#i know her parents are gonna show up at some point in game and it will be the first time the coterie sees her cry

[kentuckycaverats]

Your script for Del's Embrace was wonderfully crafted. As cliche of a compliment as it may be to give, the imagery put forward was powerful enough to both imagine everything and keep up with the weight of what was happening seamlessly and immediately. It normally takes a little while, for me at least, to get into the thick of things when starting to read something new. Not the case here at all.

Did Del lose any of her Humanity over the death of her namesake?

thank you so much!! that means a lot to me, i really love the script format and im glad it works visually in other people's heads too ✨️

the short answer is yes! the long answer is:

she lost a Ton of humanity, essentially all at once; over the real delphine's death, over diablerizing sabina and absorbing part of her fucked up soul as an unknown consequence, over abandoning her other touchstones (her parents), and over having the blood leech predator type. (c'mon, between watching delphine be eaten and then her own first meal post-Embrace being diablerie, how could she be anything but blood leech?) so her humanity and empathy are reallyyyy low, and as a result she's developed this bizarre superiority/inferior complex toward both mortals and other kindred.

one of her convictions is "mortals are to be pitied," and a few sessions ago i rolled a messy critical while she was interrogating a hunter, so the beast took over and she just went beserk. killed him so violently she took 2 stains for it and horrified our brujah fledgling. when the remorse hit later she was miserable, but it wasn't that she felt bad about tearing a dude to pieces; it was the thought of how delphine and their parents would look at her if they knew what she'd done. she doesn't care about mortals in general--only her parents--but she's bitter about how cavalier kindred are with mortal lives; about being watched for years without even knowing it; about camarilla society having no problem with kindred openly abusing their ghouls. del sees herself as better than mortals because she's so much stronger now than she ever was before, and she hates that she was so vulnerable as a human. so on that hand, mortals are beneath her; but she also resents kindred because she never wanted any part of their world. she was ghouled against her will and Embraced the same way, and she absolutely loathes the feeling of losing control to the beast. it reminds her that she's a monster, and she hates herself for so much of what she's done; but at the same time she's like fuck you, why should i be sorry for becoming what you made me?

she skips town after she kills sabina. she doesn't know then that she's a thinblood or that sabina was sabbat, but she does know that the diablerie alone is enough to earn her a blood hunt. she doesn't go home to say goodbye to her parents first, because how can she possibly look them in the eyes after luring delphine to her death? she can't bear to face them, doesn't think she deserves to besides, knows that they're in more danger if she sticks around, and she certainly can't tell them the truth: so she runs. she never says goodbye, never goes to the funeral, and that never stops haunting her. in the current in-game timeline del hasn't seen her parents in 7 years, and they're her only touchstones, so she's uhhhh. not doing well.

[dustpages]

Entangled Feelings (Mina)

WC: 7.5k

It could have been either bless or a course, you didn't know yet. She was the only person you could call family, yet her demeanour was far off from what is the classic representation of a good parent.

Mina adopted you when you were still a child, you had no memories of your biological parents. 

You have had the best education she could afford to give you, and she wasn't even that bad as a person to be around while you were growing up. She was fun to be around and was her fun to play with you to video games during your spare time.

Yet Mina didn't renounce to hang out with her friends and go partying when they had the chance, you had seen her coming home more than a few times wasted, but nonetheless the day after she was always up before you preparing breakfast for you. 

You weren't blind, you had always known Mina was a drop-dead gorgeous woman. Attractive but cute, able to stay at home wearing a flannel pj for a long weekend and going out all decked out like she was about to strike everyone's heart, and surely she could do it.

When puberty hit you, it did hard. Your hormones were galloping like thoroughbred, especially thanks to Mina and her mini dress she used to wear when she was around the house, and she could tell the effect she had on you. During the the years some of her panties went missing, and weird stains on her tops; all of that was a fun game for her. She was teasing you all along, and you were powerless against her. 

It was Saturday afternoon, Ginza, Mina wanted to go shopping with you tagging along. You weren’t enjoying the experience in the slightest, you didn’t like trying on clothes and most of all you found it unfair to carry all items in the shopping bags Mina bought. 

“Come on stop whining, you are just carrying the few things I purchased like a man should do for his woman. Now let’s head to the Fendi store there’s a new bag I wanna look for, if you are gonna be a good boy I will treat you to tonight’s dinner in my favourite sushi place”

During the dinner, glass after glass of the finest Krug champaign, Mina removed her white heels and without anyone noticing started rubbing her right foot on your tights and then manoeuvred to your pelvis area.

Taken aback by her actions you felt stunned.

“ Bloody Nora, what are you doing?” You yelled-whispered 

“I am just getting started, this is your treat after all. You have been a good boy for your mum” She praised you continuing the massage on your lower area.

Blue balls are what you got in the end. Mina received a text from her friend Sana, who invited her to a private party in a disco in Roppongi.

“I’m gonna fetch Sana by taxi and then we will head to Roppongi, you should get home and bring the shopping bag safely home. Our  business will be postponed” she smiled 

Mina didn’t even bother to ask you if you wanted to join her and Sana. 

“ Are you gonna party dressed like that?” You complained 

“ Of course I am. What’s the point of being all decked out if I cannot show off? Are you afraid I can receive some attention because of my outfit?” She mischievously retorted 

“ Suddenly I see, what I could not see, so suddenly you are showing your true colour. What kind of married woman goes out wearing a mini-skirt to show off her bare legs?” You raised the tone of your voice.

“ Someone who wanna have fun, goodnight baby ” Mina raised her arm to call a taxi and in the blink of an eye, she went off.

Gobsmacked you got home an hour later, shattered for carrying all the bags you tossed on the sofa. 

“Fuck off, how can she have gone to that party dressed like a hoe” You complained on your own.

5:12 in the morning. That was the moment you heard someone stumbling up the stairs.

Mina managed to enter your bedroom and let herself fall on the bed, landing inevitably on you. Jolted awake you tried to move Mina from your body, but unlucky she had arms and legs spread wide open like a starfish.

“ For god sake Mina, can you move you are smashing me?” you demanded 

Mina repositioned herself above you with her legs around your belly and her arms straightened on your chest, in this way, you had the chance to look at her face. 

The red lipstick was all ruined, the black eyeliner was all dripped down. She stared into your eyes for a few seconds before lowering her face and trying to kiss you.

“ Never in a million years, I will let you kiss me with those filthy, dirty lips of yours; which god only knows what they have touched” You pushed her back and raised your torso sitting on the bed.

“ You have to think incredibly high of yourself to come here in my room after having had some kind of affair with someone a few hours ago” 

“ I might have indulged myself with two salesmen tonight but I’m not satisfied in the slightest, I am still horny and needy. Please me.” She said 

At this point, you stood up pushing Mina off of you. You went berserk, the audacity she had to cheat on your father and the family's trust. Might have been the alcohol, might have been the natural bitchy demeanour, but you couldn’t bear to look at her so pretentious and bratty so you swiftly but not too harshly slapped her on her left cheek.

“ I don’t want a hoe in my house. What you did tonight is daunting to process. I am gonna sleep in the tatami room, you can stay here or wherever you like but stay away from me” You didn’t even look at her

As you were about to leave the bedroom.“ Your father knows it, he gave me his permission. I can prove it.”

“Stop it already. I don’t give a flying fuck if my father allowed you to be a free spirit while he is away. I can’t stand to live under the same roof with someone who acts as you do” This was your cue to leave 

Morning came, and you woke up with your lower back soaring due to not being used to sleeping on the floor. Mina entered the tatami room wearing a pair of trousers and a crop top T-shirt. “I am so sorry for my demeanour about last night, I shouldn’t have come to your room in the first place, let alone tell you about my night out. What can I do to make it up for you?”

“Don’t go and fuck around like a whore, you should be better than that. When Dad told me about your needs and that it was my new duty to help you with that I felt ecstatic, now I could have the chance to have sex with the woman I have been obsessed with for the last few months. Still, I was unsure about myself. I am not gifted as my father is down there and I have no experience.” You looked down

Mina closed the gap between you two and raised your chin with her right hand. “ I’ll not joke around the dimensions are not important but they are not paramount, if you know how to use your body you’ll have no problem at all. Plus from what I have seen you don’t seem so small either. I can teach you, and you can please me. It’s a win-to-win situation.” Mina softly kissed you on the cheeks.

"I'm sorry for being a bitch but I have been so horny since your dad left, it's so frustrating, so now, we are gonna have the first lesson if you don’t mind. I'll squeeze you dry until I'm satisfied". "Now, just take them off~" she sighed as you bit her neck. You put your hand into her trousers.

 "Don't rush into it" she whispered, she grabbed your hand and put it on her breast. Her tits aren't huge, but still satisfyingly handful. You slipped off your T-shirt, throwing it to the side. You leaned forward, kissing her breast through her bra, your hands worked their way up, slowly pulling her bra up. 

Your lips teased her breast, biting as she moaned. Your hands trailed down her hips, into her trousers, going right to her underwear.

Mina’s pussy was soaking wet, the love juice pouring onto my thighs like honey. You kneeled and helped Mina to remove her trousers and underwear. Inserting two fingers into her hole "Yabai" she moaned, as your fingers curled inside of her. She moved her hips down, pushing your fingers deeper into her pussy. Your pace quickened a third finger was adamant to be shoved in Mina’s fold. Her walls were closing around them, her hands pulled your hair causing your head to throb. You did not stop, increasing your pace, her pussy walls continued tightening as her body suddenly shook. She came as more of her pussy juice gushed onto the floor galore, shaking like a leaf during a tornado. She placed her hands on your head trying to stand still, as her orgasm subdued you removed your fingers from her womb and gave taste to her juice.

“You know it tastes like honey.” You stood up and not so gently pushed Mina on the tatami mattress. 

“Now go on. Fuck me.” Mina spread her legs and arms, waiting for you to put it in. You aligned yourself with her entrance, pushing in slightly. There was some resistance, but you could push past it and inside. You felt Mina’s pussy stretching to accommodate you. Mina’s walls pushed against your cock, and you both moaned. Mina’s cunt was tight and wet. You pushed in more. Without  further ado, no time to adjust was given to Mina’s walls, you rammed her pussy like a maniac, grabbing her hips and pushing her towards you.

Various positions were tried, fluids of all genres soaked the tatami mattress, and curses and blasphemies were yelled. Half a dozen of used condoms were scattered near the wall.

“Mina I cannot take anymore, I am about to cum” Mina kept riding you like she was trying to win a race at Ascot.

“Don’t come yet, I am about to. You have to pleasure Mommy once more.” Mina arched her back backwards as she rode her climax out, and then collapsed on your chest. Swiftly you helped Mina off of you and you removed your condom.

“Suck me off like you mean it Mina” Mina placed her lips above your member and bobbed her head up and down swirling her tongue around the tip. With your hands you pushed Mina’s head against your crotch even more, engulfing your penis in her throat. And within a few more minutes you coated Mina’s mouth in white, and as talented as she was not a single drop of jizz went out of her mouth.

With a resounding pop, Mina removed her lips from your member. “ You aren’t bad at all for a newbie. With my training, you will become perfect”

As both of you stood up, you abruptly pinned Mina to the wall almost choking her. “ No more fucking around you get me Miss. You have me now.” 

“ This is the possessive little boy I want. Fuck me like you did this morning or better and I have no reasons to look for any other man.” She smirked and rolled her tongue teasing you. 

It was a Friday late afternoon, you were climbing the stairs to go to your room. Passing by Mina's room you saw a multitude of clothes scattered on the floor, and Mina was in front of her mirror trying on the umpteenth outfit.

" Nope.. It's not hot enough" She commented about the outfit she was wearing. 

She looked up and noticed you entering the room.

" Come here, you need to pick what dress I should wear tonight"

You stood in front of Mina. " And why should I pick the dress? I'm not your boyfriend"

Mina's smile was like the sun breaking through the clouds on a rainy day. " Well, you might not be my boyfriend but you are my son, and your opinion matters. So come on, what dress do you want to see on me tonight?"

You felt a bit awkward, but she had put you in a situation in which you couldn't say no. So, you started trying various dresses on her. It took a good half an hour to find the right one. The final pick was a silver glowing top which left her back totally exposed , a leather skirt with black stockings and leather boots. You were feeling uneasy but you couldn't say no to Mina.

" So you really wanna wear that?" You asked Mina for the third time.

" Yes, I really wanna wear this. Now I wanna see how you wanna dress up tonight." Mina said.

" Me? Why should I dress up? I've never been told to go clubbing tonight." You retorted. 

"  Didn't I tell you that I'm inviting you out tonight with me and my friends?" Mina questioned. 

" No, you didn't." You said.

" Well, I'm inviting you. We will have so much fun together!" Mina's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

You were stunned. " I don't want to go clubbing, it's not my thing." You protested.

" Oh, you need to go with me and have fun. Come on, say yes, pleeease?" She begged you with her puppy dog eyes.

You couldn't resist her begging. " Fine. Let's get this over with." You gave up.

" Yay!" Mina shouted. " Now let's choose your outfit for tonight!" 

The next hour was a disaster, Mina was trying on different outfits on you like you were a mannequin. You didn't like it but you didn't want to make her angry. Mina decided you had to wear a black skinny jeans with a white tight T-shirt and a pair of sneakers. She had picked you up a brand new pair of black skinny jeans and she helped you to wear it. Her hands were feeling your body as she was checking if the fit was perfect.

"These jeans are too thight, I can't move my legs" You complained in front of your mirror. 

" It's fine, you look perfect, they aren't that skinny, you can move around, and you can wear it tonight" Mina insisted.

 You decided to not fight her, after all she had already won. She was the one leading this game.

Mina drove you to the club, you were feeling a bit anxious. You had never been to a club like this before and you were feeling out of place. Mina got out of her car and came to open your door for you.

" Come on, let's go inside!" She said with her signature smile.

Inside the club, the lights were flashing everywhere and the music was blasting your eardrums. The people were dancing as if they were possessed, it was like an inferno.

" This is insane!" You yelled to Mina.

" Isn't it? Come on let's go to the VIP area!" She shouted back.

Mina pulled you through the crowd, you felt like you were gonna pass out due to the heat. The VIP area was less crowded but still quite hot. Mina's friends were there already drinking and dancing.

" Here you are!" Mina shouted to them. " This is my son!"

Mina's friends were quite peculiar. You would expect a woman to have more female friends than males, here wasn't the case. In the group there were 4 girls, Mina included, and 6 men. 

All of them stared at you two with weird looks, Mina was the most shining star in the all universe and you were just an average young boy.

Her friends welcomed you two and one of her male friends came to Mina and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

" I'm so happy to see you. I've missed you." He whispered in Mina's ear. 

Mina was blushing a bit. " I'm glad to see you too! This is my son, isn't he cute?" Mina said and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Her male friend was taken aback by her question. " Yeah, whatever. I don't really care about him, you know who I am focused on" He said biting his lips.  

You didn't really like how he was acting, he was too flirtatious and Mina was playing with him like a cat with a mouse. 

You didn't care for her flirting, it was her life and you knew she wasn't gonna stop, you were a bit jealous but you were trying to ignore it.

Mina was getting a drink for her, and she asked you if you wanted one too. You refused, she pouted a bit but then she shrugged and took a sip of her drink. It didn't take long for her to start dancing, and her male friend joined her soon after.

They danced for a while, Mina was really moving her hips and her friend was getting more and more close to her. You were feeling more and more uneasy, the more they were dancing, the more he was getting close to her. You didn't know what to do, you felt like you needed to protect Mina from this creep but he was a friend of her and she was enjoying his company. 

 You didn't know what to do. 

" I think I'm gonna go outside for a bit.” You said to one of Mina's friends who were remaining at the table.

You didn't bother to wait for an answer and you went to the outside. You needed some fresh air, you were feeling like you were gonna faint. You didn't know how to process the feelings that were rising in your chest. You had always known Mina was a woman with her needs and her life, but seeing her like that made you feel weird. You didn't know if you were jealous or possessive of her, or maybe it was another reason why you felt this way. You just knew you needed some fresh air and a bit of time alone to think.

After 15 minutes you went back inside the club, Mina and her friend were still dancing and they were even closer than before, her arms were around his neck and he had his on her waist.  You felt like a dagger was piercing your heart, you couldn't watch Mina and this man dancing anymore. You needed to get away from there.

You went to Mina and her friend who had his head on Mina's cheek. " Come on Mina. I know you like me, if not we wouldn't have been dancing for a while now. Don't be a prick tease" He said to Mina.  

Mina laughed off, at that moment you went to her and stated that you were about to go home because you weren't feeling well.    

" I can go home by cab if you need to keep staying here. I've already called one indeed." You affirmed biting your tongue.  

" Oh, I don't like to leave you alone. I will go with you then" Mina said to you. 

" There is no need. You are having fun obviously and I am not feeling like staying here, I don't want to be a burden to you." You bowed and proceeded towards the exit of the club.   

  The fresh air immediately helped you to relax a bit,  you felt a bit better now that you weren't inside that hellhole anymore. You heard the sound of Mina's heels getting closer and closer to you, you didn't turn around, you kept looking at the traffic.

" What's the matter?" Mina asked you once she got near you.

" As far as I'm concerned I've already informed you about what I am about to do, so your presence here is utterly pointless Mina" You scoffed. 

" Why are you being like this?" Mina asked you, her voice was a bit softer than usual.

" Never mind. Look a cab is coming here" You stepped forward and raised your arm.  " Good night Mina. See you tomorrow"

The cab arrived and you went inside, you didn't look back at Mina once.

You went straight to your room as soon as you arrived home, you were feeling like shit and you wanted to be alone. Your head was spinning and you felt like boiling, luckily you were able to plop on your bed before you passed out due to the high fever.

The next morning, you woke up with the most horrible headache and your fever had risen even more. Mina was there beside your bed with a thermometer in her hand. She was wearing a white satin nightgown and her hair was untied.

" Good morning! How are you feeling today?" Mina asked you with a gentle smile.

" I feel terrible" You whispered your voice was hoarse and your head was pounding. 

Mina put her hand on your forehead, she felt your temperature. " Oh my poor boy, you are burning up"

" Don't pity me now, when last night you were all over your fucking friend." You said.  

" Oh, my son, you are so cute when you're jealous" Mina pouted her lips. 

You glared at her, you were feeling so angry you couldn't think straight. You didn't know why you were feeling so possessive of her, but you just felt like you needed to protect her from everything and everyone. 

"Please tell me you didn't fuck him last night" You pleaded. 

" Of course not! You are such a stupid boy. He isn't even the type of man I would go out with." Mina said and you felt relieved.

Mina got up and went to your bathroom. She came back with a glass of water and a pill. 

" Here take this, it will help you to reduce the fever."

You took the glass from her hand, she helped you sit up so you could drink it. You swallowed the pill down and gave Mina back the glass. She sat on the bed beside you and caressed your head.

" I'm so sorry if I made you feel like this. You know you are the only one I care about, right?" She said.

You nodded and she wrapped her arm around you pulling you close. You felt like you were gonna die of fever but you were so happy Mina was holding you that it didn't even matter.

Mina helped you to take off your clothes and she tucked you in, she didn't leave your side once during that whole day. She fed you and bathed you, she was taking care of you like a mother should do with her child. You felt so loved and grateful to have her as your mum. 

Mina took a week off from work to keep an eye on you. " Mina thank you for being here for me" You said.  

" Anytime for my son. I am so sorry again for the other night. I promise you that you are the only one I care about in this world" She said to you and kissed your forehead. 

" I'm feeling better now" You stated. " Sucking your tits would make me feel even better" 

 You smiled.

Mina chuckled. "  You are such a horny boy"

She moved her lips closer to yours, and you wrapped your arms around her waist and pulled her to you. You started kissing her neck and you could feel her breath quickening. You pulled off her T-shirt and her bra and your hands went straight to her breasts. She was moaning louder as your lips went down to her nipples. You licked them, sucking and nibbling them softly. You moved your hands to her shorts, unzipping them and pulling them off of her. She was completely naked, you couldn't resist anymore. You pulled down her panties and pushed two of your fingers inside her pussy. You felt her juices dripping on your fingers.

She moaned louder, you knew she was close, but you wanted to make her cum even harder. You moved your fingers faster and you could feel her pussy walls tightening around your fingers, she was cumming and you felt her pussy squirting her juices everywhere. You didn't stop, you kept moving your fingers and she kept cumming until she fell on your chest panting. 

She smiled at you, she was so happy and content. You kissed her softly and she giggled.

" You are such a horny boy" She whispered. " But you are my horny boy" 

"Let me rest tonight and tomorrow I'll fuck the shit out of you"  You promised her.  She nodded and went to her room. You fell asleep with a smile on your face, you were so happy to have Mina as your mother. You knew you would do anything for her.  You were so in love with her. You knew that your feelings weren't right but you just couldn't help it. You loved her for the person she was. You knew that you would always protect her and love her no matter what. 

The next day Mina woke you up kissing your collar bone.  You opened your eyes and looked at her. She was wearing a black satin robe with nothing underneath. Her hair was down and her makeup was light.

" Good morning. How are you feeling?" She asked you. 

" I'm feeling great. I need to fuck you." You answered.

Mina smiled and crawled on the bed to your feet. She started to pull down your boxers, revealing your cock. It was hard and ready for her.

" Oh my, look at this. Looks like someone needs a blowjob" She giggled. 

She bent down and started sucking your cock. She was moaning and groaning with her mouth full of your cock. You watched her as she was sucking you. You were so turned on by watching her. You held her hair back so you could see her better. She was swirling her tongue on the tip of your cock, you were so close to cumming. She kept sucking and moaning until you exploded in her mouth. You watched as she swallowed all of your cum. 

" That was delicious. I can taste your love" She smiled and kissed you. You felt her tongue against yours and you could feel your cum in her mouth.

" I want you" You mumbled liking her ear lobe.  " I need you" You pleaded with her.

Mina laughed and lay down on the bed. She spread her legs for you and you knew this was it. You moved between her legs and she pulled you on top of her. You felt her hands moving on your lower back as you entered her. You felt her pussy stretching around you. You felt like you were in heaven. She moaned louder and louder as you started moving inside of her. You could feel her pussy walls closing around you. You were moving faster and faster inside of her and you could feel her juices dripping on your balls. You were getting close but you didn't want to stop. You kept moving and groaning until you felt her cumming underneath you. You felt her pussy squirting everywhere and you withdrew your cock and with the head, you rubbed her clit.  You watched as she was cumming even harder. You could see her juices dripping on her legs and your cock. You felt her shivering underneath you and you knew you should stop.

" Mina, do you want me to stop?"  You asked. 

" Please don't. I'm so close to another orgasm" She pleaded. 

You shoved your length inside her womb and grabbing her legs to have more grip, you plowed in her pussy mercilessly.  Mina was moaning and screaming as loud as she could. You could feel her juices dripping on your balls as she was cumming once more. You felt her pussy walls tightening around you as she was squirting even more. You were so close to cumming but you didn't want to stop. You kept moving inside of her and moaning. 

" Mina, I'm about to cum"  You said.

" Please fill me up. I want to feel you inside of me" She begged.

Your hips were in overdrive. With a few more thrusts you filled her womb with your cum.  You felt your cock throbbing inside her as your seed filled her pussy. You watched as she was cumming once more. You could see her juices dripping on her legs and your cock. You felt her shivering underneath you pulled out of her and laid down beside her.

" I love you Mina"  You whispered.

" I love you too my horny boy. You are mine from now on baby boy” She smiled.

————————————————————————————————————————

Mina was beautiful it was obvious to you but today was entirely different. She had chosen a black leather jacket and a tight, sexy jeans skirt. Her top was a tight jeans piece of fabric that hugged her curves perfectly and showed off the swell of her breasts. To finish it all, she wore white heels accentuating her long legs.

Her hair cascaded down her shoulders flawlessly and her makeup was spot-on. She looked like a million quid! But what caught your attention was how well she carried herself. An air of confidence about her made you weak in the knees.

All of that preparation to attend a concert on the first row, with me trailing behind her. King Gnu were her group of choice.

King Gnu, the band was known for its unique music. The lead singer Daiki Tsuneda was an average guy, you would have never paid attention to him on the street if you had run into him. But the moment he stepped onto that stage, something about him changed. He oozed confidence and charisma. The crowd was entranced by him. Mina, too.

Mina was dancing to the music, her skirt rising higher with each movement. She was a sight to behold in her sexy outfit, dancing seductively, her body moving to the rhythm of the music. And she was enjoying the show, her eyes were glued to Daiki. She looked at him with a look of pure lust. She was in a trance and she didn't even notice you staring at her. 

Daiki during a particular song decided to go down the stage and into the crowd,  Mina's eyes widened in anticipation. You felt a sense of jealousy creeping into your heart. He was playing on the edge of the crowd and he looked like he was in a daze, like he was entranced by the crowd.  He was looking right at Mina and she was staring at him. You watched in awe as they locked eyes for a moment. You could see the spark of attraction between them. 

Mina looked like she was about to melt under his gaze and you felt a pang of jealousy. The song ended and he moved on, but he kept looking at her, even as he was performing for the crowd, you saw his eyes wandering back to her. Mina looked like she was in a trance, her body swaying to the music, her eyes locked on Daiki. 

She looked like she was under his spell like he could make her do anything he wanted. The concert ended and Mina clapped enthusiastically. She turned to you and you could see that she was flushed. "That was amazing! Did you enjoy the concert? Oh my god, he is so hot. I am so wet just watching him." She squealed. You felt a pang of jealousy.

"Let's get out of here," she said and took your hand, dragging you towards the exit. You trailed behind her, her hand holding yours tightly. She was in a hurry and you stumbled behind her, trying to catch up. She stopped at a corner and looked around before pulling you into a small alleyway. "I need to feel your cock in my pussy. I am so wet and horny just thinking about Daiki." She said, her voice breathless and husky. She pressed herself against the wall and pulled you towards her. She spread her legs, revealing her wet panties. 

" Are you pretending me to fuck you in this filthy and miserable place while you are so wet thinking to that singer?" You questioned. 

"  Yes, I need it. I need to feel your cock in me. I am so wet. Please baby, I am begging you" She pleaded, her voice cracking. You saw the desperation in her eyes and it made you weak for a second.

" Me fucking you while you are picturing having sex with that singer, won't happen. Never in a million years" You laughed and stepped back. 

 She looked crestfallen and her face fell. " Don't tell me you don't want me." She said, her voice small. 

" Of course I do, you are bloody sexy today. But you need to understand that a no is no, even for someone like you" You said mocking her.  

She looked at you for a moment and then she smirked. " Fine, I will go find someone who wants to fuck me. I am so wet for you, but you don't want me. I'll find someone else." She said and turned to walk away. 

" Go ahead, you are just bluffing. You wouldn't dare to do that." You laughed and crossed your arms across your chest. She turned around and glared at you. 

" Watch me," She said and stormed off. You laughed and followed her, wondering what she would dare to do.

 She walked through the crowd, her eyes scanning the faces. You could see her sizing men up and discarding them. She was finicky about her partners, and anything regarding her life.  You followed her, amused at the scene. She finally stopped in front of a man and looked him up and down. She smiled and you could see her confidence in full bloom. 

" Are you looking for a good time?" She asked him, her voice husky and seductive. The man's eyes widened and he looked her up and down.

" I beg you pardon ma'am. I'm not sure to have understood what you said." He retorted politely.  Mina pouted. 

" Don't be shy. I want to fuck. Are you in?" She said, her voice confident. The man looked at her in surprise and then nodded. 

You had fun enough and it was time to stop her show,  you tapped the man on the shoulder. " Sorry, she is busy, my apologies." You said and pulled Mina by the elbow. She struggled to free herself but you were stronger. 

" You cannot stop me. I am a grown woman and I can do whatever I want" She said and struggled even more. 

" Sure you can, but I'm quite confident you will follow my lead now" You retorted and kept dragging her.  You heard the man saying " It's okay, I understand" and Mina let out a frustrated groan. 

In a swift motion you lifted her over your shoulder like you would do with a sack of potatoes. She  kicked and screamed in a way a child would do but you didn't budge.  

You reached the car and opened the door. You set Mina on the backseat and she crossed her arms and legs. 

" You are a brute and a jerk, you know that?" She spat out. 

" I might have been abrupt but not a brut." You laughed.  

" You cannot dictate to me what to do, I am not a child." She pouted.

" I adore you when you act like this" You said. 

 She glared at you. 

" I hate you!" She screamed.

" We both know that's not true." You smiled and kissed her forehead. She looked at you like she wanted to rip your head off. 

" I am going to make you regret this!" She threatened. 

You laughed and kissed her forehead again. " I am looking forward to it." You said and closed the car door, driving back home. Mina was silent all the drive home, her arms and legs crossed. You could see the anger in her eyes. You could sense her seething, and you were glad about it. It made you feel powerful to see her so angry. 

The moment you entered your house, she jumped off the car and ran towards the house, slamming the door shut. You parked the car and entered the house, following the sound of her footsteps. She had locked herself in the bedroom. You knocked on the door and waited. 

She opened the door and glared at you. " Leave me alone!" She screamed.

" Are you done throwing your tantrum?" You asked, amused. 

She looked at you like she wanted to kill you. " You have no idea how angry I am." She spat out. 

You nodded and started to undress and when you had only you boxer on you looked at Mina. 

" Take off your clothes." You ordered her. 

 She glared at you. 

" Are you kidding me?" She retorted. 

" I am dead serious." You said and she glared at you for a moment before she crossed her arms and legs. 

" I won't take off my clothes, you cannot force me." She said, her voice petulant. 

" Mina, I can see your nipples through your shirt, you are aroused and you want my cock in you." You said, your voice husky. 

" No, I am not." She said, but you could see the blush rising on her cheeks. 

" Don't lie Mina, I can see through your lies." You said and walked towards her. She glared at you and she tried to run away from you, but you were quicker and you caught her. You held her against your body, feeling her curves. She struggled to free herself, but you held her tightly. 

You lowered your lips to hers and kissed her deeply. You could taste her arousal on her lips. You could feel her heart beating fast against your chest. She struggled for a moment and then she gave in, kissing you back passionately. You could feel your cock throbbing against her body and you knew she could feel it too. 

" Still mad Mina?" You asked.  

 She moaned and you could hear the need in her voice. She was so horny, it made you laugh. You held her against your body and walked towards the bed. You threw her on it and she bounced a bit before looking at you. You undressed her and threw her clothes on the floor. She was left in nothing but her bra and panties. You admired her body, her curves, her skin, everything about her was perfect. 

You kneeled in front of her and removed her panties, spreading her legs open. She looked at you with desire in her eyes. You could smell her arousal and you knew she wanted your tongue on her pussy. You teased her for a bit, rubbing your hands on the outside of her pussy, and then you licked her clit. She moaned loudly and you could feel her body shivering under your touch. 

You sucked her clit into your mouth, making her moan even louder. You could feel her pussy tightening around your fingers. You knew she was close to cumming. You rubbed her clit with your tongue and you could feel her pussy spasm. She came hard, screaming in pleasure. 

You stood up and removed your boxers. Your cock was throbbing with desire. You positioned yourself between her legs and aligned your cock to her entrance. 

" Tell what you want me to do" You smirked.  

She looked at you with lust in her eyes. " Please, please fuck me!" She begged. 

" Where do you want me to fuck you?" You teased. 

She looked at you and you could see the frustration in her eyes. 

" In my pussy, you stupid brat!" She screamed. 

You laughed and entered her slowly, watching her face. She was beautiful in her pleasure. You started fucking her slowly, watching her body move under yours. She was moaning and panting, her legs wrapped around your waist. You fucked her slowly, feeling her pussy tightening around you. 

" Harder, please, harder!" She moaned. 

You obliged, grabbing her hips in your hand  and pounding into her. Her screams of pleasure were loud and clear. You could feel your orgasm approaching. You fucked her harder, feeling her pussy tightening around you even more. She came again, screaming loudly. You felt your orgasm approaching and you came hard, filling her pussy with your cum. 

You collapsed on the bed, holding Mina in your arms. She looked at you with a satisfied smile. " I guess I deserved that" She said. 

" Yes, you did" You retorted and she pouted. 

" Are you still mad?" You asked. 

She shook her head. " Not anymore" She said and you kissed her forehead. 

" Good, because I am not done with you yet." You said and she smiled. You kissed her deeply. 

You rolled her over, made her lying on her stomach.  You stood up and positioned yourself in between her legs. She spread them open, her pussy wet and gaping wide for you. You slapped your cock against her ass cheeks and she giggled. 

 You teased her entrance for a moment and then you shoved yourself inside her. She moaned loudly, arching her back.

You fucked her slowly, watching her ass moving under your thrusts. You could feel her pussy tightening around your cock. 

" Harder!" She demanded. 

You hold your grip on her ass cheeks and sped up your pace,  pounding into her. She screamed in pleasure.

" Take it Mina, good girl."  You said. 

She moaned and you could feel her pussy spasming. She was close. You fucked her harder, feeling your orgasm approaching. 

" Cum for me baby." You demanded. 

She did. She screamed loudly, her pussy milking your cock. You came hard, filling her pussy with your cum again.

You pulled out and she turned around looking at you,  a smile on her face. You held out your hand and helped her up. She stood in front of you, your cum dripping out of her pussy. She smirked and wiped her pussy with her fingers, tasting it. 

You laughed and kissed her. " You are something else, you know that?" You said. 

She nodded. " I know. Now, what do you want to do?" She asked, rubbing her hands on your chest. 

" Shower first then we will see"  You retorted. 

She nodded and walked towards the bathroom. You followed her, watching her ass move as she walked. You couldn't help but smack it. She looked over her shoulder and smirked. " Oh, that is how you want to play huh?" She teased. 

You grinned and followed her into the bathroom. The water was already running. You entered the shower and grabbed Mina's waist. She leaned against you, her ass pushing against your cock. 

" Mina we should shower and then sleep. Tomorrow I want to go to the beach with you" You whispered in her ear softly.  

She nodded and turned around looking at you. " Yes, that sounds lovely. Let's shower and then sleep."

You nodded and she started washing your body, her hands rubbing your chest and arms. You smiled and did the same with her body. She giggled and you could feel her body shivering under your touch. You washed her hair and she leaned against your chest, moaning softly. You turned off the water and grabbed two towels. You handed her one and dried yourself with the other. 

" It is better if we sleep in my room, the bed sheets in your room are not clean at all." You laughed.  

" I know, I made a mess on my bed" She smiled.  

You nodded and handed her a T-shirt and a pair of panties. " Here wear these." You said. 

She nodded and put them on. You did the same and then you went to your room. She climbed on the bed and you followed her. You held her against your chest and she smiled. " Goodnight baby" She whispered. 

" Goodnight Mina" You whispered back and kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes and you watched her fall asleep. You smiled and kissed her forehead again. She was perfect and she was all yours. You had her and she had you. You could feel her heart beating against your chest and you smiled, she was yours. Forever 

[tatoda]

Wanting You || conrad fisher x fem!reader

masterlist

request

summary: you get a call and it happens to be your drunk boyfriend just wanting your love and attention

pairing: conrad fisher x reader

warnings: stressed conrad and mostly just fluff

wc: 800 (i think)

put some drunk conrad in to help with the storyline!! not majority edited just wanted to get this out

It was supposed to be a boy's night. To drink and talk about sports or just hang out in general. But here conrad was, looking at your pictures on his phone showing the guys around him. Even if they were at a party where there were over 100 people, you were still the first thing on his mind.

“she’s just so pretty guys,” he told steven and jeremiah who were sipping on beers

“oh we know, for how much you talk about her.” jere muttered over his drink

“man, as much as i love how you’re in love with my sister, but please spare all details.” steven rolled his eyes

“she’s just so sweet, she’s helped me with so much. like that one time she snuck me into your house because i missed her and my roommate was having sex,” he admitted

“oh god! you snuck into our house. if laurel ever hears this you’re dead meat.” steven leaned forward

“relax steve, i’ll have you know your mom likes me too much.” conrad took a sip of his beer when he should have stopped drinking for a while now “i miss her.”

“he’s so whipped.” jere laughed watching his brother be lovesick for you

“do you think she will answer if i call her?” his eyes lit up

“she’s probably sleeping.” steven looked over his shoulder to the crowd of people spotting taylor dancing with some of the volleyball girls

“just make your move already.” jeremiah pointed out

“you know belly would absolutely murder me if i touched her best friend.” steven sighed and looked away

“hey! look at me man.” conrad put a hand on his shoulder “you haven’t murdered me yet.” he smiled

“that’s because i’m building up to it.” conrad shook his head

“i’m gonna call her, i miss her.”

“dude-“ it was too late he already clicked your contact.

Meanwhile, you were on your bed watching netflix and having a self-care night. With conrad with the guys, you felt like he needed to get out of the apartment they all shared because all they did was play video games and sleep. Your phone rang on the comforter causing you to jump not expecting any calls. You turned the phone seeing conrad’s name on the screen.

“hey.” you paused your show leaning back on the pillows

“hi baby.” he slurred. this wasn’t the first time occurrence he’s called you drunk, you soon found out he was clingy and wanted your attention when drunk

“hey you, how’s the boy's night?” he sighed on the other side of the phone

“it’s good, it’s good. i wanted to call and say i miss you, like a lot.”

“you just saw me yesterday dummy.” you laughed into the phone

“i just really love you.” your heart fluttered as he said the words, you don’t usually say it because it meant a lot to the both of you with what happened to your parents

“can you do me a favor baby?” he hummed on the other side “can i talk to my brother really quick?”

“yeah! here, steven she wants to talk to you.” you heard him hand the phone over

“hey sis.”

“hey can i come get him? i think he’s had enough and i know he’s gonna want me to come get him soon enough.”

“oh yeah please,”

“thank you for taking him out tonight, i know he’s stressed with everything with adam and everything.”

“no yeah i understand, see you soon.” the phone was pulled away from him and back in the hands of your boyfriend

“hey lover.” he chuckled “i’m gonna a come get you okay?”

“yeah, thats sounds good.” you knew after a while he would start overthinking and then the stress would come back

“just stay with the guys and no more drinking, okay?”

“okay, see you soon baby.” you both hung up and you got out of bed

The drive over to the house was over 20 minutes. But you didn’t mind you wanted to see conrad. There has been a lot of stuff going on recently with his dad. you knew their relationship wasn’t the greatest and it really got to him sometimes.

You parked the car in search of your boyfriend. Steven texted you saying they were in the backyard in some chairs, and you saw the back of your boyfriend's head as he talked to the boys in front of him. You wrapped your arms over his shoulder and leaned your head down on his shoulder.

“i have a girlfriend!” his head snapped and he relaxed seeing it was you “oh. sorry.”

“that’s okay, you ready to go?” he nodded “you boys have a ride back?” you looked towards jere and steven

“yeah, taylor said she would take us.” you smiled at steven “when are you gonna ask her out?” conrad moved his arms to rub against yours that were draped over him

“chill, i just don’t wanna upset belly.”

“for fucks sake i’m dating your best friend and you didn’t beat me up.”

“told you.” conrad muttered

“this is different.” he sighed rubbing his face

“it’s not really.” conrad moved to lay his head on your arm giving you the signal it was time to go “just do something at least, con and i are gonna head out.” you pulled your hands away and the man stood from his seat “ready.” he nodded taking your hand in his “be safe tonight, call me if you need anything.”

As you drove home, conrad kept a hand on your thigh but he didn’t say anything and you knew the quietness and depression were slowly coming back from the side effects of his drinking. The whole ride was quiet up until you made it into your room closing the door facing him.

“come here con.” he walked towards you slowly and dipped his head into to crook of your neck and wrapped his arms around you “let’s sleep okay?” he nodded but didn’t let go “con?”

“hm?”

“let’s lay down handsome.” he stepped away from you and you helped him take off his shirt as he slipped out of his jeans left in his boxers and slid into bed “ill be right back, going to get you water.”

“okay.” he softly spoke into the pillow he was laying on

Walking downstairs your mom was also grabbing a midnight snack. She knew he would come over and she also knew he was going through a lot in your 2 years together.

“how is he?” she leaned against the counter as you opened the fridge to grab a water bottle

“it’s a lot, he won’t really talk to me about some of it and i understand.”

“you’re a great girlfriend for him. susannah always loved the thought of you two together.” she grabbed your hand and squeezed it “speaking of conrad.” she nodded behind you, turning around you saw your boyfriend standing at the end of the stairs

“hey, what’s wrong?” you walked towards him

“you left me for a long time.” he rubbed his eyes and you smiled

“come on you big baby, good night mom.”

“night laurel.” conrad muttered

“night kids.” you could hear the humor in her voice

Back up in your room you were both now in bed with the light of the tv shining on the both of you. Conrad’s eyes drifted but he just stared at you.

“can i cuddle you?” he asked softly

“you don’t need to ask.” he moved closer to you hugging you to him, his head on your shoulder and you moved your hand to run though his hair “con?”

“yeah?” you moved to look at him and leaned down to kiss him for the first time that night

“i love you.” he smiled genuinely the first time since you saw him

“i love you.” he closed his eyes and kissed your neck

Soon enough his soft snoring filled the room as you continued to watch your show until you followed him into the dream state.

[shockercoco]

Rainbow vs. Leather

Benny Cross x reader

Warnings - some swearing, flirty! and nervous! Benny

Word count - 2397

a/n - request: Hi!! If interested can you please do a Benny Cross x reader who is an unofficial member of the gang?. . .Benny likes her and try’s to give her hints but she thinks that he is just being nice because she had bad luck with guys who only always saw her has a friend and so, he has to be blunt with her one day. And the rest is up to you. Thank you." - read the full request here. i think 2k words is just gonna be my average at this point lol, i hope you enjoy :)

“Do I have to?” You had asked your parents one night at dinner — they had basically turned it into an intervention.

Your parents weren’t a huge fan of you just lounging around the house all the time with nothing to do, although you had no problem with just kicking back and watching a little television. They thought you needed to get out and socialize and make some friends. 

You weren’t necessarily opposed to the idea, but making friends wasn’t an easy thing for you. You came off as shy at first, but once you got comfortable in your environment you became pretty talkative and outgoing. This was also a problem when having conversations with people because sometimes they thought you didn’t want to talk, or even worse, that you didn’t like them for some reason. 

You wanted to come out of your shell, so when your parents told you that they wanted you to get a job, you were hesitant but you agreed. 

At least they weren’t kicking you out of the house.

What they didn’t know is that you would get a job at the local bar where all the Vandals hung out, the town’s motorcycle club. It was easy for you since Johnny, a close family friend —  leader and owner of the club — practically owned the bar, so when you had asked him for a job, he was completely fine with it.

Your parents thought you would get a job at something like the grocery store or the book store down the street, but since they loved Johnny they were okay with you working at the bar. 

So now here you are, your third week as a bartender and you enjoyed it. For the most part, the guys were pretty respectful and you rarely had any problems — mainly because Johnny basically threatened them into treating you right before you even started. 

There was this instance a couple days ago with a drunk guy, though. He kept getting closer and closer to you, and when it became clear he wasn’t going to leave you alone, Johnny interrupted and kicked the guy out of the bar.

You told Johnny that you had it handled, but he had just dismissed you and said, “No lady should have to deal with that.”

It was pretty obvious that this wasn’t your usual crowd. You enjoyed wearing colorful clothes and jewelry, but you did try and tone it down a little so that you didn’t stick out too much. Thankfully, you had made a couple of friends so you didn’t feel too out of place.

“You should come out riding with us later,” Kathy, a new friend, tells you from the other side of the bar counter.

“On a motorcycle? Are you crazy?” You ask as you lean against the counter. A lot of the guys had already gotten their drinks, and they didn’t want to get too drunk for the ride later, so you didn’t have too much to do.

“What else would I be talking about?” she playfully rolls her eyes.

“I don’t know, maybe a car ride?”

“When was the last time you had fun?” She asks you as she taps the ashes off the end of her cigarette.

“Yesterday while watching some game show,” you joke, and Kathy just laughs.

“How are you two doing over here?” Benny walks up with a glass in his hand, taking a seat next to Kathy.

Benny was another one of your new friends, and you enjoyed whenever he was around. Mostly because you liked how he made your heart flutter just by looking at you or giving you that smirk of his. You hate to admit it, but you were a goner the first day you had met him.

He wasn’t your usual type, but who cares. The whole point of this job was to get you to become more open. You highly doubted that the feelings were reciprocated on his end, though.

But little did you know they were. Just like you, Benny had fallen for you as soon as he laid eyes on you. He had just entered the bar and joined a game of pool with some of the other Vandals.

As he was lining up his shot, he heard a laugh that he hadn’t heard before. All the laughs he was used to were from the other Vandals or the raspy laughs from the girls that hung around and smoked.

Your laugh was different — light and airy and sometimes started off as just a giggle and got interrupted with a snort. It was also loud enough to be heard over the regular chatter of the bar, making Benny miss his shot.

The guys had joked and asked if he was distracted, but he just brushed it off and tried to regain his focus.

When he looked up furrowed eyebrows to see who was causing the noise powerful enough to throw him off his game, he noticed you standing there behind the bar. You are laughing at something Johnny had said to you as you poured him a drink.

Benny ended up missing his next two shots, and he surprisingly wasn’t upset when he lost the game.

Benny needed to know who you were, and he made that his mission from then on. He tried to send you signals that he was interested in you, but for some reason you weren’t picking them up. He loved the way you giggled at something he said or how your soft hand accidentally brushed his as you handed him his drink. 

He was trying so hard to be patient, including now as he saw you talking with Kathy with a gentle smile.

“I’m trying to get her to join us later tonight for the night ride,” Kathy answers him.

“And?” Benny asks hopefully, his eyebrows raised as he looks at you with humor written across his face.

“Not happening,” you shake your head.

“Why not?” he continues.

“Because she doesn’t like fun,” Kathy butts in before you can answer.

“Hey, I do like to have fun. It’s just that my version of fun and yours is different,” you defend.

“Have you ever been on a motorcycle?” Benny asks you as he rubs his hand over his chin. When you shake your head in response, he asks, “Do you want to?”

“Not really a huge fan of putting my life on the line like that,” you tell him. Benny chuckles, Kathy joining in. 

“It’s not that dangerous, we don’t always drive fast. Tonight’s just a cruise. Come on,” Benny says.

His intense gaze is almost enough to make you say yes…but no. Being on the back of a motorcycle didn’t seem as safe as being inside a closed up car.

“I’m okay, plus my parents might kill me if I stay out too late,” you say.

“Doesn’t Johnny know your parents? I’m sure they wouldn’t be too mad,” says Kathy.

Benny’s face contorts into surprise at Kathy’s statement. He looks back at you for confirmation, and you give him a silent nod.

“What about me?” Johnny questions as he hears his name being mentioned. He gives you a smile as he hands you his glass to refill.

Good, hopefully he can help you get out of this.

“We’re trying to convince her to come out with us, but she’s too afraid,” Kathy explains. You let out a scoff.

“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Johnny agrees, taking a sip from his glass.

What?

Your eyes widen as your lips slightly parted in disbelief.

Johnny shakes his head in amusement at your expression. “I promise it’s not that bad, you’ll be safe with us. If you get in any trouble with your parents, I’ll talk to them myself.”

You look at the three pairs of eyes staring back at you, waiting for your answer — Kathy with her eyebrows raised, Benny with a daring look behind his eyes, and Johnny with a smirk.

“Fine,” you surrender, throwing your hands in the air as the group in front of you lets out a small cheer. 

As the night at the bar comes to an end, the bikers take that last sip from their glass and throw on their colors, before filing out the door and heading toward their bikes. Hoots and hollers fill the air as everyone begins to hype each other up. 

“You can ride with me,” you hear Benny tell you as he walks past you and toward his own motorcycle. He doesn’t look back at you as he starts up the bike and waits as everyone else does the same.

Get on a bike. With Benny.

You spot Kathy on a bike with Cal. When she sees you looking, she nods her head towards Benny and smiles. You inhale a deep breath to give yourself before heading towards Benny, who offers you his hand as you climb on behind him.

“Well I’ll be damned, is Rainbow finally coming?” Brucie laughs when he sees you. He gave you the nickname when he saw you on your first day dressed in pastel colors and joked about how bright your clothes were. The name has stuck with you ever since, unfortunately.

“Hell yeah,” Cockroach shouts, along with a few others.

You roll your eyes and try to hide the smile forming across your lips. Benny instructs you to wrap your arms around his torso, which you do with uncertainty. You’re not sure how high or low you should have your hands and how tight to hold onto him. 

This feels oddly intimate. 

He smells like cigarettes — which would normally be a huge turn off if it was someone else — along with sweat from the multiple rounds of pool he played throughout the night, and his natural musk. 

Benny must’ve noticed your nervousness because he grabs your hands and places them on his abdomen, allowing you to feel the muscles beneath his shirt. He gives your hands a small pat as if to keep them in place before following the rest of the Vandals as they pull out onto the street.

You’re not sure exactly what you were expecting, but it wasn’t this. The way the wind whips around and through, taking your breath away in such an addicting way. The way the motorcycle vibrates your whole body, only intensifying your experience. You’re not sure how fast Benny’s going, but you couldn’t care less.

You hate to admit it, but the ride is over too quickly for your liking. As Benny separates from everyone else and pulls up in front of your house, you realize the smile currently on your face hasn’t left since the ride started.

Benny comes to a slow stop before cutting the engine and helping you off the bike and onto the sidewalk. Your body is still buzzing from the vibration of the bike, but you enjoy the feeling.

There’s a silence between the two of you as he watches you  for a moment, looking you up and down.

“What?” You laugh nervously as you shift under his gaze. You wrap your arms around your body, not just to shield yourself from the window, but from him.

Benny smiles and shakes his head. “Nothing. I take it you enjoyed the ride.”

“I did actually,” you nod.

“So you wouldn’t be opposed to doing it again sometime?” he asks.

“I guess not,” you say.

“With me,” he adds, more as a statement than a question.

You blink. “What?”

“You know what. I’m asking you to come riding with me,” he says casually.

You want to say something, but honestly you're at a loss for words.

“Come on, you know you want to,” he smirks.

“And why would I do that?” you question.

“Because I want you to,” he shrugs his shoulders as he looks out into the distance. Benny takes a breath and hesitates for a second before looking back at you. It’s now or never. “Do you know how long I’ve been trying to get your attention?”

“My attention?” you ask, but you think you know where he’s headed with this.

“Yes, your attention. I’ve been flirting with you pretty much everyday since you started working at the bar, and you don’t seem to notice. I mean, some of the other guys have picked up on the fact that I like you.”

“I thought you were just being nice,” you tell him, your forehead creasing.

“Nice?” Benny scoffs with a laugh. “I don’t think anyone’s ever called me that.” 

“I don’t know, I just-I thought you were being nice since I’m always hanging around Kathy!”

“Even Kathy has noticed!” he throws a hand up.

“Lower your voice!” you hush him. It’s after midnight, and you don’t want everyone on the street to start looking out of their windows.

You really don’t know what to say now, though. Like, what the hell have you been doing all this time?

Well, to be fair, people don’t usually flirt with you.

“So….”

“So….” Benny drags out. “Will you put me out of my misery and go on a date with me? It doesn’t have to be anything special, unless you want it to. We can just go for a ride or I could take you out to eat. Anything you want,” Benny looks at you with hope written all over his face. 

A grin slowly made its way across your face as you took in Benny. Is he nervous?

“I mean, I can’t really say no because we see each other all the time at the bar anyways,” you joke, causing Benny to let out a chuckle.

“Is that a yes then?” he asks.

“Yes,” you confirm. Benny nods, satisfied with your answer.

“I guess I should probably go — you’re cold, and I’m pretty sure your mother has been looking out the window this whole time,” Benny smirks.

Your mouth drops as you whip your head around just in time to see someone move away from the window on the second floor. There’s no doubt you’ll be flooded with a ton of questions later.

You turn back around when you hear Benny’s engine start back up.

“I’ll see you soon, Rainbow,” Benny shoots you a win, stealing the nickname Brucie had given you.  

“That’s not my name!” you shout after him, and he just gives you a quick glance back before continuing down the road.

like what you see? check out my masterlist :)

[evilminji]

Broadway :3c

And I hear ya. (Insert spooky joke here) There is a sprawling WEB of central hubs, for The Arts. For trade. For getting drunk and having a good time. The Zone is large and it is endless. You'll NEVER reach the far end. It can never reach you.

All things, in gentle sweeping waves, across eternity.

So when folks want to have "a market" or "a movie theater" or "the waterpark"? You gotta PICK a point on the endless map. Figure if you are close or far enough away for others like it, to make it worth the effort to build.

You might even be the first to do it for GALAXIES in any direction! People might fly for WEEKS to come to your place! Move their Lairs to be closer too it. Like dust gathered by gravity, slowly creating planets and stars. A mega Lair. A CITY.

They rise, they fall, the Zone shifts all the while.

But!

Does the dead starlet stop singing? Does getting gunned down, stop the show?? I think NOT! Where is her STAGE? What musicals? What dramas? What operas and tragedies and forms unknown to human kind??! Ballet dancers who CAN defy gravity! Singers who have no NEED for air! The haunting blend of instruments, that could never in life have met! From empires long turned to ASH!

The greatest show in DEATH!

Ember was a world wide hit. Yes, her voice was hypnotic. But that could be FOUGHT. It was SKILL that carried the game. And she was hardly "I was Literally The Greatest My Planet Ever Produced" skilled. She was good, great even. Not "I was Born For Greatness" Excellence.

And like?

.....eventually? Danny's gonna ask after "cultural-y" Culture stuff. Clothes and food. Music and the arts. To help his parents get used to the whole "our son is half-dead" thing. To show he's not some mindless monster now.

And? Ghostwriter? Probably an absolute legend. Does he know where you can find some CULTURE? Oh THANK ZONE! He thought you'd NEVER ask! You unsophisticated-! *fist fight in a library* Still a dick, though. Always and forever.

And just? Imagine Broadway stretched out into a floating city. That never sleeps. Never stops. Shows ever changing. Some on a cycle, some only once. Dream-like. Beautiful. Eye catching.

And yeah, Danny didn't think he LIKED musicals. It was more of a Jazz thing. But? This was important! Gotta get the whole family in the Speeder. We're going to see a play, guys! We'll pick when we get there! Family road trip! Educational! We can make notes!

His parents are trying to be supportive. Big, fixed, strained grins. Trying to pretend to be excited. But they... DO seem reluctantly intrigued? And Jazz is all but vibrating in her seat. It's basically her "before you go away to college" present. And she is THRILLED.

The longer she excitedly speculates? The more into it she gets their folks. This IS gonna be new! Exciting! Never before seen Ghost Culture! Music! As a FAMILY! Think we could find souvenirs? Ooooh, wonder if they sell CDs??!

Then? They GET there. And it's... it's like seeing the Las Vegas strip for the first time, except multiplied into a city. Made of even MORE styles and eras. At angles gravity would never allow.

The air filled with laughter and excitement, people rushing to shows or humming bits of tunes. Street stalls. Fountains. Flowers growing everywhere.

They could stay for months and not even reach a fraction of these buildings. His parents are taking countless photos. His sister squeeling with joy as she races for an information kiosk like they just arrived at Disneyland. He, at least, remembers to lock up the Speeder. Grab their day bags.

When did HE become the responsible one?

The argue over shows. Obviously. Wouldn't be Fenton's otherwise. HE wants to see the alien one. It's from mars! But it's his sister's trip, as his dad points out, so she gets to choose. She picks a musical set during the Fall of Krpton. He's... reluctantly kinda interested. I mean, EVERYBODY likes Superman, right?

It's... it's amazing. Terrible, but amazing. I mean? A coming of age story cut tragically short? Oof. Hello, massively projecting then getting FEELS about it! Yeah, sure, rip my heart out why don't you? He's fine. No, really! Just drowning in his own emotions over here. The refrain of "A Life Well Lived"? *gargling dying whale noises* he's FINE. Not grappling with anything! Go on without him!

Thankfully?

They DO sell CDs.

He... he may end up, kinda, getting a bit of a collection. Going on the weekends, hoping show to show. Wandering to whichever catches his eye in the moment. Buying the CDs for one's he likes. Which? Honestly is a lot of them. Even though there's all sorts of genres and languages. Cause it... it RESONATES you know?

The grief. The anger. The "I have died but I wasn't FINISHED. It isn't FAIR.". And? Something about ghost speak flows so BEAUTIFULLY in song? It's hard to explain. But he... he needs them.

A pair of headphones, a CD, and a clear night sky? Nothing touches it. It's like a trance made of light. Like he can just drift.

The problem? Is the CDs are kinda... Zone made? They're radioactive, for one. Nothing a Fenton CD player can't handle. But... they? Also? Kinda fuckin GLOW? Like... very, very noticeably. And not in a "ha ha, cool glow in the dark paint!" Sorta way.

.........but like FUCK is he leaving his music behind when he goes to college. Gotham will have to deal. It's already a burning shit-nado, it can handle this. Probably. He'll put um in a lead lined box. Actually, speaking OF.... he needs to get a few more of those... *goes back to packing*

Which? Is how? The Bats are treated to some of the most HAUNTING music they've ever heard, belted and crooned from Some Guy's speakers, out an open window, on the "stop for a mid-patrol drink of water and a snack" building. It's one of the intersections of their patrol routes. And THAT? That is some dude listening to a Romani ballad about death and the circus. Now it's a musical about the trenches of an obscure war.

Okay, that was DEFINITELY Kryptonian. Like... coherent Krypto- *Bruce gets a call from Clark on his "work" number DEMANDING to know where that is coming from. Who is that voice Bruce?!* huh.... Well Then.

@hdgnj @hypewinter @nerdpoe @lolottes @babbling-babull @spidori @mutable-manifestation @the-witchhunter

[melinoe-dearest09]

Helooo there, i would like to request a batfam x batsis fic in which she is the most recent addition to the family, and all of them are trying really hard to get her to warm up to them( having a game nights, going shopping, going to the arcade ex...) on one of these outings, they are stormed by the paparazzi, which in turn overwhelms her, and she gets a panic attack, then cue the protective big brothers who help her through it.

That's as far as I've thought on this. I hope it makes sense to you. ( You can change some of the details if you'd like) Have a nice day / night.

Of course! I didn't know how old you wanted her but I made her younger than Damian. (Damian is 14 here) Thanks for the request <3

The brothers always tried when they got a new sibling. They knew how hard it was to adjust to the Wayne style of life. But usually it didn't take very long. You were a special case.

Your bio parents were part of the nobility of Gotham. They went to all the parties and did all the rich people things. You didn't. In fact no one knew who you were until your parents died. They kept you locked up in your room and never really let you out of the house.

When your parents died (car crash) police went to the house to inform the staff. Instead they were met with a young girl who looked very malnourished and abused. The police took all normal steps after that. Taking you to the hospital and then trying to put you into foster care. Of course the news found out and plastered it everywhere. "Tragic death of the L/N result in finding of secret Daughter". Of course the news station was missing some of the important information like you wellbeing but this was enough to catch Bruce's eye. After he found out how you where treated though? The adoption papers where already signed. You were now a Wayne.

As of now you had been at the Manor for a month. The boys were trying really hard to get you to warm up to them. Dick had taken you shopping multiple times, Tim tried helping you with your school work (especially since you hadn't ever gone to school), and Jason took you to the Arcade. Even Damian was trying! He would try to get you to paint with him or go out with him and Jon. But you weren't responding to any of them. You mostly stayed in your room or stuck around Alfred. Heck you hadn't even said a word to them. They were starting to get desperate.

"Damian" Bruce called. "Can you got get Y/n from her room. Dick is taking all of you shopping for the upcoming gala."

Damian rolled his eyes at the mention of the gala but complied "Yes father."

When you were all ready you headed out. Dick thought it would be a good idea to shop for the gala then go catch lunch or see a movie.

"I'm not even gonna show up to this stupid thing anyway. So the hell do I have to be here?" Jason complained.

"We hare having sibling bonding time. And this is going to be Y/n's first gala! So we all have to make sure she looks super pretty! Like a little princess!" Dick said happily.

At the mention, Jason looked over to you nervously "You sure it's a good idea for the kid to go to a gala? She hasn't even talked to us. How's she gonna talk to other people?" He asked. He looked back over to were you stood. Tim was on one side trying to talk to you while Damian stood on the other looking at suits. You were just staring at Tim and occasionally nodding. "See. She's not even talkin to Tim and he spends the most time with her. Not to mention the brat is closer in age to her and she hasn't said a word to him either." Jason pointed out.

Dick decided to ignore this "What about this Suit."

"Too Flashy disco Dave. But seriously-"

"Jason she be fiiine." Dick says quickly. Jason didn't believe thus for one second but he was tired of arguing with Dick. So he let it rest.

Later after they had all found a suitable outfit you all went to grab lunch. "Y/n is there any place you want to go to?" Tim asks. You shrug. All the boys sigh hoping you would answer.

"Brothers. We might have a slight problem." Damian says. They look to where he is pointing and all think the same thing. 'Shit'. Paparazzi start to flood them from all sides. They all start yelling questions and taking pictures. They boys try and move around you so you aren't seen but it's to late. Suddenly you are pulled from the boys and the crowd closes in on you. The question become louder the, flashes from cameras brighter, and you stand there in the middle helpless. You've never experienced this before and very fast it becomes too much. You feel you chest become tighter and your breathing become faster but it feels like you aren't getting any air in your lungs.

They boys are frantically trying to get through the crowd but they are also getting bombarded with questions. Finally Damian breaks through to you and sees you staring at the ground clutching your chest. "Y/n..." he slowly approaches you lowering his voice. You look up at him tears filling your eyes as you gasp for air. "Hey hey hey it's okay don't worry I'm here. The others are coming...it's okay." He turns to look for the others and sees Jason break through the crowd. He takes one look at you and starts trying to clear a path. The others see this and try to help. Damian scoops you up and starts to carry you through this makeshift path. Then quickly runs for the nearest store. He sets you down then starts to calm you down.

"Hey Y/n look at me...follow my breathing okay...in....and out...in....and out" Damian says calmly. You listen to what he says and start to calm down. The other boys come in and stand around making sure no one can see you. When you start to breath normally again Jason asks "You feelin better kid?" You look up at him "Y-yeah..." They look shocked for a second then smile. "That's good little sis." Jason responds. Tim moves to your other side. "How about we go home? Alfred can make us some food? That okay?" You nod "Can he make mac n cheese?"

"Yeah sis. You can have mac n cheese."

[babiebom]

Would they be a Girl Dad/Mom or Boy Dad/Mom

A/N: just know that this isn’t the weird incest-y thing that people have going on (the boy moms saying that no girl would ever compare to them when talking about their sons dating stuff) this is just what vibes they give off!! The is completely ignoring the how many kids they would have thing!!

Tw:cursing? Mentions of a afab partner in bachelors and amab partner in bachelorettes. Some angsty stuff but nothing too bad except for the authors note which mentions incest.

Wc:at least 5 for each!

Stardew Valley Masterlist

Sebastian

Girl dad

He just gives off girl dad energy

Like a daughter would soothe his soul if that makes sense.

Especially because I feel like he would have a daughter that’s exactly like her mother.

He would become softer, and would probably be carrying her everywhere.

Would be the parent that shows up to the school like “WHO TF HAS A PROBLEM WITH MY DAUGHTER?”

Absolutely doesn’t allow her on his motorcycle at all.

Maybe when she’s a little older he’ll get mods to a new motorcycle so she could ride with him but as a baby absolutely not.

She is a daddy’s girl through and through and it makes him happy because he never had a relationship like this with his biological dad nor with Demetrius.

Sam

Girl dad

You will see him teaching his daughter how to skate EVERY DAY

Like dude is a skater boy that’s also a musician.

He definitely has a daughter with her skirt on and some knee pads a helmet and some flannel or something.

And he’s like “okay try again! You’ll get that kick flip eventually.”

And you’re just like “SHES GONNA GET H U R T!!!!”

And he’s like “yeah but she’ll be fine :)”

It’s VERY stressful because he’s a little rough with playing sometimes because he gets too excited but it’s good to have a partner that will push your child like that.

He’s a very good fun dad

Vincent enjoys being an uncle.

Shane

Girl dad

Have you seen how he is with Jas?

Dude is a girl dad all the way!

Would teach his daughter how to take care of the chickens, and would try to teach them proper ways of dealing with their emotions because he doesn’t want her to end up like him.

I could imagine he’s one of those dads where his daughter posts something on a social media platform and gets the “this is no father behavior” or whatever people be saying

And she just makes another video with him standing there and is like ??????? I’m actually close to my dad thanks <3

Like his daughter would be strong but a good person because he would work hard to make sure she’s a person he wishes he could be. But not in a toxic way

More in a you could be and are better than me.

Alex

Definitely a boy dad

I think he gives off the vibes of a dad you see at the park

And you can immediately tell that his child is a boy and when anyone asks him he points to a little boy that looks exactly like him.

They have football days

And it just very much him fixing what he didn’t have with his dad, and giving his son as much love and care as he can.

It’s as if he is getting a do over, but in the form of having a child instead of him going back to being a child.

I can see him and his son in the kitchen with a mess everywhere trying to make you breakfast

He takes him to sports games and goes to all of his kids events at school.

They’re both EXTREMELY loud when doing anything together. It’s just shouts of excitement and joy.

Harvey

Boy dad

I don’t know he gives off that he specifically has a 3 year old son that clings to both of you on any given day.

Like a son with big eyes that can melt anyone’s heart and his hair is always neat.

Son may be a bit of a crybaby ngl but in a cute way. Because both of you allow him to express his feelings in any way he wants to as long as it’s healthy.

Like y’all’s son would be an incredibly sweet boy and so loving and caring towards other people and things.

Harvey has a picture of you and your son as his lock screen on his phone and the clinic computer. And he has a little picture (more like a million) of you three in his wallet.

Elliott

Girl dad

She takes mom’s looks but has his hair.

And also his bone structure.

Gives off Nepo baby vibes and has a big vocabulary bc Elliott would speak to her as if she’s an adult since the day she’s born.

Like yeah he still speaks softly and everything

But he uses adult words bc his kid is going to be smart.

Would be so sweet and would absolutely call her his princess.

Elliott is for sure in charge of bedtime stories and has probably already or has made plans to release a children’s book just for her

She gives him inspiration and a new meaning to his life.

Penny

Boy mom

She just seems like the type of woman to have a son

I imagine him literally either as a newborn with her never putting him down or like a 4 year old playing at the park.

I think he would be similar to her in personality but more like dad in looks.

He’s attached to her and they spend hours reading together because they’re both very into stories.

I think out of all the kids he would be the sweetest.

He’s very soft spoken like she is and she loves that he is (don’t get me wrong if he was loud she would still love him just as much) but she’s seeing all of the traits that she was more insecure about in him and figuring out that maybe it’s nothing to be ashamed of because those traits are lovely in him.

Leah

Boy mom

Like I mentioned in the other post I think she would have one child

And I think this little boy would be so creative it’s crazy

But is also super hyper so all of his art is chaotic but very cool

She probably started doing art with him the second he was born.

She makes a bunch of finger,hand,toe, and footprint art because he’s going to grow quickly and she wants to have something that she can look back on when he’s grown.

He’s encouraged to be messy and I think because of it he learns to clean up his mess quickly

They’re a very smilely duo and she makes sure to encourage him in whatever he wants to do no matter how absurd because no one encouraged her to follow her art dreams and she never wants him to feel like that

But also teaches the importance of accepting failure and continuing to try to achieve his goals.

Emily

Boy mom

Very strange like her but in a good way like her

She lets him express himself in all kinds of ways so he’s very…idk how to explain it

Sometimes off putting to people?

Sort of autism coded ngl

Like has no ability to read the room and very much says what’s on his mind no matter what’s happening

But it’s kinda impossible to get mad at him because he does it in a very nice way?

Probably has his hair dyed some random color that he wanted and everyone gets mad at Emily for it because “HeS a KiD hE cAnT dO tHaT!!!!!!!1!!!”

They’re also super close. But I don’t honestly think any of these bachelor/ettes would have kids just to hate them.

But they have the kind of bond that people usually have with their friends like where you can halfway read their mind and you don’t really have to say full sentences or anything they just get it.

Haley

Girl mom

OOOOOOOOF her daughter is the spitting image of her

Like her daughter knows EXACTLY what she’s going to look like.

Would probably dress her daughter up in expensive clothes and stuff and they’ll have mommy daughter dates where they get their nails done and go to a hair salon and go shopping and have their little drinks.

Her daughter would probably have a popular girl name because Haley would wanna set her up for success.

BUT unlike what people might think I think that Haley would be very…relaxed with her daughter if that makes sense

No almond mom shit

No making her feel bad

No being distant and distracted

Haley sometimes feels abandoned by her parents and I have a headcanon where even though she loves them and they love her they kinda made her feel shitty about certain things

Like her and her mother would get into arguments and her mother would say “I hope you have a daughter just like you so you can see how hard it is to deal with you!”

And after Haley has her daughter she sees that it isn’t really hard to love herself at all. Her daughter is just like her and it’s the easiest thing in the world to love her.

Abigail

Girl mom

I think Abigail would struggle with this at first because y’know I think out of all the bachelorettes she her up with the stereotypical roles in her household and even when she tried to go against it her parents wouldn’t let her

So when she has a girl she panics because what is she supposed to do? And she worries that she’ll be like her parents even though she does love and cherish them.

But as her daughter grows older she’ll relax more especially if her daughter is into video games and adventuring.

I think she would probably take her kid on hikes and stuff. Like she doesn’t really care for exercise but it’s kinda like adventuring going hiking.

So her daughter would grow up with a love for adventure and the outdoors but also with the knowledge that she could be into whatever and her mother will not judge and will always love her

Maru

Boy mom

I don’t know why but I can see her with a Spencer Reid son if that makes sense

A super nerd that’s super cute and lovable and also info dumps and inappropriate times

I think he would be space nerd instead of robot nerd and also maybe a bit of a bug/dinosaur nerd

And she’s like !!!!!! That’s so cool!!!!!!

They just talk for hours and hours infodumping at each other and everyone is like ??? What kind of conversation is that you’re both just taking turns talking for an hour straight???

BUT a difference is that she understands Demetrius’ position but also kinda is annoyed at him for his behavior

Like she would NEVER dream of holding her child back socially because she thinks his academic progress is more important

It kinda made her shit at socializing and she’s kinda grateful to have a partner and son that understand her

She wants him to be well rounded instead of just smart.

[greynatomy]

who even are you?

katrina gorry x reader

this was a request from wattpad. finally wrote about another matilda. my writing block is slightly going away.

this is one of the ones that’s been sitting in the drafts

part 2 part 3

———

You met Katrina at the beginning of 2021. You were in Australia on a vacation when you nearly knocked her down walking to a café. Your tall frame towers over hers by almost a whole foot.

As an apology, you invited her to have breakfast with you, connecting with one another instantly. You talked about what you did for work, intrigued when she said she played football professionally. She also opened up about always wanting to become a mother and recently finding out her ivf procedure worked and was currently pregnant.

You hit it off pretty well, hanging out everyday, which turned into you asking her on a date and becoming official by the end of your month long vacation. It was difficult when you had to go back home to England.

Months passed and you talked whenever you could, missing her more and more. You talked to your boss about wanting to go remote, but would fly out only when necessary and surprisingly to you, he agreed.

You talked about it to Katrina and she was ecstatic. You moved in with her just before her final weeks of pregnancy.

In the delivery room, once a little baby girl was born, which Katrina named her Harper, she asked if it would be okay if she put your name in the other box for parent. You cried into her shoulder, wanting nothing more.

After some time, you’d gotten married in a small private ceremony months after Harper’s birth, moving into a bigger place. You both couldn’t be happier.

Two years later, the Australia’s Women’s National Team were currently in training for the Olympic Qualifying Asia. Harper was off to the side of the pitch playing with all the toys that she brought with her.

The coach calls the team for a water break, Mini’s two other kids, Kyra and Charli, rush over to Harper.

“Havin’ fun Harps?”

“Yeah!” She raises up her little doll to show them.

Catching their breath, the three play with each other, all in their own world, until the coach calls them back in for a scrimmage. It was a close game, playing like it was a real match.

As everyone was focused on the game, Harper saw someone familiar in the distance, instantly getting up from her blanket, running towards the figure.

“Mama!” She crashes into you.

“Hi, Harper. You been good for Mommy?”

“Yeah!” Harper sees a ball and tugs you by the hand. “Mama, play!”

“Wanna play some football?”

In your own little world, the team’s scrimmage finished, everyone eager to change out of their sweaty gear. Kyra and Charli took off to Harper’s blanket wanting to spend some time with their little sister. The thing is, Harper’s not in the blanket.

“Charli, where’s Harper?”

“How would I know?”

“You’re supposed to keep an eye on her.”

“Me? What about you?”

“How’d we lose a baby?”

“Hey, guys!” Startled, they turn around to see Mini. “Good training today, huh? Where’d Harper go?”

“Uh-well-um—” Charli started malfunctioning.

“Wait! Look there!” Kyra pointed to the distance, seeing Harper with someone she’s never seen before. “Hey! Get away from her!” Before the other two know it, Kyra was already running to where Harper and the supposed stranger are, grabbing Harper out of your arms.

Katrina realizing that it was you, runs after Kyra, hearing her daughter let out a cry.

“How did you get in here? I’m gonna call security!”

“Can you just listen to—”

“—Why should I listen to you, you-you kidnapper!”

The rest of the Matildas are now aware of all the commotion, going up to it.

“What’s happening here?” Sam asks, seeing Kyra hold onto a crying Harper tightly.

“She’s trying to take Harper!”

“What? No, I’m not!”

“Who even are you?”

“If you’d let me expl—”

“I don’t wanna listen to what you have to sa—”

“SHUT UP!” Katrina yelled, everyone going silent, except for the cries of Harper. “Look, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go, but conclusions were jumped into so I’m doing it now. This is Y/N and she’s my wife and Harper’s other Mom.”

“You’re married?” “Wife?” “Other mom?” “Since when?” “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Okay! Shut up! I’ll answer everything after we’ve all showered and dressed. Kyra give Harper back to Y/N.”

Handing Harper back to you, she gives you and apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s alright. Just a misunderstanding.”

As they all go into the changing rooms, you greet your wife with a kiss.

“That was something, huh?”

“Definitely not how I wanted it to go.”

“‘Least it’s out of the way. Can we get some ice cream after?”

“I sceam (ice cream)!” Harper suddenly has a burst of energy.”

“Ice cream!”

“I have two children at this point.”

“Don’t Kyra and Charli call you Mom?”

“Four children. I have four children and you all drive me insane.”

[alwaysurvalentine]

the luck I've had can make a good man turn bad - fic

Written for Day 5 of @steddieangstyaugust - prompt: Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by the Smiths - word count: 4.1k (this one got away from me) - cw: some cussing, allusions to parents fighting in another room, allusions to money issues, bullying mentioned (nothing graphic)

enjoy! 💛

~~~

When Eddie is five years old, his Uncle Wayne takes him to the aquarium. He talks the entire car ride, reading out the road signs they pass and counting the dashes in the road. He’s so excited that he doesn’t have to play the Quiet Game on the way there that he doesn’t even question it when Wayne comes to pick him up.

Eddie’s Mama helped him pack a bag and said he gets to stay with his Uncle Wayne the whole weekend, he’s so excited! Uncle Wayne always lets him stay up late and tells the best bedtime stories. 

They’ve been on the road for a couple hours when they end up in a city. Uncle Wayne says it’s Louisville, but all Eddie can focus on is the tallest buildings he’s ever seen his whole life. They can fit millions of people in there! When he voices this, Wayne says only a couple thousand are in there. Which is basically the same thing - but Eddie’s not gonna correct his math when he sees them pulling into a Denny’s parking lot.

“We get to have Denny’s?! You’re the bestest!!!!” Eddie’s already unbuckling his belt by the time Wayne’s at his door, opening it to help him out. “Can I get pancakes? Please, please, please!” 

Another chuckle and a shake of the head is his response from Wayne, who’s holding out a hand for Eddie to grab. They cross the parking lot together, Eddie skipping with a toothy grin. 

“Well, go on then, find us a table.” At his uncle’s words, Eddie’s brown eyes scan the room. There’s a few tables next to the windows, but most of those already have people there - and then he sees it. The best table ever. It’s closer to the middle of the room but it’s got two booth seats opposite each other. Perfect for him and his Uncle Wayne! He darts over without saying anything and Wayne follows, slower, but still with a quirk of his lip that Eddie’s Mama said means he’s smiling.

He can’t read the whole menu, but he finds chocolate chip pancakes based on the picture on the side - which he points to when he orders from the nice lady named Sarah. When it’s Wayne’s turn to order he just gets nasty coffee. (Eddie snuck a sip of his mama’s cup once - it tastes like dirt.) 

~

“WHAT is THAT?” Eddie yells - tiny finger pointed at the whale shark swimming above them. A couple of people around them turn to look at him when he yells, but Wayne doesn’t seem bothered - pointing at the words on the wall. 

“This says it’s a whale shark. They’re the biggest sharks in the ocean.”

“What’s the ocean?” 

~

There’s a stuffed whale shark in the gift shop when they’re leaving. Eddie’s seen so many fish today, but none of them were nearly as cool as the whale shark. His eyes find it, and before he knows it his legs have carried him over to the stack of them. A couple friendly clown fish sit nearby, but nothing interests him as much as the whale shark. It looks like it’s the size of his bed, but he doesn’t care - he has to take this home. Mama and him can lay on it when she sings him to sleep and he can cuddle up with it when Mama and Dad get loud in the living room. 

“Eddie? What’d you find?” Eddie grins up at Wayne, smiling big enough to cause his dimples to show. He’s holding on to one of the sharks now, and he was right, it’s bigger than he is. The tail is bent slightly on the ground with his arms wrapped around its sewn gills. 

“I love him. Can we get him Uncle Wayne? Mama would love him! I know he’s not as big as the real thing but this will help her believe me when I tell her it was the size of a car! Dad might even like him, since sharks are the coolest animal.” 

As Eddie rambles, Wayne checks the price tag dangling off of the shark’s front fin. He knew his nephew was going to ask for something from the gift shop, and if this had been a planned visit instead of a quick phone call from Eddie’s mom type of visit, he might’ve had the money. But as it was, the only thing he knew for sure he could afford was the tiny key chain he’d grabbed on his way over to find Eddie. Now it’s just trying to convince Eddie that the keychain is just as cool.

~

Eddie’s pouting in his car seat, brown eyes focused on the trees outside instead of singing along to the station Wayne turned on to the radio. He did buy the keychain but that didn’t stop the tears that streamed down Eddie’s face for the first 30 minutes of the ride. The tears have stopped, but Wayne’s heart breaks at each quiet sniffle coming from the back seat.

***

Uncle Wayne is at the door again. Except this time Eddie’s ten years old and he’s the one that called. He can’t stand being in the house all alone. His mom passed four years ago and his dad’s never been the same - not that he was a stand up guy to begin with. Good old dad said he was going out to “shoot some pool with a couple of buddies”, and while this would normally be fine, Eddie’s run out of Kraft mac and cheese to eat.

“Hey, Uncle Wayne. Sorry I had to call, I was just thinking I haven’t stayed over in a little while. Would it be okay-”

“Where’s Al?” As always, his uncle cuts straight to the chase. His voice is gruff, but Eddie’s had plenty of practice now in reading his uncle and can hear the concern laced in his words. 

He scuffs his converse against the floor and shrugs. “I dunno. He said he was gonna play pool with some guys.” Eddie looks up again to see Wayne looking around the trailer. He should’ve cleaned up after he called him; the dirty dishes in the sink and the trashcan full of candy wrappers says more than he meant to share. 

“Eddie, how-”

“Just forget it. I shouldn’t have called - it was stupid.” Brown eyes meet Wayne’s green ones defiantly, daring him to finish the sentence. 

“Alright, c’mon boy. Let’s go get Denny’s.”

~

The pancakes on Eddie’s plate are drowned in syrup, chocolate chips smeared across the top of them. A cup of black coffee sits in front of Wayne.

“What time does school start on Monday?”

A disbelieving smile starts to spread on Eddie’s face. “I can stay with you all weekend?!”

Wayne nods and sips his coffee, a small smile of his own hidden by the lip of the cup. “We’ll leave a note for your dad, but yeah. I don’t see why not.”

~

Unfortunately, Al Munson is at home when they get back, and with him comes the end of all of Eddie’s weekend plans. Al pitches a fit, sends Eddie to his room so he and Wayne can “have some words”. Eddie doesn’t know why he bothered sending him to his room when his dad’s shouting can be heard through the whole trailer anyway. 

“Don’t need you telling me how to raise my own damn son!”

Wayne’s words don’t carry as well as his dad’s but he can hear some kind of murmur in response. 

“Fuck off Wayne, you always thought you were better than me. I don’t care what you think, he lives under my roof so he follows my rules. He doesn’t need somebody babying him!”

Another murmur. 

“Get the hell out of my house! Don’t even bother coming back! I don’t care if that brat calls you or not!”

Eddie’s back is pressed against his door, knees tucked to his chest as he listens. He was stupid to call Wayne. Stupid to think his dad would let him go stay the weekend with him. He’s just tired. 

He’s tired of having cereal and mac and cheese for dinner. He’s tired of having to eat off of his friend’s lunch trays because his dad hasn’t paid for his school lunches. He’s tired of using duct tape to keep the bottom of his shoes attached because Al won’t buy him more. He’s tired of being left alone for days on end. His dad is right, he can take care of himself - he just doesn’t want to. 

He misses his mom.

***

“Eddie? What happened?” 

The teen brushes off his uncle’s words and heads into the trailer, bee-lining to his room. Eddie knows he looks rough, but seeing his reflection from the mirror on his dresser tells him not about this with Wayne isn’t going to be an option.

“Eddie, can I come in?” Speak of the devil; there he is knocking at Eddie’s door. 

“Yeah. C’mon.” He sits back on his bed, eyes focused on the floor instead of the man stepping carefully into his space, and Wayne lets him sit in silence for a moment before sitting at the foot of Eddie’s bed. 

“You gonna tell me what happened? Or are we just acting like your nose isn’t a bit more crooked than it was this mornin’?” Eddie stays silent. “I know you’re about as graceful as a bull in a china shop, but normally it’s your knees coming home bloody - not your nose. If you’re not gonna talk about it, you gonna at least let me have a look?”

“Why does it matter? No one cares in this fucking town anyway. Everyone always has something to say. Oh did you hear that Munson boy had to move because his dad’s in jail? Eddie’s a weirdo, don’t be friends with him. Have you seen his clothes? Doesn’t even have enough money to get new pants when he rips out the knees. Oh well, I heard that his uncle took him in just for the tax benefits - Lord knows it wouldn’t be worth it to have him otherwise. He’s going to be just like his daddy when he gets older, scamming people - don’t listen to a word he says.”

“Shut your mouth, boy!” 

Eddie’s mouth clamps shut, teeth slamming together with an audible click. He’s shaking slightly, fists clenched at his sides. He can’t meet Wayne’s eyes. 

“You listen to me, and you listen good.” Wayne’s voice is stern but like always, Eddie can hear the affection in it. 

“Look at me,” Eddie raises his eyes slowly, jaw tense even if it causes his nose to throb.

“You ain’t nothing like your daddy. You’re your mama through and through, God bless her. And just because people can’t see past their own noses don’t mean you need to be listening to their shit. You’ve been nothing but a good kid since I met you, so unless you committed some crazy crimes that first week of your life then I think I’m good authority on this. I mean it, Eddie, you’re nothing like him. You keep being you, and you never will be him. Now lemme take a look at your nose.”

***

“Welcome to Family Video!” Eddie looks to the counter, eyes locking with none other than Steve Harrington’s before smirking.

“Is that any way to greet me? Your favorite customer?” He saunters to the counter, limp slowing him down only slightly - physical therapy the past 3 months making it possible at all.

Steve rolls his eyes but the huge smile on his face gives him away. “Sorry, let me try again.” And then he turns around, hazel eyes catching Eddie’s again, fluttering his eyelashes. “Oh! Hello Eddie!” He finishes his new welcome with a wink and then leans against the counter. The sun coming in through the windows makes Steve look like a painting, a modern day Adonis. He’s made to be in the sunlight.

“Anyway, what’s the occasion today? Came to finally return Alien?” Steve’s hair is a little floppier than usual, and he’s been letting it grow out since the end of July so it’s curling up slightly at the end of his neck. It doesn’t cover the two moles on Steve’s neck, the perfect place to bite - and Eddie’s getting off track. 

“As if. That movie’s basically mine and Wayne’s now. No point in trying to get it back.” Eddie shrugs, shaking his head mockingly. He and Steve know he’s had it checked out for at least a year now. They both also know that Steve waived his late fees the moment he got promoted to manager. 

“Just came to bother Hawkins’ favorite babysitter.” Steve’s eyes narrow at him now, leaning away from the counter to peer outside. 

“Which one put you up to this? What do you need?” His hands are on his hips, opening the green vest to tease Eddie with the broad expanse of his chest hidden by a light blue polo. Eddie’s mouth feels a lot dryer than it was when he walked in. Okay - stop looking at the silver buckle on his belt, look at something else. Yeah, yeah, the tangled phone cord - that’s interesting.

“Why does it always have to be something?”

Hazel eyes level him with a look that paints a blush on his cheeks, causing Eddie to cough. 

“Okay, maybe Will’s got a campaign planned for us to play. Buuuut-”

“But the cabin isn’t big enough for all of you to play in?” Steve cuts him off, crossing his arms over his chest instead. Which does nothing to help Eddie’s blush, eyes now distracted by the bulge of his arms. Which makes him think of Steve’s arm behind his back during the last group movie night. Which then makes him think of Steve offering his arms during physical therapy, easily holding Eddie up as he stumbled along. Which then makes Eddie think of how easily Steve was able to help him into the wheelchair he had for a few weeks. 

“-ie? Are you okay? Do you need to sit down for a minute?” Eddie blinks and shakes his head, bringing into focus Steve’s brows furrowed in worry.

“Yeah, no, I’m okay. Gotta head out - Wayne’s waiting in the van. So we can host it at your place? Thanks!”

And then Eddie’s limping back towards the door, thoroughly embarrassed. Leave it to him to get a massive crush on THE Steve Harrington and become a huge idiot in front of him. Screw Robin for making him realize he’d fallen for the guy in the first place, no more late night smoking sessions with Birdie. 

“Yeah, okay. Tell Wayne I said hi!” Steve calls behind him and he flashes a smile over his shoulder as he steps through the door. 

~

There’s an open notebook to Eddie’s right and a pencil tucked behind his ear while he sits crouched over his guitar. He hasn’t written anything new in the last 30 minutes, his mind wandering to Steve again. He wishes he and Robin hadn’t decided to play truth or dare last night. If he’d only picked dare! Instead he picked truth and just like the teenage girl she is, Robin had to ask about crushes. And then he just - started talking about Steve and couldn’t stop. Robin got this weirdly focused look in her eyes and then just cryptically said that he should “tell Steve how you feel!” which had him choking on air. 

��I’m sorry, what?” Brown eyes widened, staring into Robin’s blue ones. 

“You should tell him how you feel!” She’d grinned, eyes red rimmed but nonetheless sincere. 

“Birdie…he doesn’t even know I’m like that…what if he acts weird after? I can’t lose him.” 

“Eddie.” Robin placed her hand on his shoulder, peering into his eyes, close enough that their noses were almost touching. 

“He knows about me. And he’s my Platonic soulmate, knowing this isn’t going to do anything but make things better. He’s a good guy. I promise Eddie, nothing bad is going to happen if you tell him.”

And then she’d backed up to her side of the couch again, reaching for the bag of popcorn they’d made earlier. 

“Eddie! Phone for you! Sounds like your boy!” Wayne’s teasing voice calls through the trailer and Eddie almost drops his guitar in his haste to grab at the phone on his bedside table (a perk from being stuck at the house for recovery).

“Waaaynee!” His voice comes out like a petulant teenager but he doesn’t catch his uncle’s response because he’s already holding the phone up to his ear.

“Hey, Stevie.” He’s breathless even though Steve hasn’t said anything, face warming just like earlier.

“Eddie! Hey! So I said I’d host, but you didn’t say what day.” 

He can hear the smile in Steve’s voice, can imagine him peering into his fridge with the phone tucked in between his shoulder and ear. Eddie sets his guitar against the end of his bed and leans back against his pillows. 

“My bad, yeah, Will the Wise said he wanted to do it next weekend, that work for you?” 

“I have to open next Saturday but if you guys are okay with starting around dinner time, that works for me? I can talk to Mrs. Byers and the Sinclairs about doing a sleepover, can you ask Dustin’s mom and see about giving Max a ride? I’m sure Nancy can let her mom know Mike will be staying over. What kind of snacks do you guys need? I can go to the store on Thursday when I’m off. I can rearrange the living room too…I’ll have to tidy up the guest rooms. Maybe Hopper has some extra firewood we could use and have a little bonfire too? I’ll see if Robin wants to come, we could watch some kind of movie while you play.” 

Steve’s in his own world and Eddie can almost hear the faint scratch of the pen he knows Steve is using to write out a checklist. The list will help keep Steve from forgetting anything, something that Steve has admitted he’s had some trouble with. Remembering the small things, that is. Has to write down dates and specific plans otherwise the day will creep up on him and he’ll only remember when one of the kids contacts him on the radio. It’s happened more times than he’s comfortable with, and now he writes everything down. Has a notebook near his home phone and even keeps a small handheld notebook in his car just in case. Eddie saw it once, accidentally sitting on it; got to see a page covered in bullet points. 

Eddie Physical Therapy MWF 2-3 PM!!

Dustin back from Camp Know Where on Tuesday the 17th

Eddie says to listen to Black Sabbath ??

Will and El staying over on the 3rd so Hopper and Mrs. Byers can go on date

Give Eddie back his vest ???

Oil Change

Ask Eddie

  But he couldn’t finish reading the list before Steve had grabbed the notebook to shove into the center console. 

“Stevie, sweetheart-” and he swears he can hear a stutter in Steve’s breath, “we can just order a couple pizzas and be fine. Don’t worry about getting specific snacks or anything. I’ll talk to Claudia and you know I’ll make sure Max gets there in one piece. Everyone’s gonna be excited just to play, let alone stay the night and get some of that breakfast casserole you always make for us.” He’s joking with his words and is rewarded with a chuckle from Steve. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll make it only when I get some help in the kitchen. Peeling and cutting all those potatoes is hard work. But yeah, we can order pizza for the group.” The stress has eased from his voice, and the Steve in Eddie’s mind’s eye is ripping away the previous notes to replace it with one that just says pizza for dinner and the ingredients for Steve’s breakfast casserole (potatoes, eggs, shredded cheese). 

“Uh-huh. You tell me when you stop needing the potatoes in perfect cubes and I’ll help. Little Stevie Homemaker has to have his food perfect otherwise no one’s allowed to eat it.” He teases again, pulling a strand of his hair to his mouth, chewing on the end slightly. 

~

Steve’s messing with something in the kitchen when Eddie and Max walk in. Max beelines to the living room, circling the coffee table before plopping down on the left side of the couch. Her hair is in two haphazard braids that Eddie knows El will offer to fix as soon as she walks in. She cuts her eyes to him and nods towards the kitchen, a knowing smirk on her face.

“Don’t look at me like that, Mayfield.” He pokes a finger in her direction and squints his eyes. The effect is lost on her though because she’s already turned back towards the TV, remote in hand, while he heads towards the kitchen. 

At least three cabinet doors are slammed shut before Eddie steps into the kitchen. Steve’s back is to him, a green T-shirt stretched across his back - his shoulders are tense and Eddie can almost see an exact outline of the boy’s shoulders. He can’t make out what he’s saying, but Steve’s mumbling as he works. There’s a towel covered bowl behind him on the island, but he’s pulling out smaller bowls and setting them on the counter next to the fridge. 

“What’s all this, Stevie?” And Steve jumps about 2 feet in the air at his voice, whipping around quick enough that his bangs settle back down on his head while he scowls at Eddie. 

“I thought I told you to be here at 6.” 

“And I thought I told you that we would order pizza tonight.” Eddie’s looking down at the homemade dough he sees sitting in the bowl he uncovered. Now that Steve’s turned around, he can see that he was pulling bowls out to dump toppings into. A jar of olives, cut green peppers, mushrooms, a bag of pepperoni, and a large bag of cheese - all the makings of a pizza, just no sauce. When he looks back to the boy in front of him, he’s wiping his hands on a gray towel he had over his shoulder. A light blush is on his cheeks, traveling down to the collar of his shirt - Eddie thinks if he didn’t have it on that pretty pink would travel further down his chest. He hears another mumble from Steve but he turns as he’s talking so he misses it, and Steve’s shoulders seem more tense than before. 

“What was that? Hey, please?” Eddie rounds the corner of the island and reaches a hand out to rest on Steve’s shoulder, turning him slightly. He’s looking down but lets Eddie turn him, hands slowing their fidgeting with the towel. 

“Mario’s pizza has too much grease, and this way all of the kids can put their own toppings on theirs.” 

Again, Eddie is reminded of how sweet Steve really is. He’s so glad he’s gotten to know this Steve instead of the “King” he thought the younger man was. His hand travels from Steve’s shoulder with a mind of its own, resting against his right cheek. If he moves his thumb slightly he could cover up the moles right there on Steve’s left cheek. Hazel eyes are hidden from him, Steve’s eyes closed as he leans slightly into the contact. 

Eddie really wants to kiss him. 

“Stevie…” His voice is little more than a whisper but Steve opens his eyes regardless. The light from the kitchen window highlights the gold in Steve’s eyes and Eddie’s breath stutters at what he sees there. 

Does Steve want to kiss him?

Loud knocking shocks both them and Eddie drops his hand like it’s been burned. “STEVE!! Why is your door locked? Let us in!!” Dustin’s voice is muffled only because there’s a door and room between them, and Steve rolls his eyes. 

“Let me go let them in, can you stir that for me?” Then he just nods towards a simmering pan on the stove like nothing happened. And Eddie can do nothing but nod once before watching Steve walk away. He hopes he’s not imagining how red Steve’s face is before he leaves the kitchen.

Maybe after the kids leave he and Steve can have a little chat - seems like Robin might be right. If he’s lucky maybe he’ll even get to kiss Steve before the night ends. 

But until then, he’ll stir Steve’s homemade pizza sauce and play the most distracted D&D game he’s ever played. He might’ve been through hell and back, with or without the Upside Down, but things might just be looking up for him now.

[trippinsorrows]

with me + part nine

authors note: ya'll had me rolling in the comments on the last update. calling this man big dick joe. lololol. i hope this one is okay. i'm not very good at writing those scenes, but i tried!! angst is def more my bread and butter.

song inspo: "with me" by destiny's child

status: in progress // masterlist

warnings: language, suggestive themes, smut

words: 8k

taglist: @pixiedust4000 @southerngirl41 @yolobloggers @msbigredmachine @wanderingreigns

“You look so damn good. If you don’t get ate out tonight, come back home early, and I’ll do the honors.”

It’s a miracle that you’re able to keep a straight face as Alexis does the finishing touches on your makeup. “Well, that’s not gonna happen, period, because this is just a date.”

Alexis pauses and gives you a look. “I know you’ve been out of the game for a while, but you do know what typically happens on dates, right?”

Rolling your eyes, you retort, “Lex, not everyone fucks on the first date.”

She sucks her teeth and swaps out the eyeliner for mascara. “Bitch, this is not a first date. He’s painted your walls too many times for you to say anything between ya’ll is a first.” 

As much as you hate it, she has somewhat of a point. You and Joe have checked so many boxes already that it does seem kinda silly to call this a first date. But, in many ways, it is. He’s never before asked you to go anywhere outside of the couple of times he invited you to his show, since you were already in town because he'd flown you out. 

But never anything beyond that. 

So, in that way, it is a first date.

And maybe that’s why you’re nervous. It’s a first too. Not a lot of things make you nervous. Even when you cheered, there was some level of anxiety before competitions, but even that was minimal compared to some of the panicked expressions you’d see on your teammates faces. When it comes to Callie, there are definitely a lot of things that make you nervous, but that’s just regular parental anxiety. 

So this butterflies shit is unfamiliar and annoying. 

It’s also just Joe. You know him, you know him better than almost anyone else in your life outside of Mariah and Callie. 

Thinking of Mariah, you grab your phone and hit the side button to see if you have any notifications. Instead, you’re just met with Callie’s smiling face.

Alexis sees this and comments casually, “still nothing?”

You don’t respond, because it’s not necessary. She already knows the answer. 

“Well, whatever she’s got going on, let her deal with it the way she wants,” Alexis advises, grabbing the powder brush to brush off some excessive powder on your cheeks. “You’ve got too many good things going on in your life for you to be stressed out over her fake ass.” 

She’s not entirely wrong. There’s definitely not a shortage of topics you still need to sort through, many of which should take precedent over you wondering what the hell is going on with your best friend since kindergarten. Still, it’s hard for you not to worry about her and feel confused about what’s shifted between the two of you.

You haven’t heard from her since you text her when Callie was in the hospital, and she replied back that she was praying for you and Callie and asked if you wanted her to come to the hospital. You thanked her but let her know that Joe was with you, so you were okay.

You haven’t heard from her since then. 

It’s not that difficult to put two and two together. There’s something about Joe that makes Mariah stay away and keep her distance. You just can’t figure out why.

“Okay, enough of your overthinking. Time to see my masterpiece.” She gloats and claps her hand, removing the towel she’d put around your chest area to prevent anything from spilling on your outfit. Alexis sighs, “you seriously look amazing, Y/N.”

Standing and stretching your back, you walk over to the full body mirror against the opposite wall of your bedroom. “Oh….”

The last time you actually dressed up was at the town’s annual Christmas party two years back. You’d always gone growing up and wanted Callie to experience it for herself, even though Callie ended up utterly disinterested, hence that being your last appearance. It was hard to justify dragging her to something she was too young to enjoy and even understand. 

So, seeing yourself done up like this is a shock. Alexis absolutely slayed your makeup, perfect wingliner and all. The white, ruched, off shoulder dress is form-fitting, hugging every curve you’ve had since a teenager that's only improved since having Callie. It’s a beautiful contrast against your melanin. You’ve always thought white on black women looked so classy. 

Your curls are styled and pinned into an almost pineapple atop your head. The jewelry is simple and basic: necklace and hoops. No bracelet considering the dress is long-sleeved.

All of this creates the absolutely stunning reflection staring back at you. It brings a smile to your face. You’d forgotten how nice it feels to actually get done up.

Alexis appears in the mirror and rests her chin on your shoulder, smiling broadly. “Told you. Boss bitch.”

Matching her smile, you turn to hug her. You really couldn’t have done this without her, even her offering to take Callie for the night as it was a nighttime date, and you doubted you’d be home before bedtime. “Thank you.” 

“You’re my best friend. You never have to thank me.” She wiggles her brow. “Just give me a rundown of the pounding that’s bound to commence tonight. A video will do as well.”

Your mouth drops open. “Alexis, you—”

“Mommy! I need you.”

You’ve never in your life felt so grateful to be needed by anyone. Maneuvering through the avalanche of clothes that make up most of your bedroom right now, the result of the two of you trying to figure out what the hell you were going to wear, you’re more than happy to saunter over to Callie’s playroom to see what she needs.

“What’s up, sis?”

You see she’s sitting at her little table, surrounded by crayons, markers, colored paper, and other art supplies. Her eyes fall on you with glee as she gasps loudly.

“Mommy, you look so pretty!”

There’s something about a heartfelt compliment from your child that provides such a level of joy.  

“Thank you, baby.” Moving closer to the table, you sit down on the chair opposite her, ignoring how goddamn uncomfortable it is. “What you got for me?”

She shuffles through a couple of pages and lifts one to show you. “Do you think Joe will like this?”

Your eyes study the colorful drawing she’s created against bright yellow—her favorite color—construction paper. It’s the average sun in the corner, green grass, and blue clouds drawing one would expect from a young child, but that’s not what immediately catches your attention. What draws your attention is the fact that there are two people she’s drawn, a heart between the two of them. 

Her and Joe.

Eyes watering, you do your best not to cry. You’re pretty sure everything on your face is waterproof, but you’re not trying to find out right now. Not when Joe should be arriving at your place any minute. “He’s gonna love it, Callie.”

Her face lights up with excitement at your approval. “Yay!” Taking it from you and tucking it underneath some other papers, she offers you another one. “I made this one too!”

You definitely can’t hold back the tears this time around. It’s the same backdrop, outside scenery but with a big house drawn behind the three of you: Callie, Joe, and yourself. With a heart over everyone’s head.

“Callie…..”

Callie, being young, sees your tears and automatically mistakens them for something else. Smile dropping and frown appearing, she moves up from the table and comes to hug you. “Don’t cry, mommy. I can make a new one!”

Wiping at your eyes, you shake your head, accepting her hug. “No, baby. Mommy’s crying because she’s happy, because she loves it.”

Instantly, her smile is back. “Really?”

“It’s beautiful. Is this one for your d—Joe too?”

Christmas can’t come soon enough, because this is at least the third time you’ve almost unintentionally given away Joe’s true identity. And that’s something you swore to him and yourself you’d allow him to reveal to Callie. It’s so hard though when moments like this occur, moments where you just want her to know the man she already loves is the same man who helped bring her into this world. 

She surprises you by shaking her head no. “I wanna put it in my room.” 

Sniffling, you nod, agreeing. “I think that’s a great idea.” 

Callie takes your hand and brings you into her room, the two of you taking a few minutes to decide where her photo should go. Eventually, she decides on right above her bed and you post it up using a thumbtack. 

Alexis walks into the bedroom to see what’s happening and gasps when she sees Callie’s drawing. “Callie, did you draw that? Sweetie, it’s so amazing!”

The compliment makes Callie smile harder as she says, “thank you!”

“We’re gonna have so much fun tonight, kiddo.”

Her eyes light up, premature excitement brewing. “Can we watch Disney movies?”

“Not only can we watch Disney movies, but we can dance and sing with Disney movies.”

Oh Lord. You have a feeling Callie won’t be in bed by 7:30pm, but it’s not worth pushing back on. You’re just grateful she’s agreed to stay around in town long enough for your date to stay with Callie. You know you could always ask your mom, but she’s already helped out so much in the past couple weeks, you figured she could use a break. 

“Yay!” 

You and Alexis work to clean up the disaster that is your room as Callie busies herself in her playroom. Nearly finished, Alexis suddenly shares, “oh, I got something for you!”

Closing up your drawer, you place your hands on your hips. “Lex, you’ve already done so much for—-” you’re silenced by the box she’s suddenly reaching your way. “---me.” A headache is coming, migraine even. “Alexis, seriously?”

“What? It’s obvious ya’ll don’t use condoms.” Moving over to the side of your bed, she slides open the drawer of your nightstand and secures the box of Plan B.

“How many times do I have to say—”

Your 937589th time defending yourself that day is interrupted by the doorbell followed by Callie excitedly yelling “Joe!”

“I’ll get it,” Alexis offers, rushing over to you to give some quick, last minute advice. “You got this okay? It’s Joe. You know him like you know the back of your hand. You’re just hanging out with a muscular, 6’3 wrestler who also happens to be your baby daddy. No pressure.”

“Lex, sometimes you really do suck.”

“No, that’s going to be you tonight.” She laughs, ducking as you toss a decorative pillow in her direction. 

Blowing through your mouth, you attempt a mini pep talk, digging deep for the shitload you had and utilized as cheer captain what feels like so long ago.

“It’s just a date. Just a date.”

That’s the mantra, the ideal that you have to live by, have to pocket and keep with you at all times. 

Just a date. 

Grabbing your purse off the dresser, you slide on your heels and head out to the living room. What you’re met with is both expected and unexpected. Joe is holding Callie who’s clearly catching him up on everything he’s missed since he was last in town, minute by minute play, of course. But, Alexis is in the kitchen surrounded by three separate bouquets of flowers, one of red roses, one yellow, and one pink. 

Joe’s gaze is on you as soon as you enter the space, but your attention is focused on the breathtaking roses. 

“Have I told you he’s my top choice for you?” Alexis asks, explaining and pointing. “The pinks are for me, yellows are for Cal Gal, and the reds are, obviously for you.” A warm smile grows on your face. He’s so damn thoughtful. 

Walking over to him, you cross your arms. “Red roses are my favorites.”

“I remember.” Of course he does. He sweeps his eyes over you, slowly, meticulously. “You look beautiful.”

Bashful would never ever be a word you’d use to describe yourself, but it’s definitely how you feel in this moment. “Thank you.”

He looks good too, but that’s not surprising. Joe always looks good, even in his otherwise basic outfit of dark jeans, long sleeved black fitted shirt, and simple gold chain around his neck. The man could wear an orange jumpsuit, and you’d still want to fuck him silly. 

“Okay, Cal Gal, we better let them get going, so you and I can head out too.”

Alexis' words catch Joe’s attention, as he asks, protectively, “where are you taking her?”

Callie answers, “Auntie Lex and I are gonna have a sleepover at the hotel!”

Joe looks at you, quizzically. “I told her they can just stay here.”

“Just in case,” she winks at Joe and reminds you, quietly. “Nightstand, babes.”

Heading out is as expected. Callie asks once again if she can come with you guys, and Joe promises that the three of you will do something together at a later time. You remind Alexis to not allow Callie to pig out on junk food and go to bed on time, or at least, a decent time. 

Not that it means much. You know she’s gonna do what she wants, because that’s who Alexis is. 

That doesn’t bother you as much as Joe not telling you shit about this date other than that you probably won’t get back until late. Which isn’t much of anything. 

“What about a—”

He glances at you only for a second, then focuses back on the road. “The answer gon’ be the same as it was the last ten times you asked.”

Glaring at him, you cross your arms. “You know I hate surprises.”

“I’m aware.”

“But, you’re surprising me anyway?”

“Sure am.” Sucking your teeth and looking out the window, you cross your arms, turning your body away from him. “Watch the attitude, sweetheart, or I’ll fix it for you at the end of the night.”

His words shouldn’t make your thighs clench together.

“Whatever.” Pulling out your phone, you start to connect it to the car’s bluetooth. 

“What are you doing?”

“I’m not gonna sit here in silence, but I have nothing to say to you, so we need some music.” You’re certain he’s rolling his eyes but doesn’t say anything. Hardheaded ass. He definitely does speak up though when the iconic opening guitar from Smells Like Teen Spirit fills the SUV. 

“Oh my god.”

“I don’t want to hear it. You leave me and my musical tastes alone.”

It seems like a rite of passage for every preteen or teenager to have some type of emo phase where they blast and rock out to Paramore like it’s a religious experience. Emphasis on phase. You never really grew out of yours. A love for rock music was something that stemmed from your love of paramore and morphed to the overall genre in general over the years. It was also something you and Alexis had in common, attending Warped your junior year of college. Joe always roasted you for this, because it was so unexpected.

You just liked your Breaking Benjamin just as much as you liked your Megan Thee Stallion.

“You know Callie likes it too,” you inform. One of your personal goals in life is to pass on your eclectic taste in music to your mini me. The appropriate music, of course. You never listen to anything provocative around her, even the clean versions. 

“You got her listening to this shit, too?”

Challenging him, you counter. “Would you rather her listen to Pound Town?” He shakes his head, running his hand over his beard. “That’s what I thought.”

Joe doesn’t ask you anything else, just lets you rock out to your music to help you avoid asking him the same damn question over and over again. But, you definitely do have questions that you’re absolutely asking when you see where he’s taken you. “Why the hell are we at the airport?” The bastard doesn’t say anything, and you start to repeat your question when he pulls around and you see it. 

“Joe, is that a fucking jet? You have a jet? We’re getting on a jet?” The questions keep rolling out as you find yourself unable to rip your eyes away from it. You’ve been on a plane before, but never a private jet. 

“No, we’re going to stare at it.” 

Your mind is a million and one places. Just what does this man have planned?

Jumping, you realize he’s not only parked, exited the vehicle, but is standing at your side of the car, door open. “Come on.” 

Angrily unbuckling your seatbelt, you jump out the car and continue to press him for answers. 

“Don’t get smart with me when I’m panicking. An actual jet? Where the hell are you taking us? Siberia?” He doesn’t say anything, just moves closer to you and places a hand behind your neck. 

“Do you trust me?”

You’re not sure if you’ve ever actually asked yourself that question, but interestingly enough, the answer is a no-brainer. 

“Of course.”

“Then shut up and come on.”

________

“We could have just gone to a local restaurant.”

Joe finally caved a bit and informed you that he was taking you to a restaurant out of town but within the same state. That was it. But, it was something, and it made you feel a little bit better about sitting here with him on a jet without a clue as to what’s going on.

“Why? So our waiter can be your ex-fiance?” You roll your eyes and decide against telling him the best restaurant in town is owned by your high school coach’s brother. “I’m tired of sharing you.” His strong arms are around you as he nuzzles his face into your neck. Because of course you’re sitting on his lap, the only “seat” he allowed you to use. “Want you to myself….”

Hands on his forearms, your eyes shut as you try to allow yourself to enjoy this. To enjoy him. He’s obviously gone to great lengths to make tonight special for the both of you, so the least you can do is be appreciative and try to enjoy the ride. A small smile on your lip, you taunt, “Callie might have something else to say about that.”

Just the mention of his daughter brings a smile to Joe’s face and yours too. Seeing how much he loves her gives you such peace and satisfaction. “What does she want for Christmas, by the way?”

Scoffing, you answer, smartly, “well, considering you’ve already bought her half of Toys-r-Us inventory, I’m not sure if there’s anything left for her to want.”

He’s unconvinced. “There has to be something. What did you get her?”

“Just random stuff, dolls, more art supplies.” To be honest, you’ve been so busy with everything else that much of your Christmas shopping still hasn’t happened. A rarity since you’re usually meticulous with these things, needing to know what paycheck they’re going to come out of, really. “I mean, the big thing is obviously Disney. That’s on every list: Christmas, birthday, Easter, Chinese new year.”

“Disney world?” He clarifies.

Nodding, you explain, “yup, but of course, because she’s our kid and too smart for her own good, she learned about the different parts like animal kingdom, epcot, and now she wants to see them all.” You’ll never forget the day she came running into your room, jumping on your bed, screaming, “there’s more, mommy! Lots more!”

“I’ve tried to explain I have to save for that, especially since I would want to take my mom with me, but she’s so young, she doesn’t understand it's either Disney, or we have a place to live.” Truth be told, you’ve always wanted to go to Disney too. So did your grandma. And the plan was to go for your high school graduation. Obviously….that never happened.

Your grandma passed away before you all had the chance. 

“I’ll take her. I’ll take all of you.” 

Sitting up, your brows furrow as you clarify, “shit, no. Joe, I didn’t—I wasn’t trying to ask you—”

“I know you weren’t. You’re too stubborn for that.” He’s not wrong, his finger moving up and down your side as he continues. “She wants to go. I’m sure you do too and your mom. I can make it happen, so let me make it happen.”

You hear what he’s saying, you really do, but considering you’ve sat down and cranked out the numbers for what this would cost, just for one person, it makes you almost nauseous to think how much he’d have to fork up.

Joe’s exceptionally well at reading you, speaking again. “I’m gonna say something, and I know you’re gonna push back, because like I said,  you’re stubborn as hell, but I’m gonna say it anyway because that don’t change shit.”

You eye him, skeptically. “I’m already annoyed,”

“Money is something you never have to worry about, especially if it’s for Callie.” You open your mouth to protest, but he lifts his hand to silence you. “I’ve got you, and I’ve got her. Whether you want me to or not.”

It’s such a strange shift, traveling from this mindset where you are the sole financial provider for your child to having a partner who has more money than he knows what to do with and doesn’t mind spending it to make your child happy. To make you happy. 

“Let me do something for my daughter.”

He’s got you there, even if he’s done so much already. You’ve already denied him so much more. Why add to the list? “Okay.” There’s no support for an argument. Who are you to try to get in the way of a father fulfilling his daughter’s lifelong dream? Sure, you could probably make it happen eventually, but time waits for no one. And you can’t really fault Joe. He just wants to do something nice for her daughter. “But….but not Christmas. Her birthday, maybe?”

This seems to work for him as well as he nods in agreement, probably thinking of the benefit to having more time to arrange being away from work.

Joe does an excellent job distracting you for the rest of the ride, which ends up being relatively short, definitely not as long as you expected. Granted, nothing so far has been what you expected, especially when a driver picks you up from the airport and transports you to this top secret location.

Hand in his, Joe leads you inside the building that’s revealed to be a restaurant of some sort. Gracefully decorated and almost entirely empty. 

Touched, you ask in a soft voice, “you rented out a restaurant for us?” 

He glides his thumb over your knuckles and brings your hand to his mouth, kissing it gently. “Not exactly.” 

“Joe, is that you?” 

A voice calls out, and he answers back with a yes.

Confused, you watch an older black woman with salt and pepper hair emerge from the back of the restaurant, wearing one of the friendliest smiles you’ve ever seen. You study her, wondering why she looks so familiar. 

“There you are,” she greets, clapping her hands on her apron. “I was wondering when you’d get here.”

“Sorry, we’re late,” he apologies and releases your hand to bend down and hug this woman. Separating, he looks at you, introducing, “Joyce, this is Y/N.” Taking your hand again, he explains, “baby, this is—”

“Joyce Green,” you finish for him. “Oh my goodness, my mom and I watch your show.” 

Joyce and Dennis Green.

Known as the culinary king and queen throughout your state. They have a chain of restaurants that stretch over the south, a successful cookware line, and television show that’s been atop the charts for years. Arguably, the most successful, African-American couple in this part of the culinary world. 

Suddenly a bit starstruck, you offer your hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

She looks at you and waves off your offer. “Baby, I’m a hugger.” Laughing, you accept her warm hug as she pulls back and assesses you. “You just a pretty little thing, ain’t you?” She compliments, and you’ve never felt so validated in your life. There’s just something about compliments from older black women that heal the soul. Her eyes shift to Joe. “And you….my Lord, he took his time with this one.”

Biting your lip, you agree, “sure did.” 

Joe chuckles and says, “thank you for agreeing to this again.” 

“Of course. My grandbaby still talks about your make-a-wish visit. It’s our honor to have you here.” You say nothing but realize this is how he knows them, how he arranged for whatever this is. She claps her hands together and asks, “now what would you say is your level of experience with cooking?”

It’s directed to both of you, but you answer first, “I can cook a little bit.”

Joe looks at you, brow raised before telling Joyce. “That’s not what her mom or our daughter says.”

“Ya’ll have a baby?” Her eyes light up. “Could I see a picture? If you don’t mind, that is.” Joe shakes his head and pulls out his phone, unlocking the screen which reveals not only a picture of Callie, but you as well, the two of you smiling together. 

She gasps. “Oh, she’s beautiful.” She looks between the both of you. “Perfect combination, but she has your smile.”

“Thank you.” Anyone saying anything nice about your Callie always lands a genuine grin on your face. “It’s the dimples,” you add.

“Joyce, are you in there talking a hole in them people’s heads?” Another voice enters the room, and you see an older black man also wearing an apron around them. Dennis. This is Dennis.

Joyce sucks her teeth. “Oh hush, you old fool.” She beckons him over, and he shares a quick hug with Joe before her eyes rest on you. Joyce introduces, “this is his girlfriend. Ain’t she pretty?”

“Sure is,” Dennis agrees, shaking your hand. “Pleasure to meet you, young lady.”

Your focus is partially on the conversation at hand but also on how she introduced you. 

Girlfriend. 

You’ve never once considered yourself that to Joe, even in being with him for three years. It always felt wrong and invalid. Because of his wife.

But, she’s out of the picture now.

What reason is there for there not to be a label between the two of you?

Shaking your head, you try to return to the present. 

This is ending up being so much more than just a date.

________

“How long have ya’ll been together?” 

You’re in the midst of mincing garlic when Joyce asks her question. 

This wasn’t just a dinner date. It was a private cooking lesson with thee Joyce and Dennis Green. Not many things made you giddy, but this was definitely one of them. 

Thinking on her question, you realize it’s something you’ve never thought about and thus have no idea how to answer. Because just how does one quantify your relationship? Can you even count the three years you were actually together when he was legally married to someone else? 

Joe, conversely, has no difficulty answering.

“Almost eight years.”

Joyce glances at your left hand. “How much time you need to make up your mind, young man?”

“Oh, Joyce, leave them kids alone,” Dennis chides, carefully chopping up the onions. “Let em’ do what they want.”

“I’m just saying, you already have a child together,” she continues, asking, “What’s stopping you from taking the next step?”

“Uhhh, we, we’ve had some ups and downs,” you answer, hoping the change in tone will indicate this is a sensitive subject.

“I see, well….” You can tell she’s trying to carefully choose her words, and you’re grateful for that thoughtfulness and respect. “All things considered, you seem to have found your way back to one another, so that has to mean something.”

Her words resonate deeply. She’s right. Yes, obviously Callie will always bound you to Joe in some sort of capacity, but countless people co–parent without being together. However, that doesn't seem to be the case with the two of you, something tethers you together. 

And it’s not just the child you share together.

The four of you work together to prepare your meal with Joyce and Dennis having to be extra patient with you, because Joe of all trades over there excels without the need of much help. It’s annoying how he’s just naturally good at so many things. 

At one point, Joyce gently whispers to you, “some people just don’t got it, baby, and you don’t. That’s okay.”

Of course, Joe hears this, and you have to stop yourself from flipping him off. Instead, you settle for mouthing asshole.

The entire process takes about an hour, and when the meals are finished, you’re surprised to find that Joyce and Dennis move to a separate room to eat. It’s not something that entirely bothers you though. You enjoy your alone time with Joe. And it allows you the space to briefly FaceTime Callie in the middle of your meal to tell her goodnight, an absolute must. 

Not even just for you anymore, but Joe too. 

She has to see and speak to the both of you before she can fall asleep.

You can’t wait for her to find out the truth. 

Stealing off Joe’s plate, you quickly realize that while your food came out fine, his is delicious. It’s why you decide to seat yourself on his lap instead of your chair so you’re not constantly reaching over the table. 

“You done messed up your food, and now you wanna come after mine?” Ignoring him, you bring a forkful to your mouth, moaning instantly. 

Covering your mouth as you finish chewing, you exclaim, “it’s so good.”

He chuckles, hand on the small of your back. “I see I’m the one who’s gonna have to do the cooking for us.”

“Well, according to you and everyone else, I can’t cook, so—”

“You can’t, but that’s okay. I hoped this would help, but you may be beyond help—” He laughs as you shove on his chest.

“You’re such an ass….” Gaze softening, you bring your hand to his face, gripping his beard. “Thank you for this. It’s incredibly sweet.”

And you mean that. Joe didn’t have to do this, didn’t have to do any of it. But, this is just who he is, a kind, sweet, thoughtful man. It’s what makes him such an amazing father. 

An amazing partner.

He kisses your palm. “You’re welcome….”

Once the food is finished, you two spend the rest of the time just talking, laughing, enjoying each other. You could never get tired of being around this man. His energy is so warm and welcoming. You’re starting to relate more and more with Callie’s difficulty every time he leaves. This night is too short, but you wonder if you could ever have enough time to be with him.

As the night draws to a close, you two reunite with Joyce and Dennis to thank them for a wonderful evening. However, it’s the closing remarks that really sit with you. When Dennis pulls back from his hug, he whispers to you, “young lady, I’ve lived a long life, so trust me when I tell you this.” You watch him, listening intently. “A man doesn’t look at a woman the way Joe looks at you unless he’s in love.” 

Your breath catches in the back of your throat. That’s….definitely not what you expected him to say. And Joyce is no different. She holds onto you a little longer in the hug, and you’re grateful. She reminds you so much of your grandmother. 

“A little piece of advice from an old lady?” It’s almost impossible to prepare for whatever is about to leave her mouth, your mind still trying to sit on Dennis' words. “You don’t lose love by sending it away” A beat. “All you’re doing is making it grow stronger.” 

________

The rides home are more quiet than the journey there, and that’s because you’re trying to balance this heavy battle between your head and your heart. 

Your mind is all over the place. You’ve felt so conflicted since opening the door for Joe for the first time in almost five years. And you don’t regret it, far from it. Callie’s father is in her life. She has that relationship, that love with him. 

That’s all you wanted, all you expected. 

You didn’t expect for your feelings for him to resurface or his for you to be as strong as they clearly are. 

It’s such a suffocating, overwhelming experience. 

And at the same time, everything you’ve ever wanted. 

He is everything you’ve ever wanted. 

Walking into your apartment, Joe locks the door behind the two of you, always wanting to make sure you’re straight before he leaves. As he always does. 

He brings his hands to your face, concerned, asking, “what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

Your eyes close, hand to his chest. 

This is too hard, too painful, too difficult. 

You can’t do it anymore.

“Fuck it.”

In a matter of seconds, your lips are on his and his hands are all over your body. It’s explosive, the both of you battling for dominance, Joe’s tongue circling around yours. You moan into his mouth, and he hikes you up on his waist. 

"Are you sure?" He breathes against your mouth and you nod fervently.

Come what may, you'll deal with it then. You need this. Need him

Gaining your consent, he skillfully guides you to your bedroom only breaking the kiss when he places you on the floor in front of the bed. “Take off your clothes.” 

His tone is authoritative, demanding, but even if it wasn't, it's not like he needs to ask twice. You squeeze yourself out of your dress, tossing it to the side. As the top was padded and shoulders out, you didn't bother with a bra. And before you can hook your fingers around your underwear to discard them, Joe tosses you on the bed, hovering over you.

He lifts his shirt over his head, and you chew on your bottom lip. This man is too fine. His strength has always been so sexy to you. As a woman on the thicker side, you’ve always needed a man who could handle you in the sheets. And Joe was more than adept in that area. 

He stares at you like you're the most precious thing he's ever had the privilege to lay his eyes on. Your stomach flutters. No ones ever been able to make you feel things like Joe can.

Its such a welcomed experience, one you've missed deeply.

“God, you’re beautiful….” 

His big hands travel your body, but it’s when he bites down on the strap of your panties and glides them down your legs that your back arches off the bed. You're already so wet, dampness coating the inside of your thighs.

You need this man more than one needs air to breathe.

“Patience, baby.” His voice is soothing on a surface level but does little to abate the fire burning through your entire body, the throbbing in your center. “Don’t I always take care of you?” When you don’t give him an answer, too busy trying to settle yourself, his hand grips your thigh. Tight. “I asked you a question.”

Swallowing, you nod, answering, “y-yes, you do.” 

Pleased with your obedience, he goes to remove his pants, and your eyes go straight to his massive bulge. You wet your lips. The moonlight shining through the window creates a backdrop of his broad shoulders, silk hair down and free. Just how you like it. 

He’s so beautiful and yours. 

Only yours.

Your hand reaches for his abs, wanting to touch him, when he captures your wrist, bringing your fingers to his mouth, sucking slowly, teasingly. 

Groaning, your head tilted back, another spasm works its way through your core. You need this man, and you need him now.

Joe detects as such and hovers over you, one rough hand grasping your breast as he glosses his lips over your clavicle. Moaning, you lift your thigh against his hip, wanting, needing some type of friction. 

He begins lining kisses down your body, lips leaving a flaming trail of desire in its wake. “Spread your legs for me, baby. And keep 'em open.” He doesn’t have to ask twice. You heed to his command, opening yourself to him. He kisses the inside of your thighs, eyes alight with desire. “Before you come on my dick, gotta taste this pretty pussy.” 

Joe makes a sound, taking his finger and swirling it around your pussy. A sticky line of your cum drips from his fingers, and you nearly come right then and there watching him suck it off. 

“Fuck,” he groans, bringing both of your legs over his shoulders, hooking them behind your knees. “Forgot how sweet you are.”

His cool breath hitting your core is the first thing you feel followed by that deliciously talented tongue taking one long swipe up your cunt. Instantly, your back is arching off the bed. That’s how sensitive you are to him, how easily your entire existence becomes focused solely on him and the insane pleasure he provides you.

The tip of Joe’s tongue swirls around your swollen, sensitive bud as he uses his other two fingers to keep your folds open, available to and for him to do whatever he wants. He plays with you, a tactic you’ve noticed he gets off on, edging you in a sense.

“Stop playing with me,” you groan, even if this feels just as good as anything else. It’s not what you want, what you need. What you need is his mouth on you, not this toying shit.

Sucking his teeth, he blows on your clit, and you hiss. “You really gon tell me how to take care of my pussy?” There’s a trace of humor in his voice as he dips one finger inside of you, smiling at the way you grip at the sheets. “Naw, baby. I know what you need.” 

And that’s when he finally does away with the teasing, locking your legs on his shoulders with his hand and buries his face into your pussy. “Shit!” It’s what you wanted, most definitely what you needed, but not what you expected. 

Fuck. He’s too good at this. 

Joe alternates with expert strokes, sucking and flicking your pussy, with a yearning and longing that’s matched only by the rapture soaring through your body. 

He eats your pussy like he does all things in life, with passion and dedication.

“Joe.” Tears burn your eyes as he continues to eat at you, rarely breaking for air and never allowing your body time to recover. He’s back to back, bringing you to climax and going right back to eating you out.

You’d forgotten how much he loved this. It’s nearly impossible to recall how many times this man has had his face in between your legs, but you could most definitely count how many times he’d let you return the favor. Joe didn’t care much about receiving. He was a pleaser, through and through.

“Baby, please, I can’t—I—-“ and it’s a waste of time because every inch up the bed is met with his strong hands on your hips, tugging you closer. Even as you cum, hard, nearly convulsing off the mattress, he stays sucking your pussy, lapping every bit of it up as his tongue circles your sensitive bud.

You’re not sure when he finally comes up, just that it’s after at least two orgasms. Maybe three. Keeping count with Joe is always a waste of time, because it’s always going to be several.  Panting, eyes fluttering, you take in the sight of him. His beard is wet, glistening with the result of his expert work. “I love eating this pussy.” His finger swirls and plays around with the absolute drenched mess you’ve made. “but I need you to come on my dick now.”

There’s a bit of dissociation in the next few minutes. He’s tongue fucked all of your five senses out of you that it’s only when you realize he’s got you on your hands and knees, dick teasing your soaked entrance that you're aware of what's about to happen. 

“Wait.” Your breath is haggard, voice drained from only this man’s tongue. This. This is the shit he does to you. This is why it took so long for you to let him go all those years ago. It’s the same reason you don’t think you’ll ever be able to let him go. Not after this. “I need—you gotta let me adjust, Joe.”

Joe’s dick is thick, long, and curved. The best you’ve ever had, but it’s been years since you last had him, so he has to take it easy on you, allow you time to accommodate him.

“You can take this dick, baby,” he encourages, pushing down on the top of your back until your cheek is pressed into the pillow, back arched perfectly. “And you always will.”

His tip nudges your sticky, gushy opening, starting a slow entrance that has your hands fisting. Inch by inch, he enters you, jaw clenching at how tightly your cunt clenches him. 

It’s been too long since he’s been inside you.  

“Oh my god.” You’d forgotten this, forgotten the delicious stretch of him inside of you, forgotten how deep he could go, touching you, reaching you in all the areas no one else could. And you had tried. God, you tried. Had your hookups, but no one was checking Joe’s box when it came to length, girth, and skill. And that tongue. Fuck, Joe ate your pussy like you were his last supper every single time.

Never a miss.

He doesn’t need to ask if you’re good. Joe sees the way you back your ass onto him, eager for him to fuck you like only he knows how to.

And he obliges. 

He slams into you with a force that has you wanting to scream out bloody murder. He feels so damn good inside of you. He stretches you so good, and you take him just as well.

“You on the pill?” He suddenly asks, slowing the speed and force of his thrusts, watching and enjoying your moans as he cruelly teases you, halting at your entrance before gradually re-entering. He’s playing with you, and it’s both blissful and miserable. 

Whining, you manage to answer, “fuck—n—no.”

“Good.” You shout when he slams back into you with such force that you reach for the headboard, needing something to keep you leveled. “Gonna fill you up with my cum.”

“Joe….” His words register, but it’s hard to think straight with this man fucking you so good. Shit, you missed this. “We—” You’re cut off again when he reaches in front of you, hand ghosting over your pussy, index finger circling your clit. “We ca—”

“I’m not pulling out.” He groans above you, the way your shit grips him. “You’re so fucking tight.”

“You’re just big,” you counter and cry out when he slides out of you and slams at a different angle that has your big breast slapping against your chest. “Shit, Joe.”

“Can he fuck you how I can?” For a second, you’re confused cause who the fuck is he talking about? There’s only one person that exists in your world right now, and that’s the man blowing your back out. “Answer me,” he demands, bringing a hand down on your ass. 

You cry out, “no, baby.” Your eyes water. He’s so deep in you. “N–no one fucks me like you do.” 

“Exactly,” he continues to play with your clit as you work hard not to let your entire apartment building know you’re getting your entire insides rearranged. “Your moans are for me,” he slows down momentarily, no doubt enjoying the view of his thick dick sliding in and out of you, coated in your cream. “You scream out my name.” 

“Yes, baby,” you whimper. You and Joe have fucked plenty of times, but this is different. There’s a meaning in every word that leaves his mouth, an oath behind every declaration. You know that after tonight, there is no turning back. 

“You’re mine,” he growls, big hands moving to the small of your back, holding you down and against the bed as he rams into you, determined and focused. “You’ve always been mine.”

Tears burn your eyes when he suddenly yanks you up by your hair, pulling your body flush against his. His hair fans part of your face, mouth pressed against your temple. “I can take care of you. Take care of this pussy. You don’t need nobody but me.”

Reaching your hand behind to caress his scalp, you murmur, head laid back against him. “I don’t want anybody but you.”

There’s something about your words, so vulnerable, so sincere. With a gentleness that’s contrasted all of his fucking thus far, he pulls out of you and lays you on your back. A whimper leaves your mouth at the loss of him inside of you only for him to move his body over yours and lift your legs to his waist. He sinks into you again, and you moan together, his head resting in the crook of your neck as he finds a pace that pleases the both of you.

Ankles locking above his ass, you enjoy the different kind of depth this allows. People shit on missionary, but it’s one of your favorite positions with Joe. It’s a level of connectedness and togetherness that makes you feel so close to him. Like you two are one and the same. 

“You're so good for me,” he continues to talk you through it, tears streaming down your face as he repeatedly thrusts against your g-spot. “So fucking good around me, fucking made for me.”

His words send you over the edge.

Hands on his face, forcing him to meet your gaze, you encourage, gently, “come with me.” He looks at you, and you know. You just know that there's not much, if anything, you could ask that he wouldn't do for you.

His thrusts become more uncontrolled, erratic, and that’s how you know it’s coming, building up until there’s a blinding white light behind your eyes, toes curling and head rocking back against the pillow. Joe is not far behind, staying true to his promise as he empties inside of you every bit of his cum until there’s nothing left.

Joe doesn’t move from off you, doesn’t remove himself from inside of you, instead his body rests on top of yours. Panting, you bring your hands to his scalp, nails gently raking through his hair as he lays against your chest, muttering, “let me stay like this in you for a little bit.”

You don’t want him to move anyway, don’t want him to go anywhere. You never did, just followed what you felt and believed was right. Joyce’s wise words from earlier suddenly return to the forefront of your mind. 

“You don’t lose love by sending it away. All you're doing is making it grow stronger.” 

That’s never felt and rang more true than in this moment.

[evandsolo]

𝑫𝒂𝒅!𝑨𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒛 | Their Child's first bday | Hyung Line

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Ateez hyung line x f!reader 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : est. relationship. family. dad!ateez. fluff. 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 3.267k in total 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: parenting. difficulty in conception. Maknae line coming soon - LIBRARY -

𝖠𝗎𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗋'𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝖾 : I really wanted to write about Dad!Ateez for pretty much the beginning of my adventure here. So here we are ! I hope you like it !

𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑺𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒘𝒉𝒂 - ( wc : 853 )

“Okay, it’s cake time !” You said, clapping your hands with impatience. You had made small cupcakes for your baby’s first birthday, which came way too fast, if you were asked. Time was running, but your baby was running faster for a few weeks now. You just spent the day with your family, had a real good time at the beach. You took a bunch of cute pictures to send to all the uncles and family. Seonghwa was the best playtime partner, since your son seemed to be insatiable about playing today. Balls, toys, cubes, and everything. He wanted to have the best time of his life. This day was a core memory. You came home at dinner time, to celebrate with a little fancy dinner yall could share. The little one had a good time, but now it was time for him to blow out his first candle. You light it in the kitchen, while Seonghwa keeps your son busy. You finally come back, starting to sing the usual traditional "Happy Birthday." Your partner joins you to sing with you, as you advance the cake at the boy’s height. But his reaction makes you smile. "He’s fascinated." You point out to the dad. "Do you think he’ll want to blow on the flame? Is he scared?" You could feel in Hwa’s voice that he was starting to panic a little bit. What a hands-on dad he was. “Breathe honey, he’s just looking at it waving.” You try to reassure your lover. “You’re gonna burn yourself, honey.” You nod your head negatively before turning to the baby. "Are you blowing on it, angel?" You’re showing him how to do it, without extinguishing the flame, but he’s completely fixated on the movements she draws. “Come on, sweetheart, you can blow on it. We’ll help you if you want." Keep encouraging Seonghwa. Suddenly the child started to laugh as he looked at the flame. You and Seonghwa exchanged a puzzled but amused look. What could have made him laugh like that? Finally, before the wax from the candle runs over the cake you blow on the candle, while your companion puts a kiss on the top of the skull of your little boy. “Happy birthday, angel." He said. You put the cake on the baby’s high chair after removing the candle. He immediately put his tiny hand on the cream at the top of the cake to put some in his mouth, but ended up putting food all over his face, which made him laugh so much. He was such a happy baby, you couldn't help but feel so much love and tender to that little person. 

Later on, after a good cleaning session, you three were seated on the giant bed you and your husband were sharing. Unwrapping presents before bedtime. “Okay buddy, here’s the last one. And Dad chose it, very specially for you.” Said your partner by your side. The box wasn’t that big, but it made a lot of noise if you shake it. “ Oh ! What could it be, Bubba ? Open it !” You tear a small part of the paper, so that it can reach and pull on the paper in turn. Her tiny, poteled hand closes around the paper and you come to help her remove the wrapping piece by piece. "Oh! Look, honey, Lego!" You threw, surprise. You didn’t know he was going to give her this. But in the end, you could almost have guessed it. It was not as if your companion’s desk was filled with little figurines, raised of course since the baby was born. “It’s giant Legos ! That way, we can both make small constructions!" Seonghwa says with a little too much excitement in her voice. " Your first Lego! You’re going to have so much fun with Dad, angel." The toddler babbles between your arms, before crawling gently towards his father, not caring about the game box that was in front of him. Would you like to go and try them now?" he asks, catching the little one up against him. You realize at the same time how much they are alike, both of them. You had given birth to your husband’s perfect copy. It was just as well that he became a fan of construction as his father and now you will have the impression of having given him a tiny version of himself. The boy’s head is resting against his dad’s chest, yawning with his mouth open. "I guess that’s a very honest way to say no. You’re right, it’s tiring to be a year old." You both left the bed to hug him very tightly and say a few times how much he was loved and cherished. You put him in his bed, when his eyes were closed and took the time to admire the little perfect man you made, pressed against Hwa’s body. “You’re the best dad in the whole world for our little boy.” You whispered. He kisses the top of your head, tightening his embrace. "I would be nothing without him, and even less without you. You are my world.”

𝑲𝒊𝒎 𝑯𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒋𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒈 - (wc : 575)

“You definitely should be asleep now” You begged your little boy that would not go to sleep tonight. You tried everything, feed him, change him, rock him, sing him lullabies. The poor boy was constantly showing his dissatisfaction with tears and cries. His bad mood was not of tonight. It must have been because his morning nap made him angry. Or was it the teeth that were hurting? Your baby was babbling and leaving traces of it on the way. Whatever his grumpy mood, you didn’t really know what to do. Especially since you still had so much to prepare. Tomorrow you will go to the Hongjoong family for your first baby’s birthday. You couldn’t even delegate, since your partner was still in the studio. "I beg of you." you sighed at the little human who lay between your arms. Even the carrying did not work, although he loved to rest against your heart. 

"It’s your birthday that makes you sad? It’s your poor mother who should be sad that you’re growing up so fast!" You say, watching him without understanding why he was so upset. "What should I say then?" You hear the voice of your companion rising in the living room, making you jump. With the baby crying you didn’t even hear him come in. "Well, that’s a hell of a chagrin!" he said, approaching you. He puts a kiss on your lips, and a hand on yours against your son. I don’t know how to calm him down, he refuses to fall asleep, nothing works." You’re groaning and resting your head on his shoulder. “Okay, would you let me try?”You nod and let him try to put the baby carrier, before handing him the little sobbing boy. As soon as he was perfectly installed in the fabric, your son instantly stopped crying. “You just wanted your dad…” Your mother’s heart is tinged with a sweet emotion, while an ounce of relief creeps into your mind. The little boy’s sobs cease and he slowly puts his head against his father’s chest. “Little daddy’s boy.” Your partner says, while wrapping his arms around you, your baby was surrounded by the two of you, now. but his big round eyes were darted on the face of him, whom he looked so alike. Hongjoong was the only one who could put him asleep when he was just a newborn. As he grew up things changed, but on the eve of his first birthday, we must believe that he needed nothing more than to feel his dad. “As in his first days.” You commented. “I can’t believe he’s turning one tomorrow.” Life has been crazy, lately. “The best year of our life, baby.” he says, making you smile. “It was. We’re lucky.” You add, before coming to drop a kiss on the top of the skull of your still well awake baby. “Appa!” Said the little boy, making you both surprised. He never said a complete word before, only baby mumblings until tonight. “Did you say Appa ? Can you say it again ?” Hongjoong asks to his son. And the baby did. Appa ! You couldn’t help but feel so proud of your son, even though he definitely was his father’s son. “Your first word on your birthday ! I’m so proud of you buddy.” You say to the baby. “And I’m proud of us, honey.” Add Joong to your hear. You definitely wouldn’t have it any other way.

𝑱𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒀𝒖𝒏𝒉𝒐 - (wc : 970)

“How’s my little pumpkin this morning ?” You say, while taking your baby by your side on the bed. Covering both your bodies, while nursing her for the first time of the day. You took the time to picture her small little face against your skin. You didn’t realize she was already one. She was the perfect little cutie. Since birth she slept nearly through the whole night, only waking up a few times to be fed and changed. She used to sleep between you and Yunho, who loved having his daughter by his side. At one point, he was the one who refused that she goes into a big girl bed next to yoursYou understood real fast that he was way more anxious than you were about the baby's safety. He took her everywhere he could and when he couldn't, he rushed back home as soon as possible. It was really important for him to be able to feel her and to build a strong connection with his daughter. He helped her to learn everyday, and she's the best learner ever. You were both so proud of her. 

You caress her little cheek, You love those little times, when your bodies are pressed against each other, her little hand caressing your skin. It was a privileged time with her, and you cherished every little part of it, even the hardest ones. Suddenly, the buzzing sound of your phone, took you out of your admiration. It was Yunho facetiming you. “Hi, handsome.” You say, answering the call “Hi, pretty ! Wanted to see if you were okay.” He says, all smiley through the screen. The phone is tilted to allow him to admire the two women in his life. “We're all good. Pumpkin was very hungry this morning.” You said, feeling her moving against you, so her eyes could reach her dad through the phone. She quickly comes off to stand up against you, while you lift the fabric of your top. “-ppa !” squealing the little girl and waving her tiny hand, as if to grab the phone. “Yes it's Appa, honey.” You confirm, surrounding her little body with an arm. “Happy Birthday, princess !” he says. The baby started clapping happily in her hands. “When are you coming home ?” You ask since you wanted to spend that special day with your husband too. “We're at the airport! I'll be here in a few hours !” He made sure everything was right to be here right on time. “My case is full of sweet presents for our little pumpkin.” He was way too joyful. You were pretty sure that there was a present for him in this suitcase, such as a new game or new devices for his setup. “Our angel will be so spoiled ! Have a safe flight, sweet. Love you !” You say, before leaning to your baby and whisper in her ear. “Send a kiss to Appa, Pumpkin” Automatically the baby stas sending kisses to the phone, melting your heart seeing how cute she was. “Can't wait to be with you. Love you too, my dear.” The call ended and you grab your baby to take your breakfast and start the day. 

The sweet little girl has been a pure angel for the whole morning. She refused to take a nap but wanted to play all the time. For a few times, she tried to take her first steps, but ended up failing and falling back on her tiny butt. The last time she fell, she left her sweet teary eyes at you. “Oh no, baby, it's okay, don't be sad. You'll get it !” You hand her another block to distract her little mind from the failure. Soon you heard the door opening and you immediately lifted your head to catch Yunho's gaze as he entered the room, fully packed. “Here's my little family !” He says, the cutest smile on his face. He let down his bags just so he could rush to kiss you. “I hate being far away from you.” He whispers after kissing you. It was only two days but you missed him so much. “ Come here little Pumpkin.” Yunho says, rushing to his now one year old. “You've grown so much, in just two days !!” You couldn't help but smile. The baby laughed at all the kisses he left on her soft skin as if it tickled her. He put her back on the mattress, to go and grab a little package from his suitcase. “Hey. We said we would give her presents at the party.” You complain. You wanted to give her all of her beautiful new toys. But your husband had another idea. He sat on the mattress next to you. Your daughter was standing, playing with her cubes on the bench and she turned her head to her dad with the biggest smile. She reached out her little hand to her father, who urged her to join him. For a few seconds, the toddler looked for balance before she did it. One foot after the other, she took her first step before your perfectly amazed eyes. She lost balance in her father's arms who looked at her with so much pride. You couldn't hold back the little tear of pride. “You did it, Pumpkin! Just like the little champ you are.” He greeted her. You clapped your hands to congratulate her and she joined you, with all her joyful heart. “I'm so proud of you ! That's a big step, just on your birthday !” How amazing that was. “ She was trying for a few days, but kept falling in the end.” You informed your husband. “She waited for us to be reunited. Now she's going to run everywhere.” He says, wishing you both good luck. But you knew he couldn't wait to chase after his daughter.

𝑲𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒀𝒆𝒐𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒈 - (wc : 869)

It was the most perfect day ever. You had the best party at home for your son’s first birthday. Everyone was there, the boys even wore their alter-ego costumes for the birthday boy’s delight. He couldn’t help but giggle all day long, watching his dad and uncles playing cute. You had to admit it was quite fun to see them play. When the little party ended, you three met again to blow out the candles one last time. It was a great emotion to see that your baby was already growing so fast. Yeosang had also had bright eyes all day, he shared your emotion. You had tried for a long time to have that little piece of you, that today you cherished the least of the moments by his side. Now you were gently playing on the playmat, when you saw the baby yawning vividly. “That big day was exhausting, right ?” You say to the sweet and discreet boy, crawling to his dad, who catches him real fast, to hug him tight. “We should go to bed, buddy.” Yeosang says, patting his son’s hair, which was so endearing. “One last pic, first !” You say, while grabbing your polaroid camera, that followed you through your pregnancy and the first year of your dear boy. The flash of the camera blinds you for a few seconds, before printing the image. “Who do you want to go to bed with, baby ?” You ask the little one. He clenches himself even more against his father, showing how much he wished that it was him who accompanied him to the arms of Morpheus. “Seems like it'll be me for today.” Says your partner. “Imma sing him to sleep, I'll be back in a bit.” A wave of kisses to your husband and your son and a hug later, he disappeared in the baby's room. 

You could hear him sing from the living room, where you were still seated. He used to sing lullabies to the baby when he was in the womb. He did it for the whole nine months of your pregnancy and now he practically was the only one who was able to put him to sleep. His voice was soothing the baby the way nothing or nobody does. It was pure magic. 

You take a look at the Polaroïds you took earlier, and it was the most heartwarming thing you've ever seen. The three of you were all smiley and purely happy. Compared to the first pic you took as a family, your boy looked so grown up. You grab the white box that was hidden under the couch. In there, there was every little memory of that first year. Your pregnancy test, your first ultrasound, the bracelet the baby wore in the hospital. There also was the little thing that announced his name and his birthday. His first beanie, his first socks, his tiny handprint, but most of all, every picture you took, through this whole year. “Darling ?” Yeosang says, through the room. “Are you okay ?” There's no doubt, he got all your emotions. He knew you so well. “Y-Yes ! I was going down memory lane. All of this feels like it was yesterday.” You say, emotions tangling your voice. “I know. But this one, this is my favorite memory.” He pointed to the polaroid Yunho took the day before you gave birth to your treasure. Yeo was holding you so close, his hands resting on your baby's home, there was sunset behind you. It was an amazing picture. “I remember that night, everything went so amazingly, and everything that happened next, made me love you even more” Your heart bursted so fast, as he said those words. “I love our family so much.” You say, resting your head on his shoulder, and taking the first sleepers your baby wore in the hospital. “Do you remember when he was so tiny ? You could fit his two little feet in your hand !” An emotive smile took place in your face. “Yeah. He was so small I was afraid to break him.” He confesses, wrapping an arm around you. “We should write him a note, for when we’ll give him this box.” He suggests and you nod real fast, you take a paper and a pen. “Wanna go first ?” You ask by handing her the pen. "We should both do that instead. You write?" You nod and both of you start thinking about what to write. Finally the word is written by itself and you come out, your heart swollen with tenderness. Everything was perfect. 

To our treasure. 

You who were so expected and we loved from the first seconds. You are the most beautiful thing that ever happened to us. You are loved, pampered and protected from the first day to the last. You can always count on us. Be who you want, make your life a dream. Be happy. Live, laugh, love, cry. Mom and dad will always be there to support you. 

Our little warrior, our little angel, you will never be alone. 

We love you with all the intensity of the world. 

Thank you for this year and the ones to come. 

With love, Mom and Dad.

I really hope you appreciated it, do not hesitate to reblog or to leave a note i’d love to read all about your thoughts. ✿ MAKNAE LINE COMING REAL SOON ©evandsolo, 2O24

[wosoimagines]

Told You So

part 6 of rivals

Jo gets her first start of the Victory Tour in her home state, and the team finally gets to meet her family.

2,832 words

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“Guess what I’ve got.” 

I grinned as Hope tilted her head to the side. I tapped at my chest. 

“Hope you brought all the good trash talk today, Solo. You’re not gonna stop anything I throw at you.” 

“Yeah, whatever you say, Pip.” 

I pouted at the nickname. I was sure that I would have grown out of it by now, but Hope had been adamant about making sure it stuck around. 

“Jo!” I whirled around to look at Becky who did not look happy with me. “Stop taunting the goalies. Get to work!” 

“But that’s no fun,” I whined, although I was already starting to move to the opposite side of the field to get ready with the rest of the forwards. “You don’t have to be so boring all the time.” 

“If you don’t get your butt over there, I can really be boring for you,” Becky assured, “I’ll make sure you do all of your school work on our off day.” 

I shook my head at that as I started to jog across the field. 

“Always ruining my fun,” I grumbled knowing that the mic would pick it up. “I’m sixteen. I think I’m allowed a little fun, right?” 

My eyes found the camera that was following me as I gave it a little shrug. 

Once I reached the other forwards, Christen was quick to join my side. We didn’t initially say anything to each other as we warmed up. That was until Christen tried to nutmeg me, but I moved my heel just enough to keep the ball in front of me. 

“You’ve been spending too much time with Tobin,” I said as I pointed at her. 

Christen shook her head at that. 

“You’re in a really good mood. Your exams go well?” 

“I was exempt. All A’s.” 

“That’s good. Get you into Stanford with those grades.” 

“I know some others who would object to that.” 

Christen rolled her eyes at that. I had been hearing everyone hype up their own college, but I ultimately hadn’t decided where I was going to go just yet. 

“So, what does have you so happy?” 

“We’re in Texas. This is my home game. Jill told me she’d start me since I saved up all my tickets for the year so my family can come.” 

“You had to save up all of your tickets?” Alex asked behind me. 

I glanced over my shoulder to look at her before nodding. 

“But that’s almost thirty tickets,” Christen pointed out. 

I furrowed my brow in confusion. I hadn’t been shy about talking about how big my family was. 

“I have twelve siblings. That’s why they couldn’t go to the World Cup. There’s just way too many of us.” 

“You have twelve siblings?” Alex asked. I nodded. “Did your parents never hear of a condom?” 

“To be fair, I was a complete accident,” I admitted. “Marley was born when my parents were nineteen. Five of my siblings were born back-to-back years.” 

“You were an accident?” 

“Yeah, no one told my parents how long they should have actually waited after my dad got a vasectomy. Nine months later and there I was.” 

“They’re all coming?” 

“Yeah! And my niece, Sky. I can’t wait for you guys to meet Sky. She loves the team.” 

“Oh, yeah?” 

“Yeah,” I nodded. “She watches all the games. I think she’s the only one who knows more about soccer than you just need to get the ball into the back of the net.” 

“Well, then I can’t wait to meet her,” Christen said as she ruffled my hair. 

I grinned at that before we were all called to huddle so we could start our drills. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“What do you mean you aren’t coming?” 

I ran a hand through my hair as I paced in front of the foot of my bed. 

“I have an important interview scheduled, Jo,” Mom said causing me to scoff. “It could boost the book sales. And our family is expected to be there to support me. We’re supposed to be showing a united front.” 

“Yeah, because nothing screams united like missing your youngest daughter’s victory tour. I don’t even know why I try to invite any of you. It isn’t like I’ve been asking the team to save all of my tickets for the games throughout the year to make sure everyone in the family could come.” 

“You’ll have other games,” Dad cut in. I shook my head at that. They didn’t get it. They never did. “Us missing this game isn’t going to kill you.” 

“When was the last game of mine you went to?” I asked. Both of my parents went silent. I couldn’t even remember myself. “You couldn’t come to the World Cup, which is the biggest stage I’ll ever play on. You didn’t come to my national team debut. Those I could somewhat understand because they weren’t in Texas. But this? This game is in Texas. It’s San Antonio. It’s only three hours and you’re telling me you won’t even make that trip to watch me?” 

“We have more important things,” Dad said. I tried to blink away the tears that were starting to pool in my eyes. “We’re trying to think about the family.” 

“How about for once in my life, you think about me? It’s always been the family. No one has ever been there for me. Not really!” I snapped. I let out a laugh of disbelief. “The only person who has even cared to learn anything about the sport I love so much is Sky! You couldn’t even name half of my national teammates. You’ve never cared about soccer past whether I was a good player or not. The only time you’ve had something to say to me was when I lost. It’s never when I win. 

“I won the World Cup and I stayed silent when no one in this family besides Sky celebrated it because I knew that this game was going to happen. Silly me for believing that this family would actually show up to celebrate me for once! I had to watch as every single one of my teammates was able to celebrate with their family while I was left alone! You will never understand what that’s like!” 

“You want to talk about never understanding?” Dad snapped back. “You could never understand that sacrifices that your mother and I have made for this family!” 

“That’s your responsibility! You’re the ones who decided to have a family! It’s up to you to take care of us and make those sacrifices! I’m not the one who should be suffering just because I was the kid you never wanted!” 

“We’ve never said we didn’t want you,” Mom defended. I didn’t fight the tears this time. “You and most of your siblings weren’t planned but we have always wanted all of you.” 

“Do you?” 

Both of my parents went silent at that. They had never shown true interest in what I was doing. 

“You both have a funny way of showing it.” 

Before either of them could respond I ended the call. I tossed my phone to the side, not caring where it ended up, before throwing myself on the bed. I curled into a ball as I grabbed a hold of a pillow. I let out the loudest scream I could muster up as I just let the tears fall from my eyes. 

I didn’t even think too much about it when the pillow was pulled away from me and replaced with a person. I didn’t mind either even as someone else hugged me from behind as well. 

“It’s okay,” Becky soothed as she rubbed my back. “It’s okay. You’re okay, Jo. You’re okay. You’re safe.” 

It didn’t take much to deduce that the person who had pried me away from the pillow was Alyssa. Especially once she started to run her hand through my hair. And with the emotional toll talking to my parents had already taken on me, it wasn’t long before I was falling asleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I blinked my eyes open before I wiped my face. I frowned as I glanced around at the room. I tried to get my bearings, but it just felt like I couldn’t get over how disoriented I currently was. I could have sworn that Becky and Alyssa were here, but there was no trace of them. 

I reached over to grab ahold of my phone where it was sitting on the nightstand. I didn’t even remember picking it up after I had thrown it to the side. But then again, I wasn’t even sure what time it was. 

8:17 pm. 

Shit. 

Dinner was nearly over. I scrambled from the bed and into the bathroom. I turned on the sink and quickly washed at the tear tracks that were on my face. I couldn’t let any of my teammates know that I had been crying over something so insignificant. They had finally just started to look at me as if I was actually worthy of being on the team. I couldn’t let anything risk that. 

Once I had decided that my face was cleaned off enough that I wouldn’t get any questions, I grabbed a hoodie that was sitting on the desk chair before pulling the hood up over my head. I didn’t even bother with the elevator. I was much more likely to run into some of my teammates that way. The stairs were much safer. 

I made it through the doors of the mess hall that we had set up downstairs just before they stopped serving our meals. I was a bit surprised by how empty the room already was, I knew that most of the team liked to hang around and just chill with each other. But Becky and Alyssa were sitting at a table with each other with an extra plate. 

Becky was the first one to spot me and waved me over to join them. As if I ever ate with anyone else. 

“Feeling better?” 

I froze at Becky’s question. So, I didn’t make up Becky and Alyssa being with me in the room. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

I refused to look at either of them as I focused on my food. 

“Jo,” Alyssa started as I tried to shovel my food in my mouth as fast as I could, “it’s okay to be upset about it.” 

“Seriously, guys,” I said, once I swallowed the food in my mouth, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“So, you don’t want to talk about a call with your parents made you cry enough that you eventually fell asleep?” 

I pushed the plate of food away from me as my fork clattered against the table. I met Becky’s eyes as I clenched my jaw. 

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I said after a moment of silence passed between the three of us. “I’m usually much better about making sure no one has to see that.” 

I didn’t waste any time standing up. I knew that I could at least hide away with Rose and Sam. We had, after all, gotten close while at the U-20 World Cup a year ago. 

“Jo.” 

Alyssa tried to catch my hand, but I was quick to shuffle away from the two of them. 

“I’m not hungry anymore.” 

I didn’t give them any time to say anything else as I left the mess hall. I knew that I would regret not eating my dinner, but I really wasn’t in the mood to eat right now. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“So, you know that we love having you,” Sam started, causing me to raise my eyebrows at the taller player, “but Becky keeps asking us to make sure you’re fine. Like multiple times a day.” 

I rolled my eyes at that. I had initially thought that Christen was just messing with me when she told me that I would never be able to escape Becky and Alyssa being my team moms now. 

“Did something happen that we need to know about?” Rose added. 

“Everything’s fine,” I assured. I had been so adamant about making sure that I wouldn’t be anywhere near Becky and Alyssa the past couple of days that I had even knocked out all of my homework for the entire trip. “Becky’s just dramatic. Really wish she’d learn that I don’t need a second mother.” 

“Hey,” Rose said, drawing my eyes from my phone to her, “Becky’s just worried about you. It’s a little unfair for you to be upset with her when we all are.” 

“Yeah, well, there’s nothing to be worried about.” 

“Jo,” Sam softly said, “You’ve been avoiding Becky and Alyssa for the past two days. Something obviously happened. Becky seems really worried about you.” 

“It’s nothing.” 

“Look, we’re not asking you what it’s about,” Rose said, as she grabbed my phone when I went to look at it again. “We’re just asking that you check in with Becky. Sam and I don’t mind you staying in our room, but we are getting tired of Becky constantly asking us how you’re doing.” 

I sighed at that. I knew that it wasn’t Rose or Sam’s fault. It wasn’t even Becky or Alyssa’s fault. 

“Yeah, sure,” I said. Becky at least deserved to know that I wasn’t mad at her. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow. After the game.” 

“Jo-” 

“After the game,” I reaffirmed when Rose tried to say anything. “I just need to make sure that my head is in the game since I’m starting.” 

Rose and Sam looked between each other before Rose nodded in agreement.  

“But you have to talk to her.” 

I nodded at that. It was a fair demand if I was going to still be here in their room. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I grinned as I jumped up onto Sam’s back. The older woman grunted but she steadied herself. 

“I’m not a horse, you know.” 

“Come on, Sammy! I scored a hat-trick. Gotta keep these legs fresh.” 

“Try an ice bath.” 

I shivered at the thought. 

“No thanks,” I said to Sam. 

Sam huffed, but she didn’t fight to get me off her back. 

“Saw that your family is here,” Rose spoke up. I nodded at that as my eyes found where my family was sitting in the stands. “You weren’t lying that it’s huge.” 

“Did everyone think that I was?” I asked. Sam and Rose both nodded their heads causing me to huff. “No one ever believes me. Not even my friends at school. Am I really that hard to trust?” 

Both Sam and Rose froze at that. 

“Not hard to trust,” Becky assured me as she and Alyssa joined our little group. “But twelve siblings is a lot. Kind of hard to wrap your head around.” 

I slid off of Sam’s back. I knew that I needed to talk to Becky and Alyssa without anyone else butting into our conversation. 

“I can explain it all to you if you really need me to when we get back to the hotel.” 

Rose and Sam both shook their heads at that before making their exit to greet the fans. 

I looked at the two for a moment before rubbing at the back of my neck. 

“I was never mad at either of you.” 

“We know,” Becky said. She reached out to place a hand on my shoulder. “We were never upset with you. We just worry about you, Jo.” 

“Yeah, and the whole running off didn’t help,” Alyssa added. Becky was quick to elbow the goalie’s side. Alyssa glared at Becky. “Hey! I’m just trying to tell her that she worried us more by running off then just talking.” 

“I’ve never had anyone to talk to,” I admitted. Both of the older players looked at me. “I have twelve siblings and not a single one is that interested in soccer. Plus, Elvis and Mick are the closest to me in age and they can be assholes.” 

“Siblings usually are,” Alyssa agreed. “But they’ll always be there for you.” 

“I’m just not used to it,” I said. They two looked between each other causing me to motion to them. “People actively caring about me. I mean, they care. My family. I know they do, but there’s so many of us that things just don’t seem as impressive anymore.” 

Becky reached out to pull me into a hug along with Alyssa. 

“Well, you’ll always have us. Promise.” 

I squeezed the two a bit tighter before Alyssa forced her way away from us.  

“Okay, go spend some time with your family. After all, Becky didn’t convince them to come just for you to ignore them.” 

I paused at that as I turned to Becky. 

“Thank you.” 

Becky nodded before pushing me away. 

“You’ll have to bring Sky to the locker room with you,” Becky said with a grin. “Go enjoy the time with your family.” 

I nodded before rushing off over to where my family was. 

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

The Asgardian Way

Pairing: Thor Odinson x Reader

Warnings: fluff, pining, cursing

Word Count: 3,072

Summary: When a human hits puberty they get the name of their soulmate written on their wrist. You got the name of a mythological figure and assumed it meant his parents were real big fans of Norse legend. Then aliens fell out of the sky and everything changed.

“Oh, I win this. Hands down.” The girl sitting across the table from you said between bites of her food. It was Saturday morning, which meant brunch with the work crew, and the name of the game was, ‘Who had the weirdest name written on their wrist?’. You were still relatively new, having worked there a couple months now, but the girl across from you had started only a week ago. She held her wrist out, “Robert McDick. McDick. You know this boy got bullied in middle school.”

The table burst out into a round of laughter, and you couldn’t help but shake your head. When it quieted down, you brought attention to yourself, “Actually…”

“Oh, come on.” Hanna, the secretary to your left, chuckled, “She’s gonna be Mrs. McDick one day. You gotta let her have this.”

Joni, your boss’ personal assistant, raised her hand curiously, “You know what, I’m realizing that…you’ve never shown us your name.”

“Because it’s bad.” You chuckled.

“Worse than McDick?!” The girl cried in shock.

You pulled up your sleeve and held your wrist out for the table to see. Everyone leaned in eagerly to see the train wreck that was your soulmate’s name. Hanna narrowed her dark eyes as if she was second guessing what her eyes were seeing, “Does your wrist say… Thor Odinson? Like the fake Norse god dude?”

“Yes. Yes, it does.” You replied with a tight smile. “I assume this means his parents were just super big fans of Norse mythology? Or maybe it’s a common name amongst Scandinavians. I don’t know a lot about over there.”

“You better learn quick because apparently you’ll be Mrs. Scandinavian.” Joni snickered and the others laughed at that as well. The joke wasn’t very clever, you had heard better growing up with this name on your wrist, but enough mimosas had been passed around that everything was deemed funny enough to laugh at.

The conversation drifted back to work drama and you glanced down at your wrist again. The moment it showed up on your wrist at the start of puberty you and your entire family had been thoroughly confused. It definitely pushed you to read up on all that mythology as a kid and you had to admit, if someone was going to be named after a god there seemed no better god to be named after than Thor. He was the god of thunder, lightning, and strength and the fictional character had quite the list of accomplishments.

“Hey, do—do you guys see that?”

You turned in your seat to see what the new girl was pointing at. In the distance, over what looked like Stark Tower, was a bright blue light shooting straight up into the sky. You narrowed your eyes wondering what the hell the billionaire genius was up to now, but the line of thought died as some sort of creature flew out of the spot where the light seemed to end.

“Oh my God!” Someone screamed and you pushed up from your seat in shock as more things poured out of the sky. The first sounds of destruction filled the air, gunfire, explosions, and screaming, and as the crowd around you began to panic you came to the realization that the world would never be the same again.

37 DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK

Your eyes were glued to the television screen while you used a ruler to try and scratch a spot under the cast around your leg. It was supposed to come off two weeks ago, but apparently the break had been worse than doctors initially thought so you were stuck in this damn thing for longer. Hopefully, it’d be off by the end of the week.

“Stop with the ruler, idiot.” Your temporary roommate, Jihyun, slapped the back of your head as they walked by. She was still in her pajamas despite it being past noon, but the building she worked in, just like her own apartment, had been decimated by aliens a little over a month ago so…

“It’s itchy.” You whined without letting your eyes drift from the news channel that was still talking about the Battle of New York. You weren’t entirely sure why they called it a battle. It was more an invasion that New York barely managed to survive. If it weren’t for the Avengers then New York City would be a crater in the ground.

Speaking of the Avengers…

“Are you still stalking your soulmate?” Jihyun came back in the room with her phone. Her dark hair was a mess around her shoulders and her dark eyes were definitely sort of judging you.

“It’s not stalking.” You mumbled.

The Avengers were a group of superheroes, because that was apparently a real-world thing now, and they consisted of six special people. Iron Man, aka the infamous billionaire playboy, two mysterious agents of some organization, the media was still speculating on them, Bruce Banner, who was a doctor and could also apparently turn fucking green, Captain America, who was apparently not dead, and then of course there was the Norse god who was apparently very, very real.

Thor. Thor Odinson. The god of thunder, lightning, and strength. Your motherfucking soulmate.

To be honest, you weren’t sure how on a day where aliens invaded Earth, the biggest surprise you faced was that the name on your wrist had been very literal. It left you in the weird position where you knew who your soulmate was exactly, but you had no way to reach him? Thor Odinson had left the world, if the interviews with Tony Stark were accurate, and you didn’t think an email would reach him out there.

“So, what’s the plan?” Jihyun asked.

“Very good question.” You sighed and went back to trying to scratch your leg with the ruler in your hand.

402 DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK

The next time Thor popped up on the news was the next year. He was in London fighting some other wild thing. Elves? The media definitely used the word elves a lot. It happened so fast that you didn’t even know how to react. By time you heard about it, the next thing you were hearing was that he was gone again. You found yourself actually disappointed.

Early on when you discovered he existed you spent a lot of time in self-doubt. Thor was a god. Literally, not figuratively. You felt comfortable in your skin, but you were very aware that you were human. You were human and technically he was not. What if he didn’t even see humans as like the same as himself? What if humans were the equivalent of like a pet dog?

You didn’t know anything about gods.

When you moved past the ‘does he even see humans as equals’ fear, you moved onto the ‘does he even have a soul mark’ fear. Thor was a god from another world. Humans were given the name of their soulmate on their wrist during puberty, but what if that was just unique to Earth? For all you knew, his kind didn’t even believe in soulmates. Then what?

The worst part of not getting to meet Thor was the not knowing. It left you with a lot of overthinking which was never good for anybody. You were on the fence on whether or not you should try to email someone like Tony Stark. A part of you figured the email wouldn’t ever even get to him.

The world was saved again, but your soulmate was gone as quick as he came.

1132 DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK

Three years had passed from the moment you found out your soulmate was a real person. All the fears you had, all the worries, concerns, reservations, were pushed to the side. Somewhere around year two you had fallen into the ‘fuck it’ mentality. You were not going to be one of those people who never met their soulmate. You refused. So you made it your actual mission in life to get an audience with the god whatever it took.

You sent an email to Tony Stark that, like you assumed, was ignored.

You traveled out to places you knew he had been before in hopes to meet someone that knew him. That’s how you met a woman named Darcy, who was super great and you still texted here every once in a while, but she had no way to get in contact with Thor. She said he kind of came and went whenever he wanted.

You tried and tried and tried, and everything came up as a failure.

Until today that is.

Thor was on Earth, there had been sightings of him, and you knew he would be at a party being hosted by Tony Stark in the tower. The party was Avengers, Avengers families and friends, and then a local Veterans group. Unsurprisingly, you didn’t get an invite, but you did know someone who worked for Stark Industries as an intern and she said her badge would get you to where you wanted to be.

That’s how your night was going. You were standing in an elevator, rising up the skyscraper that was Avengers Tower, wearing an outfit that filled you to the brim with confidence. You literally went out and bought an entire new outfit for tonight in hopes that it would make you brave enough to follow through on the plan and hopefully hot enough to make you stand out.

When the elevators opened, a wall of music and laughter hit you. You slid the badge into your purse and hesitantly stepped out. Nearby eyes looked over at you, but you were dressed nice enough that they assumed you were part of the party. Swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in your throat, you readjusted your clothes and made a beeline for the bar. From there you could look for your soulmate while also maybe taking 3 or 4 shots. Maybe 7. You hadn’t decided yet.

The bartender gave you a bright smile and you quickly ordered your favorite shot. You threw two back before turning around and scanning the room. Avengers Tower was as elaborate and amazing as you assumed it would be. The room was made up of multiple levels and people mingled on every single one. You could see Captain America by the pool tables. Tony Stark was entertaining a crowd of people around him. Bruce Banner was a few steps away talking to a smaller group of people and—

Thor. There he was.

He was sitting on a couch and the way he moved his arms made you think he was telling a story of some kind. His long hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and he had on a form fitting red coat that draped past his hips. Thor was… wow. You had seen pictures of him, seen him on the news, and so you knew he was a good-looking guy. That shouldn’t have been a surprise but seeing him in person was different.

You turned around and asked for one more shot. The bartender gave you a curious look but was quick about it. All this time you had pictured various things you’d say, different ways you’d greet him, but none of them seemed right anymore. With your hands on the bar, you closed your eyes and took in a slow breath like a crazy person. The bartender was without a doubt definitely judging you now, but you had bigger issues at the moment.

When you turned back around it seemed like fate was throwing you a bone. Thor had risen from the couch with a bright smile and said a few more words before moving away from the couch. This was it. This was your chance. You grabbed that ‘fuck it’ motto and pushed off the bar to walk in his direction.

You were a couple feet away when he turned his head and noticed you. Don’t get lost in his eyes. Don’t get lost in his eyes. Thor must have realized your path was leading you right to him because he stopped and offered you a curious smile.

“Hi.” You blurted when you stopped in front of him.

“Hello?” Thor replied. God, you could listen to his voice all day.

“This might sound rehearsed and a little crazy, but I’ve kind of been thinking about this moment for the past three years so I apologize in advance.” The words fell out of your mouth and you were too stunned to even be embarrassed by it. Thor raised an eyebrow at you, and it only made you panic more, “You’re…you. I…”

Thor gave you a polite smile, “Have we met before, my lady?”

“I’m your soulmate.” You blurted. Thor’s smile fell and his eyes widened. If he didn’t think you were insane before then he definitely did now. He opened his mouth, and you held your wrist out for him to see. Thor’s mouth snapped close, and his eyes stared down at your wrist. Thor reached out to lightly hold your hand in both of his. His gaze stayed on his name, but yours were now able to see his wrists from the way he held your hand.

His very bare wrists.

You felt your heart drop to your stomach, and you pulled your hand back quick, startling him, “You don’t… Your wrists are…” Your mouth felt dry and a part of you just prayed the floor beneath you would open up and swallow you whole. “I have to go, I’m sorry.”

Without waiting for a reply, you spun on your heel with full intentions to sprint out of this penthouse everyone else be damned. You’d be the weird girl running out a party for half a minute and then they’d never see you again. Your plan failed before it even began though because you only got three steps away until a hot hand grabbed your wrist and stopped you.

Thor spun you back around, but the moment you were facing him again he let go of you and held his hands up, “I apologize. It was not my intentions you grab you like that, but I’d very much appreciate it if you stayed for just a moment.”

“Dude, I kind of feel like my world is imploding.” You replied back quickly. “I just want to drink in shady bar alone right now.”

Thor chuckled, but his smile looked hesitant, “May I ask you for your name?”

You mumbled it out and tried to look for an escape route. What were the chances of you successfully fleeing from a god? They couldn’t be good.

Thor repeated your name and it sounded so good in his voice that you wanted to cry. He held one hand out to you, “I am Thor Odinson, though…I guess you are aware of that.” He chuckled and he almost seemed nervous. “May I see your hand once more?”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why was this moment not ending? Unfortunately, though, looking into his gorgeous blue eyes, you realized it might be physically possible for you to tell this man no. You nodded once and held your hand up for him.

Thor took it into his again, holding it delicately, and gave you a tight smile, “I am going to bring your hand to my chest now.”

“You’re going to what now?” You replied in surprise. He brought your hand to his chest and if you weren’t in shock enough then your brain definitely broke the moment he slipped your hand under the collar of his black, v-neck shirt so you were touching the bare skin on the left side of his chest, “Uh…”

His skin was warm, and if this was anyone else you would’ve punched him by now. The spot under your fingers grew hotter for a moment and you stiffened in surprise. Thor realized your hand, in his own state of shock, and your hand just hovered in the air between the two of you. He took in a shaky breath and pulled the collar of his shirt to the side so you could see his skin.

On his left pec, a few inches under his collarbone, you watched as glowing red symbols began to form on his tan skin. The symbols were Norse, you recognized the shapes from all the research you had done over the years, and slowly the glow faded away to leave black marks there. You lifted your eyes from the spot up to his eyes and found him already staring at you with a soft look on his features.

“Wh—What was that?” You asked, your voice a whisper.

“Asgardians do not have the name of our soulmates on our wrists.” Thor replied. He took a step closer, and you couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath at the motion. “This is our legend. How we find our soulmate.”

Your eyes widened as you motioned between the two of you, “So we are…?”

Thor grinned, his hands lightly reaching out to touch your arms, “Yes. Yes, we are.”

“Cool, cool, cool. Not to sound any crazier than I probably already have, or potentially insult Asgardian culture by skipping steps, but, uh, I’ve been picturing this moment for a while and I’m just gonna ask it.” Your own lips curled up into a broad smile that you couldn’t help. “Can I kiss you? I would love to kiss you right now.”

Thor smirked, one hand traced up your arm to cup your face tenderly, and you pushed forward to meet him halfway and press your lips to his. Your own arms wrapped around his neck to pull him closer and words couldn’t describe how it felt to have his warm lips molding to yours. You felt the tip of his tongue trace your lower lip and it brought a laugh bubbling out of you.

“Typically, laughter is not the response I try to gain from this.” Thor mumbled against your lips with a smile of his own. You pecked him on the lip once more and when you pulled back he followed to prevent any space from forming between the two of you. His forehead rested against yours as his thumb traced back and forth on your cheekbone.

“You just have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this.”  

[freak-accident419]

File Room Confessions

Josh Futturman x GN!Reader

Summary: You and Josh snoop into the employee records room to find more information about his biotic co-workers. However, one conversation leads to another.

Word Count: 1.5k

Content: fluff, gender-neutral reader (no pronouns used), ’pretty’ is used in a gender-neutral way (as it should), set in S01E05 “Justice Desserts” of Future Man—you may have to know more about the show to understand what’s going on, and you’re basically taking Jeri’s place in this scene. Enjoy :)

-

“See, there’s always at least one common denominator when it comes to sniffing out these Biotics,” you tell Josh as you point to Janis’s file. “Zero medical conditions. And zero allergies.” You took out Carl’s file and showed him those records as well.

You and Josh had snuck into the file room to look for any specifics of the Biotic employees that Wolf and Tiger had killed. Perhaps any patterns or connections that might help with your mission.

“You know, I still can’t believe that ‘pretty smile girl’—or, well, Janis—was a Biotic! She was really nice,” he sighed as he looked over her file.

You were sitting next to each other on the floor against the file cabinets with a bag of Cheetos in between you two and a box of employee records beside you as you looked through everyone’s files.

You scoffed at Josh’s claim. “Dude. You barely knew her,” you said as you grabbed another Cheeto to eat.

“Well, yeah, but I knew that she was ‘yogurt cup, banana peel, pretty smile girl’,” he replied in a pensive tone, which made you let out a soft giggle. “What?”

“Nothing, you’re just… You’re such a dork,” you said as you let out a chuckle under your breath. You looked at him for a while and he smiled at you, seemingly appreciating you. He was so inexplicably charming.

For a while, you had crushed on Josh. You weren’t sure why or what is was—he was just… admirable. Sure, he was a janitor who gave off total loser vibes as he still lived with his parents, playing video games 24/7, but ever since you got mixed up into this mess, you were able to get to know him better. He was caring, selfless, thoughtful, cute, and funny. Definitely very charming—almost charmingly dorky. He was a good guy. He was doing everything he could to make sure that Tiger and Wolf wouldn’t kill Kronish. He was probably the most genuine person you ever knew.

After a while, you two had—instead of trying to look for any important biotic information—made fun of people’s files. Especially Stu for having his emergency contact as 9-1-1, because nobody loves that asshole of a guy.

You chuckled softly and continued to look at the rest of the files until one caught your attention. You took it out and gasped, looking at it with wide eyes and an open mouth. “‘Joshua Sasha Futturman’?”

He realized you had found his file and sighed in defeat. “It’s—It’s my grandmother’s name. It’s sentimental. Please give me—”

He attempted to grab it from you, but you laughed and pushed his grabby hands away from you, continuing to scan his file. “Hey, back off, buddy, or else I’m gonna… rub some ‘tree nuts’ on you…? So you can get… ‘golf-ball size hives and welts?’” You giggle as you looked at his list of allergies.

He looked at you with playful annoyance, frowning as you tease him. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry… Joshua Sasha…” You giggle, making him roll his eyes.

“Come on! I… I have nothing against you, it’s not fair!” He complains as you hand him his own file. He grabbed it, but didn’t take his eyes off you. “Just… Tell me something that I can make fun of you for too.”

You looked at him with a raised eyebrow and scoffed. “Uh? Hell no,” you replied, with a slight chuckle. “You’ll use it against me, like, any time we argue! I am not compromising—”

“C’mon, Y/n, please? Just to even it out?” He requested, in which you couldn’t help but finally amuse him.

“Okay, okay. Fine,” you groaned as you rested your head back completely against the file cabinet. “What do you want to know?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Like… Any allergies or—?”

“Nope, I am actually not allergic to anything,” you chuckle, smiling at him.

Josh grinned at you and joked, “Oh? So is it safe for me to assume that you’re a biotic?”

You laughed at that, shaking your head. “Oh, please. Aren’t they supposed to be these perfect, really good-looking super-people? Like, you really think I could pass off as that?”

He gave a friendly smile, turned his head as he decided in his mind, and finally said, “Hm, maybe, yeah. Like, you could actually convince me.” You raised an eyebrow in disbelief and he took notice of your reaction. “I’m serious!”

“No, no, enough, Josh. I get that you’re just being nice, but—”

“No, Y/n, I’m serious, believe me!” He exclaimed with authenticity. “You’re actually really attractive!”

You found yourself really flustered as you heard this, trying to hold back a smile. Was he being for real? “What? No, you’re… You’re just saying that, shut up, Josh,” you scoffed, still not believing him. “Besides, I thought you were trying to find something that you can make fun of me for?”

“Y/n, I swear to you, I am not kidding! Like, if I were Tiger, I’d probably straight-up assume that you’re a biotic! Because of how unbelievably hot you are!” He pleaded, trying to get you to believe him. “Come on! Tiger and Wolf, they literally call them ‘perfs,’ Y/n, short for ‘perfect.’ And you…”

This made your eyes widen. And you tried your best to detect any eye twitch or fake smile on his face to find out if he was lying, but it was clear he wasn’t. After all, he was the most genuine person you ever knew. He was being true to every word.

“Wh-really? You… You think I’m perfect?” You asked him in a breath of disbelief, and a smile slowly tugging at your lips.

“Well, yeah, I mean of course! You are so pretty! And it’s not just your looks, but… I mean… Who else would agree to go on this mission with me and those really, unnecessarily mean assholes? Like, you had a choice to just leave, but you wanted to help me because you were my friend. You knew the consequences, but you stayed by my side anyway,” he said tenderly, smiling at you with a specific softness that tugged at your heartstrings. “And not only that, but, you’re funny. You’re smart. Like, really smart. I don’t think we would’ve made it this far without your ideas. And you’re kind. Super kind! Every time those two insult me, you immediately back me up! And you’re just… perfect. Like, sometimes I think to myself if I even deserve you because you’re just so… good.”

You were speechless. You didn’t know what to say, you didn’t know this was how he felt about you. Everything he said had made you feel so appreciated and so admired.

Instead of saying anything, so overwhelmed with affection, you took one of your hands to cup his face and pressed your lips to his, softly, in an innocent, tender kiss, that he immediately returned. You felt him smile in the kiss as you felt his hand lightly hold the side of your waist, bringing you closer.

Your eyelashes fluttered as you slowly opened your eyes after pulling away from the kiss, and your faces were still close, the two of you slightly laughing and smiling at each other so very intimately.

“Josh, I… I like you. Like, a lot,” you felt giddy as you chuckled, looking into his eyes deep with admiration. “You’re just… You’re so sweet. And charming. And.. cute. And so thoughtful! And fuck everything that Wolf and Tiger say about you, because I think you’re perfect the way you are. If you’re not their savior, then you’re definitely mine. ‘Specially back at the meth lab,” you two laughed as you remembered the time he punched someone for you. “The point is… I’ve really enjoyed the past few days with you… No matter how crazy they’ve been. And I don’t mind spending more adventures with you. Wherever you’ll be, I’ll be by your side. Whether it be through time and/or space.”

Josh was also slightly taken aback because even though he had liked you as well, he didn’t expect that you’d like him back, no matter how obvious you made it. He just didn’t expect anyone in general would like him romantically because he was always just sort of a loser.

“I… I really like you too, Y/n. I mean, I probably made it really obvious already, but… I really like you too. And you seem to nearly never believe me, so I swear to you, genuinely, Y/n, that I like you. Like… like honest to god,” he said, grinning softly, and you two leaned in to share another kiss, one that was less hesitant and bolder than the first.

“We should, um… We should probably get going,” you suggest as you look at the mess of all the files with a soft laugh.

“Oh yeah. And, um, clean these up and everything,” Josh agreed looking at all the papers on the floor, then back at you.

You looked at him with a slight smirk in your smile. “We could… We could do one more,” you offered as your smile grew wider.

“One more?” He asked brightly.

“We’re here,” you pointed out.

“We could,” he raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Let’s do it.” You grabbed another file to poke fun at one more employee for their personal info with Josh. Because really, anything else could wait.

[its-storminghere]

Carcar accidental baby acquisition where Carlos ends up taking in a baby and Oscar is the one to help him out

Okay so this trope can be really hard for me because for the life of me I don’t know how they get that baby but I’m doing this for you!! Sorry it’s actually about a toddler not a baby

Okay so Lando is hosting a big family event not related to F1, maybe his wedding (you can pick your own adventure on this one) Some F1 people are there including Oscar and Carlos but it’s a big group of people. Oscar and Carlos make some small talk at a couple of points but really they’re just mingling and enjoying the afternoon.

The children in lando’s family l o v e Carlos sooo much. He’s just the ideal of what a cool race car driver should be (as opposed to Lando who is just uncle Lando who likes to play video games and play golf with the adults, sorry Lando), but even better than that he’s FUN and he plays GAMES with them and he brings his DOG!! He’s been around enough over the years that the kids are devoted to him and obviously he loves being loved and he loves family

So plot plot plot, dialogue dialogue dialogue, Oscar is chatting with Lando and Carlos is near them getting a toddler game of footie going. Of course all the moms (and some of the dads) are all gooey-eyed about how good carlos is with the kids. Truly my own ovaries are screaming as I write this

And Oscar is seeing this and internally rolling his eyes because ohhh yes isn’t Carlos just the greatest, he’s so perfect with his hair and his driving like an asshole and his sexy voice - He hears enough about that at work, and now that they’ve been running into each other on the track all of his interviews mention Carlos too. But, he thinks, whatever, I’m here to support Lando in this unspecified special event

But then!!! The few security guys Lando hired are telling everyone to get inside because apparently there’s INTRUDERS who broke in that want to cause people harm!!! (Idk man)

So in the shuffle and the chaos one of the little kids attaches herself to Carlos and won’t let go!! Because her parents always told her to stay with trustworthy adults and she trusts Carlos!! He let her play footie even though she’s younger than the other kids!!

And someone the two of them end up with Oscar smushed into a small bathroom. And they’re trying to be quiet but the little girl is scared!! And Carlos sees that and he brushes her hair off her face and hushes her. It can be like a game!! He tells her. We’ll play with Oscar. I have to hide and you have to find me! The little girl’s sniffling stops and she looks up at them. Carlos looks at Oscar like back me up here man.

What’s Oscar gonna do but go along?? So he shows her how to cover her eyes with her hands and they count to 5 very slowly together so Carlos can “hide.” When they open their eyes the little girl immediately starts giggling because look Os-cah!!! Mr. Carlos is right there!! He’s hiding behind the shower curtain!!

And Oscar and Carlos make such a big deal about her winning and they tell her how smart she is. But now the game is over and they still haven’t gotten the ok to leave. So, Oscar says it’s his turn to hide, and while Carlos and the little girl count, he crouches behind Carlos’s broad back. He’s eye level with the hair just curling down Carlos’s muscular neck.

Before he knows it the 5 seconds are up and the little one is looking for him. Carlos looks at her very seriously, points behind himself, and winks. Then he turns and dives onto Oscar, wrapping his arms around Oscar’s torso and pulling him around so the girl can see him. And as Oscar feels Carlos’s big hands holding him, he’s like. Woah. Okay. Maybe Carlos is that great

And then the little girl hides and both guys pretend they can’t find her until they get the okay to go back outside. And they bring the girl back to her parents and she immediately informs them that Mr Carlos and Mr os-cah are her new best friends forever and they all need to have a playdate right now. Oscar is looking over at Carlos and thinking, yeah, maybe the two of us do need to have a playdate

[stellar-mop]

The Coffin of Andy and Leyley has me thinking about gender and gender roles a lot. I know other people have done more in-depth analysis of this, but I'm just gonna throw my thoughts out into the void of tumblr (the void is welcome to yell back, just be nice please)

I think one of the things that makes these characters fascinating especially for me as a vaguely-agender nonbinary person is like the places I can see where their gender is impacting their interactions and choices. Like changing the gender of the characters would fundamentally change their story and personality (love y'all's genderswap AUs tho, this is not an objection).

Something I'm not sure how to articulate super well is how the game interacts with like neurodivergence gender stereotypes. On the surface level they line up with the "women are emotional and men aren't allowed to show feelings" set of gender stereotypes. But I think there's another layer if you look at it through the lens of how societal pressures around mental illness and gender intersect especially in like school-aged kids/teens. Like Andrew being the "easy child" and Ashley being... Ashley. In not-particularly-nuanced terms: "boy" neurodivergence shows as acting out and being a problem child (which Ashley does), and "girl" neurodivergence gets hidden via masking and passivity (which Andrew does). I think it's neat that this is contrary to societal expectations - like this would be a very different story if Andrew was a pushy chaotic mess and Ashley was apathetic but seething under the surface. Because gender! What's even up with that?

Less sfw thoughts under the cut, including some coffincest stuff. Warnings for unhealthy relationships and attitudes towards sex:

The way Ashley and the mom talk about sex is fascinating. I've read some really good analyses on here about Ashley thinking about sex as transactional and I think she gets that from her mom. In that one scene ("you fuck her") the mom asks Andrew something like "what does she give you to make it worth it?" Like, the only reason she can think of for why Andrew wants to spend time with Ashley is sex. That says a lot about the mom as a person (also wow she really does see zero value in Ashley as a person wtf), and probably the way Ashley was raised to think about sex. And that's a very gendered (like cishet women specifically) view of sex. Like sex in a relationship as something to be tolerated, and for Ashley "another way to keep him around".

But I'm also wondering about the flip side of that, like is the mom only tolerating the dad for sex? Because I don't really get the impression that she likes him very much, but they textually have a very active sex life. If so, this is also sort of counter to societal gender roles/expectations. I really don't like the parents but they're such fascinating characters too.

I guess my point with all this is like we got distracted by the cannibalism and murder and incest and demon summoning, but there's some really neat and subtle stuff about gender in here that I want to talk about too! It's just so well written there's so much depth

*slaps roof of game* this bad boy can fit so much dysfunction!