#i be working too hard today to tag everything we are gonna cover in this podcast because really we are going to be talking about ANYTHING.

[tiktaalic]

pa said the well's run dry he said the bank came out yesterday and said we're gonna have to sell the blog and get work in the city like the rest of folks less we can come up with something real quick. he was all ready to sign the papers today but i begged him to wait to give me time to find something anything and he sighed and said he could give me a week and not a minute more. and i nodded and i cried because he was right when he said there was next to nothing i could do and even if i did find a miracle. all our neighbors shuffled off weeks months years ago because the posts dried up and the bank came knocking. i break open my piggy bank hoping there's enough drafts in there to tide us over. i sit there. and i have to decide if it's worth spending everything i have just to buy us an extra day. and i know this extra day will consist of walking around mute and shellshocked. and i decide. it's worth it. i give pa all my drafts and he looks at me and shakes his head and his voice cracks when he says i better keep hold of those for getting settled in the city. i could fight him. i don't. i leave all my drafts on the table and storm out the back door. there must be something. they must have just missed it. pa says he knows this blog better than anyone. but i grew up here, same as him. and as much as he loves it, i love it more. when i was seven years old he tore the place apart looking for me after i wandered off. but i wasn't lost. i'd found a tag to play in, happy as could be. he never found me, or the tag, i just wandered back out when i got hungry. it's pa's blog, but it's my home. i know where the creeks and streams and ponds are. i know if i look hard enough, i can find a new posting well.

day one, i strike out. i wake up before dawn. i come in after dusk with no posts to show for it. pa's boxing up our plates when i walk in. he doesn't say anything. i don't either.

day two, i wander a further. yesterday, i was following a map with areas of interest marked in order of likelihood of success. today, i pick a direction and walk. i have more to show for it, if only barely. i get home with one bucket of posts. pa tells me i should keep them.

day three i wake up because pa's dragging furniture into the yard for a yard sale. when i ask him what he's doing he says he'd rather be paid flop drafts by our neighbors than flop drafts by the bank. i walk back inside. get my map. i get home after midnight with empty hands.

day four. when i wasn't looking, the cold single minded determination turned into fear. i'm realizing i'm running out of time. i'm realizing the reason pa didn't put up a fight is because he knew there was nothing out here. i could kill him. what kind of farmer depends on one well? my heart isn't in it today. i head out after noon. i'm back before dusk. there's been a stack of empty boxes sitting outside my room since pa told me the news. i haven't touched them. tonight, i take one and put away some of my things.

day five. there's more ground to cover. it's more out of a sense of completion than anything. so that when we're in the city, i can say, i did everything i could. i looked everywhere. this was the only option. i stop midday for a rest. the ground i put my palms on is curiously softer than the rest. i dig. it comes away easily. it turns into mud. heart thudding in my ears, i keep digging. the mud gives way to a trickle of posts. ears roaring. i keep digging. hands covered in mud. the trickle turns into a stream. i start yelling for pa. i'm too far from the house for him to hear me, but i'm not thinking about that right now. i'm thinking about the posts in front of me, clear and fresh. text posts. gifs. amvs. there's enough to live another twenty years on this blog. i splash my face. i laugh. i fill my bucket. i'll have to bring more. we'll have to get the pump set up. because there are enough new supernatural posts here for me and my children to build a life.

[ramonathinks]

yours | nanami kento (repost)

tags: infidelity, age gap (reader is 25, nanami is 35), angst, crying, insults, smut, cum eating (??), oral (f!), reader is pregnant

“you’re a nasty old man.” you muttered as he caressed the soles of your swollen feet, your hands over your face — trying to hide yourself from him but it almost never worked. you always seemed to bare your soul to him no matter what and you hated it.

he said nothing, allowing you to express your anger at him. he was almost beginning to hate himself for the amount of pain he was causing you. you stretched your legs out before removing them from him entirely. the warmth and the softness he knew, all gone in an instant. you tucked your feet into the comfy couch cushion and sniffled.

you wanted to hate him with all you had. but you had already knew these things about him. you knew he had a wife. you knew he was married to her for almost seven years. you knew that.

but why did it feel more serious and more real today? she had the ring but you have the baby, you had him and what he wanted. you were what he wanted, he assured you always.

but for the public, it was always her. you couldn’t help but feel envious. to feel shamed. embarrassed even. your throat raw and scratchy from crying, your nose running. “you’re just a nasty old man who wanted something different…something new? you didn’t want me… you wanted a fantasy.” you couldn’t look at him anymore.

“baby,” he swallowed hard, urging you to look at him. his hand reaching for your belly. but you shooed him off.

“not that hand, no.” you shook your head harshly, glaring at the ring. a symbol of what you’d never be. a cruel reality. “do you love her?”

“i’ve never loved her. i never knew love until you.” he whispered. “she made me lonely. i have never been happier with you.”

“then why…” you couldn’t speak anymore, throat closing up and the tears slipping before you could stop yourself. but he pulled you close and on to his lap.

“she found out i was leaving and wanted to make a scene. she wanted to see and catch us off guard. believe me when i say, i haven’t see her in almost two years.”

“the way she grabbed you. the way she kissed you—” your head was spinning, so much dizziness.

“stress isn’t good for the baby.” he reminded you. “but just know, this is what she wanted. the commotion. your doubt. to get the public’s attention on me and her after all these speculations over the years… we been over years ago. she’s been gone out of my head the moment i saw you,” he explains. “it’s always been you and it always will. she caught me off guard, i was looking for you and…” he does a long sigh before he next speaks.

“i was looking for you and she was wearing your dress.” he whispered, ashamed, rubbing his forehead. “a lapse in judgement on my part, but she’s crazy. anything to keep getting money out of me. she ran away when i first mentioned divorce, i’ve been looking for her the moment we got so serious. i would never want you to feel so humiliated.”

you knew what he was saying was true. he was a good man. he always treated you right. he was sweet and a real man. and you were too overwhelmed with seeing her for the first time that you let everything slip out the window.

he reached for your ankle, looking over your lilac painted toes. he pressed small kisses all over — the top of your foots, each toe and even the bottom. “i love every part of you. i love you. only you.”

time always moved too fast with him. now, you laid spread out and bare for him. your body felt foreign and the hair made you want to cover up. you hated this feeling. you wanted to cry. wrapping your arms up, you hide your aching breasts and closed your legs.

“you look so damn ravishing.” he murmurs, his cock leaking and bobbling, throbbing so hard you can’t look away. “this nasty old man is gonna make love to you until he can’t anymore, so don’t hide from me.” he spread your legs again before taking your hands in his.

your legs wrapped away his waist as he thrusts forward, slowly and just barely pushing the tip in. you were almost too wet and slippery on the inside, using his hand he aligned himself to your dripping hole.

you bit your lip while you watched and when your walls swallowed him up, your legs shook uncontrollably, almost on the brink from barely one thrust. he chuckled, “always so sensitive.”

you playfully glared at him and grabbed his face, eager to kiss him. his lips soft and sweet, his tongue moving sloppy as his hips was. his eyes closed, he was deep in thought, his groans soft. his mind focused on one thing: you.

your walls squeezing him, wrapping around him like a snake, your nails felt permanently attached to his skin. you rocked your hips to his, meeting every soft thrust of his. his thrust powerful but so sensual and you felt every drag of it.

“you’re just so perfect.” his cock felt hot inside of your body and the pressure in your tummy felt too good, small splashing came with each slow thrusting. his dick wet along with his lower stomach.

he stroked your clit in circles, doing a tight smile whenever your precious cunt tightened up on him. you moans traveling louder into his ears. “ken…” he loved hearing his name even more than the moans coming out of your mouth.

taking a look at you, he grinned. your eyes squeezed shut and your dark brown skin glowing with sweat. “gonna marry you. gonna fuck’n…” the naughty sounds of his balls slapping your ass and the assault on your clit had your toes curling. “gonna make you my little house wife. j‘like we always planned.” he could feel you pulsing and feel himself getting close.

your gooey squishy insides feeling like heaven against his hard cock, taking him just like he needed. “i love you.” you told him, opening your eyes.

he placed a hand on your stomach and whispered to your lips, “i love you. i love you both.”

with the swirl of his hips, he stilled, his strong hands taking hold of the headboard. “now let me serve you.”

even with his cum oozing out of you, he lowered his head and spread your lips open before his tongue wrapped around the head of your clit.

[steddieas-shegoes]

always you

wanted to wish @rozzieroos a very happy birthday! you've been so supportive of me since the beginning and it makes a world of difference to someone who is always just a bit nervous to share the things they write. i am unfortunately not a very crafty bitch, so i can't return the friendship bracelet favor right now, but i hope this is a nice little sappy gift for ya! sending you big hugs and all my love 💕 - mickala

rated t | 1,324 words | no cw | tags: fluff, established relationship, the most miniscule hurt and almost entirely comfort, boys in love, side platonic stobin stuff but robin isn't technically there

💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

Steve always had an adrenaline crash after a visit from Robin. The first time it happened, Eddie was convinced they would have to move to Boston just so Steve could get out of the funk. Luckily, they figured out what to do after a couple of days.

And every time it's happened since, they manage to get him out of it pretty quickly.

But this time seemed worse, and Eddie wasn't sure why.

As far as he could tell, everything about the visit was normal. Robin came for a long weekend, they all went to dinner together the first night, Eddie had to work on Saturday so Steve and Robin had their fun together. Sunday, they all went to brunch together before dropping her off at the airport.

And Steve was fine! That evening he was cooking dinner and dancing to music while Eddie wrote some notes for a campaign he was running with work buddies. They ate together and Eddie did the dishes while Steve went through his nightly routine of locking up.

They even gave each other blowjobs in the shower.

But this morning, as soon as Eddie opened his eyes and smelled the bleach, he knew it was bad.

He sat up and looked out the open bedroom door.

"Fuck."

He got up quickly, throwing on the closest pair of pants he could find, probably Steve's since they felt baggier than his own, and made his way down the hall to the bathroom.

Steve was on his knees, scrubbing the shower like it personally offended him.

"Hey sweetheart, everything okay?" He asked hesitantly.

"Fine," Steve answered, clearly very far from fine.

Eddie sighed and sat on the closed toilet lid. "Stevie, it's okay if you wanna have a sad day. I know it's hard when Robin goes back home. I'm off today so we can just relax in bed if you want."

Eddie would never tell Steve that the reason he was off was because as soon as he knew when Robin was going back home, he'd requested the day off to be here for Steve.

"I don't need a sad day. I'm fine."

"Yeah, that's why you've scrubbed the shower until it's literally sparkling at way too early in the morning," Eddie reached out and covered his shoulder. "It's okay to miss her. I know it's hard."

Steve stopped scrubbing.

Eddie prepared for what was likely to be a very ugly and loud sob.

Steve turned to him with his lips quivering and eyes watery.

"Oh, sweetheart," Eddie said as he got on the floor with Steve and pulled him into his lap. "It's gonna be alright. We're gonna visit her next month, remember?"

"I know," Steve said against his shoulder, voice wobbling like he was still holding back tears. "I just don't wanna keep doing this."

"What?"

"I hate being so far from her. We were supposed to live close enough to see each other every weekend and have sleepovers and now she's in Boston with her girlfriend who is amazing, and I'm here with you and you're amazing, but I miss her. And I know she misses me." Eddie could feel tears soaking his shirt. "And it's stupid that we're so codependent still, and I feel bad that you probably feel like you're not enough."

"Sweetheart, I don't ever feel that way. I've never felt that way. Have I made you feel like I feel that way?" Eddie tightened his grip around Steve.

"No, not really," Steve shrugged. "It's just I know we're a lot. And I know it sometimes probably seems like I need her more than I need you, but I don't."

"Sweetheart, I know that." Eddie kissed the top of his head and smiled. "You're a package deal. I knew that the moment you kissed me in the hospital room. I was getting Steve and his platonic soulmate Robin, or I wasn't getting Steve at all. I know how important she is to you. Don't you think she's important to me too?"

"I guess," Steve shrugged again, sniffling against Eddie's shirt.

"Well, how could she not be? She helped make sure you stayed safe before I was there to protect you. She knows exactly what to do when you have nightmares, taught me everything she could so I could be there for you. She sends me tapes she thinks I'll like when she sends you care packages. She was the second person I ever came out to! "

"Wait, I thought I was the second person you came out to."

"You were the third. She was a practice run when I saw her staring at the young nurse who checked my vitals the day I woke up. She's the one who told me I should tell you," Eddie nudged him away for a moment so he could look down at him. "I wouldn't be on this floor with you five years later if not for her. She's kinda important to me."

"I just hate that I get like this!" Steve finally said. "I hate that this happens every time. It's not fair to you."

"Love, it's okay. I know how to help." Eddie kissed his forehead. "Go ahead and wash your hands and go get back in bed. I'm gonna grab a book and we're gonna cuddle for a bit."

"But-"

"And then!" Eddie continued, louder. "We'll get pizza delivered for lunch even though we shouldn't. We'll call Robin. We'll take a bath. I'll wash your hair. I'll make us that roasted chicken stuff you like for dinner. It'll be perfect."

"Okay."

"And then-"

"There's more?" Eddie could hear the smirk in Steve's voice even though he'd buried his face against his neck again.

"Of course there's more." Eddie poked his side. "And then we're gonna start talking about moving closer to Boston so we can visit her more than three times a year."

"Eds, we can't afford Boston."

"I know. But we can afford New England if we find the right spots. We'll have her send us some ads for places for rent. I can transfer within the company. You're a teacher, you can work anywhere."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It is so easy. Making you happy is the easiest thing I'll ever do."

"But you have to be happy too."

"I will be. You wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I'll still have you. And let's be honest, it's way more likely that one of the New England states is gonna let us get married before fucking Illinois."

Steve chuckled. "Married? Who said anything about getting married?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention? I planned on spending the rest of my life with you."

"I know that, goofball." Steve let out another genuine laugh. "I just didn't think you'd ever wanna actually get the law involved if they ever let us."

"Steven, I don't involve the law, the law involves me."

"I don't think that's how it works, babe," Steve kissed his neck before pulling away. "I think all that sounds nice though."

"Then hop to it, Harrington! We've got a bed to get back into."

Once they settled in their bed, Steve curled into Eddie's side while he opened the book they'd been reading for a week now, he looked up at Eddie with a soft smile.

"I love you a lot, you know?"

"I know, angel. I love you a lot more," Eddie replied, leaning down to kiss his lips softly.

They'd spend the day exactly as Eddie said they would.

They'd find a place only two hours from Robin and move less than a month later.

They'd get married as soon as it was legal for them to do it.

They rescued a dog.

They even adopted twins.

And every single time Steve wanted to see Robin, they packed up the car and went to visit her.

Because Steve had Eddie, and Eddie had Steve, but they both had Robin.

[cliophilyra]

2024 Fic Round Up

Tagged by @loucifersbitch - thank you so much!! 🩷

This year I wrote 20 fics and a total of 36,619 words (I haven't included the 2x Destiel ones here as there's enough to list already!)

JULY

Like A Circus Wheel | saltommy | E | 1432 wds.

"He's insinuating that you're gay." Tommy looks over at Sal’s smart-ass smirk and for a second he’s frozen. Sal’s expression doesn’t change but something in his eyes feels like a challenge.

Show You Off | Bucktommy | E | 2083 wds

“Maybe we should move this to the bedroom?” he murmurs. “Otherwise we’re gonna be giving the neighbours a show.” Buck’s mouth is suddenly bone-dry. Memories of a mis-spent exhibitionist youth suddenly flood back and his breath shallows, mouth falling open a little, cock twitching as he swallows hard. Tommy pulls back and looks him in the eye, eyebrow raised. “Oh. You like that idea baby?”

Keys to Fit Our Locks | saltommy | T | 1133 wds.

Tommy comes home to something surprising. Just some soft, silly, sort-of-established Saltommy.

AUG

Every Little Sacrifice | saltommy | E | 3335 wds

Tommy jumps down from the engine the moment it stops, already heading to the gear racks as the rest of the team clamber out behind him, the stench of melted plastic and hot metal surrounding them. He needs to get away from the smell, it’s choking him, filling his throat. He coughs, trying to clear out the memory. Sal flashes him his most charming grin, blue eyes bright in his soot-streaked face, and claps him on the shoulder as he passes. Tommy doesn’t stop and doesn’t meet his confused gaze, his jaw muscles tick as he bites back the fury thrumming through his veins. He strips off his turnouts in record time and heads up the stairs without a backward glance.

Honey I'm Home | bucktommy | T | 762 wds

“Hey honey I’m home,” Buck murmurs to himself, half-falling through the door into the dark entrance hall of Tommy’s house. The whole day has been a seemingly endless stream of small, silly calls, each bell draining more and more of his energy, leaving him a shell of the man he was when he left that morning. It had been a great morning too. Two orgasms before he’d even had his coffee had seemed like a pretty promising start to the day and then he’d spent most of his shift on a constant simmer, half hard in his turnouts because his boyfriend, who was having the opposite sort of day at work, decided it would be a good idea to send him shirtless selfies taken in the Harbor locker room that would have been rejected from the firefighter calendar for being too pornographic.

Calendar Boy | bucktommy | E | 2505 wds

“What’s up baby?” Tommy asks, concerned, walking over to kiss the side of his head. “It’s the most insufferable time of the year,” Hen mutters, not looking up. Tommy looks down at the photos covering the table and stops short, blinking in surprise. Oh. “It’s the LAFD calendar,” Evan says, as if that explains everything, which, in a way Tommy supposes it does. Tommy’s eyes widen as he takes in the piles of pictures of semi-- and, in some cases, more than semi-- naked Evan that are spread across it. He swallows awkwardly, his tongue all of a sudden seeming too big for his mouth, and manages an only-slightly-strangled, “Oh?”

Solace | bucktommy | T | 615 wds

Buck comes home to Tommy after a very bad day.

SEPT

Nicknames | saltommy | M | 529 wds

A few nicknames, endearments and insults from Sal and Tommy’s relationship.

Desk Defying | saltommy | E | 2478 wds

Sal and Tommy decide to take out their frustrations on top of Gerrard's desk.

Riding Up Front | bucktommy | E | 5511 wds

Buck is outside in the yard, blasting the engine with the high pressure hose and entertaining murderous fantasies of turning the hose on Gerrard and blowing him through a fucking wall. The bastard is on the warpath today as usual, finding a seemingly endless list of pointless tasks for each of them. When Tommy arrives unexpectedly it dawns on Buck that the engine is conveniently just out of sight, pulled around the side of the firehouse and the rest of the crew are occupied and a terrible, brilliant and honestly somewhat familiar plan forms in his mind.

When you're tastin what he's drinkin (are you thinkin bout me?)

bucktommy w/ past saltommy | M | 1893 wds

Sal runs into Tommy with Buck at a bar and drags up old memories.

OCT

If It Comes Back | saltommy | E | 3773 wds

Tommy & Sal reconnect at a wedding.

NOV

A Quiet Night In | bucktommy | T | 1190 wds

Just some fluff & cuddles - post 8x6 comfort

DEC

Flashover | bucktommy | G | 2724 wds

When his phone rang this evening he was on the floor in front of his couch, in the middle of another fifty push-ups, TV on in the background playing a show that he couldn't have named or described if someone put a gun to his head. He didn't pick it up, didn't even glance at it, just let it vibrate its way across the table and fall on the floor. The third time it rang he finally picked it up, annoyed, and glanced at the caller ID. Sal Deluca. Jesus Christ, talk about a blast from the past. He'd answered it without even thinking. "Sal?" "Kinard. Open your door. It's pissing rain out here."

You Should Probably Leave | saltommy | E | 2347 wds

“Doesn’t look like it’s coming back on anytime soon.” Tommy says, looking out of the window at the dark street. “It’s the whole block at least.” He turns back to Sal who is spread out on his couch, beer bottle in one hand, one foot on the floor. “Ah shit, guess I’ll just have to stay here then huh?” Sal smirks, eyebrow raised as he stretches his arms above his head so his t-shirt rides up, exposing the trail of dark hair that disappears under his waistband. Behind him on the table a candle lantern flickers, deepening the shadows and planes of his features, casting crawling shapes over the walls. Tommy's throat is dry, he swallows hard. He already knows how the rest of this night goes. How it always goes.

Taken | saltommy | M | 884 wds

Jack shakes his hand, holding it just a fraction too long, smiling up at him almost shyly. "Hi Tommy. Sooo, I know this is kind of a cliche but…um…would you maybe like to get a drink sometime? With-with me?" "Kinard! Get your ass back on the truck!" Sal's voice snaps out. Tommy tries not to laugh for Jack's sake. "Jack, you seem great but I—" Jack sighs. "Figures. You're clearly way too hot to be available. Ah well I had to try, right?" "Kinard!"

10 Weddings and No Funerals | saltommy | T (will go up) | WIP

In order to survive a summer of wedding fever, longtime friends, Tommy and Sal, agree to be each other's plus one at every wedding they've been invited to. AU based on Plus One (2019).

Kisses | saltommy | G | series WIP

Some replies to the kisses prompt meme on Tumblr. Currently all saltommy - may add some bucktommy later. Rating may change.

Here's to a creative 2025!

Tagging - @rdng1230 @littlepaws9 @bucksbignaturals @fuselsstuff @peppermintquartz @bangpop91 @nine-one-wanton @girlwonder-writes @thecarrott @judymarch15 @racerchix21 @weewookinard @loulou-land and literally anyone else I know or who sees this and wants to do it. My brain is shutting down now lol.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!

[thedvilsinthedetails]

rosekiller microfic band au pt3

heyyy pt3 is here yayyy

I haven’t rlly read it thru again and I’m feeling pretty tired today so if there’s a quality dip that’s why but also we have some nice Barty POV which I find easier to write sooo balances out ig

also we have some Marlene in this one (u can thank @good-oldfashioned-lover-girl because I wasn’t gonna put her in but she loves Marls [not that I don’t] to and yk she’s the boss so 🫡🫡🫡 Marlene is in the fic and I’m actually glad bc I love her part in this)

oh also Reg is autistic in this [in my mind] so when I mention him wearing headphones it’s bc he wears headphones on public transport/often in public/during gigs to help block noise <3

oh also all the skittles have matching nail polish and little tattoos on their wrists (idk if I actually mention it here but just so u have it in ur mind)

Tags for ppl that (I think?) wanted to be tagged <3 : @depressedtheatrekiddo @blu3stars @picklerab23 @lady-stardust-incarnate @always-reading @no-names-work @y0url0verb0y @2bluetwo85 @idk-what-to-put-here-123 @weirdtinkerbellversion @lulublack90 @nikholascrow (please please do tell me if you don’t want to be tagged bc idm and obviously won’t be upset but I just don’t want to tag ppl that don’t actually want to be tagged so I’m just sort of guessing by who commented last time so um yeah)

Link to previous part

link to part one

link to next part

(Cw: lil bit of homophobia in here sorry)

***

By the time the train arrived at their station both Barty and Evan had dozed off. Arms wrapping around each other, bodies curled into one another like a jigsaw puzzle. Evan didn’t wake up as gently as he fell asleep though because he was woken by Regulus kicking his seat aggressively. Once he finally opened his eyes he turned to face him. He was wearing his headphones, big and black originally but covered in splodges of spray paint from when Barty had offered to ‘customise‘ them for Regulus. He’d pushed them back though, now that the majority of people has filtered out of the little compartment.

“Hurry up and get your stuff.”

Regulus ordered before following Pandora and Dorcas who had already left.

Evan turned and tapped Barty gently to wake him up. Then when that didn’t work he shook him till he opened his eyes with a start. 

It took Barty a moment to realise where he was but even once he did he just grumbled.

“Ev don’t make me get up, please.”

He pouted, eyes wide and dilated in some kind of cheap attempt at cuteness.

“Come on you know you have to get up baby- Barty!”

Evan gaped, realising his mistake just too late. A slip of the tongue and he’d gone and fucked everything up.

“D’you just call me baby?”

A grin spread on Barty’s face and he poked Evan gently and laughed.

“You’ve been single too long Rosier.”

“You- you’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad, baby?”

Barty winked, clicking his tongue as he got up and shuffled past Evan with a wicked smirk.

•••

Barty was going insane. 

Evan had called him baby. Baby. And fuck his reaction had been visceral. But like…in a good way? It made him want to bite down on something hard but that thing was the muscles on Evan’s arms. Or bruise something but that thing was Evan’s neck…with a hickey or two. 

Something about the way it had slipped out so naturally, so warmly. It just made Barty’s heart flutter. Made him want to grab Evan and shake the sense out of him enough to like Barty. Something along the lines of ‘kiss me, ruin me, dear God I’m begging you.’ Ah well, nothing you can’t really do about these kinds of situations except get on with it. Lying was something Barty had gotten very good at from a young age and not stopped since. Some might call it acting but those were the types of people who were just trying to convince themselves they were good and moral. Barty didn’t really care enough about that kind of stuff to bother. White lies this and how it contrasts with malicious lies that, like someone trying to section off a gradient in two. You can’t, it’s all the same monochrome blur in the end. 

Barty was lost in this little daydream when he heard Pandora roar.

“WHAT?!”

Now Pandora didn’t often roar, maybe laugh maniacally every now and then yes, but yell? Scream? That was never her type of thing. Save for some rare occasions that Barty could probably count on one hand. Pandora yelling meant it was time to stop daydreaming about Evan’s curls or Evan’s hands with their chipped green nail polish or Evan’s fucking tight t shirts. Yeah time to stop thinking about that and listen up. So he did.

“I do not intend to offend anyone by it.”

Riddle raised his hands up defensively with a cheap sleazy smile that immediately made Barty dislike him.

“I’m just saying that this venue prides itself on a distinct lack of…untoward behaviour. It’s not a massive deal, I think your lead and backup singers can use separate microphones for two nights of a six month tour. 

“What the fuck man?”

Barty stepped forward immediately hands curling into fists, Riddle was pretty short, he could definitely take him if that’s what it came to.

“Barty stop, that isn’t the right way to solve things. Come on let’s just- let’s come back later ok? See if we can talk to someone else, not this piece of shit.”

Dorcas spat out the last three words as she pulled Barty back to the group.

He was going to argue till he felt Evan put a hand on his shoulder, instead he just left Evan guide him away after the rest of the group.

“We’ll figure it out ok?”

“Fucking- Ev we can’t play there. They’re fucking homophobic.”

“Barty the O2 has been your dream since-“

“I DONT BLOODY CARE!”

“Barty shut the fuck up. I said we’ll talk about it and we will, we will figure it out but stop acting like a goddamn CHILD.”

Barty looked over at Evan who had his teeth bared, slightly wild look in his eyes. He was seething too, clearly. Just more mature than Barty.

“Ok, yeah.”

He breathed in.

“I’m sorry Ev.”

“Hey it’s alright. It’s just important the band shows a united front against this you know? We can’t split up or in fight because then, well then we all lose.”

“Yeah. Yeah you’re right Rosie. But we will do something.”

“I promise you they’re not getting away with this.”

Evan nodded. He tossed a hand over Barty’s shoulder, pulling him in just a little bit closer as they walked. Barty wasn’t complaining. 

•••

“You don’t get it Marls, we can’t just not play the O2. We’d lose way too much money off it, probably too much to be able to continue with the rest of the tour. Plus venues will think we’re unreliable and might cancel or pull out. Riddle is such a fucking dick, he only told us when we went there for a tech practice literally today.”

“Fuck yeah that’s shitty.”

Marlene was sat next to Barty on the floor of his hotel room, helping him repaint his nails. The entire band had them matching, a bright toxic green, his had started to fade though. 

“What if you just…ignore them? Do it anyway?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not like they can drag us off stage mid performance.”

“Not without exposing their homophobia.”

“Still…I wanna make a statement. Something big you know? Show them they can’t straight wash us.”

Marlene looked up at Barty, eyes twinkling mischievously.

“I might have an idea then.”

•••

Evan was sat in an alcove in the hotel corridor watching Regulus patiently braid and unbraid Pandora’s hair on the sofa opposite him. It calmed them both down whenever they were stressed. And Barty and Marlene, locked up together in Barty’s hotel room. Both raging homosexuals dead set on never following rules talking amongst themselves just before the biggest gig of the band’s history? Yeah that was a reason to be stressed. That’s when he heard the tell tale clump of Barty’s docs down the corridor. And he was walking with purpose.

As soon as he came into view Evan noticed the way his eyebrows were knotted together yet his eyes were glimmering with excitement. Evan had no clue what Barty was going to say next but it wasn’t that.

“Marlene thinks I should kiss you.”

Barty announced and Evan dropped his jaw, staring at him agape.

“What?”

“And I agree with her.”

“What?”

***

OK HOPE U LIKED IT

xxx BYEEEE

pt4 probs gonna come soon bc I swear this fic has a life of its own

[skzthelomlhehe]

"Is my skin that ugly?" College students vocalracha x F/reader of colour

Total masterlist Tag Reqs:@arestoucries

Heeyy pookieeess~ earlier I was taking a nap and had a dream lolz~ this is just gonna be a short and sweet fluff sorta angsty little oneshot based off of that dream. This is for all the brown girlies like me and the darker girlies who feel insecure about their skin.

Just so you know, you're all beautiful regardless of colour, body shape or anything for the matter. You're all extremely gorgeous in your own ways. Please don't let anyone say otherwise, my love ❤️ be a little kinder to yourself, yeah?

Also this is gonna be gender neutral so to all the dark boy pookies out there, y'all are extremely handsome as well ❤️

Hope you guys enjoy!

Genre: a little fluff a little angst, roommate vocalracha

Warnings: mention of racism, violence.

Synopsis: you're a person of colour who is a transfer student in a prestigious Korean University. You got here on a great merit but unfortunately have to face a lot of racism due to your skin. You seek your roommates' comfort and later find out they... Took care of the problem.

It was a long day at uni. You were drained. More so emotionally. Having to deal with nasty glares and snickers because you were of color was tough. You've always known that Korea was a racist country but... The emotional damage you suffer is something you didn't expect.

You walked in to your shared apartment. Jeongin and Seungmin were on the dining table laughing about something. Usually you'd join in on the fun but today... It was different story. You were extremely homesick, missed eating your childhood comfort meal, the bullying was starting to really get to you.

You always thought you were capable of brushing it off but maybe that wasn't the case. Not today at least. You threw your back on the couch, flopping down on the soft mattress of it. You leaned back, your palms covered your face as you let out a deep sigh.

The two boys, visibly worried, walked up to you. "What's up, Y/N-ah?" Jeongin asked, concerned. "I bet college works too much for this kid heh" Seungmin chimed in, trying to joke and lighten the mood.

Jeongin and Seungmin chuckled but soon flinched to a serious reality when they heard you sniffle. They looked at you and realised you were crying.

Jeongin tried to hold your hands apart, revealing your face which now flooded with tears. "Y/N?? Why are you crying??" He asked. Seungmin looked equally worried. Guilt filling his gaze.

You weren't the type who would cry that easily, especially not in front of others. But today, for some reason, it was too hard to hold back. "Be honest guys... Is my skin that ugly...?" You sobbed.

Both the guys looked at you surprised. Their demeanor changing instantly. "What?? Why would you even say that??" Seungming queried. From his eyes it looked like he was starting to get mad.

You looked down, still sobbing. "There's these... These people in my class who... Who keep bullying me because I'm of colour and... I always brushed it off but... I can't anymore..." You bent down, crying even harder now.

Jeongin kneeled down, looking up at you. "Who was it?" He asked. His voice stern and cold. The look in his eyes equally terrifying as if he was ready to kill. You looked up at Seungmin who was standing next to you, his fists clenched and eyes equally raging.

You tried to brush it off saying it'll all be over once you graduate anyway. Knowing how overprotective they were of you... There's no saying what they could do.

The two men realised you were shaken up. Noticing it, their gazes turned softer. "Come on, Y/N-ah... Please tell us..." Jeongin looked at you with puppy eyes, still kneeling down.

Seungmin sat next to you, pulling you in for a hug, while your head rest on his chest, his hand rested on your head gently patting you, "Please tell us everything that happened, Y/N-ah... We just want to be there for you. You're not ugly. You're the most good looking person we've met. You're so unique... So adorable... So attractive. How could you say that?" He whispered.

Jeongin got up as well, sitting next to you and patting your back. "Go on, Y/N-ah" he whispered.

You finally gave in, spilling everything. How people would give you nasty glances and snicker at you in a disgusting manner. How they would call you racist slurs. Sometimes even throw your things away and drop food or juice on you.

In the meantime, Jeongin prepared some warm milk for you to calm down. After a while of venting you finally felt better.

"thanks for listening, guys... I really don't know why I got so sensitive..." You gripped the glass of milk in your hand.

The two reassured you, "come on. It's ok to feel vulnerable at times. It's okay to cry. You've been holding on to it for so long. You deserved to let it out. Just because you cried doesn't mean you're sensitive okay?" Seungmin said. His voice ever so warm and comforting.

"and you're absolutely NOT ugly. You're very very very attractive. You're so kind and smart, you're so hardworking and it's always so good to be around you. Those idiots don't know shit. Don't think about them, yeah?" Jeongin chimed in.

Although it was tough changing your perception about yourself, it definitely felt nice to be told you're not ugly. It felt so comforting to be loved and cherished.

You yawned, making the two chuckle for some reason. You looked at them dumb founded, "what?" You shot at them. "It's nothing haha let's go to bed shall we?" Jeongin laughed.

The three of you head to bed. And that was one of the best sleep you'd had for a long while.

Weekend rolled by. You took your time relaxing at home, giving your parents a call and telling them about it. They encouraged you as well. You were starting to feel better already.

And soon, Monday came by in the blink of an eye. Even after all the encouragement, you felt hesitant to go. But you pushed through and went anyway.

The atmosphere was weird. People were looking at you, yes but this time it was nasty glances. They looked... Scared?

"yah! Y/N-ah! Come here!" Seungmin called out. You smiled seeing him and Jeongin waiting for you in one of the benches.

You went over to them, sitting down beside them. "Good morning." Jeongin smiled, "sorry we left early. We had some work."

"yeah good morning. Also no it's fine." You replied "But what's going on though? Why's the atmosphere so weird?" You asked, confused, raising an eyebrow.

Seungmin and Jeongin looked at each other and smirked. "You'll find out soon enough~" seungmin smiled at you slyly. It just made you feel even more weird.

The professor came in shortly after, his face grim. Since you were sitting on the front raw, he could see you when he walked in and his face went white pale the moment his eyes laid on yours.

He looked away, clearing his throat. "Class, I have an announcement to make." He spoke out.

You were even more confused. What happened?

Moments after, the professor spoke again. Apparently the group of people who had been harassing you were expelled for harassment of peers and many more charges. Once expelled, they were found beaten to a pulp in the cafeteria where they first started physically assaulting you.

You looked at the two boys who were snickering the entire time. You were stunned. Jaw almost dropping.

"wh-what did you guys do...?" You asked. Your eyes open wide. Your face visibly confused. "Oh it's nothing~ we just gave them a little nudge~" jeongin giggled. "Oh and we also 'politely' warned the professors who turned a blind eye to you that if you or anyone else every got harrassment, it would turn a bit bitter for them~" seungmin chimed in.

You were genuinely confused, should you be laughing or should you be terrified? Regardless, you felt an overwhelming sense of warmth. You knew they had your back and you couldn't be happier.

"always remember, Y/N-ah..." Jeongin whispered, "You're actually fucking stunning." Both of them finished.

Fin~

Just gonna say this once more, all of you are extremely extremely attractive so don't let anyone else make you think otherwise!! All you need is a good heart and mwah! Love you pookies~ bye byeeee

[slutsareteacherstoo]

I Hope Part 4 - Terry Richmond x Black OC

Black Fem! OC - Savannah (dark skinned, curvy, and disabled) x Terry Richmond (Gentle!Terry, Sweet!Terry, Nervous!Terry)

(I gotta get better at these tags, suggestions welcome!)

Summary: Savannah works an (unplanned) Saturday shift and has to cover a program unexpectedly! (Terry not in here....til the very end)

Warnings/Things of Note: Mentions/glimpses of disability, medications, shoutout to Black lesbians, divorce, disordered eating, ARFID, libraries (you should have a card if you don't), shoutout to library workers, masks, pandemic mention, brief medical trauma

Word Count: 6K+ (6,667)

Author’s Note: Hi y'all. Thank you for your patience. I decided to just post everything together like it was originally supposed to be but omfg. I think I overdid the exposition and description. I kinda don’t like it but thats okay cuz as i write more I’ll improve my style and be ok with it

So glad I got this part done. I told my therapist these characters are haunting me and doing shit behind my back like yall better slow down. 🤣 i might go back and fix the tags and warnings probably so if there's something I missed lmk. It was also kinda not proofread, so lmk if I missed anything. I hate that this is soo long mostly cuz Terry didnt get his depth in part 3 but Imma work on it.

I don't give my consent for my work to be copied, reposted, translated or used to train AI.

If you wanna be tagged or removed let me know.

Okay🧍🏾‍♀️ gonna go now 🏃🏿‍♀️

The trilling of a phone alarm rang through Savannah’s bedroom, startling her awake. Pillows and blankets were thrown askew, some falling to the floor. She reached toward the nightstand to silence her phone. With weary eyes, she looked at the blazing screen with the time of 6:30am on display. This was too early for a Saturday morning. She put on her glasses and swung her body to the side of the bed, counting mentally for 30 seconds before rising with a groan.

Savannah made her way to the bathroom, wincing as she turned on the light and at the overwhelming urge to pee. After flushing and washing her hands, she began her morning routine: water flossing, electric toothbrush, mouthwash. Wiping her mouth with a towel, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was NOT supposed to be up this early for a Saturday. Savannah had volunteered to cover for her coworker, Desiree, whose child had an important meet today. This was the sixth day of the week she was going to be working at the library, and right now she resolved to never volunteer herself again. Even if it was time and a half.

Reminding herself of her bonnet and the hair she needed to take care of underneath it, she grabbed her plush, forest green rolling chair and sat. Savannah pulled off the bonnet and felt her hair with two hands. She softly stretched it and wondered how she’d do it today. Saturdays were normally wash days but Savannah didn’t have time for that. The reminder ping to take her medicine only emphasized that. The mirror cabinet swung open to reveal prescription medications, supplements, painkillers, a first aid kit, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and 2 mini water bottles specifically to ensure she wouldn’t dry swallow. It was hard not to. Savannah downed her meds and supplements. She didn’t touch the painkillers, resolving that maybe her liver deserved a break.

Savannah closed the mirror and stared at herself again. Deep brown skin with hints of gold was looking a bit paler and the under eye circles, courtesy of her glasses and general fatigue were looking a bit more prominent than usual. Who would ever choose to be up at this god awful time on a Saturday morning? The answer to her mental thought was answered by Hip Hop Harry’s, “I Love to Learn”, the signature ringtone from none other than her best friend, Marisol. Grad school classmates turned librarian coworkers, the two had been inseparable since. Savannah glanced at the phone and saw it was a video call of all things. Savannah rolled her eyes and accepted it.

“Why are you calling my phone this early in the morning?” Savannah grumbled and absentmindedly adjusted her glasses.

“Well, good morning to you, Miss Sunshine. You can’t greet?” Marisol said in a mocking tone, a thick eyebrow raised and fully lashed eye moving closer to the screen.

Savannah was fighting the urge to smile and laugh. Seeing Marisol’s face —round, dark brown with cool red undertones, and never without pink blush always made her smile. Her deep red hair was braided down in two plaits with pink bows at the ends and her silver septum ring glinting in the light.

Savannah responded with an eyeroll and Marisol smacked her lips, glossy lined in black, “Tuh. Don’t be mad at me for trying to make sure you got up early this morning and make it to work on time.” Marisol was being playful.

“I’m up aren’t I?” Savannah retorted, “How are you already ready this early? It’s not even 7 yet!”

“Well, I had a bit of an early start,” Marisol said with the bite of her lip and looking across her shoulder. Savannah couldn’t see more than her friend’s face in the frame but the low, morning voice that followed was hint enough at what gave her best friend that morning espresso.

“Good morning, Savannah,” Demi, Marisol’s partner, responded before coming into view. Her dark brown locs were up in a bun and sweatband covered her tapered hairline. It looked like she was heading out for her morning run. Demi gave Marisol a quick kiss on the cheek, joining Marisol in the frame; her brown skin was beaming at the sight of Savannah’s best friend.

“Eww,” Savannah responded, eyes wide with fake disgust and but also genuine awe. She didn’t know how they had the energy and so early in the morning. Now it was Demi and Marisol’s turn to roll their eyes and scoff. The three of them let out a laugh. Savannah went back to observing herself in the mirror. She didn’t know what she was going to do with her hair.

“Put it in a puff,” Demi said, catching Savannah off guard. Savannah looked back at the screen again. “Put in a puff and slap on a bandanna,” Demi repeated with the sip of her coffee mug.

Savannah liked Demi a lot. She was the favorite of Marisol’s partners over the years. And while Savannah hated unsolicited advice, Demi’s was never wrong and always gave it at the right time.

“Yeah. I agree. Just get a big scrunchie or an old headband and tie that thing back. You won't have to worry about it the whole day.” Marisol added.

Savannah nodded in agreement. She’d just deal with it tomorrow. She reached under the sink for one of her organizers. It had the detangling spray, wide tooth comb, clips, gel, brush and scrunchie she needed. Savannah began the puff process while responding to the lovely couple: light spray, section, clip, comb, clip again.

“Thank you for calling me though. I was so close to giving Blue Monday on a Saturday,” Savannah said while shaking her head.

“I know! That’s why I did. I don’t know why you agreed to cover for Desiree anyways.”

“It’s time and a half.”

“So?”

”So?! Being disabled is expensive and I got bills to pay.”

“Say less,” Marisol agreed, letting it go.

Demi, however, decided to butt in, “But I thought the money from—”

That gave Savannah pause. Stunned at Demi’s almost question, she put the comb down on the sink counter. The sound echoed in the morning quiet. She took a breath to still herself before glancing at the phone screen again. 

“Oop!” Marisol scurried out the frame with her hands raised and backed away from the camera, leaving her partner to fend for herself. Marisol had already tried to have this conversation with Savannah many times before. It seemed that Demi’s unfinished question was another one of Marisol’s sly attempts. Demi reluctantly inched forward as Savannah stared daggers through the screen. 

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Demi exclaimed. “I just meant that you’ve been working so hard. I just wish that you let yourself rest a bit more and take it easy, well in that regard. I just—” 

Savannah cut in right there. “Now, I’m gonna stop you before you go any further. I’m gonna give you grace because I know that your girl put you up to it.”

Demi’s eyes moved slowly over to look at said girl out of frame and back at Savannah.

“But that money,” even saying the word made Savannah’s mouth sour, “wasn’t free. It still isn’t.” 

She understood what they were trying to do. To express their concerns about her pushing herself. But they didn’t get it. The money she got out of the divorce was secured out of necessity not greed. And it would never be enough to pay for the long-term damage her ex’s betrayal had done.

“Well,” Demi began “…it definitely was not but,” she was finding her footing again, in spite of Savannah’s Scorpio stare, “you ARE free from that nigga.” Demi was preaching now, the spirit of encouragement influencing her oration. Marisol ad-libbed a churchy “Thank you, Lord” from the background. Oh great, Savannah thought as her steel started to crack.

“And the State of California, declared that in addition to that freedom,” Demi continued, while Marisol hummed in the background to goad her partner on, “he has no choice but to pay for his lies.” Demi declared with a pointed finger, as Marisol shouted, “Come on.” Wait, was that organ keyboard music Savannah heard coming from their end? Her anger was dissipating into chuckles of amusement.

“So all I’m saying, Sister Savannah,” Demi said softly with preacher’s cadence still in effect, “and I hold your hand when I say this,” she held her own two hands for Savannah’s emphasis, “you should hold no guilt when it comes to using it. No shame for using it when you need it. Exactly like you said, it wasn’t free. But in this new life, you deserve to give yourself the ease you desire. You can do that now.” Demi ended, punctuated by Marisol’s soft hallelujah and towel-clad hand on her forehead. The music faded out and the space was silent for a beat. Savannah’s eyes circled upward for a bit, trying to hold in tears because it was too early for all this. When she looked down again, two pairs of eyes were staring back at her. Savannah’s moved pursed lips from side-to-side, mulling over what to say. In a low tone, “You two…” a snort is what actually came out and then a chorus of laughter and chuckles. “Y’all are something else,” she said with the shake of her head. 

Savannah went back to finishing up her hair and her favorite couple watched.

“So, does that mean you won’t beat my ass?” Demi asked. 

“I guess,” Savannah deadpanned.

“And does that mean we’re still splitting Ms. Taylor’s leftovers at lunch?” Marisol added.

“Hmm, I’ll have to think about it,” Savannah said with a smirk. Of course she would. She always did.

“Well, at least I’m in the clear.” Demi said, preparing to head out. Marisol scoffed in time with the kiss she left on her cheek. “I’ll catch you later, Sister Savannah.” 

Savannah put her hands together and bowed her head slightly, “Thank you, Pastor Demi.” With the grab of her keys and wink, Demi was gone now leaving the best friends to themselves.

Marisol watched as Savannah put the finishing touches on her hair, smoothing and pinning it. It was a simple and classic style. She admired her friend’s handiwork. Especially because Savannah was getting back into it again. And was actually able to. Savannah was proud of the fact that she could do her hair…when her body would cooperate with her. It was always touch and go but the last few months were a lot for her, especially with fully sitting and internalizing the aftermath of the divorce. So, Marisol was soaking in her friend’s born-again pride with a smile.

Savannah’s voice floated in, interrupting Marisol’s thoughts.

“You know you not slick right?,” an eyebrow of Savannah’s own arching.

“I’ve never claimed to be,” Marisol replied

“‘You deserve to give yourself the ease you desire’. Your girl is good with her words. I got the message,” Savannah nodded in acceptance.

“Hey, as long as it got through, that’s all that matters.” Marisol said with hands up. “And she really is,” a smile growing at her lips. She loved the woman badly.

“Also, why do I get the feeling that preaching routine I got a glimpse of is something that you do on the regular? Y’all don’t even go to church,” pressed Savannah with a knowing look. Marisol smirked in a response.

“Anyways, I’m glad that you’re almost ready and that I get to work a Saturday shift with you.” Marisol smiled

Almost was the operative word. For all the time she spent on her hair and being on the phone, she was still in her pajamas! Hadn’t picked her outfit, ate her breakfast, gave herself time to lollygag or pack her lunch.

“Yeah, almost. Girl, I love you but I gotta go,” the words came out hurriedly, as she was about to hang up.

“Don’t forget that food, Savannah,” Marisol reminded her. “You know she gon ask me,” continued with a pointed look. Savannah nodded in reply. “I love you too. See you soon.” Marisol blew a kiss through the phone that Savannah dramatically caught and held to her chest.

When the call ended, Savannah scrambled into action to find her clothes for the day. The plan was shades of brown. There was a chocolate brown pullover in the car she planned to wear after letting Mari borrow it. For now she’d go for the white collared shirt, tan khakis and multicolored sneakers in shades of brown and white. So followed the routine of bra, ribbed high neck tank top, compression socks (that were easy to slide on thank god). She padded to the closet to get her shirt and pants but they were nowhere to be found. Sliding hanger after hanger, forwards and backwards but neither of them were there. Savannah knew she wasn’t tripping. Where were her clothes? When she made a slight turn around, she came to face with her dirty laundry basket and peeking out the top were the desired shirt and khakis. Savannah groaned remembering that today was Saturday. That was the outfit she planned for yesterday, which she wore…yesterday. It was also washday in every sense of the word. Savannah didn’t have any other clothes that she deemed work appropriate. She needed to throw together something, because if she wasn’t ready to go in the next 10 mins she was going to be late! Fuck it, she whispered. 

She went through her closet again and found some black yoga pants. This would do, she guessed. At least she had the pullover in car to cover her upper half. Despite the fall heat, the building’s air conditioning made the circulation desk, especially, a freezer; whoever decided to place the desk directly under that vent was incompetent in their design of the building. Savannah’s phone rang, which told her she was definitely going to be late for work. She walked back to the bathroom to silence it and grab her makeup bag. So much for shades of brown, she grumbled as she lifted her glasses, applying black liner to her lash and water lines. The light turned off when she headed toward the exit of her room and grabbed two thin, oversized gold hoops on her way out. In the kitchen, she grabbed a lunch tote, the two Tupperware dishes Ms. Taylor had given her, some chips, applesauce and two bottles of water. She decided to throw in a protein shake as the breakfast she didn’t plan to have. Savannah was close to making her way out the house. Her lunch tote and bag were already set by the entryway table, all she needed to do was put her shoes on, grab her keys and hit the road. When she looked up after tying her shoes, the mirror in the entryway revealed that with all the running around she was in earlier, she’d forgotten to tie her hair down–which was now frizzy and white? Oh hell no!

- - - - - - 

When Savannah pulled up to her place of work she was already annoyed for a variety of reasons. For one, the front of her hair decided to build a white cast due to the detangling spray and gel she used not mixing well! Because of that, she had to go back in her house and find something to cover the mess. It was a magenta bandana she grabbed at random, which was fucking with the color scheme. Second, the coveted pullover that Savannah thought was in her vehicle was nowhere to be found. She saw Marisol give it back to her and Savannah placed it in her own car, or so she thought. So it meant that she’d be out of her self-prescribed uniform and cold as hell. Arms and chest out, Savannah looked she was going to the gym NOT her library workplace. Luckily, she had the foresight to leave an extra cardigan in her workspace. But the look and vibe she wanted for the day all went to hell. And now, third, she had to cover a program she had NOT planned to and had to figure out what to cobble together. It was too early for all of this!

“What do you mean I have to cover for Amir’s program?! Can’t you just cancel it?” Savannah was in the face of her boss, Dante, who was mirroring her similar exasperation, but with eyes had a hint of fear. He was trying to keep himself together. Dante wasn’t scared of Savannah. He quite liked her a lot as an employee. She was a great librarian to the patrons, warm and inviting. Always willing to answer any question and help troubleshoot anything the patrons were struggling with. She also wasn’t afraid to break up the occasional teen fight or kick someone out of the library for doing wild behavior, like searching for or watching certain things on public library computers. Or some people thinking they could talk to her interns and volunteers any kind of way. Believing that if they threw a tantrum, they’d give in to whatever ridiculous demand they had or could solve whatever issue they deemed to be the fault of library staff and not their own inability to follow basic and clear instructions. Savannah was not the one, or the two. She seemed to have a sense that things were amiss, even if she was all the way in storage. With just a look and/or a fire tongue, she could put anyone in their place and make them reevaluate their life choices. Right now, Dante was on the receiving end of one of those looks. And he was definitely a bit unsettled. Adjusting his blue tie and white button-up, he tried to continue with his request.

“Well, Amir’s program brings in a lot of traffic for the library. That you know we need, especially since we're expanding our services again. You know, opening up.”

Savannah stared at him, not understanding how that was her problem, clearly annoyed.

Dante cleared his throat, his skin reddening at the intensity of her annoyance. “And well…I think it’d be a, um–good opportunity for you, for, for the community, to listen to what you have to say. You are a wealth of knowledge—”

“We all are, that’s why we work here,” Savannah cut him off.

“Well, yes. But the rotation was already set for today and I believe that you can come up with something great, that’ll keep the patrons here, maintain the traffic and inspire them with something new?” There was a squeak at the end of that. A fucking squeak. It definitely didn’t go unnoticed by Savannah. The smirk he couldn’t see was slowly beginning to take shape on her face. Her intense stare of irritation turned into one of satisfaction, like watching prey fall right into a trap. She considered her words before she spoke, rolling around ideas to see what she could get out of this. 

“Ok. I’ll do it,” Savannah said, crossing her arms.

“Oh thank you so much. I—”

“On two conditions.” Savannah interrupted, holding up a long, manicured nail.

“Sure,” Dante quickly nodded. He’d agree with whatever she asked for, before she changed her mind.

“One, you write Casey their letter of recommendation for the Junior Fellows Program.”

Dante considered it. He hated writing letters of recommendations, even though it was part of his job, given they had volunteers year after year who yearned for them for one program or another. He was also really great at them and Dante knew that too. Dante did like Casey, the young college student. And if Savannah vouched for them, why not?

“Done.”

“Two, you get someone else to represent our branch at the next two county meetings.”

At that though, Dante grimaced. Savannah saw his lips and face contorting in annoyance and hesitation.

Savannah hated those meetings. They were mostly people up at the bureaucratic top talking down to the “lowly” library workers who would make decisions not based in the reality of being on the ground. Savannah had gone to the last 3. The first 2 were luckily on Zoom, so she didn’t have to hop in her car and drive all the way over to meet up with all the other representatives of their respective branches and be bored out of her mind. The 3rd one was in-person, which Savannah was apprehensive about. Yes, she wore a mask and worked in such a public facing role, that she probably came into contact with people who were experiencing acute infections that she didn’t want to think about. But this had been jarring for her. Before the pandemic actually and even earlier when she started out, she didn’t mind going to the meetings, wanting the opportunity get to know other librarians and be in the know about being with her supposed colleagues, who she used to commiserate with especially in regards to the changes happening in the library system because of the pandemic; how being chronically understaffed and overworked was the norm now because people were out sick so much and people at the top weren’t getting it. Since it began, Savannah had probably covered at least 10 other branches as a one time thing or on a certain recurring basis, give or take. Everyone talked about how taxing it had been and scary and frustrating dealing with the arrival of this new thing. Because of these shared feelings, she thought she was on the same page as a lot of her colleagues. Not all of them, but at least a good number as the time kept moving forward. So when she walked into that last meeting and saw only 5 other people masked in a room of 40 people, it irritated her. She didn’t know these people intimately. And could understand why so many of them weren’t masked. Frequently given responses played in her head:

It’s not so bad anymore.

We have vaccines now. 

I don’t want people to think I’m sick.

I don’t want to attract attention.

My friend wore one and still got sick.

It’s too expensive now.

I had it twice and I’m fine.

But memories began to flash in her mind: laying down in bed struggling to breathe; the fuzziness of paramedics rolling her out the house, Damian at her side; grogginess in hospital bed but total awareness of pain; months of fatigue like she never felt before; scorn and fury toward husband turned ex-husband; scorn and fury towards family and friends who no longer had the privilege of speaking to Savannah; depression like a weighted blanket— 

And she couldn't, she just couldn’t.

Savannah maintained her steel. Not wanting to give her boss insight. She wasn’t begging or pleading. And she wasn’t asking him either, these were just her conditions. And if he wanted that program covered for real, he would say yes. She didn’t have to explain anything to him! But Dante’s face softened and Savannah feared she let something show that she shouldn’t have. Even though half her face was covered, Savannah’s eyes were always one of her most expressive features, even when she didn’t mean them to be.

“Fine,” Dante sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine, I’ll get someone else to do it.”

Savannah gave Dante a nod in appreciation, “Thank you,” and turned to her workspace

—---------

The sound of a fast swinging door interrupted a conversation between the pair in the shared workspace. The two turned around to see why Savannah of all people was opening doors that hard in the morning.

“Damn, what’s got you in a mood?” Marisol interrogated looking Savannah up and down. 

Casey chuckled and answered for Savannah, “Dante voluntold her to cover Amir’s parent program.” They pulled down their Black surgical mask, smirking and taking a sip from their water bottle. Casey was dressed in a black button up, blue jeans and white sneakers with a grey zip hoodie, and black durag still on their head.

“What? Why didn’t he just cancel?” Marisol asked 

“That’s what I said!” Savannah retorted

Casey was twisting in their rolling chair, “You know them thirsty ass parents gon be disappointed and mad as hell.” They arched an eyebrow in amusement. And the three of them laughed because yes, Amir was widely regarded as attractive with a full beard, cheekbones to die for and smooth, velvety voice that could pause most children and adults. For the last 2 years, he had been one of the main facilitators for a virtual storytime program, catapulting him to larger audience of parents that have followed him back to the libraries. It was kind of wild.

“I still can't believe that he drew all them parents from Zoom. They can‘t even see his full face now but they STILL be coming in here.” Savannah said

“That face card never declines.” Casey said. 

Mari hummed in agreement, while Savannah was trying to figure out what she was meant to put together for these parents.

—

Her 2 hour shift at the front/circulation desk was spent searching up ideas for this program. It was for parents of different age groups. So a varied range in audience. A patron’s return of a cookbook sparked the idea of knowledge sharing: cooking for your family in simple ways and still getting in the nutrients with less stress. Savannah typed in a doc some of her points and searched the catalog for relevant titles that patrons might be interested in checking out.

On her break, she went outside, took her medicine and some sips of water, pacing around a bit to improve her circulation. Savannah’s phone vibrated and she checked her phone. It was from her neighbor across the street, Ms. Taylor Richmond.

My nephew Terry is coming today. So I’ll drop something off a bit after he’s settled in and you get off work.

It made Savanah smile. Ms. Taylor was absolutely wonderful to her, as a welcoming neighbor and good friend. A few more texts from her came through.

Enjoy your lunch :)

And you better give me my containers back. That’s my good Tupperware Savannah!🤨

Thank you 😊 

I’ll make sure. Marisol will too.😌

Savannah rolled her eyes in amusement. She couldn’t wait to be done with this program and eat her lunch. Ms. Taylor had told her what it was when she dropped it off, but Savannah had been tired when she picked it up and wanted to go lay down. Savannah would welcome this surprise though. 

Back inside and now free from the circulation desk, Savannah was in her workspace editing her mini slideshow. The info was good and the visuals were everything, even with adults. Shoutout to the templates of the internet. She pulled her books and other materials they might need. Not too much though, Savannah wasn’t going to stress. Even though Amir did bring in a lot of patrons and helped with the engagement of the library, a lot of parents would probably turn the other way and not show up. That was one of the first things she learned: you can put all your effort into a program and sometimes people wont show up. Savannah’d learned that it was never anything personal. Well, maybe except for this case.

——

Casey was helping Savannah bring out the A-frame for the program, letters drawn expertly in marker by their calligraphic hand. Savannah was at the reserved area, waiting for participants to arrive.

“Yeah, this shit look fire,” Casey crossed their arms and nodded at their handiwork. 

“It really is. Thank you for your help,” Savannah said with a smile that reached her eyes. Savannah knew that she wasn’t supposed to have favorites but Casey was her favorite intern by far. Well, Casey did work at the library now but they’d be gone next academic year and it kind of made her sad. She’d seen Casey grow so much over the last 2 and half years, even though half of it was in a virtual way. From getting more clarity about their future, their confidence in their abilities as an up and coming professional, their values and ways of being, pronouns going from he/him, he/they, they/he, and finally they/them, hell even being the one of the social media managers of the TikTok for their branch; which inspired them to create their own— be more visible, unafraid to take up space and indulge in the little things. Savannah wished she was like Casey when she was that age.

“Of course. And don’t worry, if any of these parents start talking to you with some bass in they voice wondering where they man at, I’ll be right across,” Casey pointed to the circulation desk, “and ready to set somebody straight.” Casey began to mimic what Savannah believed to be the yellow emoji of steam coming out the nose, and flexed their arms downward. Savannah laughed and shooed Casey to their post at the circulation desk. Once seated, Casey pointed their first two fingers from their eyes to Savannah; to which Savannah gave a mock salute.

And so the patrons began to enter, some earlier than expected. Savannah answered the question of where Amir was about 100 times, it felt like. Some parents and kids she knew from during the week, surprised to see her on a Saturday and were excited to see her. Some parents walked in the direction of the group and seemingly went the other direction, when they saw the man they were expecting wasn’t there. Some gave pause, leeriness aside, they still signed in and took their kids to a different part of the library before returning up front with Savannah. She took a breath. It’s all going to be fine.

And it was.

The hour and half had flown by faster than she’d expected. The group of parents and caregivers were a mix. Some were new, had been at it for a while, had kids who were all grown up now or were raising their own grandkids and wanted a different perspective than they had before, some caregivers were siblings raising siblings, new caregivers raising new teens. And she was surprised about their general engagement and their participation and suggestions.

Sheet pan this. Air fryer that. Blending up veggies and hiding it in pasta sauce. Bulk buying. The freezer is your best friend. Topping off water with a hint of juice and kids would be none the wiser. Frozen fruits and veggies were just as good as fresh ones (that one she got from a TikTok, and it was working for Savannah! No more wilting or spoiled produce). Vegetables need to be seasoned for kids to eat them or a nice sauce on the side. Safe foods for kids were a thing, and no sometimes they didn’t grow out of it at their big ages. Any food is better than no food. There’s nothing wrong with a lot of traditional foods. A lot of it tastes good for a reason. Sweets were okay after dinner. If you don’t restrict the sweets so much, they're bound to choose other options anyway. Your child is your child, which may even be different from your other children. They’re habits are not all the same. If your child won’t eat something that’s not your fault. And it’s not theirs either. Any food is better than no food. You can buy protein shakes with EBT. Eating out isn’t the end of the world. Let them be engaged with the process of cooking and putting their food together. 

For the most part, it seemed that everyone took away something important for them. People shared recipes they’d seen on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok. In fact, a good 20 minutes was spent on Savannah pulling up said recipes on the computer, so she could project them on the TV. And they all watched, bringing other curious onlookers to their area and see what was going on.

When her lunchtime came, Savannah shared more of the details with Marisol as the two ate outside.

“Wow, I’m surprised no one came for your head,” Marisol said

“Listen! I was shocked too. Although I feel that Casey may have also played a role in that. They were telling me how some guy was staring me down and—”

“What?! Wait staring you down because he was looking for his mans too or…”

“No, I don’t think so. Casey never saw him before. I just brought it up because they were lowkey doing crowd control. There was this one lady though—”

“Before you continue that thought,” Marisol gestured to the containers in front of them. Right. It was lunch time. As hungry as Savannah was, she could talk about anything long enough and forget to eat. Savannah followed suit and opened the containers. Chicken and mushroom pasta. A mini platter of sliced fruits and veggies. A large slice of pound cake. Seeing it all made her mouth water and definitely made her stop talking quickly. Savannah took her fork and got to work. In all her excitement, she hadn’t noticed Marisol taking a picture. It was as off-guard as a picture could get. Marisol sent it off to Ms. Taylor, who sent a prompt text back.

Now you know she’s gonna be mad at you for this one.😂😂

She’ll forgive me 🤷🏿‍♀️

Marisol put her phone away, tossed her two red braids behind her and dug into her food. She was happy that Ms. Taylor had split everything in separate containers for the two of them. Neither her nor Savannah were above licking the container because that’s how good the pasta was. After some time had passed, Marisol decided to go 2 for 2 in talking about something Savannah didn’t not want to hear.

“So…have you given any thoughts on what you’d want to do for your birthday?,” Marisol questioned. The look Savannah gave her should’ve made her nervous but the sight of her with food all over her mouth made her want to laugh.

“And sorry to break it to you, but your powers hold no effect on me.” Marisol fake huffed and Savannah rolled her eyes. One day they’d fall right out of her head.

“No, I haven’t. I just want to be at home,” the word home came out of Savannah’s mouth with a hint of sadness and grief.

Marisol tried to lighten the mood with some suggestions, “We can do things at home. Karaoke. Dinner and a movie marathon. Pinterest vision board. Ooh, maybe I can ask Demi if she can do like spa day massage for you.” That quirked a small smile on her lips

“Ooh maybe. I gotta see about those oh so talented hands you talk about.” Savannah said playfully and Marisol gave her a deadpan stare. 

Savannah chuckled and continued, “Look, the tension all over my body has been ridiculous. It’s got me pulling out old PT exercises. And Demi got that knot out your shoulder that’d been there for like ever, so I trust her.” She shrugged her shoulders and took a bite of a carrot.

Marisol smiled at Savannah and to herself. Savannah was grasping onto an idea, one that gave her a small hope about the future. Which is what Marisol wanted for her friend, especially after the last year she had. This was a start and she was ready to put the plans in motion.

—

It was after 5:30 when Savannah pulled into her driveway. Her lunch tote, her bag and chocolate pullover (which she’d actually left at the circulation desk of all places) were in her left arm as she wrestled to open the door. She was beyond exhausted and needed to lay down.

Savannah closed her door and placed her items on the counter. Piece by piece, she began to strip in the entryway and put those clothes in the other hamper she had. It didn’t matter how tired Savannah was. Outside clothes were never touching her furniture. She padded her way toward her room to use the restroom and find a shirt and some shorts. After she was done, Savannah took her medicine and resolved to take a nap on the couch. She laid down and placed the weighted blanket over her. She’d wake up in the middle of the night and make her way to the shower or her bed. For now she’d take her rest and wait for Ms. Taylor to drop off her Saturday and Sunday dinner. The three knocks at the door made her wince, because damn she thought she had more time before she had to get up. 

Savannah groaned lowly and announced she was coming. Bumbling her way to the front door and picking a random mask off the hook, she was so ready to greet her neighbor and then bid her adieu. She was NEVER volunteering herself ever again. Savannah opened her door and went to greet Ms. Taylor but the person in front of her was someone different altogether. And it left her in shock. Because who was this man? Showing up in a mask? With her food? With this presence?

“Hi,” Savannah’s brain spoke for her, “You must be Terry?” because she was noticing too much about him.

He nodded, “Yes, how’d you know that?”

“Your aunt. She said a nephew was staying over, that and your eyes. You two are definitely the same. Thank you for bringing this over.” Savannah had replied. “And my name is Savannah,” she added, holding her hand out for a handshake. She hoped her hand wasn’t sweating. Outside of her job she wasn’t good with new people. And well, she hadn’t had a man so close to her threshold in damn near a year. And he smelled really good too. She kind of wished she’d worn her robe out because she felt so aware of everything, including her chest she hoped he wasn’t staring at. But it was hard not to, she guessed. She was staring right past him though, not making eye contact with him for real.

But then he touched her hand. His large palm covered her own, their calluses complementing  each other; the backs of their hands so smooth. And Savannah felt something stir in her like recognition, like memory. Which would be absolutely impossible because she’d never met this man in her life. Maybe it just felt that way since Ms, Taylor did bring him up from time to time and there were pictures of the child turned man in her house. The touch made her look at him, fully. 

“Savannah,” Terry said her name as if trying to memorize it and savor it. The smile that formed on her lips when he said it. Thank goodness he couldn’t see it because she liked the way he said her name. She hoped he’d say it again.

“Savannah?” Terry asked. She must have zoned out.

“Sorry about that,” Savannah blinked herself back to reality. “Um, well yes thank you for bringing this over. And it’s nice to meet you. I’m sure I’ll see you around.” She was fumbling her words. Badly. And trying to act normal. Horribly! Why was she acting weird? He’s literally just a man! And she can’t even see his face! And did she just snatch the container from this man? 

He looked just as stunned as she was at herself. He blinked a few times before responding back, while rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I guess I’ll see you around.” He gave her a short wave which Savannah returned and she watched as he made way back to the other side of the street. He reached his front door and stepped inside. When he surprisingly turned her way again, the mask was off. And her stomach dropped at the sight of him. Savannah was fucked. She was absolutely fucked.

[badbatchposts]

Quiet Corners of the Galaxy, Ch. 19

Fic Teaser: While on a routine mission for Cid, the Bad Batch encounter a woman fleeing from the Empire. Crosshair suspects her seemingly free-spirited, nomadic existence is actually a cover for something else, but struggles to keep his attraction toward her in check as their personalities and ideals clash.

Relevant tags/content warnings: Crosshair/Original Female Character, Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Periodic Smut, Canon-Typical Violence, Alcohol Use

Read the full fic so far on AO3

Read previous chapters on Tumblr: Ch. 1 l Ch. 2 l Ch. 3 l Ch. 4 l Ch. 5 l Ch. 6 l Ch. 7 l Ch. 8 l Ch. 9 l Ch. 10 l Ch. 11 l Ch. 12 l Ch. 13 l Ch. 14 l Ch. 15 l Ch. 16 l Ch. 17 l Ch. 18

Chapter 19 summary: Dara's secret is revealed.

“She could not have accessed any information on the clone base or your recent whereabouts from the nav computers. I am certain that she could not bypass my security protocols within that length of time,” Tech reassured Rex. The goggled clone was the only one gathered who seemed unperturbed, so certain was he that Dara could not have discovered anything that would be dangerous for them.

Rex was frowning, brow furrowed. He had already sent Howzer and Gregor back to base to make sure everything was squared away and they were ready to evacuate in case it became necessary, but he was still concerned that they had just been compromised. “You all know Dara better than I do—what do you think? Should we confront her with what we know?”

Hunter shook his head. “I’m not sure. We’ve had our suspicions about her for a while, but she’s always been able to explain away anything unusual. She’s too good a liar—a direct confrontation might not be productive.”

“And she knows now that Omega is on Pabu,” Wrecker pointed out guiltily. He looked uncharacteristically worried, his usually lighthearted nature now weighed down by a storm cloud. “If we don’t find out what’s going on soon, the kid could be in danger.”

“Well, we know from watching her on Ord Mantell that she’s keeping in communication with someone,” Echo noted. “If we manage to find out who, we might learn more about her loyalties.

Behind his goggles, Tech’s eyes gleamed with intrigue. “I do have a little project I’ve been working on that might help. I should have enough time to complete it on the return journey.”

Hunter and Rex shared determined nods. “Sounds like a plan,” the Captain agreed. “Be careful.”

“We will, Rex,” Hunter assured him, clasping his forearm. “We’ll let you know what we find out.”

As the others shared goodbyes with Rex, Hunter approached Crosshair, who was standing a little aside from the group, gritting his teeth against a toothpick so hard it was liable to snap in half any moment. The Sergeant grasped his brother’s shoulder comfortingly.

“I’m sorry, Crosshair,” Hunter murmured. “I know you were just starting to trust her. I hope…” he hesitated a moment, not sure what else he could say.

Crosshair shrugged him off, looking away. “It’s fine,” he said quietly. “It’s long past time we find out what she’s hiding, anyway.”

***

The trip back to Ord Mantell felt interminable. Crosshair, certain that Dara would attribute his behavior to their spat from the night before, made no effort to disguise his foul mood. Wrecker, on the other hand, was so worried that he would give away their suspicions—he was a terrible liar and a worse actor—hat he locked himself in the bunkroom pretending to sleep the entire time. Echo and Tech sequestered themselves in the cockpit working on Tech’s project. Luckily, Dara didn’t seem particularly companionable either, and spent most of the journey quietly watching the lights of hyperspace pass by while weaving her leather cords together.

“We’re just gonna deliver the goods to Cid, if you have anything you need to do today,” Hunter informed Dara gruffly upon landing.

Dara smiled. “Yeah, I have a few errands. Meet you at the bar later!” She gave them all a quick wave over her shoulder as she exited the hangar.

Tech burst into action as soon as she was out of sight. “Here,” he announced, shoving a small device into Crosshair’s hands. “For listening in. This button turns it on; this dial locates the desired conversation.”

With a nod, the sniper took his usual route to the rooftops to pursue Dara through the streets. He didn’t have to keep a close eye on her; he was certain she would be headed to Old Ord Salvage. Sure enough, a short time later he was watching through his scope as she entered the little shop. He activated the device and routed the feed to his helmet, fiddling with a knob to scan among the sounds it was picking up until he heard her voice.

“—here to pick up a special order for Tarr Puloc.”

“Right this way,” the shopkeeper replied. A few moments passed before he heard someone else speak.

“Dara. I know that you know it’s dangerous to talk directly, so I also know that this must be important. Do you need an extraction?” She was communicating via holo; the deep, masculine voice of her contact sounded familiar to him.

“Nothing like that. I’m safe, but I have some information that we urgently need to discuss,” Dara replied. Despite the urgency she professed, her tone was matter-of-fact, a woman used to reporting in.

“Go ahead,” her interlocutor permitted. Reporting in to a superior, perhaps?

“I mentioned in my first message that I ran into some complications during the last operation and needed to lay low. Well, I got the data, but they caught on to me faster than I expected. Barely made it off world and the shuttle I stole got damaged—couldn’t make it back to my ship. Somebody out there must have it out for me, because I crash-landed right next to an Imperial outpost. I was almost done for, but a squad of mercenaries picked me up right in the nick of time. Said they were former clone troopers.”

Crosshair’s stomach was doing strange things. It had been all morning, since Hunter told them what he had witnessed, but now it was jolting as aggressively as his mind was leaping to conclusions.

“What do you mean said they were clone troopers?” the contact questioned skeptically. “Isn’t a clone trooper obviously a clone trooper? Hard to hide when you all have the same face.”

“That’s just the thing—they were different. Different heights, different weights, different faces.”

“Clone Force 99. Haven’t come across them in a while, but I’d heard they were still operating.” The caller’s voice darkened. Crosshair wracked his brain for why that tone struck such a chord with him, how he knew it—especially since, evidently, it was someone who knew the squad.

“That’s them,” Dara confirmed. “By the time we arrived somewhere with a spaceport, it had been long enough that, if I was tracked, my ship was already being watched. So I decided to tag along with them and find out more. I thought they might be a connection to something I kept hearing about. My sources have been saying that rogue clones are popping up all over. They’re getting organized. I think it’s worth establishing contact.”

“Absolutely not.” The reply was immediate and brooked no disagreement. “Too risky. The clones are the ones who handed the Republic over to the Empire. We can’t trust them.”

Dara was insistent. “That was then. Things have changed. We need the allies, and we need their information. Listen, Saw—it’s Rex. Captain Rex. He’s in touch with the Batch, he’s the one leading the anti-Imperial clone network.”

Crosshair tensed at the name of her contact, his stomach now tumbling off a cliff only to splat at the bottom. That’s why he sounded familiar; she was speaking with Saw Gerrera. Saw, whose rebels had originally been trained by Rex and the Jedi to fight back against the Separatists on Onderon. Whose rebels were now engaging in targeted strikes against the Empire.

And Dara was one of them.

Saw was caught off guard. “Rex… I thought he was dead.”

“We were with him not one rotation ago,” Dara elaborated. “He didn’t recognize me, but it was him. My ability to gather intel was limited—they’re still keeping me on the outside of a lot of things, not all of them trust me. I think it’s time to lay our cards on the table.”

“No,” Saw ordered. “For now, do nothing. Stay with them, win their trust, and continue to collect whatever info you can. If you can find out where they’re based or scope out the size of their network, even better. When we know more, then we can decide if we want to broach a tentative alliance.”

Dara sounded irritated, but did not argue. “Fine. I’ll send you periodic updates.”

“What about the girl? She still with them?” Saw probed.

Crosshair held his breath. At this point, Dara had at least heard mention of Omega and Pabu; Saw would be able to use the information to track them down, or as leverage. It was all he could do to keep still, rather than go running to Cid’s to insist that they needed to get Omega back with them where she would be safe, now.

“What girl?” Dara’s voice didn’t even falter. Was it possible she hadn’t made the connection, with what she’d heard?

“The little blonde. Omega,” Saw clarified. This was it.

“There’s no girl. Maybe they parted ways.”

Crosshair was flooded with relief. She knew, but she wasn’t saying anything. Perhaps she was waiting to learn more.

“Hmm.” Saw’s tone, always stern, became somehow even more serious. “Dara—just be careful. Don’t trust anyone. The Batch turned on the Empire soon after the Order, but not all of them. Jolla and the others—later, we found out—that was their sniper.”

Saw must have disconnected; the only sound Crosshair heard for the next moment was Dara’s sharp inhale of breath at the news. Then a heavy metallic clatter suddenly sounded on the frequency, followed by a furious shriek:

“FUUUUUUCK!”

This time, he thought, Dara was really going to try to kill him.

Crosshair wasn’t surprised to hear Saw mention him. One of his ragtag groups, fighters and civilians alike, were the first ones he had killed in the early weeks after his inhibitor chip was activated, but they were not the last. Even after his chip was removed, he had continued following the Empire’s orders without question—at least, for a while. Now that he had defected and reconciled with his brothers, he mostly tried not to think about it.

Somehow, he didn’t think Dara would be willing to ignore this part of his past.

Wasting no time, Crosshair hurried back to Cid’s parlor to report what he had discovered. He knew Dara couldn’t be trusted. She’d been surveilling them. Lying about who she was, keeping a careful lid on her thoughts and feelings, collecting information that she could report back to her leader. He never should have—

He forcibly interrupted the thought when entered the bar to find his brothers gathered, looking even more serious than when he had left them.

“She’s with Saw Gerrera,” Crosshair growled distastefully.

The Batch had told him of their encounters with the rebel and his Partisans while he had still been with the Empire. Once the man had a goal in mind, he wouldn’t alter his course, no matter the circumstances or the potential collateral damage. Their run-ins had resulted in a few close calls for the squad. Crosshair’s motto while with the Empire—“I’m willing to do what needs to be done”—would not have been entirely uncharacteristic coming from Gerrera.

The squad’s reactions were mixed, including at least one jaw dropped and multiple scowls and furrowed eyebrows, but Echo seemed thoughtful. He didn’t care for some of Gerrera’s methods, but the cyborg’s dedication to the clone network made him the most sympathetic to the rebel’s aims.

“Well, at least she’s not with the Empire,” he acknowledged. “She could be a good point of contact for Rex to make with Gerrera.”

Crosshair was cynical, as always, and still infuriated. “He told her to stay and report back on us and Rex. She’s been spying on us this whole time! She may not be our enemy, but that doesn’t make her an ally,” he argued.   

“I…can’t believe she lied to us,” Wrecker lamented, sounding deeply hurt. The Sergeant, for his part, was brooding silently. Like Crosshair, he held little regard for those who put his family at risk.

Behind his goggles, Tech looked as though he were assessing every possible variable, judging all the outcomes; Crosshair could practically see the gears turning in his head.

“Dara could potentially be a key source of information for Rex,” Tech suggested. “If she has been spying on us, then it stands to reason that she has access to knowledge on Gerrera’s operation. Now that we are aware, we would simply have to find a way to prevent her from gathering more intelligence while obtaining some of our own.”

“What are you proposing?” Hunter asked suspiciously.

Tech shrugged. “That we take her prisoner and interrogate her.”

The others opened their mouths all at once, but before they could erupt into a debate, they were interrupted by a steady beeping from Tech’s datapad. Adjusting his goggles, Tech glanced down, his eyes widening slightly at the message.

“Ah. It appears that Omega has grown tired of waiting for us. It seems she took it upon herself to arrange passage off-world shortly after our last call. Rex reports that she has just arrived at his base flying her own transport. Apparently a quite decent one, at that.”

“She what?!” Hunter exploded.

Tech seemed almost proud. “Yes. She indicated that she won it gambling. With pirates.”

“That’s awesome!” Wrecker cheered, mood brightening considerably.

Echo groaned. “We’re raising a criminal.”

Hunter touched a hand to his temple as though he had a headache developing. “We need to get to Omega. Let’s just go. Forget about Dara.”

It was at that unfortunate moment that the woman herself came strolling through the door of Cid’s bar, announcing herself with a “Hello, boys!” Her expression was bright and cheery. It barely wavered as she found herself staring down the barrels of five blasters. She looked from one to the other as each of the brothers clicked over to the stun setting. Slowly, she raised both hands.

“Don’t even think about it,” Crosshair growled. He had seen her fake a surrender only to pull her concealed blaster twice now, and he wasn’t likely to forget it.

Dara held her hands out further in front of her, making it clear she wasn’t going for her weapons. Her eyes looked amused and dangerous all at once. “Well, boys, I suppose it had to come to an end sometime, but it was fun while it lasted.” She began backing away slowly. “I’ll just be on my way, and you’ll never hear from me again.”

“I don’t think so.” Crosshair hadn’t gotten to weigh in on the idea of interrogating Dara, but he didn’t want to risk having her expose Omega and their connection to Pabu. He took a step toward her.

Cid chose that rather inconvenient moment to exit her office into the main area of the bar. “What in Sith hells is all this?” she exclaimed.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Dara dove suddenly, knocking over a rickety table for cover, and pulled her blaster, firing stun shots to force the squad to scatter. It was a desperate move—she knew by now that the Batch were much more competent than stormtroopers—but she was only a few feet inside the door. If she managed to make it out, she could lose them in the crowded streets.

The Batch found their own cover as the two sides exchanged blasts, neither able to land a hit. In the background, Cid accompanied them with a nonstop chorus of shrieks about the damage they were inflicting on her bar. Dara glanced quickly toward the door, evaluating the distance and her options for escape.

Dara had learned a lot about the Batch in the weeks prior, but she didn’t count on Wrecker’s size increasing his resistance to stuns. He charged forward, catching one, two of her shots to the chest, but still easily lifted the table she was sheltering behind and threw it across the room. Demonstrating an impressive agility, she managed to dodge the large man and the blasts the others aimed at her as she landed another stun to his back and leapt over the bar counter. Wrecker fell to his knees, not quite out of commission, but still swaying as he struggled to remain upright.

With Dara pinned down behind the bar, there was a moment of silence as Hunter signaled to his squad. Then the exchange of blasts resumed momentarily, dissipating harmlessly against the wall above the bar, as Hunter and Crosshair covered Echo and Tech so they could help drag Wrecker out of the way.

“We just want to talk,” the Sergeant called out when the lull resumed. “Why don’t you come out and we can clear things up?”

Dara was quiet, no doubt strategizing her escape. Then a smoke grenade came hurtling over the bar. Poncho pressed tightly over her nose and mouth to help filter some of the smoke, she ran blindly in the direction of the door.

The last thing she saw before she was stunned was Crosshair’s scowling face above her.

“I told you she’d end up shooting at us eventually,” Crosshair murmured darkly as he watched her collapse.

Next chapter

Author's note: And there it is! Let me know in the reblogs if you predicted at all where this was going.

I feel like the direction I am taking with Saw Gerrera may be somewhat controversial among the fandom. I know he's pretty much universally reviled for his role in Tech's death. However, remember that, in this story's narrative, Crosshair manages to return to the Batch instead of going to Tantiss after Mayday's death, preventing that series of events. Additionally, I find Saw to be a really fascinating character in a political sense--I think in some ways his characterization is symptomatic of the US cultural tendency to portray anarchist leftists as making extreme, even irrational decisions for the sake of undermining the validity of many of the ideologies that they profess. Then again, based among my experiences in leftist organizing, I think Saw embodies a lot of true and shitty characteristics of some people on the left. I'll still be characterizing him true to canon here, so he'll make some of those incredibly shitty decisions, but I hope to use these ideas to explore more why he is the way he is and have his interactions with Dara add some nuance to the politics and motivations of the Partisans.

ANYWAY. We've now reached a part of the story that I have had drafted for a long time, so I'm planning on posting two chapters a week for a little while as we examine the fall out from this reveal! How is Crosshair going to deal with this revelation? What will they do with Dara? When will Omega finally enter this story? WHEN WILL THERE FINALLY BE SMUT??? It's all coming up!

Tag list: @stardusthuntress @skellymom @megmegalodondon @somewhere-on-kamino

Thanks again to @cloneflo99 for the amazing banner!!!

[nonotnolan]

Soul Stones: Long Distance

“It feels like it’s been forever since you’ve held me in your arms, and your trip is only halfway over.  Honestly, I have no idea how people in long distance relationships can stand it.”  The texts and calls helped alleviate some of the longing, but it was still rough knowing that Oliver was hours and hours away.  Oliver wasn’t out to his parents, so when they told him about their plan to send him on vacation to Singapore for an entire month, he couldn’t really protest without raising suspicion.  They were only going to pay for his ticket, and there was no way I’d be able to afford the trip on my own.

I placed my boyfriend on speakerphone so that I could scroll Instagram while we spoke.  “At least everything is going fine over on my end.  Same old boring life.  My work gets done, my boss doesn’t hate me... could be worse.  What about you, how’s your trip?  If it’s even as half as good as these photos, it must be sweet.”

“Heh, yeah... it’s so gorgeous out here, Brian.  Like, part of me says that I should be lying to you so that you don’t feel bad that you’re missing out, but... dude, we’ve gotta come back here later.   I even managed to make a few friends with some guys who are also on vacation.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.  “Oh, you managed, did you?  Yeah, I’m sure it was so hard for the extroverted socialite to make friends.”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up...” he said, in that voice he uses when he knows I’m right.  I could picture his blushing, and it was just entirely too cute.  “But like, there wasn’t a guarantee there would be people my age here.  I’m gonna count it as a win.  Besides, you would not BELIEVE some of the people I’ve met.  Like, this guy, Alfie?  He’s the one I’ve tagged in a few of my other photos, and... well, I don’t want to ruin the surprise I mailed you.”

It was my turn to start blushing.  “Ollie!  You didn’t have to do that, what the heck?  You’re on vacation, you’re supposed to be enjoying yourself!  You don’t need to send me anything.”

“Well too bad, I sent it to you anyway.”  Oliver had quickly shifted back to his normal smug self, which I had to admit was part of his charm.  “Speaking of which-- have you checked your mail today?  The tracking slip says it should have arrived by now.  I think it’s small enough that they were able to put it in your mailbox.”

Sure enough, there was a small bubble-wrapped envelop waiting for me in my mailbox.  Inside was a brown, marbled stone covered with intricate carved runes.  “Oliver, it’s beautiful.  What’s the story behind it?  I didn’t expect Singapore to be known for its--”

There was a sudden lurch, and I suddenly found myself staring into the face of Oliver’s friend.  That would have been weird enough, but it was clearly a mirror that I was staring at.

“It’s a body swapping stone,” Oliver said, coming up behind me and resting his hand on my shoulder.  “Well, a pair of swapping stones.  I didn’t believe it either, until Alfie showed me how they worked.  It was his idea, obviously.  He doesn’t need them anymore, and so he gifted them to me when I told him about our long distance situation.  I figure you and Alfie can swap bodies Friday night, swap back sometime Sunday afternoon, and we can just... do that for a few weeks until the trip is over.  And I’ll be taking mine home with me at the end of the trip, in case we ever need them again.”

I found myself running my hands along the ridges and curves of my new skin-- surprisingly soft new skin, I had to admit.  “And Alfie is... fine with this?  I mean, it sounds like swapping bodies every week was his idea, but like...  He knows what we’re going to be doing to his body, right?”

“Of course, Brian.  As long as I have permission to do the same in yours,” said the voice over the phone.  I recognized it as the sound of my voice-- or, my body’s voice, I suppose-- though hearing from the outside was incredibly weird.  It made sense that he’d be on the line, it wasn’t like I had hung up on him.  “Oliver volunteered your body for me to use, but it’s not cool of me do to anything unless you tell me it’s okay.”

I hadn’t even considered that, to be honest.  Granted, I was the only person who didn’t know that body swapping was possible a few minutes ago. “Yeah, of course, dude.  Just, you know... use a condom, don’t drive my car if you’re hammered, that sort of thing.  And I guess I’d rather you drive downtown if you’re looking for a random hookup, just so that you don’t run into anyone I know.  Outside of that... good grief, Alfie.  You’re doing us a huge favor!  I can’t believe you’re just giving us these things.”

“Hey, I’m just glad someone is able to get good use out of those things,” he said.  “I haven’t used them in several months, and... well, I don’t really need them anymore.  I bought them for cheap, so it’s whatever.  Just... do me a solid, and give them away if you see someone who could use ‘em.”

“Yeah, I think we can manage that,” Oliver said, looking over at my face.  Now that the shock had worn off, I was already starting to get horny-- clearly he was feeling the same way.  “Thanks again, Alfie, talk to you later!”  He hung up, tossed his phone onto a nearby bed, and swept me up into his arms.  If this is what our long distance relationship will look like?  I think we can manage.

[gimmethosedaddymilkers]

Arthur Morgan (Modern Headcannons) What he’s like without kids

Okay, this was a request from @mrsarthurmorgan7 Who wanted to see what Arthur would be like if the reader didn’t want kids

We all know how our loving cowboy is with kids, so we have to see what the other side of the coin is obviously! 

Warnings!: NSFW as always lmao, arthur being fluffy, maybe a little bit of angst? Not too much no one panic lololol Female Reader 

Tags: @kieropal @photo1030 @cantchoosejust1 @6kaja9​

Okay party people lets do this! 

Ok

So

Arthur is obviously a little bit more of a family oriented guy, and I think that’s mainly because he was just always surrounded by a big family, after he was adopted that is

That hand he just loves babies 

But

when it comes time to talk about having kids

and you tell him that you 

A: Cannot have kids 

or B: Do not want kids

DO NOT FEAR

it is not a deal breaker for him

He’ll probably be a little shocked at first, because he thinks you’re great with Jack 

And he’s probably kinda upset because he thinks that you’d look amazing pregnant

but he loves you

and respects you

because he drinks respect women juice

Granted he will be a little sad because of it, but he isn’t going to make you feel guilty for it

He understands that if you can’t have kids that’s not your fault in any way shape or form, you cannot control that whatsoever and in no way is he going to make you feel as though it is.

He also understands that not everyone wants to have kids, and that’s okay too

Again, he’ll probably be a little sad that you don’t want kids with him, but, he’ll get over it eventually

He loves you and respects you, so even if he might want some, he is okay not having any

plus to him that means he can have more alone time with you, and he can spend all the time he wants to spend loving you.

No kids means more date nights, and more....ya know 

It also means that he can walk around naked in the house without panicking that he’s gonna scar his children for life.

Plus, even if he’s a family oriented guy, you are his family, and he get all his love he needs from you! 

And ya know, Dutch and Co.

You can fill that hole in his heart happily

Without kids, you have less responsibilities too, which is nice on both of you, less bills to pay, and more money to go on vacation 

Now, listen here

just because you don’t want kids, or dont have any

does not mean he will not enjoy the act of how they’re created 

And without kids around

he’s got plenty of time, and literally the entire house to fuck you as he pleases

He loves to be intimate with you all the time

He loves you so much

I mean

He comes home and kisses you on the cheek, then the neck, then the shoulder, and then he’ll slide his hands under your shirt and bring them up to your breasts quietly

He’ll mutter in your ears the whole time

Asking you how your day was

but also calling you his beautiful girl

His wonderful wife

amazing woman

His woman

He enjoys everything he does with you 

He loves kissing you, holding you

His favorite thing to do is come home and catch you by surprise though

If you’re in the shower when he gets home he’ll come into the bathroom and just strip down without a word

he’s covered in oil and grease anyway so he needs to shower anyhow.

he’ll slip in behind you, usually scaring you because he’s literally dead silent

and he’ll just kiss you on the neck, and start cleaning you up

“How was work today?”

“It was fine until you nearly gave me a heart attack just now!”

“I’m a big guy, I ain’t that hard to miss Darlin’, ain’t my fault if you don’t pay attention to your surroundin’s.” 

He also wants to convince you to get a dog 

since you don’t have kids he will TOTALLY want a dog named Mayhem

He’ll want either a German Shepard or a Husky 

Hell both! 

He’d even ask for cats too! 

He loves all kinds of animals 

So he’ll be happy to have them! 

If you do get dogs he loves to see you cuddle up with them, it’s the cutest thing ever to him

He lets the dogs sleep in the bed sometimes

(You hate it because they nearly kick you off the bed sometimes but you love him too much to tell him to stop) 

He never gets upset with the dogs at all, well, that is unless they start to come bother you while he’s trying to make love to you 

“Get the hell outta here dog! Don’t I spend enough time with you, leave us be!” 

He does love his days when he gets to babysit Jack, however, sometimes after his bad days he REALLY understands why you don’t want kids

Jack causes him all kinds of issues, on certain days of course, other times he’s an angel, but sometimes he’s like a DEVIL 

He’ll throw tantrums and wreck your home, and Arthur literally can’t figure out how to calm him down

This is when he was younger of course

but those bad days really make him happy to turn Jack loose back to his parents rather than him having to worry about dealing with him all the time

Not to say that he’d hate any kids that he would have

thats not it at all, and he doesn’t hate jack either

but he is glad that it’s not an extra expense the two of you have as well as not having to worry about him fucking up as a parent, because sometimes Jack makes him wonder if he’d be that great with the way his temper rises so quickly

Arthur comes home with gifts for you all the time btw

He’ll tell you 

“Come out to the truck I got somethin’ for you”

And you’ll be confused as hell because like

you hate it when he buys you gifts

it’s money he doesn’t need to spend

but of course

he loves you to no end and other than your bills (Which he makes sure are completely covered before buying anything) you have nothing that needs money for

so he buys you gifts all the time

you’ll come out to the truck and he’ll have a whole ass pine cabinet in the truck bed for you

and it’s beautiful and you’ve been looking at it for a while

so he literally just 

read your mind 

He’ll get you smaller gifts and things too obviously

flowers

clothes

necklaces

he loves to buy you video games too

because he plays them with you

even though he’s really bad at them 

(He thinks he’s bad at all technology and to be fair he kinda is unless he’s used it forever lmao)

So he’ll come home with a bunch of video games to play with you

or watch you play

sometimes he likes to sit down with some popcorn and just sit and watch you play story games

like

Elden Ring? 

He’ll watch you play that for hours, he loves all the magic and like knights and things

Hes huge into the medieval stuff

He’s also big into the cowboy stuff, cause he’s a modern day cowboy lol, and the closest game he’s ever brought home that was cowboy-esk was The Last Of Us

Which 

He LOVES Joel, he relates to him SO much

(You love joel for another reason but you still think Arthur is hotter than him)

He likes Days Gone By too, he forces you to have a game night with him at least once a week

Which you don’t mind cause he cuddles up next to you and gets totally engrossed in the game at hand

like

he just

is completely engulfed

if you pause the game he gets mad

usually the game nights last until the early morning hours and the two of you have a great time playing together

and usually the day after both of you have the day off and you just sleep in until about 1pm 

He loves Yellowstone, and at least once a week you guys catch up on episodes, and you love to see how excited he gets

and your favorite thing is when he calls certain characters bitches

or fucks

or dumbasses

he also loves any and all moves with Sam Elliot in them 

and he watches them all the time

he’ll clean dishes from the kitchen and lean around the wall to watch the show

Like I mentioned earlier he loves to take you on vacation, since the two of you don’t have kids you don’t have anything to worry about in terms of expenses

therefore

you have enough extra money to go places

he takes you places you’ve never been to

anywhere you want

if theres a state you’ve always wanted to visit

that’s where he takes you

or an event?

Maybe he even takes you to meet some of your favorite actors and actresses

it all depends on you! 

He’ll take you anywhere, especially since you two can save up the money

The vacations are always fun

you see attractions your interested in

but you also see plenty of your bedroom too

Like

A lot of your bedroom

And he loves to take you swimming when it’s available

He just likes to see you in a swimsuit

Speaking of the hanky panky

He’s extremely careful

because if you can have kids but don’t want to

he isn’t gonna sit there and like ‘trick’ you into like having kids, he might want them a little bit but he isn’t like that

so he’s extremely careful to make sure you don’t fall pregnant if you’re physically able

He always pulls out, if he’s able to

of course the two of you wear protection for the most part and you’re on birth control

if he can’t pull out in time he always buys you a Plan B pill after

which

controversial topic to some people

he believes that a woman should have rights to her body

if you want an abortion that is your business and your choice, he doesn’t know what it’s like to be pregnant

he believes that you should do what you feel is right

and of course

a part of him pings because that could become a baby but he isn’t someone who says “Thats a full baby you can’t do that’

If it comes to that he will fully support your decision on what you do

again

he believes its your body

your choice

he’s a very supportive husband

If anyone were to get in your way for something like that he’d literally fight someone

He is here to make sure you’re happy and healthy, and he’s happy if you’re happy

He literally loves you so much

He can’t put it into words even

Okokokok This is another kind of short one

I really struggled for some reason with this one! (Probably cause I myself would like children in the future but thats nothing against anyone who doesn’t!) 

If by any chance anyone would like more of these please let me know and I’ll do my best to dig into it deeper! 

I hope you do like these though!!

[erwinsvow]

𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟

for the 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 collab <3

summary: you've always been fond of your step-brother, jean, despite how much he tries to avoid spending time with you. he finally reaches his breaking point when he sees you talking to eren, though.

warnings: step-cest, slight manipulation (reader), possessive behavior, teasing + edging, fingering, oral sex (m receiving), degradation, rough sex, creampie, jean is a good boy and reader is a fiend

author's note: i hope everyone likes this!!! i'm thinking about creating a step-cest series, let me know who should be next! tagging the lovely @yeagerslut & sending a big thank you for creating this collab! <3

Jean can never really peel his eyes away from you, no matter how hard he tries. At first it was subtle glances, like staring at the exposed skin of your supple thighs from his place beside his mom, when she was first introducing you and your father to him.

His first thought, besides the fact that it’ll be nice to have a sibling in the house with him every once in a while, is that your dress is incredibly short. So short that he wonders how you’re allowed to leave the house in something like that. If it was up to him, he wouldn’t let you, that’s for sure.

He quickly remembers that it’s not up to him, and that it’s not his place to be worrying about the length of your hem. Jean tries to suppress the strange, sudden burning feeling in his chest when he thinks about you wearing something as short as that when he has his friends over. No, that won’t be allowed.

He’ll have to tell someone about it, at some point, because he can’t stand the unusual jealousy he feels stirring at the idea of one of his friends looking at you while you’re wearing that.

His thoughts are cut short when his mother tells you two to get acquainted, while your dad and her head to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Jean almost doesn’t want them to leave, doesn’t want to be left alone with you and those legs and that dress, but he doesn’t have any say in the matter.

Your first words to your new step-brother are carefully calculated. In fact, you've been deciding everything carefully. The way you did your hair, the dress you’ve chosen that’s much too short for a family dinner but it’s not like someone can stop you, even the pink lip gloss you reapplied in the car before entering the house. Everything has its purpose, its place, with one goal in mind: see how long it takes for Jean to crack.

“I’m so excited to finally have a big brother, Jean!” you let out in a cheerful, chirpy voice that doesn’t match your insidious thoughts at all. You close the bridge separating you two with a few steps, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him down into a hug.

It’s so sudden, so unforeseen that he stumbles a little, letting his tall figure be pulled by your efforts and arms wrapping around your waist for support. And before he knows it, the sweet smell of your perfume is invading all his senses and leaving him with nothing to think about except you.

He takes it all in, the lingering scent of shampoo in your hair, something fruity, he thinks off-hand, the feel of your soft skin on the back of his neck, your cheek against his, but especially the way your breasts feel against his chest.

He pulls away before you want him to, and you begrudgingly allow him to, recognizing what a challenge it’ll be. But you’re always up for a challenge.

The first few months pass by in the blink of an eye for you, and dragging on and on for him. Jean tries to avoid interactions with you since that first meeting, but it’s hard to when you’re living in the same house as him. Even harder when your bedroom is right next to his, his mother offering up his assistance to help you move boxes and get settled while she and her new husband go out to dinner.

It’s ridiculous, the way he flushes bright red when he opens boxes and suitcases filled with clothing he doesn’t want to look at, all short skirts and sun-dresses and delicate panties that he tries and fails not to stare at.

You keep your gaze away, knowing exactly which suitcase you had given him to unpack, while you organize books on the shelves of the room and sort knick-knacks.

“Won’t it be nice sharing a wall?” you comment, adjusting a frame on your nightstand and not meeting Jean’s eyes. “I think it’ll be fun to have you so close.”

Jean chokes on the water he was drinking, gasping for air and trying to process your words all at once, when you finally turn around and smile. A smile that he thinks should be illegal, given the way it’s innocence personified when you’re actually a little devil.

He leaves a little bit after that, calling out that he’s not hungry when you knock on his door for dinner, but you don’t miss the way he sounds breathless, or the panties missing from your drawers.

Every challenge gets easier, right?

It doesn’t take long for your behavior to get a little out of hand, especially when the two of you have so much alone time together. Your parents are gone all the time, frequenting dinner parties and double dates, and not coming back until late at night.

Jean tries his best to keep away. While he had once been the friend whose house was always available for sleepovers, movie nights, and the like, he was now keeping everyone away. Every time your parents’ car left the driveway, Jean followed suit, either hopping into Connie’s Jeep or walking the short distance to Sasha’s place and leaving you alone.

He was hoping no one would notice, but of course someone did, and of course that someone was Eren.

“We can’t do my place again,” Sasha says, absentmindedly reaching for the bag of chips which Connie yanks out of her reach. “My dad’s having people over.” A swat to the back of Connie’s head gets her back the snack quickly.

“How come we can’t do Jean’s place like usual?” Eren asks, reclining back in his seat and enjoying the panicked expression on Jean’s face. “There something wrong with that new sister of yours?” Jean chokes back a cough.

“No.”

“Does she always have friends over, or something?”

“No.”

“Then it’s settled,” Eren says, bringing his hands together. “Jean’s place it is.” Shit, Jean. Better come up with something quick.

“We- we can’t do my place!” he sputters out much too loudly, meeting the gaze of every person in the room.

“Any reason why, Jean-bo?” Eren asks.

“I- we- what if she’s not okay with having a bunch of loud-mouthed idiots sleeping over?” Shitty, but it’s the best he can think of when he’s so concerned with keeping everyone away from you.

If you behave like that with parents in the house, how are you gonna behave with his friends around? He doesn’t wanna take the chance to find out.

“How about you call and ask, dumb-ass?” Connie suggests, shoving his phone at him and waiting with a confused look. Jean lets out a defeated sigh, knowing how this phone call will go.

Your loud, chirpy “I’m perfectly fine with that, silly! I’ve been waiting to meet your friends..” can be heard through the phone and answers Eren’s question.

Jean searches for a reason, any reason really, to keep this sleepover from happening, but realizes that he’s failed miserably when all his friends appear, clad with pillows and overnight bags, on his front door. “So,” Eren begins, with a wolfish grin on his face that Jean wants to punch right off, “Where’s the sister? It’s only polite to say hi, right?”

As if you’d been waiting for the cue, you poke your head out from the living room, that very same innocent and sweet smile gracing your face.

“Hi,” you, stepping out to greet his friends in the foyer. “It’s so nice to meet you all.”

Jean immediately regrets the fact that he never had that conversation with you about the length of your dresses. It always sat in the back of his head somewhere, though it was incredibly easy to dismiss when you would come sit next to him on the couch, dress riding up frequently and exposing more skin that he somehow always found himself entranced by.

Today the dress of choice is yellow, and though it does, in fact, cover everything it needs to, it doesn’t leave much to the imagination either. Jean almost feels like a schoolboy again, blushing at exposed shoulders and thighs, but he can’t help it when you’re clinging right to his side as you greet his friends.

“I’m Eren-”

“Hi, I’m Connie-”

“Ignore these two, I’m Sasha-” All meet each other at once. You let out a laugh at your step-brother’s funny friends, glancing up to see his expression, but all you see are signs of anger. Your smile dims a little, but picks right back at up when you notice the way Eren looks at you, and the way Jean looks at Eren.

A plan is working itself into creation in your head before you can help it, deviousness taking a hold on you as you smile brightly in favor of Eren over Jean. Your step-brother’s been keeping his distance all this time, but you’re about ready to force his hand.

You don’t miss the way Jean’s jaw tightens, his hand clenching into a fist at his side as he guides the group to the living room. Your original plan changes quickly, following them into the space and taking your usual place on the couch as you scan the various video games laid out.

“Eren, will you sit with me?” you ask in a gentle tone, one that Jean is all too familiar with. “I don’t know this game, can I watch you play first?”

“Don’t you have work to do, or something?” Jean blurts out without thinking, his only thought centered around getting you out of the room and as far away as he can.

“What work? It’s summer,” you reply, watching your step-brother’s cheeks turn red.

You’re not helping matters for Jean, as he watches Eren sit where he usually does, teeth clenched so hard his jaw hurts. He doesn’t think he could get more angry, until he notices Eren’s hand move to your knee, squeezing quickly but lingering entirely too long. There must be steam coming out of Jean’s ears at this point, watching this interaction between you two.

“Yeah, Jean, she can stick around to watch. Anything for your little sister, right?” “I’m not that much younger than you guys, you know,” you reply with a laugh, adjusting your position on the sofa and purposefully lifting the skirt of your dress for a second before letting it settle. If someone were looking, which both Jean and Eren were, they’d catch a glimpse of black panties, and they both did.

Jean is seeing red now, standing up without realizing why, ready to yank Yeager away from you, when the doorbell rings again. It stops Jean in his tracks. “That must be Marco,” Sasha reminds, looking up from the games to glance at Jean with confusion. “Aren’t you gonna go get that?”

“Y-yeah. I’ll be right back.” Jean locks eyes with you as he leaves the room, and you dejectedly sigh, leaning away from Eren. It’s no fun to mess around with another guy if Jean’s not there to see.

He guides Marco into the living room, and you greet him with a quick smile before giving your full attention back to Eren.

The next few hours are fun for you, and unbearable for Jean. Every time he spared a glance to you, you were pouring over Eren, asking questions about the game and insisting on clarification, leaning in much too close and supporting yourself on his shoulder as he explained another trivial rule to you.

Jean didn’t like any of it, not the way you laughed sweetly and played with your hair while talking to Eren, not the way your legs were on display and Eren’s sleazy hands kept finding its way back to them, none of it. What he couldn’t stand, though, was how you didn’t shy away from his touch and found any and every way to keep it going.

He’s at his limit when you go to your bedroom after dinner to change into pajamas, knowing what to expect from your nightwear. If he’s lucky, you’ll pick a big t-shirt and shorts, but he’s seen first-hand the silky slips and cotton sets you prefer to sleep in.

Jean doesn’t think he can handle the look on Eren’s face if you come down the stairs wearing one of those, so he lets his anger do the thinking for a minute when the others are fighting over snacks and who gets the couch versus the floor.

Eren’s waiting near the bottom of the stairs, looking at something on his phone when Jean approaches and glances quickly to make sure you’re still in your room.

“You better knock it off, Yeager, I’m serious,” he says, trying to contain his anger and keep his voice down. His words come out in a low grumble that he barely recognizes, body stiff and trying his best to intimidate Eren. It doesn’t seem to be working. “Knock off what?” Eren questions nonchalantly, amused that his suspicions were proving to be correct. Looks like Jean had a little thing for his step-sister after all.

Jean’s eyes unwittingly flit to the top of the stairs again, before he forces his gaze back to Eren, but the quick gesture isn’t missed by his so-called friend.

“Oh, I see. You want me to stop being so buddy-buddy with your step-sister, huh? You better tell that to her first, you know. She’s been all over me since the minute I met her.”

The sly smirk playing on his lips only makes Jean want to cave his face in all the more.

“You better watch it, you son of a-” Eren clicks his tongue to interrupt Jean.

“Come on now, Jean, you can’t really expect me to stop. I mean, it’s not like she’s my sister, right?” Eren says, with a strange look in his eyes as though he was tempting Jean to blow his cover.

Eren walks away to rejoin everyone in the living room, leaving Jean seething by the stairs and you in your bedroom, pressed against the door and clinging onto every word.

All night you had known Jean was getting agitated by your constant flirting and touchiness with Eren, but he hadn’t been close to cracking, or so it seemed. The fact that he even confronted Eren had your heart pounding in your chest, wondering if tonight might finally be the chance you had been waiting for. You hear Jean’s heavy foot steps walk away, and you decide that it’s all or nothing, now.

You leave your room and close the door gently, dressed in a pink camisole and shorts that were sure to get Eren’s attention for long enough for Jean to finally crack.

Just as you began the descent down the stairs, you heard footsteps coming back and were greeted with Jean at the foot of the stairs.

The look in his eyes was something you hadn’t seen before, something entirely different from the reserved, hesitant Jean you had gotten so used to.

No, this Jean was someone else, a mix of want and desire and shame pooling in his pretty eyes, looking at you as though you were the prey he had finally cornered.

Before you know it, Jean is in your bedroom and your back is pressed against the door roughly as his lips stay on yours and refuse to pull away. His tongue is hot in your mouth, and his hands feel as though they’re burning your skin with the heat they are radiating, groping your ass and the soft skin of your back as he explores your body. All the things he’d wanted to do for these last few months, that he’d forced himself to repress, finally coming out.

You moan into Jean’s mouth at the sudden feel of his hands on your tits, grabbing blindly and pinching your nipple roughly and suddenly, causing the moan to turn into a loud squeal. Jean clasps his free hand over your mouth.

“Shh, now,” he begins, staring into your eyes and making your core heat up uncomfortably as you realize your little challenge was finally over. You feel the wetness between your legs growing, pussy throbbing just at seeing Jean be so dominant for once. “We don't want anyone to hear, do we?”

You shake your head quickly to answer his question, having completely forgotten about the multiple guests just a floor away. You expect Jean to pull away, to tell you that he’ll take care of you after they’re all gone, some other time, but he doesn’t.

He pulls his hand away and leads two fingers to your mouth, guiding them into your willing mouth, latching your lips around them and sucking while swirling your tongue, getting them wet as he wanted.

“You know how long I’ve wanted this? Huh? Since the day I met you, that’s how long. And you’re such a fucking tease all the time, you know how unbearable it's been?” Jean says in a deep voice, his eyes observing your mouth continuing its work. You moan around his fingers, wanting to speak but no words come out.

He pulls his fingers away and leads them straight to your throbbing pussy, running one up and down your slit teasingly as you hold back a loud moan.

“P-please, Jean, please do something, I- oh!” Jean shoves the two digits into your tight hole without any warning at all, causing your whole body to shake at the sudden fullness.

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it, you dirty slut? You wanted your big brother to get fed up and fuck you senseless, didn’t you? Say it,” he orders, fingers pumping in and out and his hand grazing your clit with every motion, causing you to moan as your body tenses. You can hardly process his words because of the pleasure you’re feeling, but his other hand finding your throat brings you back quickly.

“Say it. I won’t ask again.”

“Y-yes, Jean, I-I wanted big brother to fuck me, oh, yes-” You lose your thoughts again as his pace increases, making you squeal again before you clamp your mouth shut to make sure no one hears you. Your stomach is tensing and you know you’re so, so close, one more touch from Jean would have your orgasm washing over you like lightening spreading through your body, when he suddenly stops.

You gasp loudly at the sudden emptiness, feeling your orgasm dissipate as you buck up and clamp down against nothing at all. Jean’s fingers are in his mouth, tasting your wetness as you try to catch your breath and protest against the way he’s teasing you, but your pleas are met by deaf ears.

“Jean,” you moan desperately, clinging to his shoulders, “please, please, let me cum, please-”

“No. Filthy sluts that mess around with their big brother’s friends don’t get to cum,” he says gruffly, as you whine again and try to release yourself from his tight grip. It’s useless since he has you caged in, firm hands on your waist dragging you to the bed and throwing you on top of the soft covers.

“Please, I promise I’ll be a good girl,” you plead, using your sweetest voice and big. teary eyes to win Jean over, but it’s still useless.

“I said no,” he repeats, hovering over you and his hands finding their way to the bottom of your camisole. He pulls the skimpy top off of you quickly, revealing your tits. Your nipples harden at the sudden cool air, and Jean’s fingers find them once again, pinching and teasing as you moan into your pillow, desperately bucking your hips up for contact between your legs, to no avail. His hot mouth finds your nipple, flicking with his tongue as his hand plays with the other, before he pulls away quickly.

You whine again at the loss of stimulation, before you see Jean pulling down the band of his grey sweatpants and leaning back against the headboard.

“Prove to me that you deserve big brother’s cock,” he says, revealing his hard dick as it snaps against his stomach. “With your mouth. Now.”

You don’t need to be told twice. You reposition yourself, ass in the air and head at Jean’s crotch as you stare at his pretty, pink cock with wide eyes. You’d expected him to be big, but not like this, though you don’t have time to dwell on it as he grips it firmly and taps the angry, pink tip against your lips.

You hang your tongue out, spit collecting and falling all over his length before you finally take as much as you can into your mouth, sucking and swirling as your hands move up and down the rest that you can’t take.

“Just like that-” Jean begins before breaking into a loud moan. You pop him out of your mouth and keep stroking with your hands as you whisper for him to shush.

“What happened to being quiet, and everyone downstairs will hear, and-” You’re interrupted as Jean grips his cock and shoves it back into your mouth, gagging suddenly at the unexpected movement.

Jean stares at your obedient mouth, following his instructions without any sign of the brat he was so used to. As you cup his balls in your hand, he feels them tighten and knows he’s not gonna last much longer like this. He guides your head away from his cock, admiring the drool and spit on your face and the glassy eyes he’s longed to see.

“Jean, I wanna-”

“I don’t care what you want, sweetheart,” he says, a false sweetness in his voice that’s making you feel dizzy. “You’re gonna ride me now, you got that?”

Jean’s hands are firmly set on your hips, positioning you just as he wants as you hover above his leaking cock. You grind down quickly, desperate for friction on your throbbing clit, before Jean stops your motions with the tight grip he has on you. “Are you gonna make me repeat myself?” he questions, in a tone that makes you positive that you don't want to make him angry. You shake your head immediately, taking his dick in your hand and lining it up with your wet hole, before slowly sinking down.

“Oh, god-!” you let out, before clasping a hand over your mouth. You had never felt quite so full before, the stretching burn making heat course through your whole body, as you bottom out and clench hard. “Come on, baby, you know how long you’ve been begging for this? Don’t get shy on me now,” Jean says, and you regain your senses slowly. You start moving, up and down, just like he wants and speeding up as you feel your cunt gush against Jean.

You’re sure to be making a mess, but you can hardly care when your brain feels so cloudy and distracted at how good Jean feels inside you, and you start the grinding movement again. Jean entertains you for a minute, before grabbing your hips even tighter, nearly at a bruising grip now, and snapping his own hips to thrust into you.

You’re blabbering now, utterly senseless as Jean fucks you mercilessly. You know you’re being loud, but you just don’t care, not when Jean is hitting that one spot inside you that has you seeing stars before you know it, your hands on his shoulders and holding on for life.

“Are you close, baby? Are you gonna cum all over your brother’s big cock?” Jean teases, feeling you clench down harder and knowing he won’t be able to hold on much longer either. “Yes, yes, yes! Jean! Oh, Jean-” you finally feel the tight coil in your stomach snap, unaware of your own movements and surroundings as you focus on the pleasure Jean’s giving you. You yell out, cumming so intensely and shaking on top of Jean, twitching once more when you hear Jean groan and feel hot ropes of cum inside you.

Your throat feels dry and scratchy, heart pounding as you come down from your high. You feel Jean’s grip, much softer now, lead you off of his cock and lay you next to him on the bed. It’s a mess, and you don’t know how you’ll clean up with everyone downstairs and surely they’ve noticed you’re both still gone-but you still don’t care.

All you care about is the sound of Jean’s heart beat from your position on his chest, and the way his hands feel on your skin as he holds you close to his warm body.

“So,” he starts off quietly, “was it how you’ve been imagining it all this time?” You’re not looking at him, but you know he’s smiling.

“Mmh,” you hum contentedly, “even better.” You feel his body rumble with a laugh, and his hand reaches to cup your face and lean into you for a kiss. Just as your lips meet, you hear a sharp knock at the door.

“Might wanna hurry up, you two,” Eren calls out from the other side of the door. “The others are getting suspicious.”

[steddieas-shegoes]

i could listen all night

for @steddielovemonth prompt 'love is wanting to hear every detail of their day'

rated t | 803 words | cw: recreational drug use (weed) | tags: established relationship, stargazing, they're so in love

💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟💟

"And it's not even that I'm worried about failing the test!" Steve said as he leaned back against the wall of their too-small balcony. "I did a practice test yesterday and only missed one question. I just feel like it's too easy."

"I think you're just smarter than you give yourself credit for, Stevie," Eddie said as he exhaled smoke.

"I don't think that's it."

Eddie rolled his eyes fondly.

They didn't love their apartment. It was on the third floor of a three story townhome that seemed to be a revolving door of large families who couldn't make rent after a couple of months. They'd get close to someone on the first floor and they'd be evicted two months later. They'd finally have a quiet neighbor below them only to find out it was an old man who was moved to a nursing home a month after moving in.

But they at least had this balcony that faced a parking lot of some business that was empty and closed by the time they needed to smoke.

And when Steve graduated, they could move closer to whatever school he ended up working at.

"What if I don't graduate?" Steve asked quietly, reaching out for the joint Eddie had just taken a third pull off of. "What if I'm doing all this for nothing?"

Eddie turned to Steve as much as he could, covered his hand in comfort. "If anyone knows what it's like not to graduate, it's me. And it's not the end of the world. It may feel like it at first, but just because you don't do it when you think you should doesn't mean you won't ever. You're smart and you work hard, sunshine, you're gonna graduate."

"You have to say that. You're my boyfriend."

"I don't have to say anything! I told you just this morning that you were stupid if you thought I wasn't gonna wake up just to kiss you goodbye," Eddie pecked his cheek and took the join back from him.

He knew Steve got emotional if he smoked too much, and he'd already reached the glassy eye part of the high. Better to stop him now.

"Other than your professor scaring you, what happened today?" Eddie asked casually. He wanted to hear about everything, and Steve liked talking about it.

"I had the best cup of tea. The library was giving free cups to students who donated $1 to the writer's club. So I guess it wasn't really free, but still, $1 for the best cup of tea I've ever had isn't bad." Steve leaned his head on Eddie's shoulder. "I studied for an hour between classes and saw these two women making out. One was like, a lot older than the other and I'm almost certain she was a professor with a student. Don't know what that's about."

Eddie raised his brows, but stayed quiet as Steve continued.

"And then I managed to eat my sandwich after my second class. Best one you've made yet. Perfect ham to turkey ratio," Steve kissed his neck.

"Glad you liked it, sweetheart."

"Oh! And there's gonna be a student run show next Friday. I get two free tickets if you wanna go. Maybe we could make it a date night?"

"I think that sounds lovely. Write it on the fridge and I'll make sure I'm home in time to get ready for it," Eddie took one last drag from the joint before putting it out in the ash tray he grabbed from the flea market downtown when they first moved in. "Anything else today?"

"I got to sit outside and look at the stars with my boyfriend. That's been pretty nice," Steve whispered.

Eddie felt his cheeks heat up, never quite used to how easily Steve shared his love and affection. He'd been like that before they were even together, overwhelmingly honest.

"Was he good company?" Eddie teased, leaning his head on top of Steve's and looking up at the few stars they could see in the city.

"He's always good company."

Eddie kissed the top of Steve's head and settled back.

"What about your day?" Steve asked, sinking further into his side.

"My day was boring." Eddie sighed. "But we have new releases hitting the shelves tomorrow. Those days are always fun."

"Any you want?" Steve sounded tired.

It was barely eight at night, but the weed was hitting and he'd been up since five that morning going nonstop.

"Might grab this local band's demo. We're the only place carrying it and they're hoping to do a show in our basement next month, but we'll see. Brad said we had to see how the demos sell."

"Sounds like fun," Steve said.

"You wanna go inside, sweetheart?"

"Not yet. Keep talking. Wanna hear about everything."

"Mkay, baby."

[winter-soldier-vibes]

You’re not going to work (Bucky x Reader)

Bucky x reader

Word count: 1612

Summary: Bucky comes back from a long mission so excited to see you. Little does he know, you have a full schedule that day. At least, you planned to. No way is he going to wait any longer. 

Warnings: no explicit anything this is mainly just fluff. The ending hints at a few things but really, Bucky just wants cuddles. 

A/N: This is just a fun one I had an idea for. One night right before I fell asleep I was like ‘Bucky would be cute begging for cuddles’ and voila. It’s a bit of a change of pace for me but I hope you enjoy it!

A/N 2 : This is my first time writing something like this so I apologize if it’s not fantastic. 

Tags: @abitgryffindorky @buckys2thicc @buckfics @thatfangirl42 @freigeistundanderes

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

Bucky nearly collapsed back into his seat on the quinjet after boarding. He might have had the serum, but that didn’t mean he was immune from exhaustion and soreness. He’d be fine by tomorrow but for right now, all he can do is lean back and close his eyes.

He was fine with going on missions. It was a part of the job, and he enjoyed helping people. Beating HYDRA’s ass was also a nice plus. He was also able to plan for it: he knew when a mission would be and approximately how long it would be. He knew what to expect. 

For the most part, mission briefings were pretty accurate. Some are overestimated.

Some are gravely underestimated. 

They expected to be home later the night they left. Bucky scoffed now at the idea of that. They had been fighting for a few days, with roughly a few hours scattered throughout to regroup. He had prepared himself to not see you for 12 hours at most. 

It had been 4 days. He was exhausted, he was sore, but more painful than that, he missed you. 

He wanted nothing more than to come back to the compound, ignore all traffic laws on the way to your shared apartment, and spend the entire day with you in his arms.

He sighed contently. He couldn’t wait. So when he arrived back and saw that you were dressed for work, his heart stuttered. 

He was meant to get back Friday night. It was now Tuesday morning, and you had a day full of meetings. 

You still had your back to him as he entered. When you heard the door close, you turned around, a smile spreading wide on your face.

“You’re back!” you said excitedly, staying in your place. You were so happy to see him, but your smile faltered slightly when you saw how worn out he looked. He smiled back at you, but you could tell the mission had been brutal on him.

Still he walked toward you and moved to hug you and you stepped back. Bucky looked like you had kicked him. 

“Sorry, I just… I have work.” you said, looking down at your white blouse. 

“Too bad,” he said, pulling you in for a hug. 

“Bucky!” you exclaimed, trying to pull back. Bucky wouldn’t budge though, and you were no match for the grip of his bear hug. He held you tightly and closed his eyes, despite your squirming.

“Bucky, please, I have to go. I’m gonna be late.”

“I don’t care. I was 4 days late coming home, you can be a day late to work,” he said.

You laughed a little, trapped in his embrace. It was a nice place to be, but not when you had a meeting starting in 30 minutes. “Bucky, I want nothing more than to stay with you, but it doesn’t work that way.”

“Doesn’t it?” he asked, pulling back to look at you while still holding you tightly. “Call in, tell them you have a personal emergency.”

“And what would that emergency be?”

“You have to take care of your sick boyfriend,” he said innocently.

You bit back a smile and a laugh. “And what’s the diagnosis?”

His eyes darted away for a second before he shook his head slightly. “Irrelevant. All I know is that you’re the cure. There’s no way to tell how sick I’ll get if you leave.”

“Ah, I see,” you said, playing along with it. He was giving you his puppy eyes. The ones you never used to be able to say no to. Damn those eyes - they could kill or get you to fold to anything. You had gotten better at standing your ground though, saying “Well, I am all yours tonight, but right now, I need to go to work,” as you finally wrestled out of his embrace.

You were used to puppy eyes, but that didn’t mean you were used to his kicked-puppy eyes. 

You sighed. 106 year old ex-assassin in full tactical gear, covered in mud and a few scrapes looked like he was about to cry because you wouldn’t call in sick to give him cuddles. It was cute, and you felt bad. But at some point you had to stand your ground.

“Please?” he asked, borderline whining but he didn’t care. All he cared about was keeping you from walking out of the door.

“Bucky I -”

“Fine,” he said, dropping the puppy eyes and walking towards you. You looked at him confused. “Bucky what are you -” you yelped in surprise as he picked you up and threw you over his shoulder. “You’ve been kidnapped. Your boss can’t blame you for missing work due to being kidnapped.” 

He brought you into your shared bedroom and sat down, positioning you so you were on his lap, his arms not allowing you to move. You down at him, sighing. “You’re not going to let me go are you?”

He shook his head giving you a slight smirk. “Not a chance doll.”

You looked at him for a few seconds and shook your head smiling a little, biting your lip slightly. He leaned forward and captured your lips in a kiss, you wrapping your arms around your neck.

“I missed you,” you breathed out.

“You have no idea,” he responded before kissing you again.

You pulled back much too soon for Bucky’s liking, and stood, saying “Let me call my boss really quick, okay?”

“Nope,” he responded, pulling you back on his lap. “You’ll call her later and apologize for the delay, and that your boyfriend was violently ill and you called at the first moment you could. But right now, we are going to go shower.”

“You can shower alone, and I’ll go call her”

“No,” he pouted.

“You are an adult Bucky,” you said, laughing slightly at his ridiculousness.

“Exactly, I’m too old to be showering alone.”

“Oh my god,” you said, breaking out in giggles. “Bucky, it’s going to take me 10 seconds. I’ll be in by the time the water’s warmed up and then we can shower together, okay?”

He studied you for a moment. Then he stood up, carrying you bridal style with him back out to the main room where you had left your phone. “Call her,” he said, still holding you.

You bit back a smile at how clingy he was being. You grabbed your phone and dialed your boss’ number holding your breath as it rang. 

“Hello?”

“Hi Valerie. I’m sorry for the late notice but my boyfriend is really sick and I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it into work today.”

There was a moment of silence before your boss responded with “He got back this morning didn’t he?”

You closed your eyes for a moment, looking down. You had been worried at work yesterday because he hadn’t gotten back yet. She must have overheard “Yes.”

She sighed but on the other end she was also smiling a little. “Alright. Just be here tomorrow.”

You let out a small breath of relief. “Thank you.”

“Yep. Tell him I hope his separation anxiety improves,” she said, hanging up the phone. You tried your best not to burst out laughing. When Bucky looked at you questioningly, you shook your head. “Work joke,” you said, still trying to hide your smile. 

Bucky nodded, walking back towards the bedroom and into the attached bathroom. He set you down on the counter before turning on the water. He walked back over to you and stood between your legs, wrapping his arms behind your back. You wrapped your arms around his neck in return, and the two of you rested your foreheads against each other. 

It was a nice quiet moment of peace, before you felt the warmth of Bucky’s hands leave their spot on your back, and travel lower to your -

“Bucky,” you laughed a little, “Did you miss me, or my ass?”

“Yes,” he answered quickly. 

You laughed some more and Bucky loved it. God he missed that sound. He laughed a little with you.

“Really, I missed everything about you,” he said, pulling back to look at you. “I love your voice, your laugh, your ass,” he kissed you before adding “the amazing neck massage you’re about to give me.”

You looked up at him. “Oh really, yeah? That’s how this is gonna be?”

Bucky looked down at you innocently. “Mhm”

“I hate giving you massages”

“You love it”

“It hurts my thumbs”

“It helps my neck”

“Your muscles are too hard”

“Your hands are too soft.”

You looked up at him and smiled, laughing a little as you asked “You really want a massage?”

“Yes I very much would like one.” He said nodding enthusiastically and smiling. 

“Ok, fine.” you said, still laughing. “The hot water will help. But we should probably take our clothes off first.”

He stepped back and gave you a smirk. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”

[jamiethetrans]

Taken (Modern AU) - Ch 6

Pairing: Alcina Dimitrescu x Fem!Reader Series: Taken (Modern AU) Taglist

AN: Hey everyone! Another chapter is up!

I’ve noticed some of you from the taglist can’t be tagged. I don’t know why, I’ve double checked for the third time today and I am sure I have written everything correct. If you find your name in the taglist but isn’t tagged, try and see if anything is out of the ordinary for you on your profile. I do apoligize for the inconvinience.

•

“You asked her out?!”, Daniela squeaked as she and her sisters along with their father sat in the living room, watching tv. Alcina had just mentioned she was going out Friday night. She hadn’t even mentioned where she was going or who she was going out with.

Alcina stared at her youngest for a moment before turning to Jeremy who held up his arms in defense. “Don’t look at me, I didn’t tell them anything”

“So it’s true then. You’re going out with her”, Bela said this time and Alcina could hear the protectiveness in her voice.

“Yes. Doctor y/l/n and I are going out Friday night. I hope you don’t mind”, she said, the last sentence with a pit of sarcasm.

“Of course not mama. We want you to be happy”, Cassandra said eyeing her sisters with a look making them both roll their eyes, but kept quiet. “But you’re still gonna come to my game Saturday right?”

Alcina smiled at Cassandra and nodded. “Of course darling”

Cassandra smiled wide and looked at her father. “Are you going too papa?”

That made everyone turn to the man and said man looked his daughter for a moment before turning to Alcina who already knew the answer. “Cass I–“

“Jeremy”, Alcina warned and Jeremy turned to her.

“Alcina I have work”

“This means everything to her!”

Jeremy eyed her before turning to Cassandra who sat with tears in her eyes. “Cassandra I–“, he was interrupted as she stood from the couch and ran out of the room and up the stairs.

Bela immediately stood as well, and walked after her. “Why are you always working?”, Daniela asked innocently and Jeremy turned to her.

“My boss is strict. Look I will try to make it okay? But I can’t make any promises” He turned to Alcina who eyed him knowingly. He wasn’t going to come and they both knew it.

•

“Ugh this dress is hideous!”, you hissed as you went through your wardrobe. On your bed sat Eli and Jane, watching you. You and Jane had planned to find a dress for your date with Alcina. But right now it did not seem possible. Somehow none of the dresses you owned were good enough.

“Y/n you look gorgeous in all of them”, she said, making you turn to her with a look. “Right Eli?”

The boy nodded silently and you gave him a smile making him blush. You turned back to you closet, looking through all of your dresses. A beeping sound was heard and Jane widened her eyes.

“Uh! The popcorns are done”, she said and half ran out of bedroom to the kitchen.

“Popcorn? Seriously?”, you commented turning back around, a frown covering your face. You turned to your son who smiled back at you. “Really?”

He smiled wider, letting out a small chuckle and you couldn’t stop yourself from chuckling yourself. Your son was just the cutest.

You walked over to him and kissed his forehead before crouching down in front of him. “Are you sure you’re okay with mommy going out?”, you asked for the third time that day and Eli actually rolled his eyes making you chuckle.

“Yeah mommy. Tall lady pretty”, he said making you smile.

“Yeah. She really is pretty isn’t she?”

Elijah nodded and you smiled, bringing him in for a hug. You closed your eyes, letting yourself savor the moment, smelling his smell that was all your wife. “I love you buddy”, you whispered and kissed his cheek making the boy chuckle.

“Love you mommy”

You smiled and kissed him again when you heard crunching in the background and looked over to see Jane standing in the door way, a bowl of popcorn in her hands, leaning against the doorframe.

“You’re so sweet”, she commented and you let out a chuckle shaking your head as you stood from the floor.

“Just help me please”

Jane smiled and walked back to her seat next to Elijah, placing the bowl on the boy’s lap, making him smile wide and take a popcorn into his mouth.

“Not too much buddy, okay?”, you told him sternly and Elijah nodded.

“Yes mommy”

Jane smiled at the boy, stroking his hair. She took a handful of popcorn before turning to you. “Alright hot shot. Show me what you got”

•

Bela sat in Cassandra’s bed watching tv while her sister slept next to her, her head on her shoulder. Daniela was sitting by Cassandra’s desk, writing on her MacBook. Whenever she had the time between school and work, she always wrote her stories.

“What are you writing about?”, Bela asked quietly and Daniela turned to her, staring back at her. And right there Bela knew what she was writing.

“You’re writing smut aren’t you?”

Daniela mumbled a ‘yeah’ before suddenly a knock was heard and they both turned to see Jeremy open the door. “Hey, may I come in?”

They both nodded, Daniela closing her MacBook while Bela turned off the tv. Jeremy walked in and sat on the end of the bed.

“Should I wake–“

“No, it’s okay, I’ll talk to her later, let her sleep”, he stopped his oldest and Bela nodded, letting her sister continue to sleep.

“I’m sorry I’m not here more often”, Jeremy started out. “And I know work isn’t an excuse. I’m your father. I should be here for you”

Bela and Daniela shared a look and Jeremy knew they were silently speaking to each other. They all did that. Alcina had told him about it a few years ago. It was something they had done ever since they could communicate with each other.

“But… work isn’t the only reason I’m not here”, he said and the girls turned to him. “I’m seeing this girl, and–“

“But I thought you loved mother”, Bela said as a matter of fact and that made both Jeremy and Daniela turned to her.

“How did you–“

“You’re not that hard to read father”, she said and Daniela still sat with widened eyes, turning to her father.

“You love mom?”

Jeremy sighed. There was no way denying it now. “I always have. But I know I’m not your mother’s type and I’ve respected and come to terms with that from the first time we met”

“But you still slept together. You still had us”, Daniela insisted and Jeremy turned to her.

“We were young and drunk. We didn’t exactly plan on having kids together, let alone sleeping with each other”

The two girls turned to each other again and Jeremy sighed turning to Cassandra who was still sleeping peacefully against Bela.

“But that doesn’t make me love you any less. I promised Alcina I would be here and I intend to keep that promise”, he continued making the girls turn back to him.

“I’m looking for houses here in New York. The moment something comes up, I’m moving”, he stated and that made them both smile wide.

“So you’ll live closer to us”, Daniela said and Jeremy nodded with a smile.

“Yes. I wanna see my three beautiful daughters grow up. I don’t wanna miss another second”

That made Daniela smile wide and stood from her seat, hugging her father tight. While they shared their moment Bela turned to the door and noticed her mother eyes in the small opening of the door.

Alcina knocked softly before opening the door further and Daniela and Jeremy turned to her. “Hey, everything alright in here?”

They all three nodded and Alcina met Jeremy’s eyes, the man smiling back at her with an assuring look. She turned and noticed Cassandra sleeping on the bed and smiled at the look. She walked over and carried the girl into her arms, holding her against her chest.

“I’m gonna lay her in the bedroom, while you three can spend some time together”, she whispered and they all three nodded watching her leave with Cassandra in her arms.

Despite the girls being teenagers now, they were still small for their age, and Alcina who had always been tall and muscular could easily still carry them if she wished to do so. That was secretly one of the things she loved most about her children.

Bela was the tallest, Daniella not far behind, while Cassandra was the smallest despite only being the second youngest.

“Have you told mother? About the moving?”, Bela asked once she knew her mother was gone and Jeremy turned to her.

“I have”

“And what did she say?”, Daniela then asked and Jeremy smiled at her.

“The most important thing to your mom is that you three are happy and receive all the love that she and I can give you”

The two girls stared back at him, clear understanding showing in their eyes. “You three and your mother are my greatest adventure. And I have missed more than any father should. I promise I will be better. Much better”

This time Bela moved from her spot on the bed and over to Jeremy, sitting next to him before hugging him tight. “I expect you to keep it”, she said before pulling back and standing from the bed, leaving the bedroom.

Jeremy sighed, knowing it was gonna take more than words to make Bela trust him again. “Don’t worry. You know how she is”

Jeremy smiled at his youngest and squeezed her arm. “Yeah. Now. Tell me about your latest story”, he decided to change the subject and that made Daniela suddenly freeze, a huge blush creeping on her face.

Jeremy frowned at her with confused eyes. “What?”

Unbeknownst to him, her latest story was nothing but pure smut between her two favorite characters; Kim Possible and Sheego.

•

Cassandra opened her eyes and immediately noticed she wasn’t in her own bed with Bela anymore. She could smell her mother’s perfume and saw her scar on her chest. She smiled and snuggled closer in her mother’s embrace.

“I see someone is awake”, Alcina commented as she watched tv on the couch and Cassandra hummed making the woman chuckle. She hugged her daughter closer and Cassandra smiled at the action. She’s always loved her mother’s hugs. They were always so filled with love and her touch filled with tender and care.

Her mother was just her everything. “Was it a good nap dear?”

Cassandra nodded and before Alcina could say anything more, the girl was fast asleep again. Alcina smiled and kissed her forehead. A few minutes later Jeremy came back and sat down next to her, watching the tv as well.

“How did it go?” Alcina asked and Jeremy turned to her. He looked down at Cassandra and stroked her hair softly before moving his hand down to hers, holding onto it.

“Daniela is happy I’m moving. They both are. Bela just…”, he trailed off and Alcina nodded in understanding.

“She just needs some time Jer”

“I know, I know. I just want to prove I can actually be there you know”

Alcina nodded and they sat in silence as Alcina watched the tv while Jeremy looked at Cassandra, feeling his heart burst with love.

“I’m so sorry Alci… I’ve been such a bad father to them and even a worse best friend to you”, he softly whispered and Alcina turned to him, looking into his eyes. “I wanna be better”

Alcina looked down his on Cassandra’s and placed her own hand on top of his. “You will be”

Jeremy looked down at their hands and smiled at the sight.

•

You stood in front of the mirror in your bedroom looking over the dress you had chosen to wear. It had taken you and Jane almost an hour to find a dress that you liked.

Eli had just sat and ate all the popcorn. Normally you would have stopped him earlier but you couldn’t get yourself to do so. He deserved the best.

“Mommy?”

You turned around and saw Elijah standing in the doorway, his hands behind his back. “Yes honey?”

“Are you… are you gon-gon leave me?”

You felt your heart break at his small and insecure voice. “What? No honey, of course not”, you assured him walking over and crouching in front of him. He looked down in sadness and you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. Why was he feeling like this all of the sudden.

“But-but you gon love somebody else”, he said and you suddenly realized he was talking about Alcina.

“Oh honey”, you whispered and hugged him tight, which instantly made him cry and you felt your own eyes getting watery. “Eli I love you. I will never leave you, no matter who comes into our lives, okay?“

Elijah nodded but kept crying, holding onto you for dear life. “You’re my everything”, you whispered, kissing his temple softly.

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

@lucina1998 @catswag22 @lel-s @multifandomlesbianic @madaraskitten @chocolatepartykidcookie @Second-daughter-of-clexa @noarawriteszr @LittleSideOfRice @marvelwomen-simp @lord6-6fandom @mmemalwa @cxpiddd

[popdesign-vent]

yor analyssi of why a design issnt good is actually really helpful can you sort of show what makes a good design vs a bad one from a pop designer? like maws or scpkid also can you help explain why sauntproof's art is so hard to replicate her style sort of MAKES chows look like chows

Thank u bro!!

(saunt uses any pronouns from what i can tell so I'll just use they/them for sake of simplicity)

And yeah sure, let's talk about it! I've looked at too much maws and scpkid stuff today, so we'll do saunt analysis. I'm gonna be breaking down some of their art and explaining my process and the motifs and foundations I find. So, first breakdown I did! The best thing you can do while breaking down work is using triangles (watch Ethan Becker for more on that.)

They're strong shapes that provide balance and structure, essentially.

So what we see immediately is obviously that you can shrink this design down to maybe 1/5 of the side and it will still be clear what it is. The silhouette's in Saunt's style are (generally) clear and uniform. Almost all their designs have the same silhouette, which makes their work immediately recognizable from afar. (u can look at a toyhouse thumbnail and say awh fuck a saunt design)

They often keep the silhouette clear by keeping the limbs closest to our view within the shape of the body, and letting the limbs on the other side of the body disrupt the shape.

SO what we get is- all of saunt's designs are just big triangles with smaller triangular cuts made into them.

This shape is found even in the way they draw fur. It's simple and avoids complication.

Here's a design which they made for themselves, which segues very well into the next thing I noticed!!

Big, medium, small!! This is a really important design principle, if everything in ur design is the same size it becomes boring and there's no visual hierarchy.

Our Big stuff is: the largest back plates on the back and head. Same with the 'spines.' The medium details are the middle back plates and legs, and our smalls are the eyes, ropes, and the neck tag.

notice how our smalls are clustered around the head and the back end of the design is relatively repetitive and uncluttered.

(not to say it's a perfect design but be quiet I'm fucking talking)

Color! Saunt's use of color isn't the Best but it's Good. Lukewarm sushi type beat.

They make use of what is a "black" and "white" in the palette (your darkest and lightest colors) and one or two pop colors with relatively non distracting neutrals as a backdrop for these.

Your pop color in the smore bitch is the eye, an almost green/yellow which contrasts the more red/yellow of the rest of the design. Big medium small isn't utilized as well here but it gets a pass because the design still has breathing room to help with visual hierarchy.

Chows are largely defined by soft, rounded features, proportionally large head + tail with smaller body, lots of tapers and rounded triangles, and largely neutral colors with a few pop colors.

There are obviously chows that break these guidelines but it's a large portion of Saunt's work.

As for the more stylistic elements that contribute to Saunt's work

their very thin textured linework with a few spots of pure black (pupils, eye outlines) and low contrast inner lines that are colored

Simplified textures and shapes

uniform silhouettes that they build on top of

Generally the neck is hidden in their designs. This is important (to me) because it aids in smoothly transitioning the head into the torso. If you actually look at the leading lines of chow necks, they're fucking tiny. So Saunt is smart to cover them and concentrate clutter in that area. Neck, what neck?

ROUNDED TRIANGLES

soft and subtle design gradients

This isn't a perfect breakdown but I'm real tired so this is what yall get

[goldenkirstein]

i'd be home with you

or alternatively, jean has a bad day at work, and you pamper him

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

zuzu requested: Modern AU Jean/fem reader where Jean comes home after a really long day at work (his shift ends later than yours does so you always come in a few hours before him) He's in a rly pissy mood but you think it's adorable so you give him a nice tight hug and he relaxes a bit 😭 then you coax him towards the bedroom so you can pamper him, asking him to place his head on your lap so you can rub his temples until he falls asleep...

pairing: jean x fem! reader

wc: 2.2k+

tags: fluff, some angst (?) modern! au, female reader, language, mentions of food.

a/n: this was so much fun to write, I love jean and always wanna take care of him bhsbhsbh, i changed up some things to make it fit, and it kinda got a teeeeensy but angsty but not too much. i hope you enjoy.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

You outstretched your arms, eyes glancing over to the clock in the corner of the living room.

Jean should be home soon.

The sound of the ticking clock filled the room as you laid back down on the couch, the side of your face pressed against the cool leather of the armrest, fingers lazily grazing over the pale white stitches, the bumps and ridges comforting you while you waited for your husband to come home.

Not too long after, you heard the familiar noise of the keys jingle against the doorknob, prompting you to shift your body to watch Jean as he walked through the front door; your lips quirked into a gentle smile, and you got up to greet him.

However, you noticed that he wasn’t his usual cheery self today. Weariness was clear as day on his face. He raised his eyebrows at you, the only indication that he acknowledged your presence.

He struggled to slip off his shoes until eventually sighing and reaching down to untie them, hair falling in front of his face, he cursed under his breath. You let out a giggle, immediately slapping your hand over your mouth, suppressing the noise.

“What are you laughing about?” He furrowed his brows, following your eyes until he realized you were staring at the socks peeping out of his shoes.

Tiny fried eggs decorated the navy socks he was wearing. He looked back up at you, an amused expression on your face, still trying to suppress your laughter.

His shoulders drooped, and he scowled at you, “knew I shouldn’t have worn these dumb socks today.”

You frowned and made your way over to him, “aww, baby, I wasn’t laughing at you, and hey, you love those socks! You look so cute with them on! ”

Jean turned his face away from you, “I’m not cute,” your frown deepened, and you brought your hand up to his face, causing him to look at you. Your wedding band was cool contrast against his cheek.

“Sure you are, my love. Did you not have a good day today?” At that, his eyes fluttered shut. He brought his hand up to remove yours; however, his hand lingered, resting on top of yours.

“Gonna take that as a no then.”

He nodded in agreement before opening his eyes and dropping his hand. You traced your fingers on his cheek until moving your arm around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace. Jean wrapped his arms around your torso, relaxing into your touch. You nuzzled into the crook of his neck, breathing in his cologne, “missed you today, baby.”

You felt him release a deep breath, and you moved your hand to run your fingers through his hair. He hugged you tighter in response to your action, “missed you too.” His voice a low grumble.

Jean let go first, mumbling a quick thank you, and he gave you a slight smile, the first sign of happiness you could see on his face since he walked through the door minutes prior.

He began to bend down to finish taking off his shoes before you stopped him, “Nuh-uh, come with me.”

You gently tugged him up by elbow before clasping his hand in yours, leading the both of you into your bedroom. He opened his mouth in protest, “what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing, hun? Someone requires some T.L.C.” Pronouncing every letter with a slight lilt in your voice, you turned your head to smile at your husband; his eyebrows were still furrowed, shoulders carrying the weight of the day on him. You knew that if you left Jean to his own devices, he would end up bottling his feelings and act like nothing was wrong.

Your feet padded gently into the room; Jean followed suit. He pulled at your hand to let him go, but you weren’t giving up that easy. He was a stubborn man, no doubt about it, but after years of being together, when it came to Jean, you were just as headstrong.

Smoothing your palm over the soft beige bedsheets, you sat down, tapping your clothed thigh, “come lay down; you’ll feel better if you do.” You watched the man in front of you clench his jaw, tired, hazel eyes gazing into yours.

“I haven’t even taken my shoes off yet.” He sighed; your only response was to tug him closer to your seated frame. Pouting your lips up at him, you watched him chew the inside of his cheek before finally obliging.

“See, that wasn’t so hard” You grinned as you saw Jean sit down next to you and lay his head in your lap, ash brown hair splaying across your thighs. He hummed in content when he felt you run your fingers through the hair near his temples. “You wanna talk about what happened?” Jean shook his head, furrowing his brows once again. You swiped your thumb over the creased skin, causing his expression to soften.

He blinked his eyes up at you, “you don’t have to do this; I’m fine.” He tried to get up, but you pressed your palm against his chest, eyes pleading. You tilted your head at him, gazing with tenderness before hunching over to lightly kiss his forehead.

“Let me take care of you, Jeanie? Please?”

He laid back down, allowing you to rub his temples, taking away the pain of the day. It was the least you could do; on days where you felt unloveable, Jean would be there for you, holding you, whispering reassurances in your ear, delicately reminding you of his love and lending his strength to you when you needed it. So, while it pained your heart to watch Jean feel less than, it was second nature to you; you would always be there for him when he needs it.

The repetitive movements of the pads of your fingers against his head were soothing him, Jean’s eyelids were heavy, the time he spent with his eyes shut getting longer and longer with each passing minute.

“Haven’t taken my socks off.” He whispered, sleep overtaking him; his speech was slightly slurred.

“Don’t worry, you just sleep.” You continued massaging his head until his breathing steadied, eyes no longer opening. You smiled at the sight; he looked so peaceful and beautiful when he slept. Pausing your movements, you bent down and gave him another kiss on his forehead, smoothing the hair on his head.

You lifted him off your lap, sliding out from underneath him, and softly placed his head down on a pillow, careful not to disturb him. He shifted, turning to face the window next to the bed. The sun was beginning to set, and the slivers of orange light peeking through the curtains dusted over Jean’s face.

“My beautiful boy.” Warmth spread over your chest as you watched your husband rest, content that at this moment, his worries were not plaguing him.

You slid off his shoes, chuckling at the sight of socks once more. Jean had called the socks dumb, but you knew that he loved them. When you got them for him for his birthday, you remembered how he laughed when he unwrapped the package; the sound rang through the air, causing you to giggle at his reaction, before he reached over to plant a sloppy kiss on your cheek, murmuring a soft thank you through a wide-toothed smile.

After pulling off his socks, you quietly got him out of his dress shirt and pants and slipped a pair of sweatpants over his legs before drawing the comforter over his body and placing a kiss on his shoulder.

--

Jean awoke to the smell of spices wafting in from the kitchen; he rubbed his eyes. It was dark outside. He wondered how he got into bed; the last thing he remembered was him laying in your lap.

Oh.

The young man felt a wave of guilt wash over his body. He realized that he was wearing sweatpants, his office attire neatly hanging in the closet adjacent to him. Jean groaned and pulled the covers off his body; had he been sleeping all this time? You were working away in the kitchen, you even took off his shoes, and here he was, lazing away like a dog.

It was pathetic, he thought, making you take care of him just because he had a bad day at work. Jean stepped out of the bedroom; stretching out his limbs, he made his way over to the kitchen, the smell of food getting more robust with each step.

You turned when you heard the soft padding of his feet against the kitchen tile, “you’re awake! Did you sleep well?” You beamed at him before turning your attention back to the stovetop.

He padded over to you, wrapping his arms around your waist, “you seriously don’t have to do this; I’m alright.” His voice husky, vibrating against your back.

You shifted your body to look at him, quizzical expression painting your face, “why won’t you let me pamper you? Don’t you deserve that?”

Jean was silent.

“You don’t have to be perfect for me, Jean.” Your hand left the handle of the pan and held onto the hands around your middle. “Let me carry some of that burden. Let me.”

“It’s not fair.” Jean’s eyes between yours and the food on the stove.

“What’s not fair, baby? You take care of me when I’m sick when I can barely get out of bed. Isn’t that the vow we made to each other?” You paused, watching as Jean’s head fell into the crook of your neck. “I won’t love you any less, and I certainly will not let you act like everything is fine when it’s not. You don’t have to tell me what happened, but just allow me to look after you.”

“You tell me how much you love me every day, so let me show you how much I love you through this, okay?”

Jean wondered what stars aligned for him to find someone like you. He still felt guilty, but he knew that arguing would be futile, so he finally succumbed, “I love you.”

His mouth curled up into a slight smile; he meant it every time he said it, even when the both of you had been arguing or when you left for work, he meant it every single time.

You didn’t think it was possible, but your heart grew in fondness for Jean, “I know.” You gave his hand a gentle squeeze before returning yours to the handle.

Jean’s stomach grumbled, causing him to groan. You let out a laugh, “See, I knew you hadn’t eaten at work. Go sit; I’ll finish up this Omurice.”

He slipped his arms away from your waist before going to sit on the stool near the kitchen island, head resting on his propped-up palm, watching as you plate up the food.

His eyes twinkled with adoration, the guilt in his chest dissipating as he noticed how much care you’re putting into the meal. There was a time that Jean didn’t think he was worthy of being loved, but having you in his life pieced him back together again.

You made your way over to him, handing him a fork and setting down the plate. Your husband took it from your hands, giving you a questioning look, before taking a bite. His eyes widened, “this is really fucking good, here try some.”

You let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding, glad that he liked the food; Jean brought the fork to your lips, which you opened, the warm rice and luscious egg filled your mouth, you shut your eyes, savouring the taste, "holy shit."

Jean laughed at your surprise, taking another bite of the food. You went over to a drawer to grab a fork before sitting next to him to eat.

When both of you finished your meal, you stood up to grab the plate to clean it. However, Jean halted you before you could pick it up, "let me."

His voice came out a gentle whisper, but it was sincere; you nodded your head, relaxing back in your seat, watching as the man went around the kitchen island to clean the utensils.

He worked swiftly in silence. After drying the plate and placing it in the cupboard, Jean looked up at you, "thank you for this."

"You don't have to thank me, my love."

He blushed at your words, "still, I'm so lucky to have you; I don't know if I tell you that enough."

You stood up and made your way over to Jean, his hands rested on your hips, and you moved your fingers to brush away the few strands of hair that fell in front of his eyes. He smiled tenderly at you before pulling you closer to him by your hips.

He pressed his lips against yours, and you reciprocated the kiss, soft lips melding against each other. His hands travelled up your sides, eventually cupping your face. You smiled against his lips before pulling away.

"I'll love you always, Jean." Your hands came up to hold his, and you turned your cheek to press a kiss into his palm.

"I know."

a/n: i hope you enjoyed this !! any feedback is appreciated !! i'm really not sure what is going on with tagging, but if anyone knows how to fix the issue of certain people not being able to get tagged that would be super helpful !!

taglist: @c0urtn3y, @depressedbisexual, @dai-tsukki-desu, @clean-soap

click here to join my taglist

As always, please leave a like/reblog if you enjoyed this, I appreciate it lots <33