#Sunday school activities for children
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adrond · 3 months ago
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Every week I make a Bible activity mini-magazine for the kids in church. You can download the free PDF from my blog. Coloring Pages for Kids by Mr. Adron: Free Printable Bible Activity Mini-Magazing / Bulletin for Kids, Issue 272 (coloringpagesbymradron.blogspot.com)
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queenlucythevaliant · 3 months ago
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Not necessarily disagreeing with you either, but I've been thinking about this a lot lately just in my regular life, so hopefully you'll humor me with some further thoughts:
First off-- I'm not really sure I'd call "Christian fiction" a genre. It's either a marketing category, as we've discussed, or it's a worldview within which many genres exist.
Yes, all of those genres can be done poorly or well. However, unlike with other marketing categories, when a Christian sci-fi novel is done well, it's shelved with sci-fi; if it's done poorly, it's "Christian fiction." Ditto lighter fare, for the record: the Sir Peter Wimsey books are considered mystery/thriller at my store, not "Christian fiction." I cannot think of any other category of book where this kind of winnowing takes place.
What's left in the Christian fiction section tends to be vapid and hollow not because it is Christian, or light, or cringey, but because it is fundamentally uninterested in being anything but generically Christian and is thus incapable or appealing to anyone else. Sure, I'll grant that maybe a small handful escape being winnowed out into their secular genres, but I'm not sure that I owe it to the marketing category to go hunt them down in the enormous pile of "inspirational" novels, Amish romances, and weird conspiratorial novels about the end of the age. Being wary of so-called "Christian fiction" is not elitism; it's pragmatism, and unless you're at a specifically Christian bookstore that's not gonna change any time soon.
You guys know "Christian fiction" is not a dirty word, right?
Yes, it's stereotyped as fluffy romances or hit-you-over-the-head allegories, but the genre is growing beyond that. Like any other type of book, it can be done well or done poorly, and I'd say there's a similar ratio of good fiction to dreck as there is in any other genre--Christian fiction just gets a much more critical lens applied to it by people who think any mention of faith is cringe.
There's nothing wrong with writing for an audience that mostly shares your beliefs--it can let you get more specific and realistic about what a life of faith is like and dig deeper into the details for people who are already on-board with the basics.
There's a wide range of what "Christian fiction" can do. Sometimes it tries to preach the Gospel to an audience that's already converted. But sometimes it incorporates Christian themes into a good story. Sometimes it features characters who are practicing Christians and whose faith affects how they approach the world. It can dig in to the questions and complications that come with living out ideals in an imperfect world. Someone looking for "Christian fiction" could be looking for any of those things, might just want to have a conversation with someone who shares their worldview. There's nothing wrong with that.
We shouldn't be afraid of the label. The marketing category that has come to define "Christian fiction" is not the limit of what Christian fiction can do. Don't write it off based on the stereotypes--and don't be afraid to add to the genre!
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Pairing: Russell Shaw xf!reader, Reader POV
Summary:  The last thing that you wanted was to be woken up in the middle of the night by Colter Shaw for a favor, but when he shows up toting a ruggedly handsome man with green eyes you decide to forgive him. Reader is the niece of Velma and Teddi!
Word Count: 10.3K
Warnings: I'm gonna label this one 18+ just in case I missed anything. Blood, Cleaning Out A Wound, Mentions of Allergies? Gunshots, Some Cursing, A Bit of Sexual Innuendo, Sexual fantasy/reader has active imagination, Self-deprecating Thoughts/Body Issues (reader), Mentions of Infidelity, Reader Is A Single Mom, Appearance Of Creepy-Jerk Ex Husband, Probably a Poor Description Of What It’s Like To Be A Single Mom (I tried my best, please I do not mean to offend anyone❤️), Russell Shaw might be a little bit OOC. Reader is occasionally described as "curvy."
Song Inspiration: Long As I Can See The Light By Creedence Clearwater Revival
Note: This is told from Reader's perspective. Any references to the reader is made using you or your. There is minimal use of y/n if any. I tried my best to proofread, but nobody's perfect. If you don’t like, don’t read, but if you do like, you’re my favorite! This is my first time writing for Russell Shaw, so, please be gentle. 😅
Internal monologue is in italics and is in first person.
Main Masterlist
A/N: I finally watched Tracker… Could you tell? 😂
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Sunday nights, in your opinion, were the worst.
It was like the last few moments of freedom before you were thrust into a busy work week, like the last few rays of light before the coming darkness that you barely survived with copious amounts of coffee and bloodied fingertips. Monday always loomed, but never as much as on Sunday nights.
The dull thud of your phone vibrating against your wooden bedside table grates on your ears and pulls you from the sweet precipice of sleep before you can fall into the void.
It felt as if you’d just collapsed into your bed and one look at the alarm clock on your bedside table as you blinked your bleary eyes confirmed it. It was 3:58 am, which meant you had been in bed for exactly three minutes.
You were still covered in chocolate cupcake batter, pink frosting, and rainbow sprinkles from the last six hours you'd spent in the kitchen making gluten free, sugar free, and peanut free cupcakes for a bake sale at your son’s school.
Even though you hadn't volunteered Stephanie Jacobson, or rather the wicked witch of the PTA, had cornered you in the pick-up line on Friday afternoon to remind you of your "duties as a parent" and the coming bake sale to support the building of the new gym. And then she’d handed you a list of student allergies and asked you to create something that was safe for everyone.
Taste be damned.
Why the school needed a new gym you didn't know, but the guilt that rose when Stephanie mentioned your "duties as a parent" was enough to make you say yes to whatever she asked you.
You had enough guilt already about raising your kids without a stable father figure, and the last thing you needed was guilt from a stuck up bitch in the PTA.
Stephanie reminded you of the girls in high school that used to pick at their food, the ones that knew exactly what to say to make you feel like a freak, the ones who dated the football players and spent their Friday nights wearing cheerleading uniforms and waving pom poms, and the ones who basically made everyone else's life a living hell.
Everything about her screamed superior. The flawless way she curled her perfect platinum blonde hair, the stylish clothes she wore than never seemed to have a wrinkle or a mashed carrot smeared on the pants, the supple breasts that she swore were real, a perfectly toned stomach that never seemed to change despite her having a child two months ago, and the easy way she handled all of her three children with a flourish of her left hand that housed a 6 karat diamond ring from her gorgeous husband that was so attentive, perfect, and rich that it made you feel sick to your stomach.
All of which anyone could read on her mommy blog that she'd dubbed "Little Mistakes Make Perfect Lessons," and the same blog that she'd created an empire from.
Fuck, you hated her.
Mostly because despite everything you tried you never had enough time in the day to look as flawless as she did.
Your hair never seemed to be as bouncy or perfectly styled, you never had time to put makeup on, you always had mashed carrot on your pants or some form of cheerio or baby food, as many times as you tried to carve out time for the gym you never seemed to make it, the small ring you'd once wore on your finger was sitting idle in your jewelry box upstairs where it had been for the past year after your husband of six years told you that he met someone else, and your stomach and your breasts… you didn't want to think about that right now.
You had two kids and you weren't going to pretend that it did nothing to your body, any part of your body. And as many times as you saw all the other mothers around you who were proud of the way they looked, you never had their confidence, especially not after the comments that your ex-husband had made each time the two of you finally had some time to be alone together.
But that wasn't to say you hated being a mom, you loved it, wouldn't change it for the world. It was just sometimes you wished you had a little help, that, and you wished that Mondays didn't exist. 
You groan as you reach for the phone that still vibrates desperately on your bedside table and flip it over to see who's calling before you answer it.
"Colter, why the hell are you calling me at four am?" You half moan, pulling the comforter up over your head as if that'll make Monday go away.
You'd been close to murder several times, first when you found your husband in your bed with his nineteen year-old secretary, second when your local coffee shop was out of espresso and you did your entire shift at the hospital with no coffee, and Colter Shaw waking you up at almost four in the morning was quickly becoming number three.
"Because I didn't want to wake up Emma or Luke. Can you open the door?" He replies, stating the names of your children, sounding slightly out of breath.
"What door?" You groan again, eyes still shut wishing that this was just a bad dream and Colter wasn't calling you because he needed your help… again.
"The front door. Please, I need you to let me in."
"Why are you here? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow? Did you try to call Teddi or Vel-"
"I'll explain when you come open the door."
"By doing that I'd have to get up."
"Please."
You hesitate. Colter didn't usually say please, let alone twice whenever he showed up needing your help.
You'd met him by accident.
Sure your Aunt Teddi had talked about the "rewardist" that she and your Aunt Velma worked with, but you hadn't been expecting to ever meet him. But when Colter got shot on a job and showed up at Teddi and Velma's home you'd helped patch him up. You'd been there picking up your six year old son Luke and your three year old daughter Emma, after work. Teddi and Velma watched them for you when your deadbeat ex Lance couldn't be bothered to give you the support you needed.
Which was all the time despite his continuous arguing that he was in their lives enough and if anything it was your fault that he didn't have more time with them.
Each time he said that it made you want to slam his head in the door of his brand new bright red BMW, the one he'd bought right after you found him in your bedroom plowing his secretary now girlfriend Crystal. Or as you liked to remember her, the girl who still believed that Santa Clause existed and that the U.S government was hiding him from the world.
But Colter had been hurt and it was just fate that you were there at your aunts home to pick up your kids.
Being an ER nurse meant that you knew how to patch Colter up and it wasn't long before he went on his way. That was about four months ago and since then you'd talked to him occasionally when he'd pop by at your aunts home or just to see if you could help him with something.
"Five minutes." You sigh.
This time you crawl out of bed, standing just to the side of it for a second shaking your head to clear the sleep, and grab the long sleeved blue colored duster/robe that was hanging on the back of your bedroom door. Navigating your way down the stairs in the dark as quietly as you can, while half asleep was difficult, but somehow you avoid falling to your death.
Unfortunate, because now you have to go see what Colter wants at freaking 4 am.
The second story home had been you ex-husband's idea, stated that the two of you needed "room to grow" and that the two of you were "investing in your future."
You frown at the thought.
Yeah, room to grow right into your fucking secretary.
As if you needed another blow to your self esteem, but looking at the skinny red-haired goddess that he'd traded you in for that was about as dumb as a rock had been enough to send you so low you might as well be navigating the Marianas Trench in a submarine with a Megalodon chasing after you.
Maybe that means I'd get to be with Jason Stratham.
That thought was welcome. Honestly the thought of any man was a comfort, especially in the dry spell you'd been having since -well- since you'd had Emma three years ago.
Not gonna think about that right now.
The smell of chocolate cupcakes hung heavy in the air as you crossed through the messy living room, wafting out through the open concept kitchen into the space. One look into the kitchen would show enough cupcakes to make anyone salivate, and yes maybe you'd eaten a few before going up to bed, but eating the chocolate didn't count if it was on Sunday night and you could always go to the gym tomorrow…
Yeah. Like that'll happen.
You open the front door. "Alright, somebody better be dying Colter or I swear that I'll-" You stop mid-sentence when you take in the scene on your porch.
Colter is standing there, looking worse for wear. His usual black jacket is gone, he's got a black eye and a scrape along one of his perfect cheekbones, but that's not who you're looking at.
Colter isn't alone.
There's a man leaning heavily on Colter, his muscular right arm is thrown across Colter's shoulders and due to the fact that the man is a little bigger than Colter, he's buckling slightly under his weight. The man is wearing a green army jacket that is soaked around his left shoulder in blood, his dark hair is falling long into his bearded face, and his skin is a few shades paler than it should be. But that doesn't make him any less handsome.
The man still manages to throw you a sly grin, brilliant green eyes shining beneath the strands of his dark hair. "I think you got your wish sweetheart."
"You're not dying Russell." Colter sighs as if he's annoyed. "Hi." He directs at you.
You do feel a little bit bad about saying that now, but you shake it off.
"What the hell happened?" You say as loud as you dare and pull the front door further open so Colter can drag the man, now named "Russell" into your home.
"Shoot out." Colter breathes. "Where do you want him?"
"Kitchen table." You say trying to reach for Russell's left arm to help Colter, but he groans low under his breath and you retract your hand.
"You've got to be a little gentle with me sweetheart." Russell laughs more to himself, but it comes out in a choked sound. "But you can have me wherever you want."
"Colter, he needs to go to the hospital." You say, following behind them, keeping your voice down. "I don't think that I can-"
"Can't, they'll report it. They have to report all gunshots, you know that." Colter grunts, helping Russell lay back on the large kitchen table. "Why are there so many cupcakes in here?"
"Bake sale at Luke’s school." You clip while waving a hand and looking down at Russell who is laying on the kitchen table.
You can't deny that he's attractive, even in this condition. Russell has the perfect ruggedly handsome features that would make the smartest girl stupid and combined with the piercing green eyes that shine beneath the hair that's fallen forward into his face, even you could see yourself being susceptible to his charm.
Fuck.
Deep down you know that Colter is right, that if he did go to the hospital they'd be required to report it and that meant police and an official report. You figured that it was the last thing that Colter wanted.
Then again the guy has so many marks on his record already. You eye the man on your kitchen table. Russell kinda looks like he would have a few marks too.
"Don't want who did this to find him." Colter clarifies.
"So instead you brought him to my house where my children are?" You cross your arms over your chest.
The fear that whatever Colter and Russell had stumbled upon following behind them to your home made a cold trickle of fear race down your spine.
"We weren't followed." Colter soothes. "I promise I'd never do that to you. And I've got Bobby doing a trace to make sure they don't come close."
He actually looks a little hurt that you'd think that of him. Colter was a lot of things, but uncaring was not one of them.
You relax, but don't apologize despite the guilt swimming in your gut. "Fine. Give me a second." You leave the room to find the first aid kit in the hall closet, the same one that you'd made for your aunts to keep at their house if Colter showed up in the middle of the night with this exact problem. You'd even been involved enough to show your aunts how to deal with a gunshot wound if you weren't there.
When you get back in the room, Colter is removing Russell's jacket, and Russell grits his teeth when it jostles his left arm.
You set down the kit and reach for the bottom of Russell's shirt to pull it up off him, and he chuckles.
"Aren't you going to buy me a drink first? Better yet we could have a few bottles of my home brew-"
"She's not going to help you, if you annoy her." Colter interrupts.
"I told you that I didn't need anyone's help, I'm perfectly fine- ow!" Russell exclaims when you accidentally yank the shirt over his left arm. "Your bedside manner is a little lacking." He grunts, but his eyes still twinkle with humor.
"Too bad. I'm tired and I've been making chocolate cupcakes for the past six hours, so you get what you get and you don't throw a fit."
"What?" Russell grins at the rhyme that you often tell your children.
You shake your head, and drop your eyes to his chest. There are two perfect circles on his right upper pectoral muscle, but not high enough to reach the collarbone and one in his left bicep where blood seeps around the bullets, but truthfully you're trying not to notice how perfectly muscular he is. There are dark splashes of tattoos against his skin, swirling around other scars that resemble slashes and bullet wounds that you wish to drag your fingertips across to study each mark, to memorize each one beneath the soft pads of your fingers.
How is he just as beautiful covered in blood?
You clear your throat to focus back at the task at hand, examining the current wounds. "Okay. The good news is that the one on your arm is through and through, but these two," Your hand hovers over the two on his right upper chest. "I've got to extract the bullets. Which means that this is going to hurt."
"Been through worse sweetheart."
Your eyes scan the rest of his scarred muscular chest thoughtfully. "Yeah, you have." You murmur it more to yourself than to Russell, but he still grins.
Colter's phone rings shrilly in the kitchen and he groans. "One second. Try not to make her want to kill you Rus."
"No promises little bro."
Oh, so this is Colter's brother.
You'd heard little bits and pieces about Colter's brother, mostly second hand from your Aunt Velma. One of the best things about going over to Teddi and her home was sitting in the living room and hearing Velma gossip about everything she heard from Teddi while drinking wine and eating fancy cheese that you could never afford.
Russell Shaw was no exception.
"Alone at last." Russell says with a wink. "I didn't think he'd ever leave."
"I'm going to get some water to clean these with." You reply, ignoring him, but when you turn away the end of your mouth quirks up into a smile.
He wasn't what you were expecting based on all the rumors that you'd heard from both of your aunts, in fact, you thought he was kind of charming.
You roll up your sleeves and wash your hands before turning back to Russell. He's sitting up on your kitchen table, hands braced on his sides, with his legs spread wide apart. He doesn’t look like someone with three gunshot wounds, and you wonder if this is a regular day for him. Colter certainly didn't get shot that much.
"So are you a rewardist too?" You ask standing between his legs and trying not to focus on the warmth of his breath against your collar bone.
"Naw. I work for a private security contractor." He breezes.
"Oh." You swallow, looking up into his green eyes for a minute. They're even more beautiful up close, green with flecks of gold around the iris that flicker in the light like stars. "Is it okay if I touch you?"
"You don't gotta ask me that sweetheart, the answer will always be yes."
You flush and brace your hand on his left shoulder, before pouring water into the two wounds on the right side of his chest, trying to clean them the best you can before you extract what's left of the bullets. His skin is warm and smooth beneath the palm of your hand and it's difficult to focus.
Just pretend you're in the hospital and you're treating a patient. You take in a shallow breath. He's just a patient and he's not that good looking.
You know you're lying to yourself, but you were trying your best. It probably didn’t help given the current dry spell you were in or the fact that he even smelled good. Something like gunpowder, leather, and a hint of something spicy that you bet was his shampoo. It prickled under your nose, and activated something in the back of your mind that was having a hard time being quiet. You hadn't been this close to a man you found attractive in a long time.
"Okay. This is going to hurt." You say as you look through the small medical kit that you'd grabbed from the hall closet for the tweezers, trying to calm the thudding of your heart.
"It's okay." Russell replies. "Do what you have to baby. I won't stop you."
You weren't prepared for the warmth that bloomed in the pit of your stomach when he called you baby in the wonderfully rough rumble of his voice.
A voice like that could convince me to jump into a pit filled with alligators with no regrets. Fuck. I'd bet that a voice like that could make me- FOCUS. I will focus. He is Colter's brother and he just got shot. He doesn't need you lusting over him.
Extracting the bullets is as painful for you as it is for him. Watching the way his face scrunches up in pain hurts you more than you thought it would. His hands grip the rim of the wooden kitchen table so hard that they're turning white, and Russell's jaw is clenched so tight that you're afraid that it's going to snap.
You squeeze his left shoulder to give him some comfort. "Almost done." You murmur, searching for the second bullet.
Russell lets out a breath when you finally fish out the other bullet and drop it into an empty cup with a resounding "ping" just as Colter walks back into the room looking worried.
"What?" Russell asks him, looking over your head at his brother.
"That was Bobby. He said that the trace we put on the phone just got a hit a few miles north of here." Colter states. "I'm gonna go check it out."
"Alright, I'll come with." Russell starts to get up, but you push him back with your right hand that you've still got pressed against his left shoulder. Difficult given the fact that he was almost twice the size of you and broader than anyone you'd ever seen. And also difficult because of the way you were trying to ignore how good it felt to feel the pull of his muscles beneath your hand.
"No. You still need stitches and I haven't finished patching you up." You clear your throat, but it still sounds a little hoarse.
"Baby as much as I like you ordering me around-“
"It's alright Russell, I've got this. Just stay here and let her take care of you." Colter interrupts.
Russell frowns at his younger brother. "I'm fine."
"You're not." Colter rolls his eyes. "Stay here. I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up." He turns to look at you. "I'm sorry that we woke you up-"
"It's okay." You shrug. "But you owe me."
"Just add it to my bill." Colter smirks.
Honestly, you weren't as angry as you were when you answered the phone. Something about Russell was different and you didn’t mind helping him at all.
He wasn't like anyone that you had ever met, certainly not in the circles you ran with.
All the dads from your mom friends were blue and white collar workers who worked in the big office buildings downtown, wore suits to work and were more straight-laced, but there was something refreshing about Russell.
He was mysterious, sexy, and his had this aura of self-resilience and survival that you found immensely attractive. Especially when compared to your ex, who couldn't survive without his mocha-caramel double shot latte or wifi.
Russell was the exact opposite of him and you found yourself wanting to know more. More about the almost beautiful scars that curved over his muscular body, more about each tattoo that he’d chosen, and more about him.
He seemed like the kind of guy that hid his trauma under easy smiles and jokes, the kind of person that shrugged off anything that seemed remotely serious with a well placed joke, but you could feel that there was something deeper beneath that he didn’t allow many to see.
And you wanted him to show you.
You weren't sure where any of this was coming from. Russell probably was about as stable and consistent as his brother, and you liked consistency. Spontaneity and surprises tended to make you anxious. But not with Russell.
Though the stability might have been an issue. You were a single working mother, which meant that you didn't want to introduce some random guy into your children's life just to have them get attached and him to bail with no strings attached and-
Calm down. You just met the guy, it's not like he's asking you out on a date.
When Colter leaves and after you’ve cleaned around the wounds the best you can with some alcohol, you realize just how quiet it is in your kitchen.
“You know, I think I’ve seen you before.” Russell says breaking the silence while you search for a needle and thread in the medical kit.
“Really? Where?" You ask looking up.
“In my dreams.”
“Wow." You smile at him. "That line is pretty cheesy."
You shift your right hand over to begin to sew up the wounds on his chest. Russell doesn't even wince when you push the needle through, almost as if he didn't notice it at all.
It made sense, given how many scars and tattoos covered his body. You remember what he said about "being through worse" and it made you feel bad for him, to worry about him. Odd given the fact that the two of you had just met.
"Well I'm a little distracted at the moment sweetheart. It's not often that I get such a beautiful woman to take care of me."
"I thought you didn't need my help?" You smirk.
"Maybe I did." He admits sheepishly.
"Mhmm."
"So how do you know my brother?"
“Why?”
“Trying to see if you’re off limits or not.” Russell tilts his head to the side and flashes a charming smile.
You laugh at his boldness. You’d never met someone so upfront before, it was refreshing. Most of the men you’d meet occasionally at work tended to beat around the bush and made you want to give them a map to get to the point. "We met when he got shot a few months ago."
"Oh so the two of you aren't-" He wiggles his eyebrows and you snort.
"No."
"Huh."
"What?"
"I was just wondering why not?"
"What?"
"Well, you're gorgeous, you're smart, and you're not scared of blood or gunshots. Colter really seems to be dropping the ball."
"Colter doesn't exactly have a stable lifestyle. And I'm kind of complicated."
You were, there wasn't any way around it.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because I've got two kids."
Russell blinks in surprise. "Really?"
"Mhmm." You hum continuing your task, not phased by the blood at all.
His eyes trace your figure for a minute, making a shiver travel down your spine. It was the first time in a long time that you were okay with someone looking at you like that and to be honest, the first time that you wanted someone to look at you like that in a while.
After everything that happened with your ex-husband and his secretary you were more inclined to sit on your couch with a glass of wine and read away your troubles with a steamy romance novel that did more for you than any of your ex-husband's attempts to satisfy you. It also didn't help that you had no interest in going out with your few friends and meeting someone at a club who probably would never call you again and probably wouldn't be as enthusiastic to learn that you were a mom.
You'd only been on one date since you'd broken it off with your husband with your aunts accountant Jerry, and the date stuttered to a halt when he learned you had two children and weren't interested in having an open relationship.
"I wouldn't have guessed that."
“Really? The mountain of chocolate cupcakes wasn’t a clue?” You arch an eyebrow with a smirk, while gently tying off the string to close the first wound before moving on to the second.
“I thought you just really liked baking. And I’m okay with coming home every night to a mountain of chocolate cupcakes if it means you’re there too.” He winks.
“Not sure you want any of those.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because they’re gluten free, sugar free, and nut free.”
The horrified look on Russell’s face makes you feel like you’d just told him that hot dogs do in fact contain trace amounts of dog.
“Why on earth would you make them like that?! They're not even cupcakes anymore!" He exclaims.
You found it funny that he seemed more upset over the mutilation of the chocolate cupcakes than over being shot.
Maybe he's always like this?
"I know. I'm a monster." You sigh. "But Stephanie Jacobson said I had to." You let out a frustrated sigh with her name.
Bringing anything other than what she asked for was a suicide mission. The last person who did that was Gale Smith in the great Fourth of July Cook-out calamity of 2021. In Gale's defense, no one though that the bushes would catch fire so fast, but Stephanie had a memory like an elephant so Gale decided to transfer her children to the school one town over. The last thing you wanted was for your name to go down in history for the Cupcake Catastrophe of 2024.
Russell leans forward and lowers his voice like it's a secret. “Is Stephanie your imaginary friend?”
“No!” You laugh. “She’s this other mom at my son’s school who said I wasn’t living up to my ‘duties as a parent’ and that I needed to ‘participate.’”
"She sounds great."
"Oh yeah, we're practically best friends." You continue to work on the other wounds in the silence that follows.
"I bet you're a good mom." Russell says watching you with an unreadable expression. He's leaning a little bit towards you still, making the smell gunmetal, leather, spice, and just a hint of mint come through the space between the two of you.
Damn he smells really good.
"Uh-huh. You've known me for ten minutes and you haven't seen me with my children-"
"I can tell."
"Is that your superpower or something?" You reach for a bandage to lay over the wound in his chest smiling to yourself. "All the other useful superpowers like being bulletproof got taken?"
"I don't think it's useless if it makes you smile like that when I say it, sweetheart."
Your eyes flick upwards to Russell's face. His green eyes are shining in the light of your kitchen, his dark hair still hanging over his forehead, and he is still just as ridiculously handsome as he was the moment Colter dragged him through your front door. You don’t remember why you were so mad at Colter anymore.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're too smooth for your own good?" You raise your eyebrow.
"No ma'am." Russell cracks an even wider smile and it makes you loose all feeling in your legs. He was just so effortlessly handsome that it made you want to do something stupid, like have sex with him on top of the same kitchen table that you serve blueberry pancakes to your children.
"Hmm." You bite the inside of your cheek. "Well, now you know and maybe now that you're aware, it could prevent you from getting shot."
"Are you saying I got shot because I'm too smooth?"
"Maybe."
"Because usually it has a different effect."
"Huh. Well in that case, maybe try using some of that to smooth things over and you'd avoid getting shot." You begin to wrap another fresh bandage around the bullet wound on his arm, bracing your free hand against his chest, trying to ignore the way his skin is warm and chiseled beneath your palm.
He had the kind of body that you'd never imagined actually existed. Russell Shaw looked like he walked out one of the romance novels you loved so much.
Hell, they should use pictures of him to make the book covers.
"I'll remember that next time." Russell pauses. "But then it means I wouldn’t get shot and I wouldn't get to have you patch me up."
"I guess not."
You didn't think that you'd smiled as much as you had in the past twenty minutes with him than you had your entire five year marriage. Not to mention that it was nice to talk to someone who wasn't trying to convince you why they should be allowed to have a cookie before dinner.
A charged silence passes through the air between the two of you, his eyes locked on yours sending goosebumps over your skin. You weren't sure if anyone had ever looked at you like that before. You'd noticed that most gave you the obligatory skate over, but Russell didn't. He looked at you as if he was studying you as if he were genuinely curious to know more. 
Your eyes trace his broad shoulders, toned abdomen, and muscular arms, noting that he's the kind of strong and broad that was made to handle someone a little more curvy like you. And you'd be lying if you said that you hadn't thought about it more than once since Russell came through your front door.
You felt your mind sink into the fantasy of Russell pining you to the kitchen table and feeling the warmth of his rough hands against your body-
Snap out of it. The guy is bleeding, he got shot. He needs to rest.
"I think you'll survive." You smile pulling back from him to clear your head. It was much easier when you couldn't smell him as strongly. "And if Colter isn't going to be back for a few hours you can crash on the couch. It's not the most comfortable but-"
"I'm sure it's fine." Russell shrugs and stands from your kitchen table.
You try and fail to ignore how his muscles pull with the movement as he reaches for his shirt and you step forward to help him put it on, knowing that it might hurt with his injury. "Okay." You clear your throat, that has become thick all of a sudden. "And if you're hungry I've got plenty of cupcakes-"
"Please don't call them that. They're an disgrace to the cupcake name."
"Yeah, but the ones in the microwave are actually cupcakes. I had to make a few that were edible." You gesture with your hand and laugh at how quickly Russell goes to get one.
He doesn’t even bother to pull away the wrapping before he takes a bite and he audibly moans. Russell looks at you awestruck. "Holy shit, you made this? Where have you been all my life?"
"Shut up." You roll your eyes at him.
"I'm serious, this cupcake is my reason to keep living. Here I thought putting sriracha on French fries was the height of cuisine, but damn."
You could feel yourself blush bright red at his compliment. You weren't used to a man going out of his way to compliment you on something other than how you looked, but everything about Russell Shaw was refreshing and nothing like you expected.
"Thank you." You wait another second, watching him eat more of the cupcake and smash icing and flecks of chocolate over his chin. You laugh at him and hand him a paper towel. "You're worse than my three year old."
"Your three year old is a lucky kid, if she’s got a mom like you to make stuff like this for her."
It's like he wants me to fall in love with him. How can someone look so unbelievably cute and sexy while covered in chocolate cupcake?
Don't answer that.
"Sometimes I think I'm the lucky one. I love my kids-" You say before you can stop yourself. You hesitate afraid that it would send Russell for the hills when you brought up the fact that you loved your children.
"Yeah?" Russell's smile brightens as he wipes his face with the napkin.
"Yeah." You blink mildly shocked. Of all the people in the world to talk about your children with, you never expected someone like Russell Shaw. “I do."
Again he was surprising you, and talking to him was just so refreshing and it made you feel like your head had finally cleared, like your chest was lighter and you could actually talk to someone for real without putting out this together image of yourself you thought you had to when inside you were crumbling from the overbearing expectations of the people around you.
The silence is back, filling the kitchen with a palpable energy that you wonder if Russell can feel, but you shake it off.
"I guess I'll see you in the morning. It was nice to meet you Russell, but I'm sorry that you got shot." You smile.
"I'm not." Russell smiles. "I got to meet you."
"Alright Casanova, I need to go to bed, because my kids will wake me up in about two hours." You frown over at the couch. "There's a pillow and a blanket down the hall in the bathroom closet." You gesture with one hand. "I'll see you in the morning." You repeat because you're not too sure what to say.
"Yeah. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
You turn and walk up the stairs to your bedroom, feeling the thin blue robe swishing around your ankles as you do.
And as you fall into your bed all you can think about as you start to drift is the ruggedly handsome man downstairs, with the brilliant green eyes that crinkle with his smile, and the large hands rough from hard work, that seems to be more than what meets the eye.
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The alarm clock on your bedside table might as well be employed by the devil for waking you up and the idea of smashing it to bits with the heavy metal table lamp that sits beside it crosses your mind. You weren't sure how many hours you'd gotten in, only that they weren't enough, and you were in desperate need of coffee.
You roll over on your back, looking up at your ceiling as you blink your eyes open, following the familiar sweeps of the paint brush that were left behind.
The memory of the night's events come back in full color and you stiffen remembering exactly why you'd gone to bed so late. Images of last night flash through your mind. Colter dragging a bloodied Russell through your front door, Russell sitting on your kitchen table looking much too attractive covered in blood, him flirting with you with a wide smile that made you feel warm from the inside out…
Oh fuck he's still on my couch. How am I going to explain that to my kids?
You dress in a flash and stumble down the stairs as quickly as you can, tripping and falling into the living room, but when you look you realize that Russell isn't on the couch. The pillow and brightly colored quilted blanket he used are neatly folded on one of the plush cushions, but he's nowhere to be found.
I guess Colter came to get him.
You weren't expecting the wave of disappointment that comes with that realization, but as you turn to go back up the stairs to ready yourself for the day, you hear your daughter’s voice.
"Mommy!" She says. "Look! Rus is making pancakes."
What?
You turn to investigate your spacious kitchen. It was still covered in an alarming amount of cupcakes, but that’s not what’s surprising, what’s surprising is Russell, standing at your crowded stove with a spatula in his hand, sliding a perfectly golden brown pancake around in the bottom of a pan.
You blink your eyes to make sure that you’re not imagining it and make sure that you’re not asleep.
"Hey gorgeous." Russell flashes a wide grin. "How'd you sleep?"
"Um-" You glance at where your daughter is sitting with your son, both eating stacks of pancakes at your kitchen table, the same kitchen table that you were fantasizing about Russell and you-
Nope. Not going there.
Honestly, any fantasy you had about him was blown away by the sight of him standing in your kitchen making pancakes for your children. Something so domestically wonderful that turned you on even more than the image of him shirtless sitting on your kitchen table.
This was something even your husband refused to do, cook. Any day that you tried to get him to, he'd said that it was your "job." And here Russell was standing in your kitchen looking even more effortlessly gorgeous cooking for your family without being asked.
"I sleep good. How did you sleep?" You ask taking a hesitant step towards him.
"Good. Better than I have in a bit actually." He turns back to the pan and flicks his wrist, flipping the pancake inside.
Emma claps happily and Luke watches Russell with a look of absolute awe on his face, while you try not to have impure thoughts about Russell in front of your children.
"You didn't have to make breakfast-"
"I did." He plates the pancake and holds it out to you. "I wanted to thank you for patching me up."
"It wasn't a big deal." You shrug, but take the pancake from the plate, rolling it up like a taco before you take a bite.
Russell cocks his head to the side studying you for a moment. "It was to me." His green eyes are just as hypnotic today as they were last night, tracing over your body in a way that makes pins and needles tickle over your skin. "Plus, wanted to make the kids something that wasn't gluten free, nut free, and sugar free. Emma sure can put away some pancakes."
It was odd to see someone so eager to make himself comfortable in your house, especially a man you barely knew and who you owed absolutely nothing to. Not to mention that Russell genuinely seemed happy to be making breakfast for your children as if he belonged there.
It was so different from every other man that you'd ever met, and you wanted to get used to it. You wanted to get used to having a man around again, to having Russell in your home and in your life. You'd never been spontaneous or wanted to jump headfirst without looking at the pros and cons, but watching Russell standing at your stove, with the sunlight coming through the windows behind him and illuminating his broad shoulders and sifting through his dark hair, you saw absolutely no downside.
"Yeah she's always had a good appetite."
"Hope she doesn't lose that. I hate it when women don't eat." Russell shrugs his shoulders and goes back to make a pancake for himself. "Plus Luke needs to bulk up. He said his dad is going to sign him up for baseball."
You stiffen at the mention of your ex, not sure if you should supply the information, or if you should let it slide. Russell's eyes flick down at your left hand for a half-second, so quickly you could have missed it, but you understood what he was doing.
"He's my ex-husband." You murmur low enough so only Russell could hear.
"Good." Russell replies with a knowing smirk. "Means that I don’t have any competition."
You roll your eyes at his reaction and walk over to where your children are eating. Luke is covered in maple syrup as per usual. He had always been a messy eater, but because he insisted on having his hair cropped short, it never seemed to be too much of a problem.
Just as Emma looks like your ex-husband, Lance, Luke looks like you. He has the same eyes and same colored hair, but he'd always been a little short for his age. Lance usually picked at him for that, but you didn't know what Lance was expecting, Luke was six years old, he'd grow!
"Good pancakes?" You ask, trying to wipe at his face with a napkin but he pulls away with an exclaimed "Mom!"
"What? You're covered in syrup." You laugh, raising the napkin again, but Luke dodges your hand.
"Mom!" Luke says again.
"Alright, fine. But go get dressed, your dad will be here to pick you up any minute." You say, urging him with a hand against his shoulder.
Today Lance was taking Luke to school and picking him up after for a baseball game, before staying with him at his apartment. You’d told your Aunt Teddi and your Aunt Velma that you'd help them plant a garden today, and Emma had been looking forward to it as much as you had.
Velma had been talking about it all through last week, and you’d gotten the day off specifically off for it. Emma was also excited about it because Teddi had bought flowers specifically for butterflies and your daughter loved them more than life itself.
You were looking forward to working out in the sun, feeling the healing rays against your skin, listening to the sounds of the world outside your aunts familiar home soothe you, play with the dogs for a little bit, and finally go inside for a few glasses of wine while Velma, Teddi, and you talked about the book of the month. Book club nights were especially special for Emma as well. Velma always poured Emma's apple juice into a plastic pink wine glass that she'd bought for Emma so she could feel included.
This book had been really good and you couldn't wait to share what you'd thought while eating expensive cheese and cupcakes and while the dogs circled below like raptors.
You loved being at their home. It was always such a comfort to be somewhere where you felt that you could be yourself especially after Lance left you. Your mother had died when you were a kid and your dad had never been equipped to handle things like that so your Aunt Teddi had picked up the slack in your early years and now after she'd married Velma, you had another person in your life who supported you and made you feel like you could be yourself. Both of them had been furious when they learned about what Lance had done and sat with you while you cried into a box of tissues.
It had been difficult to talk them both out of killing Lance. Surprising since your Aunt Teddi was usually the voice of reason.
Luke sighs, but listens to you, getting up from the table to make his way upstairs. You can hear his footsteps as he walks down the hallway above and into his room.
Despite his reluctance, he was looking forward to today as well. Sometimes you thought that he felt left out when you all went over to your aunts house. You knew that Luke longed for the attention of his father, and something broke inside of you each time your ex-husband made him feel forgotten.
You turn to look at your daughter. "Good pancakes?"
"Yes!"
"Did you tell Russell thank you?"
"Thank you Rus!" She sing-songs with a wide smile, before moving her plastic fork back into the pile enthusiastically.
"You're welcome sweetheart." Russell says from the stove, picking up the pancake in the skillet bare handed before he puts a generous stripe of maple syrup along the inside and rolls it up just like you did. "Do you want another one?" His gaze turns to you, warm and open.
Fuck, why is he so damn attractive?
"No I'm-"
The knock on the front door interupts your answer signifying the arrival of Lance. When he'd moved out of the house you'd changed all the locks and then refused to give him a key. Something that he'd pouted and stomped about worse than your toddler, but you'd held firm. You didn't want him in your house and you definitely didn't want her in your house either.
"Daddy!" Emma squeals and before you can stop her, she leaps from her chair like she'd been shot from a cannon and runs down the front hallway to open the door for your ex.
You sigh out a breath to prepare yourself for what comes next. Talking to Lance was always tense and as much as you tried to be civil, Lance didn't. He didn't pull punches, and often lacked the common decency that everyone else had.
Russell's studying you again, his easy smile slipping into a frown when he notes the change in your attitude.
"Stay here. This shouldn't take long." You force a smile, but it lacks the enthusiasm you’d had whenever you talked to Russell before.
Sometimes just the thought of your ex took the energy out of you, as if you were on a space ship and all the air got sucked out into the cold silent vacuum.
Lance is standing on the front step hugging your daughter with one hand while the other holds his phone behind her head, his gaze intently on the screen while Emma chatters in his ear. He's not paying attention though. He never was and never did.
His black hair is slicked back over his head and cropped shorter than the last time you saw him. Now it barely touches his collar but hangs long over the top of his head. His brown eyes glint an amber in the light of the sun, and he’s wearing a tailored blue suit with a dark patterned tie.
“Hey.” Lance clips to you as he stands, releasing Emma who is still trying to talk to him, but he ignores her.
You grind your teeth together. “Hi.”
He sighs audibly sensing the tension, as if it’s you that’s done something wrong.
“Emma, why don’t you go finish your pancakes?” You smile down at your daughter and pat her on the head. “We’ve got to go soon.”
“Okay! Bye daddy!”
“That’s nice honey.” He says absentmindedly, still typing furiously on his phone, while Emma rushes back down the hallway and into the kitchen, that is hidden from view of the front door.
“You know you could put the phone down for once. The world won’t implode if you wait a few seconds to answer a text.” You say.
“Don’t start.” Lance rolls his eyes.
The BMW idling at the curb catches in the early morning sunlight and you see a flash of red-hair. Crystal is in the passenger seat, her auburn hair piled on top of her head effortlessly, her lips painted a dark colored red, there’s a pair of heart shaped sunglasses over her eyes, and she’s wearing black dress low cut enough that her ample breasts spill out through the wide V.
She peers at you from where she sits in the car, her phone perched in her lap, and you watch her dark colored lips twitch into a knowing smirk when she catches you looking at her.
Each time you saw her was like taking a punch to the gut.  It made you pull your oversized sweater a little tighter over your chest self-consciously.
“I’m not starting anything. I’m just saying that you should pay more attention to-“ You begin, but Lance interrupts.
“I don’t want to do this with you. I have a deposition due today and I have to finish sending this email.” He snaps.
“Fine.” You sigh, trying to remain calm. You hated when he did this, when he made it seem like no one and nothing else was important except his job. “Luke is getting ready. I have to box up these cupcakes for a bake sale at the school. All you have to do is drop them off and tell-“
“Oh sorry babe. Can’t do the thing today.”
You bristled when he called you babe. You weren't his, not after everything the two of you had been through.
“What do you mean you can’t do the ‘thing’ today?” You plant your hands on your hips trying to comprehend what he's saying.
“With the kid. Sorry. Crystal made plans for us at some fancy restaurant or whatever. Supposed to be the best in the city-“
“What?”
“I can’t take the kid today.” He repeats slowly, this time looking up, but he doesn’t bother to apologize, and his gaze barely meets yours before he drops his eyes back to the hand clutched in his perfectly manicured fingers.
“But you promised Luke that you were going to take him to a baseball game today after school. That he was going to get to spend the night with you and-“
“Sorry.” The apology isn’t sincere and you know it, despite Lance’s attempts to drop his smile into a sympathetic frown. It comes across as more condescending.
Crystal honks the horn of the car as if to tell Lance to hurry up, and it takes a very large amount of effort for you not to flip her the bird.
“No. Luke has been looking forward to this all week! Not to mention I had to ask off for today specifically-“
“And I’ll apologize to him too.” Lance goes back to typing something on his phone. “This dinner means a lot to Crystal-“
“I don’t give two shits what means a lot to that red-haired bimbo!” You snap, the rage and frustration building in your chest. “You made a promise to your son to take him to a baseball game and actually spend time with him and that’s exactly what you’re going to do!”
Lance looks up from his phone, his eyes narrowing. “You always fucking do this.”
“Do what?”
“Pick a fight.”
“I am not picking a fight Lance. All you’ve done since you’ve shown up here is ignore your daughter and tell me that you’re backing out of the one thing I’ve asked you to do in months!”
“I told you that I have a meeting and a deposition due today! Damn it, what do you want from me? To quit my big job that pays for this house?” He steps forward towering over you. Lance was taller than you, but he had always been lanky and thin, unable to gain too much weight or muscle at a time. “Why do you find the need to make me feel like my life isn’t important?”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything about your life! I’m talking about our son’s life-“ You shout incredulous.
“This is exactly why I got out when I did. Because you always try to control every little thing. You’re so damn OCD that if I did one microscopic thing that wasn’t apart of your ‘special plans’ you’d spontaneously combust! You never just shut your big mouth and let me just fucking live my life! You never let me feel like a man! And Crystal understands-“
“Crystal can’t even understand that pickles were once cucumbers! I doubt she can understand whatever warped reality you’re living in Lance.” You spit. “But I’m sorry that me asking you to be a part of our children’s lives is too much for you. That it’s such a chore for you to make them happy.” The frustrated tears had begun to burn against your eyes.
You didn’t know why you expected anything different. Lance had been doing this since your son was born, putting his career above everything else, working late, schmoozing whoever he could, being so damn selfish that he was willing to throw everything the two of you built together for the woman sitting in the car on the curb watching the two of you go at it with a sick satisfaction.
“Don’t fucking do that!” Lance roars and this time he slams his hand against the door frame so roughly that the glass inside shakes and you flinch. “I don’t know why I even try to talk to you. So why don’t you get your big ass up those stairs and-“
“Is there a problem?” Russell’s voice interrupts whatever Lance was going to say, his body sliding into the space behind you so suddenly that you didn’t hear him walk up.
But it felt good for him to be there, to feel the warmth of his body through the air at your back.
He places his hand on the door to open it up a little wider and to seem a bit more intimidating. Russell is easily taller and broader than Lance.
Lance looks up at him confused, puffing out his chest to look more intimidating. “Who the fuck are you?”
 “Maybe you shouldn’t use that kind of language around the kids-“ Russell says with a tight lipped smile.
“They’re my fucking kids. Don’t tell me how to talk.” Lance’s gaze flicks to you. “Who the fuck is this?”
“I’m Russell.” He replies before you can. “And if you know what’s good for you I’d take a few steps back from her.” Russell’s large hand gently presses against your waist, a comforting weight that you weren’t expecting, but welcome, nonetheless.
It made you feel a little bit bolder.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Lance snarls. “Is this your boyfriend? Really? You finally decided to go out with someone and that’s who you pick?”
“Look buddy, if you keep talking to her that way, we’re going to have a problem.” Russell sighs. “And I don’t want to get any blood on your fancy suit.”
“I’m not your buddy. And trust me she’s not worth the fight.” Lance sneers at you, giving you a once over that makes you want to crawl into a hole and die.
Russell’s jaw clenches tight and he takes a step forward, but you hold out your arm to stop him.
“He’s not my boyfriend and even if he was, it’s none of your business who I date!” You snap back.
Lance only shakes his head, ignoring what you’ve said. “I’m serious pal you don’t want to get involved with her. She’s fucking crazy, not to mention nothing special when it comes to se-“
The next words are lost in the sound of Russell’s fist landing against Lance’s face, the sharp crack followed by the inhuman scream of Crystal at the car. Lance stumbles back off the front step clutching a hand to his face while blood streams through his pinched fingers and over his chin.
“I warned you. Now if you keep talking, I'll make your eyes match.” Russell growls, flexing his hand.
I hope he didn’t rip his stitches.
“You son of a bitch.” Lance sputters, his hand still holding his broken nose. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!”
“It’s worth it, if it shuts you up.” He replies unfazed.
Lance’s eyes narrow with hate as he looks at you one more time, before stumbling back to his car where Crystal has begun to wail over the amount of blood coming from his nose. The car squeals down the street and out of sight, leaving Russell and you standing on your front porch. Thankfully Emma was still in the kitchen eating her pancakes and Luke was upstairs, you didn't want either of them to see Russell punch their dad.
But that didn't mean that you wouldn't mind seeing it again.
You groaned when you thought about your son. You didn’t know how on earth you were going to explain to him why his dad wasn’t going to pick him up or take him to the game.
But at the same time there was a sickening amount of pleasure that bubbled beneath the surface at the thought of Russell breaking Lance’s nose.
“Are you okay?” Russell asks turning to look at you. There’s anger still simmering beneath the surface. You’d never seen him angry in all the time he’d stayed with you. All you’d seen was the funny, easy going, guy with the gorgeous smile, but to see him like this and especially to see him angry over what had just happened…
Just when I thought he couldn’t get any more attractive.
“Yeah. I’m sorry-“
“Don’t apologize for that asshole. He shouldn’t have talked to you like that.” Russell hesitates. “Does he always talk to you like that?”
“Pretty much.”
“Damn, should have knocked a few teeth out too. He’s got to learn how to speak to a lady, especially one as beautiful as you.”
You felt your cheeks flush. You couldn’t remember the last time that someone called you beautiful and before you can stop yourself you say:
“I don’t think you’re too bad looking yourself.”
“Oh I know. You couldn’t keep your hands off me last night.” Russell’s grin makes you smile and roll your eyes at him.
Again you’re struck by how charming he is and how kind. He didn’t have to do any of the things he’d done today, but he did anyway. He didn’t have to make breakfast for your children, he didn’t have to step in when your ex-husband got mouthy, and he didn’t have to punch Lance in the face, but Russell had.
He'd done more for you in the past few hours than your husband had done in the six years you'd been married to him.
Behind where Russell's standing, Colter’s truck pulls up to idle on the curb in the same place that the BMW had been sitting moments ago, and you raise a hand in a half-wave to greet him. Colter shoots you a grin and waves back.
“Guess my ride’s here.” Russell says glancing back at his brother over his shoulder before he looks back at you.
“Seems so.” You nod. “Are you sure you don’t want me to check your stitches for you one more time before you go? I mean you probably ripped them when you punched Lance."
“Sounds like you just want to catch another peak of me without my shirt on.” Russell laughs, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Shut up.” You roll your eyes and hit him on the arm.
“Ow.”
“You’ll survive.”
“Maybe.” He’s studying you again, the sunlight turning his hair a honeyed brown and his eyes into a sharp jade. The light catches his broad shoulders and traces along his strong jaw that is covered in a healthy amount of stubble that makes him look rugged and more handsome than any man you’d ever met.
You bite the inside of your cheek. “It was nice to meet you Russell. And again, I'm sorry that you got shot."
Russell shrugs. “It was worth it. I got to meet you and I got to punch that asshole in the face so win-win.”
“You didn’t have to-“
“Yes, I did.” Russell’s jaw tightens. “You didn’t deserve any of the things he was saying about you or about the kids.”
“True.” You hesitate.
Should I ask him for his number or is that too forward?
“I’ll see you around.” Russell smiles at you one more time before making his way to his brother’s car, just as Emma joins you on the front step.
“Did daddy leave?” She sounds sad.
“Yeah. He did.” You take her small hand in yours.
“But why does Russell have to go too?” She whines.
“Because he’s going home.”
You felt a twinge in your chest watching him get into the car, knowing that you probably would never see him ever again. It made you sad to know that. You'd been interested in him and you thought he was interested in you, but he hadn't asked for your number.
Maybe he's flirty and charming with everyone.
You hide the frown that comes with that thought. Emma waves goodbye with her freehand, and Russell smiles from the passenger seat, waving back at your daughter, before he raises his gaze to yours again and winks.
Or maybe not.
When you go back inside the house, Luke is still upstairs, and instead of going up to tell him about his father, you turn to go back into your kitchen to clean up. As you near the stove, you notice a bright green piece of paper under one of the magnets on your refrigerator, fluttering slightly in the air-conditioning.
You pull it down to look.
In case you want some more pancakes or if you bake any more of those life changing cupcakes. Give me a call. -Russell.
His phone number was written under his name, next to a smiley face that made you laugh aloud to yourself.
Sunday nights were the worst, but not this time.
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A/N: Alright, I had so much fun with this one! I just had this urge to write Russell with a reader who had children and a trash man ex because why not? And I know I said it would be a one-shot… but my mind is already thinking of all the possibilities lol. Mostly because we all know I can’t really write just a one-shot 😅😂
As always thank you so much for reading! Reblogs, Likes, and Comments are not required but are always appreciated. I love hearing what y’all think!
Taglist:
@roseblue373 @livya99 @mrsjenniferwinchester
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g1rlken · 9 months ago
Note
Hi hi! For the prompts can you do 10 and 14 with Christian bales Bruce Wayne?
Prompt: chaotic married life w kids + domestic fluff
Words: 2k
Thank you sm for this req it’s so cute
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Marriage tends to change people is a superficial analysis of growing together but children sure do change routines. Especially morning routines where chaos is an understatement. Raising a child requires a village but for twins a whole army might just suffice. Vincent and William. A very pleasant blessing of two little boys in the Wayne household. However Bruce and y/n were subjected to consider just how much of peace was the cost of that blessing.
Their twins were such serene babies, toddler phase was a transition to literal devils during grade school. Getting them to do home work, go to school, eat the greens, not unleash hell…such difficult tasks.
Today like every other school morning, the parents had divided to bathe the twins in different bathrooms. When they were much younger and playful as babies bathing them in the giant bathtub where they’d just play with soap bubbles and those Amazon find bath toys was a cute activity. Nowadays, on Sundays sometimes they’d just hose them down in the garden and call it a day. It was so much more convenient for the parents and even the twins who absolutely despised bathing. Y/n bathed the older twin Vincent in the bathroom which was upstairs, Bruce downstairs with William who was a bad influence of his brother to not bathe and Alfred preparing breakfast and lunch boxes.
“Bruce!” Y/n voice shrieked from upstairs followed by a whiny cry from Vincent and he rushed to inquire, finding his wife looking for the sink holding her eyes shut.
“What happened here…?” Bruce asked as stepped inside and was immediately attacked by a plastic bottle Vincent could get his hands on as he moved frantically in the bathtub. Bruce dodged it with dad reflex thankfully.
“There’s shampoo in our eyes” Y/n briefed him and pointed at their son to go help him given she could assist herself with the sink water.
Vincent was just moving frantically in the shallow bath water shaking his head and hands splashing the water “Do something!” The boy demanded with a shrill cry.
“ Vin, calm down” Bruce urged as he bent on his knees to the bath level and held some of the running water in his hands to pour into his shampoo hurting eyes but he’d just squeezed them shut. “Open your eyes”
“I can’t! They hurt!” The boy whined and splashed the water very disruptively it went all over Bruce’s face.
“Breathe, you’re alright just breathe…open your eyes.” Bruce soothed anyways as he helped Vincent soothe the hurt by sprinkling cleaner water again, “why were you shampooing him anyways? We literally have school in an hour”
“I wasn’t but someone keeps on changing the bottles with soap and shampoo again and again” Y/n replied scoffing in obviousness as she air dried her eyes, it was Bruce who colour coded them like that in a different set of bottle at each refill. Washing hair of a seven year old who will fight a literal battle to resist it, will most definitely end up in a painful situation as such.
“It is literally so simple, white for soap and off white for shampoo” Bruce accounted for his way of arrangement as he dabbed his son’s eyes with towel, soothing his cries.
“We don’t have time to go into that discourse I’ll go pack lunch” Y/n said as she hurriedly wiped her own eyes.
“Oh Alfred’s on it…” Bruce informed her casually as Vincent’s eyes were normal again he opened them with a heavy sigh.
“Oh man I’m never using shampoo again.” The boy said dramatically and received a disapproving shake of head from his dad.
“Wait then who’s with Will?” Y/n asked about their younger twin William, whose morning crankiness were much worse.
“Uh” Bruce paused realising he’d not considered that as he’d rushed to his wife’s call for help “He was brushing his teeth”
“Alright he’s most definitely asleep again.” She sighed composing herself, leaving Vincent to get out of bath and dressed for his dad she rushed downstairs. As expected, William was fast asleep on the marble sink leaning against the wall with his legs dangling down the sink, ever since the kids learned to climb places no surface was unreachable. “Willy!” Y/n exclaimed as she carried him down the sink “William wake up come on we’ve to go to school!” She exclaimed and brushed his teeth for him hurriedly as he mumbled something about not wanting to go.
“I don’t want to…” will whined still half asleep not wanting to go because he still wanted to sleep. During vacations it was difficult to put him down to bed just absolute monkey activities all day long jumping here to there and during school days he couldn’t be bothered to brush his teeth even.
William tried to have a one sided debate about why he shouldn’t have to go to school and was eventually fully awake, much to y/n’s demise now she couldn’t manhandle and carry her son to brush his teeth and bath because now he was ready to have full sassy conversations. “You know I’m not getting in that right?” He said to his mum and gave the filling bathtub a disgusting look.
“We literally don’t have time for this please don’t bring-“ his mum started sighing as she foresaw the upcoming torment.
“What?” William said exaggerating his obviousness “I won’t be clean with gutter water”
“It’s not guttter water!” She tried to , despite being on the clock “Don’t believe everything you hear in school” she bent to her knees to match his eye level and try to convince him better “you know no ones want to sit with the kid who hasn’t bathed in 24 hours?”
“But didn’t you say people should like each other for who they are and their kindness and not what they dress and look like” Will responded smugly crossing his arms at his mum, well aware he was winning this debate so far.
Taking a deep breath to subside her annoyance of her own words biting her back, “No, that was for when you wanted to wear your ducky hat and those big kids made fun of you. Not for hygiene.”
“I don’t even know what that word means so…” he trailed off with a pout of correctness.
“Look, we’re going to be really late can you please cooperate.”
“I am awake, I brushed my teeth and I am talking to you that is enough operation on my part” William reasoned with his mom with a shrug.
“It’s cooperation.” She corrected him.
“It’s the same thing” William answered offering her mom a smile of encouragement, as if she did not know the word.
“No it’s not.” Y/n replied before she could continue Bruce’s knock on the open door averted their attention.
“He’s still not ready?” Bruce exclaimed in urgency.
“Vin?” Y/n asked about the status of the other twin as Bruce nodded and briefed her that he was with Alfred. Joint breakfast plus lunch box duties. Bruce stepped inside because clearly with his wife on his son’s eye level trying to convince him to shower seemed like she needed help.
“I literally don’t even have to go to school!” William exclaimed “I know each and every animal and I know that that water comes from sewage!” He said pointing to the bath water.
“For the hundredth time will, it doesn’t come from the sewage!” Bruce interjected with a sigh. “It’s very clean”
“So I can drink it?” William proposed raising brows at his parents.
“No” Y/n replied almost instantly, William was very fast to react she was worried he might actually try something “No you can’t drink it.”
“Why?” William demanded an answer with the hopes of his parents getting trapped in their own initial proponent that the water was not from sewage.
“Look I’m going to count to three if you don’t get in-“ Y/n began, as they were really on the clock she couldn’t reason ever so rationally.
“Hey hey no” Bruce interrupted his wife shaking his head, “We don’t do that, don’t threaten him. We have a civil conversation.”
“I’m not threatening him woah” she replied with a huff at his accusation.
“Count to three and what? Splash him?” Bruce asked somewhat wanting to have stern yet hostile approach to the kid.
“—Of course!”
“But I only have to bath if I have to go to school wight?” William enquired mispronouncing right for wight “what if I don’t? Can’t I just be homeschooled?! Dada was homeschooled.”
“Exactly, dada was homeschooled and he’s now a grown up who has no friends.” Y/n explained it to him rather unapologetically but not in a poking way to Bruce . “Do you want to be like that?”
“No that’s not true I have friends” Bruce jumped to his defence somewhat taken aback how casually his wife threw that one in, despite an apologetic smile she offered him.
“Name your two best friends then.” William investigated as he looked up at his dad with an anticipated look.
Bruce paused for a moment as he thought about it, he looked serious which made y/n wonder if he had any friends she hadn’t known of this entire time. His face seemed like he was trying to pick between his ever so large group of friends but he began, “Y/n and..” he trailed off thinking again but William had gotten his answer.
“Okay I understand now.” William said looking his mom, both of them shared a small laugh which Bruce didn’t exactly get on but at least William agreed to get in the bath.
-
Leaving Bruce to dress the boy y/n rushed outside to help Alfred with breakfast and lunch boxes, “hey hey hey” she rushed over to Alfred, where Vincent was clinging to the old man as piggy back. A very concerning sight given, not that he would fall but Alfred was rather old. “Get down from there!”
“It’s alright Miss Wayne.” Alfred said with a smile as Vincent just laughed getting favoured against his mum’s demand.
“No it’s not.” She shook her head carrying Vincent off of him and placed him on the dinning table chair, “They’re both getting way too heavy to carry.”
“I just can’t refuse them.” Alfred laughed a small laugh as he set the plates for breakfast.
“Well you should” Y/n said hurriedly as she rummaged through the cabinets to get the lunch boxes out, by then Bruce returned with a towel over will’s head. Once he sat him on the chair he rubbed his drenched hair hastily.
“No not my hair!” Vincent flinched with a scowl on his face when Bruce attempted to dry his hair as well.
“We’re late Vin, come on” Bruce refused to give into the whining at this point and dried Vincent’s hair anyways. He walked across the kitchen to help y/n reaching for the lunch box on the top shelf as she prepared one of those.
“Late?” Alfred asked as he registered the sentence “Late for what? It’s Sunday.”
“It’s Sunday today?!” Y/n asked as she turned around and her eyes winded.
“Yes.” Alfred nodded positively as he pointed to the calendar.
The parents just sighed relaxing their shoulders in regret, “wow” y/n chuckled softly as Bruce joined along comprehending his regret with the humour of it as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I did not just bathe both of them on a Sunday.” She laughed as Bruce brought her into a side hug.
“You?” He raised a brow looking down at her.
“We” she corrected herself with a smile as she gave him with a soft peck on the lips.
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kraviolis · 2 years ago
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WHY does no one think camila would be super active in her kids' lives!!!!! that she would just immediately dip from the demon realm and not go back unless necessary!!!!! she's not gonna pull a greg universe and step away from one of the most important parts of her kids' lives just because she's uncomfortable with magic!!!! shes a Noceda!!!!!
she would become good friends with all the adults in luz & vee & hunter's lives. she visits the boiling isles several times a week and hosts big family dinners at her house where she invites all of her kids' friends and parents and teachers. her home is always open to any of her kids' friends or parents, whether they need a shoulder or a friend or a break or a hot meal or even just homework help. she babysits king whenever she can find the time to and he starts calling her "mamila" and no, it doesnt make her choke up every time.
she makes a penstagram account with a cosmic frontier reference for her username to keep in close contact with her new friends and she actually knows how to use it better than hunter does. she's the first person alador goes to when he needs advice about being a parent. she has a permanent offer to stay at the owl house or at alador's home whenever she needs. she meets with gilbert, harvey, perry, steve, and raine for brunch every sunday morning.
she and principal bump meet and he is absolutely honored to meet her and he gives her the opportunity to give extracurricular after school lessons at hexside about the human version of beast-healing. she does a single lesson once a month, but does open up the chance for one or two older kids at a time to shadow her at her vet clinic for a day as a little field trip (viney always gets herself at the top of the list and becomes well known around the clinic) and she is lovingly teased by her co-workers for always picking up "strays".
she is one of the people on scene during the gathering of the guards who had all been murdered by their own creator and left to rot in the dark for decades. she doesn't have the strength in her to be one of the ones collecting the remains of all these men and boys who once had her son's face, but she stands by hunter's side and keeps him from falling to pieces and they help make sure all the golden guards all finally given a chance for peaceful rest.
she helps gus with preparing the curriculum for his classes on the human realm in eda's new school. she is there at all of the emerald entrails' flyer derby matches and wears green face paint to every single one and cheers the loudest. she's the one who takes amity to her meeting with the dean of the university of abominations when alador gets fireflu and is stuck in bed. she is the one who figures out hunter's never had a proper birthday party and quickly remedies that.
she meets the elder clawthornes and absorbs every piece of wisdom they give her as if they were her own grandparents. she learns palisman care from dell clawthorne so she can better take care of stringbean whenever luz leaves her palisman with her mom. she gets roped into learning how to carve wood by hunter during the start of his apprenticeship under dell & the bat queen.
her name ends up in the history books of the boiling isles, and not just for being known as the mother of luz the human. she becomes known for being the reason of the sudden boom in witches who focus in beast-healing and the reinvention of the entire industry on the boiling isles. she is known as one of the first people to rediscover and establish contact and fight for the protection of all the basilisks scattered across the boiling isles, who were previously thought to be extinct.
she would NOT just stand by and watch her children come and go between realms with her house serving as the port but not the embassy. she was once that very child, caught between what felt like different worlds, feeling as if she might be forced to choose one or the other because her parents were too uncomfortable with what felt like half of her soul. she would refuse to let luz, vee, or hunter feel as if they have to angle those halves away from her so they dont have to watch her wince at them.
camila noceda would make an effort to make the demon realm a part of herself, too, so that no matter where her kids settled themselves down in the future, they would still always feel at home with her.
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taiyouhimerich · 4 months ago
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Childhood best friend!Leon Headcanons
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warns&tags: a bit of kids age, going to teenagers; mentions of sexual activity, but not between characters (jus a bit of teenage masturbation under cut), but it’s mainly fluffy and cute, i sweeeeaaaaar!!!! and this is going to be a slowburn!!!
a/n: haven’t written anything for a while, but I feel like i wanna make it in several parts and it’ll look cool, i swear!
MNDI!!!
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childhood best friend!Leon, whom you met when you were 5 and he was 6; who was the first child you managed to make friends with after moving with your parents
childhood best friend!Leon, who lived in the house next door, the parents of both of you often went to each other's barbecue, so the children always needed to be together and play
childhood best friend!Leon, who on one of these evenings invites you to look at his tree house, because you are also his best friend
childhood best friend!Leon, who says that you look like a princess in this dress, and you start playing princess and knight, sometimes going downstairs to steal a new plate of cookies from his parents' kitchen
childhood best friend!Leon, who remembers this game every time you go to school together on the school bus, and thinks that he will continue to be your knight to protect you from bullies
now you're both teenagers, you're 14, and he'll be 16 in a few months, but you still remember how your childhood best friend!Leon beat up a boy with his backpack who pushed you into a puddle when you were in elementary school
your windows are facing each other, you see each other every day and if you weren't afraid to fall, you could even try to climb into each other's bedrooms, and you laugh every morning because your childhood best friend!Leon leaves you funny messages on his window because he knows that you will definitely look there.
childhood best friend!Leon, who accompanies you every Sunday to the church that your parents force you to go to, sits on a bench next to the entrance from the outside, and then escorts you back to the house, smiling when you tell him with a radiant smile about what happened at mass
childhood best friend!Leon, with whom you talk heart to heart every night; who is very worried when he tells for the first time that Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy took him from an orphanage, and you hug him back, muttering words of support, and say that this fact will not change anything in your relationship
and this is the moment when he feels that you are not just his best friend... you are like family, and he trusts you a thousand times more than anyone else. and he wants it to always be like this.
childhood best friend!Leon, who is now starting to find excuses not to come with his parents to your family on weekends when you have a pool party, because he is shy... but he cannot decide of what: of his body changing due to puberty or of your... beautiful girlish body in a pink bikini, which literally makes him staring at your breasts and feeling like a pervert
and every time he feels incredible shame and guilt, when after that you see each other in a normal setting, and you ask with an offended face why he didn't come, and he has to lie to you
childhood best friend!Leon, who often dreams of you, and in his dreams you play something like jenga or monopoly, and every time he feels happy and wants to stay in these dreams, thinking how lucky he is to be friends with you....
...until he wakes up with a morning wood after one of these dreams
god, he dreamed of something so simple and usual, like you two hanging out on a swing or building sand castles, and he never thought of you that way... he doesn't know what the reason for this reaction of his body is, and he is gnawed by guilt when he jerks off, hiding under a blanket from shame
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it's hard for you not to notice that over time his excuses become more and more monotonous and even not entirely plausible, and then he leaves for the rest of the summer for a sports camp, and this makes you sad
childhood best friend!Leon is becoming more and more detached from you due to the fact that he cannot sort himself out and the mixed feelings circulating in his body, and even when he returns from a trip right before the start of the school year, he feels that it did not help: he is still ashamed to look into your eyes and it gets worse with his realization that he's acting like a coward by avoiding you.
childhood best friend!Leon, who no longer huddles with you in the corridors of the school during recess, he found a company of good guys and even focused on his studies, and you seem to have found a common language with several girls... and maybe with guys too. even with some of the people Kennedy hangs out with now after school: he frowns, clenches his jaw and shuts up every time one of his friends says your name and calls you pretty. at such moments, the word ‘princess’ literally is on the tip of his tongue, painfully stinging....
childhood best friend!Leon, who one day notices a piece of paper on your window with the inscription ‘knock knock who's there? a mud puddle’, and it makes him smile. he doesn't get the joke, but he finds it funny and sweet how you still remember that thing... and feels ashamed of himself again
the next time you really see your childhood best friend!Leon happens almost before Christmas, when he finds you on the stairs at the end of the corridor in the middle of lessons (which is strange, because he is sure that you would never skip lessons), and he first wants to pretend that he is not going this way, because then you will not notice him, but...he can't. you cry, and it breaks his heart
you can barely hear your thoughts while your palm is smearing tears and mascara on your cheeks, when suddenly someone sits down next to you on the step, and strong arms hug you by the shoulders. you sniffle, looking up, and your childhood best friend!Leon looks at you, pursing his lips and waiting for you to say something. are you mad that he left you? it that why you're crying? do you even want him to be here now?
but with trembling lips you mutter a quiet "Leon...." and he breaks down, hugging you tightly and pulling you closer. making you sob louder when you bury your forehead in his shoulder, and he begins to soothingly stroke your hair, noting that you are still using the same shampoo with the baby smell of chewing gum
childhood best friend!Leon, who can't help but kiss your hair in the temple area while he soothingly whispers,
“Shh, come on, sweetheart.... Who did this to you?”
you are silent, and it upsets him. he knows that this is not enough for you, it never happened, so he continues, smiling slightly and muttering,
“I'm sorry.... Do you want me to kick his ass and beat the shit out of him?”
you're still silent for a bit, but then you ask softly, with a stuttering voice,
“With your backpack? Like when I was in first grade?”
he laughs softly in response to your words, smiling as he pulls back slightly to look into your eyes. his fingers stroke your cheeks, wiping away the remnants of tears and responding,
“Yeah, just like that.”
he raises one hand, leaving his little finger sticking out as he speaks, tremulously and tenderly,
“I promise. I'm your knight, right? I can't not protect my princess.”
you nod, gradually ceasing to sob and starting to smile stupidly as you hold out your little finger to him, quietly answering,
“I promise.... I missed you, Leon....”
“I missed you too... I’m sorry....”
he says in response, and you interlace your pinky fingers, like when you were kids, when you swore to be friends forever. You've still got to talk again, really talk, but there's nothing more important to him right now than knowing that you're okay. he repeats to himself in his head that you are the most important person to him, and you are happily thinking that your best friend and beloved knight has returned to you again. although the best friend of childhood!Leon still has to explain to Mrs. Kennedy later how he got the mascara stains on the shoulder of his only white shirt.
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sosomonimagines · 4 months ago
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House's girl, part two — Gregory House x Daughter!Reader
Summary: House finally starts to genuinely care about someone, but they try to take that person away from him.
Warnings: talk of divorce and custody disputes (triggers for children of divorce like me, I imagine)
Author's notes: English is not my native language and I am from South America, so I don't know if my view of the court is authentic to that of the US. I did some research, but you never know!
Part one:
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Three months ago, you began living with your father. Somehow, the two of you managed to establish a routine that brought a certain stability to the new arrangement. You would wake up at six-thirty in the morning on weekdays, and House, who got ready faster, always prepared a strawberry Pop-Tart for you. James would give you a ride to school at seven-thirty in the morning.
When you got home, sometimes at four, sometimes at six in the evening depending on your extracurricular activities, you would devote yourself to washing the dishes, aware that it was a task your father preferred to avoid. Your studies went on until eight at night, and often, your father would arrive around that time. He would bring food from the hospital cafeteria for you, usually a salad with meat and a bit of pasta. Over time, he noticed your love for pasta and liked to bring it for you whenever he could.
When your father arrived at that hour, you would take a break from studying to watch medical shows with him. On the occasions he came home later, which was quite common, he would go straight to bed without resorting to sleep aids. Although he used to rely on some substances to aid his sleep, he initially felt it would be inappropriate with you around, and then simply forgot the need for those medications.
On weekends, you dedicated yourself to studying, but also found time to keep your father company, whether by watching television together or quietly reading at the kitchen table. You both enjoyed watching old movies, like A Clockwork Orange and Psycho, as well as other classic Hitchcock thrillers.
While House followed a highly different and self-destructive routine on Saturdays and Sundays, he valued your presence, distancing himself, even if only temporarily, from the drugs and prostitutes that usually filled his days. He vividly recalled how challenging the first day you arrived at the house had been, but within just three days, the presence of another person had become an unexpected comfort. House couldn’t remember ever truly loving someone before; he had always associated love with pain. Yet, with you, it was strangely different. There was a genuine sense of melancholy and truth in paternal love that he had never experienced before.
He was still the same sarcastic and cynical man as before. The biting comments and natural teasing hadn’t disappeared; they remained, unshaken. Yet, something had changed. He knew that you weren’t just another person in his life — you were you.
•••
Saturday, November 5th:
You rummaged through the kitchen cabinets, noting that despite the changes since moving into your father's house, grocery shopping remained a persistent issue. Your father, who loathed going to the market, made his purchases erratically, buying only a few random items at convenience stores.
“There’s no food”, you said, glancing at your father, who was idly flipping through a newspaper.
“Have you considered learning to photosynthesize? We’d save money,” he replied with sarcasm.
“I’m hungry”
He sighed, put down the newspaper, and looked at you.
“Buy some food”
“Have you thought about going to the market yourself? Buying enough groceries for the month, preparing for a possible hurricane or any other natural disaster? Normal people do that.”
“Normal people, not incredible people like me”
“You should get treatment for that megalomania”, you said, shutting the kitchen cabinets with a bit more force than necessary.
“And you should work on your excessive use of big words to sound smarter” he retorted, pulling his wallet from his pants pocket and handing you a card. “Go shopping if that’s what you want. Call a cab to get to the market and another one to bring the groceries back”
“You’re coming with me”, you said firmly.
“Hey, I’m the parent here, I give the orders”, he retorted.
“Come with me”, you repeated. “You’re the responsible adult and need to fulfill your adult responsibilities.”
“Alright, Miss Bossy” he replied with an ironic smile. “When did you become so commanding? Has someone introduced you to my boss?”
When you both arrived home from the market, each carrying paper bags full of groceries, the nightmare began. The mailbox displayed a new letter, something that had probably arrived the day before and gone unnoticed by you until that moment — and, as usual, your father didn’t care enough to retrieve it.
You unloaded the groceries onto the kitchen counter and went back to retrieve the letter. It was addressed to your father and came from the New Jersey Court of Justice.
“Hey, dad,” you said, handing him the letter. “I think someone wants to arrest you.”
“You can’t even commit crimes in peace in this country”, he replied with an ironic tone.
As he opened the letter and read in silence, House's world seemed to collapse. It was one of the rare times he felt completely at a loss for words.
“Is everything okay?” you asked, concerned. “Wait, are they really trying to arrest you!?”
“No,” he answered in a low voice. He wasn’t sure which question he was answering, but the "no" seemed to apply to both “I need to go.”
And just like that, he left, clutching the letter, without explaining where he was going or what was happening.
Stacy Warner didn’t expect House to show up that Sunday. Since they had decided to part ways, House’s visits had always carried an unwelcome omen. They usually indicated a relapse on his part, an attempt to possess her merely to feed his ego. And with Mark, her current husband, present, the situation became even more uncomfortable and pointless.
“House, what are you doing here?” Stacy asked as she opened the door. The mention of his name drew Mark’s attention, who quickly joined her.
“You know you’re not welcome here, House,” Mark said, with a tone of disdain.
“Shut up, Mark,” House replied, frustration evident on his face.
“House! You can’t come here and talk to my husband like that,” Stacy exclaimed, exasperated
“I need legal help. I need lawyer Stacy, not my ex-wife Stacy,” House clarified, trying to stay focused.
“Are they finally going to revoke your medical license?” Mark asked sarcastically.
“Please, shut up,” House replied, and this time Stacy didn’t interrupt him.
Stacy invited him in and led him to her private office. The space was elegant and well-maintained, with tall dark wooden shelves filled with legal books. On the walls, diplomas and certificates hung, attesting to her experience and competence.
“What happened? Are they really trying to revoke your medical license?” Stacy asked, her tone serious, reflecting the gravity of the situation.
House didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he handed her the letter. Stacy opened it and began to read. In short, warned that your mother was asking for custody back, in addition to requesting a restraining order against his father.
“Y/N is living with you?” Stacy asked, perplexed. She was House’s second wife, and when they were together, you were still a young child. Stacy knew he had always met his legal obligations, paying child support on time, but she also knew he had little desire to take on parental responsibilities.
“For three months,” House replied.
“But why?”
“Because her mother decided to date a jerk who makes my daughter uncomfortable,” House answered angrily. “It was the police’s decision to send her to my house since I’m the closest relative and she wasn’t safe with the guy. The mother wouldn’t believe her.”
“And now she wants custody back?”
“Exactly.”
“You never wanted to take on the role of father to this girl. What 's changed?”
“What’s changed is that I’ve come to enjoy being her father, okay? Now help me. If she’s dating an abusive jerk, how can she possibly revoke custody?”
“I don’t know, House. Things aren’t so simple in the legal system. She might have broken up with the guy and is asking for a review of her current situation. Since she’s always been the one caring for Y/N, there’s a chance the judge might consider that. Plus…”
“Plus what?”
“She’s asking for a restraining order against you. She wants to present you as a danger to Y/N. She might use your drug history for that, which is a convincing argument.”
“I’m clean. I’m not a danger to my daughter; she’s just doing this to me because she hates me.”
“But you haven’t been clean for long, and you’ve never been actively involved in your daughter’s life. I can’t be entirely optimistic about your chances of winning the case.”
“I need you to help me. She’s the only thing that makes sense in my life, please, help me.”
“I’ll try, House.”
“Have you lost your mind?” you asked when your father came home. You were eating Ben & Jerry’s straight from the tub and watching old episodes of The Simpsons.
“What are you watching?” he asked, ignoring your judgment. He knew that leaving the house abruptly might have scared you, but at that moment, nothing mattered more than spending time with you.
“The Simpsons.” You paused and then asked, “Want to change the channel? Oh, wait, not being overly nice right?”
“Right,” he said with a small smile, sitting down beside you.
“Want some ice cream?”
“No,” he replied, and you both continued watching the show in silence.
Occasionally, House glanced at you, feeling a pang in his chest. It was the first time he truly cared about someone, truly loved someone, and they were trying to take that away from him. And it was the first time he felt a real need to fight for someone.
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luceafarul-de-dimineata · 7 months ago
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Do you have any headcannons for the paradise lost gang? I'm dying for more of my healers.
Paradise Lost is my favorite set of character, of course I have hcs about them. My beloved disfunctional sitcom family that's somehow a hospital <3
Paradise Lost hcs
Everyone in Paradise Lost is on something. There's no way Morax can be so chill without some weed in his system
The only Paradise Lost citizen that graduated high-school was Bathin and he left
Lucifer was born in his 30s, he was born with a doctorate in every major
Becoming a citizen in Paradise Lost is almost impossible. Both Lucifer and Gamigin need to give you a vibe check and you have to learn healing magic.
Since Paradise Lost was founded after Lilith's disapearance, there are no native Paradise Lost citizens, the closest being Gamigin and Jjok
During Sundays where nobody in Paradise Lost works, each of the nobles has to come up with a fun family activity.
Be it board-games, movie marathons, walks through the forest, anything, they have to all do it together during Sunday
Lucifer has a picture of God or Jesus in every room of his castle because he is a true Orthodox Christian
Even though Lucifer has his own room in his own castle, he preferes sleeping in Gamigin's bed with him. He likes cuddling with the young dragon
Marbas is allowed untied whenever he's not dealing with patients, but he sometimes keeps the restraints on even when he's off duty
Lucifer sees everyone else as being beneath him, but he cares for them like they were children or pets
Lucifer never goes to meetings with the other kings because he doesn't like how often they happen and how little is actually done with them.
Morax has a facebook account where he posts low quality edits of him and the other people in Paradise Lost. They always get one like and it's from Lucifer.
Marbas has a brick phone because it's the only one he can't break with his bare hands. He sometimes calls his 'friends' from other regions with it, but he has no phone attiquit. He would call someone and just ask them for stuff with no hello, no small talk, no nothing
Buer is the best with phones in the whole country. He also didn't pass 5th grade tech lessons about how to make a folder on Windows. He has what used to be the latest phone model when he left Tartaros, but he only uses it to call patients.
Gamigin doesn't have a phone and Lucifer prohibited him from touching the internet. But Lucifer does give Gamigin his phone to play on during breaks or stuff
Lucifer has a fancy phone that he only uses to like Morax's posts on facebook and ignore the mail the kings give him
Depending on the type of meeting and the availability of his staff he will either take Gamigin or Morax with him during diplomatic travels.
He takes Gamigin most of the time, but if the subject is mainly about the atrocities of war he brings Morax. Morax is an airhead with no self preservation, he's used to seing people dying left and right in gruesome manners, but Lucifer would prefere to protect Gamigin from the sort of trauma
Everyone in Paradise Lost is devoted to Lucifer, but Gamigin fluctuates between "wow, he's so cool, I need to impress him" and "my king can beat your king in a fist fight"
Gamigin's also the noble that Lucifer spoils the most. He lets Gamigin do basicly what he wants around the country and he even lets him touch his angelic body.
Whenever there's a long ride from Paradise Lost to a different country, Lucifer sits Gamigin on his lap and let's him sleep there. If anyone speaks louder than a whisper, Lucifer will glare them down.
Gamigin is the favorite kid and by a lot
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It's bordering on platonic yandere, but we'll keep it light for this post (unless you want some darker stuff, feel free to ask 👀)
I've said this before and I'll say it again: there is no official uniform in Paradise Lost, Marbas just hates Buer in particular (and he wants to rip the clothes off him)
Lucifer has a photo album of all the memories he had with his brothers. There are some photos with Gabriel, Michael and Raphael in there as well
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nerdygaymormon · 3 months ago
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Sometimes you mention that you've lived long enough to see changes in the church on LGBTQ topics. What are some of the major changes you've experienced in church?
I feel like I've lived in 3 eras of the LDS Church.
When I was a child, it was an era that now seems very far away. Black people weren't allowed to go to the temple or have the priesthood (which also limited which callings they could have in church). Church met twice on Sundays, once for Sunday School (children attended Jr Sunday School) and I think priesthood quorums met prior to Sunday School, and then we came again later that day for Sacrament meeting. This part is fuzzy to me, but I think youth activities were on Tuesday, and Primary was on Wednesday (and I think Relief Society was also on Wednesday). In addition to paying tithing, my parents were asked to contribute to the local ward budget, and we raised money to build the local church building. I remember my family working on the local church farm (I'm not sure if it was part of the welfare system or was a fundraiser for the local stake/ward budgets, perhaps both). There was a BIG emphasis on food storage. Social life revolved around church as there were many activities such as the annual Gold & Green Ball (dinner and a dance for the married folks, it was a big deal, they'd dress fancy for it). The church members were socially and politically conservative.
My teens and young adult years were spent in a different era. The church had undone the restrictions on Black members. Church was now consolidated to a 3-hour block on Sundays (except for youth activities on Wednesdays). Temples started getting built in big cities outside of Utah but still were a far drive for many members, instead of going on a temple trip once a year, as a youth we could go twice a year when a temple was built a few hours away. There were still a lot of activities, especially for the teenagers, such as big stake/regional dances, sports competitions, road shows, and a big youth trip in the summer. The ward budgets came from the church (from the tithing) and not from individual members of the ward giving more, and we no longer had to contribute (either money or labor) for local church buildings to get constructed. We didn't work on farms anymore, but worked in the cannery (I remember hearing adults talk about operating machines that bottled ketchup). While the membership was still very conservative, a more moderate approach was being taken by top leadership, and President Hinckley made big steps towards being more open with the world.
I'd say that President Nelson has ushered in another era. Two-hour church on Sundays. Wednesday youth programs being less rigorous or programmed. Temples within a relatively short drive of members and encouragement to go often. Teenagers can have their own temple recommends. No home or visiting teachers and instead a conversation and informal friendship counts as ministering. Few church activities outside of those for youth and our regular church meetings. More accommodation for differences in beliefs of what were considered core doctrines & principles (this started before the Nelson era). The internet has caused the church to be more open about its past, including some issues which are hard like racism and polygamy (again, this predates the Nelson era). There's also been steps to undo some of the patriarchy in the church structure (like women can serve as witnesses and changes to the temple ceremony).
I definitely would not want to go back to the era of the 1970's when I was a child. While there are things I miss from the era of Hinckley & Monson, I don't think I'd like to revert back. The one effect I worry about from the recent changes is people have weaker social ties to their church community. I've heard leaders say that church isn't a social club, but for a long time it was and I think the church underestimates the importance of social connections.
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As for LGBTQ history in the LDS Church, Nathan Kitchen, the former president of Affirmation, did an excellent job in describing the changes in the church on these topics. I have lived through 5 eras of the church on LGBTQ issues.
The era from when I was a child was brutal. Even saying you're gay was seen as sinful. You were expected to fight with everything you had to completely erase these feelings. Attempts to remove these “tendencies” included electro-shock therapy at BYU. Most families would reject the queer family member.
The death of President Spencer W. Kimball in 1985 led to the next era for LGBTQ members. Rather than insist on complete erasure of homosexual feelings, gay members were to behave like straight people--get married and have kids and DON'T TELL ANYONE. This is the invisible generation who felt isolated and alone, hidden from other members and each other. Every so often we still hear about a former mission president or stake president who finally comes out after decades of living as a straight person. Most of the mixed-orientation marriages failed, the queer person eventually spoke their truth, picked up the pieces of their shattered dreams, and moved on and out of the church.
In 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley did a widely-viewed interview with Larry King in which he said said we love "so-called gays and lesbians" and put forward the idea that gay thoughts aren’t a problem, but gay actions are. The church's view was that some of us are struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions, much like people who have other addictions. Even as the church led a major effort to defeat marriage equality, queer members no longer had to remain hidden, so they found each other and attended conferences together and encouraged each other. Members would admire queer members for their wrestle against their attractions. Because they were trying to make this path work and were admired for it, these queer members mostly didn’t share their struggles & mental health challenges with their family, friends, or other members. They were visible, but largely were silent. A generation seen but not heard.
Beginning in the early 2010's, a growing number of gay members receive media attention, and groups like Mama Dragons and North Star are formed. By the mid-2010's the church shifts its approach and starts highlighting and celebrating gay and bisexual members who are single & celibate, and also a few who are in mixed-orientation marriages. The church starts softening its former positions as it officially rejects conversion therapy, advocates for no violence and doesn't require members to deny their queer identities. As long as you are single & celibate, you are welcome. This is also when trans members start entering the consciousness of the church as in 2015 Emmett Claren (now Emmett Presciado) starts a YouTube channel where he documents his transition and in 2017 Kris Irvin makes national news for having a bishop threaten to withhold a BYU ecclesiastical endorsement if Kris receives top surgery. LDS families no longer automatically reject their queer children, but tend to leave the church together if their queer child doesn't feel welcome or safe at church. One last effort to pull membership back occurred in 2015 with a policy against gay couples and their children, and it received a LOT of pushback and generated a wave of members leaving the LDS church.
I think we entered a new era in 2019 as the Handbook policy of 2015 is reversed. In 2020 the now-publicly available Church Handbook softens the approach to gay and bi members but puts in more rules and restrictions of trans members. It's the beginning of a dichotomy where we see progress for people who aren't heterosexual and regression for people who aren't cisgender. In 2024, there are now married gay couples quietly attending church and not being excommunicated (which wasn't a thing even just 2 or 3 years ago), and trans members are facing severe restrictions due to more changes in the Handbook. It's hard not to believe more positive changes for gay and bi members will be coming, even as the church ratchets up its fight against trans members.
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afeelgoodblog · 2 years ago
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The Best News of Last Week - May 15, 2023
🐕 - Now It's a Paw-ty
1. World's oldest ever dog celebrates 31st birthday
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Bobi was born on 11 May 1992, making him 31 years old, in human years. A big birthday party is planned for Bobi today, according to Guinness World Records.
It will take place at his home in the rural Portuguese village of Conqueiros in Leiria, western Portugal, where he has lived his entire life.
2. The FDA has officially changed its policy to allow more gay and bisexual men to donate blood
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that they’ve eased restrictions on blood donations by men who have sex with men in an effort to address blood shortages. The new policy recommends a series of individual risk-based questions that will apply to all donors, regardless of their sexual orientation, sex, or gender. Gay or bisexual men in monogamous relationships will now be permitted to donate blood.
3. Illinois passes bill to ensure community college credits transfer to public universities
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The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill that would help community college students transfer to public universities.
It would ensure that certain classes taken at community colleges could be transferred to any higher education institution in the state. Some schools currently only count community college coursework as elective credits.
4. Brazilian President Lula recognizes 6 new indigenous territories stretching 620,000 hectares, banning mining and restricting farming within them
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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has decreed six new indigenous reserves, banning mining and restricting commercial farming there. The lands - including a vast area of Amazon rainforest - cover about 620,000 hectares (1.5m acres).
Indigenous leaders welcomed the move, but said more areas needed protection.
5. More than 1,000 trafficking victims rescued in separate operations in Southeast Asia
More than 1,000 trafficking victims were rescued in separate operations in Southeast Asia over the last week, officials in Indonesia and the Philippines said. 
Indonesian officials said Sunday they freed 20 of their nationals who were trafficked to Myanmar as part of a cyber scam, amid an increase in human trafficking cases in Southeast Asia. Fake recruiters had offered the Indonesians high-paying jobs in Thailand but instead trafficked them to Myawaddy, about 567 kilometers (352 miles) south of Naypyidaw, the capital, to perform cyber scams for crypto websites or apps, said Judha Nugraha, an official in Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Ministry.
6. A peanut allergy patch is making headway in trials
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An experimental “peanut patch” is showing some promise for toddlers who are highly allergic to peanuts. The patch, called Viaskin, was tested on children ages one to three for a late-stage trial, and the results show that the patch helped children whose bodies could not tolerate even a small piece of peanuts safely eat a few.
After one year, two-thirds of the children who used the patch and one-third of the placebo group met the trial’s primary endpoint. The participants with a less sensitive peanut allergy could safely tolerate the peanut protein equivalent of eating three or four peanuts.
7. Critically endangered lemur born at Calgary Zoo
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The Calgary Zoo has released pictures of its newest addition, a baby lemur. The zoo says its four-year-old female black-and-white ruffed lemur, Eny, gave birth on April 7. The pup’s father is eight-year-old Menabe. The gender of the pup has not been confirmed but the Calgary Zoo says the pup appears bright-eyed and active and is on the move.
The black-and-white ruffed lemur is registered among the 25 most endangered primates in the world, due mostly to habitat loss and hunting.
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That's it for this week :)
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collecting-stories · 3 months ago
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Not in Chronological Order ch. 5 - Orange Magic
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setting: Central Park// Saturday morning
summary: Reader and Sonny are watching his niece's softball game on Saturday morning and he is interrupted by a series of work calls.
A/N: This takes place 13 months into their relationship. Also, I mentioned on the series page that I've taken some creative liberties with Sonny's nieces and nephews, which still stands. I'm giving his sister Teresa three kids, including a daughter named Sofia.
<- Not in Chronological Order Masterlist | Lie Like This ->
...divider by @saradika
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“Thought ya weren’t gonna make it,” Sonny called his tone light and teasing. It was still cold for the middle of March and he had his Fordham hoodie on, hands in his front pocket though he took them out as you approached, pulling you into a hug. You were careful of the coffees in your hands as you wrapped your arms around his waist, pressing your face against the collar of his hoodie and kissing the side of his jaw. 
Once you’d extricated yourself from his embrace and handed him one of the coffees you said, “And miss a softball game for six year olds?” You asked, “doesn’t sound like me.”
“Yeah, alright, I don’t appreciate the snark,” he joked. 
Dating Sonny had just been dating Sonny until about three months into the relationship when he decided he’d waited long enough to introduce you to his family. Now, over a year into your relationship, you felt like you were dating the entire Carisi clan. Dates turned into family parties or Sunday night dinner or watching his nieces and nephew play sports early on Saturday mornings and it all felt bizarrely more domestic than any of your previous relationships. Maybe that was simply because the last time you had a serious boyfriend was ten years ago when you were twenty. 
Today you’d gotten yourself out of bed early and taken the subway into Manhattan to see Teresa’s youngest daughter’s softball game. You’d been invited by Teresa before Sonny could even remember the date. She’d texted an entire schedule for each of her three children’s sports and school activities to you at the beginning of their school year when you’d only been dating Sonny for six and a half months. 
“Just FYI,” you mentioned, shifting your coffee to balance between the crook of your arm and your body so you could clap as Sofia came up to bat, “I’m mad at you.”
Sonny’s eyebrows furrowed, looking at you with a mix of concern and confusion, trying to wrack his brain for a reason that you would be upset with him. Between both of your busy schedules you’d managed to keep any dates that you scheduled and he’d been on time to every apartment tour for the last two weeks. 
“What? Why?” He finally asked, unable to think of any particular reason you had for being mad at him. 
You turned your face toward him, that sly smile creeping over your features, causing him to realize that you’d been teasing him. “Because you didn’t tell me about that Italian place on Locust.”
“Near my parent’s house?” He asked, not concerned anymore but twice as confused. The two of you had been over the bridge almost every week for Sunday dinner but he couldn’t think of another reason for you to trek to Staten Island, at least without him. 
“Yeah, I went last night with your mom." 
"You went to dinner with my ma?” Sonny was more than positive that you hadn’t mentioned a Friday date night with his mom at any point during the week. 
“She said she wanted to take me to dinner for my birthday, just the two of us,” you shrugged. 
“Ya went to dinner with my ma?”
“Yes. She texted me like, two weeks ago, and asked if I wanted to have dinner,” you explained, “anyway…the point is, why didn’t you ever take me there? The food is so good!" 
"I can’t believe you went to dinner with my ma and didn’t even tell me about it,” he replied, “I can’t believe she’s texting you.”
“Jealous?” You joked, bumping his hip with yours. “Where’s Teresa anyway?”
“Paul’s got the kids this weekend,” Sonny replied, nodding his head in the direction of the bleachers on the other side of the diamond where his ex-brother-in-law sat with two small children. 
“Oh fun,” you muttered. Teresa had introduced you to Paul only once but that had been more than enough for you to get a measure on him. 
“So, what did you and my ma talk about?” Sonny asked, looking at you over the rim of his disposable cup as he took a sip. 
“Well, she spent a good half of the time asking me when I was planning on making her a grandmother again,” you replied, “although, at least your mom has more of a filter than you do." 
Sonny had ungracefully blurted out, halfway through dinner on your second date, that he wanted to have kids someday and he was looking for a serious relationship. As if two dates in a week was enough to know whether you were going to devote the rest of your life to him. You were planning on it, in fact, though you had avoided saying so two dates in. 
"What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, looking incredulous at the accusation. 
Before you could answer, his cellphone went off and Sonny stepped away from you to answer it, already falling into ADA mode. You turned your own attention back to the game, scanning the game to see where Sofia was and finding her in the dug out, waiting for her turn to bat again. 
“…I can email it to ya first thing tomorrow morning. I’m not in the office right now,” Sonny said, looking back toward the Little League diamond, his gaze softening as he watched you clap for his niece. “Yeah, yeah…I’ll talk to ya later, alright, bye Liv.”
Sonny made it over to you after hanging up, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind and kissing your cheek. 
“Do you need to go?” You asked, turning your head to meet his eyes. 
“Nah, just some paperwork. Nothing I can’t get in the morning,” he replied. 
“Are you sure?” You knew you sounded surprised as he looked over at you, the beginnings of an apology already forming on his tongue.
“Yeah, ya just got here and we’re supposed to look at that apartment after lunch.”
“I know,” you turned back to the game, “but if you have to-”
“I don’t." 
A year and a month into dating Sonny, you knew that his job was more than important. It was demanding on a good day and soul-draining otherwise. The work he did was necessary and hard and you understood. Yours wasn’t an easy job either, though you had more structured hours than Sonny sometimes got. Both of you had brought up jobs and relationship expectations somewhere around the three month mark but neither of you had really gotten anywhere solid and the discussion had been shelved for later. For further down the road when things were more serious. 
Talking babies with Serafina Carisi and apartment shopping seemed like the time to unshelf that conversation but neither of you really wanted to. 
"So, dinner with my ma?” Sonny asked, trying to get back whatever you’d had before Sonny had answered the phone.
“Oh yeah, we covered all the topics. Jobs, children, future wedding, why you haven’t proposed yet,” you laughed at Sonny’s expression, “her question, not mine.”
“She’s something else,” he muttered, pressing his face into your neck. 
You reached up with one hand to pat the top of his head, running your fingers through the soft, salt and pepper, waves. No work meant no hair gel. “She told me that we should move to Staten Island so when we have kids she can babysit and we don’t have to worry about work or daycare.”
“We just have to worry about commuting back into Manhattan?” Sonny asked, slightly muffled by your sweatshirt. You could feel his mouth against your neck as he spoke, breath warm in the cold morning air. 
“What, you don’t wanna sit in hours of traffic every day?”
“Dream come true,” he hummed. 
Sonny’s phone rang once more and he groaned against your neck, giving you a gentle squeeze before he pulled away. You heard Liv’s name leave his lips as he stepped further away from you and the game. Serafina had referred to the relationship as a test of patience. You wouldn’t put all the blame for busy schedules on Sonny though, there were plenty of dates that you had interrupted with a phone call or times when you’d brought work to his house when you were supposed to be having dinner together. 
“Are you sure you don’t need to go in?” you asked when he made his way over to you again.
“No,” he pocketed his phone, “sorry.”
“No you aren’t,” you laughed, stepping away to throw out your empty coffee. When you came back over he was frowning. “What?”
“I am-”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” you sighed, wrapping your arms around his waist and tucking yourself into his side. He slung an arm around your shoulders instinctively. “I just meant, I’m not mad that you have to work when you’re off the clock. You know I get it, I just…wish you wouldn’t apologize. It gives me false hope that maybe next time you won’t go into the office or answer the phone and I know you won’t.”
“It’s just, the case we’re working on-” Sonny started to explain.
“Dominick,” you huffed, cutting him off, “I literally just gave you an out, you don’t have to explain. I’m not mad.”
“You seem a little mad.”
“Well…” You turned into Sonny more, fiddling with ties on his hoodie for a moment before meeting his eyes, “it’s 10am on a Saturday and I’m watching your niece play softball and thinking that maybe your mom wasn’t so crazy for asking me about kids cause I could totally rock being a ‘soccer mom’ someday and then I just spiral further into my head like…will Sonny answer the phone when our future children with Italian names are running around playing baseball and then I realize I’m being totally irrational because half the time I’m the one on the phone and then-”
“Hey,” Sonny cut you off this time, pulling you closer to hug you, kissing the side of your head, “we both have crazy jobs and we knew that getting into this and I know you are more than understanding about my schedule but that doesn’t mean I’m not sorry that I gotta answer the phone when I’m with you." 
"I know,” you replied, “I just feel like, the interruptions happen whether you make excuses for them or not…I just don’t want us to be those people that like, make the excuses. I don’t wanna lie and say that next time I won’t pick up a second shift and I don’t want you to say that you won’t stay late at the office cause then we’re just lying to each other.”
Sonny looked contemplative as he considered what you had said to him. Finally, he nodded, “I agree…I just feel guilty sometimes hassling you with interruptions when we’re supposed to be off.”
“I don’t think this is a compromise we can figure out over the course of one conversation,” you replied. A Little League baseball game probably wasn’t the best place to be hashing out your feelings as it was but there was certainly no easy end or compromise to the situation at hand. Down the road, you imagined, it would have to evolve into other conversations too, more nuanced, about family instead of just you and Sonny. “But if you do have to go in to the office…”
“Just for like an hour tops, I promise we’ll make the open house." 
"We better,” you tried to sound threatening but it was hard to do when you were smiling, “cause I showed Serafina the places we were looking and it’s the only one she likes.”
“She’s not living in it,” Sonny pointed out.
“Yeah but she said it’s got three bedrooms so that’s at least two grandkids.”
“With Italian names,” he teased.
“Depends,” you replied, detangling yourself from Sonny as his niece ran over to say hello. 
“On what?” He asked, though he was looking at Sofia and waving, a massive smile on his face.
“I’ll tell you when little ears aren’t around,” you joked. 
Sofia made impact with his legs before he could answer you and Sonny lifted her up, settling her against his hip despite her being six and all limbs, happily kicking him as he hugged her. She launched into a recounting of the game, as if neither of you had been there and seen most of it. You couldn’t help thinking that maybe Serafina was right when she told you that a year and a month was not too short a time to already be thinking about kids of your own. Interruptions be damned, you’d spend the rest of your life with Sonny if you were given the opportunity.
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poppyfamily · 4 months ago
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hello no one asked but i brainrotted a bit over a charashamangela church choir/youth group au bc of That games video. thoughts under cut.
tw: minor religious trauma lol
Chanse and Angela growing up in the church. Each of their parents pushing them to be more active in the church through children's choir. Chanse probably starts earlier, maybe like a month before Angela. Chanse is the type of kid who their choir director had to be told to stop riffing because the purpose of a choir is to sound the same, Chanse. But Angela takes to him immediately and they become best friends.
They are eventually invited to join the church's youth ministry and they get so into it, probably dancing to One Way Jesus very enthusiastically. It's a staple for them to play Joseph and Mary during Christmas plays and are like super chill when facilitating prayer sessions. (They understand that people aren't necessarily there for Jesus or w/e but believe that the spirit of the ministry is to find Christ in one another or some shit).
They stay for a couple of years and manage to drag in Arasha, who goes to the same school as them. She's not Christian and is just there because she was sick of inviting them to do shit on Saturday nights only for them to say no and also for the vibes and free food.
Amanda comes in a little later and is forced by her mom to actually join because she was frequently getting into trouble so she'd rather just know that her daughter is praising the lord (or whatever the fuck goes down in youth ministry) on Saturday nights instead of swimming in people's pools or some shit idk. Becomes besties with Chanse, Arasha, Angela.
Making this about Amangela bc I can't help the way I am: Angela welcoming Amanda to the ministry because it's her job as one of its leaders and Amanda is obsessed with her immediately. Probably constantly inviting her to sit right next to her for Sunday service, surreptitiously holding hands during the Lord's Prayer, going out for ice cream together once Amanda gets her driver's license. Something something horny something something repressed, they end up regularly making out (and more?) in Amanda's car without really talking about the implications but they know they feel SOMETHING. Lots of Catholic guilt - but not being able to stop because it feels nice, because it feels right.
And because I like angst - Something something tension because Amanda starts being deprogrammed from Church rhetoric at some point. She still sees Angela doing the thing to appease all the old church ladies and pastors who give her a sense of self because it's really all she knows and are willing to offer her a scholarship for college so there is Even More Pressure.
But Amanda sees all this and sees just how much she's hiding who she is, feeling like she can't really call her out on it because they are Not. Together. Amanda also sees how this is hurting Angela, but Angela is just so young and so confused and just wants to do right by her family, by God, etc... Amanda starts feeling pain and resentment about it.
In my mind, the older active church members think Angela and Chanse are gonna end up together, get married and all that shit. Chanse and Angela never saw each other that way.
Chanse quits out of nowhere and people speak of him like they're speaking the devil's name, basically erasing all history of his contributions (because he's gay.) Amanda soon quits after, and basically stops speaking to Angela. Amanda and Chanse run into each other months later, make comments about not seeing each other in church anymore, and then they reconnect and become besties.
Arasha doesn't quit, she just stops attending because she becomes busy with college. It's just not the same because Chanse and Amanda aren't there. She doesn't really have an obligation to do so, but she still keeps in touch with Angela.
Arasha and Angela become roommates in college. And because this is the first time Angela experiences independence, she goes on a SIN rampage - secular (lmao) theater, drinking, drugs, sex (lmao). All the things the church loves to police. And she has an identity crisis about it, crying to Arasha about it even.
Arasha, not knowing where the fuck all this Christian guilt is coming from calls Amanda and Chanse for backup and it's the first time they all see each other in a while. They all commiserate in the dorm room and bond and it's beautiful.
Angela wakes up. Amanda, Chanse and Arasha remind her that she's worthy of love no matter what. Once Angela finally internalizes that, she unpacks all the ways she hurt herself and how she's hurt others. Angela and Amanda finally talk about the shit that went down between them. They apologize for hurting each other, and decide to try again with a better understanding of themselves.
And they all live happily ever after. The end.
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guccixstyless · 1 year ago
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Hii 💛💛,sound very odd but can you a imagine where the reader & Ryu shi oh have kids, a cute lil family.
A Sunday At Ryu Household
Pairing: Ryu Shio x Reader (married)
Word Count: 885 Words
A/N: Thank you for requesting this one shot, hope you like it!
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The kids: Twin Boys (Kai, Sooho -aged 7 years), One girl (Mirae -aged 5 years) and One boy (Timmy- aged 3 years)
-
The sunlight filtered through the curtains signaling another new day. Y/N stirred awake and felt the space between her to be empty, she was confused, where was her husband?
She reluctantly got up from bed and headed downstairs, the aroma of something delicious filled her nose as she approached the kitchen.
There was Shio, wearing an apron over his last night's pyjamas. The apron was a gift from his kids from father's day. It had "Best Daddy In The World" written in blue color with bold arial font. Shio loved it and wore it whenever he cooked.
"Hello mister," Y/N said leaning on the kitchen door.
"You're awake," Shio smiled over his shoulder looking at you.
Y/N went closer to him and he flipped the pancake before placing it on a plate. It was already stacked with lots of pancakes. He then turned off the stove before turning towards her.
"Good morning love, did you sleep well?" he spoke softly while tucking her hair behind her ears.
"Like a baby!" she smiled.
"Go wake up the kids, I'm making a special breakfast," Shio smiled.
"What's the occasion for this special breakfast?" Y/N wondered.
"Does there need to be one? Every day with you is special." Shio winked.
"So cheesy," Y/N snickered.
"Only for my love," he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before returning on making omelets.
"Smells so good, I will get the kids," Y/N said.
Shio was done plating and set the table up. He made nutella filled pancakes, cut up some fruits, made omelets, fried sausages and mushrooms, and made freshly squeezed orange juice.
Shio looked at the table proudly before setting the plates.
"Daddy!" Shio heard little voices and the smile on his face grew wider.
"Oh are we having pancakes?" Kai asked excitedly.
"Yes we are!" Shio smiled. Y/N came behind them while holding their youngest son Timmy.
Kai, Sooho and Mirae took a seat in the table beside each other, Y/N put Timmy in the highchair before going to sit beside Shio.
Shio served them all the food items before saying, "Dig in!"
The family sat down and enjoyed a delightful Sunday breakfast. Kai and Mirae shared stories from school. Sooho talked about his friends.
As the day unfolded, the family engaged in various activities. Shio, being the doting father he was, played games with the kids, their peals of laughter echoing through the house. Y/N watched with a heart full of joy as Shio chased the little ones around, their giggles creating a melody of happiness.
Shio helped them build blocks buildings. Kai and Sooho began running, so Shio gently warned them, "Be careful with those blocks, okay?"
The kids were very tired yet happy by lunch time. After a hearty meal, the kids went for a quick nap. Shio and Y/N enjoyed a cup of coffee while enjoying the quiet atmosphere of the house
"Do you remember when I proposed?" Shio reminisced fondly.
"Of course, the way you planned a scavenger hunt, it was truly iconic," Y/N giggled while twirling her wedding band.
"I was so nervous, I yelled at my poor secretary because you were running late," Shio recalled.
"Such a meanie you are, that man adores you though," Y/N smiled.
"Yeah at this point he is family too," Shio chuckled.
-
As the sun began its descent, casting a warm, golden glow over the living room, the family settled down to watch a movie. Shio lounged on the sofa, Y/N nestled against him, their children sprawled across the floor with blankets and pillows. Timmy was on his portable cradle.
"Best part of the day, isn't it?" Shio said softly.
"Absolutely. Sundays are my favorite when we're all together like this." Y/N smiled.
Shio wrapped his arm around Y/N, pulling her closer. The kids, feeling the cozy atmosphere, snuggled against their parents. The movie played on, but the real show was the love and togetherness that enveloped the room.
-
After the movie was finished, the couple took their children and bathed them before tucking them all in bed.
Y/N went to put Mirae in bed while Shio took care of the twins.
Shio tucked them in, placing gentle kisses on their foreheads before turning off the bedside lamp.
Y/N met Shio in the hallway and intertwined their hands before both of them happily walked to their room.
After their nightly skincare routine both of them crawled to bed. Exhaustion from the day finally kicking in. They both lie in bed facing each other.
"Today was perfect, wasn't it?" Shio whispered, as he stroked Y/N's cheek lovingly.
"It really was. Thank you, Shio, for making every day feel like a Sunday." Y/N whispered before placing a small kiss at the palm of Shio's hand.
Their lips met in a sweet, lingering kiss, a silent acknowledgment of the love that had blossomed and flourished over the years. Shio pulled Y/N into a warm embrace, the quiet intimacy of the moment speaking volumes.
"I love you Y/N, so so much," Shio said as they broke from the kiss.
"I love you too," Y/N smiled.
With a smile and contentment in their hearts, the couple drifted to sleep.
Link to another angst Ryu Shio story
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flowerandblood · 2 years ago
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Lead me to the light (Oneshot)
[religious • modern!Aemond x female]
[warnings: fingering, mention of masturbation, religious guilt]
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[description: He and she are very religious. They are in love, happy and engaged, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for them, to bear the lack of physical intimacy that they both crave. They decide to try something new. Anon Request.]
* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *
_____
She met Aemond at the parish school. Once he came with his mother, who was a catechist, to help her carry a few boxes with various things. She helped her in working with children as a volunteer. They organized extracurricular activities and plein-airs in the parish hall, belonging to the nearby church.
She often saw Aemond and his mother at church on Sundays. Alicent always greeted her after they left and had a few words with her, but her son always stood a few steps away, not even looking at them, thoughtful. She noticed, that he always turned, so she couldn't see the scarred part of his face.
One day, the parish priest had the idea, to organize a small picnic for all the faithful in the large parish garden, after the mass. Alicent thought it was a great idea and they ordered the catering together. It was necessary to go for tables, chairs and disposable dishes, so they divided the duties.
“I asked Aemond to drive you to the store. Here's a list of things you need to buy." She said softly, giving her a piece of paper and a bundle of bills, to buy all these things.
She was excited to see him. He intrigued her immensely, and she wondered, if she'd be able to get him to even a brief exchange of words.
Aemond arrived on time. She waited for him on the street and ran to the car, that he parked in the parking lot. She opened the passenger door and sat in the seat, smiling at him.
"Good morning." She said cheerfully and lightly, it was beautiful, summer morning at its best.
"Hi." He said dryly and dispassionately, glancing in the mirror as he reversed the car, making sure it didn't hit anything. She pursed her lips, placing her hands on the small backpack in front of her.
She rolled over and glanced at his player with a smile, hearing, that AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" was playing. She thought it was a funny song choice, given their religious approach to life. All she could see on the playlist, were rock bands, that she knew well. She heard him twist in the seat next to her, confused.
"If you want, I'll play another playlist." He said low. She looked at him as if he had insulted her.
"You must be joking. It's a sin to switch such a piece." She said amused and laughed, turning her face towards the window.
"I was at an AC/DC concert last year." She added after a moment, thinking with satisfaction about this event, that she went to with her dad, a huge fan of the band.
They were silent for a while, as they listened to the song. She heard him clear his throat softly, as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth. She thought he was cute.
After a few minutes, they arrived at the store. Aemond went in with her, for there were many things to buy, and his mother had told him not to make her carry too much.
She headed for the aisle with disposable plates and cups. There were so many and with so many patterns, that she didn't know, what to choose. She showed him a pattern with flowers and a pattern with colorful, large polka dots.
"Which one do you like more?" She asked, and he looked at her, surprised.
"Does it matter? They'll be thrown away anyway." He spoke reluctantly, but stopped immediately, apparently thinking, that he might have offended her. He turned his head, pressing his lips together. She looked at the plates and sighed.
"Maybe you're right. So what, we'll take plain white? They're probably even cheaper." She said taking the third set, examining it. Aemond looked at her in surprise, expecting his remark to frustrate her. He nodded.
"Let's take the cheaper ones and buy more juices." He proposed. She thought it was a good idea and they did exactly that.
She had the impression, that her openness and lightness of conversation made him relax. She discussed freely with him the choice of what to buy and what would be better on such a hot day. They gave up the chocolate cookies, thinking, they would just melt.
Alicent told her, that she could also choose some extra items herself, if she found something interesting in the store. She decided to buy surprise eggs for the children, she knew they loved them.
They left the store with everything they needed to buy, packing the things into the trunk. They got in and headed back to the church, continuing to listen to his rock playlist, without talking to each other.
When they arrived, Aemond helped her fetch her things from the car and lay them on the tables, that were already set out in the parish garden. She rummaged in one of the bags and pulled out two chocolate surprise eggs, placing one in front of him and the other in front of her. He looked at her, surprised.
"Why are you giving me this? I thought, it was supposed to be for kids." He said low, indifferent. She looked at him, eyebrows raised in amusement.
"And we are not someone's children? Come on, you didn't collect these toys when you were little?" She asked, unwrapping her egg from the foil, breaking it into two halves with a light movement, immediately popping one piece of chocolate into her mouth.
He was about to say something, but his mother came over to them, talking to her. It turned out, that she needed help in disassembling everything and putting it in order. She apologized to Aemond and followed her, leaving him alone.
When everything was ready, they went to mass together. She invited her to sit together in one of the first pews, and she agreed. Aemond gave her a surprised look and made room for her, to sit next to him.
She tried to focus on what the priest was saying, but her mind kept returning to his scent. Some nice, fresh, intense masculine perfume, that made her head spin. His thighs were slightly parted, his feet, like hers, resting on the kneeler.
His knee was touching hers, and though she knew it was an accident, that it was just tight around them, she shivered at the thought. She couldn't help, but involuntarily pressed her leg against his a little tighter. She felt him shift uneasily in the seat, his fingers tightening on each other.
After a moment, to her surprise, it was his knee that pressed tighter against hers. She pursed her lips at the feeling. She knew, that church wasn't the best place to flirt, but she couldn't help the heat, that was welling up in her belly. She felt her cheeks flushed, a wide smile on her face.
Aemond stayed at the picnic that day and talked to her pretty much the entire time, sitting on one of the blankets, eating grapes and drinking coffee from a disposable cup. She lay down next to him, her backpack under her head. She looked up at the sky, talking to him, letting him look at her.
He opened up to her that day and even let her give him a little hug as part of his farewell. From then on, he came to help his mother more often, but she knew, he meant something else. He always sat in the classroom next to her desk with a cup of coffee in his hand.
He pretended, that he was waiting for Alicent to drive her home, but she knew, that he had only come to talk to her for fifteen minutes. It took him several months to get his true intentions out, but he was received with great enthusiasm. They have been together as a couple ever since.
Exactly after a year, he proposed to her and told her, that he did not want to wait long to get married. They decided, that they would get married next year, so that everything could be done on time. They were both happy thinking about the prospect of living together. They got along very well, also in matters of faith.
One day Aemond invited her to spend the night at his house. They had never stayed the night together before. He told her, that Helaena was away for the weekend and her room would be free, so she could take her bed. He suggested, that they watch something together and have a good time. She was thrilled and terrified at the same time.
She didn't want him to think badly of her, but he aroused so much desire in her, that she couldn't bear it. Even though, she hadn't done it before she met him, she started touching herself between her thighs, seeking fulfillment and relaxation. The tension she felt after meeting him, was unbearable.
She did not share this area of life with him, fearing, that he would lose his good opinion of her. She figured, that she'd make it to their wedding somehow.
However, spending the night together was a temptation for her, that she feared would defeat her. She was afraid of his rejection. That if she kisses him more passionately or puts her hand under his shirt, he'll look at her like she's dirty and worthless. However, she decided, that she would try to fight and not give herself out.
When she arrived at their home, Alicent immediately embraced her. The three of them had dinner - Aegon and his father were at work. Their whole family worked in the family business - Aemond once in a while because, like her, he was still studying.
Then they said goodbye, she took her things to Helaena's room and went to him. He was sitting on his bed with his laptop on his lap. He was browsing some platform, looking for some interesting movie.
She climbed onto his bed and lay down next to him, wrapping her arm around his, placing her cheek against his shoulder. He immediately kissed the top of her head, continuing to scroll down, letting out a grunt of displeasure.
"I don't see anything interesting. I don't know why I'm paying for this." He hummed low, sighing softly, leaning his head against the bed. After a few minutes, they decided together, that they would start a series, that was recommended to her by one of her friends.
They began to watch, his arm wrapped around her and pulled her to him. She automatically buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent, closing her eyes. His hand played with the strands of her hair, curling them around his fingers and letting go.
She felt a pleasant shiver at the feeling, she loved it, when he did that. Her hand ran over his chest thoughtfully. She couldn't concentrate on what she was watching. Aemond looked at her, turning his head in her direction.
"You don't like it? We can turn on something else." He murmured, stroking her head steadily and kissing her forehead. A pleasant shiver ran through her. She thought with horror, that she wanted more. They kissed often. She decided, it was okay, if they did it now.
She looked up at him and moved closer to his face, her lips brushing his, warm and full. He hummed low in contentment, parting his mouth, returning her caress gently with a wet click.
They kissed like that for a moment, tender, innocent, his hand tracing her cheek. She heard his soft moan, as her hand tightened around the nape of his neck, her lips digging deeper, more lustfully into his.
She felt as if he froze for a moment, but she continued to caress him, feeling the throbbing between her thighs, wonderful and hot. She wondered, if he felt it too. He broke away from her suddenly and cleared his throat, looking away.
"So? Are we watching on?” He asked, refreshing the page, rewinding the episode a few minutes.
She pursed her lips and nodded. She felt her whole body stiffen, for some reason, tears of helplessness gathered in her eyes. She buried her face in his neck again, his hand still stroking her steadily.
She felt tears streaming from the corners of her eyes, straight onto his skin, her body twitching slightly, but she made no sound. Aemond felt wetness on his neck and propped himself up on one elbow to see, what was happening. When he saw her red, tear-stained face, he immediately stopped the movie, staring at her, horrified.
"What's going on?" He asked anxiously, stroking with his hand her bare shoulder. She couldn't answer him, only began to cry even more, sucking in a ragged breath.
"Hey, baby, what happened? You can tell me." He said soothingly, wiping away her tears, stroking her cheek.
She could see in his gaze, that he was terrified and surprised, she had never cried in front of him before. She shook her head, letting him know, that she couldn't tell him. He pursed his lips, seeing this.
"Really, you can tell me anything. I want to know, what's bothering you." He said calmly, her hand ran over his chest involuntarily. She couldn't look him in the eye.
"You will despise me, when I tell you." She mumbled softly, sniffling, tears flowing from her eyes again, as if the thought of telling him terrified her so much, that all she could do was sob.
She heard him sigh heavily, pressing his forehead against her temple, his long, blond hair lightly tickling her nose.
"I will never despise you. And since I am to be your husband, I want to support you in all your worries.” He whispered softly, his lips lingeringly kissing her scalp once in a while.
She looked at him finally, turning onto her back, their faces millimeters apart. She opened her mouth several times, trying to force it out. She finally made it.
"I desire you." She said in a broken voice. She saw the pain and surprise in his gaze. He swallowed hard, his mouth pressed into a thin line, his body tensed. He didn't answer for a moment, staring at her with wide eye.
"You know… you know, that I desire you too." He whispered softly. She pursed her lips at his words.
"The frustration I feel is unbearable." She said finally, looking away, shaking her head, shielding her eyes with her hand, so he wouldn't see, that she was crying again.
She felt like an empty girl, unable to contain her simplest urges. She heard him exhale loudly, his breath shaky and loud.
"You think it's easy for me? If only I could…” He said and didn't finish, turning his head, looking to the side, his lips pressed together. “…if only I could, I would take you here and now. But we both know, we'd feel guilty afterwards." He added quickly, looking at her uncertainly.
She pursed her lips at his words. She knew, he was right. She wanted to wait until marriage. With this wonderful experience of feeling him deep inside her.
She swallowed softly and nodded her head. They were silent for a moment. She felt, like he wanted to say something, but couldn't.
“I have to relieve myself before each meeting with you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to resist." He blurted out suddenly softly, his words sending a shiver down her spine. He didn't look at her, embarrassed by his words. She swallowed loudly.
"I… I touch myself too." She said embarrassed, her cheeks burning with tears and emotions.
He looked at her, a silence filled with tension between them. She could feel her muscles clenching with desire, the moisture dripping onto the fabric of her panties. She could see that he was fighting with himself, that something was in the air.
"…can I touch you there?" He asked softly, his voice trembling, unsure. Her eyes widened in shock. She nodded quickly, swallowing hard, her heart pounding like crazy. She was desperate.
"Y-yes. Yes, please, touch me there.” She whispered pleadingly, and he moaned softly at her words, his hand immediately going between her thighs, on the fabric of her panties. She suppressed a moan that escaped her lips and squeezed her eyes shut, her body arching in pleasure.
His fingers pressed lightly against her, starting to massage her through the fabric, moving up and down. A wave of heat ran through her, making her shiver all over. They both started breathing heavily.
"God, your panties are all wet." He whispered softly, delighted and thrilled by what he was doing and seeing. She nodded her head, trembling all over, sweet, soft moans escaped her lips.
Unable to contain himself, he pressed his lips against hers, more passionately and intensely than before. Each time they broke apart and clung to each other, the long, wet click of their saliva accompanied them again.
She moaned into his mouth in surprise, shivering all over, as his fingers slid the material of her panties aside and ran over her throbbing, wet, hot entrance. They both inhaled loudly at the sensation.
"You're so warm." He hummed in delight, his fingers, all sticky with her juices, traveling to her clit, teasing her timidly, seeing how her body would react to it. A sudden, startled groan of pleasure escaped her lips.
"Oh God − yes, touch me like that −" She sobbed helplessly, she felt like she had a fever, her body burning from the inside.
Unwittingly she parted her thighs a bit, allowing him access, and he moaned into her mouth feeling it, his tongue brushing over her upper lip, making them both gasp with excitement.
His fingers sped up, massaging her around her clit with slow, intense strokes, spreading her wetness all over her pussy. He could feel how hot and thirsty she was, how much she needed it, her thighs involuntarily reaching out to meet him. He was so painfully hard that he was dizzy, his cock throbbing in his pants.
He shifted his hand abruptly so that his thumb continued to massage her clit, and his fingers slid over her wet, swollen entrance again. His fingertip teased her, barely slipping in and out, feeling her fleshy walls tighten around him.
"Do you want me to put it in you, baby?" He gasped into her mouth, and she stifled a loud moan, her whole body trembling. She tightened her hand on his hair, burying her nose in his face, her body writhing under his hand.
"Y-yes − please − I need it −" She mumbled, and he closed her mouth with his in an aggressive, sticky kiss, forcing his tongue all the way down her throat.
He slid his finger inside her, stretching her swollen, throbbing muscles, feeling the heat of her body. He thought of how great a delight it would be to enter her, how tight she would clench on his large cock. He began to slip his middle finger in and out of her in a slow, intense rhythm, with the wet click of her juices.
He would never admit it, but he'd read a lot about how to please a woman. He didn't want to hurt her on their wedding night, and he'd thought of her quite often since their engagement.
He wanted to be as prepared as possible, and to be able to touch her so that she would be ready to receive him inside her. He decided that this would be a good training for them, that they would understand and learn what gave them pleasure.
He searched for her sweet spot with his finger, knew that it was somewhere on her upper wall. Suddenly, he felt something like a slight lump under his finger, and she moaned into his mouth in surprise.
He smiled under his breath, massaging this point intensely, rubbing it with a quick, confident motion that made her pant and shiver.
"Feels good, babygirl?" He hummed, a smirk on his face. He felt her walls tightening on him more and more, her hips responding greedily to his every move, seeking fulfillment. He thought it was wonderful what he could do with her body. How sensitive she was to his slightest touch.
"Yes − sweet God − it feels so, so good −" She sobbed, on the brink of despair, all hot and red, she felt hot tension rising up inside her, his thumb and finger touching her two most sensitive places at the same time, driving her crazy. She knew her fulfillment was coming, her head tilted back, her mouth parted, panting heavily.
"− A-Aemond − I'm gonna come − och, God −" She mumbled, and he pressed his lips to hers in a greedy kiss, muffling her loud, helpless moan. He didn't want his mother to hear them and come into his room right now, while his future wife was going through a wonderful, intense orgasm.
He grunted in contentment, feeling her walls tighten on him, refusing to let go, his fingers still massaging her gently, feeling, how sensitive her body was now. He pulled away from her and licked his lips. She was trembling under him, looking at him with a hazy, dreamy look, her mouth slightly parted in pleasure.
"Can I touch you now in return?"
_____
Aemond Taglist:
(bold means I couldn't tag you)
@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @astral-blossoms @randomdragonfires @amirawritespoorly @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes @darylandbethfanforever9 @fudge13 @snh96 @diosademuerte
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yellowcry · 5 months ago
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School in Encanto!
You all know it's time to headcanon!
The education in Encanto isn't essentially great. As it found by the bunch of refugees without good supplies.
Kids up to one-two years gap in age sometimes can be put in the same class. It mostly depends on how many children were born during this year. If there's just a few, they would be put with another class to save up space and people to educate them. It was especially evident in the early years. As for the first ten years or so childbirth had really low rate until the village had actually set.
In the opposite side, if too many kids were born in one year and class doesn't have enough supplie for them all, the eldest can be sometimes put into the older group, or yongest of generation can be put into younger.
Boys and gurls tend to be put in the opposite sides of the classroom.
The school does learn the basic of Arithmetics, Spanish. For History kids for the more part focused on learning about Latin America and Colombia specifically. Same goes for geography, which is hugely focused on Encanto as well. They do learn about other parts of the world too, but it's often shallow and doesn't get much attention. As living in a closed village with no exiting way out makes information about other climat types and geography relatively useless aside from general development.
For the bigger part, Encanto school is focused on practical skills for everyday use. Sewing, cooking, how to fix broken things or take care of the animals. It doesn't come to the professional level, but is solely enough to survive on their own even if their parents don't teach them anything (which they almost always do) as these are somethings you need to survive.
In general, school isn't obligatory, but is heavily encorauged to get your kids into. If for some reason kid doesn't go at school, they would be visited from time to time. To check their intellectual development. If it turns out they lack some basic knowledge, such as arithmetics, Latin America geography or a proper level of Spanish (and most others) they will be forced to visit classes.
A good shred of Catholic education too. Both at school and after Sunday service. Religion had important role in the time. And even outside from classes focused of in it, most time different aspects of reality are explained with Bible perspective.
Madrigal specifics headcanons
Gifted Madrigals are allowed to skip school when it comes to using their gifts to help the community. They are technically requested to complete tasks later. But most people just let them slide.
Isabela probably wasn't the best student in her time. Not essentially bad, but she was much interested in more stuff. Plus the pressure as the first born grandkid and the pretty Madrigal. Alma took her out of school in the last years to focus Isabela primarly on her future role as the leader of Encanto. Which Isabela was surprisingly good at, as she's a very natural leader. Also, Isabela sucks with deadlines. Hugely because of pressure to he perfect. She spends a tupid amount of time making a perfect cover/beginning and at the night before the dew day realises the has about two million more pages to write.
Dolores is far better than Isabela. More patient and reversed. And Dolores in generally smart. Her hearing also helps her with being observant of what the teacher is saying. However she definitely ruined lections several times. Just because she heard something interesting and couldn't keep her mouth shut about it. When Isabela left, Dolores pretty much stopped visiting most of lections/non-practical classes. However she still listened to them and kept the notes that she showed to her teacher so nobody concinderedered her as dropout. And if Dolores thinks today's topic is extremely interesting, it would be completely normal to see her sneaking in at the middle of lecture like there's nothing wrong with it.
Luisa is coming closer to Isabela. Pretty restless and prefers physical activity. Also you do know who would have the most chores to skip school. No, of course she wasn't absent completely, but it happened more often than with the other kids. But if Luisa locks in then she locks in and you will never pull her off the books. Also as complete opposite of her sister, Luisa is always going her homework exactly the same day. Workaholism doesn't like when she slacks off her responsibilities.
Camilo is extremely outgoing/social. Is definitely the type that comes in school to talk with his friends. And then it depends on who is in today and who is not. Also pretty restless but in more outgoing way than Luisa. Likes chatting a lot and definitely interrupts teacher a lot by accident. Would extremely take his sister/older cousins old assigments and copy them. He's honestly not a big fan of school so well.
Mirabel is considered the most talented student among the grandkids. Which she usually dismisses as not a big achievement, feels that because she never has to miss anything to help the communituy she will be privileged here. She really overdoes it to make up for the lack of gift she has, tends.to perfectionism the same way Isabela was. Only that Mirabel actually spends her time correctly and it's all decent and not rushed everywhere. Plus, Mirabel is very observant and patient, which also makes her get many clues and understand the pattern of the things she learns simular to Dolores. Secretly enjoys when teachers are praising her as it's one of the little amount of attention she gets, especially being noticed by someone outside of her family.
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hanmaitani · 7 months ago
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Maybe Sundays Aren't So Bad
PAIRING - Miya Osamu x Reader WC - 1.4K GENRE - fluff A/N - this series is... everything to me. pls don't block me for it <3 CW - light mentions of religion, god and faith ( i do mean only a few lines ), reader and osamu are in their last year of high school in this part
MASTERLIST | NEXT PART
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The first time that you really caught his eye was on a Sunday. Around noon to be precise. The first time that he looked at you for longer than a second. The moment that would change his life.
Osamu had been sitting outside of a cafe, nursing a warm coffee - no longer a hot coffee after the time he'd spent ignoring it - and still trying to shake himself out of his half-away haze. The cafe was one he had commonly visited, but never on a Sunday before.
It was busier on a Sunday morning than he'd expected and nearly all of the tables had been taken by the time he had gotten there. He had, however, been lucky enough to snatch a table that was much too big for him to sit at on his own. He felt a small pang of guilt through his chest now, but it was quickly dulled by his intense need to sit and not speak to people.
It was, of course, why he was here after all. Why he'd left his house so early in the morning on his own. He wanted to not be spoken to yet.
He wasn't exactly fond of Sunday mornings, if he was being completely honest. Sundays were meant to rest. Nothing to do on them. The one day he could sleep in. It was a day without the need to be responsible the entire time.
Which is why it was almost noon and he was still trying to wake himself up. Why he was at a cafe instead of at home, avoiding the pestering of his twin brother who wanted to turn the resting day into an active day.
Osamu was observing the people at the cafe, it was why his coffee had gone from hot to only just warm. Watching the couples who held hands across the table and chatted, the families feeding airplanes to their babies, children running between the tables. And now? Watching those who had just recently exited the church across the street from where he sat.
He hadn't quite worked up enough energy to open and read the book he'd brought for himself yet, coffee not yet empty enough for him to pursue that tedious endeavor. So he just watched.
It was then, as the street flooded with more people exited the church service, that for the first time in his life he would be grateful that he was just a bit oblivious at times. Because if he hadn't been oblivious, if he had instead noticed you walking up to his table, he definitely would have left before you reached it.
Osamu, even years later, would swear up and down to the fact that you came into his line of sight like a ray of sunshine bleeding through a dreary day. A cheerful contrast to his dull morning demeanor.
"Do you mind if I sit here? All the tables around are full." Your voice was soft on his ears, trying to make yourself seem as quiet as you could. There was a smile on your face, head tilting to the side as you asked the question.
He never would have said yes. Not to someone invading his Sunday.
Usually that is.
But something about you made him hesitate in saying no. You seemed to beam in front of him. It felt like you were suddenly filling him up with a light feeling, waking him up just a little bit more. Better than caffeine.
"You're not much of a morning person, are you Osamu?" You covered your small smile with a hand and Osamu scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion.
The confusion didn't last long, however, you turned your head to look around the cafe as you grabbed the chair. It quickly crashed down on him who exactly was sitting down in the seat in front of him.
You were the same girl that had sat in front of him in class for the last two years. The same one who sat in front of him in class this year as well. He hadn't recognized you ar first, you looked different today. It wasn't just the lack of school uniform, but something else, your whole demeanor was brighter.
A million thoughts of realization crashed down on him through his brain fog but he settled for a simple answer. "Not a mornin' person on Sundays."
You immediately laughed at his response, a sound that echoed in his ears and made him question if he would be able to make you do it again. And then immediately question why he wanted to so badly.
"Oh but mornings are the best on Sundays." Osamu let out a scoff as he took another sip of his coffee, wincing lightly at the fact that it was getting colder. "They are!" You exclaimed, bringing your own cup to your lips.
"Mornings of faith." Osamu eyed you suspiciously over the rim of his cup, but you seemed unbothered by it as you kept speaking. "I always get up early on Sundays to get ready for church."
That's what it was, he realized finally. It was your hair. It wasn't just that you were out of your uniform, but your hair. Styled up to perfection and not the usual style that you wore to school. He studied you more for a moment before his tired brain caught up with your expectation you had for him to respond in some sort of way.
He hummed to make it seem like he'd been thinking about your words more carefully than he truthfully had been. "I don' 'xactly go t'church. I'm not really sure if I believe in God." The words floated out of his mouth before he thought and he immediately was mentally hitting himself.
Why in the world would he say that to you?
He was expecting you to get upset, but you didn't. Instead, you laughed again, more of a giggle this time. "That's okay." You took another sip from your cup as a pause to your thought. "Sometimes I'm not sure if I do either. But that's okay. Religion doesn't always equal faith. You can have faith in a lot of things."
He looked at you quietly in confusion, you thought it was kinda cute, the tired way his eyebrows cinched and his eyes squinted. You wanted to keep that look of confusion on his face for your own amusement a little longer. You kept talking though, wanted to explain yourself.
"You can have faith in an unknown out there, something to believe in that's bigger than you. Like," you hummed in thought for a moment before exclaiming happily with a clap of your hands, "like soulmates!"
"Y'mean jus' roman'ic love." He felt amusement course through him at the dreamy look that had entered your eyes and as it quickly turned into faux betrayal at his response.
"No. Soulmates." You said it in a 'matter-of-fact' tone that you had trouble pushing out without a smile creeping onto your lips.
He wasn't sure what it was and neither did you, but neither of you could bring yourself to move from the other. So you both sat there, together, in the middle of a busy cafe with quickly cooling cups of coffee, discussing the concept of faith and soulmates and fate until the lunch rush started to calm down.
When time came for you to leave, he tried to say goodbye, mouth opening for the farewell. He didn't even get the first syllable out before you quickly stopped him.
"I hate goodbyes!" You laughed as you held your hands up in protest. "They feel so final. I'll see you in class tomorrow!" You threw him one last smile as you both turned separate ways to leave.
He couldn't help but throw a glance over his shoulder to see you one last time.
You weren't that far yet. Barely even six feet away from him. But as you walked further away it felt like you pulled something in his chest along with you.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from you. It felt like if he looked away, if he even blinked, then he'd realize this had all been a dream.
He realized, as he watched you walk away, that even though his coffee was only half empty, he'd never felt so away this early in the day on a Sunday. He decided then, that maybe Sundays aren't so bad.
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