#I’m still squeeing

[snailcomicz]

Everyone MUST look at my new icon from @lilaccoffin , they drew Chai and Hyssop (oc) so CUTE I needed to see it anytime I looked at my icon

[montereybayaquarium]

To squee or not to squee?

That is the question! 🤔🗣🎶 Can you tell the difference between the vocalization of a sea otter pup and one of our Aquarium team members? It’s harder than you think! 🦦👂

When otters 'squee,' they’re excited, playful, or communicating—pups also use it to call for mom! But they aren’t just cute noisemakers—sea otters are vital to keeping kelp forests and wetlands healthy.

Give it a listen and make your guess!

[slytherinboysvip]

Revenge? | M.R

Plot: Your bf cheats on you, what happens next 🙀

(TW: NSFW) >New series for this! <

It was preposterous. Absolutely unbelievable. You stood there watching as your boyfriend- soon to be was ex making out with the girl he told you not to worry about, which of course you obviously should’ve.

Your blood boiled as you walked up to him, grabbing him by the collar and ripping him away as roughly as possible. You weren’t just mad, you were furious. How could he do this to you? “You fucking pussy. You quite literally could’ve just ended things with me you prick. I’m so done with you.” Not giving him any more chances or pity apologies you walked away, once out of the room you ran to your dorm.

Later that night

A much needed crying session later you heard a harsh knock on your door. Without getting up or knowing who it was you whispered a charm and unlocked your door, to your surprise it was Mattheo Riddle. “Y/n, you do know there’s a such thing as a silencing spell, don’t you” His eyes had a piercing gaze for a moment before he finished examining you, his face fell slightly yet he fixed his demeanor, slowly stepping inside and closing your door.

“Either you’re blasted, or you were crying, so which one is it.” He said blatantly sitting down on a chair near your bed. “Fuck off Mattheo, you don’t even talk to me” You flipped over in bed, annoyed at the unwanted intrusion of your privacy. “If you didn’t want me in here you wouldnt have opened the door” He sent a small smirk your way despite you not being able to see it. “In my defense I didn’t even know it was you”

You both sat there in silence before you reluctantly turned back over to face him, “Why haven’t you left yet” You sighed deeply rolling your eyes looking at him. “If you’re really just gonna be a bitch I can leave” He rolled his eyes in return, beginning to stand up. Without thinking you held your arm up grabbing his instinctively “Don’t go, I’m sorry.” You quietly apologized causing him to slowly sit back down.

You removed your hand from his and to break the awkward silence you spoke, “My boyfriend, well I guess now my ex boyfriend cheated on me. I literally caught him making out with her openly in public” I scoffed still dumbfounded as to how oblivious I was. “What an ass. I’ve seen him, you’re too hot for that anyway”. His words made your cheeks blush slightly so you attempted to hide it by stretching.

“I just can’t believe he played me like that” I looked back at him, “You know, we could get some revenge and have some fun” He winked at you and smirked. “And what exactly would this revenge entail?” I cocked my eyebrow at him curious yet intrigued. “Well we could act like we’ve been dating this entire time, pretend we’re finally ‘going public’, and by that I mean we full send it by making out in front of Parkinson and tell her skanky ass we’ve been together so she can spill it to the entirety of this school.”

To say I was shocked was an understatement. I mean the plan obviously needed some major readjustments and we’d need to come up with a story but it honestly could work. “Are you gonna say something or am I just gonna sit here and look like an idiot who came up with an awful plan” He shook my head in his hands catching my attention.

“Yes.” I looked him in the eyes. “We could make out tomorrow then, but you know, I could use a bit of practice” he said nonchalantly , you were still making eye contact so there was no way for you to ignore this, your face was getting hotter by the second, no telling how red you were visibly. “Come on sweetheart, I have a feeling you need the practice too, don’t you?” He smirked.

No thinking needed you just nodded your head yes, and just as thoughtless as it was for you to nod your head, he immediately launched towards you and connected your lips. A soft moan left your lips as soon as you felt his tongue enter your mouth, attempting to fight for dominance in the kiss and failing miserably. His hand came up and softly squeezed your throat causing another soft moan to escape, you covered your mouth instinctively but he ripped it away replacing it back with his lips.

Keeping a grip on your neck he parted your legs with his left arm and rested his knee between your thighs, purposefully rubbing against your heat. More small moans were coming out and you could feel him getting hard against your stomach. He leaned closer to your ear, kissing and nibbling a bit before whispering, “Be careful amor, if you keep moaning like that I might just have to fuck you already”

His knee never stopped rubbing against you, and you were more turned on in this moment than any time with your ex. You didn’t want this to end, even if he wouldn’t continue with your plan afterwards. “Then do it Matt, Fuck me.” You looked at him and gave the best fuck me eyes You could. With zero hesitation he yanked your pants down discarding them across the room followed by your underwear. You started quickly taking your shirt off as he himself got undressed.

All of this happened in what seemed like under a minute, before your lips were back attached to eachother and he was rubbing his tip up and down your soaking entrance. “Fucking hell Y/n, I knew you were hot but I didn’t think you’d have this pretty of a fucking pussy” He began to speak but it turned into more of a moan as he sunk himself deeper and deeper into your dripping cunt. “Fuck, and you’re dripping” He moaned once fully inside.

You couldn’t help but let out a loud moan, needing to adjust to the big size. He looked so hot above you too, especially being able to see his abs from your angle “Oh my god! Please keep going” You looked at him, already needing and begging for more. “Shit you’re so perfect. I’m going to ruin this fucking pussy” He whispered the silencing spell quickly before he began to harshly pound into you. Louder moans than before began filling the room as his aching dick fucked in and out of you.

He pulled out and got off of the bed, yanking you to the edge and flipping you onto your stomach. “Put your ass up for me princess” He smacked your ass harshly making you moan, a soft chuckle leaving his lips at that. You were scared he might’ve wanted to do anal, yet you obliged nervously arching your back. Without warning he slammed into you, definitely hitting your cervix. A pain and pleasure induced moan left your lips and that only fueled his fire.

He kept going at a relentless speed, your eyes began rolling back and you couldn’t hold back any noises even if you tried. You felt yourself starting to unfold, your stomach tying in knots as your release inched closer. “I’m so fucking close Mattheo fuck fuck” You could barely get your words out, they were more like whimpers and screams. “Cum all over my dick, I’m not done with you yet” He slapped your ass which sent you over the edge.

You were seeing stars, your body was beginning to shake as he pounded into you, his arm reached under and began rubbing over your previously teased clit, it was already swollen and sensitive and you couldn’t control anything. Tears started to roll down your face as you came all over his dick, tightening around him making him moan more and more.

Your body collapsed down but he picked you up by your hips and kept going, his thrusts got slower but they were still deep and consistent. The overstimulation was driving you insane, it was something you didn’t know you needed. He pulled out and flipped you back onto your back. “If im going to cum, and if it’s going to be because of you, then I need to see your gorgeous face and these amazing fucking tits” He smirked at you and slowly thrusted back inside of you before grabbing your boobs and putting your left nipple in his mouth sucking and pinching the other.

Your walls clenched around his dick once again, and you felt another orgasm coming, this time it was more bearable yet you were still so overstimulated and turned on you were a moaning mess. He started speeding up and picked his head up to look at you, his hand stayed on your boobs massaging them and pinching your nipples but he was close. Even though it’s your first time together you could tell.

His thrusts were getting sloppier by the second, he threw his head back moaning and throwing around curse words, with a few more hard thrusts you felt his thick cum coat your walls and as he pulled out slowly the warm substance dripped out slowly. “Fucking hell” You sighed completely laying back exhausted. “So, we still on for the plan?” He winked.

I rly hope this is good but tbh the more I read it the more I don’t like it 😭😭

Also! I feel like lowk this would be a good mini story/ series? Like the actual revenge and such, maybe them getting into a relationship… who knowssss. But it’s only a thought I’d need your feedback!!:)!!

[httpsdana]

hi! i really like your fics and i had a really bad day today so could you do the sappiest fluff about gavi or pedri.

basically i got my period today and i was having the worst cramps of my life so something along the lines of that maybe?

take care and thank you x

Sweet Relief~Pedri Gonzalez

・❥・prompt list

・❥・masterlist -> part 2

・❥・who I write for

The first rays of morning light peek through the curtains as Pedri stirs awake, glancing over to see his girlfriend curled up beside him, still fast asleep. He checks his phone and sees the date, realizing it’s around the time of the month when she usually get her period.

He remembers the last few times — how much pain she'd been in, how tired and miserable it made her feel. Determined to make today as easy as possible, he quietly slips out of bed, making sure not to wake her up, and heads out to the nearest store.

Once he arrives, he walks through the aisles, carefully picking out everything he knows she'll need: pads, pain relief medicine, her favorite chocolate, chips, and that comforting herbal tea she loved.

He even picks up a couple of fluffy blankets and an extra heating pad, just in case. With his arms full of supplies, he heads back home, feeling a surge of excitement at the thought of surprising her and making her feel better.

When he returns, she's still curled up under the blankets, her brows slightly furrowed as if she's in discomfort even while asleep. Pedri sets everything down quietly, arranging it all neatly on the bedside table, and then gently climbs back into bed beside her.

He brushes a few stray hairs from her face, his fingertips as light as a feather. He watches as she starts to wake up, and he’s there, right by her side when her eyes flutter open. The first thing she felt was that familiar ache, and she instantly knew — her period has arrived. She let out a groan, wrapping herself tighter in the blankets, which makes Pedri’s face soften with understanding.

“Good morning, princesa,” he whispers, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

y/n blinks at him, managing a small smile despite the cramps. “Morning… didn’t know you were up already.”

Pedri grins, scooting closer and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I had a feeling you’d be needing a little extra help today,” he says, glancing meaningfully at the stash he’s gathered on the bedside table. “So, I got you all set up.”

Her eyes follow his gaze, and she's met with the sight of her favorite snacks, pain meds, a heating pad, and a neat stack of pads. She let out a breathless laugh, her heart swelling at his thoughtfulness. “Pedri, you did all this… just for me?”

“Of course, princesa,” he murmurs, his voice soft as he cups her cheek. “I know how bad it gets, and I want you to be as comfortable as possible. I’m here to take care of you, remember?”

She reached up to hold his hand on her cheek, leaning into his touch. “You’re too good to me, you know that?”

“Never,” he whispers, pressing another kiss to her forehead. “You deserve it.”

He sits up, grabbing the heating pad and carefully placing it over her stomach. She sighes in relief as the warmth begins to seep through, easing some of the ache. Pedri grins, pleased, then settles back beside her, slipping an arm around her so she can rest against his shoulder.

“Is there anything else you need, mi amor?” he asks softly, rubbing gentle circles on her back.

“Just you,” she murmured, snuggling into his side. “And maybe… a little bit of chocolate?”

He chuckles, reaching over to grab the chocolate he brought. Unwrapping it, he holds a piece to her lips, smiling as she took a bite. “Anything else, hermosa?”

y/n smiles, feeling herseld relax under his touch and attention. “No, this is perfect. thank you, baby.”

He leans down to press a lingering kiss to her forehead. “Always, princesa. I’m here to spoil you.”

At one point, y/n shifted uncomfortably, wincing as another wave of cramps hits. Pedri notices immediately, his hand finding hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. “More painkillers?” he asks softly.

She nodded, and he’s up in a heartbeat, bringing her water and the medicine. He watches her take it, then slides back onto the bed, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her. “Here, lay against me. I’ll hold you until it goes away.”

She lets herself settle into his embrace, feeling the warmth of his chest against her back. His arms wrapped around her protectively, his fingers gently tracing patterns on her arm. “You’re my angel, you know that?” she murmured, glancing up at him.

He blushed but smiled down at her, pressing his lips to her temple. “Only for you, mi vida.”

A little later, when he catches her staring at the pile of snacks with a tiny smile, he tilts his head, grinning. “What’s that look for?”

She shrugged, biting her lip. “I just… I’m so lucky to have you. No one’s ever done something like this for me before.”

Pedri’s grin softens, and he tilts her chin up so she's looking directly at him. “Well, get used to it, hermosa. Taking care of you is my favorite thing.” He leans down, capturing her lips in a soft, lingering kiss, his hand gently stroking her cheek. “And if there’s anything else you need, you just tell me. I’m all yours today.”

She let out a sigh, sinking into his arms as he presses a series of gentle kisses along her forehead, cheeks, and nose, each one lighter than the last. “Pedri, you’re spoiling me,” she whispered, even though she's loving every second of it.

He chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around her tighter. “That’s the point, amor. Besides, you deserve to be spoiled.”

The rest of the day continues with Pedri attending to every little thing. He helps her get cozy with extra blankets, adjusting the heating pad whenever she needed it, and even turning on her favorite movie for jer to relax. He laughs with her, making jokes, and he listens to her every whim, whether she needed more snacks, another glass of water, or just a long cuddle to take her mind off the cramps.

“Hey,” he murmurs at one point, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “How’s my princesa doing?”

She snuggled closer, letting out a soft hum. “A lot better with you here.” she smiled up at him, and he grinned ,pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Good, because I’m not going anywhere,” he says, then shifts so she's cradled against his chest, his arms wrapped snugly around her frame. He peppers her face with little kisses, making her giggle. “I’m on official period duty today. Whatever you need — I’m at your service.”

“You’re amazing,” she murmured, nuzzling into his neck. “Thank you for everything.”

“Anything for my girl,” he whispers back, rubbing her back softly. “You know I’d do anything to make you feel better.” His fingers trail up and down her spine, soothing her, as he held her close.

Later, when she started feeling sleepy, he wrapped her up in his arms, pulling the blanket around them both. “Close your eyes, princesa. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

She doze off with him holding her, and when she woke up, he’s still there, smiling down at her with that same warm look in his eyes. “Did you sleep okay, mi vida?” he asks, stroking her hair gently.

She nodded, feeling so safe and cared for. “I love you, Pedri.”

He beams, his face lighting up as he leans down to kiss her. “I love you too, hermosa. So, so much.”

[joocomics]

ಬ fright night

pairing: bf!hueningkai x fem!reader

genre: smut — mdni! wc: 1.3k

contains: established relationship, sub!reader, unprotected sex, dirty talk, headlock, pet names, orgasm delay

[ txt masterlist | general masterlist ]

“I’d kill for you.”

Kai takes your face in his hand and guides your neck backwards to inspect your gaze better; to dive into it even deeper. It’s just as compelling as your voice is right now. Seductive like an invitation.

“What are you talking about?” He suppresses a soft chuckle, but you still manage to catch it despite his attempts that cause his cheeks to warm up.

You stay kneeling on the floor as his thumb glides against your jawline with affection.

“I would if I had to,” you reassure him while an urge to spread his thighs wider as he’s sat on the bed lingers inside you. “I’m ready to do all kinds of vile things for you, Kai.”

The two of you lock eyes then Kai’s lips separate for a discreet sigh as your tongue sneaks out from your mouth - just enough to invite his thumb inside.

“This freakin’ movie brainwashed you.” He smiles amused, but no matter if he tries or not, he cannot hide the reactions his body goes through right now. It’s always so nice and warm between the inner sides of your hollowed cheeks.

The horror movie that’s still playing on the TV is reaching its horrific climax, but you’re both too focused on one another to look at the screen.

Despite being together for six months now, Kai still finds himself losing composure from the smallest things you do. It seems like instead of getting used to your tactics he becomes more vulnerable to them; it’s only getting harder to resist you every time. Especially when your face becomes even prettier once contorted by desperation.

His head drops down as your teasing hands make their way up his thighs, but seconds later he looks back at you again, because you finally speak up to disagree.

“It did not brainwash me, it made me realise I would do anything for you.”

“I’d do anything for you too, baby.” He leans lower to press lips against yours - gently, but the tension building in the room, influenced both by your feelings and the eerie sounds in the background, quickly turns it into open mouthed kissing that takes your breath away. He takes his time to detach himself so he can murmur closely at your lips: “But I think you’ve had enough watching for the day.”

Your breathing almost slows down as you watch him lay on his back. You waste no time in straddling his lap with fingers clenching desperately at his plain black shirt as if they’re about to rip it off his chest.

“What’s going on inside your pretty little brain, huh?” Your boyfriend snickers softly and his sensual eyes sparkle alluringly with a mixture of lust and curiosity. “Is it what I think it is?”

You nod with lip tucked between your teeth.

A warm wave rises in your body as you grind against his growing bulge and the thrill has you humming in response; until his strong hands grip on your butt cheeks and the rough sinking of his fingertips makes you moan right after.

“Should we do something about it?” He asks and because his tone goes lower than usual for the first time in a few minutes you actually acknowledge the creepy sounds spreading around you.

You strip off your clothes meanwhile Kai tugs down his sweatpants just enough to pull out his erection.

The gore scenes cannot distract nor steal his attention anymore; not when your curves are appealingly illuminated by their colors and your boobs are hypnotising him with their bouncing movements; and your mewls… they elevate from the rush and shake every time his cock reaches that special spot inside you, successfully overpowering each scream that comes from the speakers as you jump up and down.

“Oh, yeah, baby—“ Kai’s moans keep dripping from his tongue. “Just like that, yeah…” His body stills restful, but there’s fire bubbling beneath his skin as your walls glide against his slick length.

With each landing onto his lap you’re squeezing harder and harder than before; your fists gripping on his shirt are also tightening at the same moment as your knees go weaker.

“Keep it going, baby, c’mon.” Kai sighs, watching you slow down sloppily. His hand smacks your hip once, then twice as a sign of encouragement.

You’re trying to maintain the quick rhythm, you are, but you’re out of breath, unsteady and with trembling muscles that keep twitching, anticipating that familiar sweet relief.

“I’m so close—“ you whine with hand sliding down to your clit, but Kai pulls it away before you could reach it.

Your dazed eyes meet only for a second before he swiftly switches positions, not giving you any chance to realise what's happening.

You're suddenly facing the TV as your powerless knees sink into the mattress. There's a spine-chilling scene unfolding in front of your gaze, but your attention shifts to the side as Kai's hands restrain yours behind your back.

“I’m close too, baby,” he coos at your ear meanwhine his cock wastes no time in slipping back inside you. “You feel so good, God—“

The shakiness in your voice resumes as Kai picks up the pace the second he straightens his back. To keep you more steady his fingers go up, wrapping around your arms instead. There's a slight pain coming from his tight grip, but seeing him lose himself completely in the pleasure like this is far too exciting for you to care about that.

Multiple yes-es fly out of your mouth that bring a temporary smirk on Kai's face before his features scrunch up from concentration again.

“My pretty girl,” he breathes out with tension in his tone; his eyes stay fixated upon the way his length disappears inside you. “So needy to cum...”

The drastic change in speed along with the new stronger way Kai's tip hits repeatedly at your g-spot doubles the amount of sweat across your skin. The lewd sounds emerging from the smacking of your bodies and from your open mouths blend with the background noise of the dimly lit room.

“Baby!” The sudden high pitch in your voice results into Kai pulling you to his chest; as if it was some sort of a command he needed to submit to. His heart is thumping against your back as one of his toned arms goes around your shoulders, pressing beneath your chin. But that pressure, too, makes you greedy for more. “Harder, baby, please—“

In this heady state Kai is only able to respond with a single rushed groan before fulfiling your wish by pushing you down.

You’re always amazed at how he can sound rough and tender all at the same time.

Because of your placement on the end of the bed, your head now hangs low in the air as your boyfriend's hips slam against your behind. You put all efforts you possibly can to keep your lower half slightly raised so he can maintain the good angle while his hands are back to gripping your arms for better control.

Your vision turns blurry from the magnifying pleasure and just a short moment later, full of Kai's vigorous thrusting, your mind goes blank as the pressure settled low in your core finally bursts.

Luckily, you're facing the ground and you won't see any of the horrors on the TV screen in case you open your eyes by any chance; which you don't, because as you come down from your high, Kai continues to fuck you though a bit sloppily since he's seconds away from pushing himself over the edge too.

On the other hand, he could care less if he's going to see anything or not in a stirring moment like this.

The only thing he can comprehend is the sensation of your squeezing as you drip onto the sheets; how perfectly your warmth envelopes him. He’s tempted to try his best to make this last for as long as possible.

And that’s what he does.

He pulls out with a loud shaky groan, and his entire body lurches forward from how sharp and intensely the thrill of breaking off his own climax shoots through him. Then he signals you to flip around by jiggling your ass cheek.

“Keep your eyes closed,” he warns you softly on time. “There you go, now you can look ar me.”

! please do not repost, copy or translate my works

! please keep in mind that english is not my first language. i apologise for any mistakes i’ve might missed

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

A Touch of Sweetness 2

Warnings: non/dubcon, mentions of crime, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: mob!Loki Laufeyson

Sister series to mob!Thor

Summary: you make a new friend, but that’s not all. (short reader)

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

You park among the rows of cars as you vibrate with excitement. You asked Jada one last time if she wanted to come. When you told her Thor would be there, she scoffed and said you’d come back crying when you got stood up.

Silly her, it’s not a date. Derrrr. 

Your mom said it sounded fun but also declined your invitation. Something about the allergies you never knew she had before. You didn’t bother even telling your dad. He doesn’t care much what you’re up to. 

Still, they can’t rain on the day. It’s so sunny and bright and you’re going to have a lot of fun and make a new friend. You hope it’s not awkward. You would hate to be a third wheel. 

You get out and follow a family through the archway that denotes the entrance. You pay your entry fee and they put a red wristband on you. You smile and turn, squeeing as you see the best sign you’ve ever seen in your life; Bunny Patch. What’s that? 

You rush over to the pen of bunnies, between the pie vendor and the berry lemonade stand. This is a lot more than you expected. You fawn at the furry little creatures, some hopping, some lazing around, others chewing on carrots and lettuce. You like the ones with the long hair on their cheeks. So, cute. 

“Sweetness,” the thunderous voice scatters the children at your side. 

You turn to face Thor as he marches toward you, his hand around that of a pretty woman in a red dress. It’s sophisticated and cute with bows on the straps. You’re a bit insecure about your own choice of pink capris and a polka dot blouse with heart buttons. 

“Ah, there she is. Kitten, this is the friend I spoke of. Sweetness, this is my beloved, Queenie,” Thor gestures between you. 

“Hi,” you open and close your hand in an awkward half-wave, suddenly nervous. 

“And...” Thor continues then searches behind him. “Brother, what are you doing?” 

“It smells like rabbit droppings,” a voice slithers behind him. 

“Hm, yes, that would likely be the rabbtis,” Thor tuts. “Here,” He reaches behind him and pulls a man up next to him. An inch short and more than a few less horizontally. The man is lithe, like a cat, his black hair as sleek as his suit. “I’ve brought a fourth to even out our party. My brother, Loki.” 

The man’s green eyes narrow on you and he looks you up and down. He turns to his brother with a crinkle in his nose. He rips his arm from the other man’s grasp roughly, “you’ve brought me to this place for what? To stain my hands on crushed berries?” 

“I brought you here to have fun,” Thor deepens his tone. “So, you will behave and be nice.” 

“Yes, mother,” Loki rolls his eyes. He crosses his arms and turns his chagrin upon the bunnies. “Ugh, filthy animals.” 

You look at the other woman and she seems just as unsettled by the whole affair. “Look at that one,” you step closer to the pen door. “The black one. He looks soft.” 

“Ah, reminds me of you, Loki,” Thor slaps his back as he drags the woman at his side up to the stall. “Look, he even glowers like you. Likely why the others keep their space.” 

Loki huffs and doesn’t say a word. You glance over at the other woman and smile at her sheepishly. She looks back at you with a hollow smile of her own. 

“I like your dress,” you say. “The bows are pretty.” 

“Oh, thanks,” she peeks up at Thor. “It was a gift.” 

“Oo, nice.” You say, “um, are you excited to pick berries?” 

“Yeah, sure, I suppose... it’s nice to get out,” she nods. 

“Go on then, we’ll catch up. Save some room in the baskets,” Thor bends to kiss her cheek then lets her go. “I think my brother needs some of that berry wine to loosen his collar.” 

You smile at them. Thor returns the sentiment but Loki just shakes his head. The latter is led away by a large hand on his shoulder. You exhale and return your attention to the other woman. 

“Have you known Thor a very long time?” You ask. 

“Oh, erm,” she shrugs, “we just... it’s new.” She peers around and points toward the table trading baskets for money. “Let’s go get some berries.” 

“Right,” you agree. 

You cross the dirt and wait your turn in line. You’re a bit awkward. It’s just that new people make you nervous and you didn’t expect Loki too. 

“Have you known Thor a while?” She asks you suddenly. 

You blanch at her, “oh no, I met him the other day. He told me... he wanted me to meet you. That you needed a friend.” 

“Oh, he did? I guess I do,” she says thinly. 

“I’m sorry. You know? If this is too much. If you don’t want to know me.” You sink your chin down. “My own sister doesn’t even like me.” 

“Hm, mine either,” she says. “It’s not your fault. Don’t be sorry.” She sniffs and lets out a sigh. “I really could use a friend.” 

“Me too,” you trill. “What are you going to do with your berries? I wanna try making jam.” 

“I don’t know. Didn’t think about it,” she says. 

“Well, you can think as we pick,” you grab her hand and pull her up to the table as your turn comes. 

You get your baskets and head off into the rows of berries. You scavenge a mostly untouched patch at the far end. You tell Queenie about your sister and her friends. She doesn’t say a lot about herself though. 

“Ah, and have we a full harvest?” Thor stamps onto a bunch of berries and they burst into the dirt. He lifts his foot with a guilty, “oops.” 

“Do watch where you step, brother,” Loki sneers. 

“I find it hard to concentrate with such pretty women around,” Thor turns and squats next to Queenie. He picks some berries and drops them into her basket. “Mother always made a nice strawberry rhubard, didn’t she? She might show you the recipe, kitten.” 

Queenie nods. Loki stays standing, right beside you. You look up as his silhouette darkens in the sunlight. He huffs and says nothing. 

“Brother, you should join in. It’s rather fun. I feel as if I am a farmer in the old days,” Thor muses. 

You take a lush berry and admire the redness. You smell it and take a bite, tasting the sweetness. You hum and another scoff comes from above. 

“What are you doing? That is unwashed?” 

You peer up and chew, swallowing abruptly as you hide the uneaten leaves in the basket. “Nothing,” you lie. 

Thor chortles and murmurs something you can’t make out to Queenie. 

“You will get a parasite,” Loki insists, “you should wash all fruit before consuming.” 

“Can you blame her? She is picking all alone. She needs the sustenance for all her hard work,” Thor taunts. 

Loki flicks his fingers at his brother. He stares down at you tersely. You look down then lift another berry, raising your chin at the same time, “try one.” 

“Are you mad? I just told you. You’ll have worms crawling in your brain.” 

“Hm, well, worth it,” you bite the berry. “They’re yummy.” 

“Don’t--” He bends his knees and swats away what’s left in your hand, “that’s dangerous.” 

Thor purrs under his breath as he reaches across Queenie to dump a handful into her basket. You peel your eyes away from the intimate moment. You shrug and look at Loki. 

“I’ll be fine.” You grab another berry and he catches your hand before you can raise it to your mouth. You turn the berry between your fingers and aim it at him. “Try it.” 

He narrows his eyes. You smile. He lets you go and snatches it. He stares it down and takes the smallest bite of the tip. 

“Tastes like dirt,” he flings it away. “Told you, they need to be washed.” 

“Hmm, well, once we fill the basket, I’ll be sure to do so,” you hold up the wicker. 

He gives it a dull look then reaches to collect berries, pinch by pinch until he has a handful. He tosses them into your basket. You put your focus back to the tangled leaves and stems. This isn’t so bad. Better than Jada and her insults. 

[slamminslamminmcgill]

I just know wade would be asking u to grind ur teeth down on it...i just know it....

hi anon ur so right wade actually has you do insane shit to him dick biting is just the BEGINNING‼️😮‍💨 and the first time he suggests it you’re mortified 😭 you’re giving him that gawk gawk 3000 typhoon top but he’s still kinda soft 😰 you’re lowkey worried feeling self-conscious about your head game until he cups your face and swipes his thumb across your cheek

“can i ask you a weird question?”

when you’re having sex with wade wilson, this could lead to literally anything. “does this bump on my nutsack look different than usual?”, “what’s your stance on the death penalty?”, “did i ever tell you about that time i got my dick stuck in the toaster?” you brace yourself for whatever batshit insanity is about to slide out of his mouth.

“yeah, go for it.”

“can you use your teeth on it? just, like… keep doing what you’re doing, please, it’s fucking amazing. i just want a little more texture.”

huh?! is he for real?! but you’ve worked so hard to NOT do that! years of toiling in the dick-sucking mines has trained that right out of you, and he wants you to throw all that away? why?! “uh… are you sure?”

he just laughs in response

“aw, you’re so cute! so sweet, worrying about me like that! think about it. why would i ask for this if i didn’t want you to do it, stupid boy?”

…y’know what? fair enough. you close your teeth around his shaft and cheese grater up and down the length of his throbbing, bumpy cock.

“OH~! fuck, just like THAT, baby, YES~! mmm… fu-u-ck, that’s perfect… like… like you’re trying to bite the batter off a corndog, baby, there you go…”

and when i say it gets worse from there i mean it gets WORSE!!!! like he’ll come up behind you while you’re cooking dinner.

“hey, slutter-butter, you got a minute?”

“uh… yeah, actually!” you put down the knife you were about to use to chop an onion, and spin around to face him. “haven’t really started yet, what’s—“

he’s holding a strap-on.

“yes, hi, this is wade wilson, i’ve got an appointment for a prostate exam at 4PM?”

you smirk and saunter towards him, eager to play along with this spontaneous bit, “hmm… i’m not seeing you on our records, mr. wilson. are you sure it was scheduled for today?”

“i’m not sure, actually. i’ve made that mistake before. but this clinic takes walk-ins, right?”

“yes we do, sir, but today’s been pretty busy.” you wrap your fingers around his on the silicone shaft and pull him into you. “but i’ll see if i can squeeze in you.”

wade bounces and squees with joy and hands you the strap. you don’t even get it all the way on your hips before he’s bending over. onto the stove. where you were preheating a cast-iron skillet.

“oh, shit, WADE—!”

“what?” he stares at you blankly, holding the hot pan you were about to use. he’s silent for a moment, then two, and then it clicks. “oh!” he sets the pan down in the sink, claps his hands together, then points at you. “forgot you’re a normie! logan fucks me over the stove all the time. doesn’t really matter for us, since we’re freaks of nature and third degree burns just tickle us psychosexually, but, uh… would you… wanna try it? do a little flambé action? roasted wade wilson breasts? i promise, it’s fun. it makes me moan like a coked-up whore late on rent.”

you snort at his stupid comparison, and it actually puts your mind at ease a bit. it doesn’t surprise you that him and logan get up to this kinda thing when you’re not around. in fact, you’re actually flattered to be allowed to take part in it. to take advantage of him like this.

“fuck it. bend over, you fucking weirdo masochist.”

“yippee! yay! thank you, daddy!!!”

wade eagerly yanks his shorts down, widens his stance, and slams his bare chest onto the glowing red burner. his leathery skin sizzles with the smell of cooked human flesh.

“ooooh, that feels so fucking good on my right nipple… lemme roll a little, get the other side, ah~! oh-h-h, it hurts so fucking good!!!”

you get into position behind him, but he holds his hand out backwards to halt you.

“wait! one more thing!”

he reaches over and grabs the gigantic chef’s knife, freshly sharpened and pristine, that you had lying on the cutting board next to a soon-to-be mutilated onion, and offers it to you.

“jam this through my palm when i say i’m getting close. that’s the finishing move. have me spraying a whole little league team out my dick.”

[lostintransist]

Seamstress | Part 10 - Final Part

I love this story so much and I want to squee and cry at the same time because now I can only visit them as a spectator.

Part 1 is here.

CW: Vague mentions of sexual acts.

It became a code between them, 150. Any time, any place, if they wanted an out or just a reason for intimacy the number would be said and you and John would disappear. The guys of the 141 caught onto it quick enough. When John starts leaning closer, dropping kisses on any small piece of you he can reach they all know to listen for that one number that meant the two of you were either leaving or they were getting kicked out.

The fifth time it happened Kyle, Simon, Gary, and Johnny were watching John flirt with you across the kitchen counter as you are putting away the leftovers from their team dinner.

Simon leans closer to Gary and mutters quietly, “If he says one-fifty I’m gonna need someone to fifty-one-fifty me.”

Kyle, who had the unfortunate timing to be taking a sip at the moment of this comment, shot beer through his nose. The coughing laugh drew both yours and John’s attention. Johnny was the only one confused at the table.

You pass John a towel and watch with concern as Kyle wipes his face and then the table where he made a mess.

Johnny turns to Gary and whispers, “What’s a fifty-one-fifty?”

Gary smirks as he replies in a hushed tone, “It’s the code for an involuntary psychiatric hold in the States.”

“Oh! Because they are h—”

The towel cut off Johnny’s suddenly normal volume voice from across the table. Kyle’s aim hit dead on even as his body still shuddered with coughs. Everyone knew that Kyle had finished his coughing fit because he is wracked with a massive sneeze.

John looks over his men at the table, eyes narrowed.

“Anything to discuss muppets?”

“Oh leave them alone John,” you call from your place head in the refrigerator.

Everyone but you watches as John catches sight of your half-bent state and his demeanor takes on a lascivious cast. Side eye is shared between the four men at the table.

Skirting the counter John sidles up to you as you straighten, one hand falling to your back, resting above the rise of your pants, and the other gently pushing the door of the fridge closed.

Despite what the guys assume to be his best efforts John’s hushed voice carries. Must be a side effect of either him using his captain’s voice for so long or the intrinsic quality in his men to tune into his voice.

“Can I offer you 150?”

Glancing up under your brows you fight down a smile. Your hands drift around John’s middle, resting on his waist.

“How ‘bout zero? I have drinks with my friends downtown in thirty minutes and your men are still here.”

Pouting is a new look for John. Gary makes a face as if he has just seen the devil’s ass and found it covered in boils.

“Love you, John, have a good time with your guys,” you lean up and press a kiss to his lips before stepping back and addressing the team. “Have a good poker night guys.”

You leave with a chorus of goodbyes on your heels. For all their annoyance with John and his inability to maintain focus with you nearly every one of the guys liked you and had added you to their mental shortlist of good people.

Simon started to rise to grab the poker supplies but froze at John’s abrupt hand slash. The familiar movement to wait caused all the men to hold their positions. When the sound of your car pulling away and down the road finally fades John looks at his men.

“I have something to show you. Stay.” He takes off from the kitchen, feet eating up the distance to his destination.

He is back in less than a minute. Simon sat back down while waiting for his return. Both Kyle and Johnny sent their sergeants questioning glances, but neither Gary nor Simon had any clues.

John set a jewelry box on the center of the table. Gripping the small knob between two fingers he pulled out the bottom left drawer. It sat empty except for two rings, one with a large clear stone that could be nothing but an engagement ring and the other a matching plain band.

“Gonna wife the bonnie up?” Johnny waggled his eyebrows at John.

Rolling his eyes John looked at the rest of them for their reactions. Simon shrugged, arms folded across his chest.

“She’s good people.”

Gary nodded, “I doubt you could ever find someone better for you. She treats us like the good side of the family.”

Kyle half stood and pulled both rings from the drawer.

“I would marry her myself if I thought I could fight her away from you.” He narrows his eyes as he looks at something on the inside of the band. “What’s the 150 by the way? Must be important if you had it engraved on the band.”

The men had never seen their captain embarrassed, let alone go beet red.

John straightens up, hand reaching back to rub the back of his neck and scratch at the base of his hair.

“I might have offered 150,000 to see her naked before we got together.”

Guffaws and full-throat laughter cloud the room as John snatches the rings from Kyle, shoves them back in the drawer and returns the jewelry box to its place of honor on your dresser. It sits next to a photo of the two of you at the first New Year’s at Kyle’s, the one taken before John disappeared and nearly died.

Stepping back into the dining space the laughter has died down into the random chuckle and snicker when anyone would look at John for too long.

“Alright boss, tonight we are betting on truths because I desperately want to the full story about offering to see your bird naked,” Gary launches the challenge across the table.

That is how the night goes, John fighting for his proverbial life to keep his secrets to himself and losing to odds that casinos would weep for.

🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡

It takes him a few weeks. A few weeks of girding his loins after getting the needed approval from his men to ask you. He had spoken to your father who placed a firm hand on John’s shoulder and said “If she finds out you asked me before her no god will be able to save you.”

With that, deeply concerning and somehow still accurate, warning ringing in his ears John starts to plot. He wanted to give you a grandiose event where he paid for a flash mob and the biggest damn bouquet he could find. He ran the idea past Simon who blinked at him as if trying to dislodge the thought that he willingly followed an idiot.

Simon placed a hand on the same shoulder your father did and gave a single shake of his head.

“She would hate that and you know it,” he walks away as if he didn’t just singlehandedly ruin John’s plans.

Falling into bed that night John sits next to you, back resting against the headboard as he runs a hand over your shoulders. You don’t cuddle when you are ready to truly get to sleep. It’s hard to cuddle the way you cock one leg, twist and strangle your pillows and finally flop into the oddest positioning claiming it is for comfort.

The thought slips out, like every part of him but his mind is ready for your answer already.

“Would you marry me?”

Your breath hitches under his touch.

Pushing up to one elbow and one hand you look up at him. John focuses all his years of training on keeping his face even.

“Of course, I would marry you.”

“When?” He probes.

You tuck your knees up under you, kneeling on the bed now. John lets his hand fall to yours in your lap.

“Tomorrow.” The serious look on your face is enchanting.

“No white dress or cake or fancy party?” Narrowing his eyes at you he wonders at your response. You had no doubt imagined and even designed the dress of your dreams.

“The frills don’t change the goal, just the timing of it,” you thread your fingers through his as you knee walk closer to him. “I love you and would marry you now, except any judge we have to wake to marry us would probably tell us to piss off and come back in the morning.”

Lifting a hand to your cheek John’s heart swells in his chest at the weight you rest in his palm. The soft look on your face makes his decision for him. Leaning forward he drops a kiss on your lips.

“Close your eyes and don’t open them till I say.”

Your lids drift close without hesitation. John climbs from the bed, retrieving both rings he bought for you. Blowing a lung’s worth of air through his nose he kneels, one knee pressing him up from the floor and the other a resting place for his elbow as he holds out the ring with a stone. He tucks the other onto the pointer finger of his left hand. Would hate to lose that.

“Okay, open your eyes.”

It takes you a heartbeat to locate him, eyes blinking before settling on him.

“Yes.”

You don’t let him even ask.

“Typically I need to ask—”

“Nothing about us is typical. Yes.”

John laughs, nerves shivering through his body as he sheds the layers and layers of stress he had built up in his mind.

Sticking out your hand impatiently you wiggle your fourth finger at him.

“Hurry up John. I want to fuck the lights out of you. Now get up here.”

Never a man to turn down an offer like that John slides your new ring into place and stands to be devoured by your kisses.

As you ride him into oblivion he places the flat ring on the ring finger of your other hand.

Never has a man been more lucky than he to take a nap at a seamstress’ shop.

Part 9 | Fin

Seamstress Masterlist | Masterlist

@madsothree

[therealcocoshady]

Kinktober - Day 7 - Medical Play

Kinktober 2024 Masterlist

A/N : Not sure what's gotten into me lately but I've been on a roll and managed to finish some WIPs I had for Kinktober 👀. The prompt for this one is "medical play". I hope you enjoy it 🙂. I kind of kept this one short and sweet !

If you liked it and want to support a struggling student, you can buy me a cup of coffee. ☕️

CW : fear of hospitals - mention of overdose - trauma - medical play - a little angst

Marshall sat hunched over on the couch in the home studio, eyes locked on his phone screen, jaw clenched. The email had come in that morning—an official note from his management team. The insurance company was insisting on a full medical examination before his upcoming tour. Mandatory. His health records were clean, but that wasn’t good enough for them. They didn’t care that he’d managed to survive in an industry that chewed people up and spat them out. All they saw was a fifty-year-old man who had nearly died from an overdose years ago, and who, in their eyes, might not make it through another tour without some kind of medical assurance.

But they didn’t know what he saw. They didn’t know how, for years, hospitals had haunted his dreams. How that one night back in 2007 still lurked in his mind, the smell of disinfectant and the sound of frantic voices crashing back into his head whenever he thought of doctors or medical equipment. He could still feel the cold sweat on his skin, the sharp pain in his chest as his body started to shut down, the blurred vision as his pulse weakened. He had looked in the mirror, seen the pale reflection staring back at him, and thought, This is it. I’m dying.Even now, a shudder ran through him, his breathing shallow. He could still hear the faint beeping of the machines, the sensation of being utterly powerless as his life slipped through his fingers. It didn’t matter that he’d been sober for years—his mind never let him forget how close he had come to losing everything. He slammed his phone down harder than he intended, the sharp noise echoing in the quiet room. His hands balled into fists, his heart racing. The thought of walking into another doctor's office, of lying on some sterile exam table under the harsh lights—it made his skin crawl. The same paralyzing fear flooded him, that same suffocating helplessness. No way. He wasn’t going through that again.

The sound of the front door opening and closing pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts. You had just come home from work. You worked as a nurse practitioner, calm and collected as always, your blue scrubs a stark contrast to the tension simmering in his veins. You walked over, eyes softening as soon as you saw him. “What’s up?” You asked gently, taking a seat beside him. You could read him like a book, and right now, the strain was written all over his face. Marshall exhaled sharply through his nose. “It’s this damn insurance thing,” he muttered, his voice low and rough. “They want me to go through a full medical check-up before the tour. Like I’m some broken old man. They’re scared I’m gonna… I dunno, drop dead on stage or something.” You frowned, your brows knitting together with concern. “I’m sure they’re just being cautious. You’ve got a lot of history… they just want to make sure you’re okay.”. “I am okay,” he shot back, the edge in his voice sharper than he intended. “They’re acting like I’m fragile. I’m not.” You didn’t say anything right away, just gave him that understanding look of yours. You knew what had happened to him—what that fateful night in 2007 had done to him, not just physically but mentally. You knew how hard it was for him to even think about hospitals, let alone step foot in one. “It’s not about being fragile, Marshall. They just want to make sure you’re healthy,” you said softly. “And honestly… so do I.”

He clenched his jaw, looking away. “I don’t need a bunch of doctors poking at me, babe. You know what that’s like for me”. Your hand found his, squeezing gently. “I know.” You paused, choosing your words carefully. “But it’s been a long time since you’ve seen anyone. And you’re not the same guy you were back then. You’ve come a long way.” Marshall swallowed hard, his throat tightening. Yeah, he’d come a long way—but that didn’t erase the fear. It didn’t stop the memories from crashing in, the beeping machines, the sterile smell of antiseptic that still made his stomach turn. The feeling of being trapped, unable to control what was happening to his own body. He had spent so long running from that fear, burying it deep down, that the thought of willingly going into that environment again—of handing himself over to doctors who would look at him like he was just a body to fix—made his heart race with anxiety. “I can’t do it,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t go back in there. I don’t want to feel like that again”.  Your face softened even more. You knew the depth of his trauma, the invisible scars that no one else saw. You leaned in closer, resting your hand on his leg. “Okay. I get it. I know it’s hard. But we can do this… together. You don’t have to go in alone”.  Marshall’s gaze flicked toward you, the hint of desperation in his eyes. “What if… What if I just don’t go? I’ll figure it out. Cancel the damn insurance. I don’t need them.” You shook your head slowly. “You know that’s not an option, babe. This is about your health, your future. But I think there’s a way to make it easier.” He raised an eyebrow, confused. “What do you mean?”

A small smile tugged at the corner of your lips. “What if I help you get used to it? At home. No doctors, no hospitals. Just me and you.” You let your hand glide up his arm, your touch soothing as you leaned in closer. “I’ve got some of the equipment at home… I could check your vitals here, no pressure. It doesn’t have to be so clinical. We can make it… more comfortable.” Marshall blinked, the tension in his chest still tight, but your suggestion was throwing him off balance. “You… what? You’re gonna play doctor or something?” Your smile grew, the warmth of your teasing tone cutting through his anxiety like a balm. “I’ll be gentle, I promise.” He snorted, shaking his head slightly. “You’re crazy.”. “Maybe,” you admitted, standing up and holding out your hand. “But you trust me, right?”. Marshall hesitated for a moment, the fear still gnawing at him, but your hand was steady, your eyes filled with nothing but love and reassurance. He slowly took your hand, letting you guide him into your shared bedroom.

You grabbed a few things from your work bag—a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff, and a small pulse oximeter. The sight of the equipment made his heart thump harder again, the memories flashing for a split second. But you were there, with your soft, knowing smile pulling him back to the present. “Sit down,” you said, pushing him gently onto the edge of the bed. He did as you asked, the tension in his chest still there, but lessening with every second you were close to him. You stood in front of him, your scrubs hugging your curves just enough to remind him of how lucky he was. You let the stethoscope dangle from your neck as you leaned down, your hands resting on his shoulders. “I’m going to listen to your heart,” you said, your voice low, almost a purr. “But I think we both know it’s already racing.”. Marshall’s breath hitched as you slipped the cool diaphragm of the stethoscope under his shirt, your hand pressed softly to his chest. Your touch was careful, but the slow way you leaned in, lips just brushing his ear, sent a shiver down his spine. “Deep breath, baby,” you whispered, your voice sultry as the stethoscope rested just over his heart.

He inhaled deeply, trying to focus, but the sensation of you being so close, your lips grazing his neck, had his pulse pounding for a whole different reason. You pulled back slightly, a teasing smirk playing on your lips as you moved the stethoscope lower, fingers sliding across his skin with deliberate slowness. “You sound a little tense,” you murmured. “Want me to fix that?”. Marshall exhaled shakily, his hands instinctively reaching for your hips. “You’re not playing fair.”. “I never said I would,” you teased, pulling the stethoscope away and moving on to the blood pressure cuff. You knelt in front of him, wrapping it around his arm, the sensation of your fingers tightening it around his bicep sparking something hot between them, as did the vision of you on your knees. The cuff tightened, the pressure building as the sound of his pulse filled the air. Your eyes locked on his, your expression shifting from playful to something more intimate. You leaned closer, your lips brushing the skin just below his jawline as the cuff deflated slowly, the soft hiss filling the room. “You know,” you whispered, your breath warm against his neck. “This is just the beginning. I’m not done with you yet.” Marshall swallowed hard, his pulse racing, his body betraying him in the best way possible. “Yeah? What else you got?”.  You let the blood pressure cuff drop, climbing onto his lap, thighs straddling him as you looped your arms around his neck. “Well,” you purred, your fingers trailing down his chest, “I haven’t checked your temperature yet.”. Marshall chuckled low, the tension between the two of you thick and electric. “Pretty sure it’s rising”.  Your lips brushed his ear, your breath hot and deliberate as your hips pressed into his. “Good. I like it when you’re hot.” His hands gripped your waist, pulling you closer as you leaned in, your lips inches apart. “Think you could check the rest of me while you’re at it?” Your smile was wicked as you pressed your body against his, your lips finally claiming his in a slow, heated kiss. You pulled back just enough to whisper against his mouth. “Don’t worry, Mr. Mathers. I’m going to give you a full exam”. Marshall smirked, the anxiety from earlier completely drowned out by the heat between the two of you. “Now this I can handle.”

[egcdeath]

kith and kin

pairing: joel miller x f!reader (pairing from the soccer parents AU)

summary: your parents finally meet joel in the midst of celebrating your daughter’s birthday. 

word count: 8.3k

warnings: brief mention of past abuse, a little tough love from reader’s mom, no use of y/n, cursing, alternate universe: no apocalypse, angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, joel is a little anxious, your daughters are sassy, very lightly edited

author’s note: i’ve had the worst writers block recently, but i love this pairing too much to let them go. feel free to send me any requests!

previous part / series masterlist

Joel paced back and forth in your bedroom, the padded sound of his socks hitting the floor pleasant at first but was becoming a bit of an annoyance by the tenth consecutive minute of the sound of pacing.

Chloe’s birthday was in just a few days and your parents had rented out a cabin on Canyon Lake, inviting you and one of her friends to come along. Seeing as you’d been together for around a year now and that there was no better time than the present, you figured it was probably about time for Joel to meet your parents.

“Joel,” you finally said sternly, zipping up your suitcase and looking up at your partner. “Relax, honey. They’re gonna love you. I mean, they’re gonna have to love you since I love you. That’s how it works, right?” you walked over to him and gently grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pulling him into what you hoped would be a reassuring kiss.

“I don’t know,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against yours. “What if they don’t think I’m good for you?”

“Well, this may be breaking news to you, but we’re not living in the 1700’s. We don’t exactly need my parents’ approval to have a relationship.”

Joel walked away from you, grabbing his own bag from where it laid on the floor. “I know, it’s just… I want them to like me. I don’t want you to have to feel like you needed to choose between me and your family and secretly resent me for years over that.”

“Maybe let’s unpack that last part some other time. But you’re so likable and charming, they’d have to be crazy to not like you.”

“I admire your belief in me, but it’s been well over a decade since I’ve had to meet and woo someone’s parents. What if I’m rusty?”

“Don’t be rusty, just be yourself!” you tried, smiling at your own terrible dad joke.

“Ha, ha,” his laughter was forced and monotone.

“Not the time?” You knew it was bad when Joel didn’t even respond to one of his beloved dad jokes.

“Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. But everything is gonna go great, okay? And if not, you have a few days to make them love you, yeah?”

“You’re right,” he admitted reluctantly, seemingly just wanting to move on from the conversation. “You ready to go?”

“I am. Are you?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

When you arrived at the cabin, your parents were sat on the front porch, seemingly deep in their own conversation before noticing your car pulling up.

Chloe was quick to hop out of the car, excited to see her grandparents. Given that they were practically attached at the hip, Sarah followed close behind Chloe, with the pair receiving hugs from your parents as they greeted the girls.

Still firmly seated in the car, Joel took a deep, yet shaky breath, giving you an idea of just how nervous he was to be meeting your parents. Wanting to give the man a bit of reassurance, you grabbed ahold of his slightly trembling hand and squeezed it hard.

“I promise you have nothing to worry about. You’re gonna have a great time, and my parents are probably gonna love you more than they love me. Got it?” you asked firmly, trying to sound sure of yourself despite the minor nerves you were facing yourself.

“Got it,” Joel parroted, although he didn’t exactly sound sure of himself.

“C’mon,” you beckoned, unstrapping yourself before getting out of the car. After a very subtle moment of reluctance, Joel’s door opened and your partner stepped out of your car as well.

The moment he got out of the car, you grabbed his hand, squeezing it once again as a small demonstration of your support before leading him up to the porch.

The girls were already making their way inside when you finally reached your parents, your mom giving you a tight hug and setting her head on your shoulder.

“It’s been too long,” she declared as she squeezed you for a few more beats, finally pulling away to analyze the man you had brought with you. “And who is this?”

“Mom, Dad, this is Joel. He’s Sarah’s dad,” you stepped back to wrap your arm around Joel, a slightly territorial move to show your parents that whatever you had going on was serious. “He’s also my boyfriend.”

“Nice to meet you, Joel” your mother greeted, shaking Joel’s hand and maintaining a somewhat loaded eye contact with him. She smiled at him, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Your dad didn’t even bother with the pleasantries, giving Joel’s hand a firm squeeze and one solid shake. Both of your parents looked rather skeptical of the man, but you hoped that the stern look you were offering them was warning enough for your parents to behave around your boyfriend.

As everyone left to put away their luggage, you stayed downstairs with your mother, who indicated she wanted to have a separate conversation with you.

“What’s up?” you asked her, crossing your arms over your chest defensively in anticipation of what she might say. Based on that loaded interaction on the porch, you already had a good idea of where this conversation is going.

“Is this the Joel from Chloe’s soccer games?”

Shit. The one time your parents remember the name of someone you disliked just happens to be the one time you bring them home.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you remembered that,” you attempted to casually brush off. “It is.”

“The one you couldn’t stand?” your mother pressed, her brows furrowing as she looked at you with what seemed like disbelief.

“That was a while ago! Before our kids got closer and I got to know him better. And really it wasn’t even like I couldn’t stand him, it was more like he mildly annoyed me and we would argue sometimes. Even then, I kinda just had a crush on him. That’s why I told you guys about him in the first place. Notice how you don’t know the names of anyone else on the team who I don’t like?” you spoke quickly as you attempted to justify what you’d told your parents in the past.

“Stop. Just stop,” your mother rubbed the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. Growing up, you were all too familiar with that move of exasperation. “Why do you keep doing this?”

“Doing… what?” you said meekly, almost scared of what was going to come next.

“Finding men that don’t treat you right. Men who aren’t good for you?”

Oh. So that was what this was about. It was less about Joel, and more about your parents not trusting you to take care of yourself.

One of your biggest fears after exiting your relationship with Nathan laid in the ways that people would treat you after finding out you had stayed in a relationship that was abusive. Sure, there was the sympathy that always came with finding out about someone’s past trauma, but then there was the judgment that came with finding out you stayed. You knew people would question your ability to take care of yourself and your daughter, and you knew people would question your ability to find a significant other who didn’t end up toxic. It shouldn’t have surprised you that your mother was grilling you like this—after all, it was her that you turned to on nights where you had nowhere else to go, bringing your daughter to her home on days where things with Nathan got particularly tough.

“No! No, no, no,” you protested, emotions that had spent far too long simmering on the back burner beginning to come forward. “Joel is the best thing to happen for me in a long time.”

“Honey,” your mom sighed and looked at you with what could only be described as pity. Frankly, it made you want to crawl out of your skin. “You sound just like a teenager again, defending Nathan.”

You nearly had a visceral reaction at the comparison of Joel to Nathan. You just wished your mother could understand that even though she may have heard some of the things you’d been through, that you had lived through those things, and you would never make that kind of mistake again.

“Mom, Joel is nothing like Nathan,” you expressed passionately. “He’s an amazing partner and he may have only been in Chloe’s life for a short bit of time, but he’s a far better father to her than Nathan’s ever been.”

“I want to believe you, and I am going to give him a chance. But just know that things even seem like they might go South, your father and I will be fighting tooth and nail to keep Chloe safe. You’re an adult; you can make your own decisions, but we won’t let her go through something like that again.”

You understood the implication of her statement and frowned. You knew that your parents just wanted the best for you and your daughter, but this whole thing just made you feel like a child. Why were you being punished for being a victim? Did your parents really trust you so little? Little enough to think that you would intentionally put your daughter in harm’s way?

“Okay,” you uttered, defeat evident in your tone. “But there’s nothing to worry about with Joel.”

“I certainly hope so,” your mother said with a sense of finality.

You found yourself sitting by the lake as Joel played with the kids, deep in thought as you pondered the situation. Maybe inviting Joel was a bad idea. Your parents clearly weren’t happy and your partner certainly wasn’t comfortable. At the very least, the girls seemed to be excited to spend some time on a little vacation with the man.

Chloe ran over to you, pulling your attention away from the cyclical motion of the water as it approached and receded over and over again.

“Come look at our sandcastles! They’re really detailed,” she said excitedly, grabbing your hand and attempting to pull you up. Her excitement was contagious, causing you to completely disregard all the negative feelings you’d been stewing in after your conversation with your mother in favor of adopting some of your daughter’s enthusiasm.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” you laughed, following your daughter out to the shore as she practically ran all the way over to her creation.

You squat down next to Sarah and set your hand on your brow so you could protect your eyes from the sun as you looked upon the three sandcastles in front of you.

“Well, what do you think?” Sarah asked, her tone just as excited as Chloe’s.  

“I am very impressed. Great work, guys,” you expressed, beaming at the people around you.

“But which one is your favorite?” your daughter asked, shooting you a cheeky look that you were becoming all too familiar with.

“They’re all my favorite,” you replied, evaluating the castles.

“Boo,” Sarah jeered, clearly hoping for a better answer. “Which one is your actual favorite?”

“Hmm,” you fake-pondered aloud, bringing your free hand to your chin to make you seem like you were far deeper in thought than you actually were.

“We don’t have all day, mom,” Chloe commented, setting a hand on her hip.

“Hey! Good deliberation takes time,” you replied. Given that everyone was sitting by their own castle, it wasn’t very hard to pick out which one belonged to your boyfriend. Seeing as you were in the mood to mess around, you proudly declared Joel’s castle as your favorite, despite his castle not looking so hot.  

“That one,” you said, trying to hide entertainment on your face as you pointed to the least technically impressive castle. Joel’s expression matched yours as he clearly bit back an entertained smirk.

“Whaaat? C’mon, I have a moat!” Chloe gasped, throwing a hand over her heart to show just how offended she was.

“And I have a mermaid! What does his have that ours doesn’t?” Sarah protested as she gestured over at her sand mermaid.

“She’s just biased because they’re in love or whatever,” Chloe scoffed. “Don’t worry, Sare. You’re a winner in my eyes.”

“Aw, stop, I love yours too!” Sarah grinned, going in to hug her friend as the two began to compliment aspects of each other’s sandcastles.

You couldn’t wipe the smile off of your face if you tried. Somehow, being around your little found family always made you feel a bit better. Even if your parents didn’t approve and never came around to Joel, that didn’t change the fact that you genuinely were happy with the man, and even happier with the blended family you’d created.

“Girls!” your mom yelled from inside, drawing all of your attention away from the beach and towards her booming voice. “Lunch is ready!”

“I’ll race you back inside?” Sarah offered. Chloe was off on her feet before she could even respond.

You and Joel took your time getting back to the house, walking slowly as you filled him in on your mother’s one-on-one confrontation with you. Despite the joy in the moment just prior, the reality check of having to deal with your parents had brought both of your moods back down rather quickly.

“I don’t think your parents like me very much,” Joel admitted to you, a hint of shame in his voice.

“I-“ you wanted to lie to him, to at least bring a little comfort to your boyfriend who had been worried sick about your parents not liking him. “It’s not your fault, it’s Nathan’s. They think I… they basically think I have a type. It doesn’t help that they think I used to hate you.”

“Fuck,” Joel exclaimed quietly, looking away from you. “I’m sorry, I just… I want them to like me. I’m already so nervous, I feel like I’m gonna shit a fucking brick. How can I make them like me?”

“Just be yourself, okay? And relax. I’m gonna love you regardless of whether or not my parents like you. Nothing's gonna change because of what my parents think of you. At the end of the day, I’m the one crawling in bed with you, not them. Who cares what they think?”

“I care. Deep down, you care too.”

“Joel, please,” you stopped and grabbed his hands, gently tugging him over to you. “I genuinely do not care. I love you. I love our family. Nothing is going to change that, okay? Nothing.”

Joel looked at you anxiously, his eyes a bit more defeated than usual. The two of you made wordless eye contact, communicating something heartfelt without using one word.

“We’re gonna be okay, regardless of how this weekend turns out. Okay? Just be yourself and my parents will eventually come around. If they don’t, it’s their loss.”

The round table at the patio of the lake house had a shape that in any other setting you wouldn’t even really notice, but only seemed to create more tension in this particular context.

You sat next to Sarah and across from Chloe, who sat next to your mother. It just so happened that Joel and your father were sitting across from each other at the table, and you could already feel the stare down just waiting to happen.

“So Chlo, what are you wishing for for your birthday?” your mom gently asked as your daughter took a bite of her food.

“Hmm,” she hummed as she thought. “I don’t really know. And if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you! Remember, wishes don’t come true if you tell people. But I am very happy to be here with everyone. So maybe my unofficial wish is to have more family time.”

“That is a great wish, Bug,” your dad agreed. Sarah smiled mischievously at the nickname and Chloe threw her a playful glare.

“So how is school going, ladies?” your mom asked them, looking between Sarah and Chloe.

You glanced over at Joel, mostly to make sure that he was doing okay under the pointed gaze of your father. Sweat beaded at his forehead and you weren’t quite sure if it was from the dry heat or from the daggers your dad was currently shooting at him.

Thankfully, your kids seemed to be blissfully unaware of the one-sided war going on at the table. You attempted to reach under the table and grab Joel’s hand, but the odd shape of the table didn’t allow for that. He was on his own for the duration of lunch.

The conversation mostly flowed between your mom, Chloe, and Sarah, with your father occasionally butting in to comment on something. All you could do was sit and watch while your dad grilled your boyfriend with only his eyes, with not one thing you could do about it.

Finally, it seemed like everyone had finished their meals, and that Joel could finally get up and be put out of his misery. But fate didn’t seem to be on his side, as he somehow wasn’t off the hook yet.

“Why don’t you all go try out one of the trails? Joel and I are gonna stay behind and do some dishes,” your dad proposed, making pointed eye contact with your boyfriend.

The girls happily agreed with the plan, excited and oblivious of the fear that had just coursed through yours and Joel’s veins with the idea of him being alone with your father.

“Hold on, ladies. You’re still wearing flip flops. How about you go change into better shoes, then we’ll go explore a trail. Sounds good?” you asked, hoping to buy yourself a moment of time to give Joel a pep talk.

Chloe nodded affirmatively and the two of them headed inside to change. At least you could have one private moment with Joel before he had to face off your father.

You stood up and pushed in your chair before grabbing Joel’s hand and squeezing his slightly shaking palm as hard as you could.

“You’ll be okay. Just relax,” you said under your breath so that your parents wouldn’t notice. “Remember, you can’t say the wrong thing. Even if they despise you, I’ll still love you. Okay?”

“Okay,” Joel agreed, although he didn’t seem completely convinced.

“You got this,” you reiterated, letting go of Joel’s hand as the girls came back outside, talking about some show they’d been watching.

When you glanced away, your father had begun picking up plates, looking at Joel like he expected him to be doing the same. That was your cue to leave.

You mouthed good luck at Joel before your mother ushered you all away. You had no idea how your dad was going to act around your boyfriend, but you certainly hoped for his sake that he wouldn’t be too terrible.

After you and the girls left, Joel and your father picked up the dishes outside in silence, with Joel focusing on finding his composure and maintaining it, and your father being completely unreadable.

Joel politely opened the door for the man, even with his hands filled with plates, cups, and silverware. Your father simply gave Joel a curt nod rather than a verbal thank you.

He followed your father into the kitchen, trailing a few steps behind him before setting down the content of his full arms into the sink. Joel did his best not to overthink this interaction, but it was going to be his first one-on-one with one of your parents, and your father had already spent the past hour giving him a nasty glare.

The following silence was awkward and thick. Almost like those tension filled silences you and Joel had the first few times you were together with stakes that somehow felt even higher.

Joel stood at the sink, silently scrubbing away at a dish, hoping that an awkward silence would be the most of his woes that day, rather than any sort of verbal confrontation.

“You do the dishes often?” your dad asked out of the blue, breaking the awkward silence with an even more awkward question.  

“Uh,” he tried not to show how thrown off he was by the question. Maybe if Joel could treat the interaction as less of an interrogation and more of a way for your dad to get to know him a little better, things would be slightly less awkward. “I do. I mean, I’ve been a single dad for almost 13 years. Someone had to wash the dishes, and it wasn’t gonna be Sarah.” Joel chuckled awkwardly, but your father didn’t even crack a smile.

“So if you had a wife, she’d be doing the dishes?”

Joel was once again thrown off, this time by the accusatory tone your father had asked the question with. Joel tried to give the man a bit of grace—your dad was probably trying to get a good read on him, so he would try not to let it get under his skin too much.

“What? No! I-I never said that. We’d probably split our house chores. I mean, that’s what your daughter and I do.”

There. That was a good enough answer. Tell the truth while explaining why him and his daughter were a good pair.

“Oh?” your father began with the raise of a brow, setting down the dish he was working on. “Well, why don’t you have a wife?”

Joel was completely taken aback by the blunt question, but assumed it was fair enough game to ask about. He would probably wonder the same if he were in your father’s shoes.

“Uh, my last long-term partner left shortly after Sarah was born,” he answered quietly, afraid of the judgment that your father may pass upon him, and slightly ashamed to admit what happened in the past.  

“Oh,” if Joel wasn’t mistaken, it almost seemed like your father’s tone shifted, as if he wasn’t expecting that answer. “That sounds hard. Do you know why?”

It almost felt like that answer had humanized Joel the slightest bit in your fathers eyes.

“It’s a long story,” Joel dismissed, not particularly wanting to get into all the details at that very moment. “Leaving was better for her mental health.”

“Okay,” your father simply accepted, although Joel had a feeling that answer didn’t quite suffice.

“But things are better now, with your daughter around,” Joel added. “Sarah’s probably happier now than I’ve seen her in a long time. I can’t really speak for Chloe, but based on what I’ve been told, she’s been doing better too. It’s been really nice to finally have another parent around to be able to split duties with. I just wish I’d found your daughter earlier,” Joel gushed, hoping that your father would find his answer pleasing enough.

Your father was unresponsive to Joel’s statement, finishing up the last of the dishes before finally speaking again.

“You talk a lot,” your father said simply, turning off the water flow of the sink and turning to face Joel head on. “I’m not gonna beat around the bush here. I’m glad to hear that things are working well for you two right now. I don’t know how much you know about Nathan. I don’t particularly care how much you know either. What I do care about you knowing is that I will never see my daughter suffer like that again. Understand?”

Joel was taken aback by the abrupt change in tone, and just when he thought tensions between them were easing up. “Y-Yes, yeah I-“

“So if you ever put your hands on my daughter, or raise your voice even an octave higher than it needs to be at her, there will be hell to pay. Get it?”

“I do, uh, I get it,” Joel wasn’t even completely sure how he was supposed to be reacting to this sudden rant.

“I want you to say it. You’re not going to mistreat my daughter, and you’re not ever going to lay a finger on her. And god help you if you do anything to Chloe.”

“I swear. I swear I’ll never hurt your daughter or your granddaughter ever,” Joel’s words were rushed, and he swore he could hear his rushed heartbeat in his own ears. The sudden confrontation being jarring was an understatement, but he supposed that’s how your father intended it to be.

“Good. I’m going to hold you to that,” was all that your father said as turned to dry his hands off on a towel. “Thanks for helping with dishes.”

“No problem, sir,” Joel choked out, like his heart wasn’t still in his throat. He took that as an indication that he was dismissed, and he set down the things in his hand before walking back outside and heading straight to the lake—far away from your father.

As you were heading back from your hike, you were surprised to run into Joel. He looked slightly disheveled, but particularly relieved to see you. The girls seemed just as pleased to see him, talking his ear off all the way back to the lake house. You occasionally glanced over at your mother, trying to get some sort of read on her opinion of Joel, but it didn’t seem to be working.

“So what happened?” you asked as you stepped out of the bathroom, exchanging your towel for the soft pajamas you’d brought with you. “You seemed pretty shaken up after lunch.”

“Your dad just really grilled me,” Joel explained, turning off the lamp on his side of the bed as you flopped onto the mattress next to him.

“My dad can be an ass sometimes. I apologize,” you muttered, curling up beside Joel. “And I apologize for bringing you here. I didn’t know they were gonna be like this.”

“It’s not your fault,” Joel assured, hoping to bring you a little consolation.

“It is, though. I’m the one who suggested that you come. I wasn’t thinking,” you whispered as you set an arm and your head on top of Joel’s torso.

“They were gonna have to meet me eventually. Better now than at the wedding, right?” Joel quipped.

“Right,” you agreed, looking up from where you’d set your head on your partner’s chest. “Hold on, are you proposing to me right now?”

“No, not yet,” Joel began to backtrack.

“Good. You’ll need my parents’ blessing first,” you teased. “Too soon?”

“Maybe a little,” Joel stifled his laugh.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted,” you groaned. “I can’t even imagine how you feel.”

“Also exhausted, mixed with a little bit of defeated,” Joel sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “You meant it when you said you’ll love me even if your family doesn’t, right?”

“Of course!” you exclaimed, sitting up a little so you could make better eye contact with your boyfriend. “Of course I will love you even if they don’t,” you promised.

Joel still didn’t exactly look like he was buying it.

“Joel,” you began, tone stern and serious. “Every day, you make my life so much better. You bring me so many laughs and smiles, you’re always there when I need to rant, and you’re the most reliable person ever when it comes to parenting shit. You’re probably the best thing that’s happened to me since Chloe was born. So yes, it would be great if my parents loved you as much as I do. But until they figure that out, I could care less about their opinions.”

That answer finally seemed to resolve some of the insecurity Joel was feeling around wanting to impress your parents, as he didn’t bring it back up for the rest of the night.

It was far too early to be awake, but Joel was having a hard time sleeping. Sure, you peacefully snoozed next to him, and of course Joel was comforted by your sleeping presence, but despite the pep talk you gave him, the knowledge that your parents disliked him and that all of his fears had come to light weren’t allowing him to rest very well.

With not much else to do and an arm that was quickly falling asleep (thanks to your cuddling), Joel snuck out of bed and down the stairs. Maybe he could catch the sunrise on the lakefront.

As he made his way to the patio, he heard a few sounds coming from the kitchen, and went to investigate. He was surprised to find your mother already walking around the kitchen, seemingly making a coffee for herself.

“Morning,” Joel greeted, voice raspy as he announced his presence.

Your mom turned around and offered him a pressed smile. She clearly was not expecting visitors this early in the morning.

“Morning,” she repeated. “Would you like some coffee?”

“That would be great,” Joel smiled, sitting down at the kitchen table while your mother worked on putting together another mug.

“You an early riser?” your mom asked Joel, bringing a mug and some creamer over to him.

“Thank you. And no, not really. Your daughter and I usually trade off on who’s gonna wake up early and get the kids ready for school while the other gets to sleep in. I just couldn’t sleep all that well today,” Joel shrugged as he prepared his coffee just the way he liked it.

“That’s sweet,” she hummed, taking a sip from her drink.

Joel sipped his coffee as well, and found himself surprised at the quality of the drink. “This is really good,” he acknowledged. “Is this a pour-over?”

“It is! How did you know?” your mother sounded quite excited that you were able to identify any way of brewing coffee, let alone identifying how his drink was made from just one sip.

“I can taste the difference,” Joel explained.

“See! That’s what I’ve been telling my husband.”

“I also may or may not have seen your dripper. But from one coffee connoisseur to another, this is amazing coffee. I’ve always said a pour-over gets you the best flavor.”

“I completely agree! These new, fancy drip machines just don’t do coffee justice. Keurigs, Nespressos, they’re all hunks of junk to me.”

“Well someone gifted me a Nespresso for Valentine’s Day after seeing my dripper and calling it prehistoric. I use it, of course, but it doesn’t compare.”

“Since it was a gift, I can forgive that,” your mother laughed, taking a hearty sip. “Do you ever grind your own beans?”

“When I can,” Joel replied, thinking about the fresh bag of beans he had sitting on the counter back home.

“Ah! Good boy,” your mother exclaimed, clearly pleased with Joel’s answers. “You do any other special things in the kitchen?”

“Eh, not particularly. I do enjoy being in the kitchen, though. I mean, being a single parent, I didn’t really have many options but to learn how to cook since I didn’t have anyone else to carry me in that area. I will say, we’ve been baking more often. Turns out, I can make a pretty mean focaccia.”

“Baking? With my daughter? You sure you’re talking about the one upstairs? I swear I’ve been trying to get her to bake for years and she just… hates it! What’s your secret?”

“I don’t know. The honeymoon phase, maybe?”

Your mom laughed aloud at Joel’s joke. He had to hold himself back from beaming with pride. He could barely speak to this woman the day before, and now he was making her laugh?

“Whatever it is, bring some over next time. I need to be the judge of this ‘mean focaccia’.”

Next time? Thank god for not being able to sleep.

“Of course!” Joel said with what may have been a little too much enthusiasm. He sipped some coffee from his mug while he thought about something else to say to fill up the silence, but your mother began to speak once again.

“So Joel, I want to know more about you. Other than the fact that you raised an adorable kid, like coffee a lot, and used to argue with my daughter during the soccer season.”

“She told you about that?” Joel asked, unsure of how to react. He wanted to laugh at the fact that you’d shared that with your parents, either before your relationship began or recently as some sort of fun fact, but he was still walking on eggshells around your parents.

“Yeah,” your mom acknowledged. It almost seemed as if she wanted to be casual about it, but also was curious for a bit more context.

“It was a long time ago,” Joel explained as if he could make it better. “It was never anything serious.”

“Well, how did you go from arguing every week to… this?”

“After the girls became friends, they kept setting us up to do things together. After that, things progressed pretty naturally. I think we just clicked. Realized we’re a good team and like each other’s company. I mean, I really love her and Chloe. I’m really happy with our little family.”

“Family?” your mom questioned with raised brows and a tilt of her head.

Joel wondered if he’d said the wrong thing or overstepped some sort of boundary. “I mean, I guess. I would say we… function as a family?”

“So there’s no secret engagement or secret wedding I need to know about,” your mother probed.

“No! Not at all,” Joel confirmed, hoping to quell some of the concern that had seemed to find itself on her face.

“And you didn’t come here to get a blessing for an engagement?” she implored.

“No! This is only my first time meeting you guys. I mean, I’m more worried about making a good impression than getting your approval on our potential marriage. Besides, I’m not really sure she’s interested in marriage after…”

Your mother nodded as Joel trailed off, not needing him to finish his sentence to understand where he was going.

“How much has she told you about Nathan?” she queried, seeming to be even more curious about this question than she was about some of the previous questions.

“Bits and pieces. Some things I’ve inferred,” Joel answered.

“Yeah. It was pretty bad for her and Chlo,” your mother simply stated. “Maybe we’ll talk about it some other time. It might help you understand why my husband and I have been the way that we’ve been towards you.”

“No, I get it. If anyone I loved had to go through those things—let alone my daughter, I would react the same way. I’d probably be worse,” Joel stiffly chuckled into his drink. For a moment, Joel thought about punching Nathan. The perfect cathartic moment for hurting and harassing the woman he loves. He’d do it again. And he’d do it to any person who even attempted to hurt you, Sarah, or Chloe.

“I just want to wrap her up in bubble wrap,” your mother admitted. “I never want her to be hurt again, and I know it isn’t possible, but I just want to be so sure that she’ll never be hurt in that way again. I apologize for being hostile, but you understand, right?”

“Of course I do,” Joel said earnestly. “And if it’s any consolation, I would never, ever do anything to intentionally hurt her. I know what it’s like to have a wall built around your heart and to swear that you’ll never let anyone in again. Your daughter let me in, and I’d never want her to regret that.”

Your mom seemed to think for a moment, getting up and setting her mug in the sink before sitting back down across from Joel.

“Either you’re really manipulative, or you really love her. I’m gonna hope for all of our sakes it’s the latter.”

“I can guarantee that it is.”

“I’m gonna believe you. But only because I want to try that focaccia.” Though your mom stated that with the cadence of a joke, Joel couldn’t help but feel that there was some hint of truth behind her words. Sure, this conversation hadn’t fixed everything, but it seemed like she trusted him just a bit more.

You crept down the stairs, clearly trying to be quiet, but failing at doing so. You approached the kitchen and yawned aloud, attempting to alert Joel and your mother of your presence.

“Good morning,” you greeted the pair. “You better not be interrogating my boyfriend,” you told your mom as you sat down next to the man of the hour.

“Nothing of the sort. We were just talking about baking. Why didn’t you tell me you bake now? And why haven’t you baked with me?”

“I guess I just didn’t have the right pastry chef,” you chimed, stealing Joel’s mug and taking a sip of his coffee. “Did Joel tell you that we’ve been working our way up to sourdough? I just ordered some starter the other day.”

“Oh wow. You’re like a completely different person. I don’t even know you anymore.”

“Sorry,” you apologized insincerely.

“Does this mean you’ll start baking with me when you come home?”

“Sorry mom. I’m loyal to my pastry chef. Has he told you about his focaccia? It’s really good. We’ll bring it next time you invite us over.”

You pulled your chair a little closer to Joel’s and held his hand under the table, a simple reassurance that you were there, and you weren’t going to let your parents treat him any way he didn’t deserve to be treated.

“You are breaking my heart,” your mom said, clutching her chest jokingly. “Although you mended it when you mentioned bringing bread.”

Luckily, it seemed like this day had started off far better for everyone—but particularly your boyfriend and mother. The two of them were getting along swimmingly, working together to whip up breakfast, carrying the conversation throughout the meal, and even going on to converse while the girls played at the beach.

If nothing else, you were glad that Joel was growing on your mother. You still couldn’t really get a read on your father’s opinion of your boyfriend, but hopefully with your mom now on his side, she would be able to talk some sense into your father.

It just so happened that your parents had planned to set up a few things around the house in preparation for the birthday festivities for the following day, and your mother had somehow managed to talk Joel into helping them out with their preparation. Since your boyfriend would be setting up, you were tasked with distracting the girls with a day out on the town, leaving your boyfriend alone in the lake house with your parents.

As things seemed to be going well between your mother and Joel at the very least, you at least weren’t too worried about your parents shredding your partner to bits while you pampered the girls and took them shopping.

Despite this fact, you still checked in with your partner multiple times throughout the day, getting updates about things he was doing with your parents, or any particularly interesting conversations they’d had during the day. For the most part, things seemed to be going well, but as the evening began to come in, you began to hear less and less from Joel, making you the slightest bit worried.

Once you got back to the lake house, you were pleasantly surprised to hear the sound of laughter coming from the back patio, paired with the familiar scent of a bonfire. The girls seemed more than pleased to go straight to the backyard, walking off far ahead of you.

By the time you reached the patio, Sarah and Chloe had already found spots to sit around the fire, and Joel was tossing some more firewood into the pit while seemingly laughing at a conversation going on between himself and your father. Although you couldn’t have seen the evening going this way when you initially came the previous morning, you couldn’t have been happier that everyone seemed to be getting along.

You found your own seat by the fire and Joel came back to sit next to you as your mother began to ask the girls a few questions about their day.

After getting as comfortable as you could on what was essentially a rock turned into a bench and leaning onto your partner, you and Joel quietly roasted marshmallows as your daughters excitedly chatted away, just happy to be able to sit and relax after a busy day. You were curious to hear all that occurred between Joel and your parents while you were away that had made them open up to each other more, but you could certainly wait.

“So girls, what was the highlight of your day?” your mom asked, turning to face your daughters.

“We had really nice manicures. The woman who did my nails was so much better than mom is. No offense, mom.”

“None taken,” you laughed at your daughter’s blunt statement.

“If it makes you feel better, you can’t be any worse than my dad,” Sarah offered, only contributing to your laughter.

“You’re probably right,” you agreed, playfully nudging Joel.

“I thought we understood that anything regarding my artistic ability is a soft spot?” he attempted to defend himself, but it was already too late.

“Sorry, Joel,” your daughter giggled, encouraging Sarah to giggle along with her.

“I also really liked our manicures, but we went to this really cute café with really good pastries and drinks!” Sarah exclaimed, gratefully accepting the slightly burnt—and just the way she likes it—s’more that you passed her.

“We only got decaf drinks, don’t worry,” you explained as you watched Joel hand Chloe a s’more of her own. “But everything was really good.”

“You would know, since you tried everything,” Chloe teased.

“Thirteen-year-old Chloe is even more sassy than before,” you teased right back. “It’s called the mom tax. Since I was your chauffeur all day, I got to steal a little nibble of your pastries. I think that’s fair.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Sarah added in, grinning mischievously at you.

“I would probably do the same,” Joel interjected, coming to your defense.

“See? This is why I keep you around,” you squeezed his arm and grinned up at your partner.

“Ugh, you guys are always being so gross,” Chloe laughed. “Do you see what we have to put up with?” Chloe directed at her grandparents.

“You know, one day you’ll find someone that you want to be gross with too,” your mother explained.

“No way,” your daughter giggled, standing up and stretching. “Do you wanna go get ready for bed, Sare?”

“Sure!” she said cheerily, popping up and heading inside with her friend.

“Seems like they had a good day,” your father commented once the pair were gone.

“I think so. I hope so. Chlo was pretty bummed when she found out her dad was going to be out of town during her birthday, but I’m pretty sure this has made up for it. Thank you for putting this all together,” you acknowledged.

“Of course! Anything for our girls,” your mom said, smiling softly at you as she reached out to put a hand on your knee.

“Well what did you guys get up to while we were gone?” you asked, hoping to get a little insight into what you missed while you were gone.

“Joel and I did some baking, then he helped your father put together some decorations. Speaking of which, you’re gonna have to help me put up some final touches before the big day.”

“Of course,” you agreed, happy to do anything that would make your daughter’s special day more special.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I can finish up and help you with whatever needs to be done,” Joel offered.

“You’ve already worked so much today, Joel. We  couldn’t possibly ask you to do anything else,” your mother practically gushed. Joel seemed like he was going to protest, opening his mouth before your mother cut him off. “I insist.”

You couldn’t believe that just the previous morning your mother was lecturing you over this man.

“Well, I’m not gonna argue with that. But if you need any help at all, I am more than willing to be there,” Joel reiterated.

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” your mom stretched her arms behind her head and yawned. “I’m getting a little tired. Would you like to go set up now?”

You were getting the feeling that the question was less of a question and more of a direction, but you agreed regardless, pressing a kiss to Joel’s cheek before you went back inside with your mom to help set up the last few things for Chloe’s birthday.

Setting things up was about as eventful as you thought it might be, other than the absolute raving your mom was doing over your partner, and the occasional sound of muffled laughter coming from the patio.

“I’m starting to think you like my boyfriend more than you like me,” you commented offhandedly as you tied off a balloon.

“Oh I do,” your mother agreed. “You think I’m bad? You should see your father. Yesterday he was so wary of Joel, but today those two have just been giggling and bonding all day. I should’ve known it was a wrap after your boyfriend made a stupid dad joke,” she glanced over at the glass door leading to the backyard.

“So what changed his mind?” you asked, setting down the balloon. “What changed yours?”

“After talking to him for a while, it was just very obvious how much he loves you and the girls. He also just happens to be a very likable guy. I don’t know how you ever managed to hate him before.”

“I already told you, it was like we were flirt-arguing!” you insisted.

“I know, I’m just teasing. I’ll still be a little cautious, but he seems like a good guy. Now, after he and your dad got over their little awkward thing, they absolutely hit it off. Just started bonding over everything under the sun. Their love of guitar, their love of DIY projects, their love of you…”

You smiled to yourself as you listened to your mom. It was great news that Joel had been able to bond with your parents, despite whatever feelings they’d had towards him previously.

“That’s good to hear. I’m happy you both finally came to your senses. He was worried sick about you guys not liking him.”

“Well, he’s got nothing to worry about now,” your mom flashed you a smile that matched yours as she finished off the balloons. “I think that’s all we needed to do. I’ll wake you up in the morning if I need any extra hands then.”

“Please don’t,” you groaned, pulling yourself out of your chair and glancing back over at the back door, where Joel and your father still seemed to be having a great time. When you looked back over, your mother was approaching you with open arms.

“I’m sorry, honey. I know you’ve already been through so much, and you wouldn’t purposely put yourself through that again,” she began as she embraced you. The apology was like music to your ears. You just hoped that Joel had also received some form of apology from your parents, as he was the one receiving the majority of the pushback. “I’m proud of you. I’m proud of you for leaving Nathan, and I’m proud of you for focusing on yourself, and I’m proud of you for finding someone good for you when you were finally ready.”

“I love you. I’m pretty fond of your boyfriend, too. Goodnight,” your mother bid you farewell, and you couldn’t even think of a proper response before she was already going up the stairs. You had much to process tonight.

Long after you’d fallen asleep, you woke up to the feeling of the mattress shifting its weight. When you turned over onto your side to see what the disturbance was, you just barely made out your partner in the dark.

“It’s just me,” Joel whispered as he settled in bed next to you. Like you were a magnet, you found yourself clinging onto him almost automatically.

“Hi,” you mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

“Hi,” he repeated, settling his arm on your hip.

“How was today?” you asked, nudging Joel over enough for him to be on his side so that you could spoon him.

“Really good, I think. I think your parents kinda like me now,” he yawned, relaxing into your touch as you held him.

“Kinda?” you muttered sleepily. “What did I tell you? They’d come around eventually.”

“You were right. I should’ve listened earlier,” he confessed as he fell into a more and more relaxed state.

“Maybe. I could care less about their opinion of you. That’s what I wish you listened to earlier,” you explained. “But I am happy that they like you so much.”

You were up bright and early to put the last little finishing touches on Chloe’s birthday decorations. You and your father taped up a few ‘happy birthday’ signs, while your mother and Joel worked on decorating Chloe’s birthday cake. Not much longer after you came downstairs, Sarah found herself downstairs helping to put her own creative spin on the cake as well.

After some discussion of when it would be acceptable to wake up Chloe, you all headed upstairs to her room to wish her a happy birthday.

As her door opened and everyone began to sing slightly off-key rendition of ‘Happy Birthday,’ Chloe slowly began to sit up as she grew more and more awake before she broke into a fit of slightly embarrassed laughter.

It was quite the scene, and probably not the most ideal wake-up call, but your daughter grinned and expressed her gratitude regardless, getting out of bed so she could attempt to pull everyone into a big group hug.

“Ugh, I love you guys so much,” she sighed fondly. “How did I get the best family ever?”

You were starting to wonder the same yourself.

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello amazing fandom :) I have been itching for this ep since the moment D sent me the ep description for it. I'm glad they didn't spoil much of this ep at all. I have a lot of feelings for this one so might be so mini LOL Off we go.

6x05 The Vow

Oh my lord starting out hot with a romantic dinner and a kiss. Also want to talk about they both light up when they see each other. Like they're still in that honeymoon phase somewhat. They’re both so happy to see each other I wanna die. haha Lucy of course has to question the gift. Saying gift giving is not his love language. Damn they cute. Tim saying he is trying to change things up. I’m squeeing and we’re like less than a minute in everyone.

Damnit he’s so romantic with what the gift is. It’s her radio from last week. Oh my word. Lucy is in awe of this man standing before her. Oh my goodness we get a second kiss I’m squeeing so hard. *screams into a pillow* A thank you kiss no less. Loving how he has his hand wrapped around her arm. Pulling her in close for both misses. You know I should've known this ep was going to hurt with getting two kisses within the span of 3 minutes and a cute ass moment to boot.

Like in a video game where they let you stumble upon a bunch of ammo right before a massive fight scene. You know shit is about to go down with them supplying you like that. How I felt with getting cuteness and two kisses right away. I am so excited Tamara has appeared. Wouldn’t be the return of her if she didn’t cock block them. Tim shaking his head too. Classic. Lucy telling her it’s ok. Also LOVING that they have a pre-planned date night. Be still my heart.

Tim gets his cryptic ass phone call and immediately takes off. Lucy looks crushed for a couple reasons. First that he can’t stay. She was clearly looking forward to a night with her man all day. Second the fact he's so short with her. Breaking my heart 'Just wait.' Her Tim radar is going OFFFF Lucy looks SHOOK with his hasty departure. Her heart just walked out the door and it shows.

Oh my word I knew It would be from his military past. The blind spot for the most part we have with his character. I was hoping it would be. The Tim fan girl in me is psyched af. I was thinking who is this Ray and why is Tim so spooked? Then we find out this dude killed their friends and there’s a promise.... Uhhhh the promise is to kill him? Uh Timothy, my love you are a cop….

Oh Lucy is anxious af without him. Ugh she knows something is wrong immediately. Knows this man too damn well. Side tangent about to start. I know some people complained how long it took for them to get together blah blah. BUT I wasn’t. These moments right here are exactly why.

The fact that the very second he took that call she knew deep in her gut something was wrong with him. That is not a connection you get with someone overnight. That is years worth of working together, leaning on each other, learning about one another and seeing each other through a lot of things together. That connection and instinct on someone is built over time.

The beautiful recipe they have now wasn’t ready till we got close to it in s4 and even then they still had some tweaking to do before we reached S5. That being said I love her missing him. My guess is other than 6x01 they’ve scarcely spent a night apart. Also her Tim radar is going bonkers right now. She looks so sick to her stomach when she hangs up.

Tim seeing Lucy’s call going off and not being able to answer. It's clearly killing him. We see him take a beat and a deep breath. Clearly doesn’t want to be here rather be there with her. Last thing he wanted was his date night interrupted. Also she is his ‘go to’ for pretty much everything. You know its actively tearing him up to not answer her.

Oh my he was called the 'Reaper'? Holy hell why is that so attractive? Everything with Tim usually is. But hot damn that being his nickname in the service? I am fanning myself. Idk if that's wrong but I am haha But it does give us insight to who he was in the service tbh. You don't get called 'The Reaper.' without good reason.... Why Greer thinks Tim is going soft on him.

I do love Tim reinforcing the law also very attractive oh my goodness. You tell ‘em love. I don’t love this guy guilting Tim into keeping this pact. He’s SOOOOO loyal he’s gonna keep to it. Even at his own detriment. The man shoulders SO MUCH he already doesn't need to. Ugh Tim saying they’ve built lives. Yes you have. With Lucy. The love of your life you walked away from tonight to be here right now. After this chat I knew this ep was going to hurt so good. I could feel it.

The jokes in the car are cute was hoping he’d ask Tim about Lucy. Sadly we didn't' get this. This whole situation makes me nervous af. God Tim looks extra fine in this episode street clothes on him are a wonder. A delicious one.

My god this list of crimes this guy has done sweet lord. Stole money. Called in an air strike on his own men when they came for him holy shit …Wasn't enough to bury in a shoe box.....fuck they both lied to get Ray’s wife and kid death benefits and if they bring him in it’s a problem.

Crap this is so bad Tim... Saying they’ll get fired from their current jobs and be dishonorably discharged from the service. I’m nervous…this isn’t a good situation. Also not surprised in the least he broke the rules to take care of someone. That empathy of his ran deep before it got buried by his Isabel trauma later on.

First off let me say Eric KILLED ME in this scene. I was tearing up at how tore up he is about all of this. Tim wanting to take the fall.... Damnit Timothy you have a life too. Don't fall on your sword my god imma cry. Tim’s integrity is one of his sexiest traits IMO. I too have a deep sense of integrity drives everyone I work with insane. He’s in tears saying he would arrest him. Oh my word. I'm crying again. Eric killing me softly holy hell. I'm so mad at Greer for putting that on him. I had a bad feeling about Greer the minute he guilted Tim into this side OP.

How dare you put that on my Tim. He already has so much on his soul. A chunk of it not even his fault. The man is a deeper empath than he gets credit for. He absorbs the feelings and pain of those around him and shoulders things he doesn't need to. I'm learning in therapy I do the same thing. My therapist told me one thing to be empathetic. It's another to feel responsible for other's feelings or the outcome of actions I've taken and how it affects others. I feel like Tim is the same way. He's such an empath he's taken that responsibility to the extreme and is carrying things he doesn't need to be.

I wanna hug him oh my god. His sigh when Greer left. My heart. I'm sure part of the reason he's hiding this from Lucy is the shame he feels. This man (Ray) stole half a million from the government then bombed his own people on his watch. Tim breaks the rules to make sure his widow and child are taken care of and its bites him in this ass. There is a reason he was/is so damn rigid as a cop. 'Rules matter boot.' His PTSD in a line. Anytime he has let his guard down and skirted the rules people have been injured (Mitch) or in this case killed. Ugh. My poor boy. The hitch in his breath like he couldn't breath that entire convo. I'm hurting so much for him in this episode.

Poor Lucy kept it together at work but lost it when he finally gets home. That look of hope when he walks through the door then instant anger. ‘Telling me you’re alive is not optional.’ Ugh she’s not wrong....I can only imagine what her anxiety was doing to her until he walked through that door. It's shown in her lines above. Her imagining him bleeding out somewhere.

She is not wrong it wasn't ok he didn't even tell her he was alive. I get why he didn't but he should've. Lucy straight confronting him. Asking him what the actual hell is going on with him? No one knows you better than her. You can't hide what you're going through. Tim of course wants to protect her from being fired and refuses to tell her what he's torn up about. Only alluding to it's serious enough if she knows she will be jeopardizing her standing at work.

Her saying 'Then what are you doing here?' God damn Lucy... telling it like it is. Holy hell. Poor Tim is so taken aback by her response. He breaks my heart when he says 'I came to see you.' Lucy has become his safe place. His comfort zone. So by default he came here to seek that comfort. She is home now and he came home. But she can’t comfort you when she doesn’t know what to comfort you for. This scene hurts to watch. Because he is DYING for her compassion, her warmth and just her. He is denied access because she is setting a boundary with this as she should. Tim needs to share the load with her. To tell her the truth. She is willing to risk her standing for him.

My god if she actually knew she would be kicking herself for how much he needs her right now. But she doesn't know so she sends him away. The tears in both their eyes His 'Understood'. Man is about to cry in front of her. I’m dying. Someone revive me. I’m dead and not in a good way. I’m crying. Eric and Melissa out here crushing it though. Gah Tim would rather blow them up and protect her than not ugh Timmmmmmm I get both sides of this. Tim thinks since this is pre-Lucy and could get her in trouble he needs to bear this alone. When she is begging him to let her share the load of this. Sending him away is her setting a boundary. That he needs to think not just of her but of them. To tackle things together. To stop protecting her.

They’re both hurting in this scene. But the issue at hand still is them only thinking in terms of 'Me' not us. Even though when one of them does this it’s to protect the other. That’s fine and dandy but when it come to them as a whole it’s a problem. Shit hits the fan they eject away thinking that’s the best course of action. It’s been an issue for some time this lack of communication. This is just bringing it to a head. They don’t think how can we tackle this together? They think how can I protect my person from this? Or protect their feelings by lying.

Also think that radio being in this scene was there for a reason. That radio is the representation of Lucy not telling Tim exactly how not ok she was in 6x04. She was so willing to pretend she was ok. And instead of leaning on him. Voicing that so they could tackle it together. She ran into the line of fire recklessly instead to prove herself worthy again. Almost killing herself in the process. Because she was in her head instead of communicating to Tim. These two gonna be death of me...

Wanna hug Lucy. She is desperate for any kind of help. So she reaches out to Nolan. John per usual is completely useless for her in a crisis. Man is as useful as using a fork to eat soup. These are the moments I miss Jackson for Lucy so much. He would’ve had a much better an answer. Then just ‘you're shit out of luck.’ That’s not enough damnit.

Nolan basically saying. "What are you gonna do?' with a shrug. If I could clock you John I would. I don't normally watch the preview for the next ep till I'm done assembling my thoughts. But with this one I couldn't wait. This is why Lucy goes to Angela next week about Tim instead. She needed a real grown up to help her with Tim.

We rejoin Lucy looking at her phone. Trying so damn hard not to reach out. To be the trusting girlfriend for her man. I know we're in a bad spot but Lucy calling Tim 'her man' gah yes please more of that. I am grateful for Tamara. She needs her right now since Nolan is useless af. Lucy is trying so very hard not to spiral out atm. She confronted him and it didn't go well. Lucy is feeling at a loss right now and rightfully so. I adore Tamara for making her laugh in this moment so very much.

The lesson's Tamara has learned is too damn cute. I loved it so much. Lucy needed this moment of levity and her pseudo daughter crushed it. We pan back to Tim also starting at his phone wanting to call. Ugh Tim what are you gonna do babe? You can’t kill him. Can’t turn him in. I feel sick lol Also once again amazing song to close it out. I watch the ep with my gaming headphones on. One because I love hearing Eric’s voice straight in my ears not gonna lie. Don’t judge me ha Also catch onto music more so with them on.

But back to the matter at hand…Now do I think they’re gonna break up cause he’s gonna protect her? I don’t. Their angst since they got together has always been productive. Is it gonna hurt like a son of a bitch before we get there? Yes.

My hope is this drives them to depend on one another more and not just straight protect each other at the detriment of the one they're ironically trying to protect. Better communication which has been an issue for some time. To learn to face these challenges not only head on but hand in hand while they do so. These are the types of things they need to learn before their relationship gets any more serious than it is tbh. So while this hurts like a lot it'll be good for them in the long run.

This season has EXCEEDED my expectations ten fold. If you aren't happy with this season idk what will make you happy tbh. I said the same thing about S5 as well. I cannot wait for next week. Which I am hoping is full of worried/feral Lucy and their reunion and growth from it. Phew feel free to comment any theories or thoughts on my first take thoughts I love them so. Also thank you everyone supporting these mini reviews you're amazing and makes the effort always worth it.

Side notes -non Chenford

Ok Aaron seeing his therapist at the bar excited for him I knew low key there would be something there.

Bailey and John seem so cold I know they’re on duty but even grey held his wife’s hand at the hospital…

Of course Smitty takes his break at a therapist office

Lucy’s joke about Celina omg LOL I'm impressed with such a solid joke when she was low key worried the love of her life was dying in a ditch somewhere...

Also clearly his therapist is a lying liar who lies but how can she not be? She's his therapist and WORK one at that. Be interesting to see how this unfolds.

[lauravian]

hi! I just wanted to say a big thank you for your "I don't want to lose you" merthur post.

firstly, the art is INCREDIBLE! like, wow, I love your style! I was so happy just reading the script and then I realized there was a video with the audio??? the way you put it together is fantastic. I've tried splicing audio together like that before and it's SO FREAKING DIFFICULT, especially getting it to sound that clean and natural! definitely an underrated and underutilized skill in fandom, my gods. usually fan videos consist of putting a few quotes in and having the music over everything, which can still produce incredible results, but like... wow. just wow. you did amazing.

secondly, the thank you part, I just wanted to express my gratitude that you put this thing into existence. it's honestly the first fandom thing that's made me that happy in a while. I was squeeing and happy stimming and everything! it seriously brought me a moment of joy that I needed, cause my depression has been pretty bad lately. it definitely brightened me up. (like, "we begin again" excitement.)

anyway, sorry if this is a bit awkward or weirdly worded 😅 just wanted to let you know that it really meant something, cause I know how much a comment like that would mean to me.

I wish you all the luck in creating things that bring you joy, and may artist's block never stress you out too much!

You have no idea how much I needed to hear this, thank you so so much ❤️

I struggle with depression a lot too and I’m really happy something I made managed to brighten someone’s day. I wish you nothing but happiness! Here’s a sketchy little magic boy for you 🫶

[angel-of-the-moons]

It’s found family central up in here I’m loving it. Hobie who’s readers lovable dumbass step in adult child almost. Accidentally called them ‘mum’ once, neither him nor reader mention it (simply just out of not wanting to embarrass him or because reader doesn’t want to push him away without meaning to). But reader’s always there for him in the little ways

Hobie: Hey y/n what’re your plans tonight? Mine are trying to fix the fucking roof of my boat because it’s fuckin’ rainin AGAIN and it’s COLD

Reader: Oh I’m just gonna light some candles, make some stew and have a little wine and get cozy under a blanket :)

Hobie: …..Can I come over plea-

Reader: Yes you may come over I already have some spare pyjamas for you and some of your favourites orange sweets. I knew you were gonna ask, honey ☺️

Awwwwe 🥺

That One Mum-Friend

Platonic!Hobie x Mom Figure!Fem!Reader

TW/CW: None, mostly a short fluff drabble

🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

You were only a few years older (at most) than your peers. Hell, a bit younger in some of the cases (cough cough Peter B cough cough), but everyone knew you.

You were the mom friend. The chaperone, the babysitter.

But you couldn't help it, your motherly nature was just so deep into your personality that the two could not be separated. It kind of was the reason why you didn't have many friends outside the Society, most people deemed you too "overbearing" or y'know. Motherly. You'd step in before any "fun" or crazy stuff happened.

You were there to console the others when something happened, when someone was upset, or hell, was just lonely. You were there for them when they needed that gentle hand, or a hug, or a nap in your lap.

Your balanced nature was often why Miguel would pair you with Hobie, or Ben Reilly, to bring them a bit of stability (and to stop Ben from lamenting about his backstory or talking about his muscles for five minutes).

On one mission in particular, Hobie had actually slipped up, and in front of Ben, Peter, and Pavitr and Gwen, he called you "Mum" over the comms. He quickly sputtered and tried to backpedal, but the grin that erupted on your face had already fixed itself there.

You pretended you didn't hear it however, that you weren't paying attention to your comm.

Ben and the others? Never. Let. Him live. It down.

They even gave Hobie things to give to you on Mother's Day for extra effect.

But today? Today, Hobie showed up in your universe, soaked to the bone, his wicks soggy and shoes filled with water.

"Got stuck in the rain, lost the key to my flat, and I don't feel like crashing at HQ because of the Old Man. Can I--"

You chuckled and stepped aside, "Come on, Hobie. You look like a drowned poodle."

"Oi, you havin' a dig at my wicks?" He frowned, walking past you and into your warm, cozy apartment.

"Yep!" You grin, walking over to your linen closet and grabbing some towels, handing them to him.

"Go into the bathroom and get dried off, I might have some clothes that'll fit you. Pajamas at any rate." You hum, walking into your room to rummage through your dressers for something that might fit his tall, lithe frame.

He mumbled a thanks and trudges into the bathroom, his shoes making a depressingly loud squishing noise with every step.

You giggle to yourself and pull out some red plaid pajama pants, and one of your oversized novelty t-shirts.

They should fit.

You knock on the bathroom door and Hobie pokes his head out. He takes the clothes from you when you hand them to him and quickly ducks back to change.

And when he comes out you practically squee.

"Awww! You look so cozy!" You snicker.

"Ohhhhh stuff it." Hobie mumbles, dropping onto your couch and crossing his arms, towel still draped over his head.

"Now Hobie..." You tsk, draping your fluffy, heated blanket over his shoulders, which he automatically snuggles into on sheer instinct alone.

"Is that any way to talk to your mum?"

"Oi! It was one time!" Hobie retorted, trying to cover the blush rising in his cheeks.

"Leave off it, will ya?!"

You grin and grab a tin of sweets, and grab his hand, placing them in his palm.

His eyes get big. His favorite candies; he found them once in your universe, got hooked, and apparently yours was the only one that had them.

You had a shit-eating grin on your face as he popped the candies in his mouth.

"Nahhhh. I'm not gonna. Not when you look like a little kid all snuggled up under that fluffy blanket."

"Hey! Who d'you think you are, eh?" He said, trying to sound miffed, but failing as the warmth from the blanket seeps into his cold body, relaxing into the soft cushions of your couch.

"Oh, me?" You hum, grabbing his wet clothes to be washed.

"I'm the Spider-Mom. Didn't you know that?"

[fuzzywindcat]

Yeah, so I finally watched Dark Side of Dimensions. I don’t even care if it’s blatant fanservice, inject that crack directly into my veins. Hrrngh. The animation looked soooo good!

Older!Yugi is so cute with his dress shirts and vests! Squee! And did Kaiba spray paint his shirt on? Those abs, lmao. In general, I thought the costuming was a nice mix of nostalgic looks with some new flair.

Also, there was finally some good shit for Ryou to do (it’s a very low bar). Of course he’s a chick magnet, it’s more than just the accent, heh. And that flashback? I felt bad for him because he didn’t want to remember. But I was also cackling, going “yes, put that blorbo in a situation!” I only wish he wasn’t like 8 years old when he got the Ring so that Yami Bakura could have spoken in his normal, raspy voice. Hrrrrngh.

Ok, stop thirsting over fictional anime characters

Speaking of voices, I wish that Atem could have actually, you know, talked. When he came back. Like, I get it, but… still. At least most of the original voice cast reprised their roles.

There were high points and low points, just like the rest of the show. The 3D animation was… fine. (The 2D animation more than made up for it). The villain was… fine. (Give me back Yami Bakura damn youuuu). Shadi is a dumb fuck, but what else is new.

And I like Kaiba as much as the next gal, but I wish the movie could have stopped sucking his dick for two seconds and shown Joey some love. The dog costume again, really?? It was funny back in season 1, but Joey’s come so far since then. Turns me off of Puppyshipping, because Joey deserves better than someone who treats him like shit…

Um, ok. Ships. Puzzleshipping? Duh. Do I even need to elaborate? At least Yugi seems to be handling the separation better than Kaiba, because… Prideshipping? Also duh. Kaiba goes to absurd lengths to get his crush back. Rivalshipping? Now there’s an interesting one. Interesting to imagine how Kaiba’s perception of Yugi changes, once he realizes that the Pharaoh is a separate entity. Also, is there a RyouXTherapy ship? Lmao.

Anyway, once again, I’m super late to the party with this… But what can I say. I enjoyed it!

[klausysworld]

shy reader who masturbated to the hot thoughts of klaus and felt guilty but he comforted her through that like asked questions of how many times has she thought of it, does she think of his fingers in her etc and helps her have her first real life experience with him because that is every girls dream 🫣

You’re mine now

-Part 2

i was lead on my back, my head rested against my pillows, my legs bent at the knee and open as i slowly touched my clit, i let my fingers rub lightly through my wetness before doing faster little circles on top my button and a little mewl slipped passed my lips. I closed my eyes and my mind began to wonder

the thought of Klaus’s hands replacing my own had my fingers moving faster and one dipping inside of me making my back arch and my breathing to increase. i imagined the way his middle and index would curl into my spot and have me moaning his name, which i did despite his absence.

i chewed on my bottom lip as i brought my other hand down to give my clit proper attention while my finger inside me became two and i whimpered thinking of Klaus’s hot tongue flicking my sensitive little sphere.

it was then i heard a door slam and fast footsteps. i panicked and quickly made sure the duvet was covering me, my hands left my body and gripped the covers trying to make it seem like i had woken from a nap. My door swung open and he walked in

“you would not believe those bloody witches- oh are you sick sweetheart?” i could feel the blush crawling up my neck and i buried further into the quilt. i shook my head and curled into a tight ball hoping that he wouldn’t spot my clothes on the floor by his feet, my heartbeat was moving a million miles a minute as i desperately tried not to glance at the disregarded underwear. His brows furrowed as he looked to where i was avoiding, his expression instantly changed to surprised and then amused making me embarrassed and sink further into the mattress

“i see…having some alone time are we love?” i refused to look anywhere near him

“you know it’s odd because i thought i heard you say my name when i got back, thought you wanted to see me…did you say my name lovely?” my skin was on fire and i felt my eyes grow watery

“i’m sorry” i whispered hoarsely my knees now pressed against my chest in an attempt to feel more covered

“woa, hey, no no don’t you be sorry, y/n, love, i was kidding, everyone does this it’s okay, you want me to go?” i hesitantly glanced back at him go see he was crouched so he was eye level, i swallowed thickly when i felt my clit pulse of his scent so close. I unconsciously shifted a little closer to him so i could feel the warmth radiating off of him. His eyes darkened as he looked at the outline of my body under the blankets

“perhaps i should stay” he whispered and reached a hand out to touch my cheek

“s..stay?” i questioned growing even more nervous, he nodded and leaned even closer to kiss the corner of my mouth, i could feel his breath mix with mine as he studied my face

“can i see you?” he asked as his fingers ran down my face and got a grip on the duvet ready to pull it down

“just a little bit” i uttered becoming a darker shade of pink. My body automatically tensed when he pulled the covers down to my hips, my knees were still against my chest so he couldn’t see my breasts. He pouted a little and tapped my knee

“just a glimpse sweetheart” he mumbled and i slowly pulled my legs down so he could see me better, he let a little groan out and trailed his fingertips to my nipples and circled them. I rolled onto my back and was more centre bed, he kicked his shoes off and got onto the mattress with me, he licked both his thumbs and index fingers before using them to roll my peaking nipples, his eyes stayed on mine as i kept my mouth welded shut so i wouldn’t embarrass myself in-front of him, my brows were pulled together and i bit my cheek when one hand moved south, he slowly pulled the duvet off to the side and breathed in deeply when he saw my thighs squeezed together

“oh love, if anyone’s to be embarrassed it’s me for not ravishing you sooner” he then placed both hands on my thighs and gently pushed them open so i could still stop him if i wanted to

“look how beautiful you are…” he was whispering and his eyes were trained on my heat as he brought his hand closer and his thumb barely skimmed my bundle of nerves but it still had me arching my back a little, i was still sensitive from touching myself just before so the lightest touch still sparked something inside me

he reached out and grabbed my hands and pulled them in between my legs

“show me sweetheart” i could feel my face heating up again and my heart racing as i hesitantly dipped two of my fingers into my dampness and then circled my clit

“relax y/n, you’re tense” i nodded and tried to calm my body. i gradually build up my pace until i was moving much faster on my nub, i then used my other hand to have two fingers inside of me, i could just reach my favourite spot when i curled them and i moaned out as i continued to hit into the sensational point within me. My eyes were shut tight and i’d sorta forgotten Klaus was actually there as i felt the overpowering burn aching to be let go and my fingertips hit the right area once twice, three more times before i came around my own fingers and the ones on my clit eventually came to a stop.

I closed my legs and let my body lay limp for a moment before i felt the bed move and i remembered who i was with. I quickly opened my eyes and sat up

“that was definitely something to keep in my mind forever love but i must say i felt left out…you didn’t say my name again” he pouted and gave my throat a little kiss and a nip. He then lifted me slightly so he was sat with me between his legs, he was leaning back against the headboard and pulled my back to his chest. His hands moved down and opened my legs again, his thumbs caressed my inner thighs as he smelled my hair

“do you picture someone else’s fingers inside of you instead of your tiny ones?” he questioned slowly inching closer to where i needed him. I nodded and spread my legs as far i could

“please” i whimpered my hands squeezing the sheets beneath us in anticipation

“whose hands?”

“your hands!” i huffed and i felt his lips press a kiss into my neck as his fingertips moved my wetness around making sure i was still stimulated enough, he then brought his middle finger just above my puffy clit and dragged it side to side, i groaned a little and pushed back against him

“what do you imagine love?”

i thought about it for a moment before carefully grabbing his wrists, i got his fingers soaked before pressing his hand against my sensitive clit once again while his others stroked my entrance, i bit the inside of my cheek again as he gently pinched my button before rubbing rhythmically

“how many do you want inside?” he mumbled with his face now in my neck

“just one for now…they’re bigger than mine” i swallowed nervously, he nodded and began gently sucking my neck as a finger sunk into me, i gasped as he went knuckle deep and curled it perfectly on the first try. My hips ground against his hands as he pumped his middle finger in and out slowly, still playing with my most sensitive part. His index joined his other one inside me and i felt myself stretch a little around them, i whimpered the first few times he moved them together but once adjusted it just got better. My head was thrown back while he sucked harsher to create marks down my throat

“is this what you think of love?” i nodded weakly as the tension started building up

“words sweetheart, how often?” i tried to think but my mind was clouded with him. His scent. His warmth. His mouth. His voice. His hands.

“often” i moaned when he lightly slapped my clit as i took too long to answer

“once a week?” he hummed, his pace becoming faster and then direction he moved on my clit changed making my back arch as much as i could and my hands gripped his arms

“more than that” i choked and my legs began to shake as i held my orgasm in

“every day?” he whispered behind my ear before sucking the spot

“some..sometimes yeah” he let out a low rumble and added another finger making me cry out and dig my nails into his forearms, my walls squeezed his fingers as they continued to dive much deeper than i could ever reach, brushing so many spots inside me i didn’t know how to respond.

“so fucking pretty like this love, gonna cum on my hand love?” i tightened more than i ever had around him as the tension broke and i gushed over his fingers, i let out panted moans and my body continued to rock against him. He slowly pulled his fingers out and brought them to his lips and sucking off the remains of my orgasm, i watched with my pupils blown and my mouth propped open. He groaned at the taste and wiped his fingers on his shirt before grabbing my face and kissing me forcefully, his tongue was instantly inside and i swallowed around it as he dominated my mouth. I turned over my body so i was straddling him while he kissed me, my hands gripped his henley and i whined against his lips as he pulled away and breathed deeply

“you will never need to touch yourself again do you understand? you come to me” i moaned quietly at his words and relaxed in his hold

“what if you’re busy?” i mumbled snuggling into his body heat as he led down with me on-top him and the covers pulled back up over us

“i’ll stop being busy” he replied simply and stroked my hair

“you’re mine now” he whispered but i couldn’t reply as i felt my eyes droop and my mind shut off into sleep

[pilot-boi]

Why do I feel like Juniper!Jaune would have Disney Princess vibes when it comes to animals?

Like, the gang take a rest in a forest clearing, Jaune doses off... and the others come to find him with multiple birds sleeping in his antlers, rabbits, larger birds and even a badger resting on his back and flank and... is that a doe and its' fawn sleeping against his side!?

Also, Weiss and Pyrrha would definitely silently squee and take a million pictures, lol

It’s pretty true, even after Jaune comes back to being Jaune. The animals just recognize him as one of their own. Birds frequently land on his antlers and ride along for a while, squirrels sit on his back and groom his fur, and even the larger prey animals like deer will leave their babies near him to watch

It happens in cities, too. When they get to Mistral, all the strays in town come and find him, and he’s constantly surrounded by pigeons, same in Mantle. In on the tundra the penguins always come to greet him and nestle under his fur like they would when they were chicks

It’s RIDICULOUS in the Ever After. That place is so full of life, he looks like a walking zoo

He can’t communicate with the animals or anything, he’s still fundamentally a person, but they just don’t see him as a threat like they do other animals. If anything, they instinctively know that he’s someone who will try to protect them. It’s because of his resemblance to the God of Animals

The dosing off thing is also something I’m glad you brought up, because Jaune does it a LOT. Just like he needs to eat a lot more to sustain his much larger body, he also needs to sleep a lot more. So whenever the gang stops to have lunch while they’re traveling, Jaune will find a shady spot under a tree and fall asleep

And then, of course, the animals find him. And yes, it is deeply adorable

In Atlas, it’s actually a good way to make sure his team take breaks. Because Jaune WILL take a nap in the middle of the day, whether Ren wants to stop training or not. So it becomes a regular part of their schedule