#Her walls are painted and decorated with photos‚ but it looks like she's updating it regularly‚ so everything is held up by tape.

[gith-zeri]

Baron's Haven pt.1

Mina Novak's Room

Felicia Aguilar's Room

[lunar-years]

I LOVE thinking about royjamiekeeley's future home together and how all three of their styles would come together to create a living space that is so very them :)

I think it's especially important to Jamie because he's never really had a space of his own as an adult that he's actually considered home before. Like, he bought his place in Manchester when he was just coming into having actual money--and a lot of it--for the first time, and he was spending it not just on himself but also on updates and renovations to Mummy's place and eventually on a home for his dad as well. So for himself he bought his car and a house but then didn't quite know what to do with the rest of it. As a result, for years his home there is just sort of an un-curated mix of the random shit he bought on a whim because he suddenly had the money to do so. Like the painting he walks past everyday and thinks "do I actually like that?" and the foosball table and the garish furniture he picked out because it looked dead cool in the showroom but really doesn't go together at all in his house.

Then when he moved to Richmond, he didn't really want to be there anyway, did he, so it was easier to just hire someone to furnish it for him. And he was on the outs with mummy, so even having family photos up made him feel weird and sad, and there were a couple of things he slowly acquired (like his balloon dog and his lavish headboard), mostly when shopping with Keeley, that he does love, but the house itself is sleek and modern and sterile, and it never really feels quite like his. By the time he comes to think of Richmond as home, he's spending most of his time at Keeley's or Roy's anyway, so he never bothers to make it more his own.

Then they all buy a house together, and Jamie is thrilled but also so overwhelmed, because he's never felt like he had such free reign before in a space since he was hanging up those posters in his childhood bedroom. Thus: his grand idea, presented with great enthusiasm and pride, of framing up his and Roy's England kits side by side in the living room, to which Keeley says absolutely fucking not. But then Keeley brings in her pink chandelier and her neon wall art from the moving van and Roy says absolutely fucking not, and Roy tries to hog all the shelves in the bookcase for his mystery/thriller paperbacks, to which Jamie and Keeley are both like, absolutely fucking not!! Eventually the living room (where they spend most of their time) becomes the perfect mashup of all of them. The furniture is neutral enough for Roy, but accessorized with a ton of throw pillows courtesy of Keeley, and one of Jamie's transformers is next to Roy's books and Keeley's knick-knacks on the shelves, and they've got a gallery wall with photos and framed bits and pieces of all of them.

They have a two-floor home but the main bedroom is of course on the first floor (Roy can't do stairs), and a giant ensuite with a spa tub for Keeley (and for Roy when his knee is acting up), and a shower big enough so that Jamie rarely has to shower alone, if he doesn't want to. Then there's Roy's office and a media room for all of Jamie's gaming consoles and for the boys to watch match tapes that's filled up with all of their medals/trophies/awards. Keeley rarely goes in there, but when she wins like, Boss Ass Bitch of the Year or something (a real award TO ME), Roy and Jamie insist it goes up right alongside their premier league medals, and ceremoniously place it there in a way that has Keeley giggling kicking her feet in love with them <3

Roy's more set in his ways from years of living on his own, so Jamie and Keeley distract him as they decorate the rest of the house by giving him full control of the kitchen, because he's the one who's going to be using it most often, anyway. He gets all the appliances and everything configured, top-grade, with Simon's helpful input. And most importantly, he also makes sure there's a big island he can work at with stools for Keeley and Jamie to sit in and sip their wine prettily or "help" him by aimlessly chopping vegetables as he goes about all the hard work of actually cooking their meals. This is secretly his favorite part of being in the kitchen. He makes sure the stools are very comfortable for them. Also, the fridge is always covered in Phoebe's report cards and drawings and homemade cards :)

Then the upstairs is used for the guest bedrooms for when any of their parents or friends come to stay, plus Phoebe's bedroom/bathroom and Keeley & Jamie's overflow closet and Keeley's home office (she likes to be a floor above to help drown out the noise and help her stay focused when Roy and Jamie are home and screaming at the television about sports on the main floor, or else shagging each other senseless in their bedroom while Keeley still has emails to attend to, thank you.)

And there's a half pitch in the backyard because of course there is, when you're that rich you've got to have a least one thing that lavish. And a garden that Roy really takes to tending, surprisingly, and loungers for Keeley and Jamie to suntan as Roy hovers over them menacingly with a bottle of sun cream.

Ultimately it's theirs and it's home and it's wonderful and even though they all keep a hold of their former houses for financial and media purposes, they rarely ever go back to them. ❤️

[void-botanist]

hey! this is chance & here’s the prompt for week 6. what are your oc's bedrooms like? messy? neat? carefully designed? or a collection of their favorite things? you can verbally describe or use photos, whatever you think is best.

Time to answer this one finally! I think I'll talk about Nicea, where the entire crew has 2+ bedrooms.

Declan: he has the largest private room on the Nicea, but that's not saying much. It stays pretty neat because there's just not a lot of stuff in there, but he has a collection of ship pens, stationery, and books. His bedroom at the office is less neat and holds most of his clothes, but because he literally just repurposed an office room it's pretty spartan. His bedroom in his suite at his mother-in-law's, which is a remodeled shed, is not that big but it's very cozy and messy because A) he actually uses it when he's there, and B) it holds all of his art supplies that aren't in his small traveling collection, like all of his paints and canvases, and a bunch of random detritus, mostly in his desk drawers. The one thing you will not find in any of his rooms is a photo of Cady, because he can't stomach the thought of just seeing that. He gave his one photo album to Tristan for safekeeping.

Tristan: her room on the Nicea is the standard not-that-big size, and she keeps not very much in there. What is there is usually in stacks, except for the mini calendar and picture of her and Gil tacked to the wall over the desk. Her room at home, though, is set up to be as cozy as possible, with walls that are a soft dark blue, dark floral curtains, padded rugs, and ample dresser space so the drawers actually close when everything gets left in a wad in there. There's not much else in the way of decoration, though, because this is a room for sleeping.

Rodney: he keeps the most things in his room on the Nicea, because he has more than a couple clothing items there (he never wears the flight suit), and three books that he's reading, and his tablet, and four chargers, and seven data cables, and his laptop, and his fuzzy blanket, and his ship slippers, and some space M&Ms, and thirteen colors of nail polish and an entire nail kit, and previous issues of the Svando's magazine that he's forgotten about. He has a full-size calendar on the wall and also is slowly accumulating pictures there, mostly of him, Isabel, and Spinder, and places he's been. He keeps everything pretty neat on the whole, but he's always in the middle of something. By contrast he has almost nothing in his hotel rooms, but they kind of come already prepared. His room at his mom's house looks pretty empty and tidy because it's infrequently used, but it has various old trophies and rocks and drawings and stuffed animals filling it out.

Isabel: her room on the Nicea is always kind of a mess, because she also keeps a small but complete wardrobe there, and she's constantly bringing bags of snacks in and finishing them. She tries to keep her hotel rooms neat for housekeeping, but at her mom's house she will not hear any complaints about her throwing her shit everywhere in her own room, Fay. Unlike Rodney she has updated the decor in her room multiple times, mostly by stripping out the old curtains and putting new posters on the walls. No matter what she does, though, one of the posters is always of a hot guy and one of them is always of a vintage actress.

Spinder: like Tristan, he wears a flight suit on the Nicea, so like Tristan, he mainly has undershirts and underwear as his wardrobe there. Aside from that he keeps very little in his room and most of it in the closet, but he's been considering putting up some pictures or something, which maybe he does prior to leaving on their big trip. He's fastidious about his hotel rooms, partly for housekeeping and partly to avoid wrinkles in his clothes, but he inevitably ends up spreading his shaving kit all across the bathroom counter. At Nieram's house, he also sleeps in a room with built-in shelves full of childhood stuff, half of it his (romance novels, handheld puzzle toys, school art projects) and half of it his older brother Pat's (vintage music paraphernalia, minifigures for games he no longer plays, school art projects), because they shared a room after it became clear Spinder and Michael were not capable of doing so. He doesn't try so hard to keep this room clean while he's there, but he still always hangs up his clothes.

And a bonus, because I haven't talked enough lol:

Tatya: her room on her as-yet-unnamed ship is her main space there, and hers is by far the most decorated ship bedroom. She has a ton of woodburning projects hung up on the walls, with a shelf for her various reading materials and a shelf for knickknacks (they both have plexiglas covers to prevent stuff falling out everywhere), and a little tapestry over her minifridge. She even replaced the lamp covers with something more homey. Her bedroom on Basenaum is similar, except the architecture actually goes with her "rustic" sense of decor. She's somewhere in the middle of the neat-messy spectrum, where she tries to keep things clean but her spaces always look very lived-in.

Nicea taglist: @kahvilahuhut @kk7-rbs @outpost51 @writernopal @athenswrites

[minevn]

You can delete the other 2 asks from me

Yeah. Nana Suzuki. Since the game is in Japan... His mom is from England and dad is japanese. I ended up drawing her on paper and then taking a photo then pasting it on the the thing. And some coloring and doodling in ibis paint x.

His hair is supposed to be black, but I ended up making it dark blue, to give it more character. She is very basic, just like me. I changed their pronouns again. She plays the piano.

The pronouns, I use she her and they them a lot on them. But you can use he him, too.

I tried to draw her on ibis paint but it looked off😀 Even if ibis paint x is ass I still prefer the good ol pen and paper.

No, no she does not hate Yani. They like everybody, Yani just gives her anxiety. /silly /lh, nor any other loud person in the game.

The notebook I draw on is pretty, but it has the square thing paper. ...Maybe because it's a notebook, not a sketch book. Maybe I should just move on from the hot pink notebook to a black depressed sketch book. /silly /joking

Nana's hair

Alrighty! I didn't to get around to answering them but I read them and enjoyed seeing the entire process! Thank you for keeping me updated!

I also like drawing on paper and then transferring it over to my drawing app! I tend to like how my traditional art looks better! Anyways, Nana is very cute! I love their hair so much!! If you draw more of them I would love to see it! Also, your art is so cute!! You were talking about how embarrassed you were about it but I don't see anything to be embarrassed about, it looks so holdable and squishy! I love it!🩵🩵

Lol, I think Yani would try to be more quiet around her then but y'know still kind of a lot to handle, Yani does change to fit more what you like :3

I actually like the squares though! I often draw in composition books so I have the lines and stuff but I think its fine! If I'm doing more clean drawings and using markers and stuff that bleed through I draw in sketchbooks but if I'm just sketching then I do that everywhere(I have sketches on my wall, help) lol. But no I like the squares in your notebook! Sketchbooks are actually so boring unless your decorate them yourselves, all the fun and interesting stuff happens on the inside ^^ Notebooks have like built in backgrounds idk!

[aeinova]

Birthday Surprise

ft. jaehyuk, hanjae (mingyu), and npc jessica 🤍

the final public writing of nova's birthday. thanks to jaehyuk mun for being a real homie and collabing with me on this again. xo

sparkling lights, flashing paparazzi cameras and the sound of heavy pop music blaring from surround sound speakers for the crowd that had gathered for nova's 30th birthday bash. the capacity had reached the stated limit, and despite the hesitation around the event in light of recent news, everyone seemed to have a good time. the bottles of alcohol had flowed from the open bar as puffs of smoke were floating along the air, creating an ambiance of sheer fun and recklessness. the vip section had been packed with warm bodies since the start, recognizable faces paying their respects to the dazzling birthday girl. influencers, idols, dancers, designers and all who were heavy hitters in the entertainment industry, both in hollywood and seoul, were in attendance.

despite the bright party being such a success, nova sat in a cold corner of the private section, legs crossed before her as her expression painted one of disdain. you could tell she was not entirely present, eyes dark as her she watched the disco ball spin for the billionth on the ceiling. there were no thoughts running through her mind, numb as the dark circles that had been patched up by makeup started to become quite evident. she had spent the past few days producing tears over jaehyuk, who was still laying in a hospital bed after the incident, unresponsive with multiple monitors insuring his existence. she had tried to make him twitch through various gestures, like planting kisses along his face and holding his hand until they moved jaehyuk to the VIP ward at his father's request. it had been the end of those attempts, and the end of her own visitation until further notice since she did not want to bring further attention to the situation. she had to swallow the fact she had not been able to receive any updates since, causing the guilt in her stomach to grow further.

"hey..." jessica, who had flown in from hong kong the night before just to attend the party, wrapped her arms around her dear little sister. she knew just when to swoop in, pressing her forehead against the side of nova's head. without any further words, the younger woman caved into her sister's arms, tears falling once more as they have for some time. it was tiring for nova to sob out, especially in public where her candid picture could be taken, which was the cue to the bodyguards to start setting up the privacy screens along the section. paparazzi had started to notice the actress' behavior, slowly tricking their way in to sneak a winning photo for their own free use. in english, jessica cooed to her, a firm hand smoothing the back of nova's head as she sighed. "let's go to the bathroom, yeah?" with her dark hair cascaded down and without meeting eyes with anyone else, nova held jessica's hand, being pulled out of her seat and following her lead.

the private hall, which had been connected to a secret exit towards the entrance of the hotel, was dimly lit and decorated quite plainly. there were a few people who had decided to hang out along the walls of it, really just minding their own business as the pair of celebrity sisters walked down it at a speedy pace. the bathroom was just at the end of it, designer heels clicking against the marble floor, almost reaching their destination until jessica stopped in her tracks, almost causing nova to push herself against her back. "oh my god–" it was rare for the older woman to sound so surprised, causing nova to peek over her shoulder, tired doe eyes rounding out as the view before her.

impossible.

it was jaehyuk, standing before them with a pained expression, along with another younger man at his side who was looking around in awe. the injured man was pale, hair messy in a way nova found seemingly attractive, as the dark leather jacket he wore covering up the fact he was wearing multiple bandages around his body. his towering figure was slightly hunched from the dull sensation of surgery, but that didn't change the fact that he was beaming before them. practically shoving jessica to the side and almost ripping the gown at her feet, nova rushed over to him, forgetting about absolutely everything as she wrapped her toned arms around her lover. he winced, trying his best to wrap his own arms around the bewildered woman, who was rubbing her face against the familiar warmth of his neck.

it was a moment that kept both of the accompanying parties quiet; jessica's own tears fighting to hold back as hanjae, the man who brought jaehyuk, crossed his arms before the sight, trying not to stare at the embracing pair for too long. the atmosphere changed almost instantly into a positive one, the actress pulling back slightly in disbelief as she searched for familiarity in his eyes before planting a sweet kiss. As he kissed her back, the tears dried on her cheeks, a hand coming down to settle on his broad chest.

"what.. what are you doing here?" the question of the century, not knowing how it was possible for this man to be on his own two feet despite her supernatural efforts. "did you....?" as if there was mutual telepathy between them, he nodded at the unfinished question of escaping the hospital, causing her to cant her head. "i had to. i think i'd be in worse pain right now if I failed to keep my promise. happy birthday, eunmi." he whispered between them, reassuring her as he always did. it was a habit that was hard to kill, but she would not reject the reassurance right now. it was needed, cupping his defined face in her hands. It seemed his headache was starting to dissipate during the few seconds he pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. he also seemed thinner in her hands, probably due to the days he was asleep as the pad of her thumb stroked along his cheekbone as he intently examined her own features. he quietly noticed her own complexion, noting to push her for some rest later on.

hearing his company clear his throat from afar, jaehyuk noted his signal and became conscious of their limited time. but first, he beckoned behind him and introduced his friend, “that's hanjae by the way. he's a long time friend, like a younger brother to me, too.” hanjae was undeniably in the middle of a cake slice he had managed to nab at a nearby table, looking like a deer caught in the headlights as nova zeroed in on him. In response, hanjae playfully gives her a salute with a fork still in his hand and his face stuffed with dessert, “i can call you noona now, right? nice meeting you!” he beamed at her cheekily with a nose scrunch. as nova smiled at the younger, jaehyuk couldn’t help but snort at their friendly exchange. but this simple release of air promptly pained his chest, making him clench his jaw and divert his gaze. again, he was reminded of his fragile state. he had just woken up two hours ago after all. “i'm sorry, we can’t stay long. my father’s guards are going to catch on. I know I’ll be greeted with a scolding, too.” moonsik and hanwool crossed his mind, his closest friends he could never fool. “please rest.. sleep more, okay? But first enjoy your night. i love you.” jaehyuk kissed her goodbye and smiled a weak one before slipping out of the hotel with hanjae in the most discreet route. nova knew better than to follow suit, feeling as if the interaction was an illusion. he had come by and slipped from her fingers in what seemingly felt like a single second, eyes coming back to life with a lively glint. she stood frozen, his warmth still permeating along her skin as she turned to jessica, who was just as stunned. “eunmi–” she put her hands on nova’s shoulders, searching for a sign of life from her younger sister. in response, nova had smiled for the first time in days, lip quivering with sheer joy as she hugged her older sister tightly, squealing out in a girly fashion, “he’s awake… he’s awake….!”

[simfluencer-network]

updated links:

@notjustabooksims cc archive: here

simfileshare folder: here

fruit salad painting small (compressed package): here

fruit salad painting (compressed package): here

earrings (compressed package): here

top (compressed package): here

More information and previews ▼

Hi everyone! I recently hit 300 followers on tumblr and that usually means that I share a gift. This time I’ve made three items: A cute ruffle top, a set of earrings, and some fruit paintings. I think all items are seriously cute, but don’t take my word for it – check out the goods. 🙂

Nutmeg Top

The first item is the Nutmeg top, a cute, feminine top with ruffle detail.

New mesh by yours truly!

For young adult/adult females.

Custom CAS/Launcher thumbnail.

Shows up as a top under everyday and formal.

Disabled for random.

Fully recolourable with two channels: the top itself and the ruffle.

Comes with three presets, as pictured: one plain white, one with plain colour and a pattern, and one striped.

7,400 polys = HIGH. Recommended for photos, not gameplay.

Has morph states.

Known issues

As usual, it clips with certain bottoms, though because it’s short, it’s fewer than usual. For once it doesn’t clip with That One Pair of Trousers I Keep Using!

It will clip with certain poses – e.g. if the arm is over the stomach, the arm will clip through the ruffle.

Bone assignment isn’t perfect, so as you can see on the pics, sometimes it will clip at the shoulders.

Grundled Verbal Earrings

These earrings are inspired by a set of real earrings made by a Danish creator. Her jewellery used to be named for grammar terms, but they’ve changed the name. I’ve given them the original name, Verbal, named for the verb of a sentence. They’re known as Yoko earrings now. You can see her real stuff at her Etsy store and order some of it for yourself. She’s seriously cool, treats customers well, and all the stuff is handmade – I’m not being paid to say this, I just love her stuff that much!

New mesh by yours truly, inspired by these

Gender: Female

Ages: Teen to elder

Type: Accessory, found under earrings

Categories: Everyday, formal, and outerwear – disabled for random

3 presets: teal, brown, and black wooden disc with gold.

2 recolourable channels: the little round wood disc and the metal

Polycount

High level of detail: ~13,000

Medium level of detail: ~6,500

Low level of detail: ~3,250

The poly count is VERY HIGH. Do not use these unless your computer is up to the task and be careful about combining them with very high-poly clothes/hair.

Custom CAS thumbnail

Known issues

Sometimes, you can see a seam across the little ball at the end of the chain (you can see it in the photo for channels). It’s to do with how I mapped it, but since it only matters at some distances/angles and isn’t that noticeable, I figured it was tolerable.

Fruit Salad Pictures

Finally, the third gift is a set of pictures of fruit. A fruit salad of fruit, if you will. These cute pictures come in two sizes with 16 different fruits! I think they’d be super cute in a modern kitchen or a chic café. 🙂

New mesh created by yours truly

16 different overlays: apple, apricot, banana, blueberry, cherry, coconut, kiwi, lemon, mango, melon, orange, peach, pineapple, plum, pomegranate, and strawberry

Edge of canvas is recolourable with 1 channel

Found under:

Decor > Paintings

Living room > Paintings

Dining room > Paintings

Costs:

Small: 35§

Large: 50§

Proper LOD’s (Won’t look like something else when you zoom out!)

Wall shadow

Polycount

High: 30

Medium: 12

The poly count is LOW. This item is suitable both for photos and gameplay

Difference between the two sizes – the pictures are the same for both sizes!

All the presets – here shown on the small canvas size.

Credits

Software: Blender, GIMP, TSR Workshop, Milkshape, PhotoScape, Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer.

Earrings inspired by Jewellery by Grundled

Fruit icons by MacroVector

Download | 300 Followers’ Gift

Yay, finally! Here’s the followers’ gift I’ve been talking about. It consists of a top, a set of earrings, and some pictures for your walls! You can read all about it at my old bloggery blag.

And thanks so much, again, for all the follows. It means a lot, especially to see how many people enjoy the CC I make.

[wiyodreamz]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩 | Jeong Yunho - 1

Synopsis ⟶ You were denied to Clover Prep in the past due to ‘over capacity’ of students. But then a few months later, you were accepted after being placed on the waiting list.

Excitement bubbled inside you when you finally stepped foot, but it quickly simmered down when you learned that you were accepted in the place of a dead girl. First week there, you learn some mysterious things about her and the things she was associated with, leading towards her death.

Coincidently, another person is looking into her cause of death, bringing the both of you close. Outside parties seem suspicious of the two and try to insert themselves to stop it, but that only brings the both of you together to wonder what happened, behind this ‘picture perfect’ school.

Genre ⟶ Fluff, smut, angst, mystery

Pairing ⟶ Yunho x Fem!Reader

Tag list ⟶ @mirror-juliet @onlyasgoodasitgets @ugz4dayz @cottoncandytiny @l0c4lbr4t​

A/N: Hi! I know it’s been awhile since I've posted the teaser. Around the time I wanted to post, I got very busy in my personal life and couldn’t update as much. Please enjoy the first chapter.

It’s been a couple of hours on the bus as you watched the time on your phone. You were traveling alone to your new school, since your parents were too caught up with work to send you off properly, but you don’t blame them. At first, you weren’t accepted at Clover Prep due to them accepting too many students, but an event that happened made you get the spot inside the school.

You watched the window as you dozed on-and-off every few minutes. But a certain brake indicated that the bus had made it to the bus stop. You picked up your luggage from the overhead compartment and rolled it off the bus.

The walk to the school was only 10 minutes, so you decided to walk instead of wasting your money on a taxi. The rolling of your suitcase against the bumpy concrete as the soft padding of your shoes were overpowered.

After a few turns, you made it towards the school, but it was locked by a gate and there was a security guard in front of it. “Are you lost?”

“N-no, I just need to find the front office to be enrolled,” you answered the guard, who looked like he was seconds away from laughing at you, until you pulled out your acceptance letter and his face instantly changed. “Follow me.”

You followed behind the security guard and the way to the front office gave you a glimpse of the campus. The school colors were dark green and silver, based on how the school uniforms and school gear were worn by the students. Landscape of the school was near perfection, hedges were perfectly cut and it looks like flowers were planted in the perfect spots. 

You entered a building you assumed was the admission building. It was way nicer than your old school, but you didn’t know that the school was this rich. “I have to get back to my post. Keep going straight and take a left, you’ll be in the office.”

The guard left you alone in the big building as you took his instructions. You glanced at the decorated walls, it had photos of the other graduating classes from last year to when the school first opened. It also hung photos of individual students, who were considered the pride of the school.

You pushed open a glass door and a woman, who was middle aged and had her hair up, behind the desk. She looked up and watched as you walked in. “Good afternoon! How may I help you?”

“Even she sounds posh!” You thought as you cleared your throat. “I’m (L/N) (Y/N) and I’m supposed to talk to one of the heads for my admission here.”

“Ah,” the woman said as she shuffled through some files. “We were just thinking about when you’ll arrive. Follow me.”

You left your luggage by her desk as you followed her towards the back. She led you towards the back and let you enter the office first. The office looked more like a suite than an office, expensive furniture and painting all around.

“(L/N) (Y/N), correct?” The woman asked as she sat down her piping cup of tea down on the saucer and stood up, walking towards you and held out her hand. “Headmistress Choi.”

“Nice to meet you,” you say as you shake her head, which feels icy towards the touch. You put your hand towards your side and she motioned you to sit in one of her expensive leather chairs. “I thought there were two of you?”

“My husband and I are the heads, and he’s out of town for a meeting. We don’t usually take students in this time during the semester, but something came up in the department you were in, and we looked through your file and you were better suited than the others on the waitlist,” Headmistress Choi explained as she grabbed some papers and a key from her desk. “This is your schedule, rules and schedules around the school, and the key to your dorm.”

You took the things from her and put them in your pockets as she continued to talk some more. “We also have a strict uniform policy. Anything missing from your uniform will equal a demerit. And if anything happens to your uniform, like if it tears or doesn’t fit right, please alert a faculty member immediately. If you feel like something is wrong, you can come talk to me or my husband.”

You nodded your head as you watched her stand up and you did the same thing. She sent you a small smile, “Welcome to Clover Prep and one of the student representatives will be here to take you to your dorm.”

Right on cue, a girl with raven colored hair walks inside. She scoffed slightly at your appearance and turned towards Headmistress Choi. She noticed the girl and a smile was worn on her stone cold face. “My precious girl, Jaekyung! This is (Y/N), please show her to her dorm.”

“Yes Headmistress Choi!” She says as she clasps her hand and then motioned you follow her.

You grabbed your luggage from the front and followed behind Jaekyung. By the way she’s dressed and how she looked at you when she first saw you, you could instantly tell that she was one of those spoiled rich kids, who has never seen someone below the upper class. She also had an aura of ‘don’t touch or talk to me unless given permission to.’

“So, how long have you shown new kids around?” You asked, trying to lift the tension, but you could tell she didn’t want to converse with you.

“A few times,” she replies rudely as she begins to walk faster than you, making it seem she doesn't want to be seen around you.

You bit your lip as you continued walking and noticed students looking at you. It must be pretty shocking to see someone admitted around this time, but it seems like something else that they’re talking about that you couldn’t just pin.

The dorm building was just ahead and following behind Jaekyung was finally done, since she’s shown that she won’t be friendly towards you. Once the two of you made it in front of the dorm building, you thanked her and she just rolled her eyes as she walked away.

Luckily, your dorm room number was labeled on the key. You walked up the stairs and down the hallway, until you got in front of your door. You placed the key in the hole and turned and walked inside the dorm.

The school was very rich and they liked to show it in many ways, like the dorms. The room was spacious and it contained two full sized beds, two desks, two closets, and a huge window. You walked towards the empty side and sat your luggage down. Your uniform was hanging on your closet and it seemed to be ironed.

“I was hoping you didn’t come yet!” A voice said as they entered the room. She had long brown hair and had something in her hands, a gift. “This is yours.”

“Thank you,” you answered as you took the wrapped box from her hands and sat it down on your desk.

“My name is Lee Yuri and you must be (Y/N), we’re going to be best friends” Yuri said excitedly as she locked arms with you. “Do you need help unpacking?”

“Yes,” you answered and opened your suitcase to reveal your tightly packed clothes and school materials.

“I see you met Jaekyung. Don’t worry, she’s a bitch to anyone she meets, unless you're in her group of friends,” Yuri explains as she places your clothes in your closet. “I also ironed your uniform. You can get a demerit if your uniform isn’t wrinkle free, which is unfair. The heads must’ve lost their minds when they made the uniform rule.”

You chuckled slightly at her bubbly personality. Yuri seems to be genuinely nice and always wants to help. You also learned that Yuri is the eldest sibling of her family and dreams of owning her own clothing store. The last of your things were placed away and Yuri placed your luggage in the storage closet.

“How long have you been attending here?” You asked as you sat down on your bed.

“Since middle school,” Yuri answered as she sat beside you.

“Middle school?!” You asked, shocked at her answer.

“Yeah, this school is a middle and high school combined. 30 years ago, the middle schoolers and high schoolers used to be housed together and be in the same school. But an incident happened, so they had to build the middle school on the other side of the campus,” Yuri explained as she crossed her legs. “It’s almost dinner time, let’s hurry to the dining hall before the good seats are taken.

Yuri locked arms with you and walked out your dorm room together to go get dinner together. The dining hall had a medieval feel in the interior. The dinner was some type of pasta dish you couldn’t name, but it looked better than public school food.

“Look,” Yuri said as she nodded her head in a direction. “Jaekyung is looking over here.”

You turned your head to see Yuri was right. Jaekyung was looking over at your table with a couple of her friends, whispering about something. You felt nervous. Was there something on you? Did you have anything weird on?

“I know what you’re thinking! Don’t worry about her, she’s just trying to get under your skin,” Yuri says as she takes another bite of her food. “Your first day is going to be great! Trust me! The head’s chose you for a reason!”

You smiled at Yuri’s words, because maybe she’s right. You had a clean grade and behavior record from your past schools, they definitely chose you for your clean attitude.

You button your blazer as you flatten it on your body. You hated how the dark green skirts were a little on the short side, since it was starting to get cold. The campus was slowly getting loud as students left their dorms and walked towards the dining hall for breakfast or towards the school.

“Yuri! Are you ready to go?” You asked as you approached the girl finishing her makeup.

“Yeah, just a few more things and I’ll be ready,” she answered as she put on her lipstick and placed it in her makeup bag. “Let’s go.”

The two of you walked out your dorm room and walked towards the school. You were definitely excited to start your first day after hearing so many things about the school from the alumni online. You and Yuri entered the massive school, and she guided you to your homeroom. Once you were there, you bid her a goodbye and walked in.

The classroom had a lively feel inside of it and other students doing their own things. You looked around for any empty desk, and luckily found one in the middle of the room. You placed your backpack down as you looked around the classroom. Maybe you should make friends, but the people around seem like they don’t want a new addition in their friend group. Thankfully, you were too tired last night to read the schedule, so you did just that.

“I haven’t seen your face in here,” a voice said. You looked up and saw a blonde male, with a couple of his friends behind him, as he took a chair and sat it in front of your desk. “Headmistress and Headmaster Choi don’t usually enroll students in around this time.”

“I got accepted because of my high grades and good references,” you say towards him as you fold your arms against your chest and his suspicious look quickly falters to a playful one.

The blonde laughed and turned towards his friends, “You heard that guys? She thinks she got in because of her grades and references, but she only got accepted to cover up-”

The male was ripped away from the chair from one of his friends, whose eyes were darkening with anger. “Shut the fuck up, Wooyoung! You can be such a blabbermouth.”

“Jeez, I’m sorry Yeosang,” he said as he pushed the chair back in its original place and followed his friends to their spots.

You looked down at your desk nervously. Were you really accepted to cover up something? Those thoughts swirled in your head and didn’t notice the teacher walking in. You looked up and saw the taller one of them looking at you. What was his friend going to say?

“What’s on your mind? You’ve been pushing your food around for five minutes,” Yuri asked with concern in her voice as she stared at you.

“It’s nothing,” you answered as you finally took a bite of your lunch. 

“Hmm, are you sure? Did Wooyoung say or do anything to you?” She asked and you froze at the mention of his name.

“How do you know him?” You asked as you looked up at her.

“I’ve heard and seen some things he did to some freshmen, just to scare them a bit” she replies as she takes a sip of her juice. “He’s always been like that.”

You decided not to answer and continued eating your lunch. Maybe he was just messing with you and was somehow intimidated on how you got accepted around this time of the semester, and not the beginning of the fall or spring semester like the others there. You mentally shrugged and finished up your lunch.

Your next class was an elective class that the school chose for you, which was art. You weren’t exactly great at art, but your drawings were somewhat similar to what you meant to draw. The classroom was designed like an art studio and it would make an artsy person not want to leave.

“Your desk is that empty one over there,” the teacher said as she motioned towards an empty desk.

You walked to the desk and sat down on the stool. The desk had drawers built inside to hold multiple supplies and books. You opened the drawers to leave some of your books inside and inside was a journal, which looked like a diary. The book seemed to be old and almost finished with all the pages. It was also purple with splotches of paint on the cover.

Instead of alerting the teacher, you shoved it in your backpack to see if you could find the owner. Thankfully that class went by quickly, and was your last class of the day. When the bell rang, you made a beeline for the door and made way for your dorm.

“You’re finally back from your class!” Yuri says as she looks up from her homework. “We need to talk about it tonight at dinner, because right now I’m busy with a project.”

“It’s fine, I was about to head to the library. Do you know where it is?” You asked as you pulled out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt from your closet.

“Yeah, just take a right when you leave out of here and keep going straight. The library should be in front of you,” she replies as she pulls out her textbook.

You discreetly took the diary from your backpack and hid it in your sweatshirt, walking out the dorm room. The path had leaves on them, indicating that autumn was about to come. While walking to the library, you noticed Jaekyung and her friends walking from somewhere.

You heard about a café not that far from campus, and it is popular with the students here and assumed she was just coming from there.

But you didn’t miss the way Jaekyung stared at you as you passed her and then whispered to her friends about something, and looked back at you with a gasp. You sighed and pushed the big doors of the library open. It was massive on the inside and had many bookshelves mixed with old and new books.

You found a table in the back and sat down and finally got the chance to read the diary, once and for all.

September 5th

I usually don’t do these things, but my mom tells me it will help me while I’m away from home until Fall Break and Christmas. I, An Yeseul, am officially a student of Clover Prep, one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country. Knowing my background, I will be the center of bullying since I’ll be around preppy rich kids. But I can manage.

I just met both, the Headmaster and Headmistress, there’s something off about the two. It’s like they’re hiding something, but I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe I’m just overthinking about it.

My roommate, Kim Jihye, luckily isn’t one of those spoiled kids. She comes from the same financial background as me. I’m probably going to forget to write in this, but this seems like a good start.

“That’s it for day one?” You asked yourself as you looked at the page once again. You didn’t want to read further, just in case each day is longer. The sky was starting to set, indicating that dinner is soon.

You pushed in the chair and walked out the library. While walking out, you noticed one of Wooyoung’s friends from earlier, going inside the library. You quickly brushed past him and he turned back to look at you and his eyes trained down to the diary you were holding.

“Excuse me,” he called out to you and you stopped to turn around. “That book looks familiar. Where’d you get it?”

“I have to go. Bye,” you said not wanting to make a conversation with him and running out the library.

“It looks oddly familiar. No way, it couldn’t be…” he thought as he watched you run off.

“Yunho, why’d she run away from you?” A guy said as he checked out the books he was holding.

“It’s nothing, Junghoon,” Yunho answered as he crossed his arms.

“I was just worried you said something to offend her,” Junghoon said as he grabbed the books from the librarian and then put an arm around Yunho’s shoulder. “Let’s go back to our dorms. Dinner should be soon.”

Yunho nodded as he walked with his friend back to their dorms to set their stuff away before dinner.

“Is there anything you want to talk about? People? Teachers?” Yuri asked as she sat her tray beside you as she picked up her spoon.

“I just keep bumping into people,” you replied as she looked at you.

“Are you afraid that the people you bump into might be bad? I can tell you” she suggested and you nodded. “Great.”

First, she pointed towards Jaekyung’s table, “You already met Jaekyung and how much of a bitch she can be. She mostly hangs out with those three and sometimes people from the student council. Only talk to her or her friends when it’s school related, if it’s not school related, stay away from her.”

Then, she pointed towards a table with a guy you didn’t know and Yeosang, who reprimanded Wooyoung earlier today. “Then that’s Baek Junghoon. He’s the school representative along with Jaekyung. They pretty much run the school when together. But luckily, Junghoon is way nicer than Jaekyung. Junghoon hangs out with Yunho, Wooyoung, and Yeosang when it relates to sports since they’re on the soccer team. Other than that, he’s mostly seen with his group of friends as well.”

“Thanks for the explanation. I know now to avoid Jaekyung at any cost,” you jokingly said and Yuri started to laugh.

Over the course of 3 weeks being there, you noticed people ignored you on purpose. Anytime you try to talk to someone to make friends, they either get up and walk away or flat out ignore you.

You’ve also been reading Yeseul’s diary and the reason why she probably left it behind, but no sign yet, just short entries. But today you feel like something big is going to happen.

Like always, you made your way to the library and sat in your usual spot. You pulled out the book and started to read the next entry.

September 26th

It’s only been 3 weeks since the new school year, and people are already acting like they have sticks shoved up their butts, especially Joo Jaekyung. 

I bumped into Baek Junghoon, which I had to admit is very cute, and we ended up talking while walking to our shared class together, which was history. When we walked in, Jaekyung immediately glared at me and pulled Junghoon away from me, like an overly jealous girlfriend.

After class, I confronted her about it and she insulted me and initiated a fight, and in the end I got in trouble with Headmistress Choi, even though I didn’t start it. I can tell that Jaekyung and I are not going to be friends.

“Hey! Joo Jaekyung! What was that for?” Yeseul asked as she stormed towards the girl.

“I don’t have time to talk to a girl like you,” Jaekyung said shortly as she walked away from her.

“What do you mean ‘a girl like me,’ Jaekyung?” Yeseul asked, now mad at the girl.

“You know, you probably slept with other boys at your school and decided to come here for a fresh start,” Jaekyung says as she jabbed her index finger in Yeseul’s shoulder. “I know your kind.”

Yeseul smacked Jaekyung’s hand away, glaring at her. “Don’t touch me! You’re just a self-centered bitch.”

“What did you just call me?” Jaekyung asked as she pushed the girl roughly, knocking her into the wall littered with posters.

“You heard me! I called you a self-centered bitch!” Yeseul answered with a smirk and pushed her back.

Just then, her hair was pulled by Jaekyung and Yeseul grabbed her hair as well, pulling it. A fight broke out between the two as they knocked each other into the walls. There was a crowd of students around them cheering them on. 

“You two stop it right there!” Headmistress Choi shouted as she stormed towards the two. “What’s going on?!”

“Headmistress Choi, I was just trying to help Yeseul and she called me names and started to fight me!” Jaekyung says as she holds her hand against her nose, probably bleeding since Yeseul punched it.

“She’s lying Headmistress Choi!” Yeseul yells as she fixes her hair. “She started the fight and insulted me first!”

“Why should I believe you? Poor Jaekyung has a bloody nose and a few bruises, and you look completely fine despite your disheveled hair” Headmistress Choi pointed out. “An Yeseul, you have 3 Saturday detentions. Hopefully you’ll learn your lesson to not pick fights with students. Let’s go to the nurse, Jaekyung.”

Yeseul stood there in shock. Of course Jaekyung would get off free from trouble. She swore from that day that her and Joo Jaekyung were enemies.

As soon as you finished reading the entry and thinking about the fight between Yeseul and Jaekyung, the diary was snatched from your hands and you looked up to see Yunho reading it. You tried to grab it from him, but Yunho raised it a little higher, while reading it.

“I knew this was hers,” he said as he closed the book and turned towards you, eyeing you suspiciously. “How’d you get it? Who gave it to you?”

“I found it in my art desk, which was probably her old seat” you answered as you snatched the book from him, holding it in your grip.

“I’ve been searching for that book ever since she died and wanted to know who played a part” he says. “It was very suspicious how her dead body moved from the locker room to the woods a mile away.”

“Locker room? I thought she died in the woods?” You asked curiously as you watched Yunho’s expression change to a ‘I said too much’.

“This is between you and I, okay? You probably want to find out why you were accepted in her place and I want to know who played a part leading up to her death. Wanna work together to find out?”

You bit your lip in thought. Solving a mystery like this wasn’t your plan when you first arrived. But since you’re curious as to why you were chosen in her place and why people ignore you like the plague, you made up your mind.

“Yes” you answered him and he nodded. The two of you were officially partners.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

I have finally come across a beautiful, colorful apt. combining old and new. It belongs to Anna and Richard, of Chicago, a couple that’s a fan of rainbow hues.

Anne owns a company called Barbie Roadkill that sells retro vintage items online and Richard is an elementary school art teacher.

“We were coming from an apartment where we weren’t allowed to paint the drab beige walls, so my initial approach to decorating our new condo was largely reactionary to that; an attack on neutrals,” she explains.

Anne drove to Michigan and back in a day for a vintage Charles Hollis Jones Lucite rocking chair I found on eBay. It was worth it.

The goal was to pack as much color into each room as possible, while still allowing for some distinguishing characteristics from one room to the next. In the living room, nearly all the decor is from the ’80s, so abstract shapes and patterns are repeating elements.”

1980s Miami during the peak of Art Deco revival- her inspiration was Golden Girls’ Blanche Devereaux’s bedroom.

Or, “Golden Girls” meets Lydia’s house in “Beetlejuice” meets a box of crayons.

Built in 1922, Anna says their condo is the “perfect combination of new and old, with well-preserved vintage features and practical modern updates.

Anne says the kitchen has a lot of character, but doesn’t feel too antique.

This is the sunroom where all the plants live.

Anne is struggling with the identity of the second bedroom, which is also the TV room. It’s filled with all the rainbow, kitsch, and neon things they own. It makes her happy to one over-the-top room.

She thinks it’s a mistake to focus too much on color theory rather than on color combinations that bring us joy.

Look at the silly cat in the sink. Like the iridescent shower curtain, but it looks just out of the package, all wrinkled.

 https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/barbie-roadkill-colorful-chicago-condo-tour-photos-36768890   and   https://www.instagram.com/barbie_roadkill/?hl=en

[kechiwrites]

tension headache

Ground Zero x Publicist!Reader

wc: 2.2k

“Being Ground Zero’s publicist comes with its own set of challenges, luckily there are quite a few benefits to sweeten the deal.” warnings: anal play, dirty talk, light degradation, light spanking, d/s undertones (or overtones w/e), bakugo being the king of bullies

author’s note: i’ve been writing this since august and it’s finally done. special thanks to @lady-bakuhoe​, @some-kindofgnome​, and @nightly-tales​ for betaing! 

Your head is throbbing. The sort of building tension headache you became most familiar with in high school; the kind that starts in the morning and gets stronger with every little irritant. You’re sure it's a tension headache from having your shoulders hunched up to your ears most of the day, a seemingly ever-constant by-product of trying to keep Pro Hero Ground Zero from biting a journalism student's head off. The obscenely large TV hanging above the receptionist’s desk plays Ground Zero’s greatest hits on mute as your heels click-clack towards the steel and glass elevators. 

It’s almost the end of his patrol and you know he’ll be up soon, sidekicks and assistants (two this month, because the first had the good sense to resign soon, lucky bastard) in tow. Four consecutive texts rattle your phone in your pocket to confirm this. Each one an iteration of “on our way up!.” Waving at his secretary, you let yourself into his office setting your purse on the floor. Further behind you can already hear the clamor of voices and activity that announces Ground Zero’s arrival, people no doubt scurrying out of his warpath lest they incur his wrath. He pushes open the heavy door and says nothing to acknowledge your presence. 

Your forehead throbs with irritation at the snub. You know it’s only a matter of time before either of you begin to push the other’s buttons but your employer seems to have a secondary quirk he uses only for you.

You like to call it Extreme Irritation.

“Would it kill you to be nicer to the press?” You give first, sitting on the overstuffed leather couch pushed against the easternmost wall underneath a frankly, unnecessarily large, framed photo of U-A’s graduating class. “Why do you insist on making my job so hard?”

“Can’t pay you for fucking nothing,” he scoffs, leaning against the desk in the center of his office. Carefully he divests himself of his gauntlets, handing one to his senior assistant, and placing its twin onto the desk next to his big gaudy nameplate, muttering; “Take this to Yumikawa, I think I broke the fucking thing.” When he’s halfway past the threshold, Ground Zero adds, “And tell her to do better with her shitty paint jobs!” His gaze snaps to the newest recruit, a tiny shivering thing who looks like a stiff wind could blow her over, “What the fuck are you standing there for? Go with him! Do I have to fucking tell you everything?”

She practically leaves a dust cloud in her wake. You roll your eyes and begin reading through news updates on your tablet, nails clicking lightly against the screen. Tweet after tweet and article after article summarize Ground Zero’s latest exploit, every title and byline more sensational than the last.

“Ground Zero Overshadows Daring Rescue with Another Tirade!”

“Is Ground Zero the Meanest Pro-Hero Ever?!”

‘imagine ground zero calling you stupid 🥴 #imahole’

You could almost laugh if it weren’t for the startlingly large amount of retweets on that last one. Finally, the pro hero deigns to address you; “I did as you asked, I smiled, I laughed, I didn't blow anyone up.” He actually sounds proud. You blubber in shock. “You called the reporter a fuck wit! They can't even air that!” For good measure you hold up the tablet to replay a heavily edited fancam of Ground Zero sneering at some poor junior reporter. “Isn't that what you wanted? Less of my insults on TV?” He is so smug, it drives you crazy. “Not like that!” You toss the tablet onto the couch beside you and stand, stomping towards Bakugo, who’s leaning against his desk, clenching his jaw, arms crossed, as if he didn’t spend the entire morning making you wish you’d never laid eyes on him. The two of you are growing more and more irritated with each other and it’s evident in the rapidly rising volume of your conversation.

"I'm serious, if you want to be ‘Number One’,” you stress through your teeth, “people have to like you, at least a little bit. That. Includes. The. Press.” Every word is punctuated with a strong poke to his sternum, and you try to ignore the pain of jabbing your finger into his brick wall of a chest. It feels as though the pristine white collar of your button-up shirt is digging into your throat while you try to restrain yourself from biting his stupid, perfect nose off.

Now it’s Bakugo’s turn to roll his eyes, “People like me.” He looks to his sidekicks for confirmation and you pointedly ignore them bobbing their heads in unison.

“Who?! Who are these people that like you?”

Bakugo gestures wildy at his sidekicks, “They like me!”

“They’re afraid of you! They respect you but they don’t like you!” You shake your head in disbelief.

“You like me!” He barks at you.

You almost choke on your surprised laughter. He really was absolutely ridiculous.

“I have to like you, you pay me!”  

“That’s right. I sign your cheques, you deal with all the media bullshit and make me look good.”

“You make it impossible for me!” If it weren’t for the intense tunnel vision your arguing was giving you, you would have seen Ground Zero’s sidekicks inching slowly towards the door.

“Well maybe you’re just shit at your job!” He turns away from you to push papers to the side of his desk, the gesture a clear dismissal that only serves to rile you further.

“Oh fucking bite me, Katsuki!” As soon as it’s out you slap your hands over your mouth, eyes wide as dinner plates.

You were exhausted and tense and so mad but it’s not what you agreed on, never at work and never in front of subordinates. In an instant it’s like all the air’s been sucked out of the room. Bakugo’s expression is furious when he whirls on you. You chance a look over at his assistants and all colour has left their faces, ‘Impressive,’ you think idly, ‘Considering Haruto is literally purple.’ 

“Out. Now.” He growls, and his teeth are clenched together so hard you think they might shatter, his throat is rapidly turning red and his hands are clenching and unclenching around nothing. The sidekicks hesitate and you’re a little grateful for their loyalty. 

“Fucking out. NOW!” He yells, and they nearly fall over each other trying to get out the door. 

“And there goes the loyalty,” you murmur while you watch their hasty retreat. “I’m sorry,” you say, turning to face him head-on, apology punctuated with the slamming shut of his office door. You focus on the wall of windows behind him, the city skyline slowly lighting up in the nighttime, preparing for an infamous Ground Zero meltdown. “That was inappropriate, especially in front of subordinates.” Idly, you wonder what the theme this time will be; Disrespect? Insubordination? Or just a good old-fashioned dress down? He’d become quite wordy over the years, you were almost beginning to enjoy them.

While you muse Bakugou inches closer to you, cheeks a mottled red. His shoulders rise and fall repeatedly, like he’s bringing himself down from the peak of his anger. For a moment you think he’ll just outright scream in your face, but when he pulls you, first towards him and then past him until your stomach presses against his desk, you realize quickly what he’s planning. 

His forearm presses against your back until you’re bent over his desk, your hands palm down between the wood and your chest to prevent your face meeting the cool oak. It’s bordering on humiliating how easy he can manipulate you. But they don’t teach hand to hand combat in the business sector, and although you’d toyed with the idea - being in a high-risk industry and all - you never put stock in seriously learning. 

The blond’s hand snakes over your shoulder, slightly damp palm advancing until it’s pressed against the smooth flesh of your throat. Katsuki pulls you towards him this way, and for a short moment breathing is a laboured task. The other hand makes quick work of divesting you of your skirt and underwear, coming down in an instant to make contact with your bare ass. He rubs at it covetously, a shallow attempt at soothing your stinging skin. 

There’s no formality when he thrusts into you, only a few seconds between feeling  the head of his cock parting your embarrassingly slick folds and him being fully seated within you. You grit your teeth against a whine, fingers scrambling for purchase when he withdraws and fucks into you again, and then again, pace slowly gaining momentum until you can swear the heavy oak desk (and seriously that thing weighs a fucking ton) is shifting with the force.  Your stomach presses painfully into the gilded metal decorating its edge but it’s good. Katsuki is so fucking good at taking you apart with every inch he drives into you. Above you he mutters lowly about how fucking wet you are, how eager you must’ve been all day, waiting for him to fill you. It goes on like this for a while, you bouncing between his hips and the desk, him whispering filthy, untrue shit in your ears that makes your nipples hard and your breathing shallow. 

He places his free hand on your back, first up under your shirt, then slowly slides it down, until it’s resting on the roundness of your ass again. You don’t know what he’s planned till his thumb’s parted you, sliding softly over the clenched furl of muscle above your stretched open cunt. 

“Bakugou, no!” you whisper hoarsely, your voice just edging on hysterical as you struggle against his hold. 

“Excuse me?” He hisses between his teeth, thrusts not slowing for a second. The hand around your throat tightens and when he pulls you closer so his sneering mouth is brushing the shell of your ear, you unwillingly tighten around his dick in response. 

“(Y/N),” his voice is almost pleasant, and had you not been split open on his cock in his office, you’d ask him who taught him an ‘interview voice’. 

“Can you tell me who's name is on the building?” While he teases you, you can feel yourself getting wetter around him, thighs tensing and relaxing with the sensation of being spread open beneath him.

“Yours.” You wish you could fall through the fucking floor.

“I’m sorry?” His thumb presses a little more insistently against your pucker. The pressure is foreign, but not at all bad. Dear God, you’re really about to let him do this to you.

“Yours, sir.” You pant, the burning sensation in your cheeks and neck a mix of exertion and shame.

“Fucking say it,” Katsuki tightens his hold on your throat and your whimpers are barely audible over the sound of his hips brutally meeting your ass.

“G-Ground Zero.” you choke out through your clenched teeth. 

“Oh good, so you can read!” Katsuki releases you from his hold and you fall forward. With every thrust, your feet lift off the floor, and you lurch forward like a ragdoll. Katsuki pushes his thumb further inside you, belly-laughing when you cry out in pleasure.

“Where’d all that resistance go, sweetheart?” His digit fucks in and out of you in tandem with his cock, keeping you full constantly. “You know what? Next time, I’m gonna take my time stretching you, keep you wide open, maybe you can wear a plug for me, huh? And then after you’ve been soft and needy all day, I’ll slide right into you, fuck you till you gape for me.” 

You’re incapable of firing back, mouth occupied with moaning incoherently while you drool against the desk. Katsuki chokes off his own moan, using his unoccupied hand to hike up your leg so he can have easier access to your clit. The calloused pad of his fingertips press hard against you. He goes so slow, pushing and nudging at you until your entire body feels feverish and your climax takes you by surprise, forcing a yelp from your lips when your legs begin to shake. 

“That’s it. Come for me. Come on my dick.” Once he’s sure you're done, he pulls his finger from your ass and releases your leg, blanketing your back with his chest. His hips are quick to lose their rhythm as he fills you, ropes of his spend coating your insides. Katsuki shudders against you, hands running a course along your hips. He pulls away, the evidence of your time together sliding down the inside of your thigh without Katsuki’s cock to hold it in.

“I’m going back to working for Hawks.” Your voice is hoarse when you can finally speak again and levering your chest up off the desk onto shaky knees only serves to make your head spin more. You glare at your boss your boyfriend as he dresses.

Katsuki’s grin is derisive while he tucks his softening dick away, “Like fuck, you love working for me way too much to work for that fuckin’ pretty boy.” He leans down in front of you and slides your underwear up from your ankles back into place, followed by your skirt before pressing soft lips to your forehead, smoothing his hands over your cheeks. 

At least your headache is gone.

taglist: @enjifuckersupreme @pleasantanathema

[soldierswar]

Kobik - X (Final Chapter)

Bucky x Reader

Pure fluff

Synopsis: You're just gonna have to read the fluff to find what this chapter is about. ;)

Masterlist

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

“Okay but seriously…Where the hell are we going?”

You may have not been able to see Bucky through the blindfold, but you could have sworn that you could hear his eyes rolling.

“Y/N, you do realize that that defeats the entire purpose of a surprise don’t you?”

You crossed your arms and let out a loud and dramatic groan sinking down the passengers’ seat of the car.

“We’re almost there,” Bucky chuckled.

You rested your hand on your belly and playfully whispered to it.

“Do you know where we’re going?”

Again, you could sense Bucky’s eyes rolling.

After about 30 minutes of driving, the car came to a stop.

“Can I take the blindfold off?”

“Not until I tell you, doll,” Bucky ordered.

You could hear him get out of the car before opening yours and carefully guiding you to step out.

“Oh, how gentlemanly of you,” you remarked sarcastically.

“You know, I can turn around and take us back home,” Bucky joked while guiding you to walk backward with him for an alarming amount of steps. You didn’t know if you should continue to be annoyed, or if you should be nervous or…excited?

“Okay,” Bucky said breathily.

“Take it off.”

You nervously untied the bandana and removed it taking a second to let your eyes adjust to actual sunlight. When you managed to be able to see you saw none other than…A house?

“Is this where Kobik lives?” you asked.

It was a really nice two-story house painted a deep blue on the outside. It was almost exactly the kind of house that you had always dreamed of having since you were a little girl. It had a little garden of roses in the front yard of the house which was enclosed by a short, black wooden gate. You could see that there was also a backyard, and the most beautiful porch on the right side of the house.

“I thought she lived a little further away than 30 minutes…”

“Yes she does,” Bucky answered.

“Okay, then why are we he—”

And then you found yourself pausing.

This place looked familiar. Eerily familiar. But at the same time, you could have sworn that you’d never seen this house before.

You found your attention pointing to exact spots that were clearly familiar. This was…

“Bucky this isn’t…”

He didn’t answer. He just stayed behind you continuing to rest his hands on your upper arms.

“This can’t be…”

You turned your face to his direction to see none other than that sly smile on his lips and a raised eyebrow.

“It can’t?”

“No…That’s impossi—”

But you could see it in his eyes. You were exactly where you were thinking you were.

It was your secret spot.

But now it wasn’t an old broken-down shell of a house. The giant blocks of broken concrete that you sat on barely weeks ago where you told Bucky some of the most shocking news of your life were gone. Everything was…Perfect.

“Surprise!” you heard a familiar voice yell moments before the little figure bolted out of the magically opening door giving you the biggest hug. Oh, how you missed her hugs.

As you swung her around and held her tight another realization hit you. And you froze.

The amount of time that it had taken to clear all of the rubble, build a new house, and create the type of atmosphere that surrounded you was almost…No, literally impossible. Unless…

“Kobik?” you questioned, holding her as she continued to hug you.

“Did you do this?”

She pulled away and gave you the happiest nod.

“I wanted it to be my first big project!” she exclaimed.

“I could see in your mind that you wanted a house just like this.”

You turned to Bucky who was smiling at the both of you.

“Project?” you asked dumbfoundedly.

“This was her idea. I just helped her with some of the details…And I think you forget that she’s kind of a mind-reader.”

“Bucky you can’t be serious…”

With Kobik still in your arms, he pulled closer to you and kissed you on top of the head and said,

“Welcome home.”

…

Kobik was incredibly antsy to show you every inch of the house. And they were right. It was a complete replica of what you had always wanted. Even a little more.

The living room had an old-style brick wall with a fireplace along with a small dining area painted a deep red.

In the upstairs area, there was a massive bedroom painted black and white decorated with photos that you had put in storage not too long ago. And the highlight, the biggest walk-in closet that you had ever seen in your life.

“Come on!” Kobik exclaimed hurriedly.

“I haven’t shown you my favourite parts yet!”

She excitedly took you by the hand.

She took you into an electric blue room with a twin bed covered with a comforter decorated with big lighting bolts.

“You said I can come visit right?” she asked hopefully.

She made her own room. And it made you want to cry.

With her hand holding yours, she knew how you felt.

“And…” Bucky added.

“The grand finale.”

He swung the last door open, and you couldn’t believe what you saw.

It was a room decorated with your favourite animal. Elephants. Along with…a crib and a really comfy-looking rocking chair. Things that would be needed for a room for…a baby.

Now…You were in tears, and Bucky came up from behind you and held you tight rocking you while you giggled and composed yourself.

“Do you like it?” she grinned.

How did you get so lucky?

…

You, Bucky, and Kobik spent the rest of the day together in the…in your new house.

During Kobik’s time away from you, she had been learning so much more about her powers. She was way more powerful than she or her new guardians had anticipated. Not even Kobik knew how powerful she could be. She excitedly told you stories next to the fireplace (with a blue fire manifested by Kobik), about what she was learning to do. She even talked about what she considered to be the ‘boring’ parts. But they were things that were extreme scientific breakthroughs.

The thing that mattered to you most was that seemed really happy. And despite the hole in your heart that you felt when she wasn’t around, you were incredibly happy for her. Bucky was right. She needed to grow, and growing was exactly what she was doing.

Suddenly you could have sworn that you could hear a little pitter-patter upstairs.

The first time you tried to disregard it. But after the fourth time, you had to ask.

“What the hell is that?”

“What the hell is what?” she replied.

Before Bucky or Kobik could answer any further, a white cat with electric eyes somewhat like Kobik’s emerged through the wall exactly how Kobik would when she was too underwhelmed with the notion of opening and closing a door to enter and exit rooms.

“What the hell is that?” you shrieked.

“Alpine there you are!”

What did she say? What did she just call her? And why was she so familiar with her?

“Alpine?”

“She’s all white and Kobik thought it just made sense.”

“She was kind of an accident. But she’s really friendly,” Kobik explained.

“Whoops.”

“I mean we’re not exactly new to accidents. Right, Y/N?”

You smacked him on the arm.

“Let me guess…The supernatural cat is staying with us isn't she.”

“Hazel’s kind of allergic to cats,” Kobik cringed.

“Here kitty,” Bucky called, and Alpine trotted over to him and rubbed herself against his knee.

You rolled your eyes, giggled, and submitted to keeping the freaky but friendly-looking cat.

This was it. Even if you didn’t know it this was everything that you could have wanted. There you were sitting in a house that weeks ago was nothing but an abandoned lot with a broken building that oddly you and Bucky sometimes found as a sanctuary. A place where you had revealed that whether you were ready or not you were going to start a family. And most of all, the place where Bucky revealed to you a true treasure that was no one else but Kobik.

You were happy.

They were happy.

And the most important thing…All of you were loved.

Notes: HEY GUYS! Thank you so so much for being patient with these last few chapter updates. Life just got really stressful, and bad, and then ended up in a mental hospital last week lol. (Idk why I'm admitting this.)

I want you to know that this isn't the end of Kobik. I'm way to attached to her to never write about her again so you'll see some one-shots every now and again. Let me know if you would like to continue to be tagged.

I hope you enjoyed the ride. Thanks for being so supportive.

Tagged: @blakefc @cherry-shake @buckylove123 @teenagedreams-bucky @typicalnerd98 @veroxloki @white-wolf-buckaroo @acciosiriusblack @pastel-boy-sungjae @flightsandfantasy @noiralei @unstablesleepygal @general-latino

[wiypt-writes]

Riding On

Ch 8- Buns (And Cookies) In The Oven

Summary: Frank and Fliss attend Mary’s end of year fundraising gala at school, the Nursery is finally finished and plans are made regarding Mary’s adoption.

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut (NSFW, NO UNDER 18s!).

Pairing: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N:  LONG update here guys but a lot happens! First off, please bear with me if the legal terms are a little off- from my research they seem to be similar to the UK ones but if I get some things wrong…just go with it! Also the photo I used for the Nursery inspiration was found in another fic on Tumblr- I can’t for the life of me remember which one. I did, however, ages ago ask permission so if you recognise it that’s why. 

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding On Masterlist // Main Masterlist 

Chapter 7

  “You braved the outhouse yet?” Bill asked as he skimmed that last bit of the wall he had been working on, the trowel he was holding sliding in a large arc, spreading the plaster evenly.

“Had a brief glance but there’s all sorts of shit in there.” Frank said, dropping his tools onto the dust sheet as he stood back to admire their work. “Some larger pieces of wood and a few engine parts I had spotted that might come in handy but other than that think it’s all for the dump.”

“We can hit that this weekend if you want?” Bill added, hopping down from the step ladders.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind helping?” Frank looked at him and Bill shook his head. “No problem.” He said. “Still thinking about getting a boat?”

Frank gave a smile “I thought about getting one and doing it up. The garage is big enough to use as a workshop." "Well it’s good to have a hobby.” Bill nodded.

“Plus if I get one it will stop Lissy converting it into stables.” Frank said, looking around the room again. “She still wanting to expand?” Bill asked.

“Yeah, she’s talking about buying more of the land that surrounds the yard but…” Frank scratched at his chest “I told her to wait until Bean is here.”

“Good plan.” Bill smiled, before he turned to Frank “Speaking of Boston Bean, any ideas on names?”

Frank smiled “We had a few but we need to give it some proper thought. Mary wants us to call him Theodore.” “Theodore?” Bill arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah, Teddy for short. Something she saw on TV.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s not going on the list, trust me.”

The two of them cleared away their tools, tipped the pots of water down the sink in the main bathroom before Frank quickly cleaned up after himself, heading back into the nursery where Bill was taking a look at a patch on the wall. Deciding it was ok he turned and nodded and the two men made their way downstairs and into the main area at the back of the house.

Frank opened the door to their kitchen living area and the smell of baking hit the pair of them immediately, but it was the view that made Frank stop in the doorway. Mary was stood on a chair at the kitchen counter, mixing something in a bowl. To her left Verity was supervising, nodding when Mary showed her whatever it was she was mixing, and to Mary's right, Fliss was wiping the surface down, one hand resting on her belly. It was the sight of his girl stood there, in that gorgeous blue and white checked sundress, all barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, with her mother and Mary that had him feeling suddenly quite emotional. Mary giggled and looked at Fliss who smiled at her, reaching out and brushing her cheek with the back of her fingers. Nanna, Mom and Daughter, a matriarchal trio Frank never imagined he would ever get to see Mary part of. And it was beautiful. "You OK lad?" Bill looked at him and Frank blinked and turned to face him, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Yeah, sorry. Was miles away" "I noticed." His future father in law smiled softly, squeezing his shoulder before he loudly asked if there was any chance of beer before he died of thirst. "You know where the fridge is." Fliss shot back. "I just spent all afternoon with Frank plastering the walls in that Nursery and that's the thanks I get?" Bill shook his head as Frank chuckled and walked to the fridge. He opened it, grabbed 2 beers and once he popped the tops off he passed one to Bill. "All finished?" Fliss turned to look at Frank as he gave her a soft peck on the lips. "Yeah." He smiled as she rubbed her hands up his arms to his shoulders "Once its dried out which should take a day or so we can paint." Flies smiled and was about to say something when they heard Mary and Verity yelling, their shouts punctuated by Bill's loud guffaws as he jumped back, a freshly baked cookie in his hand as he ran away from Verity who was swatting at him with the tea towel. "There's like a hundred of them!" Bill sniggered shoving the cookie into his mouth. "You can spare one." "We actually made extra." Mary looked at him, hands on her hips "Because Fliss and Nanny V said you and Frank would both walk in and rob some." Frank looked at Fliss, his eyebrow raising as she grinned before he glanced at Mary who smirked back. "Well in that case..." he mumbled before he grabbed Mary easily, hooking the arm that held his beer round her midriff, swinging her off the chair as he snatched a cookie with the other, taking a huge bite. Mary's giggles died down as he set her on the floor and made an appreciative noise. "These are good." "You sound surprised Francis..." Verity pointed the wooden spoon she was holding at him and he shook his head. "You know what I think of your cooking V..." he flashed her a wink and she rolled her eyes and turned back to whatever it was in the bowl. "OK Mary, this frosting is ready so you wanna do the cupcakes?" She nodded and the two of them moved, Verity handing Mary a little spatula so she could start to dish out the yellow frosting. "Shall I ring through to The Shack and order us a burger each?" Frank asked, and everyone made appreciative noises. Already knowing his, Mary and Fliss' order by heart, he ordered what Bill and Verity wanted before the two men strode out to Bill's car to pick up their food.

“You sure you’re alright, Frank?” Bill asked, and he turned to him, smiling.

“Yeah, honestly I’m fine.” Frank smiled. Bill looked at him before he turned his head back to the road.

“It’s overwhelming isn’t it.” The older man said gently and Frank looked at his hand, shaking his head as he gave a soft laugh.

“You can say that again.” He said “Doesn’t seem five minutes since our first date and here we are. Our own home, weeks away from our baby being born and me taking a weeks’ worth of annual leave to finish the decorating.” “You’ve done it once.” Bill said gently. “The baby thing I mean, not the decorating…although we did do that once too…”

Frank chuckled before he took a deep breath “Not like this.” Frank shook his head “Never done the first 6 months. Not really. I mean I helped Diane but…” “Well you got us to help out.” Bill spoke again, taking a right turn “I know Verity can’t wait. Another grandkid for her to spoil.” “I do appreciate everything you’ve both done for us Bill.” Frank looked at him. “I mean the money, helping out with the decorating, everything you do for Mary.”

“I know son.” Bill smiled, “And it’s our pleasure.” Frank smiled and looked back out of the window.

“What else is on your mind?” Bill probed gently and Frank looked at him, giving a little scoff.

“You’re just like Fliss.” He said with a chuckle and Bill grinned.

“Well you’ve been a little quiet all afternoon.” Bill said.

Frank studied him for a moment, and then realised that he actually had a perfect opportunity here to talk to someone who had been through something a little similar to what he was struggling with. And he trusted and loved Bill, like a father.

“We had an incident with Mary, last week at school.” He took a deep breath he explained to Bill what had happened and the decision he and Fliss had come to about the adoption. “We were planning on asking her at some point but…well, the time hasn’t bene right you know. We don’t want her to think it’s a reaction to what happened at school.” Bill looked at him before he slowed the car to a halt at a red light. “That makes sense.” He said gently “But I’m getting the impression you’re not so sure.” “It’s not that I’m unsure as such…” Frank sighed, “I just…Oh I don’t know Bill, the whole thing just seems so fucking shitty and complicated. How did you know it was the right thing to do? With Fliss and Steve I mean?”

“I just did.” Bill shrugged. “Our circumstances were slightly different thought. I met V when Fliss was 2. Steve's mother, my first wife, Andrea, she died when Steve was 3. Brain tumour. I never thought I'd love anyone again but then when I met Verity one evening 2 years later through friends she blew me away.” Bill smiled and Frank watched as his face went softer before he continued “We dated for 3 months before we met each other’s kids and the first time I saw Lissy she was fast asleep in the car seat in the back of Vs battered old fiesta and...” Bill sighed “I loved her from the minute I laid eyes on her. So did Steve.”

He set the car into drive again and they continued down the road as Bill spoke again.

“She started calling me dad on her 4th birthday. I’d been with V just over 2 years then and it was at her birthday party and we told her to make a wish. She blew her candles out and then later that night I was tucking her in and she said to me that she knew she wasn’t supposed to tell anyone what her wish was, but if she didn’t tell me then it wouldn’t come true.”

To Frank’s surprise the man’s eyes misted over and his voice became a little bit croaky.

“She’d made a wish that she was my daughter.” Bill shook his head “That she wanted to call me dad. So I told her I didn’t have a problem with that as long as she didn’t and…” he smiled “But I get that your situation is different. Fliss’ shitbag father walked out on Verity before Fliss was even born. You’ve got a whole other scenario you’re dealing with.” “Mary told me months ago she wishes I was her real dad.” Franks sighed “You know I explained to her that a label doesn’t matter and then the whole thing with the kid at school kicked it off again and she broke her heart to Lissy that evening. It got me thinking that I’d bene so wrapped up in my own worries about Diane and whether it would be right to allow Mary to refer to me as her dad that I hadn’t really given much consideration about how my refusal to do so was affecting her.” Bill pondered something for a moment. “You know I had the same concerns over Steve. I know that sounds hypocritical because I was over the moon when Lissy first called me dad but, well Steve was

3 when his mum died and had a few vague memories of her. I was worried that by letting him refer to V as his mum those memories would fade and it would in some ways disrespect her, you know? Almost like it would invalidate who she had been.”

“But you did it anyway?” Frank asked.

“With Steve it just happened.” Bill said, “He started naturally slipping into calling Verity Mum, and we just decided not to make a big deal out of it and let him do what he felt was right for him. Even now he alternates sometimes, calls her Verity instead of mum but I know it doesn’t change a thing. He loves her like she is his mother, and she loves him like he’s her son, which he is anyway of course as she adopted him too.” “And that felt right?”

Bill nodded “It did to us, but the most important thing was it did to Steve and Fiss too. So we floated the idea a year or so before we got married. Fliss...well she had no reservations at all. Burst into tears and hugged me saying she couldn't wait for me to be her proper dad and have the same surname but Steve was a little more subdued, I suppose, is the word. We assured him if he didn't want V to then she wouldn't be offended. He took his time to think about it. Came to his conclusion a week or so later and announced over dinner he wanted to do it. So that was that.” Bill pulled up outside the shack and cut the engine, turning to Frank. “I guess what I'm trying to say is Mary will let you know if she's not happy. From the sounds of it I don't think you'll have any problems, but the important thing is like Titch said, you give her the choice...” “I know.” Frank nodded, “Liss and I discussed this. I don't want to make her call us mom and dad either it she doesn’t want to. To be honest, I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about that but I suppose if we do adopt her then…” “You still worried about how it would make your sister feel?” “A little.” Frank smiled softly. “I'm sure she would be happy Frank.” Bill said gently “This is the same internal debate I had about Ange. But you have to remember, she left that little girl with you for a reason. If you ask me, the very fact we're having this conversation proves she was right. I think this is exactly why she chose you, because she knew that whatever decisions you make regarding Mary are done with love and care, and this is the best outcome she could have hoped for.”

Frank felt the lump in his throat again and Bill gently reached over and grabbed his shoulder.

“Thanks Bill.” Frank smiled at him.

“Any time, now let’s go get this food, I’m starving.”

It wasn’t long before they were all sat outside back at home, eating happily as Mary filled them all in on what she was going to be doing at the gala the next day. Frank watched her, smiling to himself at how excited she was. Such a contrast to the sullen, obstinate 7 year old that he’d had argument over argument with about going to school. But then again their entire circumstances had changed, dramatically, and for the better he may add.

His heart to heart with Bill had made him feel a little more at peace with everything. If truth be told, since Mary’s little breakdown last week he’d been worried about a lot of things. Worried he was making a mess of things with her, worried he was going to do the same with Bean. But he realised now he wasn’t doing it on his own anymore. He had Fliss and her family to help him, and even his Mother too if he so required. Whatever bump in the road the encountered in the future then they would face it as a family, and this eased that nagging, gnawing anxious feeling a hell of a lot.

At just before 8 Mary was dismissed to bed, despite protests, and a little after 10pm Bill and Verity also decided to head home. Frank thanked them both for their help, Verity for giving up her entire afternoon by shopping, picking up Mary and then baking enough treats to feed a small army, an Bill…well, for just about everything he’d done that day.

They stood on the porch area of their home, waving the two of them off and Fliss turned to Frank.

“I can almost hear your mind whirring from here, Sailor.”

Frank chuckled as Thor headed back up the path, having given up chasing the car down the drive. “Yeah, I had a moment before. But your dad set me straight.” “Moment? About Mary or-“ “To be honest about everything.” Frank looked at her as they headed back inside, closing the door “Mary, Bean, about not fucking everything up.” Fliss looked at him before she shook her head “Baby that’s not gonna happen.” “I know.” He smiled “I just had my worries, that’s all.” “You don’t think I worry at times too?” she asked him gently “I’m fucking petrified about him arriving and how I’m gonna cope with a baby but…” she stepped forward and took his hands “I know that as long as we stick together an work through whatever we face together, we’ll be fine.” “Yeah, we will.” He smiled, bending down to give her a soft kiss. “Wanna sit outside?”

She nodded and together, Thor padding behind, they made their way out to the back garden. Fliss dropped heavily onto the wicker garden sofa and Frank lifted her feet up setting them in his lap. He expertly ran his thumb up the arch of her right foot and she gave a little groan of satisfaction.

“Back still sore?” he asked glancing over at her and she shrugged a little.

“A little, nothing major though.” She sighed “I’d kill to get in the hot tub though, unwind a little. So not fair I can’t.” “There’s always the pool.” Frank suggested and she looked at him.

“How is going in the pool going to help me unwind?” she looked at him and he grinned, arching an eyebrow.

“You’re a bad, bad man.” She snorted as she swung her legs off his lap and moved to straddle him.

“And?” he smirked as his hands ran up the side of her thighs, creeping under the hem of her dress which had ridden up.

“Just pointing it out.” she grinned, leaning down to kiss him. His hands came to a rest on her hips, squeezing gently as his mouth moved from hers to find that spot just below her ear. With a sigh, Fliss tilted her head back as he continued to nibble gently at her skin, her fingers tangling in his hair. She gave a soft pull, tugging his head back so she could kiss him again, pushing down on his lap as he thrust his hips up to meet her, the pair of them giving a little groan at the contact. And that was it. Hormones raging, sending a fire through her entire body, Fliss stood up, slipped off her panties and then reached to Frank’s jeans, undoing the button.

“Ok, so no foreplay then?” he asked as he lifted his hips so she could slide his jeans and boxers down, his already hard cock springing free.

“Less talking, more fucking…” she reached down, wrapping her hand around him. Frank let out a hiss as she gave him a few tugs before she straddled him and lining him up sunk straight down, letting out a groan as he tilted his pelvis upwards, filling her as he bottomed out.

“Fuck, Lissy…” his voice was gravelly, his head falling back against the rear cushions of the garden furniture, hands on her hips as she rolled them forward, finding a rhythm that was soft, deep and perfect for the quiet, late summer evening.

Despite the fact they were outside and Fliss’ earlier demand, there was no rush to any of their love making. It was slow, gentle and sweet. Frank’s thrust’s upwards weren’t measured, he hardly put much effort into moving, keeping in synch with the rolls of her pelvis, rocking them together as Fliss leaned over, capturing his mouth again. The gentle breeze from the night air ruffled through her hair whipping it around her face and Frank moved his hands, brushing it away as he cradled her face, his nose brushing against hers. After a particularly deep push upwards Fliss let out a shaky moan into his mouth, tightening her fingers in his hair as she felt him striking her spot again and again. Her bump was causing her to lean forward slightly, which meant he was hitting her as deep as he possibly could and the feeling was intense, her toes curling slightly as she could feel the heat in her belly burning, the slick from between her legs rubbing off on his thighs slightly which was driving Frank wild.

“So wet baby girl…” he mumbled as she slid a hand between her legs, his fingers gently teasing her clit.

“Who needs a pool?” she manged to quip between her gasps, and Frank smirked a little, watching her face intently as her eyes locked onto his. His fingers never once quickened, his touches light and teasing, and their pace continued on to that very end, until with a breathy gasp and a shudder it became too much and she surrendered to the inevitable bliss that washed over her entire body as she came hard. Her hips stilled and Frank moved his hands back to her hips, pulling her down onto him as he bucked upwards, his thrusts now quickening as he chased his own end, spilling into her with a loud groan before his eyes flickered shut, his head falling backwards.

Fliss leaned forward, peppering soft kisses up his neck to his jawline and he let out a smile as she dropped her mouth on his, biting his bottom lip softly his hands rubbing at the base of her back.

“How was that for un-winding?” he asked, opening his eyes to see her smiling at him. She bit her lip and smiled, kissing him again.

****** “Where do you want all these?” Fliss asked Bonnie as her and Frank walked across the school yard, Frank’s arms laden with the various boxes of baked goods.

“How much did you bake?” Bonnie snorted as Frank set them down on the wooden tables that Bonnie indicated

“My mum does nothing by halves” Fliss smirked as she glanced around. Mary was stood showing Frank something on a chalk a-board, Rosie interjecting here and there.

“Hey Stack.” Fliss stepped over to her “All set?”

“Yeah we were just working out the pricing and what best to charge if we wanna make a certain percent profit.” Mary said.

“You suss it?” Frank asked, “Although that’s a stupid question…” “Yeah, it is.” Mary shot back, causing Frank to smirk a little as he glanced at Fliss “Bo-I mean miss Stevens we thought a dollar a cookie, or 3 for 2 and then 2 dollars a cupcake or brownie, and 3 for 5” “I think that’s fair.” Bonnie nodded.

“Ok, cool… “ Mary grinned standing the board up and giving Rosie a high five.

Bonnie and Fliss helped set up the cakes on the stall and Frank found himself getting roped into helping one of the male teachers set up the field where a few events and fun races were going to take place, the man thanking him profoundly when he headed over, spotting him struggling to set the soccer nets up.

“We had someone due to help but…well, most parents shy away from this stuff.” He sighed “They want their kids to enjoy and experience it but don’t wanna help us out.” Frank smiled “Well, to be honest I’m happy to be here. This is the first one Mary’s taken part in.”

The teacher smiled “Yes, she was a bit of an enigma when she started but she’s come out of her shell recently. Lovely girl too Mr Adler, always polite. You must be very proud.”

Frank beamed and turned back to where Mary was behind the stall, Fliss talking to her with Bonnie and Rosie both listening and nodding before he turned back to the man and smiled “It’s not all down to me but…yeah, yeah I am.”

Hour or so later more people had arrived and Frank and Fliss wandered around a bit. They chatted to Rosie’s mom and dad, a dark haired, bespectacled man called Phil and a smaller, red haired woman called Melissa, and the couple invited them over for dinner in a week or so which they both accepted. Whilst Mary and Rosie were close, Frank’s interaction with her parents had been minimal simply because Fliss had fallen into that role of being the one that set up the girls’ little togethers, and he was keen to get to know the couple simply because Mary seemed to be taken so much with their kid. They were inseparable at school, and Mary had already said that over the summer she wanted Rosie to come for a sleep over which, given her previous position on such things had knocked Frank for 6. Of course they had said it was ok, and Fliss had simply told her that Rosie was welcome at any time over the holidays, even saying she’d arrange for them to do something with one of the riding school ponies.

As Frank was mid conversation with Phil about a boat he was currently repairing, Fliss excused herself to go to the toilet. On the way back she decided to detour to the cake stall to see how Mary, Bonnie and Rosie were getting along, and as she passed 2 women stood a little way away, deep in conversation, she heard something that stopped her in her tracks.

“Child prodigy, apparently.” One of the women was saying.

“Well whichever way you dress it up I feel sorry for her.” The other sniffed, flicking her blonde hair behind her shoulder, the ridiculous sized ring on her left hand catching the sun as she did so “I mean, her Dad, sorry, Uncle is a total fuck boy and only went and got his new girlfriend pregnant a year or so after they got together…no wonder the kid’s apparently a screw up. Did you know a when she first started here she broke a boy’s nose?”

“Excuse me?” Fliss blurted out, her neck and cheeks flushed with anger. Both women spun to face her, the blonde one looking at her “Who the fuck are you calling a screw up?”

“Erm, private conversation…” The woman looked at her and Fliss snorted

“Yeah well maybe you should keep your shitty opinions to yourself, just in-case that Fuck Boy’s pregnant fiancée overhears you.” She shot back, and the woman’s face slipped a little as she suddenly realised who Fliss was. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Frank, meanwhile, had finished up talking to Rosie’s parents and was now looking around for Fliss. He spotted her pale green maxi dress in the crowd as she stood talking to two women, and then frowned as he realised she wasn’t talking as much as angrily ranting, her hands flying out to her side before she pointed at one of them directly. He had no idea what the fuck had sparked her off, but he jogged quickly over, catching the end of the rant.

“I don’t see any of your kids going to university 2 days a week or being asked to run a stall handling money because they can do sums in their head like that.” Fliss snarled, clicking her fingers “So keep your shitty, horrible comments about my family to yourself.”

“Hey, hey…” Frank gently grabbed her arm. “Honey…come on.” “You know nothing about us. Any of us.” Fliss shot at her as Frank looked at the women, realising instantly he recognised one. With a groan he moved himself in front of Fliss his back to them and looked at her.

“Stop.” He said firmly but calmly and she looked at him, her eyes blazing with an anger he had never seen before. “Come on.”

She shot a glare at the women before she turned and allowed him to steer her away. He dropped an arm round her shoulder and gave her a squeeze “What the hell set you off into momma bear mode?”

“Her!” Fliss seethed as she shot a final glare over her shoulder at the bitch "She was making shitty comments about you getting me pregnant and saying it was no wonder Mary was a screw up…I mean who the fuck does she think she? I swear to god if I wasn’t pregnant I’d kick her ass." "Don't let her get to you honey." Frank said softly, kissing her temple.

“Does it not bother you?” “Only because it’s got you so wound up. I’m not going to let the opinions of two Stepford Wives bother me. They clearly have no idea what they’re talking about.” "Bet she's called Karen." Fliss spat. "Carly, actually." Frank replied without thinking and Fliss stopped to look at him. "How the hell do you-" she groaned "tell me you haven't!" "It was a drunk night a very long time ago!" He began to protest and Fliss shook her head making a noise of disgust.

“Well suddenly that makes a little more sense.” She said, before she snorted "Is there anyone in this State you haven't shagged?" "I love it when you swear in British." He grinned before sighing as his attempts at humour fell flat. "Oh Lissy come on...it was years ago. I was a total fuck up till I met you." "Was she married back then?" "I don't know!" He shrugged "not exactly a great topic for pillow talk is it?" "You're disgusting." She rolled her eyes before she stepped away from him and headed over the stall that had been or original destination, leaving Frank wondering what the fuck just happened. With a sigh he followed her over and smiled at Verity who had just arrived with Bill, who was at that moment teasing Mary, trying to haggle with her over the price of the Brownies.

“Hey…” he tugged on Fliss’ elbow “Are you seriously pissed at me?” She looked at him, pushing her shades up off her eyes “I just don’t like being reminded of your Four F stage.” “My what?” he looked at her, blankly. He had no idea what she was talking about.

“The Friday Fergs Fuckboi Frank stage” And at that Frank snorted, shaking his head.

“Ok, well, I can categorically tell you that now I’m in a double F stage.” “What?” it was her turn to look puzzled.

“Yeah, the Fliss’ Frank stage” He flashed her a cheeky grin and she blinked before she snorted and shook her head.

“I hate you.” She mumbled as he pulled her in for a hug, giving her head a quick kiss, the chuckles vibrating from his body to hers.

*****

The rest of the week passed fairly uneventfully. Mary broke up for summer on the Friday and Frank finished the painting and the wallpapering in the attic. On the Saturday he got 3 out of 4 of the walls in the Nursey painted, leaving just the feature one for Sunday, which he was ridiculously excited about. However, his plans of an early start were derailed when he slept in a little later than he had anticipated. Fliss was still out for the count when he climbed out of bed, and he dressed as quietly as he could, dropping a kiss to her cheek before he headed down to the kitchen and was joined by Mary a few minutes later. For whatever reasons she was in a particularly raucous mood, probably because she had realised she didn’t have to go to school on Monday, bouncing around the kitchen telling Frank loudly what she was going to do that afternoon which involved riding Monty and swimming in the pool until it went dark. Then, apparently she was going to watch a load of movies and stay up all night…Frank didn’t bother to tell her there was no chance, as both he and Fliss still had to go to work. As with the previous Summer, Roberta was looking after her Monday to Wednesday, and Verity and Bill had her on Thursday and Friday, which meant she was basically going to be up the same time as normal every day so he could drop her off.

However, that was an argument for later. Right now he was simply trying to get her to calm down.

“Mary, for the last time, be quiet!” Frank groaned “Fliss is still asleep.”

“But it’s almost 10 am.” Mary whined.

“It’s Sunday and she’s cooking another person, she can sleep however long she wants” he replied “Now come on, we got painting to do.”

Mary looked at him and let out a groan. “I’m 9. Making me paint this house is child labour”

“You wanted to help with the nursery.”

Mary glared at him “He ain’t even gonna be here for another like 7 weeks or whatever.”

“Yeah, and the rate you’re going it’s gonna take us that long to sort it. Come on it’s the last wall.” He cajoled as she bit into her toast “We did your room first, then the attic. I even let you pick that horse wall paper for up there.” Mary shoved the last of her toast in her mouth and hopped down off the stool “Fine…” she said with an exaggerated eye roll. “I’ll go change into my painting stuff.” He watched her go, tossing the crust from his toast to Thor who caught it expertly, before he headed upstairs. Fliss wandered out of the bedroom and onto the landing, still in her sleep set, yawning.

“Hey…” she smiled at him and he beamed back as she shuffled to him for a hug.

“Did Mary wake you?” he asked and Fliss shook her head.

“No, I was just dozing.” .

“Ok, well we’re finish painting the nursery.” He smiled and she pulled back grinning. “Want me to get you breakfast first?” “I’m good.” She smiled “I’ll sort myself out and then come help”

Pressing a kiss to her head he stepped back and watched as she headed down the stairs before he walked into the Nursery, joined shortly by Mary. All bar one of the walls were painted a cream colour, and he checked the paint for patches, happy that it looked ok before he looked pulled the print out of the theme they’d looked at on Pinterest and handed it to Mary once he’d taken a look at it. Grabbing the stepladders he set about marking squares out on the wall where the crib was going to lie against with tape. Then with a pencil he supervised as Mary checked the photo and wrote a letter in each square to signal what colour they were going to be painted to make a block pattern of different greens, browns and blue.

Once the squares were marked out he handed Mary a paint brush and told her to keep between the lines. He knew he might have to go over a few patches on the areas she did, but even that was quicker than him doing it all himself and it was important to both of them she felt involved, even if it was under duress.

Half an hour or so later Fliss joined them and the 3 of them finished the wall in little over 2 hours, standing back to admire their handy work. Fliss beamed as Mary nodded in satisfaction.

“Can I go see Monty now?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’ll head over.” Fliss nodded.

“I’ll get the furniture up whilst you’re gone.” Frank smiled.

“Sure you can manage?” Fliss teased. “We’re supposed to be at my mum and dad’s in 4 hours.”

Frank shot her a look and she grinned cheekily before she headed out of the room to change into her stable gear.

With the radio on, Frank unwrapped the packaging to the crib and got to work, humming gently to himself as he powered through, following the instructions. It was fairly easy all things considered, and he had the crib fully assembled and in position in 45 minutes. Smiling to himself the chest of drawers were next, then the little wardrobe and the changing unit. Then he fixed the blind to the window and added the stencil he’d bought over the top. All in all it took him just under 2 hours until he jumped down from the little step ladder and looked around.

Now it looked like a nursery.

He took the cardboard boxes and wrap down to the garage and slung them on the pile of other garbage that needed slinging during the week and then back into the nursery, removing the dust sheets from the new carpet and then he set about unpacking the various bags and items of things they’d bought for bean. He placed the blankets in the crib, the lamp on the table, shuffled the rocking chair around and then stepped back to admire his work.

“Oh my God…” He jumped a little and turned to see Fliss blinking. He’d been that wrapped up in everything he hadn’t heard her come in.

“Frank, you did everything...”

“I’m sorry.” He blurted out, cursing himself. “I got carried away. I didn’t think. Did you want to do the accessories or…” “No, I mean yeah, but…” she shook her head, stepping into the room “It doesn’t matter. Sailor, it looks great!” She slid her arm round his waist as he dropped a kiss to her head, her eyes scanning the room. She stopped and frowned at the stencil above the window blind. Frank swallowed a little nervously, that was one thing she hadn’t seen before. He watched her profile as she read the cursive writing, which spelt out the words ‘All because two people fell in love’, and she turned to look up at him, tears in her eyes.

 “Oh, Frankie…”

He smiled at her, his own eyes threatening to fill up again as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “It’s true.”

She turned back round to look once more at the room, her hand falling to her bump as they simply looked around the bedroom that would soon enough house their little baby boy.

“It’s perfect.” Fliss said, and Frank smiled, his arms wrapping around her from behind, his hands cupping her bump as he pressed a soft kiss to her neck.

After the usual Sunday roast Verity’s which was filled with the normal laughter, teasing and also some cooing from Verity over the photos of the nursery which Fliss had taken they headed home and after breaking the news to Mary that she was up early, which resulted in a mini- melt down until Frank threatened to send Monty to the dog-food factory if she didn’t stop right away.

“Whatever Frank, Fliss will never let you do that.” She glared at him, hands on her hips.

“Fliss won’t have a say in the matter.” He shot back, “Bed, now Mary. Don’t make me count to three.” “You know, I really don’t like you right now.” She glared at him.

“Well that suits me fine, because right now I’m not your biggest fan either.”

With a filthy look she turned on her heels, stomping from the room and muttering something under her breath, from which Frank made out the words Uncle and douchebag.

“I might be getting older but I can still HEAR YOU!” he yelled after her.

“GOOD!” came the shout back before the stairs thudded under her feet and her bedroom door slammed shut.

Frank exhaled, ran a hand through his hair and then checked all the doors were locked before he headed upstairs. “What was all that about?” Fliss asked as she emerged from the en-suite dressed for bed.

“Her being a pain in the ass about going to bed.” He grumbled, face planting onto the bed with a groan “Do we really want another one?”

“Too late for that now Sailor.” She chuckled. “She called me a douchebag.” He said, rolling over onto his back and Fliss let out a laugh.

“No comment.” “Hey.” He pouted, a hurt expression on his face. Fliss stuck her tongue out at him before he sat up with a heave and stripped off ready for bed.

They lay awake for a couple of hours, chatting, and talk turned to baby names after Bill had teased them over dinner that they still hadn’t decided on one. They had discounted a few, but had yet to settle on any that really grabbed their attention.

"What about Max?" Frank asked. He raised his head from where he was led, nose pressed against the curve of Fliss' belly as his hand gently tracked the movements his son was making. Boston Bean was being fairly active considering it was past 11. Fliss, who was sat propped up by a mound of pillows against the headboard looked down at him, her hand pausing where it has been raking through his now very fluffy hair and she wrinkled her nose. "Mmm not keen" she mumbled. "Although I like the X. The way it melts into Adler." Frank blinked before he snorted and Fliss laughed "God you talk some shit" he chuckled and she swatted at his head as he moved back to where he had been before, nose brushing her skin. "Benjamin..." he offered again, "Benjamin Billy. Then we can keep calling him BB" "That's actually kinda cute." Fliss said. "And its after my dad, although he's William." "William." Frank rolled the name around a little "I like that." "Could be a middle name." Fliss said "I don't really like Will, which is what it will no doubt end up shortened to and Bill...no, that's dad. And an old man's name" "I'll tell him you said that." Frank smiled and she shrugged. "I tell him he is an old git all the time" she retorted. Frank's hand stopped as Bean gave a particularly harsh kick and Fliss jumped a little. "Jesus..." she groaned. "Looks like we got a future footballer on our hands. You gonna be the next Tom Brady huh buddy?" Frank chuckled talking to her bump before he stilled "hey, what about-" "No." Fliss said, shutting that suggestion down immediately "We are not calling him Tom or Brady. Besides, that abomination you refer to is not football..." "Excuse me." Frank scoffed "It’s better than that damned shit you Brits play! Soccer." He muttered the word, shaking his head. "No, THAT’S football!" Fliss said indignantly. "Soccer" "Football!" Fliss repeated "it's a ball you kick with your foot! We invented it, we named it!" "Okay, okay!" Frank chuckled "Calm down before you go into labour!" She swatted playfully at his head as she grinned. "You know I would have loved you to have met my granddad and had this debate with him. He'd be spinning in his grave if he could hear us. You know he was actually a professional at one point?" "No kidding?" Frank askes and Fliss gave a hum. "Way before I met him, obviously" Fliss sighed "he played right back for Preston North End but had to retire early when he broke his leg. Never recovered from the injury. Dad said he had a pretty mean right peg on him. I mean leg..." she corrected her slang. "He was their designated Penalty taker. In the 10 years he played he took 60 penalties and missed a total of 2" "That's pretty cool." Frank admitted. "OK, so maybe if he grows up playing soccer that wouldn't be so bad..." "Alex Gallagher." Fliss chuckled "not quite as famous around here as Tom Brady...but still the GOAT. Well, in my eyes anyway." And then she took a deep breath. Frank paused, his hand staying still as he looked up at her smiling softly. "Alexander." They both said at the same time, Fliss' mouth curling into a little smile, her hand falling on top of his. "Alexander William Adler." She beamed down at him and Frank nodded, his own smile growing wider. "Yeah. Yeah I like that." He leaned up to give her a gentle peck, smiling against her lips "I really like it. Alex for short..." She smiled at him as he gently cupped her face. "Alex Adler it is." She nodded, her eyes misting up slightly before he kissed her again. ***** The next morning they packed Mary off to Roberta’s. She wasn’t in quite as bad a mood with Frank as she had been the previous evening. She was talkative enough to ask who had been on the phone when she had walked into the kitchen and why it meant Fliss had ended up re-jigging her morning around. The told her they had some stuff to sort for Bean, but in truth they were heading to see Greg who had called following Frank’s text message to say he could fit them in to talk about Mary’s adoption before his first appointment that morning.  

"Hi guys!" Greg strode out of his office greeting the pair of them with a smile "Damned girl you getting bigger by the day?" He teased, gesturing to her bump. "Bloody well feels that way." She grumbled. Frank placed a hand on the bottom of her back and guided her into the room where they both took a seat at one side of Greg’s desk.

“So…” he smiled “Tell me then, what’s sparked this off?” Frank briefly explained about the school and how he’d been thinking about it for some time as Greg smiled, pausing only to thank his PA who walked in with two coffees and an apple juice. Once Frank had finished Greg leaned back, a finger trailing over his mouth before he smiled.

"So the process you’ll go through, if you decide to go through with it is called Kinship adoption." Greg repeated "In general, the procedure of adopting a family member’s child is considerably simpler than other types of adoption because some parts of the domestic adoption process will not apply ergo it is normally easier and faster. And given the fact that you already have legal guardian status this negates any requirement for home studies, nor will there be any need for a supervision period post an initial care placement period as she is already in your care." "So what do we need to do?" Fliss asked. "First off we need to obtain permission from Polland." Greg said "He needs to surrender his legal parental rights by law." Fliss frowned and Greg looked at her before he began to expand on his explanation. "A child can’t have more than two legal parents at a time." Greg looked at her "So as you both would be Mary's legal parents via adoption, it means that Polland's legal rights to her will be completely severed." "I thought they were already terminated?" Fliss looked at Frank who shook his head. "We discussed petitioning for it but it would have prolonged the whole hearing process." Frank looked at her. "I just wanted Mary to settle and legally be allowed to stay, and, well to be honest, it didn’t feel right to sever him completely whilst she was so young, even though he is a total dick. Mary could have changed her mind down the line about all sorts of things so…” he trailed off.

“So all that means that technically he still has the right to apply for visitation if he so wishes." Greg looked at Fliss “But an adoption would stop that." "What if he objects?" Frank asked, the thought suddenly springing into his mind. "Then we would file to the court to have his objection overruled, and request they sever his rights regardless of what he says." Greg said "And given the history with this case, I think there's a pretty good chance we would win." Frank nodded "Ok, so rights removed one way or another. Then what?" "Then we petition the court, file the paperwork, all the boring stuff like the welfare checks will happen, which, will predominantly focus on you Fliss as Frank went through all of this already. They may want to meet your family but I wouldn't worry about it at all. It’s a safe, stable and loving environment that Mary has. That's clear to anyone." Frank gently took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as he gave her a smile. "And then, once that's over you’ll attend a finalisation hearing where you’ll be granted legal parental status." Greg says. "It sounds complicated but it’s fairly straight forward because, as I keep saying, she's been with you for a while now and she's a relative." "So how long would it take?" Fliss asked. Greg wrinkled his nose "if Polland doesn't object I'd be surprised if it took longer than 3 months. Given that Bean is due to arrive in just under two, you might wanna hang off until things have settled down a little. Maybe kick it off at the end of September, give you both time to get to grips with the fact you have a new baby. Leave it with me, I’ll speak to one of the guys at the Welfare department, see exactly what parts of the process they will need to do and then we’ll take it from there.” “Sounds like a plan.” Frank smiled, as Fliss squeezed his hand.

*****

"I prefer Theodore" Mary shrugged when they told her over dinner about the name they had settled on. "But William is cool, after Bill." "Well when you grow up and have your own kid, and by grown up I mean 35 on account that you won't allowed to date until you're at least 30..." Frank pointed his fork at her "...you can call your own kid that." "I might have a girl" Mary shrugged, the towel she was wrapped in slipping from her shoulders slightly. "Theodora then" Fliss said, shoving another fork full of chicken into her mouth. Mary pondered this for a second before she shrugged and Frank simply arched an eyebrow as he looked at Fliss who leaned back in the whicker chair and grinned. "So why can't I tell anyone the name?" Mary asked after she swallowed more of her dinner. "Because we want something to stay a surprise Stack" Frank explained "everyone already knows he's a boy. We just wanna keep a little something to ourselves for the 5 weeks or we have before he arrives." "But we wanted you to know." Fliss smiled. Mary grinned "Ok. Secret's safe." She placed her fork down on her empty plate "I'm finished, can I go back in the pool?" "Give it 5 minutes for your food to settle yeah?' Frank looked at Fliss who nodded at him and he cleared his throat slightly. "And while you're waiting, there's something else we wanted to talk to you about." "Ok..." Mary looked at him. "You know how you asked us where we were going this morning?" He looked at her, his hand dropping to Fliss’ knee under the table and she tangled her fingers with his, giving them an encouraging squeeze. "Yeah" “And I said it was to do with Bean?”

“Yeah…” "Well, it was actually to see Greg. And it was about you." Her eyes widened and she swallowed her food with a gulp. “They're not taking me away again are they?" "No, no nothing like that." Fliss soothed her quickly, "In fact...kinda the opposite." "I don't understand" she frowned. "We went to see Greg to ask him about how, if you want us to, we can start the process to adopt you." Frank looked at her. Mary blinked and she looked at Frank who held her gaze before she turned to Fliss. "Adopt me" she whispered. Frank nodded. "But only if that's what you want. It won't mean anything will change, not on a day to day basis anyway, it just means that me and Fliss will both have full-“ He was cut off as Mary jumped up out of her seat and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms round him, pressing her face into the crook of his shoulder and neck as she began to sob. Fliss watched them both, a lump forming in her throat as Frank glanced at her, his eyes glassy. "I'm hoping they're happy tears." He said, clearing his throat. Fliss smiled gently as he simply sat rocking Mary slightly till she calmed down enough to sit back, her hands reaching up, fingers threading into his beard. "So..." she sniffed "you would be my mom and dad?" "Baby we already are." Fliss leaned forward as much as she could to gently rub her back. "I told you that a few weeks ago." "But legally?" "Yeah." Frank nodded. "It will take a little while but Greg says that it will be quicker than usual considering its something called a Kinship Adoption." "What does that mean?" Mary asked quietly. "Basically because you're a relative to me and you've been living with me for so long, some of the process may not be needed." Frank explained. He hesitated for a moment, debating how honest to be before he decides to explain fully to her. She had to understand, she deserved to. "What it does mean, however, is that to allow both Fliss and I to become your parents, they have to completely cut your father off. Which means he has no rights to see you at all going forward. He might refuse our application because of that." "He could refuse?" Mary frowned. "Yeah, but I don't think he will." Frank shook his head "And even if he does we can fight it." Mary nodded, her head bowed a little "He never wanted me anyway..." "Well we do." Fliss said firmly. “And he’s a jackass for not wanting anything to do with you Mary.” "If he does refuse will I have to go live with him?" she looked up her eyes wide. "No." Fliss shook her head "it just means things stay the same as they are now." "That's not so bad." Mary shrugged and Frank gave a huff of a laugh. "Glad to hear it." Frank raised an eyebrow as Mary began fiddling with the collar of his t-shirt "Now, we're going to need to wait until after Alex is born as things are gonna be busy for us all when he arrives but we wanted to give you chance to think about it and make sure it’s what you want. And whatever you decide it doesn't change a thing, ok? You'll stay here and we will still love you no matter what." Mary swallowed and looked at Frank earnestly "I do want. I know already. I don't need to think about it." Frank smiled and brushed her hair back off her face which was getting rather long now and she beamed back at him. "Will I still need to call you Frank?" Frank took a deep breath "that’s up to you. Why don't you see how you feel OK?" She nodded and reached up to kiss his cheek before she hopped down and turned towards Fliss. She chambered onto her knee as best she could and wrapped her arms around her neck, hugging her tight. "I'm so happy." She sniffed and Fliss let out a little noise that was half laugh, half sob and she held her back tightly. Frank wiped his eyes, sniffing a little as he fought to keep it together. He had expected an emotional response from Mary, but it still hadn't prepared him in the slightest for how he was going to feel. For so long he had resisted being referred to as her father and now here he was about to embrace it, and make it 'legal'. Whilst he still had that tiny little bit of guilt regarding Diane, he was pleased to find he didn't feel a shred of doubt, nor after all the soul searching and conversations with Bill last week, and then his mother this afternoon who had, rather emotionally, told him she thought it was a ‘wonderful’ idea, even stating that if Polland did object, she was ready to go onto battle alongside him. Greg was convinced they would have a great chance of winning if it came to it, and even if they didn't, like Fliss said, nothing would change. But for now, he pushed all that to the back of his mind, focusing on the here and now as Mary sat on Fliss lap, her hand skating over her bump as they both giggled, Mary pulling her arm away and squealing. "He just kicked real big!" She looked at Frank, drawing out the word real as he smiled. "Clearly he likes the idea too." He quipped as he stood up "and you know what I like the sound of?" He whipped off his t-shirt and in a flash plucked Mary off Fliss' lap and ran full pelt to the pool with her in his arms as she shrieked and swatted at his back playfully, Thor running behind them, his loud barks booming around the garden. With a huge jump Frank propelled them straight off the side and under the surface of the cool water. They both emerged a second or so later, Mary spluttering as she splashed him causing him to reach out and grab her leg, pulling her back under. "I’m going to be living with 3 children Bean." Fliss patted her bump, just as Thor gave one final frustrated wine before he launched himself into the pool too. Mary let out a huge laugh and pointed to him and Frank grinned as she chambered onto his back. "Hey Frank look..." she giggled loudly "doggy paddle" Frank found that far more funny than he should.

**** Chapter 9

[saharamae21]

Lilypad - Drew Starkey Imagine

Author: sguymon21

Summary: A request for Drew where the reader is pregnant and throughout their pregnancy he does bump updates and pregnancy updates for both you're families because they don't live in LA. Like her bump getting bigger, the weird cravings she's having, videos of the baby kicking, decorating the nursery, mood swings, parenting classes, and whatever else you can think of? REQUESTED

Word Count: 1.9K+

Warnings: None

__________________________________________________

When you found out you were pregnant, you were ecstatic. The only person who stood a chance of matching your excitement was Drew. You knew how much he wanted to start a family, so when the time finally came, he cried. He held you in his arms and placed his hands on your stomach. You knew he was going to be a fantastic father.

Month One

When Drew told you that he wanted to send your families monthly updates, you were completely on board. At one month, you lined up at the wall, chalkboard in hand, and had him take your side profile. You giggled as it felt like a mugshot. Nothing was noticeable yet in the photos, but you were definitely experiencing changes. The morning sickness was already to affect your everyday life and you became super sensitive to certain foods. Even the smell of coffee in the morning made you want to throw up, even though you normally needed a cup or two most days.

You sat on the couch and held your stomach. Even though your baby was only the size of a half grain of rice, they were fully controlling your every move. Drew sat down next to you and pulled you into his chest.

“Do you want a boy or a girl?” he muttered. You smiled, knowing what he wanted already. He wanted a little girl that he could spoil. You on the other hand wanted a boy. You wanted a mini Drew running around the place.

“Secret,” you mumbled. He chuckled at you as you closed your eyes. The fatigue set in, causing you to fall asleep in his arms. He watched the mother of his child with the most admiration possible and hoped that in a few months he would have a new girl to hold in his arms.

Month Two

The first month passed quickly and you found yourself in front of the wall again. You held up the blackboard that read two months and smiled for the camera. However, as soon as it was taken, your smile faded. You were exhausted and your hormones were going crazy. The doctors informed you that you had to severely limit your caffeine intake and withdrawal was setting in. Your head was constantly in agony and the nausea had somehow gotten worse throughout the past week.

Drew got home early from a shoot and looked around. Usually you were in the living room, but today the apartment was silent. He knew you didn’t have a doctors appointment and began to worry something was wrong. He opened the door to your guy’s bedroom and found you nestled in between the sheets. He smiled at your sleeping figure before crawling into bed.

You stirred awake and flickered your eyes open. Drew eyes met you and it filled your heart with warmth. All the sickness and fatigue was worth it when you saw the way he looked at you.

Month Three

The first sign of life appeared when you looked at the picture for month three. A small baby bump presented itself as you excitedly held up the blackboard. It wasn’t very big, but it was enough to make the both of you emotional. He held you from behind, his hands on your tummy. This was his new favorite position. He loved to have as much contact with your unborn baby as he could.

You laid on the floor of the apartment angry. Your emotions weren’t quite back in check and the crazings were starting to set in. All you wanted was peanut butter and tortilla shells, but you were out of peanut butter. You had asked Drew to grab some on the way home, but he was having a less than ideal day and said no. That put you in a mood and you haven't moved since. You wanted to have a stand off and wait until he caved and agreed to get it for you, but the baby was demanding food.

You forced yourself up to look in the cupboards, but nothing sounded good. Feeling emotional and defeated, you sat down on the kitchen floor and just began to cry. Minutes later, the door opened and Drew walked in. He heard you crying and knew that he should’ve had more patience with you. He walked in and crouched down in front of you, holding a new container of peanut butter out for you. You sniffled and looked up at him, knowing that if you two had a little girl, Drew would never be able to say no to her.

Month Four

You stood against the wall with a huge smile. Your stomach was continuing to grow every week and your excitement grew with it. You had begun to think of names for your child, but Drew and you had different tastes. Drew didn’t want to play into the whole celebrity child names, but you wanted something different. No child of yours would be named Jacob or Hannah.

You sat on the couch with the most energy you had in weeks. Drew slumped next to you, just in the mood to cuddle. You were in the mood for other things though. It was the first time in the past few months that your sex drive was back. You leaned over and pressed your lips to his neck, causing him to jump. He looked at you as your hand gripped his shirt. He looked at you wide eyed and told you politely that he didn’t want to. You stared at him, mouth agape.

“I-I just don’t wanna hurt the baby,” he said with the most innocent look on his face. You laughed at him and placed a soft kiss on his lips telling him that you loved him.

Month Five

You stood up as straight as you could, proud of the baby that was growing inside of you. You held up the sign and smiled as big as you could. Drew was running around the house for the past week, excitedly talking your ear off. You were supposed to find out the gender this week and he literally couldn’t wait. You two had finally settled on names and that made everything so real. If it was a girl, she would be Lilith. If it was a boy, he would be Jasper.

You sat in the doctor's office with Drew. His arm was slung over your shoulder as the doctor walked in. She smiled at you and told you that the baby was in wonderful condition. So far, there were no issues.

“So, would you like to know the sex?” she said.

We both said yes and you leaned your head on Drew’s shoulder. He had a hand placed on my baby bump and we waited as she looked at the file. She opened her mouth and Drew began to tear up. He kissed the top of my head as you wiped the tears away.

We were having a little girl.

Month Six

You stood against the wall and basically begged him to take the picture. Your legs were aching and you were gaining weight so quickly these days. You smiled as he took the picture, holding the sign like always. After it was done, you went and sat on the couch. Drew joined you shortly after, lifting your legs onto his lap to rub the cramps out of them. You closed your eyes and let him comfort you for the rest of the night.

You looked around the room and smiled. It was painted this muted yellow color and had accents of pink and white. A crib sat in the corner of the room and decorations were everywhere. It was really starting to come together. Drew pulled you in for a quick kiss as you stood in the center of the room. You felt the baby kick inside of you and smiled brightly. Drew had never been around when she was kicking. You grabbed his hand and placed it on your tummy. You watched his eyes go wide as he stared at you in awe.

“Our kid is pretty great, isn’t she?” he said. He loved her so much already.

Month Seven

You were getting pretty big by now. You stood by the wall and held the sign. Our families were getting so excited as we got closer and closer to the due date. They lived for your monthly updates. They also FaceTimed you guys weekly to make sure you felt perfect and so they could see what was changing. They loved being updated on my cravings and you health condition.

You laid on the couch, cuddled into Drew’s arms, as you talked to Jodi. You loved seeing how similar Drew and his mom were. She smiled and asked for a hint on the name we picked, but you had agreed not to tell anyone until after she was born. It was killing your parents.

When he finally hung up, you smiled at each other. The baby always kicked when we talked to our moms. Their voices triggered a happy reaction. He placed his hands there again and felt the movement. He placed a small little kiss on your belly.

“Hey, baby girl… It’s daddy,” he whispered. Then he said something that made you fall in love with him all over again. “I love you, my little lilypad.”

Month Eight

You took the picture for month eight and smiled. You were continuing to gain about a pound of weight a week. You knew we were on the home stretch and honestly, you just wanted my little girl to be here already. Drew took the picture and smiled at you. He was being especially sweet that past few days. He constantly praised you for carrying his child and it made your heart so happy.

We laid in bed together and you shifted in discomfort. The baby has been pressing up against your ribs lately and it was really uncomfortable. You felt Drew pull you into his arms and rubbed your back. You sniffled as your chest felt like it was tightening.

“Hey, shhhh…” he cooed in your ear. He placed small kisses all over your face. “I’m so proud of you. Just a little bit more and then we finally get to meet our little lilypad.”

He was right. One more month and Lilith would be right here in your arms.

Month Nine

We took the final pregnancy photo and jumped for joy. Our little princess would be with you guys in no time. He had gotten your hospital bag ready and the nursery was now finished. All of your friends and families were getting super excited to meet your little girl. Most days, you sat on the couch, on the phone with your moms. They both were planning their trips out here for after the baby was born.

It was about a week before our due date when my contractions began. You sat in bed and panicked as you tried to get a hold of Drew. Your eyes squinted as they became more frequent. Finally, he picked up and you told him you were going into labor. You stood up to grab the hospital bag as he told me he was leaving the gym, clearly in a state of shock. While you were hanging up, your water broke. That’s when it all became way too really.

About 7 hours later, you laid in the hospital bed with Drew. Your little girl was curled up in his arms and the way he stared at her made you melt. He teared up as she slept so peacefully in his arms.

“She’s so beautiful,” he said in a strained voice. He was holding in tears at the sight of our child. “Welcome home, lilypad. Mommy and daddy love you so much.”

______________________________________________

Tag List : @justcallmesams @jellyfishbeansontoast @prejudic3 @queenieloveswriting @jjtheangel @infinitydols @simpingforrudypankowonly @waywardbarbie @outerbankslut @outerbongs @ilovejjmaybank @beth-winchester21 @jiaraendgame @sunwardsss @talksopretty @bb-tings @teenwaywardasgardian @netflix-imagines @canibeoneofthepogues @raekenliar @judayyyw @jjpogueprincess @waywardbabie @casper17

Tagging a few more: @spilledtee @starlightstarkey @potterheadhollander @anonymous0writer @tomhardybby @diverdcwn

[bad-bitch-beauchamp]

Songs About Me - Chapter Three

After karaoke night and Claire's impromptu performance, both Claire and Jamie spend the next day reconciling with their choices from the night before.

Read on AO3

“Stay, Sassenach! One more drink!” 

“One more drink might be the death of me, Mr. Fraser, and if you’d like to watch me embarrass myself again next week, I can’t be on my deathbed tonight!” 

He had tried to convince her to let him walk her home, but she waved him off and pulled the sweater that had fallen off her shoulder back up to its rightful place at the junction of neck and shoulder -- a place Jamie couldn’t tear himself away from until that moment. She wrangled a loose curl behind her ear, tugged on her coat, and caught Jamie watching her every move, drink at his lips, eyes just over the rim of the glass. She could’ve stayed, could’ve responded, could’ve reacted to what she was feeling right then… no. A couple of hours together in a bar and a poor excuse for a solo at closing time did not change the fact she didn’t know this man. This very handsome man, she reminded herself. No. You came out here for yourself. Leave by yourself.

She met his eyes one last time, gave a nervous laugh, declared “Hope to see you next weekend!” all too loudly, and spun on her heel. She had stepped over the threshold when she thought she heard her name from inside, but she didn’t turn to find out. 

———

Claire realized exactly three things when she awoke the next morning: The sun was shining too brightly, the street musician playing on the corner directly below her bedroom window was playing too loudly, and the memories of the last night with the redhead who loved music and books were coming on too fast. Somehow, in the span of a few hours, he had literally become her waking thoughts. She sat up in bed, still cocooned in a cloud of white cotton sheets and linen comforters. What do you even know about him? Probably not even anything. She pulled herself from the warmth of the bed, her feet landing on a soft oriental rug in shades of blues and greens. His eyes were the colors in this rug. Just like the ocean itself. Okay, she remembered one thing about him. The woven textile gave way to worn hardwood floors, on to cool hexagon tiles lining her bathroom floor as she passed through glass french doors between bookshelves on the wall. 

When Claire inherited her Uncle Lamb’s brownstone, she could remember only one thing about the place from her visits: the upstairs was magical. Quentin Lambert Beauchamp was an archaeologist, and although it rarely happened, he had decided he needed a home base to work from. In the historic brownstone, he neglected to update much besides the upper level. As the brownstone was on a corner lot, Lamb declared it must have every window possible to let in the light. Days were too gloomy and cloudy in England, and he would soak up all the light he could while teaching here at Harvard, thank you very much. The most magical room in the entire home (according to both Beauchamps) was lined from front to back with alternating windows and storage -- wide bookshelves on the top, long cabinets on the bottom. The opposite side was almost entirely made of the same bookshelves, save for two sets of french doors leading to a large closet and a larger master bathroom, respectively. The bookshelves traveled up to a curved ceiling, rails and ladders lined the walls to reach the highest and most precious of his belongs (now hers as well). Claire had painted the walls and trim shades of white and cream and ivory. The shelves were stripped and stained with a neutral-tone light wood with white filler. The brass fixtures and ladder rails sparkled in the warm morning light. Claire placed plants wherever she could fit them, and donned the shelves with memories to mingle with the ones Lamb left behind. This room, this place, was her favorite in the whole world. 

Back in the bathroom and walking to the walk-in shower, Claire bent down to reach the sweater she tossed aside the night before. The underside of his hair is this color. Right at the base of his neck, with the extra curls. She shook her head and started the tap. Maybe all his curls would turn that color when he got wet. She turned the faucet as hot as she could stand it, reached an arm for her phone, and set Spotify to only play Blink-182. We’re done with those feelings! No feelings, only the angst possible with punk rock! 

Cold tile brought her down to earth again when she stepped out of the shower, the trails of water dripping down her back and breasts a refreshing break from the onslaught of pounding heat. He felt like a breath of fresh air. Just like this. 

With a towel wrapped around head and a t-shirt tossed on, she made her way back to the bedroom and took a seat on her bed. She desperately wished she had stayed for that last drink. Or at least got his number? Why didn’t I get his number?! Now, she’d have to wait another six days before seeing him again. Maybe her attraction to him was nothing more than lust, but if she could text with him, get to know him better, maybe she could find out. With no way of reaching him, she opted to get dressed and head out to clear her head. Maybe find a place to write? Since her decision to put herself first, she’d put letting off steam by writing and singing. It fell in live with the general creativity that fueled her life, while still being different enough from the greenhouse to give her a bit of rest and peace. As she contemplated where to adventure off that morning and pondered the correct way to lace her Doc Marten boots, her phone rang. A photo of three fresh faces graced her screen, a woman with wild dark curls with her mouth gaping with laughter, another woman with a waterfall of red hair and piercing green eyes made less intimidating by the crinkles at the edges, and a man with deep dimples surrounding his smile and an eyebrow raised in surprise at the camera taking their picture. Claire hit the accept button on the call, and thus the inquisition arrived. 

“We need to talk about last night!” The screen was split in two, with Geillis’ video on top and Joe’s on the bottom with Claire’s in the corner. 

“What about last night? I honestly thought our song was pretty good! I was thinking next week we could do--”

“That’s obviously not what we’re talking about, LJ! But agreed, we did a damn good job.”

“Will you two quit it?” Geillis cut them off and brought her face closer to her screen. “We need to talk about Claire, that viking, and the unreal chemistry. Spill it ALL, Claire.”

———

Jamie had woke nursing a headache, but alas, today would not be the day for rest. He flipped the sign in the window of Fraser Literature from closed to open, and began to check off the list of opening duties. On the list was to water the plants. Set on a table in a small alcove, on top of side table next to an worn leather chair for patrons to sit and peruse a story in, hanging from simple planters in the window that stretched from edge to edge in front of the shop, guarding the aisles of books ready to be enjoyed by people who hadn’t read them yet. Jamie often visited a greenhouse just outside town for the shop’s plants. While a small place, it was teeming with love, peacefulness, and a sense of adventure with green as far as the eye could see, boarding the windows with giant leaves and trailing vines. The feeling inside was something he wanted to emulate in his own place, and so he started adding a wee bit of flora here and there. Rupert and Angus initially laughed off his efforts, claiming Jamie was “destroying the manly vibe” they were aiming for. With every bit of decoration, every little bit of effort however, the shop grew in reputation and success. Jamie was immensely proud of the shop he built, and even more grateful he was able to spend his days surrounded by the words of great men and women, constantly inspired and in awe of the endless stories at his fingertips. 

The boys -- Angus and Rupert, that is -- had brought up the idea of expanding into a few other fine art ideas within the shop. Jamie had been reluctant to agree to anything that wasn’t directly related to literature. As they stood around the front counter, Rupert led the charge: 

“Jamie, man. The people who like books are also the ones who like art and music and such. Why not try to bring them all together?” 

“What if they don’t care about the books? What if they don’t even look at them, and don’t care? What’s the point in having the shop, then?”

It was Angus’ turn to reply with, “Well the point is getting people in the door, and letting your “wee shop” as ye always call it speak for itself, aye?” 

Jamie had to agree with that point. He settled for telling the lads that if they could come up with a suitable idea, he’d agree to it. Twenty minutes later, Angus and Rupert stood in his office doorway saying they would be asking for local musicians to come and perform. 

“Doesn’t seem like yer asking for approval.” 

Jamie didn’t look up from his computer, but could hear the grin in Rupert’s voice as he replied, “‘Tis because ye know it’s a good idea, and ye wouldn’t refuse a good idea.” 

Jamie sat back in the rolling leather chair behind his antique desk and sighed, then laughed. “Why do I even try to control what ye two do? Yer jes’ going to do it anyway.” The lads grinned at each other and shrugged. “Go on then, see if ye can have some posters made up to put in the window.” 

He stood as Rupert saluted him and Angus muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “Aye aye, captain,” and stretched his long, lean, muscles. He needed to get a few errands completed, so opted to spend the next few hours outside both to complete his tasks and to get out in the fresh air. He told his friends he’d be back soon, and to let them know if he needed anything. 

With one step out into the sunlight, he immediately regretted the amount he had drunk the night before. Two in the morning was not a suitable time to be out, but for the lass with the dark curls and the whisky eyes, he’d give every moment of his time. From the moment he woke, he thought of her. Thought of how she made him laugh. Thought of how bonny she felt under his fingers, her hips on the barstool as she wiggled back into place, her thigh touching his under the booth table. He thought of how she’d gone up on stage as an act of defiance against him for the insult to her friend’s song, but how instead she ended up showing a piece of her soul to him, and him alone. He thought of how her eyes matched the swirling liquid in his glass. He thought of her abrupt departure after he had asked her to stay, and how he almost ran out after. He thought of how he was so incredibly stupid as to not have asked for her number before she ran. Look what ye did -- now ye have to wait to see her, and yer barely functional as it is. While Angus and Rupert had been gauging his interest for the musical talent in his office earlier, he had been searching the Facebook page for the 21st Amendment, combing it for references to her. To Claire. Maybe she had performed there? Perhaps she and her friends had tagged the place in one of their pictures? There was no sign of her, and she hadn’t told him her last name. Six days to go, mate. Ye can do this. She’s just a lass. Ye don’t know her. 

After a few hours of tedious tasks (could the post office ever be efficient, just this once?), he made his way back to Fraser Literature. It was a warm day for autumn, and the shop would have a cart with discount books out on the sidewalk and the door propped open for fresh air. He would never tire of seeing his name on something he built, something he was so proud of. As he neared the shop however, it wasn’t the name on the window that drew his attention -- it was the many people standing inside, facing the window, looking outside. Jamie stopped and looked around, but not finding anything out of place around him. He took a few steps closer. They weren’t looking outside, but rather at the inside corner of the shop, the corner where the window meets the wall. He was only a few steps away when he saw it, when he heard it. A woman with bouncy curls and a round arse, sitting with her back to the window at a keyboard bench. He didn’t have to see her face to know. Her voice was enough. It was enough at two in the morning to imprint on him forever. 

She was there, in his shop. His place. Claire. God, his Claire. 

With one shaky step and an attempt at a steadying breath, he moved inside his sanctuary.

[labellerose-acheron]

The Acheron Cottage -- aka Swynlake’s Burrow

This is a REBOOT of the first in a series that one day may be complete but also may never be complete. As most of you know I’m like a huge #spatial person in my writing, so all my character’s houses/apartments/living spaces are really well mapped out in my brain? And I thought it’d be fun for people to see. (And a good reference for those who may RP in those spaces at some point.) 

And since we just did a whole plot where Hades and Belle renovated their house, I thought I would update their floorplan! (Also, because I’m super obsessed with this magical house.) 

@trip-downtheriverstyx, @lou-bonfightme

Overview:

The Acheron cottage is now a 3 ½ (from 1 ½) bath, 6 bedroom cottage that was built in the 1700s sometime most likely and finished renovations in late June of 2021. Due to the fact the house is now four floors, taller than most of the trees in the area, and most of the surrounding houses are only 2 floor simple farmhouses and cottages, it sticks out a bit in the landscape, not to mention its haphazard leaning-tower of Piza style architecture. The new floors look like they were just kind of slapped onto the original house. (Think the Burrow.) 

It is on 5 acres of land and backs up against the woods. There is a small stable and pasture on the land, as well as a large garden. It’s located in Southwest Swynlake, a few minutes walk from the local stable. There are neighboring farms, but they’re far enough away to not really count as proper neighbors.

Assume that all walls that are not covered by windows or other things (like closets) are full of books. The walls alternate between painted wood paneling and stone. Floors are wood except for the mud room, which are stone. The garden is shown in every photo, in order to orient yourself with which way the rooms are facing. 

Residents: 

Belle Acheron, Hades Acheron, Toulouse Bonfamille, Opal Acheron, Aidan Acheron, Bellamy Acheron, Arthur the ghost, other ghosts, chickens!, Philippe, Angus, the Black Shuck, Victoire, Vincent, Honoré, and Lord Voltaire Scalington, Destroyer of Universes.

**note: pictures in the aesthetic are to give an overall #feel of the house, but don’t necessarily indicate the exact furniture/decorations/floorplan. the floorplan, on the other hand is not quite to scale but i did the best i could.

1. Entryway

When you first walk into the house on your left is a row of hooks (made out of various odds and ends), on which to hang jackets. To your right is a little table and a mirror, probably plants added (thanks, Toulouse.) The hallway is wide but short and opens up into the living room area. The stairs are directly across from the front door. You can also see all the way through into the kitchen from the entryway.

2. Living Room

The living room is the most spacious room in the house and has remained so, even though other parts of the house were expanded. There is a large window seat beneath the front window. Two chairs and a couch are situated near the fireplace, which is dressed in the original brick, these are new pieces of furniture. It was painted a very pale, fading yellow, but now is painted a pale blue. Furniture is cozy and neutral colors (couch is a coffee colour and leather to prevent staining, chairs are a nice maroon colour, picked out by Lou with Hades’ influence). Lots of blankets (because Belle gets cold easily) and books along all the walls. A carpet is laid down beneath the couch/chairs. 

These days, there are a few family portraits in spaces on bookshelves and above the mantel: one from Belle and Hades’ wedding, of the just the two of them and one of the whole wedding party; pictures of the children and with Toulouse, of course. Also, a picture of Belle’s mother has a place of importance among one of the shelves. There is also a picture of Persephone reading with Vincent in her old room. There is also evidence of children: toys and such littered about. It is rarely ever fully clean, no matter how fuitally Hades tries. The living room–as well as the rest of the house–is home to several clocks–on walls, on shelves, etc. Belle’s father was a clockmaker and Belle and him used to fiddle with the broken ones–made them tell time backwards or too fast or only every other hour. Belle and Hades’ chess table moved from the mudroom into the living room, near the fireplace. There is almost always a game in progress.

If one has a keen eye, they will notice there are no logs by the fire, nor soot in the fireplace. Yet, often, an eerie blue fire will be burning in it during the colder months.

3. Kitchen

The kitchen was the room that increased in size the most. The wall where the stove is was knocked out and pushed backwards to shift everything to the left. It now boasts copious counterspace, as well as a large island that is usually cluttered with mail and children’s things. Refrigerator, stove, oven, no dishwasher (which is probably the bane of Hades’ existence since Belle hates doing dishes and Lou doesn’t know how.) Cabinets are cherry wood; some are refurbished, and the new ones were made to match the originals. 

Window over the sink looks out over the horse pasture in the distance (a few meters from the house.) Big, gorgeous window overlooking the garden in the “breakfast nook” area. Dining table is a cherry wood to match the cabinets and has eight matching chairs. Usually, the chairs are pushed to the walls, except for ones that are needed. This room is home to the only clock that is not digital that works in the entire house. It’s on the window ledge above the sink and was the first clock that Belle ever fixed by herself.

4. Mudroom

Where Belle always comes in from her horse rides, the door of which leads out into the garden and beyond. This is where winter clothes are stored and muddy shoes are piled by the door. It has a stone floor and is generally the coldest room in the house. The laundry machine and dryer are in this room. It used to be where Belle and Hades played chess. Now, their chess table can be found in the living room. 

5. Guest Restroom

There is a new bathroom in the mudroom, for guests and the family to use conveniently. (And for Belle to clean up when coming from outside, Hades loves it.) It is just a sink and toilet but it is much better than making everyone go upstairs when they come over.

6. The Garden

The garden was neglected for a long while, since it was Belle’s mother’s. Originally it was full of just rose bushes, but many of them had died due to neglect (whoops). Persephone managed to save a few but the ones that couldn’t be, she and Belle (with the help of Haku) ripped them out and replaced them with different vegetables and flowers. It has a low brick wall around it. It backs up almost right to the woods. It is now Toulouse’s space and he will make it beautiful, with roses and other flowers and different fruits and vegetables. The opening at the top of it leads down to the pastures and off to the right of the garden is where the woods are.

7. Hallway

There is really nothing special about the hallway. It’s actually quite blank. There are more bookshelves though, which used to make the hallway a bit of a tight squeeze but they had to expand the wall in order to include stairs going up to the third floor, so it is more spacious now (though, not by a lot.) 

8. Toulouse’s Room

This room used to be Persephone’s. It is currently Opal’s. However, it will, one day, be Toulouse’s, so I am going to describe that set up. 

As you can see from the floor plan, there are copious amounts of plants in his room. He probably has very nice silky sheets--a dark green, maybe, with green walls. He has a long bookshelf among the far wall. On top of this is Voltaire’s tank. Probably a few paintings hung up and a dresser. The door that looks like it goes to nowhere? Oh, yeah. That’s his ever-expanding magical closet. It is a walk-in and is spelled to expand the more he needs it to. It exists now, but it has a child-proof magic lock on it so that Opal cannot get into it, lol. There is a cat tower for Honoré, though both of the cats hang out in Lou’s room, because Vincent is used to it too bc it used to be Persephone’s room. 

There is a dog bed in the corner for Victoire, though she usually just sleeps with Lou, if Hades isn’t staying the night with him. 

9. Belle’s Room

This room used to be Belle’s, it’s the room she grew up in. However, right now it is currently the twins’ room. However, one day it will go back to being Belle’s, so I am going to describe that set up.

A bit more spacious than the other room (but not by too much) Belle’s room is equipped with a closet, though it isn’t that big, as well as bookshelves all along the walls. There is also a reading nook in one corner with a window seat in it that Maurice built for her (which is why it’s in such a kooky spot) and it is probably Belle’s favourite spot in the whole house (after her secret office). The walls were repainted in a splendid sky blue. Her bedsheets are blue with little flower designs on them. Belle actually doesn’t spend a whole lot of time in her room, except for when she’s getting ready for bed. And I’d say she sleeps in Hades’ room probably 2 nights a week tops, but usually less than that, tbh. 

10. Bathroom

Just your standard bathroom, nothing fancy about it. I assume Belle’s house runs on well water and it takes forever to get warm, which is the bane of everyone’s existence, especially Toulouse. This will mostly be his bathroom in the future, as Belle will take baths and such in the master bathroom.

11. Master Bedroom (Hades’ Room)

Biggest room in the house. It used to be Belle’s parents, and then Belle’s father’s. It has been Hades’ ever since he moved in. It is the neatest in the house because Hades is a tyrant about that and so even Belle’s things must be cleaned up. There’s a bedside drawer on either side of the bed, each has their own matching lamp. I imagine the bedsheets are like, extremely boring actually, like legitimately just white or a pale gray. There is also a space in this room, probably by the window, with arm chairs and a little table, where there is a chess board set up so Belle and Hades can play here too. 

On the main dresser at the top, there is a jewelry stand for Hades’ various necklaces and bracelets. There is also a watch stand. 

The walk-in closet is also extremely neat; Hades has an entire shelf for shoes which is neat of him. 

The door that looks like it goes to nowhere? Oh, yeah. That’s Belle and Hades’ secret office. More on that in the section below. ~~

12. Master Bathroom

This only gets its own shout out because a) it is where Opal was born, b) I wanted the secret office to be #13, lol, c) I have a few headcanons about it. Mostly that Belle still uses it to do most of her nighttime routine stuff, because I feel like her and Hades probably have a groove going at this point and I think it’s cute. Also, she takes a lot of baths, so she’s in there all the time. She gets ready in the hallway bathroom in the morning though, since she gets up before Hades.

It is ALSO very neat, very clean counters lol and there are lots of skin products neatly arranged in drawers. He probably cleans up every morning after Belle from the night before, lmao. (Though, she DOES respect the bathroom as His Space and cleans up after herself, just...not to his standards.)

13. Belle and Hades’ Secret Office

It has a special rune on it that locks it unless you know the way in and can disappear if you want to hide it. Inside, Belle and Hades have hidden some of their more precious artifacts and books, things that they don’t want to get into the wrong hands. 

The tan couch from the living room has been brought up to it, since it was getting far too small for the space downstairs and Belle didn’t want to get rid of it since it held so much sentimental value to them. The window looks out over the garden below, though it doesn’t actually exist to be looking out into the garden. From the outside, you cannot see it at all. It simply doesn’t exist. 

Most everything in it is new. There is a lovely circular oak table in the middle, with matching chairs, and bookshelves surrounding all available walls. The desk labeled A is Hades and the desk labeled B is Belle’s, and they are both oak to match the table and custom fitted to the room. There is also a cabinet next to the couch that has a vault-like magic’ed drawer where they can hide things.  

14. Bellamy’s Room

Eventually, this room will be Bellamy’s when the twins stop sharing a room by the time they’re about 13/14. Until then, it will be used The smallest of the three upstairs rooms. Some people might assume that Bellamy got it by default because he is technically the youngest, but he’s actually quite fine with it. He is the most like his mother when it comes to his living spaces. AKA -- he is a squirrel and likes his cozy little nest that is much messier than either of his siblings. He’s that person that puts clothes in drawers with one hand while reading with the other. 

15. Opal’s Room

Eventually, this room will be Opal’s. She’ll probably move up there when she’s like five or six, idk whatever the appropriate age would be for a kid to be more or less self-sufficient in the regard of going to sleep/getting up. In the meantime, it will probably be Lou’s because it looks out over the garden. Which means she will probably get a lot of leftover plants from him because he won’t want to disturb them. 

It is probably like a nice soft purple color or something right now. Opal constantly changes it. She repaints the room at least once a year and gets yelled at by her parents for rearranging her furniture at 2am sometimes. Also, the armchair in her room is the rocking chair that was in her nursery. 

16. Aidan’s Room

At first, this room will be both Bellamy and Aidan’s because it is the biggest of the three upstairs rooms. The bed with the book on it is Bellamy’s and the one that is empty is Aidan’s. They don’t mind sharing really and I imagine won’t get in lots of arguments about things. 

Because they are mediums, they both stay up late though they know not to disturb their parents or they’ll earn their wrath so they learn early on how to solve their own problems if they are getting on each other’s nerves. Their room is probably painted a nice pale yellow. Their biggest argument is probably closet space, because I could see Aidan being a fashionista and encroaching on Bellamy’s space and him getting annoyed about it. 

17. Children’s Bathroom

It’s a bathroom? I don’t know. There are probably lots of fights about who gets to use it first in the mornings and people taking too long. Though, there are other bathrooms that people can use. I imagine there are mornings where one of the kids just marches into Hades’ room like ALL THE BATHROOMS ARE TAKEN, I’M USING YOURS! 

What I’m saying is that privacy is an issue in this house, lmao. Yes, they expanded, but everyone is still living on top of each other.

18. Library

What? I thought there were books all over the house? Why do they need a library? 

Because there will always be more books in the house! Also, they needed another room to escape for anyone in the family who might need it. Feel like Bellamy will haunt it most often as he grows older, but Belle will go there too rather frequently. She likes to be surrounded by books. There is another chess table here (yes, that makes three.) Sometimes, Hades and Belle will sneak off to the library just to play a game of chess without being disturbed, because they don’t keep one in the office. (The office is for working, the library is for relaxation.) 

It is probably quite small actually and with a low, gabled ceiling. Floor to ceiling bookshelves all the way around the walls. 

19. Toulouse’s Studio

Unattached to the rest of the house and above Hades’ garage, is Toulouse’s art studio. To get in you have to climb a spiral iron staircase. On the west side of the studio are floor to ceiling windows that look out over the forest. On the south side of the studio is another large window (though, not floor to ceiling), that looks towards the house/the garden/the horse pastures beyond. Beneath this window is his desk. To the left of his desk is a long workbench with several stools where his woodworking and other projects will be. 

His favorite spot to paint is the place with the stool and empty easel, near the large floor-to-ceiling windows. There are also multiple plants in the room, scattered throughout. The couch actually pulls out into a bed, though it is rarely used. Sometimes, if Lou is in one of his moods, or if he just gets stuck on a project, he will stay the night in his studio.

This is Lou’s space and Belle/Hades rarely go in it, except to fetch him for dinner or whatnot. Sometimes, though, Opal will join him in it. She is the only one brave enough to put up with Lou when he’s in a bad mood and doesn’t want to be disturbed. It is also where she goes when she gets in fights with Belle and Hades, lol. Lou is the indulgent parent and everyone would rather she ran away to Lou’s art studio than to like...the wilds. 

[dignitywhatdignity]

NaClYoHo Day 21

So I didn't think I'd be able to count today (much less be able to update), because 5yo is doing remote learning for election day (GO VOTE if you can and haven't yet).

But I was surprisingly productive. And 5yo is taking a break because MIL keeps going, "Aren't you done yet?!?!" so I'm like, just go play with Grandma, we'll finish later. As if she wasn't warned.

I think I mentioned before that some strong winds knocked over the sunflowers. Well, I tried propping them back up, but it didn't take, and then I'm pretty sure FIL, in the course of fixing our basement walls, stepped on them. And I'm also pretty sure squirrels got into what's left. But I salvaged and hung what I could, even though I think it's a bit too soon. Pictures to follow.

So I did all that today because I have, in fact, met my MIL, and she can't stand when I leave undone a task she thinks makes us (and by extension her, somehow) look bad, so if I didn't do it, she would... and she definitely would not have saved the seeds. While I was at it, I started pruning the Shasta daisies. I'll have to do another round of that next week, but it looks better already.

There's no bulbs in the fridge. I didn't think so, but I had to check.

Since the asbestos guys aren't coming until the 20th, I don't expect to get too much of the basement done for NaClYoHo, but eyes on the prize, right?

Now that Halloween is over, it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving. Yikes.

I did, in fact, finish the 2019 book last year. So we're only 1 year behind. I think that will be my main focus the week I'm temping.

I really need to work on the medical stuff. Ugh.

Current Date: 11/2/2021 Current Score: 20/91 = 22%

Make this list.

Garden 2. Buy some spring bulbs 3. Plant the bulbs 4. Check fridge for bulbs. 5. Prune the sunflowers 6. prune the Shasta daisies ✅ 4. Cut down the sunflowers 5. Dig up the sunflower stalks 6. Harvest the seeds. 10. Repot houseplants

Basement 8. Set up direct deposit for the insurance 9. Upload pictures to FEMA portal 10. get an asbestos appraisal 11. Figure out insurance-vs-fema money situation. 14. Get asbestos removed 15. Get floor refinished 16. Get the walls fixed ✅ 17. Get the walls painted 18. Buy a new rug 19. Put all the furniture back 20. Buy a new couch 21. Buy a new TV 22. Replace the other stuff we claimed 23. Submit receipts for depreciation. 25. Buy new desk chairs.

Halloween 12. Have 5yo hang his window clings 13. Dig non-Christmas holiday box out of the garage and pull out Halloween decorations 14. Buy pumpkins 29. Buy 5yo’s costume

Thanksgiving 30. Put Halloween decorations in non-Christmas box and pull Thanksgiving decorations out 31. Figure out where we're going when and what we need to bring.

Masks 16. Line the white knit mask. 17. Finish knitting the blue knit mask. 18. Line the blue knit mask. 35. Start another knit mask.

Photos 20. Download the official school picture 21. order this year’s pictures 22. parcel out pics for relatives 23. Buy frame for school pics 40. frame the wallet-sized

41. Deal with papers ✅

Medical 26. find glasses prescription 27. order glasses from zenni 28. make GP appointment 29. Attend GP appointment 30. Ask GP about therapy 31. Ask GP about ADHD 32. Make OB/GYN appointment 33. Attend OB/GYN appointment 34. Get flu shot 35. Get the kids their flu shots.✔ 36. make dentist appointments 53. attend dentist appointments

Christmas 38. Make a list of needed gifts ✅ 39. Inventory purchased gifts 40. Shop 41. Pick out kids’ holiday outfits 42. Take holiday photos 43. design and order cards 44. Compile, mail merge, print addresses 61. Order stamps

photo books 46. Did I ever finish the 2019 book? 47. Compile 2020 pictures – my phone 48. Compile 2020 pictures – husband’s phone 49. Compile 2020 pictures - 5yo’s camera 50. Compile 2020 pictures –BIL 51. Compile 2020 pictures – facebook 52. Compile 2020 pictures – my parents 53. Compile 2020 pictures – desktop 54. Compile 2020 pictures – laptop 55. design 2020 photo book 56. Order 2020 photo book 73. repeat process for 2021 book

74. work through mending pile

Finish thank you notes 59. the last of last Christmas (yes I know) –J&S gave castle blocks, pirate stickers, bath book and toys, pelican sorter –J&D gave crayons, sketch pad, tiles, bead maze 60. 1yo’s baptism 61. 5yo’s birthday 78. 1yo’s birthday

79. Organize the coupon drawer ✅

Fridge 64. Contact paper 65. Magnets 82. Organize

83. Bag up clothes for Goodwill

Decorate 5yo’s room 68. frame lighthouse pics 69. Hang all art and pics 86. Hang growth chart

Decorate 1yo’s room> 87. hang art

88. Clean and organize nightstand

Windows 73. Measure all windows ✅ 74. get new blinds for bedrooms 91. get curtains for bathroom, 1yo’s room, kitchen?

[pixie88]

Baby Shower

Chapter 7 - Together - Adam & Ellie.

A/N: This chapter is a fast forward. Rereading it seems like a filler but a fluffy filler! I’m loving my new collages!! SO PRETTY!!! I hope you like it!

Comments always welcome good or bad!

I am only tagging those who have asked to be tagged in this new series from now on as I don't want to annoying people with tags. So Let me know if you would like to be tagged and if I missed anyone sorry just let me know!

Find previous chapters HERE under Together - Adam & Ellie.

Word count: 1885

WARNINGS: ⚠️ Fluffy fluff, NSFW & adult language.

Pairings: Adam x Ellie.

Enjoy 😘

I've been home for 4 days now, I'm bored Adam is at work he wanted to stay home but I convince him that I am fine. But now? Now I'm bored! Daytime TV is awful, I decide to go for a walk. I pop into Bridezillas, Jess looks up at me as I walk into the shop "Hey Ellie! How are you feeling?" she has the most fake smile.

"Hi, I'm feeling OK, just bored!"

"I can imagine it must be just staring at 4 walls all day. Have you heard anything about what is happening to the girl that attacked you?"

"Erm, last I heard they were charging her. Adam is dealing with updates. Has it been busy?"

I don't know if it's real or fake but she gives me an apologetic look "Psycho, hopefully she'll get what's coming to her. Today has been pretty steady actually" the shop phone rings Jess smile and answers it.

I hear the shop door open and turn to greet what I thought would be a customer to be face with his 'Why aren't you resting, look' I feel like a kid being caught with her hand in the cookie jar "Ellie, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at home with your feet up?"

I give him my best pouty sad face "I was bored, so I thought I'd go for a walk and just popped in. How did you know I was here?"

He gives me that grin, "I was walking back from the shop, we needed more tea at work and I saw you in here"

Jess interrupts "Ellie, are you OK to keep an eye out here for a minute or two? Amy is on her break and I need to check out back if a customers dress has been altered?"

I look over my shoulder at her "Yeah, that's fine" She smiles before rushing out the back to the stock room.

"Busted then! I was just so bored I was going to go stir crazy just watching TV"

His arms come around me, his cheek bushes mine as he whispers against my ear "I could've kept you company, but you told me to go back to work!"

I laugh, "Adam!!" I playfully swat him.

"Back thanks Ellie!" Jess calls from behind.

"Right, come on I'm taking you to lunch"

"Oooo, can we go to The Grill? I'm really feeling a chicken burger! Oh, and ice! Baby wants ice!"

He laughs, entwines his fingers through mine and pulls me towards the door "Bye Jess!" I call over

"Bye!"

We get outside "I just need to pop these into the office" we walk over to his office, we get out the front then I freeze on the spot.

Adam turns to look at me, then it clicks and his face turns to concern "Ellie, beautiful! I'm sorry! You know what I'll leave these here and tell Rob there outside. Don't worry I won't let anyone hurt you or Charlie! I promise! Let's get you some lunch"

 ~*~*~*~

After lunch Adam drops me home, I'm looking round the spare bedroom we emptied a few weeks ago. We have the paint, furniture, and furnishings. Nina and Al decided to stay another week after my incident with Laura. I give Nina a text, half an hour later, Al and Nina arrive "Ellie, let's get start on this room" Nina rushes me upstairs. She paints not letting me help and Al puts together the furniture.

I hear my phone.

*1 New Message from Hubster*

[Hey yummy mummy, I hope you're at home resting! I will grab you a couple of bags of ice on the way home! x]

[Hi my gorgeous husband, I am! I've just grabbed one of your hoodies while the heating is heating up as I'm cold. I will send a photo as proof haha! You know how to make a girl happy, I just finished the bag we got at lunch :( xx]

I take a kissy-pouty face photo with his white hoodie in my hand to throw him off and hit send.

*1 New Message from Hubster*

[Beautiful! Probably all that ice you've eaten that's made you cold. OK, I'll get 4 bags might last until tomorrow at least. x]

[Haha, it probs is! I might get in bed until I warm up. Not a bad craving to have, can't put on weight eating ice! haha. We will see you later xx]

Later I'm just putting the vacuum round Charlie new bedroom, Nina and Al have, left as they have plans with Elaine.

"Ellie? Gorgeous? Are you here?"

I hear him call out as he comes in for work "I'm up here! Come up!" I call down, I rush out of the room and close the door.

He reaches the top of the stairs and turns to me "There you are!"

"I have a surprise for you!"

He narrow his eyes at me "Would it have anything to do with that paint on, your forehead?"

I touch my head (Crap!) "Ellie, what have you been up to?"

"Come here, cover your eyes and follow me!" I pull him with me as I open the door "You can't open your eyes until say!"

He grins, I pull him further into the room "Open them!"

He opens his eyes and looks round the room "Ellie, Wow! This is amazing!" he has the brightest smile, "Wait, you didn't lift that furniture did you?"

I laugh "No, of course not. I got your mum and dad to help. Your dad put everything together your mum painted the walls, I did offer to help but she would only let me make teas"

He wraps his arms around me "Ellie, it's perfect!" he claims my lips with his "Now, let me make you dinner!"

"No, Adam I'll make it! You've been at work all day"

He cups my face "And you're pregnant and came home only 4 days ago! I'm cooking no arguments" he kisses my lips softly. I know there's not point in protesting.

~*~*~*~

4 Weeks later.

He clutches my hips as I'm bouncing up and down him "Fuck baby! That's it ride me!" he pushes off the bed and sits up as pulls me to his lips.

I grasp his lip between my teeth, he groans and I let go before his lips kiss along my pulse line. He moves his hips up burying himself further into me "Yes! That's it! Oh!!" a wave of pleasure explodes between my legs and I hit my climax.

He drives into me a few more times before he hits his own.

I collapse onto him, he wraps me up into his arms "Do you have to go to work today?" I put on my pouty face.

He chuckles "Not had enough?"

I shook my head, "You will have so much more fun with me" I wink.

"I would but I'm busy at work" he kisses me gently before getting out of bed, he turns "But you can always join me in the shower!" he winks. I jump up, and he pulls me towards the bathroom with him.

After our shower we are in the bedroom getting dressed, I'm sat on the bed when I feel a flutter in my tummy (That's new) I rest a hand against my bump and I feel it "Adam!! He's kicking!" He spins round and rushes over to me, I take his hand and place it where I felt the kick.

*Kick!*

Adam felt it, his face lights up "He kicked!" then another and another. "Oh wow! This is amazing Ellie!" Adam's phone rings and rings and rings "Rob, what's up?...Yeah, of course. OK, I'll be right there!" he hangs up "I've got to go. I love you...the both of you" he kisses my cheek then my bump.

"We'll see you later!" I smile.

I have today off as Amy needed to swap days. Mum has invited me to lunch at the club, I take the train into the city centre.

[Hey husband! <<I don't think I'll ever get bored of calling you that! 5 weeks tomorrow you made me your proud wife! How's work? Not working to hard I hope?! You'll need your energy for later ;) Just on my way to mum's club for lunch. x]

*1 New Message from Hubster*

[Hello my beautiful wife < I won't get bored of calling you that either xx. Wow, feels like yesterday! Yeah, work is fine muddling through. Oh, will I now? Why would that be!? Have fun and think of me stuck here! xx]

[Good because that's my title until I'm 6 feet under! haha. Aww just think we could be in bed sweating, panting and screaming each others names...but you chose work. Because I plan you for you to fuck me all night! haha! x]

*1 New Message from Hubster*

[That won't be for a long time yet! Fuck picturing it now *boxers feeling tight!* I won't make that mistake again. I plan to keep you in bed until you're sore ;) I need to get back to work. I love you both xx]

[I could've helped with that....but I can't now. You better not!!!!!!!! Ooooh looking forward to it. We love you too x]

~*~*~*~

I get to the club and head inside.

*SURPRISE!*

I look around the room is decorated in blue balloons, it's a boy and baby shower banners! Everyone is here my mum, Tom, Amy, Justin, Elaine, Nina, Kerry and Adam. My emotions get the better of me and I burst into tears.

Mum rushes over to me "Oh, El's this was supposed to have the opposite effect"

I smell his aftershave then feel his arms wrap around me "Hey beautiful! No tears!"

I smile through the tears, he cups my face and wipes them away "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting this! It's such a lovely gesture!" I apologize.

I dry my tears and Adam leads me to a table "Was this your doing? I thought you were busy?"

"Hey Ellie, You can cry if your want to 1. it's your party and 2. you're pregnant, you can be emotional and no one can question it" Elaine calls over.

He gives me a smug smile, "I had to make you believe that because I needed to get here to help your mum. Do you really think I would have turned down a day in bed with you for work?"

I laugh, "I'll remember that next time! Your mum is here! She's racking up some air miles"

"When Mel mentioned it to me a few months ago I had a word with mum. I said she didn't need to come down, but she wanted to. I think she likes you more than me," he laughs, "But seriously she wants to be here in her words 'Adam don't be so silly this is my first grandchild I'm going to get on the first plane for everything, the birth, their first steps etc'"

I laugh, "Bless her!"

Later after gifts and food. I'm catching up with Tom "How are you feeling El's?"

"Like an emotional hippo!" He laughs, "So, it looks like you and Justin are over your little spat?"

"Yeah, El's there's something I need to tell you," he gives me a look I can't read.

"What? What is it?"

"El's, come on let's cut the cake!" Mum pulls me away before Tom can answer. (What does he want to tell me?)

Continue reading this story here - Chapter 8.

@lem-20 @khoicesbyk @aussieez @shewillreadyou @txemrn @irisofpurple