#about the little things that are prepared for me today | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kathlare · 3 days ago

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a call to connect

Lando Norris x Amelie Dayman

Summary: Lando Norris finds himself facing an unexpected challenge during the filming of a McLaren campaign for Mental Health Day.

Wordcount: 1.1 k

Warnings: none

full masterlist // request over here!

October 10th, 2024 - London, United Kingdom

The morning sun filtered through the pristine glass walls of the McLaren Technology Centre, casting soft reflections on the polished floors. Lando Norris leaned against a sleek counter in the media suite, fidgeting with the cuffs of his team polo. Around him, the McLaren media team buzzed with energy, organizing cameras, reviewing scripts, and prepping for the Mental Health Day campaign video they were set to film.

Lando ran a hand through his messy hair, his nerves tingling slightly. He wasn’t nervous about being on camera—he was used to that by now—but the topic at hand was heavier than the usual fun, lighthearted media content. Mental health was something close to his heart, especially after years of navigating the highs and lows of being in Formula 1.

—Right, Lando,— said Hannah, one of the lead producers on the McLaren media team, as she approached him with a clipboard. —We’re keeping it simple for this. The idea is to encourage people to check in on someone they care about. You’ll call someone, tell them you were just thinking about them, and have a casual chat. It’s meant to show how little gestures like this can make a big difference.—

Lando blinked at her. —Wait, you want me to call someone? Like… on the phone?—

Hannah laughed at his expression. —Yes, Lando, that’s the point. It’s genuine and unscripted. Just be yourself.—

He groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. —I hate calling people. Can’t I just text them instead?—

The team burst into laughter, a few playful jabs thrown his way about his aversion to phone calls.

—No texting,— Hannah replied firmly but with a grin. —It has to be a call. And you’re going to be great. Who you call is entirely up to you, someone who matters to you.—

Lando hesitated for a moment, his mind immediately jumping to one person. Amelie. They hadn’t spoken much today—her tour schedule was brutal, and she was currently preparing for a show in Pennsylvania. But he knew she’d pick up for him, no matter how busy she was.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, quickly unlocking it and scrolling through his contacts. His thumb hovered over her name for a moment. Amelie.

It felt almost too easy to dial her number. After all, this was someone he’d known for years—someone who’d been a friend long before they’d started something more. Their relationship was built on a foundation of shared laughter, teasing, and mutual respect. But ever since they’d started dating seriously again, after what felt like a lifetime of missed connections, the chemistry between them was undeniable. Their conversations were never dull, always charged with that undercurrent of flirtation, even if they were just talking about the most mundane things.

He tapped the call button before he could second-guess himself, leaning back against the counter as the phone rang. The sound of it echoed around the room, but Lando barely noticed, too focused on hearing her voice.

Amelie’s voicemail picked up after a couple of rings, and Lando groaned, about to hang up, but before he could, he heard a familiar, soft chuckle on the other end.

—You’re early, Lan,— Amelie’s voice came through, warm and laced with an affectionate amusement.

Lando grinned, his heart skipping a beat. —I was just thinking about you, Ames,— he said, leaning further back, his eyes glancing at the camera crew who were trying to pretend they weren’t watching intently. He knew they were waiting for him to perform, but he didn’t feel like he was acting. It was just Amelie, after all.

—Really?— she replied, the hint of surprise in her tone as she adjusted herself in what Lando assumed was her dressing room. —You’re sweet. I was just about to go on stage, but I’ve got a few minutes. What’s up?—

—Nah, nothing, just thought I’d call and see how you’re doing, you know?— he replied, his voice teasing. —I miss you. How’s the show prep going?—

Amelie’s laugh filled his ear, and he could practically picture her, hands resting on her hips as she took a breath, preparing to go out and perform. —It’s hectic, as usual. You know how it is. But I’m good, Lan. How are you?—

He could hear the slight tremor of a smile in her voice. The kind of smile that made him feel warm, no matter how far apart they were.

—Same old, same old,— Lando responded, half-focused on the call and half-conscious of the team still working around him. He could feel their eyes on him. But this wasn’t a performance; this was real, and the way Amelie made him feel was never scripted.

—You miss me, huh?— she asked, a teasing edge to her words. —I bet you just called because you wanted to hear my voice before your day gets busy again.—

Lando smiled widely, knowing she knew him too well. —Maybe. Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to talk to you. You know how it is. It’s been too long since we’ve been able to just chat. We need to fix that.—

—Well, when I’m back, we’ll make up for all this time apart, I promise,— Amelie said, the energy of her voice softening a little, but there was that warmth that always seemed to sneak into her words when she talked to him.

The camera crew could hear her, too. A couple of them exchanged soft smiles, clearly enjoying the authenticity of the moment. Even though Lando had been in the public eye for years, it was clear to everyone around him how important Amelie was.

—I’ll hold you to that, Ames,— Lando teased, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His gaze flitted around the room, but all he really wanted was to stay in the conversation. The world outside of this little bubble they’d created didn’t matter. It was just him and Amelie, even if she was a thousand miles away.

—You better,— she chuckled. He could hear the sound of someone calling her from behind, and there was a shift in the tone of her voice as she turned away from whatever was going on backstage. —Alright, Lan, I’m gonna have to cut this short. Someone just reminded me that I’ve got five minutes before I need to get on stage.—

Lando’s smile faded into a gentle frown. He hated hearing that their conversation had to end, especially when he’d just gotten a glimpse of her voice, but he knew the drill. Her world was always in motion, and he didn’t mind. He was used to the hectic pace of her life, but that didn’t mean he didn’t miss her when she was caught up in it all.

—Alright, Ames,— he said, his voice softening as he leaned against the counter again. —Go do your thing. I’ll be cheering for you, obviously. You’ve got this.—

—You’re cute, Lan,— she teased, the playful tone coming through once more. —You really do miss me, huh?—

—Of course, I do, you know I do,— Lando replied, his grin returning. He let the words linger, teasing but also honest, the depth of his feelings always there when they spoke like this.

Amelie’s voice softened just a touch, as though she were savoring the moment. —I miss you, too, more than I’ve been able to say, but I’ll see you soon, yeah? I’ll send you a text after the show, and we’ll catch up properly, I promise.—

Lando’s heart did a little flip at the way she said "soon." He couldn’t wait for that. He never could.

—I’m holding you to it,— he said, his voice low but playful. He leaned forward, feeling a bit of anticipation in his chest. —You better call me, Ames. I’m counting on it.—

Amelie let out a little laugh, and Lando could practically hear the way she was smiling, a genuine, radiant smile that made him feel like the luckiest guy alive.

—Alright, alright, you sweet talker. See you soon, Lan.—

Before Lando could get another word in, the sound of someone in the background calling her name again interrupted their conversation.

—Alright, that’s my cue. Love you, Lan.—

The words took Lando by surprise for a moment, catching him off guard, though they weren't new. She'd always been affectionate in her own way, and they'd shared this kind of intimacy long before their official relationship. But hearing it now, with the kind of care that came with knowing each other as they did, it felt like everything he’d hoped for, everything they’d come through together.

His voice caught slightly as he said, —Love you too, Ames. Have a good show.—

The line went quiet for a moment, and then he heard the click of her phone hanging up.

Lando stared at the phone in his hand, feeling a mixture of pride and yearning. He didn’t need the cameras to tell him how lucky he was. The way Amelie had spoken to him, the way their relationship had unfolded—it was something real, something grounded in the shared history of their friendship and that undeniable spark that had always been there.

As he pocketed his phone, the buzz of activity around him became louder. But for just a moment, he was lost in his thoughts, picturing Amelie on stage, doing what she loved. And, in some way, it felt like a promise—a promise that, no matter how far apart they were, they’d always find their way back to each other.

He smiled, already looking forward to the next time they’d be in the same place.

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liked by ameliedayman, l4nation, and others

mclaren: A call can make all the difference. Pick up the phone. 📞Whether it’s checking in with a friend, family member or colleague, your voice can be someone’s lifeline. 🧡

View all 2,453 comments

mclarenfanatic_22: Lando’s call to Amelie??? This is the most genuine thing I’ve seen all week 🥹💖 Just love how real they are! → ameliefan_93: @mclarenfanatic_22 I can’t get over how sweet and natural that call was 😭 It’s like watching two people who actually care for each other.

racefan_01: Lando being the one to encourage us to check in on others is a vibe! It’s the little things that make a difference.

mclaren_superfan: “I miss you too, more than I’ve been able to say” – cue my heart breaking into pieces 💔 → f1_heartbreak_2025: @mclaren_superfan Same! That part hit so hard. I can feel the emotion through the screen. 😭

alexperezfan: We need more content like this. The world’s chaotic, but simple calls like this are what really make us feel connected. 🧡

itsyourbdaybutterfly: I’m crying. Lando calling Amelie?? I KNOW this hit differently. They’ve always had that energy 💫 → lanamielovers: @itsyourbdaybutterfly SAME. The way he said "I miss you" hit different 😭 Like, this is real real.

xomadison: Aww, this is SO wholesome. 💖 And can we talk about how Lando was so nervous about making the call? LOL a man after my own heart! → lando_and_amie: @xomadison lol literally!! Like he races F1 cars but a simple phone call has him shook 😂

florida_nicole: Amelie and Lando are the BEST friends-turned-relationship energy I’ve ever seen. Give us more content like this! 😭💖

f1girlie: HE CALLED HER. Can we please talk about how this was just a casual phone call, and yet it felt like the most emotional thing on the planet? They are so in love, I can’t take it. 💕 → landamielovers_: @f1girlie I legit thought I was watching a rom-com, like the tension was real 😂

f1fever: I’m officially obsessed with Lando’s mental health awareness era. He’s out here spreading love and supporting friends 💚 → caringforlando: @f1fever honestly, this is bigger than just a campaign. He’s showing how simple actions can make such a difference.

melodysweets: This campaign was so powerful. The message is simple, but meaningful. Checking in on someone can literally save their day. 💕

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sizzlingcloudmentality · 2 days ago

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yes, ma'am

Dave York x dominatrix!reader | 9.5k w | explicit, mdni | ao3

summary: life goes sideways and Dave is close to snapping. he needs professional help. aka let himself be dominated and be at the receiving end for once. good thing he has your number.

warnings: sub-ish!Dave (how sub can a born dom be?), dominatrix!reader, no use of y/n, reader is able-bodied, Dave is a good husband and father™️, Molly throwing up, slight humiliation (the boy being called dummy <3), slight ball torture, (guided) masturbation (m), finger sucking, petnames (ma'am, good boy, love), cum eating, slight shoe worship, dick+pussy pronouns, reader wears lipstick, nail polish and stilettos, squint and you miss unprotected PinV; dm me if I missed any

a/n: my submission for @wannab-urs dmamc 2025. i had so much fun domming my man and I tried to make it believable because, well, he's Dave 'the dom' York. enjoy another character study including his dick. thank you @guiltyasdave for the beta and constant love, even though sub!Dave isn't your cup of tea 🥹💛

"Gentle eyes, soft words, tender chin scratches. You have his tail wagging. Slowly, slowly you are domesticating him into a dog, one praise at a time."

“Fuck!” His hand slams down on the steering wheel, once, twice. Again, again, again, until his palm hurts and the thrumming pain helps him to push aside the anger boiling inside of him. He rips down his beanie, ripping out a few hairs as well, not giving a shit about it.

He fucked up. If it wasn’t for his partner the mission would have gone south completely, pulling him along. The plan had been perfect, the preparations perfect as well. All he had to do was to pull the trigger and take the target out. But he fucking missed. He fucking missed. Hit the target into the shoulder, and if Dave’s partner didn’t take initiative and put a bullet through the target's head… He doesn’t want to think about it.

He already saw his domestic life passing before his eyes. The police arresting him at home, his daughters terrified and not understanding why they would take their daddy away. Carol at the trial, being questioned if she really didn’t know about her husband’s assassination side hustle, her face puffy and red from crying.

Dave hisses out another curse, hitting the hard wheel in front of him again.

He could always just disappear, always has an emergency duffle bag stowed away with fake IDs and some cash. But he wouldn't stomach it, couldn't stomach it, leaving his family behind.

It was a close call today… He starts the engine and pulls away from the curb, the tail lights of his inconspicuous car slowly blending in with the dozens of others on the nightly roads as he heads home to his inconspicuous life.

The next few days were difficult, to say the least. His higher up at the CIA was a pain in the ass, deadlines were piling up, Molly got sick and needed attention and care, Carol needed his support, the almost-failed mission was still breathing down his neck… He needed a break and there was no break in sight. Not now. His family needs him, his job does, he needs to fucking function now.

“Daddy, ‘m not feeling good,” Molly mumbles, curled up on the couch, her head in Dave’s lap while he’s working on a report on his laptop.

“Just a second, baby.” He’s almost done, he just needs a minute and the worst part of his report would be finished. Molly stirs on the couch, hastily now. God damnit.

“Daddy…” Her little body starts trembling and with a shudder and a sound that makes Dave’s heart hurt, she slumps over and pukes. All over his notes. Over his pants he had just picked up from the dry cleaning. All over the cream colored couch that Carol wanted so badly and that looks like shit now. All over his laptop. The screen flickers a last time before it goes dark.

“I'm so sorry… Please don't be mad, Daddy.” Molly starts crying, feeling sick and miserable, her little hands shaking as she grips her ruined blanket.

The vein on his neck, he feels it throbbing. His laptop, his fucking work laptop, broken. The sticky, disgusting warmth of what once was chicken soup seeps through his trousers and makes his eyelid twitch.

Just pick your baby up, just comfort her, just help her change into new pajamas, just be a good father, just be good…

“Daddy?” She sounds so fragile, her voice nothing more than a weak breath. She clumsily pushes herself up and accidentally nudges the laptop off of Dave’s knees. The carpet swallows the low thud when it hits the ground, but the cracking of the screen is still very much audible, just as much as Molly’s shocked gasp.

“You broke it. You fucking broke it, Molly,” Dave hisses and is on his feet in an instant, his daughter toppling back onto the couch, now crying even more because she upset her dad.

He doesn’t look over to her but picks up his laptop, trying to bring it back to life. The muscles in his jaw clench when Molly’s sobs start pealing in his eardrums. Dave turns towards her, a barked shut up already on his tongue when Carol appears in the doorway.

One quick look is enough for her to assess the situation. Their crying daughter, a picture of misery and guilt written all over her pale face and Dave, nostrils flared and one hand balled into a fist, the unmistakable smell of vomit reaching her nose… No, this wasn’t good.

“It'll take it from here, Dave,” she says when she strides past him. “Go and calm down.” There's no bite to her words, bite wouldn't do any good at this moment. It would only make it worse, make Dave lose the last bits of reason.

Carol scoops Molly up in her arms, pressing a few soothing kisses to the little girl’s temple. She looks over her shoulder and gestures towards the door with a tilt of her chin as if to say please, just go.

And he does. He flees from the living room and the feeling of shame that starts licking at his insides. It gets too much. A thought crosses his mind, a simple calculation, it has been almost ten months since…

A shiver runs through him and he shakes the idea off his mind like a dog tries to shake off an annoying tick. No, he wouldn't need to do it this time, there sure is another possibility to finally get a grip on his life. He just needs to focus more. Needs a better sleep regimen. More training. More protein. More control over all the small bits and pieces of his life.

Dave shuts the door to his home gym behind him and gets to work. If his muscles are trembling and his lungs are begging him for air, he has no time to think about what kind of an asshole father and husband he is. And so he starts tormenting his body to shut off his mind, to keep the guilt and shame at bay. For now.

That night, when he slips under the bed sheets, almost silently to not wake his sleeping wife, the idea creeps back into his head. Like a tick it has sunk its teeth into his skin and he can’t seem to get rid of it since the first time he has done… it.

It has helped him before, more than he likes to admit it. But he hates it. Because he cannot do it on his own. Because he needs someone else doing it for him, to him. And Dave never liked to be dependent on something or someone.

The sheets rustle and Carol’s hand finds his own, wrapping her fingers around his in the darkness as if she was trying to comfort him. But in reality she wanted his comfort and soothing. Dave wasn't a man who was dependent. Because he always was the man everyone else depended on.

He turns on his side and lifts her hand to his lips to press a gentle kiss to Carol’s knuckles.

She hums, shuffles closer, her feet slipping between his calves. After a moment of content silence a murmur crawls over the pillows to Dave and settles right on his chest, where the thought about it sits and gnaws at him like a night terror.

“Maybe… maybe you should go see that therapist again? They really helped you the last time.”

Therapist. That was what he told his wife you were. And the things you did, it was therapy. It is, in a way. It helped him. And he hates that it does. He hates that he can’t function like he needs to. He hates that Carol sounds so timid when she suggests therapy, afraid that he could snap at her, too, because she dares to point out his weakness.

He sighs, her soft knuckles still held against his lips. “Is Molly okay?”

“She’s a little better, yes.”

The silence weighs heavy for a moment, Carol’s unanswered question pressing down on Dave’s rib cage. Or is it the feeling of guilt? About being a shit show of a father and husband? About needing you to function, even if it all feels so wrong but afterwards it always feels good and right and he feels better, every damn time?

“It'll make an appointment,” he murmurs and his lips find her ring finger, kissing the spot where the simple golden band always sits. She never takes the ring off, just like him. Carol nestles into his arms, the relief clear when she whispers her thank you, I love you into the hollow between his clavicles. God, he is such a failure, he thinks to himself with his wife in his arms and you in his mind.

You are completely booked out. Months ahead. Of course you are. There never is a shortage of people who want your services. Or to be exact, who need them. So when you received the request for an appointment “asap, ma'am”, signed by David York, you told him you were free again in three months. But then another customer canceled their session and because you like David, you give preference to him.

So a week and a half later you find yourself entering the bar of the Rosewood, one of the finest hotels of the city. Doors magically open because there’s always some finance or marketing guy holding them open for you. Each step with your pointy high heels parts the crowd in front of you and is paved with sleek smiles and licked lips of the men who move out of your way.

You pay them no mind, they only exist at the periphery of your focus. They are not important and will never be. What is important is your customer for this day. You recognize him, the way he sits at the bar, one foot on the footrest of the empty stool next to him, the other one firmly planted onto the ground. Just another pretty man in a suit, interchangeable for most who might look at him.

But for you he was different. A customer, first and foremost. A challenge, too. And he's probably the only man in this bar who is not doubling over to get a crumb of your attention. You had to work for what your customers usually give you gladly and freely: their acceptance and sometimes even devotion.

That is why you like Dave York, because working for him and with him is rewarding. It satisfies you to no end to finally turn his smoothness into something with cracks and weaknesses. And to have him thank you for it.

One of the many men in suits in this bar moves from his place on the outer borders of your attention into the spotlight and obscures the view on Dave. The guy looks you up and down, tries to smile a flirty smile but all you see is a pathetic obstacle. Your mouth already opens to tell him no to whatever suggestion he wants to make, when a big hand lands on the man's shoulder.

Thick fingers, blunt nails, a simple golden wedding band. You look past the surprised strangers face and find Dave, standing behind the man.

“Sorry buddy, not tonight,” Dave tells the man. For a moment they look at each other, like two wolves who found a piece of meat and now silently fight for ownership. Two alphas in suits. But only one of them is a wolf, the other one is just a dog.

“Not ever,” you add when you pass the stranger. The sting of your words gets soothed by your sweet smile, showing off your wolfish canines as you do. Your gaze meets Dave’s own. Two alphas looking at each other again, this time both are wolves.

You don't even bother to care about the other man who disappeared into insignificance as quickly as he had the guts to peek his head out of it. Your focus is solely on Dave now. He looks tired, frail even in the small details of his facial expression. He already looks cracked, maybe you wouldn’t have to work as hard as usual today.

“It has been a while.” You sit down at the bar and Dave gestures for the bartender. He always orders you a drink before you both go up to the booked suite. He never not acts according to the unspoken rules of those kinds of arrangements. He is polite and respectful, even if the air around him very much tastes like aversion. Not against you as a person or the work you do. The aversion is directed against himself and the fact that he was sitting in this bar with you and not at home with whoever was waiting there for him.

He nods his head. That would have to do as an answer. “The usual?” he asks instead when the bartender waits for the order.

“The usual,” you confirm and watch Dave order your vodka on ice. It is a nice change of pace, to not talk and to enjoy the silence, to stretch it like a fabric until it becomes see-through and the silent words between them become audible. Two wolves, dressed in white shirts and blouses, in polished shoes, mustering each other over the rims of their glasses. Sizing each other up.

You take a big sip of your vodka and set the glass down. There’s still a good portion of the booze left, but you need to keep a clear mind for what comes next.

“Are you done?”

Usually he obliges and leaves the rest of his drink on the counter, usually he wants to get over and done with it, with you, with himself. But tonight his need for some more liquid courage is bigger.

“Not yet, ma'am.” His legs spread a little more when he leans back on the barstool. Not in a sleazy manner, not to act like he is hung like a horse. No, taking up space comes naturally to him. And again he is respectful about it. He gives your crossed legs enough room between his thighs, almost like he acts as a buffer between the bustling bar and you.

A thought crosses your mind and makes you smile. He is protective, even though you mean nothing to him. You stretch out your leg, just enough to let the tip of your pointed stiletto brush against his shin. A silent praise for him being good.

Dave’s hand suddenly grabs your ankle, following his first impulse of inhibiting an unwanted touch. Your eyes snap up and meet his, your surprise showing in your raised brows. The grip of his fingers loosens immediately, like he touched something that he wasn’t allowed to, like a too hot cookie fresh from the baking tray.

“Finish your drink then.” A demand dressed up as a friendly request. You pull your foot away, Dave’s privilege of getting a feel for you is already over.

“Yes, ma'am,” he says lowly, just loud enough to be heard over the hustle and bustle of the bar. He swirls his drink in his glass and takes another look at you. You look like some partner in a law firm or some higher up shoving around numbers on paper and employees in meetings. Expensive clothes, expensive designer bags, expensive heels. He had seen them often enough to know that you only wear those 700$ pairs. You’re sleek, smooth, polished, with edges that look round and safe to touch but will cut through skin and flesh if you want to.

He takes a sip of his drink and watches you smile, the red lip stretching over your teeth. He feels a part of him getting excited, this one stupid part of himself, the part which constantly makes troubles. Some corner of his brain just loves this. And apparently needs it too, needs it to make him function as a person. This little part loves to make you smile. And he hates it.

You let him finish his drink, let him buy himself a few more minutes before you leave the bar and enter the grand and shiny hotel lobby. Having people move out of your way just by the way your heels click is satisfying. But having someone in front doing it for you is better. You watch Dave plowing through the lobby as he makes his way to the elevators. His ass looks cute, you think to yourself and enter the cabin with him.

He’s so well behaved for you, pressing the buttons, shielding you from the other guests and making sure you can stand comfortably without anyone standing too close to you, himself included, You smile at him again and for a moment one corner of his lips twitch. Good, that's good. He's responsive tonight.

Dave exits the elevator and struts through the long hallway, countless doors left and right until you reach the right one. A quiet beep when the key card opens the door, muffled footfall on the thick carpet and a discreet click when he closes and locks the door behind you both again. Another reason you love this hotel so much, beside the soft beds and high end shower products in the marble bathrooms: the soundproofing.

No matter how hard the stomp, how loud a scream, how sharp a smack, the walls of these rooms seem to swallow the noises and they are never sated. They drink down every word and whisper and always seem to want more. Like the people you work with.

“Tell me about your rules and limits tonight, David,” you say and look around the suite for a moment. You gesture for him to sit down on one of the plush chairs facing a full body mirror.

All you know about Dave is his name, his phone number and another number as an emergency contact. The rest is guesswork you did over the last months and years. The golden ring on his ring finger? He never takes it off. He's married or maybe widowed.

Dave takes off his jacket and hangs it over the backrest of the velvet chair. One time a little toy figurine fell out of his pocket when he took his jacket off. So there must be a child who he has a close enough relationship with for it to sneak little gifts into his pockets. This time nothing out of the ordinary happens. He simply follows your instructions and sits down.

“The same as always.” He lifts his hips again to tug his slacks down, just enough for them to not cut into his groin. “Nothing that leaves marks on me, no touching me between waist and knees, no restraints, no gagging, nothing enters my body, nothing leaves my body without my consent.”

Yeah, just like you thought. “So basically just talking. You know, you could have ‘just talking’ a lot cheaper, down at the bar for example.” You pull a chair for yourself closer to Dave, with the mirror diagonal behind it.

“I'm not here for just talking,” he says quietly with his eyes fixed on his knees.

“Oh I know, don't you worry.” You sit down now, your legs crossed over your knees and one of your high heels swaying in the air just between Dave's spread legs. “Next: safety. Repeat the rules for me, will you?”

He looks up at you and sighs. “We use the color system. Green means more, yellow means keeping the intensity, red means stop.” He likes the simplicity of this system, appreciates it at home, and loves the way Carol loses it whenever he keeps her on yellow for a little too long. But he doesn’t like to be the one using it himself.

“Good. What else means stop?” Your leg is slowly bouncing up and down and Dave's focus shifts to the pencil thin heel for a moment.

“The… the safeword. Helsinki.”

His eyes meet yours again. Dark ponds of raging brown, the storm behind them perfectly contained, for now. “And…?” you prompt, prodding him a little bit with the sweetness in your voice.

“And there's no shame in using my safeword. Or not using it if I'm… feeling good.” He almost chokes on the last words. There is shame in the whole situation, no matter how he looks at it. But you smile again and this one part of him is relieved. He did good, fuck.

“Good job, you remembered,” you praise and the shiny leather of your shoe ghosts along his calf. “Let's start then. No touching yourself or me and no talking unless I tell you to. Got it?”

“Yes, ma'am.” He never sounded less enthusiastic than now. His pretty mouth curves into the tiniest scowl and he looks a little more handsome like this. In another life you two could have a lot of fun. Real fun. Fucked up fun.

In another life you might kneel before him and beg for some peace of mind. He could be the therapy the therapist needs. But not in this life. Because in this he was the one needing peace of mind and you were the provider.

“Now, Dave, I want you to take a deep breath and look at yourself in the mirror. Right into your eyes.”

He obeys. When he meets his own gaze through the mirror the scowl becomes more prominent. You will let him sit with his own thoughts for a minute or so. Enough time to recap your last sessions with him.

Pretty quickly into your business relationship with Dave you found out about his history with the military. No details really, you just knew that he had served for several years. Being degraded on a daily basis in your forming years does something to the brain. And it surely did something to Dave's brain because his tough outer layer cracked beautifully for you as soon as you called him a ‘weak fucking loser’.

And that was all that you did since then: humiliating him, watching him turn from the hard and controlled man into one who is struggling to loosen up and finally a man who spits out ‘Helsinki!’ and flees from the scene with a raging boner. He is the weirdest customer you have. Because his requests are so tame, so small scaled for what you could do and for what he could really take.

But all you had to do was calling him names and having him palm himself through his pants. You are not exactly complaining, he paid you as much as the guys who go the whole nine yards. Dave makes you work for your money though. It is a fight, every time.

You see it in his face, he is fighting right now, while he stares himself down through the mirror. A fight he can never win. His upper lip twitches, like he is going to growl at his own reflection any moment. Oh, it is clear as day to you, he really needs this session.

You might need to switch things up a bit, you want your customers satisfied after all. And the way he glares at himself tells you that he needs more today.

“What are you thinking, tell me.”

Your voice pulls him out of his spiraling thoughts. It’s sweet like honey but also sticky. He knows that your mouth is a sugary trap. Every word and gesture and touch a carefully laid out crumb to lead him to where you want him: staring up at you, doing whatever it takes to get your sugar lips to smile at him.

A little nudge of your heel against his thigh. A little harder than it had to be to get his attention. He doesn’t like that he likes it.

“Whimp,” Dave says with heartfelt disdain.

“What else? And keep looking at yourself.” Your heel digs a little more into his thigh and you can feel the tremble of his muscle beneath his slacks. He sure was a runner, you think. Thick thighs look so pretty with a few streaks on them. But no, no marks. “You can tell me everything, you know?”

Dave swallows thickly, the soft velvet of your voice is making his throat tight. He's trapped, caged in between your shiny stilettos and your mouth. His thigh throbs against the thin heel.

He takes in his reflection, the man in power, in slacks and a crisp white dress shirt, in polished shoes. A high heel prodding him. His fingers clutching the armrests. His face tight and sour. His wedding ring glinting.

“Cheater.”

You hum, pleased with his answer and gracing him with a small smile in return. So he is in a relationship. Good, this would make it easier. For you.

Your foot moves, the pointy heel being exchanged with the flat of the sole, pressed against his inner thigh. You drag it up the seam, just a little bit.

This is breaking the ‘no touching’ rule. And yet, he endures, fighting his silent internal fight.

Interesting.

“What’s your color, love?” You tilt your head to the side, enjoying how Dave’s nostrils flare at your audacity. He is defying the sweetness of your words. But he wants more of the stickiness. Just a little bit. It won’t hurt, right?

“Green,” he grits out. Fucking whimp, cheater, loser, failure, he tells himself silently through the mirror. Your sole moves higher now, the pointy tip already indicating towards your final destination.

Green. He wants more, he will get more. Your shoe slides higher and leaves a trail of dusty dirt on his clean pants. He will hate that, you know he will, because you would be pissed off, too.

“Are you not embarrassed, Dave? Sitting here, paying money for this? What would she say, if she knew?”

His eyes snap from the mirror to you, the corner of his lips move into another scowl. The wolf would be baring his teeth soon.

You tap the sole of your shoe against his crotch, just enough for a little sting that lets him jump slightly. Dave looks at you, stunned. Such a pretty sight.

“Oh what's with the attitude now? Did I say you could look at me?” You smile at him, the tip of your tongue running along the edges of your teeth. “Do you think you deserve it, looking at me, dummy?”

His eyes widen and his mouth opens, ready to protest, to call this off, ready to show you your place. But the only thing leaving his throat is a choked sound. Probably because you keep rubbing your foot into his groin, pushing into the not-so-soft-anymore softness.

“Eyes back on the mirror.” Another quick rap, sole meeting joined seams, another jolt and, oh yes, a moan, finally. The walls with their expensive satin tapestry greedily drink down the throaty sound. “Now.”

Your command has nothing of the powdered sugar quality anymore and he obeys. Who even is he, he wonders for a moment of clarity when he meets his own eyes through the mirror again. A stupid man, growing hard under the shoe of a stranger, a stupid man with a loving wife at home. A stupid man with guns hidden all over town. Growing hard.

He looks into the mirror, feeling detached from his own reality. He watches the shiny shoe move between the thighs of this man in the mirror, he sees the stomach of the man tense under his dress shirt, he notices how the man's mouth opens. He hears him groan, this man who looks like himself.

“God, are you seriously turned on by this? That's embarrassing. No wonder you pay me for it instead of getting it at home.” You love being mean for money and you love how Dave writhes beneath your high heel and squirms under your gaze. “Do you like this? Answer me, dummy.”

“Yes.” You only get a single hissed word as an answer. Adorable.

“Yes what?” you hiss back, applying a little more pressure to the bulge showing so beautifully.

“Yes, ma'am,” he snarls now. The wolf is showing his teeth and you're gonna pull one out. You are the only one allowed to bite in this arrangement.

“Christ, do I have to spell it out for you, stupid?” Your foot drops lower, right over the tight little package nestled under the thick, elongated dick outline. The pointy shoe tip slowly pokes into the squishy warmth of Dave’s clothed balls. His breath hitches. “Yes, ma'am, what?” you prompt him, the sugar returning to your words.

“I… I like this, ma'am.” His eyes are still glued to the picture in the mirror and he seems to register that this is him. The visual of an expensive high heel pressing against balls matches the thrumming, stingy feeling of pain in his own slacks. And another thing belongs to him, besides the pain. The jumping hard-on, right above this damned shoe.

He swallows thickly, his blunt nails digging into the velvet of the armrests. “Fuck. I like it,” he stutters, staring at his face, like he is seeing himself for the first time. Like he recognizes himself. His stormy eyes become a little calmer, the silent internal fight becoming more quiet.

“There we go. Good job.” You pull your foot away from him and lean closer, elbows to knees, one finger coming up to his chin. He just now notices that your nail polish matches your lipstick. The color would look good around his dick. In another life.

“Look at me,” you croon, laying out your trap for him again. The pad of your finger so warm and gentle under his chin, guiding his eyes to yours. You're smiling, red stretching over white, he did good and his cock throbs against the zipper. He’s wagging his tail for you.

“Good boy.” You lean closer and he can smell your perfume, the mint and vodka on your breath, your amber-scented dominance tinted in black and scarlet. The sweetness of your praise coats his tongue and he swallows it down, to make it a part of him. A little secret part on the inside only he knows about.

“Color?” Soft, alluring, a trap made for him to curl up in.

He takes a moment to think, but not too much. The thinking part of his brain was already beginning to shut down. “Green,” he rasps with his eyes fixed on the way your eyebrows dance when you smile again.

“Good. Now, I have a question for you.” Your thumb rubs against his chin, just enough to feel the day worth of scruff beneath the digit. “Will you take your cock out for me? Let me see him?”

Gentle eyes, soft words, tender chin scratches. You have his tail wagging. Slowly, slowly you are domesticating him into a dog, one praise at a time.

Dave nods his head. There’s no harm in showing his dick. That doesn't make him a cheater, he tells himself. Maybe he could make you smile again, he knows he has a good cock. Good balls too. Maybe you could squish them again. Just a little bit.

“That's a good boy. Show him to me. Show me how hard I make you.” You lean back in your chair and watch Dave hesitantly fumble with his belt, then top button, then zipper. He still has a little fight left in him. You would be concerned if not. A man like him will never give up completely, that is what makes him so interesting for you, so much fun to play with.

The teeth of the zipper hiss, the fabric rustles when he pulls it over his ass and down his thighs, over his knees. He looks a bit disgraceful like this, sitting in the velvet chair, slacks pooled around his shoes, tented black briefs, looking at you expectantly. You would have let him take his shoes off and fold his pants if he wanted. But he chose to be… excited. And a little impatient. Truly adorable.

You move a little closer again, inspecting what you can see so far. You never saw his dick and usually you are not too keen on seeing your customers’ genitals, they were just extensions, more of the canvas you like to work on. But since Dave always made a fuss about decidedly not showing signs of arousal you became curious. Out of professionalism, of course.

It was looking good, the tent. A thick head pressed against the cotton and crowned with a now black, later milky stain.

“You’re leaking? For me?” You sound like he presented you with a bouquet of flowers or a painting he doodled with crayons. You reach out, your fingers stopping shy before touching the wet spot. You look up at him, a glint of horror in his eyes. No touching, with your hands. “Is this okay?”

A head shake and a dry swallow, then he finds his voice again. “No. Ma'am. I’m sorry.” You touching him would be cheating; in his head this makes sense.

“That's okay, don't worry.” You purse your lips, tapping a finger against the red on them. Then you hold out your hand, palm up. “Lend me a hand?”

Dave hesitates. His dick protesting with stirs against the briefs, not caring about who would touch him and how. He puts his hand in yours, trusting that you would accept his limit.

And you do, of course, you're a professional. Which means you know how to work your way around limits and how to stretch boundaries. You guide his thumb to the wet, glossy spot and rub the pad over the fabric, once, twice, until Dave grunts from the tingling friction.

“Let me know how you taste,” you coo and lift his thumb to your mouth. You open it wide, your tongue sticking out, reversing the roles but he still is your wolf in a dog costume. His eyes glint and for a second you can smell his dominance, too, lingering under the scent of his precum.

Two beasts who recognize each other, just for the fragment of a second, as you look into each other's eyes. But only one can be in charge tonight. You lean in and take his thumb into your mouth. Deeply. You sink down until your lips leave a red lipstick print around the base, one half on his palm, the other half on the back of his hand.

He tastes salty, with a sharp bite to it, just like the man himself. He presses his thumb deeper, can’t resist to have the upper hand with you just once. Your pussy clenches. She likes him.

Oh, in another life, you would let him wreck you. But not now. You suck his finger until you can’t taste his precum anymore and pull off of him.

“Kneel.”

He huffs and his brows draw together. “What?”

“Wrong answer, stupid.” Your foot snaps up, sole pushed against his hard dick, pointy heel somewhere in between his balls. “Try again.”

There it is again, the storm in his eyes. He is so much fun to work with, so easy to rile up, always keeps you on your toes. The same toes that feel Dave's cock throb through his briefs and the leather of your shoe. You move your heel from left to right, just enough to make him squirm and hiss.

“Yes, ma'am.” That's what he says but it sounds a lot like ‘fuck you’.

You laugh at that, sit back in your chair and put your foot back down on the ground. “That's more like it. Come on, chop chop. On your knees.”

He does as he is told. Growling and glaring, avoiding his ridiculous reflection in the mirror, of a tough guy with his pants around his ankles and leaking like his cock is drooling for you. Dave finds himself on his knees as he sinks into the thick carpet. Your feet are right in front of him, he catches a glimpse of his face in the glossy black tip of your heels. He looks twisted, but unmistakably like him.

“And now: touch yourself. Over your briefs. Nice and slow. Eyes on my shoes.” You place one foot on his thigh and his eyes follow the movement without moving too much. “You seem to like them?”

His hand, the one with your lipstick on it, runs along his length, slowly, calculated, avoiding his sensitive tip as he does. “Yes, ma'am,” Dave mutters and squeezes his girth like he's trying to soothe himself because your voice doesn’t do it anymore. It's all harsh now and not sticky-sweet.

Your heel gets pressed into his thigh, the thin end biting into his skin. “Yes, ma'am, what?”

His jaw ticks. His thumb is soothingly rubbing over the head of his cock, knuckle pushed against the underside. “Yes, ma'am, I like your shoes.”

“I thought so. You got so hard for them, didn’t you?”

He takes a deep breath and keeps on palming himself, a steady back and forth. The wet blotch grows. “I-...” He breaks off when you start caressing his balls with your sole. Back and forth. Front to back, in the same rhythm as he strokes himself. “I did get hard for them, yes. For you, ma'am.”

He just wants some of that sugar back, some of those honeyed words from you. He's on his knees already, what else could you want?

You let him kneel and watch his hand move, register his hip twitch. You brush your fingers through his hair, just a light pet.

“Take him out now. I can look at him, right?”

He nods his head and tugs himself out. Caught behind the waistband you get a first peek. Girthy, a stunning color, a dusty rose turning into an earthy pinkish-red, cut, a clear bead of precum forming over the slit before it runs down and spreads over the already glistening skin.

With another tug he pushes his briefs under his sack, forcing it up nice and tight, right under his cock. He has a slight curve, too. Fucking perfect. Your pussy clenches again.

Dave's hand fists the base, some of your red lipstick transfers to his shaft. The closest your mouth will probably get to him. Such a shame, you think, swallowing down some pooling spit, because you really would like to get a sore jaw from sucking him off.

“Now that's a pretty cock you got there. Hold still.”

You crouch over to Dave and place your palm over his hand, giving his dick a good squeeze with Dave's hand.

“I won't touch him, I promise. But let me guide you.” Molasse thick, that's how your voice sounds. Almost too thick to be swallowed down.

He manages to do it nonetheless. Ignoring that this is out of the comfort zone of David York, the husband and father. But oh, those words taste delicious for the man who knows rules and laws but lives outside of them.

His own hand relaxes under yours and with the first stroke another yes, ma'am drips from his lips.

This is a strange feeling. He guided several hands in his life, taught them where to rub, how to twist, how much to squeeze. But having his own hand touch him with those foreign movements was… new. Sexy. Frustrating too, because you seem to know exactly what not to do.

He looks down between his thighs and sees two hands moving and he really tries to imagine it was just your hand. He wants your touch. Christ, he wants your mouth on him, too. And you would do it, you would gladly accept the proposal and call him a good boy again. But he can't. He can't do it, it's not the right thing to do. He feels his wedding ring slide up over his tip and back down. No, he can’t have you touch him directly.

But he can give in to you a little more. His dignity hangs over the other chair, taken off together with his jacket right at the beginning. You might as well make him your bitch. He throbs against his fingers and Dave asks himself if you can feel it, too. Without being able to stop it his hips buck into his fist, your fists. You were moving his hand so goddamn slow, he needs more. More pressure, more speed.

“Are you not happy, love? Are you being ungrateful?” You slow down even more until your palms reach his top again. Dave has lubed himself up so nicely with his own precum, you can feel it spreading between your own fingers. With a tight grip you flick and twist, like screwing open a bottle, twisting the cork out of a bottle of champagne.

Dave’s body jerks as do his hips and he moans again, feeding the soundproofing of the hotel room the delicious sounds he makes.

You tut at him, smirking and mocking and twist his hand over his cock again.

“Oh, so you are ungrateful? You have to ask for the things that you want, dummy, That's how this works.” You loosen your grasp and straighten your back, cross your arms and then your legs until the sole of your shoe hovers over his balls. “So…? Are you ungrateful?”

He shakes his head and fights the urge to rock himself against your shoe. More precum gets pushed out of his slit, he fucking aches. He could just spit out the safeword and jerk it in his car, like usual. But he is too proud for that. He is going to finish what he started here, in this room with you.

“No, I’m not. I just-...” he breaks off when you start bouncing your foot, knocking against his balls with almost gentle pats. Dave clutches his girth with a groan, his hips bucking forwards again. “I…,” he strokes himself once, hoping you would get the implications without having to put it into words.

A finger hooks under his chin again, he can smell himself on your skin. A nudge and he looks at your face again, the way you bare your teeth at him in a graceful smile doesn't cover up the authoritative tone hidden in your sweet words.

“You already did so good today. But I want you to do one last thing, yes?” You rub your finger under his chin, smearing some of his sticky precum over his skin. “Will you try it, for me?”

He'd do a backflip, if you kept up the carrot and stick game for a little longer.

And then you do it again, showing him the treat he could have if he only was a good enough boy for you. You start licking your hand clean. Languid laps with the flat of your tongue, starting with the little finger.

“Love, I want you to fuck your hand. You don't have to hold back.” You suckle on the tip of your finger before licking Dave's salty residue off of the next one. You stop at the tip, twirl your tongue around the fingernail painted all ruby and smile at him. Just as if you were licking an ice cream spoon clean.

“Just make sure to keep your hand still and fuck into it.” Now middle and index finger. Your tongue runs over both of them before you put them into your mouth. In and out they go, sluggish and without hurry, you hum at the taste like it's the sweetest cream.

And then, instead of doing a backflip, Dave starts moving his hips. His eyes glued to your mouth and the red of your lipstick transfers to your fingers before it disappears in the dark, tight, wet cavern of your mouth.

His hand doesn't feel anywhere close to what he imagines your mouth does. Dave is just glad that he can finally care for his aching boner. With every thrust, in sync with your fingers sliding in and out between your lips, his balls slap against the leather sole of your shoe. It stings, but it stings good. He didn’t even know he liked this before tonight. Before your expensive stiletto pressed and rapped and pushed into them.

He ruts his hips faster now, not matching the speed he needs, but he makes it up with squeezing himself hard. Soft squelches come from between his legs now with every back and forth. More noises for the thick carpet and walls to swallow, never to be heard again.

You’re sucking on your thumb now while Dave's clutching himself harder, hips thrusting in a relentless pace. He fucks his hand like you told him to.

He looks so perfect in the mirror, that little piece of ass that you can see from your angle. Clenching and unclenching, the movements draw you in, hypnotize you. The perfect cream-white canvas for blotches of red and sprinkles of violet, for scarlet streaks, oval imprints of your teeth even.

You lick your lips when his thighs start trembling. How good he would look if he fucked himself on your strap-on. In another life, you muse and press your thighs together. The sound your thumb makes between your lips resembles the one that will come from your wet cunt later, when you're at home again. With Dave's salty taste in your mouth and a girthy vibrator, one to match the size of his cock.

His eyes meet yours again, just for a second before they dart down to your tongue again when you start licking your palm. He's still in there, the hard man, the one who's fighting against himself, the one who probably whispers insults inside his head. You can see him in that short moment, somewhere swimming in the stormy mahogany.

You stop licking your palm when Dave winces after snapping his hips harder into his hand and his balls against your sole. He’s at his personal limit.

“Almost there, love, hm?” Another lap to your palm, seemingly unbothered by the state he is in. “Do you want to come?”

He groans and growls, his glutes are burning, his knees hurt, his fucking balls thrum. Oh, he wants to come alright. “Yes, ma'am,” he grits out.

“Say that you're pretty when you fuck your hand for me.” Your tongue flicks over your palm again and reveals your canines again. Just a wolf cleaning her silky fur.

If the need for his orgasm wasn't bigger than his pride, he would have rolled his eyes and fucked that smug smile right out of your face. But he really, really needs to come. He is so close. He can play along a little longer.

“I'm pretty when I fuck my… fucking hand for you,” he snarls and a something in the depth of his guts starts fluttering with a burning strength.

“Good job. You really are pretty like that, love.” You pull the leg of your pants up, the heavy, black fabric now rests bunched up on your knee. Dave still ruts into his hand, chasing the release he knows he can’t have that easily.

“Say ‘I will make a pretty mess for you, ma'am.’,” you order and push your fingers through his hair, careful to not ruin his side part. A single unruly strand gets fixed with your spit-wet fingers. Nothing that leaves marks on me. Well, he can wash off your little saliva mark later.

More carrots, more sweet words and sugar touches, more of your smug but also content smile. Christ, he just wants to do something right. And you are offering him an easy fix. Dave whines and leans into your touch. Vigorously he pounds his hand, his balls trapped between his waistband and your sole and it all feels so warm, hot, his pulse beats in his ears and throbs in his straining cock. “I will make a pretty mess for you, ma'am. Fuck. I need to move my hand.”

His big browns look up at you, same parts furious, pleading and desperate.

“Say please,” you chirp and tilt your hips to feel the middle seam of your pants pressed against your clit. “Be good, say please and you can come for your ma'am.”

“Please. Fuck, please!” he barks as he steps into your honeyed trap you have laid out for him from the beginning. He is stuck in it knees first, tail between his legs, barking, howling, wagging. How to catch a wolf.

“That's my good boy. Go on, you can come. Make a mess.”

He did good, thank god. Dave starts moving his hand, jerking his cock hard and fast, his teeth sink into his flew to bite back a loud howl when he feels himself coming.

It is beautiful to watch for you, how his eyes roll back slightly, how his hand moves so fast that the smacking sounds are like a rapid fire, how he thrusts a few more times into his tight fist until he squirts his thick creamy cum all over. It feels hot on your skin, like molten wax poured over your shin, down to your foot and finally your high heel.

You moan in unison with Dave. You never are above feeding the soundproofing some of your noises as well. An offering to the gods, to keep you blessed with men like Dave.

He continues to stroke himself, choking on a few whimpers, milking the last remnants of cum out of him. His wedding band isn't shining as much now, all dull and foggy with his seed dimming the golden hue. His hand trembles, his runner thighs tremble too, his briefs, still tucked under his balls, are ruined and he slowly, slowly loosens his hard grip around his cock.

“Love, you did so good. That wasn't so hard, was it?” His cum starts running down your leg now and you both watch it for a moment.

“I'll get you a tissue,” he mutters breathily, ready to finally get off his knees and gain some dignity back.

“Nuh uh. Clean up without tissues or towels.” Nothing enters my body without my consent. He looks at you and scoffs out single disbelieving laughter. You shrug your shoulders. “Listen, you came this far. You can be a coward and use your safe word. Or you can take responsibility and clean up the mess you made. It's an easy task.”

You are right. It is an easy task, compared to the mess his life is. It's easy. It's easy. It's easy. He leans forward and swallows, thickly. He looks up at you and sticks his tongue out. It's easy.

You lift your leg up to his mouth, nodding your head, smiling, baring your teeth like a docile pet wolf. Dave's tongue meets your skin, smooth under his slick, powdery scent under his salty stench. He licks a stripe from your ankle up your shin, then another one and another one. Slowly. It's easy. One lick at a time. Fixing the mess he made.

His clean hand holds your foot, nestled in your stiletto, and he laps his cum from the bridge with shorter strokes.

Dave doesn't flinch away from his own taste, he’s licked his own hands clean often enough to enjoy it to a degree. A form of cannibalism, eating his young, feasting on his own potential.

He cleans your skin, lifting your foot higher and his tongue pressed into the small gaps between the leather and your toes. You pet his head again, humming, purring under his ministrations. Dave's lips purse half above the leather and half above your skin, a small kiss before he sucks his cum out of the tiny gap.

It really is easy. He licks over the glossy black, leather and salt coating his senses, another sugary good boy in his ears and in his hair your claws graze over his scalp.

A few more licks and kisses and the creamy white has disappeared from the shiny piece of leather. He can see himself in it again. A twisted image, but unmistakably Dave.

He rubs his spit into the smooth animal skin, you can wash his mark off later if you want. He's done. With cleaning and with this. It's over, for tonight at least.

He lowers your stiletto onto the thick carpet again and offers free sight to his spent cock, heavy and sticky. No more wagging, no more dog. He's back to being an equal.

“You did amazing, Dave. Really good.”

Your hand falls to his shoulder, giving him a gentle pat before you rise to your feet and over him your hand to pull him up. He takes it, groaning quietly when his knees crack. Dave feels a little shaky, or maybe more shook than shaky. But he feels good, lighter, loose. Not even ashamed.

“Can I get you anything? Something to drink, something to eat?” You don't even wait for his answer and turn to the minibar, pulling out a cold water for him.

“No, thank you. I'm good. I'll just take a quick shower.” With a thud his shoes land on the floor as he kicks them off. His slacks follow, then his damp briefs.

You watch him undress, amazed and attracted to his confidence and nonchalance, attracted to what lies beneath Dave's clothes, too. In another life you two would be a great match.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” You turn towards the minibar again, looking for something else. There it is, a kitkat.

“You don't have to, but thank you.” Dave smiles at you and shrugs his shirt off his shoulders. He holds out his hand now, naked in front of you and not bothered by it. Smug. Big dick energy and he can afford it.

You shake his hand, sucking your bottom lip between your teeth for a moment. “Until the next time then. Take good care, Dave.”

You smile at each other, the possibilities of being reckless crackling between you, but then he lets go of your hand and turns his back towards you, heading into the bathroom. When the water starts running behind closed doors you take his shirt from the pile of clothes and nuzzle into the fabric. It's a good smell. Masculine, of course.

Slipping a few fingers into your pants and deeper, behind the elastic of your lace underwear and still deeper, dipping them into your sopping pussy, you inhale his scent deeply, clenching to the thought of his tongue on your skin.

You treat yourself to a moment with your fingers buried in your cunt before you pull out again. You write your name on the inside of his collar, invisible ink made out of your slick, setting a scent mark, a last reward for this good boy.

When Dave enters the room again later you have disappeared, in thin air, no trace of you is left. But something churns inside of him when he gets dressed.

Later, in his car, it clicks. Pussy. It smells like pussy, right in front of him. You god forsaken menace. Of course you had to have the last word. Marking him, mocking him, making him hard again. And of course your pussy smells delicious. Sticky sweet. He groans and adjusts himself, driving home a little faster now.

The house lays in silence when he steps over the threshold. The girls are fast asleep, he checked it immediately with a peek into their rooms. Carol is asleep as well. Soft and warm and plush under the blanket, curled up on her side. Dave kicks his shoes off and steps out of his slacks and briefs. They are still damp in the front, from the precum you urged out of him. But the shirt stays on.

He slips under the blanket and pulls Carol closer, her perfect ass against his already half-hard cock. A hand gently kneads one of her breasts, the other one tugs down her pajama pants.

She's awake in no time, whimpering when he grinds against her rear and lets his dick glide between her ass cheeks.

“Therapy was good?” Her voice is so soft, always sweet for him, never harsh, rarely ever does a no come from her.

“Yeah. Missed you…” he mumbles into the crook of her neck, biting and pulling on her skin until she winces softly.

“Dave-...”

He pinches her nipples and she winces again. A waft of your pussy hits him and he breathes it in deeply.

“Color, baby.”

“What?” Carol chuckles, not yet believing that she’s about to be fucked by her always loyal, always loving and caring husband.

“You’ve heard me. Give me your color.” His cock now slides between her legs and through her folds. He’ll slick her up real good, leaking already with a quiet thrumming sting in his balls. Carol’s pussy feels as good as yours smells.

“Green,” she gasps and rocks back against him.

“Good fuckin’ girl,” he growls before biting the flesh over her shoulder blade and pushing into her.

When Dave finally is satisfied, soaked in Carol and him, she rolls on her back and watches him get a warm towel for her. Whatever this therapist did with Dave, it did wonders. He should go more often.

thank you for reading! and remember, kids, comment or reblog to show me I've been a good girl and did a good job, please and thank you

find my Dave York masterlist here

find my general masterlist here

more a/n: I'd probably suck as dominatrix, shout-out to all the bad ass professionals and hobby dom(me)s out there, you are amazing and I'm literally on my knees for you

dividers: @/saradika-graphics

#dmamc2025 #dmamc 2025 #dave york #dave york x reader #dave york x you #dave york x female reader #dave york smut #ppcu fanfiction #ppcu #pedro pascal #my writing

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jsooly · 2 days ago

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taken in by the sullys / sully family x human!daughter/sister!reader

synopsis, fifteen years fly by and your family just keeps growing as you fight the stigma of being the clan leaders' human child... aka moments between you and your infant/toddler siblings

(1) / (2)

+ takes place just before atwow! this is a much longer chapter T-T

neteyam

moments before he was to connect with eywa, you sat quietly next to him as jake and neytiri bustled around to prepare for the ceremony

you leaned over the side of his cradle, poking his blue skin. he squirmed before focusing his eyes on you. you could tell he was intrigued — you were different than all the faces he'd seen today.

you lowered your voice, whispering to conceal your conversation from jake and neytiri.

"hey." you nodded to him. "i'm y/n. i'm your big sister. well, not real big sister, but still." you shrugged.

you stepped onto the side of the wooden frame, getting some height over where he lay. "you're pretty big for a baby, you know. you're as big as me already. but that doesn't mean you don't have to listen to me, you know." you wagged a finger in his face.

he tilted his head, and you weren't sure if he was getting any of what you were saying. you continued anyway.

"mom says i'm better than the other na'vi kids my age. i can already hunt and fight. she says i have an unnatural gift." you whispered.

"but..." you sighed, stroking his head softly. "i guess i can teach you, too. and it's okay if you suck. i'll be there to protect you."

neytiri and jake exchanged endeared looks, their backs turned to you and the newborn to give you the privacy you thought you had.

if there was one thing you had to let go of quickly, it was your pride

the clan practically worshipped little neteyam — firstborn son of the fierce neytiri and legendary jake sully? they celebrated for weeks

though young, you were still aware you were different, that you didn't exactly belong among the na'vi... but you didn't mind the dirty looks if it meant staying around your family

plus a new baby brother was more than enough joy to offset the feelings of exclusion

you were fluent in na'vi long before neteyam came along, and you took charge teaching him to speak, walk, even string an bow

perhaps you took charge a little too well

"y/n." jake warned. "put him down."

your brother was only a few months old, yet you were manhandling him as if he'd grown enough to withstand the rough grabbing and pulling.

you were surprisingly strong for a human kid your age (you can thank neytiri for that), allowing you to hold neteyam in your arm with ease.

"no." you said simply.

jake gave you a look. of course you had to enter a rebellious phase right when neteyam was very fragile.

"y/n."

you groaned. "what?"

"don't make me get your mother."

"i'm teaching him."

"he doesn't need to be taught right now, sweetheart." jake said gently, approaching you with caution and attempting to take neteyam off your hands.

"he's just lying around all day!" you rebutted, swerving away from him. the flush of speed made neteyam chirp softly in excitement as he gazed up at you. you smiled at pat his head briskly. "might as well fill the time up with something." you mumbled as you stroked his bald head.

"that's a good idea, but how about something less dangerous?" jake grinned widely, trying to sell his point. he held up a ball and some toy blocks. "huh? come on, what d'you say?"

you gave him an unimpressed look, not bothering to answer him as you swiftly turned around and exited the tent. ignoring the sharp noise of protest from jake behind you, you smiled proudly at your brother and nuzzled into his head.

"you're gonna be a great olo'eyktan one day, brother." you assured him. "but first, we gotta get away from dad and teach you how to walk n' stuff."

he babbled in agreement.

in the year when it was just you and neteyam, you bonded inseparably

he was always behind you, like a puppy chasing a little duck around

there was a time when other clan members were a bit concerned that he was spending more time with you than other na'vi children

"neytiri, listen to reason." one omaticaya woman told her.

neytiri was sharpening weapons with some of the other women, all sitting in a circle in a time where they were supposed to be exchanging stories and dreaming about the future. but some chose to gossip and condemn.

"i am listening, though i would not call it reason." neytiri shot back.

"your son is descended from great lineage. consider having him romp around with his own kind instead of an unwanted child."

neytiri hissed, slamming her arrows down. the other women ducked their heads to avoid her anger. "that child is very much wanted. in a million years, i would not believe i would grow so close to a human child, but it has happened. i chose to stop lying to myself long ago."

the woman scoffed, looking around the circle incredulously. "are you hearing what you are saying? we fought hard to eradicate the sky people from our land and you have one growing among us."

neytiri glared. "once, the great mother brought a sky person into our lives, and look at the good that's come of it. eywa watches over this child in the same way. she is special."

despite neytiri's argument, the other women continued to nudge their kids into neteyam's daily routine

for a week, you barely saw him

you stayed in the hut, like usual, watching them play in the grass outside

you rarely emerged from the safety of your home in fear of the judgmental looks you'd receive—it was fine, until you had a brother to miss.

"why don't you go out there?" jake crouched beside you. "m'sure neteyam would appreciate a familiar face."

you gave him a weird look that clearly said no.

he sighed and brought your head into his side, hugging you tightly. in these moments, he didn't know what to say to you. he had no qualifications for being a father, for shaping a young one's whole life, and it was becoming all the more real to him in this instance.

he was about to speak up when you mumbled, "i know they don't want me here."

jake cursed internally. "they... they just misplace their hatred and anger, baby. that kinda stuff is for adults only. they should know better than to denounce a perfect little angel like you." he smiled, pinching your cheek gently.

silence filled the room once more.

you looked up at him, fighting with feelings of unease you couldn't name. "... you want me here, right?"

jake's heart split in two. he cupped your face firmly, holding your gaze. "y/n. 'course i want you here, baby. you're my first little girl, and i would never give you up, not for anyone. i don't care if our life is a little different because you're around. besides, you've more than proven your ability to hold your own."

his declaration warmed your heart until you felt like there was a furnace of love burning inside you.

"i was once human too, you know. you remember, don't you?" he paused as you nodded. "see? for you and us, it's not about being human or na'vi. it's about being our little girl and us being your parents. that's the type of thing where it doesn't matter what you are. you could be... i dunno."

"a worm?"

he chuckled. "yeah. you could be a worm and i'd still love you to death."

a thud caught both of your attention. neteyam grunted as he propped himself up again.

"huh?" you glanced out the window. the other na'vi kids were still out there. you hopped off the windowsill and rushed to his side, helping him stand. "what are you doing back here? your friends are still outside."

he just made a face of distaste, shaking his head.

"looks like he prefers big sis instead." jake grinned, squeezing your shoulders as he passed by. "you two be safe—y/n, no funny business. and don't think about starting a fire."

he left you two playing as he went to have a word with some clan members.

kiri

since both of you were adopted, you related to kiri in a way. you were determined to make sure she didn't feel different, especially in light of her affinity for eywa and natural things

when you and the others would go out to play, kiri would run off

you'd find her lying on the ground, embracing the earth

"kiri!" you gasp, falling to your knees beside her. you carried lo'ak on your back as neteyam toddled beside you. "you can't just run off like that on your own!"

she sat up in a daze, blinking slowly. the grass around her fell back into a lifeless state but the seeds of eywa still hung around. you gently pushed one from ticking your face.

she looked a bit sheepish, averting her eyes as she stood up to follow you. you frowned and sighed, helping lo'ak off your back. you took her hand and flopped back onto the ground.

"you know what... a couple more minutes couldn't hurt." you groaned as you stretched. you tucked your arms under your head, getting comfortable. kiri smiled and reclined beside you.

in that moment, it was as if all the energy in space aligned and you were plucked from your physical form and woven into the stream and cycle of all the energy and consciousness of pandora.

early on, you knew kiri wasn't a fighter

as in, not a let's ride into battle on the back of an ikran guns blazing type of fighter

you started teaching her about the different herbs, plants, and fruits around pandora

she sucked in everything you taught her like a sponge and soon enough it got to a point where you two were learning together

you entered the tent with a thick book clutched tightly against your chest. "kiri!" you whispered urgently.

she perked up, dashing across the room.

you let the book drop onto the ground with an oof, flipping it open. "look, kiri, it's your ma's journal!" you grinned, showing her dr. augustine's signature. you figured you'd leave out the part how you swiped it from norm and max's lab.

her face brightened at the familiar name, staring at the journal in wonder. she flipped through it, but couldn't recognize any of the text. it was all written in english, with bits of na'vi scattered here and there.

"read to me?" she asked, nudging the journal to you. she snuggled into your side as you read her birth mother's findings and conclusions to her.

jake and neytiri found you two sleeping soundly against each other.

lo'ak

lo'ak was an instigator from day one

literally came out the womb quarrelling with everyone

mo'at let a lengthy exhale escape her lungs. neytiri had just given life to her second son, lo'ak, and the boy just would not stop crying. despite all her years as a mother and tsahik, nothing she did soothed her youngest grandson.

"is he hungry?" jake offered, earning dark glares from both his wife and mother in law.

"jake."

"don't you think we tried that?"

he shrunk away, holding neteyam in his arms. he leaned against the wall beside you, giving you a shrug that said hey, i tried.

you pursed your lips, a paradoxical mix of concern and annoyance bubbling up inside of you at lo'ak's wailing. you stood, ducking under mo'at's arm and climbed onto the side of neytiri's bed. she was still talking to mo'at while rocking lo'ak in her arms.

you studied him as he cried, your patience declining by the second. with a sharp but gentle tug to his neural braid, you directed his attention to you. "what are you so upset about, lo'ak? you literally just got here." you whispered urgently.

almost surprised, his cries died down to hiccups and whimpers. you sat back as the adults in the room peered over the newborn.

"ahhh, there he is. poor baby, it's alright." mo'at smiled, stroking lo'ak's head gently. neytiri cooed softly, kissing his bald head repeatedly.

lo'ak found you very cute, though, and was extra gentle when playing with you

you were 11, and neteyam just turned 7, and both kiri and lo'ak were 6 (kiri just a couple months older than lo'ak)

so you had a whole litter of hyperactive kids

you were an overworked big sister lol

and lo'ak was a middle child through and through — with neteyam being the eldest and kiri being a special case, lo'ak didn't get a lot of chances to stand out

thus starting a rebellious streak

but he always got a loooot of love and attention from you

"these are the ones you want, lo'ak?" you hummed. you swirled the bowl around, watching the beads roll at the bottom. "i like the blue."

he fell into your lap with a grumble, his back to you. you just snickered. "what'd you get grounded for this time?"

he scoffed and crossed his arms. "don't wanna talk about it."

"okay." you pat his shoulder before taking out his old braids.

a beat passed.

"all i did was follow neteyam outside. so what if i tried to use his bow?" he complained.

you smiled as he ranted—it was like clockwork.

"it's not like he tried to stop me, either. i didn't even come that close to hurting anything. my aim was off." he complained. "besides, weren't you doing stuff like that when you were younger than i am?"

"yeah," you answered, massaging his scalp. "but i actually sat through all my lessons."

he scoffed, stewing in silence.

you softened. "sorry. don't want a lecture, huh?" you continued to do his hair, and slipping in the beads he wanted.

"next time, you and i should go together." he muttered. "i'm done hanging around little mr. perfect."

"bold words from the kid who looks up to little mr. perfect." you gave him a knowing look and he huffed, avoiding your gaze.

you pat his head and made little jazz hands. "tadaaa. all done!"

he didn't move from your lap.

"lo'ak, i'm done—"

"i know." he muttered softly. you understood what he needed. you laughed and hugged him tightly. he wasn't so little anymore—none of them were. your laughter was infectious and he started to smile, too.

"house arrest isn't that bad. you can hang out with me while the others gotta train with mom and dad." you said, self-satisfied.

he smiled, rolling his eyes. "i guess."

you stood, rifling through your trunk of stuff. "maybe bow and arrows aren't your thing. wanna try a gun instead?" you held one up.

lo'ak's ears stood up, his eyes wide. "y/n!" he exclaimed, looking around as he lowered his voice. "how do you even have that?!"

"dad taught me." you grinned, swiftly removing the bullets. can't be too safe. "just don't tell anyone, okay?"

he matched your grin, nodding fervently. he ran to your side and eagerly watched your demonstrations.

tuk

for 7 years, it was just you, neteyam, kiri, and lo'ak. then all of a sudden, neytiri and jake announced they had another on the way

everyone was excited of course, and the debate on whether it was going to be a boy or girl was lively

you, personally, hoped for a baby sister

you had two baby brothers already! and they were handfuls.

when tuk finally came, lo'ak and kiri were 7, neteyam was 8, and you were 12

she learned to walk and speak faster to keep up with everyone

this set the precedent for how she hangs out with each other too

"tuk." lo'ak groaned, stopping to wait for the youngest sully. "you were the one who said you could keep up."

"i can!" she whined, clumsily hopping across the small gap between branches.

lo'ak rolled his eyes, walking off to join neteyam in the front. kiri was off... somewhere, connecting with the energy of everything probably.

you shook your head at your brother's behavior. you offered your hand to tuk, pulling her up onto the branch.

"they're so mean to me," she fussed. "they never wait for me."

"i know, tuk. give yourself a year or two and you'll be as fast as them in no time."

she grumbled, strolling alongside you. "you're smaller than i am. how do you keep up with them?"

you blew a raspberry. "lots of practice."

she started skipping, the branch teetering under her steps. "i just wanna hang out with them."

"they don't do anything cool anyway," you whisper to her conspiratorially. "it's all about shooting arrows and training these days. come on," you held out your hand. "i got something better for us."

she beamed and slotted her hand in yours. you both ran off together, all giggles and whoops of excitement.

you got to the end of the path, leaping off the branch and into the waterhole below.

she screamed, coming to a halt at the edge of the branch. "it's too high!"

you surfaced, wading onto shore. "don't worry, tuk, it's deep enough to break your fall!"

"i'll miss the water!"

"trust me!" you yell up to her. she made a brief sound of protest before stepping back. screwing her eyes shut, she ran with all her might and jumped off. she screamed all the way down.

you laughed at her, blocking your face from the splash. she surfaced with a gasp, laughing brightly.

"i did it!"

the early years were the easiest. but once the sky people returned, everything was different.

!! from now on, i'm gonna make alternating parts—one storyline following the events of atwow and the other just a compilation of fluff/comfort scenarios. for example, the next part is gonna be plot based and then the following part is just gonna be silly goofy moments. and it'd keep alternating til the atwow plot is done !!

thanks for reading!!

taglist : @dae-dreamer @delirious-dolce (for some reason you couldn't be tagged, i'm sorry!!)

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nelle-y · 22 hours ago

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pt2 to the diluc voice line story PLEASE!! I LOVED IT SOOO MUCH

A love story told through voicelines (II)

C/W: slow-burn, Diluc x gn!reader, reader works at the flower shop in Mondstadt, a few Wicked and Epic: the musical references (let’s see if you can catch them <; ), fluff, angst slight comfort

Note: I’m so glad a lot of you guys liked part 1! Let’s hope I don’t disappoint with this one, ‘cuz I got 2 more parts planned for this.

(You) About Diluc: New impressions

I think I’m starting to understand him better now. Beneath that stoic exterior, he’s just someone doing his best to protect the world he cares about. It’s kind of sad, though… how so many people overlook that. He deserves more credit than he gives himself. I wonder how he manages to carry all that weight on his shoulders alone.

(Diluc) About you: New impressions

I’d be lying if I said they didn’t bring a little light to my days. Ahem—they’re a dependable friend, of course. Their boldness and genuity are rare qualities, and somehow, they always seem to find the right words. It’s reassuring to have someone like that around. I wonder if I should make their favorite drink in case they come by today…

(You) About Diluc: A growing bond

He can be funny at times, but I don’t think he knows it. Like, he once told me he doesn’t like wine, so I pointed out that he owns a winery, and he just looked at me, dead serious, and said, “Is the hunter expected to eat raw meat?” Hahaha! The way he said it was so deadpan, I couldn’t stop laughing!

The more time I spend with him, the more I notice the little things—the way he always makes an effort to listen, even though he doesn’t know what to say; or how, when he opens up, his perspective is always so mature, so layered. I noticed that every time I come to the tavern now, my favorite drink is always prepared beforehand, even when Charles is behind the bar. He may not say it out loud, but I can tell he cares.

(Diluc) About you: A growing bond

Beneath their lightheartedness, there’s a quiet strength, a sincerity that’s rare to come across. I never expected to find myself looking forward to our conversations. It’s almost as if I’ve started depending on those moments. I’ve been manning the bar more frequently, secretly hoping they’d stop by—even for a short while. How did this happen?

(You) About Diluc: What is this feeling?

I don’t know what’s wrong with me! I’ve been thinking about him wayyyy too often—more than I should. It’s like my day revolves around him now. I wake up wondering if he’ll pass by the flower shop again. When I’m at work, I catch myself picking out flowers I think he’d like, just in case I see him. And don’t even get me started on lunch breaks—I’ve been stopping by the tavern more than I’d like to admit.

And the worst part? I’m starting to wonder if I’m imagining things. He’s so… reserved. It’s hard to tell if he even enjoys spending time with me or if he’s just being polite. What if I’m reading too much into it? What if this is all one-sided, and I’m just setting myself up for disappointment?

It’s frustrating—why can’t I just stop thinking about him?! He’s so serious, so closed-off, but every once in a while, I see these small moments where he softens, where he lets his guard down just a little… and I can’t help but be drawn in. Ugh, what am I doing? Falling for him? No, that’s ridiculous. We’re just… friends.

I don’t even understand why he’s so guarded in the first place. I mean, it’s not like he has anything to hide… right?

(Diluc) About you: What is this feeling?

I can’t focus on my work lately. I keep hearing their voice in the back of my mind, or catching myself wondering if they’ll stop by the tavern for lunch. When I think about them, my head starts reeling, and my pulse rushes. It’s strange. I’ve been this way for days now. Adelinde has noticed, and it’s been difficult to hide. I thought it would go away—this feeling of unease when they’re not around. But it’s not fading. The more I think about them, the more it becomes impossible to ignore.

It’s starting to affect me. I’ve always prided myself on keeping control, but now, I’m beginning to feel like I’m losing it. This attraction… it’s dangerous. What if I can’t protect them the way I want to? What if my responsibilities get in the way? Maybe I should keep a distance now. I don’t know how to reconcile what I feel with my duty as the Darknight Hero—ah, another reason to stay wary. But the thought of pushing them away… I don’t want to.

(You) About Diluc: Worries

Is it just me or does that man have too much on his plate? For the past few days, I noticed how distracted he was during our conversations. It’s like there’s always something on his mind, something that adds to the weight on his shoulders. He’s speaking a lot less now, as well, much like when we first met… always keeping his answers short. His eyes look tired, his frame is getting lighter… and if you look closer, you’ll see his rare smile is torn. I’ve tried asking if he’s okay, but he brushes it off with that calm, distant demeanor of his, then suddenly dismissing himself because ‘something came up.’ No, I don’t have time to think about how I feel, right now. Something’s up.

I guess I worry about him a lot. What if things aren’t going well at the winery? What if he doesn’t come back to wherever he’s running off to? What could he be keeping inside that makes him act like this? Hm, it could be just all in my head, but… whatever it is, I hope he knows he doesn’t have to face it alone. Even if he thinks he does.

(Diluc) About you: Worries

Why? Has something happened to them?—Ah… apologies. I’ve been on edge these past few days. It’s difficult to explain, but I can’t seem to shake this instinct to protect them. I’ve been watching the crowds more carefully, scanning for any sign of danger, and keeping an ear out for anything that might threaten their safety.

I fear they’ve noticed how distracted I’ve been during our conversations. I tried to keep my distance, to ensure they’re not caught up in anything dangerous because of me, but it’s… not easy. The more I try to step back, the more I find myself thinking about them. Have they noticed the change in my demeanor? Do they suspect the reason behind it?

I only hope they understand that my distance isn’t because of them… but because of the risks that follow me. If anything were to happen to them because of me… I don’t think I could forgive myself. Yet, even knowing this, I still feel drawn to them. It’s a dangerous contradiction.

(You) About Diluc: Distance

I’m starting to realize that Diluc might be more closed off than I thought. Every time I try to reach him, it feels like I hit a wall. Why does he keep pushing me away? Doesn’t he see that I just want to help?

Every time he dismisses me with that calm mask of his, I can’t help but feel like I’m losing him. Maybe I should give him space, maybe he needs it, but I just don’t want him to shut me out forever. I don’t know how much longer I can watch him bear the weight of his responsibilities alone.

If words won’t reach him, then maybe I’ll try something else… something to remind him he doesn’t have to do this by himself.

(Diluc) About you: Distance

There’s a part of me that wants to tell them everything—about my past, my duties, the dangers that follow me. But I can’t. Not yet. If they knew, would they still look at me the same? Would they still want to be near me? I’ve been keeping my distance for their sake, but the more I avoid them, the more I feel the ache of their absence. *sigh* I don’t deserve to rely on them this way.

(You) About Diluc: Flowers

Since asking him directly isn’t getting me anywhere, I decided to try a different approach to maybe let him open up. I heard Small Lamp Grass flowers were his favorite, so I decided to get some and leave them in the tavern for him. I even left a note, hehe. Considering what’s going on between us, though… do you think he would appreciate it?

(Diluc) About you: Flowers

“For when nights are long, and the weight feels heavy—may these remind you that you’re not alone.” That was their note, marked with a little heart at the end. I thought it was a mistake, at first—that the flowers were for someone else. But as I recognized their handwriting… something in me softened.

Honestly, it’s silly. Such a simple gesture, yet I find myself reading their note over and over again. I placed them in my office. Their glow brings a warmth in the room, and whenever I look at them, I’m reminded of their smile. Hah… Everyday, it gets harder to draw myself away from them. Maybe I can allow myself this one sliver of respite. Just this once.

—

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin fanfic #genshin angst #diluc x reader #genshin impact x reader #diluc ragnvindr #diluc fluff #diluc angst #epic the musical reference #wicked reference #slow burn

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saphig-iawn · 15 hours ago

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Today's Session Made Me Cry

I have been no stranger to talking about the emotiona and vulnerable nature of hypnosis. Many of you have read about the love and care I have for my dolls and drones and making fantasies become real.

But today's session was something that I had preparing for for a little while.

I wanted to do it right.

Properly.

One of my clients wanted something incredibly delicate and I wanted to make sure that she was cared for.

She is plural, and one of her headmates is her Mom. Not her mom, but her Mom. She had spent long without proper support from people in her life and so Mom came in to help this poor puppy through harsh storms.

She wanted her Mom to become a bigger part of her life. She felt there was a distance or an interference and she wanted that powerful support back in her life when everything was so scary.

Usually my sessions follow a certain rhythm and cadence, but this was so different.

The pathways to her Mom were always there, but life let things obscure them, so I spent our time in trance dusting off those pathways, like tidying an old path to a secret garden. I brought a light to the memories of Mom that outshone the old memories that hurt.

Aftercare was much longer, and many happy tears were shed, and then everything hit me at once. That little old me could bring someone such profound joy and happiness.

#saphiposting #hypnotic #trance #hypnosis #wholesome hypnosis #plural system #plurality #hypnotist

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k-dokja · 3 days ago

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Eli fluff pleaseeeee ❤️‍🩹

Kisses cuddles or something and I'll be at your feet 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️

No… get up… don’t stay down there…

It’s pretty—very suggestive. Read at your own peril.

You try to not come by the store often. It’s better to give people the idea that Eli is single, because it’s good for business. You’ve been firm about that idea, no matter how often he pouts. Now that you’re back together again, Eli has grown far more confident about his affection for you more than ever. It’s cute… at times, it reminds you that even with everything, Eli remains a boy. Not yet a man.

He always pretends to be older than he is, more responsible, taking up more and more so others wouldn’t have to. Seeing Eli shedding some of that insane need for compensation is a delightful thing… if only he doesn’t redirect the new excess energy towards you.

Being able to send Yenna to the kindergarten also frees up a lot of his schedule, making him hover around you whenever he gets the chance. You have half the mind to tell him to get a hobby, but with the hours he works at the store then taking care of Yenna when the kindergarten hours is over, you think he deserves to have some graces.

”You’re just begging for an accident to happen,” you drawl, pausing your dicing of the vegetables to prove a point, but Eli only nuzzles further into your neck. A pleased hum emits from the base of his throat.

“Just a little more,” he murmurs into your skin before burying his nose into your hair and inhaling the scent of your shampoo. To his credit, he actually releases you and attends to other ingredients. Eli seems to glow with happiness in these recent days, you guess you have some contributions to that.

It is one of the reasons why you can’t say you miss the days when he was so shy about his affection, it was painful to watch him. However, nothing can stop you from teasing him. “Somebody’s affectionate these days.” You nudge his side with your elbow, making him nearly drop the bottle of seasoning.

Eli flushes at your comment, biting down at his bottom lip. “Is that a bad thing?” He says it in a way that you know a single confirmation from you would revert everything to the old way. Fortunately for him, you are compelled by mercy today.

“Not really, I’m simply not accustomed to it,” you admit with a shrug that you hope would soften the blow. “I guess affection in general is new, I don’t hate it but I don’t know how to respond to it.”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Eli is quick to answer, but he won’t meet your eyes, “I can dial it down if you want, but if we’re both being honest, it’s not easy for my self-control to be around you.”

You give him a pointed look, “Should I be worried?”

“No,” Eli meets your eyes with panic in his own, “never, don’t even think that.”

“You’re not exactly the paragon of safe sex, you know,” you needle, unwilling to drop the matter now that he has brought it up.

Eli groans, dropping the food to pull you into a hug. He sets his chin on the top of your head, inhaling deeply before continuing. “Nothing will happen unless you want it to, I’m only saying that I have urges,” he tightens his hold around your waist, pressing a familiar kiss on your forehead, “urges inspired by you. But I will wait, and I will be prepared, if you ever wanted me.”

“If?” You smirk, glancing up at him. Guess not all of him has changed.

Eli meets your eyes again with a gentle smile of his own. “I’m not presumptuous enough to believe that you’d want me… at least, not at the level where I want you.”

“Hm.”

You see his gaze softens and decide to ask, “What’s on your mind?”

“You,” his confession is breathless as he closes the distance between the two of you, little by little, “your eyes, your lips, your smell, your everything… but mostly, how much I want to kiss you.”

A soft laugh escapes you, “Then why aren’t you?”

That question alone is enough to spur him forward, pressing his lips against yours in a kiss with every bit as sweet as the boy you’re kissing.

#fics #lookism #lookism x reader #eli jang #eli jang x reader

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taatsums · 2 days ago

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Kafka Oguro SSR - Happy New Year Hakama: New Year's with my dear

Part 1

📍Oguro House

Kafka: Happy New Year. I look forward to another year with you.

Kaede: Happy New Year! And likewise.

Kafka: Come on in, Chief-chan. Feel free to sit down. Thank you for coming today.

Kafka: I’m so happy we get to spend the start of the new year together. Right, Shumai?

Shumai: Woof!

Sakujiro: Young Master, I shall also continue to watch over you from such a proximity that you will be able to feel my breath upon your skin.

Kafka: Okay, that’s horrifying, actually. Maybe give me a few feet.

Rihito: It’s been a while since we last had such a lively New Year’s celebration. Dad’s also happy to spend it with you guys, Kafka-kun.

Kaede: It’s fun being gathered around the table like this. That’s what a JPN New Year’s is all about.

Kaede: Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here? I’m sure it’s been a while since you last had a family get-together.

Rihito: Of course it’s okay. You used to visit Kafka-kun’s hospital room and celebrate New Year’s with him in the past too, didn’t you?

Rihito: Kafka-kun smiles whenever you’re with him, and seeing that makes me happy, too. Come hang out any time you want.

Kaede: Rihito-san… Thank you!

Kafka: I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Chief-chan. Whenever I come home, he tries to drag me to things like parks, amusement parks, and aquariums like I’m a little kid or something.

Kaede: That’s not so bad, though. Fun things don’t stop being fun just because you’re a grown-up.

Kaede: You can go anywhere you like to now, after all!

Kafka: True. As HAMA Tours’s president, I should take the initiative and visit new places in order to contribute to future developments.

Kafka: I’ll go wherever I can go! You’ll be with me too, of course ♪

Kaede: Yeah! Let’s go to all kinds of places together this year too!

Sakujiro: Come now, everyone. I prepared both osechi and ozoni. There is even enough for seconds. Eat while it’s still hot.

Shumai: Woof, woof…!

Kaede: Ah, Shumai! I don’t think you can eat this, so I can’t give it to you…! Sorry…!

Sakujiro: I have prepared something for you as well, of course. Here you go, Shumai. Do enjoy your Sakujiro-special doggy osechi.

Shumai: Woof, woooof ♪

Kaede: Woah, this is amazing…! It’s as extravagant as a humans’ osechi…!

Kafka: I expect no less from Sakujiro. I’ve got the best butler in the world, after all.

Rihito: Right? He’s always so helpful.

Sakujiro: I’m honored by your praises.

Rihito: Although I never needed to worry about food thanks to my 3D food printer, Sakujiro’s cooking has a special, distinct flavor to it.

Rihito: Oh, Kafka-kun, this datemaki is delicious. Do you want to try?

Kafka: Yeah, sure. I will later.

Kafka: Chief-chan, the mashed potatoes with chestnuts are delicious. Here, try some.

Rihito: Sob, sob. You give me the cold shoulder even on New Year’s, Kafka-kun~

Kafka: My biggest priority on New Year’s is to spend time with Chief-chan.

Kaede: Th… Thanks, Kafka.

Kaede: … Mmm, you’re right. It’s not too sweet, and it’s delicious to boot! I feel like I could eat a mountain of this…!

Kaede: You’re amazing, Sakujiro-san…!

Sakujiro: I am glad it is to your liking.

Kaede: The go-to food for New Year’s has got to be JPN’s osechi after all…

Kafka: Have you tried overseas New Year’s food, Chief-chan?

Kaede: Yup. I was served sausages once for an overseas New Year’s celebration. It was a dish called lenticchie, if memory serves.

Kafka: Ah, I think I’ve read about that. It’s made with lentils, right?

Kaede: Yeah! They say that you’ll have good fortune if you eat it, but it was so good that I just kept eating and then…

[Kafka laughs]

Rihito: They look like they’re having a lot of fun. Nice, very nice.

Sakujiro: Friendship is a precious thing, is it not?

Shumai: Woof ♪

Kaede: Ahhh… The osechi and ozoni were both delicious. Thank you for the tea as well.

Kafka: I’m happy you’re satisfied. Okay, we should get going now, Chief-chan.

Kaede: Huh? Where are we going?

Kafka: We can’t skip out on our first shrine visit of the year ♪ Come on, let’s go on a date!

Part 2

📍 Okamura Tenmangu

Kaede: Woah, there’s so many people…! This place sure is crowded on New Year’s!

Kafka: Should we hold hands so we don’t get separated?

Kaede: C’mon~ I thought you’re not a little kid anymore?

Kaede: Ack, it’s cold. … I think the wind’s starting to pick up. Are you doing okay, Kafka?

Kafka: I’m fine, it’s not that cold.

Kafka: … Achoo!

Kaede: See, that’s what I thought. Hmmm, I wonder if there’s anything to warm you up with…

Kaede: … Oh! Looks like they’re handing out amazake! I’m gonna go get some, just wait here!

[Kaede runs off]

Kafka: Ah…

Kafka: Geez, you’re such a worrywart.

Kaede: Here you go. It’s hot, so be careful.

Kafka: Thanks, Chief-chan.

Kafka: … Ahhh, the amazake just seeps into my body. I can feel myself warming up.

Kaede: Nothing says New Year’s better like warm amazake on a cold New Year's Day. I’m glad you got to try it too!

Kafka: The amazake you used to bring me when I was hospitalized was nice too, but you can’t experience this warmth inside a hospital.

Kaede: Now that we have the chance, let’s do more first shrine visit-y things! Wanna draw omikuji?

Kafka: Sounds good. Let’s do it together!

Kafka: Fufu. Choosing and drawing omikuji for myself is kind of exciting.

Kaede: (… Right. I used to draw omikuji in his stead and bring it to the hospital.)

Kaede: (Now he gets to do it himself… No wonder he’s excited.)

Kafka: Hmmm… This is tough.

Kafka: Uhhh… Hmmm…

Kaede: (He’s really mulling it over…)

Kafka: … Alright. I’m going with this one!

Kafka: Oh, I got good fortune. It says, “The one you’re waiting for will come. Your chance is nearby”.

Kaede: The one you’re waiting for must mean your soulmate. Good for you!

Kafka: …

Kaede: What’s wrong?

Kafka: *sigh*… Ah, well. Once a Chief-chan, always a Chief-chan, I suppose.

Kafka: Nothing’s wrong.

Kafka: You draw next!

Kaede: Alright. Then… I’ll pick this one.

Kaede: Ah, it’s good fortune!

Kafka: We drew the same one. I wonder if our slips will say the same thing, too?

Kaede: It looks like they have different things written on them… Ah, look! “Your business will flourish. Good things will come,” This is awesome, Kafka!

Kafka: Nice ♪ Seems like you’ve been blessed.

Kafka: Now, let’s get a hamaya to wish for HAMA Tours’s development. And then let’s write an ema at the shrine.

Kaede: Ah, this ema… This sure takes me back.

Kaede: I used to write wishing for your full recovery back in the day… It took some time, but it looks like it came true.

Kafka: Huh? You did that for me…? I see…

Kafka: … It’s thanks to your feelings and all that you’ve done for me that I can stand here today.

Kaede: Kafka…

Kafka: Thank you, Chief-chan. My world has expanded thanks to you.

Kafka: I found out that drinking amazake on a cold day can warm you right up, and that drawing an omikuji for yourself is all the more exciting.

Kafka: I can’t experience either of those things just by sitting in a hospital room and reading books about them.

Kafka: This is why I love traveling. This is why I want everyone to have their own unique experiences in HAMA through travel.

Kaede: Yeah. I feel the same way.

Kafka: Hey, Chief-chan. How about we write our wishes on this ema together?

Kaede: Sure. Alright, what should I write…

Kaede: (The wish I want to come true now is…)

Kaede: (Yup, let’s go with that.)

Kafka: Are you done? I’m curious about what you wrote.

Kaede: What about you?

Kafka: I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.

Kaede: Let’s show each other on the count of three, then. One, two…!

Kafka & Kaede: “I hope I go on great trips this year too!”

Kafka & Kaede: …

Kafka: Haha! Seems like we were thinking the exact same thing!

Kaede: You’re right! Ahaha, we match.

Kafka: Fufu. Should we hang our wishes up and head home?

Kaede: Yeah. Where’s a good spot~? Maybe around here?

Kafka: (… On the edge of my ema, I wrote “together with Chief-chan” in small letters…)

Kafka: (I hope those feelings, too, will match up one day.)

NOTES:

(1) osechi (or osechi ryori) are new year's foods packed in boxes resembling bento, called jubako

(2) ozoni is a mochi soup traditionally eaten during new year's

(3) amazake is a sweet, low on alcohol or non-alcoholic drink made from fremented rice, it's also often used as a sweetening agent or dressing

(4) omikuji are paper slips with fortunes written on them offered at shrines and temples, you can read more about how they work here

(5) hamaya are arrows used to ward off evil spirits, they're sold in shrines and temples as good luck charms. the bow you shoot them with is called hamayumi

(6) ema are wooden plaques that are hung up at shrines and temples as offerings, you can write wishes or prayers on them

#18trip #18trip translation #kafka oguro #sakujiro karigane

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eclipseberrycake · 1 day ago

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The World Behind the Frames

AN: This isn't Moonberrycake, I know, I know, I accidentally tripped and added lore to my polycule. I wanted to expand on my world building because I want to kind of explain what's going on in my head when I'm writing about that world, if it makes sense? I don't know. I'm out of ideas for Moonberrycake for now and needed to fulfill an itch.

This is still Distractor Toon! Reader, who is based off my OC in all actuality, and probably who I'll pair with Moonberrycake to keep continuity. Makes thing easier for me, for you and for all our new friends!

The first memory you have is less of a visible thing. There was no stark imagery you could describe or backgrounds. You weren't even confident where it occurred to be honest.

But you could remember the feelings that surrounded you. The feeling of a bone chilling coolness freezing your newly developed joints and flesh, wrapping around you and squeezing until is was quieted by a warm covering. It gently scrubbed at your furry arms and legs, drying your damp fluff as you withered about. The smell of what you would later recognize as Ichor wafted around the area as the rushing hum of machines deafened you. The only thing you could recall being spoken were murmurs from a feminine voice, just loud enough to break through the churning of gears.

"-not a main...No handler-...Throw them with the commons-"

It was never something you lingered on. And you wouldn't. Not until much, much later in your strangely short, yet long life.

Walking along the hallways, you kept a steady pace before the foyer to Gardenview came into view. It was bustling with workers and the other toons, all in preparation for opening. You, yourself, were tasked with fetching a few bits and bobs for the handlers, eyes scanning for said individuals. They were probably with the Mains, preparing them for the day to come. There were a few events occurring live today, which were what the objects were for and why you were sent. You were quick and fast and could get there and back before opening.

Spotting Sam, you ran up to them, slowing when you heard them talking with...Sprout, you think his name was. You rarely interacted with the Mains, much less Sprout, so you didn't know much about him. You preferred it that way, that's for certain. The Mains seemed conceited at times, especially Vee who made her disdain for your lack of extensive knowledge on her gameshow known, so you kept your distance; you were much better friends with Goob and Scraps in the crafting area anyway.

Watching slowly, you watched Sprout talk with his handler, who looked irritated as they went on about some form of safety concern. He noticed you first, blinking in surprise at your appearance.

Sam was going on and on about something or another regarding the baking segment he was set to host with Cosmo later that day when he spotted you. You were a skittish little thing, if he remembered correctly. You never stuck around long, doing what was tasked of you before continuing on your way. You were something like a mail carrier around Gardenview, always rushing to somewhere new. He was honestly surprised to see you stationary for so long and it had been maybe a minute.

You were a cute little thing. You were shorter than he was, but everyone was so that wasn't saying much. He dared a little wave, which seemed to stun you as you blinked before shaking your head, giving a much smaller wave back.

"What are you looking at-?!" Sam snapped, turning to face your direction, which made you freeze like one of those deer he'd seen in movies. "Oh, it's you, Y/N."

Sprout had to gape at the change in Sam's attitude. They seemed so relieved to see you! This was favoritism. He swears. Sam even seems happy to see you as you slowly inch forward, holding out the package of goods you were sent to retrieve. Sam thanks you with a hand ruffling your hair before asking if you have anywhere else to be. You nod, explaining that Austin needed something as well. Austin was Astro's handler if Sprout remembered correctly, who was probably busy trying to convince said Toon that he had to make an appearance for their show in the sky dome later.

"Thank you again, at least one toon isn't giving me any issues." Sam huffs, throwing a look at Sprout-who sticks his tongue out. You watch it with a grin, waving good-bye before taking off once more.

It's the holiday season at Gardenview, with decorations everywhere and even more toons than usual. Coal was lounging beneath the large tree in the center plaza, barely casting you a glance, while Bobette and Dandy stood at the entrance, eagerly awaiting opening so they could greet the children. Bobette is quick to direct you to where she last saw Austin, wishing you luck as the doors finally open and in comes a see of children and parents alike. You thank her before taking off again, narrowly missing Pebble.

It takes you some time, but you do eventually find the shy duo backstage. Astro is hiding in a blanket as Austin tries to coax him out, his voice soft and gentle. "I promise it'll be here soon. I sent the fastest toon for it-"

"Pebble drools!" Astro shouts from his cocoon of solitude, seeming absolutely distraught.

"The fastest, besides Pebble."

You realize they're talking about you. So you make your appearance known, holding out the soft purple fabric to Austin. He visibly relaxes at the sight, which makes two handlers now. Austin practically sings your praises as he takes the fabric, rushing back to where Astro is hiding. You debate leaving, but watch as one of Astro's hand darts out, grabbing the cape before retreating. There's a bit of shuffling before the first blanket is being discarded and Astro is slowly standing, casting a shy glance your way before quickly looking away.

"It was in the laundry room." You offer with a smile, nodding behind you. Austin had begged you to keep an eye out for it, which you took personally and went out of your way to look for. You know some of the janitors didn't pay any mind to what they were cleaning, just grabbing it and cleaning it accordingly.

Astro swallows at the new information, the fresh smell of laundry finally registering as he backed away from the edge of a panic attack. The fact that you went out of your way to grab it for him, without even a hint of the why to it all, was not lost on him. His fingers curled around the edge of the blanket as he kept his second set of arms curled tightly around his abdomen, watching. He would remember your kindness, filing it away for later. He would pay it back, he swears.

He tries to thank you, he does, but the words get stuck in his throat, drying on his tongue. They refuse to leave and he's forced to once again clamp his mouth shut. Eventually he hopes to get over this. He knows who you are, you've both met if only briefly, and you were just as friendly and selfless then, full of smiles and laughter.

You don't seem to fear anything, running around like a mouse in the background on a near constant basis. He had never seen you stand still and almost envied you for it. You almost seemed like a never ending ball of energized fuzz.

The thought made him hide a grin in the fur of his blanket.

Austin gave you a final thanks before moving back to smooth out Astro's cape, and you were off once more.

"...Can they come?" Astro found himself asking, leaning over Austin's shoulder to watch the doorway you came through.

"Come where?"

"To the skydome." Astro swallows. "I-...I think they'd like it."

You don't hear their conversation after you leave, instead trotting back to the costume area. You and Poppy were assigned to help the children in the photo area dress up as their favorite characters while Boxten helped them take pictures. It made the time pass by quickly and you loved seeing the children smile in their Scraps headbands or replicas of Flutter's wings.

You were just straightening out a little girl's bow, which she chose to look like Poppy, when the first shrill scream rung out. There was silence before more screams. You looked back at Poppy, who looked just as concerned as you did. Parents then came storming in, scooping their children up and running out as the lights began flashing red, an alarm screaming in the air.

You, Poppy and Boxten worked to ensure the children in your care found their parents, directing them to the nearest exit just as you were instructed to do.

"Go! We got it from here!" Boxten shouted at you, pointing to the hall that lead to the Foyer. "Check on everyone else! You're faster than we are!"

You nodded and took off once more, feet pounding against the ground as you tried to help everywhere you could. When you finally got to the heart of the foyer, you were horrified at the state it was in. That and the beast now charging at you. It looked like Dandy, only with much sharper teeth, and claws out reached for you. His red eyes shined brightly as they locked onto you, quickly taking after you. You swallowed before turning tail and taking off into the staff wing. There were no children or families there, and if meant you or the children, you would rather it be you every time.

Unfortunately, that rest of that night was clouded by the sounds of you choking on your own ichor as Dandy pinned you. And then nothing.

Blinking, you shake your head, letting a heavy breath out as you curl into yourself tighter. Remembering the day it all went wrong never failed to make your chest absolutely ache, but it never left you alone. Not during your time as a twisted, and not after. Even now, with more of you back since it happened, it seemed your subconscious was having a blast mix and matching the horrors you have seen since Gardenview closed and haunting you whenever sleep had graced you. Astro had tried his hardest to help, which you appreciated, but he can't stop everything. Some are bound to slip through the cracks.

Tonight seemed to be one of those nights.

Sitting out on the balcony, you let the cool night breeze blow through your fuzz as you try to recover from the latest nightmare. It was from your limited time as a twisted.

The only ones to escape the carnage were Poppy and Boxten, who took it upon themselves to help the rest of you. They trekked floor after floor until they completed the first completion of research and you were returned to your normal self. From there, you three learned and tested. You carved your way through the bad times, and the worst times, healing each other when the bite marks and claw marks were too painful to heal on their own. You still had the scars, carefully covered with clothing and fur. You wanted it to remain that way.

You had grown experienced enough in your role as a distractor, moreso with the aid of trinkets, enough so that there were no longer days patches of fuzz were burnt, torn or ripped off. They would remain hidden.

You huffed another breath, fighting the tears that threatened to spill. You had done such harm because you were so...angry. So hurt. You couldn't see straight while under the ichor, that much you could remember, charging at anything that so much as moved in your line of sight. You'd chase and chase and chase them down, breaking through boxes if they tried to hide. It was awful looking back. You were thankful no one else had that power, but the fact that you had it was enough to leave you fearing your own strength.

"Starlight?"

You perked up from where you were hiding your face between your knees and chest, turning behind you. Astro was there, one hand on the doorway while another scratched at his chin. His other two arms were crossed across his waist, either to brace himself against the cold or just where he wanted them to sit. You weren't sure yet.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" You're quick to apologize, turning more fully to face him. He shook his head, though judging by the bags under his eyes, he was either lying or out here for the same reason you were.

"Why are you out here, starlight? There's a chill." He's quick to come up behind you, wrapping the arms that were crossed around you while the other two settle on your shoulders. He scans your face as he does this, noting your red eyes and puffy cheeks. Immediately he's frowning, one of the hands on your shoulders coming up to cup your cheek. "You had a bad dream."

"These things happen, moonshine. They're out of your control." You're quick to reassure, cupping the hand on your cheek with your own as you burrow into it.

"Are they? I'm in charge of dreams around here, you know." His forehead leaned on yours as he tightened the hold around your waist. "You can tell me."

You took a slow breath. "I just keep thinking back to my time as a Twisted. I don't think any amount of good dream juice is enough to stop those memories." You admit slowly. "I'm sorry. I should be over it by now. I was one of the first cured, but I just-... I could destroy those large crates, you know." You tell him. There's no other reaction he heard you other than the slow move of his thumb along your hip, so you continue. "No one could hide from me. The second you caught my attention, the chase was on. The only way to lose me was to hope I was stunned by charging the crates long enough you could hide before I saw you again."

Astro hums at this, but you're continuing on anyway.

"I was-...Am terrified of what I'm capable. I know that if I get caught like that again, it's not just Poppy and Boxten taking the brunt of it. It's- It's you and Sprout and Cosmo and-"

"Do you remember the day the outbreak happened?" Astro suddenly cut in, making you pause. It's an odd question, but you nod to the best of your abilities anyway. Astro takes a moment to step back, jumping up to sit on the balcony beside you with one arm around your waist while the other on the same side plays with your hair.

"Do you remember what you were doing?"

"I was in costume."

"Before that."

You take a moment, sorting through the soured memories of that day before ultimately coming up short. Astro seems to expect this as he continues right after. "You were running errands. The second we were woken that day, it seemed you were constantly moving. I didn't see you until later that day. I had misplaced my cloak that day." He explains, waving one of his free hands as he does. "I was in the middle of a total breakdown as I didn't want the others to know of...Well, you know." It manages to make you crack a grin, which he smiles at before continuing. "Then you show up. You didn't immediately call for Austin's attention, but I saw you the moment you stepped in."

You let out a chuckle. "Weren't you scared Pebbles would drool on your cloak?"

He laughs at this, but nods. "It's happened before. Leaves the fabric all...tough. But when I saw you? Especially with cloak in hand?" The hand on your waist pulls you in closer. "I thought I finally met my guardian angel. "

This time you let out a cackle, leaning on his shoulder. "Be so for real."

"I am!" He waves off your cackles, allowing you to settle. "I wanted to bring you to the Sky dome, you know. Asked Austin and everything, but never got the chance."

"Such a shame. I would've loved to go."

"I never said it's too late." Astro slides off the balcony, holding out a hand to you. "I know the code to the projector room. Would you care to accompany me?" He grins. "The other two are still passed out."

You take his hand, giving a dopey grin. "That sounds wonderful."

And exactly what you needed to forget about whatever was keeping you up anyway.

☁ So, in this world, the outbreak happens during the day, turning the initial toons, save for poppy and Boxten, the starter toons.

☁ One by one they probably rescue the other toons the same way I've explained Main rescues go. They get 100% research and Dandy offers a cure of sorts.

☁ From there, the ichor that did turn them into the original Twisteds remain, creating clones while the original toons get to return to normal life.

☁ Trinkets are like keychains enhanced with the same power ups they have in game. There are several of each one, but more than two at a time can provide issues with magic overload, making them more sluggish, less powerful, etc.

☁ Toons still have their special abilities as well, with cool downs. I've touched on this before but, for example, Cosmo's ability? He can feel when he uses it, normally infusing a bit of his life force into a treat the distractors/whoever can eat while on the move. Sprout can also do this, however should the need arise they also can redirect this directly onto any sort of wound.

☁ If an OG toon gets injured, bad ichor enters their system. If they're hit enough times, they can be returned back to their original twisted form and the process has to be repeated, which is why Safety is a huge concern during runs.

☁ Speaking of, Toons have the ability to return to the foyer/ entrance of Gardenview whenever they wish as long as everyone is in the elevator.

☁ I think that's it, but if there are any questions I would be more than happy to answer!

#dandy's world x reader #dandy's world cosmo #dandys world x reader #astro dandys world #dandys world sprout #dandy's world astro novalite x reader #astro novalite #astro x reader #dandy's world sprout seedly #sprout seedly x reader #sprout seedly #sprout x reader #cosmo doesn't have a last name #cosmo x reader #dandy's world cosmo x reader #moonberrycake x reader #moonberrycake

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cosmowgyral · 2 days ago

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"Love during Cleaning Time"

▪︎ Gilbert von Obsidian

This is a fan translation so please don't expect it to be 100% accurate. Creative liberties have been taken. All content belongs to Cybird. Reblogs are appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

~chapter 2

--At Obsidian castle a few years ago.

Gilbert: Akatsuki, are you insane?

Akatsuki: Is there something wrong?

Gilbert: It’s not convenient.

Gilbert: It’s dangerous to let the little rabbit handle the store all by herself.

Akatsuki: You’re being overprotective.

Gilbert: It would be different if she was a man, but the little rabbit is just a weak woman, you know?

Gilbert: And your bookstore has a lot of rare books.

Gilbert: Until now, you have silenced people with that sword, but it’s not the same for the little rabbit.

Gilbert: What if a thief barges in?

Akatsuki: It’s unlikely.

Gilbert: Chances are low, but it’s still possible.

Akatsuki: I won’t deny that, but Emma is an adult.

Akatsuki: She’s not a child who needs protection.

Akatsuki: Besides, it was Emma’s own wish to work at the bookstore.

Akatsuki: It’s an essential experience for her to stand independently.

Gilbert: Maybe so, but…

Akatsuki: Don’t do anything unnecessary.

Gilbert: Ahaha, of course I won’t do anything. I’m merely a reader relishing the tale of the little rabbit, not a character within it.

Gilbert: How can Obsidianite royalty get involved with the affairs of the common people?

Gilbert: But I’m worried.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ㅤ ◇ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Gilbert: Michael, you’re training until this late at night?

Michael: …..! Prince Gilbert, I apologize for not noticing.

Gilbert: That’s right. Not noticing someone’s presence is viewed as a failure for a soldier.

Gilbert: But I’ll forgive you for today. You were thinking about something, weren’t you?

Michael: …Today, I had my wound examined by Dr. Walter.

Michael: I was informed that my left arm will never fully heal….

Gilbert: Yeah, I’m listening.

Michael: As a soldier, I seem to have become useless.

Michael: Unfortunately, I was unable to repay the kindness I received from you, Prince Gilbert…

Gilbert: Oh my. Who says there’s no use for you anymore?

Michael: …..Is there something left for me to do?

Michael: Right now, I can’t do anything like Roderic.

Gilbert: That’s true. But what’s important to me isn’t skill, it’s whether you are loyal to someone or not.

Gilbert: You won’t betray me, will you?

Michael: I would rather die than betray you.

Gilbert: Heehee…hey, Michael. You’ve just returned from a brutal battle.

Gilbert: If you push yourself too hard, things that could get better won’t get better. So, I have a suggestion for you.

Gilbert: How about going to Rhodolite for some rest and recuperation?

Michael: Rhodolite?

Gilbert: Yeah, it’s a small country, but it’s quite safe.

Gilbert: They are a neighbour to Obsidian, so I believe it’s the ideal place for you right now.

Michael: I’m grateful for your compassion.

Michael: Please give me your orders.

Gilbert: Ahaha, as expected, you’re quick to catch on, aren’t you?

Gilbert: But this isn’t an order, it’s just a personal request….

Gilbert: There’s a girl in Rhodolite who I’m interested in.

Michael: Oh yes, you sometimes speak of her.

Gilbert: I wonder if she’s doing well.

Michael: …..

Michael: Would it be alright if I send a personal letter to you detailing the progress of my recovery?

Gilbert: Of course. I like pen-pal correspondence.

Gilbert: I’ll prepare a fake ID for you. Just be careful.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ㅤ ◇ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Roderic: Prince Gilbert, you’ve received a letter from Michael.

Gilbert: Thank you. Give it to me.

Gilbert: ……..

Roderic: ….Is something wrong?

Gilbert: Hmmm….

Gilbert: Roderic, what would you do if you found out that a thief had blended into the general society?

Roderic: I’ll finish him off.

Gilbert: Right?

Roderic: Did Michael catch the thief?

Gilbert: Nope. He didn’t mention anything like that.

Gilbert: However, it seems that Michael has become a regular at a certain bookstore.

Gilbert: He heard this story from a girl working at the store…

Gilbert: She says she can feel someone’s gaze on her.

Roderic: Someone’s gaze?

----(present day)----

Emma: ….I remember now.

The story that Gilbert weaved is gradually overlapping with my memories.

Emma: Shortly after the owner put me in charge of the store….

Emma: I sometimes got chills while working there.

Emma: Even though there was no one in the store, I could feel like someone was watching me.

Emma: But I couldn’t tell this to the owner as he was travelling.

Emma: I was scared, but often wondered if it was just my imagination. Then, Michael showed up.

Emma: He noticed I wasn’t feeling alright, so I sought advice without giving it much consideration….

(I never thought that conversation would reach Gilbert.)

Gilbert: Michael was worried about that too.

Gilbert: --He was worried I was going to start genocide.

[Chapter 1] [Masterlist] [Chapter 3]

#ikemen prince gilbert #ikepri gilbert #gilbert von obsidian #ikepri translations #ikemen prince translations #ikemen prince #ikemen series #ikevil jp #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #d: enchanthings

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naughtyneganjdm · 6 hours ago

Text

Christmas in Jackson - Chapter 5

Summary: Joel, Tommy and Maria take Y/N to The Tipsy Bison to have a relaxed ending for their night where Joel starts to recognize his undeniable feelings for Y/N. A surprise reveal brings back negative feelings for Joel that Y/N isn't prepared for.

Characters: Joel Miller, the reader (OC), Tommy Miller, Maria, etc.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61159651/chapters/159176311

Warnings: Swearing, Severe Angst, Heavy Making Out, Dry Humping, Smut (kinda), Very Intense Dirty Talk, the return of grumpy Joel, etc.

Notes: This took me a significant amount of time to update because I was a little bummed to see that it got a decent amount of views, but no comments on AO3. But? I'm writing this story for me and the holidays kinda made it hard for me to update. So here is the chapter. If you'd like to read previous chapters, check them out here.

Today was unlike anything Joel had experienced in a long time. The last twenty-four hours he actually felt something he thought he had lost. A sense of happiness and joy. Surprisingly, the woman who walked into his inn that he was filled with rage toward at the start ended up being someone who brought out a part of him he didn’t even know existed anymore. And it felt good.

There was a warmth that flooded his veins when he looked at Y/N. Truthfully? He couldn’t remember the last time he felt that way toward anyone. Being around her was addictive. There was a longing to have her near him. And when he wasn’t kissing her? All he could think about was kissing her. The way she touched him, the way she looked at him…it was something that he looked forward to. Maybe it was fast, but he could tell that he had grown pretty hooked on this woman he had only just met.

Hearing her story tonight brought forth the urge to protect her and keep her safe. Originally, he just thought she was a stuck-up city girl, but getting to know her helped him realize that the two of them were more alike than he could have ever imagine. They both had broken pasts. Ones that stuck with them and made them feel like no matter what they would never be right again.

These feelings that he had toward Y/N? These weren’t feelings that you were supposed to have toward someone you had only just met. But he did. And with every second he stared out at her, he could feel that awe and adoration growing inside of him. Pretty quickly everything about her had appealed to him. Her smile. Her attitude. The way she presented herself. Every quirk and thing he learned about her only had that feeling that he hadn’t experienced in so long growing inside of him.

At dinner, things had grown uncomfortably quiet between them because what Y/N had told them was a lot to process. Tommy felt bad that he was the one that led to that discussion so he had kept quiet. Maria was the one working hard to bring forth good memories for her. When it came to Joel though? He was the quietest of them all. Joel was never good at saying the right thing. That was for certain. And he knew that he couldn’t make her feel better. So he just showed his support by occasionally placing his hand over hers. That’s the best he could really do at the time.

Desperate to make sure that she didn’t end the night on a bad note, Tommy insisted that they all came to The Tipsy Bison just to unwind for a few. Even though all of them were tired, especially after their day snowmobiling, Joel wasn’t eager to say no. He liked spending time with Y/N and he knew that Tommy just wanted to leave her in a positive mood.

During her conversation she made it pretty clear with them that she was sad, just like he was. Even though he put up these walls of anger and being closed off, she saw right through him. Broken recognized broken. That’s what she told him the other night. And now it all made sense. They were more alike than he cared to admit.

When they agreed to come to The Tipsy Bison, Joel managed to get Y/N to agree to not drinking anything more for the night. Especially after how drunk she got last night mixed with the things that she said, Joel didn’t want her night to end with her hurting. Or even worse, hurting herself. From experience, Joel knew just how bad alcohol was for a person who had that much trauma and negative thoughts. Most nights he fought his own mind on whether he was drinking to numb himself or drinking to give himself the courage to finally end the life that he was miserable having. So he didn’t want her to drown herself in that.

Thankfully, she didn’t fight him on not drinking. The only stipulation she had was if she wasn’t going to drink, neither was he. Which he had no problem doing. Numbing the pain was not something he wanted to experience right now anyways. He wanted to be very much present around her. Especially since he liked the way he felt around her.

Right now, Joel found himself standing inside of The Tipsy Bison at the other end of the pool table from where Tommy and Y/N were bickering. Bracing his weight on the pool cue that he had balanced vertically on the floor, Joel couldn’t help but smirk watching the two of them fighting about the game they were playing. Originally they had just planned to sit for a while and talk, but when Tommy saw that a pool table was open when they got there, he was eager to play a game. Making the teams Maria and himself against Joel and Y/N. For some reason, Tommy assumed by the questions that Y/N asked that she would be horrible at pool, but it was quite the opposite actually. And that infuriated Tommy because he was expecting the worst. Then again, Tommy was the only one of the four of them that had continued drinking, so maybe he was more wired up because of that.

Curling his fingers tighter around the pool cue, Joel felt the warmth of someone else moving in beside him. Taking a quick look, he saw that it was Maria joining him to watch the two of them going back and forth, “I saw that you know.”

“Saw what?” Joel grunted, his eyebrows furrowing with the lines in his forehead growing deeper when he finally turned his attention away from Y/N to his sister-in-law.

“That smile. You tried to hide it after you realized you were doing it,” Maria lifted her finger to circle Joel’s face causing him to wrinkle his nose and shake his head. “Nah, don’t hide it Joel Miller. Smiling looks good on you. Let it happen.”

“Stop,” Joel grumbled under his breath, trying to force the smirk that wanted to tug at his lips from coming. “I wasn’t smiling.”

“Yeah, yeah. Lie to yourself all you want, but I have eyes,” Maria teased Joel, reaching out to playfully squeeze at Joel’s upper arm. Sitting on the edge of the pool table, Maria turned to look at Tommy and Y/N who were both now laughing with their ridiculous banter. “You know what he’s doing, right?”

“Being a sore loser?” Joel was quick to respond drawing out a tiny laugh from Maria since that’s obviously where she wasn’t going with that question.

“Well, yes. That, but no…” Maria sighed loudly, her voice lowering when she turned back to Joel to stare out at him with a weak smile. Truthfully? There was no reason she had to attempt to be quiet. The bar was loud as it was and he doubted that Tommy nor Y/N would ever hear them talking with one another. “He’s trying to get her mind off the things she opened up to us about earlier. It’s not the best way to do it, but it’s sweet when you think about it.”

“That’s my baby brother. The sweet one,” Joel noted, his throat tensing up when he readjusted the weight of his body and played with the pool cue that he was holding onto. “I know what he’s doing and I appreciate it.”

“It took a lot of strength for her to open up about the things that happened to her. It makes you realize a lot when it comes to her,” Maria commented taking another quick look back at Y/N thinking about everything they now knew. “I’m glad she came here. I think it was good for her. And for you too.”

“Mhmm…” Joel hummed, not sure what to say to that comment. Things were confusing enough as they were. Talking things out with his brother’s wife was not something he thought would help him on his feelings toward Y/N. But he did know that Tommy was working hard to keep Y/N happy instead of allowing her sadness to swallow her whole. “Tommy might want to be careful though. If he keeps this up much longer, he’s going to lose that good guy image he worked so hard to build and people will start thinking he’s a baby.”

“Don’t you think it makes sense that I would be good at this kind of thing?” Joel heard Y/N ramble off drawing his attention back toward her reasoning with his brother. There was a big smile over her face showing that Tommy was successful bringing forth some joy after everything. “I’m good with my hands Tommy. If I was bad with them, I’d be worried. Being a trauma surgeon, I think that would make me a very bad one. Don’t you?”

“Come on. We’re not talking about that though. We’re talkin’ about pool. Which is more so mathematics and trajectories. Not the same thing as a human body,” Tommy threw his hand out toward the pool table eliciting a laugh from Maria at how dramatic he was acting in his response. Scrunching his face up in disbelief, Tommy scoffed and rest his hands at his hips. “I’ve known plenty of doctors that played pool like shit.”

"Oh, you know a lot of doctors?” Maria blurt out, moving around the pool table to reach out to grab a soft hold of Tommy’s arm to get him to look back at her. With a big-eyed expression, Tommy nodded his head about and Maria snickered. “How many doctors? Do I know them? Because the only doctor I know is a very old man. And I doubt he’d be able to properly hold onto a pool cue without shaking.”

“Honey,” Tommy hushed his wife, waving his hand about suggesting as if she should be quiet in the moment. It made Joel smile that Tommy was continuing on with this whole thing. And he knew that Maria was right. This was Tommy’s way of distracting everyone from letting the negativity hang over their heads. “I’m just making a point. She bamboozled me.”

“Bamboozled you?” Joel snorted from his end of the pool table, shaking his head in disbelief. “It’s time just to own up to how things are. You’ve always sucked at pool little brother. Time to suck it up before you bamboozle yourself into believing you were ever good to begin with.”

“Well that’s just rude,” Tommy growled, his top lip wrinkling and his dark eyes narrowing at his brother. “Not all of us were blessed with perfect aim. But I do my best, I’ll have you know.”

“How many drinks did you have honey?” Maria wondered hearing the soft slurring that was coming from Tommy’s lips. Shrugging his shoulders it looked like Tommy was counting inside of his head and she lovingly placed her hand in over the center of Tommy’s chest. Patting there softly, Maria nodded over toward the corner table and smiled. “How about you and I go sit down for a while? Give them some time to play alone. I could definitely use some time off my feet right now. It’s been a busy day.”

Locking eyes with Joel, Y/N’s cheeks flushed over with a tiny smirk tugging at her features. Tommy gazed between Y/N and Joel considering his options. When he decided, he looked to Maria and gave her a wink, “Yes ma’am.”

Stepping away from Maria, Tommy did have a bit of a stumble to the way he walked. Maybe Tommy really was a little drunk making it easier for him to bicker freely with Y/N about the game he lost. Moving around the pool table, Tommy returned the pool cue to where it belonged.

Instead of heading back to Maria, Tommy stepped before Y/N and outstretched his hands. Placing them in over Y/N’s shoulders, Tommy gave them a firm squeeze having her smile at the way he was staring out at her with such a serious expression, “Now you listen to me, okay? You kick my big brother’s ass so bad that he feels awful about himself and goes home with his tail between his legs. Mmmk?”

“Easy,” she confidently nodded her head feeling like Tommy was giving her some kind of peptalk in her playing an innocent game of pool with Joel.

“Tommy,” Joel scoffed from across the table, both annoyed and amused that his brother cared enough to say that to her. Although, he didn’t hate it because it did elicit a huge smile from Y/N that took his breath away.

Coming to collect Tommy, Maria hooked her fingers with Tommy’s and curled her arm around his to make sure that he wouldn’t topple over on their way back to the table, “Now you two have fun while I get this one some much needed water.”

Leading Tommy toward the empty table that they were originally planning on sitting at, Maria knew that it would probably be good for Joel and Y/N to have some alone time together. Which is what she did having Y/N moving in beside Joel.

“He’s silly,” Y/N spoke up after Tommy had left them, nudging Joel playfully with her arm. “So he’s one of those happy drunks, huh?”

“Do you mean annoying?” Joel inquired, his head slowly turning with his right eyebrow arching. There was a muscle that flexed at the corner of his jaw when he evoked another amused laugh from her throat. “I’m not sure alcohol has an overall effect on him. I’ve seen him sad. I’ve seen him happy. And I’ve seen moments like that. Whatever he is feeling in the moment? Alcohol just seems to enhance it for him.”

“I guess I never realized that Tommy would be fun with how straight laced he seems,” she confessed, heading back to the table to start gathering the pool balls that were still left out on the table from their previous game. Once she had all of them, she grabbed the rack to start preparing for their next game. Spinning the rack in her fingers, she took time to think about her day and smiled. “Today has shown me that I enjoy spending time with the Miller family.”

“Well see, that’s you being biased about Tommy,” Joel suggested, snapping his fingers about. Turning on his heel to face her, Joel played with the pool cue that he was holding in his hands. “Because Tommy is not fun. Tommy in fact is a very boring soul. Always has been. You just like him because he’s nice.”

“Oh, is that it?” she snickered causing Joel to nod his head. Their interaction had him smirking which brought attention to one of his dimples. The sight of it had her heart skipping a beat. God he was cute. “Not to embarrass you or anything…”

Walking around the table, she dragged her hand across the top of the pool table with Joel’s dark eyes following her every movement. When she got before him, she outstretched her hand to caress at the center of his chest and then palmed up over his shoulder to curl her fingers into his hair. It caused Joel’s lips to part with his eyelids growing heavy having her near, “But I never noticed when we first met that you had dimples. Today? I’ve gotten to see them many times. And I like it. It’s adorable.”

“Adorable?” Joel repeated, dragging his tongue across his bottom lip in an amused rumble. “Puppies and kittens are adorable.”

“And so are you,” she hushed him, sliding her hand down to cover his lips with her index finger. Shaking her head had another smirk teasing in over his lips. “You can be this brooding sexy man standing before me and still be adorable.”

“I see,” Joel exhaled loudly when she lowered her hand, but instead of moving away she pressed in closer to him. “Well you know what I think?”

“No, what do you think?” she muttered, her long eyelashes fluttering when Joel closed the distance between them.

“I think you’re the adorable one,” Joel informed her, enjoying the way that her face flushed over with color hearing that.

A moment later, she was reaching up to drag her thumb in over the side of his face where his more prominent dimple was, “You know, one is more obvious than the other.”

“You don’t say?” Joel’s nose wrinkled, giving her a small nod. “You know I wouldn’t know that considering I’ve had them my entire life.”

“Okay, smart ass,” she pushed at the center of his chest getting him to stumble back slightly with a tiny snort escaping his lips. “I do agree with you though.”

“About?” Joel mused as she went back toward the end of the pool table to set up the balls. Leaning forward managed to draw her shirt to pull forward allowing him to get a look beneath it through the dip at her neckline. His throat went dry and he licked his lips with how easily his body started to heat up.

“I am the more adorable one. I won’t fight you on it,” she declared eliciting a loud groan from him that had him rolling his eyes. “I was just simply stating that I think your dimples are cute and they add to your personality.”

“Mhmm…” Joel hummed, setting aside his pool cue on top of the pool table. Taking his time, he made his way around the pool table toward where she was. Hooking his arm loosely around her waist, Joel persuaded her to turn to face him. Placing his hands in over her hips, Joel got her to look up at him and it sent a chill right through his veins. The way she looked at him was something he wasn’t used to, but God did he like it. Lowering his head down, he hovered his lips in over hers. Just having him near had her eyes fluttering to a slow close. How easily he had her reacting showed him just how much she wanted him to kiss her. “I can be very cute on occasion.”

Faintly allowing his lips to drag across hers had her believing that he was going to fully kiss her, but instead he snickered against her flesh and tipped his head back. Teasing her caused her to frown and let out a disappointed sound, “That wasn’t very nice.”

“Now I never said I was nice,” Joel retorted, the bridge of his nose wrinkling when a faint rumble of a laugh escaped him. His laugh grew with her pushing him away from her and he threw his hands up in the air feigning innocence. “What?”

“Jerk,” she scowled, heading back to set up their game again. Stopping at his pool cue, she grabbed it and tossed it back to him. Fumbling to catch it, Joel was still snickering that she got so worked up over him not kissing her. “Are you a betting man?”

“Depends,” Joel thought aloud, not confident with where the question was coming from.

“Let’s up the stakes of the game. What do you say?” she recommended, pulling away the rack after she was done and tossing it aside where it was before. Folding her arms in front of her chest, she rest her hip against the table. “If I win the game, you take me into some dark corner of the bar and you make out with me. If you win, well…you can think of something.”

“Oh, that’s what you mean,” Joel realized holding the pool cue in one of his hands while bracing his weight on the table with the other. Bobbing his head from side to side in an arrogant fashion, Joel knew that he was having fun playing with her. Taunting her was bringing out her spunky side and he liked it. “What makes you think I’d want something from you?”

“Hey, you better be nice to me Joel Miller,” she warned him, lifting her finger to point out at him. A snort involuntary escaped him with the amusement that was growing inside of him. “Or else you might not like the outcome.”

“And what might that outcome be?” he questioned, in that moment realizing that someone that was originally over by the bar was starting to make their way over toward the pool table where they were at. Suddenly the playful expression over his features grew very serious. Realizing who it was, Joel knew that it was someone who was at the bar when Y/N was drunk at the bar last night mouthing off about things. As they approached the table, Joel made his way around the pool table and placed himself in front of her. Using his free hand, Joel carefully ushered her in behind him so he could stand in front of her protectively. “Stay there.”

“What’s wrong?” she didn’t pick up on what was happening with the man approaching them.

And there was that protective side of him that wanted to keep her safe. With this being a small town, that unfortunately meant that Joel pretty much knew everyone in it. And the guy that was coming over there? Well he was known to be a bit of a ladies’ man that was always sinking his nails into any of the women that showed up in town that were travelers. There was no question that the guy was going to try to pick her up and say something skeezy in order to do so.

“Hey Joel,” the man seemed confused at how quickly Joel placed himself between Y/N and him when he spotted him coming over. Attempting to look beyond Joel to Y/N had Joel stepping aside to keep her from the stranger’s line of sight. “I hope you don’t mind. I just was hoping to talk to the doc for a few minutes. I know she’s new in town and…”

“I know what you were hoping to do and I mind. I mind a lot,” Joel cut the man off, his words coming off short with a tone of anger behind them. The fun and silly Joel suddenly became extremely intimidating in such a short amount of time. “You heard her ranting last night and you thought you would take advantage of the situation. Test your luck.”

“Joel,” the man spoke with a half laugh, not sure if Joel was serious about the way that he was acting. “I was just trying to be a nice guy and introduce myself. I thought it would be nice to get to know the people in town…”

“This one is mine,” Joel grunted, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat with his dark eyes narrowing. As soon as he said that? It was like something switched inside of the stranger that had him taking a step back. Over Joel’s shoulder, Y/N could see that Tommy was locked in after noticing the encounter. “And if you even think of bothering her…”

Joel paused, stroking his fingers down over the pool cue that was in his hand to bring attention to it, “I will break this over your head and then I will shove the remainder of it up your ass…”

Hearing Joel speak like that had the man’s eyes growing wide, his head nodding slowly as he started back stepping toward the area he came from, “Now you have a good rest of your night, okay?”

“Sure Joel,” the man held up his hands in a defensive motion hinting that he didn’t want any trouble with Joel. “I didn’t know she was yours. All you had to do was tell me and I would have turned the other way man.”

“I’m sure you would have,” Joel snarled, his eyes following the movement of the man all the way back to his seat. Once the man was seated again, Joel heard the sound of Y/N laughing behind him. Gazing over his shoulder, Joel realized that she was impressed. “What?”

“You have this town fucking terrified of you,” she noted how easily he got the guy to walk away from the pool table before even talking to her. And the guy wasn’t small either. So there had to be a reason that Joel was so capable of that. “Why is that? You’re probably smaller than that guy was.”

“I’m stronger than I look,” Joel commented, turning on his heel to face her realizing that she had put everything down and was no longer focused on the game of pool that they were planning on playing. “What?”

“I’m just curious what has everyone so scared of you,” she stressed to him, stepping forward to reach out to tug faintly at the material of his shirt to pull him in closer to her. “Is it your award-winning personality? Or do people actually have a reason to be scared of you?”

“For certain people, I’m kind and very helpful,” Joel explained to her, grunting when he thought about the people that lived in Jackson. “But for others? They know better than to fuck with me. I may not be the biggest man here or the tallest, but I’m stronger than I look. And there has been times, especially when Tommy and I first got to town where people learned that. You’re good with your hands? Well…so am I. Just in different ways.”

“Wow,” she slurred, her eyes focusing in on his lips. “That’s it?”

“That and a few things,” Joel swallowed down hard, his breathing growing louder. “Y’know how rumors spread when people are scared of you. They have fun talking about my past. Spreading rumors about things they think they know.”

“Should I be worried?” her hand palmed in over his bicep pulling forth a chill inside of him at the way she was touching him.

“Probably,” he breathed out, but she didn’t seemed worried in the least. There was part of him that was afraid to admit that to her, but she didn’t seem to be upset with the idea. No, it was quite the opposite. Swallowing down hard, Joel felt her taking the pool cue from him. Setting it down on the table, she reached for his hands to stroke over the tops of them. Tracing over them had a lump in his throat developing with his dark eyes locked on hers.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you told him that I was yours,” she pointed out in a whisper, closing the distance between the two of them. Tipping up on her toes, she braced her back against the pool table to bring them closer together. “Why is that?”

“Well, he’s a big mouth,” Joel responded with a simple expression acting like it wasn’t much of a big deal. Faintly she stroked at the center of his chest and he couldn’t help but be charmed by it. “I figure he’ll tell everyone that might get any ideas about approaching you over the things you said last night and they won’t bother you.”

“Oh, that’s all?” she hinted that there may have been more of a reason, biting down on her lip in what felt like a seductive manner having a fire flooding through Joel’s veins. “Nothing else?”

“Nothing else,” Joel repeated the words that she said, leaning in to attempt to meet her in a kiss, but she pulled back like he had done to her earlier in the night.

“Then I guess we can just keep playing if there is no other reason,” she proposed, pointing back toward the pool table. Gasping out, she felt Joel’s thick fingers hooking around her wrist tugging her back toward him. The tug was rough having her fall in against him. A moment later he was leading her through the bar toward another area she had yet been. “What about the game?”

“We both know you’re going to win,” Joel insisted exciting her at the idea of him pulling her away from the crowd of people that were in the bar. Taking a quick look back, Joel checked to make sure they were alone and weren’t being followed. Having her follow him to a back hallway, she assumed this was the area that the office was for whoever owned the bar. The loud music that had been playing was now muffled, but with Joel trapping her between his body and the corner of the wall she didn’t have a care in the world about it. “So why bother playing when I can just give you your winnings now?”

At first? She thought she would banter back and forth with him a little more, but Joel’s mouth forcefully claimed hers in a hungry kiss. A rush of excitement flooded throughout her body with her tipping up on her toes toward him. Instinctively her arms hooked loosely around his shoulders so she could brace herself against him. Purring against his lips, she was surprised with how passionate and unrelenting the kiss was. Sinking one of her hands into his messy hair had him lowering in closer to her allowing her to kiss him back just as much.

By the time they parted they were both breathless with the warmth of Joel’s mouth hanging in over hers, “I like kissing you.”

“I like kissing you too,” Joel growled, dragging his bottom lip up over her lips before starting to press kisses at the side of her face.

Usually? She didn’t do things like this and it made her worry in that moment, “With the things that I said when I was drunk? I uhm. I hope you don’t think I’m a slut or anything. I’m actually very careful. I have to take blood tests all the time with work and...”

“Okay…” Joel didn’t seem to care about what she was saying, panting when he leaned back enough to gaze upon her with his brown eyes. Leaning in to kiss her again had her placing her hand in over his chest to stop him which confused him.

“What I said about the sex and the blowjobs are the truth though. I do pay really close attention to the body and I’m capable of the things that I said,” she continued to explain with Joel nodding, his eyes locked on her lips showing that in that moment all he wanted to do was kiss her. Right now she seemed to be nervous and rambling on which made Joel smile. “I’m not some naughty, skanky girl that…”

“Hey Y/N?” Joel breathed, his fingers tracing in over the side of her face getting her to tip her head back to look at him.

“Yeah?” she whimpered with the rough pad of his thumb sweeping in over her bottom lip.

“Shut up,” he demanded with her immediately nodding her head. Stealing another kiss from her lips, Joel growled when she just as hastily kissed him back. For some reason she seemed nervous with him even through all the flirting they had done together. Confident or nervous. He didn’t care. This woman had a fire growing inside of his body that he couldn’t deny. Pressing his body in closer to hers had her moaning out. It had her mouth parting with his tongue eagerly brushing out against hers. Their hands were everywhere, touching the other and learning their bodies. Getting used to what the other liked while they made out in some dark corner of this bar. Joel was very dominant in the way that he kissed her and it was addictive. Having her eager for kiss after kiss that he rewarded her with. Hissing out, her eyes slammed shut when he started to kiss over the side of her face, over her jawline and toward her neck. Biting faintly at her jaw had her panting loudly, her hands caressing up over the lengths of his abdomen while he did it. Palming over her back, Joel stretched his fingers out when he reached her bottom to squeeze firmly in over it. “Y’know…it’s a shame you don’t think you’re naughty. Cus’ I was kinda hoping you would be my dirty girl for a while.”

“I’ll be as dirty as you want me to be,” she purred out, turning in toward Joel to bring their lips together in another fervent kiss. Sucking faintly at his bottom lip gifted her with a deep rumble of a groan that had her blood boiling with the desire she had for this man. “You have no idea how hot this is making me that you are doing this here…”

“You like doing things in public?” Joel slurred, his tongue faintly dragging out to draw a line over the front of her lips. Smirking, his eyelids grew heavy with want and he swallowed down hard. “How good is your poker face?”

“My poker face?” she cried out with Joel’s hand palming in over her bottom pulling her in closer to him. Enthusiastically kissing him again, she sank her fingers into his hair and arched her hips in closer to his getting him to wince against her lips. “Why?”

“I’d love to see you squirm on my cock in front of everyone,” Joel declared, nipping at her bottom lip before sucking tenderly at it. Just hearing him say something like that had her heart hammering inside of her chest. “We can get you to wear a skirt. Come here tomorrow. Sit at the corner booth. Have you sit on my lap…”

“Yeah?” she whined as Joel hooked his hand in under her thigh to lift her leg allowing him to press in closer to her. A firm roll of his hips against her provoked a loud gasp from her. Hooking her arm around his shoulders tighter allowed him to bury his nose in against the side of her neck.

“I’ll wear nothing underneath my jeans. When you’re comfortable, I’ll push your panties aside, undo my jeans and have you slide down onto my cock,” Joel continued in his thick, southern drawl with his kisses hot and wet against the side of her neck. “And you wouldn’t be allowed to move. You’d just have to sit there with my hard cock inside of you with everyone else around us. With how the back corner is, no one would see. Could you handle something like that?”

Hell, it didn’t matter if that was something she had never done. The idea of it alone had a warmth rushing to her core at the thought.

“Is that something you’d want to do?” she whined with Joel’s hips bucking up against hers again causing a moan to build up inside of her.

“Yes ma’am,” Joel growled, with her nibbling at his bottom lip. Every part of him felt like it was on fire with the way that she looked at him. He wouldn’t usually do something like this with someone. Especially someone he only knew for such a short time, but he was finding himself addicted to this whole thing. Tugging firmly at his messy hair with her free hand, she gave him a desperate nod. “Tomorrow then?”

“Tomorrow,” she agreed, her body numb with how much she wanted Joel. Everything about him had her nerves in a frenzy with her heart hammering away inside of her chest. “It’ll be hard for you not to move though. I’m very tight. You’ll have just as much trouble not making a sound.”

“Well then you’re just going to ache mighty bad,” Joel growled, pressing his forehead to hers with her dragging her hands down over the center of his chest. Lifting one of his hands, he curled his fingers around her neck giving it the faintest of squeezes. “Because my cock is big, and it’s pretty thick. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Maybe you should let me have some kind of a hint,” she cooed out, dropping her hands down to fumble with Joel’s belt working to get it open. But in her haste she was having more trouble with it than she would have liked. Chuckling against her lips had her whimpering out again. Gifting her with another kiss, he moaned himself when she sucked faintly at his tongue. Getting the belt apart, she started working open the button and the zipper in his jeans drawing forth a groan from Joel. “Maybe it’s time I showed you just how good my blowjob really is.”

“Maybe it is,” Joel agreed with her, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat. Stroking her hands down in over the sides of his face, Joel gazed over his shoulder and adjusted his positioning before her. Working with the material of his pants, Joel saw the hunger in her eyes and it sent an ache right to his growing erection.

Curling his fingers tighter around her neck, Joel hissed out when she lowered down before him. Swallowing down hard, Joel kept his dark eyes hooked on hers with her reaching up to start palming in over the front of his pants. Moaning out, Joel tipped his head back and winced with the restriction his jeans and his boxers still had over his hardening manhood.

Lifting up on her knees, she pushed with one of her hands at the bottom of his shirt to lift it up enough to start pressing wet kisses against the area right under his navel. Tiny nibbles led to another deep rumble of a moan with Joel bracing his feet firmly. Tugging at the material of Joel’s jeans managed to get them down enough in the front for her to lean into press a kiss against his length through the material of his boxers. It had him bracing his arm against the wall with his head leaning forward. Closing his eyes, even that fueled him more than he expected it to.

“Let’s see if your mouth is as good as your hands,” Joel growled having her tip her head back to stare up at him with big eyes. Dragging his thumb across her bottom lip had her taking it between her lips. Sucking faintly at him had his breathing growing louder, his head tipping back with the way one of her hands palmed and caressed over his cock through the material of his boxers. A raspy moan escaped his throat with him tugging back on her hair getting her to pull her mouth away from his thumb with a wet sound. “Okay, go ahead…”

There was a rush of excitement flooding through his veins with her looking drunk off him as she leaned in again to press a kiss at the outline of the tip of his cock through his boxers. Licking his lips, Joel stroked at the back of her head while she loosely hooked her fingers into the waistband of the material.

“Joel,” a voice called out causing Joel to tense up with him looking back over his shoulder to see that Tommy was walking down the hallway toward them. It had Joel immediately reaching down swiftly trying to pull Y/N up to her feet. When Tommy realized what was happening, he made a strange sound with him turning on his heel. “Jesus Joel! She’s giving you a blowjob in the middle of the bar?”

“She’s not…” Joel’s voice was rasp while he worked to get his pants back in over his body. Struggling to get his belt back together, Joel turned in front of Y/N knowing that she was undoubtedly embarrassed with Tommy finding them like that. “Well…not yet.”

Tommy remained facing the other way and there was a heat flooding into Joel’s face. Gazing back at Y/N he could tell by the color in her cheeks that she couldn’t believe that happened either, “Tommy? What do you want?”

“Can I suggest you two go back to the inn if that’s what you’re trying to do?” Tommy commented, stealing a quick look back at them thankful that Joel had buckled his belt and pants back together. “The police here would love to make an example of you…”

“What do you want Tommy?” Joel stressed his question feeling his heart pounding inside of his body, leaving a severe ache at his temple. Right now? His body was so incredibly worked up that it hurt more than he cared to admit to have his jeans zipped up like they were.

“Maria didn’t see you and she wanted to know if the two of you left without saying goodbye,” Tommy explained to Joel who cussed something under his breath. Why did they have to watch him like he was a fucking baby and they were his babysitters? “I can tell her that the two of you decided to go back to the inn if you’d like. We both would understand.”

“The moment is kind of over,” she spoke up with a pant and it frustrated Joel to know that his brother interrupted something that they had going and building between them. Stepping aside, Joel looked upon her with his dark eyes as she fanned her face. “I could use some water.”

“Okay,” Joel agreed, holding his hand out for her to go ahead back to the table that Maria and Tommy were at previously. Looking down, Joel did his best to reach down to adjust himself with Tommy groaning out in disgust. “I could use some ice.”

“Hey,” Tommy reached for Joel, grabbing his arm before he could follow Y/N out into the main part of the bar. “Do you really think after everything she just told you that it’s a good idea to have things start off like that?”

“Like what?” Joel huffed, his brow line creasing with him staring out at his little brother. Right now he felt lightheaded with things and the last place he wanted to be with an erection still was near his little brother. “She wasn’t doin’ nothin’ she didn’t want to be.”

“I think this is a girl you might want to make love to Joel,” Tommy suggested with Joel chuckling and rolling his eyes that Tommy would even say something like that. “She’s broken. I don’t think the first thing you should be having her do is give you a blowjob in the middle of a bar.”

“I’m not taking sex advice from my little brother,” Joel asserted, patting Tommy firmly at the center of his chest. Groaning out, Tommy obviously didn’t like how rough Joel was with him as Joel moved around Tommy to go back into the main part of the bar. Heading to the table, Joel winced when he took a seat at the constrictive material of his jeans clinging to his body.

“Are you two okay?” Maria confirmed with them realizing that they both had a bit of color to them. Joel looked to Y/N who slowly nodded and Joel mirrored her movements. By the way they were panting, they weren’t hiding things too well. “Where’d you run off to?”

“We needed some air,” Joel lied to Maria, tapping his fingers against the top of the table. Part of him wished that he could convince Y/N to take him back to the inn where they could finish things off because he was physically aching. Truthfully? Joel couldn’t remember the last time he actually fooled around with someone other than his last girlfriend he had. And that was a very long time ago. His hand had pretty much become his only source of relief when it came to things, so his body was furious with him. “But now we’re back, so there is that.”

Sitting down uncomfortably, Tommy stared out at the both of them with an awkward expression. None of them were talking and Maria easily picked up on it. Clearing his throat, Joel looked to Maria who had a ginger ale in front of her that she was spinning a straw in.

“Tell you what Maria? I haven’t seen you with a drink all night,” Joel recalled throughout the night she was always drinking either water or a soda. Usually she would enjoy herself a little bit throughout the night, so he was surprised to see that. “You not in the mood for a beer tonight?”

That question led to an even more deafening silence. Maria looked to Tommy who shook his head and swallowed down hard. With their eyes something seemed to be going on between them. An unspoken conversation that both Y/N and Joel were noticing, “Is something wrong?”

“No Joel, we just…we learned something today,” Maria started, and in that moment? Tommy looked like he was ready to throw up. Covering Tommy’s hand with hers, Maria seemed to squeeze at Tommy’s fingers with a reassuring grasp. “I hadn’t been feeling great over the last few weeks and I decided to look into it. And I found out today that I’m pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.”

“We weren’t planning on telling anyone,” Tommy was quick to explain, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat with him shakily brushing his free hand through his long hair to slick it back. “Not until after Christmas. We wanted it to be a surprise so people could enjoy the holidays.”

“Oh hey,” Y/N smiled brightly, reaching out to give Maria’s shoulder a soft squeeze. “That’s awesome you two! Congrats!”

“Thank you,” they both spoke with Tommy seemingly more nervous than Maria. Instead of responding, Joel looked angry with his jaw flexing. His dark eyes narrowed and his breathing had grown louder.

“Say congrats Joel,” she nudged Joel in the ribs faintly having Joel wince and huff out loudly. Dragging his tongue out over his bottom lip, Joel looked down and forced himself to look away from them. “Joel?”

“Congrats,” Joel muttered still keeping his stare away from both Tommy and Maria only repeating what Y/N had told him to do in the moment. In her opinion? He had only done it to appease her. Which shocked her since Tommy and Joel seemed incredibly close.

Realizing that there was some serious tension amongst the table, Y/N could tell by Tommy’s expression that he was disappointed in Joel’s response to Maria being pregnant. Trying to think quickly, she cleared her throat and offered up a big smile, “Do you know how far along you are?”

“Not yet,” Maria answered with a shake of her head, her free hand lowering down to place in over her lower abdomen. “Today we just did a bunch of at home tests that confirmed it. I made an appointment with the doctor after Christmas to find out.”

“That’s amazing. Good for you,” she was surprised that Joel had completely shut down hearing that he was about to be an uncle. Right now she was at a loss for things to say. Especially since this should have been Joel’s job. Even though she had been around these people a bit since being here, she had only known these people a few days. “I bet you’re real excited.”

“Real excited,” Tommy stressed the words, his hands placing out in over the center of the table obviously trying to get Joel to look at him. Tipping his head back, Joel looked toward another area of the bar and folded his arms out in front of his chest. It didn’t take a genius to see that Tommy wanted his brother to respond in a way that most brothers would. “It’ll be nice to have a kid around.”

A tiny laugh escaped Joel’s throat and he shook his head, “Real nice.”

“Well I’m so glad we told you Joel,” Tommy sounded angry, but Maria was quick to hush him, her hand caressing in over his shoulder to calm him down. Swiftly turning his head, Joel’s brown eyes seemed furious with his little brother. “Maybe act like my big brother for just a second…”

Hearing the song changing in the background, Y/N was going to attempt to do her best to stop the oncoming fight that she could see coming between Joel and Tommy a mile away. Pressing her hand in over Joel’s chest and up over the side of Joel’s neck, she got Joel to look at her and felt the tension beneath her fingertips. By her touch, she was attempting to calm him, caressing at the side of his face. Nodding over toward the dance floor area, she knew it may be rude but figured it was for the best, “Joel, do you want to dance? I like this song.”

“No,” Joel was short in the way he answered her, lifting his hand to hook his fingers around her wrist to pull her hand away from his face. Stealing a quick look back at the dance floor, Joel saw the other people there having fun and laughing which only seemed to make him angrier. “Yesterday was a fluke. I don’t dance. It’s not for me.”

“Oh,” she paused starting to feel completely out of place. Maria had gone silent. If anything? Maria was pissed off at Joel’s response. Tommy was hurt by Joel’s response and it didn’t seem like Joel gave a shit at all. This was something she knew nothing about. “Okay. Maybe I should leave? Give you three some time to talk.”

“I’ll walk you back,” Joel stood up from his seat reaching for his jacket to put it on. Hell, he didn’t even bother to look at Tommy nor Maria when Y/N slowly stood up from the seat. Reaching for Y/N’s jacket, Joel helped lead her arms into it and pulled it up over her shoulders. When they were ready to leave, Joel shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Giving a nod, it looked like Joel wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Instead he lowered his head and let out a frustrated breath. “Goodnight.”

Leaving Y/N at the table, Joel headed back toward the door to leave. Standing before Tommy and Maria, she didn’t know what to say. If Joel was her boyfriend, she would apologize, but she didn’t even know what was going on enough to say something for Joel, “I really am happy for the two of you. This is something great.”

“Thank you Y/N,” Maria breathed, with a tired smile and now things were starting to make sense why Tommy had invited her earlier instead of allowing Maria to go snowmobiling with them.

“And thank you for being so kind to me tonight,” she spoke quietly, pointing toward the door that Joel had obviously already stepped out of because she could no longer see him. “I’m very thankful that you took me today and that you have been so nice about my past. A lot of people would have felt uncomfortable, but you two have been amazing to me. So thank you for not judging me and for being understanding.”

“As we all told you earlier, none of what happened was your fault Y/N,” Tommy stood up from the table and moved around to give her a quick hug. Suddenly it all made sense to her why Tommy had that nervous energy. Why he was drinking and why he was doing his best to make tonight a positive one. Squeezing her in his arms, Tommy sighed loudly and nodded toward the door. “Have a good night’s rest.”

Right now it felt like she should have said something more, but she didn’t. Leaving, she was embarrassed and she didn’t understand why. She hardly knew these people, but something felt wrong. A few feet away from the door Joel was standing outside quietly waiting for her. The streets were empty and it had started snowing pretty heavily while they were inside the bar.

“It’s snowing,” she pointed up toward the sky with Joel lazily lifting his head up. Nodding his head about, Joel shifted on his feet and sighed loudly. “A lot.”

“Yeah, that usually happens at night here around Christmas,” Joel commented, visibly not in the mood to really small talk with her. Walking side by side with Joel back to the inn, she felt like this wasn’t at all the man that she had been with all day.

“Listen, I know it’s none of my business,” she took a while to gain the strength to say anything at all since she didn’t know how to take what just happened.

“You’re right. It’s none of your business,” Joel stressed to her, looking to her with a firm expression. It had her throat going dry with her realizing that she was stepping out of line with her thinking that she could have any say in what was going on with his family. “You’re not part of my family, so you really don’t have to say anything at all.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” she agreed with him knowing that was his way of telling her that he didn’t want to hear whatever she was going to try to say to him. Instead of focusing on that moment, she reached out to brush some of his hair behind his ear but he was eager to pull his head back and away from her. “Sorry.”

Another round of silence surrounded them and she hated the way that this felt, “So do you at all miss the no snow down in Texas. I imagine that coming from a place like Texas to coming here is a big change. It’s hard for me with coming from New York. So a Texas guy? That had to be rough.”

“It snowed sometimes in Texas. I think it averaged like an inch of snow a year, but it still snowed,” Joel seemed short with his answer still not bothering to look over at her while he spoke about his home state.

“How much does it average here?” she questioned with Joel’s eyebrows bouncing up. Looking to her for a moment, Joel shrugged and cleared his throat.

“In the four hundreds, closer to the five,” Joel alerted her getting to laugh at how much the difference was between the two. Having her laughing about it provoked him to smirk and shake his head. “So yeah. Sometimes I miss the lack of snow. Especially since I walk in this shit all the time.”

“I can imagine,” she admitted, moving in closer to Joel while they walked together. Sliding her fingers down the length of his arm, she gently hooked her fingers with his. At first, he didn’t return the gesture. But when she went to pull them away, she could feel them hooking loosely with hers. “Thank you again for today by the way.”

“Why are you thanking me?” Joel didn’t seem to understand with his jaw flexing in discomfort. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You did. You let me come with you and your brother on that adventure which was really cool. You saved me when I crashed,” she listed off the things that he had done for her, her fingers grasping firmer to his. “And then when I told you about my past, you were very kind to me. You didn’t run away like some people might have.”

“Yeah,” Joel didn’t say much, just kept looking ahead toward the inn on their walk. Truthfully, she wished he would have said something more since that was a big moment for her. She didn’t usually tell people about her past, so the fact he blew it off that easily hurt a small bit. Then again, he did just react very poorly to hearing that his brother was going to be a father. When they got to the inn, he released her hand and stepped away from her. Pushing his hands into his pockets, he looked toward the door. “Have a good night.”

“Hey,” she called out to him when Joel started to walk away. Stopping in his tracks, Joel turned to face her with her pointing up toward the holly that was hanging over her head. Looking up, Joel felt his throat going dry looking at it. “Can we pretend that tonight this holly is still mistletoe and we can share another kiss?”

Thinking about the offer, Joel stepped forward toward her having a small amount of excitement flood her veins. Meeting Joel under the holly, she reached up to brace her hands in over Joel’s chest with him staring down at her. Tipping up on her toes, she expected Joel’s lips to collide with hers, but instead when she went to kiss him, he turned his head and had her kiss him on the cheek.

Stepping back and away from her, Joel’s breathing was louder and he looked upset. Standing there in silence, she felt her throat tightening up. How was she supposed to respond to something like that?

“So,” she spoke quietly since he had just denied her kiss so blatantly. “Do you want to come up to the room again? It doesn’t have to be anything naughty.” Realizing that might have been something that Joel would have preferred, she shrugged her shoulders and got him to look at her again. “Unless you want it to be.”

Joel scoffed, muttering something under his breath that was barely audible. Everything felt like it was spinning around her and she knew that she was desperate to still spend time with him, “We can just spend some time watching classic Christmas movies together? Get a blanket, sit on the couch together and watch television. Maybe after we can cuddle again. Truthfully last night was the best sleep I’ve had in years. Being in your arms…”

“What happened last night was a mistake,” Joel interrupted her with venom in his tone having her words come to a quick stop. There was more color beyond what was there from the coldness of the air surrounding them flooding into her face. “You don’t even know me. We’re strangers and what happened shouldn’t have happened.”

“A mistake?” she reiterated surprised to hear him say that after everything. With how hopeful he was this morning meeting her at the bottom of the stairs, she didn’t think he would change his mind this fast. “I don’t know, I thought today was really nice.”

“I’m just incredibly fucking horny and you’re the first person to throw yourself at me,” Joel acknowledged with a disappointed breath, looking down at the ground in frustration. Kicking his foot at the ground, Joel started sounding like the man she had talked to the first night. “I haven’t had sex in so very long that I confused my want to come as something more with you.”

“I just…” she began again, but he held his hands up to stop her before she could say anything more. “Joel?”

“I’m not the thing that is going to save you Y/N,” Joel declared, the lines in his forehead growing and the Joel that she had first met was now a spitting image of the man before her. The man that had opened up to her and showed her a different kind of man was gone. Instead he looked angry and frustrated with her. “I know you came here looking for something to give your life meaning and you think that somehow I’m that. But? I’m not!”

Hearing that left her with an ache that surprised her since Joel was using her words that she had said earlier to him and the other two against her, “That’s what you took from what I said earlier?”

“Tell me I’m wrong,” Joel moved in closer to her, his head tipping to the side searching for some kind of answer from her. When she didn’t answer him, he nodded his head about. “I’m a man that just met you. And I didn’t even like you at first Y/N. Thirty-six hours ago I couldn’t stand you. And suddenly you are looking at me like we have something important going on here. You are just some random girl that came to my town because she was miserable and ended up getting a room at my inn. You aren’t important to me, do you understand that?”

Biting down on her bottom lip, she nodded her head knowing whatever happened between Tommy and Joel back there had to be big for him to severely erupt on her like this, “I understand.”

“Don’t,” Joel warned her realizing that she looked like she was about to get emotional. “No, you see you’re a random person that I shouldn’t have even met. I have my own responsibilities Y/N. I have a life here and I can’t be responsible for fixing you when I can barely even fix myself. Did you think the two of us were just going to have this amazing romance while you were here? That it would be short lived until you decided to get back on a plane and go home when you felt like it had been a good enough time away from your real life?”

“I don’t know,” she was starting to feel small with the way that Joel was talking down to her.

“I just wanted to fuck you,” Joel asserted, his head shaking when he closed the distance between the two of them. “But not because I liked you, but because I was desperate. We weren’t going to fall in love and have some kind of long-distance romance between us. Because that? That’s unrealistic. Relationships barely work as it is, so a long distance one? That has absolutely zero chance of making it.”

Going silent, she wasn’t even sure what to say at this point with Joel starting to pace, “And another thing Y/N. You are so sure and so insistent that you are good at sex, but if you were really as good as you thought you were, your boyfriend would have never dumped you honey. I promise you that.”

“Ouch,” she chuckled at the personal attack he gave her and she nodded her head slowly. “I guess you’ll never know.”

“I could be wrong,” Joel pointed toward his chest, shaking his head about as he stood before her. “But I highly doubt that. Because most men will put up with a lot in order to get laid. Especially if the sex is as good as you say it is. Then again, there is that chance he just got sick of you being so overbearing. Which I could easily see.”

“And now we’re back to the personal attacks,” she exhaled loudly noticing that the Joel she had experienced over the last twenty-four hours was completely gone and the cold, angry Joel she had first met had fully returned. “It’s sad you’re going back to this Joel. I thought we had a really nice day today.”

“I’m not emotionally capable of being the thing that you need in your life,” Joel claimed, a sense of anger flooding throughout his entire body. “I don’t make people’s lives better Y/N, I poison them. The quicker you learn that? The better things will be.”

There was a broken sound that escaped Joel and it seemed like he was about to get emotional, but he held it back and turned away from her. Stepping forward, she tried to reach out to touch him and comfort him starting to think this was an emotional outburst for something that he needed someone to be there for him for. But once she touched him, he pulled away from her like her touch was fire.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered, feeling unexpectedly sad about Joel’s response that he had toward her.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Joel scoffed, heading in the other direction leaving her standing outside of the inn alone.

With Joel so far in the distance, it left her with more questions about everything than having any answers. All she knew? That interaction surprisingly hurt. And it hurt a lot.

----

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