#Home Renovation Next Level

[nextlevelconstincusa]

Discover top-notch home renovation services in NYC with Next Level Construction Inc. Whether you’re planning a kitchen upgrade, bathroom remodel, or a complete home transformation, our skilled professionals are here to bring your vision to life. Explore our exceptional craftsmanship, innovative designs, and commitment to customer satisfaction.

[catboyieejeno]

seventeen reaction ˚୨୧⋆˚

⋆ hhu ver.

oddly specific details/key points of their relationship with you

cw: sfw, 'girl' is only mentioned once in wonwoo's, mentions a period once, and mentions showering together in mingyu's but it's not sexual, npr!

masterlist

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ seungcheol

⋆ seungcheol, who refuses to wake you up when he leaves early for practice/schedules, no matter how much you insist that he should.

when you bring it up, he always promises you that he will next time, and in that moment, he really isn't lying! he fully intends on fulfilling your wishes and waking you up to let you know he'll be heading out; in fact, there's nothing he wants more than to selfishly wake you and bid you a proper goodbye each and every morning he has to leave for work. except on the day of, when his alarm rings at nearly six in the morning, his plans change completely. he spends the better part of an hour talking himself up to the grueling task ahead of him, reminding himself that you literally want him to wake you up.

after he's showered, gotten ready, and is moments away from heading out, seungcheol's eyes land on you, face poking out under all the blankets that you love hogging, cheeks smushed and drool gathering at the corner of your lip. that's when he realizes he doesn't have it in him to disturb your slumber, and he probably never will. ultimately, he breaks his promise, settling instead for leaving a lingering kiss on your cheek and a note or text where he expresses his apology and explains that you deserved the rest. secretly enjoys the earful he gets later, and makes it up to you so sweetly.

⋆ seungcheol, who doesn't let you lift a finger when it's not necessary: "don't worry, i'll take care of it."

it doesn't matter to seungcheol that everyone sees him as responsible and reliable—what really matters to him, is that you see it, too. has no problem with you being independent, but he definitely feels a healthy surge of pride at the prospect of being able to facilitate things for you. having you depend on him, or at the very least having you know you can depend on him for anything, is so important to him. no task is too grueling, and babying you is a partner privilege i can't see him not indulging in. the members definitely call him out for it if it ever happens in front of them, but he could not care less.

if your car needs an oil change, he'll go get it done while you're taking a nap so you don't have to worry about it later. if he notices any laundry piling up throughout the week, he'll do it while you run an errand so that you have one less thing to do when you get home. if you want to redecorate or renovate something, he's invested in your ideas, learning how build complicated furniture and polish floor tiles—anything it takes he'll do, as long as it means he can make you happy. very much an 'acts of service' kind of guy.

⋆ seungcheol, who calls everyday to check-in.

it might seem like it's the bare minimum, but when he works the job that he does and is as busy as he is, knowing that he puts time aside to call you throughout the day is so, so meaningful. especially when he's in a different time zone, staying up late into the night or getting before the sun so that he can wish you a good morning/night. always asks if you've eaten, what you're planning to do that day, etc. and he'll talk to you until he's confident that you don't feel neglected in any way. you're never a second thought to him, and he wants to make sure you feel like he's dedicating time and attention to you, even when he's not physically there to do so.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ wonwoo

⋆ wonwoo, who replaces all of your favorite things the moment they run out.

the level of attention to detail he has for things involving you is both concerning and extremely endearing. he's so attentive to you and remembers all of the things you like and dislike. at the start of your relationship, it was pretty subtle: keeping your favorite drinks and snacks stocked up at his apartment for when you came over or buying a few pairs of shorts or sweats (since you’re obviously wearing his shirts) for when you’d stay the night. keeps them neatly folded in a drawer for you to wear on days need to cover up a bit more, like if Mingyu is around.

eventually, this evolves into restocking your favorite shampoo and conditioner when he's showered at yours and noticed you're out. same goes for your favorite perfume that's running low, and other house-hold things like your detergent or your favorite candle.

always makes sure you're taken care of during outings—brings hair ties and little battery-powered fans for hot days, and on cold winter days, opens his jacket so you can hug his waist and he can wrap it around you, swaying the two of you side to side. presses his cheek against yours to warm it up or kisses the icy tip of your nose.

⋆ wonwoo, whose love language is ambiguous

not only is he receptive to any love language you may have, he is somehow amazing at giving you all five (regardless of which one is your actual favorite).

gift giving? the most thought-through, special gifts for his special girl, as frequent as he deems necessary, too, because you deserve nothing less. quality time? one of his favorite things is sitting with you in a comfortable silence, making occasional jokes and comments to get you to crack a grin. a smile is his favorite look on you. acts of service? waters your plants, cooks for you, cleans or organizes things just how you like them so that you're at your most comfortable, massages your shoulders and feet after long days, runs warm, scented baths—you name it, he does it. physical touch? scoops you into his lap because he's obsessed with how warm you are, and the way your weight feels on him is so, so infatuating. likes leaving light and airy kisses on your cheek or pressing his lips into the crook of your neck. all of his kisses take your breath away, but the ones on your shoulder where he mumbles soft confessions of love are particularly awe-spiring. words of affirmation? don't be fooled by his quietness—he always has something he's eager to say to you, and if it's to pay you a compliment, there is no restriction to his words. loves telling you just how happy you make him, how pretty you are, how you're his safety-net and his soulmate and all of his favorite things put in one.

⋆ wonwoo, who sets aside time for you

you'd never have to ask him to put a book down or hop off a game. the moment you appear, he's putting everything aside to greet you and hold you and ask how you've been. if you're upset or sad, he'll glue himself to your side until you feel better. he seems like the type of person who feels very deeply for the people he cares about, so it's extremely important to him that you are always feeling your best, for his sake and yours. listens so deeply to your concerns and complaints for any matter—whether it's in an argument and you're sharing your views, or after a bad day at work where you ramble and rant about what went wrong.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ mingyu

⋆ mingyu, who is impatient when it comes to you

he's understanding of the fact that the two of you cannot always be together, considering his career and the fact that you're also busy at times; regardless, he has an inability to be away from you for longer than a few hours. it’s endearing, his neediness showing in the form of longing text messages or voice notes where he whines and mumbles, “what are you doing? i miss youuuu,”

his impatience is also evident in person, like how he runs up to the door when he hears your keys jingling because he's that eager to greet you. most of the time if he's cooking or tasting something, you end up tasting the food on his lips because he's never patient enough to wait until he swallows a bite of food before he kisses you.

⋆ mingyu, who is so gentle and thoughtful with you

loves pampering you, whether its by scrubbing your shampoo into your scalp as he sits behind you in a hot bath, or getting up before you to bring you breakfast in bed. most of the time, showering together isn't even sexual; he'll hold you close and mumble soft compliments or talk about his day, wrap you in a towel when you get out, dry your hair for you, apply lotion, whatever your regular routine is— and he truly enjoys every part of it. if he comes home after you've fallen asleep, he'll make sure your phone is plugged in and any alarms you may need are on. finishes any tasks around the house you may have forgotten to do prior to your slumber, like folding clothes you left in the dryer or washing any dishes in the sink.

treats you as if you were made of glass, covering the corners of tables when you walk by or holding your hand while you cross the street. pouts while he takes care of you if you're sick or injured, cooing and bandaging your cuts and scrapes or insisting you take your medicine around the clock and rest (perhaps even excessively... you could have seasonal allergies, and he'll still scold you for wanting to get out of bed).

⋆ mingyu, who dedicates a section of his phone to you

loves candid pictures and loves your face. simple.

there's a hidden photo album on his phone with all the pictures he has of you and with you and there are various playlists dedicated to you, too. any song that reminds him of you is on a playlist with a cheesy name. another playlist consist of songs he knows you like or even thinks you might like. plays these for you on drives where his hand clutches yours and the windows are down.

if you're an individual who gets their period, he has your period tracker on his phone so he can plan accordingly and make sure he's extra sweet to you around that time. has recipes you like/he wants to make for you set aside in a pinterest board or bookmarked on his search page. also keeps your favorite shopping apps with the cart full of things you mentioned so he can get them for you.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ vernon

⋆ vernon, who can't watch shows without you

there's certain tv shows that he completely avoids unless you're there to watch them with him. even if the guys beg him to watch it, he'll refuse and lock himself in his room so there's no chance it might be spoiled. when he's with you though? a few nights of the week, the two of you sit down with snacks and sugary drinks to watch your favorite series together like an old married couple watching their nightly programs.

loves when you you curl up in his lap, both of you wrapped under one blanket with your head resting on his shoulder and his arms circled around you. his gasps and laughs and overall reactions are so loud by your ear but it's adorable and it's such a domestic and comfortable experience. it feels very familiar, and more often than not, both of you prefer this to going out.

⋆ vernon, who rests the best when he's around you

needs his afternoon naps, but specifically, he needs them with you. limbs tangled and light conversation before you drift off that just becomes slurred, pointless babbling. quiet snores and soft breaths take over as the early afternoon hours go by. just the warmth of having you near makes his heart so happy and his rest so fulfilling, especially before practice or after long hours of travelling.

it's a treat to wake up beside him after these catnaps, too. the sleepy features and tousled hair are so very boyfriend, and the way he looks at you when his eyes peek open is so cute.

⋆ vernon, who always tries new things with you

a yes man, any time, all of the time. whether you ask to go on a grocery run at two in the morning or a hike at dawn, he's saying yes. whenever you want to try something new, vernon is your partner in crime and your greatest alliance. he's not only your boyfriend, but your best friend, and it makes everything so fun. always puts a smile on your face, too. he's so goofy and easy going that it's difficult to not feel great around him.

enthusiastic and supportive when you wanna try new hobbies. always asks so many questions so you know he's interested and invested, and will get you any tools or resources you need to excel. trying new foods and restaurants is also high up on the list of things the two of you like to do. he might like keeping a little list of your favorite spots so he can find similar ones to try with you.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

[shotmrmiller]

I can totally imagine the 141 team “peacocking” at reader, like after a mission they all hang out at the base, and Alejandro just starts to strip is cloths off until he’s in his boxers because it’s “more comfortable” this way, but in reality Alejandro just wants to show off his muscles to you. The next five minutes all of 141 are in their boxers and seeing who has the biggest and strongest muscles by having an arm wrestling contest, and when someone loses they try to defend themselves by saying how their arm hurts because they did “100 pull up’s and push ups” before the mission. Then they start showing pictures off their houses and cars, bragging about how much money they make just from investments and stocks, all trying to one up each other saying “yeah I just bought this summer Victoria mansion last month and re-renovation the interior all by myself” or “oh this? No it’s not a house it’s just my 3 level parking garage for all of my cars and motorcycles I have, I’m probably gunna have to build another level soon”

meanwhile reader's too busy trying to figure out if they left the stove on at home. i'd bet that air is thick with testosterone.

gross.

[lichenes]

on my hands and knees begging for domestic fluff w joost. cooking together, doing livestreams, playing video games, ANYTHING plz <3

My friend read the ask and suggested the whole plot so it came out like a crack fic near the end but oh well, the sillies :D Hope you like it anon and thank you for the ask!!

CW: cursing, broken washing machines??? wc: 689

•───────•°•❀•°•───────••────────•°•❀•°•────────•

He walked through the door inhaling the familiar scent of your shared home. “You’re home!” You said with excitement, thrilled to see Joost. He talked to you about the latest concert, his eyes sparkling with joy when he described a huge group of people shouting the lyrics to his song alongside him. 

You were happy to finally have him back home as this was the last concert of the tour. He expressed how grateful he was for your support and couldn’t quite stop apologising for - as he called it - abandoning you for so long. You reassured him constantly hoping he would one day realise what made him happy, made you happy.

You both were too tired to do anything more than discuss things on the surface level. “You know I wouldn’t give you up for anything in the world.” He said as you both were laying in your shared bed. You nodded, constantly surprised by the level of affection he sported while extremely tired. 

You woke up well rested, finally not worrying if he was okay, he was next to you after all. “I’m doing laundry, do you need anything washed?” You said no and went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for you two. When he was done with the load he got into the kitchen and hugged you from behind inhaling your scent. 

“Missed you.” He mumbled into your neck tickling you with his breath. “Missed you too.” You were standing over the stove with a wooden spoon stirring the scrambled eggs. Joost thought proved to be a severe distraction. “I need to focus on the task at hand, Joost.” He let his gorgeous laugh out. “I knoww~ but I didn’t have much time to spend with you and I need you now.” Your face got warmer at those words. “You’ve got me all to yourself lovely.” You said this time making his fair skin turn a shade of red. 

He stopped hugging you and opted instead to set the table. It was quite small but enough for both of you to dine. He made sure to give you your favourite glass. You served the food up. He commented on how tasty it was despite it being only eggs and salt. “It’s hard to fuck up scrambled eggs.” You said with a slight jest in your voice. He laughed and continued. “But it’s not impossible!” 

You went into the living room of your apartment after he was done with washing the dishes and you were done drying them. Your day was spent laying in bed and watching some stupid series full of cheesy jokes which were just cringey enough to make both your stomachs hurt from the laughter. At some point you stood up and went into the bathroom.

Your socks were met with a wet floor which you didn’t expect. Suddenly you realised what was going on. “Joost!” You shouted, calling him over. “What’s up?” He walked right into the puddle. “The washing machine malfunctioned… grab some cloths.” He nodded and walked up to the closet and pulled out some, handing it to you with a smile on his face to cheer you up before the work you both were going to do soon. 

Unfortunately you didn’t catch the malfunction in time which meant the floor panels lifted due to the moisture they absorbed. Renovations were long overdue and you were planning on changing up the floors anyway you told yourself when you saw the panels literally de-gluing themselves from the floor. 

You decided on a herringbone style of floors this time opting to lay them yourselves, after all how hard could it be? You bought raw planks and let Joost lay his heart out. You loved seeing him work all stuck in his own world. He weatherproofed the planks after cutting them up into size appropriate pieces and made your home look brand new with the shining new floors. 

“You did a great job baby.” You said when he came over excited to show you his work. “We should monitor our washing machine better next time though, we wouldn’t want to ruin these gorgeous floors.” 

•───────•°•❀•°•───────••────────•°•❀•°•────────• masterlist

[the-thing-withfeathers]

SOUTHERN COMFORT

a/n: this is the third part of the main series of save a horse but it’ll become a perpetual series i think with some one shots & hcs coming out yayy

part 1 | part 2

pairing: cowgirl!madison beer x f!reader

warnings: smuuuut!! but mostly fluff actually. fingering, strap on usage, masturbation, vibrator usage, pet names.

summary: you never want your time with her to end.

•*¨*•.¸¸♪

you stood outside the door to madison’s house.

it had been a while since you two started a full fledged romance. after the incident in the barn, she took you out on a proper date, excusing it to her being a gentlewoman.

sure, you didn’t mind your quick steamy encounters but it was also nice to know the girl on a deeper level.

“i want this to be more than just hooking up in the barn.” she said, holding your hand at the edge of the cliff. you were getting better with sitting closer to the edge.

“i feel the same way.” you turned to her, placing a kiss on her cheek. “you’re the best thing about this place…” you said, her lip curled into a smile in response.

that night, she took you for a picnic under the stars in the forest. she made some treats for the two of you. one of which included strawberries to dip in chocolate, which she fed you herself.

you laughed all night, you found solace in her. you never thought you would find yourself this happy outside of home. but then you realised you had found a new home in madison.

and that was how you found yourself here, on madison’s front porch. in your pretty little dress that you bought just for tonight. you bought it in madison’s favorite color, hoping to impress her just as much as you wanted to impress her—

“mom!” she yelled out, rushing to get the door before her mother did but she failed nonetheless.

“hello sweetheart! you look so lovely!” her mom greeted you with a smile that matched her daughter’s.

“i brought pie.” you said, sheepishly smiling and holding up an apple pie you made. baking was your specialty, you did it all the time at home.

madison’s head peeked out from the doorway. oh god, that smile… you loved it so much. you couldn’t help but beam the second she tipped her hat at you. her eyes glazed over what you were wearing and she found herself nearly shoving her mom over just to touch you. she enveloped you in a hug, going as far as picking you up slightly.

“baby! the pie!” you squealed out, letting yourself get set down as madison took it from your hands. “i worked so hard on it.”

madison didn’t hesitated to stick her finger into the filling part of it, licking it clean. “it’s delicious! took no damage.” you smacked her arm and both of you laughed, much to her mom’s amusement.

madison & her mom led you into the house where you noticed for a country house, it was surprisingly modern. they had a marble kitchen and modern appliances.

“we renovated last year. our house was hit by the impact of a tornado so mom decided she wanted to modernize a little bit. she wanted to make it just a bit more stable for all of us in case it happened again.” madison noticed your open-mouthed staring.

“it’s beautiful. she did a really good job.” you nodded. madison set the pie down on the kitchen counter behind you.

“i’m glad you came tonight.” she said, her arms wrapping around you from behind. you placed your hands on hers.

“i wouldn’t miss it for the world.” you turned around to face her, looking up at her and placing your hands on her cheeks. “my gorgeous girl, this is like a dream come true.” you said, she leaned down to kiss you, pulling you closer towards her chest.

“it is for me too.” she smirked. “and you in that dress, baby… oh… the things you do to me.” she said, spinning you around. “you look beautiful.”

“i try, i try.” you teased.

“dinner’s ready!” you heard her mom call out.

•*¨*•.¸¸♪

you sat next to madison at the table, introducing yourself to her dad & brother as you sat down. you saw her scoot her chair slightly closer to you, rolling your eyes at her as she just shrugged you off. she just wanted to be closer to you.

you observed her dad, it seemed like all three of them fell under his authority pretty quickly. then again, you knew he was a veteran, with that background comes a presence that was unmissable— you understand where madison would have gotten it from. not that he seemed unkind or closed off, but he definitely seemed to be the type of person that would say no phones at the dining table.

her mom seemed to be an absolute sweetheart, serving everyone but herself. madison actually served you, taking the bowl of food from her mother. you tried to protest but she argued that you were their guest, you didn’t have to do anything.

her younger brother seemed almost like a carbon copy of madison. they were both playful, shoving each other from across the table and flinging bits of food at each other.

“what are your plans for the rest of the year?” madison’s mother said, snapping you out of your thoughts.

you hadn’t been asked that question before. your supposed six-month trial run hadn’t come to a close yet so you hadn’t gotten the chance to think about it. madison noticed a shift in your body language, placing a comforting hand on your thigh.

“i actually have no idea.” there was something about her mother’s demeanour that made you think honesty was the best way to go about answering her. “i was only supposed to be here for six months but i honestly don’t know what will happen after.” you confessed. “as much as i miss the city, i like being here. it’s been nice reconnecting with my childhood and my grandparents.” you smiled a little at the thought. “and your daughter was just there to sweeten the deal.” you joked.

her mother laughed at your joke, her father even cracking a smile after being quiet for most of the dinner so far.

“oh you’re too funny, sweetie.” her mom chuckled. she sounded just like madison when she chuckled. “well, whatever you decide, i’m sure madison would follow you to the ends of the earth.” she teased her daughter. “she always brings you up when she can. we were talking about limes and she managed to include you into the conversation.”

you looked over at a red-faced madison, a smirk creeping up onto your face. “is that so?” you nudged her a little bit. “didn’t think you liked me that much, cowgirl.”

“i don’t.” she huffed, clearly lying but embarrassed cause of all the teasing.

“you never shut up about her.” her younger brother chimed in, flicking a grain of rice towards madison. madison stood up quickly in a fit of playful rage, her younger brother immediately leaped out of his seat and ran away towards the living room.

“oi! you have to excuse yourselves to do that!” her father yelled out but there was no use, they were already too far.

a part of you hated madison for leaving you with her parents but you also felt comforted but their presence.

“you’re good for her.” her father spoke, that was the first time he addressed you.

“i try to be, sir.” you nodded. “but i think she’s more good for me. i wasn’t like this when i first came here.”

“she mentioned it. but i wouldn’t have noticed that you were any different.” he said, it was one of the kindest things you’ve ever heard. you were glad that someone noticed your change after you tried your hardest to make a difference.

“thank you, sir. that’s very kind.” you smiled warmly. her mother nodded in agreement with him.

madison & her brother suddenly ran back into the kitchen, sitting back down at their places.

“you done being at each other’s throats?” her father said, finishing his meal. they both nodded at their dad. you noticed madison’s flannel was misbuttoned and another button was missing. her hat was crooked on her head and she looked disheveled.

“you lost that fight, didn’t you?” you teased her.

“no way!” she defended herself while her brother cut her off.

“she totally lost that fight.”

“guess you’re not as tough as you look!” you loved trying to get a reaction out of her.

“shut up.”

•*¨*•.¸¸♪

you and madison’s family sat outside around the firepit. it was only your girl that was missing.

you had a cardigan over your shoulders, pulling it shut to keep yourself from the cold.

you heard the back door swing open and turned to see madison bringing out a guitar.

since when did she know how to play a guitar?

you looked at her with curiosity. you weren’t complaining, you actually should have known she was able to play. she never failed to surprise you with something new all the time, it was something you admired about her.

she sat down next to you, her arm touching yours as she put the guitar on her lap. the neck of it hovered over your legs but you didn’t mind, you loved being closer to her. you even scooted closer for warmth, holding onto her arm that was used to hold the fretboard.

“didn’t know you were a rockstar.” you said, leaning your head on her shoulder.

“i’m not. but my dad used to play, he taught me how.” she played a couple notes from a riff.

“you amaze me.” your eyes sparkled when you looked up at her.

“good.”

she started playing the chords to a song you found familiar. you may have heard it in passing.

“i set out on a narrow way, many years ago…”

she can fucking sing?!

your head practically shot up upon hearing her voice.

“hoping i would find true love along the broken road.”

oh my god. her voice. it was like the chorus descending from the heavens. you thought she was kidding, that she would play some silly stupid kid’s song or something.

“but i got lost a time or two. wiped my brow and kept pushing through.”

you didn’t know whether to be mad that she kept this from you— that she had a voice of an angel.

“i couldn’t see how every sign pointed straight to you.”

or mesmerized that the girl you met a couple months ago had a talent you didn’t expect from her. her voice was smooth like butter, she carried the tune with ease.

“that every long lost dream led me to where you are.”

and when she looked at you with those eyes. god, those eyes. you couldn’t help yourself. you were weak in the knees, you’d need help standing up later.

“others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars.”

you. you. she was singing to you. she was looking straight at you while she serenaded you.

“pointing me on my way, into your loving arms.”

and you. you loved her.

“this much i know is true…”

you. loved. her.

“that god blessed the broken road…”

you loved this girl from the country. you loved everything about her. how she cared for you, how she changed you. you loved madison.

“that led me straight to you…”

•*¨*•.¸¸♪

you wasted no time sitting madison down on her bed when you two got each other alone.

you straddled her lap, kissing her and knocking her hat off.

“god… you… when did you learn how to sing?!” you were frustrated— mentally, sexually, all of it!

“if i had known it would have affected you this much, i would’ve serenaded you ages ago.” she said, untying your dress with her apparently very skillful hands.

“shut up.” you said, practically tearing the rest of the buttons off her flannel when you tore it open. “show me what else you can do with your fingers.”

“don’t have to tell me twice.” she said, placing a hand on your back and knocking you down onto the bed.

she needed no help in taking her own clothes off. you quickly stripped yourself of your dress, throwing it onto the floor. she took her tank top off and unbuckled her jeans.

she sighed out of lust, the view in front of her was more beautiful than the seven wonders to her.

you sprawled out under her just in some lingerie you picked out to surprise her with. she was hovering over you and yet you were still talking.

“i can’t believe you’d do that to me. at your parents’ house!” you complained, she furrowed her brows at you.

“what i did?!” she exclaimed. “what about you?! you and this dress— my favorite color. you knew what you were doing!” the lingerie matched the color of your dress. “and this! you knew you’d get me in bed!” she accused.

“i didn’t expect you to play guitar and sing to me!” you tried to fight until she shut you up with a kiss, you forgot everything you wanted to say. “god… i want you.”

she wanted to punish you for what you did— you purposefully provoked her. but then she looked into your eyes, she saw something else other than the intention of getting her into bed. she saw something unfamiliar, and she saw how much you craved her.

to you, you know exactly what your eyes were saying. love. love her. you love her.

she smashed your lips together in a sloppy kiss, she put most of her weight on top of you but still held herself up a little bit. her right hand found your cunt, she was impatient, she just pushed your panties over to the side and started circling your clit with her fingers.

“oh baby, you really did want me, huh?” she asked, kissing your neck. you nodded through a soft moan as your legs opened wider for her.

“shhh, baby. my family’s next door.” she whispered to you, pecking your lips. “you’ll have to be quiet.”

you wanted to complain, you wanted the entire world to know how madison made you feel. although it became hard to fight back when you felt her slip a finger into you.

“god, you don’t even need foreplay. you’re just ready for me.” she said, sucking the skin of your neck. she’d leave a mark for sure. you whimpered, rutting your hips against her pumping finger. “so very very needy. my needy girl. so good for me.”

your hands tangled themselves in madison’s hair, your face was angled away from her so she could keep kissing your neck. you craved all of this, all of her. you were basically already fucked out from how much she turned you on from earlier.

“mads, i want you to feel it too.” you muttered, turning to look at her finally, pushing her out of your neck. you aimed to please her just as much as she did to you.

“okay, baby. whatever you want.” she nodded and pulled away from you. you started slowly touching yourself while she was turned away, rubbing your clit and groping at your own breast. “stop it.” she said, ordering you.

“how did you even know?!”

“you do it a lot. you’re just too needy sometimes. i know every single time.” she mocked you. she stepped into a harness that she pulled out of her drawer, but you saw her insert something into herself. “got this for us.” she turned back around.

it was a strap-on with a vibrator attachment for her. you two had tried more adventurous things, there wasn’t a lot to do in the country. you grinned at it.

“too sweet.” you giggled softly, still groping at your breasts.

she made her way back over to you, hovering on top of you again. you pulled her down to you for a kiss, you let out a small moan just from it. it turned you on knowing you both were going to satisfy yourselves.

she pressed a button on the base of the silicone cock, moaning when the vibration started inside of her. “woah… okay, fuck. amazing investment.” she laughed.

“where did you even get it?” you asked, pulling her closer.

“uh.. amazon. it was my first order!” you both chuckled softly.

“okay, hurry, hurry.” you grabbed the dick yourself, trying to speed up the process. your core was absolutely throbbing at this point, you needed to ease it before you exploded.

you lined the cock up with your hole and madison pushed it in, slowly. you both groaned when you swallowed it in its entirety.

“taking me so good, baby.” she said, thrusting into you at a medium pace. “fuckk—“ her words were stringing along as she felt herself succumb to the vibration. “you look amazing when you take my cock.” she managed to get out.

“i bet you love fucking me like this, huh?” you ran a hand through her hair. your other hand rested on her shoulder. she nodded as she let out another moan.

you shushed her kindly, remembering that her parents slept in the next room. you would be surprised if they didn’t hear the vibration paired with your noises. the walls seemed awfully thin for a renovated house.

madison had a hard time keeping her composure as the vibrator sent little buzzes up her own core. glands of sweat started to form on her skin, dripping down onto your chest. she palmed one of your boobs, taking the other one into your mouth. your noises spurred her on, her arousal coating the vibrator. you let out little whimpers when she used her teeth to tug at your nipple.

her thrusts increased in pace. your jaw dropped open when you felt the vibration from the base of the cock hit your clit with every thrust. your mixed pleasure with madison was overwhelming, you were cock-drunk on her but you wanted more and more.

her little grunts when she collided into you, her sloppy kisses on your neck, and the sweet nothings she was whispering in your ear.

“oh my baby… this pussy is mine and mine only.” she growled into your ear. “nobody else is ever gonna fuck you this good.”

“mmhm, nobody else.” you repeated after her. her hand made its way to your clit again, a gasp tried to force its way out of you until you smacked your hand over your mouth. “oh god mads! i’m so close.”

“me too baby… cum with me. c’mon… you can do it.” your nails clawed at her back as you reached your peak. you left red scratch marks.

“mads!” you cried out as a moan got caught in your throat as you finished all over her dick, resulting in a gasp that you were certain someone would have heard.

your body jolted up as hers came crashing down on you.

“fuck!” she said, her legs twitching, you know she finished as well. she panted softly, her head in between your breasts as she pulled out of you, stopping the vibrator as she did.

she collapsed next to you, still trying to catch her breath. you both wrapped your arms around each other in a hug.

your chin was on top of her head as she cuddled into you.

“this is the best night of my life.” she said, muffled as her face was still in between your tits.

“oh you…” you shoved her playfully. “you’re so cheeky.

“but you love me for it.” she teased.

“i do.” you don’t know why that suddenly came out.

“what?” she pulled away from you, staring into your eyes.

“i do… love you. i mean.” you said, not being able to control yourself. it was a mix of tiredness and arousal, you thought.

“i love you too, princess.” she said. it was the happiest she’s ever been. she had thought she was incapable of being loved, or loving. but you had proved her so very wrong.

and she had proved you wrong. it wasn’t tiredness or arousal… it was just her.

madison drifted off to sleep quickly. she had put a lot of effort into the day. you heard her snoring and she turned away from you in her sleep. you pouted at first but thought it was good timing for what you planned to do.

you slipped out of bed and put one of her t-shirts on along with a pair of shorts.

you snuck outside, sitting on the porch out the front door.

you had your phone with you. you knew it was late but whether or not they answered, you wanted them to know before you forgot to say anything.

you looked through your contacts and pressed dial on the right one. it took six rings before you got a response.

“hey! sorry we couldn’t get to the phone right now, we’ll call you back when you get the time!”

“hey mom! hey dad!” you started, the cold breeze outside sent a shiver down your spine.

you suddenly saw a figure show itself in the light.

madison had come out to join you after realising you were missing. she had turned over to try and cuddle you but was met with an empty space. she came out to drag you back in but saw you on the phone.

she was beautiful in this light, you almost forgot you were on the phone.

“i’m sorry it’s so late but i wanted to let you know this by tonight.” you snapped back to reality.

“i’ve decided to stay.”

•*¨*•.¸¸♪

over the next few weeks, your parents made the trip up. they dropped off a couple more of your things that you would need in order to stay the rest of the year.

you had no idea what was in store for after that but you knew you wanted more time with your grandparents and more time with madison.

your parents were so pleased to hear how you had been settling in.

madison was so excited to meet your parents. and your grandparents had spilled the beans about the two of you so your parents were excited to meet her as well.

madison had put on her best flannel, which you thought was incredibly silly but not out of character for her. she had some dirt on her face from working that you had wiped off just as your parents pulled up.

your mom and dad basically came running to you, enveloping you in a group hug.

“i’ve missed you both!” you said, holding back tears. it had been a while since you’ve seen them in person.

“we missed you, honey.” your mom kissed your forehead.

“it’s not the same without you but i guess we’ll just have to settle for it. you look so happy.” your father said, kissing your cheek.

they both turned to look at madison, your father sticking his hand out to her.

“so you’re the girl that has my daughter whipped for the country, huh?” your dad said, madison took his hand and shook it.

“dad!” you exclaimed, nudging his back.

“well, i’m flattered, but what’s not to like about the country? we have cool animals and good music.” madison returned the sentiment.

“i’m with you there!” your mom said.

“when have you ever liked country music?” you asked her as your dad started bringing the luggage down from the back of his truck. madison followed him and offered to help him out, they talked about the truck as they did it.

“i used to play the banjo.” your mom revealed.

“what?! why have you never taught me?!” you gasped.

“because you threw a tantrum when asked to sit still.” she argued.

“she still does!” madison called out.

“oh shut it!” you scolded her and she just rolled her eyes at you with a smile on her face.

“c’mon!” your grandma called from the house. “get inside! the food’s getting cold!”

your mom & dad walked towards the house. despite the fact that madison was carrying suitcases, you pulled her in for a deep kiss.

“c’mon darlin’, i gotta get these suitcases in there so we can get some food in us and take the horses out.” she protested.

“i love when you talk country to me.” you said, a toothy grin forming on your face.

“well you’re not getting rid of me that easy so you’re gonna have to love it.” she pressed a quick kiss to your cheek.

“i love you.” you said, letting her walk faster before her arms got tired out.

“i love you too.” she said, nodding her head once to stimulate tipping her hat.

man, you loved the country.

[tarotmundomonde]

Next 5 months general reading

pick a number 1-5 OR an emoji 🔨 💰 ✒️ 🪙 ⚖️

(ps. this reading is for practice and for fun)

1.🔨 For pile 1, you have a lot of people showing up in your reading. It does look like you'll have a strong social life for the next 5 months. A lot of good news and celebrations. For some, maybe a new home and/or renovating, like painting your walls, buying new furniture and the such. Don't make hasty decisions! It looks like you'll deal with a lot of anxiety and stress, fears and doubts. There is a reference to usually the first answer you had in mind is the right one, aka don't second guess. A lot of decisions to make, devotion, plans, communication. Things that happen fast and things that happen slowly. You will be taking the lead and get your way. I'm sensing making your dreams come true. It will require determination and effort. It looks like there is someone you look up to as well, maybe a role model or just someone you respect and think highly of. In general it looks good and quite mundane. Now, let's dive a little deeper into the reading. There is a strong reference to walking your path. You need to find it or to stick to it. A lot of passionate energy towards your goals. Also, maybe you are into going on a walk. Maybe you'll even do some sight-seeing. And there will be a focus on your nervous system. So you'll need to work on that. This could be even due to coffee or energy drink addiction. But you need to find a way to break free and to transmute the extra nervous energy so you can have better sleep at night or just in general to learn to relax. You have a lot of messages about letting go. You definitely have the power to release all of that nervous energy. Also, overall in regards to your health, you are able to heal and working on improving your health will bring you great positive results during the next 5 months. You also have a message about vanity and your social life. You want to make sure you don't overly isolate yourself just because you are busy, but you could benefit isolating yourself from vanity. Another message coming through is music. Looking at the spread, it looks like this could be a method to relax yourself. But you could be in the music industry or do music, study music, etc. If you are some kind of a musician, it looks like you'll be doing great and be more creative and productive in that sense. The cards are showing that it's going to be time for you to let yourself shine. There is also reference to mutual respect. Working as a team, creations, contracts and promises will be of significance for you for the next 5 months. It's going to be a time of saying yes, a time of initiation and action, like a fertile time to make things happen and grow. A time of dedication and strong focus. Without forgetting about your health in every single way. To take time for yourself, to focus on yourself and improve your health. Looking at the cards, it looks like it will be rather easy for you to manage it all and you will see the results, especially on the energetic level, like feeling more energetic, having more energy and self-confidence.

2.💰 For pile 2, it's clear that the focus is on money, finances and work/school and the daily life. It looks like you have all the support you need, money is great, you have all you need and there are new doors for you in education/career. However, you do have a few challenges as well. You could find yourself to be indecisive or that you cannot manage all you want to. You simply can not keep all the doors open and you can not have control over everything. You could feel stuck and you may need to change directions. The other thing is bad news. You could have health problems. But it looks like you can overcome them by working on having a strong routine and healthy diet. Now, let's dive a little deeper into the reading. You literally got the workaholic card! You also got a lot of longterm timing cards. So there will be great focus on the longterm and the future. Maybe even projects, where you have to create a very solid schedule. When it comes to healing, perhaps sound and colour healing could be of significance for you, so if you are interested, look them up. Because there is a focus on listening. Of course, maybe you work with sounds and colours, like media, creating websites, videos, etc. But there is great focus on communication and listening is very important. It looks like if you are too opinionated, you are not truly hearing, what you are told, but you hear what you want to hear or don't even really listen and that's why there could be unnecessary misunderstandings. So listening and learning to listen and to pay attention will be crucial for you. Also, because you could miss out on important little details, like it seems you need to expand your way of thinking. And other people could have great ideas for you. There will be also focus on symbolism and reading between the lines. And all that said, of course, forgiveness. It also means to know, when to apologize. You'll have to work on mercy, being compassionate, forgiveness and on releasing and relief. You have a lot of mentions of wisdom, so the next 5 months will be a time of learning some lessons, especially in regards to communication. Remember, you are meant to learn these lessons, so let go and let flow. Other than that, there will be new beginnings. Remember that once you commit to something, you'll have to stay committed to that matter. For example, if you take some classes, you have to take them till the end, go to the exams, etc. But it looks like there will be plenty of abundance, growth and fulfilment, rewards and solid foundations established during the next five months.

3.✒️ Huge energies, pile 3. Major theme is balance. For some of you, you could be pregnant or getting pregnant. It looks like all will be well for the next 5 months, so if you give birth during that time, it looks like there will be no complications. Another theme is healing. Clarity. It looks like a more passive time, you'll have to really be patient. You are more in a place of receiving and of receptivity. Also, significant partnerships. Now, let's dive a little deeper into the reading. You could have major moodswings. Now that could be something typical of you. Otherwise, it could be due to the situations you will be facing. First of all, you will be dealing with temptation, bad habits. If you are into gossiping, the cards are saying that's a bad habit. You could feel guilty about something or some habits. But the cards are showing that you have the power to overcome your bad habits. Then, it also looks like people will have many opinions about you, quick to judge you and there will be lots of gossips about you. So it would be better for you to keep your things to yourself. It doesn't matter, if it's romance, friendships, at school, at work, etc, but during this time you are better off keeping your things to yourself. People will gossip about you. You will have fears to face, but you can turn it into fuel. It's time for you to own your power. Stand still, wait and watch. Dang, people are really watching you, even when you don't notice that. And that includes social media. You really have so many eyes on you. And it's really all about gossip, wanting to gossip about you. People are obsessed with doing so about you. But if you stay patient and just watch and keep things to yourself, things will come naturally to light. The people, the reasons, the answers will come to you. The cards do say there is no need to worry, as now you know. You have a lot of messages about perception in your reading. It's going to be a matter of how you look at things. Changing your perspective can benefit you. But also, just take in the view. Enjoy life. Look outside the window, if you like someone, enjoy the view of them, etc. Also, look at all you have, be grateful. There is a lot of wisdom available to you at this time. Also, whatever you do most of the day, focus and create with intention. You know what are your best ways at learning something or at doing something. You could also be looked up to or there could be someone you can learn a lot from. Whether it's your teacher or boss or counsellor, etc. But there seems to be someone, who can teach you things. You also have a message about recovery. So it seems you'll be fine. The cards are also talking about playing and having fun and adding more laughter into your life. Although, it seems it will happen naturally, as it looks like you are going to have a time of abundance and peace and contentment, but also of excitment! And perhaps you'll travel or go on a trip as well.

4.🪙 For pile 4, you have a lot of people card showing up for you in this reading. There will be a massive transition or transformation happening in your life during the next 5 months, maybe a whole overhaul even. Lots of messages and news, maybe even invitations, letters. Maybe a lot of purchases, like books, essentials, even maybe a new laptop, etc. New hobbies or just hobbies and projects in general. I'm also seeing learning from other people, like learning by watching and then trying the same yourself. Travelling or relocating is possible. You will be busy, but still it looks like you are heading towards better times. Just remember to delegate your chores and such. Emotionally you will master your emotions at this time. You could feel like you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, like you feel fulfilled in that sense. Now, let's dive a little deeper into the reading. You have a lot of messages about stillness and resting. Also, to pause for a minute and really pay attention to the little details, to signs. Like if you are looking at a picture, look at the details, look at the symbols. If let's say you are taking a exam, take a pause to really look at the details, pay attention to them. There is something that could be easily overlooked but makes a huge difference. You have messages about discovery and recovery. Also, to not give up. And there is something that will be unlikely. You also have a huge focus on your looks. Nourishment is coming through, glamour as in how you dress, maybe you are looking for a more dramatic look. Because the cards are talking about the need for you to be your more authentic self. To dare to be independent in that sense, in the way you look, in the way you carry yourself and express yourself. Apparently, you will also be surrounded by some drama. No wonder there is such a focus on stillness. And also, your life energy. So nourishment is going to be highlighted in that sense. A time of healing. It will be your turn to land gracefully, to have your own after glow. I also see beauty sleep. And eyes on the prize. Like said before, it's not time to give up, it's time to keep going.

5.⚖️ For pile 5, the focus will be on you and partnerships. A time to find balance and peace within, acceptance, actively working on your emotions. It seems you'll have dreams you want to pursue, fearlessly following your desires and passion. A lot of movement. There is a focus on your needs and what you want and need. Also, on your abundance, finances, what you own and health. There could be some conflicts of interest, so much you wanna do. But also, drama and competition. It's like it would be better to take a step back and first see what's going on. You have eyes on you. Self-care. Possibly romance. On one hand, it looks very mundane but very active. You'll be busy. Now, let's dive a little deeper into the reading. There is definitely a strong theme of learning lessons, to see the bigger picture, understanding and higher heart healing. Maybe even ancestral healing. You are called to heal and ascend and to recognize your purpose. Peaceful resolution. I also see the possibility for travelling and sight-seeing. But it could be also just higher interest to visit museums and such. I see history here and also expansion and high views like going to high places and looking at the views. You could also be taking classes or maybe you are a student. A lot about intentions and purpose. You'll be having a lot of questions and questioning your beliefs and people's beliefs, flipping everything upside down. Maybe it's related to your studies. Also, patience and planning, plans, co-operation, teamwork. Abundance and service is coming through as well. Wish wisely. A wish could come true, so really think about what you truly want and need the most at this time. And have faith. It also looks like you will be more childlike. Of course, you might have kids or be around kids. But otherwise, it's gonna be more your energy. Being more playful and curious, initiative, doing some silly and fun stuff and being open and warm. It's your time to shine and keep going. You might experience moments of laziness, so maybe that's when you'll tap more into that fun energy. But it's also possible that there is something you are gonna realize you are not that into and so you will not try to push it. For example it could be in romance or it could be a subject at school. And then protection. In romance, you know what it means. Otherwise, you are gonna step into your more warrior energy and also acts of kindness is coming through. That could be related to the service message, whether people are more kind towards you or you do that.

[pinkiemachine]

What are some timsteph headcanons you have? And what couples or ships u like outside of dc remind u of them?

That she’s really clingy and her love language is physical touch. Like, she’s always coming to him wanting a hug, or to hold his arm, or snuggle up next to him, just burry her face in his hoodie… but she can be a bit oblivious about the fact that she can be a biiiiit… intrusive at times. If Tim is busy with something, she might not recognise it and just come on in, trying to talk to him, and then Tim gets frustrated that she’s not reading the room, and has to remind her that sometimes he has things to do and can’t get distracted. She usually makes up for it by doing something nice for him later when he has more free time.

Tim can be a bit oblivious about her emotions sometimes, so every now and then he makes an oopsie in the form of accidentally neglecting her emotional needs—usually by working on a case too long and not realising she needs time with him—and then has to go make up for it. His love language is personal time, and he just enjoys being in the same room as Steph. They don’t even have to be doing anything, just cuddling on the couch is enough. Or sitting in the Batcave on their phones. Talking late into the night.

She definitely loves the fact that her bf is loaded with cash and Tim loves to spoil her. Not in overly fancy dinners to french restaurants or Louis Vuittons, but in trips to places she’s never been before, going on hikes through the Italian countryside, bungie jumping in New Zealand, or boating on the Nile.

They both geek out, but over different things and in slightly different ways, and they happily listen to the other ramble on about the thing they’re excited about currently. For Tim it’s usually some random information rabbit hole he’s stumbled down—like the history of Roman gladiator food, or medieval cutlery. For Steph it can be literally anything. A cute dog she found that she wants to adopt, why do superheroes wear the undies on the outside of their uniforms? Damascus steel forging, a new TikTok trend, a new tv show she’s just gotten into, interior home renovation and DIY stuff, knitting… waffles…

Tim struggles with depression. It’s not surprising. A study done once showed that intelligent people are often more likely to be depressed (perhaps there’s something to being “blissfully ignorant”) but in Tim’s case, there’s also the trauma of having to go through everything he’s gone through as a vigilante. Because of his depression, it can make it difficult to find the will to want to hang out with people, or go do things outside of work. That’s where Steph comes in. She’s hurt too, but remains stubbornly optimistic. She’s able to talk with Tim about things they can’t talk about with anyone else, and she helps him get out and do things, talk to people, see the sun every once in a while. She is his sunshine. Literally. She makes him happy. And for Steph, she can sometimes have a hard time living in reality. Because of her trauma, she tends to fall into escapism to cope. She can day dream for hours if left to her own devices, and often romanticises things or doesn’t take them seriously. That’s where Tim comes in. When she’s getting too carried away or not acknowledging a situation like she should, he brings her back down to ground level and helps her through it. Facing reality is easier with him, she’s found out. ❤️💜

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Thanks to Ingek73 for finding this amazing 1855 home in the Netherlands that actually has exposed medieval walls inside! It has 5bds, 2ba, €835K / $898K. I love it so much! Look at this unique home that's like a museum!

They modernized it beautifully.

But, then look at what they preserved. What a great reno, they kept whatever they could and it looks like they reinforced some of it with cement, so that they were able to keep it.

Can you imagine the history in these ruins? I can't even believe it's under $1M.

I appreciate when renovators come in and preserve history. What a modern, warm home.

Isn't the kitchen beautiful?

Looking down from the 2nd level.

The column has a niche and so does the fireplace.

They have a dining table set up with the living room on the 2nd level. (There are 3 levels.)

There's a door to the garden in the living room.

And, look at this. An ancient wall, oven, and on the right, another remnant cleverly made into a fireplace.

Door to the street and a separate water closet. Very nice.

2nd staircase going up to the next level.

The den is so beautiful, I can't stand it. Look at that wall.

Bedroom off the den has a pretty mural feature wall.

Cozy bath. Love the tile, sink and tub.

This bedroom also has a mural feature wall, plus a door to the garden and a fenced window to open and look out at the garden.

The 3rd bd. is small and can be used as a nursery, home office, or craft space, etc.

Brick walls along the stairs to the uppermost level.

There are 2 more bedrooms up here, plus a bath with laundry.

Look at the roof- there's a cage and railing to stand and safely observe the view. How cool is that?

The basement has great potential. I would make it into a rathskeller.

Beautiful gated garden.

https://www.funda.nl/koop/nijmegen/huis-43447370-ridderstraat-5-7/

[etherealising]

chapter five | we keep this love in a photograph

masterlist | ↢ previous chapter | next chapter ↣

pairing: carmen berzatto x f!reader | f!reader x the bear crew | male!oc x f!reader | carmy x claire | carmy x wingwoman!sydney |

summary: as plans are set in motion and renovations move forward, carmy finds himself entangled with the thought of you.

warning(s): guilt | grief | language | mentions of death | mentions of suicide | substance abuse | recovering addict | idiots in love | self-sabotage | insinuation of sex | semi-edited | please let me know if i missed anything

wc: 7.1k

It was 4 am, and the heat from your oven warmed the kitchen. The biscuits lined up nicely on the cooling rack, You hadn’t given much thought to the task at hand, too busy trying to remove yourself from the guilt-ridden thoughts that plagued your mind most nights.

Peach juice coated your hands, the rhythmic act of peeling them helped you to silence the foreboding thoughts fighting their way to the forefront of your brain.

The handwritten recipe card was placed strategically out of the way to not get ruined while you worked around the kitchen. You were no chef that much was obvious, but your mom taught you the art of cooking from a very young age. Instilled in you a sense of independence.

Standing in your kitchen as the night began its metamorphosis into day, you couldn’t help but reminisce about the role your mom played in your life. As a single parent, your mom was adamant about you knowing how to live life without having to depend on the goodwill of others. And even when the Berzattos entered your life, she made sure that you were never too comfortable.

You were allowed to spend as much time with the family as your heart desired, your mom wanted you to understand and enjoy human connection. But she’d always make sure you knew how easy it was for a person to walk out of your life. She liked to remind you that you couldn’t control other people’s actions, and just because you were important to someone today, didn’t mean those same feelings would transcend into tomorrow. To take a little, but never too much, to allow a certain level of comfort but always remember your role in other people’s lives is never as important as you may think.

All the peeled peaches sat atop the cutting board, awaiting the moment they would be pitted and cut into symmetrical slices.

Parents, either unknowingly or not, pass down their own beliefs and ideas to their children. Children who were essentially sponges waiting to soak up whatever knowledge and information was thrown their way. You knew this first hand, your mom’s need for independence is the same flaw that now afflicted you even into adulthood.

The independence that was so far from what you craved growing up, so drilled into you by your mother, that you instead hid behind your dependency on the Berzatto family.

That same need for independence that you had finally given in to and had almost killed you five months ago.

While your mom saw her life lessons as a teaching moment to never overstay your welcome. You easily disregarded it growing up, how could she not expect you to live in your vulnerability, to depend on people she had so easily allowed to love you and take up space in your life?

You didn’t blame your mom for allowing you to know the Berzattos but you blamed her for the part of you that would always remember her words. Always make you second guess if your actions affected people the way theirs did you.

Her words once again made an appearance when Carmy first distanced himself from you and finally made a permanent home in your head when Mikey passed away.

A shrill beep alerted you, the oven was ready. The peaches are pristinely cut, along with the previously made peach simple syrup both awaiting use.

Gingerly adding all the ingredients to your Dutch oven, you placed the lilac pot into the oven before beginning to clean up the mess you made.

You knew your mom did her best raising you with the hand she was dealt. Your father, a shadow you’d never know. Her own life experiences an excuse to protect you from the world, from yourself.

As her health deteriorated, you watched your mom's outlook on life become less skewed. But what good would that do you? The little girl you once were absorbed her constant message and stored it in the back of your mind for safekeeping, awaiting the day such a pessimistic ideal system might one day be put to use.

The timer on your oven was ticking down, the hoard of minutes left until the peach cobbler was done brought on a feeling of despair. Watching the timer dwindle minute after minute felt like a metaphor for your life at the moment.

Time was running out, and maybe that wasn’t true but you sure as hell did feel that way. The time you had left to confess your shortcomings to Richie quickly passed by. The expiration date for whatever the fuck was going on between you and Carmy fastly approaching.

You couldn’t allow these things to continue festering in your life. The weight of them exhausting you, you couldn’t keep pushing on like everything was okay like nothing had changed between any of you.

Choices you made inadvertently affected them just as much as they affected you. You didn’t want this wall between you and them anymore, and even if the wall was nonexistent to them; it was very much real to you.

You would figure things out, you had to. There was no time like the present to commit yourself to fixing the lives you had messed up.

It was easy though walking through life as if you hadn’t ruined anyone else’s. It was almost like you hadn’t, if they weren’t privy to your vices, was there any point in coming clean? Any point in apologizing to them?

Those thoughts were wrong and you knew it. You had to admit your wrongdoings to yourself, to understand why the people you loved the most in life were deserving of an apology, because if you didn’t you would constantly spend the rest of your days justifying why your actions were okay.

Justifying the fact that because you didn’t mean to overdose, that made everything you did okay. That, because you were just going through a mentally tough time in your life, turning to stimulants to aid your grief, was fine. That you were trying to forget for all the right reasons.

Reality was though, there was no right reason for the choices you had been making this whole time. And that was something you still had to come to terms with.

Closing your eyes, your head fell back, face pointed towards the kitchen ceiling. A tired sigh escaped your lips, the exhaustion of recovery taking its toll on you. Tired of standing in the kitchen and being berated by your mind you decided to begin outlining the exposè you were hoping to write on The Bear.

Busying your mind was the easiest option right now, too much unnecessary thinking put you back into the mindset that got you into this mess. Silencing any unwanted thoughts was no longer an option for you, but focusing on something else was proving to work for the time being.

You had made a colossal mistake. Who did you think you were to bring people who cooked for a living a sweet and savory cobbler? That wasn’t your initial plan when you couldn’t sleep this morning and decided to bake. But after removing the dish from your oven allowing the aromas to swim through the foundation of your house, you couldn’t bring yourself to keep it.

A dish that was introduced to you through your mom and the lineage the both of you carried. A dish that Mikey would always want for, but never expect when you did make it for him. A dish that you had spent countless times baking with Carmy by your side the two of you messing up the recipe more than once.

A dish that you once loved so much, but after your mom's death it always tasted like something was missing. And now baking it for the first time since Mikey’s passing you couldn’t even stomach the sickly sweet smell of it.

Walking through the lot to the back door, you were unsurprised to find it unlocked. Entering, you began walking through the kitchen making your way to the counter to place the pastel Dutch oven, the tote bag with vanilla ice cream you picked up on your way there following quickly after.

You weren’t sure who was already here at this time but thought it’d be a nice thing to do by offering them a bowl of the diabetes-inducing dessert. The chunky knit cardigan you were wearing was relegated to the stool next to you, the kitchen felt unusually warm, or maybe that was just your body's natural reaction to being in the restaurant.

Since Carmy had taken over the joint you couldn’t pretend you knew where anything was located. You knew Carmy to be the type of person to run a tight ship, expecting a certain standard from his co-workers.

Searching through the various storage spaces lining the kitchen, you unconsciously bobbed your head to the music singing through your headphones lost to the angelic voice streaming into your ears.

Locating a stack of clear containers you grabbed them before searching for any utensils to eat with, trying four drawers before finding and pulling out a mix of forks and spoons. Finally making your way back to the counter you began ripping the plastic from the store-bought ice cream.

The noise in the kitchen alerted Carmy, the time on his phone signifying that it must’ve been Syd. Inching toward the kitchen he stopped for a moment to check the monthly timelines that were hanging in the front. Every day was filled with a new task, it would be do or die from here on out to even think about opening in six months.

Making his way into the kitchen he stopped the body taking up space notably not Sydney. Your head bobbed up and down to whatever was playing through your headphones. The quiet hum of your voice easily met his ears in the silent kitchen.

He watched as you raised a spoon into your mouth, confused as to why you were in his kitchen this early in the morning. The closed-off kitchen setup didn’t allow him to see what's taking up your attention.

Quietly maneuvering around to get a better view of you, the sudden thought that this may have been an invasion of privacy quickly crossed his mind. He was moments away from leaving you to your own devices before he spotted the scars painted down your right arm. The deepest one tracing from the top of your tricep to your elbow.

Small cuts littered around the larger one, almost like the smaller ones were put there as accent pieces to the main scar. Carmy couldn’t help but wonder what the fuck happened to you after you left his apartment that night, looking from afar it looked as though someone had gone at you with a broken beer bottle or something.

The movement of your arm drew his attention to the reflection of light off of the tape-like bandage above your elbow. His eyes found two bears he would know fucking anywhere, the amount of times you forced him to watch that movie with you and Mikey drove him fucking insane.

Seeing you in this kitchen reminded him of when you were teenagers. It was hard to come to terms with it but he resented you for working at The Beef, resented Mikey even more for allowing you to. It wasn’t fair to you, the more he thought about it the more he realized a lot of the shit he did and felt wasn’t fair to you when you were both younger.

Carmy made his way around the counter you were working at, stopping in front of you the only thing separating the two of you was the steel slab of metal. He wasn’t sure how to get your attention, not wanting to startle you. Standing there watching you shovel what he now knew to be peach cobbler, the nutmeg and cinnamon aroma delicately caressing his nostrils.

The scent easily transported him back to all the moments the two of you spent in borrowed kitchens making this exact dessert.

You were so caught up in the music blaring through your headphones that you hadn’t realized the presence standing in front of you. You jumped spoon clanging against the table as a tattooed hand reached out for the no longer empty container housing the contents of your homemade cobbler and store-bought ice cream.

“Jesus fuck Carmen!” A hand raised to clutch at your chest, you understood how Tina felt yesterday after you snuck up on her. You quickly pulled the headphones off dropping them onto the counter, “Why the fuck are you sneaking around and shit?”

Carmy stared at you blankly, eyebrows raised before his head nodded toward the bowl he was aiming to grab. You rolled your eyes before nodding, “Sure Carmen, almost give me a heart attack in this shit hole kitchen, oh and while you’re at it don’t forget to try my peach cobbler.”

“Heard.” A small nod was sent your way before he shoveled a spoon full of the dessert into his mouth.

A scoff escaped your lips, you picked up your discarded spoon before taking another bite of the ice cream. The atmosphere between the two of you became awkward real quick, neither of you willing to break the silence, neither of you knowing what to say to break the silence.

“So uh, what’s with the cobbler?” You eyed Carmy surprised he was the first to break the silence, you shrugged distracting yourself by putting the lid back on the Dutch oven to persevere the content's warmth.

“Dunno, couldn’t sleep,” it's not like you were lying to him, but standing in his presence acting as though everything was okay made you feel guilty.

“You uh still bake when you can’t sleep?” The sigh you let out was an indication of how this small talk was the last thing you wanted to be doing.

“Obviously Carmen,” your hand shot out to gesture to the pastel pot between the two of you.

“Right…right.” The drumming of Carmy’s finger’s against the steel caused a slight irritation in you. Nodding you wiped the non-existent grime from your hand on your pants.

“Right, well I need to finish my proposal.” You walked the spoon you’d been using to the dishwashing area before joining Carmy one more time, “I’ll be in the dining area if you need anything.”

“You said uh, that you were writing about Mikey and The Beef.” You nodded, waiting for him to finish his sentence, it didn’t sound like much of a question so you weren’t sure what form of response he was expecting.

The silence stretched around the kitchen, an unwavering stare down between you two filling the air with even more tension. You expected things to be stilted between the two of you, but things felt like they were on a whole other level now.

“Well, this is for everybody,” finger quickly pointing at the treats you bought. “It’s kind of a thank you for letting me be a part of this, even if you guys don’t sign off on the article.”

“No, yeah um awesome.” The blank stare you aimed in Carmy’s direction bordered on disgust, leave it to him to make an awkward situation even more awkward, it sure was a talent of his.

You picked up your tote bag and cardigan before heading to the dining area, hoping there was still a table and chair you could occupy. If working here with Carmen meant every interaction would be like pulling teeth, you’d make sure to ignore him like the plague.

“Is that peach fucking cobbler I smell?” Richie’s voice carried through to the dining area where you had sat staring at your finished outline.

You finished a bit ago but didn’t want to chance running into Carmy while it was still just the two of you here. Hearing Richie’s voice and the slight noise as you slipped your headphones off proved that you were no longer alone with one of your oldest friends.

“Baby! Where’s Baby?” You laughed maneuvering out of your seat to head back into the kitchen, unsurprised to find Richie and the rest of the crew gathered around containers of ice cream and cobbler in their hands.

It seemed too early in the day to attack your tastebuds with such a sweet confection, but it was kind of your fault for bringing it in in the first place. You made your way to Sugar’s side with a small smile on your lips as she ate her portion.

In the month after your release, before your house was ready you stayed with Nat and Pete. Your restless energy was channeled into your mom’s dessert recipes, a way to keep your mind occupied and the only way you knew to thank the two adults who hadn’t given up on you.

Nat constantly made it obvious that she missed the constant sweets you would bake just for her.

The two of you made your way to where everyone else was gathered around, you couldn’t lie seeing the empty pot caused a sigh of relief to leave you. You weren’t sure if you could handle being ridiculed by chefs for your poor-tasting dessert.

“This don’t taste like moms baby, you do somethin’ different this time?” Richie eyed you as he raised the spoon to his mouth, it may have tasted a bit different but that didn’t deter him from finishing his serving.

“Uh yeah, a friend of mine taught me how to make this peach simple syrup. It like helps the biscuits stay moist or something. Chef talk isn’t my strong suit.”

Carmy wasted no time before looking in your direction, he was situated across from you, and no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t remember ever teaching you how to make a peach simple syrup. He watched as Marcus began talking your ear off about the dessert, the two of you falling into quiet conversation as you found a connection in sweet confectionery.

It was hard to watch as you so easily integrated yourself into the crew, Syd raptly listening to yours and Marcus’ conversation as if you were some award-winning chef and not just some journalist who knew how to bake. As he stood there watching everyone in the kitchen, he couldn’t pinpoint why his thoughts surrounding you seemed so bitter, he didn’t hate you, didn’t think he ever could.

But as he focused on you more, he realized that you were a part of Mikey he never really got to know. Of course, you were Carmy’s best friend but when things between the two of you fizzled out, Mikey’s role in your life became larger, even if you were separated by states and time zones.

Carmy knew he didn’t hate you, but it was hard for him to look at you and not see the relationship he wanted with his brother. He didn’t blame you, but he resented the way it seemed so easy for Mikey to love you, to be open with you.

Catching your eye he nodded his head in the direction of the dining area curious to hear about this article you were thinking about writing and maybe learning more about how it all connected back to Mikey and The Beef.

He made his way to exit the kitchen assuming you would be following behind him. Carmy stopped before turning around, he couldn’t make this decision by himself or at least that was his excuse as he called for Sugar and Sydney to join the two of you. It was probably all for nothing though as he knew the two women were already on board.

The four of you took seats at the table, the arrangement was oddly reminiscent of the meeting yesterday, this conversation taking place at the same table. You sat lonely on one side of the table while the other three occupied the other side.

You glanced down at your laptop in front of you realizing it might be better to join the others, the graphics would have been all for nothing if they couldn’t see them. Quickly grabbing your laptop you wandered over to the three individuals before plopping it in front of them on the table, you walked to grab the closest chair scooting it next to Carmy. You were too worried about the response to your proposal to be worried about being in such close contact with Carmy.

Sitting down you tried not to let the brush of Carmy’s leg against yours bother you, adjusting yourself in your seat before clearing your throat.

“Uhh, I made a PowerPoint,” the time you spent hiding from Carmy this morning allotted you the opportunity to do so. “It’s pretty self-explanatory, but I’ll walk you through it.”

You began clicking through the slides, the nervousness you were feeling earlier taking a backseat as you so easily settled into your element. Time flew by as you grew more passionate about the article with each slide going into even more depth than the information in the presentation did.

“The reach this article will have might just be the difference in The Bear’s success or the lot of us paying back a loan in 18 months.” The smile on your face was enough to show how excited you were at the prospect of being able to go forth with your project.

“Or you know, the food might actually play a part in The Bear’s success,” you looked in Sydney’s direction, confidence shot before noticing the small uptick at the corner of her lips.

You nodded a small chuckle leaving your lips, “I guess the food might play a part.”

Two smiles directed towards you helped to make you feel infinitely better about the whole situation, you were doing your best to disregard the figure sitting next to you. Not doing a very good job as his leg continued to brush against yours which felt like every millisecond, you didn’t want to assume he was doing it on purpose but it did disrupt your focus while explaining your presentation.

“I think it’s a great idea. We’re going to need the exposure,” your eyes shot to Nat as she began speaking. “I mean, there’s really no cons to going through with this.” The encouraging smile Nat sent you reciprocated on your lips.

When nobody spoke up Syd began nodding along, “Yeah, I-I think it’s a great idea, though my opinion may be a little biased.” Her words drifted off into a soft mumble as she realized her previous reading of your work may have influenced her answer.

The two women’s agreement seemed like all you needed, no sign of Carmy itching to chime in. The lull in conversation created an opportunity for everyone to take their respective leave and work on their tasks for the day. You gathered your laptop in your hands and moved the chair you were using back to its original spot.

Making your way to your bag and cardigan you began putting your laptop away and making sure all your belongings were in there so you didn’t leave any valuables behind. You tried to ignore the presence that stayed in the room with you, not in any mood to deal with Carmy’s hot and cold attitude.

“Why is this article so important to you?” Carmy hadn’t said a word doing your entire explanation. It would've been easy to believe he wasn’t in the room if it wasn’t for his warm leg constantly pressing against yours. His arms crossed over his chest, it was hard to pretend you didn’t know what was hiding under the knit crew neck he was wearing.

You found his eyes, the exhaustion in them a mirror to your own. For a minute it was easy to imagine the two of you were teenagers again, the urge to find a seat next to him again and pour your heart out scratching at the back of your mind.

“Can I be honest with you?” You took a glance in Carmy’s direction watching as he relaxed his arms almost like he was opening himself up to whatever you had to get off your chest.

“I uh,” a sardonic chuckle passed through your lips. “I told Mikey I’d write about him one day and…and by the time I finally made it far enough into my career he…he left us.” Carmy’s face didn’t give much away about his feelings making it a little easier to continue your train of thought.

“It's just something I need to do I guess,” you shrugged your shoulders as you faced Carmy once more. The want to be near him won over, taking a few steps to the middle of the table before leaning against it, the once large gap between the two of you now lessened.

“He uh, called me that night. I was at a screening for a friend’s documentary so I just let the call go to voicemail. Texted him after that I’d call him in the morning.” It was weird, Natalie had seen you at your lowest and you had yet to tell her the whole story behind the infamous voicemail that kept you up that night. But standing here with Carmy at this moment gave you a sense of safety you had been lacking.

“I remember waking up in the middle of the night with so many missed calls from Nat and Richie, your mom even called me once,” a humorless laugh escaped your lips, the confidence you had earlier to tell this story dwindling with each word.

“I finally answered Sug’s next call and I remember before she even said anything, I felt like this ache in my chest.” Your hand had subconsciously moved to your chest pressing against it as though you were trying to relieve a bout of heartburn. “And I just…I could feel that something was wrong and you know my first thought was you, tha-that something happened and we never got a chance to fix us.”

“But then Sugar lets out this heart-wrenching sob, like this bone-chilling cry that just like freezes your blood and I’m sitting there listening to her cry and then I’m crying and I don’t even know why yet. And it feels like…like we’ve been on the phone for hours just crying with each other before Pete calms her down enough,” the shakiness not only evident in your voice but your hand that was still resting on the table by your hip. “And it's silent for a moment but I know, the moment the first syllable passes her lips it's like I lose all of my senses and I’m just sitting up in bed, numb to what she’s saying. And it can’t be real, you know because Mikey just called me only a couple of hours ago.”

“As soon as I’m off the phone with Nat I immediately call Richie, and the first thing he says to me is ‘Baby I’m sorry’ he apologizes to me like his best friend that he probably spent his whole day with didn’t just blow his brains out.” The lump in your throat was begging to be free, something you wouldn’t allow to happen. “And Richie is sitting there fucking consoling me because I’m too goddamn selfish to take one fucking breath and make sure he is okay.”

You finally meet Carmy’s eyes again, waterline wet with the tears you won’t allow to fall. “I guess I say all of this to say I owe this article to Mikey, maybe if I had just picked up the fucking phone he’d still be here with us.”

Carmy has no idea how to respond to anything you’d just told him at a loss for words as he allows your emotions to sink into him. He gently reaches his hand out, not knowing if a comforting touch would help, but wanting to do his best to let you know he was there with you. The two of you sat in each other’s presence, the weight of your confession weighing heavy in the room. Carmy knows nothing he says will change anything, it won’t bring Mikey back and it won’t lessen your grief, so for a while, he doesn’t, the two of you sit there connected by your hands.

“Uh, I’m not sure how much Sug told you, but there are these Al-Anon meetings for uh family members of addicts and I’ve been going for a while now,” he gave your hand a small squeeze to make sure you were still listening. “It helps to understand what Mikey was going through.”

You looked down at the man below you, a blank look on your face. You gave him a soft smile as your thumb caressed his knuckles, “Yeah I uh I’ll look into it.” You had wanted to laugh, the irony of the situation not lost on you but you appreciated the help Carmy was trying to offer.

The approaching footsteps easily forced you back to your side of the table, quickly occupying yourself to look busy so you wouldn’t have to explain why you were alone with Carmy. You listened quietly as he and Syd began conversing about something that was none of your business.

“I’m just gonna hang around here before I’ve gotta be at work if that’s cool with you guys?” You looked at the two chefs more so telling rather than asking but still wanting to be polite.

Syd nodded “The more hands the better I guess.” You sent a small smile in her direction before heading to the door hoping to make yourself useful and occupy your mind from the guilty thoughts.

Avoiding Carmy’s eyes as you not going unnoticed by him, though neither of you expected the conversation to take the turn it did. He was relieved that you still felt comfortable enough with him to have a conversation of that nature.

Sydney was doing her best to focus on the chaos menu with Carmy. But with it being the first time in a space so personal to him, she couldn’t help but take in the small details around his apartment that gave a look into who he was.

It was surprising to her really, the whole apartment was bare, lackluster of any interpersonal items besides Carmy’s belongings that one would expect to see. Syd tried not to come across as nosy, or too interested in the small things her eyes did catch onto, but it was hard.

Like the group picture stuck to his fridge with a random cheap banana magnet that no one ever knew they had but it just appeared in their kitchen one day. Or the aesthetic-looking knife set that Syd would equate to something a suburban mom might have in her kitchen and not the gritty anxiety-riddled chef she was cooking with.

What really prickled her curiosity though, was a picture of the two of you strategically placed above the stove. Syd was awarded a glance as Carmy removed his closet from the oven, she couldn’t tell how recent it was from the few seconds she saw it, but it did make her question what Carmy’s idea of an ‘old acquaintance’ was.

It was probably her third pass by the stove before she was finally able to take in a clear understanding of the Polaroid. She would admit she was surprised, the content of the picture far from anything she would ever equate to Carmen Berzatto.

It was of you and Carmy. The two of you were lying next to each other, whether on a bed or the floor, Sydney couldn’t tell. One of your arms was raised, presumably holding the camera in your hand. Even though the moment was captured in time, Syd could feel the intimacy through the photo, almost making her feel too uncomfortable to even be so intrigued by it.

Syd had seen the smile gracing Carmy’s face once or twice in real-time, something he usually kept to himself. He looked happy lying there next to you, like your being there eased him. She focused on you to find you were focusing on him, your head tilted up a little, eyes gleaming full of love.

You looked at Carmy the way Syd’s dad talked about her mom. Like your entire life was destined to be entangled with Carmy’s.

As Sydney focused on the picture once more, she finally noticed the number written on the white space of the Polaroid. Her only assumption that it must’ve been yours.

Her curiosity had finally gotten the best of her. From the way you two interacted, to the Polaroid she was sure she had taken in every detail of , there was history between you and Carmy.

“Hey uh, can I ask you a question?” She moved to sit at the table where Carmy was prepping pasta. She wasn’t sure whether she should beat around the bush or just outright ask her question.

Carmy raised his head, eyes catching hers before giving a slight nod, Syd took a deep breath. She would consider her and Carmy friends, but she didn’t want him to think she was crossing some line. “Uh what’s the deal between you two,” she said your name for clarification, not yet sure if she was allowed to call you by the nickname so many others did, and not wanting to make you uncomfortable.

Carmy froze for a minute, but his recovery was so quick if Syd wasn’t paying attention she wouldn’t have caught it. “It’s just uh, you called her an acquaintance, but I don’t think anybody gets those vibes from you two,” she trailed off not wanting to make Carmy feel pressured.

“I mean you have a shrine to her above your stove.” Carmy’s head snapped up to Syd before looking at the picture above his stove, Syd’s soft laugh signifying her quip as a joke.

“Fuck off,” he chuckled along with her, the weight on his shoulder at the idea of talking about you lessening a bit. “She uh, we were best friends growing up, she lived across the street from us.”

Syd nodded her head waiting for any more details, she wasn’t normally one to pry but Carmy’s explanation sounded like such bullshit compared to the way you two acted around each other. “So you guys like never dated or anything?” Syd’s curiosity caused the question to come across as less casual than she hoped.

“No, no. Just friends,” Carmy nodded eyes still on the pasta doing his best to distract his mind from Sydney’s line of questioning.

“Did you ever like, I dunno want more with her?” Carmy stopped eyes finally meeting Syd’s, he stood there for a moment just taking in her question. Although you once admitted your desire for something more with him, he still hadn’t. And he wasn’t sure if now in his kitchen with Sydney was the right time or place to do it.

But Syd didn’t need him to verbally answer, the look in his eyes told her more than what she had even asked. The two of them were only speaking about you and the longing in Carmy’s soft blue eyes was enough for Sydney to feel like she interrupted a sudden declaration of love.

Sydney cleared her throat, averting her eyes not at all meaning to get into anything too personal. Just a bit curious about the nature of the relationship between you two. “So any ideas on how to make this chaos menu…thoughtful?”

Carmy was grateful for Syd’s diversion of topics. If she had picked up on the tension between the two of you, he was sure the rest of the crew had. And if that meant everyone was privy to the unfinished history between the two of you then neither of you were as sly as you thought.

You lost Hayden somewhere between first entering the store and him wandering off for his necessities. You didn’t mind though, he was nice enough to offer you a ride home and stop by the store as the two of you brainstormed about your respective dinners for the night.

Wandering around on your own in a store you had never been to probably wasn’t the smartest decision you made. Case in point is the fact that you were standing in the alcoholic beverage section trying to fight the urge to peruse through the variety and pick your favorite form of poison.

The sound of your name caught your attention, eyes shooting to Hayden’s impeccably dressed form. You’d be the first to admit maturity had done him good, the sleeves of his button-up shirt rolled up to show off his toned forearms. The top three buttons were undone, his chest giving a preview of what he had to offer.

His lips wrapped around your name again, a slight frown to his brows. He looked around the aisle before his eyes landed back on you with a small smile decorating his lips, “You okay?” You watched as he checked you over, the action irritated you a bit. Was he expecting you to go batshit crazy in the middle of the grocery store and just start hammering away at the countless bottles?

“Fine, just got distracted. I um, I just need some açaí and I’ll be good.” You gave him your best smile hoping it would reassure him, the one he returned ensured just that.

The two of you made your way to the frozen food section, meaningless small talk passing between the two of you.

“I can’t believe you still eat this shit,” you scoffed, quickly grabbing the bag of frozen açaí from the freezer. Closing the door as you made your way back to Hayden the two of you ready to make your leave.

“If I recall, you had no problem eating this in my dorm all those years ago,” the boisterous laugh that escaped Hayden caused a similar one to leave you, neither of you having brought up this topic of conversation since reuniting.

“Had to replenish all that lost stamina somehow,” your eyes widened slightly Hayden’s smirk did nothing to quell the heated feeling spreading through you.

He walked past you, grabbing your hand so you would follow behind him. “What’s got you quiet all of a sudden?” You knew he was teasing you, the tone in his voice bringing a chuckle out of you.

“Just wasn’t sure how well you remembered our college shenanigans.” The shrug of your shoulders was supposed to feign nonchalance, but the wide grin on your face proved the opposite.

The two of you had lost any rush to leave the grocery store, casually walking around hands entwined together. “To forget a girl like you would be criminal,” you faced Hayden nose scrunching up at his words a laugh bubbling out of your lips.

“Didn’t you get married?” Hayden laughed, throwing his arm around your shoulder as the two of you continued around the store aimlessly just enjoying the company of an old friend.

“You didn’t want me the way I wanted you. Had to move on at some point.” The melancholy tone in his voice caused a feeling of guilt to shoot through your heart. You nodded a sad smile gracing your lips, the squeeze on your shoulder helping to alleviate your remorse.

“Listen, Hayden, I didn’t mean to hurt you or anything,” you sighed as you moved to stand in front of him. “It just wasn’t fair of me to commit to a long-term relationship with you when my heart wasn’t in it.” He nodded a smile sent in your direction.

“No, I uh I appreciate it, wouldn’t have married Marlene if you didn’t set me straight,” you smiled happy there was a bright side to this whole situation. “Probably wouldn’t have divorced her either. Hey, should I send you my lawyer fees or.” Hayden trailed off, grin returning to his face as you laughed swatting at his bicep.

All he saw in his head was you. As dramatic as it sounds it felt like the thought of you was keeping him alive, from the way you had all but disappeared when they opened Mikey’s locker. To the photo above his stove that was seared into his brain. So preoccupied with thoughts of you he had missed the aisle he intended to go down three times.

Finding his destination Carmy made his way down the aisle, stopping as he saw you laughing with a man he didn’t recognize. His mind going back to the conversation he had earlier with Sydney, Carmy did want more with you. He wanted a lot more than what the two of you allowed to transpire all these years.

Carmy wanted a life with you, a life where he was the one making you laugh in the grocery store. Where his apartment wasn’t just filled with a, year old photograph of the two of you, but filled with your presence.

He envisioned a life with you, and he wasn’t sure why he had sabotaged every chance you had given him to make that a reality. Carmy continued his journey through the store, thoughts of you played heavily on his mind. It didn’t matter what he wanted though if he never gained the courage to tell you. There was a lot unsaid between the two of you, but you had made your feelings clear. Tried to reconcile whatever relationship the two of you still had left. And the ball was in his court, had been since your impromptu visit last year.

Even when reunited with the girl he had crushed on once upon a time, you were still at the forefront of his mind. The woman in front of him is a cruel reminder of all the ways he messed up with you.

Carmy’s thoughts ran so wild with you as he entertained Claire’s conversation, that he didn’t think twice before giving her a number that had been left on a Polaroid a year ago and now decorated the space above his stove; but not the contact book in his phone.

a/n: it’s here!!! i think this chapter is pretty tame which is kind of out of character lol. thankful to be done with this chapter so i can explore some ideas i’ve been having! thank you all so much for your love and support! please support me in whatever way feels comfortable!!! 💜

tag list: @hawkins-2000 @elliesbabygirl @allbark-no-bite @anakinswh0re3005 @rexorangecouny @thecraziestcrayon @fruitcupsworld @nishinoyahhh @lilylovelyxo @ridingthehotmessexpress @noas-ark @jadeittic @hellokittyever @luvr-bunnyy @sxgees @fandomhopped @is-this-a-febreze-commercial @kravitzwhore @chanluvr @readingwiththereids @chims-kookies @ladygrey03 @ferida-kahlo @wanderlustnightwanderer @how2besalty @armydrcamers @jointherebellion215 @jackierose902109 @blkbxrbie-esther @ajordan2020 @head-slut-in-charge @magnet-girl @thebookwormlife @sevikasblackgf @writers-hes @senassn @bunnysthngs @gabbycoady13 @randomhoex @mattmurdocksstarlight @shinebright2000 @royalestrellas @khena @kailyn-g05 @ovaqma @fire-treasure-iii @frequentnosebleeder @awatt31 @cauliflowerpatch

[yellowbunnydreams]

Only Donors Left Alive [Vampire! Dave Miller x F! Reader] (Part 1)

~By popular demand, like weirdly popular for a cameo character in another fic, we're writing Vampire Dave today! Wooo! Also a big shout out to @ruh--roh-raggy and @springlockedfool for being feral over this man with me and springlockedfool for making some awesome art of the wet spaghetto based on our conversations/Do You Need Some Vitamin D?.~

Taglist: @ruh--roh-raggy @springlockedfool

CW: 18+ MINORS DNI- Female Reader, legal age gap, older man/younger woman, graphic acts of violence, biting, knife-play, blood, blood-drinking/licking, unbalanced power dynamic, anaemia, possessive behaviour, partial nudity

Hurricane was a small town with a nothing of particular note going on in it. Or at least, that was what you had been told by the realtor when you'd been looking for somewhere quiet to move to after you'd decided to move out of your parent's house. They seemed content to let you move to a small apartment in somewhere suburban, it had apparently been much more of a thriving town in the eighties, but you preferred the quiet.

As you'd dragged your suitcase from the cab in front of the apartment complex on the edge of town however, you'd already begun to notice a few things that weren't quite right with Hurricane. Although, you easily brushed it off as nerves with moving to somewhere unfamiliar and new.

The apartment complex itself was a drab, dusty grey concrete building that looked like it hadn't been externally renovated since it was built some time in the peak of Hurricane's history and as you let yourself inside the foyer, you noticed the lights had a sickly glow to them. Flickering hallogen lamps that gave you a subtle creepy feeling, like you were walking into somewhere you weren't meant to be.

The place was crap, the rent was cheap, but you were sure you could make it work out for yourself. At least, when all your things arrived over the next few days.

Sighing to yourself, you looked at the notice in your hand and shoved it roughly into the pocket of your denim jacket. Noticing a little elevator nestled into the back of the lobby, you went to try the button, waiting for the doors to open up. Hearing the grinding of metal against metal, and the squeal of the service brakes as the doors to the elevator shaft creaked open, the floor itself an inch or so above the level it should be, you decided it was in your best long-term interests to take the stairs.

Dragging the suitcase up wasn't easy, especially when you realised that you were on the top floor. But you had paid extra on the deposit for a larger apartment, and with four units of each floor and only two on the top floor, you weren't going to complain too much.

The hum of the lights as your breath sounded loud in your ears was somewhat comforting. Looking between the two doors, fishing the paper out of your pocket, you confirmed the number and shuffled over to your new door, wrapping your fingers around the metalic key in your pocket and unlocking the door.

Despite the dingy exterior of the building, the apartment inside was quite clean and somewhat modern. Spacious, painted a soft creamish beige on the walls, the floors were shockingly even laid down with a fresh layer of linoleum. The cupboards were painted a faint pastel bluish-grey, and the vinyl counters were clearly freshly laid, mimicking a black granite. The whole apartment smelt faintly like fresh paint and bleach.

"Well...this is home, I guess." You muttered to nobody. Leaving your suitcase by the door, you decided to explore the space.

The rest of the apartment was just as spacey. A slight hallway, a combined kitchen and lounge, you were quite surprised by the spacious bathroom too, the dark tiling along the walls contrasting to the white floors and a seemingly generous shower. And finally, the bedroom, it was perhaps a little smaller than you originally anticipated, but it was still large enough for you to fit a double bed inside and it came with a built in wardrobe along one wall. This place could easily be home, once the smell of heavy duty cleaning products aired out and you made sure to check the lease on how you could decorate.

Looking outside, you realised how late it was getting and decided to see if you could find somewhere that would deliver food to you. Scrolling through your phone and selecting a pizza place that sounded good, you began to unpack what little belongings you had managed to fit inside your suitcase, wanting to keep yourself busy.

After-all, you were sure you would have time to look around the sleepy little town in the morning.

The next few days were uneventful, much to your boredom and frustration.

All your boxes had arrived, you'd set up furniture, made sure appliances were up and connected. But you had begun to realise there were a few things that were not quite right with Hurricane when you had ventured out into town to grab supplies and things.

Firstly, there were the telephone poles, covered in staples like they were once decorated with posters of some kind, but the few you saw seemed to be missing pets and the occasional human face staring back at you. It made you sad, but when you asked the cashiers about it at the local store, they simply stared at you with wide eyes like they were surprised you had noticed. People didn't talk to each other in the same way as they had back home either. Back there, you went into a store and you could hear something like ten different conversations, but you had only heard whispered conversations amongst small groups that seemed tense when you passed by.

But you shrugged it off, you'd moved states, moved towns, brushing it off as simply strange, you tried to ignore the gut feeling you had that there was something else lurking beneath the surface of it all.

Entering your apartment building, you nearly tripped over a package sat in the lobby. Glancing over it, you realised that the box was addressed to the unit besides yours. Despite being there for a few days, it had seemed strange to you that you hadn't noticed anybody else living in the building, but you assumed that you would all meet at some point.

Balancing your groceries on top, you grunted as you picked up the box. Surprised by it's weight as you glanced at the elevator before sighing and lugging it up the stairs, knowing your legs were going to look great after how many times you'd taken the stairs recently. Although you had to admit that you really hoped your landlord fixed the elevator soon and allowed you to have a day off from going up and down to the top floor each and every time.

The usually twenty minute climb took about forty with the additional box and groceries.

When you reached the top step, you were glad to put the box down. Breathing hard and sweat beading against your brow in the Utah heat, heart pounding in your chest and ears as you let out a frustrated sigh. Closing your eyes for just a moment to gather yourself.

"Well aren't you a pretty sight?" The voice behind you suddenly made you gasp and whip around, heart beating even faster as you were met at first with a white-ish shirt that seemed a little baggy for whoever was wearing it.

Stepping back involuntarily, you noticed a tall, lanky man standing a little too close to you for your comfort. Having to look up slightly, you watched a crooked smile creep across his gaunt face, dark eyes darting about in a way that made you wonder if perhaps he was as flustered as you. Glancing over him as a whole, he appeared to be wearing some kind of unbranded security uniform, white with black epaulettes and black slacks. Not hiding his wiry figure, he looked greyish and like a particularly strong breeze might take him out upon initial inspection.

"Sorry?" The word tumbled from you quickly, and his gaze finally settled on yours for long enough to realise that he had blueish eyes, although they looked darker thanks to the heavy dark circles beneath them giving them a more sallow appearance.

"Oh you don't need to apologise, sugar, it's not often I get visitors all the way up here. And certainly fewer that look as....delectable...as you." The crooked grin spread, revealing crooked teeth, those blue eyes focused on you intently still as he looked down at you, you could feel your cheeks heating up under his intensity. But something about that same intensity made your skin crawl uncomfortably.

"I'm not a visitor, I live on this floor. That means you must be my neighbour, right?"

The man blinked and you felt a sense of relief washing over you as his smile faltered for a moment before that lopsided, cock-sure grin crept back onto his sharp face. Rubbing his hand along his black slacks before offering it to you, making you worry what he'd been touching before you tentatively shook it with a polite smile, caught off guard as his thin, dexterous fingers squeezed and you felt the strength behind his boney appearance. His skin felt cool to the touch and a little clammy, and you thought that maybe he'd just wiped down his sweaty hands to make it a little more pleasant for you.

"So you're my new little tenant. My my, aren't I a lucky guy."

"Come again?"

"Oh I will, pet, don't you worry. Dave Miller, landlord and your neighbour." He introduced himself as he kept hold of your hand for just a moment after you loosened your grip, making you laugh nervously. Bringing your hands back to your sides as you tried not to let your shocked expression show. "How are you enjoying the unit? I've had to perform some renovations after the last tenant....left some damage."

The way Dave spoke was a little odd, and you heard something of a British accent in that raspy, gravelly voice. People could be socially awkward, you reasoned with yourself, and Dave didn't look like the kind of man who easily socialised as his eyes once again were darting about in a way that made you subconsciously think of a wild animal. His dark hair looked slightly greasy, tousled like he's simply run his fingers through it when he woke up.

"The apartment is great! I love how spacious it is." Glad to change the topic as you suddenly remembered your groceries, picking them off of the top of the box and gesturing towards the large package with your free hand. "Oh, and um, I found this in the lobby? I hope it's yours, it was a pain lugging it up here, but at least I got my cardio in!"

"Hmmm? Oh yes, thank you sugar. And don't worry, I know you did, I could hear you all the way downstairs." Continuing to give that wide, crooked smile that felt uncomfortable as you swore his eyes darted to your neck and trailed up before focusing on you once again.

Bending over, Dave picked up the package easily, making you raise an eyebrow as you were still thinking about how rude his comment seemed, were you really that out of shape carrying up the box that he could hear you?

"I should...go put these groceries away,"

"Of course, I should put mine away too. It's been a pleasure meeting you," your name dripped from his tongue in a way that made your heart race and cringe at the same time. Like he was almost tasting it, a thought that made you shudder as you headed for your door. Turning your head over your shoulder to see if he was still there and found him staring after you, seeming to watch you with that crooked smile that didn't quite reach his darting eyes.

You decided you didn't know what to think of your landlord as you closed the door behind you and shut him out.

You rarely saw Dave after your initial introduction, at least for the first week or so. Occasionally you'd spot him in the evenings wearing that white uniform shirt that you were sure he'd stained permanently grey, but whenever he saw you, that lazy smile creeped onto him and you couldn't help but smile back. Often afterwards, you were left confused and disoriented by the action, like something had over ridden your senses to force the action. Dave made you feel slightly uneasy, at the very core of each interaction.

As did the growing number of missing posters in Hurricane.

You'd been in the supermarket when you heard your name called, one of the locals that you recognised as working in one of the mechanic's shops was stood by the register with a frown on his bearded face. The elderly cashier looking concerned as you pointed to yourself before moving over cautiously, wondering if you broke some small town ettiquette.

"You're new to town, right?" He asked gruffly, making you shrug and smile a little nervously at the sudden question.

"Yeah, moved in about a week or so ago now, sir."

"You live in that apartment complex on the edge of town, don't ya?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful, there's been...things...happening..." He gesticulated vaguely and the older cashier scoffed, blinking behind her thick glasses at you as she smacked on on his shoulder, tutting disapprovingly.

"Don't mind him lovely, he don't know how to talk to people. What he means to say is that there have been a few people going missing in Hurricane recently, and all the locals are nervous. Especially since they're mostly out of towners and...well...people that live on the fringes of our social circles." She explained, making you think back to your walk home, how you had noticed a few more posters up than when you first arrived. "Do you need a ride home? Jason here can give you a ride, I worry about a young lady walking home this late if there's been all this strangeness about."

You smiled and thanked her, assuring her and who you found out to be her son that you would be fine. You were always fine. If anything, you refused to mention how it felt like the last few nights you had been followed by somebody. However, whenever you turned around or glanced into a reflective surface as you walked past, you never saw anybody. Putting it down to your paranoia about the missing people. Soon, it was time to walk home again however, and you said your goodbyes.

The streets were beginning to turn dark as you walked through the cooler evening temperatures. Stopping to look at one of the telephone poles that had many posters stapled to it, finding a total of five people and four pets that had gone missing over the short time you'd lived in Hurricane.

If anybody had been more superstitious, they might have blamed you for it all.

As you were lost in thought however, you heard the screech of barely working brakes and turned to look at the noise naturally. Spotting a Toyota Corolla pulling up, beat up silver, the tyres looked like they were on the verge of needing replacing, and as the window rolled down, it was both to your dread and delight that you realised it was Dave behind the wheel. An uncustomary scowl on his face even as he looked at you.

"The fuck are you doing out here?" His rasp sent a shiver down your spine, frowning, you crossed your arms across your chest and raised an eyebrow.

"Good evening to you too Dave. I tried knocking on your door this morning to let you know that another package had arrived for you." Watching his scowl lessen as he ran his slender hand over his angular face. Sucking his crooked teeth slightly.

"I don't do mornings, sugar, no matter how tempting the little treat at my door is." You felt your cheeks flushing as you felt that gut twist once more despite the flutter that the compliment caused in your chest. "You shouldn't be out here all alone."

"So people have said."

"Let me give you a ride."

"Absolutely not."

"Alright, let me give you a ride back, please, sugar. This ain't even about rent, it's the principle of the thing." Dave sighed, looking at you with a scowl until you sighed and nodded your head. Walking around to his passenger side and barely had yourself buckled in before he pulled a u-turn in the middle of the road.

"Jesus fucking Christ."

"Nope, Dave Miller. I'd rather hear you screaming that." The comment crawled under your skin and made you cringe, watching that sleazy smile come back. There was the Dave you'd seen and knew. Unsure on how to respond as he drove through the darkened streets, hurtling towards your complex with a practised precision.

"Are you heading to work?" Attempting to change the subject, he nodded as his face contorted into a mask of concentration, his eyes darting wildly, although they seemed to focus a little too intently on you whenever you spoke to him directly.

"Yeah, the night-shift is always fun as long as you're not afraid of what goes bump in it." His way of speaking still resonated to you as a bit odd, but despite it being something like the second time you'd spoken to your landlord, you couldn't help but think that it was simply him.

Sooner than you expected, you were outside your building. Unclipping your seatbelt quickly, only for Dave's hand to reach out and hold onto your wrist. Your eyes widening as you turned to look at him, watching that somewhat feral smile with sharp, slightly disarrayed teeth lazily spread as he gazed up at you, bending in his seat and bringing your hand up to his cold, thin lips. Making you cringe physically and mentally, seemingly to his amusement as he began to chuckle. Swearing his fingers were positioned like he was taking your pulse before he let you go, licking his lips slightly and humming in thought.

"Have a goodnight, sugar. Make sure to lock your door tight, you wouldn't want....something...unsavoury...getting in, would you?" Phrasing it like a question, but your heart pounded as you weakly nodded and felt your body shaking slightly, climbing out of Dave's car and heading into your building as quickly as you could. Feeling his eyes burning into your back before you made it into the lobby and peered out, watching his silver car slowly pulling out of the parking lot once again.

No wonder the rent was so cheap. You weren't sure how anybody could stand being neighbours with Dave for extended periods of time.

[nextlevelconstincusa]

Discover top-notch home renovation services in NYC with Next Level Construction Inc. Whether you’re planning a kitchen upgrade, bathroom remodel, or a complete home transformation, our skilled professionals are here to bring your vision to life. Explore our exceptional craftsmanship, innovative designs, and commitment to customer satisfaction.

[kayleigh-83]

Hi, could you share which ROS events you use please 😀

I know I'd shared these a couple times before, but I scrolled back a bit and it's definitely changed a lot since the last time, which was August 2022! Back then I had 48 on the list, now it's up to 70.

Putting more info and the full list behind a cut to save your dash!

I just keep all my gameplay notes and stuff on my ipad, easiest for me. I don't use an ROS program or anything so there's no weighting, no major or minor scenarios etc. I just use Siri or random.org to pick a number.

The scenarios are a mix of other people's lists I've found, plus ones I've made up myself. It's pretty nice to my Sims so there aren't any death or divorce ones or anything lol. I've removed some I used to use as my gameplay has evolved, if they no longer fit.

Day out - all eligible Sims go to a community lot

Movie night - invite friends over for a movie and snacks

Picnic - make food and go to a park for a picnic

Family reunion - invite over any known family members

Blind date - call matchmaker for a single Sim

New outfit - your Sim wants a new outfit, go shopping

Games night - no homework for kids, play games all night

Large pet adoption - get a cat or a dog, Roll dice to choose

Small pet adoption - a small caged animal will join the family (including rabbits)

Grouchy - your Sim picks d4 arguments with another

Vacation time - spend a couple nights away at a vacation destination (or more!)

Fitness regime - your Sim wants to work out, get fit and eat healthy

Rebellious - child or teen skips school and doesn’t do homework for 1 to 3 days, sneaks out, bad interactions

Date night - take a Sim couple out on a date

It’s a phase - a child will only wear a costume for 1 to 3 days, teens get a piercing or drastically change appearance

Party time - throw a party!

Friendly neighbour - chat up the next d3 walk bys

Bad influence - influence someone to do something stupid d4 times

Take advantage - influence someone to do you a favor d4 times

Exchange student - host a teenager from a foreign country; receive $5000 from the exchange agency to cover your expenses

Tired of cooking - order delivery at least once a day for 2 to 4 days

Shopaholic - patronize at least 4 different local businesses this round

Stray love - greet and interact with the next stray you see, try to adopt

Old pets, new tricks - teach a pet a new command

Lottery win - roll dice 1 to 10 and multiply by 10,000

Scratch card win - roll dice 1 to 10 and multiply by 1000

Worst fears realized - fulfill 5 fears in a rotation

Barber shop - change your Sim’s hairstyle

Four eyes - your Sim needs to get glasses

Witchy - become a witch for at least two rotations

Redecorate - choose a room or space in the home and give it a facelift

Identity crisis - change aspiration for this round

Reconnect with friends - invite 2-4 friends for an outing

Make Your Move - if single, try to initiate a romantic relationship with a Sim that you have a high relationship/chemistry with

Time to Commit - if you’re in a romantic relationship but uncommitted, take it to the next level (either go steady or engagement/marriage depending)

Scary dare - visit the cemetery at night

Dine out - go out to a restaurant to have a meal

Lead by Example - have your Sim encourage their child in a trait they value

Kitchen Renovations - no dishwasher or stove, just a sink and microwave or toaster oven, while you wait for the new appliances to arrive! (D4 days)

On the prowl - take a single (or romance) Sim out on the town to pick someone up for woohoo (or teen level activities)

Hobby Focus - Spend at least two hours every day doing an activity for your chosen hobby

Brace face - child or teen Sim must get braces for the round

Dye Job - dye hair a different colour for the round

Slumber Party - teen or child invites friends over for a sleepover

Cool Parent - try to befriend d2 of your kid’s friends

Playing Matchmaker - influence a friend to flirt with someone else

ISBI light - pick a Sim and control only them for 3 days

Creature of the Night - become a vampire for the round

Unexpected Tax Bill - lose d20-40% of your family funds to unpaid back taxes

Power outage - d2 days with no power (only make uncooked meals)

Family Heirlooms - inherit d3 family heirlooms from a distant relative; use kaching and purchase items of around $1000 each

Infertility - your Sim is sadly no longer able to have children!

Orphan relation - a close relation has died, leaving their child orphaned! As the closest living relative, you are now the legal guardian. Move in a toddler or child (d2). Receive $5000 from the government for your generosity to help raise the little tyke.

Rocky relationship - couple argues at least 2 times a day in the round

Great aunt/uncle in town - create an elderly Sim to come stay for the round - after they become a townie if desired

Bylaw fine - your Sim put the trash out to the curb too early and have received a bylaw fine - d6 x $100

Start a club! Find up to 3 Sims who share your hobby, and get to know them better. If you can participate in your chosen hobby together, even better!

Money tree! Your Sim finds a mysterious tree in a pot by their front door. The note on it says to use it wisely because it will only be around for a short time? Buy a money tree and keep for one rotation

Resurrect old friendships - call and invite over the friend your Sim has lost touch with the most (lowest relationship score while still being friends)

Customer appreciation day - to thank your loyal customers for their patronage, mark down the prices at your shop for a day and provide treats for your customers

Ambrosia - take a sip from the elixir of life (Roll to choose between adults or elders in the household)

Mate like rabbits - risky woohoo d5 times in the next 48 hours, hope there aren’t any unintended consequences!

Unexpected vet bill! Your little companion swallowed something they shouldn’t have and the bill comes to $5000! If you don’t have enough money, you might have to take out a loan.

Woohoo scavenger hunt - must woohoo on/in four different possible locations this round (bed, couch, car, photobooth, hot tub, changing booth, elevator)

Lost a dare - walk around in a silly costume for d3 days, go on at least one date or outing in it

Holding a Torch - your Sim is feeling nostalgic for their first crush; have them meet up for a date and see where it leads…

Running with the pack - become a werewolf for the round

I Want More! - your Sim now has six want slots

Changing Preferences - change all your turn ons and turn offs - will this affect how you feel about your significant other?

A Sudden Craving - change to grilled cheese aspiration for the round

Kibble of Life - give your four legged friends something to help keep them around longer

Sudden Poverty - family funds reduced to $100

Sudden Weath - family funds increased to $250,000

You Can't Always Get What You Want - try not to fulfill any wants for d5 days

[jinisnuggets]

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓝𝓮𝔀 𝓝𝓮𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓫𝓸𝓻

ᴾᵃⁱʳⁱⁿᵍˢ: ᴶⁱʰᵒᵒⁿ ˣ ᶠᵉᵐ ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

ᴳᵉⁿʳᵉ: ᶠˡᵘᶠᶠ, ᴬᵘ

ᵂᵒʳᵈ ᶜᵒᵘⁿᵗ: ¹.⁹ᵏ

ᵂᵃʳⁿⁱⁿᵍˢ: ᴾᵘʳᵉ ᶠˡᵘᶠᶠ

ˢʸⁿᵒᵖˢⁱˢ: ᵀʰᵉ ʰᵒᵘˢᵉ ⁿᵉˣᵗᵈᵒᵒʳ ʰᵃᵈ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ᵉᵐᵖᵗʸ ᶠᵒʳ ᵃ ˡᵒⁿᵍ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ, ˢᵒ ʸᵒᵘ ʷᵉʳᵉ ˢᵘʳᵖʳⁱˢᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ˢᵉᵉ ᵐᵒᵛⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʳᵘᶜᵏˢ ᵖᵃʳᵏᵉᵈ ᵒᵘᵗˢⁱᵈᵉ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖʳᵒᵖᵉʳᵗʸ

To your surprise, you woke up in the morning to see a moving truck parked outside of the house nextdoor.

It had been vacant for a while since the previous owner happened to be kicked out for the mistreating of the house, forgetting that it technically wasn't their property.

The landlord had been being very selective with who he would rent the house to, because of this it had ended up being vacant for a long time after renovations were done.

Unfortunately, the day went by and you hadn't had time to go next door to greet the new neighbor next door. You assumed he was a great person as he was able to convince the landlord to let him move in, and to you that was already pretty telling.

You've lived in this neighborhood since your college years, so you've seen countless of people move in and out of these houses for years, occasionally becoming close to some of them. You always had a good reputation having been one of the longest residents, and you wanted to keep that reputation with your new neighbor.

But after the amount of work you had done that day, you couldn't help but grab some food, go upstairs, lay down in bed while binge watching a drama. It was late anyways, if you went to introduce yourself now chances are that they wouldn't even open the door.

So you layed in your bed, ate your dinner, and almost fell asleep while on the 6th episode of the drama you were watching until you heard someone from outside yell,

“Hey Neighbor!” it truly sounded friendly, the most outstanding fact to you was that it sounded as if it came from the house nextdoor, which to be fair almost made you jump out of your skin forgetting that now it had residents.

You still approached the window with catioun and lifted a blind to catch a glimpse of the house nextdoor. You saw a young man looking over at your house, he looked a bit confused, almost as if he was trying to see if you were even awake.

You debated whether to yell back, however your mouth talked before your brain could even decide.

“Do you need anything?” You said, slightly lifting your window open, still trying to be cationate of the different possibilities.

You heard a small sigh, probably of relief from your neighbor knowing that he didn't disturb you. It slightly made you crack a smile because of how nice he seemed compared to the last owner of that house.

“I'm sorry if I interrupted something, but most people that live around this area came some time today to welcome me, you hadn't done so and I figured that I'd like to greet you from here. You probably wouldn't open the door this late at night.”

You grinned as you realized this new neighbor was quite sassy, you rolled your eyes lightly before responding in a tired voice which you had forced. “I’m sorry dear neighbor of mine, but it was my day off and I was taking advantage in order to deep clean my house. I don't wanna end up like the previous owner of your home.” you teased.

He chuckled awkwardly after processing your reference looking around to make sure no one had been disturbed by the constant yelling between you two. Technically you didn't have to yell, the houses were close enough so you would only have to speak a bit louder than normal.

“So, have you finished your house cleaning?” He brought himself to ask, lowering his voice to a somewhat normal level. You leaned down against the window frame, sighing.

“Eh, I still have work to do, but it shouldn't be much to a level that I won't be able to come greet you properly tomorrow.” You responded, seeing his eyes slightly shut as he listened to you speak.

“I get it, but don't feel pressured. I technically have already met you from here, I have work to do as well.”

You looked back at him, lifting your head to see him leaning his cheek against his fist. You brought your body back up and smiled at him.

“What about you?” You said in a friendly tone, “How much have you gotten done with your moving process?”

He chuckled, “Quite a lot actually, much more than I would've expected for one day. I was able to fully clean the whole house today and get moving quite a lot of furniture. Hopefully I'll be able to go shopping soon.”

You grinned, “You only finished that entire thing cause it was already empty-”

Hearing your anger, he burst out laughing, “I didn't mean to make fun of you- I promise.”

Pouting, you brought your window to close. Obviously you knew he was joking, but it was quite late and it would be a bother to your neighbors if you continued speaking with him, however you hadn't heard his window shut. You waited for a moment before hearing a light voice say “Goodnight.” Accompanied by the sound of a window closing down onto the frame.

The smile on your face approached slowly, as you laid down on the bed and went off to sleep.

The next morning you woke up and got right back to work, eating breakfast at 11 am and continuing with the cleaning. Truthfully, it took longer than expected, therefore making you take quite a long time with the daily house chores.

You were never a messy person to begin with, but it felt like moving into this place was teaching you how to keep your room clean. You couldn't help but see disorganization everywhere now, and it scared you because you would have nowhere else to go if they decided to kick you out. It was a nice house and town to live in too, so you got lucky with your landlord.

You've never moved out, ever since your time in college, you've always been here. Making you one of the longest residents of the neighborhood.

Having been familiar with your past neighbor, but never close with them. They barely left the house and stayed to just a regular routine of working and resting, which later lead to the buildup of a mess.

You hadn't even noticed the sky turning dark because of all your thinking.

Crap… the day had gone by and you still hadn't welcomed your neighbor properly. This had never happened to you before, when a neighbor moved in you never missed going to greet them the same day they moved in, let alone two.

Tomorrow was your last day off from work, so you had to visit the new guy tomorrow, urgently.

At first, you just brushed it off. Oh well, nothing you could really do about it, you'll visit him another day. Because right now the only thing you could think of was how hungry you were- your stomach was starving.

The pizza guy, you were familiar with him. He was normally always the one who came to deliver your pizza whenever you ordered any. Opening the door in confusion you prepared yourself to make him aware of the mistake, a bit shocked he would even make the error since he was just as familiar with you as you were with him.

Before you could even make it to the kitchen, you heard your doorbell ring. Immediately feeling your soul jump out of your shoes, you looked back at the window to see the headlights of a car from behind the curtains. Cautiously you looked out the peephole.

He smiled, lifting the pizzas and handing them to you, automatically noticing the small pizza box which sat at the top of the real pizzas, most likely carrying some type of desert. Whoever ordered this pizza would be eating good, you'd be lying if you said that you weren't tempted to just accept the order and eat it all yourself, but you knew that'd be wrong.

“Um- I don't know how to say this but you have the wrong house..”

His smile faded into confusion, “Huh? But I could've sworn it was your address -”

You smiled awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood, “I was too busy all of today and didn't order a single pizza. But if you don't mind I'd love for you to maybe go back and make me an order? I'm too tired to cook today.” You added, making him chuckle as he checked his phone.

“Unfortunately, it says your address. And the order is already paid, so I'll have to leave them here as we won't be able to locate the real address.”

Pausing for a moment, you looked around nervously to see if anyone was looking for their pizza to arrive, but no one. This had never happened before and you already had the number one suspect in mind.

“Alright, I'll take them.” you said, reaching out for the pizza making your way back inside to find your wallet for an extra tip.

“Oh-” he stuttered, catching on to what you might have been looking for, “The anonymous user also already paid tip, so don't worry about it.”

“Excuse me-?” You said in a kind voice, being caught off guard at the sight of a tall young man with wet hair. Most likely having just gotten out of the shower, it made you stutter in shock. What a handsome neighbor..

A little bitter, you nodded in agreement, making your way back to the door as he made his way back to his car and drove off. Immediately when he was out of sight, you took the pizzas and made your way to the neighbors property, knocking on the door a couple of times, hearing shuffling as the door came to an open.

He lifted his eyebrow and just simply stared at you, “You're staring. Do you need anything?” He said looking down at the pizza boxes in your hands.

Coming back to your senses you nodded, “I believe you input the wrong address upon ordering your pizza..?” You finished, seeing a smile come onto his face.

“Oh! It's you! You're my neighbor right?”

A little shocked that he knew, you nodded, “Yes… about the pizza-”

“I did order it, but the miscommunication was fully intentional” He smiled, making you look at him oddly. He caught onto this and reassured.

No one had ever done something like that for you before, so you didn't know how to reply. “I see... So then would you like to share it?”

“I was guessing that you were working hard since you didn't come visit. So I ordered you pizza.”

The question caught him off guard, but you kept your head high and waited, he looked around nervously before accepting the offer and going inside to get a plate.

You allowed him to take his half of the pizza. “Take some of this as well-” you said, pointing at the little box. He smiled and dismissed you, “No, I'm not a big fan of chocolate chip.”

Your eyes lit up, “it's chocolate chip!?”

He smiled and nodded, closing the box and handing you a container, which had been full of pasta.

“Since you're sharing your food, I should share mine. I made this and I hope you enjoy it.”

Bowing, you thanked him and made you way back to your home.

Truly, what a handsome neighbor.

[queenie-ofthe-void]

A Desperate Fool - Part 12

Part 11

Last Time: Steve's struggling with Eddie being back in town, and Dustin just tries his best to help

~~~

Eddie’s been in Chicago for almost three months and Jeff’s only called once. They’d chatted for a few minutes before Eddie spilled all the beans about Steve. Jeff wasn’t all that surprised, which surprised Eddie in return, and when he told Jeff as much, his friend laughed. “It was only a matter of time, Eddie.” And he’d said it with such grace that Eddie felt the anxiety slough from his shoulders. Either with or without him, the band would be fine. 

Now, Eddie’s learned to savor the casual routine he and Dustin have established over the past month. It’s been nice, relaxing– normal.

While Dustin spends his days working from his home office upstairs, Eddie cooks, cleans, and avoids calls from his manager. Somedays Nancy and Jonathan invite him over for dinner. He’s also started meandering the neighborhood, discovering all the reasons Dustin picked here to settle down. Around the corner is a small game store which hosts DnD nights on Wednesdays and Magic the Gathering tournaments on Saturdays. It’s next door to a record shop and a small cafe that serves the best cranberry orange muffins Eddie’s ever tasted.

He’s starting to gain some of the weight back he lost, so the small amount of clothes he brought with him are starting to dig in. Dustin says it’s thanks to the home cooked meals and down time, now that he’s not partying every night. Cooking is another part of everyday living Eddie’s come to love. Steve had done all the cooking before, not just because Eddie didn’t know how, but because Steve genuinely enjoyed it. He doesn’t think his skills will ever be that good, but that doesn’t matter much. Eddie’s already halfway through a cookbook and hasn’t felt this proud of himself since he learned how to play.

It’s well into April when Dustin suggests renovating the downstairs guest bedroom into a temporary recording studio. Eddie considers it for a grand total of three hours before he calls his manager– much to their relief– to have his guitars and equipment shipped from LA on the promise of starting a new solo album. By the time it arrived, the room’s sound proofed with mounted wall hooks for each of his sweethearts. He’s also furnished it with a few plush couches and a black leather barstool beneath the hanging microphone.

This is where Eddie sits now, headphones pulled up and plugged in, his old-school acoustic swung across his back as he leans over a notebook scribbling out the lyrics falling muffled from his lips. He hums the melody, repeating the last verse to himself when there’s a soft poke on his shoulder. Startled, Eddie shouts and barely manages to catch his guitar before he tumbles off the barstool on top of it. Loose sheets scatter across the floor as he fumbles the notebook. He gathers as much as he can, but when he stands, he finds Dustin scanning some before he can snatch them away.

“Those are private, dude,” Eddie exclaims, shoving them unceremoniously into his pocket. Hopefully later he’ll be able to make out the writing through the wrinkles. 

“Yeah, seems like it,” Dustin replies. He avoids eye contact, shuffling back and forth, and picks at his fingernails. “So, are those–”

“New songs.”

“–breakup songs?”

Eddie sighs, rubs his hands down his face. Dustin’s eyes are on him when Eddie moves his hands away. He feels seen, overly scrutinized, much in the same way Max and Nancy first looked at him. Dustin’s the only kid who’ll talk to him, but Eddie’s been living here for two months now and on some level, it feels like they haven’t talked about anything. Stuff like what’s for dinner, shopping lists, TV shows, video games. Things that don’t really matter.

The studio’s suddenly claustrophobic, but as Eddie moves towards the door, a half-hearted bullshit reason to leave stuck in his throat, Dustin steps in front of him.

“You know Steve’s happy, right?”

Ok so they’re talking about it. Eddie’s been anticipating this since the phone call, but is still unprepared for the solid earnestness scrawled across Dustin’s face.

“Yeah, Nancy told me everything. About all of it.” Eddie crosses his arms, can’t help hunching in on himself. Big, loud, and obnoxious never worked around Dustin, who could match him step-for-step. And after his initial conversation with Nancy, all Eddie wants to do is hide– preferably here in Dustin’s basement. “She takes care of him, she’s practically obsessed with him, wants kids– the whole package.”

Bitterness coats his tongue, and Dustin doesn’t miss his seething tone. 

“She likes sports too,” Dustin adds, defensive. The kid’s always stood up to bullies to protect the people he loves. He used to do that for Eddie. Now Eddie’s alone on the opposite side of a chasm, wondering why he never considered what kind of relationship Dustin could have with Becky. 

“Nancy mentioned something about sports journalism.”

“Becky gets press tickets and front row seats. They go to Blackhawks and Cubs games all the time.” Tone rising, Dustin’s cheeks are flushed, hands clenched at his sides.

“That’s–” Eddie starts, but is interrupted.

“Has he called you?” Dustin shouts at him.

Eddie freezes, body coiled tight and ready to run, but also horribly, devastatingly confused.

“What?” Cold sweats break out down his spine, his hands tingle with tiny pinpricks. “Dustin, I don’t–” he wheezes, swallowing around the dryness in his mouth. “No, we haven’t talked at all.”

“Good. Right, yeah– that’s good.” Even though Dustin’s impeding stance doesn’t change, his tone is laced with uncertainty. 

“I swear,” Eddie pleads.

“I believe you,” Dustin heaves a great, heavy sigh, his body slumps. “Just– please don’t answer if he calls. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Eddie can’t help the snap of irritation. “Why?”

“Uhh,” Dustin’s voice drags out, dripping with defensive sarcasm that has Eddie deflating, “maybe because he’s planning a wedding with his new fiance and his ex showed back up out of fucking no where.”

“I know. Fuck, I know. I’m sorry.” Regret and shame crawl under his skin.

“You keep saying that, but it still doesn’t feel true.” 

His eyes are hot, the panic of confrontation bubbles up through his grief. “I want it to be true, Dustin, I’m trying to make it true. I know nothing I do will ever make up for what I’ve put you all through, but– fuck.” Eddie wipes at his misted eyes. “I’d give up everything if I had to. Everything I have, all the money and clothes, the parties and the awards. I’d grovel and I’d–”

He doubles over on a long exhale that lurches from his chest unrestrained. Eddie grounds himself by counting the checkered pattern on Dustin’s socks until his breathing evens out. 

“I’d give up Steve.” He almost vomits as the words leave his mouth, and at that moment he can’t tell if it’s the truth or not. “I just want my family again, Dustin– you and Nancy and Mike. I don’t want to be alone anymore. And if he’s truly happy with her, I don’t want to hurt him. He deserves to be happy, even if that means I never see him again.”

He stands up and sees Dustin’s crying now, soaking the tears into the sleeves of his sweatshirt. Years or minutes or days pass as he waits for Dustin to answer, to say fucking anything after Eddie just carved himself open and spilled his guts on the floor. He can’t imagine never seeing Steve again, never hearing the sound of his laugh or grazing his hands against the moles on his neck. 

Except if Steve’s actually happy– truly down-to-the-marrow-of-his-bones happy– like Dustin says, Eddie can’t stand in the way of that. He won’t. He’s already hurt his baby so much, he won’t ruin the rest of his life too.

The realization tips Eddie’s world on its axis, the foundation of his life crumbing beneath him. As he does his best to reorient himself, Dustin scoffs a wet chuckle. “There’s going to be so much groveling. Like, a shit ton of groveling.”

A wide, relieved grin breaks out across Eddie’s tear stained face as Dustin smirks. The tone is teasing, but they both know he means it. Eddie wasn’t lying, he’ll grovel on the ground until his knees are soaked in blood. Giving up Steve feels wrong to the depths of his soul, but he’ll do it. Eddie’s not promising he’ll move on, but he can let go. He’ll do whatever it takes to earn the love and respect of his family, and he’s willing to rebuild his entire life to do it. Reconstruct it into something softer, more mundane and normal and utterly filled with a new kind of love.

And when Dustin pulls him into a hug and squeezes the air from Eddie’s lungs, he can’t help but feel overjoyed at the thought he’s already started.

~~~

Part 13

Tag List!!!

@sadisticaltarts @5ammi90 @blacklegsanji21 @jaytriesstrangerthings @thewickedkat

@stripey82 @a-lovely-craziness

[chaoticforever]

Love’s Illusion (And Unfaithful Wounds) | Steve Rogers x Male! Reader

Summary: Whispers of doubt had always lingered in the back of Y/n’s mind. Nobody dared to utter them out loud, but everyone knew that nothing lasts forever. Still, Y/n had tried. He really did.

A/n: Remember when I made a short thought and said that I might turn into a fic one day? Well, I just did that. Enjoy :)

"Wow, Tony, this whole setup looks nice."

You were awestruck as you surveyed the candlelit dinner that Tony had set up for you and Steve. The sight before you was amazing, and the glass windows opened up to reveal a breathtaking panorama of the night sky with a perfect round moon. And the view of New York City that you two had from this area was unparalleled.

Today marked your and Steve's second anniversary and you decided to surprise him with his favorite home-cooked meal and an engraved metal band. The words Ti amo, Mio eroe — which translates to I love you, my hero — were written on the inside. This is a gift Steve would adore.

As you admired the beautiful ring, you couldn't help but feel a wave of nerves wash over you. You intended to propose to him with it and hoped he will say yes.

"Of course it's amazing; I designed this." Tony bragged with pride. "It's like I have a natural talent for designing just about anything. If there was an award for a big brother of the year, it would go to me."

"No, no, no; Thor's the one who deserves that award without question. He had to deal with his insane brother with daddy issues who tried to take over the world." The corners of your mouth curled up in a grin as you walked over to the table and set down two plates of food on it. "You'd be the second runner-up for that award."

"Ouch, Y/n." Tony placed his palm over his chest, over his heart. "Hearing you say that stung like a thousand needles. Since you don't believe I'm the best big brother ever, I suppose I'll have the bots come up here and renovate this space."

How quickly your grin disappeared. "No, Tones, please don't do that. Dum-E and U will disassemble this room exactly as they disassembled my room when I was ten." You walked around the table, giving your brother a lighthearted punch to the arm. "You already know you're the best big brother anyone could've asked for."

"Of course I'm the best, but it's nice to be reminded of that." The man laughed. "Anyways, the outfit you ordered arrived earlier, and I put it in your former room. Now that I've finished up here, I'm going to head down to the lab. I hope that you and Capsicle have a terrific evening."

"Thank you, Tony."

Just as your brother walked out of the room, your phone dinged in your pocket, signaling that you had received a text. You checked your messages and found that Natasha had informed you that she, Steve, and Bucky had returned from their assignment and that Steve was all yours.

Your response was a simple okay and then you went to the bathroom that was attached to your former room to shower.

You were looking forward to this dinner because you and Steve appeared to be growing apart as of late. While you were aware of his continued affection for you, you noticed that in the past five months, he has been spending the majority of his time with Bucky than you. You could not say that it didn't hurt because it did, but you can see why Steve longed to spend as much time as possible with his long- lost friend after they were reunited after spending more than seventy years apart.

Therefore, you were quite excited about your anniversary meal because you and Steve will have some time to yourselves. And if things are going well on the date, you two can take things to the next level in the bedroom. The cupids will love it.

After showering and changing into a sharp-looking black tuxedo, you went to your and Steve's private floor to retrieve him. You were looking forward to tonight and you knew that Steve had worked up an appetite after all of his fighting today.

As you opened the door to the bedroom, a radiant smile spread across your face. "Hey Steve, I hope you're hungry sinc—"

There was an immediate disappearance of the expression on your face, and your words died in your throat mid-sentence. The sight before you prevented you from completing the sentence that had been on the tip of your tongue. What the fuck.

You blinked three times in the hopes that your eyes were just deceiving you or that you would finally be free from this awful dream. And yet, this was no mere dream. What you saw was not a dream.

...What ...The... Fuck...

Steve was naked on your bed, but he was not alone. Bucky was there too, and he was naked as well. And you watched as Steve was kissing and fucking Bucky.

At this exact moment, you felt your heart rip painfully out of your chest and broke into a million pieces, tears welling up in the corners of your eyes. There he was, your boyfriend, the man you loved more than life itself, fucking his friend in your bed. Your whole life just collapsed.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the depths of your throat. "Oh, my God." After hearing your disbelieving whisper, the two soldiers turned to stare at you.

"Y/n." When Steve noticed you standing in the doorway, his eyes widened and he immediately got out of Bucky and stood up. Just as Steve put on his boxers, you snapped out of your stunned stupor and bolted out of the room "Y/n, wait! Please let me explain!" He shouted desperately.

You ignored the blonde super soldier who was calling out to you. With tears running down your cheeks, you opted to hasten towards your brother's private elevator, which would take you down to his workshop. How could Steve do this to you? You trusted him with your heart, but he broke it in one of the worst ways.

As the footsteps behind you begin to quicken, you round the corner where the elevator is and the doors swing open for you. Steve grabbed you by the shoulder, flipped you around, and put his hands on your waist to prevent you from entering. "Wait, Y/n." A pleading tone came from him, blue eyes gazing into your e/c ones.

"Wait for what, Steve?! Do you want me to wait for you to finish fucking Bucky in my bed, or wait for you to come up with a shitty explanation for what I just saw?"

"No, no, I just want to tell you the truth."

"Don't bother talking; I'm not interested in what you have to say... just let me go."

"Please—"

"I'm not interested in hearing what you have to say!" You shouted brokenly, and droplets still trickled down your cheeks. There wasn't any indication of anger on your part, and that was reflected in your tone. But there was no sugarcoating the hurt and utter betrayal that came from it. "Just... leave me alone, okay? I don't feel like speaking to you, nor do I want to see you. I cannot believe you would cheat on me..." Your voice cracked as you glanced at the man you had called your boyfriend. "Get off me..." Your voice was a whisper.

Steve, being the stubborn man he is, shook his head, arms tightening around your waist when you tried to draw away.

"The young boss has requested that you release him, Captain." FRIDAY'S icy voice pierced your ears, unimaginably chilling. "Let go of him, or I'll have to do it myself."

Now that the blonde heard the artificial intelligence's timbre — which sounded dangerously close to being scary, Steve gently releases you, and you back away to create some space between you two.

You reached into your pocket and threw a little, sleek box at him. "I was planning on giving that to you tonight during our anniversary dinner, but it's useless now. What you do with it is up to you. You can keep it or give it to Bucky if you want to." You stepped backward into the elevator. "Happy Anniversary, Rogers. We're over."

In the instant that followed, the elevator door shut before the super soldier could respond — a deliberate move by FRIDAY.

You let out a sigh as you shut your eyes, sniffling. God, you felt like such an idiot, thinking that Steve loved you when he was fucking Bucky behind your back.

The worst part is that you saw the signs but ignored them because you love him. Clearly, he doesn't feel the same though.

The moment you walked off the elevator, Tony was waiting there. You figured that FRIDAY had already informed him of the recent situation or shown him the video. The billionaire appeared ready to kill and he possessed a menacing appearance.

"I will kill Capsicle for what he did to you later." A moment later, his eyes softened. "Come here, Y/n." His arms opened wide.

You raced into Tony's arms, sobbing into his shoulder because there was nothing else you could do after tonight's events.

Steve broke you.

He broke your heart into pieces, and you didn't think it would ever be whole again.

XXXXX XXXXX

Weeks following the incident were grim.

To begin, you and Steve no longer share a bedroom, therefore you have returned to the one you had previously occupied. You both were not together anymore, so you knew that it was the correct choice, but you missed sharing a bed with him. You longed for his warm embrace and the comfort he always brought. Without Steve, the bed feels considerably colder.

And throughout those weeks, you made an effort to avoid both Steve and Bucky like the plague. Since you were the team hacker and proficient in multiple martial arts styles, the only times you could not escape them was during team missions, training exercises, and meetings. Other than this, you didn't spend any additional time with them because it hurt too much to be around them after what they did.

Your feelings of betrayal weren't limited to Steve; Bucky was just as guilty in your eyes. You made an effort to make Bucky feel at ease here, even if he was the tool used to murder your parents. Seeing him around the Compound, in the beginning, was hard since it brought up memories of the footage that showed him choking your mother to death and cracking your father's head. Even though you knew he was indoctrinated and couldn't be held responsible, it still hurt to see him here.

You accepted Bucky's apology for his acts as the Winter Soldier, notably the murder of your parents, and managed to forgive him since you recognized he was a victim. Eventually, you and he became friends, putting the past behind you two.

So, you felt betrayed by them both.

The other Avengers knew that there was something not quite right between you and Steve, but they didn't know what it was. Steve never gave them an honest answer, no matter how many times they asked. Therefore, Tony spilled the beans on everything that went down between you and Steve, and they did not take the news well. They were far from pleased.

The team was quite dissatisfied with Steve and Bucky, but Steve particularly so because he crushed your heart. Clint punched Steve after finding out because he couldn't understand why Steve would hurt you the way he did and wanted him to experience the same pain you felt.

Tony and Natasha insisted that Steve needed to pay for his actions, with Tony recommending that he should move out. You merely shook your head and stated that it wasn't necessary, knowing that he didn't have anywhere else to go and the team had to be together under one roof.

Really, you had no desire for vengeance against Steve. You wanted nothing more than to merely move on and find peace. But it appears that the universe is not on your side, since you were unable to find peace in your dreams. Just nightmares.

Like that night.

Within the dream, you found yourself standing on an all-too-familiar road. The road where your parents were murdered.

"Help... my wife... help my wife."

Oh, God. No, please. You hesitantly turned around and saw your parents, and you knew that your plea had been ignored; you were about to witness them die again. You tried to run, so you would not have to witness this, but it's like your feet are glued to the earth, stopping you.

Howard desperately called out to the stranger who pulled up on a motorcycle once he managed to get out of the car. Slowly, he attempted to crawl over to the individual in his peripheral vision before his head was lifted and he found himself gazing at him. "Sergeant Barnes?"

His voice trembled with recognition as Barnes' metal fist slammed into his face multiple times, leaving bloody marks on the older man's face. A subsequent blow to the head resulted in a fatal skull crack.

"Howard!" Mom; your loving, nice mom. She was a kind and generous soul who only wanted the best for you and Tony. You watched as Barnes strangled her to death, thus committing a double murder.

You closed your eyes, as your lips began to tremble, desperately fighting the tears that were coming from witnessing your parents' deaths again. Trying hard to block out the pain your parents went through. Regardless of your relationship with your father, he did not deserve that.

Now, the Winter Soldier looked at you.

"Is it ironic that the man who took your parents from you is the same one who took the love of your life from you? You should know now that Captain America will never love you the way you love him. Bucky will always be Steve's first choice, and you'll always be his second choice."

You felt your fists tighten as you realized the soldier was correct. Whenever given the choice between you and Bucky, the blonde would always choose Bucky. He could not love you the way he loved him.

You snapped awake and screamed —screamed so loud it sounded like a siren in the middle of the night, smashing into your ears. Your throat became very raw and felt like it was about to burst out of your body. Tears welled up in your eyes as you took a look around the room and remembered that you were by yourself. The comforting presence of the blonde soldier was no longer available to you.

You brought your knees up to your chest and couldn't help but wonder why Steve chose Bucky over you. Why were you not enough for him? Did he not love you too?

Maybe that's why, after weeks of Steve pleading with you to speak to him alone, you finally agreed to meet him at a local coffee shop. You needed answers, and Steve was the one who could give them.

"Why," The mutual silence was broken by your tone. "Did you cheat on me, Steve?"

The blonde looked shamefacedly at the table before meeting your e/c eyes. "I'm sorry I just…" He let out a long sigh. "We have been in love since the forties, and now that I have him back and we can be together without fear of social stigma, a part of me still wanted to be with Bucky. I found it impossible to choose between you and him since I was in love with you as well, so I ended up doing the selfish thing and decided to choose him, too."

You shook your head at his justification. "H-How long has this been going on...?"

"Ever since you went to Paris with Tony."

You blinked at the soldier because—

...What...?

Exactly eight months ago, you and Tony traveled to Paris to finalize a business agreement for Stark Industries. It's been eight months of Steve cheating on you.

In those eight months, every time you kissed, every time he held your hand, every time he held you in his arms, and every time you had sex, he was secretly seeing Bucky behind your back. You felt your heartbreak intensify from hearing that.

"You have been cheating on me for eight months." You shook your head, e/c eyes fixed on the blonde. "Why didn't you just tell me that you wanted to be with Bucky instead of cheating on me? I would have been hurt, but I would have understood."

"Because I'm an idiot and I didn't want to lose you," Steve confessed, pausing for a second as though to carefully consider his next words. "But this can be fixed. A couple of months ago, Bucky confessed to me that he had developed feelings for you, as well. There is something known as a polyamorous relationship in which we can all be together. Originally, I was planning to discuss this with you, but—"

"But rather than discussing it with me, you opted to cheat." Another head shake from you. "I have no desire to engage in a polyamorous relationship. I am strictly a one-person type of man." There was a sniffle from you. "And this can't be fixed, Steve. Before I mentioned that we were done and I will now say it again: we are done. I will not get back with a cheater."

You stood up and started to leave, but Steve intercepted your exit by grabbing your hand. You looked at him and felt a twinge of sadness as you realized that the blue of his eyes was the reflection of the tears that he had been holding back.

"Please, Y/n." The blonde's only option was to beg. "I know I've made mistakes, but we can fix this. I should have shared my thoughts with you sooner, but I loved you both and couldn't choose one of you."

"You already did," You murmured in a faraway whisper. "You chose Bucky over me as soon as you started sleeping with him, Steve. I hope that you're happy with him, but we're done now. Goodbye."

Pulling away from his grasp, you left the coffee shop as you wiped away the tear stains from your cheeks. You didn't even bother glancing in Steve's direction upon leaving, but the sound of his sobs in the private booth left you feeling a little sad. You still loved him deeply, but you knew you couldn't get back together with him.

You deserved better.

XXXXX XXXXX

You were running.

The soles of your sneakers made a loud thudding sound on the park's pavement as you ran through it. Since you haven't been going for morning runs in a while, you've decided to go to the park to clear your head and do some aerobic exercise.

Eventually, you stopped running and sat down on the closest bench to catch your breath. You shut your eyes and exhaled in short breaths, a thin coating of sweat covering your forehead and the back of your neck. You haven't gone for a run in quite some time, and now you're wishing you hadn't stopped since it's your body is not acclimated to running this much.

"Are you alright there, bub?"

When you glanced to your left, you noticed that the bench you were sitting on was already taken. There was a man sitting there with brown hair that danced in the breeze to nature's symphony and hazel eyes that were the softest brown tinged with green that spoke to the soul of nature. And he was smoking a cigar.

He's handsome, You thought privately.

"Yes, I'm fine." You answered, your heart still thumping loudly in your ears despite your breathing becoming normalized. "I just haven't gone running in some time."

"Fair enough." The mystery man nodded, then reached for the water bottle next to him, and held it out to you. "You want it? You look like you need it more than I do."

You normally wouldn't accept something from a stranger, but the weather was hot and your mouth was dry, so you took the water bottle the mysterious man offered.

"Thanks a lot, stranger." You unscrewed the water bottle's top and drank from it. The water's coolness was refreshing as it slid down your throat and you smiled.

The man's lips twitched a bit. "I'm Logan."

"It is nice to meet you, Logan. I'm Y/n." You introduced yourself. "So, is this, by chance, your first time here at the park?"

Logan shook his head. "No, I come here whenever I need to clear my head, either through running or other means. Though I can tell that this is your first time here since I have never seen you here before."

The other man wasn't wrong in his little assessment. You have never visited this before today. You and Steve used to go running in Central Park, but now you are doing it by yourself in Westchester, New York. Running here by yourself wouldn't bring up old memories of you and Steve.

And you're kinda glad you came running here today otherwise you wouldn't have met Logan — who gifted you with water.

"You're correct in that regard." You drank some more water before ascending and meeting his gaze. "Well, It's time for me to resume my run. Thanks, by the way, for the water. Maybe I'll run into you again and we can go running sometime."

"Or," Logan stood and put his cigar out. "We can go running right now. There's a river just down the path." He pointed his finger to emphasize its location. "There, we can have a race to see who is faster."

"No, no, no, no. You have been sitting on that bench for who knows how long, and running has simply drained me of all my energy. That is not fair and you know it."

"Life isn't fair, bub. Do you want to do it?"

You bit your lip, debating on what to do.

On one hand, you would almost surely lose this race because Logan is clearly more muscular and energetic than you.

Yet, you were not the type to back down from a challenge, and you were eager to carry on your conversation with Logan. From this quick meeting, you could tell there was something so intriguing about him, and you were curious to learn more.

Moreover, you did not want to return to the Compound anytime soon. If you did, you would likely catch Bucky and Steve together, which you did not wish to see.

Subconsciously, you knew what to do.

"Okay, fine, but — what the hell is that?!" You pointed behind Logan, causing him to turn around, and you raced down the path, your sneakers hammering fiercely against the earth. The truth is, there was nobody behind him, but you figured that claiming that would give you a headstart.

In the end, that headstart didn't help you at all because Logan ended up winning, which wasn't a surprise to anyone at all.

However, a positive development in your friendship with Logan started that day. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you two would get up early and go for a run together. It was the one time of day that you both always looked forward to. You enjoy talking to the man despite his grumpy demeanor because of his witty, dry sense of humor, and you cannot help but stare at his ripped arms. Because of his tank top, it was impossible to resist.

Though, it wasn't just running that you looked forward to. After one of your runs with Logan, the male expressed interest in spending time with you outside of the park and asked if you would want to get some lunch with him. You accepted the brunet's suggestion and then you had to convince yourself that this wasn't a date but just the two guys hanging together.

The following Friday was the lunch hangout between you and Logan. The restaurant was pleasant without being overbearing or pretentious, but the meal is laden with bacon and oil, and it should be shut down as a threat to public health.

The conversation was lighthearted and smooth before it took a serious turn. As he snacked on fries, the brunet asked if you were in a relationship with someone.

"I was involved in a romantic relationship with a man." You stated carefully, gaze keenly observing the brown-haired male. You weren't sure if Logan was okay with people who like the same gender, but his expression didn't exhibit any symptoms of repulsion, so you continued speaking. "After two great years together, Captain America broke my heart by cheating on me. I just wasn't good enough for him."

You scratched the back of your neck.

A hand was placed on top of yours, and you opened your e/c eyes to see Logan shaking his head and staring into yours. His hazel eyes were gleaming gently, yet there was a hint of rage present in them.

"Never, ever believe that you aren't good enough for someone; that isn't true. You are remarkable in every way imaginable. You are sweet, thoughtful, hilarious, and handsome. You're the kind of boyfriend any lady or man would be lucky to have. The Captain is not good enough for you."

When you heard Logan say those words, a smile tugged at your lips. You've never been the recipient of numerous praises from a single person in a while, and you could tell that Logan meant every one of them. He never failed to make you smile.

"Thank you, Logan. You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that."

"No problem." The man shot you a smile, brushing his thumb along your knuckles.

You mirrored Logan's smile, and then your gaze dipped to his rosy lips. The ripped man was your secret crush, and you wanted nothing more than to press your lips to his and have a taste of his tongue. Instead, however, you removed your hand and returned to eating lunch.

The two continued to have a wonderful time for the remainder of lunch, with the conversations being light and informal. Logan seemed to share your sentiments because he inquired whether there was any chance of doing this again, and you replied yes to repeating this experience.

You found happiness in the company of the other man. So much happiness that the sight of Steve and Bucky together doesn't cause you any further emotional distress. You felt like Logan was putting your shattered heart back together after Steve had broken it into a million pieces.

The Avengers have surely taken note of your improved mood and are wondering what's changed. They didn't know who it was, but the team knew it was someone because you were occasionally spotted messaging on your phone while smiling.

"Who's Logan?"

A little startled, you turned and saw Tony peering at your phone from behind. A small smile played on his lips, but his question carried a serious undercurrent.

"A friend." The phone was placed in your pocket. "So, tell me, what's so important that you wish to speak with me today?"

"Don't try to divert the conversation, Y/n. You need to fill me in on this Logan guy. First and foremost, is he a boyfriend that I am unaware of?" After his words, there was a pause. "You know what? Don't tell me anything. You can simply provide me with Logan's last name, and I'll conduct a complete background check on him."

"Stop harassing your brother, Tony," Pepper stated once she came into the common area, her heels clicking across the floor as she embraced you. "Hi, Y/n."

"Hey, Pepper." You returned the blonde's embrace before breaking apart. "Finally, someone recognizes the importance of respecting people's right to privacy and refraining from prying for information." Your words were clearly aimed at Tony.

Although you and Pepper laughed, Tony could merely roll his eyes. As far as he's concerned, he did nothing wrong. In light of Steve's infidelity, the genius was more protective of you. Tony was worried that you would be hurt again, and he wanted to make sure that this Logan fella was a suitable fit for you. He will not allow his brother to be hurt by another man again.

"Considering Cap had broken your heart, I believe I have every right to probe into your dating life and find out everything I can about your other potential partners."

You flashed a smile toward your sibling. "That's sweet, but he's not someone you should worry about. After all, he's just a friend, anyway. So, tell me, what exactly did you two need to discuss with me?"

One hand was placed around Pepper's waist by Tony and they both exchanged passionate glances before gazing at you. You shifted your gaze between the two, waiting for an answer to your question.

"Well, Tony finally popped the question."

Your gaze immediately drifts to Pepper's hand, where, sure enough, a magnificent ring can be spotted. Tony had proposed. Tony's engaged and he's getting married.

Your throat exploded in a joyful scream. "Oh, my God! Congratulations, you two!"

As you hugged Tony and Pepper, you felt an overwhelming sense of joy for them. After everything they have been through together, they deserved one another. As you celebrated Tony's engagement, a twinge of envy just crept into your heart.

You had desired to get married to Steve.

You shook your head to get rid of that thought, as this wasn't about you and it wasn't the time to dwell on the fact that you once wanted to marry Steve. Today was the time to celebrate your brother's upcoming marriage to the love of his life.

"Y/n, you are okay with this, right?" Tony asked warily, voice trembling with worry.

"Of course I am! My big brother's getting married!"

There was another scream from your throat before you told Tony and Pepper that you would be happy to help them in any way possible with wedding planning.

The blonde and the billionaire requested that you select their wedding cake since you're familiar with their tastes and they had Stark Industries business to attend to. You said yes right away because you knew where to find the most delicious wedding cake in all of New York City.

"I appreciate it, Y/n. The wedding cake, at least, won't disappoint." Pepper said. "Perhaps you could invite this Logan guy to go cake-tasting with you." She smiled.

"Absolutely not!" Your sibling interjected. "And don't promote such behavior, Pep. I won't feel comfortable having him meet up with Logan until I've either met him in person or had his full name to perform a background check." He turned around to address you directly. "Don't make me ground you because I will if I have to."

Indulging in a hearty chuckle at Tony's treatment of you, you quickly pulled out your phone and started texting Logan, oblivious to the fact that a certain super soldier overheard the whole exchange.

You listened to Pepper's advice and asked Logan to go cake tasting with you tomorrow. After receiving his agreement to go with, you sent him a text message with the address to the bakery building.

The following day, you and Logan met at the bakery's entrance. Your friend was, as usual, smoking a cigar while standing in his customary attire of a black flannel shirt and blue jeans. As an added bonus, he was rocking a black jacket. You have not seen him in this black jacket before, but it's a great addition to his wardrobe.

He looked as handsome as ever before.

As the bell on the door chimed, you and Logan entered the bakery nestled on the corner of the bustling street. The air is alive with the fragrances of the bakery's creation, each one more tantalizing than the last. Sounds of laughter and chatter filled the air as customers chat with the bakers and each other, creating a happy, bustling atmosphere within the location.

From behind the counter, an employee, a pleasant and kind woman, smiled at you both. "What can I get for you two?"

"Hello there. Is your boss around?"

The woman's head shook with a gentle sway. "I'm afraid Ms. Stone had to leave unexpectedly for a family emergency," She explained, her voice soft and caring. Despite the news, a warm smile graced her lips as she went around the counter.

"I've been expecting you tho, Mr. Stark," She continued with a reassuring tone. "Please, allow me to guide you to a table where you'll find the wedding cakes you are searching for." With a hand gesture, the brunette motioned for you to follow her, her footsteps light and purposeful.

She led you and Logan over to a small table in the corner of the bakery where she had set out a variety of cakes to try.

With each cake that was sampled, you and the other guy discussed each of the cake's flavor, texture, and presentation, carefully considering which one would be the best cake for Tony's special day.

However, during the sampling, Logan's behavior took an unexpected turn. After the third cake, he leaned in and began to feed you, a playful glint in his eyes. You were taken aback by the gesture, unsure of how to respond. Yet as he wiped the crumbs from your face with his thumb, you felt a huge rush of great excitement.

You knew this wasn't something that friends typically did with each other, so you were confused by Logan's actions.

In spite of your bewilderment, you didn't try to stop him. You secretly enjoyed it, relishing in the playful dynamic between the both of you. But you knew that you needed to address the situation later, to get to the bottom of what was going on.

But for now, you decided to simply enjoy the moment, savoring the flavors of the delicious cakes and the thrill of Logan's playful gestures. Yet in the back of your mind, you realized that you would need to have a serious conversation with him soon. The mystery of Logan's behavior was something that you couldn't ignore.

Upon tasting several cakes, you settled on a rich chocolate cake with layers of raspberry filling and buttercream frostin. Tony and Pepper are going to love this.

"This is the one." You stated confidently.

The employee smiled as she carefully packaged up a slice of cake for you and Logan to take with. With practiced ease, the female wrote down the details of the wedding cake you had decided on, her pen moving gracefully across the paper. 

"I will be sure to let Ms. Stone know your selection," She said. "And may I just say, you two make such an adorable couple!  Congrats on your upcoming wedding!"

Your face became very hot. "Oh, we're—"

"—very happy to hear that." The tall male interjected smoothly, taking hold of your hand and planting a tender kiss on your temple before directing his gaze toward the female. "Have a wonderful day, bub."

With that, you and Logan walked out of the bakery, hand in hand. Rather than parting ways, you headed to the park to watch the sunset. Upon sitting down on a cozy bench, the sky was flushed with vibrant hues of pink, orange, and purple. The sun slowly descended towards the horizon, casting a warm glow over the world around you. This view was great.

You knew it was time to confront Logan concerning the situation at the bakery.

"Logan?"

"Yeah?" His gaze was focused on you.

"Why did you make that employee think that we were engaged? And why do you keep being so touchy-feely with me and feeding me? Friends don't do that, man."

Logan didn't verbally respond. Instead, he reached out and grabbed the side of your face, pulling you close and sealing your lips in a kiss. Your body responded to his touch, your senses overwhelmed by the intensity of this kiss. However, as quickly as it had started, he pulled away, his eyes searching yours for a reaction.

"I — I don't understand." You stammered, heart racing with a mix of emotions.

Did Logan like you, too?

Logan's hand reached out to caress your cheek. "I like you a lot, Y/n, and I want to be with you, but I want to make sure that you're not still hung up on Steve."

"I'm not still hung up on, Steve."

It was the truth, you reminded yourself. You had moved on from the sheer pain and betrayal that Steve had caused you. Even though he had been a huge part of your life for years, you had finally found the strength to let go and move forward.

And it's because of Logan. Ever since he had come into your life, everything had changed. The way he looked at you, the way he held your hand, the way he made you feel — it was all so vastly different from what you experienced with Steve.

"You're not?" The hazel-eyed man's eyes were filled with both curiosity and hope.

"No." The word hung in the air like a weight, heavy and final. "I'm not. I like you, too, and I want to be with someone who truly likes and respects me like you."

Relief washed over Logan's face, and he smiled. "I'm glad," He said, and then his expression turned serious. "But if we're going to be together, there's something you need to know about me that might make you regret wanting to be with me."

You raised an eyebrow in curiosity. What could Logan possibly tell you that would make you regret wanting to date him?

"Tell me."

Logan seemed nervous, which was unusual for him. You watched him take a deep breath, and then he said, "I think it would be better... if I just showed you." His eyes flickered toward his right hand.

You had no idea what he meant until you saw the sharp glint, the metallic slash of the claws that protruded from his hands, like knives made of iron. Oh...Wow... You were stunned, realizing at that moment that Logan was a mutant. He must have been worried that you would not accept him because of his extraordinary powers

Logan's gaze locked onto yours, searching for any sign of fear or rejection. He did not know if you were someone who accepted mutants or not and he was laying his heart on the line.

But you weren't like most people in this world who harbored hate and mistrust toward mutants. You believed that everyone deserved respect and acceptance, no matter what.

"So, you're a mutant?" You asked softly, meeting Logan's gaze with a newfound sense of understanding, hand ghosting over the sharp edges of Logan's claws.

Logan nodded, his expression guarded. "Yeah, Y/n. This is a part of who I am."

A smile tugged at the corners of your lips. "Well, that's not something that will make me not want to be with you. I like you for who you are, Logan — all of you."

You took Logan's hand in yours, feeling a sense of connection and closeness that you had never felt before. It was as if his powers had brought you two even closer together, rather than driving you apart.

Logan's smile returned. "Thank you, Y/n."

You leaned in, closing the gap between you, and kissed him gently. The feel of his lips against yours was electric, and you knew at that moment that you had made the right choice. Logan Howlett was the one for you — mutant or not.

XXXXX XXXXX

"Knock, knock."

As you pushed open the hotel door, you were greeted with the sight of Tony, his fingers fumbling with his tie as he tried to make it look presentable. He seemed nervous. His usual confident energy was replaced with a nervous one that no one has seen before. It was understandable.

Today was the day that your brother was getting married to the love of his life and the gravity of the situation seemed to be hitting Tony all at once. You didn't blame him for feeling a little overwhelmed now.

The clock was ticking, and the wedding ceremony was just an hour away. You, Tony, and the other male Avengers had gathered at the hotel nearby to help the groom get ready. Downstairs, the rest of the male Avengers was eating breakfast before slipping into their sharp suits for the occasion. But you had a feeling that Tony needed some extra support, so you came up here to check on the groom.

A lopsided grin broke out on Tony's face as he got his tie knot finished. "Hey, bro. Just in time to see me looking my best."

You chuckled, knowing that Tony always looked his best, but looked extra dapper in his tuxedo today. "You look amazing, Tony," You complimented him, grabbing his jacket from the bed. "Pepper's going to be blown away when she sees you. I can't believe you two are tying the knot."

"Yeah, Pepper and I are finally doing it."  Tony's smile widened, but then it faded again as he looked back at his reflection. "I just wish Mom could be here to see it."

Your heart ached at the mention of your mother. She had always been supportive of Tony than your father, even during his darkest moments. You knew how much she would have loved to see her son get married. But you knew that she instilled in him the strength and resilience to get through anything, including his wedding day without her being physically there.

You put a hand on his shoulder. "I know, man. I miss her too. But she would have been so proud of you today. I know it."

"I hope so. It just feels weird, you know? Getting married without her here for it."

You squeezed his shoulder. "I know it does. But she's with you in spirit and in your heart. And she wouldn't want you to be sad on your wedding day. I know that she is looking down on you with a smile. She’s just as proud of you as I am."

The billionaire looked at you, and for a moment, you two started at each other. Then, he moved and hugged you tightly.

"Thank you Y/n," Tony whispered into his brother's ear. "Thank you for being here."

You embraced him back with equal warmth, feeling your eyes moisten with tears. You knew that this was more than simply a hug, but also the overwhelming realization of the bond you both shared.

His words echoed in your mind, and you knew that he wasn't just referring to this moment. Your brother was pertaining to the unbreakable connection you shared, built on a foundation of unwavering support and love, through all the ups and downs life had thrown your way.

He wasn't just your brother by blood, but also by heart, and you're grateful for him.

"Of course; that's what brothers are for." You remarked. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Nervous, to be honest," Tony admitted.

You raised an eyebrow. "You, nervous? I honestly never thought I'd see that day."

Tony chuckled. "Yeah, well, this is a big day and everything has to go perfectly.”

"Everything's going to be fine and you've got this. You and Pepper are perfect for each other, and today is the beginning of a wonderful journey together."

"You're right," Tony agreed. "Today is the beginning of something amazing, and I can't wait to see what the future holds."

"That's the spirit, bro!"

You gracefully slipped Tony's suit jacket onto his broad shoulders, smoothing out any creases with your hands. Just as you finished, your phone dinged, pulling your attention away from Tony. You checked it and saw two messages waiting there.

One was from Rhodey, announcing that he was ten minutes away. The other was from Logan. Your heart leapt as you read Logan's message, telling you that he had arrived outside of your hotel. You were both surprised and ecstatic that he had managed to make it, despite previously declining your invitation due to his busy schedule and the wedding's location in California. He came all this way for me.

You couldn't help the smile that formed on your face after receiving Logan's text.

You quickly informed Tony of their arrival and that you were going to greet them downstairs. Tony, ever the curious one, suggested that you bring Logan up so he could interrogate him and get to know him better. You rolled your eyes at your siblings' protectiveness but agreed to go down and get them from outside.

As you stepped out of the hotel room, the carpet beneath your feet muffled the sound of your footsteps. You made your way down the hall until you collided with someone. Felt more like a wall tho. You stumbled back, catching yourself just in time to look up and see Bucky, standing in front of you in a perfectly tailored suit.

The two of you stood in silence for a moment, not quite sure what to say. This is the first time you two have been alone since the whole incident with Steve. You had seen him around the compound and during team stuff, but this was different.

This was the first time you were alone with him, without anyone else present, and you were not sure how to feel now.

Though, you did know one thing – You didn't hate him and from what Steve told you, he didn't hate you either. "A couple of months ago, Bucky confessed to me that he had developed feelings for you."

"Nice suit." You said, unsure of what to say, but wanting to break the silence. "I didn't know you had such good taste in..."

"I'm sorry," Bucky interrupted, his voice barely above a whisper.

This apology was unexpected, but you could hear the remorse and guilt in his voice, and it tugged at your heartstrings. He then continued speaking, his words pouring out of him like a confession and you listened carefully to what he voiced. 

"I'm so sorry for what I did to you, for seeing Steve behind your back. I was selfish and didn't consider your feelings, and for that, I am truly sorry. I know that nothing I say can make it right and that you hate me, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for everything I did to you, and I don't expect your forgiveness."

You nodded, acknowledging his apology and the sincerity that was present in his voice. "I appreciate your apology, man. It takes courage to admit one's faults, but you should know that I do not hate you."

Bucky's eyes widened in surprise, gazing at you in disbelief. "You should hate me," He insisted, his voice low and his gaze unwavering. "I took everything from you."

"But I don't," You replied honestly. "What happened between us three hurt me so much." You watched as the man bowed his head in shame. "I was so hurt, but I decided to move on to find peace, and I decided not to harbor hate toward you."

You placed a hand on Bucky's shoulder, shocking yourself with the movement. "I truly hope you're happy with him. By the way, I forgive you for what you've done."

You walked passed Bucky down the hall when he called out, voice very uncertain. "..Do you think we can be friends again?"

Bucky knew that the chance of being with you romantically was slim to none.

After everything that had happened, after the things he and Steve had done, he knew it would be impossible to have a relationship with you. That didn't stop him, though, from feeling deeply for you, from cherishing the time you two spent together. He wanted that friendship back.

You paused for a moment, uncertain of the answer. But you turned back to him and offered a smile. "I'll see you around."

With a final smile, you descended the staircase to meet Logan and Rhodey, leaving Bucky standing in the hallway.

Once you stepped outside the hotel, the warm California sun greeted you with its embrace. You scanned the area, looking for Logan. Then you saw him, standing like a beacon of style in a finely-tailored suit that hugged his frame in all the right places. It seemed as though he had just stepped right out of a fashion magazine.

You approached him, and a smile broke out on his handsome features when he caught sight of you. You couldn't resist wrapping your arms around him, feeling his strong and steady arms around your waist in response. He actually made it.

Upon pulling away, you asked what he was doing here in Cali, surprised by his unexpected appearance. He explained that his team had to come to California to pick up a mutant, and he decided to go to Tony's wedding with you instead. You felt a warm feeling spread through you, grateful for his presence here today.

You thanked him and smiled as Rhodey joined in, greeting both of you. Together, the three of you headed upstairs to your brother's room. However, as you entered, it was like a scene from a movie. Tony was prepared with an interrogation for Logan, determined to make sure he was good enough for you. You couldn't help but smile at Tony's overprotectiveness, knowing it came from a place of love.

Logan was prepared for the questioning. He answered every question confidently and called Tony a wonderful brother for being so protective over you, softening Tony's eyes a little. You couldn't help but smile at how well he handled the grilling.

Finally, Rhodey spoke, reminding us that he had a wedding to prepare for and not to interrogate your boyfriend right now.

Tony stopped, but not before promising that he would continue the conversation at a later time. For now, you, Rhodey, and Logan helped calm Tony's nerves down. Soon, Tony was looking more confident than he was when you entered the room for the first time. He's ready.

And as both Tony and Pepper exchanged vows and shared a passionate kiss, you watched with pride as your sibling found a source of love and support in his life.

The grand reception that followed was a magnificent spectacle, a true, deliberate celebration of love and joy. The banquet was a lavish display of food. The dance floor seemed to extend to infinity and was adorned with shimmering lights as if the stars themselves had descended to witness the special occasion tonight.

Tony and Pepper twirled and spun, lost in their own world as they celebrated their union with family and friends.

You stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, washing your hands when the door creaked open. Your head turned to the side to see Steve standing there, his piercing blue eyes focused on your form.

"Y/n, can we talk?" Steve asked softly.

You turned your whole body to face him. "I didn't know we had things to discuss."

"Y/n, I know that I messed up." He said, his voice cracking. "I should never have cheated on you with Bucky. I'm so sorry."

You stared at him for a long moment before responding. "Steve, I loved you. I gave you everything, and you threw it all away to be with Bucky. You broke me."

The man hung his head, unable to meet your gaze. "Y/n, please..." The tall blonde pleaded. "I know I can't take back what I did — but I want to try and make things right. I still love you and I want to be with you again — to make up for my mistake."

But you just shook his head, a tiny smile playing on your lips. "Steve, I appreciate your apology, but I cannot get back with you. Besides, I have moved on and I am currently in a relationship with a man."

The soldier felt a spike of jealousy. "Oh, who? The guy you took as your date?"

"Yes, his name's Logan and he treats me the way I deserve to be treated, with love and respect. That man makes me happy and I do not want to ruin what we have."

Steve's heart sank at your words. He had hoped that there was still a chance for them, but he knew now that it was over.

He had lost you for good.

"I understand." The blonde spoke, voice barely audible. "I just want you to know that I'm sorry, and I will always love you."

You nodded. "And I will always have love for you, but It's time for us both to move on. I hope that you and Bucky are happy together." You threw Steve a small smile before exiting the bathroom by yourself.

When you made it back to the ballroom, you saw Logan sitting down at the table, nursing a drink in his hand with his eyes focused on the dance floor. You settled down next to him in the chair. "Hey, hey."

Logan's eyes flickered over, meeting yours, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He leaned over and planted a kiss on your lips, "Hi there." He muttered. "I'm glad you finally came back, Y/n. You were in that bathroom for quite some time. I was starting to get a bit worried."

You chuckled, feeling the warmth of his lips on yours. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just really had to use the restroom." e/c eyes scanned the dance floor, taking in the sight of couples dancing to the music.

"Let's go dance."

Logan's eyes widened in surprise at your suggestion. "I can't dance." He protested.

You waved away his worries with a tiny laugh. "That doesn't matter. Half of the people in here can't dance. C'mon, let's go have some fun." You took his hand in yours, feeling the rough callouses of his palm against yours as he hesitated for a moment before giving in. He placed his drink down and followed you out to the dance floor. The music swelled around you, and you lost yourself in the rhythm, moving in sync with Logan. Pretty good.

As the music swirled around you, you felt a rush of joy and freedom coursing through your veins. This was what it felt like to be truly alive. And as you danced here with Logan, you knew that you had made the right decision in letting go of Steve and choosing Logan to be yours.

You trusted him implicitly, and you knew that he wouldn't hurt you like Steve had.

Logan was rugged and tough, with a heart of gold that shone through in the way he looked at you. He made you feel safe and cherished — and you knew that you could trust him with your heart. And who knows, maybe in the future, you and Logan could end up marrying each other.

As you swayed to the music, lost in the moment, you knew one thing for certain:

Logan Howlett was your everything.

He was your one and only.

Steve stood alone in the dim bathroom, the weight of his heartache heavy upon his chest. His tears fell freely, streaming down his cheeks in a never-ending flow. The ring you had intended to propose to him with rested on his trembling finger, a cruel reminder of what could've been.

He traced the edges of the ring with his fingertips, feeling every inch of it, every groove and crevice, as the memories of your love flooded his mind. The soldier had followed you into the bathroom, determined to win you back. He knew he had made a grave mistake in not telling you about his feelings for Bucky sooner. But he was scared of losing you, scared of being alone. And now he had lost you anyway, and the thought tore him apart.

But now, it was too late. You had moved on — found someone who treated you with the love and respect you deserved. Steve knew he could never compete with that. He wanted nothing more than for you to be happy, even if it meant he would never hold you in his arms again.

The blonde felt a wave of sadness wash over him, as he realized that he had lost you forever. Steve knew that he had only himself to blame for what happened, but it didn't make the pain any less intense.

The pain was like a knife twisting in his chest, a physical ache that wouldn't go.

It's my fault. I fucked up everything. You were an angel that flew away too soon.

He had Bucky, but he didn't have you.

He knew that he would have to live with the consequences of his actions, but he also knew that he would never forget the love he lost for the rest of his life — the happiness you had brought into his life.

With a heavy heart, he pulled out his wallet and gazed at the small picture of you and him at the carnival on your first date. Steve clung to the memory of that day, to the love he felt for you then and still felt now. A pic of two people in love, captured in a moment of real happiness.

The soldier took a deep breath in, trying to calm himself down, but it was no use. The tears kept coming, a never-ending stream of grief and heartbreak. He knew he had to let you go, had to accept that you were happy with someone else. It was so hard to do, so hard to give up on the love that meant everything to him.

And he whispered three words into the silence of the bathroom, voice choked with tears. It was a desperate plea for a love that he could never have again. And the words would never reach your ears.

"I love you."

XXXXX XXXXX

[nerdraging4point0]

The Scorpion and the Scales //Chapter Seventeen// Poly-AU

Tropes and Tags: MF, MFM, MFMM, instalove, too much sex, tattooed musicians, polyverse, friends to lovers.

Content warning: 18+ only MDNI, PinV, PinA, oral (f!recieveing, m!recieving), threesomes, light BDSM, voyeurism, exhibitionism, partner sharing, jealousy, angst.

This work below is fictionalized ideas and stories involving real people but does not directly reflect their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Please keep in mind that this is a work of fiction.

Fanclub: @tearfallpixie @ladyveronikawrites @synthetic-wasp-570 @yournecessaryevil @dominuslunae @awkwardalex @rumoured-whispers @beaker1636 @mysticdoodlez

For the past few months, the four of us had been navigating the uncharted waters of our unconventional relationship. Noah was on a sold out European tour, he’d been gone for nearly a month, returning to us in just a couple of days. This time around he kept all of us in the loop during his time abroad. The group chat was a flurry of activity, with Noah regularly texting small, amusing anecdotes about the hijinks he and his bandmates were getting up to between shows. And even cute messages about how he missed us and couldn’t wait to be home.

Sometimes I'd look up and across the room, Chris would be bent over his phone, tongue darting out to wet his lips as he texted his boyfriend. They’d certainly fallen for each other, communicating in private almost as much as I did with either of them, sometimes I wondered what they would say to each other. While Rick had initially been open to the idea of the four of them exploring intimacy together, it took him some time to fully embrace the deep connection between Noah and Chris.

There was an undeniable, almost primal energy that crackled between the two men, as if they had unlocked a hidden part of themselves that only the other could access. Their bond went beyond mere physical attraction - it was a meeting of souls, a melding of spirits that left the rest of us feeling almost like outsiders looking in.

It was hard to spend time together, not one of us lived in the same place at the same time. With the guys touring separately, Noah living out west, Chris and Rick both owned property in Pennsylvania-one of which I now lived in, leaving the apartment to move in with Rick-Chris on a whim bought property down south, overseeing the renovations for the next two months. It was hard to know when we’d all be together again.

Even as the four of us loved each other dearly, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy watching Noah and Chris together. There was a level of intimacy there that I knew all too well, but my stubborn Virgo refused to acknowledge it.

With him, I felt complete in a way that the others could never replicate. And yet, there was always an elusive quality to him, a part of him that seemed to hold back, keeping me at arm's length no matter how tightly he embraced me. Sometimes this was maddening, leaving me aching to fully possess every inch of him. Other times, it was easy to forget, to lose myself in the all-encompassing comfort of his love. But the nagging feeling that he was hiding something, guarding a piece of himself, was always there, a persistent undercurrent that I could never quite shake.

We’d flown into Tampa for the weekend. A few days from now I'd be departing with Noah on a Caribbean cruise-our own mini vacation. But until then Rick and Chris were mine.

They had booked us the high-end suite, complete with a private sitting room, fully-equipped kitchen, and a spacious balcony offering a breathtaking ocean view. The real excitement, however, lay within the master bedroom, where the boys had me completely at their mercy.

Blindfolded and helpless, my naked body trembled with anticipation as I felt the soft fleece lining of the cuffs binding my wrists and ankles in a tight hogtie. This was Rick's favorite restraint system, one he had learned about from Chris. At first, Rick had been mesmerized, his curiosity piqued by the sensations and power dynamics. Now, he wielded that knowledge with a confident, commanding presence.

I lay there, utterly exposed and vulnerable, my body restrained and senses deprived. The sturdy stretching bar forced my knees up and apart, leaving me open and accessible. Cuffs securely fastened behind my back, rendering my arms immobile. The satin blindfold sealed off my vision, plunging me into total darkness. Without sight, my other senses strained to compensate, hyper-alert to every subtle sound and sensation. The quiet hum of the air conditioning reverberated through the room, while the gentle whirring of the distant fan created a soothing, ambient backdrop. The flickering candles on the dresser crackled and popped, their warm glow no doubt casting enticing shadows, though I could only imagine them. I waited with bated breath, heart pounding, every nerve ending electrified as I anticipated the unknown.

The door slowly creaked open, the frame softly sliding across the carpet floor. Shifting restlessly on the bed, I felt the heavy weight of the plug nestled deep inside me. The foreign sensation elicited a soft, needy whine from my lips, all I could do to quell the overwhelming sensations coursing through my body.

"I told you she looks pretty tied up like this," came a voice, laced with pride and underlying lust that made me shudder involuntarily.

Chris.

"Pretty is an understatement," purred another, Rick's voice dripping with carnal desire as it hit my ears. "She looks delicious."

At those words, large, cool fingers ghosted across my lower belly, causing me to jerk forward instinctively, arching into the tantalizing touch. Long fingers cupped my breast in a sickly, possessive manner. I mewled softly, pressing into their touch, aching for more.

Chris leaned in close, his warm breath caressing the delicate shell of my ear. “You up for a game, precious?”

The familiar wetness pooling between my thighs was enough of a ‘yes’ in my book. My mouth simultaneously went dry, then flooded with saliva, as my body betrayed the hunger stirring within. With a breathy, obedient tone, I uttered the words he longed to hear - "Yes, sir."

His touch shifted, feeling two fingers glide up and down the throbbing pulse point of my neck. "The game is this," he purred. "Rick and I are going to touch you in different ways, and you have to guess who is touching you. If you guess wrong, you get punished." My breath caught in anticipation at the prospect of punishment, but- "What if I guess right?"

"Then we keep going," Chris replied, his voice shifting as he moved around the room. My ears strained to track his movements, desperate to pinpoint his location, but the room seemed to swallow the sound of his footsteps. "Are you ready to play, little one?" he murmured, now directly in front of me, the predatory edge in his tone sending a delicious shiver down my spine.

“Yes. Sir.” I breathed.

Tension hung thick in the air as I waited with bated breath, every nerve ending on high alert. I had been anticipating this moment, craving the feel of their touch. My heart pounded in my ears, the rhythmic thumping drowning out all other noise as I struggled to steady my erratic breathing.

Then, without warning, a feathery caress grazed my left arm, the delicate fingertips trailing slowly up my triceps and back down again in a tantalizing, sensual glide. A shaky exhale escaped my lips as I concentrated on the electrifying sensation, willing my breath to even out.

“Rick.”

The fingers that had been caressing my skin with languid, soothing motions paused for a moment, and I was met with a low, rumbling affirmation, his warm breath ghosting across the sensitive skin of my neck in a way that made me shiver.

"Very good, baby girl," he murmured, his lips brushing against me in a soft, fleeting kiss before the contact was gone leaving me bereft and aching for more.

Tugging gently at the metal cuffs encircling my wrists and ankles, I tried to ground myself, to focus on the physical sensations rather than the maelstrom of emotions raging inside me. Suddenly, a familiar hand caressed my calf with a featherlight touch, I wet my lips trying to steady my racing heart.

"Chris," I breathed, pride swelling in my voice as I recognized his tender, masterful touch.

"Very good, precious," he purred, more words of approval dripping from his lips. Someone climbed on the bed, rolling me softly to my side.

“No need to guess, baby girl,” Rick teased as I felt him fumble around hearing the click of the cuffs releasing my wrists setting my hands free. I helped roll myself onto my back, my arms stretching out searching for my boys. A pair of hands slid up my arms interlacing our fingers as they gently pinned me to the bed.

“Hands stay above your head, baby girl.” Rick’s commanding yet playful tone sent delicious shivers over my body, and I obediently kept my hands raised exactly as he had instructed, knowing full well the mischievous grin that must be gracing his handsome features.

Rick's rough yet tender fingers glided sensuously down the bare skin of my arms, igniting sparks within me. Every point of contact between our bodies felt heightened, hyper-aware, as though my nerve endings had been set alight. Fighting the urge to reach out and pull him closer.

I could feel their eyes roaming hungrily over my naked body, drinking in every curve and contour. The vulnerability of being so openly displayed before them, helpless and at their mercy, sent lightning bolts of exhilaration coursing through me.

Their breathing was nearly imperceptible, the only giveaway the faint, tantalizing whispers of air that occasionally reached my ears, hinting at their proximity. I was acutely aware of every shift in the air, every subtle vibration, my body tense and quivering with anticipation, unsure of what sensations might come next. Suddenly, I felt a weight settle on my belly, the cool touch of leather sliding teasingly across my skin, dipping into the sensitive hollow of my navel before vanishing altogether, leaving me aching for more contact. The brief caress ignited a smoldering desire within me, my skin craving their touch. The anticipation was maddening, my mind racing to keep up with the tantalizing game they were playing.

"That's not fair," I gasped, my voice breathy and strained with barely restrained need. The words tumbled out before I could stop them, betraying the desperation I felt.

Chris's deep, rumbling voice came from my left, a delicious contrast to Ricky's taunting, teasing tone sounding from my right. "That's not a guess, little one,"

"Guessing is part of the fun," Rick purred. I was surrounded, enveloped by their powerful presence, my senses heightened to the point of overwhelming sensitivity.

I swallowed hard, taking a deep, steadying breath before responding in a quivering voice, "May I have it again, please?" I could hear shuffling all around me as I lay there, my senses heightened, waiting in anticipation. The familiar touch of supple leather grazed my belly once more, sending a shiver through my body. I tried to focus, to guess who might be wielding that delicious instrument, but the sensations were so overwhelming that it was difficult to think clearly.

The flogger began caressing my stomach, slowly working its way down towards the sensitive juncture of my thighs. Instinctively, I parted my legs, aching for the sweet bliss that was sure to follow. But just as the blissful contact was about to meet my throbbing, needy core, the flogger was cruelly torn away, leaving me whimpering with want. I had to guess, and guess quickly, before the torment continued.

"Chris," I breathed, his name falling from my lips as I waited with bated breath. The slap of the flogger against my belly wasn't too harsh, but the unexpected contact still caused me to curl in on myself defensively.

A shiver ran down my spine as Rick's dark, authoritative tone filled the room, enveloping my senses and sending a flush of warmth through my body. In my mind's eye, I could vividly picture him standing before me - his dark locks framing his chiseled features, his smoldering gray eyes lit with intensity as he gripped the flogger in his strong hands. I imagined the way his pink tongue would dart out to slowly wet his full lipd, a mere preview of the wicked things that mouth was capable of.

“Wrong, baby girl,” the flogger slapped at my thighs. “You’ll have to do better than that.”

I took a deep, steadying breath, trying to compose myself before responding to his declaration of my misstep. But before I could utter a word, another stinging slap landed on the tender flesh of my thigh, causing me to involuntarily roll to the side.

Rick's voice was low and dangerous as he leaned in close, his warm breath caressing my ear. "I'd like to up the stakes, precious," he purred. "Three more wrong guesses and I'm going to edge you till you're begging me for release. Three more right guesses, and one of us will give you the orgasm you're dying for." The tantalizing promise sent a fresh wave of arousal coursing through me, my body thrumming with anticipation for the delicious game of chance that lay ahead.

I could feel the bed shifting as the two men hovered over me, their presence looming large and commanding.

Rick's calloused hand began caressing the red stinging skin of my thighs, sending tingles of pleasure through my body. I rolled my hips, desperate to feel more of his touch, to be closer to the heat and hardness of him. "Please," I whimpered, my voice quivering with need. Chris's lips brushed against my cheek as he teased, "Then be good."

The game was on, and I was ready to play. A featherlight kiss was placed just below my navel, and I knew instantly it was Rick's familiar touch. "Rick," I said confidently, and was rewarded with Chris's praise. "That's one. Good girl."

The men moved around the room, the sounds of rustling and shifting sending my imagination into overdrive. When I thought I might be left untouched, a hand suddenly grasped my exposed nipple, rolling and pinching the sensitive flesh. My back arched, a gasp escaping my lips as the delicious sensation radiated through me.

“Chris.”

I could hear his wicked smile, his dark chuckle echoing off the wall as his hand slid down my torso pushing my thighs open wider. My body ached to be touched, desperate for the stimulation it craved.

My hips bucked when a warm tongue slid into my entrance, circling slowly before withdrawing, I let out a needy mewl. The sensations were exquisite, setting my nerve endings alight. I strained to focus, wanting desperately to guess correctly this time, knowing the consequences if I didn't.

"Rick," I breathed, the name tumbling from my lips before I could stop it. I braced myself, uncertain of what was to come next. But then Rick's lips closed around my swollen clit, sucking firmly, and all rational thought fled my mind. My back arched up off the bed as sparks of pleasure shot through me. Rick's skilled tongue flicked and teased, sending shockwaves through my trembling form. I panted heavily, my hips rolling in time with his mouth, the tension building steadily within me. The lines between Chris and Rick blurred as their touches melded together, overwhelming my senses. I was utterly at their mercy, my body a livewire of sensation, aching to be satisfied after so much tantalizing anticipation.

As Chris stroked my forehead tenderly, Rick’s talented tongue slid in and out of my aching, sensitive entrance in a steady, rhythmic motion. I could feel the coil of pleasure building deep within my core, a familiar tension that threatened to unravel at any moment. The tip of Rick's nose brushed against my swollen, throbbing clit with each pass, the delicate sensation sending shockwaves of ecstasy through my body. I desperately wanted to tangle my hands in his hair, to urge him on, to pull him closer, but Chris was quick to react, using one hand to stop my moving wrists pinning my arms down. "Don't ruin it, precious," he taunted, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction. "Wouldn't want to have him stop now, would we?" I shook my head vehemently, my hips rolling and jerking in response to Rick's probing tongue. God, no, I couldn't bear the thought of him stopping, not when I was so close, the coil of pleasure tightening with each passing second.

"You gonna come for him, little one?" Chris purred, and I could only pant out a desperate "Yes, yes" as I felt myself careening towards the edge. The moment Rick's moan vibrated against my throbbing sex, I shattered, my thighs trembling as I came undone, wave after wave of ecstasy washing over me. His strong hands held me open, allowing him to ride out my climax, his tongue lapping at my sensitive flesh until the last shudder had passed.

As I slowly regained my senses, I felt Rick's weight lift from between my thighs, leaving a void that yearned to be filled once more. Tugged by my wrists, I sat up on the bed, blinking rapidly as the blindfold was pulled from my face. My eyes adjusted to the soft lighting, and there he was - Rick, gazing down at me with a mesmerizing smile that was equal parts beautiful and unsettling.

My gaze drifted downward, drinking in the sight of his naked body. I ached to reach out, to wrap my fingers around his heated flesh, to run my tongue along his length, to take him fully into my mouth and savor his musky taste. My mind was consumed with wanton thoughts, craving to experience his body in the most intimate ways.

"You ready for the real fun?" He purred, his voice low and dripping with promise. Chris reached over unclasping the bar holding my legs open, softly caressing the points where I had been restrained. Without hesitation, I nodded, my tongue darting out to wet my lips in anticipation. He closed the distance between us, pulling me into a passionate, searing kiss that reignited the fire within my core. I could taste the remnants of my own arousal on his tongue as it plundered my mouth, and with my hands now free, I eagerly reached up to caress his face, twirling the silky strands of his hair between my fingers.

As Rick pulled me slowly off the bed, breaking our passionate kiss, he spun me around, my back pressing against his firm chest, and began kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin of my neck. The sensation of his lips and teeth on my flesh made me let out a soft, needy whine. Glancing across the bed, I watched as Chris, also naked, positioned his long, muscular body on the mattress. I watched, transfixed, as his hand wrapped around his hard cock, stroking it slowly up and down. The sight made a heat pool in the pit of my stomach.

Suddenly, Rick tugged sharply on my hair, pulling my head back to rest on his shoulder. "Listen, baby girl," he murmured in a low, authoritative voice. "You did good. We're going to take you together. That's what this..." His free hand slid down my back, over the curve of my ass, and between my cheeks to tease the plug still nestled inside me. "Was for. Are you ready?"

"Yes," I breathed, my heart racing with a heady mix of anticipation and nerves. Rick kept a firm grip on my hair and upper arm as he guided me up on my knees into the bed.

"But first," Rick chuckled, his voice dripping with a dark promise, "Let's have your mouth do some work."

He urged my head down pushing me forward, my face falling into Chris’s lap. I opened my mouth wide, and he swiftly slid himself between my eager lips. Closing my mouth around his throbbing shaft, I swallowed him down to the very hilt, feeling him hit the back of my throat. Chris let out a guttural hiss and bucked his hips up into my face. I gagged slightly, unable to pull away as Rick had a firm, unyielding grip on the back of my head. Bracing myself on my hands, I dug my palms into the soft mattress beneath us, preparing myself for the onslaught to come.

Without warning, Chris began thrusting his hips rapidly, pounding his cock into my mouth at a rough, relentless pace. I felt the tears welling in my eyes, but I forced myself to relax my throat and breathe steadily through my nose.

"Such a good girl, remember to breathe," Rick cooed encouragingly. I coughed once as Chris delivered a particularly hard thrust, driving himself deep into my throat. Suddenly, Rick yanked me back by hair, his lips brushing against my ear. "Very good. Sit on his cock, baby," he growled.

When Rick released his grip, I crawled towards Chris, whose strong arms were outstretched and waiting for me. Lacing our fingers together, I straddled his lap, reaching down to grasp his rigid shaft and guide it to my entrance.