#drew this a while ago but only thought to post now... just a quick goofy cartoon drawing to cleanse my soul

[kwillow]

Figuring out a look for Ambroys in his Forever Gold verse since he is being permitted to strut about and knock things over there like a pigeon on a chessboard (he's bird themed rather than horse themed in this setting haha). His ludicrous ruffles are a gular pouch. The ladies love a man with an inflatable chest and bright plumage.

Also wanted to draw him with his magic weapon, a fiery bed de corbin, which he only uses for extremely important purposes.

[aalissy]

Cuddles

Day 29 is donee!! And that leaves only one more day of Adrienette April D: D:. Ima miss themmm! I hope you guys like this chapter tho <3. It’s another post-reveal, pre-relationship bc it’s my fave hehhe

AO3

Marinette lifted an eyebrow curiously at the boy who had just flopped into her lap. Slowly, a smile formed on her lips as she stared down at Adrien who looked up at her rather pitifully. She put down her sketchbook, running her hands through his hair and watching as his eyes fluttered closed. 

How can he be so cute? He’s too adorable for his own good. It makes getting over him absolutely impossible, Marinette sighed in her mind. Cuddling him closer, she murmured, “Long day, kitty?”

Adrien simply nodded with a long exhale. “Yep. I had an awful, long photoshoot today and then I had to go to fencing practice and do my tutoring after that.”

He huffed, his blonde hair swaying slightly as he pouted rather sulkily. Unable to stop herself from giggling lightly, she ruffled his blonde curls. “Well, at least you were able to come over.”

He immediately brightened, looking up at her with a brilliant grin that caused her heart to stutter in her chest. His emerald eyes then glimmered at her mischievously as his grin turned into a smirk. “You’re absolutely right! And all I had to do was tell my father that we had a group project I needed to study for.”

Marinette threw her head back in a laugh, scratching right where his ears would be if he was transformed. Her eyes had closed due to her giggles so she missed the rather silly, lovestruck smile Adrien sent her. Eventually, when she calmed down, she looked down at him, biting her lip to stop her wide smile from getting too big. “You know, sometimes I wonder how it took me so long to figure out your identity. It’s so obvious that you’re Chat Noir.”

Adrien chuckled before purring at her, “That’s because I was purrfect at hiding my identity from you, m’lady. You, not so much.”

“What do you mean?” she frowned, feeling slightly offended. There were many times that she went to great lengths to keep her identity safe. How could he say that she wasn’t good at hiding it?

“Well,” he started with a shrug. “I had strong suspicions that it was you from the very beginning. In fact, if it wasn’t for the Multimouse incident I would have probably figured it out a long time ago.”

“Ah, yes, Multimouse,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes. “Where I managed to come up with a way to produce two of me and you just acted like you didn’t know what type of school it was.”

Adrien laughed before wiggling his eyebrows at her. “But it worked, didn’t it?”

Rolling her eyes again with a fond smile, she flicked him lightly on the forehead. “You’re such a dork.”

“But I’m your dork,” he said, giving her a goofy grin.

Marinette’s heart raced with that declaration. Did he have any idea what he did to her? Sometimes, she wished she could fluster him even half as much as he flustered her. 

Adrien then pouted, nudging into her hand which had paused from its previous track in his hair. Giggling quietly, she resumed her ministrations, enjoying the way that he cuddled even closer to her. If only she could brush a soft kiss against his lips. It would make this moment that much more perfect.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before a small furrow appeared between his brows. Glancing to the side, he murmured, “I remember how disappointed I was after I saw Multimouse, though.”

Marinette blinked at him in surprise. “What do you mean? Why were you disappointed?”

“Because it really did mean that Ladybug wasn’t you.” Adrien shrugged, his lips pursing.

Shock flooded through her as she tensed up. He noticed immediately, gazing up at her with a look of concern. He called her name hesitantly which snapped her out of her daze. Marinette looked down at him seriously, asking her question rather pointedly, “You were disappointed when you thought that Ladybug wasn’t me?”

“Yeah,” Adrien blinked like he didn’t quite understand why she was so shocked.

“Why?” She shook her head in confusion as she searched his gaze, wondering if she could somehow find the answer in his eyes.

“Well,” Adrien’s cheeks flushed as he gestured to her. “Because you’re you and I couldn’t imagine Ladybug being anyone else.”

Marinette gulped before stuttering, “E-even back then?”

“Of course,” he said simply, “You’re amazing, Marinette. I’ve known that for a while now.”

She let out a startled squeak and before she was able to stop herself, her lips pressed against his lightly. Immediately, she scrambled back though, jostling him from her lap as she fell onto the floor. Grimacing, she began stuttering out apologies, “Oh my god, I am so so sorry, Adrien. I-I don’t know why I did that. I know you’re over me and that was entirely my fault. Please, please forgive me.”

Adrien’s eyes which had closed during the quick kiss, immediately popped open once she said that. He frowned down at her before slowly sliding from her chaise to join her on the floor. Cautiously, he asked. “You think I’ve gotten over you?”

 Marinette’s mouth fell open at that. Clearing her throat, she asked, “W-well, haven’t you?”

Slowly, he shook his head and her mouth dropped open even wider at that. He couldn’t be serious? Could he? She was about to ask him another question, when he beat her to it. “Didn’t you get over me?”

Her whole face flamed as she shook her head rapidly. Her heart thundered in her ears as she gnawed on her lower lip. Marinette peered over at him nervously as Adrien drew even closer to her, cupping her cheek lightly. She leaned into his palm as her eyes fluttered closed. 

Quietly, he murmured, “You don’t ever need to apologize for kissing me, Marinette. In fact, I was wondering if we could do it again?”

She squeaked, barely able to nod before their lips connected again. Her nose bumped lightly against his as she immediately wrapped her arms around him. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss as she nibbled at his bottom lip. Adrien sighed into her lips as tingles raced up and down her spine. 

Eventually, she pulled back for air, gasping for breath as she looked over at him. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were still closed as he smiled brightly. Butterflies roared to life in her chest as Marinette laughed. “We really are idiots, aren’t we?”

Adrien’s eyes opened as he beamed directly at her. “Most of the time, yes we are.”

Throwing herself back into his arms, she hugged him tightly. Leaning in, she left another light peck on his lips as she murmured, “I hope you know I’m never letting you go again.”

“Please don’t,” Adrien whispered before connecting their lips in a much longer kiss.

[kpopblurbs]

9:04am

Pairing: Jae/Reader Word Count: 1.9k Tags: Mentions of Religion, Hand Jobs, First Time, Public Hand Jobs, Sub!Jae, Dom!Reader, Gender Neutral Reader A/N: So I’m finally finally effectively done with smutmas, ill be finishing the last one tomorrow at the latest so ill be posting for smutmas every day for the next four days Smutmas Masterlist AO3 Link

It wasn’t often that you went to church, not that you weren’t into it, you just weren’t nearly as devoted as most people, opting instead to spend your Sunday mornings sleeping. Recently, however, you had discovered a new motivation to attend, the cute boy you had met a few months ago was currently inspiring you to go every week.

You had seen him for the first time 6 months ago on a spur of the moment trip to the church, he had focused on you a lot during the service, always averting his eyes when you looked at him. He had piqued your interest then but it was only the next month when you caught him staring at you after the service that you decided to approach him. You had introduced yourself to him, he had told you his name was Park Jaehyung but that everyone just called him Jae. He had followed that up by asking whether you were new to the church or not, to which you explained your position, not missing the slight frown that flashed across his face before he hid it quickly. The two of you had shared some awkward small talk for a few minutes before parting ways though there was something about him that intrigued you enough to keep you coming back the next week.

From then on the two of you fell into a routine, one that was slowly entering more flirty territory, mostly prompted by you though Jae was not unreceptive to it. You could tell by the way he would react to your suggestive statements that he had zero experience in the flirting department. His innocence was a big part of what drew you to him, you were always weak to boys like that, the idea of corrupting them was so tempting it was near impossible to resist.

After the service one Sunday you dragged him with you on a walk around the church, stopping him in one of the few areas where there was no one around. You took his hands in yours and moved so that your back was up against the wall of the church, bringing Jae with you and pulling him closer. You could see that he was nervous so you began to rub the back of his hand with your thumb soothingly. “You can say no if you want to,” you started, biting back a smirk at the way he struggled to maintain eye contact. “But would you like to kiss me?” you asked.

“I-I uhm, I haven’t...” Jae started, trailing off at the end as he looked down shyly.

You resisted the urge to coo at him, not wanting to embarrass him too much, “That’s okay,” you said softly, “My question still stands.”

He paused for a second, thinking hard before taking a deep breath and looking up at you, “C-can I?” he asked.

You smiled and nodded, tilting your head and leaning in close enough that he could feel your breath on his lips. You waited for him to close the gap, sighing happily when he did after a few moments. The kiss was messy on his end as he tried his best to follow the rhythm you were setting, you kept it slow just allowing him to adjust to the new experience. You brought one hand up to the back of his head, tangling your fingers in his hair and smiling into the kiss when he seemed to gain enough confidence to take a small step forward, his body now pressed to yours. You stayed like that for a few minutes, giving him the chance to improve his technique before gently tugging on his hair to pull his head away. The two of you were breathless, a goofy smile spread across his face which you returned with one of your own. 

After that you fell into a routine, attending church to meet up with Jae and then dragging him around to the back of the church to make out. It was going well until he started cutting your makeout sessions short, pulling away quickly in the middle of it, his cheeks were red and he was unable to look up at you. He would stutter out some excuse about having to go home but you could tell by his body language that he was getting hard.

After two weeks of that you decided to take things further, following your normal routine up until the point where Jae pulled away. You grabbed his arm gently making him look up at you with a shocked expression on his face. “You know I can help you with your problem,” you said, sending a quick glance down to his crotch before going back to making eye contact with him.

“W-What problem?” Jae asked, letting out a fake chuckle to pretend he had no idea what you were talking about.

“Did you want me to say it out loud or would that just make you run away from embarrassment?” you asked a hint of humor in your voice.

Jae sighed, looking down once again, “I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean to I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he said softly.

You chuckled, “A sweet, innocent boy like you couldn’t make me uncomfortable if you tried,” you said with a smile. “Plus it’s a perfectly natural reaction, one that I can absolutely give you a hand with,” you winked for emphasis.

You could see the confusion on his face as he tried to process what you were offering so you continued, “Feel free to say no, there is absolutely no pressure here but I’d really like to take care of you if you’ll let me.”

“I-I,” Jae paused to collect his thoughts, “We’re at church,” he said at a near whisper, looking around to make sure the two of you were still alone.

“Doesn’t that make it hotter, though?” you smirked, lowering your voice to match his hushed tone.

Jae gulped, his cheeks turning pink and you could tell he was imagining what you were offering. “B-But...” he trailed off, still clearly lost in thought.

“I’ll let you think about it then, we’ll see how you feel next week,” you said, giving his arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze before starting to step away.

That seemed to shake him from his thoughts as he only let you take a couple steps before calling out to you, “Wait!” he said, a little louder than he expected causing him to jump and look around once again. You turned back around to face him and he took a deep breath before speaking, “I want to say yes.. I’m just nervous,” he confessed.

You smiled, stepping back over to him, “It’s okay to be nervous, if you want me to take care of you I will,” you said.

Jae took a deep breath before speaking, “Yes, please,” he said as confidently as he could.

You nodded, the smile still on your face, “Of course,” you said, reaching forward with both hands to hook your fingers into his belt loops and tugging him closer to you. He squeaked at your sudden boldness as you reached one hand up to tangle into his hair, tugging him down into another kiss. Without disconnecting the kiss you maneuvered him around to press his back against the wall. You pulled your hand out of his hair and moved both of your hands to the front of his pants, making quick work of unbuttoning them and nudging them down slightly.

You felt him tense up as you pushed your hand into his pants and wrapped your hand around his dick. You paused, breaking off the kiss to look at him, “You alright?” you asked.

“Y-Yeah I’m just, it ah, feels different when its not my hand,” he responded.

You smirked, your hand shifting to swipe your thumb over the head of his dick, collecting the precum that was already collecting at the tip. “Good different or...?” you asked, leaning forward to suck gently on the sensitive spot behind his ear and relishing in the stuttered moan he let out.

“G-Good... very good,” he responded, letting out a gasp as you began to stroke him slowly. His hips twitched as you began to stroke him faster, the little noises he was making started to increase in volume forcing you to reconnect the kiss to keep him from getting too loud. He put his hands on your hips, gripping tightly to the fabric of your shirt as he bucked his hips into your hand. You swallowed his moans greedily and tried to slow down your strokes, knowing that he wasn’t going to last very long if you didn’t give him a break. You knew that given the situation you weren’t able to take as much time as you would’ve liked but you still wanted to take as much time as you could. You shifted your hand around to rub your palm in circles over the head of his dick, his hips bucking more aggressively in response.

He pulled away from the kiss, leaning forward to rest his forehead on your shoulder, letting out little gasps as his body tensed rhythmically. You used your free hand to run your fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp gently and sending a shiver down his spine. “I’m -ah- please I’m gonna...” he gasped out and you moved your hand back to stroking him while your other continued to massage his scalp.

“Go ahead, baby, cum for me,” you said at barely above a whisper. It only took a couple more strokes before he was cumming with a low groan, his hips bucking as he spilled his load into his jeans. You worked him through his orgasm while he clung to you, his grip tight until he relaxed, leaning most of his weight on you as he came down from his high.

You pulled your hand out of his pants and tried to balance his weight, doing your best to support him as you shrugged off your jacket to wipe the mess off onto the fabric before bundling it up and dropping it to the ground. Once his breathing returned to normal he stood up straight, reached down to adjust and button up his pants and grimaced at the feeling of the mess he had made, “I feel gross,” he murmured.

You chuckled, “Maybe we should get you home so you can change,” you said softly.

“Yeah that’s a good idea,” he said, stopping to think for a second before continuing, “Would you, uh, would you wanna come with me?” he asked hopefully.

You smiled, “Well I drove here so I can’t ride with you but gimme your address and I’ll meet you there,” you responded.

A goofy smile spread across his face, “Great!” he said before coughing once and clearing his throat to try and disguise his excitement, “I mean, uh, cool yeah, and maybe I could, uhm, I dunno, return the favor?” he suggested.

You giggled, “I would like that very much.”

“Cool, yes, great, uhm, shall we?” he asked, nodding his head in the direction of the parking lot.

“Lead the way,” you said with a smile, letting out another giggle as he grimaced as he took his first step. You followed him as he shuffled awkwardly towards the parking lot reaching forward to lace your fingers with his and smiling when you felt him squeeze your hand.

[princessselene126]

Date Night

Sorry I’m a day late with this. I had to go to the planetarium for a class, and then I got a headache so I was not in a mood to word, if you know what I mean. THIS FIC CONTAINS SUPERNOVA SPOILERS. 1821 words of fluff with a minor cliffhanger. This is technically the last part of the Nights Miniseries (part 1 and part 2) I’m doing, but the fic that comes after this will take place directly after this one. It probably won’t be posted for a bit though because I have other parts to this series I wanna work on. Also special thanks to @insomnia-sketch​ for giving me an idea for the ending.

This is part of a larger series that can be read as individual fics or one big one. If you’d like to read them in order, please go to the second masterlist linked below.

masterlist We Rise with the Sun masterlist

Nova and Adrian were supposed to go out the next night like they planned, but there was a problem at headquarters that needed Nova’s mechanical expertise. So they took a rain check, rescheduling for the weekend when they’d surely have time.

They were wrong.

Max asked for Adrian’s help on his new Gatlon model for the upcoming parade and it ended up taking the entire weekend. It was time well spent, and Adrian wouldn’t have changed a thing about it, but he felt guilty about their plans changing again.

They tried to make time every day for the next week, but something always came up. One or the other, or both of them had to respond to something.

The night of the annual renegades parade came around. As usual, the remaining council members, along with a few new ones, were wearing their traditional costumes instead of the black and red ones they usually wore.

Renegades walked around everywhere they went.

Nova held Adrian’s hand as they walked past the floats lined up. A year ago she was perched on a rooftop waiting to kill Captain Chromium at this very parade and now she was going to take part in it. There was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. Not a bad one though. It was more like...hope. There was a sense of hope and joy inside of her that she’d never felt while she was at one of these parades.

Adrian’s hand tightened around hers, drawing her attention toward him. He had an adorably goofy smile on his face. She couldn’t help bringing her free hand up to his cheek and stroking her thumb over his skin. 

“I love you,” she whispered.

Her heart leaped when his smile grew brighter.

“I love you too. Now let’s get to our float.”

Nova pursed her lips. “Do I really have to be up there with you? The city is pretty split on how they feel about me still. It might be safer for both of us if I stay on the sidelines.”

“Star, we’ve talked about this,” Adrian said gently. His hand landed on her hip and drew her closer to him. Ice blue eyes met chestnut brown. “There are always going to be people that think you haven’t changed, but the people who matter know the truth. Besides, everyone is still in the honeymoon phase from the Supernova. It’ll be fine.”

She sighed, leaning into his embrace and resting her cheek on his shoulder. “The ‘honeymoon phase’ hasn’t done much to stop people from hating me.”

“And loving you. More people love you than hate you, Nova.”

“You don’t know that.”

“The people that matter love you. I love you.”

Admittedly it was nice to hear him say those words again. Those three words that always made her feel warm and fuzzy inside no matter how or when or where or why he said them. Pulling her face off his shoulder, Nova met his eyes again. “I know. I love you too… but do you really think it’s a good idea?”

“I don’t think it’s a bad one.”

She took a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Adrian pressed a quick kiss on her forehead then lead her over to the float they were assigned to.

Danna was already there, leaning against the decorated platform. She picked at her nails with a bobby pin. Narcissa sat behind her on the flat, braiding three of Danna’s dreads together. Her head perked up when Nova and Adrian were a few feet away. “What took you two so long?”

“I had to convince her to join us a few times.”

Nova elbowed him in the ribs, but smiled while doing so. Yeah he had to convince her, but she was there, wasn’t she?

“Where are Oscar and Ruby?” she asked Danna.

“Oh, you know Oscar. He was hungry. They went to get him something deep fried to eat so he didn’t, and I quote, ‘die of starvation during this dumb parade.’”

Adrian laughed, not at all surprised. “Of course they did.”

“I told them if they’re not back by the time we get going that we’re leaving without them.” Danna looked back down at her nails, seemingly satisfied with how they looked. “Which is any minute now, so we should get into position.”

“Right,” Nova said. She moved toward the platform and was about to hop on when Adrian’s hands grabbed onto her hips. “What are you--hey!” He lifted her up and setting her on top of the float. Turning around she raised an eyebrow at him. “You know I could’ve gotten up myself.”

Adrian smiled up at her a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I know. But you’re short, so I thought I’d help you out.”

She scoffed. “I’ve always been short, dumb ass. That doesn’t mean I can’t get up on tell things.”

“I know.” He hopped up and sat on the edge of the float, then stood so he could look down at her. “I wanted to though.”

Instead of climbing up like a normal person, Danna transformed into her butterfly swarm then reformed next to Narcissa. “How is it possible that you two are getting even more disgustingly affectionate? I don't know who’s worse: you or Oscar and Ruby.”

“It’s definitely them,” Ruby said. She and Oscar stood below holding an assortment of fried foods.

Oscar laughed. “Well, it’s not Danna and Narcissa.”

Nova’s stomach grumbled at the smell. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate. Maybe she should ask if she could steal a mozzarella stick or two to tide her over until the end of the parade.

As if reading her mind, Oscar held the deep fried deliciousness up to her. “There’s plenty to spare.”

She gave him a smile before reaching down to take one. “Thanks. I haven’t eaten all day.”

“Nova,” Adrian chastised.

“I’m fine. I’m eating now.”

He sighed. “Alright. Alright.”

She knew he wanted to say more, but was glad he bit his tongue. He was always so concerned that she wasn’t taking care of herself. She was doing much better than she used to be though. Forgetting to eat once in a while didn’t affect her that much because she didn’t sleep. Something to do with her metabolism not processing as fast because of it, or so that’s what Leroy theorized. They never had the resources to actually figure it out.

Ruby and Oscar climbed up on the float with them, careful not to drop any of the food. Once they were up Nova took another mozzarella stick.

Someone announced that the parade was starting and a few seconds later the floats moved forward.

The group split up. Nova and Adrian climbed up the ladder that lead to the top point of the star, while Ruby and Oscar went to one side point and Danna and Narcissa went to the other. 

“So… maybe we could consider this date night?” Adrian asked once they reached the top.

“You want to call riding around on a giant star through the city in front of thousands of people date night?” Nova put her hands on the rail and looked down below. 

It was quite the view from the top of the float. She could see Max in front of them with his glass replica of Gatlon. The ice float was ahead of him, and the lava one ahead of that. They weren’t quite to where people started gathering on the sidewalks yet. That was still a few blocks ahead.

“Sure, why not?”

She turned around, leaning her forearms against the railing. “Alright. Date night it is. That means the whole shebang though. You have to kiss me and tell me you love me and when we’re done here, you’re buying me dinner.”

“I think I can manage that.” He grinned, leaning down to kiss her softly.

Nova smiled into the kiss. Moving her arms from the rail, she wrapped them around his neck and tugged him even closer. 

She let go of Adrian when she heard the crowd draw nearer, hesitantly waving.

“Heyyyyy,” he whined. He reached forward, wrapped his arms around her hips, and set his chin on top of her head. “I want to hold you.”

Nova hummed, “You're holding me right now.”

The people down below cheered when they saw the star float approach. Some called out for Monarch or Smokescreen. Some for Red Assassin or Reflection. But most of the noise was for Sketch and Nightmare. The entire city was overjoyed to see a reformed villain and Gatlon’s golden boy so infatuated with each other. 

There were posters and signs saying tacky things like “Sketch and Nightmare 4ever!” or “LOVE CONQUERS ALL” scattered throughout the crowd.

Frankly Nova found them a bit annoying. She didn’t like that the public was so invested in their private lives. She also didn’t like the insinuation that Adrian changed her somehow. He didn’t change that she wanted to help the city, he just helped open her eyes to the right way to do it.

She sighed, listening to people call her name. She didn’t like the attention.

“I told you they love you,” Adrian said.

“I guess I'm just not used to the attention.” 

“It’s been six months.”

“I also lived in the subway for the same amount of time you’ve been in the spotlight.”

“Touche.” He loosened his arms around her, moving so they were face to face. “I know you don’t like people prying, so we’ll do what we can to keep them out of our business. I promise.”

Nova smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love you so much.”

His smile widened. “I love you too, my star.”

She stood up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. It was meant to only be a quick peck, but Adrian pulled her closer and tangled his fingers into her hair. Nova flushed when the people on the streets grew louder because of their public display of affection.

Adrian pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. “That’s going to be on the front page tomorrow.”

Nova groaned.

An hour later they walked to a pizza place not too far away. Oscar wanted to go with--saying that the snacked he had earlier weren’t enough--but Ruby convinced him to go somewhere else to Nova and Adrian could have some alone time. 

Hand in hand, they crossed the street. The pizza place was on the corner and Adrian pulled the door open for her. 

Nova was about to step inside when she felt a slight tug at her wrist. Her right hand immediately flung to her left wrist to keep the bracelet on. Her head whipped around, looking for the one person she knew would dare try stealing from her. Nova’s eyes locked on a scrawny young girl with a jet black bob. “Come here, you little shit.”

[cynicallystiles]

Marry You

Disclaimer: Gif originally posted by me.

Author: @cynicallystiles

Request: @laurs-x :  Request for Tom Holland x Reader where they go to visit Tom’s family and reader just kinda falls in love with all of them as a family and in the middle of that night reader asks Tom to sneak off to the court house/chapel to get married and they do and it’s just v sweet and romantic?? love you babeeee 💗

Warning: SO MUCH FUCKING FLUFF.

Notes: I LOVE YOU, TOO! So, I changed just a little thing at the end. But, I got SO SOFT writing this. So, thanks for making me channel those fuzzy feelings. Comment or reblog if you enjoy! I love writing Tom fluff.

Pairing: Tom Holland x GenderNeutral!Reader

Abbreviations: y/n=your name, y/m/n=your middle name, and y/l/n=your last name

Masterlist

Words: 2,775

You clutched the armrest on the plane for dear life as you just so happened to hit a patch of bumpy air. Your white-knuckled grasp along with your shallow breathing drew the attention of the man you loved most in the world.

"Relax, darling. It's just a spot of turbulence. Nothing to fret," he soothes you in that oh-so-charming accent.

You smiled anxiously at him as he placed his hand atop yours and rubbed circles along your knuckles with the pad of his thumb. If only he knew the real reason you were scared to death right now. You were on a plane headed across the Atlantic to meet his family for the first time.

He'd already met yours long ago during the early stages of the relationship. It was a rather lackluster affair as you only had your dad and his wife, plus the two little balls of energy you called your step-sisters. Though you were well into your 3rd year of being together, you were still terrified of meeting his family.

Thus, your death grip on the poor armrest. As if sensing the elevation of your unease, he turned in his seat toward you. "What is it, love?"

"Imaybesortascaredtomeetyourfamily," you mumbled out low and quick. A tiny bit of relief swelled in you from just saying it out loud. But, your beloved hadn't quite heard you.

He leans closer with a chuckle as he asks you to repeat it. "I'm sorry, I couldn't make that out. You're speaking too low, darling."

Rolling your eyes and giving a sigh of resignation, you repeat it slightly loud enough for him to hear. Although you said it at the same pace as before, "IMAYBESORTASCAREDTOMEETYOURFAMILY! Okay?"

Your cheeks flushed with the color of embarrassment that you were this nervous. But he simply leaned over and kissed your temple, putting your nerves at ease.

"There's nothing to be scared of, y/n. I've told them loads about you and they love you already," he says reassuringly.

You scrunch your nose at him. "What if I don't live up to the hype?"

"Just trust me. I love you so so much. They have to love you, too," he whispers adoringly in your ear. You smile and rest your head on his shoulder as you release your grip on the seat and replace it with his hand.

Just like that, all the tension had left your body. You were no longer filled with anxiety, but with anticipation and excitement of meeting the love of your life's family for the first time.

Time flew by and before you knew it, you found yourself outside of the Holland household. Tom moves to ascend the steps but stops, noticing that you aren't right behind him.

"We talked about this, love," he reminded you.

You roll your shoulders as you take a deep breath. "What? Yeah. No, I know. I'm just-I just need a second to remember all the names," you admitted with your brows furrowed in concentration.

He rolls his eyes as he comes back down the few steps he's taken and grabs you by the hand to pull you along. "I will introduce you first, y/n. It's not a test," he assures you once again through a chuckle.

"Yeah. Okay. No. Yeah, I can do this. I've got this. It's just the names of my future family right? They're not gonna be offended if I mess it up the first twenty times..." you continue to mumble to yourself as Tom has already opened up the front door and led you inside.

You're still repeating the names and trying to attach them to faces you've seen in pictures when he stops and you stumble into his back. You peek out from over his shoulder and see the whole gang except for his mom standing around the dining table.

"What's going on?" You whisper.

He leans his head slightly toward you as he whispers back, "I haven't the faintest idea." You saw his mouth twitch up ever-so-slightly, and you knew he was fibbing.

"For an actor, you're not very good at keeping secrets," you say as you step out from behind him.

He clutches his heart and feigns a hurt expression. "Darling, your roasting hurts," he says over-dramatically.

"There's a reason Marvel doesn't give you scripts! I mean you just posted the title for Spider-Man 2 on your Instagram and Twitter," you remind him with a giggle.

He shrugs before taking your bag and setting it down next to the stairs. Suddenly, his mother comes around the corner delicately balancing a tray on both of her arms. "Is that a cake? Tom, why does she have a cake?"

"Well..." he says taking you by the hand leading you closer to the table. "I told them that it was your birthday just last week and they wanted to throw you a little party."

You put one hand over your heart as you watch Nikki light the candles. "Aw, you guys didn't have to do all this," you say with your voice full of soft emotions.

His mother smiles brightly at you. "Nonsense! You're family! We celebrate every member’s birthday 'round here," she says in such a mother-like tone that your heart melts further.

After blowing out the candles and everyone having a slice, you slowly mingle with each other while eating more cake. You were talking with Nikki and Dominic while Tom had started to play-fight with his littlest brother Paddy.

You can't help but giggle as you watch him exaggeratedly fall to the ground in defeat. God, you loved him more than anything. Excusing yourself from the two, you head over to make introductions with his brothers.

Paddy was the easy one to get along with. "Just call me Pads like the rest of the family does. You're one of us now," he says with a goofy little grin.

You smiled brightly back at him. "Okay, Pads." You made a show of annunciating his name and he went back to the table for more cake. Turning to Tom, you open your mouth to say something when there's a loud stomp right next to you accompanied by a scream and hands on your shoulders.

You squeal in surprise and turn to see the twins doubled over laughing. "Oh, you guys are real clever," you say as you fall into the laughter with them.

Tom joins you with an arm around your waist and begins to make introductions. You cut him off quickly, wanting to prove that you could remember the difference. "Okay so...you," you say pointing to the one with the slightly darker and longer hair, "are Sam and that makes you Harry." You point at the other as you finish proudly.

The two share a silent glance with unreadable expressions. Your face falls as the first one speaks up. "Actually, I'm Harry and that's Sam," he says with a sigh.

Wide-eyed, you turn to Tom. Your expression falls into that of annoyance as you see him snickering. "Oh, you boys think you're so funny," you say as a mischievous smirk takes up residence on your lips. The two nod while holding back laughter.

"Well, Fred and George," you say menacingly as you slowly pick up your piece of cake in the palm of your hand. "Let's see if you think THIS is funny!"

You launch your cake filled hand at Sam. The cake and icing smush into his face so satisfyingly that you start to laugh uncontrollably. "Oh, they've started a war now!" He chuckles out.

You squeal as he runs to the table and grabs another fistful of cake and throws it at you. You deftly doge to the left, leaving the only thing in its path...Tom. You point and laugh as it explodes all over his throat and chin.

"You think that's funny, yeah?" He says with that smirk and you know you're in trouble. The whole dining room falls into chaos as cake is flying and landing every which way and soon you're all out of breath from laughing and yelling so loud.

The cake looks like it exploded from how many hands have just dug into it. You can't remember the last time you laughed or played that hard with family. After a long shower with Tom to scrub the cake off of each other, you settle into bed with his arms wrapped around you.

"So was it as scary as you thought?" He hums lowly into your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

You shake your head as you bite your lip to contain your grin. "Not at all. In fact...I'm surprised by how much it felt," you pause, looking for the right words.

"Felt like what, darling?"

You smile softly. "How much it felt like home," you let out a short content laugh before continuing, "how much they felt like they were already family. I realized tonight that no matter where we travel...I'll always be home. You're my home, Tom."

"You're my home too, love," he reciprocates as he plants kisses in your hair.

You turn in his arms so that your noses are an inch apart and you’re staring right into his hazelnut eyes. “Let’s get married,” you whisper happily.

“That’s my line,” he says as he rubs his nose against yours. “I accept, nonetheless. We’ll go down to the jewelers once we get back to the states and pick you ou-“

You cut him off by quickly pressing your lips to his. After retracting, you speak again, “No. I don’t wanna until we’re back in the states!”

“Well, I suppose we could find a chapel sometime later this wee-“

“THOMAS STANLEY HOLLAND,” you say his full name to grab his attention.

He looks at you quizzically.

“I cannot spend another second not married to you,” you say as your smile grows wider.

His lips turn upward as well. “It’s the middle of the night, y/n. What do you propose we do? Where are you going?”

You’re already up and out of the bed slipping your shoes on with one hand and googling something on your phone with the other.

“Don’t just lay there! Put your shoes on and call Haz! We’re gonna need a witness...” you begin to mumble as you walk around his room for looking for something, not really knowing what.

He’s totally lost but follows your lead all the same. “Even if I get Haz, who’s gonna marry us at this hour?”

“Are your parents heavy sleepers?” He shakes his head and opens his mouth to speak but he’s cut off as you start yelling. “EVERYBODY WAKE UUUUPPPP!!!”

Tom can hear your yelling getting further away as you leave the room and run through the house. Sleepy and grumpy boys shuffle from their rooms rubbing their eyes. While Nikki and Dominic, look concerned as their door flings open.

“What’s going on? What’s happened??”

You turn around quickly to face them. “Tom and I are getting married tonight! And we want the two of you to marry us!” You announce.

Everyone’s faces fall into shocked expressions. Tom finally comes out of the room, phone pressed to his ear. Presumably, on the phone with Harrison.

“Give them whatever they want. We’re doing this thing,” he chuckles as he looks at you adoringly.

You beam proudly. “Okay so you two just click this button right here and you’ll be ordained to marry us!” You jump excitedly with the phone, making it hard for them to press.

It doesn’t take long for Harrison to drive over in his pajamas, still not believing Tom when he said he’s getting married by his parents at 1 in the morning. But, when he walks in and sees you all standing in the wedding positions in the living room he grins.

“So this is a real thing?” He claps Tom on the back as he stands next to his dad and mom. He simply nods, beaming with excitement.

You’re practically vibrating out of your pajamas, you’re so ecstatic. The extremely small ceremony begins and you blush the whole time, eyes never leaving Tom’s.

Finally, and mercifully, it was time for vows.

He looks surprised. “I have nothing prepared-“

“You always do best when you improvise,” you encourage him.

He smiles gratefully at you, seemingly knowing the exact words he’s gonna say now.

“Y/n...you have never once questioned or doubted my ability to do anything. And I mean, anything. Like even the things I was one hundred percent sure I couldn’t do. Just as you have absolute faith in me, I have absolute faith in you. I am one hundred percent sure that you are the only one for me. You accept and love me for who I am, and not what I am...”

You can’t help but tease him a little. “Frog and all,” you giggle. He rolls his eyes, chuckling.

“Frog and all...When I’m with you...we have crazy adventures with lots of laughs even in what seems like a boring situation. You are the only person I would ever want to get married to at 1 am in our pajamas in my living room because you are absolutely the only person I know that would roast me during our vows. I promise to always be your home, even when we aren’t together. I promise to love and support you as you do me. Forever.”

He smiles softly at you. You sniffle, not being able to contain the pure happiness you felt when he said those things. “Don’t cry, love. You’re gonna make me do it, too,” he warns.

You take a deep breath, composing yourself in order to be able to speak.

“Tom...I have never once questioned or doubted you because you have never once proven me wrong about how amazing and wonderful you are. You do those things that you’re one hundred percent sure you can’t and you show me that the impossible is possible. I’ve never met anyone as kind or as understanding as you...”

Your lip quivers and you take a breath again.

“Even though we have crazy adventures and lots have laughs...you don’t stop loving me when I have bad days. The days that I can’t see anything but gray, you sit with me in silence until I can see the colors again. You are the only person who would let me roast them during our vows and yet love me more for it. Your promise is already kept because you are my love, my heart, and my home. I promise to be yours as well. And I promise to love and support you as you do me. Always.”

He reaches over to swipe a tear off of your cheek with his thumb and you do the same to him. You both lean into the other’s hand as they continue, noticing how misty-eyed everyone else has become.

“Do you, Thomas Stanley Holland, take y/n y/m/n y/l/n to be your partner and companion, as long as you both shall live?” Nikki asks trying to keep her voice from faltering.

“Oh, absolutely. I do.” He chuckles.

You begin jumping a bit in your spot, the anticipation killing you.

“Do you, y/n y/m/n y/l/n, take Thomas Stanley Holland to be your partner and companion, as long as you both shall live?” Dominic asks you, having the same quiver in his voice as Nikki.

“Forget as long as we live! You can’t get rid of me that easy, Holland. If I die first, I’m haunting you, and I expect you to do the same!” You chuckle.

Dominic clears his throat a little.“Oh! Yes. I do, I do, I do, I FRICKING do!”

Speaking in harmony his parents close the ceremony. “You may now kis-“

Like supercharged magnets, Tom’s hand finds the back of your neck to connect you to his lips in the softest yet most passionate kiss the two of you had ever shared. Your family claps and cheers in the background as he dips you, kissing you deeper.

“To think...you were scared of meeting my family, y/n,” he says as he looks deeply into your eyes after lifting you up.

You shrug, the giddiness on your face evident. “You’re the one that told me I had nothing to fret. They’re our family now,” you say with a happy sigh.

He rests his forehead against yours as the two of you fall into a fit of giggles.

Discount Avengers Tag List: @sebxstixnstan @holland-haven @secondsineternity @magic-marvel @laurfangirl424 @minnie-marvel @lucky-charms-writes @peter-prkers @greekdemigodwannabe @misslunala @who-the-buck-is-stucky @e-ms-world @hedwigthelegend @marvel-munchkin @sunflowerannawrites

[soitmightgetweird]

Secret Santa

Steve Rogers x reader

Summary & A/N: This was part of @caplansteverogers Christmas Challenge -- my prompt was "they did secret Santa at work and I got you and I have no idea what to get you so I’m pretending that I’m not stalking you when I am and I learn all these cute things about you." So here it is!

Warnings: mild embarrassment? 

Word Count: 2912

December 15, 2017

To: ALL

Good afternoon everyone!

Just a couple reminders: First, we are planning to close up by 2PM on the 22nd to give everyone time to prepare for the company party that night. Second, it's the last day to pick names for Secret Santa, so stop by the front desk before the end of the day to choose your person! The gift limit is $30.

Let's have some fun and finish the year strong!

-Pepper Potts, VP

You closed the email with a groan. Secret Santa gift exchanges were the worst. Okay so that was an exaggeration, but you always put unnecessary amounts of stress on yourself trying to think of the Perfect Gift. And even after the stress and wracking your brain, you still sometimes missed the mark.

Your noise of displeasure caused your desk-neighbor to stand up and peer at you over the divider between your work stations. She propped her arms up, pouting at you when you turned your chair to face her. "Are you already being a Scrooge?"

You rolled your eyes. "I suck at giving gifts, Wanda."

"You do not."

"Socks." The single-word reply came from the desk on your other side, and you groaned again.

"Nat, you said your cat kept destroying yours!" you defended.

The sound of a rolling chair preceded the appearance of your other neighbor as she peered around the partition to you. "I can buy my own socks, sweetie."

"And so I stand by my statement! I struggle enough with what to get the two of you, and now I have to buy something for some random person here that I probably know little to nothing about."

"Gift cards are always a good default," Nat said.

"But they're so impersonal!"

"Well it's either impersonal or lame."

A small paper ball flew at Nat before Wanda spoke again. "If time is running out and you really cannot think of anything, I'll help you out."

"I'm sure I'll need it," you mumbled, turning back to your computer to resume your work.

When the end of the day arrived, the three of you gathered your things and passed by the front desk to grab your Secret Santa names before leaving to start the weekend. You let your friends pick first, while you silently hoped you'd choose someone you at least knew a little. When it was finally your turn to reach into the bag, you held your breath as you grabbed a slip of paper and pulled it out to read the name.

Your face heated up as you saw the name staring back at you. Of course. Of course he was the person you chose. He was at job sites more than in the office, but he always managed to stop by and say hello when he passed through, and you always managed to stumble over your words in return. The only saving grace was that he never drew attention to it--so either he was a complete saint and wanted to save you the embarrassment or he was just completely clueless that he had that effect on you.

You were so lost in your thoughts that it took you a while to realize your friends were saying your name.

"Don't leave us hanging. Who'd you pick?" Nat asked with a smirk, as if she just knew this was going to be interesting.

Your voice sounded much quieter than you'd intended it to when you answered. "Steve Rogers."

Nat couldn't hold back the laugh that tumbled from her lips after your answer. "Oh, that's perfect!"

"Why do you enjoy my pain?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Wanda said as she draped an arm over your shoulders. "It is perfect. If he likes your gift, you can reveal it's from you. Maybe it'll start up a conversation."

You scoffed. "That's a pretty big 'if' though. I hardly know anything about him besides the fact that he's unnecessarily attractive and that my brain goes on vacation when I have to talk to him!"

"You could ask someone in his department? He's been friends with Wilson and Barnes for years," Nat offered.

"I'm not giving Sam more reasons to pick on me."

Wanda hummed. "Everyone's on Facebook--maybe try that?"

When your only response was a sigh, Wanda tightened her arm around you and Nat linked her left arm through your right one. "Operation: Tall, Blond, and Handsome is officially underway."

You whipped your head sideways to look at the smiling redhead next to you. "Natasha, we are not calling it that."

"Oh, we so are. Your mission for the weekend, should you choose to accept, is to brainstorm. Think of what you know about him, make a list, and we'll reconvene on Monday."

The weekend passed quickly and you still had exactly no idea what you could get Steve. You were hoping your friends would give you a break with the teasing, and you'd successfully avoided talking to them about it until you went to get a refill of coffee and they cornered you in the break room.

"So, what did your research tell you?" Nat asked, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.

"Basically that I'm doomed. Wanna trade names?"

"No way, my person's super easy to shop for."

A soft chuckle sounded from Wanda as she watched the two of you. "Why are you doomed?"

"His Facebook is very professional."

Nat raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

You made a vague motion with your hands, almost spilling the coffee you'd just poured. After a small huff, you placed the mug on the counter and crossed your arms. "There's not really anything there outside of some nice pictures of him with his work team. The few statuses he posts talk about projects he's working on."

"What about Instagram?" Wanda offered.

"I don't think I can do this; I'm just gonna get him a gift card."

"Oh no," Nat said with a shake of her head. "You're not doing that. You've been drooling over that man for months so now you have a chance to shower him in affection and you are going to do so."

Your head shook in disagreement. "It's not gonna play out like that! I'm gonna think for hours and be convinced I've got a winner but later I'll find out it was the worst gift ever and he'll just end up thinking I'm the lamest person on Earth."

"Aw, no one in their right mind would think you're lame," a new, deeper voice sounded from behind you.

There was no time to stop the surprised squeak you made as you turned toward the new arrival. "Steve!"

He chuckled as he made his way over to where you and your friends were standing. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Once the initial shock of his sudden appearance wore off, you felt a slight panic as you wondered if he'd heard any other parts of your conversation. When all he offered was a kind smile before turning his attention to the coffee maker, you guessed you were in the clear.

And of course, your mind decided to take a break too, so you just stood there in silence instead of making conversation like a normal person.

When he turned back toward you, a small crease formed on his forehead, accompanied by a look of slight concern. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Hello, brain! Get with the program! "Oh! Sorry, I guess the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet?"

"Party too hard this weekend?" he asked with a wink.

"Oh yeah, my dog and I are real party animals," you replied, your cheeks warming a bit as you blushed. "I mean, well, literally for her but... y'know, whatever."

Steve's eyes lit up. "You have a dog?"

"I--yeah, I bought a puppy a few months ago."

"That's awesome! I've got a puppy too, maybe we could--"

"Sorry to interrupt," another new voice said from the entrance to the break room. You looked over to see Bucky, his attention on Steve and an apologetic look on his face. "The truck's loaded up."

You looked back at Steve in time to catch the slight shake of his head. "Duty calls. It was nice chatting for a minute. See you ladies around."

You didn't even realize your coworkers were still there. When you turned to face them, Wanda and Nat both had matching, wide smiles on their faces.

"Were you both just standing there awkwardly while I stumbled through a conversation?"

Natasha giggled as she went to leave the room. "Oh, you've got it bad; we were talking the whole time and you didn't even notice."

Your eyes widened as Wanda grabbed your cup from the counter and handed it to you. "You did not stumble; you were fine. That is progress."

The television played Home Alone quietly in the background as you sat curled up on your couch with a glass of wine and your puppy. You'd had a goofy little smile on your face ever since you saw Steve that morning, one that Nat and Wanda were quick to point out at various parts of the day.

Feeling a new surge of motivation, you grabbed your phone and opened the Instagram app, grinning again as you found his profile. Then you almost dropped your phone when you started scrolling through pictures.

Was it actually possible to drool over this guy more than you already did?

You thought he looked good at work in his dark jeans and nice shirts, but he looked even better in all the candid and casual pictures. He favored tighter-fitting t-shirts--which you were not complaining about in the slightest. You already knew he was built, but the shorter sleeves gave you an unobstructed view of biceps and holy shit, did he have nice arms.

Then there was his puppy--an adorable, fluffy mutt named Ace. So that was discovery number two, you really dug a guy who loved his dog.

There were pictures of paintings he'd created, medals for races he'd run, a picture of the chaos that was his sketchpad, and more...

You let out a huff as you tapped your phone off and tossed it onto the coffee table. This exercise was supposed to help you learn more about him so you could figure out an awesome gift. Instead you were just falling for him more.

"Thanks for the Instagram tip," you said to Wanda the next morning.

She looked up from her computer screen and smiled. "So did you think of something?"

"Um... well, no? Not really. I just creeped on him like a dork."

"Don't be silly. What did you learn?"

You thought for a moment, sorting through what you remembered of the pictures you saw. "It's unfair how adorable he is?"

When Wanda simply titled her head and smirked, you continued.

"He's artistic; he paints and draws and he's amazing at it. His puppy is super cute and he likes to take him to parks where he can run around. He goes to breweries. He runs in half marathons with Bucky and Sam. He--oh! I got it!"

"I'm so proud of you," Nat said, making her way to the two of you as she walked into the room.

"He posted a picture of his headphones’ cord that always gets really tangled. How about wireless earbuds?"

Nat wiped an imaginary tear from her eye and smiled. "Wanda, they grow up so fast!"

Friday was a whirlwind of a day. You went into work a little earlier than normal, a small box covered in metallic green wrapping paper hidden inside your purse. After making sure no one was around Steve's desk, you walked over and placed the box in his chair before leaving the room again.

As you walked back to your desk, you wondered if he'd like it. Would he try to guess who it's from? It sat in the forefront of your mind for about an hour until you distracted yourself with work and before you knew it, Wanda and Nat were pulling you away from your desk so you could all leave to prepare for the party.

"Stop worrying; you look hot," Nat said from her position on your left as the three of you walked into the conference center where the party was taking place.

Back home, you'd been standing in front of the mirror for twenty minutes making minor tweaks to your hair and makeup, and trying to convince yourself that the dress you chose looked alright. You rolled your eyes as you looked over at her. "I look like I'm trying too hard."

"You do not. Don't be ridiculous," Wanda chimed in from your other side.

While there was still a bit of doubt that lingered over your attire, you honestly couldn't have asked for better coworkers and friends. They were always there to reassure you when your uncertainty surfaced, and they were always genuine with their compliments. So you decided to try to push that thought deep down and hide it away so you could enjoy the party.

The room was gorgeous--twinkling white lights hung from the ceiling and gave the room a soft but beautiful glow. There were tables along one length of the room, covered in white tablecloths and red accent pieces. The center of the room was open as a dance floor and some of your other coworkers were already out there enjoying themselves.

As soon as you'd placed your clutch and phone on one of the vacant tables, Wanda said she was going to get drinks and wandered off toward the open bar. A few moments later, Bucky was standing next to the table, asking Nat to dance. She stalled at first, casting a hesitant look in your direction, until you practically shooed her away.

You were only alone for a couple more minutes before a drink was placed on the table in front of you.

Thankful you weren't alone anymore, you released a happy sigh and reached for the alcohol. "Thanks, babe. You haven't by chance seen--Steve!" you gasped as he sat down in the seat Nat had been in moments before.

"Babe, huh?" Steve said, an amused smirk on his face.

"I, oh um, I thought you were Wanda," you mumbled.

He chuckled quietly. "I might've intercepted her on her way back. You look beautiful, by the way."

"Well, thank you." You felt your cheeks grow warm as you tried to fight the urge to look away. "You look pretty good yourself, Rogers." After a quick glance back at your drink, you raised your head to look him over--he was handsome as ever in his black pants, white shirt, and black tie. And wait, was he actually blushing too?

He cleared his throat and straightened up in the seat. "So, did you get anything good from your Secret Santa?"

"I did. It's probably the softest blanket I've ever touched in my life," you said with a smile. You wondered if this was his way of hinting that he'd figured out that you were the one who left the gift on his desk. Guess there was only one way to know for sure. "Did you?"

"Yeah, some pretty nice wireless headphones. I was getting really tired of untangling my old ones and the cord gets really annoying when I'm jogging so they're perfect."

"Well that's good to hear."

"Any idea who gave you the blanket?"

"Not a clue. Someone who knows I like naps?" you replied with a quiet laugh. "Do you know who gave you the headphones?"

He looked away for a brief moment, as if in thought, before he answered. "Could've been Bucky. God knows he's heard me complain about the tangled cords countless times. Maybe it was Banner, because he has some that are similar and I was asking about them a couple weeks ago. Or this girl in accounting who always strikes up conversations when she sees me."

"Maybe..." You wanted to chastise yourself for actually sounding a little bummed as he guessed about the gift-giver.

"But I'm actually pretty sure it was the cute girl in the marketing department that sits at the corner desk between Wanda and Natasha."

Your head snapped up to look at Steve, and there was that amused grin on his face again. "What?"

"Sam said he saw you walking away from our desks this morning. And a few days ago, you might've liked a really random Instagram post from a couple months ago... a picture of my old headphones in a tangled mess after I pulled them out of my pocket."

Your hands flew up to cover your face, muffling your words when you spoke again. "Oh man, I'm a dork."

Steve laughed and reached toward you, gently pulling your hands away from your face. "It's not such a bad thing to find out the girl you like is stalking your social media accounts."

"Oh my God, Steve that is not helping," you said, but the laugh that bubbled out of you took some of your embarrassment with it.

"Thanks for the headphones, doll," he said softly and it was then you noticed he was still holding onto your hands. "There's a cute little café down the street that's open late, would you want to stop by for coffee after the party wraps up?"

Wow, your friends were right--picking his name was a perfect way to start up a conversation. They were never going to let you live that down.

"I'd love to." 

Tags [are open]: @sebstanchrisevanchickforever19 @scarlettsoldier @feelmyroarrrr @shakzer00 @pixierox101 @chrevastan

[summernumber74]

“Summer No. 74″ — Day 2 — 3,341/50,000

Judy thought she looked extremely serious and handsome rushing around the loading docks. “Someone mixed up these frat t-shirts with the sorority t-shirts, and then packed all of that underneath Student Life sweatshirts and that order doesn’t even need to be filled until October. Plus there’s the radio station and then a couple of the bars downtown wanted stuff by the time students move in.” Finally she tied up her hair, put her thin long fingers to her temples, hummed The Proud Family theme to herself. Judy, feeling the sweat on her brow beginning to melt again, knew she’d miss this beautifully earnest woman. In spite of the strange, only half-born nature of their mutual affections, Judy felt that over this long miserable summer flew a huge banner that, in gold letters like an Irish manuscript, read KATHLEEN’S SINCERE KINDNESS. And Judy had found shade under that banner, out of the sun that knows everything, every thing in Judy’s loathsome heart. She went over to where Kathleen was cutting through the tape of unlabeled boxes, reached for, and then pulled back from, her sweatshirt sleeve. “Hey, Kathleen, I know there’s a lot going on here and—” Kathleen, brief, turned and said, “What if you stay at my place this weekend? Like, over night? And come in on Sunday? I mean, you can keep your stuff at my place, even if it’s a lot.”

“Well well well, if it isn’t Judge Judy!” Ken was being weird tonight. Judy figured a customer at the Ea-Z Freez had made a scene right as their shift ended, which always got them wound up. Judy shut the door behind her and gathered herself. “Hey Ken,” Judy being singsong hesitant. Ken came from around the corner in a sports bra and pink camo cargo shorts, their forearms dripping wet up to the elbows. “Need a judgment of yours. I’ve been soaping down the kitchen counter for and that’s good to go, though there’s something weird in the cabinets I want you to look at. More the issue is that no one else can figure out what to do with the mold in the shower. I texted Angie and she says try to burn it off. Dani says I shower the most so it’s my issue to figure out. Oh and listen I think Danny-II already left, so we’re stuck with his stuff. I found this pair of corduroy pants of his that I think you might like,” Ken pointed with their toe at a pile of olive brown next to Danny-II’s open door. All that was left was a small pile of books owed to the public library, a few garments, and a wall-to-wall collection of anime posters. Most of the idol posters had already been folded up and, Judy saw, placed right next to Angie’s door. Hmm-ing for a minute, Judy said, “I might take the…Cowboy Bebop posters?” Dani slammed open the door, her hand over her mouth, doing the anime “Incredulous Woman” laugh— “HueHueHueHue! Someone who doesn’t watch anime? Who likes Cowboy Bebop? Perish the thought!” Judy knew there was an immense amount of chaos in the house tonight. “Did you hear me from outside,” Judy asked. Dani shrugged and said, “I am extremely sensitive to sounds.”

Judy started rifling through Danny-II’s library books, said, “Hey Dani maybe you need to flip through this,” and threw a hardbound New Solutions for Soundproofing Your Home: Revised for Wine Rooms & Home Entertaining over Dani’s forehead, grazing her buzzed hair. “Man O Man,” Judy said, “What didn’t this guy read? Listen to this: Weather Systems in the American Southwest, 1981-1995; The Unpublished Dan Brown; Reconsidering the Byzantines: Post-Ottoman Greek Nationalisms; A People’s History of Real Estate Fraud in the Early American Republic; Home Maintenance Volume 2: Patio Maitenance. This guy reads the weirdest shit.” Ken wiped their arms on their pink camo and grabbed the Dan Brown, flipping through it as they walked back towards the kitchen. Dani picked up the book on weather and unfolded weather pattern maps, whistling like they centerfolds. “Wow, New Mexico in ’86 was… bonkers.”  Judy hollered towards the kitchen, “Well, if he’s out of here, I’ll take these back tomorrow.” “Alright, alright, I’ll leave this out,” Ken said. Dani tossed the weather book back on the floor, the map still unfolded.

 Judy and Dani spent some time trying to get the kitchen together. The weird thing in the cabinet, which was indescribable, something like an architectural defect and a distinct object halfway present in space and time, they left to tomorrow. While Judy swept, Dani said, “So, Jeremy texted me a couple minutes ago. He says you might not be around much this weekend?” Ken, extremely relaxed out on their loveseat with their legs on the coffee table around both side of the little LCD television, raised an eyebrow over the Dan Brown. “Well, you know…I went to pick up my check today and Ricki hadn’t come by yet. It’s her mom, I think, or her aunt or something? Well anyway you know that goofy thing Jeremy does when he’s in his zone?” Dani laughed. “You mean that goofy Humphrey Bogart look from the movie posters? Yeah, that kid’s a trip,” and Dani, in imitation, drew her lips tight and made her forehead strained still. With the look still on her face, Dani got right next to Ken and whipped the book up out of their hands. “Hey! I was reading that,” Ken reached behind the loveseat, straining over a bit. Dani turned around, rubbed her thumb on her lower lips, and said in an arch French accent, “B-oooogey.” Judy snorted at this and continued, “Anyway, I think I’m gonna try to work a couple shifts before I leave, just a couple hours, and then I’m gonna keep my stuff at Kathleen’s and, like, stay there Saturday night.” Now Ken was involved, saying, “Oh! So you and Kathleen are talking, huh? Or, I mean, again?” Judy tried to keep the excitement she was feeling out of her voice, saying, “It’s not like we stopped talking. I mean, we’re close and we saw each other every day at work, you know. It’s like, if our landlord’s coming by to take our keys on Saturday, anyway, I’m not going to want to drive back just to make a little money, even if it’s helping out.” Judy felt satisfied with what she felt was a masterful deflection.

 Until Dani added, “Oh, well, Jeremy said you seemed much more enthusiastic about it. You, lemme check my phone, I want to get this right—” and she peaked at her phone in her pocket, “You, and I quote, ‘did that weird hop-step Judy does when she’s really living her life.’ Is that true?” Judy felt her face get hot, but Dani said, “Oh, well you seem very cool about it. Maybe Jeremy was just reading into things. He did say that Kathleen seemed pretty pleased with herself when she told him, though. He said she was especially shoulder pad-y when you left.” Judy and Dani and Ken all simultaneously went “Ah, hmmmmm,” at that. Judy let this sit in the air and groaned. “Y’all…I really liiiiiiike her. She’s very tall.” Ken said, “ Well, be realistic. What could something like this mean except for some kind of, uh, interest? Or something?” “Yeah,” Dani said, “I mean it’s not like y’all had any kind of falling out or anything in the first place. You just, what, she went to see her family for a few weeks, you got kind of,” Dani, searching for a delicate word, making a ‘come on, come on’ hand gesture next to her own head, “weird? I guess? And there was that like, that thing at the party. I dunno. Ken’s got it right, don’t worry about it. Even if she’s not trying to marry you, she must wanna still, what? Keep close after you leave town? And you’re gonna visit, right? What’s the worry, then. You two’ll probably just, what, watch some ABC Family melodrama, make out on her porch and go to sleep. It’ll be cute, enjoy yourself.”

“Huh, that makes me think,” Judy said hesitantly. “Does she only want me over on Saturday, or also, like, earlier? Maybe I should text her.” She rubbed her hands, dusty from having moved on to clean the graveyard of spiders that was the top of the cabinets, and sent Kathleen a text:

           J: Hey! So, i’m just trying to let my mom know what’s up for this weekend

           J: She doesn’t *need* me home urgently per se so like maybe i could come hang out with you all weekend?

                       Sent 10:06 PM

           J: Like when we’re not at work. I know you’re super busy!! But like i can work in the mornings or            

           afternoons or whenever and then when we’re not working… or like…

                       Sent 10:07 PM

           J: Could i stay over friday and saturday too?

           J: Or you could come and hang here too?

                       Sent 10:10 PM

                                   Read 10:53 PM

           K: Hey! Are you still around? We JUST got out. Me and Jerry are going to go get a drink. Are you up?  The two of us would love to see you again:)

                       Sent 12:01 AM

           J: Oooooh

           J: I’m honestly so gross rn i’m actually about to shower real quick y’all go ahead

                       Sent 12:02 AM

                                   Read 12:02 AM

           K: Haha awww I feel that. Hey why don’t we just get something from the gas station and come over. You  still have that gross couch? Like, it didn’t get torched at the destruction party :p Do you want anything?

                       Sent 12:03 AM

           J: Umm just get me a…            J: bud lite lime lmao

                       Sent 12:05 AM

                                   Read 12:05 AM

           K: You got it! ^___^ See you soon <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

                       Sent 12:05 AM

           J: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

[thewalkingdeadimaginings]

No Regrets Part 9

Ahhhhhh I’ve been away for so long what’s that about?! I’ve been very bad. Very, very bad. And I’m very sorry for the lack of posts. I suck, I’m the worst hahahaha! But I’m back with part 9 and honestly, if I could just update this story and Don’t Look Back all the freaking time I would haha. I absolutely love Mia and Daryl. I’ve grown attached to Mia…help. LOL

No Regrets Part 9

The next few weeks were amazing. Daryl still wasn’t all that great at communicating or showing much emotion but he was getting better at it. He was at least trying. He had been spending the night at Mia’s house quite a bit lately, just wanting to be around her as much as he could. And Mia loved having him around like this.

For the first time in a long time, Mia woke up that morning completely forgetting for a moment that the world had ended. The sun shone through the window, lighting up the entire room, birds chirped, and a light breeze blew through the trees. She was wrapped up in Daryl’s strong arms, his steady breathing almost relaxing her back to sleep. But she forced herself to sit up, waking Daryl in the process.

Daryl rubbed his eyes, squinting as he turned his head to look out the window. He groaned and stretched, “What time is it?”

“Early by the looks of it,” Mia replied, “So, what’s on the agenda today?”

“Nothin’ until tomorrow,” Daryl said, “Tomorrow Aaron and I are gonna go recruiting. What about you? Doin’ anything today?”

“Not really,” Mia said, “Looks like we’ve got this day to ourselves, right? What do you wanna do?”

Daryl shrugged, “I dunno. What do you wanna do?”

“If only there was more to do for fun around here,” Mia sighed, “Can’t exactly go out to dinner or dancing, can we?”

Daryl smirked, “You’d never see me dance.”

“Oh, really?” Mia giggled, sitting up in bed, “Well, we’ll just have to see about that. I’ll tell you what, I’ll go down to the pantry and grab some stuff to make us some dinner later tonight. You wanna come with me or do you wanna stay here and wait for me?”

“I’ll hang back,” Daryl replied as he got out of bed and picked his shirt up off the floor, “You can surprise me with whatever you’re gonna make.”

“Perfect,” Mia said, “Maybe I can find some more wine since you seemed to enjoy it last time.”

“Tryin’ to get me drunk again?” Daryl said teasingly, grabbing Mia’s hand before she could get too far. She squealed as he pulled her to him, his firm chest pressed against hers, “Could work out pretty good for ya this time.”

“Or you could just get really, really sleepy and goofy again,” Mia giggled. She kissed him before he could respond and she pulled away, grabbing her shoes on the way out, “I’ll be back in a few minutes!”

Mia was in luck today as Daryl and a few others had recently gone out hunting and there was some meat Mia could use for dinner. It was mostly squirrel or possum but Mia wasn’t exactly expecting there to be a bunch of chickens or cows running around the woods. She grabbed some meat, a can of green beans, a few spices, and the best part of it all in her opinion, some rice. She had discovered a rice cooker in her house when she first arrived in Alexandria but never had an opportunity to use it. Until today at least.

As Mia carried her basket of supplies back home, she heard footsteps running up to her. She turned a bit to see Spencer catching up to her but she still wasn’t happy with him for the way he’d behaved a few weeks ago so instead of stopping, she kept right on walking.

“Oh come on, Mia!” Spencer exclaimed, “Wait up!”

“Spencer, I’m not in the mood,” Mia muttered, “And I haven’t exactly forgiven you for the stuff you said about Daryl before.”

“You’re still with him,” Spencer remarked as the two of them approached Mia’s house. He chuckled, following her up the steps, “But you guys were kinda rocky for a bit, right?”

Mia rolled her eyes, “Yes, Spencer. It was just a misunderstanding that we fixed and now we’re together.”

“Living together?”

“Not really,” Mia replied, “Sometimes he stays here, sometimes I stay there. I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this. It’s really none of your business, Spencer.”

“Come on, we’re friends,” Spencer argued, “We used to get personal all the time, remember?”

“My friends don’t say the nasty things you said,” Mia shot back, “And they don’t pry like this. Look, I’ve gotta get inside and put this stuff away. Just go.”

“I just gotta know,” Spencer continued, “What do you see in him? What does he have that I didn’t have?”

Mia sighed, rubbing her eyes. She was that person who insisted that men and women could be friends without there being anything sexual or romantic going on. And she thought Spencer was that kind of person too. But apparently, he was just like most men she’d known in her life, “Thank you, Spencer for feeding into that stereotype that men and women can’t just be friends.”

“Don’t act like you weren’t feeding into it too,” Spencer said.

“Stop,” Mia retorted, holding her finger up, “I have never seen you in a romantic way in the slightest. You were always my friend. At least I thought you were. For the last time, Daryl is a good man and I really like him and I care for him. And he likes me too.”

“Daryl and his group don’t belong here,” Spencer blurted out, “The priest that came with them, he told my mom about that group. They’re bad people, the things they’ve done.”

“It doesn’t shock me that they’ve done some drastic things,” Mia said, “Sometimes desperation and fear make you do crazy things. And I know in my heart that Daryl isn’t an evil person and neither is his group. I don’t know what that priest told your mom or why he decided to turn against his own group, but I don’t care. There’s nothing you can do to convince me.”

“Dammit, Mia!” Spencer shouted, throwing his arms up in frustration, “You’re too goddamn trusting of people. He’s gonna get you killed!”

The front door opened and Daryl stepped out, narrowing his eyes when he saw Spencer, “What’s goin’ on out here?”

“Nothing,” Mia said, her voice softening as she smiled at Daryl and extended her arm with her basket dangling in her hand, “Can you take this inside for me, please?”

Daryl ignored her, taking a step forward, shortening the space between her and Spencer, “What were you sayin’ just now? Wanna say it to my face?”

“Yeah,” Spencer replied, pointing his finger at Daryl, “I’m not gonna just stand by and watch while you get Mia killed.”

“You think I can’t keep her safe?” Daryl said, “What the fuck have you done hiding behind these walls? You go on the road, see how far ya get!”

“Daryl please,” Mia murmured, placing her hands on Daryl’s chest, “Let’s go inside.”

“You’re nowhere near good enough for Mia,” Spencer said, “She could do way better than you but I guess she wanted to try something new.”

Daryl tensed and Mia felt him slightly tremble but he wouldn’t break. But his silence just allowed Spencer to continue, “You’re just redneck trash, Daryl. I don’t know what the fuck you did to get Mia’s attention that no one else could do but it got you laid so you did something right!”

Mia whipped her body around without a second thought and slapped Spencer across the face. She started shoving Spencer, dropping her basket on the porch, “Get out! Get away from me I never want to see you ever again you son of a bitch!”

Spencer seemed almost hurt and confused by Mia’s rage but he complied and hurried away. When Mia turned around to face Daryl once more, he was gone. Mia sighed, her shoulders slumped as she picked her basket up and took it inside. Daryl was sitting on the windowsill, chewing on his thumbnail. Mia shut the door behind her which made Daryl turn his head to look at her. He spared a quick glance before turning back to the window.

“I’m sorry I let it get to that,” Mia mumbled, “I should’ve forced him to leave sooner.”

Daryl shrugged, “Not your fault. Nothin’ I ain’t heard before.”

“But that’s not fair to you,” Mia said, setting the basket down on the coffee table. She took a seat beside him on the windowsill, grabbing his shoulders, “Because none of it is true. I’ve never once seen you as a ‘redneck’ or you’re certainly not trash.”

“It’s okay, Mia,” Daryl said, “Really.”

“No, it’s not,” Mia argued, “You did catch my eye the moment we met but it wasn’t the way you dressed or your background or any of that. There was something in your eyes that made me notice you. You don’t say a lot but your eyes speak more than your mouth does. There was something there that drew me to you. And my instincts were right. Because I don’t wanna be here without you.”

Daryl grunted, “Yeah.”

“I know it sounds unbelievably stupid and corny,” Mia said, placing a kiss on his shoulder, “And I know it makes you uncomfortable so I’ll stop. I just need you to know that Spencer is wrong.”

Mia stood up and picked up her basket once more to put her supplies away in the kitchen. As she reached the hallway that led to the kitchen, Daryl stopped her, “Hey, it’s…it’s not stupid. Thanks, Mia.”

The smile that spread on Mia’s delicate lips made Daryl’s heart flutter. All he ever wanted in this life was to see that smile on her face. He told Spencer that he could keep Mia safe but it seemed that she was the one that made him feel safe. Maybe it was okay to be saved once in a while. Maybe this was the way relationships were supposed to be. He still had a lot to learn but at least he wasn’t alone. He knew Mia was still figuring things out too. He had her and suddenly Spencer’s bullshit didn’t matter anymore. It was comforting to know that it never mattered to Mia. He was hers and she was his right from the start.

[twistedsporadicdetective-blog]

It would've been him, you and I. 

It would be you and I up all night when he wouldn't stop crying. 

It would be you and I sitting in the ER at 4 am because he was sick. 

It would be me and you and our families celebrating his first steps and his first birthday. 

It would be us changing his diapers and making him laugh. 

It would be your chest that he fell asleep on while you were watching tv with me passed out on your arm. 

It would be you and I going to every doctor's appointment. 

You would've been the one celebrating with me the first time Ry said "Dada" or "mama". 

Both of our  breaths would have caught every time he fell as he took his first steps. 

We would've been the ones in the grocery store that everyone stopped to talk about our adorable baby boy's chubby cheeks. 

You would've been the one he called for in the middle of the night when he had a bad dream. 

I would’ve been the one pulling him into bed with us, just one more time.

You would've been the one chasing the monsters out of the closet and from under the bed. 

You would've been the one trying not to cry with me on his first day of school. 

You would've been the one to teach him to play ball, to swim, to shoot his first bb gun.

We would've been the ones rushing to the hospital from work when he broke his first bone. 

You would've been the man Ryker admired most in the world. The one who taught him how to be a man.

On his first parents night Ry would've dragged us through his school by our hands and introduced you to his teachers as his daddy. He would've shown you his art pictures and you would've beamed with pride as his teacher told you how smart he was and good he was. Then she would've pointed to one of his pictures on the wall, "my hero is..." and all the kids drew pictures of firemen and policemen and super man but in his crooked little hand writing he wrote "my daddy" and did his best drawing of you. You'd pick him up and hug him tight as he asked you in his sweet voice if you liked his picture. You would tell him it was your favorite one so far. He'd get a big goofy grin and then notice his friends and wiggle to be put back on the ground and he'd take off but not before saying "I love you daddy". You would choke up a bit and wonder how you got to be so lucky to have the greatest son in the world.

He would've grown up too fast and in no time at all, he'd be telling you about this girl he likes in his class and how she didn't even know he existed. Then you would tell him go for it, you never know unless you try. So he would, and the next day he'd come home grinning ear to ear because she was his girlfriend now.

In no time at all, we would start to notice he was getting to that age. It would be time for you to sit down with him and have "the talk". It would be a little awkward for you as you explained what was going to be happening to him in the not so distant future and told him about the birds and the bees. He'd be completely grossed out and embarrassed trying to cut the conversation as short as possible. 

Then at about 14 we'd catch Ry coming back in late at night from sneaking out to see a girl. We would ground him and for the first time he would scream "I hate you" as he stormed up the stairs and slammed his door.    

15 is time to start teaching him to drive. I couldn't get in the car with something I birthed driving, so that would make this your experience to. You'd run him through the basics tell him where everything was, show him how to check the oil, slam the hood and toss him the keys to your old truck. He'd give you that happiest boy in the world grin and get in the drivers seat pretending like he wasn't nervous and hoping you didn't see him shake. He'd start the truck and put it in reverse and back up until he hit a fence post he couldnt quite see and slammed on the brakes. He would go to get out apologizing "I'm sorry dad, I couldn't see it. I didn't mean to." You'd laugh and tell him if that's the worst thing he ever did he was doing pretty good.

Within a couple of weeks, you'd start talking to your buddies about buying him a car. You guys would go back and forth about what to get him and decide he needed a fixer upper because every boy needs to know hard work and how to fix his own car.  So one day ya'll would come home with this old dusty 1976 mustang, rusted out floor pans, the engine barely turned over, and it was ugly as homemade sin and you would tell him that you were going to fix it for a friend. Ry would beg to hang out with you and your friends and help. So you finally agreed.   

 All of you would all work on it every Saturday from early morning until it got to dark to see. Ryker would feel like an adult for the first time hanging out with all of you, as one of the guys, learning everything about the car he could. He would even get a part time job bagging groceries to pay for parts.  

His 16th birthday would roll around and we'd take him to get his license. As he took the test we would watch and wonder where time went. When did our little boy get old enough to drive? He passed the test like we knew he would. He got his first copy of his driver's license. He would've been so proud of it.    

We would leave the dmv and head back to the house for the barbecue where all of the guys and Ry's friends were starting to show up. I would send a quick message that said we were on our way. Everyone would hide in the bushes and the back yard, careful not to give themselves away as we pulled in. We would get out of the car and then suddenly everyone would surround Ryker screaming surprise and happy birthday and congratulations. We would take him totally by surprise. Just a few weeks ago we would have all had a big fight because Ry wanted a big sweet 16 party and we told him no. He would've thought we were the worst parents in the world but what he didn't know is we would have already had his party planned.   

 A little while into the party people would be in out of the pool, up and down a giant slip-n-slide adults and children alike all would have been having a blast, an unfamiliar truck would come carefully up the driveway. A knowing grin would play across all the men's faces as two men would get out of the cab. You would tell Ryker to close his eyes, and one of your friends would stick their hand over his eyes to make sure he didn't peak 

   The two guys from the truck would lower the gate to the trailer and the crowd would get quiet as they almost soundlessly rolled the freshly painted candy apple red 76 mustang out into the drive way. You would tell Ryker he could look now, and your friend would remove his hand.   

Ry would be speechless as he stared at the car that you all had been working on for class to the last year. On every detail you and the guys had asked him for his opinion and he only thought you were trying to include him, never would it have crossed his mind that you were building the car for him.  You would hand him the keys and tell him to start her up. She would start on the first try, and he would have the biggest smile on his face. This would've been one of the best days of his life.   

He would get out of the car and hug us and tell the guys thank you for everything they did. Then his friends would ask to go for a ride and he would look at us silently begging. You would give in even though we knew he wasn't supposed to have passengers yet and tell him"Alright, but stay on our block." He'd jump in the driver's sit and disappear in a cloud of dust with all of his friends. This definitely would've been one of the best days of his life.    

He would've met his first love around his sophomore year. They would be inseparable for a while and then...they'd break up and he'd have his first heartbreak. He would try to hide it from us, but we would be able to see and want so desperately to help. So you would take him out, and let him pick out another junk car because he had enjoyed working on the first one so much. He would spend every spare minute out there with the car, listening to his music and finding his way through his heartbreak with your help.   

Then he would meet another girl that would make him smile, and then a few more and each would follow the last within a couple of weeks. Then at some point she would show up. The first girl to sit out there with him, and let him teach her about it. The first girl to take interest in what he did. The girl that would be our daughter-in-law.   

Together they would get the car running, you would be able to hear their excitement over the car even in the house. They might share their first kiss then. The weeks would turn into months and still they would be dating.   

He would ask us out of the blue one day what we thought about her. We would comment on she was a good girl and she was sweet and what not. Then he would clear his throat and say, "what I meant was, what would you think of her as your daughter-in-law?" We would laugh and smile maybe the biggest smile we ever had. I'd tell him I was wondering when he was going to get around to asking that. You would go into our room reach into my top drawer and grab the little leather black box. You would bring it back into the kitchen and raise an eyebrow at me as I saw what was in your hand, I would nod and you'd clear your throat.   

"Have you gotten a ring yet?" He would shake his head, "no but I've been shopping, I've got a couple in mind."  You would continue, "we have something we want you to have, if you want it." You would open the box and reveal a beautiful ring. The same ring you proposed to me with. "This is the ring I proposed to your mother with. I..we would like you to have it." 

  Ryker would take the box in his hand and stare at the ring, he'd look up with moist eyes and say, "it's perfect, thank you. Are you sure?" We would nod and I would say, "just take care of it and her." He would close the box and stick it into his pocket and continue on his way out the door to get to his final graduation ceremony practice. 

We would watch our son and our future daughter-in-law walk across that stage as proud as we could be of both of him. After the ceremony everyone would go out to the house for one last big barbecue before all the kids went off to college. 

Ryker would've set up everything for the barbecue today while I was cooking and you were out getting more supplies for the night. We would've noticed that he set it up a little different than normal but nothing would've clicked.

He would gather everyone together pulling our soon to be daughter-in-law with him. He would begin to talk about the good and bad times of high school and all the friends they had made and talk about he how had the girl of his dreams and how right where he was standing in front of the car they had fixed together he had had some of the best moments of his life and how he couldnt move forward with his future without her and then with her still leaning on the car he would get down on one knee and  ask her to marry him.            

She would put her hands to her mouth in shock with tears running down her face lost for words for a second as everyone anxiously awaited her answer. Then she would drop to her knees and say yes as she pulled him in for a kiss and everyone would cheer.           I skipped over the bad things that would've inevitably happened 

in his life if he had gotten the chance to lead one, but these were 

 a glimpse of what I would like to think Ryker's life would've looked like.....

--

Ryker Lakota Marley Evans 

March 23, 2016