#Paddock Cottage

[ultralowoxygen]

The Meeting Place by James Gillbanks Via Flickr: Minolta X500 Kodak Colorplus 200 MD50mm F1.7 Paddock Cottage, Lyme Park. National Trust.

[southxrncharm]

Hi !! I finally got my laptop fixed but I think going to continue my little hiatus until I’m back from the country. The WiFi is iffy at best and I want to fully engross in wood goblin mode. I’ll be home on the 4th so I’ll start replies around then. Big apologies for how spontaneous feb has been xox

[f1fantasys]

I love your writing. The fic you wrote made me think about this one… Lando and reader getting caught by another driver on the grid. Like they are on a vacation and nobody knows for sure if they are dating but they do those little things and once they get caught. Like that?

Aww you have no idea how happy it makes me you like my writing! Hope you enjoy this one anon.

You were mine all along

Warnings - swearing, smut (p in v, oral receiving m and f, blowjobs, unprotected sex, minors DNI)

3.1K

Working for F1 as a social media creator meant you spent a lot of time with all the drivers and their teams. You'd been doing this for 3 years now and it was safe to say there was one driver in particular with whom you were immediately attracted to, the both of you dancing along their lines of exploring something more than just a friendship - Lando.

But that was the problem - you became friends first and foremost, and the thought of risking that for a relationship where you might lose each other? Neither of you were ready to take that step forward.

A lot of your mutual friends (drivers and other media personal) always teased the two of you. What you both didn't know was that bets were being made behind your backs as to when you two would finally get together.

So has close as you were, the days always started perfectly, and the nights always ended internally painful.

That was until 2 months ago though. It was the weekend before the triple header - Lando had invited you, Max and P to his parents cottage in St Tropez.

You knew the more time you spent with him, the more difficult it wold be to keep your thoughts and hands to yourself but on the last night you found yourselves in the hot tub alone, when Max and P called it a night.

The air was palpable, sexual tension reaching a new high with both you and Lando just staring at each other. No words being spoken verbally, but rather with the darkened gaze on each other.

It was no secret to the other that you so badly wanted each other - and after 10 minutes of agony, Lando reached for your arm and pulled you to sit on his lap, eyes never leaving yours.

You bit your lip as you felt Lando's hands explore your body - your shoulders, arms, legs, tummy, his thumbs brushing the undersides of your boobs, and eventually your ass through your bikini bottoms.

As your breathing increased and you tried to suppress your moans - partly because you could feel his hardening dick, Lando bought his hand up to your face. His own thumb now swiping across your lip.

''Lando....'' you said, not sure if you were edging him to carry on, or to stop what he was doing because of the consequences you'd face later.

He blinked a few times, face laced with a sense of confusion, before he spoke two words that changed everything.

''Fuck it'' he mumbled, before crashing his lips to yours, hard and rough, as if his life depended on it.

You reacted instantly, opening your mouth up and letting him slip his tongue in, while your hands pulled at his hair, pulling him impossibly closer.

That was where it all began, and you'd been inseparable from each other ever since. You wanted to keep yourselves in your own bubble for as long as possible, not telling anyone, not even your friends.

It was difficult to say the least, during the triple header. Trying to act normal around each other while working in the paddock, although you'd made a few trips to Lando's driver room for a few pre-quali or pre-race fucks.

Luckily, you were always at the same hotel, so it was easy for you to slip into Lando's room in the late hours of the night where he'd show you how how much he missed you with rough kisses, violent fucks - him slamming into you and filling you up - and after sex cuddles, until you had to sneak back to your room in the early morning.

Things had been going well, no one seemed to have caught on to your relationship - which you were grateful for. It was nice just being the two of you alone.

You were now on a holiday with Lando in Lake Como, two weeks into the summer break. It was a secluded little village with the privacy you'd both craved, so you were spending an entire 10 days here. Lando rented out a little cottage and your days so far had been spent joined at the hip - whether it was cooking, dancing, relaxing doing nothing, and not to mention the endless amounts of sex you'd had.

He'd truly fucked you in every corner of the house - inside and out. The physical part of your relationship was something you both very quickly learned would be a big part of your lives. And Lando never missed an opportunity to get down and dirty on you - so to be together for 10 whole days with no prying eyes - whether it was friends, family or fans - he was going to take advantage of it and not let you up.

Not that you were complaining. You loved when you'd wake up in the morning, Lando's face between your legs, his tongue biting and sucking at your clit as his fingers thrust in and out of you, until you came all over his face and he made sure to lick you clean.

You also loved that one night which started when you cooked and ate dinner, Lando put on some beautiful slow music which had you both waltzing (as best you could) from the lounge to the dining room, and ended with you on your knees in front of him, eagerly pulling his shorts down to reveal his thick girth standing tall, begging for attention. You sucked on his tip, swallowing his pre-cum before you deep throated him, letting him fuck your mouth until he was a moaning mess above you, praising your name and coating your throat white with sheets of warm cum. He said that was the best head he'd ever received.

And let's not forget that time he had you bent over the balcony, his dick fucking into you so hard you saw literal stars above you. You'd both said ''i love you'' for the first time, and after a slow, sensual kiss, things turned heated. You both stripped your clothes as quickly as possible and in no time Lando was forcing you to hold on to the railings as he railed his cock into your pussy overwhelmingly, and his hands found your waist and surely left purple marks to be the seen the next day. He told you how good you were for him, taking him so well. So wet and so tight, only for him. Only for you, you'd told him back. before your came violently around his cock. Your body could barely hold onto the railing, not mentioning how your legs were like jelly, so Lando sat back down and you sat on his dick, riding him almost painfully quickly, as his lips found your hard nipples and bit and pulled on them. You came again, and this time your body gave up on you, so Lando had to fuck himself up into you to chase his own orgasm, before releasing into your pussy, dick twitching inside of you.

So although there was an awful amount of sex happening, you also enjoyed the sweet kisses and cuddles Lando gave to you through the day and night. There was something so domestic about sharing a house with them and you happily agreed when he asked you to move in with him back home in Monaco. Having known each other for 3 years meant you knew each other inside out, so moving in together 2 months into a relationship excited you more than it worried you.

It was your last night here so Lando had booked a dinner at a Micheline star restaurant - a cozy, intimate place. The food was so delicious - you might call it better than sex - though nothing could beat sex with Lando so you take that back. You were both about 4 glasses of wine in while waiting for dessert and Lando was definitely becoming very handsy and affectionate. Not that you could keep your hand to yourself either.

Lando had left his seat to come and sit next to you and you felt his hand rest on your thigh before you felt him slowly make his way up, close to your core, which by now was dripping wet.

Your face flushed as he slipped it through your lacey panties and swipe through your folds before settling at your clit, pinching at it harshly.

Luckily the lighting was low in the restaurant, and anyone who looked your way would have just thought the two of you as young lovers who wanted to be seated as close as possible. If only they knew what was going on under the table you thought.

Conversation had long left you and Lando was his focus was solely on getting his fingers in your cunt, and yours was merely on trying to enjoy the stimulation without letting out any audible moans and pants.

Just as Lando slipped a finger through your entrance you heard an all too familiar voice, which had you shaking with fear as Lando's fingers stilled, still inside of you. ''Fuck'' you heard Lando mutter.

You looked up and saw none other than George and Carmen, staring sheepishly at the two of you.

''Fancy seeing you both here, together'' George muttered very matter of factly.

Lando shook hands with him with the hand that was not in your pussy, as Carmen leaned down to peck your flushed cheeks.

''Oh fuck off'' Lando said, the pair of them the best of friends, so not taking it seriously.

Lando signaled to the waiter to bring two more chairs, which internally had you screaming at him because hello? His finger was literally still in your cunt.

You both knew you'd been caught though, so there would be no denying your relationship - at least to G and C.

''Sooooo'' Carmen started.

''Soooo'' you said back, pretending you didn't know where this was going.

''Fuck it, just tell us the two of you finally sorted your shit out and are fucking'' George piped in.

If your cheeks were pink before, they were fiery red now. You looked at Lando, who by the looks it was feeling the effects of his wine at just this moment, so he was a smiling mess

''Fuck. Well. When you put it like that - fine. Yes'' you said softly.

''But we're not just fucking'' Lando chimed in. ''We're making love too. Coz we're together together'' he said.

''Lan!'' you shrieked, not able to keep a smile at bay, though shocked at his response.

''Blimey, you're in deep'' G said, smirking at Carmen.

You suddenly shifted in your seat, biting your lip, as Lando slowly started to thrust his finger again.

He and George started talking about something, but you were a fool to think Carmen wouldn't catch on to what was going on.

She looked at you, then at Lando, and back to you, and took a breath.

''Are we-wow. Are we interrupting something?'' she asked, trying to keep her smirk in.

''What? no'' you said, although the tremble in your voice said otherwise.

''Fuck, George, time to go'' she quickly said, ushering a confused G up and out of his seat.

''What are you-'' then he looked between you and Lando, for the first time noticing the looks on your faces, then he caught on.

''Holy shit, enjoy, lovebirds, and don't think I'll ever forget this!'' he said, before he and Carmen quickly walked away giggling to each other.

''Fuck me'' Lando groaned, though sped up his actions in and out of you.

''Gladly, take me home baby'' you said as he pulled his finger out and licked it clean, turning you into an even wetter mess down there.

The ride back to the house with palpable with tension. The thought of getting caught sending a rush of adrenaline through you both.

As soon as Lando helped you out the car he picked you up by the back of your knees and threw you over his shoulder, rushing into the house at such a speed you had no time to react.

He placed you down on the kitchen counter before ripping your dress of of you, eyes darkening when he saw you weren't wearing a bra, only panties that barely covered anything.

He snatched them off of you before spreading your legs apart and placing them on his shoulders.

''Lan'' you mumbled, desperate for him to do something.

''Patience babygirl, we're only getting started'' he said, licking his lips.

His one hand reached up to pry his fingers into your mouth for you to suck while his other hand pinched and pulled at your hard nipples. All the while his own mouth found your dripping cunt, licking a stripe up and collecting all your juices.

''So fucking wet. All for me, yeah?'' he asked.

You moaned. ''All yours Lan, only yours'' you answered, pulling hard at his curls.

Lando quickly found your clit and dramatically pinched it between his lips, the stimulation letting you reach new heights.

''Fuck, Lando, please. More'' you begged of him.

He pryed your pussy open with his two hands and then his tongue was sliding in and out of you, hitting just the right spots.

You watched as he slowly became a mess - lips and chin full of a mixture of his spit and your juices, strings of sticky liquid dripping down your thighs.

''So tight, yeah baby, just the way i like it'' he said between breaths.

Within minutes your body was shuddering, shaking as your orgasm ripped through you harshly, making an even bigger mess of Lando's face.

He rode you through your orgasm before pulling you up by your arms to sit up, meeting your halfway to lock lips and let you taste your arousal.

''Need to feel you in me, please'' you said through gritted teeth, your hands already working on removed his button up and belt on his trousers.

Once he was free of his constraints, you took his girth into your hands and pumped him a few times, your thumb brushing the slit where pre cum was already dripping.

He hissed at the contact before taking himself into his own hands and sliding his dick through your folds. ''Ready for me baby?'' he asked, smirk on his lips. You knew that smirk - he was going to ruin you, and you wouldn't have it any other way, but you still braced yourself.

''Please fuck me'' you begged.

''Juuust remember. You asked for it - no going back now yeah? he said, smirk growing bigger and eyes getting darker by the second.

'''Hmmm mm'' was all you time to say before he violently thrust himself into you, started a pace unlike any other time you've had sex.

This time he didn't give you time to adjust to the intrusion, he slammed in and out of you at a pace that had your hips hitting each other within seconds.

''Of fuck Lando uh'' you moaned, bottom lip caught between your teeth. It felt fucking amazing but with the amount of non stop sex the two of you have had the last 10 days has your cunt aching and throbbing, quickly becoming overly sensitive.

''Come on baby, I know you have at least 2 more in you. Gonna be a good girl for me yeah?'' Lando said through gritted teeth, his own sensitivity reaching a new high.

''Fuck Lan, gonna cum now'' you panted, digging your nails deep into his biceps.

''Give it to me angel''

Within seconds you body was shaking and you were screaming Lando's name, releasing your fluids all around his dick.

''Fuck baby, that's it. Gonna let me fill you up now?'' he asked, though you were too fucked out to answer him, and with no warning another orgasm rocked through your body causing you to be on the verge of blacking out.

By now Lando's movements were becoming sloppy and clumsy, clearly he was on edge too as he was mumbled out incoherent words - ''fuck, y/n, my own whore, so tight, fuck, yes'' before you felt his warm cum splutter through you, his own body now shaking above you, a sheen of sweat covering his whole body with the workout he'd just done.

You both stilled, trying to catch your breath, before Lando let his weight fall onto your lower body, hugging you around your stomach as your hands tangled in his hair.

You could feel him softening inside of you but neither of you made any effort to move.

''Baby?'' he started.

''Hmm yeah?''

''I'm sorry i called you a whore. I meant it as a complement, I promise''

''Fuck Lan'' you giggled and rubbed his cheek earning a look up from him. ''Call me your whore any day. Tells me I'm yours and only yours'' you cooed.

He couldn't help but send you the biggest boyish grin he had. ''Fucking love you so much. Why the hell did we wait this long to get together. Could have started from day 1'' he said, this time taking his weight off you and slowly pulling his dick out. You hissed at the loss of contact but he pulled you up and held you gently.

''Baby our day 1 started 2 months ago, and we have forever to go, i hope'' you said, winking at him.

''Hmm mmm'' he replied, bending down and spreading your legs again.

''Lan I love you but no more, I'm so fucking sore''

''Shhhh let me'' he said as he licked a stripe up you cunt, collecting a mixture of yours and his cum.

You gasped and watched as he leveled his head back with yours and pryed your lips open with his fingers before letting the liquid drip down from his to your mouth.

''Hmmm'' you moaned at the taste, wetness already pooling between your legs again but you knew you were too sore to do anything about it.

You swallowed everything before Lando kissed you hard and deep, his tongue slipping into your mouth before sucking on your own tongue.

''I'd say t'was a good summers break, yeah? he asked.

''Best ever'' you replied, pulling him in for another kiss.

''Bet George's already told everyone. Gossip king'' you said, remembering how the night unfolded.

''Hell yeah'' Lando said, checking his phone and seeing there were tens of messages flooding in on your groupchat with the other drivers and their wags.

''Fucking bastards'' he mumbled.

''What?'' you asked.

''They fucking bet on us. On when we'd get together. Looks like Charles won''

''Urghhhhh'' you groaned.

[vivwritesfics]

whoops one bed you and lando (besties to lovers edition)

things had been rough in her life and things had been rough in his career. The start of the season wasn't everything McLaren had promised it would be and it had frustrated him. But he didn't quite understand what was going on in her life.

Still, he wanted to help in any way he could. So he had somebody book a nice little holiday for them, just as friends. Two beds and all that.

A cottage in the countryside was booked for them. The description on the website was very clear about two beds. Lando drove them out there. She controlled the music while he drove (even if he didn't like the music she chose, he wasn't going to complain. He'd never complain about anything she did).

When they got to the cottage the two of them immediately ran to find the two bedrooms.

"I've found the master bedroom," Lando said as he opened the room to find a kingsized bed. He dropped his bag on the floor as Y/N walked past him, trying to find the second bedroom.

It didn't take long until she found the door that probably led to the second bedroom. "Found the second... bedroom."

But, as she opened the door, she realised it wasn't the second bedroom. No, it was simply another door to the master bedroom. "Wait, is this the only one?" She asked as she dropped her own bag.

"Maybe it's two singles pushed together," Lando suggested as he pulled back the blankets. Spoiler alert, it wasn't two single beds pushed together.

Y/N looked up at Lando. "What the hell are we gonna do?"

Before either could say anything more, there was a knock on the cottage door. Y/N left her bag where it was to open the door.

It was a kindly old woman standing at the door. She smiled and stepped into the cottage when Y/N opened the door. "Hello, love," she said with a smile. "How are you finding everything?"

It took Y/N a moment to work out this was the owner of the cottage. "Oh. Oh! Lovely, everything is just lovely," she responded as she tried to match her smile. "But, I thought there was supposed to be more than one bed."

"Yes, we used to have two twin beds in the master bedroom, but since it's mostly couples staying with us for romantic weekends so we swapped it for the king."

As she said it, Lando walked up behind her. "That shouldn't be a problem for young lovers like you," she continued.

Lando swapped his arms around her and placed his head on her shoulder. "That's more than fine," he said.

They said their goodbyes to her and shut the door. "So," Lando began as he turned her towards him. "One bed."

"One bed," she repeated, sucking in a breath. "We can top and tail it."

"And sleep beside your smelly feet? No thanks."

They decided not to think anything of it. It would be fine, they were best friends and they could work through it. This was nothing.

But then they had a few bottles of wine between them.

But then they woke up beside each other, clothes scattered on the floor.

"What the hell happened?" She asked as she shook her head. But then she noticed the dried... stuff on her stomach. "Oh Lando, we didn't. We can't have."

Lando pulled down the blanket and looked between them. "I think we did."

At first things were awkward between the two. They tried to avoid each other at all cost. But in a small cottage where their only company was each other, it was pretty hard.

After two days of avoiding each other, they caved and slept together again. This time the alcohol wasn't influencing them. This time it was natural. The time after that as well. Fuck, they couldn't keep away from each other.

By the time summer break ended and they returned to Formula One, they were basically in love. They walked through the paddock together, like they always did. "I got to go for a meeting," he said and grabbed her hand, pulling her in for a kiss before he left.

"When did that happen?" Asked Oscar as they walked together.

Lando just shrugged his shoulders and grinned.

[cuubism]

Dreamling Olympic Equestrian AU, the Sequel (less Olympics, more Equestrian)

-

Hob wished he could say he took a ‘reasonable’ approach to dating Dream after the Olympics. In actuality he basically just went home with Dream and never left. He helped him get Jessamy settled in, and then Dream wanted him to stay over, and then Hob made him breakfast the next morning, and then—

He did eventually have to go take care of his own horses, and generally get back to his real responsibilities, but it was done with reluctance. Damn him, but he’d immediately started missing Dream. Too attached, too quickly, that was always his way.

And then not a week later Dream had invited him to bring his horse and go on a hack, and, well. Maybe Hob wasn’t the only one being unreasonable about it.

Safe to say they had never really gotten rid of each other after that.

By the end of the year Hob did very much the opposite of getting rid of Dream. Which was to say, marrying him. He was now the proud owner of some very cliche wedding photos of them leaning over to kiss each other while on horseback. He wouldn’t change a thing.

Afterwards, they’d both sold their respective properties, pooled their resources—mostly Dream’s resources if Hob was being totally honest—and bought a place together.

Hob still remembers finding the farm on the market and taking Dream to see it for the first time. He’d been so excited for Dream to see it. Dream had such high standards and Hob had been sure they were going to have to compromise on something, but this property had everything Dream had ever expressed wanting in a farm and other things besides. Rolling fields and connections to nearby bridle paths. A massive indoor arena for riding in inclement weather. Three-sided shelters in all of the paddocks. Automatic waterers. Heated wash stalls. The damn floors were heated too, not that they used the stalls much, but Dream’s geriatric ponies would surely appreciate it come wintertime.

(Hob had been extremely charmed to learn, upon first visiting Dream's farm, that Dream still owned the incredibly fancy ponies Hob had correctly assumed he'd grown up riding as a child. They were now ancient and feral and tended to bite anyone other than Dream. It was delightful.)

Hob’s favorite part of the property was the house. It was set a bit off from the main barn, close enough to be an easy walk but out of the way of the traffic if one was to operate the place as a full-service livery. Dream had loved the cottage at Hob’s previous farm, and this house was much the same, quaint and cozy with its own pond and meandering garden path. It even had a screened-in patio for Dream’s persnickety cats to sunbathe.

It was all perfect. Dream had actually squealed when Hob brought him to see it. It was lucky Dream had money otherwise Hob would have probably done something illegal to afford the place just to see that look on his face every day.

Six months and an amount of money Hob didn’t want to think about later, they had their own farm and had started taking on clients. It should have been idyllic. In many ways it was. Jessamy and Hob’s retired event horse, Ellie, were getting along swimmingly in their big field. Dream’s feral old ponies were rampaging about the place. The amount of space was a bit dangerous, as Dream kept sending Hob photos of pretty horses for sale, saying we have the space for it, Hob. He didn’t seem to care that the prices of said horses were upwards of one hundred thousand pounds.

It was both a blessing and a curse to have married someone who came from money.

All the better to get clients in so the stable was actually making some money instead of just bleeding cash in exchange for more horses. And this was where the trouble began. Because Dream may have been disagreeable around people but he had a soft spot for troubled horses. And when troubled horses intersected with the clients that made them that way, well. That was how they got this.

“I was led to believe I’d be getting results,” Roderick Burgess was saying as Hob stepped into the arena, leaning against the wall to watch Dream ride. “Surely an Olympian should be able to do better.”

Hob grit his teeth, but didn’t say anything, yet. Dream could handle himself.

“If you don’t like my methods, you’re free to take your horse elsewhere,” Dream said. He was trotting the horse—its name was Ruby—in a big circle at the far end of the ring, riding on a long rein, just trying to get it to bend and loosen up its neck. It didn’t seem to be particularly easy for the horse, which was troubling considering a horse that had had ‘a few years’ of training—according to Roderick—should be able to at least do basic flatwork. And should be less stiff about it besides.

“We both know that won’t happen,” said Roderick. He was probably right—now that Dream was starting to get a sense of the horse’s poor prior training, he wouldn’t want to send it elsewhere—but Hob nevertheless wanted to walk over to Roderick and toss him out of the ring. Wasn’t the point of owning your own place that you could kick out clients you didn’t like?

“Perhaps if you’d been honest about his issues, we’d have better results,” Dream said, turning across the middle of the circle to change the bend. Ruby tossed his head, struggling with the change in direction, but Dream persisted in asking him to bend and eventually got him to drop his head again, now stepping up into a canter. “I was promised a horse at at least third level yet you’ve brought me one that struggles with basic self-carriage.”

Hob thought expecting any results yet was unreasonable considering it was only the first time Dream had even gotten on the horse. He’d only gotten it in last week, and just lunged it yesterday.

“You have to be more aggressive with him,” said Roderick dismissively. “Just make him do it.”

“Am I paying you, or are you paying me?”

And on it went like that, Dream working through his usual regimen, slowly building up the difficulty, Roderick nitpicking and criticizing all the while. Hob didn’t know what he really wanted. Maybe he just got a kick out of being an asshole.

Hob did love watching Dream ride, though. Watching him work with an inexperienced horse wasn’t nearly as seamless as it was when he rode Jessamy, but his patience and light touch were always a delight to behold.

Dream eventually took up his reins, gauging the horse’s ability to go around in a more collected frame. That ability was dubious at best, but Dream kept at it, working in circles of various sizes, transitioning up and down the gaits. He would get the horse where it needed to be eventually, Hob knew. If Roderick didn’t keep interrupting with unreasonable demands.

“Are you going to do any lateral work at all?” asked Roderick with annoyance, predictably interrupting again, and Hob could almost hear Dream’s jaw clench.

“Yes, I am getting to it. It’s a horse, not a racecar.” He turned the horse down the quarter line, lightly brushing the end of his whip, which Hob hadn’t seen him use yet, against its flank to ask it to step sideways and under.

And at the first touch of the whip Ruby exploded.

If Hob had looked down for even a second he would not have seen it move, it was so fast—the horse bolted sideways away from the whip, head thrown up, legs scrambling. Dream pulled back hard on the left rein, trying to stop through a turn, but Ruby just plowed right through it, tossing its head. Hob heard the bang as they—or more likely Dream’s knee—hit the arena wall, and then Dream yanked harder and managed to turn, spinning the horse into a circle until it was forced by the tight angle to slow to a nervy walk.

Hob had automatically lurched forward to try to help, but realized fast enough that rushing over would only make things worse. He watched, tense, as Dream finally brought Ruby to a halt. A lesser rider would have been thrown; Hob was glad Dream’s seat was better than that.

“Ah, yes,” said Roderick nonchalantly from where he was still sitting, ankle crossed over his knee. “He does not enjoy the whip.”

“Were you planning to inform me of that,” said Dream, out of breath, “before or after we went through a wall?”

“I would have thought you could handle it,” Roderick said.

Hob kind of wanted to punch him in the face. Instead he went over to Dream.

Ruby was standing stock still now, breathing hard, and let out a loud huff, nostrils flaring, as Hob stopped at Dream’s side. Dream scratched the horse’s neck.

“Are you alright?” Hob asked quietly.

Dream nodded, handing the whip to Hob, though his expression was pinched, and Hob worried for his knee. “Once more and then we’ll be done. I don’t want to end on that note.”

“You cannot let him get away with that,” said Roderick sternly, seeing Hob take Dream’s whip. “He must tolerate the whip.”

“And I’m sure persisting now will teach that effectively,” Dream bit back. “Do you want an explosive horse, Roderick? Because that is what you have handed me, and if you insist upon pushing the matter like this, you will only make it worse.”

“I hired you to fix it,” Roderick snapped.

“Then let me.”

Dream brought the horse back up to a trot, did a lap around the ring and then came down the quarter line again, this time asking him to leg yield over just by bending him around his leg. Ruby was tense now, jiggling the bit in his mouth and fighting Dream’s hand, but he did move over, and once they’d reached the wall Dream let him drop back down to a walk, letting his grip on the reins slide down to the buckle. Ruby snorted loudly, dropping his head to the floor as he walked anxiously on the long rein.

“You do not have to beat him to get what you want,” Dream said, turning to Roderick.

“You care too much about their feelings,” said Roderick dismissively.

“Not caring about their feelings has gotten you very far indeed,” Dream said back.

He halted the horse by Hob and hopped down, stumbling on the landing and leaning hard on his left leg. Shit. Hob knew he’d hit the wall. Goddammit, Dream.

Before Hob could take the horse from him, Roderick’s kid, Alex, crept into the arena and came over, eyeing his father as he did. Normally Hob considered Alex kind of a liability to have around the farm—he was convinced the kid was going to get himself kicked in the head at some point—but now he handed him the reins. It was Roderick’s horse, the two of them could deal with it right now.

“Make sure to walk him out,” Hob told Alex, and then, ignoring Roderick, who’d already focused on Alex, presumably to berate him for something, he wrapped an arm around Dream’s waist and led him out of the ring.

By the time they made it into the lounge, Dream was leaning heavily against Hob’s side, limping on his right leg. God, Hob hoped he hadn’t broken something. He could only imagine how long that sort of knee injury would take Dream out.

Hob sat him down on the couch. “Can I take a look at your knee?”

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Dream said, even as the corners of his lips were still pressed tight in pain.

“Dream, I heard you hit the wall from the other side of the arena.”

Dream sighed, but finally started unzipping his boots.

“Breeches, too,” Hob said.

Dream gave him a look but, having removed his boots, started stripping off his socks and black riding pants as well. He looked small like that, perched on the couch in just his black boxer briefs and short-sleeve polo. Hob winced at the sight of his knee. It had already turned horribly purple from his impact with the wall. Hob crouched by him to look closer, taking Dream’s ankle in his hands, turning his leg this way and that, carefully testing the motion. “How much does it hurt?”

“Tolerable,” Dream said, watching Hob intently. Hob mentally increased all of Dream’s descriptions by several degrees of pain. “I don’t think anything is broken, or sprained.”

Having looked closer, Hob didn’t think so either; he was pretty sure it was just bruised. A nasty bruise, though. “Should keep off it for a few days, though.”

Dream sighed, put upon, but didn’t contradict him.

“I’ll get you some ice.” He had ice wraps in the freezer, and pulled one out, laying it over Dream’s knee.

Dream’s lips twitched up in a small smile. “That is for horses.”

“Well, now it’s for humans, too.” He sat beside Dream on the couch as he iced his poor knee. “We should get it checked out if it’s not any better by tomorrow. Don’t want to risk permanent damage.”

Dream touched Hob’s shoulder with light fingers. Hob was, unfortunately, speaking from experience on this matter. Though in his case it had been less ‘deciding not to get it checked out’ and more ‘completely obliterating the joint to the point that it was kind of moot.’ Hob had shown Dream the video of that fall a while back. It was not a pleasant video.

He still had a mostly functional shoulder, though.

Fortunately, Hob didn’t usually have to worry about that happening with Dream. Having a horse flip on top of you was the kind of thing that was more likely to happen when you decided it was a good idea to gallop at solid objects. Which Hob had done. Frequently.

He was kind of glad he hadn’t married a fellow adrenaline junkie.

“I can’t believe Roderick put you on that horse knowing it was going to react like that,” Hob said. He really should kick the guy out. Prick.  

“Roderick created that reaction,” said Dream. “He hardly cares if it gets someone thrown, so long as that someone is not him.”

“I care!” Hob exclaimed. “It’s our fucking stable. He can’t just use you as a crash-test dummy.”

Dream raised an eyebrow. “I am not easy to crash.”

“That’s not the point, Dream. I’ll kick him out, I swear to God.”

“I can handle Roderick Burgess. And the horse. You needn’t protect me.”

“Maybe I want to,” said Hob. He took the ice off Dream’s knee and took another look at it. The bruise only looked more hideous. “Maybe part of being your husband is that I get to protect you.”

Dream touched his cheek fondly, but said, “If we send him away, he will only take the horse to someone else, and nothing will improve.”

Hob knew it was true. He would have just bought the horse and given it to Dream just to get Roderick off the property, but he was pretty sure Roderick would just take the money and go buy another one so that wouldn’t really accomplish anything in the end.

Hob was always going to end up doing what made Dream happy anyway.

“Just…” he rubbed Dream’s thigh, careful of the bruise. “Be careful. God only knows what else he’s taught that horse to do.”

“We will find out, I suppose. Roderick will not be happy with me, though. I intend to take the horse back down to basics. He will doubtless be furious.” He did sound somewhat satisfied by the thought of it.

“Roderick can get on the damn thing himself if he’s so upset,” Hob said.

“That would be entertaining to watch, though less so for the horse,” Dream said. “Perhaps he will make Alex ride it.”

Hob rubbed his forehead in despair. “God help us all.”

“Indeed.”

“You should go back to the house and rest a while,” Hob told him.

“First I want to make sure they haven’t managed to kill Ruby,” Dream said. He levered himself to his feet, handing Hob back the ice wrap. “Besides, I am fine.”

The way he limped about while pulling on his breeches and paddock boots belied that, but Hob knew better than to argue further. At least he wasn’t getting back on the horse.

He went with Dream—only limping a little bit now—out to the barn, where Alex was getting Ruby settled in his stall. Alex looked distinctly nervous brushing the horse down, but hadn’t managed to get it—or, more surprisingly, himself—killed yet, which Hob counted as a win. Roderick was nowhere to be seen, which was probably for the best.

“Did you walk him out?” Dream asked.

Alex nodded anxiously. He seemed intimidated by Dream—which, to be fair, was a common experience for most people. Hob frequently had to remind himself that the version of Dream he saw every day—curled up in the kitchen alcove with his tea and a cat on his lap, chasing his ponies around the barn, resting his head in Hob’s lap for Hob to play with his hair—was not the version most people saw.

Ruby seemed little worse for wear for his ordeal. Dream pet the horse’s nose fondly, and it tried to nibble at his palm.

“We’ll try again tomorrow,” he said, to the horse, now ignoring Alex. “We’ll sort it out, won’t we?”

Ruby just tried to nibble on his fingers again.

With another pat to the horse’s nose, but no more words for Alex, Dream strode away again. Hob followed. Once they were out of the barn, he caught up to Dream and scooped him up in his arms, Dream clutching at his neck with a squeak.

“I’m carrying you home,” Hob said, starting off for the house. “You’re not walking.”

“I am not an invalid,” Dream protested.

“Oh, I should put you down, then?”

Dream clutched at him tighter. “You would not dare.”

“Thought so.”

And so he carried Dream down the short walk back to the house. After all, Hob thought, this was the whole point. He couldn’t necessarily prevent Dream from getting on insane horses or dealing with insane clients. But he could be there at the end of the day to carry him home.

[ceeplays]

Favorite Mods for Better Pets:

...aaand I'm back! ☀︎ It's been such a busy summer for me, but I've been wanting to post this list for several weeks now. So happy I'm finally getting the chance to sit down and put this together for y'all. One aspect of the game I'm always looking to improve with mods and cc is our sims pets, and now with the addition of horses, even more so. So, here's a list of my favorite mods and cc for all animals in the game (there's even a mod for your bees!). As always, thanks to all the creators and I hope you all enjoy.

More info and download links below the cut.

Gameplay Mods:

Selectable Pets by CharityCodes

Bathe Pets in Sink by Szemoka

Pet Care Activities by @adeepindigo

My Pets by @littlemssam

Anti-Fear Training for Pets by @littlemssam

Better Farm Animals by @littlemssam

Better Saddle Control by @littlemssam

Calm Bees by @littlemssam

Check Horse Skills by @littlemssam

Check Pets Needs by @littlemssam

Dog Walking Service by @littlemssam

Go For A Walk With Cats by @littlemssam

Go For A Walk With More Pets by @littlemssam

Kids Go For A Walk With Dogs by @littlemssam

Lead Horse by @littlemssam

Longer Pet Naps by @littlemssam

No Spoiling Dried Animal Food by @littlemssam

Special Paddock Gate by @littlemssam

Boarding Stable Lot Trait by Flauschtrud

Animal Shelter Lot Trait by KiaraSims4Mods

Default Replacements/Overrides:

Pequichor Horse Eyes by @rheallsim

Mirror Mirror Horse Eyes by @doptera-ts4

Dolce Eyes for All Animals by @wrixie

Under Your Spell Horse Ranch Animal Eyes by @incandescentsims

Daydreamin' Horse Ranch Animal Eyes by @nolan-sims

Smaller Eyes + Eye Geom Fix for Horses by @objuct

Goat Retexture by @blue-ancolia

Rabbit Retexture by @blue-ancolia

Horse Skin by @minervamagicka

Horse Skin by @nesurii

Adoption Pet Carrier Override by @largetaytertots

Pet Leash Override by @largetaytertots

Pet Leash Override by @diabolicalsims

Pet Treats Override by @diabolicalsims

Pet Brush Override by @diabolicalsims

Horse Trailer Made Functional by SassandFreckles

BUILD/BUY Favorites:

Animal Shed Recolors by @beansbuilds

Horse Food Bags by @cath-cc

Horse Countdown Set by @objuct

Cottage Dreams Collection by @miikocc

Toddler Pillow Pet Beds by @diabolicalsims

Pet Toys by @diabolicalsims

Vet Waiting Room Magazines by @diabolicalsims

The Petit Cheval Set by @syboubou

Veterinary Clinic Set by @syboubou

Ultimutt Indoor Potty Pad by @ravasheencc

Muttropolitan Pet Clutter by @ravasheencc

Purrfect Pet Clutter by @ravasheencc

Meowdern Pet Clutter by @ravasheencc

Carousel Cat Bed by @pixelvibes

Chicken Cat Bed by @pixelvibes

Paw Love by @leosims4cc

Western Set by @leosims4cc

Natural Colored Horse Balls by SassandFreckles

CAS Favorites:

Stuff for Dapper Dogs by @sforzcc

Stuff for Cranky Cats by @sforzcc

Service Cat Vest by Sturmfalke

Service Dog Vest by Sturmfalke

--

The end! ♡

[littlemssam]

Mod Updates

As always delete old Mods Files and the localthumbcache when updating my Mods!

***

Live In Services  Added Live in Ranch Hand to be hireable. To see the Hire/Cancel Interaction a Feeder must be on the lot. You can enable "Take care of Plants" (they will not harvest like the original Ranch Hands!), "Cleaning of Farm Animals", and "Feeding of Farm Animals" for them. LIS which have cleaning/feeding Livestock enabled can do so when those are off lot as well.

My Pets Added Check Skill Progress for "My Pet" Horses (Under My Pets Pie Menu)

More Servings Options  Added a Large Party Size Option which has 12 Servings. I wanted to do a 24 Serving Option, but EA said no, so it is maximal 12 :(

Experimental Food Servings  Compatibility update for my More Servings Options Mod

Ask to Cook/Bake/Grill/Mix Drink! (including Cupcakes and Experimental Food)  Compatibility update for my More Servings Options Mod

Roommates  Fixed an Issue which sometimes culled the hidden Mod Relationship

Random Small Mods

Special Paddock Gate  Added Option to "Allow/Disallow to go through the Special Paddock Gate", which let's you choose specific Sims, who will get a hidden Trait & Buff. This Trait & Buff whitelists them to go through the Special Paddock Gate.

Claim All The Things  Added Fertilizer (Cottage Living), and those Gifts Animals (Dogs etc) can find. Mod uses XML Injector now, instead of it's own script!

***

My Site with all possible Download Links: lms-mods.com 

***

Support Questions via Discord only please! 

[middlingmay]

Horse Trainer Gale x Veteran Buck AU Part 2

Read Part I here.

John's not at the hospital long. He doesn't need surgery or even so much as a stitch.

The psychiatrists who'd been on him ever since his ma spilled the beans about his struggles after coming home from the Air Force finally ease up when he tells them about Cleven Ranch, and that another vet is going to take him there once he's out and up and around. He isn't 100% sure he's going to take Curt up on his offer, but if it gets them off his back.

But then he sees his ma's relief and that convinces him to at least think about it a little more before writing it off entirely.

He and Curt meet up as soon as walking around doesn't feel like dragging a sack full of bruises around.

He tells himself he'll ask Curt about the Ranch but can't quite bring himself to. And it turns out they have plenty to talk about anyway. They swap stories, some lighter, some morbid and they laugh at them anyway. Curt tells him about how his brief encounter with the Air Force during an evac had him bailing out over Scotland, and John tells him about the time Benny smuggled a dog home from Iceland and made him everybody's problem.

It becomes a regular thing. They meet up at bars and restaurants and cafes. They go to a few local sports games. Curt eventually meets John's ma. He'd been frightened to meet her after practically running her son over, but she sweeps him into a hug because she's seen more of her son in the last few weeks than she has since he's been back. What are a few bruises compared to that?

A couple of months go by before John bites the bullet as says to Curt, "So this ranch. Is it a bunch of hippy dippy docs gettin' ya to weave straw baskets and daisy chains, and wanting you to talk about your feelings?"

Curt snorts at him. "Sure. If by that you mean shovelling wheelbarrows full of shit - literal wheelbarrows - and labouring in the middle of the afternoon in the heat, with the most uncommunicative man you're ever going to meet."

And John smells a scam. Some rancher using vets struggling with civilian life for free labour under the guise of therapy. Or, he would have, if Curt hadn't looked so damn sincere. And Curt doesn't strike him as someone easy to fool. Or someone who'd tolerate it.

She he gives in and agrees to visit and see what it's like. Curt picks him up and John's ma sends them off with a thermos full of coffee, a full crumb cake, and sandwiches laden heavy with fillings.

God John loves her.

It takes over an hour to get there. John's silent on the ride and Curt lets him be.

Eventually, they pull up a dirt track through land choc full of fields and paddocks and woody patches. It's a decent stretch of land - a few acres at least.

The main building is a generous stone cottage, and there's an eve bigger two-storey barn right next door. Curt tells him the barn is mostly accommodation for clients and storage, and the cottage is for meals, socialising and is where Gale sleeps - as well as any staff who needs bed for the night. The stables with the horses are further into the property, and John feels relief at that and tries not to let it show.

Curt stops a woman and asks where Gale is. She's beautiful and holds herself like a General or two John has known in his time. When she clocks John she turns to Curt and says, "This him?"

So it's also the day he finds out Curt is a total gossip.

Marge sends them into the barn. It's not too busy. Mostly full of people working: carrying, fixing and cleaning things. Others simply talk it up, or sit squashed into corners scribbling in journals.

Right at the back is a man surrounded by equestrian equipment. He looks up when they approach and John tries not to swallow his own tongue.

Because this alone is worth the trip. This might be the most beautiful man John's ever seen.

He has golden hair and tanned skin dotted with dark spots that make John want to play connect the dots. His lips are pursed around a toothpick. His jaw is sharp, his neck slender and long, and he has good wide shoulders and long legs encased in denim that had no business wrapping around a man's ass like that.

There there are his eyes. John has seen the bluest skies and flown over the bluest oceans, and not one of them were as bright and crystal clear as Gale's eyes.

"Right, Bucky." Curt elbows him and John comes back to earth. Gale's assessing him, up and down, and John is faced with the rare urge to shy away.

Curt rolls his eyes and introduces them properly. John is so distracted by the length of Gale's fingers and the grace of his hands and the low timbre of his voice as he tells John it's nice to meet him, that it takes a minute to sink in.

"Cleven? As in Cleven Ranch?"

Gale nods. "That's right. S'my ranch."

And John could cry because of course he's found the most beautiful creature on this earth, only to find out he's essentially long to be his therapist if he sticks with this.

And he needs to stick with this. He can't keep doing this to his ma.

Gale takes one look at John's shoulders and he's smothering a smile and beckoning John to follow him. John's feet obey without his input.

Gale leads them outside to a pile of strong wooden beams, and tells them they're building a medical station for the horses to treat any minor issues that come up.

Curt and John are put to work loading the beams onto a truck and then dragging them off again and onto the build site.

And because John is a social sort, he talks to everyone and learns that most of his assumptions about this place are wrong.

Gale isn't a therapist. he's genuinely just a rancher and business owner. No one here is forced to talk, and if they want to it's normally to each other.

The idea behind the place is the hard physical work it takes to keep it running tires out the body and quietens the mind, Then, over time, this helps people reach the emotional stability required to work with the horses. They dook donations, not fees, and people were only required to pay if they stayed the night - for food and utilities.

John also learns that Gale rarely speaks and rarely socialises with the clients. But he's everyone's favourite and leads by a steady, confident example that folks here wanted to follow.

Throughout the afternoon John catches Gale watching, or working nearby. Curt sees it too and looks at him funny. But when he calls out for Gale to join them, Gale ducks his head and shuffles off.

At the end of the day when Curt's saying his goodbyes and John's waiting for him by his car, his sun is blocked out and he looks up to see Gale with his hands in his pockets (seriously, how do they fit in jeans that tight?), rocking on the heels of his boots.

John, unusually tongue-ties only manages a garbled "Hey." But it makes Gale smile at his boots and look up at him through gold flecked lashes.

After a few moments of silence, as John's brain screams at him to say something, Gale asks, "What do you think of the ranch?"

"It's not what I thought it'd be, I'll admit." And when John tells Gale about what he had expected - all the emotional poking and prodding he wasn't comfortable with - Gale rolls his eyes but can't fight down a little laugh.

"I can't imagine anything worse," he says. "People prying into a man's business like that."

John thinks it's a good thing, too. if it's Gale doing the asking, he might just tell him anything.

"You, uh," Gale kicks some gravel around. "You think you'll come back? Looked like you were getting on with everyone."

John tries not to look smug that Gale has been paying attention to him so much today. So instead he smiles crooked, his dimples running deep on one side, and says, "Count on it, Buck. I'll be here."

[elisysd]

14. Now I don't wanna close my eyes, see everythin' I ever done

Masterlist - Previously - Next

Chapter soundtrack: Close My Eyes - Luke Hemmings

It took a lot of convincing from Charles to manage to make you come to Monaco for the summer break. You had agreed on a week and it was enough for him to come up with a plan. He had rented a house in Sicily, lost in the middle of nowhere, where he knew no one would come bothering you. It was a small cottage, big enough for the two of you. There was even a pool and a small jacuzzi. It was a few kilometers from the sea and you both already had planned a trip on a boat. Despite your fears and doubts, you were excited and happy to spend some quality time with your boyfriend, away from the hustle bustle of the paddock. For once, you wouldn’t hide or wouldn’t need to pretend feelings were not there.

You had arrived in Monaco late at night and after a night not so relaxing, you had headed to the Italian island as soon as the sun had risen and arrived in the late hours of the afternoon. You gasped when you saw the little house, soaked with an old charm. The pathway was filled with flowers from different colors and scents and you could see the huge conservatory made of glass at the back of the house. It felt like home. 

“You like it?” Charles whispered in your ear, his arms snaking around your waist to pull you against his chest.

“I love it. It’s everything I imagined it would be.”

He kissed the back of your head and laced his fingers to your before pulling you towards the house. The inside was more modern than the outside, with an open kitchen in granite and a huge table made of glass. The wooden floor was giving a warm atmosphere to the house and you instantly knew you would have a nice time.

The first two days were spent mostly in the pool and on the lounge chair, you were still a little scared to venture into town, in case someone would notice you. But the few trips Charles had done where nobody stopped him to ask for pictures, finally convinced you to join him. The third day, you had finally discovered the town and ate in a nice restaurant and no one seemed to care. You got bolder and bolder, caring less and less about your surroundings, allowing Charles to walk his hand in yours, making you twirl in a crowd while listening to a street musician, and kissing whenever you felt like it.

The last day before you had to leave the little bubble of peace you had created, was spent, in the middle of the sea, on a boat. The day felt nice, spent between cuddles and kissed and playful games on the boat and in the sea. 

“It’s not funny!” you half screamed, half laugh as Charles had managed to throw you in the sea while you weren’t looking.

“You should have seen your face, I find it extremely funny, my love.” he laughed, joining you and catching you.

“You’re an idiot.” you rolled your eyes as you threw your arms around his neck, your forehead against his. 

“Your idiot.”

“My idiot, that’s true.” you smiled.

He kissed you, playing with the straps of your top.

“Don’t you dare.” 

“Why? There is no one in sight.” he replied, his hand moving to your ass, giving it a squeeze and making you moan in the process. It was enough for him to lean for a kiss and slip his tongue between your parted lips and begin a fiery dance fighting for dominance. As you were holding on for dear life, you couldn’t miss how a certain part of him seemed to appreciate the situation.

“Charles…” you sighed as one of his hands slipped beneath your top to play with your hardened nipple.

“Tell me to stop.” he grunted, his lips moving to your neck, the light stubble on his face slightly scratching your fletch.

“I don’t want you to stop, but maybe not in the sea.”

He didn’t need you to say more. He threw your legs around his waist, making your core come straight into contact with his dick and making you throw your head backwards while a sweet sound escaped your lips. 

“Keep those lips sealed for a few more seconds baby and then, I promise you, you won't be able to keep your mouth shut.”

As he was about to climb on the boat when he felt you tensing.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?”

“My top… it’s coming off….” you bit your lips, cheeks red from anticipation and embarrassment.

“It’s fine. You won’t need it anymore soon.”

It was finally time for you to go your separate ways. You were expected back in Paris for work and to prepare the next part of the season while working on the Alpine documentary for which you needed to record a voice over. As for Charles, he would join his friends and then his family for the remainder of the summer break. Going back to your office felt weird and unnatural, especially since rain had decided to join you on your first day back to the office. You didn’t notice at first the weird looks from your colleagues and how they didn’t dare to look you in the eyes. It only hit you when you went for the coffee machine and heard two women whispering your name before jumping as you came closer to them. You didn’t know what was wrong with them, but you didn’t want to have to care.

On your way back to the desk, you saw Marion, phone glued to her ear shooting an apologetic smile. That’s when you started to understand that something weird at best and bad at worst was happening. Your fears were confirmed as soon as you opened your emails to find an urgent note from your boss asking to meet him as soon as she would be back. And when you made your way there and the first thing you saw, after he invited you to come in, was the front page of a tabloid in his hand. A picture of you taken with Charles, that day in the sea. The picture was explicit enough to not give any doubts on the nature of your relationship. 

“Michael, I can explain…” you stuttered, feeling sick in your stomach.

“How long?” he simply asked, a disappointed look on his face. It hurt you more than him being angry. Handling anger was easy, but disappointment was the worst. Because you felt like you had betrayed him when he was the one willing to take a chance on you.

“A… A while. I’m sorry, I wanted to tell you… I was about to tell you, I swear.”

“It’s an uncomfortable position for me too… You are one of our best journalists here but, given the circumstances  I can't keep you around. Until further notice I have to ask you to take a step back. No more Grand Prix, no more covering motorsport news. I need to investigate if your relationship made you miss your job duties. Meanwhile, maybe you can be relocated to other sports.”

“Michael, I know I screwed up big time, but I assure you, never have I ever let my private life cross with my professional one.”

“Y/N, my decision is made. For now, and if you don’t want to work elsewhere, I need you to hand me your badge and your laptop. You need to leave now. I’m sorry it has come to this.”

fighting against your tears, you handed him your badge before coming back to your desk where you packed your stuff quickly. When you turned around, Marion and Jean were there, sympathy written all over their faces.

“We tried to tell Michael that you always did the best job possible out there no matter what. We tried our best to persuade him to let you stay…” Marion told you, sadness in her eyes.

“And I thank you for that. But I should have told him sooner. I’m to blame there.”

“We are sorry. If we can do anything for you…” Jean apologized, taking you in his arms before letting you go to take your bag.

“It’s like this..”

You tried your best to not fall apart in the subway but when you finally arrived at your apartment you couldn’t hold back anymore. You let yourself slide against the door, your bag pulled against your chest as you let tears streaming down on your face. Without a job anymore, you couldn't afford to stay in Paris and that thought only made your anxiety rise through the roof. You allowed yourself to be a mess for a few minutes before taking a deep breath, you couldn’t stay like this, it wasn’t leading anywhere. Checking your phone you could see hundreds of notifications, mostly on your social media, but the only name you saw was Charles’ and a simple ‘call me’. You didn’t think twice about it, you needed him. He picked up quickly and you could hear the panic in his voice.

“Y/N, thank God, I was so worried. I saw the pictures, I’m so sorry, I swear I didn’t know paparazzi were there. I’m on their ass, I promise they are going to pay.”

“I’ve been fired, Charles.” you announced in a calm voice that you barely recognised. He went silent. “I mean, not totally fired yet, just under investigation but I can’t set a toe at the office anymore. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“I… I’m sorry. I know you probably don’t want to hear it but… Now that the cat is out of the bag, maybe it is for the best?”

“How can it be for the best?” you gulped, a tear falling on your cheek. “I’m jobless, without a lot of savings and a student loan I have still yet to pay. I can’t go back to my parents, I can eventually crash on my best friend’s couch but…”

“Or maybe you can come to my place. You will be able to rest, you won’t be alone, you can take your time figuring out your next step while not worrying about your finances.”

“I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Move your ass to Monaco or I swear I’m coming all the way to Paris to drag you down in the south with me.”

You arrived the next day, your suitcase and most prized possessions under your arms at the train station.Out, you were stunned to see a crowd of young adults happily chatting and taking pictures. You squinted, trying to see what the attraction was and noticed an awfully familiar black car and the silhouette of your boyfriend, waiting in front of it. When he finally saw you, his eyes lit up and he excused himself to join you and took your bags.

“Out with your admirers today?”

“I thought that since we were busted, it was pointless to keep hiding. I should have asked if you were fine with that, sorry.”

People let you pass as you sat in the Ferrari while Charles kept signing autographs for a minute before joining you and driving to Monaco. There, you could see how people were taking pictures of the car and filming it and you instantly knew you were about to make it to the gossip pages, if it wasn’t the case already. You leaned into the backseat of the car, trying to make yourself invisible even if you were aware it was pointless.

“I’m sorry about that…” Charles said, feeling remorseful and putting a hand on your knee, giving it a squeeze. “I’m right there, we will find a way.”

Arriving in his place, you were awfully silent and lost in thoughts. Charles knew why, he didn’t need to ask for explanations, he knew exactly what was going on in your mind.

“Luc is proud of you no matter what. Don’t feel guilty, please.”

You finally turned to him, head hanging low and he felt his heart breaking in pieces.

“I know what you are thinking about but please, don’t beat yourself up, it leads nowhere.” he said, taking you in his arms, your head resting on his chest.

“I feel lost and confused, like nothing is making sense anymore. I don’t know what I'm supposed to do now. This dream was the only thing sure in my life, the one thing I built my life around and now that it is not there anymore? I don’t know… I’m not even sure to know who I am without that.”

“We will figure it out. Together. I’m going to spend a few days with my mom and my brothers, maybe discovering yourself and what you like can start with you tagging along?”

Author's note: The secret had to come to light at some point... I'm so sorry for the lack of consistency lately, the past few weeks have been hectic and a little hard mental health wise. But now, it should get better and I can't wait to share the next parts of this story!

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or an ask, as well as reblogging and leaving a like. Besides the fact that I absolutely love to read you, it helps a lot for the story to find its audience. I also have a taglist for this story, so if you want to be added so you never miss a chapter, let me know.

If you wanna be part of the taglist, let me know.

Taglist: @itsjustkhaos @thirstylion @cmleitora @charizznorizz @sltwins @boherahpsody @herondalism @roseamongthorns13 @aundercover @snowflakesfluff @fictional-l0v3r @queensassybitchsworld @jehun @reengard @valntynebaby

If you are tagged and do not receive the notifications, please take a look at your settings!

[bluestar22x]

The Future

The Outcast - Epilogue: The Future

Summary: Just like winter, the end is just the beginning

Pairing: Pero Tovar x F!Reader

Rating: 18+

Word Count: 2,700 (ish)

Warnings: Mention of a baby goat (kid) having died, angst, pregnancy plot, non-graphic labor and birth, fluff, pov changes, quintessential happy ending

Author’s Note: This is a very self indulgent bonus part - you can read the first four parts and have a satisfying ending if this kind of ending isn't your thing. For those who do like this kind of ending guess what my favorite line(s) to write was.

Also, any names I used in this fic were themed and/or meaningful. And if one of my running themes of relating winter with life instead of death wasn't apparent, it should be now.

xxx

Death is far from a stranger on a functioning farm. Even though you usually sold your old, infertile goats to the nearest village's butcher instead of culling them yourself, that still left a whole slew of other ways for you to witness it. Illness, lethal injuries, stillbirths, and difficult deliveries that ended badly for the doe or her offspring or both had all occurred on your farm more than once.

You'd accepted it, and your need to hunt, a long time ago, because you loved the simplicity of this kind of life. You loved being mostly self reliant, knowing you could be fully self reliant if need be, and you loved the companionship of the animals you were dependent on.

Sometimes though, the deaths still hurt. Like when River, your first horse and Meadow's mother had died a few years after you'd moved onto the mountain, due to colic. She'd been in so much pain for so long you'd been forced to end her misery with a knife. The senseless guilt you'd felt after had lasted for weeks.

That was the most you'd ever cried over losing an animal, until one spring morning a year after Pero had decided to stay.

You tried to hide how upset you were by the latest death on the farm when you returned to the cottage to cook a morning meal for you both, but as soon as he followed you inside after an hour of chomping wood, you uncharacteristically started sobbing on sight of him.

Eyes filled with concern, your husband silently approached and gathered you up in his arms, kissing your temple as he did so. You took a deep breath and focused on his soothing warmth, his reassuring broad hands that slid up and down your spine, trying to put yourself back together.

"What has you so upset, mi esposa?" he eventually asked, nuzzling the side of your face, his short beard scraping against it lightly.

You stepped away from him, leaned against the kitchen counter top on one hand, and looked back to him. "It's one of Sweets' kids, the one who was sick, I found her dead this morning."

"I'm sorry cariño," he said quietly, dark eyes serious. "I know how hard you tried to save her."

You shook your head fiercely. "It's not that, I could handle that, it has happened several times before, but it's the way Sweets reacted when I removed the body from the paddock. She started bleating and desperately searching for her, even though she had her other new kid alongside her, even though the body had been cold when I discovered it. Hearing those sounds from her broke my heart."

"It doesn't help I kept thinking -," you paused, eyes widening as you realized what you'd been about to say.

Pero frowned at the way you'd cut yourself off. "It doesn't help what?" he prompted gently.

You sucked in a deep, shaky breath. You figured you might as well not hide it from him. "It doesn't help I kept imagining what she was feeling. Putting myself in her place. I don't think I could handle it if I lost the baby that way."

"The baby," Pero repeated, lips parting in surprise. He reached out to you and tugged you back to him, his arm looped around your waist. "Mi amor, are you saying what I think you are?"

You nodded, fresh tears flooding your eyes, joy overcoming your trepidation. "I am. It's still early, I'm probably only two months or so along, but I'm certain."

You hadn't bled in that time, and had felt nauseous many times over the previous month, neither of which was normal for you. Your emotions had been all over the place lately too. You'd never been a super stoic character, but you were usually far from the emotional wreck you felt like that morning.

Pero beamed at you and the shock of it left you breathless. It was a rare sight, his smile, let alone one that obvious. He leaned forward and kissed your cheek softly, lovingly, showing more affection than you'd once thought him capable of. "Everything will be alright, cariño," he reassured you.

It was not something he could actually promise, no man could act as a god, but his words comforted you anyway.

"I'll need to find a midwife who would be willing to stay the winter with us," you told him nervously. "If I'm correct, the baby will be born in the final days of the year or the early ones of the next. The passage will be closed off by then. When my sister visits I'll ask her to help me search for one."

Pero caressed your cheek with a thumb. "I'm sure an older one without family to care for would agree to stay with us in exchange for coin and free room and board. If not, I will convince them."

You arched your eyebrows, understanding what he meant. "I appreciate the offer, but please don't threaten any of the village midwives, especially the elderly."

"I cannot make any promises, mi amor."

x

Winter had never come faster. Not because it actually arrived sooner, but because there was so much to do before then. In the late spring you and Pero planted your garden and a part of the field with enough crops to keep all the animals and yourselves through the winter.

In the early summer your sister and her husband visited with their four children, two girls and two boys, and for a week the tiny cottage was chaotic. The children were always running off doing something adventurous while your sister helped you milk the goats and Pero and your brother in law worked together to build an additional room to the cottage.

As summer neared its end and your belly rounded, you began to focus on smaller tasks. You still cooked and cleaned, you still took care of the horses and goats, and some of the weeding in the small garden behind the cottage, but Pero assisted you and he took on the tasks that were more dangerous by himself, like hunting. He did the extra work gladly, wanting to do everything he could for you, never feeling like he could do enough.

Harvest came around and your brother in law returned to help with the crops, the midwife your sister had found for you in tow. Her name was Franny, and she was strict about what you could and could not do, having you rest most of the day when she wasn't helping you knit baby clothes, but she was kind, reminding Pero of the one grandmother he knew for only a decade before she passed. It took him time to get used to another adult being in the cottage for so long, but he figured a newborn would be an even bigger adjustment, so he adjusted.

The first snowfall was almost a shock, the months having flown by in a blur, and Pero began to feel anxious. Even with Franny in the spare room, what would later become the baby's room, being closed off from the village for a whole season with you in your condition and eventually a newborn worried him. So many things could go wrong, you of all people knew that, but you would have never agreed to leave the farm. As far as you were concerned if Franny couldn't help you, nobody could, and he supposed you were probably right.

Your prediction about your due date turned out to be precise, your first pangs of labor beginning during an early afternoon at the start of the new year.

He'd found you in the barn, sitting on a square bale of hay with an arm curled around the huge swell at your abdomen, grimacing as you endured the first painful wave.

And then everything moved far too slow. He helped you into the cottage and watched as Franny got to work, prepping for the delivery, clueless about what he could do. Franny was no help there. Traditional as could be, she would've shooed him out of the cottage for the day, no matter the cold, if you hadn't insisted he stay.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to stay, as useless as he felt, as fearful as he felt, but he did it for you. He scraped his mind for ways to help all the while, assisting a dubious Franny in setting up the bed for you, gathering enough firewood to keep your home warm for a couple days, and caring for all the animals on his own as quickly as he could before returning to your side to let you squeeze his hand as your contractions continued to strengthen at an agonizingly slow pace.

It wasn't until morning the next day that Franny declared it was time for you to push. She had you sit up in bed and undress halfway with Pero's help before she prompted you to spread your legs and bend your knees. You pressed your back to Pero's chest after, using his body to support your own.

Through gritted teeth you bore down with several contractions, panting and breaking out in a sweat from your efforts. Pero kept his face close to yours, murmuring encouragement into your ear as you struggled. And when you reached back and grasped one of his a thighs tightly in an attempt to distract yourself, he let you, not caring whether or not it bruised under your fingertips if it helped you cope.

As the minutes passed, as you tired, your chest rising and falling rapidly, your legs trembling, he became concerned something might be wrong, but Franny remained calm, continuously urging you to keep going.

"A couple more," she promised you. "A couple more good solid pushes and it'll be over, sweetie. Don't give up now."

Pero saw it in your eyes, the moment you mentally and physically dug your heels in and began pushing with renewed determination, and he was awed, not sure how you'd come by the reserve.

Finally your laboring paid off and you slumped backwards into his arms, relief washing over your face as a sharp wail pierced the air.

He glanced from you to the small, wet infant flailing in Franny's arms, and his world shifted.

Outside, snow began to fall.

x

Ten years later...

"Why do I have to go?" the seven year old girl before you bemoaned. "Why can't I stay here?"

"You're not old enough to stay here by yourself, Stela," you explained. "Your brother wouldn't even be allowed to stay by himself and he's three years older than you."

"He's old," she stated and you couldn't help but chuckle.

"Maybe, but still not old enough."

Stela pouted at you then continued to put on her winter coat and boots, a long dramatic sigh slipping from her as she stood up from the kitchen chair she'd been sitting in. You thought she was far too young to be turning into a moody teenager, but guessed it was the part she'd inherited from her father breaking through.

You finished assisting her five year old sister, Lene, with her coat before leading them both outside into the frigid night. Lene immediately dove head first into the fresh snow layered on the ground gleefully, while her older sister folded her arms and stomped her way over to the front of the barn where Pero and her brother William were waiting for them.

Out of all of your children, William looked most like his father, his eye shape, chin, and nose all miniature copycats of Pero's. Stela had his eyes, but was more like you, physically, and Lene reminded you of your sister. However, they all shared Pero's dark hair and eyes.

"Ready to ride?" Pero quizzed Stela as she trudged right past him. He frowned when she showed no sign of hearing him and met your eyes. "What is she upset about this time?"

"She's angry about being outvoted," you replied. "Said she didn't want to see the stupid lights again and wanted to stay home. She's definitely your daughter."

Pero chuckled and pulled you against him at the hip with one hand as you both trailed your children into the barn to saddle up the horses.

Lene assisted her father with Orion, a four year old colt who was the youngest offspring of the since retired Clover and Thor, grandson to the deceased Meadow, and Pero's new mount. Like his sire, Orion was jet black in color, except for the small crystal shaped star marking that was usually hidden under his forelock. His surprisingly calm disposition was more like Clover though.

Your latest mount, a five year old solid bay mare named Aspen who was Orion's full sibling, was equally as quiet once she'd settled into adulthood, and you had her tacked in no time as Stela watched, still moping.

Last was Thunder, an eight year old bay gelding with a stripe shaped like a lightning bolt running down his face. The most well behaved and eldest offspring of Clover and Thor, Thunder had been assigned to William when he got old enough to start riding on his own.

He was still too tall for William to saddle him, so Pero flung it over the horse's back for him, but the young boy took care of the rest, a true horseman despite his youth.

Once you, Pero, and William led your horses outside the girls approached, Stela hesitantly letting Pero boost her up onto Orion, and Lene begging you to set her in Aspen's saddle. You and Pero climbed on your horses so you were behind them while William found a stump to help propel himself onto Thunder's back.

Someday the children would learn how to ride bareback, but it would not be that night, so you lived with it, though the wind was making you shiver and yearn for the shared body heat.

You led the way up the mountain as was tradition, your family making the trip at least once a winter, more if the children wanted to ride out that far in the dark.

Lene loved it. Loved everything, really. The girl had more positivity and enthusiasm than you and Pero could've ever had combined.

William enjoyed it as well, already into nature as much as you were, and just as quiet about it.

And Stela, well, she often spent most of the ride brooding and complaining about the cold. That night was no different.

Once you reached your destination, you, Pero, and William slowed your horses to a stop a few yards from the edge with your horses shoulder to shoulder so everyone had a great view of the lights.

While the children had grown older (far too quickly), and you and Pero had long since started to grey, the lights had remained the same, seemingly everlasting, tying the years of memories you'd shared together as they shimmered in the sky.

You looked to each of your children in turn and smiled at the delight on their faces, even Stela's, before you glanced to Pero, who was studying your face. You hoped he would never tire of it, cause you certainly wouldn't tire of looking at him, especially when he was holding your middle child by the hip to steady her, to make sure she wouldn't fall off Orion. He was always watching out for his children like that and whenever you witnessed it first hand your heart always threatened to combust.

Fate was not something you'd believed in when you were young, but the older you got, the more you weren't so convinced there wasn't something bigger out there at least nudging you towards the future you were supposed to live out. How else could you have been so lucky to find Pero in time? How else could he have been so lucky to have been chased up your mountain instead of any of the others in the chain that were uninhabited?

One change in events and you'd have never met, or he'd have never turned back come spring. And then you would've never married, and your children would've never been born. You would have spent the rest of your life in tranquility, happy, sure, but never quite fulfilled.

Whether or not fate was real, you were grateful.

You stretched your hand out towards Pero's and he automatically intertwined his fingers with yours, having long lost a hesitancy he'd had towards sharing that kind of intimacy with you.

"Let's head back home," you said simply, and he nodded, turning Orion away from you, for once choosing to take lead.

Guiding you into your future, like you had guided him home.

xxx

Tagged: @elegantduckturtle @harriedandharassed

xxx

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

xxx

[igotbloodonmyhands]

Alive / Part VI

Note: I have no idea about Soaps family in canon, so this is all what I hc it. Word count: 546

When Soap had said that his family had a farm, Ghost didn't expect this. It was a giant area in the middle of the highlands, wide paddocks, fluffy sheep and green trees. According to Soap a rocky beach was only five minutes from there. As soon as Ghosts old pick up truck pulled in the drive way, they were swarmed by Soaps mum, Molly, a small, middle aged woman with rosy cheeks and a flour covered yellow apron, who pulled her son into a tight hug. "Ma wee baby!", she exclaimed, pressing a kiss on his forehead before looking at Ghost and extending her hand. "Simon, ah take it?", her smile was big and genuine, apparently not minding the black surgical mask. "Yes, ma'am", he shook her hand, not able to resist a small smile himself. She shushed them inside, and Ghost felt a bit misplaced in the comfy kitchen, where a middled aged man, a woman and a man, each with a toddler in their arms sat on bar stools at the aisle. They were all so... lively. Big smiles on their faces, seemingly unbothered by the 6'2, completely dressed in black and rather intimidating figure in their house. "S'nice to finally meet ya, lad", Soaps dad, Callum, said, firmly shaking his hand. "Y' too". He glanced over to the other man and woman, judging from the likeliness, the woman was Soaps sister, Isla, the man then must be her husband Alec. They both smiled at him. Isla pointed to the little girl in her arms, introducing her as Ailsa, the boy in her husbands grasp as Archie. The urge to hold them suddenly overcame Ghost, scaring him a little. He hadn't felt that since Tommy was the same age as them. The interaction was awkward in itself, but strangely not unpleasant. Ghost knew none of them , yet they seemed to accept him without question or complaint. Didn't ask questions about the mask or his work, just simple small talk, which didn't feel pressured or forced. It seemed like the warmth he knew from Soap ran in the family. "I got yer room ready", Molly interrupted his thoughts, Soap loudly joking with his niece and nephew in the background. "Since Isla and Alec are here too, you'll have to share a room with John", she winked. "Shouldn't be a problem, I hope?" Ghost looked at her for a moment longer than necessary. "Er, no, that won't be a problem, thank you", he hurried to say. Molly grinned. "John! Show Simon around, won't ya? I have to get dinner ready", she patted Ghosts shoulder before getting to work on the cooking aisle. "Yes, ma'am", Soap picked up his bag, wincing slightly, his shoulder still sore. "Give me that", Ghost mumbled and quickly pulled the bag up, letting Soap lead the way up the stairs to a room on the western side of the cottage. It was a small room, but cozy. Old wooden floor, floral wallpaper on the walls, a big window with a small balcony and plants all over the room. And one king sized bed. Ghost didn't know whether he should be happy or nervous. (Molly ships them. She could've put an extra mattress in the room, but then again, she loves weddings)

This is how I imagine their farm to look like. Sorry if I accidentally posted you house

[darkhighness]

Good Omentober Day 27 - Goats

Prompt by @disaster-dog

Aziraphale tries to teach the demon a lesson after their interaction with Job. It's definitely not self-serving.

(Written with the assistance of AI)

Crowley didn’t mind the goats all the much really. And while it had technically been an order from Hell, his heart just wasn’t really in it. That was the real reason he turned them into birds. Nothing else.

It had nothing to do with the look in the angel’s eyes when he told him what he was to do and it certainly had nothing to do with a nagging guilt that had been following him since the flood. He was just following orders in a slightly more unconventional way. 

After his little display, however, Aziraphale was determined to exact his own justice. He knew exactly how to tug on the demon’s heartstrings and after their fuss with Job, he took Crowley out to a small settlement where a young shepherd was struggling with rowdy goats, floating apart in the paddocks.

The young boy looked distressed, his left hand raised over his eyes to try and block out the sun as he called out to one of the more adventurous goats that had wandered off.

“What do you need me to do? You can just miracle it back it it’s pen, you know?” Crowley asked cynically, preparing to snap his fingers to fix the problem.

Aziraphale stopped him with a knowing smile, “Not this time Crowley. You’re going to go and give him a hand the proper way. The human way.”

The demon let out a long, low growl before heading off. It couldn’t be that hard. As Crowley approached the skittish goat, it began to dart off in the opposite direction, further away from the pasture it called home.

The demon let out a hefty sigh before trying to catch up again.

Aziraphale sat back, watching from an aged oak tree atop a hill. He watched as Crowley hopelessly dashed after the goat, all his limbs flailing frantically in the distance. It would’ve been a very quick job had they done it the way they usually did but this was significantly more fun for Aziraphale. 

As Crowley chased the elusive goat, he couldn't help but feel a growing sense of frustration. This was hardly the kind of task he enjoyed. He preferred manipulating and causing chaos from behind the scenes, not chasing after wayward livestock. 

The young shepherd watched in amazement as the strange man, Crowley, continued his unconventional pursuit of the goat. He watched, torn between laughter and sympathy for the demon's plight.

Meanwhile, Aziraphale, perched comfortably in the shade of the oak tree, couldn't suppress a mischievous grin. He had expected this reaction from Crowley. The angel was determined to teach the demon a lesson, to show Crowley that Hell’s way was not the way forward.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Crowley managed to corner the goat near a small cottage. He slowly approached the animal, extending a gentle hand, almost as if he was trying to approach a wild creature.

Crowley's cynical expression softened, and for a brief moment, he felt a connection with the creature he'd been chasing for so long. He almost felt bad for his previous plight, even if the goats hadn’t been harmed. Going from frolicking in a field to flying in the skies must have been quite the shock.

As Crowley returned the goat to the shepherd, Aziraphale descended from the hill. The angel wore a knowing smile, having achieved his mission.

Crowley  glanced at Aziraphale and admitted, "Alright, angel, you've made your point. Maybe there's something to this 'human way' after all."

And as the sun set over the serene countryside, the demon and the angel walked side by side, sharing a newfound appreciation for the subtleties of life. 

They both knew that they were likely going to be summoned by their respective sides soon to answer for their misdoings in the Job saga but for now, things felt painfully simply. As the setting sun painted the horizon in a spattering of oranges and yellows, Crowley couldn’t shake the pride he had in Aziraphale.

“You did the right thing, you know,” The demon assured looking out over the fields ahead.

Aziraphale took a moment to respond, negotiating with his own thoughts and insecurities, “But what if you weren’t there?” He asked timidly.

Crowley sighed and tried to reassure the angel, “Do you really think you would’ve done anything different?” He asked simply.

“I don’t know. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“I don’t think I had much to do with it at all,” Crowley admitted, searching in his robes for pockets before shoving his hands in. He was absently kicking a stone along the ground, watching as it tumbled along the gravel path.

“I guess I just wish I was a little bit more sure,” Aziraphale admitted. There was still that fear in his chest that Crowley would drag him down to hell and he’d be stripped of every angelic part of him. He was too afraid to believe he’d be okay because it would just hurt more when he was inevitably betrayed.

“Do you remember when we first met?” Crowley asked, turning to face Aziraphale, “I told you that I didn’t think angels could do the wrong thing. I still believe that.”

“But Heaven’s done some rotten things. As we’ve made so many missteps-”

“Heaven might haven sure. But you Aziraphale, you haven’t. You’re one of the few people left who are truly angelic. The rest are just soulless zombies.” Crowley assured, a slight juvenile tone in his voice, “They could learn a thing or two from you.”

Aziraphale hummed slightly, not entirely convinced by the whole exchange but inexplicably soothed by the demon’s words nonetheless. He couldn’t help but wonder why Crowley always seemed to do the right thing too, then, if it was an angel’s mission.

“Angel you’re thinking so hard I can hear you from here,” Crowley teased.

“What about you?” Aziraphale blurted out, “Why do you do the right thing?” 

“I was an angel once too,” Was the only response Crowley gave.

[oozeyboozey-archive]

anya hadn't been able to go on her routes for about a month. a bad fall on her last route wound her injuring her knee , and requiring her to be laid up until now. gave her time to get work in the office done. at least that's what her mom liked to call it. there was more to helping run a commune than just going on supply runs . . . but she had been itching to get back out there and get back on runs. going out with chastity was just an added bonus. the two had been inseparable since chastity got there.

coffee in hand and bundled up for the first snow of the year , she reached her door shortly after the sound of who could only be chastity at this early hour , she pulled the door open with a pleased smile. the house was small. just one of the little cottages with two bedrooms , a bathroom , living room and kitchen / dining room. it was a mother in law suite sharing the larger house her mom , dad , and steve lived in. her horse staying in the stables until their paddock was done.

❛ i was about to go on ahead without you. ❜ she greeted with a warm smile. grabbing her pack and then the thermos of coffee she had made for them on their trip , and pulled the door to her humble abode closed. ❛ and before you ask . . . no stiffness in my knee this mornin. so we are good to go. ❜ she announced , a slight melodic tone to her voice on the last little bit.

▬ @hauntedxwritings .

[turnupswritessometimes]

AshEiji - Ficmas - Ch8 - Sleigh Rides

A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52217968/chapters/132084811

“And I can’t hold the camera, because…?” Ash trailed off, his eyebrows raised. His coat collar was turned up against the cold – it was snowing again, in New York. The flakes caught on his cheeks melted, leaving them rosy-pink. Eiji wanted to kiss them.

“Because you’re not the photographer,” he said.

Ash bumped his whole body against him, and Eiji stumbled. He had to catch Ash’s arm to stop himself falling; and when he did, pushed him back.

They were walking up a country road, following the directions on Ash’s phone. They’d been told to leave the car at the bottom of the lane, just beyond the sign that declared this all private property. They were headed to the homestead in the midst of the snowy plains and pine trees. It was like a Winter postcard.

“And what about all the photos of you?” Ash asked.

“I’ll teach you how to take some.”

“In a moving sleigh.”

Eiji stepped in front of him, his arms behind his back. “Are you scared of a challenge, Ash?”

Ash caught Eiji’s chin, tilting it up in his hand. He smiled smugly back at him.

“I’m never scared of a challenge.”

And he kissed Eiji. Peppered his cheeks with kisses, until Eiji had to catch Ash’s shoulders. “Stop – we’re going to be late!”

Ash did relent, then, and lead Eiji along, through the snow. They were here on a job: Max had been the one to recommend them for it. Recommend Eiji. It was a piece about a farm upstate that were offering sleigh rides for the festive season. The story would help the business promote their work; year-round, the horses were used for therapy.

“Most importantly,” Max had said, pushing a coffee onto Eiji’s desk. “They’re offering you and a plus one a free ride on one of their sleighs.”

“Oh,” Eiji said, scrolling through the website.

Max waited. He raised his eyebrows. “You and a plus one, Eiji.” And when he still didn’t react, Max prompted, “Ash?”

“Oh!” Eiji felt his cheeks go hot. “Like a date?”

“That’s right.” Max grinned at him, and Eiji ducked his chin. It felt odd, that his boss was also a family friend. Felt even odder, when Max ruffled his hair good-naturedly. As though Eiji was Ash, or Michael. Made his chest feel warm.

So here they were. Eiji armed with his camera, very aware that Ash still hated photos, and not too sure how he was going to take photos in a moving sleigh. But they still reached the farmhouse; it was decorated with twinkling lights that made it look like a gingerbread cottage. The horses grazed in the paddock next to it, flicking their tails, their breath steaming in the cold air.

And there was the sleigh. A beautiful, red polished affair with gleaming blades. Two chestnut brown horses were attached; their fur long on their legs, so it looked as though they were wearing snow boots. They were bigger than Eiji had thought they would be.

The owners were stood in front of them, and rushed forward to shake Eiji’s hand. He still wasn’t used to that; much preferred greetings in Japan. They were both the picture of what lumberjack men would look like.

“Thank you so much for coming all the way out here,” the one with the trimmed, dark bead, said. “We do appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing.”

“But, I thought your boss said he was sending a couple?” the man asked.

Ash put his arm around Eiji’s waist, tugging them together. “Actually, we’re married.”

Eiji hid behind his bangs, unable to stop smiling. He’d never get tired of hearing that. Married. It was such a fantastic word.

“That’s great!” The other guy said; his beard was bushy, and ginger. “Sorry – we didn’t – we’d love that.”

“This is my husband.” The dark one said. “So, this would be lovely. Really.”

“Oh, good.” Eiji still smiled, but he felt slightly baffled.

“It’s our pleasure.” Ash’s fingers squeezed Eiji’s side. He seemed completely at ease; his own charming smile in place. They were all smiling at each other, and Eiji was at a loss as to what to say next.

“Well, then, boys, let’s introduce you to the horses.”

So they were introduced to the horses. One was Cinnamon, the other Nutmeg. Both were big and beautiful. Their noses were soft, like velvet, as they snuffled at Eiji’s palm. He patted their snouts, unable to stop smiling. Nutmeg nuzzled at his shoulder, searching in his coat for treats, his fur tickling his cheek.

When he looked up, he saw that Ash had his camera. He took it back.

“That’s my job,” he said, untangling himself  from the horses. Nutmeg followed him, snorting. “You say hello to them, too.”

Ash did. Rolling his eyes like it was a chore. But he did. He rubbed his knuckles up and down their snouts, and told them were lovely. Eiji got a photo of Ash holding Cinnamon’s head, his hair falling over his face. But it fell in such a way that it was still clear Ash was smiling, softly.

He noticed Eiji was watching him, from above the camera, and paused. “What?”

Eiji shrugged. “You’re beautiful.”

Ash’s eyes softened. Very green against the white around them. He still smiled, that special smile he had for Eiji that made him feel like he was electrified. Made him remember why he’d risked everything, again and again, for this boy. Just how much he loved Ash.

“You guys are just adorable together. Let’s get you in the sleigh.”

So they did. Ash went first, and offered his hand to Eiji. He accepted it, hauling himself up and into the sleigh. There was a woven blanket to go over their laps, and embroidered cushions behind them. It all felt very cosy; almost too cosy to do work. He fiddled with his camera, whilst the owners brought the horses round to the start of the trail. Ash held the reins, looking just as at ease as if he was driving a car.

The snow had slowed to a powder, and it felt like they were inside of a snow globe. The owners rode behind them, on their own horses, to make sure the sleigh stayed on course. The horses trotted, the wind catching their manes. The ride was bumpy. Eiji found himself catching Ash’s shoulder, laughing.

Ash rested his head on the top of Eiji’s, still with both hands on the reins. But he was chuckling too.

“You have a job to do, sweetie,” Ash said, gently.

“Then, slow down.” Eiji pushed him, fumbling with his camera. He wore fingerless gloves to work it better, but his hands were numb.

“When have I ever driven slowly?” Ash replied.

Eiji could only laugh, and shake his head. The sleigh continued, and it felt like magic. The snow continued falling dreamily; the horses trotting through the pine forest. Eiji tried his best. Took photos of the horses; the scenery; Ash’s  hands on the reins; Ash next to him. Leant forward, to brush Ash’s hair back behind his ear, murmuring, “This one’s just for me.”

The sleigh jolted, as he did, and he lost his balance. His camera swung, and he caught Ash’s knee to stop himself falling headlong.

Ash just laughed. He shifted, putting his arm around Eiji and pulling him close, still keeping hold of the reins.

“I think you’ve got enough,” he said.

“Ash.”

“Yeah, that’s enough.” Ash turned to kiss the top of Eiji’s head. He kept his grip tight, even as Eiji tried to wiggle away. But Ash was stronger. And warmer. And it was hard to argue very much when they were in a horse drawn sleigh in the snow. It wasn’t like the owners protested that Eiji had stopped taking photos.

So shifted, sitting under Ash’s arm properly, and resting his head on his shoulder. Listened to the sounds of the horse’s hooves, and smelt the pine around them, felt Ash’s breath underneath him. It was cold, but he felt very warm. And thought he would be happy if they stayed like this for hours.

But they finished the route, and the sleigh ride came to an end. Ash let go of the reins, letting them hang over the edge of the sleigh.

“Come on, sweetie.” Ash nudged him with his shoulder.

Eiji let himself have another minute, with his arms tight around Ash. Relishing in that feeling, his heart pounding. Then gave in. He pulled away, looking up at Ash. He kissed him, forgetting that they weren’t alone.

Forgetting that he was here on a job, not a date, like Max said. A job to take photos to market the sleigh rides offered at this farm. And the photos he did have, of the forest, the horses, the sleigh, looked beautiful. They looked great next to Eiji’s story for the article. (Max had wanted him to write it; had been helping him draft up some of his own stories.)

But it was a photo that he hadn’t taken that was at the top. A photo one of the ranch owners had taken on his phone, and they hadn’t noticed. It was the moment at the end of the ride, when Eiji had kissed Ash. The snow fell around them, their hair caught in the wind, the trees green behind them. The blanket was around them, pressing them together.

“It’s a great article,” Max said, looking at it. Eiji couldn’t. It made him feel flustered and embarrassed. That there would be a photo of him and Ash kissing on the internet. “It’s a great photo too.”

“I have to check if Ash is alright with it,” Eiji asked. Because that was only fair.

“Sure. But it looks great, with the article. The guys were really happy with the job you did.”

Which made Eiji feel warm for a different reason. He nodded, fiddling with the pens on his desk. There were only a couple of days until Christmas Eve, and he couldn’t wait to be finished for Christmas. He had a whole two weeks off, for Christmas and New Years.

“Eiji, do you enjoy doing this?”

“Yes!” He looked up. “Of course!”

Max smiled at him. That warm smile, as he put a hand on Eiji’s shoulder. “Because, you’re good at this job. I think you could do more than photos, if you wanted. You could train up as a journalist.”

As a real journalist, like Max, instead of just a photographer. A proper, full-time job. That was the goal, wasn’t it? He should have said yes just as enthusiastically. But he paused – and hated that he did pause.

Max saw his hesitation. “Why don’t you think about it, over the break?”

Eiji nodded.

And wondered why it felt like such a scary decision.

[weirdsatellites]

IMINT #856 from █████ ███████ ██ (CONFIDENTIAL) 1. Cottage of Elk 2. Desert Railroad 3. Paddock of Dolphins

[victorluvsalice]

Welcome to another episode of "I have decided to upgrade the Valicer farmhouse!" It's been a while since Victor, Alice, and Smiler's home got a refresh, and this particular one was prompted mainly by the following two facts:

A) Thanks to all their various side hustles (Victor selling the produce from his greenhouse and occasionally licensing songs, Alice writing books and selling paintings, and Smiler making SimsTube videos), plus the profits from their grocery store and Alice's brief career as an official Artist, the gang had LOADS of money to spend on new furniture and the like

B) My parents agreed as a birthday present to buy me 100 bucks worth of Sims 4 packs, and I spent a good chunk of that on them purchasing Horse Ranch and Home Chef Hustle, so I had some new Build/Buy items to play with!

So yeah -- figured it was time to upgrade some furniture and add some new fun stuff for the trio to use in their daily lives! Let's take it room by room:

Smiler’s Party Barn – This space was pretty much all about the furniture upgrades -- I updated the couch by the stairs to the most expensive and comfortable one (in of course the most wild swatch I could find – purplish-pink with zebra print details on the frame); changed out the chairs around the games table to more expensive and comfortable ones from that actually matched the puzzle table and were still just as colorful; and updated Smiler’s bar to a bigger one (it’s now a three-tiler, black with glowing yellow lights along the bottom -- aesthetic!) and got the most expensive and comfortable barstools to go along the front. Gotta make sure the guests are comfy! :D Even more importantly, though, I ended up changing around a bunch of the pictures and posters – the two sky prints the trio’s picked up from observatory visits are now behind the bar with a couple of space-themed posters; the DJ posters previously behind the bar are now above the ottomans on either side of the karaoke machine; a cute purple painting of a woman previously above the bar is now over the stairwell; and the big portraits of the Valicer wedding (Victor and Alice kissing and Victor and Smiler kissing) are now by the ping-pong table, in a collage with the two biggest pictures of the trio posing in their swimsuits on their honeymoon. :) But where did the other pictures of the wedding and honeymoon go? I’ll tell you shortly...

Cow Paddock – But first, let’s go outside and around to the back of the barn to Moory’s pen! Where, with the power of Horse Ranch, I added some patches of prairie grass and a proper water trough for our cow (moving the CC bucket fountain from "Cottage Garden Stuff" by @plumbobteasociety I was using to represent a source of water for Moory over to the corner of the pen for decoration purposes...though it occurs to me it might be nice to put in the chicken pen to pretend it’s now a drinking fountain and bath for the chickens). The water trough is probably just going to be for decoration (it’s intended for the horses that came with Horse Ranch and I’m not sure other animals can drink out of them), but the prairie grass actually serves a purpose – I know from seeing the option grayed out on the shed previously that you can refill a cow or llama’s feed with the stuff! So that’s cool. :) (And yes, I saw that option BEFORE I owned Horse Ranch, so, uh, great job Sims team.)

Living Room – I changed out the rug under the couch, coffee table, and TV stand for one of the new colorful Horse Ranch ones (doesn't it look cool?), and upgraded the couch and the two chairs in front of the fireplace into more expensive and comfortable models (though I made sure to keep the bright and wacky colors -- the Get Famous and Growing Together furniture have really good swatches in this regard, I'm pleased to report). Again, though, the big change was updating all the stuff on the walls -- mostly because I absolutely had to clean up all the photos around the house so I actually had room for NEW snaps. Plus I'd started looking at some of the photo collections and going “Do we really need this many pictures of you guys in front of your house at the family reunion?” XD I mean, I like them, but maybe some variety would be a good thing. And look a little less self-important. XD So what I did was remove the four-picture collage of the gang doing various poses in front of the house at the family reunion from one side of the TV, grabbed one medium-sized photo out of the set to keep, sold the rest (and the frame), and moved into its place the picture of everyone posing in front of the store that was upstairs by Smiler’s room previously. And THEN I moved the collage of photos of them on their honeymoon that was previously in the little notch next to the kitchen (which no longer exists as I made the kitchen bigger -- more on that later) over to the corner by the phonograph! So it’s right near the other big wedding collection. :) So THAT’S a little better!

Study – Mostly more picture rearranging in this room, though I did upgrade the chess set and chairs on the left wall to fancier versions – and discovered that the black and red chessboard also has black and red pieces, so I decided to go with that as a color theme. *shrug* If I can’t have white and red, I’ll go with black and red! Anyway, over the chess table, I stuck four of Victor and Alice's original Selvadoradan honeymoon snaps into one of the four-photo collage frame sets I unlocked, then arranged the remaining two photos on top of them in a way that made them look like part of the set (you can tell they're not because the frames aren't as thick, but still works). Then, over by Smiler's guitar, I got two more three-frame collage sets, put the photos from the trip to Granite Falls in those, and arranged them appropriately behind the rug, next to the window. The picture Alice painted of Smiler playing their guitar and the the one she painted of the Granite Falls ranger station sign then went up on the side wall next to the rug (because Victor has the picture Alice painted of him playing piano next to his piano, so I wanted Smiler's portrait to be next to THEIR instrument). After that, I moved the picture of Alice scratching herself that Victor did on the Valicer Honeymoon out of there and upstairs to the attic rec room (I couldn't bring myself to delete it, it amuses me too much XD), then moved the sketches and fancy light Alice unlocked from the Artist career over a little, into that space. Making room for a little photo collage of sorts next to her fancy easel -- the photo of her painting at their old house that Victor took on the top, one of the photos she took of Rory to become friends and get her to turn her into a werewolf on the bottom –

And one of those Moschino Stuff slideshow photo frames in the middle! Because I've been meaning to start using those for AGES now. This is where a bunch of the smaller photos went – I put all the little photos of the wedding from the party barn, one of my favorite little photos from the family reunion, a snap of them posing in front of the store, and a snap from their New Year’s Eve trio date into there and turned on the frame to display them as a slideshow, changing once per hour. :D So now I have a spot to keep tiny photos that I may like, but don’t have room for on the wall! Yay! :)

First Floor Hallway – Bunch of little changes here -- first up, I made the washer and dryer brighter colors (because why wouldn't I?) and put the MySim trophy of Yuki Alice found recently on top of them – turns out that WASN’T a duplicate after all! Nice! Then I got one of the three-photo-frame collage sets I unlocked with the family reunion, put the best three photos of the scenery around their honeymoon island in it (and sold the fourth, which was of a rainy miserable day anyway), and slapped the set up next to one of the windows beside the study. Wasn’t sure where else to put them, and they looked good there! And finally, I grabbed myself the egg-shaped decorative egg display shelf I downloaded from @somecreativecc (seriously, if you need displays, they are the place to go) and slapped it up where the previous hanging shelf with all the eggs had been (right by the entrance to the kitchen and the cats’ downstairs scratching post), moving all the eggs (with the help of “moveobjects on” to access all the slots) onto there! So now all ten eggs fit properly on those shelves, and there’s a dedicated space for the remaining two that need to be found, yay.

Downstairs Back Entrance/Mudroom – I had to move one of Alice’s paintings out of here into the kitchen, and rearrange the boots so they were along the wall next to the coat rack – reason being, the room is now smaller! And why is it smaller?