#crazy craft is when i began watching him

[ralburry]

Throwback

[strwbrychffoncke]

"i want you constantly ,eternally ,unconditionally,, 2k words ⸺ event masterlist synopsis: rafayel can never get enough of looking at you, hearing your voice, your scent ,touching you, or tasting you— and it seems that you share the sentiment contains: nsfw! lnds rafayel x afab!reader ,somno warning ,reader is wearing a nightgown + panties ,morning sex ,needy!reader ,switch!reader ,switch!raf ,dry humping ,grinding ,unprotected sex ,riding ,kissing ,sucking ,marking ,raf helps you ,orgasm ,moment of respite ,then top!raf ,implied overstim ,dumbification if u squint ,think thats it note: (edited!) meant to write fluff today n here we are......

-

rafayel was completely and utterly consumed by you.

whether it was seeing you in his studio, listening to you ramble about anything (from work to the new limited time desserts you tried at your favorite bakery), tugging you close to lose himself in your scent (something that always drove him a little crazy), holding you close in any scenario (from making it a rule to keep your hands interlocked while on a date or feeling your body on more passionate nights), or fighting his cuteness aggression, settling for nibbles on your full cheeks until he was able to get a proper taste of you later in the night: rafayel always sought you out, never seeming to be able to get his fill of you.

and with the saying that "you reflect those you spend the most time with," it seems that he's begun to rub off on you.

-

you were the first to wake up when the sun's rays started shining through the clear prismatic windows of his bedroom, stretching out your limbs before turning to face the warmth beside you.

you sleepily reach a hand towards his face, brushing his purplish bangs away from his closed eyelids, faint smile covering your lips before slipping your touch down to caress his pale cheek.

even as someone who spent hours upon hours on paintings, you thought, at the end of the day, he was the prettiest piece of art amongst them all.

especially after the nights you'd spend treating his body as your personal canvas:

the muse taking over as the artist.

the thought alone flitting through your hazy mind managed to rouse something in you suddenly, thumb caressing the soft fat while you began raking your half-lidded gaze down his face, dragging your finger towards his jawline.

he's let you do stuff like this before as he slept and vice versa. it wouldn't hurt....

your finger begins tracing his neck, and move slowly down the exposed skin of his chest—

but at a small sound from his throat, your hand pauses just before reaching his abs over his shirt, looking up at his face:

luckily, he's still asleep.

you let out a small sigh of relief, warmth of his body rapidly seeping into your fingertips as your other hand moves to caress his chest, just over the area shielding his beating heart.

you lean forward to plant a long, loving kiss against the skin before pulling back, glancing back at his face to see a small grin pulling at the edges of his lips— almost as if he were able to feel your affections even under the guise of sleep.

so cute.

you retract your hands, gently moving to lift yourself up with your arms, shifting your position as you move up to straddle him, careful as you swing one leg over his torso to prevent from waking him.

your shuffling causes him to stir just slightly. you sit still on top of him, watching for him to wake, but he's still fast asleep.

your hands are planted on his chest, looking down into the beautifully crafted face of his as you slowly begin rolling your hips against his to create some friction in the place you began needing it the most.

your hips move up and down against his clothed cock, hand coming up to cover your mouth to try and keep quiet, feeling the growing bulge under you as your panties grow wetter by the second.

when you decide you can't take it anymore, you move back just slightly, giving yourself room to free rafayel's cock from the confines of his boxers. your hands move slowly again, carefully, watching his face as you release his length, watching his eyelids twitch slightly before they settle once you've successfully freed him.

your mouth waters at the sight of him— not new but always such a view— momentarily considering sucking him off but quickly deciding against it, feeling too needy to feel him inside of you instead.

maybe that action can be saved for later.

firmly grasping his semi-hard cock in your hand, you begin stroking it slowly to full hardness, precum oozing from the tip as your hand moves up and down, slick smearing over both the shaft and your palm. small hums and whines begin to escape the male under you, but the noises only spur you on. your hips involuntarily begin bucking against his thigh in response, panties almost soaked at this point, desperately seeking relief in your impatience.

it doesn't take long before rafayel is ready (probably painfully so if he were awake). you lift your hips, pulling the damp fabric to the side and aligning yourself with his cock before you slowly begin lowering down, impaling yourself on him bit by bit.

you bite your lip as the tip invades your leaking walls first, trying your best to suppress a pleased moan at the sensation that you so desperately sought after the past couple of minutes.

a whine is ripped from your throat as you lower yourself about halfway onto the girth, eyes squeezing shut as you will yourself to keep going, need overtaking your comfort of adjusting right now. in the next few seconds, you lower yourself completely to the hilt, sitting comfortably atop the resting lemurian.

you let out a shaky sigh, back reflexively arching at the fullness inside of you, taking even breaths as you open your eyes back up to peer at the mermaid below you.

his face is contorted into something akin to pleasure, brows knitted and eyes squeezed tight, breath slightly picked up, but he's still in the land of dreams.

you drag the tips of your fingers from his chest down to his abs, hands flattening over them. you then lean forward, planting a sweet peck against his lips before sitting back up, gaze filled with appreciation and lust all at once.

you lift your hips off of him slightly before sitting back down, humming in satisfaction at the pleasure already filling your body.

in no time at all you set a steady pace, concern for waking the artist leaving your mind with each bounce on his pretty cock.

-

rafayel wakes with a start, strangled whine crawling its way from his lips as his eyes flutter open to his vision full of you—

and he thinks you look so beautiful on top of him like this.

you, who's brand-new sleep gown is hugging your figure so nicely, one flimsy sleeve slipping down your shoulder, body curved into a pretty arch, boobs close and swaying through the thin fabric as you move, face contorted into pleasure, lips parted and panting, small noises emitting from your throat (no doubt muted as you try to keep from waking him— he doesn't know if that's thoughtful or cruel of you), looking so needy as you move your hips up and down over his cock, using him to your utmost pleasure.

his hands fly up to grip your hips, startling you from your pleasured daze and eyes shooting forward to meet his.

"rafa—yel..."

with his eyes now open and singled on you, you momentarily pause riding him to grind your hips down against his, shared moans floating between the two of you at the sudden sensation.

"did you... hah.... have a nice dream?"

"i think i— ah— prefer what's in front of me," he manages a playful smirk, your eyes narrowing slightly and sly grin painting your lips.

under his gaze, you drag your hips up, feeling the delicious slide of him against your walls until only the tip is teasing your entrance.

"sorry for waking you," you wink at him before slamming your hips down against his, taking him fully again in one go.

a loud, drawn-out moan is shared between the two of you, rafayel cursing as his hands move to grip your thighs tight.

"are you— hah— trying to kill me, cutie?"

you lean your upper body forward, hips moving faster against his cock as you latch your lips onto his, delving your tongue into his mouth.

when you break the kiss to refill on oxygen, needy pants escaping you, rafayel's hands come up to push down the top of your gown over your breasts, quickly latching his lips onto one, squeezing and massaging the fat in his warm hands.

"hah! raf— so good, ah~!"

his hips begin to meet your downward thrusts as he continues kissing and sucking at your pretty tits, humming into them. the increased sensations are too much, and you feel the edges of euphoria crawling up your system.

"rafayel! hah, close, don't ah, stop—"

he releases the skin of your boob with a wet pop to respond.

"shouldn't i be, hah, telling you that, princess?"

his lips latch onto your nipple and only then do you realize your thrusts have grown sloppy, hips losing their rhythm as your orgasm approaches.

"rafayel!" you can't help but whine his name in response.

he hums against your skin, words slightly muffled against it.

"asking for my help after you— hah— decided to use me? how unfair, ah—"

you whine again, and he watches the way your eyes water as your head falls against his shoulder, voice right next to his ear.

"please, rafayel... mmm wanna— cum."

and despite how much he loves to tease you, he always was weak for your whining.

after leaving another mark on you, he speaks up again.

"don't worry princess," he whispers, pecking your cheek lovingly. "nngh, ive got you~"

suddenly, you feel his hands practically engulf your lower hips, squeezing the edges of the fat of your ass before he's moving you up and down while meeting your thrusts, setting his own pace for the both of you.

you cry out in pleasure, hands gripping tight onto rafayel's strong shoulders as you steadily approach your high.

"rafa— hah— yel! close, close, im—"

"cum on my cock, princess, cum for me, ah!"

with another pleased moan escaping your throat, you throw your head back, feeling yourself cum all over rafayel's cock.

at the same time, rafayel is moaning and whining against you, nuzzling his face against your neck and muting himself by sucking more marks into your neck as he releases rope after rope of thick pearly white essence inside of you, hands still working your hips over himself to ride out his high while ensuring you take everything he has to offer you.

exhausted despite the still-early hour, you sigh out as you slump against him, feeling so full and warm, completely satisfied as you float back down from your bliss. rafayel places soft kisses on the side of your head.

"enjoy yourself, cutie?" he chuckles. his voice is right next to your ear, breath tickling it slightly.

"yes," you breathe out, nuzzling your head into the crook of his shoulder.

he let's out a little breathless laugh, hands sliding up your back to hold you closer against him before he whispers into your ear.

"what if i told you that i wanted more?"

in seconds, you're under him, chest against the mattress as he shifts behind you, holding your hips up to create a deep arch as you feel the tip of him rubbing against your still-leaking folds.

"raf, wait, we can't—"

"don't tell me you were planning on leaving me after that?" his voice holds a hint of something darker in it.

you pick up your head, weakly looking behind your shoulder.

"we had plans today, don't you— ah— aaah!"

your protests are cut off by your whines as rafayel fully enters you once more in a single thrust, snug once again against your slippery walls.

"don't leave me, not like this," he pants out as he begins setting a quick pace, moans quickly escaping his lips as he holds your hips in place.

you can't do much but take it, whining against the mattress, saliva dripping down your lips and to the sheet beneath you, hands gripping the blanket for stability, so full and still sensitive from your previous orgasm.

as his hips meet yours in an erratically-growing and equally needy pace, your pleasure-filled mind could only think one final coherent thought:

you likely would not be leaving the bed anytime soon.

-

a/n: something ab morning sex does it for me ig

-

[satyrtransforms]

Tornado Wrangers Need Good Boots

Chris smiled as he hit the alarm on the motel’s bedside table. Today was the day, after years of watching his videos, Chris was finally going to meet the tornado wrangler himself, Tyler Owens. Chris had booked his trip down to Oklahoma during peak Tornado season for the best chance of meeting his idol. He had picked correctly. Last night, Tyler made a post telling his fans that he was going to be in Davenport for a fillup and some new gear and Chris had wasted no time driving up and checking himself into the city’s motel. He got up and threw on a shirt, quickly making his way outside.

Next to the gas station across the street, a small group of fans were already gathered, waiting for Tyler to arrive. He joined them just in time to see the signature red Ram pulling into the station, country music blaring loudly from the speakers. The fans began to shout and cheer and Chris joined them. As the car rolled to a halt, Tyler stepped out and everyone went wild. He flashed a smirk as he hopped down and walked over to greet his fans.Chris felt himself buzzing with excitement and also felt something stirring in his pants. He ignored the feeling and waited for his turn to meet the Tornado Wrangler. When Tyler finally approached him, Chris eagerly shook his hand. 

“My name’s Chris, I’m a huge fan. I’ve been watching your videos for years now and I was wondering, what exactly does it take to join your team?” Tyler gave a cocky smile.

“Well I’m glad to hear you've been enjoyin’ my streams.” He said, his accent piercing his voice. “There’s a lot of aspects to the craft that go beyond ridin’ around and seeing what we can do to those beauties of nature. There’s always-” He paused and gave a look that Chris couldn’t quite place. Knowing, almost.

“Say, you seem like a smart guy, adventurous too. You think you’ve got what it takes to be with the Tornado Wrangler?” Chris grinned. “Yes sir!”

“Good. Maybe we do have an opening on our team. If you’re interested of course.” Tyler smirked.

Christ couldn’t believe his ears. “Really?” “Sure!” Tyler clapped him on the back, “We came here for equipment, who’s to say you’re not? Metaphorically of course…”

“Holy shit! Wow! When can I start?” Chris thought about his job and his family back in New York, but this was the chance of a lifetime! “Right away. I presume you’re staying at the motel? Come, let’s go grab your things.” Tyler led the way as they walked back to the motel.

Christ opened the door and quickly began to gather his things. His mind was already racing with how crazy this all was. Tyler just sat calmly at the couch. “So, what exactly will I be doing on the team?” Chris asked as he turned to face Tyler. “Ah well,” Tyler began to take off his cowboy boots and rested his feet up on the coffee table. “I think that I have the perfect job for you.” Chris was about to enquire further when he smelled it. An earthy smell, musky, part B/O, part dirt. But also slightly sweet, masculine, and intoxicating. He couldn’t help but feel drawn to the Wrangler’s sweaty, musky feet. He walked across the room towards Tyler, almost trance-like.

“Like what you see? Or smell, should I say?” Tyler smirked, watching him approach. The smell, Chris craved it now, he needed it. He couldn’t control himself as he bent down and began to sniff. Deep, hypnotic intoxicating whiffs. “That’s it, keep goin’ good boy.”

Chris began to lick, taking in the salty, musky taste in deep licks. He felt his cock begin to stir in his jeans as he continued taking in Tyler’s musky soles. 

“You’re doing so well Chris, that’s right, keep going.” He encouraged as Chris inhaled hypnotic whiff after hypnotic whiff. He began to moan as felt himself getting hard, his sensitive tip already leaking pre. Tyler pushed his foot into Chris’s mouth and let the other one rest on his growing bulge.

“Such a good boy, I was hopin’ to get a new pair of boots on this stop, and you’re just perfect.”

Chris’s mind was too hazy to process what Tyler had said, all he could think about was how good his feet smelled, how much he needed them. Nothing else mattered other than Tyler’s sweaty, hot feet. Oblivious to all around him, he barely felt the Wrangler stick his foot deeper into Chris’s mouth. As his over foot began to tease Chris’s leaking cock, Chris tried to let out a moan of pleasure but found himself unable to. It was as if his vocal cords were gone and his body was changing, but he didn’t care, all he cared about was Tyler’s musk. Tyler smiled as he saw Chris’s body begin to change, stiffening, changing composition. Chris himself could do nothing but melt in pure pleasure, his mouth and head began to change, taking more of Tyler’s foot in. While his sight and sound were getting worse, he felt his taste and smell getting better. He could feel Tyler’s foot wriggle around and felt the musk as his head continued to wrap around the hairy, sweaty foot. In the meantime, his cock started to flatten out as he felt his lower half wrap around Tyler’s other foot, his now-leather dick still so sensitive, but never able to cum.

Tyler relaxed back as Chris’s transformation finished, now a pair of nice leather cowboy boots. He yawned and stood up.

“Well thank you partner. Looks like you do have what it takes to go on the road with us after all.” He let himself chuckle as he left the motel.

Chris’s mind (or what was left of it), didn’t mind. It felt so good to worship that smell, to be Tyler Owens’s boots. He didn’t miss his human life, he was right where he belonged. At the feet of the Tornado Wrangler’s musky, sweaty soles.

[revehae]

behind closed doors

pairing ↠ haechan x you x jeno

genre .. warnings ↠ smut, stepcest, slight noncon, (uncreative) degradation, unprotected sex (i literally forgot about the existence of condoms, oopsies), brief choking, slapping, posessive!jeno

summary ↠ to the world, you're an amazing daughter and sister who's surely only awaited upon by heaven. to your stepbrothers, you're nothing more than an actress and a whore with a secret to keep.

wc ↠ 4.5k

don't like it, don't read.

the rules set in stone for you - all three of you - were unspoken, though clear. the line was drawn and you were expected to adhere to it. 

to say you tried would be debatable. you were not as naive and oblivious as you seemed, that much was apparent to your step-brothers. you played the role well; the docile, loving sister and daughter, that followed the line drawn before her with straight steps. never gave your parents any problems, and if anything, your devotion to your academics and lack of evident rebellious nature was the sheer opposite of that. they would give you that much. but they knew all too well that behind an attentively-crafted character, a façade if not anything else, you were merely a renegade of convention.

as were they.

that was how it all began - with your façade being beaten to the ground until only your true self stood. haechan was the first to catch on. for a moment, you managed to have even him fooled by your acts of naivety. you never seemed to notice how lewd your actions appeared in the leering eyes of a man, even a man that was, by law, your brother.

haechan could name every last thing that drove him crazy. when you wore shirts around the house you sometimes tended to be braless, and your nipples would press through the fabric for a couple of reasons. other times, your tits would simply bounce if you moved around too much. how some of your underwear was always left on top of your laundry basket when it was his week to do the laundry. your innocent actions that he couldn’t help but perceive as dirty, or the skimpy clothes that left little to imagination. haechan was certain he saw your cleavage more often than he saw his parents. and you all lived in the same house. 

and that was to be brief. either you were really, truly oblivious, or you were doing this on purpose.

obviously, it was the latter.

it didn’t take haechan long to figure out. honestly, he tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, but there was a creeping suspicion in his chest that kept him on his toes. and he was certain of your motive one day. 

that night, you asked him if he wanted to watch some movies with you. that in itself wasn’t suspicious - you loved your family bonding time - and haechan didn’t turn the offer down. but you were again braless in one of his t-shirts that you had borrowed a while back and had yet to return. which was fine by him; he liked seeing you in his clothes, not unbeknownst to you. you snuggled close to him, seemingly innocently, but he saw the poor attempt of hiding your grin when you noticed him shift.

and then a couple movies later, you fell asleep, your head falling against him. he took advantage of the opportunity, letting you slip entirely into slumber before gently lying you against the sofa. slowly but surely, he slipped your underwear down to your ankles, looking attentively at your face as he pushed your thighs apart just enough to move between. it didn’t surprise him in the slightest to find that you had already soaked through your panties. you seemed distracted throughout the movie, and by now it was very obvious what was plaguing your mind.

haechan tugged at his own clothes and eventually slid into you. he tried to be slow, to draw it out, and at first he did. he held his breath during the first couple of thrusts, but ultimately couldn’t help but let out a sound or three. that was what roused you. you blinked, not entirely comprehending what was happening until your eyes focused on the moving figure between you.

“hyuck, wha… stop it-“ 

haechan didn’t hesitate to cut you off, placing one of his palms squarely over your mouth. “shut up,” he said underneath his breath, watching you weakly squirm. “don’t act like you weren’t begging for this.”

you gulped, chest heaving. honestly, he had to commend you. if he hadn’t known that you were bullshiting him right now, he would have sincerely believed that your round eyes gleamed of genuine innocence and surprise. but you were nothing if not a performer.

haechan’s hand moved from your mouth to under your - his - shirt, that had already ridden up your stomach. your lower half was completely exposed to the air, and he went up to fondle with your breasts, moving at the impact of his every thrust. you stifled your sounds, not yet wanting to give him that pleasure. you could tell he already had you figured out, though, if his words were any indication.

“jeno’s down the hall,” you whispered, biting at the fear you pretended was installed within you. if anything, you would have liked it if he caught you - if he joined you. but that was a different, later chapter of the story.

haechan didn’t buy it, obviously enough, although he replied, “then, you better be real quiet for me, got it?”

you nodded in response. the most amusing part, to haechan, was that you hadn’t even attempted to fight him away. you didn’t even try to deny wanting this all along. he assumed that you would have likely put some effort into pretending as if this wasn’t what you were subtly working your way towards, but you didn’t.

save for your fake surprise. of course, you weren’t shocked to find him buried between your legs. you knew what you were doing; you had been trying to lure him there this whole time. his hungry eyes and evident arousal never went unnoticed by you. he tried to hold back, maybe because he wasn’t always sure, but he was no better than you. you knew men, and before anything else, haechan was simply that. a man could never resist his temptations.

“wore this to fuck with me, didn’t you?” he asked, voice low, though he already knew the answer. you resisted a grin; of course you did. haechan wasn’t subtle; not that he intended to be. “would do anything to get a dick in you.”

you shook your head in denial, tears emerging in your eyes. not out of pain or discomfort - as the slight addition of that was your pleasure - but out of relief. you were so relieved that the wait was over, and god, was it worth it.

haechan ran a hand through his hair and chuckled quietly. “no? so you didn’t wear my shirt on purpose? didn’t do it to make this easier for me? you don’t make sure i can see your tits every goddamn day like some kinda whore? yeah right, you fucking slut.”

you couldn’t battle the moan, clenching around him tightly. it was your dream to have him talk to you like that. 

“there you go,” he said, amused by your failure to conceal your pleasure. “you were laying all up on me, making sure i could feel you. you aren’t fucking slick.”

you whimpered, “i‘m close, hyuck,” his words very evidently getting to you. his efforts to wear at your cracking façade finally rewarded him with the treasure lying beneath the surface.

“yeah, is that what you want? you want me to make you cum?” haechan teased, watching the way you bobbed your head needily in response. 

he tried to conceal his laughter, given jeno was only just down the hall, probably fast asleep. in spite of the fact that it was late, it was a weekday. miraculously, neither of your parents were home, and if it weren’t for the fact that he wanted to keep this a secret from his brother he would have gone stupid with you. it wasn’t that haechan was startled or even intimidated by the thought of jeno discovering what was happening right under his nose - he knew his brother well, details that even you couldn’t imagine - or even acting out of selfishness. even if not right away, he knew jeno would eventually catch on. he was always good at sniffing out lies and deception. but haechan simply wanted him to learn for himself, feasting on his brother’s inevitable reactions.

“cum,” haechan commanded, his voice hardly above a whisper. “before i don’t let you.”

you ultimately did reach your climax, convulsing underneath his body. you bit your lip, and too back a cry of your step-brother’s name. it was straight out of a dream, more specifically an erotic one, and you were convinced that you were dreaming as you lay there weakly, watching haechan continue to use your body.

haechan came subsequently, although not by much. in favor of not ruining the couch and leaving a trail, he pulled out, resorting to finishing himself with his fist and shooting spurts of cum on your face.

he didn’t hesitate to whip out his phone, not even bothering to ask permission to photograph you and your only warning was a “say cheese” before he was snapping photos of you. you glanced at him, almost panicked, and though he couldn’t tell if it was out of genuine concern, he assured, “don’t worry, baby. no one will see how much of a whore you are except me - for now.”

for now.

haechan was kind enough to help you clean yourself up before he left, but he didn’t leave without firmly mentioning, “this won’t be the last time.”

bearing that knowledge in mind, it was difficult to fall back asleep that night.

true to his word, that night wasn’t the last time, but the beginning of your sexcapades. it wasn’t a one-time or two-time thing; it was happening more frequently than you could count with your fingers and toes combined. haechan became accustomed swiftly, never missing his chance to drag you away for a fucking whenever you could get away with it. if it was only the two of you in the house, rest assured you would be fucking like hounds. sometimes he’d slip into your room in the middle of the night, not always while you were awake. whenever he could get his hands on you, he would.

haechan wasn’t the only needy one, though. of course not; that had already been established. more often than not, you found yourself wet and begging for his touch. your acts of seduction didn’t end there and you’d take it up a notch, sometimes walking into his room in merely a towel after a shower and asking if you could borrow one of his shirts (nevermind the fact that you were gradually developing a collection of his shirts and hoodies that you had no intention of returning). if the water glistening on your skin wasn’t enough, maybe once or twice you had dropped the towel, innocently insisting that it wouldn’t be a problem because he had already seen everything, right?

needless to say, it would end with you on his bed.

all of the sneaking around would have gone on for weeks by now. no one had caught on - that, you were almost certain. you had been doing so well, learning how to keep quiet in spite of how difficult it was. your image was still steady.

it was late when you stepped into the kitchen. yet again, your parents were out on business, and it was solely you and your step-brothers, who they expected to take care of you. nonetheless, you were confident that they were asleep, given the hour.

but when you felt someone wrap their arms around you from behind, hands steadily falling to knead your ass, you realized you were wrong. guess haechan’s not sleep, you thought, probably been up playing video games. all without sparing him a glance, you very lightheartedly told him, “haechan, stop.”

“haechan, hm?”

on a dime, you whirled around and froze. you knew your brothers’ voices’ very well, and that was certainly not haechan’s.

it was jeno that you were faced with when you turned around, who had his hands in his pockets now. he tilted his head. “you let haechan touch you like that?”

“no—”

whatever semblance of calm jeno held dissipated on a dime; he shut the refrigerator and roughly pressed you into the surface, his breath heavy on your neck as he whispered, “i don’t like being lied to - you know that.”

you had no response to offer him. jeno had genuinely caught you off-guard, and though you expected some type of confrontation eventually, not now, not like this. instead, you swallowed hard, half-feigning the fear in your eyes as you struggled to hold eye contact with him.

jeno basked in the way your body trembled, unhurriedly trailing his eyes and fingers down your figure. somehow you simultaneously amused and angered him. part of him was entertained to see your body react with something like terror, but the other was busting at the seams with ire as he noticed you were wearing his brother’s hoodie. it always pissed him off to see you in haechan’s clothes.

as cliché as it sounded, you felt like prey at the mercy of a predator, waiting for him to make his move while being painfully aware of the fact that you could never counter it even if you wanted to. he began to steadily roll up the hoodie with a single finger, and though you attempted to swat his hand away, he yanked your weak hands away with ease, pinning them above your head. it was so pathetically futile that it had to be deliberate. “at least try to be convincing,” jeno teased, using his other hand to continue his movements.

the pace was tormenting; he took his sweet, precious time to roll up your - haechan’s - hoodie, more and more of your flesh being exposed to the cool air piece by piece until your bare chest was left wide open. “nothing underneath?” jeno mimicked a gasp of mock surprise, groping your breast in his palm. “you wore this for haechan, too, huh?”

the thought of what would happen if you continuously lied to his face piqued your curiosity, however you weren’t sure if you wanted to test your luck yet. instead, you bobbed your head, whimpering at the feeling of his hands.

“thought you were a good girl,” jeno sighed. if it wasn’t for the fact that he had been onto you for a while now, all of this would have been shocking. you maintained such a clean image that no one would have suspected a girl like you had such a filthy secret. except for jeno; he found you as obvious as could be.

“i am,” you insisted, but you knew in your heart it wasn’t all that true.

“liar,” he hissed, shoving his hand down your shorts. you bit your lip when he cupped you through your underwear, trying your best to suppress a noise. “if you were good, you wouldn’t be wet for me.”

that alone should have been humiliating, and it was, but it being your stepbrother who had you aroused didn’t exactly stop either of you. any of you. you tried to combat a moan when you felt his fingers pressing against you, but you couldn’t resist.

which broke the last of jeno’s resolve. he grabbed you by the arm and dragged you upstairs, ignoring you telling him to “slow down,” or that he was holding you “too tight,” or that “it hurts.” you knew no pain. it hurt knowing that haechan had gotten to you before he even got the chance. and tonight, he had something to prove.

jeno wasn’t very gentle with you from that point forward. he forced you against the wall - specifically the one adjacent to haechan’s bedroom wall. he was going to use your body to make a statement, and a very loud one at that. you squirmed in his hold, but you were helpless; years of physical activity paid off on his end and your attempts to fight him off - whether you were genuinely using all of your strength or not - were effortlessly overpowered. god, was that arousing. jeno gripped you by the neck and threatened, “behave, or i’ll hurt you more than i have to.”

that made you instantly still and jeno continued to pry at your clothes until he was satisfied. you didn’t wear anything much, merely the hoodie, the least lengthiest of shorts, and a pair of panties. he didn’t hesitate to free himself from his sweats, stroking himself fully hard in his fist. you could only eye him with so much pent-up desire, begging him to end the wait.

jeno had also been a subject of your depraved fantasies, although you thought that he would have been significantly harder to crack. which was why you very strategically went for haechan first. jeno had a jealousy issue that he masked as playing the role of the protective, older brother. in that sense, he was not all too different from you. but you were aware that he despised seeing his little stepsister with other men and haechan was no exception to that. your plan was soiled - you intended to make him jealous by going out with one of his friends - but you weren’t necessarily complaining. the sooner you could get his dick in you, the better.

jeno lifted you against the wall and when you felt his dick brushing against your folds, you held on to your breath for dear life. “prove to me that you’re a good girl by taking it,” he told you, forcing himself into you with one sharp thrust.

and jeno fucked you right against that wall, doing everything in his power to make everything you were doing at the moment painfully obvious and loud; ensuring your body was thrashing against the wall, slapping you anywhere to make you squeal, or thrusting harshly into you to earn a cry from between your lips. haechan had to be awake, and you could only pray your neighbors weren’t. as gratifying as this was to jeno, he was again met with ire upon the realization that you given this experience away. not only was being inside you a pleasure, feeling the way you squeezed around him like your life depended on it, but outwardly, it was something else. he adored the way you were so pathetically helpless against him, incapable of saving yourself from being used. most especially by someone who was expected to look after you. 

in a way, he was. but it wasn’t very conventional. he wanted you, and he wanted to be the only one who dare got to have you.

there was a bit of tension amongst the three of you that following morning. neither were surprised to see you ignore it or continuing to be innocent. you sprung into the living room with a spring in your step - obviously cheerful about something -  and greeted them joyously, kissing their cheeks as usual. if you caught the mood in the room you had suddenly intruded, you didn’t show any sign, but there was really no way you hadn’t. the look on their faces was unignorable.

haechan pulled you down onto his lap, ignoring your tiny noise of surprise and attaching his lips to your neck. “mornin, princess,” he whispered.

your gaze met the sinister, exasperated one of jeno’s, eyes boring holes through the flesh of you and haechan. it was paralyzing; you could only sit there and swallow hard, shifting your eyes anywhere else.

“i see you two had fun last night without me,” haechan remarked, biting back a snicker. he could tell without sparing a glance that his brother was not pleased.

“we did,” jeno replied curtly. “did you expect an invitation?”

“would’ve been nice,” chirped haechan. “it’s all good, though. we have a lot of fun on our own, too. isn’t that right, princess?” he grinned, his eyes on you the whole time. meanwhile, he was rubbing your bare thigh - courtesy of your less than lengthy shirts - and you had to bite your lip, begging yourself not to make a sound. jeno was already on the brink of breaking something.

instead, you very reluctantly bobbed your head, not daring to glance at jeno although you couldn’t ignore the feeling of him looking at you.

haechan crooned, “use your words.”

you gulped before doing so, wetting your throat that had so suddenly gone dry during the past couple of minutes. “yeah. yeah, we do,” you stammered, doing everything in your power to avoid looking at your other stepbrother.

jeno couldn’t bear it any longer and stormed off, and you knew that you were in for it tonight.

everything continued this way - haechan would be indifferent towards your affairs concerning jeno, but he’d deliberately make his brother jealous for the sake of it. in response, jeno’s temper would manifest in the rough manners he used you, fucking every hole of your body with no remorse. it was your very definition of heaven. going back and forth between your brothers was, at one point in time, merely a dream to you.

ultimately, however, jeno’s sudden discovery didn’t deter you from your original plans. you had no clue how he maintained his composure before then - because obviously he had been aware for a while - but you were tempted to poke the dragon. and you did.

“and where the fuck are you going?” jeno asked when you strutted into the living room, checking your makeup for the fiftieth time in your pocket mirror. you were dolled up, wearing the skimpiest dress with every level of you styled. which, paired with the frequency of which you were re-checking your appearance, could have meant only one thing at this hour.

your mom pointed at him from the island and yelled, “language, jeno!”

haechan snickered and you stifled a laugh of your own, but not for that reason; because you knew he wasn’t pleased with you. “what’s it look like? i’m going on a date, dummy,” you replied, sticking out your tongue. 

“don’t talk to your brother like that, y/n,” chided your mom, hands on her hips. she had always pushed the family agenda, though neither of you were technically related, save for you and your mother and them and their father.

“sorry, mom,” you apologized, forcing your most genuine tone. normally you would have been on your best behavior, but you were very intent on provoking jeno. and though he did well at concealing it - courtesy of your mother’s presence for once - you saw right through him and knew he was seething at the core.

haechan seemingly was intent on joining your little scheme, and pressed with a stupid smile on his face, “a date with who?”

“you guys know mark,” you replied to haechan, but you were looking straight at jeno, looking for a crack in his calm demeanor. bearing in mind the potential of his anger, memories flashing in your head, it was almost scary how collected he was; or seemed. “he should be here in a couple of minutes.”

mark was a mutual friend of theirs. you were almost surprised he hadn’t mentioned to either of your stepbrothers that he was taking you out on a date, but it worked perfectly. you got to capture jeno’s reaction in real-time.

“lee scored you?” haechan, incredulous, laughed, like it was the most bizarre thing he had ever heard. jeno laughed too, but not out of amusement. it was anger. “man, good luck. you’re gonna need it.”

you giggled. for some reason, you had a feeling it wasn’t mark he was implying you would need luck with. “please. i’ll be fine.”

the doorbell rang merely moments later, and while haechan told you to have fun and your mother told you not to stay out too late, jeno was deadly silent. part of you was scared when you got into that car with mark, but the other was thrilled.

when you got back home, all of the lights were out and your parents' cars were yet again gone. after kissing mark goodnight, you turned your key into the lock, and it wasn’t until he had pulled off that you felt arms wrap around you. you shrieked, and their hand went over your mouth. “quiet,” jeno growled in your ear.

you complied. with jeno’s palm over your mouth, it would have been useless not to, anyways. “walk,” he ordered, and you did as told, letting him lead you upstairs. you winded up in his bedroom and only then did he release you, but there haechan was waiting, tossing a baseball into the air impatiently. that honestly took you by surprise.

“you sure took your sweet time,” haechan spoke directly to you, finally sitting the ball down. you assumed he had been waiting for a while now. “thought your mom told you not to stay out too late. or did you do that on purpose?”

from the mischievous smile on his face, you had a feeling he was trying to get you into more trouble. you didn’t answer, knowing you were in enough already. but that was the fun part. 

jeno pushed you onto the bed, resulting in another surprised noise from you. “jeno-”

“i don’t want to hear it,” jeno interjected, lunging forward to unzip your dress. the moment you tried to stop him, haechan reached for your arms and held you down. now you saw what this was; they were teaming up against you. “i was being lenient about you and haechan, you know - let you two fuck like rabbits all around this place and didn’t say a word - but now you’ve really tested my kindness. you talk slick to me, go on a date with one of my friends dressed like a whore, and then come back late. did all that to piss me off, didn’t you?”

“no, i-“

jeno slapped your cheek. “lie again.”

by now, there were tears brimming your eyes. you could only look to haechan for mercy, as if he was any better, but being of the same blood, he and jeno were as similar as they were different. what he lacked in possessiveness he compensated with his potential to be just as cruel whenever he wanted to be. maybe indirectly, he was being cruel this whole time. surely there was no way he wasn’t aware of how jeno reacted every time he noticed the two of you fucking around.

jeno seemed to notice this and laughed dead in your face. “haechan’s not gonna save you, babe. you think he’s any better than me? he wouldn’t be here right now if we weren’t the same.”

that you knew. it didn’t take a genius to tell that haechan and jeno were essentially cut from the same cloth. the main difference that you could pin was that haechan had a more verbal violence, while jeno leaned towards physical. though that didn’t mean they didn’t teeter across those borders.

“he’s right, ya’know,” haechan snickered. “this is what little sluts like you get.”

jeno took advantage of haechan holding you down, moving to remove your panties. and for someone who was squirming so much as if you didn’t want any of this, they were drenched. jeno could only chuckle at that. 

“no, no - ‘m sorry,” you balked, but jeno ignored you and haechan shook his head. 

“you’re not sorry yet,” haechan told you, ominous as ever. “but you’re gonna be.”

you were counting on it.

[brainrotbee]

Payneland Prompfest Day 4: Handmade

~

"-So then I told him that he needed to move because the art club reserved that table weeks ago." Niko brushed a strand of white hair off of her face, leaving a smear of glitter on her cheek. Craft supplies were spread out all over her bed but she'd abandoned it all in favor of painting her nails.

"Then what happened?" Edwin asked. He was only half-listening, too focused on following the instructions open on Niko's computer.

She sighed. "The wrestling team ran to their coach and they got the table in the end." She stretched out her hand to admire the paint on her nails. "But we set something up outside and people came to that instead." She laughed. "They lost the district championship later that year anyway." Edwin hummed in response. Niko leaned forward to inspect his handiwork. "It doesn't have to be perfect, you know."

"For Charles it does," Edwin replied. He held up the half-finished origami and frowned in disgust. He'd folded the parchment wrong, again. Niko watched in silence as he pulled out another piece and started from the beginning.

"He won't care if it isn't amazing or whatever," Niko insisted. "You could hand him two pieces of tape stuck together and he would love it." She sighed and leaned back on her bed. "He's crazy about you."

"He is not."

"Edwin, I have spent my entire life reading romance novels," she said seriously. "I know a lovesick expression when I see one."

Edwin paused. He didn't know what to make of that. Romance novels weren't something boys were supposed to read, especially in his day, so he'd steered clear of them. Of course, a few Jane Austen novels managed to sneak their way onto his reading list so he wasn't entirely clueless. He knew what romance looked like and it certainly didn't look like two dead boys. "He is a good friend," Edwins aid neutrally. "Which is why I want to give him a good gift."

Niko rolled her eyes at the topic change. "Fine." She watched as he folded in for a while. "That's where you're getting messed up," she revealed. "This part goes backwards."

"The pictures on your device are not the least bit helpful," Edwins said defensively. He followed Niko's advice and the parchment finally began to resemble what it was supposed to be: a-

"-Dinosaur," Charles said eagerly later that day. He held it up as if it was some grand trophy. "This looks brills."

Edwin looked down at his shoes. "Niko and I had some downtime and she was kind enough to teach me about origami."

"I love it," Charles exclaimed. From across the room, Niko paused her conversation with Crystal to smirk knowingly. "It's going on the top shelf. That snow globe is history."

Edwin watched as his partner proudly held the tiny creature aloft. He smiled. Jane Austen might not have written about them but that didn't mean they didn't exist.

[cvlutos]

ALL YOURS!!

OMG your latest Wally fic is so good I'm obsessed!! I'm not that good with words but I have an scenario request! Soo plsplspls bear with me! What about Wally x reader who's also a puppet and been member of this beautiful peaceful community from the start like all of them. But the reader gained consciousness not so long ago. Reader is freaking out they don't love Wally anymore they don't remember him and their love for them and they also don't want to, they just want to go away. Wally on the other hand in fact does, he's always been conscious one in the neighbourhood and he loves them very much!! maybe even a bit too obsessed with them? He doesn't understand how the reader can't remember their sweet lovely memories of being together. He's very desperate and pushy with them he wants the reader to remember! To love him like they used to (BONUS ANGST POINTS IF THEY ARE MARRIED!!!!!!!!) also you could finish it however you want (angst, fluff, dark idk I'm not good w this) thanks!

A/N. A very very old ask, I accidentally deleted. I havent played nor read any Wally in a long long time. So. I was going off solely what I remembered. I also have some old old old twst content I might freshen up.

ʚїɞ | Jul.06th.2024 | —K |

ʚїɞ| Wally Darling | Gn!Reader

ʚїɞ | Old Story | Self-Aware | Yandere | No Chance of Escape |

ʚїɞ | Synopsis: You live here and you will love it. |

It's all yours.

Yours. That which belongs to you. The house is yours, with colorful walls, and colorful doors that practically sing when they open and birds that chirp with a lovely lovely tune. You liked it before. Woke every morning to the smiling sun, happy to hum along. Until one day.

You feel out of place. Feeling the wire strings that poke and prob into your skin, and move you, that make you step, wave, dance, bow. Your face in an always expressive happy smile, always happy, always glad. Always. Always. Always. It's harder to ignore day by day. Harder to ignore how aware you are, how conscious you are of your existence, but them not.

Julie who rather plays the day away, humming and laughing happily with such a smile as she plays hopscotch, always begging you to play and happily hugging you whenever you agreed. Which was all the time, until recently. You began to reject her smiling invitations, not wanting to play. And she would merely tilt her head in surprise before letting out a happily laugh, "Tomorrow then!!" And she goes on her merry way.

Eddie who always has mail, who's always on the move. Delivery after delivery. Letter after letter. Art craft after art craft, folding colored paper, gluing on sticky glitter. Always providing solutions through hard work. Always asking you to accompany him on his deliveries, and how could you not. It always led to such fun, to crazy adventures. Until you reject him, watching his brows raise and eyes widen, before he let's out a honest flustered laugh. "That's alright! Next time!"

Sally who's always performing. Always acting in front of her colored curtain. Or instructing you to act and how whatever theatrical scene she Invisioned, always asking you to join her fantasy world. And of course you accepted. Putting on a special outfit, doing your hair and makeup and preforming for you neighbors. But like the others, you reject her offer. To which she tilts her heard, before giving you a grand shining bow, "All actors need a break from the stage! We'll play later!"

Play. To them. This is a world of fun, a world of joy, happiness, where the sun never sets, so the day never ends. The curtain never stops, the letters are always delivered, the game never ends..

"It's yours."

And no matter how you look at it, no matter the angle, the glasses you wear, the color of the lenses, it doesn't change your feelings. You hate everyone here. You hate how deluded they are, how happy they are, how they live without fear without concern.

And as you stand in front of your home, clutching the painted yellow key, a house designed after you. Made to your exact liking. At least it was made to you, the you who didn't know. Who didn't feel the—the constant weight of merely existing in a world so unnatural. Shoved into the box of sickening happiness — of Wally's Darling. The one who without fail was always beside him, always his muse. You can't stand the thought of him, it was all designed. All made up.

"Is the house so pretty that you have to admire it so? I do think it's gorgeous, it's made for you after all."

Hands clasped behind his back, lazy smile resting upon his lips. Unbothered smile and unbothered eyes, he knew you'd be here. You can't force a smile when you see him, instead turning your gaze to the ground, which makes his eyes widen. Shoes clicking across the paved ground and sitting beside you. "Do you feel alrighty, it's not often I see you with your smile, you always smile for me, give me a smile, love."

He nudges you, resting his elbow into his knees, propping his face in the palm of his hands. Copying your closed in form, silently mocking you.

"I don't love you.... "

This gets his attention. His usually lax expression changes into on of utter confusion, before he tries to smile, and laugh. "Silly silly. I'll forgive you this one time, but some jokes are cr—"

"I'm not joking."

He pauses for a moment, sitting up, your watching his face tremble, that smile he wears wants to disappear. He can't. But his eyes seem darker, and his voice seems different. "You couldn't possibly be serious."

You clutch your fist, the key digs into your palm. You try to build your resolve. "I am." Wally shakes his head roughly, he doesn't look at you, the world seems to tremble.

"Jokes like that are cruel." He doesn't raise his voice, he wants too. You want to leave. You're stuck to the bench. You can't leave.

"I don't—I want—I can't be here. This isn't—"

He says your name firmly, forcing your words to become trapped within your throat. He hasn't said your name. He never says your name. It's cold. Have you been cold before. Everyone seems to be watching you, staring at you. His eyes are so black and big. He forces a smile and head tilt.

"Lovely. I'll forgive you this one time." He holds up one of his fingers and rises to his feet, standing—towering—in front of you. He stares—down—at you. "You gotta remember we don't make jokes like that to our friends. Nor hurt our—your—special person. It hurts their—my—feelings." He smiles and holds his hand out to you.

His eyes stare.

It's all yours.

You place your hand in his and rise to your feet. He stares. Making your way to the colorful door of "your" house. It has your name gorgeous painted.

It's yours.

That which belongs to you. The house is yours, with color walls, and colorful doors that practically sing when they open and birds that chirp with a lovely lovely tune. He stares.

It's always yours. Always. Always. Always. It's harder to ignore, harder to ignore how aware you are, how conscious you are of your existence.

And how conscious he is of yours.

ⓒ 2024 cvlutos — all rights reserved. Any sort of plagiarizing, copying, modifying, translating, editing of my works are strictly prohibited.

[pigcowboys]

hiii!!! may i request headcannons or smth for doing arts n crafts or pottery with percy pleaseee!!! :3 thank youuu have a nice dayyy

pairing: percy jackson x gn!reader

warning(s): mutual pining, kissing, fluff, incorrect pottery knowledge, physical touch.

summary: percy helps you with your pottery assignment

a/n: HI!! TYSM FOR REQUESTING :D, this request is adorable too I’ve always loved this pottery trope it’s so cliche 😭😭 im currently working on the missing FIC but! I wanted to post SOMETHING cause it’s been so long.

happy halloween to anyone who celebrates it!

percy peered into the arts and craft room curiously, looking around at the abandoned looking room. a smile made its way onto his face as he took notice of you, practically skipping over to you.

you huffed as you picked at the dried up clay on your hands, flinching slightly when percy slung a hand over you, pulling you towards him with a smile.

“what’re you doing?” he asked, peering over your shoulder curiously. you barely moved, adjusting your shoulder so he’d rest comfortably.

“making — or well, trying to make a vase.” you turned to look at him through your peripheral. percy stared at the discombobulated mess of clay that he assumed was your attempt at that.

“i’m guessing this is a more..artistic take on that.” he joked, nuzzling his face further into your shoulder. “did you come here to laugh at me or something?”

“truth? maybe.” he grinned. “that and, i just missed you.” you rested your head against his own which laid in the crook of your shoulder, cradling it with your clay stained hands.

“flattery will get you nowhere, percy.” you smiled at him. “but, i missed you too.” you leaned forward, moving Percy’s head out of your shoulder in the process. he moved to sit beside you, looking at the mess in front of you with a confused look. you met his gaze, offering him a dazed grin.

“do you want some help?”

“yes, please.”

percy laughed slightly, standing up and plopping down behind you. you adjusted to the feeling of him behind you, giggling slightly when his hands brushed your rib cage as it came to hold onto your waist.

you eyed him curiously before clearing the kiln of any excess clay. Percy watched closely as you placed a fresh lump of clay onto the wheel, watching closely as you began to toy with the shape of the clay. his head found it’s way over your shoulder as he braved against your back, removing his hands for your waist.

your breath caught in your throat at the proximity but paid it no mind, pushing down your anxiety in favor of focusing.

“here,” you said, motioning for Percy to bring his hands forward to which he did, hovering on the wheel with uncertainty as he waited for your next command. “shape the lower half, i’ll work on the top half, okay?”

percy hummed in agreement, leaning to the right of you as he used his lithe fingers to curve the lower half of the vase. you two worked in tandem despite the close proximity and the straying thoughts that would flash in your mind every few minutes about how you could feel percy’a breath against your neck.

you felt like you were going crazy, especially when your hands absentmindedly wander further down towards the lower half of the vase, grazing Percy’s own hands which were moving up at the same time. in real time the contact only lasted about a minute or two but you felt like the lasted well over ten.

it seriously didn’t help when Percy inched forward as you were turning to observer the wall mounted clock in the arts in crafts room, locking eyes with him for moment before whipping your head back to focus on what you were actually supposed to be doing.

the situation was so awkward and it was only punctuated by percy talking enthusiastically about something that crossed his mind as you tried your best to listen to what he had to say. though, at this point you were down for the count and there wasn’t anyway to just slip out from the position you’d put yourself in.

your mind wandered and you turned to look at percy as he spoke, mind getting caught on the pinkish hue of his lips. they looked, regular — you guessed. just..really nice. and inviting. and cute kind of? can lips be cute? maybe not, but, his were.

Percy trailed off as he caught wind of the fact you were zoned out, fixating his eyes towards wherever it was you were looking at and flushing when he did. a nervous laugh slipped through him that caused you to snap out your daze as he murmured out your name.

“you’re not listening are you?”

“i am.”

“y’know I hate that I doubt that.”

you frowned, a bad attempt at looking offended by the complete and total truth that Percy was accusing you of doing.

“what makes you think I’m not?” you asked, turning back to focus on shaping the clay. percy stilled for a moment before leaning forward, breath fanning against the shell of your ear.

“ the fact you keep staring longingly at my lips.”

you flinched at the sound of his voice, whipping your head back to look at him and simultaneously digging into the clay that was still rotating. you cursed, removing your hands from the wheel as you shifted out from your spot in-front of Percy.

he looked at you with slight amusement as he stopped the spinning, getting up to follow after you, who had walked over to the sink — washing your hands furiously while also trying to calm your racing heart.

percy walked over slowly, observing you silently before taking a spot next to you to wash his hands. you didn’t spare him a glance when he did, only shifting slightly so he’d get access to the sink as well.

“ are you embarrassed or something?” he spoke up suddenly

“wh—” You snapped your head towards Percy with a genuine look of bewilderment in your face. “no!” you frowned at him, heart beating in your ears and he stared you down. well, you had to give it to him, the guy had amazing eye contact.

“you just caught me off guard.”

“caught off guard or caught red handed?”

“caught off guard.”

percy looked at you like he trying to analyze you, hands flapping in the wind as he shook off the water that was on his hands. you turned your back towards him, reaching for the towel that was a near the sink, drying your hands. now, how were you supposed to come up with an excuse that could get you out of this?

“hey,” Percy spoke once more, a slight seriousness in the tone of his voice. you turned your head towards him curiously. “we could try it.”

“try..?”

“kissing.”

“each other?” you asked, complete shock on your face.

“no, the clay.” he quipped, expression faltering when his response was met with silence from your end. “it’s..okay if you don’t want to — i just thought it would be.. uhm, good for practice?”

“yeah, cause i kiss people every other month or so.”

he shrugged. “you could be living a double life.” you shot him a look, a sigh escaping you. he wasn’t joking right? like, this wasn’t a prank..right? you racked your brain from specifics, trying your hardest to walk through the idea before reluctantly opting to give into it.

it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“c’mere,” you murmured, and Percy obeyed your order almost immediately. your breath caught in your throat as he approached you carefully, placing his hand on your shoulder. you looked up at him like a deer in headlights, causing a laugh — or more like a cackle to escape his lips.

you gave him an unamused look. percy smiled warmly, clearing his throat before moving his hands towards the underside of your chin, angling it up. you closed your eyes expectantly, gulping as Percy’s breath fanned over your lips.

he hesitated for a moment before leaning in and locking lips with you after a pause. you pursued your lips against his own, hands coming to rest on his chest as you fiddled with the strings of his hoodie.

you were stiff in his hold, something that he could feel as he pressed into your body. his other hand reached up to rest on your hands which was rested against his chest in attempt to soothe your nerves. you relaxed in his hold, titling your head slightly as you pull back for air before going back in.

Percy pulled away from the kiss finally, a small sigh escaping his lips as he gazed at you longingly. he opened his mouth to say something, lips pressing shut as he stood in silence. you felt as if it was now your turn to ease the tension, a smile breaking out on your face in an attempt to soothe his fears.

“that was..a solid 8/10..”

percy grinned, removing his hand from under your chin as he cradled your torso. “2 points off?” he smiled. “How come?”

You shrugged. “you were pretty stiff.”

“you’re talking?”

you punched him playfully, sliding out of his grip carefully as you inches back towards the wheel.

“come on, let’s finish this, okay?” you turned towards him. “i’lil let you do a redo afterwards.”

percy stared at you with starstruck eyes, briskly walking back over to the pottery station.

[petersasteria]

Little Matchmakers - Park Sung-hoon

Pairing: Teacher!Park Sung-hoon x Teacher!Reader Summary: AU in which both of you are teachers to little kids who happen to be really good matchmakers

A/N: Not many people write abt him and he's such a great actor! so, here's my first PSH fic <3 big thanks to @thisisntmyrightera for inspiring me!!

Running around, combing someone's hair, and packing yourself some extra snacks isn't what you expected when you became a teacher. It was tiring (and difficult) to teach little ones who are only learning how to be... well-functioning humans, but you were immensely grateful that you'd be a part of shaping who they are.

You absolutely adored children and being a pediatrician didn't pique your interest as much as being a teacher. You couldn't bare sharing bad news, especially if you were a doctor. So, being a teacher made sense to you.

You loved the school you were working at and you loved your co-workers. It's a very pleasant place to start your career. As for your personal life, you didn't feel the need to have a relationship because you were too immersed in your work to care about going on dates.

However, your little ones had other ideas. It didn't take long for you to catch on to what they're doing. It all started when you had a family emergency and asked the other teacher, Park Sung-hoon, to watch your class for a while.

Thankfully, he said yes and went in your classroom right after you left.

"Where's Ms. Y/N going?" one student asked.

"Oh, she had to go out for a while, but she'll be back in an hour or so." Sung-hoon smiled as he took a seat on your chair. Before you left, you told him that it was arts & crafts time and you'll be back by recess. "Ms. Y/N will be back at recess to join you." He said sweetly.

One of your students, Jae, raised his hand. Sung-hoon smiled and motioned for him to speak. "Yes?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Jae asked with an innocent look on his face.

Sung-hoon chuckled at the question and shook his head. "No, I don't. I don't have time for a girlfriend because I'm too busy with work."

"But do you want to have a girlfriend?" Jae asked.

"Sure, why not?" Sung-hoon smiled before standing up to walk around and look at their artworks.

Jae looked at his friends whom he shared a table with and whispered, "Ms. Y/N doesn't have a boyfriend."

"Yeah, and he doesn't have a girlfriend. Maybe they could be together." Hana said in a hushed voice and everyone agreed.

During recess, all your kids gathered in one spot to discuss their little plan and by the time you got back, they all dispersed in the playground.

After that, your kids did everything they could to get you and Mr. Sung-hoon together. They even made sure you and him sat next to each other at the school's foundation day event.

After weeks of your kids trying, you began to understand what they were doing. You were at the grocery store when you realized this and you smiled to yourself thinking about how your kids came up with their crazy plan. Your wondering stopped when your cart bumped into someone else's cart. You looked up and saw Sung-hoon.

He laughed and looked around, causing you to do the same. "Your kids didn't set you up to do grocery shopping too, right?" He joked.

You laughed. "No, they didn't. Thank god you noticed it too! This is so insane."

"Right? It's crazy what kids can come up with." Sung-hoon shook his head, chuckling.

"That's true."

"Hey, do you want to get some coffee later? I mean, if you're free... later.... after doing groceries." Sung-hoon cleared his throat.

"Oh, sure! I mean, we can accompany each other now, then we can pay, and we can go to the coffee shop nearby." You suggested.

"That sounds like a plan!" He grinned and motioned for you to walk first. Maybe your kids' plan wasn't such a bad idea after all.

---------

A/N: lmao sorry if it sucked

[elisegravesbondageliberation]

Encased in Silicone, part one ft Elise Graves and Strange Hobbies When you want to embark on a bizarre kinky craft journey, it’s best to have a team! The goal is to encase the very willing Strange Hobbies completely in silicone! Due to the liquid silicone firming up over time, the important process of mixing the different parts (being extra careful not to mix the buckets up!), and the ever involved process of coating a human body in drippy liquid silicone, this particular endeavor required a team. Thankfully I had Mark from Serious Bondage and Pup Jake by my side to get this done. Quite some time ago, Mark, Strange Hobbies and I created a silicone encasement that worked really well. This time, we wanted to experiment with a few factors. The first one being the silicone itself. I wanted to try a slightly softer silicone than the one we had used in the past, as I really wanted to see Strange Hobbies be able to struggle in his cocoon, but not be able to break free :) Secondly, we decided to experiment with the color by adding a bit of yellow pigment to the liquid silicone. And thirdly, we wanted to use MORE SILICONE! We used two kits in the past (4 gallons of silicone) and bought an extra kit for this project (6 gallons!) In part one of this three-part series, we show you the mixing process, the prep needed, and start encasing Strange Hobbies in gooey silicone! Since I knew we’d be going at this for a while, I wanted to keep Strange Hobbies entertained, so we began by popping a vibrating rimming butt plug up his ass. As I mentioned, I wanted to see him squirm once encased, therefore I added many electro pads to his body that we siliconed over (these pads will come into play in part three). Also, we added an external catheter in case he needs to pee at some point, because as I mentioned, this is quite the process and takes all day to complete. Watch as Strange Hobbies is so quickly transformed into something out of this world even in this first installment! Be sure to check out part two, which shows massive amounts of silicone being poured onto our form, and part three which shows the final result and the fun we had playing with this crazy masterpiece!

[make-friends-with-the-rats]

Thoughts on David and Sarah bickering a lot? cannon or modern really, but did you ever do a post about their relationship as siblings? and if you add les-i fear that house can be crazy at some points

This ask has made me realize that I have not, in fact, posted anything in depth about Sarah and David. Naturally, I should be drawn and quartered for this shameful act of negligence.

I think the key thing to understanding Sarah and David's relationship is first understanding the sacrifices both siblings have made for the sake of their families.

First and foremost are the sacrifices the two have made for Les.

The Jacobs likely immigrated to New York in the early 1880s, so whatever way you spin it there is no possibility in which Les was born back in Poland. Sarah definitely was if she's older than Jack and it's possible that David was born there too depending on dates. The point of this distinction is that Sarah and David know more of the life their family left behind than Les will ever be able to truly understand. When Les was born, there was an unspoken agreement that Les's innocence would be protected. Sarah and David were forced to grow up too fast. But Les doesn't have to.

It is entirely probable that Sarah Jacobs withdrew from school and began working full-time with her mother in order to provide for Les's education. If Les Jacobs was near ten in 1899 and Sarah was about 18, than when Les was five and starting school, Sarah was 13 or 14. At the time that Les started school in the mid 1890s, compulsory education only extended to age 12. Sarah gave up her chance at higher education for her little brother.

David didn't have to make this same sacrifice, and maybe when Sarah quit school and grew serious, David felt like his beloved sister had left him behind. Maybe he was jealous because he really didn't like school all that much and the only thing that had made the sour faced teachers and snide remarks bearable had been Sarah pulling faces at him from across the school yard. But now David had Les to worry about and in a way he too had to sacrifice his childhood for Les's sake. David had to become the responsible big brother and keep his new charge out of harm's way.

The roles Sarah and David have as the oldest and middle siblings are also important. Sarah is expected to lend her mother a hand in everything from mending laundry to cooking dinner to putting Les to bed. She's the oldest sibling and the oldest daughter and it's her job to care for the family. She fetches her father's reading glasses and clears the table of her brothers' homework. But we also know that Sarah doesn't sacrifice her own dreams and ideas.

Sarah is a self-proclaimed socialist with a view of the world that has been shaped by her experiences and her father's own radical ideals. Sarah and Mayer's socialism scares Esther with concern for them, and David too shares these worries, perhaps because of the wrinkles in his mothers brow or the tired look in her blue eyes when she thinks no one's watching her. Because of this, because Sarah is bold and daring and Mr. Jacobs talks politics till his wife begs for a change in topic, David is forced to be the mediator. David keeps the peace because someone has to, and he's right smack in the middle of everything.

David can't allow himself to be loud like Sarah, he can't afford to cause his mother any more worry which means that he can't outright encourage his sister's or father's ideas, however much they might intrigue him. David has carefully crafted the image of "golden child, perfect son" for his parents' sake. No one can know what really lies beneath that gilded facade, not even Sarah who envies the fact that David has the perceived "freedom" she longs for.

David and Sarah are complicated, they're messy. On the one hand, they understand each other better than anyone else could ever hope to, on the other hand, they have pushed and pulled at each other in ways that have left scars. I think that as they grew older, their bickering also grew less serious. But it was the result of forgiving each other for real arguments that had hurt.

Les is really what holds Sarah and David together, because despite everything else that may be going on in their lives they are always a united front when it comes to protecting Les and looking out for his future.

Speaking of Les, as sweet as he is, he is also their little brother and most definitely contributes to any and all bickering and does so gleefully.

[bigoltrashpile]

Slasher Meet Cutes

For that lovely anon who reads all the slasher au stuff every fall UwU I was thinking, and what could be better than some fun little scenarios of meeting a murderer! Here's the original post if you don't know what I'm talking about, lol. I hope you enjoy!

Slasher Undertale Sans (Rubix): While Rubix doesn't do much of the dirty work as half of the Jigsaw killer, he does stake out potential victims. That's when he met you. He was following a potential victim, when the suspect bumped into you. Immediately, the asshole started blaming you, only getting more and more violent. When Sans stepped in to help you, the look of relief on your face was absolutely addicting. He wanted to see that expression every day. He just has to take care of this filth first.

Slasher Undertale Papyrus (Chess): Surprisingly, Chess meeting you had nothing to do with his secret life. He was walking his dog ("NOT MY DOG, HE JUST HANGS AROUND, AND NOBODY ELSE IS TAKING CARE OF HIM!") when Toby got off the leash and ran right over to you. Thankfully, you weren't mad, and seemed to enjoy petting the dog. However, Chess quickly noticed that you had a black eye, which you weakly explained away while you chatted. It looks like Chess has a new target, if he wanted to protect that beautiful smile.

Slasher Underswap Sans (Button): You would meet Button while he was still alive, so pre-doll body. However, like the regular Chucky, he was a criminal before his death. He met you while he was staking out a potential hit, a large store where you happened to be shopping. He got so engrossed in talking to you that he completely forgot about his job! Sadly, that store is also where he was killed. After his death, when you happened to walk into the doll shop, his heart skipped a beat. If he had one, that is. You will be his, he lost you once, it's not going to happen again.

Slasher Underswap Papyrus (Strings): Strings was always very charismatic, but not much of a social butterfly. He only met you after he began making dolls, after his brother's death. You both happened to be shopping at the same craft store, and Strings could practically feel himself falling for you when he saw you smile. While he couldn't muster the courage to talk to you, he followed you home after, completely forgetting about his errands! Don't worry, he'll formally meet you soon. He just has to make everything perfect.

Slasher Underfell Sans (Butcher): Your "meet cute" with Butcher is a classic final girl situation. You had been camping, and he had killed the rest of your group, leaving only you. He had his machete raised, about to kill you, but....you just looked so cute! You were trying to be brave, even though he was covered in your friends' blood. You held up a stick, face contorted with rage, and...well, he fell for you! That cute little face trying to fight back fear and be brave was just so cute! He'd have to keep you for himself. He wanted to see that cute face twisted up into other expressions~

Slasher Underfell Papyrus (Lucid): Like Button, Lucid knew you while he was still alive. He had a crush on you, even though he was far too proud to ever admit it. You lived next door to each other, and Noir would always try to show off whenever he got the chance. After he died, he searched endlessly to try and find your dreams. Once he found you, he began to follow you in your dreams every night. He's not sure if you've ever noticed the skeleton that appears to you every night. No matter what, you're the only one in town who never has nightmares.

Slasher Swapfell Sans (Rue): It was supposed to just be a regular job for Rue. He was going to kill you if you couldn't let go of your regrets, nothing crazy. Once you were able to let go successfully, though, he couldn't stop coming back. There was something...magnetic about you. He would watch you from the shadows, trying hard to think of something to say. Maybe he'll find a reason to get close to you again. For now though, he'll just watch you enjoy your life free from regret.

Slasher Swapfell Papyrus (Creeps): Like his brother, he's way too shy to talk to you. That could also be because he's a hermit who lives in his and his brother's derelict old house. But also because he's shy. When he met you, you were trying to help out a neighbor, whose cat ran into his yard. He was originally going to kill you for trespassing, but...just look at you! You're so sweet to help your neighbor, and the way your brows furrowed when you were worried is just adorable! He's not ashamed to admit that he followed you home and watched you the rest of the night. Don't worry, next Halloween, he's going to make sure to bring you home with him, where you belong. Then you can both be truly happy.

[buckyarchives]

MODERN OBI-WAN KENOBI BOYF HC

I haven’t ever done a head cannon post but with how busy / lazy I’ve been I might post more of these, they’re a lot of fun. probably one for Bucky and Luke skywalker. If you want any other characters just lmk! Make sure to check my request post!

warning: nsfw content (labeled so if you want to skip you totally can)

tea guy, like, it’s crazy. has so many drawers full of boxes and bags. always making you tea to fit whatever mood you’re in

landscaper or teacher, or both. I imagine him teaching younger kids but probably wishes to be a professor of some sort, maybe teaching environmental science.

just really likes plants and flowers but sometimes gets tired of having to craft and trim everything to be perfect so he thoroughly enjoys natural nature and the “overgrown’ aesthetic

Adding onto that, loves to hike, always takes you with and nerds out about the scenery and views.

definitely fosters dogs from the local shelter and takes them on hikes to help leash train them.

unintentionally a pretentious little prick

circle lens glasses and turtle neck combo 24/7

And of course you steal his sweaters ALL THE TIME

Smells like citrus, grass and rain. the warm sun rays and vanilla

Always watching some documentary, or the history channel.

All your friends lowkey want him because he’s. That Guy.

Whenever he blushes it goes straight to his nose, ears and neck.

Frequent at most coffee shops in town so when he started to bring you around it was a big deal for the workers lol, so much gossip. And mild disappointment from the staff knowing obi wan was official taken

Probably hates small talk, finds it tedious and shallow

The most supportive boyfriend in the world, he’s always the first person there to cheer you on

When you started dating him, his cousin/best friend, Anakin, came as a packaged deal. The younger one frequently trailing behind obi wan and now, as you’ve got too closer, you as he’s become a younger brother figure to you.

Not jealous at all, he’s very secure in your relationship and his trust in you is crazy strong. finds it quite amusing when men hit on you in front of him and kinda just lets you play it out.

That is unless you become uncomfortable, he mostly lets you stand up for yourself but if it becomes overbearing he definitely won’t hesitate to cause a small scene.

A big runner and boxer, you’re used to having to help his knuckles heal up from long sessions. As well as joining him on early morning runs if he can get you up and out of bed for it.

He loves art and mostly drew and painted landscapes but after meeting you this sketch book began to fill of pictures of you from every angle possible.

So naturally put together all the time it makes you insecure sometimes

Obviously, obi wan is the best at easing those insecurities. He always notices when you’re feeling off, sometimes even before yourself, so quick to embrace you and whisper exactly what you need to hear.

Another thing, so good with his words??? He always tell you what you need to hear, there’s rarely ever any miscommunication between the two of you because of this and even when they’re are, arguments are not common.

Crazy sarcastic, will say the funniest shit ever with the most monotone face and it just makes it 100% times funnier.

Really likes Taylor swift and David Bowie

Always getting you bouquets of flowers, even arranges them himself sometimes.

“This reminded me of you.”

Such a safe and non-judgemental aura, you’d struggle with asking for help or learning new / seemingly ‘common sense’ things with past relationships in fear of seeming dumb but you feel so safe around obi-wan that those thoughts never cross your mind, always learning new things from him and enjoying how helpful and supportive he is.

Definitely an impala driver, either 40s Chevy impala or the very sleek and fancy 2020 impala premier, probably black and rarely dirty

Not the biggest cuddler in the world but really enjoys naps together, will drape an arm over you but he tends to move around in his sleep so he’s just content with sleeping besides you rather than wrapping limbs

But when he is in the mood to cuddle, it’s mostly on the couch when you decides to binge shitty reality television. He’s usually on his back and you’re laying ontop of his stomach with your ear to his chest

You two constantly binge dating reality shows, always criticizing the other couple and mostly men LOL.

“He did not just say that! Maker, you would have broke up with me then and there.” “Damn right I would.”

You trace all the moles and freckles along his body, obi wan definitely had a skin care routine and moisturizes so I imagine his skin is always so soft

NSFW!

really likes nudes, like the grainy MacBook camera pictures with a matching cute set type nudes (iykyk). Hot and slightly artistic, his favorite.

Doesn’t like porn though, never enjoyed it and it never really got him off, doesn’t like the morals of it either

Also sexting, not his thing. He’s usually more on the serious end when it comes to intimacy but he cannot take sexting seriously LMAOO

lowkey the type to come home from a long day of work and look you in the eye with That Look and you just know what he needs

Thigh guy, the type to take breaks from eating you out by just resting his head fully on your inner thigh and just gaze up at you

Sir / master kink

Will jokingly come up behind you when you’re in the kitchen or something and press his groin to your behind

Just a little tease overall, always doing shit like that and acting all innocent about it

VERY VERY vocal during sex (cough, cough, shallow graves ending scene, COUGH)

[mrs-pondwater19]

Heartbeat

Onceler x Shy Fem Reader SMUT

First of all, I'm so sorry, I am weak and have fallen for the Tumblr sexy man *but he do be kinda hot tho*. So being the weak, cringy little thing I am, I now feel entitled to write shameless smut of a non eco-terrorist because I can. Yeah so this takes place before his greed era when he is a sweet, little baby, but has some slight greed tendencies. Also this is kind of a little different from the movie events wise but not by much. The reader lives in the forest (mega cottagecore aesthetic) and is very shy and secluded, but somehow managed to become friends with the Onceler. And when the time came to meet his family, things got a little crazy. Minors this isn't for you, please walk away. Enjoy my dears, and I'm sorry again for the cringe, I'm so sorry.

*side note: I started this like four months ago and dropped it for a bit, but I didn't want to abandon this project so yeah, here you go*

WARNING: 18+, Minors DNI, extravert and introvert dynamic, flirting, friends to lovers, angst, dysfunctional family, arguments (not with Onceler), confrontation, reassurance, confession, porn with plot, Slight inexperience, breath play, neck kissing, bulge palming, fingering, oral (f receiving), slightly rough sex (p in v), comfort, literally the most loving man, whimpering, admiration kink, creampie, cuddles.

You watched as raindrops pitter pattered against the cold glass window of your little cottage. The rain had started earlier in the day, about the time you got back from your venture to the neighboring town not far outside the forest. The day started off so nicely, the sun was bright and there's wasn't a cloud in that big blues sky. You were actually hoping to get some gardening in today, and maybe a walk around the forest foraging some flowers to decorate your home with, but the day seemed to have other plans. On your way home, dark gloomy clouds set in and the cold rain began to fall. Sighing heavily you stepped away from the window in your living room and made your way to the kitchen, changing your plans to baking a pie or two. Pulling out one of your cookbooks you flipped to a basic mixed berry pie recipe and gathered the ingredients to start. Humming lightly to yourself as you made the dough for the crust, you thought you might make a double batch for a friend that lived half way across the forest.

He called himself the Onceler, he had moved to the Truffula forest almost a year ago, although it seemed like he'd been there a lot longer than that all things considered. He came to the forest with a small wagon, his mule Melvin, and big aspirations of success for his invention that he called a Thneed.

The two of you didn't converse much when he first arrived, considering you weren't much of a people person. In fact you often made it a point to not interact with people if you could help it. Having to talk and interact with people made you incredibly nervous and uncomfortable at times, so you kept to yourself. You preferred to stay at home and keep up around the house, do your crafts, and tend to your garden. It was easier for you to avoid conversations and be alone to try and overcome your deathly shyness on your own. It was so bad at times you thought for sure someone would make fun of you or point out all things that were wrong with how shy you were, but you carried on as best you could. You found peace and comfort in being alone, but there were times you wish you had someone to talk to. Being unable to break out of the tough, shy exterior made it almost impossible to make friends, it didn't stop the Onceler though.

The first day he moved to the forest he approached you with the upmost of confidence and was quite friendly towards you. When he saw how reserved and shy you were he backed off a bit and respected your need for space as he took his time getting to know who you were, not wavering his confidence whatsoever.

And, slowly but surely, you opened up to him. He would stop by your cottage daily whenever he'd go to town, checking up on you making sure you were well, and you'd do the same for him. You'd often bring him baked goods or fresh produce from your garden as a thank you for his kindness.

The two of you would spend a decent amount of time together when he wasn't working on trying to sell his Thneeds. Often sharing tea and talking about life was probably one of your biggest past times with him. Things you had a passion for, town life, and your life experiences were the most discussed topic when you were together. His big plans of becoming a successful entrepreneur were always on the forefront of his mind, and he was ambitious to meet those goals he had set for himself. You had to admit it was commendable in some aspects, the amount of work he put into his Thneeds and his efforts to hopefully get his products noticed were really something. Although you didn't agree with how he went about getting the materials for his Thneeds. Cutting down and using the tuffs of the Truffula tree wasn't what you expected nor really wanted to happen. You mentioned to him a few times how it made you upset and even asked if he'd promise not to cut down anymore of the trees out of respect for the forest. To which he said he'd oblige, and from that point on he hadn't cut anymore down.

After some time passed the both of you became incredibly comfortable with one another, to the point where you both confided in each other for just about everything. Whether it was on walks to town, while you picked away at your garden, or nights when you'd stargaze with him. You told him about all the reasons why you were so reserved and why you wanted to be alone. About all the people who abandoned you in your past, the ones who were supposed to be there for you, and how they just drifted away. It was easier not getting attached to people so you wouldn't be let down when they couldn't be there anymore. So you closed yourself off and away from the world, creating a little bubble around yourself. But he never judged you for what you did to protect yourself from something like that happening again. And he'd find himself doing what he could to reassure that he wouldn't be like the others, that he'd always be there for you no matter what.

There were days when he'd let down his happy go lucky attitude and tell you some of the more depressing parts of himself and his past. Just as you did for him. How he was afraid he would never be successful, and that his mother was right about him. He never had the best relationship with his mother, older brothers, or anyone in his family. He was often looked at as the black sheep of the family and was constantly belittled and made fun of for his ideas and ambitions. His mother never truly had any faith in him that he'd make it, and the last thing she and his family did was laugh at him as he left the only home he ever knew. It never faltered him though, no matter how bleak things seemed, he never gave up hope that things would work out. Even if it seemed no one else was going to support him or his ideas. And that's when you assured him you'd be there to support him along the way, through thick and thin.

As you made the filling for the pie you smiled to yourself while humming a light tune. Thinking about how nice it was to have a friend like him and how sweet he was to you. He'd always compliment you whenever you two were together, saying how nice you looked or how amazing you were. He never had anything bad to say about you and was always kind and respectful. You never had anyone like that in your life prior to him, and it was a really nice change of pace for you. Which in turn made you like him, a lot. Probably more than friends should like each other, and he seemed to reciprocate it from what you could tell. The way you two acted with each other sometimes wasn't really how people who were 'just friend's" acted. You two would secretly exchange looks of admiration while the other wasn't looking, the lingering touches whenever you hugged one another, and how he looked so deeply into your eyes from time to time during your conversations. Just the way he made you feel was something you couldn't explain and it was exciting, but scary all the same. Shaking off that bubbling feeling, you focused on finishing the filling and assembled the pie. You lightly covered the pie with the top crust pinched the edge's together, and sliced a decorative pattern in the dough before putting the pie in the oven.

...

You walked down a beaten path to the Onceler's home, umbrella in hand and a basket with the pie as well as some homemade jam. The rain lightly and rhythmically fell around you, making you a bit sleepy as you walked on. The little puddles that formed at the edges of the trail reflected your form, you looked down to see joyful eyes and a red face staring back at you. Turning your gaze back up to the path trying to ignore the sight of yourself. It wasn't long before the Onceler's home came into view and your heart began to beat faster and faster as you approached the door. A light fog from the rain surrounded the vicinity, giving the disproportionate structure almost and eery effect. You quietly walked up the steps as you heard the tune of a soft, solemn guitar playing with a slight hint of jazz. This was a tune you heard more than once, it usually meant that day trying to sell his Thneeds went especially bad. Preparing yourself for him to be in bad mood, you gently knocked on his door,

"Who is it," he asked very clearly irritated. You cleared your throat as you spoke up,

"It's me."

"The doors open," he said, his voice softening a little knowing it was you coming to see him. You closed your umbrella and opened the door quietly so you wouldn't interrupt his playing. You stepped into his home, softly closed the door behind you and set your umbrella aside before making your way into the kitchen. His home was a bit small and cramped, but you didn't mind it too much, it was manageable. You looked over to the Onceler, he was slouched in one of his kitchen chairs, feet propped up on a chair across from him as he strummed the chords. His eyes flickered up to yours for moment and shot you a sweet but defeated smile before looking back down at the strings. You sat the basket down on the side counter before cautiously approaching the table,

"May I," you gestured towards the empty chair next to him. Not looking up from his guitar he hummed lightly in approval. You pulled the chair out and sat down next to him, your hands resting on the edge of the wooden table. The two of you sat there for a minute, listening to the chords he strummed.

"Rough day?" He stopped playing for a moment at your question,

"Yeah you could say that," he said bitterly before strumming again. You let another minute pass before asking him softly,

"You wanna talk about it?" You asked kindly looking up at him. He stopped once again and set the guitar aside, crossing his arms while looking away from you. He took a deep breath, as if he was trying to keep himself from screaming at you in frustration. A few moments passed before he spoke in a strained manner,

"It just keeps getting harder and harder Y/N. Everyday I'm out there, rain, sun or snow, and no one listens to me. No one wants to hear what I have to say about my Thneeds. You and I both know it's a great product, and how it can improve everyone's lives, change the world. But they don't care. And it just feels like I'm wasting my time at this point," he said giving a heavy sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He continued pouring his heart out to you, saying how his family was right about him and how it felt pointless to continue trying to achieve his goal. He just wanted to see some resolve from his efforts, and to be able to prove his family wrong. You reached over to him and laid your hand on his shoulder,

"Hey, listen hun. I know I don't exactly what it's like doing what you do. Being out there trying to be somebody and bring something good to this world. And you knew it wasn't going to be easy Once, but that didn't stop you. You knew there were going to be days that seem harder than others, but you still kept going. I know the day is coming where someone is gonna say how amazing your Thneed is and your life is gonna go in an great direction, I just know it. Today was a bad day, but just think about what tomorrow could bring Once, it could be the day you become successful. Just think about it, ok sweetheart," you said taking your hand off his shoulder. He turned to you with a soft smile on his face as he removed his legs from the chair adjacent from him and hastily stood up from his. He took a few step towards you and leaned down, giving you a tight, compassionate hug.

"You're right, I just need to be more patient and try to stay positive. Thank you Y/N. You always know what to say, and how to make me feel alright again. I couldn't ask for a better friend," he said. You wrapped you arms loosely around him and smiled,

"Of course Once, I'll always be here for you." He let go of you and pulled you up from your chair as he walked over to the side counter where the basket was.

"What kind of goodies did you bring me today," he asked excitedly as he peeked into the basket.

"Mixed berry pie and some jam," you said cheerfully. The Onceler reached up into a cupboard and he pulled out two plates as well as some utensils for the both of you while you put the kettle on. He cut you both decent sized pieces of pie and drizzled a little bit of jam on top of each slice with a little sliver spoon. When the kettle roared out a sheer whistle you took it off the stove and poured it onto two empty mugs with a green tea bag in each. He handed you your plate and you made your way back to the table where you sat down and conversed over pie and tea for the remainder of that rainy afternoon.

...

Weeks past since your last visit with the Onceler, but your advice seemed to have worked well. He was still going out to town and trying to get his Thneeds to sell. Each and every day he was out there, and when he wasn't in town he was at home tending to his property. He would still drop in to check on you to make sure you were doing alright, as he always did. But it seemed like there was hardly any time to visit during those few weeks. Just both of you trying to keep up with your individual lives seemed to be more of a priority. You had to get your garden tilled and seeds as well as seedlings planted for the harvest in the fall. And he was more gungho than ever to start his business.

The sun was shining and the heat was hot as you dug holes for your beet seedlings. You tilled up the dirt multiple times a few days ago and plotted out where everything was going. You kneeled down into the freshly pulled up earth and began planting your seedlings. Getting a few rows in when you heard a noise coming from across the hill that broke you out of your rhythm. You wiped the sweat off your forehead with the back of your gloved hand as you looked up into the distance. You saw the Onceler running swiftly, and very clumsily towards you with a massive grin on his face. You stood up and smiled as you waved to him as he approached you, he waved back very haphazardly as he continued towards you at full speed, shouting incoherently. Thinking he'd slow down before getting to you, you stood in your spot awaiting him, but that wasn't the case. Before you could process what was fully happening he was running onto your garden, took you into his arms and spun you around joyously,

"I did it Y/N. I really really did it," he cried out to you as he set you back on to the soft dirt, not letting go of you.

"What did you do, Once," you asked, a bit taken back by his sudden actions. His tight grip loosened as he looked you in the eyes, his bright blue eyes beaming,

"My Thneeds, I finally sold my Thneeds. Everyone loves them, and they want me to make more of them. You were right Y/N, all I had to do was stay positive and persistent. And it all paid off," the man was practically squealing at how happy and proud he was with himself as he hugged you tightly again,

"Thank you, thank you, thank you Y/N, I couldn't have don't it without you." You hugged him back and smiled,

"Of course Once, I'm so happy for you," you said to him happily. You really meant it when you said that to him, after all of the hardships he endured and the time he put into his craft, he finally got the resolve he wanted.

He kept you in his embrace for a few more moments before letting go of you and taking a few steps back. He took in the sight of you, his eyes going wide for a split second then softening again. Your knees dirtied from the soil of the garden, a loose short sleeved t-shirt hung loosely from your shoulders, and the slightest remnants of sweat from the heat laid across your skin. Your hair put up very messily, and bits of your clothes and skin covered in dirty hand prints as well as smears from your gloves, forgetting they were on your delicate hands.

You chuckled nervously and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind your ear as he stared at you admiringly. This wasn't uncommon for him to do every now and then, he'd just look at you with a silly little smile and loving eyes. You didn't mind it though, it made you feel special. He snapped back to reality after a moment, a dusting of pink creeping upon his face,

"Oh, well, I think this calls for a celebration don't you think? When you're finished with your garden you're more than welcome to come by my place if you'd like. We can have some supper and a drink or two," he said not looking you in the eye, his face growing a darker shade of pink. Nodding in response with a soft smile,

"I'd really like that Onceler, " you said quietly looking at him with a genuine smile. He returned the smile and gave you a quick hug,

"Alrighty I'll see you in a bit" he said before making his way home, practically bolting to get started on some more Thneeds. You chuckled slightly to yourself, finding his persistence and interest in this endeavor so sweet. You smiled to yourself once more before resuming your previous activities, settling into the soft soil and planting your seedlings.

After you finished with your garden, you went into your cottage to wash up before going to the Onceler's home. As you walked to the sink, you heard a harsh crashing coming from the forest and some of the animals screeching in fear. You ran outside to see a set of freshly dug up tire tracks not far from your home headed to the Oncelers. You rushed down the path to his home, an unsettling feeling forming in the pit of your stomach as you saw his home come into view. You saw a run down camper van parked haphazardly in front of his home and there were a fair amount of people crowded out in the front. You saw Onceler talking with them, a pained smile on his face as you approached him. When he saw you he smiled and approaching you,

"Hey," he said hugging you tightly before letting go. You looked at him, to the few people gathered in front of his house, then back at him confused.

"Uh hey," you said quietly, looking at the people behind him with an unsure expression. He looked at you confused for a moment before realizing what you were doing. He guided you over to the group of people, you hesitated, but did your best to hide it as he introduced you to them.

"This is Y/N, she's my neighbor and a dear friend of mine," he said kindly as he placed a hand in your shoulder. You gave them a curt wave and a half smile. Although they didn't seem impressed with you whatsoever. The women with glasses have a you a condescending sneer while speaking,

"I see, is she always covered in dirt or is that just today's attire?" They all snickered at her remark. You didn't realize you were still in your work clothes when your rushed there. A blush crept on to your face as you looked down in embarrassment. The Onceler caught on to your embarrassed state quickly rebutted,

"Y/N has been tending to get garden recently and I invited her up here after she finished. She just didn't have time to change is all. But anyways Y/N, this is my family," he said with false confidence. He gestured to the woman with glasses and poofy blonde hair,

"This is my mother, Isabella." She gave you the fakest smile you'd ever seen, clearly unimpressed with what she saw in you. He then gestured to the taller more robust woman in purple and the short man in the suit,

"Aunt Grizelda and Uncle Ubb," both of them seemed more or less indifferent towards you. And the finally to the two twins, who were both going you devilish grins,

"And my brothers Brett and Chett." You moved slightly closer to the Onceler, feeling a bit uncomfortable in your current situation with these people he called family. He told you about how they treated him, so you weren't exactly thrilled to be in their presence. Wondering why they decided to reappear in the Oncelers life you asked,

"What brings you all the way out here?"

Isabella seemed to be a bit taken back and slightly offended by the question. Snidely responding with,

"We came to see our little Oncie, after hearing about his success with his invention we thought we owed him a little visit." You 'hmmed' at her response, knowing that was only half true. She walked up to you and the Onceler, completely ignoring you when she said,

"Oncie dear, it's been so long since we've seen each other. We'd all love to stay for a while and catch up with you. Maybe talk a little bit about your amazing invention," she said pulling him away from you. He looked back towards you as she rambled, seeing the disappointment in your face as you turned to go back home. He loosened away from his mother's grip as he reassured her he'd be back,

"Hey hey," he said softly as he caught up with you. He stood in front of you, placing his hands on your shoulders gently, trying to get you to look at him. You looked up at him, giving him a falsified smile,

"It's ok Once, they're your family. Go spend some time with them. We'll have that celebratory drink some other time." He looked at you with a somber expression,

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah Once, I'm sure," you said as you took his hands off your shoulders gently and gave them a slight pat. You nodded before giving you a quick hug,

"Soon, I promise." He let go of you and headed back towards his home, waving you goodbye. You waved back, not realizing how drastically everything was about to changes between you two.

...

A month or so passed, and his family's camper van still nestled in it's spot from when it first arrived. From what you could tell the Onceler had turned it and his home into a shop for making as well as distributing Thneeds. Not that it was the main issue in the forefront of your mind, no, it was something else entirely.

The few times you went to visit, his mother was always interjecting herself into your conversations and taking control as quickly as she could. Often making the excuse that her Oncie was incredibly busy, or that he had other things to attend to that were more important. Frankly you were getting just about fed up with her always keeping the Onceler away, forcing him to make more Thneeds, and making you feel inadequate comparatively to her and his family. How you're shyness was a weakness and that you'd need to grow a backbone if you were ever going to make it in the world. And how your lifestyle wasn't as preferable to high class living like theirs, if you'd call it that. Knit picking the little things about you she didn't like, how you dressed, the way you styled your hair, how you carried yourself and what you took interest in. Which in turn made you keep some distance between you and the Onceler, or more than you would've cared for anyways. You just felt that his mother had complete control over the entire situation.

Nothing about you was appealing to her. She thought that since the Onceler had became as successful as he was, he deserved better. Even though before his success she didn't care what happened to him, he was just a disappointment to their family.

It was to the point where you didn't know if you could keep it together. To not scream at her for the way she was acting, but you needed to stay calm and collected for the Onceler, it wouldn't be fair to him if you lost it on his insufferable mother.

You took a deep breath as you finished getting ready to go have those celebratory drinks with the Onceler. He was able to get away from his work and his family and invite to his place for supper and drinks to which you happily agreed. You put on a cute floral dress the hugged your form in all the right places, but left enough to the imagination for someones wandering eyes. You finished with some light makeup, a spritz of honey like perfume, and grabbed your basket with some freshly picked berries and wine.

The walk was short and sweet as you tried keep your thoughts focused on what you were looking forward to that evening. Just a nice, calm, quiet dinner and a couple drinks with your friend. That's what you were hoping for anyways if you were lucky. You walked up the steps, your heart beating rapidly as you approached the door and knocked lightly, hoping not to catch his families attention. The door opened almost as quickly as you knocked, the Onceler in the other side, looking a bit disheveled as he motioned you inside. You stepped inside hastily as he closed the door behind him. You looked to the table, two platefuls of pancakes topped off with butter, two empty glasses waiting to filled with the wine you brought, and a candelabra centerpiece. You smiled as you set the berries and wine on the table before turning to him,

"You did a good job Once," she said as she walked over to give him a hug. He smiled back, he looked tiredly at her as he hugged her back lightly.

"Thank you," he let go and pulled out the chair for her. She sat down and he pushed her in closer to the table and sat adjacent from her, looking at her with admiration in his eyes,

"You look lovely," he said quietly as he popped open the wine you brought and poured both your glasses half full.

"Thank you Once,"you said as you took your glass in hand, looking down and lightly swishing at the rosy pink liquid. You looked up at him and rose your glass to him,

"To you and your Thneeds Once." He clinked his glass gently against yours, drinking down the sweet burn. The two of you ate your super and caught back up, not that there's was anything new on your end of things, just tending to your garden. But it was a different situation for the Onceler. His business was absolutely booming, he was making and selling more Thneeds than he ever imagined. Money was flowing in abundantly and he loved it. Eveything that was happening to him was exactly what he wanted, its what he dreamed of when he first moved into the forest. But he wanted more,he wanted to bigger and bigger his productions, his distribution, and expand everything. You smiled forcefully, you were happy for him truly, but there was something about his plans that didn't sit right with you. It all felt wrong.

As you continued your conversation with him you heard the door slam open and his mother flamboyantly made her presence known. You groaned internally as she shouted,

"Oncie dear, Brett and Chett," she stopped mid sentence when she saw you, eyeing you down with an unimpressed grin.

"Oh goodness, I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," she said sarcastically as she walked over to the Onceler. You looked at him with a look he'd never seen before, bitterness.

"Well actually mother we were-" She refused to let him finish as she pulled his chair out and pulled him up trying to push him out the door,

"I'm sure it's not as important as talking about your business endeavors dearie. I'm sure you're little friend here doesn't mind, right?" She asked snidely raising her brows maliciously. You sighed in frustration as you stood up from the table and brushed your dress down,

"I guess not." You took a few steps away from the table and began to gather your things when she made the nastiest comment you'd ever heard her say about you,

"That's what I thought, you're a lot smarter than I figured you to be. Knowing that my Oncie has more important things to do than run around with a silly little girl. And if I may dearie, next time maybe wear something a little less revealing next time you come around here. If I didn't know any better I'd think you were trying to seduce my precious Oncie." She snickered in a sour tone.

That statement did it in for you. You had it with that woman and her antics. After taking so much disrespect from her for almost a month, you couldn't stand it anymore.

You were done.

You and the Onceler had stared at her in disbelief, you turned your attention her and snapped,

"How dare you? How are you say something so awful and disrespectful to a woman you don't know? In your entire time of staying here all you've done is pick me apart, nothing about me is good enough for you," you paused. Her face dropped, apauled by your statement. She was about to speak, but your cut her off as you resumed your vent.

"But that's not even the worst of it, the fact that you've been keeping the Onceler under your thumb and away from the people who actually care about him is absolutely awful. You didn't give a shit about him until he became successful with his Thneeds, only then did you run running to his aid. While I have been here with him since day one, I've been the one who's had to comfort him when he had a bad day. I'm the one who told him not to give up and that his efforts would pay off. And I'm the one who's supported him through everything he's been through, and I'm not just talking about his business endeavors," you took a deep breath, feeling the anger truly bubbling over and spilling out infront of the Onceler and his mother before you took a dangerous leap and said,

"You are a bad mother Isabella. And frankly you should be ashamed of yourself." You said as you gathered your basket and stormed out the door. Leaving an astonished Onceler and his fuming mother behind.

...

The walk home that evening was a brutal one. Angrily stomping down the path and slamming the door behind you as soon as you got home. You washed your face and put on a comfy T-shirt and shorts, wanting to just spend the rest of the evening being as comfortable as possible. Letting the events sink in, you realized how terrible you must have looked in front of the Onceler while you ripped apart his mother. You sighed, trying to figure out how you were going to face him after all that happened earlier that evening.

Sitting in your chair you had a cup of chamomile tea in hand as you read peacefully, trying to clear your head before you head a gentle knock at your door. You got up and approached the door slowly, looking out the window see a familiar face.

"What are you doing here Once," you asked through the door. Not that you were bothered by his company, you just felt now probably wasn't the best time for a visit considering the circumstances.

"Can I come in?" He asked kindly. You opened the door with a tired sigh, motioning him inside and out of the darkness.

He sat at the small kitchen table as you brewed up a pot of tea, placing the mug in front of him as you sat adjacent, the soft light from a table side lamp was the only source illuminating the room. You both sat in silence for a little while, listening to the tick tock of the clock and sipped your tea respectively. You cleared your throat and broke the silence as you asked,

"Why are you here Onceler?" His expression dropped when he heard the usage of his full name. The only time you used it was when you were upset or serious, which meant this situation didn't look good in his eyes. He set his mug down and rested his elbows on the table as he looked at you,

"I want to apologize to you for this evening," he paused before he continued. You perked up when he apologized and listened intently as he continued,

"What happened at my home should never have happened. It should've just been you and me enjoying a meal and a celebratory drink, not my mother interrupting and insulting you as she did. And I'm so truly sorry I never noticed how awful she's been to you, if I had known sooner I would've intervened. But now that I know, I've taken care of the problem, I had a very stern talk with her and she wont be bothering you anymore, I promise Y/N," he said with heartfelt eyes. You looked at him a bit dumbfounded, not expecting to have this conversation after such a horrendous evening, but you weren't complaining in the slightest. You smiled at him as you sipped your tea,

"You don't know how much I appreciate that Once, but you didn't have to do that. I could've defended myself just fine." He cut in abruptly,

"No I wanted to, the way she spoke to you wasn't ok at all. And if I'm being honest I felt obligated to defend you," he said as he anxiously placef his hand behind his head, a dusting of pink littered his cheeks as he continued.

"What she said about you really irked me, calling you a silly little girl and how you dressed inappropriately, I couldn't stand it." You looked at him confused, not sure why he was so upset and angry over his mother's words. Sure what she said was terrible, but it shouldn't have been enough to get him as fired up as he was.

"It made you that upset?" You asked as you finished your tea and stood up to collect the mugs you used, putting them in the sink to wash later.

"Of course it did, you're my best friend Y/N and I care about you...a lot" he said as he stood and opened his arms to you. You approached him and hugged him softly, feeling his arms wrap around you tenderly. You smiled and your heart began to race,

"I'm so happy to have you Once. You always make everything so much better for me and I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate it," you said as you tightened your arms around him. He brought his hand to your head and rested it there,

"I'm happy to have you Y/N. You make everything feel like a dream sometimes," he said softly as he pulled away and looked into your eyes. His face a deep crimson and his pupils wide and full as he looked at you, slowly leaning forward. You blushed as the space between you got smaller and smaller, making you're heart race as you placed your hands on his polyester vest,

"What are you doing Once?"

"I..I," he stammered as his eyes darted to the side, breaking contact with yours as he tried to find an explanation for his actions.

"Once?" Your voice was sweet and caring, and whatever else was in that tone of yours broke him down.

"There's something I should tell you," he started looking away in embarrassment before he continued once more.

"I've liked you for a really long time now, and I just never really knew how to tell you. I didn't want to ruin our friendship and make things awkward between us, so I just kept it to myself. But after tonight I realized how much you mean to me, and I don't wanna hide it anymore. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

You smiled as your face turned a bright red, now realizing that the man you had feelings for all this time felt the same way you did. Your hand wandered to his cheek and rested there, him leaning into your touch.

"I understand what you're saying very well Once," you grinned as you looked deeper into his icy blue orbs. Your heart raced against your breastplate harshly as his hand reached for your waist.

"You feel the same way?" He asked in a whisper. You nodded as you pulled him into a tight embrace. Feeling his hands cautiously wrap around your waist as he hugged back. Your hands lightly ran down his back, causing him to shiver involuntarily. You were about to pull back when he firmly held you in place, it wasn't aggressive, but enough to let you know he wanted you to stay there. His hot breath on your sensitive neck caused you to shiver slightly as you tried to steady your breathing. He took note of your body's reactions and he moved to face you,

"Is everything ok Y/N? You're shaking," he said in concern as he looked at you with a caring gaze. You nodded in response,

"I'm alright Once. Just," your face grew hot in embarrassment as you tired to find the right words to explain what was happening. You took a deep, jagged breath as you whispered,

"The way you were breathing against my neck, it felt nice." He gave you a devilish smile as he lowered his head back to your neck and let out a deep exhale. Your hands gripped at his back as you held in the need to moan, that was until he planted a soft kiss on your now ultra sensitive skin. You let out a low groan in response to his actions, feeling your self control dwindle as his kisses become more passionate against your neck. You gave out needy whimpers as you felt his nether regions begin to stiff against you thigh. Your hands roamed down as he began to playfully nip at your neck, causing you to moan out loudly.

"Once," you whimpered against his ear. He chuckled against your wet skin,

"So sensitive," he teased as he began to move his hands delicately up your shirt, testing the waters. Your hands moved down his back and maneuvered towards the front dangerously close to his now throbbing member, looking at him for permission. She nodded as he began to push the collar of your shirt down and kissed down your collarbone. Your hand gently brushed against his bulge, he shivered at your touch, groaning lustfully into your neck.

"Y/N," he gave a breathy grunt as your fingers skillfully ran along his shaft and rubbed his tip through his trousers. He was crumbling fast, as were you. Both stumbling over one another, your hand palming and rubbing vigorously as his kisses becoming more needy. You brought your hands up to his back as whispered in his ear,

"Let's take this to my room."

You didn't need to tell him twice, he practically carried you to your room and shut the door quietly behind him before approaching you slowly. He brought his hand to your face as he looked you in the eyes,

"I love you so much," he whispered as he brought his lips to your plush ones. Feeling his hands wander to your arms and gripped them gently as he lips moved down your jaw. You felt him pepper your jaw and neck in soft kisses before letting out a shuddered breath against your skin once more. You shook against him as his hands cautiously began to run up your shirt. You pulled away and lifted your arms, allowing him to take your shirt off, leaving your upper half bare for him. He pushed you lightly back on to the bed as he lips made contact with your collarbone. Causing you to shake and shiver under him as his hands pulled off your shorts and grasped at your thighs,

"Once," you moaned out softly as his lips traced the skin of your breast.

"Is this ok?" He let out a shaky whisper against the flushed skin. You nodded as you guided one of his hands that rested on your thighs to the heat between your legs. He looked up at you in surprise for a moment as you pressed his hand against your plush, slick folds. He let out a guttural moan from his throat as his expression of surprise turned to one of pure desire. He latched his lips on to your hardened buds, while his fingers gently pressed against your clit. You let out a squeal as he worked his fingers against your burning heat, placing a hand in his ebony locks to find some sort of grounding.

"I can hear your heartbeat Y/N," he said softly in between kisses and light nips at your skin. He began to trail his kisses down you stomach as his fingers gently pushed a long, slick covered digit into you. You shuddered at the fulfillment in your heat as he began to slowly pump his fingers in and out of you. It was almost cruel and how slow he was going, arching your back and slightly bucking you hips against his hand trying to create juts a little more friction.

His lips now hovered right above your clit, giving an exasperated sigh before licking a fat stripe between your folds and attacking your clit eagerly as he added another digit into your sopping pussy. You let out an loud, pleasurable moan as he continued to work his fingers against your wet walks and his tounge sucking on your clit tenderly. Your hands wandered down into his hair once more, keeping him firmly between your legs. You let out desperate, pleading moans as he continued his slow pace,

"Once, faster please," you begged in gentle, breathy burst as you felt the coil in your course slowly building up. He hummed against your pussy as he kept his steady pace, his face and hand lightly covered in your slick. Your fingers gripped and pulled lightly as his locks, needing more friction as the coil continued to build. And though he wanted to drag it out, he knew better than to overly tease you.

The pace of his limber fingers slowly picked up and his tounge swiped swiftly across your small bundle of nerves. He added a third finger, stretching you gently as his fingers pace steadily grew faster and faster. You pleas and moans filled to room, as well as the sound of your squelching heat against the Oncelers fingers. His free hand spread your thigh as far as it could go, trying to reveal as much of yourself to tim as possible, seeing you in all your wet, messy glory. You arched your back as far as it could go and threw your head back onto the pillow as you felt yourself losing control. Unfiltered moans spilling out of your mouth as you pressed his face in between your legs as much as you could without hurting him, wanting him to finish what he started. He hummed against you clit as his pace began to become erratic, wanting to speed up too fast, but knowing that if he'd slow down you'd be very displeased.

Your legs began to shake as your orgasm approached,

"Once, I, fuck," you mewled out. Cumming on his fingers and in his mouth as he gave an approving grunt. He lapped up your fluids thoroughly before stepping back and off the bed, stripping down in front of you. You looked up and down his form in admiration, seeing his lean torso and slightly toned arms made your heart beat faster in anticipation. Your eyes wandered down to his clear bulge in his boxers as he pulled them down swiftly letting his cock spring free.

It was fair in length, decent girth, a few veins scattered along the shaft, and a tip leaking ungodly amounts of precum. You looked up at him, seeing his face a deep red and avoiding eye contact with you, looking slightly ashamed of himself.

"Hey," you spoke sweetly and softly to him as you watched him hesitantly walk to your side of the bed, but not crawling in it.

"What's the matter Once?" You asked as he sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at you with a shamed experience,

"It's just, I don't have much experience," he said as he rubbed to back of his neck. You gave him a remorseful smile and gestured him to come crawl in the bed next to you. He nodded as he made his way to you, his weight sinking into the mattress as he laid his head on your chest,

"It's ok Once, you don't have to feel ashamed for not having much experience. I'm here with you now because I want to be. And if it makes you feel better, I don't have much either, so we'll help each other along the way, ok?" You whispered to him and gave him a light kiss on his forehead head. He looked at you with the most loving look you'd ever seen in a man as his lips crashed on to yours passionately. He crawled on to of you cautiously as or not hurt you and spread your legs, feeling his patience depleting with each passing second. He pulled his lips away from yours and adjusted his throbbing member at your entrance, looking at you innocently for permission, you nodded your head with haste,

"Please Once," desire dripping off your tounge as he sheathed himself slowly inside of your wet folds. A loud, high pitched groan erupted from his throat once he was fully inside of you,

"Fuck," he cursed out in a breathy moan, his hands gripped your thighs tightly, trying to keep himself from being overly rough with you. You moaned out his name, letting your hands roam up his back and nails digging into his pale skin as he began to softly thrust his hips against yours. His thrusts were soft and gentle at first, his hands resting on your face as he looked into your eyes with need,

"You're so beautiful," he praised, placing a soft kiss in your forehead as his pace was slow and steady. He wanted to savor it, every movement, every expression you made, every sound, all of it. He never had any like this before in his life and never wanted to lose it.

You bucked your hips up slightly, wanting him to pick the pace as you moaned gently,

"Once, more, please," you begged slightly. He took note of your plea and thrusted faster and a bit more rough than before, causing you to let out a surprised yelp. He stopped for a moment and looked at you with worry,

"I'm not hurting you am I?" He asked in a breathy whisper. You shook your head as you pulled him in and against your chest,

"Not at all, I liked it," you whispered back. That was all he needed to hear from you. He nodded before he thrusted into you harshly, causing you to arch your back in pleasure. He chuckled to himself as he began to snap his hips against yours, thrusting his cock roughly in out of your dripping pussy. You let out desperate yelps and moans as he gripped your shoulders, your nails dragging against the skin of his back as he seemed to hit all the right spots.

"God you look so good like this, you're so beautiful Y/N," he moaned out, almost in a whimpering manner. You clenched around him in response as his gripped loosened on your shoulders and moved down to your hips. Gripping you tightly once again as his lips made contact with your neck, kissing and nipping gently as his moans began to turn into needy whimpers.

Your hands roam from his now scratched up back to his face, looking at him with loving eyes and taking in the sight of him above you. His face red, eyes completely drowned in lust and desire, and a light layer a of sweat across his brow. His grip became more harsh as he looked into your eyes,

"So, pretty," he stuttered as he pulled you up into a sitting position in his lap and he continued to thrust into you, slamming your hips down against his. The new angle allowed him to penetrate deeper into you, causing you to throw back your head in ecstacy, your release slowly approaching one again. Your moans and yelps became louder and more frequent as he thrusted up into you. He took note of how close you were and wrapped his arms around you, placing his hands on your back and gripping them gently,

"You close sweet girl," he cooed in a breathy whisper. You nodded as you squeezed you eyes shut and hugged him tightly. He kissed your head sweetly, his pace steady as you felt your release wash over you abruptly.

You gave him a long, pleasure filled moan as you squeezed your entire being around him, holding onto to him like your life depended on it. His pace slowly began to speed up and his moans and whimpers became more desperate,

"I love you so much, you're so perfect Y/N, fuck," he yelled against your neck, causing you to shiver in his arms. His soft grip on your back soon turned into his nails gently digging into your soft skin as his thrusts were harder than they'd been that night. He could feel he was close, his breath heavy, grip harsh and needy, as the sounds he made we absolutely unholy to say the least. You brought your lips to his ear as you let a out breathy moan,

"Please cum inside of me Once, please." That was enough for him. As soon as the words feel off your tounge, his body tensed up and shook as his cock twitched inside of you, letting himself fill you with his hot seed. He mewled out praises of you, how much he loved you and how good you were for him as he rode out his high.

You felt him soften inside of you before pulling yourself off of him, laying down next to him as he continued to catch his breath. He looked at you with soft eyes as he ran his slender fingers through your hair as he whispered,

"You have no idea how long I wanted to do that," eh chuckled as he kissed your cheek tenderly.

"Oh believe me, I know."

[marcelloshdz]

first christmas

summary: spending your first family christmas with marcello. requested by anonymous.

a/n: i’ve been avoiding the topic of dadcello, only because i wasn’t sure if that was something anyone wanted. BUT, i do have some other ideas if y’all would like more!

you walked into the foyer, bags in tow after a successful shopping trip. you walked into the kitchen, marcello standing at the counter with your new born son on his hip. he turned around once he heard you walk in, wide smiles spreading on his and your baby’s faces.

“mommy’s home!” marcello cheered, your baby immediately reaching out for you. you put your bags down, trading them for your baby as marcello finished making the bottle. “how was shopping?” he asked, handing you the bottle before moving to unpack your bags.

“crazy. there were so many people out, but i’m glad to finally be finished with all the shopping.” you sighed. you continued feeding the baby as marcello turned his attention back to unpacking your haul.

“oh! what’s this?” he asked pulling out a small craft box.

“it’s one of those kits where you can make the handprint ornaments. i wanted to make one to mark his first christmas.” you said, setting the bottle down and burping the baby.

you watched as marcello formed the clay, flattening it on the counter. your pressed your baby’s hand into the clay, a perfect handprint stamped into the middle. you trimmed the excess, wrote your son’s name and the year on the ornament, and tied the ribbon around the top.

“qué lindo.” you pouted, setting it to the side to allow it to dry.

you and marcello welcomed your son into the world this past february, so this was his first christmas. you’d decorated your house, taken him to get pictures with santa, and have been able to take pictures of him in the snow. you and marcello were partaking in all of the first traditions, and you were so happy to be making it such a perfect first holiday season for your baby.

it was christmas eve night, and you’d just put the baby to sleep. you and marcello were also getting ready for bed, laying down with loud sighs. you elected to host your families this year, which ended up being perfect, but it was a very long night. 

you laid in bed, scrolling through pictures from the night. yours and marcello’s families meshed so well together, and it always made you both so happy to see them always having such a good time together.

you then came to pictures of you and marcello with your baby in front of the tree. you all had wide smiles, and your baby was marveling at the lights around your home. it was the cutest picture, and it made your heart swell. you then came to a picture of marcello and your son together, and you got a bit teary at the sight of your boys, your son the spitting image of marcello. you were creating such a beautiful life for yourselves, and you couldn’t have been any happier. 

you woke up slowly the next morning, feeling an empty bed next to you. you walked down the hall to find marcello in the nursery with the baby, holding them close to his chest. they were both sitting in the rocking chair, sound asleep. you watched marcello’s eyes flit open when he heard you come into the room.

“what are you doing in here?” you asked him, running your fingers through his hair. 

“i heard squawking on the monitor and came to check on him. he was just making sleepy noises, but he’s been quiet ever since we’ve been like this.” marcello laughed.

“well, that’s good then. i’m gonna go get started on breakfast.” you said, pressing a kiss to marcello’s and your baby’s head before moving to the kitchen. you whipped up breakfast for your families, making pots of coffee and pouring juice into pitchers.  

you started setting the table as everyone began waking up and making their way to the kitchen. you sat around the table eating breakfast, before moving to the living room once you were done eating to open gifts. you sat with your baby in your lap as marcello passed out all of the gifts, watching as your families opened and marveled at the gifts you’d gotten them. your baby had gotten to open a few gifts as well, you and marcello mostly getting him clothes, and your families getting him a few toys. he was having a blast tearing the gift wrap off of boxes and ripping tissue paper from the bags. he was having the best time, and it made you so happy to watch.

later that night, after things had finally wound down, you and your baby were in the living room, a christmas movie playing on the tv. marcello came back inside after walking out with his parents and sister. he plopped down on the couch with you, taking the baby into his arms. you rested your head on his shoulder, watching his fingers as they rubbed up and down your baby’s back, almost immediately putting him to sleep.

“how does that always work on him?” you asked, listening as your baby began to snore.

“must be a hernández thing. my mom said this was how she always put me to sleep.” he chuckled. you just laughed and rolled your eyes.

“so, we made it through our first family christmas. i think we killed it.” 

“hell yeah, we did.” marcello laughed as you shared a high five. “do you think he enjoyed it?”

“i think so! he looked so excited to be opening his presents. and he’s been enjoying playing in the snow, and all the other holiday festivities we’ve done with him.” you said. you looked up at marcello, whose gaze was locked on you. 

“i think this christmas was perfect.” he said softly, leaning to press a kiss to the tip of your nose.

“i’m in agreement there.” you smiled. “i love you, and i love the family and memories we’ve created.”

“they have been pretty perfect.” marcello agreed, kissing you again. “i love you.”

you spent the rest of the evening watching christmas movies on the couch, as your baby slept on marcello’s chest. it was the perfect end to a perfect holiday.

[feyhunter78]

A possessive rage seizes him. “You will do no such thing.”

HELP if this is him at the thought of us with another man, imagine if we actually talked to someone who was t him. he’d go crazy🤭

HMMM why don't we see if he does go crazy👀

Among the Sun Ch 14

Description: You have been ignoring Miguel, but now the festival has begun, and he intends to speak with you. Ch 15

You asked him to wait and wait, he shall. He only wishes that you had given him more instruction than simply that, to wait. Do you desire to be left alone entirely, no servants or visitors indefinitely, or is it only he who you do not wish to see? Judging by how you float through the gardens, your arm linked with Sera’s, he surmises it is the latter. Though he has seen you with others a multitude of times before this, the closeness you share with your handmaiden, the joy her presence brings you he can no longer deny. You merely do not wish to see him.

Miguel watches you through the large arched window of his study. His enhanced senses picking up the musicality of your laugh, how you lean into Sera to whisper something, the look on her face telling him it must be something quite scandalous.

He groans and runs a hand down his face. It has been a fortnight since you allowed him to feast upon you, your blood and slick on his tongue once he fell to his knees before you. Worshiped you as he had longed to during those many years in which your shared dreams were dark. A tortuous fortnight since you banished him from your sight, and began a life anew in his palace, being warm and open to his people, but cold and distant to him.

His fingers grasp the gold pendant around his neck, its counterpart sitting, mocking him from the far corner of his desk.

You had left it outside his study, wrapped in a soft cloth. He’d rather you stabbed him in the gut than discard a symbol of your unity so easily.

Lyla clicked her tongue at him, telling him that it was clearly not an easy decision, but that it spoke volumes about your internal conflict, the pain, and anger churning within you.

But soon you would have no choice but to speak to him, to turn your gaze upon him. The Festival of Fools would begin in a matter of hours, the festivities set off with a tourney. Jousting, dueling, displays of strength and courage, all that you would be obligated to watch by his side upon the dais.

He would spend some time with Gabi beforehand, reassure her that soon she would be able to meet the princess, but not yet.

Miguel sat back on the dais, his gilded throne set above the crowds, a seat beside him crafted especially for you. He was not too far from his people, a single flight of stairs above, the low walls of the balcony providing ample opportunity for them to see their emperor. He was one of them, born in the lower levels of the city, raised among them, he still had companions that lived—albeit in nicer accommodations now—in the city, still visited the restaurants and theaters he had as a child.

His people had made him emperor, had supported his reign, he would not turn his back on them.

But you? You seem more than happy to keep your back to him, flitting through the crowd, speaking with dozens upon dozens of people. When did you have the time to make friends, and why did so many of them seem to be male?

Miguel’s fingers curl around the arms of his throne, anger settling in his bones as his eyes follow your every move. Sera still remains at your side, for that much he is grateful.

“Miguel, it is time, the crowd is waiting for your command.” Lyla says, her glasses low on her nose, her eyes darting from him to you.

“Bring my empress to her rightful seat, then I will start the festivities.” He orders, crossing his arms over his chest, jaw clenching as he watches you giggle at the words of some unknown nobleman.

Lyla sighs but does as he asks, and soon she reappears with an aggravated looking you.

“Your Grace.” You say stiffly, curtsying to him, then giving Lyla a smile and a quiet thank you before taking your seat.

“You look beautiful, mi vida, I did not know the color blue could look more divine upon a mortal than it looked in the heavens.” Miguel says, moving to tuck a lock of hair behind your ear, silently begging you to turn your gaze upon him.

You brush off his attempt, your eyes on the fighting pit. “Your words are kind, but not necessary.”

“Did you sleep well? You must tell me if you find anything in your quarters amiss, and I will remedy it.” He tries again, feeling awkward for the first time since he was a child.

“I believe they are waiting for your word to begin.” You ignore his question, and instead wave to the commoners below with a radiant smile.

They begin a chant, waving back, enamored with your presence.

Miguel stands and approaches the edge of the balcony, raising his arms, the crowd falling silent. “My friends, today we celebrate the downfall of those who would stand against us. Foolish men who fell to the blade of our greatest warriors. We honor the sacrifices made by our armies, our father, sons, and brothers. Let the festivities begin.” He motions with one hand, trumpets sounding and the gates on either side of the pit slamming open, the heavy beat of hooves against the packed sand filling the arena.

He turns back towards, seeing how you are learning forward, excitement shining in your eyes. “Y/N, come, let your people see you.”

You purse your lips, hesitating for a moment, then join him, standing a safe but not overly noticeable distance away from him. If he wished to, he could easily pull you into his arms, but he does not, such an action would surely cause you to take flight.

The jousters circle each other before they come to a stop before the dais.

“Emperor Miguel, The Great Sun of the Empire, I am Sir Yorik Gene, and I ask the favor of my lady wife, Terya.” The first jouster says, the plume sticking from his helmet a brilliant red.

“How can I deny a man the favor of his wife, only she is able to do such a thing. Pray to the gods you have not angered her since your arrival.” Miguel smiles.

Yorik turns to his wife, holding his lance out towards her.

She makes a show of thinking, toying with her handkerchief.

“Perhaps you forgot to bring your lady wife flowers this morning.” Miguel jests, the crowd and Terya bursting into laughter.

Terya throws her handkerchief to her husband along with a kiss.

The next knight clears his throat. “Great Sun of the Empire, I am Sir Dorrin Kells, and I ask the favor of the Princess Y/N.”

Miguel’s claws dig into the stone of the balcony, a snarl building in his throat.

“And you may have it.” Your voice is light, joyous, a flattered smile blooming across your face as you toss down your handkerchief.

A chunk of stone comes off, smashing across the floor of the dais when he turns on his heel, fuming.

You pay him no mind, leaning forward on your forearms. “Do win this joust Sir Dorrin, I am known for giving my favor to victors, and do not wish to sully my reputation.”

Miguel can hear the smile in Dorrin’s voice, the flirtation in yours, it drives him mad.

“Y/N, come.” He orders, voice harsh, unflinching.

You glance at him over your shoulder, face a mask of stone. “I am not a dog, Your Grace.”

The trumpets sound once more, and the joust begins. You stay in your place, leaning over the railing, cheering loudly, vibrantly for Dorrin.

He imagines spearing Dorrin’s head on a stake. Mounting it on the castle gates, of taking hold of your hips and slamming his cock into you, bending you even further over the balcony, your cries and fucked out expression for all to see. Yes, he desires to claim you, for all to know you belong to him, and him alone.

Miguel stands, makes his way to you, his hands settling on your hips, his head dipping to so that he might whisper in your ear, his breath stirring your hair. “I am sorry y/n, I should not have spoken to you in such a way, please, come sit with me.”

Your eyes remain on the joust, but he feels you relax ever so slightly. “Once my favor is no longer required, I will join you.”

He nods. “A fair compromise.”

You nod as well, and he releases you, returning to his seat, his eyes tracing the outline of your figure, wishing he could rip the strings of your corset and bury his face between your breasts as you rode him. Velvet walls squeezing his cock, your pretty voice crying his name.

Did you plan this, or did the gods conspire against him? Every joust, every duel, your favor is requested, and each request you honor. Truly he will burn your handkerchief once it has been returned to you, it has passed through too many hands that were not his own.

Finally, the tourney ends, and along with it, he hopes his torment, but he has no such luck.

“Miguel, Princess, now you must greet our guests in the throne room.” Lyla says, leading you both to the massive hall where once again two thrones await you and him.

You are a natural, thriving among the nobles. A true player of the political game, you allow praises to be thrown your way, tossing them back to some, and to others you defer to Miguel, clinging to him in a ploy of submission and devotion.

He enjoys those moments, your hands, so tiny compared to his, to the swell of his biceps, your warm body pressed against his. He fights to keep his cock from straining against his breeches when you look up at him through your eyelashes, hugging his arm to your breasts.

When a particularly obnoxious nobleman inquires whether you come from a culture that encourages their rulers to partake in the nobility to encourage loyalty within the court. Miguel pulls you into his lap, large hand on your thigh.

“She does not.” He glares at the man, fangs flashing as he speaks.

The man scrambles for a response, quickly hurrying away, face reddened and gleaming with sweat.

“I will have him killed the moment he leaves the grounds. His head shall be my gift to you.” Miguel whispers, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head.

It has been so long since he has been able to hold you, the scent of you fills his nostrils and calms him, the softness of your skin a balm to his rage.

“I would not be opposed.” You say coolly, your hand resting atop Miguel’s.

“One of many gifts, be assured.”

TL: @not-aya, @belos-simp69, @deputy-videogamer, @sxnasbitch, @minimari415, @syndrlla97, @gejo333, @lady-necromancer, @zeyzeys-stuff, @tayleighuh, @loser-alert, @envyjmoney, @allysunny, @princessloveweird, @freehentai, @xlittlebubx-blog, @berry-potchy, @drefear, @jkthinkstoomuch, @ihateuguys, @yuuotosaka3, @queenofroses22, @ray-rook, @lollipopin, @faexsins, @drefear, @scorpihoooe

[gatheringfiki]

The following ficlet was written by @anglophiletraveler based on this photoset.

DarkHawk, Rating unknown

You might also be able to read this story on AO3.

If you’ve enjoyed this story, please leave a comment either in replies or on AO3.

Fishing for Romance

—

Ross Poldark was trying to get reception on the old radio in the workshop.  It was older than he was but on good weather days it still managed to get good reception.  But today when he was trying to get a weather report, it was all static no matter how many directions he moved the antenna with the ball of aluminum foil on the tip.

“Shite!  I don’t know why I don’t replace this piece of shite,” he complained.

Ross’s assistant, Jenni Martin had been sitting at the workshop table all day working on crafts for Ross’s store.  She looked out the window and could see the dark clouds rolling in.  She looked at the weather app on her phone like most people do these days, “Ross, it says it’s going to rain for the rest of the night, and by the look of those clouds, I’d say it’s going to start soon.”  

Ross looked up from the radio wondering how Jenny knew the weather prediction, “Oh, right.  Well, I better drive you home before it gets bad.  You can work on that stuff Monday.”

“Okay sounds good.  I’ll just put this stuff away,” Jenni began putting the materials away that she had been working with to make ornaments for Ross’s Christmas store.  It was just the end of September but she had to work ahead since she was the only one that worked on items to be sold at the store that Ross had at Nampara in addition to the Christmas tree farm that had been in the family for years.  

There was thunder rolling overhead which caused Ross’s black lab Garrick to bark and whine.  “Oh Garrick quit being a baby.  Jenni, I’m going to put Garrick in the main house and then I’ll meet you in my truck, yeah?”

“Yeah, I won’t be long.”

“C’mon Garrick, let’s get you in the house before it starts pouring,” Ross put the lead on the dog and ran out the door with him.  Garrick was still just a puppy so he didn’t quite trust him not to run off just yet.

Jenni smiled at the dog, “Bye Garrick!” and made her way quickly to the truck before it started to rain.  

Unfortunately, Ross got caught in the rain on the way to the truck.  He shook his dark, wet curls like a dog and started the truck.  “Right, let’s get you home before it really gets bad.”  Jenni Martin was the daughter of Zacky Martin, an old family friend of Ross’s.  She did seasonal work for Ross to help get the Christmas tree farm and the store ready for the holidays, but Ross had been giving her extra work since she was in the family way now and her fiance’ Jim, hadn’t married her yet.  The only bad thing about employing Jenni was that she didn’t have a car, so Ross oftentimes had to take her home.  But Ross managed not to grumble about it since the Martin home was just six or seven miles down the road.  When he saw Jenni buckle up he thought to himself that it wouldn’t be much longer before she’d have trouble buckling the seatbelt.  He wisely decided that wouldn’t be a good thing to bring up.

Before long the winds were whipping around, pulling the autumn leaves down from the trees, limbs coming down everywhere.  “Christ! I can’t believe the early storms that we’re having this year.  The rain is almost blowing horizontally!” Ross hissed.

Jenni looked nervous watching everything blow around, “I’m sorry Ross!”

“No, don't be.  I really hope with your crafts and your mother’s canning, that we can pull in some extra customers this year.  That kind of stuff seems to be what customers want in addition to the trees.  Oh bloody feckin hell, I hope this storm doesn’t tear the trees down!”

“Could that happen?” asked Jenni.

“It’s always possible in weather like this.  Shit! Do you feel that wind?  That’s bloody crazy!” Ross had to stop when a big wind gust just about knocked them off the road.  “Are you alright Jenni?”

Jenni had one hand on her pregnant belly and one hand on the dashboard, “Yes, yes I think so. Are you okay?”

Ross shook his head, “Right, we’re not that far from your house.  Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. It just scared me a bit.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Ross started back up again.  He could see the Martin house from where they had stopped, so it wouldn’t be much longer.

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

When Ross pulled in the driveway of the home of Zacky and Paula Martin, he heaved a sigh.  Zacky came out of the house with a raincoat for Jenni. He opened Jenni’s door and handed it to her to wear as she ran to the house.  “Ross, you should come inside and wait out the storm.”

“No, I’ll be alright.  Garrick’s at home by himself and I don’t want him tearing things up.  It was a bit dicey getting here though.  I had to stop at one point because of a wind gust.” Ross was practically yelling so that he could be heard over the rain and the wind.  

“Are you sure?  You wouldn’t be a bother,” Zacky said.

“No, I’ll be fine.  Thanks though.”

“Alright.  Be careful.”

Ross shook his head in response and backed out of the driveway after Zacky shut the door.

The wind had tamed down a bit, but the rain was still coming down.  At least it was more vertical than it had been earlier.  The windshield wipers were beginning to squeak and the left one had a tear in the rubber now so it was annoyingly flopping around.  Ross just shook his head at it, “Of course.  Why the fuck not!” he grumbled.  

Ross was thinking about his trees, wondering what kind of shape they would be in by the time morning dawned.  He was worried about some of the younger trees and their ability to withstand a storm like this.  His mind started wondering back to when he was young and walking the fields with his father while his father tended to the Christmas trees, showing a young Ross what to look for when looking for possible diseases on the trees.  He snapped out of his memories when he saw some lights flashing in front of him.  When he got closer, he realized that it was a car in the ditch so he pulled over to see if he could be of some help.  He grabbed a torch out of his glove compartment and opened his door.  He’d given up on staying dry so he didn’t even pull up the hood on his jacket.  He flashed the torch into the car to see if anyone was in it, and found an older woman on the driver’s side. 

“Are you alright?  Are you hurt?” Ross was yelling through the window.  

“No, just scared, I think.  I tried calling for help but I can’t get any reception on my mobile,” the woman was trying to talk above the noise of the rain pounding the roof of her car.  

Ross looked down the road to see if there were any other cars passing by, and of course there were none.  He looked down at the car door on the woman’s side and saw that it was dented pretty badly.  “Can you open the car door?” he asked.

She tried opening it but it didn’t budge, so Ross tried to pull it open but it still was jammed.  He walked over to the passenger side of the car and was able to get in from that side.  He kept the door ajar so that it wouldn’t jam on them.  “My name is Ross Poldark, I just live down the road, you passed it on your way here.”

“Oh, the Poldark Christmas Tree Farm!  Yes, I remember seeing it.  My name is Ruth Hawkins, thank you for coming to my rescue!” By the sunny smile on her face you would never be able to tell that the woman was stuck in a rainstorm.

Ross didn’t recognize the name, but she apparently recognized his.  “Look, why don’t you come with me back to my place.  There’s no use sitting in this car out here.  I doubt if we will be able to get a tow lorry to come out in this weather.  Do you live around here?”

“Oh I just moved in with my sister to help take care of her.  She lives on the other side of Sawle, maybe you know her, Julie Richards?”

Ross thought for a moment, “Oh yes, I know Mrs. Richards.  Her husband was a solicitor before he passed away.”

“Yes, that’s right.  My goodness, everyone knows everyone around here!” the sunny woman observed.

Ross chuckled, “Yes, that is very true.  Look, let’s get you out of this car and we can continue this discussion back at my place, right?”

Ruth laughed, “Now that is the best offer I’ve had in a long time!”

Ross raised his eyebrows at her and laughed heartily at her comment.

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

Ruth was getting a good look at Nampara while Ross took Garrick outside to hopefully do his duty.  The main room was beautifully decorated with manly but tasteful touches.  The furniture was beautifully worn chocolate leather.  On the walls were paintings of various local scenes that she recognized from her short time in the area.  On the piano she noticed family pictures but she didn’t see any of a wife or girlfriend. The kettle whistled, so she fixed her and Ross some tea.

Ross and Garrick came in through the back door to save on muddy paw prints.  

“This is a beautiful home Ross.  Have you changed it much over the years?” 

Ross accepted a cup of tea from Ruth, “Ah thank you.  Oh that tastes good.  Well, I’ve changed things a little.  At first I didn’t because I thought I should keep it as my parents had it, but my cousin convinced me that now that it was my home, I should make it more of my own.  So I started changing a few things every once in a while.  I think the main thing was to make the windows on that far wall larger to let more sunlight in.  It was alway so dark in here, and that helped a lot.  And of course I changed up the furniture some.  Are you hungry by any chance?  I have some stew that I could heat up for us.  I know I’m starving.”

“That sounds lovely.  Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, I’ll just put the pot on the stove and heat it up.”

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

“Oh my goodness Ross, this is delicious!  I’m very impressed,” Ruth remarked.

Ross chuckled, “Well, the compliments go to my cousin Verity.  She’s constantly worried that I’m not eating, so every once in a while she brings over food.  I couldn’t get through to my friend that has the tow vehicle, so I’m thinking that you should just stay here for the night.  I have a couple of spare bedrooms upstairs and you’re more than welcome to stay in one of them.  I’ll call Paul again in the morning and see what he can do with your car.”

“Oh I don’t want to put you out.”

Ross dished out more stew for his guest, “It’s not putting me out.  The weather is still super crazy, and like I said, I have two spare bedrooms upstairs.  I might even have some sweats that you can sleep in.”

Ruth took a drink of her tea, “Well, if you’re sure.  Hopefully my phone will work and I can let my sister know so that she won’t worry about me.”

The two exchanged pleasantries throughout the meal and got to know each other.  Ross learned that Ruth used to run a pub farther north, but moved in with her sister to help her since she’s had a stroke.  She also has a son that is a chef and runs a food truck at different places.  Ruth learned about Nampara and the history of mines in the area that Ross’s family used to own.  The tree farm began about 40 years ago as a side venture to earn the family some extra money, but began to grow into a full time job as the years went on.  Ross took over running the farm after he returned home from the army after his father had passed away.  Ross couldn’t believe how easy it was to chat with Ruth.  He wasn’t usually one for opening up like he was doing, but she just seemed so genuinely kind and understanding.

Ross was just about to take the last bite of his stew when Ruth asked him a personal question, She looked in Ross’s hazel eyes and said, “Ross, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you by any chance gay?” The words just rolled off Ruth’s tongue as if she was asking someone to pass the salt.  However, Ross choked on his bite of stew, which really isn’t easy to do.  

Ross finally cleared his throat but he still wasn’t sure how to answer the question, “Umm… I uh.”

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.  It’s just that my gaydar doesn’t always work.”

Ross didn’t know the woman sitting across from him to know if she was genuinely asking him the question, if she was about to proposition him or if she was pulling his leg.  He sat there watching her finishing her stew and finally decided to answer her question.  “Well, it just so happens that yes, I am gay.  Is that a problem for you?”

Ruth finally put down her spoon, “Oh good heavens no.  Are you seeing anyone?”

Ross’s eyebrows raised for the second time in less than five minutes, “Um, if we’re going to have this conversation, I need something stronger to drink.   I’m going to have a beer.  Would you like one or maybe something else?  I have some red wine, some whiskey…”

“Oh, I’ll have a beer, love.  Thanks!”

Ross smiled at his guest as he got up from the table to retrieve two beers from the fridge.  He removed the cap and handed the beer to Ruth, “Would you care for a glass?”

Ruth smiled up at her host, “Oh no, I’m fine with the bottle.”

Ross shook his head as he cleared the dishes away and put them in the sink before he sat down again.  “You know Ruth, I’m beginning to think that you’re a little spitfire! You’re not afraid of too much are ya.   And the answer is no, I am not seeing anyone.”

“Oh no I’m too old to be afraid of anything.  But I am awfully happy to hear that you’re not seeing anyone.  It just so happens that I have a very handsome son who is also single and gay.  And I think the two of you would make the perfect couple!  He’s just a little shorter than you, and has the most beautiful blue eyes you’ve ever seen…”

Ross interrupts Ruth with a loud, beautiful laugh with his head leaning back with a huge smile revealing his set of beautiful, white teeth.

Ruth was laughing along with him, “Ross, are you laughing at me?”

He was laughing so hard by now that he was holding his sides.  “Yes!  Bloody fucking hell Ruth!  That is the last thing I expected to come out of your mouth!  I can say that this is the first time in my life that a mother has ever tried to fix me up with her son. Bloody hell!  You’re a trip!”

“What!  I just want the best for my son, and you certainly are a handsome devil with those gorgeous curls of yours and those sparkling eyes.  And Jim has the most beautiful blonde hair.  He takes after his father, God rest his soul.  You’d be the perfect couple!  And look at your hands!  You have the most beautiful hands!!”

Ross started laughing again, “My hands? What the hell are you talking about Ruth?”

“Here give me one of your hands and I’ll show you,” Ross was giggling now but he gave her his right hand.  She held it in her palm and started running a finger in the space between his thumb and his index finger, “There you see this area? It’s called the anatomical snuffbox because this is the place that people used to hold their snuff before they inhaled it.  And your snuffbox area is so very, very nice, and nice long fingers.  Not every man has a sexy hand like this, but you’ve got it.  My husband had it also.  That man had beautiful, sexy hands.  You have long fingers. Do you play the piano?”

Ross looked at this woman in amazement.  If he wasn’t gay, he would probably make a move on her.  “Uh yes, but not for a long time.  My mother taught me.  And no I will not play for you.  Have you been able to get in touch with your sister yet?”

“Oh yes, I did.  Just in time actually before my phone went dead.  Do you have a charger that would work on this phone?” Ruth asked.

“Here let me see your phone. Ah unfortunately not.  It seems you have an older model,” the lights blinked off and on, “Oh that’s not a good sign.  Perhaps we should retire for the evening before the power goes out.”

Ruth yawned, “Oh yes, it has been a rather long evening.  But I’m so glad that I was able to meet you, and maybe one of these days when Jimmy is in town, I’ll introduce the two of you and then you can become my son-in-law!”

Ross let loose another full on laugh, “You don’t give up do you?”

Ruth was smiling back at him, “No I do not, especially when it comes to my son’s happiness.  Mark my word, you two will get along beautifully!  A mother knows these things!  I’d show you his picture if my phone was charged.”

The lights blinked off and one again.  “Well, I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.  Let me show you to the guest rooms and you can choose which one that you’d like to sleep in.”

Ruth yawned again, “Oh my goodness, please forgive me for yawning.  I assure you it’s not the company.  But a bed does sound wonderful at this point.”

“Good.  I’m a bit tired as well.”

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

The next day was sunny, beautiful and bright with the more familiar warmth of autumn.  One would never have guessed there was a big storm last night if it hadn’t been for some tree limbs laying around.  Ruth had wanted to go down to the beach to see what the ocean brought in, so after breakfast Ross took her down to Nampara Cove for a walk.

Ruth had a great big smile on her face, looking up towards the sky soaking up the warmth of the sunlight.  She held her arms out and twirled around like a young girl.  

Ross shook his head and smiled at her.  He loved her zest for life.  

“Wow, just look at all of this stuff that washed up on the beach!” Ruth bent over and picked up some driftwood.  “Do you know how much money people pay for this?  It’s crazy!”

Ross was picking it all up, “Really?  People really buy it when it’s just free on the beach?”

“Oh yeah, especially people in the cities.  They pay a fortune for this stuff, and sea glass, sea shells and even rocks.”  She picked up a rock and was looking at it.  

Ross was looking at all the driftwood he picked up, “Do you think that people would pay for it if I had it for sale in my Christmas shop?”

“Maybe.  It’s hard to tell.  Folks around here might scoff at it, but if you get some tourists they might buy it.  What else do you sell in the shop?”

Ross sighed, “I’m not very good at the shop part, but I have a couple of people working on making some crafts to sell, and once the trees are close to being ready to sell, We will make wreaths, grave blankets and roping.”

“Sounds nice.  Why don’t you take me into your shop and let’s have a look, yeah?” 

Ross chuckled, “Yeah.”

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

Meanwhile along the road where Ruth left her car, Officer Paul Daniel was standing near the car talking to his brother Mark who ran the tow lorry business.  Ross had called them the night before so they knew what was up with the abandoned vehicle.  

Mark was hooking the car up to his lorry when a food truck pulled over to the side of the road.  Paul looked at Mark, “Did you order something to eat?”  “Nah, not me mate.”

The brothers stood watching a long haired blonde gentleman step out of the truck.

Mark asked his brother, “Who is that?”

Paul shook his head, “No clue.  Not seen him around these parts.”

The gentleman hurried over to look at the car, walking all around it, “Excuse me officer, but I believe this is my mother’s car.  What’s happened?  Where is she?  Is she alright?”

“Can I see some ID sir?”  Paul looked at the ID, “Right Mr. Hawkins, is your mum Ruth Hawkins?”

Concerned blue eyes looked at the officer and then the gentleman with the tow lorry.  “Yes, yes that’s her?  Where is she?  Is she hurt?”

Paul handed him back his ID, “Oh no, she’s fine.  Ross Poldark found her last night with her car off the road in the middle of the storm that we had ‘ere last night, so he took her home with him.”

Jim Hawkins had a shocked look on his face, “You mean a complete stranger took my mother home?  To his house?”

Mark finally spoke up, “Well yeah, what did you expect him to do, let her stay in her car overnight by herself?  That wouldna been very safe!”

Jim rubbed his hand over his face, “Well it’s not very safe for her to go home with a stranger!”

“Oh Ross isn’t a stranger, everybody knows him!” Mark smirked.

Jim furrowed his brow and shook his head, “Well, I’m sure he’s a stranger to my mum!”

Paul spoke up to reassure Jim, “Look, you must not be from around here, but Ross Poldark is a very upstanding mate.  He would never hurt anyone.  As soon as he got your mum back to his place, he called me to let me know what happened, and she spent the night at his place.  You actually passed it on the way here.  It’s the Christmas tree farm about two miles down the road.  My brother Mark ‘ere, is goin to tow her car in and see what he can do about getting it fixed for her.  Don’t worry about yer mum.  Around ‘ere everyone knows everyone and we look out for each other.  So if you turn yer food truck around and head back that way, I’m sure you’ll find her safe and sound at Ross’s.  Here, take me card and I’ll write Mark’s number on it too so you can get back in touch with him about the car.  Right?”

Jim looked at the two brothers and realized he didn’t have much choice about the matter so he took the card, “Alright, thank you.  I guess I’ll head back down the road to the tree farm then.”

Jim got back in his food truck and headed back the other way, mumbling and cursing wondering what kind of place his mother had moved too.  He spotted signs for the tree farm so he knew he was close.  What kind of a business is a tree farm anyway? he wondered.  Can’t make much of a living off of something so seasonal, especially out here in the middle of nowhere.  He couldn’t imagine his mother just going home with a complete stranger.  Jim thought he must be in his 70’s with grey hair and a long shaggy grey beard, with a limp in order for his mum to trust him.  

He saw the circle drive for the tree farm and pulled in.  He turned the ignition off and got out looked around.  He was heading up to knock on the front door when he heard a loud shriek coming from the direction of the barn that sounded an awful lot like his mum.  He took off running and he barged through a barn door to find his mum laughing with a very attractive man.

Ross and Ruth jumped at the intrusion, “Jimmy! What the hell are you doing?  I taught you better manners than to go barging into someone’s home!”

Jim was standing there breathing heavy, hands on his hips, looking at the scene in front of him, “I uh, I heard you screaming and I thought you were being attacked or something, so I came running.  Are you alright?”

Ruth looked at Ross and then back at Jim and started cackling.  She walked over to her son and gave him a hug, “Oh baby of course I’m alright!  Ross here has been taking good care of me.”

“Well, I’ve been calling your phone, and I called Aunt Julie and she told me that you had an accident last night but you were okay.  She didn’t say anything else.  And then this morning I found your car and a policeman with a tow truck driver were at your car and… Christ mum you scared the shit out of me!!”

Ruth put her hands on his cheeks, “Oh love I’m just fine!  My phone is dead and I don’t have my charger with me.  Let me introduce you, Jim, this is Ross Poldark.  Ross, this is my son Jimmy.”

Jim held out his hand to Ross, “It’s Jim, not Jimmy.”

Ross returned the hand shake with a big smile, “Pleasure to meet you Jim.  I assure you that I’ve been taking good care of your mother.”

Jim was looking a little leery at this Ross Poldark.  Definitely not what he was expecting, “Thank you, I appreciate it.  Now mum, are you ready to get back to Aunt Julie’s?”

Ruth gently pulled her son closer to Ross, “Oh Jimmy, what’s the hurry?  Ross was just showing me his Christmas shop and some of the items that he is going to be selling when he opens up to sell his Christmas trees!  I was trying to give him some ideas of what other tree farms back home sell, you know, like the Wilson tree farm, do you remember?  Hot chocolate, sandwiches, ornaments, oh and Ross they even had a small petting zoo.”

“Well, that wouldn’t work since I don’t have any small animals.  And as far as sandwiches go, I don’t know how I would do that, plus run the tree part of the farm.  I can’t do both things at the same time.  And I really don’t know anything about food.” Ross was trying to get a good look at Jim without being too obvious.  His mother was right, he did have the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen.  And his hair was a beautiful shade of honey blonde.  It was pulled back in a man bun so he couldn’t tell how low it actually was, but he wouldn’t mind pulling out the hair tie and letting it all fall.  Then his eyes found the beard.  A gorgeous reddish blonde beard.  

Ruth noticed the way Ross was checking out her son and it made her grin, “Jim, how about if Ross finishes giving us a tour of the farm before we go to your Aunt Julie’s?”

Jim looked at his watch, his impatience showing, “Alright, might as well. I won’t make it back in time for the lunch crowd now.  So, you have a tree farm.”  

Ross could hear the flatness in Jim’s voice and could see the uninterest in his body language.  Ross sighed, “Look, if you don’t want to have a look around, I’m not going to force you.  I understand you have things to do, so do I.”

Ruth squinted her eyes at her son and gave him a dirty look.  Jim saw it and knew he was in trouble.  He readdressed Ross, “No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be a jerk. I’d love to have a look around.  I’ve just been worried about my mum.  I’m sure you know how that goes.”

Ross sighed, “Actually, I don’t know.  My mother died when I was 12.”

“Oh shite, I’m sorry.  You must think I’m a real wanker.”

Ross gave him a small smile, “Maybe, but I’m over it.”

“Fair enough.  So how do you make a living on just Christmas trees?” asked Jim.

“Well, I don’t.  I also have an apple orchard on the other side of Nampara, and I also have some rental properties that have been in my family for years. The same families have rented from me for years so they’re pretty self-sufficient so I rarely have anything to worry about with those.”

The three were walking around the farm while Ross and Jim were talking about the businesses.  

Jim had an idea, “You know Ross, you have these apples in your orchard, why don’t you sell apple dumplings in your Christmas store?  Or the apple cider that you have pressed.  That would probably sell pretty good.”

“Well, like I told your mum, I can’t really sell something like sandwiches or apple dumplings, while working the tree farm part at the same time.  Jenni Martin works for me selling some crafts, but she’s going to have a baby and I think she’s due around Christmas,” Ross said.

Jim smiled at Ross, “Well, it’s something to think about.  So mum, are you about ready to go?”

Ruth wrapped her arm in Jim’s on one side, and then took Ross’s arm on the other side, “I suppose.  Ross, it’s been so lovely meeting you, and I can’t thank you enough for rescuing me.  You’ve taken such good care of me, hasn’t he, Jimmy?”

Jim smiled, “Yes, mother he has.  Thank you again Ross.  I’m sure she was a handful to deal with.”

Ross finally let out that beautiful laugh in front of Jim which caused him to catch his breath, “Well, she certainly has kept me on my toes.  But it’s been wonderful having her around to laugh and chat with.” Ruth gave Ross a wink.

Ruth spoke up as if she had forgotten something, “Oh Jimmy, you’ll never guess what I found out about Ross!”  Both men furrowed their brows at her.  “Well, Ross is gay!  And he’s single and not seeing anyone!”

Jim stopped dead in his tracks with a horrified look on his face, “Mother!  I can’t believe you just said that!  How would you even know such a thing anyway?”

Ross was laughing at the mother and son.

“Oh love, it’s alright, " I asked him, because I just don’t trust my gaydar.  Sooo Ross is single and you’re single…” Ruth couldn’t hide her glee.

Jim was exasperated, “Mother you just can’t go around asking strangers if they are gay! I’m so sorry Ross.  I had no idea she did this to you.”

Ross started to speak when Ruth cut in, “But he isn’t a stranger.  Not anymore.”

Ross started to laugh again.

“Don’t encourage her Ross.  She will only get worse.”  Jim couldn’t help but notice those hazel eyes that were shining with laughter now.  And those almost black curls seemed endless.  He noticed that Ross also had just the right amount of stubble.  It made him wonder about the rest of his body hair.  Jim loved a hairy chest.  Jim cleared his throat, “Mother I think it’s time we let Ross get back to what he was doing before you hijacked his home.  Thanks again Ross,” this time when Jim shook Ross’s hand, he looked him directly in those whiskey coloured eyes.

And Ross starred right back at those blue eyes, “My pleasure Jim.  Come by anytime.” 

“Good-bye Ross,” Ruth said.

Ross looked at her with a bright smile, “Bye, love,” and he kissed her hand.

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

Jim and Ruth were about half way home when her phone rang, “Oh hi Julie.  Yes we’re almost home. Yes, everything worked out!  See you soon sis!”

Jim looked at his mother like he was going to kill her! “So Ruth!” Jim called his mother by her name when he was upset with her, “I thought you told me that your phone wasn’t working, that it wasn’t charged.”

“I did?  I don’t remember saying that, love.  Hmmm you must be hearing things,” she gave him a wink.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?  Did you wreck your car on purpose just to find a man for me?”

“No, of course not. That was all just fortuitous, I would never do that,” she said.

“Oh but you would pretend that your phone wasn’t working because you knew that I would come get you, and then would just happen to meet Ross,” Jim was steaming now.  

“Oh Jimmy calm down.  Ross is a very nice boy, and you haven’t seen anyone since you broke up with that posh boy.”

“First of all Ruth, Ross isn’t a boy, he’s a man, secondly if I need your help finding a man, which I don’t, I will let you know.  I am perfectly happy being single, and I’m not interested in dating anyone.”

Ruth put on her sad face, “But Jimmy, he’s sooo handsome, and he’s soooo tall, dark and handsome!  Plus, he has his head on straight.  Just take him out for a spin vroom vroom!”

Jim shook his head as he pulled in his aunt’s driveway, “I can’t believe you!  Why can’t you believe that I’m happy with the way my life is?”

“Because even your Aunt Julie can tell that you’re lonely, love.”

Jim rolled his eyes, “For Christ’s sake, am I the main topic of conversation between you two sisters?”

Ruth shrugged her shoulders, “Well, not all the time, just most of the time.  Are you coming in?”

Jim shook his head, “No, I need to get going, I need to pick up some supplies for the truck.”  He reached over and kissed his mum goodbye, “I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”

“Okay, sounds good.  Don’t work too hard.  Love you sweetheart.”

“Love you too mum.”

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

It was late in the evening and Jim had felt uneasy all day after dropping his mother off at his aunt’s house.  He just felt jittery and spastic and couldn’t focus on the new menus that he had been working on for his food truck. He decided to lay down and try to fall asleep.  However,  his mind kept wandering to Ross and those sparkling amber eyes that lit up every time his head fell back when he laughed.  Oh Lord, that laugh. He was tossing and turning.   Finally, he decided to sit up in bed and started jotting down figures for how much it would cost to make apple dumplings, with free apples from the apple orchard that Ross owned.  He could probably get away with selling a dozen and a half the first few days until the word got out about them, then he’d have to double how many he made.  He also worked on a menu of items that they could sell from the food truck.  It would need to be wholesome food but also have an interesting twist in it to keep people coming back for more, but also something that didn’t cost an arm and a leg to make.  Fish tacos maybe?  He knew Cornwall was famous for their pasties…maybe he could do something with pasties.  He started to yawn, and rubbed his face with his hands.  He decided to climb back in bed, maybe he can sleep now that he’d gotten some of his thoughts down on paper. Jim opened his eyes,  Did he have a moustache? 

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

It had been a week or so since Ruth was Ross’s houseguest, and had met her son.  Ruth had become a frequent visitor at Nampara, and was helping Jenni with making more inventive crafts than had been done previously. The two women got along beautifully and Ross enjoyed their laughter throughout the day.  It reminded him of when his mother was alive and would have girlfriends over to play cards or have guild meetings for church.  There hasn't been much laughter at Nampara since she died.  

Ross hadn’t heard anything from Jim, which disappointed him.  He had hoped that Jim would’ve called him by now.  He thought that there had been a brief moment between the two of them.  He turned around and looked at Ruth.  Could Jim be waiting for Ross to be the one to make the first call?  He looked at his watch.  It was half past two, so the lunch crowd wherever he is at should be done by now.  Should he do this?  Maybe he’s seeing someone?  No, Ruth said he was single.  He found himself walking to the house so he could have some privacy to make the call.

He dialed the number and started pacing in the living room.  Finally on the fifth ring Ross heard “Bistro Bites on Wheels my name is Jim, can I help you?”

Ross was stunned at first by the way Jim answered the phone and couldn’t speak.

“Hello? Is someone there?”

“Uh, yeah, hiya Jim, this is Ross Poldark.”

Jim just about dropped his phone when he realized who it was.  He cleared his throat, “Ross!  Hello!  How are you?”

Ross held the phone out from his face so he could take a breath, “I’m good, good.  How are you faring these days?”  

Jim smiled.  He thought he could hear some nerves in Ross’s voice, “I’m well.  I’m actually glad that you called.  I’ve been meaning to get in touch with you.”

“Oh really? What about?”

“Well, since we met, I’ve been thinking about ideas for your Christmas shop, and how to help drum up more business.  I think I have a few ideas that might work.”

“Interesting.  Well, I was calling to see if you’d like to come over for dinner some night.  Maybe Saturday?” Ross’s nerves had calmed.

Jim smiled, “That sounds nice.  I’d like that very much.  What time?”

Ross was beaming now, “How about seven?”

“Seven it is.  Can I bring anything? A bottle of wine? Or a dessert?”

“Oh dessert would be good!”

Jim chuckled, “Yeah? Anything in particular?”

“Chocolate.  Something chocolate.”

Jim laughed some more, “Okay, white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate?”

“Yes!” was all Ross said in return.

Jim thought it was cute the way he answered him, “Okay the guy likes his sweets!  I’ll see you in a couple of days!”

Ross sighed, “Would I scare you off if I told you that I can’t wait?”

Jim tilted his head, “No.  No, you wouldn’t.”

After they hung up, Ross realized he forgot to ask Jim if he likes fish, so he texted him back.

“Hey, um, do you like to eat fish?”

“Lol, of course!”

“Wait, r u doing the fishing yourself?”

“Lol well I hope to catch them.  It’s a benefit of living on the coast.  But if I don’t I’ll be prepared to fix something else.”

“Would u mind if I came fishing with u?  It’s been years since I’ve gone fishing.”

Ross was stunned that Jim would want to go fishing, “Sure, just bring an extra set of clothes in case you get wet.”

“I can do that!  Thanks!”

“I’ll listen to the weather report and text you on what time to be here.”

“Sounds good.”

🐟🐟

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

Saturday finally arrived and Ross was a wee bit nervous.  It had been a couple of years since he had dated anyone, and What the hell was I thinking in having him to the house for supper on the first date!  Christ Poldark what are you doin’!  He was mumbling to himself at the fishing shack that stood near the grassy entrance to Nampara Cove.  It had been there since he was a young teenager when his da built it there because he was getting tired of running up to the barn for whatever he needed to go fishing.  Being that close to the shore, the shed looked older and more weathered than the other outbuildings on the property.  Inside was everything someone would need for fishing, nets, rods, reels, tackle, lanterns, even a table set up to clean the fish so that it wouldn’t dirty up the kitchen in the house.  Ross went outside to get two poles ready for him and Jim to use, making sure that the lines are clear of any knots or snags with the proper weights and hooks on them.  Garrick was having fun sniffing around on the ground like he was a great hound dog.  Ross smiled at the puppy playing around.  He hadn’t had a dog in ages, and somehow this dog came into his life, and much to his surprise, was enjoying having the dog around.  “Right Garrick, I think I’ve got these poles ready.  We should be all set to go when Mr. Hawkins arrives.  C’mon boy lets get up to the house for now.”

They didn’t have to wait long before they saw an older range rover pull in the drive and Jim got out carrying something that looked like it might be a cake.  Ross waved at him and went over to the vehicle, “Hiya!  I guess I was expecting a food truck to pull up!”

“Hello.  I don’t like to drive the truck around if I’m not planning on working.  It draws too much attraction.  So, how’s your day going?” Ah, he does have a tache Jim observed.  He held up the cake when Garrick came over and started doing his puppy growl at Jim and barking at him, sniffing his legs, “Garrick get over here.  Garrick no!” Ross yelled at the dog.  He walked over to get the dog away from Jim, “He won’t hurt ya, he’s just a pup.  Shall we go in the house?”

Jim laughed at Garrick, “Sure.  That way I can put this down so this little fella doesn’t get into it.”

Ross opened the door for Jim and they went inside.  Ross showed him the kitchen so he could set the dessert down away from a prying nose.  “So what is this?”

Jim raised the cover on the dessert and held it up to Ross’s eye level.

“Holy fuck did you make that!?” Ross was practically giggling with the thought of eating this cake.

Jim laughed, “Why yes I did Mr Poldark!  It’s called a tuxedo cake.  When I asked what kind of chocolate you liked, it seemed like you couldn’t determine which one you liked the most,  soooo I made something with all three.  It’s layers of espresso and chocolate cake, white chocolate mousse, dark chocolate mousse and a milk chocolate ganache.  Do you approve?”

Ross’s eyes were the size of golf balls, “Do I approve?  Hell yes I approve.  Can we just eat this and forget about supper?”

Jim was cracking up at Ross, “No, you promised that we could go fishing.  And I brought a change of clothes like you advised.  So I’m ready to go anytime you are.”

“Alright, alright.  I’ve got the poles ready down at the shack.  I’m hoping that between the two of us we can catch four or five bass.  This time of year it can be iffy on what you reel in. But like I said, I do have a plan B if we don’t catch anythin.”

“And what is your plan B?” asked Jim.

“I have some steak marinating just in case,” Ross grabbed a baggie with come cut up potatoes in it along with some seasoning.

Jim noticed that he was gathering up some utensils and a spatula and some oil, “Uh, can I help carry anything?”

“Sure.  Can you grab that cast iron skillet?”

Jim was furrowing his brow, “Where are we taking all of this stuff?”

Ross smiled at him, “To the beach of course.”

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

The sun was shining down on the two men as they were casting their lines out into the sea.  Ross knew of the perfect spot for them to hopefully catch their dinner.  

Jim’s face was beaming.  He hadn’t been fishing since before his father died.  “I had forgotten how much I enjoy this.  It’s been too long.  Do you get to fish very often?”

Ross cast his line with the ease of an experienced fisherman, “Not too much this time of year, but in the summer I try to come out once or twice a week.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.  Do you always catch fish?” Jim asked.

“Not always, but enough that I can keep quite a bit in the freezer.  Verity likes to come over for dinner when I’m cooking some.”

Jim’s brow furrowed, “Who is Verity?”

“My cousin.  She lives at Trenwith.  We’re pretty close, she’s more like my sister.  Hey watch your line I think you’ve got a bite!”

Jim fumbled with his rod, trying to remember what to do.  He could feel on his line that he definitely had a bite.  He jerked his rod back in an attempt to hook whatever was on the other end.  

Ross was smiling watching Jim.  He could tell he was a little rusty, “There ya go, reel him in!  Let’s see what you’ve got!”  Ross put his rod down and grabbed the net so he could go over and help Jim pull the fish in.

Jim was letting out some happy yelps while he was reeling his fish in.  His eyes were as big as a kid’s on Christmas morning, “Holy shit I’ve got one!  Bloody hell!”

“Yeah ya do!  I’ll grab him with the net so we don’t lose him!”  Both men were now at least ankle deep in water in all of the excitement.  Ross was able to get the fish in the net and walked back to shore with it.

Ross was grinning at Jim, “Well look at that!  You caught the first fish of the day!!  Good on ya!  He’s a nice one too.  He’ll make some good eatin’!”

Jim couldn’t believe it!  “Wow that didn’t take long at all!  That’s a bass isn’t it?”

“Oh yeah, a nice bass.  Do you want to take him off the hook or do you want me to do it?” Ross asked.  “I know it’s been awhile since you’ve done this.”

“Yeah you better do it.  I don’t want to mess it up and lose the fish.”

Ross demonstrated his technique in getting a fish off the hook to Jim and then put the fish in the bucket of water that he had at the ready, and then rinsed his own hands off in the water.  “Now James, put some bait on that hook and the line in the water!”

Jim gave Ross a strange look, “James!  Nobody has called me that since… my father was alive.”

Ross saw the serious look on Jim’s face, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up sad memories.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’m fine.  We better get our lines back in the water so we can catch our supper.”

About an hour later they had caught enough for supper, so Ross started a fire to cook on.  The late evening sky was becoming darker as the sun set on the horizon of the sea.  Jim had been running around on the beach with Garrick, but was now sitting next to the fire watching Ross start to cook supper.  Garrick was curled up as close to the fire that he could get sound asleep, snoring away.

Ross was chuckling at the dog, “I think you’ve worn him out!”  He dished up some cooked potatoes and fish and handed the plate along with a beer to Jim.

“I don’t know if I wore him out, or if he wore me out.  Thanks mate, this looks delicious.”

“Be careful that you don’t burn your mouth,” Ross dished himself out some food and settled down to eat. 

The men had been chatting off and on all day about their lives, how they grew up, where they went to school.  But now they fell into a comfortable silence while they ate and watched the water and beautiful sky.  

“Oh my heavens Ross, this is fucking delicious!  I haven’t had food this good in ages.  Mmmm, the seasoning is perfect.  What did you use?”

Ross was smiling, “Oh it’s very French, it’s called salt and pepper!  I’m glad you approve!”

Jim laughed, “You dick.  Ya know, I think this is the first time that I’ve ever eaten on an open fire like this.  You live a very charmed life Ross Poldark.  Wonderful food, wonderful home, beautiful beach and that sunset is incredible.  I could get very used to this.”

Ross was staring at Jim while he was talking.  His blues eyes were sparkling even in the darkness, and when he laughed the lines at the corner would show which only added to his beauty.  Every once in a while his nose would scrunch up in the most adorable way.  At some point, Jim had taken his hair down out of the bun and there was just a slight breeze that was blowing it lightly across his cheeks.  Ross sighed, “Mmm, I could as well,” he said while looking at Jim.  At first Jim didn’t catch on to what Ross said, and then he looked up at those gorgeous hazel eyes and smiled.  

Jim cleared his throat, “So, I didn’t tell my mother about our date here today.”

Ross laughed at that little bit of information, “I didn’t either!”

Now Jim was laughing, “Good!  Because if she found out, she would be here right now taking pictures of us together, saying ‘I told you so’.”

Ross laughed some more, “I can totally see that happening with her, but God I love her and her spirit.  She’s so different from how my mum was, which isn’t to say my mum was a prude or anything, but she could be very proper.”  He was silent for a moment, “I still miss her. Even after all these years.”

“I think that’s normal.  I still miss my father.  And you’ve lost both your parents.  That’s rough.  I know when Ruth…  “ he got a lump in his throat and didn’t finish his sentence.  Ross put this hand on Jim’s for some understanding.  Then out of the blue, Garrick jumped up and started yelping, and running in circles.

“What the hell?” Ross said, and then he started laughing at the poor dog when he realized that he had a crab attached to his tail!  The two men got up to help Garrick out.  Jim held him still while Ross pulled the crab off his tail.  As soon as Ross released the crab, Garrick took off running, both men laughing at the site!

Ross looked down at the laughing Jim and couldn't help but grab his face in his hands and leaned down for a kiss.  It was a tender, chaste kiss.  Ross finally pulled back, leaning his forehead against Jim’s, “I’m sorry, I’ve been wanting to do …”  Jim pulled Ross down for another kiss, this one full of passion.  Jim licked Ross’s lips causing Ross to open his mouth for Jim’s tongue to enter, eliciting a moan from Ross.  The men couldn’t help but stand there kissing, with hands exploring each other.  Finally Jim pulled back, panting, “Dessert?”  Ross could barely speak.  He shook his head, “Yeah.”  He quickly doused the fire with the water from the bucket, yelled at Garrick to come join them, then grabbed Jim’s hand to pull him towards the house.  Jim looked back at the skillet and the cooking utensils and plates, “What about the skillet…”  A breathless Ross just kept pulling Jim, “Fuck it.  I’ll come get it tomorrow.”  Jim laughed.

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

 As soon as they got through the door, both men were throwing off their coats not caring that they ended up on the floor.  Jim had Ross pinned up against the wall next to the kitchen door so hard that one of the pots fell off its hook.  Ross moved his head to the side to give Jim more room for whatever he wanted to do to him.  Ross couldn’t help but moan.  “Jesus Jim, it’s been so long for me.”  Jim chuckled, “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.”  They both chuckled, but then Ross noticed that Garrick was attempting to get up on the counter for the tuxedo cake, “Fuck, Garrick get down!” He went over and put the muddy puppy in his crate.  He turned around and found Jim’s hands on his hips pulling him close.

Jim just stood and watched him, “Do you want some dessert?”

Ross raised his eyebrows, “Only if you do?”

Jim gave him a devilish grin, “I want you Ross.”

Ross raised an eyebrow, “Oh yeah. Prove it!” 

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

The two men were sitting up in bed naked feeding each other the dessert and coffee, Garrick laying on the bottom of the bed watching the food go back and forth just hoping a piece drops for him.

Ross was thoroughly enjoying the chocolate, “Mmmmm this is the best dessert I have ever had in my life.  You are a god among chocolate!”  

Jim laughed at that, “Well I wouldn’t go that far, but it is pretty damn good if I may say so myself!”

Ross lifted an eyebrow, “Really?  Well, I say it’s… orgasmic..” then he fed Jim another piece followed by a kiss.

Garrick let out a whimper and a huff, and started crawling closer to the lovers.  Ross frowned at the dog “Garrick don’t you even dare!  Get back!” The pup barked at his master.

Jim laughed at the scene, “I see he really listens to you!  So what do you think of my idea of the apple dumplings and the food truck on the weekends during tree season.”

“Well, it doesn’t hurt anything to try it out.  Maybe advertise it a bit so that people know about it.”

Jim fed Ross another bite of the cake, “Did you know that mum’s got big plans for your craft area?  She does really nice work with centerpieces and greenery.”

Ross chuckled, “No, I didn’t, although I’ve seen her and Jenni with their heads together about something. I have a feeling that I’ve lost complete control when it comes to those two.  I really don’t mind what they do as long as there’s someone there to sell it, so I can concentrate on helping people with the trees.  Will you lose business by having the truck out here on the weekends?”

Ross set the empty plates and cups on the end table and snuggled more into Jim so he could run his hand through the golden curls on Jim’s chest.

“No, I’m not worried about it.  I’ll be making money here.  Besides, it’ll put me closer to you on the weekends,” Jim leaned in to press his lips against Ross’s, ensuring the heat was reignited. 

“Oh fuck Jim, I want you so much.”

“Prove it.”

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

It was the second weekend of the holiday tree season and business was hopping at the Poldark Tree Farm and Bistro Bites on Wheels!  People were lined up at Jim’s food truck for the apple dumplings and other special items that Jim had for sale.  And the new and improved craft shop was buzzing with activity as well.  Ruth even brought her sister in to help out where she could.  Ross was working his arse off keeping up with all of the customers.  Some were return customers, but he’d also noticed some new faces.  After they were closed for the day, Jim was counting out his cash drawer, while Ross was doing the same.  They were both all smiles.  

Ross was shaking his head in disbelief, “I tell you what Ruth, I think from now on I’m going to consider you my lucky charm.  Business is really booming this year thanks to you and Jenni and all of your hard work, and of course Jim’s truck has added a lot.”

Jim came over and gave Ross a kiss on his head, “See I told you those dumplings would work.  And they don’t cost much to make.”

“Well, business was okay before, but I could tell that the other Christmas tree farms with all of their extras were starting to cut in.  Jenni, I’m going to have to ask Jim for some extra help with the trees,” Ross said.

Ruth chimed in, “I think the best part of being a lucky charm is seeing you two boys together!!  A mother’s intuition is always right.  I think we’re going to be hearing wedding bells soon, don’t you Jenni!”

“Mother!” Jim yelled.