#and if i can't free my hand i poke your sides with my toes

[jordanswitches]

tickle fight with someone stronger than me but also more ticklish. they're not used to losing wrestling but i rip my wrists out of their hands and tickle up their body and they fold immediately 💕

[gyeomsweetgyeom]

[12:11 pm]

(cw: f!reader, a child)

Dad!Jaehyun was moody which was odd. It had been an unusually easy morning. There was good breakfast, nice morning with cartoons that hadn’t been as annoying as usual. The little, sister dogs had actually even been kind of cute. You were curled up at his side on the couch playing with his hair and being very loving- which he loved.

His daughter was calm, ate all her breakfast, and had been extra cuddly and adorable. She had gone down for her first nap with no fussing and didn’t whine when you got her ready. This was also odd for the almost one year old, it was like hitting the jackpot with her this morning. She was in a cute little dress Jaehyun had proudly picked out himself and little sandals that he loved because her tiny toes scrunched up every time she wore them.

But, all the pleasantness of the morning wasn’t why he was moody. Obviously not, it had been a beyond ideal morning. He was moody because you, his wife, had been teasingly poking fun at your daughter about Uncle Johnny.

Stupid Johnny. Johnny who made his daughter get shy and hide and lean toward the obnoxiously tall man. Seriously, who even needed to be that tall? She planted her cute, wet kisses on Johnny’s cheek instead of her own dad, made her cling to Johnny instead of him. He hated it.

You parked outside Johnny's house, unbuckling your daughter from her car seat. You tickled her side, cooing, "are we going to go see your favorite? Are you excited to see Uncle Johnny, princess?"

Jaehyun's face fell into a grimace, following behind his girls with the diaper bag on his shoulder. Suddenly he was wondering why he accepted the invitation for this impromptu barbecue. Maybe he should lie and say he had a stomachache so you all had to go back home, or say that he just saw his daughter have a diaper blow out and there was no extra clothes. Then it was too late, you'd already rung the doorbell.

The door opened to reveal the smiling giant, "Is that my favorite girl?!"

Your daughter hid her face in your neck, smiling shyly but also not objecting to Johnny taking her from your hold. Johnny held her like a total pro, he was the favorite uncle after all, and greeted you and Jaehyun with hugs while ushering you in.

"Look at you, princess! Are you so happy to see Uncle Johnny?" You smiled brightly at your daughter while snapping a quick picture.

Your daughter simple babbled and cuddled closer to Johnny, making her dad's face fall into a deeper frown. You turned to Jaehyun with a knowing, teasing glint in your eye, "she loves him so much."

He grumbled, "she loves me more though."

You wiggled your fingers at your daughter while Johnny toted her around, "I don't know... she's obsessed with Johnny."

Jaehyun glared at you, "it's like you're trying to hurt my feelings right now. A baby can't be obsessed with anyone anyway."

"She's obsessed with me," you shrug.

"You're her mom, duh."

You snort out a laugh, "Try it out then. Try to get her to leave Johnny."

Jaehyun smugly walks over and tries to coax his daughter to him. She furrows her little eyebrows at him and turns back to Johnny, patting his cheek with a look of wonder. Jaehyun scowls, trying again, even going as far as shaking her favorite toy in her eye sight. But nothing, his daughter lays her head on Johnny's shoulder and whines.

"Dude, you're bothering her," Johnny pouts, rubbing his free hand up and down the baby girl's back comfortingly.

Jaehyun pouts and trudges over to you and embraces you while burying his head in your neck, very reminiscent of what his daughter had just done to Johnny, "she hates me."

"Maybe the next one will love you more than Johnny."

His head snaps up, "next one?"

You smile nervously, "surprise?"

[emilys-bangs]

my sleepless night, my winless fight | e.p

Tags: established relationship, fluff, use of petnames, no use of yn, sleep deprived emily, this is so soft omg

Summary: Emily can't sleep. She comes and joins you on the couch, hoping to find sleep with you.

Word count: 1.3k

You’re on the couch, reading with the lights dimmed, when Emily shuffles in. She’s wrapped herself in a midnight blue blanket, her hair trapped under it as she plops down next to you and immediately curls into your side.

“Aw, hey.” You greet, setting your book face-down on the couch next to you. Your girlfriend is painted golden in the soft light of the lamps; you smile at the shadows of her lashes on her cheeks. She shifts to sit sideways onto your lap, just like you knew she would. “Does my little baby want a snuggle?” You coo, your arm automatically hooking around her waist to keep her close.

“Shut up,” Emily mutters, her words holding no weight with the way she burrows into you. Her nose nuzzles under your jaw, her legs spreading over your lap; the tips of her socked toes nudge against your book.

“Mmm, you’re just like Sergio,” you whisper, threading your fingers through her soft hair. It’s trapped beneath her blanket so you free it, letting it spill down her shoulders in waves of black. “I live with two clingy cats, it seems.”

“It seems like you want your clingy privileges revoked.” Emily shoots back, her voice muffled into your skin. You stifle a shiver at the vibration of it, warm and rich through your body. The skin of your neck loses its warmth as Emily comes out of her hiding spot, half-heartedly glaring at you with gold swirling in her eyes.

“No, your highness, I’m sorry,” you say solemnly, tucking your hand into the burrito she’s made herself into and searching for her own hand, freeing it and bringing it to your lips. Her knuckles are cold, and you make your kiss linger. “Stay here as long as you like, baby.” Your voice is soft this time, sincere, and Emily doesn’t even protest the nickname. 

Her fingers curl around yours. She smiles, soft half moons curving in her cheeks. “You can be sweet when you’re not being a little fuck.”

You grin, “Ditto.”

Emily pokes her tongue out and you chase away the petulant expression with a kiss, your playful dispute dissolving with a sigh. Her cold hand—how is she always cold?—cups your face, fingers parting around your ear and pulling you down into her. Your neck cranes, your back protests, but her lips are the sweetest balm, soft and tasting like the purplish blue of frustration.

“Couldn’t sleep?” You ask against her mouth.

“No,” she grumbles. Her lips brush yours and she takes them in another kiss, slow and unhurried like she’s trying to soothe herself to sleep. You let her have it, tangling your fingers in her hair and gently scraping your nails against her scalp while she presses soft kisses to your mouth. 

Eventually her breath puffs across your chin in a low inhale. Emily leans back into your arm, trusting you to hold her weight as she rests her head on your shoulder.

“Keep me company?” You skim your knuckles along her pale cheek.

Emily’s mouth pinches at your unnecessary question. “Why else would I have come here, then?”

“Smartass,” you chide lovingly. “Just answer the question. God, you’re cranky when you’re sleep deprived.”

Suddenly her brows knit together. “Don’ mean to be. Sorry, amor.” She whispers, her eyes turning doe-like with regret.

“Quit that,” you murmur, gently kissing the tip of her nose to show her it’s alright. She’s not convinced, so you kiss her frown; the scrunch loosens beneath your lips. “We both know I’m just as bad when I’m hungry. ’Least this you can’t help.”

“I just don’t know why.” Emily huffs, a frustrated pout curling her lips downward. “I’m so tired and I’ve been trying for hours, I just wanna sleep already.” Her voice is the tiniest bit whiny, but with the dark circles under her eyes, you think it’s justified.

It breaks your heart to see her like this.

You nudge her off you. “Here, scooch a little.”

Emily frowns deeper. “You’re kicking me off?” She sulks.

“No.” You kiss the tip of her nose. “Just get up a little, you’ll see what I wanna do.”

She does so reluctantly, retracting her legs from your lap and standing up. As you situate yourself on the long end of the couch, she watches while chewing on her lip, her eyes bleary as she toys with the edges of her blanket. 

You place two pillows behind you and spread your legs straight, adjusting your book next to you before holding your hand out for Emily. She takes it and you tug until she reaches the edge of the couch. You tug again and she gets the hint, carefully climbing on your lap—on top of you, really.

It takes a few seconds before she adjusts herself, slipping an arm around your waist and fitting a knee between yours. When she stops shifting you ask, “Comfy?” into her hairline.

“Yeah,” Emily whispers. “Thanks, dolcezza.”

“You’re welcome.” You kiss her forehead. You wrap your own arm around her back, securing her and her fuzzy blanket to your chest. “Just stay here with me, alright? You’ll get bored enough that you might fall asleep anyway.”

“Never bored when I’m with you,” she murmurs into your neck. Her lashes are wispy on your skin, ticklish as she blinks.

A smile tugs at your lips. “Ah, cranky Emily is gone, time for lovergirl Emily?” You pick up your book again, holding it open with one hand and keeping the other on Emily’s back. “Welcome back, sweetheart, I missed you.”

Emily sighs into your neck; you can’t tell if it’s frustrated or not. “You really are somethin’.” She says, her voice like warm honey.

Regardless, you kiss her forehead. “You are, too, babe.” Of its own accord, your hand slips into her hair again. Emily sighs as you lightly drag your nails over her scalp, the warmth of her breath sinking into your neck.

“Read to me?”

“Sure.”

As you open up Jane Eyre, your eyes skimming the passages you’d read countless times, a thought comes to you.

“Hey, Em?” You rake your fingers through her hair.

“Hmm?”

“You know, you remind me an awful lot of Jane.”

A small, huffed laugh escapes her. Emily’s hand slips under your shirt, finding your warm skin underneath. “Why’s that?” She asks softly. Her voice is close to drowsy, so you make sure to continue your rhythmic scratching along her scalp.

“I’m not sure. Think it’s ’cause she’s so blunt. Makes me laugh.” You kiss her hairline, gently trying to nudge her into sleep.

“Honesty is a virtue.” She replies. “One I definitely have.”

“One you definitely do.” You agree. “Can I read now?”

“I wasn’t the one who interrupted you,” she retorts.

“Okay, well, hush. The sound of the dressing-bell dispersed the party.” You begin. Your voice is hardly the most melodic, but you try anyway. “It was not till after dinner that I saw him again: he then seemed quite at his ease.”

As you continue reading, Emily grows heavier on top of you. The circles she’d been rubbing on your stomach start to slow, then they cease entirely as her breath evens out. You still continue reading out loud, your voice a low whisper, still continuing to play with her hair long after she’s gone to sleep.

When drowsiness starts to force your own eyes closed, you fold the corner of the page and toss the book somewhere on the couch. Emily doesn’t stir and you wrap both arms properly around her now. She’s warm enough that you don’t need an added blanket despite the winter, and you brush your lips along her forehead in another kiss, your whisper of, goodnight gone unanswered.

taglist: @suckerforcate @sickoherd @lextism

[persephonesgarden30]

Car's Outside but i dont want to go tonight(A s6 Sterek Ficlet )

" Okay what is it with you?" Stiles quipped throwing his hands up in the air balancing himself by grabbing onto the chair next to him in the tiny motel room

" What do you mean what is it with me ?" Derek asked turning to face him

" You've been acting so strange ever since I saved your ass from the FBI" Stiles stated

" I'm not" Derek said walking over to the other side of the room where his bag was kept

" Yeah right, you haven't said one word to me since you came, not even a thank you! " Stiles called out annoyed

" Alright, Thank you" Derek said rummaging through his bag

Stiles scoffed before saying " Yeah real nice Derek. I end up saving your ass from the FBI and hurt my toe doing so , but you can't even stand to be in the same room as me "

Derek sighed rolling his eyes " I didn't ask you to save me "

" Yeah well that's too bad, I'm not the kind to just let people I care about be in trouble. I'm sorry if I didn't want you dead!" Stiles called out

Derek turned around clenching his jaw.

" What the fuck are you so pissy about huh? " Stiles said slowly walking up to him " Was it because, I a human saved your ass, not once but multiple times ? Or is it because I managed to find you even when you wanted nothing to do with me or Beacon Hills?"

" You don't get to throw your attitude at me big guy" Stiles took a step closer poking a finger in the middle of Derek's chest earning a glare from him

" If anyone " Stiles said his voice laced with anger " gets to be angry. It's me."

" You left." Stiles said looking up at Derek " You don't get to come here and throw your attitude at me when I'm the one who risked my fucking FBI Internship to come and save you " He said as Derek just looked at him with the same stoic expression he always had .

Derek walked an inch closer before looking down at Stiles's lips " I didn't ask you to. You did that on your own" he said looking back at the familiar brown eyes which were looking at him with anger

" Don't blame me or hold me responsible for decisions you make " Derek replied looking back down at his lips before looking at his eyes

Stiles grabbed the front of Derek's shit balling it in his fists " Listen here Derek because I'm not going to repeat myself. " He said looking between his eyes.

" I saved your ass and the least you can do is be a little fucking grateful." Stiles said raising his eyebrows

" So I suggest we stay civil until we part ways tomorrow, then you can go do whatever the fuck you want and becomes a mass murderer for real." Stiles said as Derek looked between his eyes and lips

" and I'm not ever going to make the mistake of helping you again " Stiles said letting go of his balled up shirt pushing him back before turning to walk away

Derek glared at Stiles watching him limp slowly to the bed before swallowing hard and walking up to him.

" And to think I knew you" Stiles scoffed grabbing his things and heading to the door.

" Where are you going?" Derek asked following him

" Wherever the fuck I want" Stiles quipped turning to face him as his back faced the door " What is it to you?"

Derek remained silent while Stiles rolled his eyes and turned to open the door when Derek's hand reached over stopping it.

" You can't go " Derek said as Stiles slowly turned around

" Why not? You need an alibi in case you decide to go on a murder spree?" He asked as Derek remained quiet .

Stiles scoffed trying to move Derek's hand from the door when Derek grabbed his wrist pinning it to the door when Stiles grabbed Derek's shirt with his free hand .

" What the fuck do you want now" Stiles called out

" I didn't ask for this ." Derek replied glaring at Stiles

" I've heard that twice already, which is why I'm leaving , I don't need to be around someone who isn't grateful that I saved their ass" Stiles quipped

" My cars outside, I'm leaving " Stiles said pulling Derek closer in an attempt to threaten him

" I didn't ask for this, I didn't ask you to help me, I didn't ask to be saved " Derek said looking between Stiles's eyes

" I know !" Stiles yelled getting angrier " You didn't ask for shit, you don't need anyone !"

" I need you!" Derek called out breathing hard as Stiles looked at him in surprise " I didn't ask for any of this . I didn't ask to have this feelings for you. I didn't ask for you to be the one to save me."

Stiles loosened his grip on Derek's shirt a little but not letting go looking at him curiously trying to make sense of what Derek was saying.

" I didn't " He said swallowing hard " I didn't want to bring you into this, have you risk your life. I ..I blame myself for you injuring yourself " He continued

" But I didn't." He paused " I didn't ask to have these feelings for you. To care about you. So deeply. That it scares me."

Stiles looked between Derek's eyes which now he's a hint of sadness as he continued " I can't lose you Stiles. "

" Derek." Stiles said pulling him closer " Don't push me away. I care about you a lot and that's why it drives me crazy everytime u push me away. Why do you do it ?"

" Because everyone around me gets hurt" Derek said looking at Stiles

" Bullshit" Stiles said " If you care about me, and trust me. You need to know that I can take care of myself "

Derek looked down at Stiles's lips before looking back up at his eyes as he closed the distance between them capturing his lips in a slow tender kiss as Stiles pulled him closer.

Stiles pulled away for a second looking at Derek .

"Stay with me " Derek said his thumb grazing Stiles's cheek

Stiles nodded and that was all it took before Derek grabbed his thighs carrying him earning a surprised noise from Stiles before carrying him to bed

[alinatk]

Satoru Gojo's Ticklish Punishment

Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen Characters: Satoru Gojo | Suguru Geto | Utahime Iori Lee!Gojo Ler!Geto Ler!Utahime Summary: Satoru Gojo is many things. Annoying and arrogant are adjectives that are at the top of the list and not even your friends can take it anymore, so why not make him change a little and at the same time have fun with a little revenge?

"G-Guys, what does that mean?"

Gojo had agreed to go to Geto's apartment to discuss the new mission they received the day before, but the last thing he expected was...

He was sitting in an armchair, his arms tied behind his back and his legs stretched out, also tied on the living room coffee table.

"It was one of my sleeping curses, you were only unconscious for as long as it took for us to contain you" It was Geto speaking, he was standing next to him, leaning on the same armchair.

"I asked Geto to help me, I wanted to get revenge on you" Utahime was sitting on the coffee table, next to Gojo's feet, with a triumphant expression on her face.

"What? but why?" Gojo's eyes widened. "And why did you agree to this, Suguru?"

"Ah, I had nothing to do, so it's a chance to have fun and get out of the boredom" He smiled.

"A chance to have fun? But-" He stopped talking when he felt a scratch on his sole. "H-Hey, Utahime!"

"It is really true!" She had a sparkle in her eye.

"Y-You.." He had already understood. "You can't ahahahahahahahahaha" And he couldn't help but laugh when he felt her fingers moving across his sole.

"Yes, I can, and how can I! You keep disrespecting everyone, especially me, it's time to stop" She used her index finger to trace imaginary lines and paths that went from the heel to the base of Gojo's toes. "Geto agrees with me"

"Ahahahahahahahahahahaha Utahime, w-wahahahahahahahahait!"

"She's right, Satoru, how many times have I told you to treat your elders more respectfully?! At some point the consequences would arrive" He smiled.

"Wait a minute, you can't ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha" He couldn't finish the sentence.

"I'm tired of waiting" Utahime started scribbling his fingers all over Gojo's right sole.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha nohohohohohohohohohoho" He laughed as he tried to shake his foot away from her hands. "hahahahahahahaha stop stahahahahahahahahahap"

"Oh no, we're just getting started. You come too, Geto" She pointed to Gojo's left foot.

"S-Suguru nohohohohohohohohoho take me out of here ahahahahahahahahahahaha"

"I will eventually, but for now.." He joined Utahime, trailing his fingers along his sole.

"AHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahaha no nohohohohohohohohohoho wait ahahahahahahahahaha" Gojo was overcome by sensations.

Utahime strummed harder, concentrating on the center of her sole, while Geto covered the entire sole of the foot with softer strokes. But they both watched as Gojo laughed and doubled over, trying to free himself from his bonds.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha no nohohohohohohohoho stahahahahahahahap" Gojo was a mess, his face slightly red, his hair disheveled and tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Did you hear that, Geto? He doesn't want us to stop" She giggled.

"Haha, how mean, Utahime" He stopped. "Let's give our friend a break"

"E-Enough.." Gojo said trying to catch his breath. "Get me out of here"

"That's up to you, Satoru.. Are you going to change your behavior?" Geto went to his side, leaning on the armchair again.

"I also want you to apologize to me!" Utahime said, crossing his arms.

"Me? You're the ones who should be apologizing! You can't just-" He was interrupted.

"Yeah, you said it right, Geto" Utahime sighed. "He's proud and doesn't make it easy"

"Yeah... But it's okay, there's another spot I want to test" He said, poking Gojo's ribs.

"AH! He shrank away. "You wouldn't dare.."

Geto knew about Gojo's sensitivity, he had discovered it naturally with a few touches here and a few pokes there, until one day he took better advantage of the opportunity and Gojo ended up laughing and completely defeated on the floor.

"I have nothing to lose.." He smiled and fingered her ribs.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA SUGURU NO HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

"Wow.." Utahime watched, amazed, as Gojo bent, thrashed and laughed against Geto's tickles. "I want it too"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NO NO, STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP" This time it was Utahime who squeezed his ribs while Geto held him by the shoulders, keeping him leaning so he wouldn't get in the way. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP THAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAT, PLEASE!" And they stopped.

"Oh, I'm surprised you say such a polite word like that" Geto mocked. "But you still haven't said what we want to hear"

"Make it easy on yourself"

"I-I don't.." Was all Gojo said while breathing heavily.

Utahime and Geto exchanged a look, at the same time they sighed, but they weren't surprised. While Utahime sat down again near Gojo's feet, Geto pulled a chair to the side of the armchair and sat down.

"You asked for this! " They said together.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NO, NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP" Gojo was surprised by Utahime's fingers running over his soles and Geto's fingers pressing his ribs. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I WILL DIE, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA PLEASE STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP"

"Begging won't help, even though it's great to hear from you" That's what Utahime said and Geto approved with a smile.

Gojo wasn't able to think straight, he could feel the way Utahime's fingers slid across his soles, hitting all the sensitive spots and the way Geto's fingers traced his ribs, alternating between squeezing them one by one. He wouldn't last long.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OK, OKAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAY I'M SOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHORY" He finally give up.

"What did you say, Satoru? I couldn't understand.." Geto wouldn't miss the chance to tease him.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I'M SORRY, I'M SOHOHOHOHOHOHOHORY HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" He screamed and they stopped.

"Thank you for doing this voluntarily, Gojo, I forgive you" She smiled and turned to leave.

"And you have nothing to tell me, Satoru?" He threatened to tickle him again.

"I-I'm going to change!" He said quickly.

"Haha, that's good, I'm pleased" He smiled and free him. "Now we can talk about the mission"

But Gojo just stood there, recovering and thinking how much he liked and hated those two at the same time.

[fieldofdaisiies]

Can't get enough of Clingy baby Azriel..😭

Ik you've already written enough of Cling Az HC...Could you plzz write more. ?🙈😭❤🥺

I'm just addicted to your writing. ❤

that is so perfectly fine because love clingy Az❤️ thank you!!!!

lets do some early morning clingy Az headcanons

he has a day off and you don't -> meaning you have to get up while he can sleep in

but Azriel does not like it when you have to get up, the bed feels so cold all of a sudden

and he will make sure to not make getting pup to easy for you

you always sleep in his arms, this tall Illyrian male just needs you. in his arms every night, like you are his little cuddly toy

so when you start wiggling he will just curl his arms tighter around you

and when your backside rubs against his front because you wiggle a little more his groan will be audible in your ear "stay," he rasps in his hoarse morning voice, sending shivers down your body

Azriel buries his face in the crook of your neck, kissing you softly "I need you. stay." "Az, I have to get up." "Please." At least then he starts using his whiny baby voice, softly pecking your skin

you wiggle again, trying to shift in his hold "Az, I need to go to work." "You don't need to work, take a day off."

you finally manage to fully shift and glance up at him

sleep is written all over his face, dark hair toppling over his forehead, his lips pouted, his lids half closed "please stay, baby."

wiggling an arm free, you bring your hand up and brush your fingers over his forehead, admiring how beautiful he is even a few minutes after waking up

Azriel smiles softly when your fingers dane over his cheek and. his nose, it is adorable and then he giggles softly when you brush your fingers over his lips

he parts his mouth slightly and kisses your fingers before nibbling on them "Azzy!"

releasing your fingers, his brows furrow and he pouts again "stay in bed with me please."

you release a loud breath "five more minutes but then I really need to leave."

he smiles happily, moving you even closer

you also snuggle up to him, drawing in his scent, his chest brushing against you with every breath he inhales

but then the five minutes are over and Azriel does still not see you getting up as an option

so he does what he always does when he wants you to stay in bed with him

he rolls over until he is lying on top of you, covering you wholly, his large body and his wings trapping you on the bed

you groan loudly, trying to catch air when this tall Illyrian baby is nearly suffocating you "Azriel!"

Your voice is loud, but Azriel only grins agains the side of your face

he kisses your cheek "I love it when you scream my name."

giving your eyes a tiny roll, you ignore this compliment and also that your traitorous toes curl on the bed

"no you have no other option than staying." "I have to work." "And I have to cuddle you."

and as much as you want to stay with him, you really don't to be late again

so there are only two options 1. tickling him which is mostly not successful as he is not really ticklish 2. but one body part is ticklish -> his wings

wiggling one arm free, you poke his wing, right where it tickles so much and then poke his wing again in a different part

Azriel yelps, jerking upwards and then laughs

you take the chance, shoving him away

and then you roll out of bed, before sprinting to the bathroom

his brows are furrowed and his lips pouted, he sits in bed when you return from the bathroom "why did you not want to cuddle with me?"

you walk up to him, hands placed on his shoulders and kiss his forehead "I do want to cuddle with you, but right now I am busy. I have to. go to work. We cuddle in the evening again."

Azriel tugs on the hem of your shirt "You still love me thought right?"

he leans forward and places a kiss to your cleavage

you chuckles softly, thumb brushing over his cheek "More than anything. more than my own life. to the moon and back."

that makes him smile up at you, the hazel of his eyes glowing "I think I love you a little more."

[annaphoenix1994]

Nesting

Previous Chapter - Masterlist - Next Chapter

»»-------¤-------««

"Ye sure ye don't have more than one in there?" Teeter poked from beside Kiera as she and Soap joined Kiera and Simon for dinner. 

"According to my last ultrasound." She giggled, rubbing her belly as today marked her 35th week - September 13th.

"Ye look like yer ready to pop, K." 

"I feel like it," She sighed, leaning back in her chair after feeling like she had eaten too much, even though she barely made a dent in her dinner. "Both me and Simon have been nesting like crazy." 

"W-What's that?" Soap asked, furrowing his brows. 

"What he's doing right now is a prime example," She giggled, nodding her head towards the room that was once a guest room that they had turned into their nursery. "He's an all-around handyman now." 

"What else is left to do to that room?" Soap questioned. 

"He repainted before he built the cribs because he didn't believe in buying one, now he's packing the third hospital bag because he feels like it wasn't enough to have two. He was packing clothes last night-"

"I can hear you in here." Simon shouted from the hallway, making Kiera giggle. 

"Babe, won't you come and finish your dinner?" 

"I don't have time to eat." 

"I'm afraid he's in military mode right now," Soap informed her with a concerned gaze. "That and I'm sure the realization that you could go into labor at any moment has him on edge." 

"Oh, I know. He wakes up every time I wake up with a minor contraction," She frowned. "I know he's been stressed because he's been puffing on my vapes from months ago." 

"As much as he says he's ready, I know he's not." 

"I don't even think I'm ready," She sighed. "As much as I'm ready to have these babies, I'm terrified for when I go into active labor." 

"How close have your contractions been?"

"Probably an hour or two apart," She shrugged. "Nothing bad." 

»»-------¤-------««

"Simon, you don't have to do this-"

"Hush, love," He cut her off, splaying a towel over their bed and patting his lap for her to lay her legs over him. "Couldn't even do it yourself and you don't want to feel like you have hairier legs than me." He chuckled as he took a damp cloth and wiped her left leg first before rubbing the shaving cream on her skin. Kiera couldn't lie and say she didn't enjoy it, but she felt gross for him to see her with the little black hairs that spread across her legs. She had tried - desperately tried - to shave herself, but with her huge baby belly, doing any task that involved standing for a long period of time as well as bending over took a huge toll on her. 

"Please don't cut me." 

"Love, I'm as gentle as they come. Just lay back and relax."

She did as she was told, laying back against the pillow as she peered over her bump to watch Simon's close eye on his work, feeling as if he were shaving her legs better than she did, running the razor over every centimeter of her skin from her ankles to her knee, careful to not miss a single hair. 

"I'll give it to you, babe, you are good with your hands." She giggled, the warmth of his free hand grasping the arch of her foot as his other hand continued its work on shaving her leg. 

"If I wasn't, you wouldn't be pregnant right now," He smirked, flicking his gaze up to her briefly with a sly smirk decorating his face before running the wet rag across her freshly shaven leg before standing to sit on the other side of the bed to begin work on her other leg. "Want me to paint your toes too?" 

She giggled, "Me and Kristen went and got a pedicure a week ago. I think I'm good." 

"Can't say I didn't offer," He poked. "Christ, your poor little ankles all swollen like this. I'm sorry. I'm sure it's painful."

"Mhm. Do I get to shave your legs next?" She teased. 

"Negative, love," He gruffed. "I already gave away half of my masculinity when you gave me a facial in our hotel in London."

"That was months ago!" 

"It'll take me a year to gain that masculinity back," He poked. "I've never shaved my legs before and I'm not about to start now." 

"Good, because I couldn't keep bent over to do it anyway." 

"So that means I don't have just your legs to shave, yeah?" 

"Oh, I don't think so!" 

"Why not?" 

"Because, Simon. That's my...you know. I'm insecure about it-"

He breathed a chuckle as he continued to shave her right leg, "You're acting like I've never seen it before. I guess you're forgetting I've even had my mouth on it many times." 

She blushed, "I mean, you've never seen it like this... I haven't gotten waxed in a few weeks-"

"A man like me isn't afraid to explore the forest, love." 

"Simon!" 

"What? You think a little hair bothers me?" 

"It's not the hair, babe," She breathed a laugh. "Twats just look funny, especially mine." 

He shrugged, "I think yours is cute, but you won't believe me." 

"What about my roast beef sandwich is cute?" She scoffed in disbelief.

He stopped shaving her leg to release a genuine laugh at her reference, shaking his head as he turned his head away from her to laugh. "First of all, it's not a roast beef sandwich - I don't even know what that looks like, but I can assure you that it doesn't look like it." 

"Remind me to take you to Arby's, then." 

"Can I? Will you let me?" 

"I'm afraid you'll judge me-"

"I never would," He huffed. "You should know that by now. You've seen every inch of me just like I've seen you. I've had the pleasure of watching your body change to grow those two kids of ours. I can assure you that a little pussy hair isn't going to be nearly as bad as how those two are going to come out, but that doesn't mean I'm going to look at you any less." 

"Really?" 

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true, love. Need I remind you: in those few weeks you haven't gotten waxed I've had my mouth on it like it was my last meal and you didn't hear me complaining." 

"I guess you're right.."

"Besides, you'll think I'm a barber by the time I'm done. I already have these legs shining like a light," He chuckled, running his palms along her newly-soft skin, taking it upon himself to bring her favorite body scrub with him to apply to her legs after he had shaved them. "Smooth as silk, love. You're lucky I don't charge."

She giggled, "I think I can arrange a way of payment in a few weeks." 

"You already have that tab running up," He poked, wiping her legs dry and free of body scrub before he continued to rub his palms along her skin. I'm so obsessed with you, love. I wish you knew how much I admire you. "I'll be right back. Better have those legs spread by the time I get back." 

She huffed but followed his request anyway. She knew he just wanted to tend to her and not be perverted, but she couldn't help but be insecure about it as not only was she vulnerable, but she was also afraid of him seeing all of her in a bright light, afraid that he'd lose his spark of attraction towards her, feeling like he would look at her disgusted for not being physically able to tend to herself. 

She lay on the bed with her thighs pressed together, the robe that was clasped around her body after her shower draping over herself when he returned, Kiera giggling at how he had gone to the garage to get a headlamp for extra visibility. "Simon-"

"Got to be able to see what I'm doing, love," He chuckled. "Can't be accidentally nicking you where it'll hurt the most." 

She blushed, "I can't believe I'm letting you do this." 

"Believe it. Stop acting like I've never seen it before." 

"You have, but in dim lighting. You look like my OB right now." 

"Bloody hell, you act like it's some monster about to eat me...though I'd die a happy man if that was the case, but you're thinking I'm going to see it and not want to fuck it anymore." 

"That's exactly what I was thinking," She scoffed. "This is so awkward." 

"Why? How?" He shrugged. 

"What if my PH balance is off?" 

"Then your PH is off?" He guessed. "It's just seasoning." 

"Simon!" She laughed, knowing he only said that to make her laugh, shielding her eyes with her hands to hide her embarrassment. 

"You've popped a pimple on my arse before. You think I didn't want you to be eye-level with my arse? No, but you wouldn't stop talking about it and trying to pick at it when we were in bed." He chuckled, easing her anxiety with his own.

"Couldn't help it. Looked like a nipple on your ass." She poked. 

"And it wasn't like I couldn't get it myself because I didn't even know about it," He shrugged, sitting on his knees on the bed, his palms cupping her knees. "Now spread 'em. I'll be down here for a while." 

She was hesitant at first, playfully pressing her thighs together as he tried to part her legs, a brief thought crossing his mind that he wasn't reminding her of the assault she had encountered while being held by AQ, easing his grip on her knees for her to open her legs.

"What makes you think you're going to be down there for a while? It's not that bad." 

"I pay attention to detail, love. You'll go back to that lass who waxes you and she'll be jealous that my razor work is better than what she does." 

She giggled, relaxing her legs and watching Simon turn on the bulb for the headlamp, knowing it wasn't necessary, but knowing that he was being dramatic to ease her own insecurity by adding humor into the situation, something he had always done in tense situations. He was proud of her, though - in nearly the year they'd been together, this was the first time he had seen every pore, every freckle, and every textured part of her core that he had the privilege to study without sexual intent. Sure, it was a thought considering it was an intimate touch, but he was tending to her.

Something he always put before sex was even a thought.

In his mind, acts of service went a longer way than just sex alone. 

It built an unbreakable bond between him and Kiera, a lifetime of trust, devotion, loyalty, and love to their relationship - something the pair of them had in common as it was stripped from them years prior.

"You know what amazes me, love?" 

"Hm?" 

"That those two babies that're probably six pounds each are going to come out of that tiny hole." He commented, taking a careful approach with the razor as he shaved her.

"Don't remind me," She giggled. "I'm not going to lie, this feels nice. I can see myself falling asleep." 

"Then fall asleep, love," He hummed, tilting his head to place a tender kiss to the inside of her thigh. "You're going to burn through a lot of energy when the time comes. Now's the chance to get your rest. My focus is at five thousand percent - not a chance I'm going to Knick you."

He spent nearly twenty minutes shaving her, getting every inch of her area with precision, thankful that she had fully enveloped his trust as she relaxed against him, her eyes slowly opening at the feeling of Simon's hands on her belly, rubbing the body oil she had bought and delightfully enjoyed across her skin. "All shined and smooth, love. Ready for bed?" 

She nodded, rubbing her eyes as Simon sat on his knees on the bed to reach up to turn off the light on the ceiling fan, grasping a pillow to put between his head and her torso, careful to not put his head on her tender breast while cradling his arm around her baby bump, his nose nearly pressing against her belly as his thumb rubbed slow circles against her skin. She hummed in response as well as comfort to the new position, running her fingers through his hair to feel him relax against her. "Last minute bump cuddles, babe?" 

He nodded, pressing a kiss to her belly before looking up at her through the darkness, "Are you comfortable?" 

"Very." 

He nodded at her assurance, adjusting his head back into its comfortable position to continue enjoying the way her fingers combed through his hair, the smell of her enticing him for a hopeful night's rest. "Don't let me forget to build that rocking chair tomorrow." 

"Babe, forget about that rocking chair," She giggled. "You've already built everything else." 

"You need one. I already got all of the pieces cut. I just need to put it together. Don't let me forget." 

Just as she opened her mouth to protest, one of the babies had subtly kicked against the side of her belly, the thud nudging against Simon's nose, causing him to chuckle, "See? She won't let me forget. She wants a rocking chair." 

"That was probably your son telling you to give building a rest." 

"Nope, that was her. She won't be able to go to sleep without a rocking chair for her mum, so that's what I'm going to do tomorrow." 

"Not if she's ready to come out." Kiera scoffed. 

"Then I'll build it when we get home." 

"Well, then I guess while you're doing that, I'm going to pack stuff for the hospital-"

"Already got that covered, love. There's three bags sitting at the door that I need to put in the truck tomorrow." 

"Is there anything I can do to feel productive?" She scoffed playfully. 

"Just relax and rest pretty. I got the rest." 

[bitbybitwrites]

7. We're going to Fire Island. It's like gay Disney World. (Fire Island, 2022)

Glee (but open to RWRB if you’re more inspired that way!)

My apologies for the delay! Took me a bit to finish this one - because it kind of exploded into something longer than a ficlet!

Thanks again to @tailsbeth-writes for all the Ficlet Friday posts!

It can also be read on A03 here.

Enjoy!

****

Fire Island Follies

“I don’t know if this is a good idea, San.”

Santana looked over at her friend and smirked.  “Lookin’ a little green about the gills, Hobbit.  You ok?”

Blaine took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he clutched his duffle bag close to his chest.  The ferry was going through choppy water, and his stomach wasn't faring well at all.  No one could blame him; Blaine was from central Ohio and hadn't had much experience being on the open ocean.

He opened his mouth to respond, but unfortunately, at that moment, the boat hit a particularly large wave.   The sea vessel bounced so much that Blaine snapped his mouth shut quickly, clapping one hand over it.  Santana swore he looked even paler than he had a minute ago.

“Don’t you dare hurl on me, Anderson.  I will kill you if you ruin these shoes.”

A young couple and their kid moved away from where Blaine and Santana were sitting, looking at the seasick young man warily.  Blaine gave them a weak smile and wave as he peered down at Santana's open-toe espadrilles.

“Fancy footwear for the beach, don’t you think?”

Santana snorted as she wiggled her Burberry-clad foot at Blaine.  "I gots to look good for my sweetie.” She leaned over and poked him in the side.  He squawked and batted her hand away with a pout.  “Can you just give me a smile for once and not look like I’m dragging you to your death.” Santana pleaded.

The boat hit another wave and bounced up and down again.  “I feel like death,” Blaine said through gritted teeth. "Just kill me now."

“Oh, perk up, sunshine.  We're going to Fire Island.  It's like gay Disney World."

****

Blaine was grateful once the ferry finally docked, a vomit-free voyage, thankfully.   He gingerly followed Santana out onto the dock, breathing deeply through his nose as he willed for the ground to stop swaying.  They both wove in and out of the throng of visitors to the island, searching for. . .

“Tana!” an excited voice squealed.

Blaine stepped aside just in time as a blur of blond hair and bright color whizzed by him, only to launch themselves into Santana's arms.  Santana laughed as she caught a young woman in her embrace, swinging her about and then carefully placing her on the ground, kissing her gently.

“Hi, cariño," Santana said softly.  "Miss me?"

The other woman giggled and nodded.  "So much."  She turned and regarded Blaine with a questioning look.  "I'm sorry, and you are?"

“Um, Blaine.  Blaine Anderson.  I, um . . . I’m Santana’s friend.”

The blond grinned and leaned over to deposit a peek on Blaine's cheek.  She placed a small, brightly rainbow-colored string of beads around his neck.  "Oh yeah, Tana said you might come.  I'm glad you did!  Happy Pride!"

*****

Blaine sighed as he sat on the deck, looking out towards the sunrise.  It was gorgeous view, and Blaine would have thanked anyone who would listen for this brief respite of peace and quiet.  There was a whirlwind of activity once Brittany led them back to the house where they would all be staying for the week.  He had wandered outside earlier for with a book ( and thankfully his noise-canceling headphones) while Santana and Brittany celebrated their reunion very thoroughly and . . . loudly.

"You know, it's hard making out over Skype.  You really can't scissor a webcam." Brittany had confided to Blaine in a stage whisper earlier.  "I'm so glad to see her again since I'm working out here all summer."

Blaine had just smiled and nodded.  He was slowly getting used to Brittany’s. . . rather quirky personality.  She was one of the main reasons Santana dragged him onto this trip.  Brittany’s latest job was as a waitress and sometimes backup singer and dancer for the Fire Island Follies.

****

“You are coming with me, short stuff.  I will not accept no for an answer.” Santana had threatened a week before.  “My lady is out there. I miss her, and I think you would have a really good time.  Come on.  You're hot.  I'm hot.  The island will be overflowing with other gorgeous gays you could hook up with.  Live a little.  You might dress like a grandpa sometimes, but it doesn't mean you have to live like one."

****

The door to the rental home slammed shut as Brittany skipped outside, adorned in a rainbow tulle skirt and bikini top.  An intricate collar of rainbow beads lay aginst her neck while her body shone with glitter even in the setting sunlight.  A tiara of multicolored rhinestones peeked out from the top of her head as well.  "Are you ready?" she asked excitedly.  "Tana will lock up and meet us there.  She told me to bring you on ahead early.   We could use your help to set up if you're for it."

Blaine looked down at himself.  “Are you sure this is ok?”  He nervously looked at the sparkly black mesh tank top and teeny green shorts that Santana had thrown at him when he stepped out of the shower.

Brittany’s blond head cocked to the side, and she considered for a moment.  "As long as you're comfortable.  I think you're fine." She said with a grin.  "At least it's not the underwear party.  That's only for the guys, and I have a feeling you wouldn't be ok just running around in a jockstrap or speedo all night."

She dug into a pouch at her waist and fished out a small tube of rainbow body glitter.  Squeezing some on her fingertips, she rubbed it on Blaine’s cheekbones, smiling at the finished look.

“Perfect.”

*****

Cheerios was definitely not what Blaine had expected, either. 

First, the nightclub/cabaret space was run by a former drill sergeant wearing a black tracksuit (with appropriately rainbow stripes up and down the arms) named Miss Sue.  Secondly, it was probably the most rainbow-themed place he'd ever been to.  Colored arches adorned the walls, the floors, the cushions on the bar stools and seats, and even the cocktail napkins.  The staff wore tight, tiny rainbow-themed uniforms, some looking like cheerleaders or football players.  (Well, that could explain the name of the place)  As far as he could see, there were lots of skin, crop tops, booty shorts, and so much body glitter.

And the doors hadn’t opened yet for the public.

The aforementioned drill sergeant was holding court by the DJ station at the back of the club when Brittany and Blaine entered.  She brandished a clipboard and barked out loud via a megaphone she brandished in her other hand: "Porcelain, you're up next!  White Chocolate, you shake your booty after.  Then Starchild, we'll run through yours again if you want."

A chorus of “Yes, Miss Sue.” from across the bar soon followed.

Brittany squealed as she dragged Blaine over to the bar.  “Oooh, we get to see a couple of the new numbers before we open the doors." She shoved Blaine onto a cushy, multi-colored stool before she took off backstage.  "Stay here.  Gotta go see if anyone needs help backstage.”

Before Blaine could protest, she was gone.

Fiddling with the hem of his tank top, Blaine looked around nervously. He couldn't help but feel like he was intruding.

“Porcelain, Starchild, White Chocolate . . who are they?” he wondered aloud.

"Well, me, for one."

Blaine swiveled around on his bar stool to find a ridiculously good-looking guy in the tiniest gold booty shorts that he had ever seen staring back at him.

“I . . .I'm sorry . . . wh. . .what?" 

The bartender tossed a rainbow-colored bar towel over his shoulder and plunked down a glass of water in front of Blaine.  “White Chocolate.  That’s me, I’m saying.”

“That’s . . a, uh. .  . .a nice name . .”

The blond grinned, the body glitter shining very noticeably off his abs. 

Blaine seriously tried not to stare.

He did.

"Stage name," the bartender confided to Blaine.  "Used to have a partner called Dark Chocolate I worked with, but he went off and got him a boyfriend who didn't like him writhing on stage with little ole me.  Jake came up with the names.  He said we were both smooth and sweet, and it kind of worked cause he was, well, you know, African American and I'm . . ." he gestured again toward his glitter-encrusted abs.

Blaine swallowed and really didn’t stare.

Really.

He really, really didn’t.

“That’s . . . interesting . . .”

The glittering golden god laughed as he leaned over the bar. "I'm Sam," he said, extending a handout. I saw you came in with Brit. Are you a friend of hers?"

Blaine nodded, grabbed the water, and took a large gulp.  "Well, more like friends with her girlfriend, Santana."

Sam grinned.  "Aww, that's great.  I haven't seen Santana in a while.  She coming later?”

As Blaine nodded, the lights in the room suddenly dimmed, and a low, sultry bass line began to be piped in through the speakers of the club.  All of the workers stopped what they were doing to focus their attention on the main stage.  A spotlight held tight on a solitary figure who faced away from the audience.  The person held their hand up, and as they snapped their fingers along with the music, the spotlight pulled back slightly, revealing a luxurious black velvet robe. 

Blaine’s jaw dropped as the person began to sing: sultry and beckoning, their hands skimming their hips, which swayed hypnotically along with the music.

*****

Never know how much I love you

Never know how much I care

When you put your arms around me

I get a fever that's so hard to bear

You give me fever. . .

The performer turned his head, revealing a strikingly handsome face and piercing blue eyes.  The man smirked as he noticed Blaine, watching awestruck.  The singer rolled his shoulder, allowing the velvet robe to bare one beautiful shoulder as he winked saucily at Blaine.

Sam leaned over the bar, whispering smugly.  "And that, my good sir, is Porcelain, one of our other headliners."

“He’s beautiful, “ Blaine murmured softly as he continued to watch the other man own the stage, dropping the robe on a particular beat of the song to reveal some tiny black leather shorts and a delicate body harness of crisscrossing silver chains attached to a heaver silver chain collar.  With every shoulder roll and hip gyration, Blaine could see those chains softly caress the man’s toned abdomen.  The leather shorts made it very apparent that Porcelain was not lacking at all in . . . endowments.

Blaine had never been so jealous of an outfit before in his life.  He was absolutely entranced by this siren before him.

The devastatingly gorgeous dancer continued to sing:

*****

Captain Smith and Pocahontas

Had a very mad affair

When her daddy tried to kill him

She said, "Daddy, oh, don't you dare."

He gives me fever

With his kisses, fever when he holds me tight

Fever!  I'm his missus, daddy, won't you treat him right?

"Would you like to meet him?" Sam asked quietly.  "I'm sure Brit or I can introduce you if you want."

Blaine was now at a loss for words, just nodding mutely while his heart raced.  Porcelain had danced his way to a stripper pole to one side of the stage, spinning around it a few times before leaning backward and arching his back as he eased off his leather shorts, not missing a beat while he did so.

And Porcelain was looking and singing directly to Blaine as those shorts fell away.

*****

Now you've listened to my story

Here's the point that I have made

Boys were born to give you fever

Be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade

That’s it. 

Blaine was now officially dead.

Porcelain had a rhinestone-encrusted thong underneath those tiny shorts. As Blaine watched, the dancer kept singing while trailing his own fingers over his body, grazing his nipples, floating over his arms, down the arch of his neck.

*****

They give you fever

When you kiss them, fever if you live and learn

Fever!  'Til you sizzle

What a lovely way to burn . . .

Without warning, the audio track Porcelain was performing began to moan and speed up, rewinding and fast-forwarding erratically, breaking the hypnotic spell of the performance. Porcelain stopped all movements and stared out towards the DJ booth in confusion as the lights abruptly came up in the club.

“What the fuck?” Miss Sue bellowed.  “Someone get Zizes on the phone.  I don't care where she is or what she's doing.  Of all the goddamn times she decided to go on vacation, of course, it had to be today.  We need this shit fixed now.  We open in a few hours.”

Porcelain sighed as he retrieved his discarded clothing, slipping the velvet robe on and quickly disappearing backstage. 

Miss Sue stalked towards the bar, slamming her clipboard and megaphone on its surface.  She gripped the edge of the rainbow-patterned counter tightly,  so much so that Blaine could see her knuckles whiten even from his position a few stools farther down.

Without a beat, Sam quickly reached into a fridge under the bar and pulled out a large, ominous-looking black Stanley mug, passing it over to the club owner without a word.  Miss Sue took a giant slug of what was inside, a ferocious scowl darkening her features.

Many of the employees skittered away quickly to avoid her impending blow-up.

“Miss Sue,” Sam tentatively said as he cleared his throat.  “I, uh, I hate to be the bearer of more bad news . . .”

"What. Is. It. Now. . . " the cabaret owner growled.

"Sebastian won't be able to make it in tonight or for the rest of the week, actually," Sam quickly informed her.

“Where the hell is Sporty Spice gone to this time?  I need him and his goddamn lacrosse stick to work during the intermission.”

"Seb's found another Sugar Daddy, and he's taking full advantage," another voice chimed in.

Blaine spun around in his stool, only to find himself face to face with Porcelain.  Now out of his stage costume, the man was wearing sinfully low-rise, skin-tight jeans as well as a soft, light blue hoodie that was unzipped to reveal he was shirtless underneath.  Porcelain was sporting a set of toned abdominal muscles that Blaine wanted to reach out and touch.

"Last I heard, he was bragging last night that his new man was taking him to some mansion in the Hamptons for a week of fucking and all manner of excessive indulgence.  Clothing free."  Porcelain rolled his eyes as he accepted a glass of ice water from Sam.  "I'm not surprised he bailed on us today."

Sam frowned.  “But how the hell are we going to put on the follies tonight if we’re having technical difficulties?” he asked.  “I can do body rolls all night if you need me to, but it’s going to be odd with no music playing in the background.”

“Do we cancel?” Kurt asked Sue.

“We have never canceled a performance of the Fire Island Follies," Miss Sue shouted.  “It is not going to happen.  Not on my watch.”

Blaine swallowed.  He couldn’t believe he was going to do this.

“I . . . I could help.”

Miss Sue turned her sharp gaze at Blaine.  “Who the hell are you?” she barked.  "How the hell did you get in here anyway?"

"Blaine.  Blaine Anderson."  Blaine held out his hand to Miss Sue, who stared at it like the abhorrent item she felt it was.  He dropped it quickly and tried to smile reassuringly.

He wasn’t sure if it was working.

“He’s a friend of Brittany’s . .  .and Santana's." Sam piped up.

Sue sniffed, still not entirely impressed.

"And how can you help?" Porcelain asked as he trained a critical eye on Blaine, obviously just as skeptical of the newcomer as Miss Sue was.

“Can you play music?  Sing?” Miss Sue demanded.

“Y . .yes," Blaine stuttered.  "I can do both, actually, piano and guitar. It's what I do in Manhattan, actually.  It's my . . .my day job. Mostly gigs at The Duplex and Don't Tell Mama's."

“How long are you on the island for?” Sue continued her interrogation.

“Just the week,” Blaine reassured the club owner.

Sue stared at Blaine for a while; he couldn't say how long.  But the uncomfortable silence that stretched out while he found himself looked up and down seemed to go on forever.

“Up.” she barked at him finally.

Blaine slid off his stool while throwing both Sam and Porcelain confused glances.

“Turn.” she then ordered.

He did and then waited through another long silent patch from Sue as she made her deliberation:

“Hot Pocket,” Miss Sue ordered as she pinned him in place with a stare that quite honestly gave Blaine the chills.  “You’ll do.  You are to get your ass on stage and see what you can do with what instruments we have on hand.  Porcelain, work on your number first.  I want you to Fabulous Baker Boys the shit out of the song, you understand?”

"Yes, Miss Sue," the dancer nodded. He turned to Blaine, motioned towards the stage, and swiftly turned on his heel to walk towards it.

Blaine scrambled quickly after him.

“I’m Kurt, by the way," Porcelain informed Blaine softly as they walked out of earshot of the owner.  “You better be damn good, Blaine.  Or Sue will make you regret ever stepping foot in this club.”

“I am,” Blaine said, his heart racing.  “I am good.”

Kurt stopped in his tracks, turning quickly to face Blaine, who stopped moving as well.  A few quick steps and Kurt was mere inches away, his blue eyes darkening and staring at Blaine’s lips intensely.

“I like that.  Boys who are good for me.  Will you be good for me, Blaine?”

Blaine nodded, his breath caught in his chest.  It was dizzying being this close to Kurt now.  Blaine stared at the performer’s lips as well as they leaned in closer.

“I’ll see you backstage,” Kurt whispered with a smirk.  He turned quickly and sauntered up the steps of the main stage and through the curtain.

Blaine did not stare at Kurt’s ass as he left.

Oh, who the hell was Blaine kidding. 

He most certainly did.

****

NOTES:

I have a feeling that the actual Fire Island Follies is a men's only show . . but here in this fic, I wanted to include something for the ladies too - so Brittany's a performer as well.

Oh, and here in this fic, I kind of picture Sebastian doing a little lacrosse themed striptease act during their intermission of the show. Hence the "Sporty Spice" nickname. 😂

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

34. "Answer the phone. I dare you."

For our Alpha and Little one. Its been a while we saw them all mushy and tangled up in each other 🥰

Thank you for playing! Sorry I took my sweet time doing this, but I hope you enjoy it. I love that you gave them this absolutely playful moment. Especially with what they have going on now.

18+ ONLY.

The Pack Masterlist

Steve meant to only pop into the cabin real quick, grab his leather work gloves he forgot that morning and go back up the mountain to meet up with the rest of the crew at the lot.

In and out, it was all he had time for. Especially since Sam was waiting on him. He tried borrowing some gloves, even searching in the trucks parked up their for gloves. But all of them were just a bit to small for him to work with.

He was just gonna say a quick hi to you on his way out since he assured Sam he would only be fifteen minutes tops, his Alpha huffed in impatience as he searched around the cabin for his gloves.

<Our Little One is on the back deck.> The Alpha pointed out, catching a glimpse of your leg dangling over the massive swing he installed on the porch, your toes pressing against the deck to swing it back and forth.

Maybe she knows where they are...

The Alpha rolled his eyes at Steve, slipping away with a howl of his Little One's song, searching her out. Steve poked his head out the window. "Hey Little One..." His voice trailed off as he fully appreciated the sight you gave him in the late morning hour.

You were lazily sprawled out on the swing, laid back in the pillows while holding a book above you, clearly reading. Naked.

Your body all sprawled out, every inch of you just free as the sun filtered down among the leafy branches that provided the back of their cabin privacy from the rest of the pack, leaving your skin dappled with warm sunshine and cool shade. Steve swung the back deck doors wide open, giving a appreciative growl at how you were relaxing.

You broke into a grin, biting on your lip as your eyes scanned the sentence you were reading above you. "Youre home early."

"My wolfy senses were tingling."

You snorted at him, letting your book fall off to the side of the swing, curling a bit as you pushed up to sit, stretching your foot out for Steve to take, one hand cupping your foot while the other rubbed against the top to your ankle, lovingly massaging you. "And what did your wolfy senses detect?"

Both of you would hear your wolves howling, singing their song while drifting away from conciousness for either of you. But the playfulness of the wolves could be felt, leaving you both in similar moods, the bond between you two tingling with unspoken desire and passion.

"That my mate, my very sexy, beautiful, naked mate, was waiting for me."

"Those are some good wolfy senses." You purred up at him, giggling when he pulled you closer to the edge, letting your feet drop and you fell backward into the pillows while Steve let his hands roam over your warm breasts, squeezing and teasing your nipples. "Here for your gloves, aren't you?"

"I can't find them." Steve hummed as his eyes were on your breasts, groaning as you were so responsive to him, he could already smell your arousal.

"They are on the kitchen counter, near your wallet." You confirmed as you arched your body to his touch, letting your arms stretch above your head and grab at a pillow to drag down. Steve grabbed at it, tapping your hip.

"Lift up Little One." He directed as his mouth started marking your bare skin. Your feet braced on the edge, your hips lifted enough for him to wedge the pillow underneath while he bit at your bond mark, making you whimper. Your hand shot to his hair, weaving your fingers into the golden tresses and tightening to hold on. "You gonna be good for me Little One?" His mouth popped off your nipple, the sudden loss of his warm mouth making your nerves tingle.

His hands smoothed down your body, giving appreciative grasps of strength at the curves, digging his fingers into your softness. Strong calloused hands dipped between your thighs, spreading you wider while he knelt down to the hard deck, making you lose your hold on him for a moment. "Alpha..." Your whimper was needy now as you lifted a leg to hook over his shoulder. "I'm always good for you."

Steve growled in agreement while his mouth worked down your body, making you wriggle in place with anticipation till his growl turned sharp, teeth sinking into the sensitive spot of your inner thigh to hold you still for a moment. The move made you pant, your chest heaving as you dragged in the air, doing your best to still your sensitive body.

"You really are, so good, so sensitive for me." Steve praised while he admired how your arousal started to glisten your folds, your thighs trembling with how they were spread wide for him, all for him. It was almost intoxicating how you could drive him feral, needing to fuck and love on you, his wild Little One, needing to mark every inch of your beauty till you were just as tied to him as he was to you.

And he felt that, that need in the bond from you to have all that from him, that he was your Alpha, his mate and you wanted everyone to sense it.

That you were proud to be his. Just as much as he was proud to belong to you. His mouth dropped, his tongue swiping over your folds to gather your taste before spreading you apart with fingers intimately and burying his face in you.

You gasped, your body arching up the the sun while Steve worshipped you with his tongue. Your hips rocking to match his demands on you. "Oh god..." You panted, Steve chuckling from between you, his sharp sense of hearing picking up on your breathless tone already. From somewhere Steve's cell rang, and his head snapped up in surprise at the intrusion, your eyes connecting as you glanced down your body.

His beard glistened golden, and his tongue swiped around his pink lips to clean you off of him. "Answer it, I dare you." He challenged as he shifted enough to reach into his back pocket, pulling it out. You smirked as your hand shot out, taking the phone. You weren't about to back down from a challenge.

Steve's eyes glinted in amusement as he teased your clit, pulling the sensitive little nerve between his teeth while you squeaked out into the phone. "Yeah, Sam?"

"Y/N? Is Steve there? He was supposed to be back up here with us."

Steve chose this moment to fuck his tongue into you, making your toes curl and a sharp whine pierced from you. What was Sam saying? Your thoughts were clouded and impossible to focus. "He's busy?"

"Busy?! Doing what? He was the one who wanted to finish this today."

"Steve!" You yelped his name in surprise as he dragged his tongue through you one last time and then flipped you to your belly, your knees pulled under you enough to lift your lower half in the air. "Busy Sam, he is busy!"

"Fuck are you two? That's nasty. Why you even answering the-"

Steve wrenched the phone from your hold, tossing it away into the mess of bedding on the swing, and pressed down against your shoulder blades, holding you down. "Let's see how good you can hold a conversation after I fill this pussy."

You heard the clang of his belt from behind and you flashed a grin at him over your shoulder with excitement.

[rileytwenty]

IDIA || an Avatar story (x Neteyam)

Chapter 3

Masterlist

A/N: Sorry for the second post of the day but I like to post as soon as I'm finished to get your guys' feedback. Thanks for reading!

(English Na'vi)

The marui meant to be our new home was nice. Jake agreed. Neytiri, not so much.

Neteyam and Kiri were quickly put to work helping their mother weave new clothes for the family that would be better for swimming. Tuk was out looking for pretty rocks (as a secret present for Lo'ak, I overheard) and Lo'ak was sent off to find decorative shells for the new clothing.

I wasn't sure what to do. I had no idea how to weave anything; my clothes were given to me by a pitying elderly Omatikaya lady who said our blue skin wasn't meant for Sky People clothes. She offered some items to Norm as well, but he wasn't so comfortable showing that much skin.

I stood at the back opening of the marui, staring out at the vast ocean. Even if I wanted to return home, I had no way to. No ikran, no aircraft, no communication with the mountain sanctum.

"How're you holding up?" Jake asked as he approached behind me, resting an elbow on my shoulder.

"How's Neytiri taking it?" I turned the conversation around.

His ears flit back for a second and his gaze fell on the ground. "Not well," he admitted, "but we all have to adjust a bit still."

I looked back at the three still inside the marui, watching them intently work at their tasks.

"Tonowari said that Ao'nung could teach you to swim, if you wanted," Jake offered, "I mean, I asked if he could find someone to teach you, and he volunteered Ao'nung."

I was unspeakably nervous at the thought. What if I don't learn? What if I just start drowning? Can I really rely on that boy to pull me out? "Not Tsireya?"

Jake gave me surprised side eye. "Would you prefer it to be Tsireya? She seems sweet, I'm sure she wouldn't mind us interrupting whatever she's doing."

I thought about it for a second, but I decided I needed to try to be more flexible and less of an inconvenience here. If Ao'nung was the only one free, it would have to do. "Thanks, Jake, but Ao'nung will be a fine teacher. Just curious, was all."

"Alright. If you say so."

----------------------------------------------------------

"So, you cup your hands like this." Ao'nung had been teaching me the technique on dry land for three minutes and already seemed done with me. I did my best to copy the shape he was making.

He poked me in the wrist. "No, tighter. Squeeze your fingers together. Yeah, that's better. Then you just kick your legs and swish your arms in circles around you. You'll be fine."

Nerves wracked my body and made my fingers and toes go numb.

"Right, okay... you can do this." I mumbled to myself as my toes hit the water.

"What was that, freak?" That is the only thing he had addressed me by: 'freak'. And I kind of was one, wasn't I? It definitely wasn't an unfamiliar word to me.

"Nothing!" I waded out further and further into the water until I came to the drop-off. A deep swallow rippled down my throat as I pictured myself going down down down under the surface.

"Well, go!" Ao'nung shouted at me.

I took a deep breath just in case and stepped off the ledge. As it would turn out, 'just in case' was actually extremely necessary.

I can't do it. I can't swim. I can only sink.

My limbs thrashed in all directions, trying to figure out how to get enough traction with the water to propel myself upward. I was getting farther and farther from the surface. In a panic, I tried to release a cry for help but only managed to disperse a significant portion of the air in my lungs.

Where the hell was Ao'nung? He had already reassured me that he'd pull me back up if I couldn't figure it out in time. I felt like I had been underwater for ten minutes already.

My lungs were aflame and the only thought in my head was that of: breathe! I kicked and swished like he'd told me until my limbs were stiff but it was to no avail. I was only going down.

Finally, finally, when I just about couldn't take it anymore, some thick Metkayina arms pulled me out of the water. When we reached the surface and sand was back under my feet, I realized my ears were full of water and someone was trying to say something to me.

"Whaa?" I shook my head about to rid myself of the water trapped in my ears.

"Are you alright, Idia? Can you breathe?" It was Tsireya, not Ao'nung. No surprise, really.

I was raised primarily on English, so my brain needed a second to translate and then form a response. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm alright." I gasped out eventually, my throat raw from the amount of saltwater I inhaled. Coughing only made it worse.

"Ao'nung!" Tsireya was shouting. "Dad told you to teach her to swim, not let her figure it out or drown!"

That's when I noticed Tuk and Neteyam were there, too. How embarrassing for me.

I crawled out of the water-- not wanting to be in it any longer-- and planted my butt on the beach, still catching my breath.

"I was trying! She's a bad learner. I thought she'd figure it out eventually, we did it as newborns!" Ao'nung defended himself.

"Mom will hear about this," Tsireya warned, to which Ao'nung scoffed.

"Mom will be dissapointed that you saved the freak."

I didn't bother protesting. Ronal still considered Lo'ak, Kiri, Jake and I demons. Ao'nung spoke the truth.

"Damn you!" Neteyam suddenly lashed out at Ao'nung, glaring at him hard. Neteyam dragged me to my feet by the upper arm, grabbed Tuk's hand and marched us back toward our marui.

"You can't let them call you that." Neteyam was suddenly mad at me.

"What?" It left my mouth without any real thought of what I was saying.

His head whipped towards me with his braids swaying from the force.

"If they can call you a freak, they'll think they can call Kiri and Lo'ak that, too. I don't want my siblings getting called that."

"What am I supposed to do? Your dad told us not to make trouble."

"I..." he paused, massaging his temples, "I don't know. How about, just avoid them in the first place?"

"Then how am I meant to learn how to swim?"

He looked at me incredulously. "Ask me, maybe? Or my father, or Kiri?"

"Oh." I hadn't thought of that. "I didn't think you'd want to."

"It's better than letting you make a mockery of our family. Which you're seen as a part of now, whether or not any of us likes it."

Now that Ao'nung and Tsireya were out of view, he was comfortable walking away from me, still holding Tuk's hand.

"Now as for you, Tuk. You can't stray that far away. We even had to get Tsireya to help look for you." His voice was fading as they slowly left.

"But if you weren't bringing me back, Tsireya couldn't have saved Idia."

Neteyam looked back at me, and our eyes met for a few seconds. I looked away first. He didn't reply to Tuk's comment, and I chose to take that as a good thing.

taglist: @im-kaii @itsemy01 @isabel-ffl-xoxo

[parkitaco]

perhaps . 43 🤞

It's getting close to dark when they leave the lake, the sun dipping low in the sky. The summer is drawing to a close, but the evenings are still warm and peaceful, crickets chirping in the bushes as Mike and Will walk hand-in-hand back in the direction of Mike's house.

"So," Mike says, voice teasing as he leans into Will's arm, "Thoughts?"

Will glances at him, a small smirk on his lips as they pick their way across the gravel road that winds around the quarry. His face is streaked in orange light, hair wavy and half-dried against the sides of his face, and Mike knows he’s smiling like an idiot at him and simply can’t bring himself to care. "What, about today?"

"Yeah," Mike says, grinning all teeth, "How did I do?"

Will hums, considering, and his eyes flick back to the road. "A-minus date," he rates, trying and failing to hide a small smile, and Mike squawks indignantly.

"A-minus," he huffs, "Where could the minus possibly come from-"

"Well, we had to walk," Will points out, and kicks at a rock with his toe to prove his point.

"I-!” Mike gapes at him in mock offense, “My car stopped working! That's not my fault-"

"Also, you're definitely sunburned," Will cuts in, raising an eyebrow as he glances over at Mike. "Your arms are all pink."

Mike huffs. Will has a point - now that they've left the lake, he can feel the uncomfortable heat of his sunburn stretching across his shoulders, and the skin across his cheekbones feels too tight whenever he talks. "It's not that bad."

"You're going to be such a baby about it, though," Will complains, as Mike narrowly avoids tripping over a tree branch. "All week. You're going to be all whiny and miserable and I'm going to have to take care of you."

"You like taking care of me," Mike mutters, and Will laughs lightly, a small acknowledgement.

"Yeah, well,” he acknowledges, and his thumb brushes over the back of Mike’s hand like a reflex, “If you'd listened to me and put sunscreen on it wouldn't be a problem."

"Okay," Mike says, feigning irritation as he rolls his eyes and tugs Will closer into his side, "Other than that, though, it was- good?"

Will smiles, soft and genuine in the dying sunlight. "Yeah, Mike. 'Course."

Mike beams, and he's about to say something else, something along the lines of can we do this again, then, like, maybe forever and ever, because technically speaking this is only the fourth date they've been on but Mike is pretty sure he could keep going on dates with Will Byers for the rest of his life, but he doesn’t get a chance to say any of that before - 

Smack.

His shoe catches on a root, and Mike goes tumbling to the ground, landing hard on the rocky edge of the road as his hand slips out of Will's. He yelps, landing in the dirt, and Will is instantly beside him, gripping his shoulders.

"Are you okay?" Will says, eyes wide with concern, and Mike blinks at him, entranced by the sun-warmed freckles on his face, before he remembers to respond and bobs his head quickly.

"Yeah, yeah," he says quickly, shrugging Will's hands off and clambering to his feet. His flip-flop is busted, the strap broken off of the shoe, and Will notices it at the same time Mike does, brow furrowing.

"I told you not to wear flip-flops," he says, stern, and Mike grins sheepishly under his gaze. "You can't walk barefoot."

"Sure I can," Mike says brightly, plucking his broken shoe off of the ground and holding out his free hand for Will. "We're almost there, anyway."

He takes a step and immediately winces as a pebble pokes into the arch of his foot, and Will shoots him a disbelieving look as Mike winds his fingers through Will's. "You're an idiot," Will replies, and then- "I- here, come here."

Mike obliges, narrowing his eyes in confusion as Will draws him closer. "What?" he asks and Will blinks up at him.

Will sighs. "Just- here, you can’t walk like that, I’ll carry you.”

Mike blinks. “You’ll carry me?”

“Yeah,” Will says, blinking seriously at him, “On my back. So you don’t hurt your foot.”

“Wh- my foot is fine,” Mike says, even as a twig pokes into the side of his foot, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” Will assures him, “And we’re almost to your house anyway.”

This is true - Mike can see the roof of his house from here, and the dirt is pretty uncomfortable on his bare foot, so he bites his lip and holds out his arms, and Will shoots him a grin as he crouches to help Mike climb onto his back.

Will is warm, his t-shirt tight around his shoulders as Mike drapes his arms around his neck and presses his face into Will’s neck. He smells like summer, and Mike can’t help but cling to him as Will’s arms wrap around his legs. Will stands, wobbling a little as Mike makes a small noise of alarm and wriggles closer to him. 

“Okay?” Will asks, smiling and tilting his face to look at Mike, where he’s clinging to him like- a koala bear, or something. Mike nods meekly, tightening his hold around Will’s chest, and he can feel the reverberation of Will’s soft laugh as he starts trudging in the direction of the house.

“You’re a dork,” Will proclaims, as Mike tucks his face away against the junction of his shoulder and his neck. 

“I’m your dork,” Mike mumbles, lips brushing Will’s skin, and Will shivers before tightening his hold on Mike’s legs and hoisting him higher. 

“Yeah,” he agrees quietly, and Mike smiles to himself as he presses a kiss to Will’s neck, then another, before- “Mike, you can’t do that or I’m going to drop you.”

Mike grins, squirming a little higher and peering as far over Will’s shoulder as he can without toppling them both over. “Are you saying I make you weak, Byers?”

“I’m saying,” Will huffs, sounding a bit out of breath, but they’re on Mike’s street now, only a few blocks to go, “that you’re a distraction.”

“Same difference,” Mike says happily, and presses another kiss to Will’s shoulder to prove his point.

“Dork,” Will mutters, but it sounds like he’s smiling.

They arrive on the Wheeler’s back lawn, and Will takes the opportunity to immediately release his hold on Mike, sending him tumbling into the soft grass. Mike squawks indignantly, scrambling back to his feet, and Will grins sheepishly at him, hands on his knees as he catches his breath. “Sorry.”

“You could have given me some warning,” Mike points out, but he’s smiling, wrapping his arms around Will’s waist and kissing his cheek. 

“Sorry,” Will says again, not really sounding like he means it, but that’s okay, Mike doesn’t need him to - “You’re not all that light.”

“I know,” Mike says, as Will wraps an arm around his waist and guides him in the direction of the basement door, the grass cool against Mike’s bare feet, “That’s why I tried to warn you.”

Will shoots him a look, like he’s missing something obvious, and tightens his hold on Mike’s waist as Mike reaches out to open the door. “I wasn’t going to let you walk barefoot,” Will says, like it’s an entirely ridiculous concept to begin with, and follows suit as Mike flops down onto the couch, holding out his arms for Will. “You would have hurt yourself.”

“I might not have,” Mike defends, but there’s no bite to it. He finds it hard to be annoyed or defensive when Will Byers is this close to him, legs thrown over his lap and grinning at him. 

“You definitely would have,” Will says evenly, and Mike shifts around to tackle him, pinning him to the sofa and raising an eyebrow as he hovers over him. “You would have stepped on something and cut yourself and it would have been super hard to watch.”

“So mean to me,” Mike grumbles, and Will grins at him all teeth. “I was going to ask if you wanted to go out with me again on Friday, but maybe not now-”

“No!” Will yelps, laughing, and Mike loses all of his fake nonchalance as he collapses onto Will’s chest, grinning. “No, I’m sorry, we can do that, and I’ll carry you the whole way even if you wear your dumb flip-flops and-”

“Okay,” Mike cuts in, grinning and wrapping his arms around Will’s neck, shifting up just enough to kiss his cheek. “Got it. Lots of dates from now on.”

“Yeah,” Will agrees softly, threading his fingers through Mike’s hair, and his smile is brighter, even, than the fiery sunset outside, more beautiful and more precious to Mike by a long shot. “Sounds like a plan.”

[cheswirls]

scrapped scene from an ongoing fic <3

-

Sabo thought Ace would be all for an afternoon at the batting cages instead of being buried neck-deep in textbooks, but when he sees exactly where Sabo has taken him for the surprise outing, his enthusiasm noticeably declines.

He still goes along with the idea. Still lets Sabo rent him a helmet, knowing they were required to wear to be inside the area where the pitching machines were. He even helps Sabo pick out a bat after realizing Sabo had no idea there were even different bat types to choose from.

But when they pass the netting and set up a space in front of a free machine, Ace becomes more subdued once again. They only have the one bat because Ace insisted they just share, but when Sabo offers for him to go first, Ace waves him off and leans back into the net.

Sabo's light frown grows more pronounced. "You won't even demonstrate? I've never done this before, Ace."

"Oh, that's the issue?" Ace uncrosses his arms and strides forward, gesturing for Sabo to raise the baseball bat. He's sporting that same cocksure smirk that Sabo is used to seeing from him, but it almost appears . . . forced.

He doesn't get a chance to voice this observation before Ace's hands are on him and his brain short-circuits. Sabo lets Ace adjust his posture and grip on the bat while he tries his best to calm his rapid pulse.

It gets worse. When Ace is happy with Sabo's initial stance, he stands with the toes of his sneakers pressing into the heels of Sabo's shoes. His arms come around Sabo's back and hands settle over Sabo's own to guide Sabo's form through his swing. He murmurs something in Sabo's ear that Sabo completely misses with his heart suddenly thudding high up in his throat.

Ace brings the bat back and then guides it on a set path forward, bringing one finger up away from the others to gesture with when necessary. When his voice lilts in question, Sabo does his best to nod in response. But he's not really . . . processing.

Ace moves them through the swing a little faster and taps his shoe against the outside of Sabo's. Sabo's breathing stutters to a halt, and he ends up planting his foot a little farther out than Ace wanted.

He gets it right on the second time, though, because Ace lets the swing finish out. His head moves to the other side of Sabo's so he's out of the bat's trajectory, ending the swing over Sabo's opposite shoulder. This is fine until Sabo turns to reset to his starting position and very suddenly finds Ace's face way too close.

Usually Ace wouldn't pass on a chance to make Sabo squirm, but this time he pulls away as if nothing's happened. Sabo would almost think Ace looked distracted if he were not so obviously present and doing things to Sabo's heart rhythm that would surely land any normal person in a hospital.

"Make sense?" Ace is asking him. Sabo blinks and snaps out of his irrelevant thoughts.

"I think?" he tries. "Show me the swing one more time."

Ace raises a brow. "Put your arms around me one more time, he says," Ace mocks, voice pitched high in a poor imitation. "I need to prove that my heart isn't beating out of my chest!"

Sabo flushes, biting his lip as it sets in just how bad he's been caught. Ace is right, though. He can't hide his body's reaction for shit.

But even as Ace pokes in jest, he still smiles and rolls his eyes and takes Sabo's hands in either of his own to make sure Sabo's grip on the bat is sturdy enough. He leads Sabo through the full swing one more time and then breaks off to stand to the side.

"Do a few on your own for practice," he tells Sabo. "Once you get the hang of it, I'll turn on the machine."

As it turns out, swinging in the air for fun and swinging with the intention of hitting a timed ball are wildly different. Ace turns the machine on the lowest setting and still ends up heckling Sabo as he swings and misses the first handful of times.

It gets to the point where Sabo finally makes a decent hit and immediately pivots to point the bat at Ace. Unfortunately, Ace is watching from the other side of the plate, and he ends up laughing harder when Sabo has to raise the bat quickly to prevent the next incoming ball from slamming into it.

He smacks the next one hard into the net above the machine. Turns out spite is a pretty good motivator. Maybe that's why there's so much heckling involved during baseball games.

After he's gotten a few decent hits, Sabo relaxes his posture and drops the tip of the bat against the turf. He swipes his free hand across his forehead, doing his best not to grimace at the sweat he wipes off. "That's enough for me. Time to switch."

"Ah, uh, that's okay." Ace waves him off and then retreats to turn off the machine for the moment.

Sabo frowns. "You don't want to hit at all? Ace, I chose this activity for you specifically. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Ace mumbles. "I just don't want–"

"Oh, you've lost your edge. Is that it? Has it been so long now that you're too rusty to prove a point?" Sabo raises a brow when Ace's head snaps up to meet his gaze. "Afraid I'll turn out to be better than you?"

"Afraid? Hardly." Ace steps forward, arm outstretched. "Give me the bat."

Sabo smirks, doing so with pleasure.

Ace scuffs his shoes against the edge of the plate and frowns as he reluctantly settles the bat over his shoulder. "Pitching machines aren't even a real challenge," he mutters.

This particularly irks Sabo, who has control over the dial, so in petty revenge he cranks the speed up to near the max level. "I'm starting it now!" he calls, voice raised in fake-kindness. "Good luck!"

Ace huffs out a laugh. "I won't need luck for this."

Sabo moves back to watch Ace spectacularly miss the first, second, third, and fourth high-speed incoming balls. At the first, Ace's eyes widen in surprise. After the second, he catches on to what Sabo's done and sends him a heated look.

But the rest of the attempts that follow are . . just . . . bad.

Sabo doesn't know how else to describe it. Ace can't adapt. He struggles to maintain form and swings late every single time. To Sabo's untrained eye, it seems like the swings that might not be late end up missing . . . . well, on purpose.

Like Ace is avoiding it.

But it can't be intentional, because Ace is growing frustrated. He'll make a bad swing, step out of form, even take too long to reset and miss the next ball. His teeth grit together. His limbs are too rigid. A swing and a miss, but with enough power behind it that it would slam any easy ball to the other side of the building. All of his actions are unrestrained and more fervent than the last.

It really does something to Sabo. He's concerned, yes, but that's on equal footing with how hot he finds the whole ordeal. He can't help but wonder if Ace had been an over-emotional player like this. If he got too into it and let his annoyance control his play, let his irritation drive his competitiveness and his aggression guide his focus.

Sabo stops watching the ball for a few pitches and zones in on Ace exclusively. His hair is as long as that picture Sabo had first seen from last summer, bunched up and curled against the bottom of his helmet. Ace has long since abandoned his jacket, and the t-shirt he sports reveals the full extent of his corded arms as the muscles tense and relax with each swing. Would batting gloves look the same on him as the gloves he sometimes wore while driving? Weren't baseball pants supposed to be unreasonably tight?

A noise between a growl and an angry sound leaves Ace's mouth after another failed hit, drawing Sabo out of his thoughts. he perks up and turns to the machine, raising one hand to half-wave at Ace. "I can turn it down some."

He'd meant to say more, say something reassuring so Ace could save face while having the speed lowered, but he doesn't get the chance. As if fueled by Sabo's pity and sympathy, Ace powers through his next swing and manages to slam the ball off to the side.

Sabo watches it go. It definitely wouldn't be a fair ball, but a hit is a hit. As long as–

He can't even finish his thought, because as soon as he pivots his head and sees Ace hunched over, his mind goes blank.

The baseball bat is pressed into the turf near the plate, and Ace has a death grip on the handle to keep himself upright. Just as Sabo realizes Ace is breathing abnormally, Ace drops hard to his knees and cups a hand tight over his mouth.

Sabo springs into action, moving toward the pitching machine first. He turns off the cycle without bringing the speed back down, wanting to avoid Ace getting hit in case he was still in the path of the ball. Then he quickly moves back to Ace's side, crouching down and noting how Ace still seemed nauseous.

Sabo grabs Ace by his elbows and makes him release the bat. "Here, come on, sit down properly," he coaxes, guiding Ace off of his knees. Ace's eyes are clenched shut tight, and he's breathing harshly through his nose. Sabo readjusts his posture until Ace is sitting with his knees up, then forcibly brings his head to rest between them. "Ace, please try and breathe normally." He grabs Ace's free hand and grips it tight in both his own, as a grounder of sorts. Ace grips back equally as tight, which is good. He still has some sense of awareness, then.

Sabo casts a strange look at the baseball bat lying innocuously off to the side. He kicks out with his foot to roll it further away so it's no longer in immediate view. "Ace?" he tries.

Ace is breathing more evenly, and more deeply. He's not holding Sabo's hand as tight. His hand falls from his mouth but still remains cupped underneath it as a precaution. At least he's not breathing through his nose anymore.

Sabo slowly releases Ace's hand to leave both of his own free so he can slide Ace's helmet from his head. Ace nods in thanks, still refusing to take his eyes off of the turf.

Sabo sets the helmet to the side and reaches down to move Ace's plastered bangs up out of his face. He tucks the remaining strands behind Ace's ear and then lingers there, not knowing what to do next.

Ace recovers enough on his own to brush away Sabo's touch. He brings his head up to rest his chin on his knees. "Sorry," he rasps, eyes dead and lifeless, fixed on the powered-down pitching machine.

"Don't be," Sabo argues. "If anyone's sorry, it's me."

Ace spares him a quick glance and a quiet hum.

"I brought you here to have fun and you've been on edge since the beginning. And, I mean, I knew you quit baseball and that obviously there was a reason for that but you still seem to love it so much that I didn't think you playing it was the issue but that's obviously the case and I feel like such a careless idiot for goading you into something you were so uncomfortable with–"

"Sabo," Ace interrupts. "Breathe."

Ace waits for him to do so before continuing. "I do like baseball. There's no problem with that. I'm not comfortable handling a bat anymore, okay? It's . . . why I quit, actually. I didn't lie when I said that my grades came first, but that wasn't the main reason I stopped playing. Everything else, though? It's fine. You didn't know, and I didn't bother to explain myself, so it's definitely not on you. I'm okay, alright? Sabo? Can you look at me?"

Slowly, carefully, Sabo lets his eyes move up until he's looking into Ace's. At some point Ace has turned his head to face him directly. A smile tugs at the edge of his lips, though they're still a little wobbly. Better than Sabo's, that can't seem to force themselves up into something more positive.

"How about we play catch instead?" Ace offers. "I can show you what you need to know, and it's something we can do together, right, unlike watching each other hit off a single pitching machine?"

Sabo sniffs quietly. "If we had gotten another bat, we could have used sep–" He stops mid-sentence as he realizes how pointless the rebuttal is. Sighing, he instead rubs his face with both hands and then gets to his feet. He bends down to offer Ace a hand to help in getting up, and Ace takes him up on it.

The next thing Sabo knows, Ace has his cheeks squished between two flat palms. "I am oh-kay," he sounds out in English, going syllable by syllable to make sure Sabo understands.

"It's tight in here," Sabo mumbles, referring to the fact that Ace's hands are between the helmet and his face.

Ace snorts and backs away. Then he moves in front of Sabo again and lifts the helmet off in a lot less gentle way than Sabo had with him. He ruffles Sabo's hair for good measure, then grins fully when Sabo knocks his hand away.

Ace takes both helmets in hand after they've retrieved all the baseballs and leaves Sabo responsible for the bat. "C'mon, I'm pretty sure the front desk had mitts for rent too. Won't hurt to check either way."

Won't hurt to check. Right. Sabo makes a mental note to remember that in the future. It seems a lot of their problems over the past few months have come from ignoring such a thought.

[italeean]

ITALEEAN CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 200 FOLLOWERS!! You deserve more!! (Tbh I wanted to send request since then, but I realised that you'll be hosting an event, and scared that my request will postponed the event further). Anyway, I was wondering if you would write a fic with the chasm squad, with lee itto (hehe)....with yelan, yanfei, shinobu, xiao, and aether as the lers? (Based on the lee I think you know who I am lol). I think the sentence "Please… anything but that..!" would be perfect! You can consider this a fic request, or you can put it in the drabble event, anything comfortable for you (I personally prefer longer fics since I love the way you describe a story with the ambience and stuff). Have a nice day talented writer and please stay healthy!!~

A/N: Hi anon!! (Although yeah, I think I know who this is hahaha) Sorry for making you wait a day more, but yesterday I really couldn't bring myself to write anything decent. Today I'm feeling a bit better and I slowly worked on this drabble throughout the day 😸 I hope you enjoy it!! E grazie per i complimenti, sono molto lusingata (And thanks for the compliments, I'm really flattered) 💚🤍❤️ Feel free to make a request whenever you want ^_^

Drabble Event Day 5

(The story is set in the Chasm, while the characters are stuck there)

"Please... anything but that!" Itto begger while backing away from a group of five people with a mischievous look in their eyes. Maybe bragging with about being invincible hadn't been his smartest choice.

He blinked for a second, and the people approaching him were suddenly four. Then, before he could even process his thoughts, Xiao plunged on him and took him down, pinning his legs under his knees in the process. Maybe calling Xiao 'little guy' right in front of him hadn't been his smartest move either.

"Come on guys, that's not cool... you can't do this!!" He whined, only earning a chuckle in response. "Well, it wouldn't be nice in most cases," said Yanfei seriously "but since you claim to be invincible I don't see a problem with this." She concluded with a smile, although she shivered at the thought of how many times she had been on the receiving end, trying desperately to get away from Hu Tao's clutches.

"I swear on the Archons... don't you daaaaahahahaha nohohohoho thahahat's meheheahahahan!!" Itto didn't even try to hold in his boisterous laughter when all his friends targeted him, going for all his weak spots. "What happened to your invincibility, huh?" Yelan asked with a smirk while dragging her nails under the Oni's arms, switching between going painfully slow to scribbling faster to keep him on his toes.

Aether and Shinobu weren't saying anything, they were just smiling and poking and squeezing their friend's tummy and sides, dipping a finger in his belly button every once in a while just to make him jump a bit. "Ihihihi knohohohow Ihihi sahahahahaihid thahahat buhuhut-" the red-eyed guy didn't manage to say anything more, being too busy laughing from all those sneaky hands attacking him at once.

Yanfei was laughing along with the Oni, while sitting on his thighs and squeezing his knees, going from the left to the right one and sometimes getting both at the same time to see his legs twitch and kick the air reflexively. "Oh Archons, you're so ticklish... I'm sorry but I don't think you're that invincible. Your statement will be considered false due to lack of evidence." She teased, making him blush, although she couldn't see it since she wasn't facing him.

"Tch, serves you right..." Xiao scoffed while dragging his fingers all over the Oni's ears, neck and even collarbone and shoulders, noticing how every spot made him laugh. Although he was keeping his grumpy demeanor, both he and Itto knew he was enjoying himself just as much as the others, because first, he was smirking, subtly but still smirking, and his face was slightly red, indicating that he was a bit flustered.

The Yaksha noticed Shinobu calling him, and then pointing at the top of her head while glancing at Itto. He understood the message and started scratching softly and massaging the base of Itto's horns. The roaring laughing that the simple gesture elicited was so loud that everyone thought that it would cause a collapse.

"SHIHIHINOHOBUHUHU YOHOHOU TRAHAHAIHITOHOR" The white-haired guy yelled at top of his lungs. She was the only one among the group who knew about his ultimate weakness, so he knew she had told Xiao about it somehow. "I don't know what you're talking about, boss... and you don't seem in the position to make false accusations, or accusations at all." She said while looking at him knowingly, letting him understand that she was indeed behind that.

They went on for ten minutes, everyone amazed by Itto's stamina, but eventually the Oni reached his limit and tapped out. "OHOHOKAHAH OHOKAHAHAHAHAY PLEHEHEAHASE NOHOHO MOHOHOHOREHEHEHE" He pleaded while his laughter was getting hiccupy, and everyone stopped right after.

The tall guy remained down panting and recovering from the brutal attack. "Cohompadrehe..." He said looking at the Traveler "How could yohou betray mehehe like that..? Tehelling everyone my weahahakness..?"

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it!" Aether exclaimed adding another poke to his abs, but he was blushing like crazy because he knew how much Itto liked getting revenge from a tickle attack.

After finding a corner to light up a fire, the Oni sat down and yawned, drained from all those shenanigans, and the others realized how tired they were as well. They all lied down and fell asleep, one after the other, and strangely enough, the white-haired guy was the last to close his eyes.

He looked around himself, observing everyone sleeping peacefully, knowing that the day after they'd wake up well rested and with a positive attitude, that was going to get them out of there.

Maybe provoking his friends into a tickle fight to distract them from that gloomy place for at least a couple of hours had been his smartest move.

[ghirahimbo]

55 - RevaLink

I always love people interpretations of them figuring out how to kiss

I'm way too lazy to go look up the exact wording of the prompt, but it had something to do with awkward kisses? So here you go :D

Word count: 1363. Rated... T, probably? Could be any established revalink, though I had Pinesong-verse in mind.

--

The soft chirp of restless crickets signaled yet another nightfall, their high-pitched calls insistent, yet distant enough to fade into gentle ambiance. Wind whistled through the leafy forest, not as cold as the breezes through Rito Village that carried the chill of Hebra, but still cool enough that the Hylian sprawled across Revali’s chest was a welcome source of warmth and not an unbearable furnace. With the dinner fire burned down to embers, Link had laid his bedroll out beneath a tree and promptly abandoned it in favor of crawling into Revali's hammock instead—a tradition now, on cool nights like this one.

Though Link often fell asleep the instant he curled up, tonight he laid awake, his silence somehow thoughtful as he ran his hand along Revali’s beak. Revali was too far gone himself to think much of it, herded gently towards sleep by the rocking hammock and rhythmic stroke against his face.

Stroke… stroke… stroke… poke.

"Can you feel that?"

The rhythm disrupted, Revali’s bleary eyes cracked open.

"What?"

"Can you feel that?" Link repeated, poking Revali’s beak again.

...The insufferable man actually needed an answer. Grunting, Revali shifted around beneath him until his wing was freed.

"Inane," he muttered, flicking a finger at Link's nose. "Can you feel that?"

Scrunching up his face, Link went on undeterred. He'd long since learned not to take Revali’s moods too seriously.

"It's just—" Link stretched one leg out as far as it would go, pressing the tip of his largest toe against one of Revali’s long talons. "I don't think you can feel this very well… so I wondered if it was the same up here?"

He stroked the length of Revali’s long beak up and down again in demonstration, and it took everything in him not to shiver. Ah.

"No, it's…" How to explain while caught beneath that distracting caress? "I can feel that you're touching my talon, if not much else… but the beak is more…"

"Sensitive," Link finished, catching it in both his hands now. This time Revali did shiver, his feathers ruffling lightly.

"Mmm."

Presuming Link's curiosity satisfied with no further questions forthcoming, Revali closed his eyes, seeking out that soft space of sleep once more. His heart thumped just slightly harder than normal, and he breathed in deeply, hoping to settle—

"But is it the same all the way up?" Link asked, poking now at the tip of Revali’s beak, and his eyes snapped back open. Walking his fingers again up its length, Link met Revali’s baleful stare with a questioning look. So he was feeling experimental tonight, was he?

"I could still banish you to your own bed," Revali grumbled, though Link didn't even bat an eye. With an explosive sigh, he knocked Link's hands aside to brush at his own beak vigorously, trying to relieve some of the tingle of stimulation. "I feel things… less… towards the tip, and more along the base. Does that satisfy your midnight inquisition?"

"Almost." Though Revali couldn't quite make out his face in the darkness, Link's voice was just a bit too innocent as he inched up Revali’s chest, propping himself on his elbows for leverage. "So you're saying that this doesn't feel as good as this?" And he pressed his lips twice against Revali’s beak—first at its very tip, and again three inches up. 

Revali gave himself a moment to clear his throat before responding.

"They're both… fine," he said. In the dim light of the stars, he could just see Link’s lips purse.

"Fine," Link repeated, and placed another Hylian kiss halfway up his beak. The tip of his tongue peeked out this time, leaving the smallest impression of wetness behind. "But this is better?"

"Marginally." Revali spared a moment's pride for how collected he managed to sound—not at all reflective of how he felt. "To be honest, the difference is too minuscule to really—"

"This is better, though," Link said decisively, his kisses moving closer to the corner of Revali’s beak. From the floundering depths of his mind, Revali agreed, though whether from the placement of the kiss or its confidence he couldn't have said even to himself. "And this…"

He ran a devious finger down the underside of Revali’s beak, and Revali very nearly whimpered. Link had discovered that particular point of sensitivity early on, standing just short enough beside Revali to reach it easily.

"This spot should be the best of all—"

As Link's treacherous lips approached, Revali quickly turned his head. He stopped short, and a taut silence stretched between them. Then he sighed, drawing back to rest his head again on Revali’s chest. From so close, Link couldn't possibly miss his fluttering heart.

"It does feel good, right?" Link asked, his quiet voice muffled by feathers. Swallowing, Revali nodded. "But you don't like it." Another, shorter pause. "Are you really that tired?"

"I can't… reciprocate," Revali said stiffly, finally trusting his voice enough to speak. "Your way of kissing. I can't…"

He had observed the Hylian method of kissing before, watching more astutely in recent days now that it had practical application, and—well, putting aside how messy and strange that mashing together of soft lips seemed, he was nonetheless incapable of replicating it. As for the Rito method of nuzzling, he had tried it a few times and Link had put up with it well enough, but without the friction of rubbing beaks he suspected there was little exciting about it.

"I don't feel comfortable receiving where I cannot give in return," Revali said at last, hoping that made his point clear. He thought it had, though Link still huffed against his chest.

"I can't exactly reciprocate when you braid my hair," Link pointed out dryly. "Or at least, you wouldn't want me to."

Despite his discomfort, Revali couldn't help but grunt in amused agreement. If size equalled dexterity then Link's tiny Hylian fingers should have made the tightest, most intricate braids, but that had so far not proven to be the case.

"It's not the same."

"Well…" Link's voice grew more muffled as he pressed further into Revali's chest feathers, and Revali had to lean forward to catch his words. "Well, um. I mean. You could try that, uh… nipping thing? I've seen other Rito do it." His last mumbled words were barely audible. "With their beaks."

"Nipping," Revali repeated blankly, casting around in his mind for what Link might have seen. "You mean grooming? Because I already—that is, you don't really have any feathers for me to…"

"Oh!" Link said weakly. Intrigued, Revali noticed that the face pressed against him had warmed considerably—practically a furnace now despite the cold wind. "Is that what they were…? No, it's fine." His voice strengthened, his head lifting a fraction. "It's fine. I don't mind if you can't kiss me back, you know. If you don't like it I'll stop, but… I like to think I could make you feel… good."

Craning around again so that he hovered at the point where the underside of Revali's beak met his neck, Link still waited the long moments it took for Revali to jerk his head in assent before moving in further, nipping at the tender spot with his lips again and again as Revali’s breath caught. This… wasn't so bad, really. Loving Link had always felt like some form of surrender. Maybe this once he could just… accept.

Nipping…

Link's slender ears hovered just to the side of Revali’s beak, turned pink by a mixture of cold and fading embarrassment. Those had proven sensitive to the brush of Revali’s feathers before, so maybe…

Experimentally, he pulled his beak free to nip at one of the tips, not hard enough to break the skin but still firm enough to be felt—and Link let out a strangled gasp. Interesting.

"Oh," he breathed, jerking back to stare at Revali wide-eyed. "Oh, yes."

Very interesting.

This time, it was Revali who pursued with a devious look of his own—not that Link put up much of a fight, taking to surrender much more easily than Revali ever had. Maybe there was reciprocity to be found here after all.

[sirthisisa-wendys]

Investigations (Part 7): Ran Haitani x Fem!Reader

wc: 1.6k

tw: NSFW is you squint

masterlist

song recommendation:

You try your best to shuffle around the kitchen surreptitiously, clicking the espresso pod into the machine with a soft 'snap'.

The machine begins its duty, whirring to life before the liquid is deposited into the cup below.

Success.

Your fingers wrap around the mug and take it to the counter, where you've already prepared your milk and syrup for a quick and easy cup of coffee.

Lately, you've had to sneak and make coffee (all futile attempts ruined by Kai or Ran), but you consider today full of promise. You'd gotten the formula down so far.

"I thought I said no coffee."

Your hands hover over the cup, the steam caressing your fingers like a warm invitation. Your eyes don't move to look at Ran, but they do watch his fingers snatch the cup away from you - full of warm milk and espresso.

"Y/n, it's not good for the baby."

"Okay, but..." Your feet carry you to the sink, where Ran is pouring the concoction down the drain. "Just a taste?"

"No."

"A sip?"

"No."

"I'll make it and just stick my tongue in it once."

"No."

Ran stands firm on his opinions at all times. Especially now. Arms cross over your chest and you huff, turning away from him.

"So strict." Ran fingers slide down your neck, resting around your full hips.

"It's not just about you," he begins, kissing the space between your neck and shoulder. "I'm looking out for our child, too. You know that."

"I do," you groan.

"Now, we have a baby shower to host. Let's get ready."

_____________________________________________________________

"We thought you were gone forever!" The three women come around you and huddle close, cooing, and crying, spewing lamentations and satisfied praises that you've returned.

Sanzu - out of the kindness of his heart - planned the baby shower, and you're at his house, eating cake with your friends and consuming hors d'oeuvres. But when you find a free moment, you corner Ran in the kitchen.

"Did you tell the others?"

"Tell them what?" Ran tilts his head at you and leans onto the counter, frowning. Your face smoothes out into an expression of disappointment, and you sigh.

Of course, he hadn't.

It's still your job to carry this terrible secret. It's still your job to bury your deepest, darkest knowing, all while the other girls are parading about like their husbands aren't killers and extortionists.

"Hey, y/n! It's time to open the presents!"

_____________________________________________________________

The water surrounding your figure is warm, full of bubbles and Epsom salt, as well as a little bath bomb that Ran bought - well, he bought sixteen, but that's beside the point.

"Feeling okay? Is it too hot?" You look over to the man sitting on the toilet seat, his elbows resting on his knees as he observes you pour water over your belly.

"It's fine," you murmur, blinking slowly. "Feels good."

"Want to turn on the jets or--"

"I want to join Bonten." Ran's face drops, his violet eyes clouding with confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me." You stare at him, fully intent on getting your desired response. "I want to be a part of what you do."

"Babe, no." Ran leans his head forward, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"You haven't even listened to me," you whisper, looking down at the ten toes poking out of the water. "You always do this. You tell me 'no' because that's the way you want things. I can't even drink coffee without your permission."

"Listen, I'll let you do whatever you want, but Bonten is out of the question. You're pregnant --"

"Then I can wait until I have the baby."

"Even after that, I'm going to say no. This is a dangerous business." He emphasizes his words with a shake of his head, pressing his lips together.

"You act like I wasn't an investigative journalist for ten years."

"This shit could get you killed, y/n."

"Yes," you begin. "But you do it every day. I want to be a part of it."

"Why?" Ran finally asks, and your lips curl into a smile.

"I know things you don't know. The media follows you very closely, and you need a good image if you ever run into a problem with... say, law enforcement. What better way to prove that this is a harmless organization than hiring a woman - your wife?" Ran quirks his lips, looking at the door of the bathroom with consideration.

"Is there any particular skill you'll avail to us other than just public relations? I mean, I could get someone to do that who isn't my wife."

"I have connections that will divert attention away from Bonten, if necessary." You think of the little group you and the other wives have created, and send a mental apology their way. "You can use me to get the word out about any other suspicious groups who might be involved. Aid and abet, like a good wife."

Ran stands from the toilet, sighing deeply. "I'll ask Mikey. But don't expect me to attempt to sway him with my loyalty. If anything, I'll ask him to really think about it before he makes a choice."

"That's all I want," you breathe, taking Ran's hand and pressing your lips against the back of it. "You're too good to me."

"Don't thank me yet, sweetheart."

_____________________________________________________________

Convincing Ran to part with his old-fashioned ways is something you're very skilled at. All you need to do is get on your knees... and be as sweet as you can be.

"Babe," you mutter, sucking Ran's thick cock from the side. "You're such a good husband."

"Buttering me up for Mikey, huh?" Fingers cup the back of your head and push you down slightly. "Why am I not surprised?"

And every single time, Ran sees straight through your little act. But he enjoys it nonetheless. He loves seeing you like this - giving him the attention he missed so much while you were gone.

"Because you know me so well. And that's why you married me."

That's why you married me. Ran's eyes close as he re-imagines himself the first time he decided to visit you, hands full of shit he didn't have to buy, and eyes full of stars at the sight of you answering the door in a tank top and shorts with a cast on your leg. That's when he knew that he wanted to marry you. Not because you're good at anything in particular, but because you were so ordinary... So normal. He needed someone like you then, and he needs you now.

"Stop."

"Am I doing something wrong?" you murmur, but Ran shakes his head, strands of his black and white hair flopping back and forth.

"You're perfect," he whispers. "You're always so perfect." He brings you off your knees and face to face with him, holding you by the arms. "Let me make love to you. I'll do the work," Ran promises. "You just enjoy yourself."

"But--"

"I've already told you what I'm going to do. Just let me give you what you deserve." Ran angles forward, leaning into a gentle kiss that makes your knees weak and your head spin.

Ran spoons you from behind on the bed, holding your leg up and sliding in and out of you with care. The other arm is holding you against him - wrapped around your chest - as he whispers sweet nothings into your ear.

"I love the way you moan my name," he breathes. "You always know how to make me feel like the only man in the world."

"You are," you reply honestly. "You're the only man for me."

_____________________________________________________________

"Why do you want to join Bonten?"

The dead eyes of the man across from you are unyielding, and part of you feels nervous that he's staring at you so intensely.

"I want to help you all out. I want to make sure that not only do my children have something to rely on when they grow up, but that my husband is taken care of in all ways."

"Your children and your husband?" You think of Ran, who is just outside of the door, probably pacing with his hands in his pockets. "Your husband just spent three hours arguing with me."

"About?"

"You." The man stands, and Sanzu looks over at him with blank eyes. He wants to chime in, but he can't say anything right now. Not when Mikey was supposed to handle this himself. "Your presence here will be controversial. Especially since you're... in the state you're in."

"Pregnancy isn't a fatal disease."

"No, but being in Bonten could be fatal. And I don't know if both ran and I would be willing to accept the consequences of two deaths on our hand."

"But--" Sanzu raises a finger to his lips, warning you to be quiet.

"However," the man murmurs, rolling his neck around. "Sanzu, Rindou, and Kakucho have vouched for you and your connections." Your shoulders slacken, and you lean back in the chair, somewhat relieved. "I will put it to an anonymous vote in thirty-six hours. Whatever the outcome is, we'll both accept it."

A blind vote.

Thirty-six hours.

"Thank you, sir." You stand and bow slightly, hands clasped together. When you leave the room, Ran is waiting for you in the hallway, eyes wide.

"Well?"

"It'll be put to an anonymous vote in thirty-six hours. Whatever happens, happens."

Ran's face is anything but pleased as you drive home, but you don't worry about that too much. You have one and a half days to wait for the results, and you'd make the best of it either way.

[annaphoenix1994]

Ch.72 - Nesting

Previous Chapter - Masterlist - Next Chapter

Simon goes into military mode as Kiera reaches week 35 of her pregnancy; Simon performs acts of service.

"Ye sure ye don't have more than one in there?" Teeter poked from beside Kiera as she and Soap joined Kiera and Simon for dinner. 

"According to my last ultrasound." She giggled, rubbing her belly as today marked her 35th week - September 13th.

"Ye look like yer ready to pop, K." 

"I feel like it," She sighed, leaning back in her chair after feeling like she had eaten too much, even though she barely made a dent in her dinner. "Both me and Simon have been nesting like crazy." 

"W-What's that?" Soap asked, furrowing his brows. 

"What he's doing right now is a prime example," She giggled, nodding her head towards the room that was once a guest room that they had turned into their nursery. "He's an all-around handyman now." 

"What else is left to do to that room?" Soap questioned. 

"He repainted before he built the cribs because he didn't believe in buying one, now he's packing the third hospital bag because he feels like it wasn't enough to have two. He was packing clothes last night-"

"I can hear you in here." Simon said from the hallway, making Kiera giggle. 

"Babe, won't you come and finish your dinner?" 

"I don't have time to eat." He grumbled. 

"I'm afraid he's in military mode right now," Soap informed her with a concerned gaze. "That and I'm sure the realization that you could go into labor at any moment has him on edge." 

"Oh, I know. He wakes up every time I wake up with a minor contraction," She frowned. "I know he's been stressed because he's been puffing on my vapes from months ago." 

"As much as he says he's ready, I know he's not." 

"I don't even think I'm ready," She sighed. "As much as I'm ready to have these babies, I'm terrified for when I go into active labor." 

"How close have your contractions been?"

"Probably an hour or two apart," She shrugged. "Nothing bad." 

*

"Simon, you don't have to do this-"

"Hush, love," He cut her off, splaying a towel over their bed and patting his lap for her to lay her legs over him. "Couldn't even do it yourself and you don't want to feel like you have hairier legs than me." He chuckled as he took a damp cloth and wiped her left leg first before rubbing the shaving cream on her skin. Kiera couldn't lie and say she didn't enjoy it, but she felt gross for him to see her with the little black hairs that spread across her legs. She had tried - desperately tried - to shave herself, but with her huge baby belly, doing any task that involved standing for a long period of time as well as bending over took a huge toll on her. 

"Please don't cut me." 

"Love, I'm as gentle as they come. Just lay back and relax."

She did as she was told, laying back against the pillow as she peered over her bump to watch Simon's close eye on his work, feeling as if he were shaving her legs better than she did, running the razor over every centimeter of her skin from her ankles to her knee, careful to not miss a single hair. 

"I'll give it to you, babe, you are good with your hands." She giggled, the warmth of his free hand grasping the arch of her foot as his other hand continued its work on shaving her leg. 

"If I wasn't, you wouldn't be pregnant right now," He smirked, flicking his gaze up to her briefly with a sly smirk decorating his face before running the wet rag across her freshly shaven leg before standing to sit on the other side of the bed to begin work on her other leg. "Want me to paint your toes too?" 

She giggled, "Me and Kristen went and got a pedicure a week ago. I think I'm good." 

"Can't say I didn't offer," He poked. "Christ, your poor little ankles all swollen like this. I'm sorry. I'm sure it's painful."

"Mhm. Do I get to shave your legs next?" She teased. 

"Negative, love," He gruffed. "I already gave away half of my masculinity when you gave me a facial in our hotel in London."

"That was months ago!" 

"It'll take me a year to gain that masculinity back," He poked. "I've never shaved my legs before and I'm not about to start now." 

"Good, because I couldn't keep bent over to do it anyway." 

"So that means I don't have just your legs to shave, yeah?" 

"Oh, I don't think so!" 

"Why not?" 

"Because, Simon. That's my...you know. I'm insecure about it-"

He breathed a chuckle as he continued to shave her right leg, "You're acting like I've never seen it before. I guess you're forgetting I've even had my mouth on it many times." 

She blushed, "I mean, you've never seen it like this... I haven't gotten waxed in a few weeks-"

"A man like me isn't afraid to explore the forest, love." 

"Simon!" 

"What? You think a little hair bothers me?" 

"It's not the hair, babe," She breathed a laugh. "Twats just look funny, especially mine." 

He shrugged, "I think yours is cute, but you won't believe me." 

"What about my roast beef sandwich is cute?" She scoffed in disbelief.

He stopped shaving her leg to release a genuine laugh at her reference, shaking his head as he turned his head away from her to laugh. "First of all, it's not a roast beef sandwich - I don't even know what that looks like, but I can assure you that it doesn't look like it." 

"Remind me to take you to Arby's, then." 

"Can I? Will you let me?" 

"I'm afraid you'll judge me-"

"I never would," He huffed. "You should know that by now. You've seen every inch of me just like I've seen you. I've had the pleasure of watching your body change to grow those two kids of ours. I can assure you that a little pussy hair isn't going to be nearly as bad as how those two are going to come out, but that doesn't mean I'm going to look at you any less." 

"Really?" 

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true, love. Need I remind you: in those few weeks you haven't gotten waxed I've had my mouth on it like it was my last meal and you didn't hear me complaining." 

"I guess you're right.."

"Besides, you'll think I'm a barber by the time I'm done. I already have these legs shining like a light," He chuckled, running his palms along her newly-soft skin, taking it upon himself to bring her favorite body scrub with him to apply to her legs after he had shaved them. "Smooth as silk, love. You're lucky I don't charge."

She giggled, "I think I can arrange a way of payment in a few weeks." 

"You already have that tab running up," He poked, wiping her legs dry and free of body scrub before he continued to rub his palms along her skin. I'm so obsessed with you, love. I wish you knew how much I admire you. "I'll be right back. Better have those legs spread by the time I get back." 

She huffed but followed his request anyway. She knew he just wanted to tend to her and not be perverted, but she couldn't help but be insecure about it as not only was she vulnerable, but she was also afraid of him seeing all of her in a bright light, afraid that he'd lose his spark of attraction towards her, feeling like he would look at her disgusted for not being physically able to tend to herself. 

She lay on the bed with her thighs pressed together, the robe that was clasped around her body after her shower draping over herself when he returned, Kiera giggling at how he had gone to the garage to get a headlamp for extra visibility. "Simon-"

"Got to be able to see what I'm doing, love," He chuckled. "Can't be accidentally nicking you where it'll hurt the most." 

She blushed, "I can't believe I'm letting you do this." 

"Believe it. Stop acting like I've never seen it before." 

"You have, but in dim lighting. You look like my OB right now." 

"Bloody hell, you act like it's some monster about to eat me...though I'd die a happy man if that was the case, but you're thinking I'm going to see it and not want to fuck it anymore." 

"That's exactly what I was thinking," She scoffed. "This is so awkward." 

"Why? How?" He shrugged. 

"What if my PH balance is off?" 

"Then your PH is off?" He guessed. "It's just seasoning." 

"Simon!" She laughed, shielding her eyes with her hands to hide her embarrassment. 

"You've popped a pimple on my arse before. You think I didn't want you to be eye-level with my arse? No, but you wouldn't stop talking about it and trying to pick at it when we were in bed." He chuckled, easing her anxiety with his own.

"Couldn't help it. Looked like a nipple on your ass." She poked. 

"And it wasn't like I couldn't get it myself because I didn't even know about it," He shrugged, sitting on his knees on the bed, his palms cupping her knees. "Now spread 'em. I'll be down here for a while." 

She was hesitant at first, playfully pressing her thighs together as he tried to part her legs, a brief thought crossing his mind that he wasn't reminding her of the assault she had encountered while being held by AQ, easing his grip on her knees for her to open her legs.

"What makes you think you're going to be down there for a while? It's not that bad." 

"I pay attention to detail, love. You'll go back to that lass who waxes you and she'll be jealous that my razor work is better than what she does." 

She giggled, relaxing her legs and watching Simon turn on the bulb for the headlamp, knowing it wasn't necessary, but knowing that he was being dramatic to ease her own insecurity by adding humor into the situation, something he had always done in tense situations. He was proud of her, though - in nearly the year they'd been together, this was the first time he had seen every pore, every freckle, and every textured part of her core that he had the privilege to study without sexual intent. Sure, it was a thought considering it was an intimate touch, but he was tending to her.

Something he always put before sex was even a thought.

In his mind, acts of service went a longer way than just sex alone. 

It built an unbreakable bond between him and Kiera, a lifetime of trust, devotion, loyalty, and love to their relationship - something the pair of them had in common as it was stripped from them years prior.

"You know what amazes me, love?" 

"Hm?" 

"That those two babies that're probably six pounds each are going to come out of that tiny hole." He commented, taking a careful approach with the razor as he shaved her.

"Don't remind me," She giggled. "I'm not going to lie, this feels nice. I can see myself falling asleep." 

"Then fall asleep, love," He hummed, tilting his head to place a tender kiss to the inside of her thigh. "You're going to burn through a lot of energy when the time comes. Now's the chance to get your rest. My focus is at five thousand percent - not a chance I'm going to Knick you."

He spent nearly twenty minutes shaving her, getting every inch of her area with precision, thankful that she had fully enveloped his trust as she relaxed against him, her eyes slowly opening at the feeling of Simon's hands on her belly, rubbing the body oil she had bought and delightfully enjoyed across her skin. "All shined and smooth, love. Ready for bed?" 

She nodded, rubbing her eyes as Simon sat on his knees on the bed to reach up to turn off the light on the ceiling fan, grasping a pillow to put between his head and her torso, careful to not put his head on her tender breast while cradling his arm around her baby bump, his nose nearly pressing against her belly as his thumb rubbed slow circles against her skin. She hummed in response as well as comfort to the new position, running her fingers through his hair to feel him relax against her. "Last minute bump cuddles, babe?" 

He nodded, pressing a kiss to her belly before looking up at her through the darkness, "Are you comfortable?" 

"Very." 

He nodded at her assurance, adjusting his head back into its comfortable position to continue enjoying the way her fingers combed through his hair, the smell of her enticing him for a hopeful night's rest. "Don't let me forget to build that rocking chair tomorrow." 

"Babe, forget about that rocking chair," She giggled. "You've already built everything else." 

"You need one. I already got all of the pieces cut. I just need to put it together. Don't let me forget." 

Just as she opened her mouth to protest, one of the babies had subtly kicked against the side of her belly, the thud nudging against Simon's nose, causing him to chuckle, "See? She won't let me forget. She wants a rocking chair." 

"That was probably your son telling you to give building a rest." 

"Nope, that was her. She won't be able to go to sleep without a rocking chair for her mum, so that's what I'm going to do tomorrow." 

"Not if she's ready to come out." Kiera scoffed. 

"Then I'll build it when we get home." 

"Well, then I guess while you're doing that, I'm going to pack stuff for the hospital-"

"Already got that covered, love. There's three bags sitting at the door that I need to put in the truck tomorrow." 

"Is there anything I can do to feel productive?" She scoffed playfully. 

"Just relax and rest pretty. I got the rest."