#a little rant this sunday morning

[formulawolff]

i’m going to say the quiet part out loud because this is my blog. i don’t care if the stans come across this point and don’t like what i have to say:

i do not like lando norris. he’s a talented driver don’t get me wrong, but some of the fans make it impossible to like him because they are so far up his ass and defend him when he was clearly in the wrong.

i have a hard time liking him because he has been rude/a bad teammate to oscar when he didn’t get his way. i do like sassy/diva men, but i can’t get behind lando for some reason.

i also just have a distaste towards mclaren in general because i don’t like zak brown but that’s another story for another day.

i do like oscar! he’s so sweet and reminds me of a golden retriever.

that’s all! 😀

[mawrmyy]

sugar 'n cream

Joel Miller x f!reader

word count: 2.4k

warnings:

18+ !!! minors dni please !!! smut, messy blowjobs, f!masturbation, tooth-rotting fluff, writing soft!husband!joel has become my brand at this point, pet names (angel, baby, perfect girl), lmk if i missed anything :)

You’ve fallen into a routine of waking up to the smell of brewing coffee every sunday morning.

Today is no different. Your eyelids flutter open gently, the burnt, earthy smell climbing upstairs to your bedroom. 

You linger in it, let yourself sink deeper into the white sheets as the scent envelops you, the familiarity of it feeling like a warm embrace. 

You can’t help but smile. You know he’s downstairs, probably pouring the dark coffee into two separate mugs; one for each of you. He knows exactly how you like your coffee, but he never gets it quite right. 

You love him for that. 

Rubbing the sleep from your eyes with the back of your knuckles, you begin to get up, the sheets rustling and twisting beneath you as you do. The floor tiles are cool against your bare feet, jolting you further awake as you tiptoe downstairs, hand lightly grazing the railing.

He’s there— broad shoulders facing you, muscles moving beneath his shirt as he pours the last drops of coffee into one of two mugs on the counter. You see him eye the sugar, contemplating whether or not to attempt sweetening your drink just how you like it. It makes you smile. 

You decide to help him solve the dilemma, walking towards him. 

He’s so warm. You feel the heat he radiates before you even wrap your arms around his waist, pressing a sweet kiss between his shoulder blades before resting your forehead there. He hums, and the vibration of it sends shivers throughout your whole body, you’re sure you feel him in your bones. 

“Mornin’, Baby,” Joel says softly. You hum in acknowledgement, unmoving from your position against his body, whining in protest when he tries to change positions. He chuckles, gruff and hearty, and you give in, loosening your grip on him. He turns over in your arms as he leans his back against the counter, and you lean your chin on his chest, looking up at him. He’s smiling at you, and it’s so soft and sweet, you’re sure your heart is going to burst out of your chest. 

Joel ducks his head down and kisses you, one big hand coming up to cup your cheek. A content sigh leaves your throat, and you feel him smile against your lips as his thumb softly caresses your cheekbone. 

You miss the warmth of his mouth as soon as you break apart. You grumble, your head nestling against his chest, ear against his thrumming heart. 

“Wanted to wake you up with coffee in bed,” Joel says. “Been workin’ real hard this week, Baby. Thought you could use the extra sleep.” He’s right, of course. He always is. He knows you so well, your Joel, always attentive, listening to your constant rambling and ranting as he holds you close to him on the couch after every long day. He’s so sweet, so good to you. 

You lean up, kissing him once again, this time shorter and sweeter. 

“I love you,” You tell him, because it’s true. He smiles, tugging you a little bit closer to him. 

“Never know how much sugar to put in your coffee, Baby,” Joel tells you. You huff out a laugh, reluctantly pulling yourself away from his body to pull out a milk carton from the fridge. You feel Joel’s gaze on you, burning a hole through your head as you pour the milk into your coffee, the dark brown shade of it softening to a lighter, caramel-like color.  

Before you can reach for the drawer to pull out a spoon for the sugar, Joel’s handing you one. It’s a normal teaspoon, but it looks comically small in his large hand. You take it from him, mumbling a thank you, Baby as you sweeten your coffee. His hand, the one that was handing you a spoon a moment ago, falls to the small of your back, and you revel under his touch. The two of you take a sip of your coffee simultaneously, and you smile into the mug as both of you find the other’s eyes. 

__ __ __

Joel likes his coffee black, black, black. You don’t understand why someone would choose to drink something that tastes like charcoal and burnt shit out of their own free will, but right now, as you kiss him, your tongue against his, you think you might not mind the flavor. 

He’s got you pushed up against the counter, marble digging into your lower back as he trails open-mouthed kisses up and down the column of your throat. His hands rest on either side of your hips, thumbs drawing circles on your waist. You’re breathing him in, holding the back of his head in the palm of your hand as his mouth nips and licks at your throat, kissing every sliver of bare skin his lips can find. Lost in the moment, you let your mind go completely blank with nothing but Joel.

Your man.

Your big, strong, capable man, always so good to you, so selfless. You know for a fact that he’d give you the world— he’s just waiting for you to ask him to. 

Your body moves on instinct, sinking to your knees before you even realize what you’re doing. Worshiping Joel is muscle memory at this point. Your hands travel up and down the outsides of his thighs, the fabric of his jeans rough and dry against the palms of your hands. You had asked him once, who the hell wears Jeans on their day off? He’d just huffed out a laugh and kissed you sweetly, and that was the end of the conversation.

Your fingers work at his belt, shakily unbuckling it, pulling it loop by loop before letting it fall to the floor beside you. Joel is looking down at you, eyes wide and dark and full of love and everything else that’s unsaid. His hand cups your face and you melt into his touch, nuzzling against him like a housecat basking in the warmth of a fireplace. 

“Baby,” Joel says from where he stands above you. His voice rasps around every vowel, lust dripping from it like honey. “Y’don’t gotta do that, c’mere. I’ll make you feel real good, Darlin’. Let me make you feel good.” You smile up at him, at your man, always putting your pleasure before his own. You shake your head softly, unbuttoning his jeans.

“Wanna make you feel good, Joel.” You say as you work the zipper down. His eyes never leave yours. Not as his pants fall around his ankles, or as you plant a kiss on his tan thigh. Not even as you palm his half-hard cock through his boxers, cupping him through the fabric. 

“Always taking such good care of me,” You say as you begin to pull his boxers down, kissing the newly revealed skin of his soft tummy. “Let me return the favor.” You keep tugging his boxers off slowly, pressing your lips softly to every inch of bare skin your greedy mouth can latch onto. You smile to yourself as you feel Joel’s breath hitching, the uneven rise and fall of his stomach against your curled lips. Your own breath catches in your throat as soon as Joel’s boxers fall to his ankles, his cock standing hard and proud before you, a bead of precum on the tip. 

This isn’t anything new. You and Joel have been together for a long time now, finally tying the knot last autumn after dating for five years. He takes such good care of you, showing his love in ways that range from sending you pictures of every heart-shaped object he comes across, to fucking you deep into the mattress until you’re screaming out his name. But still, you almost never get to love on him like you wish you could. He’s always so preoccupied with making you feel good, he doesn't realize that seeing him come undone for you has your sweet cunt clenching around nothing. 

You reposition yourself on your knees, making yourself as comfortable as the cold tile will allow, before taking Joel’s cock in your hand. He groans at the contact, your warm hand closing tightly around the thick base of him. The sound spurs you on, and you lean in to press a sweet kiss to the leaking tip. Joel’s hand flies to your hair, fisting it tightly. 

“Shit, Angel,” His voice is deep and gruff. You keep pressing feather-light kisses along the length of his dick, riling him up. “Fuck, go easy on me, Baby. Don’t tease me— shit,” You take him into your mouth, lips wrapping around the tip of his cock, tongue rubbing the sweet spot right beneath the head. The groan that Joel lets out is so primal and animalistic, you’re sure it’s been brewing in his chest for a while now. His hips stutter as he holds himself back from fucking your throat, and you take him deeper, mind hazy with the need to make him feel good, craving his sweet moans and groans. 

Joel is muttering about your perfect lips, and about what a good girl you are, taking him so well. His praise spurs you on, has you moaning and humming around his cock. 

But it’s not enough. You need more of him.

You pull your lips off of his dick with a wet pop! sound, spit dripping down your chin. Joel loosens his grip on your hair, confused. 

“Want you to fuck my throat,” You blurt out bluntly. Joel’s eyes go wide at your request. 

“Fuck– R’you sure?”He asks. You nod enthusiastically. “Don’t wanna hurt you,” He says, a little softer. His hand comes to rest on your cheek, his eyes wide with affection and worry. You hum, nuzzling into his touch, a smirk gracing your lips.

“Someone’s self absorbed,” You joke. Joel snorts, rolling his eyes.

“Goddamn smartass,” He replies, and you laugh. You press a light kiss to his lower tummy, his pubic hair scratching against your skin, before looking back up to him with a soft smile.

“M’serious,” You tell him. “Want you. Want all of you.” Joel inhales deeply.

“My perfect fuckin’ girl,” He says, and you beam. And after a moment– “Shit, yeah, okay.” It’s all the confirmation you need before taking him into your mouth once more, cheeks hollowing as you relish in his bitter flavor. Joel’s hand finds the back of your head once again, pulling you closer to him until the tip of his cock hits the back of your throat. His nostrils flare as he grunts, eyes never leaving yours. You can’t help but moan at the intimacy of it, at the warm weight of him against your tongue. 

You can tell your sounds spur him on, giving him more confidence as he bucks his hips against you, making you choke around his cock. 

He looks so beautiful like this, with his tousled hair and his coffee-brown eyes watching you in awe, you can’t help but let your hand slide down beneath the waistband of your panties, fingers running through your slick folds, drawing small circles on your clit. 

He looks like an Adonis, like an ancient Greek statue carved from the finest marble. You run a hand up and down his thick thigh, your other hand still toying with your cunt. You sink a finger into your dripping hole, making you moan even more enthusiastically as you bob your head up and down Joel’s cock. He’s close and you know it, the rhythm of his hips uneven as he fucks into your mouth. His eyebrows are furrowed and his mouth slightly agape and yes, he looks so handsome like this, you feel yourself clenching around your finger before slipping another one into your tight hole. Joel’s always been better at this than you, his fingers thicker and longer, hitting all the right spots inside of you. You can’t help but wish it was him, fucking you deep and slow, thumb circling your clit while two fingers pump deep inside your pussy, making you gush and cream around him. But no, this is about him, now. You swirl your tongue around his heavy cock, pulling your head back slightly to suck at the sensitive tip. Joel lets out a broken moan before pulling you against him, your nose against his soft belly. It’s a sweet burn. He’s so big, you feel tears beginning to blur your vision as you breathe deeply through your nose. 

He finally lets you break away, and you gasp for air. You smile up at him, practically glowing, the hand that was previously buried between your plush thighs comes back up to stroke him, the mix of your spit and your juices coating his dick as your hand tugs at him. 

“Want you to come in my mouth,” You say, before pressing a soft kiss to the side of the shaft. “Wanna taste you.” Joel curses under his breath, something you can’t quite make out. You smirk, before taking him into your mouth again.

“Girl of my- fuck- girl of my fuckin’ dreams,” He says, and you hum around him. He gives two hard thrusts into your tight throat, before his hips still completely as he comes. You’re pressed against him, your eyes screwed shut as you focus on breathing through your nose, not wanting to break away before you get to taste all of him, every last drop on your tongue.

Joel’s hips jerk as his cum paints the velvet walls of your mouth. The flavor of him is bitter and salty, something you can’t quite put into words. 

Something that’s all Joel, all yours.

You slowly pull your mouth off of his softening cock, swallowing every last drop of his release, all while never breaking eye contact. Joel’s breathing is heavy and his eyes are wide, watching your every move with utter fascination and adoration. You give him a small smile as he brings his thumb to the corner of your lip, swiping up a leftover drop of his come and pushing it slowly into your mouth. It’s a welcome intrusion, and you wrap your lips around the finger immediately, tongue circling the pad of it. Joel grunts, before helping you up so that you’re standing again and kissing you deeply, has hand on the back of your head. You can’t help but smile into the kiss.

He still tastes like coffee. He tastes like coffee and Joel and a hint of you, reminding you he’s all yours.

“I love you,” You tell him, and he smiles.

“Love you too, Angel,” He replies. “Fuck, love you so goddamn much.”

__ __ __

whew! this one took a while to write cause i was sick for the longest time and couldn't really think about sucking dick...

thank you for reading!! i'd love to hear what you thought, and constructive criticism is always appreciated :)

picture I -- Spotify on Pinterest picture II -- TheLastredemption on Pinterest picture III -- вишневый котик on Pinterest

[seungcheorry]

cherry's masterlist.

cherry.txt | fic rec

ot13:

picking your nail color;

morning after [collab with @kozukensgf];

"would you still love me if i was a worm?";

svt crushing on you (when you're away);

which member would you meet first?;

svt as mundane things they do for their s/o;

svt + "it's getting late, i should probably go home";

s.coups - choi seungcheol:

morning sex with seungcheol [m];

domestic night with seungcheol;

seungcheol + migraine;

kissing seungcheol;

meeting seungcheol's friends;

comfort sex with seungcheol [m];

possessive sex with seungcheol [m];

seungcheol when you're sick;

seungcheol being your plus one;

angry!seungcheol not backing down;

worried seungcheol before his comeback;

seungcheol being sulky;

in which seungcheol wants to marry you;

you're always the big person (bff!seungcheol);

girl dad!seungcheol + being the favorite parent;

cherry chapstick;

yoon jeonghan:

morning sex with jeonghan [m];

jeonghan + wearing rings;

when jeonghan do the dishes;

joshua hong:

bf!joshua after a bad day;

joshua + habits (that are just skills);

cold weather, warm heart;

wen junhui:

bff!junhui;

yapper junhui after a tiring day;

hoshi - kwon soonyoung:

quiet mornings with soonyoung;

feeding soonyoung;

jeon wonwoo:

wonwoo putting you to sleep;

wonwoo in a cropped top [m];

wonwoo easing your anxiety;

wonwoo + apologizing;

you're needy in the morning (and so is wonwoo) [m];

woozi - lee jihoon:

cuddling woozi;

new signals with woozi;

woozi + spoiling;

taking care of woozi;

phone sex with woozi [m];

too sweet for woozi;

please, wake up;

dk - lee seokmin:

bf!seokmin + weekend off;

seokmin when you're sick;

seokmin falling in love;

whipped seokmin [m];

dog dad!seokmin + falling in love;

seokmin hates his eczema;

kim mingyu:

scaring mingyu;

sub!mingyu [m];

mingyu + bedtime routine;

my team with the free smoke (+ vernon) [m];

mingyu wants to be a dad;

showering with mingyu in the morning;

mingyu's little girl = his pride;

the8 - xu minghao:

minghao healing you;

minghao while you're getting dressed;

minghao when you're cold;

bf!minghao;

relaxing tea with minghao;

minghao vs the voices in your head;

dirty talk with minghao [m];

boo seungkwan:

seungkwan + coffee machine;

seungkwan when you fight with your bff;

sleepy boo;

chwe vernon:

vernon when you need to rant;

bf!vernon + necklace;

music festival with vernon;

weekend off with vernon;

easing vernon's anxiety;

vernon being touch starved [m];

bf!vernon;

my team with the free smoke (+ mingyu) [m];

vernon over flowers;

vernon's partner + members;

in which vernon is NOT cute;

fiance!vernon + growing out his hair;

vernon likes to have his ears touched;

falling in love at pfw;

sharing a lollipop;

lazy sunday with vernon;

drunk sex [m];

made out of love;

dino - lee chan:

after a fight with dino;

loving dino, but not having him;

[minkdelovely]

love and power

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧     ✧     ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

prelude

“ask for forgiveness,

never permission.”

Alastor x Fem!Reader ; MDNI 18+ ; [y/n] used sparingly ; Alias in Hell is Sylvie

tags: acid rain wound, cannibals living their best lives in cannibal town, slow burn eventual: smut, violence, toxic themes

word count: 1.7k

hello world! i currently have alastor brain rot and felt compelled to jump back into writing fan fiction. i’m a little rusty and i’m not sure how many parts there will be; i won’t deny that this is purely self-indulgent but i hope you enjoy all the same :)

prelude ; chapter one ; chapter two ; chapter three ; chapter four ; chapter five ; chapter six ; chapter seven ; chapter eight ; chapter nine ; chapter ten: part one ; chapter ten: part two

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧     ✧     ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Hell wasn’t what you had expected it to be. It was worse.

Thoughts of your grandmother rose to your mind, despite how desperately you tried to push them down. “Hell is the absence of God,” she would always say after one of her famous rants. A warning you perhaps would have heeded, had it been coming from a place of love instead of moral superiority. 

You had seen her on the streets of Hell a few times now, always sure to avoid catching her attention. The warm pleasure that bloomed in your chest was too precious to give up, despite knowing how good it would feel to rub her fate in her face. A lot of good all those Sunday mornings had done her, haughty bitch! You wondered how often your grandmother laid awake at night, desperate to know how she had ended up here. A wicked grin spread across your lips, revealing milky-pink fangs.

It was hard not to imagine the look your father would have given you if you could tell him she was here. He would definitely have scolded you, but you knew a small part of him would be amused. If calling her a bad grandmother was putting it lightly, she was an even worse mother-in-law. Hopefully you would never get the chance to tell him; Mother was waiting for him in Heaven, after all. And things should be much easier for him now, all things considered. Leaving him alone hadn’t been part of the plan, so all you could do was tell yourself that it had been worth it. Someday you would believe it.

Grandmother was right though, loathe as you were to admit it, and the feeling of loss burned through you every morning when you awoke. Every night, you dreamed of rain; the sound of it, the smell of it, the feeling of it coming down on you in the middle of the family garden. Oh, how you missed the garden. The dark, wet dirt. Blue puffs of hydrangea against stark-white azaleas, your mother’s coveted yellow roses. The Spanish Moss hanging like phantom sails off the branches of the huge oak tree in the corner, where your father had placed a bench and made a small pond. You would sit under that tree for hours lost in a book, listening to the sounds of the garden.

The fire and brimstone you could endure. It was the way everything else was twisted here that was grueling. As if feeling your lament, a drop of acid rain hit your window, quickly morphing into a full-blown storm. A frustrated growl erupted from you and you rolled onto your stomach, burying your head under your pillow and said a silent prayer to whatever force would grant mercy on your roof. You couldn’t afford to get it fixed again. The prayer had been answered just a moment after the rain stopped, when a drop of it fell from the ceiling and onto your pale, unsuspecting calf, your mattress absorbing the scream of pain that tore through your chest.

As the acid made its way through your leg, and eventually your mattress, all you could do was sob. Eternity… This was eternity. 

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

If this morning had been good, the day could only now be considered grand.

There was really nothing quite like a post-rain stroll through Cannibal Town, witnessing the misfortune of partially-dissolved sinners who had been caught in the deluge being consumed on the streets by the lively, ever-hungry inhabitants. Alastor would never tire of this jovial bunch that called this part of the Pentagram home, reveling in the sound of screams, the crunching of bone, the almost-lewd and animalistic grunts of feasting.

Were Rosie not expecting him for tea, he might have allowed himself to join in on the fun. Alas, his only solace was that Rosie never served anything less than superb, being the excellent hostess that she is.

He was quite intrigued by her invitation to join her alone, which meant that this likely wasn’t anything to do with donating a small army of cannibals to aid in the fight against the Angels. Indeed, Charlie’s presence would be required once it was time to cash that favor in.

Not that he didn’t enjoy a casual visit (as casual a visit between Overlords could be), he couldn’t help but wonder. Thinking a few steps ahead was a must if one was going to thrive in Hell, and well, it was no secret that Alastor was doing a pretty fine job at that, all things considered. He began to whistle, earning a few gory smiles from cannibals who stopped mid-meal to enjoy the tune. A true honor.

Rosie opened the door for him before he even had the chance to knock, the “Closed for Rain” sign clattering against the glass as she cooed. “Alastorrr! Come in, come in, before it starts raining again.”

As if on queue, a roll of thunder tore through the clouds, drawing a cheer from the denizens of Cannibal Town in anticipation for round two. 

“Rosie, my dear, always an honor and a privilege to be deemed worthy of your company,” Alastor said, bowing his head as Rosie feigned a blush, leading him to the parlor where they would be taking their tea.

The usual pleasantries were exchanged between sips of tea, coffee, and candied organs, which Alastor forced himself to consume through sheer courtesy. It was all part of the art of visiting, one he quite enjoyed, and he would never shame his mother’s memory with bad manners. They had just finished a plate of finger sandwiches when Rosie leaned in slightly, the conspiring grin on her face letting him know that it was, at last, time for business.

“You’re always so good to indulge me, Alastor. It doesn’t go unnoticed,” she said, grinning as she motioned to a maid to come grab their empty plates. “I’m sure you’ve been dying to know why I asked you over here this afternoon.”

“Oh, Rosie, it’s purely selfish! You know how hard it is to find good company in this godforsaken place. I’m more than grateful to receive your hospitality,” he said with a trademark smile and flick of the wrist, leaning back in his chair as the maid cleared the table.

She had just turned to leave with their plates when the smile on his face nearly faltered. Was that… almond he smelled? It had been so long, but he was fairly certain it was. There was an underlying trace of blood, though that was common enough around here. But almond? It was too pleasant for Hell.

Rosie’s eyes darkened to match her grin, not missing the twitch of Alastor’s mouth. She knew he’d have been able to smell it. It seemed that so far only Hellborn could pick it up, but what would be the fun in letting him know that? 

“Divine, isn’t she? A walking pastry, but not much of a talker. I like to bring her around whenever a room needs some pizzazz! She would’ve been eaten alive had I not taken her in,” Rosie whispered cheekily, as the maid returned with a fresh kettle and a gelatin mold for dessert. Rosie, not missing a beat once the tray had been set down, turned to her with a smile. “Thank you dear, you can leave now. I’ll ring the bell if we need anything else.”

The maid gave a silent curtsy and left the room as instructed, her sweet scent clinging to the air. Since coming to Hell, he took pleasure in the taste of bloody iron, the bite of black coffee. But in life… Memories of marzipan and frangipane tarts swam in his mind. And hadn’t Mother used almonds in her cherry pie crust? It took Alastor all he had not to drool, unsettled by the sudden rush of saliva in his mouth. Ages had passed since he last thought of such sweet things. He cleared his throat with as much grace as he could muster. Rosie only grinned.

“Well, she’s certainly new, so I suppose it’s not surprising she doesn’t talk much. It’s quite easy to tell when a sinner is… adjusting. So morose! You’re very gracious to have taken her on.” Alastor took a sip of coffee, desperate to get that almond smell out of his nostrils. 

“We both seem to be rather gracious these days, don’t you think?”

And there it was.

Rosie sat back in her chair and crossed her legs as she continued. “I was actually wondering if perhaps she might fare better in that hotel you’re running. Don’t get me wrong, she smells incredible, but fuck does she suck the air out of a room once the novelty wears off. She was scaring away clients, and you know it’s pretty bad if cannibals are uneasy around you for Christ’s sake, which is why I had her start working back here, but…”

Alastor had to resist gripping his knee, putting all his effort into maintaining a pleasant face. He had expected to be asked for a favor of sorts, but never did he imagine that Rosie wanted him to take on an employee. She’s had sinners sign contracts for little less than a new parasol, let alone a job. There was something more to this.

And beyond being an air freshener, what good was she for, really? He could deal with quiet, but to have to put up with yet another sulky face! What he had done to deserve it, he didn’t know.

But he knew there wasn’t really a choice other than to take the poor creature into his charge. Rosie was an alley he deeply cherished, and he was already in her debt for the help she had provided just weeks ago. This was no doubt the first part of paying that debt back, a sign of goodwill. Not every deal was beneficial from the start; still, Alastor wouldn’t outright accept the offer. That was part of the fun.

“Well we already have a maid,” Alastor said gently, “but after the recent renovation, we are anticipating more sinners to check in. Not that I doubt Niffty’s abilities, but I suppose she could do with some help when business picks up. How long were you thinking of lending her to our cause?”

Rosie waved her hand. “Lend? Oh, honey, if you’re willing to take her, she’s yours. I’ve got plenty of helping hands, but it does me no good to have such a wet blanket hanging around. There’s just the matter of…,” Rosie trailed off as she reached into her purse, retrieving what Alastor already knew she had been grabbing for, “…her contract.”

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧     ✧     ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

[yurinaa-world]

Helloo ☆ I hope youre having a nice day 💫🌸 I was wondering if I can request Blade, Ratio and Sunday with reader who appears stoic/reserved and seems disconnected but is actually soft and cries/smiles easily around them 🥹 thank you!!

- 🪻

"𝒜 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉𝓎 𝓈𝓂𝒾𝓁𝑒"

💫𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈: Blade, Veritas Ratio & Sunday x Gender-neutral reader

💫𝒮𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓅𝓈𝒾𝓈: with a reader who appears reserved and disconnected but is actually soft around him

💫𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: Fluff & Spelling Mistakes

💫𝐵𝓁𝒶𝒹𝑒 "𝑀𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁𝒶𝓇𝑜𝓃 𝐻𝓊𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈"

You are both soulmates from the outside, both reserved and disconnected….except you aren't, and he is, the complete opposites of each other. He likes it better when you’re alone anyway, you’re more expressive that way and only he enjoys that.

He likes that reassuring smile on your face the morning after you fixed up his wounds, asking him if he’s alright and if he’s feeling any pain but he can’t think about that right now, forget the pain for now.

He can’t help but get a little clingy—though his face just screams he’s going to murder someone, even if his body is sore he wants to see your face close-up, maybe even steal that smile off of your face.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

“Be careful, blade,”

Him Showing up late last night and injured wasn’t exactly in the cards for you there you were, and now you’re like his personal nurse, taking care of him in the morning. His chest and arms were all cleaned and bandaged to the best of your ability, all while he groaned at the sharp pain his body was in.

“Open up, it might taste a bit weird.” You smiled, trying to make him feel better as you spoon-fed him a bitter medicine, even the colour looked like complete muck, which just made him frown at the taste of it, injuries may not be a big deal to him but nothing is killing his tastebuds. 

“Disgusting.”

“Please bear with it,” 

He won’t bear with it, not in the slightest, instead, he’ll be selfish and want something more to clear his throat, getting rid of that bitter, disgusting taste, and you’ll be the victim of it. Touch his bandages all you want but he’s not going to let you leave, he’ll grab your hand and drag you down on top of him.

“Is something wrong?”

He’s a silent man, rather than doing something useful with his mouth instead of saying unnecessary things that you already knew, shoving his mouth on yours was more important, you could taste the bitter medicine in your throat, the taste getting more apparent the more he doesn’t want to let go of you.

“It’s better to bear with now.”

💫𝒱𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒶𝓈 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜 "𝑀𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝐼𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁𝒾𝑔𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈𝒾𝒶 𝒢𝓊𝒾𝓁𝒹"

You may be the only answer to his problems, he feels exhausted by his students, and after a long break they have forgotten everything he’s been teaching, and the vein on his forehead might explode.

His anger gets bad to the point he can’t help but rant to you about his terrible day of reviewing with his class.

He may calm down a little when you smile and laugh a little about his complaints, it’s not your fault the way he talks.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

“I wish to bash my skull on the table, these students will be the death of me.”

He's been ranting for a while now…and the whole time—going unnoticed by him since he’s very into his anger—you just wanted to laugh so badly, hearing his analogies with his complaints were truly testing you. 

“Idiots, they incurable, truly I’ve failed as a teacher,” his monologue was cut short when you started laughing—it was like a jolt of realization, seeing you laugh at him like that yet he wasn’t very pleased.

“Seems like you’re enjoying this.” He stares back at you blankly as you calm down from your laughter. “I’m not but Veritas, if you keep stressing out so much, you might just grow gray hair already,” you smile, your hand gently creasing his hair to express your point more.

 “I don’t want you to get wrinkles in the next few years.” you smile, it was a very gentle and natural one, not forced in the slightest which just made his heart skip a beat, your smile always made the tips of his ears red when you both alone with each, it might’ve also made him go soft as well.

“Any expression can contribute to wrinkles, even you’ll get some,” 

In a low whisper, all under his breath so it wouldn’t reach your ears. “Yet even with wrinkles, you would look even more charming.”

Seeing this side of you makes him grateful of what he gets to see.

💫𝒮𝓊𝓃𝒹𝒶𝓎 "𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐻𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒪𝒶𝓀 𝐹𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎"

He’s gotten many personal questions about you from many people outside of your relationship. It's insulting if he's being truthful, and they just don’t know when to stop prying when they need to. Those backhanded comments don’t go unnoticed by him, he’s not some idiot. 

But it’s not the bad, words are just words unless the press gets wild and tries to do something then it’s something you shouldn’t worry about, not while he gets to see a different side of you that no one else gets the privilege to see.

Seeing you come with a pretty smile spread upon those lips, while you convince him to take a break and relax from all the papers he’s been doing. He might just do it since you’re the one asking (and he can’t resist that smile)

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

“Sunday, you should take a break, or else your hands might cramp up from working so hard.”

A gentle smile plastered on those lips while you had his hand intertwined with your own, pressing it against your chest, almost as if you were giving him your blessing—it makes him feel as if he’s a teenager with a crush—gaze turning into a gentle one.

“I must’ve lost track of time, I didn’t mean to worry you, yet there still are many papers to do.” He sighs, before gently pulling his hand away—to not hurt your feelings—yet you grab onto his hand again—not wanting him to start back his work. 

“Please take a break Sunday, I’ll only let you work if you take a break right now.” You conveyed, his hand can’t help but stare at both of your hands intertwined before taking a fresh breath of air at your intervention.

“If it makes you happy, then I’ll take a break,” A weary smile on his lips when your eyes light up at his agreement with your lips going back to that smile

“Yet I would like for you to stay with me.”

he loves the look of it, why don’t you keep it that way on his whole break? It’ll even motivate him to finish his work faster.

“If it helps you.”

if you liked this, consider tipping me on ko-fi! it'd mean a lot!

[sceletaflores]

i really just need art and patrick in subspace.

they don't normally sub. and they've never even kissed each other. dom reader makes them realize how much they desire the other, and can't help but allow her to slowly leading them into subspace

and all the poor guys can do is follow her like dogs in heat ;((

-🐝

auurrr sub!artrick you’re real to me…

and the thing is that their attraction to each other is so painfully obvious to quite literally everyone around them, but they themselves are completely oblivious.

It's either obliviousness or straight-up repression—a refusal to see what's right in front of them.

maybe it’s for different reasons. maybe art’s religious upbringing is still burned into his mind every time he catches himself letting his eyes linger a little too long on patrick fresh out of the shower, water dripping down the hard planes of his abs when he gets dressed in the mornings. the memory of his sunday school's youth pastor reciting, “it’s adam and eve, not adam and steve.”

and maybe patrick still has his dad’s homophobic rants ringing in his ears when he catches himself staring art’s lips wrapped around the filter of a cigarette. their shared cigarette, wet from art’s mouth when he takes it between his own lips.

but then they meet you. you with your willingness to navigate such a complex situation so delicately, carefully treading along the line of artandpatrick to help them realize that wanting to fuck each other isn't the end of the world. that sharing a girl the same way they share a cigarette is just another excuse to get as close as possible without touching.

it’s a mission, and you’re strategic about it.

you get them in bed at the same time, and they're so skittish. working around each other instead of with each other, but you're patient. you know they're both used to being in control, but they get so fuck drunk. it's like all the blood from their brains go to their dicks the second you drop your skirt, voice soft but demanding as you sit on the edge of art's bed.

"i want you to eat me out, both of you."

two hitching gasps ring out, shaky and broken. they're both hard.

you get them on their knees before the bed, shoulders pressed together between your thighs and matching looks of hesitation on their faces. you smile, reaching out to brush your fingers through their hair reassuringly. slowly, you start to drag art forward by the back of his head, only art.

his nose bumps against your inner thigh, short puffs of breath fanning over your aching core until he sticks his tongue out and lets you drag him wherever you want him.

patrick watches art the entire time, eyes rapidly flicking over his profile like he doesn't know where to look. tracing the bridge of art's nose, the cut of his jawline, zeroing in on where his pretty pink lips wrap around your clit. he's so quiet, the quietest you've ever heard him.

when art gets too into it, moaning and drooling, you pull him back. he groans, leaning forward to fight your grip on his hair like he'll die if he's not fucking you with his tongue. you scratch your nails against his scalp, a placating smile on your face before you're turning to patrick.

he lurches forward before you even get a hand in his hair, dragging his tongue through the mess of spit art left pooling in your hole. groaning at the taste of your pussy.

art watches him, just like patrick watched him. his head resting on your thigh, staring through half lidded eyes with parted lips.

you hold back for as long as you can stand, giving patrick his one on one time with your pussy. moaning at the way his nose nudges against your clit each time he licks a broad stripe over your hole with the flat of his tongue.

when you can feel yourself getting closer, you gently start to guide art's head closer. patrick's hair still in the tight grip of your fist, you're not moving him away.

wide blue eyes flick to your face, hazy and blown out and worried. you smile down at him, 'it's okay, baby."

apparently, that's all go ahead he needs. leaning forward enough to get his mouth back on you.

patrick, who got lost in his own little world, opening his eyes to art mouthing at your clit, lips inches away from his own, has a surprised moan ripping from deep in chest. you feel the rumble of it against your fluttering hole, long and drawn out.

it's like they both have a gravitational pull towards the other, getting closer and closer until patrick's tongue finally brushes against art's. it happens once, twice, three times before they both go still, eyes meeting in a shared moment of realization.

there’s a charged silence, broken only by the sound of your heavy breathing. it’s like the world has paused, waiting for them to decide if they’ll take that last step. you stroke patrick’s hair, steady and reassuring, and he hesitantly leans back in, his movements slow and uncertain.

art’s the first to move, taking patrick's bottom lip between his teeth and giving it a gentle tug. patrick’s eyes flutter closed, a shiver running down his spine. they’re tasting each other now, sucking the taste of you off the others tongue.

it’s hottest fucking thing you’ve ever seen.

you look down at them, at your boys. faces gone soft, eyes fluttered shut as they make-out over your pussy. heat zings up your spine every time their tongues tangle over your clit, chins messy with their spit mixing with the wetness leaking from you.

the smugness you feel only adds to your orgasm. all they needed was a little push.

[ashwhowrites]

Hi! can I please request an Older! Eddie Munson x Hargrove! reader, maybe they're neighbors and they hate each other, Eddie gets tired of of "the Hargrove kid" (reader) always doing parties, he tried to talk with Billy, Reader's dad, but he didn't thought his daughter would be like that, so Eddie talks with reader again, so they end up making out (maybe you could add smut) p.s I think I sent you this request before, but I don't remember!

Older Eddie 🫶🏻🫶🏻 I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it. Thank you for requesting

⚠️ smutty

Weekend nights

Eddie groaned as the loud music woke him up from his sleep. He opened his eyes and glared toward his alarm clock, he sighed. Another Friday night rest was interrupted by his neighbor.

He reached over for his landline and dialed his neighbor, it rang and rang. Then sent him to voicemail. He rolled his eyes as his call remained ignored by the loud party going on. He slipped on a shirt and walked over to his window. Not to his surprise, the yard was covered in young kids.

Eddie had been dealing with his neighbor every weekend for the past month, and he was tired of it.

Eddie and Y/N weren't friends, and not even close to being friendly neighbors. Y/N got on Eddie's nerves. The way she purposely drove him crazy then batted her eyelashes and faked innocence. She crashed her car into his garbage bins and refused to take the blame. On Halloween she egged his house, only to send him a kiss when he marched out the door. She was a pain in his ass.

~~

Sunday morning arrived and Eddie pounded on the Hargrove's door. He came face to face with Billy. The annoyed look made Eddie think twice.

"You have any idea what time it is Munson?" Billy growled, his strong arms crossed and Eddie tried not to back down.

"Do you have any idea what time your daughter's parties go until? It's been a month since of her waking me up at two am because she refuses to turn down the music. I've called, I've crashed the party, and she has no respect!" Eddie ranted.

"Are you at my door and excusing my daughter of throwing wild parties when I'm not home?" Billy glared, unaware Y/N was coming down the stairs. Her eyes caught Eddie, and she smirked. She yanked down her little tank top, allowing her breasts to pop through.

Eddie bit his lip as he tried to hold in his annoyance. She always played mind games.

"Why would I lie?" Eddie fought back, his attention back on Billy.

"My daughter is a good girl, and she has respect. Get off my porch." Eddie sighed as the door slammed in his face, but still caught the wink Y/N sent.

~~

It was Friday night once again, and Eddie pulled into his driveway. He was tired from work and needed uninterrupted sleep. He walked towards the Hargrove's house and pounded on the door.

"Mr. Munson, how can I help you?" Y/N flirted, her body leaning towards him as she smirked. She would never deny it, if anyone asked her she'd admit how hot she thought Eddie was. And the countess times she thought about him late at night. Eddie marched in the house and Y/N closed the door behind them.

"Oh stop the act," Eddie sneered, "tonight I want silence. No party, no friends, nothing. I want to sleep through the night without your games. I am done with the disrespect."

Y/N couldn't help but clench her thighs as Eddie scolded her. The older man always had her attention and she loved pestering him. She loved that heat and anger in his eyes.

"Oh? And I'm supposed to just obey? It's not like you're my daddy." She pouted, batting her eyelashes. Eddie hated to admit the nickname made him shiver.

"You drive me insane." Eddie groaned as he rubbed his hands over his face. Not noticing Y/N inched closer.

"Maybe I want to drive you insane," She whispered, he jumped when he felt her cold hands slide down his chest. He dropped his hands, moving to move her hands but caught himself not wanting to.

She turned her head to the side and looped her fingers through his belt loops.

"Why?" he whispered back, licking his lips as he looked down at hers.

"Because I want you to fuck me, Munson. Use that aged brain of yours."

She gasped when Eddie dug in hand in her hair, a soft yet harsh tug. "Watch your mouth, young lady." He threatened.

"Yes, sir." She moaned, she swore her mouth was watering at how close his mouth was to hers.

"Why didn't you use your big girl words to ask me? Why pester me and drive me insane?" He asked, his other hand lifted up her chin. He smirked at how easily she turned into a puddle in his hands.

"More fun this way." She tried to laugh but his lips were on hers before she could think. She moaned into his mouth and hungrily gripped at his body. He felt so hard yet soft underneath his dirty white tank top.

"Fun indeed," he teased against her lips as he pulled away.

"What if I fuck you every weekend and you don't throw parties?" He asked, his hand slipping into her pants, he pushed her underwear aside and began to finger her tight cunt.

She panted as she tried to think of words. Sounded like the perfect deal in her head. His fingers felt like a blessing inside of her, and his tongue in her mouth set her on fire.

"Deal" she moaned as she began to ride his fingers.

"Daddy's good girl my ass." Eddie snickered.

Eddie didn't dread the weekends anymore....

tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @somethingvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @manyfandomsfanvergentreblogs @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93 @gretavankleep37 @bellaisswagger

[imaginespazzi]

Part 6: Leaps of Faith

Masterlist - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 7

I hope that you catch me, cause I'm already falling (you put your arms around me and I'm home)

(In which a writer who can see the end approaching starts building towards that ending)

Pairing: Paige Bueckers X Azzi Fudd

Themes: Angst and Fluff

Words: 8.0K

TW: Swearing, Alludes to Sexual Content

A/N: Good evening my lovelies <3. Happy Sunday and Happy Mothers day! First of all, I wanna thank y'all for being ever so patient with me. I know I've been pretty bad about updating lately and y'all have been so sweet with your asks and I really appreciate it. This fic is very close to its end. I probably could have ended it with this chapter but there's a very specific ending I want to write so this one is more of a self-indulgent filler but I think y'all will like this one. There will be one more chapter and then an epilogue of sorts. Once again, there are most likely logistical inaccuracies. I'm not even gonna lie, the editing on this one is shoddy so there are definitely grammar errors/typos. For now, ignore them and I'll go fix them later. As always, even if we're near the end, feel free let me know what you liked, what you didn't and anything you'd like to see before we get to the end. Have a wonderful week my angels <3

April 2024 

“It’s a little early for ice cream hon,” Azzi jumps at the sound of her mother’s voice, startled eyes following the direction of the noise to find Katie leaning against the kitchen door, with a raised eyebrow. 

“It’s a little early to scare the living bejesus out of me mom,” she says with a hand to her chest. 

If possible, Katie’s eyes roll even further at her daughter’s sarcastic tone as she makes her way over to the kitchen counter. She’s gotten herself a spoon and everything, ready to steal some ice cream for herself, when she notices the flavour. Next to her, Azzi stiffens. 

“You hate mint chocolate chip Az,” Katie says quietly. 

“I couldn’t find the strawberry ice cream,” Azzi defends stubbornly, her face taking on a guarded expression. 

Katie walks over to the freezer, opening it and pointing at the strawberry ice cream, Azzi’s favourite, that’s sitting in plain sight, “it’s right there.”

“Well,” Azzi splutters, “I’m trying something new,”. 

“You hate trying new things.”

“I’ve grown up I guess.”

“Azzi.”

“Mom.”

“Azzi, why are you eating ice cream you hate at 4 in the morning?” Katie finally asks in her best mom voice, sighing when she gets a mumbled response from her daughter, “in words Az, please.”

“Paige likes it,” Azzi admits slowly, and before Katie can say anything, before Azzi can dwell on what she’s said, she launches into a rant, “god knows why. Actually I know why because she’s stupid and weird and likes the dumbest shit. Who the fuck likes mint? Who the fuck likes mint and chocolate together? Gross. This shit is disgusting. It tastes all wrong. Paige is just-,” Azzi throws her hands up in the air, “she just doesn’t understand that some things don’t belong together. They can’t. They’re too different and it just- there’s a fucking balance to things you know? And she just- she doesn’t get that. It’s just- it’s not meant to be.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re eating it right now,” Katie says carefully. 

“Because I miss her,” the truth bursts out of Azzi like an erupting volcano, burning itself into every crevice of her skin, “because for some fucking reason I don’t hate the taste of mint chocolate chip. Because maybe they do go together and maybe I’ve been the stupid one this whole time.”

Since she’d stepped out of the hotel in Cleveland, all Azzi could think about was going back, saying fuck it to all the useless logic she’d come up with and going back to the only thing in her life that had ever made sense her Paige. But as it often did in that clichéd battle between head and heart, her head had won out. And she’s never questioned why her head wins so much, why she’s always chosen to listen to the practical side of her brain, until now. Until now when the urge to turn back time, to make herself stay in that hotel room, is all that’s consumed her for the last week. 

“Azzi,” Katie wraps her arms around the younger girl, “what happened with you and Paige?”

Azzi hesitates for a second and then everything’s spilling out of her lips, the good, the bad, the inbetween, all of it tumbles out like an uncontrollable waterfall. There’s something freeing about being able to say it all out loud, something freeing about the tears Azzi finally lets roll down her cheeks. She grips the edge of the counter to keep herself from keeling over, starting to feel herself crumble under the heaviness of all these stupid feelings. 

“It shouldn’t be this hard,” Azzi whispers, “we used to be so easy.”

“Oh Az,” Katie rubs a thumb against her daughter’s cheek, “you used to be kids. You’re all grown up now. It’s always harder when you’re older.”

“Well, I don’t like it. I just want to be the way we were again.”

“So why don’t you?” Katie asks like it’s the most simple solution in the world and Azzi shoots her mother an exasperated look. 

“What do you mean? How do we even do that? We can’t be just friends again. We tried. Were you not listening at all?”

“Azzi, sweetheart, you’ve never been just friends.”

“That’s not true,” it’s a futile attempt at arguing against what’s become more of a fact than an opinion in Azzi’s life. It’s a truth she’d let herself acknowledge once and then buried deep within her, scared that once unleashed, it would ruin everything. Except, it turns out, even without it, things had still turned to dust.  

“Do you remember when you came home from Minnesota that first summer with Paige? You were either moping around or you were on call with her. There was no in between. It got better eventually, the moping stopped but the calls? I think you fell asleep on facetime with her almost every night. And you were tired every morning after, you barely had time to eat before school but every time I suggested that maybe you cut back, that was never an option,” Katie smiles fondly, “it’s when I knew.”

Azzi does remember, remembers talking about everything and nothing, remembers laughing and crying, remembers when Paige’s breathing was the only lullaby that could relax her into sleeping. And she remembers battling with that voice in her head, the one convinced there’s something more, silencing it with I’d do this with anyone. But that wasn’t true then and it’s not true now because Paige has never been just anyone, never been just a friend. Because even if Azzi’s never been brave enough to say it out loud, Paige is and has always been everything.

Despite knowing the answer and maybe dreading it just a little bit, Azzi asks it to her mom anyway, “what did you know?”

“That she was your person. You were too young, I couldn’t call it love just yet but I knew Paige was different then, she was yours in a way none of your other friends were. You were different around her,” Katie nudges her daughter, “Azzi you’ve always been just a little bit in love with her and she’s always been just a little bit in love with you too. The two of you have just been a matter of time.”

Azzi closes her eyes, and unlike other people, she doesn’t see darkness or little spots of light, she just sees Paige. Her mother’s words wash over her, like acid in her self-inflicted fight the feelings wounds and yet, the idea of she’s loved me too feels like a band-aid being delicately placed on the scars of her heart. 

“And place,” she whispers, eyes still closed, “we never seem to get time and place right.”

“Why do you need to?”

Another exasperated look is sent Katie’s way at that question, “we live on different sides of the country mom, what do you mean why do we need to?”

“I mean the two of you have barely ever been in the same place. But you made it work, when you had even less, when you felt even less. But you’re adults now. You have other resources now. And I know timing is difficult but- it’s you and Paige. What are you so scared of Azzi?”

Azzi sucks in a deep breath, “what if Paige runs away again?”

“What if you run away again?”

“Excuse me?” 

“Who was the last person to walk away, Azzi?,” Katie sighs when Azzi is adamantly silent, “I know she hurt you by leaving. I know she hurt you by pushing you away. But you did the same thing. You chose UCLA,” Katie holds up a hand when a frustrated Azzi tries to interrupt, “and it was the right decision for you Azzi and she should have supported it. But that doesn’t meant you didn’t hurt her and then you chose Zoe-”

“I didn’t choose Zoe-”

“Yes you did Azzi. Sweetheart you’re my daughter and I will always tell you the complete truth even if it’s not what you wanna hear. And the truth Azzi is that Paige might have hurt you in 101 different ways but that doesn’t mean you didn’t hurt her back in 99 different ways too.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Azzi whispers, “that’s the problem mom. It hurts when she hurts me but it hurts even more when I hurt her. I don’t want that for us but I just- I just don’t know how to stop it without stopping us.”

“You haven’t even tried, baby. Paige held out a hand and you ran away.”

“She left first. How am I supposed to trust that she won’t just do that again," all that’s missing from Azzi’s stubborn whine is a foot stomp.

“Because she came back. It took her a little bit, I know, but she came back and she’s ready to fight, the question is, are you?”

“Why are you defending her?” Azzi splutters, “who’s side are you even on?”

“There are no sides to this sweetheart. The two of you are on the same side. So maybe instead of fighting against her, take that hand, fight with her.”

***

The WNBA draft is a momentous occasion this year. With a hyped draft class like no other, and the promise of even greater ones in the future, there’s a sense of celebratory hope dangling in the air. When the invite had first come in, Azzi had known the same one would be sent to a certain blonde in Connecticut as well. And a part of her had wanted to hide herself away from that possible collision, but every other part of her wanted nothing more than to get just a glimpse of the blonde.

One moment Azzi is surrounded by flashing cameras and the echo of her name on everyone’s lips, the next everything around her is fading away her eyes meet Paige’s on the other end of the WNBA draft orange carpet. It’s nothing new really. Since she’s met her, the blonde has commandeered all of Azzi’s attention whenever she’s nearby. Sometimes it feels like all of her other five senses fade away to give birth to a secret sixth one, one that’s solely dedicated to Paige, one that’s terrifyingly all-consuming. And yet, despite the heaviness of we’ve said too many goodbyes, for the first time in what feels like eternity, Azzi feels like she can finally breathe. 

And then Paige looks away. 

And Azzi’s back to struggling for air. 

It’s selfish of her, she knows, to expect something, not when she’d been the one to leave them stranded on different islands. But Azzi doesn’t seem to think logically when it comes to Paige and even as she tries to turn her focus back to posing for the camera, every inch of her body is dangerously aware of the blonde’s every move, just a mere few feet away from her. Her conversation with her mother is echoing in her head, giving rise to dangerous desires of what if i grabbed your hand and we ran away together. 

Paige is a natural on the orange carpet, all dazzling smiles and twinkling eyes. She glides through it, inching closer and closer to Azzi, but never giving away any sense of discomfort. And if it was anybody else, maybe they’d never catch onto the nerves hidden beneath Paige’s facade of calm, cool and collected. But once upon a time Paige used to be Azzi’s favourite puzzle and she has every part of the blonde committed to memory. It’s in the way Paige’s teeth gnaw at her lips for the briefest of seconds, in the way her right index finger is begging to tap a beat against where her hands rests on hips, in the way she’s blinking just one too many times. 

And then with one more heavy footed step from Paige, the distance between them is barely a couple inches and they let out identical breaths of air, both of them keeping their focus on the cameras in front of them. It’s loud, too loud, and still all Azzi can focus on is the sound of Paige breathing. The air around them is thick with tension. It feels a bit like they’re silhouetted against a sky made of words they’ve left unsaid and clouds of all the bitter mistakes they’ve made are hanging over their heads. And when their pinkies brush together, and a jolt of electricity sends shivers of I miss you more every day again her skin, Azzi questions if she’s ever made the right decision when it comes to Paige. 

“Wait wait wait,” Ari cuts in, as she squeezes herself in between the two of them, “I wanna get in between the two of you.”

A harsh cry of no sits heavily on the top of Azzi’s tongue as the older woman forces a break in whatever little bit of contact she’d had with Paige. She feels a little pathetic, the way every little inch of her skin is craving for that touch back. It had been nothing, a barely there moment and still Azzi thinks, when she goes to bed tonight, if that was all she’d get of Paige, then it’ll be the only thing that’ll feature in her dreams. 

“Alright one with just Paige and Azzi,” Ari directs the media, stepping out of the way and pushing the two younger girls together. And it’s laughable that a little brush of their pinkies had Azzi feeling any type of way because when they’re suddenly pressed together, every inch of Paige’s side fitting into Azzi’s like it belongs, the way the world suddenly bursts with light and colours makes Azzi wonder if every moment without Paige has simply been monochrome. 

It comes to them naturally how to pose together, arms winding around each other’s waist, heads involuntarily leaning against the other’s. And the smiles might be for the cameras but Azzi knows hers is the most real it’s been all night. It might be temporary, she might lose Paige in the chaos, but for now Paige is here and Azzi has learned how to be content with whatever little she can get. 

As the media moves to capture other people, the logical thing to do would be to separate, to let go of each other. But instead they stand there, still completely wrapped around each other, heart rates in sync as they breathe in each other’s presence. And then Paige’s hand falls from the small of Azzi’s back to tangle their fingers together and they let out identical sighs of relief, something so cathartic in the purposefulness of that touch. Everyone is too busy to notice that the two of them have fallen into a whole other world, one where there’s only two of them and every emotion that they’ve only reserved for the other. There’s no words exchanged as Paige guides the two of them out of the spotlight, somehow keeping their hands clasped together in secret, despite the ever growing crowd. And Azzi doesn’t know this building at all, doesn’t have the faintest clue where she’s being led to, but as long as it’s Paige pulling her along, she doesn’t care where, she thinks she’d go anywhere. 

Paige stops abruptly in a secluded corridor, turning to fully face Azzi. And the sincerity in the blonde’s crystalline blue eyes, as they roam every inch of Azzi’s body before coming to fixate on her face, steals the air away from Azzi’s lungs. Paige has gotten better over the years at building walls, but with every new lock she places on her emotions, there’s a key to open them that seems to always find its way to Azzi. In the delicate golden hue, Paige shines brighter than any star ever could and in the dim light Azzi can make out every bit of hurt and love and please can we just have this moment that Paige can’t put into words. 

“Hi,” Azzi whispers softly, hands itching to reach out and caress Paige’s skin. 

“Hi,” Paige says back, even quieter. She stares at Azzi as if she’s memorising every little detail and then her face crumbles. Azzi feels her heart drop at the single tear that trickles down Paige’s cheek as she lets out a broken whimper. And this, this unspoken power they seem to have over each other, the uncanny ability to just hurt each other without any bit of effort, is what scares Azzi the most. It’s too much. They shouldn’t be able to do this. 

“Paige,” Azzi’s fingers twitch but she hesitates, not knowing if it’s the right thing, “fuck- P what’s wrong?”

Paige doesn’t reply, eyes wandering down to where Azzi’s trying to keep her hands still against her sides and when she looks back up, her eyes are bloodshot, “what’s wrong? What’s not wrong Azzi? You won’t even fucking touch me.”

“I didn’t-” Azzi struggles to speak, “I didn’t think you’d want me to.”

“Can you just- fuck- can you just stop overthinking things for once in your life. Of course I want you to touch- you know what nevermind. This was a bad idea. You made yourself clear and I’m just- fuck- I should- I should just go.”

She sounds adamant enough but all it takes, when Paige moves to leave, is the strangled cry that leaves Azzi’s lips. The sound is enough to pull Paige right back in. She takes one look at the tears brimming in Azzi’s eyes. And then she’s pushing Azzi against a wall, hands on either side caging the younger girl between her body and the hard surface behind. She presses their foreheads together and Azzi feels like every part of her might just be a part of Paige too. 

“I miss you. I miss you so fucking much. It’s barely been two weeks and I- fuck- Azzi- I’ve missed you every single second and now you’re here and I still miss you. And it really fucking hurts.”

“I’m sorry,” Azzi whispers, finally letting her hands cup Paige’s cheeks, and it’s worth it for the way Paige seems to completely melt into her touch, “I’m sorry I keep hurting you. I keep thinking I’m doing the right thing but- I don’t know- I feel like I’m always doing the wrong thing when it comes to you. I don’t- I don’t know what to do.”

“Just let me be with you,” Paige’s voice is wrecked with desperation as she presses herself as close to Azzi as possible, “I’ll be your whatever- whatever you give me- whatever you want- I just- I just want you Az- whatever little bit you’re willing to give me- I’ll take it- and if you want me to wait- fuck Azzi- I’d wait forever- you know that right? However long it takes, baby. Just want you- just want us.”

Leaps of faith are scary. Azzi’s never been great at taking them, too cautious, too much of a worrier. She’s more of a step back from the cliff kind of person. If she doesn’t jump, she can’t fall. But here’s the thing, when she was fourteen, Azzi jumped off of her first hypothetical cliff. It had been on a plane, when after avoiding one too many deep questions, Azzi had admitted to a girl she barely knew,that maybe she could like girls. It was the first time she’d ever let herself acknowledge that truth about herself and the girl next to her was a stranger but there was something about her, something that screamed i’ll hold your hand and if you jump it’ll never be alone. And ever since then, that girl, Paige, has always been there. Hands outstretched, ready to jump off any ledge. Because if there’s hard ground underneath, then they’ll learn how to fly together and if there’s water, they’ll figure out how to swim. With Paige there has always been the promise that, whatever it is, they’ll figure it out together. And it’s with that promise in mind, that Azzi takes the leap of faith. 

“Me too,” Azzi whispers, heart beating erratically. 

“What?” Paige searches Azzi’s face, as if waiting for her to take it back. 

“Us. You. You and me. I want that too,” a ghost of a smile begins to creep onto Azzi’s face, and for the first time in god knows how long, she feels feather light, a little bit like she’s floating on a rainbow. 

“You mean it?” Paige asks earnestly, hands moving from the wall to clutch at Azzi’s waist, “don’t play-Azzi- okay- you mean it for real?”

“I do. I want this- I want this so much and I’m still- I’m still really scared and maybe it’ll be a disaster but I- I want to try. With you.”

Azzi used to think she knew all of Paige’s smiles. Her small, not quite fake, but only for cameras and people she didn’t quite know, smiles. Her just for my friends smile that was filled with mirth and childlike joy. Her basketball smile that transformed into a smirk when she got too cocky. Her only for Drew smile, soft and filled with so much adoration and pride. Her Azzi smile, the one only the brown-skinned girl gets to experience, a smile that made Azzi’s her heart swell with love. But the smile that stretches across Paige’s face now, is one Azzi’s never seen before. This one throws Azzi’s entire world of balance, so bright, so big, so full of emotions. If she could, she’d tattoo that smile onto her skin forever. 

“We’re really doing this?” Paige asks, still a little stunned. It wasn’t what Azzi had planned for tonight. She hadn’t really had any plans for what would really happen. But then Paige had walked in and all Azzi could see was forever she was tired of fighting against. 

“We should take it slow okay-” Azzi wraps her arms around the older girl’s neck, keeping their foreheads still against each other’s, “I don’t- I don’t wanna rush into things and fuck it up. I can’t- fuck- I can’t lose y-”

“You won’t,” Paige swears, squeezing at Azzi’s wait, “I won’t let you. We can take it slow. We can take it however you want- I just- we’re doing this?”

“Yeah,” Azzi can’t help the grin that fills up her entire face, “yeah we’re doing this.”

And as they surge forward to claim each other’s lips, and as they meld every inch of themselves into each other, and as they smile and cry into the kiss simultaneously, and as they etch promises into each other skin, and as they let themselves finally fall into each other, for each other, it feels a lot like coming home. 

***

July 2024 

The early morning sunlight casts a dark shadow across Paige’s face, causing the still asleep blonde to scrunch up her face in irritation. Azzi, who’s been awake for nearly half an hour now, can’t help the fond smile that creeps onto her own lips. She shifts herself to block the sun and Paige lets out a content sigh, burrowing herself further into her pillows. And the thing is every moment with Paige is special but there’s something about waking up to her in the morning. Azzi’s always awake first and it gives her ample time to just admire the girl in her arms, blond hair tousled all over her pillow, lips parted slightly open, and one arm always, always, splayed across Azzi’s torso, holding her close. Over the course of time, Azzi’s found out that the second she moves, Paige seems to feel her leave, waking up instantly. 

There had been an adjustment period if Azzi's honest. It had taken her a while to shake that fear of Paige not being there in the morning. The first morning, she’d been scared to open her eyes, even if she could feel Paige’s presence right next to her. That had been one of the few mornings that Paige was fully awake first, hovering above Azzi to wake her up. And when she finally did get the courage to open her eyes, the first thing Azzi had seen was Paige, blue eyes sparkling with unfiltered adoration, a smile filled with promises of every morning just like this. And that had been enough. 

Azzi reaches out to brush a hand through Paige’s soft blond hair, mesmerised by how pretty Paige looks in the morning glow. A lot of Paige belongs to the world now and Azzi’s not opposed to sharing really, because someone so fucking perfect, deserves to be celebrated like that. But there are some parts of Paige that belong to Azzi and Azzi only, some parts Azzi cherishes as being only hers. This is one of them and Azzi takes a snapshot of it, knowing she’ll need it to function in a few months, when she won’t get the real thing. 

“Are you watching Paige sleep?” Azzi almost jumps at the sound of Drew’s voice at the doorway, having been too immersed in Paige to have even heard the door open, “that’s kinda creepy Azzi.”

“Jesus Drew, whatever happened to knocking?”

“I forgot?” Drew grins, before he plops on the bed, the force of it making the whole frame shake a little bit. 

“Drew!” Azzi chides, “you’re gonna wake her up.”

Drew cocks his eyebrows, sparing his sister, who seems unphased by the sudden little bit of chaos around her, still fast asleep, an unimpressive look, “please she can sleep through anything. Besides, it’s already 9. I thought we were gonna do things. I been up for aaaages.”

“She’ll be awake soon,” Azzi smiles, ruffling the younger boy's hair. Drew rolls his eyes and it’s remarkable how much he resembles Paige, not just by face, but the mannerisms too. 

He huffs for a second before his eyes sparkle with an idea, “what if we pour water on her!”

“Drew!” Azzi chastises again, trying not to giggle. 

“Boo,” Drew crosses his arms across his chest, “you used to be so cool Azzi.”

Azzi laughs as she’s reminded of a younger version of herself, scheming with Drew on how to wake Paige up. And it’s not that she’s beyond that really, tucking the water idea for a rainy day, but Paige looks too peaceful this morning and she wants to preserve that look of serenity on the older girl’s face for just a little bit longer. 

“Hey Azzi,” Drew says after a while and Azzi hums in response, “when you and Paige get married, I can still be a groomsman right? Even if there’s no grooms?”

“Wha- where did that come from?” the brunette’s eyes widened at the question, sitting up a little straighter. 

Drew peers up at her with all the innocence of a pre-teen, “you are gonna get married right?”

“I don’t-”

“It’s too early for your yapping Drew,” Azzi’s saved from answering by Paige’s tired voice entering the conversation. She looks over to find Paige’s eyes already on her, a soft smile playing on her lips as she looks up at Azzi. If Drew wasn’t sitting right there, Azzi would lean over and kiss her and let Paige deepen it until they were both satisfied. 

“Oh thank god,” Drew cheers dramatically, “I thought you were gonna sleep forever.”

Paige scoffs, the arm that’s still wrapped around Azzi’s torso tightening its hold, “I wish.”

“Well you’re awake now so get up,” Drew whines, moving from his spot on the end of the bed, to flop on top of Paige’s body instead, “get up, get up, GET UP.”

“Get off,” Paige groans but there’s no real force behind it. Azzi watches with a fond smile, as Paige flips Drew over so that she can tickle him, eliciting rounds of laughter from the younger boy. Something in her heart flutters, her mind going back to Drew’s question. She’s never really been one to think too hard about marriage and children and that domestic suburban life, leaving it up to fate, but now- well, maybe. 

“Okay aight aight enough. Go get ready for breakfast and we’ll be down in a second,” Paige says, ushering Drew off of the bed. 

“You can just tell me you want me to leave so you can kiss Azzi you know?” Drew scrunches up his nose, “you two are gross.”

Paige sends him a stern look and gets a dramatic eye roll in return but as he always does, Drew does as he’s told, mock saluting the two of them and skipping out of the room. 

“He’s right by the way,” Paige says softly, turning back to where Azzi’s leaning against the backboard, “I do want to kiss you.”

Azzi smirks lopsidedly, “what’s stopping you?”

She squeals in surprise when Paige pulls her, the force of it causing both of them to tumble onto the front-end of the bed. Azzi ends up on top of Paige, hands resting around her neck, the blonde’s hands holding her waist in place. 

“Good morning,” Paige grins, clearly proud of herself as she chases Azzi’s lips to pull her into a searing kiss.

“Good morning,” Azzi whispers back, thumb caressing Paige’s left cheek.  

“Just so you know,” Paige pulls away, a determined glint in her eyes, “we’re so getting married one day.”

***

October 2024

Azzi’s mood has been rancid for the last couple of weeks. It’s terrible she knows; it makes her irritating to play with and a nightmare to live with. But even if this had been expected, that she would be on one end of the country and her heart would be on the other side, it doesn’t stop her from constantly being in a state of missing Paige. And it’s different from before, now that there’s a certain surety of of course i’ll see you soon but soon never really feels soon enough. 

“Azzi can you please get the door,” Kiki calls from her room when the doorbell rings. 

“I’m busy,” Azzi grunts back, snuggling further into her pillow with a book she isn’t actually reading, “you go get it.”

“Azzi please, I’m literally in the middle of getting dressed,” Kiki yells exasperatedly. 

If it wasn’t for the fact that she’s pretty sure her teammates are about this close to plotting her murder, and deservedly so, Azzi would sink back onto her bed and let the incessant doorbell noise continue. But she does love her teammates, thinks Kiki probably deserves to change in peace, and it forces her out of bed, grumbling away about annoying visitors. Until she actually gets a look at the visitor. Paige stands on the doorstep, confident as ever, a bouquet of roses and peonies and lilies in her hand. 

“You’re here,” Azzi breathes out, staring in awe. 

“And thank fucking god she is,” Kiki quips from behind her, “maybe we can finally get our old happy Azzi back and not this bitch.”

Paige laughs, “watch how you talk about my girl Rice.”

“You’re here. You’re really here,” Azzi whispers again. 

“I heard you missed me baby,” Paige says, her cocky smirk betrayed by the softness in her voice. And then Azzi is flying into her arms, throwing Paige off balance. 

“So fucking much,” Azzi admits into Paige’s neck, eliciting a giggle from the blonde, “Kiki’s right. I have been a bitch.”

“Just a little bit,” Kiki calls out again but there’s a new fondness in her voice. It’s funny how her team, even the haters, have slowly become Paige fans. They’d been hesitant at first, just like the UConn girls, but now well, it seems the basketball world’s Montagues and Capulets have learned to accept their star players’ relationship. 

“Missed you too Az,” Paige’s tone is vulnerable as they break away, “alright, go get changed, I wanna take you somewhere.”

“Or…,” Azzi presses her lips to Paige’s neck, leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses, “we could stay here and do something else.”

Paige shivers under her touch, stepping away to keep some semblance of control “n-no I have plans,” but she can’t help but kiss Azzi’s pout away, “it’ll be worth it, I promise. Besides,” she bites at Azzi’s ear, “there’s always later.”

***

“Your big plans are to bring me to the supermarket,” Azzi cocks an eyebrow as they walk down one of the many aisles, “you turned down sex for this? Should I be offended?”

Paige doesn’t say anything, concentratedly looking at signs, trying to figure out a specific section, before an aha! moment dances over her face, and she pulls Azzi with her, the younger girl going willingly, despite the eye roll. She stops triumphantly in front of the sushi section and Azzi looks at her quizzically. 

“I’m getting you supermarket sushi,” Paige says pointedly, “and then you can get me mac and cheese.”

And if you brought me sushi I’d have brought you your favourite mac and cheese. Oh. The realisation of what Paige is doing trickles around Azzi a little bit like rain after a long summer drought. She thinks back to the bouquet, everything suddenly making sense.

“You’re such a dork Paige Bueckers,” Azzi says softly, tapping the older girl’s nose. 

“Your dork,” Paige grins cheesily, “now hurry up and pick one. I don’t wanna miss the sunset.”

***

Once she catches on it, it doesn’t surprise Azzi to find that Paige has everything planned out perfectly, down to the exact spot in the park- the one by Paige’s recovery airBnB, the one they’d taken countless walks in trying to repair their friendship- where the two of them can be away from everybody else, in their own little bubble. And she has a picnic blanket, that’s a little small but they don’t really want space from each other anyways. They lean against a tree, food set up in front of them, Paige’s laptop, carefully piled on top of a couple of books to be the perfect height, set a little bit further away. 

“So what NBA game are we watching?” Azzi asks with a smile and Paige groans, “what? Was that not part of the plan?”

“Dude come on. It’s the beginning of October. Please tell me you know the NBA season isn’t happening yet,” Paige rubs her temple, only a little endeared by the comment, “are you sure you’re a basketball player?” 

“There are games in October. I swear I’ve seen them before,” Azzi says sceptically. 

“Yeah at the very end of the month, not right now.”

“Well then close enough,” Azzi says indignantly, “I don’t need to know the exact day.”

“Whatever you say baby,” Paige acquiesces with a smirk and it earns her an elbow to the stomach, “what the fuck? That shit’s domestic violence you know?”

“Big words Bueckers, didn’t think you knew them,” Azzi teases, placing a kiss against Paige’s offended expression, before settling herself against the blonde’s side, sighing contentedly when she gets a kiss on her temple in return. They’re cliché enough to put on Love and Basketball, but Azzi doesn’t really end up watching much at all. In between slow kisses, she almost falls asleep a couple of times, the comfort of Paige’s arms like a blanket wrapping her in the warmth of this is my fairytale. 

“THE POLAROID,” Paige’s shout breaks Azzi out of her haze as she feels her body being shaken off, the blonde rummaging through her bag for the camera, “we have to take the polaroid. My wall needs it.”

“Oh yeah a tiny polaroid picture of us inbetween all your Lebron posters, a perfect fit,” Azzi drawls only to be met with a scathing look from Paige. 

“It’s for important things and Lebron is the most important of them all,” Paige explains with complete seriousness, as she finally finds the polaroid camera and shimmies back to Azzi with it in hand. 

The sunset is beautiful. Pink, purple, orange and blue, all blending together to create the perfect picture. But Azzi thinks it’s not nearly as beautiful as the girl in front of her, not nearly as beautiful as the date Paige had planned, not nearly as beautiful as the future she can so clearly see now. Her mind drifts back to the night of the phone call, and she can almost hear Paige’s sobs again, can still hear her own voice breaking. Back then, they had seemed impossible, a butterfly like dream that danced out of their grasp. 

“Hey,” Paige captures her chin with two fingers, “where’d you go?”

Azzi shakes her head, “nowhere. I’m right here. With you. Where I should be.”

“Sappy goof,” Paige snorts but she kisses Azzi like she’ll take those words and hide them in the labyrinth of her mind, protect them there forever. 

Taking the picture is a task, both of them bickering about angles and lights. It’s unnecessary arguing, in true Paige and Azzi fashion really but there’s something so mundanely domestic about it that Azzi finds herself wanting to memorise this moment too. They finally get the frame just right, somewhere in between what they both wanted. Azzi smiles at the camera, her Paige smile, as the blonde in question presses her lips against her cheeks. 

Click. 

And Azzi hopes, that however many years later, when they have a home of their own, amidst all the photos that they’ll take over the next years, this one will be hung somewhere on their wall, a testament to finally realising every dream they’d dared to dream together. 

***

December 2024 

There are pebbles being thrown at her window and Azzi has to stop herself from laughing when she peers down to see Paige, freezing cold in the Virginia December air, staring up at her with a goofy smile. She shakes her head when her phone rings, knowing it’s Paige and answers it with her own foolish grin. 

“What exactly are you doing?” Azzi asks, “come back to bed.”

“You said I was unromantic. I’m trying to be romantic,” Paige’s teeth chatter in the cold, as she balances her phone in one hand, still throwing rocks with the other. 

“I didn’t say that and throwing rocks at my window is supposed to be romantic? You’re going to wake the whole house up.”

“That’s what they do in all the good rom coms. And you said and I quote ‘we’re kind of boring’. You might be boring Azzi Fudd but I most definitely am not.”

It had been a throwaway comment Azzi had made at dinner with some friends from high school. One of her friends had been going on and on about some adventurous trip that she and her boyfriend were going on, and then asked Paige and Azzi if they had any of that planned. To which Azzi had replied that they were a little too busy, considering they were college basketball players still in season, and besides they were “kind of boring” people. She hadn’t meant it in any type of way. Personally, Azzi likes boring. Paige however, seemed to have taken the comment to heart and Azzi had woken up at 2 a.m. to an empty bed and the sound of something being thrown at her window. 

“Okay I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You're really interesting baby and the most romantic person in the world. Now will you please come back to bed,” Azzi concedes, already missing the feeling of being cuddled up in her blankets with Paige’s body heat keeping her nice and toasty. 

“No,” Paige says indignantly, “come down here.”

“Paige, it's freezing. It’s gonna start snowing any minute.”

“Exactly. That’s exciting.”

“Sleep is exciting,” Azzi whines, but she’s already padding around her room looking for a warm sweater, grumbling under her breath about the warm California sun she’s missing. She tiptoes down the staircase, wincing at the one step that creaks just a little too much, before pushing herself out the door. And it’s freezing cold, there’s sleep in her eyes, but it’s all worth it Azzi thinks, it’ll always be worth it, just to experience Paige’s smile. 

“Knew you’d come,” Paige grins cockily, mittened hands pulling Azzi into her.

“Yeah yeah. What are we even doing?”

“Azzi Fudd,” Paige bellows dramatically, “may I have this dance.”

Azzi stares at Paige’s outstretched hand wondering if this is some sort of cry for help, but one look at Paige’s face tells her that the girl in front of her is being absolutely serious. 

“This is your idea of exciting? Dancing in the street while it’s freezing with no music?” Azzi raises an eyebrow, but she takes Paige’s hand. 

“It’s spontaneous,” Paige says the last word with a flourish, as she spins Azzi, “why not dance in the street when it’s freezing with no music?”

And well, that’s a fair point. If anyone were to look out their window that night, they’d probably think the two girls were somewhat crazy. Laughing and giggling and tripping over each other as Paige hums a melody and Azzi occasionally joins in. It’s ridiculous and corny and cliché and perfect. And then the first little bit of snow falls, white drops circling around the two dancing girls, snowflakes catching on their eyelashes. The dim glow of the streetlight is enough to catch identical smiles on the two girl’s faces as they revel in each other. 

“You know some people say if you make a wish during the first snowfall, it’ll come true,” Paige whispers, still waltzing the two of them around, cheek pressed to Azzi’s, “you wanna try?”

And the thing is Azzi doesn’t really believe in all of that, in magic but something about Paige, something about this moment feels magical. It makes a believer out of Azzi. 

“Yeah,” Azzi smiles, “let’s make a wish.”

They stand still, holding hands, eyes closed, both a little breathless, as they make their wishes. And when they open them, if it feels a little bit like maybe their wishes have already been granted, well they’ll share it in a secret smile but never out loud. After all, wishes don’t come true if you speak of them. 

***

April 2025

7 seconds to go in the National Championship and Azzi’s UCLA Bruins are down by two points. It’s her last chance, having already declared for the 2025 WNBA draft, to win a national championship, to bring home their first basketball national championship since the 1978 team that had won the AIAW championship, to win their first NCAA championship ever. It had taken some sheer luck to get to this point if Azzi’s honest. As a two-seed in the Spokane region, they’d benefitted from their one-seed having been eliminated early and then getting to face a Cinderella six-seed in the final four. On the other side of the bracket, UConn, the favourites coming for a repeat, had been stunned by another team, the team that UCLA was now facing. That had caused a bit of a second-hand sting and Azzi’s not really trying to take revenge for Paige, but it'd be a lie to say the get back at them for me babe from earlier this morning isn’t ringing in her head. 

The play is simple, set screens for Azzi, get her open, get her the ball. A two would get them to a tie and three would win it outright. Either will do. It’s a little too reminiscent of last year when Azzi had failed at tying the final 4 game and she can still feel that loss on the tips of her fingers. They break out from their last timeout, breathlessly running to their spots on the floor. The whistle blows, Kiki inbounds the ball and everything is a blur. All Azzi knows is the shot clock is winding down. She runs off of what feels like a million screens. And then she’s open on the wing, for a millisecond. A perfect pass from Kiki makes sure the ball lands straight in Azzi’s hand. And she doesn’t think, doesn’t breathe, doesn’t even notice the defender put up a hand, she shoots the ball. There’s two people on the court that know for sure that ball is going in the minute it leaves Azzi’s fingers, the shooter herself and her biggest fan in the stands, who’s been just a little bit in love with that shooting stroke, since before anything else had even begun. 

With a delicate swish, the ball falls through the net, the buzzer sounds around the arena, the crowd explodes in blue and gold, as the UCLA Bruins win the 2025 national championship. 

Everything stills in Azzi’s brain for a second, her thoughts taking a second to catch up to reality. She’s never really been one to emotion on the court, keeping herself steely guarded through most games, even at the very end. But now, triumph and pride and just utter happiness at finally achieving one of her biggest dreams, comes roaring to the surface, manifesting itself throughout her entire body, as she lets out a scream of joy. Her teammates engulf her and she gets lost in a sea of hugs and tears and bright, decadent smiles. 

As thing start to calm down, there’s really only one thing on Azzi’s mind and Paige’s words echo in her ears, because if I’m gonna end up fucking crying, then I want it to be on your shoulder. And if I’m gonna end up celebrating, I want it to be in your arms. And Azzi thinks maybe Paige had discovered one of the biggest truths of their life with that, the truth that at the end of day, in any moment, big or small, happy or sad, the one person Azzi wants next to her, is her Paige. It’s been that way since she was fourteen, and too young to really understand the meaning of wanting someone forever, and she thinks if she has her way, it’ll be like that for the rest of her life, the rest of their life. 

Paige is beaming in the crowd, standing next to Jon and José, a #35 jersey proudly adorning her torso. She waves when she catches Azzi’s eyes, always her biggest cheerleader. And Azzi throws caution to the wind, fuck it, not caring that there’s still a large crowd or that cameras are likely to follow her every move. She pushes her way into the stands, stopping right in front of the blonde. 

“On a scale of one to ten, how bad would kissing you right now be?” Azzi asks, still a little breathless. 

A myriad of emotions flicker through Paige’s face before settling on a mischievous smirk, “probably pretty bad but you should do it anyways.”

Azzi grins before merging their lips together and everything else fades to the background, until she’s consumed by nothing but Paige. They break apart far quicker than either of them would like and Azzi expects to feel just a little bit of fear at what she’s just done, likely given the media a spectacle they could run a million and one stories about but instead, with her forehead still pressed against Paige’s, she feels nothing but calm. 

“I’m so in love with you,” Azzi whispers and Paige’s eyes widen. They’ve known it for a while now but it’s the first time either of them have said it. 

“Say it again,” Paige demands. 

“I’m so in love with you,” Azzi says again, grinning so hard, she thinks it might become her permanent expression, “like really fucking in love with you.”

“I’m so in love with you,” Paige whispers, pulling Azzi into a bone-crushing hug. 

And this might not be the moment where everything finally comes together. There’s still so much life left to live, so much that they still need to work through, so much they’ve yet to deal with. But for now, Azzi has a national championship and she has the love of her life, the rest will work itself out, or so she hopes.

[roseglazedlens]

hehe hi i saw that your requests were open and idk if this is like too much or anything but sobbing head in hands head canons about reader having a dog that just does not get along with their s/o (any character of your choosing), like perhaps not like barking at them, but the dog is definitely playfully biting their toes every time they see them

⦑ 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐒/𝐎’𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐠𝐬 ⦒

characters: chris redfield, leon kennedy, claire redfield, piers nivans & jill valentine. a/n: thank you so much for requesting lovely! i don't have any furbabies myself, but one day!!! once again, i apologise for getting carried away with these headcanons, i just love all characters! content: SFW

CHRIS REDFIELD

He has a German Shepherd at home!! Dog person all his life!

Had considered being a professional dog trainer in his younger years, and did some courses on it, but ultimately did not pursue it.

Gets along with your dog almost instantly - your dog respects Chris.

Would teach your dog all kinds of tricks - honestly helps you out a lot!

Would be annoying and give you unsolicited advice about your dog's diet and training (which you shut him up with a kiss)

Has a YouTube channel about educational dog content with only three videos of him just talking to the camera, that is all posted 7 years ago.

LEON KENNEDY

Leon doesn't mind dogs, but he prefers cats more.

So when Leon visits you, he isn't used to the shower of affection your dog gives.

If your dog were to not get along with him, Leon would put his hands up to show he doesn't mean harm.

Eventually earning your dog's mercy after playing fetch with them!

It's a little tiring for Leon, who is only used to the company of cats.

But he knows your dog is your family and wants to make sure he gets along with them.

Would try to convince you that a cat would be a good addition to your family (so his cat can have a playmate).

CLAIRE REDFIELD

There was only Claire and her brother in the Redfield household, so Chris surprised Claire with a dog for her birthday one time to help with the loneliness. And that cheered Claire up greatly, and made her love dogs!.

No. 1 chihuahua defender - Always trying to break the stereotype that chihuahuas are aggressive, and rants on about how so many people don't know how to respect their boundaries.

Volunteers at a dog shelter!

It is no surprised she would get along with yours, with how big dogs has become in her life.

If she gets bitten playfully, Claire would play dead. And then come back to life when your dog paws at her cheeks. (She can't stop smiling from the cuteness)

Would scream "doggo!" everytime she passed by one.

PIERS NIVANS

He loooves dogs!! And dogs love him!

Piers just radiates 'dog owner energy' - random dogs, including yours, will sniff him and try to be friends if he passes by.

Dogs are just naturally drawn to Piers, and he's not complaining.

Meets your dog once, and your dog already loves him more. You're a little salty about it, but glad that they get along.

Best belly rubs giver!

His dog is friends with Chris' dog, so they go on a walk together every Sunday morning.

JILL VALENTINE

Jill is a dog person, even if I can see her being a cat person too.

I see Jill being super affectionate to her dog, always giving kisses and hugs the moment she returns from an op.

After Arklay Mountains, I can see her dog being concerned at Jill's attitude change. Whining a little to show that they're here for Jill.

When she meets your dog, her expression warms at the sight. I see Jill getting attached to your dog easily, and they get along together well after playing fetch a few times.

thanks for reading! come check out my other works. ––yours truly, rose. tags: @valsthea @custard0nut © roseglazedlens - please do not repost, plagiarise, or feed to ai.

[chososcamgirl]

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 - y/n’s cattery!

—

—

m.list

background !

you and maki’s first ever interaction was at the age of 5 when maki pushed you off the playground slide in kindergarten. the stunt of hers left you both in tears as you had a grazed knee and she had a scolding in which after she ended up apologising to you. since then you guys have been bestfriends ever since. you and mai were also close but nothing could compare to the friendship you and maki shared. when you both turned 15, maki moved into the town over so you both went to different high schools. you both still kept in touch by calling every night - discussing the different gossip and one another’s school. alongside this you both met up frequently - every sunday to be accurate because you both could not stand to be physically distant with eachother.

the little rendezvous both of you held still continued until after you both graduated from high school. you both ended up attending eachothers because the ceremonies were a day apart - maki’s being first. after the ceremony, maki introduced you to yuta, panda & toge in which you called out toge as to why he was wearing what looked like his pyjamas under his robe (it was in fact his pyjamas.) after a bit of back and forth banter and laughter, maki invited you to join them for dinner together to which on you agreed to. after 5 courses of pure goodness, 32 dirty plates, 2 attempts of a food fight (toge being the prime suspect for both), some underage drinking - mostly from panda getting crunk after 4 bottles of soju - and many many embarrassing stories shared later, you guys all headed home, full of food and joy. you didn’t realise how fun maki’s other friends were. sure you heard stories here and there but experiencing a night out with them was for sure in your top 10 most cherishable memories.

you would’ve never imagined being hungover at your graduation. even you took 3 ibuprofen in the morning, your head was still banging and it was your turn next up to claim your certificate. suddenly your name was called and an eruption of screams came from the crowd. not only did the front row consist of your parents and family, but also maki, toge, yuta and panda in which the loudest of screams and cheers came from them. later on maki told you that the three guys were also planning on attending the same college as you and maki. maki who is studying law, yuta who is studying occupational therapy, panda & toge who are both studying finance and commerce, and you who is studying veterinary science.

during summer of that year, the 5 of you became inseparable, doing anything and everything together. you realised that everyone had a part in your friendgroup. maki whilst keeping the role of your bestfriend is also the “mom friend” and always keeping everyone in line - in another words from being arrested. yuta is the empath, you could always go to him whenever you needed an unbias opinion or just to rant - he always reassures you that if you need to let go he’s always there and his advice is always understanding. panda is the party animal, you always know it’s gonna be a good time if panda is there. the most memorable moments are always with him and he is the literal embodiment of gaf. and finally toge. toge is your partner in crime, you grew closest to him over the summer. you want to go egg your ex’s house? he’s there with shopping bags full of eggs. you want to bully some kids on roblox? he’s there with two headsets. you want to get drunk and forget about everything? he’s there with panda and three fake id’s. needless to say that summer was unforgettable.

after summer, you guys found an apartment complex that were currently looking out for people to rent the two rooms available. of course you guys immediately jumped onto it. what’s the next best thing living with your best friends? living 4 doors down! you guys were going to make these next couple years the best ever.

fun facts !

ᨘ໑▸ the characters included in this post are all aged 19-20

ᨘ໑▸ on the third day of college toge and panda got banned from the campus library after playing penis.

ᨘ໑▸ you, toge and panda always have a big going on and it used to concern poor yuta at the start because he thought it was actually serious.

ᨘ໑▸ panda, yuta and toge live together in one room and you and maki live together, along with your tabby cat called ‘beck’.

ᨘ໑▸ you guys all do grocery shopping together, but panda always comes to your apartment to steal food because theirs is always gone halfway through the week.

ᨘ໑▸ there once was a big ass spider in your apartment so you called toge to come and kill it but as soon as he walked in it jumped on his face and he scream was so high it was comparable to a dog whistle. you also recorded the whole thing and mention it atleast twice a week.

a/n: there is a love interest in each group :3

#𝐂𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐅𝐄

synopsis ; the season of sun-kissed oceans and golden-hued moments is before you! however being a broke college student is not an ideal look to have, especially at your age. desperately seeking solace from financial woes, you and your bestfriend stumble upon an unexpected opportunity - a cat cafe. crafting lattes and pampering purring patrons seems easy enough, right? that fantasy lasts about one day before reality claws in.

🏷️taglist: @coquetteslvt @aliventboo @izakyun @luvvmae @tuihiatus @soonajeeme @ascybous @rotten1angel @catobsessedlady @myguumi @enhleui @viviennevianna @spacebaby1 @iheartlinds @haikyuu-tothetop @mua-for-now @waytootiredforthisss @j2upiters

[kooksbunnnn]

Love Language - Min Yoongi

masterlist

Summary: Just Yoongi and his love language. 

Warnings: MATURE CONTENT. Kissing, heavy making out, fingering, mentions of squirting, unprotected sex (please don't), Yoongi's long fingers, big dick Yoongi, mentions of Namjoon third wheeling. Porn with plot but mostly porn. Marriage au.

Words: 3.8k

Ratings: 18+

•••

Waking up on a Sunday without your husband's warmth around you makes you whine into your pillow. You turn around to feel his side of the bed, and you feel it's still warm. He must've woken up not long before you did. You go down the stairs to find him in his study, busy on his phone, probably talking to Namjoon according to the dongsaeng-but-formal tone he is using. 

Seeing him in those black sleeping shorts and the incorrectly buttoned up white shirt you tore off of him last night sends a tingle between your legs. You almost throw your head back in need when he puts on his glasses, pushing his hair back trying to find something on his desk.

When he sees you standing there, he hangs up telling Namjoon he will call him after he finds whatever he was trying to find, hanging up he smiles at you. "Hey, have you seen the black binder you gifted me some months ago?" He asks with his eyes and hands busy on his table.

Lifting his head he notices your confused expression so he stops to explain with his hands. "Yay big and yay high, it was gold plated on the ends?" You look at his description and immediately recognize the binder, the one you gifted him for the aesthetic of his file drawer. Black and gold. 

"Yes that is in the bed room lemme get it for you." he nods at your statement smiling and you run and bring the binder back. When you come back you see him clutching his hair in his hands and oh his hands. 

The veins, making you want him to wrap his hands around your neck while he fucks you- No.

Get it together Y/N, its 10 am in the morning! Although the morning pound down doesn't sound bad, he seems very busy.

A kiss doesn't sound bad though.

You walk towards him bringing his file behind your back with a smile, he hears your footsteps and turns towards you with a smile.

"Thankyou baby." He says in his oh-so raspy voice and you melt. He reaches out to take it from you but you lift both of your arms to wrap them around him, the file still in your hand. He giggles and kisses you, his hands finding their way to your ass. Squeezing your flesh to make you moan with him still attached to your lips.

"Good morning to you too Y/N." Speaks a bored voice from the speaker of your husband's phone and you detach from his face with wide eyes trying to get away but he pulls you towards him with a lazy smirk on his face. You hit your husband playfully but embarrassed and also answer the greetings from your friend.

"Hey, u-um good morning Joon. Didn't know you were on a call and I'm sorry I should probably go."

"No no nothing so urgent that I should be a cockblock. Call me later hyung. Happy humps." Without giving your husband a chance to retaliate at the hump comment he hangs up and you smile guiltily at your husband.

"Yeah. I'm gonna smack this little motherfucker's head for this mmph-" you cut him off his rant as you kiss him again, giving him the lead as soon as he slips his tongue in. Moaning at the way he grabs your hair at the nape, biting onto your lower lip making you gasp. 

He traces his hand down your spine to reach the hem of his oversized T-shirt you borrowed last night and he swears it's hotter taking it off than any of the dresses he's ripped off of you. 

He lifts it up to your waist and ties it in a knot, you watch his long fingers make a knot just below your breasts and then trace them along your waistline "Wanted to fuck you in my T-shirt but didn't want it to come in the way so." He shrugs at the end of the sentence and you chuckled before being cut off by getting turned and bent over the desk suddenly. 

He bends down to the level of your cunt with a knowing smile and keeps one of his hands over your lower back to keep you in place. The cold desk wood under your tummy makes you hiss, but it turns into a short moan when he spreads your ass cheeks and runs his index finger between them over your damp folds.

He pushes his finger with pressure to tease you over the cloth making you squirm in place. Your heels rise making you tip toe when he drags his fingers towards your clit with the same pressure. 

"Fucking ready. Every fucking time." He grits out to himself and you let out a small whine at his delay, squirming in place. He scoffs at your impatience and pulls your underwear down, slow and teasing. 

"Baby, please" you whine at his slow movements but he suddenly slaps at your clit making you jolt. 

"Impatient huh?" You nod and breathe shakily at the sting but feel more wetness drizzle out, moaning at the feeling. 

"Look at that" he pushes two fingers in you and you both groan at the same time. You feel like you will curl up due to the feeling his fingers give when he twists them and rubs them around like he is trying to find something and oh-

He does. He fucking does. 

Your knees buckle when he finds that spot and you start panting when he keeps rubbing the spongy area. Cooing at your whimpering self, he picks up his pace, rubbing and jabbing your spot making your head go dizzy at the pressure. You try lifting yourself up but his hand's pressure tells you to take it just like he is giving it to you. 

A vibration causes you to flinch and you see him get up and flip his phone towards him to check the caller id. Panicked you pull yourself up to convince him to not pick up the phone, making him slip his fingers out in the process. 

"Yoongi don't you dar-" but before you could finish your sentence, he motions you to stay silent with his finger on his lips. You shake your head knowing you couldn't stay silent while he talks if he goes anyway further than his fingers still hovering over your entrance.

A voice booms from the phone on the table which kinda replicates yours, but with a different reason of panting. You guess he is running around. 

"Hyung, I am so sorry but you need to call and decide the order and topics for the four presenters for tomorrow.." the rest of the voices go deaf around your ears when Yoongi stuffs his fingers in your pussy and covers your mouth at the same time, muffling the gasp. 

He scoffs in your ear and whispers in his low raspy voice, "Pathetic little slut." Jabbing his fingers harder at every word. He changes the angles of his fingers making you clench and roll your eyes back. You hold his wrist over your mouth for dear life while he holds your body in place. 

You feel tears brim in your eyes as he hits the spot again and again and again. Your legs shake and you tighten around his fingers and he chuckles at your ministrations, he knows you like this. Every time Namjoon speaks you try to keep your voice in and it gets you wetter at the thought of getting caught. 

You snap out of the daze when he speaks addressing the younger business partner, "Joon I requested Y/N to attend the party next week and I think she wants to come" he licks your earlobe at the end of the statement and you nod vigorously.

Bringing his hand to the front he rubs your clit with three of his fingers, making you spread your legs out of instinct. You buck your hips and try grinding on his fingers chasing your high, the rush in your ears blocking out any kind of conversation around you. 

You start feeling the telltale of the upcoming orgasm and your body shakes and twitches when the heat passes out of you. Your eyes roll back to your head when he bites on your earlobe, removing his hand from your lips and you watch him hang up. 

You have no clue when the conversation ended but your shaking body falls on the table and you cry out. He slows his hand down to let you ride your high while you grind on his fingers absentmindedly rolling your hips, eyes squeezed shut as you breathe heavily. 

He removes his hand and smiles at you when you turn your head to glare at him, breathing heavily.

He helps you stand up and hold you by your waist when your knees buckle and has this shit-eating grin on his face. Pulling you towards him he gives you an open-mouthed kiss but you push him away panting. "Fuck you, Min. What if he heard something?!" He chuckles and grabs you by the waist tucking your hair behind your ear, tilting his head to make better eye contact. 

"Then he would hear how I make you cry when you come." His low and deep voice sends cold shivers in your lower back.

"I gotta work now baby, or Namjoon will physically come here and make me do it." He pats your butt to get you going but you raise your eyebrows at him before nodding down to the boner he has. He laughs and holds your cheeks making your lips pout. 

"As tempting as you sucking me off sounds, I would rather fuck you." He gives your pouted lips a chaste kiss before letting you go but you step forward and kiss him while grabbing his dick over his shorts making him growl in your mouth. 

"Fuck me good babe. I'll be waiting."

"Oh I will." He grins, shaking his head while watching you turning around, knot still above your ass and you make your way out of the room with your ass on full display. Groaning he turns his head towards his desk and then looks at his dick. 

Yeah. A cold shower. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You gave him the whole day, trying to distract yourself with the work you had left incomplete and sending it to your HR, changing the bed sheets, sending your blazers to dry cleaning since it was a sick leave for your housemaid, buying grocery and bringing him his usual box full of tangerines and snacks with some beer to store in for football-match-with-the-boys-wuhoo! As Jungkook said.

It was 5:38 in the evening when you were cleaning the kitchen after having your second cup of coffee when you see him enter the room rubbing his neck. You felt really bad for him when you made eye contact with his tired ones, he took a shower and changed his clothes into a clean pair of black sweatpants and a white T-shirt.

He padded across the room to reach towards you to kiss you. Kissing him back you giggle and pull away, asking him softly, "Have you even eaten anything, baby?" He immediately nods to your question and lists the amount of frozen food he microwaved since you were not home.  

Shaking your head at him you say, "Yoongi, you did know I made some shrimp sandwiches for you? I texted you about that too."

He looks back at the kitchen counter and finds an oven tray covered with plastic wrap filled with some sandwiches. Chuckling he lets go of you and sits on the black stool matching the breakfast counter.

"Sorry, I guess I was distracted with work, I just finished the sorting process for tomorrow's meeting with Namjoon, and he was constantly making sure that he was making the right decisions. This deal means a lot to him and I merely got 5 minutes of time when It hit 2:30 and I was horny, hungry, and exhausted at the same time. Wanted to fuck you so bad, baby, but then I didn't see you at home so I had to suffice my other biological needs..." rolling his eyes he continues. 

"Sorry I couldn't eat the sandwiches." He looks at you with guilty eyes and you couldn't help but smile at him. He didn't need to explain anything but he elaborated the reasons why he couldn't eat the sandwiches?

You did marry a gentleman.

You step towards him and kiss his cheek. Flicking away the long hair that was coming into his eyes as you say, "Listen, baby, you don't need to explain anything. I know how much this means to you and Joon so please don't apologize. I just wanna know you're resting enough to not get exhausted. Okay?" He nods at your statement and you bend to kiss his lips while standing between his knees, his hands automatically coming up to your waist. 

You don't realize when the kiss became hungrier, was it at the first groan you let out? Or the moment he pushed his tongue in and took control in his hand? Neither of you care about what led you to jump into his arms when he took you to the master bedroom removing your summer dress and his t-shirt in the hallway.

Laying you down on the bed, he hovers over your red flushed face. "Gonna make you cum so much, we would need to dry off the mattress." You chuckle at this and he gives you an open-mouthed kiss, making his way down licking and kissing all the way down from your neck to the collarbones, through the valley of your breasts, tweaking your nipples a couple of times before taking them into his mouth. 

Gasping at the warmth from his tongue around the bud you grab the sheets beside your head with one hand and the other finds home in his hair making him growl. He leaves your nipples and traces his way with his tongue over your clothed pussy. 

Instead of teasing this time he pulls the underwear all the way to your ankles before throwing it into some dark corner of the room. The dusk hours make the yellowish brown lights reflect on your honey skin, leading him to bite into your thighs while pressing his thumb over your clit. 

Your impatient whine makes him determined to make you come hard, he loved teasing you but loves to watch you fall apart for him. So he digs in with his tongue tracing patterns all over your folds and your bundle of nerves which you couldn't decipher due to the soon entering fingers inside you, the cold sensation of his ring, and the stretch feeling heavenly, you know you wouldn't last long this time. 

He finds a rhythm in which he feels you tightening around his fingers and lets out a chuckle at the way you were clenching. "I know you're close baby, come for me. Make a mess on my fingers." And as if on call, your body spasms and he rubs your clit with his other hand making your body curl up. He stares at the way your cunt flutters and almost drools after he pulls his fingers out, watching it drizzle your sweet slick. Bending down he licks up a stripe over your pussy making you gasp. 

"Yoongi- s-sensitive. P-please." You gasp but still roll your hips trying to match his tongue. He hums pushing his tongue inside you and you almost feel it in your stomach. Your body arches as he swirls his warm muscle inside your hole and Yoongi groans at the taste and the thought of you clenching on his cock.

You feel the heat building up again at the slow pace he is licking you up at, not overwhelming your nerves but instead making them feel at ease and when he sees your limbs shaking he looks up and smirks at you who was already watching him eat you out. He winks at you and increases the pace of his tongue flicking at your clit.

You gasp at how he is making you feel the heat in your ears and toes, stretching your feet and tightening your muscles to reach the orgasm faster, your hands fly in directions to hold on to something.

"F-Fuck, don't stop-don't stop-don't stop. Fuck b-baby!" You cry out grabbing onto his hair with wide eyes, mind focusing on achieving that high. His groans make you reach it faster.

The constant flicking along with his long firm fingers rubbing your folds with pressure without entering, just massaging it to make it feel the pressure and pleasure makes you come and he pushes his tongue inside you at that exact moment making your eyes roll back. Your legs try to snap shut but he holds them open. Your legs shake continuously and you feel yourself ooze out a little bit of your soul. 

He gets up with a gummy smile on his face making you laugh and you both start laughing when he hovers above you. "You really boost my ego baby, I mean, coming so much. I must be doing something right?"

He sounds cocky but you know he is saying the truth, nobody has ever made you feel like he does, emotionally, physically, and mentally safe. 

"Wanna taste?" He asks you with mischief in his cat-like eyes and you nod with dizzy eyes, making his eyes darken, keeping eye contact he dips one of his hands and pushes inside you making you gasp a little which he mocks by gasping in a high-pitched voice and smirking later at your wide and embarrassed eyes.

He lifts his finger up and spreads it apart to show you the strings your slick creates between his fingers, you push your tongue out and he smirks, proud. "My filthy baby." He pushes those fingers in your mouth rubbing the taste of your cum on your tongue. Groaning at the taste you swirl your tongue around his digits, which he watches with dark eyes. 

He pulls the fingers out and wipes them on your cheeks, grabbing your face with his fingers he opens up your mouth. "Now for the main course." Spitting in your mouth he watches you moan at the feeling and gulp it in, for which he kisses you, proudly. 

He gets up and removes his sweatpants and you feel your mouth water at him pumping his dick while watching your cunt leak. He smiles when you spread your legs wider and hover above you, tilting your face towards his, making eye contact, he enters you slowly and you feel your body arch at the girth of his cock. 

Min Yoongi has been the best dick you've been fucked by, with the perfect length, perfect width, and the prettiest features. Pretty, just like him. He knows you have a thing for eye contact, he observed this in the first 3 months of the relationship when you couldn't hold his stare, he knew it would turn you on while he fucked you, he loved seeing you squirm so it made his dick hard too. You proved his theory when he fingered you in front of the mirror making eye contact and making you watch yourself come undone for him, surprising him by squirting on his fingers. Just Perfect. 

Your eyes widen and he shakily exhales. "Fuck. You're so perfect and so wet. Reminds me of your mouth. You're warm on every end, baby." He grits through his teeth but none of his words reach you when his hips start hammering you into the mattress. 

He fucks you slow taking in every expression, watching your eyes roll back, dragging his cock slower making you scratch his back with your nails. Groaning in your ear his strokes getting hard and fast, hard and short, he tries every angle he loves seeing you twitch in. He pulls up both your legs over his waist, still fucking in at a slow-hard-deep pace and you whine loudly making him grab your thigh at the control he is showing not to bust at your voice's high pitch and neediness. 

"Fuck Yoongi, right there. Right there. Faster, please. I'm gonna die if you don't go any faster. Make me come please make me." He looks at you and you clench, growling at the tight grip you have around him, he gives you what you want. Faster-harder-deeper. Your body jolts back at every stroke but the expression on your face makes him lose his control, he grabs both your hands and pins them beside your head.

Your body arches into his, your nipples touching his bare chest, you cry out in pleasure, walls spasming and tightening around him. 

"Gonna come. Y/N fuck baby" he growls in your ear while you say his name like a mantra, digging your nails in your palms. You both come at the same time making you tremble in his hold and feet digging in his lower back. He bites your neck when he feels you lifting your hips meeting his strokes to reach the end of both your highs. 

Slowing down when you whine in overstimulation, he pulls out. You both stay there watching the lights on the ceiling which were never turned on and you realize, it's dark outside. Checking the digital clock you see it's been more than 35 minutes since you entered the room. You laugh at the heavy breaths you and your husband are letting out but soon you cringe because of the sticky sheets under you. 

"You need to change them this time, I just did them in the afternoon, Min."

"Let me breathe a second woman? Why are you so bossy?" He gets up feigning annoyance but you hear the breathy chuckle he lets out. You roll your eyes at his accusations while he helps you get up, laughing at the faces you make when you feel the warm sheets mixed with the weird temperatured cum. 

After-care with warm showers and thigh massages was an important part of the sexual routine you and Min Yoongi had, but the best part? The best part was when he feeds you the food he cooks with so much love and furrowed eyebrows due to the concentration he has in that apron with a cat with its middle finger out, the intense amount of attention towards the dish makes him unconsciously poke his tongue out through his lips while he plates the dish. 

Bringing you a pair of fresh wooden chopsticks and wine, his face smeared with flour as he made you some fresh and greasy kimchi jeon. You know he loves cooking you food but would never admit it. 

So, not wanting you to do much after the sweat session, he just cockily said 'Don't strain your already jelly-like legs, you tiny human.' Which secretly means, rest because you're sore. He is not very outspoken about his feelings so he might seem a little concealed, it's just that, he has a different language for love, he just needed somebody to decode it.

Luckily, it's you.

I'M IN LOVE WITH THE DILF MIN YOONGI. GONNA GET THIS PICTURE TATTOOED ON MY BOOB.

[firewasabeast]

I hope I'm not too late for a prompt..

Buck and Tommy enjoy waking up in the morning while cuddling eachother. Then Buck panics because he thinks he has a shift that he's going to be late to. Tommy tells him to stay a few more minutes. But Buck calls Bobby and finds out there is no shift (for whatever reason). They go back to cuddling.

this isn't morning, oops, and it's a little different than requested but I hope you like it!

Buck could sleep through anything when he was wrapped up in Tommy's arms, no exaggeration. Tommy was regularly shutting off Buck's alarm and rattling him awake himself because Buck was “too cozy” or “too warm” to hear the sound.

The only thing that would wake up Buck was his need to use the bathroom or his body naturally getting enough rest and being properly reset.

A rainy Sunday afternoon led Tommy and Buck up the loft steps and into bed. Gentle kisses, soft touches, quiet gasps, and lazy strokes left them feeling warm and cozy next to each other.

Thankful Tommy had the presence of mind to bring a towel to the bed in the first place, cleaning up was quick and easy. They were tangled into each other again quickly, with nothing but the sheets over their bodies.

Buck fell asleep first, his head on Tommy's chest, Tommy's hand running soothingly through his hair while the other rubbed up and down his back.

Tommy followed not long after, listening to Buck's relaxed breaths mixed with the rain pattering on the window.

Peaceful.

That's the exact opposite of how Tommy would describe the way he was woken up.

A shout of, “Oh my God!” jolted Tommy out of his sleep.

He looked over to see Buck slinging off his covers and running to his dresser to pull out a fresh pair of underwear.

“What's wrong?” Tommy asked, eyes darting around the room to check for a fire or intruder.

“I'm late!”

“Late?” Tommy was still half out of it, and very confused. “Late for what?”

Buck turned to him with wide eyes, hopping into his underwear. “Work!” Once he had his underwear on he leaned over the bed and grabbed his phone, showing Tommy the 6:43 on his lock screen. “I was supposed to be at work by six!” He glanced out the window, “And it's still raining! Great, it'll take even longer to get there now. I gotta call Bobby.”

“Ev, wait, just-”

“I can't wait, Tommy!”

As he called Bobby, Buck turned back to his dresser, tossing some clothes into his duffel that was lying on the floor.

Tommy picked up his own phone from the bedside table. “Evan,” he said calmly, “hang up, hun.”

“I'm not hang- Bobby! I am so sorry!”

“Buck?” Bobby answered, immediately concerned. “What're you sorry for? Something happen?”

“I overslept and my alarm didn't go off or I didn't hear it and Tommy usually wakes me up when I don't hear it, but he didn't hear it either and-” he was babbling. Babbling and babbling as he lifted his duffel and tried to zip it with one hand, tugging hard when the zipper wouldn't budge.

“Evan,” Tommy called from behind him, but Buck just waved him off.

He walked over to Tommy and dropped the bag over his lap, mouthing, “Zip this, please!”

“We had soup for lunch,” Buck continued to Bobby, and Tommy had to stop and listen to wherever the hell this was going. “We had soup and I know better than to have soup on a rainy day, that always makes me even more tired, and I was so warm, Cap. I know rainy days are busier than usual and I know you need me to be there and be on time. I am a little surprised no one tried calling me, but maybe that's all part of the lesson, ya know? Maybe-”

“Buck!” Bobby yelled from the other end of the line. “You're not late. In fact, you'd be alarmingly early if you came to work right now.”

Buck paused, stared in Tommy's direction. Tommy lifted his phone, a 18:45 on his lock screen. “I tried to tell you,” he said with a shrug.

“Oh. I- Bobby, I'm gonna go.”

He could hear Bobby laughing. Athena too. There was no way she hadn't heard his rant, even with him off speaker. “See ya tomorrow, Kid. Tell Tommy hi for us.”

Buck dropped his phone on the bed, his cheeks red, glaring at the smirk rising on Tommy's face. “I hate you,” he pouted.

“I keep telling you, Evan, this is why you need to switch your phone to military time.”

“Shut up.” Buck crawled back on the bed, dropping down beside Tommy, settling his hand over Tommy's chest. “I'm goin' back to sleep.”

Tommy put his own hand over Buck's, squeezing gently, “Want me to order dinner?”

“Mhm. Don't care what.”

“M'kay. Now, when there's a knock on the door and I wake you up, it'll probably be around seven thirty at night, not morning.”

When he got no verbal response, he figured Buck had already fallen asleep. He yelped extra loud when he received a surprise pinch to his nipple.

[archangeldyke-all]

Could you write something about waking Sev up with your fingertips gently tracing her scars and nose and stuff 🙁

:,)

men and minors dni

sevika's a light sleeper, and she's always waking up dramatically.

you know those tiktoks that are making fun of how moms wake up? like you nudge their shoulder and they snap up in bed, eyes bulging out of their head, gasping and certain something's wrong?

that's sevika.

it's kind of sad. you know she's constantly on edge, and you hate that even in sleep she's still on guard. so when you guys start dating, you start figuring out ways to wake her up a little more... calmly.

calling her name doesn't work. she'll wake up looking for the first sign of danger.

kissing her awake is what you try next, and it works a little too well. sevika wakes up with a salacious smirk, and the second her eyes are open she's flipping you over and pinning you to the bed to have her fill of you.

so you keep the kissing technique for the weekends or rare days off.

you try blowing on her face, which only makes her scrunch up her nose in her sleep and flop over onto her stomach to bury her face against the pillow.

scratching her back or scalp only puts her further to sleep.

and then you try tracing her face.

you aren't even trying to wake her up.

it's a lazy sunday morning, and neither of you have anywhere to be. you blink awake far too early, and flop over to go back to sleep, only to be distracted by sevika's sleeping face beside you.

a gentle smile creeps up your lips as you admire her.

she's so pretty. asleep like this, she's completely unguarded. the perpetual little furrow of her brow is gone, the frown she's always wearing has melted, her lips parted to let her snores out.

you reach out to trace over the pretty blue scars on the left side of her face, a subconscious habit of yours at this point.

you're always tracing her scars; when you're cuddling, when she's in your arms, when she's ranting and you've got her face in your hands.

a little smile forms on her lips as her subconscious reacts to your familiar touch. you grin.

you reverse the path your finger was taking, tracing the scar on her collarbone back up to her cheek, before going off path.

you push a few hairs out of her face, tuck it behind her ear. sevika takes a heavy breath.

you gently trail your finger over her eyebrows, then down her right cheek. she shifts in her sleep.

you take some extra time on her nose, tracing up and down the bridge repeatedly, giggling as it twitches beneath your touch.

and when you're done, your hand comes down to trace over her parted lips, tickling the sensitive skin there.

her lips move beneath your touch. "babe?" sevika asks, slowly blinking awake. you smile and cup her jaw in your hand.

"morning." you whisper. sevika smiles.

"hi." she says, scooting closer to you, throwing her leg over yours and her arm over your waist. "'s everything okay?" she asks. you grin.

"everything's perfect." you say. "go back to sleep, i didn't mean to wake you up." you say. "'s still early."

"i don't wanna." sevika says, despite her eyelids drooping. you smirk.

"no?"

"no. wanna look at your face." she says, pouting as her heavy eyelids shut. you giggle and lean forward to press a smooch to the tip of her nose.

"'s okay. i'll be here when you wake up." you whisper. sevika hums as she drifts back to sleep.

you try the technique out again a few hours later, when you've made breakfast and need to wake her up.

the gentle tracing of your finger wakes sevika up just as gently as before, her eyes slowly blinking awake and a small smile forming on her lips as you draw a random path around her face.

it becomes your go-to wake-up technique. each time, just before she wakes up, her lips quirk up at the side, her mind loving and recognizing your touch without even needing to be awake.

and each time, your heart melts, butterflies swirling in your stomach when her beautiful silver eyes finally blink open and focus on your face.

taglist!

@lesbeaniegreenie @fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay @ellabslut @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner @shimtarofstupidity @love-sugarr @chuucanchuucan @222danielaa @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther @gr0ssz0mbi3

[thelovetheystole]

It's that time again. Another long rant from me, on this Sunday morning.

I still gets to me when I see W*ndy's name in the spoilers. Like, I don't want to accept that TPTB gave this woman a place in the village, and that this character, with such a horrid introduction, is still there. And has been now for as long a period of time as we got to have Ryan as Robert.

And sometimes they let her talk about 'my L*e' with a sort of fond expression. (When was the last time, before very recently, anyone on the show thought of Robert fondly?) And I get he's her son. But she, nor he, had any history going back on this show before that god awful night in 2019. The show expects me to care about her?

Maybe, if her and her sons had been characters we already knew, maybe if we had seen their terrible life with the equally terrible dad that apparently shaped them all. But we didn't.

What we the viewers have seen however, since 1986, is Robert:

• Being born

• Losing his mum

• Cuddling baby lambs at Emmerdale Farm in the company of Jack, Joe and gran Annie

• Getting a new mum who loved him

• Being the most awkward little boy who ran away from home and didn't have any friends and who couldn't get his line right in the Christmas nativity

• Finding a best friend in Andy

• Getting a slap across the face from his father for basically not wanting to be a farmer

• Watching his second mum burn to death in a barn and learning his former best friend, now brother, was responsible and watching his dad cover that up

• Being given his first beer on his 15th birthday by Zak Dingle

• Constantly saying he feels like he's unwanted in his own family and is always disappointing his dad

• Having to leave the village at 19 with nothing, except his father saying not 'I love you', like W*endy would have said to L*e, instead 'I don't hate you' was the best Jack could do

• Watching them bury his father from afar, feeling like a stranger who still doesn't belong

• Falling in love with Aaron

• Redeeming himself while helping Aaron through the worst thing possible

• Finding Liv and stepping up, growing to love her like another sister

• Making peace with Andy and helping him escape the country

• Coming out to Aaron and telling him about what his dad did

• Saving Aaron's life and getting engaged

• Owning up to what he did with Rebecca and ending up loving his son so much

• Letting Aaron go, even if it means him being with Dr. Hair

• Marrying the love of his life in front of the entire village

• Living his best life with Aaron, Liv and Seb, planning to have another child

• Agonizing over what happened to his sister, and being unable to help her

• Turning himself in, even though he knew Aaron was willing to go on the run with him

So, to close, I don't like Wendy, lol.

And it's not like she has done one good deed after another is it? Working with an incomplete/fraudulent nurses license, lying to Victoria, Harry's inheritence being lost because of it, leading to David getting shot, cheating on Bob, not once but A LOT of times, in her place of work, and then making herself the victim... But hey, she did help someone get the hang of breastfeeding once.

[opposums-love-arson]

Scream Queen Book 1: Conventional Final Girl

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Stu Macher x Reader x Billy Loomis

Okay so basically let's just cut to the chase, the main character "(y/n)" is Sidney Prescott's little stepsister, yeah? Well, what happens when she takes Sid's place as the final girl? A whole lot. Disclaimer: All rights reserved to the copy righted owners of the Scream franchise. The only creative input I had in this fan fiction was the part of (y/n), almost everything else can be found in the movie. Follows the movie very closely. I mean the actual movie, not the script. Obviously switching out some parts to fit the narrative. It takes a couple of chapters to really get it kicking but I promise it gets good. *NO SMUT* these are still high school students and I do not want to overtly sexualize KIDS! And if you make the argument of "I'm not a kid" I'm 18 been there, done that, don't try it.

  "Hello, who is it?" I asked into the large telephone. 

"No one in particular..." Sounds like another one of the boys' prank calls.

"Okay Mr. No one in particular, any reason for the call?" 

"No reason in particular, just wanted to talk." 

"Hmm okay then talk," I said as I swiveled around in my chair.

"What's your favorite scary movie?" The raspy but oddly pitched voice asked. 

"Oh I've got plenty but you might want to sit down, it'll take a while." 

"I've got time." 

"Ya know, stuff like Halloween, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw. Then there's creature features like The Thing. B-horror like Slumber Part Massacre or Sleepaway Camp." I finally finish my rambling when I hear my step sister and her boyfriend in the other room. 

"Do you really like scary movies?" 

"Oh yeah definitely but I think it's mainly because of my step sister's friends?" 

"Oh yeah?" 

"Yeah, I mean I always liked horror but they really got me into it. Especially our friends Randy, Billy and Stu, they're crazy about that stuff!" I said as I flopped down onto my bed. 

"What's a pretty girl like you doing with all those guys?" 

"They're not a lot of guys, if anything it equals out our group," I said, completely avoiding the whole 'pretty girl' thing... that was kind of weird. 

Hearing a knock at my door completely startled me. 

"Oh um hey I have to go but feel free to call me back anytime," I whisper into the phone quickly placing it back on the body. 

It was obvious the person on the line was saying something before I hung up but I didn't bother to listen 

  In popped Neil's head from the other side of the door. "Hey kiddo who ya talking to?" He said as he looked around. "Hm? Oh no one, what's up Neil?" I asked, now back in my desk chair. Neil was a good guy, I'm glad he and my mom started dating, they actually just got engaged! I think I was more excited about it than my step sister, Sindey, she's still grieving. "Just got done talking to your sister, I'm going to hit the sack, remember I'm not back until sunday. Cash on the table and call if you need anything," He said waiting for me to say something. "Alright got it Neil, have fun at the expo!" I waved him off before he closed the door. 

  My mom and I didn't move to Woodsoro until she really started dating Neil. It's always just been her and I for as long as I can remember, but it feels good to be part of a complete family again. I missed our old home at first with all my friends and family but Sid quickly took me under her wing. I met all of her friends including Stu, Tatum, Randy and Sid's boyfriend Billy. I'll admit it was weird at first because they just saw me as the little step sister but once Randy and I went on a ranting debate about which was the real pioneer of Slasher; Texas Chainsaw or Black Christmas, it got a lot easier. Even though Stu and Billy were pretty cute I'll never be used to Stu's wild energy, nor Billy's slightly shady behavior.

  The next morning didn't go quite as expected... There were reporters, cameras, and news vans posted up all around school. Sid and I were freaked the moment we got off the bus. She was looking around bewildered by everything going on until we spotted one woman in particular, Gale Weathers. To say the least, Weathers was a total bitch towards Sid's mom's name. 

"Can you believe this shit?!" We heard a voice pop up from behind us. Sid totally jumped. 

"Tatum, what is going on?" Sidney asks, waving her arm out to the school. 

"Yeah, since when was Woodsboro flooded with reporters?" I looked over at Tatum, crossing my arms over my chest. 

"You don't know?" Tatum asked both of us, a hint of amusement on her face.

"No," Sid and I said in unison, still confused. 

"Casey Becker and Steve Orth were killed last night," She said with a harsh but light tone just above a whisper. 

"What?! No way!" Sid softly exclaimed. 

I was too shocked to say a single word so I just listened. 

"And we're not just talking killed, we're talking splatter movie killed. Ripped open, from end to end," Tatum talked about it with entertaining ease, like it was just gossip. 

I think I'm going to be sick. 

"Casey Becker, she sits next to me in English," Sid said looking over at her best friend. 

I think you mean sat, Sid. I thought. 

"Not anymore," Said Tatum with a wobble of her head. 

She went on saying, "It's so sad, her mom and dad found her hanging from a tree. Her insides on the outside." Shoving her hands near her stomach. 

"Oh my god," Sid said as she reached for the back of her neck, probably to feel the goosebumps that appeared. 

"Do they know who did it?" I finally asked, feeling the urge to know. 

The two looked over at me with Tatum saying, "Fucking clueless, I mean they're interogating the entire school? Teacher, students, janitors." 

"They think someone at school did it?" Sid asked

"They don't know, I mean Dewy was saying this is the worst crime he's seen in years. Even worse than-" Tatum paused when I nudged her side, "Well, it's bad." She finished. 

The bell signaling the start of the first period rang.

"C'mon Sid, we gotta get to class..." I said as I lightly grabbed her hand, giving it a slight reassuring squeeze. 

"Yeah, alright..." She responded, removing her hand from mine. She's just going through a lot right now. 

  Sitting through the first period is weird when you have a seat that was right behind a dead person. Not Casey Becker but Steve Orth. He'd ask me for a pencil or notes every day because he forgot his. Claimed it was because of football practice. Soon enough the five minute bell for next class rang. A class that didn't have any dead students.

  Walking to my locker to rotate my books I was blocked by none other than Stu Macher. 

"Hey, (y/n)," He drawled out my name with a big smile, "Whatcha up to?" 

"Getting my books Stu, same thing you should be doing." 

"C'mon, you're not still upset with me, are you?" He asked with a fake pout 

"Yeah actually I am Stu!" I shouted in a whisper 

"I couldn't help myself, I mean look at you?" He said as he squished my face. 

Swatting his hand away I said, "That's no excuse!" 

"You can be such a prude," he said as he leaned his head on my locker. 

"No, it's called being a good friend with a balanced moral compass that can see when her friend's boyfriend is about to cheat with her." I huffed as I slammed my locker door. 

"C'mon, (y/n)! You can't stay pissed forever! You'll come around eventually!" Stu shouted after me. 

"Like hell I will!" I shouted back. No matter how abundantly clear my feelings for him are, I would never do that behind Tatum's back.

[rogueddie]

The first time Steve and Dustin were alone together was the night they found Will. He had reassured Joyce that the kids would be fine, that he'd call their parents and, if needed, he would personally drive them home. Everyones parents were able to come to the hospital to pick them up.

Everyone expect Dustin.

So, Steve drove him home. He was giddy the whole ride, didn't bat an eye at Steve's presence the way the others had. He'd been more excited when Steve encouraged him to keep telling him about their side, about the little girl with superpowers and their little nerd game.

He'd invited Steve in for tea. Steve didn't have any left at home, had run out a couple days ago, so he agreed. He needed something warm after the day he'd had. He only hoped he wouldn't be intruding.

Claudia was horrified when she saw how bruised and bloodied he was. She had not only made him tea, but wrapped him up in a blanket and got her first aid kit. She was only really able to clean him up, most of the cuts beginning to heal just enough to be find on their own. Not that it made Claudia feel any better.

She'd only gotten more overbearing when Steve reluctantly admitted that his parents still weren't home yet. She insisted that he stay there so she can make sure he's still ok in the morning.

He has to argue with her when she tries to insist he sleep in her bed, while she stays on the sofa. Luckily, Dustin backs him up on that point. He points out that she'd make Steve feel guilty, which Steve quickly agrees with. Together, they convince her that Steve will be fine to stay on the sofa.

She made him breakfast in the morning. Homemade pancakes. She checks over his wounds again and, when she's finally satisfied that he doesn't have a concussion, she reluctantly let's him leave.

She calls him every other day, checking in on him. She stops commenting on his parents absence, just tutting. She only stops calling when, after two weeks, his parents do arrive home. They don't care about his bruises, simply remind him to keep his grades up, to not let the incident effect his basketball 'career'.

Steve finally took Claudia up on her offer to visit any time. She didn't care that he stayed the whole day, even offering to babysit Dustin when she wanted to go out for a little bit and was trying to find her usual babysitters number. He insists she doesn't pay him too, that she'd been letting him squat for long enough that he owes her anyway.

It becomes routine after that. Sometimes Claudia calls him to babysit, usually he's already there. Dustin complains a lot that he doesn't need a babysitter, but Steve can tell that he doesn't really mind. Dustin can rant about whatever he wants to Steve... mostly because Steve isn't really listening but that just means he can rant about the same thing as much as he wants.

The second time Steve turns up at Claudias house, bruised and bloodied, is far worse than the first.

She fusses a lot more, scolds Dustin for the plasters the kids had used to try and stop the bleeding. She had to reopen a lot of the cuts in order to clean them properly. She only needed to bandage one, holding the ice pack to his eye for him for some time.

"You can't keep getting hurt like this," she had tried to scold him. Her voice broke though, revealing the fear she tried to hide.

"He was protecting us," Dustin finally spoke up. He was unusually quiet, almost timid. "B... the guy was going to hurt Lucas. He said he was gonna kill him. Steve was protecting us."

After that, Claudia insisted that Steve join them for their Sunday roasts. At first as a thank you, for looking out for Dustin and the kids as much as he had. It soon becomes something... more.

It wasn't until Dustin dragged Steve home after Starcourt and the Russians, bruised and bloodied once again, that the subtext was no longer sub.

Claudia complained, loud and upset, that someone must have cursed the town, must have cursed her.

"If it wasn't for you having all your friends here, Dusty, I'd move us away. I'd pack all of our important stuff and we'd go, right now. Far, far away where nothing can hurt my boys ever again."

She'd been looking at Steve. She'd been making sure the medics had properly taken care of his wounds. She'd looked at him, pointedly.

"Where you two go?" Steve asked, trying to ignore the look.

Claudia had tutted, narrowed her eyes at him. "Us three. Our little family is already too small. Nothing could make me leave you behind, Stevie. Nothing."

"Oh."

She had smiled, fixing his hair.

Dustin snorted when he looked over. "You're catching flies, Stevie!"

"Shut up!" Steve threw a pillow at him. "You're such a brat!"

Dustin grabbed the thrown pillow, throwing it back at his chest. "You're one to talk!"

"Be careful," Claudia warned.

She sat back with a smile, keeping a close eye on them and making sure that they're play-fighting didn't get too out of hand.

She can remember when she first had Dustin, how much she'd wanted another son to keep him company, a brother who would love him. She can remember how distressed she was when she realized that she never would.

Funny how things turn out, she thinks; funny that she did get her dream in the end. Even if it does come with a lot of stress.

"Dusty, careful! You need to be careful, watch out for his face, ok?" She raises her voice a little. She bites back a smile at the sheepish looks they both send her.