#and i sprung awake this morning like

[scatterbrainedbot]

aww 🥰 babies' 270,864,809th act of terror 💕🥳

ive never done a dtiys before but @onionninjasstuff 's was just too cool to pass up -- thank you for the prompt, i had a blast (lol)!

uncropped/movie-screened version below the cut, featuring the amazing orig piece by onionninjasstuff as a ref💜🧡

[retiredteabag]

Sukuna assimilating to you

Synopsis: After discovering that Sukuna has been wide awake every time you nap together, you become embarrassed around him.

〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰

It is a scientific fact that when we are around people we love and trust, while in a healthy relationship, the release of oxytocin makes us sleepy.

Sukuna does not need sleep. He is the king of curses, able to continuously use his technique without ever becoming exhausted. When you first suggested that his chambers were "perfect for napping", he had simply raised a brow and considered what that could possibly mean.

You are like a weak creature to him. A kitten or perhaps a rabbit. And since you are never safer than when you are in his presence, you frequently find yourself growing sleepy when you are around him.

Throughout your strange relationship with the king, something that you loved most, is that there never needs to be words exchanged between the two of you. You were both contented to sit in silence. Frequently dozing off together, or so you thought.

You caught on eventually, that he was always awake before you. That his breathing pattern never really changed. That his face never relaxed more than it would if he had simply been sitting with his eyes closed.

One morning, after having stayed the night sleeping, you mumbled to him, "How is it you're always awake before I?"

He rose a brow at you, his upper set of eyes were looking into yours, the lower staring at how you lay across his bed sheets.

"I do not know your meaning." He grumbled out.

You huffed, rolling your eyes. "You never sleep in longer than I do, one day I would like to wake up before you."

"I never sleep at all." He stated before you had even really finished your sentace.

"What?" Your breathy outburst echoed slightly in his bed chamber, "What do you mean you don't sleep?"

"I do not require such things." He turned his torso now toward you, all four eyes studying your face, you had quickly sprung up, seemingly miffed.

"So... so all this time, you've just been... laying there while I've been sleeping?"

"I suppose I have, I do not see how this matters in the slightest." "It matters because I've been... It's just been a big waste of time for you. Sukuna you should have said something." You're upset, he can tell. Your face is scrunched up, your blood is pounding in your veins. Sukuna, however, does not know what to say in this situation.

In all honesty, he figured you knew and were just including him. Did you really think he was that weak? Or could you simply not conceive of a restless existence? Whatever the answer, he had no response for you, expecting a shrug of the shoulders- you he would discover, would not so easily let go of things.

And how humiliated you were. How many HOURS had you spent sleeping with him, within his grasp, in his space for him to have been conscious the whole time? You tried thinking back, attempting to recall a time you had requested a nap when he was uninterested.

He had never uttered a word about it. Never turned you down. Sukuna was not a kind king, he rarely ever did things that were not out of necessity, and he certainly did not do things he didn't like. That, at least, was consolation. You knew he had not been suffering for your sake, but even so, it was embarrassing.

Sukuna, still, could not understand your sheepishness about the subject. He did not care to explain that time works differently for him, that his mind is not so simple as yours and does not require entertainment all the time, that he could sit still for years and not be bothered, and frequently did before you came along.

He assumed you would get over it quickly. In your time as well as his. But days passed and he rarely saw you. You took your dinner with other people of the palace and spoke with him in the most cordial manner. One night, he informed Uraume that they needed to prepare a dish suited for you, something that would entice you, and serve it to him.

He figured this would bring you crawling back to him, tail between your legs. Yet, you did not budge.

Odd.

You were wallowing. You knew it. He did not care to spend time, what? Watching you sleep? Of course, he wouldn't, but it hurt your pride, to know you had been taking up such huge chunks of time lazing about in his presence. Well, not anymore. You slept in your chamber and your chamber alone. Gone were the days of blankets on the engawa, gone were the days of resting beneath the kotatsu while laying your head in his lap, gone were the days of sharing his bed.

If ever he wished for someone to share his bed, he had a whole cast of concubines, though you knew they were never of any use to him, they were mostly just house staff with a fancy title.

The evening he finally decided enough was enough, you were in the washhouse doing laundry.

Your back was arched over a bin full of soapy water. Your hands working tirelessly on some cloth.

"Have you not circumvented me enough?" He spoke in a low and slow tone.

"Lord Sukuna." You bowed, clothing in your hands, suds up your forearms, you bent your neck as to not look at him.

"You will reply now." He raised a brow, watching your hands quietly splash in the washbin.

"Was there something you would like me to assist to?" You questioned. Your head was full of possible reasons for what the king meant by seeking you out personally.

"Do you believe that by not sleeping in my presence I would come to believe you do not require rest?" He spoke in an unserious tone, eyes unblinking.

"No, my lord." Now what was he playing at? Of course that wasn't your intention.

"Then you hide yourself from me because you no longer have time for your king, I suppose." He mused.

Oh, for heaven's sake, "No, my lord."

"I see," He bent down to look you dead in the eyes, "So, you must no longer crave my occupancy of your space. You must not desire my hand running through your hair? I suppose you have tired of staying in my chambers?" His tone remained deep but his eyes were dead serious now.

"I-" You began, but suddenly you felt the urge to cough, swallowing you tried again, "I wished not to preoccupy so much of your time."

"And you made this decision without enlightening your king."

You said nothing.

"You will eat with me tonight, you shall stay in my chambers henceforth." He rose in record speed, turning without a second glance your way, maids were staring wide-eyed at the king of curses as he halted at the entrance of the washhouse. You could not see, but there was finality in his voice.

"I wish not to waste-" You were cut off by Sukunas voice, his broad back still facing you.

"Your wishes do not interest me now, so it seems. It is my wish for you to spend your time with me." His steps resounded through the compound, your face slack.

The maids smirked, and with shocked faces, side-eyed one another. A couple entered the washhouse giving you big open-mouthed smiles, and patted your shoulder as they passed.

That night Uraume made something you would go on to beg them to make for years to come. And when Sukuna pulled you prone from your seated position on his bed, he took a firm fingertip and stroked the space between your eyes, one of his enormous hands encircling your skull and massaging your temples with his thumb and ring fingers. He traced the bridge of your nose to your forehead, the way you would stroke a cat.

Perhaps he thought this would induce drowsiness but all it did was make you feel all floaty inside at his silliness.

And for the first time since that night, you slept alongside him. Within his embrace, and when you awoke, Sukuna's eyes were closed.

[earthtooz]

x : APOLOGY ACCEPTED :*+ﾟ

in which: isagi doesn't like it when you give him the silent treatment.

warnings: 1.9k wc, gn!reader, fluff with a little angst, ooc!isagi (i tried), mentions of manhandling, sleepy isagi, mentions to arguments. food.

a/n: I FEEL ILL REREADING THIS why is this so bad hELP. for being the main character, it's hard asf to get good manga panels of isagi lol. anyways. enjoy this shit piece xx i can't believe this is my first isagi fic and i did him so wrong, i'm so sorry cri

“y/n?” echoes a voice from down the hallway, one laced with grogginess and fatigue, paired with the gentle padding of footsteps trudging their way to where you resided in the living room. in your periphery, isagi rounds the corner shirtless and messy bedhair, and not sparing him a glance proved itself a challenge. 

usually, you would’ve sprung up from your seat and greeted him good morning, but the soreness of your throat is a harsh reminder of the argument you had last night, and thinking too hard about it would press into the bruises of your ego, resurfacing awkward and sour feelings. yet, you still had to fight to contain the butterflies in your stomach upon seeing him and it becomes harder to fight when you realise that the first thing isagi did since waking up was find you, not even brushing his teeth or putting on a shirt. 

as adorable as he was, you don’t know what to say to him, unsure of where you stood since you both just went to bed last night, the problem never resolving itself. 

isagi’s face however, upon seeing you, lit up with a smile as bright as a thousand suns and endearing enough to crumble your resolve but you persevere with your tough facade. the true stake to the heart is the way his face drops when noticing your reluctance to acknowledge him. 

"y/n?" he asks again as greeting, waddling over to stand before you. you still don't look up at him from your phone. "why are you awake so early?"

silence.

"y/n?" prods the soccer star who now seats himself beside you, hand shaking yours a little in hopes of getting your attention. "you're mad at me, aren't you?"

you don’t know how to respond, remaining silent despite the countless words brewing in your mind that were unable to spill over to form a sentence. should you be nice? mean? petty? you could never have the heart to do the latter two, but-

"-i'm sorry," he mutters, placing his chin on your shoulder so he could give you his best puppy-dog eyes. you don’t react, no matter how hard you had to fight to not look at him because you knew that if you did, you’d crumble right into his arms. 

you miss the way his frown deepens with every shake of your shoulder that you ignore.

“you know i don’t like it when people ignore me.”

despite your cold shoulder, he still lingers around you, just now fast asleep after prying a spot on your lap for his head to fit, disturbing your peace with his hesitant invasion. naturally, you run your hands through his raven hair, lounging in the morning sun with your phone in one hand and your soccer sensation of a boyfriend in your lap.

eventually, the tranquillity is ruined alongside the urge to use the bathroom, but the difficult part of said task however, was getting isagi off your lap which turned out to be a carefully organised operation. gently lifting his head, you manage to shuffle away before laying him back down. somehow you manage to keep him from rousing, leaving you to tiptoe away without making much noise.

you went as far as you could because when you opened the bathroom door againÇ, isagi was lingering outside, slumber still evident in his face as he blinks sleepily at you. so much for leaving without waking him.

“oh. hi,” he greets, voice still ridden with sleep. he rubs his eye innocently, streaks of his nap engrained on his skin. 

he grumbles a sleepy murmur of your name as you slip away around him, giving isagi the chance to latch on to your waist. this wasn’t the silent treatment you were imagining, but you have half a mind and even less of a desire to shrug your boyfriend off, no matter how difficult your predicament is. 

“i need to brush my teeth,” the athlete mutters, dragging you into the bathroom with him. “we can do skincare together.”

you don’t have it in you to tell isagi that you’ve already done your morning routine so you settle for doing it a second time. not like it’ll hurt anyone, especially not your skin.

wordlessly, you do your morning routine alongside him and it’s oddly peaceful without the usual talking and music in the background. you get more of a chance to admire isagi and his boyish features, shyly looking away from his gaze every time his eyes meet yours in the bathroom mirror. after putting away all the products, you don’t move very far before the dark-haired latches himself to you again.

he remains like that even as you continue with chores and tasks you assigned yourself, deciding that there’s no place he’d rather be than half-asleep behind you whilst you sort through laundry, organise your drawers, and fix organise the kitchen cabinets. he’s gracious enough to help a little, holding spices and cans here and there.

if you tried to shake him off, isagi would grumble and come right back, never straying too far away for too long.

his insistence to stay like this was endearing, but very irritating, especially it was hindering your productive. however, your will to scold him for it is at an all-time low so you’ll have to continue living with another being wrapped around you until isagi gives up or you tell him off.

you didn’t have to wait long for the latter. after you were done with organising- or rather when isagi was fed up of standing, he drags you right back to your shared bedroom, silently arranging the two of you on your shared bed with his strength, moving you into a comfortable position under the duvet. 

“please stop,” you demand quietly as if you were silent enough, you wouldn’t technically break the silent treatment.

he immediately perks up at the sound of your voice and his name on your lips, a wide smile breaking out on his face. “babe!” isagi flops on you, the ‘oof’ that escapes you not going unnoticed, “you talked.”

“isagi, please give me some space.”

the smile on the soccer player’s face completely melts away and he furrows his eyebrows, causing guilt to strike you in the heart as he reluctantly moves away from you. the use of his last name in comparison to his usual, affectionate-filled nicknames didn’t soften the blow directed at him either. 

“is this because of last night?” he asks, resting his chin on your sternum. “i’m sorry about everything that i said.”

“isagi,” he stops rambling. “please, i just need some space right now.” 

“okay, i’m sorry. i’ll go now.”

he shuffles out from under the covers rather quickly, picking up a shirt from his closet before walking out with it half-on. you call out his name only to hear the front door slam close and you wince slightly at the sound, guilt weighing heavily on your heart.

when you said you needed space you didn’t mean for isagi to leave the apartment completely.

if you had set your boundaries clearer this morning maybe you could have avoided this scenario. now isagi’s out of the house and you don’t know where he’s even going or when he’s returning and the thought is enough to scare you, riddling you with enough anxiety for your heart to sink to your feet. it’s getting hard to breathe too and your mind is racing with countless thoughts that all pile on top of each other.

texting isagi was a flunk too, he left his phone at home and only took his wallet. 

what did you do? what time would he be back? 

could he have gone to bachira’s? nagi’s? without his phone though? isagi wouldn’t usually go very far without a device at the very least. maybe he’s just out for a walk to clear his mind. yeah, that sounds right, isagi loves walks after all so who knows when he’ll be back. speaking of walking, you might benefit from one right now too-

“-i’m home!” a voice shouts out, breaking you out of your funk like hammer shattering a glass.

practically running out of the bedroom, you disregard the shards of hurt, running over them to see isagi staring at you with wide eyes. he holds a bakery bag and a bouquet of flowers- your favourites, in one hand and the apartment keys in the other.

“oh, y/n, are you okay?” he asks fondly, setting the bag down on the kitchen counter before wandering over to you. without thinking, you reel him in to a hug when he’s close enough, half jumping onto him as the soccer player catches you effortlessly, surprised by your sudden show of affection. “i thought you were mad at me?”

“you scared me, you doofus,” you say into his shoulder with a watery laugh, relief flooding your body like no other at the feeling of his warmth against yours again. “don’t just leave like that ever again.”

“i’m sorry! i wanted to say sorry because of how big of a dick i was to you last night and this morning.”

“you left so abruptly! i thought i angered you even more or something,” you laugh, all watery and emotional. 

isagi snakes a hand up to your face, cradling it. “that wasn’t my intention, i didn’t mean to scare you.”

“apology accepted and i’m sorry too. i was mean to you last night as well and i should have communicated properly with you this morning. wasn’t fair on my end.”

“apology accepted,” he says with a charmingly boyish grin. you have an urge to kiss it off. “i love you.”

“you make it so hard to stay mad at you. i love you too,” you mutter before isagi’s pressing his lips to yours, pouring all his love for you to breathe in, filling you with reassurance. you smile against him, unable to contain it, which then causes him to mimic you, and the kiss breaks away because the two of you are laughing too much. 

isagi will be the death of you. 

your eyes glance behind him and the striker follows your line of sight. “i got your favourite cake too by the way, last one the bakery had. guess i’m one lucky guy, huh?”

“the stars aligned perfectly just for you.” 

“i agree,” mutters isagi before leaning in to leave a kiss on your forehead. 

“should we have some cake now?” you question, loosening your arms around him to back away and  faltering when he doesn’t let you. his grip around your waist is tight and unforgiving as mischief shines in the dark-haired’s eyes.

then, he pulls you right back, peppering your face in endless kisses whilst you giggle in response to each one. the more he plants the more you want to pull away out of reflex but his hold forbid for you to travel too far, leaving you vulnerable to all of his advances.

“i love you,” he repeats with each press against your skin.

“yoichi, stop!” you giggle. the sound is a remedy to his pain.

“can’t stop, i have a whole day of affection to make up for.”

you shove his shoulder teasingly, “later.”

“later. i’ll never make you mad again, i swear. that was the worst day of my life. next time you do this, i’d rather you end me.”

[javierpena-inatacvest]

Chapter 19- Good Luck, and Goodnight

Summary: It's the night before your wedding at your rehearsal dinner. Things are prepped and ready for the big day tomorrow, everyone couldn't be happier for you and Javi, and if you were any more excited to marry your future husband, you're convinced you'll explode. Everything seems to be going perfectly, that is, until it's not.

Word Count: 12.5K (Lil Shawty for me tbh)

Warnings: SMUT(18+) unprotected p in v sex (wrap before u tap), oral (f receiving), vaginal fingering, big fat breeding kink, getting cockblocked by your dog (Sorry, Bear), mentions of death of family members, Javi putting his preemptive girl dad skills to the test (and passing with flying colors), mentions of anxiety/panic, lack of sleep due to said anxiety, Javi can't stop calling you Mrs. Peña and telling you how excited he is to get married, Javi once again setting the bar in the sky for all men

A/N: I am literally so sorry from the bottom of my heart this chapter has legit taken a month (January has kicked my ASS). I am so excited for their wedding, but I figured we'd get a little sneak peak before the big day arrives!! As if this series wasn't already self indulgent enough, I too, have been cockblocked by my own dog more times than I would like to count (please tell me I am not the only one), and got approximately 3 and a half hours of sleep the night before my wedding 🫠 (forever anxious girlies (gn) rise up!!!) ily each and every one of you so much, thank you for all your love and support 🥺💕

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Perfect. 

That was what your morning felt like as you blinked the sleep from your eyes, stretching your arms over your head to wake yourself to the vision of the bright, golden sunrise spilling through your curtains, casting towering shadows on your bedroom, soft July breeze floating through your open window. 

Birds singing their melodic morning songs, wind gently rustling the trees outside your window…

“Hhhhhhsssssmmmmmggggggggg” 

“Mmmmmmgggggghhhhhhhhhggg” 

…The sweet, synchronized snores of your future husband and dog snuggled next to you, still sound asleep as their bodies laid splayed across the better half of the bed with the majority of the comforter and sheets tangled between them, leaving you with a sliver of mattress and a tiny corner of blanket. 

Well, it was almost perfect. 

You couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of your two favorite boys happily snoozing away as the world began to wake around them, pressing a soft kiss onto each of their heads before sleepily shuffling your way to the bathroom. 

You had barely made it two steps before Bear’s ears perked up, tail thumping against the mattress to see at least one of his favorite humans was awake, and better yet, able to feed him breakfast. He sprung off the bed, happily trotting behind you as he followed you to the bathroom, patiently sitting by the toilet as you peed, since you had quickly learned that personal space no longer existed after Bear had become a permanent member of your home. 

“Gimme a second, ya goof.” You smiled, laughing to yourself as you flushed, maneuvering around Bear’s big body to wash your hands before the two of you meandered to the kitchen, leaving Bear wagging and shaking in excitement as he sat by his bowl, wiggling even faster as he watched you dump his food into his dish and began to chow down. 

Leaving Bear to munch on his breakfast, you snuck your way back to the bedroom, softly closing the door behind you before crawling back into bed, sneaking through the sea of tangled sheets to find Javi’s body, his presence warm and inviting as you nestled up next to him. 

Your hands slid up his bare chest and over the broadness of his shoulders until your hands met his jaw, gently cupping the unshaven stubble of his cheeks, swiping your thumb back and forth against his scruff skin.

Javi’s body began to stir, his arms now wrapping around you to pull you on top of him, your stomach resting against his as he squeezed you against his body, making you erupt in sleepy giggles. 

“Good morning, sleepy head.” You whispered against his skin, planting soft kisses across his patchy beard while his eyes began to slowly flutter open, quickly joined by a tired grin growing between his cheeks. 

“Good morning, Mrs. Peña.” He rasped, his greeting making you pull back to see the boyish smirk plastered all over his face, the hands that had been resting on the small of your back slowly snaking their way down to your ass, and giving it a little squeeze. 

“Almost Mrs. Peña, you dork. One more day.” You giggled, your face growing warm at the realization that in 24 hours, that name would be your reality and your forever for the rest of your life. 

“Close enough.” Javi grinned, leaning up to press a soft kiss against your lips, practically feeling his sleepy smile against your mouth. “Fuck, I can’t believe we’re getting married tomorrow. I can’t wait. I can’t wait for you to be my wife,” he pressed another kiss on your cheek, making you giggle, “I can’t wait to be your husband,” he paused, making you giggle even louder as he began trailing his lips down your neck, the hairs of his mustache tickling your skin, “to spend the rest of my life with you,” you squealed as Javi flipped you onto your back, your head landing on your pillows as he hovered over your body, gently tugging your oversized shirt over your stomach, letting his hand creep up your skin, “have a family with you, fuck a baby into you.” you could feel the subtle shift in his tone as his hand palmed at your breasts, kneading your soft flesh, making you let out a soft moan, whispering his name. 

You and Javi had agreed on two conditions in attempts to keep your ever growing baby fever somewhat at bay- One, you were married, and two, your new house was completely finished and ready to be moved into. Tomorrow, the first half of your agreement was about to be fulfilled, and with the second half only a few weeks away, the prospect of legitimately trying for a baby was on the horizon, the two of you had been absolutely insatiable about the idea. 

“Javi, please…” 

“Please what, Osita? Tell me what you want, Hermosa. You want me to give you a baby when I give you my last name too, huh? Show everyone you’re mine with that ring on your finger and our baby growing inside you?” Javi rasped, tugging your sleep shorts off your hips, sliding them down your legs and hit the floor as he situated himself at the edge of the bed, gently nudging open your knees to reveal the arousal that had begun pooling between your legs, soaking your folds and inner thighs. “Sure looks like that’s what you want, isn’t it, sweet girl? Fuck me, you’re so fucking wet already.” 

“Jesus Christ…Yes, oh my god.” You whimpered, already feeling your mind go blank as he settled himself between your legs, draping his arms over your thighs pinning you to the bed, kissing closer and closer to your core, letting his lips ghost over your clit, making you shutter. 

“I know, Osita. Almost, baby. As soon as we’re married and this house is finally done, I’ll give you everything you want. I promise.”  He smirked, watching the desperation spread across your face as he licked one long, broad stroke through your folds, tongue pressed flat against your sensitive bundle of nerves, already aching and throbbing without barely being touched. Almost painfully slowly, he began to work his mouth around your clit before taking his two fingers and collecting the slick dripping from your entrance, soaking his digits before pushing them into your heat, the sensation making you audibly moan in pleasure. 

Javi took his sweet time, pumping his curved fingers in and out of your cunt, hitting the soft, spongy spot inside of you over and over as his tongue danced across your clit, swirling and sucking in the way he knew made you lose your mind in the best way possible, relishing in every moan and whimper that escaped from your mouth. Your hand shot down to his head nestled between your thighs, tugging at the sleepy curls of his dark brown hair, looking for some relief as you felt the tingle at the base of your spine begin to grow, slowly creeping its way through your body.  

It never failed to shock you how quickly Javi was able to make you cum without even trying, how he had memorized every twitch and tug of your body beneath him, that he had learned all the ways to make you fall apart over and over again like his life depended on it. It also never failed to shock you how much the smug grin that spread across Javi’s face as he knew you were getting close made you lose yourself even more, the lust swirling in the deep brown of his eyes staring up at you with delight, practically begging for you to cum for him. 

“Fuck, oh fuck- Just like that Javi, fuck, oh shit- holy fuck, you feel so good, baby.” You whimpered, your hand still buried in the locks of his hair as he pulled his face away, the smirk under his mustache covered in your slick as his fingers continued to languidly pulse inside you, now feeling your cunt clench tighter and tighter around them. 

“That’s it, sweet girl. I know you’re close, Hermosa, can feel how fucking tight you are around my fingers. Cum for me, Osita, I’ve got you, baby. Cum for me and then I’ll fuck you so good I swear I’ll fucking beat your birth control and knock you up right now.” His words hummed deep in his chest, the thought of his promise alone making you writhe in the tangled sheets of your bed, your pussy beginning to flutter as he dove back between your legs, his leisurely pace now becoming almost as frantic and desperate as you were. 

His mouth latched around your clit, tongue flicking and and prodding at your sensitive nerves as his fingers worked in tandem, fucking deeper into you with each thrust of your hand, trying to use his other arm to keep you in place as you bucked your hips, instinctively needing to grind your bottom half against his face, feeling your sweet release beginning to spread through you. 

It wasn’t long before the coil inside you had completely snapped, your orgasm spreading through every inch of your body as you cried out Javi’s name, his fingertips digging into the meat of your thighs as he relentlessly worked you through your high, only stopping as the the cries of his name transformed into ragged moans and breathless pants, you fingers gripping so tight on your sheets, you were convinced your knuckles were turning white. 

In one swift motion, Javi had already shifted from between your legs to on top of you, ripping his boxers off his hips, letting his already hard length rest against your thigh as his mouth crashed into yours, the sweet and tangy taste of your slick still fresh where your lips became a mess of tangled tongues and teeth. His broad palm kneaded at the soft flesh of your breasts, rolling your pebbled nipples between his fingers while the other reached between your bodies, stroking his length before lining himself up with your entrance, the delicious stretch of his fullness making you whine as he bottomed out inside you, his hips flushed against yours, letting you feel every inch of him inside you. 

“Javi, holy shit, fuck, baby.” You whimpered, your brain already beginning to short circuit as Javi began to thrust his hips, the lewd noises of his cock sliding in and out of your pussy already filling the room between your moans and whines. 

Javi buried his face in your neck, sucking at your pulse point as your arm draped around his back, digging your fingertips into the strong muscles of his shoulders as his pace began to quicken as he felt your arms wrap around him. 

Suddenly, Javi’s arm snaked under your back, lifting the both of you up as you settled into his lap, your legs straddling over his as you came chest to chest, foreheads resting against each others while he continued to fuck into you over and over. His palm spread splayed across your bare back while the other snaked around your waist, keeping you steady while you swirled your hips on his length and your bodies melted into one another's. 

The damp curls of his sweat ridden hair brushed against your face as he turned his head up to kiss you again, your lips locking while your bodies moved in sync, the perfect motion of each push and pull bringing you closer to the edge of release. 

“Fuck, you’re so perfect. My perfect fucking wife. Gonna be a perfect fucking mom for our kids. Oh fuck- Fuck, I love you so much, Osita.” Javi grunted, his grip on your body growing tighter as he could feel you beginning to tighten around his cock, throwing your head back in pleasure as you felt the coil in your belly begin to tighten again. 

It felt like a moment where nothing else in the world existed besides the two of you, so blissfully unaware of anything else besides the sweet sensation of getting lost in each other. It was a moment you could have gotten trapped in forever- until you heard the familiar creek of your bedroom door swing open, making your eyes go wide in panic. 

“Javi, Javi-” You whispered frantically, trying to catch your breath and get his attention as he continued to thrust into you, completely unaware of the scene that was beginning to unfold behind him. “Javi!” You panted again, this time tapping your hand against his back, the action combined with your clear change in tone enough to snap him out of his current state. 

“What? What’s going on? Are you okay?” He gasped, trying to catch his breath alongside you, scrunching his brow in confusion at the terrified look on your face as you stared across the bedroom. 

It was only when Bear let out a happy “woof” from the foot of your bed that Javi immediately understood your terror, realizing your dog had just walked in on the middle of you two having sex. 

“Oh fuck me…” Javi muttered, the two of you frozen in fear as you looked at each other, “I thought you closed the door after you fed him this morning.” 

“Well obviously I thought I did too…” You grumbled, looking back and forth between the stark contrast in Bear’s blissfully unaware state and Javi’s very aware and embarrassed one.

“What do we do?” 

“I don’t know, Jav, just like, go find a way to get him out of the room and then close the door so he can’t get back in.” 

“He’s gonna see me naked! I don’t wanna traumatize him!” 

“Oh because him watching us have sex is gonna traumatize him less? Take the blanket at the end of the bed if you’re so worried.” 

“Jesus Christ…” Javi sighed as you got off his lap, scooching to the edge of the bed as he wrapped the blanket around his waist, making Bear perk up and happily thump his tail on the floor where he had been sitting, staring up at you. “Hey, bud, let’s get you out of here, okay? C’mon!” 

Bear was nothing if not the world’s happiest, most playful dog, so as soon as he saw Javi crouching down, trying to coax him out of the bedroom, Bear took it as his turn to pounce, jumping up to tug at the blanket Javi was using to shield himself and catching it in his teeth, promptly ripping it off Javi’s body and leaving him completely naked as your dog pranced around your room with his new “toy”. 

“Bear, no! Give that back! Fuck!” Javi shouted, trying to cover himself with one hand and chase Bear with the other, leaving you erupting in laughter at the comical sight beginning to unfold in real time in front of you. “Oh, so you think this is funny now? No, Bear, drop it!” Javi groaned, finally getting a grip on the blanket Bear had taken as he released it from his mouth, Javi frantically scrambling to wrap it back around his waist. 

“... It is a little funny…” You snickered, trying your best to contain your giggles as Javi rolled his eyes, letting out a huff of frustration as he started to herd Bear into the hallway again. Throwing one of the balls that Bear had left behind in your bedroom, your dog quickly scampered away in a hasteful chase while Javi quickly shut the door behind him, triple checking to make sure it was locked. Javi let out a few deep breaths, the two of you laughing to yourselves, only to be interrupted by whines and scratches coming from the other side of the door. 

A small frown spread between Javi’s cheeks hearing the sad noises whimpering in the hallway, looking back at you with even sadder puppy dog eyes than you were convinced your dog would be giving you from outside your bedroom. You sighed, giving him a slightly annoyed look, knowing that for as much as you loved your dog, Javi had a soft spot for Bear like no other, and the thought of leaving him sad and alone without the two of you was making him crack quicker than you had anticipated. 

“Javi, he’s a dog, I promise, he’ll be fine.�� You sighed, reading the concerned look plastered across Javi’s face with his back pressed to the bedroom door. 

“I know… He just sounds so sad. I don’t want him to think we’re mad at him.” Javi pouted, his frown growing even bigger as Bear’s whines became louder and louder. 

“Javi… Seriously?” You sassed, knowing that any other time you would have relished in the sweet sentiment of how much Javi loved your dog, but right now, that was the last thing your horny brain really seemed to care about. 

“Fine, fine.” He huffed, dropping the blanket and making his way back to the bed, climbing his way back on the mattress, hovering over you. His lips met yours again, trailing down your face and collarbone as you reached between your bodies to wrap your hands around Javi’s cock, beginning to stroke him in hopes your efforts would help get him hard again after the incident with the dog had not done him any favors. 

Over your muffled moans and wet kisses, Bear’s pathetic whines carried through the door, becoming harder and harder to ignore as Javi’s dick was becoming less and less hard. 

“You’re not gonna be able to stop thinking about the dog, are you?” You laughed to yourself, your grasp dropping from around his cock, still soft despite your efforts, Javi’s head dropping into your shoulder in defeat, letting out a frustrated exhale in silent agreement. 

“I’m sorry…” He grumbled, now flopping over next to you on the bed, burying his head in his hands in embarrassment. 

“You are such a softie, Javier Jesús Peña. Literally and figuratively.” You giggled, playfully crossing your arms over your chest and raising an eyebrow at Javi. You couldn’t even pretend to be mad, because as much as you wanted to be, the way Javi was too sweet for his own damn good with your dog had you imagining what he’d be like as a dad, and that- that was enough to melt you in a puddle faster than a snowman in the middle of July. “Alright, let’s get dressed. As much as I hate to admit it, I think this is the universe’s way of telling us we probably have more important things to do on the day before our wedding that wrangle our dog out of our bedroom so we can fuck.” 

You let out an overdramatic grunt as you pushed yourself out of bed, fishing Javi’s oversized t-shirt off of the floor and throwing it over your top, followed by your sleep shorts and tossing Javi’s boxers back to him as he stood sheepishly by the door. 

“I’m not that big of a sap…” Javi grumbled reluctantly, shuffling his underwear over his hips rolling his eyes at you as you met him by the door, draping your arms around his neck and pressing up on your tiptoes to plant a soft kiss on his unshaven stubble. 

“You 100% are, even if you won’t admit it. And that,” You paused, pressing another peck of your lips to his, “Is reason number 3,452 why I love you so much.” 

“3,452? That’s it?” He teased, playfully shaking you in his grasp before wrapping his hand around the back of your head, pulling it closer to his bare chest as he buried a kiss in the messy roots of your hair. “Seems kinda low.” 

“Better watch yourself, Peña, or I’ll make it 3,451.” You smirked, giving him a little nudge as you reached over to the doorknob, letting Bear stampede into your room and hop up onto your bed, gleefully wiggling at the sight of his two favorite people. “And you, mister, are so lucky that you are so cute and that your dad can’t say no to you. Whaddya say, stinker, should we take you for one last walk before your mom and dad get married? And then hopefully you’ll be tired enough by the time we get back to let us finish what we started?” 

“You are fucking ridiculous, you know that right?” Javi grinned, gently cupping his hand over your cheek, rubbing his thumb against your skin. 

“A ridiculous woman who is about to be your wife, so that’s on you, ya goof.” 

“God, I love you.” 

“I love you, too. Let’s go get married.” 

When Javi had asked you to marry him, there had never been a shred of doubt in your mind that your answer would be anything less than a resounding yes. There hadn’t been a single shred of doubt or worry since he slid that ring on your finger last November, and you knew that your plans for a small wedding with your close friends and family on the Peña ranch was the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of the rest of your lives together. 

You had no fears or worries that tomorrow was going to be anything less than perfect, not a single care or stress in the world. 

But everyone else’s stress was enough to make you age another 40 years before you even had the chance to say  “I do.” 

Your family had flown in from Chicago earlier in the week, followed by the Murphy family, staying in your nearly finished new home to help the two of you prepare for the big day, although the word “prepare” seemed to have quite different definitions depending on who you asked. 

To your mom, Connie, and sister-in-law, prepared meant steaming your dress, triple checking the amount of silverware for dinner, harassing you about finally getting your nails painted and creating her 407th checklist of to-do’s since landing in Laredo on Wednesday. 

To Steve and your brothers, it meant barely remembering to bring their suits with them on the plane and asking Javi to come out to the bar with them to have some fun before the wedding instead of working on either of their speeches they were supposed to be giving.  

To your nieces and the Murphy girls, it meant forming a ferocious girl gang of 5 and constantly pestering anyone they could find to take them to Mr. Chucho’s to go play with the cows and the horses since wedding planning was clearly not as fun as being at the farm with the animals. 

To your dad and Chucho, it meant staying as far away from the whole situation as possible and being forever thankful there was at least one TV set up in your new house where he could watch ESPN in peace. 

And to you and Javi, it meant the best you could do was take a deep breath and pray that one way or another, you would survive everyone’s stress and all made it to live to see your wedding day. 

With less than 24 hours to go, everyone in the wedding had found themselves gathered at the Peña ranch for final preparations, your rehearsal dinner, and getting all the girls settled to spend the night at the ranch to get their hair and makeup done the next morning, while the boys would migrate to your new house, considering the most getting ready they had to do was fix their hair and put on their suits. While everyone else was busy with dinner, decorations, or in your brother’s case, distracting everyone else from doing what they were supposed to be, you had found a moment to sneak away into Javi’s room where you were planning on staying for the night, looking for at least a few moments of peace and quiet amongst the chaos. 

“You doin’ okay, Mrs. Peña?” Javi’s soft voice cooed from the doorway of his old bedroom, watching you sort through your 3rd bag of things you had packed to make sure you were prepared for tomorrow morning, quietly laughing to himself at your meticulous packing and organizing. 

The familiar sound made your head turn, letting out a quiet sigh and smile of relief to see it was your future husband standing in the doorway, and not anyone else asking you for something or plans about tomorrow. 

“I’m okay, this is all just-” 

“A lot?” He chuckled, making his way into the room to sit next to your bags spread across his old bed, outstretching his arms to pull you in for a hug to try and distract you from the stress he could feel radiating from all the way outside the door, knowing you had probably needed a break from all the hustle and bustle happening outside from last minute set up and rehearsal dinner. 

“Yeah, a lot.” You huffed, feeling your body sink into Javi’s embrace, savoring in the familiarity of his warmth and savory scent, feeling the tension ease in your body as you remembered the reason for your wedding holding you tightly in his arms. “I know everyone is just trying to be helpful, and I don’t want to you to think I’m not excited because I am, I’m so excited to marry you, it’s just that-” 

“Shhhhhh, baby, it’s okay. I feel the same way. C’mere.” He smiled, pulling you closer to him, squeezing you just tight enough to make you burst into giggles before releasing you to grab your hands in his, gently tracing his thumbs along your skin in delicate circles. “Just think, tomorrow, we get to get married and spend the whole day celebrating the fact that I get to spend the rest of my life with the most beautiful, stunning, amazing woman on the face of this earth, and then after that, we get to spend 10 days in the Bahamas, just me, my wife and the beach, without a worry in the world besides how long we wanna sit in the sun, what drink you want in your hand and where we wanna fu-” 

“There they are! Shit, you were right, Steve, you know the man well.” Your brother David’s voice rang from down the hallway, quickly followed by the footsteps and sounds of your other brother Charlie, and Steve. 

“Hey! Lovebirds! Remember that party that we’re throwin’ for y’all? Probably would be good if you were there for it instead of makin’ out in here. You got the whole honeymoon for that.” Steve teased, knocking on your door, the boy’s laughter and snickers was enough to make you and Javi whip your heads around, rolling your eyes at the goofy gang the 3 had become since meeting for the first time a few days ago, you and Connie both agreeing that the group was no better than a pack of middle school boys with the ability to drink beer, happily confiding in their shit talking shenanigans to pass the time to distract from the wedding formalities they needed to be kept most up to date on. 

“Yeah, dude, Mom’s been looking for you for like 15 minutes. I’ve already had my wedding and I don’t need to suffer her wrath again.” Charlie smirked, taking a sip of his drink while Steve and David snickered to themselves.   

“Don’t you two idiots have anything better to do than annoy us and drag Steve into it too?” You groaned, turning around and crossing your arms over your chest to face the 3 Stooges in your doorway. 

“No, not really.” David shrugged, finishing off the rest of his beer. 

“Perfect,” You sighed, voice oozing with sarcasm, “Tell mom we’ll be out there in 5 minutes, okay?” 

“Alright, timer’s set, gentlemen,” Steve cackled, waving his wrist in the air and pointing to his watch, “and God knows I’ve walked in on you two enough times that I won’t be the one coming to get you when time’s up.”

“Jesus Fucking Christ, Murph. Get the fuck outta here, or I’m gonna pick one of the cows outside to be my best man instead of you.” Javi grumbled, resting his face in his palm, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers as he shook his head. 

“Honestly, kinda sounds like an upgrade…” David smirked, slapping Steve on the chest before turning over to Charlie and gesturing towards the hallway, your brothers now scampering away in laughter as Steve chased off behind them. 

“Just think, tomorrow, they’re officially your brothers, too. Lucky you.” You huffed, rolling your eyes as you stepped back into Javi, laying your face on his chest while his arms wrapped around you again, pulling you in for one more hug as he kissed your forehead. 

“I’d take 100 of your brothers if it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you.” He smiled, bringing his hand to your cheek and tilting your gaze up towards him. 

“100? Really?” You teased, raising an eyebrow at him, the two of you laughing at the idea of multiplying your siblings times 50. 

“On second thought, 2 is just fine.” 

“Good thing Patrick’s not here, because I think at this point if he was, they probably would have found a way to take my wedding dress and put it on a horse.” Even though a soft smile settled across your face at the idea of your brothers (and apparently, now honorary brother, Steve) scheming up some sort of stupid prank, Javi could feel the twinge of pain hidden in your voice, knowing how desperately you wished your late brother was here to celebrate your wedding with you. “He would have really loved you, Javi. I really wish he got to be here.” 

You couldn’t help but feel a sting in Javi’s silence as well, knowing how much he missed his mom, too. How deeply he wished that she knew he was finally happy, and had found someone to spend the rest of his life with that she would have loved just as much as he loved you. “I wish your mom got to be here, too. Maybe she could have helped calm my mom down a little.” You smiled at Javi, the two of you both trying to fight the tears that had begun welling in your eyes at the void you wished more than just their memories could fill. 

“She would have loved you so much too, Osita. So fucking much.” 

You held each other just a little tighter before pulling away to wipe the wetness pooling in your eyes,  You paused for a moment, letting out a quiet sigh and laugh, knowing Patrick would have promptly kicked your ass for crying about him at your wedding and told you to stop being such a baby about it, just like Javi knew his mom would be throwing a fit knowing he was spending any waking moment before his wedding not cherishing every moment he could with his bride to be. 

“I love you, Jav.” You sniffed, staring up at him with watering eyes and a sympathetic smile. 

“I love you too, Osita.” He smiled back, his big brown eyes locking with yours in a soft, loving gaze. 

“Okay, well, we should probably head back out there so my mom doesn’t lose her shit and Steve doesn’t harass us anymore.” 

“I wasn’t kidding when I said the cow may be a better choice.” 

“Listen… I never said it wasn’t” 

As the two of you made your way to the back patio where everyone was gathered, you were quickly greeted by your mom and Connie, who had very early on taken it upon themselves to oversee that everything about your rehearsal dinner ran as smoothly as it could to ensure no hiccups tomorrow at the cost of nearly driving you up a wall from their constant and loving pestering. 

“Okay, one last thing and then we’re done, I promise.” Connie grimaced, bracing herself for your less than enthused reaction to what you were convinced would definitely not be her final request of the night. 

“We think that we should run through the ceremony one more time, just to be safe.” Your mom chimed in, nodding her head in agreement with Connie. 

“Like the ceremony that we practiced 3 times an hour ago?” You replied, trying your best to hide your annoyance with their over preparedness, Javi’s hand snaking around your waist and giving your hip a little squeeze of reassurance knowing you were trying your best to keep it together. 

“Okay listen, yes, but-” Connie began to rebuttal, only to be cut off promptly by your mom. 

“It’s your brothers, sweetie. I love them, but let’s be honest, they’re idiots. I don’t trust them to remember how to put their socks on correctly in the morning, let alone walk down the aisle for your wedding.” 

“Unfortunately, I think I may have to put Steve in that category too. I think the girls have it down better than he does.” Connie groaned, all of you now looking across the deck to see your brothers and Steve, David with a beer bottle balanced on his head and the other two chucking empty cans at him to try and knock it off, very quickly nodding in silent agreement that your mom and Connie were definitely not off base about this request. 

“Yeah, okay, fair point.” You laughed, your eyes widening at your idiot brothers, their honorary 3rd member, and the one shared brain cell between them. “Sorry that they roped Steve into the Completely Clueless Carnival of Stupidity.” 

“I’m sorry that my husband is a 12 year old boy who keeps egging them on.” Connie sighed, shaking her head at the trio. “Word of marriage advice, Javi? This?” She pointed over at Steve, now cheering and high fiving your brothers as he whipped an empty can at David, knocking his bottle off his head, “Not helping anyone get laid any time soon.” 

“Duly noted.” Javi chuckled, shaking his head at his idiot friend, “I’ll remind Steve that he is a very lucky man.”  

After a few minutes of wrangling, Connie and your mom were able to herd everyone back to the field where the ceremony was taking place, quizzing all members of the wedding party about their positions and timing to walk down the aisle after explaining for the 6th time, mostly because 5 out of the 6 times, your brothers had completely forgotten at what point they were supposed to make their appearance.

Even though it was the 4th practice round tonight, you couldn't keep the excited butterflies in your stomach from churning as you met Javi at the end of the aisle, staring up at the lovestruck gaze in his sweet brown eyes while he took your hand in his, softly mouthing “I love you” just loud enough for only you to hear, knowing that the next time you met him here, it would be the real thing. 

With your mom and Connie satisfied enough, everyone was set free to disperse and enjoy the rest of the night for the next few hours, until it was time to send everyone their separate ways before the big day. 

As you and Javi were making your way back to the patio, the two of you felt little hands tugging at the back of your clothes, whipping around to see the girl gang of your niece’s and the Murphy’s, all staring up at you and Javi with scheming grins and puppy dog eyes. 

“Auntie Bear? Uncle Javi?” Your niece Olivia questioned, placing herself at the front of the group to signify herself as the unofficial leader, making you already aware she was going to try and persuade you of something given her syrupy tone. 

“Yes, Miss Olivia?” You replied, crouching down to her level, knowingly raising an eyebrow at her, giving her a little smirk. 

“Wellllll, we were all wondering if maybeeeeee, you and Uncle Javi could go take us to see the horses before we have to go to bed?” If Olivia’s eyes couldn’t have been any wider, the rest of the girl’s sure were, practically pleading with you and Javi as they playfully pouted, chanting a chorus of “please, please, please, please, pleaseeeeeee?” 

“I don’t know girls, it’s starting to get late, we may not have a lot of time.” You responded, pushing yourself back up to stand as you looked over at Javi, running his hand over the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. 

“I mean… We probably have enough time.” He muttered with a little shrug, looking back over at you, trying to hide the puddle he was turning into as the girl's adorable begging began to melt him. Hearing his response, the girls started to squeal in delight, jumping up and down before tackling Javi with hugs of gratitude. 

“Thank you, Mr. Javi!” The older Olivia screeched, beaming with joy as her younger sister snuck between her and Javi, wrapping her arms around his leg with such force it almost took him to the ground. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best Uncle Javi!” Your nieces squealed, now joining Abby on Javi’s free leg and trapping him in their grasp. 

“Alright well let’s not break Uncle Javi before we make it to the barn.” You laughed, peeling the girls off of him as they giggled and squirmed. “How about this? Why don’t you guys race to the gate, and we’ll meet you over there?” 

“Okay!” The girls shouted in unison, quickly toppling off of Javi and lining themselves up in a racing position. 

“On your mark… Get set… Go!” You yelled, sending the group dashing through the tall grass in a fit of joyous laughter and leaving you snickering at Javi, recovering from his full fledged attack from the giggle gang. 

“I already know what you’re gonna say…” Javi grumbled, following behind you and the girls towards the barn, rolling his eyes at the smug look you had plastered on your face from cheek to cheek. 

“Oh, yeah? And what am I gonna say, Jav?” You smirked, giving him a playful jab with your elbow, patiently waiting for your future husband’s admittance to having the biggest soft spot known to man. 

“They’re just- They all looked so sweet and I didn’t wanna tell them no! They’re so cute.” Javi muttered, trying to defend himself from your interrogation, without having to directly admit the truth that the both of you knew all too well. 

“Sooooooo, what you’re saying is…” You bit down on your lip, knowingly shrugging at Javi, trying to hold back your grin. 

“... I’m a softie, you win.” He sighed, trying to keep himself from smiling at his defeat, even though well aware of the fact without having to admit it out loud. 

“Who would have thought, once the world’s most sought after DEA agent to hunt down the cartel is now getting married and providing pony rides to his future nieces.” You teased, giving him another poke before he had you squealing too, picking you up and slinging you over his shoulder, carrying you through the field and spinning you around before placing you back down, giving you a playful shake. 

“Not me. But I couldn’t be more happy that I’m wrong about it. Not a day goes by where I don’t think about the fact that I’m the luckiest fucking guy on the planet that you helped me prove myself wrong.” 

“I couldn’t be more happy you proved yourself wrong, too.” 

The promise of getting to see the horses of the Peña ranch had the girls wiggling with excitement, goofy grins on their faces as they watched you and Javi approach the barn gate in hightented anticipation of getting to interact with the animals. 

Fortunately for the girls, Javi was more than happy to let them have free reign of the barn, letting them pet any horse they pleased for as long as they wanted, even letting the girls sneak each of them a few more treats than they should have.

Unfortunately for you, you hadn’t braced yourself for the absolute puddle you were planning on becoming as you watched Javi interact with your nieces and the Murphy’s. As if it wasn’t already sweet enough that the girls completely adored him, Javi was so thoughtful and patient with each and every one of them, taking the time to answer their questions, tell them the horses names, and hoist the younger girls up on his hip so they could see too, carefully cradling them in one arm and pointing out things with the other that made their little faces beam with joy. 

At one point, he had propped up Brianna to sit on his shoulders, both of their faces lighting up as he watched her lean in to pet one of the horses and then pull back in delight to clap at her bravery, only to tap Javi’s head shouting “Again! Again!” as your other niece stood next to the both of them, cheering Brianna on as she squealed in satisfaction before Olivia was begging for you to come join in on the fun. You had to physically brace yourself as you walked over to the trio, because the sight of Javi and the giggling girls alone was making you weak in the fucking knees, let alone how he looked with a toddler hoisted up on his shoulders. 

“Auntie Bear, look at how pretty the horses are!” Olivia squealed, grabbing on to the edge of the stall to peek over and see the horses inside. “Uncle Javi can you lift me up one more time so I can see pleaseeeeeeeee?” 

“Of course, kiddo.” Javi grinned, reaching up to take Brianna off his shoulders, giving her a little raspberry on her belly on the way down before passing her off to you trying your best to keep your cool while your heart and ovaries were casually exploding into a million little pieces. “Up ya go.” He grunted, lifting Olivia up to rest at his waist, holding her closer to pet the horse. 

“I think that she’s my favorite. I like her spots.” Olivia smiled, petting the horse as Javi held her. 

“You know who else's favorite horse that is?” Javi chuckled, watching Oliva lean over to press a quick kiss into the horse’s nose before pulling her back up, watching her head curiously tilt at his question. 

“Who?” 

“Mr. Chucho’s.” He answered, laughing as he watched her face light up in excitement, grinning with glee. 

“Really?! Auntie Bear, we have to go tell Mr. Chucho that we have the same favorite horse! Can we go tell him?” 

“Absolutely, Cutie Patootie. We should probably start heading back anyway, we don’t want sleepy flower girls for tomorrow, do we?” 

“But I is not even tieward.” Brianna pouted, letting out a long yawn after the end of her sentence, rubbing her eyes in contradiction to her statement, you and Javi quietly smirking at each other at your sleepy niece, gently resting her head against your chest. 

“Of course you aren’t, Lil Miss. Liv, why don’t you go get the other girls and start heading back, okay? You guys can say goodbye to the horses on the way out.” 

“You got it, Auntie Bear! C’mon you guys, let’s go, let’s go!” Before you could barely finish your sentence, Olivia was grabbing the rest of the girls, practically dragging them through the barn, the gaggle of girls racing past the stables and out the barn door as you and Javi trailed behind with Brianna sleepily situated in your arms. You were no less than 10 feet out of the stables before you could feel Brianna’s little snores against your chest, quietly laughing to yourself as you kissed her head, pulling her closer to you. 

“Not sleepy, huh? God, you are getting heavy though, especially with your sleeping dead weight.” You laughed quietly to yourself, readjusting Brianna in your arms before looking over at Javi, his eyes wide and enamored, quietly watching you hold your niece, letting his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he gulped before speaking. 

“You uh- do you um, want me to hold her? If, um, if she’s heavy.” Javi stammered, trying to maintain his composure watching you cradle Brianna, unable to shake the image of what you would look like holding his baby in your arms, and how desperately he wished it was. 

You paused, looking over at Javi, trying not to blush at the awestruck look on his face, knowing he didn’t need to say a single word to hear what was running through his brain, and how much it made you want to say fuck it to your already agreed upon plans to hold out on trying for a baby until after tomorrow and your house was finished.  God, at this point, you’d give this man a baby yesterday, every moment he spent with your nieces or the Murphy girls only making your ovaries weaker and weaker at what a good dad you knew he was going to make. 

“No, I’m okay. Plus, I think if I watch you hold her, I’m gonna lose any last ounce of self-control that I have.” It was also taking every last ounce of self-control to keep your ridiculously goofy grin from spreading any further across your face than it already was, looking Javi up and down with a little eyebrow raise, watching a smug smirk grow between his cheeks. Leaning in just a little closer, Javi wrapped his arm around your waist, planting a soft kiss in your hair and whispering in your ear. 

“And that would be a bad thing because…” 

Before you could even respond, you could feel the weight in your arms lessen, Javi reaching across your body to scoop Brianna into his grasp, gently cradling her over his broad shoulder and rubbing her back as she nestled against him with a little sleepy yawn. 

“Okay, well that isn’t fair in the slightest, is it?” You playfully pouted, crossing your now freed arms over your chest at Javi, the image of him carrying Brianna turning you closer and closer into a human puddle with every passing second. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Osita.” He smirked, shooting you a quick wink before hoisting Brianna up and wrapping his hand around the back of her head, cuddling her against his chest as he trotted back towards the house, leaving you a dumbfounded, lovestruck, baby craving mess in his wake. 

Javi seemed to have no problem testing every last bit of strength you had- carrying Brianna, playing with the girls, being the cutest damn thing you’d ever seen interacting with your nieces and the Murphys?  If this was meant to be a test of your strength, you were quickly realizing that you were turning out to be nothing if not a weak, weak woman who needed to make that man father almost as fast as you were about to make him your husband. 

As the fluorescent pink and orange sunset began to dip below the horizon, the sky shifting from colorful pastels to star speckled darkness, the festivities of the night were beginning to wind down- As hard as they had tried to fight it, your flower girls had barely made it 5 minutes after getting back from the horse barn before they were asleep in the lawn chairs scattered around the yard, your mom and Connie had finished their 15th round of surveillance to make sure that everything was in place for tomorrow, and your brothers and Steve were about 3 beers deeper than they should have been considering they were going to have to be both coherent and presentable in a few short hours. 

As much as you or Javi didn’t really care about the tradition, everyone else had insisted that the two of you spend your last night before the wedding apart- you and the girls at the Peña ranch to make things run more smoothly as you got ready in the morning, and all of the boys and Javi at your new house, now close enough to being completed that it was an option to house people for the night. 

The boys began to pile into the party of cars parked in the driveway, ready to transport them back to the house, while the girls had gathered your nieces and the Murphy’s to tuck them into bed, leaving you and Javi the last two out on the patio, the twinkling string lights hanging above the deck shining down on the backyard where tables and chairs lay waiting, ready to be decorated and filled with family and friends for your big day tomorrow. You couldn’t help but let out a quiet, content sigh, gently leaning your head onto Javi’s shoulder as his arm wrapped around your waist, rubbing soft circles into your hip. 

“I can’t believe we’re actually gonna get married tomorrow.” 

“I know, me either. Fuck, I’m so excited. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. God, I’m the fucking luckiest man alive.” He grinned, his grip digging just a little tighter into your side, playfully shaking you in his grasp. 

“I’m gonna miss you tonight and tomorrow morning. I wish the marriage police weren’t on us about not sleeping in the same bed the night before the wedding.” You grumbled, gesturing back towards the house, Javi quietly laughing to himself knowing exactly who you were referring to without even having to say, both your mom and Chucho insisting the two of you indulge them in following through with the idea for “good luck’s sake”, if nothing else. 

“I know, baby. Although, I do think it may not be considered good luck to fuck the bride the night before the wedding.” 

“Speak for yourself…” The two of you snickered, shaking your heads at your remark. 

I’m gonna miss you too, Osita. The day will go by fast, I promise. And the next time I see you,” he paused, gently turning you to face him, his palm cupping your cheek while his sweet chocolate eyes looked you up and down as a goofy grin spread across his face, “you’re gonna be my wife.” 

No matter how many times you told it to yourself, it still didn’t quite feel real- 

Tomorrow, Javier Peña was going to be your husband.

Your stomach turned and flipped in anxious anticipation, butterflies dancing excitedly in your stomach as you let the looming reality start to sink in more and more, realizing that the day that you had been waiting for since the moment you had met him was so close, that you could almost taste it. 

Heat crept through your cheeks as Javi tilted in his head, leaning in to let his lips press against yours, lingering to take in every last bit of you he could as he kissed you, the familiar warmth and taste of him only making your heart beat faster as you tugged him in closer, letting your open mouths slowly turn into a dance of tongue and teeth, melting into each other like you were the only two things in the world that existed. 

Well, at least for a moment.

“Javi. Ehhm. Ehhmmmmmm. Javi! Javier!” 

The two of you practically jumped out of your skin to see Chucho standing right next to you, completely oblivious to the fact that he had probably been watching the two of you make out much longer than he had wanted to, trying to find a way to capture his lovestruck son’s attention without completely scaring the shit out of you. 

“Jesus Christ, Pops!” Javi gasped, eyes going wide as he breathed heavily, his cheeks turning pink as he sheepishly shot his view away from his dad, now standing in front of you with a smug eyebrow raised, arms folded across his chest. “Maybe a warning next time, huh?” 

“I tried to. Several times. Dios mío, you two. You can kiss her all you want tomorrow, mijo, but right now, I’m in charge of taking you back, so you can let la novia déjala tener un momento de pez. (the bride have a moment of peace.)” He chuckled, shooting you a quick wink, your face equally as red as Javi’s as Chucho teased him. “Say your goodbyes and then get your ass in the car before I send Steve out to get you, or worse, her dad. Good night, mija, sleep well. Don’t keep him too much longer.” He snickered, giving his soni a few pats on the back before heading back where he came from, leaving you and Javi frozen in embarrassment. 

“Fuck me…” Javi whispered under his breath, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, letting his fingers brush through his dark curls, looking over at you with a guilty pout, “I’m so sorry.” 

“Listen… Not the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last…” You grimaced, the two of you letting your faces shift from uncomfortable guilt to snickering smirks, shaking your heads at Chucho’s impeccable timing. “Okay, as much as I don’t want to,  I should probably let you go before my mom, or even worse, Connie and Steve walk out on us too.”

“Very fair. Un beso mas, por favor (One more kiss, please).” 

Gently cradling your cheek, Javi’s hand slid across your jaw, his thumb swiping at the soft skin of your cheek as your lips met in a tender kiss, lingering just long enough to be interrupted by the honk of a car horn blaring from the driveway, desperate for Javi’s attention. 

“Something tells me they’re waiting for you.” You teased, pressing up on your tiptoes to kiss Javi on the cheek before resting your head against his chest, tangling your arms around his waist for one last hug before you said goodbye. “I love you, Javi. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Peña.” 

“See you tomorrow, Mrs. Peña. I love you, too.” With one last kiss buried in the soft swept curls of your hair and a final squeeze in your embrace, making you giggle and squeal as he picked you up off the ground, shaking you in his grasp.  

With another longer and louder honk, Javi reluctantly made his way to the truck, making sure to give you one last look over his shoulder, mouthing one last “I love you” to tide you over into tomorrow as he disappeared to be whisked away by the dads and brothers, the only thing standing in your way of officially becoming Mrs. Peña was the one last sleep that brought you to your wedding day. 

While you were surprised, you couldn’t have been more thankful that the ladies residing in the Peña ranch for the night were insistent on making sure you get to bed as soon as possible, leaving you with an extra few hours of quiet, alone time before the big day tomorrow. 

You had triple checked you had everything ready and set out, and once you had washed your face, put on your pajamas, and checked everything one more time, you settled into bed, curling up into Javi’s plaid sheets. The familiar and comforting scent of him was still hidden in the bed, the smell just enough to help your eyelids slowly blink heavier and heavier with a soft smile between your cheeks. You couldn’t help but replay the image of walking down the aisle to meet Javi over and over again in your head, picturing his handsome, giddy grin greeting you as he took your hand in his, counting down the moments until “I do” becoming easier than counting sheep. So easy, in fact, that you had fallen asleep in a matter of moments, peacefully drifting to sleep as you waited to be woken by the soft glow of tomorrow’s sunrise. 

That’s why you were so surprised when you woke up to what you assumed was the next morning, wondering what time it was if it was still so dark outside, thinking you must have woken up an hour or two early out of anticipation. You rolled over, tossing in the warmth of your sheets to peek at the bright red numbers glowing on the alarm clock next to you. 

Well, it was morning, but 1:47 A.M. wasn’t the time you were exactly hoping to see. 

The first thing that came to your mind was shock when you saw the blinking red number flash in your face as your eyelids stretched open- how had you only been asleep for 3 hours? The next thing that came to your mind was something that you were not expecting- and that was pure panic. 

There was nothing about tomorrow that was making you feel nervous in the slightest. Everything was planned and ready, everyone was excited and happy, and most importantly, you couldn’t be more thrilled to finally get to marry Javi and start the rest of your life together with him. 

So why the fuck were you wide awake and anxious as hell? 

You let out a groan, stretching your arms above your head as your body tensed, tugging the comforter over your head as you forced your eyelids back shut, willing yourself to fall back asleep. You took a few deep breaths, scrunching your face in frustration as you could feel your body only coming more and more awake, your heart beating faster and faster as you realized falling back asleep wasn’t going to be as easy as you thought. 

Maybe I just need to go to the bathroom. 

You threw the sheets off your body, groggily stumbling out of bed towards the ensuite attached to Javi’s room. Not even bothering to turn on the lights, you forced yourself to pee in the dark, hoping the lack of light would trick your body into wanting to go back to bed, but it was no use. Getting up to go to the bathroom had only made you more aware of how awake you now were, anxiously pacing back and forth between your bed and the bathroom, trying to think of ways to help you fall back asleep. 

2:26 A.M.  

The new time you had found yourself reading on the alarm clock was now making your anxiety skyrocket, wondering how you had already been awake for almost a half an hour with no sign of falling back asleep in sight. It also didn’t help that your mind was now beginning to race, the nagging thought of trying to power through tomorrow, the most important day of your life, with only 3 hours of sleep only adding to your stress. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, your leg was bouncing in sync with your rapid heart rate, wondering how the hell you were going to get yourself any sleep before the sun rose. Letting your back flop against the mattress, you let out a huff of frustration, burying your head under all of the pillows on Javi’s bed, desperate to find any remedy to ease you back to sleep. You sat there for a few minutes, but of course, with it being of absolutely zero use, you were back to sitting up, looking around the room for any sort of solution to your sleepless night. 

Boring books. Perfect. 

Eyeing the shelf across the room, you grabbed the most uninteresting looking book you could find, quickly settling on the well worn copy of The Hobbit, based on sheer volume alone. Clicking on the lamp resting on the nightstand, you let the warm glow of the light illuminate the room, shadows dancing against the walls as you tried to settle back between the sheets, opening up the book and letting your eyes graze back and forth the tiny ink print. Even though you were taking in the words on the page, you knew for a fact it wasn’t even close to actually reading, glancing back and forth at the blaring red number of the alarm clock every 2 minutes, as if you were going to magically will yourself to fall asleep and make it morning. 

After a failed half hour of staring at the book, you now felt even more frustrated than before, feeling the panicked tears beginning to well in your eyes as the clock crept close to 3:00 AM and you were wide awake as ever. Burying your head in your hands, you could feel your chest growing heavier with each deep breath, slowly feeling like a pile of bricks had been set on top of you as you began to sob quietly, feeling the inevitable panic and defeat wash over you. 

You weren’t falling back asleep. 

As you rolled over to face the cold and empty half of your bed, you wished with every bone in your body that Javi was there next to you, able to pull you close and promise you that everything was going to be okay, and even if it wasn’t, at least  you’d have him there with you instead of the empty and lonely void of his dark childhood bedroom. 

At this point, the thought of even just hearing his voice seemed like it may provide you with some relief,  but the last thing you wanted to do was wake Javi up and have him suffer sleeplessly with you. But right now, it seemed like the only thing in the world that was going to make you feel any ounce of better was hearing Javi’s voice lull you back to sleep, showering you with reassurance that you’d be okay before the big day tomorrow. 

You sat up, wiping the tears streaming down your cheeks with the back of your hand, getting out of bed to nervously pace back and forth across the room, debating the idea of calling Javi as a last resort  for sleep before sunrise. 

The war of pros and cons raged in your mind with each anxious step across the worn, creaky floor, arguing with yourself about calling Javi at the ripe hours of 3:00 AM to cure your desperate need for sleep. For as terrible as you felt about waking him up, you found yourself quietly creeping down the hallway, closer and closer to the phone tucked away in the kitchen, your fingers gently punching the digits to his phone number and bringing the phone to your ear, nestling it between your neck and shoulder as you impatiently chewed at your bottom lip so hard you were convinced it was going to bleed.

You were in shock that you were in such a panic to the point you were about to wake up your future husband in the middle of the night, only hours before the day of your wedding, but what shocked you more, was that you heard Javi’s voice answer his phone halfway through the first dial tone, and he sounded just as wide awake as you. 

“Osita? Baby, are you okay? Is everything alright?” Obviously worried by your 3:00 AM phone call, you could also hear the worry and stress rumbling low in his chest as he spoke, the relief of finally hearing his voice bringing even more tears to your eyes as the reality of the situation only sank deeper and deeper into your conscious. 

“Javi, I- I’m really sorry, I didn’t wanna wake you up, but I- I just- I’m wide awake and I’ve been up for like, 2 hours and can’t fall back asleep and didn’t know what to do, I tried everything and I-” You paused, trying to stop the sniffling through your sobs to hear the muffled response on the other end of the line. “Jav, are you- Javi are you laughing?” 

“Yeah, because I can’t fucking sleep either.” He quietly chuckled, his admittance suddenly lifting a weight off your shoulders, realizing that you weren't crazy for being wired and wide awake the night before your wedding. “I’m sorry, I promise I’m not laughing at you, Hermosa, I’ve been up for a while too and I can’t fucking fall back asleep. I can’t believe that you’re up too.” 

“Wow, lucky us.” You snickered, smiling at Javi’s muted laughter through the other end of the phone. “I miss you, Jav. I wish you were here. I’m convinced that’s the only thing that’s gonna help me fall back asleep.”  You paused again, this time with no response from Javi, cocking your head in confusion as you listened to the rustling and shuffling from the other end of the line. “Jav? Are you there?” 

“I’ll be over in 15 minutes.”  

“Wait, what?” You responded, scrunching your brow, wondering if you had heard him correctly. “Javi, are you sure? It’s already so late and I-” 

“Listen, I would like to think it’s way worse luck for the bride and groom not to get any goddamn sleep the night before their wedding than it is for them to sleep in the same bed. We can just talk on the phone if you don’t want me to, but-” 

“Javier Peña, you better get your handsome ass over here ASAP.” 

The two of you quietly laughed to yourselves, feeling your cheeks warm in a soft smile, an instant calm flooding your body at the thought that you were only minutes away from having Javi by your side, knowing even if you couldn't sleep, your night would be a lot less lonely with him there with you. 

“Wait, how are you gonna get here without waking everyone up?” 

“Not my first time sneaking out, Osita.” You giggled at his response, practically hearing his smug smirk through the phone.  

“Sneaking into your childhood bedroom the night before your wedding? And they say true love is dead. Don’t keep me waiting, Romeo.” 

“God, you’re such a dork. I love you. I’ll be there soon.” 

“I love you too. See you soon.” 

As the dial tone went silent, you hung the phone back on the receiver, leaning back against the wall of the kitchen, letting out a sigh of relief, you felt the anxious weight off your chest lift, the racing of your heart shifting from stress to sweet solace.

At least if you weren’t going to sleep, you weren’t going to have to do it alone. 

Quietly, you tiptoed back into your room, carefully treading across the creaky and worn wood planks of the ranch floor to avoid squeaks, shutting the door behind you as you made it back to the bed, resting your head against the windowsill as you patiently waited for the familiar rumble of Javi’s truck treading down the driveway.  

It wasn’t long before the bright flash of headlights shone through the panes of your window, illuminating your room and casting shifting shadows against the walls, the crackling gravel crunching under Javi’s truck tires coming to a halt as his car parked along the side of the house. The gentle slam of the car door shutting made your heart skip a beat as you cracked open your window, peaking your head outside to see Javi’s broad figure sneaking towards you through the darkness.  

“Well, fancy seeing you here.” You snickered, gently pushing open the window for Javi, scooting out of his way as he hoisted himself up through the frame, letting out a little grunt as he flopped over into the bedroom. As he stood up, he immediately wrapped his arms around you, one around your waist tugging you closer to him, and the other cradling the back of your head as you rested it against his chest. 

You weren’t quite sure what it was- his familiar scent, his warm embrace, the feeling of home being wrapped up in his presence, but whatever it was, it had every single emotion that had been bubbling up inside you since 1 A.M. coming to fruition, instantly beginning to sob tears mixed with relief, stress and overwhelming exhaustion the second your head met the soft cotton fabric of the t-shirt laying over his chest. 

“Hey, hey, baby, it’s okay. It’s okay, I’m right here, I’ve got you. Shhhhhh, don’t cry Hermosa, it’s okay.” Javi whispered, pulling you closer to him, running his fingers through your hair and leaning down to press a kiss on your head, holding you while you let everything out. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn��t wanna spend the night before we got married waking you up at 3:00 in the morning just because I couldn’t sleep.” You muttered through your shaky breaths in between tears clinging onto Javi’s shirt, feeling the wetness pool on the cotton where your head had been resting. 

“Osita, baby, look at me.” Javi paused, peeling you off of him just enough to force your gaze on him, his hand now cupping your jaw while his thumb rubbed against your cheek, wiping away your tears to see his soft, sweet smile staring back at you. “I don’t care. I don’t care if you wake me up at 1 A.M., 3 A.M., whenever the fuck you wanna wake me up, because today, I get to wake up knowing I get to spend the rest of my life with you. I get to spend the rest of my life as your husband. I get to fucking marry you. I think that’s worth a lifetime’s worth of 3 A.M. wakeup calls. C’mere.” He cooed, carefully picking you up and carrying you over to bed, laying you in the sea of sheets and blankets before climbing in himself and nestling up next to you, his hand splayed along your back, tracing small circles with his fingertips while your arm draped across his stomach as you laid on top of him, snuggling as close as you could into his body. 

“Thank you.” You whispered, your warm breath tickling Javi’s neck as you nestled your face in his shoulder, the faint thumping of his heartbeat syncing with yours as your breaths became longer and deeper in Javi’s embrace. 

“For what, baby?” 

“For being the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

Javi couldn’t help but quietly laugh to himself, a smile spreading across his face as he looked down at you, curled against his body, watching your eyelids start to droop heavier and heavier with each blink, the telltale signs of sleep slowly beginning to wash over you the moment you were finally snuggled up next to him. It was as if your brain and body knew all you needed was to have him beside you to send you off into slumber. 

“Thank you for making me the luckiest man in the world.” 

Even as you felt yourself starting to drift in and out of consciousness, you could still feel the heat creeping through your cheeks, a soft smile pursed between your lips, wrapped in the warmth of Javi’s body pulling you closer. 

“Can you believe we’re getting married tomorrow?” 

“Even better, Hermosa, we’re getting married today.” 

“I keep forgetting it’s way past midnight at this point, holy shit. Happy wedding day, you goofball,” You paused, letting a prolonged yawn escape from your mouth before letting your eyes fall all the way shut, “I wouldn’t wanna spend the rest of my 3 A.M.’s with anyone else but you. Te amo, Javi.” 

“Te amo más, Osita. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” 

“Even when we’re old and gray and I have saggy boobs?” You giggled, another yawn disrupting your sleepy laughter as Javi gently shook you in his grasp, lovingly rolling his eyes at your remark. 

“Especially when we’re old and gray, no matter how saggy your boobs are.” 

“You’re about to make a life long commitment here, Jav, you gotta love me when I’m old, senile and saggy, no backin’ out now.” You teased, only making the two of you snicker more. 

“I will love everything about you for as long as I live, pendejo, saggy boobs and all.”  

“You promise?” 

“I promise.” 

A promise that had granted you permission to finally put your body at ease, sleep washing over you in soft and rolling waves with each inhale and exhale pressed against Javi’s chest, slowly fading into slumber without even realizing. 

It wasn’t until the golden glow of sunrise began to spill through your windows that you found yourself stirring once again, squinting at the beaming rays bursting into your room and willing yourself awake, flooded with relief that it wasn’t the dead of night that had greeted you. Rolling your shoulders and stretching your limbs, you forced yourself through your sleepy fog, shifting over to face Javi’s side of the bed. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead. Thank God it’s actually morning. Jav? Javi?” Flopping over, you woke to find Javi’s space empty, his broad frame and sleepy smile nowhere to be found to kiss good morning and greet. Sitting up, you peeked across the room to find the bathroom empty, and the window you had left open last night closed shut, Javi’s truck no longer parked in the driveway, disappearing like a thief in the night. Looking back over at the tangled sea of sheets left on his side of the bed, a bright yellow post-it note caught your eye, carefully placed on top of his pillow, taking his place in his absence. 

Reaching over with another yawn and stretch, you carefully picked up the paper, hovering it over the goofy grin on your face that had made its home there the second you had seen Javi’s scratchy writing scribbled across the bright yellow note. 

Morning Hermosa, 

Sorry I left without saying goodbye, figured it was easier if I was gone before everyone woke up and spare us the grief of everyone giving us shit for spending the night together. I know you’re sleeping good because I woke up 3 inches of bed and barley any sheets, since you were buried in a nest so deep I’m convinced you were hibernating. 

Even when you steal all the blankets, I couldn’t be more thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with you. You are my heart, my soul, everything I never knew I need and am so glad I found. I can’t stop thinking about how beautiful you’re gonna look today. How lucky I am that you’re gonna be my wife. I love you so much, Osita. Till we’re old and gray.

Let’s get fuckin’ married, baby

-J

What you were convinced were the first of many tears today beginning to well in your eyes, one little yellow post-it from your future husband had your heart already bursting at the seams. 

In all your years of life, there had been few things you had found yourself absolutely sure of. Life had thrown you more curveballs than you ever thought you could manage, and you had been more than happy to put yourself down and out for the count. That was until a tall, handsome stranger threw you the biggest curveball you could have never prepared for- that for once in your life, you were finally sure of something. 

You loved Javier Peña more than life itself. And today?

You were gonna marry the shit out of him. 

@cool-iguana @rhoorl @whyjuliaaa @bbiophiliaa @pertinentpostmortem @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @pedrobaby @fatima-marisa @beboldbebravethings @poodlebae @kittenlittle24 @3sriracha @jungchloee @perennialdoll247 @prettyinpunk85 @partyofone3413 @harriedandharassed @pedrohoe04 @theorganasolo @endlessthxxghts @beware-my-thorns @missladym1981 @messinadress @milly-louise @jay-zzle @the-one-with-the-grey-color @persephone-girl @bitchesuntitled @pedropascallvr @millennial-teenybopper @nastiasnow @vee-bees-blog @hopplessilse @mxtokko @its-nebuleuse @mandoisapunk @msmorningstaarr @amyispxnk @honeyedmiller @mountainsandmayhem @picketniffler @burningnerdchild

[ruins-of-babylon]

𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 - 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐

♡︎♡︎♡︎♥︎♡︎♡︎

Mattheo Riddle x reader smut

𝒮𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓎：After Mattheo successfully woos his enemy’s girlfriend, he has to deal with the aftermath of Theo’s anger

Part 1 here

𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈：toxic!theo, Theo calls reader bitch and whore, Theo almost hits reader, oral (m receiving), edging, unprotected p in v (use protection!), kinda public sex, creampie, kinda breeding kink, let me know if I missed anything!

𝒩ℴ𝓉ℯ：I’m sorry this took kinda long to write, I’ve been pretty busy lately

🔞🔞MDNI!!!!🔞🔞

On Sunday morning, you woke up surrounded by someone’s arms, covering as much of you as they could. It took you a moment to remember what happened last night, and who was currently holding you. You smiled as you recalled the events of the previous night, how you promised Mattheo you would be his, how he had claimed you as his own. As you took in more reality, your smile faded. You realized you were sleeping in Theo’s bed, and he still thought you were together. He would probably be back soon. Shit! You thought as you sprung up from your comfortable position and turned to shake Mattheo awake.

“Matt, wake up! Theo could get here any minute!” You shouted at him. He only slightly stirred, before groggily opening his eyes half way and grabbing you to lay down with him again.

“Shhh, just go to sleep, princess.” He whispered in his sleepy voice, his grip on you tight and unrelenting as you tried to squirm away. You sighed at his sleep-intoxicated state, turning in his arms to face him. You kissed him deeply, pulling his hair sharply but gently, trying to wake him up further. He groaned into your mouth as you kissed him, kissing back sleepily. He chuckled softly at your actions. “You need to get up.” You whispered to him as you pulled away from him.

“Let’s just sleep for a little longer. Okay?” He said, nestling his head into the crook of your neck. You groaned.

“No, Mattheo. Theos going to see you in his bed and kill you if you don’t get up. Okay?” You replied. His body tensed as he took in what you said. He finally sat up and turned to you.

“You said you were mine now.” Was all he could manage, a sad tone in his voice. You felt bad for him, seeing him so vulnerable.

“I am, baby. I just need to break up with Theo so we can be together.” You replied, rubbing comforting circles on his back. He turned to you and smiled, understanding your thinking.

“Okay, baby. I’ll go.” He said, getting up and getting dressed. You watched him, nearly drooling. He was a sight for sore eyes, you could say. He had just finished putting his clothes on before he kissed you goodbye, heading for the door. Halfway there, he heard the door knob shaking. He looked around and immediately ran for the open closet. Your heart pounded fast in your chest as Theo revealed himself, walking towards you on his bed. You were only wearing your underwear, hiding under his covers. He peered at you as you smiled at him. He returned the smile, and crawled into bed with you, pulling the covers away from your body.

“Damn, I forget how gorgeous you are.” He said, smirking, kissing your lips. You felt awkward, knowing Theo wasn’t going to be happy when you broke up with him. But you had Mattheo, and he’d protect you. You pulled away from the one-sided kiss slowly.

“Theo, can we talk?” You whispered. He pulled away from you as well, a concerned look on his face.

“About what?” He questioned, looking nervous. You gulped down your fear before speaking up.

“I want to break up.” You quickly said, waiting for his reaction. You studied his face, watching as he seemed to go through all the stages of grief.

“What?! Why?” He shouted. You shakily looked up at him, trying to search for the words.

“I-I just…” you stumbled over your words, trying to piece together an excuse. It was hard when you could feel his gaze down on you, seemingly trying to intimidate you. “You don’t treat me well. You’re controlling and I don’t feel like this relationship is healthy or loving.” You finally told him, finding sudden confidence. You stood up, getting your clothes from the side of his bed, putting them on while keeping your eyes on him.

Mattheo watched the situation unfold, peering through a gap in the closet door. He saw you and Theo exchange words and almost laughed when he saw Theos expression. That quickly turned to something else - anger, sadness, fear, he didn’t know - when Theo lunged at you, grabbing your wrist tightly and pulling you to him.

“You can’t fucking leave me. Don’t you know what I’ve done for you? All this time, money, effort I spent for you. For us. I’m all you have.” He spit out, a sadistic smirk on his face as he saw you tear up.

“You can’t stop me. I’m breaking up with you whether you like it or not.” You whispered. You wanted your life back, your freedom back, and he wouldn’t get in the way of that. Your teary eyes glared at him.

“You ugly fucking bitch. No ones going to want you. I’m the best you’re ever going to get, you fucking whore.” He shouted. Mattheo cringed. He really hoped this wouldn’t wear down on you. He hated Theo more than ever. How could he treat his girlfriend like this? Especially since his girlfriend was you. Emphasis on ‘was.’

You pulled yourself away from Theo, taking a deep breath. His words stung, you had to admit. But you had to carry on, you knew he wasn’t right for you. You maintained your silence and simply walked towards the door, brushing your shoulder against him as you did. This action seemed to anger him, and as he turned and raised his hand, Mattheo took action, jumping out of the closet and stopping his hand. He delivered a strong punch to Theo’s gut before grabbing your hand and rushing both of you out of the room. As you ran, you laughed. It was over, you were free from your toxic ex. A feeling of glory filled your chest. Your lungs burned, sputtering for breath. The cold tile of the dungeon creating a heavy slapping sound as your shoes met the floor. Mattheo was intoxicating, and as he looked at you with a bright smile, you knew you would do anything he did, if he only asked. As you ran farther, still holding hands, you suddenly stopped in some random hallway, not sure of where you were anymore.

“Where are we?” You asked him. He looked around, trying to find something that could help identify your location. When he saw a small broom closet a few feet in front of you, his search for a way back to a familiar place was interrupted. He pulled your hand farther, opening the door and pulling you in. Confused, you stared at him as he casted a silencing spell on the room. When he turned to you, you knew what he had in mind. When he kissed you, you let out a moan into his mouth, kissing him back with the same energy. The kiss was filled with passion and need, tongues moving together in a messy haze. He gripped the back of your head, holding it in place as he nearly stuck his tongue down your throat. He pushed you down to your knees, and you felt the cold pavement under you, your knees crying in pain. He stroked your hair and face with one hand while he unzipped his pants with the other. When he had finally released himself from his pants, you almost immediately brought your tongue to the underside of his dick, licking a stripe over a prominent vein. He groaned, which only gave you motivation to keep going. You swirled your tongue around his head, licking up all the precum leaking from him. It tasted slightly bitter and salty. As you slowly moved your lips down his cock, he used his hand to guide your head, his fingers gripping your hair with a firm grasp. He suddenly shoved your head all the way down, his head bumping the back of your throat. You gagged, tears forming in your eyes.

“Good girl.” Was all he said. It turned you on even more, making the discomfort worth it. You brought your hands up to his balls, lightly massaging them to bring him even more pleasure. He threw his head back so hard you could hear a loud thump against the wall. He moaned and groaned repeatedly, and you smiled at his reaction. Eventually he started to twitch in your mouth.

“I’m gonnna cum, baby. Keep going.” He said. You smiled knowingly before pulling him out of your mouth, leaving him on the edge. He yelled loudly at the loss of stimulation, his head moving to look down on you. He grabbed your head, trying to bring you back to him, but you batted his hand away, standing up and kissing him.

“What is it? Why’d you stop?” He all but screamed at you, clearly frustrated. He seemed like he was about to cry. You almost felt bad.

“Wouldn’t you rather cum inside me?” You seductively asked, looking at him through your lashes. He groaned, because of frustration or because he liked the idea, you didn’t know. He eagerly ripped your skirt off you before picking you up and sitting you on his hips. He maneuvered your panties to the side and pushed himself into you, your wetness making it easy. You cried out, trying to adjust to his size. He held still as he knew you were stretching for him, busying himself by kissing your neck.

“Move, please.” You moaned out to him. He didn’t even take a second before he set a pace, quickly moving himself in and out of you. Filthy sounds could be heard coming from the place where you both met as well as from both of your mouthes. It sounded like heaven. His thumb reached between you two, quickly finding your clit and rubbing slow circles, making you moan out even louder. A tight coil was forming in your tummy, a feeling you knew thanks to Mattheo.

“I’m gonna cum soon.” You warned, and suddenly he stopped all movement, just like you had done before. You regretted your previous mistake, now empathizing with Mattheo.

“Why should you get to cum? You didn’t let me finish earlier.” He smirked teasingly. You were on the brink of tears, previously so close to your orgasm just for it to be snatched from your gasp.

“Please! I’ll be good, I’ll do anything! I’m so sorry, baby.” You cried, grasping at his chest and trying to plead with your eyes. He laughed.

“Yeah? You’re sorry? Hmm. I don’t know yet.” He seemed like he was pretending to think about it, coaxing you to continue.

“Yes, yes, please. Please, Matt, fuck me better than Theo could.” You pleaded, kissing his neck. You knew that would get him. Unsurprisingly, that fueled him, and he finally started moving again, this time faster and more aggressively. His dick slammed into you, deeper and faster than ever. You moaned repeatedly into his ear, but he was only grunting.

“Better than Theo, baby?” He asked, clearly jealous.

“Yes, ahh, yes Matt.” You said between moans. You noted that he fucked rough when he was jealous. His thumb on your clit quickened its pace, bringing you closer and closer.

“I’m going to cum, baby.” You told him, clenching around his dick again and again.

“Cum, then. Cum for me, princess. Show me how good I make you feel.” He breathed out. You could feel he was close too. His cock kept twitching inside you, his thrusts getting sloppier. With that, you came, scratching his back and shoulders with your nails as you rode out your orgasm.

“I’m gonna cum in this tight little pussy, gonna show you who you belong to.” He said before fulfilling his promise.

He stilled inside you, both of you panting to catch your breath. “Gotta keep my cum inside, don’t want it leaking out.” He explained. You moaned at the thought.

“Can we stay like this forever?” You asked. It felt so nice to have him so close to you, still filling you up. He laughed, enjoying the thought.

————————

For @claud012 who asked for a part 2 <3

[milkbobatyun]

dont cry, my darling

pairing: soshiro hoshina x fem!reader

genre: angstober, events

summary: somehow, hoshina soshiro was always the reason for your tears

word count: 1k

a/n: i liked soshiro first, before i even met him (in the anime) i liked him. YOU HATE HIM COMPARED TO HOW MUCH I LIKE HIM ୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭ (pls smw get this reference) literally such a simp for him, i hope this fic does him justice

the hospital room was illuminated by the watery moonlight, filtering through the paper thin curtains covering the windows on the far side of the room. the steady metronome of the heart monitor was the first thing soshiro heard as he woke up from his sleep.

he stared listlessly up at the grey ceiling, breathing in the antiseptic smell that lingered in the room. as he regained consciousness, he was aware of a dull ache of pain throbbing through his body, white bandages wrapped around his chest. perhaps he over-exerted himself in the battle against number 10.

he lay still in the comfort of the bed, eyes scanning around the room. it seemed that the rest of the patients had long since recovered from their wounds, the rest of the beds were empty.

a tight grip encased his hand, where it rested beside him. turning his head, he saw your form, slumped onto the bed, head resting against your arm, as you slept. 

the shadows haunting underneath your eyes told him of your worry, how long you had stayed awake, waiting for him. your hair was messy mane around your head, though it didn’t take away from your beauty.

moonbeams smiled upon your face, their cheerful light catching on the dried tear stains running down the apples of your cheeks. 

he sat up with an effort, a quiet grunt echoing throughout the empty room. he lovingly admired your sleeping form, his usual close-eyed smile morphing into one of sadness. it seemed that he was always the reason for your tears.

MEMORY I

it had been your fifth birthday, and your second year of moving into his neighbourhood.

that day, you had excitedly knocked on the hoshina residence’s front door, both hands eagerly clutching the sparkly pink handbag you just received from your parents.

you waited in anticipation at the front door, hopping from foot to foot in excitement, eyes sparkling when you hear the door slide open.

with your best manners, you greeted soshiro’s father, who had opened the door. in the shadows of the foyer, soshiro lingered, peeking and listening in. he should’ve been practicing his swordart, but you were more important. for you, he would drop everything to keep you company.

“good morning, mr hoshina!” you beamed up at him, a gap where your two front teeth should’ve been. “it’s my birthday today! i was wondering if… if soshiro could come and celebrate with me.” you blinked up at him, hope shining from your face.

his father had rumbled something in response. from behind the door, soshiro watched your eyes well with tears, your bottom lip trembling with the effort of holding them back.

the sun glistened, light reflecting off of the salty droplets as they fell.

it was only after your fervent pleading and watery puppy dog eyes that his father had finally relented, allowing his son to spend his day with you, though he had strictly ordered soshiro complete 30 extra sets of exercises the next day.

to soshiro, it was all worth it, just to see you smile.

MEMORY II

the next time he had made you cry was merely a few months after your seventh birthday.

the two of you were playing around in your backyard, flying your kite. a rogue wind snatched up your kite, throwing it into the intricate branches of the peach tree. your face fell almost immediately, lips turning down into a frown.

when he caught sight of your gloomy face, soshiro immediately sprung into action. he scampered up the tree like a monkey, carefully untangling the kite from the grasp of the tree.

yet, as he was climbing back down, his foot slipped, causing him to land in an undignified heap at the foot of the tree. the rough bark of the tree had scraped at his knee, a small river of blood leaking.

such a sight made you feel guilty. soshiro had gotten himself injured trying to help you. as you dabbed at his wound with an alcohol-soaked cotton, tears leaked from your eyes, while you repeatedly mumbled apologies.

soshiro only gave you a wide-smile, gently pinching your cheeks between his fingers, as he teased you.

“what a crybaby!” he laughed, smile stretching from ear to ear. “smile for me!”

through your tears and blurry vision, you gave him a wobbly smile.

MEMORY III

when soshiro had left for the defence force, you had spent a whole week, holed up in your room, fuming with anger. 

how dare that bowlcut prick not tell you he was leaving and had signed up for the defence force? if this idiot had thought that he could just up and leave without a word to his girlfriend, he should be prepared to catch some hands, or slippers, when he returned.

months passed and you didn’t hear a peep from him. as the date of your 1 year anniversary grew closer, you slowly began to lose hope.

as you trudged home from work, kicking a loose stone as  you went by, you quietly cursed soshiro under your breath, the string of curses growing as you neared your home.

suddenly, a large bouquet is thrust under your nose. looking up, you see none other than the devil himself, mr hoshina soshiro, standing and grinning, covered in bandages and his defence force uniform thrown over it, holding a comically large bouquet of flowers, with your favourite snacks stuffed between some of flowers.

tears pooled in your eyes as your tired brain finally registers that after months of no contact, here he was, your boyfriend, in the flesh, with a cheesy grin on his face.

seeing your bottom lip tremble, soshiro panicked, engulfing you in a hug as your salty tears soak into his uniform as you sobbed complaints about how you thought he died.

soshiro is brought back to the present when he hears you stir, mumbling something in your sleep. 

reaching behind him, he plumps up one of the numerous pillows cushioning him, before gently removing his hand from your grasp, lifting your head and nestling a pillow underneath.

he quietly slipped his hand back into yours. catching sight of your empty left hand, he brainstormed what type of ring you would like, thumb brushing over your knuckles.

he hoped, the next time he made you cry, it would be tears of joy.

taglist (open): @leehanscorydora, @nfekwefdskldm (FELLOW SOSHIRO SIMP !!)

∧,,,∧ ( ̳• · • ̳)  © curated with love by milkbobayun 2024 / づ ♡

[ghoulsbounty]

From a Previous Life (Pt 3)

Cooper Howard (The Ghoul) x Preg!Reader

Summary: You rush to the Ghoul's aid, but find that hospitality doesn't come cheap in the wasteland.

Warnings: Emotional hurt/comfort, pregnancy, talk of cannibalism, mention of child loss, canon-typical violence, blood, angst, grief, yearning, rejection.

Word Count: 8.8K

A/N: This is late! I'm sorry this wasn't finished last week, but it took me a while to get the ending to a place where I was happy with it. Part 4 coming up next! I'd love to know what you think 💌

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

In the weeks that followed, a palpable tension thickened the air, suffusing every moment with a sense of unease. The Ghoul, ever cautious and seemingly intent on minimizing any unnecessary interaction, forwent sleep altogether. Instead, he adopted the role of a silent sentinel, perched upon whatever seating deemed acceptable as he watched over the entryways of your temporary shelters. There he would remain, a solitary figure in the dim moonlight filtering through shattered windows, his hat pulled low over his ghoulish features, shrouding them in shadow.

As you lay awake, restless and watchful, your gaze was repeatedly drawn to him, silently pleading for him to abandon his post and join you in the refuge of your shared space. Still, he remained steadfast, his bed beside you still empty and unused by your departure the following morning.

During the days, you travelled in silence under the relentless glare of the blistering sun, each step bringing you closer to your elusive destination. You would pause occasionally, your keen eyes scanning the barren landscape for any sign of abandoned treasures that could be sold for a fine price. Each discovery was accompanied by a hopeful glance towards your companion, a silent plea for approval. More often than not, his response was a grunt or a dismissive shrug, leaving you to carry the weight of your excitement and disappointment alone.

He had truly reverted back to the aloof and distant man he had been before that fleeting moment of connection shared around the crackling fire—the night he had gifted you the Pip-Boy. It had felt like a heavy reminder of the vast divide between you, a symbol of the distance that must remain for your child's safety.

The internal struggle waged within you relentlessly, tearing at the fabric of your resolve as you walked alongside him. On one hand, the instinct to protect your child, to prioritize their safety above all else, pulsed through your veins like a guiding light. But on the other hand, an undeniable longing stirred within you, a selfish desire to throw caution to the wind and reach out for him, to seek the comfort of the companionship you had felt briefly.

You remembered the warmth of his arms briefly wrapped around you, the intimacy of talking freely together like you had done that night by the fire. The memory tugged at your heartstrings, igniting a fierce longing that threatened to overwhelm your senses. And despite your best efforts to bridge the conversational gap, to break through the walls he had erected around himself, he remained stubbornly distant.

The silence between you grew more pronounced with each passing day, a distinct barrier that seemed to stretch endlessly between you. You couldn't help but feel a sense of resignation settle over you. Some divides were simply too vast to bridge, and perhaps, you thought with a heavy heart, yours and the Ghoul's were among them.

It wasn't until one particularly hot mid-afternoon as you battled against a relentless radscorpion that had sprung at you from beneath an overturned refrigerator in that evenings shelter, the Ghoul's patience reached its limit. With a single, precise shot from his magnum, he dispatched the giant arachnid before turning to you with a sour expression.

"Outside," his voice commanded, firm and unwavering.

You followed behind him obediently, watching in silence as he collected the empty Nuka-Cola bottles scattered on the porch and lined them up along the railing. Once satisfied with his work, he turned to you and nodded, signalling you to follow him. Together, you descended the steps and moved further away until you reached a spot that provided a clear shot at the makeshift targets.

You eyed him cautiously, uncertainty gnawing at the edges of your resolve as you waited for his next instruction. But when his gaze settled expectantly on the gun holstered at your hip, you knew what you were to do. With quick hands, you fumbled to unholster the weapon, your fingers closing around its familiar grip as you prepared to face the challenge that lay ahead.

Despite the sweltering heat and the sweat that trickled down your brow, you squared your shoulders and raised your weapon, determined to prove yourself to the Ghoul—to show him that you were capable of holding your own beside him. And as you took aim at the makeshift targets, a sense of determination surged through you. Today, you vowed, would be the day you proved yourself worthy of his respect.

Pulling back the hammer, you let out a shaky breath as you pinched the trigger. The shot rang out, reverberating through your body like a thunderclap as you felt the recoil jolt through your arms. Taking a step back to steady yourself, you lowered the gun and peered ahead at the targets, your heart sinking as you realized that all five bottles remained stubbornly intact, mocking you from their perch.

A sense of annoyance bubbled up inside you, mingling with the disappointment that weighed heavy in the pit of your stomach. You heard the Ghoul sigh from his spot to your right, where he leaned against a a utility pole with his arms crossed.

"Again," he said, his voice carrying a hint of exasperation. "And keep your eyes open this time."

His words jolted you out of your reverie, pulling you back to the present moment with a sharp clarity. Despite the simmering frustration within you, you nodded in acknowledgment, steeling yourself for another attempt with the gun raised.

"Feet further apart," he instructed, his tone firm and authoritative. Taking a deep breath, you squared your shoulders and adjusted your stance, grit crunching beneath your boot. You heard him tut, then suddenly felt him beside you. His heavy boot kicked at the inside of your own, widening your stance even further. His gloved hands pressed against your shoulder with a firm tap, guiding you into position before withdrawing just as quickly. "Again."

As the Ghoul moved back to his post, you steadied the gun out before you, pushing down the giddiness that surged through you like a current. It was an unexpected sensation, sparked by the lingering heat left behind by his brief touch—the first physical contact he had initiated since your embrace around the fire. You took aim at the first bottle, and with the memory of his guidance in your mind, you pulled the trigger.

The shot rang out, its echo reverberating through the desolate wasteland. A split second later, the sharp noise of the bottle smashing reached your ears, the shattered pieces scattering across the ground like sparkling jewels.

"Yes!" you exclaimed triumphantly, a surge of adrenaline coursing through your veins as you raised your arms above your head in victory. Turning to your mentor with a wide grin, you hoped for words of praise, but you were instead met with a stoic nod of approval, his expression unreadable as he regarded you with a steady gaze. Disappointment panged in your chest, a fleeting moment of deflation amidst the rush of triumph.

"Four more, then you can celebrate," he gestured towards the remaining targets and you eyed him with defeat as your arms dropped to your side.

Eyebrows furrowed in determination, you rolled you neck as you prepared yourself. A brief glimmer of pride flickered in his eyes as he watched you turn back towards your targets with a raised weapon.

"Four more, then you cook dinner," you countered and he laughed quietly, a short huff of air out his nose that was barely perceptible.

As the afternoon wore on, you focused all your concentration on the task at hand, determined to prove yourself capable not just to the Ghoul but to yourself. With each bullet that flew past its target, the Ghoul's sighs of irritation echoed in the stifling air.

He had retreated to the scant shade offered by a nearby fence, his slumped posture a testament to the oppressive heat that hung heavy in the air. From his vantage point, he observed your progress with a stoic demeanour, offering little in the way of encouragement as you struggled to find your mark. Still, you refused to be deterred by his silence, channelling your frustration and determination into each shot. With each miss, you adjusted your stance, honing your focus. Finally, the satisfying sound of shattering glass filled the air as the last bottle exploded into a thousand pieces, scattering across the ground.

Pride swelled within you as you looked down at your gun, a tool that had once seemed so foreign and intimidating. In that moment, a sense of awe washed over you as you realized just how far you had come from the life you had once known. The image of yourself as a wife, a homemaker, seemed like a distant memory, a remnant of a time before the world had been plunged into chaos. 

As you stood there, gun in hand, dirt under your nails, and a sense of purpose burning within your soul, you couldn't help but wonder how absurd your former self would find this scene. The thought of her reaction brought a smile to your lips, a bittersweet reminder of the person you had once been, and the person you were becoming.

A slow clap from behind you drew your attention, and you turned to see your partner walking towards you, his lips pulled into a wry smile. "Well, as long as no one moves, you might just cut it."

Despite his teasing, you welcomed the familiar banter, a reminder of the rapport that had developed between you before it's abrupt end. With a smile, you looked him over, a wave of gratitude washing over you. "Thank you, for this," you said, gesturing with the gun towards the broken glass. "I feel like The Man From Deadhorse."

With a playful grin, you raised your gun towards the Ghoul, a glint of mischief in your eyes. "I hope you like the taste of lead, you commie son of a bitch."

The sudden shift in atmosphere caught you off guard, the playful jest dying on your lips as the Ghoul's demeanour transformed with alarming speed. Before you could react, he closed the distance between you with swift, purposeful strides, his grisly features contorted with rage.

In the blink of an eye, he knocked the gun from your hand, the dull thud as it buried into the sand was loud in the tense quiet. Your heart pounded in your chest as you watched in stunned silence, your wide eyes snapping back to him when he seized your arms in a vice-like grip.

"You don't play like that, you hear?" he scolded, his voice low and harsh, the intensity of his gaze drilling into you like a laser. His leather-clad fingers dug into your flesh, leaving behind faint impressions as he held you firmly in place.

With a shaky nod, you swallowed hard, your voice barely a whisper as you replied, "I hear you." The tension hung thick in the air between you. "It was from a movie, I didn't mean nothing by it."

As he regarded you, the intensity of his grip slowly eased, his features softening marginally as he released you from his grasp. Though his anger still simmered beneath the surface, there was a hint of remorse in his eyes, a silent apology for his outburst. "This ain't no movie, darlin'."

"I know that," you said wistfully.

"Then act like it," he grunted, a wheezing cough escaping him before turning away. "Let's get moving," he muttered, his voice tinged with resignation as he retrieved the gun from the sand and handed it back to you.

You holstered your gun, a sense of caution settling over you as you eyed him warily, your footsteps echoing softly against the gravel path as you followed him back to your shelter. He stopped abruptly a few steps ahead, his posture rigid as he doubled over, sputtering into his closed fist.

Instinctively, you moved toward him, concern etched into your features, but you halted in your tracks at the sight of his outstretched hand. "Get back," he rasped, his voice strained, a clear warning in his tone.

You watched with growing unease as he struggled to regain his composure, each laboured breath sounding like a heavy weight upon his chest. The deep, chest-rattling wheeze that emanated from him sent a shiver down your spine, but despite the urge to rush to his aid, you knew better than to defy his command. With a reluctant step backward, you maintained a cautious distance, your eyes never leaving him as you waited anxiously for the bout of coughing to pass.

The coughing had started a few days prior, coming sporadically but with increasing frequency, especially when the Ghoul worked himself up. At first, you had dismissed it as the inevitable toll of his years spent wandering through dust and dirt, but as the days passed and you witnessed the panic in his eyes one evening while he counted his stock of liquid-filled vials, you knew it was something more. The sight of his trembling hands, the frantic glint in his tired eyes, sent a chill down your spine,

You didn't fully understand the significance of the vials, only that they were his medicine—but for what ailment, you couldn't be certain. You had assumed it was for pain, a necessary relief for someone who had endured the relentless exposure to radiation for so long. You knew better than to ask him about it directly. Even in moments of calm, when the worry over his dwindling supply wasn't etched into his furrowed brow, you knew that prying into something so personal would be met with resistance.

The Ghoul staggered back to the shelter and you followed behind him with growing concern, your heart pounding in your chest. You watched in silence as he grasped the stair rails for support, his normally steady gait now faltering. It was a sight you had never witnessed before—him weakened and vulnerable—and fear shot through you like a bolt of lightning, unwelcome thoughts of what this could mean racing through your mind.

You quickly put the invasive thoughts aside, hurrying to join him inside where you found him hunched over his saddlebag. His movements were frenzied as he loaded a vial into the inhaler that distributed the medicine. With a deep, shaky breath, he puffed the inhaler, the sound echoing loudly in the confined space. Minutes stretched into eternity as he fought to regain control of his breathing, his chest heaving with each ragged inhale.

You held your breath in anticipation, watching as his chest heaved and then settled, but your frown deepened when a groan escaped him. He threw himself back against the wall, his movements laboured and unsteady. His arms hung limp at his sides, the inhaler discarded and forgotten on the ground beside him. His hat slipped from his head, tumbling to the dirtied tiles below, leaving his bald head glistening with perspiration, the droplets of sweat trickling down his tired face.

It was a sobering sight, one that filled you with a sense of helplessness as you stood before him, unsure of what to do to alleviate his suffering.

"Told you to stay away," he breathed, his voice weary as he met your gaze, exhaustion evident in his eyes. "I'm fine," he muttered, though the strain in his voice betrayed his words. "Just need to close my eyes."

As his eyes fluttered shut, you moved to his saddlebag with haste, your heart pounding in your chest as you searched desperately for another vial to bring him back to you. But as your trembling hands sifted through the contents, your heart sank like a stone—empty. He had been rationing his vials for days now, telling you there was a place up ahead to get more, but that you weren't to come with him. Another one of his solo trips.

With a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, you realized that he was going nowhere in this condition. His shallow breathing reduced you to panic as you fumbled at the inside of his heavy duster, your hands shaking with urgency. Ignoring the incessant clicking of the dosimeter, you pulled out a weathered map that he had drawn up at the beginning of your journey, showing you just how far you had to go until you'd find the haven and the stops that you'd make between.

Your gaze swept over the roughly sketched lines and symbols, tracing the route ahead with a growing sense of urgency. Finally, your eyes landed on a cluster of squares topped with triangles, situated close to the location you recognized as your shelter on the map. Beside them, a lone letter "V" was scrawled, signalling the area designated for his next collection of vials. The distance seemed manageable, just a half-day's journey at most—perhaps even less if you pushed yourself.

The prospect of venturing out alone was daunting, yet despite the risk of leaving him vulnerable, of being scolded for leaving upon your return, you knew there was no alternative. He relied on those vials, and you relied on him.

With a heavy heart, you removed his gun from its holster, carefully positioning his gloved hand around its grip before settling it on his lap. Adjusting his hat back on his head to shroud his closed eyes, you hoped that any passing traveller might be deterred by the implication of a formidable foe awaiting their approach.

Taking a deep breath, you glanced back at your companion one last time, the weight of your decision settling heavily upon you. With a silent prayer for his safety, you asked him to wish you luck before turning away and setting off towards your new destination, determined to retrieve the vials and save the Ghoul.

The two-story house stood large and imposing before you, the sun beginning to dip below the horizon casting long shadows across the grounds. Its faded white paint was peeling, revealing the weather-beaten wood beneath, and its roof sagged precariously as if it could collapse at any moment. The yard, overgrown with tall grass and weeds, was littered with the carcasses of rusty, broken-down vehicles and an assortment of discarded debris, each piece a story of neglect and abandonment.

Stepping onto the sprawling porch, the creak of the wooden boards seemed to echo through the still air as you steadied your nerves. You rapped your knuckles against the front door that hung slightly ajar. 

"Whaddya want?" a disgruntled voice hollered from inside, and you stepped back as the door was torn open to reveal a man, his greying hair unkempt and greasy, clinging to his weathered face that was etched with deep lines and one large, pink scar from eye to jaw. "Well, what is it?"

Clearing your throat to dispel the tension, you attempted a friendly smile as you greeted him. "Hello, I'm hoping you can help me," you began, holding the unfolded map up to show him. With a pointed finger, you indicated the spot marked by the Ghoul with a "V." "I'm looking for vials, is this where I can get them?"

He peered closer to the map, beady eyes squinting as he considered it. With a dirty hand, he rubbed at the white stubble of his chin as he hummed, his gaze flicking over you quickly before straightening. "Vials, you say? You're in luck," he gave you a toothy smile, displaying his blackened teeth.

Despite the turn in your stomach, you breathed a sigh of relief. Tucking the map away in the side of your bag, you smiled gratefully. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that," you laughed.

"Well, don't dilly-dally on my porch all night, girl," he said, ushering you inside.

Stepping into the dimly lit home, you were hit by the musty scent of decay and mould. The house was cluttered, filled with stacks of old newspapers, broken furniture, and various knickknacks. The man led you through a narrow hallway into a small room that served as both a living space and a workshop. A cluttered table sat against one wall, covered in tools, scraps of metal, and various mechanical parts.

"Sit," he ordered, pointing to a rickety chair near the table. "I'll see what I got."

You sat down cautiously, the chair creaking under your weight. The man rummaged through a pile of junk on a nearby shelf, muttering to himself as he searched. After a few tense moments, he produced a small wooden box and placed it on the table in front of you.

"Here they are," he said, his tone gruff. "How many you need?"

You glanced at box, your heart pounding with a mix of relief and anxiety. "I need as many as you can spare. How much for all of them?"

The man scratched his head, considering your request. "Caps, or trade?" he asked, eyeing your bag.

"I have caps," you replied, reaching into your bag and pulling out a small pouch. You poured the caps onto the table, counting them quickly. "Is this enough?"

He scooped up the caps, weighing them in his hand before shaking his head. "Not hardly," he said, pocketing them as he stared down at you expectantly. You quickly fumbled in your bag, trying to find something to offer. "How about that there contraption?"

Your eyes followed his to the Pip-Boy on your wrist. What would the Ghoul say if you returned without it? He had insisted you keep it on, gifting it to you as a means of gaining some semblance of control that you desperately wanted. Granted it had recently become an unwanted reminder that loneliness would be your only companion until you met your baby, but he wouldn't want you to trade it. Yet he wasn't here, and you were in desperate need of those vials.

"Please, anything else," you pleaded, one last ditch attempt at negotiation as you rifled through the contents of your bag. "I have scrap, copper, toothpaste, you can even have my gun," you continued, listing your items in a desperate ramble before throwing your gun onto the table beside you. 

The man's narrow gaze swept over the array of items you had laid out, his expression a mask of disdain. Without hesitation, he seized your bag and upended its contents onto the worn tabletop. With a rough hand, he sifted through the items, emitting grunts of disapproval as he scrutinized each one.

"No, no good," he muttered, crossing his arms in a gesture of finality. "That thing's worth more than all that junk combined." His lip curled in distaste as he indicated the Pip-Boy resting on your wrist. "It's the gadget or no deal."

Desperation gnawed at you. You needed those vials; the Ghoul's life depended on it. Leaving empty-handed wasn't an option. Fighting back tears, you took a deep breath and looked up at the man, striving to keep your voice steady. "Fine, it's a deal," you conceded, fingers trembling as you unclasped the precious device from your wrist, placing it reluctantly into his filthy palms.

His cracked lips curled into a predatory grin as he regarded his newfound treasure. With a casual shove, he pushed the box of vials across the table towards you. Eagerly, you reached for it, anticipation tingling in your fingertips. But as you pried open the lid, hope turned to bitter disappointment at the sight within.

"There are only three vials here," you stated, disbelief colouring your voice. "We agreed on the Pip-Boy for everything you've got."

A mirthless chuckle escaped the man's throat as he he leaned back against the table, a smug gleam in his eyes. "There it is," he declared, gesturing towards the meagre contents of the box in your hands. "Lesson learned, darlin'. Always check the goods before sealing the deal."

Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment and frustration, cursing yourself inwardly for falling prey to such a blatant deception. Anger surged within you, fuelled by both the injustice of the situation and the man's smug satisfaction.

"That's not fair!" Your voice rose, laced with indignation, drawing a startled expression from the man across the table.

"Now listen here, you little-"

"What's all this hoo-ha about?" a woman's voice interrupted him as she entered the room. She was about the same age as the man, greying and wrinkled, but whereas his face was stern, hers warmed when she saw you. Her hands went to the apron tied around her thin waist, wiping at the dirty fabric as she spoke. "Well, who do we have here?"

The man released an exasperated sigh, his patience wearing thin. "Just a fool not knowing when a deal is done," he muttered, flinging your empty bag in your direction. "Collect your shit and hit the road."

Before you could react, her hand shot out with startling speed, connecting with the back of his head with a resounding smack. He recoiled, irritation contorting his features as he rubbed the offended spot.

"Goddamn, woman!" he exclaimed, shooting her a venomous glare. "She got the chems, I held up my end of the bargain."

Her eyebrows arched inquisitively as she scrutinized you. "And what might someone like you want with those?"

"My friend, he's unwell," you explained, rising from your seat to begin to deposit your items back in the bag. 

"So, he sent you to fetch them," she deduced.

You nodded, choosing your words carefully as you gauged the situation. Despite her apparent kindness, you sensed it wise to withhold certain details of your predicament. "Something along those lines," you replied cautiously, then pointed to the three vials. "I just hoped there were more."

"There are more," she said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument as she delivered a swift reprimand to the man beside her. "Edwin, why are you lying to this poor girl?"

Edwin, still nursing a sore spot on his head from her earlier blow, shot her a disgruntled look. "Can't a man try and make a profit in this economy?"

Ignoring his protest, she turned her attention back to you, a friendly smile gracing her features. "My husband will whip up as many vials as you need, don't you fret," she assured, her reassurance a comforting balm to your frayed nerves. Casting a disapproving glance at Edwin as he started to object once more, she added, "And to make amends for his rudeness, I'll whip you up a plate."

You breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, but I really must hurry these back to my friend," you insisted.

"Of course you must," she affirmed, her eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled again. "Edwin will go fetch you some from the cellar. We can't keep such valuable stock out in the open, you understand." Her explanation was delivered with a nod of assurance, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Edwin grumbled, leaving the room presumably to fetch the vials.

"Why don't you and me wait for him in the dinin' room," she suggested, her voice carrying a hint of Southern charm from the old world. "You ain't tasted nothin' till you tried my brahmin roast." 

Your protests dissolved into silence as she gently guided you into the room from whence she appeared. A grand wooden dining table commanded the centre of the space, its unpolished surface bearing the scars of time and use. Two weathered candelabras sat empty upon the worn tabletop framing an intricately designed vase that stood proudly in the centre, its once-vibrant bouquet now reduced to a collection of decaying flowers, a red hue faded to a sombre brown. Despite its faded grandeur, there was a certain charm to the room, a nostalgic reminder of simpler times.

Memories of your past life flooded your mind. You remembered the stressful joy of hosting gatherings, the meticulous attention to detail as you fretted over the correct placement of place mats and whether the centrepiece was in keeping with the latest trends from the home magazines you avidly read. Glenn, ever the laid-back husband, would often be found nestled in his recliner, savouring a glass of whiskey as the radio drowned out your worries. He only intervened when you were on the verge of tears, calling for Patti to come and mend his frantic wife.

As you took in the scene before you, a pang of nostalgia tugged at your heartstrings, a bittersweet reminder of a life left behind in the wake of the bombs. In this dilapidated dining room, this family had somehow managed to create a semblance of normalcy amongst the disorder. You only hoped to do the same for your own child.

"I'll have Junior walk you back to your friend," she announced, her voice carrying a gentle authority as she guided you to a seat amidst the array of mismatched chairs. "He's a good boy, you won't come into any trouble out there with him by your side." 

With a tender smile, she disappeared through a swinging door, leaving you to ponder her offer in the dimly lit room. However, your contemplation was interrupted by an unpleasant odour that wafted through the doorway, assaulting your senses with its acrid essence. The stench caused your stomach to churn uneasily, and you couldn't help but wrinkle your nose in distaste.

As she returned with two steaming plates balanced delicately in her hands, the offensive smell accompanied her, its presence overwhelming. Recoiling slightly, you fought to suppress the urge to gag and wondered how the woman wasn't doing the same.

Setting one plate down before you with practiced grace, she deftly produced a worn napkin from her apron, gently draping it across your lap with an air of hospitality. Expressing your gratitude, you watched warily as she took her seat opposite you, her eyes bright with anticipation.

Since your escape from the vault, you hadn't consumed anything that hadn't been prepared by your own hands or originated from a tin can. While her gesture was undoubtedly kind, you couldn't shake the apprehension that gnawed at you, fuelled by the putrid scent emanating from the meat on your plate.

You hesitantly prodded at the dish, watching as the jellied fat quivered around the thick bone it encased. A wave of revulsion washed over you, and opting instead to sample a carrot, you found it had been thoroughly drenched in the juices and carried the same off-putting aroma as the dubious meat.

Swallowing heavily, you mustered an encouraging smile for the woman across from you as she observed your reaction, her gaze expectant. Despite the foul taste in your mouth, you smiled in appreciation, hoping that it was enough to mask your unease. 

"It's delicious," you fibbed, delicately patting the corners of your mouth with the napkin. You eyed the door you had entered through. "Will your husband be joining us soon?"

You didn't want to push, but the urgency of your situation weighed heavily on your mind. Every moment spent away from the Ghoul felt like an eternity, and the thought of his deteriorating condition filled you with a sense of dread. You could have left with those three vials, but what guarantee did you have that they would be enough?

You knew nothing about his condition, nor did you possess the knowledge to provide any meaningful assistance. All you could do was return with as many vials as you could carry, hoping that the sheer quantity would be enough to appease him and alleviate any resentment he might harbour towards you for leaving.

"It's a big cellar," she offered in explanation, her tone carrying a hint of apology for her husband's delay. A heavy sigh escaped her lips, her gaze unwaveringly fixed on you. "Gets a mite lonesome in this old house."

You offered her a sympathetic smile, sensing a shared understanding of loneliness in her words. "And Junior, is he your son?" you asked.

"One of 'em," she replied with a wistful smile, her gaze drifting momentarily into the distance. "The only one left. Tall as a redwood and about as sharp as one too, bless his heart." There was a fondness in her tone, a mother's unconditional love for her child evident in every word. "But us mothers, we love 'em all the same, don't we?" she added with a gentle chuckle, her eyes flicking to your pregnant belly before returning to meet yours with a glimmer of joy.

Your eyes widened in astonishment at her revelation, and a surge of vulnerability and protectiveness welled within you, prompting your hands to instinctively cradle your bump. You had grown noticeably, your pregnancy now too pronounced to conceal any longer, compelling you to discard your vault suit in favour of garments salvaged from an old dresser. Amidst the solitude of your journey with the Ghoul, encounters with others had been rare, limited to a handful of oblivious traders who had failed to notice your condition. This unexpected revelation felt like a breach of privacy, like divulging a secret that had been shared exclusively between you and your companion.

"Of course," you replied cautiously, sensing the weight of her words.

"I'd move mountains for my boy, just to ensure he's fed and breathing. In this world, that's about all a mother can aspire to," she murmured, eyes glistening with the threat of tears. "It's a pitiful state when a mother can't even provide that much for her own kin."

Your heart constricted with anguish, fears surging to the forefront as you contemplated the prospect of being unable to provide even the most basic necessities for your unborn child. The notion of welcoming a helpless infant into a world of scarcity and violence filled you with terror. You had been hesitant to confront the reality of impending motherhood, unsure of how you would navigate the responsibilities that lay ahead. Despite clinging to the hope that sanctuary awaited you at the haven, you couldn't shake the nagging doubt that lingered in the recesses of your mind.

As you looked into her sad eyes, a pang of empathy tugged at your heartstrings. This poor woman had endured unimaginable loss, yet here she was, seemingly trying to cling to a semblance of normality by creating a home for her remaining family in the wasteland.  It was a fragile existence, one that could be snatched away at any moment, and as her resilience struck a chord within you, you wondered: Could this be your future as well? The thought lingered in the depths of your mind, weighing heavy on your chest. 

"Don't feel sorry for me, darlin', I got my time with my boys," she assured you, reaching across the table to rest her hand gently on yours. 

You smiled sadly as you regarded her. "I can't even imagine what you've been through," you admitted, your voice laced with genuine sympathy.

"No, I suppose you can't," she replied softly, her hand withdrawing from yours as she settled back in her chair. There was a moment of quiet contemplation before she spoke again, her words carrying the weight of hard-earned wisdom. "I've come to realize in this world that it's not about what's been done to us, but what we are willing to do."

You nodded in agreement. You had been thrust into this harsh reality, subjected to the horrors of the vaults and the betrayal of those who promised salvation. Yet, despite the trials and tribulations you had faced, you had fought tooth and nail to survive, to carve out a place for yourself in this dangerous new world. And now, with the imminent arrival of your child, that determination burned even brighter within you.

"Are you willing to do anything for your baby?" she asked, her voice soft yet resolute. Without hesitation, you nodded, unwavering resolve in your eyes.

Her gaze dropped to the table momentarily, lost in thought, before lifting once more to meet yours. "So am I," she declared softly, an edge in her voice that belied her gentle demeanour.

With a swift motion, she brought her index and middle finger to her lips, emitting a sharp whistle that pierced through the stillness of the old house. Your brows furrowed, trying to make sense of her action before Edwin shuffled into the room, trailed by a looming figure whose long hair obscured the majority of his face. "Christ, Mag, I thought we'd be waiting all night," the older man grumbled. "Junior, grab the girl."

You turned your gaze back to Mag, the panic rising within you like a tidal wave, but as your eyes searched for reassurance in hers, you found only avoidance. Her gaze remained fixed on the table, refusing to meet yours, her expression inscrutable.

Junior closed the distance with two swift strides, his towering frame engulfing you as he efficiently yanked you from your seat, flinging you onto your back on the table with a brutal force that stole the air from your lungs. The table's decorations rattled to the ground, mingling with the scattered food in a cacophonous crash.

As Mag's now stern voice echoed through the room, a cold shiver ran down your spine. "Don't leave any marks, Junior," she scolded, authority in her tone. Her son nodded in obedience.

Your hands trembled as you instinctively reached for your holster, only to curse under your breath when you found it empty. The realization hit you like a sledgehammer— you had handed your gun to Edwin during the negotiations, a decision that now seemed foolish in hindsight. Defenceless, vulnerable, and at the mercy of forces beyond your control. Like a cruel nightmare, you were back where you had started. 

"Can't sell meat that's all bruised up," Mag's words lingered in the air as she left the room and your eyes widened in terror as the door swung to a shut. You scrambled to rise from the table, but Junior pushed you back down, though this time with less force. 

"Please, you don't have to do this," you begged, tears welling in your eyes.

"She's not for selling, she's for eating," Edwin interjected callously, disregarding your pleas as he seized your ankles. Junior seized your wrists in an iron grip and pinned them above your head, stretching you out before them. 

"Says who, you old coot?" Mag challenged, reappearing with a hefty butcher knife gripped firmly in her hand. The awful smell filled the room again, and you felt bile rise in your throat.

"Says me, the one who got her inside in the first place," he retorted, grunting as you struggled against his grip. "Besides, I'm sick of that rancid meat. He's been festering in there for weeks." He nodded toward the door where the putrid smell was emitting from.

His words sent a chill down your spine as you glanced at the mess of food scattered across the floor. Your eyes honed in on the repulsive meat that now lay splayed on the grubby carpet amongst the ceramic shards of the plates. Brahmin meat, she had told you, but now you realized it was another poor soul who had crossed this family's path.

Perhaps you were naïve to not consider the act of cannibalism in this dire new reality, but your mind reeled at the images of teeth ripping through bloody flesh.

"Please, why are you doing this?" you cried, tears hot on your cheeks as panic consumed you, each futile struggle met with unyielding strength from Edwin and Junior. Mag moved to your side.

"We've had this conversation, darlin', you know why," Mag whispered, her face looming mere inches from yours. The warmth that once suffused her features had now drained away, replaced by a chilling resolve as she gazed down at you. "Motherhood demands sacrifice, and this is the sacrifice I'm willing to make."

Her gaze shifted to your belly, assessing it before turning to address the old man. "We'll keep her for meat and sell the babe for a hefty sum," she declared, eliciting a triumphant whoop from him. As her hand tenderly caressed your sweat-dampened hair, a shiver ran down your spine at the realization of your fate. "I want you to know that I mean you no ill will," she murmured, her voice a soothing contrast to the horror of her words. "But my boy has to eat."

The gentle touch of her hand offered little comfort as you recoiled from her touch. When you shook your head in a futile attempt to rid yourself of her grasp, she stepped back, her voice hardening once more.

"I wish I could promise this won't hurt, but there's only one way this baby's comin' out," she stated matter-of-factly, her words ringing with finality as the weight of your impending ordeal settled like lead in the pit of your stomach.

As the blade hovered menacingly above you, your mind raced with desperate thoughts. You couldn't shake the image of the Ghoul alone, abandoned where you'd left him while you embarked on this ill-fated rescue mission. What if he awoke to find you gone, vanished without a trace? Would he think you'd left him, angry over what had transpired between you both? Or perhaps that you'd waited until his weakest moment to finally run from him. The mere notion tore at your heartstrings.

You needed him to know the truth, to understand that your departure was in aide to help him not abandon him. You couldn't die knowing that he may think so badly of you, even though you weren't sure why it mattered so much. He'd been difficult and stubborn, scolded you and made you cry, but there was a yearning that you felt for him beyond your own understanding. With every fibre of your being, you silently pleaded for a chance to return to his side, to make things right and ensure that he could never doubt your devotion.

But you were trapped, with nowhere to run and no escape from the horrors unfolding before you. The full stretch of your body left your bare stomach uncomfortably exposed to the imminent danger. The cold, unforgiving blade of the knife traced a path across the swell of your belly, its touch sending shivers of dread coursing through your veins. Though the first cut was not deep, the sting of pain accompanied by the trickle of blood down your side served as a grim reminder of the perilous situation you had walked yourself and your unborn child into.

Since escaping the clutches of the vault, you hadn't dared to picture your future, quickly learning that the dangers of the wasteland were capable of shattering your reality with ruthless brutality from one moment to the next. Yet, amidst the chaos and uncertainty, one thing had remained constant: your unwavering determination to protect and nurture the life growing within you.

From the moment you heard the doctor confirm your pregnancy, a flicker of hope ignited within you. Despite the deceit of your husband, the looming threat of war, and every obstacle that stood in your path, you had clung to the unwavering belief that you were destined for motherhood. It was a truth that resonated deep within your heart, but you felt it slowly being swallowed by the hollow ache of despair and regret.

With a heavy heart weighing down every fibre of your being, you closed your eyes, bracing yourself for what was to come. In that harrowing moment, a chilling realization swept over you like a tidal wave: if you were to remain conscious through these next moments, you would meet your baby. You were so far from carrying to full-term, but why would Mag go to such lengths unless she was confident that your baby would survive. Afterall, a living baby must be worth a fortune in the wasteland. A commodity, as the Ghoul had described you. 

Then, the thought pierced your soul: your baby would enter the world alone, without you, unaware of what transpired or why you weren't there beside them. Growing up to think that their mother never loved them. You couldn't let it happen.

With your last shred of resolve shattered, a primal scream tore from your throat.

A distant crash from another room shattered the tense atmosphere, bringing the woman's relentless pursuit with the knife to an abrupt halt. All three members of the family turned their heads towards the doorway, their eyes widening in shock as it was obliterated before them. A deafening cacophony of splintering wood filled the air as a single bullet burst through, sending wooden fragments flying in all directions.

Instinctively, you turned your head away, seeking whatever meagre protection you could get. In the midst of the commotion, Edwin's agonized holler pierced the air, his body recoiling as the bullet sliced through his neck. With a forceful impact, he was thrown back against the kitchen doorway, his form crumpling to the ground with a heavy thud that reverberated throughout the room.

Junior's anguished wails pierced your eardrums. Despite his distress, his vice-like grip remained unyielding, keeping you firmly in place even as he grappled with the shock of his father's demise.

Meanwhile, Mag offered only a fleeting acknowledgment to the lifeless form of her husband before her attention snapped back to the now-open doorway. There, a figure emerged, a silhouette framed by the shattered remnants of the entrance. With each step, the sound of spurred boots rang out like a beacon of hope.

As the Ghoul's hulking frame filled the doorway, a wave of relief washed over you. He appeared worlds apart from the unconscious man you had left behind in search of aid, and as you took in his daunting appearance, you noticed the inhaler clutched in his hand, an almost empty vial inserted inside. 

Locking eyes with him across the room, you watched as his weary gaze swept over the scene before him: you, splayed out and held down on the table, a small cut marring your belly, tears streaking your face.

In that fleeting moment, his expression darkened with a silent fury. With swift and merciless precision, he raised his magnum, his aim unwavering as he first targeted Junior. In an instant, the sound of gunfire shot through the room, a single slug piercing through Junior's skull, extinguishing his cries in a heartbeat.

Mag's horrified gaze barely had time to register the terror before her own fate was sealed. She turned to the Ghoul with venom in her eyes. "Coop—"

With ruthless efficiency, another bullet tore through her chest, sending her crumpling to the floor beside her fallen son. In the span of mere seconds, the room fell almost silent, the only sound being the Ghoul's heavy breaths as he surveyed the aftermath of his swift justice.

A low groan echoed across the room, drawing the Ghoul's attention to the source of the sound. Without hesitation, he fired off two more shots into Edwin's chest, putting an end to his suffering. As the final ring of gunfire faded, the Ghoul lowered his gun, his gaze fixated on you once more. His eyes, dark and brooding, seemed to bore into your very soul, leaving you feeling exposed and vulnerable in their intense scrutiny.

With trembling hands, you pushed yourself up to sit on the table, the weight of so many emotions swirling within you like a windstorm raging inside your chest. Fear, relief, guilt, and gratitude warred for dominance, each vying for your attention as you struggled to make sense of the harrowing ordeal that had unfolded before you. In that moment of uncertainty, you found yourself paralyzed by indecision, unsure of how to proceed as you watched the Ghoul, awaiting his instruction.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, he holstered his gun and tucked the inhaler back inside his coat, the look of anguish etched upon his scarred face. With a silent understanding passing between you, he beckoned you to him with a curl of his fingers, a wordless invitation for comfort that you never thought possible from him. Your body moved on instinct, propelled forward by a force beyond conscious thought, as you leaped from the table and into the safety of his waiting arms. In that moment, all pretence of strength crumbled away, leaving you clinging to him with a desperation that bordered on frantic.

You held onto him so tightly that you could almost feel the air being squeezed from your lungs. As his muscular arms enveloped you and your unborn child, a floodgate of emotion burst open within you, unleashing an outburst of tears that wracked your body with their intensity.

"I never left you," you whispered through each sob, your voice hoarse from screaming, the words spilling out in a plea for understanding. "I swear, I was coming back."

His touch was tender as he stroked your hair, his breath warm against your ear as he comforted your trembling form. "Nobody would blame you if you hadn't," he murmured softly, then cleared his throat. "I told you, you weren't to come here."

"I had to save you," you insisted, your voice shaking but resolute.

"Sure did a fine job," he said, glancing around the room at the carnage. "Looked like you had everything under control."

His teasing stung, and you pulled away from him, hurt flashing in your eyes as you stood your ground. "You were unconscious. If I hadn't come, you would have—" your voice cracked, unable to finish the thought.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" he interrupted, irritation thick in his voice. "Good thing too, because I wasn't aware just how dumb you could be."

"I didn't know if you'd make it," you shot back, your voice a raw blend of frustration and fear. "I had to do something, I couldn't lose you."

For a brief moment, his eyes softened, a flicker of understanding passing between you. But it was quickly replaced by steely conviction. He pointed a gloved finger at your belly, his tone firm yet edged with concern. "I shouldn't be your concern right now."

You cradled your bump protectively, looking up at him with glistening eyes. "And yet here we are."

He was silent for a moment, his hand dropping back to his side as he regarded you with a mix of frustration and helplessness. "What am I going to do with you?" he muttered, more to himself than to you.

You didn't answer him. Instead, you moved back into his chest, seeking the comfort you'd felt moments before. His arms wrapped around you instinctively, the tension in his muscles softening as he held you close.

"This can't keep happening," he said after moments of silence passed between you, his words hammering at your heart. You couldn't tell if he was referring to the intimacy of your embrace or your reckless brush with death once again. Regardless, you tightened your grip on him.

"Just a little longer," you whispered, your voice barely audible. He sighed in resignation as he gently disentangled your arms from his waist, pushing you back to look into your eyes. His hand slipped into the pocket of his coat, and he retrieved the device that would sever any remaining physical connection between you.

You had barely had time to enjoy the unbridled freedom of those moments in his embrace, the silence broken only by the rhythmic beating of his heart against your cheek rather than the disturbing clicking. But now, as your eyes fell on the Pip-Boy, you realized you weren't ready to relinquish that freedom, despite the protection it promised.

"I told you not to take it off," he chided. When you started to explain yourself, he cut you off. "I don't care, just put it back on."

You shook your head, your eyes locking with his, defiance met with disappointment. "Don't make me do it," he pleaded earnestly, his voice softening, laden with a desperation you hadn't heard from him before.

"I have a choice, and so do you," you told him, your voice steady but your heart pounding.

He smiled sadly, a bittersweet expression that deepened the ache in your chest. "I wish that were true," he replied, pulling your hand gently and fastening the Pip-Boy around your wrist. The device closed with a sickening clink, severing the fragile connection between you. You held his gaze, chin high, though you wanted to curl into yourself.

"I wonder if it really is me you're protecting with this thing," you said, your voice trembling with rage and sorrow, your hand still enclosed in his as the clicking commenced. "I'm not so sure anymore."

His gaze dropped as he took a deep breath, bracing himself before looking back at you with a rueful smile. "Me neither, vaultie," he admitted, his voice a whisper of regret. He dropped your hand and turned to leave the room. "Maybe it's better that way."

He disappeared through the open doorway, leaving you alone with the heavy silence and the cold weight of the Pip-Boy on your wrist. The freedom of touch you had tasted moments ago now felt like a distant memory, replaced by the stark reality that, regardless of anything else, the Ghoul was determined to keep you at a distance. 

Taglist: @cheshirecat484 @lothiriel9 @ancientbeing10 @sillysimping @maeplaysbass @moon-trash1507 @spookyoat @rebelmarylou @writtenbyhollywood

[wintersera]

17 — round 2 (half written)

cw: smut, omega sub!minjeong, dom!reader, elements of ABO (omegaverse)

wc: 1k

6am.

6am and minjeong was not looking too good. that uncomfortable, tingly, aching sensation between her thighs unfortunately woke her up from one of the best rests she’d ever taken.

no matter how hard she tried to suppress her heat, nothing worked. at all. meditation would be the best thing for her to do, but i mean, she’s dealing with her first ever heat and her animalistic mind couldn’t conceive any other thoughts- you could say that her head was occupied, and i mean occupied, with nothing more than rough and hard sex, with you specifically. even staring at you would instantly turn her on till the sheets would be sticky with slick.

in her state of vulnerability, she shook you hard to get you to wake up, not even thinking about your well being whatsoever. she just really wanted you awake, to obviously bend her over and fuck her rough like you did previously last night.

“wake up y/n, wake up” violently shaking you before giving up moments later.

she had to deal with this on her own, but alas, she couldn’t understand how to use her fingers herself, and the only way to toss aside her pains was you, clearly.

you were sound asleep. actually, you were dead asleep. after over exhausting yourself and going beyond your capabilities, it made a lot of sense to why you passed out after you sent your last tweet.

it was painfully silent. minjeong’s rapid heart beat rammed against her chest; her palms clammy as she proceeded to lift off the thick sheets that laid on your resting body.

was this a good idea? maybe not, but whatever, she had to have your fingers and nothing could stop her from using you as her little play thing.

minjeong took your hand and gently laid it on top of the sheets, occasionally glancing towards your face just to check for signs of you stirring awake. your arm fell with a dull thud, minjeong winced at the sound, even though the noise wasn’t loud enough to wake you up.

then she positioned herself, your hand between her legs. minjeong didn’t really know what exactly to do.

“mmm… morning…. huh?” you woke up abruptly. immediately minjeong sprung back out of surprise, her hand resting on her chest as she felt her own hearbeat, checking if it didn’t stop from the shock.

“m-morning” she shyly squeaked out “sorry, just felt-“

you cut her off “tingly again, right?” voice sort of low and husky. although you were barely awake, your body responded to hers. it was kind of like you both were in sync “gimme a minute jeongie, need to wake up for this'' you stretched in her bed before you got up, realising that your arms sort of ache from all the work you put in last night.

“need you now” she growled, grasping your arm and tugging you closer.

“be patient minjeong, let me-” returning the favour from cutting her off, minjeong stood up from the bed to push you back down. her now straddling your waist with a cheeky grin slowly appearing.

“please” her eyes grew a dark red again, like it did the night before. that's when you knew you couldn’t deny her orders.

“are you naturally this horny?” holding her hips and making her press her cunt against your bare stomach.

“naturally” she responded with a mewl. minjeong placed one of her hands on top of yours, indicating that she wanted them off

“in… please” she begged.

“oh cute. you’re lucky it’s a weekend and you’re lucky that my parents aren’t that strict” you chuckle, taking your hand off her hips. she seemed pretty desperate, and well you being gay ass kwon y/n, you couldn’t deny a pretty girls request, even if you didn’t know her like that at all.

you easily flipped her over in a swift motion, cushioning her head and ensuring that she’s comfortable with the position. it was you on top of her again.

“want it that badly?” you teased her. a smug smirk on your face. you couldn’t quite place why, but there was something about her that made you feel so oddly power hungry. just her being under you felt liberating.

“need it so much” the only thing she could say before you slid three fingers inside her cunt. minjeong gasped at the sudden stimulation. for her, it felt relieving. the tingly, achy feeling subsided and was replaced by waves of pleasure.

“you’re such a handful minjeong” you breathed out, swooping down to kiss her neck. she hums in approval, letting you graze your teeth against her sensitive skin.

you push your fingers even deeper inside of her, searching for the spot that made her feel the best. you think you did a good job, her mouth falling open each time you hit that specific spot. her moans gradually became louder and louder… even more louder. with the sounds from her wet pussy and the added on moans, the need to finger her harder was stronger than ever.

minjeong shuddered. her grasp on your arm turned into a painful grip as she kept your hand still while she shut her legs. a harsh moan came from the back of her throat while she cried out your name numerously.

—

back to reality.

you stood in minjeong’s bathroom questioning what had happened in the last twenty four hours. it was a saturday morning as well, which meant that you had the time to reflect on your sinful actions. it’s not like you regretted it, okay maybe you did a little bit. you could’ve gotten to know minjeong a little better before you did that.

you splashed yourself with cold water. shivering as you pat your face dry. unfortunately you slept in your clothes you wore yesterday too. eugh, you felt icky.

just what on earth had happened. somehow you ended up here. with a girl. in an empty house. no parents, no one. just you and her.

to make matters even worse, minjeong was still violently horny. maybe she should get that checked out you thought to yourself.

but now, you had to get an explanation out of her.

or ask to leave.

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TAGLIST (closed)

@slowlydifferentbluebird @alcoholfreenayeon @myouiiiiiiii @uzumakioden @nasyu-kookies @earthto-eden @omgcatherine @skydreamed @wonysugar @pupyuj @jisooftme @jeongggiiiee @silentreader98 @rinapomu @1luvkarina @demtions @wintersgff @prkchaeyo0 @haerinkisser @huhyunjinwifey @haerinfangs @pandafuriosa60 @thefckghost @nr1chaedickrider @baebeefyburrito @sighsam @magicalmilkshaketimemachine @jigujellee @seulblade @yuki3000

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles pop-up Spring challenge.

Sprung

Prompt: Spring | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: None | Tags: Future Fic, Established Relationship, Struggling to Make Ends Meet, Light Angst, Sacrifice, Love, Making a Life Together

"Steve, please," Eddie says, and Steve stills.

"I thought you were asleep?" Steve whispers in the dark, and Eddie's not sure why Steve's trying to be quiet at this point. They're both awake now. Steve's made sure of that.

"I was," Eddie huffs out, annoyed, because he had been. But Steve's constant flopping around has ruined that. Steve's become the world's shittest sleeper lately, and that's not exactly ideal in a bed partner.

"Sorry," Steve says, stilling, "I'll try to stop moving around."

Eddie just mutters something that he hopes passes as a thanks, and rolls back over. He has to get up at six, and he fucking needs his four hours. That's not too much to ask for, goddamnit. 

Steve's still for a few minutes, but then rolls over in his sleep, again, and the whole bed shifts and shakes. Again. Eddie's had enough, and snags his pillow off the bed, padding down the hallway to crash on the couch. He's exhausted. He can't do this tonight. He can't.

He still wakes up tired, because it was too cold in the living room. Their shitty radiators either don't work, or boil you. No middle ground. Fucking shithole. But it's the best they can do for now, since they're barely keeping their heads above water, as is. Working just to live. It's been hard. Harder than Eddie expected, and he grew up with fucking hard. 

He'd hoped they'd be past that now, hoped he'd finally catch a goddamn break.

Of course not.

It's the Munson curse. 

And now Eddie's in a bad mood, even as Steve's pouring coffee into Wayne's old thermos for him, packing Eddie's metal lunchbox, to keep him going on the jobsite all day. 

"Thanks," Eddie says, taking it, and Steve just nods silently, clearly aware Eddie's in a mood this morning.

Eddie worries they're circling the drain, from circumstances alone. It's not a love problem, it's a life problem, and that makes it worse.

And before long, Eddie realizes he broke the seal, having introduced a new wedge between them. Now that the couch is in play, they aren't even sleeping in the same bed most nights anymore. Steve will go, or he will, and now they're sleeping apart more nights a week than they sleep together. Maybe they're getting more rest, but they're also growing even further apart. 

Today, Eddie's coffee and lunch are on the counter, but Steve's already in the shower, and their ten minutes together in the morning are gone.

Just like that.

Eddie grabs his work boots from the closet, flopping down on Steve's side of the bed to put them on, and he's suddenly assaulted, poked right in the ass by whatever Steve's left laying on the mattress. 

Standing up, he's sliding his hand over the bed in the dark to see what the fuck he sat on. Nothing. He yanks the sheets back, and there's still nothing, so he strips it further.

It's a spring. 

And it's threatening to fully poke through, probably right where Steve's back rests. Goddammit. No wonder Steve can't fucking hold still at night. He's being tortured, Eddie thinks, as he presses his hand against the spring, feeling it bite into his hand. 

A rogue mattress spring.

That's what's divided them, broke them down. 

Eddie sits back down, lets the spring dig into his ass, and holds his head in hands. He's not gonna cry. He doesn't have time. He has to go to work. But goddamn this. 

He's still sitting there when Steve comes in and is rifling through the closet, "You okay?"

"No," Eddie says.

Steve walks over and puts the back of his hand on Eddie's forehead and Eddie laughs, wetly. 

"You don't feel hot," Steve declares. 

"No, I don't," Eddie mutters, because damn, he fucking doesn't feel hot at all. He feels broken down and worn out. 

He reaches up and catches Steve's hand, bringing it to his mouth, kissing it. 

"I'm sorry about the mattress. I didn't know," Eddie says, looking up at him.

"It's okay, I'm used to it," Steve says, and he rubs his fingers against the top of Eddie's head.

"You shouldn't have to be," Eddie says, dejected. 

Steve Harrington chose him, loves him, and Eddie can't even give him a bed to sleep on that isn't trying to pierce his spleen every night.

They can't afford a new one, not right now, and Eddie hates that he can't fix this. 

"We'll flip it," Eddie offers.

"Then it'll have the crater on your side again," Steve says with a laugh. And yeah, Eddie'd forgotten they flipped it last year, after his side started breaking down. Sucking him inward, like a gate into the Upside Down.

That doesn't matter.

"Well, that's gotta be better than this," Eddie admits, bouncing a little. Anything would be better than this torture device.

Steve kneels between Eddie's open thighs, "It's okay, Eddie."

It's not. 

"I'm sorry I was being a jerk. I didn't know," Eddie says.

"I know you didn't," Steve answers, "I didn't want you to worry."

Eddie brushes Steve's hair off his forehead, "I'm still sorry. I love you. You know that, right?"

Steve grins, and it's blinding, "Always. Work now, worry about the mattress later."

Eddie nods, smiles, and when Steve moves from between his knees, Eddie leans over and laces up his boots. Ready to start another day.

That evening, when Eddie pulls into the driveway, Wayne's truck is parked behind Steve's car. Eddie hadn't realized Wayne was coming, and grins. This day just got way better.

Eddie plows into the house, and finds Steve in the bedroom, a pair of needle nose pliers dug into a small hole they've cut in the mattress, trying to bend the spring back into its original position. Wayne's standing there, talking Steve through the temporary fix, until they can afford something better.

It's gonna be okay, Eddie realizes. They're just a little bent out of shape right now. A little sprung. 

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[fairyhaos]

❍ the 2k event: seungcheol + luxury

alternative title: what makes you happiest?

pairing: seungcheol x gn!reader

genre: non-idols au, angst, hurt/comfort, husband!cheol

word count: 1340

warnings: curse words, pet names

event taglist (send ask to be added): @slytherinshua @rubywonu @pepperonijem @amxlia-stars @weird-bookworm @hannyoontify @my-moarmy-heart @suminsfav @minhui896 @haocovr @lockburn-castle @sweet-like-caramel @horanghae8 @graybaeismytae @karionice @hopetiger10 @shuabby1994 @yonabutnotyuna @lvlystars @k-drama-adict

It’s dark when Seungcheol manages to get home, and he’s utterly exhausted.

The moment he opens the door and takes off his shoes, however, the lights flick on and he sees you standing in the hallway, arms crossed, and he sighs.

“Y/N,” he greets tiredly, standing there in the doorway. You’re here for a confrontation, and he’s not going to try and fight you on that. He’ll always give you what you want. Even in situations like this. “Hello.”

You’re in your pyjamas, the worn cotton dragging against the floor as you shift your feet, leaning on one hip. “You’re home late. Again.”

Seungcheol sighs. He’s so tired, having gone through probably a thousand meetings that day, having to reject and approve countless different projects, sitting there and unpicking and redoing all of his spreadsheets because his useless assistant was good for literally nothing. He’s late home, yes, but he’s always late, and he wonders why that’s such a big deal today.

“I know,” he says simply, rubbing his face. “Y/N, I know I’m late. Why are you up, anyway? It’s almost midnight.”

Your eyes widen, and a look of disbelief crosses your face. “Why am I up? Cheol, what about you?”

Seungcheol blinks, and then frowns. “I don’t understand. This is when I normally get home on a weekday.”

The disbelief is replaced by sadness, and anger, and upset. You bite your lips, fists clenching where you have your arms crossed, and you lean on your other leg. “And don’t you think that’s not right? Why do you think I’m up, Choi Seungcheol? Why do you think I’m here, right now, standing at the door and waiting for my husband to get home even though it’s well past midnight?”

“I… I don’t get it,” Seungcheol says, and he knows it’s the wrong thing to say because your eyes ice over and your knuckles go white. “Y/N, come on, this happens every day. Why are you so upset today?”

“Because you’re never fucking here!” you burst out, throwing your hands into the air. You scream in frustration, days and months of pent-up frustration and utter loneliness manifesting itself in a matter of seconds as you scream again, wringing your hands together. 

Seungcheol flinches, surprised, but he keeps his gaze on you as you breathe heavily, eyes burning.

"I wake up every morning, and you're not there beside me. The bed is cold, Cheol, by the time I'm awake. That tells me you've been gone hours before me. Do you know how shitty that feels?" You hold up a hand when Seungcheol opens his mouth, barrelling on. "No, no, you're going to listen to me. I know you said that it's for work, that you're just so busy these days, but God forgive me if I just want to feel loved for once! You couldn't spare a minute to write me an adoring little note, to send me a text when you go, to do something to reassure me?"

Seungcheol purses his lips, willing the tears not to spill over from where they’d sprung up, startled, in his eyes. He tries to keep his voice steady as he says, “I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy.”

“I know,” you say, raking a hand through your hair, teeth gritted, trying not to scream at your husband more than you ought to. “I know that, Choi Seungcheol. But you’ve been staying out later and later, and I know it’s for work, but I barely see you these days.” You hold out your hands to him imploringly. “I just need to know you love me. I just… I feel like the Seungcheol I love doesn’t even exist anymore. And like I don’t exist to you anymore.”

Seungcheol frowns, the thought of you not knowing how much he loves you grating on his nerves. He’s still so exhausted, forcefully having to push the cogs in his brain to get them to work, but he knows that isn’t right. That he’s doing everything for you. Always for you.

He crosses his arms. “That’s not true,” he says. “Y/N, that’s not true. It’s because of me that you can have everything you want, at any time you want. It’s because of me that we have this house, the one you love so much. You can’t say that I don’t love you when I’m working my ass off every day just for you to have everything in the world.”

“Have you considered that maybe I don’t want all of this?” you spit. 

“Of course you do!” Seungcheol fires back. He’s infuriated now, upset that you think so little of him. “You asked for this!”

You laugh, but the sound is high and mocking. “We really don’t know each other at all, do we, dear husband? I said I wanted all of this with you! This means jack shit to me if I don’t have you by my side! Because it’s you who I love so goddamn much!”

Seungcheol reels back, shocked.

“I don’t want a life of luxury if I can’t have it with you,” you say, and now there are tears in your eyes, glistening bright and crystal. “I just… I miss you so much, Cheol. I don’t—I’d go back to living through our college days in a heartbeat if it meant I could have you back, dream house be damned.”

You take a deep breath, and the anger drains out of you as you exhale, shoulders slumping. You look as tired as he feels.

“Sometimes, on really bad days, I don’t even see you,” you say, voice cracking. “You’re gone by the time I wake up, and I fall asleep before you get back. Do you know how lonely that is? I married you not because you’d make loads of money, but because you’re Seungcheol, and because I love you. And I—I don’t even get to see the love of my life anymore. It’s like I’m married to a ghost.”

The tears fall down your cheeks now, eyes all blurred, and you don’t even look at him, gaze fixed on some point past his shoulder, and you look so sad and broken and alone and Seungcheol realises just how much he’s been hurting you.

“Y/N,” he says softly, stepping forward, reaching for you as you collapse into the plush carpet, kneeling down in his work suit, letting you cry into his shoulder. “Y/N, my love, I’m so sorry.”

You’re trying to speak, but he won’t let you, the remorse and guilt forcing words out of his throat, trying to apologise over and over again.

“I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault,” he whispers, cradling you against him, wrapping his arms securely around you, keeping you safe in his embrace. “I’ve been inattentive, I haven’t been around enough lately, and I’m so sorry.”

“I—I just keep thinking—wh-where did we go wrong?” you manage to say, before dissolving into sobs again, shaking. 

“Shh, I’m sorry,” he says, again, because there’s nothing else he can say. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I should have known that this was hurting you.”

You take a shuddering breath, and he hushes you gently, rocking you back and forth, your thighs wrapped around his waist as he hugs you securely, tightly. 

“I just wanted you to be happy,” Seungcheol says thickly, swallowing his own tears as you cry harder. “I thought that giving you all of this would make you happy. I didn’t—I didn’t think about how you might want something else. I’m so sorry. I just wanted to make you the happiest.”

“Idiot,” you choke out into his chest. “I’m only going to be happiest if I’m with you.”

He laughs, the tears spilling over, his heart feeling so full and so empty and squeezing so wonderfully painfully as he holds you in his arms, blindly pressing his lips to the top of your head. “You’re all I need to be happy, too.”

“So stay home then, Cheol. Stay with me.”

And he does.

[sweetvamp03]

Selfish Reasons

Warnings - nsfw 18+ - smut - not much plot/no use of y/n - needy!sam - fingering - masturbation - piv - unprotected sex

Sam Winchester x fem!reader

Word count - 908

Summary - you've been away on a solo hunt for just a week, but to Sam it felt like months. When you arrive back at the bunker you are greet3d by an eager, floppy haired boy.

It had been a long week full of a few too many vampires. You were eager to hop right into bed and drift into a peaceful slumber for a day or two. Around 2 am you arrived home at the bunker, knowing everyone else was asleep by now, you crept around like a burglar trying not to make so much as a creak. You snuck down the hallway to your bedroom door, inching it open, trying to avoid the squeak you had meant to fix. To your surprise, Sam was wide awake in bed, book in hand, no shirt in sight. "Hey Baby, what are you doing up?" you whispered to him. He set his novel down to reply, "Just waiting up for you, wanted to make sure you got home safe".

"You know you don't have to do that, I'm pretty good at staying alive y'know" you joked with him. "Okay, well maybe I had some selfish reasons to stay up until you got back-" he paused to look you up and down as you started to peel your heavy clothing off one piece at a time. You couldn't help but let out a chuckle, "Really Sam? You're that predictable? We just had phone sex this morning, and I sent you plenty of pictures you could use. What is it, just not as good as the real deal?" you teased him, you knew he was a little slut for your pussy. "Nothing beats you in the flesh baby, you know that," he grimaced and pulled you down onto the bed with him. "Hm, baby wants me, huh? How do you want me? I'm all yours." you couldn't help but be turned on by him, I mean he's Sam fucking Winchester.

"Will you play with yourself for me? Please, honey, I love to watch you fuck your own cunt, you look so beautiful." he was practically begging you by this point. You had already stripped down to just your bra and panties, pushing him back onto the bed, you straddled his lap and laid back, knees in the air. He liked you on your back, he got a better view that way. He propped back up against the headboard and watched as you started in on yourself. You trailed two fingers along your folds before placing them deep into your heat. After a little while, your clit was starting to feel left out. Using the calloused pads of your fingertips, you rubbed slow circles around that perfect spot. You tilted your head up a bit to take a peek at Sam, his cock barely still held by his briefs, precum slipping through the fabric. You knew he wouldn't touch himself until you were taken care of. Speeding up, you felt the band in your lower stomach tighten, getting closer and closer to release, when all of a sudden, somebody grabbed your hand away, leaving you irritated. Sam had gotten hold of you, and was licking your fingers clean, then used his own to dig into each of your thighs, spreading them far enough apart that he could get his head between them. He started licking up the wetness, running his tongue down every fold. Suckling at your clit, he moved at an impossible speed, one that might challenge your vibrator. Legs shaking, you could feel it rising inside you, ready to flow over like a wave, "gonna- cum-" you managed to breathe out. With a few more vigorous licks, you were riding that wave, and he kept a steady pace til you came down. Your hands still tangled in his dark hair, you fell back and tried to catch your breath. "You're so good, baby, cumming for me like that- it's almost enough to make me cum just from the sight of it" he panted at you. A huge grin spread across your face.

Sitting up, you pushed Sam back down onto the bed where he once was. It was only fair that he got something too. Your tongue invaded his mouth before he could say a word, your hands busy dealing with his underwear. His throbbing member sprung free, tip red and dripping. You began tracing his shaft, then gently circling the end with your fingertip, making him groan underneath you. He didn't like it when it was only him receiving, he liked to make it equal, and him eating you out was just as good for him as it was for you. Hands sliding up to yours, he removed them from his cock. He steadied your hips and lifted you right on top of him so you were merged as one. You rode him as he guided you, both of you unable to keep from moaning. "Fuck baby- you're so tight- my gorgeous girl" he smiled as you sped up your movements. As you reached your limit, you could feel him filling you up. "Fuckkk-" you spilled out. Both of you needed a minute to catch your breath after that, you sat there, still connected, simply breathing in sync, running your hands over each other's skin. Sitting up, Sam pressed his lips to yours, mumbling, "God you're perfect".

Detaching yourself from one another, you settled into bed, pulling the covers up and getting close. Head pressed to his chest, his arms wrapped around you, this was the way you fell asleep every night. Well, at least every night you were together.

[seungfl0wer]

*I’ll do anything* PT. 4

Part Title: Numb

Pairing: Lee Know x Reader (fem)

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Violence, Minho being a dick, animal death, mentions of being shot, lots of yelling, panic attack, not so good thoughts, big warning for Minho putting hands on Reader. This one is very much hurt, with little comfort. Sorry :(

This is part of a series find other parts here:

Series Master List

-🩵

The next morning Minho woke up frantically, you weren’t laying In bed anymore. His heart raced he didn’t know why but he was scared. Scared you left or he’d find you somewhere in the house dead. He sprung to his feet as he opened the door he went to run out only to be greeted with the smell of food. “She- there’s no way” he said bolting it to the kitchen. His eyes locked on your body standing there. Making breakfast. Why the hell were you making breakfast? Why the hell were you even out of bed? He asked himself.

You turned your body to place something on the table only to be met with his gaze. “Oh you’re awake already?” You hummed. Minho stared at you in disbelief “y/n you shouldn’t be- you need to go rest.” He said his voice filled with worry. “I’m fine” you said with a small shrug. But you weren’t. The sting in your side felt like someone had just jabbed you with a hot knife. And well half of that was true it really hurt. It made your body feel weak like you were gonna topple over.

You had this thought that had been eating away at you all night. “I need to be better.” It just kept replaying in your mind. “Be better. Do everything he asks. Stop being so difficult. This is why you don’t have anyone left in your life. You’re just-“ you snapped out of it as you realized you accidentally grabbed the hot pan. Your brain had been on autopilot and you didn’t even register it. You winced at the pain Minho rushing to your side. He took your hand running it under cold water as you whined at the pain.

“Seriously, you need to be careful” he said his voice soft but the hint of annoyance in it made a knot in your throat. “I’m sorry” you said in almost a whisper. Pulling your hand back down after Minho had soothed it. He looked at you sternly “listen y/n you need to go rest don’t worry about this stuff today ok?” He said softly. He took your other hand dragging you to your room “go rest. Got it?” He said with a soft kiss to your cheek. You nodded. He gave you a smile as he walked away shutting your door.

——————🩵——————

Minhos phone rang “yeah hello?” He said fumbling to answer it. “Hey, need you. Here’s the address.” Changbin said quickly before hanging up his voice a bit frantic. Minho sighed walking to your room. You had fallen asleep already he hoped you’d stay asleep till he was back before he walked out the door.

A few hours had passed before you woke up. You stretched looking around eyes still fuzzy. You waddled out of your room looking around for Minho but only finding a note. “Got a call be back soon.” It read. You rubbed your eyes a bit looking around. You shrugged your shoulder a bit before going to clean like normal.

After a bit of cleaning your body started to ache, the throbbing pain in your side growing. You laid down on the couch exhausted feeling your body drained. You let out a sigh, you were going to head to your room when you heard the front door open. Minho was home. He made his way down the hall “are you fucking serious!” You heard him almost yell. Your heart jumped at his loud words. Why was he mad? Was it the job he just came back from or?

Your questions were soon to be answered as Minho peered around the corner. You greeted him with a half smile feeling the anger radiating off of him. “You don’t ever fucking listen do you?” He growls. You feel like a deer in headlights staring at him. Heart pounding, body trembling. “I thought I told you not to do shit? Huh. But you still cleaned the house. Are you fucking serous y/n?” His voice becoming ever so louder as he talked.

“Minho I’m sorry I just-“ his eyes widen coming full force towards you. He pushed you against the wall grabbing your face harshly as he stared daggers at you “excuse me?” He spat out. “Sir-“ you said looking up at his dark eyes. He wanted to say something to you but he bit his lip. He let go of you with a small push heading to his room. You stood there where he left you, body still shaking.

So many thoughts rushed through your head as you walked back to your room hearing Minho yell loudly in his room. Was last night about to repeat itself You thought. You laid in your room for a bit eyes slowly closing before you drifted off you heard Minho leave his room. Door slamming behind him as he did.

You were fast asleep only to be woken up by the sweet smell of food. You made your way to the kitchen finding Minho there. “Sir do you want help?” You asked from the doorway. He looked back at you quickly “no” he said sternly. You walked a bit closer “are you sure I can-“ you started to say before you were cut off. “Y/n I said no for fuck sakes can’t you just fucking listen?!” His hissed his words like daggers. “I- I’m sorry I-“ you stuttered out. “And that too. Stop fucking apologizing for every little thing, it’s annoying” his words flew out.

You nod backing away trying to give him some space. You sat on the chair in the kitchen while he cooked. When he was done he started to move the stuff to the table. You quickly got up to grab plates for him. When you turned to place them down you were met with a bowl of hot food to your body. You had ran into him when he was sitting down the veggies he had just fried. “No no no Minho I’m sorry I-“

“Get out.” He said voice full of anger. You could see his fists bawled up at his sides. “I can fix-“ you started to say. “Y/n if you don’t get out of my sight in the next few seconds” you gulped at his words. You quickly moved back looking up at him slowly “do. Not. Bother me. The rest of the night. Got it.” He said his voice scary calm. You nod before heading back to your room. You curled up into a ball on your bed sobbing uncontrollably.

After about an hour you rubbed your eyes looking around. Searching for your cat to cuddle up too. You realize you hadn’t seen him all day. You searched high and low for him around your room, the kitchen even the garden. Your heart sank when you saw the door to the pool slightly open. No. NO.

You ran towards the door searching everywhere for your beloved cat. When you found him, he was floating in the pool. Your heart braking into millions of pieces. You pulled him out holding him close and you realized he was still breathing. You needed to get him to the hospital as fast as you could. You laid him down on the couch rapped in a towel, running to Minhos room. You knocked thinking to yourself ‘surly even if he’s mad he’d help right?’

He flung the door open “I told you to fucking leave me alone you stupid fucking bitch” he spat out before slamming it in your face. Your face went hot tears starting to prick at your face even more. “Minho please it’s important.” You said knocking again. “If you don’t go away right fucking now. You’ll regret it!” He screamed. You started to bawl going to the living room to grab your precious cat. You rocked him back and forth in your arms as you bawled your eyes out not knowing what to do.

You remembered Jisung had given you his number. You quickly rang him up calling him to come get you. You stood by the door waiting for him. You ran to the car so fast as jisung sped off as you tried settling your cries. “It’s gonna be ok” jisung tried reassuring you. He got to the vet and before the car was even stopped you bolted out. The vet took your cat back, jisung coming in for support. “Is Minho alright? Why didn’t he call me?” He asked softly looking over at you. You raised an eyebrow looking at him. “He.. he was busy…” you stuttered out not wanting to get into everything right now.

“He was really out of it today, and someone ended up getting hurt.” Said looking at the ground. “I’ve never seen him like that.. and after it happened.. the rage he had.. it was kinda scary honestly.” His voice trailed off. “Did something happen before he left?” Looking up at you slowly.

Before you could respond the doctor had come out his face somber. “Y/n I’m sorry. If we had him here just a bit sooner” the doctor said sadness in his voice. You just nodded your head taking your beautiful cat now all cold and stiff. He was all wrapped up in his favorite blanket as you held him close you felt almost numb. “Thank you for trying” you said softly before getting up. Jisung walked after you giving you a hug “I’m sorry y/n..” he said rubbing your back.

You nodded “can.. you just take me home?” You said softly choking back your tears. He nodded heading to the car. Driving back was a whirl wind of emotions, the thought of going back to angry Minho. Having to go burry your cat now.. So many thought made you just numb but not. As he got to your house he gave you a hug telling you to contact him if you needed him. You just nodded walking back up to the house. You took a deep breath in before opening the door. Walking down to head to your room you saw Minho waiting for you.

Minho was sitting on the couch “where the hell did you go?” He yelled at you as you passed the room. You didn’t even acknowledge him as you walked to your room. Honestly was more like you couldn’t hear him over the static that was playing in your head. He got up in a huff gripping your wrist hard. “Y/n answer me! Where the hell were you?” He spat. Something in you just snapped “if you weren’t being such a fucking asshole you’d know!” You Yelled back at him. You pulled your arm away from him and kept walking to your room. You only made it a few steps before minho had grabbed you again. He brought his hands up to your throat squeezing around it. ”You think you can talk to me like that?” He growled.

In the commotion neither of you had noticed Jisung come in. You had forgotten your jacket with the little prints the vet gave you of your cat’s paws. “Minho you fucking asshole!” He said pushing the man off of you. You fell to the floor clutching on your cat’s body, gasping for air. “Jisung” Minho said looking at the man almost confused. “You’re such a fucking dick you know that? Y/n was With me you fucking dumbass.” Jisung spirt out.

“What- why the hell was she” Minho said but was cut off “because you were too busy with your own selfishness to stop being a jerk for 5 fucking seconds. Y/ns fucking cat died.” He screamed at the man. In the mist of all of this you were curled up in the corner holding on to your cat’s body. Your body shook, eyes streaming with water. You were having a massive panic attack. Everything felt slow, you felt like you were gonna die. Your mind raced at thoughts of what was gonna happen as your breath almost stoped.

“Y/n?” Minho said his voice softer “why didn’t you come tell me?” He said moving towards you. “Tried- you- you yelled” you stuttered out. You couldn’t catch your breath. As he started towards you, you flinched away scared of what was gonna happen. His body froze at the sight, heart shattering. “I-“ his voice stuck. “Don’t say sorry. It’s not gonna fix how you’re treating her you asshole!” Jisung spat. He picked you up carrying you to your bed. He helped you calm down enough before heading over to Minho. “You’re honestly lucky dude” he said before heading to the door. “I’ll be back in the morning to check on her and if you do anything.. You’ll be sorry.” And with that he was gone. For now.

Jisung was never one to confront the boss really, but his opinion mattered a good deal to Minho. Minho has never seen him like this. So willing to put himself out there for someone else, and against him. He knew he really fucked up.

You laid in your room for a bit trying to calm yourself fully. Minho had run off to do something before making his way to your room. “I know sorry’s not gonna fix anything I’ve done today but.. I’m sorry” he said voice ghostly. “Will.. will you come with me?” He said reaching out his hand. You nod, but you didn’t take his hand. You walked past him waiting for him to show you whatever it was. He felt a lump in his throat when you didn’t take his hand. It hurt of course but he deserved it.

He led you to the garden to a small spot he had just made “I should have been there for you. And I’m truly sorry about that.” His voice horse. “I made a nice spot for him, and we can plant pretty flowers on top so it’s like him regrowing” Minho spoke. He looked over at you, your neck slightly bruised from where he had grabbed you. “Listen.. if you hate me after today I get it. I don’t blame you at all. I just- I was so out of it today and..” his voice trailed off. “Changbin got really hurt because of me”

Your head flung over looking at him “Changbin got hurt?” You asked softly. He nodded “yeah.. he got shot and the one was really close to a major organ. He could have died and it would have been my fault.” He said. You could tell he was choking back his tears. “I’m not telling you this all for you to feel bad for me.. I’m just.. i don’t know..” he mumbled. You leaned your head against him “Min.. I’m not gonna say everything’s gonna be ok but I get it.”

He looked at you a bit confused “what I’m saying is it’s ok, I’m not mad. I mean I am but I’ll get over it. Just know things might be different” you said placing your cat down into the perfectly sized hole. “I’m honestly scared of you” you admitted. “What you did today brought back so much trauma and I’m not gonna be able to get past it quickly.” You continued as he listened. He nodded “I get it. But I’ll show you I’m sorry.” He said his voice cracking. You both kept talking as you buried your cat.

After you were done you headed to your room, Minho to his. “Y/n” he said softly “I love you” he said Making eye contact. “I love you too Min” you said softly. Closing your doors. Minho broke down right away putting his back to the door crying hard. It was gonna take a lot for him to fix his mistake but he was willing to do it for you. Anything for you.

💙 If you’d like to read more of my stuff you can find it Here: Master List . Thank you for reading and if requests are open or you just wanna talk feel free to send me something🩵

Tagglist: @linoxii, @scuzmunkie @minh0scat @chuuyaobsessed @gloriajovicc @itscallypygekritagenis

[holdmytesseract]

Gym Sessions & Babies

☆ The Baby Fever AU ☆

Loki & Narfi feat. Y/N

Summary: Loki takes baby Narfi with him for a long overdue gym session - and gives Peter dating advice.

Warnings: thirst - quite a lot... Loki at the gym (Yes, I consider that as a warning.), fluuuff, Loki being the best, sexiest dad and dating advisor

Word Count: 3,7k

a/n: I just had the idea for this and was like: Yes, I have to write it. 👀🔥 @muddyorbsblr knows, tehehe... I hope y'all love the combination of this as much as I do! 😁 Oh, and I absolutely love Loki's and Peter's friendship. 🥹

Baby Fever Crew: @lady-rose-moon @muddyorbsblr @chennqingg @smolvenger @alexakeyloveloki @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @jennyggggrrr @stupidthoughtsinwriting @eleniblue @loz-3 @mishkatelwarriorgoddess @fictive-sl0th @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @lovingchoices14 @glitchquake @lokidbadguy @icytrickster17 @mandywholock1980 @november-rayne @xthatpottahfanx @simping-for-marvel @lou12346789 @aagn360 @anukulee @multifandom-worlds @hisredheadedgoddess28 @vbecker10 @jaidenhawke @km-ffluv @lokiforever @crimson25 @kimanne723 @cakesandtom @buttercupcookies-blog @salvinaa @javagirl328 @noideakitten @zombiesnips-blog @dustychinchilla74 @frzntrx @lokisgoodgirl @princess-ofthe-pages @coldnique @asgards-princess-of-mischief @lokisrealpurpous

Baby Fever Masterlist °☆• Loki Masterlist °☆• Masterlist

Quietly sneaking down the hallway, Loki slipped the baby monitor into the left, deep pocket of his gym shorts, before he tiptoed straight into direction main door.

The god hadn't seen the gym in weeks. Months. Well, admittedly, he had more important things to do than keeping his godly body in perfect shape. Becoming a father again for example and with that taking care of you; helping wherever he could. Besides, having a newborn was just downright exhausting. In the best way possible, but still. Not to forget that he was spending a lot of time with his princess, too - who enjoyed that her father was home way more often at the moment. There was simply no time for things like the gym.

Until today.

Loki woke up that morning with the absolute motivation to do a few workouts today, and since you were on the road, driving Ella to her friend Tara for a slumber 'party' in the evening, he saw his chance. Sure, he still had to go after his parental duty and watch his little Frost Giant, but said little Frost Giant was sleeping like a rock - at least that was what the god thought...

He tied his wild raven curls into a manbun, checked the baby monitor again, grabbed his stuff and the keys, was ready to leave the apartment - but didn't get that far. Just when he wanted to plant his food behind the doorstep, sprung the baby monitor to life; telling Loki that his son had other plans and was audibly awake now.

A sigh left the god's lips. "Oh, really now?"

He put his things down on the little shelf again and hurried to yours and his shared bedroom. Opening the door, he got immediately greeted by a wide awake Narfi, who laid on his stomach, gurgling happily - even more, when he saw his dad.

"Little prince..." Loki said; putting his hands on his gym shorts clad hips. "Why are you suddenly awake now, huh? You should be sleeping. Didn't sleep very much last night..." Narfi just continued to gurgle and coo; kicking his small legs.

Loki sighed again and stepped over to the little crib; lifted the four-month-old up into his arms. "Did you sense that daddy wanted to leave, huh?" He asked; gently bouncing the little boy up and down and peppering his black fuzz covered head with tiny kisses. "What are we going to do now with you, young man?" Big, innocent ruby eyes looked up into his, causing Loki's heart to flutter. Oh how much he loved his babies.

Narfi clearly enjoyed to be held by his father. Loki could tell. His prince is the same like his princess was, back when she was a baby - and that gave him suddenly an idea.

"Ohhh, I know what we are going to do. Why didn't I think of this earlier?!" Loki smiled and laid Narfi back down in his bed - what he didn't like at all; a complaining whine leaving his small, now pouty lips. "Hang on for a minute, little prince. Daddy will be back within the blink of an eye, I promise!"

Loki quickly made his way to the little storeroom; searching in the depths of random stuff which found its place there over the years. "Where is it?" He asked himself; looking around. "I know I put it somewhere- Ahh! There you are!" With a bright smile, Loki reached for the object of his desire, adjusted it to his upper body and returned to his baby boy.

"Daddy just takes you with him. What do you say, little prince? Would you like that?" Narfi's eyes seemed to shine at his father's words; a heart melting squeal leaving his lips. Loki chuckled, lifting him once again out of the confines of the crib, "I take that as a yes." and strapped him to his chest with the help of the baby carrier he proudly possessed. It was the same baby carrier he used with Ella all those years ago. A smile stretched across the god's face at the memories.

"Do you like it?" Narfi flounced at first quite a bit; being not used to this, but when the baby felt how comfortable it was and how warm, he snuggled further against Loki's chest; enjoying his warmth and closeness. His tiny fingers dug in the fabric of the god's black compression t-shirt; holding on to his father. A big coo left the baby's lips. Loki chuckled; "Thought so." dipping his head to press a lingering kiss on Narfi's head; inhaling his scent. The soft fuzz on his head tickled Loki's chin. "Let's go. Perhaps you're going to get some more sleep, now that you're strapped to my chest. Isn't that a perfect deal, little prince? You get some sleep and almost skin-on-skin contact and I get to have you close and go to the gym. Definitely a win-win situation."

After grabbing a towel and a bottle of water, Loki made his way to the gym - which was luckily just a few floors away.

Said gym was very empty this evening. Nobody was there, except a few agents - and the youngest Avenger, Mr. Parker.

He was running on the treadmill, was highly concentrated - until he spotted Loki and the baby. His eyes stuck on the god; a smile spreading on the young man's face. "Ohh, hey Mr. Lo- woaaaah!" Losing his focus caused Peter to almost stumble and get thrown off the treadmill while waving theatrically, but he made it to catch himself in the last second. "Whoopsies, that was close," Peter whispered to himself, panting, before the smile returned to his face.

"Hey, Mr. Loki! And hello, cute little ice cube!" Loki raised an eyebrow in amusement and smiled. He didn't know why, but somehow he had developed a little soft spot for the Spider kid in the last few years. Peter was just so uncomplicated, funny, friendly and a little bit... clumsy and naive. Since he became a father, he understood the teenager way better than before.

"Hello, Peter." Loki greeted the young man, who was still running fast on the treadmill and stepped over to him. "What are you doing here, in the gym? I never saw you here before..." Peter blushed immediately; his cheeks tinting dark red. "Well, uh, I just thought I could try it; see if the gym is something for me. Mr. Stark said I have to stay fit as an Avenger."

Loki didn't believe a single word. The god chuckled and shook his head. "Peter, you are a very bad liar - and trust me, I'd know. You can't trick the Trickster. I thought you knew that." The teenager's eyes widened in shock and realisation - and this time he really lost all his focus and concentration; got thrown off the treadmill. "Woaaaah!" Almost. Loki's seidr caught the man before he could hit the hard gym ground and hurt himself.

Catching his breath and wiping the sweat from his forehead, he looked thankfully at the older man opposite him. "Oh man... Thanks, Mr. Loki, I lost control a bit..." Loki chuckled, "I saw that." and clapped Peter on the shoulder. "Why don't you go a bit slower first, huh? And tell me why are you truly here in this unknown territory."

The teenager nodded; blushing once more and got back on the treadmill; only jogging this time.

Loki placed his towel and bottle of water on the ground and looked expectantly at the young man. "So? I'm all ears," he assured; gently bouncing up and down, in order to calm the slightly fractious Narfi in his baby carrier. Loki knew that his son wanted more attention from him, so he wrapped an arm around the small boy and cupped his head with the other.

"Well, um, I... I just want to look a bit more after my body and, uh, yeah... Train my muscles..." Loki frowned; his brain trying to connect the dots - until it suddenly hit him. A mischievous smile spreading on his face.

"You are doing this to impress a girl, don't you, Mr. Parker?" Peter looked at the god like a deer caught in the headlights - and Loki knew he was right.

"Thought so," he said; smirking victoriously. "I-I, uh..." Peter stuttered; stumbling over his own words and was still redder than a tomato. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Peter. That is great. I remember, when I fell in love for the first time... It was... wonderful." Peter smiled sheepishly. "Yeah?" "Yes." "Do you remember falling in love with Agent Y/N?"

Loki chuckled; his heart beating faster at the mention of your name. "Oh, Peter... I'm still falling for her... Everyday a little more." Peter smiled. "That sounds beautiful, Mr. Loki..." The god nodded; still bouncing with Narfi softly up and down. "It is. Finding true love is special. Nothing compares to it. I mean, we had a bit of a bumpy start, but... We found each other in the end. And now look at us. Married, since a few months blessed with two children..." Loki looked down at the drowsy baby in his arms. The bouncing had clearly helped and had almost lulled the little Frost Giant to sleep by now.

"Do you intend to court the lady of your interests?" The teenager blinked; a gigantic question mark forming over his head. "Do you wish to take her out on a date?" "O-Oh, um, I don't know, I... I don't even know if she likes me or not, but her, uh, ex-boyfriend was a footballer, so-" "So you thought going to the gym, gaining muscles to look bulky like her ex makes her fall in love with you?" Peter chuckled nervously, "Perhaps?" causing Loki to shake his head immediately. "That is definitely not the right way to do this, young man. Appearance shouldn't be that important to you - or her. Sure, it's not unimportant either, but... Character traits are so much more relevant. If that girl truly likes you and cares about you, she won't care if you have a six-pack or not. Do not change your appearance just to be liked by other people - or girls." Peter sighed; and stopped the treadmill.

"You really think so, Mr. Loki?" "I know so, Peter."

The young Avenger smiled. "Thank you." "You're welcome. If you want more advice in wooing a lady, you can always ask." Loki patted Peter's shoulder. "Also, if you need help with the training, you are welcome to ask me, too. I think I'll be around for quite a while. Depends on how my little man here likes this." The god gestured around the big room. "You'd really help me?" "Sure." The teenager smiled once more. "Thank you, really - but I think, I, uh start slow and stay on the treadmill for now." Loki gave him a nod, "Like you wish." grabbed his things and went to the back of the gym, in order to warm-up a bit. He did a few different stretches - those which were possible with a baby strapped to his chest. Loki was careful the whole time, not to hurt little Narfi - who was dozing off more and more; luckily.

To finish his warm-up, he did a lunge. One knee placed firmly on the ground, the other leg angled in a perfect 90 degree angle. Loki checked on Narfi; looking out for his bent leg to not harm him. In order to prevent that, he made sure that the little boy was basically sitting on his leg. Then he stretched his arms up; stretching all the muscles in his upper body, too. He held that position for quite a few moments - until Narfi's small knee connected full force with his side; hitting him straight in the ribs.

"Ouch..."

Loki got on both knees; breaking the exercise. "What was that for, little prince?" He asked his son, who was looking innocently up at him; nibbling on his tiny fingers. "Was this specific warm-up excercise not to your liking, your majesty?" A heart melting coo left Narfi's opened mouth. "I take that as a yes. Well then..." The god stood up from the mat beneath him. "I think daddy's warmed up enough now anyway. Let us move on." Taking a sip of his water, he walked over to the leg press first. Loki mostly started his training with this gym machine.

He placed the towel on the backrest of the seat and sat down. "Alright..." He changed the weight, lifted up his legs and placed them on the board; again making sure to not squeeze or hurt the baby. "Are you ready, little prince?"

Then Loki started to push; making the muscles in his legs work.

While his dad worked hard, Narfi quite enjoyed the new position he was in. Sure, the baby carrier left not that much space to move (which Narfi didn't want anyway), but due to gravity, he was practically laying on his father's chest now. And that meant more body contact and warmth. Plus, it was a great position to sleep in - as Loki recognised after he was done with the reps.

Sweating and breathing deeply in and out, he looked down to find Narfi peacefully sleeping. The god smiled, "Finally..." and moved on to the next gym machine - the chest press.

Like before, he adjusted the weights, made sure his baby boy was comfortable and started to do his workout.

The chest press was a machine which was especially made to train his pectoral muscles, therefore he felt how hard they had to work, in order to stem the weight. Loki sincerely hoped that the twitch of his pecs didn't wake up Narfi again, since the infant had rested his head against them - or even worse... That he would wake up Narfi with the soft groans and grunts which left his lips. Luckily, though, Narfi kept on napping; curled up in the baby carrier and against his dad's upper body.

It turned out that Loki's plan of combining the gym and looking after his son was working quite well. So far, it had only benefits - and since Narfi was some extra weight he carried, the workout was even better. And so, Loki went from one gym machine to the next; deciding to make a long gym session today.

At some point, he was left alone in the big room. Even Peter bid his goodbye some time.

You tried to gently kick the main door shut with your foot; balancing the keys and the few groceries you got in your hands and arms. Somehow switching on the light and manoeuvring the key into the little bowl on the shelf beside the door, you slipped out of your shoes and made your way into the kitchen.

"Babe?" You whisper-yelled; not knowing if the newest addition to the family was asleep or not.

You received no answer.

"Babe?!"

And again; no response. Frowning you put the groceries down on the kitchen counter.

Just as you wanted to start searching for your husband and baby, you found the little note Loki had left you.

'Dear darling,

if you are looking for your men, you are going to find them in the gym. ;)'

You raised an eyebrow, "The gym?" but smiled. Of course, you decided to visit them, but first the groceries had to be taken care of. But after that was done, you made your way to the gym, which was just a few floors away - totally unprepared in what you walked into...

Barely after stepping through the doors, you could already hear your husband. Deep breaths and some grunts and groans were urging to your ears and sending a tingle down your spine. And as if the sounds weren't already sinful enough, no you also had to walk in on Loki doing sinful things - at least for your eyes...

He was at the pull-up bar, doing pull-ups. Nothing abnormal or unusual - but it was his look that almost brought you to your knees.

Loki was sweaty; telling you that he must've been here already quite a while - and him training was already hot itself. You could see the sweat glistening on his bare upper arms. A few droplets were running down the back of his neck, causing a few loose raven strands - which had escaped his manbun, to stick to the skin there.

The pull-ups he did made the strong muscles in his upper back and especially shoulder blades twitch and flex - and due to the fact that your god wore a sleeveless compression t-shirt, you saw everything. Every bulge, curve and dip.

That, combined with the unholy sounds he made and Narfi being strapped to his chest almost send you into the stratosphere. It was simply too hot too handle. Loki was too hot too handle. Your brain and the still slightly crazy hormones coursing through your system conjured a dangerous cocktail of emotions within your body. You wanted to scream and howl; right before jumping Loki like a feral woman. And on the other hand you felt your ovaries exploding with all the cuteness and love. Men and babies.

You were positively a mess.

Not being able to function properly, you just salivated and stared at your husband, without even recognising it.

Only a dark chuckle, followed by a smooth velvet voice was able to rip you out of your trance.

"You should take a picture, darling. I heard it lasts longer."

You blinked; tried to focus again, and noticed that Loki was standing now suddenly in front of you - a sight which wasn't any less sexy. "O-Oh, um, h-hi babe," you said happily; somehow trying to save the awkward situation.

Loki only chuckled further and placed a big, strong, veiny hand on Narfi's small back (almost swallowing it whole); caressing it gently to keep him asleep. That didn't help your situation at all. Especially since it was the hand on which ring finger his wedding band was, reminding you that Loki was your man. Surreal sometimes.

You swallowed hard; eyes fixated on his hand. Why was it so hot in here all of a sudden?

"Hello, my love," he said with a small chuckle. "Is everything alright? You look a bit flustered." Cheeky, little shit. He knew exactly what was going on. "S-Sure, it's just-" Loki shifted; adjusted the baby carrier and his gym shorts; letting the waistband snap deliciously against his sweaty skin. "Babe, would you please stop that!" You whisper-yelled out of sheer desperation. You couldn't take much more. You were sure of it.

Loki just smiled mischievously. "Stop what, my queen?"

Ugh... "You know exactly what I mean, Mister! Stop being so... so illegally hot and sexy! You can't just do pull-ups in front of me, being all sweaty and having our baby strapped to your chest!" Loki’s smile even widened, before he stepped dangerously slow closer to you - until he was able to place his free hand on your hip. The other hand has wandered up and was now supporting Narfi's small head. A mix of sweat and the remains of Loki's cologne hit your nostrils - and you had to fight hard to not shamelessly moan.

"And why is that?" He practically growled; giving you a smouldering look and softly squeezing your hip.

You whined. "Because I squeezed this-" You gestured at Narfi. "Huge tiny Frost Giant out of my body only a few months ago and therefore not should be thinking about sex yet!" It was frustrating.

The god's eyes widened softly at the sudden realisation and the meaning behind your words. It caused his demeanour to shift within milliseconds. The mischievous smile melted into a compassionate, almost sorrowful look and his hand slipped up from your hip to curl around your waist, his other hand following instantly; thumbs starting to caress your clothed skin softly. "Apologies, my love. I-I didn't think of that. I should've known and stop. I am so sorry." You shook your head; a loving smile spreading on your lips.

Isn't he just perfect?

"Don't be, baby. It's okay. My hormones are still a bit delulu, you know... It's not your fault that my body reacts like a horn dog." Loki nodded; "Yes, but I shouldn't have made it worse..." and leaned forward to press a lingering kiss against your forehead.

"Forgive me?"

You smiled; wrapping your arms around his neck.

"You're already forgiven."

Barely after those words had left your lips, you pulled your husband into one sweet, loving kiss after the next - until a small whine, coming unmistakably from the small boy between you and Loki interrupted the little make out session.

You pulled your lips from Loki's with a soft pop and took a step back; eyes immediately landing on your son. He was awake now; still a bit sleepy ruby eyes trying to look at you and tiny white romper clad legs kicking the air - and their daddy.

"Hiii, baby!" You cooed; leaning down to be on eye-level with Narfi, so that you could smooch the soft, chubby cerulean skin of his cheeks. It caused him to screech and squeal happily. "Did you have a great time with daddy at the gym? Yes? Were you a good little prince and slept for another while?"

Loki smiled, watching his wife and son. "Positive, love. I enjoyed today's gym session and the little man enjoyed being carried around the whole time. It was a win-win situation, honestly. And after a while, he slept in."

You looked up at the god; smiling. "A perfect solution then." Loki nodded; placing a kiss on the infant's fuzz covered head.

"He should be hungry soon, right? When did you lastly feed him a bottle?" You asked; tracing your thumb over the ridges and marks on your son's tiny hand. "About three hours ago, so... Yes." "Alright. Time to eat then, I'd say. Shall I take Narfi with me, so that you can spent some more time training?" Your husband shook his head, "No, my love, but thank you. I've trained enough for today. I'll join you." grabbed his towel and empty water bottle and reached for your hand; his fingers slipping through yours. "Let's go." You smiled at Loki; squeezing your intertwined hands. "Alright."

[uluvjay]

Our first Christmas-O. Piastri

Oscar Piastri x fem! Reader

In which you and Oscar celebrate your first Christmas together

Warnings?; kisses, pure fluff, rushed so I apologize for any errors

Day 7 of my ficmas celebration!

You could feel the warmth of his lips trail along your shoulder, his soft hair tickling the back of your neck causing a soft giggle to escape.

“I knew you were awake.” He spoke, his voice deep and full of sleep.

“Don’t wanna get up yet.” You groaned, turning your body so your head could tuck its self into his neck.

“But it’s Christmas.” He pouted.

You sprung up, causing your head to connect with his chin and pained groans to escape both of you.

“Ow.”

“Shit, sorry.” You laughed stroking his chip and applying a small kiss in apology.

“It’s okay, but does this mean we can go open presents now?.” He smiled at you.

“Coffee, then presents?”

“Deal.” He laughed and pulled you out of the warmth of your large bed, following behind him you admired his large frame that was enhanced due to the white shirt he wore.

Making your way into the kitchen Oscar grabbed two mugs from the cabinets while you powered on the coffee pot.

“Do you want regular or the gingerbread coffee?” You questioned, looking through the different coffee pods.

“Regular please.” He smiled politely.

After two fresh cups of coffee the couple found their way into the living room, a soft meow followed by a thump caught their attention just as a furry little body rubbed itself against Oscar’s leg.

“Morning izzy.” Oscar greeted their orange tabby, reaching down to pick the small cat up.

The cat purred at Oscar’s touch, immediately nudging her head against his hand for more attention.

“Hi pretty.” You spoke in your baby voice, placing a kiss to her head before Oscar sat her down and made his way over to the tree.

“Open this one first.” He blushed handing you a small box that took him much longer then he’d like to admit to wrap.

You smiled at him before ripping into the paper, underneath was a square velvet box that held a new set of beautiful diamond earrings.

“Oh Oscar they’re gorgeous.” You cried, jumping to your feet to pull him into a hug.

“You like em?”

“I love them baby, thank you.” You kissed him sweetly before running to get him one of his gifts.

Many presents and a mountain of wrapping paper later Oscar handed you your last gift.

“Saved the best for last.” He smiled handing you a medium sized box.

You shook it jokingly trying to hear what was inside due to how light the box was but there wasn’t any shuffling from the inside.

Looking up at Oscar questionably you raised an eyebrow that he laughed at, “just open it”

You laughed along with him before removing the paper and opening the cardboard box revealing a glass ornament.

However it wasn’t just any normal ornament, on the front there were two human bodies and an orange cat in the middle, all three wearing red Santa hats.

Below each figure held names, Y/n, Izzy, and Oscar and right below that ‘CHRISTMAS 2023’ was written in bright red.

“Turn it around.”

Listening to Oscar you turned the ornament around in your hands and on the back there was a small message inscribed.

Happy first Christmas my love, here’s to many more

- Oscar

You didn’t realize you were crying until you saw the tear land on the ornament, wiping it away as well as the ones streaming down your cheeks you stood to pull Oscar into your arms.

“I love it.” You sobbed, tucking your head into his neck.

“I’m glad baby, took me and izzy a while to pick it.” He laughed softly as he remembered the cat sitting beside him the whole time he scrolled on the website.

He held you in his arms for a while longer until the sound of his phone ringing from the couch pulled you two out of your little bubble.

“It’s mum.” He spoke as he picked up the device.

You two spoke to his family for a while before it was time to clean up the living room, Oscar tackled the trash while you began breakfast.

Coming into the kitchen he wrapped his arms around you from behind and placed a sweet kiss to the side of your head.

“I love you so much.” He whispered

“I love you too, thank you for an amazing Christmas.” You smiled as you leaned into him.

“You are very welcome.” He giggled tucking himself into your neck.

-

[mustainegf]

→ Masterpost

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓

It was around 5 in the morning, and I was a complete wreck. I had spent the previous few hours shivering and sleepless, images of James speeding through my head. I saw every single time I tried to close my eyes, him lying all alone and in so much pain on that hospital bed. On top of this, this baby seemed to do everything in its power to force me to stay awake. I fought an urge to vomit, a wave of nausea hit me that wouldn't quit.

I had barely gotten into bed for what I was betting would be a minute or two of rest when the phone rang. My heart jumped up out of my throat, and, like a sprung coiled, I burst out of bed and race-walked into the kitchen to answer it. Let it be good news, please let it be good news, I thought.

"Hello?" I answered, voice trembling.

"Hey…" It was a hoarse and groggy voice, but unmistakably James. My James.

"James!" I cried out, relief spilling over me. "Oh my God, are you okay? How are you?"

He spoke soothingly, even though I knew he had to be in so much pain, "Calm down. I'll be all right. I got caught under a huge flame onstage. I have second and third degree burns on my arms, hand, and back I think..."

My eyes welled with tears, and my heart ached for him. "James, that's awful…."

"I know," he pouted in his voice. "But they're discharging me today. I guess that's a good sign then."

"Discharging you?" I repeated, voice laced with incredulity. "James, you need to come here. Stay with me so I can take care of you. You can't just go back on tour, I won’t let you."

"Look-" he began but I cut him off.

"No, James. You have to listen to me. You've been overworking yourself, and you need your rest. And I want you away from that world. At least for a little bit. Besides, we have a lot to deal with anyway. If you want to be a father, you’re gonna do it sober."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. I could hear him breathing, almost feel his internal struggle.

“I have to get back out on tour," he finally said, his voice tight. "The band, the fans-."

I gripped the phone tighter, my determination hardening inside of me. "James Hetfield, you listen to me, you are coming here.” I insist. “And don't you argue with me. This isn't about you, not even about the band. It's about our baby. You need to be here."

Another silence, then a heavy sigh. "Alright," he said, sounding resigned. "I'll book the next flight back. But I'm doing this for you and the baby. The guys won't be happy."

"I don't care about the band right now," I said, my voice gentle now. "I care about you. The rest, we’ll sort it out."

"Yeah…" he said, and I could almost hear the apprehension in his voice. "I’ll see you soon."

"Thank you, James," I said, my heart full of love. "I'll be waiting for you."

Afterwe hung up the phone, I stood there for a second before turning my phone off, still in my hand. The tiredness was still there.

I spent the rest of the early hours preparing for his arrival. I wanted everything to be perfect so he would have everything he needed to recover. I had the couch all nicely prepared with a fresh blanket, extra pillow, and every other type of supply that I could imagine he could use: bandages, painkillers.

Though I was so incredibly tired, I bustled from one thing to the next. This was my contribution, my way of showing him he wasn't alone. My exhaustion that had been present all night began morphing into this deep, tired comfort.

Making my way across into the bedroom, every step a little lighter, I lay down. The mattress was soft, and the sheets were cool. I turned onto my back and laid one hand over my belly. I did this a lot now, it made me feel less alone.

"We're going to be okay," I whispered back to myself, closing my eyes. "Daddy's coming home. He's going to be all right."

I smiled, a few tears sliding out of the corners of my eyes, not of sadness, but of a strange and bittersweet joy. I ran my hand slowly across my tummy in reassuring circles.

"You're so loved, little one," I murmured. "I can't wait to meet you. I’m gonna take care of you, protect you, and give you everything in the world."

As I kept on whispering to my baby, the exhaustion finally crashed down on me. Heavy eyelids began to draw themselves down, and my eyes fluttered over. "You're my little miracle," I whispered, barely above a whisper. “Hopefully you’ll be James’ as well…”

The last thing that registered was a gentle kick from the baby, reminding me that there was life growing inside of me. My lips held a smile as I went to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Images filled my dreams of our family whole and happy, an image I knew deep down, would not come to fruition. No matter how hard I wished or dreamed, I wasn’t quite sure if I could pull James out of whatever he was in. I didn’t know how to bring back my Jamie.

When I woke up, I felt a feeling of calm I hadn't felt in a long time. I slowly opened my eyes, the remainder of sleep still clutched to me. As my vision cleared, I was met with a sight that made my heart jump a beat. Crouched at my bedside, gazing at me lovingly with a gentle smile, was James.

"James?" I asked softly, still half in a dream. I wearily pushed myself up, wanting to hug him, to reassure myself that he was really there.

"Be gentle," he said, wincing slightly as he moved to accommodate my hug. The bandages on his arm and the stiffness in his movements breaking my heart a little.

I slipped my arms cautiously around him; his body was warm, his breathing calm and regular. "You really came," I whispered, my voice full of emotion.

"I'm here," he said softly back, holding me.

As much as I desired to kiss him, to tell him to come back to me fully, I knew I couldn't. The past pain still lingered, and I had to remind myself of the reasons we parted ways. But his being here and seeing him safe was enough for now.

He drew back a little and gazed downwards in wonder. He watched as he gently swept the thin blanket aside. "Look at you." he awed.

Down I looked too and placed my hand on my belly, feeling the life inside me. "Our baby," I said softly.

James gazed nervously at my baby bump before I finally nodded and let him place his hand just under my belly. His gentle grasp was splayed against my stomach, feeling our baby for the first time. "Holy shit…" he whispered again, his voice full of emotion.

We just sat a little, the room filling with loving but awkward silence. The last time we had seen each other, it was the day he left. So much had happened in between. It was large, this gulf between us.

"How're you?" he asked me, peering into my eyes for any hint of distress.

"Tired," I admitted. "But seeing you helps."

He smiled then, "I'm sorry. For everything."

I shook my head, placing a hand on his cheek, feeling the hair on his face itch my hand just slightly. "We'll figure it out, James."

He nodded then, his hand still resting on my belly. "I want to be here for this kid."

"And we want you here," I whispered.

"I know," he said, his voice steady. "I'm ready to try."

James looked at me through my face with such tender concern. "You need to get some sleep," he pleaded quietly, "both you and the baby. I'll be fine."

I was dead tired, the exertion and strain of everything over the last couple of days had finally taken its evil toll. Yet, the very idea of shutting my eyes, of letting go even for the slightest of moments, was hard as well.

"Are you sure?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, my eyelids already growing heavier.

He nodded, reassurance filling his eyes. "I promise, I'm sure. Just sleep. I'll be right out there."

With a tired sigh, I fell back into the mattress, the soft bedding holding me. James leaned in, his hand gently stroking my belly, and pressed a tender kiss to my stomach. "Take care of Mommy," he murmured.

With my eyes closed, I was cognizant of his hand protectively over our baby and his warmth beside me.

"I've got you both."

Right there and then, I let myself let go.

For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, I was able to sleep soundly.

[thewritetofreespeech]

Could I request Gojo having early morning sex with his wife on his day off?

tags: heterosexual sex, morning sex, fingering, cream pie, cute cutie married couple

The sun was just starting to come up over the high rises, meaning it was likely about mid-morning by now.

It was pretty rare for you and Gojo to sleep in. It was also pretty rare for the two of you to have the same day off. Between work, his teaching at the school, and missions it was honestly just getting rare for the two of you to be together, much less sleep in. Gojo had a conspiracy theory that it was the higher ups plan as some sort of punishment for all his transgressions, but there wasn’t any proof of that.

You rolled over on your side and debated getting up. Although it was nice to sleep in, there were still things to do today. Just then, as if Gojo had heard your productive thoughts, his arm came around you, along with one long leg, and pulled you close. His warm, firm body against your back and you settle back in again. Being productive was overrated.

You adjusted in your semi sleep to get more comfortable and brush up against Gojo’s morning erection. He sighed in your ear and pressed it back against you. Whether it was intentional or not you weren’t sure, but he kept doing it until you eventually pressed back against him. “[Y/N]….”

It was still hard to tell if he was awake or not, since you couldn’t see him, but you craned your next back for a kiss which he gave to you. It was slow, sloppy, and uncoordinated, but incredibly hot. The gentle thrusting of Gojo’s hips getting more persistent the longer you kissed.

The arm originally wrapped around you pulled back to fondle your breast. You moan in Gojo’s mouth. The dreamy feeling of just waking up making it all the more pleasurable, before it slide down the front of your pajama shorts. “Satoru….”

“Your so wet.” He told you. His voice almost a growl between the arousal and lingering sleep. “Were you having a naughty dream?”

“No.” You reply, letting out a sharp gasp when he brushed over your clit. “Just a naughty husband.”

“Only for you baby.”

Gojo shifted so his hand was still down your pants, but he was on top of you now. Those bright blue eyes watching as he fingered you. Shorts bunched up. Top pushed up under your arms to expose your breasts. Mouth open in quiet moans. “Sorry baby. I can’t wait.”

“It’s ok.” You told him. Lifting up so he could take off your shorts then spread your legs open. “I want you.”

Gojo may have his conspiracies on why they haven’t been together much, but the fact remained that it had been a while. You missed him. But more than that you missed being physical with your wonderful, sexy, powerful husband, who grinned almost maliciously when you gave him the go ahead.

His cock sprung out excitedly when he pulled his shorts down. Standing straight up from a mess of white hair, and he lined up to enter you. You moan when Gojo slid inside. His hard cock filling you up perfectly. Fuck you missed this. He kissed your forehead before he started to thrust inside you. Slow, shallow, almost lazy to match the tone of the morning. You weren’t in any rush. This could take as long as the two of you wanted.

You wrap your arms around Gojo’s shoulders and hold him close. Just enjoying feeling him close. Enjoying being together and connected again. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He gave you a long kiss and suddenly you feel his movements studder a little bit. “Shit,” he cursed, “I’m sorry.”

Gojo pulled out. His dick still hard, but covered in cum, and a familiar wetness dribbling out on your leg. “Guess I don’t have as much focus in the morning. Want me to get you too? I can keep going.”

“No. It’s ok.” As you said, you just enjoyed being together with Gojo. You didn’t need to cum right now. “Besides, we have all day. You can get me later.”

“Oh. Count on it.” Gojo said with a grin, before he flopped back down on the bed beside you and gave you another kiss. “Showers and breakfast first though? I’m thinking pancakes.”

“You always want pancakes.” You tell him with a giggle. He’d eat 6 with a half a bottle of syrup before it was said and done. “But, sure. Pancakes sound good.”

Gojo did a little triumphant fist bump before he kissed your cheek. “Hot sex and hot cakes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was my birthday.”