#Hardwood Benefits
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leonsflooringoutlet · 7 days ago
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When building a new home, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is the type of flooring to install. Hardwood flooring is a top choice for many homeowners due to its timeless beauty, durability, and value. As a flooring outlet in Livonia, Michigan, we’ve seen how hardwood can elevate the look and feel of any room in a new construction project. It adds warmth and character, enhancing the overall aesthetic of your home.
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woodenflooringsolution · 3 days ago
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Discover the secret to achieving stunning and long-lasting floors with quality floor sanding. Investing in expert floor sanding not only enhances the appearance of your floors but also improves their durability and value. This comprehensive guide explores the benefits of professional floor sanding, including how it can restore the beauty of hardwood, increase the lifespan of your floors, and create a lasting impression. Learn about the latest techniques, why quality matters, and how to choose the right floor sanding service for your needs. Transform your floors and make a significant investment in your home’s aesthetic and value.
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unitedflooring · 7 months ago
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Why Hardwood Floors are the Foundation of Timeless Home Décor
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Introduction
When it comes to creating a home that exudes elegance and stands the test of time, few design elements can compare to hardwood floors. They are not just a trend; they are a classic choice that has been cherished for centuries. In this blog, we'll explore why hardwood floors are the foundation of timeless home decor and how they contribute to an elegant interior design. We'll also highlight the many hardwood floor benefits that make them a worthwhile investment for any homeowner.
The Timeless Appeal of Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors have a unique ability to bring warmth and character to any space. Their natural beauty, with variations in grain and color, adds a layer of sophistication that other flooring options often lack. This natural elegance makes hardwood floors a favorite choice for those aiming for a refined and inviting home environment.
Hardwood Floor Benefits
1. Durability and Longevity
One of the most significant hardwood floor benefits is their durability. When properly maintained, hardwood floors can last for decades, even centuries. Unlike carpets that wear out and tiles that crack, hardwood can withstand heavy foot traffic and continue to look beautiful over the years. This longevity makes them a smart investment for homeowners.
2. Easy Maintenance
Hardwood floors are relatively easy to maintain compared to other flooring types. Regular sweeping or vacuuming, along with occasional mopping, is usually sufficient to keep them looking their best. For stains and scratches, a simple refinishing can restore the floor to its original glory, making it look brand new again.
3. Versatility in Design
Hardwood floors offer a wide range of design options. Whether you prefer a traditional, rustic look or a sleek, modern aesthetic, there's a hardwood variety to match your style. The ability to choose from different wood species, stains, and finishes allows homeowners to customize their flooring to perfectly complement their interior design.
4. Enhanced Home Value
Installing hardwood floors can significantly increase the value of your home. Potential buyers often view hardwood flooring as a desirable feature, willing to pay a premium for homes that have them. This means that not only do you get to enjoy the beauty and benefits of hardwood floors while you live in your home, but you also benefit financially if you decide to sell.
Elegant Interior Design
Hardwood floors play a crucial role in achieving an elegant interior design. Their rich, natural tones create a stunning backdrop for any decor style. Here are a few ways hardwood floors contribute to a sophisticated home interior:
1. Complements Any Decor
Hardwood floors have a versatile look that can enhance various interior design themes, from classic and traditional to contemporary and minimalist. Their neutral tones allow for flexibility in choosing furniture, paint colors, and decor accents, making it easy to change your home's style without needing to replace the flooring.
2. Creates a Sense of Space
The continuous, unbroken surface of hardwood flooring can make rooms appear larger and more open. This is particularly beneficial in smaller spaces where the goal is to create a feeling of spaciousness. Lighter wood tones can further enhance this effect, while darker shades add a touch of drama and luxury.
3. Adds Warmth and Texture
The natural texture and warmth of wood create a cozy and inviting atmosphere. Hardwood floors can soften the look of a room and make it feel more welcoming. This warmth is not just visual; wood floors also feel comfortable underfoot, adding to the overall homey vibe.
Conclusion
Hardwood floors are more than just a design choice; they are a foundation for timeless home decor. With numerous hardwood floor benefits, including durability, easy maintenance, versatility, and enhanced home value, they are an investment that pays off in many ways. Their ability to complement any decor and add warmth and elegance makes them a perennial favorite among homeowners and designers alike.
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whitehallcarpetcleaners · 7 months ago
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Cleaning Benefits
Experience the cleaning benefits of using Whitehall Carpet Cleaners for your business!
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harringtonhardwoodfloors · 2 years ago
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Living Healthy with Real Hardwood Flooring in Orlando: Benefits for Allergy Sufferers
Discover the key to healthier living in Orlando with real hardwood flooring. Explore the numerous hardwood floor benefits that offer to allergy sufferers. With their hypoallergenic properties, hardwood floors minimize dust, allergens, and irritants, promoting cleaner indoor air quality. Experience relief from allergies while enjoying the timeless beauty and durability of hardwood flooring in your home.
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starkeysbunny · 2 days ago
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something about you.
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pairing - rafe cameron x kook!reader
summary - rafe and reader have been in a friends with benefits relationship for months now. it’s been slowly killing both of them, but they’re both too afraid to say anything. it gets to a point and rafe can’t take it anymore. he can’t stop thinking about you.
warnings - fluffy as hell literally throwing up it’s too sweet
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my eyes were closed, my lips slightly parted as i let out a huff against my pillow. it was friday. rafe would usually text me on fridays. he’d ask me to come over, stressed out from work, a long week—whatever it was. i didn’t care.
he needed me.
it was friday, at eleven pm, radio silence. not a word from him. i felt a gnawing at my insides. this man had a grip on every fold of my brain. and we weren’t even together. it was pathetic. but i couldn’t stop.
if i couldn’t have more of him, i’d take this. being his for a couple hours a week. all his attention on me, like it was real. for a couple hours, i get to pretend it’s real.
i turn and stare at my ceiling, hoping i’ll hear my phone ping. i was getting tired. but if he texted, i’d go.
it’s pretty sad. i know. my friends have told me to get up, so many times. shake his hold. but i can’t. i’ll take any parts of him he’ll give me.
ping.
i practically fall over as i reach for my phone, frantically checking the notification.
rafe
hey.
hey? i huff, my head plopping against my pillow. another ping.
can you come over?
i stare at the message, taking a deep breath. it was nearly midnight. i should get up. i should say no. say i’m sick of the casual bullshit.
but soon, i find myself slipping my hoodie over my head, sliding into my uggs.
yeah.
is all i say. i didn’t need to say more. there was nothing more i could say. another ping.
i’ll pick you up. it’s late. don’t want you driving.
my eyebrows furrow. he’s gonna pick me up? he’s never done that.. it’s always the same routine. he texts me, i go over. and sometimes he makes me spend the night, whether i want to or not, because he doesn’t want me driving so late.
but he’s never picked me up.
i don’t say anything, heading to my living room and sitting on the couch in my empty apartment. i recently moved out of my parents, and i’d like to say it’s just a coincidence i moved into the complex only seven minutes from tannyhill.
it wasn’t.
my nails nervously pick at the hem of my hoodie as i wait. it was the longest seven minutes of my life. my mind kept racing. something about tonight felt different. he’s picking me up. and it’s so late. it’s usually never this late.
ping.
i’m here.
i swallow roughly and rub my eyes, standing up. i slide my phone into the pocket of my sleep shorts. the only sound in my quiet apartment is the shuffling of my slippers against the hardwood as i walk toward the door. i grab my keys and slide them into my other pocket, heading for the door. i lock it behind me and walk down the stairs, spotting the blaring headlights from rafe’s truck.
i walk towards it, shivering slightly from the cold air hitting my skin. i look up and see him get out, rounding the truck to the passenger side. he opens my door as i approach.
“hey.” i say softly.
he was in a hoodie and sweats, more relaxed from his usual appearance. which contained a white button up, usually unbuttoned by the time i see him, paired with some kind of dress pants.
“hey.” he whispers. his eyes drift down my appearance. “why’re you wearing shorts? it’s freezing, are you crazy?” he sighs, running a hand over his buzzed hair. his hand comes to the small of my back, not even allowing me to respond before he ushers me in his truck. he shuts the passenger door and rounds the vehicle again to his side.
he gets in, the engine humming as he starts it. he glances over at me and sighs, reaching his arm back to the backseat. he grabs a blanket, gently laying it out over my lap.
“nearly thirty fuckin’ degrees, and you’re sleepin’ in shorts.” he sighs, muttered under his breath.
i swallow roughly, looking down as his hands gently linger over the tops of my thighs as he lays down the blanket. “thanks.” i whisper.
“mhm.” he hums, his hands moving to grip the steering wheel as he peels out of the driveway.
the drive to his house was short, and quiet. the heater gently enveloped me, quickly changing my shivering form from earlier to warmth. my eyes stay looking out the window as i feel the occasional glances from rafe to my side. his eyes were like blades, puncturing into my skin at every glance with a sting.
i feel the truck come to a stop as we pull into the driveway. rafe had taken over tannyhill after his dad died, and sarah moved in with the pogues. so, it was always quiet here. sometimes i wonder if he brings anyone else over ever. or just me.
i watch as he gets out of the drivers seat, rounding the truck to my side. he sticks his hand out for me to grab as i step out of the truck. my hand fits in his warm palm, his hand cradling the small of my back as i step out.
i stand by his side as we walk up to the house. i look up at him, my eyes soft. “r-rafe..?”
“hm?” he hums as we approach the door, he fishes through his pockets for the keys.
“um.. are we…” i trail off.
he pauses as he finds the keys, his eyes flicking to me. his gaze runs over my face as he lets out a breath. “no.” he whispers.
so this was something else. i swallow roughly as i feel my stomach drop. was he ending things? i don’t say anything more and he opens the door, allowing me to walk in first
whenever i was in tannyhill, i felt out of place. it was a huge, beautiful mansion. but it carried a darkness to it. i could hardly imagine how rafe lived here alone. it would eat me up. just as i stand in the foyer, i feel small and inferior in the big space.
“hey.” he whispers. his voice snaps me out of my thoughts, his hand coming to the small of my back. i follow him as he guides me toward the living room. my eyes sift over the space and he guides us to a window seat, outfacing the backyard.
he sits and gestures his hand out for me to sit. i nervously pull my legs into my chest as i slip off my slippers.
“rafe.. why-why’d you text me?” i ask softly.
he leans back against the window with a soft sigh, his hand coming up to run over the stubble against his jaw. he chuckles softly, throwing his hands up. “been asking myself the same shit.” he sighs, looking over at me. he presses his lips together, his eyes wandering over me as he thinks. “i’ve been-“ he sighs. “i’ve been thinking.”
i furrow my eyebrows. “okay.. about..?” i ask softly.
he runs a hand over his face. “everything.” he whispers. “i-i’ve been really stressed.” he huffs. “cameron development, all that bullshit. i just have so much pressure on me, y’know?”
i nod gently. “yeah.” i whisper. “i-i get that. but rafe, you’re so much more than that.” sigh.
he chuckles, his tongue sticking to the inside of his cheek as he raises his eyebrows. he turns his gaze to look at me. “i appreciate that. you’re faith in me, i mean..” he trails off. “it’s nice. nobody else has it.”
my eyes narrow at him slightly. “well, i mean it, rafe.” i whisper softly, my hand gently coming to rest on his knee.
he looks down at my hand, letting out a sigh and leaning his head back against the window. he looks back at me, his gaze holding mine. but there’s something different about it this time. an intensity in his eyes i’d never seen before.
his hand comes to rest over my wrist, his thumb gently tracing in my skin. “y/n.. i-“ he murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper.
my eyes blink up at him, my eyebrows knitted together softly. “yeah..?” i whisper.
he’s hesitant. like whatever he wants to say is stuck in a knot in his throat. he takes a deep breath, searching for the words. he swallows roughly. “look, i-i know i’m no good for you.” he whispers. “but there’s.. there’s somethin’ about you, just can’t fuckin’ get you outta my head.” he sighs and pauses before speaking his next words.
“i-i want us to be.. more. than just this. i-i can’t stop thinking about you, y/n.”
my stomach drops. my eyes widen slightly and my lips part. “i- what..?” i whisper, stunned.
he presses his lips together and i see the nerves bubble in his eyes. “i-i know we agreed to be friends with benefits and nothin’ more but-“ he runs his hand over his buzzed head, a satire chuckle escaping his lips. “i can’t fuckin’ do this shit, okay? i-i can’t keep texting you just to fuck and pretending you don’t mean fuckin’ everything to me. i can’t stand the thought of you being with other people i-“ he huffs, leaning back.
“‘m fucking obsessed with you, alright?” he whispers.
my eyes blink slowly, my lips parting. i couldn’t believe it. he felt the same way i did? every time he’d hold me after we’d hook up, a part of me hurt inside. knowing it was temporary. knowing, that i’d never really have him.
and that whole time—he was thinking the same thing.
“rafe, i-i want that too.” i whisper.
his eyes snap over to me, they scan over my features. almost trying to see if i was telling the truth. “really?” he whispers.
“yeah.” i say breathlessly. “i-i’ve wanted so much more. i was just scared that you didn’t. and that if i said anything, i’d lose you completely. so i was just.. settling for what i could get.”
he swallows roughly, his lips parting. his hand comes up to my cheek, his thumb gently stroking the skin. “i wanna give you everything.” he whispers. “i-i don’t deserve you. i’m fucked up, and i get angry and i’m selfish. wanting you is probably the most selfish thing i’ve ever done. but i-i can’t get you out of my head.” he sighs softly, his hand gently cradling my face.
“i may be all of those things.” he whispers. “but i’m gonna work so damn hard to deserve you. i’m gonna be better, i wanna be better every time i’m near you, baby.”
i shake my head gently. “you don’t need to be better.”
he smiles softly. “this is what i’m talkin’ about. too sweet for your own good, baby.”
“so.. you wanna be.. real?” i ask softly, my voice cautious. “like.. official and exclusive?”
he grins, nodding softly. “mhm.” he hums. “want you to be my girl. just mine.”
i smile softly, my stomach swarming at his words. “yeah?”
he chuckles lowly. “yeah, sweetheart.”
i can’t help the grin that creeps up on my lips. i scoot closer, burying my face in his neck. “okay.” i whisper, my arms wrapping around his broad shoulders.
his beefy arms immediately encapsulate me, holding my close. “yeah? you my girl, sweetheart?”
i grin, my cheeks heating up this words. “yeah, ‘m your girl.”
he grins, chuckling lowly as he presses a gentle kiss to my jaw. “‘m sorry i didn’t say anything sooner. made you think i was stringing you along.”
“no..” i shake my head softly. “‘m just glad i have you now.” i whisper. “in every way.”
he smiles, tugging me impossibly closer. “in every way.” he promises.
-
sickeningly sweet 🙂‍↕️ i’m a sucker for fluff srryyyy
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celestie0 · 17 days ago
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gojo satoru x reader | fake marriage au [18+]
in holy matriphony ch6. the in-laws
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ᰔ pairing. fake marriage au - neighbor&realtor!gojo x nurse!reader (ft. choso x reader & suguru x reader)
ᰔ summary. gojo satoru is your extremely annoying next-door-neighbor who you're pretty sure is the most insufferable man you've ever met. given the fact that you exclusively work the night shift at a chaotic emergency dept, just got broken up with your boyfriend of seven years, and have been taking care of your sick mother ever since her multitude of diagnoses, yet somehow your neighbor is the main source of stress in your life should speak volumes. but when your mother's medical bills start to skyrocket to more than you can manage, and you learn that said neighbor of yours has the best private health insurance plan in the country, you ask him to enter a matrimonial agreement with you for the spousal benefits all in the name of saving a few hundred thousand dollars. but you'll have to see if suffering cohabitation w him is worth any amount of money.
ᰔ genre/tags. fluff, smut, angst, enemies to lovers (sort of), annoyances to lovers (that's more like it), small town romance, fake marriage, next door neighbors, lots of bickering, suburban shenanigans, slow burn, mutual pining, gojo likes to play house but you don't, hatred for the american healthcare system, gojo always forgets to mow the lawn, jealousy, an insane amount of profanity, mentions of cigarettes, depression/anxiety; btw gojo in this fic is in his mid 30s n reader is in her late 20s
ᰔ warnings. reader in this fic has a sick mother w alzheimer's & cancer so there is secondary medical angst!!
ᰔ chapter. 6/x
ᰔ words. 12.6k
a/n. hiii my ihm lovelies!! hope you all had a great holiday season. i wanted to get this chapter out as a christmas gift but i failed and then i wanted to get it out as a new years post but failed and then i got food poisoning yesterday and while i was rotting in bed i ended up finishing the chapter LOL. it seems i can only write when i'm under duress? but anywho. hope you enjoy haha and see you at the bottom!
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“Alright, let’s head out,” you hear Gojo say from the bottom of the staircase, followed by the sound of dress shoes on the hardwood floor, and you glance over to see him clad in a navy suit with a white button up shirt that had one singular button undone. He’s messing with the cuffs of his suit jacket as he makes his way over to you. You catch the scent of his cologne, and it’s alarming how familiar it’s become to you.
Days go by shorter lately, mainly because it’s winter, and so the sun has almost fully set by 6pm. The sky outside is a dark hue of purple, seen past the windows of Gojo’s house, and the warm, dim lighting inside makes you feel strangely nostalgic. Like in a way that feels like home.
You tirelessly tousle with your hair at the mirror hanging above the foyer table that was snug up against the wall at the front entrance. Your hair wasn’t cooperating. You attempted to curl it, for the first time in forever given you can’t remember the last time you had enough time to do your hair, so you were out of practice. It was obvious, given the way some strands were curled outwards from your face, some inwards, some straighter than others, some curlier than others, and you were about to have a full blown mental breakdown before you remember your grounding exercises– 1, 2, 3, 4.
You turn to face Gojo, who you saw in the mirror was standing behind you and watching you with amusement, and you breathe in deep. “How do I look?” you ask, petting down the fabric of your dress as you face him. The thought occurs to you–why do you give so much of a fuck how you look right now? It’s just Gojo’s family. It’s not like they’re actually your in-laws. And from what Gojo’s mother had told you, it was just an intimate little get-together with Sana’s family. It’s really not a big deal. Yet the necessity to impress still consumes you.
Gojo threads his hands into the pockets of his pants and tilts his head to assess your appearance, and you watch his gaze trace the frame of you. “Nice,” he says, “you look nice.”
“That’s it? Just nice?”
“Well, I tried to call you hot earlier, but it got me yelled at.”
You roll your eyes and grab your purse off the foyer table, “okay, whatever, I’ll take it.” And then you head towards the front door. You hear the jingle of car keys from behind you as they’re shoved into a pocket.
The outside air is chilly in a way that’s almost sobering. Gojo opens the door for you to get inside his car and the warmth of your peach cobbler in your lap comforts some of the nerves you felt. By the time Gojo clicks his seatbelt into place in the driver seat, you realize you’ve never been in his car before, or driven anywhere by him before.
The interior smells of pine and something more familiar too, with sleek leather seats that are so comfortable they make you feel like you’re floating. You know it’s a Benz, you’re just not sure what year or model, and you’d usually ask most people out of a friendly curiosity, but for some reason your pride always got the best of you when it came to him.
“I seriously can’t wait to eat that thing you made,” Gojo comments after he’s backed out of the driveway, “it looks really nice.”
“Do you have a sweet tooth?” you ask him, glancing over at him, and you try not to stare at the strong one-handed grip he has on the steering wheel as he corrects it. 
“Oh yeah,” he answers, “big time.”
“You don’t seem like it,” you mindlessly say, turning your head to glance out into the dim street, passing by houses that idly sit in this neighborhood.
“Why’s that?” he asks.
“You seem to maintain a steady weight,” you politely comment.
You can hear the smile in his voice. “Is that the closest I’ll ever get to a compliment from you?”
You roll your eyes. “It’s just science. Hard to maintain a build if you eat a lot of sugar.”
He turns onto the mainroad, and you keep your gaze plastered to the outside. “I seem to manage.”
“It’s because you're tall. Tall people get to eat whatever they want.”
You see him nod his head once in your periphery, and you take it as some form of dismissal. “Sure.”
It doesn’t take terribly long to get to Gojo’s parents’ house, just a thirty-five minute drive without traffic. He kept surprisingly silent throughout most of it, and the few moments you did glance at his face, you could even say he looked like he was deep in thought. With a creased brow, a grip on the steering wheel that sometimes faltered, sometimes strengthened, but rarely fully eased. It was all so different from his usual impulse to talk. You know that you often wish for Gojo to shut the fuck up sometimes, but the silence seemed unsettling today.
His parents’ house is large, maybe twice the size of the homes in your neighborhood, but it’s tucked away in a slightly remote area, where the next closest house is about a quarter of a mile down the road. The driveway is long and runs downhill, so you stumble a little on the high heel of your shoe when you step down onto the pebbled pavement, but Gojo holds your elbow so you don’t fall onto your face. And also so you don’t drop the peach cobbler he so desperately wants to try. You’re not sure which of the two was the bigger priority for him.
As you two walk up the driveway towards the front entrance, you hear him sigh behind you. “Just so you know, my mom doesn’t really have any sense of boundaries.”
“Ah,” you comment, “nice to know where you get it from.”
He gives you an irritated look, seen in the corner of your eye, and it’s hard to fight the small amused smile that makes its way onto your face.
He sighs again as you two make it to the top of the steps. “Seriously, though. Chances of you wanting to leave me after this dinner are high.”
“Why? You’ve got a hot older brother I don’t know about or something?”
“I am the hot older brother,” he tells you.
You resist the urge to roll your eyes, and then face him fully. “You’re not the first guy that’s warned me about his parents, okay? I’ll handle my own. What good is life if your in-laws–er, fake in-laws–aren’t at least a little strange?”
He lifts his finger to the doorbell, and just before pressing it, he says, “alright, then.”
It only takes twelve seconds for the door to swing open, the aroma of fresh herbs and something more sultry like vetiver arouse your senses, along with a warmth beckoning you from the inside of the home. 
Gojo’s mother stands at the doorway, surrounded by a halo of warm lighting, and her face instantly morphs into one of delightful glee.
“Oh! My dear, you’ve made it!” she exclaims happily, and just when you think she’s about to pull Gojo in for a hug, she pulls you in for one first instead, which startles you. “How lovely!”
“Oh—” you stutter, stumbling slightly as your nose becomes buried in the fluff of her silk pressed hair, but the delicate fragrance of lilac is somehow comforting.
She pulls you away to hold you by your shoulders. “You poor thing, you’re shivering! Come inside.” She hastily ushers you inside and you can feel the heat from Gojo’s body as he follows closely on your tail.
When his mother closes the door behind you, you find yourself surrounded by the kind of warmth only a house could provide. 
You take a small look around the foyer, noticing that it’s large with tones of deep wood and a bright white and golden chandelier that hangs daintily above in the cavity of the high ceilings. Leather, wood, velvet, silk, these are the textures that you see as you look around. It’s an old-fashioned taste, with a polished grand piano off to the right in the hall and display cases of vintage dolls and porcelain plates. So very different from modern, but it’s comforting. Like a wave of nostalgia, but from something you’ve never experienced before.
“What’s this?” Mrs. Gojo asks with curiosity lilting her voice as she walks up to you and points at the casserole dish you were holding.
“Oh, it’s peach cobbler,” you say, holding it up slightly with a small smile adorning your face, “for dessert.”
“How sweet! You’re an angel,” she coos, then twists her torso towards the kitchen, “honey! Come here, will you?”
Shuffling down the hallway from the heart of the house is, who you presume to be, Mr. Gojo. He’s tall, with his shoulders slightly curved forward as he approaches you all, and you note that he looks more aged than his missus.
“Ah, this must be my new daughter-in-law,” he says, his voice gruff and crackly from years of use. You smell the faintest hint of smoke from his clothing.
You glance at Gojo, who is watching you interact with his parents, an unreadable expression on his face as his hands remain shoved into the pocket of his suit pants.
Mr. Gojo takes the peach cobbler from you and gives you a curt smile before taking it back towards the kitchen.
“Darling, I must say, you have a lovely figure—” Gojo’s mother begins to say, reaching her hand out to hover it over the curve of your waist, but just at that moment, Gojo comes up to stand in between the two of you.
“Alright, what time’s dinner?” he asks.
Mrs. Gojo glances up at him, her face immediately twisting into a frown. “Nevermind that. I want to take y/n with me back to the kitchen to help braise the chicken,” she says, grabbing a hold of your wrist and tugging you towards her.
“Oh—” you stumble slightly.
“Nope,” you hear Gojo say from beside you, and suddenly there’s a strong arm wrapping around your waist as he pulls you back to his side, “she stays with me for the night.” You’d remember to blush at the feeling of being pressed flush up against him, but the shock overshadowed.
“Satoru!” Mrs. Gojo exclaims, rather loudly, and she lets out a hmph noise before placing her hands on her hips. “You’re no fun!”
“I’m not gonna let you indoctrinate her into whatever multi-level marketing scheme you’ve fallen victim to this month,” he says, his hold on your waist tightening.
“How petulant!” she says, trying to manage a stern look but Gojo doesn’t seem fazed by it, “quit acting like I’m going to corrupt her! I’m not some witch.”
“Your track record would prove otherwise,” he comments.
“Oh please, the only other time was when you brought—”
She suddenly stops speaking, her eyes going wide, and she glances at you. You cluelessly tilt your head at her.
Ah. The other woman. This mysterious ex-wife. Would you be the other woman in this case? Seeing as to how his entire family seems to walk on eggshells about the subject around you. And they all seem to think that any mention of her would devastate you, when really, you and Gojo aren’t even actually lovers.
But there’s a small part of you,
A teeny tiny part,
Revealed from the way your heart sank at the realization of who his mother was referring to,
That actually does feel some type of way about it.
You want to know who this woman was to him. Does he still think of her? Does he still love her? What happened between them? Was she the one that got away? And how does he feel about the fact that he’s now here with you?
You shake your head vigorously to get those thoughts out of your head.
It was like method acting. You stepped into the role of wife this evening, and now you feel the way that they expect you to feel at the mention of your husband’s ex-lover.
That must be the reason, right?
You slowly push yourself out of Gojo’s hold, and you try not to become hyper aware of his eyes on you as you smooth out the fabric of your dress, then you glance at his mother.
“I’d love to help you braise the chicken,” you say.
There’s a brief silence as you find your voice in this house, and then Mrs. Gojo flashes you a grin.
“Come with me, honey,” she says before wrapping a delicate hand around your wrist and pulling you towards the heart of the house.
There are pictures hung up on the walls as you brush past every hallway, along with peeling wallpaper that is peppered with florals and striped prints, sanded off from years of shoulders brushing against their surfaces in a way that creates an old, dated charm. You learn quickly that Gojo has always been pretty tall, judging from the photo of him standing with, whom you assume are his middle school friends, out on a boat, holding a bass the size of a small child. 
There’s photos of the four of them together, like one professionally taken photo where Gojo and Sana are knelt in front of their parents, and your gaze fixates on the strong grip Mr. Gojo has on his son’s shoulder, digging deep in the bone, creasing the fabric, almost desperately. Gojo looks young in the photo, maybe a recent high school graduate, and his smile is bright but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
And, God, the trophies. The trophies that adorned the surfaces of aged cedar wood dressers, seemingly random in the order they are sprawled across the display yet you know there was intention behind it too. Ballet, soccer, tennis, spelling bee, FRC, even dragon boat racing. 
“Feel free to take any of those home,” Mrs. Gojo says with a teasing tone, “you eventually get tired of staring at them.”
You wouldn’t know. Your mother never had much extra cash hanging around to take you to tennis lessons, or ballet lessons, or SAT prep, or whatever. You were lucky enough that you got into college with the cards you were dealt, but you sometimes wonder what your potential could’ve been if you had parents like Gojo did. Maybe the house you live in would be your own, and not something that your mother has spent the past forty years of her life trying to pay off. Maybe you’d have a freshly renovated kitchen and a pretty boat out on the street. But throwing a pity party for yourself right now wasn’t exactly going to get you through the evening.
Mrs. Gojo finally leads you into the kitchen, and the aroma of fresh herbs overwhelms your senses. 
“Smells wonderful,” you comment.
“I know,” she cheekily comments, “will you turn the meat please?”
You grab a pair of tongs and attempt to sear the cuts that were sizzling on the stove.
“Sooooo,” she coos, wasting no time to playfully bump her hip to yours, “how is married life?”
“Nice,” you respond, your cheeks warming slightly, “it’s nice.”
“It won’t always be that way, you know,” she muses with some underlying sense of sincerity that isn’t lost on you.
When you remain quiet, concentrating on the searing sizzling noises coming from the pan, she decides to keep speaking.
“Eventually, you two will settle in a little too much…start to care less about your bodies…and then, oh gosh, when kids come into the picture, forget about having any time for yourselves,” she continues, “some days you’ll resent him, others you’ll feel like it’s the first time all over again.” She sighs. “Marriage is a funny thing—”
“Mrs. Gojo,” you interrupt her, turning to face her, “I—…I really appreciate you, I do, but, um, I’ve already learned a lot already about marriage from my own parents. Things are fine between Satoru and me.” You look into her widened eyes. “And…if something does happen down the line, and we choose not to be together anymore, then that’s okay too.”
After all, you had to prepare her.
“But that’s the thing!” she chirps, “your generation is too—…too impatient. Unwilling to work anything out! A marriage is supposed to be hard, but also it’s something you aren’t supposed to give up on so easily.”
It’s your turn to meet her with widened eyes in response to her preaching, and her posture immediately deflates before she holds you gently by your arm.
“I’m sorry, honey…I know it’s too early to be saying all these things to you,” she says, managing a small smile, “I always forget that I’m too old to be doting on my children like this anymore.”
Your expression softens and you wrap your palm over her bony knuckles, feeling the thinness of the skin that stretches over them. In a brief glimpse, you see your own mother in Mrs. Gojo’s eyes, something familiar, a universal expression of the love a parent has for their child.
“Well…” you say after clearing your throat, “for what it’s worth, you have nothing to worry about, Mrs. Gojo.” You try to manage a small smile. “I’m—…I’m really happy with your son.”
It was hard to lie to someone like this, especially from the way there’s relief that floods her irises, a genuine feeling that is so hard to come by in these days of false niceties. You often wonder how far a single white lie can stretch before it shatters against its own resistance.
“That’s a relief,” she says, managing her own prim smile, “I’m so glad.”
The two of you finish up in the kitchen, and when you circle around back into the hall, you see Sana standing in the warmly lit family room with Gojo and their dad.
Sana catches your eye, and you purse your lips together hesitantly before walking up to her.
“Hey,” you say softly and she returns the small smile you give her.
“Hi,” she says back to you.
“Um, where’s Juno?” you ask, looking around.
“Oh, she has a sleepover at her friend’s house tonight,” Sana says, “Jun’s dropping her off, and then he’ll come by here later.”
“Ah, I see,” you comment, itching at your elbow from the awkwardness.
“Well,” Mr. Gojo says, gesturing towards the dining room, “let’s eat, shall we?”
The three of you nod at him.
It’s fascinating to watch how the family falls naturally into their chairs, an assigned seating pattern that stays consistent among all dining halls and rooms and tables in the world, one that every family has. Mr. Gojo sits at the head of the table, his wife to his left, his son to his right. Sana sits quaintly to her mother’s left, and you sit across from her to Gojo’s left. The one empty seat is left for the presence of Jun.
“Food looks wonderful, darling,” Mr. Gojo says before leaning over to place a kiss on her bashful cheek.
Your heart does something weird at the sight. A simultaneous twinge paired with a warmer feeling that follows. You hardly witnessed any affection within your household growing up, not between your parents at least, probably because you were young when they got divorced and so the turmoils and tribulations started long before you had any higher order of cognitive discernment beyond the childish interest in Disney princesses and The Backyardigans. For you, the only memories that last of your parents’ marriage are those that feel like nothing more than the frigidity of a business arrangement. Ironically similar to the one you were currently in with Gojo. Except at least yours hadn’t been initially built on a foundation of love and a promise to be there for one another until death did you two apart.
Death was knocking on your mother’s doorstep now. But your father was nowhere to be found. So much for a vow.
Mr. Gojo pours his son a glass of whiskey, single malt as read on the label. Mrs. Gojo pours you and Sana a glass of red wine, and you try to hide the grimace, because you would’ve much rather had the whiskey.
“To y/n,” Mr. Gojo says, raising his glass up into the air, “for being our newest addition to the family.”
You all clink your glasses together, then in a variety of pairings, the last one being the tap of Gojo’s glass against yours, before you all take a drink.
“So…” Mrs. Gojo speaks up, “exactly how long have the two of you been married?”
You glance at Gojo for help, which isn’t exactly an unsuspecting thing to do.
“Four weeks,” he says.
You watch Mrs. Gojo’s eyes twitch. You can understand. Her own son gets married and doesn’t tell her anything about it for four weeks after the wedding. Well, in your case, a courthouse arrangement.
“Where did you two go for your honeymoon?” she asks, and Mr. Gojo clears his throat.
You look at Gojo for help again, and mentally pinch yourself for not being more discreet about how fake this whole thing is.
But Gojo surprisingly looks at ease. “Greece,” he says, and leaves it at that.
Mrs. Gojo’s body language turns to you, clearly irritated by her son’s short and curt answers. “Did you have a fun time, dear?”
“Oh! Yes, it was a very fun time. Definitely did all the newly wed stuff. Just as normal newlyweds do, you know. Because we are newlyweds,” you say through an awkward cough.
“Like…?” Mrs. Gojo pushes, and you can tell that she’s asking out of a genuine curiosity over the itinerary you two had allegedly carried out, but you crack under the pressure.
“W—…We made love,” you say, “we made lots and lots of love.”
The sound of silverware clanking onto ceramic plates startles you out of the blissful ignorance you had to the words that you had just said. Like you were so caught up in your mind about wanting to seem like an actual real life couple to his parents that you almost forgot about the number one social rule when meeting your (fake) significant other’s parents: no references to copulation. 
You glance up to find Mrs. Gojo’s eyes are wide, a slight tinge of pink to her cheeks. The width of Mr. Gojo’s eyes match his wife’s except his expression is also duly accompanied by a furrowed, perplexed brow. Sana looks visibly uncomfortable, shifting in her seat and trying hard to put on a poker face as she pretends like she didn’t just hear what you said.
You finally glance at Gojo, who’s looking at you with the most what the fuck? face you’ve ever seen someone make, and there’s concern on there somewhere too, like he’s not even fully convinced that you’re mentally sane at the moment because why on God’s green Earth would you say something like that at a family dinner table.
Trying your best to laugh it off, you say, “ah…ahaha, d-did I say make love? I meant–I meant that we–”
“Just–” Gojo interrupts you. “Just stop.”
Everyone are still stunned silent and the flush to your cheeks grows warmer. While clearing your throat, you set your lap napkin up on the table and clumsily scootch yourself out of your chair.
“Ex…cuse…me...” you mumble under your breath, knocking the table with your knee on accident, your wine glass almost toppling all over the pretty linen tablecloth but your reflexes catch the stem to steady it. “I need to…use the restroom.” And then you head straight down the hallway without sparing them another glance.
“Use the upstairs one!” Mrs. Gojo calls out to you, “the guest bathroom is under renovation.”
“Of fucking course it is,” you mutter under your breath, but flash them a polite smile before rounding the staircase pillar and then briskly walking up the stairs.
You quickly realize there’s more personality to the house upstairs, with some clutter in the theater loft and mismatching decorations that don’t reveal the careful deliberation of an indoor designer. The master bedroom is directly to the right of the top of the staircase and you glance across the loft at a narrow hallway that leads into the three bedrooms tucked away into the heart of the house.
One foot after the other, you float in that direction as if some force were compelling you towards it. Some trance of curiosity that no human being could ever resist. It’s fine. You didn’t actually need to piss anyways.
The first bedroom you walk past is rather boring, with beige tones all around. Beige bed sheets, beige wall paint, beige lamp shade, beige curtains. But the air smells crisp, and you notice there’s a shelf that has about half a dozen plants lined up in a variety of artistic pots. Similar to the set-up Gojo has in his house at home. You walk inside and brush your fingers across the dresser surface, rubbing fine dust over the pads of your fingers, and with your next inhale, you sneeze.
A guest bedroom, you think to yourself.
The next bedroom you walk past is sweeter, kinder, warmer. There’s pink hues scattered across, the most obvious one being the pillow covers, and there are some shades of a baby blue as well. But the furniture looks modern, sleek, and new. There were two identities at war in the room, like that of a little girl and a grown woman. Neither able to find its voice among the chaos of friendship bracelets sprawled across the desk and the Louis Vuitton purse resting at the foot of the bed. 
Sana’s room, you think to yourself. 
Childhood bedrooms are like time capsules if left untouched for very long. You’ve lived in your room at home for as long as you can remember, only recently having shifted to the master bedroom. The room grew up with you. It had no chance to become some entity of its own. 
The next bedroom you walk by feels familiar, even before you walk inside. There’s a comforting feeling that envelopes just from the lighting alone. You push the door open with a gentle palm.
The culprit of any young man’s room–navy blue sheets. Stretched taut against a made-up bed that has some sort of feminine flair to it, like it wasn’t set by Gojo, but rather his mother passing by his room one day to sit in his absence, only to needlessly mess with the sheets because it gave her a sense of purpose. You go eighteen years pouring blood, sweat, and tears into raising a child, protecting them, nurturing them, being the one they lean on for all of life’s woes, only for them to pack up and leave one day. You suppose that if you were a parent, you would find melancholy in that loss of responsibility too. 
His desk is a large expanse of cedar wood with a desktop monitor and some bookshelf speakers set up on it. The PC itself has collected dust over the years but there’s a small mechanical whirring noise you hear somewhere within. The rest of the desk is mostly empty except for some unopened mail tucked away with some books, the spines creased at the last few hundred pages, but never to the end. 
You pick one of the books up, flipping the pages open, and see sticky notes on some of them. Like English literature notes one would take in class, with studious words that over exaggerate the significance of the prose just to make a teacher happy. Who cares if the curtains were blue? Maybe the author just wanted them to be blue. Why does everything in life have to have meaning?
Setting the book back down with a sigh, you walk over to the bookshelf. There are some more trophies, some sets of comic books, some strange robotic-looking figurines. Small picture frames of foreign scenery are set up in different corners wherever there is empty space, like an afterthought. 
“Hmm…” you hum to yourself, tilting your head to the side to read the vertical spine of a thick black book that was tucked flush up against the shelf's side. 
West Valley High School. Class of 2007.
With your index finger hooking the spine, you slowly pull the book out from its comfy corner. It’s heavy in your hands and you notice that there are ink smudges across the tips of your fingers.
When you open the cover, you’re met with a page filled with a variety of colors and handwriting, and you realize they’re signatures. And to no one’s surprise, most of them are feminine. With hearts, some merely outlines, some shaded in with ink, scattered across the page. Bubbly handwriting, neat handwriting, cursive handwriting, a lot of it in pinks and purples and reds. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think it was like those Valentine’s Day cards all the girls would sign in grade school to pass onto their crush, except imagine if all of them were intended for just one guy.
You roll your eyes as you flip the pages, seeing no end in sight to the signed ink. I mean, come on, how many signature pages does a yearbook even need? This was excessive. And, no, you aren’t bitter simply because your high school yearbook has maybe a max of fifteen signatures (four of which were from your teachers). It’s just frustrating. And confusing. Why does everyone on this planet adore Gojo except you? Is there something wrong with you? Are you the problem?
There are some signatures from boys too, most likely his friends. Otherwise, you’re not sure what random fleeting classmate you’ve only spoken to a couple times would be brazen enough to draw pictures of penises squirting in whatever empty space they could find in your yearbook, if not for his high school friends. These boys are probably in their mid thirties now, just as Gojo is, maybe with wives and kids they’re now responsible for. You wonder if they’d still find the drawings funny all the same today.
You flip the pages more, taking in image after image after image of smiling portraits. ABC…DE…F…ah, G. Hmm, there. There it was. 
Gojo Satoru.
Seems like his high school didn’t allow yearbook quotes, but you try to imagine what his would be. Probably something corny and lame, like See kids? I told you I was sexy in high school.
He looks cute though. With his hair fluffy, boyishly ruffled to pair with a charming smile that’s at ease. He just looks a little younger, that’s all. Not that much different. Perhaps a bit more scrawny, a bit more mischievous-looking. As opposed to his adult self, who appears sturdy. More serious. But you realize that cheeky part of him that comes out every now and then when he’s teasing you or pissing you off is that boy within him that looks exactly like the portrait in this yearbook that you trace with the pad of your finger. 
You close the book, suddenly a little out of breath, and then slip it back into place. Your eyes catch the shimmer of the trophy at the top of the shelf. It was shaped like a baseball glove mitt, and in the palm cup, there is an actual baseball in there with a black ink signature. You gently pick it up and turn it in your palm to try and read the ink.
Ichiro.
Your dad used to watch baseball. You’re familiar. Seattle Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki. The first Japanese player to ever make it to the Major Leagues. Ten time all-star, and tenth member of the Mariners hall of fame. He retired when you were just a little girl, but you still remember the look of awe in your father’s eyes as he stared at the box TV in the living room of your house when Ichiro took his last stand at the plate.
Gojo was also a boy at that time. Living in this house. Maybe his old man was watching that game at the same time. And maybe Gojo was watching the look on his father’s face, too. It’s the romance of life–you look up at the moon in the sky, and you know that there is someone else out there, someone that you’ll meet some day, maybe even someone that will mean the world to you someday, who’s looking at it too. But you just don’t know it yet.
Lost in endless, rather fruitless thought, you continue to turn the baseball in your hand to pointlessly assess the seams, but it slips out of your hand and onto the carpeted floor with a loud hollow thud that startles you, and when you attempt to bend down and pick it up, you accidentally push it with your toe and it rolls underneath the bed.
“Shit,” you mumble, getting down onto your hands and knees to look underneath the bed.
You see the ball rolled a few feet away, and when you reach for it, it becomes clear that you don’t have the arm span to grab it. You struggle and you struggle, the tips of your fingers barely tickling its seam, and the frustration makes you sweat a little.
“Come…here…you…stupid…thing,” you mutter. You’re sure your hair is a static mess now, too. 
You finally manage to roll it towards you a couple inches and then your palm wraps around it before pulling it to your shoulder, but not without something collateral that’s dragged along with it.
A photograph. Printed out, vintage. You pinch the corner between your two fingers and stand back up onto your two feet in order to better assess the image under the light of the floor lamp.
The first person you notice in the photo is Gojo. He looks younger than in the yearbook, but he’s wearing a suit and a tie. It’s a little big on him, ill-fitting as most teenage boys should look in a suit, like a rite of passage. His smile is less warm than the one in the yearbook too, more prim and stretched into a thin line that’s only slightly curved upwards. It’s only then when you notice the slender fingers sprawled across his chest near the collar of his undershirt, black nail polish blending in with the fabric of the suit. Your eyes trail the dainty hand, and your heart skips a beat when you see a girl standing next to him, pressed up against him, her smile much brighter than his. Pink braces line her teeth and her hair is that classic mid-2000s side-swept bang mess, but she’s pretty. Dressed in a pink-ish purple gown that almost looks like a bridesmaids dress, and you finally see the banner stretched across behind the both of them in the picture that reads Homecoming 2005. 
It’s hard to explain it, but you can just feel it somehow. That this person is important to him. Not just some last-minute date to Homecoming, or an old high school girlfriend he’s long since lost touch with. It seems larger than that, somehow. Unlike penises drawn on yearbook paper, this feels like something a person never outgrows.
Of course, people have lived fully-fledged lives before you’ve met them. Just as you have as well. But you’re overtaken by the insane curiosity to want to learn every single detail about this past life that Gojo has lived. Where did he and his friends hang out after school? When did he learn how to drive? When was the first time he got shit-faced drunk? When was the first time he snuck out of the house? And who was this girl in the picture? 
“Find what you’re lookin’ for yet?” a voice calls out, entirely startling you to where you almost jolt out of your skin, and you swiftly turn on your heel towards the entrance of the room. 
You see Gojo standing in the door frame, leaning against it with his arms crossed as he levels his gaze at you. He has a blank expression on his face, although you would say it’s more serious than playful. 
“What–...I–” you stutter, shuffling the picture you were holding behind your back so he doesn’t see. 
His eyes don’t flit to the movement. “You don’t have to tear the room apart to find my illicit drugs. You could’ve just asked.”
 You roll your eyes. “As if you would do drugs.”
“You say that like it’s an insult.”
“It is.”
“So, then, if you’re not looking for drugs, what are you looking for?”
Your cheeks are warm. “I don’t know. Petty cash? Human body parts? Playboy?”
He snorts. “Playboy? Who still has a subscription to Playboy?”
“Maybe your teenage self did.”
“I’m not that old,” he says, “I was watching porn like the rest of my peers.”
“Ew, you freak,” you say, and you grab one of his pillows and throw it at him.
He lets out a laugh before catching the pillow with ease, and then walks up to you, placing the pillow on top of your head. You half-glare, half-pout at him.
“C’mon,” he probes, “tell me why you’re hiding away up here.”
“I embarrassed myself,” you confide in him with a sulk of your shoulders. “I mean. Seriously. What the fuck was that? What a humiliating thing to say in front of your parents. I just feel so weird pretending like this.”
His expression softens. “Sorry,” he says, “for dragging you into this dinner.”
“No,” you sigh, “I’m the one that did. I forgot you can’t necessarily fake a marriage without…doing the typical couple things.”
“Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,” he hums as his gaze flits towards the bed, “doing the typical couple things, you say?”
You roll your eyes. “In your dreams.”
“Oh, in my dreams alright,” he says with a grin.
“And if I strangled you? What then?”
“I like that. It’s kinky.”
“And I’m supposed to believe you don’t have magazines lying around?”
“Brown box underneath the bed. You didn’t look hard enough.”
You give him a disgusted look. He laughs.
“I’m joking,” he says, pushing his hands into his pockets.
“I’m not convinced,” you say, turning your body away from him slightly to keep the photo hidden behind your back.
He tilts his head at you, gaze flickering down to your other hand. Your heart skips a beat. “I could’ve guessed that.” 
His hand reaches out and you flinch ever so slightly, something he thankfully doesn’t notice, and then he’s grabbing the baseball out of your palm.
“I always thought I could sell this thing for major money,” he muses, throwing the ball up into the air to catch it. And then doing so again a couple times.
“It’s authentic?” you ask with genuine curiosity.
“Oh yeah. I caught it. First ball game my old man ever took me to, and it happened to be Ichiro’s last.”
Your eyes widen. Gojo was at that game. He wasn’t just watching it from home on some TV like you did with your dad. He was living in it.
“Wow,” you say, “must’ve been quite the game.”
“Don’t really remember too much about it to be honest, other than how stoked I was to just be there with my dad.”
“Mm,” you hum, “I’ll have to ask Mr. Gojo more about it when we get downstairs.”
His expression falters slightly, his smile dropping in the most subtle way that you wouldn’t have even noticed if you hadn’t been intently staring at his face. 
“Yeah,” he says, “maybe.”
Gojo continues to stare at the ball in his palm as he rotates it in inspection. There’s an awkward silence that settles between the two of you, and you feel the burden of conversation has suddenly fallen on you. 
“My, um. My dad was a fan too,” you say.
His eyes glance up to meet yours. “How come I’ve never met him?”
The question catches you off guard. “Wh–...I’m sorry, what?”
“Your dad,” he says, as if it was something so casual. 
“That–...well, he’s–...I don’t know, I haven’t seen him in years,” you admit, “not since…not since my mother was diagnosed with cancer.”
He stares at you earnestly, studying your expression, before he decides on saying nothing else except, “I’m sorry about that.”
You sigh. “Satoru, I–” you start, keen on the way his body stiffens slightly when you say his name, “I really don’t have the capacity for much else tonight. I mean, the questions. And the lies. And walking on eggshells around your mom.” 
“Well. I was sent up here to get you,” he says, “and I can’t exactly go downstairs empty handed.”
“Fine. Let’s just get this dinner over with as fast as possible.”
“Sure,” he easily agrees, “I’m with you on that one.”
You take a step forward to head towards the door, but then suck in a sharp gasp when you remember what was being held behind your back.
“Wait,” you say, “look away.”
“...huh?” he huffs, a puzzled look on his face.
“Just look away for a second.”
His eyebrows furrow before he lifts one in a questioning manner. But he acquiesces and turns on his heel to face away from you. “Have I ever told you how strange you are?”
“No,” you say while discretely crouching down, playing along in an attempt to distract him, “you haven’t.” You flinch a little from the sound of your hip popping, but he doesn’t seem to notice and so you bend your wrist in preparation of flinging the photo back to the abyss underneath his bed.
But you stop.
And you take one more glance at the photo.
And your stomach flips the same way it did the first time you saw it.
If you asked, would he tell you?
But the more pressing question is,
Why are you so scared to find out?
You shake your head vigorously to get rid of all your pestering intrusive thoughts. It was the stress, you played it off. A hyperactive mind leads to hyperactive ruminations. And besides, it’s just silly. Sure, there’s your gut feeling that suggests otherwise. But this girl in the photo could really just be an old friend or girlfriend that had no significant impact on the trajectory of his life. Why be the crazy one and lose sleep over this? You’ve lost sleep over plenty of other things in your life, but not stuff like this. It’s just not like you.
You fling the photo across underneath the bed and then stand up just in time for when Gojo turns around to look at you out of curiosity.
“Alright,” you say, dusting your hands off, “let’s go.”
You walk over to where he stands by the doorframe, a slight warmth to your cheeks when he doesn’t move out of your way like he usually does, but instead he leans towards you slightly as you brush past him, and your heart jumps a beat in your chest when you feel his hand gently fall to the small of your back, softly urging you forward ahead of him. A feather of a touch, yet intentional, almost naturally so, like a curious test of the boundary between you two that he’s been dying to understand a bit better. And the fact you don’t turn on your heel to face him with that same undeserved and petty rage that you always do, and instead slightly shudder at the feel of his touch, means that somewhere along the way, you’ve moved the line a little closer.
He’s hot on your trail as you walk down the stairs slowly and when you turn around the post at the bottom then make your way back to the dining room, you see his family staring at you with wide eyes.
His mother stands up. “y/n! Come sit back down, dear.”
You nod meekly, and Gojo pulls your chair out for you to take a seat before he resumes his seat next to you.
The food is slightly cold by the time you finally get to pick at it. It’s not very seasoned, either. Not enough salt for your taste. But somehow Mrs. Gojo having a phobia of sodium is a study of character that makes perfect sense in your head.
Eventually, the awkward silence is too much for you to bear, and you set your fork and knife down on your napkin with a slight bit more force than you probably should’ve.
Everyone looks at you.
You sigh. “I’m sorry for earlier,” you say, “I’m…uh, I’m just not really used to these sorts of dinners…I don’t have much family here in this town, and it’s always just sort of been my mom and me. And I—…I guess I’m just a little nervous.”
Wide eyes blink at you. Mr. Gojo shifts a little uncomfortably in his seat while Mrs. Gojo blinks her long lashes at you. Sana tilts her head, and you have no interest in seeing what Gojo’s expression looks like. You fear it’s the one you’d remember the most.
You were just being honest with how you felt. And it doesn’t take you long to realize something you probably should’ve realized earlier walking into a home like this where everything was perfect and on display with no evidence of the way a true family can crumble on the inside—a house like this does not value honesty. Your mother couldn’t afford you many luxuries in life, but you never felt like you couldn’t be honest in front of her. 
You glimpse up at Sana, and there is some knowing expression on her face. It’s almost sympathetic. As if you two were on the same page about something right now. When you glance at Gojo, you see him staring down at his plate with his brow slightly furrowed.
“It…it’s quite alright, dear,” his mother says through a prim voice, and in an attempt to change the subject, she says, “I do hope you are enjoying the chicken.”
“Ah,” you exhale, “yes. I am.”
“So!” Mrs. Gojo chimes in again as she dabs her mouth to a linen napkin. “Tell me about what you do for fun.”
You blink at her. “Oh, umm…binge watch TV? Occasionally I’ll go for a walk.”
“Ahh interesting! What about reading? Do you enjoy reading?”
“Well, the last book I purchased was a picture book about North Korean missiles…so.”
She lets out a laugh. “And where do you see yourself in five years?”
You hear Gojo sigh beside you before he reluctantly sets down his silverware and then he turns to Mrs. Gojo. “Mom. C’mon. This isn’t a job interview. Just let her eat.”
There’s a slight tinge of pink to the tips of her ears from the interrogation interruption as she glances between the two of you. She looks over at Sana for help but finds nothing other than a gaze tipped down towards a plate full of picked-at food. Mr. Gojo folds a hand over her frail knuckles as if to silently communicate, but Mrs. Gojo retreats her hands to fold in her lap underneath the table.
Feeling somewhat bad for the two of them, you turn the face Gojo’s dad. “Um…Mr. Gojo, Satoru was telling me about how you were a big baseball fan and a big Ichiro fan…do you still keep up with the Mariners?”
The man’s eyes grow wide with a visible confusion and you swear you hear Gojo clear his throat beside you.
“Ah…that’s–” he starts before the sound of the doorbell ringing startles you.
Sana immediately stands up without a word of excusal or a glance in anyone’s direction and she heads straight for the door.
You all look around at one another before Mrs. Gojo says, “must be Jun.”
You were at least glad to find you would not be the only “in-law” at the table full of a tension-laced family dinner, especially given the fact that in most of the cases where you’ve met Jun, his penchant to talk overshadows any other energy.
“What’s up, y/n!” Jun shouts when he waltzes into the dining hall, a few steps ahead of Sana. He throws his jacket over the first surface he finds, body language matching that of someone twenty years younger than he actually is. You can’t tell if it’s overcompensation for something, or if he just genuinely believes he’s still in his twenties. 
To your surprise, he opens his arms out for you to greet him with a hug, and you hesitate before standing up slightly to give him a well-meaning wrap of your arms around him, but it lacks any warmth of familiarity.
“Welcome to the fam!” he jovially exclaims before patting your arm. He then hugs Mr. Gojo, then Mrs. Gojo (paired with those cheek kisses that the French do in greeting), then daps up Gojo (to which you notice Gojo is less than enthusiastic about) before he finally kisses Sana on the cheek and then takes his seat at the other end of the table. Your eyes are keen on Sana now, watching her intently, but she remains staring at the food on her plate. You had a feeling there was someone in this room that didn’t want to be at this dinner even more than you did.
“How was traffic, Jun?” Mr. Gojo asks.
“Oh it was nothing. Took a shortcut. Backroute off of Lake City Way. Full of pot holes though.”
Sana turns to him and scowls. “While you were taking Juno to her sleepover?!”
He lifts an eyebrow at her. “Yeah? We were running late.”
“How many times do I have to tell you not to take that route to get into the city! Those pot holes are so dangerous.”
“Honey. Chill. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Just last week I saw news of three plot holes on the Mercer Street intersection opened up. Three people were injured, including a young boy.”
“Okay well if I also believed everything I saw on the news was going to personally happen to me too then we’d have never gotten this far in life.”
“Jun,” Sana deadpans.
“W-Why don’t I fix you a plate, Jun? You must be tired.” Mrs. Gojo chimes in. 
Sana breathes in deep and exhales slowly before slumping down into her chair. 
“Thanks,” Jun says, easing his brow as he sits back in his chair nonchalantly, before he turns to Gojo and starts to talk about mundane things like the stock market, the recent election, something about a new bowling record, and this one Thai restaurant he really wants to try on the other end of town, all within the span of time it takes Mrs. Gojo to set a plate down in front of him.
Mr. Gojo jumps in on conversation from time to time. Mrs. Gojo listens idly, sometimes placing a laugh where she feels appropriate. Jun gets particularly animated about this incident he ran into earlier last week when he was dropping Juno off at school, a story that you notice everyone at the table is for some reason entirely intrigued by, but you suppose it’s the most interesting topic of conversation you’ve all had tonight thus far. At certain critical points of the story, Sana jumps in with a that’s not what happened, Jun and you find yourself finally settling in somewhat to the evening.
Just as Jun’s story is ending, you glance up to Mrs. Gojo and find that she’s staring at you with a smile on her face. It makes you jump in your seat a little, luckily unnoticed by the rest of the table because of Jun’s engaging theatrical hand gestures as he attempts to keep his wife, his brother-in-law and his father-in-law engaged. You would’ve expected Mrs. Gojo to avert her gaze the second yours locked with hers, but she doesn’t. She just continues to look at you with a soft smile on her face and a slight tilt to her head, like she’s getting used to the sight of seeing you at this table.
Her gaze flits downwards slightly and you follow her line of gaze, tracing it to the ring that was adorning your left hand. 
Your eyes widen slightly.
“Oh–” you stutter, the words already getting caught in your throat, “I–...I forgot to say, it’s an honor to wear your ring, Mrs. Gojo.” The table suddenly goes quiet, and you can’t tell if it’s because of you, or if it’s because there was no more story left to tell. “It’s beautiful.”
It truly felt like for every two steps you took forward, it was ten steps backwards. Because you watch the way that soft smile of hers entirely drops, her expression replaced with one of confusion, brows knitted together as she looks at you like you’ve just spoken in a language no one on Earth can speak. 
She glances at Gojo, and you don’t have to look at him  to tell that he’s stiff in his seat. You could’ve felt the tension from a mile away. 
Mrs. Gojo looks at you again. “Oh honey, that–” She glances between you and Gojo. “That’s not my ring…”
Your eyes widen, cheeks already flush from whatever’s to come.
But suddenly, and to your surprise, Sana speaks up. “It was our mother’s ring.”
You look at her with confusion. And then you glance at Gojo. And then you glance back at Sana. And then at Mr. & Mrs. Gojo.
“But…” you trail off.
“Sumiko and Daichi are our aunt and uncle,” Sana says with a strained voice, “our real parents died in a house fire when we were younger.”
You blink at her in shock.
“He didn’t tell you?” Mr. Gojo asks.
“I–” You glance at Gojo and see that he’s poking his tongue to the inside of his cheek as he stares down at the glass of scotch he was twirling around in his hand.
“Of course he didn’t,” Sana interrupts, the bitterness in her voice matching the attitude she’s since displayed this entire evening. Her gaze is locked onto her brother’s face, and when his gaze flickers up to meet her eye contact, his expression is set with a tense jaw. “He never wants to mention them. He never wants to acknowledge their life. He never wants to honor them. He just wants to pretend like they never existed.”
“Sana,” he cuts her off, and a chill gets sent down your spine from the seriousness and rigidity in his voice. “Now’s not the time for this.”
“When is the fucking time?!” she spats at him, the simmering tension brewing over. Ah. Yes. The moment you had been expecting. After all, what family does not have its baggage? Sana abruptly stands up from the table, startling everyone with the clanking of silverware and ceramic from the motion. “When is the fucking time for you to admit that you never gave a shit about mom and dad dying? When is the fucking time for you to admit that we moved on to live with these people so fast? When is the fucking time for you to admit how wrong it was for you to force me to call the people here my mom and dad my whole life when they aren’t?” Her voice cracks near the end.
You glance at Mr. & Mrs. Gojo, who both look shocked, hurt, even embarrassed as they gaze down at their food. Your heart stalls in your chest for them.
When you glance back at Gojo, you see that his gaze is hardened even further now. “You’re being rude,” he says, in as steady of a voice as he can manage from the way his brow is creased with disappointment. 
“Yeah, whatever,” Sana says as she wipes at the tears with her sleeves, and you notice that she looks young like this. Younger than the usual prim and proper self that she portrays. Too young to be a mom, too young to be a wife, too young to be an adult. Like someone propelled into a life that she never wanted. “That’s always what you say, isn’t it? No answers, you just claim that I’m being childish and rude.” Jun tries to reach out to hold her hand but she snatches it away from him. Under her breath she says, “I didn’t want to come here. I should’ve just stayed home.” And with a rough swipe of her sleeve across both of her cheeks, she suddenly storms off somewhere deep into the house. Jun immediately stands up to follow her, leaving the four of you here with stale, cold food.
The timer in the oven goes off, the sound heard in the distance like a lifeline, and Mrs. Gojo immediately stands up. “Ah, must be…the roasted potatoes. I’ll be right back,” she fusses, and you avert your gaze from her face so she doesn’t feel embarrassed over the streak of a tear you saw streaming down her face.
“Let me help you,” Mr. Gojo says in a small sheepish mumble before following his wife into the kitchen.
And then there were two.
You only have a moment to process the dramatic outburst and subsequent fall-through before you turn in your chair to face Gojo, your face narrowing in contempt. You see him running a hand through his hair, entirely ruffling out any sort of neatness he had combed it into earlier, and he undoes the top button of his shirt with an impatient thumb like he was letting go of whatever image he had been trying to keep up for tonight, because after what just happened, there was no use. 
“So when were you going to tell me that they aren’t actually your real parents???” you hiss at him.
He sighs and runs a hand down his face. “They’ve raised us since Sana was just three years old. I didn’t think it mattered.” 
“Okay well if I had known then I wouldn’t have mentioned the ring??? Now everyone’s left the table because of me.”
“It’s not because of you,” he quickly corrects you, “it’s because of years of unnecessary drama of which I’ve still got no fucking clue why it still gets brough up at every. family. dinner. If you didn’t bring it up, then they would’ve figured out a way to bring it up somehow anyways.”
You blink at him, a little taken aback by how dejected he was by this entire conversation.
“Are you going to go check on Sana?” you ask him.
“No,” he says without hesitation, “she’ll calm down soon enough.”
You press your lips into a thin line, contemplating his dismissal, before you let out a huff of disappointment and disapproval. You pull your napkin off of your lap, setting it up on the table, and slip out of your chair to head into the house in the direction you saw Sana storm off into, leaving Gojo to himself at the table.
As you walk down the hallway, all those pictures you saw hung up on the walls, those photos of illusion that painted this pretty picture of a nuclear family fall apart in the narrow space, those firm smiles and hesitant postures making much more sense to you now. They aren’t even his real parents. Baseball and wedding rings. Those details belonged to a life he never intended on sharing with you. 
You walk past the kitchen, stopping briefly just beyond the entrance before backtracking and you find Sana standing near the sink with her arm across her chest as her other hand wipes at her cheeks. The soft sound of a sniffle echoes in the room and you’re surprised to see that Jun left her alone.
Tentatively, you shuffle your feet across the wooden floor. She seems to make note of you in her periphery but refuses to glance up. 
“Hey…” you start when you finally make it to the space in front of her, your hip leaning against the edge of the sink counter in parallel with hers as you face her.
“I—” she starts, shuffling her palms across her cheeks again. “I am so severely embarrassed.”
Your eyes widen slightly at the honesty. “Don’t be. It’s just family.”
“No but that’s the point,” she says through a crack in her voice, “I’m thirty-one, I’m married, I’m a mom, but they’ll always just see me as some immature little brat because I always behave like this.”
You don’t know what to say. You suppose if you were a therapist, or a priest, or a mentor, or a mom yourself, or any other person with an emotional IQ higher than yourself, you would know the right thing to say to her right now. But you don’t. So silence is all that you can offer her, and you hope that it’s enough.
It seems to work in it’s own magical way, as she slowly opens herself up to you within the next passing sixty seconds. A fleeting glance up to your face. The halt of pointless fidgeting with the fabric of her sleeve. The way she stands up straighter, her hip no longer leaning against the kitchen counter, and you find that you mirror the same movement.
She clears her throat, rubbing her nose with the knuckle of her index finger, her eyes no longer glistening with tears but the corners of them look puffy.
You glance down at your feet for a moment before inhaling deep and making eye contact with her. “Hey, listen…” you say, “I’m—…I’m really sorry…about earlier today. For overstepping about the bullying. Juno’s your daughter, and I really shouldn’t have given her advice before at least running it by you beforehand. Especially for something so sensitive.”
The delicate muscles of her brow lift in surprise at your words, lids fluttering slowly as she processes your words, and the wave of melancholy is contagious as it washes through you as well.
“I’m sorry too,” she says, “for how angry I got with you. It’s just—” she hesitates, and you see that semblance of her that you’re more familiar with. Strict, stern, rough around the edges but for a noble reason. “Y’know, with kids…we tend to get overprotective over them.” Her gaze drops to somewhere beneath yourselves as if she suddenly lost confidence in her train of thought. “I’m just trying to do the right thing for her.”
A silence settles between the two of you before you realize you ought to respond to her.
“I get it,” you finally say. “I mean—…I don’t. Because I’m not a mom. But…I’m sure that when I am one some day, I’d understand.”
She finally offers you a smile in return to your words, polite but genuine nonetheless. And a soft remnant sniffle makes her ruffle her nose.
Her expression softens, and she stares straight ahead to your collarbone rather than your eyes. “She really likes you, you know?” Sana glances up at you now. “Hasn’t stopped talking about your ‘blubbery’ pancakes since last week.”
“Aww.”
There’s a sad glint in her eyes when she turns her torso away from you slightly in resignation before some hint of optimism flashes by in her face and she turns to you again.
“Do you…think you could give me the recipe?”
You want to ask her if everything is okay. But instead, you say, “sure.”
The sound of footsteps approaching is heard near the kitchen entrance and the two of you glance in that direction to see Jun walking in. He offers you a fleeting glance before taking his place beside Sana, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling him towards her before placing a kiss on her temple and saying, “hey honey.” 
You watch as she averts her gaze down to the tips of her toes.
“Feeling better?” he asks her but there’s this lack of warmth you cannot quite discern.
“Yes,” she responds, scratching at her cheek as a discreet way of getting rid of the last remaining wetness that had streamed down her face earlier.
He rubs her arm soothingly and then looks at you with a smile pressed into a firm line. “Doing alright?”
You blink at him. “Wh—…yes.”
“Say, y/n, how’s your mom doing by the way?” he asks.
“She’s…better. She’s in hospice now.”
“Palliative?”
“Well—” you say, “I guess. It’s just temporary.”
He shuffles inside the pocket of his coat and takes out something. A small card with finely printed black ink on it. He hands it to you.
“I can’t imagine how expensive that all must be,” he says, and you glance down at the card.
Carevest Capital est. 2016
Invest in a healthier you!
You glance up at Jun. Sana’s gaze has now shifted to the inside of the sink.
“I started this business,” he says, “where we’re revolutionizing the way healthcare costs are managed. In our platform, we basically invest our clients’ money into the stock market, leveraging our high-reward algorithm to maximize returns. But here’s the unique part: we partner with leading healthcare CEOs who match a portion of the profits as an incentive for stock purchases. Together, these funds go directly toward paying off hospital bills and easing related financial burdens.”
Your eyes widen at his words. The speech was practiced, one you can only assume he has pitched to many potential clientele. But there’s a hint of personable grace to it as well.
“I’m telling you, y/n, we’ve had clients who have overcome six figures of medical debt in just six months,” he says, “and you’ll only need a couple thousand dollars to start yourself up.”
You purse your lips together, your finger pinching the corner of the card. “That’s amazing, Jun.”
He smiles at you, releasing Sana’s waist. “Sorry if this kinda came out of nowhere, but I heard through the grapevine that things have been rough.”
Oh, like how your card has declined publicly at the grocery store multiple times, or how you haven’t been able to afford your insurance deductible to get that chipped off part of your bumper fixed, or the fact you haven’t paid your landscapers in over three months so your lawn now looks like a swamp? It was a small town. And people’s finances were always a topic of interest for most.
“I just wanted to offer any help I can,” Jun says.
“Thanks,” you say, returning his smile, “I’ll, um, I’ll look into it.” You push the card into your pocket.
He offers you that same firm smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes before he pulls Sana to him again, placing another kiss along her hairline and the PDA seems like overcompensation on some front from the way Sana is entirely frigid to his touch. 
Maybe it was a woman’s intuition,
But you felt like something was wrong.
“Kids,” you hear Mr. Gojo’s crackly voice say as he stands leaning against the doorframe near the kitchen entrance, “let’s finish dinner?”
The three of you exchange glances before nodding and heading back towards the hall.
Your peach cobbler was apparently very good, the only thing that seemed to cut through the tension of the night. But that was the thing with family, right? You can yell and scream and cry and lecture and mope and roll your eyes at each other all you want but at the end of the day, they’re still family. Sana still seems slightly dejected though, and you can see Gojo in the corner of your eye at the table glancing up at her every other minute or so. His own way of making sure she’s doing okay, you think to yourself. Sana refuses to meet anyone’s line of sight except yours, however, which makes you feel some slight burdensome responsibility of sisterhood you had never signed up for. Nonetheless, you try to offer her a soothing smile whenever she looks up at you, and it seems to put her at ease.
The news of Sana and Jun moving seemed slightly anticlimactic, as Mrs. Gojo mentioned that they had already had an inkling that Jun and Sana would be moving closer to the city. You briefly wonder if Mrs. Gojo knew all along, but decided to make the announcement into some big affair just so that she could see her niece and nephew over a meal.
You make no more embarrassing comments. Conversation dulls into anything and everything unpersonal to you all, such as the news and weather and gossip of other people. And somewhere along the night, you relax your knee, the ball of it pressing into Gojo’s thigh underneath the table. It was wordless, innocent contact that occurs when two people become more comfortable with one another. Only excusable due to the slight buzz you felt in your veins from the wine. He’s kissed you before, yet somehow the press of his thigh against yours feels even more searing. There’s a point along the night where you tip your head to the right slightly, daringly close to resting your head on his shoulder due to the tipsy dizziness weighing in your head, and it would certainly put on a convincing show of newlywed affection for his aunt and uncle, but you manage to catch yourself. And subsequently refuse any more glasses of wine.
“Thanks for having me,” you say to Mrs. Gojo at the front entrance before she pulls you in for a hug.
“Oh, anytime dear,” she says as she gently pats your back, “please.”
When she pulls away from the hug, she holds you by your shoulders before her eyes glance down towards your left hand and the shimmering diamond that sat on the ring finger. She holds your hand in hers and lifts it to examine the twinkle underneath the lights of the chandelier.
“It really is a pretty ring,” she says, her eyes glossing over. “It looked beautiful on my sister, and it looks beautiful on you too.”
Your breath hitches slightly in your throat. “Thank you, Mrs. Gojo.”
“Please,” she says in response to the title, “Sumiko is fine.” But in less of a way in which she’s relaxing formalities, but rather in a way that acknowledges she never had the sovereignty to be called that in the first place.
You hear masculine voices approaching down the hallway as the three men make their way towards the front entrance as well. Gojo glances at you in the midst of their conversation, and he leaves the two of them to make his way over to you.
“Alright,” Gojo says, turning to face the rest of them as he stands beside you. “We’ll head out now.”
Sumiko pulls him in for a hug, then his uncle, and then obnoxiously by Jun as well. Sana fidgets with her fingers as she remains at the end of the line, and you catch a glimpse of surprise on her face when Gojo pulls her in for a hug too. You see him whisper something to her, and it’s only after she hears what he said that she returns the hug and wraps her arms around him as well.
You’re jolted out of your people-watching trance when Gojo walks up to you and takes your hand in his, shoving his other in his pocket. You glance down at the sight, the way his large hand engulfs your own. It’s warm in a firm hold, delicately squeezing your hand once right before you feel the cold air behind you when his uncle opens the door.
Well, you survived. That’s what you think to yourself as you sit in the passenger seat of Gojo’s car, watching the city lights twinkle as you two drive by. You don’t know what you were expecting. Drama? Ease? Tension? For a piece of the sky to fall and land on the roof? There was a part of you that wanted to impress. You want to be one of those daughter-in-laws that the in-laws just adore. You know, where they’re like, god am I so happy that she’s a part of the family now! The one that the mother-in-law is just so ecstatic to know that her son managed to hold down such a catch.
But any expectations and pressure dissolve with the reminder that this is all fake. Fake, fake, fake. And you’d do really well to remind yourself of that reality whenever you spent time with Gojo. Whenever you find yourself acclimating into his life for even a moment, just remember that it’s fake. Can you have a little fun here and there? Sure. Will you probably find yourself in even stranger situations going forward? Yes, because, well, that’s how life is. But it’s just fake. No obligations, no responsibility, nothing. Nada. Nothing, nothing, nothing.
But as you walk through the front door, staring straight ahead into the dark house at Gojo’s back as he sets down the keys by the foyer table, and even as you follow him further into the house towards the kitchen, that feeling inside you surges. 
A woman's intuition.
That something between Jun and Sana was wrong.
Not just routine marital issues,
Or the occasional argument,
Something worse. Something dangerous.
And it’s not something you would ever expect a man to pick up on, even Gojo.
Because it was from the way Sana’s eyes silently communicated with you from across the table,
Something so subtle, a silent plea across a shared dimension,
That she needed help.
“Hey…” you speak up softly, standing in front of the fridge. 
Gojo glances over his shoulder at you from the other side of the kitchen island, barely illuminated by the moonlight through the windows. He turns to face you. “What’s up?”
You blink at him. 
“Um, I really don’t want to overstep again, but—”
There’s a sobering thought that flashes through your mind when you recall that you have never seen yourself as the hero in anyone’s story.
Simply because you could never, ever, ever trust yourself.
You could never trust your feelings or your decisions.
Because you cosigned on hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical loans. Because you stuck around for five years with a man that didn’t love you anymore. Because you still feel naive enough to believe that your best friend who betrayed you still misses you somehow. Because you still foolishly believe your mother will be around to hold her grandchildren someday.
Because you thought that your best bet in order to pull yourself out of hell was to fake marry a man,
And then act as if it’s all real when his aunt looks you in the eye with bittersweet tears as you now wear her bereaved sister’s ring in honor, entirely unaware it was actually being worn in vain.
How could you ever trust your judgement when you behave this way? 
Never the hero. If anything, the villain.
“What is it?” Gojo repeats when he sees that you’ve been silent for too long. He tilts his head at you, his hair falling over his forehead haphazardly and he runs a hand through it to try to get it out of his face. Even in the dim light, his eyes shine a breathtaking blue.
You swallow hard.
“Um,” you say, and then glance down at the wetness you find at your heel. “The, um, the fridge is leaking again.”
He blinks at you for a solid ten seconds, and then the tension in his shoulders drops when he sulks and closes his eyes with exhaustion and defeat.
“Fuck. Okay.”
.
.
.
[end of chapter 5]
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a/n. looool i really keep thinking i can post shorter chapters and them bam they be 10k+ words. but i swearrr it's just cuz i be yapping :(( anywho hope you enjoyed this chapter!! a lot of characters were kinda introduced and mm given a bit more depth in this chapter. sorry there wasn't as much romance or anything in this one though haha there will be more in the next one :0 big big thank you to my lovely ihm beta readers ayelin, jules, leni & mirl for helping me out w this chapter!! i believe i may have mentioned this before but i STRUGGLLEEEE with multi-character scenes (i'm much more comfy writing scenes that just have back n forth between two characters) so this chapter was challenginggg esp the whole dinner sequences and there were also a lot of complicated feelings at play, descriptions, stuff i wasn't sure if it was coming off the right way (and tbh am still not sure haha) but they really helped me work my thoughts out n gave wonderful suggestions too so tysm :'') much loveee!! hope to see you all in the next one <3 - ellie
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inumakis-boo · 8 months ago
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TOGE INUMAKI ⟢. ݁₊⋆.˚ ༘♡˚
fanfiction synopsis ␥ you and toge inumaki are both in your third year of jujustu high, but youve barely spent a moment alone yet. when you do on a saturday night, you realize exactly why you need to "hang out" more // aka, the first step to being friends with benefits.. hooking up the first time.
word count - 4,629 // hope you enjoy! tw obviously.
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You would have never guessed how this night would end, compared to its beginning. Like something you would have read in a terrible booktok novel with its cliches and tropes- but you could have never understood how even cliches, imitate life.
It was finally Saturday night, and all of the second and third years sat in Itadori’s room, with the dim blue LED lights circling them, and posters of clad women on the wall to give off the perfect teenage boy aesthetic. Some game was going on the TV and both Itadori and Nobara had been occupying everyone's attention with their shouting and cheers as they fought on screen.
You didn’t know exactly how or why or when, someone had swiped a bottle of something, and now it lay on the mats on the floor, empty with a broken seal. At least everyone had gotten more than a few sips of the fire in the bottle, and you struggled to swallow it, but you still smiled after and laughed. It made the stress of training on the body at least feel a little better as your fingertips buzzed.
Nobody checked the time, and everyone laid out on his bed, on the floor, on the desk and chair. It wouldn’t be too much of a problem- all the teachers would be gone for the weekend. After all, they were all old enough that Satoru Gojo wouldn’t have to babysit constantly, right?
They sat, comfortably then, letting the TV be loud and the shouting obnoxious.
It had taken you awhile to notice, but one member had been missing for the last few minutes with no explanation. You double-checked the room and did not see the violet-eyed boy sitting anywhere. He had last taken a few sips of the bottle and beat Itadori in a game, before at some point dipping for.. whatever reason.
Perhaps he had gotten sick or was fetching something? You decided to go check it out. You silently got up off the floor and didn’t pay much attention as everyone laughed at Itadori dying for the 7th time tonight.
The hallway was darker than usual, but it was probably too late anyway. Moonlight shone through the panes of the window, their crossed shapes decorating the hardwood down the hall, each window revealing the silky glow from the outside. Your eyes followed down and caught to one pattern disturbed.
You follow it up and see the one you were checking on, leaning on the window sill, soaking up the moonlight. It glimmered against the pale skin of his face but did not fade the marks around his mouth.
You slowly walk over, and he tears his eyes from the scene towards you and smiles a little. Instinctually, he pulls out his phone.
“You look happy.” You remark, and his smile grows as he types into the notes app.
// Just felt like walking around, but seeing you here is better. //
You were familiar with his real personality beyond the curse lodged in his throat, the silly and rather typical teenage boy attitude in everything he did. But for some odd reason, it was seeing it face to face was a difference. You had only maybe a few conversations with him before over text, and while you trained together in class, didn’t mean you were used to him yet.
// Something happen? //
“Nah.” You lean on the sill with your body, feeling the open breeze come in. “You're not missing anything.”
He just smirks with a little head shake, and his eyes that had met yours look back to the sill.
// I won’t keep you here, //  He types as you look over. // I should be back soon. //
“I’m not in a rush to watch Megumi and Itadori argue about the game rules again.” You smile and snicker. “Out here is nice.”
// Not surprised about that at all // He snickers aloud, // I would like company. //
The moonlight and the random liquor someone brought must have been messing with your senses- He felt welcoming and charming, and in this space, it was more private than anywhere else.
“You had plenty of company in there.” You bring it up, but he just shrugs. Perhaps he wasn’t asking for that kind of head-ache-inducing company.
He scrolled up again to the first note.
// ..it is better seeing you here.//
What was happening with your stomach? It was like something was bubbling up, in a good way. He gazed with an interested eye. and you tried to hold back a dopey grin.
He turns to face away from the window and stretches. You watch him turn back to you, his face now in the dark of the hall. He types-
//I am going to go back to my room, wanna me to walk you back to everyone else?//
“W-What?” You stutter embarrassingly, then clear your throat- “Nono, you don’t have to. It is only down the hall. Let me walk you instead.”
Ah, his smile was so genuine, and he brushed back his hair for a moment before shrugging. A visual okay.
You begin to walk with Him down the silver halls, cusping your hands in yours, watching as you walk in step, his dorm slippers on with his casual sweatpants and navy t-shirt. He wanted to be comfortable- it wasn’t even the first time you had seen him in casual clothes.. although it was more of a rare sight to not see his mouth covered.
You blindly follow him to his room, your eyes catching peeks of his face. He still looked like he did last year according to school photos, but his jaw was more defined, and of course, his inky markings had always made themselves apparent. You thought they were interesting, like any tattoo or scar.
His eyes look at you curiously, and you realize you're just staring at him and look away. You don’t look back, even though he brushes his arm against yours. He had little words to say, yet had better social skills than anybody here. It didn’t feel awkward though, it was just a little new. You hadn’t really noticed him before.. nor had you noticed him noticing you.
Both of you arrived at his dorm room, a little wood plaque around his doorknob that was a gift, a salmon emoji that had been painted for him hung there. It was cute, and you watched it as the door opened.
Toge stepped into his room and didn’t bother to flick on the lights, the full moon shining right through his windows. You couldn’t see much but you could smell him from outside of the room, a mix of his shampoo and cologne- fresh and warm. It almost pulled you in.
He turned after he kicked off his slippers, coming back to the door with his notes presented still.
// We should hang out more often. I think you're fun. //
You shake your head with a laugh. How did he come to that conclusion?
“We didn’t even do anything..!” You laugh, rubbing your arms. Toge returns to his phone. “How would you know?”
// Yeah but, I have my reasons, don’t I? Maybe I have a feeling. //
Okay, maybe your knees had good reason to be weak. Was he flirting? His face seemed to say so.
And.. what could happen if you tested the waters? You hadn’t ever flirted with many people before but.. he was just a friend, right?
You look down the hall and bite your lower lip with a smile. “What kind of feeling?”
It is his turn to look away, leaning against the door frame. He is trying to not smile too hard, you can see.
“Are you feeling like.. we should hang out sooner than later?"
You were wondering if others had drunk more than you had, and according to his eyes, sizing you up, you had an inkling that he might've had just enough to not fear with his expressions. If he was truly cautious, he would be covering his mouth, right?
And according to the feeling between your legs, you had little filter to worry about.
He took a step once, then twice until your chests were practically meeting, and he looked like he had already decided what he wanted, and was bold about it. While your heart was still beating, even if rapidly, you wouldn’t stop until you figured him out.
Of course, he typed with one hand by your side, then presented.
// I am feeling like you are curious about me like I am curious about you, and I wanna see more. Only if you wanna. //
He had read you like a book. You licked your lips and sighed, looking up at him. His hair had been pushed back some since he arrived at his dorm, and the warmth from his body mixed with his cologne was driving you nuts. You wondered how toned he was under these clothes- and wondered if he thought about you the same way.
“If you're so curious..” Your hand slipped onto his pec- firm and warm. “How about you come find out?”
That would do it- one smirk and another step and his lips were pressing against yours. So softly at first, but once your hand had slowly crept up his neck and pulled him just a tad closer, you could feel the intensity rise, his tongue running across your lips and into your open mouth, hands running up and down your hips, never pulling you further but always closer.
Then you could feel him moving back and pulling you with him. You were still in the hallway outside of his dorm, after all. You accepted it- and had no room to even protest. He was too good of a kisser and knew exactly how to take control, not much of a surprise there.
By the time you had started paying attention again, you heard the decoration on his door tap on the door as it closed shut, and realized vaguely you were in a dark room with his boy that just moments ago, considered nothing more than friendly with.
How far this was going to go or fear of being caught was honestly the last thing on your mind. He had reiled you up and at this point, he could have anything he asked for. He wanted to know, he needed to know.
You let his tongue slip into your mouth as his hands run underneath your shirt, his hands on your skin sending you even more haywire. It was addictive, and you were determined to make the same reaction out of him- if not better.
You let your fingers curl in his hair, pushing him forward more, his warm sigh against your cheek telling you how much he was enjoying this. He deserved it, for being so nice to you, and coming onto you like that, making you feel so nervous and witty. You let him guide you to somewhere in his room, and suddenly you can feel the edge of something behind your ass. You were slightly pinned to the end of his bed frame, just enough to keep you from running away.
His knee slowly dragged between the gap of your legs, and the proximity made you sigh in appreciation. He hummed, yet didn’t dare leave your lips. He was being so explorative, passionately involved in every toss of your tongue in your mouth and every patch of skin he touched. His fingertips were dragging across your flesh, and the entire time you could barely keep yourself sane enough to touch him back.
But you did- starting at his navel, just to make him sigh through his nose as his kisses traveled from your mouth to your neck and ear, the brush of his face and lips making you want to squirm with delight. Then, the palm of your hand, just teasing enough, palmed his firm abs, defined so perfectly that you could imagine them in your dreams just by touch alone- but here you were, touching his so wantingly. Your fingertips, like his, grazed so temptingly across his obliques, feeling their tightness and the rumble in his chest easily.
At this point, his shirt was bunching at your wrists, and as a final act of teasing, simply made a motion to pull it up, and meeting violet eyes as he did could’ve made you sink to your knees at a moment. His eyes were lidded and needy, and his lips were pinker with friction, and you could only imagine if he was the type to leave marks behind.
The white shirt had been tossed, maybe on his desk chair, he clearly hadn’t cared where it ended up, because he was too busy doing the exact same to you. You wouldn’t even break eye contact, wouldn’t dare, as his hands sat right below your bra, and could feel the urge in his grip to just take it off right then and there.
Maybe helping his urges wouldn’t be so bad, right?
You took his hand, and encouraged the back of his, allowing him to sneak under the wire and squeeze your perky tits, watching his eyes return to yours as he squeezed on his own.
There was no way you were returning to your dorm room tonight.
Next thing you knew, your bra wire was sitting right near the top of your breasts as he had leaned down, holding his head as he licked and sucked on the hard nipples, rolling one in the other hand. It was erotic, watching his tongue, marked with the scar of his curse, flicking your cute buds to make your body jello in his hands. It was extremely hot, and you knew that these panties were going to be ruined by the time you let him tear them off of you.
Speaking of underwear, you forced his head to lay next to your neck, returning his lower half to be in your grasp, and immediately got to work palming at the other. He sure was enjoying that attention, letting you fondle your smaller hand against his clothed thickness, shuttering at the idea of sitting right on it. The lewd thoughts were going a mile a minute, and you weren’t planning on stopping.
He continued to pull at your sensitive little buds as you fondled him, his breath becoming heavy against your neck as you thoroughly got an idea of what to expect- but hands wandered on his side, and you knew that his long fingers were not going to be idle much longer. His entire hand curled around your mound over your sweatpants, and the pressure in his fingertips along your pantied slit was driving you nuts.
But, with bra abandoned on the floor, he moved you with his hand still on your crotch to the side of the bed, his forehead against yours as he switched places and sat down first, then brought you into his lap.
You could tell he was not going to be rough in manhandling you, just simply moving you just to better fit his need to touch you, and the touch alone was enough to make it obvious how wet you were- and he became very aware the moment he dragged down the band of your sweatpants to reveal the heat of your pussy, throbbing with need for any kind of friction, by anything.
You could hear the hum in his throat, the holding back of a groan as he touched the lace of your underwear and found it moist, clearly satisfied with all that had been hidden before. You could feel the grind of his cock against your ass as he leaned back more into the headboard and pillows, making your torso almost barely sit up, while your legs were pulled apart so easily by setting them on opposite sides of his own knees. You were so bare, and his fingers trailing around your clit, throbbing with need, was enough to make you moan into the air, your chest rising with the lighting going through you.
“Be quiet.” The command shot through you instantly, and your mouth closed, only faint whimpers lodged in your throat managing to make any noise- anyone could hear, of course, it was late.
But no- that was only one half of the coin. The other half was being able to hear the gushing noises as he softly slapped your wet folds, just enough to hear it, and being forced to hear how needy you had become. His other hand held your jaw close to his neck, and let you cover your whimpers there. You moved your ass against his length just below, but he wasn’t done here.
One finger had slipped in so easily with all the lubrication gushing out of you, but the second dreadful finger had entered so achingly slow, pushing your insides slowly apart as he made a few experimental pumps before sinking them deep and curling, slow at first then faster and faster.
You weren’t going to make it like this. You were bound to cum, splayed out like a breeding slut for him, taking his fingers as he fucks you so earnestly, and sighs and grunts like he is fucking you, all the while not even having the pleasure to groan out yourself- only forced to hear how much your pussy needed his cock soon, and by soon, you meant thirty minutes ago, out in the hall way in the moonlight outside of Itadoris bedroom.
“Haah..” He grazed your ridges so slowly that you almost came, his thumb flicking your swollen clit too many times to count. He was too good at this.
You couldn’t handle it anymore- it was either you were going to cum here, or he would fuck you. Or both. Hopefully both.
Your fingertips grab onto his waist band and try to pull it down, but the angle is hard and you almost grow frustrated. He only bites his lip, forces your head so he can kiss you, and drags his own pants down, lifting both of you up to do so briefly.
Your first contact with his cock is when it slaps against your wet folds, the tip of his dick just brush so teasingly against your slit that you can barely imagine how you would somehow fit it in your throat eventually (hopefully, eventually, if she made it out alive.)
Now he was gasping, the mix of the delicate heat on his shaft, the wetness leaking from your needy hole, and his tiphead rubbing against your clit was even driving him insane. His hands were bruisingly gripping your waist, keeping you still as he slides up and down, shifting his hips to graze his tip all around your folds.
“P-Please, Toge-” You manage out when he gets weaker, your watery eyes and whimpering tone catching his ear immediately. “I want y-you to fuck me.”
He wouldn’t resist that kind of plea, not when he himself wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to last- fuck it, he would use his curse to go longer if he needed too, as long as he was buried inside your cunt when it happened.
You felt it, instantly as the tip of his cock buried slowly into your hole, finally, stretching so good you were ready to about give up and let him take you anyway he wished. He was not going to let that happen though, you had to witness it all, how good he was laying it down.
The shaft went deeper and deeper until you felt the tip graze your delicate cervix, even with this much preparation, you still knew it was going to be bruised tomorrow morning. Fuck it, what did you care. Toge Inumaki was going to fuck you, and hearing his whimpering as he finally hit his base against your folds was like music to your ears.
He pumped it in, slowly and surely, until the pumps couldn't be timed anymore as he was, becoming steady thrusts into your creaming cunt that the hand on your jaw moved to your lips to block any noise from escaping.
God, his cock was so perfectly heavy just enough to burn your entrance as he entered over and over again, and perfectly long to make you groan into the palm of his hand as he slams it into you. It was too erotic the noise, what was the point of even covering your voice? Between his huffing and the squelching, it would be instantly noticeable to anyone outside the door.
Yet, he fucked your pussy until you could feel all the wetness gather at the base, dripping down his shaft. He didn’t even care beyond holding your mouth in his palm to conceal the noise.
But, he wasn’t done yet. No.. one final trick.
“Sit up and face me.” He whispered, and thank goodness you did not resist whatsoever to spare his voice, already so weak, you found yourself slipping his fat cock out of your needy cunt, and turning around, watching him readjust himself to look at you.
Yep, as expected. Face nothing more than a filthy reaction, dimmed and teary eyes, bitten lips, and red-got ears and cheeks, followed by cute red marks all along your neck, just enough to match your pink, toyed nipples against your pale skin, and finally, hand marks to go right along with glistening folds, already drooling all over the cock in his hand, directed right at your hole.
His hair had long since been pushed back, and his cheeks and lips were the same hue of red, his chest sweaty from bearing your heat on it as he fucked you on your back against it, and finally, silvery hair trimmed right at the base of his hard cock which throbbing and beading with precum.
“Sit on it, like a good girl.”
You had no inclination to do otherwise, feeling the tip enter you again, but this time, so much deeper than you knew another could go. It spreaded you out perfectly, watching as he got a perfect view of your hole, stretched around his dick while your tits sat prettily on your chest, hands stabilizing you on his hips.
You sat fully on it, your insides spazzing as it throbbed inside you, and you watched his face as he relished in the feeling, so completely trying to hold back from the display in front of him.
You wanted him to tell you exactly what to do- you were going to be his plaything tonight, no matter how much embarrassment you would feel in the morning, you were addicted to the idea of this man find every weak spot inside you, and letting him do exactly what he wanted.
He got the memo very fast.
“Bounce up and down, baby.” He whispered again, and your thighs moved, allowing you up and down on his shaft with ease. Even the burning in your thighs had disappeared, thanks to his order. You let his cock pump into your the first few time, watching as he tilted his head back to feel the bare heat, the friction of your ridges inside of you dragging across his head and shaft constantly.
You didn’t tire of watching him, not of him holding your hips and guiding you even though his words had done enough, not tiring of watching his eyes roll back, his mouth opening to moan aloud, his abs squeezing as he control his abdomen from reacting. It was your turn to watch him fall apart, and with all the foreplay with your tits and clit, you thought it well-deserved, if not vengeful.
You gained confidence as you rode him, hearing the slickness coat your thighs then meeting his, creating a sound so erotic it would get you both kicked out of jujutsu high, but you didn’t care when you grabbed his hands from your waist and let them grope at your tits, watching his eyes dilate with the motion of them moving in his hands. It went right to your abdomen as you felt his fingers pull at your already tender nipples.
You weren’t ever going to be the same after this- of course, you fooled around briefly before you joined the third years before Jujustu High, being a late bloomer, but this was going to be part of every wet dream, every shower spent with your fingers deep in your holes, would be about this moment, with his eyes grazing over you like he had a million things to say and command, and you're expected (and will) obey every single one, simply because he could fuck you to the point that you hoped he cummed right inside of you.
The very thought was going to make you explode, right on the base of his cock, you were going to lose all control, and nothing but his words were going to stop it.
But he was waiting for the perfect time- no, he wanted to cum with you, at the same moment, wanted you to cream right inside you as you creamed on him. He was going to make you remember this night, when you discovered all of him.
The sickening slaps had increased, and the effect of his words had worn off, but you didn’t care. The feeling of your g-spot being constantly rubbed into, fucked into, was all that mattered. His hands abandoned your tits for now, and instead, settled right on your face, and brought you down to kiss him. Now, it was his turn.
He trusted his hips deep in your cunt, and if nobody knew you two were fucking, somebody probably knew now. The dick was simply too good to even speak, feeling your lips wet with drool as he kissed you, your tongue being eagerly played with as he entered your mouth. He wanted you to go insane- he refused to be the only one.
Finally, he pressed your forehead against his, with both of your sweaty bodies rubbing together as he fucked your cunt easily with a flick of his hips, your moans and breath sharing the same space between your faces, he couldn’t resist any more. Not any longer could he hold out, now when you looked so prettily drunk on sex.
“I want you to cum.” He managed in a guttural demand. “Right now.”
The squeeze of your walls finally killed him as your racked out a deliciously loud moan turned whine, his hot cum shooting right into your clenching pussy as you leaked all over him, twitching and stuttering and faltering, head meeting his chest and neck as she came hard, right where she wanted to the most.
He holds you with both arms around your back, giving slowing thrusts into your sensitive cunt, tits and chest heaving against his as your whimper and whine, until he finally comes to a stop, and with the missing of friction, comes out his hard cock, and the load dripping onto his navel that he had buried deep inside you.
You were delirious with sex, completely and utterly spent as you panted against his chest, feeling his breath match yours so perfectly it was calming your brain down. You couldn’t stop twitching though, and you didn’t know if and when you would stop.
“Breathe..” He whispered, using probably the last of his energy to calm you down. Of course, it works, and you can feel yourself take a deep breath and release it with a shuttering take.
“Is it okay.. if I stay?”
You could hear the soft noise of him tapping a screen.
// To hang out? //
You smiled weakly, and lifted up a finger to type back.
// yes pls. //
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Thank you all for reading! I had rewritten this, it was supposed to much more vague but.. i like this better.
anyways, @inumakisser and @nectardaddy this is for you pookies, i promised fr to deliver.
see ya later!
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teamhardwoodfloorltd · 2 years ago
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monzabee · 1 year ago
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what you do to me – lh44 (+18)
masterlist
Summary: The one where Lewis returns home to you – the one thing he desperately wants, but won't let himself have completely.
Pairing: lewis hamilton x fwb!reader
Word Count: 3.4k
Warnings: angst, feelings, friends with benefits relationship, smut!, slight choking, unprotected sex (wrap your willy, don’t be silly!), slight manhandling?, pwp, minors dni!!
Author’s Note: hi, hey, hello!! my boyfriend forced me to watch hellraiser the other day, and there was this one scene that i could just not thinking about so i wanted to write something inspired by it, and who better to write it about than sir lewis hamilton?? also, i reaaaallly wanted to write a friends with benefits thing and it was so much fun, i honestly wasn’t expecting. the title of this fic is actually a john legend song that i love and i think it fits the vibes for this fic, so please feel free to give it a listen if you're interested! i hope you guys enjoy! good morning, noon or night wherever you are, xoxobee
Please also note that all of my works are protected under copyright, and not available for reposting on other platforms.
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It’s a shame Lewis doesn’t spend more time in his Monte Carlo penthouse during the season because it’s a space he enjoys spending time in so much. He doesn’t mind being alone in his home – if anything, it’s refreshing after spending so much time being the focal point of so many cameras during the season. Also, technically, he is not alone he supposes; he has Roscoe to keep him company when he’s home, after all.
Coming home from a successful season is rewarding, he feels as if he’s deserved the rest he looks forward to. On the other hand, coming home from a not-so-successful season? Well he feels like shit – both mentally and physically. That is not to say that he doesn’t appreciate the time off, though, he is more than happy to not drive for weeks and just enjoy the winter break. Coming home is also always kind of bittersweet. He catches up with some of his friends he didn’t have time for during the season, his family who always support him through thick and thin, but most importantly he tries to make time for you and your… well, arrangement.
He knows something is wrong the minute you reply to his text about him being home. A simple okay is not a response he is used to getting from you. Alas, he shakes off the unease and chalks it up to a hectic day on your end. The pitter patter of Roscoe’s paws on the hardwood floors is enough to distract him from the situation, given the fact that the puppy is impatient for his dinner and is looking at the driver with pleading eyes.
“Okay ‘Coe,” he mumbles as he motions the kitchen with his head, “let’s go.”
The way Roscoe wobbles towards the kitchen brings a small smile to Lewis’ face even though he is still hung up on your answer. After he’s done feeding the puppy, he decides to grab a quick shower to ease the tiredness that comes from a long travel day. The hot water cascading down from the rainfall shower does a good job of taking care of his sore muscles, and he is more than happy to stay under the warm water if it means the soreness will go away. That is until he hears banging coming from his front door. He has every intention of just ignoring the person on the other side of the door; however, as the knocks get more and more persistent, he gets out of the shower with a groan. Wrapping a towel around his hips, he marches towards the front door, and looks through the peephole only to end up opening the door quicker than he would’ve liked.
His voice is confused as he mumbles out, “Lovey?” But you just straighten up from your position of leaning against the wall and throw your bag on the floor as you push your way through his apartment and wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him into a hug. He doesn’t miss the way your breath hitches as you attempt to hide yourself in the crook of his neck, and he is not sure what he’s supposed to do with his hands for a moment. “Hey,” he calls out softly, “what’s wrong?”
You pull back slightly to look into his worried eyes, “Just kiss me.” Your voice comes out somewhere between a whisper and a sob, and you can see the hesitation in Lewis’ eyes, but you just pull him towards you as you press a soft kiss on his lips, “Please.”
“What happened?” He tries once again to get an answer from you, but you shut down his attempt as you press your lips against his once more, more assertive this time. And who is he to deny you your wishes? So, like the perfect gentleman he is, he reciprocates your kiss with a one of his own as he wraps his arms around you to signal you to jump. Thankfully, you are so tuned with each other that you end up jumping up anyway, and he picks you up as you wrap your legs around his hips. Closing the door, he starts walking back towards his bedroom as your lips start moving more frantically against his own. “Slow down,” he warns, pulling back to give both of you a chance to breathe, “we have all night.”
Whining at the loss of contact from his lips, and you let your dissatisfaction known by attempting to roll your hips against his bare stomach, “Don’t wanna.” There’s still a lingering sob in your voice, but it is more reflective of the neediness you feel now that you have him between your arms – and legs. Lewis lets his hands roam down towards your ass to give you a warning squeeze – a one, maybe you would’ve been threatened by it if you weren’t so lost in him at the moment. You try your best to ignore the look he gives you, one filled with sternness; so instead, you move your lips downwards towards Lewis’ neck with another roll of your hips. “I missed you.”
He stills the movement of your hips as he simultaneously releases an appreciative groan at the way your lips feel on his skin. “I missed you too, lovey.” He is careful as he approaches his bed and sits down on the plush mattress with you still in his arms. Wrapping a hand around your hair to tilt your head back so he can look into your eyes again, he attempts to keep himself from becoming hard from the mere prospect of you wrapping your body around his. His eyes search yours for answers as to your sour mood, “Tell me what’s wrong, bad day?”
“Try bad month,” you scoff, letting your hands slide over his, somehow, still damp torso. “You weren’t here,” you explain as you free yourself from his hold on your hair and take off your sweatshirt, “don’t wan’ to talk about it.”
“Well, I’m here now.” A sudden realisation that you are not wearing anything under your top comes to Lewis, and he has to mentally restrain himself from doing something rash. “Not wearing a bra?” He asks, one of his eyebrows raised.
You let out a confirming hum, “Not wearing any underwear either.” Giving him an innocent smile at the groan he gets out, you shrug your shoulders nonchalantly, “Thought they’d get in the way.” His hands feel warm on your bare skin as he drags them up on your body to gently cup your exposed breasts, causing you to brace yourself by hanging onto his shoulder for support. Whining as you feel his thumb make contact with your sensitive nipple, you decide to pull him in for another kiss, mumbling a breathy, “Kiss me,” against his lips. 
He obliges your request, of course, but he doesn’t let you control the kiss like you would’ve liked to. Instead, he stops the kiss by gently biting down on your lip before you can deepen it. With a small pat to your hip, he mumbles, “Get up, let me see you.” The look he gives you is just so full of adoration that you have no other choice to get up from his lap with the slowest moves you can muster. His eyes never leave you when you take a step back so that he can see you, all of you, and with the small nod he gives you, you begin taking off your leggings and shoes. That’s the thing about Lewis – for someone who is in the spotlight most of their time, he loves watching. And it is not only limited to the bedroom, you realise, he watches you even when you are doing mundane things together, like grocery shopping or walking Roscoe, domestic things that couples do together. But you can’t think about that, no, because both of you agreed that this was only physical and nothing more. Shaking the thoughts away, you straighten up from your bent position only to find Lewis looking you with a much darker look in his eyes. He’s dangerous, when he looks like that, you realise, he could break you into pieces with just his words, and the worst part is that you’d absolutely let him. “Pretty girl,” he whispers into the distance between you, and you take the hand he extends towards you for him to pull you against himself. The feeling of his lips on your skin almost feel feverish, and you find yourself releasing a gasp. “You’re the prettiest girl ever, lovey.”
“Lewis,” you brokenly whisper, your voice would be bordering on whiny with all the neediness that comes with it, “please, I need you.” The pleading look you give him is vulnerable, if not desperate.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs against your skin, his lips leaving another open-mouthed kiss, this time closer to your lower belly. His voice does a good job of soothing your erratic mind, his arms envelope you as he promises, “Whatever it is I’m here now, tell me what you want.”
He does a good job of putting you on the spot, you think, but unlike your usual self, you don’t have the patience for teasing tonight. “I want you to fuck me,” your voice comes off stronger than before, but it wavers as you also add, “please.” The last word brings a small smirk to Lewis’ face, and you let out a shriek as he quickly throws you onto the bed. “You almost scared me to death,” you complain, pushing out your lower lip in a pout.
“You’ll be fine,” he lets out a breathy laugh while quickly getting rid of the towel still, miraculously, hanging on his hips. The smirk on his face grows as he watches you shamelessly checking him out, but he never breaks his gaze from yours when your eyes meet as he wraps a hand around his cock to jerk himself for a few times. You spread your legs to accommodate his body as he leans over your lying figure by using his free arm as support. Rubbing the tip of his cock through your slick slit a few times, you can feel his breathy chuckle hit your skin while his lips run over your jaw to leave small kisses. “You’re so wet for me,” he mumbles, and the whimper that leaves your lips when he makes a point to rub his tip over your clit wins another chuckle, “you’re gonna be good for me?”
“Uh-huh,” you mumble as you nod frantically, “yes Lu, I’m gonna be good, I promise. Please, just fuck me.” You try to tempt him by wrapping your legs around his hips and pulling him closer – either you are successful and he gives in, or he is just as desperate to get inside you as you are desperate to feeling him because he complies with your movements as he nudges the tip of his cock into you in a slow push forward. The stretch is burning every single time, and usually he gives you enough time to accommodate his size before proceeding to fuck your brains out. But this time, he doesn’t waste any time as he pushes himself fully into you until he’s buried inside you to the hilt. The gasp you begin to let out turns into a silent scream as the feeling of being full consumes you, “Fuck, Lewis–”
“Shh, it’s okay,” he soothes you through the initial pain, “you’re alright, just breathe th for a bit.” And you do what he tells you to because… well, you know he won’t do anything to hurt you. He brings his free hand towards your face to cup your cheek, which you respond by turning your head towards the warmness. “Tell me when the pain goes away,” he whispers against your skin – he finds he absolutely loves the way your skin flushes every single time he fucks you, and the thought makes him freeze for a second. Love? That is not something he should be thinking about, not especially when he’s buried inside you, because you both agreed–
Deciding to respond wordlessly, you press a soft kiss in the middle of Lewis’ palm, whilst also attempting to roll your hips, but then whining because of the additional pressure, “Please, Lewis, please move.”
That must’ve done the job of breaking Lewis out of whatever trance he was in, because once he hears your whiny voice pleading him to move, he starts thrusting his hip in and out of you in a rhythm that simply leaves you breathless in mere seconds. It’s the stress of the season, you think to yourself, but Lewis’ movements just get faster and deeper until he hits that one spot inside you that makes your whines turn into a scream and has you arching into him. You can’t see his reaction with your eyes fluttered close, but he stills his movements for a few moments as he looks at you as if you’re the most precious thing in his life. He waits until your erratic breathing to get back to normal before he starts rolling his hips against yours again, but this time the tempo he adopts is much slower, sensual, and almost… too intimate for it to only be considered physical between the two of you.
Your eyes flutter open as you look at him with confusion, “Wha– What are you–?” But he only cuts you off by pressing his lips against you to swallow your question in a kiss. The slower tempo is surprisingly more pleasurable then his usual style that you’ve dubbed fast and furious, and every time his hips roll at a certain angle, he brushes your clit in a way that makes your feet curl in pleasure.
He is breathless when he pulls away from the kiss and rests his forehead against yours, but then again, so are you. The way he seems to gaze into your eyes make your breath hitch, and if you thought that was Lewis showing his emotions, he decides to put them into words. “So good for me, lovey,” he moans, yes moans because one thing you’ve learned from the start is that real men moan, “you were made for me, weren’t you?” His accent gets thicker, which is a tell that he’s getting there, but he won’t let himself come before he makes sure you’re taken care of. “Look at how you’re taking me, reckon I can feel myself if I place my hand on your belly?” It makes him laugh when you whine as you attempt to slither your hand towards your stomach to test his theory, but one deep stroke of his hips and your arms envelope them around his shoulders to use him as a support. “Perfect, you’re just perfect for me, hm? My perfect, pretty, little girl.”
“Please,” you whimper out, the tears that form in the corner of your eyes threatening to fall, “I’m so close.” It’s been such an emotional day, and a shitty month that all you wanted was to be consumed by him –  and now that you have him in your arms, acting like you are more than just two friends who use each other for something so trivial and human as urges, you don’t want to let him go. Especially not when he makes you feel like you could love him for the rest of your life. Even if just the thought of it is enough to make your heart race. Needless to say, the sob you let out is unexpected on both of your ends, and you know he’s about to stop when he slows down even more, but you give him a stern look through your tears, “Don’t you dare stop.” You moan, loud enough for his neighbours downstairs to hear, once he picks up the pace again, but it’s still slow enough for it to be considered love making and not fucking by both of your standards.
He knows you’re close when your walls start clenching around him, which makes it much harder for him to compose himself. So, being the perfect gentleman he is, he starts rubbing your clit with one of his hands, his fingers work hard to bring you even more pleasure. He watches in amazement as you trash around under his body and as your whimpers and moans get louder gradually – until you are coming undone around him, starting to sob because of the pressure gets released in your tummy, that is. His hips still continue their languid movements, just like the faster movement of his fingers, as he fucks you through your release, mumbling sweet nothings and encouragements into your ear. Lewis does his best to kiss the tears that escape from your eyes, his breath fanning over your feverish skin.
“So good,” your moans get softer as you get calmer after a while, though your voice is still scratchy, “wanna feel you more, Lu.” Sliding your hand between your bodies to take his hand away from your clit, the loss of his touch makes you whine softly and he watches you in confusion while still continuing his movements slowly, but you see the way his eyes light up with a dark look when you wrap his fingers around your throat, and thankfully he understands the message as he tightens his hold just the way you like it. “Yeah, just like that,” you moan, encouraging him to pick up the pace. This time, it’s your turn to whisper praises riddled with encouragement, and you know it gets to him, because every single stroke his hips deliver end up making him fill you more and more, as if that was possible. The sobs coming from your lips transform into ones of pleasure, bringing Lewis closer and closer to his release.
“Look at me,” his voice is sharp, and it makes you immediately fix your eyes on his. There is an immense sense of wanting to please him, or rather make him proud within you, and he rewards you with a burning kiss that leaves you panting and wanting more as he spills himself into you. As he pulls away to moan out your name, his thumb dragging down your bottom lip. You gently bite down on his thumb while you manage to get out a satisfied moan, eyes closing ever so slightly as you feel him spill into you, and he keeps pulling you even closer to himself when he lets his body fall next to yours.
You have no idea how he manages to still stay inside you, but you can feel his lips pressing gentle kisses across your hairline, and brushing away the sweaty strands. “You feel better now, lovey?” Smiling at the tiredness dripping from his voice, you hum airily, a satisfied smile on your face while you move your neck to look at him.  “Good,” his whisper brushes your lips as he nudges the tip of your nose with his, earning a giggle from you while he wipes away the dry tears on your cheeks.
“Do you have to leave?” There is a whiny undertone to your question, and it makes him give you a gentle smile.
“Not for a while,” he assures you, then he presses his lips softly on yours in a small kiss, “I promise.”
He grabs your hand to weave his fingers through yours, pressing gentle kisses to your knuckles as he keeps silent for a moment – because he knows at that moment, just because you asked, he’ll cancel every single plan he’s made, just to spend more time with you so that he can make you smile like that. “Until you get sick of me, that is.” Your tired laughter fills his ears until it is interrupted by a yawn. He carefully moves you so that he gently takes himself out of you, and rolls you sideways so he can wrap his arms around as he pulls you close to cuddle. “Go to sleep, lovey, we’ll talk in the morning,” he mumbles as he presses soft kisses to your bare shoulder. You close your eyes with a smile on your face, burying yourself into his chest as much as you can, and hear him mumble, “My lovey,” before promptly falling asleep.
You pretend you didn’t hear him in the morning because the arrangement the two of you made was about keeping things causal.
But you respond by squeezing his hand three times in return anyway.
And he responds.
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kpop---scenarios · 4 months ago
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Halloween Night
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Pairing: Lee Know x Reader
Warning: Smut, mostly smut. be warned, there's smut. Contains Dacryphilia (aroused by tears) CNC, rough smut, unprotected sex. [18+ ONLY. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.]
Summary: You and Minho are friends with benefits, who have special plans on Halloween.
Word Count: 1.7k
Everything Taglist: @piscesrising01 @baby-stay92 @kisses-too-the-moon @dwaekkiiracha @rylea08 @imperfectlyperfectprincess1 @satosugu4l @iovecb97 @lordmaahes-nsc @sailorkoss @minh0scat @pixie0627 @50-husbands @jinnies-muse @yaorzu-blog @joyofbebbanburg @number1jeonginstan @skzooluvr @jisunglyricist @ambersnowxxx @stay-tiny-things @thegingerthatwaited
@wife2straykidss @silly250 @tsunderelino @1810cl @anskiiz
@ayyonoona @31maze13
This is a part of @mirohs-aurora-society kinktober event!
Networks: @ksmutsociety| @straykidsland
October 31st.
Halloween night.
Your favorite day of the year. The one day of the year that you get to have a extra little fun, with someone you aren't supposed to have. Yeah, you could dress up and go out to drink and meet a stranger, but you didn't want that. Your friends tried to invite you out but they know you won't go, and you didn't want to have to tell them why. They believed that you didn't like Halloween because that's what you told them, but if only they knew the truth.
You sit on your couch, wearing your sexy little night gown, your makeup done, extra mascara. He likes when your mascara runs when you cry. You're watching a show while you partially listen to the party goers at the bar across the street. The sounds of laughter, drinking coming through your open window that goes out to your fire escape. You pop a piece of popcorn in your mouth, slowly chewing it as your stomach twists and turns in anticipation for tonight's events. Your pussy throbs at the thought of what was going to happen, you couldn't wait. you stand up, making your way to your kitchen, grabbing some water. You take a sip, the water just barely hitting your lips before you hear a sound. You turn around, setting your cup on the counter, you walk back to the living room, staring at the open window. Your stomach drops, something feels off. A chill runs down your spine as you look around. You wander towards the open window when you see a figure just outside, standing on your fire escape, wearing a Jason Vorhees mask. Your heart sinks as the person slowly walks towards the window, he slowly climbs inside, jumping down onto your hardwood floors. Your heart drops, you're frozen in your spot as he slowly stalks towards you.
He's close, you turn to run but he lunges for you. He hand grips your wrist, pulling you back. Your back is held against his chest, he lets go over your wrist, his arm wrapping around your throat. He leans in close to you, his mask grazing your face.
“You have no idea how much I want this.” He groans, running his hand down your body. You can feel the heat from his body radiating onto you. His hand grips the hem of your nightgown, pulling it up slightly. For a split second he releases you, pulling his arm away from you. You run to the kitchen, trying to find something you could use. You can feel the tears welling in your eyes as you frantically search for a weapon. But you were a single girl, you didn't have much. He walks in after you, without hesitation. You turn around, holding up a knife, threatening him.
“Get out!” You yell, pushing the knife in front of him. He lets out a low chuckle as he walks towards you more. He knew you wouldn't use it. He grabs the handle of the knife, ripping it out of your hand, tossing it onto the floor. He keeps walking, you back up, until you're pressed up against the counter. He pushes himself against you, breathing heavily as he runs his fingers down your face.
“You gonna cry?” He whispers, leaning closer to you. “I want you to cry while I fuck you.” He groans.
“Please.” You whimper, letting a tear roll down your cheek. He lets out a low groan, pushing his erection between your legs.
“Get on your knees.” He snaps, pushing down onto your shoulders. You quickly drop to your knees, unbuckling his belt, pulling his zipper down before you pull his jeans and his boxers down, letting them pool around his ankles. His cock stands straight out, pre-cum seeping from his tip.
“Suck my cock.” He demands. You hesitate for a moment, he grabs a chunk of your hair, yanking your head down, making you look up at him.
“Do as you're told.” He grunts. “Open your mouth.” He says.
More tears spill from your eyes as you open your mouth, he shuffles forward, thrusting his cock into your mouth. You close your lips around him, swirling your tongue all around, as he thrusts himself in and out of your mouth. He moans loudly, throwing his masked head back as he clenches his fists. You take more of him in your mouth, and at the same time, he thrusts his cock down your throat, tears now spilling from your eyes as he rams himself into you, over and over again. He moans loudly, the sight of tears falling down your face as you choke on his cock, makes him even fucking harder.
“Fuck baby, that's right, swallow my fucking cock.” He spits, holding onto your head now, fucking your face, hard.
He grunts as he pulls his cock from your mouth. He helps you up off the floor, your mascara smudged around your eyes, spit and cum dripping from your face.
“Get on the table, spread your legs.” He snaps, pointing to your kitchen table. You stare at the masked man, unmoving. He cocks his head to the side slightly, chuckling. He leans in close to you, his eyes staring into yours before you turn your head away. “You wanna be punished, princess?” He asks, grabbing onto your chin, forcing you to look at him. His fingers dig into your jaw as he steps away from you, pushing you towards the table. You climb on laying down, spreading your legs wide. Your nightgown slides up your body, exposing your sopping wet, unclothed cunt.
He walks over to you, dragging a finger down your pussy, lightly touching your clit before he rams his fingers inside of you.
“F-fuck.” You cry out, clenching yourself around his fingers. He pulls them out of you, taking his mask off with his free hand. You smile up at the man as he sticks his fingers into his mouth, sucking your juices from them. “Mhmm, it's nice to see your face.” You whisper. He smiles down at you, stroking his cock as he lines himself up with you. He shoves his cock into you, making you moan loudly. He continues thrusting, reaching up to your nightgown. He grabs onto it, pulling hard to rip it, exposing your bouncing breasts as he fucks you.
“I've fucking missed you.” He groans, grabbing onto your tits, rolling your nipples between his fingers.
You reach down to play with your clit, but he swats your hand away. “You'll cum only by me doing it, princess.” He groans. “And you'll cum when I fucking tell you too.”
Your clit throbs as his fingers dig into your thighs, his cock sliding out before he rams it back inside of you.
“P-please…fuck, please Minho…” You cry, your clit throbbing relentlessly from being untouched.
“What princess?” He groans. “What do you want?” He asks.
“I wanna cum… please…please let me cum.” You huff. Minho smiles at you, the tip of his finger barely dragging over your clit, teasing the fuck out of you. You clench around his cock, whimpering.
“So fucking needy for me.” He moans, placing his fingers on your clit, rubbing it as he continues to shove his cock into you. Your back arches at the sensation, you felt like you were going to explode. Minho grunts as he thrusts into you, watching your tear stained face, your eyes rolling back into your head. He smiles widely watching you wiggle beneath him, holding back your orgasm until he tells you you're allowed to cum. He leans down, pinning you down, pressing his lips to yours. He slips his tongue into your mouth, deepening the kiss, your tongues swirling around each others. He pulls away from you, holding onto your chin to make you look at him.
“Open your mouth.” He demands.
You smirk, licking your lips before you open your mouth, wide. Minho leans over you, still holding onto your chin as he slowly lets spit fall from his lips dripping down into your mouth. You swallow it, licking your lips again, smiling up at him.
“That's a good girl.” He murmurs. He smiles at you before he rams his cock into you as hard as he can, rubbing your clit faster. “Cum for me princess.” He huffs. “Cum all over my fucking cock.”
You scream out in pleasure as he hits all the right fucking spots. You can't take it anymore, you can't hold it in anymore. He rams into you again and again, until you finally explode, the feeling of pure euphoria washes over your body as you cum, hard, crying out loudly.
“Fuck.” Minho grunts. “Good fucking girl.”
He digs his fingers deep into your thighs as he chases his own high, his cock pulsating inside you until he finally explodes, spilling his cum deep inside your cunt, coating your walls.
Minho gently thrusts, milking himself for all he has, making sure you get every ounce of his cum.
He pulls out of you, allowing his cum to seep from your pussy. Minho pulls up his boxers and his jeans before he helps you up and off the table. Your legs shaking, knees weak but Minho holds you up, trying to sniffle a laugh, but you still hear it.
“Shut the fuck up.” You half laugh.
“I mean it's been a year since you've been fucked that good, it only makes sense for you to shake like that.” Minho laughs.
“Okay, that's unnecessary.” You laugh. “I don't wait for one day a year to ge fucked you know. I do have a boyfriend.” You say with a wink.
He smiles at you before lifting you up, tossing you over his shoulder.
“Sure, but they're not as good as me.” He says, taking you to the bathroom. He sets you down, turning on the bath, letting the hot water fill the tub. He strips off his clothes before helping you take off your torn nightgown. You both get into the bath, your back resting against Minho’s chest as he gently rubs your shoulder.
“Did you have fun tonight?” He asks.
You sleepily nod your head. “So much fun.” You say, resting your head against him.
“What are you doing the rest of the night?” He asks.
“Probably going to bed.” You chuckle. “Do you wanna join me?”
“I'd love to.” He murmurs, kissing your head. “You know… I'd like to make this friends with benefits thing we have going on more like a boyfriend girlfriend thing.” He whispers.
“Can we still do our Halloween role playing?” You ask.
“I won't ever give these Halloween nights up.” He laughs, holding onto you tightly.
“Then I'd love nothing more than to be your girlfriend.”
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joelswritingmistress · 5 months ago
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Neighbors With Benefits: Part 4 (Joel Miller x f! reader)
Part of the #hotdilfsummerchallenge @hellishjoel
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Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader
Word Count: 3600
Warning: Smut, Smut and more smut. Age gap (23 & 42)
“I, uh…” You let out a deep breath and felt him glance over your shoulder at the open photo album. “I’m sorry.” You closed the book, “I just heard my parents pull in and was looking out the window. I toyed with the cover of this. It’s not my business, I’m sorry.” You were rambling and felt a sudden rush of emotion.
Joel sighed and when he parted from you, you expected the worst. You turned to face him and he looked you directly in the eye.
“We’re not together anymore,” he confessed. The words impaled you with instant relief, dulling the pain that had immediately made home in your chest.
“Okay.” You nodded and then shrugged, “I shouldn’t have opened it. I didn’t even realize-”
“It’s okay.” Joel ran a hand through his hair and took a single glance down at the book before regaining your stare. “We bought this house together in the winter. We thought moving and starting fresh somewhere would help our marriage.” He eyed the hardwood floor for a moment. “There’s an old saying: ‘wherever you go, there you are’. That’s what happened. After the initial high wore off of buying the house and settling in, the same old fights started and we were just as.. distant.”
“I’m sorry.” You shook your head. “I didn’t mean to bring this up.”
“It’s fine. I should have told you.”
“So, you’re divorced?”
Joel cleared his throat, “We’re separated. Her name is still on the house but I pay everything here - barely.” He scratched the back of his head, “She moved in with her sister up in Lakeway back in March.”
This is heavy. You took a deep breath and swallowed hard, not knowing what to say.
“If this changes things, or if you’d rather not-”
Right away you cut him off. “It doesn’t.” The words couldn’t have left your mouth fast enough. You knew you would have time to process it all later, but in that moment there’s not a bone in your body that could have led you out of Joel’s bedroom. “You’re not together…”
Joel shook his head. “No. We haven’t lived together for three months, decided to officially call it quits right after Valentine’s Day.”
That’s really sad, you thought.
A part of you felt guilty. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Joel studied your features and then raised a hand up to touch your cheek before resting his palm there. You covered it with your own and kissed the heel of his hand. Watching Joel’s eyes close sent tingles down the length of your back.
“I haven’t done much of this in the last year,” he confessed in a voice just above a whisper. “I can’t get enough of you, baby. I forgot how much I missed it.”
When his hand moved to toy with your hair you moved back to him and left a single, closed-mouth kiss on his lips, letting it linger for an extra few seconds.
 Joel’s arm slunk around your lower back. "Come to bed," he urged.
You kissed him again and felt his eyes on you. For the first time you sensed his vulnerability. “Okay.”
***
Restless - that's how you felt that night in Joel's house. There was nowhere else you would have rather been, but even in dreams your subconscious willed you to the feelings of guilt and worry. You dreamed up some abstract version of Joel’s wife in your mind and it was ultimately the image that jolted you awake.
Your eyes snapped open, and you breathed heavily as you sat up in bed. A light sweat decorated your forehead and you glanced around the dark room. Next to you, Joel slept soundly and it calmed your nerves just a bit. He laid peacefully still on his side facing you. Even in the darkness he looked as good as ever, and watching him sleep gave him an angelic appearance that wholly complimented the fiery passion he’d brought into your life as of late.
You took a moment to admire him, noting to yourself that you might never see him in that near-perfect way again. The thought made your body feel heavy; your core feel numb. Still, you couldn't look away. You didn’t know what this newfound relationship actually was. Your next move was selfish, but you couldn’t help it.
"Joel..." you whispered his name and ran your hand across his stomach before resting it on his side.
You were aware that he had to be up for work early in the morning, and at that moment he slept so soundly. Still, the rush of emotion you felt from watching him lay there gnawed at you enough to wake him up.
"Joel."  You said his name a little louder this time and traced your hand up and down his bare torso.
He stirred in the darkness and sat up abruptly, looking around in all directions. "What?" Joel cleared his throat, still in a subconscious, delirious state. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair as he looked over at you.
"Nothing, I’m sorry, I.." You shook your head 
"Are you alright?" He took in your body language and then looked back up to meet your stare.
 You nodded. "Yeah..."
Joel's eyes moved side to side, reading deeper into your expression. Before he could take a guess at the two or three things that entered his mind,  You leaned in and kissed him.
When you pulled back briefly you immediately went back in for another, this time kissing him harder.
"I'm sorry," you whispered again against his lips as he finally reciprocated and pulled you back to him. "I know you have to wake up for work." The last word was smothered into his mouth as he grew more aggressive in his pursuit of you.
Joel moaned into your mouth and urged you completely on top of him. "You can wake me up any time," he whispered, guiding your face back to his.
You loved making out with Joel, especially as you had sex. With no barrier between the two of you, you straddled him and positioned yourself so he could easily slide up into you with a subtle lift of his hips.
Joel guided you back, securing his hands on the outsides of your hips as you sat upright on him. He moaned when you moved in the right way and stared up at you with sleepy, heavy eyes. "Go ahead honey," Joel bit down on his lower lip and his eyes finally closed when you jolted your hips forward.
Your fingertips dug into his chest as you pushed off of him, feeling every inch he had to offer as you moved in a consistent, fluid fashion on top of him. "God Joel..." The headboard slammed into the wall and you closed your eyes when you felt his hands grip your harder.
"Fuck, baby." Joel groaned as you carried on, allowing you to have full control for the first time. He bucked his hips up once, making you physically cry out as he launched up into you with extra force.
He repeated the motion again and again, holding you in place as he drilled you from below. Your fingers dug deep into the fronts of his shoulders now, you found yourself struggling to catch a breath in between moans. You couldn’t have controlled what you were feeling if you tried.
Joel roughly pulled your face down to his and your lips collided hard as he aggressively penetrated your lips with his tongue.
"I want you to come on my dick," Joel whispered into your mouth. He kissed you sloppily again and then laid flat, clutching your hips again as he continued to thrust into you from below.
You couldn't control yourself when his cock continued to pound the same spot inside of you. Each fluid movement he made left your body aching with pleasure and your thighs trembled from how tense your body was. 
“Don’t stop,” you choked out, pushing back off his chest again into an upright position.
When his hands reached up to engulf your breasts you covered them with your own, locking your fingers through his as you continued to ride him more forcefully.
"That's it." His aroused, husky whispers encouraged you to continue. Each heavy breath he let out let you know that what you were doing was effective for both of you.
Joel hummed your name now, dropping his hands from your breasts as he took in the image of you on top of him. "You're so fucking... " he moaned again to end the sentence and then felt the dominant part of him take over.
He sat upright, pulling your face to his and kissed you again. Joel’s force was needy and hungry. It left you groaning into his mouth.
Without warning he pulled out and pinned you on your back in the center of the bed. Without wasting a second, he re-entered you, pushing your knees apart as he began to fuck your harder. You whimpered and gripped the comforter, gasping his name as you clawed at his thighs.
Joel’s head fell back and he groaned in such a way that you were sure he was close. You felt it, too - the intensity; the build up.
His upper body collapsed onto you and Joel buried his face into the nook of your neck. Your mouth hung open when you felt his teeth graze your skin. "I'm going to..." you barely got the words out. "Joel..."
 Your eyes pressed shut harder when he moaned again. The sound of the headboard hitting the wall became louder and more consistent, urging him on as he never let up.
Again, an explosion of warm pleasure filtered through your body, and you knew that Joel could feel the pulsing sensation that ultimately milked his dick of everything he had to offer. He let it all out - panting, breathing, moaning. Joe’s body rocked on top of yours as he completely finished into you with a lengthy orgasm of his own.
You held onto him as his back heaved up and down. Joel swallowed hard and let out a final, quiet groan into your ear.
"Fuck, baby" He kept his face buried against you as you held him. "I don't think I'm going to ever get sick of fucking you like this."
You let out a deep breath and held onto him harder, shifting one hand up to cradle the back of his head. "That makes two of us."
He laid there for several minutes beneath you as you stroked the waves of his thick, brown hair. With each breath he seemed to come back down to earth a little more. When Joel finally lifted his head he kissed you once, letting his lips linger. With another breath, he pushed himself up off of you and laid on his back for a moment before blindly reaching across to the nightstand for his phone.
You watched him fiddle with the device for a moment and then smiled when he turned to you with a grin.
"I just set my alarm to wake up a half hour early," he informed you.
You pressed your eyebrows together but continued to smile. "How come?"
Joel set the phone down and then laid back down and let out several more breaths. "Because honey... every morning I wake up alone with my cock harder than a steel pipe.” He closed his eyes and let his hand fall lazily over his eyes.
What a visual. You snickered and sank into the pillow beside him and cuddled against his glistening body. Your knee curled up over his leg as you laid on your side with your arm around his waist. 
“I can give up a half hour of sleep if we can start the day just like this.” Joel was still breathing heavily as he spoke and draped an arm around you to bring you in closer.
That next morning when Joel’s phone went off you felt your heart race as you crossed over from the realm of dreams to reality. After the midnight romp you had initiated, you had slept soundly wrapped up in one another.
For a moment you had to decipher if you really were awake. Everything that had happened the night before could have easily passed for the sweetest and most erotic of dreams. When the repetitive sound coming from the night stand came to an abrupt stop, you glanced over and saw Joel fiddling with the phone's screen. He then set it down and turned to face you.
A smile formed on his face beneath a sleepy stare, and you felt the rush of butterflies that had been a constant feeling as of late. You could feel it in your chest that you were already starting to fall for him.
Joel's eyes never left yours as he tossed the covers away and held out a hand without saying a word.
You took in his naked body in the darkness as he stood without reservation waiting with a head of messy hair.
He wasn’t lying about the steel pipe. You maintained a sleepy smile, unable to even feel a bit self-conscious because of his own comfortability in his own skin. Joel always appeared both confident and amused, and those positive feelings projected themselves onto you. You reached a hand up and Joel eagerly pulled you out of bed, chuckling when you laughed from the force of his action. Immediately your lips connected.
You tried to keep the moment going but he parted from you after a few seconds and towed you by the hand toward the door.
"Where are we going?" you asked him.
Joel reached for the handle and pulled it open with his free hand. He glanced over his shoulder, still grinning. "I can't go into work smelling like I just fucked half the night." He raised his eyebrows with a boyish grin and flashed a wink, "And I'm guessing you wouldn't want to go home in that condition either."
He pushed open the partially open bathroom door and turned on the less intense of the two lights though both of you squinted.
Joel removed a set of towels from a small closet and then turned on the shower. "You, uh," he smiled and pointed, "Need a second one for your hair?"
You shrugged and then gave a subtle nod. He winked again and tossed the towel playfully in your direction, making you giggle.
Joel reached for your arm now, pulling your back to him and the two of you shared a laugh. Joel kissed you again, purposely letting his hands wander to all the right parts of your body in a teasing fashion as the water warmed up.
"Put your hands flat on the sink," Joel whispered into your ear before taking part in turning you around.
 You closed your eyes for a moment, anticipating him upping their intimacy. Your fingers tightened around the edge of the sink when you felt him enter you. When his hands slid up to cup your breasts, your eyes opened and you met his gaze in the mirror as he began to kiss up your neck toward your ear.
He thrusted once and your eyes almost closed, though you held his eye contact.
"Mmm..." Joel smiled wickedly when you grinned in the midst of the initial pleasure. He bit down on your earlobe as he thrusted gently into you, "Keep eye-fucking the shit out of me."
You couldn't look away now - not after he said that. He continued to fuck you, alternating between glancing down to take in your figure and regaining your stare in the mirror.
Steam began to filter into the bathroom as the water grew warmer. He let out a breath and covered your hands with his own on top of the vanity, kissing along your neck down to your shoulders as he did.
You both loved and hated when he grew more sensual in your embrace. Each time he kissed you gently or locked his fingers with yours, your feelings for him increased - like a thermometer indicating the temperature was getting hotter, only you didn’t know how to make it go down. 
"Come shower with me, honey." His teeth latched onto your earlobe again and he opened his eyes to meet your gaze in the mirror again.
You didn't want to separate yourself from him, though the thought of showering together was far too tempting to pass up.  You turned partway and kissed him several times in a row before Joel backed away and pulled the shower curtain to the side so the two of you could get in.
He reached for a bar of soap on the ledge and spun your around again, securing his arms around your and drawing the bar of soap across your breasts and down your stomach, gently caressing the areas as he lathered up your body.
You closed your eyes and focused on every action he took. It was all erotic and new. You had never had a sexual encounter that even came close to what you had experienced with Joel in just a few short days.  When his hands moved to your upper back, you shuddered and smiled, melting into him.
He dug his thumbs into your muscles, kneading the area upon placing the soap back down and then carefully encouraged you to bend over without stopping the sensual, soapy massage.
Joel slid back inside of you, watching as beads of water trailed the length of your back, dropping off at the curves of your hips. He kept his hands secured on your shoulders, continuing to dig his fingers into the muscles of your upper back as he picked up from where you left off in front of the mirror.
"God Joel..."  Your hands fell flat against the wet square tiles on the wall. It immediately triggered the memory of your first night together in the bathroom at the bar. You let out a breath, feeling like you were injected with some type of drug. The warmth of the water crashing down on the two of you, the feel of his hands as they kneaded the tense muscles in your back and the perfectly matched pace of him thrusting into you made your legs begin to shake. Each time you felt like you'd been hit with the most pleasurable experience of your life, Joel did something else to surpass the time before.
When he abruptly stopped you turned your head in an attempt to make eye contact with him, though his eyes were closed and his jaw clenched. A smile crossed your face when you recognized his inability to control himself and you were tempted to force him to continue to get some self-gratification that you held some type of power over him the way he did with you.
Instead, you reached for the soap and turned around, finally making his eyes snap open.
"Give me a fuckin' minute." He swallowed hard, but managed a small, painful smile and watched as you began to draw the soap across his chest. Joel re-closed his eyes allowed you to continue as you returned the favor, soaping him up and massaging for a few seconds before reaching below his waist.
 You smiled to herself again, taking in his features.
"Easy there, baby." Joel didn't smile this time. His jaw tensed again and he reached for your arm, tightening his fingers around your wrist as you began to have your way with him. He slowly forced your hand away and caught the other one when you attempted to grab a hold of him again. Joel chuckled and let his eyes flicker open partway, "You ain't gonna get yours if you keep doing that."
"I don't care."  You perched herself up onto your toes and pressed your lips to his once.
"I do." He tipped his mouth up in a smirk. "I like making a woman come."
"Well maybe you've met your match Joel."  You winked at him this time and Joel laughed a little louder.
"I think you're fuckin' right. I'm about to blow my load after two minutes like I'm fuckin' sixteen."
You laughed again, pleased to know what you did to him and wrapped your arms around the back of his neck and kissed him partially beneath the warm water.
Joel moaned into your mouth and picked you up by the backs of your legs, planting your back against the wall so you sat in his hands.
You shuddered from the cool feel of the tiles in the midst of the steam and the heat and locked your legs around his waist as he easily entered you again.
"This isn't going to fuckin' take much," he whispered into your mouth, kissing your again with a hard enthusiasm.
"It's okay," you gasped the words out.
Joel secured his mouth to his, aggressively pursuing your tongue and your body at once.
You held his wet body tightly against yours and lived vigorously in the moment as you had been for days. When you felt that he was close you decided to match the demands he often whispered in your ear during your love-making.
You broke off the kiss to let your lips caress the center of his ear. "Let it out," you whispered, clutching a fistful of his wet, dark hair as you did.
Joel felt a surge of arousal and he couldn't deny her; not in the heat of the moment.
I've definitely met my fuckin' match, he thought.
CLICK HERE FOR PART 5
@pedropascal111 @axshadows @smolbeanszz @mybritishstyle @untamedheart81 @pedroswife69
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hunnysahara · 4 months ago
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˗ˏˋ 𝒲𝒽𝓎’𝒹 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒪𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝒞𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝑀𝑒 𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒴𝑜𝓊’𝓇𝑒 𝐻𝒾𝑔𝒽? ˎˊ˗
Hamzah x fem!reader
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It's harder and harder to get you to listen, more I get through the gears. Incapable of making alright decisions and having bad ideas.
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Premise: Your ex friends with benefits calls you in the middle of the night and you know before you answer why he’s ringing you.
CW: cannabis usage / suggestive / crude + sexual language
WC: 2.6k
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The soft glow of your phone screen fractures the darkness like a sliver of unwelcome light, casting long shadows across the room. It's the dead of night when the world holds its breath in a hush, yet here you are, wide-eyed, heart knocking gently against your ribs. You had been unpleasantly woken from your sleep by the sound of your phone vibrating itself off your bedside table.
Hamzah's name lingers on your screen. The messages spill one after another, frantic and garbled, like a stream you can't dam—misspelled words, scattered thoughts like he had thrown scrabble tiles together to form texts.
You aren't even able to fully read one message before it's replaced with another. You throw your phone down beside you on your bed, running your hands down your face and grumbling. It had been months since you heard from Hamzah.
The two of you had a very casual friend-with-benefits relationship though you took the initiative to end it when there was a landslide shift and the unceremonious hookups turned into mumbled confessions against your neck. It was too intimate, it breached the contract the two of you initially agreed on.
Though here he was, blowing up your phone like he would die without another word from you.
The phone buzzes again, his caller ID taking over the screen of your phone. You groan, your thumb hovering over the screen, debating whether to answer just to tell him to stop, to leave you alone. Maybe then, maybe if you hear the slur in his voice, the edge of something broken and far away, he'll finally understand that you're not his to call anymore.
The phone lights up again, and this time, you answer.
"Hamzah, stop."
"I knew you'd pick up," His words are thick like velvet, his voice groggy and coarse.
"Why are you calling me?" You ask, voice sharp like a bullet through skin.
"I just wanna hear your voice," On the other end, you can practically hear the smile in his voice. The way the words drowsily fall from his lips brings you to one conclusion.
"You're high?"
"Perchance," He takes a sharp inhale. After a moment of virtual silence, he giggles and coughs eventually settling down "Fine, you caught me. I'm very high."
"What do you want?"
"Why are you being so mean? I just wanted to say hi," There's a hint of playfulness in his voice and you can imagine him sprawled out in bed, hair a mess and glassy eyes half drawn.
Your head throbs as he jumps from one half-finished thought to another, rambling through memories like they're fresh scabs he needs to pick at, unravelling every thread you've tried so hard to tie up neatly. "Maybe I'm being mean because you called me at three AM."
"Yeah, that's kinda annoying," He laughs to himself. His voice filters through the phone, slick with an edge of playfulness that sends a ripple of irritation through you. "It's been too long since I've seen you," Hamzah says, drawing out the word in a lazy, teasing way that always used to make you laugh. But tonight, it feels grating like sand paper against your skull.
"Not long enough." You press the phone tighter to your ear, walking barefoot across the cold floor to the kitchen. The hardwood creaks under your steps, and the cool air feels sharp against your skin.
"Oh, how you hurt me," He adds a tinge of melodrama to his sarcasm.
"Hamzah," you sigh, but he barely gives you a second to speak.
"Did I wake you up?" He pauses to take a breath and you can hear the blunt crackling, and paper shuffling in the background.
"Yeah, you did."
"My bad, my bad-" He coughs again "What are you wearing? Is it that Grateful Dead shirt that hangs off your shoulder?"
You look down at your pyjamas, you were in fact wearing the Grateful Dead that hung off your shoulder and draped past your hips. "No." You lie through your teeth.
"Damn," He mutters before his brain hooks on another ramble "Remember that time—God, you were wearing that little white sundress, you remember?—and we went to that park with the swings? You kept pretending you were too good to be on a swing, but you ended up laughing like a kid when I pushed you too high."
You roll your eyes, frustration simmering beneath the surface. His tone is light, and flirtatious, like he's trying to conjure up a nostalgia that never quite sat right with you. The kitchen light flickers to life as you reach for a glass, the soft hum of the fridge barely audible over his rambling.
"Hamzah," you cut in, more firmly this time, holding the phone between your ear and shoulder as you twist the tap open. The sound of water hitting the glass is oddly soothing, something real and grounded amidst the chaos of his voice. "You're not making any sense."
"No, I think I'm making sense. You just don't wanna admit it." There's a slurred chuckle on the other end. "Come on, don't be like that. I know you're smiling right now. You miss this."
You can practically hear the smirk in his voice, and it makes your skin crawl. You take a sip of water, trying to quench the heat building in your chest. He always does this—twisting every conversation into something flirtatious, something playful.
"I'm not smiling, I’m frowning if anything," you reply flatly, setting the glass down with a little more force than necessary. "And you really need to stop calling me in the middle of the night. This isn't funny."
"But it's not the same during the day," he says with a laugh that feels too close, too familiar. "Night's that thing in that one song- made for saying things you can't say another day," He paraphrases poorly. His voice lowers, taking on that soft, honeyed tone he used to use when he wanted to get his way. 
Your jaw tightens as you lean against the counter, fingers tapping impatiently against the cold surface. He's pushing, and it's infuriating how easily he slips back into this—this game of his, like he can flirt his way out of the chaos he's caused.
"Hamzah, I don't have time for this. You're high. Again."
"And you're still talking to me, aren't you?" he teases, his voice laced with a kind of smug satisfaction. "You didn't have to answer. Y'know there's this magical button on your phone that makes it so I can't message you? I think that you want to talk to me."
The audacity in his tone sends a spark of anger through you, your fingers curling around the edge of the counter. He always knows how to toe the line, to keep you teetering between frustration and the pull of something that's sweet on your tongue but now feels like quicksand.
You take a deep breath, forcing yourself to stay calm. "Hamzah, I'm not doing this. You need to hang up and sleep this off."
There's a pause, and for a second, you think he's going to listen. But then he chuckles softly, voice dripping with mischief.
"You're so hot when you're mad at me."
You nearly groan aloud, the exhaustion catching up with you in waves. This is pointless. You've been here before, hearing the same lines, feeling the same tired tug of emotions you've long since buried. But there's a part of you—a small, quiet part—that almost misses this, misses the ease with which he used to reel you in. And that's what makes it worse.
"Hamzah," you start, your voice sharper now, "go to sleep. Seriously."
"What if I told you that I really missed you?" He adds like it sweetens the deal. 
"I would tell you that I don't care."
"When did you turn so cold on me?" 
You pause, the phone still pressed against your ear. "Hamzah," you mutter, exasperation thick in your voice. The glass of water in your hand feels heavy, like a tether pulling you back into his orbit, even as you stand there in the dim kitchen, staring out at the quiet darkness outside the window.
"Just hear me out," he says, voice too smooth for someone who's supposed to be slurring. "I think me and you should do something together."
You don't answer, your hand moving on autopilot as you rinse the glass and set it down in the sink. There was always a certain ease between you and Hamzah, but that was before it got complicated, before the lines blurred. You clench your jaw, stepping away from the kitchen and into the hall, eyes scanning the house for some chore to distract you, to keep your mind from wandering back to those nights.
"Come on," he continues, undeterred. "I know you heard me."
You sigh, frustration buzzing beneath your skin, but your feet carry you to the living room where a few stray magazines and an old blanket still sit crumpled on the couch. Might as well tidy up while he babbles. Maybe if you let him talk himself out, he'll fall asleep or something. You grab the blanket, folding it with quick, jerky movements as he keeps talking.
"Can I come over?" He asks abruptly.
"No?" You furrow your eyebrows "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Damn, I really thought that would work."
As you sit down at the kitchen table, leaning your head into your hand, you notice the faint hum of traffic coming through the phone—tires on wet pavement, the distant growl of an engine passing by. Your brow furrows and a flicker of concern sparks through your irritation.
"Where are you, Hamzah?" you ask, voice sharper than you intended. It's late, and the sound of traffic at this hour doesn't fit into the picture of him sprawled out in bed, half-asleep and rambling, like you'd assumed.
"Why do you want to know?"
"So you don't show up at my house."
He chuckles to himself "Why on earth would I do that?"
"Maybe because you're obsessed with me?"
"I'm not- no, yeah. I am obsessed with you." There it was, the confidence that he so lacked when he was sober. With the help of cannabis, his tongue was as loose as his morals.
You press your lips together, gaze flicking toward the window, though the night outside your house is still and quiet, completely unlike the soundscape on the other end of the line. You disregard his admission "So, where are you?"
"I'm... walking. Clearing my head or whatever."
Your chest tightens, frustration mixing with a flicker of something you wish wasn't there—worry. "Walking where?" you press, though part of you already knows he's not going to give you a straight answer.
"Just around. Nowhere dangerous, alright? You don't have to freak out." He tries to sound nonchalant, but there's an edge to his voice that betrays him. 
"Hamzah, you shouldn't be out right now. It's late, and you're—" You pause, choosing your words carefully. "You're not in the best headspace to be wandering around." You're caught between the urge to scream at him or call Martin to pick him up and haul him home.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine," he cuts in, that cocky smile returning to his voice. "I'm always fine, babe. You worry too much."
You want to hang up, to cut the thread between you and the mess that is Hamzah, but the thought of him alone, on some random street at this hour, makes it hard to press the button. "Go home," you say softly, barely above a whisper.
"Stay on the phone with me a little longer, alright? I'm almost home anyway," Hamzah pleads, voice taking on that boyish, playful tone you've heard too many times.
You rub your temples, eyes drifting toward the clock on the wall. It's well into the night, and here you are, listening to him stumble through whatever story he's trying to spin. "You always say that," you mutter. "But somehow, you're always ten minutes from home."
"Hey, it's not my fault time slows down when I'm talking to you," he says with a sly grin you can practically hear. "Like, relativity or something. I saw that in the Spider-Verse movie."
You roll your eyes, walking back toward the kitchen to grab another glass of water, your mouth feeling particularly dry. "You would know."
"Didn't we see that together when it came out?" He asks to no answer. "We should watch it again."
"I don't think so," You lean against the counter, cradling your glass as his words wash over you.
"I want to see you, I like the way you laugh," He humbles "That's why I was such a goof around you. I didn't mind embarrassing myself because it made you smile and god- that smile..."
 "I don't really care what you want."
Hamzah lets out a low whistle "And yet, here you are," he shoots back quickly. "Still on the phone. Ah- I got you there."
You lean back against the counter, the weight of his words sinking in. He's right, of course. You're still here, still wrapped up in this bizarre late-night conversation, still listening as he spirals through his endless stream of nonsense. There's an odd comfort in the banter, as much as you hate yourself for it, there's safety in the familiarity.
"Yeah, yeah," you say finally, shaking your head. "You know how to run your mouth. That's about the only thing you're good at."
"Hey, don't forget I'm a man of many talents," Hamzah quips, the humour softening just a little. "And one of them is keeping you on the line way longer than you should be."
"Trust me, I'm very aware," you mutter, though there's a strange warmth behind your words now.
"Yeah, but you still picked up," he says, almost gently this time, his voice losing some of that playful edge. "That's gotta mean something, right?"
"I wouldn't bet on it."
"Do you miss me? Like at all?" He asks, the words falling from his lips with ease "You can be honest." 
You roll your eyes, though there's a slight warmth blooming in your chest despite your irritation. "Please, Hamzah," you deadpan, pacing slowly across the kitchen. "Do you ever stop?"
A knock sounds from your front door, sharp and unexpected. You freeze, turning toward the noise, the sound cutting through the warmth of your late-night banter like a cold breeze. Your heart skips a beat, the suddenness of the interruption making your stomach twist with an uneasy kind of tension. "Hang on," you mutter into the phone, already moving toward the door. "Someone's at my-"
You trail off, eyes narrowing as another knock echoes through the quiet house. Your pulse quickens, a strange feeling creeping up the back of your neck as you grip the phone a little tighter.
As you open the door, the cold air hits you first, followed by the sight of someone standing on your doorstep. Your breath catches for a moment when you see him. There, leaning casually against the doorframe with that signature lazy grin, is Hamzah.
"What the fuck," You draw out. 
"C'mon, don't be like that," Hamzah says, giving you a crooked grin. His phone is still pressed to his ear—well, it is until he lowers it slowly, that playful glint in his eyes growing even more mischievous as he hangs up, ending the call without a word. “So- are you gonna let me in?”
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kindersurprisebacterium · 2 months ago
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Jealous (Soap/Ghost/Reader)
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Continued in “Content (Ghost/Soap/Reader)” and “Fulfill (Ghost/Soap/Reader)”
CW: threesome, ghost/soap in an established relationship, friends with benefits, vaginal sex, vaginal fingering, cunnilingus, cum eating, cum as lube, anal sex, biting, dacryphilia, alcohol, simon is soft
Gender Neutral AFAB Reader: They/Them used
WC: 3.1K
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“Aye shut up,” he groaned. Slamming the controller down on the couch cushion. I laughed, chest heaving as the screen in front of us flashed. I felt warm, even in just a tee and a pair of shorts. Beer flowed through my veins, loosening every bit of tension left in me after a long day at work. 
I always did enjoy it when he was home on leave. Nights spent at his house, falling asleep in a messy pile of tangled limbs on his couch. Things had noticeably shifted ever since he brought home Simon.
I wasn’t jealous per se. I knew the quickies we had were just a temporary fix until either of us found a partner. It was just shit luck that none of the dating apps never worked out. Just shit luck that I ended up filled to the brim with tension, eyes welling with tears as the dull buzz between my legs intensified. 
Part of me knew he could tell, whether it was my bouncing leg or my snappy attitude, something gave it away. That was why, when he sent a single text, I perked up. An image of a case of beer and two PlayStation controllers, beneath were two words. 
“Come over.”
-
“How’d they let you in the military if you’re this shit at aim?” I laughed, pushing his shoulder. 
“Not my forte, doll,” he shook his head. A flash of white flooded the screen. My character's body went limp, charred to a crisp. He tossed his head back against the couch, a deep laugh bellowing from his chest. 
“That, my dear, is how it’s done.” He held his hands up in the air, a satisfied smirk on his face. My jaw went slack, brows furrowing as I set the controller down on the coffee table. 
“I’m fucking leaving,” I couldn’t hide the smile that crept across my face. Forcing a pout, I stood, reaching down to grab my bag. The hardwood floors creaked, and in one motion a set of arms were around my waist. He grunted, tugging me back onto the couch. A laugh bursted from my chest, legs kicking as he tugged me into his embrace. 
“You said you’d stay the night, and you’re not driving home with how drunk you are,” he spoke matter-of-factly. He frowned, sticking out his bottom lip. 
“Fine, fuckin’ get off of me. You smell like cheese.” I nudged my elbow into his ribs. His bruising grip on me didn’t relent. Instead he leaned in, stubble brushing against my cheek. 
“You’re dramatic. You ate as much of that Brie as me.” He pressed his nose to my neck, roughly inhaling. I kicked my legs, squirming in his grip. “Smells cheesy.”
“Johnny!”
The door opened. In an instant I stilled, eyes whipping to the open doorframe. A hulking wall of muscle stepped in, dressed in an oversized black hoodie and basketball shorts. I knew who it was, even if he had a surgical mask covering the lower half of his face. Music blared from his headphones. It was loud enough to hear from the doorway. 
With a slam, the door closed. The man kicked his shoes off, narrowing his eyes at the scene before him. He shrugged the strap of his duffel bag off of his shoulder. With a thud it landed on the floor. 
“How was your workout, Si?” Johnny grinned, fingers splaying over my stomach. 
The man merely grumbled in response, stepping into the living room and turning down the hall. I groaned, squirming free of Johnny's grip. My hands went to my shorts. I tugged the hem down over my thighs, trying to ignore how much the fabric had ridden up. 
“I’m sorry-” I sputtered, tugging the blanket over my bare thighs. 
I could hear the shower turn on, white noise filling the apartment. Johnny chuckled, grabbing his controller from the coffee table. He grunted, settling beside me. I watched as he tugged the blanket over both of our laps. I swallowed, feeling his sweaty thigh brush against my own. 
“Sorry for sucking ass at this game?”
He hit unpause, not bothering to wait for me to grab my controller. I pursed my lips into a thin line, tongue sticking out of the corner of my mouth. I aimed my scope at Johnny, quickly pulling the trigger. His side of the split screen flashed red. 
“Aye, y’always were good at head,” he nudged me with his elbow. My breath hitched, fingers slipping over the controller. Another flash of white and a ball of orange fire consumed my character. “Not very good at lookin’ where you’re goin’ tho, aye?”
Out of the corner of my eye I could feel his blue eyes on me. Those plush lips curled into a smirk, canines glistening in the blue light. I swallowed down any response, mouth going dry. 
He nudged me again. His thumbs stilled on the controller. Taking the chance, I aimed at his motionless character. 
The screen faded to gray, soon being replaced by a pause menu. I sighed, setting my controller down beside me. 
“Doll.” He rested his hand on my thigh, gently squeezing. “Talk to me,” his fingers dug into my flesh. 
“Johnny, unpause the game.” I spared him only a quick glance before looking down at my lap. 
“Why you acting so weird,” he whined with a pout. “Not even lookin’ at me.” 
“I just-” I paused, lips parting, but tongue motionless. “I didn’t know Simon would be on leave too.” The words came out harsher than I intended. I sat up, holding my hands out. “I didn’t mean it like that-”
“Someone’s jealous,” he grinned, squeezing my thigh. 
“Johnny no-”
“I didn’t forget about you, I promise.” His fingers brushed higher, fingertips skating along my inner thigh. 
I gripped his wrist, fingers barely able to wrap around. My brows furrowed as I pushed his hand away. He didn’t budge, instead choosing to glide even higher with renewed vigor. 
“Johnny what are you doing?” I pulled away from his grip. His other hand grasped my shoulder tight. With every wiggle, every protest, he held me still. 
“Missed this pretty pussy,” he cooed, leaning in close enough for his facial hair to brush my jaw. 
“Johnny, Simon is in the other fucking room,” I spoke sternly. My teeth gritted, eyes locking onto the bathroom door. 
“So?” His tone was childish. “Keep talkin’ about how your tinder dates go so bad. This pussy needs some lovin’,” his palm cupped my clothed cunt. My teeth sunk into my bottom lip. A dark stain had formed at my core. My arousal soaked through the thin cotton. 
He moaned, sliding three fingers up my core. My breath hitched, breathy moans getting caught in my throat. 
“Cunts practically drooling,” he muttered next to my ear. His fingers slipped under the band of my shorts. I gasped as his fingers found my throbbing clit. He smirked against my skin as he rubbed quick circles into the bud. I whined, hips steadily rocking against his palm. 
“Johnny-” I whimpered. He pressed soft kisses along my jawline before dipping down to my neck. Two of his digits slid down my slit before sliding into my entrance. The heel of his palm ground against my clit as he began slowly thrusting his fingers in and out of me. I grasped his Mohawk, tugging his face further into the crook of my neck. 
With every thrust, lewd squelching emanated from my cunt. I glanced down at my lap with half-lidded eyes, watching as he fingered me beneath my shorts. 
Soft kisses and licks soon turned to harsh sucks and bites. I mindlessly rocked my hips against his fingers, moaning as he left purple marks in the wake of his kiss. His teeth sunk into my pulse point, hard enough for little bubbles of blood to rise to the surface. He groaned, licking over the mark and whispering soft apologies into my marred skin. 
“Fuck-” he cursed, squirming in his seat. “Need to feel you.”
He pulled me by my thigh, shifting me onto my back. With wide eyes I stared as he hovered over me. A deep blush settled over his cheeks. His blue eyes had shifted from cerulean to navy as his pupils dilated. The outline of his cock showed through his sweats. He was stiff, a small wet spot at his tip.
“Need it so bad-” he spoke through grunts as he rutted his stiff cock against my thigh. “Miss this cunt so much.”
I glanced at the bathroom door. Steam poured from the gap at the bottom of the wood. Biting my lip, I turned my focus to Johnny. Surely, if he was okay with it then it would be fine, right?
“Fuck- okay.” I pushed my shorts over my hips. Bending my knees, I ripped the sodden fabric from my legs. He shoved his sweats down just enough for his leaking cock to spring free. He pushed my knees to my chest, blue eyes fixated on my cunt as he lined himself up. 
The stretch of his cock ached. It’d been a while since I’d felt this. I tossed my head back against the armrest, a lust-drenched moan falling from my lips. He inched his cock inside me, grunting as I fluttered around him. He braced himself with one hand on the armrest, the other gripping my hip with a bruising strength.
“Missed this cunt so much-” he grunted as he bottomed out. 
“Move, please” I stared up at him through my lashes, tears brimming in my eyes. I felt so undeniably full, stretched to the brim, and yet I needed more. 
His pace was fast, with a strength that jolted my body. The slap of his hips against my ass echoed through the room. I couldn’t help the unfiltered moans that fell from my lips. At this point any previous thoughts of Simon had faded, replaced with the thick cock splitting me open. 
His eyes squeezed shut, jaw going slack as he moaned. Damp curls stuck to his forehead. Sweat beaded down his toned chest. His fingers kneaded the flesh of my ass. His eyes were fixated on my thighs, fat rippling with every thrust. 
“Squeezin’ my fuckin’ cock,” he groaned, gaze meeting mine. “Tell me how bad you needed this.”
“S-o-o b-a-a-d,” my voice quivered with every slap of his hips. He smirked, staring down at me with half-lidded eyes. 
“That’s it. I’ll fuck you so good. Make up for lost time,” he babbled, thick brows knitting. 
Every drag of his cock against my insides had my heart fluttering. Tension built in my core, every thrust only adding to the burning fire in my limbs. 
He tugged my legs over his hips, toying with my limbs as if I were a doll. His big palm splayed over my stomach, pushing down hard enough to feel his cock stretching me out. I moaned as white spots filled my vision.
He fucked into me faster, every grunt lifting in pitch. The deep blush on his cheeks spread down his neck to his chest. 
“Fuckimsoclose-” he sputtered. His pleasure drew him further into me, hips pistoning in and out of me at a brutal pace. My muscles tensed, toes curling, thighs quivering around his waist. 
My eyes screwed shut, brows furrowing as the building tension snapped. A jolt of electricity washed over my body as every nerve ending fired at once. I choked out a sob, cunt squeezing around his cock. 
Static washed over my body, muscles going limp in his grasp. I turned my head, cheek pressed against the suede. A stream of light flooded the room, dappled by plumes of steam. A muscular figure stood in the doorway, halting his gait. 
With a final thrust, Johnny stilled. Warmth flooded my core, spilling down my inner thighs. I whined as he pulled out. My vision slowly came back into focus. My gaze locked onto the set of bare feet in front of me, slowly climbing higher. With his blonde hair dripping wet and a towel loosely hanging off his hip, he stood in front of me. Simon Riley. 
“I’m sorry- I’m so sorry-”
My breath hitched when I felt his hand graze my knee. He parted my legs, brown eyes raking across my abused cunt. His palm slid up my inner thigh, ignoring any apology that fell from my lips. Johnny sat back on his shins, watching as his boyfriend spread my cunt with two fingers. Cum oozed from my pussy, coating my inner thighs. 
“He didn’t even bother to clean you up, did he?” Simon shook his head. With a wave of his hand, Johnny rose to his feet. Simon took the Scots' place, leaning down to press a kiss to my thigh. I clasped my hand over my mouth, muffling the whine that rose from my sticky chest. His eyes didn’t leave mine for a moment as he kissed higher and higher and higher. 
My hips twitched when he ran his tongue up my slit. He groaned, throwing my legs over his shoulders. His strong nose bumped against my clit as his tongue lapped up his boyfriend's cum. 
“Fuck! Simon!” I cried, rutting my hips against his face. Johnny, standing idly, stared at the scene with wide eyes. He moaned into my cunt, sending jolts of pleasure up my spine. I whined as his tongue ran up my slit. He pressed a chaste kiss to my puffy clit before sitting back on his shins. 
He was visibly erect under the towel. His hand gripped his cock through the cotton. I propped myself up on one elbow and used my other hand to tug at the towel. He grasped my wrist with his calloused fingers. 
“You got room in you for one more round?” He pushed my hand away before bringing his fingers back to the towel. His fingertips tantalizingly danced along the edge of the towel. 
“Yeah,” I nodded. 
He dropped the towel to the ground. My eyes locked onto his bobbing cock. He was longer than Johnny, but not as thick. At the head of his cock was a single silver ring. He was already leaking, a thin string of cum drooling from his tip. 
I caught my lip between my teeth, watching as he lined himself up with my cunt. The head of his cock nudged against my clit, earning a strangled whine from my throat. 
“Johnny won’t stop talking about how good this pretty pussy of yours feels.” He bucked his hips forward, pushing his cock inside of me. The breath was ripped from my lungs as he fully sheathed himself inside of me. 
“Simon!” I cried, tears welling in my eyes as he stretched me out. He was forceful, more domineering than Johnny. The strength which he grabbed my hips with was addicting. I was sure he’d leave behind little fingertip shaped bruises as a reminder. 
“Taking me so good, aren’t you, love,” he grunted, bringing one of his hands to my cunt. “Cute little clit needs some attention. Practically throbbing.” He circled his thumb around my clit, timing his pace with his brutal thrusts. 
His hips slammed against mine with a bruising force. The couch creaked beneath us. My body jolted with every thrust. My vision went unfocused, lips parting in a silent scream. Drool pooled in the corners of my mouth, spilling down my chin. 
“Fuckin’ you dumb, aren’t I?” He leaned forward, whispering beside my ear. “Such a good pet,” he cooed, pressing a chaste kiss to my cheek, now soaked in tears. 
“Should’ve brought you home sooner, huh?” Johnny asked from over Simons shoulder. I didn’t respond, only giving him a whimper as Simon fucked me into the couch. 
His hips stopped abruptly, hand grabbing my face between his thick digits. He pulled me to look at him, thick brows furrowing in anger. 
“He asked you a question, pet.” Simon spat. “Be a good toy and answer.”
“Yes! Ye-hes!” I babbled, choking on my tears. His brutal pace started again in an instant. The cushions shifted as Johnny kneeled behind his lover. He ran his hands over Simon’s stomach, gripping his love handles tight. 
“Please le’ me fuck you, Si. Yer ass looks so bonnie.”
Simons thrusts drew shallower as he sat up straight. He glanced at the Scot over his shoulder. 
“Fuckin’ mutt,” he grunted, pushing down harder on my clit. I whined, hands gripping his wrist. He didn’t relent. “Fine.”
Johnny grinned, gripping Simon's shoulder to steady him. The Brit’s hips stilled inside me, thumb still teasing my clit.
Simon's eyes fluttered closed. His plush lips parted, a deep groan rumbling in his chest. Johnny pressed a chaste kiss to Simon's neck before biting down on his shoulder, muffling the moan that rose from his throat. Johnny gripped Simon’s hips, urging him to move. 
“Come on, pretty boy. Don’t keep them waiting.” He cooed, blue eyes meeting mine. 
“Fuck- I’m not gonna last,” Simon grunted. He pushed one of my knees against my chest, fucking deeper into me. I sobbed, vision blurred with tears. He leaned forward, bracing both of his hands on the armrest. His breath wafted over my chest as he buried his face in the crook of my neck. 
“Feel so good, LT.” Johnny moaned, brows knitting as he chased his orgasm. Soft noises left Simon’s lips, growing more needy with every thrust of his hips. I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, pulling him into my embrace. 
“Mh- feel so good,” Simon slurred, pressing wet kisses to my neck.
“Cum in me, Simon,” I whined, locking my legs behind his back. He grunted, teeth sinking into my pulse point. My head spun as tension slowly built in my core. My gaze shifted to Johnny. His eyes were screwed shut, hands gripping the fat of Simon's ass. 
His hand landed harshly on Simons ass. A soft whine fell from the Brit’s lips. The filthy noise was enough to push me over the edge. I tossed my head back against the armrest, cunt milking his cock as I came. 
“Oh, fuck- oh fuck-” Simon groaned, spilling inside of me. His cock twitched, hips stilling as he reached his orgasm. Warmth flooded me, spilling down my inner thighs. 
With a grunt, Johnny pulled out, blue eyes fixated on his boyfriend’s ass. Simon didn’t move, instead choosing to smother me with his weight. His cock slowly softened inside of me. I turned my head, pressing kisses to his temple. 
It seemed odd, how needy he’d become. A stark contrast from his brooding demeanor. I shot a glance at Johnny, who simply shrugged at my confusion. 
“Johnny, I might have to steal this one from you,” Simon mumbled against my neck. 
“No- no get the fuck up.” Johnny stood, tugging at his boyfriends tattooed arm. I laughed, my hands running up the back of the Brit’s neck. My fingers carded through his damp curls. 
“You jealous, Johnny?”
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whitehallcarpetcleaners · 7 months ago
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Professional Commercial Cleaning Services
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How Commercial Floor Cleaning Services Enhance Your Business Image
Maintaining a clean business environment is important but can be tough. We’re no strangers to this challenge and have dug deep to unearth practical solutions. This detailed article highlights the transformative impact of commercial floor cleaning services on your business’s image, showcasing the remarkable difference they can make.
Key Takeaways
Commercial floor cleaning shows your business cares about details and health.
Clean floors make a solid first impression on customers and employees.
Regular professional cleaning makes floors safer and lasts longer.
Using exemplary service for different floors, like wood or tile, keeps them looking great.
Keeping your business clean saves money and makes people happier.
The Importance of Commercial Floor Cleaning for Business Image
Commercial floor cleaning services is crucial for a favorable business image. It reflects professionalism, promotes a healthy surrounding, and creates a solid first impression.
The Cleanliness reflects professionalism in commercial space
We uphold the highest standards of cleanliness to project professionalism in every corner of your commercial space. A spotless environment signals customers and employees that we value quality, detail, and care in our business operations.
Our commitment to regularly hiring professional cleaners to clean floors shows that we invest in our business’s appearance, reputation, and quality.
Maintaining a pristine workplace is fundamental for positive customer perceptions and trust. It speaks volumes about how we conduct our core business activities and manage our brand image.
Professional commercial floor cleaning services play a crucial role here. They ensure that every area of our commercial spaces meets high standards of cleanliness, thus reinforcing a professional image at all times.
Professional cleaning services that promote a healthy environment
Regularly cleaning floors, carpets, rugs, and upholstery does more than make a business look good. It plays a crucial role in promoting a healthy ambiance. Dirt, dust, and allergens accumulate on these surfaces over time.
Professional commercial floor cleaning services use specialized techniques and eco-friendly cleaning products to remove these contaminants effectively. This reduces the spread of germs and supports the well-being of both employees and customers.
Especially during sick seasons like winter, workplace disinfection services through regular maintenance are vital to minimizing germ spread. Hiring professional cleaning services ensures that business owners provide everyone with a safe and hygienic space.
This commitment to health extends beyond appearances, reflecting positively on the business’s reputation for caring about its community’s health.
Creates a solid first impression with commercial cleaning services
A pristine environment welcomes customers and potential employees, creating a positive customer experience. Clean floors convey professionalism and attention to detail, positively reflecting your brand’s reputation.
This first impression can be crucial in establishing customer trust and loyalty. High-traffic areas especially benefit from a professional cleaning service showcasing an unwavering commitment to cleanliness and quality.
Let’s explore how hiring commercial cleaning services maintains this stellar first impression and brings additional benefits such as enhanced hygiene and employee safety.
Benefits of Professional Commercial Floor Cleaning Services
Professional commercial floor cleaning services enhance hygiene and safety, prolong floor life, improve air quality, and offer tailored solutions for different flooring materials. These services are also cost-effective and significantly improve customer satisfaction.
1. Enhanced hygiene and safety
Professional commercial floor cleaning services significantly enhance the hygiene and safety of your business environment. Regular commercial floor cleaning services reduce the spread of germs, creating a cleaner workplace for your customers and employees.
It eliminates safety risks such as slipperiness and stickiness, which can lead to accidents and falls. Keeping floors clean promotes a safe surrounding and improves air quality, employee morale, well-being, and productivity.
2. Prolonged floor life
Regular commercial floor cleaning services by professionals extends the lifespan of your flooring investment, saving you money in the long run. It helps to maintain the aesthetic appeal of your floors and prevents wear and tear caused by dirt and grime buildup.
Professional commercial cleaning services also ensure that specialized practices are used for different flooring materials, protecting them from damage while keeping them looking their best.
Moreover, regular deep cleaning with professional commercial floor services reduces the need for costly repairs or premature replacement, preserving the value of your business premises.
3. Tailored solutions for different flooring materials
Professional commercial floor cleaning services offer tailored solutions for various flooring materials commonly found in commercial and industrial settings. Specialized techniques and equipment are used in specialized cleaning practices to address the unique challenges of different flooring materials.
Professional commercial floor cleaning services frequency depends on factors such as foot traffic levels, specific commercial cleaning needs, and the flooring material used.
4. Cost-effectiveness and improved customer satisfaction
Professional floor cleaning services promote cost-effectiveness by reducing the risk of accidents and potential injury costs. Regular floor maintenance also enhances client satisfaction, providing a clean environment that leaves a positive impression.
These benefits contribute to improved business image and better customer service satisfaction overall. Choosing reputable commercial cleaners can save significant costs while delighting customers with well-maintained and inviting spaces.
Exploring Types of Floor Cleaning Services
Dive into various floor cleaning services, such as hardwood floors and tile/grout cleaning. These services cater to a comprehensive range of floor materials, ensuring a well-maintained commercial environment.
Hardwood Floor Cleaning
Professional hardwood floors and cleaning services are essential for maintaining a clean and healthy ambiance in commercial spaces. Regular maintenance reduces the spread of germs and ensures that the floors retain their aesthetic appeal.
WhitehallCarpet Cleaners uses specialized techniques and equipment to carry out hardwood floor cleaning tasks, guaranteeing cleanliness and safety. With these methods, business owners can enhance their brand image and reputation through pristine hardwood floor cleaning, leaving a positive first impression on customers and employees.
Tile and Grout Cleaning
Tile and grout cleaning is essential for maintaining a clean workplace. Professional cleaners use tailored solutions to ensure thorough cleaning and prevent mold and mildew buildup on your floors.
This creates a positive impression and reduces safety hazards such as slippery surfaces, promoting a healthier and safer environment for employees and customers.
Regular professional tile and grout cleaning can help enhance the overall appearance of a commercial space while prolonging the life of the floor and its materials.
Conclusion
Commercial floor cleaning service enhances your business’s image. They reflect professionalism, promote a nice environment, and create strong first impressions.
Professional cleaning services offer tailored solutions, prolong floor life, and ensure cost-effectiveness and customer satisfaction. Hardwood and tile commercial cleaning services are just some specialized options for enhancing your brand’s reputation through cleanliness.
Contact Whitehall Carpet Cleaning today for all your floor, rug, and upholstery cleaning, disaster restoration, tile and grout cleaning, and disinfection services!
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