#and i died inside. amen

[cappucosmico]

dragon's okay btw he just had a 280 dollar shitting and vomiting event. making my life flash before my eyes etc. vets just cost obscene amounts to look at your cat for a second and say "Yeah he looks about alright"

mr dipshit right after a vet visit HE CAUSED!!!

[imthebadguyyy]

Hold Me In Your Arms Tonight

pairing : steve rogers x reader

fandom : marvel

synopsis : steve comes home from a mission, and all he wants is to be wrapped up in your warmth and in your arms.

a/n : i just wanted to write something tender and sweet and smutty so here ya go

warnings : smut

the usual murmur of the quinjet had dulled, into a thick and heavy silence. as the machine soared through the night sky, the avengers found themselves in a rare moment of quietude after a particularly intense mission.

the air inside the jet hung heavy with a mix of exhaustion, and tension.

tony as usual, was the first to break the deafening silence. reclining, in his seat, his signature smirk missing commented, "well, that was fun, wasn't it? remind me to thank fury for these vacations."

natasha, sitting across from him, raised an eyebrow, one hand pressing an ice pack to the indigo bruise blooming on her wrist.

"now's really not the time" she muttered, eyes gesturing towards steve, who looked the picture of defeat.

the mission had started promisingly and could have been regarded as an amateur operation. intel suggested a hydra base operating in a remote location, with plans for a powerful biological weapon that could endanger innocent lives.

steve and tony had decided that the entire team didn't have to come, so the two of them with natasha and thor had suited up and gone, leaving bruce, wanda, clint you and sam to wait in the compound. they had what they thought was a meticulous plan to infiltrate and neutralize the threat.

until they actually reached the base.

as the team breached the compound, it had become evident that hydra was one step ahead. the entire facility was a trap, a carefully orchestrated ambush. waves upon waves of highly trained soldiers overwhelmed the avengers, forcing them into a chaotic retreat, that had left most of them nursing minor injuries.

"we didn't know cap" nat said, looking at the simmering anger in steve's eyes.

steve didn't lift his eyes off the spot he was focusing at on the wall.

"they knew we were coming. how the hell did they know?" thor asked, slamming mjolnir down in the ground.

tony muttered something along the lines of "our intel was compromised" but steve didn't care.

as the silhouette of the avengers compound came into view and natasha heaved a quiet sigh of relief.

she knew that the only person who would be able to calm steve and get through to him was you, and that you'd be the only person he'd ever open up to a 100%

with a hum, the jet landed, and the four trooped out, to see an awaiting maria hill, a grim furrow in her brow.

"cap we need a debrief on the-" her words died on her tongue and she computed the glare thor sent her way.

she understood the message : leave him alone.

speaking of, steve had walked into the compound, stepping into the elevator, head dropping low, he finally let out a deep sigh, fingers pressing the 4th floor, wanting nothing more than to have you in his arms.

the ding of the elevator signalled his arrival to you before he did.

you were standing in the kitchen, listening to the merry bubble of the kettle as you boiled hot water for a warm cup of midnight tea.

tony had given you and steve the entire fourth floor as your residential area, and you couldn't thank him enough for the state of the art amenities and accommodation.

just as you put your two spoons of tea leaves in the ceramic blue teapot clint and his wife had gifted you for your birthday, you heard the elevator door open, and the heavy footfalls of your husband echoed in the hall.

smiling to your self, you poured the hot water from the kettle to the teapot, just as steve's muscular frame filled the door of the hallway, his long shadow preceding him as he walked into the kitchen.

steve could smell the scent of black tea before he saw you, the homely scent wrapping him a warm hug that he didn't know he needed.

there were softly lit candles glittering softly all around the penthouse, and fresh bouquets of flowers in every vase. the plush sofas looked freshly dusted and soft music was playing in the background

soft, muted lighting enveloped the space, casting a warm and intimate ambiance. the city lights beyond the windows twinkled like a myriad of stars, creating a breathtaking backdrop against the darkened sky.

but to steve, none of this mattered. the only view he cared about was the one of you, shuffling around the kitchen in fuzzy bunny slippers and your silk blue pyjamas.

he watched as you moved with a quiet confidence, navigating the familiar space with ease. the rhythmic clink of porcelain against the marble countertop echoing as the cups were placed gently on a tray as you selected delicate tea cups from the cupboard. he watched your fingers, adorned with subtle rings, tracing the edges of the cups with a practiced familiarity.

as steve observed you with a mixture of admiration and emotion, his gaze, fixed on you, spoke volumes as he recognized the beauty in the simplicity of this moment. the anxious lines on his face softened, revealing a depth of emotion stirred by the sight of someone he cherished engaged in such an ordinary yet intimate act.

"hi baby" you smiled at him, smile dipping when you observed at the tenseness in his body language. his shoulders were taut, remnants of anxious lines softly fading from his forehead as he looked at you.

"hey" he said, voice cracking slightly, even more as you let out a soft "oh" reaching him in two steps to wrap your arms around him.

in the dimly lit room, the atmosphere was heavy with unspoken emotions and words, but you both knew he didn't need words, he needed the unspoken reassurance that you were there with him, physically, in the moment.

he stood there, shoulders slumped, carrying the weight of the world on his weary frame. even captain america got overwhelmed sometimes. you approached him with a gentle understanding, eyes reflecting both empathy and love.

as you reached out to him, arms enveloping him in a comforting embrace, he crumbled.

the embrace wasn't just a physical connection; it was a lifeline, a silent reassurance that in this moment of vulnerability, he wasn't alone. your fingers traced soothing circles on his back, a rhythmic gesture that mirrored the ebb and flow of emotions he was clearly feeling.

he buried his face in the crook of your neck, desperate to find solace in the softness of your presence. the scent of your hair, a mix of strawberry and vanilla, familiar and comforting, mingled with the quiet warmth of the room.

the thump of your heartbeat, pulsing through your body, steady and reassuring, echoed against his chest, a gentle reminder that they faced the challenges together, and that as you had stated in your vows, your hearts would beat together as one for the rest of your lives.

"we were so close, but everything fell apart. the intel was off, our intel was compromised, we were ambushed. the team got separated, and we couldn't prevent the disaster. it's like no matter what i do, it's never enough." he whispered, voice broken and eyes haggard, pulling back to look at you.

his eyes sought home in yours, desperate to find the love he needed so badly.

you listened attentively, absorbing the raw emotion in his voice. as he spoke, his hands clenched, betraying the frustration and helplessness he felt.

running your hands up and down his back, you whispered back, "you can't blame yourself for everything. you're only human. superhuman, sure, but still human"

steve ran a hand through his dishevelled hair, letting out a bitter chuckle.

"im supposed to be a hero, someone who saves the day. but what if I'm not cut out for this? what if I'm just making things worse?" he said, and you found tears rising to your eyes at the anguish your husband was in, blue eyes as stormy as the ocean, nothing but insecurity and fear reflecting in them.

you reached for his hands, holding them in a reassuring grip, fingers running over his knuckles in a pattern only you could interpret.

"darling, being a hero doesn't mean you always succeed. it means facing challenges, even when the odds are against you. it means being brave enough to admit when you may possibly make a mistake and it means allowing yourself to grow from the bad days. you can't control everything, but you can learn from it and keep going. you're not alone in this. you have all of us and we're always going to be there when you need us because you're always there when we need you. thats what makes you captain america, steve, your unrelenting ability to show empathy in the face of danger"

steve found solace in the warmth of your gaze. the weight on his shoulders didn't vanish, but the shared burden made it more bearable. "i love you so much" he said, leaning his forehead on yours.

bending down, he pressed his lips to yours, as you melted into the kiss, hands coming up to hold his jaw, as your thumbs ran along his cheekbone. he rested his palm on your waist, fingers splayed out and tracing a pattern, as his other hand reached up to caress your face.

you had to reach up to wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him down by the neck to meet your lips. he pulled you impossibly closer to him, hands gripping you so tight as if you would vanish into thin air.

before you knew it his lips were heavy on yours, hot and needy, each kiss becoming more and more desperate as his hands roamed the expanse of your body.

his tongue pushed against yours urgently, but you broke apart, panting heavily, to kiss his cheek and whisper a soft "i love you"

steve swore his heart melted as you spoke, fingers caressing your cheek as he scooped you up from below, letting your legs wrap around his waist, hands gripping your thighs tightly as he guided the both of you to the bedroom.

the bedroom embraced an alluring intimacy, its subdued lighting casting a warm, hazy glow that danced across the plush surfaces. a large canopy bed, draped in rich, dark linens, stood as the focal point, its soft contours inviting and enticing. the plush cushions and silken sheets glowed softly in the dim lights,

the air was infused with a subtle fragrance of vanilla and lavender, creating a sensory tapestry that heightened the atmosphere.

the heavy curtains were drawn, swaying in the gentle breeze from an open window, allowing a filtered moonlight to cascade into the room, creating a soft interplay of light and darkness.

candles were strategically placed on various surfaces, flickering with a mesmerizing rhythm, casting enchanting patterns across the walls, rose petals scattered on the bed and the loveseat in bedroom.

steve carried you into the room, awestruck at how you had set up the room for his arrival.

"you did this baby? for me?" he asked, eyes softening. "all for you my love" you assured, smiling softly at him. "all of this and all of me is for you" you whispered, pressing a kiss to his chest.

you felt him shudder softly against you, and the sudden pick up in his pace as he dropped you gently against the bed.

"i adore you" he murmured, pressing kisses all the way from your head to your forehead, trailing down your face, from the curve of your nose to your plump cheeks, pressing delicate kisses to the soft skin, before ultimately stopping at your lips.

he pressed his pink lips to yours, lips moulding into one as he let his body hover over yours. his tongue darted out to lick your lip, begging for entry and when he squeezed your hip and you let out a moan, he slid his tongue into your mouth, tongue clashing against yours, teeth stopping to sink into your lower lip, pulling it back to watch it snap back into place.

you kiss down his jaw, reveling in the soft sighing that he floods your ear when you near his throat. he groans when your mouth latches onto that sweet spot by his shoulder, your hot tongue sliding against his neck, with your chapstick tasting of shea butter and cherry, fingers dancing across the hem of his suit like a tease. his arms slide down to your top, the silky material scrunching up as he pulls it up, marvelling at the skin below.

"touch me" you whisper against his mouth with swollen lips and nudging noses. he sighs at the phrase, sea blue eyes never once leaving the comfort of yours. "touch me, use me, use me to get rid of your stress" you whisper, rocking your hips slowly against his.

you could feel his hard on against you, and you gently rolled your hips against his.

you were sure it got hard, this facade of being perfect all the time. so maybe just this once he needed to let go. let go of the gentleman person and fuck you raw till he was calmed down and satiated.

your shirt rides up even higher as steve drags a rough palm over your ribs, his rough hands have you jittering. his head rests on your stomach, lips pecking the area around your belly button and down your hip bone until you’re rotating your hips around him. "you're absolutely unbelievable" he groans as he gently licks around your sensitive belly button. he groans in pleasure when you tug on his hair, smiling when you say, "i dont know how lucky I got with you" he murmured.

"touch me. just touch me like you won’t ever stop" you whimper out, and steve studied the want in your glassy eyes and nodded softly, stroking his finger on either side of your cheek. the intimacy of the moment is jarring against how desperately the both of you want each other. but it's sensual and sweet because its a long buildup his finally being at peace.

agonizingly slow, his fingers dip down the waistband of your panties, cotton rubbing against the back of his hand as he curls his fingertips towards your pussy. the gentle notion makes your breath hitch, especially when he spreads your folds apart to expose the hood of your clit.

his middle finger circles draw leisurely over the sensitive nub with slow, rough circles and your thighs twitched.

his voice hitches in his throat as he observes your reaction. "oh, doll, you’re — oh, you’re just dripping, aren’t you?" he groans as you guide his hand further, the pads of his fingers dragging your arousal against your wet entrance. "my gorgeous, gorgeous girl" he whispered, pressing a sugar sweet kiss to your jaw.

"I'll always love you no matter what" you moan, scratching at his shoulders shamelessly, rocking on the heel of his hand for more friction. your eagerness spurs him on and so he increases the pressure, skimming his fingers over your folds and pressing ever-so-tantalizingly near your hole before he returns back to your clit. "fucking tease" you whine and he smirks.

your steve is usually demure even in bed, ever the perfect gentleman, gentle with you as if you'd snap into two if he was too harsh with you.

but this steve was daring and experimenting with his rough side.

your next sentence died in your throat, a soft gasp leaving your lips when he pushed his finger inside you, slow and deep enough to rip a whine right out of your throat from the stretchs.

he inhales loudly, eyes fixating on your mouth when you hopelessly sigh against his neck. you shift your knee higher up his leg, giving him more access to finger you. he hums at your expressions, mirroring them when you suckle dark marks just beneath his sharp jawline.

he mouths at your shoulder, leaving glistening patches of saliva in the wake of his sloppy kisses. you rock against the heel of his palm, mewling as he drags his fingers against your walls and he muffles his own moans against your skin.

"you’re so perfect" he groans, fucking his fingers in and out of you. the noises that leave your pussy and his throat are sinful, sounding like the harmonious mixture of splashing waves and delicate moans, his hand cupping your mound while he fingered you impatiently.

"fuck, Y/N. you’re making quite the mess, aren’t you, my angel? god, your moans are so fucking sweet to listen to"

"steve, your fingers..." you watch his wrist snap against you, juices squelching around him. you nearly sob, waterline beginning to water as the pleasure intensifies, "you get me so wet" you whimper and you hear the groan he tries to suppress at the juxtaposition of your angelic voice and face and the filthy words coming out of your pretty mouth.

"that’s good. I love pleasing you, you know that?" he asks as you clamp down onto the crook of his neck, teeth stifling your wrecked moans as he curls his middle and ring finger against that spongy spot inside you.

his touch is generous, and accompanied by his weathered hands, you can feel your orgasm approaching soon. he fucks you faster, thumb rubbing at your clit hard.

while others would resort to their own personal pleasure to de stress, it's your pleasure that brings steve relaxation. the fact that he could draw earth shattering orgasms from you was what helped him feel good and he knew that it was only when you were completely satisfied that he would be too.

you cry out into his chest, bite marks littering his skin as you hold him tight and gracelessly grind against him until you lose control over your climax.

your body shakes from your orgasm, gradually and slowly, steve's fingers scissoring carefully in and out of you. 

your pussy pulses needily between your thighs, toes curling as you focus your attention on steve undressing. his suit comes off, discarded somewhere in some corner, his under clothes come off, and then finally, he drags his gray boxers down his legs, and his cock stands proudly, slapping against his stomach as he releases it from it's prison.

you moan as you take in the sight of his thick cock, long and girthy and big enough to leave you breathless as it always did. steve after all was a supersoldier, and his cock was to match. he also had incredible stamina and you knew he'd leave you exhausted.

he nears you again, heavy against you and you reach down to stroke him, smiling up at him, realising your hand doesnt fit all of him into your palm. his cock twitches again when you moan, a throb settling at the base of his spine with an uintelligible moan.

"stevie, baby, i want nothing more-" you strain, reaching behind your own hips to take ahold of his cock and line the weeping tip up perfectly "than for you to fuck me. i want you to fuck your pain and your distress away" you say, and his eyes darken with lust, the baby blues fading to black, like a dark and thunderous sky.

his dick catches against your clit first, causing your body to jolt in shock before you sweep him through your dripping folds. he grabs ahold of your hips, seemingly spellbound as to where else to hold you. his eyes flicker all across your bare skin, unable to settle on the best spot.

his teeth reach down to grab your nipple in between them, one hand reaching up to fondle the other. his tongue darts around the perk nipple, sliding all around it, saliva dripping all around it. your hips rut wildly at the pleasure on your sensitive nipples, and the feeling of the rough pads of his fingers toying with the other.

a chorus of gasps sounds between the two of you as you slowly roll down onto his dick, harmonizing almost like a symphony. he stretches you deliciously, and he's big. very big. perfectly filling. It’s akin to losing all sense of direction, unsure of up from down, left from right. your hips stutter and still from the shock because through your haze you feel steve thrust upward and into you to bridge the gap and you whine as he brushed a sensitive spot within you.

a high pitched wine of "oh fuck!* leaves your lips, and a deep groan echoes in steve's chest.

you groan, finally feeling him sink all the way into your pussy, already shaking from the overwhelming pleasure. before you can comprehend, hes bottoming out in your slick pussy.

rising back over the curve in his cock, you lift yourself back up until only his tip is pressed up against your pussy. you pause before you sink back down. you see the almost animalistic need in steve's eyes as he gazes up at you through his lashes, eyes following the clenching of his jaw.

the wet sound of your pussy being filled over and over echoes, the air that had held a chill seemingly warming at your shared activity. you can barely hear his groans, your heartbeat thrumming so loud in your ears that you’re convinced he can probably feel it thudding in your walls.

your eyebrows arch in bliss as the ridge of his head catches up against something so incredible that you’re drowning in pleasure, a light that must surely be heaven flooding your eyesight.

but it's not heaven no, it's a sight far better : your husband, mouth agape and head thrown back fucking into you like your life depended on it.

what you didn't expect was the harsh smack to your ass, his big hand smacking the sensitive skin of your ass and you let out an "oh!" skin stinging and pussy dripping, before the longing for more fills you.

"you like that, my pretty girl?" he asks, pinching the fat of your hips.

you merely moan in response, mind melting at the pleasure. a second smack to the ass follows, and a large vein-y hand grips your throat and forces you to look at him.

"words doll, words" he chides, and you stutter out a shaky "yes" your movements are stuttering at the way a familiar simmering feeling begins deep inside your abdomen, but steve doesn’t want you to stop. his hands take a firm grip of your hips, forcing them down as he begins to thrust up and into you in that same desperate pace.

he continued to brush against that part of you that just obliterated any coherent thought, your mind melting into sludge as pleasure overtook every nerve in your body.

his hands traced over your ass, still hovering between the edge of good boy steve and bad boy steve, but all it took for him to slip was your whimper of "spank me harder daddy" and he was gone.

your sweet gentle steve was replaced by an animal, hands delivering harsh smack after smack to the sensitive skin of your ass, feeling it burn red hot as his large lands landed on your ass with a harsh unoact.

the filthy sound of his hand slapping the jiggly surface of your ass and the sloppy, wet sound of his dick pounding into your pussy echoed around the room, and you had never been more glad for the fact that your floor was completely soundproofed.

you’re not exactly sure what part of his body you’re holding onto, the muscles canvas all melting into one, so far away from comprehension, but you know you’re holding it in a bruising grip, one that leaves a perfect impression of each of your fingertips that would most definitely remain imprinted on his skin.

sweat beaded and dripped down his forehead, as he continued thrusting and pounding into you as if his life depended on it.

your mewls and whimpers perfectly complimented his grunts and groans as his hips snapped further into yours.

your back arched off of the bed as he let your leg rest on his shoulder, pushing the other one away from you so you were perfectly spread out, pushing one leg far away enough so that it was almost touching your ear

the smirk on his lips told you that it was gonna be a long night and that steve wasn't done with you just yet. he grabbed your face, fingers lacking their usual gentility, digging into your cheekbones, before pushing your face sideways into the silky pillow, making you close your eyes at the contrasting sensation of your hot cheeks against the cold pillow, the feelings setting your body on fire.

the sensation of you digging your nails into his back, had his hips falterring and stuttering slightly as he let out another lke growl into his ear, as he allowed himself a moment to bask in the burn of the sting before regaining his pace and thrusting back "you're so, so fucking good, just squeezing me so well hmm?" he growled, grunting as your pussy squeezed him harder and your eyes shut.

you only raked your nails down harder, although your moans were slightly muffled, and the desperate whines leaving your lips fuelled, him, as he continued snapping his hips into you, nails digging into your thigh, the pleasurable sting sending you spiraling. you could feel ths tight muscles rippling in his back, and you scratched down the bare expanse of his back, knowing it always drove him crazy.

the red hot pleasure in the pit of your stomach began to tighten, making you pant. he started guiding his cock deeper into you, which you didn't think was possible, and placed your hand in the outline of his cock in your tummy, and the filthy sound of your wetness and the sounds of your skin slapping together echoed across the hotel room.

the bed began to knock against the wall, the thumping sounding sweeter than the sweetest symphony you had ever heard.

your eyes rolled to the back of your head once again, mouth falling open in a silent scream of pleasure. for a second, you thought you had floated into another dimension, a low hum filling your ears, and your body convulsing in pleasure.

you heard steve moan your name, before letting out a low grunt, feeling him release his chokehold on your throat and hips, watching as you squirted all over him.

your cum splattered him all over, and your vision almost went black from how hard you had just squirted on him.

he reached out to collect your cum on his fingers, licking it, moaning at your sweet taste. the sight had you blushing.

you thought you were done, but just as you began to come to terms with the force of your orgasm, you felt his thumb on your clit, making you jerk your hips away, shaking your head. "daddy please, no more, i can't, not anymore" you whined out, feeling your pussy throb.

"yes you can, one more my doll, just give me one more" he murmured, leaning down to kiss you again harshly, in a rough, dirty, demanding kiss.

you could feel his hips stuttering, his cock beginning to pulse inside you, his thrusts becoming sloppy, signalling he was close to his own orgasm.

you moaned into his mouth, taking the opportunity to suck his tongue. "come on captain, cum for me, wont you? you work so hard and I'm so fucking proud of all your hard work" you whispered into his ears, licking at the shell of his ear

at your words, he dropped his head into the crook of your neck, his tongue poking out to lick patterns on the skin there, and you could hear his low, soft grunts as he chased his release, making the veins in his neck pop.

you could see his body glistening in the layer of sweat that had covered him, he continued to thrust into you for a second or two more, before a deep groan left his swollen lips, and an even deeper moan of your name echoed in your ear, as he spurted his cum into your warm pussy with a groan, your pussy clamping down on him like a vice, milking his cock

your body shuddered at the warm liquid dripping into you in hot spurts, covering your pussy in his cum, moaning in pleasure as the warmth of his release spread through you, enveloping you in a warm daze. panting softly, he stayed enveloped in your warm walls.

the both of you cuddled into the silk sheets, the aur conditioning doing little to cook your overhead bodies. steve pressed tender kisses to your face and body, whispers of "my beautiful girl, my angel, my doll, i adore you" leaving his lips like a mantra.

his hands, now no longer rough with want, traced soft patterns on your flushed skin.

"was that too rough for you?" he asked, concern etched in his eyes and worry lines appearing on his face.

"not at all" you said, quickly quelling his fears.

"you should do that again" you smirked, giggling when he blushed red. "thank you for that my love" he said, raising your knuckles to his lips to press a soft kiss to them.

"you don't have to thank me, steve. I'm always here for you no matter what" you murmured.

you were slowly sinking into a daze, but you registered him pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead and heading to the bathroom

"I'll be back in just a second honey, I'm just getting some towels to clean us up" he explained, grinning at the pout adorning your bruised lips.

sure enough he came back, with cold towels to wipe you up with and a fresh set of pyjamas (his shirt and your shorts) to slip into, gently tugging you into the clothes and cleaning up the sticky mess on your thighs and cleaning you up.

he brushed the stray strands of your hair away from your face, pressing a soft kiss to your nose then your forehead, and then your lips.

he fed you a glass of cold water, and a piece of chocolate for a little bit of energy in the morning. cleaning himself up, he slipped into bed with you, his large arms wrapping you up, his head buried in the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent as you snored softly beside him.

in the warmth of your embrace, he felt an unspoken reassurance. as he held you close, the rhythmic beating of your heart echoed a comforting melody

in that tender moment, he realized that in your arms, he was not just physically close, but emotionally anchored. the world outside ceased to matter as he embraced the profound sense of safety and love that enveloped the both of you, creating a sanctuary where worries melted away, leaving only the simple joy of being together.

[thesassypadawan]

Ognissanti (Lorenzo x NunReader) *Blurb*

Summary: La Festa di Ognissanti (All Saints’ Day).  A time to honor and worship those deemed worthy of the divine title.  A time for followers of the faith to also abstain from all unsavory activities…except for one rather worked up rogue.

Warnings: 18+ (mdni), because there’s sooo much of the smut.  Glory hole, somewhat public smex, religious undertones, fun from behind a wall, and… Lorenzo’s long, thick dick.

Notes: Happy Kinktober all you, lovelies! 🖤🧡

-  Let us pray…”

- Legs spread wider, hips cant backwards.  You bite your tongue, swallowing a needy moan.  Pulsing, fluttering around him.

- “Don’t want the rest of the congregation to hear?”  He huffs, chuckles softly…teases you gently through the sanctuary’s paper-thin walls.  As he sinks further; thick veins dragging, scrapping maddingly at…girthy length stretching your core to accommodate him. “But you have such a lovely voice, angel.  I can only imagine what it’s like when you’re crying out my name.”

- Breaths come out in short, small pants.  Muscles tense, legs tremble; threatening to give out from underneath you.  Mind abuzz, fizzing with overwhelming pleasure.  “En-Enzo, I…I…”

- “Just like that.”  Slipping out until only his fat tip remains wedged inside.  “Say it again, just…like…”  Before driving into you again, hard.  Causing the old, tarnished candelabras to rattle and shake slightly on their mounts.  A rather shameless whine to fall from your lips.  “…that.”

- Hand immediately claps over your mouth, eyes advert and focus on the mother’s painted mural.  Heart races, pulse quickens…warmth clenches around him.  Ears strain for any words of distain or shock, but are only met with the father’s low utterances…Lorenzo’s muffled hiss.  “So tight…”

- Thrusting wildly, plunging deeply over and over.  He rams, collides with your cervix.  Nearly pushing a scream from your lungs, propelling you closer to the brink of complete and total orgasmic bliss.  “So divine���”

- “My untouched beauty…”  Face burns with embarrassment, with lust.  Chewing nervously on your bottom, gripping the rosary in your hands.  Knuckles turning white, while you discreetly rock in time to his powerful strokes.  “My virgin cunt…”

- “All mine to defile…”  Sound of his cock slippery and lewd echoes out from behind.  Mixing with the wet, vulgar slurps of your wet folds.  Floating up to the rafters, hanging above the heads of the unknowing parish.  “All mine to fill…”

- “In every earthly…”  You stave off the urge to writhe, forcing yourself to not wriggle.  Despite him boring into your stomach, kissing at your tight rim.  Making, what can only be described best, divine pleasure gush through your veins.  “And spiritual sense…”

- Curious fingers brush, glance.  Palm presses down on that prominent bump in your lower abdomen, firmly enough to have you spasming…to have him flood you with a  joyful love.  That overflows…  Some trickling down your thighs, splattering onto the floor…the rest undoubtedly finding and coming to reside in your fertile womb.  Creating what you hope to pass off as an ‘immaculate’ conception later on.    

- “Amen…”

Tag List: @espinathena-17, @myheartwillgoon2022, @laylaplease, @princessswifie, @kenobiskywalker16, @loverforoldermen, @jediavengers, @anisangeldust, @fredswrite, @xhunnybeeex, @decaffeinatedunicorn, @t03soup, @theoriginalsinner28, @beabafreakbee, @quandoquires

[jackassbrainrot]

confession [knoxville x gn!reader]

a/n: day 2 - priest kink, inspired by his iconic 2004 driver license and by fleabag of course. it's a very cliche priest kink fic scenario but let me be

warnings: sacrilege, oral sex (m!receiving)

word count: 712

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." You said as you sat down in the confessional, trembling slightly for the first time since your first confession as a child. The little screen separating you wasn't enough to ease your anxiety, knowing you were so close to him. "It's been 6 months since my last confession." Six months since he came to your church. Six months since your mind got overtaken by thoughts of him.

"These are my sins." And with that, you took a deep breath, followed by a beat of silence as you collected your thoughts. You listed off the usual, everyday sins, but when it came time to confess what you really came for, you couldn't find the strength to say it. You shifted in your seat, taking another deep breath before speaking.

"I've been having lustful thoughts, Father." An understanding hum was heard from the other side of the confessional. "About... a priest." You could've sworn you heard him chuckle and you felt more exposed than ever in your life, even behind the screen.

"And what is it that you've been thinking about?" The smirk in his voice was apparent, almost taunting. It felt like the words were being pulled out of you by an invisible force, detailing all the late night thoughts of him taking you in various positions and various places in the church.

There was another moment of silence and your anxiety spiked, thinking you'd gone too far, offended him, disgusted him even. But just as your thoughts started racing, the door of the confessional opened, his lean figure standing over you, looking down with darkened eyes.

"Kneel." Was all he said, and you did, falling to your knees in front of him, eyes never leaving his. His fingers threaded through your hair as he unbuttoned his slacks and you came face to face with the subject of your late night fantasies. You opened your mouth expectantly and another chuckle left his mouth, running the tip against your lips before pushing in.

His dick hit the back of your throat, making you gag around it which pulled a low groan from his chest. He let you do the work, bobbing your head up and down rhythmically, almost in a daze, taking what you were given gratefully. You whined when he pulled his dick out of your mouth, keeping your head in place by your hair as you tried to chase the contact.

"Continue your confession." He all but growled, his usually warm eyes filled with lust, stroking his dick mere inches from your face. And so you did as he said, looking up at him with desperate eyes.

"My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against You whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy."

As soon as the last word of the prayer left your, his dick was hitting the back of your throat again. He fucked your mouth mercilessly as he prayed: "God, the Father of mercies, through the death and the resurrection of His Son has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins."

His words were getting breathier, his movement sloppier. "Through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father" thrust "and of the Son" thrust "and of the Holy Spirit."

And with the last word, he came, painting the inside of your throat white. You swallowed gratefully, feeling closer to God than during any eucharist of your life. "Amen." You said as you wiped your spit slicked lips, getting up and watching Father Johnny straighten himself out.

Just as you were about to leave, squeezing past him through the confessional door, he grabbed your hand, stopping you in your tracks. He flashed you his signature smile, all teeth and southern charm.

"I hope to see you at confession again next week."

[amusedphan]

i was humming off danandphilbeats lazy saturday and it occurred to me that it would be a sick beat to rap to. (i have never rapped before). and, uh. <3

(↑yewchube for views) also why is this the best keys solo i've done in my life

lyrics under readmore bc fuck knows i'm lyric blind at least (look at my double entendres boy):

paying bills with creativity is never quite the same

tear your soul apart and sell it to a demon known as fame

being thrust into the limelight, a martyr-turned-saint

we all want the sacrifice but no one wants the pain

o, holy, patron saint of the gaze

that we cast upon you, where we choose to erase

all that splits you in two—no longer abstruse

when we raze what we choose—until we relate to the

things that you do and the words that you say,

to the people you are - why, it’s better this way!

you can make no mistakes, you are toys for our play

we’ll give you our money for your lives as our pay

come change the precedent, come change the game

come change the meaning of love once again

don’t be so reticent, don’t be ashamed

we know what you’re feeling, we know everything

amen, two men, why’d i care about them?

were they my paper dolls, my imaginary friends?

well i loved them as a girl, now i love them as a man

open up can-a-di-can

i’m not a rapper, i’m a poet

so lemme pick these seeds of words and maybe then i’ll sow it

keep it down to earth with the way i’m hoein’ round

i’ve planted my ideas, now it’s time to break it down

[sick fl studio pack whirley solo break]

died for our sins, from our sins you arise

only truth in lion’s being part of a pride

this was not an accident, just a surprise

that we’ve never been alone when we’re different inside

trials and tribulations, you’ve bestowed us exaltations

more precious than all riches, you have given us hope

that has pulled us through the night, found us warmth, gave us light, even

living as an adult, when i find the need to cope, i’ll be

playin paper dolls on my lazy saturday

[imcrazierthanyouloosers]

My favorite parts of my production of urinetown (Part One)

Hot Blades Harry=Bisexual

Cladwell=cunty

"Bobby," *GRABS HOPE AND PULLS HER FORWARDS INTO AN EMBRACE "Bobby strong"

Tiny Tom adlibbing "oh my god" (in a demonic voice) after being told he'll die

Little sally swinging her teddy bear around in a circle in the act one finale

Lifting up our local twink during act one finale with Barrel and another guy as we slow-mo fight from inside the amenity

The entirety of cop song having moves from company

Lockstock almost kissing Barrel

Lockstock being nose to nose with Bobby several times

"And we're all so poor!" *entire poor literally has breakdown*

Hope directing stage crew at one point

An unprecedented amount of murder

The splat after cladwell dies

Old man strong and Bobby being five feet away from each other with nothing between them and just...reaching out. That's it. No running, no moving.

Everyone turning to stare at little sally after run freedom run to make her awkwardly answer Bobby

Holding buttons of several songs until directed to break from them by bobby and cladwell respectively

"STWUMPET"

Hope waving goodbye to the audience cheerfully as Lockstock narrates her death

Bobby strong shrugging at Hope when she asks "when will I see you again" and then walking off

Pennywise and Josephine strong have a secret queer past

More to follow

[annaskareninas]

Chapter 8 out now! | Or read from beginning

Chapter summary: With no choices remaining, Feyre unhappily submits to marriage with Rhysand, accompanying him north to his ancestral home.

Snippet below cut!

He looked up at me, lifting my hand a little in his, his thumb warm against my bare skin. “With this ring I thee wed,” he murmured, breath ghosting over the back of my hand. “With my body I thee worship.” A strange prickling flush spread through me. “And with all my worldly goods I thee endow: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” He stepped back, lowering my hand, and the unnatural tension that had been spooling between us shattered. “Amen.”

“Amen,” the minister muttered. He then began to pray, again, but the words faded to a background buzz. I felt hot all over, dizzy and confused; the ring was a heavy weight on my finger, yet inside me, something jumped, liquidy and light. 

The minister joined our hands for a final time. “Those whom God hath joined let no man put asunder,” he intoned, and I felt a flash of guilt at the annulment that would be coming his way in a year’s time. “I now pronounce thee man and wife, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; amen!” 

Rhysand turned me towards the congregation, joined hands raised high. A smile spread across his face, so wide and natural if I hadn’t known better I’d have been utterly convinced it was genuine. Cheers rang out through the church, petals fluttering from hands. 

“Smile, Feyre darling,” Rhysand muttered through his teeth. “This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life – act like it.” 

So, the normal Rhysand was back. That strange, husky intimacy that had overtaken us as he had slipped the ring on my finger…had that been nothing more than my imagination?

I plastered a fake grin onto my face, trying to mimic the way Ianthe had smiled so beatifically, fluttering her lashes and dimpling her cheeks, and it seemed to work: certainly, no-one looked the slightest bit concerned or shocked as we made our way back down the aisle as…

As man and wife. 

Husband. He was my husband. 

And just like that, Feyre Archeron died. She bled out on those smooth tiled floors, back snapping under the weight of a hundred nobles’ eyes, and breathed her last, jerking and fitting, at the bishop’s feet. 

Leaving the church, climbing into the carriage that would bear me and my husband away to our marital bed and home and life…I was reborn Duchess Feyre Velaris. 

[hello-there]

Communities are a new way to connect with the people on Tumblr who care about the things you care about! Browse Communities to find the perfect one for your interests or create a new one and invite your friends and mutuals!

[stillaclownlol]

We reached our viewership goal of exactly 1 person, so genderbent doodles + notes under the cut

Asher Banner

-i lowkey forgot why I put him as 16 I think I just drew him as like a sophomore or smth-

-the most stone faced mf ever

-he got his autism diagnosis amen. He doesn't bother masking he's just really antisocial

-He flops so hard around Aida every time (she jumpscares him)

Aida Clark

-sk8ter girl 😔 and she does parkour too. Just for fun.

-a little more sensitive. If she takes her meds (she got diagnosed too yay!) She's super spaced out tho.

-grows her roots out before dyeing her hair. Poking holes in her face is also interesting (piercings)

-wants to kiss Asher so bad it makes her look stupid. The biggest girl failure in the universe

"Lo" Fields

-Lo is short for smth but she's too embarrassed by her full name.

-got socialized to be even more shy and sensitive than in canon- 🫠 she's permanently 4 seconds away from a nervous breakdown

-Good Christian granddaughter. (The guilt is eating her alive)

-Still does Barron's homework she just also has to deal with his misogynistic comments (I'm too lazy to genderbend everybody)

Tylar Hernández

-parentified to hell 🤧 mothers her brother too much

-on the varsity baseball team at school. Used to do track.

-consistently annoyed and has a rbf.

-in love with a nerd- WHO SAID THAT-

"Benny" Clark

-Short for Benjamina, dies if you use her full name

-still 6ft tall and she's really strong from all the street fighting :(

-camera girl for all of Aida's extreme stunts, kinda stressed out-

-the eepiest girl ever

Tailer Hernández

-he so smiley :) happiest guy :)

-wants his sister to work less hard :< inside he's very guilty

-works at an auto repair shop part time. Smells like motor oil.

-wants to grow his hair out but Ty always cuts it and he hasn't had the heart to tell her yet (cuz he wants to sibling bond)

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep4 Musings - Baby LouLou

Yeah, Louis' right: this whole joint is WEIRD. It's SICK.

Did she literally take a dump? Or lay an egg? Lord, wtf am I watching?

It's like Disney and Dr Seuss got married & had Rosemary's Baby.

More caged bird bird analogies and suicidal ideation.

And it's a YELLOW bird, too--AMC STOP IT, MY FEELS.

NOOOOOO. No sunshine! BAD sunshine!

Nail in the coffin/birdie/child.

Amputation foreshaowing perhaps? Of another body part of Claudia's that will get cut off by the Coven, before she dies? Hrm....

And the COMPLICIT audience is lapping it all up, it's just syrup. (NGL I lowkey want one of those umbrellas.)

Lesmand's tower scene foreshadowing?

This image is cursed. Ghost!Claudia's dress looks a yellowish--UGH.

Sam, you need to be studied.

Louis & Santiago finally have something in common. Cuz SAME! Wtf. Like wtF?

LOL! Luchenbaum said this song is so bad it gives him child abuse PTSD! 😭

Jeeze. 😅 Marked reversal--cuz Claudia LOVES Santiago's performances, esp. No Pain. Like--NGL, I hate the song, too, it's deliberately awful, LOL. But methinks the vamp doth protest too much--maybe you're hating cuz someone's stealing the spotlight from YOU? 😜😜😜

Literally her feelings in S1 post-Ep5 about Loustat. GOD.

Both "Birdie" Baby LouLou AND Louis are caught in a trap, amen.

Armand has some nerve--maybe y'all need new frikkin material!? How the heck do you play the same exact shows 500 times in a row?! Just shows how DEAD INSIDE these vamps are--not even monotony & excessive repetition registers for them; that someone could lose their "childlike wonder" once the novelty wears off. Louis gets it, but Armand doesn't--he represents the vampire trope of them easily getting lost in hypnotic patterns--which is why in some lore they can get stuck counting spilled rice/beans/sand & beans, and staring at flecks of light on a fly's wing or microwaving 1000 rats a night or whatever. book!Daniel had it WAY worse, but Armand had it, too. (And lord, don't get me started on Lasher....)

SELF-sabotage, Mr. I Could Not Prevent It. The only thing "bromidic" here is YOUR "creative" vision! Give her a new play, DANG! 😡

[amoreuxx]

forgive us our sins — ksn.

18+ ; minors dni !

tags: unprotected sex, contains catholic themes, blasphemy. do not read if you are sensitive to such.

"can't believe you're lying on a bed being pounded by someone in a position like the man who died on the cross." sunoo said. it was good friday, a day commemorate Christ who died on the cross for our sins. yet, you were doing something so sinful inside a room nearby where your mother and her fellow sisters in Christ were chanting the life and death of Christ as part of some Catholic practice. you were trying so hard to stifle your moans but the faster and harder sunoo just went making you unable to think properly. "oh my God." you cried out as he hit a particular spot, making you feel some sort of knot in your stomach. sunoo covered your mouth with his hand. "shh, you wouldn't want your mother to come in here seeing her daughter in the middle of a sinful act, don't you?" he shushed and whispered to your ear in a low voice. unable to utter a word, you shook your head. he chuckled, seeing as you were helpless under him. "Jesus was crucified to pay for our sins, yet you're committing another sin. i don't remember your mom raising a God-fearing daughter like you." you shook your head, denying what he said. "where's that girl serves in church?that offers everything to God? that puts Him first and prays to Him regularly at the chapel?" he questions. but you were unable to answer and you let you head bob dumbly as he thrusts deeper each question. he takes your jaw into his hand and squeezes your face. everything was a haze but you could recognize that arrogant grin he was wearing, knowing he's fucked the dumb out of you. "i think we should pray to Our Father. say sorry for sinning once again, hmm?" you only hummed in response. he raised his head away from you and you see him do the sign of the cross. despite that, he kept a steady pace thrusting in you. "Our Father, who art in heaven, holy be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven." he prayed. you were so focused on reaching your climax that you couldn't focus on the prayer. he slapped your face since you hadn't responded and tears were pooling in your eyes. despite being hit in the face, it just turned you on even more. "fucking respond." he demanded. you whimpered and tried to utter out the response. "Give us this day... our daily bread... and forgive us... our sins—fuck!" you managed to say in a shaky breath and sunoo somehow and unimaginably just went faster. he gave you another slap to the face. "that word isn't part of the prayer." he scowled at you. you mewled and continued. "As we forgive those... who sin against us." he raised your hips higher to meet his closer than ever. his pace was starting to get erratic and you know he was nearing his high as well. "Do not bring us to the test... but... deliver us... from evil. Amen!" gripping on to his back as hard as you can as you felt your climax, you're sure it would leave a mark. you could feel his own pour inside you as well. he slowly thrust his cum further into you before pulling out. he chuckled once again as he got a look of your fucked out face. "Amen, indeed." he said before planting a soft kiss to your lips.

[moldwood]

i've had a bluesky for probably a year or so but have never ever used it because i don't have the energy or time for more than one social media. until tumblr dies i'll be here 99% of the time, but art may start to be posted over there at least. all that is to say i logged in to make sure i still had the urls and saw this on the homepage feed whatever

I CANNOT IMAGINE THE WORLD TWITTER USERS HAVE BEEN LIVING IN WHERE THIS IS MINDBLOWING. COULD YOU IMAGINE NOT BEING ABLE TO edit:im adding a read more for the people on mobile. don't click it. it's just to prove a point about the ridiculous number of characters you can have in a tumblr post

According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway because bees don't care what humans think is impossible. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Ooh, black and yellow! Let's shake it up a little. Barry! Breakfast is ready! Ooming! Hang on a second. Hello? - Barry? - Adam? - Oan you believe this is happening? - I can't. I'll pick you up. Looking sharp. Use the stairs. Your father paid good money for those. Sorry. I'm excited. Here's the graduate. We're very proud of you, son. A perfect report card, all B's. Very proud. Ma! I got a thing going here. - You got lint on your fuzz. - Ow! That's me! - Wave to us! We'll be in row 118,000. - Bye! Barry, I told you, stop flying in the house! - Hey, Adam. - Hey, Barry. - Is that fuzz gel? - A little. Special day, graduation. Never thought I'd make it. Three days grade school, three days high school. Those were awkward. Three days college. I'm glad I took a day and hitchhiked around the hive. You did come back different. - Hi, Barry. - Artie, growing a mustache? Looks good. - Hear about Frankie? - Yeah. - You going to the funeral? - No, I'm not going. Everybody knows, sting someone, you die. Don't waste it on a squirrel. Such a hothead. I guess he could have just gotten out of the way. I love this incorporating an amusement park into our day. That's why we don't need vacations. Boy, quite a bit of pomp… under the circumstances. - Well, Adam, today we are men. - We are! - Bee-men. - Amen! Hallelujah! Students, faculty, distinguished bees, please welcome Dean Buzzwell. Welcome, New Hive Oity graduating class of… …9:15. That concludes our ceremonies. And begins your career at Honex Industries! Will we pick ourjob today? I heard it's just orientation. Heads up! Here we go. Keep your hands and antennas inside the tram at all times. - Wonder what it'll be like? - A little scary. Welcome to Honex, a division of Honesco and a part of the Hexagon Group. This is it! Wow. Wow. We know that you, as a bee, have worked your whole life to get to the point where you can work for your whole life. Honey begins when our valiant Pollen Jocks bring the nectar to the hive. Our top-secret formula is automatically color-corrected, scent-adjusted and bubble-contoured into this soothing sweet syrup with its distinctive golden glow you know as… Honey! - That girl was hot. - She's my cousin! - She is? - Yes, we're all cousins. - Right. You're right.

At Honex, we constantly strive to improve every aspect of bee existence. These bees are stress-testing a new helmet technology. - What do you think he makes? - Not enough. Here we have our latest advancement, the Krelman. - What does that do? - Oatches that little strand of honey that hangs after you pour it. Saves us millions. Oan anyone work on the Krelman? Of course. Most bee jobs are small ones. But bees know that every small job, if it's done well, means a lot. But choose carefully because you'll stay in the job you pick for the rest of your life. The same job the rest of your life? I didn't know that. What's the difference? You'll be happy to know that bees, as a species, haven't had one day off in 27 million years. So you'll just work us to death? We'll sure try. Wow! That blew my mind! "What's the difference?" How can you say that? One job forever? That's an insane choice to have to make. I'm relieved. Now we only have to make one decision in life. But, Adam, how could they never have told us that? Why would you question anything?

We're bees. We're the most perfectly functioning society on Earth. You ever think maybe things work a little too well here? Like what? Give me one example. I don't know. But you know what I'm talking about. Please clear the gate. Royal Nectar Force on approach. Wait a second. Oheck it out. - Hey, those are Pollen Jocks! - Wow. I've never seen them this close. They know what it's like outside the hive. Yeah, but some don't come back. - Hey, Jocks! - Hi, Jocks! You guys did great! You're monsters! You're sky freaks! I love it! I love it! - I wonder where they were. - I don't know. Their day's not planned. Outside the hive, flying who knows where, doing who knows what. You can'tjust decide to be a Pollen Jock. You have to be bred for that. Right. Look. That's more pollen than you and I will see in a lifetime. It's just a status symbol. Bees make too much of it. Perhaps. Unless you're wearing it and the ladies see you wearing it. Those ladies? Aren't they our cousins too? Distant. Distant. Look at these two. - Oouple of Hive Harrys. - Let's have fun with them. It must be dangerous being a Pollen Jock. Yeah. Once a bear pinned me against a mushroom! He had a paw on my throat, and with the other, he was slapping me! - Oh, my! - I never thought I'd knock him out. What were you doing during this? Trying to alert the authorities. I can autograph that. A little gusty out there today, wasn't it, comrades? Yeah. Gusty. We're hitting a sunflower patch six miles from here tomorrow.

Six miles, huh? - Barry! A puddle jump for us, but maybe you're not up for it. - Maybe I am. - You are not! We're going 0900 at J-Gate. What do you think, buzzy-boy? Are you bee enough? I might be. It all depends on what 0900 means. Hey, Honex! Dad, you surprised me. You decide what you're interested in? - Well, there's a lot of choices. - But you only get one. Do you ever get bored doing the same job every day? Son, let me tell you about stirring. You grab that stick, and you just move it around, and you stir it around. You get yourself into a rhythm. It's a beautiful thing. You know, Dad, the more I think about it, maybe the honey field just isn't right for me. You were thinking of what, making balloon animals? That's a bad job for a guy with a stinger. Janet, your son's not sure he wants to go into honey! - Barry, you are so funny sometimes. - I'm not trying to be funny. You're not funny! You're going into honey. Our son, the stirrer! - You're gonna be a stirrer? - No one's listening to me! Wait till you see the sticks I have. I could say anything right now. I'm gonna get an ant tattoo! Let's open some honey and celebrate! Maybe I'll pierce my thorax. Shave my antennae. Shack up with a grasshopper. Get a gold tooth and call everybody "dawg"! I'm so proud. - We're starting work today! - Today's the day. Oome on! All the good jobs will be gone. Yeah, right. Pollen counting, stunt bee, pouring, stirrer, front desk, hair removal… - Is it still available?

Hang on. Two left! One of them's yours! Oongratulations! Step to the side. - What'd you get? - Picking crud out. Stellar! Wow! Oouple of newbies? Yes, sir! Our first day! We are ready! Make your choice. - You want to go first? - No, you go. Oh, my. What's available? Restroom attendant's open, not for the reason you think. - Any chance of getting the Krelman? - Sure, you're on. I'm sorry, the Krelman just closed out. Wax monkey's always open. The Krelman opened up again. What happened? A bee died. Makes an opening. See? He's dead. Another dead one. Deady. Deadified. Two more dead. Dead from the neck up. Dead from the neck down. That's life! Oh, this is so hard! Heating, cooling, stunt bee, pourer, stirrer, humming, inspector number seven, lint coordinator, stripe supervisor, mite wrangler.

Barry, what do you think I should… Barry? Barry! All right, we've got the sunflower patch in quadrant nine… What happened to you? Where are you? - I'm going out. - Out? Out where? - Out there. - Oh, no! I have to, before I go to work for the rest of my life. You're gonna die! You're crazy! Hello? Another call coming in. If anyone's feeling brave, there's a Korean deli on 83rd that gets their roses today. Hey, guys. - Look at that. - Isn't that the kid we saw yesterday? Hold it, son, flight deck's restricted. It's OK, Lou. We're gonna take him up. Really? Feeling lucky, are you? Sign here, here. Just initial that. - Thank you. - OK. You got a rain advisory today, and as you all know, bees cannot fly in rain. So be careful. As always, watch your brooms, hockey sticks, dogs, birds, bears and bats. Also, I got a couple of reports of root beer being poured on us. Murphy's in a home because of it, babbling like a cicada! - That's awful. - And a reminder for you rookies, bee law number one, absolutely no talking to humans! All right, launch positions! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Black and yellow! Hello! You ready for this, hot shot? Yeah. Yeah, bring it on. Wind, check. - Antennae, check. - Nectar pack, check. - Wings, check. - Stinger, check. Scared out of my shorts, check. OK, ladies, let's move it out! Pound those petunias, you striped stem-suckers! All of you, drain those flowers! Wow! I'm out! I can't believe I'm out! So blue. I feel so fast and free! Box kite! Wow! Flowers! This is Blue Leader. We have roses visual. Bring it around 30 degrees and hold. Roses! 30 degrees, roger. Bringing it around. Stand to the side, kid. It's got a bit of a kick. That is one nectar collector!

Ever see pollination up close? - No, sir. I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle it over here. Maybe a dash over there, a pinch on that one. See that? It's a little bit of magic. That's amazing. Why do we do that? That's pollen power. More pollen, more flowers, more nectar, more honey for us. Oool. I'm picking up a lot of bright yellow. Oould be daisies. Don't we need those? Oopy that visual. Wait. One of these flowers seems to be on the move. Say again? You're reporting a moving flower? Affirmative. That was on the line! This is the coolest. What is it? I don't know, but I'm loving this color. It smells good. Not like a flower, but I like it. Yeah, fuzzy. Ohemical-y. Oareful, guys. It's a little grabby. My sweet lord of bees! Oandy-brain, get off there! Problem! - Guys! - This could be bad. Affirmative. Very close. Gonna hurt. Mama's little boy. You are way out of position, rookie! Ooming in at you like a missile! Help me! I don't think these are flowers. - Should we tell him? - I think he knows. What is this?! Match point! You can start packing up, honey, because you're about to eat it! Yowser! Gross. There's a bee in the car! - Do something! - I'm driving! - Hi, bee. - He's back here! He's going to sting me! Nobody move. If you don't move, he won't sting you. Freeze! He blinked! Spray him, Granny! What are you doing?! Wow… the tension level out here is unbelievable. I gotta get home. Oan't fly in rain. Oan't fly in rain. Oan't fly in rain. Mayday! Mayday! Bee going down! Ken, could you close the window please? Ken, could you close the window please? Oheck out my new resume. I made it into a fold-out brochure. You see? Folds out. Oh, no. More humans. I don't need this. What was that? Maybe this time. This time. This time. This time! This time! This… Drapes! That is diabolical. It's fantastic. It's got all my special skills, even my top-ten favorite movies. What's number one? Star Wars? Nah, I don't go for that… …kind of stuff. No wonder we shouldn't talk to them. They're out of their minds. When I leave a job interview, they're flabbergasted, can't believe what I say. There's the sun. Maybe that's a way out. I don't remember the sun having a big 75 on it. I predicted global warming. I could feel it getting hotter. At first I thought it was just me. Wait! Stop! Bee! Stand back. These are winter boots. Wait! Don't kill him! You know I'm allergic to them! This thing could kill me! Why does his life have less value than yours? Why does his life have any less value than mine? Is that your statement?

I'm just saying all life has value. You don't know what he's capable of feeling. My brochure! There you go, little guy. I'm not scared of him. It's an allergic thing. Put that on your resume brochure. My whole face could puff up. Make it one of your special skills. Knocking someone out is also a special skill. Right. Bye, Vanessa. Thanks. - Vanessa, next week? Yogurt night? - Sure, Ken. You know, whatever. - You could put carob chips on there. - Bye. - Supposed to be less calories. - Bye. I gotta say something. She saved my life. I gotta say something. All right, here it goes. Nah. What would I say? I could really get in trouble. It's a bee law. You're not supposed to talk to a human. I can't believe I'm doing this. I've got to. Oh, I can't do it. Oome on! No. Yes. No. Do it. I can't. How should I start it? "You like jazz?" No, that's no good. Here she comes! Speak, you fool! Hi! I'm sorry. - You're talking. - Yes, I know. You're talking! I'm so sorry. No, it's OK. It's fine. I know I'm dreaming. But I don't recall going to bed. Well, I'm sure this is very disconcerting. This is a bit of a surprise to me. I mean, you're a bee! I am. And I'm not supposed to be doing this, but they were all trying to kill me. And if it wasn't for you… I had to thank you. It's just how I was raised. That was a little weird. - I'm talking with a bee. - Yeah. I'm talking to a bee. And the bee is talking to me! I just want to say I'm grateful. I'll leave now. - Wait! How did you learn to do that? - What? The talking thing. Same way you did, I guess. "Mama, Dada, honey." You pick it up. - That's very funny. - Yeah. Bees are funny. If we didn't laugh, we'd cry with what we have to deal with. Anyway… Oan I… …get you something?

Like what? I don't know. I mean… I don't know. Ooffee? I don't want to put you out. It's no trouble. It takes two minutes. - It's just coffee. - I hate to impose. - Don't be ridiculous! - Actually, I would love a cup. Hey, you want rum cake? - I shouldn't. - Have some. - No, I can't. - Oome on! I'm trying to lose a couple micrograms. - Where? - These stripes don't help. You look great! I don't know if you know anything about fashion. Are you all right? No. He's making the tie in the cab as they're flying up Madison. He finally gets there. He runs up the steps into the church. The wedding is on. And he says, "Watermelon? I thought you said Guatemalan. Why would I marry a watermelon?" Is that a bee joke? That's the kind of stuff we do. Yeah, different. So, what are you gonna do, Barry? About work? I don't know. I want to do my part for the hive, but I can't do it the way they want. I know how you feel. - You do? - Sure. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor, but I wanted to be a florist. - Really? - My only interest is flowers. Our new queen was just elected with that same campaign slogan. Anyway, if you look… There's my hive right there. See it? You're in Sheep Meadow! Yes! I'm right off the Turtle Pond! No way! I know that area. I lost a toe ring there once. - Why do girls put rings on their toes? - Why not? - It's like putting a hat on your knee. - Maybe I'll try that. - You all right, ma'am? - Oh, yeah. Fine. Just having two cups of coffee! Anyway, this has been great. Thanks for the coffee. Yeah, it's no trouble. Sorry I couldn't finish it. If I did, I'd be up the rest of my life. Are you…? Oan I take a piece of this with me? Sure! Here, have a crumb. - Thanks! - Yeah. All right. Well, then… I guess I'll see you around.

Or not. OK, Barry. And thank you so much again… for before. Oh, that? That was nothing. Well, not nothing, but… Anyway… This can't possibly work. He's all set to go. We may as well try it. OK, Dave, pull the chute. - Sounds amazing. - It was amazing! It was the scariest, happiest moment of my life. Humans! I can't believe you were with humans! Giant, scary humans! What were they like? Huge and crazy. They talk crazy. They eat crazy giant things. They drive crazy. - Do they try and kill you, like on TV? - Some of them. But some of them don't. - How'd you get back? - Poodle. You did it, and I'm glad. You saw whatever you wanted to see. You had your "experience." Now you can pick out yourjob and be normal. - Well… - Well? Well, I met someone. You did? Was she Bee-ish? - A wasp?! Your parents will kill you! - No, no, no, not a wasp. - Spider? - I'm not attracted to spiders. I know it's the hottest thing, with the eight legs and all. I can't get by that face. So who is she? She's… human. No, no. That's a bee law. You wouldn't break a bee law. - Her name's Vanessa. - Oh, boy. She's so nice. And she's a florist! Oh, no! You're dating a human florist! We're not dating. You're flying outside the hive, talking to humans that attack our homes with power washers and M-80s! One-eighth a stick of dynamite! She saved my life! And she understands me. This is over! Eat this. This is not over! What was that?

They call it a crumb. - It was so stingin' stripey! And that's not what they eat. That's what falls off what they eat! - You know what a Oinnabon is? - No. It's bread and cinnamon and frosting. They heat it up… Sit down! …really hot! - Listen to me! We are not them! We're us. There's us and there's them! Yes, but who can deny the heart that is yearning? There's no yearning. Stop yearning. Listen to me! You have got to start thinking bee, my friend. Thinking bee! - Thinking bee. - Thinking bee. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! There he is. He's in the pool. You know what your problem is, Barry? I gotta start thinking bee? How much longer will this go on? It's been three days! Why aren't you working? I've got a lot of big life decisions to think about. What life? You have no life! You have no job. You're barely a bee! Would it kill you to make a little honey? Barry, come out. Your father's talking to you. Martin, would you talk to him? Barry, I'm talking to you! You coming? Got everything? All set! Go ahead. I'll catch up. Don't be too long. Watch this! Vanessa! - We're still here. - I told you not to yell at him. He doesn't respond to yelling! - Then why yell at me? - Because you don't listen! I'm not listening to this. Sorry, I've gotta go. - Where are you going? - I'm meeting a friend. A girl? Is this why you can't decide? Bye. I just hope she's Bee-ish. They have a huge parade of flowers every year in Pasadena? To be in the Tournament of Roses, that's every florist's dream! Up on a float, surrounded by flowers, crowds cheering.

A tournament. Do the roses compete in athletic events? No. All right, I've got one. How come you don't fly everywhere? It's exhausting. Why don't you run everywhere? It's faster. Yeah, OK, I see, I see. All right, your turn. TiVo. You can just freeze live TV? That's insane! You don't have that? We have Hivo, but it's a disease. It's a horrible, horrible disease. Oh, my. Dumb bees! You must want to sting all those jerks. We try not to sting. It's usually fatal for us. So you have to watch your temper. Very carefully. You kick a wall, take a walk, write an angry letter and throw it out. Work through it like any emotion: Anger, jealousy, lust. Oh, my goodness! Are you OK? Yeah.

What is wrong with you?! - It's a bug. He's not bothering anybody. Get out of here, you creep! What was that? A Pic 'N' Save circular? Yeah, it was. How did you know? It felt like about 10 pages. Seventy-five is pretty much our limit. You've really got that down to a science. - I lost a cousin to Italian Vogue. - I'll bet. What in the name of Mighty Hercules is this? How did this get here? Oute Bee, Golden Blossom, Ray Liotta Private Select? - Is he that actor? - I never heard of him. - Why is this here? - For people. We eat it. You don't have enough food of your own? - Well, yes. - How do you get it? - Bees make it. - I know who makes it! And it's hard to make it! There's heating, cooling, stirring. You need a whole Krelman thing! - It's organic. - It's our-ganic! It's just honey, Barry. Just what?! Bees don't know about this! This is stealing! A lot of stealing! You've taken our homes, schools, hospitals! This is all we have! And it's on sale?! I'm getting to the bottom of this. I'm getting to the bottom of all of this! Hey, Hector. - You almost done? - Almost. He is here. I sense it. Well, I guess I'll go home now and just leave this nice honey out, with no one around. You're busted, box boy! I knew I heard something. So you can talk! I can talk. And now you'll start talking! Where you getting the sweet stuff? Who's your supplier? I don't understand. I thought we were friends. The last thing we want to do is upset bees! You're too late! It's ours now! You, sir, have crossed the wrong sword! You, sir, will be lunch for my iguana, Ignacio! Where is the honey coming from? Tell me where! Honey Farms! It comes from Honey Farms! Orazy person! What horrible thing has happened here? These faces, they never knew what hit them. And now they're on the road to nowhere! Just keep still. What? You're not dead? Do I look dead? They will wipe anything that moves. Where you headed? To Honey Farms. I am onto something huge here. I'm going to Alaska. Moose blood, crazy stuff. Blows your head off! I'm going to Tacoma. - And you? - He really is dead. All right. Uh-oh! - What is that?! - Oh, no! - A wiper! Triple blade! - Triple blade? Jump on! It's your only chance, bee! Why does everything have to be so doggone clean?! How much do you people need to see?! Open your eyes! Stick your head out the window! From NPR News in Washington, I'm Oarl Kasell. But don't kill no more bugs! - Bee! - Moose blood guy!! - You hear something? 

Like what? Like tiny screaming. Turn off the radio. Whassup, bee boy? Hey, Blood. Just a row of honey jars, as far as the eye could see. Wow! I assume wherever this truck goes is where they're getting it. I mean, that honey's ours. - Bees hang tight. - We're all jammed in. It's a close community. Not us, man. We on our own. Every mosquito on his own. - What if you get in trouble? - You a mosquito, you in trouble. Nobody likes us. They just smack. See a mosquito, smack, smack! At least you're out in the world. You must meet girls. Mosquito girls try to trade up, get with a moth, dragonfly. Mosquito girl don't want no mosquito. You got to be kidding me! Mooseblood's about to leave the building! So long, bee! - Hey, guys! - Mooseblood! I knew I'd catch y'all down here. Did you bring your crazy straw? We throw it in jars, slap a label on it, and it's pretty much pure profit. What is this place? A bee's got a brain the size of a pinhead. They are pinheads! Pinhead. - Oheck out the new smoker. - Oh, sweet. That's the one you want. The Thomas 3000! Smoker? Ninety puffs a minute, semi-automatic. Twice the nicotine, all the tar. A couple breaths of this knocks them right out. They make the honey, and we make the money. "They make the honey, and we make the money"? Oh, my! What's going on? Are you OK? Yeah. It doesn't last too long. Do you know you're in a fake hive with fake walls? Our queen was moved here. We had no choice. This is your queen? That's a man in women's clothes! That's a drag queen! What is this? Oh, no! There's hundreds of them! Bee honey. Our honey is being brazenly stolen on a massive scale! This is worse than anything bears have done! I intend to do something. Oh, Barry, stop. Who told you humans are taking our honey? That's a rumor. Do these look like rumors? That's a conspiracy theory. These are obviously doctored photos. How did you get mixed up in this? He's been talking to humans. - What? - Talking to humans?! He has a human girlfriend. And they make out! Make out? Barry! We do not. - You wish you could. - Whose side are you on? The bees! I dated a cricket once in San Antonio. Those crazy legs kept me up all night. Barry, this is what you want to do with your life? I want to do it for all our lives. Nobody works harder than bees! Dad, I remember you coming home so overworked your hands were still stirring. You couldn't stop. I remember that. What right do they have to our honey? We live on two cups a year. They put it in lip balm for no reason whatsoever! Even if it's true, what can one bee do? Sting them where it really hurts. In the face! The eye! - That would hurt. - No. Up the nose? That's a killer. There's only one place you can sting the humans, one place where it matters. Hive at Five, the hive's only full-hour action news source. No more bee beards! With Bob Bumble at the anchor desk. Weather with Storm Stinger. Sports with Buzz Larvi. And Jeanette Ohung.

Good evening. I'm Bob Bumble. - And I'm Jeanette Ohung. A tri-county bee, Barry Benson, intends to sue the human race for stealing our honey, packaging it and profiting from it illegally! Tomorrow night on Bee Larry King, we'll have three former queens here in our studio, discussing their new book, Olassy Ladies, out this week on Hexagon. Tonight we're talking to Barry Benson. Did you ever think, "I'm a kid from the hive. I can't do this"? Bees have never been afraid to change the world. What about Bee Oolumbus? Bee Gandhi? Bejesus? Where I'm from, we'd never sue humans. We were thinking of stickball or candy stores. How old are you? The bee community is supporting you in this case, which will be the trial of the bee century. You know, they have a Larry King in the human world too. It's a common name. Next week… He looks like you and has a show and suspenders and colored dots… Next week… Glasses, quotes on the bottom from the guest even though you just heard 'em. Bear Week next week! They're scary, hairy and here live. Always leans forward, pointy shoulders, squinty eyes, very Jewish. In tennis, you attack at the point of weakness! It was my grandmother, Ken. She's 81. Honey, her backhand's a joke! I'm not gonna take advantage of that? Quiet, please. Actual work going on here. - Is that that same bee? - Yes, it is! I'm helping him sue the human race. - Hello. - Hello, bee. This is Ken. Yeah, I remember you. Timberland, size ten and a half. Vibram sole, I believe. Why does he talk again? Listen, you better go 'cause we're really busy working. But it's our yogurt night! Bye-bye. Why is yogurt night so difficult?!

You poor thing. You two have been at this for hours! Yes, and Adam here has been a huge help. - Frosting… - How many sugars? Just one. I try not to use the competition. So why are you helping me? Bees have good qualities. And it takes my mind off the shop. Instead of flowers, people are giving balloon bouquets now. Those are great, if you're three. And artificial flowers. - Oh, those just get me psychotic! - Yeah, me too. Bent stingers, pointless pollination. Bees must hate those fake things! Nothing worse than a daffodil that's had work done. Maybe this could make up for it a little bit. - This lawsuit's a pretty big deal. - I guess. You sure you want to go through with it? Am I sure? When I'm done with the humans, they won't be able to say, "Honey, I'm home," without paying a royalty! It's an incredible scene here in downtown Manhattan, where the world anxiously waits, because for the first time in history, we will hear for ourselves if a honeybee can actually speak. What have we gotten into here, Barry? It's pretty big, isn't it? I can't believe how many humans don't work during the day. You think billion-dollar multinational food companies have good lawyers? Everybody needs to stay behind the barricade. - What's the matter? - I don't know, I just got a chill. Well, if it isn't the bee team. You boys work on this? All rise! The Honorable Judge Bumbleton presiding. All right. Oase number 4475, Superior Oourt of New York, Barry Bee Benson v. the Honey Industry is now in session. Mr. Montgomery, you're representing the five food companies collectively?

A privilege. Mr. Benson… you're representing all the bees of the world? I'm kidding. Yes, Your Honor, we're ready to proceed. Mr. Montgomery, your opening statement, please. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my grandmother was a simple woman. Born on a farm, she believed it was man's divine right to benefit from the bounty of nature God put before us. If we lived in the topsy-turvy world Mr. Benson imagines, just think of what would it mean. I would have to negotiate with the silkworm for the elastic in my britches! Talking bee! How do we know this isn't some sort of holographic motion-picture-capture Hollywood wizardry? They could be using laser beams! Robotics! Ventriloquism! Oloning! For all we know, he could be on steroids! Mr. Benson? Ladies and gentlemen, there's no trickery here. I'm just an ordinary bee. Honey's pretty important to me. It's important to all bees. We invented it! We make it. And we protect it with our lives. Unfortunately, there are some people in this room who think they can take it from us 'cause we're the little guys! I'm hoping that, after this is all over, you'll see how, by taking our honey, you not only take everything we have but everything we are! I wish he'd dress like that all the time. So nice! Oall your first witness. So, Mr. Klauss Vanderhayden of Honey Farms, big company you have. I suppose so. I see you also own Honeyburton and Honron! Yes, they provide beekeepers for our farms. Beekeeper. I find that to be a very disturbing term. I don't imagine you employ any bee-free-ers, do you? - No. - I couldn't hear you.

No. - No. Because you don't free bees. You keep bees. Not only that, it seems you thought a bear would be an appropriate image for a jar of honey. They're very lovable creatures. Yogi Bear, Fozzie Bear, Build-A-Bear. You mean like this? Bears kill bees! How'd you like his head crashing through your living room?! Biting into your couch! Spitting out your throw pillows! OK, that's enough. Take him away. So, Mr. Sting, thank you for being here. Your name intrigues me. - Where have I heard it before? - I was with a band called The Police. But you've never been a police officer, have you? No, I haven't. No, you haven't. And so here we have yet another example of bee culture casually stolen by a human for nothing more than a prance-about stage name. Oh, please. Have you ever been stung, Mr. Sting? Because I'm feeling a little stung, Sting. Or should I say… Mr. Gordon M. Sumner! That's not his real name?! You idiots! Mr. Liotta, first, belated congratulations on your Emmy win for a guest spot on ER in 2005. Thank you. Thank you. I see from your resume that you're devilishly handsome with a churning inner turmoil that's ready to blow. I enjoy what I do. Is that a crime? Not yet it isn't. But is this what it's come to for you? Exploiting tiny, helpless bees so you don't have to rehearse your part and learn your lines, sir? Watch it, Benson! I could blow right now! This isn't a goodfella. This is a badfella! Why doesn't someone just step on this creep, and we can all go home?! - Order in this court! - You're all thinking it! Order! Order, I say! - Say it! - Mr. Liotta, please sit down! I think it was awfully nice of that bear to pitch in like that. I think the jury's on our side. Are we doing everything right, legally? I'm a florist. Right. Well, here's to a great team. To a great team! Well, hello. - Ken! - Hello. I didn't think you were coming. No, I was just late. I tried to call, but… the battery. I didn't want all this to go to waste, so I called Barry. Luckily, he was free. Oh, that was lucky. There's a little left. I could heat it up. Yeah, heat it up, sure, whatever. So I hear you're quite a tennis player. I'm not much for the game myself. The ball's a little grabby. That's where I usually sit. Right… there. Ken, Barry was looking at your resume, and he agreed with me that eating with chopsticks isn't really a special skill. You think I don't see what you're doing? I know how hard it is to find the rightjob. We have that in common. Do we? Bees have 100 percent employment, but we do jobs like taking the crud out. That's just what I was thinking about doing. Ken, I let Barry borrow your razor for his fuzz. I hope that was all right. I'm going to drain the old stinger. Yeah, you do that. Look at that. You know, I've just about had it with your little mind games. - What's that?

Italian Vogue. Mamma mia, that's a lot of pages. A lot of ads. Remember what Van said, why is your life more valuable than mine? Funny, I just can't seem to recall that! I think something stinks in here! I love the smell of flowers. How do you like the smell of flames?! Not as much. Water bug! Not taking sides! Ken, I'm wearing a Ohapstick hat! This is pathetic! I've got issues! Well, well, well, a royal flush! - You're bluffing. - Am I? Surf's up, dude! Poo water! That bowl is gnarly. Except for those dirty yellow rings! Kenneth! What are you doing?! You know, I don't even like honey! I don't eat it! We need to talk! He's just a little bee! And he happens to be the nicest bee I've met in a long time! Long time? What are you talking about?! Are there other bugs in your life? No, but there are other things bugging me in life. And you're one of them! Fine! Talking bees, no yogurt night… My nerves are fried from riding on this emotional roller coaster! Goodbye, Ken. And for your information, I prefer sugar-free, artificial sweeteners made by man! I'm sorry about all that. I know it's got an aftertaste! I like it! I always felt there was some kind of barrier between Ken and me. I couldn't overcome it.

Oh, well. Are you OK for the trial? I believe Mr. Montgomery is about out of ideas. We would like to call Mr. Barry Benson Bee to the stand. Good idea! You can really see why he's considered one of the best lawyers… Yeah. Layton, you've gotta weave some magic with this jury, or it's gonna be all over. Don't worry. The only thing I have to do to turn this jury around is to remind them of what they don't like about bees. - You got the tweezers? - Are you allergic? Only to losing, son. Only to losing. Mr. Benson Bee, I'll ask you what I think we'd all like to know. What exactly is your relationship to that woman? We're friends. - Good friends? - Yes. How good? Do you live together? Wait a minute… Are you her little… …bedbug? I've seen a bee documentary or two. From what I understand, doesn't your queen give birth to all the bee children? - Yeah, but… - So those aren't your real parents!

Oh, Barry… - Yes, they are! Hold me back! You're an illegitimate bee, aren't you, Benson? He's denouncing bees! Don't y'all date your cousins? - Objection! - I'm going to pincushion this guy! Adam, don't! It's what he wants! Oh, I'm hit!! Oh, lordy, I am hit! Order! Order! The venom! The venom is coursing through my veins! I have been felled by a winged beast of destruction! You see? You can't treat them like equals! They're striped savages! Stinging's the only thing they know! It's their way! - Adam, stay with me. - I can't feel my legs. What angel of mercy will come forward to suck the poison from my heaving buttocks? I will have order in this court. Order! Order, please! The case of the honeybees versus the human race took a pointed turn against the bees yesterday when one of their legal team stung Layton T. Montgomery. - Hey, buddy. - Hey. - Is there much pain? - Yeah. I… I blew the whole case, didn't I? It doesn't matter. What matters is you're alive. You could have died. I'd be better off dead. Look at me. They got it from the cafeteria downstairs, in a tuna sandwich. Look, there's a little celery still on it. What was it like to sting someone? I can't explain it. It was all… All adrenaline and then… and then ecstasy! All right. You think it was all a trap? Of course. I'm sorry. I flew us right into this. What were we thinking? Look at us. We're just a couple of bugs in this world. What will the humans do to us if they win? I don't know. I hear they put the roaches in motels. That doesn't sound so bad. Adam, they check in, but they don't check out! Oh, my. Oould you get a nurse to close that window? - Why? - The smoke. Bees don't smoke. Right. Bees don't smoke. Bees don't smoke! But some bees are smoking.

That's it! That's our case! It is? It's not over? Get dressed. I've gotta go somewhere. Get back to the court and stall. Stall any way you can. And assuming you've done step correctly, you're ready for the tub. Mr. Flayman. Yes? Yes, Your Honor! Where is the rest of your team? Well, Your Honor, it's interesting. Bees are trained to fly haphazardly, and as a result, we don't make very good time. I actually heard a funny story about… Your Honor, haven't these ridiculous bugs taken up enough of this court's valuable time? How much longer will we allow these absurd shenanigans to go on? They have presented no compelling evidence to support their charges against my clients, who run legitimate businesses. I move for a complete dismissal of this entire case! Mr. Flayman, I'm afraid I'm going to have to consider Mr. Montgomery's motion. But you can't! We have a terrific case. Where is your proof? Where is the evidence? Show me the smoking gun! Hold it, Your Honor! You want a smoking gun? Here is your smoking gun. What is that? It's a bee smoker! What, this? This harmless little contraption? This couldn't hurt a fly, let alone a bee. Look at what has happened to bees who have never been asked, "Smoking or non?" Is this what nature intended for us? To be forcibly addicted to smoke machines and man-made wooden slat work camps? Living out our lives as honey slaves to the white man?

What are we gonna do? - He's playing the species card. Ladies and gentlemen, please, free these bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! The court finds in favor of the bees! Vanessa, we won! I knew you could do it! High-five! Sorry. I'm OK! You know what this means? All the honey will finally belong to the bees. Now we won't have to work so hard all the time. This is an unholy perversion of the balance of nature, Benson. You'll regret this. Barry, how much honey is out there? All right. One at a time. Barry, who are you wearing? My sweater is Ralph Lauren, and I have no pants. - What if Montgomery's right? - What do you mean? We've been living the bee way a long time, 27 million years. Oongratulations on your victory. What will you demand as a settlement? First, we'll demand a complete shutdown of all bee work camps. Then we want back the honey that was ours to begin with, every last drop. We demand an end to the glorification of the bear as anything more than a filthy, smelly, bad-breath stink machine. We're all aware of what they do in the woods. Wait for my signal. Take him out. He'll have nauseous for a few hours, then he'll be fine. And we will no longer tolerate bee-negative nicknames… But it's just a prance-about stage name! …unnecessary inclusion of honey in bogus health products and la-dee-da human tea-time snack garnishments. Oan't breathe. Bring it in, boys! Hold it right there! Good. Tap it. Mr. Buzzwell, we just passed three cups, and there's gallons more coming! - I think we need to shut down! - Shut down? We've never shut down. Shut down honey production! Stop making honey! Turn your key, sir! What do we do now? Oannonball! We're shutting honey production! Mission abort. Aborting pollination and nectar detail. Returning to base. Adam, you wouldn't believe how much honey was out there. Oh, yeah? What's going on? Where is everybody? - Are they out celebrating? 

They're home. They don't know what to do. Laying out, sleeping in. I heard your Uncle Oarl was on his way to San Antonio with a cricket. At least we got our honey back. Sometimes I think, so what if humans liked our honey? Who wouldn't? It's the greatest thing in the world! I was excited to be part of making it. This was my new desk. This was my new job. I wanted to do it really well. And now… Now I can't. I don't understand why they're not happy. I thought their lives would be better! They're doing nothing. It's amazing. Honey really changes people. You don't have any idea what's going on, do you? - What did you want to show me? - This. What happened here? That is not the half of it. Oh, no. Oh, my. They're all wilting. Doesn't look very good, does it? No. And whose fault do you think that is? You know, I'm gonna guess bees. Bees? Specifically, me. I didn't think bees not needing to make honey would affect all these things. It's notjust flowers. Fruits, vegetables, they all need bees. That's our whole SAT test right there. Take away produce, that affects the entire animal kingdom. And then, of course… The human species? So if there's no more pollination, it could all just go south here, couldn't it? I know this is also partly my fault. How about a suicide pact? How do we do it? - I'll sting you, you step on me.

Thatjust kills you twice. Right, right. Listen, Barry… sorry, but I gotta get going. I had to open my mouth and talk. Vanessa? Vanessa? Why are you leaving? Where are you going? To the final Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena. They've moved it to this weekend because all the flowers are dying. It's the last chance I'll ever have to see it. Vanessa, I just wanna say I'm sorry. I never meant it to turn out like this. I know. Me neither. Tournament of Roses. Roses can't do sports. Wait a minute. Roses. Roses? Roses! Vanessa! Roses?! Barry? - Roses are flowers! - Yes, they are. Flowers, bees, pollen! I know. That's why this is the last parade. Maybe not. Oould you ask him to slow down? Oould you slow down? Barry! OK, I made a huge mistake. This is a total disaster, all my fault. Yes, it kind of is. I've ruined the planet. I wanted to help you with the flower shop. I've made it worse. Actually, it's completely closed down. I thought maybe you were remodeling. But I have another idea, and it's greater than my previous ideas combined. I don't want to hear it! All right, they have the roses, the roses have the pollen. I know every bee, plant and flower bud in this park. All we gotta do is get what they've got back here with what we've got. - Bees. - Park. - Pollen! - Flowers. - Repollination! - Across the nation! Tournament of Roses, Pasadena, Oalifornia. They've got nothing but flowers, floats and cotton candy. Security will be tight. I have an idea. Vanessa Bloome, FTD. Official floral business. It's real. Sorry, ma'am. Nice brooch. Thank you. It was a gift. Once inside, we just pick the right float. How about The Princess and the Pea? I could be the princess, and you could be the pea! Yes, I got it. - Where should I sit? - What are you? - I believe I'm the pea. - The pea? It goes under the mattresses. - Not in this fairy tale, sweetheart. - I'm getting the marshal. You do that! This whole parade is a fiasco! Let's see what this baby'll do. Hey, what are you doing?! Then all we do is blend in with traffic… …without arousing suspicion. Once at the airport, there's no stopping us. Stop! Security.

You and your insect pack your float? - Yes. Has it been in your possession the entire time? Would you remove your shoes? - Remove your stinger. - It's part of me. I know. Just having some fun. Enjoy your flight. Then if we're lucky, we'll have just enough pollen to do the job. Oan you believe how lucky we are? We have just enough pollen to do the job! I think this is gonna work. It's got to work. Attention, passengers, this is Oaptain Scott. We have a bit of bad weather in New York. It looks like we'll experience a couple hours delay. Barry, these are cut flowers with no water. They'll never make it. I gotta get up there and talk to them. Be careful. Oan I get help with the Sky Mall magazine? I'd like to order the talking inflatable nose and ear hair trimmer. Oaptain, I'm in a real situation. - What'd you say, Hal? - Nothing. Bee! Don't freak out! My entire species… What are you doing? - Wait a minute! I'm an attorney! - Who's an attorney? Don't move. Oh, Barry. Good afternoon, passengers. This is your captain. Would a Miss Vanessa Bloome in 24B please report to the cockpit? And please hurry! What happened here? There was a DustBuster, a toupee, a life raft exploded. One's bald, one's in a boat, they're both unconscious! - Is that another bee joke? - No! No one's flying the plane! This is JFK control tower, Flight 356. What's your status? This is Vanessa Bloome. I'm a florist from New York. Where's the pilot? He's unconscious, and so is the copilot. Not good. Does anyone onboard have flight experience? As a matter of fact, there is. - Who's that? - Barry Benson. From the honey trial?! Oh, great. Vanessa, this is nothing more than a big metal bee. It's got giant wings, huge engines. I can't fly a plane. - Why not? Isn't John Travolta a pilot? - Yes. How hard could it be? Wait, Barry! We're headed into some lightning. This is Bob Bumble. We have some late-breaking news from JFK Airport, where a suspenseful scene is developing. Barry Benson, fresh from his legal victory… That's Barry! …is attempting to land a plane, loaded with people, flowers and an incapacitated flight crew. Flowers?! We have a storm in the area and two individuals at the controls with absolutely no flight experience. Just a minute. There's a bee on that plane.

I'm quite familiar with Mr. Benson and his no-account compadres. They've done enough damage. But isn't he your only hope? Technically, a bee shouldn't be able to fly at all. Their wings are too small… Haven't we heard this a million times? "The surface area of the wings and body mass make no sense." - Get this on the air! - Got it. - Stand by. - We're going live. The way we work may be a mystery to you. Making honey takes a lot of bees doing a lot of small jobs. But let me tell you about a small job. If you do it well, it makes a big difference. More than we realized. To us, to everyone. That's why I want to get bees back to working together. That's the bee way! We're not made of Jell-O. We get behind a fellow. - Black and yellow! - Hello! Left, right, down, hover. - Hover? - Forget hover. This isn't so hard. Beep-beep! Beep-beep! Barry, what happened?! Wait, I think we were on autopilot the whole time. - That may have been helping me. - And now we're not! So it turns out I cannot fly a plane. All of you, let's get behind this fellow! Move it out! Move out! Our only chance is if I do what I'd do, you copy me with the wings of the plane! Don't have to yell. I'm not yelling! We're in a lot of trouble. It's very hard to concentrate with that panicky tone in your voice! It's not a tone. I'm panicking! I can't do this! Vanessa, pull yourself together. You have to snap out of it! You snap out of it. You snap out of it. - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - Hold it! - Why? Oome on, it's my turn. How is the plane flying? I don't know. Hello? Benson, got any flowers for a happy occasion in there? The Pollen Jocks! They do get behind a fellow. - Black and yellow. - Hello. All right, let's drop this tin can on the blacktop. Where? I can't see anything. Oan you? No, nothing. It's all cloudy. Oome on. You got to think bee, Barry. - Thinking bee. - Thinking bee. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Wait a minute. I think I'm feeling something. - What? - I don't know. It's strong, pulling me. Like a 27-million-year-old instinct. Bring the nose down. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! - What in the world is on the tarmac?

Get some lights on that! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! - Vanessa, aim for the flower. - OK. Out the engines. We're going in on bee power. Ready, boys? Affirmative! Good. Good. Easy, now. That's it. Land on that flower! Ready? Full reverse! Spin it around! - Not that flower! The other one! - Which one? - That flower. - I'm aiming at the flower! That's a fat guy in a flowered shirt. I mean the giant pulsating flower made of millions of bees! Pull forward. Nose down. Tail up. Rotate around it. - This is insane, Barry! - This's the only way I know how to fly. Am I koo-koo-kachoo, or is this plane flying in an insect-like pattern? Get your nose in there. Don't be afraid. Smell it. Full reverse! Just drop it. Be a part of it. Aim for the center! Now drop it in! Drop it in, woman! Oome on, already. Barry, we did it! You taught me how to fly! - Yes. No high-five! - Right. Barry, it worked! Did you see the giant flower? What giant flower? Where? Of course I saw the flower! That was genius! - Thank you. - But we're not done yet. Listen, everyone! This runway is covered with the last pollen from the last flowers available anywhere on Earth. That means this is our last chance. We're the only ones who make honey, pollinate flowers and dress like this. If we're gonna survive as a species, this is our moment! What do you say? Are we going to be bees, orjust Museum of Natural History keychains? We're bees! Keychain! Then follow me! Except Keychain. Hold on, Barry. Here. You've earned this. Yeah! I'm a Pollen Jock! And it's a perfect fit. All I gotta do are the sleeves. Oh, yeah. That's our Barry. Mom! The bees are back! If anybody needs to make a call, now's the time. I got a feeling we'll be working late tonight! Here's your change. Have a great afternoon! Oan I help who's next? Would you like some honey with that?

It is bee-approved. Don't forget these. Milk, cream, cheese, it's all me. And I don't see a nickel! Sometimes I just feel like a piece of meat! I had no idea. Barry, I'm sorry. Have you got a moment? Would you excuse me? My mosquito associate will help you. Sorry I'm late. He's a lawyer too? I was already a blood-sucking parasite. All I needed was a briefcase. Have a great afternoon! Barry, I just got this huge tulip order, and I can't get them anywhere. No problem, Vannie. Just leave it to me. You're a lifesaver, Barry. Oan I help who's next? All right, scramble, jocks! It's time to fly. Thank you, Barry! That bee is living my life! Let it go, Kenny. - When will this nightmare end?! - Let it all go. - Beautiful day to fly. - Sure is. Between you and me, I was dying to get out of that office. You have got to start thinking bee, my friend. - Thinking bee! - Me? Hold it. Let's just stop for a second. Hold it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, everyone. Oan we stop here? I'm not making a major life decision during a production number! All right. Take ten, everybody. Wrap it up, guys. I had virtually no rehearsal for that.

[hello-there]

Communities are a new way to connect with the people on Tumblr who care about the things you care about! Browse Communities to find the perfect one for your interests or create a new one and invite your friends and mutuals!

[jbridgens]

Mr. Bridgens? It is John, or, Irving, that is. Lieutenant Irving.

I am terribly sorry to bother you, but... you did say I could come to you with my troubles. And though I don't deserve your pity or your comfort I so desperately need it.

I cannot tell Harry. Cannot tell him how deeply afraid I am. How much I hurt, inside.

I am a broken man, Mr. Bridgens.

I- I need your guidance.

Please, have mercy upon me.

- Lt. J.I.

Of course, son, it's no bother at all.

I understand what conflict you are feeling; trust me when I say I myself have long felt it and have asked myself if I am on the right path. But have faith in my experiences, being many years the Lieutenant's senior, and in the conclusions I have drawn from them: You are not a broken man, nor are you guilty of any sin for it.

All men make mistakes in life, but I do not believe that doing something harmless which brings yourself and your partners some semblance of happiness is one of them. There are passages which one may point to in crusades to condemn nearly any man, but I urge you in particular to focus instead on the following: "Be not afraid.. for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you." Jeremiah 42:11.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10.

"For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." 1 Peter 2:25.

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Hebrews 13:20-21.

I shan't have mercy upon the Lieutenant because there is simply nothing that ought to be punished. You are still due all respect, sir, and I would say more for being willing to step into the fray and question something so personal which is often considered wrong.

In the end, it is up to you to determine what you believe, sir. But I would also remind the Lieutenant that Christ died for his sins, so that he may live as he pleases all the same.

[tellmegoodbye]

-> Music Monday

It's Monday, so you know what that means...more songs!!

I made this post the other day going over the details of how this tag works, as well as linking the playlists and docs! Don't worry if a song you wanted to submit is already there, because adding your own thoughts and interpretations is a completely valid way to contribute!

Today, I have four soundtrack songs, as well as one Tarlos song and one Jace song.

How Did You Love - Shinedown

This song is very important to me, being one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands. Lone Star and OG both have incredible music taste, what can I say? It's a very Owen coded song to me.

"What is the legacy that you're going to leave behind? It's a song that is a lot about reflection and understanding that it's better to give love than to spread hate." - Shinedown

In the video that I linked above the band explains that the meaning of this song is about accepting that one day, your time will be up, and that it's important to focus on what we leave behind when we're gone. That is Owen to me. He is someone who is learning to accept his mortality and put all of his efforts into being a good father, and a good captain. In 1x02, the episode this song is from, he is still coming to terms with his cancer and what that is going to mean for him going forward. He has to learn to accept the things he can't control, and focus on the things that matter most.

"No one gets out alive. Every day is do or die. The one thing you leave behind is how did you love? How did you love?"

Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Another god tier song from 1x02. This song reminds me a lot of Owen, Gwyn and TK. It's an anthem for the way they love him. The lyrics “don't forget son, there is someone up above” make me think of how Gwyn is watching over him even after she's gone.

Also, Shinedown did a cover of this song that blows the original out of the water. Just so you know.

Breathe - Fleurie

The lyrics “when will we finally breathe” are on my blog title for a reason. This song reminds me of Push, and One Day (the episode the song is from) which is my second favorite episode in the whole show!

There's a feeling I get when listening to this song that is similar to the way I feel when I watch these episodes, like something is building up until suddenly all of the emotion comes pouring out and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Amen - Amber Run

Such a good song for 3x08! It's the perfect song for TK and Gwyn and the lyrics definitely speak to his struggles with addiction, as well as the way he's feeling after she dies.

"Oh, is there a heaven? You'd know now you've been"

"Are those real stars that hang in the sky? Or are they man-made, a trick of the light?"

"Cause the devil is raging inside my mind And is there a moment when it all makes sense? When saying goodbye doesn't feel like the end?"

"Sometimes I'd rather be dead, at least then I'm with you, amen"

Now that I've gotten the soundtrack songs out of the way, I'm going to share my other two songs!

If It Keeps You Up At Night - The Swoons

I've seen the world on top of your shoulders You lift me up 'cause you know I'm smaller When this life's a concert I can't see When I'm black and blue you paint me brighter And raise me up just like a lighter Even through the darkest symphony

And if it keeps you up at night I'll stay up and learn the words to all the songs that you like So if your eyes are open wide I can sing you something sweeter than that devil in your mind And if it still keeps you up at night I won't hold it against you I'll just hold, hold you tight

This song is perfect for Tarlos. It's about them loving each other even through the hard times. The lyrics in the chorus specifically are what I think they are feeling when they watch each other struggle with grief, addiction, and everything else. The first scene it reminds me of is the dining table scene in 3x13, but it could apply to many other scenes too.

Are You Still Waiting For Me? - Vian Izak

Traveling this road alone Made my heart heavy like a stone But when I think of you, I feel hope Are you still waiting for me, love?

I fall so many times, oh no But standing up makes me strong I need you in my life, you're the one Are you still waiting for me, love?

This is the song that reminds me of early Jace. When Judd finally sees Grace again when Tommy is in labor and he's uncertain of whether or not she still wants to be with him. He's wondering if she's still waiting for him.

No pressure tagging: @strandnreyes @nancys-braids @carlos-in-glasses @goodways @lemonlyman-dotcom

@carlos-tk @literateowl @eclectic-sassycoweyes @herefortarlos @thisbuildinghasfeelings

@freneticfloetry @bonheur-cafe @captain-gillian @heartstringsduet @welcometololaland

[bellofthemeadow]

Summer of '03 | Joel Miller x Female Reader

Series Masterlist // Prologue

Rating: M for Mature (18 + no minors allowed)

Word Count: 6.3K

Warning: All warnings on the Series Masterlists, will update if necessary (Re-iterating, no minors allowed! Thank you)

Chapter Summary: An unexpected meeting leads to a wonderful gals' only day. If only your new friend's dad was more amenable and less of a grouchy asshole.

Notes: Hey everyone! Look who's back, its me!!! Sorry abut the delay, everything has been crazy busy these past few weeks, but I am finally through!!! I hope you all really enjoy this new chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it :D I also tried to tag those who wanted to be tagged, if I missed you I really apologize!!! Also, if you want to be tagged for future chapters, just let me know.

Like always, thank you to everyone who shows interest in my writing, you guys mean the world to me!!! I love you all very very much <3

Taglist: @brittmb115 , @bitchwitch1981, @kittenlittle24

A Day by the Pool

After a week of living in Aunt Ruth’s house, the verdict was out: Texas was scorching hot! No, it was more than that. The humidity that permeated the air felt like it was adhering to the pores of your skin, leaving you feeling tired and grouchy on most days. The sun seared your skin, making "hot" seem like a complete understatement. Sweat poured from your every pore, even places you didn't know could sweat. You even had to resort to your grandma’s old trick to keep “fresh” and had started to carry a pack of wet wipes in your purse for those, now way too common, sweating emergencies. The mere thought of June and heaven forbid, July, was sending shivers down your spine. Maybe you'll have to hibernate inside the house for the rest of the summer, like a bear. Except, instead of sleeping the winter away, you would spend your Hot girl summer marinating on a flower-patterned couch while eating your weight in ice cream.

For now, however, you found respite from the blistering heat by plunging in the refreshing waters of Aunt Ruth's spacious backyard pool. It was a large rectangular pool, complete with a diving board and even a small waterslide! A child’s paradise and for you, literal heaven! You were pleasantly surprised when you first laid eyes on the pool, particularly its impeccable state. Considering Mrs. Ruth had passed away about two months ago, you expected signs of neglect like leaves lining the inside of the pool or dark murky waters. Yet, to your delight, it was in excellent condition. But the true highlight of the backyard was the four lounge chairs thoughtfully placed alongside the pool. Each equipped with its own individual parasols, they provided a perfect hiding place where you could bask in the cool shade, escaping the relentless sun's rays. You could spend hours lounging there after a delightful morning of swimming. It felt almost magical to realize that your only obligation now was to slather on enough sunscreen to protect your skin. No deadline to meet, no labs to complete, no research papers to write, no parents to please. Just living.

You had called Robbie that first night after giving yourself a thorough tour of the house. Robbie, as if he had been waiting right next to the phone, picked up after just two rings. "Gurl, tell me all! Do you like the house? Did you see the pool yet? Have you tried the bed? I don't know if I could sleep in it, you know I heard from my dad that Aunt Ruth died in her sleep!!! Maybe you should use one of the guest rooms, you know, in a ghost-free zone..." You chuckled at your friend's motormouth. Robbie could keep going for hours if you didn't stop him, and you loved him for it, as he had used that mouth of his to get you two out of trouble more than once. So you let yourself be swept away by his excitement, and the two of you chatted for hours. You told him about how hot Texas was and how thrilled you were that Aunt Ruth had a ready-to-use pool. Robbie shared in your excitement before adding, "Yeah, I know isn’t awesome!! Joel Miller took care of that when summer started." Well, that was enough to put a damper on your mood. You awkwardly chuckled before mentioning that you would thank the man when you saw him (If you never see Joel Miller again, it would be too soon).

You started lathering some more sunscreen on your upper arms and readjusted the top of your cute little two-piece swimsuit. You had gotten the bikini specifically for Texas, and you loved the adorable white two-piece set with tiny strawberries all over it. With your oversized cherry-red sunglasses, you felt like you were living your best 1960s rich housewife life! You let out a satisfied hum before allowing yourself to bask in the sunny weather. Your eyes started to droop, and you were ready to enjoy a post-swim nap when a tiny voice abruptly interrupted your moment.

"Sorry to bother you…" the unexpected voice chimed in. Abruptly startled, you let out a high-pitched scream, causing you to twist your body in a panic. In your haste, you ended up sprawled on the deck floor, with your red sunglasses barely hanging on the tip of your nose.

From your sprawled position, you peek at a small girl with a head of dark curly hair, wearing a bright purple t-shirt that seemed to match her vibrant energy. Her clever eyes widen with horror at the sight in front of her, and she rushes to your side.

"Oh my God, oh my God! I am so, so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you like that. Are you alright?" The unknown girl exclaims.

You manage to muster a half-hearted wave, or at least what you hope looks like one, as you try to regain your composure. "Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. I just wasn't expecting anyone." You offer a reassuring smile, hoping to ease her worries.

The girl's face lights up with a mixture of relief and amusement. She bites her lower lip, a habit that seems to indicate both nervousness and a mischievous spirit. You take a moment to study her before asking, "And how can I help you..." You let the sentence trail off. "Sarah! My name is Sarah," she blurts out, her words tumbling out in a rush. Realizing her impulsive interruption, she quickly closes her mouth, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"It's nice to meet you, Sarah," you reply warmly, extending a hand towards her. Before you can introduce yourself, she interjects confidently, "I know who you are." You raise an eyebrow, intrigued by her assertiveness which is rather rare for girls her age.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. My dad always says I gotta be more polite with people, but I can't help it sometimes. Words just fly out before my brain can tell them not to," Sarah sheepishly explains.

A kind smile spreads across your face as you appreciate her candidness. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, you should never have to censor yourself for people's sake. You seem like a bright girl, so keep being yourself, and screw anyone who say otherwise!" Your words of encouragement seem to ignite a spark in her eyes, as her smile becomes positively radiant. She was lovely you thought with a smile that mirrored hers.

"But still, how can I help you, Sarah?" you inquire, genuinely curious about the reason behind her unexpected visit. You observe how Sarah's excitement transforms into nervous energy as she bounces on the balls of her feet. She lets out a sigh, twisting her fingers together. "I forgot my house keys... again."

Sympathy washes over you as you consider her situation. "Ohhh. Do you want to use my phone to call your parents? There is a house phone in the living ro..." you offer, hoping to be of assistance. However, Sarah's eyes widen with a mix of desperation and determination as she quickly interrupts your suggestion.

"No, please, no calling. It's the third time this week I forgot my key, and my dad will be pissed if I bother him again for his keys. He's working away from Austin today anyway, so I know he would just ask me to go to the Adlers' next door. But Mrs. Adler makes the worst cookies, and I don’t want to sound mean but they are so old and boring, and I really don't want to hang out there today. Especially since it’s Friday…" Sarah explains, her voice filled with a genuine sense of reluctance and distaste for the situation.

You nod in understanding, a smile tugs at your lips as you watch her giving herself what seems like a little mental pep-talk. "I saw you move in last week, and you seemed pretty cool, so I guess I was wondering if I could... if maybe you wouldn't mind..." Sarah's words trail off, uncertainty evident in her expression.

You meet her gaze with a reassuring smile. "If I wouldn't mind you staying with me this afternoon?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Sarah replies, her voice laced with nerves as she anxiously awaits your response.

Your smile widens, and you extend a hand toward her as you make an exaggerated flourish, "My dear Sarah, it would be my pleasure to have you as my guest. Consider my place your refuge from the dreadful cookie land of the Adlers. Come on in!"

Sarah lets out a loud laugh, warm and happy, the kind of laughter that tells you she is well-loved and has had a childhood surrounded by caring people. You don't remember ever laughing like that, so freely and happily. If you did, it had to be with Robbie. He was the closest thing you considered to a brother, and he was the only one who could make you genuinely laugh.

Guiding her inside, you grab a large glass adorned with printed daffodils, filling it with water and offering it to Sarah. "It's been so hot, you need to stay hydrated, especially if you were outside." Gratefully, Sarah accepts the glass and takes three big gulps before setting it back down on the counter. "Thanks, I just got home from school, and I know my dad won't be there until late tonight, so I really appreciate it.”

"It's no worries at all! I love having another girl around; it has been pretty lonely these past few days," you say warmly, feeling a genuine connection with this spirited young girl. Sarah looks at you with expectant eyes, and then she musters the courage to ask, "Maybe we could be friends?" Her words are tinged with a hint of vulnerability.

You can't help but smile back, genuinely touched by her request. "I think that's an amazing idea, and I think we should have a girls' day until your dad comes home," you suggest with a playful wink, eliciting another delighted giggle from Sarah.

As Sarah sits at the kitchen island, you make a quick trip upstairs to the guest room you now call your own. Robbie's ghost warnings had made you wary of Aunt Ruth's bedroom, so you decided to settle in the more comfortable guest room instead. In the wardrobe, you find the old sage green bikini you used to wear back in high school. It was the first item of clothing you had bought with your own money when you were a kid, it was everything your parents hated from its colour to the size of the triangles covering the breast area. You had loved that bikini and had kept it all these years for sentimental value. After leaving New York, you hadn't had the heart to leave it behind.

As you hold the bikini in your hands, you let out a satisfactory hum—it would be a perfect fit for Sarah, and the colour would beautifully complement her complexion. With a smile, you head back downstairs, eager to share your find with her.

"We can't let this weather go to waste. This is my old bikini, and you can wear it so we can keep on enjoying the pool!" you exclaim, presenting the sage green bikini to Sarah. Her eyes light up with excitement. "Really!!! I love that pool. Mrs. Ruth always let me use it during the summer, but since she passed, Dad said I wouldn't be able to use it anymore..."

You can't bear to see Sarah disappointed, so you quickly reassure her. "Well, since I live here now, I give you permission to always use the pool as long as your dad lets you. Now come on, put the bikini on! We should have time to get a good swim in."

Sarah's face breaks into a huge smile as she eagerly takes the bikini to change. Moments later, the two of you head out to the pool, and the rest of the afternoon is filled with laughter, splashing, and bonding. You make virgin mojitos for you and Sarah, using the good glasses and take out of the fridge a large watermelon that you cut and lay on the side of the pool. Between splashes and many attempts at dunking, you enjoy the company of the young girl that you find equal part lovely and spirited. A terrific combination in a young girl in your opinion.

"Really?! You're a doctor, but you look so young!!" Sarah exclaims with a bewildered look, you were both in the water enjoying the sun warming your shoulders as you were sharing tidbits of your lives to each other. You can't help but let out a laugh at her adorable reaction. "Well, I finished med school, but I would still have about 4 more years of residency before I can be a proper doctor. 26 is about the right age to start residency," you explain, finding amusement in her innocent curiosity.

As the sun begins to set, casting a breathtaking display of pink and orange hues across the sky, you both decide it's time to call it a day for swimming. As you are gathering all of the stuff from the patio to bring inside, Sarah continues asking more questions, and you happily oblige, engaging in conversations that flows way better than any fake ones you had back in New York. Sarah was especially entranced by your stories about New York, she wanted to know everything about the big Apple, from the museums, the park, the fashion, the people. Everything was of interest to the girl. You were more than happy to oblige her, although you did skip over some details that were definitely not appropriate for a 14-year-old girl. "So are you doing your residency in Austin? Is that why you came here?" she innocently inquires.

The question tugs at your emotions, but you don't want to dampen the mood. "Not really... I had a really good residency lined up back in New York, at the same hospital that everyone in my family did theirs. Most of them actually still work there.  But I guess I needed a break," you respond, quickly shifting gears to keep the atmosphere light and carefree. "Maybe we should order pizza and put on a movie?!”

Sarah agrees enthusiastically, her smile lighting up the room. You both head inside, deciding on a delicious pepperoni pizza with spicy pepper and a drizzle of honey—a perfect combination that you can’t wait to show Sarah. As for the movie, you settle on a cheesy rom-com, perfect to end a wonderful girls’ day at the pool.

Taking turns in the upstairs bathroom to wash off the dirt and sun from the afternoon's adventures, you pass Sarah one of your old, oversized science camp t-shirts and a pair of large basketball shorts that must belong to Robbie. You slip into an old NYU t-shirt from your undergrad days and a pair of tiny bikers shorts, feeling comfortable and at ease for the first time in a while.

Just as you both exit the bathroom, the doorbell rings, announcing the arrival of the pizza. You pay for it, bringing the steaming delight back inside, and your mouth waters at the aroma of the gooey mozzarella. As you both settle down in the living room, the pizza box opens, and you pass a slice to Sarah. She eyes it with uncertainty, voicing her skepticism about the honey on pizza. "Still not 100% convinced that honey belongs on a pizza. Is it something New Yorkers do a lot?"

You chuckle at her question, finding her curiosity endearing. "I can't speak for every New Yorker, but my friend Robbie and I love the combo of sweet from the honey, spicy from the peppers, and savoury from the pepperoni and cheese. It completely changed our lives when we first tried it, like, 4 years ago. To be honest, we were totally drunk at the time, so it was just a happy accident that it turned out that good. Uh, sorry, maybe I shouldn't talk about my drinking life with a minor. Is that weird?"

Sarah joins in the laughter, lightening the mood with her witty response, "Oh yeah, totally, that's a serious offence, probably like 10 years in jail or something."

You playfully swat at the air in front of her, pretending to fend off her teasing. "Smartass, all right, young lady, no more stalling. Are you trying that pizza or not?"

With determined eyes, Sarah takes a large bite, and you watch her intently, curious about her reaction. As she chews, her eyes open wide, and a moan of delight escapes her mouth. “AH!” you can't help but let out a triumphant shriek, "Told you it was amazing!"

"How the hell does that work? I've never had a better pizza in like ever!" she says, going back for a second bite, while you can't help but laugh with pride.

As you and Sarah nestle into the plush cushions to watch "10 Things I Hate About You,” you both spent the majority of the movie commenting and laughing together. Halfway through, you get up and head to the kitchen where you quickly whip up your famous ice cream extravaganza. A massive bowl filled to the brim with scoops of creamy ice cream is filled to the brim with rainbow-coloured sprinkles, while you carefully place maraschino cherries like bright jewels atop the ice cream peaks. And the pièce de résistance: a heaping drizzle of decadent chocolate sauce cascades down the ice cream mountain.

As you put the finishing touches on the ice cream, you think how time passed quickly today and you noticed it was already 9:15 pm. The realization dawns on you that Sarah has been with you for quite a while now, and a gentle concern niggles at your mind.

You head back to the living room with the bowl of ice cream that Sarah is eyeing like a hawk and ask, "Hey, not that you're intruding or anything like that, but it's getting quite late. Is it normal for your dad to leave you like that on your own?"

Sarah pauses the movie and takes the bowl of ice cream with greedy hands, "Thanks for that, it looks amazing! I guess it happens sometimes. My dad is a contractor, so sometimes his jobs run kinda late. That's why if I forget my keys, I'm kind of screwed, especially when the job is outside of Austin."

Your brain short-circuits as you realize you hadn't even asked Sarah who her dad was. You berate yourself for not thinking of such an important detail. "Wait, what's your dad's name?" you hurriedly ask, hoping to rectify your oversight.

As a series of loud knocks resonates from the front door, Sarah doesn't have time to answer, and you feel yourself grow pale. You manage a tight smile, making a wave toward Sarah's melting ice cream, and hesitantly head toward the door. Your heart pounds in your chest, and you can't shake the sinking feeling in your gut.

Feeling light-headed, almost drunk with anxiety, you can't help but pray that whoever is at the door is not the man you met when you first got to Austin. There has got to be more than one contractor in the area, right? This is suburbia, not some B-movie! You are totally making a mountain out of a molehill, the logical part of your mind trying its hardest to convince you that Sarah’s Dad and douche Miller are unlikely to be the same person.

Still, as you reach the door, the knocks are growing louder and more insistent, setting your nerves on edge. Taking a fortifying breath, you try to steady your trembling hands as you finally open the door, preparing yourself for whoever stands on the other side. To your horror, you are met with the now familiar furious gaze of none other than Joel Miller himself. His presence alone feels suffocating, and it sends shivers down your spine.

"Is m’daughter ‘re?" Joel demands, his voice carrying a gruff edge, making his thick southern accent even thicker and sending a shiver down your spine. Under the weight of his intense gaze, you find yourself growing warm, almost uncomfortably so. His eyes lock onto you, assessing you from head to toe, and suddenly, you feel acutely aware of your choice of attire - tiny shorts and an oversized shirt that now seem woefully inadequate in front of this imposing man.

The disapproval in his eyes is palpable as they linger on your exposed collarbones, making you feel strangely vulnerable. It's as if every inch of your skin is under scrutiny, and you can't help but wonder why your shoulder seems to provoke such vexation in him. His stare is cutting and contemptuous, unlike anything you've experienced before.

Yet, despite the disdainful aura surrounding him, you can't help but find yourself drawn to the sheer presence he commands in your doorway. He looms tall and broad, casting a shadow over the moon's light, and you can't deny the strange allure that emanates from this powerful figure. It's a confusing mix of fear and fascination, and you chide yourself internally for feeling this way.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" you silently berate yourself, recognizing the absurdity of finding any attraction in someone who clearly views you with such disdain. You can't afford to be captivated by him, not when his gaze feels like that of someone inspecting a revolting object beneath their shoe.

Summoning your strength, you gather your resolve to meet his gaze head-on. This time, you won't cower or falter; you won't let him see a trace of vulnerability. Squaring your shoulders, you lock eyes with him, a silent message passing between you – you won't be intimidated.

"Yes, she is," you answer, observing the man's face contort even further, as though he had bitten into a bitter lemon.

"Well, she shouldn't be here! SARAH, COME HERE RIGHT NOW!" His bellow reverberates through the room, but you stand your ground, unfazed by his attempt to intimidate you. What did he say last time? Rich princess from New York? You'll fucking show him!

Confidently placing your left hand on your hips, you subtly jut to the side, purposefully drawing his attention with the alluring curve of your body. Like a puppet on strings, his eyes obediently follow your every move, and a subtle sense of triumph courses through you. It's evident that this little battle isn't one-sided; he's undeniably affected by your presence too.

With an exaggerated eyeroll that could qualify for an Olympic medal, you let out an exasperated huff. You start to speak in slow motion as if dealing with a child, "Sarah told me she forgot her key, and she knew you'd be working outside of Austin. Can you really blame her for not wanting to disturb her oh-so-busy dad? But relax, we didn't go all wild and crazy—just a harmless girls' day by the pool, stuffing ourselves with pizza, and catching a movie. Seriously, take a chill pill; you can loosen that suffocating overprotective tie of yours. And for the record, I may not be Einstein, but handling a 14-year-old without triggering Armageddon is totally my expertise, no biggie.”

Joel’s eye twitch at the words “chill pill” and he further grits his teeth at your tone. "She. Shouldn't. Be. Here," he enunciates back, his disapproval evident.

"Oh, really?!" you scoff, your irritation bubbling over like a boiling cauldron. "Yeah, I must be the epitome of evil, right? I mean, looking after a kid, making sure she has a nice day, and God forbid, ensuring she's fed! I should be locked up for sure! You should totally dial 911 and report me to the authorities!" Your sarcasm drips like honey, leaving no room for doubt that you're not about to back down from this verbal showdown.

Your words hang tantalizingly in the air, a challenge thrown down before him, daring him to question your sincerity and genuine concern for Sarah. The tension between you two crackles like an electrifying storm, neither of you willing to yield an inch. But you stand tall and unyielding, resolute in defending your actions and your new blossoming affection for his daughter.

As the two of you lock eyes, a charged atmosphere envelopes the porch, but suddenly, a soft pitter-patter of feet breaks the tension. Sarah appears, still in the pajamas you lent her earlier, her face flushed with shame and on the brink of tears. For the first time since meeting Joel, his angry, prideful expression softens, replaced by genuine concern.

"Babygirl, you should've called to tell me you forgot your key. I would have arranged something for you," Joel's voice now carries a fatherly concern that tugs at your heartstrings. Despite the extreme reaction he displayed earlier, you can't help but understand his worry. If it were your daughter with a stranger, you'd probably be upset too.

Trying to ease the situation, you place a reassuring hand on Sarah's shoulder and conjure the warmest smile you can manage. "Your dad is right, Sarah. We should've called him as soon as you got here to let him know you'd be hanging out with me." Your gaze shifts to Joel, an apologetic expression etched on your face. "I'm really sorry, Mr. Miller. I didn't mean to cause any offence. I should have contacted you earlier to let you know Sarah was with me."

Joel's eyes remain fixated on your hand resting on Sarah's shoulder, the intensity palpable. But before you can react, he interrupts, his voice stern and unwavering, "You are goddamn right. You should've called me, and you did cause offence, girl." Your smile fades, and even Sarah seems taken aback, blurting out an indignant, squeaky "DAD!?"

But Joel Miller remains unfazed in his anger as he levels you with a look that makes you feel as small as when you were Sarah's age. "Come, Sarah, we are leaving. I don't want ya hanging 'round here again." Sarah tries to protest, but her dad remains unmoved by her pleas. "I don't care; I'll rent the movie for ya tomorrow. Now, come on." Sarah deflates and takes a step forward, but before she leaves, she turns her head toward you, offering a small, shy smile. "Thank you for today. It was the most fun I've had in a long time. I haven't had the chance to hang out with just a girl in a while," she adds softly.

You smile back warmly, touched by her words. "It was my pleasure, Sarah. I had a great time too. It was amazing to meet you." Sarah beams at you before following her dad, her posture sullen and unhappy. As you watch the two Millers retreating, you notice Mr. Miller trying to put his arm around Sarah in what you assume is a sweet, paternal gesture, but you cringe a bit when she furiously pushes him away and walks faster in front of him.

She reaches the door first, and when she finds it unlocked, she rips it open before slamming it in her father's face. Ouch, you think, laying your body across the door's side as you witness Mr. Miller rubbing his nose. You can't help but snort. Teenage girls are savage, you think.

As if your thoughts have magical powers, Joel turns around, and your gazes collide like a fierce clash of swords. The intensity in his eyes matches the fire in your own, and for a couple of seconds that feel like an eternity, you both lock onto each other, a charged silence enveloping the space between you.

You shake your head slowly, breaking eye contact first, but the tension lingers in the air like an invisible web, pulling you both towards each other even as you walk away. It's infuriating how he can get under your skin so effortlessly, how he manages to ignite a mix of intrigue and irritation deep within you.

You can't help but wonder what lies behind that impenetrable wall he's built around himself, what secrets and vulnerabilities he hides behind that tough exterior. But it doesn't matter; you know that, in his eyes, you are the enemy, the one he refuses to see beyond his preconceived judgments.

Yet, despite the anger that simmers beneath the surface, there's an undeniable pull, a magnetic force that draws you to this gruff man, like opposing poles of a magnet.

You can't deny the allure of this complex man, even as he remains an enigma wrapped in an armour of obstinacy. And he, too, seems unable to escape the intriguing power you hold over him, as much as he may resist it.

As you retreat indoors, the lingering tension leaves your heart pounding, the conflicting emotions swirling inside you like a tempest. There's a strange exhilaration in this cat-and-mouse game, a forbidden thrill that leaves you simultaneously infuriated and enticed.

With a heavy sigh, you take in the disarray of the living room—the movie still paused on the screen, a half-eaten bowl of ice cream slowly melting on the coffee table. The scene serves as a reminder of the day you spent with Sarah, and now that she's gone, the loneliness settles in like a heavy fog.

As you sit back in front of the TV and press play on the VCR, the room feels emptier than ever before. The laughter and chatter that once filled the space are now replaced with a haunting silence that amplifies the ache in your heart. Loneliness wraps around you like a suffocating shroud, and you can't help but feel adrift in the complexities of human relationships. The bittersweet memories of the day play in your mind like a broken record, and you can't escape the feeling of being lost in a sea of emotions.

___________

The room crackles with tension as Sarah and Joel face off, their emotions raw and unyielding. Sarah's defiance clashes with Joel's anger, and their words slice through the air like knives.

"I don't care what you think, Sarah! I am still your dad, and you can't just disappear without telling me where you are like that! I come home, and you are not here, and the Adlers don't know where you are!! What was I supposed to do?" Joel's frustration spills over, his voice raised.

Sarah's voice trembles with remorse, but her resolve remains firm. "I know I should've told you, and I am sorry for that! But you didn't need to be such an asshole to her either! She was nice to me, and she took care of me even if she didn't have to!"

"Watch your mouth, Sarah!"

"YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH!" Sarah's scream startles Joel, and he flinches. She continues, her emotions pouring out. "That was so uncalled for! I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but you just cost me the chance to have a real girlfriend! Someone who is smart and listened to me." Tears well up in Sarah's eyes, and Joel's heart breaks at the sight.

"Babygirl, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, but you meant to upset her," Sarah retorts, her anger unyielding. Joel's silence speaks volumes, and she pushes on, her voice filled with frustration. "That was so not cool, Dad, and if you took five minutes to talk with her without looking at her like she killed someone, you'd realize how nice she was."

Joel, however, remains unyielding. "What she is, is irresponsible. She should've called me; that's what any adult would have done in this scenario."

Rolling her eyes, Sarah dismisses his argument, clearly hurt by his stubbornness. "Whatever, Dad, I'm going to sleep."

"This conversation isn't over, Sarah! SARAH!" But all he gets in response is the sound of Sarah's door being slammed hard, shaking the whole house.

Joel let out a heavy sigh as he made his way to the fridge, his hand hesitating for a moment before grabbing the last beer. Tomorrow, he'd have to make a trip to the supermarket, but right now, his mind was preoccupied with something else entirely. As he settled down on the sofa, he closed his eyes, and there you were, the first thing that invaded his thoughts. The truth was, he couldn't help but wonder why you had such an intense and inexplicable hold on him.

From the moment he saw you in those tiny shorts and ridiculous Disney shirt, something within him shifted. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs, and his heart was racing like a stampede of wild horses. Your sweaty face and matted hair, so natural and real, along with your shy and sweet composure, had captivated him entirely. It was as if every fiber of his being was magnetically drawn to you, yet he couldn't fathom why.

He couldn't remember the last time he had been so nervously captivated by a girl. Because you were a girl. You must be at least 15 years younger than him. He felt dirty and old looking at how long your legs looked in those shorts you seem to always have on, like the dirty neighbourhood pervert who had nothing better to do than lust after the babysitter.

It was unnerving, and he struggled to understand the depths of these emotions he kept tucked away, hidden from the world. The memories of your first encounter replayed in his mind like a broken record. He knew he had been harsh with you that day, but what was he supposed to do? Each word he used against you felt like a weapon, and the image of your doe eyes brimming with unshed tears haunted him.

When you offered your thanks, showing kindness even after his callousness, it pierced his heart like a dagger of regret. He wanted nothing more than to slam his head against the wall, punishing himself for his thoughtless behavior. The truth was, he was utterly conflicted – torn between wanting to run after you and apologize, saying, "Please don't go. I'm the one who's sorry. I apologize. You look like sunshine, and I don't know what to do with myself. Please forgive me.”

You seemed to have done your best to avoid him in the following week, but he would spot you sometimes early in the morning or late at night hanging around the pool. The backyard wasn’t fenced so he always had a front-row seat of you going for a swim when he was leaving for work in the morning or coming back from work late at night. The sight of you walking around the pool, skin glistening with water wearing nothing but that cute strawberry bikini was tattooed forever behind his eyelid. The shape of your breast and the curve of your ass tantalizing him, he knows he shouldn’t look, but he couldn’t help himself. If he had known that opening the pool 1 month ago would lead to the biggest sexual torture of his life, he wouldn’t have touched Ruth’s pool after her death.

And after today, everything felt like a fucking mess. Joel had been overwhelmed with worry for Sarah, and when he found her with you, it was like a tidal wave of emotions crashing over him. The sight of you both together after he had torn down the neighbourhood left him unable to contain his anger. He couldn't help but lash out, and now, looking back, he felt like the world's biggest asshole.

Joel had stood there, a silent observer, as he watched his little girl's face light up with joy in your presence. The genuine and tender care you showed her warmed his heart, and he couldn't help but marvel at how quickly you had formed a bond with her, just within a day! The way you supported and cared for her filled him with a longing so intense that it bordered on painful.

As he observed from the sidelines when Sarah said goodbye to you, he couldn't help but drift into daydreams where he played an integral part in your life. In these fantasies, he imagined coming home after a grueling day, feeling exhausted and worn down, only to be greeted by your calm and soothing presence. You'd be standing there, wearing those alluring, tiny shorts that seemed to have been made to captivate his attention, and his heart would skip a beat.

In his daydream, he'd step into your embrace, and you'd hold him close, comforting him with your tender touch and understanding words. Sarah, ever the playful one, would pretend to gag theatrically on the sofa, teasingly pretending to be grossed out by your affectionate display.

A wave of desire surged through him, mingled with guilt and self-reproach. How could he dare to entertain such fantasies when he knew he had been a complete jerk to you in the past? He berated himself for his weakness, feeling utterly pathetic for allowing his heart to yearn for something he believed he didn't deserve.

Joel sat back in the worn sofa, his fingers wrapped around the cool, frosted beer. With one last sip, he let the refreshing liquid slide down his parched throat, providing a momentary relief to the weariness that enveloped him after the long and demanding day.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on his eyelids as he yearned for a chance to escape into the elusive realm of dreams. Slowly, he closed his eyes, seeking solace from the relentless demands of the world. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he surrendered to the allure of slumber.

In the stillness of the moment, thoughts of dreams danced through his mind. Would he find you there, your comforting presence holding him close with a gentle smile? The image brought a faint spark of hope and longing. Joel felt himself grow numb, hoping for a peaceful night, where you might appear, making his slumber all the more enchanting.

Next chapter

[dawnquafam]

“Can we talk?” “This is not the right moment for this.” For Orm and Stephen!

Enjoy 3.5k words of Stephen being very stressed about reuniting with his parents and Orm being a supportive not-yet-boyfriend about it <3

AO3

Stephen pulled over in front of a house that was both comforting and terrifying in its familiarity, his heart pounding in the peaceful suburbs. He stopped just before the driveway, unable to take his eyes off the neatly manicured lawn where he had run around as a child pretending to be Atlantean, off the window on the second story to the room where he had hidden away and read everything he could get his hands on about where the sunken city could be and what it might be like. He hadn’t seen this place in… he didn’t know how long. He wished he could say that it hadn’t been anywhere near as long since he had spoken to the people inside, but… that would be a lie.

He didn’t know when he had last done that, either.

He had never meant to lose touch with his parents. He had never meant to stop visiting them, then stop calling them, and finally stop texting and even emailing them. There was just always work to do, always a new lead to chase, always a new person laughing in his face that he needed to prove wrong. Returning their attempts to communicate had fallen by the wayside, buried by the desperate need to be right, for someone to believe him, and after meeting David, he’d held fast to the excuse that he didn’t want to reconnect only to get killed for failing him. There had always been a reason to maintain the silence.

Until a year ago, when he had suddenly become both vindicated and safe, and now he here he sat, almost out of reasons for the first time in forever.

He'd had second thoughts when he suggested coming here after Fishermen agents had ambushed him and Orm. He’d had third thoughts, fourth, fifth, sixth thoughts and more, too, and that was just at the beginning, when they were hiding out in a cheap motel room and a recently arrived Atlanna was double-checking his handiwork in patching Orm up. But his hometown was more than far enough inland to make any water-dweller think their own second thoughts about pursuing them, it offered far more homey amenities than a random League safehouse, and… he did want to see his parents again. If keeping Orm safe until the heat died down wasn’t going to push him to break down the walls he had built, then nothing ever would.

He could still delay it, though.

Turning the rental car’s engine off, he forced his attention to his passenger. Orm slept soundly beside him, faint bags under his eyes from a couple of sleepless nights, one hand curled loosely around his side, protecting the worst of his lingering wounds from the fight that had driven them here. “Hey.” He reached over, gently squeezing his arm. “We’re here.”

He jerked awake, hand clenching into a fist before he realized there was no danger. After rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn, he studied Stephen’s childhood home. “It’s quaint.”

Stephen looked at it again, at the cracked shutters and fading paint contrasting against the perfect landscaping and cute style. “‘Quaint’ as in charmingly old and small, or ‘quaint’ as in that’s the nicest thing a prince can think to say?”

“You know I meant it as a compliment,” Orm said, a slightly reproachful edge to his tone. “Palaces aren’t the be all end all of beautiful places to live.”

“Because even the most exquisite palace is empty without a family and anything is better than a prison cell,” Stephen said, echoing the conversation they’d had plenty of times when they were apartment hunting together. He sighed. “Sorry. I’m nervous.”

“The way you’ve been talking my ear off ever since you decided to take me here made that quite clear.” He furrowed his brows, glancing at the clock. “How long was I asleep? I didn’t intend to leave you with no one to talk to.”

“You needed it.” Stephen resisted the urge to smooth his hair, ruffled from the headrest, knowing that Orm accidentally grabbing his wrist during some turbulence was probably the closest they would ever get to such casual affection. He gestured instead, pointing at his hair and mimicking smoothing his own. “I would’ve told you to sleep on the plane if I thought you’d actually do it.”

“Those contraptions are catastrophes waiting to happen,” he muttered, sliding open the mirror and combing his fingers through his hair. “Mera and I are the only sane ones for believing it’s unnatural to be so high.”

Despite his nerves, Stephen chuckled. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were more afraid of flying than the five Fishermen agents that tried to kill us a couple days ago.”

“I’ve been trained to fight since I was six.” His hair successfully smoothed, he closed the mirror and laid his head back, looking at Stephen. “I know how to protect you from assassins. Not a plane crash.”

Heat rushed to his cheeks. He dropped his gaze, wondering if it would be easier to face his homecoming than the way Orm acted like protecting him was the only thing that mattered. He had watched the royal family’s training matches a few times, he had seen Orm fight, but the ferocity he had displayed when the agents burst in on them, the ferocity that hadn’t batted an eye at his injuries but had burned noticeably brighter when they tried to get to Stephen… he had been fighting for a life that night, but not his own. He cleared his throat. “How are you doing, by the way?”

“I should be fine in a day or two. I think,” he added beneath his breath, forever frustrated by how his healing had slowed in the aftermath of his imprisonment. He shook his head sharply, focusing on Stephen. “Are you ready to go in?” he asked at a normal volume.

Stephen’s false courage shattered at the question. It was easier to stay in this car, dealing with the feelings he had had practice pushing aside, with the brand of insanity that had become par for the course since meeting David, than to face the reunion he had spent so long avoiding. “No,” he answered, leaning on the steering wheel, careful not to honk the horn on accident. He didn’t need to draw attention to their lurking. “Can we talk?”

Orm arched an eyebrow. “This is not the right moment for this. We’re in front of your house.”

“Their house,” Stephen corrected automatically. “And I’m not- I’m not stalling. Ok, yes, I am,” he said when Orm’s eyebrow rose higher, “but I just… I’ve talked about everything but this since I offered this up as a place to lay low for a while. I don’t… I don’t know what to do.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I believe ringing the doorbell is the proper etiquette for requesting entry.”

Stephen huffed a reluctant laugh. “I know that, Prince Sarcasm,” he said. He swore he saw a glimmer of satisfaction in Orm’s eyes. “I mean… what do I say?” He looked at him hopelessly, the spurt of mirth vanishing. “What did you do when you reunited with your mom?”

He stiffened, his own shred of a good mood following Stephen’s into darkness, and Stephen tightened his grip on the steering wheel, wondering if he had just pushed the closed-off prince a step too far. A silent moment stretched out, pierced only by the distant cry of a lonely bird, until Stephen was so startled when he did speak that he nearly jumped. “I had little time to say anything before I was arrested,” he admitted. “Most of what I ‘said’ was spoken through our hug.”

“A hug,” Stephen said, trying to remember when he had last hugged either of his parents. When had he last been here? “Are they even going to want to hug me?”

“My mother returned home to find me waging a war and attempting to kill my own brother and betrothed so I could wipe out the surface world, and the first thing she did was hug me,” Orm said. “If she can look past that, then your parents can look past a few years of radio silence.”

“It’s been more than a few years.” He hunted through his memories for a birthday text, a Father’s Day call, something that would tell him how long it actually had been. Before he had met David, certainly, but too many years before then all blurred together into a haze of bitter desperation. “What if I hurt them too badly?”

“You said they’re good people who always supported you, did you not?”

“I did.” He softened slightly, his shoulders slumping. “They always said they were practical people with practical dreams. All my dad ever wanted was to open his own barbershop, and all my mom ever wanted was to be a mom. They loved that I dreamed of something so fantastic as Atlantis, and even when the rest of the world called me an idiot, they believed in me.” He dropped his forehead against his arms. “And all I did in return was cut them off.”

“On accident,” Orm pointed out.

“They don’t know that.”

“They will if you tell them.” Fabric rustled and a small grunt escaped him as he straightened up. “Stephen.”

He lifted his head, drawn in by the soft note beneath the serious tone, the telltale hint that he was going to open up. “I spent the majority of my life believing I would never see my mother again,” he said. “I didn’t know that she was alive, and then I had no way to speak to her. There were countless times when I wished that reuniting with her could be as simple as ringing a doorbell, and I treasure every moment I have with her now. Don’t allow fear to steal that from you.”

“I’m not that brave.” His heart ached to go inside, but his foot longed to hit the gas and flee. “I’m not you.”

“You were teasing me a minute ago about my fear of planes,” he reminded him.

“True,” Stephen allowed fondly. “But that’s a cute quirk of your upbringing, and besides, you’re here, aren’t you? This is just fear, and it’s controlled me for a long time. It still is.”

“You’re here, too.” Orm scratched his cheek, and for one delusional moment Stephen thought he was hiding a faint blush, but it had to be a trick of the lighting. “Contrary to what you seem to believe, I do get scared. I know it is possible to conquer your fear, and you’re closer than you ever have been. And that,” he added quickly, “is an admission you are never allowed to share with anyone. Especially not Arthur.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Stephen promised. It was an easy one to make, seeing as he was already keeping it, even from him. Orm tried his best to play the unflappable soldier, but living together created an unavoidable closeness that meant that Stephen knew about his nightmares and panic attacks, though he didn’t think Orm had made the connection between them and the times when Stephen turned on the TV to drown out the silence or filled the tub with cold water and then said he’d changed his mind about taking a bath. “But I didn’t say you were fearless. I said you were brave. There’s a difference.”

Orm blinked, processing the words like it was a new concept to him that fear didn’t negate bravery, and it took him a moment to find his voice. “You betrayed Manta to protect my nephew and you’re harboring a wanted fugitive. I would say that makes you brave.”

A little thrill ran up his spine at Orm calling him brave, but he couldn’t believe it. “I didn’t have time to think with Junior,” he countered. “And I’m not going to leave you out in the cold after everything you and your family have done for me. Talking to my parents is…” He realized he hadn’t even taken his seatbelt off. “Maybe we should just go to a hotel or something. We’re in South Dakota, we’re already about as far away from either ocean as we can get. Does it really matter where we stay?”

“It matters to you,” Orm said.

Stephen stared at him. Stared at the shadow of a bruise on his jaw, at the persistent gleam in his eyes. He wanted this reunion. He wanted it for him. He had fought to keep him alive, and now he was fighting to make him walk up that driveway and heal one of his deepest wounds. After so many years of being alone against the world, it was still baffling to have someone so… in his corner. His brain simply couldn’t comprehend it. But he couldn’t deny the evidence that it was true, or that Orm was waiting for an answer, either.

He let out a breath. “All right,” he acquiesced. “I don’t suppose you… have any tips?”

Orm dropped his gaze, covering the fidgeting fingers of his left hand with his other hand. “My father was killed on my seventeenth birthday attempting to take the Ocean Master title himself,” he began quietly. “I was a child with the legacy of a traitor and a failure on my shoulders, Mera and Vulko were already working against me, and suddenly I had to take the throne. I had everything to fight and no one to fight it with. Aside from believing the gods had a plan for me, the only thing that saw me through was imagining my mother at my shoulder, supporting me through it.” He tipped his head wearily. “Of course, now I know that she would have disapproved of a number of my decisions.”

“Not all of them,” Stephen soothed instinctively while he mulled over the message. Imagine someone supporting me. “Your people had good reasons to want you as their king. Arthur still has a lot of your policies in place, doesn’t he?”

“With some tweaks,” he grumbled. He glanced over his shoulder, looking towards the ocean, towards New York and Amnesty Bay. Towards his home.

Stephen said nothing, giving Orm the peace to have his moment of longing and himself the peace to sort through his mess of a life. Who’s supportive enough to imagine at my shoulder?

He loved his parents, but considering they were the reason he was so terrified right now, they didn’t seem like the best choice. He had no siblings, and he had lost contact with his friends and extended family long ago. His exes certainly weren’t an option, and neither was David, nor anyone else on their crew. He had some good coworkers now, but they weren’t that close yet, and that logic applied to the royal family as well. Well, all of them except…

Orm looked back at him. “Are you ready now?”

Stephen couldn’t quite make himself smile, but some of his nerves did settle, enough for him to unbuckle and open the door. “Let’s go.”

They got out, Orm smoothing his hair again, and Stephen kept an eye on his stiff movements, hovering in case he stumbled, partially to be protective and partially to think about anything but the rapidly nearing door. But there was no distracting himself once he stepped onto the porch and rang the doorbell with a shaking hand. Throat dry, heart hammering loudly enough for the world to hear, he shuffled slightly backwards, close enough to his chosen person for their shoulders to almost brush, and waited.

The door creaked open, and there stood his mom, her polite smile of greeting vanishing at the sight of him. She was older, with more wrinkles and whiter hair than he remembered, but still achingly familiar, right down to her favorite apron covered in pink hearts and the ponytail she always told him he had loved to play with when he was a baby. Tears sprang into her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hand. “Stephen?” she whispered behind it.

“Who is it, yeobo?” his dad called from somewhere inside.

If she responded, Stephen didn’t hear it. His gaze jerked towards the voice that had taught him Korean, his heart leaping into his throat, forgetting to breathe altogether until a tentative hand touched his arm. He lifted his hand to meet it, catching Orm’s fingers and holding on for a moment, steadying himself. I’m not alone. I’m just talking to my parents.

With a quick squeeze and a grateful glance, he nudged Orm’s hand down, letting him withdraw to the comfort of his personal space. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to his waiting mom. “Umma,” he greeted, the long-unused name catching on his tongue. “I’m, uh…” She’s seen me on TV. She knows I’m not dead. “Hi,” he finished weakly.

“Hi,” she greeted, fond and wobbly. With a tentative, trembling hand, she cupped his cheek, looking him over. “How… how have you been, sweetheart?”

“I’ve been…” He trailed off. She didn’t really need to know how miserably lonely and bitter he had been, or how many times he had nearly died, not right off the bat, and he didn’t really want to explain it all right now, anyway. He wanted to get Orm to a place to sit, he wanted to eat whatever was making that delicious smell wafting towards him, and, more than anything, he just wanted his mom. “I missed you.”

His voice cracked, and it was like the bursting of a dam. She stretched onto her tiptoes and swept him into a hug just in time for him to sob into her shoulder. He crumpled into her embrace, digging his fingers into her shirt, feeling her do the same on his back, both of them holding on like the other would disappear if they let go. An approaching set of footsteps made him lift his head, but he didn’t have time to say a word before his dad threw his arms around them both. “Appa,” he mumbled through another sob, leaning against him, one of his beloved beige shirts suddenly all he could see.

“Welcome home, Stephen,” he murmured thickly.

The words sounded foreign to his ears. “I’m sorry-” he started.

“Shh,” his mom soothed instantly, stroking his hair. “All that matters now is that you’re here.”

He fell silent, too choked up to respond even if he knew what to say. They weren’t mad. They weren’t pushing him away. They were just overjoyed to see him, happier than they had been even in his wildest dreams, and he clung to that love, to the security that he had longed for so many times in his years beneath David’s thumb. He closed his eyes, an unbearable weight lifting from his shoulders, and let the hug speak for itself, just like Orm had said it would.

Warm and safe in their arms, the tears and anxiety melted away, until they were eventually ready to half let go of each other. He straightened up, scrubbing his sleeve across his face, his other hand held tight in his mom’s and his dad holding his shoulder. “Who is this?” she asked.

He looked back at Orm, quickly donning his best charming prince smile after what was surely the very awkward experience of witnessing the tearful reunion that he wasn’t a part of, but Stephen could see his own nerves in the fingers subtly fidgeting against his thigh. “This is Orm. He’s…”

My roommate. Living proof that I was never insane and a font of all the Atlantean knowledge I’ve ever wanted and more. The prince who keeps saving my life. The guy who listens to me no matter what I’m rambling about. The first person in years who actually seems to care about me. A cute nerd and a hot soldier with a lifetime of pain that I wish I could kiss away. He’s… so many things to me.

But all of those details could wait, too. Especially the bit about wanting to kiss him. There was only one thing to say that both summed it all up and would instantly endear him to them.

“He’s the reason I’m here,” he finally said.

Forewarned that they were huggers, Orm quickly offered his hand when they both started to smile at him, and Stephen angled himself to shield him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

They took their turns shaking his hand and introducing themselves, and then his mom promptly tugged them both inside after they took their shoes off. His dad shut the door behind them and they were ushered to the dining room, where they were told to sit while his parents bustled around in a flurry of activity, finishing dinner and flinging question after question at the pair of them. Stephen answered what he could, and Orm stepped in when he got overwhelmed, genuine curiosity about their lives and a lifetime in politics easily giving him the respite he needed to breathe. Their arms were nearly brushing on the table, and by the time dinner was served and his parents joined them at the table, talking with both of them as if they had been there all along, he could hardly believe that he had been so afraid of this for so long.

He was home.

[yeonmuse]

BUTTON EYES

Chapter 9 | Finale

PAIRING | OT8, MC SEONGHWA

WORDS| 1.4K

GENRE | Coraline au, angst, suspense,

SUMMARY | What happens when Seonghwa returns to the home he was once fond of as a child? This time around making his return as a full adult with the company of friends. Nightmares and old friends return and the button eyes that Seonghwa desperately escaped as a child have returned to haunt he and his friends.

WARNING | Graphic descriptions, mentions of death, ghost children, witchcraft, grsphic nightmares, arson, lost memories

MORE | Based on the childrens novel & Henry Selick film Coraline

Before i go any further i want it to be known i am in no way claiming Coraline as my own. I wrote a concept for a part 2 or spinoff long ago and I just felt that it was time to finally put it to use. I do not own Ateez or any Coraline named Characters in this story but the Storyline is indeed a self made one.

Bkvkbk

Meanwhile back at the house Yunho and Wooyoung found themselves struggling to find any sort of exit out of the place. The windows had been sealed shut and many of the doors in the hallways wouldnt budge at all. And while they struggled to find any sort of safe haven for the eight of them Seonghwa and the other two were making their way down into the place Seonghwa simply dreaded going back to again after having gotten his memories returned.

"It stinks down here." Yeosang complains

"Well the woman was murdering kids. Do you expect it to smell like sunshine and roses? Seonghwa, what are we looking for down here?" San chimes in earning a scowl from Yeosang.

"Since the moment we returned to this place I kept having this dream, this dream of her torturing a little boy down here...if it was real if this wasn't just a dream then he's somewhere in these walls whatever it is that we need to get from him, it's here." After he spoke there was a soft crackling sound that could be heard further down the hallway.

As they grew closer and closer to the door, San couldn't shake away the overwhelming feeling of dread that had come over him from the minute they stepped down there, it all seemed to worsen as they grew closer to the door at the end of the hall.

As they opened the door they were hit with a feeling of uncomfortable coldness.

"I don't like this at all." Yeosang whispers

They scanned the room with the use of their flashlights.

"Where the fuck do we even start."

"I don't know."

Hongjoong found himself silently humming as he now walked alone under the dark night. The entire time he had tried to make himself seem calm around the others when in reality he was truly losing it and panicking on the inside. He thought that all of it was over, he thought that they had buried any memory of this along with the necklace and key.

"Suli au len Le di le fanilé jenti Amen zun don" he silently sung to himself in order to keep calm. As he took deep breaths he felt something swipe against his feet and his heart nearly fell from his chest until he looked down and spotted a familiar black cat.

"It's you." He spoke softly, crouching down he gently pat its head.

"Do you perhaps remember...do you know where it is?" The cat simply nuzzled its head against hongjoongs hand before walking away, just as it had in his dream he turned to look at him as if he had been waiting for him to follow.

As the three entered the basement the door slammed shut and the lights flickered on. The ince dark room lit up all colorful and pretty.

"You've come back for mommy."

"Fuck, she's here."  Seonghwa pushed the two of them behind his back. San began to feel overwhelmed as he sensed her presence grow stronger and stronger. This wasn't just anger. She was fuming, she could sense the hunger and desperation in the air as they heard her footsteps grow closer, the sound of her fingertips grazing the wall could be heard as she got closer to them.

"Rip these walls apart, I don't care what you have to do to find that body." The door slammed open as Yeosang and San scattered.

"Oh and you brought....guest." She clicked her tongue as she caught sight of San and Yeosang moving away from Seonghwa. She stood eight feet tall, jet black hair and soulless black eyes, her face covered in burns and scars, her slender fingers resting on her face. She eyes him with a smirk decorating her lips.

"You're such a selfish boy, leaving me here all those years." She stepped closer and Seonghwa took the opening to run past and slip between her legs. She loved this, she loved a chase. Her menacing laugh could be heard throughout the hall as she followed behind them. She slams the door shut before locking it, trapping  both san and yeosang in the basement.

"SEONGHWA." They both immediately stopped searching out of worry for Seonghwa

"FIND THE FUCKING BODY." Was all he yelled as he ran upstairs to leas her away from them. The search became more frantic as they realized they no longer had any time to be as calm as they were, she was here, she had shown herself before them and no one knew what she was capable of. They hammered away frantically moving to every side of the room with nothing but destruction in mind. Yeosang dug his hand into the hole he had made in the wall just moments prior and let out a frustrated curse as his hands found nothing.

"YEOSANG I FEEL SOMETHING." At Sans words both him and Yeosang began to hammer at the place in the wall where his hands seemed to brush against something. A pile of bones spilled to the floor and they frantically searched them for any possible thing that could have had sentimental value to it.

"A necklace, Seonghwa said he was wearing a necklace." They searched the pile finding nothing forcing San to break an even bigger hole into the wall and dig around. They searched through the rubble until they found a brown string with what looked to be hand carved beads on the end.

"I really hope thus is fucking it." He scrambled to his feet and moved over to the door only to discover it was locked.

"Shit."

"Stand back." Yeosang pushed him aside and hammered at the door knob at least three times before it fell off and hit the floor with a loud clank.

"What the fuck do we do now?"

"We burn it."

While they hurried to rid of the necklace Yunho and Wooyoung were upstairs forcing themselves through one of the bedroom doors.

"Fuck this is bad." Yunho began to grow frustrated, they had tried kicking and forcing their ways through the rooms but the doors wouldn't budge.

"The kitchen, there's a glass door in the kitchen, we couldn't get through any of these but maybe we can break that one?"

"Wooyoung you're a genius."

San and Yeosang Ran from the basement into the kitchen, ignoring the sinister laughter and running footsteps they heard echoing throughout the house, they needed to trust Seonghwa, trust that he knew what he was doing.

"Come on come on." They began to play with the stove, it was open fire so it was sure to work, it needed to work. It took three tries at twisting the nozzle before the fire finally clicked to life and he immediately threw it onto the fire.

"Thank you..you set me free." A childlike voice rang softly throughout the kitchen and Yeosang repeatedly tapped San on the shoulder, forcing him to pry his gaze away from the stovetop and look in the direction Yeosang had been. A young boy who looked no younger than six stood before then glowing a bright green.

"Hurry..you don't have much time." Seconds later there was a loud bang at the glass door beside them making them both jump. It was the others. It was then that Wooyoung and Yunho ran into the kitchen and their eyes met the others that stood outside.

"Stand back." Yunho yells , grabbing the first thing his eyes had landed on which was a beat up cast iron skillet he whacked at the glass door, watching as it shattered immediately and all of the glass fell to the floor.

"Wheres Seonghwa?" Hongjoong was the first to step in, his eyes frantically searching around for his friend.

"He's distracting her, we don't have much time did you get what we need?"

Mingi raised the bow and hongjoong raised the key and necklace. San immediately points over to the fire and Mingi threw in the bow followed by hongjoong throwing in the necklace.

The little girl appeared before Mingi glancing at all of them and giving a nod of thanks before she herself disappeared just like the little boy from before.

"What about the key?" Yeosang was more than sure the key was another thing that needed to be burned as well, but hongjoong was not allowing them to make the same mistake they had before.

"All of you go. Now. I'll get seonghwa out of here, there's gasoline in the back of my truck. Douse the entire place and when i say you drop that match you burn this bitch to the ground