him the silent treatment, “Kevin???”. Finally, Shawn glanced at his phone being greeted by a dead screen, “FUCK!” he hissed out in anger, throwing the phone on the bed without a care. Just what he needed. His phone dead, Diesel being pissed off and probably thinking he was dead… Shit, he really needed a smoke.

Grabbing his pack of smokes and his trusty lighter, Shawn made his way out of the room and down the stairs before making his way outside. He had no idea if they let people smoke on their property, they probably didn’t, but he was desperate for a fix. Standing outside of the house, Shawn took out one of the cigs and placed it between his thin lips before flicking his lighter a few times to produce a small flame. He held it under the cig before he breathed in deeply, relishing in the feeling of the harsh smoke filling his lungs before blowing it out of his lungs. The familiar taste of menthol was one that was always calming, something he had always chosen as a young teen, they were the cheapest, but they were perfect in his eyes. Sure, he enjoyed a good cigar, it made him feel confident- almost unstoppable. But a Marlboro blue cigarette? Nothing could beat that feeling of a soft burn, it reached an itch that some would call an addiction, but Shawn called it self-soothing. Another puff of smoke left his lips as he glanced around the farm. The sun was already starting to set. It was rather beautiful to see, watching pinks and oranges blur together as the sun started to dip behind the horizon…

Shawn was thrown out of his thoughts at the sound of footsteps behind him and a low voice filling his ears again.

“If you’re gonna smoke, at least have an ashtray nearby” Bret mumbled out as he placed a ceramic ashtray on the edge of the patio fence, “...Everything alright? I heard yelling” Bret continued as he stood at the top of the patio stairs.

Shawn turned around, cig still gently dangling from his lips, his baby blues meeting the warm chocolate ones in a stare, “I didn’t expect you to have one… But yeah, I’m fine, just peachy..” he huffed out, his eyes going to the floor as he kicked at a bit of dirt on the ground. He took another drag from his cig before moving over near the patio to flick off the ash that lingered on the edge into the ashtray. 

“Mhm, sure, peachy,” Bret answered back, his warm eyes never leaving Shawn’s lean figure. Shawn’s baby blues glanced back up at Bret, fidgeting slightly. He wasn’t one to keep his mouth shut, especially when it came to drama. Even if it was about himself. Or perhaps it was the way Bret looked at him like he was an actual person? Shawn wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t help but let the truth flood out.

“... My phone has died, I don’t know how long I’ll be here for, Diesel is pissed off at me like it’s my fault…” Shawn spat out the truth, his eyes looking back at the ground as he took another puff of the cigarette in his hand. Smoke flooded out his mouth before he continued, “Like, sure, maybe I shouldn’t have taken a small ��shortcut’... Or actually listened to him… But still, fuck, It’s not my fault” He huffed out. Bret raised a brow. He wasn’t sure which part he was more shocked at, maybe it was the fact that this ‘Diesel’ was pissed off at him, or perhaps it was the way Shawn deflected.

“But anyways, I’ll be out of your lovely hair, you clearly don’t like strangers,” A soft, sarcastic chuckle left Shawn as he pushed the cig against the ashtray, “Thanks for the ashtray and well, that little rant” he thanked quietly.

“It’s fine… And don’t feel like you need to leave fast, you just caught me in a bad time” Bret awkwardly apologised, rubbing the back of his neck, “If you need to phone someone, we’ve got a landline phone you can borrow” he offered with a small shrug. 

“Ha, thanks for the offer handsome, but I don’t exactly remember phone numbers, got too many to remember” Shawn chuckled out again, he wished he remembered Diesel’s phone number or even Hunter’s… he knew part of Marty’s number, but even if he remember his number, they hadn’t even spoken in years… 

Bret was surprised at the name ‘handsome’, it was very sudden but he shrugged it off quickly, “I can get Owen to take your phone and charge it as the repair shop, I know there isn’t any plugs in this house- Never has been, never will, that’s the old man’s orders, but the shop has one” He offered again, hoping to ease the mans tension as well as an apology for their first meeting.

“I-... I suppose that isn’t a bad idea at all… Thank’s Bret” Shawn smiled softly, “I’ll give you it tomorrow, or Owen, whoever I find first, but thank you” his blue eyes took one more look around the ranch before looking back at Bret, “I’ll see you inside, if I stay out any longer I’ll be tempted to have another cig” Shawn tried to joke, gently shaking the box of cigs he held, but it was the truth. He would have had another cig- Or probably the whole box and his ‘fun sticks’ as he liked to call them as well. He gave Bret another small smile before heading inside of the house, brushing past the bigger man.

Bret glanced over his shoulder, watching as the man made his way inside the house. Questions continued to wrap around his brain about Shawn. Who was Diesel? Why would he be upset with Shawn? Where was he even heading to make a shortcut through the middle of nowhere? Even Bret knew it was a silly mistake to make. His thick brows furrowed together as he huffed, his eyes glancing over towards the sunset. He stayed for another moment, watching as the sun ducked behind the horizon, the sky getting darker and the warm air grew colder. He took a deep breath in, the smell of Shawn’s cheap cigarettes still clinging to the air as one final question ran through his head. Sure he had met other strange characters, like his soon-to-be brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith, but Shawn was a lot more different than him. He didn’t fit in, he didn’t fit in the town nearby nor the farm life itself by the looks of his clothes and the way he held himself. His hair and clothes were too perfect for a man who was stressed about being stranded in the middle of nowhere, there wasn’t any out of place hair in sight or a crease in his clothes… Who the hell was Shawn?... Bret shook his head slightly, he was just simply overthinking about Shawn, that’s all.

Night had quickly arrived by the time Owen knocked on the guest door to announce that supper was done. The dinner table was on the biggerside, having about twelve chairs around the table and only a few of the chairs were being used. He met the patriarch of the Harts, Stu, and his Mrs, Helen. Much like Bret, Stu wasn’t as welcoming, but Helen was his saviour. She had welcomed him with open arms, Owen clearly took after his mother. He had met Diana who was sweet, she was the youngest daughter of the Harts. He had also learnt that the family was rather large, having twelve siblings all together, but most of the kids had moved out. The supper was something he needed, something relaxing, and soul soothing from how fresh and hearty the soup and bread he ate. He did notice Bret missing from the table, which must of been the usual as Owen’s voice perked up,

“Bret usually misses his supper, he’ll be checking on the animals making sure their water is good and they have food” He explained before taking a sip of water, “He’ll have it later”. That eased Shawn’s curiosity, leaving it without another question. 

After the meal, Shawn thanked them, especially for the welcomed hospitality before heading to the guest room. He changed out of his clothes, hanging them up before fully getting ready for bed. Shawn had a strict regime that he followed, he would wash his face before cleansing it, then he would moisturise as well. He had to keep his face looking young, obviously. He would then brush his hair before tying it up into a ponytail, he’d also have a whiskey over ice and even a cigar before brushing his teeth.

Usually after his little routine, he would stay up late in his penthouse, he’d sit on his large, comfy couch that was as soft as clouds and watch a few films before going to bed. On bad nights, he wouldn’t sleep. He’d instead sit outside on his balcony, watching the bright city of New York light up the dark sky, replacing the stars he couldn’t see. It was called the city that never sleeps for a reason. Yet, being in this home, he felt as if he wouldn’t have a bad night, that he could actually rest without an issue.

The guest bed wasn’t exactly as comfy as his bed at home, but he was used to other beds, especially when he travelled. It was the comfiest he had in awhile, he seemed to sink in like his own bed somewhat, and it didn’t feel like stone like a few five star hotel beds did. The room wasn’t fully pitch black either, which didn’t annoy him as much as he thought it would. The curtains that covered the window in the room were thin, letting in the natural light of the moon and stars outside fade in which tempted him to go and admire… but he’d leave that for a sleepless night. Even the sounds of crickets outside didn’t annoy him even if he enjoyed  silence when he slept. They chirped out a symphony that lulled Shawn to a somewhat peaceful sleep.

[miscfandomwrites]

A/N: This is a short drabble I had hidden in my drafts, I believe this is a start to my 'Volchista' series which is something that's been thought about for a couple years, but I think for now I just want a cowgirl who falls in love with another gal...or two. ;) Oh, btw, I make all of my headers by myself. Please don't steal them from me, they take a lot of work.

Pairing: Cowgirl! Reader x Wanda Maximoff x Natasha Romanoff

Warnings: None / Reader has an aversion to alcohol

Words: 935

Tagging: @tyler-t0t

~

"I think it's time to retire 76, she keeps going lame, and I doubt she'll survive another calf season" I told Clint as I headed to the kitchen to wash up for dinner. 

"You know what's best for the animals, if that's what you think needs to be done, take care of it." He replied beside me, cutting up some tomatoes for the burgers.

"How come you let her make all the decisions?" Tony asked him, leaning back in his chair, sipping on a glass of what I could only assume was either whiskey or bourbon. 

"She lived in Montana, and has spent, what..three decades ranching?" A slightly confused look on his face as Clint faced me, leaning back against the counter. 

"Four, but yeah, I have experience and background" 

"So what's going to happen to 76 then? You'll kill her?" Spoke the dark redhead, judging by the length of her hair, that would be Wanda Maximoff.

"I have a friend who will euthanize her out in the field, but until then I will make sure she is as comfortable as possible. I believe that an animal should live its best life, and be as healthy as can be, but if repeating issues occur or the way of life for the animal is made to where it would be unethical to keep alive, then in that case there is necessity for euthanization.” 

“So just because she’s old and can’t have a baby, you’re going to kill her?” 

“The average lifespan of a cow is twenty years. 76 is twenty-two years old, the last calf she had nearly killed her, and the last three calves haven’t survived birth or gestation.” 

“So she’s old, so she’s going to die?”

“No, it would be mean to keep her alive because she would keep getting sick and when she doesn’t feel good it’s not good for her, (Y/N) just wants the animals to be happy.” a small voice piped up, coming from Clint’s oldest, Abigail. 

I nodded at her as she glared, or as much as an eight year old could glare, at the billionaire.

“How old are you?” 

I shrugged, and started to help Lauren bring the dishes to the table, ignoring his question. 

~

“Want a beer?” Steve asked, holding out an unopened bottle to me.

I saw both Clint and Lauren open their mouths, but before they could said anything, I settled my face with a neutral expression and told him bluntly. “I don’t drink.” before walking past him to grab a soda out of the fridge. 

I grabbed one of the glass cokes that were kept stocked next to the beers and popped the top off, tossing it into the little bin next to the fridge. 

“Mind if I ask why?” Stark asked, sipping on whatever it was. 

I shrugged. “I honestly don’t like it. It dulls the senses and I’ve genuinely never had an alcoholic drink that tastes good. Besides, I feel like I’ve had enough alcohol to last me the rest of my life.”

“Are the cows names just numbers?” The dark red-head blurts out as I was sitting down. 

I took a sip of my drink and tried to piece together the best way to explain to her that I knew how. 

“Technically yes, we have three-hundred and seventy-nine cows in our herd, we can’t really give them all names. Well, the older ones, the ones past twenty, yes we name, but we also retire them.” 

“Just because they can’t breed?” 

“Yes and no, they are old enough and have had at a minimum of three calves, so I see no reason to have them out with the bulls where they could potentially get pregnant again and miscarry, or end up dying during labor. Or, if they resist the bulls, the bulls will attack them. Occasionally, if I have an orphan calf or if I am given one, I give it to the older ones because they know how to care for them.”

“Giving them a chance at motherhood again without the pain of pregnancy or the dangers of giving birth.” Lauren adds on, raising her mug to me. 

“Exactly. I try my best to look after them. If an animal’s well-being is ever called into question, especially if it has to do with how they could live the rest of their life in pain, I do everything I can to make sure that animal will not be in pain even if it means relentless vet visits or having to euthanize so they can have a chance of being free from the pain. And trust me, I hate it. But it is necessary.”

“You definitely sound like you’ve been doing this for a long time. Where on earth do you get the money for the vet visits though? I imagine with all of the animals you have the bills are ridiculous.” 

“I know a couple people, and I do the occasional mission to help fund the farm if needed. However, that's only when Clint or Nat are on leave.” 

“Why?” 

“I’d rather not leave my family without someone who knows how to protect them. That and someone who knows how to manage the farm when they’re gone.”

“Even then, I rely on the girls more than anything when it’s just me here. The cows have a particular…fondness for me.” Natasha spoke over her cup of juice. 

I chuckled. “They know a good soul when one’s around, I don’t blame em’ for gathering around you.” 

“Not when they leave their calves with me! I don’t know what to do with baby cows!”

[royalcolls-cccc-au-act]

MIND/APOLLO LORE !!

This is up until the current timeline of the story

.

.

.

> Apollo, that isn't his birth name but he didn't like the name he was given. He found it boring and way too common for someone such as himself, strong, smart, someone worth remembering. No one knowa what his actual name was besides his family and his best friend, June, and lord knows that they knew better than to tell other's that information.

> The boy grew up in a small town, one that had a lot of other poorer family's. So, the town wasn't as good as others. Not many people complained though, as they had enough to survive and live. It was worse of for those of bigger families, like Apollo's family. There were 5 kids all living under the same roof with both parents working to support it. The eldest of the siblings would work alongside their father as well as hunt for some decent animals and meat. The second eldest were to look after the younger ones, make sure they got to school and came back just fine.

> And this is how Apollo met June. In school.

> Long story short, they got on well. Inseperable. There was barley a time that they were seem away from eachother, and to others it was nothing dhort of a miracle as Apollo typically was snarky or just cold towards others, not liking to interact with people. But with June, he was happy. He was also chaotic, sure, but happy. When they were both late teens, around 16 (Apollo) and 17 (June), they went a few towns over to go check it out, and saw how it was a more well off town than theirs, as well as the fact that one or two people owned cars. Nice cars, big too. They exchanged a look and they both ended up stealing one of the cars. It took a bit, but they got it running. Bad news though, the sheriff noticed and as they drove off, the sheriff followed. The were eventually caught, but June lied and told the sheriff that Apollo didn't do a thing to help, and that June had done everything and dragged him along. They were both sent to jail, but for different times. Apollo got 6 months, while June got 4 years. Pretty unfair, but June didn't mind, he was just happy that he saved his friend the time in jail that he would've got.

> Apollo was forever grateful.

> 6 months later, Apollo was let out of jail, and he made his way home to his parents. Parents, who chewed his ear off for a good 2 hours straight about how stupid it was to go stealing a car. That wouldn't stop him though, as the next few months, Apollo continued these crimes and everything as he went on to successfully steal a car, and start robbing places, getting the money to dress nice and support himself. He also ended up moving out of his parents house. He didn't buy a house, didn't want to. He just spent time in his car, going from town to the jail June was held in, visiting his friend once a month.

> It got quite... lonely by himself. He didn't have June to hang about with, and god forbid he have any other friends. He didn't like that idea, but one day when he was collecting some fruit from the farmer, he decided to actually strike up a conversation.

**"Hey, what's this ranch for for? It doesn't look like you're usin' it for a whole lotta storage."**

> The farmer had laughed from where he was sat on a hay block, resting from the days work he had done.

*"It ain't used for storage, you're right. It's used as a stage, rehersal room. There's this... girl that uses it to practice. Darrel here helps 'er."*

> He gestured to the chicken that was pecking idley at the hay block that the farmer was sat on. He picked up the chicken and held him comfortably in his arms.

***"Tell me how she'd doin'. I might wanna meet lil' miss moviestar some day."***

> And then Apollo left. That was how the start of their friendship. Atlas knew that Apollo robbed others, but they had a mutual agreement that Atlas wouldn't snitch if he didn't steal from the farm and actually buy the crops and animal products.

> Moving to a while later, Apollo had been away from the farm for a while, as he was out of town, but that day he had to seek cover in the farm. He had been in one town over and saw a dog being mistreated, sand beinf kicked in its face and probably some other horrible things, so when the owners weren't looking, he hopped the fence and took the dog off its leash, taking it to the car and running off. The owners saw though, and chased him all the way to the farm. When Apollo got to the farm though, pulling up to a stop by the fence gate, there was a problem. A huge problem.

> The ranch was on fire.

> Now, Apollo was usually one to think quick on his feet, but in that moment he froze. He stares at the ranch and how it was up in flames and prayed that Atlas wasn't inside. Hoping to whatever god was out there that he didn't have to lose a friend, like how he lost June temporarily.

> After what felt like an eternity of just watching the flames burn the ranch, he ran inside the place, looking for any sign of Atlas. There was nothing but smoke and flames inside, evident by the fact it was like Apollo was coughing up his lungs. He spent what seemed to him as an eternity looking for Atlas, knowing that the man had nothing else to do besides be on his farm working all day, so he must be here, right? Well, he had to leave the ranch before finding out due to the smoke getting to him. He'd check though, every day after. For now he just has to get to a safe place where the fire didn't get him.

> It's a few weeks before he actually goes back to the farm, people were saying no one wa allowed near there, and they'd have to get their food other ways until the ranch was rebuilt. During the rebuilding time, Apollo visited, seeing the wooden frames and ladders, people working on the ranch. They were getting things done in a good time. And Atlas was there, outside the ranch with Darrel under his arm as he leant on a cane (Well that was new) watching the men working on his ranch.

> And life went on as normal from then on out.

> Until the day Apollo met someone new, of course.

> He drove up to the ranch like he did every week, but on a different day than he normally headed up there. He humed as he walked into the ranch, looking as Atlas seemed to be setting out some wooden planks on the floor.

**"Wha's all this for then?"**

> Apollo asks, confused as all hell.

*"A stage."*

> Is all the farmer had given in response as there were footsteps in the ranch. Apollo turns, then smiles.

**"So you're the famous lil' movie star Atlas has been talkin' 'bout?"**

[hawkinsbnbg]

After quitting his accounting job at his father's company, Steve left the city and moved to the countryside where he used most of his savings to open a small ranch.

Steve enjoyed his farmer life until one day, some of his chickens suddenly went missing.

At first, he thought it was the foxes, but even after he locked the doors, and set up the traps, his chickens still went away the morning after.

Steve even rang up Hopper, a local hunter, for advice.

But for all the efforts, he still couldn't keep his chickens safe from the foxes.

Eventually, when nothing worked, Steve decided to step up his game and catch the foxes before they could steal his chickens again.

And then that night, Steve witnessed a rug-rag of a man carefully step around the traps, creep into the henhouse, and then creep out with a chicken tucked under his arm.

Steve was like????

Because a closer look revealed that that was Eddie Munson, the local carpenter who had given Steve several discounts on the furniture he had bought when he first moved here.

Every week, Steve would exchange some eggs and meats for some wood from Eddie.

In return, Eddie would help him with the fences and barns whenever they needed to be fixed.

Although Steve hadn’t known Eddie that long, he would still like to think they were friends.

Thus, seeing Eddie here felt wrong. Weird, but a betrayal nonetheless.

Steve just stood there, stunned, before he came to his senses and called out to Eddie.

"Hey! That's my chicken, man!"

Eddie turned around, slowly, and then their eyes met.

Steve didn't think he could breathe.

Those eyes seemed unnatural, they were black, red-rimmed, and too bloodthirsty to be considered human. He knew Eddie had always looked pale, but under the moonlight, the other man looked like a ghost.

"Steve?" Eddie gasped, looking as terrified as his stoic facial muscles allowed him to.

"Eddie…” Steve hesitated for a few seconds before pointing at the chicken under Eddie’s arm. “Why are you holding my chicken?”

At his question, Eddie remained silent and stood strangely still, almost like a statue.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Steve. It couldn’t be, but since all the evidence was here, Steve couldn't lie to himself any longer. "Are you..?"

"What?" Eddie stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Are you the chicken stealer?" Steve squinted and watched Eddie adjust his grasp on the unconscious hen.

Oh my god, she had been passing out this whole time, Steve belatedly realized with growing concern.

"I'm sorry," said Eddie before quickly running away, leaving Steve behind to gape at his retreating form.

The next morning, Steve went to Eddie's place with two chickens.

Eddie had eyed the cage with a guilty look before sitting Steve down and explaining about his reason for stealing Steve's chicken.

Eddie had been stealing chickens to give them to his sick uncle who had been bedridden for weeks now.

The reason sounded off, but Steve still bought it because he didn't want to think about the alternative of why would Eddie need so many chickens in the first place.

But Steve's attempt to remain oblivious had sadly failed when Eddie moved in to live with him at the ranch.

(Why? Because they had become boyfriends after one year of flirting and sharing tender moments.)

He had caught Eddie drinking blood from a chicken one early morning when he went to check the henhouse.

"Wait, babe, I can explain!" Eddie, lips blood red and eyes midnight black, had held onto Steve's hands pleadingly and desperately.

And though Steve had half a mind to suggest Eddie give the ducks, gooses, pigs, and cows a try, he decided to comfort his boyfriend first.

He told Eddie that he had been trying to avoid this exact scenario because he thought Eddie would drop him and hightail away the moment Steve discovered the truth.

This time, Eddie sat him down again and told him about the real reason why he had stolen those chickens.

This time, Steve finally learned about vampires and the truth about his boyfriend.

This time, Eddie cried bloody tears when Steve reassured him that he wouldn’t go anywhere no matter who Eddie was or chose to become.

Still, there was this question that he had been itching to ask Eddie.

"But why the chickens?"

"They're tasty. Can't help it, man."

"Touché."

[courtingchaos]

Lacking

Gator Tillman x Fem Reader

7:29

A/N: This is because @dr-aculaaa has basically become a co-writer on this. I keep dropping my HC’s in their DM’s and they keep dropping their own so here we are, a shared dream ❤️

Warnings: Sex, back at it again with the knife play, male masturbation

18+ NSFW No Minors Allowed

The girls at Dottie’s know you. Mostly from your multiple midnight pickups of some idiot brother causing problems, but also because of Roy.

Everything ties back to Roy.

When you roll up outside the bouncer lets you in and the wall of multiple perfumes assaults you before the neon pink lights can. In the lounge area a few girls you recognize mingle, barely clothed, and one of them, Julie, waves at you.

“Didn’t think I’d ever see you in here alone, babydoll.” She grins and pushes her blonde hair back with a single talon tipped finger, but she’s just as dangerous as the over stuffed heart pillow next her.

“Uh, no. I mean, no offense I’m just looking for Gator.” You shove your hands in your pockets and only have a slight moment of doubt. You knew you were coming in here tonight so you’d ditched the work clothes. That leaves you with jeans, a plain t-shirt, and your ‘nice’ Carhart jacket. Only your finest for the Midwests biggest sulk.

“Gator?” The blonde tucks her sheer robe around her and leans forward, eyebrows shooting up.

“Yeah.”

“You owe him money or something?” She continues to sound surprised and you wonder if he’s ever had a visitor.

“No, I just need to talk to him. Business stuff.”

“Business stuff.”

“Roy stuff.” That makes her go quiet. One of the other girls points down the hallway ahead of you.

“He’s at the very end, last door on the left.” She doesn’t look you in the eye. In fact all the girls seem to have found somewhere else to look while you unzip your jacket and head off to his room.

You’d found out where he was staying from Donny, problem brother number 4. His frequent trips to the bunny ranch had given him a few glimpses of Gator coming and going.

“I don’t even think he’s fucking any of them.” Donny tells you over the roof of the car you’re working on. He stopped helping you get this front seat out the minute you’d asked your question.

“Okay.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?” He sounds concerned and you roll your eyes. He’s never cared about your life before, why now when you ask about some southern interloper.

“Why?”

“Aren’t you two like, a thing?” He says it too casual and you know he’s gathering intel. You know brothers 1 through 3 are standing in the office, just waiting on him to run in and spill it.

You just huff and throw a wrench at him. “Don’t you have some crayons to chew?”

His door looks like all the other doors in the hallway, minus a gold number on top of a red heart. His also has locks on the outside, which gives you an incredible image of some poor idiot mistaking his room for one of the girls. You chuckle to yourself and knock; a pause and there’s no answer, another round this time louder. You heard a scuff of something behind the door so you know he’s in there.

“Gator?” Another knock, still no answer. “Gator it’s me.” He’d know your voice. It should make him open the door and give you that disgruntled stare. He should open it and ask you just what the fuck you’re doing there.

He probably would if he could hear you though.

Through the crackled music in the hallway and a heavy front door, through a bedroom door and a pair of noise cancelling headphones he couldn’t hear a bomb go off if he wanted to. Slouched down in a small armchair, his attention focused solely on his phone, he doesn’t hear you.

He’s been too busy switching between videos on pornhub for an hour, none of them right. He does see the humor in the situation of looking up fucking porn here. Living where he lives, surrounded by girls making a living, but none of them spark a single feeling. They’re all fake nails and too much perfume and bleached hair and unmarked skin unnaturally smooth. If nothing else they give him a headache a mile wide with their incessant need to fill the silence, something he desperately craves.

Something he isn’t finding in these videos.

These women will laugh but it’s high pitched and giggly. They moan and sigh but it’s forced, and if he ventures into anything rough it’s staged and over the top and he looses any urge to jerk off. He’s on the verge of just saying fuck it. Of pulling up his shorts and climbing into bed but he keeps scrolling mindlessly, still looking for something that reminds him of you.

He won’t find it, he never does. He’ll settle on something finally and just mute the video to watch it passively while his mind wanders in the silence created by those headphones.

Lucky for him, you’ve gotten his front door open. The locks aren’t complicated, just enough to keep everyone else out but apparently you have a knack for picking them. The door swings slowly open into a darkened, smallish apartment. It’s a kitchenette and a place to put a couch and two closed doors on either side of the room. Of course it’s spartan and small, you expect nothing else. When you close the door quietly you hear that scuffing again behind the second door and decide that must be his room. You want to snoop and see if he’s hidden any part of his personality away in the few pieces of furniture but a heavy sigh makes you move faster across the small space.

“Gator?” You ask at the door before you twist the nob, fully aware that he could and would pull a gun on an intruder. While that doesn’t scare you like it should, you aren’t in that kind of mood tonight.

His back to the door is what catches you off guard. The blue glow of his phone screen clashing against the red light seeping in from the neon sign outside highlights his face in pretty hues but that’s not what stops you in your tracks. The scuffing of the chair moving back against the floor slightly, his shoulder moving rhythmically, the huff of air he lets out. You hover behind him and watch the woman on the screen frantically ride a faceless man and you laugh. A light thing, almost all breath but you make a sound he doesn’t react to. “Oh Gator, what are you up to?” You ask lowly and he still doesn’t react. You keep your distance but tilt your head and see his eyes screwed shut. You glance at his lap and his big hand fists his big cock and you make up your mind.

Jacket dropped on the floor and pocket knife out you stand directly behind and when he lifts his head, sensing a body behind him, you lean against him and press the spine of the blade against his throat. He jumps and drops his phone, hands immediately up and open showing he’s not holding anything.

“Caught you lackin’, didn’t I?” You whisper next to his head when you pull an earbud out and toss it on the bed.

“What the fuck?!” He hisses at you. Recognizes your voice but when he tries to turn and stand you tighten you grip around his throat.

“Nope. You get to stay put.” You lick his cheek and he flinches at the sudden wetness. “Aren’t you supposed to have eyes on exits?” You tease, blade digging into the side of his neck.

“Did you fucking break in?”

“Only because you didn’t answer. I see why.” With your free hand you tilt his head back to look up at you. “Busy boy.” He swallows and you see his cock twitch out of the corner of your eye. “Don’t stop on account of me, that video looked thrilling.”

“I wasn’t even watching it.”

“I know. Didn’t like what you saw?” Your free hand leaves his jaw to wander down under the collar of his black tee, his chest hair soft under your cold fingers, his tags clinking softly under the cotton.

“No.”

“Well use your imagination Gator. Keep going.”

“I’m not-“

“You’re not what?” You cut him off with a hard press of metal. He still hasn’t figured out it’s not the sharp side of the blade and he sucks in a gasp. “Not gonna do it?” His eyes slip shut and he keeps his head tilted back into your stomach. “I really think you should.”

His hands drop to his thighs but he doesn’t move to touch himself again. You sigh.

“Do you need help?” You twist the knife so the flat of the blade makes contact and he tenses. Leaning down you grab his hand and wrap both around his cock, still hard and hot under your touch. “Same thing you were doing.” You say it like he should know better. You let go and your hand rest on his stomach, your lips on his ear to whisper at him. “What do you think about?”

“Fucking.” He says with a single huff of laughter.

“Me?” Your fingers gather the hem of his shirt and dance along the hard plane of his stomach where it flexes under your touch and his hand moves haltingly up once. “I think about you.” Your hand moves up further and his moves in time, a slow drag of his curled fingers over his hardened length. From the corner of your eye you can see his eyes are open to the darkened ceiling, head tilted back and jaw flexing next to your head. He’s holding himself back for some reason. “I think about you in my room. I think about you holding me down and about you ignoring your phone.” You press a kiss to his ticking jaw. “I like thinking about keeping you in there.”

He hums deep and picks up the pace of his hand and you watch him move. You push his shirt up to his chest where you can slide your fingers through the thick hair there and it earns you a contented sound from him. Where your face presses into his jaw it creates a stamp of heat that you want to lick. Your tongue follows up from the tip of your knife to that heated patch of skin and you can feel the shiver under your hand laid against his chest.

“Do you think about me hurting you?” You ask wetly against his cheek while you give a slight press of your place against his pale throat.

“S-sometimes.” He stutters and circles his hand around the head of his cock, smearing precum on the stroke down. You tuck your head into his neck while your mouth waters at the sight and the end of the blade tickles your cheek. Gator lets out short quiet breaths, little huffs around his stream of curses. His heart beats faster under your palm, your fingers rubbing circles into his pec like you’re trying to sooth him. “Only sometimes?”

He nods once and squeezes his eyes shut, a long aching groan from his chest when he bucks up into his fist, his left hand coming up to grab tightly at the back of your neck.

“Come on Gator.” You mumble into his neck, watching him grip his cock harder, faster. “Who else do you think about?” You know the answer, you just want to hear him say it. He’s getting lost in you wrapped around him and the metal against his neck and your whispering in his ear. He grunts and tugs on the back of your neck when you go to pull back. “Tell me. Who else?” You get out of his grip and fully stand, his hand hooking into your shirt to twist the cotton around his thick knuckles. You can hear the quiet desperation when he finds his voice amid the haze.

“No one.”

“Good.” You toss the knife so you can lace your fingers over his throat. You cradle his head back, thumbs behind his ears, and hold him still while his hand pumps faster. His eyes snap open, pupils blown out while he stares up at you grinning down at him. Watching him unfold below you keeps you transfixed on his stare, on his jaw going slack, on his lips parting, on the hitching gasps rushed up and over your face. You keep his head pressed into you while he cums white hot lines up his chest, staining the edge of his black t-shirt. His body tenses and relaxes and his head stays pressed hard into your stomach, eyes wide and clear while he groans on the last of his release.

“Good boy.” You tell him, breathless. An errant finger running lightly up and down the underside of his chin. His chest rises and falls fast and his hand drops from his softening cock to lay on his thigh. You keep him between your hands for a moment too long probably but you can’t help the tightness the slinks it’s way around your ribs. It coils along each one and makes your breathing shallow and you hope he isn’t aware enough yet to see the change in your gaze.

His head drops when you take a step back and let him go with a chuckle but his hand fisted in your shirt keeps you in his reach. “Where do you think you’re going?” He says in a quiet voice, warning on the edge of it. You laugh and tug back but he’s got his whole fist in the shirt now. He twists around in the chair to look at you over his right shoulder and you watch the sticky spend on his stomach smear on his arm still laying on his thigh. The neon red that bleeds through his blinds catches his eyes and makes them shine in the dark. “You got a fuckin’ mess to clean up.”

Wind rattles the window for second and you sigh thinking about having to drive home in falling snow again. You can hear the shower still running through the thin wall, surprised you can’t hear Gator still grumbling about having to take a second one tonight. For all of his ornery slamming of drawers looking for a new shirt he still asked if you wanted to join him. Tucked up in the corner of bed against the wall, phone balanced on your knees you shook your head silently.

Now you kind of wish you had, the sticky feeling of sweat and saliva laying thick on you. Your neck throbs where he laid his teeth on you after you cleaned him up, your lips swollen from him kissing you too hard. Your hands ache from the grip you had on his hair while he laid between your thighs, and those sting from his big palms coming down on them when you’d clamp them around his head.

You continue to scroll through your messages, even after the shower stops and you hear him rummaging around. You haven’t bothered to get dressed yet, still wound up in the sheets and comforter. He pauses when he walks back in, wet hair slicked back against his head.

“You’re still here.” You expect disappointment but instead get mild surprise.

“I can fuck off if you’d like?” You offer and he averts his gaze and shrugs. “Then what do you want?” A challenge then, since all he does is shrug at you.

“I don’t care! Fuckin’…stay there if you want.” He gestures at you and looks around at his floor. “It started snowing so you can drive in that shit if you want.” He finds his phone kicked under the bed and bends to get it, tossing it and your knife you’d dropped on the mattress. Your phone lights up again, another message from a bothersome brother asking where you are that you ignore.

“I’d like to stay.” Those snakes that slither along your ribs and coil when you think of him almost purr at your confession. Your phone lights up again and before you can turn to look he’s snatched it up, wide hand swallowing the display before he tosses it on the chair.

“Okay.” He grabs his own phone and looks at the screen once before he scoffs and throws it to join yours. Wordlessly he pulls at the bedding to get it straight again and you follow, the chill quick on your skin, but Gator stops you. A hand under your arm to pull you into the middle of the bed before he climbs over and drops onto you without warning, your breath rushing out of you when his heavy frame pins you to the mattress. He yanks the covers over you and nestles his head into your chest again, a repeat of your own room and you wonder what kind of beat your heart hammers into his ear. He pulls at your hand until you get the idea and let your fingers tangle into his damp locks, the movement pushing up his clean scent. He nuzzles deeper while you watch the shadow of snow on the wall, his slowing breathing lulling you into a strange feeling of safety you rarely feel.

It all ties back to Roy because Roy owns everything. Dottie’s should be called Roy’s because those girls belong to him the same way Gator belongs to him.

Well, maybe not exact.

Julie had let him know as soon as you’d walked down the hallway that you’d shown up, just the same as your second eldest brother had let him know when you left the house an hour earlier. Roy has fingers in every pie in every windowsill of this shitty little town. He’s known about you, but he didn’t know you and really that’s his fault, he’ll own it. He’d told Gator to get some strange to try and work of that excess fury, he’d had no idea the two of you had been cut from the exact same cloth though. The bias and weight, the same fucking blend.

So he sits in the parking lot of the whore house he owns, with the people he owns inside while you interlope in a bed that he owns. And if he has to wait all night he will, just so he can spot the look on his boys face first thing in the morning when he’s realized what kind of earth shattering mistake he’s made.

[beelmons]

A story of 'maybe's and 'what if's

cw: @snarkylinda made a post about when JJ asks Spencer what he would have been in another life and said Spencer probably writes coffee shop AUs. So here's a small peek at cowboy!spencer with his small town!BAU AU. Gif credit @imagining-in-the-margins (couldn't find it on tumblr's gif search bar so I had to use a link). Nothing happens in this fic, just Spencer doing cowboy stuff and being happy with his life, like he deserves.

Focus: Spencer Reid x Reader (vaguely), everybody else on the team is mentioned.

The rule of the land was to trample or be trampled, a rule that was much to the dislike of Spencer Reid.

"Stop moving, let me see you." the young cowboy would shout as the small animal thrashed around in his arms.

Once he was able to contain it, he could notice the fracture on the middle part of its leg. A youngling rabbit had wandered into his ranch early in the morning and his cattle, albeit small very lively and wary, had tried to kick it out of their area by force.

During his first round, early in the morning, of revising the cows, he noticed his herd dog heavily interested on a random hollow rock, barking and bending with his tail wagging from side to side. To his surprise, the source of amusement was no other than an injured rabbit, to whose rescue he went.

"I don't think I have enough to take care of it here, we're going to have to go the sanctuary." he huffed in disappointment.

The small animal was put into a weary satchel after being given a light sedative, this to protect it from hurting itself, and Spencer went on his merry way. As routine marked, he stopped by the local coffee shop to grab some liquid energy for the day, and after chatting with his friend Kate, he headed to the flower shop down the street. Something caught his attention inside the café, though, a face he had never seen before. A passer by, he figured, and he didn't pay much attention before he left.

"Morning, Reid, you're out early." Will pointed out as Spencer entered the small venue.

"There's something I have to do right away, is JJ in?" he asked

"She's in the back, I'll tell'er you're here." the man, dressed up in local police uniform, reassured before disappearing behind a cloth door. Shortly, Jennifer came out with a bright smile on her face.

"Good morning, Spence, good to see you awake before nine." she joked.

"I'm usually awake, I just don't go out until I make sure the horses are clean for the day." he quickly explained before he turned attention to his original purpose "do you have any lilies or daisies?" he asked.

"I must have some left in the back. Got a date?" the blonde woman teased.

"Haha" he mocked "Could you please go get them, I'm in a rush." Spencer said.

"Yes, just let me— Oh, welcome!" she suddenly changed her tone and Spencer could notice it was because of another costumer behind him.

"Hi" you said, walking to stand next to Reid by the registry "I'm here to pick up an order? I'm—" you began to explain until JJ interrupted you.

"Yes, my husband said you called last night. Your order is ready, I'll go get it." she turned to face her friend instead "And I'll get your daisies for the date you don't want to tell me about, lover boy." she teased Spencer.

The man simply made a mocking face that caused her to laugh as you were left alone in the room. He took a second to try and glance at you from the corner of his eye, trying to double-check of the suspicion of you being the same person as in the coffee shop was true.

"Daisies for a date?" you said, trying to break the ice "A bit unorthodox, they aren't necessarily the most sensual of flowers."

"It's not a date." he said politely, although his slightly awkward pursing of the lips made you realize he was not the most comfortable, so you decided to shut up.

"Here." thankfully, JJ appeared once again to give you the order, and after taking your cash you dashed out of the place.

"Who is that?" he asked, his eyes looking back to the door you had just walked through.

"Oh." JJ said with a specific suggestive tone "Why, interested?" she propped herself curiously onto her elebows on the counter.

"You know what?" he was about to start telling her off when he felt a slight twitch in his satchel "Actually, I have to go." he said in a hurry and snatched the flowers from the counter to head to the sanctuary.

Maybe not interested, yet, but he was certainly intrigued by the random, and in his opinion quite attractive, stranger that just appeared in his town.

However, he would have time for that later, he needed to get to the animal sanctuary.

"—and over there you take a left and you will immediately see the police station." or not, since you were right there in the animal sanctuary, conversing with Morgan "You can ask the secretary for sargeant Hotchner, if he isn't there he might be at Rossi's, the local saloon, you can ask detective prentiss to take you."

"All right, thank you." you said with smile

"Welcome, take care, sweetheart." he charmingly saw you off.

Before you could exit the place, though, you crossed sights with Spencer. The awkward smile appeared on his face once again and he raised a hand to give a lame, weak wiggle of his fingers.

However, this caused you to get a warm, fuzzy feeling in your chest, and you hit him with a smitten grin.

"Good luck with whoever is on the receiving end of those daisies, lover boy." you joked in his direction before you disappeared, yet again, behind the entrance.

Morgan stared with raised eyebrows and startled eyes.

"She hasn't been here more than a day and you already bagged her?" Morgan let out an impressed sigh "Gotta get me some of that cowboy game."

"Can everyone stop? I don't even know her name." he said as he stepped closer.

"Whose name?" Penelope entered the waiting room with her particular beaming attitude.

"The girl who was asking about Hotch's." Morgan clarified to her.

"Oh, I think she's pretty, do you?" Garcia asked Reid.

"No!" he almost yelled defenssively.

"Oh my god! You totally like her!" she shouted and Morgan laughed in response.

"Can we get back to my actual problem?" he once again tried to change the subject, gently laying the bag on the counter to open it "Poe found it hiding, I think the cows broke the leg. Can it stay here for a couple of days? Brought flowers as a payment." he raised the bouquet in her direction.

"I love daisies, they are like the poster flowers of joy. Thank you, Reid." she took the flowers before setting them in an empy container on the fron desk "Now, let's get you better, little thing."

With care, she took the bag to take it to the hospital area, leaving only the two men there.

"Rossi said he is hosting a private dinner at the saloon tonight, you coming?" Morgan asked.

"I don't know. Blake asked me for help to prepare some material for her class." Reid answered with tiredness.

"I know for a fact that she's gonna be there." Morgan teased with a grin, subtly referring to you.

Spencer remained quiet, apparently unamused, for a second.

"We'll see." he said.

However, there was nothing to see. He was intrigued, and if there was something Spencer Reid couldn't control about himself was his curiosity.

[i-am-focused]

You're kidding me right?

Din Djarin x gn(ish) afab reader

Summary: You're a mechanic on Naboo, and you see the Razor crest crash. The Mandalorian reluctantly lets you help him repair the ship but you're interrupted when some weird ass pollen has you both very ... affected.

Warnings: Fem pet names but non specific pronouns only, smut, sex pollen, Dubcon kinda, Helmet comes off but you don't see his face, p in v penetration, begging, din is a little submissive, he's not experienced but a quick learner, pretty much everything is in here tbh

Word count - 8.9k (jeez this got away from me)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a warm afternoon, as was the norm on Naboo. Business was slow, all of your usual customers either found someone else to do their repairs or you’re just so good at your job they don’t need any. So here you found yourself, wandering through the trees a few miles from your ranch. Trying to stick to the overgrown and winding trail through the forest but as you continue it seems to be less and less defined, splitting off into many smaller and narrower trails where people have given up on it. You know you aren’t too far from the coast, if you keep your current pace you could probably spend around a few hours relaxing in the sand by the lake before it gets too late for you to head back, it’s been a long time since you had any time to yourself. 

You continued your hike through the roots that almost seemed like they were intentionally trying to trip you, but as you paused for a moment, taking a sip from your canteen, you saw a ship heading towards you. Well, kind of a ship. It looked like it was falling apart, the engines in flames as it rapidly lost altitude before disappearing behind the trees. You estimate two miles ahead of you. Whatever, might as well check it out. It’s on the way to the coast anyway. 

As you approach the crash site the air is smokey, there were some scattered parts around the clearing where the ship had crashed. Walking up to the wreckage quietly, you wonder if there were any survivors. Sure it wasn’t the worst crash you’d seen but it was still bad, you almost found yourself backing away because you knew it would be hell to fix even if there was someone remaining to help. Might as well get a new ship at this point. Peering through one of the several holes in the ship’s hull, you can't see much except shrapnel and smoke. Seeing no signs of life you shrug, turning around to return to the trail. There’s still time to go to the coast- 

“Hold it,”

You hear a voice from behind you, weirdly mechanical but very clearly living. You freeze where you are, raising your hands up to your head slowly. “Drop the bag and turn around slow,”

You follow the instructions, you’ve dealt with plenty of rough customers considering that that’s your primary base of clients. Turning around you’re greeted with a taller man, head to toe covered in beskar armor, a Mandalorian. You’d only seen a couple Mandalorians before, seeking smaller repairs to weapons or smaller ships. Now facing him he had his blaster raised to your head, not a great sign, but in his other arm there was a small bundle…a… child? You hadn’t seen any mandalorian children before, this child wasn’t wearing any armor and was not of any species known to you. As you stared at the bundle, a voice from behind the visor recaptured your attention, “Hey, don’t look at him, look at me.”

He continued, “I could kill you right now. You with a group? Why are you out here?”

You stumbled over your words “I, um, I was just going to the beach. I’m a mechanic, ‘live a little bit away from here and I saw your ship go down. It’s just me.” 

The helmet didn’t move, the blaster still steadily aimed at your head. You swallowed, the fear slowly building in your chest. Keeping your hands raised, you tilted your head towards the bag on the ground next to you, “Listen, you can check the bag and me,” Giving him your name and a brief introduction you continue, “I don't have any weapons other than a knife in the bag but you’re making me wish I did, I am a mechanic, there are tools and stuff in there. And not to be presumptuous but you seem like you might some help.”

You glanced over toward the burning ship. Praying that the very shiny and intimidating man didn’t shoot you where you stood, you mustered up your best friendly-and-harmless smile. Silence fell over the clearing for a moment before he started to step towards you. Walking up to you he said “I’m checking you and your bag for weapons. If you’re lying, you’re dead.”

He knelt down, setting the child down next to him before rummaging through your bag, pulling out tools and emergency clothes. You were somewhat embarrassed when he pulled out your underwear and other spare clothes and quickly tossed it to the side before he stood up in front of you. He began to pat you down, checking for holsters or anything you may have hidden on your person, this was also awkward but hey, if it stopped you from getting killed in the middle of nowhere? No complaints. 

“Am I a clean officer?” You said jokingly, not really knowing if you were on good enough footing to be making jokes. He grunted, “Yeah, you’re fine to continue on your way or do whatever.”

You were shocked, I mean was he stupid? Obviously you were to be trusted because your business was primarily from less than New Republic approved sources, but he didn’t know that. Your smart mouth always got the best of you. “Seriously? What if I told the New Republic you were here? Or I was just completely lying and I am actually part of a group?” 

The visor snapped towards you, Dank Ferrik, now you were the stupid one. Were you trying to get killed? I mean seriously, what is going through your head where- “I’m sorry?”

The Mandalorian slowly steps toward you, your heart drops. This is it. This is where you die. All for a witty comment. His helmet has to be less than a foot from your face as you try and quickly spain away your stupid and untimely comments, “I didn’t mean- ah yikes- I-”

His voice seems lower, it's almost a whisper, “Let me just say this once. I don’t know if you’re trying to be funny or if you’re just plain stupid, but if you ever say a word about me or more importantly-” he tilts the helmet towards the small creature below you, “Him, then I promise you, you won’t even get the chance to start running.”

The Mandalorian turns back towards the child simply saying “Go.” before kneeling down and inspecting the damage to the ship

Whoops, touched a nerve there. He was close enough for you to smell the woody scent of his soap and feel the heat off his body. How about you make it worse because you just cannot stop yourself? You let out a small chuckle. This is probably the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. “You’re kidding me right?”

You can’t help but let a smile creep onto your face as the Mandalorian once again turns slowly towards you. You were playing games with life and death and he was truly and deeply baffled. “Do I need to repeat myself? Are you seriously smiling right now?”

“No, no, I heard you. I’m just wondering how you can possibly think you’re getting this thing back off the ground.” You pause briefly, he’s a statue in front of you. He probably thinks you’re crazy, and you probably are. “I mean I’m sure you know the ship, but seriously, a Razor Crest? It's been quite a while since those went up in the sky, ‘had to come down at some point. Surprised it made it this long.”

“I’ll be fine.”

This time you can’t help but laugh. “Listen, this ship is not gonna be up in the air anytime soon, especially if you just let the only mechanic for miles around just walk away and have a nice day at the beach.”

This time you don't get a response. He begins walking around the ship, extinguishing the fires before boarding the ship to get a very scorched looking toolkit. He acts like you’re invisible, setting up a small ladder next to one of the engines. You stand there watching as he starts to shed some of his layers, the cape that you think is just a little dramatic, as well as the jetpack that was hidden underneath it. Then you stand even more baffled as he removed his pauldrons and chest piece, setting it aside. Your jaw has probably met the ground by the time you get a handle on yourself, could Mandalorians even do that? I thought they never removed their armor.

“You like to stare at strangers that are already tempted to shoot you?” 

Choking a little bit on your breath you cough, not quite sure of how to respond so you decide to avoid the question. “You know, I’m not expensive,” Maker that did not come out how you wanted it to, “I mean, I can help you fix the ship. I don’t have any other customers right now and I’d maybe even give a discount if you keep up this friendly demeanor you have going on”

You gesture toward the Mandalorian, you can’t see his face but you doubt he is that enthused by your sarcasm. This is then confirmed by no more than grumbles and muttering from under the helmet as he turns back to the engine. You take a moment, continuing to stare at him for a minute, he’s… kind of handsome. I mean you can’t be sure because obviously his face is covered- but he's definitely attractive. Your train of thought is cut short when he looks back down at you again, annoyance radiating from him. 

“I have a mechanic, on Tatooine, she can-” 

You cut him off, “Well unless you have a secret ship I don’t know about…” You squint and pretend to peer around, “Yeah no, I don’t see one, I also don’t see how a mechanic on Tatooine has any way of helping you with your ship crashing on Naboo.”

With that statement he ignores you entirely. Maybe he has noise canceling in that helmet. Because if he could hear anything you said, he certainly wasn’t letting it show. You look at the sky. Eh, you can go to the beach anytime, but you could potentially have a new customer here if you play your cards right. So you play the long game. Starting off you just get comfortable amongst the wreckage whipping out a small tablet from your bag and pretending to do work, clicking buttons and tapping around for about half an hour before you decide it's time to move on to other tactics. Next you try walking up to the ship, closely examining panels and wires hanging down mangled from the wings and hull, you don’t say anything or even lay a finger on the ship. Only saying a quiet “Hm..” Scrunching up your face looking concerned before moving on to another damaged portion of the ship. 

This served your purposes well, after a few times you started to notice the helmet shift slightly towards you in your periphery as you snooped around. It was also easy for you, you are a mechanic after all. This is what you do for a living, and examining all of the parts of this truly ancient hunk of metal that some call a ship would just end up helping you when you finally made him cave and ask for your expertise. This went on for what had to be at least an hour, the sun had begun to set and darkness started to gather over the clearing. As you had almost made your way in a full 360 around the ship you ended up back next to the Mandalorian. 

You stood quietly behind him as he lay, half under the ship with his legs sticking out next to the tool kit. You heard a deep sigh before he slid out from under the ship and looked up at you, first glancing at the kid who was playing with some scrap metal a few feet away. “Okay. I can’t pay you much, but I can give you a few hundred credits and then I’ll pay you more later.”

“It’ll do.” You replied, a slight smile appearing on your face with your triumph over the stubbornness of your handsome armored guest. 

So you worked, the Mandalorian focused mainly on getting the engines in order while you rewired the inside consoles and welded paneling back together, occasionally stealing glances over to your fellow mechanic as he worked, praying he didn't see you staring underneath his darkened visor. 

*****

Several hours went on, welding, hammering, wiring, and screwing the ship back together piece by piece was no easy task. It definitely would not be completed tonight. He was reluctant but very glad to have your help. Unable to help himself, he occasionally took breaks from doing actual repairs, switching to fake ones so that he could watch you work. Often he wished he could take off the helmet, but there were times like this one when he was glad to have it. He knew you had no idea where his eyes were under the visor so he didn’t look creepy when he glanced over at you. He had noticed you staring, every once and a while. But that happened a lot, ever since the purge it wasn’t so common to see Mandalorians. It was mainly just the covert that survived, at least that he knew of. 

His arms were burning now, holding them up to the engine for the past couple hours had managed to exhaust him. He finally decided to step down from the ladder, Damn, he cursed himself. The kid was outside, still playing in the grass happily making gurgling noises and smiling, it was way past his bedtime. Tilting his head toward you he says, “I think I’m done for the night, gonna need to be in the ship for a little bit. 

You nod back at him, hurriedly packing up your tools before walking out of the ship, there was a strange nervous energy around you that he noticed, probably because he had threatened your life multiple times earlier, he thought to himself. He picked up the kid, carrying him onto the ship and settling him into his small floating cradle. He didn’t take long before he was asleep, the Mandalorian closed the shield on the cradle, taking in the view of the inside of the ship. 

The hull was kind of a mess but most of the paneling on the inside of the hull was repaired, He chuckled, impressed. Stepping up a rung on the ladder up to the cockpit he peered in to see the console, it looked fully rewired, it was by far the cleanest part of the ship. Beneath the helmet he smiled, shaking his head. He stepped down the ladder, taking the time to clear up his belongings that had been scattered about the floor in the crash. 

As he was cleaning his mind wandered. It had been quite a while since I had been able to talk to another person, let alone someone that was… like you. It had been a few years on the run with Grogu now, he shook the thoughts from his head. He didn’t have time for that kind of stuff before, let alone now, with the kid? The Empire chasing him down? No. 

But you were … something. Certainly frustrating, very stubborn, but he knew he wasn’t one to talk. You also happened to be very attractive, he noticed when he first saw you. Your feisty personality had only made him more interested. Damn it, what had happened to controlling his thoughts huh? He cursed himself. Glancing down the ramp to see you sitting a log nearby, determined to start a fire. Were you going to stay?

*****

Finally getting the lighter to catch on the sticks you had arranged in the dirt, you looked up at the ship. The hatch was open, the Mandalorian looming in the doorway, leaning against the wall. As you met his gaze he stepped out, boots landing heavy on the earth as he reached the log and sat down next to you with a sigh. You stared at the flames, avoiding the strange tension that fell between you as you waited for him to say something. 

“You do good work” he admitted, turning to face you. You blushed slightly at the compliment, “Thanks, just doin’ my job.” 

Maker, you hoped that didn’t come out too snarky, but you heard a small chuckle from the modulator in response before you both returned to silence. He shuffled slightly next to you, clearing his throat before he spoke again, “You’ve got some grease on your face.”

“Oh,” you used your shirt in an attempt to scrub your face clean of the grime, allowing some of your midriff to peek from under your shirt. The helmet didn't move away from you, it was a little bit off-putting. You settled back into the decomposing log, moss and fungus eating away at the wood. “It’s still there”

You began to raise your shirt to your face again, before a gloved hand grabbed hold of your arm, “It’s alright, here, let me get it.” 

You stared at him. He took off his gloves and grabbed a rag from his pocket. He reaches out to your face, using one of his hands to cradle your right cheek while he uses the rag to remove the stubborn grease from the side of your nose with his other, being surprisingly gentle with your face. His hand is rough and calloused, your mind blanking, looking into the visor and feeling his skin warm against yours. 

If asked, you couldn’t say how long you stared into the visor or how long he took to clean your face. He probably thinks you’re strange, considering the fact you just stared at him for an indeterminable amount of time. You were zoned out, not even blinking. Of course, you would be wrong, he wasn’t thinking you were weird, he was just praying that you didn’t take notice of the nervous energy enveloping his body. You’re positive your whole face is bright red. He’s so soft. His hands are rough for sure, but he was so delicate with you. “So what brought you to Naboo?”

He broke the silence as he continued to rub your face with the piece of cloth. “Oh um,” you needed to come back to reality, “I’m from here originally, I mean not from out here though. I’m from Theed.”

“Capital city? Seems fancy for you.” He teased, or at least you think he was. It’s kind of difficult to tell with the modulator and the lack of facial expression. The cloth tickles your nose, “Sorry.”

“No you’re fine", you reassure him. It takes everything you have in you to not lean into his hand, he feels so comfortable. “Yeah no, you’re right. That's partially why I left. I mean when the empire was in power, I don't know. I guess it gets difficult to work on illegal ships in the middle of a city swarming with troopers.”

You let out a small laugh before his hands are removed from your face. There is a reluctance to his movements as he settles back into the log , stretching an arm out behind you against the moss, “It’s gone now. That crap sticks, sorry about that.”

“No it's fine, thanks for getting it off me.” You smile, still blushing but hoping he thinks you’re just naturally that pink in the face. You lean back, accidentally leaning into his arm, he doesn't move, so neither do you. He continues the conversation, asking you questions about Naboo and your clients and your job, how you got started as a mechanic, it was strange. He seemed different, not so cold, talkative even. Nothing like the man that had essentially told you he would hunt you down if you ever said a word about his existence. 

*****

You were sweet. Kind for someone that worked with almost exclusively criminals and those who were wanted by the new republic. The tough crowd you ran with almost seemed like it hadn't rubbed off on you whatsoever. He found himself staring again, watching your eyes light up and your lips move as you talked about your life and Naboo. He could watch you talk for hours, it took everything in him to not try and lead you back to the Crest with him for the night. Snap out of it. He couldn’t. He just admired you, only asking the occasional question, nodding in agreement at everything you told him. You talked for what had to be 45 minutes before it started. 

He was definitely infatuated with you, but this was different. He felt very warm, and he wanted you. He started to fidget around, adjusting his seating position to accommodate the growing erection in his pants. He prayed you wouldn't notice, he covered it as best as he could. Then the thoughts came. Flowing through his mind easily he thought about you, about what was under the layers of fabric you wore, and about what he would like to do to you if he could. He resisted at first, but he couldn’t for long before he was lightheaded. Unable to struggle against his desires anymore. 

Even just the fabric of his pants rubbing against him when he moved was overwhelming, he bit his lip, barely resisting the desperate noises attempting to escape his mouth. His vision was hazy, the world around him appeared rosy, you looked perfect. Seeing you- Dank Ferrik- He was taken back to all of the desires he had earlier, on the ship, watching you work. He had to say something. 

*****

The Mandalorian had become fidgety beside you. You wondered if he is feeling the same nearly indescribable heat that you feel. Warmth radiating from your chest and between your thighs. Sweat began to form on the back of your neck and other wetness began to form at your center. You froze yourself in place, doing all in your power to not alert the Mandalorian to the desire enveloping your body. He turned towards you, it had taken him a moment. He had been asking questions whenever you fell silent but in the last 10 minutes there were long pauses, like he was distracted, “Hey.. do you feel strange at all? I feel a little bit warm,”

“Mhm,” You nodded your head, clenching your jaw to restrain yourself before you began to speak, “Yeah I feel really warm actually.”

You looked around, eyes eventually falling on the log behind you, you noticed small floating particles in the air around you now, and the thin coating of a pollen like substance on your skin and clothing, same on the Mandalorian, but he had the helmet. “Do you think this stuff has anything to do with it?” 

Drawing his eye to the pollen he looked closely at it, and then the plants that were producing it. He let out a small wince. “I don't know really- shit,” he took in a small gasp of air, “Sometimes plants, or fungi like these. I mean they- in the past, I’ve seen them produce spores that… have effects.”

“What do you mean… by, um, effects?” you ask, a concerned expression etched across your face. Squeezing your legs together was not helping the feeling go away, and if he didn't already notice your fidgeting he would almost certainly notice your desperate attempt to push the feelings away, which you were not succeeding at. 

“They can act like a very, very, powerful aphrodisiac.” He swallowed, saliva had been pooling on his tongue as he looked at you. “It’s bad. I’ve seen people be out of it for days. I hope that this isn’t what that is, but I'm not confident.”

“Hey, Mando,” Nickname slipping from your lips, you weren’t thinking clearly anymore, “I- I think that's what this is. I mean I don't know how you feel right now but…” 

Lightheaded you were barely holding on, clasping your hands together, away from the warmth of your core. “Yeah, me too.”

“I think we need to separate. As quickly as possible,” That's not what you really wanted, but you were clinging to the last logical thoughts you had. Maker, he was handsome, you could see the muscles in his arms and shoulders through his shirt, how he was pulling the shirt over his hips to conceal what you suspected was very visible there. 

“Agreed” he quickly stood up. “I’m going to go on the ship, I have a cot there”

He turned to leave before he paused, the shirt couldn’t conceal his hardness anymore, and him trying was just drawing more of your attention to it. Your mouth began to water. “I have an extra cot, I don't know- I mean, if you don’t want to stay out here.”

You stood up, simply following his lead up the ramp of the crest. He pointed you left to a narrow cot in the corner of the hull before he nearly scrambled over to the other side of the hull. Shit. No walls. Whatever, you didn’t even care anymore. You nearly tear your pants as you peel them off of your thighs, feeling the wetness between your thighs begin to drip down your legs, you can hear him making quite the commotion as he rips the armor off of his lower half, you see it tossed to the side on the floor barely in view. Then you hear him start, whimpers turning into breathy moans as you can hear him pleasuring himself a mere 10 feet away from you. 

You feel almost like you have no control over your limbs as you reach down to your own warm center, the slickness soaking your fingers as you begin to rub circles around your clit starting slow, losing control as you hear the Mandalorian’s moans become deep and raspy, you move faster. Unable to keep yourself from imagining how well he would fill you, thinking about how desperate he must be, the thought of helping him towards his release fills your mind as you slide your hand down pushing your fingers into the void you feel inside of you. As you begin to pull the pleasure out of yourself your quieter, breathier moans gain volume and desperation as you get closer and closer. 

This increase in your volume clearly has an effect on the Mandalorian, you can hear the slapping of his skin as his groans become almost pained, like he is begging for his release, then you hear him slow down, the moans coming from his side of the hull quieting, devolving into low growls after he reaches his climax. His sounds send you over the edge, you feel warmth overwhelming your body, pulsing waves radiating throughout, you let out a long satisfied groan before the hull is filled with an exhausted silence. 

This exhaustion remains only for a few minutes before you feel the urge creep up inside of you once again. You're tempted to make your way over to him as you hear his breath begin to pick up slowly as he begins to feel the same second wave. Your head feels light as you imagine the feel of his skin on your’s and the taste of his cock leaking on your tongue. You can't handle it. Legs shaking you rise from your cot, quietly making your way over to the opposite side of the hull, you near the edge of the slightly wider cot that he rests on. 

You step out in front of his cot, unbuttoning your shirt to free your chest, the heat is overwhelming, beads of sweat on your skin making your shirt stick to your breasts as you strip it off. The Mandalorian just freezes, an inability to tell where his gaze rests on your body only brings more warmth to your face. You kneel down onto the edge of the cot, you can see almost all of him right now, he’s so exposed, vulnerable to your touch. He's… gorgeous. Golden skin fully exposed, you watch his chest rise and fall as you look at him. A trail of hair leading down his stomach straight to-

You set your eyes on his thick girth. Your mouth begins to water, you can see beads of precum leaking from its head. Reaching out you stroke his thigh, he twitches under your hand, letting out a quiet and needy sound as you move your hand closer to his length. 

“Do you want me to help you?” you ask boldly, waiting intently for a nod from the helmet. 

“I-yes, please, yes.” he gives in to his temptation, taking a firm grip on your arm as you grasp him tightly and begin to stroke him up and down. His head tilts back letting a deep groan escape the helmet, the modulator making it even more gravelly. He's already slick with the release of his previous orgasm, he glides through your hands easily, his sounds become broken and pleading as you move your hand faster around him, you hear broken moans trying to form your name. Honestly you’re surprised he remembered it, but you’re glad. You like hearing your name roll over his tongue. 

Lowering your head you run your tongue along the bottom of the head, catching him off guard, making him thrust upwards into your mouth as you come down on him. You feel his hand release its tight grip on your arm as it moves to your hair gripping it tightly to keep you in place as he bucks his hips up into your mouth. He ignores your gag when he pushes a little too far. 

“Fuck- yes,” His breath becomes more and more labored with each thrust until he slows, allowing himself to burst onto your tastebuds. He tastes delicious, you stay locked onto his length until he stops his small jerks upwards. You lift off of him, gulping down the warm substance before moving up the cot. Positioning your hips over his cock as he lays back, panting, staring up at you with longing, still hard as though nothing at all had transpired. 

He grips your hips stopping you before you sink down onto him, behind the visor you can’t tell what’s going through his head, his breath tells you he’s desperate for more but his voice, deep and modulated, sounds almost hesitant or anxious, “I don’t have much… experience”

He stumbles over his words hesitantly as he lowers your hips onto his, his length sliding up against your aching heat instead of entering it. You let out a small groan as it moves against you, “Do you want me to stop?” 

He pulls your face closer to his helmet, “No- Kriff- please no.” he replies, unable to stop himself from grinding into you as he struggles to get his words out. “I just- Fuck- want to hear you say my n-name” 

He says breathlessly, the aching in your stomach hurts with how much you need him inside of you,”It’s Din- that’s my name- Fuck, cyarika” 

Running his hands through your hair and down your back, he encourages your movements. You sit yourself up with your hands on his chest, lowering yourself onto him.

“Sweet girl..” he breaths. You let out a whine as he sinks into you, sliding gently deeper as he stretches you around him. As soon as you reach his base he begins to thrust into you, ignoring the almost pained moans you let escape as he fucks roughly upwards, barely giving you time to adjust to his girth, he was unbelievably thick. Just the right length to hit that spot inside of you, the thrusts sting so good as they change from slight pain into pure ecstacy.

“Din- Maker- you’re so fucking big,” You feel a pressure building inside of you, feeling like you could already cum before he even reaches down to find your clit. He’s a fast learner and finds it fairly quickly, likely due to the moan you let loose when his fingers brush up against it. “Yes-“ 

He’s good. Ridiculously good. You’re going to cum. The combination of his deep and needy thrusts and his fingers rubbing fast circles around your clit is too much. His modulated moaning graces your ears as he wraps his arms around you pulling you to his chest. “Din, Din, Din, Din- Fuckkk“. 

You can feel his heartbeat race underneath his skin and his chest rise and fall as you both close in on your peak. You kiss him up his chest and collarbone and settling on his neck. He can’t think, overwhelmed by you clinging tightly around him, dripping and pooling at the base of his hard cock, his pace pushing you over the cliff of your orgasm. Your lips on his throat drive him over the edge. His thrusts quicken as he chokes on your name, only able to gasp for air he mumbles between groans as he pumps into you. Your spasming heat choking his throbbing cock as he fills you with his heat, still thrusting into you as he comes down from the high. Fucking his load deeper inside of you.

He gasps for air, panting and running his hands over the curves of your body as you melt into each other. His breath slows, relaxing as you rest on top of him. He whispers in your ear, “This is so perfect, you’re fucking perfect. Thank you, you- you made me feel so good,”

 Even with the modulator his voice sounds warm and fluid. Neither of you lasted more than 5 minutes, not that it mattered considering whatever aphrodisiac had found its way into your systems seemed to never end. You know it’s not over. You lie there on top of him for a while, your head nestled into the crook of his neck, listening to his heartbeat, he keeps whispering to you, but it changes. It goes from sweet compliments to a lower, raspier tone to his voice. “I’ve been wanting you all day, thinking about all the things I wanted to do to you, I know you have too, mesh'la.” 

You hadn’t intended to, but you’re a terrible liar and it probably seemed like you had been with all of the glances and smiles and blushing. He started to sit up, laying you down on your back on the mattress. He, reluctantly, pulls out. Watching as his cum begins to leak out of you. He pauses for a minute, before saying “Stay there.”

Standing up, he moves over to the wall across from the cot and presses a button, the hull goes dark, all you can see is pitch black surrounding you before you hear footsteps returning to the bed. You feel him take a seat again on the bed next to you, soon after there is a heavy clunk of metal against the floor. Did he take off his helmet? Your heartbeat quickens.

As he stretches out on the narrow mattress you take your queue to once again straddle him, you’re about to reach down and put him back inside you when you feel his palm against your back encouraging you to move upwards towards his head. Eventually he grabs your thighs, directing you to your new seat, directly over his mouth. “Let's get you cleaned up first” 

He kisses the inside of your thighs as he moves upward toward your burning center, you let out a gasp as you feel his lips and tongue against your skin. You can feel the graze of stubble against your thighs, his curved nose, his soft lips warm against you, you start to groan as he gets closer. There’s a pause, broken by his lips kissing over your folds before that long anticipated tongue licks up the full length of your slit. Your breathy moans fill the hull as he moves slowly, teasing you, waiting for you to beg him for more. You gladly oblige, taking hold of his hair and giving it a slight pull, you plead “Din, please- please. I need more” 

Only then does he indulge you, parting your folds and honing in on your clit, licking around it in circles before finally sucking it with his soft, wet lips. He loves the way you taste, he especially likes the taste of him inside you. The pleasure of his mouth on your pussy bringing more of your wetness to mix with his cum, he’s addicted to it. He never imagined this would be the reason he would take off his helmet. But he’s thought about this loophole for a while, and when he first saw you, dripping wet and begging for him, he knew he was going to have to take advantage of it. He was anxious that he wouldn’t be able to make you feel as good as he wanted you to feel, but it felt so natural to have you in his mouth, your sounds telling him when he was doing something well made him desperate for you to cum so he could thrust back into you again. 

“I’m getting close, you’re- Shit- you’re doing so good” That was too much, he couldn’t stop himself anymore. Removing his hand currently wrapped around your left thigh he began to stroke himself, he tried to go slow but couldn’t resist your praise. He was so sensitive, the pollen had made it easy for him to continue even after he came multiple times, but he felt like static, all he could feel was pleasure as he massaged his hand around his thick length, lapping up the taste of you as he grunted between your legs.

Fuck. He’s too much, too good, too fast. All you can think about is how he wraps his lips around your clit, flicking it with his tongue as you hear him moan into you. You were nearly screaming his name, it felt out of your control as he kept edging you up to the summit of your arousal. It was torturous, the way he sucked your clit before removing himself completely where the only sensation was his hot breath below you. Rinse and repeat. But it felt so good. It felt like he was analyzing your flavor with his tongue the way he devoured you. 

He was building you again, you prepared yourself for his pull away, for your pleasure to be cut short. But he didn’t stop, he held on. A rhythm of licking, fluttering, and sucking you that was more than either of you knew what to do with. You pulled his hair, releasing a growl like moan from him as you couldn’t keep yourself from bucking your hips on his face as he stimulated you. A shaky and depraved sound escaped your lips as you came. Your thighs clenched around his head and you gave a second quick tug on his hair, both of which evoked deep groans of satisfaction from him as he drank in your orgasm. Heat flushed your body until you couldn’t tell where you ended and his mouth began. Sweat coated your chest as you panted, he continued to savor you with his tongue. 

Yet another reason he was grateful for you straddling his face, was because it muffled all of the embarrassingly loud and desperate sounds he was making while he was getting himself off on your undoing. When he felt you clench down on his face it was over for him. He felt his hot release splatter onto his stomach and drip down his fingers as the only thoughts running through his mind were about how tight you squeezed around him when he was buried inside of you. The frantic jerks through his fist slowed as the aftershocks gripped his body. Letting go of himself he concentrated on you, despite your hitching breath every time he touched you clit. 

He seemed to ignore your arching back and trembling thighs as you ran your fingers through his hair, unable to form words as you lost any remaining composure. Reaching behind, you grabbed hold of him, following the thickness of his shaft up to the tip, where you focused your attention. This made him cease contact with you entirely. Trying to catch his breath, his gasps just turned into whimpers as they met the air. Long drawn out expletives as he twitched under your hand. 

His words were broken, cut off with whimpers and moans as you touched him where you knew it would feel the best, or the worst, depending on your perspective. But you got the gist of what he was trying to say, “Pl-lease, t-t-t-“ “C-Can’t t-take” 

He was begging you. Melting completely, moldable to your will. Seeing him like this was different, you were more turned on now than you had ever been. Watching his hips writhe beneath your grasp…He wanted you so badly. 

Reaching down he ripped your hand away from him before he could begin to spill himself once again. Still panting in an attempt to recover from the stimulation, he moved you off of his face and laid you down on the mattress so that he was leaning over you. The warmth exuding from his body felt like a heat lamp, the air between you just felt like a continuation of his skin. Distracted by the tension you jolted when he began to slide his cock up and down your folds. His attempt at hiding his soft and breathy whimpers as he rubbed himself against you was ultimately a failure. You desperately wanted to see his face, his jaw clenched around nothing just trying to hold out for you. You couldn't help yourself. You took hold of him and shoved him back inside of you. 

He was so thick, the dripping warmth coating your walls as you stretched to accommodate him. It felt like you were whole with him inside of you. He moved slowly, trying so hard not to cum again so soon, you squeezed him in just the right way, he was sloppy in the way he fucked you, his rhythm slowing down and speeding up randomly, pulling too far out and having to reenter. 

You surprised yourself when you reached your hand up to his throat, giving it a light squeeze he let out a labored moan. “Fuck me” 

You looked up at where you guessed his face was, it almost sounded like a challenge exiting your lips. He listened. His thrusts became consistent, targeted, a solid rhythm. But along with this came his volume, he was so loud, nearly yelling your name in between his whines, only taking time to lean near your ear and mutter to you while he tried to catch his breath. Your grip on his neck was loose, lazy, only tightening when he slowed down. 

“You’re so good, you’re so fucking good- Oh shit- Fuck-, so sweet- Maker, I love the taste of you on my lips, you’re so soft for me. I want to cum for you so bad- Please- Oh Maker- PLEASE” 

It hurts how ready he is to cum, he’s been ready for 5 minutes. He had some experience, but as he had told you, not much. Certainly nothing like this. He actually can’t tell if he already started to cum or not. He’s blind, he can only focus on the heat and the wetness between your legs. He’s completely lost control of his mouth. Saying anything that came to his mind, just trying to keep his throbbing, aching cock from stopping before you cum. No, no no no no no no- his eyes nearly rolled back in his head, pulling himself out of you before painting your chest with his cum as he milked every last drop he had from his cock. Shit.

Honestly, you knew how hard he was fighting to hold on, the way he had fucked you right then was so relentless, that Din finishing before you were able to get there was something that was difficult to be bothered by. It felt so good. Him pounding you into the mattress, it had actually taken you a second to realize you hadn’t finished. But it was evident that Din was disappointed, the silence, you could almost imagine his furrowed brow trying to figure out what comes next. So you guided him, grabbing one of his hands. You led him down your torso and between your thighs, trusting him to know what to do next. 

Putting his weight on his remaining arm and his knees, he caressed your heat, wetness letting him glide over your lips. Your breath quickened as he began to work you open with two fingers, feeling them enter deeper inside of you on each thrust, your muscles tensed as he massaged inside of you till he found a spot that made you sink your nails into his arm while he touched you. Crying out you started to roll your hips into his movements, your cries turned into sputtering wails as he began to rub his thumb over your swollen clit. 

“Din y-yes” you rasped, “just like that- Fuck”

 You sounded so good with his name on your lips, he rewarded you, quickening the rhythm of his pumps. He was merciless, chasing your climax with his hand. This you could tell he was experienced at. The ache between your thighs reaching its precipice, gripping his arm and the sheets you let out a long low cry as you spasmed around his fingers. Going limp under him as you let out a shaking breath. 

Din reached his fingers up to his mouth, licking them clean of your orgasm before stroking the hand up your side, murmuring into the darkness around you, “Good girl…” 

You sensed the warmth he radiated, got closer to your skin before you felt his tongue, drift flat over your chest, gathering the pooling cum in his mouth. He flicked his tongue around your nipples, taking a moment to suck and nip at your flesh making you run your fingers through his hair before tracing you with his tongue up to your throat. He relaxed his weight onto you as he crushed a passionate kiss into your mouth. Parting your lips, his tongue carried his flavor into your mouth, the fluid he had collected from your breasts now finding a home in your mouth. His sloppy kisses pausing long enough for him to take a breath and for you to swallow his premature orgasm before his lips closed back onto yours. 

*****

His lips against yours, obsessed with the way you feel against him. His hair being pulled between your fingers drives him wild as he crushes you into his body. The world never felt so perfect to him and he didn’t know how he could ever feel this good again. His thoughts were so light in his head and the weight on him for the last couple years with the kid seemed to temporarily dissipate. Kriff. He wants to stay like this forever. He stayed, tasting your mouth with his tongue, pulling lightly at you with his teeth, until he felt you pull his hips into yours, lightly rubbing against him. 

It ignited him once again, he ached for you as if he hadn’t just spent what had to have been an hour devouring your body in any way that he could, exploring every dip and curve of your form, yet he still couldn’t be satisfied. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He had been satisfied, several times now, but his brain was fuzzy and light, and when you rubbed against him he could only crave more. 

“Shit- I want you Din.” Your words were almost painful, he ground his hips against yours. Moving his lips down your neck leaving marks on your flesh that would be open for view in any of your usual clothing. His humming turned into low growling as sliding against you became easier, slickness leaking from him. Arching his back he felt you take hold of him. He held his breath as you slid him downwards, directing him into you. Please yes- He gasped as he slid into you. 

Slow, gentle, yes- he took you delicately, thrusting in and out so that he knew you would feel every bit of him as he moved inside of you. He moaned softly into your ear matching the pace of his movements. You felt so good. So tight against his length. He loved the feeling as you ran your nails over his back, he knew you wanted more, but he couldn’t help himself. He continued to pace his movement selfishly wanting to savor every pump into you, draw your pleasure out for as long as possible before it crashed.

This went on, his controlled, almost romantic, rhythm. Combined with his continued bruising of your neck he knew you had to hate him for making you wait. He whispered praise in your ears, “Yes, take me like this. You’re so good- so fucking good to me… such a good slut.”

He hadn’t meant to let it slip out of the privacy of his thoughts and onto his tongue, but you didn’t seem to mind, at all. He felt your nails down his spine until they reached his hips, your grip settling around them and nearly forcing him to quicken. Your hands guided him in and out, faster. It you were so wet, soaking him, the push and pull inside you made such a filthy noise. He loved it. Drinking in the sounds of his cock burying itself deep inside of you was enough to make him lose all remaining sense in his mind. Sensation of you around him, brushing of your skin against his, it was impossible to stop himself from fucking pounding you into the cot. 

*****

You had lost your damn mind. He was so thick, stretching you even after he had already been pounding you full of him for Maker knows how long. He was so close to you, you heard every hitch in his breath, every whimper, moan, growl, pleading gasp. He was so talkative. It was like he couldn’t stop himself from spilling his guts while he was inside you. 

“Yeah? You like me calling you that? Mmmm- is it because it's true?” There was jealousy behind his words, but he sounded almost turned on by it. To be fair, it wasn’t not true. You had your fair share of escapades, maybe even with other customers when times were tough. But this… this was nothing like that. Kriff, he was thick. The way he spoke, fuck, you knew he could probably make you cum without laying more than a finger on you. His words alone made you rut your hips up into his. Apparently the pleading sounds exiting your mouth were not answer enough to his question.

“Mhm, I bet its true,” he paused, small grunts leaving his mouth, “But you know what else I bet- I’ll fuck you the way you need it, sweet girl…”

A smile forms across your face as he says it. “If you had crashed here sooner I wouldn’t have needed all those other co-“

He cuts you off, slamming into you harder than he had the whole night, he wraps a hand around your throat leaning in close so you can feel his breath against your neck, “Maybe you should come with me, I’ll keep you s- shit- satisfied, you would like that right? To be right there when I get back with a b-bounty,”

“So I could fuck you down into this cot every night.” He said it surprisingly smoothly for how he was handling you, the smoothness of his voice contrasting with the roughness of how he thrusted into you and the jealousy he knew was unreasonable. Was he serious? Fuck. Neither of you are in your right minds. Loosening his grip on your throat the small whimpers that escape your lips fuel him to cause more of them. Dragging his tongue along your chest his lips close around a nipple as his hand winds its way down to your clit “Fuck- Din- I want you,” 

Your senses have been overloaded almost since the start, pleasure so constant it was difficult to distinguish when you came for him. His name tasted so sweet on your lips. Your orgasm snuck up quickly, his hips curving into you. You wrapped your legs around him, pulling his weight onto you so that his face was buried against yours and his skin clung onto you. Rolling your hips into him and arching your back you clenched around him vision blurry as the aftershocks made your muscles squeeze him inside you. You let out a long low moan, his name finding its way out of your throat until you could barely speak. He dissolved into you, spilling himself inside you again before falling limp on top of you with a guttural groan into your neck. 

His heart rate slowed against your chest as his head tucked away into the crook of your neck. His breath slowed from whimpers into sighs as you felt him fall asleep in your arms, still twitching inside of you. Your eyelids became heavy, you wondered if he was serious about having you on the Crest with him. I mean you had a job, a thriving business, he had met you mere hours ago. Probably not. Everyone says things when, well, you know. But you were content, his body draped over yours, you stroked your hands along his back, his biceps, as you drifted into unconsciousness. 

AN - This is my first work I've ever written or posted anywhere, I hope you guys liked it, I know its long so if you made it this far i salute you. I'll definitely be posting more stuff on here soon because i have a backlog of work in progress stuff (not just for din) so follow if you liked this one :) also if this seems like its inspired by @no-droids work, that makes sense. Rough day was the first mandalorian fanfic i read!

[norinenglish]

Stardew Rancher AU - Quest: Introductions 2

Meeting BDubs

Bdubs has to be Marnie. There's no other possibilities.

Read below the cut. This takes place immediately after "Getting Started". Don’t hesitate to request things about this au!

>> Part One | Next Part

Once Jimmy is done for the day, he decides to take Grian’s advice on exploring the town. He starts with his own land. He goes south of his house and the small field he made, observing the terrain. There are 3 ponds total, varying in size, and what looks like different kinds of trees. He’s not familiar enough with them to be able to name them. Moving around is a bit of a challenge with all the wood and rocks that are everywhere but clearing them will have to wait another day. 

At some point, he sees the fences that border his land and a small opening leading down to a forest. A few steps in, he starts to hear the moos of cows. Following them leads him to a big building which, frankly, is more deserving of the name “ranch” than his own farm. He can see silos on the side and a fenced pasture with several animals. Mostly cows and horses, though.

Jimmy gets close to it and the brown cow who was grazing next to the fence raises her head curiously at him. 

“Hi, you,” Jimmy says, offering his hand like you would to a cat. 

The cow bumps her head against his palm and he laughs as he starts to pet her.

There’s a sign next to the door. It says “The Stable | open 9 am - 4 pm.” His watch tells him he’s five minutes before opening time. 

What? It’s barely nine? he tells himself. It feels like a full day has passed already, with how tired he is. But that’s a given, really, since he’s not used to this type of physical labour. 

He decides to wait here. It’s nice. The cow’s fur is soft and warm under his hand and the rising sun is shining upon him. There’s a pleasant breeze, brustling the leaves. Even the scent of animals won’t bother him. 

“You know,” he tells the bovine, “I think it’s the first time I’ve ever petted a cow.” 

She flics an ear, undisturbed, and pressed subtly against the fence. He wonders what her name is. 

A few minutes later, he decides to push the door of the Stable and see what’s inside this house/shop before he loses his nerves. He looks around, feeling like Alice in Wonderland. The building, in hindsight, is incredibly normal. But it’s warm. There are plants around, a homily light reflecting on the half-wood half-wallpaper walls. 

Right in front of him, there’s a counter with a cash register – so this is definitely a shop. 

“Hello?” he calls out, wondering why no one’s there. 

Did he get his time wrong? 

“Yes, yes, I’m coming! Etho, what are you doing awake already-”

A short man bursts out behind a curtain separating the main room from probably another part of the house. He’s wearing a green apron and holding a knife in one hand and an onion in the other. 

“You’re not Etho.”

Jimmy gets flustered under that blank stare. He clears his throat and gestures awkwardly behind himself. “I’m sorry, the sign on the door said it was open- uh. I’m- I’m Jimmy. I just moved in.”

The man recovers quickly. “Ah, yes Mayor Grian told me you just arrived,” he proclaims, putting the onion and the knife down, reaching out for a handshake. 

Jimmy had always thought ‘proclaiming’ was just a word people used in books to avoid using ‘saying’ and that it didn’t really mean something different. But listening to this booming voice, he realises he was wrong.  

“I'm BDoubleO!” the man continues, squeezing his hand firmly but not painfully. “ I sell livestock and animal care products at my Stable. You’re free to swing by any time, during opening hours of course.”

“Oh so this is a shop,” Jimmy says a bit stupidly. He doesn’t have anything smart to say, but at least he feels less guilty about barging in. 

“Yes. You will need to have proper infrastructure to receive the animals, though. And, from what I’ve seen, you live in a shack.” BDoubleO pauses and eyes Jimmy. “Do you even have a kitchen?”

Jimmy’s first instinct is to open his mouth and defend his lamentable shack’s honour. He’s used to the passive-aggressive attitude of people of the city, of comments that feel like needles trying to tear him apart, so that his natural reaction. 

He takes in a breath - forcing himself to take a figurative step back from the defensiveness he feels. BDoubleO’s inquiry seemed genuine. Probably. He hopes. 

“I don’t,” Jimmy says because that’s the truth and he raises his chin defiantly, bracing himself for contempt of pity. 

Instead, the other man just picks up the items he had set on the counter and asks, “Have you eaten breakfast, then?” 

Jimmy blinks. “No?”

 He hates how it sounded like a question but he’s just taken aback. 

“And you’ve been working on your farm since when?”

“Uh, I woke up at 6?”

“You must be famished. Come on in.”

“What?” Jimmy asks, dumbly. His brain can’t catch on to what’s happening. 

BDoubleO goes back towards the room he came out of. As his arm raises the half-curtain, he stops. 

“Well, don’t wait there, follow me.”

The imperious tone triggers Jimmy’s automatic obedience, as a result of all his years in the corporate world. He numbly follows the man into a kitchen and sits at the table when he hears the command. He feels a bit out of place, just sitting there, but BDoubleO’s chatter about fresh organic eggs as he makes an omelette with potatoes, ham and onions doesn’t really need his active participation. 

“It’s a lot, living here,” he says when he puts a plate down in front of Jimmy, “but you’ll probably do great.” 

They start eating. The food is simple but somehow, it tastes better than anything Jimmy has ever eaten. And he doesn’t even like omelette all that much.  

“This is good,” he says. 

Gosh, can you be any more rude? He chides himself. He just inhaled his plate of food in what feels like one munch. 

BDoubleO just beams, though, accepting the lame compliment.

“Thank you! It’s all fresh eggs from my lovelies. Think about it when you wanna extend your farming operation.” He hums pensively then.“But you’re not there yet, are you now? First, you need seeds. You should get to Trader Scar for that. Follow the river to the east until you get to the houses. Then it’s at the north of the town square. You can’t miss the huge name sign. Always had a sense of flare, Scar. He’ll probably give you good deals. The saloon not far from it will provide you with hot  meals while you don’t have a kitchen.” 

Here it is again. How can people be so generous here when there’s nothing they can get out of it. Jimmy’s been welcomed, fed and advised just like that. 

“Thank you.” 

Jimmy leaves soon after that, his stomach warm from the food and everything else. 

[triforce-of-mischief]

Memories and Nightmares

Summary: Legend has a phobia nightmare. Malon offers support and comfort.

Word count: 1980

Notes: Legend describes his nightmare with his little detail as possible, but he talks about events and uses words that may be triggering for trypanophobes.

AO3

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The nightmare didn’t let Legend leave easily. It was a multistep struggle, first to realize that he was stuck in a dream, then to claw his way out. Voices and images danced in his mind, attempting to play out further before he finally gained enough control to force his eyes open. He stared into the dark, more willing to gaze at pure blackness than the visions invented by his own mind.

Ever so slowly, the real world began to replace the realm of nightmares. The calls of imaginary enemies were drowned out by his own ragged breathing, and the soft snores of his brothers. Flashes of sterile light gave way to the sleeping form of Four, bundled right beside Legend.

The heroes had once again found themselves at Lon Lon Ranch, and the younger eight silently agreed to maintain the same sleeping spots as the first time they had visited. This meant that Four and Legend were back to back, which the smith was more than happy about. He was clingier than ever, and by the frequent amber glimmer of his eyes, Legend could guess who was responsible. The vet didn’t mind, though. Four was good at providing comfort without being overly affectionate, while Warriors preferred to keep his personal space altogether. Besides, all of Four would have Legend’s head if he dared to refuse Red’s care.

But right now, being surrounded by his brothers felt stifling. Legend couldn’t shake the memories of what had happened in his dream. Though the details were fading fast, he still remembered enough to know that he needed to be alone, and now. As quietly as he could, making sure to not disturb Four, Legend extricated himself from his blankets and slipped out of the guest room. Walking on half-asleep feet, he guided himself downstairs and to the living room.

He slowly sat on the couch, in the odd balance between wanting to sleep and gradually waking up. He stared at the far wall, feeling a bit dazed now. The remnants of his nightmare growled and hissed from where he had shoved them back, dangerously close to taking over again. He shook his head a bit clumsily, managing to stave off the images, but a phantom pain suddenly pierced his arm. He gasped, flinching away from empty air, defensively curling in on himself.

Go away, he told the lingering sensation. You’re not real.

Something touched his shoulder, and he instantly knew that it was very much real. He cried out and batted it away, his mind a few seconds late to determine what it was.

A cold metal gauntlet clamped around his arm. No- a gentle, warm hand hesitantly reaching out.

“Sorry, that was my fault. I shoulda warned you first.”

Legend had been so caught in his own mind, he hadn’t realized that Malon was downstairs too. He looked up at her, his tired brain taking a few extra seconds to recognize her concerned expression.

“Why aren’t you upstairs with the others?” she asked. “Too loud?”

He shook his head, not trusting his voice to be steady just yet.

She hummed in consideration. “Nightmare?”

He nodded, confirming with a raspy “Mhm.”

“Shoulda known when I saw that look in your eyes,” she sighed. “Link’s given me that exact same face over too many nights to count. Like a spooked horse, I always tell him.”

Legend huffed a little laugh at the thought.

Malon gave him a small smile. “I couldn’t sleep either. Mind if I stay up with you?”

“Y-yes please,” Legend whispered, his voice breaking a little in the way that voices tended to when still recovering from sleep. He winced, but Malon didn’t seem to care.

“I was about to go to the kitchen and fix something up. Do you want any?” she offered.

“Sure.”

“I’ll put some water on to boil, then I’ll be right back.”

Legend was alone for the next few minutes, and spent the time slowly waking up more. Details of the room gradually came into focus and the sounds of Malon quietly preparing things in the kitchen became clearer. The adrenaline from his nightmare exhausted itself, leaving him with tired fear and hazy memories. The imaginary pain in his arm turned to a familiar dull ache, so he gritted his teeth and drew in on himself in a pitiful self-hug. He stayed like that until Malon came back, finding himself unwilling to move even as she sat right beside him.

“Did you have a nightmare too?” he asked, mostly to break the silence that threatened to hang between them.

“Nothing of the sort. I just found myself unable to rest tonight.”

Legend sat quietly for a moment, full of curiosity but knowing that it would be rude to ask. Malon must have sensed it, though, and granted him an answer to his unspoken question.

“To be honest, I was worried about you. You’ve had it pretty rough, huh?”

Legend was grateful that his blush was hidden behind his knees. “Yeah, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’m sure at least one of the others has it worse-”

“Now, don’t you start with that,” Malon tutted. “I swear, every one of y’all just like the rest. Right now, I’m here to talk to you. Got that?”

“Fine,” Legend sighed. “I’ve been having more nightmares recently. I think we both know why.”

“Have you talked to the others yet?”

It was a gentle, honest question, but Legend flinched as he remembered a reoccurring event from his nightmares.

His own friends turned against him and held him down-

“Not yet.”

She waited a beat before asking, “Do you want to talk to me about it? I won’t judge.”

He would probably regret this honesty by morning, but he found himself nodding as he tried to decide what to say. “Tonight I- they- um…”

Speaking it out loud would bring vivid memories back from their current haze. Gathering the courage to do so was tricky, and Malon understood immediately.

“Take your time, hon. I’ll check the kettle while you find your words, all right?”

He chose his words carefully, mentally sounding them out to determine what he could safely say without sending himself into a panicked spiral. He had to piece a story together too, before the memories of the nightmare scattered into pure nonsense. What could he explain to Malon, and what should he leave out?

By the time Malon returned, Legend had prepared a retelling that was coherent but not detailed enough to trigger himself. The phantom pain had faded enough that he was able to sit normally, releasing his arm from his own grip. Malon offered him a mug, keeping another for herself as she settled beside him again. She took a sip of her drink and Legend followed her lead.

The liquid was perfectly warm, creamy yet smooth, and tasted like sweet honey. It had an immediate soothing effect, and Legend set it aside after only a few sips. “Feels like I’ll fall asleep if I drink any more. What did you put in this?”

“Nothing special,” Malon laughed. “Just water, milk, and honey… and a little love.” She winked, making Legend smile.

The vet twisted his fingers, wishing that he had his rings or his bracelet or something to fidget with as he spoke. Taking them off to sleep did have its occasional downsides. He took a deep breath before saying, “I’m ready to talk about my dream now.”

Malon lowered her mug. “I’m listening.”

The sooner he said it, the sooner it would be out of his head.

“The other heroes were chasing me. I didn’t have any weapons or my Pegasus Boots and there was that weird nightmare feeling where it’s like you’re trying to run through water? It took a while but they eventually gained on me. Th-they were all holding syringes and Warriors was there and he- he looked like a soldier from my era. He grabbed me and I yelled at him to stop before they could do anything and-”

He just had to finish saying it and it’d be over.

“He forced me to hold a syringe and told me to do it myself. I just… froze. S-so Warriors held me in place as the others all came forward at once. Four laughed in my face, saying how stupid my fear is, and- and then- they-”

His throat tightened, choking his words and his breath. He brought his hands up to rub stinging eyes, finding that he was unable to keep his fingers steady. They were trembling.

He was shaking.

Din dang it.

“Come here, sweetie.” Malon held her arm out, and Legend didn’t need to be asked twice. She pulled him into a hug, her presence more than enough to block out the memories of harsh grips and cold metal. She held him tight, undeterred by his panicked shivering. “That sounds like a horrible dream, but you’re all right now. Nobody’s gonna force you to do anything you don’t want to. Our sleeping minds like to play tricks on us, but our worst nightmares are just that- figments of our imagination.”

Legend shuddered. “Dreams are more real than you think… not this one, though. Even if it felt real… it wasn’t.”

If he kept telling himself that, he had to believe it eventually. No matter how many nightmares he woke up from, he couldn’t escape the feeling of being trapped on that island. This was different, it had to be.

“That’s right. The other boys would never do that to you, I promise.”

“Can… can I stay down here for the rest of the night? I don’t know if I’m ready to see them again yet…”

“Of course, hon. I can stay with you too, if you’d like the company.”

Legend sighed, finally feeling a little bit at ease. “Yes, please.”

****

When morning came, Warriors was the first to venture downstairs. His tense posture and darting eyes betrayed that he was searching for something, and he visibly relaxed when he entered the living room.

Legend was still fast asleep, curled up in Malon’s arms. Two empty mugs on the side table and a blanket tucked around the vet indicated that though the situation had been unexpected, they had made the most of it.

Malon gave Warriors a tired smile and whispered, “Glad to see somebody up. Don’t suppose you can go drag my husband out of bed so the animals can be attended to?”

“A worthy challenge,” Warriors said with a smirk. His grin fell as he glanced at Legend, who whimpered and pressed closer to Malon. “Is… he okay?”

“He will be,” Malon said, rubbing Legend’s back until he was sufficiently soothed. “Be gentle with him today, captain. He’s had a rough night.”

“I’ll make sure not to tease him too much,” Warriors said, and laughed when Malon gave him a half-hearted glare. “I know my brother’s limits. Trust me, he’ll feel better if I don’t treat him like something delicate. If he needs to talk about it, he knows to come to me.”

Malon hummed in agreement, but Warriors had the feeling that she was keeping something from him. “As long as you know what’s best for him.”

A floorboard creaked above their heads and Warriors instinctively looked up. “The others will come down soon, I should probably-”

“Yes, go get Link,” Malon prompted, shooing him with a nod of her head. “I’ll wake this one up while you’re gone.”

Warriors gave her a little wave before turning and retracing his steps, this time headed to Malon and Time’s room. He heard Malon say something in a hushed voice and Legend grumble in response.

Warriors hoped that Legend wouldn’t hesitate to approach him when he was ready. Nightmares were yet another thing that they needed to address. Goddesses knew that Legend could use some well-deserved rest.

[broadraiwrites]

No. 3: SET UP FOR FAILURE Fingerprints | Wrongfully Arrested | "I warned you." Characters: Genevieve Warren (oc), Bryan Danielson, Daniel Garcia Pairing: None Verse: Western Mentions: Jake Hager, Angelo Parker, Ruby Soho, Chris Jericho Trigger Warnings: Domestic Violence, Murder

The truth of the relationship between Jake Hager and his much younger wife Genevieve was the worst kept secret in the tiny prospecting town. They all heard the arguments coming from the ranch at all hours of the night. They saw the way that Genevieve cowered away from her husband when he lost a poker game at the local saloon. ‘Women don't cower away from a man like that for no reason’ they all whispered, but no one stepped in to protect the young girl. For five long years, she was the center of their gossip, but the responsibility of no one.

Until the morning they all heard that little Genevieve was being held in the jail, and her no-good husband was as dead as the townfolk’s dreams of striking it rich. She insisted that she had nothing to do with her husband's untimely demise. As a matter of fact, she had been out of town for the last several days visiting family when she came home to find Jake dead on their living room floor. Sure, she had been making plans to leave Jake, but that didn't mean that she wanted him dead!

“Please, Sheriff Bryan, you gotta believe me!” Genevieve sobbed from the bench inside the cell. “I've never so much as touched a gun in my whole life. I'm terrified of ‘em!”

Bryan eyed the petite blonde carefully from his desk in the corner of the room. “I want to believe you, Genny; truthfully, I do,” he said. Having only taken over as sheriff a few short months before, Bryan Danielson wasn't sure what to make of a case like this one. On one hand, he heard the rumors of the terrible abuse that Genevieve had suffered and wouldn't have blamed her if she had taken matters into her own hands, necessarily. On the other hand, he couldn't imagine that such a small woman could withstand the kickback of a pistol without being pushed back into the living room wall, given where the body had been found. 

“I'm sure that it was hard to live with him sometimes, Genny,” Bryan began. “Especially when he's spending so much of your household funds to go on these expeditions with Jericho and leaving you to keep the homestead running on your own for weeks at a time. No one is going to blame you if you got tired of his abuse, Genevieve. Not a soul in this town is going to blame you if you did what you had to do, but if you can't tell me the truth, sweetheart, you don't leave me with very many options here. People are going to ask me to send you to the gallows for this if we don't have the truth.”

“I am tellin’ you the truth!” the blonde woman insisted through her tears. “I wasn't home; I went up north to stash away some money with my family so that I could get out of here, so that I could get away from him!”

She glanced over to the door at the sound of footsteps, seeing Daniel Garcia enter the small one-room jailhouse. Daniel was the closest neighbor to the Hager homestead and was likely familiar with the level of abuse that Genevieve was suffering on a daily basis.

“You let that poor woman outta there, sheriff,” Daniel spoke, crossing over to the older man. “She hasn't done anything worth being locked up over.”

“Daniel,” the sheriff began, “I know none of us blame Genevieve for what happened last night, but I can't just let her go if she doesn't tell me the truth.”

“She can't tell you what she doesn't know,” Daniel insisted. 

“What exactly do you know about what Genny does or doesn't know, Daniel?”

Taking a deep breath, he glanced back at where Genevieve sat before turning back to the sheriff. The next words out of his mouth were going to change his life in more ways than one. “I couldn't take it anymore, sheriff,” he started to explain. “I could hear her crying from my porch most nights after he was done with her, and no lady deserves to be treated like that. I heard her talking to Angelo's old lady a few weeks ago about leaving town, and... I didn't want him to have the chance to track her down. So, I shot him. I just wanted her to be safe, and I care about her, Bryan. In fact, I think I love her, but if I gotta go to the gallows protecting somebody I love, at least I'll know that I did the right thing and that she'll be safe, even without me.”