#I only saw bits and clips..but oh my heart 😭

[wavechime]

Hi, everyone!! Happy Lunar New Year, whether it may be Year of the Rabbit or Year of the Cat!! 🐰🎇😸 Hope that this year will be kind to all, and that there will be happiness and peace that lasts even beyond days of celebration like today. 😊🩷 And on a side note, get that🧧🧧 and if you can, eat a lot of noodles and sweets!

Since the pandemic happened here, lion or dragon dances don't really show up anymore. They also have less bookings. Usually you can hear them practice weeks before the actual holiday, because they also practice on the streets. Today we were able to see them again and it felt really special! 🥹 So I want to share these pictures of the lion dance🫶 Hope you like them! 😄

[stale-cornflakes]

Kapitan - Pirate AU

Song: Kapitan (1936) - Pyotr Leshchenko

-

Two best friends find themselves fighting against each other. One raises a mutiny against the captain who never wanted to be in that position of power in the first place.

-

OH MY GOODNESS IT'S FINALLY DONE. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE 3 DAYS MAX BUT THEN I TOOK WEEKS OFF FROM IT 😭😭 Its been in editing purgatory for weeks,, (Polaroid is going to DIE 2 seconds)

Deep dive under cut

I had this idea for a bit where Ui is willing putting up with Pol showing her faults. She could easily break out of the rope and punt Pol across the sea if she wanted to.

But now it's time for designs, Headcanons, and production!

First off. Pol and Ui are girls. You can't look at me and those designs and saw those don't scream "Butch." They are butch and you can't do anything about it (light hearted I'm just really passionate about this!!) SECONDLY, the designs are meant to be kept quiet faithful to the originals.

However, there are some big changes specifically with Ui's design. I maayyy have taken her leg away 😋 so yeah! Ui is now an amputee in reference to both the madness world, but more importantly, Unethical Spite with the Porlivian chapter (episode 4). Super awesome. I took most of the colors from my own art fight attack with them where I whipped up some colors :D

As for Polaroid, not much changed with her design either. I considered coloring her and almost did! However, not even a few minutes before I opened that drawing session on Krita, Salesman was added to the Google Drive which states that in that little au anything that Pol touched becomes white. I took that to heart and made pirate pol completely white as well! She also carries a cane due to having weak legs.

I did a different method of planning with sticky notes. First, sketching the drawings on paper. Then, Redrawing it in krita. The last time I did this was with the Daisy bell pmv. Which was actually jotted down during lunch.

As you can see, the quality is much different.

Once configured onto Krita, every scene was a group. The entire project is made in groups sorted by scene. Polaroid an Ui and drawn separately, then exported as transparent pngs in order to edit them in capcut. The only exception to this was scene 6, where the two are drawn together.

The coloring was actually quite the chore. I wanted to use the paint-like brushes to give the two texture. By doing this I had to first completely paint over the line art and continually erase until it fit into the line art. That was simply done for the base color and was incredibly time consuming. Once that was done; a clipping layer would be added, and the color would be added there.

I love this au so much it's my guilty pleasure. Teehee.

🤸

🏌️

Complimentary ping @wogot3

[disastrouslydared]

Makeover, Makeover!

Okay, so this is my first non-oc fic soooooo please be nice with criticisms….😭. This was cross-posted on AO3!

Joan had been begging and pleading for weeks for Confucius to let her revise him in her style, but the man kept refusing. It was only until she made that one face that he just couldn't help but accept her offer that she finally found a way in…

“Confucius, stay still! It’ll smudge!”

Confucius whined as he turned his face away from his increasingly irritated yet amused girlfriend, his eyes screwed shut while Joan rolled hers. “I don’t wanna be a black-eyed monster!”

Joan was sitting in Confucius’s lap with one of his wrists in her hand and the other resting on his cheek while he lay on his back, his free arm shielding his face and his legs bent to make her more comfortable. Joan had been trying to “gothify” Confucius for weeks now and he kept refusing, saying he preferred his blue hair and big “tentish” clothes. He liked being bright and interesting to look at! Not that Joan wasn’t interesting to look at, at least he thought she was. It wasn’t until Joan gave him that look she knew would make him unable to refuse that he begrudgingly agreed and accepted her invitation to stay the night at her place.

“Confucius, baby, no one will tell any kind of stories about you.” She saw his expression drop into a pouted one and quickly backtracked. “In a good way! You’ll still look cute, babe! It’s just black makeup, that’s all I’m doing!” Joan cupped his cheek with a reassuring smile as he opened one of his eyes. He pressed his lips into a fine line before he sighed and turned to look up at her full.

Her magenta-dyed strands brushed against his face and tickled his skin, the feeling of her shallow breaths making him want to squirm underneath her again. It didn’t help she wasn’t in her usual gothic attire, having traded it for more comfortable fitting clothes.

A grungy black t-shirt with the title of some indie film he didn’t recognize (not that he recognized most of the merch she got from those film festivals-), loose skull-patterned shorts, and her bangs that’d she decided to grow out to look more like her clone mother were clipped back with a bright blue barrette. The change in clothes had Confucius reeling and was the main reason he could stay still for her, and why he was as red as Joan’s lipstick. But he wasn’t the only one having a hard time.

Joan had been a mess ever since Confucius stepped foot in her house, that smile of his beaming down at her making her heart speed up three times faster than usual. He’d ditched his typical blue jacket and pink plaid shirt, choosing to wear a pink sweatshirt, his usual black pants, and his bright white trainers. It wasn’t a huge difference, but when she saw the way that sweatshirt hugged his arms, she knew it was over for her.

Joan and Confucius stared at each other for a while. Joan held her liquid eyeliner like a knife to his eyelid, and Confucius’s hand held her wrist away from his face. “Confucius, baby, you’re gonna be fine.” She reassured him before leaning down to kiss his forehead, feeling him melt into her sheets as he had that goofy lovesick grin on his lips. That was all he needed.

------------------------

“I need a new name now, Confucius isn’t gonna cut it.” Confucius stood in front of her bathroom mirror admiring himself and doing several poses with dumb faces to match. Joan had made him the most mall-goth version of himself he’d never imagined.

His eyes had copious amounts of black eyeliner that was a bit spiky and eye-catching. Joan gave him fake bridges and snake bite piercings by sticking some silver body gems onto him. “Oh, oh, how about… Lex. Oooh, or —and hear me out about this— Ripper.” He flexed his arms in the mirror with manly grunts and growls, but to Joan, he just looked silly. Hot, but silly.

“I am not letting you change your name!” She laughed between her words as she hung off his shoulders. Confucius didn’t really mean what he was saying; he was only doing so to hear Joan’s laughter fill the bathroom. He looked down at her with a similar expression before rubbing his chin and pretending like he was considering it. “But doesn’t it sound cool to meet a guy named Ripper? I’d never mess with a Ripper, babe.” Joan’s squeaky laughs only got louder with each remark as Confucius felt his cheeks get warmer and his smile grow broader.

He pulled out his phone and started taking photos with the two of them, making silly faces and a few model faces. They were blurred and a bit funny looking but it made it all the better. “I’m so sending these to Harriet, she’s gonna freak!” Confucius exclaimed as he looked over the photos, his heart slightly fluttering at the sight of Joan’s overjoyed grin, her laugh could almost be heard from the screen.

“And I’ll keep this one for my wallpaper..” Confucius mumbled to himself before looking over at Joan who was messing around with her appearance in the mirror, her cheeks reddened from all the smiling she'd been doing and he couldn't help but stare at her with a goofy smile.

He felt so fucking lucky to be with her.

[saturnskyline]

getting to know your bl mutuals ♡

rules: answer the questions and tag some people. include the tag 'g2ky bl mutuals 2022' on your post so we can find everyone's answer.

i was tagged by @braceletofteeth, thank you so much!! :)

—

what were the bls that took you by surprise last year?

well... that would have to be kinnporsche. i saw the "i know you feel it too" bathroom clip the filmania trailer and was intrigued, but lost track of it amidst the initial release drama, only to come back around when i saw the first kiss scene (true chemistry fr). i wasn't fully invested until then, but i guess you can say it spiraled from there 😅 it looked cinematic and very horny (spoiler: it was both), but i never could have expected to be so... oh, what's the word..... consumed by it? (case in point: me writing a mini essay in here eh oh el)

what were the bls that you felt a bit disappointed with last year?

i had to really think back for this one bc i feel like there were so many good bls happening last year. the one that finally occurred to me is gonna sound so stupid... but probably kissable lips? 😭😭 i do not know what i expected or wanted it to be, nor do i really remember it that well tbh, but i feel like it did have potential to be better. again though, i'm not sure what standards i was holding it to so maybe it actually did deliver lol. i could be absolutely crazy, who knows!

what was your favorite bl last year?

i have already waxed poetic many a time about kinnporsche on this website, so you already know that one hehe. and speaking of bls that hit me like a truck... between us! (for me, "favorite" and "surprise" seem to be the same. i guess i like to be pleasantly surprised)

favorite bl/gl couples (not just of 2022)

in no particular order:

patpran

seanwhite

kinnporsche

inkpa

payurain

vegaspete

deanpharm

monsam

prapaisky

winteam

kimchay

i'm sure i'm missing some but here's a solid list 🙃

if you had to suggest a bl for someone what would it be?

this one is tricky bc i would want to take the person's preferences into account.... but i am a bad buddy truther through and through 🫶🫶 just feel like you couldn't go wrong with that rec tbh. the acting is incredible, the writing is top-notch, and everything adds up for a drama that is so refreshing and magical and authentically queer. ohmnanon's chemistry has me breathless to this day, and milklove really helped me come to terms with my sexuality :') i can't say enough good things about it honestly, what a special little show

what was your non-bl favorite last year?

that's gonna have to be gap 🙏 technically i haven't even finished it sdhsdfhj, i just don't want it to be over! a true game changer, and it just has a very special place in my heart. freenbecky my beloveds <3

—

tagging @coffeeyuqi @vegaseatsass @theoryofarson @darkthestars @fuckyeah-itme @crystallinemoonlight and anyone else who wants to do this! i'm trying so hard to switch up who i tag in these so i don't spam people lol. as always, feel free to ignore though

[dollwritesarchive]

BABE HIII I MISSED YOU!! I've been super busy with work/college recently AND it was my birthday (which I celebrate for like a week lol) so I've been caught up in that but now things are finally starting to calm down! Unfortunately I haven't had alot of down time recently, and any tv time I did have was taken up by watching house of the dragon and desperately trying to finish game of thrones lol so I havent been able to watch any of the animes on my list BUT I finally did finish game of thrones literally a couple days ago so I'll finally be able to start one 😁 which one I'm not sure right now its between aot, jojo's, and hxh (which I saw you started recently 👀 tbh I'm scared of the person I might become once I get introduced to chrollo) so if you have a suggestion on which one I would love to hear it!

Also BACHIRA!!? You have such taste LOL hes my favorite too 🖤 Your blurb was literally so spot on to how I imagined bachira too it's crazy, I definitely see him as a biter lol and omg the "it gets you wet when I tell you no" STOOOPP 🤤. You know that position where the girl is on top and the guy is like fucking up into her really fast? That's what I always think of with bachira lol like sure he says you can try being on top for once but the second you sink down on him hes wrapping his arms around you anchoring you in place and fucking you up 💖

I literally stopped dead in my tracks and gasped when I saw you're considering writing for dabi like OH!!? My FAVORITE writer on here writing for my FAVORITE character might actually kill me I don't know if my heart can take it 😭 I know you havent seen mha yet but dabi just had like HIS MOMENT and yes I will be adding a bunch of tiktoks below for it lol

Also are you excited for the new season of demon slayer 👀 God himself will not be able to stop me from seeing it in theaters idc if I cant get tickets I WILL be witnessing akaza and doma on the big screen

I actually have so many tiktoks to send you it's crazy lol

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG9LWW2/ HELLO?? If he looks like this I'm so excited to see kokushibo

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHnTgo/ the fact I'll also be able to see gyutaro in theaters 👀

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHoLg6/ my fav feminist 💖

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG96dkW/ who tf allowed him to be this pretty 👀

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG9j1QN/ him falling to his knees actually makes me wanna cry

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG9LTS1/ HIS VOICE 👀

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHt3GN/

Now for dabi 👀

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHwmb3/ I volunteer

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG9jw7c/ my unhinged boy 💖

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG9REHL/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHv4Ss/ HIS LAUGH https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHWfE9/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGHWPwt/ PLEASEEE MY GOD

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRGH3Hut/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRG96K12/ the fact they did it on purpose too lol

I'm so sorry I sent like an absurd amount of tiktoks LMAO but I've been saving them up for you 😘 I hope you've been doing well and I'm so excited to catch up on more of your fics 🖤 jjk anon

HI BABY OMG HOW ARE YOU IM SO GLAD YOURE BACK

This is a little bit late BUT I SAW ALL THOSE LINKS AND I WAS LIKE OH LORDT IM GOING TO NEED SOME TIME TO GO THROUGH THESE

PLEASE SEND HELP THESE HXH VILLAINS ARE RUJNING MY LIFE

I haven’t even gotten to chrollo yet I’m in some DEEP SHIT

PERSONALLY I would really like to see you watch AOT first!! it’s only because it’s my number 1 and I really really really love to talk about it 🥺🥺🥺

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD WATCH IF YOU HAVENT YET ?? GANGSTA! ITS ONLY GOT ONE SEASON AND I JUST WATCHED IT RECENTLY AND I AM HEAD OVER HEELS FOR WORICK AND NIC ( IT DOESNT HELP THAT THEIR VAS ARE SUKUNA AND NANAMI )

BACHIRA YES

So gagamaru is actually my fave of the boys

LOVE JUST A LITTLE ( big ) FREAK BUT BACHIRA IS SECOND

And then… there’s barou I think I just simp for anyone sukuna’s va voices honestly

DABI YES THAT IS 1000000% YOUR INFLUENCE because I’ve still only seen the clips that you sent me, but I WILL ADMIT I am more receptive to some of the characters in mha

LIKE I FIND THE ONE MAGICIAN GUY REALLY HOT AND I CAN NEVER REMEMBER HIS NAME BUT HE HAS THE BALLS YA KNOW

LIKE THE BLUE ONES

Black hair, wears a mask I think? IDK IVE SEEN THE PIC OF HIM ALL BLOODY FACED MISSING PART OF HIS TORSO AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS SEXY OF HIM

But I have been itching to write for dabi AND IM THINK THONKING HARD ABOUT IT

There will for sure be some dabi food on this blog very very soon

BABE DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW EXCITED I AM FOR DEMON SLAYER MY ULTIMATE FAVE IN THE SHOW ( KOKUSHIBO ) IS ANIMATEEEDDD FINALLYYYYY IVE BEEN WAITING ON HIM

I’ve also got an au coming out once this season does, because it’s all about the demons ❤️❤️❤️

YES TIKTOK TIME OMG IVE MISSED BEING FED

I’m also gonna send you a bunch that I’ve been saving, some are hxh some are jjk IVE JUST BEEN SAVING LIKE CRAZY

GYUTARROOOOO I LOVE THAT FREAKY LITTLE WEIRDO lil mantis man 😭😭😭

THE DIO ONE ???? KICKING MY FEET SCREAMING AND CRYING THATS MY DADDDDYYYY

THE SLUTTY LITTLE WAIST ON DABI I WANNA GRAB HIS HIPS IM NOT PLAYING AROUND 🔪🔪🔪

Bro his laugh… I adore it please

OH GOSH YOU FED ME SO WELL AND I HAVE BROUGHT DESSERT:

demon slayer ( plus dabi )

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNACsJ/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNGm9w/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNXa5v/ THE KOKU GIRLIES ( me ) STAY WINNING

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNHhXC/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNUWmK/

HXH ( mostly feitan and hisoka )

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNHwm7/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNfyeV/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNDqjj/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNHY9w/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNq2T9/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNU4dy/

JJK ( BACK TO THE ROOOOTTTSSS )

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNph6o/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNUHEr/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNVDQt/

SOME GANGSTA TOO

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNC2A8/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtN494w/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNgsoN/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNXp3b/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRtNX4Ko/

IM SO SORRY THAT WAS WAY MORE THAN I INTENDED SOSKSKKS

[kizanakinnie]

Maybe I’m a weeb under a rock but tell us a bit about Kokichi. Show a favorite gif, manga/anime panel, something. Use this ask as a free space to speak.

I got so excited when I saw this HSHSJBSHS I love him with all my heart

I didn't really know how to introduce this so I'm just gonna speak and answer the first two thingies about Kokichi then say whatever comes to mind so this might just be a blubbering post about what a good boyfriend he would be with some hints of other anime characters I love dropped in 😀

Okay so his favorite gif would be this hands down.

Literally only bc it shows up when you search his name 💀 he's a self absorbed babe.

He probably really likes death note. His favorite character is Misa. He probably screams "GET IT GIRLLL" anytime she does anything 💀💀

He also says he likes attack on titan but only actually watches clips of levi Ackerman and says he would date him if he was real. (new kinnie unlocked /hj)

Okay so here's where I had no idea what to say next so get ready for something. I don't know what that something is but its gonna be something.

okay so how do you think he keeps his hair up? He's gotta be using like a shit ton of hair spray so like how DRY and CRUNCHY would his hair be brushing through it? His hair has gotta be SO unhealthy. Also like he loves panta so imagine if he drank so much panta his hair turned purple. I know that's not logical but like I can see him staring in the mirror one morning being like "I could've sworn my hair wasn't purple before..... Oh well!" JSGJSGSG OR OR OR YKNOW THAT TREND GOING AROUND WHETR PEOPLE WOULD DYE THEIR HAIR WITH JUIVE PACKETS?? HE DID THAT WITH PANTA 100000%. Oh how I want him to dye my hair with panta 😩😩😩 /j do you think he uses emojis? Istg he unironically uses the poop emoji and the 😈 emoji 😭😭 anyway 10/10 boyfriend would recommend even though he'd be super fucking annoying. Now that'sall I have to say bc its 3am and I need sleep 💀

Nighty night 😍

[theoryfan205]

ONE LAST PART AFTER THIS LET'S GO SUCKERS @oceandiagonale

Valentine's day confusion part 5

Part 4 - part 6

What did he mean by that? Someone else?- oh arceus he meant cream!- "don't worry bout it, I'll handle paying for whatever they nicked from here. You focus on your surprise, they ran outta here pretty fast" the surprise! She hadn't had time to set it up but if cream was heading back first- "thanks bro, you're the best!" She turned and ran out of the store, leaving piers behind to pay as she made her way back to spikemuth. Luckily when she got to her room, she noticed cream wasn't around, they must not be here yet. That gives her enough time to set up the surprise, with red blankets in hand she moves around her bed and some sofa cushions, sets up the small light toy inside, puts down the pillows and places the heart shaped box down inside the makeshift fort.

-pov shift-

I finally got permission from my parents! And also learnt how to do it but this means I've finally got marnies gift! I excitedly run towards her room, opening the door only to see... A blanket pillow pile? Oh! I remember these from that movie marathon, a pillow fort! She's poking her head out of it when she notices me "👋 hi Marnie! Am I.. ruining the surprise?" I love how she looks, she's not smiling but her eyes are, it's that smiling look you don't need a mouth for and she does it perfectly. "Cream- no, no you're just in time actually.. c'mere" she pat's the floor inside the pillow fort and it doesn't take much convincing to get me inside, it's a bit dark but I can still see the red blankets covering the top of the fort, she pulls me closer and seats me down on some soft pillows, wait- "Marnie! I saw these today! I wanted them for you!" They were the exact same ones I couldn't show piers earlier! Did she get there first? "I'm glad you like 'em" she chuckles that beautiful laugh as she shows me a weird round box in the middle of the fort, with one of those ♥️ boxes Infront of it, "I'm sorry, I shoulda told you bout the holiday before but... I really wanted to make it special for you, cuz I love you." Before I could reply she moved over and flicked something on the box, as she did the fort lit up. When I looked up the red blanket had stars littered all over it, it looked just like... "😭😭Marnie! I love it!!" She gave me a cheeky look as she grabbed the other box and held it out to me "that's not all I got.. here, open it" she showed me how to open up the gift box, and inside was... A choker and a hair clip? They were both coloured red, with star looking details, she took out the hair clip and put it in her hair, leaving me with the choker. "I got these at that indeedee accessories place, my brother got me somethin' there when I was younger and... I wanted somethin' for you too, so... I got matchin' ones. It's a red star because, you fell outta the sky like a star when we first met, I can wear this in my hair and you can wear that on your neck" I looked over the choker as she spoke, it was dark red with a bright red star on it. If parents gave me tearducts I'd be 😭😭 but all I can do is make the face instead, "Marnie!! This is the best ever!!!" I barely take the time to put the choker aside as I throw myself at her, I just can't contain all my love! I need her to see it so I just gotta hug her! I can hear her do that small laugh full of love as she hugs me back "happy valentines day cream." This was great- "OH RIGHT I GOT YOU SOMETHING TOO!!"

[1d1195]

HAHAH OMG I love that you tell your bf you’ve known Harry longer than him! I mean you’re not wrong?! And not 1D in your collage?! Honestly love that lol but aww omg it’s so cute that your classroom also has a bit of Harry too! I bet it’s adorable!

I love target too! I love spending there and it’s oddly relaxing for me even though in others stores I’m fighting for my life lol

Also HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW PICS OF HARRY?! He just looks so good 😭

Omg I use to LOVE Lizzie McGuire growing up and I would obsess over the Lizzie McGuire movie! And I was so down bad for Chad Michael Murray in Freaky Friday like he made my head spin as a child lol and I heard Noah on the radio the other day and I immediately thought of you! Also idk if you saw or anything but didn’t Noah cover Falling by Harry on an insta live??? I think I saw a clip of it??

I would say my music taste isn’t that broad or diverse soley bc once I find something I like I stick with it lol like the hyper fixating lasts a while lol or sometimes it’s just really obscure artists lol But I would say some of my faves would be Arctic Monkeys, Lana Del Rey, The Marias, Laufey, Lorde and lately I have been obsessed with the song Tell it to my Heart by Taylor Dayne! I probably have more but like I said it’s just all over the place! Oh and there are some other artists that I listen too in Spanish! And I often listen to instrumental/classical music lol ITS A LOT lol

The dentist is a scary place and plus who wants a stranger looking in your mouth like?! I don’t blame you! But yay be proud of your growth!!! Even being a little less scared and more okay going to the dentist is such a win!! Also I didn’t know that 🐱 anon was responsible for the inspo of MADE TO BE, NEIGHBORS AND LIEK ZIPPER?!?!? THQTS SO WILD?!? But honestly so cool! I love all those stories so much!

And I could NEVER mind bestie! Literally do whatever you please!

And I’m sorry I didn’t reply sooner :( the universe HATES ME! Yesterday took my math final(that was something lol) and i had happened to get my period early :( AND I THINK IM GETTING SICK??😭 very sad honestly bc im not even done with all my exams :( ANWAYS the only plus side of yesterday was this hot guy who sat next to me and we got talking a bit 😌

i hope you’re okay! You know I always love talking with you!!!!

ALSO I SAW THE DING POST AND IM VERY EXCITED!!!!-💜

I literally have 4x6 photos of him on my wall at school and my students (who are INSANE and don't know who Harry is) at the beginning of the year are like "is that your bf?" and I usually tell them "in my head, yes" and point out the pics of my actual bf and they're like "he looks like Harry" and I'm "yeah, I have a type 🤭"

I would get married in the Starbucks at Target. That would be my ideal venue. For a honeymoon we would go to the clothing section.

I'll have to check out that song! and I totally know what you mean about diverse music tastes. I also stick to pretty much the same three things I really had to dig in the archives of my brain to get that info out for you.

Oh yes! 🐱 is my biggest Made to Be supporter! That's how I "met" her! I think she helped me continue the story--at least the last five parts minimum. Neighbors was entirely her premise and I just ran with it! One of the Zipper Extras I was totally stuck on and I think she had the idea of where I needed to go. She's a wealth of knowledge and help whenever I need it most 💕

I DID SEE THE PICS OF HIM. THIS version of him is the star of Ding 😊 He's delicious. So effortlessly beautiful I could scream. I'm glad you like the idea of Ding, I'm excited about it!

That's my bad bestie, we must have synced up via our telepathic connection. What a series of unlucky events on St. Patty's weekend no less. A math final, your period, and illness. You should get a lottery ticket, sounds like you'll hit it big. BUT A HOT GUY DO TELL MORE

I hope the rest of your finals go smoothly and I hope that you feel better ASAP. I'm doing alright. I need a mental health day. I'm spreading myself too thin but I don't think I'm going to get a real break until next next Friday the 29th 😭 but we'll see. Maybe I'm just being extra.

thanks for sending a message even when you're not feeling well. I hope the math final wasn't too bad, I would have given you all my good math vibes if I knew ahead of time but I'll do it retroactively just the same!

xoxo

[zepskies]

Oh God, here we go...

Your mind, moonstruck and lunatic, spun complicated cobwebs. Your feeble body and fragile bones threatened to crumble and crack underneath the devastating weight of the truth.

Wow, this bit of description struck me right away. What a lovely and devastatingly poetic way of conveying this...

Because as soon as he would acknowledge it, he’d lose you. How could he live with that?

Oh Barlen, pls. 😭 I just knew he'd be feeling this way. My heart is breaking for both of them really. 💙💙 But of course they're both blaming themselves (perhaps Beau even more so than her). His admission that he wasn't ready to see them together again broke my heart for the 15th time, dear God. 🥲🥲

He knew it was over. You’d never pick him. He wasn’t the love of your life. He wasn’t your once in a lifetime. He wasn’t true love. He was your second choice. The one you were stuck with. Your rebound.

Oh dude, something tells me he couldn't be more wrong about her and how she feels... Or at least, I hope he's wrong? 🫠

As you stood there, feet calcified in front of his bed, a set of familiar whiskey-colored eyes found you.

"Calcified" just really hit me in this moment. Along with "whiskey-colored" -- you're so very good at painting a vivid picture through your word choice.

In a way, her and Randy are so sweet together. It feels calm and warm and familiar, but maybe not quite right anymore? At least for her? As opposed to when she goes to Beau in the scene right after--them two together are just sparks flying off the stove. With them, there's actual passion.

But backing up to the Randy scene -- I really like how you played it and his accepting personality. Like, I know it's been a few years and you've probably moved on already. I guess we're not married anymore? But we could just get married again? loll Poor guy. As if surviving what he went through wasn't enough, now he's going to have to deal with the fact that his wife is head over heels in love with his best friend now. ❤️‍🩹

She's really not the same. Not only because of Beau, but because she's been through too much after Randy's "death."

“Wow, congrats, man. You deserve it,” Randy said with a genuinely happy grin. He seemed like a kid who was catching up with all his friends on the first day of school after summer break. Beau gave him a tight smile that said he didn’t think he deserved it. But only you could read that one. “Uhm, thanks, bud. I see you tomorrow, okay?”

“It’s okay. I get it. Trust me. I do. He’s your husband, and I’m just… Well, I’m nothin’,” he said, his voice laden with heartbreak. “Just don’t come closer, ‘cause if you do, I don’t know if I can hold myself back, alright? ‘Cause all I wanna do right now is kiss you and love you, even it’s the last time. I can’t do that to him. You understand?”

Goddamn it, Beau!! Can you give her, like, a minute to adjust before you already decide you're "nothin'" and she's not gonna pick you? For God's sake. 😭😭 (But totally on brand for him. Great characterization. Sigh.)

“Not the ring I thought I’d give you…”

Just keep pummeling my heart, that's fine. 🙃

He replayed the clips of the hospital in his mind over and over again. How Randy held your hand. How he touched your cheek. How he kissed you. How he looked at you when he first saw you – like he had finally found the piece of his heart again that he lost years ago, the same love in his brown eyes that had been there since day one.

Okay, but he was so focused on Randy's reactions, he didn't bother to watch her reactions, her struggle, and her reluctance.

“You ain’t nothing.”

What a romcom movie moment, I love it!!!

I can't go back to the way things were. I know you think me and Randy are some great love story, but so are you and I.

I'm with Beau on this one--please let her really, truly mean this and not change her mind and leave him later, because I don't think my heart could take it. 😭😭

“I want you,” you assured him, your mouth trailing a path of featherlight kisses along his jaw and down to his throat, his groan vibrating against your soft lips.

“I want you,” you assured him, your mouth trailing a path of featherlight kisses along his jaw and down to his throat, his groan vibrating against your soft lips.

How I love these little moments of softness and tenderness in between the amazingly hot ones. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 And I feel like Beau probably really needs that right now--that reassurance.

Your heart was the North Star, and your heart had led you to him.

Ahh I love a callback to the title! 🥹✨

You placed a gentle kiss on his lips and nodded. “I’m not going anywhere, corazón.”

Ugh, God, my Latina heart sang on that last bit! 😭 But girl, you outdid yourself on this chapter. I can honestly say that was some of the most stellar romantic smut I've ever read. 👌🏽😮‍💨❤️‍🔥

Aaaaand now I'm both excited and scared to see how Randy handles this news. 😬 Something tells me he's not going to take this news as well as the other stuff...

Polaris – Chapter 9

Series Summary: When Beau Arlen moved to Montana, he left behind a past he wasn’t proud of. But when a series of murders requires the FBI’s help, Sheriff Arlen‘s ghosts come back to haunt him one by one. With a wrong turn waiting at every crossroads, it’s hard to make the right choices and find his way back home – back to you.

Pairing: Beau Arlen x FBI Agent!Reader

Warnings: 18+, ramp up the angst, guilt trips all around, hospitals, bits of fluff in all the chaos, smut (with a heavy dose of more angst)

Word Count: 5.4k

A/N: Well, there was no way this wasn't going to be angsty af. Enjoy the ride, loves! 😘

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist || Tag List

Chapter 9: Marooned

The cool, breezy autumn air whipped you across your face, a sharp, frigid sting in your lungs that burned right through to your heart. Each breath you desperately clutched was a fight for life.

Your mind, moonstruck and lunatic, spun complicated cobwebs. Your feeble body and fragile bones threatened to crumble and crack underneath the devastating weight of the truth. You crouched down on the parking lot asphalt, head heavy in your shaking hands.

“Hey, hey, just breathe…” Beau’s deep voice and warm hand on your back were a short-lived comfort before the first sob broke through you.

He knelt down in front of you, large hands cupping your head when your own grew too tired to hold it. He rested his forehead against yours, green eyes leveling with you. His thumbs wiped the tears from your cheeks.

“Maybe it’s not him,” Beau bargained, his voice a soft whisper. His disavowing mind refused to accept what his breaking heart knew to be true.

However, there was no doubt in yours. “No, I’m sure it’s him.”

“It still might not be true… It could be one of those CGI deep-fakes. You know, they’ve gotten crazy good… She just wants to mess with us,” Beau tried to reason, every bone in his body fighting to accept the truth. Because as soon as he would acknowledge it, he’d lose you. How could he live with that?

Your eyes lifted from the ground, your gaze boring into his. “You really believe that?” Your voice was harsh enough to break through the solid brick barrier he had erected over his heart, your words a wrecking ball. A jittery and hesitant lick of his lips was his abdication. He lowered his head in resignation. “How’s that even possible? You saw him die, right?

Beau’s mouth opened without an answer, his eyes flickered alive with memories. Panic rose with realization and poisoned the pumping blood that coursed through his heart. “I-I saw him get dragged away… I heard the shot.”

He was sure. He was so, so, so sure. And then, it all fell apart. What had he done?

You straightened up, slipping out of his grasp, and clasped your mouth, turning your back to him as your body rattled with shock. “Oh my God… Oh God…”

Beau rose to his feet behind you and swallowed harshly as the realization hit him like a freight train. He wanted to reach out and touch you, needing you now more than ever, but he didn’t know if he still could. His mind raced a mile a minute with questions he couldn’t find an answer to.

How was Randy still alive? Had the cartel kept him all this time? How did Diane find out? And how the hell did she get a hold of him?

“Y/N, I-… I don’t know what to say.” His voice trembled. He could feel you drift further and further away from him till you were just a dot out on the vast ocean. He didn’t want to lose you but didn’t know how to stop it, either. He thought all he needed was for you to just look at him, and it would all be right again. But when you did, it shattered his heart into a million pieces.

“All this time he was alive and God knows where. I-I could’ve looked for him. I could’ve helped him…”

“You didn’t know,” Beau said softly, pushing your blame onto himself. He could’ve known. He should’ve known. He felt helpless, lost, adrift. “Y/N, what d’you want me to do?”

You needed a moment to clear your head enough to think straight. If it wasn’t Randy but any other victim, what would you do next?

“We need to find that bunker. Get him outta there,” you concluded. “You think he’s still alive? You think she’d kill him?”

Recalling the snippet of the video, you remembered the timeline only read an hour instead of the usual forty-eight. It wasn’t about making you suffer through his death because you’d already done that. Diane just wanted you to see.

Beau knew there were only two possible options. Either Diane caught Randy only to show he was still alive and then kill him, or she brought him back into your life to wreak havoc. But the hows and whys didn’t really matter. Both options would cause a rift between you two wider than the Grand Canyon. If Randy was back, dead or alive, Beau’s relationship with you wouldn’t survive it.

He knew it was over. You’d never pick him. He wasn’t the love of your life. He wasn’t your once in a lifetime. He wasn’t true love.

He was your second choice. The one you were stuck with. Your rebound.

“I don’t know,” Beau replied and forced some oxygen into his lungs. He didn’t know for how long he had held his breath. For a minute there, he had forgotten how to breathe at all – and he didn’t even care.

The ringing of your phone broke both of you out of your haze and fatal fantasies. You fished it out of your pocket and stared at the screen with a furrowed brow.

“Who is it?”

“Unknown caller,” you replied before you answered the phone, pinning it between your shoulder and ear. “Hello? Yes, this her…”

Beau watched as your eyes widened, how your brow rose, how your mouth fell open, how your heart stopped. As you hung up, he could see you swallow before you found his eyes. He waited with bated breath for news he already knew.

“That was the hospital here. They said someone brought in my husband.”

The stone silent ten-minute drive to the hospital felt like an eternity. Beau drove, his grip stiff and knuckle-white around the steering wheel. The heat of the old Jeep had barely kicked in by the time you arrived, your hot breaths coming out in vaporizing clouds as you bit your nails bloody and down to their beds on the passenger’s seat. Neither of you spoke a word, too terrified it would cut the last string between you that still tied you to each other.

As the bright sign of the hospital came into view, your heart thudded in your ears, so loudly you could barely hear the world around you anymore. Everything was subdued and distorted as if someone was holding your head underwater. All you wanted was air, but your lungs flooded with water.

Beau killed the engine in the parking lot. Both of you sat there in silence and petrified in time, two fossils buried deep in the earth and uncovered by archeologists with fine brushes millions of years later.

His gaze drifted up to the star-filled sky, green eyes locked on the North Star. He wished he could rewind the tape to that night, all the way back to the start where the two of you were still alive. His eyes then swerved to your hand that lay there untouched on the edge of your seat, his own palm twitching to hold it in his.

“You want me to come in with you?” Beau asked carefully.

It was the first time since you’d left the Sheriff’s Department that you looked at him again. Your eyes were pleading. “Of course I do. Please don’t go. Don’t let me do this alone.”

Then, you saw it – the flicker of relief that flashed through him. You recognized the insecurity and apprehension in his eyes. Your heart dropped. You had been so consumed by the news, you hadn’t noticed how he had spiraled. You clasped his hand tightly in yours. He squeezed it desperately back. He was drowning, and your touch was the lifeline he had been waiting for.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to see him. I don’t know if I’m ready to see you with him,” Beau confessed. He had endangered his best friend, deserted him, and left him to die. And that wasn’t even the worst he’d done. The worst was you.

“Me neither,” you admitted and interlaced your fingers with his. “We’ll take it step by step, okay?”

He nodded.

As the nurse sent you down the hallway to your believed-to-be-dead but actually only-long-lost husband, you didn’t know what to expect as your hand lingered on the door handle.

Beau could not only feel the tension in your body but physically see it. The stiffness in your neck and shoulders, the tremble in your hands, and the twitch in your eyes were a dead giveaway.

As you felt Beau behind you with a hesitant palm resting on your lower back, you wondered if you should tell Randy. You supposed you had to at some point. And suddenly, you felt overwhelmed.

You had been so focused on what awaited you in that room, you hadn’t thought about what your husband expected. Or was it ex? Did he know you had moved on? Were you still allowed to? Would he be happy for you? Would he let you go? Would he hate you for it? He probably would, considering who you ended up with. Or maybe you had it all wrong, and he would be relieved it was someone he loved, too. Wouldn’t you be if the roles were reversed?

His death had severed your ties, but now that he was back, were your vows, too? Did he even know everyone thought he was dead? Had you cheated? Was that what Diane had been trying to tell you? That you had sinned? That you were a liar? That you were awful? That you were a whore?

“Should I-, uhm…”

“No,” Beau answered your dangling question as if he could read your mind. He dropped his hand from your back and ceased all contact, even going as far as taking a step back. If you hadn’t known any better, you would’ve thought you were radioactive. That should’ve been answer enough. “Not yet, at least.”

“Okay.” The rejection hurt, but you understood. This was hard for him, too. Maybe even harder. You had to weather the storm alone, ship-wrecked and marooned on a desolate island.

“You wanna go in alone first?”

“No.” You shook your head and pushed down the handle, suddenly feeling more courageous and determined than before.

You barged in. Not gentle. Not slow. The urge to see him, face to face within the same four walls – after all these years, after all the tears – washed over you like heavy rainfall. You didn’t want to weather the storm – you wanted to be it. It felt safer than to seek shelter under driftwood.

Then, your heartbeats halted. The world around you paused. No murmurs in the hallway, no beeping machines or bustling footsteps. It felt like you were standing in the eye of the hurricane, everything else flying fast around you, but the center was calm.

As you stood there, feet calcified in front of his bed, a set of familiar whiskey-colored eyes found you. The slightly furrowed brow above them softened, his lips parted in awe. He still looked the same, only slightly aged by the years and what he’d been through.

“Randy?” Your voice was a quiet tremble but still filled the entire room.

A smile flickered alive on his face. “Hey,” he said, his own voice raspy and dry as if he hadn’t had water in several days. Deserted like he had been. His hazel eyes lit up, full of love and adoration. It was the same look he had always worn when he gazed at you. For a second, it felt like nothing had changed. It saturated your frozen heart with warmth and your gray and bleak vision with technicolor.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” you stammered with a thick swallow.

Randy snorted a bit. “Now, you know how I always felt,” he quipped, blinking the tears in his eyes away. He’d always been a ray of sunshine. He was light and sweet and good down to his bones. A part of you had expected that light to fade, though, considering what he must’ve experienced the last few years. But it hadn’t. He was still shining as bright as ever, his spirit untouched by the darkness that had tried to swallow him. “Are you just gonna stand there like a moron?”

A small laugh escaped you as tears began to sting your eyes when he spoke those same words you once had said to him. You wanted to cry when you heard them. What sliver of doubt remained in your mind that it wasn’t truly him vanished upon his words. Your feet wanted to move forward, but your heart tugged you back.

You glanced back over your shoulder and found Beau, standing with lovelorn patience by the door as he watched the exchange between you two. The muscle in your chest then stung, like someone had dropped it into a pit full of cacti. You felt torn in two, pulled into opposite directions.

Randy followed your gaze and finally noticed his second visitor, his brow shooting up in surprise. For a second, Beau felt nervous as he awaited a reaction. He expected resentment, hatred, blame, and anger. What he got, however, was a rising smile.

“Hey, man.” Randy seemed happy to see him, not an ounce of animosity detectable. “You two realize you’re staring, right?”

“‘S good to see you, Randy,” Beau managed to say and forced a quivering smile to his lips. And it wasn’t a lie. A big part of him was elated to have his best friend, his old partner, his brother back. But he couldn’t ignore the gnashing, lethal wound in the shape of you that Randy’s return caused.

Carefully, you stepped closer and let out a nervous breath as you sat down at the edge of his bed. He reached out and tenderly caressed your cheeks, brushing a few strands of hair behind your ear. A smile curved his lips as soon as he touched you again. It felt like he was holding a miracle while you looked at him like he was a ghost.

“You look good, sweetheart,” he said. His hand then slid down your arm to hold yours, fingers brushing over the one. His gaze dropped when he couldn’t feel what he was looking for, the tan line of the missing item around your ring finger still visible. Pensively, he licked his lips. “They told me everyone thought I was dead.”

“Yeah, uhm, that’s kinda my fault. I’m sorry, buddy,” Beau said and swallowed harshly. The sight in front of him almost took him out. Even though it was a familiar picture, one he had seen a million times before, seeing it now was a different story. After everything he knew, you in someone else’s arms that weren’t his felt like a bullet piercing through his chest. His heart was bleeding. “I thought you got shot.”

“It’s okay. Don’t blame yourself, man. It was crazy in there. It could’ve happened to anybody. I did get shot. Only the slug went straight through the shoulder,” Randy explained. “Cartel then took me to Mexico. Juárez.”

Your wide eyes wandered to Beau, the two of you sharing a horrified look. Randy had been right underneath your noses this entire time. You could’ve saved him.

“You were in Juárez? We were there, too,” you muttered in shocked realization.

“Oh, I know,” Randy said, surprising you both. Your heart beat faster, accelerating to lightning speed and close to jumping out of your chest. Did he already know about you and his best friend? But he answered your question before you could ask it. “Cartel talked about a task force moving in on them. I overheard them once. Said my old partner and wife were looking for me. When y’all got too close, though, they moved me further south. There’s nothin’ you coulda done.”

“What did they do to you? How are you still alive?” you asked and didn’t want to sound ungrateful for it, but you were completely baffled. You had too many questions racing through your mind.

Randy chuckled a little at your line of questioning. “You’re still the same.” He smiled and tore your heart apart, because you knew you weren’t. Not really. “I think they thought they could keep me for leverage. Trade me at some point? They held me in a basement at first till they moved me south. Kept me at farm of some cartel member. It wasn’t highly guarded, but even when I had opportunity to flee, I didn’t know where I was or where to go. I thought they’d either kill me or give me back at some point, but then months… years passed. I gave up hope they’d ever let me go. And then, one night they threw a bag over my head and I woke up in some weird bunker… in Montana. Apparently. Anyone wanna explain what I’m doing here? How did you guys get here so fast? They only brought me here a few hours ago. Had to convince them a little to find and call you since they thought I was dead.”

“I was already here for a case. There’s a crazy serial killer lady who took you. That’s who locked you into that bunker,” you explained and watched his brow crease.

“Huh.”

“I work Major Crimes now. It’s a long story,” you added quickly. You didn’t even know where to start. How could you recap three years?

“Really?” His smile was back. This time, it was a proud one. “That’s good. You always wanted that.”

“Yeah.” You blushed a little and gave him a small smile in return.

He squeezed your hand, his gaze flickering to your missing ring on your finger once more. “So, uhm… since everyone thought I was dead, I guess we’re not married anymore, huh?”

Your heart exploded like he had just deposited a grenade inside of it. You averted your gaze to your joined hands. “Uh, Randy…”

“No, hey, it’s okay, sweetheart,” he quickly soothed and chuckled to lift your worries, and you weren’t sure if it was a real smile or just one for your sake. “I’m just trying to catch up, you know? Get up to speed. ‘Sides, if we’re not married anymore, we could have a second wedding. Might be fun, right?”

Tears gathered in your eyes as you tried to smile through the pain. “Uh, yeah.” You nodded and hoped he couldn’t see your reluctance.

Randy then stretched his neck and pulled you closer, his lips meeting yours in a slow and chaste kiss that felt like your first. Tears of happiness mixed with sadness as they rolled down your cheeks. When Beau softly cleared his throat, you broke away from Randy, your cracked heart shattering into sharp daggers that sliced through your skin. What were you supposed to do, though? Reject the man you married because it would break the heart of the one you currently loved?

“I-, uh, I should go. Let you two catch up,” Beau said uncomfortably. The crestfallen look on his face destroyed you. “I’ll keep the press away from this for as long as I can. Lord knows they love a good back-from-the-dead story.”

“You can do that?” Randy arched a curious brow.

Beau pulled his jacket back a little and tapped the badge on his belt. “Kinda the sheriff here.”

“Wow, congrats, man. You deserve it,” Randy said with a genuinely happy grin. He seemed like a kid who was catching up with all his friends on the first day of school after summer break.

Beau gave him a tight smile that said he didn’t think he deserved it. But only you could read that one. “Uhm, thanks, bud. I see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Beau, wait–”

But he had rushed out of that room so fast, he couldn’t even hear you as the door fell shut behind him. You offered Randy the same tight-lipped smile and stroked his cheek. Your emotions were a mangled mess. A part of you was hauled back to the past, old feelings that you had buried deep coming back alive, while new ones reminded you that it wasn’t the same anymore.

“Give me a sec, okay? I’ll go talk to your doctor. See when we can get you outta here,” you said and waited for Randy’s nod of confirmation before you darted out of the room.

Your heart thrummed in your ribcage as you raced down the hospital’s corridors all the way to the parking lot where you finally caught up with Beau. He was on a fast-paced escape to his car before he stopped when you called his name.

“Beau, wait!”

As he spun around, he dragged a palm over his face in an attempt to wipe away the tears. But the evidence was still visible, his eyes red and distraught. “You should go back, Y/N. He needs you.”

The heart in your throat caused you to choke. “So do you. I’m so sorry,” you said, sniffling as tears flowed down your cheeks. But as you stepped forward to hold him, he took a step back.

“It’s okay. I get it. Trust me. I do. He’s your husband, and I’m just… Well, I’m nothin’,” he said, his voice laden with heartbreak. “Just don’t come closer, ‘cause if you do, I don’t know if I can hold myself back, alright? ‘Cause all I wanna do right now is kiss you and love you, even it’s the last time. I can’t do that to him. You understand?”

Everything in you wanted to break through the fence he had set up, full-throttle with a lead foot on the gas, but you thought it was best to respect his wishes for now. You didn’t even know where your head was and wanted to avoid hurting him more.

“Here, uhm, you should have this back.” He fished out your wedding ring from his back pocket and dropped it into your palm, the quick brush of his skin tearing you apart even more. The golden band suddenly felt heavier than it ever had. You didn’t even know when he had grabbed it from his desk drawer, but the foresight scared you. He let out a humorless chuckle as the sadness brimmed in his green eyes. “Not the ring I thought I’d give you…”

Your lips parted, your brow lifting in realization. Whatever dusted remnants were left of your heart plummeted. “Beau…”

“Don’t. ‘S okay,” he wrung out with a doleful smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, alright? Call if you need somethin’.”

With a passive nod, he jumped into his Jeep. You clutched the ring in your hand so tightly it almost burned through your skin as you watched him drive off.

Beau uncapped his third beer of the night (plus two tumblers of whiskey and a shot of his old friend Don Julio) as he sat on the bed in his trailer. A pile of your clothes still lay on the floor to his right, your favorite coffee mug stood in the kitchen sink, and your shampoo was stored in the shower. It felt like you hadn’t left, even though you had.

He replayed the clips of the hospital in his mind over and over again. How Randy held your hand. How he touched your cheek. How he kissed you. How he looked at you when he first saw you – like he had finally found the piece of his heart again that he lost years ago, the same love in his brown eyes that had been there since day one. And Beau understood, because he had felt the same way once, too, when you walked into his office – back into his life.

He told himself it was the torture he deserved for all of his sins. And he swallowed it all down – the hurt, the heartbreak, the jealousy, the possessiveness. He had no right to feel those things. Not anymore. You weren’t his. You never were.

How long did he have with you this time around? Five weeks?

Suddenly, he regretted leaving Houston, regretted leaving you. He wasted a whole year that he could’ve spent loving you. He always thought, in the end, he'd have more time. Eternity, even. How fucking foolish was that?

The headlights and sounds of a car in front of his home drew his attention to the window, shadows and lights dancing along the walls of his trailer. He couldn’t see his visitor, but considering it was in the middle of the night, he assumed it was either Jenny or Cassie checking up on him. He had texted them to let them know what was going on. But as he opened the door, the sight left him speechless.

“Y/N…” Your name fell from his lips like you were an angel he had prayed for. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if his eyes were seeing things right, or if you were a booze- and depression-induced hallucination. You wouldn’t be the first ghost that came back to haunt him, after all.

“You ain’t nothing.”

With those words still floating in the night air, you cupped his neck and crashed your lips against his, kissing him fervently with everything you had as tears streamed down your cheeks. He returned the kiss just as passionately, although you could feel a part of him fighting against it. But his large hands grabbed your waist and pulled you flush against him, the kiss lasting till both of you were bluer than the sky. You didn’t let go of him, though, hands holding onto his shirt, too scared he would slip through the cracks of your fingers if you did.

“Y/N, I can’t…”

“I love you,” you interjected his hesitance with firmness and gripped him tighter, your gaze drilling into him like you hoped your words would. “You think I’d just forget? You think my feelings for you just vanish into thin air? It doesn’t work that way. I can’t just snap my fingers and stop loving you. I can't go back to the way things were. I know you think me and Randy are some great love story, but so are you and I. Look, when he died, I grieved that loss and it felt like I was dying, too. I never thought life would be... exciting... and fun... and happy... and so full of love again. And then… I-I fell in love with you, and my life somehow started again. And I know this whole situation is fucked up and confusing and impossible. And I don’t know what to do… I don't know what the right thing is here. But I do know you feel right, and I can’t just pretend you and me and everything good that came with it never existed. I don’t want to. Please, just… I need you, Beau. You said you wouldn't leave again. You're not making things better by walking away...”

With a stretch of your toes, your nose grazed his before you gently claimed his plump, soft lips once more. Your tear-stained cheeks met the roughness of his beard. The kiss started ginger and careful, giving him time to withdraw if he wanted to. But he didn’t. His tongue slipped inside your mouth and stoked the flames of the fire that burned for him deep within your soul. Inhibitions were set ablaze as the kiss turned searing. He hoisted you into his arms, your legs wrapping around his middle as he carried you inside.

The trailer’s peaceful silence was disturbed by panting breaths, a pathway of clothes leading from the entrance to the bed. You peeled off his shirt, and he slid off yours over your head. You unclasped your bra and tore it off, pressing your tits against his bare chest as your lips tried to remain connected to each other through it all. By the time he sat down on the edge of the mattress with you on top, only two naked bodies seeking friction remained.

You wanted to feel him everywhere, wanted him to fill you and make you whole again until you stopped feeling like you were breaking apart at the seams. Hands roamed and explored as tongues mingled and savored tastes. As you straddled his muscular thighs, his arms wound around your middle and kept you firmly pressed against him, his hold on you strong as his fingers dented your flesh. You hoped it was enough to leave bruises behind. You never wanted to forget him, wishing his marks would be permanent ink on your skin.

“I need you,” you murmured against his thoroughly kiss-swollen lips, his cock rubbing against your soaking core as you gently rocked your hips.

“I want you,” you assured him, your mouth trailing a path of featherlight kisses along his jaw and down to his throat, his groan vibrating against your soft lips. One hand steadied itself on his broad shoulder as your other one fisted his hard, throbbing length and positioned it at your entrance, his cockhead gliding through your slick and teasing you till you shuddered with wanton need to feel him inside of you.

“I love you,” you whispered and gasped as you sank down, sheathing his thick cock in your warmth as your velvety walls welcomed him. With a needy and yet tender kiss, you soothed his grunt when he was fully inside you and prodded at your cervix. “Wanna make you feel good, okay?”

He nodded and squeezed his eyes shut. “Fuck, Y/N, don’t do this to me if you’re gonna leave,” he pleaded, his gravelly voice laced with desperation and pain. His hand softly caressed your face as he rested his forehead against yours. His love for you radiated in his green eyes like kryptonite.

You cupped his bearded cheeks and forced him to look at you, lifting his chin to find your eyes. “I’m not leaving you, okay?”

“But–”

You kissed him before he could bring forth all the reasons why you should, but you didn’t care. Your heart was the North Star, and your heart had led you to him. When you left the hospital, there was nowhere else you wanted to go, no one you wanted to see more. Your heart had only ached for him.

You were finally home, and now that you were back in the arms where you belonged, you kissed him so hard till his mind quieted down to a soft lullaby. You kissed him so hungrily till his cock twitched inside of you because you were the only one he wanted, too. You kissed him so passionately he felt your love for him seep into his own heart.

As you began to roll your hips, he met you thrust by thrust as he pounded up into you. His massive hands and sinful mouth roamed every inch of your body. Palms groped your tits and fingers tickled your spine. Lips kissed your throat and tongue massaged your nipples. Teeth grazed your flesh and beard burned your skin.

Your nails dug into the thick muscles on his shoulders and scraped his scalp as his cock split you open with each pump. His girth tore you apart, each time you eased back down a new pleasurable burn coursing through you as your walls stretched to accommodate all of him.

Your pace rose with the tides of your hips, your thighs flexing as your cunt stroked his cock and came closer to the finish line. Beau buried his head in the crook of your neck, writhing and groaning underneath you. His fingers bit into your flesh, surely leaving bruises behind this time. Your tits rubbed against his chest, and you could feel his muscles tensing and straining underneath your fingertips with each bounce. He was barely holding on.

“Come for me, baby,” you beckoned him, feeling your own orgasm approach. The fuse was sparked and burned a path right to your explosive core. “I love you…”

“Fuck!” Beau cried out and spilled into you, his body trembling in your grasp. Those words were all it took to tip him over the edge.

You came with a thundering moan. His release triggered your own, your pussy pulsing violently around him and milking his cock for all he’d got. His cum mixed with your arousal and gushed out of you, trickling down your thighs and coating even his balls. Your thighs shook with exhaustion as you let yourself fall down on him, his arms catching you and holding you close.

Still panting, his mouth found yours in the dark. His thumbs stroked your flushed cheeks, the rest of his fingers dangling in your hair, the grip soft turned bruising as he kept you lip-tied to him, the kiss tender turned rough.

His nose brushed yours as he looked deeply at you. You could see the despair drowning in his pine green eyes, his emotions overtaking him.

“Pick me. Don’t go,” he begged in a harsh whisper, your flushed face in his warm palms.

You placed a gentle kiss on his lips and nodded. “I’m not going anywhere, corazón.”

Chapter 10: It Matters – DECEMBER 06

Phew, writing that hospital scene nearly killed me 😮‍💨 Next up, we have even more drama as the awkward throuple reaches a boiling point...

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@thebiggerbear

Everything Beau Arlen: @snowayumi

Polaris Series: @corruptedcruiser

[quokki]

if your bias loving hours are still open, i would love to talk at length about lee felix and the perfectly sane and normal amount of love i have for him. i love him a regular amount. yes i just spent about £20 on a single photocard of him, but that's fine. i'm fine 😃

so i fully started stanning skz a little bit after noeasy came out, but ages before that i'd heard god's menu and back door and before knowing anything about them (names, faces, how many of these guys there even were) felix's parts were my favourite parts of both those songs. deep voice made my brain go brrrrr and then i saw the pretty pretty pretty face that voice was attached to and i've never been the same since. obviously i'm used to his voice now, but sometimes i'll like see that "wakey wakey" clip or i'll rewatch his tiktok of him doing his (perfect amazing immaculate) verse from muddy water and i'll just be like..... wow he really just sounds like that in real life huh? good for him

anyway i could probably write an essay about how talent this man is but i think it would quickly devolve into me just sort of crying and screaming and spamming heart emojis because felix is very good at breaking my brain like that, ult bias privileges ❤

but he's just SO TALENTED and i feel like it's really been hitting different this comeback because of his injury (and don't even get me started on that, i have been "like i know him personally" levels of worried about him 😥). he's been so limited by how much he can do for the maniac stages and at first it was breaking my heart to see him having to walk off to the side of the stage instead of dancing with everyone else (especially that one fancam that didn't even follow him off stage hello??? doing my boy so dirty). but he was actually able to do So Much with the little but of choreo he was able to do and it was just so impressive. like this part??

the part when he does the thing with his fingers?? i can't describe but it's SO GOOD, he's the only member who does it like that and that little detail is just so eye catching and so satisfying to watch and those little details are just So Him and i love it 😭❤

i also saw a comment on a tiktok that said felix this comeback invented walking and yes he did i mean

the presence. the intensity. doing the least but still completely owning that stage. he didn't waste a single goddamn SECOND he had in the centre even when he was just walking THAT'S MY BOY 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

anyway.... my absolute favourite dynamic in all of skz is the relationship between felix and changbin, not just because they're both my biases but because they're both just so incredibly sweet with each other. like felix admires and respects binnie so much and isn't afraid to be totally upfront about it (just like with all the members honestly, lixie has so much love to give 🥺💖), and binnie is really emotionally intelligent so it just feels like they understand each other so well. their 2 kids room episode is my absolute favourite, it was just 15 minutes of them complimenting the shit out of each other with visible hearts in their eyes, intercut with the other members talking about how much they love each other. my two favourite guys 🥰❤💕

anyway this is getting incredibly long, so to close out here are some of my favourite images of my favourite guy and thank you for allowing me to ramble about him 🥰❤

felix  felix  felix  felix  felix  felix  felix  felix FELIXX FELIXX FELIX FEELLIXXXX

pls he makes me so happy it’s stupid, he has my entire heart

this is obv but YES his voice is INSANE OFF THE CHARTS WTH DUDE

felix is THE most iconic period. NO ONE DOES IT LIKE HIM PLS

i swear i would be drawing him (and hyunjin) every single day if i could

oh god yeah im so worried about his injury... and i can’t help but think that he’s probably so upset he can’t do everything like the rest and it must be a burden on him and that’s just heart breaking

but you’re so right, for the small parts where he’s in the choreo he’s got all the attention because ofc IT’S FELIX

he’s literally love shaped 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗 i love how affectionate and loving he is sooo much

i love every single pic you sent!!!! great choices!!!

now here’s my special selection for you 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

send me a love letter about your bias 💌💌💌

[sweet-teeth-mfs]

TEMPO TEMPO DO TEMPO PLEASE

I hate love you. 

Yeah so due to recent mental health stuff I’ve not been overloading myself by watching any mvs repeatedly, (cause it can cause me to get really emotionally overwhelmed) so when I got this ask from Bee it was probably like, only the 7th time I’ve actually watched the whole MV since it came out? (I know, call myself a fan/mv lover!) and holy shit man, HOW DID WE GET SO GODDAMN LUCKY TO BE GIFTED THIS FUCKING MV?!? HOW COME WE ALL JUST FORGOT IT HAPPENED?? I know Love Shot was intense but come on, this was the fucking shit. 

BEST LOOKS: 

Well there’s clearly no way in hell to choose which look is best cause OMG YALL THEY ALL LOOK GOOD!!!

But if I must, 

Baekhyun:

This fucking look. Omg. I died a thousand deaths. I lived a thousand lives. Omg. 

The fact that he’s wearing a FREAKING CINDY SHERMAN TSHIRT is also you know, a fucking thing. 

Kai:

HOW. DID. THIS. LOOK. HAPPEN?!?!

HIS SOCKS ARE A DIFFERENT COLOUR!!!

HIS TROUSERS ARE WAY TOO SHORT!!!!

HE’S WEARING A KNITTED CROP TOP!!!!!

AND SUSPENDERS?!?!?!

WHAT IS KPOP?!? WHAT IS FASHION?!?!

WHY DOES THIS WORK SO FUCKING WELL?!! 🥴💦

Chanyeol:

CHRISTONAFUCKINGCRACKER!!!! 😭 

I legitimately had fucking heart palpitations when his tempo concept shots were released and we saw the fucking glory on fucking high that was Chanyeol’s like 2-day silver hair. Holy cow. It was…a maze ing. I remember Bee and I were working a conference and these shots were released in the afternoon and I just went straight into the office and printed them all out in full colour and hid them in my conference clip board and just you know, died repeatedly. 

Suho: 

Hear me out alright, but, even though this lothario!dad!suho outfit is all things terrible in my eyes (its just a big old plain NO) somehow, someway, it just works on Junmyeon. Its so cringe its fantastic? It’s also so incredibly SDJ that it makes me laugh. When I rewatched the MV for this ask I literally squealed the second he appeared in this outfit. Its so bad. Omg its so bad. I love it.

Sehun:

@feedmeramyun​ will tell you, I have a bit of a thing of not making a deal about Sehun (mainly because he always comes off as childish and has resting bitchface -like me tbf- but also cause I love teasing Bee about him) so for me to say that Sehun is included in some of the best looks in this mv is a lot but hot damn, Oh Sehun with red hair and in amber lighting does something for me cause yeah I fucking loved this look/these shots!!!

Kyungsoo:

Ok so Soo did like, amazingly style wise in this MV, but the outfit he wears in the dance sequences in red is just… oh god. I shouldn’t like it. I really shouldn’t. But by god I really, really do….

*looks at the clock and the length of this post already*

…..ALSO EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE WEARS LIKE COME ON ITS GLORIOUS I THINK I COULD DO WITHOUT DAE IN THE GIANT COAT BUT THATS FUCKING IT OMG THIS WAS AN AMAZING MV STYLE WISE. XIUMIN! LAY! EVERYONE! IT WAS SO GOOD! HOW DID WE GET THIS MV?!?!

BEST SHOTS:

ANYTHING with the holographic/iridescent effect had me in fits of delight, I love this kind of effect and for an MV, this was really well done. I especially like this shot (reveal of Evil/Avatar/Spy?!Baekhyun) and the shots of Kai and the piano. I’m such a sucker for tech rainbows. 

I also really loved the snap editing of this shot of Soo:

I remember watching it the first time and being like ‘Bitch snapped his head so hard his entire outfit changed!’. 😅😭Also for some reason these shots make him look so little and it just makes me chuckle endlessly (I’m sorry Bee!)

and definitely everything with Minnie and his insane firework hair:

I don’t think I would have changed a jot of this MV, except maybe to get a) more Lay b) more plot resolution (what the hell SM you give me some mystery cube bullshit and then don’t really follow through I mean wtf is really going on, mysterious concept more like cliffhangering your entire fandom i dont even know whats going on) and maybe just you know, more of it. 

I’d like more please.

🎥Send me a band + MV and let me rant to you about it

[scoupssolo]

Omg no take all the time you need with replying!! Legit you can reply in like, a year and I would come back to your ask like the simp I am for your blog xD also happy wolo day!! How are we doing with the woozi solo? Did we survive (not really) and let me take the first second to say LOVE the gfx edit you made for ruby!! I am in love with your edits and I just gasp like ??? How do you make them look so good!? I tried making one, going as far as going through your entire gfx tag on your blog to try to get inspired (which failed because idk how to make cool gfx edits) anywhoo a reminder to flood dreamy's blog with love :D

Onto the main message xD

But that is true, it can be tricky and sometimes a bit awkward but as long as I think you are chill aka not make drama and understand the situation I think its alright! I mean, it shouldn't stop people from enjoying the new content a group would make moving past a member(s) leaving. Like there's no rule in kpop that says "oh yeah only OG fans can support" but yes to the content finding!! Even it happens with seventeen i am sometimes surprised i see some old content like :0 omg this was a thing!? (I found some older content when making my svt secret Santa gift) its like finding a rare ruby (ignore that pun lol) its also fun seeing content that like, got SUPER popular on Tumblr piror to being a fan and then you watch it properly as a fan. Like it feels a bit more special or funnier? A good example is the iconic minho vs felix and seungmin and minho's cat discussion. Where poor minho was upset they didn't know he had 3 cats. I remember seeing that clip in twitter, youtube complications and even on Tumblr and found it funny because poor guy but now as a fan it made me laugh more? Seeing as I know "understand" the group more? (Also minho best cat dad)

Ooohhh *rubs hands like evil villain* thank you! Adding more content to watch later hehehe thank you dreamy! I feel bad for asking you about stuff jdjsjdjsjs like I'm sorry for asking you about content! Lolol not minho using staff account xD but omg yes I saw that clip so many times because I like rewatching it like my heart. Its nice to hear how much seventeen is well respected or hear how they treat others like how can you NOT like them?

ok first im SORRY this took so long to answer. also i literally typoed out a huge reply and my page refreshed 😭 so here we go again asfegx

i LOVED ruby!!! weeks later im still listening to it on repeat its sSOOO good and his STAGE for it ajnfzxgk amazing!!!! also him and hosh both making black and red themed videos was like a gift just for me because of how much i loveee that aesthetic!!!!

Thank you for liking the gfx!! i TRULY wish i could explain the process on how i make gfx like that because i KNOW its the thin i do ppl like the most and want to know how to do, honestly i should just screen record myself making one to tryyy to explain it better because im so bad at words. BUT i always want to help ppl learn things especially with gfx because i love seeing how other ppl design and how its different from how i make stuff! asdg going through my stuff for insp has to be so confusing my gfx are literally all over the place i can barely find inspiration from them. but if you ever have questions i will try my best to help <3

kpop groups literally put out so much content that i think even if youve seen it all its almost impossible to remember everything, i know i forget where things skz and svt do are from all the time and i find myself rediscovering things constantly.

I always use clip compilations to get into groups, and even though those are really funny, i think once youre into the group the whole experience changes because you feel like youre in on the joke once you see things in their context and from a closer fan perspective. its actually really nice to feel that switch, i think.

also NEVER EVER feel like ur bugging me!! for content or just to talk about skz or svt i love it (Despite me taking forever to answer im sorry againazfxg)

[keeponquinning]

RJ, I'm wiping tears. I was at the last two paragraphs and tears just came out. Happy tears. Joyful tears. Tightness in throat. I'm still emotional as I write this.

I know I'll be gushing about your other fics ( i have some of them in drafts re; your celebration fics ) but this was the first series of yours I fell in love with and I'm sad to see it go but so HAPPY for our couple. This was something special and you should be so proud, and I'M proud and omg i'm getting misty still.

This took me a while to read and I honestly think it's because I wanted to savor this for a bit. Read it little by little. Because a part of me didn't want it to end.

Okay. Here we go.

DEEP BREATHS.

Okay but I love that while the friend group accepted Ralph and didn't think he was, what feels like would be their words, OFF THEIR ROCKER....I do appreciate that they also felt a bit betrayed that they were lied to for the majority of their friendship, like, that felt genuine and valid, but I'm also glad they forgave reader and ralph for it because they are the best friend group and Ralph being overwhelmed by it just chef's kiss. NO MORE SECRETS. NO MORE LIES. Adore it.

BRINGING BACK THE TIMEWASTERS WAS BRILLIANT!! I need to sit down and see it properly. Can you believe I loved Ralph and really just saw JQ's clips of him?? I know. Is that a plot twist? I do have the first season on my laptop and ways to watch it so that'll be my next JQ watch list. But nooo, even from the clips the voices felt so genuine, like RJ, you're such a great writer. AND LAUREN !! We still do not like Lauren, and GOOD ON RALPH not taking her up on her offer. He's Reader's man and we sticking to it. I especially loved Horace's bit all, "Who would be with me??" like... again, I've only seen clips but I could picture that so clearly. I think I love him best.

THEY GET A HOUSE?! A TOWNHOUSE?! IT'S WHAT THEY DESERVE!! All those nights, and months of first taking the couch, then sharing the bed, they get a PROPER HOME. And I LOVE THAT FOR THEM. Ralph getting better at cooking, I have flashes of him microwaving an egg suddenly! AND LOOK AT HIM NOW! Making Reader's favorite meal and being a good little chef! how husband of him!

Wicked reader wearing special bra and undies set just for him and distracting him like that. We love it. And the smut... THE SMUT IS CHEF'S KISS ARE YOU KIDDING. We are making up for that pillow princess of an escort Victoria had paid for him for his birthday. We love that he's prepared, how boy scout of him.

The sweet reminiscing of their time together 😭🥹 how far they've both come! And reader is totally a sap but do we blame them? NO. The sweet affect of Ralph Penbury and we love to see it. ( except we won't unless we request and we will request bc not peeking in on these two--don't cry, yve, don't cry ) Talking about marriage, babies, and oh god how I teared up at, "I know, I'm thinking of the same thing" from Ralph I....

This was a beautiful end to a beautiful series. Every time a chapter would hit, it was my favorite time. I knew I'd be in for a good read, and I was always right. I'm gonna get mushy but shut up and take it. This is more to the JQ fanfiction fandom but, I literally hadn't gone into reading fanfiction in like....not since my teen years, honestly. And then I found Eddie fanfics and it drew me back in so deep. And in that, I found this series, and I fell so in love with the writing, and story, and characters and just.... I'm going too hard on this but like, there's always been talk of like...lack of interaction, of engagement, and yeah. There's always that sense of why am I writing this when barely anyone reblogs, comments, gives love. RJ, I loved this series SO MUCH. I am CRYING rn lmao laughing and CRYING. You gave so much love and dedication to this, and it SHOWED, it was FELT and like from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for this. Not just for something to be read but to be inspired to write as well. I just.... thank you.

ugh, this reader, is for sure the biggest sap right now.

Thank you.

busy streets and busy lives • ralph penbury x reader

A strange day at work gets even stranger when you meet a man who claims he's from 1926. With no certainty as to when he can get back, you decide to take him in until that time arrives.

masterlist | prev. | next

Tags: Timewasters (series), modern!au, slow burn, mutual pining, idiots in love™, fluff, some angst, swearing and mentions of adult themes throughout, eventual adult content, alcohol content, drug content, penbury is a fanon surname

Word count: 10.6k

A/N: 5½ months. 12 chapters. 107,600 words. All for a silly little idea I threw at my friends in a discord server. Thank you for being here. <3

Also, there's a part in this that's VERY reminiscent of a certain photo that released today. (spoiler alert, it's in the chapter card lol) I swear, I wrote that almost a week ago and the video just HAD to drop today of all days, DIDN'T IT. If Joseph Quinn is in my walls, please get him out of there. That's not a safe environment for him.

“Right, so, hang about…” Connor holds his hands out in front of him, moving one out to the side as if physically placing events into a timeline. “So, back in 192-whatever, Ralph meets Nick and that lot, who we went to school with, who have… Travelled through fucking time,” he sounds exhausted just at that phrase. You nod, and he moves his hand to continue, “Ralph falls head over heels for Little Lauren. That works about as well as anybody would expect,” he raises his eyebrows at Ralph, who shies away a little. “And Ralph joins the Army.”

“French Foreign Legion, to be exact,” Ralph pipes up.

“French Foreign Whatever, yeah,” Connor nods, moving his hand again. “He hates it, he runs away back home, he ends up meeting Homeless Pete.”

“Wait!” Grace’s boyfriend suddenly shouts, waving his hands around and making everyone jump. He points to Ralph. “That’s why your name’s always been in the back of my head! You lived in the fucking Waterstones building?!” Ralph nods. “So, you were filthy stinking rich, and you left that?!”

“Well, I… I may have left out some details about… I may have… Sort of given up most of my material possessions to Laur- the other Lauren,” he gestures to Connor’s girlfriend, who makes an expression that shows Ralph she understands that she’s not who he’s talking about. “Um, before I had left. Well, after I had left for the Army, but before I… Ended up here.”

“You were really down bad, weren’t you, mate?” Connor asks, cocking his head, and Ralph cowers back into his seat.

“Yes, well. That’s all well into the past now. Ninety-seven years in the past, to be exact!”

“Fucking mental,” Scott says under his breath. “Anyway, Connor, keep going with your…” He waves his hands in front of him.

“Yeah, so, you’ve not got nothing, Lauren rejected you and you still left her everythi- God, how did you survive without us?!” Connor shakes his head. “So you bump into H.P., who brings you to our time. You get rescued,” he gestures to you, “and…”

“Can I ask,” Scott’s partner raises a finger, looking at you. “What made you take him in, then?”

You look at Ralph and shrug. “I dunno, look at him! Who’d say no to that face?” You squish his cheeks in one hand, to his indignation, and you hear the soft laughs of your friends. “But… Yeah. Once I’d found H.P. and gotten as much of an explanation as I’ll ever get out of him, it was just… So much to wrap my head around. And I couldn’t just leave Ralph to the streets, he’d get killed!” Ralph suddenly looks very fearful, grabbing a cushion to hug to his chest. “And then next thing I knew, he was setting off alarms in the flat on his first day there, so I couldn’t exactly leave him home alone, so I had to bring him with me to Anna’s that night. I barely had the time to text you lot in advance, I couldn’t exactly leave you a voice note saying “by the way, time travel exists and I’m bringing a man who was born in the Victorian era, see you at 7!” And then the days were getting ahead of me, and I couldn’t even make any sense of it myself, let alone trying to teach any of you about it, either.”

“So, what, does he have to go back at any point? To like, restore the fragile balance of the time-space continuum or whatever sci-fi nonsense this actually proves?” Grace asks.

“Well, we thought so, and that’s why we were always so vague about him “going home”,” you explain. “But then, after Brighton, he almost - he could’ve gone home, and by all we knew back then, he should’ve -” You don’t see Ralph wince in pain at that word. “- but H.P. tol- well, told,” you hold up your fingers as air quotes, “Ralph that since the others had never returned to their own time, without consequence, he decided to stick around.” You smile comfortingly at him and he reaches out to hold your hand.

“Easily the best decision I’ve ever made,” he smiles back. “Staying with you, well, all of you!” He looks around the room. “I truly… I cannot put into words how deeply it hurt to omit the truth from you all for so long, but… Well, everything just seemed to be going so well for me, for once, and I feared that… To let that slip, I might… Lose you all,” he lets go of you to wring his hands in his lap. “Entirely selfish of me, I completely understand if you all think differently of me, now -”

Anna interjects with a sympathetic, “You’d have to do a lot worse to get rid of all of us.”

“Yeah, you’re the one stuck with us, Ralphie!” Scott jokes.

“I mean…” Lauren starts, pausing for a moment. Ralph’s face goes on an emotional journey of potential heartbreak, fearing he’s lost one of his best friends. Lauren remains stoic as she finally continues, “Yeah, it’s pretty shit that pretty much the foundation of why we’re friends is a lie.”

“Literally the only thing that Ralph and I kept quiet was the whole time travel thing, because, well, it still sounds stupid saying those words out loud,” you shake your head. “But everything else, it’s all been pure Ralph. Nothing else is based off any lies, it was just to… I mean, what would you have done if he’d have told you that night you met him, that he’d got here by getting in a lift with an old man in 1926 and ended up in 2022?!”

“I’d think he was off his tits,” Lauren admits in a quiet voice, much to Ralph’s confusion. “Yeah, alright, I guess, it’s… It’s complicated, innit?”

“Tell me about it,” you reply, exhausted, and the others laugh.

“It is a bit shit,” Connor acknowledges Lauren and then the pair of you. “But we’d all probably have done something similar. I mean, fuck me, I’d probably have left him with H.P. and let him be someone else’s problem. Good job I never found you first, eh!” Connor’s light-hearted smile falters at Ralph’s fearful look.

“Again, I completely understand if any of you feel duped into being my friend and wish to use your own agency to - just, please, direct all of your disappointment towards me and not -” 

“Ralphie, babes, we’re saying we get it. Kinda. I dunno, this is all messing with my head a bit,” Grace blows out a breath, and everyone makes general noises of agreement. “But of course we still wanna be friends with you, you big nelly!”

“Yeah, we love teaching you words and things you’d never know. Now that we know why, we can teach you way more!” Scott’s eyes glisten mischievously.

“I mean, I know I’m the one who technically turned you into a bit of a Swiftie, but I’m not letting go of that any time soon,” Anna jokes, which causes Ralph to finally let out a small laugh. “And besides, whose head am I gonna pat without you around?!”

“I never meant to deceive you all,” Ralph says quietly.

“We know,” Connor reassures in the same tone, “but you didn’t really trick us into anything. And hey, it could’ve been worse. I’d rather you were a secret time traveller than a secret serial killer!”

Ralph finally lets himself smile at Connor, who returns it. He sits up a little more confidently. “I can’t tell you what a relief it will be to never have to worry about what I say anymore!”

“I mean, still, this information can’t leave the people in this room,” you explain, gesturing around to everyone. “There’s all sorts of legalities that I’ve never been able to figure out, like a passport,” you gesture to Connor and Lauren, “or setting him up with a bank account, or medical stuff -”

“I mean, surely there’s people out there who were never registered at birth or whatever, right? Maybe we just play Ralph off as one of those?” Anna asks.

“Maybe. But who do we say he is? If we call him a Penbury, as in we try and say that he’s his own relative, his last technical record from 1926 is that he enlisted, went MIA and was presumed dead,” you shrug.

“Shit, yeah, your mum does all that stuff, doesn’t she? Have a look, see what his sister’s stuff says, maybe we can sneak him in that way,” Scott leans in, and everyone else starts shuffling closer, too.

Ralph, having been sat dumbfounded for several minutes, finally finds his voice. “Sorry, but now I’m the one who’s rather lost. So… Not only are none of you ousting me, you’re planning to deceive the law for me?!”

“Yeah, didn’t you hear Anna earlier? You’re family,” Connor smiles affectionately at him, and Ralph’s ears turn pink as his lower lip trembles.

You log into your mum’s ancestry account and once again look up Ralph’s name, your eyes going wide when you see the name next to him. “Okay, so Victoria’s got about six surnames, so I’m sure we can slip you in there somewhere,” you shake your head. Having only looked at his census before, you look through the data they have on Ralph and gasp loudly. Everyone’s gaze snaps to you as you flip your phone over to show them a photo of Ralph, dated February 1926, looking exactly how you remember he did the day you met him, dressed head to toe in Army uniform.

“Oh, you could totally say that you’d been digging up family stuff and you think you’re a dead ringer for… How many generations back would that be?” Anna asks.

You count on your fingers, “Okay, so 1901… Let’s say 30 years per generation, that’s like 3 to get to you being around our age… Which would make OG Ralph your potential… Great-grandpa.” You grimace at the same realisation that Connor and Scott come to, as they point and laugh at you.

“You’re dating someone old enough to be your -”

“He’s twenty-six! Please don’t make me think of it any other way!” You wince, making everyone laugh. “Three generations of unregistered babies is a bit of a stretch…” You shake your head. “Let’s just table this for now. He’s not going anywhere for the time being, are you?” You turn to ask Ralph, who violently shakes his head, still blinking his tears away. “There we go. So, let’s just let everything… Sink in, for now. And we’ll keep thinking of what to do in the long run.”

Ralph hugs everyone goodbye extra tightly. You offer an extra apology to all of your friends, yourself, but they all echo the earlier sentiments that they would have done the same if they were in such a predicament. That they probably would have talked you out of keeping Ralph fugitive for as long as you have. That, if anything, they’re grateful you never gave them the chance to advise you, because if you’d listened to them, none of you would have him in your lives, and one thing everyone in the room agrees on is that life’s been far better with him in it. You have to practically frog-march Ralph out of the door as he starts getting misty-eyed again.

Once you and Ralph are laying in bed, you cuddle up to him, wrapping your arm around his torso. “How you feeling, now?”

“I can’t feel much less than spectacular with you in my arms, my love,” Ralph smiles as he holds you even closer to him.

“Not just all the mushy stuff, you big sap,” you tease. “I mean, like, having to tell everyone.”

“Ah. Yes, well. That went far better than I ever imagined,” he admits softly.

“Wanna admit now that you mean a hell of a lot more to people now that you’ve found the right ones?” You look up at him with a grin.

He squeezes his arm around you to prompt you into leaning up to kiss him. Once you break away from him, he sighs happily. “I suppose, it’s a comfort to know what real friendship is supposed to feel like.”

“Exactly. You don’t give up on the right people. And you’re our right person,” you nuzzle into his neck and he buries his face in your hair.

“That sentiment is more than mutual. Goodnight, my love. Pleasant dreams.“

“Night, Ralphie. Love you, too.”

The next morning, you and Ralph both have the day off, a rare occurrence that you’re extra grateful for today. Of course, you’d love to spend it doing more of what you’d been doing just yesterday, but you’d rather be extra safe and get Ralph some protection, as well as your own birth control. And you needed to go into town for some other things, anyway. You decide to take Ralph with you, though - mostly, so that you can coach him into being able to buy his own condoms without spontaneously combusting on the spot.

Ralph wants to ask his boss something, too, so you head to the old high street where his shop is. While you do love his colleagues, you know that Babs will insist on you two staying for a cup of tea. And then another. And then she’s made you lunch. And then you’re spending your whole day off at Ralph’s workplace. Which honestly, has been fun when it’s happened before, but you do have things on your personal agenda today. And then when they’re done…

You wave to Babs through the shop window when you hear some vaguely familiar voices approaching.

“Nah, bruv, I think your mate Pete got his maths all mixed up, this ain’t when we left here.”

“Maybe we’re in whatever year he just wanted to come back to.”

“Nah, mate, I told him, clear as mud: take us back to the present day.”

“Okay, but Jase, you do realise we’ve travelled back and forth between multiple decades since -”

“Shhh, shut the fuck up, someone’s right there! We should just ask them.”

“Fantastic idea, sis. What do you want to do, rock right up and say, ‘Hello, completely normal and unaware person. Could you, for no strange reason whatsoever, happen to tell me what year it is?’?!”

You’d most certainly know that voice anywhere. Looking over at your high school crush, you smirk at Nicholas, his sister and his friends as you tell him, “March 15th, 2023.”

All four of them look incredulously at you. You can see some cogs turning behind their eyes until, finally, Jason shouts your name out. You grin and nod at him, and he yells, “Fuckin’ ’ell! How the fuck are you?!”

“Yeah, I’m alright. Still kicking about, you know how it is. What about you lot? You must’ve been… Busy.”

“Yeah! Yeah, um… Quick question, how did you…?” Nicholas starts, but pauses, trying to think of how to articulate himself.

After a few seconds, Lauren scoffs, “How’d you know to tell us what the date is so calm, like?”

“Well…” You singsong in a high-pitched tone as the door to the costume shop swings open again. Ralph emerges, to a series of shocked gasps.

“Fucking hell, doesn’t he look the spit image of -”

“Yeah, if you just slick his hair right down, and put him in a bow tie and a straw hat, I reckon - Here, you wouldn’t happen to have a great-grandad or something called Ralph, would you?”

“Wait!” Lauren shouts, holding her hands out. She studies Ralph intricately, who looks as though he’s still processing the sight in front of him. “You look just like Ralph, but all modern-like…” She points to him, and then to you. “And you know that we’ve been… In a different time…” She sticks her head out and squints her eyes back at Ralph. “Are you -?” He nods, still stunned into a wide-eyed silence.

Horace raises his arms in an excited greeting. “Ralph! My boy! We thought you’d died!” He pulls him into a hug that sweeps him off his feet. Ralph hangs against Horace’s body as though he were a ragdoll, his face still bewildered. “Let me take a good look at you,” he says as he puts Ralph down, before letting out a single cackle. “Ha, look at you! Look at this jacket, these chains! You’re a proper modern man, ain’t ya, with your sunglasses and your - How’ve you been, what you been up to?!”

“How did you get here?!” Nick asks in disbelief. You recap very quickly how Ralph found Pete - deliberately redacting that he’d attempted to return home to them - and ended up here, where you’d found him and taken him in.

Just as you finish explaining, someone approaches you with an, “Excuse me?” They tap your arm, but lean around you to look at Ralph and nod with a smile, “I thought that was him! Ralph from Twitter, right? Oh my god, I wish my phone hadn’t died, or I’d so ask for a selfie with you!”

Four confused faces look over at Ralph, but you wave the stranger off with a, “Not to worry! I can take one on his phone for him to tweet, if you want? And then you can save it for yourself when you’re home?”

“Oh my god, would you? That’s so sweet! Thank you!” They gush before posing for a photo with him. You quickly get their Twitter handle to include in his tweet, and wave them off as they walk away with a spring in their step.

“What was all that, then?” Jason asks with amusement. “Ralph from Twitter?!”

“Long story. I never told my friends Ralph was from the 1920s, so they thought anyone his age should be on Twitter by now. He kept tweeting inane shit that he thought he was Googling, people found it hilarious, and now he’s sort of social media famous,” you explain with a shrug, to everyone’s laughter.

Lauren looks Ralph up and down, not unlike the way Ralph looks at you, and rubs her hands together. “Famous, eh? I like the sound of that. Sounds like we’ve got some catching up to do, eh, Ralph?”

You feel rage burn through you at the audacity that Lauren has, clearly only interested in Ralph for a chance at fame herself. At how she could so outwardly come for your man - though, granted, Ralph’s been too shellshocked to make that much clear.

You, yourself, start to freeze up as you look over at him. What if this is it? The validation he’d been craving for so long? A second chance at the love he’d felt so strongly about losing, he’d fled the country. If he was willing to risk losing it all after having his heart broken, what else would he be willing to lose to win her back?!

Finally, after what feels like an eternity of silence, Ralph takes a deep breath in. “I don’t think there’s anything more to be caught up on.” He holds your arm to smile warmly at you, “You captured everything perfectly, darling,” before leaning in to kiss you. Jason and Horace hoot and holler, while Lauren makes a disgusted face.

“Fair enough. Rather you than me, anyway, I’d probably get sick of him after a while,” she sneers.

“Good job I won’t, then, eh!” You flash a sickly sweet grin at her as you wrap your arms around one of Ralph’s, hugging it tightly.

“Looks like you really are out of a shot, mate,” Jason grins at Nick, who shoves him.

“Give over, that was -” he flusters, and you laugh, which he sighs at. “Okay, well, so as to explain myself and not sound like a complete lunatic, I, uh… Might have had a bit of a thing for you in school, but I was always too chicken to do anything about it. And even though that was years ago at this point, apparently I’m not allowed to live it down,” he forces a smile on his face, making you laugh harder.

“If it’s any consolation, that was mutual, by the way,” you smirk. You feel Ralph tense under your grip and bury your head against his bicep. “But I don’t think it was meant to be, in the end.”

“God, can you imagine, in another universe, it would’ve been you and Nick, Jase and Victoria, and Lauren and Ralph!” Horace laughs before faltering. “But then who’s left for me?”

You shake your head. “What are you lot planning on doing in terms of living somewhere?”

“Dunno, we brought some stuff over from different time periods in the hopes we could make some big money off some antique dealers,” Nick gestures to the bags they’d placed on the ground while talking to you.

“Good luck, things have changed a lot in the last, what’s it been, six years for you? Yeah, the housing market’s a fucking nightmare,” you shake your head.

“Paying over a thousand pounds a month to live in a shoebox, I ask you,” Ralph mutters under his breath in disgust. You shoot him an offended glance and he simpers back, “But I’d live in a matchbox if it meant living with you, my love.” You grin back, angling your cheek for him to kiss it, to more retching sounds from Lauren. 

“Well, I was wondering if we could chance our luck with Ralph’s place, but seeing as though our only way in would be claiming Jason’s son left it to us in his will, when he’d be older than us in this time…” Nick shakes his head, and you and Ralph look incredulously at him.

“Sorry, what?! Ralph’s place?! You mean the big fuck-off mansion they lived in? That’s a Waterstone’s now, and even if it was, there’s no way you’d afford a place like that -”

The others look at you in confusion. “Victoria told us that the house was destroyed in an air raid,” Nick explains slowly.

You shake your head, pointing towards the bookstore. “Go look for yourself, plaque’s still there, and everything. She ended up spending all the Penbury fortune, went flat broke.”

“Explains a lot,” Lauren mutters under her breath.

“Yes, well, anyway!” Jason raises his hands up, as well as his voice. “I’m on about the one that Victoria ended up getting when he di- well, ‘died’, I guess,” Jason holds up air quotes over the word ‘died’. You both stand there in stunned silence, so he explains, “Vic said she found a letter from your dad, before the place got bombed, or… Whatever the fuck actually happened to it, it doesn’t matter, now. The letter was meant to go to his lawyer but I guess he never got to give it to him before… Well,” he gestures, and you both nod in understanding. “Anyway, so in this letter your dad had written, it said that he’d bought an extra place, for if you were to ever go off to war and want a place to come back that was all your own,” he gestures to Ralph, who swallows hard.

“Father bought… Bought me a house?!” He asks, stunned.

“He wrote some bullshit in there about how it might help you start a family and keep the Penbury name intact, that your… ‘pursuit of a wife would be easier if you already had a place of your own’,” Jason pulls a face and shakes his head.

Ralph nods in understanding, pressing his lips together with a faltering, “Now that sounds like Father.”

“So, when you ‘died’, Vic claimed that she had the right to inherit that house, and that’s where we lived. And, um… I sort of… Gave you a nephew?” Jason smiles weakly at Ralph. “But he went off and started his life elsewhere, and fuck knows what happened to him.”

“Hmm, I thought I could maybe blag our way into claiming that Jase is entitled to inherit it, too, because of the family name, but I doubt it, if JJ never came back for it. I seriously doubt Victoria’s still going,” he shakes his head. “Never mind, we’ll just start flogging this stuff and go from there. Anyway! Insane to see both of you, together, at the same time, but, y’know. Glad to see you’re both well, now.” Nick smiles at you both, and you nod.

“Good to see you guys, too! Helps put things at ease that the whole time travelling thing doesn’t make the universe implode on itself.” They laugh, and you look over at the building next to you before nudging Ralph. “Hey, they could probably try selling some of their stuff to your shop, couldn’t they?”

“There’d be no harm in trying,” Ralph agrees. “Though I should warn you, the owner is a tad… Eccentric.”

Lauren scoffs, “Fuck me, if Ralph’s calling someone eccentric, they must be a raving fucking lunatic!” She picks up one of the bags and heads to the door, slapping Ralph’s arm as she walks past him. “See you around, yeah?”

“Y-Yes, of course. All of you,” Ralph smiles, shaking the other men’s hands as they all pile into Ralph’s workplace.

Your mind starts trying to work in rapid fire, trying desperately to connect dots that seem impossible to connect. Thankfully, Ralph for once manages to keep you on task, even managing to buy what you’d asked him to - though instead of working up the nerve to seek out a cashier, he’d opted for the equally challenging task of trying to operate a self-service checkout while you frantically Google every little bump in the road you come across - though on incognito mode, of course, just in case.

Once you’re sitting down together in a cafe, waiting on your lunch, you finally try and articulate your train of thought to Ralph. “Look, all you need to prove that you’re a rightful heir is a name, a story that you’re related, and three months’ worth of proof that you live somewhere. So, granted, we’re gonna need to find something to sign you up to that’ll mail you stuff, but after that, in just three months, we might be able to get that place!”

“Well,” Ralph starts, wringing his hands together on the table. “Babs was telling me something about - about the taxes she has to file, apparently there’s some sort of form I have to be given at the end of the month, I didn’t say anything because she’s the one that pays me, but she had said something about deducting it from my pay already, it’s a… System I couldn’t wrap my head around,” he shakes his head. “But she did say… That if I’m asked to prove anything about my pay, she also has my official pay slips in her possession.”

You look at him incredulously. “So, what, they have your work’s address on them? As if you live there?”

“Not quite… She asked for our address some time ago, and I assumed it was in case of emergencies so I told her, and so I suppose that’s what she’s submitted on the slips. She said that she never sends them because there’s no point, if we want them, we can simply ask her.”

You’re practically vibrating in your seat with excitement. “So, we can take those… With your name on… Make up some story about how we found a photo online of your great-grandad who looks just like you and found out he owned that house…” You grin at him. “And it’d be ours!”

Ralph deflates a little. “I wish I could share your enthusiasm, my love, but I fear our luck has run out by now. I mean, surely I’d need a legal record, too!”

You shake your head furiously. “It only says they might ask, online. And you’ve charmed your way out of identification before on countless occasions, what’s one more time?! “

“It’s just an awfully big risk, I mean, what if we get caught? What if we’re imprisoned, questioned - would they even believe what happened with me? It’s just too close to being impossible!”

“Exactly!” You slap the table a few times before grabbing Ralph’s hands to hold them. “Everything about us is just shy of being impossible. You are a 26 year old man who was born in 1901. I am someone who’d given up entirely on love until I literally walked right into meeting my literal soulmate.”

Ralph smiles bashfully, “I wouldn’t have thought you believed in soulmates.”

“That’s my point! I didn’t either! I never would have! But you make the almost-impossible entirely possible. You made an entire life for yourself here where you are loved and admired by literally thousands of people, including the most ride-or-die friends you could have asked for. That are, probably right this second, also researching how to keep you here as long as we possibly can. Who can say they’ve got friends like that, hm? You think Victoria and all her little pals would put that much effort into keeping her around?” Ralph shakes his head. “Right. Because you’re special, Ralph. I know it. We all know it. Just… Come on.”

“But there’ll be inheritance tax, surely,” he counters, “and then, what? I haven’t paid tax in… Ninety-seven years!”

“So, if that happens, we do what Anna says. Once we’ve established that you’re definitely entitled to the house in the name of Ralph Penbury, we spin a tale that you were never registered. Sure, you’d probably be lumped with a load of tax to pay back, but…” You tut out a breath as you think before gasping, clapping and holding his hands again. “What if, we get the house, but I tell my parents we’re buying it, rather than inheriting it?! Get them to give me a loan for a deposit, you use it to start paying off tax stuff, and then instead of all our money going on rent, you can pay the tax people back and I can pay my parents back.”

“It all sounds rather hair-brained,” Ralph states, but with a smile that says he believes in the cause.

“It’s completely hair-brained,” you admit with a nod. “It’s insane and out there and nobody in their right mind would actually think it works. Which is what’s gonna make it work. Right?”

“It’s just - It’s the risk,” Ralph shakes his head, but you pull his hands up to your mouth, kissing his knuckles.

“Ralph Do-You-Have-A-Middle-Name? Penbury.” He laughs. “I am so… Ridiculously, madly, insanely in love with you that I would be willing to put my entire life on the line for you. I would quite literally risk it all.”

Ralph’s ears burn red as he smiles bashfully. “And you call me the hopeless romantic.”

“God, I know. I guess you’ve corrupted me, too,” you pull a face, and he laughs.

“You’re right, though. What sort of man would I be if I didn’t heed my own word? Though I may have far less to put on the line… I would do anything for you, my love. As long as I still have you, I will have everything.”

“Trust you to out-fluff me,” you smirk. “So, you’re willing to give it a shot?”

He takes a deep breath in, and finally nods. “Very well. Whatever happens, we shall have each other, always.”

You kiss his hands again with a grin. “Always.”

~~~

The clang of metal against metal as the door shuts behind you makes you jump out of your skin. “Jesus fucking Christ, warn someone when you’re doing that, won’t you?” you glare over at the uniform-clad man as he wrenches his key out of the lock.

“If it’s too loud for your delicate little ears, sunshine, don’t stay so close,” he sneers.

“Got no choice, have I?” you ask, rolling your eyes and gesturing down, and an almost wicked smile creeps along the man’s face.

“That’s what you get, ending up in a place like this where people like you don’t belong,” he tuts, shaking his head. “If you can’t hack it…”

“Oi, dickhead,” a voice calls from behind you. “You’re all done, now, ain’t ya? If you want to keep that face of yours arranged the way your mother made it, you’ll jog on.”

He looks at you with a smug frown, waggling his eyebrows, “That really the sort of thing you want to be known for? Dangerous reputation around these parts.”

You groan, leaning down to press your forehead into the knuckles holding your car door open as you’re standing halfway in it. “Just get that lorry of yours out of my parking space before I get done for being on double yellow lines, yeah?” The man kisses his teeth as he clambers back into his vehicle and drives away. You pull a face as you put on a mock voice, “‘Get a man with a van’, they said. ‘It’ll make your move so much easier’, they said. Prick. Thanks for helping me deal with him,” you simper at Ralph’s friend Charlotte as she scoops up a box from the pavement.

“Yeah, well. Someone’s gotta put pricks like that in their place, and it sure as shit ain’t our Ralphie,” she scoffs, and you chuckle. "Want me to go grab him so you lovebirds can say goodbye?” She says in a joking tone, pulling a kissy face at you.

You laugh, “Says the person who can’t go twelve seconds without sucking on Yankee-Doodle’s face in there,” you waggle your eyebrows.

“You’re lucky I like you, d’y’know that?” she teases, sticking her tongue out at you before turning on her heel, laughing as she faces away from you and sees Ralph emerging out from the front door of his townhouse. She wolf-whistles as the two cross paths, which Ralph looks very confused at, to your amusement.

“Sorry I have to go into work,” you pout your lower lip out in a frown as he approaches you. “They’re just so short-staffed, and I -”

“Don’t you fret, my love,” he interjects, leaning in to press a quick peck to your lips. “You must go where you are needed. Not to worry, we will remain hard at work here, and then when you return, you can relax in your new, furnished home.”

“Our home,” you correct him. “It is yours, after all. I just can’t believe that this is all real.”

“I’ve felt that way for some time, myself,” Ralph admits softly, stroking your cheek with the backs of his fingers, and you feel yourself physically melt against your car door.

“Right, I’m going before I end up feeling even worse about leaving you guys behind.” You pull Ralph in for another, longer kiss, carding your fingers through his curls as he cradles the back of your neck. A laugh bubbles between your lips as you murmur against him, “This isn’t helping!”

“Ah, what’s one more minute of them not having you?” he smiles coyly at you, and you raise your eyebrows at him.

“What if they said that about me coming back home to you, hm?”

Reluctantly, Ralph steps away. “Very well. Have a wonderful day, darling. Travel safely.”

You turn your nose up and shake your head. “Nah, think I’m gonna finally live life on the edge today.” Ralph gives you a look that tells you he isn’t amused, and you grin back, blowing him a kiss. “Be good!”

“When aren’t I?!”

~~~

You’re not sure that you’ll take the train every time you have to go to work, now; despite it being quicker, having to actively pay both ways and being sandwiched amongst so many people just doesn’t seem worth it. Still, today of all days, you wanted to get home as quickly as you could, despite all the local landmarks tempting your inner tourist. You’ve got all the time in the world now to explore them, and besides, it’d be far more entertaining showing them all to Ralph.

You unlock the door and are immediately greeted by the smell of something cooking, something really good. You step through the hallway and into the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe as you watch Ralph reading from a recipe book, squinting close to the page as he drags his finger across each line of his next instruction, his mouth moving along with every word. "Looks like you could do with some glasses," you pipe up, and Ralph yelps in surprise as he looks up at you.

"Hello, my love! Welcome home! Um, I didn't hear you come in, my apologies, I'd have met you at the door if I'd have known."

"It's okay," you soothe as you stride over to him, pulling him into a deep kiss. "What's this in aid of, is everyone staying for dinner?" A pang of disappointment strikes your chest. As much as you love yours and Ralph's friends, you were sort of hoping to have your first night in the new house alone with him.

"Not tonight, darling, this is in aid of you!" Ralph smiles over at you. "Since I have been learning, and you have been working so hard at your shop, especially juggling it all with sorting out the house and you've still been the one to make countless meals for us, I thought I would try and make your favourite meal."

You let out a small, happy whimper, kissing his cheek. "As long as it hasn't been stressing you out. Do you want any help?"

"Well, I suppose now that you mention it, I do need somebody to stand right there and just look casually beautiful, and - well, would you look at that, you're a natural!" He beams over at you, leaning in to kiss you again.

You grin bashfully, hiding your face in his shoulder. "God, look at what you've done to me! You've made me all mushy and shit."

"Happy to help, my love," he smiles, pressing one more kiss to your head before returning to his recipe.

"Sure you don't want me to help? Read things out or anything? I don't want you straining your eyes," you frown.

"Well, it's not as though I can get my eyes tested, is it?" he asks as he continues preparing food.

"But if it's just a case of reading close-up, you can get reading glasses over the counter in the shops," you explain.

"But aren't glasses rather… Unseemly?" he asks with knitted brow.

You shake your head. "If anything, the right ones would make you appear very, very… Seemly," you pull a face, not knowing if that was the correct term to use or not, and Ralph laughs gently.

"Just go and get comfortable, my love. I will call for you when dinner is served."

"Oh, yeah, forgot we have a dining room with a table, now," you smirk. "Just look at us, living the high life!"

Ralph gasps, "Oh, speaking of! Hannah left us a housewarming gift, she donated her tee-vee so that we could have one in our bedroom, as well!"

The way Ralph elongates the letters in TV so deliberately will never not charm you. "That was nice of her! How come?"

"She's moving in with that girl she met last month. All seems a bit fast-moving, if you ask me."

You look at him incredulously. "Look who's talking!"

"Yes, Hannah did point out something similar to me," he admits, ears blushing. 

You chuckle as you navigate your way through to your new bedroom. It seems strange, your familiar furniture against such an unfamiliar backdrop. Every room looks so dated - naturally, it hadn't been touched since the 50s, apparently. Still, that Pinterest board you've been working on for years is finally going to go to good use.

Your heart swells when you see the bed littered with rose petals, a classic touch that has Ralph written all over it. You explore all the dressers and wardrobes in the room, familiarising yourself with where Ralph and your friends have decided to unpack your things. You open up your underwear drawer, thumbing across the carefully-arranged bras with a smile. Finding a particularly intricate number, you fish for its matching underwear, and decide to change into it. Ralph did ask you to slip into something more comfortable, right? You find something flattering to put over the whole set and rejoin him downstairs.

He's stirring something in a pan, looking rather proud of himself, when you get back to the kitchen. This time, you tap your knuckles against the door to make your presence known, so as not to surprise him. However, once he sees you, Ralph immediately drops the utensil he's using back into the pot with an almighty clatter, his jaw visibly dropping. You smile bashfully and he clears his throat, "Forgive my reaction, my darling, but you look positively ravishing."

In Ralphspeak, you know that's the equivalent of him calling you the closest thing to sexy he's probably willing to say. At least, for now. Maybe you've still a little corruption left in you. Still, it's enough to cause your heart to race. "You like?"

"I love. I mean, of course, I love you no matter what, but…" He blows out a breath that tickles the curls that hang across his brow. "You really do look absolutely delectable."

After a lingering moment, you manage to tear your eyes away to look at what's cooking. "Speaking of, so does this! You sure I can't be of any help?"

"Not at all, my dear, it's just about ready to serve. And just in time, so I can no longer fear about getting too… Distracted," he smiles coyly, looking you up and down the way he always does. There's something a little different in the way he looks at you, though. A different sort of gleam illuminates his eyes. One that makes you want to wolf down your food, drag him up to the bedroom and pull him on top of you.

But still, he's worked hard on this meal, and he looks so proud of himself. Though he dishes up, he still rushes ahead of you into the dining room to make sure he pulls out your seat for you, guiding the chair back with you as you readjust it and kissing your cheek before lighting a candle you vaguely recognise as an old secret Santa gift that you never ended up using, and going back for your food.

You exchange stories about your day: you, about the stresses of working short-staffed on a weekend during a school holiday, meaning a terrifying crossover of screaming babies and toddlers, chaotic children, less-than-trustworthy teenagers and overly-entitled adults; Ralph, about all the different ways your friends almost broke almost every piece of furniture you own while trying to get it into the house. Both equally stressful for you to recount.

At first, once you're done, Ralph insists on cleaning up after himself, but after a lot of pouting, eyelash batting and gentle touches, you coax him out to sit in the living room - another whole room dedicated to one thing, you've not lived like this since you moved out of your parents' - and cuddle up to him on the sofa.

Your embrace barely lasts a minute before your lips are on his, again. He’s desperate to get as close to you as he can, clawing at your clothes as he presses the kiss open. Holding the back of his neck to steady yourself, you move yourself up to straddle his lap, letting your tongue slip into his mouth and moaning at the sensation of his against yours. He echoes you as his hands slip down your sides to squeeze your hips. You buck them under his touch, feeling his erection grow beneath you.

He chokes out a soft, “May I?” as his fingers curl around to grip at the fabric of your top. You nod, sitting back and holding your arms up to let him take it off of you. He starts trying to fold it up behind you but, impatient, you take the garment from him and blindly throw it behind you, holding his face to kiss him again.

He takes your hands into his own and guides them back down, his kisses moving from your lips, down your jaw and to your neck, where he finds an especially sensitive spot and stays there, kissing it over and over again, all while muttering sweet nothings to you. “You are so very beautiful, my darling… How fortunate I am to be this intimate with you… Just exquisite in every conceivable way…" You rock your hips faster at his words, throwing him off his train of thought entirely as he sits back and watches you lustfully.

His gaze isn't trained on your face, though. Instead, he's transfixed on the way your breasts move, both from your heaving breaths and from grinding on him. Biting your lip, you wrap a hand around the back of his neck and start pushing it towards you as his tongue just pokes out enough to wet his lips. "Wanna put that mouth to better use?" You ask as you guide him closer to your chest.

He gasps in soft delight, looking up at you gleefully. "Are you quite sure?" You nod and his face melts into one of pure ecstacy. "Thank you, my love," he mutters before taking one of your nipples into his mouth. 

His plush lips press against your flesh as he kisses, sucks and licks at your nipple. Biting back a moan, you rest your hand in his hair, ruffling it slightly and muttering with a smile, “You like that, don’t you?” He hums out an mm-hm that vibrates against your skin, and reaches up to play the other nipple between his finger and thumb. You keen towards him, grip tightening and head bending down to him as you groan loudly, “Fuck, that’s it, good boy!” Words you’d never have thought you’d say in such a context fly out of your mouth so easily, and you could swear he sounded like he was chirping with happiness as you said them.

He moves away from the breast he’s suckling on, pressing one more brief peck to your wet, hardened nipple, and starts to focus on the other, still brushing the other nipple with the backs of his knuckles. You whine, whimper and moan as your still-clothed cunt begs for sweet release. You’re constantly amazed at how quickly Ralph can bring you to an apex few had ever even managed to. “God, Ralph, need you so bad.”

“Of course, please forgive me, got rather carried away there,” he mumbles apologetically to you, but the kiss you press to his forehead tells him there’s nothing for him to be sorry for. Ralph looks around, his brow furrowing. “Um, I don’t wish to diminish the mood at all, but there doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of… Space, here.”

You cock your head, smiling coyly. “You wanna go to the bed you prepared for this exact occasion?”

Ralph returns a smaller, more sheepish smile, his ears tinting. “Ah, you noticed. I suppose, of course you did, it would be difficult not to. Still, was it alright? Or too much?” His face falls. “It was too much, wasn’t it?”

You fleetingly frown in thought. “A little, yeah.” Your expression quickly changes back into a grin, though. “But it was your brand of too much, which makes it perfect.” You lean back to unbutton his shirt. “Unfortunately, my brand is not being patient enough to wait that long.”

“I wouldn’t say that of you, you were rather patient with me all those months,” Ralph notes pointedly, and you laugh.

“Yeah, you used it all up!” You climb off of him, slowly sliding the bottom half of your outfit off, but leaving your underwear on. Looking over at him gawking, you smirk, "You sure you want this? Not exactly dressed for the occasion."

He reaches up to stroke the pad of his thumb across the intricate design of your underwear. "Of course, you had been wearing a matching set, but it was I who became so impatient that I missed out on seeing it in full, my deepest apologies, my love, I - well," he suddenly, hurriedly slips himself out of all his clothes, leaving them in a heap by his feet, making you giggle again.

"Maybe I'll still let you see it," you tell him suggestively, hooking your thumbs into the elastic of your panties. "Maybe I'll wear it all again and take some photos on your phone." With nothing left to cover it, you watch Ralph's cock twitch at the idea and bite your lip to compose yourself. "Maybe," you continue as you slowly push your underwear down your thighs, "I'll leave a video or two, as well." You watch his face as you let them fall past your ankle, stepping out of them and walking back over to him. "What do you think?"

"I think you spoil me, my love," he smiles softly. He reaches down to the jeans he'd all but ripped off of himself, fumbling through a pocket until he pulls out a condom and starts to put it on himself.

Watching the act of him wrapping it around himself and sliding it down is almost enough to totally distract you from your initial thought. Almost. "Did you really just have a condom just sitting there in your pocket? And you make out like I'm the horndog!"

Ralph blushes, "Yes, well, I sort of… Hoped we would… Christen the place, so to speak.”

You climb into his lap, hovering yourself to line up with where he’s holding his shaft. “I like that idea,” you smile softly before sliding yourself down onto him. You both let out staggered moans as you let yourself get used to the sensation of being filled by him, before kneeling yourself up to the point where you can just about feel his tip still inside you and then sinking yourself back down.

His hands grip your hips tightly as he moans your name. You repeat the motions a few times, revelling in the way it feels to drop onto him, having him enter you so deeply and so quickly. You soon start to feel an ache, though, and decide to pace yourself, keeping him bottomed out inside of you and grinding against him until you feel rested enough to go again. 

You can see Ralph’s mouth constantly silently moving, as though he wants to keep complimenting you the way he always does, but he’s too blissed out from feeling you clench around him, your cunt gripping his cock tightly with no intention of ever letting him back out of you again. You especially try to make sure you commit the face he makes every time you pull yourself out just to fuck yourself back down onto him again, to your memory, knowing that just remembering the way he reacts to you would be enough to turn you on, if you ever needed anything to fuel your imagination.

At one point, while you’re rocking your hips with him inside you, you finally manage to get yourself at just the right angle to hit that sweet spot that Ralph is always able to find. Keeping yourself at the same angle, you move yourself even faster, moaning louder and more often.

Ralph seems to notice, and does his best to hold you in place as he bucks his hips up underneath your weight. You curl yourself forward, arms wrapped around his shoulders and face buried in his neck as he fucks you from where he sits beneath you. Knowing how good it makes you feel when he mutters sweet sentiments to you, you mumble against his skin, “Feel so good, Ralphie… You always know how to, you’re fucking amazing… So good to me, so sweet, my Ralph, no-one else’s… My sweet and handsome boy, knows just how to please me, fuck.” 

."He whimpers and whines, music to your ears as you feel your climax start to build again. “Oh, god, Ralphie, I’m so clo- Oh my god,” you groan as he starts to massage your clit in rapid circles. “Oh, fuck, yes, so good to me, thank you… Wish I could, do more for you.”

“- Already do the absolute most, darling,” he soothes. “’M already embarrassingly near to finishing, myself.”

You shake your head, “Nothing to be ashamed of, not at all, god, please cum for me, Ralphie, and I will for you, please?” Ralph completely falls apart beneath you at your words, moaning your name and digging his fingers bruisingly into your skin. You feel yourself becoming one with him as you ride out your orgasm.

He wraps his arms around your hips, cradling you on his lap, and you rest your forehead against his as you both breathe heavily, intertwined in body, in breath, in spirit. You’d never, ever thought you’d even ever contemplate the idea a year ago, but in this moment, you really are certain that Ralph is your one true soulmate.

He leans in to envelop your lips with his own in a sweet and passionate kiss before muttering, “Forgive me, my love, but I do rather need to take care of…”

You whine indignantly, but stand to climb off of him. “Suppose I should actually change into something comfortable now, eh?” You ask humorously, and you hear his laughter from where he’s throwing his used condom away in the bathroom. The downstairs bathroom that you now have in the townhouse where you live with the love of your life. This was always pipe-dream material, but here you are. Living it.

You run upstairs, taking a moment to again admire the state of the bed and think about all the ways you plan to christen it later, and look through clothes to get changed into. Opting for a tank-top-and-pyjama-bottoms combination, you take yourself to your en-suite and freshen up as you get changed.

When you open up the door again, Ralph is just pulling a white shirt over his head, and you smile fondly at his choice to pair it with a very familiar pair of sweatpants. “Those were the first clothes I ever gave you,” you recall, and he looks at you with a similar expression.

“I believe that was also what you had chosen to wear the first night I met you, as well. When you gave me your bed without knowing anything at all about me,” he reminisces.

You giggle, “Oh, yeah, you wouldn’t even look me in the eye because you didn’t want to be ‘improper’, now look at you!” You tap his nose teasingly, and his ears flush red.

“Oh, hush,” he frowns, but the air of a laugh hangs in his voice. “You really were - I mean, to take me in as you did, in my time of need while knowing absolutely nothing about me, especially after Mister Peter told you my far-fetched reasoning for being here…” Ralph wraps his arms around your waist. “Giving me the life I have now, the friends I have, the - everything,” he sighs wistfully. 

“Yeah, well. You try looking you right in the chocolate buttons and saying no to that face,” you smirk, and he laughs. “It’s like I said when we went to the inheritance people to get this place. With my gift of the gab, and your gift of the… Face, the charm, and the everything else you’ve got going for you, we’re unstoppable,” you beam.

“I still can’t believe you were able to talk them around like that,” he looks at you adoringly, and you shrug.

“The amount of backlog they so obviously had, and the amount of effort it would have taken if we hadn’t convinced them to cut some corners with us, it was a doddle,” you shrug. “I could tell they weren’t the brown-nosing type, they weren’t gonna go back to check every little part of what I said we’d set out to do was legitimately within their procedures.”

“A skill set like that is wasted on your little clothes shop,” he frowns, leaning forward to kiss your forehead, and you laugh.

“Yeah, well. Maybe it’s time I look for something new that’s a bit more local to this area,” you nod. “I don’t think Babs’d let you quit, though.”

“Heavens, no, she’d be out for my blood!” Ralph exclaims, and you laugh loudly.

Once you’re back at the sofa, cuddled up beneath a blanket and watching TV together, even though you’re curled up against Ralph’s chest, you can sense something’s bothering him. “You alright?” You ask him.

“Couldn’t be better, darling,” he replies, but the tension you feel beneath your cheek betrays his lie.

“Nah, c’mon, tell me,” you sit yourself up next to him, and he sighs heavily.

“Well, I was just thinking of how… I mean, yes, we have a house now, at least, but I’m still not legally a person, am I? I know we said we wouldn’t openly use that story about me never being registered and so on unless it were absolutely necessary.”

“Yeah, we agreed, only if you need serious medical treatment,” you nod.

“R-right, but what about the other things?” He asks warily, twiddling his thumbs.

“Like holidaying? We can survive not going abroad, Ralph,” you laugh.

“Not just that… What about… Well, we could never be truly wed, or be a family,” you hear his voice get weaker, shakier.

“Sure, we can,” you wrap your arm around his shoulders and pull him so that he nuzzles into your neck, stroking his hair. “Okay, so we couldn’t get, like, legally married, but so what? We can still use the same bank account as if it were a joint one. I could easily change my name by deed poll. We could still throw a wedding in every other aspect, just without the signing the register. And as for the other bit, I mean, you can register with just one parent and add another later, if we do get away with your story about neither of yours registering you.”

“You seem rather sure in your knowledge, there,” he notes with a hint of amusement.

“Yeah, well… Maybe I looked into it all a little.” He looks over at you with a knowing grin, and you feel yourself get sheepish. “What?”

“Nothing, dearest,” Ralph chimes. “Just seems a little… What’s that word that you call me all the time?”

“Sappy? Tell me about it,” you shake your head, and Ralph laughs. 

“It’s an honour to make you feel that way, darling,” he leans over to kiss you. After a few minutes, he breaks away to stroke your cheek with his thumb as he holds your face. “You seriously see a future - of us? With me? I -”

You pull him in for another kiss, laughter bubbling between you as you do so, “Yes, you big dafty!”

He chirps happily. “Well, I suppose I’ve a lot to do, then, haven’t I!”

You take a deep breath in as you brace yourself to potentially let Ralph down. “Yeah, but… look, when I said I was looking into it, I meant as in, like, way into our future, yeah? We’ve got bags of time, I just want to enjoy it all with you, you know?”

To your surprise, Ralph scoffs at you. “Well, naturally. Did you think I would propose to you in this manner? Without so much as a ring? Or even your family’s blessing?”

“Oh, well, that won’t take long at all,” you smirk. “I bet you, when we go have dinner with Mum and Dad next week, by the time we even tell them that we’re together now, Mum’ll be asking you what colour her wedding outfit should be!”

A proud smile bursts onto Ralph’s face, but it quickly fades. “Do you think they’ll fear that us getting a house together is too big of a commitment too quickly?”

“Again. Ralph. They love you,” you reiterate to him, squeezing his hand. “And once they find out you’re responsible for us moving to Southwark, where they are? Dad’ll have gotten himself ordained by the time they bring out desserts just to make sure you’d become a permanent part of the family.”

Ralph’s heart swells hundredfold at the sentiment as he embraces you in yet another kiss. “I suppose I am rather overthinking things, aren’t I?”

“Just a tad,” you scrunch your face up, and he laughs.

“I mean, it’s really no different than when we were living at your flat, really, is it?” He chuckles, and you shake your head.

“Except we could have a pet, now,” you muse, and Ralph sits up straight, his face full of excitement.

“Could we get a cat?!” He beams at you, making you laugh.

“God, you and cats, what is with that?”

“I have a theory,” he muses. “Since Cheese and I got along so well so quickly, I think because we were so similar, he put in a good word with all the other cats. That’s the only explanation there could possibly be.”

After a brief hesitation, you laugh, “Sorry, in what way are you so similar to our old neighbour’s cat?!”

“Well, both of us were sort-of confined to our little flats, neither of us technically supposed to be there. I think he could sense that of me when I first met him, back when I… Upset that neighbour of yours.”

“Because you burnt your toast so badly that you almost suffocated the ninth floor with smoke?” You ask with raised eyebrows, and Ralph slinks back into his seat bashfully.

“Well, I’ve learned now, haven’t I?” He points out.

“That, you have. I’m so proud of how far you’ve come,” you hug his arm, shuffling up to his side. “With everything. How you’ve learned to cope with all this modern stuff, all the stuff you never got to learn growing up, and just… I’m really pleased you’ve been starting to love yourself as much - well, almost as much as I love you,” you simper, resting your head on his arm. “Ugh, god, I really am a sap now, aren’t I?”

Ralph chuckles, pressing a peck onto the top of your head. “At least we can both be, together, eh?”

You sigh contentedly as he wraps his arms around you, pulling the blanket around to make sure you’re both comfortable. You look around at the walls, imagining what decorating with Ralph is going to be like in the coming few weeks, and then picturing the photos you’d hang on there. Travels with Ralph all across the country. Your eventual engagement photos, because of course Ralph’s going to make that moment as photogenic as possible so you’ll have something to capture and savour that memory forever. Wedding photos, all your friends and Ralph’s all dressed up to the nines, singing and dancing the night away to celebrate the pair of you. Pictures of your eventual babies, some with Ralph’s eyes and some with his hair but all of them with his warm, kind smile. Those kids’ first moments, their first smiles, first steps, first day at school.

You break yourself away from your trance-like train of thought to see Ralph’s watching you with all the love that could possibly exist in the world currently living in his gaze. “I’m thinking of the same, too, my love,” he whispers excitedly, as though he’s able to see into your mind telepathically. “I can’t wait for the rest of our lives, either.”