#I hope my doctor is so proud of me she’s going to ask have you been journaling every day like I asked

[cloneboywonder]

I LOVE SUMMER I LOVE CRAFTS

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

Trying II**

HERE IT FINALLY IS! I hope you guys enjoy the conclusion to this AU! If you want more of this pair feel free to request updates on them! Read Part I and related blurb here!

Warnings: dirty talk, P in V (unprotected), breeding kink, free use kink, light gagging, edging and orgasm denial, overstimulation, oral sex (fem receiving), slight pain kink, alcohol consumption, mention of minor fertility issues

WC: 8.2K

Life had taken an extremely eventful turn for both, you and Harry in the last few months. For Harry, the opportunity to expand his business had risen very suddenly. The unit beside the brewery was a boxing gym and they had outgrown the space. Harry worked out there sometimes so he was friends with the owners and when they decided to relocate they asked him if he was interested in buying the space before they put it on the market. After talking about it with you and crunching some numbers he had bought it and now was in the middle of renovating. Obviously, this took a lot of his time and Harry had been really busy with the brewery as of late and it would stay that way for a few more months.

He had big plans for this expansion. He was going to expand his beer selection and also start working on brewing three of his own beers. The brewing portion was the first thing they were getting set up for the inspection and licensing process so that he could start fermenting his own brews on site. You were so proud of him and everything that he was doing but you missed having him around as much as you had previously. His expansion project pushed you to become an adjunct for an art class at the community college to bring some money in and also stay busy, so you truly hadn’t been smothering each other as much as you normally were.

On top of things shifting in your work lives, you had learned that you weren’t ovulating every cycle. You’d always assumed that if you had a period you had ovulated, but apparently that was not at all the case. It took you nearly six months with no success at pregnancy before you went to the doctor and had some tests done. Your hormones were a bit out of whack, thankfully no abnormalities had been found, so you had just been taking some medication to help block estrogen receptors and encourage the release of an egg each cycle. You had been on this treatment for three months now and you were very optimistic about it. More than ever before you felt and recognized the phases of your cycle more markedly, especially when you ovulated or were getting close. Sure, you were a naturally horny person to begin with but this was something else. It was like you had no resolve whatsoever. And despite the decrease in scheduled baby-making time because of your busy schedules, these changes had led to far more spontaneity in your sexual life with Harry. Like now…

“Baby…” Harry laughed breathily as you pulled him into the bathroom of the little bridal cottage of the vineyard you were currently at for a friend’s wedding. “Wh-what if Darci comes back for something and-”

“She’s not. She’s busy fake-crying at the toasts.” You assured him as you reached for his belt buckle. Harry chuckled into your kiss and his laugh morphed into a raspy groan as you slid your hand down the front of his slacks and groped over his semi-erection. You loved the way his cock fattened up so fast for you. As much as having a taste made your mouth water, you needed him inside of you and rearranging your guts more. “Please fuck me, daddy. I’m so fucking horny for you.” You said in a small voice as you peered up at him. Those, pretty eyes holding such an innocent look in them absolutely melted him to his core.  

He smirked at your request, “Need my big cock, baby?”

You nodded in response, “Yes, daddy. So bad.”

“Alright, but we have to be quick, okay? You can come the first chance you get, alright?” You nodded in understanding.

Before you knew it Harry had you bent over the counter, your hands holding your bunched up dress in tight fists with your thong stuffed in your mouth because you could not keep it down while Harry fucked into you impossibly deep from behind. Your legs were trembling so much that Harry was basically holding you up. It was hard for you to come standing up and when Harry realized that you were struggling to come he quickly picked you up and set you down on the empty counter space and plunged back into you.

“Fuck…I’m obsessed with your tight, little pussy, baby.” Harry muttered as he thrust in and out a few times. He then started swiveling his hips a bit more and it was making your head spin. The tip of his cock was rubbing into your g-spot with each gyration of his hips, it was making your eyes roll back as you rubbed at your clit steadily. “Shit, you squeeze so fucking tight! Fuck baby, squeeze m’cock…yeah, come for me. Come on daddy’s big dick.” He encouraged you through your muffled curses. Your body shivered as these tingling feelings radiated all over your body from the deepest part of your core, right where the tip of Harry’s cock was colliding and out towards your extremities. It was causing your orgasm to draw out far longer than you were accustomed to. 

“H-Harry!” You mumbled against the fabric in your mouth as the overstimulation made your legs start to visibly shake. Harry smirked down at you devilishly, his eyes dark with lust and excitement over wrecking you like this. You had the most worn out and tortured look in your eyes, it was going to push you over the edge again. “Fuuuuck!” You groaned in desperation. You couldn’t help but let out a whine, thankfully it was muffled. But he literally saw as your mind went blacn as the sopping, velvety walls of your pussy constricted his throbbing erection. Your eyes rolled back before your body started to tremble as your orgasm started to take you out.

“Fuck, that’s it, baby. Squirt on my cock…” he encouraged as you literally burst at the seams from the pleasure that was coursing through you. You were just seeing white hot ecstasy behind your closed eye lids. Your skin was covered in goosebumps as he continued fucking into you in long and deep strokes as he sought after his own orgasm.

“Fuck, I’m gonna come so deep inside of you. Gonna flood your little cunt with my cum.” He mumbled as he pressed his forehead against yours. He moaned from deep in his throat as his rhythm started to falter until he was blowing his load inside of you. “Fuck, there it is…” he mumbled softly as his orgasm started to course through his body. Harry’s knees were nearly buckling as he came undone. You were clinging to his shoulders, nails biting deliciously into his skin through his silky dress shirt. Your head was rolled back as you just saw spots on the bathroom ceiling. Harry grunted lowly as he gave a few more thrusts before holding himself inside of you. He gently pulled his upper body back and tucked your hair behind your ear with one hand before plucking your thong out of your mouth with the other. “You alright?” He asked softly.

“Course.” You whispered with a smile. “Sorry for…kinda shoving you in here.” You chuckled breathily and he grinned.

“That’s alright. It’s not like I didn’t want to…” he hummed and you giggled before kissing him gently. Your kiss deepened and after a few minutes you were pulling apart when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He sighed and ensured you were steady before stooping down to grab it. “It’s Ted.” He mumbled.

“Mmm…” you smirked and he chuckled. Ted was one of Harry’s friends who had moved out of state and returned for this wedding. They weren’t close according to Harry but Ted apparently had an entirely different perception of their friendship. You could’ve sworn he had a crush on him, but Harry didn’t think so because he was sure he was straight. Regardless of what Ted was, he was really intent on reconnecting with Harry and he’d agreed to go to the bourbon and cigar bar which would open after the toasts. “They’re probably about to open the bourbon bar.” You reminded him.

“God…I shouldn’t drink any more or we can’t get back to the hotel.”

“I’ll drive. I’ve only had three glasses of wine and don’t want more. With a little dancing later I’ll be good to go.” You assured him.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, honey.” You smiled and he leaned in to kiss you again, “Jus’not too much, ‘kay? I need you to fuck me again when we get back to the room.” You added and he smirked.

“Mmmm, if anything, being a little buzzed for it would make it better.” He said and you rolled your eyes, “You don’t believe me but you’ll see.”

“It’s just you do this thing where you try to find the sweet spot and when you arrive there you don’t hold off long enough before you start up again and next thing you know you’re passed out in my lap for an hour and my arms and chest are itching all over for the next week from being in the sun too long.” You explained. Harry might own a brewery but he was a complete lightweight when it came to alcohol.

“That was one time.” He chuckled.

“Actually, that was just one example. I’ve got five more.” You said with a smug smirk.

“Alright, I’ll be mindful, baby.” He appeased you.

“Thanks.” You hummed as you wiped your smeared lipgloss from around his mouth.

You quickly cleaned up and Harry got back into his trousers before you were rushing back to the reception tent. It had cooled down pleasantly and you were enjoying the short stroll back with Harry, hand in hand. As soon as you were within eye-shot of your assigned table Ted stood and waved you both down as if you’d been gone for ages or lost.

“He’s so fucking eager.” Harry mumbled as you approached the table.

“He missed you.” You said sweetly.

“I’m telling you, we weren’t that close so it’s a little weird.” Harry reiterated.

“It’ll be fine.” You said.

“Where’d you two wander off to?” Ted asked with a chuckle as soon as you two stepped up to the table.

“On a little stroll so we could make out.” Harry said as he squeezed over your hip and you scoffed before playfully rolling your eyes.

“Harry.” You mumbled and he just smirked down at you. 

“That’s understandable.” Ted responded as he smiled at you when you looked over at him. When you realized that he had really just said that you chuckled a bit uncomfortably before averting your eyes and Harry was stunned into silence for a few seconds before you squeezed over his hand on your hip and he glanced down to you.

“Well ummm…have fun at the bourbon thing.” You said and he offered you a soft smile.

“Sure you don’t want to come?” He asked you.

“That’s alright.” You assured him and tip-toed to hug him. “Just take this man with you.” You whispered to him and Harry chuckled as he kissed your cheek.

“C’mon on Styles, no need for the formal send off! S’not like she’s gonna get snatched away.” Ted said and you were glad you were facing away from him because the face you made would give away your slight annoyance at this comment from Ted.

“Take him. Please.” You implored and he giggled before you two pulled away. As they headed off with Fabian, the other guy at your table, Ted briefly glanced back at you. You saw it from your peripheral vision.

“I think Ted’s got a crush on you.” The woman beside you, Gaia, said.

“Oh god…I thought he had a crush on Harry. I’ve been teasing him about it all evening.” You said and the other ladies giggled.

“It’s because you kinda look like his ex. She was like, the one that got away.” Heidi, the woman across the table explained.

“Oh…” you hummed in understanding. 

“Yeah, so sorry about him. He’s not usually like that, he’s just had a bit much to drink.” She explained. 

You could understand that, so you didn’t want to make too big of a fuss but it had made you a bit uneasy in the moment. When Harry returned almost an hour later he was pink in the cheeks with a dopey smile on his face, and lidded eyes. You couldn’t help but shake your head as he approached. 

“Baby, lets dance.” He said as he extended his hand to you and you immediately stood and shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over your bag on your chair before walking off with him.

Harry pulled you out onto the dance floor and you immediately started to sway to Tony Bennett’s rendition of “The Way You Look Tonight”. You were both singing softly as you swayed together, gazes glued to each others. You often felt lucky to have him as your husband and it was happening right now. You giggled before reaching up to grab his face and kiss him. Your lips met in a deep and loving kiss before parting.

“Love you, honey.” You mumbled and he pecked your lips again.

“Love you too.” He whispered. “So…Ted asked me if we would be open to a threesome.”

“Jesus.” You scoffed and he chuckled.

“So…is that a no?” He asked and you rolled your eyes at his feigned disappointment.

“Shut up…” you muttered and he laughed lowly. 

“I actually almost hit him over it. Had to remind myself he’s piss drunk to stop myself.” He explained. “And well…don’t want to do anything to fuck up Darci and Tim’s big day.”

“Well, I’m proud of you for having that self control.” You smiled. “Besides, Ted’s not even my type.”

“I know. Too straight.” He said and you laughed aloud, disturbing the romantic environment of the dance floor. A few of the couples around you shot you irritated glares and you whispered an apology as Harry shook with laughter.

“Oh, you’re too funny, baby. That was very clever.” you assured him through your soft giggles.

“I know…” he said smugly. “It’s true though.” He said and you giggled.

“Would you ever want to do that? Have a threesome?” You asked quietly.

“My body tells me yes, but my gut says no.” he said, “I just don’t think I could handle it. I don’t want to see anyone else on you. And I would hate for you to see me with someone else like that.” He explained, “I just wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself.” He added.

“Yeah…same.”

“Why did you hesitate, then?” He called you out with a knowing grin and you giggled.

“I mean, I’d feel guilty fucking someone else in front of you. But I wouldn’t mind seeing you fuck someone else.” You explained.

“Oh…didn’t peg you as a cuck.” He chuckled and you scoffed. “Hey, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re inadequate. It just means that it turns you on to watch me fuck someone else.” He explained.

“Oh…well, wouldn’t that actually make me a voyeur?”

“No, because it’s not watching anyone that turns you on. It’s that watching me fuck turns you on.”

“Oh…then yeah, you’re right.” You conceded and he smirked. “But it doesn’t even necessarily have to be fucking someone else. I mean, it’s just you. You turn me on. A lot.” You giggled, “To the extent that if you ever feel like getting yourself off around the house feel free to do so.” You said with a grin. 

“Noted.” He smirked. 

“You better not fall asleep tonight.” You warned him lowly. You were still very turned on and you needed more from him.

“I won’t.” He assured you and you tutted, “Honey, I won’t.” He insisted and you smiled.

“Okay…” you hummed with some reservation.

Sure enough, Harry passed out on the drive back to your hotel from the venue. It took nearly five minutes to get him lucid enough to get up to the room and washed up before he undressed and plopped into bed. When you finally got into bed after a quick shower, you leaned back into the mountain of pillows and turned on the TV. The noise seemed to make Harry gain some consciousness and he requested that you play with his hair. That’s how you ended up with Harry’s head on a pillow in your lap with your fingers threading through his thick curls as you mindlessly watched some Lucy Show reruns until you passed out.

After you and Harry hadn’t been as sexually active as before it wasn’t odd for you to have spicy dreams when you’d been left sexually frustrated. So when you felt a lovely little flame of pleasure licking away in the depths of your core you just eased into the feeling. You were teetering between being awake and asleep which made it feel all the more real. But when you felt your legs being parted by Harry’s hands you started to stir. And then, Harry was smooching down your stomach, making you a bit impatient as he hovered over your mons and continue nuzzling up against it as his fingers rubbed against the crotch of your shorts. 

“Hurry up.” You mumbled groggily and he chuckled but proceeded to grip the band of your shorts and pulled them down. You helped him a bit by raising your hips and once they were out of the way he delved in eagerly. His tongue felt magnificent on you, it didn’t take long before your pussy was becoming all slick and fluttery with the things his mouth was doing to you. 

Every inch of you was on high alert and feeling each and every wave of pleasure that started to ripple from your core and towards the rest of your body. The closer you got to your climax that more intense it felt until your muscles were growing tense and you reached the peak and then he waited a second too long and your almost orgasm slowly started to fizzle out. You couldn’t help but whine out at the loss, but it was just another second before he was back to your clit and flicking it over and over with his tongue until you were right there again, you were expecting it this time so it didn’t upset you as much, but you were still annoyed. Edging? At this hour? Especially when you had gone to bed so horny for him, it was criminal, but he could use you whenever and however he well pleased, so you decided to not complain about it until you couldn’t handle it any longer.

“Daddy, please…” you whined after your fourth almost orgasm. You were lamenting the loss as the euphoria just faded from your reach…all that potential gone.

“I’m going, honey. I’ve got an aching boner so m’not gonna last too long. I wanted to let you have your fun before I get in there. Still owe you for last night.” He reasoned and you smiled down at him.

“You are forgiven, just make me come.” You huffed.

Harry smiled before pressing himself up and well yeah, his cock was standing straight up, despite it’s size and weight. It was also looking a slightly painful shade of deep pink. Your mouth watered as he stroked his foreskin over his tip and then back down. You nearly whimpered as his lovely, fat tip came back into view. You wanted to suck on it until you were slurping the cum right out of him. You had always been a bit of a cum slut, but now that your hormones were acting more or less how they should, well your craving for his cum was something else entirely. You wanted to taste it, or feel it pooling at your lower tummy, or squirting on your face or breasts. You liked how much he came and how you could feel each twitch of his cock shooting it inside of you when he fucked you from the back. You loved how warm it was and how he did the most to ensure it tasted as good as it could for you. You love the consistency of it and got turned on by seeing it slowly oozing from your stretched out little hole. The thought of him busting inside of you made you so feral so you did not care if it was fast or not, you just wanted to feel him inside of you.

“How do you want me?” He asked you.

“Do it from behind.” You requested and you both grinned at each other before you flipped over.

Harry stuffed a pillow beneath your hips before guiding his hot and stiff cock between your slimy and warm folds a few times to let your arousal coat his cock. You were desperate to feel his girth stretching your entrance. And when he finally pushed the tip in you braced yourself for him to plunge the rest of the way in but he stopped. You could feel his fingers digging hard into your hips. You were just about to tell him to stop teasing but then your felt his cock start to twitch hard as a breathy and slightly distressed “fuck” slipped past his mouth.

“D-did you just come?” You asked in shock through a giggle and Harry groaned.

“Yep.” He admitted with a huff, “M’sorry hon, it just felt so good inside of you. Was edging myself for a while before I woke you.” He explained.

“Oh…well now you have to keep going ‘cause I haven’t come.” You said as you glanced back at him.

“I know.” He assured you, “Just…just gimme a minute here, it’s so sensitive!” He yelped and groaned before smacking your ass playfully. You had squeezed your walls nice and hard around his sensitive cock and it completely caught him off guard. You laughed a bit as you relaxed your muscles completely and he sighed in relief. “So fucking mean.” He grumbled. “Fuck you.” He chuckled lowly and you giggled again.

“I had to. S’pay back for last night.” You reminded him.

“This is me paying you back for last night.” He reminded.

“Really? Blowing your load the second you put it in?” You teased and he chuckled.

“Touché.” He replied and you grinned. 

“S’alright, very amusing though. Just go slow.” You said softly and he hummed and pushed his length in a bit further into you before drawing out. You could feel him shivering a bit as he tried to keep himself composed but you loved that. “Give me more, daddy. Want to feel your big cock all the way inside. Love it when I’m stuffed with you.” You uttered seductively and he groaned as he fought against the sensitivity he was feeling in order to sink back inside your pussy. 

You felt nothing but relief when Harry started setting a steady pace, still a bit slow for how horny you were so you started to push back to meet his thrusts. Then you wedged your hand between your body and the pillow and with your own movements started humping your clit against the heel of your palm to get some friction to the throbbing little bundle. Harry felt your hips moving beneath him and held still to allow you to take over and go at your pace. Your  heart started to pound faster and your moans to climb in pitch with each prod of Harry’s fat, leaking tip to your g-spot.

“Oh fuck, you’re so good, daddy. Your cock is so good.” You slurred, starting to get drunk on the pleasure you felt simmering in your blood. He had pushed past the point of the sensitivity now and just needed to come again. He needed you to go faster, he was going to lose his damn mind. 

“Faster, honey. Go a little faster for me.” He encouraged you and you started to shift back a bit faster. 

Harry’s hands smoothed up the sides of your thighs and over your butt. He squeezed and groped a bit before gripping around your waist and then leaning forward to grab your jiggling breast in his right hand. You moaned as he started to tug and gently pinch your nipple. In moments your breath started to shallow as you started to approach your climax. That lovely pulsating feeling that was running through started to increase in intensity. Your body started to grow hotter and your limbs to tense. You moaned and let your upper body just fall into the pillows before you as you started to give in to the feelings. Harry watched the way your spine curved so beautifully as you kept your ass up for him. He watched your free hand clench the covers tightly while you played with your clit with your other hand. Harry groaned and reached into your hair, grabbing a fistful and gripping it tight to keep you in that position. He mustered up whatever strength he had left and pulled your ass tighter against his front as he plunged deep into your dripping cunt with the most brutal and unforgiving thrust. Your brain blanked for a moment and gasped as he you felt him collide with what to you felt like a totally new spot.

“Fuck me hard, daddy…Make me ache!” You supplicated and Harry moaned at the whiny tone of your voice and the light slur you spoke with. 

With your body bent the way it was it was already a little hard to breathe, but he had effectively knocked more air out of you with that first thrust. He released your hair and gripped your hips hard as he continued his merciless domination of you as you rubbed your clit in quick but precise little swipes. Side to side, side to side. So fast that the tingle in your core started to travel down your legs until your toes were curling for a second as your body tensed up. Then you felt it traveling up, making your tummy and chest tighten impossibly. When the feeling finally made it to your head you completely lost yourself.

“I’m coming!” You gasped before you buried your face into the bed to muffle your lewd and uncontainable moans. 

Your were feeling relief and ecstasy as your body rode this perfect wave of euphoria. It was so easy to overdo it and you had. Your legs had started to tremble but you couldn’t stop rubbing, it felt too good. Even more so with Harry giving you his cock as hard as he was. It hurt so good that you were drooling. You were going to come again. And surely enough, just moments later you shrieked in shock as Harry held you down on his cock while he started to come with a deep grunt. You were a goner in that moment, completely fucked out. The feeling of him being that deep all while you rubbed your clit past the point of comfort was making you dizzy as you came on his dick. He could feel your pussy throbbing hard around his girth, it was dragging out his orgasm. He needed more of you. He wiggled in a little deeper until he brushed again your cervix, you tensed up and then he pulled back before he did it again and again as you held so perfectly still but remained so tense at the overwhelming feeling. He then shifted a bit and laid over you and you gasped as this made him drive in as deep as was possible. 

“T-too deep!” You winced and he smirked and dropped more of his weight over you causing you to whine lowly and tighten your fist around the covers again.

“You said t’make it ache. So that’s what I’m doing, baby.” He said lowly, lips swiping your shoulder before he planted a gentle smooch to your warm skin. He then dropped the rest of his weight over you and your eyes squeezed shut as your brain went blank in response. “You’re gonna feel me for days, baby. Thoroughly fucked. Cute little cunt all wrecked.” He mumbled and you nodded. “Pussy bred.” He added. You could hear the smirk in his voice and smiled as well.

“Thank you, daddy.” You mumbled, drunk on him and his cock and the cocktail of pleasant neurotransmitters firing around in your brain. 

“You’re welcome, baby.” He hummed in satisfaction. 

And as you laid there in the postcoital bliss you were glad that you’d be staying an extra day before flying back down to LA. You’d rented yourself a vintage luxury car for the weekend and were just treating this as a romantic getaway since you’d both been so busy lately. When you looked at the clock you saw that it was barely 7:30am, you had your first wine tasting reservation in a couple hours and then an early dinner planned before settling in the for the night since you’d be flying out the following morning. You had agreed to get really into this wine tasting afternoon when you’d booked it so you two had dressed up in a vintage, old-money aesthetic. Plus, driving the sleek, light blue, topless, 1963 Mercedes 300 SL roadster through the seemingly endless sea of vegetation really fed the aesthetic you were going for. 

“God, I love California so fucking much. Never gonna leave.” Harry had said to you as he drove you two to your next destination. 

Your had so much fun at your activities with Harry without a care in the world for anything else that was going on. It was just you two again talking, making memories, and sharing things you hadn’t gotten the chance to talk about yet. The way he ogled you and touched you and flirted with you was reminiscent of when he was first trying to get you to fall in love with him. All all throughout dinner he’d been asking about you and how you were doing now that you were working again and you had just finished telling him that you felt that it was going well and that you really liked all of your students.

“I’m glad your class is going well, baby. Just…don’t fuck a student.” He cautioned, “Bad idea.” He added lowly and your eyebrows furrowed.

“Okay…I’m gonna need to press for more information regarding this sudden, unsolicited advice?” You probed with a smile.

“I just…have experience in this area.”

“What?! Since when have you taught?” You asked him in surprise.

“Not me.” He scoffed, “Well, yes me, but I was the student.” He said. Your jaw dropped, you were genuinely gobsmacked for a few seconds. Learning that little Mr. Goodie-Two-Shoes here had fucked a teacher was not on your bingo card.

“I need you to tell me all of it.” You said with an excited grin when your brain finally proceeded the information. Harry chuckled but got to sharing the anecdote.

Apparently, during the summer before Harry’s second year at university he turned into the statuesque, god-like being he is now. All baby fat gone, bone structure and musculature carved immaculately by god herself. And in turn he got very confident very fast, he had said cocky, but you couldn’t picture Harry being unironically cocky. He then shared that he had been single for nearly a year after his first relationship and really just wanted to fuck so he got on an app and started seeking someone out. He was in a college town, it was a small community, so he lied and said he was not a student at the local university. And well, she lied about not being a professor at said university and they met up and hit it off quickly so they hooked up. 

They were a consistent hook up, maybe once a month, two or three if they were particularly needy, but they had agreed it was just sex for a few reasons. First and foremost their age difference, she didn’t intend to be dating a teenager. He was 19 and she was 35. But as time went on she started to like him more. Suddenly she didn’t mind that he was 19, in fact, she found it more refreshing because he listened to her, respected her, and apparently men in their 30’s and 40’s could hardly keep it up for twenty minutes. They were a good match sexually and after five months of getting to know each other and hooking up she told him she was in love with him. Obviously, Harry let her down gently but she took it very hard. A few weeks of radio silence later she tried to start things up again, despite her knowing Harry had no deeper feelings for her. He rejected her multiple times because he didn’t want to lead her on but it was getting hard to because he really was attracted to her. So he was glad that school was starting up again and he’d be more busy and he’d have more excuses to avoid her. 

That was all going to plan until the Thursday evening of the first week of school. Harry shared that he hadn’t been paying too much attention when he’d walked into the lecture hall because he was walking in right at starting time. He quickly found a seat in the aisle seat of the second row since everything else was quite full. He still had one AirPod in as he waited for the last minute of his podcast episode to end as he started to settle in and unpack his things. Simultaneously, she had started going down the class roster so he hadn’t clearly made out her voice either, he had the time anyway since his surname started with S. Harry recalled that he had just glanced up to the front of the class at the sound of his name and when their eyes met she just froze for a moment before glancing down at the sheet in her hand again. She apparently barely got through his name from the mere shock and mortification of it all. Apparently after that class ended she resigned, so he had no idea what had come of her.

“Jesus…you’re a whole ass career ruiner!” You exclaimed and he nodded.

“Yeah. See, bad idea.” He reiterated.

“Welp, there’s not any cute students in my class anyway. Well…maybe they are cute, but just cute, you know? They look so small and juvenile, s’not really my type anymore. I quite like how manly you are.” You said and he chuckled.

“You mean mature.” He said and you rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, that too I guess. But regardless, you do it for me just fine.” You assured him and he smirked.

“That’s what I like to hear.” He hummed before kissing the top of your hand. “Look, I know that we’ve been a little distant lately.” He started, “But I will make more time for us.”

“Well, we’ve both been busy and-” 

“It’s not that.” He said and your brows creased as you nodded, urging him to finish, “I know that we’re trying to start a family, but when we’ve had sex I feel like I’ve just been using you.” He expressed and you pouted, “Like yesterday, it’s been all fast and spontaneous, like whenever the opportunity arises. And I know you gave me the permission to do that but because I���ve been so busy it just feels…different.” He explained, “It’s hot, I mean it always is with us, but I want to be more intentional about it. Specially when we’re also doing it to make a family together.” He said and you smiled. “So I will try to be more present and to make more effort for us.” He promised.

“Thank you, baby. But believe me, I understand that what you’re doing with this expansion is also for our future.” You assured him and he smiled and nodded. “Like, I know it’s also for your self-fulfillment and with your own beers it’ll be something you’re doing for fun too, but that’s alright with me. Seeing you happy professionally is also important to me.” 

“Thank you for being so supportive and understanding, my love. As always.” He smiled and you squeezed his hand in yours.

In the end, this is what you loved about your relationship with Harry and also why your marriage worked. You were both so considerate of each other, so thoughtful. You had no idea when you would finally get pregnant, but you were just so excited for it because Harry would be the most incredible dad. He showed you every single day how much love lived inside of him, you were certain it would be boundless with your baby whenever they came.

…. A COUPLE MONTHS LATER ….

Harry had kept his word and did prioritize making more time for the two of you. You’d decided to do a sort of book-club thing together. You both read the same book and would have a date every Thursday night to talk about it and how your week had been going. You usually helped out at the brewery on the weekends, but had started to do more of that in the last few weeks since Harry was starting to work the flavor profiles for his beers and was quite consumed with that a lot of the time. Like this particular weekend, Harry was out visiting a few brewing labs around so-cal with Jeremy and you had stayed behind to run the brewery. 

On Monday though, he would have the opportunity to make a small sample batch of possible types of beers and flavors he wanted at one of the labs. You were bummed about missing this part of Harry’s process but you had an appointment to check your hormone treatment that you could not miss. Any imbalance in hormones could tip you back into not ovulating as you were supposed to and you didn’t want to risk that which he fully understood, so you both agreed that you were okay with missing these things for each other. 

Your appointment was early so that you could get back home and hop on zoom for a few hours to hold some virtual office hours and grade a bit. You were just waiting for Dr. Zelaya to come in and when she finally did with a big smile you immediately perked up.

“Y/N, guess whaaaat?” She sang as she came in and closed the door behind her.

“It worked?” You asked with an excited smile and she nodded.

“Oh, it worked! You’re pregnant!” She shared with an excited smile and your jaw dropped.

“I am?” You asked in disbelief.

“You are, lovely. ” She confirmed and your eyes immediately welled up. 

“Oh my god!” You finally exclaimed and cried tears of joy. Dr. Zelaya chuckled as she grabbed the tissue box and handed it to you “That’s such excellent news!” You sniffled through your chuckles of excitement.

“Yes. Congratulations! Now, if you don’t have more time today we can set another appointment for an ultrasound and see how far along things are. But if you can push things off I had a cancellation for 11:30 and can squeeze you in?” She offered.

“Oh yeah, I’ll come back! Besides, I skipped breakfast because I woke up late.” You confessed.

“Happens to the best of us.” She assured you. “So I’ll let the nurse know you’ll be back in a little while. And may I recommend you try the Marmalade Cafe, it’s on Ventura, right after Kester. They have a delicious chorizo Benedict, there’s a vegan chorizo option too if you’re of my persuasion.”

“Ooh, I’m not vegan but you guys do seem to have some the best foods.” You said and she giggled.

“Yeah, things have gotten really impressive on that front.” She nodded as she finished typing a few things on the computer. “Alright, I’ll see you back in about 2 hours for your first ultrasound. Will your husband join?”

“He’s actually out of town on a business trip. But I want to have pictures for him for when he gets back tonight.” You explain.

“Oh, he’ll love that. What a nice surprise for him to come home to.”

“Exactly.” You added with a smile. You chatted a bit more before you headed off. 

It was genuinely so hard for you not to call Harry right away and tell him the good news, you were bursting at the seams. You also wondered how everything at the flavor trials was going, you were genuinely disappointed that you were missing such an important milestone in this process for him. He really wanted you to be a part of this because despite being married to him, you weren’t necessarily a beer girly. So he had said that he’d want your input on the three beers he wanted to have so that he could get a novice’s critiques on the beers. He also really valued your input as his life partner and you often helped him ask the difficult questions and things of that sort. Not that he wasn’t able to stick up for himself, but he never wanted to come off as insecure or maybe even difficult to work with, but you were so diplomatic about everything that he loved when you’d bring up the difficult or challenging things before he did. Regardless, you wanted to make up for not wanting to reschedule this appointment and this would definitely be the best thing to share with him to make it up. 

Before you knew it you were back at the doctor’s office and watching the monitor with tearful eyes again as the doctor pointed out the embryo to you.

“I’d say you’re about six, almost seven weeks along.” She shared with you and you nodded, “Have your periods been more or less regular?”

“Yeah, they vary a bit with the medication but honestly I have just been so busy that I lost track of my cycle this time around.” You explained.

“Okay, just making sure.” She said, “Everything is looking as it should. I know you’ve been taking such good care of yourself, so keep that up, s’good for the future baby.” She said and you nodded with a smile. 

Once you had your photos printed you headed off to get a dessert to share with Harry and a little picture frame for your sonogram picture. You were sure he’d want to keep his copy with him so you’d just break the news to him with your copy. You were just getting in when you saw Harry, freshly showered and making himself a sandwich in the kitchen as you came in from the garage. 

“Baby, hi!” He greeted you cheerfully.

“Hi!” You greeted with a bright and surprised smile, “What are you doing here?” You asked happily as you put everything down and hurried over to hug and kiss him quickly.

“We got to the tasting and I just couldn’t do it without you there. It just didn’t feel right to start the process without you. I rescheduled for two weeks from now and we can make a little weekend out of it? We went to this incredible sushi restaurant that I know you will die for.” He said and you giggled.

“Speaking of beer and sushi…” you said through a small chuckle, “I have some good news for you.” You teased and he smiled wide.

“Your treatment is going better than expected?” He asked and your brows raised.

“More than…” you said with a smile, “I’m pregnant!” You shouted with a huge smile and Harry’s features softened.

“Honey…” he said tenderly as he came up to you, “Yeah?” He asked for confirmation as he grabbed your face gently and you nodded. Your eyes started to well up when you saw the tears forming in his own eyes.

“Yeah. You’re gonna be a dad, H.” You confirmed and he dipped down to kiss you deeply before pulling back to hug you and hold you close.

“Oh, you just made my whole fucking year. My whole fucking life…” he hummed “I’m so happy I don’t even know what to say.” He chuckled as he swayed your bodies a bit and you laughed.

“I mean, same! I was so surprised when the doctor told me. It was very unexpected.” You explained through a happy giggle as you rubbed over his back, “I bought a slice of chocolate cake and framed a picture of the sonogram for you to see. Had a whole thing planned since I thought you were getting in later.” You disclosed and he let you go to allow you to grab the image of the sonogram. When you handed it over to him his tears definitely started to fall. 

  “I don’t even know what the fuck I’m looking at but I just know they’re already perfect.” He said through his sniffles and you laughed and then brought your hand up to the image.

“It’s right…shit, was it this thing or this one?” You questioned as you pointed between two different areas on the sonogram.

“Baby…” he huffed.

“I’m kidding! It’s this little smudge. I’m almost seven weeks along.” You shared as he set it down and then picked you up and spun you around happily as it finally hit him. You shrieked as your sandals were flung off by him spinning you.

“We did it!” He chanted a few times as you spun before he set you down on the counter. “Oh baby, you’re going to be phenomenal. Everyone at the brewery is going to be so happy when they see your bump coming in!” He said as he squeezed your thighs in excitement, “And well, I mean, I don’t care what we’re having, I just want to buy stuff and look at baby names immediately!” 

“We can do all that.” You giggled as he started to get a bit hyper over this but he was just so fucking pleased with the news. “We’re gonna be good at this.” You said softly and he nodded.

“Undoubtedly so.” He hummed as you ran your thumb over his cheek bone. “You’re really pregnant.” He chuckled again in slight disbelief. “I’m over the moon. I feel like I have super powers, like I could fly.” He chuckled.

“Please do not test that theory.” You joked and he sniggered.

“And here I thought I already loved you as much as I could.” He hummed and you grinned.

“Wait until we meet the baby.” You said and he sighed and smiled.

“It’s going to be so cool.” He hummed and you nodded and then your smile faded a bit.

“Thank you for being patient.”

“Oh, no…” he said, “Like any of that was in your control…”

“Well, if I had just listened to you from the beginning and gone to get checked we would’ve caught this sooner.” You acknowledged and he shook his head.

“None of that…it happened when it was supposed to. If it had happened sooner you’d be in the middle of that while we’re in the middle of this expansion. It would’ve been a lot of stress to deal with. I mean, maybe I would’ve even passed up on the opportunity if you were pregnant when they offered the unit to me.” He said and you sighed, “Besides, it can be scary to go and get these things checked out. There’s always a risk of receiving bad news and that’s anxiety-inducing. I understand, baby. But we finally did it.” He said and you nodded before kissing him deeply.

Harry wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer. Your legs wrapped around his body and you slightly pulled back from his lips.

“Baby?”

“Yeah, my love?” He asked.

“Can we eat the cake now?” You asked with a little grin and he chucked.

“Yeah, we can eat the cake.”

“I just have a simple request.”

“Shoot. Anything for m’girl.” He said with a smile.

“Put it in the microwave for like 20 seconds. Like when it’s all warm and melty.” You said and Harry smirked.

“You know what I like all warm and melty?” He said suggestively and you giggled and kissed him slowly for a moment. 

“Promise me we’ll be like this with each other forever?” You asked and he smiled, “Kids can be great but they can also change things with us.” You pointed out.

“You’re right.” He agreed, “But I want you to know that to me, you’re the top priority. Always.” He shared and your gaze softened, “Everything I do, I do with you in mind.” He shared, “I exist because you do.” He said and your heart melted in your chest as he said this, “And as long as you’re alive I will choose you every day. I’ll always be in love with you.” He assured you and as your glossy eyes met his you saw his sincerity and believed him. You grabbed his jaw and pulled him in for a searing kiss before pulling back, “Believe me, we were meant to do this together.” He assured you and in that moment you knew everything was going to be alright.

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[imjustdreamingig]

Isn't that sweet, I guess so

Part 1, Part 2

pairing: Steve Harrington x fem!reader

summary: The secret's out, Steve's proud of himself, and you can't seem to keep your mouth shut

A/N: chat there is no way I put out 2 fic in the past week, this has never happened to me before! yay everyone cheer. again, i have no idea where this story is going how far im gonna go, i def want to try writing other stuff and idk if this is the best place to put and end to whatever this series is but again, we shall see i guess. thank you all so much on the love on my last two works you have no idea what that means to me! please please PLEASE send me asks or comment what you'd like me to write next or if you want a pt4 i need help people

warnings: sfw, swearing, fluff, idiots who like each other

Facing your fears is tough. No matter what it is, no one would actually choose putting themselves through a situation in which they know would cause them extreme distress. For some that may be going on a rollercoaster, interacting with a clown, going into a dark forrest alone, it could even be making a phone call by yourself to schedule a doctor's appointment (which is a valid fear to have, thank you very much.)

And here you were, facing your fears: being sat in your living room with Steve Harrington 3 feet away from you for an extended period of time. It's only been about 15 minutes, where no talking has happened since minute two.

You hope you can get to 30 minutes without fainting.

As you attempted to focus on the book in front of you, Jane Austen's words, who usually kept your focused for hours on end, were not being absorbed by you in the slightest. How could they, when Steve fucking Harrington was in your house.

Steve is the type of guy who Jane Austen would write about, you thought, eyes flickering towards him as he hunched over his book, face crinkled in concentration, trying to understand said author's musings.

The swoop of his hair, the two moles near his neck, his deep, beautiful, chocolate eyes, his gorgeous smile, and my god those arms? Yep, Jane would be absolutely obsessed with him.

"God, why did I agree to do this book?" You are snapped out of your daze at Steve's words. "What do you mean?", you replied. He gave you a look that can only be described as "seriously?"

"I mean, that I can barley understand what any of these characters are saying half the time, and honestly, it's a bit boring. I thought you would have better book recommendations," he said, running a hand through his hair to push it out of his face.

A scoff left your mouth before you could stop it. "Excuse me, are you actually hating on Pride and Prejudice, the best romance story of all time, the romance story, period." You leaned over and snatched his book. "I mean, come on! You are literally only 6 pages in, you can't just judge it that quickly, you haven't even gotten to the good parts yet!", you exclaim.

Steve watched you with an amused look on his face, unbeknownst to you, who kept rambling on, trying to convince Steve this book was worth continuing.

"— and Elizabeth, she is just funny, like actually hilarious. There is one part where she basically tells someone that I'd rather not be wasting my air talking to someone like you, like please, how did she even come up with that? Also, I'm just obsessed with this proper English style of speaking, or writing I guess, because they're basically talking shit but covering it up with fancy words! And when—"

"You talk a lot, don't you?"

You look up from the book and towards Steve, eyes widening slightly, realizing you had indeed been talking too much.

"One of my greatest faults, some may say, and by faults I mean my mom, but she only tells me this when we're arguing, so..." You glance away from Steve's face for a little reprieve. God, he's so hot.

"Well, like a good partner," you continue. "I'm trying to help you get some of this project done, and maybe if Robin were here, she could've helped," you defended yourself, crossing your arms, "which I'm still confused about, by the way. You said something about her telling you earlier how I invited you guys and some other people to work on the project together, but then she doesn't show?"

Steve leans back in his chair, also crossing his arms. You glance down for a quick second and send a quick thank you to anyone who's that Steve is wearing a tight shirt that beautifully enunciates his biceps. Or maybe you should be mad at them, you don't know yet.

"Maybe it's the fact that she noticed, like I did, that it's been a month since this project was assigned and we haven't even started," Steve countered, "which is unlike you, you usually want to get stuff done ASAP."

You look at him in confusion. "How the fuck do you know that?"

Steve smirks, "I also happen to know that you don't have a sister, thanks to that lovely dinner with your mom." You shake your head in disbelief, mentally making a note to yell at your mom later.

"Isn't that what you said one of the many times I asked you to work on the project?" Steve looked so amused with himself, all cocky and proud that he had uncovered your lie. Your brain tried desperately to come up with a realistic enough explanation, but nothing was coming up.

You throw your hands up in defeat. "Ok, fine! I lied! Is it just so hard for you to believe that maybe, just maybe, not everyone in that high school wants to spend time with you outside of it?" Oh my God, why the fuck would you say that, you screamed internally.

Steve stared at you for a second before letting out a chuckle. " You know, I did think of that actually, but only for a bit." He reaches out for the book and grabs it from your grasp, flipping to a random page.

"You can only run away from a guy so many times before he catches a hint," he peers over at you, " and I mean literally, you're a fast runner, did you ever do track?"

"Yeah, in middle school," you answer quickly. Steve lets out a hum of agreement before placing his attention back on the book. You open your mouth, about to quip about being careful to not rip the pages when he speaks again. "I know I'm dumb, but I'm not an idiot, ya know?"

Your gaze snaps to his face. "Steve, I don't think you're dumb." He doesn't look too convinced. "Eh, I think you do. But you're interesting, you took me a lot longer to figure out than the others since girls just typically throw themselves at me."

You make a face of disgust, "Ok, you sound like a total prick, you know."

"Yep, heard it after I said it, but that's not the point here." He point his finger at you, "You have a crush on me."

You splutter out a sound of indignation. "Hello, what?" In your head, fire alarms are sounding. It's a code red, all hell is breaking loose. "Pfft, no I absolutely do not."

Steve raises his eyebrows. "Then how else do you explain the running away when you see me anywhere at school? You always have an insane excuse why we're not able to meet up to start the project, which some are hilarious," he admits, "but you've got me complaining about not doing homework, look what you've done to me!"

At this point you've gone silent, mouth agape with an excuse stuck in your throat refusing to come out. Steve's expression has changed, his eyes bore into yours with earnest, almost as if he's anticipating a certain answer, hoping for it. "So?"

You muster all the courage you have left and just when you're about to respond, Steve interrupts you again for like, the 15th time.

"Anyways, I've to get going, have some things to do and whatever." He gets up, shrugs on his jacket and then places his books in his backpack. You get up too, having absolutely no clue how to tell him not to go, that you want him to stay. "Steve, what do you mean?"

He glances over at you, "Nothing, I just have to go. I'm a busy guy." He starts making his way to your front door, leaving you behind in the kitchen, trying to understand what the fuck just happened. First, he accuses you of having a crush on him, which you do, and then he just thinks he can leave?

Oh, absolutely not.

With a new wave of determination, you catch up to Steve just as he's finishing putting on his shoes. "Say thanks to your mom for me for dinner, it was great," he says as he grabs the door handle. You don't let him continue with whatever stupid thing he was going to say next.

"Listen Harrington, I don't know what the fuck just happened back there, but the fact you think can just, leave after dropping a bomb like that is ridiculous," you say, glaring at him in annoyance, and Steve's just staring back at you with that stupid, stupid, smirk that has not left his face since the moment he stepped foot in here.

"So what if I did like you, huh? What if I did have a crush on you? Because I do, but that, quite frankly, is none of your business, none of your concern, actually, so... yeah." Steve is looking at you and you're looking at him, a little out of breath after your declaration. You don't have the energy right now to fully process what you just said.

All of a sudden, Steve seems to break character, the smugness gone, replaced with subtle endearment. He leans down and presses a swift kiss on your cheek before whispering, "Well, it's a good thing I like you too." He straightness back up and says, "I told you I knew you were different, you're a mystery. You're lucky running away seemed to work on me, by the way. I don't think it would for everyone else," he says while you stare at him in shock. You've been rendered silent once again, with nothing but the thought that Steve likes you back, repeating over and over again.

You clear your throat before speaking, "Well! Um, yay?" You truly have no idea what to do right now. Steve chuckles at your reaction, like he can't believe his words have caused you of all people, who continuously talk and talk and talk, to not have anything profound to say for once. He's kind of into it.

Steve grabs your hand and encases it with the other. "Come over to my house tomorrow after school, I'll drive you. We can work on the project and you know, talk, if you want." You nod fervently, "Yeah, yeah ok."

He smiles and drops your hand. "I really do have to go though, I wasn't making that up," he remarks as he opens the front door. "Oh, sure, that's fine," you reply. You hold open the door for him and watch as he descends the steps and makes his way towards his car. You watch him, holding onto the door for dear life.

As Steve gets into the car, he looks over at you and waves, "I'll see you tomorrow!" You wave back and yell back, "Yeah, tomorrow!" You don't go back inside until the car is out of sight. As you shut the door, you press your back against it, trying to wrap your head around what exactly happened in the last few hours.

Holy shit, you though, Steve Harrington likes me. Steve fucking Harrington. You let out an involuntarily squeal of excitement and immediately regret doing it as your mother calls down from upstairs. "Mija, are you ok? What happened?" Hearing her voice reminds you of her involvement over the events that transpired tonight.

Putting your happiness on hold for a moment, you start to storm up the stairs. "Mom!", you yelled, "How could you embarrass me like that, asking him to stay over for dinner, you know how I feel about him, I just about fainted 5 times throughout the night, how does that make you feel!? You almost killed me an—"

You would thank your mom later, because ultimately she helped, but for now, you'll stick to this.

[starshideurfics]

A Mother’s Love

Omega Benny who was part of the MKUltra experiment in college. They took his baby, said he died, but Benny knows in his heart that he would have felt that. He moved to Hawkins after he found out Brenner worked there, hoping to be near his pup.

But with his build he’ll never make it past security.

So he waits, gathers information, and when Terry Ives comes to him with her plan, he asks her to look for his boy.

She’s so focused on finding Jane, Terry doesn’t even have a chance to notice that none of the pups there could be Benny’s boy.

Because he’s already been smuggled out.

The Harringtons aren’t the kind of family to go to a diner, so the first time Benny sees Steve the boy is in middle school, out with his friends. 13-years-old, still unpresented, and his scent makes Benny’s heart ache.

He’s found his pup.

🫂🫂🫂

Steve was a sensitive child. His mother always said so, that he couldn’t stand to see anyone in pain.

He’s grown out of it, or learned to control it now, hides it by fitting in with the popular kids, does his best to get Tommy not to be a dick.

But maybe that’s why.

Why he feels compelled to open the door back to the kitchen while he’s waiting to pay, and finds Mr. Hammond crying.

“Is something wrong?” he asks softly, letting the door close behind him.

“Oh, no…” Mr. Hammond says, wiping at his eyes. “Not wrong. Very right. I got some good news just now.”

“Oh,” Steve says, nodding. “That’s good. Still, are you gonna be alright?”

“Yeah, that’s very kind of you…?”

“Steve. Harrington.”

His face twitches at Steve’s name, but settles into a smile. “Thank you, Steve. Your mother must be proud of you.”

“I dunno about that.” Steve blushes. His mother worked hard to make sure he could get along alright, but she would be upset with him for being nosy. For being noticeable.

“Well, I’ll be out in a minute. Meet you at the register.” He slaps his thighs and gets to his feet, and Steve slips from the backroom.

🫂🫂🫂

Benny doesn’t push. Not that first time. After what happened to Terry, he knows to be careful. But now he knows it. Remembers Marsha Harrington from the lab, one of the kinder nurses.

She must have gotten Steve out, but clearly not very far. Brenner might still know where he is.

But his boy is free.

And closer than he thought.

He calls Wayne Munson, asks to come over that night. Benny needs to make a plan.

🫂🫂🫂

Benny brings burgers and fries over to Wayne’s after he closes up at 10. Wayne’s out smoking on his tiny porch, and immediately pulls him into an apple-cinnamon hug.

He lets himself cry again, being held by his closest friend. Wayne lets him cry, holds off on asking questions.

Once Benny’s cried himself out, they go inside, Wayne grabs a couple beers, and they sit at the kitchen table. “So,” Wayne starts, “Tell me what happened.”

Benny does.

“And you’re sure it’s him?”

“Yeah. It ain’t just that it feels right. It’s Marsha Harrington.”

Benny takes a deep breath. Wayne already knows the basics of what happened, about the weird experiments and the drugs, about the isolation and giving birth too doped up to know up from down. About Terry and Claire, Danny and Paula, the other omegas in the program. His friends.

But he doesn’t know as much about the doctors and nurses that surrounded them. The scientists.

Benny’s talked about Brenner, but not this. He blows out his held breath.

“I always hoped I’d get Marsha’s rotation for blood draws. Could barely feel the needle go in when she did it. She was gentle.”

He tells more, neglecting his food, how Marsha held him after Brenner said the pup didn’t make it. “Too small, such bullshit, I could feel him inside me; my family has big babies.” Wayne smiles at that, looking up. “But Marsha was kind, said to hold him in my heart. That a mother knows…”

And he did. He does. He knows his boy, and now he’s seen him, Benny feels a mix of joy-pain-terror over it all. “Maybe she still works there, or maybe she started to lose faith then. Somehow, she got him out of there.”

“She must know you live in Hawkins now.”

“Probably.”

“Do you think she’d talk to you?”

“I dunno.”

“So, what do you want to do?” Wayne takes a swig of his beer, his food mostly eaten, while Benny’s is practically untouched.

“I wanna hold him.” Benny rubs at the tears in his eyes. “But I don’t want to scare him. He’s half-grown as it is.”

Wayne gets up, goes to put his arms around Benny, puts a wrist by his nose to calm him. “Want me to ask Eddie about him? They’re close enough in age he must know some things.”

“I… Yeah, please. God, Eddie probably hates him.” Even keeping his distance, Benny knows the Harringtons are rich as sin.

“Far as I can tell, the only thing Eddie bothers hating is the hospital. And sometimes his daddy, when he ain’t idolizing him.” Wayne steps back, wraps up Benny’s untouched burger, and puts it in the fridge. “A lot happened today. You should rest; hopefully it will all be clearer in the morning.”

Benny nods, happy to follow Wayne to his nest, to be held like he’s precious as he falls asleep.

🫂🫂🫂

Eddie’s cutting math class, hanging at the Hawkins High smoking patio, when one of the Hawkins Middle side doors opens. He recognizes Harrington from his hair, even fluffier than normal because he keeps running his hands through it and rubbing at his neck.

His polo is darkened with patches of sweat.

Eddie drops his half-smoked cigarette, grinding it out with his heel. He runs over to the younger boy—still a pup, but it looks like that won’t be true much longer—hands held up to show he may be an alpha but he’s not a threat. “Hey, you okay there?”

“No,” Harrington whines, tugs at his shirt. “Think m’dying.”

Taking a quick sniff, Eddie picks out the honey-sweetness of omega, and grins. “Not dying, presenting. Want me to take you to the nurse? Have her call home?”

Harrington shakes his head. “Dad’s out of town, and my mom has some lunch thing… Nobody’s home.”

At least he’s with it enough to know that.

“I could still take you to the nurse, she’ll have… stuff to help—”

“No! Please, don’t take me back in there.” Harrington looks about to cry, only to double over in pain, like he’s been punched in the stomach.

Eddie reaches out on instinct, squeezes his shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay,” he soothes.

It’s like saying it makes it true, triggers the perfect thing to do in his brain. Harrington is still pretty short, just clearing five feet tall. “Do you think you could balance on my handlebars? So I can get you somewhere better than this? Somewhere comfortable.”

Harrington nods, and Eddie smiles.

He guides him to the bike rack, pulls out his own bike and holds it steady as Harrington gets situated. Biking with the extra weight is hard, but it doesn’t take long for Eddie to get them to the omega he trusts most in the world: his Uncle Wayne.

“What the hell, Ed?” Wayne asks from the doorway.

“No one at home,” Eddie pants, still catching his breath. “You wouldn’t wanna have your first heat at school either. Told Harrington I’d take him somewhere safe.”

“Harrington?” Wayne looks startled. Eddie starts to worry.

“You can call me Steve,” Harrington says with a pout as he gets off the bike.

Wayne nods. “Steve, come on in. We’ll get you comfortable, but you’re gonna want something from your mom’s nest, the scent will help.”

“Mom doesn’t have a nest, she’s a beta.”

“Oh. Then we’ll get you set up in mine. D’you wanna shower? Deal with the… mess?” Eddie knows Wayne is being delicate.

That he doesn’t want to say that Harrington’s underwear is full of the aftermath of his pussy opening up. It might not be yet, Eddie’s not sure. They don’t go too in-depth on the timeline in health class.

The grimace on Harrington’s face, the quick nod, says it’s already happened.

Wayne gets a hand on Harrington’s back, helps him inside as he stares at Eddie. “Head back to school. Stop in the middle school office to let them know Steve went home.”

Eddie digs his toe into the ground. “Okay…”

“And stop skipping Algebra! You wanna graduate, don’t ya?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Eddie watches as Wayne’s attention turns fully to Steve, feels a spike of jealousy, then pushes it away as he turns to bike back to school.

🫂🫂🫂

Steve feels better after the shower, and Munson’s uncle left him baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt. His skin still feels too hot. Itchy. He pulls on the sweats and tightens the drawstring, but leaves the shirt as he wanders from the tiny bathroom.

“Hey, kiddo, let’s get you settled.”

“Thank you, Mr. Munson.”

“Wayne is fine. Ya thirsty?”

Steve nods, suddenly aware of how dry his tongue is.

“Yep, your body is gonna run through fluids pretty hard for the next day or so. C’mon, pup.” Wayne places a hand between Steve’s shoulder blades and guides hin to a cozy nest of blankets.

There are shirts and pillowcases tucked into the sides. The whole room smells warm, like cinnamon rolls with sticky glaze. The homemade kind, spicier and sweeter than the ones from the tube that his mom makes on the weekends. Or… Used to make. They don’t do family meals much anymore.

Wayne helps Steve into the nest, makes a shushing sound when Steve whines at being left alone. “Just getting you that water, pup.”

Steve nods again, wriggles down in the nest, and breathes deep. He feels better almost instantly, his nose pressed against a plain, white undershirt. Right there, the scent of apples cuts through the cinnamon, and Steve relaxes, melts against the blankets. He feels safe here, protected. Like he’s being held.

He wants to be held. Wants his mother.

Steve wishes he was little again, that he could be wrapped in a blanket and held in her lap.

His mother hadn’t held him like that since he started school. Since he stopped going to the daycare with the colorful playroom.

His mother is not a cuddler.

Steve wants to be cuddled. Desperately.

Wayne comes back with his water, and Steve sits up. His skin drags on the blankets, sweaty. Wet.

He drains the glass and Wayne sets it aside. He sits in the nest with Steve, pets his hair. “How are ya feelin’, kid?”

“Okay. Better. It’s nice here.”

“Good. That’s good. Do ya know when your mother should be home? So I can give her a call. Let her know where you are.”

“Four. I think?”

“Okay. Until then you rest.” Wayne pushes back Steve’s hair from his forehead.

Nodding, Steve nuzzles back against the apple-y shirt again, and starts to purr.

part 2

[gottaluvharry]

family

carlos sainz jr x pregnant!reader

summary: your son has a few questions about why his little sister is in your belly, and carlos is happy to explain

———————————

Lazy mornings with your little family were your favorite. You smiled to yourself as you woke to the hushed whispers of your husband and your son. As you turn to face the other side of the bed, you’re met with 2 pairs of brown puppy dog eyes and 2 identical smiles.

“Buenos dias, mama!” good morning mom your son screeched, proud of himself for using Spanish. “Buenos dias baby” you say through a smile. He latches on to your neck and you feel Carlos’ hand rubbing patterns on your stomach. “Morning hermosa” beautiful he says going in for a kiss. “How is little girl?” he asks. “Sleeping I think. She must be tired after all the kicking she did last night” you groan, recalling the many hours you were woken due to the relentless kicking in your stomach. “lo lamento, se amable con mami” i’m sorry, be nice to mommy he says leaning to talk to his unborn daughter. You just laugh and shake your head at the pout he has on his face, guiding him up by his chin to give him another kiss.

“Papa,” your little boy starts, breaking you and Carlos apart. “How did baby get in mommy’s belly?” he asks as he puts his hand over Carlos’ on your stomach. “Well hijo” son Carlos starts. “Me and mommy love each other, and we made your sister together because we love each other” he says, hoping it’s enough to settle your sons curiosity. “Like when you and mommy make pancakes together?” he asks, now moving to sit in his fathers lap. “No, not like when we make pancakes” he laughs. “He is just made out of love, baby. When 2 people love each other so much and want a little baby like you, they will make one. That’s all I can tell you” he says, avoiding a heavier subject. “But mommy, did it hurt when baby went in your tummy?” he now turns to you with fear in his eyes over the thought of you hurting. “No buddy it didn’t hurt” you assure him, ruffling his hair; but you don’t miss the smirk Carlos sends your way remembering the night in question. “So why does baby stay in mommy’s belly for so long?” he asks, now turning to look at Carlos for the answer. “That’s just where they grow buddy. Babies need lots of space to grow and the only place there is enough room is in a mommy’s tummy” he responds. “Oh” he hums, taking in all the information he’s learning. “But how does baby come out?” he goes on, his eyes lighting up when he gets another question. “When he is ready to come out me and Mommy will go to the hospital and the doctors will help her come out” Carlos answers. “But does it hurt?” your son asks, once again scared of you being hurt. “Only a little bit” you say, “but it is worth it because then we get to hold your little sister”.

As your son continues asking questions and Carlos continues tracing patterns across your stomach, you can’t help but smile at the little life you’ve created. Who knew one bed could hold so much love on a random morning.

—————————————

hope you guys enjoyed this short little blurb:) sorry it’s been so long since i’ve posted, there was a lot going on and then i started school but in honor of Carlos’ birthday AND pole today i figured i’d post something!! might clear my drafts out and post some more in the next week or so<3

also my inbox is open, so request anything if you have any ideas! or if you just want to talk to someone, feel free!

okay last thing, thank you all for the support, it’s so special to me to have people with the same interests reading and liking my work, i want to give you all hugs<333

[worldofkuro]

Painted Smile

Painted Smile IX

<- Previous Chapter I Next Chapter ->

Pairing: Alastor x Female! Reader

Summary: You couldn't wait to meet new friends. What you didn't expect was this smiling little boy, only one year older than you, that would take such a big place in your life.

Notes: You know what? I liked this chapter, I wasn't very sure about it at first but in the end, I enjoyed writting it. I hope you'll enjoy as well ! We are approaching the end of their teenage years~ How sad... but how exciting !

“ Do you think this is a good idea Alice?”

“ An incredible one !”

You were in your bedroom, having a girls night together. You were talking about the Chrismast’Eve’s soirée you had, gossiping together. Of course, you told her about what happened with Alastor when you had your first kiss and she couldn’t help but hug you while screaming delightedly with a lot of : I told you so ! 

But now, you wanted to prepare a surprise party for Alastor's birthday, you wanted to go somewhere else but you knew that Alastor would be reluctant about leaving his mother again. But once more, Alice came with an amazing idea. She had a little cottage an hour from here, she thought that you could all prepare a party for him a day before his birthday, and once midnight past you would give him his present ! Then in the morning, you would get back home and Alastor could celebrate his birthday with his mother.

You sighed as you looked at your ceiling. It would be a great idea. But there were many problems, first of all, you didn’t know any of Alastor’s friends, so it would be complicated to invite them. Second of all, you needed someone with a car so you could go to the cottage to prepare everything without Alastor noticing. And that would be impossible ! Alastor could read you like an opened book ! He would know you were hiding something…

“ But I can’t lie to him, even if I tried..” you sighed once again. Why was Alastor so observant ! While you needed to be focused on him to be able to see one single twitch from his expression, he could know what you were feeling with his eyes closed! How unfair that was… You would have to need help. “ Maybe I could ask Marie for help…?”

“ I know ! We’ll tell him you are sick because you stayed outside for too long! You have a very bad cold so he mustn't come to see you !”

You scoffed at her idea. When you were younger you got a really bad cold, which made you incapable of even standing up. Your parents were so worried that they asked for a doctor to come check on you. The man said that you needed some drugs and not to go outside until the fever settled down. Your parents mustn't stay too close to you in case you contaminate them. So guess how surprised you were when one night, you had opened your eyes and saw Alastor, wiping the sweat from your forehead. His hands were shaking but he was smiling down on you saying that everything would be okay, it was just a little cold. You needed to recover so you could play together once more. You really didn’t know if it was a hallucination or not but the next day, you woke up better and with Eamon in your arms.

“ He would try anything to come to see me. No matter the state I’m in.”

“ Even if you told him you don’t want him to come?”

“ He would know I’m lying…” you smiled as Alice was getting more and more frustrated. You both thought for hours. How could you fool Alastor? You knew he respected your privacy if you asked him… Oh wait! “ I could say I’m on my period ! And it hurts a lot so I want to be left alone!” You clapped your hands together with a big smile. The first time you had your period you were so afraid that your mother had to calm you down. When she explained to you what was happening and that you were now a woman and no longer a girl you couldn’t help but be proud.. for ten minutes, because after that you were hurting badly, you couldn’t stand up from your bed. It was a nightmare. And of course, when Alastor tried to come to see you you shouted at him that you wanted to be left alone. He was so confused but when his mother explained to him what menstruation was, he would sometimes just pass by and drop some sweets for you, never going inside your bedroom. Sometimes he would stay against your door if you were in the mood and talk about his day. 

“ Really, do you think it would work?” Alice asked, seeming relieved that you finally have an idea for this surprise party to work. You nodded excitedly. Now it was show time ! You needed your mother to be part of the plan of course, but it should go smoothly ! “ Then, tomorrow we’ll need to make a team ! One who needs to find anything about Alastor’s friends, and the other needs to prepare the cottage with decoration !”

You were curious about Alastor’s friend, you wanted to know the person he hung out with. You bit your lips and asked Alice to let you stalk Alastor. If you were lucky, you would go unnoticed.

Let the plan begin !

~~~

“ Dear? Your mother told me you were in pain. Do you need anything ?” you heard Alastor’s voice through the door. You began to dress up in disguise, waiting for him to leave so you could follow him.

“ No, I’m just tired and sweaty.. I think I’ll just rest for today!” you waited for him to answer but there was a blank. Why wasn’t he responding ?

“ Is that so… Well, I’ll come back later tonight to see if you are feeling any better, take care.” you heard him slide something under your door and you couldn’t help but awned as you saw a chocolate bar. He knew you too well! You took it quietly as you heard his footsteps near the stairs. Perfect ! You put on your father’s clothes and his hat and you went toward your windows. You could do it. You just needed to jump off to the tree, grab the branches and climb it down. Easy…  Your window wasn't on the road’s side but at the neighbor's house so Alastor shouldn’t be able to see you.

One…

Two…

You jumped and grabbed the branches between your hands. What were you doing, damn it! You climbed down the tree and hurried up to the street. Where was he? You looked on your right and saw Alastor walking down the street. You couldn't help but be excited! Today you were hunting for information about Alastor ! You walked at a reasonable distance from him, watching him rearranging his tie with the shop’s vitrines reflect.  You tilted your head as you saw him being greeted by a lot of ladies who would giggled after Alastor flashed them his charming smile. 

You had tailed him for hours, he would go into a library, read some books, then go to a coffee shop and get a black coffee. Nothing worthwhile. You sighed behind your journal. You were sitting on a table not too far from him, watching him but he was just enjoying himself, alone. You should just ask Marie for information, maybe it would be more useful. As you thought about leaving you saw a bunch of boys going toward Alastor, greeting him with laughter and smiles. You smiled, were they Alastor’s friends? You tried to listen to the conversation, which was surprisingly easy, they were very loud.

“ So Alastor, what’s good for you?” said a green eyed boy “ We haven’t seen you for a while, why don’t you come hunting with us? We hear there were great beasts in the bayou.” you could see Alastor's smile widened darkly. He took a sip of his coffee as he listened to the group of boys talking about hunting. Maybe Alastor was hunting with them instead of his father, it was a sweet thought. Now you just needed their names so you could bring them to the party ! 

Alastor talked with them, mostly laughing at them. But the group of boys did not seem to feel hurt by Alastor's comment, they were listening to him like he was the Messiah. Was that because they thought he was joking? Did people really not understand Alastor that much? You sighed, they couldn’t be Alastor’s friend, from what you knew, he could be using them for a greater purpose. 

After a while, Alastor excused himself before leaving the coffee shop as his… guests, friends ? tried to coat him to stay with them. Alastor accepted a hunting session with them before leaving. Mhn.. You stood up and went toward the bunch of boys.

“ Excuse me, are you Alastor’s friends?” you waited for them to nod before continuing “ Would you like to be present for his birthday?”

“ Are you planning a birthday party? Of course we will come! You know what, we will share the news to his other friends, don’t worry, where will it happen ?” asked the blue eyed man. You gave them all the information before running off. Now, you need to go back home. You took a shortcut, going into a dark alley. If you memory was great, you’ll have to–

“ May I know why you are following me, my goodfella?”

You freeze. It was Alastor’s voice. Your back was facing him, you didn't know what distance he was standing on but you couldn’t turn around, he would recognize you. You heard his footsteps coming closer.

“ Did your Mother not teach you any manners? It's rather rude to not answer a question my good friend.”

You ran.

You ran and you could hear him behind you. Damn it Alastor ! Don’t run after someone who stalked you all afternoon! 

You avoided any trash that was standing in your way. You saw a fence in front of you. It wasn’t very high, you could jump over it, then you would be into your neighbor's garden, you’ll just need to climb the tree and jump into your bedroom. You couldn’t help but smirked as you jumped over the fence, you always were faster than Alastor ! You fell graciously on the tree and began to climb the tree, you looked behind you but couldn’t see Alastor, did he give up? You entered your bedroom through your windows still wide open. 

You stood there as you heard the front door opened violently downstairs and then your mother’s voice.

“ Alastor? Why are you runni- Alastor!”

You panicked as you heard Alastor footsteps running faster in the stairs. You took your clothes off quickly and hid them in your closet but as you ran toward your bed while putting on your nightgown you stud your foot against the furniture making you yell painfully. You fell on the bed, groaning, fuck that hurted !

“ What is going on?” you heard Alastor shouted as he slammed the door open. You curled on yourself, sweating and breathing hard from all that running. You felt his cold hand on your forehead. “ You are sweating although your window is wide open.” he shut the window and stared at you, caressing your back.  At least you could pass your foot pain for menstruation’s pain. 

“It’s because of the smell that I’ve left the window open but Alastor… What are you doing here ? You said you’ll come later…”

“ Well my dear, I was chasing what I think could be your stalker.” you stared at him with wide eyes. Did he mistaked you for a stalker? Well, you did follow him all afternoon but…” But what was worrisome was that when I chased them, they ran into your house’s direction. You haven’t seen anything suspicious my friend ?” he stared at you with his usual smile. You shook your head trying to be as innocent looking as possible. He kept his gaze on you for more than a minute before kissing your forehead. “ Well, I’m sorry to have disturbed your rest my dear.”

You kissed both of his cheeks before laying back down on the bed. You waved at him goodbye before sighing in relief. You could still feel adrenaline inside your body and you couldn’t be prouder than yourself than right now.

Alastor did not catch you.

~~~

You were with Alice, finishing decorating the cottage. It was a cozy place, far away from the city, there was even a lake just behind the house. It was frozen, of course, but when summer came, you could all come here to have some fun!  You were the 30st of December, the surprise would be tomorrow, everything needed to be perfect.

“ I think we did everything we needed to, we brang drinks, food, blankets, what more do you need, woman!” said an exasperated Alice. You knew you were being annoying right now but you really wanted everything to go smoothly. “ I’m done, we are going home, come, my cab is waiting for us.”

“ No, I think I’ll stay here tonight.”

“ I beg your pardon?”

“ I know, just… I… Please.. As you said, I’m perfectly safe here right? So what bad could it do to stay a night here, also, I know that if I see Alastor one more time, I would slip and spoil the surprise ! So please, Alice… Go back home, and manage the guests. I’ll wait for all of you here, with the drinks and food ready, even with the fire in the chimney.”

“... I really don’t want to but… Fine, there is a telephone here, in the entrance. If you need anything, you can dial my house’s number, okay? I’ll tell your mother you’re staying here. And if you need to run away because.. I don’t know what, there is a backdoor that’s always unlocked, I’ll enter from there if you call me okay? Keep the front door locked.” you nodded before hugging her. You knew she didn’t like your idea at all, but you were happy she trusted you enough to let you go.

You waved at her as she took her cab and left. Well, now you just need to light up a fire and find a room where to sleep. You were excited, it felt like it was your own house ! You smiled as you imagined your life like the owner of this house. You took Marie’s book recipes, now what should you cook?

~~~

A snowstorm.

A fucking snowstorm.

It’s been going on for three hours now, thank God you have enough woods so you didn’t have to go outside to find some. You were sitting in a cozy chair with your hot chocolate, a romance book on your laps and with a bright fire in the chimney. You really hoped it would stop before tomorrow, you didn’t want to cancel the surprise. 

You closed your eyes. Well, you just had to wait…

Thud

You woke up, sweating. You sat up, making your book fall on the floor. What was that? You looked around you, the fire was almost completely extinguished, only a few flames remained on the wood. You stood up streching yourself and yawned. You fell asleep like that? You took the blanket with you, ready to go to bed when you heard it again.

Thud

You felt your body shivering, your heart beating stronger and faster. Okay, it was a real noise, it wasn’t a trick from your mind. You went quietly into the kitchen, and took a knife. You weren’t even sure of what you were going to do with it but safer than sorry, right? You stared at the front door, where you heard the noises. You couldn’t see anything from the windows, it was dark outside and with the storm going on… It was too dangerous.

You watched as the door handle moved.

Someone was trying to enter.

Someone was trying to enter.

Someone was trying to enter.

You didn’t realize you were shaking. It couldn’t be Alice, she told you she would enter by the back door. She wouldn’t try to open the front door. What should you do? Run by the backdoor and getting lost in the snowstorm or staying here, waiting for this person to enter and do… You didn't want to think about it.

The noises coming from the door stopped. You held your breath, counting in your mind the seconds. You’ll count to one thousand and then you’ll go back to the living room to see if you could notice something.  You were around 665 when you heard a window breaking upstairs.

You screamed.

The footsteps ran toward you.

You ran.

You slammed opened the backdoor and ran into the snowstorm. Where were you going ? You didn't know, you wanted to lose the intruder in the snow and then come back safely into the house. You held the knife in your hands, if needed would you be able to kill to protect yourself? You heard a shout behind you, he seemed closer than you thought. You needed to do something, anything ! You could already imagine your mother’s face if she happened to know you had gotten killed ! Alice would die from guilt. And Alastor…

You slid on ice, hitting the back of your head against the floor. You frowned, what was..? You touched the ice and realized you were on the frozen lake. You felt your eyes getting teary. Why was that happening, why? You tried to stand up without falling and then you saw the shadows of the man following you. 

“ Stay away !” you shouted, the wind carrying your voice to you don’t know where, holding on to your knife. “ I’m not afraid of killing you !” 

Your legs were shaking but if you were to die, you would die fighting ! The shadows came closer and closer, his hand stretching toward you. You raised your arms, ready to sink it into his chest. You warned him !

“ Look at me !”

You opened your eyes, you didn’t even notice when you closed them, and saw Alastor, standing near the edge of the frozen lake. He was only centimeters away from you. Have you gone mad? Why was Alastor here? Why was he looking at you without smiling, his eyes begging you to listen to him. 

“ Alastor..?”

You tried to walk toward him, trying to catch his hand but the only thing you heard before blacking out was the ice cracking underneath your feet and Alastor calling out your name.

~~~

You were burning from the inside, were you in Hell? 

“ Open your eyes, don’t you dare fucking die ! Anyone but you! ” 

You felt someone’s lips against yours. You didn’t want any other lips on yours but Alastor’s. You pushed the stranger away as you began to cough violently. It hurts. Death wasn’t supposed to be a peaceful journey?

You opened your eyes weakly and there he was. Alastor who was drenched above you. You were so cold.. it was burning you. As soon as Alastor saw your eyes he fell to his knees, his head tilted back, his hand covering his face, whispering something you couldn’t hear.

“ Alastor..?” You looked around and realized you were back in the cottage, the fire has been lit on. You sat up slowly and looked at the blanket around you. You were freezing but tucked into a lot of blankets. “ What are you doing here..?”

“ Is that the first question you want to ask me ?” His voice was cold, his face was stoic, his usual smile non-existent. He was shaking. “ What were you thinking going out in a bloody snowstorm? Have you lost your mind ?” he stood up, raising his voice at you. As your memories came back you understood what happened. The man you thought was an intruder was Alastor. 

You looked down, ashamed but then anger replaced that feeling. Everything would have turned out great if he didn’t come!

“ I was doing great before you came along! Why are you here?”

“ There is a bloody stalker after you and you decide to stay alone in a deserted area ? Tell me dear, are you trying to impress me with your stupidity because you succeeded. Congratulations.” he said mockingly as he sat on the sofa, trying to dry his hair with a towel.

“ I was preparing your birthday, it was supposed to be a surprise !”

“ My birthday’s not worthwhile if you are not by my side!” he shouted, throwing the towel on the floor, his eyes shining with fury. He came to you and tugged you closer by grabbing the necklace he had given you on Christmas. “ What a charming surprise it would have been, finding your dead body in the snow ! Celebrating my birthday would mean celebrating your death? Oh, you really are spoiling me, my friend. You really are taking the cake!” he spat as he stared at you. 

“ Don’t shout at me !”

“ Don’t play with your life then!” He took a knife from his wet pants.” What did you think you could have done with that? Would you stab a man my dear, tell me, would you do it?” he taunted you, mocked you, moving the knife in front of your eyes. “ Do you know how to kill, my dearest?” his voice was low, menacing but you weren’t afraid.

“ I would have.” you stated. Even if you had closed your eyes, in your mind, you were ready to stab the intruder.  “ I was ready to stab to live…” you felt your eyes beginning to tear up.” I was so afraid that I was going to die without seeing you again.. That I was ready to kill someone…” you sobbed as you realized that you almost killed today. You fell to your knees, sobbing. Alastor was angry with you, you almost died, his birthday was a disaster… You wanted to disappear.

You felt his arms around you and you couldn’t help but sob harder. You grabbed his shoulder, pressing yourself against his wet cold clothes. You wanted to feel him more than ever.

“ What.. What happened ?” you hiccuped as he stroked your hair.

“ The ice from the lake broke. I jumped in to save you and take you back here so you wouldn’t die of hypothermia.” he whispered, his body still tense.

“ We shouldn’t stay in wet clothes then..” you took a step back and then you realized, you were in your underwear under the blanket. Did Alastor strip you? You blushed as you looked up to him, he was looking at his own clothes with disgust. 

“ There are no other clothes for me, I’ve looked around.” he sighed before looking away. You shyly touched his shirt and tugged it gently, mutely asking him to undress. He looked at you for a long minute before taking his shirt off and then when you saw them.

Scars.

So many scars were on his upper body. You approached your hand while looking at Alastor who wasn’t smiling. It was so intimidating. His eyes weren't as warm as usual when he was looking at you, there was something completely different. He softly took your hand in his and with a soft sigh, kissed the back of it. He kissed the back of your hand, once, twice.. before tugging you against him and kissing your lips avidly.

You brought your hand into his hair as you kissed him back with so many emotions, fear, worry, desire, fondness… You didn’t know what words to put on your other feelings but what was important right now was Alastor.

You both were panting, you didn’t want to stop kissing him but you needed to breathe. He laid you on the floor, kissing your cheeks, your forehead, your nose, your jaw. You were breathing hard, holding onto him, tilting your head back so he could kiss your neck. He was kissing, biting as if making sure you were still here with him.

After a few minutes, he stopped, panting against your chest. You were gripping his hair. You didn’t really know what was happening but you felt great… 

“ Don’t ever… Don’t ever do that again my dear…Don’t ever go somewhere I can’t find you...”

You hugged him, pressing his head against your warm chest. 

“ I promise.”

He sighed once last time before standing up and walked toward the telephone, calling your Mother’s house. You stood up and tried to find clothes for Alastor but there weren’t any that would fit him. You sighed and decided to just take all the blankets from all the room. You went back to the living room just when Alastor ended the call.

“ I just said you were okay, I didn’t talk about our little trip outside.” you nodded and put the blanket on the sofa. You didn’t know how to feel, here you were in your underwear and Alastor shirtless. It happened in the past… But why right now.. It seemed different? You shook your head, it wasn’t important. You held your hand toward Alastor who raised an eyebrows.

“ Let’s sleep.” you said softly. He sighed but walked toward you. You pushed him on the sofa and then laid on him before pulling the cover over you. You caressed the scars you could see, you could feel his body tensed when you touched one who seemed deeper than the others. As you began to fall asleep you felt him nudged you.

“ Stay awake a little longer.. I don’t think I’m capable of seeing you with your eyes closed right now…”

You nodded but you were so tired… You fought against sleepiness until Alastor said it was okay to rest.

Tag List :@lukneetoonz @martinys-world @littlepoetnova @sirens-and-moonflowers @eris-norwega @tiredflame132 @mo-0-o @vvollerie @sodavizz @boogiemansbitch @tessemerick @slytherin4ever @kammsinn @alastorssimp @t0xic1vi @diamond-almond @fangirlbitch02 @saccharine-nectarine

[futbolfatale]

Our Photographer

Pairings: Beta Beth Mead/Reader, Delta Viv/Reader, Beta Katie McCabe/Reader, Alpha Leah Williamson/Reader

Tags: Omegaverse, Established Relationship, Polyamory, Minor Injury, Talks of Panic attack

Summary: Reader is a photographer for Arsenal and a player from the opposing team accidentally runs into her.

Wordcount: 1.4K

When you got the job photographing the arsenal team you were ecstatic it was the chance of a lifetime. The more time you spend around the team, the more people notice you, which leads to your mates discovering you right under their noses. Now Life is complete you spend your days at work doing what you are passionate about and your days off with your mates relaxing. But back to today Arsenal is playing Chelsea and tensions are at an all-time high. Your normally peaceful morning routine was disrupted by your mates fluttering around in a panic then your also normally peaceful drive was full of team planning. By the time you got to the arena, you were so ready to be done with this game. You split off from your mates and make your way to your station hopefully it's a cut-and-dry game but knowing these girls it probably won’t be.

Around Halfway through the game, Katie gets a yellow card which isn’t surprising but it does lead to some good shots of her yelling at the ref. As you're looking down at your camera to peak at these pictures of Katie you don’t notice the whistle being blown or the ball coming towards you at an alarming rate. That is until a body crashes into you at full speed crushing both you and your camera. You let out a pained sound as the player pushes off you in a hurry in the process pushing her cleat straight into your stomach. “Get away from her.” Katie comes from god knows where shoving the player you now recognize as Lauren James to the ground. This is surprising considering Lauren is an extremely proud alpha who is kind of stuck up. “You fucking hurt her you bitch” Katie stomps over as Lauren tries to scrabble away. Before she can get her hands on Lauren again the ref pulls a red card and starts to half-drag her from the pitch. 

“Come on love let's get you off the pitch” You startle as Beth helps you sit up her hands gently resting on your back.” “Do you think you can stand up?” She asks her hand rubbing soothing circles on your back. “Probably I don’t think she hit me that hard” You push yourself off the ground with minimal pain. “Leah will take you to medical and I'll be there as soon as I can. “Love you” She hands you off to Leah wraps an arm around you and helps you start to limp to the tunnel. Her purr starts up and between that and her scent you can stay pretty calm. “You better win this Love” You shout back as Beth runs back onto the pitch. “I will just for you darling,” Beth shouts over her shoulder. “Katie is going to have such a fit” Leah jokes as you hobble down the tunnel. “I think she’s already had her fit. Did you see the way she shoved Lauren?” She pushes the door the the medical room open as you both walk in. “No, but it must have been bad for her to get a red card. She’ll be out for the next two games at least so I hope it was worth it to her.” Leah Helps you hop up onto the exam table.  “You know it was she loves to fight” Leah moves away slightly causing a bolt of panic to shoot through your body at the thought of your alpha leaving you. “You going to stay right” You ask grabbing her hand. “Of course, I'll be here the whole time.” Leah comforts sitting in a chair close to the exam table.

It takes ten minutes for a doctor to arrive, and at that time the pain starts to catch up with you mostly in your back and stomach. He has a bad attitude as if it's your fault this all happened. He starts with a concussion exam asking you basic questions until he decides you aren’t concussed. “Where are you feeling the most intense pain.” “ on my stomach and my lower back” You lift your shirt just enough for the now purple bruise in the distinct mark of a cleat to start showing. “Ok that's going to bruise off pretty nicely but I don’t think you have a broken rib,” The Doctor says gently pressing over the bruise. “ I would recommend a hot bath, ibuprofen, and lots of rest.” He pulls his gloves off and exits the room without another word. Which is rather rude considering the situation. “He could have at least given us some pain meds fuckin arsehole” Leah growls before calming herself and helping you down from the table. ”Come on baby let's get you out to the car” Leah holds your hand as you both head out to the parking lot. This whole experience has only solidified your hatred of doctors. 

The walk to the car feels as though it drags on forever but soon enough you can make out the shapes of Viv and Beth leaning against the car having a chat while an annoyed Katie is inside playing on her phone. “Beffy, Viv” You push off of Leah to hobble towards them.  “Love” You laugh as they wrap you in a gentle hug their scent is so comforting but it’s still not enough to help you calm down from the panic residing in your body. “How about we get home and have some dinner” Viv suggests looking right into your eyes as if waiting for some kind of reaction from them.” that sounds good what were you guys thinking” You ask as everyone begins to load into the car. “Thai?” Viv asks sliding into the driver's seat. “That sounds good to me” You slide into the spot between Katie and Beth. “Look at this” Katie says showing her phone to you. It's a video of her shoving this Lauren James with a voiceover about how crazy it is that Lauren would do that to someone. “I feel bad”

“Why should you feel bad she stepped on you after she bodyslammed ya” Katie has this agast look on your face that makes you want to roll your eyes but you restrain yourself. “I don’t think she meant to” You try to justify because there is no way she would try to hurt you like this on purpose. “I going to stop you there baby I've seen the bruise there is no way she wasn’t aware of the damage she was doing to you.” Leah pipes up from the front seat. “You can’t know that” You argue back raising your voice slightly. “I'm not going to fight with you about this how about we talk about something else?” Leah pops the radio on and turns it up slightly. “Okay, whatever did you guys hear Charli XCX’s song guess,” You ask pulling your phone out of your bag. “Ya, the one you sent me about a million videos on” Beth pipes up from where she was ordering Thai on her phone.”That one!!! Billie Eilish’s Verse was so good.” You fangirl a little.”Okay, I will admit it was pretty good but the videos of her in concert” Katie smirks “No because literally she is gorgeous” The rest of the car ride goes in a blur after that conversation becomes much easier once the fight is forgotten.

Once food has been acquired and you are back home the panic in your chest finally begins to recede. You have some Pain medication and grab a hot compress for your stomach before heading into the living room. you get comfortable between Beth and Viv on the couch. “Wanna Watch Mamma Mia” Leah asks joining ya’ll on the couch. “Are you guys going to hate me if I say yes” “No we would never hate you, especially over something so stupid” Viv comforted as you stretched out over their laps. You Leah open the film and you let out a sigh of relief as the film starts up. “ARE WE WATCHING MAMMA MIA AGAIN” Katie complains throwing a blanket over you guys on the couch. “Ya, you know you love it.”You pipe up gesturing for her to come and join you. “Where am I supposed to sit you’ll are taking up the whole couch.” Katie pouts.” just put the cushion on the floor and come sit with us” Beth gestures aggressively towards the cushions on the other couch. This isn’t all bad in fact life is pretty good.

[numinousher]

PICTURE PERFECT ── bts.

SUMMARY: a look into your family dynamic

PAIRING: mafia/ceo!bts x chubby!reader

WARNING(S): just a small talk about birth

NOTE: im back againnn 😈 again, this is a drabble of my combined beings series (which you can in my masterlist hehe) but it can be read as a standalone don’t worry!

“Hmm, I have a question.”

“Y-yes sir.

Namjoon looked up from his notes to look at the worker presenting their ideas for the new project coming up. The poor worker was close to shaking out of nerves once their eyes met Namjoon’s serious ones, with the others on each side staring them down, too. They gulped.

“What—”

“Sir.”

Namjoon huffed and ignored his assistant that had barged into the meeting room with an overly excited expression. He waved him off.

“The product—”

“Sir.”

“What?” Namjoon snapped, now setting his glare on the man by the door. “I’m in a meeting.”

“It’s your wife,” the assistant said, hoping it would ease the tension in the room at the mention of you. It wasn’t any help, though, because every worker there knew how important you were to them so if it were bad news, everyone there would be fired on the spot. “She’s at the hospital.”

“The baby?” Jimin asked, already standing up.

The assistant nodded. “Her water broke. Said, and I quote, to get your asses there.”

Jungkook would’ve laughed at your words if it weren’t for the fact you were going to give birth. So, he and the others dismissed the meeting almost immediately, ignoring the way some workers shoulders slumped with relief at the fact they wouldn’t be in a room with their bosses giving them such intimidating looks.

“Did they check her in with the best room?” Namjoon asked, grabbing his phone to call those who knew you. He glanced at his assistant next to him while he heard the call ring.

His assistant nodded. “Yes, her bodyguards are just waiting for you and are making sure the doctors and nurses take care of her.”

“Send an email to everyone that they can go home early,” Jimin spoke up, buttoning up his blazer to speed walk beside the other 6 who were basically running to get to the car. “Also, add in that there’s going to be 2 weeks where we won’t meet up in person. We’re going to be home to take care of our wife, everything will be online and work will be emailed.”

“Yes, sir.”

A car was already awaiting the 7 by the front of the building, which was why there were some reporters already by the front. It was very uncommon for them to be in such hurry, so while the workers were talking about it online, reporters heard and were already there to record everything—much to Jungkook’s surprise.

“Are they just waiting in their cars?” Jungkook breathed out, slamming the door shut, eyeing the small little circle of people. “It’s literally been, like, 5 minutes.”

“Make sure to have the others in the hospital stop anyone from trespassing,” Namjoon instructed. He leaned back with a leg of his going up and down, waiting for Ari pick up. He sighed in relief at hearing her answer. “Hey, how’s she doing?”

Ari, your best friend and the person who was going to be hanging out with you, winced at hearing your pained grunts. “She’s in pain right now, but she wants you guys here. She’s still not dilated enough so you have time.”

“Can she talk?”

“Let me ask.” Ari turned to face you. “Hey, hon, Namjoon’s asking if you want to talk. They’re on their way.”

You nodded and inhaled, making a hand gesture for her to pass you the phone. She did so and held your hand while you talked to your husband. “Hello?”

“Hey, sweetheart,” Namjoon softly spoke to you like he always did. It was very shocking to see this big man with a stoic expression and a rough voice transform into a big softy when it came to you. “We’re already on our way.”

“Please hurry,” you winced out. “Baby is really desperate to meet you guys.”

“I know, baby, and you’re doing so great,” Namjoon continued to praise you. “So, so great, okay? I’m so proud of you and we’re all proud of you.”

“Thank you.”

“Okay, we’re here. We’ll see you. I love you.”

“I love you.”

Running into the building, the staff there all became panicked at seeing the 7 men everyone there knew of. They knew them as something else considering the fact they were in charge of the territory the hospital was in.

“Our wife, Y/n L/n is supposed to be here. Where is she?”

“She’s—”

“Get the hell out of here,” Taehyung turned his head at hearing a slight deep voice yell back. He squinted his eyes, looking around, before coming to find a bodyguard of theirs pushing away a man and a woman. “Have some respect.”

“We want to get an exclusive interview with her before the baby comes,” the woman scoffed out, swatting away the bodyguard’s hands. “It is confirmed, though, that she is in labor.”

At feeling agitated, the bodyguard pinched the bridge of his nose before making eye contact with Taehyung’s burning stare while the others went to your room not so far from the chaos.

“Boss,” the bodyguard bowed his head, mentally feeling relief at knowing he wouldn’t have to deal with the two. “These two idiots told the doctors they were family. When they were denied, they tried sneaking into the missus’ room. Me and some others were by the door so we got them before they could interrupt her.”

Taehyung stepped closer, glaring down the two people in front of him who looked into his eyes with such horror.

“My wife is in labor and the first thing you think of is interviewing her?” Taehyung questioned in a low voice, getting closer to their faces. He scoffed. “Is that how boring your life is? Do you have nothing better to do? Get the hell out of my face. You are never to get close to my wife and child ever again.”

He didn’t have to look at his guard to let them know to kick them out. He hurried to the room where you were at and went to sit next to you.

“You’re doing such a good job, pretty. Such a good job.”

“Thank you, Tae.”

“I want the best for her, you hear me?” Namjoon mumbled out loud to the doctor as the two came into the room.

The doctor nodded, not phased by the seriousness in Namjoon’s voice. She was used to his comments and even threats once it came to your safety, so she just got used to it. After all, the money she got was crazy, too.

“Hi, Y/n,” she smiled at you. “Are you ready?”

“No…”

“You’ll do good!”

“We told you to money isn’t an issue here. You don’t need to work. We told you this when you wanted to work remotely.”

Namjoon said as he looked at you with your 2-year-old son, Jaehyung, in his arms. The boy was growing more and more that Namjoon had to hold him up with two of his arms.

“I feel holed up in this place sometimes,” you groaned out before looking at him. “I am not opposed to staying home, though, so if I don’t like working in person, then I’ll stay home to take care of our pretty baby and continue doing work online.”

You cooed at your son with a bright smile. Your smile widened as you heard his giggles because, very much like his dads, he loved having your attention on him. It didn’t help he received their protectiveness and glared at people who even glanced at you rather comically. It was funny every single time, you couldn’t help but laugh when you caught his little scrunched nose and frown.

“Yeah, maybe you can stay home while we get you pregnant and hope for a girl this time,” Jimin commented as he passed by, a small smirk plastered on his lips.

You scoffed.

“He’s kidding, pretty girl,” Taehyung murmured from behind you, kissing your neck. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Before you 7 try to get on my pants,” you started, backing away from Taehyung towards the front door, “I am leaving.”

“Your guards are coming with you!” Namjoon yelled before you closed the door. “We have new workers and they don’t know who you are.”

“Okay, okay, bye, I love you!”

You threw them a kiss behind you, waving at your baby one more last time, and closed the door.

As soon as the door closed, your baby’s smile was wiped away, almost like he knew you were leaving him for hours. He loved his dads, yes, but they could never compare to you since you carried him for 9 months, birthed him, fed him, and took care of him almost every day for majority of the day until all 7 men came back from work and he was carried in their arms.

“Namjoon, he looks like he’s going to cry,” Jungkook muttered as he came into the room. He frowned at seeing his baby’s face. “Oh, my sweet boy, what’s wrong huh?”

He grabbed Jaehyun and mimicked the same pout the kid had on his face.

With teary-eyed eyes, Jaehyun gestured to the door. “Mama leave…”

“My heart,” Jungkook started as he looked at his son, eyeing the mole by his nose to his flushed cheeks, “Mama is coming home soon, okay?”

As if understanding him, Jaehyun sucked in his bottom lip. It began to quiver and his little hands formed into fists.

“Uh-oh,” Jimin simply said, knowing those actions too well.

Jaehyun began sobbing and crying so loud it echoed in the room. The maids who were in the same room as them jumped, clearly startled by the sudden high pitched noise.

“Oh, no, no, baby,” Jungkook softly gasped. He placed his son’s head back to his chest, moving him. “Sh, sh, sh. Mama will come home soon, right?”

Jungkook’s eyes met Jimin, Namjoon, and Taehyung’s own for help. He was used to the tantrums, whatever. After all, Jaehyun was going through his terrible two���s, and he was a runner. He loved running and because of that, he usually ends up falling. It causes a lot of crying.

“You want ice cream, Jae?” Namjoon asked, leaning down to the boy’s eyesight. At the mention of ice cream, Jaehyun slowly nodded, a “yes, please” coming out of his mouth. “Good boy. Come on, we’ll walk to the kitchen and we can even put sprinkles and whipped cream okay?”

Jungkook placed Jaehyun back on the floor, fixing his little shirt, and let Namjoon grab his hand to lead him towards the kitchen.

Jaehyun waved at some maids and guards as Namjoon opened the kitchen door, and Namjoon couldn’t help but smile once the workers would coo at how nice and cute he was.

The personal chef was in the kitchen cooking up some food when he noticed Namjoon. He bowed his head.

“Sir.” He looked down and saw Jaehyun. He smiled and bowed his head again. “Sir.”

“Me Jae,” Jaehyun said, pointing to himself. Namjoon chuckled and helped him get on the chair on the kitchen island.

“Sorry,” the chef chuckled before bowing his head again. “Jae.”

“He would like some ice cream,” Namjoon said, sitting down next to Jaehyun on the chair next to him. “What do you say, Jae?”

Jaehyun blinked. “You!”

Namjoon chuckled and shook his head. “No, what do you say when you want something, bud?” More blinks. He couldn’t help but let out a small snort. “Just give us some chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and sprinkles. I’m trying to make him feel better because Y/n went to work today.”

“Oh, that explains the tears,” the chef commented before he quickly served the 2-year-old his dessert. “Here you go, bud. Your mom will come home.”

Jae sniffed and nodded, grabbing his bowl of ice cream. He licked the whipped cream and sprinkles off first before his spoon swirled the ice cream around until it turned to liquid.

The chef looked at him with confusion.

“Don’t question it,” Namjoon sighed. He propped his chin in the palm of his hand, staring down at his child. He could see whose kid it was and it was beautiful. “If you behave, maybe we’ll visit Mom at work.”

“We can go?” Jae asked.

Namjoon was happy to know that in a few years, he could actually converse with them in full sentences without getting distracted. He was so smart already he could form well sentences but, he was still a child.

Namjoon nodded. “I’ll text her, okay? If she says no, we’ll bake her some cookies for when she comes home. If she says yes, then we’ll go, okay?”

Jae enthusiastically nodded.

Namjoon could only stare. This was really your guys’ child, and you guys were raising him so well that Namjoon was proud when the 2-year-old wiped his mouth away with a napkin. He was mimicking your actions.

He was close to clutching his heart.

Through the fondness he felt for your baby, Namjoon texted you 3 hours later to let you get used to your surroundings again.

husband (joon) 😚: how’s work?

pretty wife ❤️: honey i wanna leave, the amount of stares i have gotten omg and yeah ari and eunji make it great

pretty wife ❤️: but i miss jaehyun ☹️

pretty wife ❤️: i miss my babyyyy (and you guys)

husband (joon) 😚: you want us to visit you? we’ll go home shortly after

pretty wife ❤️: pls 🫶🏼 i loved working and i still love my job, but it feels wrong coming back like nothing when my job position could go to someone else and idkkk i love being able to work from home, just not in person

husband (joon) 😚: then we’ll keep things the way they are pretty <33 we’re on our way

You smile at Namjoon’s message. Your online job wasn’t the one you had in person, it was more of making sure the money of products was either increasing and decreasing and coming up with plans. It was something you’d like to do while staying at home, being a mom, and being completely spoiled by 7 men who loved you wholeheartedly.

You also couldn’t help but feel like an outcast. No one on the floor knew who you were. Eunji and Ari, your best friends, knew and of course, they were excited to see you once they came to find you sitting on the seat that has been empty since you left but, other than that, no one knew who you were. It was nice at first—nobody knowing who you were married to—until the usual small snide comments started. They all assumed you slept with someone to get the job so easily and they assumed the worst because it was hard getting a job there. If only they knew.

“Mr. Kim.”

You perked up at the choruses that came from everyone. The person beside you (that wasn’t Ari), softly nudged you to bow your head. You stayed put.

You smiled as Namjoon, next to all of the boys, was holding your son’s hand tightly, knowing that if he spotted you, he would run off almost immediately.

You packed your things and stood up, looking down at Ari, who was on your left side. “I’m leaving.”

“Aw,” she pouted as she knew what you meant. “I’ll come visit you with Eunji tomorrow once we get out of work.”

You nodded. “Tell Eunji I’ll text her. I feel bad leaving without saying goodbye.”

“She has a meeting it’s not your fault,” Ari said with a chuckle before standing up with you and heading towards the boys.

Everyone looked at you two with confusion, not knowing why you’d even have the confidence, much the balls, to head to them. All 7 men were so scary and intimidating. Though they’re not intimidating and scary as they used to be before they met you, they were still scary.

“Mama!” Jae exclaimed once he saw you. He ran over to you, hugging your legs. “I miss you.”

“Aw, and I missed you, my sweet boy,” you pout down at him before carrying him. He nuzzled his cheek against yours, holding the other cheek with his small hand.

He glanced at Ari.

“Hi, Aun’ Ari.”

“Hi, honey,” she said with a tilt of her head to look at him. She wiggled her fingers as a wave, smiling as he waved back, mimicking her. She turned to look at your 7 husbands. “Here to steal my wife?”

Jungkook gave her a hardened look. “Don’t even start, Ari. Our marriage with her is on paper. Yours is in your head.”

“Whatever.”

You smile as Yoongi leads you towards the elevator while Jae waves “goodbye” to Ari and any worker he made eye contact with.

The workers, having been watching your every move, were shocked to see the 7 men and their bodyguards surround you and the kid, almost as if they were guarding you from any potential threats. Even your baby for God’s sake was looking around, mimicking his dad’s.

Oh, shit, they all realized simultaneously. You’re the wife everyone knew of and heard of.

“Good day, Mama?” Jaehyun asked.

You looked at your baby and then at the others who raised their eyebrows in question. They wanted to know, too. You immediately smiled because you knew if they found out half of them were making up rumors or assumptions, they’d all be gone by tomorrow either fired or dead. Never in between.

“Very good day,” you easily lied through your teeth.

Believing you, Jaehyun smiled, going back to placing his head on your neck. Though, he perked up when a bodyguard placed his hand on the arm you had around his back.

“Hey, ‘eave her,” Jae said with a frown, slapping the guard’s hand away. “Daddy, kill him.”

You softly gasped at his words and looked at your husbands.

“I’m sorry,” you looked at the bodyguard. You turned to eye your son. “Who taught you that, huh?”

“Daddies.”

“He’s lying!”

“He’s a snitch, oh my, God…”

[sinnersweets]

DogDay x Reader part 6

<;-----part 5, part 7----->

“Alright class listen up!” Miss Delight called out. The children settled down and listened to what she had to say. “As you know, our fall festival is approaching which means that it’s time to start our yearly fall theater show! Normally each group would perform separately but this time my sisters and I have decided to combine everyone together! I’m proud to say that this year we will be doing; drum roll please!” Everybody's hands started tapping on the desk for the drumroll. Me and DogDay also joined in with the children. “Beauty and The Beast!”  

Some kids were ecstatic while others groaned in annoyance. I liked Beauty and The Beast. “Tryouts will start around 5 o’clock. Those who wish to be a part of it please come up to my desk to receive the tryout scripts. And to those who do not wish to be a part of the show will be assigned as the stage crew.” Most of the children got up and went over to Miss Delights desk while a few stayed in their seats. Damian got up to get a script. “Our script is usually handed to us right before auditions start.” DogDay whispered to me. “Huh? ‘Our script?’ We have to audition also?” DogDay smiled and nodded. “Gives us a chance to interact with the other kids.” I wasn’t expecting this. DogDay pulled me into him before saying, “I have full faith in you Angel, who knows you might get the lead!” “Haha....woopie.” 

--------------- 

The theater room was huge! From the outside it doesn’t look like this room even existed. Me and DogDay walked in together and this was the first time that I’ve seen all the Smiling Critters. “Hi DogDay!” “Hiya BB!” DogDay walked over to the group, and I followed behind him. “Oh? And who’s this?” The way Bobby Bearhug spoke sounded like she was not at all interested in knowing who I was but asked anyways. DogDay scooted me into him and held onto my shoulder. “This is my helper, Angel!” His tail wagged while talking about me. I smiled nervously at all the Smiling Critters; except for KickenChicken. I just rolled my eyes at him.  

Miss Delight came up to us and split the helpers and the Smiling Critters apart. I took a seat next to Sarah since she’s the only one I’ve really talked to. It was obvious that she didn’t want to talk to anyone since she put in headphones. I looked over to the Smiling Critters and saw that Bobby was just chatting away with DogDay. In the shadows I spotted CatNap. I tilted my head in confusion; weren’t they all supposed to be friends? I got up from my seat and started walking towards him. My heart was beating faster, and my palms got sweaty.  

“Hey CatNap.” I said nervously. It took ten seconds before he finally spoke. “Friend.” So creepy. I cleared my throat to talk but he beat me too it. “Sorry.” Woah, he apologized. “Wanted to apologize sooner.... but was kept away.” Kept away? “Oh that’s okay. What do you mean you were kept away?” He just stared at me again. “Doctors.” I was gonna press on but a voice from behind me caught me off guard. “Oh Y/N! It’s almost time for you to go on!” I turned around and saw that it was Miss Delight. “O-okay, coming!” I turned back around, and CatNap vanished once again. 

--------------- 

Two hours passed and soon everyone in Playcare auditioned. Miss Delight and her sisters all went backstage to select the cast while everyone else sat in the seats waiting for the verdict. I spotted Damian and made my way over to him. “Hey kiddo.” “Hey Miss Y/N.” I took a seat next to him and smiled. “So do you think you’ll get a part?” He asked me. I chuckled before saying, “Nah. I mean I did do theater back in high school, but it’s been a while.” It would be interesting if I got casted. In high school, I never got the lead due to being a nervous wreck. “How about you?” Damian looked proud and sat up straight. “Oh yes, I’m hoping I get cast at the candle man. He’s my favorite.” “I’m hoping you’ll get the part.” I ruffled his hair and then got up and looked for DogDay.  

It wasn’t hard to spot him since he was the second tallest one here, CatNap being the first. As I started walking over to him he spotted me and waved me over to him. “Over here Angel!” I couldn’t help but smile sweetly at him. He held out his paw for my hand and once I took it he pulled me into a hug. “I missed you Angel.” “I always looked over to you and waved.” I laughed and returned the hug. “Yes, but I would’ve rather had you sit next to me Angel.” My cheeks felt warm. Thankfully, the theatre room wasn’t lit up well so he couldn’t see. “Oh DogDay~” We both turned and saw that it was Bobby calling out for DogDay. “Y/N shouldn’t you be with the other helpers and not over here with DogDay?” Okay rude. “She’s allowed to be over here with me, she’s my helper.” DogDay said. I could see Bobbys’ eye twitch before saying, “Oh of course! Anyways DogDay; do you think I got the lead?” I pulled away from DogDay so that he could face her. While he spoke he held onto my hand. “No doubt in my mind that you auditioned well BB, but I think Angel here did pretty good as well.”  

Another eye twitch from Bobby. “Well seeing how I always get the lead I’m fully confident.” The lights suddenly flashed on, and everyone's attention went to the stage. Miss Delight stood there with her sisters. “Okay everyone! We are about to announce our cast if you could quiet down and take your seats!” Everyone started to take their seats. I was about to sit next to DogDay when Bobby beat me to it. I then tried the other seat next to him, but then KickenChicken sat there. “Hey Angel.” He spoke out while grinning. I was gonna leave and sit somewhere else, but DogDay grabbed onto me and placed me on his lap. “You don’t mind sitting like this do you Angel?” “N-nope! Not at all haha...” I could feel Bobby glaring daggers at me. 

Miss Delight started calling names and Damian got cast as Lumière. He walked onto the stage and me and DogDay cheered him on like proud parents. She then called out the rest of the cast: Miss Delight would play Mrs. Pots, Chip would be played by Todd; a kid from my group, Babette was played by Miley; a girl from CraftyCorns group, Wardrobe was played by Emily who was KickenChickens helper, PickyPiggy would be The Enchantress and Bubba Bubbaphant would be Maurice. “And now for our final four!”  

“Lefou will be played by Hoppy Hopscotch!” “Woo yeah!” Hoppy jumped up and walked over to the stage. DogDay clapped for his friends. “Next up we have Gaston who will be played by... KickenChicken!” “Radical!” KickenChicken got up and made his way up onto the stage. “And now the role of The Beast will be played by- drum roll please!” The sound of everyone hitting their legs echoed through the room. “DogDay!” All eyes turned towards the back of the theater where DogDay was. “Really? Wow!” I got up and hugged DogDay excitedly. “Congrats DogDay!” “Thank you Angel!” “Congratulations DogDay~” Bobby said while removing one of DogDays paws off me. “You and I will be great together.” DogDay pulled his paw away and said, “They haven't announced who Belle would be played by so it might not be you BB.” He said that so cheerfully while making his way up to the stage that I almost laughed.  

I took a seat and Bobby glared at me before saying, “It’s pretty obvious that I’ll get the lead, I get it every time when we do it in our groups.” She sounded so cocky while she spoke. I didn’t say anything and just looked ahead at the stage. DogDay gave Damian a high five and also ruffled the top of his head. “Now ladies and gentlemen the moment you’ve all been waiting for; Belle will be played by-” “ME!” Bobby stood up proudly. “Miss Y/N!” Everyone in the audience gasped. I guess they all were expecting it to be Bobby. A spotlight shun down on me and I sunk into my seat. “Woo yay Angel!” “Way to go Miss Y/N!!” DogDay and Damian both cheered for me. I stood up and walked over to the stage with everyone else.  

As I made my way up the audience started to cheer for me; I even saw Sarah give me a thumbs up. I stood on the stage with everyone else and Miss Delight spoke out. “Those of you who did not audition or did not get cast will oversee the set and props! I look forward to this year's fall theater show!” All the remaining children and helpers stood up and applauded while Bobby glared even more daggers at me. “This role was made for you Angel, you’re already quite a beauty.” He then winked at me and stuck his tongue out. This time I’m sure he saw me blushing. Damian ran up to both of us and pulled us into a hug. It almost seemed like a kid hugging his parents; it was a sweet moment.  

A/N: Thank you for reading!!

[carlottawllms]

The Neighbour

Mason Mount x Reader Fluff / Smut Word Count: 9.9K

TW: Mentions of break-in

I really really hope you’ll like this one as I’m rather proud of it.

The thing is, I never meant for this to include as much smut as it does now. It was supposed to be a friends to lovers one with a tiny smutty scene, but then I got carried away (thank you Mason for dropping that video) and now there’s two smutty scenes in here.

It does have a plot tho – a cute one imo. Enjoy <3

As always, feedback is very much appreciated!

When Mason got home after a busy day at Carrington, he just wanted something to eat and to get on the couch. He was just back in full team training after his spell on the sidelines, so the sessions were still pretty exhausting and made his legs feel like they were about to fall off.

But when he turned the corner to his house and all he could see was police cars and an ambulance in his driveway, his heart dropped into his stomach.

“What the fuck?”

No one was supposed to be here as his parents were back in Portsmouth and his sister wasn’t due to visit for another two weeks so it couldn’t really be anything concerning his house, right?

Once he’d parked the car a little away from the scene to avoid getting in the way, he jogged over. The adrenaline in his body shot up to the tips of his hair the closer he got and the more people he saw running about.

“Sorry sir, you’re not allowed up here.”

In his haste, he hadn’t even noticed the barrier tape and the police man stopping him now with a hand on his arm.

“I live here.”, Mason explained as calmy as he could. “What’s going on?”

“You live in number 12?” The young officer raised his eyebrows in disbelief and Mason was quick in shaking his head as worry took over just as quickly. Number 12 was your house…

“No, in number 10, sorry. I’ve just seen the ambulance in my driveway. Number 12 is y/n y/l/n. Is she okay? What happened?”

In the few weeks Mason had been living here, he’d seen you often when he came home or left the house in the morning. Apparently, you had a similar schedule and after a few days of you sending him soft smiles whenever you saw him, he’d actually rung your doorbell and introduced himself properly.

He’d just talked to you this morning and you’d seemed more than fine. And now there was an emergency doctor and police men walking in and out of your house.

“You will understand that I cannot give any details about this for reasons of discretion, Mr. Mount. I can only advice you to go home or leave the scene please.”

“Can you at least let me know if she’s okay? I know her and I need to know if something happened to her. Please.”, he begged, knowing deep down that the officer wasn’t allowed to.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I really can’t tell you.”

Mason sighed quietly and nodded. The officer was just doing his job and taking it seriously and whilst it annoyed him that he wouldn’t get any information about you, he understood. He was about to bid his goodbye and leave when another officer joined.

“Mr. Mount?”

“Yeah?”

“Ms. y/l/n asked to let you pass. You can come and see her if you want to.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s pretty shaken-up, but physically she’s fine.”

Mason let out a sigh of relief at that. Whatever had happened you were at least not physically harmed. He contemplated asking the man about what had happened as he walked closer to where you were, but given he’d probably not get any information anyway, he decided to keep quiet and instead ask you in a bit.

You were sitting on the steps outside the front door, arms hugging your bent legs and chin propped up on your knees as you stared into space. A paramedic spoke to you, but from the way you kept nodding away, Mason could tell you weren’t really listening and the closer he got, the more obvious it became in what a sorry state you seemed to be.

The paramedic smiled at him politely before leaving and the second Mason kneeled down next to you, his heart broke. Your skin was pale, but on the tops of your cheeks it was all blotchy and your red-rimmed, glazed over eyes were a clear indication that you’d been crying.

“y/n, hey.”, he mumbled softly as he rested his hand on your ankle, fingers gently caressing the warm skin they could reach in an attempt to provide you with some comfort. “Are you okay? What happened?”

When you stayed quiet, Mason let you. He figured that whatever was wrong you were too overwhelmed to speak about it, so he opted for sitting down next to you and when you slightly leaned against him, he was quick in wrapping his arm around your shoulders and pull you into his side a little more.  

“Whatever happened, I’m here now, okay? I’ll stay for as long as you want me to.”

As you felt him kissing the top of your head softly, it was like someone had opened the floodgates. Tears you’d tried so hard to hold back made it past the last line of defence and fell freely down your cheeks and before you could stop yourself, you turned your body and buried your face in his chest.

If Mason was surprised by your sudden need of proximity and affection, he didn’t show it in the slightest. He just grabbed your legs and placed them across his so he could pull you into a proper embrace and as his arms wrapped tightly around your body, you finally felt safe. Safe enough to let go of everything. And safe enough to let him in.  

“Someone broke in.”, you choked, feeling Mason going stiff. “And they…they looked through all…all of my stuff and tou- touched it and…some things are go- gone and…it’s so scary, I just-“

Now that the shock slowly wore off and you had said it, you realised for the first time what had happened. A stranger had invaded your home, rummaged through all your things, touched them and even taken some of them. Someone had just burst the safe space you’d built for yourself like a balloon.

“Ssshh, it’s okay, y/n. You’re safe now, yeah? I’ve got you.”

Mason rocked you from side to side gently, holding you tight to his chest as he felt your hot tears against his neck. His heart hurt for you. Luckily, something like this had never happened to him, so he could only imagine how you felt, but the way your smaller body shook in his hold, told him everything he needed to know.

“I’m here whatever you need, okay?”

While he kept placing barely-there kisses on your hairline, he remembered how not too long ago, you’d confided in him that you’d come here alone and didn’t know many people, let alone were friends with anyone.

You’d moved in just a few weeks before him after leaving Brighton in a headlong rush to start a new job in Manchester. Mason knew from his own experience that it could take a little while to really feel comfortable, but only a few days ago you had told him that you finally had the feeling of being at home.

It made his blood boil how now a single person had managed to destroy that feeling within minutes.

“I I need to book a hotel room.”, you sighed after a very long while of silence and just being in his embrace. “I don’t think I can sleep here tonight.”

“You can stay at mine.”, Mason blurted out before he could even think about it, blushing heavily as he felt you going stiff in his embrace. “I totally get if you don’t want to, like we can look for a hotel you’d feel comfortable in, I just thought I’d offer cause it would make sense and…yeah.”

The surprise was visible in your expression as you pulled your face from his neck and Mason watched you wiping your eyes with the sleeves of your hoodie, itching to reach out and to it himself, but he was conscious of the fact that you were barely friends, and he shouldn’t overstep the mark.

“You can totally say no, y/n. Don’t feel like you have to say yes, it was just an offer.”

“No, I…you would do that? Like letting me sleep on the sofa?”

“Not the sofa.”, he smiled softly. “I’ve got a guestroom you can have.”

He could still see the mistiness in your eyes, but the small smile pulling at the corners of your lips had his heart stumbling. “I just don’t want to be a burden. Your job is exhausting and you-“

“Hey, I wouldn’t have offered it if I didn’t mean it, okay?” Mason carefully pushed a stray strand of hair behind your ear, causing a shiver roll up your spine. “You wouldn’t be a burden, y/n. In fact, I’d feel better knowing you’re somewhere safe and not alone to be honest.”

After giving it another thought you came to the conclusion that you’d actually feel better knowing there was someone around who’d protect you instead of sleeping in a random hotel room, so you agreed hesitantly.

“Thank you, Mason.”, you whispered. “I’m sure I can go back to mine tomorrow, it’s just a little overwhelming today and-“

“You can stay as long as you want or need to.”, he interrupted you softly as he cupped your jaw to maintain the eye contact. “I don’t mind it at all. If you feel safe enough to go back tomorrow, okay, but if you don’t, then please don’t force yourself. Yeah?”

“Promise me, you don’t mind it? I really don’t want to be in the way.”

“I promise you, y/n. You won’t be a burden, and neither will you be in the way. I’d be very happy to be there for you.”

“Okay then.”, you breathed. “Thank you.”

Mason just smiled at you and pulled you back into a hug, hands gently running up and down your back in reassurance. “Do you want to grab a couple of things, or would you rather we go and buy some stuff?”

Your heart skipped a beat at how caring and supportive he was, how he acted as if you’d been the bestest of friends for years and everything he was offering was totally normal.

“I erm…I’d like to grab some things I think.”

Mason nodded, noticing how hesitant you seemed as your eyes wandered over to the door, the officers had left open as they’d left a while ago. “Do you want me to come with you?”

With his hand on the small of your back, you made your way into your house. You’d already been inside with the police to check what was missing, but now being confronted with it all again had your throat closing up.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here.”, Mason mumbled when he noticed your change in demeanour. He wrapped his arm around your waist and tugged you into his side.

Not comfortable in your own house anymore, you went through the rooms quickly to get what you needed. You’d actually wanted to take some necessary things; pjs, toothbrush, things like that, but as you stood in front of your opened closet and couldn't be sure that the burglar hadn't touched any of it, you didn't feel like it anymore.

Mason, recognising your uncertainty immediately, clasped his hand around yours and pulled you back from the closet. “You can have some of my things to put on. I also have a spare toothbrush and if you don’t mind smelling like me, you can use my shower gel too.”

A few minutes later and only your charger in your hands, you left your house with Mason to spend the night at his.

-

1:04am. It felt like an eternity had passed since you’d last looked at the clock, but in truth it was less than 10 minutes. For hours, you’d been tossing and turning in hopes to get a few restful minutes, but no matter what you tried, sleep was out of the question.

The pictures of your thrashed place kept popping up the moment you closed your eyes and the sick feeling in the pit of your stomach just wouldn’t go away. You knew you were safe here. Mason was sleeping in a room just down the hall and you’d seen how he’d locked everything and set the alarm system, but your body wouldn’t settle.

With a sigh, you eventually gave up. Peeling yourself out of the comfy bedsheets, you placed your feet on the fluffy carpet and left the inviting warmth of your bed to quietly pad downstairs.

Much to your relief, as you were walking around in nothing, but your panties and an oversized t-shirt Mason had given you, all the blinds were closed. The lighting however, caused you a little headache. While the little lamps in the hallway were motion censored and had switched on by themselves, the kitchen was a different story. You had to search for a moment for a light switch and when you’d eventually found one, it wasn’t the one for the big light.

You allowed your eyes to wander over his beautiful kitchen for a moment. Matte black cabinets, light grey countertops, and matching decorations in what appeared to be precisely chosen places, like fresh lilies on the kitchen island. You really liked it.

His interior was exactly what you’d expected it to be. Neat, tidy and elegant, but not extravagant or like something straight out of a catalog. It had that special, personal touch, something that seemed to be so Mason.

“y/n?”

The shriek that left your mouth as you jumped out of your skin was probably loud enough to be heard throughout the whole neighbourhood as you hadn’t expected anyone to speak up. You clutched your chest in shock, wide eyes staring at Mason who’d scared you to death with his sudden appearance.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”, Mason cursed, holding his hands up in surrender with an apologetic expression on his face as he caught your wide opened eyes. “God, y/n, I really am sorry. I’ve just seen you there and…Sorry. Are you okay?”

Your heart was still racing in your chest, and you wouldn’t exactly say you were okay, but as you looked at him and took in his appearance, the shock over seeing him in a way you never thought you would, weighed heavier than the fact he’d scared you half to death.

Until today, Mason hadn’t been more than your neighbour or maybe even a friend, but now that he stood in front of you in nothing but a white t-shirt and tight boxers hugging his thick thighs and…well everything else…your mind went down the gutter.

You were aware that you stared at him for a little too long and that your gaze was literally everywhere but on his face, but as embarrassing as it was, you couldn’t help yourself. He was right there. Well, him and his best physical attributes…

Mason was handsome at the best of times and yeah maybe you’d thought about him in a certain way once or twice now – maybe even a little more often than that – but even in your wildest dreams, you’d never thought you’d actually see him like this.

And yet here he was. A pair of tight green Nike boxers far from hiding anything and his strong thighs full on display. You were only human…well and a woman.

“y/n?”

“It’s…erm.” You cleared your throat awkwardly, gaze dropping to the floor with bright red cheeks as you eventually realised, he’d seen you staring at him as if he was some sort of snack. “It’s fine. I erm…I just came here for some water.”

Just like you, Mason had to fight for his eyes to stay on your face. The shirt he’d given you just about reached you mid-thigh and the amount of soft skin you were showing off as you’d waived the shorts entirely, should be considered unhealthy in his eyes. He’d always thought you were beautiful, if not downright attractive, but seeing you in his shirt had his thoughts going wild.

It was a sight he’d hoped, but never expected to see anytime soon if ever.

“Couldn’t sleep?”, he asked, stepping around you as he made his way to the fridge. He actually didn’t need anything as he’d only gotten up when worry had taken over at hearing your door being opened, but now that he’d seen you barely dressed, he needed some sort of distraction.

“No, I erm kept waking up. But it’s okay, you can go back to sleep, Mason.” From the corner of your eye, you followed his every move and you internally scolded yourself for staring at the way the boxers hugged his bum so perfectly, but even if you’d tried, you couldn’t have stopped yourself.

He was incredibly attractive without even trying and as you were sure you’d never get to see him dressed in nothing but skin-tight boxers and a t-shirt in his dimly lit kitchen again, you allowed yourself to admire his body for a tiny bit longer.

“No, it’s fine.”, he smiled as he closed the door to the fridge, noticing how you quickly averted your eyes and tried to make it look as if you hadn’t been staring at him, but your flushed cheeks gave your flustered state away rather obviously. “I can stay up with you until you’re okay to go back to sleep.”

“Oh no, that’s not necessary. Thank you though.”, you told him as you really didn’t want him to lose sleep and risk being tired in the morning because of you. “I’m fine. I’ll just go back up and try to sleep.”

Mason had no idea what came over him, but the moment you stepped away from the kitchen counter, ready to go back upstairs, his brain switched to autopilot. Two or three strides and he was right in front of you, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off of you.

“Sure you’re okay?”, he asked, the back of his hand gently pressing against your cheek. “You’re a little warm.”

The moment you raised your gaze and locked it on his, the butterflies in your stomach went wild. There was this intense expression in his eyes; hazy and begging for the same thing that had been swirling through your mind for a while now and the moment his tongue darted out to subconsciously wet his lips, your mind went blank.

“I’m okay.”, you breathed. “It’s just…you make me nervous.”

For a few very long seconds, his brown eyes simply stared into yours and you could literally feel the thick tension in the room, but before you could even think of attempting something, Mason cupped the side of your neck with his hand and kissed you hungrily.

He walked you backwards until you were trapped in between his heavy body and the cooking island with nowhere to go but even if you’d had the chance, you wouldn’t have bailed anyway.

“Mase.”, you moaned quietly as he buried his teeth into your bottom lip, and he was quick in using the chance to invade your mouth and brush his tongue against yours with slow, lazy strokes.

Mason was an insanely good kisser. His tongue playing with yours had your knees going week and in a poor attempt to steady yourself, you grabbed onto his shoulder as you buried the other hand into his soft hair.

The way you melted into his body a little more with every brush of his tongue against yours combined with your taste and the smell of your still slightly lingering perfume made him feel as if he was slowly losing his mind and the moment your fingernails scratched the sensitive skin on his neck, he breathed a deep moan into your mouth, hand propping up on the counter behind you for some better leverage.

Just like his, your brain was fogged, and you’d lost the ability to think straight the moment his eyes had locked on yours, but when Mason pressed his hips further into your body and you could feel his hard length digging into your lower stomach, even the farthest corner of your brain was completely consumed by him and the thought of feeling him in a certain way.

“I want you, Mase.”, you sighed against his lips, not even realising you’d used his nickname for the very first time, as you pulled away to catch your breath.

Only seconds later Mason had hoisted you up onto the cooking island as if you weighed nothing, hands firmly settled on your waist. As his lust clouded eyes locked on yours and made your tummy flip in anticipation, you wrapped your legs around his waist in an attempt to pull him back against where you needed him most, but Mason had different plans.

With one hand in your hair, he tilted your head back for better access to that soft skin of yours. His lips attached to your now exposed neck straight away, making you feel hot all over with the wet open mouth kisses he left on every tiny part of you that he could reach and when he gently bit the sensitive skin right above your pulse point and soothed the sting with his tongue, a gasp escaped your lips.

The low chuckle right by your ear had shudders rolling down your spine. That bastard knew exactly what to do to make you feel all sorts of things.

“I want you too baby.”, he murmured before sucking a hickey into the side of your neck and the feeling of it went straight to your core. “But I need a taste first.”

In the haze of pure desire and lust you hadn’t even noticed how his hands had travelled lower, but when his big warm hands found a home on your naked thighs, the tips of his fingers just about playing with the hem of your panties, you nodded quickly.

His wish surprised you as you hadn’t expected him to even waste a thought on going down on you before sticking his dick in and getting some for himself, but apparently Mason was different and actually interested in making this worth your while as well.

“No baby, I need your words. Think I can have a taste?”

You were sure that with the way he kept calling you baby and his bedroom eyes locked on yours, you would’ve agreed to whatever, so you were quick in nodding again. “Yes Mase.”, you affirmed.

“Good girl.” He pressed a quick kiss to your lips, laughing quietly as you chased him for more, but since he wasn’t one to deny you anything he kissed you heavily again whilst exploring more of the body he so desperately wanted to feel.

The first brush of his fingers against your core had you gasping into his mouth. It was still with your panties acting like some sort of barrier, but even now the feeling was mind-blowing already.

“God, I can already feel how wet you are for me.” Mason dropped his head into the crook of your neck, groaning at the thought of feeling you properly in a little bit. “I’m dying to taste you, you have no idea.”

“Mase.”, you whined, making him chuckle at the way you so eagerly pulled his face out of your neck. “Don’t tease.”

The pleading and hazy expression in your eyes was all it took for him to throw his ideas of prolonging it out of the window. Within a couple of seconds, he’d gotten rid of your panties, and he came face to face with your dripping heat.

“So pretty.”, he hummed as he kissed his way up the inside of your thighs, hands following his lips and spreading your open for him a little more. “And all for me.”

A gasp tumbled from your lips as Mason eventually placed a kiss right where your thighs met, before running his tongue through your folds and humming at the sweet taste of you.

“Fuck Mase.” Your hand flew to the back of his head, fingers burying themselves in his soft hair as you tried to keep up the eye contact, but the intensity of his tongued bumping your clit and licking away at you had your eyes falling shut almost immediately. “Feels so good.”

In his determination to make you feel as good as possible, Mason made sure to pay attention to every tiny sound you made and the way your hand tightened in his hair whenever he did something particularly pleasurable.

“Yes…yes…god you’re so good at that.”

You felt him smiling against your core as you leaned back onto your forearms with moans continuously pouring from your lips. You were already close to reaching your high and if there was even a little free capacity in your brain, you’d certainly be embarrassed, but all you could think of right now was how good Mason was with his tongue.

“You’re gonna cum on my tongue, baby? Hm? Gonna show me how good you’re feeling?”

Your attempt at an answer turned into a load moan as without so much as a warning, he pushed two fingers inside of you. The force of pleasure running through you had your arm giving way underneath you and you melted into the cold surface of Mason’s cooking island.

The sound of your moans had his painfully hard cock pressing even further against the restraint of his boxers as he curled his fingers expertly inside of you. He relished in the sinful sounds you made, in reducing you to this state whilst exploring your soft warm walls and he couldn’t wait to have them wrapped around other parts of his body. 

“Mase fuck…Oh god, yes right there.”, you gasped, back arching, as the pads of his fingers brushed that magical spot inside of you. “Keep going, Mase. Please keep going.”

And Mason did exactly that. Your fingers tightened in his hair as he brought you closer and closer and when he sucked your clit between his lips and brushed that one spot with a little more pressure than before, you tumbled over the edge.

Hot white pleasure shot through your veins and made you feel all sorts of things whilst a mixture of profanities and Mason’s name fell from your lips repeatedly as he rode you through one of the most intense highs you’d ever experienced.

He made sure to gradually slow his movements to bring you down gently, until his fingers stilled inside of you, and he pressed one last kiss to your clit.

“Fucking hell.”, you sighed breathlessly as you tried to regain your senses. One orgasm and you were sure he’d ruined sex for you forever as there was no way you’d find someone who could do it as good as him.  

Mason gave you a minute to recover before carefully removing his fingers and licking them clean. “You taste like heaven, y/n.”, he hummed. His hands gently massaged your still slightly shaking thighs as he leaned over you.

“You’re okay there?”, he smiled softly as he noticed the state you were in and when you simply nodded slowly, he chuckled, satisfied with the state he’d put you into. “I’ll give you a second baby, but then you better have another one in you for me.”

You only hummed, unsure if you could actually take it after what he’d just done to you, but deep down you were dying to feel him inside of you.

With your arms wrapped around his neck, you pulled him closer until he finally pressed his lips to yours in a gentle kiss and as you deepened the kiss and pushed your tongue against his, tasting yourself on it, Mason carefully brought you up in a sitting position. He cupped your bum with his large hands and pulled you closer to the edge whilst kissing you lazily as if you had all the time in the world.

“You sure you’re okay?” His hands moved up to your waist, fingers gently squeezing and you couldn’t help but swoon a little at his caring nature.

“Very sure, Mase.” You kissed him quickly, internally wondering if you were showing too much affection when most likely he didn’t see more than a one-time thing in this, but when he pushed a lose strand of hair behind your ear and leaned in to brush his nose against your cheek, your worries settled.

“Good cause I’m not done with you yet.” His deep voice had a pleasant shiver rolling down your spine and you let out a deep breath when he continued kissing over your jaw.

“Is that a threat or a promise?”

“Whatever you want it to be baby.”, he hummed, fingers brushing over the faint mark he’d left on your neck.  

You really needed him to stop calling you baby as it was slowly blurring the lines, but at the same time it sounded so sexy, you didn’t want him to use another pet name again. His lips followed an invisible path down the side of your neck, and you thought he’d leave another mark, but all you felt was his tongue licking a stripe up your throat.

With him teasing you like that you grew a little impatient. You wanted to feel him, all of him and since he made no attempt to speed things up, you let one of your hands travel down the front of his toned torso until you could cup his bulge over the fabric of his boxers.

The moan Mason let out the second you started stroking him sounded delicious and the fact that you were the one pulling sounds like that from him had a gush of heat rushing down to your centre. He stood perfectly still with his head buried in the crook of your neck, but you could feel his slightly ragged breath fanning over your heated skin whilst tiny moans kept falling from his lips.

“Feels so good.”, he whimpered as his hips bucked up into your hand, searching for a little more and whilst you’d have loved to tease him a little longer, you were dying to touch him without any barrier.

Too desperate to have each other, neither of you could be bothered to get rid of any of the clothes you were wearing, so Mason helped you to simply push his boxers down far enough for his hard cock to spring free. He was bigger than you’d expected, and you weren’t quite sure he would fit, but for some reason the thought of being full of him had the excitement building even more.

You watched his eyes roll to the back of his head as you eventually wrapped your hand around his dick and rubbed your thumb through the precum on his tip. “Oh fuck, y/n.”

Your name falling from his lips sounded so sinful and hot, you didn’t think you could ever go without hearing it again. As you gently stroked his length, Mason had to prop up his arms on the surface next to your thighs. He felt way too good, and he wasn’t sure he’d make it to actually fucking you if you kept torturing him with the perfectly pressured strokes of your hand, but at the same time he desperately didn’t want you to stop.

Contrary to what people kept saying, it had been a while since someone had touched him the way you just did and the fact that you were ridiculously attractive and sitting in front of him in nothing, but his t-shirt didn’t really help with keeping it together either.

“God, you’re so good at that.”, he moaned pathetically loudly and, in an attempt, to muffle his sounds, he pressed his lips against yours in a heavy kiss. He was momentarily distracted by your tongue brushing against his, but when you squeezed his dick and ran your thumb over the protruding vein on the underside, he pulled away.

“Stop.”, he panted as he backed away a little, his head spinning from the pleasure running through his body.

You removed your hands from his body in an instant, surprised at his sudden change in demeanour and the thought of having done something wrong invaded your mind within a second.

“Sorry, I haven’t done this in a while and-“

“No, no, no it wasn’t you.”, he rushed. His heart dropped when he caught on to what you were thinking. “Well, it was you, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”, he chuckled, stepping closer again and brushing his lips against yours in a soft, reassuring kiss. “I just nearly came then and there because you’re way too good at that and I really want to go all the way.”

You blushed heavily at his words and dropped your gaze to your hands, fingers playing with the hem of your shirt.

“It felt insanely good, y/n, but I’m pretty sure fucking you will feel even better, you know?”

Mason leaned in and kissed you again. His hands pulled you even closer to the edge of the granite countertop before spreading your legs a little wider. You breathed his name into his mouth and gripped his shoulders tightly when you felt him running the blunt head of his dick through your wet folds.

“Eyes on me baby.”, Mason whispered against your lips before pulling back a little and once your gaze was on his, he smiled. “Good girl. You’re ready?”

“Yes, Mase.”

You’d thought he might be hesitant and slow, but Mason surprised you with burying himself inside of you with one swift motion.

“Oh my god.” The feeling of him deep inside of you had your body going limp. You slumped forward, arms wrapped around his neck and your head resting on your shoulder as you tried to adjust to his size.

The fact you hadn’t slept with anyone in a while combined with how big he was had you feeling a little lightheaded and you needed a moment to get used to all the sensations.

“I know.”, he sighed. “Fuck, you feel so good you have no idea.”

Mason bit the inside of his cheek so hard he feared he might draw blood, but the pain was the only thing keeping him from pounding into you. He knew you needed a moment. He could literally feel how tightly your walls were gripping his twitching dick.

You felt a little pathetic for how long you needed to get used to him, but after a while the painful burn turned into a pleasurable stretch, and you felt ready for what he had to offer.

“You can move, Mase.”, you mumbled as your lips trailed over his neck. The temptation of sucking a purple bruise into his soft skin was strong, but contrary to you, he couldn’t cover it up and since you didn’t want him to be the target for his teammate’s teasing, you opted for licking a stripe up to his pulse point. “Please fuck me.”   

Mason’s eyes darkened the moment you locked yours on his. “Lay back, baby.”, he ordered, gently pushing you down on your back and although the t-shirt still covered most of your body, the sight in front of him was one he would never get tired of.

“You have no idea how fucking hot you are right now.”, he growled lowly and that was about all the warning he gave you before moving his hips against yours. He started off slowly, giving you both a second to get accustomed to the overwhelming sensation of his dick rubbing against your soft walls, but it wasn’t long until he grabbed your hips and set a rather harsh pace.

Both of your moans mixed with the sound of skin slapping and created a rather dirty atmosphere in his kitchen, but even if you’d tried, you wouldn’t have been able to hold back. The sight of him, head slightly bent so he could watch himself driving in and out of your wet heat, lips slightly parted and eyes closing in pleasure every once in a while, combined with his dick hitting deep inside of you made you feel all sorts of things.

“Fuck Mase…yes…oh my god.” Your back arched off the cooking island when he hit that magical spot inside of you, making you see stars for a moment. “Right there, oh fuck.”

Mason could feel how tightly your pussy gripped him and he had to fight to keep it together. He desperately wanted you to come first and to help you further along, he quickly got his thumb wet and attached it to your clit.

“Shit, Mase.” Your lips fell open in a silent cry of pleasure as his finger drew relentless circles on your already sensitive clit and it wasn’t long until you could feel the pleasure building up in your stomach. “I’m…I’m so close, Mase. Please.”

“C’mon, baby. I need you to cum for me. Be a good girl for me, yeah?”, he panted as he got closer and closer to his own high, but after a few more perfectly pressured circles against your nub and his dick hitting that special spot, he watched as you cried out, thighs shaking around his hips and face contorting from the white-hot pleasure running through your veins.

He tried his best to push you through it, but the way your walls clamped around him so tightly had him teetering dangerously close on the edge.

“You…you can cum inside of me.”, you panted. “It’s…safe.”

And that was all it took for him. With his name tumbling from his lips repeatedly he buried himself deep inside of you, coating your pulsating walls with his hot release.

“Holy shit.”, he breathed as he collapsed on top of you and buried his head in the crook of your neck.

Your hands found their way into his hair. You brushed through the soft strands and scratched his scalp gently, trying to calm him down as you could feel his racing heart pounding against your ribs.

For a moment, the both of you just laid there. Him flopped on top of you, face hidden away in your neck and you beneath him, revelling in his heavy body pressing down on you, legs wrapped around his waist to keep him in place. You could feel him softening inside of you, the sensation a stark contrast to how he’d handled you before and when you kissed the side of his head, it suddenly hit you.

You’d slept with Mason. Your neighbour and just about the only person you trusted around here at the moment. The only person you considered a friend. What if that shag had ruined it all? You knew how weird things could get after having slept with someone and usually the friendship or whatever it had been faded away. What if it happened to you and Mason too?

“I have to go and clean myself up.”, you mumbled, suddenly feeling all awkward as you gently pushed on his shoulders to get him to move.

“I don’t like this, but fine.”, Mason grumbled, but with a huff, he hoisted himself back up and sent you a lopsided grin. He gently pulled you back up in a sitting position before carefully pulling out. “Don’t be too long.”, he said and with a gentle peck to your lips he helped you down the cooking island.

Once he’d released you, you dashed to the bathroom to clean yourself up, realising too late that you’d left your panties on Mason’s kitchen floor and had nothing to wear now. Sighing, you made peace with the fact of having to pop downstairs again to pick them up and you instantly hoped that Mason would’ve gone to bed already by then.

Your reflection in the mirror wasn’t half as bad as you’d expected it to be. Your lips were a little swollen and a purple bruise was blossoming where Mason had sucked a little too harshly on your skin, but other than that and the fucked-out expression in your eyes, you looked surprisingly decent.

What wasn’t decent however, was the thoughts running riot in your mind.

There was no logical explanation for what had just happened. Other than, that he was an insanely handsome and attractive man, and you were a weak woman with a pathetic crush on your neighbour.

One-night-stands weren’t your cup of tea at all. You could count on less than one hand how many times you’d slept with someone without being in a relationship with them and you’d never planned on extending that list. Until Mason apparently.

The sex had been incredible, there was no denying that he was the best you’d ever had – and probably ever get – and you didn’t regret it, but at the same time you hated yourself for ruining a perfectly good beginning of a friendship. Let alone relationship. A word you refused to even think about.

Completely ignoring the fact that he was Mason Mount the football player, he was still Mason, the handsome, young man who could probably pull any woman he wanted. As if someone like him would ever go for someone like you.

But the worst part was that he now probably thought of you as someone who did this more often. Having one-night-stands. Shagging men in their kitchen.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”, you whispered to yourself. “What was I thinking?”

You knew freaking out wasn’t the solution and talking about this whole thing to clear the situation would be way better, but it was late, you were exhausted, and Mason was probably back to bed already so there really wasn’t much you could do.  

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, you would tell him that you weren’t one of those women who threw themselves at men like that.

Not expecting anyone as you opened the door, you nearly screamed out loud as you came face to face with Mason.

“You erm…forgot these downstairs.” A blush coated his cheeks as he handed you the pair of panties you’d left in his kitchen.

“Thanks.” You quickly pulled them up your legs, trying not to flash him, although the attempt was completely unnecessary, since he’d already seen everything anyway. “Listen, Mase I-“

“Let’s not talk in the hallway, hm?” To your surprise, Mason gently grabbed your hand and without giving you the chance to say something, he pulled you with him towards his bedroom.

Your cheeks burned at the thought of facing him after what you’d just done, but even though you dreaded it, you knew it was probably for the best to get it out of the way before it led to misunderstandings.

Mason, feeling a little weird about it all himself too, flopped down in his bed, back against the headboard and as he could see the hesitant expression on your face whilst eyeing his bed, pulled you down to sit on his thighs. His hands found a home on your waist, fingers gently caressing you through the fabric of his t-shirt as he carefully observed your reaction to it all, wondering if sitting you on top of him like this was too much, but it wasn’t long before it burst out of you.

“Look Mase, I know this looks very much like the opposite and I don’t blame you for thinking like that about me, but I normally don’t do this.”, you told him. “Sleeping with men, I mean. Well, I do sleep with men, that’s not what I meant, like I do have sex with men, but only like in relationships cause I don’t really like the idea of randomly shagging someone…”

Mason watched the deep blush spreading over your cheeks the more you tried to explain yourself and he couldn’t help but find you incredibly endearing. With your gaze fixed on your hands fiddling with the hem of your shirt, you didn’t notice the fond expression in Mason’s eyes as he watched you rambling on.

“And I don’t know what happened today, but I somehow…I don’t know you’re you and you make me nervous cause I like you and then it just happened, but I really want you to know that I’m not like other women who like do it all the time and-“

You were suddenly cut off by a pair of lips softly pressing against yours and although you were incredibly surprised, you reciprocated the careful kiss in an instant.

“In case it wasn’t obvious, I like you too, y/n.”

Mason tried to kiss you again, but completely baffled by his words, you pulled away. “Wait, what?” Your eyes searched his for some kind of mockery, but all you could find in his big brown orbs was warmth and love. “You…you…like me?”

He watched your eyes fluttering shut momentarily as he softly brushed a stray strand of hair behind your ear, fingertips just about caressing the soft skin he couldn’t get enough of.

“Yes, y/n. I really like you.” He gently cupped your cheek, thumb rubbing right beneath your eye. “I know it’s sudden and we haven’t known each other for that long yet, but lately seeing you in the morning and getting to talk to you, has been the best part of my day.”

The way Mason kept staring at you with a fond expression had your tummy flipping and although you still felt a little hesitant, you reached out for his free hand and pushed your fingers between his.

“You…this…you mean this wasn’t just a random shag?”

“No, y/n.”, he chuckled as he dropped his head for a second. He felt bad he’d given you the feeling of being one of many when you were so much more to him. “Like you, I don’t really like sleeping with women I barely know. I don’t have that much time anyway and the idea of wasting the free time I have with women who are mostly only interested in fucking a footballer just doesn’t seem appealing to me.”

“But I-“

“You’re different. I can’t give you a proper explanation why, but I’ve felt it.” Mason placed a soft kiss onto your forehead. “I loved that I got to talk to you every single morning before leaving for training, you know, just talking random things and easing my mind a little and I felt like every day I got to know you a little better and the more we spoke the more I figured that I liked you – more than I should.”

“You never said anything. Like I would’ve never guessed it meant so much to you.”, you said quietly and in absolute disbelief. This was Mason out of all people sitting right in front of you – or more like underneath you – handing you his little heart on a plate.

It all seemed so absurd. First the mind-blowing sex in the kitchen, then your mini panic attack in the bathroom, followed by Mason taking you into his room and placing you in his lap to tell you he liked you. All whilst both of you were still barely dressed.

You felt like you were in some sort of fever dream as there was no way any of this was real.  

“I’d actually planned to invite you for dinner at my place, you know?”, Mason admitted with blushed cheeks. “Dating me can be a bit difficult, especially in the beginning, so I thought you’d feel more comfortable in the safety of my four walls, but then when I came home, there was this chaos here and my plan was out the window and...”

He interrupted himself, shaking his head and chuckling. He felt like a proper idiot. “I know it was the completely wrong order and I should have told you first that I like you before sticking my dick in, but you in my t-shirt…you were just so irresistible, and I really am sorry you thought you weren’t more than a quick shag for me.”

As he nudged his nose against yours, your tummy flipped again. “It’s fine, Mase. It's not like you couldn't have thought the same of me. After all, I’ve let you do all these things to me and made it look as if shagging random men was completely normal for me.”

“Oi, I’m not a random man, am I?” Mason tickled your sides in an attempt to lift the heavy tension in the room and the giggle you let out warmed his heart. God, he wanted to hear that sound forever. “Seriously though, I really do like you, and I would love to give us a try. If you want that too, that is.”

“I’d like that a lot, Mase.”, you breathed and after he’d taken the lead on so many occasions tonight, you felt like this time it was on you.

One of your hands found its place on the side of his neck as you leaned in to kiss him softly. His quiet hum against your lips before kissing you back made you feel all warm inside and although you should probably talk a little more, you couldn’t help but deepen it a little.

Kissing him felt amazing, feeling his tongue gently playing with yours made you feel all giddy inside and when his hands sneaked beneath your shirt and started caressing your skin, a tiny moan got lost in his mouth.

Neither of you could get enough of the other and whilst your hands were buried in his soft hair, Mason’s roamed all over your body, causing goosebumps to erupt in their wake. His fingers caressed the soft skin on your warm thighs, travelling all the way up to your waist where he squeezed gently before he eventually stroked up and down your sides, higher and higher until his thumbs brushed the underside of your boob carefully.

You pulled away to take a look at him and the moment your eyes locked on his, Mason noticed the hesitation. In his kitchen, it had appeared to be a no-strings-attached shag, but now that you’d talked, everything felt so different.

“I meant what I said, y/n.”, he whispered. “I really like you and I would love for you to give us a chance. You’re an incredible woman and so so beautiful, I hope you know that.”

Still a little unsettled by it all and marked by bad past experiences, you tried to read between the lines and find the catch, but all you could find was a smile, painted by pure and deep affection.

“We don’t have to do anything now, you know? We can just go to bed. You can sleep here or in your room, it’s up to you. I don’t want you to feel like we have to do something or that I only want you for sex, because it’s so much more for me. I don’t expect you to do anything with me now.”

“I’m not sure your body agrees, you know.”, you chuckled, nodding towards the bulge forming in his tight boxers.

“y/n.”, Mason groaned as a deep blush spread over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, but even he couldn’t hide the small laugh bubbling up inside of him. It was definitely the last thing he’d expected you to say. “I’m sorry okay? You’re in your panties, literally on top of me. It’s making me go insane. You’re making me go insane.”

“I can see that.”, you grinned. “What would you do if I left you hanging now? Take a shower?”

You had no idea what had happened, but his honest admission had set a boost of confidence free and now that you knew you were both on the same page, you couldn’t wait to experience what you hadn’t downstairs.

“Probably yes.”, he nodded as he curiously observed your every move. He watched the small smile spreading over your face whilst your hands moved down his torso until your fingers wrapped around the hem of his shirt.

“I don’t think you need that shower tonight, Mase.”

A deep sigh left his lips when you lightly scratched the soft skin of his tummy. It was the first time you touched him properly as you hadn’t gotten the chance to do so in the kitchen and his warm skin beneath yours sent shockwaves through your body.

The way Mason reacted to your touch gave you the confidence you needed to push his shirt up higher and when eventually Mason got the message and pulled it over his head you were left a little speechless.

Obviously, he was an athlete and you’d expected him to be fit and have a nice body, but what you’d right in front of you exceeded all your wildest expectations. Defined abs, the v-line disappearing under the waistband of his boxers and toned pecks, all covered by perfectly smooth skin. He looked perfect.

His muscles contracted beneath your touch, as you traced along his abs and sides with gentle fingers. You paid some extra attention to the mole slightly above his bellybutton before moving on to trace the Champions League tattoo on his side.

“You’re so beautiful.”, you whispered as you took your time to look all over his body in a way you hadn’t been able to before and you hated him a little for keeping himself hidden away before, but at the same time you felt as if now that you had more time and patience, you appreciated the sight more than you would’ve in the haste of before.

Not taking your hands off his body, you leaned down and kissed all over his collarbones and down his chest slowly, making sure to cover all of the warm skin you could reach and the way he quietly sighed kept you going.  

Mason hissed in a mixture of surprise and pleasure as you teasingly flicked his nipple and when you sent him a cheeky smile, he shook his head. He liked this version of you just as much as any other you’d showed him so far.

A drawn-out moan flew past his lips the moment he felt you palming him over his boxers. The warm sensation gathered in his stomach almost immediately and although he would’ve loved to let you do your thing, he wanted this time to be special.

Mason pried your hand off his dick gently before pulling you in a little closer. “I want to do it properly this time.”, he smiled as he leaned in to kiss you softly.

“Properly?”

“Yeah like…I want to take my time with you, feel you properly. I don’t want it to be rushed and quick, more like slowly and…loving. I want to sleep with you this time, not fuck you, you know?”

Your heart stumbled in your chest. The sudden vulnerability and intimate honesty he laid out for you nothing what you’d expected, but for some reason it made it all feel even more intense and special.

“I want that, too, Mase.”, you whispered quietly and although he’d always seemed to be so confident in his own skin, you could see the relief rushing through him at hearing your words.

-

When Mason woke up the next morning, he expected to have you in his arms; head on his chest and leg draped across his, but to his surprise, the bed next to him was empty.

He knew it didn’t have to mean anything as there were about 50 different reasons for why you could’ve left without meaning to leave him, but his stomach still dropped and when you hadn’t emerged after another five minutes of lying in bed, thinking you’d maybe just gone to the loo, he eventually got up and dressed.

When you both had actually gone to sleep last night or rather this morning and you’d fallen asleep on his chest, he’d cursed today's training, but now that 164 thoughts about you were going through his head, he was quite happy to get some distraction.

Mason couldn't find a logical explanation for why you’d just taken off after everything that had happened. He’d thought that you were on the same side, and had the same idea for what was supposed to come for the two of you, but apparently, he’d read it all wrong.

Less then 10 minutes later he’d made it downstairs. His training bag got dropped by the door before he quickly dashed to the kitchen to grab himself one of those energy bars his brother had recommended, but the sight he was confronted by was one he would never complain about.

There you were, still dressed in his t-shirt and your hair mindlessly thrown up in a bun, as you swayed your hips to the music coming from the radio, quietly singing along. For a moment, Mason allowed himself to just take it in.

The domesticity of the whole thing had his heart warming in his chest and if it had been up to him, he would’ve just watched you forever, but soon enough you turned around.

“Jesus Mase.”, you yelped as you hadn’t heard him coming in. “Normal people say something to announce themselves and don't stand in the doorway looking at other people like creeps.”

Mason laughed quietly. “Sorry, I was just very surprised to see you here. I thought you’d left.”

“I would never.”, you smiled and after you’d placed a cup of coffee on the table, you made your way over to where he was still leaning against the door. “Morning.”

You weren’t exactly sure if you were supposed to, but ever since you’d kissed him for the first time you couldn’t stop, so before you could chicken out, you leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

“Morning.”, Mason hummed as he grabbed your waist to keep you close, suddenly feeling all warm and giddy inside. “What are you doing in my kitchen anyway?”

“So I know you get breakfast at Carrington, but I still wanted to make something as a little thank you for letting me stay and all that. I know it’s not much but-“

As his heart was threatening to burst his chest, Mason was quick in interrupting you with his lips against yours. He could feel you wrapping your arms around his neck and melting into his body as you kissed him back and, in that moment, he knew, that this was all he ever needed in life.

“There’s really no need to thank me, y/n.”, he whispered once he’d pulled back a little. “But I still appreciate it a lot.”

24 hours ago, you’d been y/n, his neighbour and maybe his friend, and now that he held you in his arms, your face buried in the crook of his neck, he knew he didn’t need some dates to confirm what he was feeling.

“There’s no way I’ll ever let you go again, love. Stay with me?”, he mumbled into your hair and when he felt your lips stretching into a smile against his neck, it was all he needed to know your answer.

“Yes.”  

__________

I genuinely hope you enjoyed reading this. You would make my day if you left a little feedback so I can see what you liked and what I can improve on 🩷

[javierpena-inatacvest]

Fight

Summary: When you get a phone call from your elementary school that your girls got into a fight, Javi leaves work to figure out what happened.

Word Count: 3.6K

Pairing: Dad!Javi x Wife!reader (No use of y/n)

Warnings: Violence (the Peña girls get in a fight at school), bullying, the Peña girls being little badasses, Javi being a proud dad, idk everything I post for this series is gonna be sickeningly sweet, I'm not sure what to tell you 😩

A/N: I literally had this idea on the drive into work this morning, got a terrible migraine, went home, woke up and wrote this in like an hour 🤪 This was inspired by @bbiophiliaa asking me about the girl's personalities, and I think this sums it up pretty darn well! GOD I LOVE THIS FAMILY YALL GOTTA SEDATE ME

Can be read as a standalone or as a part of the NTL universe!

Series Masterlist Never Too Late Masterlist

The phone number for Alma Pierce Elementary was one you recognize like the back of your hand. If it weren’t for all the years you’d worked there as a teacher, the fact that two of your three daughters now attended there as 1st and 3rd graders meant that you had the school’s phone number memorized almost as well as your own. That’s why when you got a phone call from Alma Pierce in the middle of the day, while waiting in the lobby of your pediatrician’s office for an appointment with your youngest (and her never ending cold that she couldn’t seem to shake), you were surprised to see the number that you knew all too well pop up on your caller ID. 

Being a former teacher, your girls knew better than to try and play sick and call home to get out of school, and noting their usual chipper and enthusiastic demeanor this morning when you dropped them off, you found it hard to believe that a mystery illness had plagued them enough in the past few hours to warrant a call home. You ran through your mental checklist in your head of your morning routine, almost positive that Lucy and Elliot had both their lunches, gym shoes, and no after school activities that they would have forgotten anything for. Your phone continued to ring, a now slightly unsettling feeling building in your stomach as you began to wonder the reason for the midday call. 

“Hello?” you answered, bouncing a sleepy, snotty Harper in your lap as you sat waiting in the uncomfortable fake leather of the doctor’s office chair. 

“Hi Mrs. Peña, it’s Principal Coleman.” 

Oh god. 

While Lucy and Elliot were your daughters in every sense that they were just as feisty and stubborn as you, they were sweet girls, and knew better than to do anything to break the rules or be disrespectful at school.

Or, so you thought.

Your heart began to sink to the pit of your stomach, knowing that a call from the Principal at 1:30 in the afternoon most likely didn’t mean good news, letting out a quiet deep breath before responding. 

“Hi Principal Coleman, how are you?” 

“Well Mrs. Peña, I’m going to start off by saying I’m just as shocked as you probably are about the reason behind this phone call.” 

Oh sweet Jesus, what did these two do? 

You paused for a moment before Principal Coleman spoke again, without even giving you a chance to ask what had happened. “Today at recess, Lucy and Elliot beat up a boy in Elliot’s class pretty badly.” 

Was this a joke? There’s no way that she could be serious, right? You girls fought at home, but to gang up on another boy? At school? Heat began to flood through your cheeks in embarrassment and anger at your daughters as you tried to compose yourself enough to speak. “Principal Coleman, I- I’m so sorry. I’m- I don’t even know what to say. Do you know what happened?” 

“No, not yet, the girls are in my office right now, but I was hoping that you’d be able to come join us to have a conversation about it, considering what a serious thing this has become. Especially since your girls aren’t ones I see in my office often.” 

You stared down at Harper, wiping the back of her little arm against her boogery nose as she groaned and leaned against her chest. It had taken you a week to make an appointment for her, and for her sanity, or yours, you didn’t want to have to wait another week longer, but there was no way you weren’t finding out what the was reason why your girls had attacked someone out on the playground. You looked around frantically, trying to brainstorm a solution until you remembered the other half responsible for creating your fist fighting monsters. 

“Yes, absolutely Principal Coleman. I’m at the doctor with my other daughter right now, but I’ll see if my husband can come down to the school to talk with the girls.” 

“Perfect, thank you so much, Mrs. Peña.” 

You had barely hung up before you were punching the keys of your cell phone, dialing up Javi and anxiously chewing on your bottom lip as you waited for him to pick up. 

“Hey, Hermosa!” You could almost hear Javi’s smile through the phone, his voice sweet and unassuming, considering it wasn’t uncommon for you to call him during the day, and especially not about things like this. “What’s going on, baby?” 

“Um, I just got a call from the Principal saying that Lucy and Elliot beat up a kid during recess.” 

“Woah, woah, woah. Wait, Osita, you can’t be serious?” Javi responded, almost more in shock than you were at the news. 

“I’m being serious, Jav. She wants one of us down there to go talk with him, but I’ve got Harper at the doctor’s right now and I don’t want to have to reschedule if I don’t have to. Is there any way you can go?” You sighed, rubbing your fingers on the sides of your temples from the impending headache your girls were causing you. 

“Holy shit. Yeah, yeah- of course, I’ll head over right now. What the hell happened?” 

“I don’t know, she didn’t say. Jesus Jav, I’m so embarrassed, I know the girls fight at home, but to beat up someone at school? What did we do wrong that would make them think that’s okay?” You could feel the nervous, frustrated tears beginning to well in your eyes, guilt and shame creeping through every inch of your body, currently feeling like the worst parent to have ever existed in that moment. 

“Shhhh, hey, Osita, it’s alright. I’m sure there has to be a reason. I’m gonna head out right now and figure it out, okay? I love you. Give Harps a big kiss for me, yeah?” 

“Okay. I love you too. Thanks, Jav.” 

With a gentle click of the receiver, the other side of the line went silent, leaving you and Harper in the bright, sterile lights of the waiting room. The ceiling lights may as well been spotlights beaming down in your direction, now sensing several pairs of eyes on you after your phone call. You’d never been so thankful for your 4 year old’s sleepy, sick state, because if she was any more awake, she would be happily babbling about your phone call to everyone in the lobby, letting them know her big sisters got in a fight at school. 

“Harper Peña?” A voice called from across the lobby. 

Well, at least one of your 3 daughters you could help take care of. 

Javi was pretty sure the last time drove this fast anywhere was after your water broke with Elliot, making it to the hospital in record breaking time. Whipping into the first empty parking spot he found, Javi practically sprinted through the parking lot to the front of the building, his heart pounding as he stepped into the main office, greeted by the familiar faces of your old co-workers, with unfamiliar grimaces on their faces. 

“Principal Coleman’s back this way.” Señora Gonzalez mumbled, almost avoiding eye contact with Javi as she pointed to the open door behind her desk. As if the phone call from his wife earlier didn’t have him worried enough, the dismayed look on everyone’s faces sure didn’t help. 

“Hi Mr. Peña. Please, take a seat.” Principal Coleman smiled politely after outstretching her hand for Javi to shake before gesturing towards the empty seat between Lucy and Elliot. If there was one thing Javi was not shocked about, it was the way both of his daughters seemed to be handling the current situation. Lucy, being the empathetic older sister she was, was in tears, trying her best to keep from bawling as she looked up at her dad, her face riddled with guilt. Elliot on the other hand, was leaned back in her chair, arms crossed against her chest, seeming almost completely unbothered by her current situation, giving Javi a little shrug, as if to say I’m not sure why we’re here either. 

“Principal Coleman, I just want to start off by saying I’m so sorry. I was shocked when my wife called me and said the girls had been in a fight.” 

“He was asking for it…” Elliot mumbled under her breath, arms still crossed, slouching even lower. 

“Elliot Marie.” Javi snapped, giving his daughter a dangerous glare, knowing her stubborn attitude he was all too familiar with. 

“Well why don’t you go ahead then Elliot. Can you explain to us what happened?” Principal Coleman asked, nodding at Elliot. Elliot let out a deep sigh, sitting up a little straighter in her chair, uncrossing her arms and bracing them on the armrests of her seat. 

“Principal Coleman, do you know Hunter in my class?” Elliot asked, prepping the room as if she was getting ready to argue her case in court. Principal Coleman slightly cocked her head, intrigued by Elliot’s question. 

“Yes, I do.” 

“Okay. Well at the beginning of the year, Mrs. Walker told us that Hunter’s brain is kind of different than ours. He says the same things over and over and makes silly noises and moves his body around even when he’s supposed to be sitting still. She said it’s because he has Autumn-tism. I don’t know why it’s called that because he doesn’t really like the fall, but he does really like outer space.” 

“He has Autism, Elliot, not Autumn-tism.” Lucy groaned, rolling her eyes at her sister. 

“Whatever.” Elliot sighed, rolling her eyes right back. “Anyways, no one ever wanted to play with Hunter because he was different from other kids, and everyone called him weird, and I felt really sad because everyone should have friends to play with at school. So one day I decided to ask him if he wanted to play and now we’re best friends and play rocket ships every day at recess.” Elliot adjusted again, scooching up taller in her chair, looking back and forth between her dad and Principal Coleman. “And even though Mrs. Walker always says be kind to everyone, Max in my class is not very kind, especially to Hunter. He always makes fun of him and calls him mean names, and I always tell him to stop because it hurts Hunter’s feelings.” 

“Well I’m very glad that you are standing up for your friend Elliot, but how did this end up with you and Lucy both beating up Max?” 

“I’m getting there Principal Coleman, I promise.” Elliot nodded, already halfway out the door to law school at this point. “Today at recess, Hunter and I were on the swings playing rockets, minding our own business, when all of a sudden Max came up out of nowhere and pushed Hunter so hard off the swings he landed in the wood chips and started crying. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he said that Hunter deserved it because he was a freak and freaks shouldn’t get to have friends.” 

“It’s true, that’s what he said…” Lucy quietly chimed in, barely lifting her eyes off their fixed spot on the floor. “I was out at recess too and I saw Max push Hunter so I went over to help.” 

“So I helped Hunter up and then I told Max that he can’t talk to him like that, and if he keeps making fun of him, I’m gonna kick him in the nuts.” 

“She did also say that…” Lucy grimaced, looking over at her sister. 

“Well. He called him a stupid loser who should go fly to outer space so no one ever has to see him again. So I kicked him in the nuts. I warned him.” Elliot responded, holding up her hands in defense. 

“I may have kicked him too…” 

“I’m really sorry, Daddy. And I'm sorry Principal Coleman.  I know we’re not supposed to fight and use our words but I couldn’t let him make fun of Hunter anymore. It’s not fair.” 

“I’m really sorry, too. I should have told her to stop. She is right, Max is always so mean to him for no reason besides the fact he’s different and he can’t help it.” 

The girls both looked up at their dad with remorse, their sweet little faces filled with a mix of guilt and pride, knowing they were in the wrong for what they had done, but also knowing they had done what was right for Elliot’s friend, even if it meant finding themselves in the Principal’s Office. 

After hearing his daughter’s story, his face mirrored theirs. While he also didn’t think he’d find himself in the Principal’s Office this afternoon, he also couldn’t help but feel proud knowing that his daughters cared so deeply about this boy, and had gone out of their way to stand up for him with no hesitation. There had been so many times since the girls had been born that Javi wondered if he had ever done right by his daughters. But seeing them here today, knowing all they wanted to do was stand up for the person who needed it most had him feeling like maybe, just maybe, he was doing something right. 

Even Principal Coleman’s face began to soften, realizing the circumstances of the situation, recognizing the Peña girls wanted nothing more than to protect their friend, even if they perhaps hadn’t gone about it the right way. 

“Well girls. I think that we can all agree that moving forward, violence is never the right way to solve our problems, correct?” Lucy and Elliot softly bobbed their heads, looking down at the ground. “That being said, I do think that it is very brave of you that you stood up for Hunter. He is very lucky to have such thoughtful friends.” Principal Coleman smiled, Lucy and Elliot’s heads now perking back up in shock. “I do think that you still do need to apologize to Max for what you did, so tomorrow, the three of us are going to meet, sound fair?” 

The girls shook their heads in agreement, still bracing themselves for the rest of their punishment. “Mr. Peña, while I do not condone fighting in the slightest, I do think there is something to be said for the fact your girls have such big hearts.” 

“Thank you.” Javi beamed, peering down at his two girls, resting a hand on each of their knees and giving them a little shake. “Again, I am really sorry, I promise we’ll talk about using our words instead of fighting if something like this ever happens again.” 

“Of course. Alright girls, you two can both head back to class and-” 

“Actually, if it’s okay, I’m gonna sign them out and take them home.” Javi interjected, the girls now staring at their dad in confusion. Principal Coleman nodded, her and Javi shaking hands once again before the 3 Peñas made their way out of the office.  

“Daddy, why are we going home?” Elliot asked, puzzled by her dad’s proposition. 

“Just go get your stuff, okay?” Javi smiled, nudging the two girls towards the door as they speeded off to their classrooms, quickly returning with their backpacks. 

The 3 loaded into Javi’s truck, Lucy and Elliot exchanging silent, confused looks in the backseat before Elliot worked up the courage to speak. “Daddy… Are you mad at us?” 

Javi turned back around to face the girls, tilting his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose. “You guys know you shouldn’t be fighting at school, right?” 

“Right.” The little voices said in unison. 

“Good. I’m not mad, girls. I’m really proud of you. You did the right thing standing up for that kid. There may be times in life where there isn’t always an easy answer to things, but you girls did what you knew was right, and that’s what mattered most. Sounds like Max is a really big jerk anyways.”  

“You can say that again…” Elliot snorted, the 3 of them laughing along at her comment. With that, Javi turned over the ignition in his car, the engine roaring to life as he began to pull out of the parking lot in the opposite direction of home.  

“Dad, we don’t go home this way?” Lucy pointed out, in her lovingly know-it-all voice. 

“I know. That’s because we’re going to get ice cream.” Javi grinned, the girls now cheering in excitement, dancing in their seats. 

“Just don’t tell mom.” 

Your mind hadn’t stopped racing since the minute you had gotten the phone call from school a few hours ago, now only beating faster as you saw Javi’s truck parked in the driveway at 3:30, before he or the girls would have been finished with work or school. You scooped Harper out of her carseat, rushing inside to see what in the world was going on, only to be greeted by the sounds of giggles and laughter from Javi, Lucy and Elliot along with Mario Kart Double Dash dinging and clanging in the background. 

“No Dad, you have to throw the banana!” 

“What do you mean, throw it? I still have shells I have to get rid of, right? This game makes no sense and I’m in last place.” 

“Maybe if you threw the banana, you wouldn’t be in last place!” 

“Uhhhh… What’s going on?” You asked, wondering how in the world you had gone from a very serious phone call with your husband a few hours ago to him and the girls playing GameCube on the couch like it was any other day. 

“Hi Mom!” The girls shouted in unison, throwing down their controllers and running over towards you, wrapping their arms around your waist in a tight hug. 

“Hi?” You asked wearily, starting to wonder if this phone call had been a fever dream given everyone’s happy demeanor. “Are we not gonna talk about the phone call I got from Principal Coleman earlier today?” You raised an eyebrow at Javi, now making his way towards you, standing on the other side of the girls to sandwich them in between you and him in a hug, leaning over them to press a kiss onto your lips. “Taking them out of school early to play Mario Kart doesn’t look a lot like a punishment, Jav.” You grumbled into his ear, his face still pressed against yours. 

“Girls, why don’t you go play so Mom and I can talk about what happened, okay?” The girls happily agreed, taking Harper back over to the couch and resuming their game while you leaned back against the kitchen counter, arms folded over your chest in disappointment at Javi, waiting for an explanation. 

“You’ve heard Elliot talk about Hunter in her class before?” You could already feel your guard starting to come down, knowing you had a feeling exactly where this conversation was headed after hearing who was involved. “Apparently, a kid in Elliot’s class was picking on him for being Autistic and pushed him off the swings, so her and Lucy kicked him in the crotch.” You couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, relief slowly turning into laughter as you buried your face in your hands, letting out a deep exhale before looking back at Javi. “I talked to them and they feel bad about it and know it’s wrong and they’re gonna apologize to the kid, but I couldn’t be that mad at them, right? They stood up for the kid even if they knew it was gonna get them in trouble. I’m honestly proud of them.”

You took a step towards Javi, pulling him in for a hug, resting your head against his shoulder as you spoke into his chest. “God, what are we gonna do with these girls?” The two of you chuckled, Javi snaking his hand down to cradle your cheek, tracing his thumb along your jaw. 

“Ask for a raise so we can send Elliot off to law school, apparently. Made a hell of a case in Coleman’s office. Just as head strong as her Momma.” Javi leaned down, letting his nose brush against yours as he tenderly placed his lips on yours, letting them linger for a moment while your smiles crept between them. 

“And their Daddy’s sense of right and wrong. Guess we must be doing something right if they care that much.” You smiled, looking up at Javi, his sweet brown eyes beaming down back at you, wondering how in the world you had ended up with 3 of the sassiest, sweetest combinations of the two of you in your daughters. “Okay, well, this was not how I was planning the rest of the day to go, but I guess it’s a happy surprise to have all of us home, so I’ll take it. I love you, Jav.” 

“I love you too, Osita.” 

You wrapped your arms around Javi’s waist, squeezing him in a long, tight hug as pressed his arms against your back, pulling you in closer as he planted a soft kiss on the top of your head. 

“Hey Munchkins, you want a snack and then we can pick something to play outside together?” 

“Okay!” The girls shouted from the family room over the background noise of their game until Elliot piped up again. 

“Honestly, I’m okay on snacks, I’m still really full from the ice cream.” 

You spun back around to look up at Javi, running his hand over the back of his neck, darting his eyes away from yours as you rested your hands on your hips, shaking your head. “Ice cream? Really?” 

“Hey, kickin’ ass is hard work.”

Taglist:

@cool-iguana @rhoorl @whyjuliaaa @bbiophiliaa @pertinentpostmortem @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @pedrobaby @fatima-marisa @beboldbebravethings @poodlebae @kittenlittle24 @3sriracha @jungchloee @perennialdoll247 @prettyinpunk85 @partyofone3413 @harriedandharassed @pedrohoe04 @theorganasolo @endlessthxxghts @beware-my-thorns @missladym1981 @messinadress @milly-louise @dappydelta @blackfemalenerd @jay-zzle @the-one-with-the-grey-color @persephone-girl @bitchesuntitled @millennial-teenybopper

[landograndprix]

everybody talks ✾ m.v

summary – in which max's teammate & girlfriend isn't as loved as she should be.

a/n – requests are open, also don't know what this is but felt max was the perfect guy for this 😭 had to channel my fuck red bull & fuck max persona for this, warning a lot of sour men in here 😂

☆☆☆☆☆

y/nusername

Barcelona, Spain

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris and 218,761 others

y/nusername barcelona'23 ☀

tagged: maxverstappen1

view all 376 comments

victoriaverstappen have fun you two ❤️

y/nusername ❤️❤️

y/nnmax99 my favorite couple 🥰

jamesxvier I was today years old when I found out these two are dating

charloss1655 have been dating for a while now actually Don't blame you though, they don't post a lot about it.

verstappenmaxie ...because of the shit they both get for it, I would keep my relationship private too

mercgirl how much does red bull pay you to be his girlfriend? 🤡

y/nusername a wdc, don't tell him though.

landonorris can i get the same when I go out with Max?

y/nusername I'll ask..hang on

hannahhh having my fingers crossed for a good weekend for both of you!

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redbullracing

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

liked by yourbestfrienduser, victoriaverstappen and 115,762 others

redbullracing another phenomenal race for our favorite paddock princess, p1! 🏆

#F1 #RedBullRacing #BarcelonaGP

view all 426 comments

zhoueey let's goooo women for the win 🏆🏆🏆

maxverstappen1 the best there is!

redbullracing she sure is 👏

cal092 🤮 🤮

sarahh1 @/cal092 you're a grown man, are you not embarrassed.. 🤮

timothytim sad we didn't get a 1-2 for redbull but we'll keep fighting!

teamy/n that's our girl 🥰

y/nusername just me and my lil' illegal car 🥰

maxmaxverstap in your little illegal rocketship 😭

chilisainz not a red bull fan but would die for this woman :')

frank1971 disgusting, women don't belong in f1.

y/nusername sorry you feel this way frank, however your opinion doesn't make me want to switch carreers. Hope you sleep well tonight, i certainly will. 😊

landoscar 💀 💀

bott-ass lmao that's some queen shit

tifosi200 I hate redbull. 🤮

yourbestfrienduser you're aware you're on the redbull page? You follow them, you stalking them despite it all?

1990m your ferrari ain't doing so good stfu

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y/nusername posted on their story

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y/nusername

Zandvoort, The Netherlands

liked by maxverstappen1, yourbestfrienduser and 198,002 others

y/nusername zandvoort'23 🇳🇱

tagged: maxverstappen1

view all 291 comments

yourbestfrienduser okay..where was my invite?

supermax33 hoping for a great weekend for both of you!

norrlan loving all this max content you've been putting out, love you two together 🥰

zaza29 heard you were sick, please tell me you're well enough to be on the grid this weekend 🥺

char_lec let's hope not lol let others have a chance..hope she'll be sick for a couple of weeks

zaza29 wtf? hoping people stay sick? 🥴

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y/nusername

CM.com Circuit Zandvoort

liked by redbullracing, yourbestfrienduser and 236,542 others

y/nusername p2 this weekend wasn't something I was expecting this weekend since I wasn't feeling 100%. A big shout out to my doctor for fixing me up the best he could and a big shout out to the team for guiding me through the struggles that I experienced today!

tagged: redbullracing, maxverstappen1

view all 361 comments

maddieb sis struggled to breathe over the radio, looked like a hot mess when she got out of that car, looked like she was about to empty her stomach and was visible shaking and still managed to get p2..and y'all still want to tell me she ain't got no skill 💀

maxverstappen1 proud of you ❤️

y/nusername ❤️❤️

carlitosainz stop making me like you dude omg 😭

redbullracing beast mode was on! 👏

lucie2000 I'm not a fan of max but the way he waited for y/n to drive into the pits with a big fat smile on his face was adorable

norrisoscar enemies to lovers always hit different 😂

lucie2000 true true 😂

danielricciardo you might be good at this.

y/nusername yeah, you think I can make a carreer out of this?

danielricciardo with a bit of training? Absolutely.

Tiffie2 pregnant maybe, does look like you gained some weight?

charlus16 wtf is this question, what's wrong with people?

y/nusername it's called bloating tiff, something that happens to a female body when they're ovulating. I thought a woman your age would've known this by now.

bott-ass and I oooop– 💀

supermaxmax @/maxverstappen1 if you don't marry her, I will 😭

yourbestfrienduser another 1-2 with your man 🥰

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y/nusername posted on their story

☆☆☆☆☆

y/nusername

liked by danielricciardo, maxverstappen1 and 278,761 others

y/nusername december'19 – december'23, four years of us. Hoping I can be your pain in the ass for for many more years and may I be able to stop myself from driving you off the track when you once again 'forget' to do the dishes. love you lot, hou van jou ♥︎

tagged: maxverstappen1

view all 401 comments

maxverstappen1 love you lots and hou van jou ❤️

maxiel333 congrats you guys 🥰

dannyricric the cutest couple for sure

danielricciardo ❤️

lunaferrari 4 years already?! 🤯 happy 4 years!

norrizz4 happy 4 years you guys 💞💞

posiexo power couple for real

bennyd14 man bagged his 3rd wdc, drives for the best team AND bagged the prettiest woman of them all. He won for life.

yourbestfrienduser and now get married..

charlie16cl honestly, what's this man waiting for? 😂

bott-ass @/maxverstappen1 you better before I do

[majinael]

pt4 of vulnerable

★michael kaiser x she/her pronouns reader (can be interpreted as GN)

★3,8k words

★part1 & part2 & part3

★songs associated : sailor song & line without a hook

“Michael!” I called out, my voice cutting through the air behind him.

He turned, his sharp blue eyes locking onto me. A flicker of surprise crossed his face as he took in my outfit—a Bastard München jersey that clung a little awkwardly, clearly borrowed. He squinted, probably wondering what name was plastered on the back.

“Are you changing career plans?” he asked, his tone laced with mockery as his lips curled into a smirk.

“Noel told me it’s part of a doctor’s job to understand which muscles are used during training,” I replied, rolling my shoulders as if to emphasize my professionalism. “So I thought I’d try it for myself.”

“Funny, I thought nurses were supposed to know that already.”

“In life, you’ve got to seize an opportunity,” I shot back confidently.

He chuckled, the sound low and teasing, before tossing me the ball. “Let’s see what you’ve got, then.”

I trapped the ball awkwardly before lining up a shot. With all the finesse of a first-timer, I kicked it as hard as I could, watching in shock as it soared straight into the goal.

The silence that followed was deafening until Kaiser broke it with a snort. “You just might be the luckiest player I’ve ever met.”

“Talent,” I corrected with a grin, though my breath was already catching up with me.

He grabbed another ball and passed it to me. What started as a casual exchange of passes quickly turned into a game of distance and angles. Each kick stretched my limits, the growing ache in my legs a reminder of how out of my depth I was. Eventually, I couldn’t keep up and plopped down onto the grass, using the ball as a makeshift seat.

“Forgotten your water bottle? You looked readier than you were, doc,” he teased, his smirk as sharp as ever.

I struggled to catch my breath, wiping sweat from my brow. Just as I was about to respond, a water bottle rolled to a stop in front of me. I looked up to find him standing over me, his expression a mixture of amusement and something gentler.

“Don’t thirst to death here I don't want to be a witness” he said, tossing his hair back like the drama king he was.

I grabbed the bottle and took a long drink, the water dripping down the side of my mouth and trailing along my jawline. I barely noticed it until his gaze flickered to the movement before he quickly looked away.

“I was actually having fun for once,” he admitted. “Come on, round two.”

“No way,” I replied without hesitation.

I groaned, going against my words as I attempted to stand, but my legs gave out, and I collapsed back onto the soft grass, sprawled out like I’d just run a marathon.

“You look fucking stupid,” he commented, his voice dry but with an undertone that was almost fond.

“Go back to training. Maybe I’ll join you when I feel better,” I shot back, waving him off.

“Pass the bottle,” he ordered.

“What?”

“Just throw it,” he repeated, and despite my confusion, I lobbed it over.

Without hesitation, he drank from it, not even sparing a glance at me. My eyes widened slightly, and I felt a faint blush creep up my cheeks, but he was already turning back to the middle of the field. He tossed the bottle back my way with a lazy flick of his wrist.

We spent the next hour doing nothing of value—passing the ball back and forth, laughing at my terrible aim, and occasionally watching him show off with insane dribbles and tricks that I couldn’t hope to replicate.

I had fun, more fun than I ever thought I could have playing football. And for just a moment, when I passed him the ball, his eyes lit up in a way that made my chest tighten.

Maybe it was the game. Or maybe it was the name on the back of my jersey what made him look so proud—Kaiser.

Breathing heavily, I collapsed onto the grass again, defeated but grinning. I could still hear his footsteps retreating as he left the field, heading toward the showers.

A smile crept onto my face.

It’s so much fun—I wish we could stay like this forever. Carefree, like kids.

As my breathing steadied, I gathered my things and made my way to the showers. The facility was empty, and since it was the men's section, I took care to lock the door behind me. Once finished, I slipped into a much comfier outfit and headed to the cafeteria.

That’s where I saw him again.

Grabbing my food, I casually slid into the seat across from him.

"Where’s Alexis? He’s usually with you," I asked, breaking the silence.

"No idea. He probably already left to rest."

"What are you eating?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Can’t you tell?"

"Can I taste it?"

"No."

Undeterred, I tried to steal a bite with my fork, only for him to block me with his own, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Please?"

"No."

As his attention momentarily drifted, I took the chance to swipe some. He retaliated by stealing a bigger piece off my plate.

"Hey! That’s not fair!"

"Are you five?" His tone was sharp but playful. "Life’s not fair."

I rolled my eyes but dropped the matter. We finished the meal in silence, though the air between us wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

When we both got up to leave, I matched his pace.

"Why do you think life’s not fair?" I asked, genuinely curious.

He paused, his expression unreadable. "Some people are born with natural talent. I didn’t get that chance—I had to work harder than anyone to get here."

His words surprised me.

"And dealing with them is a pain," he added, his voice quieter.

We stopped walking.

"Is that why you train so hard? To match their level?"

He smirked, but there was something bitter behind it. "Oh, I’m way above most of them now."

"Then why?"

His gaze faltered, drifting somewhere distant. "Because I never want to go back to where I was before."

My breath hitched at the vulnerability in his words.

"…Forget it," he muttered, brushing it off and turning away.

I took a step closer, catching his gaze.

"You’re admirable, Michael."

His eyes narrowed, almost in disbelief. Admirable? Me?

He couldn’t even look himself in the mirror most days.

"Whatever you went through, you’re not letting it define you. You’re building someone better—someone stronger."

He didn’t reply, and we started walking again.

"And most people let the past consume them," I continued, "but not you. I see it. You’re fighting, and I’m…" I hesitated before softly finishing, "…proud of you for coming this far."

Her words hit harder than they should have. His eyes widened behind the blue fringe obscuring them.

She’s god-sent.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?" she asked, her brows furrowing slightly.

"How are you always so nice to everyone?"

She tilted her head with a small smile. "That’s my job."

He looked away, frustrated by the sting in her answer.

She doesn’t get it.

As they reached the door, she waved him goodbye, and almost instinctively, his hand mirrored hers.

Her eyes sparkled—bright, earnest, sincere. He wanted to stop time right there, to capture the way she looked at him. She meant it. She really was proud.

And it terrified him.

That same night, Michael sat on his bed, flipping through one of his so-called "cringe books". He was reluctant to admit it, even to himself, but the stories always managed to draw him in. They had a way of holding his attention until, inevitably, the two main characters—friends who swore they’d never fall for each other—did just that.

And that’s when he’d stop reading.

That’s not what we are, he thought, snapping the book shut. But this particular story had been too good. Against his better judgment, he’d read it to the end.

By the final chapter, a small blush crept onto his cheeks as his imagination betrayed him. He kept picturing the characters as himself and you. His heart thudded painfully in his chest, and with a frustrated groan, he tossed the book onto the floor.

What the hell is wrong with me?

The room felt unusually quiet, empty even. Compared to the energy of the day, his solitude was unbearable. When sleep finally came, his dreams were infused with the stories he’d read and the memories of your laugh, your touch, your warmth. He hated how often you appeared in them now.

What did I get myself into?

The next day, it was harder to meet your eyes.

She’s so damn sweet.

"Michael? You there?" Your voice jolted him out of his daydream.

"Yeah, sorry," he muttered.

You laughed, light and genuine.

"Since when do you apologize?"

He smirked faintly. "I’m not always an asshole."

Your laughter softened as you leaned a little closer, your attention shifting to his neck.

Michael stiffened. He’d read a scene like this before—the girl leaning in, her proximity doing things to the guy’s sanity—but he pushed the thought aside, labeling it cliché. That’s not real life.

"Hello?" you prompted, breaking his reverie.

He blinked, forcing himself back to reality. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just didn’t sleep much last night," he lied, avoiding your gaze.

You smiled gently. "Your marks are... fading. I’m glad you’re feeling a little better."

Better? That wasn’t the word he’d use. His mind was restless, consumed by someone he had no idea how to handle.

"Do you want me to apply some cream, or are you—"

"Yes," he interrupted, a bit too quickly.

Your smile widened as you reached for the cream. Your fingers brushed against his skin, and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning into your touch. It was maddening how much he craved it, how even the smallest gesture from you had his chest tightening in ways he didn’t understand.

When you finished, he felt an ache—an emptiness where your touch had been. He wanted more.

But why? Why was he so damn obsessed with the way your hips swayed, the way your hands moved, the way your hair framed your face just perfectly?

"Michael?"

His head snapped up again, caught in yet another daydream.

"You’re going to be late," you said, your tone amused.

He shrugged, a cocky smirk creeping back onto his face as he stood. "They’ll wait. They always do."

You chuckled softly, watching as he reluctantly left the room, the smirk doing little to hide the reluctance in his step.

And as he walked away, he realized something.

He didn’t want to leave. And he would come back any chance he has.

The rumors were inevitable. People noticed how much time we spent together—playing football, eating, talking. They whispered, speculated, but Michael didn’t seem to care. As long as he could get his daily dose of me, the world could say what it wanted.

One day, after a rough training together he finally told me about his childhood. We first started talking about the geniuses he had faced, but now we were sitting next to each other on the field, his voice calm and even as he spoke.

There was a smile on his face when he finished—a smile that fought to hide the pain he was feeling.

I watched him silently, his story and sharp words echoing in my head. My chest tightened, and instinctively, I leaned into him, wrapping him in a tight hug.

I couldn’t help it. I thought, maybe, just maybe, this small gesture could piece his broken heart back together.

"You hug all your patients like this?" he teased, his voice lighter than his expression.

It wasn’t the right time for a joke, but could I blame him for deflecting?

I pulled back slightly, pouting. "No."

He sighed softly. "I was joking."

"Does that mean you want another hug?" I teased, trying to coax a real smile out of him.

"No."

"Too bad."

The distance between us wasn’t much to begin with, but somehow, it seemed to shrink even more. His gaze locked onto mine, and before I could react, he leaned in.

His lips crashed onto mine.

My heart stopped for a moment before it started racing.

The kiss was intense—tentative at first, as though testing boundaries, then deepening as his hands slid to the small of my back and rested on my waist. My fingers found their way into his hair, pulling him closer despite the warning voice in my head.

God, if someone catches us…

The adrenaline coursing through me, the thrill of the risk—it made the kiss feel endless. When he finally pulled back, my cheeks burned red, my breaths coming in short gasps.

"Sorry," he muttered, his voice low.

I stared at him, my lips still tingling from the kiss, my body already craving his touch again. My eyes betrayed every thought I couldn’t say aloud. He read them, understood, and his resolve crumbled.

Our lips met again, this time hungrier, more desperate. He gently pushed me onto the soft, sun-warmed grass, his body framing mine, shielding me from the rest of the world.

His lips left mine, trailing down my jaw to my neck. His teeth grazed my skin, drawing a shiver and a quiet moan from my lips. His touch wasn’t just intoxicating—it was consuming, overwhelming, yet oddly comforting.

"I don’t know why I feel this way," he murmured, his gaze locking onto mine.

And for yet another time I saw uncertainty in his eyes. Vulnerability. At its purest form.

My hands reached up to cradle his face, my thumbs brushing over his cheeks. "I’ll take care of you, no matter what," I promised, my voice steady despite the chaotic fluttering in my chest.

His smirk reappeared, softer this time. "My little nurse."

I rolled my eyes, but his teasing only made me bolder. Wrapping my arms around him, I flipped us over so I could rest my head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

"We can’t stay here," I said after a moment, sitting up reluctantly.

"If anyone catches us…"

"That’s the fun part," he replied, grinning, though his tone hinted at mischief rather than seriousness.

"Noel will scold me," I countered, earning a soft laugh from him.

"Fair," he said, clearly disappointed but accepting, as he stood and brushed himself off. His hand brushed against mine, the simple touch sending sparks through me.

Our gazes met, and we both chuckled softly, like teenagers with a secret.

"Shush," I whispered, though the smile on my face gave me away.

"Aight, aight," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

But as we walked away, our fingers brushed one last time, and I couldn’t help but wonder what this meant—what we meant. Whatever it was, it felt like something I wasn’t ready to lose.

What did I get myself into...my little nurse?

THE SONGS ARE SO FITTING FOR THIS PART I ENDED UP CRYING STOOOOPPPP >< ANYWAYS idk if there's going to be part6 I can't decide but part5 might either be tmr 8PM UTC+1 ooor monday 8PM UTC+1 (I know today was early I was too excited to post to work on next part properly c: )

[fanfictwins]

SAGAU Liyue - Holiday Special 2024

Summary: “A Christmas surprise party with a Liyuean twist — the perfect gift planned for you by the two young girls who wanted you to feel more at home. How could you NOT have fun with it?”

Word Count: ~10.4k

The pleasant fragrance of mixed herbs, similar to the bunches of purple and white ones held in your arms, hit your nose as you stepped through the doorway of Bubu Pharmacy, the figures of two small girls by your side. With the variety of medicinal herbs stored within its walls, it was no surprise that it smelled great whenever you visited, no matter whether morning, noon, or night.

“Your Grace…? Why, I certainly hope you’re not here because you require my aid?”

Your gaze rose from the herbs to see Baizhu with a smile on his face, subtle surprise etched into his expression. Changsheng matched his gaze, raising her head up to better look at you.

“Oh, I’m fine, doc. I was just helping Qiqi with her wildcrafting.” You lifted your arms up just so, showing off everything you gathered with a proud smile, as the aforementioned zombie raised her own arms up to place the batch of herbs she collected on the counter. “I had to climb along so many cliffs and mountain peaks, but I got ‘em! I didn’t let a single one I saw go unplucked!”

Baizhu seemed to get more surprised, but it quickly melted into a calmer smile. “You needn’t exert yourself like that, Your Grace, but I thank you for your assistance. It’s much appreciated.”

You handed the herbs to Herbalist Gui, who visibly jolted when your hand brushed against his during the exchange. He excused himself so quickly after that he almost tripped and dropped the bundles everywhere, but managed to get away with everything held tightly in his arms and a flustered look on his face. It wasn’t anything that you weren’t already fully used to at this point.

“Aw, there’s no need to be so formal with me. In fact, if you ever need some rare or hard-to-get ingredient, you can always ask me. It’s no trouble at all! I like helping you and Qiqu out, honest.”

“Hmm… then I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Your Grace, you worked really hard today!” Yaoyao piped up, drawing your attention to her and her bright smile. “I think you deserve a break! We can handle anything else that comes up.”

You lightly exhaled. “Huh? I know I said I did a lot, but I’m actually not that tired-”

“I insist! In fact, I’m sure my master would love to sit down and have tea with you. It’s been some time since you’ve personally visited her, right? She still talks a lot about the last time!”

“I… guess I can go see her, then?” You were still smiling, if a bit confused now, but you waved off the four as you began to leave. “I’ll see you all around. Don’t get into too much trouble, ‘kay?”

The moment you were out of sight, down the pharmacy’s stairs, Yaoyao turned to her friend.

“You got everything written down, right?”

“...mmm, yeah.”

The zombie slowly took out her notebook, flipping it open to the newest page, which was filled with scribbles. Her handwriting made it hard to make out some words, but a closer look made most of them legible enough to read; some of the words were bigger than others, emphasizing their importance, but the biggest one was centered almost in the middle — “Christmas”.

Yaoyao smiled brightly, gently taking the notebook out of Qiqi’s hands and holding it up as she looked at it. “Perfect! Now we can make sure to tell everyone about everything we learned!”

“And what’s this about?” Baizhu peered down at the girls from his spot behind the counter. “Scheming behind Their Grace’s back after getting Them to leave? That’s not very nice.”

Changsheng scoffed. “It’s downright rude!”

“It’s for a good reason! Well… sort of.” Yaoyao turned the notebook around to show the doctor its pages. “While we were gathering herbs, Their Grace started telling us about Their home, and They mentioned this one celebration… “Criss-miss”? That’s how They pronounced it. And, They seemed a bit sad when talking, so I’ve decided that we should throw Them a “Christmas party”!”

Qiqi raised her arms in the air, mimicking Yaoyao. “Party…!”

“Oooh…” There was a hint of interest in Baizhu’s smile. “That sounds quite nice.”

“Yeah, and everyone can help make it a big surprise!” Yaoyao closed the notebook and gave it back to Qiqi. “So forgive me, Dr. Baizhu, but I have to borrow Qiqi for a bit. We’ve a lot to plan!”

“Very well, but stay safe, you two!”

The doctor called out as the two girls set out, hand in hand as they took the first step towards their goal — throwing the Divine Creator a surprise “Christmas party” with the other vessels.

- - - - -

There was always one thing on the top of your to-do list whenever you visited Liyue, and that was making a trip to Wanmin Restaurant. Even when the other restaurants tried to catch your attention, you usually passed them by; they weren’t bad at all, by any means, but there was just something about Wanmin that dragged you back in for a meal whenever you were in the harbor.

And Chef Mao never complained about the big boost of business he got after one of your visits.

“Chef Mao!”

You smiled at the man as you approached, the delicious scents wafting from the restaurant’s kitchen already invading your nostrils from half a street away. You were able to identify some of the restaurant’s dishes by scent alone, but there were also new ones you weren’t familiar with.

“Your Grace, it’s an honor!” Chef Mao smiled at you from his spot behind the counter. “Are you having your usual today? I always stock up on extra ingredients whenever I hear you’re around.”

You let out a long hum. “Maybe… but I’m also feeling kind of adventurous today…”

The sight of a familiar panda-esque bear poking his head out around the corner of the doorway to the kitchen cut off your train of thought, your smile reappearing as you turned towards him.

“Oh, Guoba! Hello!”

The bear flinched at being spotted, hurrying back into the kitchen and leaving you staring at the spot he had just been in. You couldn’t ignore the clanging of metal that soon followed from inside the kitchen, before hearing a familiar voice exclaim, “They’re here?! Right now?!”, which in itself was followed by the restaurant’s head chef stumbling out of the kitchen, Guoba on her heels.

Xiangling looked a bit unkempt, dusting herself off before looking at you with a smile.

“Your Grace, it’s an honor!”

Like father, like daughter.

“Xiangling, are you…” You gave her a once-over, taking note of the various splatters of colorful spices and sauces decorating her from head-to-toe, like an abstract art-piece. “...okay?”

Her smile became sheepish as she followed your gaze, looking down at herself briefly before looking back up at you. “Aha… yeah, I was just… surprised you’re here. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Oh… sorry for the surprise. I just wanted to get some lunch.”

Xiangling nodded. “Then I’ll get right on that! The usual?”

“Actually, something smells really good in the kitchen. What’re you cooking?”

“Uh, it’s… um… I’m kind of just working something new out, I…”

Xiangling averted her eyes, her gaze looking at everything but you before it ended up on Guoba, asking him for help. The bear lightly flinched, his own eyes widening as he babbled incoherently.

“Oh, Your Grace.”

The cool tone of Shenhe’s voice cut through the air, cutting off Guoba and almost forcing your attention to shift itself over to her. Her hands held a large wooden crate that leaned against her body, the contents no doubt too heavy for any mere mortal to lift despite the ease at which the woman in front of you was handling it, and you watched as she calmly looked at Xiangling.

“Here. I gathered everything you said you might need for your secret dishes.”

That made you look at Xiangling again. “Oooh, secret dishes?”

The head chef looked ready to pass out, before she quickly shook her head and calmed down.

“W-Well, you see…” Xiangling fidgeted before she sighed, only to perk up moments later as an idea entered her head. “Actually, I could use your help. Yaoyao recently told me that you told her about this thing called “Christmas”...? And she mentioned a few dishes that are supposed to be made for it, but I’m struggling to figure them out since all I’ve got are the names of the dishes.”

“You’re… trying to make Christmas dishes?”

Xiangling nodded. “Yep! Because, you know… it’s food from another world! Your world! I’d really like to learn how to make dishes from your home, Your Grace! I’m sure they’re super tasty!”

That made perfect sense to you.

“You don’t need to be nervous asking for help, Xiangling. I’d be glad to give you a hand.”

“Thank you, Your Grace!”

You ended up sitting down at one of the nearby tables — even though it wasn’t necessarily a quiet hour for business, one table quickly became cleared up once you needed it — after your order was made with Xiangling right by your side, the chef eagerly listening as you told her all about some of the more common Christmas dishes that came to your mind between bites of your lunch. You tried your best to explain the dishes as much as you could, sparing no detail.

The variety was wide, from baked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, candied sweet potatoes… even if you never personally had some of the dishes you listed out, you still named them and described what you had heard they were like.

“Oh, and there’s usually a roasted turkey.”

Xiangling blinked, an interested glimmer in her eyes. “Turkey?”

“Yeah, it’s… a kind of bird. I don’t think Teyvat has anything quite like them, though… oh!” You raised your utensils up, pointing at Xiangling. “There’s this one dish called a “Turducken” that some people have, where you stuff a chicken into a duck, then stuff that duck into a turkey.”

“So it’s a… three-bird roast?”

“Yep!”

“That sounds interesting… and I could do the chicken and duck part, but without a turkey…”

“I think some people use a goose instead of a turkey.” You lightly tapped your chin with your utensils. “Even in my world, turkeys are only available and easy to obtain in certain areas.”

Xiangling thought for a moment, before a smile returned to her face and she nodded.

“Alright, I think I can do that… no, I definitely can do that! I’ll make the best Christmas dishes ever! I can’t wait to try them myself! Thank you so much for all of your help, Your Grace!”

“It’s no problem.” You laid your utensils down on your empty dish, wiping your mouth off with a napkin before you stood up. “I just hope you allow me to taste-test them when you’re done.”

Xiangling let out a slight laugh, looking away nervously. “Y-Yeah, of course you’ll be able to!”

You gave Shenhe a word of thanks as she collected your empty lunch dishes, and gave Chef Mao and Xiangling a hearty wave goodbye as you left, only making it past the neighboring shop before a horde of people rushed by you. You glanced over your shoulder to see them all queuing up at the restaurant, and sighed from knowing that you were the sole reason for the lunch rush.

Xiangling loudly exhaled the moment you were out of sight, her whole body relaxing at the same time. Guoba copied her movements, before smiling up at the young girl and babbling briefly.

“Shenhe!” Xiangling’s cheeks puffed out a bit as she looked up at the tall woman. “Please be more careful! I’m lucky I was able to get some advice out of it and that Their Grace didn’t catch onto the plan, but it would’ve been super bad if They found out! It would’ve ruined the surprise!”

Shehne blinked. “...ah, my apologies, but I did state that your new dishes are a secret, didn’t I?”

“You’re not supposed to say that it’s a secret out loud!”

“Ahem, Xiangling! Shenhe! I could use a little help here!”

The two ladies — and Guoba — looked over to see Chef Mao overwhelmed at the restaurant’s counter. They could hear most of the customers asking for “what the Divine Creator ordered”.

“Sorry, dad! We’ll be right on it!”

Xiangling and Guoba hurried back into the kitchen, the clanging of metal starting up again as they began to prep food to serve, and Shenhe returned to the dining area to clean the tables so that some of the customers would have a place to sit when dining on the day’s “popular dish”.

Chef Mao sighed. “...and this is why I make sure to order extra ingredients.”

- - - - -

Even with many pairs of eyes staring at you for almost the entire time you were passing by, walking around Liyue Harbor was usually a peaceful and pleasant experience; the stares you received from the locals were mostly of awe, and they never tried to get into your actual space, instead always keeping a respectful distance that allowed your walk to go without a hindrance.

But those were just the behaviors of the normal folk.

Your vessels were of a completely different sort.

“Your Grace…!”

You had been strolling near the docks, admiring the ships out at sea, only to look in front of you to see Xinyan — who had called out to you — and Yun Jin coming to a stop before you. The two had to take a minute to catch their breath, Xinyan even having to place her hands on her knees.

“Xinyan? Yun Jin?” You looked between the two performers with a concerned frown on your lips, your eyebrows furrowed. “Are you two alright? Why were you running? Is something wrong…?”

The rocker stood up straight with a smile on her face, shaking her hands out as she shook her head. “It’s nothing bad, Your Grace. Whew, I just finished up a real blazin’ performance, so-”

“Halt!”

Your head swiveled in the direction of the shout, seeing the two girls follow suit from the corner of your eye, just to see a couple of Millelith soldiers with gazes solely focused on Xinyan. They came to a stop next to you and the performers, not having to catch their breath like the latter.

The rocker frowned. “Shoot.”

The two soldiers stared Xinyan down, one tapping his polearm on the ground. “Miss Xinyan, you have been charged with multiple fire code violations. You can’t just keep running away from us.”

“The only thing that got burned was the stage I built myself…”

“That’s not an excuse. Someone still could have gotten hurt.”

“Oh, okay… that makes sense.” You smiled at Xinyan. “You were running from the law, huh?”

The sound of your voice, your tone a bit amused, made the soldiers finally take notice of your presence, and the way they were taken aback to realize that it was you made your smile grow just a little bit more. Their eyes went wide, and they seemed to lose any and all strength in their stances — if only for a moment before they corrected themselves, their faces now a light pink.

“Ack- the Divine Creator?”

The soldiers fumbled with their weapons before bowing to you.

“Forgive us for not acknowledging you, Your Grace. It was rude of us!”

“It’s not a big deal, guys. You two are just doing your jobs, focusing on handling crime-”

Your attention briefly shifted itself back to Xinyan, who was clearly trying to tell you something through just her gaze and body posture. Her head made wide turns as she looked between you and the Millelith soldiers, the sparkle in her eyes conveying a plea as dramatic as a rock opera.

“BUT…! You can leave Xinyan to me.”

The rocker pumped a fist at your words, smiling wide once you received her signal.

“I’m sure you have more important matters that take precedence over this situation? I can make sure that Xinyan receives a punishment befitting her fire code violations. Consider it dealt with.”

The soldiers blinked a few times, before glancing at each other.

“Is… is that allowed?”

“It’s the Divine Creator. They should be able to handle it… right?”

They looked back at you after a quiet moment of deliberation amongst themselves, giving you a nod in affirmation. “Very well. We shall leave this matter in your capable hands, Your Grace.”

You continued to smile as you watched the soldiers hesitantly leave, casting glances over their shoulders at you before they disappeared out of your sight, before you looked at the performers.

“...I’m surprised that that worked. I didn’t think they’d accept that I have any authority for this.”

“But it’s a good thing it did!” Xinyan smiled. “Thanks for helping me out, Your Grace!”

Yun Jin hummed as her head tilted. “What kind of punishment would you even give Xinyan?”

You thought for a moment, putting a finger on your chin, before you smiled again.

“Eternal banishment?”

“Aw, shucks.” Xinyan continued to smile brightly, even as faux disappointment laced itself into her voice and a small chuckle escaped her lips. “Ain’t that just a bit too harsh, Your Grace?”

You snorted, rolling your eyes before focusing on the rocker again. “I suppose so. Just be more careful, okay? I doubt you’d actually end up hurting someone during a performance, but still.”

“Since you’re the one saying to, Your Grace…”

You shared another small laugh with Xinyan before noticing Yun Jin perk up, her eyes widening as if she had just had a sudden thought, and you found her red eyes looking right into your eyes.

“Oh, Your Grace, if you have the time, we actually require some of your help-”

“Well, now, what’s with all the commotion here?”

With the suddenness of a cheap indie jumpscare, a familiar figure popped up from between your little trio, springing onto her feet with her usual smile plastered on her face. The question of when she had snuck so close was wholly forgotten as Xinyan, Yun Jin, and you reacted appropriately.

“Wha- Hu Tao!” You clutched a hand to your chest. “Are you trying to give us all heart attacks?”

“Oh, no, no no! It’s far too early for you three!” The unwavering smile of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor director did little too soothe you, especially when she winked. “But… if you’re ever feeling unwell, Your Grace, I hope you’ll choose our humble business to make your exit a smooth one!”

“Director Hu, I highly doubt Their Grace will require our services anytime in the near future.”

“Hehe, you can never know~!”

The director was, of course, accompanied by the parlor’s consultant. His golden gaze moved from his boss to you, a hint of fondness softening the stoic expression displayed on his face.

“Zhongli!” You smiled at the sight of the consultant, Yun Jin and Xinyan greeting him with a bow and a wave respectively. “Am I to assume you two are currently on another advertising kick?”

“Yep, yep!” Hu Tao nodded. “New clients are always guaranteed, but we still must make sure all potential clients know exactly where all their farewell needs will be dealt with the proper respect.”

You hummed before looking at Zhongli. “And how many future clients have you two convinced?”

“The director… managed to get plenty of attention towards our business.”

Hu Tao playfully laughed. “Hey now, only time will tell how many clients take up our offer.”

You snorted and shook your head. “You… are certainly a handful, Hu Tao.”

“Mmm-hmm! But enough about me! What’s been going on with you three? While passing by, I couldn’t help but notice that you three all seemed to be having quite an interesting time together.”

“Just saving Xinyan from the Millelith, I suppose- oh!” You swiveled on your heel to face Yun Jin once more. “Right, you were asking for my help with something? What do you need from me?”

Yun Jin perked up again, seeming to remember she was about to request something before the shock of the funeral parlor’s staff arrival interrupted her, and nodded. “That’s right, Your Grace. I was just going to ask you about… I believe it’s called “Christmas” music? Yaoyao told us about it recently, and we were interested in learning more about it. We hoped that you’d help with that.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah!” Xinyan sported a brief look of confusion on her face before she also nodded, a smile appearing on her lips. “It sounds mighty interesting, Your Grace! I’d love to learn enough to perform music from your world! I’m sure there're plenty of rockin’ tunes you could tell us about.”

It took you a moment to process what they had said.

“You guys… want to learn about Christmas music?”

“Oooh!” Hu Tao leaned over your shoulder. “Music from Their Grace’s world? Count me in!”

Your gaze moved between the three ladies — the rocker, the opera singer, and the poet — who all stared back at you with interested gazes, before it flickered over to Zhongli, whose demeanor was more alert than it usually was around you… which you honestly should have expected; that he of all people would be interested in learning more about you in any capacity was no surprise.

“Uh… I guess I can teach you guys the songs I know? But don’t expect me to write down any of the melodies or anything. I have no skills in musical notation, especially if it’s just from memory.”

Xinyan waved her hand in dismissal. “You can just sing them for us, Your Grace.”

“Wha- wait, what? Me, sing?”

“To hear the Divine Creator sing…” Zhongli mused to himself, arms crossed with a finger held up to his chin. “...that would be quite the honor. It would make Glaze Lilies full-bloom, no doubt.”

You let out a weak laugh. “I-I’m not too sure about that…”

“Aw, come on, come on!” Hu Tao grabbed onto your shoulder, leaning in even closer, her face inches from your own. “Some people would find the chance to hear you sing worthy to die for!”

You took in a sharp inhale as you practically felt the hopes and expectations emitting from the four people around you, and eventually let out a long sigh, your shoulders coming to a slump.

“...fine, but how about we all go somewhere… not so public first?”

- - - - -

The two blue-haired boys in front of you each had a different expression on their face, one of which was a look of concern — though he was clearly trying to keep himself cool at the same time — while the other was fighting to hide the subtle hints of a smirk creeping onto his lips.

Your own face was a perfect display of confusion. “I… I’m sorry? What is this about?”

“Your Grace, I’ve heard rumors of a… a “Christmas” demon! But I’m unfortunately without any knowledge on what type of fiend it may be. I’m going to require your assistance to exorcise it.”

You stared at the young exorcist in front of you for a few seconds before looking to the second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, catching him hiding his laughter and disguising a snort that escaped as a cough with a closed fist over his mouth, and you slowly furrowed your eyebrows.

…that explains it.

“Well-” You looked at Chongyun again. “-the only Christmas “demon” I know of is “Krampus”.”

Chongyun raised a hand to his chin. “Such a sinister name… please, can you tell me everything you know about it? I must know as much as I can about the fiend in order to be able to stop it.”

“It kind of depends on who you ask, but, basically, Krampus is a demon who punishes naughty children around the time Christmas is celebrated. You know… the kind of children who cause a lot of trouble for other people, who misbehave and don’t play nice, who lie for no good reason.”

You glanced at Xingqiu, who had gone still with an almost worried smile at your expression.

“He’s covered in dark hair, has horns and hooves and fangs, and a long pointed tongue — oh, and he carries around chains, I think? Sometimes with bells. The punishments he doles out on bad children are stuff like swatting them on the butts with branches… or snatching them away in a basket to who-knows-where. To drown them or eat them… or something along those lines.”

“That… that’s horrible!” Chongyun appeared to actually get a bit heated as you spoke, his hands clenching into tight fists in front of his chest. “I must make sure to stop it before it hurts anyone!”

“Whoa there, Chongyun. Calm down and have a popsicle, ‘kay?” You let your lips curve up into a smile, and put a hand on the exorcist’s shoulder. “Krampus sure is a horrible guy and all… but he’s also fictional; just a character that parents tell their children about to make them behave, to teach them lessons about being nice and stuff. He’s not actually real — well, not that I know of, anyway — and, even if he was, he wouldn’t be anywhere in Teyvat. He’d be stuck in my world.”

Chongyun’s breathing was heavy, his face already flushed, but he managed to take one of his popsicles out and bite into it to calm himself. “Ugh, Your Grace… you could’ve started with that.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” You let go of Chongyun’s shoulder. “But how’d you even hear about Krampus? I don’t think I’ve told anyone about him before right now with you two.”

“Xingqiu told me about it.”

The guilty party put his hands up in defense as you looked at him. “H-Hey, I was just having a little fun. I honestly had no idea that there was actually a demon associated with Christmas.”

“An unlucky guess then, huh?” You paused for a moment. “...but how’d you even hear about Christmas? Did Yaoyao tell you about it too? It seems like the talk of the harbor nowadays…”

That innocent line of questioning had a greater chilling effect than his popsicle, it seemed, as Chongyun froze at the moment. Xingqiu stepped in and quickly pushed his friend aside, your hand leaving the exorcist’s shoulder to linger in the air. “She did inform us of it, yes. It sounds like a quaint holiday, so it makes sense that a child such as herself would want to tell everyone she knows about it. I admit, it has even perked my interest too, from everything I’ve been told.”

“...huh, that’s nice. I’m glad everyone seems to be enjoying the concept.”

There was something off about all this, but not in a bad way, so you brushed it off for now.

Xingqiu nodded as he continued to smile at you happily. “But now that that’s settled, we should get going. I’m sure you’ve got a busy schedule, Your Grace. We wouldn’t want to hold you up.”

Chongyun blinked, coming back to reality. “Ah, wait-”

“Tsk, Chongyun, you’re still all red. You should have another popsicle.”

The exorcist didn’t get a chance to speak again before Xingqiu stuffed another tasteless frozen treat into his mouth, the latter then hurriedly pushing his flustered friend away down the street.

“It was pleasant to speak with you, Your Grace!”

The two boys soon disappeared into the distance, leaving you standing there alone.

“Uh… bye, I guess?”

- - - - -

Another day, another surprise.

You blinked a few times, making sure that the lady you were looking at was actually there. You didn’t exactly have a history of having hallucinations, but everything had been… bizarre this last week or so, and it wouldn’t hurt you to just check that you were still all there up in your noggin.

“Lady Ningguang?”

“Your Grace, what a pleasant surprise.”

The Tianquan was calm, politely greeting you with a soft smile on her lips, a smile reserved for you and you alone. Her being was a living display of high-class status, the epitome of luxury…

…and she was currently just hanging out at the docks.

You were not someone who could criticize her for it, though; for some people, it was odd for you to be hanging around Liyue Harbor’s docks so casually, as no one really expected to see one of the gods they worshiped watching the ships or examining the goods of incoming, docked ships.

“Uh… so, what’re you doing here? Taking in the ocean breeze?”

Ningguang chuckled. “I simply have business to discuss with Beidou. It’s nothing of concern, but is important enough that I have decided to come see her myself as soon as she arrives.”

“Wait, the Alcor is docking soon?” You perked up, your gaze glancing between the water and Ninguang, who looked at the water herself. “Wow, my timing’s great! Mind if I wait with you?”

“I’d see it as an honor, Your Grace.”

You got into position beside Ningguang, leaning forward slightly as you looked out at the ships sailing across the nearby waters. The operation at the harbor was always so smooth, orderly, and satisfying — you were embarrassed to admit how much time you had spent just lingering around the docks whenever you visited Liyue, being a bystander to the comings and goings of the ships and the people working here. This time, however, you were trying to focus on spotting the Alcor among the other seacraft, assuming its distinct design would stand out among them.

The moment was quiet, aside from the waves and workers, until Ningguang spoke again.

“Your Grace, I’m planning to do a bit of decorating around the Jade Chamber.”

“Oh?”

“I was thinking about adding a tree.”

You paused for a few seconds, before slowly looking at Ningguang. “A… tree?”

“Yes, a tree. Would you have any suggestions for the type?”

Wow.

You suddenly forgot about every tree you have ever known about.

“Ah, hmm… well, it’s your Jade Chamber. You should choose whichever tree you prefer. I know you’ve got good taste, and will be able to fit anything you choose into your amazing aesthetics.”

“I should choose, you say…? Very well.”

You soon settled back into a comfortable silence, continuing to wait on the docks with subdued excitement pumping through your veins, before finally catching the sight of the Alcor making its way over to the docks. It took a while for the ship to actually dock, having to navigate around the multiple others nearby, but the moment that it had, Ningguang and you made your way over to it.

You passed by some of the crew members unloading various types of cargo, before seeing the captain of the ship walk down the gangplank, who smiled when she saw you and the Tianquan.

“The Tianquan AND Their Grace are here to greet me? Something serious must be up, huh?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that!” You smiled. “I just got lucky to be here as you got back.”

“Haha, you flatter me, Your Grace. I’d typically consider myself the lucky one.”

Ningguang shook her head just slightly, her expression more reserved than yours. “Although it’s not of any major concern, I do have something to discuss with you, Captain Beidou. Shall we?”

“Huh, alright.”

Beidou gave you a nod as she walked off with Ningguang to talk, the two women leaving you on your own. You found yourself curious about what they could be talking about, but figured it would be rude to try and eavesdrop or force yourself into the conversation; that, and your attention was finding itself quickly caught by something — or, rather, someone — else that you noticed nearby.

“Kazuha!”

The lips of the wandering samurai turned up into a smile after he heard you call out to him, your form practically bouncing over to him. His eyes followed your movements as he turned to you.

“Greetings, Your Grace.” He gave you a polite nod. “You appear to be in good spirits.”

You waved your hand to the side, before letting it fall to your side in a loose fist. “Aw, I’m always happy to see you. It’s probably impossible to not be; actually, no, it definitely is impossible.”

Kazuha let out a soft chuckle, his shoulders bouncing with the tiniest movements. “Your words today are as warm as the mid-afternoon sun, Your Grace. I’m glad. How have you been lately?”

“Mmm… normal, I guess. Though it feels like something fishy is going on around the harbor.”

“Oh…?”

You held back a snicker. “Get it? Fishy? But, really, I feel like something’s up.”

“That’s troubling. I can lend you my assistance if you desire?”

“Huh? Oh, no!” You waved your hands in front of yourself, your eyes widening just a bit as you continued to smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing big, and, besides, I wouldn’t want to bog down our time together with worries. I don’t see you often enough since you’re always on the road, traveling.”

“Ah, of course. If you’d like to hear it, I’ve come up with some new poetry since we last met.”

“Oooh! Then go ahead and bless my ears, Kazuha.”

The hustle and bustle of the docks faded away as you chatted with Kazuha, intently listening to each and every one of the poetic words falling from his mouth. You even tried coming up with a few poems yourself, but it was difficult to do it on the fly; the praise Kazuha gave your attempts kept you from being discouraged, though some of the metaphors you tried to use felt a lot more poetic in your mind than when you said them out loud. You were in the middle of thinking up how to describe a certain line in your next masterpiece when you realized a lot of time had passed.

You felt a presence approach from the side, and looked up to see Beidou standing there.

Ningguang was nowhere to be found when you gave your surroundings a quick once-over, her elegant presence absent from the nearby crowds, and that meant she must have left long ago.

The captain looked between you and Kazuha, her smile apologetic when her gaze stopped on you. “Sorry, Your Grace, but I have something to talk about with Kazuha. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Hmm? Oh, well… that’s fine. I should probably be going anyhow. See you around!”

You bid the two farewell, seeing them respond in kind, and started walking away from them.

Beidou kept her eye on you until you were completely gone, and she turned to Kazuha.

“Okay, so, there’s this thing called “Christmas”...”

- - - - -

“Please accept my offering, o’ great adeptus, and bless me with your presence this quiet night.”

“...you don’t have to do that, Your Grace.”

The evening air was cool, gentle breezes rolling in from the distance and brushing against you where you stood on the highest balcony in Wangshu Inn. The lanterns from inside and hanging by the doorway cast a warm glow outwards, giving the balcony a cozy atmosphere despite how it faced the dark landscapes of Bishui Plain, the warm hues of the land hidden within shadows.

Your hands held tightly onto a plate of Almond Tofu — expertly and lovingly crafted by your own hands, you were proud to admit — as you smiled at the familiar figure that appeared before you, the sight of the inn’s resident adeptus never failing to bring you joy. The dim lighting made it hard to tell, as well as his usual distant demeanor, but you swore that he was looking a little flustered.

“Aww, why not? Everyone else does it.”

Xiao crossed his arms over his chest. “But you’re not “everyone else”.”

“Hmph.” You pouted, extending your arms out to present the Almond Tofu to him. “Here, you can at least take this. I made it special, just for you. I worked hard to learn the recipe, from the best.”

He stared down at the plate in your hands for a few seconds, before he slowly uncrossed his arms and carefully took it from you. The adeptus continued to stare at the food you prepared while you stared at him, the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks — you internally cursed to yourself about the lack of decent lighting in this moment — before he finally took the first bite.

You spent just a moment watching Xiao carefully savor your expert culinary craftsmanship, and then looked out at the water and shadowed silhouettes of the nearby mountains, leaning yourself against the wooden railing of the balcony. The wood was cold and rough within your tight grip.

“...you know, everyone’s been acting really strange lately. Not in a bad way, but still.”

Your lips parted as you sighed, adjusting your arms to have your elbows on the railing.

“Even the other adepti are being weird. I tried to visit Cloud Retainer in Liyue Harbor, but Shuyu told me that she was really busy, even though she’s normally willing to take a break to chat with me whenever I drop by. Don’t even ask me how the other two are doing, I spent a good amount of time looking around their domains but wasn’t able to find them. It just feels like… like I’m being left out of something; like everyone is hiding something from me. Something that feels… major.”

You turned your head to look at Xiao. “Would you have any idea why?”

The adeptus briefly paused, his gaze meeting yours after having seemingly moved to you while you were talking, before wiping off the almond tofu around his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I…”

He hesitated, his eyes shifting away from you.

- - -

“As one of the Divine Creator’s vessels, you HAVE to come.” Hu Tao had a wide smile on her lips, her hands clenched together into tight fists in front of her chest. “Besides, it’ll be totally fun!”

The adeptus looked uncertain, his gaze shifting to the man accompanying the funeral director.

Zhongli met Xiao’s eyes with a soft smile, giving him a nod as well. “Indeed. Their Grace seems to also be quite fond of this “Christmas” business. It would be a shame if you did not participate.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Hu Tao nodded frantically, bouncing into the space between the adeptus and her consultant to direct the attention back to herself. “Come on…! It’ll only be the other vessels and adepti there. There’s no need to be all cautious and standoffish about it, so what do you say…?”

Xiao still looked conflicted, his eyebrows furrowed, before soon letting out a sigh.

“...very well. For the Divine Creator’s sake.”

Hu Tao clapped her hands. “Yay!”

“Just make sure to keep it a secret from Their Grace, if you end up encountering Them before then.” Zhongli looked pleased with Xiao’s answer, although he was much calmer than his boss was. “It’s supposed to be a “surprise party”, so try to avoid spoiling its existence at all costs.”

The adeptus nodded, crossing his arms.

“Got it.”

- - -

You couldn’t say for sure what exactly was going on inside Xiao’s head, but the expression on his face made it look like he was having some kind of internal war with himself, a struggle with the proverbial “rock and a hard place” that left him not looking forward to picking either option he was presented with. This was probably the most readable his feelings had ever been to anyone.

“Uh… hey, you don’t have to answer, Xiao.”

The adeptus appeared to snap back to reality, blinking as he looked at you.

You slightly smiled as you pushed yourself off of the railing. “I can kind of assume what’s going on. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going crazy and seeing something out of nothing.”

Xiao’s lips parted, the softest exhale leaving them. “...I can’t lie to you, Your Grace.”

“Then just don’t say anything.”

You winked at him, your tongue sticking out from your lips. “And you should be busy eating the Almond Tofu I made you, anyways. It’s rude to speak while your mouth’s full, don’tcha know?”

Xiao briefly glanced back down at the plate in his hands, before he nodded.

“...okay.”

- - - - -

“Your presence is requested at the Jade Chamber.”

That was what you were told, but you weren’t able to think of any important reason of why that might be. You had always made sure to greatly distance yourself to the extreme from anything major regarding Liyue’s leadership — no political decision-making or “ruling with an iron fist” for you, even if some folks acted like your word was the single most important thing in all of Teyvat.

The Yuheng and the general secretary both knew that about you very well.

“Is… it for something important? Or does Ningguang just want to, like… play chess with me?”

Ganyu and Keqing shared a brief look with each other, before the former looked back at you, a bit of a nervous frown now on her lips. “It’s… nothing bad, but you should go see for yourself.”

“Here.” Keqing gestured for you to follow after her. “We can escort you.”

You looked down at Keqing’s hand for just a moment, before everything clicked.

The stranger-than-usual behavior of everyone lately… the random-but-very-frequent mentions of Christmas… and now you being requested to such a place as the Jade Chamber practically out of the blue. You even thought about how you couldn’t find a single one of the vessels around the harbor today, despite how you walked through the entire city front-to-back and back-to-front and side-to-side, checking each and every nook and cranny with the hope of finding someone.

You smiled.

“Oh, no, that’s okay. I can get us there quicker.”

You grabbed Keqing’s outstretched hand, the warm hue of her face matching Ganyu’s after you had grabbed the half-qilin’s hand too. Your grip was gentle but firm as you stood between them.

“You- Your Grace…”

“H-Hey, wait-!”

Within seconds, you heard the familiar teleporting sound resonate inside your head before you and your two current companions were warped up onto the platform of the Jade Chamber…

…only to hear a muffled thud accompanying a sudden cold, wet sensation that landed on you.

It felt like a worse version of getting an ice cube put down the back of your shirt.

The powdery substance slid off of the upper-half of your face after you blinked your eyes a few times, which revealed to you that what had just covered you was a thick blanket of snow, and it had also trapped Keqing and Ganyu, turning you three into vaguely self-shaped snow mounds.

You were completely befuddled at this situation.

Snow? At this time of year, in this part of Liyue, localized entirely within the Jade Chamber?

You attempted to shift around, eventually managing to catch sight of the cause of the surprise snowfall. There was a strange machine that almost resembled a snowblower from your world, water being poured into one end and snow coming out of an upwards-chute-like exit located on the other end. The snow coming out now fell softly to the ground, unlike what had just hit you.

The one who created the device crossed her arms, pushing her glasses up slightly.

“Hmph. If the Divine Creator wishes for it to snow, then one shall make it snow.”

“Wow, Aunty Cloud Retainer! You’re amazing!”

Yaoyao looked up at the adeptus with awe, clapping her hands with a bright smile.

You continued to look around — as much as you could in your new form as a snowman — and saw several others lingering about the area, all of which had been mysteriously missing today.

The musicians and performers were all gathered near a small stage that had been set up, doing last-minute checks and practice from what you could tell. You took a few moments to take in the sight of it before you snapped out of your thoughts and focused to hear them through the snow.

Gaming shook his hands out, Man Chai following his lead and shaking his whole body out. “Aha, I’ve been practicing for days and everything, but I’m still getting so nervous all of a sudden…”

“Pre-show jitters, huh?” Xinyan stood on the stage, fiddling with her guitar as she looked down at the Wushou dancer with a slight, unsure smile. “Can’t help but have them myself right now too.”

Yun Jin walked across the stage, her head tilted up to check the decorations hanging up. “Their Grace is so kind, there shouldn’t be any reason to worry… but I can understand the feeling.”

“Hey, hey, just don’t get so nervous you have a heart attack.” Hu Tao had the only smile near the stage free of hesitation. “The business would be nice, but it would be way too inconvenient now.”

There was another section where a buffet had been laid out, Xiangling hovering over the spread with her gaze flickering around to all the various dishes, almost like she was looking for anything that needed any last-minute adjustments made. Guoba stood on a chair next to the chef, putting his paws on the edge of the table as he looked between the dishes and at her with a happy aura.

“I had to make a few guesses here and there about the recipes, even with the advice from Their Grace…” Xiangling furrowed her brows before letting out a sigh. “I hope They like everything.”

“I’m sure They will.” Madame Ping had a gentle smile on her face as she glanced at the food the young chef had prepared. “It all looks and smells absolutely wonderful, there’s no doubt about it.”

Beidou nodded and chuckled. “Now, this is what I call a feast! You outdid yourself, Xiangling!”

“It all sure looks… interesting.”

Yanfei tilted her head, her eyes moving down along the long buffet table as she spoke.

“I… I’m having trouble making out what some of these dishes are, though.”

Xiangling smiled at the reassurances. “Oh, don’t worry. I can explain everything, if you’d like.”

Your attention, however, was soon captured by the main centerpiece of the whole occasion: a beautiful Sandbearer tree decorated with lanterns of all colors, all organized to create the most breathtaking sight you had seen all day. There were actually a lot of lanterns hanging around all over, now that you were conscious of their presence; it almost resembled Lantern Rite, in a way.

Well, a Lantern Rite that was being held on a very miniature scale.

“This is very pleasant.” Kazuha looked up at the tree, his hand over his chest. “I never imagined that a “Christmas tree” would look like this. It brings to the mind a kaleidoscope of Crystalflies.”

Ningguang had her arms crossed, also standing nearby to admire the tree she had put up and decorated to a degree befitting her luxurious aesthetics. “I was informed that the tree was to be decorated in lights and ornaments. I believe Their Grace will be quite pleased with the result.”

“Their Grace has some intriguing traditions from Their world.” Zhongli placed a hand to his chin in thought, his eyes briefly breaking away from the tree. “No wonder They spoke of it so highly.”

By this point, you were getting cold. Way too cold. So cold you felt stiff.

You shook the snow off as you took in a deep breath.

“Okay, that was an experience…”

“Your Grace?!”

You felt two dozen pairs of eyes land on your form as everyone’s head snapped towards your direction, the sound of your voice might as well having been a siren to their ears — your arrival had been expected to be normal, after taking the long route instead of the shortcut you chose to take instead, with some semblance of warning. You smiled bashfully, pulling a now-unconscious Ganyu and Kequing out of their snow piles since you were still holding their hands all this time.

“Hehe… guess I’m not the only one surprised at this surprise party, then?”

- - - - -

Today was the day you discovered how good Guoba and Man Chai made for living Warmies, your once-shivering and soaked body able to warm up and dry off after only a short but sweet cuddle session with them. The party couldn’t start until you were comfortable, after all… as well as until Keqing and Ganyu finally regained consciousness and also got themselves warmed up.

…and the start was unforgettable.

“Behold, Your Grace-”

Truly unforgettable.

“-for one has donned the appearance of a Christmas hero spoken of in tales from your home.”

There, standing in front of you, were some of the adepti, and although the three ladies and Xiao were in their human forms at the party, the other two men were not. That included Moon Carver, the one who had spoken to you first when they approached, who proudly stood in front of you in his stag form… with a glowing red nose — likely made possible by adepti magic, you assumed.

You briefly recalled telling Yaoyao and Qiqi about some stories related to Christmas, which, of course, included “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Turning slightly away for a moment, you raised a hand to cover the smile slowly growing on your lips as you tried to calm yourself down.

“Yeaaah…” Your voice wavered, you being unable to stop your eyes glancing to and from Moon Carver. “Christmas would’ve been cancelled if not for Rudolph. He’s a… a true hero, alright…”

The snort that slipped from your lips went unnoticed by Moon Carver, the adeptus preening at your approval. The planned festivities luckily continued on before you actually started laughing.

- - - - -

They had only had about a week to prepare, but the musical performance was probably one of the, if not the, best thing you had ever witnessed in your life; most everyone had gathered into a crowd in front of the stage as Xinyan, Hu Tao, and Gaming took their places in the spotlight. You were almost too enamoured with the show to notice how Yun Jin occasionally snuck a couple of glances at you from her spot in the crowd next to you, a smile growing on her lips at your own.

The musicians had taken the songs that you told — or, rather, sang to — them and used them as inspiration to come up with a brand-new Christmas song, complete with Xinyan’s rock guitar and Hu Tao’s iconic rapping. Gaming had even created a special routine to go along with all of it.

“Bravo!” You clapped your hands frantically after the performance finished, a whoop escaping your lips as you cheered. “That was… incredible! I loved it! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

The sense of relief that left the performers’ bodies was noticeable, their forms relaxing as your praise finally casted away all of the tension that had plagued them from their pre-show nerves.

“I’m glad, Your Grace.” Yun Jin smiled. “We only had so much time, but we worked really hard.”

“I can tell.” Your cheeks hurt a little from how much you were smiling, and you tilted your head. “I hope I get to see it again someday. That was way too good to be just a one-time performance.”

Gaming let out a chuckle, a sense of weariness in his tone. “I’d be happy to dance for you again, Your Grace. Just… I still need a moment to calm down from the excitement of the first time.”

“Oh-ho! But I’m ready for round two right now!” Hu Tao pumped her fists as she snickered. “I knew Their Grace couldn’t resist my excellent rhyming skills! I could do this all day, any day!”

Xinyan adjusted her grip on her guitar as she looked back at the stage they performed on. “Uh, I think we may have gone a little overboard with the pyrotechnics, though… even for me, heh…”

You followed the rocker’s gaze to the stage, seeing that it… kind of didn’t exist anymore, with all that remained being a stage-shaped pile of charred wood. Given that three Pyro users had used it for their performance, where they had turned up the heat to give you the show of a lifetime, you should have expected this, especially considering Xinyan’s track record with this sort of thing.

You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Yeah, okay, I think one performance is enough for today, then.”

- - - - -

“Wow, I didn’t know you had such an appetite, Your Grace.”

Xiangling’s eyes were wide as she looked at your plate, which was piled high with servings from the buffet. There was a little of everything, as you wanted to try all of the different dishes that had been prepared by the chef; some looked traditional, and very close to what you had described to her about, while others clearly had creative choices made during their creation. There were also some traditional Liyue dishes being offered — considering how many people were present at the party, Xiangling really made sure that there would be enough food for everyone to have their fill.

You held your plate carefully in front of you. “I can’t help it. Everything looks so good.”

It appeared that many others also held the same opinion, almost everyone filling up their plates with various dishes from the buffet. There were plenty of options; everyone could eat something.

“What is this…?” Ganyu observed a red jam-like substance in one of the bowls, tapping it gently with the small spoon that was provided for folks to scoop it. “It smells like some kind of fruit…?”

“Ah, that’s Valberry sauce!” Xiangling piped up and moved over to the half-qilin. “Their Grace mentioned a dish made with this type of berry called a “Cranberry”, so I had to find a similar substitute. You should be able to eat it, Miss Ganyu. It doesn’t contain any animal products.”

“What I’m more interested in is that!” Beidou pointed to what-could-be-considered the main dish of the whole spread, her eye and smile both wide. “Now that looks like something real special.”

Xiangling smiled as she made her way over to the captain. “That’s a three-bird roast called a “gooducken”. It’s a chicken inside of a duck inside of a goose. I had to do a lot to get it right.”

Beidou let out a long hum. “Oooh, that sounds impressive! I’ll have a big portion, then!”

“I should try something new too…” Keqing looked between her plate and the buffet, a small frown coming to her face. “...but all that I’ve got on my plate is Golden Shrimp Balls so far…”

“Ah! Chongyun! Qiqi! The cold dishes are over here.” Xiangling directed the two over to one side of the buffet table, waving them over while gesturing to the dishes. “There’s plenty for you to try.”

“Here, I’ll help!” Yaoyao scooped food onto Qiqi’s plate. “This looks good. Make sure to eat it all!”

“Okay.”

Chongyun held his plate away from Xingqiu, his eyes shifting between his friend and the food he was putting onto his plate. “Please don’t try to sneak anything spicy onto my plate this time.”

“Why, I would never.” Xingqiu chuckled, a hand held up in defense. “What a random accusation.”

“Your Grace…” Baizhu eyed your plate as you took a seat next to him, his gaze scanning all of the generous portions you served yourself. “I’m not entirely knowledgeable on how much a god can eat, but make sure not to overstuff yourself. I can’t imagine it’d be good for your stomach.”

“I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises!”

And after stuffing yourself full of Xiangling’s cooking, it felt like a happy mistake in the end.

- - - - -

The party was going well so far; after the performance and initial serving of food, it was nice to see everyone mingling together and having fun. You scanned the area, taking in the groups that the characters formed amongst themselves, before refocusing your attention back on what you were doing: being busy at the “Winter Weather Device” Cloud Retainer built for the occasion.

And snow was actually a lot more pleasant when you weren’t buried under a heavy blanket of it.

“Shenhe, if I ever get into a snowball fight, I’m recruiting you to my team.”

The woman stared at you, seriously. “I would slay all your foes if need be, Your Grace.”

“Aha… snowball fights aren’t that serious, but thanks.”

You continued to pat down the snow you held into a snowball, the cold flakes a higher-quality than what nature ever made. The water used to make them apparently came from the adepti abodes, which, of course, was why the snow was so soft and powdery, like from a fairytale.

“I’m…” Yanfei stood by you, also crafting a snowball in her hands — which shook slightly from the cold steeping into her fingers — at your insistence. “...not sure I see the appeal in this.”

“The appeal is the glory of victory over your foes.”

“...right.”

Yanfei left the snowball she had made in the growing pile by your feet. You watched the younger partygoers play in the snow, stomping around and making vaguely snowman-like structures out of the cold flakes, before you felt someone approach you from behind, and turned to face them.

“Yelan! Hey! I didn’t notice you were here, are you having fun?”

Yelan let out a soft exhale, the warm light of the nearby stone lanterns illuminating her face from below as she faintly smiled. “It’s hard not to have a good time when you’re around, Your Grace.”

“D’aw, you’re just flattering me. I know how you work.”

You snorted as Yelan chuckled at your comment, before a thought struck you.

“Oh! I just realized I haven’t seen you around for a while! Where’ve you been this entire time?”

“Places.”

“Doing what?”

“Things.”

You stared at Yelan for a few seconds, her gaze amused as she stared back.

“...okay, then. Keep your secrets.”

You played with the snowball in your hands, rolling it back and forth between your palms as you briefly pondered all of the mysterious — and probably legally-dubious — things Yelan must have been up to this past week and a half, before you were snapped out of your thoughts by the sight of a wrapped box being held in front of your face. The hand holding it was Yelan’s, the shiny bow adorning the tiny rectangular container bending in the gentle evening breeze that was blowing by.

The box was pushed into one of your hands, the snowball now held in the other.

“Here. For you. I hear giving gifts is a custom for this little holiday we’re celebrating, hm?”

“Where’d you hear about… no, wait, never mind. I’m not gonna get an answer, am I?”

“You know me too well, Your Grace.” Yelan chuckled again, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she smiled at you. “If you were anyone else, that’d be a problem. But if it’s you, it’s just fine.”

You had never felt so lucky to be yourself as you did right now.

“I suppose I’ll let you rejoin the rest of the party now. Everyone worked so very hard to put this whole thing together just for you, I shouldn’t keep you from rewarding them with your attention.”

Yelan turned away from you, glancing over her shoulder as she walked away.

“I’ll be watching. May we meet again soon, Your Grace.”

- - - - -

Despite all of the fun you were having, the party sadly couldn’t go on forever.

The daylight soon blended into night, and with it, the guests started to take their leave. The first to go were the youngest of the characters — Qiqi left with Baizhu and Changsheng, Yaoyao with Cloud Retainer, Madame Ping and most of the other adepti. Yaoyao had even started to doze off at that point, requiring her to be carried by Cloud Retainer. Shenhe also left with the latter group.

Then went the next youngest: Xingqiu, Chongyun, Xiangling, Hu Tao, Yun Jin, Gaming… before they left, you made sure to give both Guoba and Man Chai another extra tight hug for the road.

Those who had work the next day soon followed. Yanfei, Keqing, and Ganyu all gave you polite goodbyes as they left, and Yelan vanished into the dark as easily as she had appeared to you.

Beidou left after saying goodbye to you and Ningguang, who simply headed inside of the Jade Chamber after bidding you a good night. Kazhua left with the pirate caption, his farewell another one of his poems that you were unfortunately too tired to think of one of your own in response to.

The harbor seemed to glow below the Jade Chamber as the city’s lanterns lit up in the absence of the sun. You fiddled with the gift from Yelan in your hands, still wrapped up and unopened.

“Your Grace, would I be correct in saying the surprise party was a success?”

You brought your gaze back up from Liyue Harbor and turned to see Zhongli approaching to stand beside you, his arms politely folded behind his back and his eyes focused on your face.

You smiled, giving him a nod. “Oh, yeah! It was so much fun! And I’m definitely going to figure out how to thank everyone for it, especially Yaoyao and Qiqi since they planned the whole thing!”

His lips turned up into a soft smile. “I’m very pleased to hear you say that, Your Grace.”

Your gaze shifted from the man standing next to you to the roof of the Jade Chamber, and you waved at Xiao to come join you and Zhongli. The legendary boy-adeptus had kept his distance from most others during the party, opting to watch from the rooftops as an onlooker rather than an active participant in it, though you were just happy that he was near all the festive energy.

With a sudden burst of green and black wisps, Xiao was at your side.

You looked at the adeptus with an enthused smile. “Sooo… did you enjoy yourself, Xiao?”

“...as long as the party made you happy, then I’m happy, Your Grace.”

You clutched a hand over your heart. “Xiao… you’re too sweet.”

This felt like the perfect ending to a perfect celebration, and as you looked between the adeptus and the Archon, you only felt all warm and fuzzy — it was almost too much for you. Almost.

“Hey, I don’t feel like sleeping just yet. Let’s go for a walk around the harbor together.”

“We’d be honored to, Your Grace.”

[pixiesfz]

we need a dad Jessie fic please 🫶🏼

I am a D.I.L.F

Dangerously In Love with Fleming

father to be j.f

plot: You and Jessie are preparing for your baby but Jessie is somehow picking up dad traits?

warnings: fluff, prime Chelsea team, little blurb

“It’s a girl”

The words were magic to your ears as you laid down on the chair, Jessie’s hand entertained with yours as she took a great look at the monitor.

You would love your baby if it was a boy or a girl but you secretly hoped it would be a girl, especially if you planned to have another kid, an older sister would be great for them.

The doctor excused herself from the room before Jessie lowered her body to hug you from behind “we’re having a baby girl” she hummed and you nodded “we’re having a baby girl”.

It was at your private home when you started decorating your daughter’s bedrooms that you noticed the signs of Jessie’s new persona.

“If anyone touches her before she’s eighteen” she grumbled, folding clothes “you touched me before I was eighteen” you smirked and the Canadian glared at you

“That’s different”

You laughed at her expression “what?” She asks “I’m just very impressed at your protectiveness over our unborn child”

The next time was when she came home from training late with target bags.

“Could you not have called to say you went shopping” you stated from the kitchen where you were cooking “sorry baby” Jessie quickly said before kissing your cheek, walking to the table before laying the bags down.

“But there was this sale on kids stuff and-“

“You went shopping for our child without me?”

Jessie’s eyes widened under her cap as she realised her small mistake “the sale was ending tonight, Pernille came as well of that helps”

You cocked your head over “that helps”.

“Okay so I got her some clothes and then I thought cause she’ll be my little princess I got her these”

You tried to ignore the horrendous Elsa dress, not bothering to tell her that Elsa was actually a queen and instead focused on her words “your little princess?”

Jessie ignored you “and then I got books aswelll, some for education and some for entertainment and then I also got little footy boots”

You stared at your wife “This baby will be waiting a couple of years before going on the field Jess” you told her sternly and she slowly nodded.

“I just got excited” she admitted and you smiled, walking towards her “I know, and I love it” you said, wrapping your arms around her “I love you”.

Then came the building of the crib, your belly had grown a lot more and Jessie refused to let you help in the build, claiming that she didn’t want any chance of harm.

“Jessie my father taught me how to use a drill” you told her from the door but she had her fists on her hips and crossed her head “no you’re not doing it” she said before grabbing the drill again.

“You’re so stubborn” you grumbled from you space “Give me twenty minutes, then I’ll start the pram”

You watched her for the next fourty minutes as she completed the crib, many YouTube videos and calls to her family helped her along the way.

But you smiled in awe at your proud girlfriend who stared at her creation, hands on her hips with her training gear still on, she was so excited to start making it as soon as she got home.

In all honesty early she reminded you of your own father and the pictures you had of him when waiting for your little siblings.

“Onto the pram” she said walking out of the room, only to see that you had already assembled it.

You had finally realised what part of the parenting trope Jessie had picked about a month before you were due when she kept checking her phone.

Jessie was not a social person, let alone a social media type person but she never told you what she was looking at.

Until she started using them on you.

them as in dad jokes…

“Hey babe, did you hear about that Actor who broke his leg, turns out he’s still in the cast”

You rolled your head back with a groan as you had heard the eighth joke that night “How many times have you told that one?” You ask, sitting down next to her.

“Erin and Adam loved it when I told it at training”

“Of course they did.”

Though throughout the traits that Jessie had picked up you still loved her more than anything in the world, you would even go out to say you learned to love her even more but you didn’t want to enlarge her ego any more.

Instead you cuddled up into her side “You’re going to be such a good mum” you told her and you felt her relax “yeah?” She asked and you nodded.

“I can’t wait.”

[guess-my-next-obsession]

Because I adore the elementary series ; I’m curious if there will be more drabbles about their first baby & the cute moments like the birth, first shots, first everything; smiles, first mom insecurities, etc.

My apologies if you are not taking any requests of the sort! 🫢

The Firsts

pairing: elementary!joel miller x f!reader

rating: M (talks of labor from a person who’s never given birth so bare with me, talks of shots/needles, first-time mother highs and lows, joel being the husband of our dreams)

wc: no clue but probably around 2-3k?

a/n: sorry this took so long @jennfromthebayarea !! this semester’s been a bitch, but i’m trying to find the spark to write again so bare with me if this is a pile of shit 🫶🏼

elementary masterlist

| The First Delivery |

Though you were well warned and made aware of the pain caused by childbirth, nothing compared to the reality of a contraction, or the searing pain of pushing a baby through your fucking vagina.

Even Joel seemed to have underestimated what birth would be like, his face pale and sweaty as he stood at your side, allowing you to squeeze his hand so hard he was sure it was broken.

“You’re doin’ so good, baby,” he cooed, wiping the sweat that gathered on your forehead away with a damp cloth. “Can already see her head.”

“Fuck this,” you cried, tossing your head back into the pillow you brought from home, your eyes clamped shut as you pushed again, hoping that this one would be the last.

“Doin’ so good,” he murmured against your hairline as he pressed a kiss there. “Just a few more pushes, baby.”

“I’m getting the epidural next time,” you panted, taking a second of rest to gather your strength.

“Next time?” he grinned, but you didn’t reply as you started to push again, hard enough to get her shoulders out. “Hardest part’s over, baby. Soon she’s gonna be cryin’ her eyes out in your arms.”

“Can’t wait,” you groaned, your head rolling back against the pillows. “This better be the last one.”

“Go on, then,” he urged with a smile. “Gimme our new babygirl.”

Though it felt like the next few minutes took hours to pass, your entire body screaming at you from overexertion, none of the pain seemed to matter or register the second that the room filled with your daughter’s gargled little cries. Joel let out a choked sound, something between pure joy and disbelief, as he left your side to cradle your messy newborn in his arms. Neither of you were capable of listening to the nurses or doctor’s congratulations as he carefully lowered your bundled up daughter to your chest, her screams music to your ears just because it meant that she was finally here.

She was real, made up of equal parts you and Joel. His dark hair and your kind eyes, his curved nose and your lips. The epitome of love come to life.

“Oh, babygirl,” Joel cooed, a tear rolling down his cheek. “You sure put up a fight on the way out.”

You laughed, something exhausted and yet so full of love and joy and relief.

“I can’t believe…” You shook your head, allowing your tears and emotions a moment to breathe before turning your glossy eyes to your husband. “We made her. Isn’t that insane?”

“I think we did a pretty good job,” he chuckled, lifting a thumb to wipe a rolling tear from your face. “Got all her fingers and toes. Looks like you, not like me. I’d say she’s perfect.”

You gave him a loving pout, rolling your eyes before turning back to your slightly calmer daughter in time for the nurses to take her away for a little clean up.

“How long ‘til she’s back?” Joel asked, his eyes fixed on his daughter as they laid her in her cart.

“Just a minute,” the nurse assured with a smile.

“I still have to push out the—“

“God, forgot about all that,” Joel winced, resuming his seat beside the head of the hospital bed, his hand finding yours. “You know how proud I am, baby? How much I love you?”

“How about you remind me,” you grinned, eyes batting with exhaustion. Joel leaned over, his lips ghosting against yours.

“So fuckin’ proud,” he murmured in between kisses. “And so fuckin’ in love with my wife. Mother of my girls. Fuckin’ everything to me, baby. Everything.”

| The First Shot |

“How long are we supposed t’wait?” Joel groaned, adjusting his posture in the uncomfortable plastic chair in the pediatrician’s waiting room. You grabbed his wrist, lifting the face of his watch up to read the time. “How long we been here?”

“An hour,” you sighed, letting your head fall back against the wall as you let your dry, tired eyes rest for a moment while Iris took a nap in her car seat on the floor in front of the two of you.

“Don’t fall asleep,” he cautioned, reaching his hand over to lay flat on the top of your denim-covered thigh, his touch warm and soothing even in all your irritability. “Y’know they’re gonna call us as soon—“

“Miller family?” the nurse called from the door leading to the patient rooms. With a rub of your eyes, you stood up along with Joel who, thankfully, already had Iris’ car seat handled. The nurse smiled at the three of you in a way that looked trained rather than genuine, but given your exhaustion and annoyance at having to be out in the world doing real people things with a newborn, you might just be extra critical. “Hi, come on back, guys.”

“S’about time,” Joel muttered under his breath, seemingly just as cranky and desperate to get home as you. “Any reason it took an hour for us to get called back?”

“Just a hectic day, I do apologize,” she offered, though once again…trained. Leading you down a hall, she pointed at a room with an open door on the right. “Right through here.”

Joel was even more tense than you as the two of you watched the nurse take your diaper clad newborn’s vitals before handing her back, Joel’s hands quick to take her into his arms.

“Fuckin’ cold in here,” he murmured as the nurse left the two of you with the assurance that the doctor would be right in. “Baby girl’s probably freezin’.”

“She’s behaving at least,” you said, reaching over to place her blanket over her as Joel kept her cradled in his arms. “No tears yet.”

“Until the needles come out,” he snarked.

“Just because you faint every time a needle comes near you—“

The sound of quick, sure knocks cut you off as the doctor walked in. “Miller family?”

“Yep,” you offered her a smile.

“Alright, and this must be Iris,” she said, walking over to Joel. “May I?”

Joel looked tempted to tell her to fuck off but conceded, handing Iris over.

“She’s a cutie, isn’t she?” she asked as she rested Iris on the examination table.

“All from her mama,” Joel added, forcing a smile onto your face.

“Well, her stats are looking great,” she said, pressing her stethoscope to Iris’s chest. “Only thing left to do is give her some shots, and I’m gonna need one of your help for that.”

“Joel,” you nudged him, not entirely confident in your ability to keep your daughter still in the middle of a potential tantrum.

“I’ll faint,” he said, no humor in his voice. “You gotta.”

“Fine,” you sighed, nerves coursing through you as the doctor walked Iris over to you. “How many shots?”

“Three today,” she said as she and the nurse set up the needles.

“Okay,” you nodded, taking deep calming breaths while Joel chose to close his eyes altogether as the doctor walked over with the first needle. “Alright, baby girl. Don’t hate me.”

“Just a quick pinch,” the doctor said as she injected the shot into Iris’s right thigh, the so-called “quick pinch” tearing a wail from your daughters chest.

“Oh, baby,” you frowned, holding her tight as she screamed her lungs out. “Just two more.”

The crying didn’t end until the three of you were seated in the car, the color drained from your faces as you all recovered in silence.

“Next time, I’m leavin’ the room for the shots,” Joel said, turning the key in the ignition.

“I feel so bad,” you frowned, leaning your head back against the headrest to listen to your daughters sniffles. “Poor baby.”

“Fuckin’ doctors,” Joel grumbled, shaking his head. “Makin’ babies cry.”

“Absolute sickos,” you agreed with a chuckle.

| The First Steps |

“Baby!” Joel’s yell was almost enough to get you to drop the sudsy plate in your hand as you washed the dishes. You quickly set the plate down and wiped your hands off on the dish towel hanging off the oven door before hustling out to the backyard where Joel, Sarah, and Iris were.

“What happened?” you asked in a panic, finding Joel half-crouched over with his back turned to you.

“Look,” he smiled over his shoulder before nudging his head to call you over. You hesitantly approached, rounding his frame until you saw what had him smiling so hard.

“She’s standing!” Sarah announced, squatting in front of her little sister while she held onto two of Joel’s fingers for balance.

“Stay,” you ordered the three of them before sprinting inside to grab your camera. When you returned to the patio, however, you almost forgot what you’d set out to do as Iris, guided by Joel’s clunky steps behind her, waddled and stumbled towards you. “Damn it, I don’t want to cry.”

Joel laughed, “Take the damn picture, baby.”

You sniffled away your tears and held the camera up, watching through the viewfinder as Joel leaned down to blow a raspberry against Iris’s cheek, making her laugh. You clicked the camera a couple times, determined to get a good photo unlike all of your previous attempts at documenting her growth—closed eyes, frozen frames of her right before she turned herself red with a tantrum, dribble flooding down her chin.

“Jesus, I’m getting this framed,” you cooed, frowning adoringly at the picture. “She looks so much like you when she smiles, Joel.”

“Poor girl,” Sarah teased, walking up to you to look at the picture. “She is a cutie, though. Especially when she’s not covered in barf or drool or snot or—“

“Like you were any different?” Joel teased her right back as he scooped Iris into his arms to settle her on his hip. “Had to get rid of half my shirts back in the day ‘cause someone wouldn’t stop pukin’ on me.”

“I probably did you a favor given your fashion sense,” she returned with a flip of her curls.

“Okay, you two,” you chuckled, handing Sarah the camera before reaching for your daughter. “You interrupted my chores so now they belong to you. I’m gonna go cuddle with my precious little—“ A whiff of something familiar hit you the second you hugged Iris closer. “Oof. More like my stinky little girl.”

“You’re takin’ diaper duty over dishes?” Joel asked, arching his brow.

“You’re right,” you said, handing your daughter back to him. “You’ve been doing it longer than me, I’m sure you’re better at—“

“Load of shit,” he laughed, leaning over to kiss your cheek. “Sarah’s got the dishes. You go sit down and think of some new ways to manipulate me into changing her diapers. Material’s gettin’ stale.”

| The First Day |

“Joel,” you sniffled as you started on Iris’s hair for her first day of preschool. “I can’t drop her off. I’m gonna have a breakdown and then she’s gonna have a breakdown and then I’m just going to cave and bring her home. You have to go do it.”

“Baby,” he laughed, his voice still coarse from sleep as he leaned in the doorway of Iris’s bedroom with a cup of coffee in hand. “S’gonna be fine.”

“No, it’s not,” you returned, more snippy than you’d intended. “I’m already a blubbering mess.”

“Mama,” Iris frowned, turning in your lap to stare at the tears sliding down your cheeks. “S’okay. Don’ cry.”

“Mama’s alright, baby,” Joel intervened, setting his coffee on the dresser before coming over to sit on her twin mattress beside the two of you, his arm wrapping around your waist. “You’re excited to go to school, ain’t ya?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, flashing a toothy smile. “Sissy said it’s not scary, so I’m not scared.”

“Good, there’s no reason to be,” he smiled at her before turning to you. “See? She’s good, baby.”

“But I’m not,” you managed through a whisper. Joel frowned and reached over to wipe your cheek free of your tears. “Can you please just come with me? I know you’ve got work but—“

“I’ll call Tommy n’ let him know,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. “How ‘bout you go take a second to yourself and I’ll finish up here? Sound good?”

You gave him the sort of smile that screamed appreciation and undying devotion, one that was reserved just for him. “I love you.”

Joel placed a kiss on your shoulder and scooped your five year old out of your lap and onto his. “We love you more, mama. Don’t we?”

“Mmhm,” Iris grinned. “More than the whole wide world.

“Don’t get me started again,” you chuckled, wiping a few fresh, happier tears from your waterline. “Alright. Pig tails, she said.”

“What’s that? A lopsided ponytail? Comin’ right up.”