#avocado studio

[sabrerine911]

"Barbarian communication and Avocados" colored (BG3) This one was a pain to finish XD Started off as a goofy unga bunga joke for barbarians and extended it a bit, to add some interactions. Featuring Wholesome barbarians Beth Ravencoft(one of my vampire hunter oc's) and Karlach Exasperated Wyll and petty Astarion(tbf he has to deal with working with a veteran vampire hunter, its a hate-hate petty relationship altogether XD)

[thesweetpianowritingdownmylife]

Stitchtober day 23: Spirited Away

Pattern from here

I stitched this in September, it took me two weeks and a half.

I will be gifting it to my oldest niece, Maia, next Christmas, because she told me that she discovered Ghibli movies at our place and that Spirited Away is her favourite.

[asparrowdraws]

When I’m sad I paint fruit

[festudio]

Studio Update July 5

No excuses, I am way behind schedule on the tarot deck. Progress is being made, it's just slower than expected. Part of it is, I think I need to redesign the 3 of cups. It just doesn't work in the set.

Also, I've turned some of my warm ups into these little stamps. I know I posted one right when I did it but I may end up turning these into stickers when we're closer to the Fall season.

Now, for entirely new stuff! Soon, there will be some botanical products coming soon.

First, I've been collecting and pressing local wildflowers that I'm planning to sell without treatments so you can use them how you want. Below is the first run of St. John's Wort, White Clover, Rose Campion, Daisy, Forget-Me-Nots, and Hawks'-Beard.

I've also been drying and working with avocado pits to create buttons:

Finally, my favorite summer craft project: Rosary Beads. Did you know old rosary beads were made from rose petals? In fact, it's in the name; rosary means from roses.

These are just rose petals from my garden and filtered water. No added oils or waxes.

[haiki4you]

17th August, 2023

Brave creature. Vital

To the planet. A screaming

Wet avocado.

[kmrstudios]

“NATIONAL AVOCADO DAY 2023”

Today is National Avocado Day!

Artwork by Kyle R. All original characters/artwork/works are the property/properties of Kyle R & KMR Studios.

Copyright © 2023 KMR Studios. All rights reserved.

[thecoochiefairy]

lovesick. toji.

𑄽𑄺 warnings 𑄽𑄺 17.1K. word count. blackfem!reader, toji fushiguro, countryboycoded! toji, sweet!toji,dominant!toji, makeup sex, drunk sex, balcony sex, black woman, vaginal penetration, rough sex, lil bit of sweet talkin’, creaming, squirting, oral [f], choking, praising, LOTS of dirty talk, condom-less sex, kissing, spanking, minors aren’t welcome!

━━ 𝒄𝙤𝒐𝙘𝒉𝙞𝒆𝙛𝒂𝙞𝒓𝙮 𝙩𝒉𝙤𝒖𝙜𝒉𝙩𝒔 .ᐟ listen, don’t cuss me out. it seems like most of y’all didn’t really fuck w/ the snake wrangler, but i did. so this is for the people that did love it, and wanted to tie up the loose ends. :)

𝓐ᥫ᭡ :: song is switch a nigga out, by summer walker.

A PROMINENT FLORAL AROMA WITH A MIXTURE OF GRAPE HUGGED HER NOSE. It was entirely too early for her to be drinking, but she was dying to know her sister’s opinion on the new wine she’d bought, mixing it with orange juice to create her own customized mimosa. 

She dropped a pink hibiscus flower within the tall glass, turning with a small smile as she handed it out, “Here you are, madam—I trust your tongue on the taste of Moscato—don’t fail me now.”

“Tuh, I got this!” 

She took the glass delicately, bringing it to her lips. Drinking a bit of the orange and pink liquid, she swirls it around her tongue before swallowing it down, letting the flavors sink into her taste buds. She smacks her lips together a couple of times, twisting the glass around in her hand fancily. 

“Mm, I can taste the floral tinge from the hibiscus with a dash of grapes. It’s a nice balance of both bitter and sweet. You ate that!”

“I told you it would taste good!” Stoney gives a smile, taking her piece of avocado bread, biting down into it as this was her breakfast. 

She then asks, “Now, remind me again why you aren’t participating in Sai’s career day at school, Ms. I Bake Decorative cakes for a living?”

Serena took another drink of her Mimosa before letting out a sigh, biting down on a piece of her own Avocado bread. She let out a soft hum before speaking, running a hand through her hair as she leaned back in her seat. 

“You know I hate talking in front of people. What about you, bitch? You own a whole pottery studio! Don’t you think that would’ve been cool to show the kids?”

“Do you know how expensive a pound of pottery clay is? I love Sai’s lil’ besties, but I’m not wasting my shit on some bad ass kids,” she shakes her head, “You’re just lazy. Could’ve made them kids a damn Paw-Patrol cake and let them smash it. God don’t like ugly.”

“Well I don’t know how he had our mom birth you then, extra terrestrial. Don’t piss me off— where’s your daughter at before I smack you?” 

Stoney holds back her laugh as she teases, “Ooh, you’re mad. But she’s upstairs, getting herself ready. I did her hair and stuff, I told her she could be responsible for picking her outfit, I just hope she doesn’t come downstairs with two left shoes on and her shirt backwards.”

Serena snickered at the thought, shaking her head as she drank her mimosa again, glancing at the stairs.

“You know if she does, that’s on you for letting her pick out her own outfit.” 

“That’s fine! That’s my baby, and she tried!” 

As she was finishing her sentence, the sound of footsteps came down the stairs towards the kitchen, both women turning their heads to see Sai. She actually hadn’t done bad at all, it was an event at school, so they were told to dress up. Her soft midnight black hair was slicked back into miniature pigtails, edges swirled along her forehead and finger curled ponytails in between the rubber bands beneath her alabaster bows. She wore a shimmering pink dress, glittered at the top, tulle starting at her chest and to her ankles, her ballerina flats matching her bows, socks having ruffled lace along the ankle part.

Stoney gasps, pressing her hands against her face as she greets, “Hi, baby!” Smiling from ear to ear at her five year old, “You look so pretty—You dressed yourself so well!”

Sai grins to herself, giggling softly as she does a little spin for her mom, showing off the pretty tulle of her dress as it swayed around. 

“You think I look pretty, mommy?”

Stoney goes over to her, picking her up and placing her along her hip as she usually did, “So good, my love. Such a good job, hm? I’m so proud of you.”

Sai grins from ear to ear, wrapping her tiny little arms around her mother, nuzzling her face against her shoulder. She lifts her head up to look at her aunt Serena, waving a hand at her. 

“Tee-Tee ‘Rena’—did I do a good job?” She questions, Serena chuckling and approaching the two. Just like an aunt, she had her camera out, recording her niece in awe, snapping a thousand pictures. 

“Tee-Tee’s baby did so well! You’ll be the prettiest girl there.” 

Sai then turns, her big doe eyes—something she’d definitely gotten from her father—blinking at her mother as she conveniently questions, “Is daddy still coming today?”

There it was, the question she wished she could avoid. Her and Nathaniel had been divorced for about six months, separated even before that, and she constantly tried to shield Sai from the absence of her father—she had the unfortunate job of reminding her child what disappointment was. 

She tried not to allow her face to drop as she said, “No, baby. Daddy said he had to work today, so he won’t be coming, okay? I’m sorry.”

Serena awkwardly rubbed sisters shoulder, knowing she hated the face her daughter made each time she was given that news. This was a normal occurrence now, everytime Sai asked about her father, he’d be busy. 

“Who the hell wants to see a weak ass fuckin’ stock broker anyways. What he gon’ do? Teach the kids how to rob, cheat, steal their money?” Serena smacked her lips, Stoney giving a warning as she briefly murmurs, “Serena.” 

Serena pushes off her anger at her ex-brother in law, “My bad. But hey, my lil’ Sai-Sai. Me and your mommy will be there with you and all your friends, and I made cupcakes with extrraa sprinkles!”

“And, Daddy will be here this weekend to pick you up so you can go Christmas shopping with him, yeah?” Stoney adds in, kissing her daughter’s soft cheek multiple times to cheer her up.

Sai was now back to her excited and happy self, giggling when her mother showered her with kisses. The thought of her daddy bringing her shopping was exciting, the thought of spending time with him in general, made the young girl happy. 

 “Can we get presents for you too, mommy?”

“Yeah. Tell the bastard I need thirty bands in the bank right now,” Serena says, Stoney flicking her arm as she interrupts that, “Of course, baby. A little card with your name on it would be beautiful for mommy. You’ ready to go? We don’t wanna be late!”

Sai nodded her head enthusiastically, a sparkle of excitement in her eyes. She hopped down from her mother’s arms, putting her tiny hands in her mom and aunts palms, walking with the two to the front door. This was all Stoney needed—the happiness from her daughter.

 It didn’t matter if she had to be the only one that created that for her—almost having to be the mother and father, essentially—but it didn’t matter. She’d always work twice as hard to provide for Sai. Even if that meant taking her business and turning it into a small pottery studio, having classes three times out the week, allowing people to learn the creations she taught herself. It worked for her. 

They placed the cupcakes for her class within the trunk, Stoney’s Lexus NX 350 pushing down the road as she made her way towards the school building.

“What did that dumbass nigga come up with as an excuse this time?” Serena questions, turning the air up on her side of the passenger seat, not wanting to ask the question, but she was always curious. 

Stoney keeps her hand along the wheel, glancing at the mirrors beside her as she switches lanes, “Said he had a client. I didn’t say too much after that.”

Stoney’s lips form a thin line, sighing to herself. It was always the same thing every time he said he wouldn’t be able to make it with Sai. Work, clients, clients, meetings, meetings. She honestly wondered when it would just stop. It was always some excuse, always something more important than her. Always. 

“I bet the bitch still wanna play house with you. He probably misses you.”

“I wouldn’t care if he offered me the entire world to get back with him,” Stoney briefly says, turning the wheel with one hand, “I just want him to be there for Sai, even if that means explaining what stock-broking is to a bunch of five-year olds. It would’ve been boring, but it would’ve meant something for her, y’know?”

Serena nods her head, crossing her arms against her chest. She turns in her seat, looking back at her niece, who was preoccupied with Bubble Guppies on her mini IPad, eyes glittering in a mix of childish happiness and innocence.

“She’d be way better if she didn’t have a sorry ass dad like him. She’s got you though, you’re doing an amazing job. And you have me. That nigga could turn into a dry-ass Popeyes biscuit.”

“You’d still eat him, huh? Hungry ass.” 

“…Maybe. Actually, damn right! And I’d take three days to shit him out, you know I be’ constipated.”

“You’re stupid,” Stoney sighs, a soft laugh pulling at that. 

“That’s fine, better than the biscuit man. Not that you need a man, but a step-daddy for Sai wouldn’t hurt.”

And at that comment, Stoney decides to say nothing at all, pulling into the school's parking lot. She can see other parents with their children, some of the children dressed in different uniforms from firefighters, chefs, to even small suits, their parents looking to be dressed in their actual work outfits. It was a full on event.

They were guided towards the Kindergarten wing, a door that separated off into an entirely different section that was a lot smaller than what the other grades had to deal with. Stoney and Serena greeted Sai’s teacher, placing the desserts they’d made for her class in the back where everything else sat, Sai giving her mom one last hug as she sat on the carpet with her friends. All the other parents began piling in, a couple unfamiliar faces also standing in the front of the class. It was a man dressed in scrubs, a female police officer, and another man who seemed to be some type of military profession.

Stoney picked up the bright yellow paper that titled the event of today, looking up as she said softly to her sister, “Hm, I didn’t know they’d have extra guests come and speak today. I guess you didn’t have to sign up for it.”

“I guess not,” Serena shrugs her shoulders. She looks around the room, her eyes landing on the unknown men. She then turns to her sister, a sly smile pulling at her lips. 

“Some of them are pretty cute, you have your pick. The doctor, the police officer, or the military? Who’d you choose?” She teases, lightly shoving Stoney’s shoulders with a laugh.

Stoney shakes her head, “Who would you pick, desperate?”

“I’m not desperate,” Serena exclaims quietly, rolling her eyes. She looks at each one of the men again, biting her lip as she tries to decide. After a second, she points at the doctor with his clipboard.

“I love a nigga in scrubs. Mhm, although I’m sure he’ married. Honestly—If he puts me up in a condo, I might be able to get over his wife and kids.”

“You’re terrible, you know that?” 

“Terrible? Meh. Smart? Correct,” Serena grins, watching the teacher as she begins speaking. 

The teacher smiles at the room of parents and kids as they all sit quietly, a small giggle leaving her lips. Each child was going to get the chance to talk about their ‘dream job’ and what they wanted to be when they got older. The special guests would also have an opportunity to explain their job, educating the children in addition to that. As the presentation begins, each kid around the room holds a paper, showing a drawing of what they wanted to be and why. It was an adorable sight, some of them saying fairies, ninjas, assassins, jobs you’d expect a child to say. Then, it was Sai’s turn.

Stoney was easily emotional, she knew that. She told herself she wasn’t going to cry when her daughter stood up there to present her career choice, Serena holding up her phone to record as the five year old held what looked to be her butterfly shaped pottery dish she’d made. 

“My name's Sai, and I wanna be like my mommy when I grow up!” 

The little girl held up the dish—which had pink butterflies, along with the letters ‘S’ and ‘S’ drawn on it—with a smile on her face, showing it off to the rest of the room as she continued, “My mommy makes all these pretty plates and other cool stuff. It makes people happy, so I wanna make people happy. My mommy is like a superhero!”

The teacher smiled at her, “That’s wonderful, Sai. Your dish is beautiful.”  

Stoney’s heart had nearly melted inside of her body, and she wanted to crocodile cry. She loved nothing more in this world than her baby girl.

“All right, we’ll now be moving onto our guests—“

A knock on the door interrupts the teacher's words, the door opening before she could make her way over to it. As Stoney turned her attention like everyone else, it seemed like time stopped—Just to her unamusement. Just to laugh in her damn face. 

He almost had to hunch to come within the classroom, as the ceiling was low, but he was big—his shoulders broad, flexing muscles stretching along his back under the dark long sleeve he wore. His full and dark pink lips, scar cutting through his mouth dangerously, scarily straight teeth made by the devil himself. Dark eyebrows that furrowed as he walked in, sable hair all complimenting his cream skin, littering in tattoos that she knew he had.

 She could imagine the serpent that slithered around his arm, the same one that clutched her hair within his veined palm. And then—those eyes. Those grey eyes poured into her senses, picking up her melting heart and having it drop completely out of her body. 

Toji fucking Fushiguro. 

Her sister's phone that was previously held up slowly dropped down, looking towards her younger sister who could’ve gone into cardiac arrest at this very moment.

 She muttered, “Oh hell.” 

Has he gotten bigger? Taller? Sexier? Why couldn’t he have just become ugly all of a sudden? 

His voice was almost unrecognizable to her, deep, assertive as his first words were, “I’m sorry. Did I miss the special guest presentation?”

Stoney’s eyes were practically popping out of her sockets at the sight of the man—who she thought she’d never see again. And yet, there he was. Toji Fushiguro, standing in all his tall dark glory. She was practically about to have a heart attack. 

The teacher smiles, shaking her head and waving a hand, “No, not at all. You’re actually just in time. Come on up. Class, this is another guest of ours, this is Mr. Fushiguro, he’s a Snake Wrangler.”

The kids cheered at the title—snake wrangler was such a unique and thrilling name to them. But to Stoney, it was like hearing her worst nightmare. She hadn’t seen this man in two months. Since he’d helped her move into her house, since he’d fucked her, cared for her in ways a man in years couldn’t care for her in the way he did in one night. 

And to her luck, Sai instantly recognizes the tall man, running up to him as she wraps her arms along his leg, squealing, “Mr. Snake Man!”

She wished at this moment that Sai wasn’t so damn outgoing—or that maybe this was her personal hell, and it was only a nightmare. Her dark brown eyes widened, her jaw almost dropping open. 

A blind person could sense how attractive he was, even the teacher giving him a look. She collects herself, smiling at Sai, “You know him, sweetie?” 

“Uh-huh! He’s mommy’s friend!” Sai exclaims, her little tiny hands wrapped around his thick, muscular leg.

In that instant, it’s like the entire class looks back towards Stoney, which causes him to look at her. Yup, she was going to faint. She was going to black out.

“Hey, pretty girl. I missed you,” Toji picks Sai up for a moment, pulling her into a hug that makes the small child giggle before placing her back down. 

Stoney was red. Her brown skin was flushed at the situation, unable to even speak. Her heart was racing. He was staring.

She was practically unable to move, unable to function, unable to breathe. Her dark brown eyes staring back into his storm grey ones, unable to break contact. What the hell was he even doing here? This was not the place to run into your one night stand after two months of disappearance. 

The teacher’s voice came in again, “It’s wonderful to have you here, Mr. Fushiguro. Why don’t you find a seat until it’s time for your presentation?” 

He gives a nod, politely smiling as she guides him to a small stool they’d brought for the guests to sit out in front of the group. He sits there now, sitting in that damn school-sized-stool that looked like it would break at any second, his palm clutching what looked to be a travel terrarium.

Nothing was louder than Stoney’s thoughts. She now felt extremely insecure in the top she wore, showing off her midriff, her cargos and fuzzy boots, jade green glasses perched atop of her freckled nose, straight hair lazily pulled behind her face in a matching claw clip.

Serena was having the best time out of anyone there, watching as her poor sister looked like she was going to burst into tears. Stoney knew if she looked next to her, she was going to punch Serena in the face. He couldn’t help but stare at her—she was the prettiest thing to him. Something in his scar twitched at the sight of her glasses, and those freckles he seemed to memorize all those months ago. 

He looked over her body once more, watching her bite at her brown lined lips, how her cheeks were naturally blushed. 

God, he missed her.

“And for our final presenter, everyone give a warm welcome for Mr. Fushiguro!” The teacher ignites clapping throughout the classroom, women gawking, men watching his every move. He was like an alien that’d just come down to earth.

The children cheered and clapped, their eyes looking up at him as he stood from the stool, which was somehow holding up his 200+ pound ass. He stands there, intimidating aura practically surrounding him without needing any effort.

“Well, I’m a Snake Wrangler, or a snake catcher, meaning I help capture reptiles that might be in places they shouldn’t be. In your neighborhood, your backyard, maybe even in your toilet,” which makes the class giggle, but nothing was funny to Stoney at this moment.

A kid within the front of the class raises his hands, speaking anyway before he is called to ask the question, “Have you been bitten before?”

Toji chuckled, the question amusing him, but he answered anyway, “I have. Quite a few times actually. Mostly from smaller snakes. It’s not that bad, just uncomfortable and a little scary if it’s from a bigger one.” 

The class ‘ooed’ at the answer. Another kid spoke up, “Can we see?” 

He smirked, holding up his arm, where there were indeed a few circular shaped scars on his olive skin. All of them seemed shocked, like it was some cool thing. Except Stoney. Who knew what those scars felt like on his skin.

He then places the terrarium on the desk, his broad back facing the classroom for a brief second—making Stoney’s insides throb,imagining her fingers clawing at his back, whining into his ear. 

She blinks, wanting to bang her head against the wall to knock sense into herself, hearing his voice as he asks, “Now, who wants to hold a snake?” 

Maybe Stoney wasn’t alone in the fear that struck against the classroom, but her fears were entirely different. She expected at least one child to volunteer, yet they all sit with wide eyes, seeing as a yellow reptile slithers around his arm, finding comfort in the material of his top.

“This is Lily,” he introduces, “She’s a ball python. Her color might look a little scary, but she’s the sweetest. She loves to cuddle, and she says her favorite show is SpongeBob,” which makes the class giggle, the parents amused at his words. 

A student calls out, “She can’t talk, she’s a snake!”

“She talks to me all the time!” He defends, “She’s just nervous to see all you new people, takes her a while to get comfortable enough.”

The kids laugh at the statement, even Stoney having to hold back a weak laugh, watching how easy he was with them. He allowed the snake to slither up his arm, up until she made her way to his neck, locking around his throat as he adds, “This is her favorite place to sleep. They like where it’s warm.” 

Stoney was more focused on the way that damn snake slid across his muscular arm and shoulders. It unfairly fit him—made him look even hotter somehow. 

But the thought of the snake touching her—it made her shiver. The fact that she was still standing here watching, it was definitely a sense of growth, something she might’ve been able to thank him for.

The kids seemed intrigued by the animal, even more when Toji carefully picked one child to hold the snake. The girl was clearly nervous, but when she was holding the reptile, she had the biggest smile on her face. 

“The main thing I want you guys to understand,” Toji continued his presentation, “Is that snakes are just tryna’ survive. They’re more scared of you than you are of them. They just want to eat and lay down somewhere warm, nothing more.”

She could feel his eyes on her, and she knew that the second this presentation was over, he was going to come over there to talk. 

Not gonna happen. 

So the moment she heard the teacher say, “Thank you so much, Mr. Fushiguro, you’ve been amazing!” She beelined for the bathroom as everyone began clapping, hiding within the stalls until Serena confirmed that he was already gone. 

She nearly had to fan herself, giving her baby girl a kiss before making her way out of the building with her sister, wanting nothing more than to hide under the covers of her bed and scream.

When they got into the car, Serena held a hand over her mouth, giving her sister a couple of minutes as she said, “Can I laugh? I’m finna’ laugh. I’m so sorry, shawty.” 

“Shut up,” Stoney grumbles, her fingers gripping the steering wheel tighter as she sped back to her place. 

“And you rushed to the bathroom like you were gonna throw up. That’s a damn shame.” 

“Shut up,” she repeated again, rolling her eyes as her sister continued laughing, “I was embarrassed.”

“Why you’ being weird anyways? Y’all not fucking or something?”

Stoney blows out a breath. She then admits, “I haven’t spoken to Toji in two months.”

Serena’s jaw practically drops to the floor of the car. She’s shocked into being speechless for a good thirty seconds before blurting out, “Two months? Ain’t no way you haven’t tried to reach out.”

“I thought it’d be letting him down easier that way.”

“For someone who says they hate when people just cut them off without any explanation, you sure went and did the same. You know how lame you look?”

She narrows her eyes, “I have my reasons, Serena. I didn’t just stop talking to him for the fuck of it.”

Serena gives her, “Oh yeah? Then what’s your reason?” She turns her whole body to look at her, her arms still crossed, waiting to hear what she says. 

Now thinking of the reasons she was going to say, maybe she was starting to feel a little stupid. The moment Toji left that morning after, he asked about seeing her again and she told him she was busy— she stopped picking up his calls or even responding to his messages. 

She exhaled as she responded, “I’m busy with the studio and Sai. I don’t have time for some kiddy ass puppy crush.”

Serena looked at her in disbelief, “You can’t be for real. You spend all of your time with Sai if she isn’t at school, you work from home, and the studio is open three times out of the week. This heartless front you’re tryna’ put on? Doesn’t suit you.”

“Well how would you feel if the man that helped you move your stuff into your ex-husbands house listens to your sob story, makes you feel like you matter, and then fucks you so good that you tell him to cum inside of you after only knowing him for forty-eight hours? I feel stupid. Maybe I was just vulnerable, and he was just horny.” 

“You let that man cum inside you?” 

“That’s not the point of what I just said, Serena.”

Her younger sister's eyes were an expressway to her heart, she could never lie about her emotions. She seemed to have built a wall between herself and everyone. Her hands gripped the wheel tighter, her knuckles white and trembling, her lips pursing. 

There were a million things Serena could say to her at this moment, but instead she asked, “Why do you feel stupid?”

She pulls into her driveway, parking as she sits on that thought. She knew why, maybe she just didn’t want to admit that to herself. She hated being as emotional as she was, wearing her entire heart on her sleeve. 

She pulls her hair behind her ear, “I let him in too quickly, I didn’t even know him, Serena. I have a daughter, and I’m a grown ass woman. I can’t just be fucking niggas and thinking they’re in love with me.”

Serena looked at her, almost seeing herself in her younger sister as she said, “Love at first sight seems like a fairytale, I’m well aware of that. I know you’re an adult and you have a daughter, but you ain’t dead, girl. You can live a little—you should live a little more.” 

 Serena reaches out and places a hand on Stoney’s shoulder, saying, “You haven’t been yourself since you and Nathaniel’s split. So what’s really the deeper issue?”

Goddammit. The question makes her eyes turn away from her sister, looking forward to her condo, the sight of it becoming blurry in her eyes. 

She quickly sniffles as she drags her palm along her cheek, hating that she was crying. Her voice was hoarse as she admitted, “I just feel stupid. A man I knew for two days showed me an affection I never got from my own husband…” She presses her hands to her face, “I just…I’ve been wasting so much time…and I h—hate myself for it…”

The sound of her crying hurt Serena in ways she couldn’t describe. Seeing her younger sister like this, knowing how much emotional weight she carried, it didn’t feel fair to her. No one should have to feel that way. 

“Dammit bitch, got me crying too,” she lightly laughed while sniffling, her own tears forming in her eyes, “You’re not stupid for falling a little too hard. That dumbass baby daddy of yours never deserved you in the first place. Fuck that meat head. The only good thing that came from that was Sai, this condo, and your booming business. You’re blessed, baby girl. Know that. And now you have a man trying to fill that emptiness you don’t need, but deserve. Let him show you a love you didn’t have in a place you should’ve. Give him that opportunity.”

She takes in her sister’s words. She didn’t need any man’s love, but if it was genuine, it didn’t hurt to open herself up again. She sinks deeper into her older sister, needing her comfort as she says softly, “I love you.”

Serena smiles against her skin, holding her close as she says, “Ahh, you’re always a little cry baby when you’re sad. But I love you more. And if this man breaks your heart, Imma’ break his skull. So stop crying. You’re ruining my makeup, and I have a date tonight.”

She pulls her head up, “Wasn’t you just saying you wanted that doctor's number at the Career Day? Now you got a date?” 

She smacks her lips, waving it off as she says, “Do you doubt me as a bitch who can get any nigga she wants? That’s my date, girl! I got his number. Foine ass doctor, let me tell you.”

Here we go again.

Stoney felt a little better as the next day came. It was one of her favorite days out of the week, being within her studio and helping others enjoy a session. She had different packages—Pottery and Paint, Pottery and Pot/Smoking, Pottery and Sip— she enjoyed each session, and always was received well by her customers. She loved her studio, SAI’S, sign illuminating pink at the top of the building. It was minimalistic within the inside, honey pine wood tables and walls, plants hung along the ceiling, easels and workstations scattered within the workshop. This was her second home. 

Today in particular was a children’s birthday party, having the children all along the table with mats, mushing their creations into anything they wanted and painting over it. She had Sai participating with them, as she was in the studio with her today to be picked up by her father for the next week or so, spending time with him before Christmas. She knew her daughter was excited, but she wasn’t exactly looking forward to him coming to her place of sanctuary.

A small smile came along her face as she continued to lead, “Okay, so you’re gonna take your clay and roll it into a little burrito—but don’t eat it! It’ll make you very sick,” she dramatically rubs her stomach, making the children giggle, “Can I see everyone make a burrito for me?”

This was her peace of mind, being surrounded by all things she loved. Her baby girl’s giggle, the sound of clay, paint brushes and paint. It was all something she could immerse herself in.

As the session came to an end, she said her goodbyes to the children and parents, beginning to clean off the tables and unused supplies, feeling herself becoming a bit tired from the day.

“Alright, muffin. I need you to go and clean up in the bathroom, so you can look all nice and pretty for Daddy, okay?” She says to Sai, pulling her out of the chair she placed her in, “You need any help from mommy?”

“I’ll be okay!” 

As she continued to clean up the supplies, she heard the bell atop of her door jingling, and inhaled a deep breath.  Her eyes met with her ex-husband, caramel skin, hazel eyes, waves upon his head. He was wearing a suit, assuming he was coming from work. 

When she goes to politely greet him, the first thing he does is look around, raising an eyebrow as he says, “So this is where all my child support money is going, huh?”

And just like that, her good mood was ruined. She reaches over to grab the Hello Kitty duffle that had all of her daughter’s necessities, reaching it towards him as she dismisses, “Your daughter has her Christmas list in her bag, Nathan. She also needs new shoes, she’s beginning to grow out of her old ones.”

He reaches for the bag, his hand touching hers for a moment. His eyes drift down towards her tattoos on her forearms, before they look down towards her chest, as she wears a soft green tracksuit set, where her zipper was dipping a bit low. 

“You’ still fucking that mover?”

Her neck nearly broke as she was taken aback by the question, her face remaining stoic and unwavering. Instead of getting upset, she pulls the bag back towards herself as she dismisses,  “Do you know what shoe size Sai is?”

He doesn’t seem phased by her not responding to the question, leaning himself against the wall as he shoves a hand into his pocket, “She’s a ten in kids, I’m well aware of my daughter’s shoe size.”

His eyes once again stroll down her body, “Small feet like her mom.” 

“Congratulations on knowing that,” she flatly says, “Sai’s just washing her hands. She’ll be out in a second.”

He pushes himself off of the wall as he walks towards the table, sitting himself down, “So this is where you spend the money you got from the divorce, huh? Painting mugs and ashtrays?”

“It’s a good profit to take care of Sai,” she tells him, “She enjoys it here just as much as I do.”

He laughs, leaning back into his chair, “Well at least she’s enjoying it,” He says, before adding, “Because I know I’m sure as hell not paying for you to sit around and play with clay all damn day.”

She blinks at him, before she turns around and goes back to her cleaning. She really didn’t give a fuck about his conversation right now.

 She then hears his mouth open again, “I’ll be bringing Sai back a day early, me and my fiancé are going out of town for Christmas.”

That however makes her halt. She turns her head as she frowns, “What?” 

 “I’m taking a trip with my girl for Christmas. Gonna show her a nice time. We’re gonna be in Florida, in the keys.”

“You’re engaged six months after our divorce?” Her frown becomes deeper, “I haven’t even been out of the house for three months.”

He rolls his eyes, “We’ve been separated since last holiday. I’ve been with her since before you moved out, and I proposed to her three months ago. She’s my future. What, you expecting me to be pining over your miserable ass?”

She could take a lot of his beatings. But this particular conversation was viscerally pissing her off. She turned to fully look at him, raising an eyebrow as she questions, “Who the fuck is miserable?”

He stands to his feet and crosses his arms, “You’ve been sulking over being a single mom since we’ve been separated. I’d actually be surprised if you kept the next nigga you’re fucking on. You’re pathetic. Why do you think you’re here, playing with paint and clay in a tiny ass studio?”

His words were hitting her harder than she expected them to. Saying these harsh things to herself was one thing, but hearing them from the person that caused most of her misery was deafening. She hated that she was about to cry. But this was anger, and she wanted to become violent.

 She takes the duffle bag that holds her daughter’s items, chucking it at him as she spits, “You can wait for Sai in the car. Get the fuck out.”

He catches the bag, the items in it falling out in the process. He laughs, “It’s like you never even left the house,” He walks closer to her, “You think you’d be less of a miserable bitch after two months on your own.”

“You sound like an ignorant ass nigga right now. I’d advise you to back up before I put you in between this fuckin’ table and work station,” she threatens, uncaring if tears were coming in her eyes. Her hands were shaking. 

“Your new nigga gave you some balls or something? Now you’ can talk to me crazy?” 

She was entirely too angry to see anything else at this moment. So angry that she didn’t even hear the bell jingle atop of her studio, Nathaniel in the way of the door.

Her eyes peer into the doorway, seeing Toji standing there, eyes immediately narrowed, clutching his fist along the bouquet of flowers he holds. 

“You’ good?” 

The question echoes in her mind, almost like a replay of a situation they had before. She blinks in between the both of them as she says, “I’m fine—“

“You know I wasn’t asking you, Stoney.” 

He tries to be as respectful as possible when it comes to her ex-husband for the sake of Sai, but walking in to see him standing over her, he couldn’t hold his mouth this time. 

Before she can give a reaction, Toji drops the flowers within his hand, his face nearly able to burn the skin off of Nathaniel as he continues, “Nah, fuck that.” 

He’s fast, incredibly fast as he’s already making his way towards Nathan, which makes Stoney’s eyes go wide, panicked as she flies around him to grip Toji’s arm, not expecting him to have this reaction.

 She holds him as she confirms, “I’m fine, okay? I’m fine,” she confirms, only wanting to diffuse the situation. 

Toji knocks his head down to look at her. He looks back up at Nathaniel, who’s still standing there with a look of annoyance on his face, but something else within his eyes. Hesitance. 

His jaw clenched as he relaxed a bit, her touch feeling like it’d been forever, almost wanting to thank himself for the cause.

“I’m good.”

Thankfully, Sai appears, seeing her father as she greets, “Daddy!” Excited to see him, jumping up within his arms.

Toji looks down at the child, his features instantly softening as he sees the girl in her father’s arms. Seeing her cheerful smile, she had no idea of the tension in the room.

Nathan gives her a soft kiss on the head, “Hey, baby girl. You’ ready to do some Christmas shopping?”

“Yeah!” Sai says with a big smile, her arms going around his neck for a hug. 

Stoney clears her throat as she gently pulls Sai in to kiss her cheek, leaning down to quickly pick up her stuff that's fallen out of the duffle she’d chucked at Nathaniel, “Let Daddy take pictures of you, okay? I wanna see you having fun with him. And call me if you need anything, okay?” 

Sai smiles at her mom, and nods in reply, giving her a little wave, “Okay, mommy! Love you!” 

Toji watches as Stoney gives her daughter attention, seeing her pick up the items on the floor. He leans down, picking the stuff up with her, taking the bag out of her hand as he reaches it out to Nathaniel.

Nathaniel is still just glaring at Toji, who was waiting patiently for a reaction. Nothing. No talking goes into Nathan taking the bag from him. 

Sai’s sweet voice waves, “Bye, Mr. Snake Man!” as they exit out of the studio.

Toji gives the kid a little wave, and puts on a small grin. When they exit completely, his jaw finally unclenches, taking in the sight of Stoney. It was like seeing her again for the first time.

“You okay?”

He looks down at her fingers, watching how they shake from the previous situation. She’d been crying. Toji brings a palm up, grabbing her hand, unable to stop himself from just wanting to comfort her. 

“I’m fine.”

“Quit lying to me.”

She pulls her hand away, “What’s with the flowers? How’d you even know about the studio?” 

He wants to re-clench his jaw from her pull away. This was his second time seeing her in two months, and she still had her walls up. 

“You ran off on me at career day. I didn’t know Sai went to school there.” 

“Well—you know now,” she dismisses, turning as she begins cleaning up the rest of her studio. She can feel him following behind her, even beginning to pick up items himself to help her clean. 

He continues, “Serena told me about the studio before I left career day. I ended up asking Sai if she needed more flowers in her garden, she said you had pulled some of the Hibiscus’. So—I thought you needed some more,” he takes the bouquet off the table, reaching them towards her. 

Her eyes narrow down at the flowers, “Fucking Serena. Of course,” she presses her tongue within her cheek, turning away to gather the mats off the table. 

His dark grey eyes don’t leave her, watching as she walks around, trying to keep herself composed. When she refuses to take the flowers, he takes them back, setting them on the table, but not taking his eyes from her. 

“You gonna cut your sister off for giving me the name of your studio?”

“Serena couldn’t hold water in a bucket if a gun was to her head,” she retorts, scanning his attire, his overalls and wife beater showing he must’ve been at work, “I don’t need the flowers.”

“Are you upset about what I said to Nathaniel?”

She sighs, halting her steps, “Toji. I didn’t need you to play bodyguard. I can fight my own battles with him.”

Toji leans his forearms down on the table, veins flexing as he watches her pause her steps, finally looking him in the eyes again. 

“I know you can handle your own battles with him. I know. But he’s a fuckin’ prick. Needs his fuckin’ skull bashed in, I see the way he makes you feel. He hurts your feelings.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow at him. He then says, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t tryna impose.”

“Well you did. Why are you here, Toji?”

“I miss you.”

She now raises both eyebrows, “You had two months to get over me. I think you’ll survive.”

“I can’t. So now what?”

She looks up at him, tilting her head slightly as she says, “Look, you did your big one, okay? Let me give you my sob story about my past relationship, fucked me, but we’re both grown as fuck. You don’t know me, and you enjoyed yourself. Why can’t we just leave it there?” 

“That’s what you think? That I just wanted to fuck you?”  

She shrugs, “I don’t know. But I have a life to make for myself and my child, I’m not tryna bring you into my bullshit. Seeing what just happened was enough to understand that.”

He comes even closer to her, feeling his body temperature rising, his eyes not leaving hers.

“You think I’m gonna let you write me off that easily? You think I can’t handle whatever you throw at me? Like I’m weak or some shit?”

“I never said you were weak.”

She feels her own body wanting to pull closer to him. Her heart thumps in her chest as she tilts her head up to look at him, able to smell his scent. 

He then says to her, “My birthday’s coming up.” 

She gives him a fake smile, patting his arm as she says, “Hm, Happy early birthday then. Hopefully you can find some girl to bounce her ass on you,” she goes around him, focusing back on picking up the work mats.

“I’m cool off that, I’d rather you be the one bouncing your ass on me.”

She scoffs, huffing as she turns towards him, “Why are you still here?”

“I want you.”

“Okay?”

He moves as she moves, refusing to let the space between them become too much. His eyes follow her as she tries to go around him, his scarred lip twitching. 

She raises an eyebrow, “Is something funny?”

“You’ not even gonna ask me what I’m doing for my birthday?” 

She sighs, pausing her movements again. 

“What are you doing for your birthday, Fushiguro?”

“Taking you wherever you wanna go. You deserve a real date.”

“Toji.” 

He raises an eyebrow as she says his name like that, clearly frustrated with him. 

“What? You’ done being stubborn now?”

“I’m tired of playing chicken with you.” 

“So tell me where you wanna go then.”

She squints, letting out a sigh as she begins to walk past him, sarcastic as she says, “I’ve always wanted to see Rome, Italy for Christmas. It looks beautiful there.”

“Rome, huh?” 

His eyes watch her ass as she walks past him, wanting to follow her anywhere she went.

 “I’ve heard the food is good as fuck, too. I’ll book the tickets tonight. You’ got three days to pack.”

Her entire body halts. She turns towards him as he begins walking out of the studio, “I was joking, Toji.”

When he’s still walking, she begins following after him, feet scrambling to catch up with his large strides as she alarmingly repeats, “I was joking!”

He then turns back to her, jaw clenching as he says, “I’m about to be thirty-three, Stoney. Imma’ grown ass man. Do you think I’m playing about you?”

She steps back a bit, hearing the seriousness in his tone. She then says, “I think you’re hard headed as fuck.”

“You can cuss me out on the plane. You’ need my card to go shopping?” 

She quickly says, “No,” as he’s already pulling it from his wallet, ready to hand it to her.

He raises an eyebrow in response, “What, money scares you too? Damn, I thought it was just snakes.” 

“Funny, jackass,” she snatches the card from him, “Now you’re finna’ go bankrupt.”

He leans in closer to her, his jaw clenching as he smiles down at her—the bastard was sexy. 

“I got more money than I need. I’m greedy as fuck, you know that.” 

“Goodbye, Fushiguro,” she finalizes, lightly pressing his chest, backing him out of her studio.

“You sure you don't want a goodbye kiss?”

“You can kiss my ass,” she tells him, quickly pulling away as she closes the door to the studio, waving at him through the glass panel.

He raises his hand up, doing a little wave back, knowing she can see the smirk on his face through the window. She has to hold back the small smile that comes to her face as he looks almost like a child, nearly tripping as he makes his way back to his truck. 

She trips as she makes her way over to her phone, going to her emergency contacts as she immediately dialed her sister's number.

“You better be dying, Stoney. I am laid up playing General Hospital, and I do mean that in the nastiest way.” 

“You’ll be dying cause imma’ kill you! He’s taking me to Italy, Serena.” 

“WHA—HUH?!”

                          𝓐ᥫ᭡

THREE DAYS OF PREPARATION WAS OVERWHELMING. She bought mostly black attire, flimsy, sexy, but she refused to admit that any of it was to get his attention. She’d even had Serena take out her sew-in—wash her hair, blow it out, and replace it with all new bundles. New makeup, shoes, even new scents of perfume. She felt ready. 

She watched as he placed her two suitcases in the back of his truck, “Think you packed up your whole house?”

She sighs, “Well one is my clothes bag, the other is my hair and makeup bag.”

“Hair and makeup bag?” He repeats, “You didn’t need a whole bag full of that. You look good enough already.”

“Quit flirting. Oh—“ she pauses, pulling the dark green 

Telfar off her shoulder as she reaches in, “Um—I got you your cigarettes. Thought you might’ve needed some. But you can’t smoke them on the plane, okay?” She raises the box in her hand, “The guy told me there’s organic tobacco in these.” 

His eyes run up her form, taking in her frame dressed in a black hoodie and sweatpants set, matching Toji’s attire accidentally. Her edges swirled along her forehead as she had in an orchid claw clip, freckled face covered by her glasses, skin coaxed by the cloying scent of her vanilla perfume. 

He slowly grabs it from her fingers, inspecting the label, “Organic tobacco?” He says with a smirk, “You tryna make me healthy, now?”

“Maybe,” she says softly, “You’ ready to go?”

He looks back to her, seeing an almost doe-eyed look within her face, genuinely concerned for his health. She was cute. 

“Been ready for three days, baby,” he grunts, reaching for her hand, “Come on,” opening the passenger seat of his truck, “Sure we don’t need to add your ass as a third check bag?” 

“Boy, hush.” 

She leans her head along the window, watching out as they pass the city. The nervousness she had was gone, but she felt…hesitant with him. 

Her head came up as she saw them pulling behind the airport, raising an eyebrow as she questions, “We aren’t flying with the airport lines?”

“Nah, I chartered a private plane. Caught an alligator out of a client's backyard, said he could give me the hook up—gave me a decent price on a jet.”

Her eyes glanced at the cream colored jet, seeing as workers began making their way towards his truck as she questions, “And how decent was the price of a jet to Italy, better yet—how big was the gator?” She frowns, blinking in surprise.

He watches her eyes gaze up at the jet, looking to the workers as they approach, “Big enough. Don’t ask too many questions.”

She rolls her eyes, watching as he pulls a cigarette from the box she’d gifted him. She gives a polite smile to the workers that begin unloading his truck, opening the door as he steps out to smoke. 

She comes around as she almost pouts like a child, “You said you wouldn’t smoke on the plane.”

He takes a hit from the cigarette, releasing the smoke from his mouth as he leans against the side of his truck, “Never said that shit. Plus, I thought these were supposed to be healthy for me?” 

She sighs, “I shouldn’t have told you that.”

He wraps his arm around her neck, pulling her forward with a chuckle as he blows out the smoke. She wasn’t used to a man being so…playful with her, making her feel like she didn’t have to be so aware and parental. She could relax.

He blows the smoke into her face to tease her, watching as her nose crinkles up and she waves a hand in front of her, attempting to disperse the toxins. 

“You’re cute as fuck when you’re annoyed.”

“And you’re annoying when you’re…annoying.” 

He raises an eyebrow, “That’s what you came up with?”

“I’m going to the plane!” 

She begins making her way towards the jet, waving politely to the workers as they open the door for her, ignoring Toji as he calls, “I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave!”

Pulling through the small door of the jet, the size of it made her nervous, this being her first time in one. The seats were big and luxurious, wine glasses and fruit along the small section they had holding food and drinks. She felt a bit overwhelmed at the effort he’d put in.

She sat with a space between Toji as she wanted to lay down, having her arms wrapped around her legs. But the moment they began takeoff, she frowned lightly at how fast the jet was moving, scooting herself closer to him, her anxiety now a bit on the higher scale.

“Scared?”

“What, are you gonna make fun of me cause I’m not a big fan of planes?”

“Why would I do that?” he questions, solemn to his voice. It makes her feel almost embarrassed, like she assumed something out of him.

She exhales, “My bad,” pulling her hands along her arms, feeling herself becoming colder.

“Don’t start that apologizing bullshit. You could’ve just came closer,” he mutters, grabbing her waist and pulling her close to his lap, her head now resting along his legs, his palm almost too warm as he rubs the skin between her thighs and ass.

It makes her take in a bit of breath, still trying to get used to his touch all over again. The minute he pulled the blanket from behind the chair while still rubbing her cold skin, her eyes felt heavy, and she felt extremely comforted by his touch. It wasn’t long before her lashes met with her cheeks.

He looked down at her—the way the sunlight from the window streamed off her face, her long lashes, freckles igniting from the light around her head, cascading along the skin of her shoulder, her breathing a melodic tune. 

Fuck. He was becoming addicted to her all over again.

She didn’t realize how long she’d been asleep. When her eyes opened again, she noticed as her arm pulled around his stomach, face deep within his abdomen as she slept. His hand had instinctively made its way to the back of her head, stroking the back of her neck, rubbing lightly at the skin.

“You’re always so warm,” she says softly, burying her face back into his lap, “Like I have two blankets,” she hums.

He chuckled, letting his hand go from the back of her neck to her waist, his hand now rubbing her ass through her sweats as he looked down into her now opened eyes.

“You’ still tired?”

She shakes her head, “No,” then looks up, seeing as his eyes are focused along his phone, a video playing as she asks, “What you’ watching?”

 “NFL highlights. I put money on the Eagles to win today. They’re losing. I’m about to flip the plane upside down.”

“Oh god, you’re already starting to act your age. Checking sports at random times of the day. Should I start calling you Grandpa?”

“You could call me something else.”

“Never mind. You’re still a child,” she rolls her eyes, “How far are we now?”

“We’re still about an hour out,” he looks back to his phone, “Why? You’ got somewhere else to be?”

“Mmm, maybe. Might find me a sexy ass Italian man and run off with him—“ he’s already leaning his face down close to hers, making her giggle as he grunts at her words, “Yeah, okay. You can run off with him if they find his body.” 

The last hour before they land, he can see her becoming more comfortable with him. It’s a side of her that he hadn’t gotten to see before. She sits up, changing her entire position as she straddles his lap, pressing pecks along his jaw, wanting to touch him in any way she could. His eyes were still along his sports as she used him as her own personal playground, allowing her to pull the hairs off his arms, scratch the scalp of his hair, even plucking his eyebrows at one point. He didn’t mind any of it. 

The moment they hear the pilot go over the intercom of the jet, Stoney leans over at the window, peering down at the overhead of their destination—Rome, Italy.

The sight of the overhead lights of the city, the way the sunset beamed through the sky, he could see the way her eyes lit up in awe. The moment they land, they’re met with the chauffeur as he places their bags in the trunk of the Cadillac Escalade, making their way out of the airport. 

She peered out the window as they drove into the city, the roads small, bricked cement along the ground, pastel buildings and infinite amounts of greenery everywhere she looked. The vehicle glides through the crowded streets, the sounds surrounding them in a buzz. Horns were going off constantly and people walking along the sidewalks, their voices blending into a constant hum. 

When they pull into the driveway of what essentially could be a villa, Toji tips the chauffeur, hopping out of the truck as he pulls their suitcases onto the ground. Stoney looks up at the Mediterranean styled home, glancing down at the stained glass double doors.

The moment they make it inside, a beautiful marble and hardwood space is made up of open-concept. The living room is surrounded by large windows able to see out into the streets. The kitchen is made out of a beautiful white stone, a large island sitting in the middle with a dining room table in the next room. Two doors lead into the bedroom, a vintage look to it, champagne comforter set with a fancily carved headboard, long golden curtains high along the ceiling, leading to a spacious balcony.

Stoney’s eyes couldn’t find one place to look. She’s so distracted by the beauty of this house, she’s pulled away as she feels a pair of arms sneak along her hips, feeling his breath along her neck, holding her close to him. 

She sighs, rubbing the skin of his arm as she tells him, “How are you trying to impress me on your birthday?”

He chuckles against her neck, the feeling of his lips against her skin sending shivers down her spine as his chin rests along the curve of her shoulder. One of his hands slowly travels over her hoodie, gently tracing the skin of the side of her abdomen.

“Don’t gotta impress you, baby. Just trying to make you comfortable. You’ comfortable?”

She nods her head as she breathlessly replies, “Mhm,” before she then adds, “You should go shower. You still haven’t told me how you wanna celebrate tonight.”

He hums against her skin, his lips slowly caressing her neck in an open mouthed kiss, “You’re tryna avoid me.” 

The laugh that comes from her lips is forced, awkward even. It was as if they hadn’t already been together on the drive there, the plane ride, all of it. But they were here now, in this intimate space, and maybe that intimidated her a bit. 

She squeezes his arm tighter as she lies, “No. I just take forever to get ready and think you should go first. Womanly shit. And—I’m hungry,” she adds on, turning towards him, lightly pulling away as she gives him a smile.

He could see the unease in her eyes, and that familiar shyness that would always take over her. He nods his head as he lets her pull away, keeping a hold of her hand, a subtle understanding in his eyes, “What do you want for dinner?”

“I’d ask you that, birthday boy,” she brings her arms around his neck to make sure she wasn’t being awkward, “What are you in the mood for?”

“You really wanna know what I’m in the mood for?”

The question seems innocent, but she knew it wasn’t. She was blushing hard enough. When he chuckles at her slow blinking at him, she sighs out, “Toji…” hearing his amusement as he brushes his nose against hers, finally allowing her to breathe as he pulls back to go shower.

He turns to make his way down the hall to the bedroom, calling over his shoulder,  “I’ll be done in twenty minutes, don’t set the house on fire while I’m gone.”

Her eyes follow him, the way his back muscles flex as he peels the hoodie he wears while walking towards the bathroom, nearly tilting her body to follow him with her vision. 

She mindlessly replies, “….Okay.” 

God.

It was starting to become a game of cat and mouse. The only thing was, Stoney wasn’t sure which part she played. He came out of the shower with a towel wrapped along his hips just begging to fall, his large arms reaching up as he dried his dark hair, muscles flexing along his stomach with every move he made, tattoos almost moving with him.

All of the thoughts she had smacked her upside the head like a brutal fight, driving her insane. She moved around him as she went into the bathroom. 

She took her time on her hair and makeup, wanting to look as good as possible. Her dark hair was pin straight, layers prominent within the dark shine of her tresses. Her lashes create a cat-eye, dark liner in her bottom lid, a mauve and a dark brown mixture along her lips. Even if she’d gotten the approval from her sister, she felt…strange in her dress.

 It was sexy, purposeful to catch someone's eye. The black silk somehow clung to her frame, but still had a flow to it, spaghetti straps along her shoulders, lace clutched along her breast, nearly showcasing the brown of her nipples if you looked close enough. The left side of it had a slit all the way to her hip, giving the illusion that she wore nothing under. She pressed her lips together as she pulled her hair behind her ear, tilting to the side as she checked herself out. 

Her eyes then follow over to the open door, seeing as Toji’s frame now stood there, suit clutched to his figure as it fit him perfectly. His tie was still loose, buttons open from the top as he was getting himself ready. In all of that, his jaw visibly tightened at the sight of her. 

“…Is it too much?” she softly asks.

He walks up behind her, his hands trailing over her hips, watching her face in the mirror through his darkened gaze. His eyes roam over her frame, taking in the lace along her chest, the skin of her neck. 

“Turn.”

She turns towards him with a breath, the sound of his voice making her want to vibrate. She squeals as he places her along the counter of the bathroom, holding him as if she would fall. 

“Please say something else before my brain explodes.”

He chuckles, his hands clutching the skin of her legs, fingers running along her thigh, going under the silky material of the dress. He could practically feel her skin trembling underneath his palms as he looked over her.

“Christ, baby,” his voice comes out raspy as his eyes roam over her body, his fingers gently squeezing her thigh. “Shit is almost criminal at how good you look.”

She exhales at that, “You okay with the dress?” Her eyes glance back and forth, seeing that the question almost confused him.

“If you’re asking whether or not I give a fuck about you showing your body, the answer is I don’t. I know how to fight,” he tells her, his words making her giggle a bit as he gives a kiss to her neck, trailing up her jaw.

The moment she feels him close to her lips, she pulls his mouth back as she questions, “Need help with your tie?”

He lets out an amused huff as she pulls his mouth away, trying to distract herself. He smirks a little as he answers, “I’m grown as fuck. But yeah, do it for me.”

She wraps her fingers along the silk as she begins tying it around his neck, rolling her eyes as she says, “I’m aware, you’re six years older than me. That’s like fifty-thousand years.”

“Very funny.”

 He watches intently as she ties the tie around his neck, her fingers touching the silk, making sure it was proper. 

He smirks a bit as he asks, “You’ gonna be a smartass all night long?”

“Anyways, I couldn’t find much on the restaurants close by, the more local places seem to not be searchable. It also looks like we’ll have to walk a bit to see all the pretty stuff. Ooh! I see the Colosseum isn’t too far away, and apparently around this time they have a big Christmas tree next to it! I wanna take a bunch of pics for Sai to see,” she smiles, “And then there’s this beautiful church with all these paintings of angels on the ceiling, and you can take pictures of it!” She’s rambling, buttoning up the top he wears beneath his suit jacket. 

She halts herself a bit, pulling back her fingers as she says, “Sorry. We can do whatever you want first, of course.”

He watches her ramble on, a small smile on his face as she listed out the things she read about and that piqued her interest. 

“I wanna go wherever you wanna go, baby,” he tells her, his voice coming off a bit softer than usual, “You’re the one excited to see this stuff, so let’s do that first.”

God, she hated being soft with this man. To hear him sincerely tell her that, she closes the final button on his suit, trying to hide her smile as she girlishly replies, “Okay.”

“We gotta go soon before we don’t leave. You look too fuckin’ good in this dress right now.”

“Down, boy,” she giggles, watching as he pulls on her Christian Louboutin ballet heels, giving a kiss to her feet as he ties the satin along her ankles. He pulls her off the counter with a smack to her ass, grunting as he kisses her forehead with a, “C’mon.” 

Seeing the sun set along the city was a sight. It seemed like the night made it wake up from its daily slumber, bodies crawling along the brick ground as she led the way. Her eyes traveled along the pastel colored buildings, the smell of food, music strumming from musicians along the street, windows freely open from neighborhood apartments.

It’s almost as if love fills the air. She watches as people sit on the outside, kissing and touching one another in romantic forms, continuing to pull him past a lit up flower shop—she can’t help but slow down. Her eyes fall along the pastel pink petals, yellow within the middle of it.

She gasps softly, “They’re Lotus flowers…”

He stops as soon as she pauses, his eyes going to the flowers that caught her eye. The petals looked pristine and vibrant, so much as if they’d been grown out of magic. Seeing how she carefully touched them, almost as if she’d break them in two, they looked like the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. 

“You like them?”

“They’re pretty,” she smiles gently, “Sai would love these in our little garden.”

“They’re yours, then. Take as many as you want.” 

He’s already at the register, propping a cigarette in between his lips, beginning to exchange the cash he carried for euros with the cashier as he pulled out his wallet.

She tilts her head, pursing her lips, “Don’t be funny, Toji. How am I supposed to get flowers across the country?”

“I’ll hire an entire fuckin’ army to deliver them if you need me to.” 

She sighs lightly, holding the bouquet close to her chest. She thanks the cashier as he smiles, standing against her heels as she presses a kiss to his cheek, “You’re such a sweet bean. Sai will love these.”

He huffs a bit at the kiss on the cheek, her lips feeling impossibly warm against his skin.

“Yeah, okay,” he mutters within her ear, kissing her cheek back, “Let’s go.”

As they continue walking farther down, she spots a restaurant across the bridge. Christmas decorations hang all along the tent of the building. She clutches his hand a bit tighter, using her other hand to hold her bouquet as she turns to him, “Can we go to that one?”

“We gotta get on a boat to get to that one,” he mentions.

Her eyes fall down into the water, seeing a man sitting on the end of a thin canoe, swaying the paddles idly. She raises her eyebrow as she says, “Boat? That shit is small as fuck. How isn’t he flipping on that?”

He chuckles at her response, “You never seen a gondola?”

She narrows her eyes, “Oh, so you think you’re better than me? Why you’ know what that is? You fucked a bitch from Italy or something?”

He blinks slowly at her, playing along as he replies, “Yeah, my passport’s stamped as hell.” 

“Oh, well how about you call your lil’ foreign hoes to come celebrate your birthday? I’d rather swim than get on a canoe with you!”

“Gondola.”

“Whatever the fuck!” 

She waves politely at the man, taking his hand instead of Toji’s as she steps down onto the navy blue boat. Her heel makes her wobble a bit, the feeling of the water making her tense as she sits along the bench, taking a deep breath as they become situated. 

The moment they began moving, she could feel everything beneath them, including the water swaying. These moments seemed romantic enough in movies, but right now, it was kinda terrifying. The moment the paddle had the entire boat sway, she placed her flowers along Toji’s lap, gripping the end of his suit jacket as she exhaled. 

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“Even after you were just talking shit?”

She goes to talk more shit, the boat teetering, her mouth clasping shut as she grips him tighter, laying her head against his shoulder as she nearly whimpers, “Toji.” 

He sighs, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her even closer, “You’re good, momma. Sai will still have a parent by the end of this boat ride.”

She nods her head, keeping her eyes fluttered closed. He then says, “Unless…”

“Unless what?” her head peaks up. 

“Every night in my dreams—I see you, I feel you…”

She blinks, “You are not singing the Titanic song right now. You’re not funny. You’re just not,” she pouts, hiding her face within his shoulder. 

They finally arrive along the other side of the street, Stoney beginning to walk faster until she makes it to the restaurant, finally accepting Toji’s hand, following the host who sits them down.

“I’m not talking to you for like five minutes,” she huffs, placing her flowers against the extra chair, “That was mean.”

“I see where Sai gets that pouting shit from. It’s cuter when she does it.”

Stoney rolls her eyes, taking the menu and smacking his palm with it, “Say you’re sorry.”

He rubs his hand where she smacked, “Damn,” he mutters, before letting out a sigh, “Apologies for scaring you on the gondola, my lady.”

She smiles, “It’s okay. And stop smoking,” she reaches over to pull the cigarette from his mouth, his entire body conveniently moving back, opening his legs a bit as he manspreads along the chair, continuing to puff his cigarette. 

She hated how good he looked in a suit. The moment he orders a whiskey as she orders a crown and Coke with lime, her eyes glance over him again, patting her fingers against the table.

“I had some questions for you,” she says, her slender eyes sparkling under the lights.

He shifts in his seat, taking another drag of his cigarette, the smoke slowly leaving his lips as he raises his eyebrows, listening intently. 

“Go ahead.”

“Mmm…well, where are you from?” 

He places the cigarette in between his fingers, bringing the whiskey glass to his lips as he takes a small sip, his eyes never leaving hers. 

“Tokyo,” he simply says, his voice coming out a bit huskier than usual.

“Why come to the states? Were there no reptiles to wrangle out in Tokyo? Or someone that needed help moving?” She questions.

He chuckles a bit at her words, shaking his head as he answers, “No one was willing to pay me what I wanted. Started helping a friend move boxes, and decided I wanted my own company. Ended up helping a family get a snake out their house, it piqued another interest. Is this an interview?”

She rolls her eyes, “This is a date, we have to get to know each other!”

“My fault. You’re right, pretty. Continue.”

“Hm…so Japanese was your first language?”

He hums as his eyes roam over her, watching her take sips of her drink, seeing the way the lights in the restaurant made her skin glow gently. 

“Yeah,” he confirms, setting his glass back down onto the table, “Didn’t learn English until I was thirteen. Took a while to learn, shit was hard.”

“Tell me something,” she asks him, leaning more forward on the table, “Japanese is pretty. Wanna hear it from your mouth.”

His lips curve up as she leans forward on the table in front of him, her eyes looking intently. He doesn’t hesitate in his response, his voice coming out deeper, the language sounding more intimate, almost as if it were being spoken only for her to listen to. 

“Anata to sekkusushitai,” he murmurs, his eyes locked on hers.

She blinks as his voice lowers, tilting her head as she questions, “Gonna say it in English now?”

“Tell me what you think I said,” he offers, his tongue running along his lip before he grabs his cigarette, taking another puff.

“Something you ain’t have no business saying,” she squints, “I knew you didn’t like me. Cause you don’t wanna tell me! I’m not your type. Do you even like black women?”

He raises an eyebrow, “So that’s what we’re doing now?”

She crosses her arms, “Well, yes! I mean, do you? How do you know how to handle a black ass situation? What you’ gonna do if you’re fucking me, and you’re pulling my hair too hard that my wig comes flying off? Cause that can happen!” 

“Shit, guess I gotta start pulling at your braids then.”

She presses her hands over her face as she squeaks, “Ah! Nooo. You did not just say that. I’m about to faint,” she fans her face, ignoring the full on laugh that comes from him.

“That’s not what you wanted to hear, huh? That I’m gonna grip—“

“Please stop. I beg.” 

“Well, don’t question how I feel about you then. You should know that shit by now.” 

They then order their food, Toji noticing as Stoney constantly checks the flowers beside her, gently touching them every few seconds. 

He raises an eyebrow, “Think they’re gonna fly away?”

“I’m just tryna think how I could preserve them for Sai. She’ll be so happy.”

His jaw clenches a bit at the sight of her beaming,  wanting to be as close to her as possible. Instead, he keeps his hands to himself as he then states, “Talk to me about Sai.”

She blinks, “About Sai?”

Taking another puff from his cigarette, his eyes don’t leave her face as he nods in response, “Yeah, your face lights up every time you say her name. I wanna keep that up.”

The sentence makes her a bit warm, but she knows how happy the thought of her child makes her. She says, “Well, she’s been doing really good since she started school. She gets along with the other kids, and she’s inviting them to have a sleepover for her birthday. I’m not sure what theme she wants, I think Minnie Mouse but then she said that all the girls at school right now like BRATZ, which shocked me, considering that was the thing when I was younger. She likes Hello Kitty too, but I think she might’ve outgrown her a bit. I’m tryna get her to like Strawberry Shortcake, cause I love that brand and want an excuse to buy a bunch of shit.” 

She heard herself talking and talking, pulling herself back a bit as she lightly laughed, “Yeah…but she’s—she’s great. She’s happy to be with her dad for Christmas, even if he isn’t my favorite person in the world.”

She slows down on her continuation, noticing the way he stares at her. She raises an eyebrow, “What?”

“Nothing.” 

He takes another drag from his cigarette, his eyes never once leaving hers, “Just seeing how long I could keep you talking. Your voice is prettier than fuckin’ angels singing.”

Her heart flutters a bit, eyes pulling away as they place the pasta with meatballs along the table, the large heart shaped pepperoni pizza making Stoney want to dreamily sigh like a princess. She watches as Toji digs the spoon within the plate, swirling the utensil in between the noodles and placing it towards her mouth. She immediately opens in response, pulling the food in, humming as it tasted delicious.

She groans, “Either this is too good or I’m just starving.”

“Probably both. You were too busy acting like you didn’t fuck with me to have a meal before we got here.”

He takes his thumb to wipe a bit of pasta sauce from the corner of her mouth, “You’re making a mess, momma. Don’t need you crying that your dress is ruined.”

As she feels him wiping sauce off the side of her mouth, the buzz of her cocktail creeps its way in. It’s like all of her alcohol had suddenly shot down between her legs. She was a lightweight, unfortunately. 

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have leaned forward, grabbed his finger, wrapped her lips around it and began sucking the sauce off herself. Her feline eyes see his jaw tighten, blinking innocently as she questions, “Am I clean?”

“Chill. I’m tryna’ be good.”

She giggles, pulling herself back, her eyes becoming low as her voice is more smooth, “Think my little drink is catching up to me.”

There’s that damned laugh again. 

He groans as she pulls back, her voice going a bit lower, a new sultriness to it that makes his pants a bit uncomfortable. He runs a hand through his hair, shifting in his chair before muttering, “You’ good, pretty? Need some water?”

She shakes her head, “Mmm, no. Just want your hand, like when you rub my leg.”

He lets out another soft chuckle, his lips curving into a smirk. Taking another drag from his cigarette, he puts it out in the ashtray on the table, watching the smoke slowly leave his lips. Instead of putting his hand on her leg from under the table, he lifts her heel from beneath it, placing it along his lap as he begins rubbing the skin. 

“Like this?”

“Mhm,” she nods, “You’re such a sweetie to me. Look so handsome in your suit.”

“Nothing in comparison to your dress. You’re tryna kill me.” 

He looks around, seeing on the opposite side of the tables that a group of people stand around, dancing to the relaxing music a band plays not too far from the restaurant. 

He then asks, “When’d you open up that studio?”

“Not too long after we stopped talking,” she replies, playing with the straw in her glass, “My ex-husband always said my pottery business would never become more than chump change. So, I made myself a studio. Make decent money, too. I’ve never been so happy.”

“He‘s a fuckin’ idiot,” he comments, his voice coming out rougher. “Should’ve never doubted you. I’m proud as fuck of you, baby.” 

Something in his words makes her eyes twitch. It was like a damn breaking within a River, a sentiment she hadn’t felt before. Her eyes glance over to the people that dance, turning back as she reaches out for his hand, “Come dance with me?”

Despite having two left feet in his mind, there’s no universe in which he would ever turn down an offer to be close to her.

“Drink some water, then we can go,” he pulls the cup towards her mouth.

She waves him off, “I’m fine, Fushiguro. Jesus. I just feel a lil floaty, a cocktail did not put me on my ass. Everything just feels better at this moment, so I’m happy. Dance with me,” she repeats, standing as she yanks the larger man by his arm.

He doesn’t budge from his seat. With a sigh, she reaches for her water, sipping it heavily, watching as he then stands with a grunt, “Hard headed ass,” now pulling her to where the other couples stand, wrapping his fingers along her waist, satisfied with the way she brings her arms around his neck.

She can feel the way she presses all of her weight against him, so comfortable in his arms that his grip is the only thing keeping her from falling backwards. 

She sighs, “So, thirty-three—how do you feel about that age? Do you feel…accomplished in life?”

“Thirty-three’s cool,” he answers, his voice coming out lower, “I’m more interested in thirty-five. But at the moment, I got everything I need.”

“What’s everything to you?” 

The soft hum of music surrounds them, but all he can do is focus on her hair brushing against his skin, looking more captivating in the lights of the restaurant.

“I’m a business owner,” he replies, “Got a roof over my head, support in areas I need it. The only thing I’m missing is my stubborn ass woman to share that with.”

That sentence makes her clutch his suit a bit, unable to let the tipsiness that battles the sobriety of her mind ask questions she usually wouldn’t. 

She then asks, “Why do you want me, Toji? I mean—I have a kid, a shitty ex-husband to constantly deal with. Your life seems…nice. No turmoil, no one else’s baggage.”

“That’s your fuckin’ problem. You don’t see yourself the way I see you,” he grunts, his eyes looking almost darker as he continues to speak, “The way you ramble when you get excited, the way you laugh, the radiance you spread regardless of the shit you’ve gone through. You’re under my skin. You’ll be adding years onto my life.”

She blinks up at him, a sharp inhale quiet in her mouth at his words. She had been trying to push this man away all this time, and he wasn’t giving up. He had shown her an affection in close range that she’d never experienced before— there was no reason to be afraid of him. 

“…Solaya.”

She sees him raise an eyebrow, continuing as she says, “That’s…my real name. I don’t usually give it out—it’s a rarity,” she rubs her finger over his jaw, giving him a vulnerability she hadn’t given anyone else. 

Her words sink in, her name falling from her lips. She was giving him a part of her. He leans down to take in her scent—a mixture of the flowers surrounding them and that intoxicating vanilla. 

“I want you. I’ll chase you to the ends of the fuckin’ earth, Solaya.”

He grips her up more, her heels now coming along his shoes, twisting her around so that it makes her giggle, it being filled with so much sincerity. She leans her head up, pulling him down closer as she admits to him, “I want you too,” brushing her mouth along his jaw, her breath hitching at her own actions.

The moment he lowers his face, his mouth engulfs hers, trapping her within a kiss that made her feel like her head had been ducked in a bucket of water. His lips move with hers in a way that overpowers her mouth, kneeling her head back as he practically claims her within his actions.

Their lips move in sync, his hand gripping her jaw as he tilts her head back further, his tongue running along the flesh of her mouth. The air seems to suffocate them. 

She pulls him back, her face warm, pressing her forehead against his as she breathlessly giggles, “We’re in public, Fushiguro.”

It almost made him growl like an animal as he’s brought to reality—but he didn’t want to push. And to see the rush of blood on her cheeks, he pulls his mouth up to kiss her forehead as he grunts, “Let’s finish eating.”

Her comfortability now opened tenfold, talking his ear off in ways she’d never done before. He was there to listen to all of it. They’d finished their food, traveling back across the water where their villa met. She was now back to being full on tipsy, considering she had drunk some of his whiskey, knowing that the mixture would create an entirely different personality within her own. She was bold, talkative, and relaxed. Though, her feet did hurt. 

Toji had given her his socks so she wouldn’t walk along the ground barefoot, holding her heels and flowers in his free hand, his other holding hers. 

She grumbled as she took another step, “Ugh—fuckin’ expensive shoes should be comfortable.”

He stops walking, chuckling as the villa wasn’t too far ahead, “C’mere, pretty.”

“I’m fine—“ once again, she squeaks, unable to fight as he’s already swooping her up in his arms, now carrying her bridal style. 

“You don’t listen.”

He finally makes it to the door of the villa, tossing the keys along the nightstand close to it. She pressed herself back on the ground as she tossed the socks off her feet and took off, squealing, “I wanna see the sky tonight!” 

“You just wanted me to carry your sneaky ass, huh? Talking about your feet hurt.”

She finally gets to the balcony, pulling the doors as the cool night air brushes along her skin.  Night had come, the stars above illuminating the stars, and the moon glowing so beautifully that it was almost hypnotizing. With soft waves in the water, the breeze was just perfect.

She feels a clutch along the back of her dress, his voice husky as he states, “You’re gonna fall.”

“I’m fine,” she repeats, “Look at the moon!” She wraps his arms along her hips, wanting to feel his touch, “Isn’t it pretty?” She hums, leaning herself back against him, almost in the same position they were in earlier within the day.

“Ain’t as pretty as you, momma,” he mutters, nuzzling his face into her hair, taking in her sweet scent again.

“Being corny comes with the old man syndrome?” She questions, lightly laughing to herself, falling deeper into his chest.

He murmurs, “Being a smartass comes with that young woman syndrome?” His thumbs lightly caress against her skin, his breath fanning just beneath her ear.

She goes to answer—but the way his hands trail under the slit of her dress, wrapping his fingers along her inner thigh, she can’t seem to focus. 

The alcohol within her system has her trail her hand up behind herself, wrapping it to the back of his neck and pulling him down to where his lips meet her throat. 

“…I like when you kiss me here,” she says, her voice soft, quiet. 

He lets out a sharp inhale, his lips skimming along the skin of her throat, not yet making contact, “Where?” he asks, his voice low, “Here?” 

He presses his lips gently along the side of her neck, right along the flesh that she pulled him to. It makes her clutch him a bit tighter, the throb going in between her legs as her skin now feels sensitive to the touch. 

She nods her head, biting her lip lightly as she exhales, “…Yeah.” 

His lips continue to trail against that same spot, sucking and kissing against her neck lazily, leaving spots of red along her skin. He murmurs between kisses, “Talk to me. Tell me where else you’ want my mouth.” 

His touch was like no other, and the desire for him was aching at this point. It had been so long. She pulls her hair along one side of her shoulder as she leans forward a bit and whispers, “Lower…” 

His lips attach to the skin of her back firmly, “Yeah?” he asks, his voice low, “You want my mouth all over you, huh?”

Her body shudders as he presses his hand along her lower body, pushing her forward a bit so she has to lean against the balcony’s architecture. The straps of her dress are falling off her shoulders, revealing more of her back to him, her body almost tantalizing, moving like sultry choreography.

It’s almost as if something in her clicks, and she realizes that she’s along a balcony, the fear of someone seeing them giving her a reality check. It makes her face warm, her eyes fluttering open a bit as she turns back to him, “Toji—“

Her mouth clasps shut, his palms moving like fire as he pulls her dress up to her hips, yanking the lace of her thong, dragging his tongue up the entirety of her. She latches her palm along his hair, nudging herself forward as she stands on her toes, gasping all the air she had in her chest. She was speechless.

Her face screws up at the rush of pleasure that comes through, the feeling lost as she hadn’t been with anyone in months. She whimpers, “F—fuck. Wait—” 

“Been patient as fuck, baby. Just take it,” he tells her, his tongue slurping in between her folds, lapping her up like she was the last thing he’d ever eat. 

He groans deeply as his tongue delves between her thighs, savoring her taste and scent. He grips her ass firmly, kneading the supple flesh as he laps at her clit, growling against the heated skin.

Her back arches into him, her brain going fuzzy as her eyelids come together, the gasp that pulls from her lips nearly deafening, trying to push his mouth away as she whimpers, “We’re on the balcony, Fushiguro…” 

The sound of her whimper sends a jolt straight to his dick, already hard and straining against his pants. He doesn't care about the balcony; all he can think about is making her feel good. He continues his assault on her pussy, licking and sucking recklessly.

"You're fuckin’ drenched," he growls against her soaked folds, "Relax. Need you to gush in my fuckin’ mouth," His hands move to her hips, pulling her harder against his jaw as he devours her. 

He doesn't stop, can’t stop, his tongue swirls around her clit before sucking it between his lips, giving it a gentle tug.

Arousal drowning him within the ocean of her doesn’t feel like enough. He needs more. He spreads her apart, dipping his tongue deep inside her, the intrusion making her walls clench, Stoney slapping her hand along her mouth as she trembles out a moan. She feels him hold her thighs apart as he exposes her to the cool night air. The contrast only serves to heighten her arousal, and she cries out, her other hand flying deeper into his hair to keep him in place even as she tries to pull away. 

"Toji... please..." 

Toji's growl rumbles deep in his chest as he drinks in every drop of her, coating his tongue in her arousal. Her pleas, begging for release, only fuel his hunger for her. 

“Take your hand off your mouth,” he grunts in between, knocking his head side to side, his nose practically burying in between her legs. He’s almost drunk, intoxicated by her scent, loving the way she drips all over his face and jaw, wetter than she’d ever been for him.

She slides her fingers in between her lips, shaking her head as she whimpers, “Gonna be too loud.”

"I don’t wanna hear that shit," he snarls, his breath hot against her pussy as he sucks her clit back into his mouth, “Ride my fuckin’ face,” the vibrations sending shivers through her trembling body.

She bites down on her fingers, muffling her moans as best she could while still trying to ride out the intense pleasure coursing through her veins. Her thighs begin to quake, her toes pressing harder as she stands on the tips of her feet,  pushing her hips further onto his face, grinding herself against his eager mouth. 

His words are filthy, crude, but there's no mistaking the desperation in them. He needs this, needs her, more than anything. And judging by the way she's trembling, the way her juices are still dripping down his chin, she needs it too. But covering her sounds was starting to piss him off. 

He pulls his mouth back, Stoney feeling as he raises himself up, the intensity of her state keeping her body humming regardless of his missing touch. She’s too floaty to realize him wrapping his large arm around her neck, trapping her almost within a gentle headlock. She thought he was trying to kill her. 

His mouth is against her ear, heavily breathing within it, the sound making her heart pound in her chest. She’s unable to see but could feel the monster between his legs, her thighs immediately wanting to tighten as his pink tip nudged at her folds, stretching her out before he was even close to being inside. 

She’s already protesting, wanting to claw out of his hold, clutching her hand around the arm that holds her in place. He uses his free hand to slam his palm against her ass, Stoney shuddering out a gasp as she drags her nails against his skin, Toji tugging her even closer as he tsks, “Nuh-uh, quit all that,” sinking himself within her, bruising her walls in seconds, the sensitivity sending her in overdrive. She can feel her eyes welling with tears all too pleasurable, feeling as he locks his hips forward, dragging her ass back to clap against his abdomen, the sounds of her gushing like a faucet shocking to her own ears. She inhales deeply for seconds, shuddering out the craziest whine she’d ever heard come from her lips as tears fall down her face, feeling herself going into shock as she pushes back against him, squirting as if they’d been fucking for hours.

“Yeah? You’ cumming like that already?” 

He’s holding her in place, her eyes rolling to the back of her head, nearly breaking skin as she drags her nails down his arms, crying in repetitions, “I’m c—cumming, oh m—god,”  nearly wanting to be mad at him for the arrogant laugh that drops out his mouth. 

He growls into her ear, "You’re makin' a fuckin’ mess,” The wetness seeping down his dick making every thrust slicker, allowing him to plunge deeper each time he pulls his hips back, rocking them forward. 

He coos in her ear regardless of the loud noises she makes, “You’ cumming, baby? Yeahh, I hear it,” He grips her ass tighter, spanking her hard enough to leave marks, determined to keep her babbling.

She’s completely out of her mind. She thought about it often, having this pleasure again— it was embarrassing to see how much she needed it. Needed him. 

“Pussy missed me, baby,” he grunts in her ear, her eyes tightly shut as she groans, her skin bouncing against his hips sharply echoing within her mind, the cream of her arousal stickily spreading each time he thrusted in. It was creating more and more, she felt like she was going blind.

“Tryna’ keep her from me, who else is gonna fuck you like this?”

He’s in her brain, punctuating his words with each thrust. He leans in, capturing her ear as he kisses it, her whimpers and moans high pitched. He can feel her pushing back, sucking air into her mouth, her face caught into a frown from how good this all feels. He tightens his arm along her neck, coaching her through as he talks, "Doing good as fuck, momma. Take every inch.” 

His grip on her hips tightens, using the leverage to piston into her harder, faster. 

She reaches her free palm behind herself, pressing it along his hip and squeezing, whimpering immediately as he catches it, pulling the hand behind her back. She’s panting at that point, but giving no actual responses. He spanks her again, which drops a pleading moan from her mouth, rougher in fucking her as softly cries, “Baby…”

She’s just trying to get through the movements he gives her, feeling like she can’t. It’s too good. But it’s also unfortunate how badly he wanted to hear her voice. 

He releases her from that jail of a position, now possibly putting her in a worse one. He’s holding her upright as she now faces him, one leg draped over his shoulder, the other foot barely touching the floor. He’s got her pinned against the railing, her chest pressed against his, her throat constricted between his palm, needing her attention. 

“Put it in,” he grunts. 

Maybe she was right—he was actually trying to kill her. She attempts to pull his mouth down to kiss him, face warm as she didn’t want to keep seeing the stoicness of his expression. The scar on his lip twitches, as if he's amused by her shyness. He’s already slapping his tip against her clit, making her jump as she’s trying to catch her breath. 

She wraps her fingers along the tip, exhaling as she sinks herself down onto him, clutching the back of his hair as she pouts, “…You’re tryna make fun of me.”

He smirks at her accusation, enjoying the way she clutches his hair as she sinks down. He can feel every inch of her enveloping him, her walls clamping around his length as he arrogantly huffs, "Nah, just looking at your pretty ass face," pulling her hips back, tugging them forward, chuckling within her mouth, swallowing her desperate pleas as he tells her, “Fuck me. Take my dick however you want it.”

She’s breathless as she grinds herself against him—eyes fluttering shut, unable to handle his reaction to how she whimpered and whined for him. She was mewling at this point, her body pliant within his grip.

Her inhales are almost concerning, clasping him as if she feared that he’d let go of her. She rocks her hips down, pulling him up by his hair, pressing their foreheads together as she whimpers, “Nobody’s…ever made me feel this good…” 

Her words almost wreck him. 

Toji groans against her, his touch almost brutal as she pulls him closer. He feels the urge to have her all to himself, to be the only one to make her feel this way. To be the only one to take her apart.  

“Yeah? How good?” 

“So good,” her words are soft in cries as he latches his lips along her neck, “S—so good,” she repeats, mouth coming back up to his, breathless in her responses. 

Their lips press together gently, his hands moving to grip the back of her thighs in a possessive clench. He then takes her other leg to lift up, placing them both over his shoulders, Stoney quickly latching her arms around his throat, holding her fingers together in her palms. 

The sounds are filthy as he’s dropping her onto his dick, eyes rolling inside her mind to search for her sanity as they were in this tapout position, listening to the sound their skin makes together, Stoney’s mouth dragging out a desperate moan. 

“You heard me fuckin’ talking to you.”

 He circled back to his words earlier, balls becoming drenched with her arousal, squelching between their skin as the back of her thighs clap along his abdomen. 

He repeats, “Who is else is gonna fuck you like this, huh?” 

A hard thrust comes at the emphasis of his word, bottoming out inside of her, holding her close as she claws to be freed from him. She drags her nails within his back, pitiful in her sounds as she breaks,  “Ohshi— fuck, baby—” she’s gasping, “I don’t know.”

"Don't know?" He mocks, punctuating each word with even more hard, deep thrust, “You know.”

He leans in, his hot breath ghosting over her ear as he growls, "Pussy been mine, you’re too fuckin’ hard headed,” Another brutal thrust, his hips snapping up to meet hers, "And you love it, don't you?"

She’s sobbing at this point, too full of a deadly pleasure he fills within her veins, knowing just how she wanted to be fucked. She cracks, shuddering out whines as she nods, “Love it so much, baby, f—fuck. Take your pussy, baby. Fuck me. Please. Please…”

She pulls him closer, pressing their foreheads against one another as she softly says, “Missed you so much, Toji…” she’s hiccuping, her tears fluttering her eyes, seeming like they came from more than just pleasure. They were honest.

At her whispered confession, something shifts in Toji's expression. The lust is still burning in his eyes, but there's an underlying tenderness, a depth of emotion he rarely allows himself to show. He cups her face, thumb brushing away a tear as he murmurs, "Missed you too, momma. More than you know,” His voice is rough with unspoken feelings, the admission heavy in the air between them, tension being cut each time her clit gets a rush of pleasure from how deep he plunges inside of her. 

He holds her gaze, the intensity of his emotions palpable. Then, without warning, he captures her lips in a searing kiss, pouring all those hidden sentiments into the passionate embrace. His tongue delves deep, claiming her mouth as thoroughly as he claims her body. 

"I'm never letting you go again," he declares, his voice thick with conviction.

She gasps at his words, clinging back to his hair again, pulling him lower as she sighs, “I’m so sorry, I…” Her abdomen tightens, fighting against her words, “I’m cumming, I need you…”

At her desperate plea, Toji's resolve crumbles. He knows he should slow down, savor this moment, but the urgency in her voice is too powerful to resist. With a primal growl, he reclaims her mouth in a bruising kiss, burying himself so deep within her, she screams, attempting to cover her mouth, Toji snatching her palm, clutching her jaw back into his mouth, allowing her to fall apart against his lips.

As she gushes against him, Toji loses himself entirely, his own release rushing in a way he didn’t expect. He pounds into her, chasing his own pleasure with low moans as he drinks in her cries of ecstasy. The sound of skin slapping against skin, their ragged breathing, and her broken moans fill the room, creating a symphony of raw, uninhibited passion.

Toji finds his peak, his vision going white as wave after wave of pleasure crashes through him. He buries his face in the crook of her neck, muffling his moans of release against her skin as he pours everything he has into her. His eyes meet hers as she finally opens them, a look of vulnerability that shows the craving is mutual. His hips jolt, still pulsating inside her, prolonging their shared climax as he reaches up to clutch her hair in his fingers, pulling her mouth against his, forcing her into a nasty kiss. He wasn’t planning for her to go anywhere, and she wasn’t planning on going anywhere. He was gonna fuck her as many times as she wanted it, adore her as many times as she needed it—she was his. And so he did. 

Again, again, and again. 

[tianasimstreehouse]

Avocado on Rye

"Treat your body like a temple", Kelly always used to say to her clients who would visit her wellness studio. One of her favourite ways to start the day before a session was with half an avocado, spread on a piece of seeded rye bread.

*REQUIRES the latest version of my TianaSims Cookbook to work*

Category: Breakfast, Meals

Ingredients: Avocado, Bread

Skill Level: 1 (Homestyle)

Available sizes: Single, Party

Dietary: Vegetarian-Safe, Lactose Free

DOWNLOAD (Early Access): Avocado on Rye Milk and Cookies: Now! Sugar Cookies: 27th Feb Public: 6th March

[drawloverlala]

Some Clip Studio Assets

Hello! I just published a brush for Clip Studio Paint, it’s a cyber effect brush!

https://assets.clip-studio.com/es-es/detail?id=1993559

And along with sharing it with you I also wanted to share some of the assets I've found on the assets store that I think you may like as well! ^_^

here I put them down the read more! (warning it may be a bit too long of a post!)

✒Inking and drawing brushes:

Smooth Ink

Smooth Inker

Voyageffen

Line brush

Ink pen textured

crack lines on surfaces

S Zara Pen

Nong Pen

Line Drawing pen

Rough pen

✏Writing Brushes:

Calligraphy pen set

Halloween themed pen

Neon Pen

Retro brush

🎨 Painting brushes:

Soft fluffy paint (One of my favorites!)

Thick brush set

🖼 Gradient maps:

petitchery set

Holo gradient set

Ommug gradiation map

Toffi's Gradient set

🎇Patterns:

Tone Brush set

Tone Brush set 2

Pretty stone floor pattern

Stone floor pattern

cute Halloween Pattern

Hexagonal pattern

Cute textures (they are patterns)

Sweater pattern brushes

Gun Club Check (plaid pattern)

Lemons pattern

patchwork patterns brush

Argyle pattern brush

Cat face pattern

Cloud and flower pattern

cute brushes and patterns (cactus, peach and clam)

cute simple patterns (warning: they have pretty bright colors, may cause eye strain)

80's patterns

strawberry pattern and brushes

flowery patterns

10 cute plaid patterns

Avocado pattern.

📜Textures:

Textured brush

Glitter star textures

Gold glitter set

Random Textures 1

Random Textures 2

Random Textures 3

Random Textures 4

3 Textures set

Atmosphere set brushes (rusty textures)

📚Background objects:

Wire fence

Books brush 1

Book brush 2

Book brush 3 (fancy)

Bottle brush

Piano brush

Magic Drug shelf set (has baskets, jars and bottles)

City

Window brush

🧁Food:

Cookie brushes

whipped cream brush

Sausages

Many sausages

Bread brush

strawberries and cream

berries brush

strawberries

fruit toppings

Avocado!

🌱🌼Flowers and plants:

Roses1

Roses 2

Tree leaves brush 1 (pretty good)

Peonies

Bougainvillea

Geranium

Easy bush set (this one is pretty good too!)

Palm tree leaves

Mimosa

Flower brush (for cute effects)

✨Effects:

Gaussian blur brush

White drops brush

Glitch effects

Prism brushes

Dual prism brushes

Shiny flowers and sparkles

Retro Filters

Tech brushes

Mini deco effects 1

Mini deco effects 2

👑Ornaments:

Ornament Brushes

Ornament Brushes 2

Oriental Emblem 1-10

Oriental Emblem 21-30

Oriental Emblem 31-40

43 types of decorations

27 Oriental patterns

Ornament material

X-mas brush set

Exotic fantasy decor.

👕Clothing:

Shoe laces set

Shoe laces 2

Sweater knit patterns

10 types of brushes of bows with frills

Patchwork stitches brush

socks/panty/stocking(?) brush

Tattered brush

💕Misc:

Feathers

wind effects

Hot mess confetti

Cute Confetti

Confetti

Halloween particles brush

Fishes

Twinkle brush

Cute pattern 10 pieces set 1

Cute pattern 10 pieces set 2

Cute pattern 10 pieces set 3

Cute pattern 10 pieces set 4

Cute pattern 10 pieces set 5

Star brushes

Halloween washi tape

Puppy stickers!!!

And those are most of the assets I've collected so far from Clip Studio's assets store!

I hope these may result useful to you!

[veephoenix]

It’s okay if not because I don’t think you’ve written anything like it or similar before but for Into the Abyss of Bad Habits would you maybe consider writing reader who wants to try strapon sex with Noah because she sees how well he takes Oli and wants him to fall apart like that under her? 🫠 Especially since he’s a workaholic and a control freak, to see him just lose all sense of that. There is not a thought in his head. He melts actually melts into the mattress. I just know you would do it justice. Maybe Oli and reader are plotting together as a result of him disappearing into the studio for hours,days, at a time, kind of getting lost in it, ignoring them. Not everyone’s cup of tea though, I know. Feel free to ignore!

Title: Into the Abyss of Bad Habits — Requested scene

Pairing: Noah Sebastian x Oliver Sykes x Reader | Words: 2k

Tags and trigger warnings: established polyamorous relationship, sexual content (basically what's written in the request, it's not too descriptive, though), use of handscuffs, three people in love exploring the joys of sex, oliver being sort of a sex instructor 🤭, and fluff ✨

I felt apprehensive at my own idea as I approached the studio on the ground floor of our house, my hand tightly gripping Oliver as he led the way. 

         My heart raced in my chest, skittish at Noah’s reaction to my proposal.  

         He had been consumed by work again in recent days, secluding himself in the studio for hours on end, skipping meals, and feeling perpetually behind schedule, despite evidence to the contrary and his bandmates reminding him that they were good on time for their next releases. Noah’s self-imposed stress often found a way to take control of him, keeping him distant from both Oliver and me. 

         Considering that we hadn’t had much quality time the three of us together since a week, I had had enough time to entertain myself with different scenarios that still hadn’t unfolded in the intimacy of our bedroom. 

         At first, when the idea crossed my mind, I felt somewhat embarrassed and quickly dismissed it. However, it persisted, stubbornly refusing to vacate my thoughts. I missed Noah, and I couldn’t shake the image of Noah unraveling every time Oliver took him, how effortlessly Oliver managed to get him to surrender to him. And in a sudden, unexpected moment, a twinge of jealousy took over me. I knew I could cause that effect on him, too, elicit the same response, to make him come undone when he was with me, whether inside me or in the grasp of my mouth. But now I yearned to get the same level of surrender that Oliver achieved. 

         I was so mortified at my own thoughts and needs that Oliver noticed my distress as soon as he entered the kitchen a few days ago and found me frantically preparing tea in the kitchen.  

         It took him less than five minutes to coax me into telling him what was going through my head, the scenario I’d been picturing the past few days. His reaction? He took my hand, picked the car keys, and drove us to the nearest sex shop, taking advantage of Noah being lost in his music world, which ensured us that he wouldn’t notice our absence.  

         Today, it had been three hours since Noah had disappeared into the studio immediately after breakfast, his absence stretching until late morning. It was Saturday, for God’s sake, and instead of going out for a run and spend some time with Oliver and me in the garden, or in bed, he had decided to remain sequestered in his space, oblivious to the world outside. He hadn’t even finished the bite of the avocado sandwich he’d been devouring for breakfast by the time he stood up, left the plate in the sink, and strode out of the kitchen, leaving me an Oliver gaping at his back as he disappeared down the corridor.  

         I took a deep breath, steeling myself before I knocked on the studio door three hours later.  

         “He’s going to like the idea, don’t get ahead of yourself,” Oliver tried to reassure me.

         “Too late for that,” I replied.

         Oliver squeezed my hand, a hint of laughter escaping him as he didn’t wait for Noah to open the door. With determined strides, Oliver barged into the room, removing Noah’s headphones from his ears. 

         Noah’s immediate protest was cut short by the seriousness in Oliver’s gaze, which conveyed a message of “enough is enough.” Then, with a subtle eyebrow gesture, Oliver directed Noah’s attention towards me, standing a few steps behind him. Noah noticed my tight grip on Oliver’s hand. 

         “What’s wrong?” he inquired, furrowing his brows. 

         “She wants to ask you something,” Oliver said. 

         “Propose, actually,” I corrected, my voice barely above a whisper. 

         “What is it?” He sat in his chair, relaxed yet attentive, hands hanging from the armrests and legs open and inviting. His attention was now fully on me, curiosity piqued. 

         I bit my lip. 

         “I want to fuck you the way Oliver does.”

         After a brief moment of processing, Noah chuckled, his eyes flickering between me and Oliver. 

         “What do you mean?”

         “We’ve picked up a few things,” Oliver explained, “and we’re done waiting for you to come out of this mouse hole. So, get up from that chair, and let’s put some work into that rear, or it’s going to flatten out like a pancake.”

         Noah’s expression shifted to one of disappointment and mild embarrassment. “Your jokes aren’t funny, dude,” he chided.

         “Noah, please?” I interjected, extending my arm toward him, silently conveying what I wanted as I held his gaze. For a moment, he hesitated, but then he swiveled around in the chair, quickly saving his progress on Logic Pro before standing up. His fingers lightly brushed against my chin. 

         “Let’s go upstairs.”

         I could barely contain my excitement, nearly letting out a squeal as we made our way out of the studio.  

         When we made it to the bedroom, Noah and Oliver took of their t-shirts. I wriggled to remove my jeans, keeping my t-shirt and tiny thong on. Oliver then retrieved the strap-on from the bag, and when Noah caught sight of it, his reaction surprised me. 

         Instead of shock or hesitation, he chuckled with amusement, pulling me close to him for a deep, passionate kiss. He pressed his body to mine as I stood on my tiptoes before letting a delicious friction ignite between us that got me wet and him, hard. 

         Unlacing his sweatpants, I pulled them down with his underwear. He climbed onto the bed without needing any direction from Oliver or me. Meanwhile, Oliver assisted me, pulling down my thong and securing the strap-on around my hips.

         “How do you want me, baby?” Noah asked, eyes on me. 

         “Umm,” I glanced uncertainly at Oliver over my shoulder. 

         “Don’t be shy, come on. Tell him what you told me” he encouraged me. 

         “On your back?” I said, moving some hair behind my ear. “I want to see your face.”

         “Missionary? Alright, missionary it is,” Noah agreed. 

         With a contented smile, he settled onto the bed, arranging himself among the pillow on our huge mattress. He relaxed, arms folded behind his head, dick hard. He watched me as Oliver inspected me, his hands still on my hips. 

         “I feel so weird…” I muttered, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. 

         “Can you feel the weight?” Oliver asked. I nodded. “That’s how it feels to be a man.”

         I rolled my eyes. With a playful slap to my ass, he directed me to get on the bed and position myself between Noah’s legs, which were now bent. 

         Noah clicked his tongue, gesturing toward my chest. “T-shirt and bra off, baby. If you’re going to be on top of me, I want those beautiful tits pressed against my chest.”

         Oliver spared me the hassle by removing the last of my clothes. Moments later, he positioned himself at the foot of the bed, still standing, his bare chest pressed against my back as my hand found their place on Noah’s knees. Uncertainty gripped me as I pondered how to begin. It was pretty obvious, yes, but it was still something new to me. I hadn’t tried this with any of my past lovers.  

         “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll guide you through it,” Oliver whispered in my ear, his hands massaging my shoulders. As I glanced down at Noah’s growing erection and then at the smirk on his face, I felt a surge of nerves. I was damn nervous about this whole situation, and he seemed to be thoroughly entertained by the prospect of what I was about to do. 

         Oliver excused himself briefly, returning with a bottle of lube in hand. He applied some to my hand, instructing me to spread it on Noah, emphasizing how good it would feel if I caressed Noah’s perineum in the process, a sensitive area Noah apparently enjoyed. Following Oliver’s guidance, Noah emitted a low moan, his gaze fixed on me intently as I adjusted to this new task. 

         “Good,” Oliver said. “Guide it with your hands and start pushing in. When you feel ready to continue with your hips, use your hands to stimulate his dick. Meanwhile, I’ll tie his hands to the headboard,” he concluded, already moving to carry out his part of the plan.

         “You had this all planned, didn’t you?” Noah began to remark, but his words faltered when I pressed forward with my hips. 

         My fingers encircled Noah’s erection, applying gentle pressure as I began to move and pump him in a steady rhythm. Oliver secured Noah’s wrists to the headboard before leaning in to grab his jaw and press a hungry kiss to his lips.

         “Such a control freak,” he reprimanded him between clenched teeth while still holding his jaw between his fingers. Noah’s eyes had darkened and his cheeks flushed by the time Oliver had returned to stand behind me.  

         “Does it feel good?” I asked Noah, curious and anxious. 

         “It’s—ugh. Kitt—ah! Fuck.” His wrists pulled at the bindings. I bit my lip, power running through my veins as I kept thrusting into him and watched him abide to me. “It feels amazing…”

         I attempted to go faster, but Oliver stilled my hips, pressing a kiss to my shoulder.

         “You don’t have rush, love. Find your rhythm, go at your own pace. He’s enjoying it either way. Just look at his face. He’s already melting. You’ve got him right where you wanted him, don’t you?” Oliver’s words were soothing, grounding me in the moment. 

         “Yes,” I replied softly, barely whispering. I had already lost myself to the cadence of my hips against Noah and in the harmony of seeing him slowly surrender blissfully to me. Spread out on the bed, hands bound, lips parted, his moans filling the room, he looked utterly beautiful.

         “Keep going,” Oliver encouraged, his hands squeezing my breasts, and his fingers beginning to tease my nipples. My breath hitched. “Just like that. Good girl. You’re going to make him come in no time.”

         In those minutes, I felt once again mesmerized at the connection I had with both, how marvelously well we worked together, how good we were for each other. My inexplicable connection with both Noah and Oliver was a harmonious blend of desire and intimacy that never failed to envelop us in its warmth. I felt fucking blessed.

         “I want Noah to touch me, too,” I suddenly expressed.

         “Alright,” Oliver replied. He was clearly enjoying the moment, guiding us through it all, witnessing how Noah was about to fall apart with me positioned between his legs. 

         It hadn’t been more than ten minutes of Noah being bound to the bed when Oliver released him. Despite his struggle to contain the pleasure, Noah motioned for me to lean on him. Maneuvering our bodies was a bit challenging given how they were connected and our size difference, but Noah managed to grasp my face in his hands and kiss me deeply. 

         With one hand still nestled between us, fingers wrapped around his thickness, I continued to stroke him, feeling the tension building within the body underneath mine until finally, I had him falling apart, his release coating both our stomachs, my mouth swallowing the wail his orgasm elicited. 

         It was dirty, the way I lay on top of him after, but as soon as the euphoria of seeing Noah succumb to ecstasy, totally melting into the mattress because of me, began to settle down, I returned to my knees. 

         Oliver helped me remove the toy, and quick as a cat I crawled back to Noah’s side while Oliver fetched wipes to clean us both. 

         As we cuddled in bed, Noah’s hand caressing my hair and his lips leaving feather-light kisses on my nose and cheeks, his voice filled the room with messages of reassurance, praise, and gratitude. Oliver joined us on the other side of Noah, still wearing his jeans and his erection evident against the fabric. Nevertheless, he looked just as elated as we did. 

         “That was fucking beautiful,” he said.  

Taglist: @girlfromrussia-universe | @oro-e-diamanti | @lma1986 | @missduffsblog | @bngurngheart | @winterwinchester | @jilliemiw86 | @sorrowsofsilence | @th4t-em0-k1d | @to-be-written | @nonamessblog | @somebodyels3 | @starsomens | @ditto66 | @dominuslunae | @cookiesupplier | @midnight-eternals | @pennysky | @iknownothingpeople | @cncohshit | @ladyveronikawrites | @blackveilomens | @robabankfuckmickeymouse |@kageyasma | @concretedaddy2018 | @silentglassbreak | @thescarlettvvitch | @sammyjoeee | @pathion | @shilohrosechicken | @skulliecadaver-blog | @anameunmusical | @lobolocaamo

[chaifootsteps]

Regarding the wealthy buying truly useless items, the damnation of Viv's character isn't solely that she bought the peacocks, its that the peacocks are completely non-functional items she spent thousands of spare dollars on instead of putting that money into people. It was spare money spent on useless items instead of going into her function-serving obligations like her literal studio employees. But perhaps I'm just angry because I haven't had the spare money for even a single avocado in months.

This. If Viv were paying all of her employees their worth then whatever, buy peacocks all damn day. But she treats herself to luxuries while everyone else is forced to scrape by.

Lackadaisy's paying their animators an actual salary and they don't have anywhere near the kind of money Viv has at her disposal.

[fanfictionalraven]

Piece by Piece Pt. 9

Title: Piece By Piece Pt. 9

Summary: This part takes place during the episode It’s A Terrible Life.

Characters: Reader, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, other canon characters and original characters

Word Count: 3,013

Warnings: N/A

Author’s Note: This story was originally posted by myself under the account Winchestersgirl92. It was published in 2017.

Read Piece by Piece Pt. 8 here.

You pad across the living room of the penthouse apartment, enjoying the morning’s peace before having to wake up Katherine. Looking down at the city, your hand comes to rest on your stomach. You weren’t obviously showing yet, there was only a tiny bump under your hand. Two arms come around your waist and a pair of lips find your cheek.

“Morning, Mrs. Smith,” Dean mumbles against your skin. You laugh lightly and run your hand over his arm.

“We’ve been married for 10 years, Dean. Don’t you ever get tired of saying that?” You ask. His nose brushes against your cheek.

“Are you tired of hearing it?” He asks. Smiling, you look over your shoulder at him and shake your head.

“Never,” you tell him. He smiles and presses his lips against yours. Turning in his arms, your own lay across his shoulders. He pulls away and his eyes narrow.

“You had coffee, didn’t you?” He asks. You bite your lip and he sighs. “I thought we agreed no more caffeine while you’re pregnant.”

“You suggested it, I vetoed,” you tell him. He shakes his head, unamused.

“I just want you both healthy,” he says. You roll your eyes and kiss his nose quickly.

“And one cup of coffee in the morning isn’t going to hurt either of us,” you say, taking his hands and pulling him into the kitchen. Dropping his hands, you move to the refrigerator and pull his lunch out.

“What are your plans for the day?” Dean asks, pouring coffee into his travel mug. You set his lunch on the counter then get the eggs out to start your daughter’s breakfast.

“Well after I drop Katherine off I have my first pregnant yoga class,” you tell him. He raises an eyebrow at you.

“That’s a thing?” He asks. You laugh lightly and nod, cracking a few eggs into the pan.

“Apparently. Bridget signed me up for it last week. Said it did wonders for her when she was pregnant with Destiny,” you say. Dean nods, watching you. “Then we’re going shopping cause Bridget needs a new dress for that charity ball thing they’re hosting this weekend.”

“I thought you couldn’t stand Bridget,” he says before taking a sip from his mug. You sigh and nod.

“I can’t. She’s a spoiled little princess but she’s going through this nasty divorce and she doesn’t have anyone else,” you tell him. He smiles, pushing off of the counter he’d been leaning against.

“You’re such a saint,” he says, walking over and kissing your cheek. “I gotta go. I’ll see all three of you tonight.” His hand comes to rest on your stomach and you smile at him softly, nodding. You lean in and plant a quick kiss on his lips.

“I love you,” you tell him. He picks up his lunch before kissing you one last time.

“I love you too,” he says. You smile and watch him as he rushes out the door before returning your attention to the eggs.

At 7:45 you drop Katherine off at the front door of her prestigious private school then drive across town to the little yoga studio. After an hour-long class, you meet Bridget for brunch before the two of you hit the most expensive store in town. By lunch, she still hasn’t found anything and insists on continuing after you eat. 2:30 rolls around and you’re ready to either pull your own hair out strand by strand or snap her neck, you haven’t decided. You finally manage to convince her that the green one with the dropped waist does not make her look like an avocado and the two of you leave. You just manage to get to the school in time to pick Katherine up. You get her home and settled in with her tutor before you start making dinner. At 5:00 on the dot your cell phone rings.

“Hello,” you say, sticking it between your ear and shoulder as you stir the pot on the stove.

“Hi, Darling,” Dean’s voice says over the line. You frown quickly. He only called you darling when he had bad news.

“You’re staying late again, aren’t you?” You ask, hanging your head.

“I’m sorry. Something’s come up and I don’t know when I’ll be in tonight,” he tells you quickly. You glance over your shoulder at your daughter and sigh.

“She hasn’t seen you in three days, Dean. You live in the same apartment and you haven’t even seen each other. Do you realize how sad that is?” You ask, your voice dropping low.

“Can we not have this fight again?” He asks with a sigh. You bite your lip, watching the water in the pot boil.

“You aren’t having an affair, are you?” You ask. Your voice is thick with the tears you’re trying to hold back.

“Hey, hey. Whoa. Not even close. You know me better than that. You’re the only girl for me, Y/N,” he says, his voice soft and reassuring. “I’ve got a special project that came up at the last minute. I’m staying with a co-worker, Sam Wesson. He works in our technical support department. I will try my best to be home in time to tuck Katherine in and spend a few hours fixing whatever made you ask such an insane question.” You wipe at your cheeks quickly and nod.

“I’m sorry. Hormones and I spent the whole day listening to Bridget talk about her divorce. Her husband was having an affair with his secretary,” you tell him. He chuckles.

“Well you’ve met Janice and, as lovely as she is, I don’t think she’d be willing to throw away a 40-year marriage, three kids, and five grandkids just for me,” he says. You laugh lightly and return to stirring the pot in front of you.

“I think you underestimate yourself,” you tease. He laughs now then sighs.

“Alright. I gotta get back to work. I love you. I love Katherine. I love the baby,” he says. You smile and glance back at Katherine, reading her book.

“We all love you too,” you tell him. Dean hangs up and you sigh, setting the phone aside. Katherine looks up at you now and frowns.

“He won’t be home again tonight, will he?” She asks. You frown too and shake your head.

“He said he’s gonna try and make it back in time to tuck you in,” you tell her. She nods, unconvinced, and looks over out the window.

“Can we go to Grandpa Bobby and Grandma Ellen’s this weekend?” She asks. You smile as you walk over and plant a kiss on top of her head.

“That sounds like a great idea. I’ll talk to Daddy about it tonight,” you say. She smiles up at you widely. “Now go wash up for dinner.”

The two of you eat, making plans for the weekend. You knew Dean wouldn’t have a problem with going to see his family over the weekend; it was more a concern for how much time this special project was going to take up. You allow Katherine to stay up an extra 30 minutes, hoping Dean would make it in. But by 9:00 you get her in bed yourself. You fall onto the couch and drape a blanket over yourself before dozing off as you wait for Dean to get home.

The sound of someone rummaging around the kitchen draws you from your slumber. You sit up and rub at your eyes before squinting at your phone. It was nearly midnight. You sigh and rise to your feet before walking into the kitchen.

“Dean, baby, are you just getting in?” You ask before freezing. Dean was not the one fumbling around your kitchen. You stare at the strange man with long hair then grab a knife from the butcher block on the counter. The man raises his hands quickly.

“No, no!!” He says. “I’m Sam!!” You stare at him, holding the knife out towards him.

“Hey!! Whoa!!” Dean says, coming around the corner suddenly. You look at him and he takes the knife from you. “Easy. This is Sam. From work. Remember?” You sigh and nod. Sam. From work. The special project.

“I’m so sorry. Dean didn’t tell me he was bringing someone home,” you tell Sam. He smiles and shakes his head. You look back up at Dean, raising an eyebrow.

“I saw you were asleep on the couch. I went in to check on Katherine then I was going to move you to bed,” he explains. You nod slightly and he looks at Sam. “Sam Wesson, this is my wife, Y/N.” Sam smiles at you apologetically.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry for the scare,” he says. You shake your head, leaning against Dean as he wraps his arms around you from behind.

“It’s fine. Not your fault,” you tell him. Dean kisses your temple quickly.

“Sorry,” he mumbles. “Sam and I are actually about to head back to the office. Shouldn’t be too long though.”

“Be careful,” you say, looking back at him. “I’m going to bed. Don’t wake me up when you come in.” He laughs lightly and kisses you briefly before letting you go.

A few hours later, you rouse to the bed shifting next to you as Dean climbs in. You feel him gently push a hair from your face and you open your eyes.

“I told you not to wake me up,” you mumble teasingly. Dean laughs softly and nods.

“Sorry,” he says. You watch his face for a moment. His smile isn’t quite reaching his eyes the way it always does.

“What’s wrong?” You ask. He shrugs his shoulders, laying an arm across your waist.

“Weird night,” he says. You nod slightly, waiting. He eventually sighs, his eyes averted. “Are you happy, Y/N?” He asks. You smile and reach up, placing your hand against his cheek. His eyes meet yours again.

“I’ve got you. Katherine. The baby. What more could I want?” You ask. He nods slightly.

“Do you feel like – like something’s missing?” He asks. Your smile falls slowly and you sit up, looking down at him.

“You feel like something’s missing,” you say. He frowns and sits up quickly.

“Not with you!! No,” he says, taking your hands in both of his. “I am happy. With you and our little family. It’s just – work.” You nod as he reaches up and wipes the stray tear from your cheek.

“You aren’t happy with your job then change it,” you tell him. He sighs and shakes his head.

“What about the baby? And the life we have planned?” He asks. You pull your hands from his and takes his face in them gently.

“As long as we have each other, I don’t care about the rest of it, Dean. All of this,” you say, glancing around the bedroom. “It’s just stuff.” He smiles and you kiss him softly. “What are you wanting to do?” You ask as you pull away, running your fingers through his hair.

“Some freelance work with Sam. We’d be traveling a lot,” he says. You smile and nod. “I might quit tomorrow.”

“I’ll start packing then,” you tell him. He smiles and shakes his head, watching you.

“You’re too good for me,” he says before leaning in and kissing you again. You smile and lay back, pulling him down with you.

The next morning, you drop Katherine off at school before heading over to Dean’s office. You smile at Janice as you walk up to her desk. She hangs up the phone and returns the smile.

“Mrs. Smith. How are you feeling?” She asks. You laugh lightly and shrug.

“Morning sickness. It’s hit or miss, you know,” you tell her. She smiles, knowingly, and nods. “He in the office?”

“Go on in,” she says. You smile again and round the corner, stopping in his door. One of his coworkers is sat across from him.

“Ugh, well, thank you. Thank you, sir. It’s – umm…” Dean stammers and stops when he sees you in the door. You smile at him apologetically then step inside. The man looks over and smiles, standing up.

“I’m sorry. Janice said it was fine to just come in,” you tell him before holding up a small plastic container. “You left your lunch this morning.” Dean laughs lightly and nods, holding his arm out for you.

“Mr. Adler, this is my wife, Y/N,” he introduces, wrapping his arm around your waist as you move into his side. You smile and shake Mr. Adler’s extended hand.

“Pleasure to meet you, Y/N. I heard the good news. Congratulations!!” He says, reaching a hand out to your stomach. Dean’s arm tightens around your waist slightly and Mr. Adler notices, dropping his hand quickly. “I was just talking to Dean here about all the big things coming his way.” You smile and look up at Dean. He looks back at you and you nod your head once.

“I’m giving my notice,” he says, looking back at Mr. Adler. You smile proudly as Dean explains his reasoning, this company not being who he’s meant to be. You’d always known of course that Dean was so much more than a suit and tie. Mr. Adler directs his attention to you now.

“And how do you feel about it?” He asks. You shrug slightly.

“I’ll support him in whatever he decides to do,” you tell him. Mr. Adler nods and an almost sinister grin starts to spread across his face. Dean frowns and pulls you a little closer.

“Dean, Dean, Dean. Finally,” Mr. Adler says. He reaches forward quickly and touches two fingers to both of your heads. Your mind fogs over for a second before clearing. Dean’s arm drops from your waist and you take a step backwards. You steady yourself against a chair, feeling dizzy, as you start to recollect everything.

You and Dean were not high school sweethearts. You weren’t married or a housewife. You didn’t live in a fancy penthouse apartment. Your daughter didn’t go by Katherine or go to a private school. Your hand comes to your stomach quickly and you sigh. The baby was real. You knew that much.

“Are you ready to stand up and be who you really are?” The man you had thought was Mr. Adler says to Dean. He shakes his head slightly in response. You reach out for Dean’s arm quickly and he looks at you.

“M.K. Dean, we have to go get her,” you tell him. His eyes widen slightly and he nods as Sam comes running into the room. Dean looks around and frowns, the other man now vanished.

“What the hell happened??” Sam asks, staring at his brother. Dean shakes his head, wrapping his arm around your waist quickly.

“We gotta go,” he says, pulling you from the office. The three of you make your way through the building as quickly as you can. You find the Impala parked in a nearby garage. Sam gets into the backseat, allowing you to sit up front. Dean throws the car in gear and whips his tie off as he peels out of the garage. You jump when your cellphone starts to ring and pull it out quickly.

“Hello?” You say into the receiver.

“Mrs. Smith. This is Dr. Brown from the school,” a woman’s voice on the other end says. Your eyes widen and you look at Dean. He glances at you as he drives. “Katherine seems to be having a panic attack of some sort.”

“Can I talk to her please?” You ask, trying to keep your voice calm. You hear the phone shift hands and M.K.’s sobs come over the line.

“Momma??” She asks. “I don’t know where I am and these people are calling me Katherine Smith!! Where are you??” You shush her quickly.

“M.K. I need you to calm down. Daddy and I are on the way to get you right now, okay? Everything’s gonna be okay, I promise. We’ll be there in just a few minutes,” you tell her, wiping at your own eyes. There was nothing in her voice but sheer terror.

“You’re coming?” She asks, trying to calm herself down.

“Just minutes away. I swear, Baby Girl,” you assure her, squeezing your eyes closed. The phone changes hands again.

“Do you want us to give her anything?” The woman asks.

“No!!” You say a little too loudly. “No. My – my husband and I are on our way to get her now.” You look over at Dean and he nods.

“Very well. We’ll keep her in the office,” she tells you. You nod and hang up, dropping the phone in your lap. You clasp your hands together in front of you, trying to stop them from shaking. Dean reaches over, running a comforting hand over your knee.

“She’s gonna be fine. We’re almost there,” he says. You shake your head slightly, wiping at your tears quickly.

“You’ll have to go in and get her. I can’t,” you tell him, barely keeping it together. He nods and squeezes your knee. His hand stays there until he parks the car in front of the school building. After he gets out, skipping steps as he rushes to the door, you feel another hand come to rest on your shoulder. You look back to find Sam frowning at you.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into all this,” he says. You merely shake your head, unable to speak. You take a few calming breaths, knowing you can’t be falling apart when Dean gets back with M.K.

A minute later, he’s rushing back down the stairs with her held tightly in his arms. You can see he’s talking to her, reassuring her, apologizing to her. You push open your door and he hands her off to you quickly before running around to his side. You hold her tight, alternating between kissing her temple, cheek, and hair. You’ve never been more grateful to have her in your arms as Dean peels away from the school, tires screeching.

Read Piece by Piece Pt. 10 here.

[tomhardystories]

Part 16

When Jules and Tom started dating, having separate apartments on Manhattan felt perfect. Jules had the dream apartment near Central Park - bigger, better and in a prime location. Meanwhile, Tom’s studio in Hell’s Kitchen was… well, cozy in a "tiny room with a bed" kind of way. It was just big enough for him, his books, and his collection of cast iron pans that doubled as decorations.

For months, they balanced living in two places. They’d spend nights together eating takeout, watching "Come Dine With Me" and silently judging each other’s apartments.

But then, the little annoyances started creeping in..

First - the sock incident. Tom left one sweaty gym sock under Jules’s sofa for two weeks. Jules only found it after she became convinced something had died in her apartment.

Then came the toothbrush problem. Tom often forgot to bring his toothbrush when he stayed over, leading to a collection of sad emergency toothbrushes in Jules’s bathroom. "I don’t understand how a man with a skincare routine more complicated than mine can’t remember his toothbrush" she fumed.

By month nine, the constant back-and-forth was getting out of hand. Jules once realized mid-shower at Tom’s place that she’d forgotten her shampoo. Tom offered his instead, which smelled like pine trees and pure masculinity. Her hair smelled like a lumberjack for days.

One night, Tom showed up at Jules’s door after midnight, looking flustered. "I forgot my laptop charger."

"Again?" Jules sighed, letting him in. "What are you, a toddler? Toothbrush? Pajamas? Charger? Brain?"

Another time, they argued - Tom’s fault, obviously - because he invited her over for dinner but had no food in the fridge. They ended up eating toast and peanut butter by candlelight. Tom tried to call it romantic. Jules wasn’t impressed.

Tom’s fridge was mostly condiments. One time, Jules went over for dinner and found nothing but mustard and a single slice of pizza that could’ve been a science project.

"We could just order in" he said, like it was completely normal for a grown man to not have pasta.

Jules’s fridge, on the other hand, was always full. Not because she cooked (her specialty was toast and takeout) but because she loved grocery shopping. Tom, despite his empty fridge, had a way of making amazing breakfasts whenever he stayed over. He’d whip up omelets, avocado toast or pancakes that tasted way too good.

"Why does your fridge have seven types of cheese but no butter?" he asked one morning, rummaging through her fridge.

"Because I like options" Jules said, stealing some of his toast.

But mornings weren’t always easy. When Tom stayed at her place, he had to leave super early to grab clothes from his studio.

"Nothing says romance like riding my motorcycle across Manhattan at 6:30 am with bedhead" he grumbled one morning.

"Aww, poor you" Jules teased, sipping her coffee. "Riding a sexy motorcycle to your sexy girlfriend. Your life is so hard."

And then there was Tom’s apartment itself. Jules hated it. Not because it was small, but because it was in Hell’s Kitchen. The area was loud, crowded, and always smelled weird. Her place near Central Park was peaceful.

It became clear that living apart wasn’t fun anymore. It was exhausting.

One rainy night, Jules lay in bed, thinking about how tiring their setup had become. The next morning, Tom showed up at her place drenched from the rain, holding coffee and croissants.

"Guess what I forgot this time" he said, dropping the bag by the door.

"Your dignity?"

"My razor. If I start looking like Hagrid this weekend, it’s your fault."

Jules groaned. "Tom, this is ridiculous. Do you realize you’ve basically moved in already? Half your clothes are here, your toothbrushes are taking over my bathroom, and I can’t open my fridge without seeing that gross almond milk you keep buying."

Tom froze, croissant halfway to his mouth. "Wait… are you saying what I think you’re saying?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just move in already. Save us both the trouble."

Grinning, he leaned closer. "You’re going to regret this."

"Probably" she muttered. "But at least I won’t keep finding your socks everywhere. Welcome to Casa Jules."

And just like that, they stopped living apart - no grand gestures or big speeches. Just a simple conversation over coffee and croissants that made their lives a lot easier.

On a gray Wednesday, Jules was organizing her belongings, trying to make space in her closets. Reason? Tom Hardy was officially moving in.

Her phone buzzed, nearly making her lose her balance. It was a text from Samantha.

How’s moving day? Are you ready to live with a man? 🤢

Jules rolled her eyes and typed back:

He’s not just a man. He’s Tom. It’s like… adopting a really sexy puppy.

The morning Tom was set to move in, Jules woke up with a mix of excitement and dread. On one hand, this was a huge step in their relationship - no more annoying logistics, separate apartments, or early-morning motorcycle rides in questionable weather. On the other hand, this was her space. Her sanctuary. The thought of Tom’s cast iron pans and collection of leather jackets taking over made her feel unsettled.

It felt less like a move and more like an invasion. Jules had imagined a couple of bags, maybe a box or two. Instead, a full-blown operation unfolded.

He arrived with a moving truck. An actual truck. Jules stood on the sidewalk in front of her building, arms crossed, staring at the beast of a vehicle parked illegally, while Tom hopped out, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.

"You didn’t think I’d fit it all on the back of my bike, did you?" he asked, planting a kiss on her forehead. "So.." he said, once they walked inside. "Where do you want me?"

"Start by taking off your shoes" she teased, gesturing to the doormat. "And then we’ll talk about where you and all your crap are going."

Okay, so... First came Francesca. The plant. Tom carried her in like she was a child, her massive leaves brushing against Jules’s face as he squeezed through the doorway.

"This is Francesca. She’s been with me through a lot" Tom said, setting her down in front of the living room window as if crowning her queen of the apartment.

"Does Francesca pay rent?" Jules asked, eyeing the plant with suspicion.

"Don’t be mean. She’s sensitive."

Next came the jackets. So many jackets. Jules lost count after the seventh black leather motorcycle jacket landed on the couch.

"Are you building a shrine to yourself?" she asked, holding one up.

"They’re all different" he insisted, shoving them onto a rack he’d brought with him.

"They’re all black"

"That’s like saying all your shoes are the same" he shot back, smirking as he unpacked more.

Then came the espresso machine. A sleek, chrome monstrosity that looked like it could double as a time machine. Jules stared as he placed it on her kitchen counter, where it promptly took up half the available space.

"What? Mine’s better" Tom said, flipping switches and looking entirely too pleased with himself.

The books were next. Box after box, some spilling onto the floor as Tom tried to organize them on her shelves. Jules watched in disbelief as he stacked first editions and dog-eared paperbacks side by side.

"Do you read all of these?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as he carefully placed a tattered copy of Wuthering Heights on the top shelf.

"Of course. I’m not just a pretty face, you know.."

Jules snorted.

And then… the weights. Jules nearly fell over when Tom carried in a massive dumbbell set like it weighed nothing.

"What on earth do you need those for? You’re already built like a brick wall" she said, watching as he set them down with a thud that shook the floor. "You live in New York, Tom. Just lift some overpriced avocados like the rest of us."

The most unexpected additions, however, were Louis’s things. Her heart softened as she unpacked a small box filled with action figures, books, and a well-worn teddy bear. She smiled as she placed them on a shelf in the spare room.

"Louis would love visiting here" Tom said quietly, watching her.

"Good thing I’m nice enough to let him" Jules teased, though she was already imagining Louis running around the apartment.

By the time the truck was empty, the place looked like a chaotic fusion of Jules’s chic, minimalist style and Tom’s rugged, slightly messy vibe.

"Cheers to living together" Tom said later that evening, handing her tea as they collapsed onto the couch.

"Cheers to Francesca, espresso spaceships, and not tripping over weights in the middle of the night" Jules replied, raising her tea.

"And cheers to you, my love, for letting me invade your space" he added, leaning over to kiss her.

And as they sat there, surrounded by boxes and jackets, Jules realized the chaos didn’t bother her. It wasn’t just her apartment anymore - it was their home.

The first few weeks of living together were, in one word, chaotic. Jules and Tom had been dating for almost a year, but moving in together showed them how different their daily lives really were.

Tom liked to start his day slowly. He would wake up, stretch, make a cup of coffee, and sit on the couch, scrolling through his phone or reading the news. He moved at his own pace, like he had all the time in the world. Jules was the complete opposite. Her alarm went off at 6:30 am sharp and it was like someone had hit a "GO" button on her. Within 15 minutes she was dressed, brushing her teeth while checking emails, making a to-do list, and drinking a smoothie - all at the same time. Tom would still be sipping his first coffee while Jules dashed out the door.

Or he watched Jules race around the kitchen. "Why are you already dressed?" he asked, leaning back on the couch.

"I have things to do" she said, packing her bag. "I can’t sit around drinking coffee all morning. Some of us have jobs."

Tom just smiled and sipped his coffee, clearly unbothered by her comment.

By the time Jules left, Tom was only halfway through his second coffee. "Have a good day!" he called out lazily as she ran out the door.

One time, Jules tripped over Tom’s motorcycle jacket, left in the hallway. "Tom, your jacket is in the middle of the floor" she said, holding her keys and looking ready to explode.

"I was going to hang it up" he said casually. "I just didn’t get to it yet"

"Well, I almost broke my neck" she muttered.

"Sorry, babe. Won’t happen again."

It wasn’t perfect, but they started to adjust. Tom tried to keep the place tidier (sometimes), and Jules made an effort to slow down. Over time, they figured out a rhythm. Tom made coffee in the morning, just the way she liked it - with the perfect amount of milk and a pinch of pumpkin spice. Without a word, he placed the mug in her hand while she was busy with yet another phone call. Weekends became their time to do laundry and take care of little chores.

They spent nights talking in bed, laughing, sharing stories, and learning more about each other.

One evening, Jules was pacing around the apartment, upset about a problem at work. Tom, unsure how to help, said his usual "It’s okay, babe, just take it easy." But instead of calming her down, it only made her more frustrated.

"You don’t get it, Tom. I don’t need you to fix it. I just need space to breathe!"

For a moment, there was silence. Tom, usually so relaxed, felt a flash of irritation, but he quickly let it go. He sat down on the couch, took a deep breath, and patted the seat next to him.

"Come here. I’m sorry" he said gently. "I just want to help."

Jules hesitated, then walked over and sat down. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, burying her face in his shoulder. "I love you so much".

[fleetingofthegretas]

Slow or fast? Danny Wagner x reader

Preview: Your boyfriend Danny Wagner, the drummer of Greta Van Fleet invites you to the bar with his bandmates but you decline, having to get things done around the house. Your boyfriend returns home drunk as ever & comes home with one thing in mind, one thing that he wants. You. How can you say no to your greek god of a boyfriend? Not to mention what you know will happen when you wake up, some fluff & sweetness with a side of hangover to fill your morning.

MENTIONS OF/ TW: !Drunks3x, fluff, Oral M receiving, teasing

November. Its a calm chilly day in the city of Nashville, Tennessee where you reside with your boyfriend Daniel. You're home alone, despite the company of your old grumpy cat, Greta. Danny gave you Greta as a valentines day gift when you hit 2 years of dating. Seems like it was just yesterday when she became a new edition to your small little family you were slowly building.

A smile creeps upon your lips as you recall the memory of when he brought your sweet kitty home. You were stuck in Traffic so you had shown up after Danny was already home. You walked into your house to see Danny sitting on the couch with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey honey sorry I'm late I totally got caught behind an accident. Just looked like a fender bender so I don't think anyone was hurt. What's up with that smirk on your face? What did you do?"

He erupts with laughter at your remark. "I didn't do anything sweet girl. I did get you a gift though".

He scoops you up in his arms and lays you on your shared bed.

"Oh? Is this the gift?" You ask as you start to undo his belt, looking up at him with big eyes.

Something furry rubs against your back scaring you halfway to death. You immediately drop your hands from his belt to see what the heck is with you in bed, only to see its the elder cat you've been keeping an eye on at the nearby shelter for the past few months.

"Daniel oh my god! When did you get her??"

"Last night before I came home. I had forgotten what you said her name was but I did remember that she was gray and orange. They only had 2 gray & orange cats but the other one was a kitten, so I decided to get the older one instead. Funnily enough her shelter name was Greta, so I felt like it was meant to be."

"Where was she this whole time? & how did you know I wanted the older one instead of the kitten?"

"Well I asked if any of the boys could watch her just while I waited to finally surprise you. Sam of course replied with he hates cats, and Josh just never answered his phone. Jake ended up offering to take her in for the night. I think he secretly loves cats and doesn't want to admit it. As for getting the older cat instead of a kitten, that's because kittens will get adopted faster than the elders, and I had seen that Greta was at the shelter for so long, I figured you and I could give her a new life".

"Oh Daniel you are too kind for this world. I think I want to keep her name as Greta, it seems to fit her and you're right. It is meant to be".

Gray and orange fur rubs against your foot, waking you up from your daydream. You glance at the clock which loudly reads 3pm. 2 more hours till Danny gets home. Luckily you have a lot to do today which keeps your mind occupied. The entire day you've been out and about. At 10 you had brunch with your friends, just catching up and drinking mimosas together. By 12 you were shopping on your own getting things for the house. You had an odd list of things you and Danny needed.

Avocados, Planter pots, Organizing containers, guitar picks, toothpaste, and laundry detergent

You smirk a bit at 'guitar picks' in Danny's messy handwriting, probably written this morning when he was rushing out the door to meet at the studio with the boys.

Danny's guitar picks have been going m.i.a. recently as Greta has found a new love for smacking them off the coffee table and scattering them around the house.

You are so focused on repotting plants & putting your shared record collection into new organizers that you don't even hear the door open. Before you know it, you feel two strong arms wrap around your waist and pick you up off the floor, making you scream.

"Hi babygirl I've missed you, crazy day in the studio" He sets you down to give you a quick kiss.

"I've missed you too! Could've used your help reaching the box of screws in the garage today, I hate using the stool. I'd rather just have a big tall man like you to get it for me" You give your biggest pout you can and look up at him with your big eyes causing him to blush

"Oh I'm so sorry I wasn't there to assist you, my princess."

"I love it when you call me that. What are you up to tonight? Hanging out with the boys or what?"

"Yes, actually. We made plans to try out a bar we've never been to before. I'm super stoked. You can come with if you want"

"That sounds like so much fun but I have to finish getting stuff done around the house tonight. I'm in cleaning mode so I can't stop now. I hope you and the boys have lots of fun though! Send me a text when you're on your way home but I might be asleep depending on how late you'll be."

"Sounds good baby. I love how well you take care of the house. I'm not sure when I'll be home. Maybe 11? 1? I'm not sure. If you get lonely, there's a bottle of Moscato in the fridge & a fluffy friend to cuddle with. Love you my sweet girl."

He gives you a kiss, holding either side of your face with one of his hands.

Before you know it, he's gone again. You don't mind it though, because you have to deal with him being gone for tours and such. God you loved watching him play, and got excited every time the band would come close to home so you could see it in person. Not to mention the after show sex. Danny would always wait for you backstage super sweaty, pumping with adrenaline. You loved when you got to see that side of him. He was always super confident and aggressive, which you don't get to see too often with your mellow & kind-hearted boyfriend.

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

You just changed into pajamas, the red satin set Danny got you for your birthday this past year. You sit by the fireplace, incense freshly burnt, book out, cat on your lap, with a cold glass of wine in hand. You think about your rockstar boyfriend and how truly amazing your life is.

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

Glass breaking. You jolt upwards, finding you have fallen asleep on the couch, right where you were before.

What the hell was that?

"Hello? Danny?" you yell out into the darkness

no response. You walk further in the dark, met with a light from the kitchen. Danny is stood over the sink trying to clean up a broken glass he had toppled over.

"What the hell Danny? What time is it?"

"Please don't be mad baby. It's 3 am"

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? I heard the glass break."

You walk over to him and start turning his hands over. Front and back. Left. Front and back. Right. You look up at his face with concern. Not a single cut. You look back up at him and meet his eyes. He has been watching you the entire time. Examining him with deep worry just for nothing to be wrong.

"I'm fine, my princess. I just had stumbled a bit and the cup fell over. Not even a scratch on me, I promise."

You stand on your tip toes to wrap your arms around his neck, the type of hug you always give him after he causes you to lose your shit. This time being that you thought there was an intruder in your house. You sigh heavily into the nape of his neck and then release. You give him a small smile and walk to your bedroom, his drunk ass following lazily, and a little zig-zagged. You wonder how much he's had to drink if he's having this much of a hard time. After all he drinks with the Kiszka's all the time so he has built up his tolerance.

You yelp after feeling your boyfriends hand slap your ass and give him a glare. Danny is simply grinning ear to ear, eyes squinted. You finally approach your bed. All of a sudden you're in the air, then you're not.

You look up, out of breath, to see Danny standing above you with a look in his eye. "Have you been good for Daddy while I've been gone?"

What the fuck. WHAT THE FUCKKKKK????

You stare at him with your mouth open, completely in shock of what he just said to you. You can't help but admit to yourself that this turns you on and you're already becoming a waterpark in your panties. You gather yourself enough to respond after realizing he's waiting for you to answer.

"Yes sir"

"Good girl. Go into the bathroom. I'll be here. When you come out I don't want you wearing anything but those pink panties of yours."

"Yes Danny"

He gets off of you so you can stand up. You look at him and can tell he knows you like this. Which you do, its pretty obvious based on how you're holding up. You do as you're told and walk straight into the bathroom without looking back. You take off your top first. You then take off your silk shorts and take a glance at yourself in the gold mirror in the corner of the bathroom. You feel a rush of nervousness run over your body. To see Danny look at you in this sense. It is your first time having him be so dominant. Sure you've done stuff close to this in the past- but never this level. But god its hot. You take a deep breath as you fix your hair and open the door. You gasp at the sight before you. Danny is sitting on the corner of the bed closest to you, laid back with his elbows propping him up, completely undressed with his hardness laid out before you.

You don't realize what you're doing until he points it out.

"Close your mouth Darling. Come close, I don't bite- unless you want me to of course. Come take your seat."

You understand exactly what you're supposed to do in that moment. You make 3 swift movements, now almost straddling him save for a few inches. You hover your center above his length, until he locks eyes with you. You make direct eye contact as you slowly sit down and grind against him. He lets out a breathy sigh

"Fuck baby. But that's not what I planned."

He rolls you flat onto your back so now you've switched spots. He hovers his hand over the spot you want him to touch you at but never makes contact.

"Do you want me to touch you baby? Say it"

"I do"

"Beg"

He crosses his arms and looks upwards, waiting for you.

"Jesus fuck danny please just touch me"

"Yes my princess"

He starts rubbing you in circles, making you release stiff breaths from beneath him. He suddenly moves your underwear to the side, slipping two fingers deep within you. You start panting from the feeling building inside you. He's going so fast you feel like you will erupt. He pulls his fingers out and completely stops.

"Danny what the hell?!?" You start getting frustrated with him. You jump at him trying to get him to come back down on you. He instead pushes you off gently without saying a word. He grabs the hairtie off your wrist and puts your hair up for you. You know you now have to pay the favor back to him. He tilts your head back to face him to show you his dark eyes, suddenly darker. He doesn't even have to say anything. You move to the edge of the bed and take him in your mouth. Deep. You swirl your tounge around his tip and use your hands, twisting them as you pump him off. He knows how much you enjoy doing this for him. You continue pumping him while sticking your tounge out. You look up at him but all you're met with is his adam's apple. He has his head thrown back, feeling into every movement you give to him. This only makes you go faster, as more motivation of what its doing to him. Your rockstar boyfriend. He starts to twitch from within your mouth.

You stop. Just like he did from you, teasing, taking the release that he needed. He looks at you angrily and frustrated. "Y/N, now you're gonna get it." Your face displays a wicked smile because you know exactly what you're doing and you disobeyed him. He pushes you backwards and immediately is in you. Kissing you. hands propped on either side of your head. His balls are slapping against you every second. You've never had a fast fuck, let alone a frustrated one. Your eyes roll back into your head due to the intense feeling he is giving you.

"Fuck you feel so good baby. You're so wet"

"Danny- f-f-uck" You mutter as he puts his one hand on your throat and slams into you even harder. He keeps going, but eventually slows down. You have no idea where this comes from, but you somehow flip him and are now riding him. Making out, both giving each other the same look, the same look of need. You need him and he needs you. You start to feel yourself giving in so you slow down. He feels this too- He grabs you to hold you in place and starts thrusting in to you from below. You cry out to him "Fuck!" and a tear falls down your face from all the emotions of ecstasy you're feeling all at once. Danny finishes inside you simultaneously.

You ride him slowly, giving him soft kisses before dismounting him and falling into bed beside him.

He goes to the bathroom to return in boxers & holding a washcloth. He cleans you up and puts a new pair of underwear on you, while planting a kiss to your forehead. You slowly fall asleep knowing you're in his comfort.

"Goodnight, my princess" You hear him say softly as you go in and out of sleep.

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

Light. There's light in your eyes as you squint and stretch yourself awake. 10 am, the clock reads. You roll over to see dark curls, the curls that you adore so much. You smile widely at the thought of last night. You look around your room only to see Greta sitting on the floor, glaring at you. Poor kitty normally sleeps in your bed. You giggle to yourself at the thought of Greta being "punished" because her parents were busy making love.

You turn to give danny a kiss on the cheek as a good morning attempt. You brush your hand over him, to find out that he had discarded his boxers sometime in the nighttime and had morning wood.

"Why goodmorning my sweet boy" You say while running your left hand over his happy trail, right arm propping your head up. He stretches out, putting his arms out to pull you in closer to him.

"Good morning baby girl. I hope I wasn't too much for you last night. I had a lot to drink at the bar."

"Oh baby you're never too much for me, and you won't ever be, even if you make me call you daddy"

"I did what"

You both start laughing together, which ends in a tired make out session interrupted by yawning and something poking you in the leg, which turns your face red.

"Danny?"

"Yes baby?"

"You can do anything you want to me and I will still love you. I don't think I will ever stop adoring you"

He replies with a big smile, as you then kiss that big smile of his, and line him up with you. He smirks at the touch and goes in. You both release a breath, facing each other in bed. Slow, soft, and lovingly. This type won't ever beat anything, not even post concert sex. It is the most loving thing to experience and you know Danny feels the same way.

So there you are, looking at each other completely glazed over with love while he's inside of you, making love lazily to you.

The end!! <3

NOTE from the author: None of these pics are my own and I do not claim them. All found from Pinterest. This is my first fic/ smut I've ever wrote so I hope at least one person out there likes it.

[karlybeesims]

oasis diaries 5 - daddy issues | a sims 4 story and let's play by karlybeeplays on youtube - watch here

resources

lots

rock steady restaurant by @kimorasimz

mods mentioned

passionate gifts by UTOPYA_cc

avocado toast recipe by Balkanika

animation creators used

steven studios

sovasims

kikichain (romantic couch animations)

VMS animations

outfits

functional tote bag by CoCo Games

Please let me know if there are any mods/cc I missed or didn't include that you wanted to know about - you can send this through the ask box

[neverlostmycrown]

#30daysmusicchallenge2024 for Daughters of Darkness!

Day 1: A song you like with a color in the title

Avocado Cream

Avocado Cream is a song that Amy Lee worked on while writing for Evanescence's fifth studio album, The Bitter Truth. As the title suggests, it's a working title. A 50-second audio of the song was included on The Bitter Truth Evolution cassette tape from the album's deluxe fan box set.

Amy jokingly said the song didn't make the cut on The Bitter Truth for being "too goth", and Troy said they might finish it for the next album. [x]

art dedicated to malice 💚