#Purple Travel Mug

[rabbitcruiser]

National Tea Day 

Just because we dumped all that tea in the harbor, doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy the relaxing, warm drink. Visit a Fest-Tea-Val, or simply enjoy a steaming mug of tea.

That’s about the perfect sentiment we can think of for a nice cup of tea! Tea is a wonderful drink that comes in a wide variety of different flavors, each of them having a distinct personality and character. It has been used for everything from a simple morning libation to the central element of certain social and religious rituals.

This amazing drink is so important that taxing it was the final straw that ignited a fledgling country to declare a revolution! National Tea Day celebrates this fantastic beverage and the seemingly endless list of things it can do.

History of National Tea Day

The History of National Tea Day reaches far back into the world’s history but can be narrowed down to a place of origin that is surprisingly precise.

This place sits at the intersection of Latitude 29N and Longitude 98E, notable as the joining of NE India, Burma, China, and Tibet. Many mythological origins for tea also exist as well, some of them merely interesting and others quite gruesome.

In one period in China, the Emperor had ordered that all people of his nation would boil their water before drinking it. So it came to pass that the Emperor was sitting and drinking a simple cup of boiled water when leaves from a nearby tree blew into it, creating the first tea.

In another tale, a man sat meditating in front of a wall (for 9 whole years!) when he accidentally fell asleep. On waking, he was so disgusted with his inability to stay awake, which he considered to be a weakness, that he severed his eyelids and threw them to the ground where they sprouted into the first tea bushes. A little disturbing, perhaps, but utterly Asian in its style.

Regardless of its origins (which may be in dispute) the importance of tea cannot be understated. And anyone is strongly encouraged to research it since it would be impossible to cover it’s entire history here.

Now, it’s time to take a look at what tea is–and what it is not. Officially speaking tea is an infusion of the leaves of Camellia Sinensis, an unassuming evergreen plant that hails from Asia. Technically, what tea is not is anything that does not contain these leaves.

That means that, while infusions of herbs not containing these leaves may be referred to as ‘Herbal Teas’, they are not in fact teas at all. Only those infusions which contain the Camellia Sinensis leaves can properly be called tea. Considering tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, second only to water, it seems that a little accuracy is in order.

On the other hand, as words and traditions evolve, many things have become known as tea, which so many people around the world enjoy, that it doesn’t hurt to be a little generous with the definition. And generosity is what National Tea Day is all about. Drinking, and sharing, a generous cup of tea.

Because it spans a variety of sources and cultures, a couple of different dates have been recognized as National Tea Day. April 21 is National Tea Day in the UK. The UN has put National Tea Day a month later, and another National Tea Day falls in the middle of December. There are even days for Iced Tea, Bubble Tea and Chai. Not to mention a whole month for Earl Grey Tea and Iced Tea.

It seems that celebrating Tea is a festivity that should be happening all throughout the year! And since tea is the most consumed drink in the world (after water) no one is even going to complain.

How to Celebrate National Tea Day

Drink a Cup (or Glass or Mug) of Tea

Literally hundreds of varieties of tea are in existence, from those that are gently dried and cured to those that go through complex processes that can include long stays in caves. So many varieties of tea exist that it almost defies the imagination! National Tea Day is the perfect time to try a few new ones.

Grab a Glass of Iced Tea

In some countries, tea is only considered to be authentic if it is enjoyed hot. However, other cultures have taken the idea of tea and turned it into a cold beverage. For instance, in the United States, iced tea is a common beverage that is served in a large, tall glass. It is often sold by the gallon in stores and, in the south (but almost never in the north!), it is made very sweet.

Whatever the case, the first order of business for National Tea Day is sitting down to enjoy a sip in whatever form is preferred.

Attend the Fest-Tea-Val in UK

Celebrated all throughout the United Kingdom, Fest-Tea-Val (festival!) Tea rooms, hotels, cafes and pubs all around the nation host special events, promotions and activities that are centered around the country’s favorite drink: tea. These events are often paired with worthy charities in order to provide financial support for them.

Host a Fest-Tea-Val

Those outside of the UK certainly don’t need to be excluded from all of the fun! Consider hosting a National Tea Day celebration at home, at work, or in the community. Simply gather friends or coworkers together and put on a spread of different varieties of tea that can be tried. This would also be a great time to call that friend who has the eclectic collection of teapots!

Take the Sustainable Tea Challenge

Since most tea bags are made of plastic, which isn’t great for the earth, many people are moving in the direction of using loose leaf tea or at least compostable tea bags. Some companies try to promote sustainability and eco-friendliness in the production of their tea, including:

Numi. Fair-trade, organic, and offsetting carbon emissions.

Yogi. Organic, recyclable/compostable packaging and gives back.  

Pukka. Organic and donates profits to help the planet.

Source

[quirkycounselor]

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[roosterforme]

Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw Part 15 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: You want a field trip to North Island for your class, and Bradley is determined to deliver. He loves how you decide to show him some gratitude. He'd love it even more if you stayed and never left.

Warnings: Fluff, language, unprotected sex, oral sex, smut, Bradley in love, 18+

Length: 4500 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female teacher!Reader

Check out my masterlist for more! Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw masterlist

Bradley's alarm really pissed him off on Thursday morning. First of all, it went off an hour earlier than it usually did. And second, he had been sound asleep with your body tucked right up against him and his fingers laced with yours. When you began to stir as well, he kissed your ear and started to pull away from you. 

"I'm sorry, Baby," he murmured, voice laced with sleep and something intimate that he never remembered treating anyone else to. "Go back to sleep."

You rolled over so you were facing him, and your lips found his immediately. You kissed him softly as your fingers pulled through his hair, and he wanted more than anything to stay here with you all day. "I can't go back to sleep," you whispered. "Not when I get to spend a few extra minutes with you."

In the very short time you and he had been officially in a relationship, he had let himself indulge in the idea that you'd be around forever. That you wouldn't change your mind about him. That you'd love him and let him love you back, like equal partners. And right now all he wanted to do was keep holding you while he also couldn't wait to get to work and try to start sweet talking his superior officers.

"I can't be late today, Gorgeous. Not if I'm going to try my best to make a field trip for your class happen."

Your eyes lit up and you squeaked softly. "You're right. Get the fuck out of here."

He laughed and then groaned. "It shouldn't be sexy when you have a potty mouth." He gave you one long kiss before finally pulling away so he could get ready for work.

"I'll make you breakfast," you whispered, climbing out of bed completely naked before reaching for his discarded sweatshirt on the floor. It was yours now in his mind, and he couldn't wait until it and you were both permanent fixtures in his bedroom. That was going to have to wait a bit though unless you brought it up first. He'd already dropped the idea that he wanted to marry you in front of your class.

"You don't need to make me anything," he said as he started to pull on his clean flight suit, but you were already walking out of the room. 

Bradley finished getting ready as quickly as he could in your tiny bathroom, and when he made his way to your equally miniscule kitchen with his overnight bag, you were spreading cream cheese on a bagel and filling a purple travel mug that said #1 Teacher with coffee. "I'll see you tomorrow night?" he asked before taking a bite out of the bagel when you held it up for him.

"I mean... yes, I'll come right to your house from work tomorrow, but you'll see me before that." When he raised an eyebrow while he chewed, you shrugged and added, "I was planning on sending you a dirty picture while I get dressed."

Now both of his eyebrows were raised. "Yeah? How dirty we talking?"

All you said in response was, "I trust you to keep my job intact," before you kissed him and ushered him toward your door with his breakfast. "Go to work, and you'll find out soon. I love you."

"I love you, too, Gorgeous."

He would never get enough of your pretty face. He thought about it while he fought traffic going into San Diego and while crossing the bay bridge toward North Island. This drive sucked, but he'd do it every morning if it meant he got to spend the night in your bed with you. He also wanted to ask you to sleep over at his place during the week so you could test out traffic heading north.

When he finally parked on base, he didn't have to imagine your face any longer. He got to look at it in the picture you sent him twenty minutes ago. Along with your tits. Exchanging photos had always been a huge part of getting to know you while he was deployed, and he was delighted to find that the tradition continued.

"Oh my god," he groaned, needing to sit in his Bronco for a few extra minutes while he enjoyed the photo before ultimately saving it to his phone. Then he texted you back with a smirk before heading to the locker room.

Damn, Gorgeous. What I wouldn't give to spend a week in bed with that face and those tits.

Of course a honeymoon would be the perfect opportunity for that sort of thing. He dropped his bag off in his locker and made his way out to the hangar, running his hand over his face as he tried to push that thought to the back of his mind. As soon as he spotted Maverick, he made a beeline in his direction.

"Rooster," he greeted, barely glancing up from the clipboard he was holding. Bradley knew it was such a longshot, but he had to just go for it at this point.

"Hey, Mav, you have a minute?"He glanced up over his aviators and said, "Always. What can I do for you?" Bradley cleared his throat and tried to make sure he sounded as relaxed as possible. "

I was wondering if a fourth grade class could visit base for a field trip one day? Do a tour of the hangars and the tarmac? Maybe sit in a cockpit? Just an educational trip for some kids who are studying aviation."

There was a brief pause before Maverick asked, "Are you sleeping with a teacher?"

Bradley groaned, head tipped back as he rubbed his eyes and tried not to laugh. "Yeah. She's my girlfriend though, so it's a bit more involved than that."

Maverick sighed. "If I give you special permission for this, then everyone is going to want me to do the same for them. You know that." Bradley started nodding in defeat when Maverick took his sunglasses off and asked, "How many kids are we talking?"

"Eighteen," he replied immediately, straightening his back like he was standing at attention.

"Which school?"

"Mira Mesa Elementary."

Maverick pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let me see what I can do. Now get your helmet on and get to work."

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

You were finishing your lunch at your desk, about to send Bradley a text, when your phone rang in your hand. He was calling you in the middle of the day which was definitely odd.

"Bradley."

"Hey, Gorgeous," came his voice along with a ton of background noise. "Any chance you can bring your class for a field trip next week?"

Surely you misheard.

"Next week? You already got it approved?"

"Yeah." The deep, raspy rumble of his voice made you shiver. "Next Thursday work for you?"

You were on your feet, doing a little dance as you said, "You got it approved! I'll make it work. I'll type up permission slips right now. I'll call everyone's legal guardian tonight if I have to. We'll be there!"

"Perfect. Email me your complete class list so I can get visitor badges printed."

"Okay," you told him, glancing around like you didn't know where to start. "Right."

"I love you, Baby. Talk later."

He ended the call without another word, and you tucked your phone away before running a lap around your classroom. You wanted to go gloat to all of the other fourth grade teachers, but you wouldn't. You were absolutely certain that this only worked out because you were in a relationship with Bradley, so instead you got to work on the permission slips.

By Friday afternoon, your kids were beyond excited about their upcoming trip to North Island. You had secured eighteen permission slips, three chaperones and a school bus to take everyone down to Coronado next week. But today, you'd be driving there yourself to see Bradley. The traffic after work didn't even bother you as you drove to his house with both your overnight bag and your work bag. You had some quizzes to grade, but he promised you he didn't mind if you brought them along.

When you parked in front of his house, you grabbed your things and ran up to the front door which swung open before you could even knock.

"I just got home," he said with a laugh in his sexy khaki uniform and boots. "I was thinking about giving you a key in case you beat me here one of these days. Oh, shit."

You set your bags down just inside his front door and then had your hands tugging down his pants zipper before you leaned up to kiss him. As you pulled his cock free, you whispered, "I just wanted to thank you again."

You bunched Bradley's shirt up around his abs and dropped to your knees while the front door was still open, and he grunted before quickly closing it. "You don't have to thank me," he rasped as you kissed his cock, and he started to grow hard.

As you ran your nose along his length, you glanced up at him and asked, "You don't want me to give you a blowjob?"

His pupils were wide as he shook his head. "Could you imagine a world in which I didn't want you to give me a blowjob? Because I definitely couldn't."

You laughed and parted your lips. "Then let me say thank you, Lieutenant Bradshaw."

His big hand settled on the back of your head, giving you an eager push, and you took him deep as he groaned, "It's my pleasure, Baby. In so many ways."

He was velvety soft and warm, fully hard now, and you gagged as he bottomed out. You let your tongue glide slowly along his length until you pulled him free, saliva already dripping down to his balls. Then you took a deep breath and let him push you again, bobbing your head as your eyes watered. His balls were heavy in your hand, and your mouth watered more as you thought about tasting him.

When you looked up at his handsome face with your mouth full of his cock, he stroked your cheek with his free hand. "So gorgeous. So perfect." He was flushed pink, and you vaguely thought for a second about how funny it would be if Vanessa showed up right now to see this happening.

You let your hands settle on his hips, and you bobbed your head until he was tapping the back of your throat again. Bradley's sharp gasp just made you go harder, and his fingers digging gently into your hair made you go faster. "Fuck," he whispered, eyes glued on your lips as you let him pop free. You licked a swirl around his tip before going deep and sucking until your cheeks were hollow, and you could feel him throbbing with need.

"I'm really close," he crooned as you squeezed his hip. You listened to him panting as you stroked his balls with your thumb, and then you sputtered when he came. You swallowed him down as you wrapped your fingers around his base and jerked him off until he had his hand braced on the wall for support. Every drop of his cum was swallowed down, and you kissed his cock when he was finished.

"Come here," he whispered, reaching for you before doing anything else, and as you stood, he scooped you into his arms. His lips collided with yours, and you sighed as he tasted himself in your mouth. "That was hot."

Bradley's nose bumped yours as he kissed you harder and started to walk you further into his house. "We could always do it again later," you whispered with a laugh as you ran your fingers along the sheen of sweat along his hairline.

"I have other plans for you for later," he promised, voice deep and dark.

"Tell me," you whispered, but he shook his head.

"You'll find out after I cook dinner."

"Can I have a hint?"

He glanced to the side and nodded as you walked through the living room with him. "Another couch date. Kind of."

"I love couch dates."

"I love you."

Bradley made you a grilled cheese sandwich, and he made two for himself, and you stood in his kitchen with him while you ate and sipped a beer. He didn't even bother to finish zipping up his khakis after tucking himself away, and he kept you in his grasp as he told you all about what he wanted to share with your class during the field trip.

"I can take them on a tour of the hangar," he murmured, kissing your cheek. "Let them listen in on air traffic control. Do you think they'd want to sit in my cockpit?"

"Bradley," you said with a laugh. "Of course they would want to! I want to!"

"Yeah?" he asked, running his mustache along your neck. "Maybe you can sit on my lap in my cockpit? I could show you my throttle."

Your face felt warm as you whispered, "You'll get me a lifetime ban from North Island."

"Can't have that," he said solemnly, shaking his head. "When you're on summer break, I'm going to want you to come visit me at work all the time."

Butterflies erupted in your belly as you pictured yourself in six months. Visiting him at work would be incredible. You could stop by with a coffee like he had done for you, and maybe you could take one for Natasha as well. But you were also thinking about how he casually announced to your class that he intended to marry you in the not so distant future.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and felt the front of his unzipped pants through the fabric of your shirt. "I'm not driving back and forth to Coronado every day during my break, Bradley."

He smiled at you and said, "Understood. You can just spend the night as much as you want. I'm right by the beach, so you can sunbathe all day until I'm done working, and then I'll take you out to Salvatore's or cook dinner for you."

"Or we can just hang out on the couch," you whispered, your lips brushing his.

"Speaking of the couch..."

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

"Harder."

Your voice filled the living room along with your little grunts and moans as Bradley held your hips in place. You were bent over the arm of the couch with your ass up in the air, fingers digging into the cushions while he fucked you. For as sweet as you were, he loved you like this just as much. Loud and needy for him.

The sound of his body slapping against yours was already obscene, but if you wanted it harder, he'd let you have it. He was yours in every sense of the word, and he would make sure you knew it. "Does that feel good?" he crooned, watching your pussy grip his cock. "It looks fantastic," he grunted.

Your response was unintelligible but enthusiastic, so he kept going until he was close and your legs were shaking. The blowjob you gave him earlier seemed to take the edge off, because as soon as he started rubbing soft circles on your clit, you came for him, but he wasn't quite there yet. He slowed his pace down, let himself enjoy the feel of you shaking and squeezing him. He could have probably gone longer, but then you turned and looked up at him over your shoulder.

"That was so good," you said with a shaky voice, "I saw stars."

"Oh hell." He came inside you as you chewed on your lip and looked at him like you'd never get enough. "Come here." You stood with your back pressed against him while he was still buried deep. "You want to snuggle?"

"Always," you whispered as he peppered kisses to your shoulder. And then the two of you ended up on the couch, and it was sweet again as you curled up mostly on top of him while he drew shapes on your palm.

And that's how the whole weekend was. On Saturday, the two of you spent a few windswept hours on the beach, wrapped in a blanket together, talking and laughing. But after the sun set and the sky turned that pretty pretty color that looked both blue and orange at the same time, your lips found his.

"Gorgeous," he groaned, hands on your thighs, feeling your warmth through your jeans.

"I love you," came your immediate response, and Bradley could barely contain himself. He wanted everything with you, but he was afraid of moving any faster than this already pretty blistering pace. But even thinking about the nights this week when he'd have to fall asleep without you and wake up alone were creeping into the back of his mind.

He pressed his forehead to yours and whispered, "I love you too, Gorgeous. And I'm just going to say this one time, and then I'll let you bring it up again if you feel like it."When he paused, you said, "Okay," in a soft voice, and he took a deep breath.

"If we ever reach a point where you think you want to move in with me, that would make me very happy. You already have a key now, but if you want it to be even more permanent, I would love that."

"Oh," you gasped, and he suddenly wished he hadn't said anything about it. "My lease ends in January."

"January," he repeated, like it was a word he was unfamiliar with.

"Mmhmm. In about two months." You kissed his cheek and wrapped his hand up in yours. "That seems reasonable, don't you think?"

Bradley let you push his shoulder playfully until he was laying on his back, and then you were in his arms just like you were on the first date. "Yeah, that seems reasonable," he whispered as the sound of your soft laughter mingled with the crashing waves.

"At least give me a chance to test out the commute to work," you said with a kiss.

"I'm not in a hurry, Gorgeous. I'm just in love."

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

You didn't get home from Bradley's house on Sunday night until almost eleven, but you couldn't bring yourself to complain about it. He helped you grade your quizzes, and he read over your lesson plans like it was a bestselling novel. Then he made you a snack after dinner and went over the plans for the field trip.

"I'll take care of everything this week," he had promised. "I'll get visitor's badges for everyone, and you'll just need to go through the security checkpoints when you arrive. Your kids will have a blast. Just wait until they get to watch Marty work on an engine rebuild."

"The kids are going to lose their minds when they see your Super Hornet," you had promised. "And I will, too. I was already falling for you when you sent me the cockpit photos, and now I'm head over heels."

After that, Bradley carefully folded up your lesson plans and put them in your bag while you tried to hide your smile. And that's why you got home so late. Because the two of you couldn't keep your hands off each other for more than a minute.

But it made for a long Monday. And your Tuesday wasn't much better. By Wednesday, even the phone calls and texts with Bradley were barely enough to keep you going. You hated thinking about his next deployment, but it was always at the back of your mind. He wanted you to move in with him, but even his beautiful house in Coronado wouldn't save you from feeling devastatingly lonely the next time he was on an aircraft carrier. Nothing would.

He told you he wanted to drive up and spend the night with you on Wednesday, but he was yawning nonstop over the phone, and you knew he would have to get up earlier if he came up to your apartment. "You sound as exhausted as I feel, and I'm going to see you in the morning anyway," you told him as you curled up in your bed." Actually all nineteen of us are going to see you in the morning."

"I love my pen pals," he said with a laugh. Then he repeated your words from so many weeks ago. "Do you still want me to kiss you as soon as I see you?"

"Bradley," you moaned, rolling onto your side. You were melting, and he wasn't even here. "I always want that."

"Good, because I don't think I could... Oh shit!" he shouted, and it sounded like he dropped his phone.

"What's wrong?" you asked, jolting up in your bed. "Bradley?"

"No, no, no," came his voice, but you could tell he wasn't right next to his phone speaker. He actually sounded scared, but you couldn't fathom what could possibly be going on, and then he said, "There's a fucking spider on my bedroom wall!"

"Oh," you replied, letting out the breath you'd been holding.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do?! Why aren't you here?!"

"Bradley, just squish it with some paper towels," you told him, trying not to laugh at his panicked voice.

"You want me to take my eyes off this fucking thing to go to the kitchen? I don't think so!"

You pressed your lips together and composed yourself before asking, "How big is it?"

"It's huge! The size of a quarter!" he shouted. "It's moving!"

"Bradley, pick up one of your boots or a shoe and smash it," you told him as calmly as you could. "You can do this."

"Okay. Okay, right. Yeah," he said, and his voice sounded even more distant. "I can do this." There was a terribly loud thump, and then he said, "I hate this so much."

"Is it dead?" you asked cautiously.

"Yeah, but I'm too scared to sleep in here now. What if its family shows up for revenge in the middle of the night?"

You snorted and collapsed back onto your pillow. "That seems a little dramatic."

"Does it?" he asked. "Because this is something you should be taking care of for me. I'll take care of anything else, but this one thing is on you, Baby."

You started to pull your shirt off as you asked, "Would you feel better if I sent you another dirty photo?"

"I would feel a lot better if you sent me a dirty photo," he said, and now you could tell he was smiling.

"Hmm... you think you'll be able to get some sleep if I do?" you asked, tossing your shirt aside.

"A full eight hours."

You held your phone up, smiled sweetly, and snapped a picture. "Let me know when you get it," you said as you texted it to him.

A few seconds later, you giggled as he groaned. "Got it. You look like perfection, and I love adding these to my top secret folder," he muttered. "Thank you."

Now you were yawning as you pulled your sheet up to your chin. "You're welcome. I'll see you in ten hours. I love you."

"Love you, Baby."

-------------------------- You thought you were prepared for the field trip to North Island. You had bus snacks, and responsible chaperones. You had copies of all of the required paperwork that the Navy insisted you fill out ahead of time in a folder. You even had a list of all of your kids for the guard station officer which Bradley reminded you to bring. But nothing could have actually prepared you for the excitement that all nineteen of you clearly felt when the school bus pulled up to the gates with the airstrip directly in front of you.

"Whoa!" said Jayden, trying to hang out the window for a better view. "There's a jet taking off!"

All of your kids scrambled to the right side of the bus to get a better look, and you did too. The aftermath of the takeoff was loud, and you signaled for everyone to cover their ears as they all watched the aircraft soar into the sun.

"Do you think that was Lieutenant Bradshaw?" Nia asked excitedly as your heart raced.

"No," you replied as you watched the jet fly off into the distance. "He said he would meet us after we parked in the visitors lot." When the bus started moving up to the guards, you waved your hand for everyone to sit down again. "But if you're all really well behaved, I'm sure there will be some surprises for us today!"

When it was your turn to talk to the guards, you climbed out of the bus and handed over all of your paperwork. They double and triple checked everything. As they looked at your school ID and driver's license, one of them said, "This location requires top clearances. We hardly ever see field trip groups. Someone on base must really like you."

You thought about Bradley and his kisses and his couch and how he wanted you there to share his bed and always take care of the spiders. "Yeah, that's pretty accurate," you told him with a smile, and he handed you a bundle of lanyards. Hanging from each one was a visitor's pass for each of your students as well as four for you and the chaperones. "Thank you."

Even as you handed each kid their pass and told them they needed to wear them at all times, your heart raced in anticipation. They were all looking back at you with wide-eyed excitement; these were the faces of kids who had learned a lot in your classroom already this year. They were as eager to learn more about aviation today as they were months ago, and you were so happy that Bradley had been a big part of this whole experience.

As the bus driver parked, you saw your boyfriend through the window, standing tall next to the building. He was in his flight suit, and his back was ramrod straight. There were two other officers with him, and they had even more pins on their uniforms than you remembered seeing on his. You needed to reel in your expectations, especially in front of the men who you assumed were Bradley's bosses. But when you smiled, Bradley smiled back. And when you led your students down the steps and over to the sidewalk, his posture relaxed.

"Welcome to North Island," he told your kids with a grin. Then he looped one arm around your waist, pulled you close, and kissed you in front of everyone. "I can't wait to show you everything."

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

The field trip of my dreams! Okay, so we are definitely going to see Marty at work, but what else should the kids get to experience? Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 16

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[familyvideostevie]

steel drum weight of me

joel miller x fem!reader, 18+ mdni

summary: joel comes back from his wall shift with hands in need of some serious tlc. but why stop there? | 3.2k

warnings: fem!reader, fluff turned to smut, a tender blowjob, p in v sex, unprotected sex, riding, creampie

a/n: this could be in the same universe as come care about me and watching you with wonder but who knows. what matters is it's a post-part i jackson au and all is well. this is my first fic in a while and i hammered it out today so hopefully it's coherent. <3 series masterlist here.

__

Jackson looks its best in the winter.

You've always thought so with its endless skies gone white, blending in with the grey clouds carrying the constant threat of snow. The peaks you never tire of, such ethereal beauty in a world otherwise gone to shit, looming over town with a steadfastness that you can fool yourself into thinking means protection, means safety. In reality, they're just something nice to look at when you have a free moment.

It's also fucking cold.

But you can deal with that. You've spent more winters in the last twenty years than you'd like to remember mostly outside, freezing your ass off, fingers so numb you could barely pull the trigger. But when it counted, you did.

Winter now means a town full of children laughing and having snowball fights. It means big pots of stew and your pick of hats, scarves, and a good pair of boots. It means a warm house to go back to every night, a bed to crawl into, and a man you love to hold you.

Things could be worse.

You're home first today. Joel and Ellie are on the wall and have been since mid-morning. The light is already going, the sun dipping behind the Tetons, sky that winter mix of purple and pink that makes the breath catch in your throat no matter how many times you see it. There's a flu going around and taking people out for a few days at most but it means fewer bodies free for the wall and for patrol. You're pulling a double tomorrow and you're already looking forward to the hot bath you'll take after.

Today, though, you change from your work clothes to something softer, a sweater that travels between your drawer and Joel's, thick socks Dina gave you for your birthday last year. It's hard to heat houses like yours the way you used to but it works well enough to fight the chill so long as you layer. That's the name of the game these days: adapting.

You set the kettle to boil and forgo thinking about dinner for a few hours. Joel won't drink tea with you but if Ellie stops by she'll have some. Maybe you can convince her to watch the movie you pulled from the library this week. You love him, but Joel just doesn't appreciate comedies.

The front door creaks, the bell you have hanging from the doorknob jingling.

"S'me," Joel calls into the house. "You home?"

"Making tea." The kettle isn't steaming yet so you lean against the counter and wait.

The sounds of his return are familiar even though you can't see him. He locks the door with a click, shrugs his jacket off with a sigh. He sits down on the bench you put in the entryway so he can take his boots off. The thunk of one and then the other. He'll tuck them next to yours under the coat rack. When the weather is bad you try to come in the back door so not as to track snow through the house but you don't want his back to get any worse so a bench in front makes sense.

The kettle screams. You pull it off quick and pour the water into your mug -- a chipped green one with a dinosaur holding a cookie that you find endlessly amusing -- and leave it to steep. The floor creaks under your socked feet as you make your way into the hall. Joel still sits on the bench digging into the meat of one palm with his thumb like he's working the feeling back into them.

He looks up and his jaw softens a little. His cheeks are rosy from the cold and his hair a mess from the wind. "Evenin," he says.

"How was the wall?"

"Fine." He stops messing with his hands and rolls his shoulders back with a grunt. "Ellie swears she saw a moose on her last patrol. Said to tell you. I think she's fuckin' with me. How was your shift?"

"Fine," you echo. "Is she coming for dinner?"

He shakes his head. "Game night at Jesse's."

You cross the remaining distance between you and he parts his legs automatically so you can stand between his knees. You run a hand through his hair, pushing the greying fringe back from his eyes. He looks up at you and finally smiles, just a little. You drag your hand down the side of his face and enjoy the feel of his beard on your skin.

"Maybe she did see a moose." He rolls his eyes and brings a hand up to cover yours. You lean down to kiss him but something catches your eye and you pull back, tugging your hand from beneath his to circle his wrist.

"Jesus, Joel." He makes a surprised sound.

"Hey now, what --"

You pull his other hand from his knee and hold them both close to your face, turning them over in the light of the entryway. "You didn't wear gloves, did you?"

He just shrugs. That means someone else on the wall -- probably Ellie -- forgot theirs and he handed his own over.

The skin of his knuckles is dry and cracked, the rest of his palm dry and cold to the touch. You've seen them bloody, broken and bruised, and compared to that, this is tame. Welcome, almost. But you know he won't do a damn thing about it, let himself bleed rather than take a second to make things better.

And you've never minded this part. Taking care of him, making him slow down and rest for even just a little bit. You both know you'd get your hands dirty or worse for him and he for you, but this is the part he has trouble with. So you take the reigns.

It's part of how you fit together -- part of how you look after each other.

"We've got something for this." Joel looks unamused. You press a light kiss to one of his knuckles and his nostrils flare. "Go sit on the couch," you say.

"I'm fine --"

"Joel, they'll bleed if you don't let me --"

"I said I'm --"

"Hey," you say. He hears the finality of your tone and lets you have it, sighing your name in one long breath.

"Alright," he says. "Move, then."

You press a quick kiss to his lips and release his hands to step back. He stands with his usual grunt and you have to stop yourself from leaning into the width of him, from wrapping your arms around him and slotting your nose in his neck and never letting go.

"It's that salve Dina brought over last week," you tell him. "The new one for the winter. Smells nice. Good for this kind of stuff."

Joel makes his way to the couch and you fetch the tin from the kitchen.

"What's it made of?"

"Uh -- oil? And some flowers, I think? Wax, maybe."

He's settled into the cushions when you return, smirking. "It's okay to say you don't fuckin' know."

You sit next to him and unscrew the top, folding your legs so you're facing him. "Well then, I don't fuckin' know." You're sure to imitate his drawl.

"Cute."

"Gimme those hands, big guy."

The salve smells faintly of lavender and it's cold on your fingertips. Joel extends his right hand and you work it into his skin slowly, extra careful around where it's cracked and split. You feel his eyes on you but you let him look.

"Feels good, huh?" He hums. "If you'd wear your gloves then --"

"What was I gonna do, let her freeze?" So it was Ellie, then. You flick your gaze up and find his brow furrowed. If you have a free hand you'd smooth the crease with your thumb.

"No," you say. "Guess it's a damn good thing you have me here, then."

He chuckles, a throaty, rusty sound. "Guess so."

You finish the first hand and motion for his second. He gives it to you and you dig your thumbs into the meat of his palm. Joel lets you touch him whenever you like, for the most part. Pressing into his side when you walk down the street in town, trailing your lips down his neck until he whines just a little in your bedroom. You've worked knots out of his shoulders and cleaned blood from surface wounds. You can never get enough of him, of his warmth, the expanse of his tanned skin all yours for the taking.

And, boy, he touches you back.

So you take your time. You rub the salve between his fingers, over the ridges of knuckles split so many times you don't even know about. His hands are rough even when they're not dry and cracking, callused from years of hard work. From years of violence and playing guitar, shooting a gun and holding the people he loves. Dotted with scars and nicks, hands that have touched every part of you.

Joel's slightly slimy finger taps your chin. "You okay?" You've been stroking the same bit of his hand for who knows how long.

"Yeah," you say and mean it. You rub your own hands together to soak in some of the salve before putting the lid back on the tin and standing. "Need to let it soak in."

"Feels soaked in already," he grumbles.

"Stay there." He purses his lips. "I mean it, Joel."

"Bossy today," he says. "There's wood that needs choppin'." You ignore him since he's just being annoying. The salve goes back in the kitchen and his voice trails after you. "And I told Tommy I'd --"

You turn on the tap. "You gotta let that soak in," you say again from the sink.

"What? Can't hear over the water."

You turn off the tap and dry your hands. Joel is still on the couch when you return. "Sorry," you say. You run your hand through his hair again and settle back down next to him. "I said be patient."

"Don't think that's what you said."

"It's what I meant."

And he looks at you in that way that always makes your face feel hot. Like he's seeing right to the bone of you, like he's laying you bare on the floor in his mind. Like he never wants to stop looking at you, next to him on the couch, leg pressed to yours. Like he loves you.

"Alright," he says.

You get an idea, the flames licking at your belly and your hands itching to touch him again, to touch him differently than before. That idea has you grabbing a pillow and tossing it to the floor, has you getting up and drawing the curtains before you sink to your knees before him.

Joel only looks mildly surprised, eyebrows raised, mouth tugging up at the corner. "Now, I ain't gonna complain but --"

"Then don't," you say. You tug his shirt from his waistband and start working on his belt. "Gotta pass the time somehow. And I don't know what we're doing for dinner yet, so maybe I'm just stalling."

"Hell of a way to stall." He reaches for you to touch your face, maybe, or help you with his belt, when you click your tongue. "We can just go to the community hall--"

"Don't touch," you remind him. "You have to let it--"

"Soak, Jesus, yeah, yeah." Joel tips his head back along the sofa and takes one deep breath. If he really wanted to he could ignore you and you'd let him get away with it, but if there's one thing you and Joel have solidified, it's trust. He trusts you to take care of him, to handle him with hands that love him.

So you do. He lifts his hips just a little so you can tug his jeans down, zipper undone and button popped. You pull out his cock, already half-hard at the promise of what's to come. You spit into your palm and stroke him once root to tip and he hisses. More blood flows and he stiffens in your hand.

"You just gonna look at it?"

You give him a squeeze for being a shit. He laughs but it sounds punched out, on the edge. Frankly it's an effort not to take him in your mouth right away. You've always loved this -- the exchange of power, the trust. You're the one on your knees but you're calling the shots. And he's mouthwatering. The way his cock curves a little, the vein that runs along the underside. The mushroom head a little pinker than the rest, the wiry hair at his base. The hefty weight of his balls in your hand, on your tongue. You know how to make it good for him and it's good for you, too.

Joel opens his mouth to no doubt say something else annoying so you finally drag your tongue along the vein, swirling a little at the top before taking just the tip of him in your mouth. His precome is salty. You work your hand along the rest of him as you start to suck in earnest, hollowing your cheeks and taking a little more each time.

"Look so pretty, baby," Joel says. His voice is gravely, broken in his throat. You manage to take almost all of him and you swallow, just once. Your reward is your name spilling from his mouth in a groan.

It's messy. Spit beads at the corner of your mouth and drips a little as you work him, breathing through your nose when you take him all the way. So good, takin' all of me, keep goin'.

Joel has clearly forgotten your directive as he winds one hand in your hair and pulls just a little, just enough to make you moan around him. You don't scold him for it, instead keeping your eyes on his face. His head is tipped back just a little, lips parted at he gazes down at you. His other arm is stretched along the length of the couch, his fingers digging into the fabric as you bob on his cock.

You know he's close. You can feel how he's trying hard to keep his hips down, trying not to fuck your throat cause usually he asks first. So it's only a little surprising when he pulls you off him, eyes a little glazed and some color high on his cheeks.

He wipes spit from the corner of your mouth with the pad of his thumb. "Why don't you c'mere?" he says. "Let me fill you up."

"Joel." This was supposed to be about making him feel good. You know even if he comes in your mouth he'll ask you let him touch you, so frankly you don't mind if he fucks you or not.

He smirks, presses his fingers into the side of your neck a little. You swallow so he can feel it. "We both know you can take it," he drawls, eyes dark. "Always gets you goin', my cock in your mouth."

You can feel the heat between your legs, the arousal pooling in your gut. He's right but he's also an asshole. "You're annoying," you tell him.

"So is that a no?"

You drag the flat of your tongue up his shaft one last time as punishment before standing, using his knees as leverage to get off your own. He shucks off his jeans the rest of the way as you drag down your pants, letting them pool with your underwear at your feet before stepping out. Joel holds out a hand for you to balance on and you take it, putting your other on his shoulder.

"Feels softer already," you mutter. Joel snickers and you straddle him. He uses one hand to drag his fingers through your cunt and you fail to swallow a gasp.

"Well, look at that," he says. "I was right." He pushes two fingers into you and they go easily, your hips jerking as he pumps them in and out once, twice, and then you're empty again.

"Smug bastard," you manage. He brings his hand to his mouth and takes a long lick before surging forward to kiss you. You can taste yourself on his tongue and it makes you even wetter.

Joel licks into your mouth and you kiss him back sloppily, desperately, in the way you know he likes. You're so busy with that hands on his face, his beard scratching your skin deliciously, that you don't notice what else he's doing. His hand presses into the bare skin of your back under your shirt and you lift up a little on instinct and then --

The head of his cock nudges at your entrance and his hand presses again and you meet the movement of his hips with your own and he fills you with just one stroke.

You moan in unison, Joel's arm wrapping around your back as you curl yours around his neck, mouths not so much pressed together as hovering as you pant, as you adjust. Even with how wet you are Joel is a stretch, a welcome one, but a stretch regardless. You shift your hips, roll them back and forth a little.

"Go on, then," you tell him. "Fuck me."

He laughs.

His lips leave yours and trail down your chin, sucking spots onto your neck and on that spot that makes you keen as he does what you ask. He goes slow at first, letting you meet him thrust for thrust. One hand snakes up your shirt, thumbs at your nipple when he finds no bra in the way. You wing your fingers in his hair and tug, tug until he picks up the pace, until all you can hear is the smack of his flesh against yours.

"Joel -- Joel -- right there --"

"M'not gonna -- I -- fuck --"

"Said you were gonna fill me up, didn't you?" you pant, managing to find a bit of cheek in the haze of your fucking. "C'mon, Miller. Don't keep a lady wait--"

His hips pick up the pace, his hands pressing into you hard enough to bruise. You give up trying to tease him and hang on for dear life, managing to snake a hand between your legs to rub at your clit as he pounds into you. The only thing you can say is his name over and over as you feel the hook pull taught, feel the head of his cock brush against and then pound that spot that makes your vision blur.

Joel comes just before you do, his thrusts stuttering and his name on your lips. You feel it, the heat inside you and it's enough to send you over the edge, your cunt squeezing him as he empties inside you.

You press your forehead to his and catch your breath. He palms your neck, your jaw, slides his thumb lazily under your eye and kisses the corner of your mouth.

"Hell of a salve," he manages.

You slot your lips over his. "Wear your damn gloves." Joel laughs and it shifts him inside you. Even softening it makes you both hiss a little. "Just gimme a second."

His hand drags up and down your back, pressing into your spine. "Take your time," he says. "M'clearly not goin' anywhere."

"You never stop, do you?"

Joel kisses you again. "'fraid not."

You laugh into his neck. "Good."

thank you for reading <3 reblog, send feedback, general masterlist here!

[red-riot-unbreakable-heart]

AAAA are you planning on continuing the "How They Kiss" series? If so could you please do my sweet baby Hitoshi next? :cccc

Ooooo yessss - I've been wanting to write some Hitoshi fic for a while!! 💜

Shinsou x Reader | Headcannon: How Hitoshi Shinsou Kisses 💋

The first time Hitoshi kisses you – you totally don’t see it coming. It happens in the library on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Hitoshi is sitting in your favorite spot of the city's library – a cozy corner hidden from view behind the oversized art book section. He’s dragged two large beanbag chairs into the tiny space, waiting for you to join him as he studies for an upcoming Pro hero rescue certification exam. He’s flipping through flashcards when you arrive bearing a purple travel mug filled with his favorite caffeinated beverage. You know your friend is a chronic insomniac – with his permanently baggy eyes and constant yawns - so you decided to get him a refillable mug so he can keep his coffee close throughout exam week. You’ve stuck a cute sticker of a black cat with big eyes to the side of the mug, knowing his TikTok algorithm is almost exclusively cat videos.

“’Toshiiiiii!” You warble quietly as you drop your school bag next to your beanbag chair. “I brought you a ‘lil treat for studying so hard!”

Hitoshi looks up in surprise, his forehead still wrinkled in concentration. He puts down his flash cards and when he realizes it’s you standing over him, he smiles easily. Things have always been like this between the two of you – soft and comfortable. 

“You brought me something?” He instantly locks on to the steaming mug of coffee, his eyes crinkling into a smile when he sees the cat sticker. “Is that the cat from Kiki’s Delivery Service?”

“Yup!” you hand him the cup as you plop down into your chair and start shuffling through your bag for your notes. “You told me it was your favorite movie as a kid, so I found a little sticker of Gigi on Etsy.”

After a few moments of digging through your bag, you finally find the sheaf of notes you’re looking for and you yank them out – sheets of paper flying all around you. “Whoops!” You hastily gather the papers back into a neat stack.

When you finally look up, you meet Hitoshi’s eyes – he’s giving you an intense, searching look. His eyes are wide, and there’s a soft pink blush across the high points of his cheeks. He absentmindedly smooths a hand through his wild hair, seemingly lost for words.

“What?” You say, a little startled at the sudden tense atmosphere. “Everything okay? Is that not your preferred flavor of coffee?”

“Of course you remembered my favorite flavor.” His voice a quiet rumble and seems to catch in his throat.

You swallow, suddenly feeling hot around the collar as he continues to gaze at you through those bright violet eyes. You can see him biting back his next sentence, seemingly steeling himself to say something.

After a few moments, he takes a steadying breath and his eyes sparkle with a look of resolve. Hitoshi softly places the hot mug of coffee on the ground before leaning towards you. Instantly, he’s a breath away from your face – his delicate features magnified as he tilts his face towards yours.

“You’re just so…” He whispers, moving to brush his thumb against your cheek. Your skin feels like it’s blooming with tiger lilies at the contact. “…sweet.” His tired eyes flutter shut and he leans into you – guiding your lips to his.

The first kiss is feather light – tentative. He wants to make sure you want him back – he needs you to want him with the same deep intensity he’s been feeling in his gut for you for so long. His lips are impossibly soft and taste like a light berry lip balm, and you find the flavor absolutely delicious. When you respond eagerly he smiles into the kiss, blissful. How lucky is he to get to kiss your pretty face?

Hitoshi climbs into the beanbag chair with you deftly, moving his hands to cradle your face. He moves his mouth against yours slowly, purposefully – almost lazily. It’s such a Shinsou way of kissing that it makes you giggle.

“Hey, now.” He breaks the kiss, bringing his forehead to yours as he takes a shaky breath. “Is my kissing that bad?” He’s smiling, but you can tell he’s the tiniest bit nervous for your answer.

You lean in to kiss him again and he pulls back, his lips just out of reach – teasing.

“Your technique can use some refining. But I know someone who can help you practice.” You grin, winding your arms around his neck and pulling him back in for more. He loves that – the banter, the ways you are able to both make him feel comfortable and keep him on his toes. He deepens the kiss, and you know it will be a while before you get back to studying. His flash cards lay abandoned on the floor by your stack of notes.

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

After that, he’s hooked on you. Any trace of nervousness is nonexistent. In just one afternoon, Hitoshi Shinsou has become a lean, mean, make out machine. He absolutely cannot be stopped. He kisses you everywhere he can – in the library, in dark corners of your favorite bar, at the convenience store. He’s constantly trying to sneak away with you so he can crash your lips together in that way that makes his brain feel all blissed out and fuzzy.

I think we’ve all seen just how much determination Hitoshi has – it takes a lot of unwavering dedication to claim a spot in the hero course. He’s just as determined to figure out how you like to be kissed. He pays attention to what makes your pulse race – maybe he kissed your neck a certain way and you moaned? He’s filing that away in his brain so he can do it again and again and again. You don’t like it when he bites your lower lip? He takes note and never does it that way again. He’s committed to figuring out exactly what makes you tick and how he can maximize your pleasure every time. He can’t believe how lucky he is to have the affections of someone like you – someone so sweet and gorgeous and goddamn perfect.

Of course, once he realizes you find him irresistible – he’s smug AF. He becomes such a goddamn tease. You’ll get a rare private moment and move in to kiss him, only for him to dodge your advances until your lips form a disappointed pout. He absolutely revels in how much you want him and loves to build up the tension between the two of you. He’ll kiss you playfully on the cheeks before your disappointed look causes him to concede. “Sorry, Sweetheart.” He says in his low, gravely whisper. “You know I love to tease.” And then he’ll kiss you with as much passion as he can muster, until your legs turn to jello. After all – it’s not in a hero’s nature to do anything half-assed.

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

Thanks so much for reading!!

Interested in some ~smuttier~ Shinsou content!? Check out my story:

Never Too Tired To Love You💜

My Master List! 💜

[morganbritton132]

Eddie posts a Tiktok of their coffee table in the living room. Sitting on it is a punch bowl full of beads and like twelve different novelty coffee mugs that Wayne brings them when he travels. Inside the cups are the beads they’ve sorted.

Eddie pans the camera across the table over to Steve’s cooking class ravioli, and then to Steve. The video is captioned: Date Night

The next day, one of Steve’s students stitch the video with one that’s zooming in on Steve’s wrist as he teaches. There’s a bracelet that says ‘Steve + Eddie’ between pink, purple, and blue beads. They’re like, “And you guys are bullying this man. Smh.”

[cowboydisaster]

* ˚ ✦ Compass * ˚ ✦

chapter one: La Belle Fleur Sauvage

pairing: arthur morgan x f! reader

word count: 7.9k

summary: modern au; Living out your dreams on a ranch in Colorado; Arthur finally proposes.

a/n: This is a little gift for @margowritesthings. I originally wrote this for you a year ago, but I've rewritten it for you for this christmas. xx

Arthur is nervous, his palms clammy as he pulls a Carharrt t-shirt over his head. The dark hardwood floor is cold against his bare feet as he slowly pulls his clothes on, layering up to defend against the harsh weather. You sleep comfortably in his bed, unaware of Arthur's absence from your side. He slowly approaches, pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead. You smile in your sleep. 

"Gonna be a good day, darlin'.” He murmurs, pulling the white, fluffy blanket up over your shoulders before stepping out of the room, trying to keep his footsteps quiet.

The coffee machine beeps twice, notifying Arthur that the morning pick me up is finished. Two mugs sit by the machine, as always. But today Arthur doesn't grab his usual, opting instead for a travel mug. It's an old one. One that he'd gotten from some random bank event a while ago, "Strauss Financing" it read. 

He'd used that bank to get a loan for the house and the barn. God– nearly ten years ago now, Arthur realizes. 

The coffee is black and hot, steaming as it's poured into the mug. Arthur leaves the pot on for you before opening the door, and whistling in the direction of the bedroom. He can hear Copper jumping down off the bed, and then he rounds the corner, trotting towards Arthur and out the door. 

"Hey there boy!" Arthur laughs and gives Copper a few pats. He's had the old vizsla about as long as he's had the ranch. Copper follows Arthur outside, happily trotting after the man. Everything outside is coated in a dusting of white. It's the kind of snow that looks like diamonds, where ice clings to the trees and rooftops, but the sun shines down, making everything sparkle. 

When Arthur gets about a hundred feet from the house, with Copper circling around him, he stops and turns around. The log cabin stands proud before him, even after all these years. Arthur had built the place with his bare hands, just him and Copper. 

The Colorado mountains stand proud behind the house, hues of purple and blue painting  their cliffs, the morning rays of sunlight reflecting off of the snow on their peaks.  When he looks at the slowly aging wood of the house, and the warm glow of the porch lights he can't help but smile. It's not the house itself that he is so fond of, it is what you have made the house– a home. 

When the walls were bare, and the house was empty, save for the few pieces of furniture that Arthur could afford, it was incredibly lonely. He tended to the animals and worked on the ranch all day to avoid sitting alone in the house. He spent his evenings at the only bar in town, Pearson's Pub, drinking to forget and to ignore the empty house. 

Things got better once you moved to town, working as a bartender. You warmed the man's cold heart. You were like a breath of fresh air in this old town. You still are. You managed to take his frozen, barely beating heart and melt it in the grip of your soft hands. 

Arthur began to chat with you while you worked. After only a few interactions, he started coming in on the days he knew you would be there. 

Then, one day, he offered to cook you dinner, and you accepted. Now, you lie in his bed, cozy and happy while he plans for the future. Funny, how things work out like that. All those years when Arthur was young, he'd hoped for someone to love. As an adult, he was content with his solitude, until you came along, of course. Divine intervention, you are. 

Copper barks, stomping his paws in the snow, pulling Arthurs attention back to the present. The poor dog is probably cold. The nip in the air makes Arthur's cheeks and nose red, and his breath lingers in the air like a morning fog. 

The truck isn’t far, sitting halfway between the house and the barn. Arthur shoves his hands in his pockets, shaking some snow off of his hat as he makes his way towards the old rust bucket. Snow and ice fall from the door frame as Arthur swings it open, leaning in. 

He reaches across the steering wheel, jamming the key into the dash and turning it. He mutters a small prayer when the engine starts to stutter and hiss, but after a few seconds, it turns over. Once the engine is running, Arthur turns the heat the entire way up, setting the knob towards the windshield. 

“Should be right as rain, now, huh, boy?” Arthur smirks, stepping down from the truck, shutting the door. Copper barks, running into the wooden barn where Arthur is heading, stalking the chickens, as Arthur slides through the wooden door. 

He shakes the snow off of his hat, boots clicking on the floor as he grabs a few scoops of feed and dumps them into each horse's trough. Arthur greets each one, scratching behind their ears, patting their necks. He feeds, avoiding stepping on loose hens, until he reaches Boadicea's stall. A warm smile graces Arthur's face at the sight of the old chestnut mare. She brightens up at the man's arrival, and not just because of the feed he carries. Her head tosses as she whinnies for him..

“There's my girl." Arthur hums, dumping the feed, soothed by the sound of her chewing. Arthur scratches the underside of Boadicea's jaw, earning a slight whinny from the older mare. 

"S’a big day today, y'know." Arthur releases a shaky breath as he strokes the mare's neck. Boadicea lips at Arthur's jacket, searching for treats that he doesn't have. 

"I'm gonna ask her to marry me."

He huffs through his nostrils then, smiling as he pats the mare one last time. 

"You're gonna be a part of it. I'm countin' on you, girl." 

He then looks to the black quarter horse in the stall beside Boadicea. The horse has a star on his forehead, and a thick dark forelock that covers his eyes. When Arthur had gifted you the gelding, you'd named him Whiskey. It was both an homage to the bar where you met Arthur, and your preferred poison. 

"Hey there boy. You better be good for the lady today, ya hear?" 

He pats the horse who is hungrily lapping up his grain and then brings his wrist up to check his watch. The watch ticks quietly, showing the time as being 6:17am. 

Arthur decides that the truck has had plenty long enough to heat up as he makes his way out of the barn, pulling his jacket tighter around himself. Copper has gone off, probably chasing birds in the woods, or attempting to play with the cattle. Once he's done playing he will come into the barn for shelter, at least until you wake up and let him back in. 

Arthur's hands are tinted pink with cold as he opens the truck door, sliding in and shutting the cold out. The heat from inside the cab is nothing short of cathartic as it begins to thaw his frozen features, slowly melting away the ice and causing his nose to turn pale again. 

Arthur turns the radio up a bit, driving down the long road towards the city. He tries to avoid Denver as much as possible. The tall, leering buildings are suffocating, reminding him of a very dark time in his life. 

When Arthur's ma and pa died, he was placed into foster care. When he was twelve, he fought with the other kids, even beat a few nasty boys that were older than him. Arthur learned quickly that anger and aggression were the best ways to protect himself. 

He ran from every foster home he was placed into, never having anywhere to go, just running. Arthur slept outside many nights, surrounded by vermin– both rats and people. He was spat on, cursed at, and kicked down by many of the people he encountered. It wasn't until he was fifteen that he found shelter- a home. 

— — —

Arthur's feet pound against the pavement as he runs. The door remains open, swinging, as Arthur barrels down the driveway without shoes. The blacktop is rough on Arthur's feet, scraping and cutting into his heels as he scrambles, but he pushes through, determined to get away from the outskirts of Denver. 

He follows the driveway until it meets gravel, avoiding it by running through the grass, into the forest. Tears stream down his cheeks, rough gasps for breath mixed with raspy sobs erupting from his chest. 

Arthur bolts from yet another foster home– another abuser. He can barely see as the street lights get farther away, but he pushes on faster at the sounds of sirens. Sticks and rocks dig into the soles of his feet, but he continues, terrified. 

In his hand, Arthur clutches a small bag, carrying the few things that remain of Arthur's childhood: his momma's ring, and a photo of her when she was young. His knuckles are white in their grip.

Horror trickles up his spine, sickness twisting his guts and making him sick. Tears prick at his eyes, threatening to send him to the ground 

Did he just kill a man? 

Disgust bubbles up in Arthur's throat as he searches around in the dark forest, looking for somewhere to hide for the night. Not far in the distance is a building with a light on outside, it appears to be a barn. Arthur tries not to think about anything as he stumbles towards the barn, feeling like he may collapse at any second. His arms are wrapped around himself, and he shivers as he parts the barn doors, stepping inside, sheltered from the cold winds.

A few animals grumble at the intrusion, but Arthur can barely hear them. His vision is blurry, breaths coming in quick pants as he trips. He makes it a few steps to a pile of hay, mind fuzzy and body cold. Arthur is exhausted and unable to breathe.

Suddenly his feet are falling away from him and he collapses. The impact is made softer by the pile of hay, but it still knocks the wind out of him. Arthur stares at his blood stained hands as they clutch his mother's things. 

— 

There is a shuffle. A door? Footsteps? They stop. 

"My, my… What on earth do we have here?" A man says, his timbre deep enough to rattle the barn walls. Arthur's eyes flutter but he is not able to open them. 

"Christ, Dutch– the poor boy's covered in blood, he can't be more than sixteen." A second voice chimes in. 

Then Arthur is being hoisted into the air. He tries to fight, but slowly begins to lose consciousness again. 

"Well take him inside, have Bessie and Annabelle fix him up… Once he's awake, we'll find out who he is, and.. what he needs."

— — —

Arthur thinks back on that time with distaste as his truck rumbles loudly through the crowded streets of Denver. Things got better after he found Dutch and Hosea. He stayed with them, working on their ranch for many, many years, and once he turned twenty-five the two gentlemen gifted him one hundred acres, enough to start a small ranch of his own. 

Arthur sits at a red light, not far from his targeted destination. His fingertips tap the steering wheel impatiently as he thinks of that bag, his mothers contents inside. His stomach twists with anxiety. He hasn't been down this street in fifteen years. Muscle memory tightens his lungs as he pulls his truck along the street parking, brakes squealing before he pushes it into park. 

Arthur sighs, eyes glancing up to the ornate, tall buildings before him. It makes his stomach turn. All this money poured into concrete structures when kids are starving in the streets. 

He gets out the truck, straightening his shirt and jacket out of habit, before approaching the golden gate outside of the apartment building. 

It's not long before he's in the elevator.

Arthur goes to knock on the ornate door, knuckles hesitating for a moment before rapping on the wood twice. It's the only barrier between him and the penthouse. 

Arthur plans to make the trip as quick as possible. He’d vowed not to come here ever since the verbal assault had been thrown at him during an expensive dinner. He’d left in shambles, still young and naive. Arthur places his hands behind his back and pushes his shoulders back out of habit when the door swings open.

"Mary." Arthur acknowledges. 

Her voice is soft, her southern accent spilling from her lips, "Arthur?” She seems worried, shocked. Her eyes scan him quickly, identifying that he's not hurt, “Is everything okay? Dutch? Hosea?"

"Yes Mary, everyone's fine." 

Arthur takes note that Mary's father mustn't be home, and he instantly relaxes. His shoulders come down and his hands rest at his sides. 

“Come in.” Mary says, opening the door, gesturing to the white couch in the middle of the living room.

Arthur hesitates at the door, but complies when she starts leading the way. Nothing has changed in all the years that he's avoided this place. The carpet feels the same as he walks across it.  The couch dips under Arthur as it used to when he sits. 

Mary sits on a chair across from him. The couch he's sitting on is far more comfortable than the one at home, but he prefers the quiet oak house compared to this busy modern apartment. 

She looks to Arthur, her eyes curious. He hesitates, eyes unsure where to land– dancing between Mary's eyes and the floor. 

"I-” He starts speaking and then stops a few times, before taking a breath, getting the words out, “I've met a woman…” 

A pang hits Mary right in the chest, but she hides it well. 

“Happened a few years ago." Arthur speaks low and quiet, his timbre is deep as he explains. Mary remains quiet and allows him to continue, eyes drifting towards the windows, mind caught up in memories that threatens to pull her under.

"She's a fine woman Mary, and… Well, I'm gonna ask her to marry me." 

Arthur looks up to Mary then, her dark eyes contrasting his own. She has a puzzled look on her face as she replies, 

"Arthur, I'm happy for you, but I’m afraid I don't understand…? Did you come all this way just to tell me–”

“Mary…” Arthur whispers, cutting off her snowballing thoughts, redirecting her to the point that he is trying to get across without being harsh. Without demanding. 

She stops in her tracks then, realization dawning upon her, “Oh. I see.” She smiles, bittersweet. Arthur can see the regret in her eyes. He is quick to ease the tension, leaning forward, trying to soothe the old wounds that Mary has yet to heal. 

"I'm sorry, Mary, I am– that things didn't work out between you and I, but– it means a lot to me, and there's no other-”

Arthur is stopped in his tracks as Mary raises her hand to stop him, “It belongs to you, Arthur. She should have it, really.” Mary smiles sincerely. 

She loves Arthur, though she'll never admit it. She loves him enough to let him go, to let him be loved by someone he deserves. Mary doesn't know you, but she knows that since he came here, for this– you must be deserving of his love.

Mary places her pale hand up, signaling Arthur to wait as she stands and disappears into the doorway towards her room.

Arthur fiddles with his hands, emotion bubbling up as he waits. This is the final obstacle. Once he has his this item back he will be able to give you what you deserve, and if you accept, Arthur will be the happiest man alive. 

Mary rounds the corner, her lips pulling into a bittersweet smile, a few tears dripping down her cheeks. There is a small black box in her hand, extended out to Arthur.

His green eyes transfix on the box. The one he hasn’t seen in almost fifteen years. Arthur places his hands on his knees to push himself off of the couch, staring in disbelief at the old thing. 

It is carefully placed in his hands, and he slowly creaks the lid open, staring. It's a gold band, with a ruby placed in the center, and intricately placed diamonds on either side of the gemstone. It’s the one thing he has that ties the man he is now, to the happy young boy he used to be- when he was good. It was his momma's. One of the only things he has left of her. Arthur closes the box, tucking it away into his pocket. 

“Best of luck to you, Arthur.” Mary whispers, a sad smile on her lips. 

“Thank you, Mary.”

The ride home is quiet, for the first half anyway. As soon as Arthur is out of the city, back on dirt roads, he switches the old truck stereo on. A familiar song is playing, one that's been bringing him quite a bit of comfort in the past weeks. 

“Now I know the only compass that I need”

He smiles. One of his hands rests on the steering wheel, the other rests on his jean pocket. He palms at the box as he drives, making sure it doesn’t slip away. 

“Oh, is the one that leads back to you”

His voice is deep, rumbling in his chest as he taps his left foot against the floorboards of his truck. He thinks of you, riding your horse, smiling, of your hair in a messy bun and you in his too-big t-shirts. He thinks of how you love him, with a passion and a fervor. 

“Now I know the only compass that I need Oh, is the one that leads back to you”

He thinks of when you met for the first time, your fates tying together in ways you never could have imagined.

— — —

Arthur enters the old bar, same as he does most every night. It's the same bar he's been going to for fifteen years now. Contrary to some of the other fools here, he doesn’t always drink when he comes here. Sometimes, he just sits at one of the tables, drawing the scenery.

Arthur comes here to drown out the silence of the house, to get away from the loneliness that he refuses to admit is swallowing him whole.

Tonight, he walks around the tables that adorn the small place, straight up to the bar, sitting down in his usual seat. The place is busy tonight. Arthur assumes there's a game being played, or a rodeo on the tv, but he doesn’t ask. Plenty of patrons sit around the bar, most with women or men in their clutches. Laughter and the sound of glasses being slammed on the bar fill the air, and a neon light flickers on the wall.

Arthur is all too aware of the familiar atmosphere around him, and yet somehow, he misses the new bartender serving tonight. Typically Pearson himself is behind the bar, but tonight someone else is handing out drinks. 

Arthur knocks on the bar once, eyes watching the TV in front of him, a bulldogging competition. Suddenly, a form slides in front of him, blocking his view of the television. He adverts his attention to the person blocking his view, and his eyes go wide. 

You stand in front of him, smiling and whipping a bar towel over your shoulder. 

“What can I get for you, mister?” You ask, wiping your hands against each other. 

Your eyes twinkle like they're among stars, and Arthur is sure that he’s never seen a smile so bright. He doesn’t respond for a few seconds, basking in your beauty. Your hair is not tied up, and it falls down, cascading over your shoulders.

Your black long sleeved shirt is tight, clinging to your figure, but Arthur is caught up in your eyes. He shakes his head lightly before responding. 

“Yeah, uh… Sorry– just get me the strongest drink ya got. Make it neat.”

Arthur's typical order is a bourbon on ice, or a beer, but tonight he's going to need something stronger. Everyone knows everyone in this small town, but you're a new face, and Arthur can already feel the singe of the hot brand, burning you into his memory.

“Coming right up.” You raise a curious eyebrow, wondering about this man’s choice of drink. With your interest piqued, you grab a rocks glass and a bottle of patrón, pouring a few fingers of golden liquid into the glass, sliding it across the bar. 

“Have one for ya’self too.” Arthur tosses a bundle of cash onto the bar. 

“Thank you, mister.” You smile, pouring yourself the same drink. 

You eye the mysterious cowboy curiously, noticing the softness hidden behind his rough features. He is attractive, very attractive, with dirty blonde hair, and a five o’clock shadow that exaggerates the scars on his lip and chin. His eyes are hidden from you by a dark cowboy hat, until he peers up and you are met with the most strikingly beautiful, bright, blue-green eyes you've ever seen. 

You have to look down to hide the blush that creeps up on your cheeks from being caught in the act of staring. If he notices your gaze, he doesn’t say anything. Both of your crystal glasses are set on the bar as you lean onto it with your elbows. 

“You ain't from around here, are ya?” Arthur asks. You smirk. The ruckus from the bar seems to die down in your ears. Even your busy mind quietens as you focus on the peculiar man before you. 

“Is it that obvious?” You laugh, “No, I'm not from here, just moved.”

Arthur hums, content. There's an amused sparkle in his eyes. 

“How'd you know?” You ask, wondering what gave it away. What's making you an outsider? You moved here to get away, to blend in. Anxiety curls in your stomach at the thought of being found. 

“Well, miss, you’re far kinder, n’ far prettier than anyone in this old town… Don't help that everyone knows everyone here. We don't come by new faces much.”

Your anxiety quells, cheeks blushing a deep crimson, and after a moment, you raise your glass slightly, angling it towards his. 

“Well thank you kindly, mister.” You hum. 

“Arthur.” He corrects, clinking his glass against yours, swallowing down a swig of the burning liquid. You cock your head, not tracking at first. 

“My name's Arthur. Arthur Morgan.” He reiterates, and you smile. 

“Pleasure to meet you, Arthur Morgan.”

— — —

Your eyes flutter open slowly. The first thing that meets your eyes is the vase of purple flowers on your bedside table. The morning light hits them beautifully, reflecting off of their vase, refracting on the deep purple petals. 

A wave of realization dawns over you.

Sunlight? What time is it?? 

You sit straight up in bed, eyes immediately seeking the alarm clock on Arthur’s nightstand. It reads 9:25am and your heart leaps into your throat.

“Shit!”  You curse, swinging your legs out of bed, body barely covered by your cotton shorts and cami.

You feed the horses at 6am every day. Today your alarm mustn't have gone off.  You feel terribly, knowing that the horses must be starving. You frown, hair messily falling around your shoulders as you hurry to your dresser. 

A piece of paper sits on the mahogany, and you hesitate in your rush, placing your pointer finger on the paper and reading its contents. 

Fed the horses so you could sleep in. I had to run into town real quick. Should be back before lunch. Call if ya need anything, Sweetheart. Coffee is hot in the pot for you and Copper is outside. - A

The panic leaves your chest, replaced with warmth as you pocket the note, pulling your slippers on as you move towards the kitchen. 

Arthur is always doing this for you, taking on little tasks to remove some weight from your shoulders. Doing anything he can to ease your troubles. He knows that you've been crazy busy with work lately, as horse training always picks up in the winter, and he's been doing everything he can to help. 

You hum a tune as you round the corner, hand trailing along the smooth oak wall. Your slippers are soft and quiet against the floor as you enter the kitchen, eyes trained to where the black coffee pot rests on the counter top. 

You grab your clay mug, the one you'd made back when you were taking pottery classes, and you fill it with black coffee and a splash of cream.

Wrapping one arm around your torso, you move to the glass french doors in the kitchen, overlooking the barn and the pastures. You sip at your coffee, eyes slipping closed as the coffee wakes you up, the warm liquid heating down your cold bones. Your eyes trail over your farm, the brown and black cattle, starkly contrasting the snow. Snowflakes flutter past the glass as you watch the sun peeking behind a few pine trees in the yard. 

Copper runs through one of the pastures, throwing a stick up into the air and then grabbing it in his maw. You can’t help the smile that graces your lips. 

You head back towards your room, pulling out a pair of jeans. They hug your hips and waist, but leave room for your boots to lay under your pants at the hem. You pull on a long sleeved black shirt and your beige ranch coat before leaving your room and pulling your boots over your socks. 

With one last swig, you finish the last sip of your coffee and set it in the otherwise empty sink before opening the glass door and stepping out into the elements. 

You expect the cold to wind-whip your face, but it doesn’t. Instead, the sun shines down, adding some resistance to the cold weather. It causes the snow and ice to sparkle like diamonds as your boots crunch through the snow. 

You push the barn door aside, heart humming at the warm sound of nickering horses. 

“Alright. Who's up first?” You hum, looking to the chalkboard on the wall. It's outlined with feeding schedules, medication times and dosages, and your training schedule.

You find the designated box for today, seeing that today you'll be getting your work cut out for you. You're working with Doob, a seal brown thoroughbred, off the track, with more energy than he knows what to do with. His owners had brought him in for a bucking problem, one that you're already beginning to curb. 

You make your way down the aisle until you find his stall, promptly grabbing his dark green halter and slipping it over his head. 

“C'mon, boy.” You whisper, petting behind his ears, “You're just a big sweetheart, aren't you?” You chuckle as he nuzzles your palm. Of all the client horses, he's definitely carved a home in your heart. He’s a funny little horse, a character. You'll be a bit sad to send him back when you’re finished, but you know his owners will treat him right. 

A short walk through the snow leads you both to the round pen. You leave him loose in the small pen, and he immediately starts running. 

“Yeah, here we go.” You hum, cold biting your nose. You grab a green lasso from the fence post, moving him up with it, pushing him forward as he runs around the pen.

“Good boy.” You call, “Easy does it.” 

Doob gets his energy out, running to his heart's content, wind flying through his long black mane. You just let him run, only correcting when he tosses a buck or kicks. After a long while of working, he eventually becomes tired out.

“That's a good boy, whoa now.” You cue, and he stops on a dime, turning towards you, walking into the center of the circle. Your head turns at the sound of a rumbling truck, and your eyes brighten at the familiar sight of Arthur coming down the lane. 

“Good job, Doob. That's all for today. You go on and play now.” You smile, handing a treat out to the thoroughbred. He takes it happily before you remove his halter, letting him out into the pasture with the other client horses. He'll surely run off more steam out there. 

A few snowflakes are stuck in your hair, and your nose is already turning red as Arthur steps down from his truck. You make your way to him, ignoring the chill in your bones, and leaning towards the warmth before you. 

“Hey, baby.” You smile as he turns to you, shutting the door to his truck. Arthur smiles back, his hands extending as he grabs your waist, pulling you in for a kiss. Your lips are cold compared to his, and he runs his hand up and down your arms to warm you up. 

“Shit darlin’, you’re froze. I was gonna ask if ya wanted to go for a ride but-” 

His eyes go wide as you jump a little, gripping at his coat with your cold hands, interrupting him.

“No, I wanna go for a ride! I'm not too cold, I've got more clothes in the barn.” 

He chuckles, his warm breath creating a fog in the air as he hugs you tightly. You've never turned down a trail ride, not in all the time you've known him. 

“Alright, why don’t you start tackin’ up the horses. I gotta run in the house quick. I'll grab some food too. We can have a picnic.” His deep voice rumbles against your ear as he holds you in his embrace. 

“Okay, I'll grab the horses. Oh- grab the chocolate, okay? The good kind. There's some in the cupboard above the sink.”  

Arthur chuckles, “Sure thing, darlin’.” 

You go to pull away from Arthur, but before you're fully released from his grasp, he gently pulls you back by the chin, catching you in another kiss. He hums against your lips, and you relax into him, allowing him into your mouth. He chases after the taste of you.

After a few seconds, another light peck– or two– you pull away from each other. When your eyes slowly flutter upwards, you see intense emotion in Arthur's eyes. Love. 

Arthur loves you, and he always makes sure to display it, but he's being extra affectionate today, which has your eyebrow raising in curiosity. 

“Why are you lookin’ at me like that?” you chuckle, hands resting on the thick blue fabric of his wool coat. You look up at him with those sparkling eyes, and he falls in love with you all over again. The snow has made your nose pink and cold, and Arthur leans down to kiss it.

“Cause I love you,” Arthur pulls away, “Now, go tack up those horses. I'll grab us a snack.” you peel away from him then, shaking your head. 

One whistle for Copper, and the orange flash is running down from the pasture. Then, he's at your feet, whining happily. The snow crunches and creaks against your boots as you lean to pet the dog, and you both look at Arthur’s back as he opens the door to the house. 

“Your daddy’s actin’ weird today.” You whisper, curiously eyeing the blue coat that moves through the door. Copper barks, as if he is trying to explain, but Arthur had sworn the dog to secrecy. 

You pet Copper before standing up and brushing the snow off of your knees. When you step into the barn,you’re immediately surrounded by the soothing smell of oats and hay. The warm scents envelop you, and wrap you up like the warmth of the barn. 

By the time you have both Boadicea and Whiskey fully tacked up, Arthur is walking through the front barn doors. He pushes the door open wide enough for your horses to step through. 

“So where are we ridin’ to today? Maybe we could trail down to the creek? It's beautiful this time of year.” You ask, pulling yourself up into the saddle. The cold leather sends a chill down your spine as you rub at your thigh in an attempt to make warmth.

Arthur shakes his head lightly as he climbs up into the saddle, “Actually I was thinkin’ we’d go on up to the overlook today…”  

The overlook? You hum. Typically you and Arthur only go to the overlook for special occasions. The last time you'd gone up there was about a year ago. It's a special place. 

You both had said your first admissions of love there, let the words pour down into the plains below. Your first kiss with Arthur was at the overlook. 

But the overlook doesn’t just house good memories. You and Arthur had split up, briefly, a few years ago. The separation took place there. It’s a place of much love and heartache, it's you and Arthur’s spot. 

“Okay, sure… It’s been quite a while since we’ve been up there.” You respond quietly, curiously. Anxiety swirls in your stomach, but you push it down. 

You and Arthur trot beside one another, carried by your mounts. The air is chilly, but your heart is toasty warm as you and Arthur chat, laughing and smiling as you go. The ride to Horseshoe Overlook is a long one, and you make the most of the time as you and Arthur ride through the bright snow. 

“I'll race ya cross’ this hill up here.” Arthur drawls, his lips ticking up in a smile as he looks at you from under the brim of his hat. 

You eye the hill in front of you. It's open, probably over one hundred yards. The snow isn’t deep over the grass and it doesn’t appear to be slippery. Adrenaline seeps through your veins as you eye it, swirling and pumping through your heart, flicking the hairs on your neck up like static electricity.

“Alright then…” You adjust yourself on Whiskey, preparing to run.

“Get ready…get set–” You are cut off as the wind whips your hair and Boadicea starts charging forward. Your jaw drops and you watch Arthur barrel ahead of you. Quickly, you spur Whiskey and kiss and cluck to move him forward. 

“You cheated!!” You scream loudly, trumping the sound of pounding hooves. 

Determination sets in your bones then, and you lean forward, spurring the horse forward with every ounce of might in your body. Whiskey shoots forward until he is running side by side with Arthur’s mare.

“I don't play dirty, mister!” You yell in Arthur’s direction. Hooves are pounding loudly against the snow. The two horses are breathing heavily, each determined to win their own races. You see Arthur laugh, but he stops when you spur Whiskey, charging forward. 

Arthur curses as you shoot ahead of him and Bo. Whiskey's hooves kick up snow as he passes, sending it flying into Arthur's face. It slows him down, giving you the advantage. 

You and Whiskey run hard until you reach the top of the hill, and Whiskey slides into a deep stop right before reaching the tree line. After ten seconds, Arthur and Boadicea are at the top as well, stopping hard and breathing heavily. 

“Dammit woman, you can ride, I'll give ya that.” Arthur pants, face wind-whipped as you ride up beside him and lean over your saddle to kiss him. 

His lips are cold, as are yours, but the kiss is still alight with warmth. You grip onto the collar of his shirt, not releasing when your lips pull away from one another. If anything, your grip tightens on his collar as you eye him.

“I know.” You smirk, winking at Arthur as you pull away and canter your horse away from him, and towards the entrance to the overhang.

He watches you canter on, shaking his head. 

“You are somethin’.” He jests, trotting after you.

When the trees break, you nearly gasp. Though you have been here a handful of times, it always steals your breath away. You can see the house and barn in the distance, separated from you by miles and miles of white snow. Evergreens stand tall, dusted white, with a few herds of elk at their trunks. You can see for miles, past the house and to the tall blue mountains far in the distance. 

“So beautiful.” You murmur, eyes bright with wonder. 

“Sure is…” Arthur whispers, eyes not on the landscape, but on you. 

You hop down from Whiskey, patting him for his good work, and offering him the same treats that you'd offered Doob earlier. You always keep a few extra in your pocket. 

You walk towards the cliff, keeping a safe distance from the drop. Your eyes flutter over the rolling hills and plains before you. Everything seems so quiet up here. Troubles seem so far away. Unique snowflakes slowly drop from the sky, dusting your hair and coat with white diamonds. 

Boots crunch in the snow behind you, stopping just a foot from your back. You smile, but don't turn around when Arthur's chest presses against your back. One of his hands wraps around your middle while the other, unbeknownst to you, rests on the small black box in his coat pocket. 

The serenity of the overlook envelopes your senses as you breathe in deeply. The cold air carries notes of pine and sap, familiar scents that comfort you.

“Love you, y'know.” Arthur hums, leaning down, pulling your hair away from your neck, kissing the soft skin under your ear. Blood rushes to your cheeks, and you turn in his embrace, chest to chest. 

“You’re actin’ strange, Arthur. Are you feelin’ okay?” You chuckle. 

Arthur exhales sharply, otherwise ignoring your question. Instead, he pulls you up onto your tiptoes, your boots on top of his as he kisses you. 

You melt under his touch, kissing Arthur feels like your muscles relaxing after a long day’s work, like rain after a drought. Kissing Arthur feels like coming home. He's been kissing you all day, unable to pull himself away from you. 

You pull away only for a quick breath before your lips meet again. You wrap your arms around the back of his neck, straining on your toes to remain in contact with his lips. Arthur pulls away with a bite to your lip, smiling when he sees how yours are plump and swollen. 

The wind brushes Arthur’s hair into his face as he backs up, pulling you by your hand. He has placed a thick wool blanket on the snow for you two to sit on. You plop down on the blanket beside Arthur, your head resting on his shoulder. Your head rests on his shoulder. Heat radiates from the man, and you are glad for the extra protection from the cold.

“So what snacks did you bring, baby?” you ask, curiously peaking into the bag that Arthur has laid on the blanket. 

“Alcohol.” He says plainly. You laugh, smacking Arthur in the arm as he chuckles. 

“And your chocolates.”

“Arthur!” You chide as he hands you a bottle of golden liquid. You peer at the label. 

It's patrón. You quirk a brow at the drink of choice. Arthur rarely buys the expensive tequila. Curiously, you pull the round cork out from the neck of the bottle and take a small swig. The alcohol burns its way down your throat, warming you from the inside. 

You don't mind the burn, watching as a pair of pronghorn bucks fight in the hills below you. Their hooves slip in the snow as they each attempt to win their battle. Your hands numbly grip the neck of the bottle as you pass it back to Arthur. 

You huff before you speak, “I can’t believe we’re here Arthur. After everything we’ve been through we can just… live now…” You pull your knees up, curling more into his chest. Your past hangs over you, haunting you like a dark cloud. Bit by bit, Arthur has been helping you to push it away, to heal and move on. Today is a good reminder of that progress. 

His hands place the tequila in yours, and you down a swig.

“S’ like your readin’ my mind, sweetheart.”

You smile up at Arthur then, placing your hand on his stubble.

“Y’know this is the first place you told me you loved me…” Arthur says, low and quiet. You smile, the good memories filling your heart as Arthur continues,

“Also the first place I kissed ya…  a lot ‘a memories up here.” 

Your stomach flutters at his words, your brain is flooded with warm memories of Arthur and you in the overlook. 

“C'mere.” Arthur whispers, smiling, taking a shaky breath. Your eyebrows furrow together. but as he stands and extends his hand, you take it. Arthur pulls you up, hands in his own. 

The overlook is beautiful in front of you, serene and perfect. A moment he'd capture with a camera if he had one with. Whiskey and Boadicea watch on from the treeline, ears perked up. They know what's about to happen. Arthur's been telling them about it every day for months. 

“I love you.” Arthur whispers, deep and serious. His eyes soften, and your heart begins to pump loudly in your ears. A delicious red flushes into your cheeks.

“I love you too, Arthur… but why are you.. what's going on?” Your voice is higher than usual, eyes sparkling bright with wonder, reflecting the sun and the white snow.

It isn’t unusual for Arthur to admit his feelings to you, but there are too many factors for this to be a coincidence. Arthur was ‘shopping in town’ all morning, but had come home empty handed. He brought you out to your special spot, bought you your favorite expensive tequila– and is treating you with such delicacy, and love, that butterflies flutter in your stomach. 

Arthur huffs, letting out a humorous chuckle and looking up to the sky, projecting a short prayer, before he holds your hands a little tighter and begins.

“I love you more than I ever thought possible.” He looks away from you for a split second, staring at the ground, before anchoring himself in your eyes again, and continuing, “I didn’t think my life was goin’ nowhere before I met you… I gave up in my twenties, said I wasn’t gettin’ attached to anyone.” Arthur admits, and you frown. You know about his past. You've talked about it, and now you're trying to show him how much he deserves to be loved. 

“I stood by that for a long time…” Arthur's lips crack into a beautiful smile, a chuckle falling over them, “And then you stumbled along.” A single tear drips down his cheek, and landing in the snow below. Your eyes are threatening to overflow with tears of your own.  

“Arthur…?” You whisper, voice cracking. He squeezes your hands reassuringly. 

“You showed me what it felt like to be loved. And love ain't somethin’ I've felt in many a years.” Arthur pauses, gathering his words. A few tears trail down your cheeks, and Arthur’s thumb wipes them away.

“You make me want so much more outta life. You make me wanna wake up every day and work on this ranch, take care of these animals. You make me want a family. I wanna wake up n’ watch our kids playin’ from the window.” 

“But what I want most in life? More than anything…?” A pause ensues, his loving, green eyes locked onto yours, “I want to be with you, every day, for the rest of my life.” 

Arthur thinks back to the song he had been listening to earlier on the way home from the city.

“As long as my compass keeps pointin’ to you, I’ll be where I belong… I’ll be home.”

Tears flow freely from your eyes, and you gasp as Arthur reaches into his pocket, kneeling down on one knee in the snow. 

He looks up at you, one hand still intertwined with yours, the other extending out the black box. Arthur snaps the ring box open, presenting a stunning gold ring to you. The band is adorned with a ruby, and several small diamonds decorate the sides of the gem. Your hands come up to your mouth, as Arthur looks up to you, smiling. 

“This was my Momma's…” Arthur explains, and your eyes flicker down to his, “You’ve already made me the happiest man alive… and I wanna spend the rest of my life with you… So, would you do me the honor–”  Arthur chokes up, “Would you marry me?” 

He looks into your teary eyes, holding the ring box a little higher as he asks the question. You wipe the tears away from your eyes, sight locking onto the scene, wishing you could etch it into your memory forever.

Your head frantically nods, tears flowing down your cheeks as you cry tears of joy, “Yes, Oh, Arthur–of course. Yes, yes!” 

Arthur smiles the brightest that you’ve ever seen, standing before you and slipping his mother’s ring onto your ring finger. The band fits you perfectly, and you marvel at it for a second before Arthur’s arms wrap around your waist. He lifts you up into the air, and you wrap your legs around his waist, laughing and crying, overcome with a happiness unlike any other. Your heart leaps with love and passion for the man in front of you.

His lips crash against your, wet tears dripping down your face as you kiss him. Your hands entangle into the hair at the back of Arthur’s neck as you both kiss, pulling apart only to breathe or to laugh. The kiss is deep, bodies singing with love, energy overflowing from the both of you. He keeps kissing you, over and over again, never wanting to leave the taste of your lips. 

You pull apart, foreheads pressing against eachother's, his hands on your thighs, keeping you off the ground. 

“I love you so much darlin’.”

“I love you too.” You whisper against him, the happiest you have ever been. 

The ring rests on your finger as you kiss Arthur again, senselessly. The band of rubies and diamonds holds promises of a future, of a marriage  and a life with him.

As the wind rustles through your hair, carrying your joy so far down the mountains that it can be felt radiating even miles away, you can’t think of anything you could ever want more than that promise.

taglist: @margofiore @mrsarthurmorgan7 @woman-with-no-name @tillith @luvliewriting @pine4pple-b0i @photo1030 @dudsparrow @holyratrimony @twola

[menlikeair]

WASH MY LOVE. [eddie vedder x fem!reader]

mdni. smut kinda fwb, fingering, oral f receiving, unprotected sex, marking, rough-ish sex, slight voyeurism.

words: 2k

the barricade swayingly pressed against your ribcage in waves, each time pushing a huff of breath from your lungs as the crowd swayed and moshed with each song.

the long-haired frontman swinging from the rafters of a club they’d long since outgrown as artists didn’t help the excitement of the youthful mob shoving you forward.

finally, after encore, the lights dimmed and the antsy crowd seemed to slowly disperse. a handful made their way around the side of the stage, flashing their working or backstage passes to the burly cross-armed men guarding the dimly lit entrance. you obliged to the ritual and flashed your own to make your way down the graffitied hallway.

behind you, a voice rang out and you slowly turned on your heels,

“so…” a woman grinned mischievously. her heavily ringed fingers brought a cigarette to her stained lips, remnants of clinique black honey. she blew the thin stream of smoke up towards the ceiling before meeting your gaze again.

“you and vedder, what’s the situation?..”

you grinned and shook your head. news traveled fast in certain social circles. the woman pushed strands of her jet-black pixie cut from her eyes as she searched your face for any further answers.

“we’re just friends… that’s all.”

she hummed in a dissatisfied tone, a slight expression of disbelief flashed across her face, “and you’re a bad liar.” she nudged your shoulder as you walked together down the hallway closer to the room at the end of the hall buzzing with chatter and music.

the room looked like a barber's worst nightmare, nothing but wild long hair and drab flannel as far as the eye could see. your eyes grazed over the group of chattering bandmates, roadmen, friends, and groupies until they landed on the man to the side with his damp shirt thrown over his shoulder. you watched his large hands, one clutching to a dark green beer bottle, as he laughed and retold stories to a group who hung onto every word.

you floated around the room and said your hellos, took tokes that were offered until a familiarly strong hand landed on your shoulder. he teasingly squeezed, pulling your gaze directly to his defined face.

the aura from the man was almost overwhelming. with his pupils blown with adrenaline, you almost didn’t recognize him. you noticed as his surprisingly broad chest quickly rose and fell. you imagined the mound of muscle behind his ribcage quickly thumbing against its strong wall.

in the scene, you’d learned why musicians quickly fell into cycles of drinking and drug abuse, it was nearly impossible for the artists to just go home with a cup of tea and rest on the couch. the epinephrine coursing through them as the aftermath of a packed show was visceral.

eddie leaned to sit his beer down before his hand grasped yours and pulled you through the chattering crowd. he stepped into the hall and closed the door behind the two of you. his grin slowly spread across his face,

“haven’t seen that mug around here in a while,” he leaned closer to press a sloppy kiss against your tense cheek, teasingly rubbing the sweaty dampness from his tanned skin against you. you lightly squealed as you pushed him away playfully.

“well, i don’t like seeing this mug swinging twenty feet above my head,“ you grinned, letting your smooth hand trail down his arm, grasping his and pulling your shirt up,

“see? too wild for me anyway.” the rail of the barricade pushing against your upper rips had already made its mark. light stripes of purple and red marked your skin as you glanced up at his reaction, his skillful fingers brushing over the marks.

“hm, let me see.” eddie crouched lower, placing his hands on each side of your waist as if to examine the marks as you held your shirt up to show the evidence.

“oh, baby, look at you...” he hummed deeply, almost mischievously as he flashed a familiar smirk, his pupils still blown with post-show adrenaline as he glanced upwards to meet your gaze. the man brushed a wild curl behind his ear before pulling your shirt over his head, his breath warm against the skin of your torso.

eddie’s teeth grazed the growing bruise, forcing you to suck sharply through your teeth before his hands slid to your back, teasingly tugging at the hooks of your bra strap, “but too wild for you is a stretch.” he murmured deviously.

“eddie!” you clutched his shoulder tightly, feeling his methodical fingers unclipping the material, “eddie, stop that!” you whisperingly muttered, squeezing his exposed shoulder tighter.

“shh,” he shushed beneath the fabric of your shirt as his hand trailed back to your torso, his fingers feathering over your hardening nipple.

“what if someone sees,” you swallowed down nervously, feeling your knees weaken as his perfectly straight teeth grazed your nipple teasingly,

“nobody’s gonna see,” he muttered deeply, taking his head out of your shirt to stand, keeping his hands beneath the material as he wrapped them around you to tightly press you against his chest, leaning his head to press faint kisses along the side of your neck,

“you haven't missed this?” he muttered, barely more than a raspy whisper, “haven’t missed me?”

your heart fluttered, the answer hidden on your tongue, where it had been hidden for weeks, but you couldn’t muster the words.

you could only think of the first time you’d met the man, the first time you’d seen him on stage. his face flushed a deep red, he could barely look out into the stagnant crowd as he sang; a stark difference to the man in front of you now.

but he wasn’t going to prod more, he wanted to feel your answer. he pulled his lips from your neck and turned to guide you to the corner, hidden behind large stacked cases full of equipment.

“this okay?” his gaze flashed to you as you nodded quickly, his head dipping down as he lifted your shirt once again, his tongue sliding across your hard nipple. his lips trailed down further, and his palms pressured your chest, forcing you to sit on the equipment case with your back against the wall. his palm slid between your legs, parting them with ease before his fingers hooked and ripped the dark pantyhose beneath your short skirt.

“look at this,” his words made the bundle of nerves between your legs ache with impatience. eddie pulled back to gaze up at you from between your legs, his fingertips slid between the wet folds between your legs. your face flushed as he teasingly tsked at the sight of you, short skirt, no underwear, the answer was right in front of him, words weren’t necessary.

his mouth fell agape in mock surprise, his eyes not daring to leave yours as the pad of his thumb rubbed small circles against your clitoris, “what happened, forget them at home, baby?” he grinned, a deep crimson crept across your high cheekbones.

“i... i just..thought we —” you whined sweetly, your hand instinctively going down to entangle your fingers with his brown curls,

“mm..” he hummed knowingly, interrupting your useless whispered explanation. his hands roughly grasped each thigh to part them as he lapped an agonizingly slow stripe against your soaking womanhood, his eyes focused on the sight of your flushed cheeks and lidded expression.

your breath hitched in anticipation as he dropped his head, allowing his tongue to slowly circle your sensitive clit, his tongue dipping down to lap up the drips of wetness sliding down your slit.

“right.. there, please...” you whined sweetly, rolling your head back in an attempt to string any conscious thought together as he slipped two fingers inside and out slowly.

your legs attempted to press together, but eddie’s strong fingers dug into the soft skin of your inner thigh as he forced them open, his tongue working against your clit busily, entirely enveloped by you. your scent. your skin. warmth against his mouth and around his fingers. exactly where we wanted to be.

“eddie,” you moaned, rolling your hips against his busy tongue. each movement from him was mindless and uncalculated, allowing his instinct to guide each action. he wanted to force you to show him just how much you’d missed him and you were doing that.. beyond expectation as your movements became tense and your orgasm approached swiftly. you held his tongue in place and rocked your hips against him as his fingers and mouth coaxed you further, his fingers still working you over.

your legs shakily closed as eddie stood and wrapped his hands around each hip to guide you and help your weakened legs stand. he turned you, allowing your hands to rest on the equipment case for grounding as his two middle fingers parted your swollen lips from behind. he forced your mouth open, letting the slickness of your tongue guide his fingers back into your mouth. your taste flooded your tastebuds as you wrapped your lips around him and sucked his slick fingers clean, “mm, just like that.” his words were course and deep, an extra layer of baritone to his already strong voice.

you heard the undoing of his belt buckle and felt his thickness pressed against you from behind, heavy and hot against your skin. his tip leaked with pre-cum and he reached down to align himself with your sensitive entrance. he slipped inside slowly, an almost unintelligible moan escaped from his parted lips as your tightness wrapped around his thick cock. his fingers fell from your lips and his hands roughly grasped each hip to slowly guide you back further onto his cock.

he let you adjust to his size as he filled you from behind.

you weakly turned your head to the side as he leaned his chest completely against your back and joined your lips. his tongue sloppily slipped into your mouth as the slow rhythmic movement of his hips quickened, one free hand trailing up to run his fingers through your hair before grasping a handful at the root. he forced your head back further with a tug as both his cock and tongue deepened inside.

he parted the kiss, allowing breathy moans to fall from your flushed swollen lips, “feels so good,” your eyes rolled back as his lidded and darkened gaze observed each movement from you almost primitively.

“listen to you… everyone’s gonna know how much of a slut you are, getting fucked out here in the open, is that what you want?” he muttered against your ear as he increased the pace, the harshness of his pounding and grasp on your hair becoming relentless. his wide palm fell against your asscheek, his fingers gripping you tightly as a sharp burning sensation filled the spot of his hand. and another swift spank followed behind.

you whined inaudibly and sunk your teeth into your bottom lip in a failed attempt to stifle your needy whines and groans. you tip-toed to push your ass against his tense naval as you gave him the perfect angle to slide deeper with his cock. the man hummed in approval as his lips dipped down to press warm kisses against the side of your neck once more, sucking the thin skin and sinking his teeth to leave small marks in place of his lips; a keepsake, your souvenir. he knew you weren’t one for overpriced band shirts anyway.

you arched your back as another wave of ecstasy hit you like a brick wall without warning. your name fell from his lips like a hopeless prayer as he followed suit seconds later. eddie’s strong grasp released you as his forehead fell against your shoulder in his orgasm, his thrusts slowed lazily and his moans deepened and went hoarse against your skin. you both panted weakly, your body weakened and limped beneath his weight.

“i really did miss you.” your words were almost incoherent as you turned to face limply towards the man adjusting his belt and and quietly tucking an unruly curl behind his ear before nodding in knowing.

with a satisfied smirk, he leaned down to press a soft kiss against your lips, snaking his arm around the small of your waist to pull you closer to his chest.

“i know,” he mumbled into your hair as the burning question on his tongue was answered now, and not only physically.

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

I also forgot to ask you in my previous message if it's true that the gift Cove gives you in Happiness after your date is related to the objects we choose for the bedroom?

No worries that you forgot! I like having asks separated like this anyway~

I imagine you're referring to the second gift that Cove gives you? Because if so, then yes, you're correct! In fact, all three gifts that Cove gives the MC over the course of the three outings are based on your choices throughout the game on at least some level.

The first gift, for example, which is given after Cove arrives at the door on the morning of your first outing with him, is dependent on multiple factors. If you've told Cove your favorite flower in Long Day, are at Crush/Love with Cove, and are not dating Baxter, Cove will give you that flower. If instead you're Fond with Cove, dating Baxter, and/or didn't pick a favorite flower in Long Day, then Cove will give you a gift based on your hobby. The hobby chosen is whatever you picked last when talking to Kyra in the Step 2 intro, or whatever you picked last in the Step 3 intro if you chose that you were into new hobbies rather than sticking to the old ones.

The second gift - the one you mentioned - that's given after Cove arrives at the door before the second outing is indeed based on what objects you have in your bedroom. Some objects also take priority over others, with plants and framed paintings being near the bottom.

The third gift that's given after Cove sneaks through the window before the third outing, regardless of if the MC planned a surprise in return or not, is based on your plans for the future. Specifically, if you applied anywhere, are planning on staying local, and if you told Cove or not.

I put below the break what gifts Cove will give the MC for anyone who wants to know/plan ahead:

First Gift (whichever hobby the MC picked last in the Step 2/3 intro if the MC did not tell Cove their favorite flower in Long Day, are at Fond, and/or are dating Baxter)

if Reading - a new book you'd been waiting for

if Fashion - an accessory

if Sports - exercise shoes

if Music - a poster of a band you love

if Games - a new game you'd been waiting for

if Writing - a writing journal

if Media - a physical series collection of a show you love

if Art - a mix pack of new art supplies

if Ocean - a rare shell

Second Gift (depending on the MC's choices for their room; I've listed them in order of the highest to lowest priority, and I've also marked in parentheses which room colors allow for them)

if Ukulele (blue/green/purple) - a ukulele case

if Teddy Bear (any) - a stuffed animal

if Telescope (any) - a telescope lens

if Galaxy Cloth (blue/green) - a star map

if Volleyball (green/yellow) - a volleyball bag

if Candles (purple) - a candle

if Photos/Corkboard (green/yellow) - a photo collection

if Vase (purple) - a vase

if Plants (any) - a potted plant

if Framed Paintings (any) - a painting

if Foot Stool (blue/purple) - a throw pillow

Third Gift (based on plans for the future; note that if you applied for schools and jobs, the game will prioritize school)

if applied for School, are not staying local, and told Cove - a t-shirt with the logo of the college you'd applied to

if applied for a Job, are not staying local, and told Cove - a t-shirt with the logo of the company you'd applied to

if made plans for Travel, are not staying local, and told Cove - a thick pack of postcards and stamps

if other (meaning you either didn't tell Cove your plans, hadn't begun to do anything/only started to prepare for the future in general, or simply planned on staying local) - a mug matching Cove's, stamped with Sunset Bird's town symbol

[of-many-aus]

Rainy Baseball Days

Summary: you and jake watch some baseball together

Warnings: none

A/N: idea given by @clancycucumber230- thank you so much!!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Masterlist

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

“You’re home early.” You didn’t even try to hide the surprise in your tone as you froze in the doorway of the kitchen.

Jake shrugged, glancing over his shoulder from where he sat on the couch, “Practice got rained out.”

You glanced down at the mug in your hand before turning on your heel and entering the kitchen area once more.

When you emerged a few moments later, you now had a mug in each hand.

“Here,” You murmured, gingerly sinking down onto the cushion beside him and offering one of the steaming cups.

His green eyes flickered down, widening the slightest bit at your outstretched arm, “Thanks,” He breathed out, gently taking the bright purple pottery piece that you made years ago with Nat, out of your hand.

You hummed, settling back into the couch and allowing your gaze to travel to the television, pleasantly surprised to see that the Red Sox vs Yankees game was already on.

“Oh, sorry,” Jake fumbled around to find the remote, “What do you want to watch-“

“This.” You interrupted him, eyes still glued to the screen, “I was actually on my way out to turn it on.”

The blond’s eyes lit up at your words, letting them linger on you for a moment as you stared intently at the screen, soaking up the game and completely oblivious to his stare. He bit back a smile as he too turned his attention back to the closeup of the Yankees batter winding up for the pitch.

“Come on,” You muttered, leaning forward in your seat, “Strike him out, let’s go.”

“You’re rooting for the Red Sox, Angel?” Jake's head whipped over to you in mock alarm.

A scoff left your lips. The man braced himself to be snapped at for using that ridiculous- your words, not his- nickname again.

“They’re not my main team, but they’re sure as hell better than the Yankees.”

He blinked once at you, watching as you stared intently at him, completely serious, before a grin grew on his face.

“That is definitely not true,” He argued playfully, “Yankees could beat that team any day.”

Despite yourself, the corner of your lips quirked up the slightest bit, “Like they are right now?” You motioned to the 3-1 score.

His face now held a dazzling grin, as if he was no longer able to hold it back, “It’s only the second inning, Angel, we’ve still got a ways to go.” He tried to hide his obvious delight- whether it was from being able to discuss baseball, or finally being able to talk to you, neither of you seemed to know- by raising the mug to his lips and taking a long sip, only to quickly pull it away with raised eyebrows, “Hot chocolate?” He asked.

You nodded in all seriousness, “It’s my favorite drink, and it’s cold and rainy out, so it’s perfect. Not to mention that it’s too late in the day to have coffee. You’ll never sleep.”

He hummed, taking a long sip of the chocolatey drink. Jake couldn’t even remember the last time he had this. Perhaps it was back when he was a kid and his mother would make it for him and his sisters on a cold winter night.

And then it began. The back and forth bickering that had no real venom behind it, long debates about all the different MLB teams and which one was really the best based on players and past plays.

It was by far the longest you had ever talked to Jake, and surprisingly, you didn’t hate it. Nat had never shown any interest in baseball, except for when she dragged you to Jake's game a week ago, and none of your other friends knew the first thing about it and didn’t care enough to learn or actually sit through a game with you. Talking about it with him was actually refreshing.

It wasn’t until the seventh inning that things finally quieted down between you two, hot chocolate long since finished and each team in the league thoroughly discussed, when you felt your eyelids begin to droop.

You tried to fight it- you really did- but you had a long day with your classes, and your efforts to stay awake rendered useless when you curled up farther into the seat cushion and your tired state won over.

It only took Jake a total of three minutes to look back over at you, mouth open and ready to fire a question about the play that just took place, only for it to snap shut at the sight of your relaxed- and very much asleep- form.

Your breathing had evened out and your head was lulled slightly to the side.

His smile softened as he looked at you and he moved to stand up, but you shifted in your sleep, rolling so that your face was pressed directly on his bicep.

Jake froze, breath hitching in his throat when you showed no sign of stirring from your slumber, and he allowed himself to relax.

He reached over and gently lay a throw blanket from nearby on top of you and turned his attention back to the game.

Taglist: @djs8891 @pono-pura-vida @shanimallina87 @melllinaa @callsignbirdy @fogle97 @randomfandomgirl97 @averyhotchner @blueoorchid @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @misconceptionmistress @ravenclawaddict5285 @j-brielmalfoy @waywardhunter95 @classyunknownlover @whoreforfictionalmen18

[bizarrelittlemew]

speechless because @xoxoemynn sent me custom-made commemorative coasters and a mug of the time david jenkins reblogged my gifset i mean PLEASE 😭😭😭

I'M IN TEARS EMY WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE YOU. NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT THE CARD BECAUSE I WILL CRY FR AGAIN

i was already so grateful you'd send along the stuff i ordered (and the most well-traveled lil vampire guy who has now found a purple crocodino boyfriend in denmark, look at them!!) and then you did all this what the fuck 😭

(i got the t-shirt and a few of the stickers myself but i was NOT PREPARED FOR ALL THIS)

i'm struggling to find words for how touched i am and how lucky i feel to have you in my life 😭

i think this might have healed something in me from having the cancellation happen on my birthday (😔✌️) like this fandom is incredible and has helped me meet people who mean so much to me, i couldn't imagine my life without you 💖💖💖 marianne you're the kindest loveliest person and you deserve all the best in the world, thank you for being just the way you are 🥹💗

[frankthesnek]

♡ sharing a kiss before going in for work (but make it accidental first kiss due to sleep deprivation)

Normally, I only do each prompt once, but since this is so different from the other ask for this one I'll do it again! Thank you 😘

Coming in Hot

Rated G

Prompt: a kiss before going to work

900 words

Steve stood next to the toaster, tapping his fingers on the counter as he waited for his bagel to be done. It was early, and the tower was calm. He'd seen Clint and Natasha preparing for their sparring session an hour or so earlier, but otherwise, it was a ghost town. The toaster finally finished, the crisp pop and ding of it shutting off startling him in the quiet of the kitchen. He plopped his breakfast onto a plate and checked his watch.

It wouldn't be a ghost town much longer, he would bet. Pulling the cream cheese from the fridge, he settled at the breakfast bar and finished preparing his food as he waited.

“Watch it Cap, Stark's coming in hot,” Clint drawled with an amused tone as he entered the kitchen a moment later.

“You don't say?” Steve asked, unsurprised and dry sounding.

The archer just nodded, looking far too happy as he poured the last of the coffee into a mug. 

“Fuck I'm late!” Right on cue Tony entered the space, tie hanging undone around his neck as he fumbled with his cufflinks. “Why does she keep scheduling meetings so early? She knows I'm not a morning person.”

“This wouldn't happen to be the meeting Pepper already rescheduled twice because you keep missing it?” Steve asked, the casualness in his tone giving away that he already knew the answer. 

“Maybe,” Tony grumbled as he picked up the empty coffee pot and frowned. “Barton, I'm gonna kill you,” he promised, glaring at the other man's steaming cup of coffee.

In response, Clint deliberately took a slow drink, holding Tony's eye while he did. 

“Definitely gonna get you. I swear your next batch of arrows is gonna blow up right in your smug little face,” Tony cursed and made a grab for the nearly full mug.

“Extra coffee for you on the bar,” Steve said, pointing to a thermus he'd filled earlier. “Better hurry, if you don't leave now, you'll be late.”

“Thank you,” Tony nearly moaned and picked up the travel cup.

“Uh-huh,” Steve drawled and held up half of his bagel before Tony could try stealing it from his plate. 

“Thanks,” Tony repeated with a sigh, taking it gladly. “Why do you know my schedule better than me?”

“Tony, the hotdog vendor in Central Park knows your schedule better than you do,” Clint piped up with a snort of laughter.

Steve chuckled, and he watched Tony hold the bagel in his mouth as he quickly did his tie. Nimble fingers tugging it into a knot that had no right to be as neat as it was for how fast it had been made. 

“I refuse to acknowledge the truth of that,” Tony spoke around a mouth full and held the thermus up towards Steve. “Is it—”

“Cool enough to drink? Yes.” Steve supplied, taking a bite from his remaining half of the bagel.

“You're an angel,” Tony said blissfully. Then he leaned over the bar and pressed a fast but firm kiss to Steve's mouth before rushing out, already calling the elevator via Jarvis before he left the room. 

Steve's bagel fell from his lax fingers, plopping back to the plate cream cheese side down.

“Did he just?” Clint asked, looking over at Steve with wide eyes.

“Uh…yeah,” Steve muttered, dumbstruck, his lips tingling from the surprise contact.

“And you guys aren't?”

“Nope.” 

The two men stared at each other for a moment in confused silence. Steve felt his cheeks grow hot. Tony, his friend and long-term crush, had just kissed him. Lips warm, soft, and real against his mouth. Clint was giving him a knowing smirk but was thankfully holding his tongue. A moment later, the quiet was broken by the buzzing of Steve’s phone on the counter.

“It's Tony,” he said, looking down at the smiling picture of Tony in his purple sunglasses that was set as the man’s icon. The heat of flush skirted down his neck and settled in his chest.

“Speaker, put him on speaker,” Clint demanded, coming to stand next to his friend.

Swallowing Steve swiped the call open and tapped the speaker function. “Hello?”

“I can't believe I'm even going to ask this but I'm rushed, suffering from a caffeine deficiency, and am severely sleep deprived so the last fifteen minutes are a blur—did I just kiss you?”

“Um, yes?”

Tony said nothing, only the quiet shuffle of him still rushing to his car coming through the phone.

“Hey playboy, this is the part where you ask him out,” Clint supplied, flinching away before Steve could swat him. 

“Do you have me on speaker?” Tony questioned, his tight voice sounding more flustered than angry.

“Maybe?” Steve hedged.

“Oh for Christ—” and the line clicked off.

“Wow, if that's how smooth he normally is, I can't imagine how he used to snag all the ladies. Must be the money,” Clint chuckled, picking up his coffee and heading off. 

Sighing and shaking his head, Steve poked his sad upside down bagel. Just as he was starting to think it truly had been an accident and meant nothing, his phone buzzed with a text from Tony. Steve smiled as he read it. 

‘Free for a lunch date after my meeting?’

Steve started to type out that, yes, he was free when a new message popped up, turning his smile into a joyful grin.

‘And that does not count as our first kiss!!’

[elfieafterdark]

It's the first day of school. Santa Monica is the same as it always is. The September air probably isn't actually that cold, but it certainly feels cold to Harrow Tridentarius.

She's spent seven years living here, with her adoptive family. Her real family. She wakes up, gets dressed in her new fit (now with more mesh), packs her bag, and heads downstairs.

Corona must still be asleep, but she can always count on Ianthe to have woken up and made coffee.

"Mornin' Harry." Ianthe says, looking like a pale fairy queen, if said Queen short shorts and a big university sweater. "Sleep all right?"

"Yes, thanks." Harrow replies, grabbing her favorite travel mug and the coffee pot. "You?"

"Not really, but what's new huh?" Ianthe is lounging in a really big leather bar chair. Picking at some toast.

"Aww, I'm sorry Thay." Harrow tops off her travel mug with a healthy dose of creamer, then digs through the fridge for a Pop-Tart. "What are you up to today?"

Ianthe sets her plate down and grins, "I don't have classes until tomorrow. So naturally I'm going to a party tonight."

"Judith?"

"Hah, no. Dulcie."

"Makes sense." Harrow shoves the foil wrapped pastries into her oversized pockets. She hugs her sis, and makes for the entryway. "I got to run."

"Be late for once Harry." Ianthe says, "You know you don't have to arrive at school an hour early right?"

"I like to-"

"I know I know, you like to get your locker sorted and figure out where all your classes are." Ianthe gingerly picks up a piece of toast again, buying like it's plotting something. "Love you! Have fun! Get sloppy, make bad choices!"

Harrow rolls her eyes, slipping on her dark purple high tops. "Love you too, make sure to drink water." And she's out in the street.

She loves Santa Monica, she loves the ocean, she loves the beach, she loves the salty air. She loves the piers, she loves all of it.

It's way better than Montana that's for sure. She shudders, either from the chill or from remembering that ranch she spent her early years on.

Doesn't matter. They're gone. Anna is doing well, she's doing well. She walks, she doesn't need to, she could have someone drive her. Mom's, well there's no way around it, mom is loaded.

But Harrow likes to walk. She likes to look around, she likes to see how things along the route she always walks change day to day. The old bakery, the new five-story tall multi-use buildings. The dog who's always lounging on the porch of that old house.

Canaan secondary school is the same as it always is, an upscale architectural nightmare of faux stone and glass. It's perfect. Seems like she isn't the only person here either, a few cars in the student parking lot, a bus full of nervous freshmen pulling up. Noise. But the comfortable kind of noise.

She gets her schedule, and is grateful to see a few familiar teachers. As well as a new name: M. Cristabel for biology.

Wonder who she is.

Harry hits a brisk pace to her new locker, which is mercifully down in the art wing of the school. Her favorite haunt, walls plastered with noteworthy projects from last year.

A few excessively dark and tastefully macabre samples are her own. She's proud of her art. Of herself. Even if she is a little bit strange. The polished floors shine, and her converse squeak a little as she goes.

She scouted out all her classes, she's crammed all her unnecessary stuff into her locker. (Extra hygiene products, extra non-perishable snacks, a spare jacket because she gets really cold randomly; and so on). Now she can find her friends, or wait for them if they aren't here yet.

Down the main hall she goes. Past the somehow even more nervous freshmen, down the front steps.

And she crashes into something sturdy with red hair.

"Oh shit!" The red haired sturdy thing, a girl apparently, says with some kind of new england accent.

Harrow falls, drops her stuff, namely her Pop-Tart. But none of that really matters. Not when she looks up and sees the girl. Tanned skin, freckles, a swishy top of hair and shaved sides. A flannel tied around her waist. Jeans and a white tank top. Mirrored aviators slipping off her nose.

"I'm so sorry!" The tall and muscled girl blurts out, "Oh God I hope I didn't hurt you."

"No harm. I'm all good." Harrow says, smiling as this slab of girl helps her up. "You did accidentally smash my breakfast though."

"Fuck." The girl says, "We got a bit of time before class starts, can I buy you something from the corner store?"

Oh. Uh oh... This girl is smooth. Chances of her being like Harrow are pretty low of course... But what's the harm right?

"Well I'd have to know your name first." Harrow says with a smirk.

"Right. Gideon. Gideon Dve." Says Gideon, Gideon Dve.

"I'm Harrow."

"Your name is Harrow? That's actually badass. Okay Harrow, can I take you to the corner store and buy you some replacement breakfast?"

Harrow feels a shiver, like a drop of cold water running down her spine. It's not at all unpleasant though.

"Yes," she says, "I'd like that. Lead the way, Gideon."

[wannabe-fic-writer]

Carol Danvers x Reader : Wherever You Are

Summary: Going the extra mile for your girlfriend is never a problem. Covers the ‘Flannel PJs’ square of Holiday Bingo.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1k

* * * * * * * *

With a smile, you grab the bag off the counter, and say,“ Thank you so much. Have a wonderful night.”

The shop owner returns the sentiment, thanking you for your patronage as you leave the shop and step onto the pathway. Just like when you came in, the sky is painted brilliant shades of purple, blue, and pink. Jellyfish shaped clouds are scattered about as the smoky pink moon shines its light. 

Pulling your hood up, you begin your walk down the wooden, bridge-like pathways that are suspended above the ground. The alien city is practically split in two levels, the ground floor connected by stairs which you take down and head to the ship.

You landed on this planet with your girlfriend the other day as she received a message from an old friend of hers who needed her help and while she handled her business, you were off on a mission of your own.

It’s been almost three years since you and Carol were back on Earth and you could see the toll it was taking on your girlfriend. At first she was fine, obviously missing family but she wasn’t too down as she believed she’d be back soon enough. However, as it usually plays out, she gets caught up in being a hero, saving lives and the like, and gets so far out in the universe that she loses track of time.

Still, she eventually feels the effects of the distance between her and the people she calls family. Almost a week ago, the sadness she felt over being away nearly doubled as she realized that Christmas was literally two days away.

She had missed so much time with Monica and Fury already, so many holidays, and she now was more than fond of Kamala Khan. Her wish was to be on Earth, participating in cheesy, cliche traditions with her family and instead she was millions of lightyears away.

That night, while she thought you were sleeping, she’d broken down. Her soft sobs filled the silence of the ship and broke your heart in two. 

At the time you let her have her personal moment since being locked on a ship with someone doesn’t grant much of that. While you didn’t say anything to her at the moment, you promised yourself that you’d do everything you could to make her feel even a fraction better than she did. Which is why your exploring yesterday and your shopping today was so important. 

Now, with the necessary supplies, you boarded the ship and got to work, knowing Carol would be preoccupied until much later in the day.

A good hour or so later and the ship was, in your opinion, a masterpiece.

Having used the materials you were able to find and scrounge together, you made the ship as festive as you possibly could. 

Some makeshift tinsel was hung about with multi-colored lights attached. Handmade ornaments and more lights decorate the little Christmas tree you and Carol acquired last year. Stacked beside it are a few wrapped presents. Lastly, hanging from the ceiling, are custom mistletoes, your favorite part.

Knowing Carol was likely on her way back, you dimmed the main lights in the ship, turned on the multicolored ones, and pulled on a pair of pajamas. The warm, comfy, red flannel pants complimented with one of Carol’s band shirts set the perfect vibe and you made sure to set a matching outfit on the bed for her.

With all the craziness that accompanies space travel Carol is always more than thrilled to come back to you. The ship had become her safe space but with you there it became home and she quickly realized that her home was always wherever you are.

She couldn’t describe how she felt having your arms to fall into after a long day but this, coming back to a fully decorated ship and you standing in the middle of it, mug of hot chocolate in hand with a smile on your face, multiplied that feeling.

“What is all this?” Her question follows her stepping further onto the ship, eyes drifting over every square inch in an impressed manner.

“This,” you emphasize with a few steps closer to her,“ is the beginning of a very Merry Christmas.”

Shoulders sagging and a sigh falling from her lips, she looks at you with pure adoration and love in her eyes.“ Y/n, baby, you did not have to do all this.”

“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.” 

You set the mug on a nearby table, then pull her into a hug with your arms around her neck. The blonde doesn’t hesitate to reciprocate the embrace, her own arms wounding around your waist to pull you even closer. Her warm breath fanned across your neck and you could tell your gesture made her a little emotional from the way said breath stuttered ever so slightly.

After a moment you speak.“ I know how much you wish you could be on Earth and I know how much it sucks to not be surrounded by the people you love, especially this time of year, but I wanted today to be as special for you as it could be.”

“Y/n,” she practically whimpers, holding you tighter.“ I-” Her words are cut off by choked sob.

“Please don’t cry, babe.” You whisper, feeling tears of your own gathering at your waterline.“ You mean the world to me so doing this was nothing. I just- I want you happy, always.”

Slipping away just a little, her hands cup your cheeks and teary brown eyes lock with yours.“ I love you so much.” She says, a tear escaping that you’re quick to swipe away.“ You make me so happy. The fact that you did all of this just adds to the already infinite reasons why I love you.”

“Well I love you too. As long as you know that every day that we’re together, I’m happy.”

She rapidly blinks away the tears in her eyes, sniffling a little before she pulls you into an intense kiss. Gentle hands slip up into your hair to hold you close, even after it becomes a little hard to breathe.

Eventually though, you part, dorky grins on both your faces. Despite trying to fight them off, a few more tears had fallen down her cheeks.

Softly squeezing her waist you tell her,“ I do have a few gifts for you but you're only allowed to open them after you put your PJs on.” She giggles at your words, eyes rolling playfully.

Before she can respond however, the familiar tune of her ship receiving an incoming call sounds through the space.

“Oh, that’s your first gift, hurry up and go change.” You lightly pat her butt, rushing over to sit and accept the call.

“Wh- what gift do you have-”

“Go change and come find out, Danvers.” Fury’s voice sounds from the call, followed by the familiar sounds of Monica and Kamala laughing.

Carol’s jaw drops slightly, tears welling up in her eyes again as she looks at you.“ You’re so getting a ring on your finger.”

Heat rushes onto your face at the looks you receive from Nick, Monica, and Kamala and you can do nothing but grin like an idiot.

* * * * * * * *

Taglist: @owloftheshadows @blackxwidowsxwife @b-5by5 @lostandsearching @iliketozoneout @alotofpockets @storiesofsvu

[madhattervanessa]

Kill You To Try (Chapter 1)

Summary: Between old and new issues, you let your own health drag. Not everyone seems to be okay with it.

Warnings: grief, prescription pills

Words: 2629

prev. Chapter - next Chapter

Series Masterlist

-

I need a hero! I’m holding out-

You’re abruptly ripped out of your dreamless sleep and reach out to blindly grab your phone from the nightstand.

“What’s wrong?”

You rub the sand out of your eyes with your other hand. As you open them, you blink up into the darkness.

“Need you to come down, I have some trouble with a horse.”

“Are you in the stables?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be right there, Lee.”

You end the call and let your hand with the phone fall onto the mattress. You follow the grain of the wood in the ceiling with your eyes as you feel your pulse slowing down from its sprint.

It’s strange, not waking up in your bed.

Then again, you have not been sleeping in anything you could call your own bed for the past year.

You sigh and detangle yourself from the suffocating sea of thick duvets. As you swing your feet over the edge of the bed, the moist sheen of sweat on your skin makes you shiver. 

You drag your shirt off on the way to the bathroom.

You grab the bar of soap from the shower and bend over the sink. As you start washing yourself, you risk a cautionary look in the mirror. 

Your eyes are rimmed with red, the bags underneath a prominent purple, and the lines on the sides of your face are a testament to your tossing and turning throughout the night.

You close your eyes and breathe in the fresh pine smell of the soap.

After drying yourself with a towel, you wander back into the bedroom.

Mindlessly, you pull on your underwear, faded jeans, and a faded but thick sweater, before you roll on your socks and grab your boots as you make your way out of the room.

Downstairs, you hear the hiss of running water from the kitchen. You knock on your way in and let your eyes wander over the generous baskets of produce and the breakfast spread on the kitchen island.

Gabriel, the Dutton’s personal chef, looks over his shoulder from where he is washing produce in the sink.

“Good morning. Since when have you been back?” 

You shuffle into the kitchen, the scent of fresh herbs and wet vegetables washing over you.

“Few days ago. D’you have any coffee?”

He dries his hands on the towel hanging from his shoulder, offering a quick smile. 

“Definitely. Why don’t you grab some breakfast, too?” He gestures towards the breakfast spread, the eggs still steaming.

“God bless you, Gator,” you murmur and take a seat at the wooden kitchen island. As you lean onto the smooth wooden counter, the smell of bread and butter fills your nose. You spy a leftover plate from what must have been Lee's breakfast.

You reach for a thick slice of bread to pile some eggs on. Just as you chew on your first bite, your travel mug is set down next to your arm. You open your eyes to Gator's scrutinizing look and wipe some butter from the corner of your lips to your mouth.

“Jesus, girl, when’s the last time you ate?”

You hum and swallow before reaching for the coffee.

“Don't ask. Wasn't your food, anyways," you mutter before continuing to scarf down your breakfast with quick, eager bites.

Gator sighs and lingers at the counter.

"Well, I'm glad you're back to appreciate it. Lee just scarfs down everything and leaves. Don't get me started on the others."

You wipe your hands off on your pants and start pulling on your socks and boots. After swallowing your last bite, you meet his eye.

"Like father, like sons. They don't know how good they have it a lot of times, Gator."

You take another sip of the piping hot coffee, rolling your eyes in delight before screwing the lid shut.

"Can I leave my plate?"

"Of course. Just grab some fruit before you go."

"Thanks," you mutter. He pushes an apple into your hand and clasps your shoulder before turning back to the sink.

You bite into it and grab your mug. On your way out, you pull on your hat and jacket.

The morning air sends a shiver down your spine. On your way to the barn, you chew your bite of the apple.

Your steps are cut short when you see a shadow from the corner of your eye. The apple falls to the ground as Lee bumps into you, both of you apologizing to each other as you stop.

"Oh-sorr- Jesus Christ, kid. You look like shit."

You glare at Lee, unamused by his honest words this morning, as if you hadn't previously been aware of your greasy bedhead.

"You called me. I'm here.

"Right. Follow me." He clears his throat, awkwardly pushing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. A move that seems to be genetically imprinted on all of the Dutton kids. You drop your frown and follow Lee through the stable door.

The light inside is still dim, just a few pale yellow rays of sun manage their way through the windows, tinting everything in a gentle, warm hue that only seems to intensify the mellow fragrances lingering inside: Dry, sweet hay and musky manure, the smell of the leather saddles and warm, mellow horse fur.

It makes your heart squeeze. You missed it all, you realize, startlingly, as you look around until you find one of the horses already out of its box.

Lee gently envelops the horse's nose in his hands before walking over to its side, murmuring something soothing. The grayish gelding whinnies quietly before snorting and whipping his head towards his stomach.

"What made you call me?" you ask. Your boots click on the ground as you approach the horse you now recognize as Cisco, a young horse that had joined the herd just months ago. 

"He was sweating bullets and bein' restless when I came in." You study Cisco's eyes before opening his mouth to check his gums. When you finish, you muffle a yawn in the crook of your elbow and gently trace your hand over Cisco's neck. 

You pat it soothingly as you let your other hand glide over his side, feeling for anything unusual.

"I thought it might be Colic. But I wanted you to check now that you're back."

You hum in agreement and let your hands scan Cisco's shoulder, the crest, and his spine before reaching toward his stomach. You get a bump against your back for it, the morning air filled with the dull sound of hooves scratching against the concrete floor of the stables. 

"I'm thinking Colic is right on the money, Lee", you sigh and turn to look at him over the horse's back. "I'm going to have a look for any build-up but one of you guys has to make sure he moves around today, it will help against his stomach cramps."

Lee scratches the back of his head, already cringing openly.

"I need them out today."

"Well if you don't need me out on the pasture I can do it."

He nods and leaves with a muttered, "I'll leave you to it."

You watch him go, your hand ceaselessly repeating the back and forth on Cisco's back as you watch the first lights in the bunkhouse turn on, just in time for Lee to open the door.

You turn back, muttering some more encouragement to the sick horse before you go to work on him.

-

"Good morning."

You puff your cheeks before exhaling slowly. The air billows into small clouds in front of you.

"Mind your breathing. Use it to ground yourself, darling."

With the words, the memories of soft morning air, soft cushions on the ground and the smell of myrrh come flooding back, too.

You wish you could call her. Your throat feels tight at the thought.

"Morning."

You pull your hat a bit lower, mindful of the purple bags underneath your eyes that feel like your face is being weighed down. You roll up your whip over your elbow, fiddling with the flaying ends of it, twisting every strand.

"What's poor Cisco in for?"

The rhythmic pounding of Cisco's hooves in the sand echoes on the ranch.

"Colic."

"D'you need anything? Your case, or something?"

"It's fine, I'm almost done. Just needed to get him moving."

You click at the horse, encouraging him to keep moving. Rip's stare is burning holes in the back of your head. He kicks against the wooden post he's leaning against, grating against your already stretched-thin nerves.

"Don't you want to talk about it?"

You contain your laugh in a humorless, short huff.

But you smother the bitterness. Rip doesn't deserve your sour mood this morning. 

It might just be the sleepless nights, anyways.

"I ain't ever seen you like this, Bones."

"If you keep talking, you can run laps, next. I won't spare you the whip, either."

The high, grating sound of his whistling, and the warm laughter that follows, snap your nerves. 

You let your whip whirr through the air and precisely snap the fence next to him.

"Fuck-!"

You lift your chin, satisfied by the curses behind you as you follow Cisco with more encouraging clicks, turning with him until you can sneak a look at Rip.

The sight of his spilled coffee makes you smirk. Your eyes meet and you twirl the whip over your head again in a pretty circle.

He cusses, clutching his hat as he crouches down behind the fence, anticipating the next hit.

You don't let it come, just to see him squirm again. When he straightens up, he kicks against his coffee cup in the sand and throws another dagger of a look toward you before turning his back on you, leaving you behind, his hands no doubt balled into fists in the pockets of his jacket.

You gnaw at the raw inside of your cheek, biting at it until you can taste blood again.

-

When Lee finally returns, you watch the other farmhands file out towards the stables, too.

Rip is holding a new cup of coffee but doesn’t dare look at you.

The young farmhand next to him, however, does, chewing with his mouth open as he lets his eyes travel up, down, and up again.

It’s a whole thing with new farmhands, has been since you were twelve and suddenly nestling more weight on your hips.

He looks painfully young, dragged out of college young.

Probably the only reason he’s here anyways. Nothing fits him right, not even his silly little hat.

Except maybe for that fat grin of his.

“Who’s this pretty young thing!”, he hollers. Before you can say anything, a harsh slap is already delivered to the back of his head from Lloyd. 

You let the whip whirl over your head anyways, you have to. It’s the law. You would rather die than leave it to the men around the farm to enforce respect for you. You receive more welcome and friendly hollers that speak of admiration from the men you already know from the past few years in response. It warms your chest and you mock a curtsy before turning back to what you were doing. 

You hear Lee hiss something to the boy before nudging him along. The kid stumbles, kicking up dust.

“Dropped you some coffee at the stables, Bones!”

“Thanks, Lloyd!” 

“You need any help with the horse?”

“I’m fine! Calluses are still there!”

That makes Lee laugh and you spot John in the distance, smiling, too.

You tip your hat at the Dutton patriarch before making Cisco approach you, gently feeling for tension in his stomach again.

-

"Should I like that you're still here in the stables?"

"You better be likin' it, Lee", you grunt. Cisco huffs, twitching at the loud voices approaching.

You listen to the sound of the men filing in, putting their own horses away. You peek out from where you're braiding Cisco's mane.

"Any more medical emergencies I should know about?"

"Nah." Lee smiles at you as he passes. "How's this guy?"

"Getting the full treatment, washed and styled, ya know, stuff all of you guys could definitely use", you tease back.

He barks out a laugh in response, shaking his head as he takes his saddle into the back.

You hear Lloyd berating someone in the front, no doubt laying into a new farmhand or something.

Steps grow closer and you smile to yourself.

Lloyd is like a distant, older uncle, always with some warm, wise words he will gruffly mutter before he laughs at you, with his whole face, cheeks, and wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. 

You turn your head, ready to rib on him, too, only to find Rip shouldering his way into the box. He is crowding you, despite staying an arm's length away.

Everything in your chest shrivels up and you turn back to concentrate on what you're doing. You carefully fiddle with the hair in your fingers, taking extra care to add to your braiding, left over the middle, then right, brushing more hair into the other strands.

"Is this how it's gonna be, now? We're not talking anymore?" 

You open your mouth to answer but think better of it, biting your lip before shutting your mouth. Rip is good at this, making you argue with him until you run out of steam. He lets you take a pound of flesh until you roll over and give up.

"You look like a walking corpse."

"You're so charming, Rip."

"Stop deflecting."

"I'm not."

"You are."

God, you still fight like you are fourteen, bickering over who gets the best horse out of the stable. 

With the braid finished, there is not a lot you can do to avoid him, but you keep fiddling with the end of it for a little longer.

You hear him shifting. The heat is just rolling off of his body, permeating the air between the two of you.

"I called the Doctor. Got you some pills."

"I don't need medication, Rip. I need my fucking- goddamn peace."

"Yeah, that's just how I remember you. Wanting to be alone at all times. Real fuckin' like you."

Don't turn and yell at him, don't.

Just breathe.

Deep breaths.

You turn around to face him, uncaring of the others still milling about the stable as you get up into his face.

"Don't talk to me like that."

"It's the only way I get an answer out of you since you've returned."

You frown, still biting at your lip, tearing the skin.

"How about you just give me some space?"

"You've been so off, I'm thinking you need someone to stop giving you space", he hisses back before straightening up, his fingers scratching his jaw before he looks at you again, utterly defeated. "Just... take the pills. Talk to-" he sighs. "Talk to someone. Okay? Promise me."

His hands are warm as they gently squeeze yours before he lets them go. 

You swallow around the lump in your throat- but you can hardly feel it. It's like you're floating in the air, outside of your body, looking down on the situation happening. Rip glances over into the stables as he reaches into the inside of his jacket.

He pushes the pill bottle into your hand, making sure to fold your fingers around the plastic. The warmth of it, the sincere, searching eye contact- it snaps you right back into your body and you flinch like you have gotten whiplash.

You yank your hands out of his and flee the scene, leaving the pill bottle in the soft hay next to Rip's feet.

It's on your bedside table when you return to bed that evening.

-

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