#I’ll post more of my pots on here soon. I think y’all will enjoy them

[fuck-kirk]

Oh btw. I made a It Fucken WIMDY cup. If you even care.

[vqnrouged]

𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 : the canaries (mithrun, pattadol, fleki, lycion)

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 : the canaries with a reader that’s scared of thunder

𝐚/𝐧 : if you understand the reference in the title, i love you. but anyways, it’s a crime that there’s barely any content for the canaries so i wrote some hcs/short scenarios for some of them! sorry if this seems occ, it’s my first time writing for them. anyways, hope y’all enjoy <3

↳ 𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐔𝐍

• | with pre-ending mithrun, you will have to be the brave one and come to him instead. he won’t exactly reassure the grip you have on his arm, but he will still sit with you til the thunder stops.

• | however, with post-ending mithrun you will receive a comforting embrace. since he now has the desire to pursue his wants, he will try his best to calm you down… in his own way. he isn’t always the best at figuring out what exactly you’re feeling at times despite how observant he can be, so figuring out a way to comfort you proves to be difficult. so the only way he knows how to show you how much he cares is through physical touch…

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

as your body began to cower deeper and deeper into the bed, mithrun finally made his move to calm you down. from his spot at his desk, he pushed the chair back under the table and strolled right over to the bed. he was careful with lifting the covers of the bed up as to not startle you, then slid quietly underneath the covers next to you.

apparently, you didn’t even notice him slipping under the covers until you felt his head lay softly on your stomach. your hands still kept their places over your eyes, but with the new feeling on your body, you let out a surprised gasp. “huh, mithrun?”

at this point, he began to close his eye at the comfort you radiated. the feeling wasn’t making him become sleepy, but rather relaxed because of your warmth. “you’re afraid, right?”

with a raised brow and eyes filled with confusion, you peaked between your fingers to look at mithrun. “yes?”

his eye remained closed as he became more comfortable in the bed, snuggling deeper into your side like a cat begging for more attention. “then let’s stay like this til the storm is over.”

a fond smile appeared on your face at the elf’s sweet actions, having not seen them that often. though, you were beginning to see more and more of this side of him. it was nice.

↳ 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐋

• | pattadol is fast to provide you comfort when you’re afraid, with her quick thinking she always comes up with multiple ideas that she could use to help you calm down. but this isn’t without her own panic as well, her worry that she won’t be able to help you makes her more scared than you are yourself. brewing a fresh pot of tea, covering your ears to drown the sound out, or even having you wrapped up in a blanket burrito are all lengths she would go to so you can feel safe. but despite all of these futile ideas, there’s one idea that she has left…

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

pattadol’s attempts to calm your hurried breathing were proving to be fruitless, the fear you were feeling wasn’t going to go away any time soon. she could only watch as you stood next to her, shaking uncontrollably while her mind couldn’t make a move to help you. just that thought alone was enough to make her afraid for you, then something finally came to mind.

with a wobbly smile, pattadol turned to look you directly in the eye. she placed a hand on your shoulder to grab your attention then began to slowly guide you to the couch. “here, [name], get comfortable while i grab a bigger blanket. i’ll be back in just a second. i promise.”

after a short while, pattadol came running back in the living room and to your side, blanket in hand. the feeling of worry began to dissipate once she sat down next to you, threw the blanket overtop the both of your bodies, and pulled you close. she made sure that your head was laid right on top of her chest while her other hand was placed on top of your ear, so this way instead of thunder, it was only her heart beat that you could hear.

what made it even better was that pattadol was cozy and warm, the feeling made you want to fall right into a nice nap. however, the elf holding you was still worried about your well-being. with her brows furrowed, she looked down at you and spoke softly. “are you feeling better? does this help?”

you could only mutter a small “yes” before your breathing became steady and your body became totally limp against pattadol.

with that, the elf smiled at her victory. she had gotten you to calm down and finally take a much needed rest. panic like that can’t be good for the body, she thought. but at least she had been able to help you. “good. the storm should subside soon, so until then please rest.”

↳ 𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐊𝐈

• | fleki doesn’t usually pay much attention to the storms that occur so thunder and lightening don’t frighten her that much, but once she see’s how afraid you get she takes them a bit more seriously. she’s not the best at distracting you but she tries her best, she even offered you some of her “shrooms” one time because she ran out of ideas…

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

you looked down at your girlfriends hands, a grimace of disgust overtaking your once fearful frown. reaching one hand out from your blanket cocoon, you gently pushed her hand away. “fleks, i don’t want drugs.”

fleki’s lips turned down into a pout. a part of her was frustrated with you for denying all of her ideas, but the other was plain frustrated with herself. she wish she had better ideas to actually help you rather than being a goof instead, so much for being a decent girlfriend.

with a sigh, she got up from her place on the floor and dramatically stretched her arms up above her head. as she was doing so, she turned to look at you. “well if you don’t want that… c’mon, sweets. let’s play a game to take your mind off things.”, then she walked over to your game shelf to look over your options.

her nonchalant attitude is what made you nervous, that was the way fleki always was but then again she was always unpredictable. so with a hesitant move, you began to crawl out of your blanket to see what exactly she was grabbing. “what kind of game, fleks?”

with a quick spin, she flashed you a deck of cards. “go fish!”, she exclaimed triumphantly.

you raised a brow at her enthusiasm, your nervousness leaving you completely along with it. why was she so excited about go fish? you don’t exactly know. but regardless, you took your place at the table across from where your girlfriend would be sitting. along with you came your blanket for warmth, which you wrapped tightly around you as fleki sat across from you.

with a quick shuffle of the cards, fleki began dealing the cards to the both of you. the game started out slow, but the two of you quickly became competitive and shit talked each other for laughs as the game went on. you were beginning to be distracted from the storm, which was exactly what fleki was aiming for.

in the end, it was she who won the game as well. what you hadn’t known the entire game until she revealed it to you, was that she had hidden a card to ensure her victory. all’s fair in love and war, she said. and oh was this definitely war. “aw crud, you seriously had a five? hiding a card under you is cheating, y’know?”

she let out a loud laugh at your comment, smiling smugly at you. “hah! you’re beginning to sound like pattadol now!”

you couldn’t help but shutter out a laugh at the comparison to the canary, “hey!”

seeing now that you were truly having fun, fleki’s spirits were being lifted again. the victorious grin she bore turned into a softer one, glad that she had achieved something good for you. “let’s go again! we’ll see if you can win this time!”

↳ 𝐋𝐘𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐍

• | he notices pretty quickly that you’re scared of the booming noises outside due to the way your eyes widened with fear at the first rumble. he doesn’t want to leave you alone while your trembling like this, but he will leave you for a moment to make sure the curtains of your windows are closed so you can’t see the lightening either. once he returns, he’s making sure you stay close to him so you feel safer. just like pattadol, he will cover your ears to help drown out the noise as well. and if that idea doesn’t work, he’ll change into his beast form so you can pet him…

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

“are you sure this is okay?”, you whispered. your boyfriend had taken his place between your legs, resting his head comfortably on your chest so you could easily reach his fluffy fur. his arms also had wrapped themselves around your waist, acting as a blanket. with the way his body was now, there was no way you were getting up. at least, not for awhile.

lycion didn’t have any complaints about that fact, he loves to cuddle you. though, he never did so with you in his beast form before. it never really crossed his mind before, but the sight of you afraid made him have to think outside of the box. now what he was worried about was making sure you remained calm. “‘course, why wouldn’t it be?”

you looked to the side. it wasn’t that this form that bothered you, no, he was beautiful. but the thought that he may have felt like he had to didn’t sit right with you. “i don’t want to make you uncomfortable…”

he waved a hand at you, dismissing the thought. then he nuzzled his head deeper into your chest, signaling you that he wanted you to pet him. so with a gentle hand, you began running your fingers through his hair along with giving him a few head scratches. “please, pet me all you’d like. and maybe tell me about your day out with that half-elf girl, marcille, was it? i’d like to hear more about all the fun you had.”

so you began rambling on about your outing with marcille, not missing a single detail. how you had a run in with rin from kabru’s party, going to a new restaurant the both of you wanted to try, and all the shops you got to go to. hearing how your day went, he was almost jealous that he didn’t get to be there with you because of his duties.

as you finished your story, you began to focus on the man in your arms and how cute he was. his eyes were closed just at your touch, if he was a cat, he would definitely be purring. it was so domestic and sweet, your body was beginning to feel tired from the warmth surrounding you. “you’re pretty soft, lycion.”

he laughed a bit at your statement, “why thank you, love.”

then the room went silent, but not without the sounds of the storm still outside. lycion could hear that your heartbeat had slowed down, then he glanced up to get a look at your face. and lo and behold, you were fast asleep with your hand still resting on his head. his eyes widened at the sight, surprised that you fell asleep so quickly, “they fell right asleep, huh?”

but he relaxed against you as he was before, loving the affection he was getting. “gotta say, this ain’t bad.”

“sweet dreams, [name].”

@𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 - please do not translate or copy my works.

𝐚/𝐧 : if you’d like a pt. 2 with laio’s party, lemme know!

[montrealmadison]

t'étais réel parce qu'il t'aimait

or, “you were real because he loved you”

i work at a place that accepts children’s book donations, so when “the velveteen rabbit” came across my desk the other day, the beginnings of this popped into my head. then the lovely lau at @weneedtotalkaboutfic​ posted this and also this about ftm!bitty and my brain just took off! enjoy <3

“Has her fever gone down?”

Bitty blows out a long breath and twists around to look at the clock, on the off chance that it’ll give him a better answer than the truth—but all it tells him is that it’s 8:07, and he’s exhausted.

“No.” He pins the phone between his cheek and his shoulder so he can dry his hands. “Hasn’t budged all day.”

On the other end, his mama hums sympathetically. “It will, baby. Y’all are doin’ everything right.”

“Thanks,” he sighs, folding the dishtowel over the oven handle. “It’s just—I hate that she’s so uncomfortable.”

Bitty used to think that he’d made his peace with chaos. He’s moved schools, changed sports, reinvented himself half a hundred times. He’s come out on national television and transitioned publicly on the Internet. He’s written a book, is in the process of drafting another. He’s married to one of the most prominent NHL players in the league, for crying out loud.

But sick toddlers, Bitty is learning, are a whole other hockey game.

read more below or on ao3

Thankfully, at least the kitchen routine is muscle memory at this point: pots dried, dishwasher started, dog fed and watered for the night. The mess in here isn’t too bad, all things considered. He checks the lock on the back door and then lets himself sag against the counter, just a little. It’s been a day. A week, really. He's barely slept for the stress of it all.

“Dicky, honey, you sound like you need a break.” He can picture the frown on his mama’s face when she says it. Funny how her voice still feels like a hug from seven states away. “How’s Jack? Is he alright?”

“Mhm,” he says. “Upstairs puttin’ Ellie to bed, bless him.”

“Good. Well, listen, y’all call anytime if you need us, alright? Your daddy and I will be up, we’re goin’ to the Callahans’.”

“Ooh. Save the good gossip for me?”

“You know I will,” Mama promises with a laugh. “Now go on and sit down for me. I love you.”

“Yes, ma’am. Love you too,” Bitty says, almost absently, and flops onto the couch as the line clicks into silence.

He tries to relax—promise, he really does—but he only makes it about five minutes before the worry wins out and he has to get up again. He just can’t sit still today, especially when he hasn’t heard anything from upstairs in so long. He climbs the stairs and starts down the hall towards Giselle’s room, but pauses and peeks around the doorframe at the soft sound of Jack’s voice.

In the dim light, he can just make out Jack’s giant form carefully folded to fit into Ellie’s bed, one foot planted firmly on the floor to keep him balanced. Bitty presses a hand over his mouth, trying to resist the sudden urge to laugh at the sight of his husband trying to fit in a bed made for a toddler. Thankfully, it works, because neither Jack nor Giselle notice him—their daughter’s curled up next to her papa, tired and sleep-soft, with her flushed little face on Jack’s chest and her slow-blinking eyes fixed on the book in his hands.

The dog’s on the floor in here, too, tail thumping away against the carpet. He huffs, looks up at Bitty with big, understanding eyes as if to say: We got it in here.

Which is clearly the case—they’re already in the middle of a story. Jack is reading in soft, measured tones: “And when the Boy dropped off to sleep, the Rabbit would snuggle down close under his little warm chin and dream, with the Boy's hands clasped close round him all night long.”

It's the French translation, but Bitty feels himself melt almost immediately. He’d recognize The Velveteen Rabbit anywhere. It’d been his favorite as a baby, part of the reason his mama had come home one day with Señor Bun, and—well, the rest is Bittle family history. He leans in the doorway, closes his eyes and drifts while Jack reads.

He’s had a lot of time, now, to learn the differences between French Jack and English Jack, and why each language is important to him—especially where teaching his children is concerned. In French, his voice is softer, lilting, expressive in a way that transfixes Giselle and Bitty alike. Bitty himself has fallen asleep to the sound of that voice many times, and is mostly impressed that Ellie can still fight her own exhaustion just to listen a little longer.

Jack turns the page, and Bitty watches as his face and his voice soften with emotion at the next line: “And then, one day, the Boy was ill.”

Oh. Bitty remembers this part well, too—remembers the feeling of his own mama curled around him when he was sick as a kid. Remembers Coach’s shadow in the doorway, his quieter concern, his gentle hand on Bitty’s shoulder. Jack goes on: “But the Rabbit snuggled down patiently, and looked forward to the time when the Boy should be well again, and they would go out in the garden amongst the flowers and the butterflies and play splendid games in the raspberry thicket like they used to.”

Bitty remembers Señor Bun, equally patient, snuggled up under his chin, and has an idea. He backs quietly out of the room and retreats down the hall to their bedroom, where the bunny himself is propped on the pillows, waiting for them to come to bed. Bittly inhales the familiar scent of the fabric, looks into his bright embroidered eyes. He swears they look understanding somehow.

“You ready to work your magic, buddy?” he asks. “Let’s go.”

Jack does notice him this time, eyes crinkling in acknowledgment when he sees Bitty in the doorway. His voice is getting softer now, the words slowing in time with Giselle’s blinks, and Bitty crosses the room to lay Señor Bun in their daughter’s arms.

Neither of them move until they’re sure that Giselle is asleep at last; even then, Jack extracts himself from the bed as quietly as possible, smoothes the covers over her with a feather-light touch. When they meet in the hallway, Jack presses his face into Bitty’s neck. They stand there in the quiet, breathing together, for a long time.

“How is she?” Bitty finally asks.

“Hot,” Jack says, frowning. “I gave her another Tylenol.”

Bitty sighs deep, presses his forehead into Jack’s chest. “Mm, okay. Let’s hope she kicks this soon.”

“She will,” says Jack. “She’s our kid, that’s gotta count for something, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” Despite himself, Bitty finds that a smile comes easily enough. It always does with Jack’s reassurance. “Gotta be tough in this family.”

Jack laughs lightly. “Yeah.”

They retreat to their bedroom, turning off lights as they go. Their nighttime routine, too, is as comfortable as breathing now. When Bitty comes back from brushing his teeth, he finds Jack in bed, reading glasses on, still flipping through The Velveteen Rabbit.

“I’m glad you picked that one for her,” says Bitty slowly. “That was my favorite book as a kid.”

Jack turns it over in his hands, looks up at Bitty with warmth in his eyes. “This one?” he asks, smiling. “That explains Señor Bun, eh?”

“Yeah.” Bitty has to swallow around a sudden lump in his throat, and almost immediately finds himself blinking back hot tears. He bites his lip. “Well, and I, um—no, it’s stupid.”

“Bits?” says Jack, concerned. He closes the book and sits up. “Hey, no it’s not. Why else was it important?”

Bitty looks down. “I used to want to be Real,” he says, all in a rush. “Just like the Rabbit. Used to wish there’d be a fairy that would see how unhappy I was, and come and—oh, Lord—”

It’s like a switch flips in his brain; all of a sudden he’s crying in earnest, days of pent-up stress and fear rushing past the floodgates at once. Jack makes a soft sound and holds Bitty close, letting him cry it out, rocking him just a little. His hands are big and warm on Bitty’s back.

“Shh, bud, hey,” he says. “That’s not stupid at all.”

Bitty sniffles and scrubs at his eyes, lets out a burst of slightly hysterical laughter. “I—God. I don’t know what it is, I was looking at you and Ellie and—I don't know, I just wish the person I was when I first read it could see me now. I wish that little kid hadn’t had to go through all the shit I did to get here.”

Jack doesn’t say anything at first, just pulls back a little. Bitty looks up, confused—but Jack’s just reaching behind him to grab the book off his nightstand, flipping through it until he finds the page he wants. Then he puts an arm back around Bitty’s shoulders and pulls him close, kisses his temple.

“Generally,” he reads, in English this time, “by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”

He fixes Bitty with those bottomless blue eyes. "I hope you'll let me keep telling you," he says slowly, "that it all meant something, bud. You made yourself real. You gave us our daughter."

Bitty laughs, watery. "I did."

"You did." Jack kisses him again, soft and full of meaning. "And I promise I'll never stop trying to understand."

[werenotacoupleyesyouare]

So I was meaning to post updates for my Farseer Trilogy liveblogging because y’all seemed to really like the last one but one thing lead to another and I finished the book before I could even pick up my phone. SO- here are my thoughts at the end of book 1! (Contains spoilers)

- I’ll try to go chronologically so bear w me

- Look I love chade okay? He’s funny and mysterious but how on EARTH does the whole court think it a good idea to have a child deal with their political issues eye-

- like “oh, boggers! We have found a breach in our enemy’s defence after a war of interests that has lasted decades! Now we only need to gruesomely murder this well known politician, but whoever could be up to the task? Ah yes, this eleven year old warrior cats enthusiast will do”

- Yes I will refer to the Wit only as being a warrior cats stannie bc y’all know that if he was in the real world Fitz would have absolutely lost his mind over that saga. No I will not be accepting criticism.

- I LOVED CHADE’S RICHSONA lady time was funky

- every chapter I read I grow more worried about Fitz’s self preservation skills. He wakes up for the second time during the night, he is told to immediately go check on the royal he is serving because she’s sick, only to find out she’s just Chade in a ballgown, who tells him “there’s no time to explain, now follow me to check out this very dangerous hostage situation 2 days of travel from here” and he’s just like “ok sure” BABY!! NO??

- Forging is gonna throwin a nice angst trope eventually, I’m here for it

- my wlw heart is torn between Molly and Lady Patience... good thing I have two hands!

- Fitz please,,,,, Chade asks him “wait, does the Fool talk to you??” And Fitz is like “oh yeah :) I like when he hangs with me! He barges in, insults me and then tells me my clothes are ugly :)” BABY THAT’S CALLED BULLYING

- okay I know y’all have been waiting for this one so here it comes: FOOL RANT! I don’t know who this funky mean child is but I would do ANYTHING to keep him safe and happy. (And this time I’m not worried he’s gonna die bc there are like another 3 trilogies w his name on the title, so at least I don’t have to worry for a while) he speaks in riddles!!! I love that!! Also he tries to keep Fitz safe so we like him (more to come abt the fool, I ain’t done yet)

- MOLLY AND FITZ ARE SO FUCKING FUNNY SOMEHOW THEY BOTH MANAGED TO BE THE USELESS LESBIAN STEREOTYPE WHEN IT COMES TO FLIRTING I WAS LOOSING MY MIND LAUGHING

- like “Molly!! You deserve to be with someone who wouldn’t treat you like a piece of jewelry! You’re smart, brave and talented, not to mention beautiful, you need someone who could understand you!!” “Oh really?? Like who?” “Oh idk lol” KIDS I-

- also idk who this Jade is but I have a feeling he’s like a relative of Molly and Fitz is just being dramatic

- as you may know I’m listening to the audiobook, and I misheard Pocked Man as Pot Man, which lead to this very funny exchange:

Fitz: are you really... the Pot Man? 🥺

Chade 420-blaze-it Fallstar: not the one you’re thinking of

- I love how almost all of the characters are stoners, I feel like it’s something all fantasy sagas should consider implementing lol

- GUYS! are Lady Patience and Lacey,,, you know,,, 👀

- Lacey 🤝 Burrich: in love with one part of the royal couple while being their man/woman

- OKAY NOW BURRICH. I LOVE THIS MAN GUYS. HE IS A DECENT DAD AND HE CARES SO MUCH ABOUT FITZ IT MAKES MY HEART SWELL. But MAN what bitch with the Wit hurt him like damn

- aside point, Burrich has the Wit right? He was made to feel ashamed about it but he’s another warrior cats enthusiast

- also probs not intended but the Wit especially now feels like a metaphor and my queer ass was PROJECTING I was HURT when Burrich didn’t accept Fitz bc of it

- GALEN FARSEER? STUPID IDIOT MOTHERFUCKING GALEN FARSEER GODDAMN FOOL SKILL TEACHING CHILD ABUSING RAT OLD BASTARD SHITHEAD IDIOT BASTARD SON OF SHREWD. BIGGEST CLOWN IN THE CIRCUS LAUGHED OUT OF TOWN COWBOY MOTHERFUCKING GALEN FARSEER-

- okay no really this man is an absolute asshole how can he abuse those kids like that? Fitz almost killed himself damn like imagine being 60-smth and feeling threatened by a fucking 11 year old like get a life bastard boy

- also about that part I loved the Fitz Protection Squad™️

Fitz, at his worst, contemplating s*icide, convinced he isn’t worth shit:

Smithy, The Fool and Burrich: okay! It’s time for murder.

And they did! Well almost but verity finished the job anyway

- how sweet is the fool actually tho?? On the outside he is a bit mean, but then his room is covered in flowers, handmade dolls and swirls of colors. He avoids everyone, lives in the most remote part of the castle but as soon as he makes one friend he absolutely melts and tries his best to protect him. He acts so smug and uncaring but then gets scared when his friend avoids him, and starts going on about how he Doesn’t Actually Care About Him, The Court Just Needs Him, like sure baby. All I’m saying is please protect this kid he deserves the world.

- Verity is my only king, his wife is a kickass cool lady and I can already tell they’re gonna Fuck Shit Up together and I love it.

- yes that whole arc??? Incredible. I kept yelling at Fitz because GODDAMNIT but he did his best, he is only 14 after all (HOW DO THEY THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE HIM SUCH RESPONSIBILITIES AAAAA)

- lol tho I loved how the Fool was like “yeah so Fitz maybe don’t eat everything they give you ‘cause I’m pretty sure they want to poison you” and then Kettricken is like “hey do you want to try these weird leaves I got from my sketchy garden?” and Fitz is like “oh boy would I”

- earring! Chivalry’s earring! We like that

- Yay so Nosy was alive! Cool again I don’t usually get emotional over dogs jfhdhufjdj I’m sorry I’m a disgrace (I’m confident this will change but for now eh)

- something that will positively destroy me is when Burrich will die eventually (and I know it happens cuz my dad SPOILED it for me) I don’t think I’ll be able to stand that

-okay so yes in general this book has completely made me fall in love and I’m definetly in for the whole saga lol. I was thinking of reading the three Fitz trilogies first and then go back and read the dragons and the other one

- I’ll probably make 2+ posts like this every book, so you can find them on the “#greta reads” in my acc :) anyways tagging a few people who enjoyed the last one @wellamarke @violetiris-ak @wolfofmars thank youuu

[ricky-rawrasaurus-rex]

This seems like fun so thank you very much to @thesadboisguidetolife for tagging me!

Favorite color: Traditionally it’s always been green, probably because I’m an earth sign (that’s what Taurus is right?) and while I’m like not a nature person at all, I do find it rather calming and soothing and all that jazz. That being said, as of like 2-3ish years, pink has been quickly becoming one of my favorite colors as well so it’s a really good thing that it pairs well with green. Just look at Cosmo and Wanda haha

3 favorite foods: oof just 3? I like food way too much to just pick 3 but I’ll try my best. How about 3 cuisines? Let’s go with that! So Japanese (I love sushi so much and could eat it every day and never get tired of it), Chinese (I make way too much stir fry for dinner but I can’t help it, it’s pretty good), and Mexican (it’s all so, SO good and kinda been craving posole lately although it’s definitely not posole eating weather here in the desert)

Song stuck in my head: hmmm this is kinda tough because I have like a handful of songs that cycle their way through my head but the one that comes to mind right now is “Gimme All Your Love” by Alabama Shakes, which is just like one of the best songs I think I’ve ever heard in my life and yeah it’s really great so give it a listen if y’all haven’t already. Also Tegan and Sara’s “The Con” is another one that constantly gets stuck in my head too

Last song I listened to: “Coda” by Chub Rub, which I discovered through the list of all girl punk/pop/indie/rock bands that @thesadboisguidetolife put together, which is pretty dope! I have to admit I haven’t gone through it all as thoroughly as I would like just yet (sorry!) but the band name and the cover art just immediately spoke to me so I’m really glad I was able to find out about them so thank you for putting that list together and yeah, give Make Some Fucking Space! a listen if you haven’t already!

Last thing I googled: A recipe for slow cooking ribs I made yesterday because I can never remember it correctly off the top of my head and I’m too lazy to write it down! :D

Dream trip: I live in America and the only place that comes to mind that I’d like to go to outside of the country is Japan because I’ve always been really fascinated by their culture and it looks like a really interesting and beautiful country and also they have an island of cats that I would love to go to so yeah, Japan! Otherwise I kinda have this huge desire to go on long road trip somewhere and kinda get lost for a bit, not by myself though because trips are always better with others in my experience so just gotta find friends that can and want to join me some day haha

Anything I really want: not to like get really deep or anything or let people know I have ✨ f e e l i n g s ✨, but I’m going to be turning 25 in a few days and the closer my birthday gets here, the more nostalgic and sentimental I’ve been getting because I’ve (hopefully, keeping my fingers crossed about this) lived a quarter of my life and am just kinda realizing how fast it all goes by. So to that end, I really, really want life and that thing we think we could call “time” to slow down a bit so I can make sure I get all the love I’ve got to give out to my family and friends 💕

Time: it’s currently 2:36pm at this point, which is kinda early for me on a Monday (it was 2:36pm on Monday when I wrote this but forgot to post it then so my bad!) because my sleep schedule is all sorts of messed up due to the pandemic and quarantining at home and it’s kind of hot day so I hope it cools down once night comes

Last movie: Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix which is really cute and funny and sweet and I think it’s from the makers of Into the Spiderverse and yeah it’s just great so watch it!

Tea or coffee: hmmmmm depends. I feel like I only drink tea when I’m sick or with friends or when I want a more chill form of coffee, which I constantly drink. I don’t know if this is maybe like a Mexican cultural thing but in my family, coffee is a drink for any time of the day. Like if the family was ever hanging out and it was like 9pm or whatever, someone would make a pot and we’d all have ourselves a cup so yeah, definitely a coffee type of dude here 😊

Last Show: I watch a lot of things, especially at the same time, so I’m not sure how accurate this answer is but I’d say it was Yasuke on Netflix since that was the last show I completed. I enjoyed it for various reasons and thought it was pretty cool. Just wish it was longer though but here’s hoping for a second season. Also I thought it was going to be historically accurate when I first started out so if anyone else is thinking the same thing before they watch it, don’t because it quickly proves that idea otherwise with mechs haha

Currently reading: I too read a lot of things simultaneously, which has its pros and cons but anyways, I’m currently trying to cycle through Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due, and the Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. I’ve been reading Ghost Summer because I read The In-Between and enjoyed it and definitely am always here for horror by BIPOC and the other two texts were selected as part of book club stuff, which I’m behind on so yeah, maybe don’t read 3 books at once 😅

Currently watching: The Handmaid’s Tale since the newest season just released as well as catching up on the latest season of American Gods and as soon as I find a way to watch the newest season of POSE, I will promptly start watching that as well!

Sweet, spicy, or savory: I’m not much of a sweets dude just because I kinda feel gross after eating a lot of sweet stuff (although I really do enjoy ice cream), otherwise I’m definitely a savory and spicy kind of person, within reason although my family has a recipe for salsa goes really well on pretty much anything and I would probably would put it on everything too if I made it more often (making chile hurts sometimes haha)

Think I’m supposed to tag 10 people now so think I’m gonna tag some folk I’ve tagged before and some other folk I wanna know more about although no pressure to participate if you don’t wanna!

@vidibit @kaminaepicwin @songswordsfeathersbirds @mainbstaysgold @mrbearloover @psyrinn @directlyindirect @legendaryherooftime @midians-world @traviskduran

[everlarkficexchange]

Operation: BREAD (Bring Revenge on Everdeen to Avenge Dad)

Written by: @alliswell21

Prompt 23: Rumor: MrEverdeen crossed fence dividing Town and Seam, kidnapped Mrs Everdeen making her his common law wife. Years later, Mellark sons plan to avenge their father by raiding Seam and kidnapping one of Everdeen’s daughters for one of them to take as a wife! Does Katniss “volunteer,” does she escape, how do the 3 brothers decide what to do with her since they didn’t plan it all out well? [submitted by @567inpanem]

Rated: T for now, for language.

Author’s Note: So, I resigned myself that this prompt won’t be completed by the new dateline of May 10th, because believe it not, quarantining with the husband and children at home makes for a very busy day… everyday. I haven’t been able to write anything for days at a time, and everytime I come back, I reread what I’ve written so far, and find faults that need fixing and what I hoped to be a short story is turning into a long one shot because I’m incapable of keep things simple… and now I’m ranting about everything instead of thanking everyone— from the EFE administrators, to @567inpanem for the prompt, and y’all dear readers— and wishing all moms a happy Mother’s Day, even if you celebrate it on a different date in your country… and I a belated happy birthday to Katniss Everdeen and Also a happy Mother’s Day to her, because she deserves it… anywho…

Here’s is the very first part of this story, that can’t make up its mind on what it wants to be (it’s leaning into romcom territory right now), I’ll post all my submissions soonish (hopefully finished), and I apologize for any formatting defects since I’m posting from my cell phone, otherwise I’ll forget to post it at all.

Sorry this is messy! I love y’all! Stay healthy.

————

“Quiet, you morons!” Bannock… whispers?

Is that the right descriptor for the harsh, low sounds that comes from his mouth? I’m not quite sure, but I look at him sheepishly, since I was the one to trip on air this time around and nearly knock down a clothesline, poles and all.

“S-sorry…” I stutter drunkenly.

Rye shrugs, uncaring. Asshole!

Bannock glares at us with his bloodshot, angry blue eyes before turning around and creeping forward.

It’s a chilly night out, with no stars and just a sliver of moon casting minimal light over us, ideal to maraud and raid… if we lived any place else, that is.

If we were to find ourselves face to face with the flashlight of a Peacekeeper patrolling the streets, things could go anywhere from awkward to deadly, and I really hope we don’t have to find out how it’ll truly go. We’re wasted, outside our house after curfew, and facing our mother’s wrath would probably be as terrible as any punishment the peacekeepers would inflict on us.

The later option has me swallowing thickly.

I’m no coward by any stretch of the word… but I do enjoy being alive, so… yeah.

“Don’t mess around, no more!” Bannock chides.

As soon as Bann turns around, Rye mouths his words back, mockingly, and I wonder— not for the first time— how can my brothers be so immature? Bannock just turned 25, while Rye has the mind of a 13 year old trapped in the muscular body of a 24 year old man; leaving sweet, little me, the 21 year old baby sibling, to bring the rear.

Rye burps, mostly quietly, earning another warning glare from Bann. All things considered, I’m a little impressed at how stealthily we’ve been moving so far, being as enebriated as we are and all. But who knows? Maybe we really aren’t as slick as my alcohol soaked brain thinks we are, and I’m just too skunked to know any better.

“D’you think we’ll be back before father wakes to take care of the ovens?” Rye slurs a little, squinting his eyes at a cat trotting across the alley in front of him. A second later he’s frowning down at the cat, shushing it obnoxiously, as if it’s soft paws are the ones making the stopping sounds coming from his own boots.

Bannock shrugs, “Who cares!”

I’m about to raise my hand and respond that I do, I care, but Rye starts laughing like an idiot, already distracted by something else. We turn to catch him picking up a stick and throwing it at the poor, unsuspecting cat. As soon as the stick hits it’s side, the animal loses its balance, making it fall into a trash can, with a terrified cry.

It’s awful. And loud.

“Knock it off!” Bannock growls as quietly as he can. “You’re gonna wake up the whole town, asshole!”

The cat meows indignantly, climbing out of the trash. He jumps to the other side and it’s gone in the next moment.

I sigh, rubbing one hand over my face. “Guys, I think we should go back. I don’t think Father will approve of this.”

“Shut up, Peeta!”

“Yeah! Shut it, runt!”

I grunt in aggravation under my breath. “I’m serious. We shouldn’t be out here… at all!” I insist.

“Why did you come then?” Bann hisses.

“You dragged me out with you, jackass!” I counter, pointedly. Plus, I’m the least drunk out of the three of us, and I figured I should keep an eye on them two, make sure they don’t get hurt in this idiotic quest… but I don’t say that out aloud. “I still don’t understand why, are we stumbling across town in the middle of the night, risking getting caught outside after curfew.”

“You know why, Peeta! We’ve gone over it to death,” snaps Bann, twisting his whole body to face me and almost walking into a potted plant sitting by somebody’s back door. “Father doesn’t know how to take care of himself, let alone how to defend his honor!”

“Our hands have been forced, runt. We need to pick up the slack, that’s why!”

I roll my eyes at my brothers.

It’s true though. For the last 26 years, our father has been both the butt of every joke said in the streets of district 12, and the victim of a tragic cautionary tale, people somehow feel the sadistic inclination to bring up to us, Mellark boys, as if we needed the reminder.

“Geez… save it for Everdeen, Bann. Let the runt keep his head instead of chewing it off him!”

Bannock frowns. It’s not everyday Rye comes to my defense, which means he really must be hammered.

Cool! I love brotherly affection… even if given under the influence.

“Whatever.” Bannock mutters under his breath. “We’re here anyway.” He signals to the fence dividing our district into two unequal sections: the merchant quarter, where we live, and the Seam (our destination), the largest— yet poorest— side of 12.

It’s unclear why the government erected the fence running right through the district in the first place, but the effect of having a literal barrier separating everyone in our small district, couldn’t be any clearer: we have a huge social divide amongst our people, very distinct and hard to overcome. Both sides distrusting the other, despite there never being a tangible reason why.

Personally, I think the most logical explanation for the creation of the internal fence, was just sheer desire to create hostility and antagonism between the citizens of 12… maybe it’s easier for the Capitol’s long arm to control a podunk place like here, when there’s an unbridgeable social chasm between our own denizens; how can we band together to demand better treatment and fair representation from the mighty Capitol, when we’re fighting with each other?

Of course, I keep my opinion to myself, because speaking of such things is just a sure way to find oneself in prison, facing charges of public agitation and whatnot.

Bann cuts through my musings, “Alright… let’s find a spot to cross over.” He says determined and still very intoxicated.

The worst kept secret in District 12, is how some sections of the fence are too close to the houses in the merchant side. If one really wants to cross into the other side over the fence, one only needs to look for a low wall adjacent to the top links of the fence to climb on, and after that, it’s all a matter of gravity pulling you down. Its been done before too…

Everyone speculates that’s what happened the day our father fell into disgrace: A man from the Seam found a weak spot to exploit… and the rest is history. Never mind the fact that jumping the fence is a common enough hooligan deed; how else can teenage couples reach the Slag Heap at the edge of the old coal mines to engage in their secret affairs?

It only takes us a few minutes to find a brick wall circling the backyard of a random house, just two feet shy of the fence.

We climb it with all the grace of a pig crawling up a greased pole, but after much huffing and puffing, we manage— with great effort— to drag ourselves over the barrier. We’re sweating and swearing, but who could blame us for that? We Mellark boys are just too broad and heavy with muscle, add to the mix the fact that we’ve drank our body weight in white liquor right before Bann had the brilliant idea of dragging us out here, and you have an uncoordinated— mostly clumsy— sad excuse, trio of vandals.

Rye goes first, then I go; finally, Bannock splatters down like a bullfrog, falling on his ass. He’s disgruntled and I suspect in dire need of a nap.

“Come on!” He commands, dusting his behind sloppily.

We’ve been walking aimlessly through unfamiliar dirt roads and dark unpaved alleys. The place is littered with produce crates set upside down in neat circles every other road… I vaguely wonder if that’s what passes as a socializing hot spot here in the Seam, like the square with its concrete benches is for us in town?

Sometimes I forget how things can be so shitty on this side of the District. It makes my stomach twist unpleasantly with guilt, realizing I take certain privileges for granted.

About five minutes into our stupid intrusion into Seam territory, Rye speaks up.

“Dude… do you know where they live?”

Bannock’s head snaps up, clearly annoyed. “How hard can it be to find the Seam’s apothecary?”

Very, actually.

First of all, The Seam consists of row after row of seemingly identical shacks, in varying states of shabbiness, arranged in a huge matrix of sorts. Each row is made of three to five houses with a slim road in between the next set of homes.

For what I gather in my limited liquor-addled brain, each horizontal row has a designated letter, and the vertical street goes by number. Other than that, there are no other distinguishing signs, telling us where we are or how to find the ‘Seam apothecary’ as Bann inarticulately dubbed it.

Rye groans in annoyance, seeming ready to overrule Bannock and call the whole thing off, himself; but my drunk ass is too stupid to keep my big mouth shut.

“They live close to the electric fence. Right before the meadow. They probably have a fence-in yard, too.”

I wince, regretting my words right away. I shouldn’t have said anything, but like an idiot, I couldn’t help spilling out the small bursts of information I’ve gathered over the years on the Everdeens.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but the Everdeens are a bit of an obsession to me… for all of us Mellarks, really. Given our entangled past with them, it shouldn’t be so much of a revelation, but this thing between our families has been a nuisance ever since I can remember and while my brothers and mother use it as a focal point of hatred and animosity. For me, is a curiosity driven thirst for knowledge on everything Everdeen. Anything that could shed light on our sordid past, I would gobble up, trying to answer why something that has virtually nothing to do with me and my brothers, still haunt us everywhere we go.

Rye frowns. “Fence-in yard?” He looks around the houses we are passing, realizing none of those have fences.

“Goat.” Bannock grunts, nodding thoughtfully. “Good catch, runt.”

“Huh?” Rye is scratching his head, confused.

“The blonde girl,” Bann says with mild irritation.

People from the Seam have a very specific look to them: dark— usually straight— hair, gray eyes, olive skin… ‘blonde’, blue eyed and pale, is more of a descriptor for people from the merchant class, like us… like Mrs. Everdeen.

The poor woman must stick out like a sore thumb in here; probably the same goes to her merchant-looking daughter, Primrose.

“What about the blonde?”

“She makes goat cheese.” Bann huffs as explanation, but since Rye still looks like the concept is too hard to fathom, Bannock grunts, expanding. “She trades the cheese in town. Mainly with Father. Which means, Everdeen has to keep at least one goat for the girl to have access to milk.”

“M’kay… goat, fences, meadow.” Rye lists clumsily on his fingers, following after Bann. “Got it!”

We quickened our steps in the direction of the electric fence. I’m still kicking myself for saying anything when we reach the last row of houses before the meadow.

I really hope I’m wrong about them having a goat, although I find it hard to believe Primrose steals milk from other people for her cheeses. She looks so sweet and innocent.

Alas, I’m too clever for my own good sometimes.

The very first house in the row at the edge of the meadow, has a pen connected to the house on the strip of backyard allotted to them. A tiny but sturdy shed stands against the back wall of the house, and if my eyes don’t deceive me, I can barely make out the snout of a goat, peeking out of the narrow opening of the shed.

“This is it!” Rye crows excitedly, rubbing his hands together and licking his chops like a hungry, humanoid wolf.

“Yeah. Finally!” Grunts Bann, “keep your voice down, doofus.” his reaction, both frenzied and anxious.

“Let’s do this!” Rye’s smile is deranged.

“Great!” I hiccup with fake enthusiasm. “What are we doing?” I deadpan, staring at my siblings with all the aggravation I can muster.

My brothers speak excitedly at the same time:

“Taking one of the girls back home with us!”/“Beating the shit out of Everdeen!”

My brothers look at each other, perplexed, and go, “”What?!” At the same time.

“Fuck!” I groan to the skies, noting its near dawn. “You better be joking! We came all the way out here, and you idiots didn’t plan what you were going to do once we arrived?”

“No… I mean, yes! No. it’s simple,” Slurs Rye trying to stare me in the eye and failing miserably, “We’re dragging Everdeen out here. Then, we’ll beat the snot out of the bastard, and have you doodle the whole thing out for Father… you’ll finally use that art talent of yours for something we’ll all enjoy… not just you,”

“No, no, no, no!” Snaps Bannock. “We’re taking one of Everdeen’s daughters, bring her back home with us, and avenge father.”

“What? Why?” Rye whines much too loud and even I shush him. “I thought we were just gonna jump the bastard and rearrange his face a little,” Rye sounds disappointed.

Bannock answers right away, sounding like our mother when she’s chiding us for some thing or another. “Dude… the guy stole Dad’s girl! You know what they say about repaying a slight with the same coin and all that shit. It stands to reason, the course of action here is to take one of the girls home with us, sleep with her, and get her pregnant or something, then she can’t come back to her daddy.”

I throw my hands up in the air, “That’s it! I’m out!” My brain practically short circuits with the outrageous shit my brothers are spewing out of their mouths.

Sure, beating the lights out of an unsuspecting man in front of his house in the middle of the night is already crazy, but Bann’s idea to take a girl away from her home, it’s beyond preposterous!

Instead of lashing out, I turn around and stalk away as fast as my legs can carry me. I’m still tipsy, so I stumble a little, but I’m determined to leave.

“Hey! Where are ya going?!”

I get grabbed by the bíceps and pulled back to ‘hide’ behind a scraggly bush overlooking the house we assume is Everdeen’s. My brothers push me down by the shoulders roughly, until I’m sitting on my ass.

“The hell is wrong with you two?” I snarl, trying to punch and kick either one of them.

“Shut up, runt! They’re gonna hear you!”

“Good! Then someone will call the Peacekeepers over.”

“Wha— No! Why would you want that?” Rye whines.

“I didn’t sign up for any of this crazy shit!” I spit enraged.

“Dude, you can’t bail on operation BREAD,” Rye scrunches up his face.

“Operation Bread? What in the hell, is operation Bread?” I wrench my arms free from them at last, glowering up at both.

“Bring Revenge on Everdeen to Avenge Dad!” Rye says proudly, a lopsided smile brightens his face, and all I want to do is punch his nose.

“You’re insane!” I sputter.

“No… I’m cle-ver!” Rye grins, tapping a finger to his temple.

“Come on, Peeta. You know this needs to be done!” Bann cuts in.

“No! It doesn’t!” I argue. I still feel woozy from alcohol though, so it’s costing me too much effort trying to get up. “This is just insane, Bannock! What you’re proposing is just… heinous!” I hiss.

Bannock’s face hardens, “Nobody will see it like that.” He assures, “An eye for an eye, baby brother.”

“So what? We’re gonna kidnap and rape an innocent girl in revenge, and you think that’ll fix anything? Will it bring peace? It’ll help you get Madelynn’s parents to back off and let her marry you?” I’m so pissed off, I’m pretty sure spittle is flying out of my mouth. “It won’t do anyone any good! Not us, nor father, and especially not Katniss or Primrose!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Bannock flies at me, and all I have to do is lift my arms to shield my head.

Rye is an equal opportunity asshole most of the time, but in this moment, he’s the one stopping Bannock from breaking my face in two, and I’m very grateful for my middle brother manhandling our eldest for me.

“Rape is a strong word, runt.” Rye gasps with the effort of keeping Bannock from kicking my ass. But if the wrinkling of his nose is any indication, I think maybe my words are chipping away some of his complicitness in this mess. “Maybe, what Bann meant, was, one of us will… you know… spend time with the girl, and then… make her his common law wife or something?” Rye looks at Bann expectantly.

Bannock nods. Rye lets go of him.

We all stay silent, breathing heavily for a moment.

“Same coin. Simple as that.”

If the stories are to be believed, Sorrel Everdeen crossed the fence dividing the merchant quarter and the seam, kidnapped my father’s betrothed— Lily— and made her his common law wife, despite being common knowledge, that the woman in question was engaged to our father since they were very young.

It’s an old rumor, really, with no real way to fact-check the events that led to this moment in time, but there’s always been some nasty whispering churning around town; tales varying in height and perjury, sometimes scandalous, others depraved, always with add-ons and full of conjectures flavored by the speaker in turn, but never the whole truth.

The worst thing is that the stories die down for a while when something juicer comes up, but then resurface, like a persistent oily stain on cement… It’s been 26 years since the real events leading to the Everdeens controversial marriage took place, yet the old gossip mill in District 12 has waxed over and rewritten the sordid story through the lense of judgemental people over and over again, until even our mother has started to repeat the outlandish tales, as if she wasn’t an active participant of the story herself.

Still… “I just can’t!” I say both exasperated and grossed out. “We should just go home—“

I get cut off when the door of the Everdeen house opens spilling faint candlelight into the almost blackened-out street.

My brothers rush to huddle around me, crowding on top of me like a pair of boulders… or worse: a pair of sweaty, heavy, alcohol doused men. Disgusting!

The door of the shack closes softly and to our shock, a very angry looking Katniss Everdeen stomps in the direction of the sad excuse for a bush we’re hiding in.

“Hmm… guys… I think she sees us.” I mumble calmly, yet terrified. Katniss Everdeen, eldest daughter of Sorrel and Lily, is coming our way with fire in her eyes.

TBC on AO3…

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

A Family of Five- Part 3: Sick Day

Calum and Harlowe’s marriage hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been filled with love. This is a collaborative experience with In Sorrow and In Joy. Dad!Calum. Black OC.

CW: Over the course of this series, there are mentions of pregnancy, therapy, and postpartum depression. There is also 18+ Content (Smut)

Enjoy my masterlist | Series Masterlist

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No one has my permission to repost my work of fiction. This includes translations as well

_____________________

The house is finally silent. Koha’s no longer shouting about needing his lunchbox, Harlowe’s not clicking against the tile floor with her heels, Pepper, Sissy and Jack their three dogs have been taken out, sprawled out across their favorite spots in the living room Jack and Sissy are the latest additions. Jack a german shepherd mix and Sissy is a Cocker Spaniel Corgi mix. They were a two for one deal, only in the sense that the pound warned them that the two had become extremely attached to each other. So much so that they could not go to separate foster homes. 

Calum can only blame himself for the dog additions. Koha had Pepper and they grew up together. So of course, Calum wanted Esha to grow up with a dog. So they went looking at the same local shelter from where they got Pepper from. That’s how they ran across Jack and Sissy. Esha was stoked to have a dog she could cuddle with. This of course meant that him and Harlowe were outnumbered, though the dogs did help when one of the kids is hurt in another room. They could run and get the attention of Calum or Harlowe to come to the rescue. Of course, the crying also indicated that. But the dogs loved the kids and they best was naptime when they Pepper lays down first, Koha and Esha curled up near each other and Jack and Sissy outlining them. Calum has too many photos of the same scene from multiple different times they curled up together. 

Esha whines a little from the couch; Calum walks over, running his palm over her forehead. Normally, she would be off to daycare. However, she had a fever last night and it hadn’t broken yet either. Calum usually drops Esha off, every morning at the same time, with the same kisses, pressed into both cheeks and a big hug. Harlowe’s job and Koha’s private school are in the same direction. Esha’s daycare is a bit of an offshoot, which Harlowe could easily do.  However, Esha prefers Calum to drive her. Calum loves it too, her dancing in her carseat, her singing along to the radio. His little baby girl always excited to show him something new that she learned. It’s time for just them. 

Though the house wasn’t too chaotic, Calum did feel like he was constantly running around. He was constantly moving, more things added to this To-Do List and never enough time just to enjoy the moment. The moments he has with Esha though on the fifteen minute drive are what keeps him going some days. He loves Harlowe, Koha, and the dogs. But there’s nothing quite like seeing Esha smile, even as he’s dropping her off in front of her preschool There’s the way her tiny hand takes his, and the way she grins, waving at all her friends still close to his side that makes all that chaos still; Calum feels at peace.

Right now though, his little slice of heaven is sick. Esha stirs from her half sleeping state at the feel of a hand on her face, groaning a little. “How you feeling, baby?” Cal asks softly. 

She shrugs. “Still hurt a little.”

He nods. “Okay, give it some more time before the meds kick in.” Her cup is empty thankfully. She drank all of her water. 

“Okay.”

He tucks the blanket higher up around her, stroking softly over her cheek and bonnet. “I’m sorry you’re sick, baby girl,” he whispers, watching her eyes flutter close. Jack walks over, jumps up onto the couch and settles down at her feet. Pepper keeps watch from the floor with Sissy. Calum scratches over their heads, happy to see them being gentle with her in her present state.

Calum washes the dishes from breakfast, squeezes in a quick work out and after his shower, wakes Esha again. She pushes up away from the pillow, a small ‘hmmph’ falling over her lips. She looks just like Harlowe waking up. The same squint and the matching satin bonnets. “I know, baby, I know. But I have to keep fluids in you.”

Esha takes the cup from her father’s hand, still blinking back sleep from her eyes. There’s no sass, no remark. God, he hates seeing his baby girl like this. Thankfully, she doesn’t get sick often. When she does, it’s like someone has pulled her plug. There’s no power, no life to her almost. She falls back into the cushion, sipping away at her cup. Calum stands, picking her up, before settling into the sofa with Esha in his lap. She snuggles into his chest, though he put her in light pj’s, he can feel the warmth seeping from her body. 

He’s already adjusted the AC some to help her stay cool. “Can we watch Moana?” she mumbles against him. 

“Of course sweetheart. We’ll start if after lunch, okay?”

Esha nods. “Love you, Daddy.”

“Love up too, baby girl.” When she’s fast asleep, yet again, Calum brings the blanket back around her body. He can wait to fix her soup just a tad bit, not wanting to disturb her sleep too much. Softly, he hums a few songs to her sleeping body. 

Calum doesn’t even realize he’s fallen asleep until the feelings of nails against his scalp stir him awake. Harlowe’s smiling down at him. “I came by just to see how see she’s holding up. And I’m come back to both of y’all passed out on the couch,” she chuckles.

Calum sighs. “Hadn’t intended to fall asleep.”

She kisses his forehead. “I’ll fix some soup and then be on my way.”

The sounds of Harlowe’s work around the kitchen sends a shiver down Calum’s spine. He rests his head into the cushions, listening to the soft sounds of metal pots and pans clinking against each other. Esha’s not so warm against him; he’s not sure if it’s just because he’s gotten used to her. Gingerly he places the back of his hand to her forehead. She’s not as warm. Readjusting her, he stands, holding his sick child to his chest. 

They’ll be leaving soon. It’s, of course, going to be tricky with the dogs and the house still here in California. Calum’s tempted to just keep the house since it’s paid for as a vacation home. They can retire here during the school breaks. Maybe they can rent it out through an agency so it’s not just sitting unoccupied all the time. Harlowe’s got a couple uni’s that are interested in her already, which is a good sign because she was worried about finding work. 

Calum watches Harlowe. She’s still in the heels from this morning. It’s a shock she makes this long anymore in the shoes. The heels are a good sign though. Today’s a good day so far. Bad days don’t see heels. Bad days don’t see skirts, or fancy blouses. Calum thinks part of her recovery and stability is linked to going back to work. She can’t help her students if she’s not thinking straight. She can’t enjoy the worlds they’re creating and she can’t help them shape those worlds if all she has is a fog on her shoulder. 

It was hard, before on the maternity leave for Harlowe. It was the same old same old. Day in and day out it was just her bedroom, just the kitchen, and occasionally the outdoors. She didn’t really have a goal, just a muddled sameness marked up rising and fallings of the sun. There was Koha and Esha and Calum for sure. But part of her had taken them for granted, that of course they would be there. She was a mother, she was a wife. These people were in her life for good. 

The thing is, life is fragile and it took realizing that her students wouldn’t be able to see her on campus to know that she couldn’t take anyone or anything for granted. Just because Calum was here now didn’t mean he would have to stick this out. Te Koha had already taken too much of her illness into his soul, she couldn’t crush her own child with her heaviness, with her burden. 

“Don’t you have a class to be teaching?” Cal asks. He remembers now that her schedule shouldn’t allow her to be here. He blames the post nap fog. 

“That was last semester, babe. I redid it so I start teaching at 9, go until 12. Break for lunch for an hour and some change. Then my last class ends goes from 2 to 3:30.”

“That’s right,” he hums, still trying to shake the sleep from him. Harlowe glances over her shoulder a smirk on her face. He knows what she’s thinking. “Don’t say it.”

She holds her hands up in defense. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“But you were thinking it. You’re always thinking it.”

“You just love her, that’s all. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Her face says it all though how tightly Esha has Calum wrapped around her tiny finger. It doesn’t matter though. As long as his baby girl knows how much he loves her, it doesn’t matter what Harlowe or anyone else things, or says, or doesn’t say. He’d go through Hell for her, and come back, only to go through it again if he had too. Nothing would stop him from taking care of his daughter. 

Pepper walks over, whining, pointing to the door. “I’ll take her,” Harlowe says, sliding out from in front of the stove. 

As he stirs the soup, Esha starts to wake, groaning. He sets her onto the counter. Calum’s still impressed that he can hold her with one arm. Esha’s getting bigger with every passing second. It scares him a little when he won’t be able to hold her like this anymore. When she’ll be too big and want nothing more than to run through the streets, just as wild as she’s bound to be. She holds onto the blanket, asking, “Chicken noodle soup?”

“Of course. It’s your favorite.”

“Can I have some water?”

Calum hums with a nod, opening the fridge. The back door opens and Esha smiles at up at her mom. “Hi, Momma.”

“Hey, baby. How you feeling?”

“Why you not at school?”

“Came by to see how you’re doing.” Harlowe presses a quick kiss to her forehead. Calum watches them. This is the Harlowe he knew was buried under her fog. This is the Harlowe Koha knew. The new meds seem to be helping. The idea of moving is still scary, but necessary. This place has run its course. Besides, Calum’s worried. New meds always work and then she stops taking them. He can’t do this alone, taking care of two kids, three dogs and his wife. He needs an extra pair of hands to help him out, especially when Harlowe slips. She doesn’t listen to just anybody. Her family’s no help. But Momma Joy has always managed to slip through her guard and keeps her on the right take. 

“Daddy can take care of me,” Esha retorts. 

“You’re definitely feeling better,” Harlowe laughs. “I know Papa Bear can. Momma’s just a worrier, you know.”

“Love you,” she whispers as her mom wraps her up in a hug. 

“Love you too. I’ve got a meeting, so I should probably get back soon.” Harlowe turns to Calum, sliding her hands around his waist. “Want me to pick something up for dinner?”

“I’ll cook. Don’t worry.”

With a nod, she slides away, but not before lightly patting his butt through the sweatpants. “Gross, Momma!” Esha huffs, noting the contact. 

“Do you call Papa Bear out like this?” Harlowe teases, waving as she exits the house. 

“Yes, I do!” the little girl calls to her mother’s back, laughing. These are his two girls, constantly teasing each other. 

Soup finally warmed, Esha sits at the table, taking small spoonfuls to her mouth. Her little legs dangle high above the floor. She crosses her eyes, sucking on a noddle in response to Calum’s face. He laughs, eyes closing, the skin around them crinkling too. Esha beams at the sound; she puffs out her chest a little. The laughter is because of her doing. 

“Do you want to take your hair down?” he asks, after calming from his laugh spell. 

“No.” 

Calum waits until she finishes all the bits of her soup, before they start racing to see who can drink the broth down the fastest. Esha winds up getting more on her pj’s than actually in her stomach. “Look at this mess,” Calum tsks, helping her down at of the chair. “Messy little one, aren’t you?”

“You were beating me. I had to win!”

He nods, waving her towards the stairs, a smile tugging on his lips. “Clearly winning involves dumping half the broth down your shirt.”

“Uh huh, it does.” He cleans her off, sliding her into clean pj’s. She climbs onto the sofa, while Calum cleans the dishes. She’s clutches the DVD cover for Moana, waiting. Calum’s not sure how she hasn’t grown sick of the movie yet. But she watches it with the same eager and awe as the first time she’s laid eyes on it. Calum pulls the plug on the drain, washing his hands off again. 

Esha climbs into his lap right at the start of the movie, she holds a juice pack in her hands, eyes glued to the screen. “You gotta do the singing parts, Daddy,” she states. 

“I know,” he nods, chuckling, “I know.” The singing parts also include the choreography too. During ‘You’re Welcome’, Esha joins her father, dancing around the living room. Both of them know it so well, they barely pay attention to the screen.

When Harlowe returns that afternoon with Koha, she can hear singing before she fully crosses the threshold. Her first guess is Moana, but the further they get into the house, it’s not. It’s Princess and the Frog. Calum’s dancing around during The Shadow Man’s man song. Koha drops his backpack in the foyer, running to join in. Normally, they would try to keep the kids separate if they’re sick. Clearly it is not going to work this time. 

Everyone settles in to finish the rest of the movie before Calum stands to start dinner. Esha watches from the bar counter, also scribbling over copy paper. Koha chats about his day, going over his homework with Harlowe. The house slowly fills with a white noise of sizzling, laughter and paws clicking. 

[if-the-crown-fits-translate-it]

Discord pt 98

[Date: 19/03, 06:01 AM GMT - 19/03, 06:50 AM GMT]

[CW for unethical floral experimentation, injury mention]

kateza affectionate: “mona, don't be so hard on yourself, ok?”

Maxwell: “....i....think we should tell her about the other stuff

mona”

Little-K1ng: “............theres more????”

Marcus: “.........heh”

Little-K1ng: “uh. heh?”

Maxwell: “I saw syds observation post from yesterday...it had a scrrenshot of something I said, and jack and them told me thats what you didnt want me seeing yesterday....”

Marcus: “Oh that

....yeah”

Little-K1ng: “O_O

uh..........................................................”

Marcus: “...that’s kind of what the argument was about”

Little-K1ng: “,,,,,,,,,,,,um

oh fuck. i

max...”

Maxwell: “im not upset”

Little-K1ng: “i just...”

Maxwell: “i took some time”

Little-K1ng: “you're... not?”

Maxwell: “and i get why you did it

yeah

but”

kateza affectionate: “you're in an unprecedented situation. a situation that keeps getting worse and worse with seemingly no reprieve. I don't blame you for slipping up here and there- there's so much stress involved that it's almost expected for you to be upset. i don't think anyone blames you for doing these things. that's all i wanted to say.”

Maxwell: “its gotten worse

baroness has images of more times where i've slipped up

at least twice during my argument with her”

Little-K1ng: “oh christ”

Maxwell: “and then I switched back to ender for certain words....”

Little-K1ng: “i.....”

Maxwell: “and....i sent prince an ask on faer blog....”

Little-K1ng: “you... did?”

Maxwell: “saying i was sorry for upsetting faem and i hoped i could see faem again soon”

Little-K1ng: “oh no oh no

oh max....”

Maxwell: “fae said "see you soon, page"”

Marcus: “...max signed the ask as page as well”

Maxwell: “no no

the was the second one”

Marcus: “..there was one before??”

Maxwell: “after he answered the first one i closed my eyes to breath”

Little-K1ng: “how can i be getting worse so much faster....”

Marcus: “.....I don’t...remember”

Little-K1ng: “unless...”

Marcus: “...huh”

Little-K1ng: “oh fucking christ no non on ono nonon ono nonono.....”

Maxwell: “and when I opened them like three minutes had passed and I had sent an ask as page apparently”

Little-K1ng: “did..... did crown do something? did he get in? did he get in when i left the door open??? and make it worse???????”

Marcus: “...I don’t

...max i don’t remember you sending an ask

Only page”

Little-K1ng: “is it my fault? did... did i do that? did i really.... i..... left you vulnerable....... i....”

Maxwell: “no it isnt your fault”

Little-K1ng: “i just....... this doesnt.... this doesnt hurt me nearly as much as it should.... im not... im still not upset..?”

Marcus: “Mona, Crown didn’t come in...I would’ve seen him. It’s not your fault”

kateza affectionate: “this isn't your fault mona

you're probably emotionally tired”

Little-K1ng: “but i just... i still just feel empty about it. i feel fully justified about this and i know i fucked up but im not hurt”

Raeva: “oh...”

Maxwell: “uh....I have marigold tea if you want some”

Little-K1ng: “i cant even fucking apologize right”

Marcus: “You didn’t mess up

...max what”

kateza affectionate: “you're emotionally burnt out, Mona. This is a bad situation”

Little-K1ng: “wh. where did you get marigolds?”

Maxwell: “oH

uH”

Marcus: “max”

Little-K1ng: “....;max????”

Maxwell: “hm.....well....

Little-K1ng: “max i dont have any tea except dandelion root

you're 16 you dont have money or a car

where the fuck,????”

Maxwell: “fetch was hurt....and i wanted to make sure I could help him tomorrow if he came back home tomorrow”

Marcus: “.....arent the flowers on your laurel...”

Maxwell: “.....”

Marcus: “max you didnt”

Little-K1ng: “mAaAaAaX??!!!!

what the HELL”

Marcus: “Don’t yell at him!”

Little-K1ng: “ahhhhh??????????????

im ??? not yelling on purpose im just????????

what the hell ??????”

Maxwell: “i wanted to help and it works?!”

Marcus: “you tested it???”

Maxwell: “yes”

Little-K1ng: “thats such a silly idea max of course it worked??? magic is like that sometimes??? but why would you have even thought about it ?????????”

Marcus: “max”

Maxwell: “i...”

Little-K1ng: “thats so silly how did it taste wh”

Maxwell: “i knew marigolds have the ability to help heal wounds...they can help speed up the process sometimes by a couple of days”

Marcus: “Are you okay??”

Maxwell: “they can help with blood flow”

Marcus: “Which ones did you cut off? Did you only cut one?”

Little-K1ng: “are you???? ok max first of all. heavy metal poisoning speedrunning. nice one. but also. dude cmon they double when you do that”

Maxwell: “and can sometimes even be used to treat infections...

i only cut one but it workss”

Little-K1ng: “one flower for how much ??”

Marcus: “...”

Little-K1ng: “like. did the water change color? bubble strangely? make fucked up ender noises at you??”

Maxwell: “i got a scrape on my arm when I was pacing outside waiting for fetch and I dipped a paper towel in it and put it on the wound”

Little-K1ng: “god maybe i am emotionally exhausted”

Maxwell: “it almost fully closed instantly”

Marcus: “...I kinda hope it made ender noises that would be funny”

[Maxwell: “it almost fully closed instantly”]

Little-K1ng: “hUH”

Maxwell: “it healed the wound faster than normal

not completely but enough”

Little-K1ng: “oh you better hope you dont do that too much and find out once your laurel wilts the wounds just open wtf”

Marcus: “I don’t think normal marigolds do that”

Little-K1ng: “thats like. supremely fucked dude??? thats weird.”

Maxwell: “.....”

Marcus: “...interesting”

Little-K1ng: “if you only used one did you??? just use the one i cut?”

Maxwell: “i wanted to help fetch

no the...one you cut was a bud

i needed one with petals that was bloomed...”

Marcus: “Y’know Max, I don’t think anyone else would’ve tried that”

Maxwell: “also the bud hasnt wilted despite being cut off a day ago...

but yeah i needed petals”

Marcus: “....”

Maxwell: “i tried to take em off when it was on my head but it felt like I was pulling out my hair so i stopped and just....”

Little-K1ng: “no, i understand the need. i get it. i want to help fetch too and honestly? i would have done the same”

Maxwell: “took a whole one”

Marcus: “...are you okay?

How did that not wake me up”

Little-K1ng: “im. i just. i feel so screwed up about this whole thing.”

Maxwell: “i didnt yell”

Marcus: “...”

Maxwell: “i numbed it with ice and grabbed the scissors

fetch wasnt happy when i told him”

Little-K1ng: “well of course not”

Maxwell: “jack saw it as an experiment”

Marcus: “...you talked to fetch?

Like directly?”

Little-K1ng: “you told him???”

Maxwell: “no he was messaging her”

Little-K1ng: “i dont even tell him when i hide a pill in some cheese for him

wait dont tell him that i said that”

Marcus: “I thought he just gave an update and that’s how you knew about stuff”

Maxwell: “to let us know he wouldnt be home tonight

yeah and i said i knew a way to help heal him”

Marcus: “...”

Maxwell: “he...knew i was gonna do something I shouldnt have

theres still quite a bit left”

Marcus: “....i can see why he would think that”

Maxwell: “it's in a bowl....

....you can use some if you need it”

Little-K1ng: “...........ok. would it be weird. if i drank it

like a little bit

maybe itll?? pick up my mood or something”

Marcus: “What if it cures your migraines”

Maxwell: “i dont know if it works for moods”

Little-K1ng: “god i WISH”

Maxwell: “uh give me a sec”

[Marcus: “What if it cures your migraines”]

Little-K1ng: “MARCUS IF IT DOES THAT IM GIVING YOU TWO THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE”

Maxwell: “you could try but as far as i remember it wont work

it works for wounds and inflammatory stuff”

Little-K1ng: “damn”

Marcus: “Why would you give it to me-”

Little-K1ng: “yeah ill be honest i maybe do not want the weird rat juice . at least not right now”

Maxwell: “its...flower

i put the petals in a pot and boiled em”

Little-K1ng: “Brain Flower of the Rat is not exactly the most appealing tea flavor, max. with all due respect”

Maxwell: “then i strained them”

Marcus: “Juice of Brain Flower of the Rat then”

Maxwell: “actually tastes slightly like normal water...

if anything slightly sweet

jack said it might taste like rose water”

[Marcus: “Juice of Brain Flower of the Rat then”]

Little-K1ng: “sick new lacroix flavor”

[Maxwell: “jack said it might taste like rose water”]

Little-K1ng: “.....rose water?”

Maxwell: “yeah you boil the roses then strain em into a bowl

like i did with the marigolds”

Little-K1ng: “i like rose water... :/ guess maybe i do want the fucked up rat brain plant water”

Maxwell: “you could try some its not like I cant make more”

Little-K1ng: “....hm !!! dont like that

do not make more rat water”

Maxwell: “....”

Little-K1ng: “i will try some but do not make more”

Marcus: “...please stop calling it rat water?”

Little-K1ng: “marcus?? do you want to try some (Patent Pending) Maxwell Ratatouille's Funky Fresh Brain Tea™️?”

Maxwell: “....

im too tired for this shit”

Little-K1ng: “im coping max.”

Marcus: “....”

Maxwell: “ fair”

Marcus: “I don’t have any injuries?”

Maxwell: “im.....i might go to sleep soon....

who?”

Marcus: “Who?”

Little-K1ng: “we dont have injuries

basically

okay so uh?? bottoms up i guess”

sip sip

sip

Marcus: “..oh wait

My elbow?

Does it work on old injuries?”

Little-K1ng: “uh. hm

it tastes good?”

Maxwell: “oh yeah its burned! it wont get rid of the injury but it might help with any lingering pain?”

Little-K1ng: “it tastes nice actually, the rose water thing was actually accurate

........................................huh

wtf”

kateza affectionate: “I’m gonna head to bed. Stay safe y’all. Much love /p”

Little-K1ng: “gn Kate !

uh

hm. okay”

Maxwell: “hm?”

Marcus: “What Mona?”

Little-K1ng: “so. i may have forgotten to mention out loud to yall but i have some pretty bad joint pain

like, typically, its a mid level pain all the time

and its jsut? less

less pain

thats nice”

Maxwell: “told ya it works!”

Little-K1ng: “it.... does !

dont make more though

ill enjoy this for as long as it lasts but for gods sake max dont pick the laurel for tea”

Marcus: “Please don’t make more rat juice max”

Little-K1ng: “gonna do a rat juice high five marcus

try it??”

Marcus: “I’ll..try just applying it to my elbow”

Little-K1ng: “something something dab joke”

Marcus: “Man you really are tired huh?

Little-K1ng: “i am so tired

work was hard

and i came home, expecting like, the remnants of a fight”

Marcus: “Okay- oh”

Little-K1ng: “only to realize that like, just about every problem for the last 2 days are probably entirely my fault”

Marcus: “Mona”

Little-K1ng: “and i dont actually have it in me to think i actually did anything wrong and i keep getting angry and snapping at people who dont deserve it”

Marcus: “Mona it’s fine

I promise”

Little-K1ng: “<:(”

Maxwell: “you okay marcus”

Little-K1ng: “^this is an incredibly forced frown. again, i dont feel bad”

Maxwell: “the water didnt hurt you right?”

Marcus: “Huh?

Oh

No it’s quite soothing actually”

Little-K1ng: “yeah weird right ??”

Marcus: “A bit”

Little-K1ng: “i WILL physically fight you max if you try to make more though

i will get mad. dont”

Maxwell: “....sorry”

Little-K1ng: “i mean dont be sorry for trying it, that was a good idea

but you've done it once, thats enough”

Marcus: “Please don’t make more max”

Little-K1ng: “for safety reasons”

Marcus: “Yeah”

Little-K1ng: “i dont know how easily those stems get infected

and with how deep they run i really dont want you to find out

i already endangered you all this far, please dont help me do that

guys... you both look so tired”

Maxwell: “you wont endagenr us its fein”

Little-K1ng: “maybe you should go to bed”

Maxwell: “im fien”

Little-K1ng: “sounds like it ,':)

head to the tulips, dormouse :)!”

Maxwell: “fuckign what”

Maxwell: “awwwww i love emas”

Little-K1ng: “do you guys want to sleep in the living room? my bed is pretty huge”

Maxwell: “oh iv emafe a neast on the fllor”

Little-K1ng: “oh perfect, and it looks like marcus is already asleep :) thats okay!! goodnight you guys”

Maxwell: “nihgtn”

[yoon-kooks]

Little Things

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: FriendsToLovers!AU, FWB, Fluff

Summary: You never thought a casual one-night stand would lead to six months of friends-with-benefits shenanigans, nor did you believe that something as simple as borrowing his hoodie would make you question your feelings for him.

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: this is day one of my yoongi fluff week 2.0!! tomorrow ill be posting a short dogwalker!au ft. min holly ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ check out the official myg fluff week post for the full schedule~!

When the rustling of sheets finally settles after a long night, it’s all routine. First you cuddle your bare body up to his and listen for your heartbeats to slow. Then you stare longingly, waiting for a kiss. And when you finally get the kiss, you never want it to end—the feeling of his tender lips against yours. But then it does, and the two of you have a moment of silence to cherish each other’s company.

“I should get going now,” you break the silence, running a delicate index finger along his chest.

Yoongi waits until your finger has made its way up to the tip of his chin before nodding. Your lips can’t hold back a tiny smile and giggle. It’s always so funny how the two of you don’t have much to say once the physical intimacy ends, and yet, there’s this unspoken feeling that lingers between you and him.

And after giving the boy one final smooch on the cheek, you sit up in the bed and stretch. The boy, too, knows that’s his cue to get cleaned up and dressed. You enjoy the view as he rolls out of the blankets first to slip on a fresh pair of boxers.

“Hey Yoongi, can you toss me my underwear please?” you ask innocently, still waiting beneath the warmth of the blankets. His eyes glance over at the bottom corner of his bed, the designated spot where all your clothes got tossed aside amidst the sex. But in the aftermath, your clothing seems to have disappeared.

“Help me look for them, Lazy.” Yoongi sneaks another peek at your exposed chest before handing you a heavy black mass. It isn’t until you unfold the black mass that you realize it’s one of his many hoodies. One of the hoodies you’d always wanted to try on when he wasn’t looking because it looked so soft and comfy.

You slip the hoodie over your naked body, thankful that it covers just below your ass cheeks. Although you really want to check yourself out in the mirror, you instead help the boy gather your clothes that had somehow scattered across the bedroom. A sweater is found on the floor, jeans thrown over the chair, a cute bralette hanging over the computer screen, and lace panties in the hand of your friend with benefits.

Snatching your last garment out of Yoongi’s hand, you smirk. “I’d put these back on, but they’re probably all dirty now. So I won’t~” Instead of putting any of your own clothes back on, you shove them into your bag and opt to make use of Yoongi’s hoodie. The boy picks up on your naughty intentions and pulls the hood over your head, perhaps to trap in the warmth.

“Are you going to be warm enough like that on the way home?” Yoongi starts digging through his dresser for some sweatpants you can borrow along with the hoodie. “It’s cold out tonight, you know.”

“It takes like five minutes for me to drive home, so I think I’ll be fine, Yoongi. But I appreciate the thought,” you giggle at his sweet gesture. The two of you might only be acquaintances who use each other for sex, but he’s definitely the most thoughtful boy you’ve come across. You can recall so many instances in which you were on the receiving end of his soft side, like the time he helped you cover up a bad hickey with makeup, or how he disses the annoying coworkers you always rant to him about. And part of you envies the lucky person who’ll someday be blessed with all his love and affection.

“Fine, but just remember to return my hoodie when you have time,” he puts on a pouty lip as he walks you to the door.

“Nah, I think I’ll keep it forever. Thanks,” you stick your tongue out and wave goodbye with sweaterpaws.

-

When you awake the next morning, you’re nice and toasty thanks to Yoongi’s hoodie. It’s so comfy, you had fallen asleep in it as soon you laid down on your bed. And for a solid ten minutes, you roll around your bed contemplating whether or not to “accidentally” steal Yoongi’s hoodie and claim it as your own.

After coming to the conclusion that theft is never the answer, you change into a clean set of your own clothes and toss Yoongi’s hoodie into the washer along with your dirty laundry. You suppose you should be a good person and return the hoodie all clean and neatly folded. But until the laundry is done, an idea pops into mind. You pull out your phone and text the boy.

[9:27AM] Y/N “are you free for dinner tonight?”

[9:29AM] Yoongles “why yes i am”

[9:30AM] Yoongles “was there somewhere in particular you wanted to get food from?”

[9:30AM] Y/N “just come to my place 💃”

[9:33AM] Yoongles “oh 😳”

[9:33AM] Yoongles “omw 🏃‍♂️”

[9:35AM] Y/N “NO NOT NOW you horny fucker”

[9:36AM] Y/N “LATER.”

[9:37AM] Yoongles “later 🤤”

You can only shake your head with a smile as you toss your phone aside. Smiling like an idiot seems to be becoming a bad habit the more you interact with Yoongi.

“Hey Y/N, I’m expecting a package today with some, uh, adult toys, so answer the door if someone knocks. I’m gonna be out with Jimin. Thanks in advance~” Your nosy roommate, Taehyung, pops his head into your room and chuckles when he sees your face. “Oh shit, you’re smiling like an idiot again… Let me guess—Yoongi finally asked you to marry him?”

“Yoongi and I aren’t like that,” you throw a heart-shaped pillow at the boy.

“Funny, you said the same thing after you had that fateful ‘one-night stand’ with him. Half a year later and you’re still sleeping with him,” Taehyung shrugs as if your love life is any of his business. “So, naturally, the next step after friends with benefits would be for y’all to date, yeah?”

For a moment, you really do consider the possibility of being that lucky person who could call Yoongi their boyfriend. But at the same time, you’d worry that your relationship with him wouldn’t last outside of the physical intimacy. “I really don’t think so, Tae.”

Taehyung frowns, chucking the pillow back at you. “Whatever you say, Y/N. But I’m just saying when you got home last night, you looked awfully happy and cozy. Enamored, even.”

“That’s because he let me borrow his hoodie…”

“Yeah, but whenever you borrow my clothes, it feels a lot more malicious and petty than heartfelt, you know.” With an overexaggerated hmph, your roommate backs out of your doorway.

“It’s just… different.” Because your world is somehow different when Min Yoongi’s involved.

-

As soon as the clean laundry comes out of the dryer, you’re so tempted to wear the toasty hoodie one last time. You slip your arm in the sleeve “just to test how warm it is fresh out of the dryer”, and the coziness only reminds you more of the boy who let you borrow it in the first place. He’s sweet, he’s gentle (except in bed!), but he’s not yours.

You slowly retract your arm from the sleeve with a disheartening feeling, but pause halfway out of the temptation that never seems to fade. You really shouldn’t be playing around with something that doesn’t belong to you, and yet, it’s something you can’t let go of.

So maybe, just until Yoongi shows up, you’ll secretly wear his hoodie to keep warm as you run to the grocery store and start preparing dinner in the kitchen…

Knock. Of course someone has to knock on your door right when you’re about to start prepping dinner. You seriously contemplate whether or not you should ignore the inconsiderate person who had the audacity to interrupt your mission in the kitchen. But it might be Taehyung’s dildo, so you suppose you should answer the door.

“Oh,” is all you can say when you open the door and see Yoongi eyeing you up and down in his clothes. You’re caught red-handed.

“Cute hoodie you got there.” He gives you a nod of approval as if he wasn't the one who bought it in the first place. But maybe this means he doesn’t mind you wearing his stuff. Maybe he likes the way it looks on you.

“Thanks, it does look pretty cute on me, doesn’t it?” you play along before switching back to reality. “What are you doing here so early? I told you to come by for dinner, not lunch. The only reason why I bothered to answer the door was because I thought it was Tae’s dildo. I haven’t even started preparing the food yet and-”

“Wait, two questions: 1) Dildo? And 2) you’re making dinner?” Yoongi tilts his head with wide eyes. “If I had known, I would’ve brought over drinks or dessert… maybe a fruit tart or someth-”

“No… We’re making dinner. Together,” you stop him from rambling on. “And yes, dildo.”

After dragging the boy into the kitchen, you throw a spare apron at him. He leans against the counter looking awfully boyfriend-like, waiting for the head chief to give him directions.

“You can chop the vegetables and I’ll handle the noodles and broth, okay?” You walk him around your kitchen, briefly going over where cooking utensils and ingredients can be found. He nods with a chuckle over how serious you are about cooking dinner together.

“Yoongi, come here,” you say an hour later, once the vegetable soup is just about ready to come off the stove. With a tiny spoon, you scoop up some broth and feed it to the boy. “How is it?”

“Hmm…..” He smacks his lips and takes his sweet time in giving you proper feedback. “Can I have another taste?”

You dip the spoon into the pot and hold it out for Yoongi taste once more. Except this time, you pull the spoon away just before he can taste anything and stick it into your own mouth in triumph. Your smirking lips keep the spoon in place, taunting him.

He steps a little closer, backing you against the counter, until he has a grip on the spoon. Tugging gently enough for you to fight back, he laughs at you “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

You shrug, still keeping a tight hold on the spoon between your lips. It’s only when his face draws near yours that you weaken your grip and allow the spoon to slip out. Because there’s something else you’d rather have between your lips than a fucking spoon.

With a spontaneous kiss on the lips, you give Yoongi an innocent smile before forcing him to get the bowls and another spoon. And once the soup is all dished out, you lead him to the couch with bowls in hand.

“Ooh, it’s good, right?” you ask while slurping up a long noodle.

“It’s only good because someone did a phenomenal job chopping up those veggies.” He leans over to wipe off the tiny bit of broth that had splattered onto your cheek. “What made you want to cook soup all of a sudden?”

“Because it’s nice to have something warm when it’s cold out?” you chug down a good amount of your broth. “And because I wanted to share something with you, as thanks for letting me borrow your hoodie last night.”

“And you’re still wearing it, by the way.”

“Well do you want me to take it off now? During dinner?” You set your soup bowl down on the coffee table and teasingly tug at the bottom hem of the hoodie.

“Maybe a little later?” He flips the hood over your head again. “You’re free for the rest of the night?”

Nodding, you pull a blanket over yourself and snuggle up to the boy as he finishes up his soup. That unspoken feeling lingers again.

“Y/N,” he says once his empty bowl is set down on the table next to yours.

“Yeah?” You throw part of your blanket over his lap as he settles back onto the couch with you.

“Cooking was fun.” He runs his fingers along your back in a soothing motion. “It’s a good thing I came early, right?”

“Let’s do it again soon. I want to try making tacos next time,” you yawn.

“Okay,” is the last thing you hear him say before drifting off to sleep. Cooking with a friend was a lot more exhausting than you had anticipated. But like the boy said, it was fun. And it’s the little things like that that you appreciate so much about your relationship with Yoongi.

-

“Y/N.” In the midst of your slumber, you feel something soft poke your cheek but you decide to ignore it.

“Y/N, wake up.” You feel something shake your shoulder but you decide to ignore it.

“Y/N, c’mon on.” You feel something warm against your lips that you can’t ignore. So you kiss back.

“Mm… What time is it?” You stretch your body out, still in the arms of someone warm.

“It’s seven in the morning, and I have to be at the studio in half an hour,” Yoongi’s soothing voice almost puts you back to sleep until you realize you’d slept right through the night with the boy on your couch.

“No you don’t,” you giggle, rolling yourself on top of the boy to give him a couple of love bites. And after a rather affectionate hug, you finally let him go. “Just kidding.”

“Haha, very funny, Dork.” He flips the hood over your head once more before heading to the door. “Thanks for the soup. I enjoyed last night.” A night without the obligations of friends with benefits.

“Me too.” As he opens the door, you remember something, “Wait, Yoongi. Your hoodie.” You start struggling to get the oversized black mass over your head until he stops you.

“You can keep it,” he laughs at you.

“…You’re really letting me keep it?” Your eyes brighten. “But that’s such a boyfriend-thing to do, you know.”

“I know. Do you want it or not, Dork?”

“I want it!” you hiss at him. “But does that mean you don’t mind if we’re something more than just, uh, friends who fuck a lot?”

“You mean like dating?”

“That or, umm… Yeah that.” You shrink yourself in the hoodie. “Like, we can make tacos together and stuff.”

“We could do that,” Yoongi nods. “It’s actually been on my mind for a while now.”

“Mine too.” You throw your arms around the boy’s neck and send him off with a dozen kisses on the cheek.

[stonefreeak]

Here we go! Another month, another update! 

We finally broke the 100k words posted! What the hell, amirite?

I hope y’all enjoy it~

Sabé helps her lady through her morning routine. There is no meeting in the senate today, and since the office building is still closed due to the investigation and reparations, she has worked mostly from the apartment these days. As such, there is no need for Padmé to have her hair done in an intricate Naboo style, or squeeze herself into formal senatorial garb.

Instead, they spend much of breakfast on the sofa, talking softly and drinking tea from a shared pot. The days where Padmé allows herself to simply be, sheds her Amidala persona, are few and far in between. So very precious due to the scarcity of them. Still, Sabé will stand by her Lady, her best friend, through thick and thin. As, she knows, will the rest of the handmaidens. They're all very loyal and take much pride in their work.

There's a knock on the door that interrupts their conversation.

Sabé gets to her feet swiftly, leaving he tea cup on the table.

When she opens the door, she's met with… Knight Skywalker. On the outside, Sabé keeps her expression calm and placid, but she's not quite pleased to see him here. She has her suspicions about his relationship with the Lady, in fact she's almost certain, but as Padmé has not spoken of it… Well, sabé can keep a secret, even one she hasn't been explicitly asked to keep.

Anything for her lady.

"Knight Skywalker. How can I help you?" In the corner of her eye, Sabé can see the Lady get out of her seat, the shawl she had around her shoulders falling to the couch.

"Hello Miss Sabé, I was hoping I could speak to Senator Amidala?"

Well, Sabé will give him that, he's always been very good at remember who is who among Padmé's handmaidens. That's more than can be said for most people they meet. Though now that she thinks about it, it may be a Jedi trait. Most Jedi she's met seem to find it very important to address her as she prefers. Well, Ellé's been working with Jedi for some time now, she'll probably know if Sabé asks her opinion.

"Knight Skywalker!" Padmé's voice is pleasantly surprised as she sidles up to Sabé. "Thank you, Sabé. I'll take it from here."

A gentle dismissal.

"Yes, my lady." She bows and steps away, heading farther into the room, while still keeping her eye on her lady, as is her duty as bodyguard.

They speak in low tones as they move to the couch, too low.

She will keep her eye on them.

~~~~

"Anakin! I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Padmé says, throwing a glance over her shoulder at Sabé. She hates keeping secrets from her friend and trusted confidant, but… She's made her bed and now she must lie in it.

"I got called back early because of what happened at the Senate." Anakin's voice is hoarse, and he looks tired, but there's also something… happy, about him. Something she cannot quite put her finger on.

"Are you heading up the investigation?" That could be why, Padmé knows that Anakin usually feels better if he's actively working and trying to figure out things that have harmed people he knows. All she needs to do is remember Tatooine, remember getting the message about Obi-Wan being taken capture, to know that. Her love is a man of action.

"No, nothing like that. But… Obi-Wan's awake." He smiles then, a smile that lights up his entire face and soothes her soul. It's like facing the midday sun. She's always loved his smile.

She lets out a long breath. "I'm so relieved to hear that. I've been so worried, ever since it happened. And then a Senator tried to suggest that we should reinstate Palpatine as Supreme Chancellor if he didn't make it, an—" before she can finish her sentence, Anakin cuts her off.

"That sounds like a good idea. Palpatine knows the job better than anyone else, and he's very dedicated to the Republic. He'd probably accept the responsibility even though he's been enjoying the peace and rest he's had since he left office."

Padmé swallows her words. Anakin… Anakin trusts Palpatine. More than anyone, perhaps. How does she explain to him what she's realised about the man?

He's not a good person, no matter what Anakin thinks… But Palpatine has also been there for Ani for so long… How could she possibly try to take him away from Anakin?

No, it's better if she doesn't say anything.

"Yes, well, it's wasn't a feasible suggestion. And I had to protest on principle." She cannot say that she feared his return to power.

"You protested? But it's Palpatine! He's been your mentor for years!" There's something in Anakin's expression, something almost betrayed, and she hates that she put it there.

"Anakin, if the Senate suddenly just goes against a majority decision, it would set a dangerous precedent. Regardless of who it was, I couldn't have accepted it purely for that. Besides, Acting Vice-Chancellor Ha'han-ash stands to take over should Obi-Wan… There was never a reason to bring the suggestion up in the first place."

He looks slightly mollified and Padmé smiles at him, brushing a lock of hair from her face, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.  

The smile returns on his face, and the slightest of blushes form.

She loves him so much it echoes inside her.

We should never have married.

The thought comes unbidden, horrifying and awful. but once she's had it she cannot release it.

It's true.

They shouldn't have married.

"You said Obi-Wan is awake now, please tell me more. I've been so worried about him, he's a good friend." She motions towards the sofa and Anakin follows her over and they sit down.

She wants all the information she can get.

Information is power, and Padmé has felt helpless when it comes to the situation with Obi-Wan.

She hates feeling helpless. It brings her back to the Battle of Naboo, and the fear that she cannot help her people.

"Well," Anakin starts, and as he launches into the story, Padmé lets herself be swept away in his words and stops thinking of the past.

The future still lays ahead of them, and it's more important than what once was.

~~~~

They speak of Obi-Wan recovery for a while—though Anakin holds back the details of the Sith Master, he doesn't want to worry Padmé unduly—but he cannot help the restlessness he feels down to his very bones. He hasn't been able to stop thinking about Master Che and Doctor Nema... and Master Windu.

"Anakin? Is something wrong?" Padmé says, her hand coming to rest over Anakin's own. He smiles at her and bites his lip.

He shakes his head. "Not wrong, per se," he mutters and runs a hand through his hair. "It's just... I went to visit Master Che, the healer who saved Obi-Wan's life, and... She lives with another Jedi, a Knight."

Padmé tilts her head to the side. "Yes? Is that unusual?" She doesn't understand. Of course she doesn't, she's not a Jedi.

He frowns. "I don't... know, exactly. Padawans and their Masters usually live together, but once the Padawan is Knighted they move out to their own apartment... And, actually, Ahsoka has her own apartment, we don't share one. I think it's because we're not in the Temple very often... and war time has changed Jedi traditions a lot... Ahsoka became my Padawan in the field, after all, not during a small ceremony in the Temple which is the most common way. Or was, anyway." He turns his hand over and closes his fingers over Padmé's hand.

"So, is this Knight a former Padawan of Master Che's?"

Anakin considers the idea. It could  be true, he supposes. Perhaps Nema just didn't move out after her Knighting because of the war? He really has no idea how old she or Master Che is, after all... But if they're both close friends with Master Windu...

"I don't know. I don't think so, but I can't be sure."

Perhaps that is why they're so close? But it seemed... It felt... Anakin sighs in frustration, not sure how to express himself even in his own head.

"So they live together, and they're likely not a former Master and Padawan... I assume the living arrangement is unusual. Are they... in a relationship?" Padmé's voice is hesitant, almost timid, as if she's not sure what will happen if she says the words aloud.

"I... I don't... They can't be. It's not allowed. Attachment is forbidden. That's why no one knows about our marriage." It hurts, the truth of it hurts. Or maybe that's just Anakin's head.

Padmé nods, her gaze at the floor and her mouth downturned. She looks sad, as if she's hurting too.

"You once... You once said that Jedi are encouraged to love... Do you remember?" Her voice shakes.

Anakin nods. It's true, he did say that. Because it's true. Compassion, unconditional love, is part of what makes a Jedi. One of the most important things that separate them from the Sith.

'You cannot rid yourself of the Dark Side, Anakin, it resides in all of us. The strength of a Jedi comes from the ability to resist its lure and hold compassion and calm as central aspects of our selves over the likes of selfishness or anger. But the Dark Side itself can be useful, if you can control it, if you can keep yourself from being swept away.'

He shudders at the memory. It's not really important right now, is it? The Dark side and the Sith have nothing to do with Padmé and their marriage.

"Perhaps that is their way? Love can come in many forms..." Padmé's fingers close around Anakin's hand, and they gaze at each other for a long moment.

Anakin nods slowly.

"Perhaps."

She smiles. "I don't know the Jedi, I know it only as an outsider. What I know I've learned as your wife, Obi-Wan's friend, Ahsoka, by interacting with Jedi in the Senate... But I don't know it the way you do."

Anakin returns her smile. "You're right." There really isn't much Padmé can say here, is there? She's right that she doesn't know the Jedi, that she can only base her ideas and thoughts on what she's learned from others. She hasn't lived it, and unlike Palpatine she hasn't studied it either.

Still...

"Thank you," he whispers, and pulls her into his arms.

He'll figure it out, one way or another. Perhaps he can try to talk to someone about it... maybe he can suss some details out from Master Windu!

It'll be fine, one way or another.

—

(Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi masterpost)

[finn-nelson-for-the-win]

The Good Life: Chapter 17

Hello, my lovelies! I’ve been pretty absent on this blog/on social media/in life in general recently, but I hope y’all don’t mind me popping back in here to post the latest update to this story that I definitely am still working on and definitely have not given up on ahaha...anyhoo, here’s about 2300 words of absolute fluff. I hope you enjoy!

Need to get caught up? The Good Life: Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4 , Ch5, Ch6, Ch7, Ch8 , Ch9 , Ch10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16

If you want to be added (or  removed) from the tags list for this story, just feel free to let me know!

@pink-royaute @believethaticanandiwill @milllott @likeashootingstarfades @i-dream-of-emus @eveerez @saintsisterwriter @loolea

The Good Life: Chapter 17

Rae and Henry stepped out of the lift in Rae’s apartment building and walked together through the parking lot towards where Henry’s truck was parked.

“Thank you for coming over on such short notice today. I really appreciate it!”

“It’s no trouble, really. I had fun!”

Rae looked over her shoulder and noticed a familiar car driving up and parking a few spaces down from Henry’s truck.

Finn turned off his car and took the keys out of the ignition before stepping out of the car. When he looked up and saw Rae and Henry standing a short distance away, he smiled politely in response to Henry’s waved greeting.

“Well, I’m meeting my mum for tea later today and I have a long drive ahead of me, so I should probably get going now,” Henry replied as he gave Rae a quick kiss on the cheek and climbed into his truck.

“Say ‘hi’ to your mum for me. I’ll talk to ya later, yeah?” Rae replied just before waving goodbye to Henry as he drove out of the parking lot.

“Hiya, Finn!” Rae called out as she walked towards where he stood beside his car as he slung the strap of his bag across his shoulders.

“Hey, Rae. How are you?”

“Doing well, I suppose. How was work today?” Rae asked as the pair walked together towards the lift to get up to their shared apartment.

“Well, I got called in to work at five in the morning on a Saturday. I didn’t want to be a work today, obviously, but it was alright I suppose.” He added with a shrug as they stepped into the lift and pressed the shiny metal button to take them up to the fifth floor of the building.

“I have a surprise for you!” Rae said excitedly after a few silent moments passed between them.

“A what—A surprise? What for?” Finn guffawed.

“Yeah, a surprise! I don’t wanna spoil it for you, so you’ll just have to wait and see,” Rae replied with a smirk.

“Uh, alright…”

Rae sped up to walk slightly in front of Finn and as soon as they reached the door to their apartment, she stopped and turned on her heels to face Finn.

“Now before I let you inside, close your eyes and don’t open them until I ask you to. Please!”

“Alright,” Finn huffed quietly before doing as he was told.

Rae turned back around and unlocked the door, casting a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure that Finn’s eyes were still closed, before pushing the door open.

“I’m gonna lead you into the apartment now, but remember, no peeking!” Rae sing-songed as she grabbed one of Finn’s hands to guide him into the apartment.

After closing the door behind them, Rae continued to lead Finn by the hand into their living room before stopping and letting go of his hand.

“Okay! You can open your eyes now!” Rae said with poorly contained excitement clear in her voice.

Finn opened his eyes slowly and allowed them to adjust before actually noticing in the surprise Rae had for him.

“Surprise!” Rae cheered when Finn had not said anything or showed any reaction for a few seconds.

“Rae…Is this really a—” Finn gasped as he approached the tall tree positioned in one corner of the room.

“A massive Christmas tree?” Rae added, finishing Finn’s question for him, “Why, yes. Yes, it is.”

Finn stood in front of the Christmas tree that was lush and quite a bit taller than he was, admiring the tree while Rae continued talking.

“This why I asked Henry to come over earlier today. I needed his truck to drive the tree across town and to help me carry the tree into the apartment and get it all set up.”

“It was nice of him to help. But, why?” Finn asked as he gestured silently towards the tree.

“I know that Christmas time is always a bit tough for you because it was your Nan’s favorite time of year and this is your first Christmas living away from your Da, but I thought that we could at least make it feel a bit more like Christmas in here. If you want to of course.”

“Rae...I don’t even know what to say…” Finn muttered.

“Well, you could say that you love it and don’t think this was a shit surprise to come home to after a long day at work,” Rae replied with an uneasy chuckle.

“Rae, I love it. It’s perfect, really. Thank you,” Finn replied with a smile as he pulled Rae into a tight hug.

“I’m just glad that you like it.” Rae added with a smile, “What do you say we turn on some Christmas music, light the fireplace, and decorate the tree to start making this place feel a bit more festive, yeah?”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll put on the music if you wanna get the fire going,” Finn said as he went to his bedroom to get his collection of holiday music records.

When Finn walked back into the living room and turned on the record player they had set up on one side of the room, Rae had already got the fireplace started and was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the tree beginning to sort through the chaotic mess of Christmas decorations that she had saved from previous years in which she had decorated.

When Finn got the record started and a man’s voice began streaming from the speakers, he joined Rae on the floor and helped her sort through the various boxes.

“What record did you decide on?”

“Uh, it’s Bing Crosby.” Finn mumbled, “His Christmas record was my Nan’s favorite thing to listen to every year.”

Rae smiled at Finn and hummed gently as she kept sorting.

“It’s sort of crazy…”

“What is?”

“The smell of the Christmas tree...it reminds me so much of how my Nan’s house smelled every December when we’d spend Christmas together as a family. My Da always thought using real trees were too much hassle and too messy, so he just had an artificial tree that we’d decorate every year, but it’s not the same. This is the first time I’ve decorated a real Christmas tree since the year before Nan…” Finn trailed off with a sad smile. “It’s nice.”

“Well, I’m glad that you like it,” Rae replied as she passed Finn a knotted string of lights for him to untangle.

The pair continued to decorate the Christmas tree and scatter the various remaining decorations around their apartment to make it feel more festive until Rae set aside a nearly empty box of decorations that she had been working her way through.

“I bet you’re starving, huh?” Rae asked as she glanced down at and set aside her mug of tea had had grown cold while they decorated, “I can go ahead and start cooking something for us.”

“I think we’ve decorated enough for now. I’ll help you cook!”

“You don’t have to do that, Finn. Just relax and I’ll let you know when the food is ready.”

“Don’t worry about it. I want to help,” Finn replied as he reached forward and brushed his fingers through the hair covering Rae’s right ear.

Finn chuckled lightly at the look of surprise on Rae’s face before holding up something shiny.

“You had some tinsel stuck in your hair, but I got it for ya!”

Finn let Rae lead the way towards the kitchen and stood beside the counter as he waited for Rae to decide what she wanted to cook.

“How does pasta sound? I haven’t had Italian food in a while and it’s pretty quick and easy to make,” Rae asked as she looked through the fridge to find all the ingredients they may need.

“Sounds great! I’ll get a pot of water started for the pasta,” Finn replied as he stepped around Rae to get the large pot off the shelf.

When the pasta was boiling and Rae put the simple marinara sauce she made on the stove to simmer, the two got started on preparing a salad and garlic bread to eat along with their meal.

“So...you and Henry, huh?” Finn began awkwardly as he rinsed the greens for the salad before adding them to a large bowl, “How’s that, uh, going?”

“You’re really asking me about how my relationship with Henry is going?” Rae asked with a small laugh as she mixed together a basic vinaigrette for the salad.

Finn kept alternating between prepping the fresh vegetables and adding them to the salad bowl, waiting for Rae to speak.

“Uh, it’s going well. I think we get along well. I like spending time with him,” Rae shrugged.

“Do you love him?” Finn asked as he began to toss together the salad.

“I, uh--I dunno,” Rae paused briefly while grabbing two plates from the cabinet and turning to face the stove while serving each of them some pasta.

Finn pulled the garlic bread from the oven and followed shortly behind Rae as she put their plates on the table before Rae spoke again.

“No, I guess not. We’re just having fun together, for now at least. We like being around each other, but I wouldn’t call it love.”

“I see,” Finn replied, allowing the topic to be dropped.

“Go ahead and sit down, I’ll grab the salad and something to drink,” Rae said as she waved off his attempt to keep helping her.

When Rae walked back to the table carrying the large bowl of salad in one hand and a bottle of wine and two glasses in the other, Finn smiled and set aside his cell phone to help pour their glasses of wine.

“You seem quite interested in your phone tonight,” Rae commented before taking another bite of her pasta after Finn checked his phone for the umpteenth time.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I suppose,” Finn replied with a chuckle.

“Who are you texting? Or who’s texting you that has you all flustered like this?”

“I’m not flustered! I’m just—I’m texting a friend, well, an acquaintance really…”

“What’s her name?”

“I never said it was a girl!”

“Ya didn’t have to. You’re my best mate, Finnley, I can recognize that look you get when you’re flustered or talking to a girl you like pretty well by now. So who is she?”

“Uh, she’s a client. I was able to help her out last week and she said that she wanted to buy me coffee as thanks.”

“Oh? You really do take ‘good customer service’ to a new level at your job, huh?” Rae joked.

“Trust me, I tried to make sure she knew that she didn’t owe me coffee or anything and that I was just doing my job, but she was persistent. We got coffee a couple days later and have been texting off and on since then.”

“Huh, I see,” Rae said as she took a sip of her wine, “You should take her out on a proper date. If you like her and want to see her again, that is.”

“You think so? I guess it was kinda nice to go on a date, even if it was a bit of an informal date. Maybe I will ask her out for dinner or something…” Finn trailed off as he reached for his phone.

“So, do you have any plans for Christmas in a few weeks?” Rae asked when the conversation had lulled.

“Uh, my work gave us the whole week of Christmas off of work, so I’ll have a bit of a break to enjoy my holiday. I’m meeting my Da for dinner the weekend before Christmas to celebrate early, since he is going on a ‘lads ski trip’ with some of his old mates from Uni, but on Christmas Day I don’t have any plans that I know of. What about you?”

“My office gets really busy around the holidays so I’m back at work the day after Christmas, but they are throwing a massive company Christmas party the Friday prior to Christmas, so that should be fun. My mum and sister are going back to Tunisia with Karim for two weeks, so I’ll just spend Christmas here, most likely.” Rae added with a small smile.

“Maybe we could spend Christmas together?” Finn suggested, “We could just have a relaxed night in, or something, but at least we’d be keeping each other company and celebrating a little bit, right?”

“Yeah, that sounds really nice, actually. I’d like that!”

When they had both finished eating, Finn helped Rae wash and put away the dishes they used to make it faster.

When they were done, Rae grabbed the opened bottle of wine and divided the last of it between both of their glasses and handed Finn his glass before walking over to the couch.

The pair assumed their usual couch positions with Rae lightly resting her feet across Finn’s lap.

“This is nice,” Rae muttered as she sipped her wine, idly watching the fireplace burning while the old Christmas records continued playing in the background.

“It really is nice. I, uh, wasn’t sure what to expect from this Christmas because everything has changed, but this,” Finn said as he gestured around the room at the decorations they had spent hours putting up, “this makes things feel a bit more like how Christmas should feel.”

“I’m so glad. It was the least I could do, really. Plus I love the way that all these decorations bring new life to our apartment!”

“I agree. I also think that Nan would have loved it,” Finn mused with a gentle smile.

“I know that she would have,” Rae added as she settled further into the couch to get comfortable as she continued sipping her glass of wine.

A/N: Wow, it’s been a minute since I posted, or even wrote anything tbh. Life has been particularly difficult as of lately and just trying to make it from on day to the next and be a human being has proven difficult enough, so I just haven’t been able to write as much as I would have liked.

I can’t say for sure when things will get back on track or when the next chapter will be coming, but I mapped out where I want the next few chapter of this story to go in terms of the plot, so that’s a start at least, right? Until next time: Stay Awesome, my friends! :)

[hazel2468]

Plant Update!

So, I cannot for the LIFE of me recall if I have ever actually made a post about all of the plants I have. Can’t find it on my blog, but who knows. What I did make was a wishlist of plants, and let me tell you, I am checking those off FAST! I figured, why not do a fun little post to cut through the awfulness of this site about all of the Wishlist plants I have gotten? Sounds fun, right? Right!

I’ll actually put this one under a cut for all of y’all that are here for the weird memes and occasional lukewarm takes.

WATERMELON PEPEROMIA

I already posted about this one, but here she is! In her new pot, and all her glory! She seems to be doing really well, I am happy to say. I have her on my coffee table since she is Large, and she gets nice sunlight every day. 

SILVER FROST PEPEROMIA!

I got one!!! I went to the local garden center, just to find some pots and see what Hoyas they had- and I saw THIS! This was number 2 on my wishlist after the Watermelon Pep, and I am SO happy! And yes, the leaves really are glittery and silver like that! 

HOYA CARNOSA “KRIMSON QUEEN”

Okay, this one Cyn got me for our three year anniversary! We went to the Botanical Gardens and WOW did they have a lot of these. She likes the one pure white leaf on it, which is slowly turning more and more green. Also, that teeeny little leaf in the lefthand corner has more than doubled in size in less than a week, so I guess she’s happy here! She’s also putting out a TON of new growth at her tips, which were cut off, I assume, when they took these cuttings. 

CURLY BONNIE SPIDER PLANT!

Farmer’s Market strikes again! This plant is in my bedroom with my Hoyas and is loving life! It has put out TWO flowers (I made a post about that) and is growing even longer and curlier! I plan to propagate that lil baby from the top once it is large enough.

HOYA PUBLICALYX “SPLASH”

So, this is not the Hoya Splash I had on my wishlist- I’m unsure if a Kerrii Splash is even in my future. But I saw this on a Youtube video and I HAD to track one down. Just got it today. Needs a little TLC- it was kept in a shop with no sun, and was majorly thirsty (wrinkly leaves, some withered tips). So, she now lives in my bedroom with my other Hoyas, has gotten a new pot, a nice long drink, and will be seeing plenty of indirect sun. Hoping that she perks up soon!

STRING OF HEARTS!

Okay, this I didn’t even THINK to put on my list, because I didn’t think I would be able to find one! But once again, the Farmer’s Market proves the BEST place for plants! I was going to pick up a Peperomia “Pixie” (which I still want btw) when I bumped my head on this hanging planter. It seems to be enjoying it here! It’s putting out new flowers like CRAZY, and I keep it in the living room on the big plant shelves. 

CALATHEA ORNATA “PINSTRIPE”!

My Calathea! That leaf in the middle with the weird lines on it is NEW! I got this in the city because of the beautiful foliage, anticipating some fussiness... But wow has it been doing great! I keep the soil moist at all times, it’s in my bedroom for some high humidity, and I keep it out of direct sun. Plus, I love how it moves- like all Prayer Plants (Calatheas and Marantas) it puts its leaves down during the lay and tucks them up at night. Super cool! I’m really considering a second Calathea, probably the Beauty Star variety, which is similar to this but with light green markings in the middle of the leaves under the stripes. 

[hamilkilo]

Blinding Fear

Prompt: Just throwing this out here but you can never write to many storm centered hurt/comfort fics with our resident writer who gets too distracted by work to heed the warnings of his s/o or to pay attention to the changing weather.

Paring: Poly!Hamilsquad X Reader

TW: Storms, swearing, fear, aggression, violence(?), mention of blood, anger and hurtful words, angst?

A/N: Hey guys! I’m probs in a mania tonight, explaining why I’ve written and posted three fanfics in the span of a few hours. Anyways, this should be the last one tonight since I have shit to do tomorrow. I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope y’all enjoy it and find some sort of solace within it. As always, if something triggers you, let me know so I can tag it! I want you to feel safe when reading my work! I love all of you so much! Happy reading!

Word Count: 2803

“Alex,” you say gently, trying to catch his attention as he typed away on a document. He didn’t look up, his eyes still trained. “Honey, don’t forget to come home early today, okay? I looked at the weather…”

His typing paused, and he glanced at you, leaning over to press a chaste kiss to your cheek. “I know, sweetheart. Thank you for the lunch. I’ll see you at home soon, okay?”

You smiled softly at him, kissing his lips softly before you finally stood up to your full height and adjusted your top. You lovingly ran a hand through his hair before you left his office. On days when the weather had been forecasted to get bad, you’d stop by his office to remind him of the thunderstorms. He never liked to admit it, but they triggered him. They were his weak point.

John was next to get home, tugging off his jacket. The wind had picked up over the course of the afternoon. “Hello, sweetheart. How was your day?”

He approached you and joined you on the couch, pulling you in for a brief kiss. “It was good, you?”

He grinned at you. “It’s good now.”

You snuggled up against his side as you fixed your attention back on the television.

“Have you heard from Alex at all?” You asked suddenly, and he glanced down at you.

“No. Have you?” You shook your head in response, and he frowned.

“I’m sure he’ll be home soon,” you muttered, but you still felt nerves tug at your gut.

Laf was next to get home in his pair of dark blue scrubs, curly strands of hair hanging in his face.

“Long day?” John asked with a smirk, and Laf rolled his eyes.

“You have no idea!” He leaned down and kissed John, long and sweet, before he kissed your cheek. “Where is our Alex?”

You shrugged. “I’m sure he’s on his way.”

Laf nodded and went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. You pulled your legs up beside you and cuddled even closer to John. You texted Alex, asking him where he was, just for good measure.

It was when Herc got home that you really began to get nervous. You could now hear the wind howling outside as it pulled at Herc’s scarf. He shut the door behind him, shaking his head from the cold. He put his scarf and coat on the rack before he went over to the two of you and gave you each a kiss. Laf came out of the kitchen, a cup of tea in his hands. He probably made it after he made the coffee. He’d always been more of an herbal type of person. He gave Herc a gentle kiss, and a soft smile graced his lips when Herc took a sip from his mug.

“Earl Grey?” He handed the mug back to Laf, who smiled.

“You know me so well, babe.” He leaned in and eagerly met Herc’s kiss.

When they separated, Herc looked around. “Where’s Alex? He should’ve been home by now.”

His words hung heavy in the air. You knew he was right. Alex should’ve been home forever ago.

“I… I’m not sure… I reminded him at lunch today, and he’s not responding to my texts.” You admitted as you checked your phone again. Still a blank screen.

“Merde,” Laf swore softly, and Herc squeezed his shoulder. John scrolled through his phone, tapped it a few times, then pressed it to his ear. You all held your breath, then let it out in disappointment when he didn’t answer.

“We’ve gotta go find him. Now,” John was adamant, and you nodded in agreement. You needed to find Alex before the storm and get him home.

Laf sat his tea down on the side table, and Herc pulled his keys from his pocket. All of you grabbed your coats and were quick out the door. Herc drove quickly towards Alex’s office at the Law Firm. It was when the rain started to softly pitter patter against the windshield that your breath caught. Laf rubbed your arm in understanding.

As soon as the car was in park, all of you were jumping from it and running towards the door. And you didn’t care that you looked like soggy, desperate mad men. Alex was in danger, and that was all you could think about. You didn’t stop at the secretary’s desk like usual, and you didn’t pause to converse with Angie when she greeted you. You didn’t even pause when Mr. Washington called out your name. You were on a set path.

You threw open his office door, the first there, and panic gripped at you when you saw the lights were out, the blinds were drawn tight, and the room was empty. Your boyfriends paused behind you, then John shoved past into the room.

“‘Lex!” He called out, quickly moving around. “Alex?!” His voice was frantic, and he was met with a soft whimper from behind the desk. He walked behind it and crouched down. After a moment, he popped back up and nodded at the lot of you. He had found him. You let out a breath you knew you’d been holding, and you moved forward. You crept slowly around the desk and found Alex curled up in a ball, his face pressed against John’s stomach. The man that usually cared if his tie was slightly off kilter was now on the floor, crumpling his perfectly ironed suit. It broke your heart.

“Alex,” your voice was soft as you joined them on the ground. Herc and Laf stayed behind the desk, not wanting to crowd him in such a state.

A soft roll of thunder could be heard from outside, and he whimpered again, curling closer to John. You rubbed his back soothingly as John held him.

You needed to get him home. He’d feel safer there. But you didn’t know how to.

“I… The storm…” He tried to speak, but his voice came out tight and strained. You ran a hand through his messy ponytail. How long had he been curled beneath his desk?

“I know,” John murmured to him, and Alex pulled away to look up at him through teary eyes.

“I was about to leave when… when I heard the wind…” He whimpered when the thunder grumbled, a bit louder than before. You were losing time to get him home.

John shushed him. “I know, sweetheart. I know… But we gotta get you home.”

Alex gripped at his shirt, his hands tight. “Outside? No, John… Please, I can’t. I can’t face the storm, please-”

John pried Alex’s hands off his shirt and held them, pressing kisses to each of his knuckles. “I know you’re afraid, but your pills are at home, and you usually feel more secure there. And we’ll be there the entire time, okay?”

When Alex didn’t respond, he moved to get up. Alex panicked and latched onto him again. “Where’s Herc? Where’s my Hercules?”

You moved out of the way and Herc took your spot. Alex’s wild eyes settled on him, and he was quick to wrap himself around him.

“I’m right here, ALex… It’s okay,” he whispered as he rubbed his back. After Alex’s breathing had calmed down a bit, Herc stood up slowly with him, Alex holding fast.

“Don’t worry, honey. It’s a short walk to the car. You’ll be in my arms the entire time, okay-”

“The-The storm, Herc-” Alex’s voice was frantic.

“I know. We can make it. I’ll have you the entire time, okay? You can do this.” Herc sounded sure, and Alex took several deep breaths before he nodded. Herc’s grip on him tightened, and he started to walk towards the door.

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. There had been a few storms none of you had been prepared for. His work environment knew about his past and his fear of storms, and they also knew all of you and even Mr. Washington would beat the shit out of anyone that had something to say about it.

Herc’s steps were deliberate as he carried Alex through the building, all of you flocking them. A few gazes lingered on you as you passed, but you only focused on Alex. You could see that it was pouring as you neared the glass doors, and from Alex’s tense posture, you guessed that he knew this too. It was when Herc stepped out into the storm that Alex lost his Moxie and began clawing at Herc.

“No! Hercules! No, please! Let me go! Please, don’t make me go out! Please!” He cried and pleaded like his life depended on it, and he squirmed and fought, but Herc’s hold was persistent. Laf unlocked the car. Since you’d been through this before, you knew that Laf would now drive. Herc and John would try to hold Alex down and keep him sane in the backseat. You would sit shotgun. And that’s what happened, only, this time, something went wrong. Herc was fighting to buckle Alex in when a bolt of lightning jutted across the sky, and Alex went batshit. He lost his mind to the blind panic. He ended up hitting Herc in the face, taking him completely by surprise. Herc’s hands hesitated, only for a moment, but that was all he needed. Alex scrambled from the car, evading any hands that reached for him, and he took off towards the building, John in hot pursuit. The rest of you followed, but John was the closest. Alex was just a hair away from the doors when John tackled him and pinned him to the ground. Alex cursed and screamed, reaching desperately for the doors.

“Fuck you, John! Fuck you!” He screamed out bitterly, clawing at the pavement. “I hate you! I fucking hate you! Get off of me, you fuck! Let me go! I can’t believe you’re killing me! You’re a fucking murderer!” To any untrained eye, it would look like rain, but you knew it was tears that ran down John’s face as he pinned Alex down. It was hard to see him like this. “I’ll fucking kill you! Fuck you! Someone help me! Please! Don’t let them take me! Please! I can’t die! It’s too early! I-I’m not ready! Someone, please! George! Angie! For fuck’s sake, Thomas! I didn’t think I’d make it this far… I can’t die now, I can’t… I can’t…”

Alex had stopped struggling as he openly sobbed beneath John, and all of you helped slowly pull him up and drag him back to the car. He had road rash on the palms of his hands from being tackled and his fingernails were bleeding from him clawing at the pavement. All of you were sopping wet. He struggled, swore, and cried the entire car ride home.

When you finally made it, you knew you were approaching the hardest part: getting him inside. The storm was in full swing. The thunder was so loud that it shook the car around you. Rain pelted down from the sky. Lightning was the only lighting available since the sun had set. Laf and you had gotten out first, and you waited until Herc and John had signaled they were ready to open the door. As soon as you did, Alex went rabid. He even went as far as to bite John, who swore sharply, but to his credit, he didn’t release him. Thunder boomed around you, and Alex howled. He thrashed in their hold and even Laf joined in to hold Alex around the middle. You shut all the car doors and followed them. They moved slowly, each step a war.

“Please, don’t let them kill me, Y/N,” his screaming had changed and his eyes met yours, begging you sincerely. “Please, don’t. You love me, right? I know you love me! They’re going to kill me, but you… you can stop them! Please, help me!” You bit your lip and looked away. You were already helping him, whether he could see it or not.

When you didn’t reply, he turned bitter. “Fuck you, too! I knew you didn’t love me! I knew it! You’re just going to let me die? Fuck you! I won’t miss you, then. Maybe, when they lay me in the ground, you can tell them how you signed my death certificate yourself!”

His words were sharp like the cutting rain, and they pulled at your heart like the wind stripped the trees. You knew he didn’t mean it, that he was lost in his fear, but it hurt nonetheless.

“Just kill me already!” He cried out desperately as the rain drilled down. He stared up at the sky for a moment, still struggling. “Why prolong the inevitable? Just let me die, please? Make it quick! Can’t you see I’m suffering? Put me out of my misery, please, please. What have I done to deserve this? What have I done?”

You finally made it to the front door, and you held it open as they struggled. However, as soon as Alex saw the sanctuary, his struggling seemed to be in the direction of home. As soon as they crossed the threshold, his body went slack, and he stopped rambling. You went off to find the pill bottle while the others tried to stabilize him. When you came back, he was wrapped in a blanket and pressed against John. He looked so small and vulnerable. Laf was holding a warm cup of tea. You knew he had decided against coffee since the caffeine could add to his panic. It took some coaxing, but he finally took the pills and began to sip the tea. Thunder rattled outside, causing him to wince and curl against John. Her sat on the other side of him, seeming to hide him from the world. You moved forward, seeing Alex’s body language moving towards sleepy. “Hey, let’s get you into some dry clothes, yeah?” You asked softly, his cruel words still chipping away in your head.

His eyes darted up to yours, unsure, but then he nodded. You gave him a reassuring smile, and you helped him stand. He clung to you as you led him down the hall, through the bedroom, and eventually to the closet in the bathroom. The storm wasn’t so loud on this side of the house, and that helped to calm him. You carefully helped him remove his soggy and somewhat bloody suit, leaving it crumpled on the floor. He could be upset about it tomorrow. You held him up as he slowly tugged on a pair of sweatpants. He let you pull Herc’s hoodie over his head, and once it was on, he was quick to pull you into an embrace. He buried his face in the crook of your neck, his breath quick and warm. He said nothing, he just held you there briefly. Eventually, he pulled away, and you were able to lead him towards the bed. The others had already gotten changed and were waiting in bed. You helped him crawl up to join them, giving him a kiss on the cheek, before you went to change. You stripped as fast as you could and carelessly threw dry clothes on, eager to get back to him. The storm still raged outside, but his meds were kicking in, and he was safe inside from it. You grabbed your phone and headphones from the nightstand, racing to opening the playlist you’d made him. You placed the headphones over his ears and turned up the volume, blocking out the storm. You could tell it was working by the way he relaxed against all of you, and his eyes began to drift shut. In the blink of an eye, he was asleep. These episodes took a lot out of him. Once you realized he was finally safe, you felt tears fall down your cheeks. Herc pulled you against his chest without a word. Seeing Alex so afraid got to you, no matter what you did. Seeing your loved one so distressed and being unable to ease his pain crushed you, all of you. The four of you whispered to each other for a bit, discussing the night, sharing your feelings, comforting each other. Eventually, you found enough peace to fall asleep.

In the morning, after the storm was nothing but a blurry memory, Alex would profusely apologize, despite you telling him it was unnecessary, and it seemed like he would spend weeks trying to make it up to you all. It didn’t matter, though. You loved him. Nothing he ever did would make you stop loving him.

[claitynroberts]

Willow Springs Ranch

Description: A young man bumps into a mysterious woman during his rushed morning errands. On his way home that evening he discovers what he thinks is a dead calf in the pre-storm winter dusk. What he finds, on the other hand, may just change his life.

Author’s Note: I really enjoyed writing this a while back so I polished it up and decided I’d post it here for y’all’s enjoyment! For now it will remain a one-shot, but could potentially turn into a series. Let me know what y’all think!

Warnings: None really, although there may be a life/death situation.

Word Count: 3,544

Jesse

        My hometown has about twenty-seven thousand residents. It’s large enough you don’t know everybody, but still has that small town, close knit vibe. I can walk into the feed store and name every old rancher who spends their day shooting the bull and playing checkers under the guise of running to town to grab supplies. On the flip side, I can walk into the local donut shop and grab my usual breakfast order and not be able to name a soul besides the young lady who works behind the counter. What I’m trying to say here is there are thousands of “familiar faces” you begin to recognize after a lifetime of living nearby, but, try as you might, you can never place any one person unless you absolutely know them.

        The young lady I picked up today on the side of the road about ten miles out of town looked so familiar. Her chocolate brown hair and dark eyes pulled at some long-forgotten memory of mine but whenever I tried to bring it to the forefront it slipped further and further away. As I sped toward the house I checked the rearview mirror to make sure she was still okay. Besides being soaking wet and having a slight cut above her right eyebrow she seemed fine. She curled inward on herself even more and my black lab Maggie snuggled in closer to her. I cranked the heater up and tried my best to arrange my big Carhart coat over her like a blanket hoping that would help keep her warm for now. I turned back toward the windshield and listened to the windshield wipers slap against the wintery mix that fell from the sky quicker and quicker while I thought over this morning’s trek to town.

        It wasn’t an unusual day. I made my run to the local donut shop where I got two kolaches and a large black coffee for myself and a dozen mixed donuts for the boys at the feed store. In hindsight that was a bad habit to start, but whenever I walked in every Friday morning with my breakfast, Jimmy and Carl always asked for half of one of my kolaches even though they didn’t like them. I walked in and set the donuts on the table next to the checkerboard where Jimmy and Carl were playing and they flew at them like flies to a fresh cow pie. “Well good morning to y’all too,” I quipped.

        “Morning Jesse!” Carl bellowed in his baritone voice. “How’s the ranch been?”

        “Same as it was when you asked last week, Carl. Cows are still calving, wolves are still a problem, I’m still single, and I’m still broke. But I’ll let you know as soon as possible when one of those things changes.” Now Carl is a good guy but sometimes, well all the time, he can be a one upper. He liked to hear how everyone else was doing so he could boast about himself. I’ve known Carl all my life, he was good friends with my grandfather before he passed, and he is a great rancher, but most of the time I had to shut him down before he could get riled up.

        I leaned up against the counter waiting for the clerk and studied Carl and Jimmy for a minute. No one who didn’t know them would ever expect the two of them to be rodeo legends. Where most cowboys are athletically built, even years later, these two put on about a hundred and fifty pounds since they quit the circuit. Now they were pot gutted and grey. No doubt their wives were to blame since they were some of the best cooks I have ever met, but sometimes they were a tad gluttonous. Why, Jimmy was already starting on his third donut and I had only been here all of ten minutes.

        Jimmy liked to wear cinch button downs, wranglers, and his boots no matter where he went. The only thing that changed about his attire was what kind of hat he wore which changed with the seasons, straw in summer and felt in winter. Carl was the same way except sometimes he would add a vest now and again. Both men had old leathery faces from being in the sun most of their lives and their wise eyes were framed by bushy white eyebrows and they had a thick Sam Elliot-esque mustache above their upper lips.

        “Jesse, would it trouble you to get some apple fritters next week? I’m not a big fan of the glazed donuts.”

        “Jimmy, it looks like you like the glazed donuts just fine. You’re in the middle of eating donut number three!” I exclaimed, chuckling.

        “Yeah but they just ain’t as good!”

        “You do know you have this conversation every week, right Jimmy?” Carl asked.

        “Well, bout time he took the hint then, huh?” Jimmy replied and gave me a scathing sideways look.

        “Next week you can get your own damn donuts then Jimmy. Also, if you would pay more attention to that rigorous game of checkers and less attention to the donuts you would have noticed that Carl just positioned his own pawn in a way he can take your king.”

        “Thanks a lot, Jesse! I thought we was friends!”

        “I don’t make the habit of keeping cheats as friends, Carl.” I grinned and turned around just in time to see Miss LuAnn come from the back of the feed store. “Morning Miss LuAnn! How’s it been?”

        “Oh, good morning Jesse! The rain the last few days has kept a lot of our usual riff raff out, except for these two,” she giggled and rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure what everyone is going to do! The weatherman is calling for snow this weekend and if the other ranchers don’t come pick up their orders, it may be a few days before their stock can be fed.”

        “Yeah, I know. That’s why I came by today, better to be safe than sorry I guess.”

        “So, your usual order is ready and Larry has the boys loading it for you, do you need anything else?”

        “Ear tags and a marker please. Also do you have any dog supplies?”

        “We sure do, what are ya looking for?”

        “Wormer and flea and tick treatments.”

        “We actually got these new things in.” She handed me a box as she explained what it was. “They are a chewy beef flavored cube and it’s supposed to kill and repel fleas and ticks as well as help with worms. It’s a three-month supply in the box.”

        “That’s pretty interesting. Any idea how well it works?”

        “Not a clue.” She smiled.

        “Well…how much does it run.”

        “It’s a little more expensive than the two manual treatments…but I’ll tell you what. I need testimony on how they work, so I’ll give you the first box.”

        “You drive a hard bargain Miss LuAnn, but I guess that works.” I smiled and winked at her.

        “Oh hush.” She smacked my arm. “You are easily our best customer, Jesse. At least when you come in you spend half a grand in supplies. These codgers hog the checkerboard, take up my Wifi, and suck down my free coffee.” LuAnn gestured to the two men off to the side.

        “Thanks, LuAnn. Whatever I can do to help y’all out. I know how the big ranch stores are affecting y’all.”

        “We’ll muddle through somehow,” she said with a wan grin.

        “Well, I better get going. I have a few more stops this morning before I head back to the house.” I paid for my provisions, thanked LuAnn and Larry, called my farewells to Carl and Jimmy, and climbed in my truck. Yep. Completely normal Friday at the feed store.

        I made a few more stops throughout the day, the bank, the post office, the local café for lunch, all the same as normal. The only thing a little strange was the stop at the gas station. I pulled my big farm truck up to the diesel pump and began to fill up the fuel hog I called my favorite truck. When the pump clicked off I ran inside to pay for my fuel and grab a few things. The line was a couple people deep when I got up there, and more people filed in behind me; man, it was a busy afternoon for the Quick Stop. I was standing there going over my items to see if I forgot anything when the young lady in front of me finished her purchase and turned the wrong direction running smack into my chest. She dropped her brown paper bag and everything spilled out. I set my basket down on the counter and stooped to help her right her things.

        “I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed. “I should have been paying better attention to where I was going.”

        Her voice was soft and somewhat timid, and her long brown curls hung out of the hood she was wearing. “It’s fine.” I rounded up her twenty-ounce bottles of Coke, a package of skittles and sour gummy worms, a box of condoms, and five cans of Red Man. As I hurriedly put the items in her bag, I raised my eyebrows and tried to make eye contact with her but she never looked up from below her hood. I noticed she had duct tape, a loop of nylon rope, and some scissors in her hands. “Wow. You must have some night planned.”

        “I-it’s not all gonna be used, you know, together.” She stammered as she grabbed the bag and headed toward the door. I watched her pass through, and before the door shut behind her she turned to look back at me. The side of her hood and chocolate curls still covered most of her face but I saw her eyes. They were chocolate colored as well and were delicate in nature although they were large and round and set perfectly in what I could see of her face.

        I turned back to the clerk who had my purchases already rang up and gave him my credit card. I finished the transaction, and walked back to my truck in a stupor. I sat there for a moment until my dog Maggie jumped up on the center console and began to vehemently lick my face. I chuckled and stroked the top of her head; still dumbfounded. I heaved a sigh and started the huge truck up and pointed it in the direction of my grandma’s house still trying to shake that weird feeling.

        When I got to my grandma Bernie’s house she was asleep for her afternoon nap. I checked her breathing and adjusted the blankets around her, straightening them up and tucking them closer to keep her warm. She was in her late sixties but could still keep up with the best of us twenty-six year olds; she regularly went out to the local honky-tonk four nights a week and drank just as much as my buddies and I did. It became a weekly tradition of her and my grandpa’s and now that he was gone I wasn’t sure if she still did it to remember him or to get him out of her head. Since she was sleeping at five o’clock I assumed she was going to the bar tonight too. I chuckled and set about stoking her dying fire in the big stone hearth.

        I walked back through the house to her outdated kitchen and set about putting her groceries away for her. I placed her twenty-four count of Ultra’s in the fridge on the bottom shelf where she preferred to keep them nearly ice cold, put her bread and other things in the pantry and left her packs of Camel crushes on the counter next to the note I wrote.

                    Granny

                    I put your groceries away and beer is in the fridge—it should be cold. I also stoked your fire and fixed the crooked cabinet in the kitchen. I figure since you were asleep at 5 PM you are planning on going out tonight. Please be careful. There is a front moving in that is promising snow, and with the low temps and rain the last few days things could get slippery pretty fast. I’m going to head home and check on the ranch and spend time with Mom tonight. If you do go out, say hi to the guys for me. Also kick Teddy’s ass at 9-ball for me. Love ya, you old battle ax.

                    Jesse

        P.S. take is easy on the Camels. You remember what the doc said.

        About the time I left my grandma’s house the weather had changed. The temperature dropped to sub-freezing temperatures, the wind switched to the north, and what used to be rain turned to a mix of sleet and drizzling rain. I left the driveway and drove south toward my house in the waning light of the November dusk. Granny lived a couple miles south of our big-small town; and as the crow flies, my grandma lived about ten miles away from my ranch. But since I’m not a crow and we live in a pretty hilly area, it was really about thirty miles out of town.

        I drove as fast as the wet pavement and loaded down pickup would allow, trying to stay ahead of this front so I didn’t have to drive in the newly frozen elements. However, thanks to the Kansas City Southern and a county road with no way to go around the train, the storm moved in and stayed ahead of me all the way home. That’s when I saw her.

        At the time, I didn’t know it was a her. To be honest the pile looked more like a calf that couldn’t make it through the beginning of a harsh winter. I pulled over and flipped my hazards on; as I climbed down from my truck I rummaged around in my vest pocket trying to get ahold of my cell phone. I unlocked it and pulled up Old Man Peterson’s phone number seeing as the calf had to come from one of his two properties here by the highway. I walked over and nudged the torso with the toe of my boot, rolling over not a calf but a young woman.

        Her skin was pale olive in the dim light coming from my trucks headlights, and her dark, wet hair spilled out of her hood and wrapped across her neck. I bent down and checked her pulse, it was light but it was there nonetheless. Her breathing much the same shallow, light, and very irregular. The skin around her mouth had a blue tinge and all color had drained from her lips and cheeks; her fingers were cold and stiff and the nail beds were turning blue as well. She was a little stiff when I picked her up and a light dusting of snow fell off her as I disrupted the surrounding environment with the motion. She was lucky I found her when I did, or she would very well be dead by morning. I placed her in the back seat of the truck and threw the emergency blanket over her to try to keep her warm. My dog jumped back there immediately as if she knew the girl needed something warm nearby and curled beside her on the seat.

        I ripped myself from my reverie and looked at the clock. We were about two minutes from my driveway, and it took about another to get up it and to the house. I looked back in the rearview and saw that she was still curled up and her breathing seemed to come slightly easier now than earlier. I shifted my focus back to the road and pushed the gas down a little more, daring to go as fast as possible to get this girl to my house quickly. What felt like eons later we pulled into my driveway. Mom’s car wasn’t here yet so I assumed she was still on her way home from work; she was always a nervous driver but today of all days she had to be gone when I needed her most.

        I cranked the truck off and ran up the porch steps and unlocked the door before returning to grab the girl, everything else could wait for now. Maggie ran inside ahead of me, and I rushed the young woman upstairs to the master bathroom. I set her down on the tile floor and leaned her against the wooden cabinets of the double sink while I plugged the huge whirlpool bathtub and turned on the shower to get the water heated up. I returned to the girl and checked her vitals again. Her breathing was more regular although it was still shallow and sounded pained, and her heart beat was a little stronger but still slow. I looked at her face and pushed her wet hair aside. She had some color coming back to her cheeks but her lips and fingers were still blue. She stirred lightly and I stooped down in front of her. I looked into her squinted eyes and tried to explain the situation, although I’m not sure how much of it she understood in her condition.

        “Hey, hey, hey. Are you awake?” I asked. She continued to barely squint at me. “I need you to focus on what I’m about to say, okay?” She nodded. “I found you on the side of the road. You’re freezing and we need to get you warmed up. Do you understand?” Nod. “Okay. I’m going to undress you and put you in the tub. Alright?” Nod. “Okay, then.” I set about removing her soggy, wet clothes, which to my relief had thawed and were no longer frozen to her; I scooped her up and climbed with her into the bathtub.

        Positioning ourselves under the hot water pouring from the shower head, I sat us down and began rubbing my hands up and down her shoulders and tried to work as much hot water into her freezing hair as possible. Remembering from some survival show that it’s easier to stay warm with skin to skin contact, I removed my long-sleeved thermal and pulled her back against my chest. She let out a soft cry as the hot water began to thaw her frozen skin and she curled into my chest closing her eyes and falling asleep. After what felt like hours later, but I’m sure was no more than a half hour, I heard my mother come in downstairs. “Jesse?” She called.

        “I’m up here!”

        “Are you in the bath? I don’t want to dis—,”

        “Mom, I need your help.” I cut her off quickly.

        “What’s wrong honey?” She asked as she came through the door. I saw a million different emotions cross her face, until she registered what was going on. “I’ll grab some of your sweats for her. We can put her in your bed since it’s got the fireplace beside it.”

        “Good idea. Before you do anything turn my electric blanket on high and heat up the bed. Then grab some of my clothes and you can take care of her. I’ll start a fire and see if I can get some soup started for when she wakes up.”

        “I’m on it.”

        A short while later Mom came back in with my thickest pair of sweats and best hoodie for the girl. She grabbed a towel and I stood up bringing the girl with me. Mom wrapped her up like she had done me a hundred times when I was little and I sat her on the toilet lid. The motion roused her slightly and she was looking at me with heavy lidded eyes again. “Hey, my mom is here and she’s going to help you into some dry clothes. Can you sit up on you own for now?” Nod. “Good, okay. Once she gets you dry and dressed, we are going to get you into a nice warm bed so you can sleep and when you wake up I’ll have some soup to help warm your insides okay?” Nod. Nod. “Alrighty then, I’m going to go make a fire.”

        I turned to my mom, “you sure you got her?”

        “Honey, I have been your mom for twenty-six years and a CNA for nearly thirty. I think I can handle her.” She said with a small smile. “Go get things ready, okay?”

         “Alright.” I left the room still in my dripping jeans. First things first, I need to get changed. I rummaged through my drawers until I found another pair of warm sweats and threw on a black V-neck. I walked over to the fireplace and set about starting the fire. By the time the large logs had caught and began roaring, Mom opened the door to the bathroom and came out supporting the half-asleep girl. Quickly I turned down the bed and rushed over to scoop the woman up in my arms. Again, she nestled into my chest like she had known me all her life before I gently laid her down against the pillows and covered her up with the plush comforter.

[bananxjin]

...I’m In Love With You // Mark Tuan  Reader

|| List ||

|| One || || Two ||

Word Count: 1,755

Synopsis: Reader feels like her relationship with Park Jimin is coming to an end. Thankfully, her best friend and co-worker, Mark Tuan is always there to pick her up.

|| Fluff/Angst ||

Chapter 2: Mark

☆

“Thank you for yesterday, Mark.” (y/n) said as we sat in the quiet conference room, sipping our morning drinks. I smiled at her.

“You really don’t have to thank me.”

“But I do! You really helped and I’m feeling so much happier today!” She beamed.

After we finished shopping last night, I took her back to my apartment. We made dinner together even though I insisted that she’s my guest and I’d feel rude letting her help me, but she was persistent.

“I’m usually used to making dinner by myself.” I told her. “I am too!” She laughed as she continued to cut up the carrots. I hummed as I brought the water to a boil before pouring the rice into the pot. “I just don’t want you to feel like you have to do this. I really don’t mind if you want to go lay down or take a bath or-”

I’d stopped mid-sentence when she hugged me from behind. I could distinctly feel her arms around my waist and her cheek against my back. “Thank you for caring for me, Mark. But I promise, I don’t mind at all.” She’d murmured, her hugging becoming just a little more snug. I couldn’t help the smile that had spread across my face as I’d wrapped my hand around hers, “If you’re that sure, then.” I mumbled. I’d be lying if I said that that moment we’d shared didn’t have any effect on my heart or my feelings for her. Her very presence in my apartment made me just a little more conscious of my surroundings.

A little more conscious of her being.

I couldn’t even believe I’d offered for her to come over. It was like my mouth was able to work faster than I could think, and it just sort of… Came out. “Stay with me tonight.” God, that sounds so much more intimate than it should, and of course I didn’t mean it in that way. She’s been my best friend for several years now and she just discovered something that could very well likely ruin her relationship. I would’ve felt heartless just leaving her at the train station to cry her eyes out in the pouring rain.

After dinner, I listened  while she let all of her feelings out. She cried harder when she thought back to how she had to see Jimin be affectionate with another woman. All I could do was hold her and stroke her hair as her tears dampened my sweater. For most of the night, she was sat in my lap and her hands either tucked in between her thighs or when she was really upset, she’d wrap her arms around my waist. I didn’t mind, I just wanted her to feel better, and I felt awful that there wasn’t more that I could offer to help her.

It upset me to think that anyone would hurt her in the first place and hadn’t it been for her comfort being my first priority, I would’ve went straight to their apartment and socked Jimin right in the jaw. She’s such a sweet, wholesome person. She’s the type of person who’s always giving and never expects anything in return. Her smile and go-lucky attitude makes it hard for you not to be happy when she’s around; just her very presence in the room makes the air feel lighter. That sounds cheesy, and maybe I’m just biased, but regardless I know she didn’t deserve this, and no matter what their problems are (or were) like at home, I don’t think it validates Jimin going behind her back.

She eventually fell asleep in my arms last night, and I carried her to bed. I tiptoed back to the living room as I didn’t want to wake her up. I got an extra blanket and pillow from the linen closet and I started to lay them down on the couch until I heard (y/n)’s soft voice behind me.

“Why are you sleeping in here?” She asked in a voice that was barely audible. I smiled at her, “Well I wasn’t about to make you sleep on the couch.” I chuckled.

“Sleep with me.”

My eyes widened and I immediately looked away from her. I heard her giggle, “Not like that, Mark! I just… I want to be close to you tonight.” She explained to me, her voice getting softer towards the end. “I don’t want to be alone tonight, and you being around… It just makes everything better.”

I could say the same for you.

“I just uh… I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” I replied, pulling at the hems of my sleeves. “I won’t be uncomfortable, I just need someone.” She told me. Her cheeks turned a light pink as she looked down at the floor. I smiled and walked up to her, embracing her in a comforting hug.

“I’ll do it for you then.” I whispered softly against her hair.

“Mark? Mark?” (y/n)’s voice broke my train of thought. She smiled softly at me before shifting her eyes back down to her mug. Her finger lightly danced around the rim. “I’m sorry I think I spaced out there for a second.” I admitted. She giggled, “It’s fine. I asked if you were sure it’ll be okay with your girlfriend that I stayed the night with you?”

My eyebrows knitted together and I gave her a quizzical look. “What girlfriend?” I chuckled, “(y/n), you know it’s been a long time since I’ve dated Anyone.”

She shrugged and diverted her gaze away from me again. “Where’d that come from anyway?” I questioned, a slight lilt to my voice. She sighed, “Curiosity.” She replied, growing quiet. I figured yesterday’s incident was still on her mind and the whole scene would leave a scar. I silently debated with myself whether or not I should address the elephant in the room.

“So… What do you think you’re going to do?”

She shrugged and released her mug, and letting her hands settle in her lap. “I figured I’d go back tonight and try to talk to him. If we can’t work things out, then…” She trailed off into silence.

“You can stay with me.” I blurted out once again. I mentally cursed myself, of course I want her to stay with me. I have such strong feelings for her and i want to know that she’s going to be okay, but I don’t want her to feel like I’m trying to take advantage of her in a vulnerable situation. I just know she doesn’t have anywhere else to go, and I’m not about to let her pay out a bunch of money to be living out of a hotel for God knows how long.

Besides, if Jimin were to lash out at her, I’d be there to have her back.

(y/n) was staring at me with wide eyes; shock written all over her face. “Mark, I couldn’t.” She hissed, bringing her voice to a silk whisper lest we wanted any of our coworkers eavesdropping on our conversation. “I don’t want to become a nuisance in your home-”

“How many times could I possibly tell you: You’re not a nuisance. It’s a pleasure spending time with you-”

“Okay, well what would our co-workers think if they saw us coming in together everyday?” She sighed as she propped her cheek against her hand. I smiled at her, “We don’t have to come in together. I’ll let you go in first, and I can wait by my car for a couple of minutes.” I suggest, “I park over at the train station anyway so it’ll be like nothing is out of the ordinary.” I explained with a satisfied smile on my face.

Her face was one of melancholy, her lips tightened into a thin line. “Only if Jimin and I can’t work things out.” She told me.

“Only if you and Jimin can’t work things out.” I repeated back to her while maintaining my smile. I didn’t want her to think anything was wrong, but I’d be surprised if she actually chose to stay with Jimin despite him having an affair.

“What are you hoping will happen?” I asked, leaning in just a little closer. She shrugged and her eyes darted away from mine. Her shoulders seemed to tense up at the thought. “I… I’m not sure. I want things to work out between Jimin and I.” She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I want things to be the way they were when we first hit it off, but I have this sneaking suspicion things will never be like that between us.” She continued, “Ever again.”

I frowned and walked around the table so that I could hug her, “It’s going to be okay, (y/n).” I whisper against her hair. She wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my shoulder, “No matter what happens, everything’s going to be okay; you’ll be okay.” I tell her. She makes a small sniffle and nods her head against me. “Thank you for always being there for me, Mark.” Her voice cracks. My hand gently strokes her hair, “You know you can always count on me.”

6:45pm

(y/n) had chosen to take the train home and she said she’d call me if she needed me. I’d just finished preparing the salad when my phone went off.

“Hello?”

“Mark…” (y/n)’s voice cracked and she sniffled. She sounded like she’d been crying for awhile. I turned the stove off and placed the salad in the fridge. “I’m getting ready to walk out the door. Are you okay? Are you safe?” I bombarded her with questions, grabbing my keys off the counter and heading for my car.

“Mhm, I’m just… I just need you right now.” She her voice got higher like she was trying to hold back from crying again. “I promise I’ll be there soon.”

“I walked back to the train station near the apartment. Just please hurry.” She hiccupped.

Within fifteen minutes, I was parked outside the station. I ran up to the platform where I saw her huddled against one of the posts with her purse and duffle bag held tight against her. As soon as she saw me, her face scrunched up like she wanted to cry again. I immediately ran to her and embraced her in a tight bear hug. She clung to me like she had the night before as she released all of her tears and frustration into my sweatshirt. I could feel her fingers gripping tightly onto the fabric as I cradled her head in one hand and held her snug against me with my other arm. We didn’t say anything to each other, she just needed to let it all out. She just needed comfort.

I’m so sorry, (y/n)...

Okay I wasn’t planning on posting this tonight, but guess what! Here it is! Sorry it’s been so long! I’ve had writers block plus a lot has been going on with school. (I’ll be working at a film festival next weekend, can y’all believe that?!) Anyway! I hope you enjoy!

♥Rei

[takemeawaytocamelot]

Speed Dating - Dinner Date

Well then! The one-shot story that’s become an actual thing is back! @outlanderedandoverhere was just amazing giving me this prompt to start this series. And a big shout out to her for helping me with a choice of music for Jamie to enjoy. @diversemediums @outlandishchridhe and I did quite a bit of ‘frolicking away’ last night when I wrote most of this. Don’t worry. I’ll give y’all a BTS post soon. For now, enjoy the next installment!

The Morning After

Jamie looked around his kitchen, satisfied. Earlier that afternoon, he’d gathered some carrots from his garden, along with the herbs to season everything with. The salmon would be done in just a few minutes, just in time for Claire’s arrival. He’d texted her earlier to let her know the front door was open and to just come in. The salad sat in the bowl, waiting for the vinaigrette he’d fixed the night before. She’d called just before she’d left her tiny flat and he’d started the carrots to boiling.

“Ah,” he muttered to himself. “Too quiet.”

Nibbling on one of the smaller carrots he decided not to cook, he turned on the stereo he’d installed in the kitchen. He had no ear for pitch, but he found that didn’t bother him so much when he listened to certain kinds of electronic pop. The lads at the stable didn’t know about his music preferences and he would never ever tell them.

If ever I try to push away

You can just keep me there*

The upbeat sounds of synthesized pop flooded the kitchen as he finished cooking the carrots. Everything was nearly finished. All that was left was Claire.

My GPS unit told me to take one final turn and I stopped the car. There was no way this was Jamie’s house. The gate (it had a gate!) was open and I drove up to park near the front door. He’d told me to just go in and I hesitated briefly. But the sound of techno music had me curious, so I walked inside.

“Jamie?”

No answer. So I followed the music until I found the kitchen.

A vase full of wildflowers was in the middle of the table, candles scattered around it. The table was long, sitting near one of the large windows looking out over a well groomed garden. Movement caught my eye and I looked over to the stove and saw Jamie. I think he was trying to dance.

I stood for a moment, just watching as his hips popped from one side to the other with the beat of the music. He turned around, the end of a carrot sticking out of his mouth, pot of boiling water in his hands.

“Well hello there,” I said, trying to keep from laughing.

After a slight hesitation, he gave me a sheepish smile and finished with whatever he’d been doing. He swallowed the carrot he’d been chewing and came over to kiss me.

“Glad ye made it,” he said, letting me go finally.

“I never would have thought of you as a techno pop sort of man,” I said, leaning against the countertop.

Just looking around his kitchen, I thought it was larger than my whole flat.

“Aye, weel… I dinna have much of an ear for music, ken? I canna hear pitch for the most part, so it all just sounds like noise to me. But synthesized pop… I dinna need to hear the music to feel it.”

“I suppose that’s one way to look at it. My God, whatever you’re making smells wonderful.”

“Good! I havena cooked for anyone in some time. And never for a lass I had over.”

My cheeks flushed as he gazed at me.

“Then I’m honored. And I’m honored that you’ve chosen to share this with me. This house is… It’s stunning, Jamie.”

He turned away then, fiddling with one thing or another.

“I dinna like to talk about the money I have. In the past, it’s been… difficult. Women are either attracted to me because of it, or they’re intimidated when they find out. I ken it’s big and expensive, but it holds all my nieces and nephews when they come for a visit. It lets me gi’ a room to a lad from the stable when he falls on hard times.”

So sharing this with me, sharing his home, meant even more than he’d let on. It was important to him that I not define him by his money. I’d never been the sort of person to care about money or status. Not that I wouldn’t mind a little more of it myself, if only to escape my tiny flat.

“I think it suits you,” I said, watching him still bounce a little at the music playing. “And I don’t care how much money you do or don’t have. That’s not why I took you home.”

“Ah,” he said, pulling salmon out of the oven. “I kent that was the way of it. Ye took me home to have yer way wi’ me and send me on my way.”

I couldn’t help but giggle, which had been his intention.

“You’ve discovered me,” I said.

“Come wi’ me to the dining room, if ye please,” he said, a plate of cooked carrots in his hands.

He sat me at one end of the table, setting the carrots down before turning back. I started to get up.

“No, please. Sit. I’d like ye to be surprised when I plate it. Have some o’ the wine if ye like. I’ll be back presently.”

As he disappeared back to the kitchen, I smiled to myself, picking up the glass in front of me and taking a drink. The pleasure Jamie took in preparing dinner for me was endearing. The way he smiled and planned every part told me just how much he’d been looking forward to it.

When he returned, he had two plates with beautifully glazed salmon on a platter. A crystal bowl of salad nestled itself between the carrots and the fish.

“Jamie! This looks like something out of a magazine!”

“D’ye like it?”

“It’s beautiful! Oh thank you for this!”

Glowing with pride, he sat down on the other end of the table and we ate. We held polite conversation, which more often than not devolved into shameless flirting. It was easy with him, though, like we were meant to be.

“Now,” he said, wiping his mouth on a napkin. “Would ye like the grand tour?”

“Is this your plan to get me into your bed?” I asked, setting my own napkin down.

“Ye think I’d be so obvious?”

I snorted.

“Yes, actually. I do. But… I would like the tour.”

“And if it happened to end at my bedroom?”

I shrugged, standing with my plate in hand.

“If we happen to end up there, I suppose we’ll see what happens.”

He grinned at me and I followed him to the kitchen. After rinsing the plates, he loaded them in the washer and offered me a hand.

“If ye would, my lady.”

I laced our fingers together, following him as he started the grand tour. I tried to tally up how many times I could fit my flat into this place but eventually gave up.

“I’ve got a few trophies in here,” he said, motioning around one of the sitting rooms. “I dinna like to flaunt it, but I’m proud of the things we’ve won.”

“You always say ‘we’, you know.”

He frowned in question at me.

“Whenever you talk about something that the stables has accomplished, you always say ‘we’ instead of ‘I’.”

“Well, it isna just me. I canna take credit for something I didna do.”

“Because,” I stopped walking, pulling him down for a kiss. “You are a very good man.”

As we walked, he explained his design choices for each bedroom. When he’d bought the place, he knew that he would change almost everything. But each room was nice without being pushy about how expensive it was. He lead me upstairs and around to the rooms there as well. When we came to the last door, he paused.

He couldn’t meet my eyes, though he didn’t drop my hand.

“This is… This is my sanctuary. I’ve no’ brought another soul into this room before. No’ even my sister or brother in law have seen it. I keep it locked when the kids are about so they willna sneak in.”

“And you’re willing to let me in?”

Jamie shrugged his shoulders as if his shirt was too tight (it wasn’t) and took a long breath. Then he looked up at me, letting me see every single thing he felt. His eyes were full of fear and nervous energy, but trust and adoration too.

“Aye. I want to share everything wi’ ye, Claire. This room, even more than the house, is my home. I would like to invite ye into my home, mo nighean donn.”

The door opened without a sound and he waved me into the room. Every other room in his house was sleek and modern, filled with creature comforts because he could afford them. But this… This was something altogether different.

The bed was massive, which should have made the room feel small and cramped. Instead, it made the whole place feel lived in. The quilt was a lovely plaid pattern and looked to be a high quality wool. Without even thinking, I walked forward and ran my hand over it, marveling at how soft it felt. Jamie waited at the door as I explored his safe place.

On the wall across from his bed was a beautifully framed Scottish flag. It was old, tattered around the edges, the white faded into an odd yellowish color. Beside on the wall was an antique dirk, the same that Highlanders wore at their sides in the eighteenth century.

The colors of this room were warmer, more rustic, and they felt more like the Jamie I was getting to know. As I moved around the room, I found that one wall was windows, with French doors that opened out onto a small balcony. The view from this room was incredible, the stars in the night sky glittering like diamonds.

“This is beautiful,” I said, keeping my voice low.

“Thank ye.”

I forced myself away from the window and turned to look at the photos on the wall. An old wedding photo with a tall, graceful woman who had Jamie’s hair and a man with dark hair and bright blue eyes was in a silver frame. Beside it was a scattering of photos of children and a few adults.

“Are these your family?”

“Aye. Mam and Da,” he nodded to the wedding photo. “My sister Jenny recreated their photo when she married my best mate Ian. They’ve got a gaggle of bairns, as ye can see.”

The smile in his voice had me looking up at him to see mischief in his eyes.

“Jenny complains that she’s done carryin’ his bairns. Then a few months later, she announces she’s pregnant again. But they’re happy. They kent they wanted a lot of bairns and Jenny doesna really mind.”

“They’re a beautiful family,” I said, looking back at the photos of the children on the wall.

“Their eldest son, the one in the wee kilt there. His name is Jamie, after me. Jenny and me are verra close, ken?”

I stared, for a long moment, at a family photo. Jenny and Jamie, with a man I assumed to be Jenny’s husband Ian, and a few small children. Jamie was sharing his innermost feelings with me and I felt compelled to do the same.

“I’m an orphan,” I blurted. “My parents died in a car crash when I was very young. My Uncle Lambert raised me. He was an anthropology professor who was invited to go on digs all over the world, so I traveled quite a bit.”

Jamie was quiet, just watching me as I showed him my secrets.

“I’ve dated a few times, but it never felt right. I used to stare at my parent’s wedding photo when I was little, just to see how much they loved each other. I knew, even at that age, that was what I wanted. To be loved that way, that deeply… Lamb loved me, I knew he did. He did his best to take care of me.”

“But he wasna your father,” Jamie said quietly.

I shook my head, feeling my throat grow tight at the memory of my lost family.

“I’ve never been in love,” I said in a soft voice, looking down at my hands. “Every relationship I’ve had never felt right, never gave me the satisfaction I craved. It’s like I never really connected with any of them. I certainly never told them about my life.”

“And ye shared it wi’ me.”

His hands took mine, large and warm as he squeezed gently. I looked up at him and met his kind gaze. Sharing all this with him made me feel more vulnerable than I’d ever been before. Unfounded fear sprang up within me and I didn’t know what to do about it. Whatever this relationship was, it terrified me. I trusted Jamie, though I wasn’t totally sure why. But this was so much, so quickly.

I’d told him the truth, none of my previous relationships had ever felt right. Being with Jamie did feel right, but I was afraid. Opening yourself to someone like this left the potential for hurt. We’d known each other for two full days and here I was, revealing my most secret self.

“I don’t know how to do this,” I whispered, pulling my hands back. “Jamie, I don’t…”

“Shhh,” he said, letting me go. “Ye dinna need to be scairt of me, Claire. I’m no’ gonna force ye into something ye dinna want.”

“I know,” I said, shaking my head in an effort to order my own thoughts. “I never thought you would. But…”

He hooked a finger under my chin and lifted my face until I met his eyes again.

“Is this moving too fast for ye, mo chridhe? We can slow things down if ye like. Go out for regular dates, learn more about each other.”

When I made no reply, he took a step back from me.

“Would ye like to go home?”

I felt suddenly empty, even though the space between us was a small one. Terrified as I was, being near him felt safe. That connection I wanted so much was there, between Jamie and myself.

“No,” I finally said. “I don’t want to go home.”

Jamie was comfort and safety. I knew if I let myself stay away from him, allowed our date to end here, it would be over. If things slowed down, I was afraid it would stop altogether. So I reached out and put my hand on his chest, just over his heart. He waited for a moment, just staring at my hand, before he looked up and met my eyes.

“What is it ye want, then?” he asked in a soft, low voice.

I closed the distance between us, our gazes still locked.

“To be myself,” I said. “I want to be myself and…” my cheeks flushed a little. “I want to see you, James Fraser.”

He made a Scottish noise deep in his throat.

“Ye do, mo ghraidh. You have seen more o’ me than any other living person. And I see you, Claire Beauchamp.”

Then he leaned down and kissed me. Somehow the delicate way his lips touched mine melted my worries. I drew myself closer, deepening the kiss as his arms came around me. The lacy black dress I wore felt suddenly constricting. Jamie’s hand moved slowly up my back until he found the zipper.

His fingers brushed against my skin, igniting a fire in me as our kisses became more urgent. Without warning, he turned me around and held me steady. I was a little dizzy and wobbled a little, but his hands on my shoulders kept me on my feet.

“Wh… Why…”

It was almost impossible to form a coherent thought.

“Bloody zipper got stuck.”

After a little tugging and creative Gaelic curses, he got it loose. His hands, work worn as they were, caressed my skin tenderly. I found myself leaning back into his touch, craving him. His lips visited my neck, my shoulders, anywhere he could reach. Then he was pushing the dress off my shoulders, hands sliding down my sides to help it the rest of the way off.

My head fell back against his shoulder when his hand slid down my stomach and inside my panties. He was slow and steady, making me tremble and whimper. I bit my bottom lip while he stroked me. Soon, my hips churned with the rhythm of his hand, the sound of his breathing. The heat of his breath burned on my neck, sending tremors through my body. His other hand came up to cup my breast. I must have made some sort of squeaking sound because I heard him chuckling in my ear.

“Dinna hold back, Sassenach.” He said, a smile in his voice. “The neighbors willna hear ye.”

I could only whimper in response as his finger entered me, my body bucking back into his own need as he held me firmly upright against him. I struggled against his hold, though I had no desire to escape. Finally I cried out, jerking as waves of pleasure crashed over me. His arms never slackened and I knew he was the only reason I was still vertical.

I staggered a little when he eventually let go, but I sat down on his bed before I fell over. He pulled madly at his belt and I noticed how heavily he was breathing. But I needed to touch him, so I got to my feet and reached for him. The belt gave and he wrenched it free, his trousers dropping around his ankles. I’d just gotten my fingers under the waistband of his underwear when he pulled my face up.

This kiss was… more. For the first time in my life, I yielded and was consumed. We fell backwards onto the bed, with me struggling to get his shirt unbuttoned. I couldn’t remember when my underwear had come off, or my bra, but it didn’t much matter. All I cared about was that he filled me, hot and hard when his flesh touched mine.

I surrendered myself to him, giving him everything I was as he made love to me. I’d never opened myself this way, not to anyone. But with Jamie, it didn’t feel like I was losing something so much as I was gaining something. Allowing myself to feel everything, becoming his, didn’t take away who I was.

Jamie seemed to accept what I gave him, and he reciprocated, giving me all of himself. Though we spoke no words, we communicated how much we meant to each other. Our bodies spoke a language unknown to me before, leaving nothing to be misunderstood.

My hands dug into his buttocks and I cried out his name as he brought me to completion. His thrusts grew less rhythmic as he neared his own end. I arched my back, angling my hips a little more to help him along. He let out a low, guttural sound as he climaxed, his body pinning mine to the bed.

He kissed me for several long minutes, both of us sticky with sweat. I’d probably want to shower later, but for now, I didn’t want to let Jamie go. Slowly, he nibbled down my neck and back up before he rolled off me.

“Tha gaol agam ort,” he whispered, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

“I don’t really have much Gaelic,” I whispered back, turning onto my side as he wrapped an arm around me.

“Dinna fash. I’ll teach ye.”

After a little adjusting, we snuggled up beneath the bed sheets, my back to his front.

“You won’t tell me what that one means, will you?” I asked, not really expecting an answer.

“No’ just yet. Will ye stay the night wi’ me?”

I started laughing, oddly giddy and full of happiness.

“Do you honestly think I could walk out to my car after that?”

Jamie chuckled and kissed the top of my shoulder.

“I did my job, then. Rest, mo chridhe.”

With his arms securely around me, I settled in to sleep.

He couldn’t sleep. Not yet. Not when he held the whole world in his arms. Claire slept hard, the flush faded from her cheeks, though her lips still held the hint of her smile. He tucked a stray curl behind one ear, letting his finger trace the line of her jaw. She truly was the most stunning woman he’d ever seen.

“Lord,” he whispered, pitching his voice low so as not to wake her. “Ye gave me a rare woman. And God, I will love her well.”

*Clearest Blue by CHVRCHES