#Learn this while putting away dishes from the dishwasher while sitting in a chair

[shieldofapollo]

Well, I just learned that I very much would benefit in the use of a wheelchair. I have chronic pain caused by getting hit by a car when I was a teenager.

Which has led to multiple spinal issues. Two point where I can’t stand walking more than 10 seconds no literally just 10 seconds standing up causes me immense amount of pain. So that means I can’t do things like sweeping or putting away dishes or cooking or brushing, my teeth is extremely painful. Walking to the grocery store. All of that causes me a ton of pain.

And no matter what I say to my mother specifically she’s the most emotionally abusive one of my parents, and as someone who is considered severely disabled, I’m stuck living with my parents so yay

But I decided to take the advice that one of my doctors told me. Which was to take breaks and sit down, and so I got out a lawn chair. Just a plastic chair and just sat down while I put away the dishes and just the relief from the pain I normally felt from putting away the dishes was so much that it kind of illuminated how much help a wheelchair could provide me on adjusted normal basis in my own house not just going outside so. That’s cool.

The bad part is my mom will never accept the fact that I really would benefit from a wheelchair. Because as her 30-year-old child I’m too young to require a wheelchair and it would make her sad and when it would make her look like a terrible parent. No literally everything that I address and why not she keeps telling me that different strangers go out to tell her that why does she let me go outside the house dress this way. I don’t believe her but you know I also don’t care.

And being the fact that she’s a emotionally abusive, I really don’t wanna bring it up with her.

[jackrogersfrost]

Mother

Summary: When you're the girlfriend of the Guardian of Fun, both of you enjoy the time you spend together without knowing that someone so special knows about him and your relationship.

Pairing: Jack Frost (ROTG)x fem!reader.

Warnings: Fluff

A/N: If it's any gramatical mistake, my bad, i'm still learning. Enjoy!

MASTERLIST

Being the girlfriend of the winter spirit has many advantages as well as disadvantages, the biggest disadvantage and advantage it has,is that only you can see him; it's bad because you would want him to be visible to others, and good because then no girl would try to take him away from you, it sounds selfish but it was the truth.

Another advantage is that there is no other like Jack, he can be childish, sarcastic, tender, funny and very kinky. But that's how you loved him even if sometimes you have to hide some marks he leaves on your neck so as not to alert your mother.

Like every night at dinner, you would go down to the dining room and have dinner with your mother, while Jack was next to you sitting on another chair or standing on this one listening to the pleasant conversation you two were having. And today was no exception, your mother was talking about how she was doing at work while you were having dinner, Jack on the other hand was balancing on the back of the chair with his feet on it.

"I'd really like to quit my job sometimes, if it weren't for the fact that that's what we live on." Your mother said while eating the rest of the dinner on her plate.

"Don't worry mom, I'll be on vacation soon and I'll be able to help you in the bakery." You said softly to her.

The family business, a great bakery that according to all the small town where they lived, was the best bread you ever tasted. Business that started with your grandmother, continued with your mother and in the future would continue with you.

"I hope so darling, I could use some help." She smiled slightly and stared at you for a few moments, you didn't notice until you turned to look at her when you didn't hear another word.

"Is something wrong mom?" You ask a little bit confused by her looking.

"No, nothing, darling, don't worry." She stood up, smiling and taking her finished plate she walked to the dishwasher to leave it there and start washing it. You didn't trust his words too much but you kept eating your dinner.

"You know, you shouldn't leave such visible hickey marks on her, Jack."

You coughed a little, choking on your food in surprise at your mother's comment, as did Jack who fell out of his chair onto the floor even more surprised than you, while your mother cleaned the dishes with a quiet smile.

"Wh-what did you say?" You stammered, looking at her with a nervous expression.

"What, did you think I was never going to find out?" She said calmly, you and Jack looked at each other again not knowing what to say.

"Y-you can see me?" He said still in disbelief, receiving the older women's laughter in response.

"Oh honey, I know your story very well..."

"How did you know he was here?" You asked still in full shock.

"It wasn't very difficult, seeing frost in your room, hearing you say his name in your sleep and seeing that you love to go out in the snow, I didn't have to think much about it."

You were somewhere between blushing, surprised and scared.

"How long have you been able to see me?" Jack said.

"And why didn't you say anything?"

"Since you froze my kitchen, I still haven't forgotten about it, and I didn't say anything because I wanted to see how happy they were like that."

She smiled maternally at them, putting the dishes aside.

"So... Aren't you going to formally introduce me to your boyfriend?"

They both looked flushed and decided to approach her with embarrassment.

"Mom, this is Jack Frost, my boyfriend." You said a little shy.

"It's a pleasure, ma'am, I can't tell you how happy I am about this." He smiled sincerely and she did the same tenderly.

"Please, call me "Mom"." She said softly.

Jack was surprised but nodded with a smile, your mother gave him a hug that left him equally or worse surprised but he didn't hesitate to answer, while you watched everything with a smile.

It may not be visible to others, but at least the person most important to you sees it and that's more than enough.

[ahkaahshi]

steadfast [miya osamu x reader]

pairing: miya osamu x fem reader + miya atsumu x reader x suna rintarou

genre: smut (18+)

warning(s): explicit sexual content, group sex (threesome), cuckolding, dirty talk, swearing, praise, daddy kink, deep throating, squirting, brief mentions of jealousy, and just a lil bit of that competitive spirit ya know?

word count: 4.3k

overview: after years of witnessing suna and atsumu shamelessly flirting with his girlfriend, he decides to give them one chance to change her mind knowing damn well she won’t.

By nature, Osamu is observant. Few things escape his attention, whether it’s trace amounts of ice cream disappearing from his tub in the freezer or the longing look you always give him moments before you press your lips against his in an affectionate kiss. Though he wants to pay full attention to the intense game of Super Smash Bros.a few of his former teammates are playing, he can’t help but let his eyes wander to your form as you shuffle into the kitchen to grab another beer. It’s not for you, but for his twin brother who places a lingering touch against the small of your back upon accepting it.

To the untrained eye, the action would appear as a gesture of appreciation and nothing more. But Osamu understood his brother well enough to know that he’d always had a habit--or intention, rather--of being handsy with you. His dark, stone-colored gaze quickly flicks back to the game on the television, however, when you saunter over to him to lean down and place a gentle kiss against his temple.

“Need anything, babe?” you ask, (e/c) eyes tracing over the handsome features of your boyfriend’s face.

He shakes his head and assures you, “Just ‘cause this is our place, don’t mean ya hafta play hostess, y’know.”

“I know,” is your cheerfully spoken response before you turn your attention to the chaos unfolding on-screen. “Damn, who knew Kita-san was good at video games?”

Aran, who overhears your comment, laments, “Not me. This guy acts like it’s his first time holdin’ a controller ‘nd then proceeds to give us an ass-beatin’!” That deceptively sweet smile you’d seen many times before soon spreads across Kita’s lips as he casts it in your direction. Moments later, you notice his chosen character catapult Aran’s off the side of the screen, making the man sigh and hand his controller over to a somewhat unsettled-looking Ren.

The exchange makes you laugh, and your amusement quickly spreads to Osamu, who smiles as he pecks your cheek. “Why don’tcha come sit down, honey?” he suggests, patting his knee and slowly pulling you closer by giving your hand a gentle tug.

“Later. I’m gonna go talk to Rin real quick.”

Giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, you back away and dart past the television to where Suna’s standing on the balcony outside. Osamu doesn’t miss the lazy grin that tugs at the corners of his friend’s mouth when you greet him and seat yourself on the chair beside him. Though he’s noticed how much of your attention Suna must’ve been aiming to steal away the entire evening, he doesn’t comment or intervene. Instead, he sends a sideways glance at Atsumu, who plops down on the couch beside him, pops another sliver of pickled plum into his mouth that Kita brought with him, and returns his attention to the game onscreen.

It’s not until later that he decides to speak on the issue, when everyone’s left the informal team reunion but Atsumu and Suna. As you’re scanning the apartment for any trash that may have been forgotten—though there’s not much to find since Kita and Aran scolded anyone who so much as left their drink unattended—you find yourself tripping over the rug sprawled across the wooden floor. Atsumu, who’s seated on the couch nearby, avoiding any tasks associated with cleaning up while tapping through his own Instagram story, quickly extends his arms towards you to steady you as you stumble towards him.

Feeling his hands on your hips and hearing him say, “Careful, there, girly,” brings a rush of heat to your neck and face.

“Thanks, ‘Tsumu!” you chirp quickly, pushing yourself away from the couch with haste.

“Anytime, hon,” is his nonchalant response. Normally, you wouldn’t think much of it because he’d developed a habit of giving you affectionate names over the years you’d known him, but, in this situation, his reply has you glancing over your shoulder at Osamu. Though he remains silent and focused on the task at hand, that quiet but dominating presence of his is intense. You know his brother’s actions are hardly going unnoticed, so you hustle into the kitchen to start cleaning the dishes Kita had neatly piled in your sink—which you’d had to practically beg him not to clean for you by insisting that he was your guest.

Osamu’s dark gaze narrows at his brother in a silent warning once you’re occupied again. Atsumu, being competitive and provocative as ever, simply raises an eyebrow at him as a challenge. However, both their attention soon snaps to you when they hear you and Suna snickering about something that must’ve been just hilarious while he helps take care of the dishes. Jealousy isn’t an emotion Osamu’s entirely used to, seeing as he’s always been secure in his relationship with you, but knowing the types of things his friend and his brother have said about you in confidence before the two of you started dating makes a flicker of it burn within him.

Finally, he speaks, not even attempting to hide the curtness to his tone when he questions, “Why don’t the two of ya just fuck ‘er already?”

The silence that befalls the house following his outburst is deafening, and you freeze in your act of handing Suna another plate to stick in the dishwasher. The three of you collectively turn your gazes to him, though theirs clearly portray an intrigue to learn more about what he means.

“What’re ya sayin’ that for, ‘Samu?” Atsumu asks rather coyly, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees.

However, your boyfriend isn’t having any of his twin’s attitude tonight, since he retorts, “Don’t fuckin’ act like ya don’t know what I’m talkin’ about. I know you’ve been wantin’ her for years now. I see the way you both fawn over her whenever I bring ‘er around.”

“Baby…” you coo softly and dry your hands so you can approach him.

The daggers he sends sticking into you with a sharp glance in your direction stops you in your tracks, though, as do his words. “What? It’s not like yer doin’ anythin’ to stop it.”

You swallow thickly, your eyes sinking to the floor as shame wells up inside of you at the truth his statement holds. You had never intentionally flirted with either of them, but you hadn’t done anything to put an end to their advances. Even though Atsumu and Suna were close friends of yours—and had been since high school, when you’d first met them along with Osamu—you knew they’d both harbored feelings for you at some point over the years. Part of you didn���t stop them because you hadn’t wanted to think the worst, which was that they still had any remnants of desire for you when you were clearly in a committed relationship with Osamu.

However, as you look around and find yourself the subject of not one but three hungry sets of eyes, you realize that they’ve still been hunting you regardless of the fact. “’Samu, I—”

“Do ya wanna let ‘em fuck you?” he interrupts. The fire you can sense burning behind his ash-colored eyes robs you of a response, so he adds, in a softer tone, “’S okay if ya do.”

Atsumu chuckles, “Might not wanna give ‘er the chance since she might rethink her decision about who she chose.”

Without thinking, you shake your head diligently and argue, “I would never leave him.”

“So, is that a yes, then?”

As you take a moment to ponder his inquiry, you notice Osamu moving closer to you before he takes your face in his hands. Tenderly, he kisses your cheek and leans towards your ear so he can murmur, “Why don’tcha let ‘em live out their li’l pipe dream for one night, (f/n)? You’ve got nothin’ ta lose, since I’m the one who suggested it in the first place.” A slow, shuddering breath escapes your lips when he adds, “In fact, I want you to do it. Show ‘em a good time; hell, enjoy yourself too.” He lets his finger run over the gentle curves of your neck, sending tingles down your spine. “I hope they make you feel good—or at least try to, since I know there’s no way they’ll be able ta make you squirt like I can, pretty baby.”

His words quickly fill your core with heat, and you’re consenting with an enthusiastic nod without so much as another thought. A small smile ghosts across his lips for a moment before he gives you a gentle nudge in the direction of the hallway leading to your bedroom, silently telling you to lead the way. Even though your body’s abuzz with excitement at what you’ve willingly gotten yourself into, you can’t help but feel somewhat sheepish at being the subject of three intense gazes. Having them follow you down the narrow hallway makes it somewhat hard for you to breathe, but it’s not long before they’re finding more physical ways of taking your breath away.

Upon entering your bedroom, Atsumu’s the first to paw at your shirt, taking the soft fabric in his grip so he can pull it over your head. Your bra is unclasped moments later and tossed aside haphazardly before you’re pushed onto the bed. The suddenness of your body hitting the mattress makes you squeal, eliciting a low chuckle from Atsumu as he leans over you and captures your lips in a surprisingly tender kiss. While your eyes are closed, you can feel one set of fingers trailing lightly along your sternum while another pair of hands tugs at your pants before removing them, along with your embarrassingly wet panties.

“Mm,” Suna hums gently, pressing his lips to the inside of your thigh, “Soaked already?”

“Lemme feel.” The fingertips grazing the expanse of skin between your breasts soon travel down closer to your core, plunging inside and emerging coated in your essence. A soft whine escapes your mouth at the fleeting sensation of being somewhat filled, and you watch with half-lidded, (e/c) eyes as Atsumu slides his fingers into his mouth. “Just as sweet as I expected,” he comments before placing another passionate kiss against your lips so he can swipe his tongue along yours to give you a taste. “What did ‘Samu say that gotcha all worked up, honey?”

From where he’s sitting on a chair across from the bed, Osamu grunts, “None of yer damn business. And don’t call ‘er honey.”

Suna understands why Atsumu’s attempts at using this pet name for you are futile when he sees the way you clench around nothing at hearing it leave Osamu’s mouth. “’Samu,” you whimper softly and look in his direction. In spite of the way Suna and Atsumu’s hands feel against your skin, you’re still pining for the familiarity of your boyfriend’s touch. Eager to bring you back to the matter at hand, Atsumu turns your face back towards him and occupies your lips once more.

Meanwhile, Suna sets himself to running his fingers through your glistening folds and pleasuring your sensitive spot, making you moan into Atsumu’s mouth. When his digits venture inside of you, your hips instinctively buck against them, desperate for the thumb you know he’s intentionally keeping away from your clit. “Keep making those pretty sounds, baby,” Suna coaxes, using his free hand to palm his erection through his pants. Between him thrusting his long fingers into your core and Atsumu pinching your nipples with his, it’s not long before you feel the knot in your stomach threatening to come undone.

What pushes you closer to the edge is the smooth, wetness of Suna’s tongue dragging over your slit. “Rin!” you squeal, grinding your hips against his face to get as much contact with his mouth as you can. He squeezes your thighs gently, holding them in place over his shoulders where he kneels on the floor at the side of the bed. At hearing his name leave your mouth between kisses from Atsumu, he rewards your behavior by flattening his tongue against your clit and licking in broad stripes. Suddenly, a wave of ecstasy crashes over you, reducing you to a moaning mess as you cling onto Atsumu’s arms and squeeze Suna’s head between your thighs.

Your wanton cries have all three men in the room mesmerized. However, their awe quickly transforms into something more animalistic, and, in your ecstasy-induced haze, your body is nothing more than putty in their hands as they maneuver you into a different location and position on the bed. You’re vaguely aware of your own hands reaching for Atsumu’s shirt to remove it before unzipping his pants so his erection can spring free.

As you move closer to him to take his cock in your mouth, Atsumu grabs a fistful of your (h/l), (h/c) hair to keep you from doing so. “Oh, sweetheart, I love how eager you are to suck me off, but I’m dyin’ ta see whose cock you like better: mine or ‘Samu’s.” Osamu growls with irritation at this comment but feels his dick throb painfully at knowing what he’s about to witness. With that said, he relinquishes his grip on your strands of hair so that he can readjust your position, bringing you face to face with the tent in Suna’s pants.

This time, it’s him who’s threading his fingers amongst your locks, but with a much gentler and more affectionate grip than Atsumu’s, and his sandy-colored irises fasten on you as you work on unzipping his fly to give him some relief. If anything, knowing he’d just brought you to an orgasm with his mouth spurs you on to use yours so you can do the same for him. The way you eye his erection hungrily once you’ve freed it from the confines of his pants has him tugging your hair backwards to tilt your chin up towards him. He’s always wondered what it’s like to kiss those delicate lips of yours, and they look far too delectable—slightly swollen from Atsumu’s bruising kisses and glistening with the saliva he can see dripping off your tongue—for him to show any restraint now that he’s been given a free pass to do so.

“Are you gonna be good and take all of it?” he wonders, his mouth brushing against yours with each word. Your diligent nod earns you a deep kiss, and you moan into his mouth at the feeling of his tongue trailing along yours, carrying the taste of you. “Gonna drool all over my dick for me with that pretty, little mouth of yours?”

You’re barely able to let out a breathless, “Yes,” before his lips are over yours once more. But, just as quickly as his onslaught of kisses started, he’s pulling away and moving your head down south. Saliva collects in your mouth at the sheer size of him, and you cast him a demure glance up at him through your eyelashes as you lick a long trail from the base to the tip, causing a low groan to rumble in his throat.

At feeling the head of Atsumu’s cock teasing your sensitive clit, a whimper rolls off your tongue. “I’m gonna fuck this sweet, little pussy of yours so good, (f/n),” your boyfriend’s twin murmurs, his hands moving your hips so he can push the tip inside of you, “so you’d better take it like a good girl.”

“Don’t hurt ‘er, dumbass,” Osamu barks, the hand he has shoved down his sweatpants coming to a halt at the thought of your comfort being compromised by his brother’s greed and desire to show off. “She’s sensitive.”

“Oh?” Atsumu challenges as he inches more of his cock inside of you, making you remove your mouth from Suna’s dick to mewl loudly and drop your head towards the comforter. “It’s ‘cause yer not used to bein’ filled up are ya, sweetheart?” Another lascivious cry from you is stifled by the thick duvet when he snaps his hips against yours, sending himself deeper into your clenched core. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of ya in all the ways ‘Samu can’t.”

Osamu’s face burns ever so slightly with humiliation and anger, but he finds he can’t tear his gaze away from the scene before him. He watches in silence as Atsumu’s fingers dig into the supple skin on your rear and snake around your hips, pulling you closer to him as he sheathes more of his cock in your greedy cunt. Then, his eyes are darting to where your pretty lips are wrapped around Suna’s dick, eyes gazing upwards at him in an affectionate manner that he thought was only reserved for himself.

He feels as if he should be enraged by the whole situation—by the way he’s being forced to sit and watch while his brother and his friend fuck your pussy and your mouth, respectively—but he isn’t. In spite of being excluded and having derogatory remarks thrown his way by Atsumu like daggers, he loves it. He loves every moan of their names that leaves your mouth because of how good they’re making you feel, as well as the hungry looks in their eyes at how good you’re making them feel. Because no matter what his twin says about how he’s “gonna make ya feel better than ‘Samu ever will,” he knows he’s wrong. In a scenario where Osamu should be the one feeling inferior, his ability not to lose sight of what he knows is the truth is what keeps the warmth burning in his stomach.

No matter how much you drool all over Suna’s cock while he thrusts deeply into your mouth, batting your eyelashes at him each time he sends a compliment your way, he knows whose pants you’re pulling down after he’s had a long day at work. Even as Atsumu’s hips snapping against yours reap a myriad of mewls or moans from your mouth that bring a self-satisfied smirk to his face, he’s confident that you’ll always be louder for him. Nobody knows how to treat you quite like Osamu does, and nobody knows how to fuck you like he does either.

So, as he slowly strokes himself off to the sight before him, he’s able to ignore the sting of every off-handed comment thrown his way and the sound of you begging Atsumu for more in the moments when Suna’s dick isn’t down your throat. He might as well let them have all the fun they want with you, seeing as it’ll be their last time doing so. He only intended to give them a taste of how good you are as a way of getting back at them for all of their shameless advances towards you in the first place. What’s better revenge than giving them something amazing that they can only remember, but never recreate? Nothing, he thinks.

“Lemme cum inside ya, pretty girl,” Atsumu coos, though his voice is raspy from his heavy breathing as he slams into you. Removing your mouth from Suna’s dick with a loud pop, you shake your head, making them both look at you with raised eyebrows. “Why not?” he asks.

Osamu nearly finishes on the spot when you whine, “Only ‘Samu can.”

Atsumu shoots his brother a withering look that he beats down with a smirk but obeys your wishes anyway. “Whatever ya want, princess,” he murmurs, placing a gentle kiss against your spine before continuing to thrust into you at a breakneck pace that has you crying out with ecstasy in no time.

Your breathy moans sending vibrations along Suna’s dick have him finishing inside of your mouth, and you swallow his seed as you sink into the bed once more. Atsumu’s hands keep your hips flush against his as he plunges into your spasming core until he can hardly take the sensations your body’s offering him anymore. Once it gets too much for him to handle, he obediently pulls out of you and cums on your back, spreading warmth along your skin and eliciting another whimper from you.

As you come down from your highs, you feel Suna’s long fingers stroke the side of your face affectionately, as if trying to communicate the praises he can’t find the words for. Meanwhile, Atsumu takes one last look at your back coated in his release before grabbing a tissue and cleaning you up. “So,” he mentions, interrupting himself to place a gentle kiss against the nape of your neck, “whaddya think? Did we change your mind?”

There’s not even a moment of hesitation before you shake your head and reiterate, “I’ll never leave him.” The soreness you feel settling into your body does nothing to quell the warmth in your belly, especially with the way Osamu’s gazing at you hungrily from his seat at the other end of the room. It’s almost as if your body moves by itself as you get up from the bed and shuffle over to him so you can seat yourself in his lap. “I want you, baby,” you breathe as your arms instinctively wrap around his neck.

A shit-eating grin appears on his lips as he places his hands on your waist, pulling you closer to him. You moan softly at the bulge in his pants pressing against your sensitive entrance as he mentions, loudly enough for the other men in the room to hear, “How cute. Even after getting’ fucked by them two, ya still only wanna be stuffed full of my cum, huh?”

“Please.” Your plea escapes you in a soft whine when he bestows a fleeting kiss against your lips. He hums into the tender skin on your neck, eyeing Suna and Atsumu over your shoulder while he does so as if to clearly convey to them who’s won this challenge. However, his silent gloating is soon put to an end when you wriggle your hips against his, move your face closer to his ear and beg, “Please, daddy.”

In an instant, he’s barking at Suna and Atsumu to get off the bed so he can push you down onto it. “So good for me, honey.” Osamu’s loving words have you clenching around nothing as he shoves off his sweatpants and positions himself at your entrance. “Shoulda never doubted ya. I know how much you love me, don’tcha, baby girl?” he muses, flooding you with heat once more.

“Mm!” you chirp enthusiastically, “I love you so much, ‘Samu.”

His smooth voice becomes ever so slightly strained as he pulls your hips towards him, slides his cock into your warm, velvety core, and replies, “I love you too, (f/n).” Having him inside you once more brings you a pleasant sensation of comfort that you felt as if you’d been missing earlier, and you reach for one of his hands. Sensing your desire to be more connected with him, he wraps his fingers around yours and presses the back of your hand against the mattress beside your head.

You moan softly at being filled once more when he bottoms out inside of you. Glancing over at where Suna and Atsumu are sitting nearby, he comments, “Ya feel so good, honey,” and increases the volume of his voice before adding, “it’s like yer sweet, li’l pussy was made for me, wasn’t it?”

“Just for you, daddy,” you agree with a small smile, eliciting a low groan from him and spurring him to start thrusting into you with long, deep strokes. From where he’s standing at the edge of the bed, he’s able to lift your hips upwards to drive himself even deeper into you than he’s sure Atsumu could reach. Any overstimulation you felt initially has since been replaced by pleasure once more as he showers you with kisses accompanied by compliments that you confirm enthusiastically, earning you more of what you want.

“Why don’tcha tell ‘em whose cock ya love the most, baby girl?”

You cry out his name once.

“Who’s making ya feel so good right now?”

Twice.

“Who’s gonna make ya cum harder ‘nd faster?”

Thrice.

He leans down towards you to press those slow, passionate kisses against your lips that you’d missed so much, spreading your legs further and pounding into you with more speed. It’s clear he knows the map of your body that he’s made through experience like the back of his hand, since he’s able to hit that sweet spot within you time after time with more accuracy and precision than anyone else could. “Right there!” you cry, fingers dragging along the muscles rippling beneath the skin on his arms as your toes curl.

A few more thrusts send you over the edge again, and the strength of your orgasm is felt by every man in the room. Atsumu and Suna realize your cries are much louder than they were before, and Osamu smiles when he feels you squirt as your walls clench tightly around him. He doesn’t mind that you’re getting his clothes and the comforter covered in your essence—he only cares that he’s delivered the promise he’d made for you earlier. It’s not long before he reaches his high and fills you up with stuttering snaps of his hips and labored breaths. You moan breathlessly at the sensation of warmth inside your core, and let your head come to rest against the bed while he finishes inside of you.

As much as you want nothing more than to crawl under the sheets with him and rest, you’re reminded of your guests when Osamu casts his dark gaze in their direction. “Ya got whatcha wanted. Go home,” he announces, eyes narrowing at his twin brother who, along with Suna, are clearly still in awe at what they’ve witnessed. 

Turning back to you and planting a tender kiss against your collarbone while they rise to their feet and head for the door, Osamu adds deviously, “So much for rethinkin’ her decision, huh? Now ya know why she won’t.”

treat me to a coffee! ⭐︎ kinktober masterlist

taglists (see pinned post on my blog for form)

general: @dinablossom, @newfriendjen​, @devlovesramen, @ohbyunhunn, @aftcrlust, @mister-future, @kyleclxin​

osamu: @pretty-setters​, @misora-msby​, @why-aminot-dead​, @atsunakaashi​, @heyhinata​, @why-aminot-dead​

[wizkiddx]

two beautiful girls

someone asked for me to try dad!tom again so here's my humble attempt, I really really hope it doesn't disappoint but honestly I didn’t spend a lot of time on it before my brain turned to mush :) hope everyones okay... today seems to have felt particularly shitty for no real reason, but sending lots o love <3

dad!tomholland x reader

Summary: dealing with your daughter while tom’s away is tricky to say the least, but its all worth it when the three of u are reunited again // fluff (and maybe angst if u squint rlly hard)

(I can’t work out where this pic is from to credit but pls lmk if it’s yours/ u know)

Normally, hearing the door turn in the lock of your front door was one of the best sensations in the world. No matter how long Tom had been away for you would always be filled with such a sense of relief and warmth just by knowing he was there. Sometimes it’d be after he left only a couple of hours previous for a two hour meeting; or after a quick long weekend in New York for an event; ranging to a two and half month block of shooting across the globe. Especially since little Nova was born, your longing for Tom was only quadrupled because you also had a complete ‘daddy’s girl’ pining after him too. 

Tom had only been away for a couple of nights, yet your 18 month daughter seemed to think she’d been abandoned for months on end. She had slept for less than 6 hours each day and as much as you tried to appeal to her wise and intellectual side (which didnt really exist - she was only 18 months) that sleep would pass the time till his return ; she was having absolutely none of it. Nova kept you up for hours and hours, screaming, screeching and wailing because you weren’t as ‘funny’ as daddy or as soft as her daddy. And what does a sleep deprived baby lead to…? A grumpy baby. She refused to eat which was so awful because then you felt as if you were neglected your child. 

It just made you feel a bit of a failure, to be quite frank. The house was a mess - you’d tried almost every toy to cheer her up, which Nova had actually found great joy in launching back at your face in spite. You were a mess too - at one point, who knows when, you had tied your hair back but now flyaways were everywhere as it pulled itself out of the grasp of the too-loose scrunchie. Oh and then there was the babyfood Nova had kindly spat all over your shirt. 

It had been a really fun three days. 

It was therefore counter intuitive, the fact that Tom’s homecoming only filled you with dread. But you didnt want him to think your were a failure. You were supposed to be Novas mum after all, why must things be so hard when they’re supposed to be all natural and easy? She hadn’t even reached the terrible twos phase yet - that seemed like a far off hellish nightmare you were trying to avoid thinking of. Of course, you loved loved loved Nova - she was already growing up so fast that it actually hurt your heart a little, to think of how much in even a week she’d grown. 

But it was still fair to say she’d been a little devil this week. 

This evening you had finally managed to tempt her to sit in the high chair, she’d had about two mouthfuls when you heard Tom entering. Thats exactly what you needed, Tom to get her all over excited so she wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t go down and wouldn’t let you rest. In the madness of it all, you hadn’t managed to even attempt to clean up the sea of toys either so Tom would immediately have all your failings before his eyes. Just bloody great. 

“Where are my two beautiful girls?” 

Like clockwork, he’d always say it and Nova would always gurgle out a “dada” just as she did today. Though this time she kicked her legs in desperation, momentarily looking at you with the kindest eyes she’d given you the week. It was only because she wanted something, you knew that, yet you still gave in. With a sigh you stood up and unclipped her from the high chair, even if this was the first time in a good few days she’d been happily eating her dinner. Or rather, had taken the single first bite. 

She had something to show her Dad though. When he’d left she still didnt have certain skills, capabilities that only now she had learnt. Nova was very proud of her knew ability to kick things - recently discovered when you were attempting to put her shoes on to go to the supermarket. Instead, after 5 attempts of her impressively booting them across the room you’d surrendered - Nova walked round the shops barefoot (probably a bit irresponsible on your part but desperation calls). 

So now she giggled whilst hurtling through the room, as Tom rounded the corner in grey joggers and a black hoodie. You watched his eyes light up, whilst he knelt down at the door way to welcome your curly haired princess into his arms. With all her force, she barrelled into him , her little arms wrapping as far around his broad chest as she could. Immediately Tom reciprocated, pulling her up into his arms and swaying slightly side to side. 

“Hey little one, I missed you!” He was positively grinning from ear to ear as he rose the two of them up , pressing a quick peck to her unruly locks. 

Only then did he look up and survey the surrounding situation, you saw him track his eyes through the mess of toys on the floor, over the counter top piled high with dishes you hadn’t got round to doing and the bin that was overflowing because you just had kept putting off taking it out. It was so embarrassing that you daren’t to even look at him, instead focusing completely on mixing the now lukewarm mush you’d made for Nova round the bowl. Tom slowly picked his way through the hazardous floor, inspecting you closely. It honestly made him feel a pang of guilt, the way you looked beyond exhausted and run down - the dark shadows under your eyes only testament to that. 

“Hey darling.” He spoke softly, keeping Nova pressed to his chest in one arm while the other went to rub your side. “You okay?” Not wanting to disappoint him, you momentarily collected yourself before looking up at him with the a small smile.

“Yeh I’m good. How was the flight?” You knew Tom already saw past your attempt of small talk, the was his eyebrows furrowed slightly being the tell. But before he could question you further Nova started wriggling round in his hold, making him arch back to look at her. 

“Have you been a good girl for mummy little one?” Given your defeated look, Tom was pretty sure he already knew the answer - Nova chose instead of confirming either way to just wriggle some more as she shouted Dada. 

“What you doing crazy?” He chuckled rhetorically, bending down to let her out of his hold, where she then dragged him across the room to the foam mini ball she had. With her still slightly uncoordinated gait, she focused her eyes completely on the ball, her tongue slightly poking out the left corner of her mouth. Then with a forceful yelp she smashed the ball upwards and across the room, flying into a closed cupboard door before bouncing down to the floor. Expectantly Nova’s hazel eyes immediately then searched for her Dad’s - a massive smirk on her face. 

“NO WAY NOVA!!!” He shrieked, running and scooping her up once again, this time spinning her round so her legs flew out- her giggles enough to warm even the coldest heart of stone. “Your right foot is better than Manes!” He laughed, though neither girl in the room getting the football reference- Tom had long since given up hope of you getting invested in football, no matter how hard he had tried. “You’re gonna be the best little footballer Kingston has ever seen!” 

Nova seemed more than fulfilled with his praise, laughing and settling down in his hold whilst he straightened up glancing back at you again. 

“She’s learning so fast.” You mumbled up at him and Tom nodding, taking a seat in the chair next to you. 

“She’s got a pretty impressive teacher!” He tried so hard to perk you up, nudging your side as his gaze felt as though he was boring holes into you. 

Not knowing how to reply to his compliment you left it and the room faded to silence briefly, the atmosphere feeling rather uncomfortable for your marital home. 

“Do you mind finishing off her dinner if I take a shower?” You muttered under your breath, wanting an escape. 

Naturally Tom agreed, even if he watched you walk out the room with a worrisome expression on his face. He knew his job wasn’t easy for you at all. It had been hard enough when it has just the two of you, the long periods apart bore longer on you. Over the time Tom had been acting, he’d become somewhat used to these long periods of absence, it had just become the usual. But for you? You working a normal job meant it was harder. You couldn’t go on double dates with your friends - half the time you boyfriend was across a sea from you. Now though, with Nova, you’d lost someone you grew to depend on. Yes, it might only be for briefer periods of time but it still didn’t feel any easier.  He was effectively leaving you to be a single mother and although his family obviously endeavoured to support you in every way possible. It just wasn’t the same. 

So whilst Nova babbled excitedly her mostly gibberish in the highchair, Tom spent the time sweeping round the kitchen/diner , collecting up the toys into their boxes, loading up the dishwasher and wiping clean the surfaces - all whilst entertaining Nova with brief ‘no reallys’?” And “what ! That’s unbelievable’ and “so what did you tell them?” In response to her baby language babble. His fiery daughter was distracted by the food and one sided chat for all of 20 minutes, letting him just about finish up before she grew impatient of some more attention. 

“So what did you get up to then little miss nuisance?” He asked while wiping her mouth which was now smeared with her tomatoey gloop.

“Went park. Mummy made cookies!!”

“Cookies? No way can I have one?” He did honestly fancy the sound of a cookie, and after lifting her out the seat and onto his lap he looked round the kitchen in search of the baked goods.

“No.” She giggled with a mischievous twinkle in her eye “all gone!!”

“What?!?”

“All gone! Mummy and me drawed too look!” She pointed out the multicoloured scribble of uncoordinated lines spiralling together that had been stuck on the fridge. 

“Oooh that’s beautiful darling what else did you do?”

“Mummy and me played paw patrol! Mummy was silly!” Nova laughed at the memory, Tom squeezing her up into his chest again loving how bloody precious she was. 

“Why was mummy silly?” 

“She did Ryders voice! Mummy voice is better than Daddy’s!” 

“WHAT?!?” Shrieking in offence, Tom tickled her belly until she was squirming on the top of his thighs in fits of laughter, making Tom laugh away too. 

He truly loved his beautiful daughter. 

It took you a good couple of hours to venture downstairs, feeling for some ludicrous reason that you had to pluck up the courage. When you went down, you assumed that Nova had already passed out or was about to - the house was serene and quiet. So in your joggers and one of Tom’s big tees, you crept back down the stairs. Entering the kitchen first to get yourself a water and Tom a beer ( he never didn’t want a beer, especially after a long flight). As you entered, your feet seemed to loose their connection with you body making you halt jerkily, seeing the almost sparkling kithchen. All the toys and general clutter was gone from the floor; the dishes magically vanished, revealing a counter that you’d almost forgotten had existed. What you had done to deserve Tom was beyond you, yet you were so grateful - and  felt a flutter inside your chest as you went back out and into the living room. 

Tom had Nova sat on his thighs, though she was more like slumped against his chest as he tried to lull her to sleep with his deep voice quietly reading one of her superhero books. It had been unavoidable - she’d been indoctrinated into the world of Marvel before she could even talk, Tom insisting on wanting her to know that ‘she could be a superhero too if she wanted to’. The Spiderman baby grow, the captain marvel water bottle- the subtle nods to his roles where impossible to avoid in your house. His warm eyes briefly flicked up when he noticed you standing at the doorway, he paused his sentence to give you a warm smile and nod you over to the sofa beside him.  Still feeling a little self conscious, you stared at the floor while rounding the table and plonking yourself down next to him - allowing just a little gap of space. 

“Thanks for sorting the kitchen, I’m sorry-“

“Don’t worry at all darling” He arched over to you and pressed a quick peck to your forehead before Nova mewled in annoyance of her story being interrupted. He lightly chuckled, bringing the one hand that wasn’t holding the book to brush her unruly curls back off her head. 

Tom kept reading in his soft voice and you let your eyes slip close, just enjoying the peace that you hadn’t experienced in what felt like a lifetime as Tom’s voice lightly hummed through your head. That was until Nova decieded to interrupt the calm just once more. She grumbled insistently and squirmed in her Dads lap, before heavily pulling her head up and blinking at you - holding her arms out expectantly. 

“Think she wants her mum” Tom whispered, already lifting her over to you as you sat slightly bemused by the whole situation. Tom was home, her daddy was home, why did she want you? Tom laughed at your quizzical face as Nova burrowed her nose into you neck, letting out a contented huff. “My girls huh?”

“I promise you this is the first time this weekend she’s acknowledged me as anything more than mrs truchbull!”

“Well she’s spent all evening telling me about how good you are at baking and how your paw patrol voices are better than mine.” He murmured his words lowly, so as not to disturb Nova who was already asleep on your chest.

“She did?”

“She loves her mum… almost as much as I do” Chuckling, Tom wrapped his arm round you, pulling the both of you down to his chest while you swore your heart was exploding. 

“I love you too Tommy” 

Safe to say you and Nova were both exhausted, so after an almost shamefully short time your head rested heavier and heavier on Tom’s shoulder whilst he aimlessly carded his fingers through the ends of your hair. You really were an exceptionally amazing mother, before Nova Tom assumed he couldn’t love you anymore and yet seeing you cuddled up to his baby girl - his feelings for you could only grow infinitely. Making the executive decision to not move either of you upstairs to bed, he instead reached over to grab the blanket. He draped it over himself and his two best girls, choosing to stay in that magical moment for as long as possible. 

He loved his beautiful family of three.

And tess … Tess too ;)

[lsvdw-blog]

Not a Minute More: Part I

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x f!MC

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings; Rating: Minor angst at the end; General

Premise: Ethan and MC are living in a honeymoon bliss and going about their normal routine. Then something happens that rocks Ethan to his core and threatens to change his life.

Author’s Note: New series comin' at ya! This is my first time writing fluff, so please excuse me if it's cringey 😅 Thank you to @choiceskatie for pre-reading!! I hope you enjoy and thank you for reading 💖

~ Monday, 7:00am ~

“Good morning, handsome.”

Serena walks up to an omelette-making Ethan, wraps her arms around his waist, and places a gentle kiss on his shoulder blade.

Ethan places one hand over hers, a smile spreading across his face, while the other wields a spatula.

He plates the omelette, turns the stove off, and turns in Serena’s arms to face her. He tightly envelops her, placing a sweet kiss on her lips.

“Good morning, indeed,” he smiles.

“Mmm, that’s my line,” she says, her hands moving leisurely up his bare chest, and her eyes trailing hungrily over his gym-honed physique.

Ethan lets out a hearty chuckle, turning slightly to grab their breakfast.

“As much as I’d love to take you back to bed," he gives her a quick peck, "you have a big day ahead of you, so,” he hands her a plate, “actual protein.”

“Buzzkill,” Serena pouts as she takes the ham, cheese, and veggie omelette from him. Ethan shakes his head in amusement and places one hand on her lower back to guide her towards the dining room table.

“For now, but in 10 hours…” he raises an eyebrow and smirks at her.

“10 hours and not a minute more,” she responds, sitting down, and giving him a stern look.

He laughs again. Something he’s been doing a lot more of since she came into his life. “Yes, baby.”

That seems to please Serena as she smiles and does a little wiggle in her chair, cutting into her omelette.

His apartment overlooks the glittering Charles River and the towering Boston skyline — a view people would kill for. But he’s not paying attention. His eyes are trained on the woman next to him. His t-shirt falls to her mid-thighs, her midnight hair tied at the nape of her neck, and the dainty gold necklace she never takes off is brilliant in the early morning glow. Serena shifts slightly and the faint smell of sunscreen wafts towards him.

“SPF on the face is important!” He grins at the memory.

She spends most of her time at Ethan's place nowadays. It's more private, compared to her shared apartment, and there's more space for them to sprawl out and be a couple. They cook dinner together, with Ethan learning to make her favorite dishes and incessantly asking her to taste test to ensure he gets the flavor right. They've made loading the dishwasher and walking Jenner into a two person job. He's even caught her stashing away some of his clothes in her overnight bag before: "I'm borrowing them!"

On the off nights when she insists on staying at her place to catch up on laundry or spend time with her friends, Ethan goes home to a dark and unwelcoming apartment. There is no source of laughter, light, or warmth. He never noticed it before, but now, Serena is his source of all of that, and more. Home is wherever she is.

How did I get so lucky?

“Why aren’t you eating?” Her head is tilted to the side and her brows are slightly furrowed.

Her question brings him out of his trance. He stares at her for a beat, his azure eyes filled with adoration. “Just admiring the view.”

Serena rolls her eyes and goes to playfully smack his arm, but he catches it. Interlaces their fingers and brings it to his lips. Her eyes soften as they gaze at each other.

“I could get used to mornings like this, you know," he rumbles.

"Yeah?"

He nods his head. "Yeah. I love spending them with you."

"The feeling is mutual, Dr. Ramsey." She leans in, stopping a hair's breadth away from his lips. "But I gotta get ready for my big day now," she says with a glint in her eye.

Ethan tries, and fails, to catch her lips with his own as she leans away and gets up from the table. "You're such a tease."

"Am I? Or are you just getting slow in your old age?" She playfully retorts.

Ethan stands abruptly from the table, chasing after her. Serena squeals in surprise and takes off towards the ensuite.

~ 7:40am ~

Ethan is leaning against the doorframe, arms and feet crossed, admiring Serena as she applies the finishing touches to her makeup.

"How many times are you going to stare at me today?" Serena questions.

He pushes off the doorframe and walks over to her. "As many times as you'll allow Rookie."

He hugs her waist. "Are you ready for today?"

Serena sighs and leans back into him. "I'm a little nervous. If testing doesn't go well today, we'll have to start from scratch. All our work, gone."

For the past few months, Serena has been consulting on a classified research project headed by scientists and engineers at Harvard University. The team was incredibly impressed with her capabilities, shown in saving Dr. Banerji's life and being the 2nd youngest member of the renowned Edenbrook Diagnostics Team, and liked that she provided a younger perspective. They brought her on and Ethan makes the 15 minute detour to drop her off three times a week.

"You all are ready. It will go great."

She locks eyes with him in the mirror. "Thank you, E."

~ 8:15am ~

Ethan puts the car in park, turns on his hazards, and turns to look at her.

"I can't wait to hear all about how today was an absolute success. You don't need it, but good luck." He squeezes her hand.

She nods. "Only 8 hours and 45 minutes left."

"And not a minute more," he smiles at her before leaning in to kiss her.

Ethan pulls away first, not wanting her to be late, but Serena continues to go back in for more soft kisses. After the sixth one, she finally pulls away smiling. She opens the car door, swings her legs out, and walks through the secured entrance.

~ 11:00am ~

The Diagnostics Team currently has no patients, so Ethan's morning is mundane, filled with meetings and endless paperwork. He itches to call Serena to break up the monotony, but knows she won't have her phone on her until lunch: no cell phones allowed in the lab. He settles on sending her a quick text — it'll be waiting for her. He pulls up their messaging thread, sends the text, and his eyes wander upward to see the remnants of their last conversation.

She had gotten, and dressed, Jenner in a new bow tie. She then blew up Ethan's phone with photos of Jenner, photos of her and Jenner, and even a few where she was wearing one of Ethan's bow ties to match.

"Look, we're twins!!"

Ethan re-scrolls through all of the photos and can't help the smile that lights up his face at how excited she gets about a small accessory for his dog. God, I love her.

There it is again, Ethan thinks. The 3 words and 8 letters that he never thought he'd feel, let alone want to voice. This feeling has become overwhelming in the past few weeks. He's reminded of it whenever he inhales the lingering scent of her perfume in the office, when he finds one of her forgotten face products at his place, the small moments they share when she sneaks away to visit him, "just because." It consumes him and makes his heart swell.

But he knows she's been extremely stressed with project duties, on top of handling the Diagnostics Team and regular patients. It just doesn't seem right to blurt it out when she's juggling so many things. But if all goes well, her portion of the project ends on Thursday and she'll be back to her normal workload. That's why he's been secretly making romantic plans for this weekend, not only to celebrate her success, but to also finally tell her how he feels. He wants the first time he utters those words to her to be special. Magical. Extraordinary. Just like her.

Just then, his pager beeps and he's pulled out of his second Serena trance of the day. He sets his phone down on the table, pulls out his pager, and is met with a message from Dr. Delarosa, asking for a consult. Just as he exits through the door, his phone lights up with a photo of Serena and her incoming call.

~ 2:15pm ~

The consultation with Ines turned into admitting the patient under the Diagnostics Team and the rest of the afternoon was spent running through possible diagnoses. Before he knew it, it had been over 3 hours and Ethan hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning. He can't help but think how much easier this case would be with Serena here and her perspective. Not only does her presence help keep him calm, but she always comes up with suggestions that would inevitably lead to the correct diagnosis. He throws his glasses on the table and pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration.

He begins to stand, wanting to make his way to his desk, intending to call Serena on the off chance she picks up. However, before he's even able to reach his full height, Dr. Banerji walks in.

"My boy, are you busy?"

"No. Am I needed somewhere?"

Naveen looks at him for a beat too long, causing Ethan's confusion to spike. Naveen walks to the center table and switches on the TV. There, panning around the screen is an aerial view of the Harvard University lab complex, surrounded by police cars and SWAT members, as well as multiple aircraft. In bold letters, scrolling endlessly across the bottom of the screen is: Possible attack at Harvard University labs. On lockdown.

Ethan gawks at the screen with wide eyes and his pulse immediately picks up.

"Isn't Serena at Harvard labs today?"

~~~~~~

Disclaimer: I know Ethan starts his day and gets to the hospital at an ungodly hour, but let's ignore that bc I am my MC is not a morning person 😅

[writingsfromhome]

Bad Timing II

A/N: I’m just about finished the whole series and I’m excited for you to read this! <3 Sorry for the late upload, I started a new semester and had zero time to write but I worked on this all weekend. I’m curious to know if your opinions on Harry change after this part, the next part’s going to be packed but this is an in-between. Thanks as always for reading <333

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

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

I lay awake in bed, staring at the blank ceiling before my phone’s constant buzzing forces me up. A couple voicemails, and a single text from Harry: GM, call me if you need anything.

I stare at it longer than I should, the audacity to think we were fine enough to text me so casually. But there was some small solace in knowing he took the extra step to let me know. Ugh; my head injury was more serious than the medic diagnosed. I throw my phone on the bed and head downstairs where I’m surprised to see him gone. It was only 8am and I needed a coffee, otherwise I would not make it through the day. When I see the pot of coffee half full, I stop in my tracks. Harry made coffee before he left. I touch the pot and it’s still warm, he couldn’t have left that long ago.

I open the dishwasher that I’d loaded last night only to find it empty. I stand straight, hand on my hips--had he unloaded the dishes too? How did I not wake up to the noise? How did he even know where everything went?!

Maybe he wasn’t such a dense detective after all, the thought makes me smile. I look around the room and notice he’d tidied up from last night, and folded everything away on the couch he slept on. I take my coffee to the couch and without thinking, hug the pillow to my face and inhale. The strong scent of his aftershave sends a sharp and painful jolt to my memories. What the hell was I doing?

I drop the pillow and settle on my kitchen table, responding to some emails while I make a game plan for the day, shaking off the claustrophobic feeling I got thinking about going back to work. I finish the last of the coffee and start moving, shower, dress appropriately, pack my laptop...I just had to keep busy so I wouldn’t have time to think about it.

***

“We’re here for you, whatever you need,” the regional manager lets me know during the meeting. I’d learned post-trauma policies the bank had. I was sorry to know them, I really just wanted to put the whole thing behind me. I tell her that. “Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. We do require you to go to at least one counseling session, your employees have got to go to a group meet with a licensed therapist so you can all discuss this and get over the awful event.”

“I see,” I chew my lower lip. I didn’t want to talk to anyone about the way I jumped at every little thing and stared down each and every stranger on the tube on my way in today. I felt crazy. Maybe I did need a shrink. “I’ll include that in the memo I guess. Thanks again for all the support and the resources-”

“That’s my job, our job.” She motions to the man sitting beside her who hadn’t actually said much the whole time. We talk for a little while longer, and by the time they leave I’m exhausted. But I make the trek to the hospital to visit Cole like I told him I would.

***

The weekend flies by: I take the train to visit my dad up north and let him take care of me like I was a kid again. It was nice to unwind, I thought, I should visit my dad more often.

But come Monday, I’m back in my pantsuit ready to get on with my life. I try not to think about Thursday too hard but it’s difficult when first thing that morning, a therapist shows up for a group session. Most of my employees look anxious to be here, but I watch their shoulders relax as they discuss what happened. Watching everyone bond brings a lightness to the heaviness that sat in my chest: it was good.

“Ms. Y/L/N? When can we schedule a one-on-one?” The therapist stops me at the end of the session.

“I think this session helped a lot,” I put on a big smile. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

She smiles politely, as if she expected this, “It’s a requirement for back-to-work. I have time right now if you’d like, I’m not seeing another employee until lunch.”

“Um,” I look to where everyone mingles, comforting each other and breaking off into groups. If I had to talk about it in order to work, and work is the only thing to help me get my mind off of it...I guess I had no choice. “Let’s do it now.”

But an hour later and I’ve mostly just talked her ear off about Harry showing up, how awful my luck was that he would be the lead detective on the case, how much damage he’d done to me. How he appeared on one of the worst days of my life again.

“It’s almost a sign,” I ramble. “Like...what are the odds?!”

“Do you still have feelings for him?” She asks, looking like she knew the answer.

“No,” I scoff. “I hate him. He broke my trust!” And my heart.

“Those are feelings,” she says wisely. 

“Well sure, yeah, I have negative feelings towards him. Why wouldn’t I?”

She pauses, a very pregnant pause. “It’s been almost 4 years right? Usually, those feelings start to...dissolve into a more neutral ground when you...receive closure. You take time to grieve, to sit in the wound in your heart, but then you pick yourself up and try to heal. It seems like you’ve just told yourself you were healed and got on.”

“I am healed,” I insist.

“Just like you started this sessions by letting me know you were over the trauma that happened to you a few days ago?” She asks. I avoid her gaze. “When I asked about Thursday, you said you were ‘over it’ and you just wanted to focus on work but you’re not giving yourself closure. Likewise, with Harry. You haven’t found closure even after all these years.”

I stare at her, she’d sliced right into a vulnerable part of me--I’d led her there, I realise. It was something I knew all along, I just didn’t want to point at it alone.

“You’re right...I feel like I never got closure.” I confess. “How? I just want to know h-how he could’ve left me for another woman after all those years together--as lovers and as friends? He was there when mum...he was there through hell. And then he put me through hell.”

“I’d like to believe Harry showing up on a...hellish day is a sign like you say. But maybe a sign you need closure. Talk to him, ask him what you need to know in order to close that chapter of your life.”

I exhale, the idea of it making me feel claustrophobic. She wanted me to open myself up to him again and invite him to hurt my feelings? I try to ask her more but she looks at her watch. We’d gone over.

I thank her and walk out with a weight on my back that feels bigger than the one I went in with. I thought therapy was supposed to make me feel lighter.

***

I’m hiding behind my desk as the footsteps get closer and closer to the door. I clutch the knife in my hand and-

“Y/N!”

I jump up out of sleep, and open my eyes to my office. I stare at the table in front of me where the papers I used as a pillow are rumpled.

“Y/N? You have a call on-”

“Adam,” I look at my assistant. He’d been really quiet today and I was worried about him but there was so much to catch up on I hadn’t had the chance to talk to him. “Sorry I...haven’t been sleeping well.”

“I’m sorry Y/N...the detective’s on the line he insisted he talk-”

I roll my eyes and answer the phone, motioning for Adam I’d be okay. He hesitates at the door before closing it tightly behind him.

“Y/N?” Harry’s breathless voice answers irritably on the other line.

“Harry? Why are you calling me at work?” I ask, still sleepy from the nap. Is this about the case?”

“No it’s about your things at the station, it was processed--we couldn’t find anything useful so we’re returning this batch. And I think some of it belongs to your staff? Did you want to pick it up or should I drop it off to yo-”

“I’ll pick it up,” I wanted to make it clear that Harry in my space wasn’t going to be a normal thing. “I’ll head out in a bit, can I just collect it at reception?”

“They’ll buzz you through to me, I’ve gotta go-”

“Just leave it with reception...” I say to dead air. He’d already hung up. Damn.

***

“I’m here for some things, it was taken for evidence?” I say to the woman at reception.

“You’ll have to be more specific love,” she raises an eyebrow. “A lot happens here.”

“The bank rob-”

“Ah, Harry’s case. I’ll buzz you through-”

“No I thought maybe I could collect it here uh-” I look for a nameplate. “Serena, listen, I’m in a rush so is there any way for you to get it-”

The phone ringing cuts me off. She holds up her finger and I stand tapping my foot. She rolls her eyes at whoever was on the other line, motions that they were chatty and points to the glass doors. I sigh, I guess I was seeing Harry. I think about my therapist and cringe, I couldn’t.

When I walk in, I scan the room for Harry but I don’t spot him anywhere. I walk awkwardly until someone asks if they could help but they point to his desk and tell me I could wait there.

“I’m actually here to pick up some evidence, couldn’t you just give it to me?”

“He’s the lead officer, he’s got to sign off--”

“Fine,” I hated the bloody bureaucracy around here. I go to where he points and sit in Harry’s chair, ignoring the looks from people around me. I toy with the pen and doodle on an empty paper. Y/N was here I write and smile, it was juvenile.

“Y/N! Sorry! Nobody told me you were here.” Harry shows up a few minutes later. He opens the bottom drawer and takes out a nondescript cardboard box. If I knew if was down there I would’ve left a long time ago. “Just need you to sign this.”

“Okay,” I sign where he points and reach for the box. “I’ll grab that, thank you.”

“Can I walk you out?” He fiddles with his phone.

“Will you take no for an answer?”

“Nope,” he’s all teeth when he smiles. I sigh and walk in front of him. It’s weirdly silent but I notice he was typing on his phone when I look over.

“Well...g’night then.” I say at the door but he pushes it open and walks out with me.

He finally puts his phone away and asks. “Are you alright? Have you gone back to work?”

“Yeah,” I chew at my bottom lip, nervous. “We’re really sticking together, trying to get through it.”

“That’s good. That’s how it should be.” He waits a beat. “We’ve been trying to catch the robbers, they hit up another bank so it’s hell inside. That’s why I was so busy.”

“Another?” My heart plummets, and my palms feel slick.

“Yeah but we’re working as fast as we can. So...uh, did you need anything from me before you go?”

“I...” I think about the therapist’s words and chew my lower lip. I try to work up the courage. Fuck it, I realise. I had nothing to lose. “I do...actually.”

“Oh,” he looks surprised. “Good, what’s that?”

“I want to talk, about us. I...I need like, closure Harry. I think I deserve an explanation about...” I trail off as I notice him staring at me blankly. “What?”

His blank expression settles into confusion. “What’s more to explain Y/N. I’ve told you everything, I-I dunno. I thought one day we could get together like old friends, but it’s obvious you’re still upset with everything and I don’t know what more I can say? I said everything in that letter but if-”

“The letter?” I ask sharply, cutting off his chatter.

“Yeah, the one I wrote you after we...after you moved out?” When I don’t react he continues: “I dropped it off at your sister’s the week after you cleaned out your things? You didn’t...read it?” He looks hurt, if that was possible all these years later.

“I...did. Obviously I just...had some questions.” My heart races; what letter? He wrote me a letter?

“So what do you want to ask?” He looks at me curiously, concern etched in his brows. “I would like to talk actually-”

“Now’s not a good time,” I cut him off again. I had to know about this letter first. I can’t believe I walked into this blind. “I’ve actually had a long day, this is--we can do this another time, okay? Thanks for...walking me out.”

***

The first thing I do when I get home is call my sister. I can sniff her guilt a whole country away.

“Y/N, you were heartbroken! Y-you didn’t need to have it broken all over again reading his stupid letter! I was looking out for you!”

“That wasn’t your call!” I raise my voice. “I’ve been...I haven’t had closure all this time! I thought he didn’t even care enough to try to explain it to me and you knew he sent a letter this whole time?”

“Well when he showed up to the flat I wasn’t about to-”

“When did he come to the flat?” I wanted to strangle my sisters and her protective instincts.

“After you moved your things out. He wanted to see you and I knew you were a mess, I told him you never wanted to speak to him. I was looking out for you babe I-I didn’t even realise I was keeping you from closure I just...I didn’t want you hurting. Don’t be mad.”

I swallow the lump in my throat, she was right. It was Harry who hurt me, and I shouldn’t take it out on her. “I know. I know. I’m sorry for yelling I just-I wish I could read that letter.”

“I’m sorry,” she sniffs. “I should’ve given it to you once you moved out...I still have it though. I think I tucked it into my old yearbook. D’you want me to...”

“Mail it? Yes, as soon as possible please. I need to know what he wrote.”

“What if you just get hurt all over again?” she asks.

“I’ve been hurting, I don’t think his outdated explanation will hurt any more. Just please mail it the first chance you get okay?”

I was so close to it, I think. I had to get that letter. I needed closure. I deserved it. And just knowing I could get it, it’s almost like I was waking up in a dark tunnel I hadn’t realised I was in this whole time. I knew where I was, and I could see light on the horizon.

H POV:

The last time I had a full night’s sleep was on Y/N’s couch, this case was a lot bigger than we thought. It wasn’t just a robbery at one branch, these same people have hit up two other places in the last few days and they were good. The worst part was they weren’t afraid to use a gun.

“Chief,” one of the constables comes up to my desk, where I’d been staring at footage for the last hour. “There’s been um, there’s a problem-”

“Spit it out,” I say, eyes still on the screen.

“The evidence you released on Monday...blokes down in evidence can’t find the SIM from the scene...we think they accidentally left it with that batch.”

I look up from my screen and I can practically see the sweat breaking out on his brow as I stare. If that was important evidence, we’d misplaced it at the height of an investigation. My arse would be on the line too--it was my name on the authorization letter.

“Don’t panic until we’re sure it’s not with the evidence we gave out,” I get up and put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m looking into it right now, don’t let anybody know it’s happened.”

I grab my jacket from my chair and root in the pocket for my phone but Y/N’s number goes to voicemail. I curse. I look at the time, it was 6 already. I had a feeling she might kill me but I would have to drive to her place, I hoped she didn’t leave the evidence at work...after all I did tell her to return it to her employees...I have the brief thought of asking her in the morning but I remember my arse on the line and walk quicker.

“Woah, someone’s in a hurry,” Detective Cole comments as I rush past her. “Not even a hello.”

“Sorry,” I flash her a smile. “Urgent!”

“Need any help?”

I pause long enough to turn around and answer. “Normally I would say yes but I’ve got to do this.”

“Don’t let me keep ya,” she smiles, I notice Serena eyeing the both of us suspiciously as she packs up for the day. She was always trying to convince me to ask her on a date, but I was done with dating coworkers after I made the mistake of marrying one and breaking up quickly thereafter in the past. I’d changed careers quickly after that.

Y/N’s POV:

“Oh my god,” I stop in the middle of my bedroom as my sister reveals her big news over Facetime, an ultrasound held up to the camera. “Oh my god!”

“I know!” She squeals.

“I-I-you’re pregnant!” I was shocked, I didn’t even know my sister was trying for a third kid. “You better give me a bloody niece this time!”

My sister laughs, one hand on her belly. I should’ve known, I realise, she’d been cryptic the last few times we talked, dropping clue, but I’d been so wrapped up in other things I didn’t pick up on them. “It wasn’t even planned but Y/N, it feels right. The boys are stoked--they want a sister too.”

“I am so happy for you and Stu,” I let out a whoop. “I wish I could hug you! I’m going to book some time next month and come see you--this is big! Did you tell dad?”

“Not yet, don’t say anything--oh,” a cry bursts out from somewhere on her end. She rolls her eyes and tells me she would call me back. But I get a text to say there was an accident with a toy truck and a jug of OJ, she would call me back later in the evening when everything was settled.

I throw my phone down on my bed and sit on the edge in my robe, I’d just come out of the shower to my sister’s call. I was over the moon for her, but it was times like these I felt like an awful person. Because as I think about her happy news, I put my hand to my own belly and imagine what it would’ve been like to be the one calling family with good news. The familiar ache in my chest comes back, once upon a time I did have good news for a short period of time.

It was a few months before Harry and I split, I’d skipped a period and went immediately to the pharmacy. I’d decided to wait for a week before I would tell Harry because he was stressed from work. He was always stressed at that job, but I wanted it to be perfect. I’d spent the whole week stopping by nursery stores, browsing baby books, even buying a few onesies and the cutest booties I couldn’t put down. I picture the baby--mine and Harry’s, wearing them.

But the day I’d planned to tell him, I’d woken up and knew instantly something was wrong. I never told him, I fought with him that day instead...I couldn’t even remember over what. I held the awful burden on my own, packed the future I couldn’t have into a little box and shoved it under the bed. A few months later, Harry and I were over. That future was as fragile as the paper-thin wings of a butterfly, one that would never take flight.

I do what I did on my darkest days, I root underneath my bed and pull out the box.

I still had it; it was morbid, holding on to a future that was deader than dead. But I hold it in my lap, and run my hands over each piece of clothing. I imagine just for a moment what I could have had, they would’ve been 3 and I would’ve been a mum. My chest tightens, and I squeeze the items closer.

H’s POV:

By the time I get to Y/N’s, I’d stress-sang so many 90s hits that most of my nervous energy had streamed out the car window. I gather myself, clear my hoarse throat, and knock; ready to be beheaded. When there’s no answer, my nerves return. I knock louder, and try to peer through the frosty window.

“Harry?” Y/N opens the door in a flourish, looking fresh from a shower. I try to block the visuals that spring to mind, my mind blanking as I try to remember what I had to say. “Hello? Harry? Why are you here?”

“Uhm,” I shake my head. “Urgent business--the evidence I gave you on Monday, please tell me you still have it?”

Her eyebrows furrow, “You’re knocking on my door at nearly 7 for evidence you returned to me?”

“It’s urgent,” I look around out of habit. “Y/N, we may have accidentally given you something with the evidence we were meant to keep--please I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important. I’m not messing with you, this is my head on the chopping block--I need to know if you have it.”

“For fuck’s sake Harry,” she opens the door wider. “Just...come in.”

“You have it?” I step in eagerly and close the door behind me, basking in the warmth inside. It was a chilly spring evening.

“I haven’t touched it since I brought it home, I threw it somewhere in my room.”

“Didn’t it...have your employees’ personal items in it?” I ask cautiously.

“It’s not like they’re eager to have reminders of that day!” she snaps and I back down. She turns in a flourish of her robes and walks upstairs. She doesn’t say anything so I follow her up, drinking in every detail I can about her new life as we pass through.

She’s headed into her bedroom when her phone buzzes. I recognize her sister from the contact photo that takes up the screen. She glances at me, and back at the phone, making a decision.

“It’s beside the dresser, don’t make a sound or my sister will come here in record time to rip your head off.”

“I take it she doesn’t like me,” I try to joke.

“She’s not the only Y/L/N sister that doesn’t like you,” she puts a finger to her mouth and takes the call into the other room.

Maybe I should stop cracking jokes with Y/N, I think. It was clear she still hadn’t forgiven me. I was surprised she still held on as vehemently all these years later.

I head into her bedroom, a tidy and plain room. Compared to what I’d seen of her main floor, her bedroom looked like it belonged in a hotel. I spot the box almost immediately resting between a laundry hamper and her dresser. I pick it up but on the way back, the box on her bed catches my attention. The lid is half on, and I know I shouldn’t but something almost possesses my hand to nudge the lid aside. I stare and what’s inside the box sends me reeling; like I was seasick, but with both feet firmly on the ground. The feeling punches me directly into a past I’d abandoned. A future I abandoned too.

When Y/N finds me a few minutes later, I’m holding the shoes from the box in my hands. She stops beside me. I look to her and her face is frozen in fear, before it shuts down into anger--no, fury.

“What the fuck are you doing going through that?” she snatches the shoes out of my hand and picks the box up.

“Y/N,” I say gently. “What...what is all this?”

“Did you find your stupid box? Just--” her eyes search the room frantically and settles on the evidence box on the bed. She picks it up and shoves it into my chest. “Take it and go Harry, I don’t want t-to talk. To you. Please just--” her voice breaks.

“Okay I’ll go I just...” my heart feels heavier than lead and I want to say the perfect thing to her but nothing comes out. When she shoves me I scuttle out. I hear the sob that escapes her as soon as I exit into the hallway, I almost turn to go back in and offer comfort. But I couldn’t comfort her, not since the day I gave up on her. I walk to my car, not even relieved to have the evidence. I don’t know how long I sit in the car and think about the contents of that box: folded in neat piles were baby onesies, bibs, and a pair of tiny shoes. Remnants from a broken past, a broken promise.

I wasn’t an idiot, and I wasn’t heartless despite what Y/N thought. I know what my selfish actions did to her, I know how I’d fucked her up without meaning to. But it’s only now that the weight of it settles entirely on my shoulders. How many years has it been, and that small box of new onesies stayed under her bed. Her room might’ve looked sterile and fresh but its corners held heavier burdens than I thought were possible. A new feeling of shame blooms from within me, and it stays like a bad aftertaste.

***Y/N POV:

I was going to read that letter, find my closure, and burn everything from my past ceremonially in a bonfire, I think as I watch the trees in my backyard rustle with the morning wind. It had been a few days but I couldn’t even focus on him finding that box, the humiliation of watching him look up at me with confusion and pity...it was enough he’d broken my heart, but now he felt sorry for me too. I focus back on the greenery while my fingers toy with the letter that’d come in the mail, a few years late.

The envelope looked worse for wear but it was still as sealed as the day Harry had written it. I hesitate, trace my fingers over my name on the front. A memory comes rushing to me, Harry in my dorm writing silly things on my post-its and sticking it in places I wouldn’t find until he’d left. Like under my covers, or inside my closet door. They would be silly like

Y/N smells like farts

or cheesy like

have a terrific day

. I usually tossed them, other I’d tucked between classroom textbooks. I wonder what happened to them.

Finally, I work up the courage to slide my finger under the seal and break it open. Two pages fall out, his distinct writing halfway between cursive and chicken scratch covers both pages. I read:

Y/N

You’re probably wondering why you’re reading this--I don’t think I deserve your consideration for even a moment let alone for enough time it will take for you to read this. Yet I want so badly for you to read this, to just know I didn’t mean for this to happen to us. And I know you think I’m the one who did it to us, but I need to explain.

You always told me I was good with my words, that maybe I was an artist in another life--a poet you liked to say. But every time I try to find the right words to say to you, English may as well not be my first language. I should have tried harder, should have found the right words for months but I kept putting it off until it was too late.

You are and will always be my best friend first, Y/N, I know I’ve broken your trust but I care about you deeply. I just wasn’t happy. And that had to do with the road we were going down together, not you. I’m deeply sorry for the words I said that day, for how I’ve made you feel these last few months. I guess, ultimately, I was being selfish. And I don’t have an excuse for that. I fucked this up but I wasn’t happy and I was taking it out on you, and on us. I used the things we couldn’t have as an excuse, but I’m not happy where I am in my life. And that’s something I need to find; I need to figure out what I really want.

I can only hope we’ll circle back to each other one day, in the future, when we’re in better places. But I don’t think we were right like this, maybe it’s bad timing, or maybe there’s a blanket over us much too heavy for us to find comfort under. I’m sorry for leaving us like this and for breaking your trust but I need to do this.

Know you’re perfect as you are, right now, there’s absolutely nothing about you I would ever change. I, on the other hand, have a lot of changing to do.

I wish you nothing but the best, you deserve the whole bloody world Y/N, but I don’t think I can give that to you. I hope one day, you can find it in your heart to forgive me. For now, know I love you and I’m truly sorry.

Harry, xx

My finger brushes over the last line, I take myself back to the Y/N and Harry four years ago--and it’s not so hard to do. I lived there more often than I’d like to admit. But I picture us, I picture Harry sitting down to write this. How might I have taken this if I read it all those years ago? I picture myself dissolving into tears--maybe my sister was right in not showing me.

I also imagine I would have known why, and maybe I wouldn’t be where I was right now if I’d had that closure.

But even all these years later, the tears stream down my face as if it were just yesterday Harry handed the letter over to my protective sister. There was so much hurt and heaviness, looking at it from the perspective I had now...I see a glimmer of truth in Harry’s letter. We’d worked wonderfully as best friends, and our intimacy was comforting. But we were also two people being pulled in two directions while clinging onto what we thought would keep us happy. It didn’t mean I forgave him for what he did, how he did it. But I finally understood why.

All this time, I asked why--I wondered if there was something I could’ve done to have fixed it before he left. I see now, he’d wanted an out the whole time. Nothing would have fixed us except time apart. I still felt like shit, but this epiphany made me feel closer to the closure I needed. The light on the horizon grows a little brighter. We’d just had bad timing.

***

I feel bright and chipper Monday morning; a sunny morning and a weekend of closure could do that to a woman. I bring along with me a box of treats; it had been a week since the horrible robbery. We’d put some precautions in since, had the therapist stay a few more days, a few of the employees decided to transfer and as sad as I was to see them go I knew it was the right thing for them to do to feel better. As for myself, I forgot about it most of the time. But it would creep in every so often and freeze me up.

I spoke to the company’s therapist once more after Monday, she’d asked about Harry and I had told her about the letter. She was intrigued but quickly changed the topic to how I was feeling after the events of last Thursday.

“Y/N?” Adam walks into the staff room as I finish the note to accompany the treats. “What’s all this?”

“Treats to cheer everyone up! Not that sweet fried dough is going to erase everyone’s PTSD...” I try to make a joke but Adam’s face is tense like it’d been since that day. “Adam I’m teasing...have you um, have you talked to someone one-on-one?”

“Me? Why?” He jumps. “I’m fine, I’m alright it’s mostly out of my head anyway.”

“Hm,” I look him up and down. “I don’t believe you but I’ll let it drop...for now.”

He fidgets with his hands, “Anyway I came in here to let you know the detective on the case called first thing about returning some evidence-”

“I can’t pick that up.” I say finitely. “Do you have room today? Maybe take an extended lunch and pick that up?”

“From the station?” he stutters.

“Is that where he said it was?”

“Uh yeah, yes. He wanted you to pick it up.”

“Well DCI Styles won’t get what he wants for once, you’ll pick it up at lunch okay? Just keep me posted.”

I go back to my office with a coffee and get a crack on with my work. I check for any updates on the client from last Thursday but I continue to receive the automated email that their office was closed for the week. It was weird, but I just make a note to follow up later on.

After lunch, Adam appears shaken, with the evidence. I instruct him to leave it in the staff room and send out an email, making sure to remind them that they didn’t have to go through it if they didn’t want to. I would keep it there until it was cleared out, even if that took the month. I think about my scarf in there, the one used to tie my hands. I wanted to burn it, never see it again. I send Adam a quick email to remove it from the box and dispose of it.

H’s POV:

“This just doesn’t make any sense,” I comb my fingers through my hair, as if it might trick my brain into seeing the pattern here. “This same group’s hit four places total, and yet Y/N...the HSBC was the first. There’s got to be a connection there, it’s here but I just can’t see it.”

“Harry,” Detective Cole puts her hand on my shoulder briefly before moving it away. “Maybe you need a break, I don’t think I’ve seen you go home the last few days and your shirt’s a bit...ripe. Maybe take the rest of the day off?”

I sniff myself, she was right. She shrugs with a I had to say it look.

She was right too that I hadn’t gone home. I did almost nothing but focus on this case, not only because it was growing bigger by the day and I had pressure from upstairs. But it was a welcome distraction to the new guilt that seemed to jam every other area of my life.

It was almost like I was reliving a timeline, going back three or so years ago. It felt like Y/N and I were freshly broken up, and I was trying to pick myself back up from it. Except that’s not the way it went all those years ago--I’d moved on, quickly then. But now, time was catching up. Or maybe it was karma.

“Earth to Harry?” Cole waves her hand in front of my face. “You really should go home.”

“Yep,” I scratch my stubble. I should shave too. “I’ll just drop by evidence before I go.”

She looks like she was going to say something but she gets up from the chair beside my desk, and walks back to her own. I sigh, sifting through the files on my desk to take home with me. My notepad underneath shifts and I spot Y/N’s familiar writing: Y/N was here. I run my finger over it and smile, remembering how she had written that on the baseboard of every flat or dorm room we’d left. And just like that, the guilt and shame take the memory’s place. How the fuck was I supposed get past this and focus, I think.

I shove my files into a bag and head out. Evidence tells me there wasn’t a lot on the sim card but they were still trying. I ask for an email if anything comes to light, and go home where I fall asleep before my head hits the pillow.

i meant to take a short nap, but I wake at 4am and my mind’s buzzing with so many thoughts that I have nothing else to do but get up, eat a mashup of breakfast and last night’s dinner. With nothing more to do, and 6am creeping up, I decide to get in my car and drive while the roads were somewhat clear.

Driving helped me think sometimes, on my worst case after my promotion, I’d gotten on the road one night and driven all the way to Leicaster. After a night’s rest in a hotel and the drive back home, I’d cracked the case. But this time, with my thoughts racing, I end up driving to Y/N neighbourhood on autopilot. Maybe because she was on my mind, the guilt a constant companion since that day.

I park on the other side of her street, and watch her front door from the rearview. I don’t know why I was there, it felt ridiculous and creepy. Yet, I couldn’t leave. Maybe I could offer her a ride to work, I think. But I know she would decline because she didn’t even come in herself to collect her evidence. She’d sent her awkward assistant instead.

Her door suddenly opens, and a strange man walks out. She leans on the doorframe and laughs at something he says. He leaves a kiss on her cheek and walks away. She shouts something after him and he turns, saying something back that gets her laughing. My heart races, seeing her face in the distance wrinkle with laughter. I remember all the times I could get her to do that, effortlessly. The guilt returns tenfold.

He adjusts his coat, turning back around and she watches him fondly for a few seconds longer before closing her door. I’m suddenly irritated, immediately suspicious of this bloke. I watch, unblinking, until he turns the corner out of sight. Who was he? Her boyfriend?

I look at the time on the dashboard, 7:08am. I sit, indecisive for another half an hour. My thoughts churn: the robberies, the motives, Y/N, the worn out box with baby clothes, her male guest who’d spent the night, the look on her face when she’d woken up after her concussion and saw me: disbelief, anger, and sadness.

I get out of the stuffy car and walk across the street where I hesitate outside her door. I knew I was crossing a line, pushing a boundary she put up by not picking up the evidence herself. She’d made it clear what she wanted, but I never denied that I was a selfish bastard. I raise my hand, and knock.

[fanficimagery]

Cheap Thrills

Summary: Imagine receiving drunk text messages from a random number. Even when you make it known you're not who the person is looking for, the texts keep coming. And it's not until you make a post about the texts, complete with screenshots, do you find out who it is.

Words: 3.9K Warnings: None that I can think of.

[From XXX-XXX-XXXX]: u awake? [From XXX-XXX-XXXX]: miss u [From XXX-XXX-XXXX]: can i come over? [From XXX-XXX-XXXX]: hello?

You read the texts, snorting at the poor unfortunate individual who typed in the wrong number. Thumbs tapping out a message of your own, you send it before getting back to your movie.

[To XXX-XXX-XXXX]: i'm sure whoever you're trying to reach misses you too? But sorry to say you have the wrong number.

The random number doesn't text you back so you continue on with your night as if nothing had happened. But the next morning, when you wake up, you find yet another text message from the random number.

[From XXX-XXX-XXXX]: i am so sorry about those texts. I was drunk.

[To XXX-XXX-XXXX]: lol it's alright. You're forgiven.

You've had random numbers text you from time to time, but never a number that texts you in a drunken stupor yet again even after you've told them they had the wrong number. So the following night, you're surprised to see the stranger's number pop up again.

[From XXX-XXX-XXXX]: what r u doin?

[To XXX-XXX-XXXX]: umm…

[From XXX-XXX-XXXX]: r u a chick or a dude lol..

You snort. Of course. It's definitely a guy texting because had it been a drunk female there's no way she'd care to find out the gender. She'd most likely just text to her heart's content before passing out without a care in the world whether it was a guy or girl listening to her rant.

[To XXX-XXX-XXXX]: chick.

[From XXX-XXX-XXXX]: yess! Boyfriend?

[To XXX-XXX-XXXX]: jesus. You're really in top form tonight, aren't you?

[From XXX-XXX-XXXX]: baby i'm in top form every night ;)

[To XXX-XXX-XXXX]: and on that note, I'm out. Don't forget to chug some water before bed, Stranger Danger.

The texts continue the following weekend, the drunken stranger flirting to his heart's content. He's funny, is definitely down to cuddle, and really wants to spend the night though he has no clue who you are. You had asked for a name, but never got an answer. You weren't too alarmed about not knowing it since he was never really serious about coming over (at least you hoped not), but your curiosity ended up getting the better of you.

So after screenshotting a couple pages, you post them to Twitter after blacking out every number but the last four with the caption: Get you a stranger who'll drunk text you even after explaining you're not who he's looking for..

You weren't really expecting the screenshots to blow up the way they did, nor for anyone to actually know your drunken stranger, but sure enough a week later you're receiving private messages from none other than David Dobrik himself.

Planning to meet David Dobrik leaves you feeling a bit anxious, but you calm when he tells you his assistant Natalie will be joining him. So after hastily making some plans, you agree on meeting in a public park where there will be others around to make you feel a bit more comfortable.

You choose a pretty shaded spot beneath a tree in clear view of everyone milling about the park, and plop down with an assortment of snacks as you wait for David and Natalie to show up. Fortunately for you, you don't have to wait long. Natalie video calls you to find exactly where you're at and when she does it's not long before you're meeting them face to face.

David's already giggling and recording when he steps up to you, and you can't help but smile in return as you stand to greet them. "Hey. So, uh, it's cool to meet you guys." You briefly hug each of them before gesturing for them to sit with you.

"Likewise," David says. He and Natalie sit, and you offer them some of your snacks which Natalie readily digs in to. "So not to be rude and rush you, but can I please see the texts?"

You chuckle. "Yeah." Bringing forth your phone, you pull up the numerous texts from the number David claims to know. As you pass him your phone, you ask, "So you gonna tell me who Stranger Danger finally is?"

Natalie's eyes widen before she swats at David's arm. "You haven't told her?!"

"Ow! What?"

"David," she sighs.

You watch them, grinning. "I mean I kind of understood why David waited, but I'm really curious as to which one of your friends is thirsty as fuck to be texting a stranger."

David laughs as he continues to read. "Did he really say I'll show you mine if you show me yours?"

You grimace. "Yeah. Even sent me a dick pic which is why I tell him that I don't wanna see the peen a few texts down."

"Oh my god," Natalie muses. "He didn't."

"He did. Now can I please know whose penis I have seared into my brain?"

Natalie facepalms as David says, "Toddy."

"Toddy?" You brow furrows as you try to recall which one Toddy is. It isn't until Natalie shows you a picture of Toddy on her own phone do your eyes widen. "Oh. Oh wow."

David snorts and Natalie winks as she puts her phone away. "So you never once asked what he looked like?" She then asks as David screenshots everything he can before airdropping the pictures to his own phone.

"I mean I didn't really care about what he looked like," you shrug. "I found amusement in the texts and it surprised me that he continued to text every time he got drunk. I asked for a name eventually, but he never gave one."

"So he doesn't know your name or what you look like?" David asks, finally looking up at you.

"Nope."

He slowly smiles and Natalie groans. "I know that look. I hate that look. What are you thinking?"

David giggles. "I'm thinking of surprising Todd." You must make a face because David's quick to finish explaining. "It'll just be us and Todd. We can all hang out at my place and if the others show up, they show up. It'll be fine."

"I- I mean.." You trail off, glancing at Natalie. "What do you think? You've got a clearer head on your shoulders."

"Hey!"

Natalie huffs a small laugh. "It could be fun," she then says with a small shrug. "Todd will definitely find it funny, especially since you exposed him on Twitter. He'll also be happy that you're cute."

You blush as they stare at you, anxiously awaiting your answer. And after taking a moment to think about it, you sigh. "What the hell. Let's do it."

David cheers and they waste no time in helping you gather your trash. David offers for Natalie to drive his car while he drives with you, and she agrees. Then on the way to his house, David records some more to get more of your story for his vlog.

He finds out you're single to which he ooh's at and casually mentions that Todd is single as well, and is quite fascinated to learn that you think his friend is hot. You laugh and end up blushing, so to make you feel a little better he mentions that you're his friend's type as well. But all too soon you're pulling up to David's house where he's instructing you to park behind the safety of his gate.

You've seen his house in several of his videos, but it still leaves you awestruck as they lead you inside. All shoes are left by the front door and you can't help but stare at the ridiculously large bean bag chair when you enter the living room.

"Dibs."

"On?" David asks, he and Natalie immediately plopping down on the couch and stretching out on opposite ends.

"The bean bag." You cautiously take a seat and let yourself sink into it, smiling at David's giggling. Once you're completely laid back and curled up, you sigh in contentment. "I definitely need to invest in one of these."

"It really is comfortable." David taps away on his phone, humming. "So Todd should be here in a couple of hours. Does anyone want to order food while we wait?"

"Food. Yes!" Natalie groans.

"Does anyone deliver a good burger? I am so down for a burger and fries," you grumble.

David turns on his TV while Natalie orders the food. Bohemian Rhapsody is on and you urgently plead for David to leave it on that. He does and you have no shame in singing along or clapping to the Queen songs. The We Will Rock You scene leads you to performing your own rendition of the song, and both David and Natalie crack up when you sing the entire song from heart.

The food eventually gets there and you all take a seat at the kitchen counters. However, not even halfway through with your food, Todd texts David that he's outside.

"Oh shit, Y/N. Hide!" David tells you.

You nearly fall off your stool to which Natalie nearly chokes on her food laughing at, but she's quick to help you into the guest bathroom that's just around the corner. She leaves you alone and rejoins David, and it's not long before a third voice enters the mix.

          ----------

Todd walks into the kitchen, yawning and ruffling his hair. He nods at Natalie as she washes a few dishes to place in the dishwasher, and then takes a seat next to David who has his camera set up across from him.

"So what's going on?" He asks, stealing a french fry from the tray in front of him.

"I called you over here because I want to hear your side of the story," David informs him, slowly grinning.

Todd freezes, nervously chuckling as Natalie smirks at him. "About?"

"About this." David pulls up tweet that went viral, showing Toddy the screenshots of his text messages.

"She didn't," Todd exclaims, laughing. "Fuck. She did!"

"You've been exposed," Natalie muses. "How does it feel?"

"How did you even find these? Or even connect them back to me," Todd then wonders. "Wait does she have a pic?"

"No," David laughs, taking back his phone. "And I know it's you because the last four digits are the exact same as yours, and when I DM'd her I confirmed that the number she had was the same one I had for you. It was a long shot really, but I'm glad I took that leap of faith."

"You talked to her?!"

"Yeah. She's really cool. I think you'd like her."

"Really?"

"Really," Natalie agrees. "And if you keep eating her food, she's going to murder you."

          ----------

"And if you keep eating her food, she’s going to murder you."

"My food?" You mumble. But then Natalie's words click and your eyes widen. You can hear Todd beginning to ask something, but you throw open the door and march out towards the kitchen. "Not another bite, Stranger Danger!"

Todd nearly falls off the stool from where he whirls around so fast and you can't help but laugh. He's surprised, but beams a moment later, and you slowly walk towards him.

"You're the- you're her?"

"Yep." You stop a few feet in front of him. "And you're him- the drunk texter."

"Holy shit." He laughs, shaking his head at David whose recording it all, and then asks you, "Can I hug you? Is that weird?"

"You've sent me a dick pic, man. There's no getting more weird than that."

The tips of Todd's ears burn red as he moves in for a hug and you embrace him briefly. When he lets go, however, he keeps one arm around your shoulders as he faces David's camera once more. "So how much of my texts have you actually seen?"

"Everything but the picture," David giggles. "Y/N deleted it."

"Y/N?" Todd then glances down at you.

"Yep. And you're Todd. It's nice to officially meet you."

"Aw. Aren't you two adorable," David teases. "Now come on. Let's move this to the living room. It's getting weird just standing around."

"Wait. Hold on." You scurry forward and grab up your half eaten burger, taking one last big bite from it before heading towards the living room.

Todd watches you go, gaze adoringly watching your every step. "Marry me."

With bulging cheeks, you wink and continue on.

David and Natalie retake their spots on the couch, and the bean bag is so large that Todd throws himself next to you after you've settled down. The problem with the bean bag, however, is that you end up sliding towards Todd since he's heavier. He winks when you bump into him and you huff a laugh, but you get settled either way and pull out your phone to give you something to do.

Todd, you find out, is an Instagram hoe and you find yourself taking numerous selfies with him- some with filters and some without. You're even in his Instastories, laughing and trying to cover your face, but it's no use. He gives no explanation as to who you are, only that you're a friend. He even posts quick little videos of David and Natalie, and you arguing with David over which movie to watch.

You have no idea how long you've been with the group, only that it feels like you've known these people for a long time, so it's no big surprise that other friends of theirs show up to hang out.

Erin and Carly show up together, followed by Zane and Matt.

"Wait. So let me get this straight," Erin exclaims. "You," she points at Todd, "have been texting her," she then points at you, "for weeks? And you had no clue what the other looked like or names and this is your first time meeting?"

From your position- Todd stretched out one way and you the other with your legs draped over his- you grin. "Yep."

"Todd!" Carly laughs. "What even- how?"

"I thought I was texting Corinna!" He defends himself, chuckling. "I deleted Corinna's number, and she and Y/N have similar numbers. Totally accidental."

Everyone glances at you and you roll your eyes. "Chill. I knew his texts were intended for the ex. I even encouraged him to text her, but his drunken self found more amusement with a stranger."

Natalie snorts. "I'll say. He asked for nudes pretty frequently."

"Todd!" Matt cackles at the same time Zane muses, "Baby, no."

"Don't worry, I never sent them. I got more respect for myself than that," you say. "Todd, on the other hand, has no shame."

"You didn't," Erin says.

"It was one time!"

"It was still a dick pic." You grin. "And come on, man, who are you trying to kid? Your texts were thirsty as fuck at times."

"I have got to see these texts," Zane says.

Smirking, you pull up the text messages on your phone and move to toss your phone to an eager Zane. But seeing what you're about to do, Todd grips your thigh just enough to make you laugh in surprise. "Y/N, don't."

Zane's still reaching for the phone so Todd rolls over you. You grunt at the added weight, wiggling just enough to roll both you and Todd off the bean bag and onto the floor. You both grunt when you land.

"Oh my god," David laughs. "This is better than two girls fighting in baby oil."

Everyone's laughing now, especially when Todd says, "There's nothing better than two girls fighting in baby oil," as he gets the upper hand and straddles your stomach.

Your phone slips out of your hand, which he's quick to grab up, but with your free hand you're free to pinch Todd's nipple through his shirt. He yelps and you're quick to buck him off, you then rolling the both of you in order to straddle his stomach before reaching towards his outstretched arm for your phone.

Todd goes oddly still before giggling and it's all too easy to reclaim your phone. "You know what, I'm not even mad about this position."

Slightly leaning up to glance between you and Todd, you huff a laugh when you see his face is practically in between your tits. "You're a dick." As you fully sit up, you pinch Todd again to which he giggles at and then toss your phone at Zane. "You have free reign to read every one of Todd's texts now. Enjoy." Zane cheers, Matt, Erin, and Carly quickly crowding him to read them as well.

Todd pokes your waist and you flinch, your waist being very ticklish, and the two of you end up slapping each other's hands as you slide off of him and back onto the beanbag. Todd's beaming smile makes your heart beat a little harder and you're grateful he can't hear it.

"You're kind of strong," Todd says as he ends up settling next to you once more.

"I should hope so. I grew up with two older brothers. You best believe they tried every wrestling move on me until I learned how to get out of it."

"They still tease you?"

"All the time." You slowly smile, chuckling at fond memories. "What about you? Any siblings you fight with?"

"Nah. I'm an only child."

"So you're an only child who still acts like a child, huh?"

"Hey!"

Todd reaches over as if he's going to tickle you and you curl up in order to protect yourself. "No! I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

He chuckles softly and reaches for you again, but he only hooks an arm under your neck and pulls you in so you're curled into his side. "How much longer can you stay?"

You hum. "Not much longer," you admit. "I live about an hour away so I should be on the road pretty soon."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Zane, Matt, Carly, and Erin are still hysterical over Todd's drunken texts, David and Natalie are in their own world, as are you and Todd. His calm demeanor puts you at ease and you suddenly find yourself wishing you could stay much longer in his presence.

"Aw. Look at them," David suddenly teases. When you and Todd look at him, David smirks. "You're welcome."

You snort. "Shut up." Todd opens up his phone to momentarily distract himself, but in doing so you see the time. "Shit," you mumble. "It's already that late? I need to go."

Todd's head snaps in your direction. "Aw. No."

"Sorry, but I need to." He frowns and your heart goes out to him for a bit. "Tell you what. Let's go grab some dinner. You take your car and I'll take mine so I can leave afterward."

"Fuck it. Let's do it." You and Todd stand up, and everyone readily stares at you. "Nope," he tells them. "None of you are invited."

As the weeks slowly pass, nothing really changes with the exception that you've made friends with several Youtubers, and Todd's taken to texting you when he's sober as well now- maybe even hanging out when he's not with everyone else. So it's really no surprise when you get a FaceTime call from David as you're scrolling through social media before you put a movie on.

Accepting the call, you squint at the too bright room on David's end. "Do you have to have all those lights on? Jesus." As you move around, you end up laying back on your pillows.

He grins. "It's not even midnight. Why are you in bed already?"

"I'm not in bed-bed." You roll your eyes. "I was just getting ready to watch a movie. It just so happens that it's more enjoyable to watch from the comfort of a bed."

"Yeah? Which movie?"

"Guess."

"Bohemian Rhapsody."

"Goddammit."

David giggles. "You have a serious problem when it comes to that kid from Jurassic Park who's all grown up now."

"Joe Mazzello went from an adorable little nerd to total daddy material. He deserves all my love."

"Jesus Christ." You grin at David's amusement. Eventually though, his laughter tapers off. "Well I'll let you get back to your movie, but I need to record something real quick. You game?"

"If it involves me leaving my bed, then no. Other than that, let's do this."

"No. This is good." David props his phone up so he can hold his camera with both hands and record the call. Then, he says, "So since I posted the video of you and Todd meeting, the viewers have gone crazy."

"Of course they have."

"Inquiring minds need to know," he smirks, "if you're still Todd's booty text or if an honest friendship has blossomed from my intervening?"

You roll your eyes, teeth digging into the bottom corner of your lip as you fight off a blush. "Why does this feel like an episode of Catfish where the host is checking in weeks later to see how I'm doing?"

"Just answer the question, Y/N."

"Fine." You sigh. "Hold on." Getting out of bed, you then make your way downstairs. Heading for the kitchen, you then flip the camera on your phone. "Does this answer your question?"

Upon hearing your voice, Todd turns around from his place at the kitchen island where he was fixing a bowl of popcorn. He smiles. "What are you doing?"

"Oh my god!"

Todd's smile falters but your wink lets him know all is good. Sidling up to his left side, you hip check him as you flip the camera back so it catches both you and Todd. "An honest friendship has blossomed," you say. "I am introducing him to my current favorite movie."

Todd chuckles as he leans closer to the screen, his expression then morphing into one of mock horror. "Help me."

"No way. Natalie owes me twenty bucks! NATALIE!" David then sets his camera aside, picking his phone back up as he starts walking around. "So how long have you guys been hanging out for behind our backs?"

"Since you introduced us face to face," Todd says. "And we weren't exactly going behind your back, we just-"

"We wanted to hang out without anyone making a big deal out of it." You shrug. "But it's been long enough and you're going to make a big deal out of it no matter what, so.."

"So if you don't mind," Todd says as he takes your phone from you, "Y/N and I got a movie to watch."

"Wait! Just answer one question," David says. Todd goes quiet, nodding. "Did you finally get Y/N to cuddle you?"

Todd and David explode with laughter at the same time, and that seems to be all David needs to hear. You take your phone back, shaking your head. "Goodbye, David. We'll text you later if you're still awake." And before he can retort, you end the call before pocketing your phone.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag," Todd muses, shrugging sheepishly.

"Well not the whole cat." You slowly smile, leaning up on the tips of your toes and pressing your lips to Todd's. "And it's going to stay that way just a little bit longer. Your fans are crazy."

"Whatever you say, babe. Now can we please go watch that movie of yours? You got me all hyped up after those Queen songs you played all afternoon long."

"Sure thing." Todd grabs the bowl of popcorn and you grab some drinks from the refrigerator. As he follows you back up the stairs, you say, "Now don't get all huffy when I eventually swoon. I adore you, but I adore Joe and Gwilym just a little bit more."

"You're a terrible girlfriend."

"And I'm afraid I don't get much better." You huff a laugh. "You signed up for this, babe. Get used to it."

[anothersadsimp]

Simple Nights

Frankie Moralas x Best Friend!Reader

Words: little over 2k

Warnings: EXTREME FLUFF

You had moved in with Francisco Morales after he had gotten back from the whole fiasco in South America. The lady friend he was with had it with his life choices and left after he came back, leaving him and their baby girl. You had talked to Frankie about helping out, even if he assured you he would be okay, and moved in with him to help keep them afloat.

Frankie was forever grateful for all the work you put in, both with him and Rosie. You were always there to support him from enlisting to become a pilot, to helping him get sober. You became his rock, the thing that grounds him as everything tumbled down on top of him. Even as he “screwed up” the relationship with his wife, you still stood by him.

Somewhere in your friendship blossomed something more. You both knew it, but refused to acknowledge it. The friendly touches slowly grew into full on cuddling, and the terms of endearment became more frequent. Frankie’s friends, more like brothers, often teased the both of you especially now that you’ve become a mother figure to Rosie, his beloved daughter.

So when you came home from a rather busy day at work, you were excited for the comfort that caring for Rosie brought. Not only that but the baby snuggles are a type of stress relief like nothing else. You kick your shoes off and hang up your bag on a hook near the door. It’s quiet, other than “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac softly being played from one of the rooms. You smile as you make your way through the hall, stopping to lean against the doorway to Rosie’s nursery.  

You stood there watching as the man you fell in love with held the sweetest 9 month old child, swaying around to the music. Your smile grows at the sight, and your heart melts from hearing his voice sing softly under his breath. He slowly turns as he dances her around to see you at the doorway.

“Hey!” He draws out with a smile that reaches his eyes.

“Hi.” You greet him quietly before looking down at Rosie who screeches at the sight of you. “Hi baby!”

She smiles and reaches out for you. You gladly take her in your arms, bouncing her excitedly and kissing the top of her head. Frankie’s smile doesn’t leave his face as he watches you with his daughter. His eyes are soft, and his heart skips a beat as he watches the two most important people in his life interact in such a soft moment.

“I think she missed you.” He says rhetorically with a smile.

“Did you miss me little Rose? Did you miss me?” You ask in a high pitched kiddy voice.

She lets out a little sound of agreement with her tongue popping out of her teething gums. It's one of the cutest smiles you’ve ever seen, one that will always make your day better.

“Well good. Cause I missed you too.” You pout as you nuzzle your nose into hers.

You pull back and start dancing with her to the music playing. Frankie is frozen just watching you with his little girl, before a loud beep pulls him from his trance. You look up from Rosie confused, when Frankie starts leaving the room.

“I put some pasta in the oven, so it’d be ready when you get home.” He explained.

“Thank you.” You look at him with a hopelessly grateful look in your eyes.

He nods before walking towards the kitchen to take the pasta out. You turn back around to turn off the music and start walking out of Rosie’s room.

“You hungry?” You ask Rosie, bouncing her on your hip at your words.

She makes a loud “da” sound, to which you took as a yes. You smile at how she seems to be learning and understanding everything you say. She seems to be growing faster than you can keep up with, and pride fills your entire being.

You walk out with her and start strapping her into her highchair. Once you’re done with the buckle you slide the tray onto the chair and she happily starts slapping it with her hands. You chuckle knowing that it’s her sign that she wants food. You walk over to where Frankie is getting down plates for the pasta. You both get your share of pasta and sit down at the table on either side of Rosie. You start cutting up the pasta into tiny pieces and put them on her tray so she can eat it.

“I’ll cut her up some pasta, you should eat.” Frankie worries.

“No it’s fine. I can eat and feed her at the same time. I’m fine.” You try to sooth him, knowing he’s worried about you chilling out after work.

He sighs and starts eating his pasta, as you cut up a few more pieces for Rosie. You start eating after cutting quite a few pieces up for her. She babbles happily in her seat as she shovels fistfulls of food into her mouth.

“Is that good baby?” You ask her in your baby voice.

She does one small laugh as confirmation as her hands fly to her hair, lathering it with pasta sauce. Frankie reaches over saying a small “no” as he removes her hands from her hair. You laugh at both of them, Rosie for being silly, and Frankie trying to stop a kid from being messy. Frankie looks at you giggling at their antics and smiles at the sound as he fights with her daughter’s messy hands. He sighs knowing it's no use to try and stop her.  

“It’s okay, we’ll have bath time after dinner.” You smile.

He smiles with you, as you seem to ease his trouble. He doesn’t know how you do it, how you handle everything with a child so easily. He knows you have some experience through family and friends, but it still blows his mind. It only makes him fall harder for you when you treat her as your own.

Once dinner is finished you move to rinse the dishes and put them into the dishwasher. Frankie moves to get Rosie out of her seat as he sees you rinsing the dishes from the corner of his eye.

“I'll do that, if you want to give Rosie her bath?” He offers.

“No, it’s okay. You get started and I’ll help you after.” You smile.

“Ok you ready for a bath?” He mumbles to Rosie while lifting her out of her chair.

He walks with Rosie to the bathroom to start her bath. She babbles on pointing in the direction they’re going and Frankie easily “converses” with her. You smile as they walk away, and turn back to the dishes.

You quickly rinse them off and place them into the dishwasher, planning on running it later. You dry your hands on a nearby towel before trekking down to your room to grab some PJs, and stop by the bathroom. Frankie is on his knees leaning over the bath lathering Rosie’s head in baby shampoo. He quietly mumbles to both himself and Rosie as he bathes her.

“I’m gonna hop in the shower in your room if that’s okay?” You ask, clothes in hand in front of you.

He turns towards you with a soft look upon his face. It’s not the first time you’d use his restroom to wash up, but for some reason his heart still skips a beat from the domesticality of it.

“Of, course.” He nods.

You smile and nod in appreciation before stepping away. You walk through his bedroom into the bathroom, and set your clothes on the counter. You turn towards the shower and open the glass door to turn it on. You step back to let the water heat up, and you grab your phone to put some calming music on.

You take your work clothes off, fix your hair so it won’t get wet, and step into the steaming water. You sigh in relief as the frustration of the day flows down the drain. You start humming lowly to the sound of your music, as you turn and let the water run down your back. You soaked in the shower for a bit before you reached down to grab the soap to wash your body. You had forgotten that you were in Frankie’s bathroom as you reached for the soap. You shrugged before grabbing it, knowing he wouldn’t mind if you used a bit.

You couldn’t help but inhale deeply at the scent of his soap being lathered onto your skin. It was oddly comforting, and a soft smile graced your face. Your mind couldn’t help but to wonder to the selfless man who cared so deeply for you and his daughter. You felt soft, wanting to bask in the warmth that only he can give off. You focus back on your shower and rinse the soap off your skin. After a few more moments basking in the scalding water you turn it off, and step out to wrap yourself in a fluffy towel. You dry yourself off with the towel before setting it aside to put your PJs on.

You step out of the bathroom, steam from the shower following you into Frankie’s bedroom. You begin walking towards the nursery again to see Frankie rocking Rosie, trying to get her to sleep. They see you coming in and look up at you. Rosie gives you a big grin clapping her hands at the sight of you as Frankie gives you a closed lip smile.

“Feel better?” He asks.

“Much, thank you.” You smile back.

He smiles a little more at your answer, happy you’re feeling better. “I don’t know how you get her to fall asleep so fast.”

You laugh a bit before reaching out to take her into your arms, “Here why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll get her to sleep.” You offer.

He agrees, places her in your arms, and gives her a quick kiss to the top of her head. You move to sit down in the rocking chair and turn the lamp on next to you. Frankie stops when he flips the lightswitch and looks back to see you adjusting Rosie in your arms.

“Put your head down.” You mumble softly.

Rosie does as you say putting her head down on your shoulder, her face hiding in your neck. You kick off the floor to start rocking the two of you back and forth at a soothing pace. He sees you close your eyes resting your head softly against hers. His heart melts at the sight, and god does he want to hold the both of you in his arms. It takes a lot for him to finally turn and head towards his bathroom.

It doesn’t take long for Rosie to fall asleep with your hand running softly over her back. You nearly fall asleep in the chair with her, but you manage to stand up from the chair. As you stand you sway her in your arms, shushing her as she stirs. You walk over to her crib where you slowly lay her down. She sighs as she melts into the cushion of the crib and you slowly back away to turn the lamp off.

You quietly pull the door shut, and squeak when you run into a hard surface. Frankie puts his hands on either side of your arms to steady you and apologizes under his breath. You look up to see Frankie’s soft chocolate eyes looking down at you.

“Is she asleep?” He whispers.

“Yeah, sacked out.”

He steps back, giving you space and you both make your way to the kitchen again. You walk over to start the dishwasher, as he walks to sit on the sofa in the living room. When you were done turning the dishwasher on, you walk over to sit next to him knowing he’d ask you to sit with him for a bit before bed. You sigh and lean over, resting your head on his shoulder and closing your eyes. He moves his arm over your shoulders, and your head moves more towards his chest.

You both sit there blankly staring at the tv, his hand rubbing soothingly up and down your arm. It takes about 20 minutes for him to realize your head slowly drooping and breathing evening out.

“Should go to bed, querida.” He whispers.

You mumble and snuggle further into him, arms coming around his torso. “So warm.”

He smiles amusingly at you acting like a child, before reaching for the remote to turn the tv off. He starts shifting you off of him to stand up, trying to pull you to your feet. You groan in protest, not wanting to move or lose the comfort he brings you.

“Come on, mi amor.” He mumbles as he reaches down to pick you up.

Your arms wrap around his neck as he carries you bridal style, your head coming to nuzzle his jaw. He walks a bit before leaning to put you down onto a bed, much like you did with Rosie. Your arms wrap tighter around his neck not wanting to let go of his warmth. His hands come up to your arms as he slowly pulls them from his neck.

“Let go, baby, I’ll be right back.” He whispers.

You whimper but do as he says, letting your arms fall limply to the bed. It's a few minutes before you feel the bed dip beside you, as it becomes darker. You blindly reach out and seek for Frankie lying next to you. He feels your arms reach out for him, and before you can reach him he slides his arms around your waist to pull you to him. You shuffle closer with his movement and rest your head on his chest. Your hand runs over his chest for a moment before it stills over his heart, and on instinct his hand comes up to cover yours. He leans down to press a kiss to your head, and you nuzzle closer into him.  He takes a deep breath before fully relaxing into sleep with you.

[wordsandshawn]

The Platonic Series ~ first night home (2018)

Synopsis: In this installment of the Platonic Series, Ella is born, and Y/n brings her home from the hospital. Ellas’s dad has already made it clear where he stands on being a father. Shawn gets on a flight back in time to weather Ella’s first night home alongside Y/n.

A/n: its fluff. its all fluff. Also, just a note for anyone unfamiliar with the platonic series. It’s a series, but each part also functions as a stand-alone, so you can read them in any order. The two parts preceding this piece are when y/n finds out she’s pregnant and when Shawn comes back to visit when Y/n is 8 months pregnant. All parts can also be found here. 

Word Count: 3k 

These last forty-eight hours have been a complete blur. From the grueling contractions getting closer and closer together to rushing to the hospital to enduring eight hours of labor to finally having your daughter in your arms, it was all a whirlwind of pain and emotion. The moment the nurse placed Ella in your arms, everything changed, and it was almost as though you forgot the hours of pain you endured as soon as you stared at your tiny baby girl. 

Your little sister, Olivia, was the one in the room with you when Ella was born. You had texted Stephen that you were going into labor, but he didn’t even bother to respond. He had made it clear where he stood on becoming a parent, but a part of you thought he might change his mind once he found out that the baby was really coming and that he was going to have a daughter whether he liked it or not. The radio silence from Stephen cemented his decision. 

Shawn was traveling for work when you began labor, but when you texted him that you were on your way to the hospital, he told you he would try to get back. You’ve known that Shawn would probably not be there when your daughter was born, but he always insisted that he would try his best to be there, if not when she was born then at least when she went home for the first time. True to his word, Shawn managed to show up at the hospital to meet Ella for the first time a couple hours before you and your newborn baby daughter were released from the hospital. 

Shawn was absolutely enamored by her from the moment he first saw her. You watched him hold her in his arms carefully like he was afraid she would break if he moved wrong. He just stared at her for five minutes straight without moving or saying anything. In all the years you’ve known Shawn, you’ve never seen him look at anyone with that much pure awe and love. 

After Shawn arrived at the hospital, your sister went back to your apartment since she had been with you in the hospital the whole time and deserved to shower and rest. Shawn stayed with you until it was time to be released. He learned to change Ella’s tiny diaper and kept asking if he was doing it right. When she was in his arms, he never wanted to put her down or even share her with you, only grudgingly giving her up when it was time for her to nurse. 

Your parents have not been very supportive of your pregnancy, especially because you and Stephen broke up before you even found out you were pregnant. They made it clear that they did not believe you could give your daughter the type of life she deserved, and they did not support your decision to keep her. However, from the moment you found out you were pregnant, you were determined to be the best mom ever, despite their lack of support. 

Knowing that your parents really did not support you, and knowing that your home environment was never the most nurturing or loving, you made the decision to remain at your apartment near your University as you prepared for your baby. You had been working as a waitress and to help put yourself through school throughout your first two years of University before getting pregnant, but once you found out you were pregnant, you ended up dropping some classes to work more shifts and save up for your own place. 

The road to this moment was certainly not an easy one, but now you have a baby, and as difficult as it has been, you wouldn’t change any of it because it led you here with your beautiful daughter. 

“I can’t believe she’s here,” Shawn says, his eyes on Ella as you finish signing the paperwork needed to be discharged from the hospital. 

“Me too.” You respond with a smile. Everything still hurts, but you’re looking forward to going home. 

Shawn carefully lifts Ella and places her in the car seat, maneuvering her to get the straps over her shoulders and clipping it in front of her chest. As you’re watching Shawn strap her in, you realize something, 

“The base, the car seat base, it’s in my car but Olivia took it.” You tell Shawn, frantically. 

All of a sudden, you’re feeling that familiar feeling of anxiety creeping up. You’re worried that you’ll mess this up. You’ve dreamed of being a mom ever since you were a little kid, but you never expected it to be like this. The idea of taking on motherhood as a single parent has worried you more than you can begin to admit. You’re worried that you won’t be a good mom, and you’re reassured in that worry when you realize that you’re about to take your child home from the hospital, but you don’t even have half of the car seat. 

“Don’t worry,” Shawn responds nonchalantly not taking his eyes off of Ella, “I moved it to my car before she left.”

You look at him amazed. He doesn’t notice your moment of worry, still focused on making sure Ella is safely strapped into her car seat. A nurse enters at this moment, ready to wheel you out of the hospital. You move to the wheelchair and Shawn carries Ella in the baby carrier out of the hospital. When you get to the front, the nurse waits with you and Ella while Shawn goes to get his car. 

Shawn pulls up, putting the car in park before getting out and placing Ella’s car seat into the base in the back seat of his car. Once she’s in, both of you get into the car, and he starts to drive. Shawn’s smiling as he drives, and you can’t help but ask, “What?” 

“You did that. You had a baby, and she’s so freakin cute.” He responds. 

You can’t help but smile too, letting some of that anxiety release as you take in the moment, “I did. She’s really here.” You respond with a soft smile on your face. 

He smiles too, and most of the car ride passes in silence, both of you lost in thought about what just happened and how surreal it is that you actually have a newborn baby. 

When you arrive back at your apartment, you find that Olivia is asleep on the couch, and you’re not surprised at all. After the last couple of days, you’d really like to be asleep too, but you have a baby that needs to be fed. You take your bag to the bedroom, and Shawn follows closely behind with Ella in the car seat. 

She’s awake and crying already, and Shawn carefully takes her out of the car seat, checking her diaper. “Her diaper’s wet.” He says. 

“I can change her, you say, locating a tiny newborn diaper while he places her down on the bed. 

“I got it,” He responds, and you don’t argue. He’s already changed her diaper several times in the hospital, and you’re so exhausted, you welcome his willingness to help. He quickly changes her, speaking softly to her the entire time. When he’s done, he looks up at you, where you’ve plopped yourself down on the bed and readied yourself for her. “Time to eat, baby girl.” He tells her, walking her over to you, and gently handing her to you. 

You take her into your arms and move to lift your shirt up. Shawn leaves the room, just wanting to make sure you’re comfortable, but the truth is, you wouldn’t care if he saw you with your boob out. It’s to feed your daughter. There’s nothing sexual about it, and he’s your best friend. Either way, he disappears, and you wince in pain as you try to get Ella to latch properly. 

She only eats a tiny bit. Nursing is still a struggle. The lactation consultant that met with you at the hospital informed you that it would take some time to get the hang of nursing for both you and Ella, but you can’t help but already worry that she’s not eating enough. After she’s done eating, you burp her and she falls asleep almost immediately. 

You place her in the bassinet you have for her, and take a few seconds to admire her. Even though its only been a day, you already feel so connected to this tiny human. You grew her for nine months, and it has felt like it was just you and her for that entire time. She knows you already in a way different than anyone else, and you know her in a different way than anyone else. 

After making sure that she’s sleeping peacefully, you walk back out to the living room to see Shawn putting away the clean dishes from your dishwasher. “She’s sleeping,” You whisper, when you’re close enough to him to not wake Olivia. 

He nods, “Good, you should get some rest too.” 

“I will. I just wanted some water.” 

He nods, pulling a glass from the dishwasher and filling it with ice and water before handing it to you. “Thank you.” You say, taking it before returning to the room. An hour later, you wake up from your nap, looking over to the bassinet, but your heart leaps in your chest when you don’t see Ella. You sit up quickly, looking frantically around the room. 

Your eyes land on Shawn seated in a chair in the corner of the room, and you sigh in relief. Ella is in Shawn’s arms, his eyes glued to her. 

When she starts fussing, he bounces her softly, his eyes finally looking up and meeting yours. He didn’t know you were awake until just now, and he says, “I think she’s hungry.” You nod, and he brings her over, transferring her to your arms. “I just changed her diaper, so she should be good on that.” 

“Thank you, Shawn,” You say gratefully. You’re not sure how he got her when she woke up before she cried and woke you, or how he managed to change her diaper so quietly, but you’re so grateful for those few extra minutes of sleep.

After you nurse Ella again, you venture back into the living room. Olivia has woken up, and the three of you order dinner and eat together, but Liv has to leave shortly after dinner in order to get back to her Uni for class the next day. You say goodbye to her, and you’re grateful that at least you’ll still have Shawn.

Ella has a crib that Shawn helped you set up a month ago, but since she’s still so little, she’s sleeping in a bassinet by your bed. Its around nine pm when you fall asleep straight after nursing Ella. You know you’ll have to get as much sleep as you can while she’s sleeping.

You awake to the sound of Shawn’s voice and a gentle nudge on your shoulders. “Y/n, wake up.” 

When you open your eyes, you see Shawn standing there with Ella in his arms. “She’s hungry.” He says. Holding her out to you. Wiping some sleep from your eyes while trying to wake up, you take her and pull your tank top down. Ella promptly latches and you sigh in relief. She’s starting to get the hang of it. You look at the clock to see that it’s eleven-thirty, so you got a little over two hours of sleep. When you look over at the other side of your bed, you see that the bed is still made on that side, meaning Shawn either hasn’t gone to sleep or didn’t sleep in the bed. 

You’ve shared a bed with Shawn too many times to count. If he was staying over at your house, he almost always slept in your bed because the couch was too small for him to fit comfortably and you don’t have a guest room. The two of you have shared beds during sleepovers since you were kids, so it has never seemed weird or felt awkward in any way. It has always just been normal. 

Shawn had disappeared into the bathroom, but he returns a few minutes later, while Ella is still nursing. “Did you sleep at all?” You aks him when he enters the room. 

He shakes his head, “No, I figured I’d stay up til she woke up the first time, that way I could get her and change her diaper before she woke you.” He explains. 

“Thanks, Shawn,” You say, knowing every minute of sleep actually counts now, “But you know she’s not your responsibility, right?” You ask, hoping Shawn understands how grateful you are that he has always been so supportive, but at the same time, he’s not Ella’s father, and he has no obligation or responsibility for her. 

He really shouldn’t be waking up in the middle of the night to get her or having to change her diaper all the time. Even in your tired state, you know this, and you hope that he knows it too. Ella is your responsibility, well, she’s yours and Stephen’s, but since he has made it so clear that he does not want to take responsibility for her, then she’s solely your responsibility. 

“I know, but I’m here and I don’t want you to have to do this on your own.” He says.

Ella finishes up, and you shift her in your arms, getting ready to burp her. Shawn steps in taking her from your arms, “I got it, go back to sleep because I know I’ll probably sleep through the next feeding.” He admits honestly, then adds, “But you can wake me if you need anything.” 

You’re still tired, so you don’t argue with him at all, just rolling over and falling back asleep. You take on the next two feedings on your own. Doing the feedings on your own means you’re awake for a lot longer because you have to change her, feed her, burp her, and wait for her to fall back asleep and then fall back asleep yourself. Because of that, you’re lucky if you get an hour of uninterrupted sleep between each feeding.  

Shawn wakes you up again at seven, with Ella in his arms, letting you know that she’s hungry. At this point, you barely open your eyes, but you take her from Shawn and feed her. 

You start to doze off until you feel movement in your arms, jerking awake, you realize Shawn is taking Ella from you. “I got her,” He says, softly, and you’re not even awake enough to thank him before you’re dozing off. 

When you wake up again around nine, you decide it’s time to actually get up, so you use the bathroom and attempt to make yourself at least somewhat presentable before wandering out into the living room. Shawn is seated on the couch, but he’s so focused on Ella who’s in his arms and staring up at him that he doesn’t notice that you’re awake. “Hey pretty girl,” He coos at Ella. “You’re perfect, you know that? You’re really cute, but you make your mom really tired. We’re gonna work on sleeping longer, soon, okay?”  

“Morning,” You say to capture Shawn’s attention. 

He turns to you, “Good morning, how are you feeling?” 

“Sore, tired.” You respond, taking a seat next to Shawn on the couch. 

“But you survived the first night.” He says, trying to look at the positives. 

“We survived.” You respond, nodding your head and choosing to look on the bright side too. 

“My parents and Aaliyah are bringing us lunch, but they don’t have to stay if you’re too tired.” 

“No, I don’t mind, they can come and stay for a while. I know they’ll want to see Ella.” 

He nods, “They do. My mom said she knows what it's like to have an infant, so if you need anything, you can always call her. But I mean, I’ll be around for a while, so I can call her if we need anything.” 

You feel touched that Karen has offered to be there for you, but you can’t help but also be reminded of how your mom isn’t there for you in that way. You know that being a young single mom is going to be hard, but it’s also hard knowing that your family doesn’t support you. At least you have Shawn’s family. 

“Wait, I thought you were just back home for a bit. Don’t you have to finish recording?” 

“I took some time off, remember we talked about it,” Shawn said. And he’s kind of right, you had talked about it, but only a little bit. As your due date neared, Shawn had floated by you the idea of taking some time off after she was born that way he could help you out with Ella, but you had adamantly refused, for several reasons. One of them was that Shawn couldn’t and shouldn’t just put his life and career on hold since there are so many intricate details and never enough time as it is. The other reason is that he’s not even Ella’s dad. She’s not his responsibility, so he shouldn’t feel obligated to take responsibility for her or to take time off. 

However, that was a conversation you had while you were still pregnant. A conversation you had while you were still holding out hope that maybe Stephen would come back around when he found out you gave birth and there was a little baby in the world that was half of him. And lastly, it was a conversation you had before you knew just how exhausting and painful the days following Ella’s birth were going to be. 

“How much time do you have off?” You ask. 

“A month. I have a couple of recording sessions throughout, but I’m not leaving the city.” He responds, his eyes searching yours for approval. He knows there’s a chance you’d get upset with him because he knows that you had made it clear he was not to put his career on hold for your baby and that’s exactly what he did. 

However, the truth is, you need him. You’ve always needed him, and he’s always been there for you. But now you need him more than you think you’ve ever needed him before because suddenly there’s a tiny baby that needs you, and you aren’t exactly sure what to do or how to handle it, and you’re terrified to mess it up. 

“Thank you.” You respond. “You didn’t have to, but thank you.” 

He nods slightly, accepting your appreciation before saying, “I mean, come on. Look at this face. I can’t leave her after just meeting her.” 

[chilling-seavey]

Anything But Mine - The Girls’ First Words

A/N We never touched on the girls’ first words so I put together each sweet moment. Did you expect each girl to say the word she did first? 🥰

Clementine

“Good morning, Clemmy girl.”

Florence pushed open the curtains in the small nursey, letting in the bright streaks of sunlight into the room and across the pink carpet on the wooden floors. She was home alone yet again with the nearly eight-month-old, left with only the company of her daughter’s little babbles and her own mind.

“What are we thinking we wearing today? Maybe a pretty dress?” Florence talked aloud to her daughter across the room as she pulled open the dresser drawer and chose an outfit for the baby, leaving it on the side of the change table.

Florence walked back across the room and peeked over the side of the crib to look at her freshly awake daughter.

Clementine grinned up at the sight of her, her little legs kicking excitedly, offering a pitchy squeal of, “Mama!”

Florence’s mouth fell open in shock, staring down at the giggling baby, not able to believe her ears.

“Mamamamama!” Clementine babbled, making little grabby hands up to her.

“Oh my gosh.” Florence smiled, leaning down to pick her up, setting the baby on her hip and pressed her forehead against her small head. “You’re the love of Mama’s life, aren’t you, pretty girl?”

Florence got Clementine changed and dressed, basking in the pride of her daughter’s newly learned word for a few minutes. With just the two of them home, Florence took her into the kitchen to make them breakfast, serving Clementine a bottle in her highchair so she could call the first person she wanted to tell.

“Dani.” Florence grinned when he answered with a sleepy greeting. “Clemmy said her first word; wanna hear?”

Of course Daniel was just as excited as Florence and got dressed right away to come see the talent in person, the two best friends trying to get the baby to say all sorts of other words just for fun. But Clementine kept resorting right back to “mama” which only made Florence beam with loving pride.

Penelope

“Penelope Magnolia.” Daniel sang softly, bouncing her on his knee, hands secure on her waist to keep her from falling off. “Can you say ‘dada’.”

The one-year-old only giggled.

“I know you got it in you.” Daniel cooed, ticking her sides a little to make her laugh. “Say ‘dada’.”

Penelope grabbed onto the front of his shirt and tried to pull the material into her mouth, babbling to herself and staring up at him with big blue eyes.

“You’re spiting me, Miss Bug, aren’t you?” Daniel tisked. “You’re one whole year old and you haven’t said one single word.”

Penelope giggled softly, reaching her little hands up to his face and he leaned down to press little kisses to her palms. She wrapped her tiny fingers around his nose, making the both of them share mirrored smiles.

“Say ‘dada’.” Daniel whispered, bouncing the baby on his knee a few more times as she held gently onto his nose. “‘Daaaaada’.”

Penelope only stared at him.

“Anything yet?” Florence asked, coming back into the main area of the small apartment with freshly bathed Clementine.

“Nope.” Daniel sighed as he stood up, scooping the baby onto his hip to carry her to the playpen across the living room and set her inside with a few toys. “She’s still absolutely silent.”

Clementine rushed over to join them, grabbing onto the edge of the playpen and looked down at her baby sister, “Say my name, Nelly!”

Daniel ran his hand over her damp blonde hair, bending down to whisper, “If she outright says ‘Clementine’ as her first word, I will give you $500.”

“Don’t make bets you might not be able to keep.” Florence chuckled, starting on the dinner dishes that were still sat on the kitchen table.

Daniel walked over to help her clear them, smiling sweetly at his girlfriend and pressed a kiss to her cheek. They had barely set the dishes on the counter when there was a call of “dada!” from the living room a few paces away.

“That wasn’t me.” Clementine whispered, turning to look at her parents from beside the playpen.

Daniel and Florence stared at each other for a second, eyes wide, and then dropped the dishes to rush over to their youngest, both kneeling quickly in front of her.

“Was that you, bug?” Daniel cooed softly, almost disbelieving, running the back of his finger over Penelope’s chubby cheek. “Say ‘dada’.”

She reached up a tiny hand to him and smiled widely, “Dada!”

Florence grinned and praised her daughter excitedly but Daniel went absolutely silent, his face falling into an unreadable expression, staring down at the baby with tears welling in his eyes. His sudden blubbery sob had Florence and Clementine glancing over at him, both with matching concerned expressions. Daniel didn’t even care, crying loudly as he flopped backwards onto his bum on the living room rug, pressing a hand to his mouth as his other was clung onto by the baby.

Penelope giggled, watching his little meltdown, “Dada.”

“Oh God!” Daniel cried, laughing through his tears, seemingly unable to pick only one emotion.

Florence laughed lightly at his obvious exuberance, setting a hand on his shoulder and he turned to her with a loving smile, tears trickling down his cheeks and his smile nearly taking up his entire face. Daniel looked back to Penelope who had now pulled his finger into her mouth to try and munch on it, unphased by her new word and bored of her father’s sudden wave of emotion caused by her.

He pulled his hand back and stood up again, reaching into the playpen to pick her up, earning him another sweet “dada” as she cuddled into him. That just sparked another fresh wave of tears as Daniel clung onto his baby daughter and rocked her against his shoulder as he cried tears of love and joy. Florence only watched fondly from the floor, Clementine on her lap, as Daniel took five minutes to finally calm down.

Lucy

Florence and Daniel were one-for-one and they had pretty much placed bets on who’s name Lucy would say first when she came around. It was apparent she was a daddy’s girl from the start so Daniel was feeling pretty confident as the months went past. The doctor had said that babies don’t usually say their first word until nine months – Clementine was a rarity at eight months – so they didn’t think much was to come for a while.

Lucy was six and a half months old when she said her first word but, just to keep it fair, it wasn’t ‘mama’ or ‘dada’.

They had just returned home from their annual trip to Vancouver and Daniel was getting ready for his first day back at work. It was early – somewhere around 6:30am – but Lucy was wide awake with him, laying in his arms and drinking a bottle as Daniel patted around the kitchen to pour himself some cereal. Lucy just stared quietly up at him as she ate her breakfast, in awe by him. She was a complete daddy’s girl.

Daniel set his bowl of cereal at the kitchen table and set a spoon in the side of it before glancing down at the baby in his arm, “Gotta sit you down now, okay?”

Lucy whined slightly as he got her into her highchair and buckled her in, taking her empty bottle and tossing it in the sink before pulling her right up close to his chair while he ate. His left hand was occupied by the baby, her tiny hands wrapped around his fingers and picking at his wedding ring gently. He watched her as he ate, how entranced she was by him and his hand and he wiggled his finger against her neck to make her giggle.

With breakfast finished, Daniel carried his bowl to the sink and rinsed it to put it in the dishwasher before returning to the baby, bending down in front of her, “Dada’s gotta get his things together for work, okay?”

“Okay.”

Daniel and Lucy stared at each other for a moment, the apartment in silence. It sounded more like “otay” but certainly still passed as “okay”, and Daniel’s eyes went wide.

“Did you just…” Daniel looked over his shoulder as if expecting this to be a prank or something. He looked back to the baby.

Lucy kicked her legs in the highchair, whining softly in want to be let out, and he unbuckled her and scooped her up.

“Did you say ‘okay’?” Daniel asked her softly.

Lucy only blinked at him.

“Say ‘dada’.” Daniel tried.

Lucy nuzzled her little face into his neck and he set his hand against her back.

“Okay.” he sighed.

“Okay.” Lucy repeated.

Daniel leaned back to look at her again and Lucy giggled lightly at his expression, sticking her fingers in her mouth.

“Okay, dada.” Daniel pressed sweetly, patting his fingers against her back.

Lucy only giggled, flopping over onto his shoulder.

“Come on; I have $50 riding on you, Princess.” Daniel whispered.

Lucy was annoyingly silent for the rest of the morning as Daniel got ready to leave, carrying her around as he put his guitar and bag by the front door and trying to get her to say ‘dada’. By 7:00, Florence was awake to take the baby from him to let him leave and he tried to keep Lucy’s new boring word as a secret to hopefully give his side of the bet a fighting chance at something other than a stalemate.

Florence had the baby in her arms as Daniel pulled his coat on and then his shoes and he picked up his guitar in one hand.

“I love you. Have a good day.” Florence said softly.

“Thank you, sweetheart. I love you.” Daniel leaned in to kiss her softly a few times before turning to the baby on her hip. “Dada will be home from work soon, okay?”

“Okay.” Lucy smiled.

Daniel could have facepalmed right there at his poor choice of words, walking right into that one, and Florence gasped.

“Oh my gosh, that’s so early! She said ‘okay’! How cute!” Florence gushed, peppering kisses over Lucy’s chubby cheeks. “My good, good, good girl! Hear that, Dani?”

Daniel pulled a tired smile at his wife, not being able to hide his excitement about his daughter’s strange first word anymore, “I did. Very good, Lucy Lu. Dada is very proud of you.”

Florence smacked his chest, “Shush. Take the stalemate, you sore loser.”

“We could just move our bet to her second word.”

“Your on.” Florence held out her hand towards him.

Daniel smirked, taking her handshake, and pulled her towards him to kiss her again. A month and a half later, Daniel won the bet.

[purplesurveys]

1044

survey by a7xbabii 

Do you use e-mail often? I use it for eight hours, five days a week for work, so yes.

Do you hear any animals right now? I’m in a Starbucks inside a mall situated in the middle of a busy highway. It would be very unlikely to hear any animals right now.

Are you in a well-lit room? Sure, I’d say this establishment has good lighting. There’s no light directly above me unlike the other seats, but it’s okay in this case as I don’t want other people seeing me take surveys.

Is your trashcan full? The main one we use at home just got full, so the last time I checked this morning my mom was airing it out.

What was the last crunchy thing you consumed? My chicken barbecue sandwich from last night.

Did you view anything disturbing today? Hmm, I guess so? I wanted to entirely redo one part of my embroidery piece since I wasn’t happy with how I did it, so I had to remove the threads and stuff. When they were all gone the template was filled with holes and it looked like one of those trypophobia photos. I’m not personally disturbed by that phenomenon, but I know a lot of people are.

Are there any holiday decorations in your house? Yeah, we’ve had our Christmas tree up since the beginning of November. We also usually put a wreath up our door but idk why my mom didn’t this year.

When was the last time you had a terrible headache? Last night, because I had not eaten all day. 

Have you recently put lotion on your hands? No. I don’t like the feeling of lotion, so I don’t apply it on me a lot, if at all.

Are you hungry? Not so much, actually. I don’t feel too hungry today; I didn’t even finish my breakfast and that’s the only meal I’ve had so far today, and it’s already 4 PM.

Is it rainy where you're at right now? No, it’s quite fair. The sun’s not too strong anymore because of the time, but it’s still very much bright out.

Do you carry a purse? If so, describe what it looks like. I take a wallet with me. It’s pink, made of fake leather, has three main slots inside, and it also has some tiny bite marks on the outer edges from when Cooper was a lot younger.

Is your cell phone on vibrate? For certain notifications only, like texts and Viber.

Is your dishwasher full? We don’t use a dishwasher.

When is the last time you saw someone you like/love. Around a week and a half ago.

Do you like to wear gloves? No, I find them too itchy and I don’t need to wear them anyway.

Is there a body of water near where you live? There’s a creek that passes through my village near the clubhouse area, if that counts.

What are your thoughts on Avenged Sevenfold? No opinion. I never listened to them; though I am reminded of this one mutual I used to have on Tumblr/Twitter. She used to be a wrestling fan and was a part of our main circle, but she gradually shifted her main fandom to Avenged Sevenfold. By the time she cemented her new interest she then went on a huge unfollowing spree of wrestling fans on her feed and she apparently PM’d each person she intended to unfollow, including me. I remember her explaining that she was now in a different fandom and was gonna have to stop following me which I found...kinda extra to be honest lmao because nobody does that, but I appreciate the effort to approach each one of us, I guess.

Are you wearing anything pink right now? Nope, but my wallet is pink and so is my keyboard cover.

Do you like to swim in the ocean? I prefer beaches, but sure.

What is the creepiest bug you've ever saw? Cockroaches.

Do you currently have split ends? I don’t think so.

When is the last time you used the bathroom? Around five hours ago when I took a shower before heading out.

Do you chew on your lip? Almost never.

Are you afraid of needles? For the most part yeah, especially syringes. I’m not afraid of them when I do my embroidery, but that’s the only time I feel comfortable with a needle.

What is the last thing you lost? A pen, I think.

When is the last time you saw a bald person? Five hours ago, when I said bye to my dad.

What car were you last in? [continued from two days ago] My own. I was driving home from the mall.

Do you like Batman? I tried to get into Batman and the whole shebang of comic books when I was a teenager, but I just couldn’t.

Have you ever played tennis? Never have, actually. I’ve always wanted to try.

Can you see a star shape in the room you are in? Probably not in my bedroom.

What are you sitting on? A pillow I’ve placed on my work chair so that it’s more comfortable. My parents got me a basic chair initially meant just for my internship, so it’s not the comfiest of chairs haha. But now that I have a job, a more suitable work chair is probably one of things I’ll have to invest on.

What is the last warm thing you touched? My chest felt itchy just a few seconds ago, so I was able to feel my skin scratching it.

Do you use hand sanitizer? That’s kind of a necessity now, so...

Where do you want to go in life? [continued from...I don’t even remember anymore] I don’t know if I even plan to make it past 30 at this point. I can’t answer this right now.

Are you sweating? No, I’ve been in air-conditioned rooms all day and it feels so damn good.

When is the last time you had to scratch an itch? A few minutes ago when my neck itched.

Are you in any kind of club or group that is trying to save animals? No, but I very much support the cause.

Who is the last blonde you saw? At work today I saw someone who had her hair dyed blonde.

Where were you two hours after you got up, and what were you doing there? I needed to go to the office today because my team and I needed to pack some stuff to seed to certain media. It was the first time I got to visit the place and it was sooooooo homey and pretty :) I wish we can be allowed to work in the office soon; it would be best for my mental health at this point.

Do you wish for world peace? Um, of course.

Have you ever played fetch with a dog? We were able to teach Cooper how to pick up items that we throw but he’s still slowly learning that he actually has to give it back to us, haha.

What is the nearest object that is wood? The table I am typing on is made of wood.

Do you use Netflix? Yes, we have a family subscription.

Does your house have a fireplace? No, we don’t. And I can confidently tell you all other houses in this entire country, and probably the whole of Southeast Asia, don’t.

Do you wake yourself up in the morning, or does someone else? I wake myself up. On important days, I’ll put an alarm on.

What kind of hoodie did you last wear? It was a white hoodie with a UP seal on the left side.

Do you play games on your computer? No, my laptop isn’t equipped for games. I tried downloading Sims 4 when they made it free for a few weeks back in 2018, but my laptop’s fan started whirring like crazy and the battery got drained super fast. The entire period of me booting it up and then deleting it took like, a literal 15 minutes.

What is the last video game that you played? Mario Kart 8 on the Switch. I want to get myself Switch games as gifts, but I’m just so stingy towards myself hahaha.

Have you ever pet a stingray? I’m 50% would like to at least once and 50% I know of what it did to Steve Irwin, and I’m not messing with them.

If you were on vacation, would you ever go to Ireland? It’s not a big item on my bucket list, honestly. I’d love to go to Ireland, but it would probably be a part of a bigger itinerary, like if I decided to take a trip to that part of Europe.

Are you logged into Myspace right now? I haven’t been on there for more than a decade.

Did you have anything bad happen to you today? Yeah, but they’re stuff that happened at work that are a little hard to explain. 

Have you ever been to New York? Nope. I’d love to take a trip there.

Do you use the term "lol" if you don't have anything to say? Not really. I use it in the end of my messages more so that I don’t sound mean.

Should you be sleeping right now instead of taking this survey? Hell no. It’s a Friday night so the last thing I want to be doing is sleeping.

Can you truly say you hate anyone? I don’t think so. I greatly dislike my brother, but I guess I don’t hate him. I find it too strong a word.

Have you ever disected a baby pig in a class at school? Not a piglet, no. We dissected an earthworm, a fish, and eventually a frog.

What brand of dish liquid do you use? A local brand you wouldn’t recognize.

When is the last time you ate a Hershey Kiss? It’s probably been more than a year. It’s not my favorite candy.

Do you ever feel unappreciated? Yes.

Do you currently have any blemishes on your face? No. My pimple finally went away, hallelujah.

Who is the last baby you held? My cousin who is now 13 years old. I’m too anxious to hold babies; I always feel like I’d drop them so I find myself declining even when I have the chance to hold one.

Are you a lover? I guess.

Do you use smileys often in text convos? Yes. Not a lot of people like them but it’s better to sound friendly and approachable than stoic.

Do you have the Google toolbar on your computer? Like...Chrome? I have the program, yeah. It’s my default browser as well.

Do you like Sunkist? I’ve never had it.

Would you ever consider being a cannibal? I mean...I guess only if I was in a life-and-death situation, like if a plane I was in crashed on an island and I was starting to get hungry. I certainly don’t fantasize about cannibalism on any regular day.

Did you forget something important in the past week? I made a few mistakes at work due to me forgetting things, yeah.

Do you like learning new things? Sure.

What color is your toothpaste? White.

Are the floors in your house creaky? Nopes. I don’t think our doors are creaky-level just yet as well.

Do you fear death? I hate the uncertainty of what happens while it’s taking place, and what happens after. But I’ve been wishing for it for a while as well. There’s a difference.

Is your mouth dry? Not right now, no.

Do yoou have any scars from an animal? Yeah I’ve got a few marks and scratches from Cooper. I never run out of them, really.

Did you have fun with this survey? It was okay.

Was it random enough? Sure.

[xmagicxshopx]

Spring Cleaning - Chapter 4

Genre: Fluff, Romance, Comedy Rating: PG - M ( future smut ) Warnings: None in this chapter Pairing: personal assistant!jungkook x ceo!reader Notes: AU fic. Not idol!jungkook. Single quote marks ‘ ‘ are for thoughts and double “ “ are for talking. Additional Notes: This chapter may seem like a filler but I think it’s important for character development since Kook and reader are spending time together and getting to know each other~

Tagging: @deolly��� @katebacks​

Summary: Your mother built you to be a thriving business machine. However, in her old age, she’s growing soft and wants grand kids to spoil. Your home and yard are a mess due to your busy schedule. So your mother attempts to kill two birds with one stone.

MASTERLIST || CH 1 || CH 2 || CH 3 

“Good night, Mr. Jeon.”

“Good night, Miss. Kwon.”

Last night had ended just as the night before. Only......it hadn’t? As he laid there in bed staring at the ceiling but not really seeing it, he let the events of last night play back in his mind’s eyes. You had told him that you were going to call off work tomorrow.....which would mean today. You----The workaholic who literally worked till she dropped, was going to take a day off??? It almost seemed too good to be true. Yet here he was, another morning rolling around and this time.....he wouldn’t have to watch you leave for work at the ass crack of dawn. It was Monday so normally you’d be getting up and getting ready for work.

“She seemed to really like breakfast yesterday. Perhaps I’ll see if she’s up and I can make more for her.”

Changing into a simple over sized t-shirt and some sweats, he made his way out of his room and instantly noticed the smell of coffee filling the house. Hmm......Well he knew that could have only came from one person. You. So it would seem you were already up. Not surprising but hopefully you’d still be somewhere around here and not having lied to him. Now that he had time to process everything, he was genuinely looking forward to you staying home today.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the bottom in nothing flat. Subconsciously ruffling and fluffing his shaggy long locks, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw not only you sitting at the dining table sipping on coffee, but your mother too. Well dang.

“Jungkookieeee! Darling! It’s so good to see you! Come! Have some coffee with us!”

While he had managed to keep professional eye contact with your mother, he was pretty sure he could see you visibly cringe out of the corner of his eye and he couldn’t help but internally snicker. Your mother was quite......obvious with her intentions still despite everything. However, he offered a warm and friendly smile before saying casually in a light and happy tone,

“I’d love to, Mrs. Kwon. Thank you.”

Of course she motioned for him to sit next to you and who was he to defy your mother??? Trying to keep a straight face and not grin like a moron, he took the seat next to you and decided to sneak a glance your way. You seemed to be texting someone at a rate that not even he could keep up with. If the look of deep concentration was anything to go by, he decided it was best not to say anything to you till you were done.

“How do you like your coffee, my dear?”

“Oh just black is fine, Mrs. Kwon.”

“Ugh. Gross. You’re just like my daughter. You two need more sweetness in your lives. Some sugar and cream. Lots of cream.”

Thank god he hadn’t actually took a drink from his mug yet or else he would have choked just as he nearly had on the noodle from his soup last night. What was it with these Kwon women??? Always full of surprises it would seem. After cautiously taking a sip of his coffee, he glanced over to see what your reaction had been but you simply kept typing furiously away on your phone.

“So what brings you over so early in the morning, Mrs. Kwon? Is everything alright?”

“Oh I just happened to get a frantic text from my poor Jiminnie this morning. Something about how my daughter might be in trouble because she was calling off work today. So I rushed right over.”

However, the tone that your mother spoke in was anything but worried. In fact, her voice just happened to be dripping in amusement. Something that the male instantly caught on to. Taking another sip of his coffee, he noticed you grumbling as you finally put your phone down. Goodness. Weren’t your thumbs about to fall off?

“I still don’t think it’s that big of a shock. I’m taking a day away from the office. So what???”

The table grew silent while you huffed and took a sip of your now stone cold coffee. Oh well. That was okay. It would be cold like your soul as you thought to yourself. Even though your mother liked to pick on you, even she knew now wasn’t a good moment to poke fun at your statement. While Jungkook hadn’t known you for very long, less than a week in fact, he knew enough not to comment either. It was then that your mother decided to break the tense silence as she cleared her throat and asked casually,

“So what are the plans for today, my darlings?”

That was a good question. What were your plans??? Now that you weren’t sitting there texting Jimin an entire playbook on how to run a company for just. one. day., you finally had some time to think about what you wanted to do with this time away from the office. The growling of your stomach gave you the first idea.

Grocery shopping. Ah yes. You were supposed to do that with Jungkook sometime soon. So that way he could fix food he knew you would actually like instead of just guessing. Hearing a soft chuckle over next to you, you glanced over to see Jungkook smiling to himself in amusement and delight as he silently got up from his chair before padding over to the kitchen and announcing happily,

“Mrs. Kwon, you should stay for breakfast. My treat.”

“Why thank you, dear! Mr. Jeon has quite the manners. Doesn’t he, sweetheart?”

“Absolutely selfless, he is.”

Your tone was one of a deadpanned as you silently grumbled while sipping on your ice cold coffee. You could practically feel the male snickering behind you while he shared a look of amusement with your mother. Two against one. How unfair. While Jungkook went about fixing breakfast for the three of you, your mother pipped up about how it would be a good idea to start making a list of all the groceries you’d need.

It kind of reminded you of the days where she was training you to be her successor. The one to take her place in the company that she had held so dearly once upon a time. But now it was almost like your mother was teaching you how to be a normal human being again. Honestly, it wasn’t far from the truth. You didn’t know it, but your mother felt incredibly guilty for having turned you into such a workaholic. A soul who was alive but not actually living.

As he stood there in the adjoining kitchen cutting up peppers to put in the fried potatoes, he couldn’t help but watch you and your mother at the dining table. It all felt so.......domestic? The real question was.....how did that make him feel? The initial feeling was that he liked it. But should he? This was supposed to be a job and a job only for him. Cooking, cleaning, being your personal assistant so that you could focus on your company and not have to worry about life at home so much.

So then why did it feel like he was fixing breakfast for his girlfriend and his potential mother-in-law???

Shaking his head a bit to clear it, he continued working on breakfast and decided to listen in on your conversation. Perhaps focusing on tasks such as grocery shopping would help distract him from these odd thoughts and feelings that were bubbling inside his chest and confusing his brain.

It seemed like in no time at all, a western omelet fit for royalty had been placed on three plates as well as Jungkook coming up with his own little healthy touch of fruit salad as a small side dish for each of them as they all three sat at the dining table. But not before the male had kindly offered to refill their coffee mugs. Needless to say, your mother was glowing while you were brooding.

“My my my. I’m going to have to come over for breakfast more often! I could get used to this!”

“You want him? You can have him.”

Having quickly become used to your sour humor, your words didn’t phase Jungkook a bit. As for your mother, however, she still lightly scolded you for being so rude to someone who had just slaved over a hot stove to make you breakfast. If your mother only knew. Jungkook thrived in the kitchen and being a slave was the last thing he felt like right now.

“It’s quite alright, Mrs. Kwon. I take no offense to it. Please do enjoy your breakfast before it gets cold.”

Wow. When your mother was all feather ruffled and huffy and puffy......it made the two of you look so much alike. There was no denying that you two were blood related. In that moment, Jungkook learned that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. It was actually kind of cute, really. Thankfully, your mother took his encouraging words and ran with it as she finally took the first bite of the best omelet she had ever had.

Aside from the occasional bickering between you and your mother, breakfast was actually quite lovely. If it hadn’t been for looking over the grocery list the two of you had made up, Jungkook would have started feeling all domestic again and that wasn’t what he needed right now. He needed to stay focused on his job and be just your personal assistant. Nothing more and nothing less.

‘Stay focused, Jeon.’

Once breakfast was over and Mrs. Kwon insisted on helping load the dishwasher, you had made the announcement that you’d be heading upstairs to shower before accompanying your assistant to the grocery store. Both your mother and said assistant simply nodded with smiles that were nearly identical in mischief. This only caused you to narrow your eyes suspiciously at them before huffing and heading upstairs. Still not fair.

“You know, Jungkookie, there’s a carnival in town this week. Perhaps you and my daughter might wish to go?”

Dang. Your mother wasn’t going to make his latest internal struggle any easier, was she? At first, he really hadn’t minded her obvious attempts at match making. However, now that he was starting to feel these odd domestic type feelings, it was becoming much more difficult to shrug them off as just all-in-good-fun teasing.

“A carnival sounds like a lot of fun, Mrs. Kwon. Would you like to join in if we go?”

There. Maybe if he could try to turn the tables a bit, it might make him feel a little less self-conscious. While he appreciated your mother’s enthusiasm and confidence in his ability to please you, Jungkook was in no shape to be someone’s love interest. For several reasons. Reasons that he really didn’t care to think about right now.

“Oh my no. I wouldn’t want to intrude. But I think my daughter needs to get out more and she seems to listen to you better than she does me. So perhaps you could convince her to go, hmm?”

Well that didn’t work. At all. He should have known better, honestly, but it had been worth a shot. After assuring the woman that he would at least try to run the idea by you, that seemed to be enough to satisfy her and she proceeded to insist that she could handle the dishes if he too wanted to wash up before heading to the grocery store.

With that, he nodded and headed up the stairs to take a quick shower and make himself decent for the task at hand. While in the shower, it felt anything but quick as he got lost in thoughts. Thoughts of you and your mother and how he felt about having breakfast with the two of you. It was nice. Really nice. But he was probably just overthinking it. He had a tendency to do that with things that confused him.

After getting all washed up and towel drying his shaggy mop of hair, he then proceeded to comb and dry said mop. Honestly, he felt he looked more mature with long hair but dang was it a hassle to take care of. Once his dark locks were perfectly quaffed, he dressed in a light yellow button up shirt tucked into a pair of ripped skinny jeans.

There we go. Not too dressy but not too casual. Spritzing on some cologne his father got him for his birthday last year, he checked himself in the mirror one more time before determining he looked good and professional. He could only imagine how his best friend from Busan Jimin felt. Having to wear a monkey suit day in and day out being your real assistant.

If only you knew that him and Jimin knew each other. That your personal assistant and company assistant were childhood best friends from Busan. For some reason, he just didn’t have the desire to tell you yet. That was something else he couldn’t quite explain. Why exactly did he want to keep it a secret? What did he have to gain by keeping the information from you? There he goes again, thinking way too much.

‘Get your butt out there, Jeon. They’re probably waiting on you.’

After giving himself a small pep talk in the bathroom mirror to just act natural and that he’s on business as your personal assistant, he took one last deep breath and exhaled slowly before bracing himself and heading out of his room to truck downstairs. He could do this. He could do this. This is a business trip to stock your home with food that he will eventually cook for you. Just business. Just busin----

Wow.

He was beginning to think he was going to be the next poor sap stuck in a monkey suit if this was how you always dressed to go grocery shopping.

Pointed toed heels that looked more like weapons rather than footwear. And dang did you look dangerous in that pantsuit. Keeping it classic. Black. Pitch black. Not to mention how it hugged your body in all the right ways. For a woman who either didn’t eat at all or ate nothing but take-out, you still had a gorgeous figure. Or maybe he was just biased???

Your hair was pulled back in what appeared to be the most tight knit bun he had ever seen. In fact, just looking at it was giving him a headache. Maybe if you didn’t have your hair up so tightly all the time, you wouldn’t be so grumpy. But he wasn’t about to tell you that. He’d like to keep all his body parts attached, thanks. Seriously......those heels could poke someone’s eye out.

“You ready to head out, Mr. Jeon? Mother has offered to watch the place while we’re out.”

“Absolutely, Miss. Kwon.”

“You two enjoy the shopping trip and I’ll just be here monitoring the dishwasher and maybe dust here and there a bit. I’ll make sure Jimin holds down the fort at the company as well. Just go and enjoy yourselves!”

Well.....as enjoyable as grocery shopping could be, anyhow. With an obvious eye roll, you simply snapped your fingers and started moving to the door, heels making clacking sounds loud enough to wake the dead. Given the fact that your floors switched back and forth between hardwood and marble. God didn’t your feet hurt in those things??? Weren’t your toes squished???

It was when the two of you finally got outside and was swinging by the garage that he realized it had never been discussed who’s vehicle they’d be taking. But judging from your confident steps towards your sleek black Hyundai Palisade, it would appear that you were driving. He shouldn’t have been surprised, honestly. It made perfect sense. With his truck, he didn’t have much space in the backseats and he highly doubted the bed of a truck was sanitary for food to be packed into.

You had already climbed into the driver’s seat by the time he got to the passenger side. He was no psychologist, but from the short amount of time he had spent with you thus far, he could tell one thing.......You liked being in control. Of everything. Wordlessly climbing into the passenger seat, he got himself buckled in and watched you start the vehicle before the two of you were finally out of the garage and on your way to the grocery store.

“Okay. The job is simple. We get the list out, buy everything on the list, pay for it, and get out of here.”

Jungkook expected nothing less from you so he simply smiled and gave you a thumbs up before climbing out of the car. The ride to the store had been silent as the grave and he wasn’t about to ruin that. It was an odd peaceful kind of silence even if he could feel your mild agitation radiating from you in the driver’s seat. If this had truly been your first day off from the company in---like---ever, then he could understand how tense you might be feeling. You probably felt like a new mother letting go of her new born baby for the first time since giving birth.

Walking into the store, you immediately pulled your phone out to bring up your electronic list. While you did that, Jungkook took it upon himself to be your assistant and took a disinfectant wipe from the public dispenser and cleaned down the bar handle of one of the carts from the docking area. With list ready and a cart set to go, the two of you made your way to the first section of the store. The fruits and vegetables.

So far so good. You were being very cooperative and well-behaved during the whole trip. A nice change from the first time the two of you went to the store together. Perhaps because you were working. You actually had a task that you needed to complete. Again, Jungkook was no psychologist, but he was pretty sure if you weren’t working, you just simply didn’t know how to act. Which was kind of, sort of, really sad.

“Okay so we’ve taken care of the fruits, vegetables, meats. Now what?”

“Well if we’re going to have stir fry one night this week, we’re going to need some rice. Let’s head there next.”

There he goes again. That feeling bubbling up in his chest again and filling his stomach with butterflies. Dang it. He had been doing so good too. But watching you retrieve items here and there, sometimes needing his help because the items were too high up, it all felt so.......domestic. That word just kept floating around in his head. It felt like the two of you had decided to go to the grocery store after work. Discussing dinners ahead of time and all that. Gah he was going to go insane!

You, on the other hand, were having a hard time focusing but for other reasons. Your assistant was dressed quite nicely today despite the lack of professionalism. While you approved of the yellow button up, the skinny jeans were a bit too casual for your liking. Or maybe you just didn’t like how well they hugged his thighs? Nah. It was just too casual for you. Yeah. That was it. That had to be the reason. Maybe next time you’d make a comment about dressing more appropriately for the job. But today you’d let it slide.

He smelled really nice too. You briefly wondered what cologne he uses when you realized that you couldn’t reach a box of pasta for Italian Nights. Without even having to ask, you could feel a huge warm body coming up behind you that smelled just like your assistant. Sure enough, Jungkook extended his long arm and easily plucked the box of pasta from the shelf before flashing you a bright bunny-like smile and handing it over to you.

“Here you are, Miss. Kwon.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jeon. I appreciate it. Now you know one of the reasons why I don’t go grocery shopping in the first place.”

Wow. Did you just crack a joke??? He was pretty sure you did. Or at least tried to. Smiling and feeling more at ease knowing that you were starting to ease up a bit, he continued to push the cart that only kept getting heavier and heavier as the two of you walked down the aisles. The rest of the trip went mostly in silence aside from the small discussion of price comparing here and the task of picking out the least beaten up box there.

It seemed like in no time at all, the two of you were heading up to the register and placing the items down for scanning and payment. This process too went mostly in silence but, again, it was peaceful. An unspoken agreement that there didn’t need to be words exchanged in order to check out their groceries. This was a job, after all. He needed to stay professional.

Thank goodness you had brought your vehicle instead of his because he wasn’t sure if even the bed of his truck would have held all these groceries. After Jungkook insisting that he do all the packing and storing into the vehicle, being that he was your assistant and all, you took this opportunity to send a quick text to Jimin asking him how things were going before shooting your mother a text informing her that the two of you were on your way home now.

“I think that was a very successful trip, don’t you think, Miss. Kwon?”

“It wasn’t as bad as I had initially thought it would be. Although I don’t remember groceries being so pricey. Then again.....it has been awhile.”

While you spoke in your professional tone, it still made him smile to hear you yet again trying to poke fun at your own self. You were lightening up. Even if only just a little. Progress was progress no matter how small. That’s how he looked at it. With the both of you in the vehicle once more with the back plum full of food, you put it in gear and started the trip back home.

“Thank you for helping me with the groceries, Mr. Jeon. I feel our next task should be shopping for items such as cleaning supplies and toiletries. Not just for myself, but for you as well. My home is your home now.”

Dang. Maybe there was something in that chicken soup he made last night that he didn’t know about. Or maybe all you needed was some real sleep and rest in order to feel a little bit better and a little less moody. Not only did you just thank him, but you said your home was his home. You were certainly giving him whiplash with your crazy mood swings.

“And after that, we should focus on the grounds of the estate. Compile that list of tools and equipment you’ll need and we will make another trip out.”

“Will that trip be today, Miss. Kwon? Don’t forget, we need to eat lunch soon.”

“Probably not today. We’ll run out of time. Because this afternoon, after lunch, we’ll make a run to the store for items such as the cleaning supplies and any toiletries I’ve failed to stock up on. But again, we’re shopping for you too. So purchase anything you need while we’re there. It won’t come out of your paycheck so don’t worry about that.”

“Thank you for your kindness and generosity, Miss. Kwon. I greatly appreciate it. I will do my very best to make this arrangement worth your time and money.”

While you knew what the poor man was referring to, it still sent your mind straight to the gutter. Trying not to snicker or, rather, trying not to snicker too noticeably, you found yourself finally pulling into the driveway of your huge estate and pressing the button that would open the garage door. Once the car was parked, you turned it off and sported a smug smile while taking your seat belt off as you said casually yet teasingly,

“Be careful, Mr. Jeon. Anyone who didn’t know any better might think your intentions are anything but pure.”

At first he didn’t get it. Those doe eyes of his blinking at you in confusion as you smirked and got out of the vehicle, but not before popping the trunk and unlocking all the doors and heading inside the house. Anything but pure??? Why would you say that? It almost sounded like you were trying to say he was.......OH!! Instantly, he could feel the heat sprout all over his face and down his neck and even to the tips of his ears. It spread like a wildfire as he quickly climbed out of the passenger seat.

He would never do that to you! Never ever! He was a good man! Suddenly needing to pop the top button of his yellow dress shirt, the poor boy managed to resist as he tried his very best to focus on the task at hand which was to pack the groceries into the house. Oh god! Your mother was in there!

‘Heavenly Father, please give me the strength to deal with these Kwon women!’

After saying the quick prayer and doing his very best to calm himself down, he cleared his throat and began taking bags into both of his arms. Given his muscular physique, it was super easy for him to pack several bags on both arms. Unbeknownst to him, he was getting payback as you came back around the corner of the garage to help him.

Muscles. Lots and lots of muscles. Bulging muscles. You had to stop yourself right on the spot as you had just came from informing your mother that the two of you were back from the shopping trip and would need some help packing the groceries in. First of all, you weren’t quite sure why you felt the need to help since it was Jungkook’s job as your assistant to do this stuff and he would normally be doing all of this by himself anyway while you were at work.

Secondly, why were you still standing there eyeing him up like a piece of meat??? Perhaps it was because of the.......dry spell.....you had found yourself in recently. Yeah. That was probably it. You were just horny. Sexually frustrated. Yeah. That was it. Pulling yourself together just in time for Jungkook to turn around, you managed to plaster that confident smirk from earlier back on your face as you gave him a curt nod only to watch his face flush pink all over again.

“Oh my, Jungkookie! You look flushed! And no wonder from packing all those bags. Here. Let me help you.”

“It’s quite alright, Mrs. Kwon. I got this. But if it wouldn’t be too much to ask, may I have a bottle of water?”

“Absolutely, my dear boy! Anything for you!”

The male was grateful that your mother was so easily distracted. Not to mention he could really use that bottle of water right now. He needed something to cool himself down. That smirk you had worn was just a little too much for him right now. He was still rather flustered over your teasing words from earlier.

It wasn’t that Jungkook was innocent. He wasn’t a virgin, that’s for sure. But......that topic was just......different for him? He was the type of guy who wanted to find his beautiful princess and turn her into a queen. He wanted to love her and cherish her. Settle down and start a family with her. It wasn’t sex to him. It was making love. So perhaps that’s why he was so taken aback by your crude words. Because that’s not who he was. Again----He was a good man.

“Here you go, my dear. Take a moment and just relax. Sip on some water and I’ll take these into the kitchen.”

“No no, Mrs. Kwon. This is my job as your daughter’s assistant. I just needed something to help with the spring heat is all.”

“Nonsense. I may be up there in years but I’m not crippled yet.”

Knowing it was no use to fight with a Kwon woman, he simply uncapped the bottle of water and let the ice cold liquid run down his throat. There. That was better. He just needed to cool off a bit and it would help him focus a bit better. With the cold water running through his heated bloodstream, he set the bottle down on the foyer table and went back out to help pack in more groceries.

With the three of you working together, all the groceries were now packed into the kitchen and all that needed to be done was putting them away in appropriate cabinets and such. Jungkook insisted he be the one to do that while you and your mother decide on what you want for lunch. This way you were stuck with your mother and couldn’t tease him any further. At least for a little bit.

After deciding on barbecued pulled pork and a side salad, Jungkook quickly went to work in his favorite habitat. The kitchen. While he allowed the pork to cook, he had taken time to make a fresh pitcher of lemonade. Fresh as in fresh fresh. No powdery packets or any of that imitation stuff you can buy in the store in the water enhancement aisle. No. He was taking real lemons and squeezing them into a pitcher of heaven.

Filling three cups up full of ice and lemonade, he set two of them for you and your mother on the dining table where you were currently trying to calm down a frantic Jimin as he practically screeched in panic through your cell phone. He might as well have been on speaker, honestly. Sighing heavily, you excused yourself from the dining and connecting kitchen area to go up to your office where you could have a proper conference call with your frazzled assistant. Seriously. It was one day! One day!

“Jungkookie, darling, could you have a seat with me, please?”

Oh boy....

How did this keep happening to him???

“Sure thing, Mrs. Kwon. Let me just check on the pork really quick.”

Trying to buy himself all of an extra few seconds to brace himself, the male actually did check the meat and it was coming along nicely. With nothing else to help him worm his way out of this conversation, he tried to act cool and calm on the outside as he took a seat at the table next to your mother.

“First of all, the lemonade is wonderful.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Kwon. I felt it was appropriate for spring time.”

“Indeed indeed. However, that’s not what I wish to talk to you about.”

He figured as much. And rather than saying it out loud, he remained silent as he waited for the older woman to speak once more. Although Jungkook couldn’t help but notice how her face was suddenly etched with lines of sadness and guilt. She turned in her seat so that she could face him more and he did the same out of respect. Clearly something was bothering your mother.

“I know I don’t make my intentions very secretive. But you have to understand, Kookie. I’ve destroyed my own daughter and I need to put her back together. It’s my fault she’s like this and I need to right this wrong I’ve done.”

“Mrs. Kwon, with all due respect, your daughter is her own person who makes her own decisions. You didn’t do anything to her. She’s chosen to be this way.”

His heart was hammering in his chest as he realized this conversation was taking quite the deep turn. This definitely wasn’t the conversation he was expecting to have given his previous exchanges with your mother. The woman in front of him now was torn with sadness and misery. It broke his heart to see someone as sweet as your mother feeling so sad like this.

“But it is my fault, Kookie. I trained her to be this way because that’s how I was back in the day. But now that I’m getting older and I’ve slowed down.....I realize now how important it is to stop and smell the roses. That life isn’t entirely about work. I did that to her. I treated her like a robot to be programmed a certain way and now my little girl is gone.”

Oh boy. Now your mother was starting to cry. Oh boy. Okay. He could do this. He could handle this. Trying to stay calm for her on the outside, he got up from his seat and briskly went into the living room where he found a box of tissues and came back only to offer one and set the box on the table while he took his seat once more. Gently rubbing the woman’s back, he spoke softly,

“Mrs. Kwon. You were only doing what you thought was best for your company at the time. But things change. People change. Perhaps your daughter enjoys being busy with the company?”

“But she’s not living, Kookie. She’s alive but she’s not living. She just goes through the motions like the robot I turned her into. She doesn’t get out and socialize. She doesn’t treat herself to anything nice. She’s breathing but that’s all she’s doing.”

Suddenly, the woman took both of his hands in hers and she sniffled a little before putting her full attention back on the male. Good lord he hated to see women cry. Especially women as sweet as your mother. He could feel a lump forming in his throat as he gently gripped her hands while he waited for her to say something.

“I need you to help her, Jungkook. I know it’s selfish of me but I need your help. When Jimin reached out to me and told me about you, I knew you were the one who was going to bring my daughter back to me. And maybe......”

He felt his eyebrows knit together in confusion as he listened to this new round of information. Jimin had been behind this??? Wait.......oh.......Okay. Now it made sense. Your mother was looking out for you......while his best friend was looking out for him.

“And just maybe.......you can heal too.”

Meanwhile, you stood there at the bottom of the stairs with your back against the wall listening in. But all you got to hear was that your assistant needed healing. What did that mean? Was he sick? Did he need this job to help pay medical bills?

‘What’s your story, Mr. Jeon Jungkook?’

[whump-town]

Shattered Hearts, Fractured Lungs

(Chapter Fifth; Warnings for: school shooting, violence, language, and heart failure; you can find the first chapter here, the second here, the third here, and the fourth here)

Emily Prentiss just wants to do her job but a messy case sends her sprawling into the arms of a dying man with a toddler and his weird, broken family.

“We don’t even ask for happiness, just a little less pain.” --Charles Bukowski

Aaron places his tea in the microwave knowing that it’s going to put him behind schedule for the morning. He still needs to get ready for the day but he can afford just a moment to make himself a cup of tea. Anything to soothe his raw throat. Besides, knowing his ragtag group of students he’s going to need his voice today. He’s going to have to be able to keep up with them.

The thought makes him smile, a light warmth spreading along his chest. He settles his hips back against the counter and settles his gaze along the room. He can’t remember cleaning up but the dishes are actually clean, resting in the sink waiting to be put away. 

He never washes the dishes. It’s a fatal flaw but he hates washing the dishes and… where’s the dishwasher? It had been a pity gift from Dave. No point in washing dishes by hand when you’re---

When you’re… he can’t remember where he was going with that line of thought. It’s just blank. The sentence just--- the microwave beeps behind him and dejectedly, he turns and opens the microwave except the beeping doesn’t stop. He shuts the door and the fact that the beeping just keeps getting louder and louder and it’s overwhelming causing the soft edges of pain to start blooming across his chest. 

And he remembers, there are no kids to go to. No school. No family. No fucking heart---

“Easy,” thick, rough fingers wrap around his bicep. A tight squeeze that grounds him to the moment and away from the microwave still beeping frantically from somewhere to his right. But he’s not at home. He’s not at home because everything is white and it stinks. It smells like bleach and he hates it.

He doesn’t know where he is and everything hurts. He can’t breathe. It hurts so bad. Tears sting his eyes as they fall but all he can do is limply lay in this bed, in this place he doesn't know. He’s not sure what he did wrong but he's sorry and he promises he won’t do it again.

He’s sorry… please just make it stop.

“Family of Aaron Hotchner?”

Five and a half hours of waiting--- fuck, she’d read somewhere it was only supposed to take four. Reid, anxiously pacing, had reminded them all of this fact. It’s taking too long but that has to mean some fraction of hope for them, right? As long as it’s not too short he hasn’t just coded on the table and left them reeling with his loss. Without a fight. With a gaping hole where he once was, wheezing but here.

He’d been here and now…

Standing from her chair, she’s not sure what to expect. How can she? The last time she was here for this kind of news, Anderson was dead. Anderson was dead and she was about to be gifted to another office-- sent away. What is the likelihood of that happening again? This time there’s more at stake. There’s Jack and Reid and Penelope and she’s quickly realized that in this look group, this misfit family, Aaron is the glue.

What’s going to happen if he doesn’t make it out of this?

“He’s in CICU,” the doctor informs them with a nod. “He’ll be there for the rest of the night until he’s breathing on his own.” The doctor’s had warned them of this very likely outcome. His lungs have been working double time for months and they’ll want this reprieve. 

Dave, jogging Jack up his farther in his arms, nods his head. He’s really the only one wrapping his head around this information past the point of--- he’s alive. “Can I go back,” he asks, voice thickening with the release of stress now overcoming his body. 

The doctor frowns as he considers it. The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit doesn’t have much room for patients and visitor’s to be moving around. However, it’s pretty understandable that his patient and his family might benefit from a small visit. That is, as long as they can stand the sight of the bandages.

“Briefly,” the doctor caves. “He’s not going to be up for too much.”

Alive. Not up for much but alive.

“I’ll take it.”

Dave has to leave Jack in the waiting room. He’s still half asleep when he climbs into Reid’s lap without complaint. It seems to calm the genius nerves, being able to wrap his arms around the small boy. And alone Dave follows the doctor down the hall. 

It’s eerie and the only sound down the long, winding hall is the heart monitors. To his untrained ears they all sound steady and he wonders if the doctor hears the same steady rhythms.  

“It’s for his safety--”

Dave is practically covered in scrubs and plastic. They place gloves on his hands after they instruct him to thoroughly wash. Taking his temperature and handing him a mask to place over his face. He starts to sincerely doubt if he should be back here. If Aaron’s health is so dependent on all this, Dave doesn’t want to place him in unnecessary danger.

Stepping into the room, Dave’s taken aback by all of the wires and the machine. The ventilator pulls in each of Aaron’s breathes and releases them with hiss and beep. He’s awake though, light brown eyes pinched in pain as he slowly answers the nurses question.

“You’re doing great, sweetheart.” The nurse commends. “One last question,” she promises, squeezing Aaron’s hand. “1 to 10, how much pain are you in?”

Hotch’s entire chest feels like there’s a herd of baby elephants sitting atop it. It’s worse than anything he’s ever felt. Hell, bleeding out on his classroom floor wasn’t as bad as this. Still, he raises only seven fingers. The nurse has to lean over his hips to see his trembling left hand hardly raised from the bed and fingers hardly uncurled. Still, seven. 

“Honey,” she says, gently and so understanding. “I need you to be honest with me, otherwise, I can’t give you any pain medication. Okay?’

He nods and this time he raises a more honest answer. Nine.

The nurse squeezes his knee as she stands, smiling. “See,” she says, “that I can work with.” When she looks up, she finds Dave and to him her smile softens significantly. “Looks like you’ve got a visitor, sweetheart.” 

Aaron moves his head, feeling the uncomfortable pull at his mouth as the tubes remain still. Dave. 

“Don’t cry,” Dave whispers, feeling his own tears sting his eyes at the sight of the ones pooling over in Aaron. “Oh my boy,” Dave walks up to the side of the bed. He takes one of Aaron’s hands and the other moves to his hair, gently soothing down the sweat soaked locks. 

Dave smiles sadly as he wipes away one of Aarons’ stray tears. He can see just how tired Aaron is. The dark bags under his eyes look more like bruises but all of that can be excused. Aaron’s alive and he’s got a new heart and a chance at life. 

Of course… his future is built solidly on a hand-ful of medications he’s going to have to take daily. He’ll have to be careful each flu season and fight from here on out to keep living. To eat healthy and get enough sleep and-- 

“You did so good,” Dave praises, softly. He keeps his hand in Aaron’s head, luring him back to sleep. Not that Aaron has very much fight left in him right now. “Get some rest, son.”

Where Emily had expected leniency or maybe even some rule-bending she finds only hard schedules and a very weak, recently cracked open Aaron Hotchner. He gets two days to rest. In those days Dave is the only person they allow back and just as he’s starting to get restless they bring him down to a different floor. They pass through so many floors she stops bothering to learn which intensive care unit it is. 

What’s important is that he’s on his feet and making slow progress down the hall. 

He’s leaning a little bit more on Dave than he should be but gone is the tube in his throat. Pulled behind him is the oxygen tank that the doctor has already decided he no longer needs. But for today he pulls in deep breathes through his nose and tries to make it down the hall without incident. 

“Emily,” he greets breathless, stopping and shaking in place while he looks her up and down. He’s not checking her out, there is no baited heat that should make her cheeks flush. Instead, she feels the familiar warmth of his presence wash over her. Nothing but at ease familiarity.

She presses a kiss to his cheek, smiling when he chuckles breathlessly. “You look---”

His chest moves a little too much when he pulls in a breath and he winces, face pulling back in a tight grimace. “--like shit?” he offers, not even fighting when the nurse that had been trailing them pushes the wheelchair behind his knees. 

She smiles softly but it’s Dave to confirm, “just rest a moment.” He rests a hand on Aaron’s shoulder, gently rubbing, “you can try again in a moment.”

Once he’s settled, his eyes moving back up to Emily she shakes her head. “Are you kidding,” she asks. “You look hot enough to pick up anybody in this place you wanted.”

He pulls his arm against his chest as he groans, the smile on his lips all she needs to know that he’s laughing through the pain. “Don’t lie to me,” he chides without any heat. It’s him that blushes first and it makes her smile that much harder. 

She rolls her eyes and reaches down to mess his hair up even more. 

He wonders if this new heart is really going to be able to deal with all the beats she made the old one skip. 

“So, hot stuff,” she looks over her shoulder to the rest of the hall. “You supposed to be walking down this hall?’

He nods, throat impossibly tight at the way she says hot stuff so casually.

He really does look worse for wear. His dark hair is perpetually swept in every direction, no brush or amount of gel and water seems to tame it. Normally, his neatly trimmed facial hair never sees the light of much more than a light shadow. Unable to lift his arms and unwavering on his decision to not let a nurse shave him, he’s grown a nice beard. 

He’s scraggly and well past just windswept. 

He’s lacking nearly all of what makes him so much the Aaron Hotchner the world gets to see. His shoulders aren’t squared, he can’t even stand up all the way.  But Emily Prentiss finds that she’s never loved just a ragged thing as much as she does this man. 

As teenage girls love the abhorrent idea of a straw too mangled to go loved by another soul. As a child might choose the smallest, most beaten down stuffed animal. Emily Prentiss loves this man  who looks up at her with heavy, beaten down eyes. Not because he’s broken but because he gets back up. 

And Aaron Hotchner might just love her back.

[defenselesswriter]

Blanket Fort Protection

@darrenhasmyheart sent me this post and welp i wrote a whole ficlet on it so please enjoy

Five years after Scott had been bitten is when things in Beacon Hills finally started to calm the fuck down. Even so, the pack still kept up on their patrols and research and pack bonding even. Somehow Scott and Derek made the whole co-alpha thing work, much to Stiles' surprise. However, it was definitely a rough adjustment period for all involved. 

For the first time in his life, Stiles had a group of friends, and he'd even consider them family, but if anyone ever tells Jackson that Stiles thinks of him as family, he will vehemently deny it. And he could deny it. Sure, lying to werewolves isn't the smartest, but Stiles has learned how to do it. Sometimes, he just needs privacy, and if they know every one of his white lies then... then Derek would probably kill him honestly.

Stiles flinches when Derek throws Boyd onto the ground harder than he needed to. "Derbear, chill," Stiles calls out from his seat on the porch of the newly built Hale house.

Derek growls and flashes his red eyes at Stiles, and you know what, scratch that. Derek will definitely kill Stiles. 

Stiles rolls his own because he isn't scared of Derek, not really. And his automatic response to Derek's alpha eyes is definitely not the most appropriate, but no one has called him out on it yet, so as he does with those kinds of problems, he ignores it until it goes away.

Boyd stands up, definitely favoring his left arm instead of his right. He gives Derek one of his long, meaningful looks that Stiles either knows exactly what they mean or has no fucking clue what Boyd is trying to tell him. It seems that Derek understands this meaningful look because he growls at Boyd, who just shakes his head minutely at the alpha. 

After that, Stiles calls it quits on the training session. 

Once the pack has left to their own places to nurse their wounds inflicted by the alpha (Erica has a broken wrist, Isaac a sprained ankle, Boyd a dislocated shoulder, and Jackson a swollen eye), Derek turns on Stiles.

"Why do you always act like you have any authority over my pack?" Derek half yells, half growls. 

Stiles scoffs at him and falls onto the couch. "Because your pack, oh dearest alpha, listens to me. Take it up with them if you have such a huge problem with it."

Derek huffs. "We weren't done training for the day."

"You were," Stiles says as he opens his laptop and focuses his attention on the screen. A minute of silence goes by where Stiles assumes that Derek has accepted defeat. He starts reading through the Satomi pack bestiary and translating it into the Hale's. Derek is quiet long enough that Stiles forgets that they were in the middle of an argument where Derek was so obviously wrong, as he always is, when said alpha slams Stiles' laptop lid shut.

"Do you live here?" Derek asks. "Did you move in without my knowledge?"

Stiles glares at him and slides his fingers out from under his laptop. "I do have a room here."

"Go home, Stiles," Derek growls at him. "Training is apparently over, so what possible reason do you have for still annoying me with your presence?"

Stiles hums and studies Derek for a moment. Over the years, they have become friends as they both have worked together on protecting the pack and pulling each other out of danger. Derek is even known to smile sometimes, but this Derek in front of him is the same one Stiles met when he was sixteen. While Derek learned how to be happy again, Stiles learned the important lesson of knowing when to pick his battles, and this one right here is not one to pick at the moment.

Without another word, Stiles slips his laptop back into his backpack and gets off the couch. He sees something flash across Derek's face as he nears the door, but he already decided to not pick this battle, so he doesn't.

With his back to Derek and his hand on the door, Stiles calls out, "Call me when you're done repressing whatever it is that's going on." Before Derek can respond, Stiles opens the door and closes it behind him. Obviously, Derek could easily catch up to Stiles as he walks to his jeep, but he knows Derek learned a similar lesson a few years back: he doesn't have to pick every single battle.

A couple days go by with no word from Derek, and Stiles hasn't grown out of his anxiety or constant worrying over people he cares about, so he has been keeping tabs on Derek through different pack members. Isaac texted yesterday saying that Derek was cleaning the grout on the kitchen tile with his claws. Erica called last night to tell Stiles that Derek won't touch the Chinese takeout she brought over for dinner even though she knows it's his favorite. Boyd answered a simple, "Yes," when Stiles asked if Derek was still alive earlier this morning, which makes Boyd his new favorite because Jackson's only response was the middle finger emoji. That's not an answer, Jackson.

When the sheriff comes home from his shift, Stiles corners him at the kitchen table with a dinner of steak, roasted potatoes, and brussel sprouts (he had to make sure something was healthy at dinner). As soon as his dad sits down, he looks at Stiles with a resigned look. 

"I am going to enjoy this dinner before you tell me whatever you did that will upset me," he instructs, pointing his fork at Stiles for emphasis before taking a bite of steak.

Stiles allows his father to enjoy half of his dinner before he opens his mouth. "I just have one question."

The sheriff groans loudly and dramatically - and people really wonder where Stiles got that from? - before dropping his fork and knife on the table. He settles his forehead into his hand and waves his other hand for Stiles to continue.

"Did Derek show up for his shift today?" Stiles asks.

Slowly, Stiles' dad lifts his head to stare at Stiles with doubt. "Yes," he finally answers as his eyes narrow to study Stiles. 

"That was all I wanted to know," Stiles tells him and starts cutting up his steak, but it's hard to eat when he can feel his dad's eyes on him scrutinizing every detail of Stiles. With a groan, Stiles leans back in his chair and stares at his dad expectantly. "What?"

"Why do you care about my deputy's attendance?" he asks.

Stiles shrugs. "Because you're too soft on him, so if he's slacking I can give him a stern talking to."

"Uh-huh," the sheriff grunts. "I know you have figured out how to lie to your werewolf friends, Stiles, but I raised you, and I know when you're lying."

"Technically, that wasn't a lie," Stiles points out. "You are too soft on Derek."

"The kid deserves a bit of a break, Stiles," his dad argues. "And he is one of my best and most hardworking deputies."

Stiles huffs and picks up his fork to push around his potatoes. "I'm just worried about him, okay? Did he seem off today?"

The man across the table relaxes as their conversation shifts to an actual conversation rather than the interrogation Stiles had set up. Really, Stiles doesn't understand how no one has figured out where he gets a majority of his tactics from. 

"He seemed tense," his dad answers as he stabs a piece of potato. His brussel sprouts are suspiciously left untouched.

Stiles hums to acknowledge his dad's words, but he finishes his plate in silence. As he gets up from the table to rinse his plate, he nods at his dad's plate. "Make sure to finish your brussel sprouts, old man."

And if his dad could have growled, Stiles has no doubt that would have been a moment he would.

Friday night, Stiles nervously walks into Derek's house. It's pack night, and his presence is expected, but he hasn't spoken to Derek all week, so he isn't sure how Derek will react to him.

Turns out, Derek isn't reacting to Stiles at all. Whenever Stiles speaks, Derek either flat out ignores it or responds in as little words as possible and not directly to Stiles. To be fair, everyone else gets similar treatment. 

After everyone finishes dinner, they find a reason to excuse themselves before anyone can suggest a movie as they usually do. Once again, Stiles is the last one left as he finishes up the dishes. He keeps side eyeing Derek's untouched plate before he wraps it up and puts it in the fridge in case he wants it later.

Derek disappeared upstairs once Isaac excused himself, so there really was no reason for Stiles to linger once the kitchen is clean. There's something wrong with Derek, and he knows it. He just can't pinpoint exactly what's wrong. 

Before he can talk himself out of it, Stiles starts pulling cushions off the couches and grabbing blankets from the linen closet. He goes to his designated room and grabs the comforter he loves and the pillows off the bed. It takes a while, and he is genuinely surprised Derek doesn't come yell at him to leave his house, but once he's finished, he's happy with the results.

Stiles goes through and turns off all the lights in the house, starting the dishwasher as he passes it and grabs something out of the freezer. Once it's dark, he crawls into the fort and makes himself comfortable, playing on his phone until he hears footsteps on the stairs.

He can't stop himself from smiling when he hears Derek growling, "Stiles, what are you doing?"

"Cheering you up!" he answers lightly.

"I don't need cheering up," Derek gets out through what sounds like clenched jaws. "I need you to leave me the fuck alone."

For some reason, that is the straw that breaks Stiles' back. "Just get in the fucking blanket fort, Derek!" he yells.

Surprisingly, after a few quiet moments, Derek starts shuffling to the fort. When he pokes his head in, Stiles smiles at him, which earns him a glare. Once Derek is seated at the very edge of the fort, he lifts his eyebrows expectantly. Stiles glares at him instead of giving him a verbal answer because Derek is smart and can figure shit out.

With the most dramatic and heaving sigh, Derek shifts so his back is against the couch like Stiles and his legs are splayed in front of him. He even grabs Stiles' favorite pillow and holds it to his chest.

Stiles rewards him by reaching behind himself and handing Derek a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream (the heathen's favorite) and a spoon. Then he pulls his laptop closer to himself and plays the first episode of Matt Smith's run as the doctor, which is also Derek's favorite doctor and really the man has such poor taste. It's not that Derek's wrong. It's that there are better options.

Once the laptop is set down near their feet, Stiles relaxes and takes his own spoon to the now opened container of ice cream. Mint chocolate chip isn't the worst flavor, but as Stiles says, there are better options.

It takes three episodes of Doctor Who for Derek to actually start relaxing. The ice cream is long gone and has been set aside on the towel Stiles thought to bring in ahead of time. 

As the end credits start to roll and Stiles reaches to play the next episode, Derek shifts. Stiles looks over at him, and it looks like Derek is about to talk, so Stiles puts his hand back in his lap. Netflix asks if they're still watching, but neither of them click the answer.

"It's the anniversary of the fire," Derek mumbles without looking at Stiles.

The words hit Stiles hard, but his feelings aren't the ones that matter right now, so instead of saying anything, Stiles leans forward and plays the next episode. When he leans back against the couch again, he rests his arm on the bottom cushions not quite on Derek's shoulders, though.

By the halfway point of the episode, Derek finally relaxes into Stiles' touch and leans against his side. Wordlessly, Stiles starts running his fingers through Derek's hair. When Derek nuzzles Stiles' shoulder, he knows the man is asleep. Carefully, he closes his laptop when his socked foot so he doesn't jostle Derek too much. He's not sure Derek has gotten a lot of sleep this week and is desperate not to wake Derek up.

With one hand, Stiles pulls up his comforter around the both of them and curls into Derek, holding him close. In response, Derek tucks his face into Stiles' neck and clutches his shirt. They've never cuddled, not like this at least. They've been more tactile in recent years, but this feels a bit more intimate than Stiles is used to. He finds that he doesn't mind at all as his head falls onto Derek's and his eyes close.

Stiles wakes up feeling warm, but not in a bad way. He's more comfortable than he remembers ever being and sighs contentedly. Rubbing the back of the person curled into him, he starts to think maybe he'll drift off to sleep again, but then he remembers who is curled into him.

As Stiles' heart rate spikes, Derek shushes him.

"Are you actually awake?" Stiles whispers. "Like you are aware of your current surroundings?"

"Yes," Derek grumbles, and fuck, his scratchy morning voice is the cutest sound Stiles has ever heard. "Relax, please."

"So you're not mad about this?" because Stiles can't not ask.

"If I was, would you still be in my house, Stiles?"

"No...?"

"No," Derek confirms. "Are you mad about this?"

"No," Stiles quickly says, not even having to try to lie. 

Derek hums contentedly, his thumb sweeping the skin of Stiles' hip because apparently his shirt has racked up a little. "Thank you," Derek says so quietly that Stiles isn't sure he heard him correctly because to be fair, he has been focused on not popping an inappropriate boner as if he were still a teenager.

"No problem," he squeaks out.

Finally, Derek lifts his head and looks down at Stiles. His face is softer than it has been all week, and something inside Stiles melts. As if Derek could sense that, he smiles a little until his eyebrows furrow slightly and he looks at Stiles as if there is something important to say.

"Can I kiss you?" is the absolute last thing Stiles expected Derek to say.

"Do you want to?" Stiles asks, his brain suddenly moving so slowly even though right now would be a great time for it to pick up the pace and solve the puzzle in front of him.

Derek just nods, his eyes darting down to look at Stiles' lips.

"Oh my god," Stiles says, knowing his words sound a bit freaked out because he is. Doesn't matter. He rushes forward to kiss Derek but ends up knocking their foreheads together. "Fuck!" Stiles groans, his head dropping back down as he rubs his head.

Derek laughs softly, nudging Stiles' hand out of the way with his nose before pressing a soft kiss that takes away all of the pain in Stiles' head. Before Stiles can comment on magic kisses, Derek is cupping his cheek and kissing Stiles' lips. It's chaste and soft and Stiles can't fucking breathe because it's perfect and nothing at all like he imagined. It's so so much better.

"You're never getting rid of me now," Stiles mumbles against Derek's lips.

Derek pulls him closer as he kisses him. Pulling back ever so slightly, he whispers, "Is that a promise?"

[thatssonanii]

Familiar Face (4)

SVU Fic

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

SN: The whole adoption process never happened in my fics, it is simply the story Olivia told ppl to explain Noah. And the whole Brooke shields thing didn't either K, bye!

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

Olivia gave her son a tight smile gesturing to his seat. Slowly, he walked to the stool beside Elliot, hopping up into the chair. Elliot stayed quiet, wanting to follow her lead.

"No, I didn't have a baby before you, Noah."

Noah frowned. "But I just heard you. You said you got pregnant. Did the baby die, Mom?"

"No, no," she responded quickly with a shake of her head, "The baby didn't die."

"Then where is it?"

"I'm looking at him," she said with a smile. "You are the baby I was referring to, Noah."

Noah sat quietly staring at his food in deep thought. "So that means Elliot is my dad? I have a dad?"

Olivia nodded, "Yes, that's what that means and yes you do."

"You hid him from me? You hid me from him?"

Elliot stepped in not wanting the child to get too upset and fluster Olivia even more. "There was a lot going on, Noah. When someone gets pregnant they don't know right away so by the time your mom found out, I had long retired and moved away. She didn't have a way of telling me about you."

Noah looked over at Elliot with an unreadable expression. "But she could've told me. She never told me."

"Sometimes parents don't tell their children things because they think they're protecting them," Elliot explained rubbing his back, "And sometimes that isn't always the right decision. Just because parents are adults doesn't mean they don't make mistakes. You understand that right?"

"Yeah," he nodded turning back to his food picking up his fork, "Yeah I understand. But I'm still upset."

"Nothing wrong with being upset, Noah," Olivia added. "If that's what you're feeling then we can't blame you. If you wanna talk at any point just let me know. Okay?"

"Okay but can I talk to Elliot too? He is my dad."

Olivia glanced momentarily at Elliot, who winked at her, then nodded. "Yes, you can. Either of us. As long as you're talking. Okay?"

"Okay. I think I deserve ice cream tonight. Three scoops," he laughed.

Elliot ruffled his hair playfully. "Just tonight. That's not gonna work any other time."

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

"Since you're taking me home, you might as well stay the night. It's getting late, shouldn't be driving alone this late."

Carisi chuckled looking over at Peach from his dessert. "Its only 9:15 or so. Not that late."

"By the time we leave here is gonna be like ten, won't get to me and Kat's building until 10:30 or 1045 and you won't get home till 11 something. So yes it'll be late."

"Okay since you put it that way," he nodded wiping his mouth with his napkin, "It'll be a little late but I have some work to do at home. So since you're worried about me driving alone, how about you pack a bag when we get to your place and you come stay the night at my place?"

Peach smirked glancing at Amanda, "Your girlfriend won't mind me staying the night."

Carisi laughed a little louder than he intended then shook his head. "I don't have one unless that's your way of askin."

"Oh no, Sonny. I'm a lady from the south," she explained playfully, "If a man wants to date me he must court me and do the asking. A lady never asks, it'd be unsouthern of me."

"Oh yeah, how could I forget, Blanche? A true southern Belle." He joked throwing his arm around the back of her chair continuing their conversation.

Nick settled back in his chair texting his mom to check on his daughter. "If you stare any harder, your eyes might fall out."

"Not staring, I was thinking about something."

"Thinking about what?" Nick asked putting his phone on the table.

Amanda turned her gaze to him, a small smirk on her face. "Did you and her sleep together? Yall seem closer than friends. Like with her and Kat, I can tell but not with you two."

"For the first and last time, no we never slept together. We seem closer because we spent almost two years undercover together, protecting each other and only having each other to talk to. She's like a little sister to me, Amanda."

"Okay, okay, my bad. I was just wondering."

"No, you weren't wondering. You were being jealous as usual," he chuckled, "You can't bogaard someone or something that doesn't belong to you."

Amanda scoffed. "I am not jealous. Jealous of who?"

"You are. Jealous of Peach because you think her and I were or are sleeping together. And because you see her and Carisi getting closer and closer," he explained looking over briefly at the pair talking closely, "But you can't be jealous of that. You didn't want him, remember? You turned him down."

"I do not want him. I just want him to be careful, we don't know her."

"No," he smirked, "You don't know her. Me and Kat know her. Fin is getting to know her. And by the looks of it Carisi has gotten to know her as well. Loosen up."

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

After getting Noah in the shower and into bed, Olivia settled on her sofa beside Elliot with a well deserved glass of wine. He was already watching a movie when she came in.

"Feel better now that you've said it?"

"I do," she sighed. "I didn't think I would but I do. Thank you for pushing me."

Elliot chuckled, "Oh you're thanking me for that now? Years ago, you would've been down my throat for doing it."

"Yeah, well things change," she laughed. "When are you gonna tell your kids? And Kathy?"

"They're all coming to visit again for my mom's birthday so after her party. I'm not in a rush to tell Kathy honestly, we barely talk unless it's something with Eli."

"Do you think your kids are gonna be upset?"

"I'm sure Kathleen is gonna be the wild card," he shrugged, "She always is, she's a lot like her mother. I'll probably tell the others before I tell her."

Olivia nodded taking a long sip of her wine. "Do you wanna spend the night? Or are you going home?"

"If you want me to stay, I'll stay, Liv."

"Okay well ... I want you to stay." She smiled.

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

After a few long goodbyes, the group went their separate ways to enjoy the rest of their night. As promised Carisi took Kat and Peach to their building, after getting Kat settled in her apartment Peach went to hers to pack a bag then left to go to Carisi's. He gave her a tour that ended in his spare bedroom so she could change.

"I'll be in the living room working if you need me." He told her preparing to close the door.

She sat on the bed staring to take off her heels. "Alright, I'll be out once I'm done. You're only working for an hour."

"Right cause it's rude to work when you have company," he repeated with a smile.

"See, you're catching on."

Closing the door, Carisi went to his living room taking out all of the papers he needed to go through spreading them out on the coffee table. He untucked his shirt and undid a few buttons to get comfortable. He had gotten so deep into his work he'd almost forgotten about his guest. Fifteen minutes later, Peach was out of the bedroom wearing a tank top and shorts pajama set trying to walk as quietly as she could through the living room to the kitchen.

To keep herself busy while he worked, she started to load his dishes into the dishwasher and straighten a few things up. She knew she probably should have asked permission before touching his stuff but she couldn't help it. During the tour she noticed the disarray in the kitchen and it had been bothering her ever since. The sound of dishes and cabinets being closed made Carisi remember his guest.

"What're you doing in there?" He called out.

"Uuuh," she drug out, "Nothiiing!"

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me."

"Hey, who's the cop here? Me or you? What's with the interrogation?'

Carisi laughed, "Yeah, okay. Just be careful some of that stuff is high up."

There was a quick silence.

"Was that a short joke, Mr. Carisi?"

"I plead the fifth."

Peach stopped what she was doing, cut the lights off in the kitchen and went to the living room, standing in front of the coffee table squinting. "That sounds like an admission of guilt."

"Who's the ADA here? You or me? What's with the cross examination?"

She laughed going to sit beside him. "Don't steal my lines. I'm funnier than you."

"Funny lookin maybe but not funnier," he joked.

"You are not funny," she laughed hitting his chest playfully. "Just for that, you're done working. I'm ready to be entertained. It's rude not to entertain your guest."

"I'm just learnin all kinds of manners with you now." Carisi tossed his pen into the coffee table then grabbed his remote, sitting back on the sofa. He put an arm around her pulling his closer. "Am I supposed to ask you what kind of movie you wanna watch or just pick it?'

"Its polite to ask." She told him getting comfortable beside him. She put one hand on his abdomen and laid her head on his chest. "You're learning."

"In that case what kind of movie would you like to watch?" He asked turning the television on.

She hummed playfully. "Well, I think a mobster movie would do. Seems fitting doesn't it?"

"Is that an Italian joke?"

She shrugged glancing up at him, "I plead the fifth."

Chuckling, Carisi turned on Goodfellas, tossed the remote aside and clicked off the lamp beside him. He propped his feet up on his coffee table and moved the hand he had around Peach from her arm to her thigh getting comfortable.

[maxismatchccworld]

Patch Notes

UPDATE: 11/12/2019 - PC 1.58.63.1010/ Mac 1.58.63.1210 Happy Fall! We have a few new Holiday items available for you in Create A Sim to celebrate the holidays. Along with that a new Multi Story Column feature to help you build tall columns for a grand entrance or interior. UI Scaling is also available in the options panel to give you more options with our UI configurations. Want to know what Sims 4 content is out there? New Main Menu Message is now avail on load to easily help you find the latest and greatest content from The Sims 4. In addition, we’ve fixed bugs and community concerns to improve your Sims daily lives. -SimGuruSteph NEW & IMPROVED FEATURES Multi Story Columns I’m not sure calling them multi-story columns is accurate. They are more like multi-height columns. Just go into the build catalog, place a column, grab the handle at the top, and drag it up and down to re-size. Some have a maximum size, others however... I think I topped out around 100 feet. UI Scaling Now available in the Options menu - UI Scaling! Are you a 4k player with tiny user interface issues? Do you prefer your interface to be readable at distances greater than fifty feet away? Have you a desire to customize the scale to your personal preferences? Now you can! From the Options panel, open up Game Options, and choose Accessibility. Stay away from the red parts of the slider to keep things in the safe range for your display. But, if you are feeling adventurous, give it a try, go crazy! If for some reason you find yourself in a bad state, you can always reset - either from the options panel, or by using Ctrl+U to reset the scaling back to default! Main Menu Messaging We know you want to know EVERYTHING about what’s going on, so we’ve added the ability to show you the latest and greatest Sims content on the Main Menu. You’ll be able to learn about free content, check out the latest updates on upcoming releases, pore over the newest blog posts, and more! New Clothing We have updated the Holiday Celebration Pack with some new children and toddler clothing! If you haven’t already added the Holiday Celebration Pack to your game, click on the icon at the Main Menu, and download the free pack! From there, head on in to Create a Sim and select the Holiday filter to find the new assets! Children have a new male top, female top, and winter boots! Toddlers have a new outfit for males, a new outfit for females, and some shoes! Or open up the Styled Looks, where SimGuruMorgan created some great new looks with the content! Music We have made the Hip Hop Radio Station available for everyone! This means that it is no longer exclusive to Get Famous. However, Get Famous specific music will still need Get Famous to be played. We added the following songs as part of this update: “BMO” Performed by Ari Lennox Written by Courtney Salter, Damon Coleman, Ron Gilmore, Jr., Anthony Parrino and Galt MacDermot Published by Ari Lennox Publishing Designee (BMI), Damon Coleman Publishing Designee, Ron Gilmore Music (BMI), Kobalt Music Services America o/b/o Elite That’s Me Publishing and Third Side America o/b/o MacDermot Music Contains a sample of “Space” by Galt MacDermot Recording courtesy of Dreamville/Interscope Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises and Third Side Music o/b/o Kilmarnock Records “Big Moe” Performed by Beau Young Prince Written by Jaimy Lageweg and Beau Young Published by Jailo Music and Rough Trade Songs Recording courtesy of Def Jam Recordings under license from Universal Music Enterprises “Dumbstruck” Performed by Ceraadi Written by Emaza Gibson, Saiyr Gibson and Troy Johnson Published by Emaza Gibson Publishing Designee, Saiyr Gibson Publishing Designee and Sony/ATV Tunes o/b/o Margetts Road Music/Noni Zuri Music Recording courtesy of Roc Nation under license from Universal Music Enterprises “Good Life” Performed by RDGLDGRN & Daniela Written by David Lichens, Pierre Desrosiers, Andrei Busuioceanu and Marcus Parham Published by Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing o/b/o Fungai Music (BMI) and Warner Chappell Recording courtesy of RDGLDGRN “Block List” Performed by Rico Nasty Written by Maria Kelly and Mark Nilan Published by Kobalt Music Services America o/b/o Artist Publishing Group West (ASCAP)/Artist 101 Publishing Group (BMI) Recording courtesy of APG/Atlantic Recording Corp. by arrangement with Warner Music Group Video Game Licensing “Litest” Written and Performed by DJDTP Enjoy! FIXES & UPDATES The Sims 4

Sims that dislike Fruitcake no longer react negatively to all other food. On the other hand, Sims that like Fruitcake no longer will react positively to Poor Quality foods.

Grab Meal or Give Food for all ages will now fulfill the hunger needs completely. Hopefully it will help with the 100 baby challenge :)

Spoiled visual effect now will go away on servings from coffee and tea pots.

Sims will now place grilled food on the table appropriately instead of their inventory.

Terrain Manipulation brush and eraser cursor is now visible for all terrain tools in 32 and 64 bit mode on PC.

Fresh drinks are now available on the drink tray (for those who own Spa Day and/or Backyard Stuff). “Grab drink” from drink tray functions and will no longer give you an incorrect message.

Households populated in the “Other Households” tab in Manage Worlds can no longer be composed of just a Child.

Idle Sims will no longer drink water excessively.

Skin details no longer go away when randomizing Sim features other than the "Face" or "All" categories.

NPC Sims that are not Gardeners will no longer remove Wild Plants from lots autonomously.

Rare and uncommon harvestables will now be produced at higher rates when splicing.

Fixed an issue in which typing in the search field in Build Mode made the phrase “Text Field” appear erroneously.

Sims will no longer leave the dining table after they’ve started having their meal when using the “Call to Meal” interaction.

Fixed an issue in which Sims were not able to wash dishes or use the dishwasher if there were shelving units above the sink or the dishwasher.

Child Sims will not longer have their eyebrow color changed to Brown when they are set to Blonde.

Fixed an issue that made Adult Sims constantly change outfits while Taking a Shower, and then giving a Bath to Toddlers.

Fixed an issue where capturing screenshots with the Capture UI option enabled didn’t actually capture the UI.

Fixed an issue which made the option “Put here” not available when holding Pets and Toddlers.

Fixed an issue which made Paying Bills via Phone not be fulfilled if Simmers queued any other action before it would complete.

Simmers playing in Laptop Mode will now see improvements on the in game lighting.

Moving a wall will no longer delete objects on a separate shelf when bb.moveobjects cheat is used.

Fixed an issue in which Toddlers that had maxed out their skills were not receiving the Top Notch Trait when aging up.

Toddler Traits are no longer visible after aging.

Success Lineage Aspiration can now be completed once appropriate conditions are met.

Terrain Paints now persist when placing a lot from the gallery.

Assets yfBody_EP06DressFur_GoldGreen, yfBody_GP07DressWestern_FlowerOrange & yfBody_EP03TankStrappy_ElephantAquaCream were updated to look better with various shoe styles.

Vendors will no longer use your Sims’ fireplace as an imaginary portal to mysterious places.

Emotional sculpture thumbnail in sims inventory and world appearance are now visually the same.

“Get Married to..” whim now complete when you actually get married. Achievement Unlocked!

Sims now are more diligent in putting back their books in the bookshelf and/or bookcase.

Focused Sims can now go back to hacking work process when they reach level 6.

Sims that randomly decided to cosplay and have pointy ears have now revert back to their normal selves.

Nature’s Welcome Arch gate will no longer have metal gate audio.

Catching fish with excellent quality will now count toward the “Make 6 Great Catches” task of the Angling Ace Aspiration.

Creating stairs to the second floor of a raised block will no longer need a drop wall to support it for Sims to be able to route on it.

Sims are now able to route into their home after using terrain manipulation tools in their home lot.

Sims are no longer collecting items in their inventories without your permission.

Alien Disguises and Vampire Dark Forms uploaded to gallery are now properly flagged for packs and custom content used.

Sims will now autonomously interact with each other if one is sitting down and the other is standing.

Move lot will no longer inadvertently unhide stairs, specifically stairs above the first floor.

Updated Muslim inspired assets so clipping is not apparent below the Sims’ chin.

Updated Apron tops to look smoother.

Sims are now less considerate and do not congratulate their romantic partners when they find a new romantic partner.

Send Geo Council for collectables will no longer require you to send your computer with it.

Glass roof created on the ground should now be routable (as long as there is an entryway built into it).

Randomize Twin in Create-a-Sim will carry user-manipulated ears and nose over to the twin.

Fixed an issue that would cause interactions to get stuck in the queue.

Selling Normal quality Mystery novels will now give you money in return.

Copy interaction is now available on Cookbooks and Mixology books.

Sims that despise each other and have no romantic relationship will no longer greet each other with a passionate kiss. Seem normal to me?!

Child sit-to-stand transitions for toddler bed and lounge chair exhibit less clipping.

Perk and trait buffs will now persist through travel.

Drop walls from stairs will now fill in when terrain is manipulated below the stairs.

Sims’ Inventory will no longer reset and jump to the top while in use.

Hover Tip for Electrified Artist updated to proper text.

Fixed an issue in which railings were clipping into the walls.

Railings on extended landing do not have missing posts or different looking sections.

Drawn on eyebrow thumbnail will no longer show incorrect swatch.

Music artist names in the Music Game Options are no longer cut off.

Collared jean jacket will clip less with various hair styles.

Fence posts are now updated when terrain manipulation occurs.

Sims are now able to do Check Toddler interaction while swimming.

Steps in enclosed courtyard will no longer auto delete a part of your staircase.

Take a Vacation day and Call in Sick are no longer available options when Sims are already on vacation.

Teen Sims will no longer get adult Woohoo buff.

Park Cub table can now be put in the inventory.

Wall Height icon in the description text in Build Mode will now the appropriate wall height.

Fixed some issues which may cause Error Code 102 or Error Code 139 to appear during gameplay.

You can say the Fruitcake was the culprit, jury is still out on that one.

Objection! Maybe not…

They are now properly supervised.

They will now hydrate appropriately.

It was haunting.

Now both eyebrow and hair color will match as set by Simmers.

Though we would love to hold them forever.

Get to Work

Patient Sims that are referred to the surgery table will no longer leave in the middle of surgery.

Sims can no longer simultaneously have two occult types. Specifically Vampire and Aliens.

Get Together

Steam will no longer accumulate in rooms above indoor swimming pools, or natural pools, built with vents.

Book Covers do not change when you place them on retail display.

Club panel text field size has been increased to accommodate longer text.

City Living

NPC Sims that attend Festivals are not longer seen in not festival appropriate outfits.

Fixed an issue that Simmers with Outdoor Retreat and City Living didn’t have the “Ask to Cloudgaze” interaction available in San Myshuno apartments.

Fixed an issue that didn’t allow the camera to zoom in properly when looking at lots at their basement level.

Updating the pricing of counter and cabinets to be more consistent with the rest of the Build Mode catalog.

Updated rental options to not exist in Sulani..

Promote Cause Daily Tasks will now be fulfilled with the Promote Policies Interaction.

Cats & Dogs

Fixed an issue in which all stray dogs were large dogs. Now they can be all sizes.

Lighthouse Woohoo spot is back in business.

Sims are able to complete crafting pet medicine with Marketable trait.

Quickly Update your Dr. Magi-Heal’s Surger-o-matic 3000 with an instant upgrade.

A jacket blazer now layers better with bottoms

Dogs will no longer try to put the cat wand away when they can’t and stretch into a mystical form.

Clipping issues were improved with a pair of shorts and various tops, specifically the asset yfBottom_EP04Shorts.

Turning on view distance in option panels will no longer make a brick fence in the world completely white.

Seasons

Child and Teen Sims are now spawning to knock on doors during the holiday season with trick or treat.

It's less likely to rain at GeekCon festivals now, which should help keep those computers safe!

Fixed an issue in which Sims were able “Rake Leaves” in their Home Lot while Sims were far from leaves to rake.

Mix breed cat function in Create a Sim now works again. Yay!

Social events put in calendar are now functional and will trigger.

Simmers playing with Low Graphics settings can now see improved textures when Sims are wearing Scout uniforms.

Fixed an issue in which rewards from the Scout after school activity were not being awarded properly.

The reward will now appear in the Sims’ Inventory, instead of being unlocked in Build Mode.

Get Famous

Sims employed in any career will no longer be prompted to miss work, or end their shift early, when work hours coincide with visits from Sims that were given a residence key.

Have Sim Dance at the Same Time goal at the Fan Meet and Greet Event can now be completed when you have your Sims and other Sims dance at the same time.

Talent Showcase events will no longer sometimes occur on an invalid location.

Text was updated to hover tip for Action Vol 3 purchase book picker.

Tooltip text for Quality description of videos created by the video station is now colored purple.

Sims Radio too loud? You can adjust the radio volume now after listening to the music you created on the Mix Master Music Production Station.

Consistency!

Island Living

Uninvited Sims will no longer appear when attending Kava Parties on lots with the “Private Dwelling” Lot Trait.

Beach Venues lots can now be selected for Sims to go on dates.

Fixed an issue in which samples taken from Sulani to fulfill Conservation career tasks were disappearing from the Sim Inventory after analyzing said samples.

Fixed an issue in which the “Dried Scales” buff would not disappear after Mermaids fulfilled their hydration needs.

Fixed an issue with Mermaid Children that did not allow them to Take Baths INSIDE bathtubs.

Traditional Sarong asset will not clip with tops as much.

Fixed an issue that made aged up Mermaid Teen Sims have their Mermaid Tails disappear in Create a Sim and while Swimming.

Career Promotions for Conservationist can still occur after reaching level 10.

Bulldozing waterfront lots in Island Living will now not remove terrain paint.

Goggles no longer create an awkward shadow that does not make sense.

Sims can now store coconuts away in the fridge. Woot woot!

Human Sims no longer will think they are Mermaids by swimming like them when swimming laps.

Promotion task is marked completed when Sims have a diving knife.

Sims can now release the fish back into the ocean.

Sims with Master Chef Trait do not make spoil food anymore.

Sunkiss buff will now have the appropriate icon.

Rounded blocks will no longer have missing stilts

Blueprint placement for lots with floor lights will no longer place them underneath structure and float. Gravity is more realistic.

Stilt foundation shadows now appear properly.

Game will no longer crash when placing particular lots from The Gallery.

A TV stand missing in search bar will now appear. You didn't know what you were missing out on when using search… or you did know and now it’s fixed!

Penthouses from The Gallery will now place all available items properly.

Some furniture items that did not appear on the cursor from Build Mode will now appear.

Claiming a bed is now exclusive to one Sim. Now Sims can sleep in their own bed without disturbance or worry about another Sim using their bed.

Selected tattoos in Create A Sim will no longer automatically reapply clothing.

Hot and Cold outfit categories will no longer filter tattoos upon re-entry.

Jet visual effect will now display properly when streaming from a drone.

Burnt visual effects no longer appear on lot terrain when there is fire on homes with stilt foundations.

Configuring a U shape staircase to another floor will cause the stair cause to lose some steps no more!

Mermaid Sims will do their special swim idle when performing Mermaid interactions.

Mermaid Sims that have been turned into skeletons can now take a bath. Keep those bones clean.

Set favorite watercraft will now set correct one to favorite.

Plants placed on Suspended Modern from gallery will no longer place plants in odd places.

Island Welcome Wagon will now continue to hold Kava bowls to give to your Household instead of placing it on the ground when it rains.

It’s my party, and I don’t invite you if I want to.

Romantic!

Being used to the vastness of the Ocean, Mermaid Children were not happy being limited by a bathtub.

Dine Out

Fixed textures for a few Experimental Dishes.

Restaurant signs no longer have an odd bounding box shadow around it. It’ll be well rounded.

We apologize, our Glazed Heirloom Bamboo Roll, Space Taco with Pearled Egg Core, and Free Range Sixam Pit Beast did not look quite like what you actually ordered.

Vampires

Vampire Sims will no longer get scolded if they drink plasma from Sims even though they had been granted permission to do so.

Options from the Face category in Create A Sim are no longer missing for Vampire Sims when using the Change Sim interaction.

Vampires have adjusted to daylight savings now and are awake when you invite them to hang out.

Vampire Dark form uploaded to gallery are now properly flagging CC content and packed used.

Parenthood

Adult Sims are less likely to autonomously watch Kids Network if Toddlers/Children/Teens aren't nearby.

Realm Of Magic

Spellcasters with the Bloodline trait will no longer have their rank reset if they reach the Virtuoso rank.

Potions can now be sold for Simoleons.

Fixed an issue which allowed the Emotional Stability Potion to remove certain buffs from Sims unintentionally.

Fixed an issue where the Spellbinding Tile wall pattern was displaying duplicate swatch colors in Build Mode.

Cooking and Brewing in cauldron will no longer change sell price in build mode.

Drinking animation is performed by Sims when Sims drink potion of curse cleaning to remove curse.

Animation for the teleport is no longer getting cut off.

Orb Familiars will not pop and jump from their locations while following their Sims out of water.

Two necklaces were updated to improve capability with other Create a Sims assets.

Trouser texture will no longer appear on the top of a pair of boots.

Bicep bracelet is now shown properly in Create A Sim thumbnail.

Profit!

Cool Kitchen Stuff

Removed “Get Leftovers” option for ice cream since it was never intended, and who leaves ice cream for leftovers? Not me :)

Spooky Stuff

Spooky Party will now count towards the Party Animal Aspiration.

Moschino Stuff

Fixed an issue in which in some cases the game would freeze while in Photo Mode.

Sims that you have not met will no longer appear in the Sims selector when triggering Take photo of.