#anyways I went to the aquarium today

[cowardlycowboys]

mermaid shell

[covenofthearticulate]

not to keep projecting but lmfao i could DEFINITELY see armand developing a hyperfixation on marine creatures

[theghostofwilburtheworm]

hello gamers!!! i just went to an aquarium for the first time in my life!!! it wasn't that big and didn't have many fishes, but the ones that where there where absolutely epic!1! also i got to grab a baby snake neck turtle :DDD

[amourtoken]

Oh my god I've been talking to @as-above-so-below1000 about this but imagine your boyfriend being roommates with Matt and you end up moving in cause you're always over anyway. ALSO this isn't edited I did it at work forgive me I'll rewrite it to be even grosser asap

cw: cheating (deserved tbh), Matt's evil, raw sex, recording, oral (f receiving), breeding, overstimulation, daddy kink matt u know it, dacryphilia, praise (a miracle tbh), belly bulge, squirting, ect.

You thought moving in would mean your boyfriend would pay more attention to you but honestly it just feels like you're a glorified roommate even more now. You do your chores plus his, he spends more time out with other friends than he does at home and 99% of the time when he does get home he immediately goes to sleep so you've started to get restlessly lonely. During all these times, Matt's been quietly watching everything unfold. It irritates the shit out of him that not only is his roommate a lazy cunt but he's also not able to treat the girl WAY out of his league so much as slightly decent. He'd do so much fucking better and he knows it. At the very least, he'd make sure you didn't have to fake those moans he can hear across the apartment anymore, he could make you feel so much better.

Little does Matt know you're having the exact same thoughts! You feel bad about it deep down but fuck he treats you like a real person and at this point that's enough to get you on your knees. Matt constantly asks if you need help around the house, he shares his snacks with you, lounges on the couch and watches shitty reality TV without complaints. He also happily lets you come hang out in his room when you're feeling extra lonely, it started off with you just sitting at his desk or on the floor doing your own thing but didn't take long to evolve into full blown cuddling and sleepovers on his side of the apartment.

your boyfriend doesn't even clock that you've been walking around the house in Matt's oversized shirts and hoodies either, but it gets Matt so hard he gets fucking dizzy. I've said before this mf is territorial as hell and any way he can mark you as his, he's doing. He knows he could do so much more but he's saving it for when the time is right.

It's been a couple weeks since this whole arrangement started and you're still at least somewhat trying to be a decent girlfriend so you bit the bullet and planned a whole big date for your anniversary with your boyfriend. You got a dinner reservation, bought tickets to visit this huge aquarium you've raved about for months and begged to visit and you even bought the pretty little white sundress you have on while pacing your living room and sending text after text to your boyfriend asking where he is and when he'll be home. Matt nearly dropped dead when he saw you in that dress though, it hugs your curves just right and your hair and makeup are done so well too. You look stunning, the only thing marring up that pretty look is the stressed expression on your face.

When you looked up at him with those big teary puppy eyes he swears he's never been so mad in his life. You're explaining the entire ordeal and Matt is just seething, you're dolled up and gorgeous, even went through the trouble of planning this whole thing because your boyfriend wouldn't and this fucker can't even answer a call or show up for it? On your anniversary? Bullshit. You whined about how you should've just planned this date for you and Matt instead and that's when he decided he didn't wanna draw this plan out any longer, he was ending it today. You're not spending another second suffering.

Matt reaches up to try and wipe your tears away without messing up your makeup cause there's no way you're gonna be crying your pretty eyeliner off around him unless it's from him fucking you to tears.

"Please stop wasting your time on this fuck up and let me treat you right, sweetheart. You know I can make you feel so much better, stop lying to yourself."

He's right, you'd be lying if you truly said you thought anyone could treat you better than Matt who's become your best friend in just a few weeks. He does everything right and your boyfriend really did just ghost you on your anniversary, you should get back at him shouldn't you?

And you do. Matt doesn't waste any fucking time throwing you onto his bed and hiking that pretty little dress up your hips. He's wanted literally nothing more than this since you moved in and he's gonna enjoy every second of it. He has your legs over his shoulders and is lapping at your cunt until you're nearly in tears again right away. You can literally feel him smiling against your pussy, he's so fucking full of himself and he's just proving himself right in this moment cause you're pulling his hair and rolling your hips against his face while you're whining and begging for him to keep going. He's never heard you be so loud or genuine, so that's all the proof he needs. He's not satisfied until you're squeezing your thighs around his head like a vice and shaking like a leaf under him while he makes you cum on his tongue.

He's nowhere near done though, and had really planned on being gentle, but he hears your boyfriend pull up and his door close and decides right there that he'd save the softness for next time. Matt damn near folds you in half and is rubbing the tip of his cock right against your overly sensitive clit just to hear you whimper.

"Want this dick? I wanna hear you beg for it, baby. Tell daddy what you need"

Oh! Ofc he's into that. Not that it bugs you, your brain is so fuzzy you don't even think twice about begging for him to fuck you and dropping his name entirely in favor of calling him daddy. He happily "gives in" to your pleading and fills you entirely in a single thrust. The sound you made was nearly inhuman, the stretch made your insides ache but fuck you genuinely don't think you could feel any better. Matt sets a bruising pace immediately and is mouthing off the whole time.

"I know baby- never had dick this good before have you, huh? Taking me so fucking well- good girl"

"Told you I could treat you better, you belong to me. Don't wanna hear another word about that fucking lame ass boyfriend of yours. You're mine."

"Daddy's dick making you dumb, baby? It's okay. You don't need to think, I'll handle it for you."

"Gonna cum again? Fuck- wanna feel you cum around my cock princess, it's okay, cum for me baby-"

You're being so loud you don't even hear your front door open but Matt sure does and that's when he slows his pace, making sure he grinds himself as deep as he can get every time he fills you up and he leans down to suck dark hickeys in as many visible places on your neck as he can. You're in full blown tears at this point and it only gets worse when he pulls your hand to your lower stomach and presses his on top so you can feel how deep he is inside you.

"Bet he never filled you this good, did he?"

"Gonna fuckin' marry you I swear- you'd look so pretty full of my kids"

You can't even tell if he's serious but you hope he is, you'd marry him rn just for how good his dick feels. He hears your phone vibrate from the nightstand and picks it up while still grinding against yours. You finally got a response from your boyfriend, all it says is "where r u" and Matt seeing it before you did is the worst thing that could've happened cause rather than telling you, he just takes it upon himself to answer. He unlocks your phone and opens your camera, you didn't even realize he was recording until he held your face in his free hand and told you to "say hi" which you couldn't do, every time he thrust into you your voice broke off into a pathetic little whimper.

Matt made sure to get a good shot of himself filling you up, and used his free hand to abuse your clit until you were nearly screaming which was exactly what he wanted. He couldn't just end the video on a random note, he really wanted to get his point across. He picked up the pace of his thrusts and his fingers never slowed down until you were convulsing under him again and squirting on his cock. *still* not quite enough, but he pulls out right as he cums to watch it drip down your pussy and then he decides that's probably enough. He sends the video to your boyfriend without a second thought and nearly collapses on top of you, pressing extra kisses to your neck and chest. His door's locked, and he can fight, he doesn't give a shit about repercussions cause he finally has what he wants.

[pahtoosh]

Hi, I’m not sure if your requests are open at the moment, but I figured I’d try anyway!

Would you be willing to write about Stucky and their little having a day out together? Like going to the zoo, the aquarium, or perhaps go swimming? Whatever you feel like writing is fine, even it is an entirely different activity!

I absolutely adore your work, so I can’t wait to see where you will take this idea 🩷

sleeping with the fishes

[image ID: a gif of fish swimming. /.end ID]

masterlist

sfw but 18+

wc: ~780 words

warnings: lots of being picked up and carried, not proofread

a/n: thank you so much for your kind words! this is such a sweet request, it’s my favorite thing to just write about a fun and fluffy day😁i hope you enjoy this and that i didn’t make you wait too long😅

pairing: daddy!stucky x little!reader

summary: your daddies take you on a trip to the aquarium

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

“Woah, woah! Slow your roll, fish patrol.”

“There’s no time, Baba! We have to go the ‘quarium!” It was almost unreal how quickly you were moving while simultaneously not getting any closer to the front door. You were running out to the car when Bucky stopped you with a grip on the back of your jacket. That didn’t stop you from jogging midair, though.

“Ah-quarium.” He plopped you onto the small bench in the entryway. “And I’m pretty sure there’s enough time for you to at least put on some shoes before we leave the house.”

Bucky kneeled in front of you so he could help you get on a pair of sneakers. He made sure to double knot the laces, knowing that you would have no patience for getting your shoes retied today.

“Dada! Are you almost ready?!” you shouted down the hall.

Steve sped walked out of your room with a backpack of stuff. “Almost! There’s a lot to pack for a full day out of the house.”

You whined and tried stomping your feet, forgetting that Bucky was still putting on your shoes.

“Hey, no whining and no kicking Baba,” Steve reprimanded. “We’ll get there with plenty of time to spare, baby. The fish aren’t going to swim away.”

“They might,” Bucky teased.

“Nooooo!”

“Buck, c’mon.”

Bucky grinned mischievously and gave you ticklish kisses on your face before helping you off the bench. “I’m only kidding, angel. Let’s get you in the car and buckled up while we wait for Dada.”

After what felt like a million hours, you were finally at the aquarium. Your daddies went over some safety rules while you were still in the car and once you showed that you understood, it was go time.

There were so many exhibits to discover. The tanks seemed to go on forever, all with different species of fish, snails, crabs, turtles, and other animals that you’d never seen before.

The aquarium offered something for the whole family. Still a science nerd, Bucky enjoyed reading the information cards placed by the tanks. Some of the animals and their habits reminded him so much of the aliens he read about in his sci fi novels. Steve was keeping a mental note of the animals he wanted to draw for you later. He even took pictures of a few to serve as a reference. Meanwhile, you practically had your nose pressed on the glass, just admiring the fish with an overwhelming sense of wonder.

When you saw something especially cool, you’d tug on the sleeve of your nearest daddy and point. You couldn’t just witness something so special and not share it. One of the best moments was when you pointed out a scuba diver in the large tank to your Dada. The diver noticed you and started a game of rock, paper, scissors through the glass.

One of the safety rules for the day was that you had to either wear a leash backpack or hold a daddy’s hand the whole time. In the beginning, you chose to hold hands, but then you switched to the backpack for more freedom(and because your daddies either walked too slowly or had no idea which tanks were ones to stop and stare at and which ones just needed a quick glance).

You could’ve stayed at the aquarium forever, but eventually it was time to go home. Steve and Bucky could tell you were getting sleepy. You got a little more clumsy, often getting tangled in your backpack leash, and asked them to hold you more often. Your daddies suspected that some of the requests to be carried had nothing to do with needing to see from a higher point, and much to do with your tired legs.

“This was the last tank, bubba. Now we’re going to the gift shop and then going home, okay?” Steve said.

You sighed. “Okay, Dada. Can I take a picture of the jellyfish first? Please?”

“Yes you can, baby. Good manners.” Steve held you still while you took a photo of the jellyfish tank with your camera.

As the three of you went to the gift shop, you asked Bucky to hold your camera so you could hold your hands behind Steve’s neck and place your head on his shoulder. He of course said yes. Your Baba also snapped a sneaky shot of Steve carrying sleepy little you using your camera.

You were practically already dozing off by the time you made it to the gift shop, but your daddies still went in and asked if you wanted anything to remember this trip by. You ended up leaving with a beluga whale plush, which you cuddled with the entire way home.

[megamindsecretlair]

What You Deserve, Part 2

Pairing: Big Stunna x Black!Fem!/ Plus Size reader

Warnings: 18+, Minors DNI, You are in charge of your own reading experience. Intentional use of AAVE. Toxic filth. Infidelity. PWP, cursing, PIV, oral (female and male receiving) , fingering (female receiving) teasing/mocking, cum play, dirty talk, praise kink, Daddy kink, all consensual.

Summary: Getting into an argument with your husband has you question several things about your relationship. You know you shouldn't, but you turn to Stunna anyway.

Word Count: 4,482k

Part 1 | Part 3

A/N: The brainrot is REAL. REAL I SAY!!!! Please, please consider commenting and reblogging to help support writers! And please put ages in bios! Or get blockt!

Taglist: @planetblaque @blackerthings @melaninpov @browngirldominion @we-outsiiiide @thecookiebratz @iv0rysoap @notapradagurl7 @sevikasblackgf @miyuhpapayuh @xo-goldengirl @kindofaintrovert @flydotty @judymfmoody @slippinninque @soufcakmistress @henneseyhoe @westside-rot @twocentuar @blackpinup22 @babybratzmaraj @theyscreamsannii @kiabialia @prettyisasprettydoes1306 @nworbaij @hopefulromantic1 @lesbiantreehugger @longpause-awkwardsmile @badassdoll @kholdkill @cardi-bre91 @jay-mach @sageispunk @ciaqui @yourofficialgal @harmshake @amethyst09

“What the fuck is this?” You asked, following your husband around your room as he packed. He threw down a couple of socks on top of the neat pile he was making. He shook his head and you couldn’t help noticing how small it was in proportion to his body.

He worked out and kept himself fit but it wasn’t for your benefit. He just liked to look good. And you were feeling petty so everything now was small on him. His head, his beady little eyes, and his tiny ass hands. 

“I can’t say no, babe,” he said. He looked at you briefly, like that was supposed to help, and went into the bathroom to collect his travel pouch. He unzipped it, diving through its contents, oblivious to the roller coaster of emotions shooting through you.

“You promised to attend the twins’ play this week. Not to mention, you promised to take them to the aquarium. You can’t do that to them and then make me the villain, having to tell them that you can’t make your promises,” you said. 

You felt like screaming. How was it that he was the smartest man at his company, responsible for…whatever financial crap he’s into and he couldn’t see what an asshole he was being? 

“I have this job so they have the chance to do these dumbass plays. Record it for me,” he said. 

“Want to try that again?” You asked, crossing your arms. 

Your husband rolled his neck and gave you the infamous grimace. The one that told you that he didn’t like this conversation or where it was headed. The one that usually told you to back off before he shut down completely and did some passive aggressive shit that only pissed you off. Now you were both mad and he was sleeping in the guest room. And you’d have to hide it from your incredibly smart twins. 

“I appreciate all that you do, truly. But one day you’re going to wake up, they’re going to be older, and all they remember is that you were gone all the time,” you said. 

Your husband sighed and stepped closer to you. He put his hands on your elbows and rubbed them, looking into your eyes. “I hear you. I had every intention of going to their plays and taking them to the aquarium. These things just keep coming up,” he said.

You pulled out of his embrace. After what you did with Stunna last week, you hadn’t felt like touching your husband. You had been in a weird headspace, caught between feeling guilty and liberated. Besides, you were mad at Baby Hands right now and didn’t feel like faking the funk today.

“I’ll be sure to tell our five year olds that these things keep coming up. I’m sure they’ll understand,” you said.

“Don’t use them to fight with me,” he said. 

You took a deep breath, ready to launch into what an ungrateful bastard he was. Times like these only highlighted what a stark difference kids made to people’s lives. In the beginning, you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other. Now, you wanted to scratch his eyes out more than you wanted to kiss him. 

What was the point? Realizing that, you deflated. Why were you fighting so damn hard for this shit when he clearly couldn’t be bothered? 

“Have a safe trip,” you finally said. Your husband’s nose flared and you turned around before he could read the disgust on your face. You hated when he did that shit. He was like a toddler sometimes. Only a toddler actually expressed themselves. You were exhausted and didn’t have the fucking energy.

You focused on getting the twins together. It was important that they learned to value their free time. That it was okay to have moments where things weren’t scheduled and they could choose what they wanted to do. 

Noah usually chose reading, preferring to get lost in his Captain Underpants books. You were surprised they were still around but once he saw the books, Noah got all fired up. It was getting harder to find appropriate books for his age that he hadn’t already read. 

Naomi, on the other hand, liked her baby dolls. You made it a point to buy her Black ones and teach her to love her skin. You popped your head in on her and watched as she was playing some rendition of a beauty salon. She was chattering away and you smiled at her creativity. 

With all things said, your husband was an ass but he gave you your kids. You couldn’t hate him for that. You just wished he’d do better. Once they found out that their dad pulled out of plans, again, their little faces would eat you up. 

That night, when everyone was fed and in bed, you were in the living room enjoying your little bit of free time. You were on your phone, scrolling through mindless shit on Facebook. You held a glass of red wine and sipped it, scrolling through someone’s vacation photos. 

It’d been a while since your husband took you on a vacation. Not since…well, since before the kids were born. Had it really been that long? 

No wonder you invited a total stranger into your home and in your pants. Your life was good, safe, but boring as hell. Your friends were all out living their lives and you weren’t always able to link up with them. They were childless so they didn’t want to hang around a house full of kids. 

The mom friends you did make were not into the same shit you were. They wanted book clubs and wine hangouts. Anything that they didn’t have to stray too far from their homes, a call or hop away from their respective families. You were stuck and in need of some entertainment. 

Your fingers seemed to move to your text messages of their own accord. Your fingers flew to a new message and typed in Stunna’s name. You were facing away from the staircase and no one should be up and creeping around, but you still looked up to make sure you were alone. 

It was really late. You shouldn’t be entertaining this. Your husband’s words scrolled through your mind, mixed with the wine you consumed, and you were typing the message before you could truly think about it. 

You sent the message and waited anxiously. You flipped your phone over and placed it on the arm of the couch like it was a bomb ready to explode. This was insane. He now had your number. 

You picked your phone up and began a new message, telling him that you were tipsy and shouldn’t have sent that. 

Stunna: Was wondering how long you were gonna take. Fingers ain’t working?

You: Shut up!

Stunna: Ain’t the same huh? 🤤

You put the phone down and rubbed your hands on your pants. You felt incredibly sensitive, out of body, or too aware. Something was off but you couldn’t pin down what. A flash of heat made you fan yourself. Nothing even happened and you were already hot and bothered. It’d been so long since you were horny that you didn’t recognize the signs right away. 

Truth be told, you hadn’t had a chance to take care of yourself. Your days were scheduled around getting the twins ready for their play, running lines, making sure they did their homework, and getting food together. You didn’t have a chance to think about it all week.

Now you couldn’t stop thinking about it. Couldn’t stop rubbing your thighs together and picturing Stunna’s face smiling down at you. Picture how he looked fucking you on the kitchen table. You hadn’t been able to look at it the same all week. 

You topped off your wine and then went up to your bathroom, running a bath while you continued to text with Stunna. He had plenty of innuendos for you, but was a surprisingly great conversationalist. When he wasn’t being nasty, he was giving great tips on new foods to try. Like chicken fried steak with cheesy potatoes and broccoli. 

The hot water was heaven on your body and your eucalyptus soap worked wonders for stress. Breathing in the earthy scent cleared your worries about your stupid husband and this unplanned trip. You texted back and forth with Stunna while you soaped up and continued to drink wine. 

You did place the phone down at one point and took care of your needs, getting yourself off to flashbacks of what you shared with Stunna. It was an incredible orgasm, but the bastard was right, it wasn’t the same. 

You finally signed off with Stunna and got ready for bed yourself. You looked over your husband’s travel bags. The idiot didn’t know it, but you always double checked to make sure he had everything. He had draped his suit jacket over the suitcase and you rolled your eyes. This man loved wrinkles apparently.

You lifted it and a piece of paper fell out. You picked it up, curiosity getting the best of you. The ticket was for Miami and you pouted. You would’ve loved to visit Miami. Just because he had to work, didn’t mean that you couldn’t have gone as well and had fun with him in his off hours. Punk.  

You refolded the paper and hung up his jacket. Then you placed the paper in his jacket. Something solid knocked against your hand. Inside, there was a phone that you didn’t recognize. Did he have a work phone? 

As long as you’d known him, he only used his regular cell phone for work. He was glued to it, constantly on it looking at financial reports, accounting discrepancies, and whatever else you zoned out about his work. So what the hell was he doing with a second phone? 

You wanted to wake his ass up and demand answers. Maybe his job did give him a second phone and you had mentally checked out about it. You bit your cheek. You were just flirting with Stunna by phone, dodging his questions about coming over and helping some more. Plus, you cheated on him. Could you really be mad if he did the same?

Yes. Because that happened last week. If your husband had an extra phone, who knows how long he’d been entertaining that bitch while you were taking care of his kids. The disrespect was what got you. You placed the phone back in his pocket, unsure what else to think of it. 

Heat roared in your chest. Too full of simmering anger. You needed more evidence. You needed something other than a new phone to confront him with. You slipped into bed, looking at his sleeping form, wondering who the fuck you married. 

The next day, you sent your husband off to the airport while he hugged and kissed your crying kids. You kissed his cheek, but otherwise didn’t have two words to give him. Whether or not he noticed, he didn’t say anything as he climbed into the cab with his travel bags. 

You wiped your kids’ tears and told them that you’d take them to the aquarium yourself and they could make pictures about what they saw, so they could tell their father when he came home. You drove them to school and when you came back, you had a few hours to kill before you had to get food started. 

You were still feeling petty. And hurt. And horny. And there were too many thoughts running through your head. You pulled out your phone and called up Stunna, cursing yourself the whole way. You weren’t ready to snoop yet. You weren’t ready to face the notion that your marriage was likely over. 

Stunna answered on the second ring. “Must be my lucky day to hear from an angel,” he said. 

“You busy?” You asked. You needed your brain quiet. You needed your brains fucked right out of you. And the only one able to help you was Stunna. You realized that you were a hypocrite. You couldn’t be mad at your husband for cheating if you were willing to do the same. The difference was, you had still been trying to make it work with someone who’d checked out a long time ago. 

“Never too busy for you,” he said. He sounded like he was in the middle of driving. You heard rushing wind and faint music playing. 

“I need dick,” you said. 

Stunna’s smooth chuckle sent a tingle right down to your pussy. It throbbed and you shifted your footing, already getting worked up. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be over in a few,” he said. 

He hung up with a final goodbye and you smiled, biting your lip and thinking about getting fucked. You ran upstairs to put on something sexy. One of the forgotten lingerie sets that you bought in hopes of using it on your husband. 

His loss. You should be upset. Angry. Pissed. Vengeful. Right now, you couldn’t think past Stunna’s magical dick and how you were using it as a cure-all. He said to use him right? That’s all this was. Something to clear out the pipes before you went into investigating your own husband like a criminal. 

You shimmied into the red, lacy bra and panties set and looked at yourself in the mirror. You had stopped caring about your body after a while. You’d always been a big girl with a tummy and thick, jiggly thighs. You could use some turns around the gym. Nope. You weren’t going to do that.

You were a mother and your body was still banging. Just a little more fleshed out. You had a body that screamed that you were alive. 

The doorbell rang, shaking you from your thoughts, and you slipped on a matching red robe with black trim. You stepped down the stairs and looked in the peephole. Stunna leaned against the door frame. A thrill shot through you. Even looking at him through the peephole got you excited. You had it bad for this man. 

You opened it and Stunna lowered his glasses. He looked at your robe, mouth curving into a smile. “I have a dick delivery for uh–”

You howled with laughter as you let him in and closed the door behind him. He turned to you, taking off his glasses completely. He looked damn good, standing there in a Black polo shirt and dark jeans. Good enough to devour. 

He grinned at you, stalking towards you and pushing you against the front door. “Missed Daddy?” 

He leaned down and kissed you, moving on to your neck. His hands came around to grab your hips, squeezing them. Then his hands moved to your ass, cupping the globes in his big hands and jiggling them. 

“Yes,” you moaned, holding onto his shoulders. Already you felt yourself climbing out of a numb hole you’d sunken into last night discovering the phone. You didn’t want your imagination to run wild, to immediately suspect him of cheating on you. But you couldn’t help the gnawing pit in your stomach. 

You didn’t want to think about that right now anyway. You lifted your leg and rubbed yourself against Stunna like a cat. He moaned, lips vibrating against your neck. You wanted more. You wanted him to do more. No hesitation. 

You grabbed his hand, giving him a wink, and then tugged him upstairs. You bypassed your room and headed into the guest room. Inside, you were guilt free. Inside, you were just a woman enjoying a man’s body. 

You kissed Stunna, taking off his shirt while you did so. You separated briefly, to tug it over his head, and then went back to kissing. It was sloppy and messy. Teeth scraping against each other because you weren’t close enough. 

You went to work on his pants, but Stunna chuckled and stopped you. “Hol’ on, hol’ on,” he said. He stilled your hands. “You really miss me or you trynna prove something?” He asked. 

“I really missed you,” you said. You were not doing this in retaliation for your husband. You didn’t know if Baby Hands really was cheating. But you knew that Stunna could get you there. Could give you a wild experience like last time. 

“Good. Get on them knees and show me then,” he said. He took off his jeans and briefs, freeing his long, glorious dick. You licked your lips at seeing it. Your memories were a poor substitute for the real thing.

Stunna pulled you towards the bed and sat down on the corner. He widened his legs, man spreading all over the bed and you eagerly dropped to your knees. You’d proudly suck his dick. Proudly. You had no shame whatsoever right now. You felt wanton and needy. And it felt fucking amazing.

You kissed up his dick and watched a feral gleam enter Stunna’s dark eyes. He smirked and you lowered your lips onto him, suckling him. He groaned and shifted, giving you a better angle to take him down as far as you could take him. 

You sucked and slurped on his dick, drooling leaking down so you could rub him in the area your mouth couldn’t reach. He moaned, throwing his head back. “Fuck, just like that,” he said. You loved the feedback.

It turned you on. Arousal dripped out of you knowing that he was enjoying himself. Enjoying sex with you. You bobbed your head faster, gluck-glucking your way into that nut you wanted from him. 

His hands dug into your hair, palming your head and pulling you down faster on his dick. His moans increased, and you focused on trying to keep up and not gag. “Gahh damn. You ain’t tell me you had a throat like this,” he moaned. He tapped a free hand against your cheek and you moaned. He could do anything he fucking wanted with your body. 

You slurped his thick head and he jerked his hips, cum splashing down your throat. You sucked him all down, licking up runaway drops on your lips. Stunna watched you clean your mouth and he smirked. 

“Nasty ass. Get up on this bed and sit on my face,” he said. He went to lean down and you shook your head.

“No, no, no, no way,” you said. You’d never sat on a man’s face before. You couldn’t possibly. He’d die. 

He leaned on his elbows and you had to take a moment to admire the Statue of David. He was chiseled in all the right places. Sculpted. You had to admire God’s handiwork, he took his time with this one. 

“I want that fat pussy on my face. Now,” he said. 

Your pussy throbbed at his command and you giggled nervously as you climbed onto the bed. Stunna leaned back and laid down. You straddled his face and he asked if you were comfortable. At your nod, he moved your panties to the side and began to lick you and you moaned, clutching his head and leaning forward onto the bed. 

His tongue lapped up all of the essence that leaked out while you were giving him head. He moaned, digging in deeper. He alternated licking, flicking, and sucking until he found a nice rhythm and attacked your clit with a single-minded focus. 

“Oh shit, oh shit,” you moaned. Your hips began to move, riding his face. Thoughts of him suffocating vanished as you rode him, fucking his tongue rather than him fucking you. His hands gripped your ass and he smacked it, the sound loud enough to echo. 

Gasping heaps of breath escaped you as you came, shaking and twitching on top of him. He continued to eat you out, smacking your ass more for good measure. Your legs were noodles now. Too weak to hold yourself up. 

Stunna helped you lean off of him, laying on your side on the bed. You gasped for breath as he rubbed your thighs and ass. His beard was shiny and wet, dripping with your essence. He wiped his mouth, cleaning off most of it. There was still a shiny drop on him. You wiped it away for him and he grabbed your hand, sucking off your thumb. He moaned, one more taste from you. 

“Daddy missed you too, baby. I’m glad you called me,” he said.

“Me too,” you said. 

He climbed to his knees, using your hips to steady him. He lifted your leg and you looked at him while he slapped his dick against your clothed pussy. “So fuckin’ wet, gorgeous. You know I had a dream of fucking you,” he said.

“You did?” You asked. 

He nodded while he moved your panties and lined himself up. He began to push in, sinking his dick into you and watching your face. Your mouth rounded to a perfect ‘O’ and he smirked. You pushed at his stomach. You forgot. He was so damn big. 

He grabbed your hand and pinned it to the bed. He continued to push into you and you moaned, throat going raw with the effort. You used your other hand to push against him, slapping at his chest. His skin was so smooth and delicious. Your hand slid against his sweat-slick skin and he pulled that hand away too. He joined it with your other hand and pinned both above your head. 

“Oh fuck! Daddy, too big,” you moaned.

“Too big? I can’t help that, baby,” he said. He leaned down and kissed you, distracting you from the feel of him stroking deep within you. At this angle, going from the side as he was, you were able to look at him while he fucked you.

And it was a dangerous thing. You loved watching the emotions play over his face. Your wet heat sucked him in more and more until he hit your sweet spot. You cried out, eyes widening. “That’s my spot!” 

“That’s your spot right there?” He asked. 

“Right there!” You looked at him like he really was a statue brought to life. Like someone from a bygone era that studied sex like a true connoisseur. 

Most men would move or stop what they were doing. It was like once you pointed it out, they took it as a personal challenge to do anything but. Not Stunna. He didn’t deviate in the slightest, hitting your spot over and over. He increased his pace, wet sucking filling up the air between his grunts and your moans. 

“Oh fuck yes,” he whispered. “Gonna cum, gonna cum,” he moaned. 

“Ouuueee,” you whimpered. It felt too damn good. You were crying and whimpering, so fucking close. So close, so close, so clo–

You came with a loud cry, shivering on his dick and twitching out of control. Your mind emptied out while he continued to pound into you, hitting that spot that he found. He took a few more strokes before he grunted, releasing his cum inside. You twitched more, feeling stuffed.

Your teeth chattered as you came down. Stunna leaned over and kissed you. You breathed each other in as you panted and huffed. You were a filthy mix of sweat and juices between you. And fuck! You needed that!

“Beautiful, fuckin’ beautiful,” Stunna said and kissed you once more. 

“How do I tip for dick deliveries?” You panted. 

Stunna chuckled and slipped out of you. You groaned as some of his cum spilled out as well. “Tip him by using him more often,” he said. He pulled you into his arms, running his hand up and down your back.

His feverish skin was now a little cold, cooling off from the intense session. You threw your leg over him and he grinned. He was so long, that his hand was able to slip between your legs and play with his cum leaking out of you. You moaned, moving away from him but he held onto you.

He kissed your temple. “Can’t get enough,” he whispered against your head. He fingered you, playing with your clit and your entrance, fucking his fingers deeper and deeper.

“Stunna, Stunna…fuck!” You cried. 

“That’s it. Let yourself go one more time for me,” he said. 

You buried your face into his neck and moaned, moving your hips to fuck his fingers. “That’s it. Keep doing that,” he said. You whimpered, chasing that elusive feeling once more. You were just greedy at this point, fucking yourself with his fingers until you were crying out with another mind-numbing orgasm. 

When you calmed down enough, Stunna withdrew his fingers. He painted your lips with a mix of your climaxes and you opened your mouth to the smell and taste of you combined. You moaned as you sucked on his fingers.

Stunna grinned, kissed you, and then finished cleaning off his fingers. You sighed, watching this amazing man that fell in your lap. Too bad you didn’t meet him first. There would never be a dull moment if Stunna was around. 

“Thank you,” you said and kissed his chest. 

“You ain’t gotta thank me for that. What’s on deck for tonight?” He asked.

“Spaghetti. The twins’ favorite. Their dad…” You trailed off. You didn’t know if you were crossing some kind of line here. The whole reason he was here was to take your mind off of your husband. Not bring up your problems to him. 

“Hey, no pressure. But I’m not intimidated by hearing about your bitch ass husband,” he said. He grinned and you melted, leaning into him while you told him about their dad promising shit and canceling on them at the last minute. You left out the bit about the phone. You weren’t sure what you were going to do about it, but you didn’t need a second opinion just yet.

“Go get cleaned up and I’ll take care of it,” he said.

“No way! I can’t let you give me back to back orgasms and cook my babies some food,” you said. 

“Sure you can. I said use me,” he said. He grabbed your hand and brought it to his lips, kissing your wrist. “I’m a full service delivery boy.”

Your laugh was loud and off-kilter. You covered your mouth but you didn’t stop your wild laughing. He was so stupid and silly and just the type of man you always thought you’d marry. 

“Take a break, clean up, and I’ll see your sexy ass in the kitchen where you’ll get spoiled for once,” he said.

You smiled, cheeks hurting from how good you felt right now. “Or…you could always join me in the shower,” you said. It definitely crossed some sort of line to have sex with him in the shower your husband used that morning. But the hallway bathroom had a shower. 

Stunna grinned. “Lead the way, then,” he said.

If you need more Stunna, you know where to find him! The Secret Big Stunna Files

Part 1 | Part 3

[alwaysurvalentine]

If you are so inclined, I’d love to see Steve and Eddie’s aquarium date 💕

Thank you for your patience!!! (and for being my biggest fan! 🥹)

This is just fluff, fluff, and more fluff. - w.c: 4.6k - cw: n/a!

This can be read alone, but it is meant to be a companion piece to this!

Hope you enjoy our boys and their aquarium adventures! 💛

~

They’ve been together six months but watching Steve wake up in the mornings hasn’t gotten old. Eddie hopes it never does. He hardly ever wakes up before the other boy so each time he does, he makes sure to savor the moment. When Steve’s asleep his face is completely relaxed, mouth parted just slightly. Right before he wakes up, he always smacks his lips together and then scrunches his face slightly. Honey eyes blink open, and on the days that Eddie’s caught in his admiration, he gets a gooey smile first thing. He’d be more than happy laying in bed for a bit longer but they’ve got plans today, so he reaches up to gently brush the bangs back from Steve’s forehead. 

“Sweetheart.” He barely whispers the word, but right on cue Steve scrunches his face and his eyes start to flutter open. 

“Mm.” And Steve closes his eyes again, just scooting closer to Eddie to tuck his face in his chest.

“Stevie, we gotta get up. We got plans today, remember?” Eyelashes tickle his collarbone and he pinches at Steve’s side. “C’mon, you were all excited about this. And you’ve got me invested in what this surprise could be – I know you talked to Wayne about something.”

Again, Steve stays quiet. He’s not much of a talker first thing in the morning. The kiss Eddie feels him press against his neck is better than words. Steve yawns and rolls onto his back, stretching until his hands touch the wall behind the bed and he grins crookedly at Eddie when he sits up. 

“You’re right, let’s get going. We’ve got a bit of a drive before we get there.”

🐟🐟🐟

A wave of deja vu hits him when Steve pulls onto an exit in Louisville. A Denny’s sign welcomes him like an old friend and suddenly he remembers – chocolate chip pancakes and Wayne’s black coffee.

“Stevie.” There’s a lump in his throat that wasn’t there before and he pulls his eyes away from the sign to look at his boyfriend. Steve’s tilted his head to show he’s listening, eyes focused on the road as he turns.

“Did you bring me to the aquarium?” 

Steve grins, eyes squinted just that little bit closed in happiness. Sunlight shines through his hair like a halo. Eddie’s own personal angel. 

“Yep! When I was helping Wayne pack up the trailer for the move, I found a keychain on your dresser. Wayne happened to see it in the box I’d put it in and told me all about your visit out here. He said he had planned on bringing you back but stuff kept coming up and then all of a sudden you seemed ‘too old’ to bring anymore.” One hand raised off the wheel to do air quotes and Eddie feels the butterflies kick in his stomach. His boyfriend is such a dork. “Anyway, I thought it would be nice to come out for our anniversary, you know, to woo you.” Steve winks at the word, something they joke about often. Curse Eddie for saying that’s what he expected when Steve went in to kiss him the first time. 

A glance at the road reveals an upcoming stoplight and Eddie waits just long enough for the car to stop before leaning over the console to kiss Steve. He tastes like cheap gas station coffee and the chocolate frosted donuts they shared on the way up. When he backs away Steve follows him and offers another quick peck. 

“Consider me wooed, Stevie.” 

🐟🐟🐟

Since it’s a weekday, they’re able to find decent parking and head straight in to get tickets. Eddie can’t stop grinning, excitement bursting from him at getting to see all the different animals again. There are different halls that branch off from the main entrance: Under Water Coves, The Swamplands, and Penguin Palooza. By the smile on Steve’s face, he knows Eddie’s calling the shots today – and even if their feet hurt later, Steve won’t fault Eddie for dragging him around to every attraction the aquarium has to offer.

The first hall they come to is shrouded in darkness and when they turn the corner they see why. All of the fish in the tanks glow, bright flashes of orange and greens as the fish dart through their tanks. There’s enough light coming off of the tanks that they can read the panels on the wall to learn more, but Eddie finds himself more invested in watching Steve. His boyfriend is standing to the side of the tank, eyes drawn to the crabs crawling at the bottom. Fast footprints sound behind him and before he can even turn, two kids come racing to the same tank. The taller of the two has her hair pulled up in a pony tail tied with pink ribbon and the other’s unruly curls have been left in a pile on his head. Miss Pink Bows slows down as they approach but her brother doesn’t and slams right into the glass. Luckily, he doesn’t seem phased by the tumble and stands to press his hands against the glass. 

Steve turns with a grin, huffing a laugh of his own when he make eye contact with Eddie. That’s all it takes for the metalhead to erupt in giggles and Steve pulls him by the arm to the next viewing section. 

“Eddie – stop, stop laughing.”

The admonishment would mean more if Steve wasn’t fighting back his own laughter. 

🐟🐟🐟

The tunnel of fish steal Steve’s full attention but he’s still holding onto Eddie’s hand as they stand on the moving walkway. If there’s a fish he seems worried Eddie’s going to miss he squeezes and points towards where the fish is in the tank.

“Eddie, look, look at that!” A squeeze and a point guides Eddie’s eyes away from his boyfriend and to the four foot wide manta ray about to swim above them. He’s almost sure that his own smile matches the tiny one on the underside of the manta ray. There’s a blue hue painted over everyone under the tunnel, but it doesn’t take away from how bright Steve seems to be beside him. “Woah!” Another manta ray approaches the side of the tunnel and it has to be double the size of the one before. This one does a strange flipping maneuver and suddenly they can see its dark grey back instead as it swims nearly upside down above them. “They’re so big! I can’t believe how big they are.” 

Eddie can’t let the opportunity pass and grins salaciously. “That’s what she said.” Steve rolls his eyes but his smile doesn’t dim. His brown hair shifts as he shakes his head and steps off of the walkway towards the next section.

🐟🐟🐟

The next room they enter has a wall of glass from ceiling to floor. Inside, there’s the shadow of a whale shark swimming towards them, gliding smoothly through the water. Eddie doesn’t pull his eyes away even as Steve gently tugs his hand to get them closer to the glass. He only looks away for a moment when he almost tumbles down the two smaller steps that lead to the viewing area. Up close the whale shark is just as cool as he remembers it to be. A sign on the wall lets people know that there’s two sharks in the tank, Alice and Mary. Smaller fish swim near her, and when light from above hits them just right they look just like silver sparkles surrounding her. Calm washes over him as he watches her swim past the glass, another shadow in the distance outlining the other shark. 

Last time he was here he knows he pressed his face and hands up against the glass, like getting closer would mean seeing them better – four foot wide glass be damned. Uncle Wayne had to carry him out so they could go through the rest of the museum. He’d rested his head on Wayne’s shoulder and kept his eyes trained on the tank for as long as he could until they turned the corner. It’d been his favorite part of the aquarium then and he’s sure that’s not going to change now. 

Eddie notices the hair rising on the back of his neck before he makes the connection that he can feel eyes on him. He glances to his left and meets Steve’s hazel gaze. The last six months has taught Eddie how to read the many different expressions of his boyfriend, knowing what he’s thinking with just a quirk of his brow. Right now, the only way to describe the look on Steve’s face is lovesick. Soft in a way he sees when it’s late at night and they’re cuddled up under the blankets on the brink of sleep. It warms Eddie’s heart and he swears he feels it skip a beat as he grins. 

“Aren’t these the best? Just gentle giants.”

🐟🐟🐟

“Wait, so we can touch these ones?” Surprise colors Steve’s words and he’s tilted his head in question towards the worker. A small ‘bay’ is between them, baby cownose rays gliding under a couple inches of water. The worker nods and then directs their attention towards a couple of young kids that have approached the pools. 

Despite his question, Steve doesn’t move to touch one of the animals swimming, instead standing with his hands close to his chest like letting them hang too close to the water is going to hurt the rays. 

“Do you want to touch them?” Eddie’s comment breaks Steve’s concentration and the younger boy turns to him.

“I’m not sure yet. You can though!” He steps quickly to the side like that’s the only thing keeping Eddie from reaching forward. A notch is between his brows and he gazes at the pool again, hazel eyes tracing the gentle movements the worker makes for the kids to copy. One of the kids touches the ray and pulls away quick, face scrunched in disgust; the other pets along the entire back with a gentle hand and a grin on their face. A couple rays swim towards Steve and Eddie’s side of the ‘bay’ and Eddie lowers his hand into the water. It’s colder than he thought it would be but one of the rays darts right under his finger tips. He’d thought it would be slimy but instead it’s soft like velvet. He turns to Steve with a grin, already reaching towards another ray swimming his way. The crease between Steve’s brows eases and his eyes dart to the dimple Eddie knows is denting his cheek with how big he’s grinning. 

“Stevie, these are sooo soft. C’mon.” His boyfriend is still slow in his movements as he reaches towards the water, tension in his shoulders as a ray goes to glide to the other end of the pool. A freckled hand barely taps the water and then pulls away again. “They’re not gonna hurt you sweetheart, they wouldn’t let people touch them if they thought someone would get hurt.” Finally, all of the apprehension Steve’s been holding onto seeps out of him and he submerges one hand in the water while he uses the other one to hold onto Eddie’s dry one. 

🐟🐟🐟

“Stevie, come and help me with this?” 

This being a trivia game along the wall while they wait to get into the next exhibit. There’s questions with buttons to press that light up green or red depending on if you’re right or wrong. All of the questions are a little lower than eye level for them, probably meant for the younger kids in the hallway but being older hasn’t stopped Eddie from being a kid at heart. 

“Okay, why is it called a spider crab?” There’s only two choices, and Eddie picks the one that makes the most sense. And gets a red light.

“How is it not because they have 8 legs? It’s just because they’re tall? That’s lame.” He gets an empathetic pat on the shoulder before Steve steps over to the next question.

“How many hearts does an octopus have? Wait, octopi have more than one heart?” Again, there are two choices and since it’s already wild to think about them having more than one heart, Eddie hits the button that says three – green. 

“How about that! Three whole hearts. Hey, Stevie?” The brunette has already started for the next question and only turns his head to show he’s listening. Eddie closes the distance before continuing, “If I were an octopus all three of my hearts would belong to you.” That gets him a smile and the tops of Steve’s ears going pink. A quick peck to the moles on Steve’s left cheek and then he refocuses on the questions in front of him. 

🐟🐟🐟

The hallway full of trivia ends with a small ramp leading into the Penguin Palooza. There’s two paths they can take, one that advertises walking with the penguins and the other leading to the normal viewing area. Eddie already knows it’s going to be worth it to go the first route when Steve turns to him in excitement. 

Walking with the penguins means turning left and finding an entrance only tall enough to get in if you kneel down. 

“Oh. Never mind, we don’t need to do this.” Steve’s already backing up a couple steps, hand pulling at Eddie to go back the other way. And Eddie knows that crawling is going to be rough on his hips, but they haven’t hurt yet today and if he goes slow then he should be fine. So instead of following Steve’s pulling, he squeezes his hand once and then lets go to get situated on the floor. 

“No, I mean it. We’ll still get to see them if we go the other way. Ed-”

The carpet is an odd texture when Eddie places his hands on it. Somehow it’s the same rough you expect to give you carpet burn while also being smooth. He’s mainly glad that it’s dry as he crawls under the entrance to be face to face with a couple of interconnected tunnels. There’s areas with light pooled in one spot that he can see either kids standing in or adults going up on just their knees. Shuffling noises sound behind him and he glances back to see Steve crawling behind him, brown hair falling slightly into his eyes. Light pools down on them and when Eddie glances up he understands what the signs meant now. Penguins surround the dome he kneels up in to, one staring him down as he grins at it. Warmth presses against his side and he feels more than hears the gasp Steve lets out. 

“This is so cool.” 

🐟🐟🐟

“Did you see that penguins mate for life?” A nod and then Steve’s continuing, “They’re just like us.” And now it’s Eddie’s turn to blush. He pulls some hair from his shoulder to hide behind and tries to distract Steve by pulling him towards the amphitheater. This time they have to walk up a slight ramp, painted murals of dolphins covering the walls. It’s a lot cooler when they get to the end and there’s an usher standing at the doors gesturing them closer.

“Hey, show’s about to start. There should be a couple more seats available.” 

Through the doors is a massive pool, seats like a theatre pressed up against one wall. They have to walk in front of everyone to find their seats which could’ve made Eddie nervous if it weren’t for the mime he sees ahead of them dancing behind a family finding their own seats. Every time the dad turns to see what the crowd is laughing at the mime stops dancing and pretends to whistle. Only to start skipping as soon as the dad turns again. A young boy starts walking the opposite way and the mime switches tactics to follow him. This time he’s ‘playing’ a trumpet as the boy makes his way to the exit. When Steve and Eddie walk by, the mime changes course again but this time he just hooks his elbow with Eddie as though the three of them are going on a walk together. It reminds him of Robin hanging onto Steve’s other side when the three of them cuddle up on the couch. 

Steve finds an aisled staircase to walk up and Eddie nudges the mime before they can let go. He nods his head towards with a smirk and hopes the mime can think quick on his feet. 

“Wow, you’re just going to leave me like this?” He projects his voice slightly, eyes catching a couple of bystanders’ faces as he does. By the time his boyfriend turns to him Eddie’s wiped the smile off of his face and is doing his best impression of someone who’s been cheated on. “I can’t believe you. I thought what we had was special.” This time he turns away from Steve and towards the mime, face tilted up towards the ceiling fluttering his eyes like he’s about to cry. “Take me away from this place, Jeffery.” He peeks one eye open to see the mime playing along, an exaggerated frown on his face. A laugh almost escapes but he covers it with a fake hiccup like he’s about to cry. And then he puts a lot of trust in Jeffery and falls back like a fainting damsel. Surprisingly, the mime catches him and fans at his face. When he opens his eyes it’s to Steve with his arms crossed over his chest and shaking his head. The right side of his mouth looks like it’s being chewed on, his tell that he’s trying his hardest not to smile. Then he shocks Eddie and plays along.

“Yeah, well you can have him, Jeffery.” His voice is deeper than usual, almost like how he sounded as King Steve, and he clicks his tongue before heading towards a couple of empty seats. The mime, good sport that he is, pats Eddie’s shoulder and pretends to roll up his sleeves. Shadow boxing the air behind Steve is what does Eddie in before he’s laughing hard enough there’s genuine tears in his eyes. 

“Thanks, man.” Eddie knows the mime can’t respond in words but he does get a nod of respect as the bystanders clap at their act. He and the mime bow to the crowd, each trying to bow down lower than the other. Eddie calls it when his hip twinges and he finally heads off to seat next to Steve. His baby is chuckling when he sits down and Eddie grins. “Sorry, babe. Had to give the people what they want.”

🐟🐟🐟

Bright florescent lights nearly blind Eddie when they step into the gift shop. Luckily, his eyes adjust pretty quickly and he’s able to actually take in the different gifts in front of him. There’s a tower of stuffed clown fish in the center of the entrance, a couple sitting lopsided at the bottom where kids have nearly brought the stack down. Shelves line the right side of the shop, and they’ve got something for everyone: snow globes with turtles floating in the middle, all kinds of shark figurines, and even different sea animals made into squish balls. 

Across from the shelves are racks lining the other wall. All of the items hanging are pastel with the aquarium’s logo smack in the middle of the chest. A cozy sweatshirt seems to call to Steve, his boyfriend’s hands already tucking into the arms of the hoodie to see if the inside is soft. Steve does this a lot to check that he’ll like the way the fabric feels before he buys it. 

Eddie takes this opportunity to search through the spinning racks covered in different key chains. It only feels right to get Wayne one to match. Might’ve been X years in the making, but the Munsons deserve matching keychains. There’s so many different ones to look at so Eddie focuses more on which ones Wayne definitely will not use. This gets rid of any of them with his name on it (‘Not that old yet, Ed. Don’t need something with my name on it.’) and while the tiny pocket knives are cute, Eddie knows that they’d probably break in a week. 

Steve joins him at the rack when he sees it: a whale shark dangling on a tiny chain. There’s a couple random fish hanging in front of it so he has to awkwardly juggle those into his hands without dropping them to get to the one he wants. When he holds it up to inspect closer, there’s a small chip in one of the fins but he figures that just adds some character to it. There’s only one thing in Steve’s hands when he turns around and it isn’t the sweatshirt he was checking out. No, it’s a massive whale shark. Like big enough that the head is resting on Steve’s chest and the tail is curled on his shins. Even without touching it Eddie can tell that it’s soft. 

“Holy shit!” It’s just as soft as it looks when he reaches out to pet it. His chipped black nails almost blend in with the dark navy of the shark. All of the spots on its back are a cream color just like the stomach and face of the shark. “How do I get one of these?” When he looks up at Steve’s face again, the other boy’s face is turned in a frown, but something seems off about it.

“Well, this is actually the last one…” His voice is serious, but there’s a crinkle next to Steve’s eye like he’s fighting a smile. Eddie squints at him. “But I could let it go for the low price of a kiss.” Finally, the smile wins out and Steve’s beaming at Eddie. It takes a moment for the words to catch up, but when they do Eddie practically jumps to close the distance. The stuffed animal between them doesn’t do much but mess up his trajectory and they end up bumping noses instead of lips. His second attempt is better, lips slotting onto Steve’s messily – both smiling too much for it to be a deep kiss. Eddie’s free hand comes up to cup the side of Steve’s face, thumb tracing over the corner of his lover’s smile when he kisses him again. Three quick pecks and then he backs off again, rocking onto the heels of his feet. Steve looks dazed but happy, grin lopsided and taking up his whole face. 

“That’s my payment good sir! Can I hold her?” Soft plush fills his arms and Steve takes the keychain before Eddie can drop it. They walk up to the cashier together and Eddie hears a couple kids gasp as he walks by with his prize. He’s already decided to name her Lady Krilina Chewsalot and he can’t wait to see how much space she takes up on the bed. 

🐟🐟🐟

Sunset has come and gone by the time they get back to Hawkins and the porch light greets them when they pull up to the Munson trailer. Lady Krilina Chewsalot (Lady K.C.) had been exiled to the backseat when her head blocked the view of the rear view mirror. Eddie reaches into the backseat for her now, pulling her back into his lap and pulling the handle to step out of the car. 

“Time to go introduce Wayne to his grand-daughter.” Steve just shakes his head and steps out, grabbing the small bag holding souvenirs for the group. 

“Wayne!! I’ve got a surprise for you, old man!” Eddie calls out as he unlocks the door, tucking his new friend behind his back before stepping fully into the trailer. His uncle’s sitting on the couch, some black and white western playing on the TV. “I’ve got important news.” He pauses just long enough for Wayne to start to turn and then tugs the whale shark from his back and holds it in front of him with his arms outstretched. 

“You’re a grandpa.” Lady K.C. blocks his view but Eddie can hear Wayne laughing anyway and it tugs at his heart. There are few things better than getting a laugh out of the older man. When he moves the plush down, Wayne’s turned on the couch with his arm resting on the back so he can see the boys clearly. Steve comes up beside him and passes the keychain to Eddie, moving the whale shark to his hands to take her in the direction of Eddie’s room. (Steve hopes he can convince Eddie to keep her at his desk while he stays over so he has bed space. He won’t be successful.)

“Nice one, Ed. Did you boys have fun?” The couch creaks when Eddie sits on it, springs noisy with age, and he holds his hand out to Wayne.

“It was just as cool as I remember. They added some new stuff too – we might have to all go again sometime. We got you this.” 

Wayne’s weathered hand takes the key chain gently and lets the whale shark dangle in the air for a moment before smiling. “Thought we needed to match?” The words are teasing but there seems to be a gleam in Wayne’s eye when he glances at Eddie. Sometimes he gets like this, Eddie will do something that reminds him of years past and he’ll get lost in the memory. It worries Eddie a bit, but Wayne just says it’s like seeing the younger version of him overlap with the young man he is today. 

🐟🐟🐟

Eddie’s blinds only do so much to block out the streetlamp outside and it paints his room in a dim yellow no matter the time of night. He used to complain about it but after the Upside Down it’s nice to be able to wake up and see everything semi-clearly. The light leaves an outline of Steve next to him, lying on his back with one arm resting on his own chest and the other reaching towards the side of the bed Eddie is on. Normally he’d be curled up on Steve’s chest and having his hair played with, but tonight Eddie’s opted to pet the face and sides of Lady Krilina Chewsalot to fully calm down before bed. 

“Happy anniversary, baby.” Sleep seeps into Steve’s words and they come out as little more than a whisper. He yawns and turns on his side and scoots a little closer to Eddie.

“Today was amazing. Thanks, sweetheart. Happy anniversary.” When Eddie doesn’t move to push Lady K.C. away Steve sighs and gently nudges at Eddie’s shoulder. 

“C’mon, Ed, let’s go to bed. You can hold your shark tomorrow.” 

A scandalized gasp turns into a yawn when Eddie goes to answer. “You can’t make me get rid of her so easily. She is my baby.”

“Mhm. Of course not, wouldn’t dream of it.” Steve’s eyes are closed as he talks, nudging Eddie again but this time trying to roll him over. When he does finally turn onto his side, Steve scoots in quick to cuddle up to his back. It’s all warmth where their bodies connect, Steve attached like a shadow to Eddie so that he can keep cuddling with his whale shark. A kiss is pressed to the back of Eddie’s head and then Steve relaxes with a content sigh.

“G’night, Ed.” It doesn’t take long at all for sleep to take Eddie too. 

Both boys doze off, hearts beating in time with the other.

~

Thank you @snowdepths for letting me use the line "if i were an octopus all three of my hearts would belong to you"!!

(Fun fact for this piece: I had 5 tabs open for different aquarium facts/layouts to try and make this accurate. 😅)

[lucky-stick]

why am i now questioning hyenas now it might just be a fix type tho cus im also questioning birds cus weird wing shifts

but anyways today i went to the zoo and saw lots of animals also went to an aquarium yesterday so i might post abt it the annoying 10 image post limit so there will be mutiple parts but anyways im going home today which im happy about i missed my den and my pack and the wife :3

i shall post pics soon ^^

[jjkeremika]

ha(u)nted soldier

description: eren meets you while abroad for war and tells armin about you; written like letters between eren and armin

eren jaeger x fem!reader (also friendship eren x armin)

Dear Armin,

Went into *redacted* to replenish supplies. It's a nice city. I wish I could show it to you. But don't go enlisting and joining me; I need people to come home to.

I met someone today. I went to the local library to find the right words to describe her to you. Ethereal and enrapturing come close, but they're not right. She has this lightness about her. Different. Nice.

Write soon,

E. Jaeger.

**********************

Dear Eren,

Nicer than the last place you told me about? Still no green skies? Annie and I took Erwin Jr. to the new aquarium. They managed to bring in all kinds of marine life from all over the world. When you come home I'll take you!

Ethereal, huh? It would make sense. You'd need an angel to balance you.

I write more frequently than you do,

Sir Armin A-L.

P.S. I wasn't going to enlist anyway.

****************

Dear Armin,

Stop signing off with 'Sir' like a dick. We get it -- Queen Historia knighted you for a railway system. It's not like you gave your life or anything. I would say I'd hope Junior takes after Annie more, but she's a dick too. He sees Mikasa too right?

I asked her to dinner tonight, apparently she's engaged. Convinced her to walk along the beach with me instead. She captured the sunlight so nicely. They write poems about that right? Can you give me one?

I'm at war dickhead,

E. Jaeger.

*****************

Dear Eren,

I don't believe you need to give your life to contribute to society. Where you got that notion is beyond me. And he's a great kid. I hope you get to meet him one day.

Poems are supposed to come from the heart. But if she's engaged then...

I know. I worry for you every day,

SIR Armin A-L.

***************

Dear SIR Armin Dickhead,

She visited the docks again to see me. I wanted to tell her everything, Armin, but I couldn't say anything. I wanted to tell her I've seen the beauties and riches of this world but I've never been interested until her. I wanted to tell her life is unrelenting and unrewarding, but seeing her was inspirational. I wanted to tell her that I used to stay up thinking of the endless horrors of war and now I'm thankful for it to have brought us together.

It was a silent walk. I almost kissed her. But I could hear your voice in my head telling me not to. At least I think it was your voice.

I'm scared I'm forgetting what you all sound like,

E. Jaeger.

P.S. Don't tell Mikasa I said that. I don't think she could handle knowing that I can't remember your voices.

******************

Dear Eren,

You don't give her enough credit, but I won't say anything. I'm not sure how you expect anyone to handle that.

Nice poem. Have you told her?

It's a stamp,

Sir Armin A-L.

********************

Dear Armin,

I've been spending my free nights at her residence recently. Can't say I've been sleeping. The way she moves is--get this--captivating (found another word for you). Touching her and feeling her is electrifying. Is that how it felt with Annie?

I think you two would get along. She has such interesting things to say, I can't always keep up. And she has all these hobbies and books I've never heard of. We're reading a few pages of this one Adventure book. I've been tracing the images while she sleeps to show you eventually. It's a long process. She's very convincing about returning to bed.

Get a new stamp,

E. Jaeger.

[tommyssupercoolblog]

I LEARNED TODAY THAT STINGRAYS?? ARE SO FRIENDLY??????

We went to the petting place for them and if you stood still at the edge then a stingray would come up and poke his head out and wait for you to pet him. Sometimes I would pet one and another would come jump up next to me asking for a turn, and I'd have to go back and forth until one or both of them left. Sometimes one would just straight up CLIMB THE OTHER GUY to get pet instead lol

They also were good at communicating when they DIDN'T want to be pet! They would dip towards the bottom of the tank.

I loved seeing them poke their heads up at the edge of the water and wait for someone to pet them 🥹🥹🥺🥺 one stingray in particular KEPT DOING IT. TO EVERYONE. And making his rounds and getting so many pets.

Anyway AQUARIUM POG we saw sharks and seahorses and axolotls and eels and many kinds of fish. AND THEY ALSO INEXPLICABLY HAD LIKE??? TIGERS, LIZARDS, AND AN ARMADILLO??? Those are NAWT fish but I was happy to sees them :3

I also managed to avoid my FEAR (crabs)

[hiding-in-the-vault]

What’s an interest of yours you don’t get to talk about very much? Could be a hobby, a niche piece of media you like, an animal or era of history you're obsessed with. Anything! How did you get into it? What do you like about it?

-🐝

If you asked me this two days ago, I would have said Critical Role or something. But you asked me this today, and I am currently going insane about fish again.

I've talked about my fish hobby here two or three times, but not enough, so now I will subject people to it once more!

LOOK AT THIS

CARPETED PLANTS.

G R A S S

I need this in my life so badly. I tried once before and it failed miserable but now I'm smarter and stronger and wiser and know more about substrate i could do it. i BET I COULD .

Anyway to actually answer your questions, I love freshwater fish and aquascaping! I got into it back in college; one of my friends was always into it via her dad having an aquarium, and she offered go to a pet store with me and get some fish. I had no interest before, but I jumped into it and never went back!

I like it because it feels so much like an art form. Picking the right colored sand to compliment the rocks or wood, and then picking fish that contrast that. All based on whatever best fits the parameters, ofc. Always looking for ways to make it better, more balanced, etc. Every tank is so unique to the owner.

And also the simple joy of keeping something alive and happy :) Learning about different fish breeds personalities and the different ways they interact with me or each other. Its usually very subtle but some breeds are so expressive and I love them <3

[wandafiction]

Selachimorpha - Just Us Chapter 68

Warnings: Mostly Fluff, Slightly Suggestive Theme

Word Count: 4841

Series List | Chapter 67 | Chapter 69

================================

"Where are the boys anyway?" I turn to Wanda once I've helped her out of the car and closed the door.

"With Hope." Wanda slowly snakes her arm around the back of my waist, obviously afraid of my reaction so when I wrap my arm around her shoulder to pull her close I feel her body relax. 

"Ho- oh- you met Hope?"

"Mhmm, I did. She is giving the boys a behind the scenes tour of the sharks. Or so she said she would." 

"I always find it funny that Hope ended up working in the aquarium." I lock the car, and me and Wanda start to walk back to the entrance as we continue to chat.

"Why?"

"Well because she majored in Entomology. Officially she is Dr Hope Pym. But of course being a Pym she couldn't have just one major so she also majored in marine biology."

Wanda hums as she moves her head to rest against the side of my chest. Her hands seem to be gripping a little tightly to my coat, not that I'm going to question it. I have a feeling she is going to be affectionate or at least more cuddly and touchy for a while. I don't mind as long as she feels safe enough to talk to me. 

I mean maybe it's partially my fault she didn't open up as well, not just her past. I mean I am meant to make her feel safe enough to talk to me, not about everything all at once but little by little. When I realised how much I was opening up, which was a surprise to even myself I knew it was because I felt safe and protected. So I could open up. 

It just makes me think maybe Wanda doesn't feel those things. So if holding on to me, cuddling just something as simple as pecking her lips so she knows I'm there will slowly draw her out of her shell so I can start breaking down her walls then I can wait. But then again, even with all that being safe isn't just about the small affections it's more about what the other person feels when with one another. 

"Do you feel safe with me?" Wanda removes her head from my side to look at me with scrunched brows. 

"Of course I do, baby. You make me feel protected and loved." Her eyes search mine and I think she sees my hesitation about her answer because she lets out a small sigh as we continue walking slowly to the entrance. 

"It's not that I don't feel safe enough to talk to you baby, because I do and I'm so thankful that you care so much. It's just my problems were never the biggest in the room, so I learnt to push it down...hide it away from others and myself. I don't even know how my emotions boiled over today, I have a lot going on up here." She taps her head as she presses her lips together, looking at the surrounding area as we show our re-entry bands and get in without a fuss.

"There's a few things that I need to talk about, it's nothing about you and not about me and you. It's all on me, and I know I'm not very good at the talking, and the being open. It's all new to me. The fact you had to drag it out of me this morning proves that point. I went from 0 to 100 in seconds and in no way is it your fault. I need you to know it's not your fault. So tonight, once the boys are asleep we can talk. Properly. I am still learning things about myself, more and more since being with you and I'm still learning to be okay with all this change." 

"Then we can learn and grow together." I stop us just outside of the ocean wonders building so we are not talking about this when we find the boys. "I don't need you to tell me every little thing as soon as it happens, I don't ever want to make you feel like I am forcing you to do something you don't want to do. Apart from today where I felt that I desperately needed something just as much as you needed to release something. I just want you to tell me when you're stressed or something is playing on your mind, nagging you from the deep dark and scary. Because I don't want to be on the other end of it when it all boils over." 

"I really am sorry baby, I just let my emotions get the best of me. I didn't mean a thing that came out of my mouth, I was so lost in my own mind at that moment, I have never even thought about those things. So please believe me when I say not a single thing I said is true, you would have been a great mother had you been given a proper chance to watch your baby girl grow up." Wanda's hands cupping my face, my eyes flutter closed and I lean into her touch. 

I may be hurt by her words, but I do believe her when she says she doesn't mean it. I've been there, I said a lot worse in fact but she is apologising and making sure I have some understanding of why. It shows how remorseful she actually is. I turn my head to the side kissing the palm of her hand, a soft smile grows on my face and I see a lot of Wanda's worries wash away for just a moment. 

"I'm going to have to do a lot of pining and wooing to try and make this whole day up to you." I huff out a small laugh kissing her hand a few more times.

"I would say yes, but just you being open with me is showing me that we can get past this. This doesn't mean I can forgive you straight away and I mean maybe a little pining over me wouldn't cause a great deal of harm, but just know. We are going to be okay, I want us to work and this is just a bump in the road that we have to smooth over before we can move forward." 

"You are wise beyond your years Y/n, and it makes me fall in love with you even more with the way you see things in life. You have an extraordinary way of looking about things and your outlook on life is so fundamentally positive it truly astounds me." Her hands move from my face to hold the lapels of my coat pulling them across my body a bit more. "So tonight, how about we all have a nice family meal. We can have a small movie with the boys. Then once they have gone to sleep we can talk, really talk. About everything." 

"That sounds lovely princess. We can stay up as long as you need to and we can speak about anything you need to. I love you Wanda."

"I love you too Y/n." 

I wrap my arms around Wanda's neck pulling her into me, her arms wrap around my waist underneath my coat as her head rests on my chest. One of my hands moves to scratch at her scalp, and her hot breath warms my shirt when she lets out a content sigh. I rest my chin on the top of her head, my eyes scanning the surrounding area to see the world outside of our little  bubble that we once again create. I squeeze my hand against Wanda's shoulder and lean back to look down at her, putting some hair behind her ear.

"Let's go find the boys."

I wrap my arm around Wanda's shoulder pulling her into my right side, and her hands grab onto the front and back of my coat; her head resting back on the side of my chest. I text Hope as we walk in asking where to meet her and she gives me the code for the door to get through the back and meet them at the top of the shark tanks. 

Wanda gives me a confused look when I drag her away from the main attraction and down an unlit hallway, and to a door that says do not enter in big red letters. Wanda pulls on my hand, gaining my attention before I can start putting the door pin in.

"What are you doing?" Wanda whispers as her head tilts back to look back down the hallway, obviously making sure no one sees us.

"Nothing." I shrug nonchalantly as I go to the keypad.

"Y/n we can't be here."

"Says who?" 

"The big red sign right there." She whisper shouts as she points at the warning sign. 

"Do you trust me?" 

"Of course I do." I smirk as she sees where this is going.

"Then trust me with this."

"Fine but if we get arrested for trespassing I'm throwing you under the bus and you can stay the night in a cell." She says half seriously but with a joking tone.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." I turn to the pad and start to input the code.

844339277777#

I hear the door click and smile at my success, trying to keep the act up that me and Wanda are breaking into the backroom. I turn to look at Wanda as I push the door open, and her jaw drops a little, her eyes flicking to me then the lock.

"That's a long as fuck pin. How did you even guess it?" 

"It's Hope's favourite insect, so I thought it was worth trying." 

"Of course you did." 

I roll my eyes as I pull Wanda through the open door and down another dark hallway and up a flight of stairs. Her grip in my hand tightens when she hears voices ahead trying to pull me back and away from them.

"Wanda, it's just the boys and Hope. She gave me the code for the door and we are heading to meet them."

"Meany pants."

"Scaredy pants."

"I wasn't scared, I was just being...overly cautious."

"Sure Jan." 

I pull her back under my arm now she knows my true intentions and allows me to lead her to the top of the shark tanks. The boys are too busy pointing out everything they see and getting excited at the smallest thing. Hope looks up from her spot next to the boys, smiling happily when she sees both of us walking toward the three of them. Standing up and making her way towards us, the boy's eyes not even looking up from the tank.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up." 

"Well we are here now." I let go of Wanda so I can hug Hope, before letting go and wrapping my arm around Wanda's shoulders again. "Hope this is Wanda, Wanda Hope. I heard you two met already but I thought I would introduce you properly."

"It's lovely to officially meet you Wanda, I would say I have heard lots about you but this one has been keeping you a secret from me." 

"Oh has she now?" Wanda turns to me as Hope hums out a yes. "And why is that baby?" Wanda's tone is playful.

"Because the last person I introduced her to, she ended up whooping his ass." Hope laughs out holding her hands in fake surrender.

"Hey if you bring me a dumbass named Scott who thinks he can just pry his way into my life because my father and you like him then think again. He deserved getting his ass whooped a little."

"Maybe but aren't you giving it a real go now?" 

"Enough about me. Wanda, your boys are so adorable and amazing. They really find this stuff interesting which is pretty cool actually, not many teenagers think looking at sharks is cool. They take a picture and leave, but your boys have a keen interest." 

I let out a small laugh at the change of conversation knowing full well that Hope and Scott are most definitely together.

"Thank you. Yeah they have always been very adventurous and inquisitive. They love exploring and finding out new things to learn. They definitely got that from me." 

"Well not that they have spotted you guys, too busy looking at the sharks but do you want to join them in looking in the tank?" 

"When have I ever said no?" 

"When you were with bitch face."

"Okay, no need to call me out on my shit." I laugh so she knows I have taken no offense and I see Wanda smiling between me and Hope at our banter.

"Mom, Y/n come look. This is so cool." Tommy calls us over finally spotting us. 

"I will leave you guys to it. I have a few talks around the building so just come find me before you leave so I can say bye." She gives both me and Wanda a hug before disappearing down the stairs.

Me and Wanda don't wait another second before sitting down either side of the boys as their eyes scan the water, but I can't look at anything but Wanda. The way the reflection of the water and light dances across her face creating these amazing patterns that show her in all her beauty. I get lost in all that she is, it's like she is enchanting me to never look away, a strong force not letting me leave until I've remembered every little detail that magically seems to appear under the reflection of the world around us. I didn't know such beauty could exist, but she is a goddess in human form. In another world she may be known as Aphrodite or Venus, but in this world she is Wanda. My Wanda. I am so happy I get to spend everyday with someone only most people could ever dream of just meeting. 

I don't realise I am still staring until I feel a tap on my shoulder, my eyes flicking to the culprit who is a very worried looking Billy. 

"You okay Y/n? I've been trying to get your attention for a while." His voice quiet, keeping the conversation between us. I give him a soft smile, looking back at Wanda who is already looking at me, a light blush covers her cheeks as a fuzzy smile is painted on her face.

"I'm more than okay Billy. Just lost in a world of my own creation and coming out on the other side." 

"Hmm, what's it like on the other side of your mind's world?" 

"It's scary some of the time, it's like I have a ticking time bomb waiting to implode on everything good that I have built on the other side. All the good, all the bad and everything in-between the two exists on the other side. But in the inner world there is nothing but darkness which is scarier than anything on the other side of the world that has been crossed." 

"I want to go to the other side, it sounds like a very interesting place."

"You are already on the other side Billy, it is our reality, our present, it is what we call home. It's full of hope and wonder. It's a truly amazing place to finally be." I don't know if my rambling of other worlds and other sides makes sense to Billy, but he nods his head a couple of times thinking over my words. 

"So the world in your mind is like, uh, your mental health and the other side is you finally seeing a way out of it. Or a way of dealing with it." 

"You are very smart for your age Billy, very mature to understand what it was I was on about." 

"Thank you." It's quiet for a few beats. "I'm proud of you for pulling through whatever it is you are or we're going through." 

"I am too." 

"Hey you two, stop whispering to one another and come join us." Me and Billy got so lost in conversation we hadn't even noticed Wanda and Tommy move to sit on the opposite side of the tank.

"Yes come here Y/n, please, Hope said you have some really cool shark facts or know a lot about sharks. And I have SO many questions." Tommy waves his hand over frantically trying to get me to hurry up.

I give in, rolling my eyes as I stand up holding a hand out to hoist Billy off the floor. He jumps to his feet and to my surprise pulls me into a hug, his arms wrapping around my neck as he rests his chin on my shoulder. 

"I love Y/n." I wrap my arms around his shoulders and give him a small squeeze.

"Love you too Billy." I pull away. "Now! Let's geek out about sharks." 

I drag him over to where Tommy and Wanda are and as we go to sit down Wanda pulls me down next to her, landing with a small thump on the ground I huff of air escaping my lungs. She gives me a small apologetic look but doesn't say anything. Instead she moves her legs from underneath her laying on her side with her head in my lap. Like I said, extra cuddly. I weave my hands through her hair, every now and again scratching her head. 

"So boys, what do you want to know?" I turn my attention away from Wanda, but make sure my hands keep messing with her hair. 

"Everything!" They both wiggle excitedly on their butt's.

"Okay well let's start with the scientific name for sharks."

"There's another name for sharks?" Billy raises a brow in question.

"Oh yeah, don't they give them like Latin names or something?" Tommy looks at me in excitement at his fact.

"They do. So sharks are also known as Selachimorpha. "

"That sounds fancy?" Wanda laughs against my lap. 

"It is very fancy. So. What's the coolest shark in the tank to you boys?" 

"The tiger shark there. The one with the jagged teeth and looks like it could eat you alive." Tommy points out the shark he is on about.

"So that is a sand tiger shark. Also known as Carcharias taurus . False to the beliefs of many people the sand tiger shark is not actually that closely related to tiger sharks themselves. They are also very harmless to humans, never has there been a fatality at the hands -or rather teeth - of these sharks." 

"So it's not that deadly?" Billy asks as his eyes follow the slow moving beast around the tank.

"Not to us no, but if you are a squid, some bony fish or even some types of shark then they would most definitely be deadly."

"So it's called a sand tiger shark, but isn't actually a tiger shark?" Wanda speaks quietly from my lap.

"No, not at all. But it isn't just known as a sand tiger shark either. In the UK it's known as a grey nurse shark, which is a common name in other places too. The funniest name, and I would say the most descriptive yet least helpful is what they say in South Africa." 

"What do they call it?" Tommy leans forward slightly to see past Billy to me.

"It's called the spotted ragged-tooth shark."

"Wow, that's such a creative name." Billy's voice is full of sarcasm. 

"That's what everyone says. Anything else you want to know?"

"What about that one that's got the really flat head." Wanda asks, taking a peek into the tank.

"The one resting on the bottom?"

"Yeah." Wanda settles her head back into my lap and I swear I almost hear her purr when I start scratching at her scalp.

"Do you boys know what that one is?" 

"I think I saw the sign downstairs that said it was a nurse shark." Billy informs us.

"That's correct. Did you catch the scientific name?" 

"No but I know it was long and complicated." I laugh at his confession.

"It is. But the scientific name for a nurse shark is Ginglymostoma cirratum. "

"How do you know this stuff?" Tommy asks, stunned at my knowledge.

"I like to read, and my friend studied this for like 4 years in college. I helped her study, these sort of things stick with you." 

"Fair enough. So tell us about the Gin...Gingly…. What is is again?" Tommy asks, frustrated he can't get it the first time. 

" Ginglymostoma cirratum. "

"Okay, so tell us more about the Ginglymostoma cirratum. "

"Okay where to start? Oh so these sharks have had more attacks on humans than the sand tiger shark. There have been plenty of nurse sharks that have attacked humans, but I blame the humans not the sharks."

"Why the humans when it's the shark that attacks." Wanda turns her head to look up at me in question.

"Because a lot of divers disturb them and try to touch them. They aren't very cautious probably because of how lazy and slow the shark looks, but in reality it will bite you. So don't be fooled." 

"Why is the nurse shark the only shark who is laying still? Is it dead?" I giggle at Tommy's question, shaking my head.

"No, not at all. It's probably asleep." 

"But I read somewhere that sharks don't stop moving even when asleep." Tommy now turns to me slightly confused at the discovery of the nurse shark's habits.

"That is true for most sharks. If most sharks stop moving they will quite literally drown, because the way their respiratory system works. So sharks don't actually have lungs, like mammals do. So sharks like fish have gills, now the gills are basically like the lungs of these animals. So as they move, they leave a small gap in their mouths and water passes through their gills. There are these teeny tiny blood vessels within these gills which are able to extract oxygen from the water, and also remove carbon dioxide from their blood at the same time. Like all animals, sharks need oxygen to breathe and carbon dioxide is a harmful gas that can kill us and them. So that's why a lot of sharks will swim all day everyday, they even swim when sleeping." 

"Okay so that's why, in those programmes, where sharks are caught in the big shark nets by the beaches are dead. They don't starve like I thought, but instead drown? That's really sad for a creature that swims around its whole life." Tommy's face creases into a sad frown.

"It is, but the shark nets are there to keep people safe from sharks like great whites. But they are not the best solution when they end up killing animals." 

"Okay so how can a nurse shark stay still if they should be drowning?" Billy questions and I smile at how intrigued they are and how happy they are listening to me ramble out my knowledge.

"So it's pretty simple. It's called the buccal pumping system. So the shark will lower what is called the floor of their buccal cavity to pull air into their mouths. Then the floor of the buccal cavity is raised so the water rushes through the gills and the oxygen can be extracted from the water, like normal. They can do this for quite a few hours as well." 

"That's so cool that they have evolved in a way that basically makes them the lazy sharks of the ocean." All 4 of us laugh as Tommy's eyes move left to right as he looks around the tank.

"Or all the other sharks have dumb evolution traits because they can't ever stop moving, which must be pretty tiring." Billy points out. "Sharks are cool."

"They are aren't they?" Both boys hum in agreement and when I look down to Wanda I smile at what I see. "I think it's time to get home boys?" 

They look over to me about to question my reasons when their eyes dart down to see Wanda asleep, with a relaxed smile on her face. I gently dance my finger down the edge of Wanda's face, on the outline of her hair as I quietly whisper her name to try and wake her without starling her. I feel her start to move her head in my lap, I smile as I expect her to look up at me but roll my eyes when she is stubborn and keeps them closed stopping her movements. So I continue to draw along around her jawline, as I whisper to her.

"Wanda." 

Nothing.

"Wanda."

Nothing.

"Princess."

Surprisingly nothing, but smile when I know what will get her to break into a smile.

"Baby." 

And just like that a smile makes its way onto her face as she turns her head to look at me, her eyes fluttering open. When she sees me looking down at her with a warm smile her nose scrunches with her smile only increasing in size.

"Hi princess." 

"Hi baby." She does a small stretch of her arms and legs, but chooses to keep her head in my lap.

"I think it's time to go home. The boys agree. We can always come back another day and explore properly." 

"Okay, let's do that." Her eyes close for a second but shoot open when water ends up on her face. 

She tilts her head backwards to look at the boys upside down who are laughing as they wipe their hands dry. Her back is arched off my legs, her legs slightly bent and it takes a lot of willpower to not say or do anything. In any other environment I would definitely do something, but I can't. Maybe she is doing it on purpose and teasing me because she holds that position much longer than is needed. The boys are already on their feet and ready to go. 

"You guys coming?" Tommy tilts his head in question. 

"You go ahead, and say bye to Hope who should be giving a small talk in front of the shark tank. We will catch up." I'm thankful they don't question further and walk off and towards the stairs. 

Wanda watches them go, her body still in the very compromising position so I move my hand to rest on the inside of her thigh. I bite my bottom lip when she gasps, as I squeeze it gently, her back arching slightly more as her eyes close. 

"You're being naughty babygirl." 

I remove my hand from her thigh as she whines at the loss of contact, but finally relaxes her body. She moves her head back to my lap looking up at me with blown pupils, her lip between her teeth. 

"Behave or no strap." She gasps and sits upright, staring at me with a look of bewilderment. 

"That's rude." She crosses her arms, jutting out her bottom lip to form a pout. "You know how much I love that thing."

"Then be a good girl and behave." I stand up holding my hands out for her to grab, grumbling as I help lift her to her feet. "Come on, the boys are waiting." 

"Uhm, Y/n." I turn to give her my full attention as her voice sounds nervous. "I still want to talk, tonight, before we have sex or anything. I think it's important, I don't want us to be using sex as a distraction from what needs to happen." 

"I agree. We can get lost in the haze quite easily, but tonight's all about us talking and creating an environment where both of us feel safe enough to talk to the other." 

"You're not mad after that little moment?" 

"I won't ever be mad at you for not wanting sex. If you don't feel like it, not in the mood for it or even if we get started and you change your mind. I will never be made." I smile at her as I come to a small realisation.

"What are you smiling at?" 

"You."

"What about me?"

"You just opened up about an insecurity about how you were worried about my reaction to you saying no sex."

"Huh I guess I did. Well look at that I'm making progress."

"We are making progress." She stands on her tiptoes to peck my lips a couple of times and I mumble my words against them as she continues to peck them. "We are also making the boys wait. So come on, let's get home and have a nice meal. Then when the boys are asleep, we can talk." 

"You have to ask me the question first." For a moment I'm confused at what she means but then a smile grows on my face when I realise what she is asking for.

"Yours or mine princess?"

================================

[imagines-babes]

Amor Eterno (Foolish)

Hello thank you for over 70 followers and reblogs,likes, and request. I will be getting back to qsmp quackity but someone from my wattpad had an idea of Qsmp! Wilbur headcannons so that in the near future. Anyway today story is long. Also warning this does involve death and a shooting. Just remember this is all fake and it is for the story. The song for today is ‘Amor Eterno,’ Rocío Dúrcal. I hope you enjoy and you can request okay that’s all bye. One more thing it does use his real name in the story.

Foolish_Gamers list Masterlist

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Foolish pov

Just another day, it was a happy day. No distractions. No streaming. No filming. Just me and y/n. Us together.

It started in the late morning. We didn't complain. We both needed it. Maybe me more than y/n. But still, we needed it. Getting dressed for the day together. Y/n said they planned the day. Which if it was me I would probably not have done a good job even if y/n tell me otherwise. She kiss my cheek as I chuckled.

Leaving to head inside the car. Sitting on the passenger side as she drives. There was one thing that she wasn't bothered by that made me like her more was she didn't mind if I was a passenger princess. She enjoyed driving but if she drove she has to pick the music. Which I agreed to those rules. Placing a hand on her thigh while she drove his face broke into a smile. For I, looking to the side out the window remembering how we first met. Usually, I won't remember most things but at that moment it was the most important thing for me.

It was the day of the streamer awards. Everyone was being seated while others started to talk seeing their friends for this awards ceremony. Tina was talking to her. She sits at the table next to us. Her dress was navy blue but under the lighting was black. She started to talk more as she look over at me flashing a smile towards me as I froze. Karl was trying to get my attention snapping out of a trance looking over at him. I didn't hear much because my mind was still on her. Till Tina called me over and introduced us. She smiles once more. The smile made me fall for her. I didn't even know them well and I fell for her hard. Her name was Y/n. After that night, we went on to the message and me asking her out.

Feeling the car stop, she looked over to me, 'Ready to go inside.'  Look out the window once more, 'I thought we could go to the aquarium if that's fine with you.' I nod. 'Anything you have planned is always gonna be fine with me.' Giving a smile we both walk inside. Looking at all the fish, sharks, and many other sea animals. Holding her hand as she sometimes rushes to the next part taking every detail in one section. While I started to stare at her. Noticing her smile, the perfume that she puts on, how she does her hair, and how she talks about anything. She looked above us to see a shark smile. 'Hey look it's you,' I look at her then above us to see it swimming around. We reached a part where we can touch the sting ray, I look over at her once more as I notice she was scared. 'It's alright you know you don't have to be scared,' shaking her head immediately. 'I'm not l. I've touched one before for your information Noah.' She stares at me as I called her bluff. Going up to pay for herself to touch one. She stands near the area looking around sticking her hand in as I stand beside her. ‘You sure you can-‘ she glared at me, ‘I’m just feeling the water shut up I know I can do it.’ Watching her hand reach in deeper and then pull it out. There were no strings ray around so we moved to a different spot. Noticing one near a child. Looking at the water once more seeing them touch the little girl's hand while I looked over at y/n. She held her hands together. ‘You don’t have to if you don’t want to.’ Y/n looked up at me as she shakes her head. ‘No, I’m doing it. I paid for it so might as well do it.’ The little girl no more than 6 looked over at us. ‘Are you scared?’ She had a red baseball hat looking over at y/n. She nods. ‘Yeah, but I can do it.’ The little girl gave me a stare then back at y/n. ‘We can touch the next one together.’ Y/n nods putting her hand in once more with the little girl having her hand inside already. The stingray is approaching. The little girl felt it first then move her hand to not touch her hand. She looks at y/n. Y/n felt the stingray back as it was slimy as she pulled it out. The little girl clapped for y/n as I did the same. ‘You did it,’ the little girl smile as she stepped away from the touch tank. ‘Thank you. Where are your parents?’ Y/n asked as the little girl saw them in the corner. ‘They are over there with my brother.’

The atmosphere change as soon as a guy came in with a duffel bag. A guy was feeling as soon as y/n notice him. Both of his hands were in his bag. ‘Hey, little one why don’t you go back with your parents? We will walk you to them right Noah?.’ All I did and agreed. We started to hear till the gunshot appeared behind us. We were all running. All you could hear was glass shattering and people screaming. The little girl was holding onto y/n we ran to the door to leave. Hearing something fall behind us was one of the guards from the front. With us outside we start to hear sirens and lights. Y/n, let’s go of the little girl as she ran to her parents. They thanked you. Mostly y/n. ‘Noah I don’t think I can stand,’ I feel her lean into me. I grab her before she can hit the floor. Looking down at her shirt seeing a gunshot in her chest. I tried to put pressure to stop it from bleeding. Trying to call for someone there was a crowd starting to form. ‘Call 911 please anyone.’ I stare back at y/n she gives a weak smile. Feeling her hand on top of mine. ‘ The little girl is safe right?’ Y/n asked as I nod. ‘Don’t worry about her. Worry about yourself alright y/n’ a person from the crowd says they were 12 minutes away. Looking down at y/n. ‘Do you hear that y/n they are 12 minutes away you just have to stay awake alright?’ Her breath started to slow down. I feel her hand on my cheek. ‘You are gonna be okay alright,’ she was talking as if she was going to die. ‘Don’t talk like that y/n Please don’t talk like that.’ She smiles at me. ‘You are one of the prettiest men I know you know that Noah.’ She moved my hair out of my face. I nod. ‘Noah..how far are they?’ The time felt longer the 12 minutes felt like an hour. But only two minutes have passed. ‘10 minutes okay just breathe and stay with me.’ She tried to nod but her eyes started to close, ‘No No No y/n you have to stay with me, honey. You have to alright they will be here,’ she shakes her head. ‘I’m tired Noah I need to close my eyes,’ she close for a second till I shake her, ‘ I love you you know that Noah I never loved anyone like I have loved you. I need you to let me sleep and I need you to be happy for what we had,’ she stare at me. Shaking my head as she nods, ‘No I’m not gonna let you sleep you have to stay with me please y/n. Who is gonna be with me? When I sleep? When I stream? Who’s gonna make fun of me for when I messed up? Who is gonna laugh with me other stupid jokes. Y/n you can’t leave me not now please.’ I start to hold her with one arm. Feeling her thumb crests my cheeks. ‘ Someone else will and they will do something’s that I couldn’t do. I love you Noah more than anything but they won’t make it and I need to know you will be okay.’ All I did was nod. ‘I need to hear you say it.’ She looked up at me wiping some tears. ‘I will try to be okay’ she breaks into a smile pulling me in for one more late kiss. This kiss was a goodbye. Goodbye for us. Pulling back from the kiss she stare at me once more with a smile. The spark in her eyes as she smile slowly went away. Feeling her hand slide off my cheek to her chest. Hearing the paramedics park near us the rush. They tried to move me away but it wasn’t worth it. They tried to catch a breath or something to revive her. It was too late. They were a minute late. Y/n died in my arms.

It wasn't supposed to end like this. But it did.

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Life Is Short So Make It Sweet

Chapter Thirteen: Proceed To The Exit

Summary- 5.9 Curtis Everett x Plus!Sized Reader. Winter Break is swiftly coming, making you busier than ever with getting your drama club ready for its first performance. There is also the aquarium date Curtis invited you to just before Thanksgiving, which is some much needed adult time for you both.

Warnings- Adult sexual activities, oral, some talk about critters like bats.

A/N- Hello hello! I've been waiting for this chapter because personally, I love aquariums and museums. The one I described in this chapter is very reminiscent of the one where I live. I have been going since I was a kid, still, try to make a once a year trip to visit. I was always that kid that pretended dinosaurs still existed, picked up snakes, lizards, and toads, makes sure to catch spiders to release them, and brought home frog eggs to hatch them. Anyways the huge fish like the sturgeon in our Echo Center always fascinated me, like living dinosaurs. The readers' love for this is my love for all this. As always thank you to everyone who reads and shares. Special thank you to @what-is-your-plan-today for the edits. Divider made by @firefly-graphics.

Chapter Twelve / Masterlist

The following days flew by, You and your class were getting ready for winter break and doing evening rehearsals with the drama club after school. Then there was prepping for sending out packages for your sister and her family in Florida as well as a package of gifts to your parents in New York, not to mention Christmas cards to your aunt, uncle, and cousins that you still kept somewhat in touch with. All while trying to keep up with life in general. The first couple weeks December was turning nothing short of hectic.

Curtis remained just as busy himself with the train yard, as well as helping Paulie at the bar during the busier time of year. It put some extra cash in his savings and you had insisted he does it since you were busy most evenings with after school projects. A few days a week he would stop off at the school on his way to Paulie’s, catch sight of you working with the kids on stage finalizing lines. When you would notice him standing in the back watching, you would slip away from them to go do a quick visit. 

Curtis never missed the enthusiastic grin that would cross your face when you would weave your way through the cafeteria that doubled as the school auditorium. “I didn't think I would get to see you today.” Your eyes would gleam in relief when he would hold up the to go package of food he picked up on his way over. “Or that you would be bringing me dinner.” You would go to your tiptoes to give a thank you kiss and Curtis would take advantage of you being in his space to draw you in closer. 

After all, these were few and far between on weekdays when you both were doing what life required of you, anxiously waiting for the weekend to roll around. “Figured you were probably too busy to make yourself something proper tonight.” Setting the bag down on one of the nearby tables, you would look a tad sheepish as he made an accurate assumption. You hadn't even given a thought to what you would have for dinner and most likely snack on whatever random thing you would find in your apartment before you went to bed exhausted. Your hand slid down his chest to tangle lightly in his chain, not wanting to separate the two of you quite yet. 

“Okay, you caught me, I would have remembered eventually.” You confessed and he gave a slight grumbling sigh that he knew he had been right. “But thank you, for looking out for me Curtis.” 

“Someone needs to. The kids look good up on stage, they must be excited for opening night?” 

You beamed, proud of how hard your students have been working and excited as well for the first big show at Mason Academy you have been a part of. “Tomorrow night, they are so excited and have worked really hard. I just hope the weather holds out so we don’t have to cancel.” 

“It will be fine.” Curtis assured you, a frequent weather checker due to working outdoors most of the time. “Save me a seat, I’m coming to watch with Tanya tomorrow. Timmy has been talking non stop about it she said.” 

“As director, I get prime seating options.” You promised. One of the students called your name, making you look back. “I should probably get back.” You sighed tiredly. 

“I also got to get to Paulie's for a shift,” Curtis stated, cupping your chin and drawing you into a goodbye kiss, bringing his lips to yours with a gentle brush. It made you tingle from the top of your head to the tips of your toes feeling his whiskers tickle you and the press of his plump bottom lip to yours. “Text me before bed?” 

“Promise, don’t cause no trouble at the bar.” 

“Tell people stop testing me then.” He winked as he gave a quick wave to Timmy who was on stage. “Talk later Honey.” 

You gave a little wave goodbye before grabbing your food, and when you looked in the bag you saw he sent enough for you to have for a couple days at least as he always did, and made your way back to the stage. “One last run through guys, then I think we are ready for tomorrow!” The cheer from the kids echoed through the cafeteria. 

The night of the play proved to be a success, Curtis showed up with Tanya, finding out that you had reserved some seats for the two of them. Their names were written in sharpie with smiley faces on a piece of paper.

Tanya was the proud mother, taking many pictures and excitedly whispering to Curtis about how hard Timmy had worked at home memorizing his lines. For Curtis’s part, he enjoyed the show. The kids certainly had done a good job and he saw all those costumes you had diligently worked on over at his house. He also caught glimpses of you behind the curtain, helping out. It wasn't till after the show you finally stepped out into the spotlight with the rest of the kids, and very much like every time he sees you, he is caught up in just how beautiful you looked. 

Curtis could tell you were enjoying yourself, thanking all the parents who had come to see the play, your energy was open, full of smiles and laughs. You were steadily shaking hands and giving praise to how hard the kids worked. Curtis waited for the stream of parents to start to thin out before he approached you with a small bouquet of carnations to gift to you. When you turned to him, there was no missing the excited relieved look you had at seeing him, your eyes were shining bright and a smile was permanently on your lips. You looked happy.

“What a great show Honey.” He held out the bright yellow and pink flowers. You dipped your head to them, your eyes closing as you inhaled there sweet scent. 

“They did all the work Curtis, I just helped. These are beautiful, thank you.” 

“Mmmh, I saw a lot of you in the play, even if no one else knows it.” He let his hand rest against your back to tuck you close. 

It was infectious, your energy and Curtis deemed himself lucky to get to bask in it. 

That Saturday night had you getting ready for the special date. Curtis had invited you before Thanksgiving to attend the adult night at the Aquarium, the function to raise money for the care of the animals living there and you were beyond excited to attend. It required a bit of dressing up, which now you felt much more confident in your choices. You chose a dress that was appropriate for evenings out- a little black dress that shaped around your curves. Your makeup done up a bit more then usual and your hair whisked in a style that pinned it back, allowing the slope of your neck to show off. 

Curtis as well was giving it his all, dress shoes were swapped out from his typical boots or sneakers, black dress slacks that accentuated his long legged stature up to a slim waist. A blue button up shirt was tucked into his pants. 

He was messing with his shirt in the hallway mirror, scowling at himself as he tried getting the collar to straighten out. His eyes lifted to see you coming down the stairway, and his eyes got wide before turning to face you.

“Honey, you look…” You felt your chest tickle with pride and wanting to downplay what he was saying. “You look incredible Honey.” 

You took his compliment to heart instead, not disputing it or trying to brush it off. You licked your lips nervously but gave a smile. “Thank you, do you want some help with that?” 

Tilting his chin up to give you plenty of room, he nodded. “Please? I’m no good at this stuff.” 

“Oh, I think your pretty damn fine with it Curtis.” You stepped in close to reach him. 

He kept the top of his shirt open, choosing not to go with a tie, but when you tucked his collar down, admiring him up close, you couldn’t help but find the entire look and effort very enticing. He had even been sure to trim himself, cutting back the shagginess of his beard and making his hair crisp with a fresh buzz. 

“Everything okay?” His blue eyes a tad nervous as he fiddled with the buttons and you covered his hand with yours to stop him from fretting. 

“I was just caught up in how damn good you looked Curtis.” You were rewarded with a slight pink tinge to the tops of his ears, well aware the back of his neck would be red as well. “Can you go warm the truck up? I will be out in a minute?” 

He patted his pants pockets while glancing around before you handed him his wallet and phone. “Right, lock up on your way out? I got the garage door open, come through there. I already pulled your car in.” 

Assuring him that you would, while he went to do that you went through the house one last time making sure everything was off, leaving the light on above the stove for when you two got back, you made your way outside. 

This time you two went to dinner before the aquarium at the French restaurant Curtis had taken you two at the start of your first date. This time you both enjoyed yourselves, delving into conversation while eating dinner. There simply wasn’t any awkwardness. Curtis opted for grilled Angus steak in a red wine sauce and you had a piece of snapper, also grilled in its own fresh sauce. 

By the time you both finished, there wasn't room for another bite for dessert, and having whatever was left boxed to go, you two proceeded to the museum. 

It was high school since Curtis last attended the freshwater aquarium, but his guess had been right that you would enjoy it. When he led you inside to show his online tickets to require the wristbands needed, you were already clutching at his hand excitedly. Ushered through one last set of doors and out of the cold for good, your jackets were checked and a glass of champagne was offered to both of you. Your arm hooked through his as you sipped from your flute, your eyes roving around to take in the different directions that you two could go.

“Where should we go visit first?” 

Curtis took a look around himself, getting reacquainted with the space. “Well, I think that way was displays of local habitats you will find on Lake Superior which includes otters…” 

“Otters?” You perked up and Curtis nodded to confirm. “I want to see the otters.” 

He chuckled and winked. “Anything you wish Honey.” Leading you in the general direction that the crowd was going, the area leading towards the otters was brightly lit, with glass turtle tanks built into the wall where the reptiles swam and lounged on great log displays.

Something under the water caught your eye and carefully you lowered to look at the lower part of the tank, Curtis bent from the waist to look into the display to see small minnows darting in schools from one particular turtle going for the chase. You admired the underwater set up, it did indeed look like a piece of the lake was set up in the tanks. 

“Think they catch any of those little bastards? They are quick in the water.” Curtis observed while he moved back to a stand, offering his arm for you to get back up as well. The surface of the display hid the chaos underneath, the row of turtles slowly slipping off one by one. 

“That many turtles, I’m sure they don’t stand much of a chance. Turtles are faster then anyone gives them credit for. You ever see one of those race across the road?” 

You two wander from the display, glancing in others showing woodland frogs peeping loudly but well hidden so you and Curtis had to search them out, garter snakes lazily stretching under the heated lamps and toads blinking at the two of them before giving a lazy hop in the small enclosure. You paused at some earthy colored newts creeping along damp moss.

“I used to love these guys. Only ours were fiery orange with dots on there backs. Oh… these too.” You shifted to the next tank, the salamander was much longer and black in color, yellow spots dotting its back. “My sister and I used to go out in the springtime at night and go looking for them. They would always cross through our yard.” 

Curtis peered into the tank. “I remember my grandfather caught one of these at the freight yard, runs right along the river so we see them there all the time in the spring while they are migrating. Came home with it and sent my grandmother just about through the front door.” Curtis laughed at the memory. “I can still hear her now ‘Wilford you get that thing out of my house.’ She wasn’t too keen on any of them indoors. Especially snakes.” 

“What did he do with it?” You asked, having lost focus on the small amphibian in the tank. You were much more keen on watching Curtis’s expressions recalling the memory. 

“He loaded me into the truck and we went back to where he found it. He insisted I let it go so I got to hold it for a bit before it scurried away.” His arm loosely fell around your waist, tucking you in close and smiling to himself. A genuine smile, you could see the way it crinkled the corner of his eyes and made his features relaxed.

“I think.. Yup. The otters are next.” He led you along, keeping you closer now since the crowd started filling out more. You made a mental note of the location for when you brought your class down on a field trip. Know where the otters were because they would be the popular exhibit.

The crowd broke to a large glass wall, the bottom half was much like the turtle tank, filled with water that mimicked the bottom a lake bed. More eye level was the otters above ground display, which featured logs and brush, a slide made to look like a hollowed tree, caverns for them to dart into. 

There was also a large amount of snow dumped in it, which the otter pair were rolling in and sliding into theirwater tank before rushing out to hop into the pile again. Their handlers stood among the pile, giving the presentation, drawing in the crowd. Curtis let his hand settle on your waist, listening to the display given which he knew would help draw in the funds the aquarium was looking for. 

You snapped a few pictures from your phone, listening to the info given while you sent the pictures to your sister with plenty of heart emojis. You inched closer, trying to weave your way through the crowd but you suddenly felt self-conscious, like you were in the way of people. You drew yourself into a corner, glancing over your shoulder to make sure you weren't blocking anyone. 

Curtis ended up following you, pulling you to stand in front of him and tucking your head under his chin as he wrapped his arms around you, seemingly knowing that you suddenly were feeling so in the way and to big in your space. He had no problem easing you two to a better spot in front of the tank. His head dropped to whisper in your ear. “Take a couple more pictures, I'm sure your sister would love these shots.” 

You eased up, and started to forget about being nervous or anxious as you felt his hands resting on your waist and the firm length of his body behind you. You did just as he said, take more pictures and enjoy the show of the otters playing in the snow. You would occasionally lift your phone to show him your sister's response before you moved away from the display. In the less crowded area, he came back up beside you, his arm lifting to drape over your shoulder, still relaxed as ever. Stepping from the bright light room that featured the otters, you two entered an area with large aquariums featuring some of the different styles of lake habitats and aquatic species. 

Curtis let you lead the way the rest of the time, catching a glimpse of who you must be in the classroom as you talked about different species of fish, pointing out the shape of fin patterns for different streams of water, what kind of food they would hunt and what animals would hunt them.

“I didn’t know I was dating a regular outdoors woman.” He arched a curious brow at you and you shrugged a bit, feeling suddenly shy about it. 

“If I wasn’t a teacher, I would have been a biologist. I always loved wildlife. Outdoors woman? Yeah, that is stretching it. I really hate mosquitos.” You shuddered in his hold, making him burst out laughing at your confession. 

“Really hate them Honey, like a lot?” He teased as he couldn't contain his laughter, his hand falling from your shoulder to slap against his chest. You scowled at him in play, elbowing his stomach in retaliation. 

“Okay Mr.Big Shot, you like everything out there?” 

He finished off his champagne in a swallow and you both set your emptied glasses on a bypassing host. “Thank you.” He said, both of you declining another glass. “Oh hell no, know what I hate… Bats.” 

“Bats? Bats are adorable.” While you two ducked into another section, coming up to a huge large tank casting the room in a soft blue glow. You both paused in front of it, watching huge fish, some as long as your body, swim lazily around. 

“They used to scare the shit out of me.” Curtis admitted. “They come swooping down out of nowhere and just barely miss you. I got stuck up in the attic once and there was a whole colony that had set up house. I just about broke down that door to get out.” 

You bit your lip at the mental image of big giant Curtis running from a couple of bats. His gaze looked down at you. “I’m sorry, I know its not okay to laugh.” Your voice bubbled while you tried to keep it somber and he nudged you, winking. 

“You can laugh, it is funny.” 

You let it out, a real genuine laugh, making him join right in while you two watched the lake giants in the tank. Once you two died down, your face lifted up to catch the tanks glow just right, your eyes sparkling in admiration at one in particular.

“That your favorite? The lake sturgeon?” He asked and you nodded, your head tilting as a small smile appeared. 

“Always, they are kind of like looking at the past, you know? Like a living dinosaur. They look intimidating and dangerous, but so rarely will hurt anyone. Plus they are just beautiful, something so large and yet elegant in how it moves.” You sighed almost wistfully at your statement and Curtis grasped your chin gently to look at him, away from the tank. 

“I see what you mean, but I think the only thing I can actually call beautiful in this room is you Honey.” He firmly reminded you, pressing a kiss to your mouth before you could rebut him. “And I refuse to accept anything else.” 

“You are stubborn Curtis, you can’t compare me to fish.” 

“I kinda just did and don’t take anything back.” He smirked and you shook your head at him while he took your hand. As more people came into the area, you two retreated, following the flow of the room till you two went into a river display. 

You continued to let Curtis lead you along, loosing concentration in what the displays were now. Your attention was focused more on the pull of Curtis’s shoulders under the light blue shirt, shifting just right so you could see the muscles in his back with his movements, the shirt tucked firmly in his black dress pants, that in your opinion made his ass look just as good as a pair of jeans could. Whenever the two of you would pause, he would squint just slightly to read the smaller print once in a while when he was really interested in something he would mouth the words along with what he was reading. 

It struck you just how nice this date out was for you, no one would have ever considered taking you to an aquarium. Most certainly not your ex, you had invited him once to something like this and he immediately shot it down. But, not only did Curtis bring you, he fully engaged in it as well, making sure to ask you questions and making his own observations. Even opening up to tell you things about his past. All of it just caught up to you how lucky you were to have met him. It also made you want to show him how much you appreciated him. 

You sidled up closer to him, running your hand along the expanse of his back while leaning up to his ear. “Curtis…” 

He paused from his reading to turn his attention to you. His gaze narrowed slightly at the way you were biting your lip. “You okay Y/N?” 

“Come on, I have another place I want us to check out real quick.” Your hand weaved with his and this time you took the lead, by passing groups of people who were listening to hosts discuss the importance of the display. But you didn’t pause, not till the groups of people started to thin out, leaving behind the more interesting features of an aquarium. As a teacher, you knew the ones people tended to ignore. 

Stepping through a curtain under a large sign that said ‘History of The Great Lake.’ Just as you suspected, it was almost empty. A few couples wandered from old grainy photograph to another, reading the history. You turned to Curtis and put a finger to your lips for quiet. You knew what you were looking for, and when you saw the corner enclosed mostly in darkness, a curtain covering a red exit sign. 

Pulling him around the curtain, you faced Curtis and cupped his face to bring him in closer, urgently kissing him, drawing him in till his hands grabbed at handfuls of your ass to arch you into him as the kiss turned greedy, both of you going breathless to draw away from each other for gasps of air. This is when you prayed to everything you could think of that there wouldn’t be an alarm on the door. And when you backed into it and it clicked open, the two of you stumbling through, it stayed silent. 

Perfect. 

Once through, you pushed him lightly against the wall, dropping your hands to his belt with a smirking look before you dropped to your knees in front of him, fingers easing his belt out of the loop.

“Oh, shit. Right here?” He looked down at you with a wide-eyed surprised expression as you popped it open, along with the button holding his pants closed. The tip of your tongue slid along your lips as you glanced up at him through your lashes. 

“As long as it is okay with you Curtis.” Your fingers found the hidden away zip, tugging it down with a swipe of the zipper's teeth. You started kissing along his hip through his pants, not yet tugging down, but your fingers curled in the band of pants and boxers. “If you want me to stop, I will stop right now.” 

Did he want you to stop? Hell no, his brain was screaming at him while you looked up at him just as sweet as always, the hint of lust in your eyes as you waited for his answer. Your lips kiss swollen red and your tongue just adding to the image of you kneeling right in front of him, inches away from his cock that was now very hard and straining the front of probably the only decent pair of pants he owned. If you didn’t do something now, the likelihood they would be cum stained before this night ended was a real possibility. 

Curtis’s hand dropped to cup the side of your face that you leaned into. “I don’t think I will ever want you to stop.” He said seriously and you broke into a grin, leaning forward once more to kiss against the skin showing, sliding your tongue against the vein leading down as you eased his pants down far enough to give you room. His cock strained the front of his boxer briefs and you kissed there too, still staring up at him as you worked those down too till he was free. Very stiff and erect, you took a second to admire just how well-endowed Curtis was before you wrapped your hands around him, stroking upwards. 

Curtis did his best to remember this image of you, your eyes were all wide eyed and glancing from his cock to his face continuously checking in with him, hovering so close to his now weeping cock head that when you ran your tongue over him, he didn’t know how he was gonna hold out. He let his hand find a place in your hair, not to lead you but just to hold onto you while you wrapped your lips around him. 

Those lips, soft and supple as they stretched around his cock, to see you start to ease him with lots of spit from your mouth and flutters of your tongue teasing his length, he wanted a video. More than anything, he wanted to have this for later when he was alone in bed, horny as fuck picturing you riding his cock. 

Somewhere you must have realized, cause you dragged yourself off him, kissing against his swollen tip once more as your hands now worked him. “Feeling good?” 

“Fuck, It’s uh-” He stammered for a moment, distracted at the way you nipped the inside of his thighs and pressed your face in close to use your mouth to tease his balls. It cut off his train of thought, his grasp in your hair tightening, now this time to lead you. “-Like that, again Y/N.” 

Your mouth wrapped around his sac, sucking and teasing with strokes of your tongue, your nose nuzzled in close to him while you still worked on jerking him off. You started squirming at Curtis’s feet, wrapping your mouth around him again and bopping your head as your hands worked him, humming and moaning the more you took him down. It was turning Curtis into a babbling mess above you. Every time something he liked in particular happened, like your tongue wrapping around him, his hold would twist into your hair and he would break out into praising.

“Pretty Girl, I gotta be in you.” He finally declared, making you pull off him with a panting gasp, nodding that you understood. 

He was rougher than usual with you, but you felt that rush in your core at how he hauled you to your feet and twisted you to lean against the stair banister, looking down at the floor below while large hands pushed the back of your dress up over your hips and his fingers stroked your now soaked panties.

“Fuck, you get this wet suckin’ my dick?” A hook of a finger into the fabric slid them aside to feel your pussy welcoming him. 

“Yes! Fuck me Curtis, I need it bad.” You wriggled back against him, his chest draped over your back and his whiskers scratching at the side of your neck. You felt him groan so deeply that it made you shiver excitedly, arching your head back so he could kiss and nip at your neck. 

“Spread your legs wider.” He plunged fingers into you, finger fucking you with urgency while he grasped your hip with his other hand, holding you in place. You twisted your hands against the banister to steady yourself while doing just as he said, whining out when he moved his hand from between your thighs. But the wide tip of his cock pushed into you and you cried out at the sudden stretch when he filled you. A hand wrapped around your mouth to quiet you. 

“You gotta keep quiet Honey.” He grunted. 

Curtis waited long enough to see the tiny nod from you before dropping his hand to your throat, not tight enough to cut off air, but enough to see his fingertips press against your softer sides, feel you swallow back your cries as he picked up his thrusting pace, fucking into you hard and quick. Your body jolted against the banister in time to his movements while giving little soft cries you did your best to muffle till your mouth dropped open and you became silent. Squeezing around him so perfectly that his cock throbbed against your velvet walls.

“Curtis” You whined out his name in that needy way that confirmed what he knew; you wanted to come. 

“Let me feel you soak my dick Pretty Girl.” he hissed in your ear, tilting himself once more to find your sweet spot and have you break for him. 

Curtis felt it, the way you stiffened suddenly and pushed back against him. He was quick to muffle your cry as you came, slowing down enough to ride you through it, but when he felt you sag against the banister, he ran his hand at your hip to your breast, cupping through your dress and pushing you back against his chest.

“One more Honey, and I will come with you.” A kiss at your jawline was his promise to you. 

This time his fingers found their way into your mouth, sucking on his digits that he had fingered you with. Feeling your tongue wrap through them and your moan made him groan into your shoulder, biting down slightly as he sped up again. Now the sound of you being fucked loud sounded through the emergency exit of the aquarium, your wet pussy squelching with every slap of his pelvis into your ass, and Curtis fought that heated spiral raging in his gut, resisting the urge to fuck his cum into you till you were ready for him. 

He saw your hand loosen its hold on the banister, dropping to between your messy thighs to rub yourself, whining against his hand muffling you. “Come on Pretty Girl, get yourself off.” He hoarsely grunted in your ear while untangling his hand from your mouth back to your throat. You felt so fucking good under his body, soft and giving that he could just keep holding himself in you while you came for him. 

“I gotta, please Curtis.” You pleaded with him. “Tell me your close?” 

“Just keep squeezing me like that Honey.” The heat in his gut spiraled, rushing for that release. “I’m with you, fuck.” 

You came again, moaning out his name once more in relief while he fucked his cum into you, burying his face into your neck to keep himself from giving the two of you away with a yell while you both found your moments of mindless bliss. 

You were thankful for the banister holding you up, because Curtis was heavy behind you, holding you around your waist but still leaning into you. He groaned against you, bracing a hand against the banister next to yours to practically peel himself off your back.

“You okay?” he ghosted his lips against your neck before moving fully to a stand and easing his softened cock from you. Immediately followed by his spend, making you squeeze your thighs together briefly while he fixed your panties back in place. Heavy hands settled to your hips while he flushed kisses against any skin showing on your shoulder while you took a deep breath to clear your head of the fuzziness following an orgasm. 

You felt so fucking good. 

“Never better.” You eased around while he situated himself. You could see the tips of his ears were bright red as well as his neck, you imagined that flush travelled down his chest. He glanced at you and still had that dazed look like his world was just rocked in a good way, making your heart skip a beat and pride filled you that you gave him that. 

“I just… fuck Honey.” He immediately reached for you, drawing you into his hold while cupping your face and kissing you with a bit of teeth scraping at your lip. “Thank you.” 

“You are welcome.” You giggled as you circled your arms around his neck, accepting his affection. The embrace was cut short, a yell at the bottom of the stairwell making you both jump in surprise. Curtis took a quick glance over the banister and motioned that you two had to go. Slipping back out, he slung an arm over your shoulder and steered you out from behind the black curtain and off to a display. Keeping you tucked into his side, you both gazed at the picture of a lighthouse on Lake Superiors shore when the exit door burst open, two aquarium employees stepping out and glancing around.

“Did anyone come out from here?” One asked Curtis, you turned away, sure not to let them see your face in case your makeup was smudged from giving head. 

“You know… a couple came out and headed back towards the animals.” Curtis was sure to point them away from you, sending them off before they figured out it was indeed you two. Once they were gone, Curtis took one look at your face and gave a small grin. “We need to clean you up.” 

“Bathrooms should be up here a bit.” You ducked your face from other patrons and the two of you ended up near the giftshop restrooms, Curtis waiting outside while you went to go fix your smudged makeup. 

When you came back out, you looked back up at him, a nervous little grin on your lips. “Better?” 

“Well, I was pretty fond of the ruined look.” Curtis shrugged with a smug look. “But better. Did you want to go back in the aquarium?” 

“No, I think we have gotten into plenty of fun tonight. I do want to stop in the gift shop though. See what they have, I might find something for the classroom.” You suggested and Curtis took your hand, ready to follow you. 

Browsing the giftshop proved to be fun. Since most of the other people were still browsing the aquarium, there weren’t many people there. You managed to find a couple books you wanted, one for your classroom about the wildlife and habitats of the lake, the other a personal book for yourself about legends and ghost stories surrounding the lake. Curtis as well found himself a book about the lake's history to add to his expansive collection. Then you two were going through posters when you happened across one of the constellations. Curtis picked up that one too, with a pile of glowing star stickers as a Christmas gift for Sophia. 

All in all, probably one of the best dates you have ever had.

[johnsbleu]

Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 164

warnings: none hmh masterlist

If there was a word to describe today it would be boring. Dull, mundane, uneventful, monotonous. Boring! The sky is full of fluffy gray clouds that keep hiding the sun, and what little sun does poke through doesn’t last long since the clouds swallow it back up almost instantly.

It’s just a boring day around the Wick household. John is downstairs working on some books for a client, Ronan was playing with some toys but now she’s zonked out on the floor next to Bleu while you’re lounging on the couch scrolling through all the stupid TikToks Tess has sent you this past week. Every now and then there’s a really boring day, which is fine since it’s nice to just relax, but today is beyond boring.

You get up from the couch and head downstairs to see if John is almost done working. It’s been about two hours since you’ve seen him, so it’s time to go bother him.

“Hey,” you lean against his back and press a kiss to his shoulder, “You almost done?”

“Not quite,” he says, setting his things down so he can turn to you, “Are you getting bored?”

You gape at him, “What do you mean ‘getting’? Wick, I’m beyond bored. Ronan is asleep, Tess is busy with Jimmy’s family. I have nothing to do!”

John chuckles as he pulls you between his legs, “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. I thought we could go to the museum or the aquarium.” you shrug as John nods, “Ro will be up in a little bit, so it would give us time to clean up and head out. It’s going to rain later too, so anything outside is obviously not going to work.”

“Right, right,” he nods, looking over at his workbench, “Well, I’m just about done with this book, so once I’m done, I’ll head up and take a shower. Does that sound good?”

You pout as you nod your head, “Yeah.”

“You miss me?”

“I do,” you whisper quietly, “You’ve been working on this book for so long.”

John nods, “Yeah, it’s a tough one. They wanted very specific things for it, but I think it’s turning out.”

You look down at the book and carefully turn it over to look at the gorgeous binding on it. The cover is adorned with gold vinyl cutouts of the characters along with the title. The client is going to be very pleased with it, and they should be since it’s taken John a long time to work on it and get it just right. John doesn’t give out anything he isn’t proud of.

“Looks gorgeous,” you smile at him, leaning in to kiss him, “I’ll be upstairs.”

“I’ll be up soon, I promise,” he says, spanking your ass as you walk away. “I love you, sweetheart.”

You smile at him over your shoulder, “I love you, pookie.”

“Maybe you should just stick to Wick.”

“Ha!” you laugh as you make your way upstairs, “Not likely.”

__

The idea of going to the museum was good until you remembered there was a huge exhibit there today and it was packed. John drove past and looked over at you, and you both silently agreed to head to the aquarium instead. It wasn’t too far from the museum anyway, and if you’re being honest, you’d rather go there.

John dropped you and Ronan off at the door and went to park the car, and you’re just waiting for him when some raindrops start to fall down. You step back and get under the awning, then you look out and try to find John. Ronan squeals loudly when she sees him jogging through the parking lot, and he makes it under the awning just as the rain pounds down.

You gather up your sweatshirt from the bottom of Ronan’s stroller and dab at John’s face, “You’re all wet.”

“I’m okay,” he laughs, gently taking your hands, “I’m okay, baby.”

“You’ll be cold in there,” you continue drying him off as he watches you with a small smile on his face, “What?”

John leans down and kisses you, “You’re such a mom.”

“Why? Because I don’t want you to be cold? I’m just taking care of you.”

“You’re such a nurturer. I love it. You’ve become even more nurturing since having her, and I like to see that side of you.” John smiles down at you, cupping your cheek, “My gorgeous wife.”

You playfully roll your eyes at him, “Stop.”

“Nope,” he hugs you tight and nuzzles into the crook of his neck, “I promised I’d love on you forever. I’m not stopping now.”

Leaning back, you smile at John until Ronan squeals loudly for you. You look down at her and smile, then you lean down and kiss her cheek as she laughs. She always wants to be in on the love whenever you and John are hugging.

“Oh, maybe we should grab some lunch,” John says when you walk through the doors. He gestures to the cafe and smiles, “Ro always loves the aquarium in there.”

Inside the cafe, you find a booth next to an aquarium and scoot into it before reaching for Ronan. You hold her up and smile as she looks at the fish swimming around, and John is quick to get his phone out and capture a picture of the two of you.

“I guess getting the yearly membership will be worth it.”

“I think so,” you smile as you look at Ronan’s big brown eyes wide in wonder, “Even if we didn’t have Ro, I think I’d come here a lot.”

John nods as he looks at the tank to his right, “When I was a kid, I wanted a bedroom that was underwater, like an underwater aquarium. I wanted sharks, sting rays, sea turtles. I wanted to be able to lay in bed and just watch them swim over me.”

“Jonathan Wick, I didn’t take you for such a little sea-life nerd.”

“Well,” he laughs, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck, “I gotta keep you on your toes.”

You grin at him, “And you certainly do.”

__

John places his hands on the back of your arms that are around his waist, “I have to finish this stuff today.”

You pout, “Okay.”

Since you all went to the aquarium yesterday, John absolutely has to finish his books today. You’re still a little bored today since Tess won’t be home for a few more hours and to make things even worse, it’s pouring down rain.

“You can join me?”

“I can’t,” you gesture over to Ronan, “We have plans.”

John chuckles, “Without me?”

“Yeah, girl’s day.” you smile proudly, “We’re doing our hair.”

“You mean you’re doing Ronan’s hair.”

You grin, “Yup! Her hair has gotten so much longer, so I wanna try some little pig tails on her.”

John looks down at Ronan and laughs, “Baby, you’re getting your hair all pretty?”

Ronan looks up at him and cheeses so hard that her cheeks must hurt. She holds up a toy and shows it to him, and he laughs and looks back at you.

“She’s thrilled.” you laugh, then you wrap your arms around his waist again, “But we’re not thrilled that you’re busy and can’t sit up here and tell us how pretty we are.”

John laughs, “I will come up here every 15 minutes to tell my girls how pretty they are.”

“Good!” you lean up to kiss John a few times, then you watch as he walks over to give Ronan a kiss. You smile when he gets up and walks past you, touching your hip as he moves to the basement door. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he smiles, then he looks over at Ronan when she screams happily, “And I love you.”

Ronan walks over to you with a toy and reaches up, and you put her in your lap where she snuggles close to you and closes her eyes.

__

You inhale deeply and open your eyes, squinting them when the light from the lamp shines in your eyes. You feel the weight of something on your chest, and you look down to see Ronan’s little cheeks red and pressed against your chest, her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. The two of you fell asleep and she runs so warm that she made you sweat too.

You sit up and cradle her in your arms before gently laying her back down on the couch. Since she’s a little warm, you grab the fan from the guest bedroom and plug it in to cool her off. She probably won’t be asleep for much longer but you want her to be cool. Smoothing down her brown hair, you smile and let out a small laugh when she scrunches her face up and stretches.

“I love you,” you whisper to her as you gently rub her back to coax her to sleep. You make sure that she’s okay, then you get up and head downstairs to see John.

“Ah, I was wondering when you were coming to see me. I assume…” he looks up and laughs, “Oh, yeah, you definitely fell asleep. Get over here.”

You lean against John’s chest and close your eyes, “I’m sleepy.”

“I see that.”

“We fell asleep,” you laugh, and he kisses your cheek, “She’s still asleep up there on the couch. Her protector is watching over her.”

John laughs, “Never leaves her side.”

You start to fall asleep leaning against John’s warm chest as his heart drums away, and he reaches down to lift you up into his lap. He holds you for a few short minutes until you finally sit up and look at him.

“Oh, you’re so sleepy,” he whispers, laughing softly, “Why are you so tired?”

You straighten up and cock up your brow, “Last night wasn’t exactly a lazy night after the aquarium.”

John starts to smirk, “I won’t apologize for that.”

“Never said I wanted you to,” you get off his lap and cup his face, “You did some fine work last night.”

“Thank you,” he smiles, his cheeks turning a little red, “You did some fantastic work.”

You grin proudly, “Oh, I know. You told me.”

“And you told me!” he laughs, pulling you back to him, “It just so happens that I’m free tonight too.”

“Oh my god!” you gasp playfully, “Me too!”

John kisses you as you both laugh, “What do you say? Our room? 9 PM?”

“It’s a date!” you wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him deeply, “I better get back upstairs. She’s going to be hungry soon.”

“I’ll be up for some lunch soon too. Just gotta finish one last thing.” he says, looking over at the books on his workbench.

You cup his face and bring his gaze back to you before kissing him, “Don’t take too long.”

“I won’t,” he whispers, then he smiles as you head upstairs.

__

Lunch is just about done and you’re getting Ronan situated in her high-chair when you hear the doorbell ring. For a short second, you think it might be Tess, but when has she ever rung the doorbell? Literally never. She usually just lets herself in--John told her that she was more than welcome to do so since she didn’t believe you when you told her.

“Okay, here,” you give Ronan a toy and smile at her, “I know you’re hungry, but I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be up in a minute!” John yells from the basement, and you laugh to yourself.

You make sure you look presentable and your hair isn’t all messed up, then you open the door just as the doorbell is pressed again.

“Sorry,” you smile at the woman standing on the front step, “Hi.”

She looks taken aback for a moment before she smiles, “Is Mr. Wick here?”

“Yes,” you nod, still taking her in.

The woman’s dark hair is slicked back in a perfect ponytail but the ends have gotten wet from the rain. Despite having an umbrella, she has a black rain coat on with some thigh high leather boots. Her eyes haven’t moved from off of you since you opened the door.

“You said Mr. Wick is here?” she says, and you finally notice the accent and the tattoos on her hand wrapped around the umbrella handle.

She’s someone from his past. You knew that the moment you set your eyes on her. But if she’s here looking for John, she better have a damn good reason and she’s not getting in without going through you first.

“He is,” you say, closing the door a little more, “May I ask who you are?”

The woman smiles, “Just an old friend.”

“No, I want your name.”

“Sure, that seems fair,” she smiles, reaching out to shake your hand, “My name is Akira.”

You stare her down as you shake her hand. You won’t be intimidated by her, not that she’s even probably trying to intimidate you, but still.

“I’ll go get him,” you say as you start to close the door.

“What was your name?” she says, and you close your eyes before turning back to her, “I assume you’re his wife. Y/N?”

You hold her gaze, “You seem to already know my name.”

“It’s lovely to meet you,” she smiles, and you want to scream because she’s being so damn nice and on top of it, you fucking love her accent. “I’ll just wait here.”

You close the door and exhale loudly, reaching for the basement door when John opens it. You take a step back and look up at him as he smiles at you, but it quickly fades.

He cups your face and furrows his brow, “What happened?”

“Someone is here for you,” you say quietly, and he immediately looks up at the door, “Her name is Akira.”

John furrows his brow, “Akira?”

“She said she’s an old--”

“Friend, yeah.” he nods his head and leans down to kiss your cheek, “Stay here.”

John squeezes your shoulders and walks off to the door, taking one last look at you before he steps onto the porch. You inch closer to the door in hopes of hearing them talk, but you can’t over the rain and the thick glass. You reach for the handle when the door opens, so you step back and look at John.

“Go pack a bag.” he says urgently, taking your hand and pulling you into the kitchen, “Pack a bag for you and Ro. Call Tess, tell her to pack one for her and Finn. I’ll call Jimmy and tell him what’s going on.”

“John--”

He cuts you off as he gets Ronan from her high-chair, “Go to the lake house. Pack enough stuff for at least a week. I’ll meet you out there.”

“John!”

“You might want to call your parents too, I’m not sure yet. Maybe don’t since they don’t know everything. Fuck! Why didn’t I tell them everything?” he says as he walks into the living room with you trailing behind him, “Just go there and don’t talk to anyone. Just drive straight there. If Tess isn’t home yet, just tell her to meet you there.”

“Jonathan!” you yell from the bottom of the stairs, and he finally looks at you as you start to cry, “What is going on?”

He rushes back down and takes your hand, “I need you to listen to me: you need to get out of here.”

“Why? Because she’s here? Because she showed up? It’s not like it’s the first time she’s been to New York since we’ve been together.”

“But it’s the first time she’s showed up here. I know who follows her. And if she’s here, they’re not far behind. I wasn’t the only one people wanted dead.” he says, gripping your hand tight and pulling you upstairs with him. “You have to get out of here.”

John puts Ronan on the floor of your bedroom and begins moving around to pack a bag for you. He doesn’t even have to ask what you want to pack, and even in this moment of panic, he’s packing all of your favorite clothes. He sets the bag on the bed and leaves the room for a few moments before he comes back with clothes for Ronan.

“Text Tess, baby.” he says softly, and you nod your head and pull your phone out. You shoot a quick text to her and look up to see John zipping up your bag. “This is enough for you and Ro for a week, okay? I just need to grab Bleu’s things.”

“What about you?”

John wipes away the tear on your cheek, “I’ll call you tonight. I’ll let you know what’s going on.”

“Will you be okay?”

“I will,” he says, nodding his head, “I promise. I just want you two to get out of here.”

Your chin wobbles a little as you look at him, “Are they going to hurt you?”

“I…” he inhales deeply and shakes his head once, “No. But it doesn’t mean they won’t try. And I don’t want you here if that happens. So please, take this bag, get Ronan in the car, and leave.”

“Okay,” you cry quietly while John picks up Ronan, then you walk out to the garage where your car is parked.

Ronan is now crying because she’s so hungry but you’ll have to just give her a bottle or something to tide her over until you get to the lake house. John buckles her in the back and gets Bleu in, then he closes the door and turns to you, frowning when he sees the tears on your face.

“I know you’re scared.”

“I’m worried about you,” you look up at him and start to cry, “I don’t want to lose you.”

John shakes his head, “You’re not losing me. I’m going to call you tonight, okay? Keep your phone right by you.”

You sniffle as you nod, “Okay.”

John helps you into the car and smiles softly when you look at him, “Thank you for listening to me. I know this is scary. I never wanted this for you.”

“We’re still going to be together, right?”

“Yes,” John says, pain drenching his voice, “Yes, of course. I just need you to be safe.”

“You be safe,” you whisper as you lean over to hug him, “I love you.”

“I love you more.” he cups your face and tilts your head down to kiss your forehead, “Let me know when you get to the lake house and let me know when Tess gets there.”

You look down at your phone and show John the text: packing now. at home, pick me up.

“She’s at home.” you say, and he nods. “I’ll just get her now.”

John smooths your hair back and looks deep into your eyes, “Don’t stop for anything or anyone. If you have any problems, you can call me or Aurelio. Jimmy will most likely be out there shortly too. I’m going to call him. But you call me first. Always me first.”

“I will,” you kiss him hard on the lips, leaving them there for longer than necessary, then you lean back to look at him. “I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah,” he says, but you know he’s lying. “I love you. I love you both.”

You smile softly when he reaches back to rub the top of Ronan’s head, then you hug him and kiss him again before he shuts your door and steps back. The garage door opens behind you, and you slowly back out of the driveway, watching as he walks over and stands next to Akira. She says something to him and smiles, but he doesn’t look away from your car. You give him a small wave and he nods his head a little before he turns and walks inside with Akira behind him.

__

To your surprise, the car ride was not quiet--Tess talked almost the whole way. There’s no doubt that John texted her and said to keep your mind off of things. You’ve been at the lake house for about two hours now, but you’re just laying on the couch. Tess told you to go lay down while she got the kids something to eat, and Jimmy showed up about an hour after you two arrived.

“Hey…” Jimmy sits on the coffee table and rubs your shoulder, “How are you holding up?”

You sit up and shrug, “Alright, I guess. Just confused.”

“John’s past is confusing…” he chuckles, then he takes the plate Tess is handing him, “We made you something to eat.”

“Thanks.” you take it, placing it in your lap, “Have you heard from him?”

Jimmy shakes his head, “Not since he first called me.”

“What did he say when he called you?”

“That someone was there and he wanted to make sure you and Ro-Ro were safe. He wanted me to come out here and make sure nothing happened.” he says, and you frown, “I know you want to ask, but he didn’t tell me when he’d be here.”

You nod your head and take a bite of the food Tess has made you--some rice and orange chicken. You look over at Ronan as she plays with Finn on the floor, and you sigh loudly.

“I’m nervous that he’s gonna--”

“He’s not going back, Y/N.” Jimmy shakes his head when you look at him, “He’s not, he just wants his family to be safe. He doesn’t want Ro near that stuff.”

You shrug, “I could have stayed. Tess could have taken Ronan up here.”

“Y/N, he wants you safe as well,” Jimmy says, reaching for your hand when you start to cry, “He’ll be okay. He can take care of himself. From the sounds of it, they’re just there to talk.”

“Then I could have stayed! I could be with him right now.”

Jimmy sighs, “Look, John is one of the good ones, Akira is as well. But sometimes bad ones follow the good ones. He doesn’t want you near there when something happens. Akira’s not out of that world, she’s still very much in it, which means at any moment, things could go wrong. John doesn’t want you there if that happens.”

“I don’t want him there if that happens!”

“But John can handle it. He knows what to do.” Tess says, and you look at her, “Look, this might sound mean but without you there, John can fully focus on what’s happening. If you and Ro are there, you’re the first thing he’s going to protect, even if that means he gets hurt. Without you two there, John doesn’t have anything else to protect except himself. He only has himself to worry about which means his mind wouldn’t be elsewhere.”

You nod as you look down at your plate, “Yeah.”

“He said as soon as he finds something out, he’ll call. I believe him. John always keeps his word.” Jimmy pats your leg and smiles softly, “Get some food in you. I’ll let you know if I hear anything at all. Okay?”

You smile softly when Jimmy pats your cheek, “Okay.”

“I’ll be here if you need anything. You can always come to me.”

“Thanks, Jimmy.” you smile at him again and watch as him and Tess walk onto the patio. You sigh deeply and reach for your phone, placing it in your lap and praying John calls soon.

__

Three days have passed and you’ve only gotten one text from John saying he’s fine and he’d call soon. That was the night you left. You haven’t heard from him since. Not only are you worried, you’re also pretty pissed at him for this. He said he’d call. Yeah, he could have gotten held up, but if he didn’t, then why hasn’t he bothered to call?

Ronan is starting to get very fussy since John is MIA. She knows he’s not around and she misses him. She’s not sleeping very well and she’s just crying at the drop of a hat. She misses her dad.

“Me too, kid.” you say to Ronan when she juts her bottom lip out and cries, “I miss him too.”

You lean forward and wipe the tears off her face before handing her a toy to distract her. She’s not in the mood, so she just cries harder and flops back on the floor.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what’s goin’ on in here?” Jimmy says as he walks in, and he looks down at Ronan, “Oh, Ro-Ro, you mad at your momma?”

“She misses her dad.”

Jimmy glances at you before he reaches down and picks up Ronan, “Well, why don’t we go catch some frogs?”

You give Jimmy an appreciative smile and sit back on the couch, staring down at your phone as he takes her outside. Her cries slowly stop until you hear her giggling. Uncle Jimmy always makes her laugh. You turn a little so you can look out the window as he carries her down to the shore with Finn and Tess following behind, and you tear up.

That should be you and John right now. You two should be taking a nice evening walk down there before sitting on the patio and eating burgers. You two should be watching the sunset, then laying on the sundeck looking at the stars.

You exhale loudly and look down at your phone. Still no messages. You perk up when you hear the sound of John’s car coming down the dirt path, and you quickly get up and rush to the door. John steps out and smiles at you, letting out a big breath when he sees you’re okay.

Without thinking, you step down and run over the uneven rocky ground to get to John, and he lifts you up and hugs you tight in his arms. He starts to walk to the porch with you in his arms, and you inhale the smell of his cologne.

“Your feet are gonna hurt. You don’t have any shoes on.” he says into the crook of your neck, “Jimmy and I planned on fixing that soon.”

You stand firmly on the porch and lean back to look at him. Since you’re on the step and he’s not, you’re eye level with him. Your eyes immediately search his face for any bruising or cuts, but he looks exactly like he did when you left him three days ago, maybe only just a little tired.

“I’m okay,” he whispers, and you cup his face, “I’m okay, baby. Everything is fine.”

You lean back to look at him, then you drop your hands to your side, “You never called me.”

“I know,” he inhales deeply and nods, “I meant to, and I should have, but…they were everywhere. I didn’t want to risk it. I didn’t want to put you in danger.”

“But this whole time you were fine, but I sat here thinking the worst. I cried myself to sleep every single night,” you say, raising your voice, “I didn’t know if my husband was gone. I didn’t know if my daughter’s dad was gone. I didn’t know! I thought I lost you!”

John looks down and nods his head, “I fucked up, I know.”

“I’m so fucking mad at you,” you whisper quietly, and he looks up at you with sorrowful eyes.

“I wanted to call. I wanted to run after your car the moment you left, but I couldn’t. These people don’t care if--” he stops talking when you push past him and start to walk away, “No, no, don’t walk away. We’re talking! Don’t do this.”

You continue walking away from him and see both Jimmy and Tess turn to see John chasing behind you. He gently grabs your arm and stops you. If you tugged your arm from his grip, you know he’d let you go, but you don’t want to, so you turn to him and meet his gaze.

“I fucked up,” he says firmly, “But you need to listen to me.”

You pull your arm from his grip and cross them over your chest, “Fine.”

“So damn stubborn,” he says under his breath, then he looks at you, “These people do not care about women and children. They’ll kill anyone. They wouldn’t care that there’s a baby in the house when they decide to light the place up. You think I want that for you? You think for a second that I was going to risk it? I’d rather you be mad at me for not calling than you be upset because our daughter was hurt or that you were hurt. I can live with you being upset at me for not calling, but I can’t live without you. Do you understand now?”

You look out at the sun shining on the lake, then you look at him, “Yes, it’s not that I don’t understand, John. It’s that you said you’d call and you didn’t.”

“You’re still not getting it…” he says, letting out a small laugh of disbelief, “I can’t fucking lose you! I can’t live without you! I would be lost. I would be worse than I’ve ever been. I’d never come back from it. I did before, but this, if I lost this…” he gestures to the two of you, “I’d be more than a broken. I’d be beyond repair because I wouldn’t have you to help put me back together. So, yes, I lied and didn’t call you but it was for your own good. It was to keep you safe.”

Inhaling deeply, you look up at him and hold his gaze before you shrug, “Okay, so maybe I’m not fully wrapping my head around how serious this is.”

“You absolutely aren’t,” he says with a small chuckle as he steps closer to you, “It is very serious.”

“Plus the whole ‘put me back together’ thing was pretty cute.” you admit, and he smiles softly. You exhale sharply and look up at him, “So, is this always going to be our life? You sending me and Ro away?”

John shakes his head a little and shrugs, “I can’t stop people from showing up. They think I’m going to come back, which I’m not. I’m done. Completely done. But this isn’t the life I wanted for you. I want you to have the best life, so I guess the main question is are you going to leave?”

You look over your shoulder and furrow your brow before looking at John, “Who are you talking to? Because I know you’re not talking to me.”

“Peach,” he says with a sigh, reaching for your hands, “I’m serious. If you want out, then--”

“Shut up! Stop saying that!” you push him a little, “Don’t talk like that! I don’t ‘want out’. I want you! I want the life that we’ve created for three years now. I don’t want to run off because someone thinks that you have information on something. John, I have waited my entire life for this, for you. You just told me that you can’t live without me.”

John swallows hard, “I can’t! But I also can’t make you stay if you don’t want to.”

“Have I ever given you the implication that I want to leave?” you ask, and he shakes his head. “John, I wanted to stay with you! I wanted to stay home and be by your side through whatever that woman was there for! There hasn’t been a single moment in our relationship where I wanted to leave. You need to wrap your head around that. I know that you don’t want me to be hurt, but I have you and I trust you. I know you wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

The two of you look at one another for a few silent moments as Ronan’s giggles carry in the wind, and you take a step closer to John.

“We promised to go through life together, no matter what it brought us.” you turn his hand over and rub your thumb over his wedding ring, “I have no plans on running off unless you’re coming with me.”

John smiles as he leans closer, “Wherever you go, I’m following.”

You wrap your arms around John’s neck and hug him tight, taking a look at Ronan before you close your eyes. You lean back to kiss him, then you take his hands.

“There is no me without you.”

John smiles, “That was cute.”

You start to laugh, “You said some cute shit just now, I won’t lie.”

“We okay?”

“Yeah,” you nod, holding his gaze, “We’re okay. Are you?”

He nods as he looks down at himself, “Yeah, I’m fine. Nothing more than a chat.”

“For three days?” you ask, incredulously.

“Two days. I just took the rest of today to make sure everyone was gone before I got on the road.” he says, then he starts to laugh, “Plus I had to drop off those books to that client. When I couldn’t sleep the last few nights, I finally finished them.”

Looking up at him, you start to laugh, “So you’re all mine now?”

“Always.”

John takes your hand and intertwines his fingers with yours, then the two of you walk back to the house. When Ronan spots him, she squeals loudly and kicks her legs to be let down from Jimmy’s arms. He sets her down and laughs when she runs over to John, who is already kneeling down with his arms open. She wraps her arms around him as best as she can, grinning so wide that it brings tears to your eyes.

“Did you miss me?” he asks, and she juts her bottom lip out and starts to cry, big tears streaking her red face.

“Such big emotions,” you laugh, rubbing her back, “She doesn’t know how to process those quite yet.”

Ronan rests her head on John’s shoulder as she cries, and he rubs her back to calm her down while he bounces on his knees. After a few minutes, she goes completely quiet--passed out on his shoulder. He smiles proudly at you.

“I’m going to go put her down.” he says, and you follow behind him.

As John gets Ronan in her bed, you lay down and wait for him to come back out of her room. You lean up a little when her bedroom door squeaks shut, and he crawls into bed with you as you struggle to keep your eyes open.

“Tired?” he asks quietly, and you nod. He smooths your hair back and begins to scratch your scalp as you finally close your eyes. “Go to sleep.”

“Barely slept these past few days.”

John’s lips brush against your forehead, “I know, baby. Just go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Will you hold me?” you ask, and John moves to get more comfortable as you lay against his chest, “Don’t leave.”

“I won’t. I’ll be right here.”

__

Rubbing your eyes, you roll to your back and stretch out, sighing contently. You look up at the ceiling and blink a few times, then you look to your left and see John holding Ronan as they look out the window together. You sit up and yawn into your hand, and John looks over his shoulder and smiles at you.

“Look who decided to wake up, Ro,” he says, and you laugh sleepily as you get up and walk over to them, “My sleepy peach.”

“I was tired.”

John laughs, “I was too. I fell asleep for a little bit too.”

Ronan kicks her legs wildly, so John sets her down and watches as she runs into her room. He looks at you and cups your face, bringing your lips to his for several sweet kisses.

“Are we going to head back home now?”

Inhaling deeply, John shrugs, “I mean, we’re here. We might as well hang out for a few days.”

“Jimmy has to work and I think Tess is busy with her studio, so they can’t stay.”

“So? We’ll have the place to ourselves for a few days.”

You let out a small laugh, “If you wanted to get me alone, all you had to do was ask.”

“I’ll remember that for next time,” he says softly as he leans down to kiss you, savoring the warmth and feeling of your lips on his, “It’ll just be us three. It’ll be nice. We won’t stay long. Maybe just a day or two.”

Holding John’s gaze, you squint a little, “Is she still in New York?”

“Most likely.”

“And you don’t want us to go home until she’s gone.”

“Correct.”

You smile as you reach up to cup his face, “You’re very sweet, Wick.”

“She wanted to meet you,” he says, and you jerk your head back a little, “Well, properly meet you.”

“And you said no?”

He shakes his head, “I said it’s not really up to me whether you two meet or not. If it were, well, if I knew she wasn’t followed, then I would have been okay with you being at the house.”

“So, it’s…a little bit up to you?” you say, and John starts to laugh.

“Yeah, I guess.” he shrugs one shoulder, “But if you want to properly meet her, then I’m okay with that.”

You nod your head, “Like a dinner or something?”

“She’s staying at the hotel, so…”

The gasp that leaves your mouth shocks John, so he starts to laugh.

“Look,” you walk over to Ronan’s room to check on her, still talking as you go, “I don’t want you to go back into that world--we’ve talked about it. Done and over with, but…god, I love that hotel. I love the vibe, the atmosphere, the dress code.”

“There’s no dress code,” John laughs from the doorway, and you turn around and give him a dirty look, “Okay, well, there kind of is.”

You start to smile as you look at him, “This is…kind of embarrassing, but I like that when I walk in, everyone knows who I am and who I’m with. Isn’t that so stupid?”

“Not at all,” he smiles from across the room, “I like that everyone know you’re there with me. I like them knowing we’re together and that you’re mine. I like knowing that they know they can’t have you.”

You smile as you lift up Ronan, “Would we go to the hotel?”

“She wants to meet Ronan.”

“And you want her to?”

John looks from you to Ronan, then he nods as he looks at you again, “Yeah, I’m proud of you and her.”

“And we’d take her to the hotel?”

Letting out a big sigh, John shrugs, “I don’t know. If we go there and Winston hears…”

“He’ll be mad that we brought her.”

“He’ll want to see her,” John laughs, “She’s like his 78th grandkid.”

You start to laugh, “Papa Winston.”

The two of you look at each other for a few minutes before John walks over to you, wrapping his arms around you and Ronan.

“We’d be safe?” you ask, and John nods. “She would be safe?”

“Rules, sweetheart,” he whispers, and you tilt your head, cocking up your brow, “No one else has broken them since…”

You start to laugh, “You little rule breaker.”

“Rules aren’t fun.”

“I’ve made rules before…”

John leans closer and kisses you, “Yeah, well, you’re my wife. I have to listen you.”

“True!” you point your finger at him as you walk past, then you turn around and look at him, “Are you sure?”

“I am positive. We can enter through the back, take the backstairs up to the restaurant. I can even call Charon and let him know that we’d be coming, and he’d make sure everything was safe.” he says, and you inhale as you head, “If you’re not okay with that, she can come to our place, or we can leave Ronan with Tess.”

You shrug, “We’ve just never brought her to the hotel before. Is it safe for her to be there?”

“I would burn the world down for her and you. I would go to hell and back without second thought,” he says as he holds your gaze, walking closer to you, “The rules are even tighter than before--”

“Because of you.”

“Yes,” he chuckles, then he puts his hands on your shoulders, “But I promise nothing will happen to you or her there. Would I bring you two there otherwise?”

You sigh loudly “Well, no, but…you know.”

“You’re a mom,” he smiles and leans down to kiss your cheek, “And I’m a dad, and I am so goddamn protective of you two.”

You start to laugh, “I know! You sent me away because some people showed up!”

John smiles proudly, “Yeah!”

“Okay,” you bounce Ronan on your hip and look at her, “We’ll go meet her. How do you know her?”

“Her father was a friend,” he says, and you nod, “A really good friend. A brother.”

You frown, “And he’s not…here anymore?”

John looks down and shakes his head. He looks at you with sad brown eyes, and you walk over to him, wrapping your left arm around him. Ronan reaches up to be held by him, so you pass her over to him.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, and he nods. “He was important to you, so I understand why you want me to meet her. Did you know her before?”

“No. I knew he had a daughter later on after we went our separate ways, but I didn’t meet her until a few years ago,” he sits on the bed with Ronan in his lap, “She’s not the biggest fan of mine.”

You sit down next to him and read between the lines. Her dad is dead, she doesn’t like John, and he only met her a few years ago. Clearly this was during John’s excommunication.

“Was the last time you saw him when he…” you gesture a little, and John nods. “I’m so sorry, John. You’ve lost so many people.”

“But I gained a lot of really great ones,” he says softly, and you smile at him. He shakes his head, “Anyway, things are better now. Akira is doing her own thing, but while she’s here, she does want to meet you. She said you were…”

You squint your eyes, “I was what?”

“Very suspicious of her, and very protective of me.” he smiles, and you shrug bashfully. “She also said that her father would have wanted to meet Ronan and you.”

“Is that true?”

A smile tugs at John’s lip, “Yeah, he would have really wanted to meet you. He wanted me to have my peace. He wanted me to find a way out. He wanted me to find a purpose.”

“Ya know, it sounds like before me, you had a lot of people rooting for you.”

“No one has ever rooted for me as loudly as you do.”

You narrow your eyes, “Was that a dig at me?”

“No,” he laughs, kissing your head, “It was a compliment. My number one fan.”

“That’s me!”

Ronan’s chewing on her hands as she sits in John’s lap but she straightens her body out and whines. She’s kind of sick of this conversation now.

“Okay, okay,” John laughs, hoisting her up when he stands up from the bed, “We’ll get you some food.”

You get up and head to the stairs but John calls out to you, so you turn around.

“He would have really liked you.”

You smile softly, “Well, let’s hope his daughter will too.”

__

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[chipped-chimera]

Time, yet again, to wade into a pit of contradictory information as I try to determine what I should do about my nuked tetra population while I'm still doing ich treatment.

(if you have some ideas/opinions about what I should do context below)

This is my first tank, so please be nice 🥺

I have a heavily planted, 20gallon (76L) freshwater aquarium which I had probably researched for about 3 months, then ran empty/with plants for about a month or so? before fish introduction. So absolutely cycled, bombproof setup that I have not seen a whiff of ammonia or nitrates in since I started testing (probably a month after it being cycling empty when my kit arrived).

I introduced 10 green neon tetra, which grew confident very quick within the new tank, like within the next day stopped schooling behaviour, bopping around and doing their own thing. But then I saw white spots appearing. In my delay of trying to determine if it was actually ich and conflicting info about it being 'stress ich' that could minimize in time with the stress reduction - probably me delaying it too because the meds were expensive - I probably doomed them.

I'm angry and sad at the same time, in part towards myself but mostly because I'm mad at the contradictory info leading to delay on a situation that was more time critical given the size of these little fish. Which I think led to their deaths.

I know quarantine is important but given my tank is heavily planted, I was struggling with bioload - as in not enough - so on the day I started ich treatment I put in 6 corycats which have been absolutely fine. So fine in fact I've noticed their barbels getting much longer! They're having a great time in there, and while I've seen some showing sign of being itchy, I've never seen a spot appear. Same with the Starlight Bristlenose, who was actually the first resident - she's weathered the ich outbreak pre-treatment fine (yeah I know it's hard to tell given she's a starlight but I've had a good look at her when I could, she's clear) and while she hides a lot during the day, I think she's happy - there are a stupid amount of tunnels and hidey holes in my setup, the centerpiece is a huge slab of driftwood so she has plenty to rasp on too. All the food is also the best quality I could get, and they get blanched veggies twice a week.

Unfortunately though, the delay was too late for the Tetra. First I lost one. Then more. I went from 10 to 3 today, if I am lucky it will stay at 3. Two of them look very good. One of them has minor body spotting. Worst comes to worst, it'll be 2. I think it'll stay that way, nothing new has been appearing.

What I am worried about now is I know the minimum for tetra is 8. While these guys I think know fairly well the tank is safe, and the presence of the corycats might help in terms of them having another grouping fish around to help them feel more confident, I don't want to be causing them unnecessary stress that might make the situation worse. Two of them left are grouping together, the one I am uncertain about is often hanging out on it's own which is making me worried I'll lose it too.

I am early on in the treatment at full dosage (I spent more time cranking up the dosage slowly since this is a planted tank with inverts, so that probably didn't help the ich situation) 25%~30% water changes daily.

Naturally online opinion on 'should I add fish during ich treatment' is about as confusing as it was when I was just trying to find info on ich. Some say hard no. Some say it's always in tanks anyway, it's the stress, may as well chuck them in during treatment. I'm going to have to grab another bottle of the stuff (so bleeding expensive) and I don't want to use more of it on a quarantine tank - right now anyway.

The treatment I am doing specifically targets parasites (Seachem Paraguard) but I also have Melafix and Pimafix, though I haven't really been dosing either since the smell of it I think irritates the tetra, and Paraguard supposedly has antibacterial elements that also target finrot. If I were to add new fish, I'd probably start adding both during the day, Paraguard goes in at night after a waterchange because it's lights-off after that (degrades under light).

If I added new fish, I'd be doing that for 14 days + maybe one more week just in case. But yeah, I have no fucking clue what to do and I very much want to not fuck this up anymore.

I'm also honestly kind of put off by tetra at this point - compared to the corycats they are very, very nervous and twitchy I think which didn't help their stress levels, even with me trying to make it as stress-free as possible. But also know I'm probably stuck with them if I want them to feel better.

Any thoughts/opinions would be good. I don't really have other treatment options available either btw, either because products are literally not available or the risk of killing plants/hurting other fish is too high (heat is NOT an option, corycats upper-limit is 26C so that's what the tank is set to)

My gut says it's probably okay to add fish, if I keep up treatment. But idk anymore :C