#i drew a man AND children today i AM SO PROUD

[thelustybraavosimaid]

Heed the Direwolves.

Bran looked around for the direwolves. Both had vanished into the wood. "Did you hear Summer howling last night?"

"Grey Wind was restless too," Robb said. His auburn hair had grown shaggy and unkempt, and a reddish stubble covered his jaw, making him look older than his fifteen years. "Sometimes I think they know things…sense things…" Robb sighed. "I never know how much to tell you, Bran. I wish you were older." (Bran V, AGoT)

--

"Any man Grey Wind mislikes is a man I do not want close to you. These wolves are more than wolves, Robb. You must know that. I think perhaps the gods sent them to us. Your father's gods, the old gods of the north. Five wolf pups, Robb, five for five Stark children." (Catelyn II, ASoS)

--

"Wolves and women wed for life," Haggon often said. "You take one, that's a marriage. The wolf is part of you from that day on, and you're part of him. Both of you will change." (Prologue, ADwD)

Lady's Hatred:

"The king is gone hunting, but I know he will be pleased to see you when he returns," the queen was saying to the two knights who knelt before her, but Sansa could not take her eyes off the third man. He seemed to feel the weight of her gaze. Slowly he turned his head. Lady growled. A terror as overwhelming as anything Sansa Stark had ever felt filled her suddenly. She stepped backward and bumped into someone.

...

The tension of a few moments ago was gone, and Sansa was beginning to feel comfortable…until Ser Ilyn Payne shouldered two men aside, and stood before her, unsmiling. He did not say a word. Lady bared her teeth and began to growl, a low rumble full of menace, but this time Sansa silenced the wolf with a gentle hand to the head. "I am sorry if I offended you, Ser Ilyn," she said. (Sansa I, AGoT)

--

Ser Ilyn drew a two-handed greatsword from the scabbard on his back. As he lifted the blade above his head, sunlight seemed to ripple and dance down the dark metal, glinting off an edge sharper than any razor. Ice, she thought, he has Ice! Her tears streamed down her face, blinding her. (Arya V, AGoT)

Grey Wind's Warning:

There was more trouble at the gatehouse. Grey Wind balked in the middle of the drawbridge, shook the rain off, and howled at the portcullis. Robb whistled impatiently. "Grey Wind. What is it? Grey Wind, with me." But the direwolf only bared his teeth. He does not like this place, Catelyn thought. Robb had to squat and speak softly to the wolf before he would consent to pass beneath the portcullis. By then Lame Lothar and Walder Rivers had come up. "It's the sound of the water he fears," Rivers said. "Beasts know to avoid the river in flood." (Catelyn VI, ASoS)

--

The players in the gallery had finally gotten both king and queen down to their name-day suits. With scarcely a moment's respite, they began to play a very different sort of song. No one sang the words, but Catelyn knew "The Rains of Castamere" when she heard it. Edwyn was hurrying toward a door. She hurried faster, driven by the music. Six quick strides and she caught him. And who are you, the proud lord said, that I must bow so low? She grabbed Edwyn by the arm to turn him and went cold all over when she felt the iron rings beneath his silken sleeve.

...

A man in dark armor and a pale pink cloak spotted with blood stepped up to Robb. "Jaime Lannister sends his regards." He thrust his longsword through her son's heart, and twisted. (Catelyn VII, ASoS)

Ghost's Irritability:

Outside the armory, Mully and the Flea stood shivering at guard. "Shouldn't you be inside, out of this wind?" Jon asked. "That'd be sweet, m'lord," said Fulk the Flea, "but your wolf's in no mood for company today." Mully agreed. "He tried to take a bite o' me, he did." "Ghost?" Jon was shocked. "Unless your lordship has some other white wolf, aye. I never seen him like this, m'lord. All wild-like, I mean."

He was not wrong, as Jon discovered for himself when he slipped inside the doors. The big white direwolf would not lie still. He paced from one end of the armory to the other, past the cold forge and back again. "Easy, Ghost," Jon called. "Down. Sit, Ghost. Down." Yet when he made to touch him, the wolf bristled and bared his teeth. It's that bloody boar. Even in here, Ghost can smell his stink. (Jon XIII, ADwD)

...

Jon fell to his knees. He found the dagger's hilt and wrenched it free. In the cold night air the wound was smoking. "Ghost," he whispered. Pain washed over him. Stick them with the pointy end. When the third dagger took him between the shoulder blades, he gave a grunt and fell face-first into the snow. He never felt the fourth knife. Only the cold… (Jon XIII, ADwD)

[sassenashsworld]

Black history month

I was raised as a white American girl in a small town, mostly Caucasian, by a deeply racist father. Hard to point him, it was like that at the time. Seeing him work with people without distinction now, I think he finally get it...

I heard the expression “people of color” a lot and I admit that intrigued me. Classic, you will say, to consider the «white» man can be green with jealousy, red with anger, white with rage, yellow with envy etc… So I drew my own conclusion.

I am an artist, I love writing, music, drawing. The only observation I could make on «people of color» it's without them, our arts would be drabe. Dull. Without gender. I can NOT live without music and everything that makes me vibrate is of a direct declination with the black influence.

So, I have to say I am rather proud, as a colorless person, to share the planet with those people who so much spice it up... But more seriously, I raised my children by repeating to them what I would have liked to hear, child; there is only one race, human, but it comes with different culture. A different culture does not mean bad, it simply means their past has brought another vision and it’s good to try to look at it.

Today, everywhere, throughout the world and here, I have brothers and sisters who color my life. Questions like race no longer exist in my universe and they are not even close to being criteria when my children choose their friends. I don’t know your race or your religion, but I know you’re a human being I like, that’s all that matters. That, and your story. The long journey yours have taken to be at my table today and share my meal. Or me to be at your table and share your meal.

Thank you, for sharing your color in my universe. Thank you, because really, without you, my universe would have no color.

(you can search for Kate Ryan version, but this one shake me deep)

[butchosprey]

More concepts for my fic, ADORA: Vagabond of the Etherian Cosmos (link in my description). Featuring older Bow and Catra! I wonder what they’ve been doing since Adora disappeared...? That’ll be explained in future chapters, no worries.

As for the second image, we have Clover and Zinnia (Scorpia and Perfuma’s son and daughter) as well as Bow’s son, Jay in the middle.

[minaturefics]

By My Side

Request: Hey there! Thank you for writing Death(less) dreams. All your stories are very well written. I was wondering if you would mind writing another request for me. One in which maybe the fem reader is a Dunedain and was friends with Aragorn since childhood. She joins the fellowship, and grows really close to Boromir, seeing him as a brother. Aragorn is jealous, but then the reader tells him that she loves him. If you don't want to do it, that's okay. Thank you!

A/N: Hello! Thank you for your lovely words, and thanks for being so patient. Here it is, hope you enjoy it!

Aragorn x Reader

Fem reader

No content warnings

2.4k words

---

You leaned against the railing and stared at the path that led into Rivendell. The air was rich with the scent of pine and the autumn wind was cold but not biting. The oaks and beeches coloured the valley orange and red, the evergreen pines sharp and dark against them. You could hear the distant rush of a waterfall, the faint tinkle of a harp, and much closer, the sound of footsteps.

You turned to find Aragorn approaching you. His face was clean of mud and his hair was free from its usual tangles. Instead of his Ranger’s gear, he donned silver robes of silk and velvet. Your eyes travelled up his form before you could stop them, taking in the length of his legs and the breadth of his shoulders. Your heart quickened and you forced your gaze away.

Aragorn was a friend, a dear friend, and not to be thought of anything more.

“Mellon nin,” he said, coming up to stand beside you, his hand resting next to yours on the railing. You could feel the heat coming off him, smell his scent of soap and musk. “What do you look for?”

“We have received word that some of the travellers are arriving today. Men from Gondor, and elves from Mirkwood.”

“Yes, after they have rested a day or two, Lord Elrond will call a council I believe.”

“Do you think there would be any tension between you and the Gondorian envoy?”

He frowned. “We know not who they are sending, though one can only hope our meeting with them will go smoothly.”

You hummed and turned your attention back to the road. It was no secret that Aragorn was reluctant to claim the throne, but as the darkness drew nearer it seemed as though there would be no other way than for him to take his place, and power, as king. You stole a glance at him, taking in his grey peppered beard and the curve of his cheekbone.

Would things be different once he was crowned king? There would be no more sneaking off into the trees, testing each other’s tracking skills and sparring by the waterfalls. Gone would be the man you walked forests with, gone would be the boy who fought you with wooden swords.

How was it that the boy who you chased into the river was now standing tall, an heir, a king? Would there be no more sly smirks and easy laughter? Would you have to stand by his side, ever the steady companion, and watch as he loved another? The wilds of Middle-Earth would be preferable to a torture such as that.

He turned to you, his brows creasing. “You are uneasy. What is on your mind, my friend?”

“I am simply thinking about what is to come. The darkness draws near and close. I fear for the future.”

He placed his hand on top of yours. His skin was warm, his palm and fingertips rough and weathered. Hands that have held yours a hundred times over, that have tended to your wounds, that have caught you when you stumbled. His grey eyes were soft. “We have been by each other’s side since we were children. Whatever is to come, we will face together.”

Warmth filled your chest and you smiled at him. The distant sound of hoofbeats filled the air and you turned your eyes back to the road. You watched as the horses and their riders drew nearer. The flag of Gondor, its white tree standing proud against a blue background, was held aloft. The small envoy passed through the gates and slowed to a canter. They rode towards the entryway below you and paused where Elrond was standing.

You craned your neck and looked at the man leading the company. His light brown hair fell about his broad shoulders. A sword hung by his side and a round shield rested on his back. His eyes darted up to you, lingering on you for a few moments before he turned his attention back to Elrond.

“Come,” you said, pulling away from the railing, your eyes never leaving the newcomer. “Let us greet our guests.” Aragorn tugged at your arm and you glanced at him. There was a line between his brows and a strange look in his eyes. You tilted your head at him. “What is the matter?”

He shook his head and offered you a small smile. “It is nothing. Let us go, Lord Elrond will be expecting us.”

--

Aragorn watched as you laid a hand on Boromir’s shoulder, your entire body quaking with laughter. Boromir was bent, his hand on your back as the both of you laughed. The rest of the Fellowship were making camp. The hobbits were cooking and bickering with each other, Legolas was speaking in hushed tones with Gandalf, and Gimli was off gathering more firewood.

You dabbed at your eyes and clutched your stomach. “Boromir,” you said. “Enough with your jokes, I cannot contain myself.”

“Come now, I dearly love to see you laugh.” He straightened and pulled you into his side.

You chuckled and leaned your head against his shoulder, looking as though there was nowhere else you would fit so perfectly.

Aragorn’s stomach clenched. He looked away, forcing his eyes to focus on the hobbits squabbling over how many sausages to put into the pan. He could still hear your’s and Boromir’s laughs. Discomfort sat in his stomach like a black stone, and he stood up and strode off into the trees. He sighed and ran his hands down his face. He had no right to feel this way.

How many years had he spent gazing at you wishing he could tuck you into his side like that? Wishing he could press a kiss to your cheek or your lips? He remembered the moment that strange warmth first kindled in his chest and he was forever lost to you.

It had been one of Elrond’s many celebrations, and by sheer chance all the Rangers were back in Rivendell, resting up before heading out again. They had washed and changed, and donned their stately robes for the first time in many months. When you had stepped onto the large balcony, your robes shimmering around you and your hair flowing free, his heart faltered.

He had always regarded you as a friend who was as close as kin, as he would any other Dunedain brother or sister, but in that moment you were something separate. Something more.

How could it have been that he never realised before? Year after year, celebration after celebration, he had seen you just the same, and yet it had been different then. Perhaps it was the way your eyes sparkled in the candlelight, or the way you moved across the room with graceful ease. Perhaps it was the way you picked at your calluses, a nervous tick he knew you had since you were both children. Or the way your faint scars, accumulated over the years in the wild, glowed almost silver in the moonlight.

After that moment, every casual touch felt like fire against his skin, every glance at your lips a temptation he fought to resist. How could you want him when he was burdened with a crown, with expectation? If anything held your heart, it was the wilderness of Middle-Earth, the hidden valleys and the clouded peaks, the bubbling rivers and rustling trees.

How could he ask for you to give that up, to become a queen in a cold city of white stone? If he were to take the throne, Boromir would be free of his duties, would be free to roam the lands with you if you wished. He sighed. If the man made you happy, he would bring himself to be happy as well. Anything to see joy in your eyes and a smile on your face.

The sound of shuffling feet brought him out of his thoughts and he turned. You were standing a few paces behind him, a small smile still dancing on your lips, your eyebrow raised in question.

“Aragorn, is everything alright? We were about to put an end to the hobbits’ argument when we noticed you were gone.”

He shook his head. “Just walking.”

“Walking?” You chuckled and stepped closer towards him. “After all the walking we have already done today?” He shrugged and you reached for his arm. Your fingers closed around his forearm, tugging. It would be so easy to draw his hand up and intertwine his fingers with yours. “Come, dinner is ready I believe.”

He let himself be led away, his eyes fixed on the back of your head, and his heart twisting in his chest.

--

You shook your head at Boromir and turned to pace the river bank. The small clearing was dappled with late evening light. The scent of mulch and damp filled the air, mingling with the distant scent of Gimli’s spiced roasted meat cooking over the campfire.

“Boromir, I have known him all my life. Whatever you think you are seeing in Aragorn’s eyes is not real.” You sighed and crouched by the bank, filling up the waterskin in your hand. “He does not love me in the way I do him.”

Boromir made a frustrated sound at the back of his throat. “Then how do you account for his sour mood the other day? He left the camp!”

“He said he was taking a walk,” you grumbled, and reached for another waterskin to fill.

“You claim to know him, yet you do not see through that blatant lie?” He chuckled and moved to kneel beside you, resting a steadying arm across your shoulders. You leaned against him, enjoying the comfort. It had been a few years since Aragorn held you in his arms.

There had been so much ease of touch in the past. Bumping of shoulders, nudging of elbows, embraces and hugs. But it seemed that in the recent years, Aragorn had grown distant. Where he used to pull you into his arms, he would pat you on the shoulder instead. Where he used to lead you with his hand, he would gesture with them instead. He would reciprocate when you reached for him, but would never reach out to you himself.

Boromir shook his head. “I should have spoken to him that evening.”

“Why?”

“I will not be held responsible for thwarting any romantic intentions. If the man is to be king, I would not have it held against me.” He grinned.

You bumped your shoulder against his. “Foolish man. Do not get my hopes up so. If my heart gets broken I shall come sobbing to you.”

“And I would welcome you to cry on my shoulder. But trust me, my friend. You are like a sibling to me, I would not deceive you. I have seen many men with that look in their eye; Aragorn longs for you.”

Something rustled behind you and you turned. Aragorn stood still where the trees parted, his eyes fixed on you and Boromir, on his arm around you. His grey eyes were drawn and pained, his arms stiff at his side.

Boromir stood up and said, “Aragorn.”

“Pardon me.” His eyes darted to the river. “I did not mean to intrude, but Gimli requires the water to cook.”

“Of course.” Boromir scooped up the water skins and strode off.

Aragorn turned to follow him, and you stood and called out. “Wait.” He hesitated but did not turn around. “Please wait.”

He glanced over his shoulder at you. “Does he bring you joy, mellon nin?”

“As a friend yes.” You frowned and walked towards him, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Aragron, I do not love him.”

Aragorn turned towards you, but his eyes stayed trailed on some distant point beyond your shoulder. “He is a good man,” he muttered. “Does he seek to ask for your hand?”

“Aragorn.” You brought both your hands to his shoulder, one resting on the curve of his neck. “I do not love him.”

His grey eyes met yours. “I have seen the both of you together. You do not need to lie to me. I am… your oldest friend.”

“My oldest friend and…” You let your eyes drop to his lips for a moment before meeting his eyes once more, your voice falling to a whisper. “My love.” He blinked at you, his brows furrowing. His jaw worked, but no words sprang from his lips.

Was Boromir wrong? Were your words a mistake you would never recover from? “Do you not —”

Aragorn brought his forehead to yours, his hands coming to rest on your waist. You breathed in his familiar scent. Leather and pipeweed, musk and earth. You cupped his cheek and sighed, relaxing into his embrace. His warm breath tickled your cheek, his chest rose and fell against yours.

“I thought…” He muttered. “Boromir, he…”

“He is like a brother.” You stroked his cheek with your thumb, his beard rough under your palm.

“I have loved you so silently for so long, hardly believing you could return my feelings.” He drew back and searched your eyes. “I feared I would not be enough for you.”

“Not enough? How can that be so?”

“Meleth nin, I would not see you bound to a throne, so far removed from the trees and woods you love. My fate does not have to be yours as well.”

“Aragorn. We have been by each other’s side since we were children. Whatever is to come, we will face together.”

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Even if we have to suffer the Gondorian court? The dances? The dinners?”

“I would even brave a pair of silk slippers for you.” You laughed and nudged his nose. “These are just trifles. It would bring me more pain to be away from your side.”

“Then stay with me.” His lips brushed your temple. “There is no other place I would have you be.”

You rested your head on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart under you. You sighed. You could have this, everyday, for the rest of time. Your best friend, your confidant, your love.

“Come.” He stepped back and interlaced his fingers with yours. “We should head back to camp. Gimli has promised us a feast.”

You squeezed his hand and he smiled at you. The both of you set off into the trees, hands clasped and hearts light.

[violettelueur]

RYŌMEN SUKUNA || LITTLE CAGED ARTIST

| featuring : ryomen sukuna ft. itadori yuji 

| warnings : mention of emotional abuse and murder as well as grammar errors

| form : imagine

| word count : 1691

| published : 22 december

| request : Hello, idk if your request are open but feel free to ignore, but just, imagine another reencarnation au (those imaginw of yours are my favourite) where the reader was a painter and Sukuna's personal favourite so he took her and kinda abused her psycologicaly to the point where she would just draw him and only him and he loved that, and in the future she's still an artist that draws Yuuji bc theyre friends but when she sees the tatoos she again draws Sukuna and he feels guilty for the way he treated her and her art in the pastIf It's angst i would apreciate but it's not really necesary

| barista’s notes : hi there~ i apologies for the extremely long wait for your coffee order but now it is there ╲ʕ·ᴥ·　╲ʔ right now it is nearly 5am in the morning and i have no idea why the hell i am awake, but oh well ʕ ᵒ ᴥ ᵒʔ  DONT WORRY THOUGH! after this, i am going to sleep and rest up since today it is Fushiguro Megumi’s and Kageyama Tobio’s birthday today ʕ≧ᴥ≦ʔ but other than that, i hope you enjoy your order of a cup of classic black coffee (jujutsu kaisen request!) and i hope you come back soon! ʕ •ᴥ•ʔゝ☆

“Sukuna….please leave me alone...leave the village alone, I beg of you please,” you whimpered to the man that was standing tall and proud with a sadistic smirk painted on his face, while you were on your knees tightly holding onto his large wrist - somewhat slightly covering the black ring marking - as if your weak physical strength could do anything to stop his raising them up and giving a rain upon hell to the people that was residing in the small town you lived in.

You have no idea how you had managed to catch the attention of the most feared curse to both humans and jujutsu sorcerers nor did you know how you managed to become acquainted with the man in front of you. All you knew right now was that the situation you were in at this current moment and time, was not ideal to anyone at all.

You were just a simple artist. A simple village girl artist that was blessed to be hired by the nobility and aristocracy to paint their family portraits with the finest colours that they would offer you, for you to be then paid so you could provide for your village. However, as luxurious as it sounded, you were in love with the idea of just placing a sharped piece of charcoal on a piece of paper or cloth you could find anywhere and sketch your heart designed.

“Leave you alone?” Sukuna questioned you in his deep voice, before slowly crouching down to become face to face with you. “I could never leave you alone, not when you have caught my attention with your craft little one,” Sukuna then stated, as he gently placed a hand on your cheek before using his thumb to caress the soft skin he was touching. 

Ever since Sukuna had caught sight of you delicately painting a portrait of a noblewoman with such care and gentleness, he couldn’t help but wonder how your hands were so carefully and how patient you were to make sure every stroke was perfect to your desire. Slowly, he began to wonder what it was like to be the subject of one's view. A subject that someone desired to recreate on a simple piece of paper. However, compared to his past sightings, you were the most talented as well as the most beautiful he had ever seen and once he was able to gain a clear view of the noble woman that you were illustration, he was surprised at how much detail you were able to encapture in your work and just like the noble woman’s reaction, they both were extremely happy with the result of the final product.

“How about this?” Sukuna suddenly asked, causing your head to suddenly shot up leading you to meet eye to eye with the King of Curses, “if you come with me and draw me and me only for the rest of time, I would leave this little village alone as well as the people residing in it. How does that sound, little one?”

‘Come with him? Where? Why? What’s going to happen to me?’

“If you don’t accept this deal, every single person here will die. Burned, stabbed, slashed, any way possible I can. Men, women and even little children’s lives will be gone, and it would be all your fault.”

‘My….fault? But-’

“You know I’m not a patient person little one, I might as well start my massacre while you take your time to think, it will be-”

“NO PLEASE! DON’T, YOU CAN TAKE ME, JUST LEAVE THE VILLAGE ALONE, PLEASE!” you screamed in desperation, as you tighten the grip of his wrist that was within your grasp to keep him down, as you didn’t want to risk him getting away from your sights for the safety and protection of the people  within the little town you had lived in since the day your life had started.

With a large cruel grin, Sukuna had somehow managed to pry his wrists free from your tense grip before sliding an arm under your knees as well as an arm around your body lifting you up in a bridal position, while you were just expressing a face of shock and fear, confused and fearful on what you had just accepted in exchange for your life. Where were you going? Was this the end? Were you going to die? How much longer have you had left?

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you, you’re too precious to be slaughtered little one,” Sukuna answered - as if he knew what you were thinking - before placing a ghostly kiss upon your temple leading you to freeze still, petrified on what he would do with you had moved a single inch.

This was your life now. 

A caged artist.

                                               ꕥ

Here you were, sitting on a wooden platform outside with a sharpened piece of charcoal that Sukuna had kindly given you, in order for you to sketch a portrait of him. The second you placed the charcoal upon the paper, Sukuna couldn’t help but stare at the light movements of your hand as you lightly stroke a few lines to create an outline before watching your hand suddenly pause, causing the King of Curses to switch his view from the sheet to you, only to find your look at him with such a frightened look.

“I’m sorry…..I shouldn’t look at you, should I? I apologise deeply,” you softly muttered before quickly turning back to the portrait that was right in front of you - you didn’t want to do anything wrong in his eyes, you knew he could go back on his words and harm the people that you cared about. However, it seemed like Sukuna didn’t care at all, he had managed to trap you into his life and had the power to demand you to draw him every time he would mention he could go back to your little village and burn it to the ground. He relished in the idea of being the subject of your attention.

This is what he wanted. 

His little caged artist.

                                               ꕥ

1000 years later and here you were. 

Here you were sketching a picture of your best-friend Itadori with a picture of him that you had managed to capture on your phone. Itadori first came into your life shortly after you had enrolled into Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Techincal College around the same time as your other classmate Kugisaki did. 

You have no idea what drew you into the boy with the pink hair, but something within you pulled you towards him causing the blooming and somewhat hilarious friendship to start, even causing Fushiguro and Kugisaki to wonder what was going on in your mind to somehow relate to the boy - yet, they didn’t mention their questions since they didn’t really think you knew the answer yourself, and they were correct.

However, as you continued to smoothly glide your pencil across the page, applying different pressures to construct some definitions as well as shadows within the photo you were copying from, you began to suddenly realise that you were starting to draw marking upon his portrait. Markings that were so familiar to the ones the person within him had.

Ever since that day at the Eishu Detention Centre, the sight of Sukuna standing in front of you with his shirt ripped off showcasing his black marking caused a trigger of unknown memories to suddenly flood into your mind, causing excruciating pain that was so unbearable, you thought you were going to pass out from the intense pressure, maybe as even close to dying from the immense pain.

From what you could even recall from the sudden flood of blurry images that appeared in your mind, there was a picture of you drawing with a piece of charcoal with the infamous King of Curses seating right beside you, watching you draw will whispering in your ear the threats that he would bombard you in order for you to make sure that you were only drawing him and him only.

Slowly but in a shaking manner, your drawing hand continued to sketch in Sukuna’s markings that would appear on Itadori’s body as you were somewhat extremely afraid of what the King of Curses could do to you if you didn’t - just how you left 1000 years ago.

Although unknown to you, your best-friend Itadori was standing right behind you, having a clear view of what was happening to you as well as the drawing right in front of him. Seeing your shaking figure with slow but clear teardrops landing on the sketch book as well as the drawing evolving from him to the curse residing inside of him, made him realise how damaging Sukuna was to not only him but also to the people around him. Carefully, Itadori placed a hand over your hand that held the pencil, causing you to flinch before finally noticing that it was your friend that was holding it and not the special grade curse.

Within his Innate Domain, Sukuna also had a clear view on what was happening to you and slowly but strangely began to feel something drop to his stomach with the feeling of his throat closing up at the sight of you slowly breaking down into a small state of insanity. This isn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want his beautiful little one to become lifeless and paranoid like you were now.

Even after 1000 years after your death, your incarnation was carrying the feeling of fear, despair and numbness that you were weighed upon the second you had given your life away to the King of Curses for the sake of your village. Even though you had more freedom then you did then, you still left trapped and lost within the metal cage that Sukuna had enclosed you in. Even with the small hint of guilt that was manifested within the cruel curse’s heart. 

You were trapped with no escape out.

You were trapped forever with no key to open the door that was clearly right in front of you.

Forever his little caged artist.

[husbandomail-archive]

Guzma huh~ What about headcanons for him and a Nurse Joy-training reader~?

I know you said headcanons but I wrote this at 1 am and it turned into uhhhh

The first time you’d seen the monochrome man, it had been raining.

It had actually been the first night of your residency; bright-eyed and fresh from the lowest-level nursing classes, you trailed after Nurse Joy all evening like you were the shadows sewn to her bright pink heels. You’d been new to Alola after all— and of all things you’d been stationed in Hau’oli City, one of the largest cities in a region that you’d never seen before.

The day had generally been worry-free. A few children had come in asking about sunscreen for their Slowpoke; a traveling trainer had stopped by for lunch and directions; a Tauros had barreled down the street at top speed, and none of the locals had batted an eye. Apparently that was just part of daily life on this island.

“You’ll be fine,” Nurse Joy had said, and her Comfey crooned along in its own soft tones as the rain began, all the tourists scurrying inside out of the weather. “Kahuna Hala lives on this island; he also takes care of the people and their Pokémon. We’re never working alone.” She had briefly rested her hand on your shoulder, and the gentle patter of the rain against the pavement outside made you feel like a child again.

And then the glass doors slid open.

A man had stumbled in, water pooling around his feet as his scuffed sneakers sank into the Pokémon center’s plush carpets. Hunched over and clutching something to his chest, he’d shaken his head back and forth until the hood of his jacket flew off, and then his eyes had met yours— sopping wet, trembling violently, his fluffy hair all sorts of black and white, he looked like a drowned Rattata.

But when he drew himself up to his full height, he towered over you. It was intimidating as he began making his way to the desk; Nurse Joy seemed completely undisturbed as she took her place with a smile, but you realized that she’d strategically placed herself between you and the man.

“Welcome to the Pokémon Center!” It surprised you how cheery Nurse Joy managed to sound— she’d probably done this before, when you thought about it.

“I need—” the man’s voice was rough, like he didn’t use it often, or maybe he’d used it too much. He had paused, his eyes frantically darting around the room as he’d tried to gather his words. When he couldn’t catch them, he’d just shoved the bundle into her arms. “My buddy—”

You’d stretched up on your toes to get a peek over Nurse Joy’s shoulder.

A Wimpod. Smaller than usual for the species, it had curled up tightly, not even trying to run away.

“Abnormal behavior,” your training kicked in. You looked to Nurse Joy for approval. “I’ll place it in a saltwater tank while you get a treatment room ready?”

She’d nodded at you, a proud smile crossing her face as you took the little bug Pokémon. You turned and almost started walking towards the back treatment rooms, only for another bit of your training to kick its way to the forefront of your mind. In a smooth motion you whirled on your heel and bowed to the dazed man. “Your Pokémon is in good hands.”

Over the course of your training, that same man became a regular visitor. You learned his name at some point— “Guzma? Are you serious?”— and he’d gotten comfortable using yours. He was loud and boisterous and occasionally called you Nurse Joy too, even though that was decidedly not your name, but then he’d flash his toothy grin and all your frustrations would melt away.

One night when you’d been left to run the Pokémon center alone, the glass doors slid open yet again, the familiar chime jingling gently through tinny loudspeakers. You had to catch your sigh before someone heard it; today had already been a rough one, and your uniform was sticking to you uncomfortably, you were so damp with sweat. Your fingers ached where you’d pricked them by accident, and your vision blurred with exhaustion as you stumbled to the desk to greet the new visitor.

“Welcome to the Pokémon center,” you said, not even bothering with the customer service voice.

A paper coffee cup landed on the desk in front of you. Your eyes followed the hand holding it, trailing all the way up a muscled arm until you reached Guzma’s face.

“Y’ain’t too hospitable to your boy, are ya?”

You couldn’t stop the grin that crashed over your face. Guzma simply reached up and ran his free hand through his fluffy hair, seemingly struggling to look at your happy face because now his eyes were averted. He lifts the drink again until it catches your attention.

“Saw ya workin’ through the windows,” he muttered, “and y’looked tired, so— Tapu Cocoa.” His voice trailed off at the end there. If he gripped that paper cup any tighter, it would burst.

“You didn’t have to do that!” Still, you reach out and accept the drink from him. When you take a sip, the rich flavors burst through your mouth and flood you with a delicious heat that revitalizes your entire body. No wonder he’s always drinking this stuff. “Thank you—”

He waves his hand through the air and slides his oversized sunglasses down his face in a poor attempt to hide his blush. “Just don’t go tellin’ no-one that the big bad Guzma takes care of ya.”

[study-coffee-chicago]

Who Would've Thought? A Government Teacher and an English Teacher (A Halstead Brothers + Upstead + Halstead Daughter! Imagine; Part of AU-gust)

A/N: Thank you for reading! Remember to like/reblog and comment! I'm also donating all the proceeds that from my buy me a coffee account to Save The Children to help the children of Afghanistan. Link to buy me a coffee.

Anyway, enjoy!

"Hey, I know you aren't a morning person," your dad said as he walked up to you sitting at the bar in the kitchen with a piece of paper in his hand.

"You're right, I'm not," you said.

"All I need is for you to look over the seating chart I made for the juniors."

"Make sure you didn't put people who have beef next to each other?" you asked.

"Exactly. And I figured, since it's your class, you'd be the perfect person to do it."

"And because I'm your daughter."

"That, too."

He set the paper in front of you. "Since I'm doing this for you, care to make me my coffee?" you asked

"The pumpkin spice one?" You nodded. "Kid, it's the first week of September. It's like 75 out (23.9 celsius). Fall's not even close. And, technically, it's still summer."

"Listen, Dunkin' came out with their pumpkin spice stuff in mid-August. And, you know the minute it hits September, I get in the fall mood."

"But you still won't go to a Bears game with me and your Uncle Will," he said.

"Dad, I don't understand football."

He pulled the K-Cup out and put it in the Keurig. "I told you that me and Uncle Will could teach you. And, you seem to understand it when you're at school football games."

"I just cheer when everyone else does. It's not that hard."

"Fair enough."

He pointed to the counter of the bar, so you looked down at the seating chart. You waved him back over to you as you heard the sputtering of the Keurig, telling you that all your coffee was almost in your tumbler.

You pointed to two seats. "These two girls have had beef since middle school, so throw them across the room from each other." Your dad grabbed a pen from his breast pocket and drew a line to put one of the girls on the opposite side of the room. "These two are dating, so unless you want them talking all the time, I suggest you at least move the guy to a different group." He drew another line on the seating chart. "And this guy dated these two girls, so you need to make sure that they're as far away from each other as possible."

"Which one is he dating now?" your dad asked as he drew more lines.

"Neither. He was dating both of them at the same time. Get why none of them can be by each other now?"

"Gotcha."

He took the seating chart from you and handed you your tumbler of coffee. "I don't drink it black," you said as you raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, believe me, I know, but I'll leave you to do that because I don't want to mess up your coffee to creamer ratio and have you get mad at me for it."

"Fair enough."

You sighed as you poured your creamer into your coffee because you thought about all the homework that was going to be piled on to your plate this year.

"What's wrong?" your dad asked.

"I'm gonna be drowning at the end of today."

"Can't argue with you there. But tell me if you think your homework load for APUSH (AP US History) and AP Gov (AP Government) is getting too much for one class. I'll talk to the teachers. And, you have me to help you with your government homework." He said the last part with a huge smile on his face.

"Dad," you groaned. "You've been waiting for me to be a junior forever now just so you could be my teacher."

"Yup, and you chose AP over me. How rude."

"Sorry, but college is expensive. It was only like 50 bucks a class when you went to college back in the olden days."

"Young lady, I am not old."

"Fine, you're vintage. Better?" He just glared at you while you finished stirring your coffee and then started making your breakfast. "But, at least Hail- Miss Upton doesn't give us a ton of homework because she knows we're drowning in homework already and have the SATs to worry about, so that's nice."

You were super thankful for your Honors English 11 teacher, who also taught AP Stats. She gave you at least half an hour each class period to do your homework since she knew that most of you had sports or after-school clubs or a part job to get to and didn't have all night to do homework. She was the one who also said to send her an email if you couldn't get the assignment done and she'd give you an extension. She said that your physical health and mental health were way more important than you finishing your homework.

Your dad was like that, too. Granted, he didn't give the students in his class a ton of homework to begin with, and he made the class fun...at least, that's what you heard from the kids who were juniors last year. The only time your dad really gave homework was when he gave out study guides to fill out. He'd give them out a week before the test and then after two days, he'd check that everyone got them done and go over them in class so that everyone had the right answers to study from. Mr. Jay Halstead also didn't give tests on a Monday because that was just cruel...and he knew that when he was in high school, he absolutely hated homework, so he didn't give a lot of it. And, he hated coming to school on a Monday when he forgot to study over the weekend, so he didn't give tests on Mondays.

"You're not going running this morning?" you asked as you cut up a banana to go into your oatmeal.

"No, I think I'll run with you guys after school today at practice."

Your dad was also the high school cross country coach. You weren't a fast runner by any means, but your best friend, Emma, had made it to regionals and was a great runner. And, your dad said that you either play a sport in high school or you get a job, so you joined the cross country team. In all honesty, you liked running for the endorphin rush it gave you after the run and just talking to some of your teammates while running or listening to music or podcasts while running. But, you weren't competitive, so that's probably why you weren't as fast as Emma, and your dad knew this. But, he was just glad you were being active in some way after school and that you enjoyed exercising even if you weren't the best or the fastest runner. He just wanted you to live a long and healthy life, and he knew starting to exercise in high school would help you build those healthy habits.

But, usually what your dad did in the morning was go to school at like six in the morning, so he'd be up at five, and then he'd utilize the weight room or the indoor track to workout. Then, he'd take a quick shower and get ready there, and be teaching by 7:30. Yeah, he was crazy for running that early.

"You know," you started, "Miss Upton likes to run. Maybe you should see if she'll co-coach with you? Or maybe she'll run with you in the morning?"

Jay shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. "Y/N, how many times do I have to tell you that Hailey and I are just friends. Nothing more."

"Says the man who lesson planned with her last week," you said, wiggling your eyebrows.

"Y/N, she's a coworker. I would've done that with anyone. It was just coffee. You read too much into things."

"Dad," you sighed. "You haven't dated in years."

"Yeah, since Abby dropped you off on my doorstep." He used to refer to Abby as your mom, but she wasn't around, so when you were around 14 years old, you just started referring to her as Abby. After all, you had never even met the woman, and she didn't want you, not even leaving an address on the note attached to your pajamas, so she didn't deserve the title of Mom.

"So, 17 years. You haven't dated in 17 years, Dad. You gotta get back out there. Even Uncle Will said you need to."

"You talked to your uncle about this?" he asked. "Oh, and put some egg whites in that oatmeal for some extra protein."

"What? You gonna make us lift weights today at cross country practice?"

He shrugged. "You never know. Now, no more talking to Uncle Will about my love life."

"There's not even anything to talk about. But, he does think you and Miss Upton would look cute together."

You added some egg whites to your oatmeal and put it back in the microwave for an extra minute.

"This has been going on for way too long now, Y/N. We're not gonna date. We're just friends and coworkers. Just drop it."

You put your hands up in mock surrender.

Ever since freshman year when you had Miss Upton for creative writing (yes, she taught one section of AP stats, one section of creative writing, and she also taught Honors English 11 and regular English 11 for the rest of her sections), you knew that her and your dad would be a great match. So, you confided in Emma and she agreed. Ever since then, you hadn't really let the topic go.

"Fine," you groaned...even though you and your dad both knew that the topic would not be dropped in the slightest.

"Now, do you want me to drive you, or do you want to drive yourself?"

Usually, since he left before you, you'd just drive yourself to school since you were 17 and had been driving for a year now. But, during the first week of school, your dad didn't do his morning workouts, so he always gave you the option if you wanted to ride to school with him.

You pursed your lips. "Fine. I'll ride with you, just cause it'll save me gas."

Jay laughed. "You're not even the one who pays for your gas."

He was right. He was the one who paid for your gas because you had always studied hard...and you played a sport, so you didn't have time for a part-time job. Because of this, Jay decided he'd pay for your gas. But, you did have to work a part-time job in the summer.

"Fine. It prolongs the time before I have to go to the gas station. How's that?" you asked.

"Miss Upton would be proud of how you worded that."

"Maybe you should tell her that, Dad. It'd be a great conversation starter."

***

"So," Emma began as you were warming up for your run after the school day ended, "how'd the chat with your dad go?"

You sighed while jogging. "I don't think it's ever gonna happen. He's too damn stubborn to ask her out and he claims that they're just friends and coworkers. I hate it. They'd be so damn cute together."

"I know," Emma agreed. "You know, I overheard her in the hallway between classes saying that she was going to chaperone the homecoming dance. Maybe your dad could get in on that and that's how they could talk more?" she suggested.

"Emma, that's a great idea, but I really don't want my dad at homecoming. That is awkward as hell."

Emma laughed. "Sorry, didn't think about that."

"Hustle up!" your dad yelled. "Time to stretch!"

You started your normal stretching routine before your dad started to give his normal beginning of the school year speech. "Alright, I need all of you to listen up. I don't want anybody talking over me, you hear me?" You all nodded. "Okay, good. So, I know that some of you have heard horror stories about the old cross country coach who said that if you miss a practice, then you miss a meet...unless it was for being sick." Most of you nodded.

Before your dad started coaching and the other cross country coach retired, a lot of the students hated the previous coach's coaching style. His coaching style was run more to get better at running...which sounded good in theory. But, this didn't actually work. You see, what would end up happening was that he'd make the runs longer and longer. He'd even make the athletes do a long run on Saturday and then a short run (which to him was three miles) on Sunday. If an athlete didn't send him the screenshots from apps like map my run, then they wouldn't be able to race in the next meet. This obviously was a recipe for overtraining and injuries. You heard that one girl even hurt her IT band from running so much! So, it was no surprise that most people hated the coach and so many parents complained, so he stepped down, and then your dad came in to coach.

"That's not how I coach," your dad continued. "School and your grades are really important. So is sleep. I don't want you guys not getting sleep or not getting to spend time with friends or not have other social interactions because you have to practice for two hours and then go home and do homework and get to bed late. I don't want you guys to be sleep-deprived zombies." Most of you laughed at that. "With that being said, if you're overwhelmed and feel like there's not enough time in a day, just come talk to me and we'll figure it out. Whether that's only coming to practice for an hour or taking a few days off to study for an upcoming test or taking time off for a family emergency, we'll figure out what to do." Everyone nodded. "Alright everybody, let's go run the big loop. Keep track of your split times."

***

You were walking inside with Emma to go grab your stuff from your locker after you had finished practice. Perks of having your dad be a teacher? You and your friend could leave your stuff inside instead of bringing it outside with you.

"Just meet me in my room when you're done, Y/N," your dad told you. "Have a good night, Emma."

"You too, Mr. Halstead," she replied.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Jay when it's not school or practice hours?" Jay smiled and then walked down the hall to his classroom to retrieve the stuff he had brought with him for the day...with his shirt sticky from sweat since he had run with you guys today.

He walked out of his classroom with his backpack and gym bag, to come face to face with Miss Hailey Upton walking out of her classroom as well.

"Run with the team today, Jay?" she asked.

"Yeah, you know, first week of school, kind of hard to get my early morning runs in when there's so much to do on the classroom side," he answered.

"Understandable. I've been doing mine after I lesson plan and before dinner. Hopefully, I'll be back to nightly runs soon before it starts getting dark earlier and earlier."

"But, when it gets too dark, then you'll be running in the mornings soon...and then it'll be cold," Jay pointed out.

"There's this thing called a treadmill, Jay. I utilize that in the winter."

"That shows that you're an English teacher: you use big words."

Hailey rolled her eyes. "I see you reading books during your lunch period. I know you know big words, you just prefer not to use them."

"Yeah, because I want the kids to think I'm a cool teacher...not a snob."

"I am not a snob!" Hailey jokingly argued.

"I'm kidding, Hailey! I'm kidding! And, I know you lesson plan and grade on your lunch break, too instead of going to the teacher's lounge."

"Spying on me now, huh?"

"Our rooms are right across from each other and we have the same lunch period, what else am I supposed to do?" he laughed.

Hailey sighed dramatically. "Oh, I guess. Tell you what: come to my room during our lunch period and I can give you some good book recommendations."

"I get enough book recommendations from my daughter, thank you very much. But, I guess I can always use more."

"So, see you during tomorrow's lunch period?"

"See you then. Have a good night, Hailey."

"You, too. Tell Y/N I say hi and not to work too hard on all her homework."

Then, they walked down the hallway and Jay walked back towards where you were still chatting with Emma. All the while, he was thanking God that you weren't there during that conversation between him and Hailey because he wouldn't hear the end of it. But, he was also wondering what the hell he'd just gotten into.

***

"You will not believe what I just saw!" Emma whispered to you the next day in your AP gov class.

"What?" you whispered back.

She had forgotten her laptop in her locker and had to go get it. Which, the route to her locker from the classroom you were currently in went right past your dad and Hailey's classrooms.

"Your dad and Miss Upton are in her classroom eating lunch together."

Your eyes practically bulged out of your head. "No way!"

You received a glare from the teacher and were quiet. But, you'd be sure to ask your dad about this when you went home tonight.

***

"Uncle Will's coming over for dinner in an hour," your dad told you when you got inside your house after practice. You had decided to drive yourself to school today instead of riding with him. "How much homework do you have?"

"Uh..." you blanched and set down your backpack and unzipped it. Then, you grabbed your planner and flipped it open, laying it out on the kitchen table. "I have an AP stats worksheet that's due tomorrow, I have to read half a chapter in my AP bio textbook by Monday, I have to read a full chapter of my AP gov textbook by Tuesday, and I have an APUSH assignment due tomorrow. Oh, and I should probably read a chapter of the book I chose to read for my English class plus I have to annotate a few paragraphs of crappy 16th-century literature by tomorrow, too."

"Christ," your dad said. "So, what do you have to do tonight?"

"AP stats worksheet, APUSH assignment, and I have to annotate for English. I could always not read the chapter in the book I chose to read if I don't want to."

"Do you want me to just tell Uncle Will to come over this weekend?" he asked.

Jay know knew you absolutely loved his brother and that you were always excited to tell him about your day and how school was going. It had always been this way because, when Jay found you on his doorstep, he was 22, and had just started undergrad and was working on his teaching degree. Because of this, when Will wasn't studying in his last two years of med school and later working in a hospital as a new resident, he was your go-to babysitter. And you absolutely loved when he came over...despite not being able to remember much because you were so young. Apparently, you had been particularly fascinated by Will's red hair and would pull on it every chance you got. But, he'd let you play with it until it really started to hurt him because you were his favorite (and only) niece and he knew he'd do anything for you. This came in handy as you got older because you realized you had him wrapped around your finger and would always ask him for homework help. Or, if your dad wouldn't give you spending money, you'd go straight to your Uncle Will, and usually, he'd give you some.

"No," you answered. "A doctor needs to know stats, right?"

"I think so," your dad answered. "Why? Are you struggling already? Do you need to go into the regular stats class instead of the advanced one?"

You laughed at your dad's concern. "No, I'm fine. Just figured he'd be able to check it for me to make sure I did everything right."

"Oh, good. And, I'm pretty sure he can do that. Now, go take a shower so you can get started on your homework before he gets here and so I can start on dinner."

***

"Guess what?" you asked as all three of you twirled your spaghetti onto your forks at the dinner table an hour later.

"Chicken butt," Will said.

Jay rolled his eyes. "I swear, I wonder if Mom and Dad were lying when they said that you were older. Maybe I'm the older one and they just lied to us because you sure do act like the younger brother."

"Relax, Jay. Just because I'm more fun than you and Y/N likes me better, does not mean that I'm immature."

"Anyway," you said, wanting to tell Will what you had found out earlier today, "do you want to know what I have to say or not?"

"Go ahead," Will said.

"Okay, so today during AP gov, Emma had to back to her locker to grab her laptop. And she went right by Dad and Miss Upton's classrooms." You paused as you looked over at your dad and saw his eyes slightly widen and then go back to normal. "And they were eating lunch together in her classroom!"

"Awe," Will cooed. "My little brother's back on the market. Good for you, man." Then, he turned to you. "Upton's the short, blonde English teacher you've been trying to set him up with for years now, right?"

"He's not supposed to know about the set-up part!" you hissed.

"Oh, sorry. Jay, forget I said that."

"Y/N, I already you've been trying to set us up," your dad laughed. "It's been kind of obvious."

"Now that that's settled," Will started, "how'd it go? What did you two talk about? And are you having lunch together tomorrow?"

"You two are terrible, you know that?"

"Oh, we know," Will said. "But, you can't ground me, so I can be as terrible as I want."

Jay laughed. "She won't get grounded for that, Will. She might get grounded if she keeps procrastinating her stats homework, though."

"Need help, kiddo?" Will asked. "I have to read stats for things like new drugs and stuff, so I'm good at that. Don't know if I can help you with actually solving the problem because it's been ages since I've done that, but I can try."

"No, thanks, though. I just took a long shower so I have to get it done after dinner. I understand it all, though."

"Good, you can always come to me if you need help with it, though," Will offered. "Or, since it's Miss Upton--" He looked directly at Jay when he said Miss Upton and then turned his attention back to you. "--who's your stats teacher, you can always ask her. But, be sure to drag your dad along with you."

"Will!"

***

Two weeks later

"Might want to tell them to drink a ton of water after this, Jay, because it's so hot," Hailey Upton said as she walked up to Jay Halstead--and Coach Halstead for the next few hours--at an away cross country meet on a Wednesday afternoon in mid-September. "Or better yet, get them some Gatorade."

"Hailey?" Jay asked as he turned around, getting his stopwatch ready. "What are you doing here? And, I'd get them Gatorade if I could. I kinda forgot to pick it up last night."

"I'm here because some kids asked me to come to their meet. And, I always try to come to those things if kids ask me."

Jay cocked an eyebrow. "Would two of those kids be my daughter and her best friend?"

"Among others."

He looked down at the rolling cooler she had brought. "What's with the cooler?"

"Well, you may not have had time to pick up Gatorade, but I did. So, there's one in there for each kid plus the coach...and me of course."

"How'd you know Gatorade would help?" Jay asked. "Other than logic of course."

Hailey laughed. "I've run a few marathons in my life, Jay. I know all about proper hydration and how important it is to refuel after a hot run."

At this, Jay raised his eyebrows. He knew that she ran, but she didn't know that she ran marathons. "Oh, wow. Which ones?"

"You know, the Chicago marathon obviously. Always wanted to do like Boston or someplace, but you have to qualify for those, you can't just go and sign up like here in Chicago. Oh, and I've always wanted to do a Disney marathon. I think it'd be cool, you know? Run through Disney World, maybe hop on some rides during the race."

Jay smiled. "That actually does sound really fun."

The announcer said that it was ten minutes until it was time to race.

"I gotta get to the first mile marker," Jay said.

"Okay, where's our tent? I'll go put this cooler under it."

Jay told Hailey where the tent was and was about to leave when she stopped him.

"Where do I get the maps? I can go to the second mile marker to help out with times in case you can't get there fast enough," she suggested.

"That'd, uh, that'd actually be great, Hailey. Thank you. And, you just get the maps from the table right over there," Jay answered and pointed to a table about 200 meters away.

"Awesome, thanks. See you after the race, Coach," Hailey joked.

Jay nodded and started to jog off toward the first mile marker. But, all the while he wondered what the hell this woman was doing to him. Because he felt his cheeks heating up in a blush as he jogged off.

And, as for Hailey, well she was watching as Jay jogged away and loved the way he ran with perfect form and how his biceps flexed just enough that she could see the muscles slightly bulge.

She laughed to herself. If they ever went running together, she'd have to tell him to loosen up because you weren't supposed to run with your arms as taut as his were; he was wasting energy.

But, for now, she just made her way over to the tent and left the cooler and then went to get a map and start off toward the second mile marker to help out a fellow teacher...well, maybe he was starting to be more than just a fellow teacher. Neither of them really knew at this point. But, Hailey liked the thrill of it all. She felt like she was in high school again...a high school student, not a high school teacher.

***

You panted and winced as you crossed the finish line. Shit, your shin splints were really acting up this time, and God, it was so hot out and you felt nauseous and even had to walk during some points of the race. We'll see what your dad had to say about that.

Wait, was that Miss Upton coming up to you?

It is! She actually came!

"Y/N, are you okay? I saw you walking," she said worriedly while your dad jogged over since you were the last one on your team to finish.

"You good, kid?" your dad asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. My shin splints just hurt really bad and I think the heat's making me feel sick."

"Okay, well, I have to go watch the boys and make sure they're ready. Hailey, can you, uh, help Y/N? The medical tent's across from here. Maybe make sure she gets under our team tent without puking and get her something to drink?"

"I can do that, Jay, don't worry."

Emma walked up to you. "Good job!" she exclaimed.

"Girl, I didn't even run as fast as you! You flew through there. But, it's hot as hell!" you said.

"It is really hot. You gonna watch the guys' race?"

"No, Dad told me to sit under our tent in the shade. Gotta get some ice for my shins first, though."

"Shin splints acting up?"

"Yeah."

Then, you, Miss Upton, and Emma walked over to the medical tent where you got bags of ice wrapped around your shins.

***

"I'll run to Mcdonald's and get you ice, too," your dad said before you got in your separate cars back at school after the meet. "What do you want?"

"Uh, a ten-piece nugget--don't forget the honey mustard--a medium fry, and a medium lemonade," you said as your dad typed it into the notes app of his phone. "Thanks."

"I'll see you at home. Drive careful."

"See you in like half an hour."

Then you drove home and decided to start on some homework while still in your sweaty cross country uniform.

When your dad got home, you gobbled down your food because damn, you were hungry after that mentally taxing race. Then, you and your dad filled the bathtub up with ice and cold water.

Time for hell...aka an ice bath. At this point, you'd do anything to prevent your shin splints from getting bad. At least the old coach wasn't coaching because, from all the horror stories you heard, it'd be worse for your shins if he was coaching and not your dad.

After you changed into a pair of spandex shorts and a long-sleeved running shirt and a hoodie, you lowered yourself into the freezing and icy water. You set your phone timer for eight minutes and braved the cold for that long.

Then, after that, you drained the bathtub and took a very hot shower. But, as you were in there, you started feeling nauseous again. You crouched down and actually ended up throwing up a bit in the shower. It was nothing major, you just figured it was from eating too fast. But, you were still really tired.

And this is what you told your dad when you got out of the shower.

"But, I still have homework," you said defeatedly. "I kinda wanna just go to sleep now. It's already 7:00 and I have at least two to four hours of homework to do."

Jay sighed. He never wanted to play this game, but he wasn't going to let you run on not enough sleep tomorrow when you weren't even feeling your best.

"What classes?" he asked.

"Uh, I have to get APUSH done which will take me like at least two hours, and then I have English and stats homework," you answered.

Jay sighed. "I'll give Hailey a call and explain the situation and see if she'll give you an extension on the English and stats homework."

Your eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, now go grab some water and get started on your APUSH homework. And.. it will only be a one day extension."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best Dad ever!"

Then, you grabbed your water and went back upstairs to your room.

But, all you could think about was that your dad and Miss Upton were talking over the phone outside of school. Maybe they were becoming more than just co-workers.

Jay dialed Hailey's phone number and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"Jay?" she asked when she answered.

"Hi, Hailey. Yeah, it's Jay. Listen I have a huge favor to ask you," he said.

"What is it?"

"So Y/N puked a bit in the shower, probably because of the amount of sodium in those damn chicken nuggets she wanted, and then she took an ice bath and then a hot shower, so the quick and significant temperature change probably played a role. Anyway, how it happened isn't the point. It's just that she's really tired and she has AP US history homework that she has to finish. So, would it be okay if you gave her a one day extension on her English homework and her stats homework? If not, I completely understand because you can't just make exceptions because she's a teacher's kid and--"

"Jay, relax," Hailey laughed. "Yes, I'll give her the extensions. What is it that you always tell your team? Their physical and mental health comes first?"

Jay chuckled and then took a sip of his beer. "Yeah, that's about right. And, thank you. Y/N will greatly appreciate that."

"No problem. But, I also have a favor to ask you."

Jay cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"So, we're short on chaperones for the homecoming dance and I was wondering if maybe you could chaperone? And, I figured that since you have a kid and would probably want to be there for her pictures before the dance, you don't have to help us set up. Maybe just chaperone and then help us tear down? If not just chap--"

"Hailey, of course, I'll help out. Now, Y/N, she might not be happy that I'll be chaperoning her school dance, but I'll be there. Count me in."

***

2 weeks later, 3 days before homecoming dance

"Okay, I know I'm just your English teacher," Miss Upton started at the beginning of class that day, "but I still care about your guys' safety. So, please, please, please do not drive drunk or buzzed. Call your parents to pick you up. I can absolutely promise you that they'd be happier that you called them to pick you up than you trying to drive home and getting into a car accident."

"What if my parents will be mad at me for drinking anyway?" one kid asked.

"So, if that's the case, you can always call me and I will come pick you up from wherever you're at. I can lose a few hours of sleep to make sure that you guys are home safe." She started writing numbers on the whiteboard. "Right here is my cell phone number, if you think you'll need it, write it down or make it a contact in your phone. Again, I'd rather not come to school on Monday and learn that one of you is in the hospital because of something that could have been prevented."

You pulled out your phone, you didn't think that you'd need Miss Upton's number, but you figured you'd put it in just in case since two girls from your AP gov class asked you to be the DD for a party. You were kind of friends with them, like you studied for tests together, but that was it. But, you had debated it because it was a party after homecoming and you had never been to a party before...let alone one after a dance.

"Oh, Miss Upton," you said as you put your phone face down on your desk.

"Yes, Y/N?" she asked.

"What color dress are you wearing when you're chaperoning the dance?"

"I haven't really thought it much." She furrowed her eyebrows as she wondered why you were asking this question. "But, probably red. Why?"

"Just wondering."

And now, you just needed to make sure that your dad had a red tie and that he actually wore it when he was chaperoning the dance.

***

3 days later, homecoming

"What about this?" your dad asked as he walked out of his room in dress pants, a white shirt, a navy blue tie, and a sport coat.

You were already in your dress and had gotten your hair and nails done earlier in the day, so now you were just waiting to take some pictures with Emma and then actually go to the dance.

"Hmm, I don't know. The shirt and tie are kind of what you wear to work everyday, so I think you need something different. Maybe a brighter tie or something," you said and then walked into his room and opened his closet.

You sifted through the closet until you found what you were looking for: a black shirt and a red tie.

"I think you should wear these," you said and laid the two pieces of clothing on his bed.

"What? Why? You know I never wear red. That tie has been hung up in my closet since you were probably ten," he argued.

"That's the point, Dad! You need to get out of your comfort zone and wear something besides what you wear to school...or in your case, work. It's a dance, so you have to wear something fancy."

Jay groaned. He knew he wasn't going to be able to win this argument.

"Fine. I'll change."

"Good."

Then, you walked out of his room.

Your plan had worked.

***

"Mr. Halstead," Hailey said as she saw Jay walk onto the dance floor a few hours later when all the lights were off and the cleared-out cafeteria became full of students dancing.

"Miss Upton," he greeted. She laughed. "What?"

"It's nothing," Hailey said quickly. "It's just that, well your tie..." she trailed off while his eyes raked down her body in the slightly tight (but not too tight because they were at a school function) spaghetti strap bright red dress that she was wearing. "Let's just say I now know why Y/N asked me what color dress I was wearing."

Jay groaned and shook his head. "My daughter. Always...you know, I don't know what her game is at this point, but I should've suspected something when she told me to go change."

But damn, Jay thought, she does look good in red.

God, Hailey thought, I wish he'd wear those kind of black shirts to work more often.

***

It was now after the dance and you and your dad had arrived back at home at around the same time.

"You're a little devil, you know that?" he asked when you were both inside.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I plead the fifth," you replied.

"Very funny. You can't do that."

"Yes, I can. You should know this, Dad, you teach government."

"You can plead the fifth in court, but you cannot do it with your dad. So, I know that you asked Hailey what color dress she was wearing just so my tie could match it."

"Oooh, so we're calling her Hailey and not Miss Upton now. I'd say that's a step up. What did you two talk about at the dance? Because I know for a fact that you didn't ask her to slow dance."

"And you didn't slow dance with anyone either, so we're even, kid," Jay retorted.

You rolled your eyes. "I'm gonna go take a shower. Get this hair out."

"Okay." Your dad yawned. "I'm gonna get to bed. Now I know why you sleep until noon the day after dances: they're exhausting."

"Tell me about it. Goodnight. Send Miss Upton-- well, Hailey now-- a text to make sure she got home safe!"

You didn't even wait for your dad's witty reply before you bounded up the stairs and into your bathroom.

But, you didn't actually end up taking a shower. You ran the shower while you washed off your makeup and re-did it into something more party-appropriate and then took down your hair and put it up into a ponytail.

After half an hour, you turned off the shower and wrapped your still dry body in a towel after you had stripped off your dress. You peeked out of the bathroom to see that your dad's bedroom door was closed, which meant that he was asleep.

Then, you tiptoed into your room and changed your clothes.

You pulled out your phone to tell the girls to park a few houses down so your dad didn't hear the car pull in the driveway or see the headlights.

Your plan of going to your very first high school party was a go.

***

It had been two hours since you had snuck out and it was nearing two in the morning. And, you weren't feeling too hot. You had decided not to drink because you were the DD out of you and the two girls from class. And, you had kept the car keys away from them so that they couldn't do anything stupid...and so you could keep them safe. You hadn't drank anything, but you had eaten the fruit off of the top of the spiked punch bowl and, for whatever reason, you were starting to feel lighter and happier.

Shit.

Your dad had warned that fruit soaks up alcohol. How could you have been so stupid to forget that? He was going to kill you! There's no way you could call him to pick you up, absolutely no way!

Somehow, you found your friends, they were by the makeshift bar, no shock there because you knew the only reason they were there was to get drunk. Note to self: if people you only know because of one class ask you to come to a party for the sole purpose of being the DD, do not go.

Luckily for you, one of the girls' boyfriends played on the football team and wasn't going to risk his season just for one party. So, you told him that you needed to leave and that you were the DD and asked if he could get the two girls home safely. He agreed and you passed off the car keys to him.

Then you walked outside, the chilly mid-October night air helping to slow the nervousness coursing through your veins about facing your dad.

You pulled out your phone and hit the contact you had made in class a few days ago.

"Hello? This is Hailey," you heard Hailey's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Miss Upton, it's Y/N Halstead," you said.

"Y/N? Are you okay?" You heard shuffling on the end of the line and assumed that Miss Upton was standing up from somewhere.

"I mean, I'm kinda woozy I guess. But, I snuck out and my dad doesn't know where I am." You hung your head. You couldn't believe you had been so stupid.

"And you had a drink so you can't drive home?" she finished.

"Yeah." She didn't need to know the details. All she needed to know was that you needed help getting home.

"Okay, send me your location and I'll be there soon, okay? Is it safe for you? Do you need me to stay on the phone or call the cops?"

"No, no, I'm perfectly fine. Just need someone to drive me home."

"Okay good. Send me that location and I'll be there soon."

Then, she told you the model of her car and the color so you could spot her easily. Once you were off the phone, you sent her your location and she replied with a thumbs up, telling you that she got it.

Your phone rang. You thought it was Miss Upton, but then you looked down and saw it was your dad.

Double shit.

***

"Please don't tell my dad," you said when you pulled up to your driveway half an hour later.

"Y/N, I have--"

But, she was saved from telling you that she needed to tell your dad when the front door flung open.

Your dad must've seen the headlights.

"Go," Miss Upton said. "You're only prolonging the inevitable if you stay in here."

You sighed. "Will you walk me up?"

"Sure."

So, both you and Miss Upton exited the car.

The minute your dad saw you, he ran down the steps to you.

"Young lady!" he yelled. "Where were you? Do you know how worried I was? You could've gotten seriously hurt!" He paused. "Get over here!"

You knew to listen to him when he pulled out the dad voice.

He put two fingers underneath your chin and tipped your head up. "Breathe. Now."

It was faint, but it was there, your dad smelt stale vodka on your breath...mixed with a citrusy scent and teeth that hadn't been brushed since the previous morning.

He sighed and clenched his teeth. Then, he put his hands down and he finally spotted Hailey. "Hailey, what are you doing here?" he asked, unclenching his jaw.

"I always tell my students that they can call me if they need to get picked up from parties and can't drive. So far, Y/N's the only one who has utilized that."

"Well, thank you. I'm sorry she had to make you come out at this time of night." He turned back to you. "As for you, go inside. Not only did you drink, but you went to a party, too. We'll talk in a few minutes."

You hung your head and made your way inside and sat down on the couch in the living room.

Jay walked up to Hailey. "I'm really sorry about her. But, thank you for getting her home safe. How far did you have to drive? I can give you gas money for all of this on Monday."

"Jay, it's fine. I make this offer for homecoming and prom every year. You don't have to pay me. I just wanna make sure all the kids get home safe, that's all."

"At least let me buy you coffee or something. You brought my little girl home safe when I didn't even know where she was. I think that warrants some type of reward."

"If you want to repay me that bad," Hailey began, "I'm lesson planning and grading at Starbucks tomorrow. I guess you can buy me a coffee."

"Done. Text me the time and I'll be there."

"Will do."

"Now, excuse me, but I have to go deal with my daughter."

"Goodnight, Jay."

"Night, Hailey."

Then, she drove off and back to her house while Jay walked up his front steps and wondered what he was going to say to you.

"Look at me," your dad demanded when he made his way into the living room.

You looked up. "I'm so--"

"No," your dad said quickly, cutting you off. "You don't talk. You only listen. Do you understand me?" You nodded. "Good. Do you know how worried sick I was when I couldn't find you inside? I was beside myself, Y/N. I didn't know where you were, I didn't know if you were hurt. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you. What you did was stupid and reckless and please do not ever, ever do that again. Never do that again. Do you hear me?"

"Yes," you answered.

"Good."

You took a deep breath before you asked your next question. "Am I in trouble?"

Your dad sighed and sat down next to you. "As much as I want to ground you, no you are not in trouble. I'm just so relieved that you're home safe. And, you made the right decision by not driving and calling someone to pick you up...even if it wasn't me."

"Do you want an explanation as to why I went?" you asked.

"No, God no. I may look calm on the outside, but on the inside, I'm still pissed."

"Can I ask how you knew I snuck out?"

"You forgot to leave your fan on and I knew it was way too quiet in your room."

The doorbell rang.

"Shoot, I forgot to tell your uncle that you're home safe. But, you better go up to bed before me and him talk and think of a punishment for you."

"So you're still mad?" you asked.

"A little mad, but mostly I'm just relieved and disappointed. I thought you knew better." You hung your head. "Now, go to bed."

"Okay." You stood up. "Goodnight, I love you." You gave him a hug.

He gave you a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, too, kid. Now, get to bed."

You went upstairs, but instead of going all the way to your room, you sat down on the landing, intent on listening to your dad's and your uncle's conversation about you.

"Hey, she's home. It's all good," Jay said as he answered the door and then motioned for his brother to come inside.

"Oh, thank God. Where was she?" Will asked as they made their way to the living room and sat down on different couches, facing each other.

"Apparently she went to a party. I know she drank because I smelled alcohol on her breath. It was just a bit, but it was there."

"If you want, we can bring her to Med and I can do a tox screen to see the level of alcohol in her system," Will suggested.

"You know, that's not a bad idea actually."

Jay quickly stood up, but Will stopped him. "I'm kidding, man! Don't do that! She was still lucid when she came home, right?"

"Yeah, she was walking and talking normally."

"Okay, then sit your ass back down and don't drag your daughter to Med. Did you ground her?"

"No, I actually didn't."

"There's a shock. You always said you'd ground your kid if they snuck out. Oh, how things changed."

"I was just so relieved," Jay said and sat back down. "When Hailey pulled in the driveway and Y/N got out of her car--"

"Wait," Will started, cutting Jay off, "Hailey picked her up? Hailey Upton?"

"Yeah," Jay answered. "Apparently she'll give out her phone number to the kids in case they need to get home safe from somewhere after prom and homecoming. And, Y/N called her and not me."

"I wouldn't call you either," Will joked. "You'd probably scream at her in front of everyone at the party."

"I would not!" Will cocked his head to the side. "Okay, maybe, but that's beside the point. All that matters is that Y/N had the wherewithal to know that she couldn't drive and she solved that problem. God, Will, the amount of adrenaline that left my body when I saw her get out of that car was astronomical."

"I bet. So, do you know where she went?"

"I just know it was some party. She got lectured when she got home, don't worry about that." Jay put his head in his hands.

"What? What's wrong, Jay?"

"Anything could've happened to her, Will, and I wouldn't have been there to protect her. I wouldn't have been able to protect my own kid."

"Jay, you can't blame yourself. Hell, most teenagers do this stuff."

"I know, I know. It's just that her grades have been slipping slightly and I'm wondering if I should have her transfer schools." Your eyes widened as you listened to that part of the conversation. "Maybe, having her dad teach at the same school isn't helping her. She went to a party, Will. Maybe it's the kids she's meeting in class, maybe being at another school would be better for her."

"Jay, you can't make a decision like that based on one stupid decision the kid did." He knew his brother was torn up about this, so he changed the subject. "What'd Hailey say?"

"I offered to pay for her gas, but she shut me down."

"Anything else?"

Jay sighed. He knew his brother wouldn't let up. "We're going out for coffee tomorrow to grade. She said I can repay her by buying her coffee there."

"Aw, you're going on a date."

"It is not a date! It's just two coworkers working in a coffee shop together...in their off time."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

A few minutes later, the conversation was over and Jay walked Will out, so you made your way to your room.

One thing was for sure: you were not giving your dad another opportunity to even think about you switching schools.

It was time to grind...starting tomorrow because you desperately needed to sleep right now.

***

You woke up around 11:00 the next day, which was Sunday. Then you got up and went downstairs to eat some breakfast.

"Morning," your dad said. "I made breakfast sandwiches. There's two in the fridge if you want one...or both."

"Thanks," you said. You wanted to ask if he was still mad, but you didn't really want to have an argument right when you woke up.

But, being around teenagers all day must've given your dad a sixth sense.

"Listen, kid, I'm not mad at you if that's what you're worried about. You just... you scared me last night. If something happened to you because I couldn't protect you-- because, as a parent, it is my first responsibility to keep you safe. Anyway, if I couldn't keep you safe because I didn't know where you were, I would never be able to forgive myself."

"Can I tell you why--"

"No. As a teacher at the school, the less I know the better. I really don't want to have to tell the administration and then get kids suspended from their sports for drinking. So, all I know is that you snuck out, went to a party, and drank. I don't wanna know who else was there or whose house it was at."

"But, I--"

"Y/N, end of discussion. Now, I have to go and meet Hail-- Miss Upton, for coffee since she so graciously picked you up when you made a bad decision last night. Don't do anything stupid when I'm gone or else you will be in trouble, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. I'm just gonna study for the SATs."

"Good idea. Be back later. I love you."

"Love you, too, Dad."

***

"...And whatever she's having," Jay said and slid over so that the barista could input Hailey's order.

"Just a grande vanilla sweet cream cold brew, please," Hailey ordered.

Jay paid and then he and Hailey waited by the other side of the counter for their drinks to be ready.

Jay laughed. "You and my daughter have the same taste. You both like vanilla sweet cream cold brews."

"I'm shocked you let her get that with the amount of caffeine in cold brew," she said.

"Eh, it's just like once a week. On my rest day when I don't have to be at school before dawn to run, I'll grab her and I something from Starbucks, and then she'll just stop by my room to get it before school starts."

"That's nice of you," Hailey mused.

"Yeah, but nothing compared to Miss I have coffee in my room for the kids and you can drink as much as you want Upton."

"If you've ever heard kids talk about how little sleep they get like I do since I teach AP classes, then you'd get why I do that, Halstead. I hear kids saying that they normally only get four hours of sleep a night because they're up so late doing homework. While I don't think they should become dependent on caffeine at such a young age and need to be getting a lot more sleep than that, they need to stay awake during school. That's also probably the reason why you and I don't give a lot of homework."

"And it's ridiculous how early school starts anyway," Jay said and grabbed their drinks off the counter.

"I'll drink to that," Hailey laughed and then poked her straw in her cold brew and took a sip.

Once they took their seats, they talked a little before starting to grade and lesson plan.

"Not to pry or anything," Hailey began, "but did you ground Y/N? You don't have to answer it if you don't want to, I'm not her parent, so I know I'm not the least bit entitled to that information."

"Well, you did pick her up when she needed help, so I'd say you are entitled to that information," Jay chuckled. "But, to answer your question, no I didn't ground her just because I was so relieved that she was home. The amount of adrenaline and cortisol that dropped in my body when I saw her get out of your car was amazing, Hailey. Thank you so much." He paused and took a sip of his cappuccino. "But, we did have a talk about how she shouldn't be doing that because it's dangerous and if something happened to her, that I wouldn't be able to help her and since I'm her parent, my first job is to keep her safe. She does know that if she sneaks out or goes to a party again, I will be grounding her, though."

"Well, you had a much different and a way better reaction than my dad did when he learned that I snuck out," Hailey muttered.

But, Jay had great hearing and heard her. He put down his coffee and furrowed his eyebrows. "What happened? You don't have to tell me anything you aren't comfortable with."

"Why did you become a teacher?" Hailey asked instead.

"Why did I become a teacher?" Jay repeated and Hailey nodded. "Well, as you know I was in the Rangers in Afghanistan and, while I was there I saw so many kids walking super far to schools or us accompanying children to school. They had to go through so much just to get to school, and I wanted to make a difference in kids' lives here Stateside. So, when I came home, I enrolled in college and got my degrees in education and a minor in history." Hailey had known that he was a veteran, which explained why he took every September 11 off, but she didn't know he became a teacher because of what he saw over there. "What about you?" he asked. "You went into social work before you became a teacher, right?"

For the past almost month and a half, the two teachers had been eating lunch together in either Hailey or Jay's classroom, and during those, they obviously talked about their experience with education and what made them want to go into the teaching field. Hailey mentioned one time that she was originally a social work major but then switched it to education. But, Jay didn't know why.

"Yeah, yeah, I was originally a social work major. But, it uh, it brought up some really bad memories and I didn't think I could handle being around that all day," Hailey answered, staring directly at her coffee.

Jay cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean? Again, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"Um, it's okay. It's a part of my past. So, why I said that you were a lot nicer to Y/N when she snuck out was because, well, when my dad found out that I did, he uh, he..." she trailed off.

Jay's gaze was soft and sad as he finished for her. "Physical?" he asked, referring to the type of abuse she had endured as a child and teenager.

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Hailey, I am so, so sorry that happened to you. I'm honored that you'd tell me this."

"It's uh, it's why I give those kids my phone number in case they need help. And, at the beginning of the year, it's on my syllabus, too," she said.

"In case they need a way out, they can call you," Jay said, piecing it together.

Hailey nodded.

Jay reached across the table and gently grabbed Hailey's hand in his. "You're a good woman, Hailey Upton."

She smiled sadly and nodded, grounding herself by focusing on the feeling of Jay's hand in hers.

"Do you want to get started on grading now?" she asked after a minute had passed.

"That might be a good idea," Jay laughed. Then, he let go of Hailey's hand. But, neither of them wanted that little handhold to end.

***

One month later

God, you were in pain. You didn't wanna get out of bed; you just wanted to sleep. Hell, you needed sleep.

Over the past month, you had thrown yourself into studying. You wanted to stay at this school. You loved all your teachers and you didn't want to leave your friends, especially your best friend Emma. And, you were also scared that if you had to transfer schools, that you might not do well on your AP exams or that you'd have a bunch of other requirements that the new school had that you'd have to do the last half of your junior year and during the entirety of your senior year.

You didn't want any of that.

So, you had come up with a plan.

The day after homecoming and that next week, you studied an hour or two hours later than normal. But, you still felt that you had work to do if you didn't want your dad to transfer you at the end of the semester. So, during your study hall hour, you'd go to the teachers and ask how you could get your B+ up to an A- or your A- up to an A. You'd even review questions you got wrong on quizzes so that you could get them right when those types of questions showed up on the tests.

Yes, the teachers probably thought you were crazy because you had good grades already and were trying to be Little Miss Perfect (or they thought that you were trying to get into another scholarship bracket for college or trying to become valedictorian), but you didn't care if you looked crazy. You wanted to finish your high school career at the school you were at now.

Also during this time, you had been "going to sleep" around 10:00-11:00, which was your normal time, just so that your dad didn't get suspicious. But, what you'd actually do was sleep for an hour-ish and then get up and study more.

It started with you studying until midnight and at the latest 1:30 in the morning...and then you'd wake up five hours later at 6:30. It wasn't ideal, but you could manage. Because, since your dad went to school earlier than you, you just brought extra coffee to school and he didn't notice a thing.

But, since all the teachers wanted to get their tests in before Thanksgiving break, for the past two weeks, you had been doing your power nap thing so your dad assumed that you were asleep, and then would wake up and do homework and study until 3:00-3:30 in the morning. This meant, that during the week, you were running on just three to three and a half hours of sleep a night. And, it wasn't like you could catch up a ton on the weekend, or else your dad would get suspicious. So, you just got like seven or maybe eight hours of sleep on the weekends. So, you were constantly in a state of sleep debt and in desperate need of caffeine.

You had done the extra cup of coffee for the first two weeks, but for the past two weeks, you had been drinking two cups of coffee at your house before school and finishing the second cup at school right before classes start, but then going into Miss Upton's classroom and getting another cup of coffee. Then, you'd also get another one from her room a little after lunch. (You made sure to never go in there during her lunch period because your dad and her still ate lunch together and you didn't want him to get suspicious.) Also, sometimes you and Emma would go to Starbucks to study after school. So, lately, you had been averaging four to five cups of coffee during the week and just two on the weekends. Because, again, you couldn't have your dad getting suspicious.

And, your dad and Miss Upton ran together in the morning before school now, so you really had to be careful about what you told Miss Upton. You couldn't have her telling your dad that you were drinking a couple additional cups of coffee. You just told her that your coffee never stayed warm long enough when you brought it from home, which is why you opted for hers. And, she bought it.

To cover the bags under your eyes, you had been wearing a bit of extra foundation and cover-up. And, to make sure that your dad didn't notice at home, you'd wash off all your makeup after school, but then quickly redo the area under your eyes.

So far, he was oblivious.

But, for a week and a half, your stomach had been super achy and you couldn't stand to eat anything in the morning before you had at least one cup of coffee. So, what would typically happen was that you'd end up eating a bowl of overnight oats in your car in the school parking lot before walking inside so that your coffee had time to digest. You figured out that you were fine after that. Well, it was still achy, but not as bad as in the morning.

God, you wish you were at that point right now.

For the past five days, you've been feeling nauseous and your stomach has been achy, but in the morning, there'd be a stabbing pain before you had any coffee. You'd roll out of bed when your alarm went off and go straight downstairs to get coffee because that seemed to be the only thing--besides ibuprofen--that would alleviate the pain.

But right now, right now was the worst you had ever felt in your entire life. You felt like someone was stabbing your stomach and it wouldn't let up. You felt nauseous like you'd puke any second. And, trying to get into another position didn't help. Nothing helped.

Fuck, you had to swallow your pride and your secrecy and go tell your dad.

You needed help and you needed it now.

So, you got up. But, that just made it worse. You swallowed, trying to keep the lump in your throat and not have it go on the floor.

You whimpered and then walked a few steps and opened your bedroom door.

Then, you threw yourself on the floor and crawled across the hallway.

You held your breath as you stood up, anticipating a ton of pain--which came--when you stood up and opened the door to your dad's room.

Then, you went back on the floor and crawled in there with tears streaming down your face.

It took all your energy to whisper, "Daddy."

***

Jay blinked sleepily. He thought he heard his daughter mumble "Daddy", which she hadn't called him in years. But, then he heard it again.

He looked down and saw a figure curled up in a ball on the floor.

"Daddy, make it stop, please," you whimpered.

He quickly flicked on the light so that he could get a better look at you.

"Y/N, baby, what's wrong?" he asked quickly when he saw your tears, your face contorted in pain, and how jagged your breathing was.

"Hurts," you whimpered as more tears fell and you clutched your stomach.

He jumped out of bed and knelt down next to you. "Your stomach?" he asked urgently. You nodded. "Can you sit up?"

You nodded and leaned against his bed. But, that was a bad idea because the minute you were upright, you puked right down yourself. You groaned and pressed down more on your stomach, which just caused you to vomit more and more.

The minute you started to vomit, Jay looked at the clock. He started to soothe you by rubbing your back, but then quickly stopped and ran into the adjoining bathroom to grab the trashcan and put it underneath your mouth instead.

"There you go, there you go," he soothed as he held the trashcan with one hand and rubbed your back with the other. "Get it out. It's okay. It's okay. I'm right here. I'm right here, Y/N."

But, when you puked for almost four minutes straight and were still in pain after, Jay knew something was seriously wrong.

"Don't get up, you'll make it worse," he said. You nodded weakly. "I'm gonna go grab you some water and Gatorade and put those and a bowl in the car. Then, we're gonna go to Med to get you checked out." You nodded again. "I'll be right back. I love you."

He gave you a quick kiss on the forehead and then sprinted off into the kitchen to grab the stuff he previously mentioned. Then, he ran outside and unlocked his car, turned it on to start heating up, put that stuff in the backseat, and sprinted back inside.

"Y/N, you still awake?" he asked when he walked back into his room.

"Mhm," you hummed with your eyes still closed and your hands still clutching your stomach.

"Okay, I'm gonna throw on a hoodie and my shoes, and then I'm gonna run into your room and grab you some shoes and a hoodie because it's pretty cold out. Are you okay here?" you nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll be right back. Don't get up."

Five minutes later, you had your shoes and hoodie on. You weren't much help getting those on; your dad basically had to dress you as if you were a baby again.

"I'm gonna pick you up and bring you to the car and we're gonna go to Med to see Uncle Will."

"Uh huh," you said, letting your dad know that you had heard him. Then, you felt yourself being lifted off the ground and soon felt the chill of the late November air and then the leather seats of your dad's truck on your back and the warmth of the truck.

"There's water and Gatorade. I want you to take a few sips," your dad said. "There's a bowl, too in case you have to puke again."

You drank a few sips of Gatorade and then laid back down and closed your eyes.

As your dad backed out of the driveway, he called Will to explain the situation and tell him that the two of you were on your way to Chicago Med.

After the call, he threw his phone into the passenger seat and reached his left hand into the backseat, and grabbed one of your hands. You gripped your dad's hand weakly as he drove as fast he could to Chicago Med.

He had to make sure that his little girl was okay.

***

"We've got a treatment room right here," Maggie said when she saw Jay sprinting into the ED with you in his arms.

She quickly led him to it and he laid you down in the bed.

Will rushed in with Natalie and April a few seconds later.

"Y/N, Y/N, can you hear me?" Natalie asked.

"Hurts," you mumbled.

"Jay," Will started, "did she puke on the way here at all?"

"No, no, she didn't. She just puked for almost four minutes straight at home and it's worse when she sits or stands up. She's been clutching her stomach since she woke up."

"Gonna- gonna--" you started to heave and a pink basin was thrust under your mouth and then you emptied the few sips of Gatorade into the basin. You started to cry even harder once you finished. "Make it stop, make it stop! Please make it stop!"

Natalie turned to your dad. "Do we have permission to administer medications?"

"Please," he answered, his voice cracking. He was terrified. He was terrified something was seriously wrong. He had never seen you in so much pain. "You have permission. Just please help her."

April pushed antinausea and pain medications as well as a light sleeping medication because it was apparent that, along with puking and being in a world of pain, you were also utterly exhausted.

"Y/N," April started, "you're going to get sleepy soon. But, can you give us your pain level on a scale of one to ten?"

"Ten. My stomach hurts at a ten," you answered while tears still ran down your face.

"Did you eat anything you weren't used to? Drink anything?"

"No, no," you panted. "Just- just lots of coffee. Not a lot of sleep. Studying."

Will and Natalie shared a look. They knew what this could be. And, at least they got it out of you now, because it was clear that the meds were starting to work and you were fading fast.

"Hun," Natalie began, "we're gonna leave April in here with you in case you get sick again. Is it okay if me, your Uncle Will, and your dad have a chat outside real quick?"

"Want my dad. Please."

Natalie smiled sadly. "Okay, he'll stay. We can talk to him later."

Your dad reached for your hand and held it and rubbed his thumb over the top while you drifted into a medication-induced sleep.

Five minutes later, you were out.

Jay looked at his brother. "What's going on? What's wrong with my kid?"

"From what she told us, it sounds like the acid in the coffee she's been drinking has been irritating her stomach lining. Has she been drinking a lot of coffee lately?" Will asked.

"Not that I've noticed. But, sometimes there's a little less in the coffee pot than I think there should be. But, even if she is drinking two cups, that can't cause this, can it?" Jay asked worriedly.

"No, two cups shouldn't. But, if she isn't sleeping a lot, sometimes lack of sleep can make people feel pretty crappy. So, if she's drinking more than her normal amount of caffeine and not sleeping, then that could be what's causing it."

"But, she goes to bed at her normal time," Jay argued.

"That doesn't mean that she's sleeping. She could be lying awake in bed. Has she seemed more tired to you?"

"No, not that I've noticed. Uh, what do I do, Will? Can't you run some tests?"

"I mean, I can run one to see if she's sleep-deprived, it's a plasma cortisol test. If her levels are elevated, that means she's not getting enough sleep. But, it wouldn't give us the reason why her stomach's hurting so bad and why she's nauseous and vomiting," Will answered.

"Then don't run the test," Jay said. "If it's not going to figure out the problem, then I don't want to put her through that. But, what do we do?"

"If it's what I think, an irritated stomach lining, then we keep her for observation for a few days, ween her off of caffeine to a healthy amount, give her antinausea and pain medications, and just wait for her to go home until she feels better," Will answered.

"Okay. I guess we wait. You mind grabbing me some coffee?"

Will laughed because they had just been talking about how you had been possibly drinking too much coffee and now Jay was asking for it. "Yeah, I can do that. My shift ends in an hour, so I'll be down here to wait with you then."

Jay smiled. "Thanks, man."

***

It was 7:30 in the morning the next day, which was Thanksgiving Day, when Jay's phone rang, waking him up. He answered it without checking the caller ID because he didn't want to disturb your peaceful sleep.

"Hello?" he asked groggily.

"Jay? Where are you and Y/N?" he heard Hailey's voice through the phone.

Shit, the Turkey Trot, he thought.

He and you always ran the Turkey Trot every Thanksgiving, sometimes dragging Will along if he didn't have to work. Then, you'd have your Thanksgiving feast later in the day. Granted, your dad had to keep pace with you for the entire time, so it really wasn't a race. But, it was a nice bonding experience, so the two (sometimes three of you) kept it up.

Jay had mentioned it to Hailey one morning when they were running the indoor track before school started, and she said she'd sometimes run it, too. So, Jay had invited her to run it with him and you, and she agreed.

You were convinced that Miss Upton and your dad were secretly dating.

But, Miss Upton had been waiting for you and your dad at the designated meeting spot for half an hour now. And, Jay Halstead was not one to be late.

"Listen, me and Y/N aren't going to be able to make it. She had some stomach issues last night and now she's in the hospital and the doctors are trying to figure out what's wrong," Jay said.

"Oh my God," she said as she started to walk away from their planned meeting spot and towards the parking garage where she parked her car. "What hospital are you at?"

"Chicago Med," Jay answered. "Why?"

"I'm gonna find someplace that's open and grab breakfast and then I'll be there."

"Hailey, you don't have to."

"Jay, I want to do this. I'll be there within the next hour."

Then, without waiting for him to protest once more, she ended the call.

***

When you woke up a few hours later, you rubbed your eyes, despite the IV in your hand, and rolled over.

"Well good morning, or almost afternoon," your uncle Will said and stood up. "How's the pain on a scale of one to ten?"

"Uh, maybe a six, seven?" you said.

But then, you looked around the room.

Why was Miss Upton here?

"I'll go get a nurse and let you three talk," Will said and then left the treatment room.

You looked at your dad and raised your eyebrows. At the same time, the achiness in your stomach started up again and you clutched it.

"Gonna be sick?" your dad asked.

"I don't know," you answered.

He handed you the pink basin anyway (a clean one because last night's was gross and went off to get cleaned) and you set it on your lap.

"Feel like you can eat anything?" your dad asked. "Hailey brought food...and coffee, but we'll have to check with the nurses about how much coffee you can drink."

"You brought it?" you asked as you looked at Miss Upton.

She smiled. "I did. I called your dad to see why you two weren't at the Turkey Trot yet, and he said you two were here, so I figured I'd find somewhere that's open and get you breakfast." She rummaged around in the bag and pulled out a container. "He mentioned you were having stomach issues so I opted for something light, so the fruit and nut oatmeal from Mcdonald's. I also grabbed a packet of syrup in case you wanted it sweeter."

She passed the food to you along with a spoon and a napkin. "Thank you," you said as you took them from her. "Sorry I messed up your run."

Hailey laughed. "It's okay. My run's the least of my problems. Me and your dad just want you to get better."

You tried to hide your smile. She said she and your dad. She cared about you more than she did other students...and you were just waiting for them to slip up and call each other babe at this point.

"Hey, I'm back," Will announced as he walked into the room. This time, he had Dr. Choi and Monique in tow. "Natalie and April have Thanksgiving off, so you have Dr. Choi as your doctor and Monique as your nurse."

You nodded.

"Hi, Y/N, I'm Dr. Choi, as your brother just mentioned. Monique here is just going to check your vitals." You nodded again. "I understand you've been having some stomach issues. Can you tell me when they started? Any changes to your diet or routine that I should know about?"

Here goes nothing.

You looked at your dad as tears formed in your eyes. "I'm sorry," you said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Your dad moved his chair closer to you and gently grabbed your hand. "Tell me what, baby?"

"I- I went to that party because--"

"Y/N, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to know why because I'm a teacher? Me and Miss Upton are both teachers."

"But I didn't go to drink at all! I hadn't even planned on drinking! I didn't even drink a drink!" you yelled, causing Monique to take a step back. You took a deep breath and turned to her. "Sorry, sorry. I'll be calm so you can do your job." After a few breaths, Monique went back to checking your vitals and you continued your story. "These two girls I know from my AP gov class asked me to come to the party to be their DD. So, I went. But, when I was there, I ate the fruit from the punch bowl and I forgot that the fruit absorbs the alcohol. I'm sorry."

"And when you realized what happened, you called Miss Upton?" your dad asked.

"Yeah," you confirmed. "And, I even made sure to give the car keys to one of the girl's boyfriends who wasn't drinking because he plays sports so that they'd get home safely."

Jay smiled slightly; he had taught you well.

"Did you keep drinking consistently after?" Dr. Choi asked. He couldn't see one drink causing all these problems.

"No, God no!" you said. But, then you clutched your stomach and took in a deep breath.

"Pain?" Dr. Choi asked.

"Yeah, it's not as bad as last night, though."

He looked to your dad. "If she wants more pain meds, will you allow it?"

"Yes," your dad answered.

"Do you want more pain meds?" Dr. Choi asked.

"Please," you answered.

So, Monique started to get the pain medication ready to go into your IV and then pushed the meds.

A few minutes later, once the medication had started to work, you continued your story.

"I heard you and Uncle Will talking," you said.

"When?" your dad asked. "Me and Uncle Will talk a lot."

"The night I snuck out. You and Uncle Will were talking and you said that you might make me transfer schools if my grades don't get better. I don't want to transfer schools, Dad."

Your dad sighed. "Kid, I was mad, but in reality, I wouldn't do that. That was just me being angry and trying to find a solution when I wasn't in the right headspace. Were you so nervous that your stomach hurt all the time?" he asked.

"No," you answered. "but, I started staying up later and doing homework."

"Really? You always seemed asleep to me."

"I'd sleep for an hour and then wake up and study more." Your dad sighed. "I'm sorry. And then I was just sleeping for like three hours, so I'd drink four or five cups of coffee a day and my stomach hurt so bad in the morning if I didn't drink any coffee, so I'd eat breakfast in my car before school."

"For how long?" your dad asked. "For how long have you been bottling this up? For how long have you been waiting to eat breakfast?"

"The stomach aches started a week and a half ago. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." You started to cry harder.

"Hey, hey it's okay. We know what happened now, so hopefully, Dr. Choi and everyone else here can fix it." He looked up at Dr. Choi who had been intently listening as well. "Right, Doc?"

Dr. Choi smiled. "That's right, Y/N. And, what it seems to me is that you've just been drinking too much coffee, and coupled with the lack of sleep, have had abdominal cramping and nausea due to all the caffeine irritating your stomach lining. So, what we'll do is ween your caffeine intake back down to one to two cups of coffee per day, not go cold turkey because you'll probably feel pretty crappy if we did that, and then continue giving you pain meds and antinausea meds. We'll probably keep you here a few days upstairs in a recovery room just for observation to make sure nothing else is going on."

"So, I have to spend my whole Thanksgiving break in the hospital?" you asked.

"I'm afraid so," he answered.

"Well, this sucks." You looked at the table next to Miss Upton. "Is that coffee for me?"

"It is. I don't know if you can have it, though," she answered.

"She can have it," Dr. Choi answered. "Just, no more after this one seeing as that's a large."

You nodded.

"I got you a vanilla iced coffee. Since apparently, we have the same taste because your dad said you also like vanilla sweet cream cold brews as much as me," Miss Upton said and then handed you the coffee.

"Seeing as everything looks good, me and Monique will check on you later." He turned to the three adults in the room. "If she pukes up that food or her stomach pain gets worse, come get us."

"Will do, Doc," your dad answered.

"Jay," Hailey started, "can I talk to you for a minute? Outside?"

Jay furrowed his eyebrows slightly but nodded. "Of course. Be right back, Y/N. I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad," you said.

Then, your dad and Miss Upton left the room.

Outside the treatment room, Hailey took a deep breath, grounding herself as she prepared to talk to Jay.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out.

"For what?" Jay asked, utterly confused.

"I knew she was drinking extra coffee but didn't tell you! Well, she told me when she brought it from home, that it would get cold too fast, so she always came to my room and had two cups during the day. If I knew she was drinking some at home, too, I would've never let her have any. I'm so, so sorry, Jay!"

"Hailey," Jay began and placed his hands on her shoulders, "it's not your fault. Hell, I didn't even notice it and she's my daughter."

"I know, but I just feel slightly responsible for her being in that hospital bed--"

"It's not your fault, Hailey. I promise. I don't blame you one bit and I know Y/N doesn't either."

Meanwhile, back in the treatment room, you really needed to use the bathroom.

"Uncle Will?" you asked, causing him to look up from his phone where he was trying to figure out what restaurants were open for dinner on Thanksgiving. He really didn't want him and his family eating hospital cafeteria food for Thanksgiving dinner.

"Hmm?" he hummed and gave you his full attention.

"I really need to go to the bathroom," you told him.

He pocketed his phone and stood up and moved over to you. "Okay, I'm gonna help you up and with one arm, I'll hold on to you and with the other, I'll hold onto the IV pole for you. Is that okay?" You nodded. "Do you think you'll need help in the bathroom? I can grab a nurse if you need me to," he offered.

"No, just help me to the bathroom, please. I should be good when I get in there."

"Okay." Then, he helped you up and the two of you made your way over to the bathroom where he stood and waited while you went inside.

Back with Hailey and Jay, Jay reassured Hailey once again that none of this was on her.

"If anything," Jay began, "I should be thanking you. You got Y/N home safe after that party."

"Jay, we've been over this. I would've done it for any one of my students," she said.

"But, would you take their dad up on their offer of buying you coffee if it wasn't my kid you picked up?" Jay asked and tilted his head to the side.

"Probably not," Hailey said, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Can I ask why?" She stayed silent. "Listen, Hailey, it's been a long time since I've seen you as just a fellow teacher," Jay admitted.

She looked up at him. "Since we're all sharing secrets today, it's been a long time since I've seen you as a fellow teacher, too, Jay."

Jay smiled and moved a piece of her hair behind her ear. He leaned in. "Can I?" he asked.

He didn't get a response because she quickly pressed her lips against his. It was the kiss she had been waiting for since she asked him to eat lunch with her that first week of school.

You and your uncle Will had chosen that exact time to make your way back to your treatment room. You two had seen everything: your dad putting a strand of Hailey's hair behind her ear and them leaning in and kissing.

You were glad that one of your hands was free because you whacked Will across the chest in excitement.

It was finally happening!

Jay and Hailey pulled away and looked at each other and smiled.

"I uh, I hope that was okay," Hailey said quietly.

"Oh, it was more than okay. I'd happily do that again, but we should probably get back into Y/N's room. She's probably wondering what's taking us so long," Jay said.

Hailey laughed. "Probably."

The two turned around and saw you and Will standing thirty feet away. Jay's eyes widened. "Uh..." he trailed off as Hailey blushed hard.

"Finally!" you exclaimed.

"Yeah, I agree with Y/N on this one," Will laughed. "But, who would've thought? A government teacher and an English teacher?" He started to help you walk back to your treatment room but turned his head back to Jay and Hailey. "Oh, don't stop on our account."

"Will!"

A/N: hank you guys so, so, so much for reading! Again, please remember to like/reblog and comment because I love reading all your comments and seeing that you liked/reblogged because that means you enjoyed reading the imagine! Again, I am donating all my proceeds on buy me a coffee until the end of AU-gust to Save The Children to help the children in Afghanistan. Buy me a coffee here.

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[nahimjustfeelingit-writes]

M.I.N.E

Request for my girl @therealmrsmbjordan​

Adonis Creed Imagine

Warnings: Smut, Fluff

AJC Finance is a globally known and relatively large financial firm based in LA. It’s percurred so much fame and notoriety because of its black male CEO—Adonis Johnson Creed. Adonis is one of the most highly paid CEOs in financial services, ranking at number 33 with a 27 million a year earning and an employee median pay of 136,357 a year. Of course, it wasn’t easy ending up where he is today being a black man in America but it all started when he was just 21-years-old working as a stockbroker for a company called D.H. Ross, employed under a black man named Oscar Hill. He taught Adonis everything he needed to know about money and management and that a stockbroker’s only job is to make money for himself. Soon after being hired, Adonis made a small fortune with his aggressive pitching style that brought in high commissions. Soon after, he decided to leave D.H. Ross and start his own financial company—not only because he wanted to do more for himself, but because D.H. Ross was corrupt and most of the stockbrokers there lived a lifestyle of sex and drugs. 

Adonis started his own firm at the age of 25 and it earned an exposé in Forbes. Hundreds of ambitious, young financiers of different nationalities and backgrounds flocked to Adonis’ company. Adonis became immensely successful within three years, earning him 22 million a year. In the beginning not many people knew that he was the late pro-boxer, Apollo Creed’s son. That too became a scandal of sorts because no one knew that Apollo Creed had a baby outside of his marriage with Mary-Anne who he has two older children by. Mary-Anne found Adonis after finding out his mother passed and raised him as her own who eventually became her youngest headache. Many people wondered why Adonis didn’t go the boxing route but he explains that he does it more so for his enjoyment, not to follow in his father's footsteps. Adonis was at once a rich kid and a street kid, the proud carrier of an illustrious heritage and an invisible man—a complex man who aims for what he wants. Like Mary-Anne says, Adonis retains his father's fiery personality. Short-tempered and impulsive, but good-natured with a tenacity that attracts others. He’s powerful, regal-like, yet heavy on the “don’t fuck with me.”

Adonis is very intelligent, crafty with his hands, quiet and kind, which women can appreciate. He’s so handsome that women practically throw themselves at him and would do just about anything to get an opportunity. It’s not only his brain, power, and beautiful smile, it’s what he’s blessed with between his muscular thighs that makes him more sought after than pure gold. Whether he is dressed up in his expensive tailored suits and sweaters or dressed down in his Nike activewear, women are flocking either way. Dating and getting pussy was a constant for Adonis but as he’s gotten older, he has become more particular and that’s where his wife of five years, Brittany steps in. Brittany had Adonis’ nose wide open the first time he saw her when he was moving into his new apartment complex in LA—although the first encounter wasn’t a pleasant one. Adonis has a habit of playing his music loudly while boxing on his body bag. Brittany lived above him so the music was probably vibrating her floor causing her to toss and turn in her sleep. 

Bang Bang Bang 

That was the sound of her pounding on his apartment door at 1 am. Adonis flings open his door with rage at first—ready to curse out whoever thought it was a good idea to go banging on his damn door but as soon as he saw Brittany standing there with her pretty face frowning, a white camisole with no bra, and sleep shorts that had ridden up her thick thighs with bare feet and white painted toes his expression morphed into that of complete interest. From the purple satin bonnet on her head down to her toes, Adonis was openly checking her out. Ironically, G-Unit-Wanna get to know you was playing in the background from Adonis’ apartment. 

I want to get to know you

I really want to fuck you, baby

I'm lost in your lovin'

I'm simply going to drive you , crazy

I want to be your lover

I want to get to know you, baby

I'm lost in your lovin'

I'm simply going to drive you , crazy…

Adonis licked his lips and said, “What’s up?”

What’s up?

That’s what she said before she pointed into his apartment. 

What’s up is that loud ass music and this banging noise coming through my floor. I’m trying to sleep and this has been an every night thing with you since you moved in a week ago. I’ve endured it enough.

“My name is Adonis, what’s your name?” 

Everything she said completely went over his head. She blinked at him like he lost his damn mind and folded her arms across her chest. Adonis found himself following the path her arms took before they slowly ascended to meet her brown eyes that were smoldering at the moment. He was enjoying the heat she was giving off. 

Did you even pay attention to a word I said? 

“Not gonna lie, nah, I wasn’t. Forgive me for being distracted by your attire, beautiful.” 

His words seemed to throw her off and from the way Brittany  raised a single brow while really looking at Adonis for the first time, she seemed to like what she saw too. 

“Still ain’t give me that name I asked about,” Adonis walked past his door and stood in front of Brittany. She quickly admired the way his pectorals and eight pack abs popped out of his white beater before bringing her eyes to his again. 

B

“B. is that short for something?” Adonis asked before cracking a smile.

Are you going to turn your music down and stop banging your fists against the wall?

“If I tell you yes, will you tell me your name?” 

She contemplated his words before unfolding her arms, giving into his proposition. 

Yes.

“Then I’ll turn my music down, and I’ll stop using that,” Adonis steps aside and shows Brittany his body bag hanging in his wide open living room. 

Okay… I’m Brittany. 

“Are you always this mean and mouthy when you meet people for the first time, Brittany?”

That frown was back. 

“You could have asked nicely at first but instead you come banging on my door like the police.” 

Rightfully so since you’re so goddamn inconsiderate of everyone living here with your loud ass music and punching. You keep me up in the middle of the night, I bang your door. Fair trade. Goodnight.

“Wait,” Adonis was catching up to Brittany while she was just about to climb the stairs back to her place, “listen, I’m sorry that I kept you up all these nights, it won’t happen again, I promise...can I take you out to dinner to make up for all those nights?”

No, but thanks though.

Adonis didn’t like being rejected but he respectfully let her go even though in the back of his mind he planned on trying again. A few weeks had past and she shot down his advances from that time five years ago. It took for one night when Adonis spotted Brittany coming home from a night out, dressed in a sexy black slip with black heels and her hair styled in six stitch braids with a full face of soft glam makeup. She smiled at him and they talked for a bit. Adonis asked her out to dinner again and Brittany accepted. Time generously passed and rings were secured, Brittany becoming Mrs. Creed. She was there while his company became what it is today. It’s almost their fifth year anniversary and Adonis comes up with the idea of the ultimate Asia excursion. The focal point of the trip is Phuket but he wanted to visit Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bali, and Singapore. If only he could sneak away from work sooner so they could leave in his private jet. Brittany is excited and already packed for the getaway. Adonis has a few things packed but not much since work was always knocking on his door. 

____________________________________

Brittany Creed was awakened from her slumber around 7:45 am with soft, tender kisses against her cheek. The kisses were so gentle and loving that it made her shiver with anticipation for more. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer—notes of pineapple, black currant, birch, amber and musk filled her nostrils. Sexy and seductive, strong and powerful—that scent has her opening her eyes to the sight of her husband smiling down at her. Brittany licks her lips to speak but her husband's pillow soft lips crashed into hers while he pulled her closer. Brittany wrapped a single arm around Adonis’ well-built shoulders and pulled him down on top of her to increase the intensity of the kiss. 

He slowly drew his lips back to admire her wearing one of his pinstripe dress shirts on for a night gown and her silk bonnet on her head. The top few buttons of the shirt were undone and revealing smooth brown skin for him to kiss. With his lips trailing down the center of her chest, Brittany could feel him growing ridged against her inner thigh. It was so solid. His fingertips played with the opening of his dress shirt on her, the fabric brushing against her hard nipples. With a bite of her pouty bottom lip, all she could think about right now was her man undressing her further and sucking on her nipples. With the way he was pulsating against her leg he could use a release. 

“Goodmorning, Hubby.” 

Adonis looks up at her through his curled lashes, “Morning Wifey.” 

“Don’t you have to get ready for work? Hmm?” She says with a single raised brow, “I feel your dick brushing against my thigh…”

“You know how hard I get in the morning...when I roll over and see you laying next to me my shit just thickens…”

Brittany gives Adonis a few more kisses before sitting up in bed, “I know, I’ve spent plenty of mornings between your legs with it in my mouth...remember?”

“I could use a reminder, baby,” his seductive voice was almost convincing.

Right when he was about to show her just how hard he is his work cell started ringing. Adonis exhales, his forehead pressed against hers. 

“Duty calls,” Brittany says with a slight smirk even though she truly didn’t want him to go, “You could just stay home...right? I mean, we have an entire getaway planned. I'm sure the company will understand, babe.” 

“Not with how busy my schedule is today. Let’s pick this up later, Aight?”

“I’ll just wait for you...watching the hours tick by slowly,” Brittany pouts. 

“I’ll be home before you know it.”

“You’ll be too far, leaving me all alone.”

Brittany wrapped her arms around her body, the smell of his cologne still woven into the fabric of his dress shirt. It felt so smooth against her skin. Adonis sits up in bed to press the power button on his cell to mute the ringing. Standing, the view of his back all the way down to his thighs coming into view. Thank god for taking his time with him. Brittany watched Adonis walk away towards the bathroom. Stretching, Brittany stares at a chair in the room situated next to Adonis’ walk-in closet. A tailored suit for him to put on for work is already laid out. It’s a slim fit double breasted black suit with gold cufflinks, a white dress shirt and a white and black tie with a bandana pattern. His Christian Louboutin black dress shoes are neatly placed on the floor beneath the chair. 

Getting out of bed, Brittany walks to their master bathroom. Pushing open the door further, steam wafting out of the door and the long, rectangular mirror above their double sink foggy, Brittany enters the bathroom. The sensual sight before her eyes has her feet planted firmly against the tile flooring and her heart racing. She didn’t know what left her breasts heaving in anticipation—is it the water cascading down his sinewy frame like a stream over rocks? Is it his firm yet strapping back that tapers down to his muscular ass? Or is it the way his v-cut glistened from the water all the way down to his burgeoning erection swinging between his thighs? 

Brittany steps closer to the glass and knocks. He was in the middle of rinsing his face off when he heard her. Turning, head beneath the shower water, Donnie smiled at her. Brittany returned the smile with a bite of her lip. She went to use the toilet, allowing Donnie to finish up. After using the bathroom, Brittany washed her hands before brushing her teeth and cleansing her face. Just when she finished, Adonis exited the shower with his towel in hand. Brittany leaned her butt against the sink and watched her husband towel dry. He started with his neck, then went to his back, chest, abs, and now he was working that towel from his muscular ass around to his dick. 

“I know that face,” Adonis says, “I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you so you can join me, baby.” 

“It’s okay,” Brittany slowly walks up to Adonis, her hands stroking his warm chest before reaching up to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Brittany leaned in for a kiss—a slow, kiss with lots of tongue and lip sucking. Both of Adonis’ hands came up to hold her face, his towel falling to the bathroom floor. She could spend hours kissing his thick lips. Adonis pulled away, gazing at Brittany’s drunken face with a half dimpled smirk. 

“You’re not gonna let me leave this bathroom, are you, B?”

“Not looking like this,” Brittany’s hands smoothed down Donnie’s hard abs, “Baby...do you really have to go into work today? I mean...really? You’re the CEO. Can’t you just...call in and...we can make that trip sooner than later?”

“Baby,” Adonis kisses Brittany’s forehead, “Today requires me to attend meetings and I need to have that done before I am gone an entire two weeks. You know how it is, girl, I promise, I’ll be home at a decent time and we can leave, Aight?”

Brittany rested her forehead against his chest before breathing in his scent, “Kay…”

“I love you, don’t act like that. Smile...for me?”

His soothing voice vibrated his chest and it caused Brittany to shiver with need. Pulling away, she walked out of the bathroom, Adonis following behind her. Laid back against the bed, Brittany watched Adonis apply lotion to his body before getting dressed. She will never get over how good this man looks in a suit. Good enough that she didn’t want any other bitch to witness it for themselves. Adonis sprays himself down with his favorite cologne and applies his Rolex to his wrist. 

“You’re looking sexy,” Brittany says, “Don’t make me show up to work, Adonis...put those secretaries of yours in check.” 

Adonis chuckles handsomely, “Who do I belong to?”

“Me.” 

“Exactly,” Adonis fumbled with his tie, “I don’t pay that shit any mind. I’m yours, and you’re mine.” 

“I know they look...wish they could have what I’m having every night...” 

“Hmm...that’s true. I can’t control their eyes, baby girl.”

Adonis groans. 

“This damn tie, I can never get it—“

“I got you Hubby,” Brittany lifts from the bed and walks to get to Adonis. She grabs up his tie, pulling him closer, his body pressed against hers. 

“The things I could be doing to you right now…” Brittany whispers before tightening his tie. 

“Keep that same energy when I get back.” 

Adonis steps away to admire himself in the mirror. Grabbing his work satchel, phones, wallet, and keys, Adonis is ready to head out for work. Brittany leads the way out of their master bedroom and down the stairs to their luxury penthouse before entering the kitchen. Adonis was just going to grab a bagel with cream cheese to settle his hunger but Brittany is making black coffee with brown sugar and she’s in the fridge pulling out a carton of eggs, heavy cream, waffle mix, and some left over berries. 

“Sit, I’ll whip you up some breakfast before you leave.” 

Adonis takes a seat at their kitchen island, removing his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves. 

“I have an entire Asian excursion planned for us. I know how much you’ve been wanting to go to that rooftop infinity pool in Singapore.” 

Brittany turned towards Adonis giving him a radiant smile with white teeth and twinkling eyes that had him grinning in return.

“All of this for me? Now I really have to make sure I packed everything I need. I have to wait at home for this?!! Babe,” Brittany pouts. 

“We’re leaving tonight. I have the jet set up for us too. Just the two of us, baby.” 

Brittany went to work making the eggs. She did enough for the both of them and added a little cheese since that was Adonis’ favorite. With that set to the side she checked on the waffles. Belgium waffles with powdered sugar, berries, and maple syrup. Usually, she would do red velvet since Adonis loves red velvet but that would take much longer. Adonis sipped on his coffee and watched Brittany plate the food. His eyes wandered down to her bare feet with toes painted white. She always looked good enough to fuck in the morning. His hips thrust a little in his seat because he could feel himself growing yet again with just a simple sweep of his eyes over her frame. 

“Eat up,” Brittany says while sitting Adonis’ plate in front of him with warm maple syrup in a glass gravy boat with a glass ladle. She sat next to him and tucked into her food as well. They both have the perfect view of LA from their kitchen since the penthouse is so wide open with ceiling to floor windows. 

“Even eating your food has my dick hard,” Adonis bites a piece of waffle off of his fork while staring at Brittany with lust filled eyes. 

Brittany licks maple syrup from her lips before leaning over the kitchen island, her hand resting in Adonis’ lap. She smoothed her hand up his thigh before cuffing his crotch with her delicate hand. She did all of this while watching his expressions. His dark brown eyes smoldering, jaw clenching, and breathing uneven. 

“Damn, baby,” Brittany gripped his length, “You’re nice and fat down there…”

“Brittany,” Adonis chewed on his waffle and swallowed with difficulty each time she palmed his erection. He closed his eyes and widened his legs so she could feel him up more. If only she could feel how tight his balls are.

“This all for me?” She toyed. Adonis has a hard gaze set on her.

“You thought I was gonna let you leave without a little taste?” She says. 

Brittany was up and off of her stool. She squeezes between Adonis and the kitchen island before sensually lifting the bottom of his dress shirt up her waist to reveal her pussy. Bringing one leg up to rest on his sturdy thigh, Brittany parts her pussy lips to show him exactly how wet and creamy she is. Adonis licked his bottom lip slow while his eyes didn’t flicker away from her pussy. 

“Damn...pussy wet as fuck, Brittany,” Adonis’ dick jumped the minute he went to stroke her pussy lips, “fuck, girl...pussy fat too.”

“Yes—

“You said you want a taste? Come taste this…”

Adonis went to work unfastening his pants. Brittany brings her leg down and she was on her knees looking up at him wrapping his thick fingers around his shaft before whipping it out. He was crazy hard. Veins like a work of art all thick along his length. His tip was nice and fat and his slit was leaking pre-cum. With his pants down further, his balls filled with all that cum sat round and heavy. Smooth, brown, tasty, wide, and long. So many other ways to describe his beautiful dick—that work of art. She’s been on that dick in plenty of positions and still to this day staring at it amazed her. After all, he did teach her how to take it. Yes, it was Adonis who taught her everything he knows. He taught her exactly how he likes to be pleased. Her shy, quiet energy was taken as innocence...but she’s not really innocent. Now, she was about to suck his dick just how he loved it sucked. 

“You know what to do, baby, take care of this dick.”

Brittany grabs him up, lining her lips up with the tip of his dick. She began placing kisses all over the tip of his dick, that pre-cum coating her lips like gloss. Adonis bites down hard on his bottom lip turning it bloodshot almost. Brittany trailed those dangerous kisses down to the base of his dick and over his balls. She repeated this until Adonis was a groaning mess with his hand snatching her bonnet off to grip her hair. Now, Brittany was adding tongue. Adonis couldn’t take sitting any longer so he stood up and planted his hands on the surface of the kitchen island. 

“Britt...move your hands...good girl...now, suck on just the tip baby…”

Brittany rested her hands in her lap and went to work using just the power of her jaws to suck the tip of his dick. Her mouth drooled and her spit dribbled down the center of her chest. She closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of his wide tip in her mouth. 

“Mmm,” she moaned. 

“Oh my fucking God...shit...nasty girl sucking on my tip like that…”

“Mhm,” she replied with his tip still in her mouth and her head bobbing up and down slowly. 

“You tryna make me cum like this? You know that’s daddy’s spot, right?”

She replied with her lips going lower around him and her hand juggling his balls. Adonis threw his head back and hissed. Brittany truly didn’t want him to go. His dick was so warm and fat in her mouth. She slurped him up fully now and his groans and moans had her bringing one hand down between her legs to rub her clit. 

“That’s it, baby, rub on that pussy with my dick in your mouth.” 

She rubbed on her clit, smoothing her hands down to gather her wetness from time to time while working her mouth on her husband’s fat dick. Adonis starts moving his hips to feed her some more dick, his dress shirt resting under his chin. 

“Let me see your fingers, baby.” 

Brittany shows Adonis her fingers. A creamy ass mess. 

“Shit...that pussy is weeping. You want this fat dick, baby?”

Brittany nods her head.

“Keep going...ima cum all down your Goddamn throat, girl.” 

Brittany was fingering herself now and with her other hand she strokes his balls while sucking Adonis as best as she could now. That dick was beyond fat in her mouth and every time it reached the back of her throat she gagged. The entire front of that dress shirt she wore was soaked. 

“I hear that creamy pussy…” Adonis’ eyes were low, “Fuck...I’m about to bust...damn, baby...fuck!!!!!”

Adonis gripped the kitchen island edge tightly and with a forward thrust of his hips, he emptied his heavy balls of all his cum down her throat. Brittany’s legs shook and she couldn’t keep her lips around him any longer. Popping her lips off, the remainder of Adonis’ cum landed on her chest as she moaned out. She jerked his dick as her entire body spasmed with her orgasm. She let go of his dick and pulled her fingers out with a whimper. She was even more of a mess now. 

“That’s a lot of cum, almost as much as me.”

They both stare at the mess they made before locking eyes. 

“Clean my cum off your chest and suck it off your fingers.” Adonis commanded. 

Brittany swiped his cum off of her and licked and sucked it clean before leaning forward to do the same to his dick. 

“Let me taste that pussy.”

Brittany was on her feet, fingers coming up to Adonis’ mouth. He gripped her wrist tightly before his long, thick, pink tongue damn near slithered out to clean her off. Her blood seemed to rush to her core again and the feeling of the pressure from his sucking had her weak in the knees. 

“Pussy tastes good each and every time, baby,” Adonis leans forward to give her a sloppy French kiss, “Now I’m gonna be at work all day thinking about how wet that pussy is...keep it wet until I get home, okay?” Adonis strokes her chin, “Play in that pussy as much as you like so I can come home and find the biggest fucking mess for daddy to play all in...okay?”

“Yes, daddy,” Brittany was damn near hypnotized by this man's tongue. 

_____________________________________________________

“Glad that shit is over.”

Adonis had just finished up his last meeting about expanding AJC Finance. He plans on opening up a corporate office in South Korea soon. On his trail is one of his secretaries, Kimberly Jussel. She’s from Birmingham UK. A black woman with skin that reminded you of burlywood and raven hair that she always wore in a classy French braid with wand curls framing her face. She wears black cat eye frames and fitted pencil skirts with silk blouses and So Kate pumps on her feet. 

“Absolutely, Sir,” Kimberly replies, “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?”

“I’ll take some of that tea that you make, it’s really good.”

“With cream and sugar?” 

Adonis looked over his shoulder at Kimberly with a dimpled smile and unwavering eyes, “Exactly like that.” 

Adonis enters his grand office, taking a seat. Kimberly places some important files on his desk, her eyes admiring Adonis discreetly while he takes off his suit jacket. She tugged on her full bottom lip with her teeth before tearing her eyes away just when he looked towards her direction. 

“That tea, Kim?” Adonis says jokingly with a half smirk while unbuttoning his suit jacket with one hand, finger rings gleaming. 

“Right on it, Sir.”

Kimberly turns to exit just when another secretary of Adonis’ enters. Her name is Morgan. Tall, sienna skin, short curly fro and a sexy suit on like she always wears with her dress shirt unbuttoned a little to show off her slender yet smooth neck. Kimberly and Morgan locked eyes before sharing fake smiles. It was like a competition in that office for Adonis’ attention. 

“What’s up, Morgan?” Adonis asks before taking his seat.

“It’s your wife, Mr. Creed. She says it’s an emergency.”

“Shit,” Adonis notices his company phone blinking with a transferred call, “Thanks Morgan.”

��No problem,” She says with a sultry voice before strutting away, closing his double glass doors to give him privacy. Adonis presses a few buttons on his desk to tint the glass of his office. Picking up the phone, Adonis speaks.

“Babe, everything cool?”

“No,” Brittany exhales, “Donnie...I need you to come home.”

“Baby...what’s the matter?” Adonis says with a concerned expression. 

“I’m not feeling too well...I don’t know what it is,” She exhaled, “Please come home…”

Adonis closes his eyes, “Alright, alright...I’ll cancel a conference call that I have to do and let Kellon take it. I’ll handle the rest when I get back from the trip. Did you need me to bring anything while I’m on my way?”

“Those Lindor chocolates I like.”

Adonis smiles, “Sure, baby, I’ll bring you a bag...anything else?”

“Just your presence, Mr. Creed.”

“Okay, Mrs. Creed...I’ll be on my way.” 

The call ended and Adonis was up and out of his office chair, gathering his things before leaving his office. His close friend and CFO, Kellon Jordan will be in charge for the two weeks he’s gone—of course, Adonis will be called in case anything goes bad. Exiting his office, Kimberly was approaching with his tea and a megawatt smile. 

“Oh! Leaving?” Her smile turned to that of disappointment. 

“Yes, my wife needs me at home so I gotta go to her.”

Kimberly bats her lashes and smiles, “That's so sweet...should I inform Mr. Jordan?”

“He already knows I’m leaving for my trip so there is no need for all of that. Just let him know about taking over the conference call. He knows what to say. I’ll see you when I get back Kim, alright? Take care of yourself girl.

With that, Adonis leaves Kimberly behind with his scent lingering and her body shivering. 

Adonis exited the company parking garage and drove to a nearby CVS to grab the chocolate. With that, Adonis is driving home, thankful to beat traffic since it was only 2:45 in the afternoon. Parking his car in the penthouse garage, Adonis leaves his suit jacket in the car and takes everything else with him. He walks through the lobby of the penthouse building, heading straight for the elevators to the top floor. What could it be? She used to suffer from acid reflux and it would make her sick. Off of the elevator and at his door, Adonis unlocks it swiftly, opening the door and strolling inside. 

“Britt?”

It’s silent. 

Adonis drops the chocolate off in the kitchen and climbs the stairs to his penthouse. The bedroom doors are closed. Adonis pauses ate the doors, his hands on both knobs. Exhaling, Adonis opens the doors to find his wife—

“Emergency, huh?” 

He couldn’t fight the sly smirk that spread across his face. Brittany is completely naked and laid out like Rose on Titanic. Beautiful toasty brown skin all smooth, brown eyes low and lips glossy. Adonis drops his work satchel on the floor, walking towards Brittany while loosening his tie. 

“Hey, baby…” Brittany blushes.

“I thought you weren’t feeling well?”

“I’m not well,” Brittany circled her right nipple with her finger, “I’m sick…”

“You look well to me, B,” Adonis kicks off his shoes.

“In order for me to get better...I need you to be here...to take care of me…”

The minute Adonis left, Brittany was in a sour mood. She cleaned up a bit, took a shower, rubbed down with some body butter and laid in bed with a new shirt of his on. She has a habit of going into his walk-in closet, trying on his suit jackets and jewelry. She sprayed his cologne on her pillow so she could breathe in his scent. Yes, Brittany did play in her pussy. Her clit plumped up real quick with his smell woven into the fabric of the pillow and the thought of his dick filling her up. She looked down at her pussy with her legs pulled back and whimpered. He said to play in it as much as she wanted to for him to practically swim in. Brittany did it three times. Twice in that bed and once on the sofa after lunch. She was aching for her man and that’s what led her to call his job and get him to come home. 

“I got it nice and wet for you, daddy…”

Brittany opened her legs to show Adonis just what she meant by wet. More like her pussy was drowning. Adonis’ lips parted and his eyes grew all dark and clouded with lust. 

“I think it’s time for you to come get this pussy and make me feel better.” 

Adonis chuckles, his fingers undoing the buttons on his dress shirt before he was doing the same thing to his dress pants. Adonis then removes his socks and briefs, walking over to Brittany in complete nudity. He kneeled between her legs before grabbing her ankles and pulling her towards him so that she’s laying flat on her back. Adonis lowers himself between her legs on his belly, his strong, biceps curling around her thighs to keep them open and in his complete control. Her pussy was right in his face. He locked eyes with her while parting his lips to spit on her pussy—his saliva dripping slowly. Using his tongue, Adonis covered her pussy lips with his saliva before using his tongue to slip between her lips. 

Up, down, up, down, he went. Brittany concentrated hard on the movement of his tongue. She bites her lip when Adonis damn near stuffed his whole face in her pussy, moving his head from side to side and in a circle. Her head went back and she moaned. With his fingers, Adonis spreads her lips and from there kisses trailed all over her. She shuddered each time his lips graced her clit. When he began to eat her, Brittany’s hand found its way on the back of his head. He was sucking, licking, and kissing her pussy with his eyes on her—just studying her. He would say how beautiful and tasty her pussy is to ruin her some more. 

“Fuck, Adonis,” She moaned, “You’re gonna make me cum for the fourth time today…”

“You deserve it,” He whispered before sucking her clit, “Ima make you cum as many fucking times I want to on that trip…”

“Yes,” Her lips parted but she couldn’t find the words. 

“Cum in my mouth, baby...daddy wants to make you feel better—“

“FUCK,” Brittany’s head fell back against the pillows, “fuck, fuck, fuck, I’m cumming—“

Adonis squeezed the hell out of her thighs the more he devoured her pussy and on command she was cumming in his mouth—loud gasps of pleasure filling the room. 

“You said it was an emergency...this is an emergency,” Adonis was up on his knees between her legs with his fingers in her pussy, “Whatever you need, I gotchu baby…”

“Mmm,” Brittany spreads her legs wider, “I’m a little better…”

“But not completely,” Adonis grabs for his fat dick, stroking his length slowly, “I know what you need.” 

“What do I need, daddy?”

Adonis looked from his dick and up into her eyes, “This fat dick.”

“Yes...yess...that dick will have me better in no time.”

“Make you cum to get you well?” Adonis positions himself between her legs before pushing his length inside slowly. He released a shuddering breath before smirking at her with a single deep dimple. She closed her eyes to fight the build up of liquid behind her lids. Adonis takes his thumb to trace her bottom lip before Brittany wrapped her lips around it. His hips moved with skill while he held all his body weight up on one arm. All she could see was his cut muscles flexing with each thrust. 

“That’s right baby...put them legs up so I can get in there deeper...make my baby feel better, yeah?”

“Unh,” She moaned in response. 

“Pussy wet…” he hisses, “Pussy is fucking wet.”

“So wet for you,” She whimpers.

His hips began snapping into hers, their sweaty skin connecting like adhesive. She felt her entire pussy tingle like an orgasm was brewing. He fucked her so good that she could feel every inch and width of that dick pushing inside of her. With how soaked she is it helped. They both watched with awe stricken expressions at how beautiful his dick looked covered in her creamy mess. Adonis would go purposely slow just so she can catch the moment and savor it. Now, he was staring at her intently with his dick beating her walls up and causing her titties to bounce. 

“I’m gonna cum,” She whispered. She couldn’t really find her voice because Adonis was fucking it out of her. 

“Daddy making that pussy cum? You gonna make daddy’s dick cum with that pussy? I feel that pussy yanking on me…”

“Cum inside of me…”

He was going to anyway. Adonis pushed her thighs back some more and used her for balance while he fucked her deep. Brittany was in pure bliss and shock. All she could do was moan and ask for him to keep fucking her with that good dick. His balls slapped her ass and she could feel them getting tighter and tighter. 

“I’m gonna bust in that pussy...give that pussy what she needs—“

“Yeah, give me that nut—“

“AHHH FUCK—“

Adonis picked up the pace and the more he hit the bottom of her pussy the harder he came. He stuffed his dick in as deep as it could go before pulling out slowly. A single slimy string of cum was left behind and it was a reminder of how good her pussy is and how much she drained him. Adonis laid on top of her, his pillow soft lips kissing all over her face before finding her lips. He gripped her chin to keep her still while controlling the searing kiss. He was still nice and stiff and she could definitely go for round two. 

___________________________________________________

The Boeing 747-8 VIP is the longest and second largest airliner ever built. The starting price of this jewel is at $367 million, and that is before all the luxury amendments are designed into the jumbo jet. This is the jet that Brittany and Adonis take to Phuket—a rainforested, mountainous island in the Andaman Sea. It has some of Thailand’s most popular beaches, mainly situated along the clear waters of the western shore. The island is home to many high-end seaside resorts, spas and restaurants. Phuket City, the capital, has old shophouses and busy markets. They are both staying at the Vijitt Resort Phuket—a tranquil beachfront escape on the tropical island of Phuket with Thai culture and charm where privacy, nature, and local hospitality take center stage. It’s wide open spaces, tall swaying palms and lush green lawns gently slope towards the Andaman Sea. The unforgettable view from this 5 star villa resort Phuket overlooks a myriad of offshore islands from the calm and tranquil tidal beach at Chalong Bay.

Brittany’s boho box braids are in a bun and she’s wearing a white wrap top with a tropical mini skirt that has a high split and some strappy green heels. Her chocolate brown eyes are covered with rimless square frame sunglasses that are a brown color and she’s carrying her green birkin bag. Adonis is wearing a pair of charcoal grey joggers, Nike track shoes, a black muscle tee and black aviator shades. A private car awaited them and now they are pulling up to the resort. Valet handled the designer suitcases for them while Adonis and Brittany checked in. Brittany couldn’t wait to experience the beaches, food, and overall views during their trip. Adonis wanted to experience the overall culture, anime, and take an ATV tour. They planned on staying in Phuket for a few days before heading to Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok, and Bali to name a few. 

With their room keys, Adonis couldn’t wait for Brittany to see the Vijitt Pool Villa. The one bedroom Vijitt Pool Villa offers supreme privacy and outstanding uninterrupted views of the Andaman Sea. Their bags are already waiting for them. When they arrived Brittany was blown away by the exceptional views. It was the ultimate romantic getaway. Brittany couldn’t wait to relax in the private garden and splash around in the 11 metre-long infinity-edge pool that appears to blend into the sea and after dark take a romantic dip in the outdoor Jacuzzi. There is one king-sized bedroom, a separate opulent living room and a heavenly bathroom with its own tropical garden, luxury bathtub and rain shower. Adonis watched her move around the villa, taking it all in. He has a special dinner with fireworks planned for her on the beach tomorrow night. 

“I wish we could just live here,” Brittany says while standing on the patio watching the sea, “It’s so beautiful…”

Adonis joins her, “I’m just happy you love it...we have a lot more to look forward to as well. Come here…”

Adonis pulls Brittany in to wrap his arms around her. He nestled his face in the crook of her neck and kissed her slowly and softly. 

“What do you wanna do right now?” 

Brittany couldn’t seem to narrow it down to one thing. Walk the beach? Take a dip in the pool? 

“How about we think it over while drinking some champagne?”

“Sounds good to me,” Brittany says, taking Adonis’ hand and entering the villa. Both of them take a seat on their bed while sharing champagne. Neither of them felt like unpacking at the moment so they planned on doing that before taking a nice bubble bath. Tomorrow Adonis will take her on a yacht tour and afterwards they will ride ATV’s then have a fancy dinner on the beach. 

“Can you understand Thai?” Brittany asks.

“A little. I’m still learning. I can understand Indonesian, Japanese of course, still trying to be more fluent since I’m trying to expand globally.”

“That’s so sexy to me. A fluent tongue…” Brittany licks her lips. 

“I can always teach you,” Adonis says. 

With the bottle nearly empty, Brittany and Adonis take a much needed nap. They were out for a while because it’s nearly nightfall. Brittany wakes up first to use the bathroom. After relieving herself, she starts a bubble bath for the both of them. It was a relaxing and romantic ambience with deep cleansing treatments, body scrubs, oils, and scented body soaps. Brittany added herbal oil to the bubble bath to better relax them. Afterwards, Brittany lit some candles and dimmed the lights. Undressing, Brittany enters the room to grab Adonis. She wakes him with kisses to his soft lips. 

“I have a bubble bath ready for us,” She whispered against his lips. 

“Mmm, is that right?” He replies with low eyes and that raspy voice she loves. 

“Mhm,” She tongue kissed him, “Come on before it gets cold.” 

They usually took showers together since the tub at their place was a single tub. With both of their naked bodies submerged in the soapy water, they gazed at each other’s bodies with desire. Can simple stares make a woman pregnant? Adonis calmly admired her and she looked back at him. His hands smoothed up and down her soapy legs. Brittany stared at him like someone who has seen something very interesting and lovely. She kept chewing on her bottom lip while staring at him. Eventually, Adonis moved closer to her, so that their legs almost surrounded each other’s waist and he put his arms around her, pulling her forward and into his lap. Brittany wrapped her soapy arms around his shoulders. She can feel his stiff dick against her ass beneath the soapy depths. 

“That dick feels so good,” She spoke with a hushed tone in his ear. His wet hands rubbed her hips. His dick was bobbing up and down in the water and it kept smacking her pussy and ass. Adonis spreads her ass cheeks beneath the water which causes her pussy to open and Brittany takes that opportunity to grab his dick up to rub along her clit. Each time she smacked his wide tip against her pussy the water would splash. Adonis smiles at her actions while cuffing both of her cheeks firmly. 

Adonis leaned forward to flick his tongue against her ear, “you gon’ keep slapping your clit with it or are you gonna let me put this dick in you?”

Brittany rests her wet forehead against Adonis’ shoulder before taking her teeth to nibble on his flesh. 

“I asked you a question, girl…”

“Of course you can put this dick in me,” Brittany says while stroking him beneath the water. 

“Aight, turn around.”

Brittany lifts from Adonis’ lap and turns around on her knees in the bath, her ass arched and soaking wet with soap bubbles clinging to her skin. Adonis grabs his fat dick with one hand and with the other he rubs each ass cheek in front of him. The soap mixed with oil made her skin extra shiny and slippery. Brittany rested her head on the back of the tub with her hands planted on the wet wall. He rubbed his hands in a circular motion over her ass before slapping each cheek. Brittany closed her eyes and enjoyed his heavy hands coming down on her wet skin. The sound echoed off of the walls. 

“I’ma eat it just like this.”

He couldn’t help himself. Her pussy lips were in his face and nestled between her thick thighs daring him to come and taste. Brittany spreads her thighs some more, careful not to slip. Adonis scoots closer, some of the water sloshing over the edge before leaning forward to kiss her pussy lips. He was beating his pipe at the same time. Brittany could hear the flesh of his shaft against his palm. It sounded so good. She wanted that dick up in her badly but his mouth was currently in place sucking on her clit and alternating between tongue-fucking her pussy. 

“Damn...I’ma eat this phat pussy morning day and night... slurping on this juicy phat pussy...mhmmm... mhmmm...such an amazing view baby…”

“Oh, my God, Donnie…” Brittany pushed her pussy in his face and Donnie had to grab her ass to keep her still. She rode his face from behind like she always did, popping her ass and pushing all that pussy back on him. Adonis whacked her ass each time she did that. The water was swaying in the tub from their movement. Adonis loves to get his mouth on her pussy. She was giving and he was taking her yummy phat pussy in his mouth as best as he could with lots of spit. She could hear his tongue flicking back and forth and just when he made it go flat to swipe her pussy up and down, over and over, she climaxed. Her hands struggled to grip the wall and her knees slid to opposite ends of the tub and that gave Adonis more of a reason to eat her pussy. She reached back to palm his head and guided him where she wanted. 

“Right there baby...right on that clit...mmm...suck on it baby...shit...your pussy is cumming for you...make your pussy cum...show me how much you want your pussy to cum...yesss...fuckkkk...Donnie...baby...shit.”

She couldn’t hold on any longer. Her hand left his head and now she was shaking. Adonis gave her one final kiss before lifting to his knees. Brittany looks back and sees how much he’s struggling. That dick was weeping. His pre-cum dribbled from his slit and into the water. It was stiff and pointing out towards her pussy. 

“I’m a creamy mess back there?” Brittany asks.

“Fuck yes,” Adonis takes a finger to rub it in, “It’s hella sloppy like always…”

“Put that dick in, beat my walls up,” She pressed her face against the wall and spread her cheeks for him, “see this tight pussy? Put that big dick right in here…”

“You gon’ tear this dick up? Cream all over this dick…”

“Bring me that dick—

Brittany couldn’t even finish her words when Adonis’ wide tip slipped easily past her opening followed by his girth and length. His hand came down on her ass rough followed by the second one before he squeezed her ass. With his sturdy hips, Adonis pushed his dick in and out of her pussy—not rushed, but moderately moving so that she could feel all of him. She parted her lips and exhaled longingly while struggling to thrust her hips back to meet him. It was like a battle of who’s fucking who. Each time she went back, Donnie would thrust forward deeply. His hands moved to grip her slippery waist and from there he began to increase the pace. Brittany’s wet cheeks bounced off of his hips and it stung each time from the water. 

“There you go, girl—

“Donnie, shit!!!” 

He was taking over. Their movements caused the floor to get wet. 

“This what you wanted right? Get a room and fuck all day?”

“Yes, daddy—

“You know that’s my shit too...get a hotel...check in early…and make love to this good pussy all fucking night...wake you up at 2 am with dick deep in this pussy.”

Brittany and Adonis haven’t taken a trip in a long while and this is something they used to do all the time. Check in to the most expensive hotel wherever they are, drink, eat, and fuck. Fuck in the kitchen, fuck on the balcony, fuck in the shower, and fuck from the floor to the bed. The thought of it made her cream his dick. One of Adonis’ hands came around to grip the front of Brittany’s throat so he could lean forward and whisper in her ear between strokes. 

“You look so pretty with my dick in your pussy,” He nibbled on her jaw, “tearing that pretty ass up, right?”

“Fuck—

“Keep that pussy right there baby.”

“Adonis—

“Submissive and taking this pipe good—

“It’s in my stomach…fuck my pussy daddy...I love your dick—

“Fuck this pussy? I can’t wait to cum in your pretty little pussy.”

Brittany could hardly go without making a bunch of noise and it was music to his ears. With his hand wrapped around her braids now he went faster, the water really splashing and getting everywhere. It splashed so much that it put the fire out of two of the candles. 

“Fuck—

“I feel that pussy baby,” Adonis stood still so he could feel her walls convulse around him while she came. He threw his head back and hissed before fucking her again. 

“Shove it in, babe.”

With her words Adonis went hard in her pussy, his balls heavy and tight. He was about to bust. Just a few more strokes in her good pussy and he was gonna cream pie her ass something serious. 

“Yes, daddy—

“Yes daddy what? Gonna keep taking that dick? Look back at me while I beat that pussy in and flood you with all this nut—

Everytime he fucked Brittany—his wife, from the back, he loved seeing her ass like that. Jiggling, bouncing, clapping, red from his slaps. He came so hard that he almost fell on top of her in the tub. Adonis gripped the edge of the tub to hold himself up when he emptied his load inside of her. They both couldn’t move so they stayed connected until their hearts slowed down and their breathing caught up.

_______________________________________________________

Throughout the rest of the evening, Brittany and Adonis couldn’t keep their hands, lips, and tongues off of each other. They both went to a stunning beachfront Thai restaurant after their sexy bath and afterward they walked the beach home and took a few pictures. It’s the next morning and they shared a lovely breakfast in the restaurant and bar that included mimosas and a beautiful view. Erik has a yacht rented for them to explore the Andaman sea—Princess S65 Kati. Their final destination will be Langkawi Island, a natural tropical paradise in SouthEast Asia. Brittany is sipping on wine in her little black bikini and black sheer robe, enjoying the good life while swaying her thick hips, braids blowing in the wind. A black girl in luxury. Adonis is shirtless and in a pair of turquoise and black trunks, smoking a cigar and sipping on his drink. 

Adonis watched his wife enjoy herself to the fullest with a big smile on his face. It was her laugh, her glistening skin, and her hips moving to the music in her head that has him getting up from lounging and walking up on her. He wrapped his strong arms around her, Brittany turning to face him. She pulled him close with her arms around his shoulders while he kissed her right brow all the way down to her lips. 

“Kiss me again,” He says, drunk and clingy.

Adonis has so much love for Brittany. He could fill rooms with it. Buildings. He’s surrounded by it wherever he goes, he walks through it, breathes it...it’s in his lungs, and under his tongue, and between his legs. His mouth moved passionately over hers, urging her lips apart. It was a kiss to level mountains and shake stars from the sky. It was a kiss to make angles faint and demons weep...a passionate, demanding, soul-searing kiss that nearly knocked the earth off its axis. 

“Look!” 

Brittany broke their kiss and pointed towards a beautiful island with white sand and clear water. With both of their phones out they snapped pictures. The yacht arrived at a dock on the island and Brittany and Adonis stepped off with beach towels and a basket filled with lunch for them both. After chilling on the beach Adonis wanted to go on an ATV tour before heading back to the villa to prepare for dinner that evening. They both found a spot on the sand and laid out towels. Brittany setup lunch that included Tom yum, green and papaya salad, fruit, and pomegranate juice. The beach was free of other people so Adonis plucked the strings of her bikini top, Brittany’s succulent breast displayed for him. Adonis took a few pictures of her to admire later on. Sand palm prints on her cheeks and sweaty cocoa skin. After lunch, they both took a dip in the water to cool off, splashing around and swimming. They both spent at least two hours there before heading back to the yacht to change into appropriate clothes for the ATV tour. 

Adonis was in his element when they arrived on the ATV tour. Head strap camera on, all black cargo pants, a red muscle tee, black bandanna around his mouth, and black hiking boots on his feet, Adonis climbed onto his own ATV while Brittany took off on her own. She went off before him and Adonis was taken by surprise. She’s wearing grey biker shorts with a matching sports bra, grey hiking boots, and her braids in a bun. They explored the natural wonderland of Phuket island from Bang-Tao to Patong. Of course, the ride wasn’t a clean one. Just thirty minutes in they were both covered with splashes of mud. They took the whole three hours given to enjoy themselves with breaks in between. Early day adventures finished, Adonis and Brittany took the yacht back to the villa. They showered together, unable to fight the urge to be all over each other again. . 

Adonis is strong. He lifted Brittany up against the wall and rested her legs on his shoulders while he pressed his lips into her folds. Smacking his lips, Adonis spits on her clit before making his tongue wide to flick her clit up and down. Side-to-side. Adonis moaned her name while he explored her wet pussy with his tongue and lips. He needed to enter her expeditiously. Brittany moaned despite her fear of falling but she knew Adonis had her. With his tongue in her pussy, Brittany’s walls gripped him and she creamed in his mouth. Putting her down, Adonis gripped her braids and lowered her head to show her how throbbing hard he is. He gripped his erection and showed her how much pre-cum seeped from his slit. She was on her knees speedily to lick him up. 

“Oooh,” She moaned between sucking. 

“Damn, Brittany...suck it baby...suck that dick baby…”

Looking down he could see her spit all over him and that slurping noise she was making had him pushing her head down further so he could hear her gag. Just watching her suck his dick made him want to flood her womb with his nut. He pumped harder into her mouth, an erratic movement of his hips forcing all that fat dick down her throat. 

“Look at you baby...such a beautiful Bitch taking all this dick...you gon’ take all this later right ?”

He didn’t give her room to respond. Brittany was squeezing his thighs. 

“I see you baby...I see how much you love daddy’s dick...I feel that throat opening up...mouth swallowing my shit.” 

“Mm…” Brittany hummed, the sides of her mouth stretching. 

“Shit...oh fuck...girl...goddamn baby…”

His hips jerked wildly.

“Damn baby!!! Damn!!”

Adonis could feel his glans throb in her mouth and now his balls began to empty his heavy load down her throat. She still sucked. He looked at her with a mixture of lust and bewilderment. Tugging on her hair, he made Brittany let go of his dick with her tight lips. His shit was extra sensitive and she kept playing around, licking his tip. 

“Ared stop it, girl,” He said while moving away from her hand.

“I can’t help it, it’s so tasty. I want some more of that dick…”

“Later, Aight?” Adonis turned off the shower, “You know I got something special planned for your tonight, right?”

“All for me?” Brittany bites her lip and bats her lashes at him. That shit always made him weak. 

“Uh-huh...everything for my baby.” 

They exited the shower wrapped in one towel that barely covered them. Once they got back to the villa, they planned on taking a nap so they could be energized for dinner. He has the biggest firework experience planned for her on the beach. Then he was going to finish the night out with her pussy filled with his hot quintessence. 

________________________________________________________

The setup was otherworldly.��

Adonis really pulled out all the stops. 

The romantic beach dinner was a complete surprise for Brittany. They had their very own candle-lit beach cabana where they can put their toes in the sand while staring into the twinkling lights of the Andaman sea and Patong bay. They had their very own menu that included Phuket lobster, sea bass, seafood skewers, beef tenderloin, baked garlic potatoes, a bread basket, tropical fruits, and the finest wine. Brittany wore a fitted orange maxi dress with a high slit and her braids down with gold accessories decorating the strands, and a new gold jewelry set that Adonis gifted her along with the perfume on her skin. Adonis wore a pair of light wash denim cutoffs with a short sleeve white button down shirt halfway buttoned. He has silver jewelry with white diamonds on to bring the casual look together. This was the night of her lifetime. The evening sky mixed with the sound of the waves crashing set the tone of the dinner. 

Brittany finished off the last bit of her dessert before grabbing her wine. His eyes were those of someone who’s deeply in love, someone who sees nothing but his lover, someone who has no fear of anything except losing her. The eyes of someone who believes that every dream will come true, that reality will move if you just give it a push. It was so intense that it has Brittany panting with need. The dinner was splendid. Now, she wanted him to slather her mouth with slow wet kisses and give her soaked pussy deep thrusts—plunging balls deep. He senses her need and with an outreached hand they walk away from the cabana and further out on the beach hand in hand. Adonis kisses Brittany’s hand before pulling her in close to him. They stared at the sky in comfortable silence until the first firework lit up the evening sky with blue, purple, and pink. She turned to Adonis with a tilt of her head and a wide smile. 

“A firework show?! Wow, Adonis,” She shook her head and stared up at a few comet fireworks the color of red and orange. Next, a green peony firework burst the sky and it flashed within Brittany’s brown irises. When the golden willow firework went off she gasped excitedly and Adonis couldn’t help but laugh and smile. So many pretty colors to take in. Jellyfish fireworks sprouted and at that point Brittany dug into her cream colored clutch for her phone to record. She turned the camera on Adonis and he saluted with a big smile before she focused back to the show. Crackles, strobes, and then ending in a big dahlia, the show came to an end. 

“I don’t need to ask if you enjoyed your evening,” Adonis says with a smirk. 

“This. Was. Perfect. Amazing? Romantic? I don’t even know the proper word to describe how much I appreciate everything you do for me.” 

Brittany blinked away tears and wrapped her arms around his torso. He pulled her in with his hands rubbing her exposed back up and down. 

“You mean everything to me…”

His touch was electric against her brown skin. Those eyes of his are on her. The eyes that make her weak every time he looked at her damn face. They created something special together and with the way he kissed her with all his tongue while she uttered sounds that had him on the edge had him ready to spill his cum deep inside of her. 

“...Time to go back and end this night with a bang,” Adonis palmed both her ass cheeks, “I ain’t give you the proper dick down yet and that’s what I plan on doing.” 

“Can’t wait,” Brittany whispered against his lips. 

Finished at the beach, Brittany and Adonis headed back to their private villa for some more fun. Inside, Adonis opened a fresh bottle of champagne while Brittany went to the bedroom to get prepared. She had a little something in mind herself. Opening her suitcase, Brittany pulls out a pair of sexy black panties with the sides cut out, a cheetah print top that’s see through, and some thigh high laced boots with a platform and a long heel like she was an exotic dancer. One thing for sure, Adonis loves it when she dresses up in the bedroom so he can take it all off himself. Except the shoes. He bought the sexiest shoes with the tallest heel to fuck her in. He has a fetish for legs—thick thighs and strong calves. Crawling in the center of the bed on her back with her legs spread and resting on her elbows, Brittany waited for Adonis to come back into the bedroom to find her. 

“Damn, baby, it’s like that?”

Adonis walked in with the champagne bottle in hand. 

“So...this is my surprise for the night?” Adonis sits the bottle down before going over to stand between Brittany’s legs. He lowered his head to kiss Brittany and she slipped him a bit of tongue. 

“Mmm...when did you get these boots?” Adonis asked while running his hands up and down the leather with awe. He grabs the back of her right leg bringing it up to rest on his shoulder. He rubbed his fingers across the lace up detailing while biting his lip. Not only did she look good in the boots, her pussy was sitting fat between her thighs and he could make out her areolas and nipples beyond the cheetah print top. 

“I bought them online a week before the trip...I see you love them…” her hand rubs up and down her pussy, “you did so much for me today...it’s time I give you this pussy...it’s wet as fuck too,” Brittany pulls the crotch of her panties aside. That pussy slipped out and spread open for him. Adonis licks two of his fingers and strokes her pussy lips. 

“I plan on being in this phat pussy all night girl.”

“And I want that fat dick in me all night,” Brittany reached out to hook her fingers in the front of his jeans to pull him closer. Adonis was on his knees between her legs now while Brittany stroked his thick erection. Adonis took one hand to pull her top down to expose both her breasts for him to tease. He twirled her nipples and pulled on her nipples just so he can release them and watch them bounce. 

“That pussy is insanely pretty, baby. Pussy tight and delicious…”

“Come eat this pussy.” 

Adonis didn’t need to be told twice. Brittany spread her thighs and pointed her heels towards the ceiling with her hand on the back of Adonis head. He started off by slurping with spit drooling from his tongue to get her nice and messy. Satisfied, Adonis spreads her lips, pulls the hood of her clit back, and goes to work with slow licks to her clit. That tongue moved like a wave hitting all the right spots.

“That fucking tongue don’t make no sense...fuck, daddy, that shit is so fucking good keep doing that.

Adonis made sure to move his tongue over her labia since it looked so fleshy and delicious. Not a single spot was left out from his tongue and lips. Her whole pussy was sucked up in his mouth. She watched him with low eyes and a lick of her lips. Brittany’s head went back when he alternated between flicking her clit with the tip of his tongue and sucking on it. 

“Keep them legs open...you tell daddy to eat this pussy you keep these thick ass thighs back, you understand?”

“...Gonna make me cum so good,” Brittany did as she was told. She held her thighs back for him. 

“Ima make this pussy cum all in my mouth...pussy is so wet on my tongue...tight, pink, fat pussy…”

“Unh, shit, Donnie,” Brittany’s fingers kept the hood of her clit back so Adonis could give her direct stimulation whenever he wanted. Each time he came back to her clit the urge to cum would increase. It came to a breaking point and she was a loud moaning mess in that room with her thighs trapping his head. Her cumming was a sign for him to keep going. Her hips lifted from the bed and his strong arms pushed her thighs apart with force so he could french kiss her pussy into another orgasm. She fell back with defeat. 

“My mouth is watering.” 

Adonis could feel his taste buds tingling for more. 

“The best fucking pussy in the world,” He reluctantly pulled away to stand and undress. His eyes focused on her pussy the entire time he took his clothes off. 

“Pussy so good I gotta put my dick in you now fuck all that.” 

That nice, big, long beautiful dick swung between his legs while he stood before her. That beast. Brittany turned around and put her ass in the air. Her panties are still pushed to the side. Her pussy lips were nice and creamy from the back. Adonis grabbed up his girthy shaft and started stroking with a twist of his wrist. His shit was concrete solid. Brittany slapped her pussy while looking back at him. 

“Pussy is noisy...I hear that pretty pussy...that’s daddy’s pussy…”

“That dick is thick and huge...I could cum from looking at it.” Brittany said.

Adonis was on his knees behind her, that body he worked so hard for blessing her eyes. Brittany arched her back some more and pushed her ass against him. Using one hand, Adonis laced his fingers around her panties to keep them pulled to the side while using his other hand to push his dick past her tightness. They both sighed with pleasure. He always stuffed her. The fullness tugged on her clit and made her grip him. 

“Still grip this dick with that good pussy,” Adonis moves his hips, “creamy and squeezing this dick...that’s right baby throw that ass back.” 

Adonis forcefully grabs her hips to feed her some dick while his eyes watch the way he fucks her. Her cream was making a big ass mess on the sheets. She circled her hips for him and made it jiggle. He was over her even more using the strength of his hips to stroke in her pussy.

“You fuck my pussy so good,” Brittany cried out. 

“That’s what you deserve...you know I gotta make this pussy feel good for my baby.”

Adonis went in deep and long, all the way, and they both moaned in unison. Adonis pumped his hips, pounding his meat into Brittany’s tight, velvety tunnel, her body surrendering to him like it always did. They were both bathed in sweat, burning with lust. Brittany looked back and watched as Adonis’ tongue ran over his bottom lip. She could see how much he was enjoying her wet pussy  with his deep strokes. She was feeling every inch of him thrusting into her. All of it. Even his balls slapping her engorged clit. 

“You got me cumming,” Brittany could feel herself dripping on the bed, “Damn...got my pussy leaking, daddy.” 

“Every time you cum for me, I crave you some more. This shit does my body good.”

Adonis pulled back slowly and enjoyed the sounds her pussy made and how stained she had him. He was fully out now and pulsating for more. Kissing her ass, Adonis turned Brittany over on her back and flicked tongues with her before lowering his lips to suck on her titties. She arched into his mouth when he started licking each nipple. 

“Put that dick back in me,” Brittany begged while bringing her legs up to rest on his shoulders. 

“I gotchu baby...daddy gon’ make that pussy cum again I promise,” Adonis whispered, “All you gotta do is keep these legs open so I can dig you out...hear me?”

“Yes, baby,” Brittany pilled Adonis up for another kiss. 

“And keep those pretty eyes on me…”

His hips moved like he was dancing slow motion, each time her toes would curl and her nails would drags down his back. Brittany could feel herself getting ready to cum again. She locked eyes with him, mouth falling open each time he would thrust forward hard. 

“Harder,” She encourages.

Adonis picked up the pace but kept it steady, his hips snapping into hers suddenly each time before stopping. She curled up under him, pussy unable to take the pleasure. This made Adonis pull her legs to her ears. She had no where to go now. He was going to show her how much he loved being in her pussy. 

“Oh, fuckkkk, you’re gonna make me cum,” he had his hands on the back of her thighs now, punishing her pussy. Brittany could only moan, no need for words when Adonis damn near took her breath away. There was no other feeling to compare this to. How could anything compare to the way her pussy wrapped around him? How it creamed all over him? She was at a loss. This is exactly what she would be receiving the entire trip.  

“Fuck, Donnie, Baby, I can feel you getting thicker,” her pussy was at its widest, “baby, I’m so opened up for you...baybeee, oh gosh, bayy.”

“Good fucking pussy, all mines,” Adonis buried his face in her neck, his hips snapping into her harder. She squeezed her eyes shut, mouth hanging open for the rest of the ride.

“Beating this pussy up good.” Brittany finally found the words. 

“Shit, damn...I’m about to bust...fuck...I’m cumming...Mhm...I’m cumming in this pussy deep...take this nut baby...shittttttt.”

He released in her, the tight hold pulling more cum from him. He could collapse right now. Brittany moaned out softly, as Adonis finished himself inside of her. Slipping out finally, Adonis watched her cum mixed with his drizzle onto the bed sheets. Adonis relaxed on top of her, his eyes searching hers.

“Baby that was…” He couldn’t finish his words while he stroked her sweaty face. He was still buried inside of her and it was comfortable laying beneath his solid frame. She weakly smiles up at him before pecking his lips. 

“I love you...just stay inside of me like this for a bit…”

“So I can get hard and fuck you again?” Adonis smirked. 

“I can go for some more dick.”

“That’s my kind of shit...always ready to take this dick.”

It didn’t take long because just staring at her had him stiff. Adonis was growing so thick in her pussy. His firm grip on yer thighs didn’t allow her to move. Her hips began to meet  him in a dirty dance before he grunts and moans, dick cumming and filling you up again. Brittany grabbed his chains to bring him closer to her, her lips sucking on his while he emptied his cum where it belonged. 

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[wizkiddx]

without making this a sap story ive had some not so great news from home and am in one of them moods to not talk abt it. but i need a tom h to hug me , pls could u write something like that?

hey anon - i am sending u all my love, and hope things get a little easier for u as soon as possible. if u ever do wanna chat abt nothing or rant just send me a pm x  I hope this is at least somewhat what u were looking for <33

summary: life is sometimes not good, but your fave boy makes it just a little easier to deal with (with some original help from his brother too)

a bit angsty but i promise mainly fluff (and a popcorn fight?)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What drew you out of the sort-of-trance was a two soft but firm knocks at the door - well Tom’s bedroom door. You’d been relaxing with him and Harry, watching the new ‘Line of Duty’ when your mum had called for the daily catch up. Admittedly, she had already tried to call you twice today but somehow you’d managed to miss both of them. On reflection, possible not that shocking because you’d been at a charity golf day with the boys which involved a fair amount of noise, chat and competition. 

Thankfully the boys had both done pretty well, Tom coming slightly ahead but that was the norm between the two. It meant they were both happily basking in their relative victories and not moody and grumpy like they are oh so often when things go wrong. Because to them, against your pleading, begging and sometimes lecturing…. golf was not just a game.  

You and your mum had always been very close, so usually speaking to her was uplifting and made you feel a little bit more complete - what with travelling with Tom for work, her voice was a slice of home. This time though, it was not so much the case. It was just sad news about your home town. Nothing directly to your family or close friends but still, it makes you feel generally down. 

Who knows how long it’d been since you’d hung up on the phone, just staring at the wall opposite. Everything felt just hollow and empty, lacking in meaning somewhat. You weren’t necessarily thinking, more like devoid of emotion, of thoughts, of anything. Just a bit cold. 

“Y/n…Y/n?” His voice sounded hesitant, as though scared he was interrupting your call. When you didn’t respond, the door cracked open and his fluffy head poked in, not that you noticed - your brain was still half absent. Tom on the other hand, was instantly looking you up and down, very much confused as the why you looked so rigid and not present. Noticing the phone was lying quiet on the bed in front of you, he felt safe to enter. He made a beeline for the bed, perching himself down on the edge, in-front of you - so he was blocking your fascinating view of the grey wall opposite. 

“What’s going on in that little head of yours?” His voice was soft and gravely, choosing not to put much energy into his vocal box as he rubbed up and down one of your arms. 

“Hmmm? Sorry, was miles away.”

“Could tell darl.” As he chuckled his eyes crinkled round the outside. “How was your mum?”

“Yeh…um okay, I-I guess.” As much as you wanted to shake yourself out of it, it just wasn’t that easy. Everything was laced with this underlying chilliness. 

“You sure? You dont really sound it?” 

“No, I um…well I’m not sure. I think I’m okay?”

“What happened?” You shook your head in response, making Tom press his lips together with a small nod. “ Don’t wanna talk about it huh?” 

“Not… not right now. Please?” 

With a permitting nod, Tom stood up and squeezed your hand, urging you to follow. Trailing behind him into the living room, he then instructed you to take a seat on the sofa adjacent to Harry, Tom himself disappearing back into the house. It made you pout a little, you wanted him to just look after you a little this evening but that self pity wasn’t allowed to last long - because a piece of popcorn flew into your cheek. You whipped your head around, with mouth open feigning shock, to see Harry smirking at you cradling a bowl full of other possible missiles in hand. 

“And what was that for?” He shrugged his shoulders, turning his head back to the TV.

“You looked sad.”

“…” Your mouth was open, no words coming out though, as you looked at the frizzy haired boy in bemusement. Sometimes you thought you understood how his head worked but at other points, the boy was a bloody mystery. Instead of explaining his thought process (because there almost certainly wasn’t one), he just smiled evily at you - wiggling his brows. And I know you know what that meant.

Sure enough by the time Tom reentered the room, arms full with different objects he’d collected round the house, the floor had been littered with popcorn kernels. You and Harry were squealing at each other as handfuls of the snack were catapulted vaguely at each other as you chased him round the room. It took Tom shouting at the both of you for you to freeze, slowly lowering your hands in ceasefire with a giggle. 

“I leave you alone for two minutes.”

“ It was his fault!” You protested, causing a 5 minute of ‘ he said-she said’ between the two of you, even if Tom wasn’t listening to the bickering. Instead, he quickly whizzed round the room picking up all the obvious popcorn bits and then spread out all the blankets he’d got from round the rented house on the sofa.

 You knew Harry, in his very own and special way, was only doing all this to cheer you up and you couldn’t appreciate it more. Your relationship with him had recently got so much closer, thanks to Tom being busy on set actually filming - while you and Harry just had some quality ‘almost sibling’ times. And now living with him too - naturally he had grown to know your tells almost as well as Tom. 

“Alright children calm down… thought we could watch movie?” Plopping himself down on the cream seat, Tom made grabby hands to you which of course you had to comply with. 

“I’ll um… I’m gonna leave you to- well to the being in love shit. It’ll make me chunder”

“We love you too bro” Tom called to Harry, who was already on his way out - but the tone of gratefulness in his voice was evident, he appreciated Harry noticing that the two of you could do with time together. 

“Don’t make it weird!” Harry’s response had you sniggering, as you pulled the fluffiest blanket over both you and Tom and nestling into his side. 

After a few minutes of Tom pretending to argue with you about film choice, before ultimately agreeing with your choice of ‘La la land’ as he always planned on letting you. The Holland boys were both very talented at subtly being a shoulder if needed, and yes you knew it was all an act - but you weren’t about to call him out. About halfway through he kissed the crown of your head and murmured. “Can tell you’re not watching darling.” He wasn’t wrong to be fair. Yes, you were looking at the screen - but your mind was far away from the plot line. 

“Sorry I um… minds like a runaway train sometimes.” Tom released a breathy chuckle at that before murmuring a ‘come ‘ere’ to you as he all but lifted you up from sitting by his side. You ended up lying almost onto of him, with both of Tom’s strong arms holding you tightly to him. Smiling into his chest, you nestled closer so the soundtrack to the movie played over the top of his constant thudding heartbeat. It took a few moments of you both just staring into the screen, completely contented for Tom to speak, squeezing you slightly tighter whilst the two of you watched Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone twirling on the road.

“I gotchu now lovie” 

And you swore then that all the thoughts racing in your mind were outpaced by those of a different kind. Still intense ideas, ones that buzzed round your brain, but these were happy. Thoughts of ‘how could I be so lucky’ and ‘I love this man with my whole heart’. 

Apparently these thoughts were also a comfort because when Tom looked down at you after what must’ve been at least half an hour, you were spark out. Breathing deep and unchanging, eye locked shut and mouth slightly squashed against his chest so your lips were pressed together. But what made the boy physical pout was the way you relaxed hand was loosely balled round a fistful of his purple hoodie. As if you were clutching at him to keep him as close to you as possible. 

He felt so grateful - not only for you, but also for the fact that he had the ability to make it a little better. You didn’t need him - Tom swore you were one of the most fiercely independent people he’d ever met - yet it was clear you wanted him. You wanted him when you felt down, the same way you wanted to be around him when you were overly hyper and chatting pure rubbish. You didn’t want him because he was the ‘Tom Holland’ you wanted him because he was Tom. 

He couldn’t fix what was going on back at your home (I mean right now, he still didnt even know what was going on). But he did know how to make everything just a little less shit. He knew how to be your person. 

And that would forever be job Tom was most proud of.

once again sending u all lots of love (esp u anon 💕)

would love to know what u guys think if ya made it this far ;)

tagging (link to join) : @hallecarey1 @hollandfanficlove

[house-of-galathynius]

Only You ~ Rowaelin

A Rowaelin fanfic, set if Aelin’s parents had lived and she had met Rowan under normal circumstances, if Erawan and Maeve weren’t threats. Hope you enjoy! 

Prologue ~ Chapter Two

Chapter One: Meeting 

 Summer had always been Aelin’s favourite time of the year. It was the soft breezes and the long days, the late nights. It was the time of year where she didn’t have to be a princess. There was no need for the formalities or the pretending. 

Summer was the season of freedom. 

And when she had woken up that morning, the sun was still low in the sky, the mist dancing between the trees and the bird song was mellowed, quieter somehow. She had known that summer was over; her Fae senses could feel the shift of the season. Summer giving way to the crispness of autumn. And despite the peacefulness and beauty of autumn, it was also her least favourite time of the year.

Court would begin again. Gone would be the long nights of stargazing, the lazy days lounging in the sun with a book or the trips to the Staghorns; now was the time for her royal duties to start once again. 

A gentle tap of the door had Aelin groaning and shifting in bed. 

“Your Highness? Your father would like to know if you will be eating breakfast with them this morning.” Her maid Elspeth was one of the good ones. She was in her late forties and had been with Aelin for her entire twenty years. She was a short woman, her hair starting to grey at the roots, her cheeks always rosy and plump. But Aelin loved her like a mother.

Elspeth slid into the room and closed the door behind her, she strode over to the towering windows which looked out over the forest beyond the castle. The thick curtains were opened to reveal a grey morning. Elspeth didn’t wait for a response from Aelin as she continued her way around the room to the balcony on the far side. She opened the doors and Fleetfoot, Aelin’s beloved dog perked up and trotted off to the fresh air. 

Elspeth was well versed in the ways of Aelin. Which is why her final task was to perch on the edge of her bed and pull the covers back. 

“Aelin, you have guests arriving today.” 

She shot up in bed, staring at Elspeth. She had forgotten about the guests. If she had, she definitely would have been up earlier. She said as much. 

“The Queen of Doranelle, Sellene Whitethorn is arriving with her family.” 

Of course. There had been turmoil in Doranelle for many years and finally, only a few months ago, they had decided on a new queen. It had been a surprise to her Uncle Orlon when it had been announced, but nonetheless, had extended an invitation to visit once the new queen had settled into her new role. Just as the offer would be extended to me one day- when I became queen. 

“I suppose I cannot get away with my usual attire today?” She said. Elspeth laughed and shook her head. “I’m afraid not. A dress will be required.” 

Elspeth had picked a simple yet regal gown in a deep Terrasen green. Elspeth tried and failed to get Aelin to braid her hair, or at least put it into a simple updo. But Aelin enjoyed her hair free, the long blonde locks were one of her favourite assets, and never understood the need to hide it. 

She surveyed herself in the mirror, despite her late night with Sam, she looked awake and bright eyed. Ready for a day of acting like a princess. 

When Aelin arrived into the breakfast room, her father and mother were already seated, Orlon too. She took up the seat beside her mother and smiled apologetically to the three of them. Tardiness was one of her weaknesses and had frustrated all of them to no end. But with the night she had just had… if only her parents knew. 

“Late night again, Aelin?” Orlon grinned. He had always been privy to Aelin’s whereabouts, where she would sneak off to, who she would meet. 

Sam was not royal, in fact, he held no title in Terrasen. He had moved when he had been sixteen years old; escaping the grips of an assassin in Rifthold. He had stowed away on a ship, not knowing where it was going, but hoping that anywhere was better than before. He arrived in Terrasen with a few coins and his wits about him. He’d managed to secure work at a library. The owner had been old and frail, unable to lift the books, unable to do much at all. Sam had taken it upon himself to help in any way he could. And six years later he was the proud owner. It’s where Aelin had met him. Since then, she had been sneaking off to see Sam every chance she could; the only person knowing being Orlon. 

She knew it could never be more than it was with Sam, a reason why she had been so quick to shut down his offer the night before. And despite Terrasen being a forward-thinking country— the King was married to a man for Gods sake— they still drew the line at commoners and royalty marrying, or even being involved, the only exception being a mating bond; something so rare and final that no King or God could argue with it. So she tried to enjoy the stolen moments she had with Sam. Avoiding the advances of any foreign royalty that may come her way. The King only allowing it on the condition that when a serious offer of marriage arose, Aelin would accept and take her place as the next heir to the throne. She loved Sam, and on occasion had been angry at the impossibility of it being anything other than what it was now.

There was the other problem of her immortal lifespan. Sam was human and at some point it would have to end anyway.

“Did you forget about the arrival of the Whitethorns today?” Her father asked.

“It may have slipped my mind.” An easy lie. She took a bite of the pastry in front of her, savouring the sweetness. “But I am here now, and ready to be the perfect princess.” Another bite. 

Her mother chuckled to herself, sipping on the herbal tea that she would drink every morning without fail. Orlon cleared his throat, giving her a look. 

“The queen is new to this Aelin. We must ensure she is welcomed and feels comfortable during her stay.” 

A roll of her eyes. “I think I can manage being nice for a few days.” 

“Weeks.”

She stopped mid-chew. 

“The Whitethorns will be here for at least three weeks. Their castle is under renovations, so we offered them a place to stay whilst they were underway.” 

She had never heard of such a thing. A new queen, leaving her territory for weeks? 

“Darling, you are not expected to entertain them alone, nor be present at every minute.” Her mother had always been the diffuser; ensuring the conversations remained civil, if not for her sanity, for the sake of Aelin’s temper that had resulted in a few fires. “But the sneaking off will have to stop. Lysandra will understand.” Lysandra being Aelin’s excuse for when she was actually sneaking off to see Sam. 

She smiled politely and confirmed that she would be well behaved for when the guests arrived.

And that was that. 

She finished breakfast quickly and excused herself before they could make her stay longer. Aelin made her way to the training ground just beyond the walls of the garden. Orlon had had it built when it was evident Aelin needed a place to train with her powers. Fire magic was a rare gift, one that hadn’t been in the royal family since Brannon. She was grateful for the space, even if she no longer needed to train to the same extent. Only meeting with her trainer once every month.

“I thought I might find you here.” Lysandra’s voice echoed across the stones. “Hiding?” Lysandra laughed. 

“Something like that.” 

Lysandra was silent as she perched on the stone bench, watching as Aelin made shields of flame, as she danced the fire through her fingers and flung her powers towards the wall.

“I won’t be available for a while Lys. The Queen of Doranelle and her family are arriving today.” Aelin held the flame in her palm. “I need you to send a message to Sam for me.”

Lysandra had been the daughter of one of her mothers maids. And when her mother had died, Aelin’s mother could not stand the thought of Lysandra going to an orphanage. So she had housed Lysandra and trained her as a lady-in-waiting for Aelin. And even though they hated each other as children, the older they got the more they understood the other. 

“I heard one of the Whitethorn princes is extremely handsome. Do you think he’d be interested?” Aelin snorted. Any person would be insane not to be attracted to Lysandra. 

“Gods help the poor male if you pursue him.” Aelin returned to her flame.

“We all know that you’re going to marry me one day.” 

They both whirled at the sound of the male voice at the archway. Aedion stood there in all his glory. He wore a midnight blue jacket and dark pants, clothes for important people, Aelin thought. It was envy that Aelin was feeling. Aedion may be a prince, but he would never be King; marrying Lysandra would never be a problem, if she ever agreed, that was. 

Lysandra rolled her eyes and flipped her hair to the side. “Aedion, we both know you can’t handle me.” 

“We’ll see, Lysandra.” Mischief glittering in his eyes. 

Aedion took his wandering eyes away from Lysandra and back to Aelin, who had already lost interest in their banter. 

“What do you want Aedion? Aelin and I were busy.” 

“I’m here to tell Aelin that the Whitethorns will be here any moment, and her father wishes for her to be in the great hall to welcome them.” 

No peace. Summer was well and truly over then. Her flame flickered out and she brushed down her dress that was lightly coated in dust. She shook out her hair and let it fall past her shoulders, running her fingers through it to release any tangles. 

“How do I look?” 

“Like your father is going to kill you when he see’s the mess on your clothes.” Aedion held his arm out, she linked hers through it and smiled back at Lysandra who was brushing her own dress down.

“I’ll see you later Aelin.” A smile. “Always a pleasure, Aedion.” And then she was gone. 

Aelin and Aedion strolled down the path that led back into the gardens and then into the tall white palace of Orynth. The guards bowed their heads as she passed, the only acknowledgement that they would give. They continued into the palace, the halls empty of people. 

“Did they have to put out so many flowers? I feel like I’m just going to sneeze the entire time.” Aedion laughed, but didn’t respond as they approached the doors to the great hall. 

The room was only ever used for special occasions, I suppose a new queen included that. The room was large, taking up an entire wing of the castle, it’s ceiling tall, gold chandeliers dropping from it. The walls were painted white, with green and gold accents dotted around— the colours of Terrasen. The room was magnificent, every inch dripping in wealth and splendour. 

When she entered she dropped into a low curtsey. Orlon was sat atop the Antler Throne, his eyes fixed on her and Aedion— who was also bowing low. Her father and mother were sat on two smaller seats to Orlon’s left. A second, smaller throne rested next to Orlon’s; for the consort of the king. Which was unusually empty; Orlon’s husband usually filling the spot. 

As soon as she was in her place and everyone else were in their correct spots the guard at the end of the hall announced the arrival of the first Whitethorn family members. Aelin knew this formality all too well— get the lesser family members out of the way first, and then announce the most important. So she dropped her eyes and fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. She kept her eyes averted as the guard listed off the names of lesser royals and their spouses. A pinch on her shoulder made her look up, she spun to berate Aedion for being an ass, when the guard started to speak once more. 

“Your majesty, I would like to present Rowan Whitethorn, Prince of Doranelle and  Endymion Whitethorn, Prince of Doranelle.” 

The two males stepped through the open doors and she met the eyes of the shorter male. He was handsome, of course; and she smiled politely at him, wishing this would go faster. He smiled back, lowering his head slightly before doing the same to Aedion. Aelin tore her eyes away and looked at the second male stood next to him. Her breath caught in her throat as she beheld what was in front of her. 

It took him a moment to look toward her, and when their eyes met she felt every hair on her body stand up. His pine green eyes met her own and it was like the world was falling around her. She swallowed and forced herself to breathe, her body heating. 

The male in front of her seemed to be doing the same thing. His breathing turned shallow and he couldn’t tear his eyes from hers. 

It was like everything around her was spinning or maybe she was falling, Orlon’s voice faded to the background, all she could hear was the pounding of her heart. 

As she stared into the eyes of her mate.

[peoplecallmelucifer]

Every story ever written

“Attention passengers“ A pleasant voice echoed trough the hallways “We will be arriving to Nithra 5 in half an hour. Please prepare to disembark“ John Was excited and nervous. He was a part of the group representing Earth at the art festival of the Galactic Assembly. Considering it was Earths first Time sending representatives and hew as the one giving the speech his nervousness was justified. AS they disembarked the cruise ship they were greeted by a tall and slender “It’s my pleasure to extend the greetings in behalf of the Galactic assembly. I am Nithra Suenn and was assigned as your guide during your stay“

John  stood on his toes so he would be able to look Suenn in the eyes. “ Oh, thank you. I’m Jonathan grace, you can call me John, This here is Antonio Morena..” “Toni for short” the man replied “...And this is Maria Petova“ “I’m Just short” Maria replied baiting a chuckle out of their Guide May I ask something before we start though“ Sam said “Of course“ Suenn replied “Could you tell us where the envoys of the other two newcomer are.“ “Of course. If you wish I could notify their guides and see if they would be willing to arrange a meeting later today“ “That’d be lovely“ “Now If you would follow me to your quarters. I presume you would want some rest before we start the tour“ “Lead the way miss Nithra“ Sam said with a smile AS the trio followed their guide they took in the sights of the Spacedock, during the 10 minutes shuttle ride to the planet surface Toni and John were debating their upcoming speech while Maria quietly hummed a lullaby as she stared out of the window. “Miss Maria“ Suen said as she noticed the humming “oh, yes Suenn?“ “May I inquire about the melody you were... singing“ “Oh that, I was humming a lullaby I usually sing for my daughter. This is the longest I’ve been separated from her so I’m a bit Melancholic“ “Oh,  quite understandable. We Tlii also have a strong  bond with our family ... I’m nearly 40 and I still call my parents daily.“ The rest of the ride was marked by present small talk. When they landed The Group was given an hour to rest before they head out towards the “Palace of Art” The most famous gallery in the Explored part of the galaxy. “So folks“ John said “First impressions“ “Bit too formal for my taste but not bad. The Guide is cute too“ Maria replied “I’m hungry“ Toni replied “Well go grab something from the hotels restaurant. Suenn Said all the costs will be covered“ John said as Tonis eyes widened “So ... Free all you can eat buffet?“ “Yes“ “And we are staying here for a week“ “Yes“ “...Good bye my summer body“

“You’re a pig“ Maria said as Toni was closing the doors A few minutes later Suenn knocked on the doors “hello again. I have contacted the guides of the other two newcomers and their envoys said they would gladly meet you but they also requested we arrive fifteen minutes early so that you can have a proper meeting“ “Thank you very much Suenn. Tell them we agree“ Maria said Suenn nodded and left “Why do you wanna meet them anyway“ Maria asked John “Well they are new here, we are new here, none of  us actually knows what’s going on. It might be easier for all of us if we feel confused together“ “Fair point“ The human delegacy arrived 10 minutes earlier than agreed, mostly because of Johns insistence. “Why were you so adamant on arriving early Mister John “ “Well... I was too anxious for waiting in the hotel“ “And waiting here is... not causing anxiety?“ “No, because here I’m sure I won’t miss anything important“ “I can not say I fully comprehend that logic but if it lessens your anxiety I see no problem with waiting here.“ “Can I ask you something Suenn?“ “Of course?“ “I noticed your First name was the identical to the name of the planet. Is that Just a coincidence or something else?“ “It’s actually Tradition. Tlii name their children after  their Birthplace and a name chosen by their parents. I was born on this planet so My Birth Name is Nithra while my Given name is Suenn.“ “Huh. Interesting.“ After a few more  minutes of casual discussions the two delegations arrived. The D’Dret Delegacy consisted of twelve members all sporting their environment suits. “Greeting fellow children“ the leader of the delegation said as he reached out his hand

“Children?” Antonio asked quietly“ “The D’Dret word for artist is the same as their word for child“ Suenn replied “Kinda fits right“ John shook the delegates hand “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m JonathanGrace, leader of our delegation. You can call me John “ “I am afraid my name is quite impossible for the translator to handle so feel free to call me Otra, considering that’s the Star system I hail from“ From the other vehicle disembarked a delegation of twenty Beings of Yellow christening appearance. a leader of the group stepped forth and greeted the gathered “In behalf of Veq Hive I speak the words of greeting” the translator read “In be half of Humanity I accept the gritting and send my own“ John said and bowed, Otra mimicking his actions saying “ I do the same on behalf of D’Dret autonomy“ The Veq leader let out a low pitch pleasant click returning the bow “This one is called Ruea“ “My name Is Jonathan Grace“ “Call me Otra, shall we head inside“ “Certainly“ Ruea and John replied While there were no delegates yet there was a descent amount of visitors to the Gallery and the three delegations as well as their guides drew a number of looks. This seemed to make Johnnervous again, but also even more excited than ever. His companions seemed to share this attitude along with the D’Dret delegates. The Veq did not experience emotions, or at lest not in the way  Humans did. They didn’t know fear,Happiness or anger, but could be inquisitive,curious and mistrusting or frustrated. Although the latter was extremely rare and fairly mild. “How come Humans only sent 3 creators“ Ruea asked “Well Humanity is aware of its reputation. Lots of people in the assembly consider us borderline insane due to our contradictory nature. SO our Academy decided that the best course of action here would be to send a small delegation and not draw much attention on ourselves.“ “A reasonable approach Otra said“ “Yeah, but us three decided we have something else in plan for our speech“ “You would... defy your superior?“ Rue said in intrigued Disbelief “to a Veq that causes great pain.“ “Well If i am not wrong, you are biochemically connected, so acts of defiance are extremely rare since your communication is almost instant and complete” John said impressing Ruea “In our case that is not so. We are very Individual even though we are social beings, and sometimes people in authority refuse to listen to suggestions because they see themselves above others. In that case we become defiant“ “You are a weird people“ Said Otra with a little pause “but than again I’m the one in the EV suit“ The lengthy conversation about differences in cultures and approaches to art between all the members of the 3 delegations attracted a crowd of intrigued listeners even Suenn and the other guides were intrigued and occasionally asked a question or two.

After A an hour Suenn spoke up “Excuse me delegates, but the Ceremony is about to start. Would you please follow your respective guide to your seat“ “Oh certainly.“ John said “Ladi Ruea, Otra It has been a pleasure. Hopefully we can continue this discussion sometimes soon“

Suenn Lead her delegation to a circular room with many levels. filled to the brim with delegations from thousand of species. Humans were somewhere around the middle,Maria Noticed the Veq being almost at the bottom and one of their delegates apparently noticed her waving and looked curiously at her. she than put her opened palms on her troth imitating a traditional greeting they taught her. John noticed Otras suit about two levels above them sat juxtaposed to them and covered one eye with his hand greeting his new friend with their greeting to which Otra replied with a peace sign. “hello and welcome everyone to the annually art festival of the Galactic Assembly.” said a small alien “He looks like a plushy” Toni whispered and baited another chuckle out of Suenn. ” This year the assembly welcomed three new species The Pedantic Veq hive, The crafty D’Dret autonomy and ... Diverse Alliance of human worlds. As is tradition the newcomers will hold their speeches first. Starting with the Humans.“ John stood up “I think you for this opportunity but before I hold my speech I must ask, on behalf of our new friends of the Authonomy  and the Hive. would you allow them to speak before us, as they asked me if I would be willing to swap places with them“ “Well... no one ever turned down the offer of being first to speak before, A kind gesture indeed. I don’t see why not. Verry well. Who of you wants to speak first“ “The Authonomy children will gladly hear out our comrades of the Hive before we speak ourselves“ ”I thank our new friends for granting this request of mine.” Lady Ruea replied as she slowly walked to the podium. Suenn turned to John “What you just did was unprecedented. May I inquire why have you done this“ “As we were about to go our separate ways lady Ruea noticed that her translator was running out of battery and her spare was left in their hotel. considering she didn’t want to miss any of our speeches so she asked if I would let her talk first so she can switch her power cell after her speech. and considering I’m nervous as hell right now I decided to give myself a bit more time to relax and see other speeches before I step down there“ “Coward“ Maria teased him “and proud of it“ he replied

The speech of Ruea was simple it briefly described the way her people think and the way they approach art, or as they call it creation. How they prefer writing in strict form but are also constantly looking for new forms to write. how their statues are  trying to be symmetrical in every way and yet innovative. After her Otra came down doing the same talking about how Their culture sees artists as people who never lost their child imagination how every new creation is a new unexplored wonder, just like every next step is a new experience for a toddler. Than came John’s turn. He was still a bit nervous but he kept his cool. “As you know. lady Ruea asked me if I would do her a favour and let her speak first. I let my new friend Otra speak second because I was too nervous to do it myself“ a few chuckles were heard among the crowd “AS you know Humans have a reputation and  I was given a ready speech by the people who sent me here to read and stay out of trouble so that I can alleviate that reputation. But than again That’d be to deny human nature.“ Nick said as he ripped a sheet of paper with a written speech “Oh boy here we go“ Toni commented “What is he doing“ Suenn asked “Being true to himself ... and being a jackass“ maria replied “Our leaders only allowed us artists one speech, and a small delegation. I can live with that. But if they want me to speak I will speak however I see fit. And yes I will get in trouble for this if you were wondering“ A few more chuckles and murmurs started among the crowd “I am know that whatever stylistic figures, whatever topic I can think of, someone else in this room will think of as well. The  Ka’ran are called the masters of Romance and yet some of their poets wrote works of horror I find exquisite.  The Hevar are proud of their odes and marching songs and yet I find their lullabies to be incredibly soothing. So I don’t see a point in pretending that you are going to find something new in our works.“

This statement caused shock, intrigue and utter confusion. Are humans really so self destructive they would sabotage their own nation for an act of defiance? But the whispers and murmurs didn’t bother John

“In our statues, in our poetry, in our novels or paining ... all the motives we use I have seen with one quick stroll trough this gallery. So on this day I claim every story ever told has already been told. we just mixed up the words a bit differently.

A silence fell upon the room

I am looking forward, my fellow delegates, to read how you layed out the words we use.“

*Tink* a sound of two crystals hitting each other was heard from the lower levels *tink* as John walked off the podium and the Veq delegacy tried to imitate human clapping with their christaline limbs. *tink,tink,tink* Soon the D’Dred joined in, followed by the Ka’ran and Hevra that John Mentioned. after a few seconds most of the delegates gave a hearty applause.

“Well...“ the  alien small alien from before stepped back on the podium. “... I guess that a lot of rumours about the humans are true. They certainly are unpredictable and reckless... But If more of them are like their delegation I can only imagine how their artwork looks like. I suggest we take a half hour break before we continue“ The rest of the festival passed in a breeze. with the human delegation being followed by numerous new fans wherever they went. after a week and the conclusion of the festival several species decided to take the “scenic rout home“ as Humans said. and stopped on Cyrenca prime, Nueva Galizza, Earth and other human worlds, buying novels, visiting art museums and observing statues... Jonathan Grace was financially penalized for his “insubordination”, but considering he refused to return to earth, proffering to travel the Worlds of the assembly in search of new ideas to write about, that debt was never prayed. _ _

If you managed to get this far congrats, and thanks for reading.

I wrote this because I’ve noticed a lot of stories under these tags ... even the 2 I wrote are always going towards military and conflict situations. SO I turned it around to something I like much more

[the-badger-mole]

A Toast To My Father

Bumi never considered himself to be strongly political. It might be strange for a military man, but he'd just never felt strongly one way or another about the big issues. As a non-bender born to the most famous (and until Tenzin, the only) air bender in the world, he'd never picked a side in the Equalist argument. It all seemed removed to him.

But today it didn't feel removed at all. Today he'd been confronted with it in the most intrusive way possible. Today he wished that all bending would leave the world forever. Today, he became the son Aang had always wanted him to be.

"Check this out!" Bumi glanced up in time to see a man- a boy really- take a deep breath and use it to lift himself several feet into the air before landing gracelessly at the feet of his friends, who all hooted and cheered and begged him to do it again. In his mind, Bumi could hear Tenzin scolding the fledgling airbender about using his powers frivolously. Never mind that Aang would probably have been cheering him on and showing off, too. Bumi snorted at the thought and brought his cup up to his lips.

The baijiu burned going down, and Bumi shut his eyes and imagined it burning through all of his chi points and killing whichever of them was responsible for giving him the powers his father always wanted for him. Aang hadn't seemed too interested in teaching his older two children the ways of the Air Nomads, especially not once Tenzin turned out to be an airbender, but the one thing he had always drilled into his children was the importance of spiritual balance was to the Air Nomads. That was why all Air Nomads were air benders (that couldn't be true, though, Bumi reflected. Surely Aang wasn't the first Air Nomad to have children with someone who wasn't an airbender. What happened to the non-airbending children in those families?). Aang never addressed the implication that his older two children had no claim to that part of their heritage since they weren't airbenders.

Well, Bumi reasoned as he poured himself another glass, if spiritual balance was necessary to bend air, he would just have to go about unbalancing himself. This seemed like a good place to start.

Bumi let out a tipsy hiccup and looked around the restaurant. He'd ordered the biggest steak they had, but he'd ordered it rare. Surely it shouldn't take this long for his order to come out. The smells coming from the kitchen were heavenly, and Bumi's mouth watered in anticipation. His mother always said that he'd inherited his uncle's appetite. As Sokka had been known to ingest obscene amounts of meat, Bumi was hoping that would prove true.

"Bumi?" The aging soldier turned to see who'd called him, and frowned in confusion. His vision swam distractingly, and it took a moment to recognize Korra standing in front of him.

"Well! Avatar Korra!" he greeted her a bit too boisterously. "What a treat."

"How's it going?" Korra shifted from foot to foot, looking slightly, but distinctly uncomfortable.

"How's it going?" Bumi let out a derisive snort. "Terrific! That's how it's going. Don't just stand there, join me."

"Oh..." Korra blinked in surprise, but took the seat across from Bumi.

"Do you drink baijiu?" he asked, signaling to a waiter to bring over an extra glass. "Or has my baby brother convinced you that it would mess with your precious airbending?" Korra started at the bitterness in Bumi's voice.

"I've actually never had it?" she confessed uncertainly.

"Well then, it's about time you tried it." Bumi filled up the cup the waiter brought over almost to the brim and shoved it at Korra before refilling his own.

"Is everything alright, Bumi?" Korra's brow drew down in concern. Bumi drank half of his glass before he replied.

"Ev'rything's marvelous," Bumi hiccupped. "We're celebrating."

"What are we celebrating?" Korra took a sip from her cup. The liquid burned and made her sputter, but she decided the taste was alright. The second sip went down much smoother.

"My dear, we are celebrating me becoming everything my sainted father wanted me to be," Bumi lifted his cup in the air in a toast. "After 60 some odd years, I've become a son my father can be proud of. Cheers to you, Dad! May you choke on it." Then Bumi brought the cup to his lips and drained the rest of it.

Korra stared at him across the table in shock, and Bumi began to wonder if he'd grown a second head. He reached up to feel for it, but his hand missed his shoulder. The baijiu was beginning to work, he thought happily.

"You...you don't want to be an airbender?" Korra shook her head in genuine confusion. "But this'll make your life so much better. You'll be able to travel easier once you get the hang of it."

"I could travel just fine by ship," Bumi snapped. "I have gotten along just fine without bending, thank you very much! I don't need it and I don't want it either!" Bumi snatched the bottle from the table and poured himself another glass.

"Bumi, maybe you've-" Korra started to reach across the table for the bottle, but Bumi held it out of her reach.

"Stop it!" He scowled at her darkly, but Korra wasn't sure he was actually seeing her anymore. "I'm fine. You know, you Avatars just think you know what's best for everyone. You have no right to make decisions for every person in the world. Being the bridge between the Spirit World and our doesn't make you gods, no matter what your little fan clubs say. You had no right to do this to me! None! I was happy with who I am. After all the years of wondering why my father couldn't love me for who I am. After all my life wanting him to forgive me for the crime of not being an airbender. I was happy! I was successful! I was glad to be free of Aang's disappointed expectations. And you-" Bumi jabbed his finger at Korra. "You went ahead and you ruined everything! You made me like...like him."

"Bumi, I..." Korra was at a loss for words. She shrugged helplessly. For all the time she'd spent living with Tenzin, she had hardly spent any with his older siblings. They visited only rarely, and never spent much time on the island. Korra had thought they were just busy. She had never suspected that Bumi held this much resentment for his father. For air bending in general.

Bumi rolled his eyes and reached out to refill Korra's cup, ignoring her protests. She hadn't taken more than a few sips, and Bumi spilled a bit in his quest to get her as drunk as he was. Bumi's order arrived then. A steak sizzling on a wheeled cart. It took two waiters to lift the heavy platter on to the table. Bumi moved his bottle and cup from the table and eyed his meal hungrily. He tucked a napkin into this neck and grinned at Korra.

"Think this'll be enough to make me to 'impure' to be an airbender?" he asked Korra.

[cupcakes4747]

Duplicity | I

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: slight profanity, cheating

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Genre: angst, fluff, father! au, husband! au

m a s t e r l i s t

You were filled with pride as you and your husband Taehyung applauded for your kids after their school choir concert was over. Your five year old daughter Soomi and her twin brother Jaemin had been working so hard practicing every day for their choir concert and tonight they did awesome and you felt very proud as a mom and so did Taehyung. Your beautiful kids ran up to you and you both had carried them and engulfed them in a big hug.

“We’re so proud of you! Both of you were amazing!” you congratulated.

“Yeah, you both are even better at singing than me,” Taehyung added and the kids giggled.

“Can we go out for pizza?” your Soomi asked, looking up at you with her big puppy dog eyes.

“Yeah, can we?” Jaemin added. You looked at Taehyung and he was also smiling widely, waiting for you to approve so he could get to eat pizza. Sometimes it felt like he was one of your kids instead of your husband.

“Okay fine, you kids earned it,” you gave in.

“YAY!!!” the three of them shouted in unison. You laughed at their cuteness. Before stepping into the car, Taehyung held open the door for you and gave you a quick peck on the cheek.

“Thank you, babe,” he said while still smiling widely.

The rest of the time was spent with the four of you having fun together as a family. You loved your husband so much and your kids just as much if not more. You loved your family and couldn’t have asked for a better one. You were completely satisfied with your life.

Later that night you were brushing your teeth after tucking your kids into bed and felt your husband hug you from behind.

“Tae, what are you doing? Let me brush.”

“But you’re so warm,” he said, his eyes still closed. You smiled and rested your head on his before continuing to brush. When you finished, Taehyung lifted you and threw you over his shoulder like you were a sack of potatoes.

“Ahh, Taehyung! I swear if you drop me, I’ll drop you off a cliff.” Taehyung laughed.

“Don’t worry. You have a muscular husband,” he said cockily. 

“Muscular my ass,” you muttered under your breath. But he still heard you and threw you on the bed.

“What did you say?” He started tickling the life out of you while you kept screaming at him to stop. “Shh, you’ll wake the kids up.” You gave him a deadpan look.

“Fuck you.” Taehyung giggled and brought you into a cuddling position. 

“I’m so tired, princess.”

“Yeah, me too. Being your wife is tiring,” you joked.

“Do you want me to start tickling you again?”

“No sorry sir.” You both burst into laughter. “Okay but seriously let’s sleep.” You turned around gave Taehyung a kiss. As you were drifting off to sleep you heard Taehyung whisper something into your ear.

“I love you so much, Princess.” 

“Yeah and then I drew a picture of a dinosaur and painted it purple but Jaemin said that dinosaurs weren’t purple so then…” your daughter rambled as you were walking both your kids home from school the next day. You had reached your apartment and the second you opened the door, your kids ran in, threw their backpacks to the ground, and ran to the kitchen to look for a snack. They’re just like me. You saw Taehyung’s keys on the counter. Taehyung’s here? That’s strange. He told me he had work today. You walked to your room to go change into some comfy clothes, but before you could open the door, you heard some noises coming from your bedroom. You pressed your ear to the door and could hear grunts and moans and a woman’s voice moaning Taehyung’s name. No, no, no this isn’t happening. You cracked open the door a couple inches you you could get a glimpse of what was going on and you saw Taehyung, your husband, fucking someone from work. Your heart felt like it stopped beating. You quietly closed the door and put on a happy face and went to the kitchen. 

“Kids, I’m going to drop you off at Jisoo’s house, okay?” you told them.

“Yay, I haven’t seen her in so long,” Jaemin declared, making you relieved that they weren’t asking any questions. Your friend Jisoo was very good with kids and Soomi and Jaemin were very fond of her. You quickly gave your best friend, Jisoo a call asking them if you could drop the kids over for some time. After she agreed and asked why, you told her you would explain everything later.

“There you are! What took you so long?” Jisoo greeted cheerfully after letting the three of you in her apartment. 

“There was quite a bit of traffic. Jisoo, do you mind putting on a movie for the kids so we can talk in private?”

“Sure,” Jisoo said nervously. She was put off by your serious face and tone and was worried something terrible had happened. 

After the kids had been set up with a movie and some snacks in the living room, you and Jisoo sat down in the bedroom and closed the door behind you.

“I’m a little worried, what’s going —” 

“Taehyung is having an affair,” you blurted out. Jisoo gasped and covered her mouth, unsure of what to say next. Just then you burst out into tears, trying to keep it as quiet as possible so the kids wouldn’t hear. Jisoo wrapped her arms around you and rested her head on your shoulder until you stopped crying. “I just don’t know what to do. Should I confront him? Should I ignore it? Should I divorce him? And what about the kids? What if this gets leaked to the media?” Jisoo nodded let out a big understanding sigh.

“This is an incredibly tricky situation. You really have to weigh your options carefully.”

“I can’t believe he would do this. I mean, we had the perfect relationship. I know he’s always been in love with me. How can someone so expertly fake the strong emotions he did?” 

“I think you need to take some time to relax and cool down,” Jisoo said softly while petting your hair, “After that, you’ll be able to make a rational decision. Don’t worry about Soomi and Jaemin. I’ll take care of them until you’re ready.” You were so grateful for Jisoo. Friends like this are hard to come by. You replied with a measly thank you before passing out into a deep sleep. All that crying must have tired you out.

~

You woke up to the sound of your phone ringing. You grabbed your phone and checked the caller ID. Taehyung. You gulped. Should I answer it? You decided against your better judgement and took the call.

“Hey, babe, where are you? Didn’t you go to pick up the kids?” You saw the time on your phone. It had been a little over two hours since the kids’ school ended and only now he noticed that you three hadn’t arrived yet. Duh. He has clearly been busy with something else. 

“I did,” you tried to respond, sounding as stable as you could. Taehyung was put off by the bluntness of your voice.

“O-ok...Where are you guys now?”

“I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” You hung up the phone and went to look for Jisoo, who was in the kitchen preparing dinner with the children, who were helping her. “Hey, Jisoo, I’m going to meet Taehyung real quick. I’ll be back in time for dinner.” You could see the questioning look on her face, like she wanted to know what was going on, but didn’t want to raise any alarm in front of the kids, so you gave her a knowing nod, signaling that you would explain everything later.

As you drove home, you were heartbroken. How could he do this to me? I thought he loved me. Am I not enough for him? But as your mind kept racing, the sadness started to convert to anger. That backstabbing asshole. Who the fuck does he think he is? I need to hurt him the same way he hurt me.

~

You were standing right outside your apartment, key in your hand hovering right in front of the lock. It seems that the boldness your anger provided you just faded from your body. All of a sudden, for some reason, you just wanted to run back into his arms, feeling warm and protected, and just forgive him. After all he is your husband and the father of your children. Maybe did it because he was just stressed at work. Maybe you both just weren’t as sexually compatible as you thought and that you shouldn’t take it personally. It would just be easier to let bygones be bygones and go back to being a happy family again. It’s interesting how no matter how wrong someone is, if we love them, we will always make excuses for them they don’t deserve. No. He doesn’t deserve a second chance. And I deserve a man who can at the very least stay faithful to me. You gathered every bit of strength you had and went into the house.

“Babe!” Taehyung greeted you excitedly as he got off the couch. You were irked, not knowing whether his excitement was genuine or fabricated. Was it ever genuine? He leaned in to hug you, but you warded him off. Taehyung looked at you inquisitively. 

“Where are the kids?”

“Don’t worry. The kids are fine. I came to talk to you.” He was taken aback by your sharp tone of voice. 

“Are you okay? What’s going on?” The thing that that drove you the most crazy was the fact that his concern sounded genuine. It was messing with your head. Does he actually care about me, or is he just a really good faker? You hoped it was the former, but you didn’t want to give him a second chance without earning it.

“What do you think is going on, Taehyung?” He looked at you blankly. 

“Babe, what are you talking about?” You looked him straight in the eyes.

“I think you know exactly what I’m talking about,” you whispered. A flash of panic spread across Taehyung’s face, before he quickly changed his expression to one of compassion.

“Baby,” he coaxed, “Is everything okay?” You were sure he was lying. His false concern was starting to creep on your nerves, but you brushed them off, wanting to maintain composure. He reached for your arm, but you pulled it away. “Can you tell me what’s going on?” he said sternly. You gave him a deadpan look.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” you said through gritted teeth. His face softened.

“Is it because of...” his voice trailed off, hoping you would understand what he was saying so he wouldn’t have to finish his sentence. You remained silent. You weren’t going to help him out. “Do you know?”

“Do I know about what, Taehyung?” you retorted.

“Who told you?” he whispered.

“Who told me about what, Taehyung. Just tell me what you mean.” You know exactly what he meant, but you wanted to hear him say it. Him admitting to it was the only way you could even consider forgiving him.

“Nothing. Nothing important. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Your heart dropped to your stomach. You were sure he knew what you were referring to, but he chose to keep it secret, betting his odds that you both were talking about different things.

“What were you doing at 4pm today?”

“I don’t know, probably working.”

“Really.”

“Yes, babe. I don’t know what you’re getting at.” You sensed a tone of annoyance in his voice.

“Because I stopped by with the kids around that time and witnessed something entirely different.” Taehyung’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?” he whispered. You gave him a knowing look and Taehyung at once knew the charade was over. “Babe,” he said in a low voice, “Let’s sit down and talk.”

“No, I’m actually about to head out. I really don’t want to be around you right now.”

“When did you see it? I didn’t hear you come home.”

“Doesn’t matter, Taehyung. You cheated on me. How long has this been going on?” The blood drained from Taehyung’s face now that the elephant in the room had finally been addressed.

“I promise, this hasn’t been going on long. It was a mistake and I’m so, so sorry.” You rolled your eyes in order to mask the fact that you actually wanted to cry. “Really, it was a moment of weakness and I regret it so much. It will never happen again.”

“You shouldn’t have done it in the first place,” you retorted.

“Honey, whatever happens in our marriage, we can work it out.”

“We don’t have to work it out. Our lawyers can do that for us.” Taehyung stared at you, not understanding the implication. “I’m leaving you, Taehyung.” Through gritted teeth, you forced out the last few words before you stormed out of the apartment, “And I will see to it that you will never see your children ever again.” Before you could see his reaction, you slammed the door and ran to your car so he couldn’t catch up with you.

[itsmeevie01]

Bio!Dad Bruce Day 14-Gala (Part 1)

ummm hi? i just wanted to give yall a huge heads up that this IS part one of two, and part two will be added when i have time to go back and finish. both my computer and my phone are acting up, and my tablet has a faulty keyboard. that said, im going to work to get things back on track. 

Two days after Christmas, the manor was buzzing with activity. The Kents had arrived the day before, and now everyone was prepping for the annual Winter Gala. Marinette was standing in her room, hands on her hips, glaring at her father as he tried to convince her that no, Marinette, the gala is not that big of a deal. down the hall, Tim and Damien helped Alfred sort through the myriad of suits and other formal wear that the siblings would be wearing the next night. Jason had left on ‘business’, while Dick was watching over the people brought into finish decorating for the occasion. Once the boys’ clothing had been sorted, Alfred moved on to check on Cass who had been studiously avoiding all activity related to the Gala.

In the Crewe Group Chat

Kim: Mari, when do you get back in town??

Chlo: M, there’s damage control to do, do you want me to wait for you?

Max: Marinette, you may want to check your Instagram. I know that you avoid social media in Gotham but…

Chlo: MARINETTE CHENG-WAYNE

Chlo: Pick up your phone

Chlo: MARI

Alix: Chloe, chill.

Alix: there’s only so much we can do if she’s busy today.

Kim: we need to take care of this somehow though.

Alix: do we have ANY OTHER WAY to contact m?

Adrien: why do I feel like I’m missing something very important?

Max: have you checked the news lately?

Adrien: I only really check AkumaWatch, why?

Max: check international news

Adrien: is… is this what I think it is? (Attached is a screenshot of international gossip. At the top of the page is a picture of two teens in hoodies moving away from an airport. They are dragging suitcases and have their heads down to avoid attention. The boy’s hood is thrown back, and his well-known blue eyes are glaring at the photographer. Above it is the title has Timothy Drake-Wayne finally found love? The second screenshot is from farther down the article where there is a picture of Cassandra Cain-Wayne, Damien Wayne and Marinette hurrying along a sidewalk completely bundled up. The caption reads could this be Tim Drake-Wayne’s mystery girl? Who is she?)

Chlo: YES

Chlo: and its gala day so she’s going to be busy af anyways.

Adrien: What do you mean its Gala day? There’s only one Gala today?

Chlo: Duh. Mari is going.

Chlo: Keep up, Adrikins.

Alix: oh god

Alix: does anyone know how her dress turned out? She had been freaking out about it last I heard, and we all know how much M puts by first impressions.

Adrien: Ok, I’m still really confused? There’s only one Gala today? The Wayne Winter Charity Gala, which is really exclusive and a huge to-do? What Gala is Marinette going to???

Nino: dude

Nino: please

Nino: don’t be oblivious.

Mari: what did I miss?

Chlo: DID YOU SEE THE NEWS?????

Mari: um…yes? Jason has been having a ball with all the press. Why?

Chlo: I thought you were trying to be low key?

Mari: tonight

Chlo: IM SORRY??? WHY AM I ONLY HEARING ABOUT THIS NOW????

Alix: well, it’s a good thing you have so many influential friends who keep ending up at the same Galas as you, Mari

Adrien: ok, I’m still confused

Chlo: your going to the Winter Gala, right?

Adrien: yeah? We go every year. The only entertaining part is the fact that the Wayne kids always fight. Otherwise it’s all snobby rich people.

Chlo: I’m taking offence to that, since Alix and I have also been going for years.

Alix: seconded

Mari: to be fair, you both tend to hide away and prank people

Adrien: wait. That was you two?

Adrien: And Marinette, how do you know that?

Mari: omg

Mari: I give up sdjkgb

Class Group Chat

Lila: guys! My friend reached out to me…

Alya: wait! Which friend? Is it…?

Lila: yes! Its Maralynn! She’s sooooo excited about her family Gala tonight!

Alix: Maralynn?

Lila: ok, you didn’t hear it from me, but that mystery girl? Seen at the airport with THE Tim Wayne? That’s her! They’re actually twins!

Chloe: oh! That means that Alix, Adrien and I will see her tonight! Its so cool that she trusts you not to reveal who she is…. (:

Marinette: lol isn’t Twitter convinced that she’s dating Tim? AWKWARD

Lila: Maralynn told me that it wasn’t worth it to go after the rumors. I’m trying to respect her decision.

Rose: that’s so sweet, Lila! I didn’t know that you knew the Waynes!

Lila: I don’t know ALL of them, just Maralynn! We were at boarding school together in Italy for a few years.

Marinette: OH WOW

Nino: Chloe, Alix, your going to have to tell us what you think of her?

Lila: oh yes! And if you see my boyfriend, send my love!

Chloe:…BOYFRIEND???

Lila: oh? You didn’t know? Tim and I have had a thing for a while

Marinette: oh really? Chloe, you’ll have to pass on that she’s thinking of him tonight!

Lila: I mean… not if you don’t want to! I wouldn’t want to be a bother on GALA night!

Chloe: if I see him, it won’t be a bother at all Lila!

Marinette shook her head and set her phone down as the class chat continued to blow up. As much as she loved Chloe, she knew that the girl was instigating Lila for fun. When everything blew up, Marinette wanted to be able to stand back and watch the fire burn, but not be close enough to get burned. When she turned in her room, the garment bag in the corner caught her eye. Inside, Marinette knew, was a long black dress. When she had run the design past Alfred, the English man had given her an approving nod. Later, she had heard him mentioning to her father that at least one of his myriad of children would be able to dress themselves. The comment had made the teen giggle and she had made sure to put every effort she could into the gown. More than anything, she wanted to make her family proud. A knock on the door drew her attention and she turned to find Cass standing there, her own gown held in its own garment bag.

“get ready? Together?” the noirette lit up at her older sister’s suggestion and she nodded excitedly. The other girl moved into the room and hung the bag in her arms over the wardrobe next to Marinette’s. after she had deposited her shoes, the older teen turned to her sister and smiled.

By the time that Tim came to check on them, both girls had finished their Makeup and were working on hair. The makeup artist that Bruce had hired was packing up her stuff and the hair stylist was partway through Cass’s hair. Marinette turned towards her brother with a smile from where she was standing in front of the hidden dresses. “lend me a hand?” He smirked at the frustration on her face.

“Gladly, Little Bit. Which one is yours?” when the girl nodded to the larger of the two bags, Tim frowned. “how big exactly is your dress?”

“Big enough for me to need help getting it on. Its not that it’s exactly heavy either! Its just…poofy?” he laughed at Marinette’s rush to explain and helped her pull the bag off of the dress. When the dress was no longer hidden, his breath caught. The black dress was stunning. He could see where it moved from black to grey to blue at the bottom, and the long full sleeves followed the same style. Hanging on the hanger behind the dress was a black hoop, and a pair of low heels (as tall as Bruce would allow, actually. He had to remind her ten times that although this was a high society event, she was still 14, and didn’t need to be dressing like she was 20.) sat under the layers of the dress. Where he had been expecting glitter and sparkles, Tim was surprised to find that the satin was free of almost anything that glittered.

“wow” Marinette laughed at his reaction and reached for the hoop.

“I know, right? It took forever, but its totally worth it! And, it’s the designers first attempt at this kind of formal. I think she did a great job.” Tim paused at that.

“LB, hey,” his sister tensed at the abbreviation for her nickname before she turned to him. “who exactly designed your dress?”

“Oh, just a small up and coming designer. You wouldn’t have heard of her.” Cass sniggered from her spot by the vanity and Marinette shot their sister a smile. “ok! Let me get the slip on, and then after the hoop is on top, ill need your help with making sure the skirt fits right.”

Marinette would not be over exaggerating if she said that the red carpet was incredibly chaotic. The only thing she could think of that was more chaotic was perhaps the last time Jagged had held a concert in Paris. After she had made it through the gaggle of reporters and the public (was that Mr. Kent, SUPERMAN, she saw standing in the crowd calling out questions? Dam that man was everywhere.) the teen dropped her purse, that held an extra set of shoes, in her seat. The rest of the family wouldn’t be in for a bit. Her father, Dick, and Damien would all be in the receiving line Alfred would be behind the scenes all night, and Tim was already striking up discussions with business partners. Cass was on the other side of the room, looking stunning in her deep blue dress. When her sister had approached her, through her website, about the dress the teen had squealed at the idea of designing the close-fitting dress for her only sister. A Blonde caught her eye and pulled the noirette out of her thoughts. The familiar girl who was making her way over had abandoned her trademarked blues and yellows in favor of a deep red that matched the garnets littering her jewelry. A few steps behind her was another teen close to Marinette’s age with a pink pixie cut slicked down. The other teen was wearing a suit that had perfect tailoring…actually, that was Marinette’s suit. The girl laughed as Chloe and Alix joined her, the shortest of the three standing in the middle to draw attention to her suit.

As the girls caught up, they scanned the ballroom. On the other side, Tim was starting to look frazzled, while Marinette thought she saw Jason slip in past one of the servers. opposite them, Damien and Dick were starting to mingle while Bruce moved to greet the Kents. As she swept her gaze over the room, Marinette blinked. There, looking straight at her was-

“oh no, its Adrien. Chloe I love you and all, but if that boy causes a scene tonight…” Chloe waved away Alix’s worries.

“I already told him to be on his best behavior. I am personally more interested in when Felix will get here. For all his big talk about transferring to a private school in Paris, I won’t believe it until the brat comes to see me.” The group stifled their laughter at Chloe’s put out response.

“as long as he doesn’t come over asking about everything going on, we should be good.” Marinette nodded at Alix’s statement on Adrien.  

Look for Part 2 soon! if yall have any thoughts, i’d LOVE to hear them, since i have the basic plot down and im fleshing it out now...

[thiefswathe]

#FFxivWrite 2021    Prompt #1 // Foster

  ' Steady, now. Take aim. '

  It is just him and the stag — alone together in the dense green of the Twelveswood. The Keeper boy's ears swivel and turn around him, listening out as his leonine tail steadies and stills. He's balanced. Quiet.

  'You've practiced this. Y'know what to do.'

  The air is so thick with fog, he can hear the wood of the arrows clinking together inside the loose quiver as he draws back his arm. The season was deep in autumn. Still lush in its verdant, but now the leaves had begun to turn to bright yellows and oranges. The cold was settling in. Food was getting harder to find.

  'You've almost got it, Co'to. Just a little more...'

  Eyes bright as moonlight left the steady gait of the stag scavenging for his own meal. Instead, they looked to the creek, the glinting water from what few beams of sunlight broke through the trees. He needs to focus! Antelope was fleet of foot, Da told him. How many stripes had this one had? One, two...

  '— now!' And he feels his fingers loose on the bowstring. 

  A miss.

  The prominent horns of a great stag turned and met eyes with the boy long enough to sense the danger, and he's gone. Long gone, leaving behind the tremble of a half-eaten shrub.

  A heavy hand comes to ruffle the grey hair of the small kit holding the bow. The arrow… what arrow? It hardly made it but a few fulms away, veering off to the left. The boy had been hungry, distracted, but now...?

  A boy was angry.

  "That's not fair! You distracted me!" He shoves the figure behind him. Once. Twice! And with his ears back and tail lashing, he growls— "I could've HAD it this time —could've HAD IT!!!"

  "Yea — ? Then why didn't you?" The quirk of a grey brow lifts as he peers down at the child. "Th'Shroud's full of distractions. And every time, you always fail. Wonder why that is..." No point in standing around wondering. The figure turns, tugging the front of the boy's tunic.

  "Come. We'll miss th'caravan if we wait too long..."

  "— Co'a !!!"

  The young man stopped and turned back to witness the boy throwing the bow down onto the ground. Oh. Oh, this ought to be good. The older clanskeeper crosses his arms, "—throwin' a fit, are we?" A short breath draws inward, and he can smell the smoke of the campfires growing weaker. They must have been put out, meaning they wouldn't have much time. The hunt was never meant to take this long, anyhow.

  But a child like this one cares not for the essence of timeliness. In fact, he's resolute in consuming every last bit of it. The young Keeper then threw his quiver from off his shoulder, handmade arrows scattering as he kicked them in defiance. Hard.

  "Keep at it. Go on. You'll earn yer marks behavin' no less like a foolish tickwomp, for sure! How proud our mother'll be..."

  "I hate you. You're always PICKIN' on me!"

  "Am not!" He’s almost offended. Almost. "I'm tryin' to help you."

  A low growl, the stomp of an angry foot. "Gobshite! You're doin' it jus' t'be mean! Jus’ like you always do!" And now an angry boy is picking up an angry-looking rock.

  But the older Miqo'te was not afraid. Nor was he impressed. Amused, though? Amusement brings a laugh. Louder now when the boy rears his arm back with the intent to toss it. The young man who had aimed to be his target had seen over twenty summers and more than a few spats of combat and this angry little boy-child expects him to be afraid of a rock? A grey mark, proud and adorning his face, tattooed stretched across his cheek. And he calls attention to it with the tap of a finger.

  "Y'want your marks, Nico'to, you'll need to earn 'em. Ain't not a soul born in our clan who hasn't. Y'think I do it just so I can pick on you? Quite wrong you are." But Nico'a won't explain why. Not today. Gesturing to the strewn arrows. "Come… we'll practice again next time we make camp. New lands, new game." The hour was getting late anyhow. "Pick those up. Can't afford to waste 'em."

  Whether the boy followed or not... well, he had to, didn't he? Couldn't risk being left behind. He tried to defy, tried to stand his ground, but Co'to stood there long enough to drop the rock, begrudgingly lifting his bow and the bundle of arrows to stuff back into his quiver, kicking up the mud that had left his footprints before following his brother into the grass.

  They weren't too far off from their camp, but the trees in this part of the Shroud were so dense that it would be as if nightfall had come by the time they arrived. The ashen boy eventually caught up with his elder brother, who laughed once more, now putting an arm around him— "Little brother..."  

  ...Only to have it shoved off. "Don't touch me," the boy hisses. Though he may be small, a boy is fierce, and his words are bitter like poison.

  “Be angry all you like Co'to, but if our father saw you actin' a fool, he's not gonna take you to hunt. Now just imagine what our mother'll say, then..."

  "I don't care."

  "You will...~"

  "—Will not!"

  "I promise you. You will." And he means it, stopping dead in his tracks and kneeling down to better meet the boy, eye to eye, on his level. He turned Co'to by his bony shoulders to better face him. This was serious now, his ears falling back. "You have to. Ma said that we have to focus on gettin' our lands back if we have any chance at takin' back th'South. That means we won't be goin' on anymore hunts with Da. No more trips to Coerthas. No more ceremonies or childishness. No more whimsy, Co'to. You have t'grow up for a while now. We're in conflict with our enemies, you understand?"

 Oh yes. The boy understands. Better than most his age. Having a Matriarch for a mother meant that the world's weight held heaviest a burden to the family she leads. So, as angry as the boy wanted to be, his head falls, ears wilting. Co'a didn't need to see that his expression had softened beyond that mess of unruly grey as he turned his head away from him. But these boys were not weak, nor did they hide. So Co'a was there to bring those eyes right back.

  "Say it. Say it true. What's got you so angry?"

  A small sigh, "... Do we really need to leave? This territory is unclaimed, ain't it? Why can't we just make it ours?"

  "Because it's not home." And it's not unclaimed. "Y'know this..."

  "No, I don't! I barely remember home. I just remember it burning."

  "—And if we don't stop moving, the Trappers will just burn us out of this place, too. Same as last time." And the one before that. Co'a would have been surprised if Co'to could recall the wetlands or the great lake. Unfortunately, such was the case for most of the younger children. Clan Tjahaar had not held territory in the South in so many Turns; it was becoming something of a far-off distant memory. Even for him and his eldest sisters. 

  But that was soon about to change. The elder brother drew in a breath, releasing the somber expression he wore, "Y'didn't get the childhood I had. All this moving and poachin'. It's not how it's supposed to be. So that's why I have to be tough on you. And I'm only tough on you because there's still a chance that you can someday."

  Co'a rises, lifting Co'to so that they could move quickly as one. Another moon and the boy would be eight. He was getting too big to carry like this. They spent the remaining trip in silence, cautious in their journey back to where the camp had been established.

 But they wouldn't get far before the pair would need to hide. The sound of a movement not far from them sent the Keeper pair to the ground. Co'a kept the kit tucked safely against his broad chest. Ears up, mouths quiet.

  It's a language that neither of them knew, but only one could recognize. Co'a raised his head to peer up above the grass. They hadn't been seen. Not yet. A soft rumble in his throat, the purr of Huntspeak, "[It's the enemy...]"

  "[Trappers?]"

  "[No. Garlean...]" Enemy of the Wood. He very quietly rests his brother to the ground, letting him move out from under him to see the soldier in the distance. It's faint, but he's there. "See him?"

  Co'to had to follow his brother's finger as he pointed, but sure enough, he could see. They found themselves spying upon a patrolman. Adorned in fancy clothes and a sword on his back. Red. He stands out far clearer than any stag with all that unnatural red and black.

  Was this another test...? Nico'to was already drawing an arrow from his quiver. "I can hit him from here—!"

  "—Don't." A fast hand brings that bow back down. Co'a kept his eyes searching. So soon as the patrolman turned his back, the boys continued to move through the tall grass. "Your arrows won't pierce anything more than a stag's hide. Besides, there could be others. We must return an' inform Ma—"

  The hefty stomp of a large boot as they left the grass brought Co'a to realize that he had missed two imperials who now stood before him and his kit brother. Well...

  "...Shite." So much for a lesson in distractions. With no time to react, he slowly the older Keeper raised his hands in mock surrender as the soldiers began speaking. Neither of them could understand, not like they could understand much of what either of the boys could say, either.

  But wasting no time once Co'to was on his feet, Nico'a stood with him, snatching up his bow and a handful of arrows, and it is with fierceness and immediate reflex of a Keeper bowmaster that he draws back, letting loose one deadly arrow after the next. He's aiming for the nearest open space as they draw out their weapons — finding it high on the soldiers' throats.

  "Run, Nico'to! Run!!"

[mollymauk-teafleak]

The Problem with Magic Markers

Soooo Critical Role campaign 2 just ended, I've got major brain rot over it and my wonderful gf gave me a wonderful idea for a fic so! This happened! A gift to @spiky-lesbian who came up with this adorable concept and is just generally an all round wonderful person who deserves the world. Also huge thanks to my ever patient, ever helpful beta reader @minky-for-short

If you liked it too, please reblog and leave a comment over on Ao3!

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Mollymauk is so proud of Caleb in so many ways and, now they have their lovely lives with their wonderful children, he finds more reasons to be every day.

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Mollymauk Tealeaf had learned many things since he’d become a parent, now five years ago. A short amount of time, he’d used to think, but plenty of time to obtain a lot of knowledge you never thought you were ever going to need in your life.

Like how sandwiches cut into triangles were disgusting but sandwiches cut into squares could be eaten by the hundreds. Like how to make a bath appealing to a toddler with the liberal addition of bubble bath and a willingness to get absolutely soaked playing Sharks with them. Like how a scraped knee and bumped forehead could be cured with his cuddles and kisses alone, like how a promise from him that everything was going to be okay was enough to make it so.

And how silence was very, very worrying.

So when Mollymauk walked past his son and daughter’s room and heard only silence, when he knew for a fact they were in there, he stopped dead. He put any thoughts of getting to go and spend some time with his sewing kit out of his mind. Because he’d been a parent long enough to know that something was up, two five year olds weren’t that silent unless some game was afoot, something they didn’t want their parents to know about. Which meant he should probably at least poke his nose in.

So he knocked lightly on their door, the one covered in whichever drawings they were most proud of that week and a hand painted sign Jester had made for them the day they were born, prettily proclaiming ‘Trinket and Una’s Room!’ amongst a flock of miniature unicorns.

“Sweetlings?” he called gently, “Mind if I come in?”

There was a sudden scrabbling from behind the door and he heard a muffled grunt from Una before Trinket answered hurriedly, “Um...yes! Okay daddy!”

Raising a curious eyebrow, Molly pushed the door back, disturbing the usual scattering of toys left on the floor like the aftermath of a felt based battle. Although it did seem like there was more mess than usual…

Trinket stood in the middle of the room between their two little beds, his backpack at his feet and an expression of perfect innocence on his face that was just a little too polished to be anything but an act. Molly had to admit he’d probably learned that from him.

“Well hello there, little man,” he leaned in the doorway, smiling crookedly, “What game are we playing today?”

Trinket shuffled his feet, “Um...packing?”

“That sounds like a fun game,” Molly’s gentle concern upgraded to full blown wariness, “And where’s your sister?”

Trinket turned a deeper shade of purple, looking down at his fidgety feet that were poking more holes in his innocence by the second, “Um...she...um…”

Which was the point Una helpfully chose to poke her little head out of the backpack, dark eyes blinking curiously and ears flapping, trilling, “Here daddy!”

Trinket flushed guiltily, frowning at her, “Una! I said you had to stay shh!”

Molly took a breath, wandering over to sit down on Trinket’s bed. As his eyes swept around the room, he noted a great deal more chaos in the room. Almost like someone had been going through the toy box and the drawers and bookshelves, hurriedly pulling things out, making quick decisions about what to abandon and what to stuff into a little blue, dinosaur patterned backpack. Molly supposed he should at least be grateful that Trinket saw his sister as worth taking.

“Why don’t you talk to me, babies?” he offered gently.

Trinket swallowed, eyes darting around nervously before the last of the fight went out of his narrow little shoulders and he mumbled, “Daddy...can I tell you a secret?”

Molly had to smile. This was almost a running joke between the three of them, his kids running up excitedly to tell him they had a secret for him before whispering into his ear about some apparently very cool bug they’d seen or that Uncle Caddy had snuck them an extra cookie or that he was the best daddy ever. He loved being brought into their world where everything was brighter and more exciting and there was fun to be found in the smallest things. And where everything was felt so much more keenly.

“Of course you can, sweetling,” he murmured gently, patting the bed beside him, “You can always tell me secrets. Whatever it is, I promise we can make it better together.”

As Una rolled out of the backpack, apparently unconcerned and rather enjoying herself, Trinket clambered up beside him and stood so he could whisper into his ear. Molly tucked his purple curls behind one ear, smiling encouragingly.

Voice already trembling, Trinket leaned in and murmured, “I messed up Papa’s coat.”

Molly absorbed that in silence, feeling his son’s anxious red eyes on him. He leaned back, keeping his face carefully neutral before taking a long, deep breath through his nose, marshalling his thoughts.

“Trinket, I’m not going to lie to you here. We might be in trouble.”

His opinion didn’t change when he actually saw the coat. The coat his husband had been wearing as long as he’d known him and refused to be regularly seen without, no matter how many attempts Molly had made to buy him a newer, less ragged, less musty smelling version. It was more a comfort blanket than just clothing, stained and scorched from numerous spells and spills, old leather worn shiny from overuse. He hadn’t said so in so many words but it didn’t take a genius to guess that Caleb had worn it since before he came to the city. Which meant it had probably come from his parents. And though it was old and faded and stained today, it must have been new when he got it, a costly garment for people like the Ermendruds. The sort of gift that would only be given if your only son was leaving home to join the Academy and wanted to show him how proud you were.

A lot of Caleb’s life was like that. Even as his husband, Molly found himself having to piece things together from passing comments and turns of phrase, things that dulled his love’s eyes and tightened his jaw. Molly had about a quilt and a half’s worth of assumptions and semi-finished anecdotes by this point, telling of a sad and fractured timeline.

But he knew enough to see what the coat meant to Caleb and the place it held in his husband’s black and white, yes or no, yours and mine way of thinking.

The coat that now had a minor gallery’s worth of doodles and drawings scribbled in magic marker across the sleeves and all the way down the back. And if he wasn’t comfortable with Molly washing the thing, he wasn’t going to be okay with this.

Trinket had been fretfully watching his daddy since he’d first pulled the coat out from where he’d guiltily stashed it under his bed. As Molly’s mutely horrified silence dragged on, he only became more and more anguished until he was barely in tears, wringing his tail between his pudgy fists.

“I only wanted to make it pretty,” he whimpered, “Papa will hate me. I won’t be his special boy any more.”

Molly looked up at him, reaching out and putting his hand on Trinket’s shoulder, “Oh sweetling, your papa loves you a lot, you know this isn’t going to change that.”

But he couldn’t stop thinking about the times he’d picked up a pen from Caleb’s desk without thinking much of it, doodling with it until he’d looked up to see his husband gaping at him in scandalised horror. Or the times he’d stolen sips from Caleb’s drink when they were at the cafe, the same way he’d do to any of his friends, but Caleb would frown if he caught him, unable to understand why Molly was taking his coffee?

It was just part of the way his brain functioned, the rules it spat out after absorbing years of poverty and trauma, along with some different wiring that had simply occurred naturally. Mollymauk had learned a long time ago how to fondly work with these Caleb-isms, making concessions where it was best to and encouraging his wizard to gentle the restrictions his brain built when he needed to. It was like tending some kind of creeping vine in a garden, the way he saw it. Sometimes things needed moving aside so it could flourish and sometimes it needed pruning so it didn’t strangle the flowers around it. Caleb had been as brave as Mollymauk could have wished in managing his idiosyncrasies and sometimes he just had to sit back and admire how different the Caleb he lived with today was from the anxious, mumbling wizard he’d first met.

But how much patience he’d be able to muster when it was one of his favourite things in the world, Molly couldn’t say. But he wasn’t looking forward to telling him about it.

“Should I go?” Trinket’s lower lip wobbled, glancing back at his half packed bag, which Una was back inside, the front half this time as she munched away on some snack he must have stashed in there.

“Absolutely not, your papa would never want that,” Molly squeezed his shoulder gently, “We’re going to put the coat in to soak so we can get all this ink out and then we’re going to find him and I’ll tell him what’s happened. But you need to be the one who says sorry, okay?”

Trinket nodded frantically, still clinging onto his tail for comfort, “I am sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”

“I know, buddy,” Molly drew him close and hugged him tight, hating to see him so upset, “But we’ll be laughing about this before long, you’ll see.”

Maybe if he said it confidently enough, he’d start to believe it too.

Caleb wasn’t hard to find for a number of reasons. For one, their apartment was very small and there were only a handful of rooms to look in. But more importantly, it was late afternoon on a day where Caleb didn’t have any reason to go down to the Academy and fulfill his duties as an adjunct professor and when his bookshop was closed, as it was once a week. Which meant there was only one place he would be, in his half of their spare room, either playing one of his video games or reading.

Molly wasn’t quite sure what they’d do when one of their kids decided they wanted their own room and were tired of sharing, meaning Caleb would have to store his books and he’d have to store his sewing somewhere else. Or if they had another kid. He’d been toying with that idea in the back of his mind lately.

Maybe best not to float that idea with Caleb right after this.

Mollymauk could feel Trinket in his arms, his offer to pick him up and carry him having been immediately, breathlessly accepted. He could sense him getting more tense, more anxious, growing heavier against him as Molly knocked lightly on the door.

“Ja, come in,” Caleb’s response was immediate, not even needing to ask who it was or having to pause over whether he wanted to see them.

When Molly went in, Caleb was in the old, ratty wingback chair they’d liberated from some sidewalk when they’d first moved in, Molly announcing teasingly that a future professor needed some grand leather throne from which to smoke a pipe and pontificate. Caleb had blushed and rolled his eyes, not even believing back then that one day he would get the job he’d always dreamed of having, thinking trauma and past hurts had stolen it from him.

So now Molly always got a small flush of pride when he saw his Caleb sitting in that chair.

His hair was getting a little longer these days, it’s auburn tangles pulled into a small knot at the crown of his head so it wouldn’t fall in his eyes. His beard was growing a little thicker too, more than the usual rusty shadow that dusted his jawline. Molly absolutely was not going to be complaining about any of that, he liked his husband looking a little more rough around the edges like when they’d first met.

As soon as he saw them, Molly with Trinket balanced on one hip, Caleb’s face lit up with a smile. His smiles had been rare once upon a time but now just the sight of his family was enough.

“Hello,” he set the book he’d been reading to one side, already expecting Trinket to want to sit on his lap like always, “How are my loves?”

Near Molly’s ear, Trinket whimpered mournfully and pressed his face against his daddy’s neck. It was more than an ache to listen to, Trinket idolised his papa, following him around whenever he could, listening devotedly as he explained his work even when it wandered far off the track that his little mind could understand. Molly had no doubt the attempt to brighten up his coat had been a genuine attempt to make him smile and he couldn’t imagine how much it was hurting his little boy, to think he’d upset the man he looked up to more than anyone.

Caleb’s smile dulled a little, seeing Trinket hesitate, immediately realising they weren’t here for playtime, “What’s wrong?”

Molly exhaled slowly, carefully keeping his voice calm and level, “It’s okay babe, Trinket just...did something he wants to apologise for.”

“Oh?” Caleb frowned a little, eyes still fixed on Trinket, arms still open.

Molly opened his mouth, ready to do the hard part but before he could, Trinket bolted upright and tearfully burst out, “I wanted to make your coat pretty because you always like my pictures and I thought you could take them everywhere not just in your pockets but I made a mess and I’m so sorry papa! I’m really sorry!”

For a moment both of his parents were a little stunned, not quite sure what to say as his rambles tapered off into spluttery sobs. Molly warily glanced at Caleb, looking for any change in his blank, closed off expression, any flicker of discomfort, even anger.

After a few beats, ones that felt longer than usual, Caleb only nodded, getting to his feet. Gently, he reached over and put a gentle hand on his son’s face, catching some of the tears dribbling down his cheek on his thumb.

“Little Kätzchen, it’s alright,” he murmured softly, “Please don’t cry.”

Trinket sniffled, blinking blearily, “You’re not angry? Don’t want me to go away?”

Caleb’s eyebrows shot up in alarm, “No! Oh, Trinkie, absolutely not. I’d never want that.”

“But…” Trinket’s eyes were wide, hopeful, wanting to take this relief being offered but hesitant to, “It’s your favourite thing in the whole wide world…”

Caleb chuckled quietly, his smile back with all it’s warmth as he leaned in and kissed his forehead.

“Kätzchen, you and your sister are my favourite thing in the whole wide world.”

Molly nearly yelped in panic as he felt the weight of Trinket suddenly leave his arms before realising his son had thrown himself at Caleb, locking his arms around him tightly. He didn’t doubt for a moment that his husband would catch him, only smiling fondly as he gathered Trinket close and buried his face in his hair.

“It’s all okay,” Caleb whispered against the rust red curls he’d given their son, “It’s okay, little one.”

Molly let them have their moment, letting Trinket cry the last of his tears out happily against his papa’s chest, hanging back and feeling his heart thudding warmly against his ribs. Eventually he was their beaming, bright little boy again, if a little damp, wriggling down from Caleb’s arms determinedly after one last little kiss against his papa’s cheek.

“I’m gonna make you a sorry card. The best sorry card ever,” he promised Caleb, already toddling towards the door, “It’s gonna have glitter.”

“Wow, that kid is definitely my son,” Molly observed wryly once his little lavender tail had disappeared around the corner.

“Then you can clean up the mess he’s definitely about to make,” Caleb chuckled, moving into his husband’s arms.

“Hey,” Molly kissed the crown of his head gently, “Well done. I know that must have been hard for you and...I’m really proud of you.”

He couldn’t see it but he could hear the coy smile in his voice, “Well...I meant what I said. Some coat is never going to be more important to me than my kids.”

Molly smiled knowingly, “I know baby….but you know, if you want to scream into that cushion for a little while, that’s okay too?”

There was a short pause before he felt Caleb’s shoulders drop in relief.

“Thank you, Katze…”

“Is it done yet?”

Molly had to fight a smile. He’d explained to Caleb that soaking his coat would take exactly thirty minutes, knowing his husband fixated on time easily, but still he asked every five minutes on the dot. He’d expected nothing less.

“Not just yet, babe,” he repeated, as he had all of those other times, looking up from the laundry they’d been folding so Caleb would have an excuse to hover anxiously in the laundry room, over the tub of hot soapy water and a little rubbing alcohol his coat was submerged in, “Soon though.”

Caleb gave a small grunt, poking a finger into the water curiously like it was some potion he was working over. After a moment, before Molly could turn back to folding the clothes, he frowned.

“This sleeve isn’t in the water…”

Molly’s smile turned crooked, coming over and putting a hand on Caleb’s before he could move the one sleeve into the tub, “I thought maybe you’d want to look at it...decide if you want to keep that one.”

Caleb blinked, not understanding until he turned it a little and saw the drawing his Trinket had chosen to adorn the sleeve with. It was done in bright red, standing clearly against the dark fabric, unmistakable a child’s drawing. There were four figures there, two taller and two smaller. The first had a set of horns drawn a little too large for it’s head, as well as a tail. The second had a long scarf and a scrawled head of shoulder length hair. The next was much smaller, with another set of horns and a tail but the same scribbled hair. And the last was tiny, with voluminous ears and spikes on the end of it’s fingers. All of them had immense smiles and held hands, a lopsided love heart hovering above them.

As the other scribbles and swirls turned into formless ink in the water, Caleb held this one like it was the most precious thing he’d ever seen in his life.

“Yeah,” he murmured, smiling softly, “I think this one can stay.”