#I worked.... Wednesday Thursday... got called into today on Friday... then I have to work Saturday Sunday and Monday

[dirkxcaliborn]

As a separate aside to something the last post inspired I! really hate.... how little annoyances build up. And like. There's so many of them and I don't constantly want to be like "hey this bothers me. hey this also bothers. hey sorry about sending so many messages but this also bother me" especially when they don't all matter, but I just. don't know how to sort through the ones that are actually bothering me and the things I just need to get used to. Not that I want to deal with literally any of it, I would much rather they all just stop being problems entirely. But as I'm noticing I'm bothered by stuff and then sitting with it trying to figure out if it's actually worth the misery of dealing with and saying something to someone, an issue will be sitting right out of sight and getting completely out of hand before I realize it and now I'm really overwhelmed and everything really, really bothers me and I can't deal with or get over any of it and I'm just,,, hhhhh...

[britneyshakespeare]

why does scheduling my work days give me so much stress and anxiety

[cheswirls]

short asl thing based on @where-does-the-heart-lie's modern au :) i started this over a year ago but the beginning is all dialogue and felt more like a script to me i suppose??? which deflated my desire to work on it. anyway i checked it over recently and it's completely fine lmfao, self-confidence restored here we go !

-

"Yo. Aren't you usually in the middle of your shift by now?"

"I've been banned from the hospital."

"Like, for life?"

"No. For the next, uh.. Twenty-two hours."

"That's oddly specific."

"It was twenty-four, but I fell asleep after leaving the building."

"That wouldn't have to do with why they kicked you out, at all?"

"Hmmm. I'm too sleep-deprived, apparently."

"Ah. And, um, you called me because...?"

"I pressed a random number in my call log after waking up. Lucky you, I guess."

"Yeah. Right. Lucky me. And your car keys are...?"

"Confiscated."

"Ah, right, of course."

A beat of silence. Two. Three, then "Look, if you're busy, then–"

"No, no.  You called me, so I'll be there. Give me twenty minutes."

"Alright. Thank–"

"Thank someone else. Also, if you fall asleep in my car, I'm taking it as express permission to drive you around wherever I want."

"Ugh, go die. I don't even know why I bothered."

"LUCKY YOU, I guess," sounds off way too loudly in his ear. "No take backs. See you in ten."

"I thought you said–" Sabo breaks off as the call ends, leaving him staring blankly at his phone's too-dim screen. He squints, turns the brightness all the way up, and still squints as the sunlight proves too strong for the display.

Ace shows up in more than ten but decidedly less than twenty minutes. Sabo doesn't waste much brain power on it, only climbing into the passenger seat and yawning into his palm while his other hand fixes the seatbelt into the buckle. Not a second too soon, too, as Ace roars the engine to life and peels away from the curb at record speed.

Ace fiddles with the radio. He turns the music up, then dial it back down to inaudible. They hit the expressway and he leans over the steering wheel, frowning with his eyes fixed on the road far ahead. Sabo yawns again and this appears to be the limit to his patience. 

"Hey, so, I had a thought after you hung up on me."

Sabo grimaces. "You mean you–"

"Today's Wednesday."

He doesn't elaborate. Sabo is too tired to process. "Yes," he follows, after a second. He glances at the sky out the front window. "What time is it?"

"Oh, uh." Ace fumbles with hand placement so he can lift his watch to his face. "Nine forty."

Sabo takes a couple beats to try and process this, moves his eyes away from the skyline, and sighs as he pulls his phone out. 2:47 is what the display reads, which sounds much more believable.

"How did the minute hand get off?" he mutters to himself, chancing a look at Ace's busted wristwatch. Ace raises a brow, taking his gaze off the road to scrutinize Sabo. "No, it doesn't matter," he mutters to himself once more, sliding his phone away back on his person and out of his hands.

"My point is," Ace continues, like he hasn't just been interrupted by a whole thing. "Your timeout will be done midday Thursday. Did they switch your days off?"

"No." Sabo sighs. "They technically gave me the next thirty-six hours. Technically closer to forty. Something like that. I go back in on Friday. Sometime.” He tries to smile and it turns out very lopsided, from that he can make out in the rearview mirror. “Can you tell I’m tired?”

“I don’t think ‘tired’ is an accurate description,” Ace quips. “When did you eat a proper meal last?”

“Uh, yesterday. Maybe.”

“Maybe??”

“A ‘proper meal’ means different things to the two of us,” Sabo huffs. “On my account it was yesterday. I’ve had food since then, of course.”

“Alright, so here’s the plan,” Ace announces before absolutely whipping it around a curve. Sabo is his passenger in the passenger seat and had fully prepared to be so when he got in the vehicle, but he’d been vastly underprepared for this sudden course of action, which is how he ends up halfway out of his seat with his cheek slammed into the cold window. Ace doesn’t quite notice his brother’s terminal velocity until the car is once again on the straight and narrow, and only then it’s because of the audible thunk Sabo’s face makes when it collides with the glass.

“Aw shit. You good bro?”

“Ow,” Sabo mutters. “If I have broken bones I’m suing your ass.”

“Well, if you’re good enough to make jokes, I think you’re better than you’re letting on.” Ace keeps the wheel steady with one knee while he takes both hands away to crack his fingers. When he glances over at Sabo again, he looks even more pathetic – like he’s becoming one with the glass. “Anyway, as I was saying.

“I’m taking your ass home. You’re going straight to sleep and while you crash, I’ll make you something decent to eat and stick it in the fridge for you to heat up later. I’ll even make you two servings to eat two different times, since you clearly can’t be trusted to take care of yourself correctly.”

“Ouch.”

“I want you to conk out for as long as your body allows. We can reset your sleep schedule tomorrow, alright? Put your phone on silent; do not answer any calls. In fact, you know what, just give it to me.

Sabo glances over to see Ace’s hand held out to him, palm up. Fingers wiggling expectantly. His lips pull up into a grimace. “I’m not doing that.”

“Fine.” Ace takes his hand back. “But you will comply with everything else.”

“Wow! It’s so funny, I didn’t realize you turned into my mother overnight! Really tapped into your mom potential, huh? Anything exciting happen in your life that would cause that? I guess I wouldn’t know, since I’ve been a zombie for the past two days.”

“There’s nothing wrong with acting like your older brother, you dipshit, especially if you keep putting yourself through the wringer like this. You go home. You sleep. You wake up and eat. You go back to sleep. Then we do laundry. Does that sound agreeable?”

“That’s negotiable, at the least,” Sabo mumbles. “I will accept good food as a form of bribery.”

“Oh, nice, because I’m flat broke at the moment.”

Sabo makes a mental note of that, and then they’re pulling into the driveway. Ace lets him exit the vehicle by himself and then promptly manhandles him all the way onto the couch where it will be easier to force his body to relax than in a real bed. Ace knows this, so he calls him weird before chucking a loose blanket at his head. Sabo is almost too tired to function at this point, so he lets Ace have the last laugh in favor of finally closing his eyes.

Coming to is a surreal experience, especially since the sun is still out. He must make a noise because Ace is suddenly within view. His limbs are tangled in the blanket and still so heavy that he doesn’t bother moving. “Thought you would be gone,” he half-groans, eyes slipping shut again for a moment.

“I did leave,” Ace confirms. “I had to go pilfer some stuff to make stew with. It’s almost done, so I’ll hang here until then.”

Pilfer. That could mean any number of things. Sabo chooses to believe in the option where Ace is an upstanding citizen, and then remembers Ace saying earlier that he had no money. He frowns and squirms on the cushions enough to where it looks like he’s checking his pockets. “Where’s my wallet, Ace?” he bluffs.

“Somewhere around here,” Ace pipes up. “Your stomach will thank you for your contributions to the Portgas Household’s pantry!”

“Ugh, I got robbed,” he complains. “This sucks. ‘m going back to sleep.” He rolls over so his back is to Ace.

“Yeah, you do you, bro. Stew will still be here later. I’ll see you when you’re back in the world of the living.”

—

Luffy comes in late that night and slams the front door shut as loud as humanly possible. When he appears in the main room, he doesn’t seem to be upset, so Ace writes it off as a Luffyism. Sabo hasn’t stirred at the noise, so it’s all good.

Realizing this, Luffy pads closer to Ace’s side and looks at Sabo’s unmoving body warily. “Why is Sabo passed out like a corpse? Is he sick?”

“No, he’s not sick, he just can’t take care of himself. Which is why we are going to let him sleep for as long as possible.”

Luffy just nods to this, but it’s the uncomprehending Luffy-nod that means he’s just going to end up doing whatever he wants to regardless. Ace sighs, then jerks his head towards the kitchen. “He ate a little earlier, but I want him to eat again when he wakes up. There’s stew in the fridge if you want it – just leave him a little. Got it, Monkey D. Luffy?”

Luffy throws him a salute and then runs off in his socks. “Yippee! Ace made stew!”

“Think of your brother, Luffy, and make good choices!” Ace calls after him. “He’s a pathetic man who needs food to feel better or he’ll end up sleeping through Laundry Day!”

—

Sabo does not sleep through laundry day, but he does sleep for sixteen whole hours, so it’s just around noon when he forces himself up off the couch and into a warm shower.

Ace is around, which is mildly unexpected. But he’s still half-asleep, so everything is at least a little unexpected. He glances up from playing video games with Luffy to see Sabo leaving the steam-filled bathroom with his hair hanging around his shoulders. “You look like a wet cat,” he calls.

“Sabo’s awake!” Luffy cheers. “Ace thought you died at one point.”

Ace elbows Luffy in the gut, making him hunch over. “I did not!”

“He totally checked to see if your heart was still beating!”

“I’m undead, actually,” Sabo says completely seriously.

“Does that mean you don’t need to eat anymore?” Luffy questions. “Because I ate all the stew last night.”

“I saw that coming and made extra.” Ace finger-guns in Sabo’s general direction. “That’s why I bought two sets of ingredients. With your money!”

“With my money,” Sabo echoes, because it’s such a wild statement to have to deal with this early in the day. Well, early for him. “Fuck you.”

“I mean, I can tell Luffy where I hid–”

“Thank you, Ace, for agreeing to share your quarters with both of your brothers so we can all do laundry today on your dime!” Sabo raises his pitch so his voice is mockingly squeaky when he says this. He starts moving down the hall before Ace can start to argue, letting his and Luffy’s voices bleed into the background.

When he comes back out, now dressed, it smells significantly better than before. “I reheated the stew,” Ace announces, gesturing for Sabo to take a seat at the kitchen counter. “Let’s all have lunch before we head out.”

“You have to drink this too,” Luffy tells Sabo, sliding a Gatorade across the counter so it sets in front of him when he finally does take a seat. “Ace’s orders.”

“Gotta get those nutrients back somehow.”

“Aren’t we so considerate, Sabo?”

“Do you even know what ‘considerate’ means?” Sabo asks, lips quirking up into a half-smile. At Luffy’s shrug, it turns into a real smile. “Well, thanks anyway. Both of you.”

“No sweat. And look!” Ace brandishes a five dollar bill for both to see. “I found this baby for us to use on coins! It’s all on me today–”

“Where’s my wallet, Ace?!”

[watermelonlovershigh]

Not So Patient After All {part. 13} (housemate!harry series) (SMUT)

"You've been a real, bad, boy." {part. 12} (housemate!harry series) (SMUT)

AN: i know, i know. full subrry will appear in the next chapter, i promise. after chapter 12 i thought this part would have him in it but then i came up with this idea and instead of making it too long, decided to make it 2 separate chapters. i hope you still enjoy!!!

This story contains: female masturbation w/ toy, sending nudes, sex, mild dirty talk, ass slapping, use of butt plugs, more sex

{ housemate!harry - boyfriendrry - soft!harry - teacher!harry - subrry }

word count- 2,628

You get impatient after your sex toys arrive and one day while Harry's at work, decide to use one and send him a naughty photo in the process. This leads him to pretend he's mad at you and two rounds of sex, one of which only happens because he gets hard again after you request that he wears one of his new butt plugs.

"Harry, Harry, Harry!" you call out your boyfriends name repeatedly as you move through the house carrying multiple packages. The toys you purchased a week ago have finally been delivered, and you are beaming with excitement. Bursting into your bedroom, you find Harry still asleep under your covers. Unable to contain your joy, you leap onto the bed, causing the boxes to tumble across the mattress, and playfully pounce on his sleeping body.

Harry's quick to pull the blankets over his head and groans in a raspy voice. "Mhm, what? What'd you want? M' sleepin'."

Rolling off his body, you explain, "Our toys came, Harry."

He reluctantly pulls the covers off his head and does a morning stretch, before fully waking up and becoming alert. Harry opens his eyes and glances around the bed, noticing you sitting beside him, with several small boxes scattered at the foot of the bed. "That's nice, but could you come give me a cuddle, please?"

You rush down and slip under the blankets on your bed, snuggling against Harry's warm body. Quietly, you ask, "Aren't you looking forward to our new toys?" Now you feel a little self-conscious about how happy you were when you discovered your deliveries had arrived.

"Baby, m'very happy. S'just, it's a Wednesday. I have work today. We can't use them until we have more time."

"Oh," you say disappointedly, not having thought of that.

Harry senses your disappointment and suggests a plan. He offers, "Tell you what, when Friday rolls around, I'll let you try out some of the toys on me. I know I'm due for my punishment, baby. You can wreck me and then Saturday I'll have time to stay home and recover since I don't work weekends"

Agreeing, you nod. "Okay, sounds like a plan. Sorry I got so excited. Just can't wait to use my new strap-on on you."

"No apologizing, m'love. It's okay you got excited. M' excited too, but we have to be patient."

After cuddling for a few more minutes, you sit up and proceed to open each box to simply glance inside and see what each item looks like. The excitement of seeing your new toys increases your happiness, but you must keep in mind that you need to be patient, or as patient as possible.

Then realizing the time, Harry scrambles out of bed to get ready for work before he's late.

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

Your patience persisted from Wednesday all the way through Thursday morning. Yet, as noon approached on Thursday, you were suddenly consumed by a powerful feeling of horniness. With Harry still at work and unable to offer any assistance, you tried hard to ignore the throbbing sensation between your legs. However, you became so wet that you had no choice but to change your panties, as they had become drenched from your heightened state of arousal.

When your second pair of panties get damp, you'd had enough and get up to go try your new rose vibrator. You feel guilty since Harry isn't here but technically there was never a rule that you couldn't masturbate when he wasn't home. Even if there was, you'd still secretly do it if you needed to bad enough.

After laying a towel on the bed, you undress and settle into a comfortable position. Taking hold of your new rose vibrator, you direct it towards your clit. While the rose was new to you, you were no stranger to suction toys. The moment you switch on the rose toy and place it in the right spot, you nearly jump off the bed due to your sensitivity.

Unlike the rest of your suction vibrators, this one provides a sensation similar to when a human sucks on the clit. While laying on the bed, you hold the rose vibrator against your clitoris, feeling your breath quicken and your wetness increase. In less than two minutes, you're already on the verge of orgasm. But before reaching that peak, you decide to turn off the toy for a second and engage in a bit of teasing with Harry.

You grab your phone and open the camera. In one hand you place your rose back on your clit and your other hand holds your phone. You snap a few photos and quickly send the best looking one to Harry before laying your phone down and getting back to business. Right as you're about to actually come, your phone dings beside you.

Opening your messages, you read Harry's reply and smile evilly.

Harry- Y/n, I'm working!!! You can't be sending me photos like that when I'm at work. Do you know how weird it'd be if I got hard in front of 10 and 11 year olds??? They'd be trying to send me to JAIL!!!

You- oops 🤪

After sending off your response, you complete your task at hand. With all the edging you've done in the past hour, you quickly climax upon switching the vibrator back on. A wave of relief washes over you as the pent-up sexual energy is released. Now feeling tired, you quickly clean yourself up and crawl under your blankets naked, drifting off for a short nap.

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

Harry comes home to a quiet house. He knows you're home because your car is out front. So he does some searching and finds you asleep in your bed. At first glance you look normal, but shortly after making his way over to you, he realises you're naked under your duvet. Probably from not having the energy to get dressed after masturbating earlier.

He wants to be mad that you touched yourself without him being here, but can't. The one thing he's never cared about is his partners pleasuring themselves while he's gone. As long as they think about him while doing it, he's all for self pleasure. But, to be cheeky and mess with you a bit, he'll pretend like he's mad at your actions.

You feel a tap on your shoulder and slowly open your eyes, seeing Harry standing over you. You do a big stretch, your breasts popping out of the covers, and relax back into the mattress. Making grabby hands, you whine, "Come cuddle with meeee."

He shakes his head in disagreeance. "Nope, you decided to touch yourself while I was at work, meanin' you obviously don't need me, so.... m' gonna go shower, along. You've been a very bad girl, Y/n."

You observe Harry leaving your room without looking back, and suddenly feel a wave of sadness. His intentions are unclear to you. So in order to avoid possibly upsetting him further, you opt to remain in bed for a few more minutes until your stomach rumbles, prompting you to rise and head to the kitchen where you'll begin preparing dinner. However, you make sure to put some clothes on first.

As Harry was taking a shower, he had a feeling that you might come and try to join him. He was actually hoping that you would defy his request and still shower with him. But, when you didn't show up, he realizes that you must have taken his words seriously.

After he's finished showering, he follows the aroma of food being prepared in the kitchen and discovers you chopping vegetables on the kitchen island. You gaze up at Harry with a deep frown as he enters the kitchen and whisper, "Are you genuinely bothered that I touched myself? You've never mentioned having that rule. Just so you know though, I was thinking of you while doing it. And I didn't watch any porn."

Harry walks over to you from behind and wraps his arms around you, letting you catch a whiff of his fruity shampoo and vanilla body wash. "Baby, I was just kiddin'. M' not really mad that you masturbated. I don't care if you touched yourself, we all do it from time to time. As long as I know you were thinkin' of me and I wasn't around, m' fine with it. Now, if I was around and you purposefully didn't ask me to help, I'd be a little hurt, but...".

Breathing a sigh of relief, you reply, "Oh, thank God. Because even if you had that rule, I'd still touch myself if you weren't home and I was horny enough."

"Hey," Harry shouts playfully, unwrapping his arms from around you, "now I might make it a rule, just because you said that."

"Whatever."

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

Later that night after everything else is done, you both end up in Harry's bed having sex. It's neither aggressive nor extremely gentle, just your standard, basic sex. Nonetheless, it is satisfying. It starts out with you on top, riding Harry, but then you express fatigue and he carefully lays you down and takes charge.

"Poor baby, too tired to ride m'cock." he mocks while thrusting into you at a constant speed.

You playfully slap his ass and Harry nearly topples over you, moaning super loud. You didn't realise a barely hard slap would have such effects on him. "Oh you liked that, didn't you, hm?"

He nods his head where it rests against your collarbone and answers, "Yes, do it again, please." You rear back your hand and slap his ass cheek harder this time, loving to watch his white flesh jiggle and turn red. "Oh fuck, m' gonna come." Before he allows himself to come though, he slips his hand between your bodies and starts aggressively rubbing your clit against his fingers.

"Ahh, Harry!!!" you cry out, your back arching as you come all over his cock and fingers. He continues his stimulation until you literally start crying from overstimulation. Harry removes his fingers from your sensitive clit but continues thrusting as he finally allows himself to let go and orgasm. His thrusts become weak and uncoordinated as he ejaculates deep inside you.

Once his orgasm diminishes, Harry's heavy body plops down on top of you, almost knocking the wind from your lungs. You both lay there in post-orgasm bliss until you have an idea. When buying your toys on Amazon a few days ago, Harry mentioned how he can sleep with the black silicone butt plug due to its flexibility. And tomorrow you will be fucking his ass. So what if he sleeps with it tonight to make sure he's nice and stretched for you tomorrow. You'd hate to hurt him in anyway.

"Harry?" you say, breaking the rooms silence.

Still breathing rather heavy with his head resting on your chest, he answers, "Yeah, baby?"

"Do you think you could sleep with that silicone butt plug in tonight? You know, because of what's gonna happen tomorrow, I want you to be well stretched so I don't hurt you. And..... I've never seen anyone wear one so I'm kinda curious as to what they look like inside someone."

Your question causes Harry to sit upright. Despite his belief that he doesn't need any actual stretching beforehand, it has been quite some time since he last had anything up his ass, and he would prefer to take precautions. Additionally, the fact that you've never observed someone using and wearing a butt plug serves as extra motivation for him to demonstrate the process.

"Of course, but um, let me just, you know, go to the bathroom and ensure that m' finished using it for the night and that m' completely clean down there. Then I'll come back and you can either assist with the insertion or observe me doin' it."

You nod eagerly as Harry gets up from the bed naked and goes to the bathroom. He remembers a previous incident involving a butt plug and a need to use the toilet, so he makes sure he doesn't have to go to the bathroom in order to prevent a recurrence. After checking his hygiene, he goes back to the bedroom where you have the butt plug and lube set out.

As Harry walks up to the bed, soft cock slightly swinging between his legs, you ask, "Can you do it and I just watch. I'm kinda nervous."

"Sure baby, but nothin' to be nervous about. It's just me, and I'd tell you if you were hurtin' me in anyway. But I can do it and you watch." He climbs onto the bed, still naked from your previous activities, and tries to decide what position he'd prefer to be in, on his knees or layed back with his legs up. He ultimately decides to lay on his back.

Harry settles into position, arranging pillows behind his back against the headboard and spreads his legs. Anxiously, you pass him the lube and butt plug, watching intently as he begins. Despite your initial desire for him to wear it and the upcoming anal sex, you find yourself feeling nervous. Excited, yet nervous. You've never gave anal to anyone before. Mostly because all the men you've been with in the past were too straight and thought negatively on the act.

With the bottle of lube in hand, Harry applies a liberal amount to the bulbous tip of the butt plug using his fingers, followed by wiping any excess off around his tight hole. You adjust your position to sit facing him, allowing you to witness the entire process. You observed how he delicately moves his flaccid cock out of the way and how he carefully goes to insert the lubricated plug into his slick opening. Just before Harry pushes it in, he looks up at you with a soft yet mischievous grin.

He has always harbored a hidden desire for either observing someone engage in self-touch or being observed while engaging in self-touch. Although not solely for pleasure, the act remains deeply intimate, and your observation right now nearly reignites his arousal.

With a deep breath, he relaxes his muscles and slowly starts to insert the butt plug into his ass. The lubricant prevents any pain during the process, despite the stretching sensation. You watch as his anus takes in the butt plug effortlessly, except for the heart-shaped diamond on the end, which sets nicely against his hole. Looking up at Harry's face, you see a slight scrunch, not from pain, but from relief.

"Mhm, fuck, that felt good." Harry annonces, his muscles turning to mush on the bed now that he's finished inserting the butt plug. You smile at him widely, about to speak when he suddenly grunts in what sounds like frustration. "No," he whines, "m' hard again. Too sensitive to be hard again."

Glancing down, you see his flaccid cock no longer flaccid, but half hard. The process of inserting the butt plug in his ass combine with you watching him, it turned him on again.

You let out a giggle and propose, "We could have sex again? Just slower this time. Get all comfy under the covers, turn the lights out, and when we finish, fall asleep naked. Hm?"

Though Harry knows it'll be slightly painful at first from how sensitive his dick is from his previous orgasm, he agrees with a nod. You climb out of bed to turn the lights off, then crawl back under the covers so your plan can unravel.

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

Thirty very sweaty minutes later, you're both knocked out cold in each others arms. Two rounds of sex was almost too much for one night. Not to mention that last round of sex was extremely pleasurable for Harry since he had a butt plug in. Wearing a butt plug during sex always felt super good in his opinion. It stimulated his prostate while giving him that full feeling he longed for sometimes.

Now you just wait until tomorrow night where the pleasure will be upped ten-folds when you fuck him with your new pretty pink strap-on.

(PLEASE REBLOG BECAUSE WRITING IS NOT EASY AND IT'S FREE SO JUST DO IT)

(if you want to be apart of my new tag list, let me know right here !! )

tag list: @swiftmendeshoran // @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite // @hsonlyangelxo

______________

My Masterlist Masterpost

Long Awaited Punishment {part. 14}

[my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction]

Floorboards and Astroturf

Jake Lockley x GN!Reader • Rating: T•Masterlist• ao3• want to be tagged? | request info • MK Bingo 2024 Masterlist • ko-fi •

Summary: Jake has a surprise for you on a rainy day.

🌛For @moonknight-events MK Bingo Spring 2024 Event🌜

A/N: Short and sweet <3 (I hope)

Warnings: fluff, reader being a little grumpy, Jake Jumpscare, Jake calling reader 'amor', typos - my head is really not in the game atm, please let me know if I've missed a warning!

Word Count: 643

You were a little bummed out as you made your way home from work on Friday. 

Not because the traffic was bad (it was) or that the bus was late (as normal) and full to the brim (you did manage to find some space towards the back doors), but because it raining. 

And was going to continue to do so for the rest of the weekend. 

On Wednesday the weather forecast had said the weekend ahead would have clear skies. On Thursday it predicted sunshine. 

And now here you were with a full year's worth of rain over two days. Excellent. 

Not that weather patterns that changed at the flip of a coin wasn’t unusual. It was just that you’d planned to go on a picnic on Saturday with Steven, Marc, and Jake to Greenwich park. And now that definitely wasn’t going to happen. Unless you want wanted to swim there and back. 

So you were in a little bit of a bad mood when you got back to the flat. Shutting the door a little too hard, stamping your feet as you took off your shoes and sighing. 

You didn’t expect Jake to be grinning like the Cheshire cat right in front of you when you turned around. 

“Fuck!” You visually jump and Jake can’t stop a small chuckle. 

“Sorry amor, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Could have fooled me.” You said a little harsher than normal, but Jake didn’t seem to mind. 

He holds up his hands and smiles. 

“What are you doing there anyway, just… standing there?” 

“Waiting for you.”

You give him a look. 

“I heard your footsteps in the hall.” He shrugs as if it’s not a big deal, and you decide to let his uncanny ability to differentiate individuals slip for now. “I have a surprise for you.” 

You raise an eyebrow at him as he steps forward and helps you out of your coat before handing it on the stand. 

“Thank you.” You mumble, starting to smile at how purposefully over the top he is acting, putting on a playful performance for you.

He takes you by the hand and leads you further into the flat. Once your field of vision isn’t blocked by Steven’s bookshelf you laugh quietly. A large grin spreads itself over your face, your shoulders relaxing. 

Jake smiles wider. 

He’s moved the furniture out of the way so that there’s a large space on the floor. There’s a large patch of floorboards that are covered with fake grass and topped with a tartan blanket. He’s also set up the mini projector with his phone, an image of a sunny park projected onto the bedsheet he’s draped over one of the bookshelves. 

By the blanket is a selection of food and drink, some that you purposefully bought for the weekend yesterday, and some that he’s obviously made today. 

“You like it?” He asks, eyes sparkling even though he knows the answer.

“I love it.” You say softly before you turn and hug him tightly. 

“I know you were disappointed about the weather…” he kisses your cheek. “I don’t deserve all the credit, Marc and Steven helped.” 

“Not true!” Steven suddenly chimes in.

“Came up with the idea and did it all himself!” Marc adds proudly. 

A touch of heat builds in Jake’s cheeks. “Yeah… well, you guys helped.” 

You giggle and kiss him lightly. “You’re the sweetest person in the world, Jake Lockley.” 

He grins, giving you another little squeeze and puffing his chest out a little. “I’m okay.” 

“The best.” 

He presses his lips to yours, soft and sweet, but deep and longing. Slowly taking you apart with his tongue. “Does the best person get whatever he wants?” He teases. 

“I don’t know…” You pretend to think. “What does he want?” 

He nuzzles your cheek. “I think you have a rough idea.”

____________________________________________

Thank you for reading!

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[bitchesgetriches]

I'm so proud of myself, bitches! I was working a job I didn't really like, doing physical labor all by my lonesome (house cleaning), and on Monday I decided "to hell with it" and quit because I couldn't take it any more. But wait, there's more! I utilized my local workforce center to look for and apply to jobs, got a call back on Tuesday, did a mock interview Wednesday, and then today (Thursday) I had my actual interview and they gave me the job! And it's a big girl job in an office! I have some paperwork to do ASAP on Friday, but I start Monday! This is crazy! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh <- dats me screamin with joy

HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHITBALLS, THAT'S AWESOME!!! Oh, we're so proud of you, babycakes. Thanks for starting our week off with some GREAT news!

Did we just help you out? Say thanks with a Patreon donation!

[friendly-neighborhood-boricua]

[5] James Takes Liam to School

Summary: The month following your birthday sees you and Liam growing closer with James outside of school, and when you're stressed and in a rush, James offers to help.

Notes: Marauders modern elementary school AU, kindergarten teacher!James Potter x nurse!reader, mom!reader x son!OC (Liam). Last one was really long and this one is kinda just regular length, sorry :/

A/N (26/7/2024): ok I made a small change since I first posted this ... just figured a little Tonks cameo would be fun lol so now Tonks watches Liam before school :)

Previous Part: Liam and James Make You A Birthday Gift Next Part: You Get A Visitor in the ER Series Masterlist here

Okok first lemme explain something really quick

Your apartment building has a lobby sort of thing on the first floor right as you walk in

And this lobby doesn’t really have a ceiling if you know what I mean? Like the building is hollow above the lobby area, and there are like balcony/hallway things inside the building for each floor where you can enter the apartments

(idk if that makes sense but please just bear with me on this one pls)

So you and Liam’s apartment is on the second floor of the building, right above the post boxes for the building

And you, Liam, and James have figured out that James’ apartment is the one right above yours

You’re not 100% sure how you feel about this yet … but so far it’s only brought good things (read: cookies for your birthday and seeing James get his mail every day while you’re on your way out the door for work)

James, on the other hand, is lowkey super thrilled

Bc he loves (LOVES) to see you in your scrubs early every morning

The two of you have made a habit of making light conversation for a couple minutes in the morning

(Or sometimes James just waves at you with the sweetest, prettiest, kindest smile if you’re in a rush)

It’s the highlight of James’ day tbh

Maybe tied with seeing Liam at school

You and James have actually become pretty good friends through these small interactions

Over the month or so since your birthday, James has learned, little by little, what constitutes a regular day in you and Liam’s household

Mornings are rather chaotic since you usually work 12-hour shifts from 7 to 7, so you pay one of the high school girls that lives in the building to watch Liam for an hour and drive him to school

You leave at 6:30-ish, which is right around the time James gets his mail (fucking morning person)

(He's started putting an alarm on his phone for 6:20 to remember to see you get the mail every morning)

Tonks is the girl who watches Liam in the morning (she insists you call her that and who are you to say no), and she also picks him up from school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and drops him off at Ms. Hope’s house across the street for a few hours before you can pick him up from there and take him home (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Ms. Hope can pick Liam up herself)

It’s a couple evenings a week that James crosses paths with you and Liam as you’re walking across the street back from Ms. Hope’s house

He always takes fifteen minutes or so (as long as you and Liam have the time) to talk with Liam about his day, what he enjoyed at school, if he had trouble on any homework (which is rare), and what he and Ms. Hope got up to after school

(Secretly, James hopes you’ll be impressed with how good he is with kids even though it’s literally his job lmao he knows it’s backwards thinking but he’s just so smitten)

But James knows better than to ask the same boring “what are you doing today” during your daily morning chats

Every morning, he asks you a random question about yourself

The second morning you and James talked (he hadn’t thought to ask you much more than “what are you doing up so early” the first time around), he’d asked about your favorite color

Then it was whether you prefer cats or dogs

James knows a bunch of random trivia about you now, like your favorite food and how you hate working in the med-surg unit and the name of your favorite stuffed animal from your childhood

And every morning, James tells you his own answer to the question of the day

His favorite color is red (which you think fits him, but he specified that he likes a dark wine color or a maraschino cherry best), he likes cats but prefers dogs (he laughed to himself when he told you like he was making an inside joke, but you didn’t ask questions), his favorite food is his mom’s recipe for biryani (you noted that he used the past tense when speaking of her), he loves bringing his kids to the library because one of his best friends is the librarian (James mentioned Remus, and you nodded because he’s Ms. Hope’s son), and his favorite stuffed animal is a plush rabbit named Miss Beatrice, who he still has in his apartment (you bullied him into admitting that he still sleeps with her on occasion, but it's so sweet you can't really laugh)

It’s become almost a sort of game, and you’ve come to know each other quite a bit more in these little five- or ten-minute interactions

It’s fun :)

And it’s normal and regular and consistent, and you and James like it that way

So James is rather alarmed when you come rushing down the stairs and into the lobby at 6:40 one morning, Liam running along with you with his school bag, trying to keep pace

You heave a sigh as you come to stand James’ side, checking your own mailbox (which you usually don’t do in the morning, and it makes James all the more concerned)

James can tell you’re trying not to brush him off but it’s obvious you’re in a rush

You’re halfway through explaining to him that Tonks came down with bronchitis and can’t watch Liam, and on top of that, your alarm didn’t go off this morning because you’d turned it off yesterday for your day off and forgot to turn it back on so you’re already running late, and you hate asking Ms. Hope to watch Liam at the asscrack of dawn—

James doesn’t really think about the words he says before they’re coming out of his mouth

He just offers to take Liam to school

It’s not like he’d be going out of the way for it anyway, I mean he and Liam are going to the exact same place and Liam has already been in James’ apartment before and knows it relatively well, so what’s the harm?

And you kinda … freeze … for a second

And at this point, James knows you pretty well, you know?

He knows you’re gonna refuse, say you can’t ask that of him, so he reassures you that it won’t be a problem at all and says he and Liam will have fun and get to school on time and everything

Just for added effect, he winks at Liam, who giggles and tugs on the sleeve of the shirt under your scrubs and asks with the sweetest, widest eyes if he can stay with Mr. Potter for the morning

And ever the thoughtful little boy, Liam reasons that then you won’t have to be stressed about bothering Ms. Hope or about where Liam might be for an hour in the morning

You’re considering the options, looking between James’ and Liam’s wide, excited eyes, until you finally sigh quietly

Just to be sure, you ask James if he’s sure he doesn’t mind

And of course, James doesn’t

(It took a while for James to convince you to stop calling him Mr. Potter and he’s always seen how you hesitate for a moment before calling him James, but he surprises himself with just how hot he feels under the collar when you don’t hesitate to call him by his first name this time)

You look down at Liam again and nod lightly, and your son is just all smiles and buzzing with excitement immediately

He gives you a hug around one of your legs, which you reciprocate as best as you can, and you exchange ‘I love you’s before you’re thanking James profusely on your way out the door

James watches you get in your car and drive away through the glass front doors of the building

And he must have an awfully fond look on his face

Because Liam just looks up at him with the cutest scrutinizing eyes you’ll ever see and asks “Do you like-like my mom?”

James just about chokes on his spit lmaooo

But Liam isn’t letting James off the hook without an answer, so James tries to be as tactful (and evasive) as he can be and says

“Your mom is very sweet, Liam. I can see where you get it from.”

Your chaotic morning was truly a warning for the rest of the day, because work really sucked

And by the end of your shift, you realize you didn’t tell James where Liam should go after school due to the unforeseen circumstances of the morning, so you’re hoping you won’t find your son sitting on the welcome mat outside of your apartment

But you figure you’ll go to Ms. Hope’s in case James kept to the usual schedule

But when you arrive, Ms. Hope says that James had actually called and told her he’d be taking Liam to his apartment and to tell you that’s where your son would be when you got home

So ofc that’s where you go next

You sort of hesitate to knock on the door at first, just because you’ve never been in or even around James’ apartment and it makes you strangely nervous

(Which is weird because you assisted with surgery on a man who’d been in a motorcycle accident earlier that day, and you’d come out on the other side of that alive and mostly mentally intact)

But your fist kinda just acts for you and knocks on James’ front door

There’s silence, then a high-pitched giggle (Liam) and a sweet chuckle (presumably James) before the door is yanked open and your son is flying into your arms

Well, more like into your legs bc he’s six and short lmao

But you pick him up and rest him on your hip like he’s a lot lighter than he is

And he’s immediately babbling away at you about all the fun things they did at school and how he wants to hang out with Mr. Potter every morning and afternoon and he missed you and look what he made for you during art class today!

You’re already feeling better from your shit day at work, and when you finally get the chance to look towards the doorway again, James is there with the softest, most … ugh he's just the sweetest

Because he looks so in love

And you sort of hate that you can see it in the way he looks at you and Liam

James is truly the kindest, most compassionate man you’ve ever met, and you know that at the end of the day, even when he looks at you and your son like that, you’re already counting the obstacles in your head

Because first and foremost, you’re a mother, always, and your son will always come first no matter what

And James is literally Liam’s kindergarten teacher, and there’s no way you’d even entertain the idea of putting your child’s education anywhere near your own entanglements

And even if that wasn’t a problem, and as much as James makes lovie eyes at you, you haven’t dated since Liam’s father

It would be an enormous change, both for you and Liam

And again, you don’t want your son to get hurt

You hope you’re not as transparent as you feel and that your thoughts aren’t being projected onto your forehead, but the way James reacts to you looking at him makes you think that maybe they were

But … maybe not, because you give him a tight-lipped, sort-of-melancholy smile, and all James does is smile back, and there’s a sort of understanding that passes between you as your son babbles in your arms about his class’ dioramas of the jurassic period

Not now, but … Maybe.

Next Part: You Get A Visitor in the ER

[persefolli]

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐀𝐠𝐞-𝐆𝐚𝐩(𝐮𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝), 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐒𝐦𝐮𝐭

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @xylianasblog, @scarasbaefy, @sukunasbigtiddiewifey, @the-mourning-moon

𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 | 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

Nanami clenched his jaw and kept his hand tangled in your hair as you bobbed up and down his length. This is the third time today he's convinced you to give him stress relief during work hours. He knew it was fucked up. Taking advantage of a girl who escaped the countryside for an opportunity to work in the city full-time. But you were just so malleable. 

It started off small, like, little comments about your clothing: “Your skirt is too long.”

Then he started coercing you into staying late:“Have you considered working overtime?” 

Once he spent enough time with you he began offering you rides to the hotel the internship provided you with. But he wouldn’t ask you for gas money, or a morning coffee.

“Pull up your skirt.”

You pawed nervously at your short office skirt. His eyes weren’t on you, but your short red-painted nails that resided on your fingers, which resided on your thighs. Your bottom lip was between your teeth, but you hesitantly began to pull up your skirt.

Stupidly, you didn't wear shorts under. And a garter would be far too scandalous. 

Nanami tilted his head at your striped panties, ones that clearly weren’t meant to be seen. That didn't matter though. What he focused on was the slightly wet patch that stained the crotch part of your panties. He looked back up at you and nodded. “Pretty.”

You began to feel conscious and began wearing your more fancy panties. On Mondays you wore red, Tuesdays yellow, Wednesday pink, Thursday White, Friday Black. Nanami loved Wednesdays. He loved pink on women, which is why he called you into his office every Wednesday night.

Tonight was a Wednesday. 

You closed your eyes and continued sucking Nanami off, fueled by his grunts and the pressure of his finger pads pressing into your skull. He began worming his hips in his chair, and you knew he was close. “Swallow.” He commanded. You did as told, and pulled away from him with glossy eyes. You didn’t  know if he would go further tonight. Usually on Thursdays he spread you on his desk to pull aside your damp white panties and eat you out, then on Fridays he would fuck you.

But tonight he had different plans.

“Your internship is coming to an end, this is your last week right?”

Your face dropped. You still haven't gotten an offer to work for him full-time, and thinking of the time you two spent together coming to an end was sad. Nanami noticed the look on your face and traced your bottom lip with his thumb.

“Don’t pout sweetheart. You know I wouldn’t get rid of you that easily if it were up to me.” He said, bluffing. 

“I worked so hard-”

“I know baby, I know you did.”

You took a deep breath and stood, smoothing out your blouse and skirt. 

“I’m not finished with you.” Nanami said. He stood from his office chair, towering you. “Lay on the couch.”

You walked over to the couch and Nanami was right on your heels. He watched as you laid down, a single leg hanging off the edge of the couch. He grabbed at your ankles and you shifted, allowing him to run his hands up and grab the hem of your skirt.

He worked off your skirt and panties in one go, feeling a bit antsy tonight. He let out a breath once he saw your pink lace bra peeking from the holes in your blouse. The one he bought for you. Nanami caught on to your panty color pattern after taking you back to your hotel for two weeks straight.  He knew you were doing it on purpose, so he began sending underwear sets to your hotel room for you to wear. They were comfy, so you could wear them all day at work. He wanted no time wasted when he called you to his office at night.

Once he got your skirt off he popped the buttons off your blouse and groped at your breast, causing you to moan. You watched him grow hard again, springing free from the limp state it was in after he climaxed for the first time that night.

“Turn around.” He said. 

You got on your hands and knees, facing the skyline of Tokyo while he got a view of your ass. 

This was Nanami’s favorite position because he had the most control. He also knew you liked the city, so looking over the skyline while being fucked was a win for you. He undid his pants and took them off completely this time, not wanting to be restrained by the limits of his trousers. 

He pumped his length a few times before prodding at your entrance. You let out a whine of anticipation, and leaned your head down into the arm of the couch as he pushed into you. Nanami let out a low groan and kept his hands on your hips as he found his rhythm and fucked into you. He bit his lip at the tightness of your pussy, sucking him in and refusing to let him go. With one hand he took off his glasses, which began to fog up from his own heavy breathing. 

“That's right.” He let go of your hips. “Just like I taught you…fuck me back.”

You braced yourself and began bouncing against him, controlling your movements and moaning like a hot mess.  Nanami threw his head back and closed his eyes as you did all the work. He watched the jiggle of your ass with narrowed and strained eyes. He instinctively gripped the flesh of your ass. His. 

Nanami knew he had so much control over you. He made you be extra picky about what you wore, which perfume you chose, what panties you wore, what you ate, what you drank, even how you laughed. 

He was slowly consuming every aspect of your life, and you didn't mind that. You needed someone to guide you. Someone to look forward to seeing every day. If you had the attention of Nanami, a rich businessman, then you would do anything to keep it. 

Nanami let out a loud strangled grunt, feeling his cock pulse and his release approaching. You slowed your pace, digging your hands into the arms of the couch and moving along his dick, teasingly slow. Nanami took a hold of your hips and kept your pace steady, letting out pathetic whimpers as he began to release into you.  You didn't climax, but you knew Nanami would swing around for that later, leaving you wanting more. He knew you would come back later that night, because you couldn't go long without his touch.

“Check your mail tomorrow morning.”

He said before putting back on his pants and sitting back down at his desk.

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 27

Just two more chapters to go. The end and a short epilogue.

Here we have more communication and the girls threaten to murder Eddie if he leaves Steve sad again.

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3 Pt 4 Pt 5 Pt 6 Pt 7 Pt 8 Pt 9 Pt 10 Pt 11 Pt 12 Pt 13 Pt 14 Pt 15 Pt 16 Pt 17 Pt 18 Pt 19 Pt 20 Pt 21 Meta|Pt 22|Pt 23|Pt 24|Pt 25|Pt 26

****

Steve and Eddie curled up on the sofa that must have been older then they were put together. But Steve didn’t care. He was wrapped up in each other’s arms.

“Was that the reason you were angry all the time when you called?” he asked gently.

Eddie sighed. “Shit, I didn’t realize you were picking up on that. I was trying to keep upbeat and happy for you.”

“Babe,” Steve said, nuzzling their noses together, “I want to hear about the good and the bad. If you’re upset I want to know. I was so scared you had found someone else and didn’t know how to tell me.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. His first thought was to argue that he would never! But thankfully a second voice in his head, which sounded suspiciously like Wayne, prevailed. Steve didn’t know that. They had barely confessed to each that they did love each other, that they did want a relationship before the whole thing with Metallica fell in their laps. There was no way for Steve to know that.

He gathered up Steve in his arms and pulled him close. “I was angry at myself because I knew I was going to chose you. Because I love you more than I love the thought of fame and fortune. And that scared me how easy it was to chose you.”

“Especially since you knew I wouldn’t do the same?” Steve asked softly.

Eddie kissed the top of his head fiercely. “No, baby, because I knew you shouldn’t have to chose between your dreams and mine. Because I lived my dream. I can honestly tell people I toured with Metallica.”

“Aren’t you worried about what people are going to say when they ask you why you don’t tour anymore?”

“I tell them what I told everyone today,” he murmured. “That touring was too stressful and that it took me away from the people I loved.”

Steve kissed him tenderly on the lips. “Okay.”

Eddie tilted his head. “Just like that?”

Steve nodded. “I guess I just needed to hear you say the words. I believe you, Eds.”

Eddie hugged him tightly. “Bloomington isn’t that far away if we decide to take the deal. We’ll still see each other. Especially on the weekends and on the days you do my tattoo.”

“You still want me to finish it?”

“Of course I do, sweetheart,” Eddie whispered. “I have the whole fucking members of Metallica following me on Instagram to see the final product. I wouldn’t want to disappoint the biggest metal band of all time, now would I?”

Steve giggled. “Yeah, okay. I’ll finish you’re tattoo.”

They kissed again.

“I’m not sure it would work,” Steve began, “but since you guys still need to practice for your weekend gigs, and since you’ll already be in town on Tuesdays and Thursdays, have those be your practice days and then be in the studio on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

Eddie blinked. “I’m mean gas would be killer, but yeah, I think it would work.”

“And since Hawkins is in between Bloomington and Indy, you’d get to see Wayne more...”

Wayne walked out of the kitchen where he had been steadfastly trying not to eavesdrop. “If I didn’t like you enough already, Stevie, you’d be my new favorite person besides Ed.”

“Who is it currently?” Steve asked with a grin.

“Claudia Henderson’s pecan pie.”

Eddie and Steve laughed.

“Steve already is my favorite non-family member,” Eddie said kissing Steve on the cheek with a huge smacking noise.

“And how does Jeff feel about that?” Wayne asked with a chuckle.

“We already decided that Royal Pain employees and Corroded Coffin members count as family and not friends,” Steve said with a fond smile.

Wayne smiled back. “You’ve certainly got a good head on your shoulders, Stevie. Be good to each other, yeah?”

Steve and Eddie nodded.

Eddie turned to Steve. “You going to be staying tonight?”

Steve nodded again. “Yeah, I just have to be in at ten to open shop. I’ve already pushed back so many clients in the last couple of months, I really can’t do that again.”

“Robin get some grumbling when she rearranged your schedule for this?” Eddie asked, sitting on the sofa so that he he could prop his elbow up on the back of it.

“Vickie too,” Steve said with a nod. “She got so flustered on a couple of them that Robin had to take over.”

Eddie winced. “Yeah, you really shouldn’t miss anymore days, then.”

Steve leaned forward. “I’ll tell you what, if you’re good and get me to work on time, I’ll show you my new tattoo when you come in to do yours.”

Eddie lit up. “You have a new tattoo? Where?”

Steve tapped the space between his hip and side on his right leg.

Eddie licked his lips. “Yeah?”

“Yup,” he said with a seductive grin. “So how about it, Eds? You get me to work on time and you get to see my new tattoo?”

“Deal.”

Eddie stuck out his hand and Steve shook it.

“You boys have both had a long day,” Wayne said. “You should hit the hay, I’ll wake you up before I go into work, okay?”

Steve and Eddie agreed and got ready for bed, Eddie lending Steve a pair of sweats to sleep in.

Eddie took a moment to appreciate his boyfriend’s broad chest and tight abs. Both dusted with thick hair. He licked his lips slowly.

Steve caught him looking and laughed. “No fair trying to get a peek at my tattoo before you fulfill your half of the deal.”

Eddie pouted. “Just a little taste?”

“Come to bed you menace,” Steve said with a big smile.

Eddie scrambled into the bed and Steve took the other side. They wrapped up in each other’s arms and sighed happily.

“I’m happy you’re here, darlin’,” Eddie murmured.

“Me, too, sunshine,” Steve agreed. “You make me happy when skies a grey!”

Eddie poked his ribs until he squirmed away, giggling. “Sap!”

Steve kissed him, hot and searing. “So are you. Mr I wrote dozens of songs for you on the road.”

Eddie blushed. “Whole songs, too. Lyrics included. The boys knew I was missing you. Of course they did. They heard the songs I was writing. But I don’t think they knew how much until I told them today.”

Steve kissed him again. “Saturday night, you and me. After your gig, my place. I’ll make dinner. You sing me sappy love songs and I show you my tattoo.”

“Sounds good, baby.”

Soon the room was filled with the soft sounds of two people wrapped up in each other, like there was no one else in the world.

*

Eddie dropped Steve off at his apartment to get a shower and change clothes with promises that he would see him that afternoon.

So when he walked into the shop at nine with a spring in his step and smile on his face he didn’t blame Chrissy and Vickie for thinking he had gotten laid.

Steve laughed. “No, but we talked and we’re still going to take it slow, and see wait happens.”

“Lame!” Erica said, rolling her eyes. “You so lame.”

Steve eyed her. “Yeah and what’s your boyfriend’s name?”

Erica’s jaw dropped.

Chrissy pounded her palm on the counter. “Oooh...”

“Whatever!” she said and stomped back into her henna parlor.

“She’s eighteen,” Steve said with a shrug. “She’s got time.”

“Brochacho!” Argyle greeted as he came in, just behind Steve. “You made it back in time. Little Birdie was concerned.”

Robin squawked from her perch behind the counter. “What! I was no such thing!”

Chrissy tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

Robin blushed. “I may have been a little worried when you weren’t home by the time I left for the shop this morning.”

Steve waved hand over himself. “As you can see, showered, changed, and ready to go tattoo people’s poor life choices on their skin.”

They all laughed.

Chrissy pinched his arm on her way back to her room. “It’s good to see you smile again. And if he does that again, I’ll murder him. Got it?”

Steve nodded.

Argyle went to go setup Steve’s kit and left him alone with Robin.

“I’m with Chrissy, by the way. No one would find his body.”

Steve smiled. “Well, then you’ll be happy to note that the reason he was freaking out wasn’t because he was going to leave me for fame and fortune.”

Robin raised an eyebrow. “Oh, then why was he freaking out?”

Steve leaned on the counter. “Because he was going to leave fame and fortune for me.”

Her eyes went comically wide. “Seriously?!”

He nodded. “He said that the decision was so easy that he had to really think about it and make sure that’s what he wanted.”

Robin whistled long and low. “Now that’s devotion.”

“It really is.”

“So...” she said grinning slyly. “Has he seen the tattoo yet?”

He laughed. “Nope. I needed to make sure he was going to let me come into the shop today so I told if he got me here on time, then he can see it.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

Steve smiled. “He’s actually going to be coming in for his appointment today, too.”

Robin gasped and covered her heart with her hands. “What a shocker! That he wants to see you after not seeing you for three weeks!”

He swatted at her. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. He’s head over heels in love with me and I am just as smitten as he is.”

She smiled at him fondly. “I’m happy for you, dingus.”

“Me, too.”

She laughed. “You’re happy for yourself?”

Steve grinned. “Hell yeah I am. I’ve got a hot boyfriend, the bestest best friend in the world, and a shop I’m proud of, why shouldn’t I be happy for myself?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Robin said waving him off. “I’ll call you when your first appointment gets here.”

“Love you, Chamberlainne,” Steve said, using her Royal Pain nickname, causing her to make a face.

“Argh,” she huffed. “There just aren’t any good names for the power behind the throne and still being a woman.”

Steve laughed. “Sure there is. It’s called the queen.”

Robin laughed. “Or even higher, empress!”

“Empress!” Steve crowed. “There we go. Empress Robin, the real power behind the king of Royal Pain.”

“And don’t you ever forget it.”

He kissed her cheek. “Never.”

As he walked back to his tattooing room, she watched him go with growing fondness. He really was her person.

****

Part 28 Epilogue

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk ​@bookworm0690 @chaosgremlinmunson @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @thedragonsaunt @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @emly03 @aizawa-emma @yikes-a-bee @redfreckledwolf @thesuninyaface @bookbinderbitch @archermightbegay @littlewildflowerkitten @scheodingers-muppet @hallucinatedjosten @ellietheasexylibrarian @anne-bennett-cosplayer @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @bestwifehaver @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @oldwitcheshat @nightmareglitter @tinyplanet95 @novelnovella @jonesn4coffee @slowandsteddie @awkwardgravity1 @steaddie-on

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

My (31 F) friend (late 20s M) is from another state and I live in a city where a big event is happening this week. Some people might be able to guess what I’m referring to, but for the sake of not totally doxxing myself, I will be vague about it. Friend will be called Tim.

Tim is a very good friend who I met in an online D&D group a few years ago. We hit it off right away and have been consistently hanging out on a weekly basis via various online TTRPG hangouts.

Being the elder Internet user that I am, this is not my first time around the block; I have met online friends IRL in my adulthood (with the utmost caution and responsibility, mind you), Tim being far from the first.

Tim’s had it on his bucket list to visit my city and come to this big event for a while, so invited him down to participate. In doing so, I established a couple things: 1) I don’t have the capacity to have someone stay at our house for extended periods of time for multiple reasons (although I did offer him a place to stay for 1 or 2 nights); and 2) I don’t have the capacity to entertain 24/7. I had an experience with a friend who came to visit a couple years back that wasn’t disastrous by any stretch of the imagination, but it did make me realize that I couldn’t offer too much of my time and also keep my house and social energy in check. I tried to be as open and negotiable about this as possible. Tim sympathized and agreed.

I took time off work to hang out with Tim while he’s in town. Tim, my partner (32 M), and I hung out from dinner till past midnight on Wednesday. Tim excused himself from our party as he was tired from his flight. Tim and I hung out from lunch till 11 PM on Thursday. Today (Friday) Tim and I did lunch again, hung out, and got matching tattoos to celebrate our D&D characters, and grabbed dinner. It’s been a great time thus far, and my friend group has taken to him very quickly.

At some point today I explained that because we didn’t have any solid plans for Saturday, I would appreciate the free time to clean up around the house, spend some time with my partner, and generally relax as we already have a full day planned out for Sunday. Tim agreed. We parted ways for the night.

It is still today (Friday). Post-dinner and getting back to my house, Tim calls me and tells me at length that he feels neglected and shoved aside because I don’t want to make plans with him tomorrow. I apologized and we worked through the conversation. He seems to be feeling better now, but I’m having second thoughts about conceding that I was the one at fault here. I think his feelings are valid, but maybe narrow in scope? My partner thinks I’ve been more than accommodating, but I feel bad considering I’m his only friend in a strange new city.

TL;DR: I feel like I’ve hung out a lot with my friend, but he feels I’ve neglected him by not making plans with him tomorrow. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[ros3ybabe]

Daily Check-in: May 21, 2024 🎀

Tuesday started out good but by noon it went downhill so so fast. I struggled so hard with some mental and physical health issues, tons of anxiety, and basically stayed in bed for the entire afternoon/evening. But I still got some stuff done in the morning, so here's a mini update on that stuff.

🩷 What I Accomplished:

took an hour walk outside

walked over 8.4k steps for the whole day

attempted a morning pilates core workput video (twas not the easiest despite being labeled beginner)

morning journal

practiced makeup despite not owning setting spray or may eye brow products and overall missing some things that would've been helpful (need new concelaor for sure)

drank over 65oz of water

talked with my boyfriend

set up a dinner with my dad for Thursday instead of brunch on Friday <3 so excited, I love my dad

💞 Good Things That Happened

got the day off work

took a nice nap

had a comforting, cool shower

began watching Gilmore girls (3 episodes in and I already love it)

ordered pasta sauce for Wednesday

looked at possible nail designs if I do get my nails done

💗 Stuff For Wednesday

morning routine!!

morning workout + skincare (didn't realize my face is slightly sunburnt more then I thought, so that's fun to deal with....not)

work a ~5 hour shift (I'm actually scheduled today)

read some more

study Spanish (I seriously need to get back to this I have an italki lesson in a week!!!)

video call with my boyfriend tonight

decide if my friend and I are going to get our nails done

make list of things to buy with paycheck for Colorado trip

make small grocery list

perhaps drop shoes I sold off at the post office to ship to buyer

I had a rough day. I'm not going to tall about why or what happened, but I seriously am so thankful for the people around me that support me and encourage me, even at my low moments. my dad and my boyfriend are definitely my biggest supports and I love them both so so much. I am so grateful for everything I have, and for the ability to have good days even after having bad ones.

💕 Song of the Day: (G)I-DLE - Queencard

perfect song for summer, feel good girly vibes, one of my all-time favorites <3

til next time lovelies 🩷

[gallivich]

16 jan

2025 #3

hai tumblr lucky number 3 (or maybe thats 7 BUT ILL GET BACK TO U ON DAY 7)!!! School decent now im out the shower with my fingernails about to fuckign fall off ok.

Omg whats so fucking crazy is the dsmp drama atm wdym back in like 2020 i was watvhing them all be friends laughing together and now THIS is happebing. Likeee what. Im so fucking full up coz i ate a small meal like 5 hours but i ksut want mozzarella sticks SO BADwell. Technically called halloumi fries but taht just sounds gross af . Anyway. School. These fuckass boys keep saying i have a big nose LIKE I DONT ALREADY FUCJING KNOW but its so embarrasing coz theyll say it and no one even notices them like ur looking a little desperate. But like its kinda my first experience ever with first hand bullying and im js thinking like this is no fun at all tbh. I JUST FEEL SO LONELY ALL THE TIME IM ACTUALLY DONE lowkey consider offing myself often solely because of my lack of friends. Like thats js not thr wwy to live is it. But then it all goes away whn im back at school so im just waitng. OOHHHBFUCK NO ITS FRIDAY!!! i just like wednesdays and thursdays NO GEOGRAPHY!!!!! I fucking hate geographys nd im terrified of my fucking bitchass geography tracher god shes so fuckijg rude. Okmore about my day:::

In drama my ljke bff (in myclass afleast) didnt wanna talk to me or snyrhjng and i was just ljek. Oh. Even tho we're the closest to eachtoehr in the class and i jsut dont see why not so i ahd to pair with people who are like bffs w eschtojer and i jsut so wasnt feleing it. And then the meanest girl in my class was crying all day and im jsjt sorta like ca n someone get. Her emotional support like it ruins the vibe so bsd. Had a maths test and couldnt answer a single question and lunch was awkward af but i saw my crush alot so idm so mich AND LIKE NOW THAT I LOOK BACK ON THE DAY LJTERALLT NOTJING HAPPENED

Then i went to chemist and boight mabelline like magic stick or whatever tf they call it but it was lokwey in thr weong shade and makes me look like a ghost BUT I THINK I CAN MAKE IT WOrk. Im not wasting 10 fuckign quid no way like that shits expensive AND AFTER MONTHHSS OF WANTING I FOIND BURTS BEES POMEGRANATE LIPBALM. Lowkey shit doesnteven smell very good or tint lips and it made stupid alarm go off snd it scared me so bad what if they think i stole it and thry track me down. Abyway! Im just so out of it today bothing good happened nad im bored and im not excited tor tomorrow but im kinda excited actually because i can yap to friend in biologyfor 2 periods straight and theres a lockdown happening mid geography SO LIKE BASICALLY NO GEOGRAPHY IF U THINK HARD ENOUGH ABOUT IT. I fucking despise geography. YAAAYYY. I feel bad because its almost my dads birthday next friday AND I HAVE NO HFUFKING CLUE WHWY TO GET HIM and my mums lowkey acting psycho af like chronically ill i lowkey in my heart beloeve shes got bipolar like actually no joke i see it in her eyes (joke) but not a joke coz i think she does

The second hand embarrasment when i was scrolling on tiktok with ym friend ya and her "secret" account whereshe posts like intense vents on comes up on my fyp while shes watching LIKE THAS SO EMBARRASING FOR HER ABUT I SCROLELD PASTVSO IT WASNT LIKE A BIGDEAL idk ok i just booked to tommy innit he said give me a goddamn minute i saidbitch pass me the blubt icnalled for the dick not s hfkcjng man hunt!

Today im enjyong mozzarella sticks, glee, sinjin, spice and everything nice, FUCK IDK!!!!!!! Ok idk what to go watch i judt wnana sleep but i haent done ANYTHIGN today so i feelim wasting th eday away

Today im hating being full, my face, homework, smelling bad, anxiety snd everythingelse bad sorry for sad quinn gif theres no normal quinngifs and lwokey mood. Relishing in the fact ive only cried once thebwhole year. Man im winning(not oncluding lowkey tearing up sniffles DOESNT FUCKING COUNT)

lover, you shouldve come over - jeff buckley

[hunterkat]

This girl is trying to give me gray hairs. Yes I know her head is dirty, explanation below.

So last Friday, 9/6, I took all three birds to the vet. Jasmine and Pepper both had a yeast infection, Pepper’s was more minor and hers was more serious. They both get put on Nystatin. (Rocco was absolutely fine other than a small bald spot under his wing that I’ll have to keep an eye on).

I start giving them Nystatin and I notice Jasmine getting sick once on Sunday. She’s always had these cyclical vomiting episodes, so I get concerned but not too worried. Monday I come home from work and her head is absolutely *covered* in vomit. She’s also still vomiting every 5-10 minutes and doesn’t appear to be keeping any food down. I call the vet first thing Tuesday morning, and go to pick up two medications for her, an ulcer medication and an anti-emetic. I’m also told to immediately stop the Nystatin, as it possibly caused an ulcer and triggered the vomiting. Unfortunately, she’s now vomiting almost constantly and even though I gave her the meds, they came right back up and didn’t help too much. They slowed down her vomiting but she’s still unable to keep anything down.

So Wednesday her vet manages to squeeze her in to be seen. At this point she hasn’t kept food or water down for at least 2 days. She’s given fluids, an anti-inflammatory shot, and they try to tube feed her. Even that comes back up. The vet decides to take Jasmine home with her, as she is in really bad condition- she’s lost 8 grams, is dehydrated, and she still can’t keep down food. The vet takes a risk and gives Jasmine an injectable anti-emetic. This drug is an emergency drug- it can cause a lot of nasty side effects. But Jasmine has a great response to it, and it finally works. Jasmine starts keeping down food around 9pm, and she starts eating small amounts on her own as well.

Thursday I’m able to take Jasmine home under close observation. She’s eating a bit on her own and keeping it down. I take her back Friday for one more anti-inflammatory injection and receive more medications for her, including an antibiotic in case she aspirated at some point while she was so sick.

Finally today she has eaten more than a few bits of food at a time. She still looks very uncomfortable after eating, she’s exhibiting a few signs of pain, but she hasn’t vomited since Wednesday. She’s got energy to be a little pain about getting meds, and even starts trying to fly around her hospital cage a little.

She’s doing so much better than she was, and her vet literally saved her life. We still don’t know exactly what happened, but she’s gone from critical condition on Wednesday to holding steady. Pepper has been very sweet and was hanging out on top of her hospital cage singing to her. He’s also been perfectly fine during all of this. Jasmine still has a while to go before she recovers fully, but she is a very lucky little bird with a fantastic vet team.

[gingerale2017]

i’ll be your favorite toy

Angst

Fandom: The Lunar Chronicles

Pairing: Kai x Cinder (kaider)

Setting: Modern au, one day post breakup.

Based on the song “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”

Words: 1.3K

Quick note: I literally just wrote this on a boat.

AO3 link

The voices in her head, seemingly, told her to call rain on their days of wild.

Kai downed the rest of his glass until the ice bumped his nose. The week started so good. On Sunday, he woke up to her on his shoulder. Monday, he brought her lunch. Tuesday, she invited him over. Wednesday, they spent the day together in the city. Thursday, they visited her sister. Friday, she canceled on him last minute. Saturday, she broke up with him. And now it’s Sunday again, and he’s drinking at some random bar during his lunch break. What even happened?

If it were anyone else he’d feel used, objectified, or even abused. If it were anyone else he’d be cursing them out and smashing glasses with golf clubs. But he feared this was the love of his life. The only one for him is Cinder Linh. She could treat him like a toy if she wanted to. He’d let her.

He was her sickest, cheap army doll purchased at the mall. Her rivulets descend his plastic smile. But you should’ve seen her when she first got him.

Stars, how her eyes lit up. She couldn’t stop sharing. Kai remembered the embarrassed pink on her cheeks when they locked eyes. Not to sound cockt or anything, but he was used to people staring at him. This time, though, he was just as equally stunned as her when their eyes met. If she stuttered, then he was tongue-tied. Cinder was never embarrassed, though, and he was never speechless.

They kept meeting because of their mutual friends until they started hanging out on their own. She didn’t have many, though, and he was one of the only people she became completely honest with.

He found out why much later! His girl (well not anymore apparently), only breaks her favorite toys. He was the king of the sand castles she destroyed.

He knew why though. They fit too right. They were too perfect for each other, like puzzles in the dead of night. He should’ve known from the moment she curled his hair between her fingers with an enlightened curiosity that it was only a matter of time.

“Excuse me, sir?” The bartender interrupted his inner rant.

“Sorry.” Kai apologized. “What happened?”

“Your phone is ringing.”

He cocked his head to the small electronic device vibrating on the table. He barked a chuckle. How did he not notice? It danced around the table unashamedly. Like it was broken or something. Then he winced. Cinder was good at fixing broken electronics. Very, very good.

He thanked the bartender and answered the phone.

“Dude!” Kai shuddered. He really didn’t want to hear his newly broken-up girlfriend’s best friend’s voice the day after she ended things, but Thorne was kind of his best friend too. Never date within your friend group kids! Take this situation as an example. “What the hell happened.”

“You think I know,” Kai growled.

“Well yeah! She’s your girlfriend!”

“Was.” Kai sighed deeply and put his head on the counter pathetically. The bartender motioned for another drink and he nodded. Maybe this drink will numb his feelings.

Thorne paused. “You sound horrible.”

“I didn’t sleep last night.” Kai groaned.

“Are you working today?”

“I’m drinking on my lunch break.”

“What?!” Thorne yelled. “Wha- when does your lunch break end?”

“An hour ago.”

“Dude. You’re taking this very bad.” Concurred Thorne.

The bartender slid another glass of whiskey. Kai shifted so his cheek could take in the cool marble counter and stared at his drink.

“Actually, I think I’m taking it pretty well. I could’ve blown up her mechanic shop.” He joked.

“You okay man?” Though Thorne sounded completely genuine, Kai found himself getting irritated. The man was closer to Cinder than he was to Kai. Shouldn’t be all over her.

“Why don’t you make sure Cinder’s okay? And leave me alone! You guys are closer anyway.”

“Wait- Kai- Wait!” Kai hung up to Thorne rambling about some crap he didn’t care about and sipped the brown alcohol.

He sighed and turned off his phone, leaning back on the high chair.

“I think I’ma head out,” Kai said to the bartender. He nodded as Kai gave him a card with a $30 tip.

He finished his drink and walked out in the afternoon sky, probably drunk as a skunk.

There was a litany of reasons why they could’ve played for keeps this time and- Stars Above! He was just repeating himself!

If he was a toy, he was her toy, and he deserved to be put back on his shelf. Or, rather, her shelf, preferably. But, first, pull his string and he’ll tell you that she runs because she loves him. She was only scared, that’s all.

You should’ve seen her when she first saw him! Love at first sight! His girl (yes, his girl) only breaks the things she loves the most. She loved him. She had to. Why would she cradle his head im her arms if she didn’t. Cinder was no villain

He laughed at himself as he tried to balance himself on the crack of the sidewalk. Maybe he’d go home to his apartment instead of work. Kai couldn’t possibly show up like this. You could practically see the whiskey scent around him. Ironic, since Cinder introduced him to whiskey.

Good thing his home wasn’t far from his new favorite bar. Hey, that rhymed! Once he managed to close the door, he dropped the façade and collapsed against the same door behind him.

He was king of her beaten-up cars because they were the most loved. She left him because he knew too much. He could see the revelation in her eyes whenever he traced her body. There was danger in the heat of his touch.

She saw forever so she smashed it up. He began to sob her name. Drunken tears appeared on his polished shoes. He was so polished, why was he so polished? All the damn time! She was never polished. She must have hated it when they showed up at that restaurant n his new suit and in her overalls.

“We’re too different.” Her soft voice echoed in his head. “It’s me, not you. I’m sorry, Kai. We won’t work out.”

The hell. THE HELL?!! Every line she said was a lie. She didn’t meet his eyes because she knew that he’d know she was lying. They fit so well, like the pipes she’s always reassembling. He was picturing their life together and you’re telling him this whole time, she wanted out?! It must be him for sure, then. Then. Then what did he do wrong? He’d been replaying their whole relationship all last night and at the bar. Sure, they had their fights, but what did he do wrong?

He should’ve fought. He should have been clawing at her door. He should’ve yelled at her. He should’ve grown a pair. Instead, he walked away, mumbling an apology.

“Once I fix me, Cinder.” He whispered, a tear falling down his cheek. “You’re going to miss me.”

“Once I fix me. You’re gonna miss me.” Another glass shattered against the apartment wall.

Come back. She didn’t mean it. Come back, Kai. Just say when, Kai, she'd play again. Please Kai, she was sorry.

Kai was her best friend, like kids at a sandlot. She used him, but she didn’t mean to! She was just confused.

Cinder had felt more with him even when they played pretend than with all the Ken-like men surrounding her workplace.

Why? Why?! Because he took her out of her box.

She sobbed, slowly falling to her knees as her hands covered her face. She pulled at her hair. Why did she do that? She let her fears win and now he’s gone. He left without a fight though, so maybe he did love her as he said he did.

No, don’t be stupid, Cinder. She told herself. You chose to do it after work for a reason, so he’d leave without a fight. You were afraid he might change your mind.

He stole her tortured heart. He left all these broken parts. She said he was better off.

But they weren't. No, they weren’t.

So Cinder had to do what she does best. She had to fix this.

A/N: This is a completely new story, not even a draft. I’m still on this boat.

tagging: @just2bubbly @cinderswrench @cindersassasin @the-wee-woo-royal @deprivedmusicaljunkie @crescentchat @notjacinclay @wheresmymom-imlost @salt-warrior @rapunzelfromthemoon @briggycat @impossiblesuitcase @kaider-is-my-otp @definitelynotisabel @wassupnye (these are for my kaider ONLY fics so please ask if you want to be tagged or removed <3)

[restforthe-burdenedsoul]

Needing perspective if anyone would like to give their two cents 😅 I can’t post on any fb groups bc my boss is also In all of them.

My cousin (technically my grandpa’s cousin - I always felt like she was more of a grandmom to me) passed away on Thursday.

I work for a small business with the owner and limited employees. I called in Thursday to see if my shifts could be covered (3 walks) because I was pretty distressed. Was told there was no coverage and owner is too sick to work. Okay, fine. Guess I would have just been home crying all day anyway. M drove me around because I wasn’t thinking well and ran a stop sign leaving my first sit.

The funeral is on Wednesday and I am trying really hard to be there. It’s out of state and the cheapest flight I found has me gone Tuesday-Saturday. Quite a few days. I wanted to fly in Wednesday and fly out Thursday or Friday, but the plane fare was almost triple.

I asked my boss if I am able to take off; but no response yet. I KNOW there won’t be coverage as one worker is on vacation that week and another has a second job those days. So it would be up to owner to cover and she doesn’t do dog walks and i need dog walks covered. I feel like I’m being selfish by asking when I know it will fall solely on her. ….but it’s also her business and I’m just an employee.

I got all my private sits covered already by other sitters in my network. My parents left Thursday to get up there to help with funeral things and my aunt and uncle leave today. My cousins still live in that state. I will be the only family member not going if I can’t take off work.

But I have a sinking feeling I’m gonna be told no bc the owner doesn’t do walks and idk if I should push the issue? I won’t push it if this is something I just need to suck up and deal with.

AITA in this situation for wanting to take off for an out of state funeral?

[lemoncrushh]

Out of Bounds - Chapter 1

STORY PAGE

Word Count: 2054

I had been contemplating going back to school for the last few years. But if I'm being honest, I don't recall the exact moment I decided to do it. It wasn't like one morning I woke up and told James, "Honey, I'm going to register for college today." I don't even think it was a discussion we had at the dinner table. But I know in the back of my mind it was always there, waiting for me to make the move - to declare to myself that I was officially ready.

So here I was, starting college for the second time. It had been over ten years since the last time I'd started, and I was nervous to say the least. Part of me felt old and a little useless, but then again, I felt useless at home. James had a good-paying job and early on in our marriage we'd discussed my working or not. He told me it was up to me, though not necessary. So, I'd had a few jobs here and there, but nothing I would call a career. For the last year I'd pretty much just been a housewife. To say I was bored would be an understatement. I knew I had something to offer though I wasn't sure what. I also wasn't sure if college would give me the answer, but I figured it could lead me in the right direction.

I'd chosen to start with a light course load as not to get overwhelmed. I signed up for a history class and an English class, both which met on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, as well as a Sociology class that met on Tuesday and Thursday.

My first day was pretty uneventful. I sat in the front row for both classes, mostly because I was afraid I'd miss something the teachers might say, and I knew sitting further back where I could see other students would cause distractions for me. Blame it on my ADD and a little OCD.

My history teacher, Professor Jacobson, was the perfect stereotype of a college instructor, complete with the tweed jacket and bow tie. He lectured for the entire class which made me grateful I had my laptop to take notes and that I was a fast typist. I had an hour to kill before English, so I walked to the snack bar to grab a cup of coffee. I sat at a small table watching the eighteen- to twenty-year-olds walk by and converse with each other. I know that I was blessed with the young-looking gene and could pass for twenty myself, but nevertheless, I felt old.

I had Professor Lloyd, a petite grey-haired woman for English. She seemed nice enough. Maybe a little too nice as she announced we would not have tests and quizzes over what we read, only papers. I decided this was probably too good to be true, therefore I would keep my eye on her.

James got home late that night while I was curled up on the couch reading Pride and Prejudice. I had already cooked and eaten dinner and had left his on the stove.

"So how was your first day?" he asked me as he spooned some carrots onto his plate.

"Pretty good," I replied. I sat down with him at the table while he ate.

"Did you meet anyone?"

I glared at him incredulously. "It was the first day."

"So," said James, his mouth full.

"I don't make friends on the first day of school. I never have in my whole life." As I admitted this out loud, I suddenly realized it was true. I'd never thought about it before. I had always been a bit of a loner.

James shrugged. "Well, I'm sure you will, Tisa." His nonchalant, paternal attitude made me feel uneasy. We didn't really discuss it any further.

After I'd done the dishes, it was time to retire for the evening. James and I had an unorthodox sleeping arrangement. We had separate rooms. It didn't start out that way by any means. He snored. Loudly. I couldn't sleep when he snored. If he wasn't snoring, he tossed and turned until he got comfortable, which again kept me awake. So about five years or so ago I decided to start sleeping in the guest room. We'd gotten so used to it, now it was just the norm. And we'd both get a good night's sleep.

The next morning, I got up earlier than I really needed to for my one class of the day, Sociology. It didn't start until 9:40, but I knew parking could be horrific with people coming and going. Plus, it was in building in the back of the campus which meant more walking. I figured if I was very early, I could hang out in the library. As it turned out, I was only early by a few minutes.

A group of people were already standing around outside the classroom, which was obviously locked. I decided to take out my phone and check Facebook messages while we waited for the teacher. A shadow suddenly cast over my phone, and I felt the presence of someone tall standing in front of me. Not looking up, I barely caught a glimpse of a pair of eyes as the person bent toward me, clearly trying to get my attention.

"Hello," he said in a British accent. Okay, attention got. I looked up to see one of the cutest boys I'd ever seen in my life. No exaggeration. He couldn't have been more than twenty, with long, wavy brown hair that brushed his shoulders. He had lovely, full lips that any woman would be envious of, which curved lopsided into a confident, yet inquiring grin that could melt even the coldest heart of any angst-ridden young girl. I surely didn't remember seeing any boys that cute when I was that age.

"Hi," I said, turning off my phone.

"You're in my History class, aren't you?" he asked.

"I don't know," I smiled. "Am I?"

He nodded, "Yesterday. Professor Jacobson. Right side, front row."

My smile grew. "Yes." He had noticed me?

"I was a few rows back."

"Oh." I couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face, and I felt myself blush a little.

"I'm Harry," he said, extending his hand.

"Tisa," I replied. "Nice to meet you."

"Pretty name, Tisa. Is that short for something?"

"No, just Tisa" I said, pushing a strand of hair that had fallen in my face behind my ear. "I guess it's sort of like Teresa meets Tina meets Lisa. My mom just wanted to make me different."

Harry continued his lopsided smile at me as he let his gaze drift up and down my body. I suddenly felt self-conscious, but also a little aroused.

Just then a plump, boisterous man in a caramel-colored jacket and khakis walked up and unlocked the classroom door. Assuming he was the teacher, everyone began to follow him inside.

This classroom was different from the large, auditorium style in which Harry and I attended History class. This was about half the size and included multiple large, black tables, with two chairs each, much like my old high school Chemistry lab. I chose the second table to my right and sat in the seat next to the aisle.

"Mind if I take the seat next to you, Tisa?" I heard Harry ask.

"Not at all."

He placed his backpack on the table beside me and sat down. I noticed that in front of us was some sort of survey to fill out for the teacher. I grabbed my own backpack and unzipped it to find something with which to write.

"I don't believe it!" I heard Harry exclaim. "Fucking..." Then he looked at me. "Sorry."

"What's wrong?" I asked with a smirk. His accent was adorable, even when cursing.

"I forgot my bloody pen."

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. I pulled two pens out of my backpack and handed him one.

"Thanks, love." Harry took the pen from my hand, but then quickly grabbed my hand itself, his eyes wide with surprise. "Is that a wedding ring? Are you married?"

For one split second I silently cursed myself for wearing my rings. But what good would it have done not to? The truth was and was always going to be that I was married.

"Yes, it is, and yes, I am."

"Oh."

He slowly released my hand from his grip. The disappointment on his face couldn't be denied. I saw it plain as day. It made my heart ache, and I felt the bile rise in my throat. Then I did as I always do in an uncomfortable situation. I used humor to diffuse the tension.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Harry. If you want to take this opportunity to switch seats next to a single girl, I'll totally understand."

This time Harry smirked. "No...no, I'm fine right here."

"I wouldn't blame you," I shrugged. "I mean, I'm flattered that you wanted to sit beside me anyway, but I'm sure there's some other girls in here who would love to flirt with a cute British guy. It wouldn't hurt my feelings."

I heard someone behind me snicker. Harry just stared at me for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I want to sit here."

"Okay," I gave him a sweet smile.

Just then the teacher stood in front of the class. "Alright guys, these are going to be your seats for the rest of the semester. The person sitting next to you will be your partner. Your study partner, your project partner. Make sure you choose wisely. You might end up hating them by the end of the semester." The class broke into laughter. "If you do not have a partner, please move to another table that has only one person..."

"Well, Harry," I turned to him. "Looks like you're stuck with me. No take backs."

Harry grinned his lopsided smile again which sent shivers down my spine. "I like you. You're funny. And nice. And pretty."

"Well, I don't know about pretty, but funny and nice are two things I strive to be."

"You're husband's a lucky man."

I stared at him for a second. He had the most gorgeous green eyes. If only I wasn't married. If only I was twenty again. If only...

"You're sweet," I said.

"What do you have after this?"

"Sorry?" I was still distracted from Professor Crawford's introductory speech.

"What class do you have after this one?" Harry asked again.

"Oh..." I hesitated, putting my laptop in my backpack. "Nothing. This is the only class I have on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"Too bad," Harry pouted. I raised an eyebrow to inquire what he meant. "I was hoping I'd luck out and have another class with you." He was too cute.

"What class do you have now?" I asked him.

"Biology."

"Have fun with that," I said sarcastically. "I was never into Science. Except in the second grade when we learned about space and the solar system. I still have my planets memorized. And I will always consider Pluto a planet, no matter what the scientists or NASA say."

I realized I was talking too much so I shut up. I also realized we were now walking together outside. We were nearing the parking lot, but my car was on the clear other end. Harry stopped when we reached a fork in the sidewalk.

"Well, my class is this way," he pointed.

"Alright then, Harry, guess I'll see you tomorrow in History."

"I hope so," he nodded.

"Bye," I waved. I took off toward my car quickly before I got the urge to look back at his smile, which I knew without a doubt he was giving me.

That night James again asked me how my day went and if I'd "made any friends." I told him about being paired with a boy that sat next to me in Sociology and that we would have to work together the entire semester on papers and projects. I revealed nothing else, and he didn't ask. But when I went to bed all I could picture in my head were lopsided smiles and green eyes.

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