#i needed to clear out my emails and saw the offers in there and i was like :o oh shit good job me AKDSJAFLKH

[elegyofthemoon]

ahh i'm,,, so happy that i got some job offers already !! ;; v ;; theres two currently and im waiting to hear from one place and then theres one more interview tomorrow (which. i really dont wanna do), but i'm really happy that two worked out!! i just... wouldnt know what to decide on😔

[deliciousangelfestival]

Nothing Has Changed - 5

Summary: Returning home for peace, you're faced with your tormentor, Bucky Barnes, who is now involved in your family's business.

Character: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader, Ransom Drysdale x F!Reader

Warning: Angst, Tragedy.

Nothing Has Changed - Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist || support: Ko-fi

Thank you to anyone who gave a like, reblog, and left a comment. It motivated me to write more.

 You left Bucky dumbfounded after you tried to hit him. You were so angry after hearing that you got fired and lashed out at him.

If he wants to report you, so be it. You don’t care. You have lost everything. You’ve got nothing to lose.

You went to see your dad, who was arranging flowers for the next family.

“Dad, I’m going back to the city today,” you said, your voice tight.

“What’s the result?” Tom asked, remembering today was the day for the investigation results.

You rubbed your nose with your finger and cleared your throat, trying to hold back tears. “They let me go, but I got fired instead. But hey, at least I got my money back.” Your bank account had been unlocked by the judge, and you wanted to go back to the city to get all your stuff and sell your penthouse.

Tom looked concerned. “You want me to go with you?”

You shook your head. “No. I will come back after two days.”

“I’ll drive you to the station,” Tom offered, his voice filled with worry.

You headed back to the car and noticed Bucky wasn’t there anymore. As you drove to the station, the silence between you and your dad was heavy with unspoken words.

When you arrived at the station, you saw Natasha again. She looked at you with a mixture of curiosity and jealousy. “You’re using the train? Why didn’t you use the car that Bucky gave you?” She felt bitter since Bucky never offered her his car, yet you, who had just come back, could use it.

You knew from her tone that she was jealous. You just said, “It’s too slow.”

Natasha scoffed, “Yeah right.” Then she left.

You rolled your eyes; she hadn’t changed at all.

******

You arrived back in the city. Once, you thought this place would be your home. Now, you just wanted to leave it behind.

You didn’t want to set foot in the company again. You told your secretary to throw away all your stuff. Besides, there was nothing important. You had already secured everything in your safe deposit box. That’s why you had to clear your name to get access to your bank account back.

Early the next morning, you went to the bank. All you needed was the pen drive. It held all the leverage you might need. If someone tried to put you in a bad spot, this would be your last resort.

As you entered the bank, you felt a sense of relief mixed with determination. You approached the safe deposit boxes and signed the necessary forms. The pen drive felt heavy in your hand, despite its small size. It contained all the proof of strange transactions and could clear your name or take down those who had wronged you.

After securing the pen drive, you took a moment to breathe. Once a place of dreams and ambition, the city felt like a battlefield you had barely escaped.

After that, you got into the taxi to go back to your condo. As the car stopped at a red light, you saw the tall building—the headquarters owned by the Drysdale family.

You used to come here every morning, even sleeping in your office sometimes. But now, it was all in the past.

It still left a bitter taste in your mouth. After everything you did, they just threw you away. You wondered who would replace you since you knew your skills were unparalleled. No one could match you.

What made you so upset was Ransom. Until now, he hadn’t replied to a single message or email you’d sent him.

To be honest, you saw it coming. The friendship between you two had long since deteriorated. There was a time you liked him, but those feelings vanished after overhearing a conversation at a party where Ransom talked with his friends.

One of his friends had asked, “What’s up with you and her? We’ve noticed you two have been spending a lot of time together.”

Ransom scoffed, sipping his whiskey. “Nothing. I only see her as numbers. She’s the key to making me lead the company.”

“Wow,” his friend had replied, impressed.

You were heartbroken when you heard that. But part of you had expected it, knowing that Ransom was out of your league.

You arrived at your condominium and began packing. You had once thought your life was sad because your place was so empty. But now, you were grateful since it meant you could move out quickly.

You gathered everything into your luggage and boxes.

'Ding.Dong'

Then you heard the doorbell. You wondered who it could be. Besides your assistant, Ransom was the only other person who ever came to your place. Could it be him? But he never replied to any of your texts.

You looked at the camera by the door and saw Ransom on the screen. He looked a mess.

Your heart skipped a beat, a mix of anger and confusion bubbling up. You hesitated for a moment before opening the door. Ransom stood there, disheveled, his eyes hollow and tired.

You were confused. Should you open the door or not? On the other hand, you needed answers too.

Holding back your anger, you opened the door. Ransom was taken aback. He didn’t seem to expect you would actually open the door for him.

You stood behind the door, opened your arms as if welcoming him, and said, “You owe me an explanation.”

Ransom, hesitating for a moment, put his hands into his coat pockets and walked into your condo. He noticed the luggage and boxes scattered around the living room.

“You're leaving,” he observed.

Ransom scratched his head, frustration evident, then put his hand on his waist and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I never wanted to hurt you.”

You gave him a stern look. “Why are you upset? Isn’t this what you wanted?”

He turned to face you, his eyes red and tired. “It's for the best.”

You scoffed, incredulous. “That's it? After years together, you just throw me away like that?”

You pointed your finger at him, anger boiling over. “I knew it was you who framed me for insider trading.”

Ransom walked past you, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. He drank slowly, as if buying time to gather his thoughts. Finally, he opened his arms and leaned against the marble counter. “It's more complicated than you think.”

You crossed your arms tightly. “I'm not in the mood to solve a puzzle.”

Ransom sighed. “Three days before the FBI raided your office, my family heard Harlan’s will.”

After Harlan’s funeral, his will wasn’t read immediately. It was his last request to delay the reading.

“What’s that got to do with me?” you demanded.

Ransom’s eyes bore into yours. “Because Harlan chose you!”

You felt like the ground had been pulled out from under you. “Me?” you gasped, speechless. Now, it all made sense—why none of the Drysdales were willing to help you. They were angry, feeling like you had stolen their birthright.

“It was my mom and her siblings who contacted the FBI and got you fired,” Ransom admitted.

“And where were you?” you yelled, hugging yourself tightly. “You’re no different from them! You left me alone.”

Ransom took a step closer, placing his hands on your shoulders gently. “I was captured.”

You raised your head, eyes wide with disbelief. “Really?”

He nodded, his expression sincere. “They let me out after they finally got what they wanted.”

"For you to get fired," Ransom began, his tone sympathetic as he addressed the issue.

“Why? I also didn't know that Harlan chose me. If you had asked me, I would have refused it,” you expressed, your voice tinged with disbelief and frustration as you crossed your arms tightly, your body language mirroring your inner turmoil. Your brow furrowed, and your shoulders tensed as you spoke, emphasizing the weight of your words.

“I know. That's what I told them,” Ransom replied, pulling you into a hug, his embrace offering both comfort and reassurance as he wrapped his arms around you securely. You stiffened momentarily in surprise at his gesture before relaxing into the embrace, your body melting into his as you allowed yourself to be comforted.

“Their plan backfired though,” Ransom continued, a wry smile playing on his lips as he spoke, his eyes reflecting a mix of amusement and exasperation at the situation.

“Huh?” you responded, eyebrows furrowing in confusion, your body tense with anticipation as you awaited his explanation. Your arms remained crossed tightly over your chest, a defensive stance reflecting your skepticism.

“The employees made a petition for you to come back,” Ransom revealed, his tone tinged with amusement at the irony of the situation, his hands gesturing animatedly as he spoke.

You were left speechless, the news catching you off guard. You had always kept to yourself at work, never realizing your impact on your colleagues, your eyes widening in surprise as you processed his words.

Ransom chuckled softly. “You're the reason why we got triple profits and they got bonuses. Why would they want to lose you?” he remarked, admiration evident in his voice, his gaze locked on yours with a mixture of fondness and respect. You offered a small, hesitant smile in response, your body language softening as his words sank in.

For the last few years, the projects that you and your team worked on have consistently generated significant profits, earning you the respect and appreciation of your colleagues, a sense of pride swelling within you as you recall your past achievements.

You nodded slowly, a sense of validation washing over you as you acknowledged the impact of your work.

“And I'm here to tell you that you're not fired,” Ransom declared, his words carrying a sense of relief and sincerity, his eyes searching yours for any sign of acceptance or understanding.

You were supposed to be happy when you heard that, but with your father's condition, you had second thoughts.

You pushed Ransom away, whispering, “I'm sorry.”

Ransom looked puzzled. “What?”

You struggled to explain, “The reason why I said no is because of my dad. He's got cancer.” And you're still hurt by the betrayal from the company you've worked for a long time.

Ransom's eyes widened. “You went back home and met your dad?”

You nodded your head.

Ransom couldn't believe this. He had never heard you mention your dad until now, and it was the first time he saw you being vulnerable.

“Alright. I can't stop you,” Ransom said resignedly. He knew you had to go, but he was going to miss you. It would be difficult to find a talented person like you.

“Wait. Does it mean you've met the people who made your life miserable?”

You shrugged your shoulders.

“You should show them the new you,” Ransom suggested. Having attended the same high school, he had witnessed what they did to you.

You looked at Ransom, considering his words. It was strange hearing him advise you like this, given your complicated history. But there was a sincerity in his voice that made you pause.

“Maybe,” you mumbled, still uncertain.

Ransom nodded, his expression softening. “They don't know what they're missing out on. You've grown stronger, more resilient.”

You managed a weak smile, appreciating his attempt to boost your spirits. Despite everything, there was a flicker of gratitude for his unexpected support.

Join the taglist? 🩷💙🩷

@bagoffeelings

@darkofimagination

@starsofcloud

@cherrybubblebullet

@winterslove1917

@thezombieprostitute

@namoreno

@sagebarness

@tenaciousathleteoperatorgarden

@unaxv

@missvelvetsstuff

@kjah97

@hopeful-daydreaming

@freshlemontea

@eat-limes-bitches

@kandis-mom

@scott-loki-barnes

@winters1917

@differenttyphoonwerewolf

@arunabraganza

@ordelixx

@esposadomd

@sapphirebarnes

@cjand10

@bellabarnes1378

@thetravelingtyper

@buckitostan

@mostlymarvelgirl

@5upersoldiers1xt

@jjanereid

@cakesandtom

@queen2234

@learisa

@springsheep

@mrsstuckyboo

@read-just-cant

@loki-laufeyson68

Author Note: Hey friends,

If you've been enjoying the content, I've set up a Ko-fi account.

Your support through tips would mean the world and help me keep creating.

Only if you feel like it!

Here's the link: Ko-fi

Thanks a bunch for being fabulous followers!

[laneywrld]

warm, buttery, and soft | Lewis Hamilton

request: I have a LH44 request! So, I’m a BCBA, I work with children who have autism and my dream is have my own clinic one day. I have a request where maybe Lewis is with a BCBA, who has her own practice, maybe with a back story of how they met at a charity event for her grand opening? Maybe he decided to venture out his charitable contributions and became interested in what she does? Romance, all the feels :)

word count: 2.3k

warnings: none

Lewis had more money than he knew what to do with.

He'd still accept it graciously, but he couldn't help but feel that he could be doing more with the funds he'd earned. He always felt as if he could offer his many resources to many different causes.

He had started mission 44, and still, he felt like he wasn't doing enough.

Lewis had always been driven by a deep desire to make a meaningful impact in the world. After years of dedication to his passion projects, he felt it was time to expand the reach of Mission 44, his organization dedicated to empowering underserved communities. He wanted to invest in something truly transformative, and it was a conversation with an old friend that set him on the right path.

One evening, over a cup of coffee, his friend Michael shared a heartfelt story about his autistic son, Josiah. "There's this incredible clinic," Michael said, his eyes lighting up. "It's run by Y/N, a BCBA. Her work with autistic children has been nothing short of miraculous for us. Jojo has made so much progress thanks to her."

Intrigued, Lewis asked for more details. Michael explained how Y/N's clinic provided personalized therapy and support, creating a nurturing environment where children like Josiah could thrive. It was a place of hope and transformation, and it resonated deeply with Lewis's vision for Mission 44.

Determined to learn more, Lewis arranged a visit to the clinic. When he arrived, he was immediately struck by the warm and welcoming atmosphere. The walls were adorned with colorful artwork created by the children, and the air was filled with laughter and a sense of purpose.

Sadly, you weren't there when he arrived. Lewis really wanted to connect with you. But you were certain to make sure he was taken care of in your absence.

As Lewis toured the facility, he saw firsthand the incredible progress the children were making. Therapists and staff members were deeply engaged, using innovative techniques to support the children's development. It was clear that this was more than just a clinic—it was a community of care and compassion.

Inspired by what he had seen, Lewis knew he had found the perfect partner for Mission 44. He decided to invest in your clinic, providing the resources needed to expand your reach and impact. Together, you two envisioned opening new branches in underserved areas, ensuring that more children and families could benefit from the transformative care you and your team provided.

With this partnership, Mission 44 took a significant step forward, amplifying its mission to empower and uplift. Lewis was filled with a sense of purpose and fulfillment, knowing that your combined efforts would create a brighter future for countless children and families.

And so, with a shared vision and unwavering dedication, Lewis and you embarked on a journey to bring hope, healing, and empowerment to the world, one child at a time.

And this was all without ever meeting each other.

You were a busy woman, and when you did have free time, it was spent with your kids. Your kids being the children you work with of course. So tonight was meant to be special. An ordeal that certainly meant a lot to you.

You would be meeting Sir Lewis Hamilton for the very first time in person. The two of you had communicated over the phone and through emails, but you had not had the chance to sit with him face-to-face, until tonight.

It'd been a year since this endeavor started, and already, the funding Lewis provided had shown its hand and made your mission all the more achievable.

Tonight, you were having a gala.

You were against the idea initially, telling your assistant to reconvene with Lewis' team. You wanted funds to help autistic children, you wanted an event that reflected that.

But Lewis came up with a good point, you wanted to ask a bunch of rich people to invest in you and your goals, to do that, you had to speak to them in a language that they understood, money.

So here you were, a beautiful gown adorning your frame, that was much too elegant and flashy than what you were used to.

You were standing off to the side, watching as the team organized the smaller details. Your hands are placed in front of you, fingers fidgeting with the others as you will your nerves away.

This was not your scene. You weren't used to the flashy life nor did you care for it, so the fact that you would be surrounded by millionaires and a select few billionaires and people with status simply because of your business ties with such a prominent figure in the world of money and fame, well it made you nervous.

Lewis arrived at the clinic a few minutes early, feeling a mix of anticipation and curiosity. He had seen pictures of you online and read about your remarkable work, but nothing could have prepared him for the moment he saw you in person.

From across the hallway, he saw you before you noticed him. The pictures did you no justice. You were more beautiful than any photograph could capture. Your presence was radiant, your smile warm and genuine. Lewis couldn't help but be captivated by your grace and the effortless way you carried herself. He was about to approach you when the door to your left swung open.

In poured a group of children, dressed in colorful gowns and suits, their faces beaming with excitement. Lewis watched as your eyes widened with delight and your lips spread into a grin wider than the universe. The children, your clients, rushed to surround you, their joy palpable. Some stayed a little further back, shy but eager to be close to you.

Lewis stood back, observing the scene. He saw the way you interacted with each child, your demeanor filled with kindness and understanding. You bent down to their level, speaking softly to those who needed it, and laughed with those who were more exuberant. You were careful and considerate, aware of each child's unique needs and sensitivities due to their autism.

One little girl tugged at your sleeve, and you responded with a gentle touch and a few whispered words that brought a smile to the girl's face. A boy who had been standing off to the side finally mustered the courage to step forward, and you greeted him with the same warmth and attention, making him feel just as special as the rest.

Lewis was moved by the sight. It wasn't just your beauty that struck him now, but the depth of your compassion and the genuine love you had for these children. He realized that your work was more than a profession; it was a calling, a true testament to your character.

As the children slowly dispersed, you stood up and finally noticed Lewis. Your eyes met, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. You approached him with that same radiant smile, extending your hand in greeting.

"Hi, you must be Lewis," you said, your voice as warm as your smile.

Lewis took your hand, feeling a spark of connection. "Yes, that's me. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Y/N. Your work here is incredible."

Your eyes twinkled with gratitude. "Thank you, Lewis. I'm glad you're here. This wouldn't have been possible without your support. Can I show you what we have so far?"

Lewis accepts, walking with you as you point out the many attractions for your guest. As you walk, you speak more to Lewis about your work, your passion for your work evident in your every word. You explained how you had started the clinic with the goal of providing comprehensive, individualized care for autistic children. "Each child is unique," you said, "and we tailor our approach to meet their specific needs. It's about helping them reach their full potential. Most of all, showing them unconditional love and acceptance."

"I think you're doing an amazing job." Lewis compliments, "Can I ask, why autistic children? What made this your dream?"

You let out a chuckle, "You ever read those books about the pig, Mercy Watson? She goes crazy over buttered toast?"

Lewis laughs and shakes his head, "Can't say I have."

"Well, in these books, there's a talking pig who does a lot of crazy stuff really for buttery toast. I used to read these books to my brother. He was obsessed with them. I used to just read them to him over and over every night, thinking, you know, of course, a story about a pig causing absolute destruction for food would entertain a boy." As you talk, you're waving your hands around, describing the elaborate storyline of the children's book.

"Anyways, my brother was autistic, high functioning, but you know there were still things that made him different than others, ways that he couldn't fit in no matter what, and I grew to realize okay, this book has to be his hyper fixation, like he doodled Mercy Watson everywhere. Or like cute little toast, and for a while, all he ate was toast for weeks." You chuckle, and Lewis laughs with you.

"Then one day, I'm a freshman in high school, and my brother has started his first day of middle school, and he just, it was bad for him, so bad. And I wanted to help, so I tried to read the books for him and he just got angry and said it wasn't true, and I was left trying to figure out what he meant. It bothered me for so long, I spent weeks rereading those books, you hear me, weeks."

You look distressed as you recant the memory and Lewis can only imagine how frantic you were when it actually happened.

"And then it just clicked for me. The buttery toast isn't fucking toast. The damn toast is a feeling. Warm, soft, and buttery. Mercy Watson is a pig. She feels buttery with her family and warm, cozy, and accepted. It's a feeling she's chasing. And maybe I'm wrong, but to him, the book highlighted his need to be accepted, to feel community. My brother deserved to be loved for who he was, unconditionally."

"Is that why you have so many piglet paintings in your clinic?"

You let out a laugh that starts from a snort. "Yeah. My little piggies."

"You've got a beautiful heart, you know that?"

"Thank you." You drop your head as if to hide your shyness from the man.

As they walked through the clinic, Lewis couldn't shake the feeling that this was the beginning of something extraordinary.

"You should let me take you out to dinner, discuss more on how to get the toast to all of the little piglets in the world, and maybe discuss another dinner, too?"

"I'd love that."

Three years had passed since that charity gala for your clinic, the night you first met Lewis. You remember how he approached you with a warm smile, expressing his admiration for your work. He had insisted on taking you out for dinner, and that evening turned into many more, each one deepening the connection between you.

Now, you stand in the nursery, a gentle smile on your lips as you admire the freshly painted walls. Small, cute little piglets dance across the pale yellow background, a whimsical design that Lewis insisted on because he remembered how you loved piggies, a love sparked by your brother's fondness for the book that changed your outlook on life.

The room is filled with the promise of new life, a testament to the love that has blossomed between you.

You gently place a hand on your growing belly, feeling the fluttering movements of your baby. The thought of becoming parents fills you with a mixture of excitement and wonder. Lewis walks into the room, his eyes lighting up as they meet yours. He crosses the room in a few strides and places a tender kiss on your forehead, his hand joining yours on your belly.

"You’re going to be the best mom," he says, his voice filled with admiration. "I can’t wait to meet our little one."

Lewis has always seen you as the sweetest soul in the world. Your compassion, kindness, and unwavering dedication to your work and family have captured his heart completely. He often tells you that being with you feels like coming home—warm, soft, and buttery, just like toast. It's the only feeling you've ever had when it comes to Lewis: a deep, comforting love that fills every corner of your life.

Your relationship with Lewis is a harmonious blend of mutual admiration and profound affection. He has not only embraced you but also formed a close bond with your brother. Lewis took the time to understand your brother’s world, it was a connection that brought you immense joy and deepened your love for Lewis.

As you and Lewis stand in the nursery, imagining the future with your child, you feel a profound sense of contentment. Engaged and set to be married in a year, your journey together has been nothing short of extraordinary.

"I love you," you whisper to Lewis, feeling the baby move beneath your hands.

"I love you too," he replies, his eyes shining with emotion. "And I love our little family, more than words can say."

At that moment, surrounded by the playful piglets on the walls and the warmth of Lewis's embrace, you feel a sense of completeness. Your love story is like toast—warm, soft, and buttery—filling your life with sweetness and comfort. It's a love that grows even stronger with each passing day and a warmth that spreads just the same.

oh my god, i loved this request, and a huge thank you for you and the work you do, this hit very close to home, and I loved writing every word of it!! also, I'm not really good at writing anything that's not angsty I don't think. so I apologize in advance for the cringe omg. I tried to make it romantic I really did. 😭

[shockercoco]

Snap Out of It

Austin Butler x reader

Warnings - angst, fluff, soft!Austin aka normal Austin

Word count - 1877

a/n - request: “The reader works from home and is really stressed and starting to fall back into depression and Austin comforting her. Austin finds her crying when he comes home because she is overwhelmed” - I wrote this on my phone since I’m out of town and it was kinda terrible. Also I visited Elvis’ house and saw Austin’s little exhibit, enjoy :)

You were getting more and more anxious with every passing day. Earlier this month you had auditioned for a role, and you were told that you would receive an answer by the end of the month. Ever since the audition, the first thing you would do each morning would check your emails and your messages for a response, but you were met with nothing.

To be honest, you really needed this job. This is the first role you’ve auditioned for in over a year, and getting the job would help bring you out of your current funk. You spend your days working from home, except for the days you have to go out in town for meetings, and being at home all the time is taking a toll on you.

For months Austin had been gone to film for a new movie and he had just come back recently. You watch as Austin leaves to go to the gym or meet up with friends, and each time he would ask you to join him and tell you to leave your work for later, but you were never in the mood.

You could see the disappointment on his face when you would decline his offers, but he wouldn’t say anything or push you.

Now, you were standing in the bathroom trying to wipe the tears from your eyes and clear your face before Austin came back home from dinner. Your face was red and your eyes were swollen — you just looked a complete mess.

You grab a washcloth and hold it under cold water to use on your eyes. This has started to become a recurring task, and somehow you felt like you were lying to Austin by doing this and acting like nothing is wrong.

After holding the washcloth over your eyes for a couple minutes, you lower your hands to examine your face in the mirror, only to see Austin standing in the doorway through the reflection in the mirror.

The look on his face breaks you, and for a second you feel like you’re going to start crying again.

Austin’s eyebrows are furrowed and he has this gentle look on his face. He’s still in his dress pants and buttoned down from dinner with his sleeves rolled above his elbows. You look away, not ready to look him in the eye and not really wanting to talk about it, but you already know he’s going to pry it out of you.

“You’re back early,” you say, trying to change the subject, even though it’s obviously not going to work. He was home early, though. He wasn’t supposed to be back for another hour.

What you don’t know is that he left early because he didn’t want to leave you home alone too long. He wouldn’t tell you that, though, because he knows how quilty you would feel.

When he got home, he noticed the house was a little too quiet, so he went looking around for you. He heard sniffles as he entered the bedroom, and that’s when he found you in the bathroom trying to clear your face.

He’s noticed the depletion of your mental health, but he’s been waiting for you to say something to him. He hates that it’s gotten to the point, and he can't help but feel like it’s his fault.

You set the towel down on the countertop, and play with the cloth to continue avoiding his gaze. You wait for him to say something, but nothing comes.

It’s silent for a moment — you not being ready to talk, and him not knowing what to say. Then, you hear the shuffling of his socks on the bathroom tile coming closer to you.

Austin grabs your hips to turn you towards him, and when you don’t move, he makes his grip more firm. You finally give in to face him, looking up at him with your red eyes, though the swelling has gone down from the cold washcloth.

He holds your face in his hands as he stares down at you. Your eyes move to the side to look at anything but him. He wraps his arms around you as he pulls you into his chest, not caring about his nice shirt getting soaked, and that’s when you break down again.

He gently shushes you as your cries get more intense and your body shakes. When you start to quiet down is when Austin opens his mouth.

“I know you don’t want to, but I need you to tell me what’s going on. I’ve been waiting for you to come to me because I didn’t want to pry, but baby if you’re breaking down like this, you need to let it out. If you didn’t want to tell me, then at least talk to someone,” he pleads as he soothes you by rubbing your back.

You pull away from his chest with his arms still around you. Using the back of your hands, you wipe your eyes and sniffle to try and clear your stuffy nose. You feel bad for the wet spot you left on his shirt.

“I just…I don’t know. I feel like such a failure because all I do is wake up, get on my laptop, sleep, and repeat. And I feel like I’m in the way because you’re out working, and each time you come back home, I’m still in the same spot you left me in. I’ve been a killjoy for you and I’ve been taking up space, and you’ve just had to deal with me all these months and I’m so, so, sorry. I-,”

“Stop, stop, stop,” Austin says softly as he cuts off your rambling, bringing his hands back to your face. “You have nothing to be sorry for, so don’t apologize.”

“But I-,” you begin to say, but Austin cuts you off again. Tears gather in your waterline once again, but they don’t fall.

“No, I’m serious. Don’t apologize. You’re not a failure, I don’t ever want you to say that or think that about yourself because it’s not true. You think every actor is booked everyday of the year? They’re not. All actors take breaks, and they do it because they need to. Shit happens. And you haven’t been a killjoy or taking up space, this place is yours as much as it is mine.”

His eyes don’t leave yours once throughout the whole speech. His heart breaks at the sight in front of him. Austin hates to see you cry.

“I want to take a break. I didn’t need to take a break. I did this to myself,” you tell him.

“Who cares. You don’t need to feel like you always need to have something going on. No one’s pressuring you to do anything — I’m not, and neither is the world. I'll always be on your side, and I will always be here for you because I love you. I need you to know that,” Austin tells you with a sad smile. He desperately needs you to know that you’re loved. “Do you know that?”

You nod in response to his question, but he shakes his head.

“I need to hear you say it.”

“Yes, I know,” you mumble, but Austin accepts it.

“And don’t you ever forget it. Also, I wouldn't care if you never moved again and left a dent in the mattress, as long as you’re here for me when I get home that’s all that matters to me,” he jokes, and you can’t help but let out a small laugh. “There’s that smile.”

You give him a shove, and he just laughs. Austin moves his hands down to gather your hand in each of his.

“Have you heard back from that role you auditioned for?” He asks hopefully, his eyebrows raised and his tone still soft.

“Nope,” you shake your head as you let out a gloomy sigh.

“Well you still have until the end of the month,” he tells you as he playfully begins to swing your hands in his.

“At least one of us is optimistic,” you tell him as you look down.

“One of us has to be,”he says as he brings one of your hands up to his mouth for him to kiss the back of it.

The next morning, you wake up with a headache, the one that always comes when you’ve been crying. You stay in bed, not quite ready to get up and face the day. Although the talk you had with Austin did make you feel better, you still have that voice in the back of your head.

Austin rolls over to see you staring at the ceiling. He wraps an arm around your waist as he scoots closer to you, studying your face. You look over at him once you feel his touch and give him a small smile.

“How ya feeling?” He asks you as he lifts the bottom of your shirt a little to reach the skin on your waist and begins to caress the skin.

“Pretty good,” you say genuinely.

“You know, you could just stay here in bed with me. I don’t have anything to do today,” he tells you as he moves his hand over your stomach to lightly tickle the skin there.

You laugh at the feeling. “I would love to, but I have a couple things to do and some emails to send.”

Austin groans as you slowly crawl out of bed away from his touch, and you just smile.

You brush your teeth and clean yourself up before you head to Austin’s office where you do most of your work. As you’re walking down the hallway towards the room you feel your phone vibrate in your hand.

You thought it was just a regular notification, so you raise your hand to quickly glance at your phone before going to put your hand back down by your side, but you stop yourself halfway.

A message had caught your eye. Your manager had messaged you saying:

- Check your email NOW!

You’re frozen for a second before picking up the pace to the office. Once you reach the desk, you don’t even bother to take a seat as you type in the password to your laptop.

All you need to see are the words “we are happy to offer you the role” before you let out an excited scream. Finally. You can finally stop stressing, get out of the house, and continue what you love doing.

Austin comes running into the room after your outburst and meets you with a confused face. “What’s wrong?” he asks, but once he sees the huge grin on face, he raises his eyebrows and a smile appears on his own lips. “Did you get it?”

You nod happily as you jump up and down, and Austin mirrors your actions with his toothbrush still in his mouth.

As he brings you in for a hug, he says, “I’m so proud of you, I knew you would get it.”

“No you didn’t,” you tell him as he squeezes you.

“Yes, I did. I knew you would get it because you're amazing and talented and smarter than me and-.”

“Austin,” you laugh as you cut him off, “enough.”

Like what you see? Check out my masterlist ;)

[artificial-transmutations]

Beating Recession

Recession sucked, that much was clear to Logan even before he checked his email inbox. When he saw a few replies to his job applications from the last days, he sighed. He didn't need to open the mails to know that the news was bad, but he did so anyway.

"We regret to inform you..." - Logan didn't even read on. He had lost his job as an apprentice electrician about half a year ago. The company was going under, and Logan, the youngest and least experienced worker, was the first to go. That's how it was in this business. Since then, he had applied to every single position that came up - but apparently, the current economic situation was so bad that nobody needed another worker.

Logan had hoped that his apprenticeship would get him a job, but the fact that he was only 20 and had not much practical experience hurt him. Slowly, money was becoming a pretty big problem. Whatever savings he had (for some real estate of his own! As if that was going to happen!) had melted away over the last months. His rent was due, and he had no income.

In fact, he was one month late with his rent already, and although his landlord had been cool about it, Logan did not see how he would be able to keep his apartment. He really, really wanted to avoid moving back in with his parents who had their own problems, too.

So, what was he going to do? There wasn't much more to do than keep looking for a job, even though his chances were slim.

He opened LinkedOut and looked for openings, just as he had done multiple times before this week. The sparse list of jobs had not changed, so Logan scrolled on.

He was about to give up again when a listing caught his eye.

"Escape unemployment today! Change™ job agency will find the perfect job, for the perfect you. Apply here!"

He had heard of such agencies before, and the results were not pretty. Usually, they just took the applicants' data and sold it on. They would claim to have found a job for you, but it usually wouldn't work out, and the applicant would have paid money for this useless service. Still, Logan was curious enough to click the link. If they wanted money, he would back out immediately - it was not like he had any to spare.

To Logan's big surprise, when he clicked the link, a new page opened, with a web-based chat interface. Before he could close the tab again, there was already a message in the window. It read:

"Kevin: Hey, and welcome to the Change™ job agency. My name is Kevin. How may I help you today?"

It was a nice surprise that they didn't try to sell him anything or even ask for his data before he had entered the website. Well, no harm done. He might as well give them a try. Hesitating slightly, Logan's fingers hovered over the keyboard before he typed:

"Hi. I'm Logan and I'm looking for a new job."

The answer came quickly, but not so quickly that Logan would suspect the other person to be a chatbot. After some moments, Kevin's reply appeared on the screen:

"Great. What kind of job are you looking for? And what kind of salary are we talking?"

Logan considered the questions. This was probably the point where they would ask him for his data. He silently cursed his excessive caution. Of course, they had to ask these questions. How else should they offer him anything?

"Uhm. My last job was as an apprentice electrician, but at this point I would be pretty happy about just any job. The salary should be high enough to pay my rent."

Logan hesitated before hitting enter. He didn't want to come over as quite so desperate, but the truth was, he was.

"Okay, no problem. Do you have a preferred working sector?"

What a weird question. Why did it matter what industry he preferred?

"Uhm, not really. I guess anything is fine."

"Very well. Before I look up what's there in our database, I would need some basic information about you. Namely gender, age, ethnicity and sexual orientation."

"Wait. What does my sexual orientation have to do with a job? Besides, why do you need to know my ethnicity? Is this even legal?"

Logan had typed furiously and pressed enter before thinking about his reply.

"I understand your confusion. We here at the Change™ job agency strive to find not only a job, but the best job for the best you, so we need to know what we're working with. It wouldn't be very appropriate to apply a person as an actress who is really good at sports, now would it? Of course, you have to understand that your answers are confidential and will not be disclosed to any third parties, especially not your future employer."

That was fishy deluxe. Logan really didn't want to feed some unknown job agency all that highly personal information. On the other hand,... what did he have to lose?

"Well, I guess it can't hurt. Uhm. I'm a male, 20 years old, I would call myself white and I'm heterosexual."

"Wonderful. One last question: Are you comfortable with nudity and public sexual activities?"

"Wait, WHAT? I mean, uhm, sure, I guess? I mean, why should I need that?"

"This question is purely to determine if we should also have a look in the adult entertainment section of our job offerings. Alright Logan, please stand by while I enter your data into our search engine."

Logan leaned back. He felt a bit uneasy about all that. But it was not like his answers could lead them directly to his apartment, so he felt relatively safe.

A minute or so passed, and Logan started to think that he had been tricked after all, but just as he was about to close the tab, a new message appeared.

"Sorry for the delay, I had a few calls. We found two jobs that could be a fit. The first one is an office job in a big insurance company. To be honest, it's not that good of a fit and it doesn't pay very well either."

"That's fine." Logan wrote. He was incredibly on edge now. Could it really be so easy to find a new job? And he even had a choice?

"What's the other one?" he added to his previous message.

"Okay, the other job is a bit more unconventional, but we have the feeling it could be a great match. It's an actor position in the porn industry, at the famous XXX Incorporated."

"Porn? What? Are you serious? I mean, I don't have anything against porn or nudity or whatever, but I'm not sure if this is the kind of job I want."

Logan felt mixed feelings. The prospect of being some office drone sounded pretty uninteresting and a low pay wasn't all that good either. But a porn actor? Logan had to admit, the thought felt somewhat interesting, but he doubted he had what it took for that? Weren't porn stars famously hung and well-built? That was certainly not Logan. Just as he pondered those thoughts, Kevin's answer appeared:

"I understand Sir. So, should we continue with the first job opening then?"

Logan bit his lip, but the curiosity got the better of him.

"Wait. What does the second job entail? I mean, I'm not exactly... equipped for the porn business."

"Well, as I have said: It's an actor position, so you would star in some new adult entertainment productions. While I understand your modesty, our records show that you are more than adequately gifted for this kind of job."

Logan felt confused. He absentmindedly scratched his crotch before he replied:

"Uhm, sorry, I don't think you understand. I don't really think my..." Logan paused. Was he really going to write that? It was embarrassing, but at least he could be reasonably sure he would never meet this Kevin in real life. So, he continued:

"... penis is big enough for such a position."

The answer came promptly.

"Really? Better have a look to be sure ;-)"

A winking smiley? That wasn't very professional. Actually, the whole sentence wasn't. Still, Logan couldn't stop himself from glancing at his crotch. What he saw made him take a double take. His soft cock was forming a visible and ample bulge in his jeans. Logan knew that he was slightly smaller than average, so that was ridiculous. It was almost a... a porn star-sized bulge!

He stared at his package, but it wasn't growing any smaller. With trembling hands, he opened his jeans. Immediately, a well-filled pair of boxers escaped the confinement of his jeans. The dick print of his soft member was clearly visible in his underwear, and it wasn't just much bigger than Logan remembered. It was among the biggest bulges he had ever seen in his life!

His hands explored the impressive manhood through his underwear and felt every centimeter of the hardening dick. He had no idea what had caused this growth, but he wasn't complaining. Before he could interact more with it, however, he noticed another message on the screen.

"Are you still there, Sir?"

"Sorry, yes." Logan hurried to reply. What was he going to write? "I was below average just a few moments ago but now I have one of the biggest cocks in human history"?

Instead, Kevin answered.

"Good! I trust you had a chance to inspect your assets?"

"Uhm, yes."

"So, have you made up your mind, or should I look into the office position?"

Logan was torn. He wasn't sure what he had seen just a moment ago. Still, his enormous cock that was half-hard in his boxers was there, undeniably.

"Let's go with the porn star position." Logan finally typed, and his heart was racing.

"Very good! Now, as I mentioned, the position is in the adult entertainment sector. Do you know the company XXX Incorporated?"

Logan thought quickly about it before replying: "No, sorry, never heard of them."

"That is not at all surprising, since they specialize in the adult sector for homosexual men. According to your data, you identify as heterosexual. I hope that won't be a problem?"

Of course, there was a catch. Logan had heard about these gay for pay people and he hesitated yet again. They paid well, supposedly, but...

"Uhm. Would that mean I would need to be on the receiving end?" He wasn't too close-minded and could imagine kissing another man if he had to, perhaps even receiving a blow job from one. But having another person fuck him in the ass? No, that was way beyond his comfort zone.

"I believe the technical term you are looking for is 'to bottom'." Kevin replied, and added another message shortly after:

"But the company is, in fact, looking for a 'top' actor. They put it like this: 'We are looking for a well-built top for our new productions.'"

Logan was relieved. While he was a gold star gay man (why did he put 'heterosexual'? That was utter bullshit!), he was a strict top. This position sounded better and better. Still, one thing raised some new doubts.

"Hold on. I'm hung like a horse, but I wouldn't say I'm very muscular or even fit. I'm not much of a gym goer."

"Are you sure ;-)?"

Again, with the winking smiley! Kevin sounded so very professional most of the time, but then there were these messages. Logan scratched the back of his shoulder with some effort. Whenever he raised his arms so high the mountains of muscle on his upper arms danced and made it difficult to reach his back. Logan suddenly realized that something had changed - again! His shirt strained against his muscular chest, and as he lifted his shirt, he could see some cobblestone abs on an otherwise flat stomach. His calves had become thicker and strong. His jeans, which had felt slightly loose earlier, now seemed to be getting tighter.

Logan had never been very athletic. His body was lean, but not fit or muscular. That had certainly changed. When he looked at himself, he hardly recognized himself anymore. A huge dick, and a studly body.

Logan shook his head and let the shirt fall again. Whatever was going on, it was not a bad thing, was it?

"Alright, so I'm a buff top with a big cock. Is there anything else?" he smiled as he wrote that.

"Actually, there is one further requirement, but given your cooperation so far I don't believe it will be much of a problem either." Kevin replied, in his professional tone again.

"And what would that be?" Logan was intrigued.

"The company is especially looking for a, and I cite, 'huge, dominant Black top with large dick. Intellectual capabilities are not required'. Are you feeling up to that task? ;-)"

This time, Logan immediately raised his shirt to watch his body change. As soon as he read the words, his skin began darkening, first a golden bronze and then a rich black. It was a gradual change but happened very quickly. His muscles became even more defined, and his body hair thickened and grew even darker.

He didn't know what 'intellectual capabilities' meant, but as his body grew larger and thicker, he felt a strange fog entering his mind. It was a little unsettling at first, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. His usual thoughts quickly became overshadowed by his raising libido. As he grabbed his huge, Black throbbing cock, a dominant smirk crept on his mouth.

He turned his attention back to the computer and typed:

"Yeah, baby. I think I can make that happen. Just tell me who to fuck and I'll be there!"

He saw Kevin reply with a street address and a date and time, but Logan decided he would read that later. Now, his cock demanded his entire attention. He absentmindedly noticed his webcam turning on but paid it little attention. If Kevin wanted to watch him jerk his fat cock, he was very welcome to. After all, he just helped him find the job of his life!

That's certainly a way to beat recession! Also check out this blog!

[felinefractious]

I tried to adopt a cat from a rescue, I really did. I filled out and submitted applications to 5 different rescues because the local SPCAs didn't have cats that fit my needs (social with cats and dogs, approximately 1 year old, high energy, and preferably long or medium haired).

I explained in detail the care I give my current cupcake. She's spayed, gets routine vet care, is up to date on shots. She has her own room (my room) which is set up with shelves, trees, 2 litter boxes. She gets supervised free roam of the house (not 24/7 because of lifestyle reasons). I use puzzle feeders for her meals- high end brands like The Honest Kitchen, Open Farm, Stella and Chewy (I like to mix it up to keep it interesting). I play with her at least twice a day, or whenever she asks. Indoors only. She has a water fountain. We're working on harness training. I made it clear I had a second room set up similarly and ready to go, and carefully researched introductions. Dogs are cat social and kenneled unless supervised. I don't know, I feel like my cat lives a good life. She's happy, fit, and I adore her.

Couple of weeks past and I received 5 rejection emails with reasons such: I maintain a very small flock of exhibition poultry, that I do breed and sell the chicks of seasonally, which is...immoral to them, I guess; my brother who does live in the same household has intact show and working dogs; the dogs are kenneled (what??); I don't work full-time; one even said it was because I feed my current cat dry food instead of wet food. My cat straight up won't eat wet food! She hates it! I replied and said I would offer wet food if the new cat wanted it, and they never responded.

It all just seemed like weird reasons to me. Maybe not, I don't know if that's just how rescues are. I ended up with my cat through the pregnant cat distribution system (my mom owns her mom) so I didn't have to deal with takes on cat care I didn't get.

Dejected, I started looking on Craigslist and saw a cat that perfectly fit my needs- a sphynx outcross project that tested positive for mild HCM (asymptomatic for now) so the breeder who purchased him immediately neutered him. So I asked about him, located a cardiologist and scheduled an appointment with my vet ahead of time to get a referral to the cardiologist. Did lots of reading on HCM. Met with them and they were lovely. Got all his paperwork with his health testing and his whole history and genetics. I fell in love with him immediately. Everything they said about him has been true: he's confident, well-mannered, has the exact same play style as my kitty. There was not a single point during the 4 hour drive home that he showed signs of stress, he took treats and just lounged. When I set him in his room, he waltzed right out of his carrier with his chest puffed out, head held high, and rubbed all over me, purring and bumping his head into me. There hasn't been an adjustment period, he just came out and was like, "sweet, new digs! now, pet me!" Settled into a routine so fast. Has been perfect for his nails and bathing him. We're already making tremendous progress with recall.

This cat is so fucking well socialized. And his structure? Fucking gorgeous. Exactly as sphynx are described, with a deep chest, solid belly, longer hind legs than front, long creepy fingers which he uses to grip me instead of his claws and it feels like a human infant gripping me (deeply unsettling).

It's been such a good experience, and the rescues were so weird, I honestly don't know if I can ever get a cat that wasn't selectively bred again. He's not even pure bred! His dad is 100% sphynx but his mom is a dominant blue eye project from approved sphynx outcrosses.

Don't get me wrong, I love my first bastard kitty, she's the best cat there is. But now I have two perfect cats! I didn't realize that was possible...all my friends' cats, they're often much more nervous and shy. I was prepared for my second kitty to just never live up to my first.

Here he is, my weird coated mostly sphynx:

Bonus DNA results

I wonder what that person bit is about.

Unfortunately your story is not unique.

These excessive and unrealistic standards are part of what I mean when I discuss barriers to adoption as being one of the actual issues contributing to overpopulation of homeless pets.

I’ve seen people discuss being rejected due to their age despite being staffed in the veterinary field, the person was in their early 20’s.

I’ve seen people discuss being rejected due to having intact animals in the household despite them being species that aren’t traditionally altered, like reptiles.

A rescue I knew would avoid adopting out to people who indicated they would feed a brand of food the rescue considered to be lower quality, such as Friskies canned.

I’ve spoken to rescues for a veterinary reference who were disappointed the prospective adopters most recent cat wasn’t current on their vaccinations despite being an 18+ hospice case.

I could go on and on and on.

I’m glad you were finally able to find a cat to give a good forever home to, it’s clear that you’re passionate about your animals and knowledgeable about their care.

I would put too much stock in the 12% Persian, you can’t test for breeds in cats the same way as you can in dogs. Wisdom Panel is great for health and trait testing but nonsense for breeds.

You can really see the Devon in his face in the picture you used for the test, though!

[leilakisakabiri]

Try Not To Laugh Challenge (Pedri)

Summary: You and Pedri are co-workers who are paired up to do a video for the Barcelona Instagram account - the only thing is you’re dating and both bad at hiding the feelings. 

Warning(s): none

A/N: Please send in any requests if you have any. 

Word Count: [2035]

You stared at the email in disbelief. Just your luck. 

You were currently being asked by your manager to meet him on the training grounds to film a video for Barcelona’s Instagram page with Pedri. 

Big no. 

Originally, Gavi was supposed to film the video with him but had to cancel last minute as the shoot he was doing with Nike was taking longer than anticipated. 

Because of the short notice, the players had already been sent home, with only Pedri remaining after practice. 

This led to you getting an email from your manager to step up and take the role as you were the team’s social media intern. 

You didn’t want to turn him down, one because he was your boss and technically you weren’t even sure if you could without getting fired, but two also because you hadn’t seen Pedri all week and a small part of your brain, that was filled with all the mushy gushy feelings missed him. 

The two of you had met when you started your internship with Barcelona the summer prior, he had just been ending his second year as a professional, and you had just ended your second year of college, thus landing the internship as a result.

Initially, things had been pretty awkward between the two of you. You rarely ever saw the players, often being thrown headfirst into the research aspect of social media marketing, such as trying to predict trends and analyzing raw data. It wasn’t until 5 weeks later that you had your first encounter with the boy. 

You had walked into the break room, which to be fair was more of a snack room than anything else, the tables filled with different assortments of food.

Once there you noticed that there was only one other person present. A brown-haired boy on the other end of the table, looking intently at what appeared to be muffins.

You chose to ignore him at first, deciding to see the spread of food the Barcelona staff had brought in for everyone today. Your eyes locked on the pizza, and your body filled with excitement. 

You were a big fan of pizza. 

There was only one slice left and it was calling your name. 

You grabbed a plate and made your way over, reaching out, just as another hand stole the pizza. 

You looked up, ready to fight for what was rightfully yours, making eye contact with the boy from earlier. 

He spoke first “Oh my bad. Did you want that?” 

You cleared your throat, ready to stake your claim, but instead only came up with “Oh no, no worries.” 

God damn it Y/N. You really need to grow a backbone you thought. 

The boy looked at you, “Are you sure, you can have it if you want.” 

He held up the limp pizza and you both watched as the cheese slowly started to separate from the sauce. 

“I’m good. Thanks.” 

The boy nodded before moving along the line.  

You looked back over at the food, you had skipped breakfast earlier this morning as your boss asked you to come in earlier than expected so you didn’t have time to grab anything.

As you were contemplating whether to eat a muffin or an apple your stomach began to growl. 

You felt your cheeks grow hot as you desperately prayed the boy standing just a few feet away didn’t hear it. 

“Okay, clearly you’re hungry. Just take the slice, really I don’t even want it, it’s bad for my diet.” 

You wanted to die. You finally met someone who looked around your age and the first thing you did was embarrass yourself in front of them.  

You turned around to face the boy, he was once again holding the pizza in his hand, but this time he was stretching it out to you as a peace offering. 

You looked at him as he gave you a warm smile. 

“Split it?” You asked. 

The boy grinned, “For sure.” 

After that, whenever you and Pedri saw each other in the hallways you always made sure to stop and say hello. Eventually, those hellos became walking with each other back to your respective cars whenever you ended at the same time. Those walks then became lunch breaks, and before you knew it you were spending so much time with Pedri, you were surprised no one else had picked up on it. 

“What do you tell your teammates when they ask where you go?” you questioned, sitting beside him in the empty conference room as you shoveled yogurt into your mouth on a random Friday afternoon. 

“I say that I’m talking to my mom.” he admits. 

You laugh out loud, reaching over to hit his shoulder, “No way haha. They believe that?” 

Pedri rubbed the spot where you hit him, pretending it hurt, “Well they’ve never questioned it.” 

“Aww but doesn’t Gavi miss you?” You asked, making a kissy face with your lips, purposely trying to annoy him. 

He groaned at your antics, pushing your legs that were rested on his lap away, “Oh fuck off. You know there isn’t anything going on.” 

You giggled. Recently someone had started a rumor on the internet that Pedri and Gavi were madly in love and once you had caught wind of it you had brought it up every chance you could, never getting enough of Pedri’s angry face, which in all honesty did not look even the slightest bit intimidating. 

“Can’t say the same for us.” Pedri spoke, effectively cutting off your giggles. 

You straightened in your seat, “What?” 

“Oh c’mon you clearly have a thing for me.” He spoke again. 

This time you fully sat up. While it may have been true that you were harboring the slightest, and i mean the slightest of slight, feelings for Pedri, there was no way anyone was ever getting that out of you unless you were literally chained to a wall fighting for you life. 

Maybe not even then. 

“Not even a chance.” You huffed looking at him as he grinned back at you. 

He leaned over, hands finding their way to your shoulders as he squeezed, “Awh c’mon Y/N you’re telling me you don’t even have the tiniest of feelings for me.” 

You raised your eyebrows at him, “Why so curious? You got a crush on me or something?” 

Now it was his turn to shrink away. 

“What? No, of course not.” 

“Then why are we talking about this?” 

“Whatever.” 

You peaked at him through the corner of your eye, you couldn’t tell if you were imagining it or not but you swore you saw the smallest tint of pink on his cheeks. 

You were right, he definitely had a crush on you. That all led you to your current position now, where you and Pedri had been dating in secret for 6 months, not wanting to risk telling anyone and you losing your job, since it was against company policy for employees to date when there was a power difference, which in this case there was since Pedri was a player and you were an intern. 

Debating it over in your head, you decided to go and just get it over with. You just hoped you and Pedri would be able to keep it undercover. 

You both failed. Miserably. Throughout the shoot you kept feeling Pedri’s eyes on you when they shouldn’t have been. For example, when your manager was explaining the rules of the game behind the camera, you could feel Pedri’s gaze directed towards you, and when you turned to look at him, he gave you a smile that made your insides melt. 

It had been just over a week since the two of you had last seen each other, with the team going off to compete in a different city for La Liga, and you staying back to keep up with work at home base. You weren’t even able to Facetime as there was never a time where both of you where free or away from everyone else. 

You had missed him a lot, and it seemed he had missed you just as much. 

“Ok so do you two understand the rules?” Your manager asked. 

You gave him a thumbs up before turning to Pedri.

You both walked over to the water bottles, reaching down to collect them. With your backs turned to the camera, Pedri leaned over and whispered, 

“I missed you this week. Wish you were with me.” 

You sighed, glancing over at him, “Me too.” 

You both parted before you could say anything else, standing opposite to each other after being handed flour tortillas. 

“Ok so just try to hit each other with the tortilla’s and we’ll be good.” 

You had a mouth full of water as you tried to communicate with Pedri about who should go first. The boy stared at you with a confused look. 

You started doing the motions of rock, paper, scissors, and finally he understood. 

You won, and started moving closer to Pedri with the tortilla raised as he kept moving backwards. 

You had to choke back a laugh as he almost tripped over a lighting wire, turning your body away from him and closing your eyes so you wouldn’t have to see the look on his face. 

You urged him back towards you, and he took hesitant steps forward. 

You pretended to be surprised, and looked at something over his shoulder pointing for him to look. 

Stupid boy. Literally the most classic trick in the book. 

As he was mid turn you slapped him with the tortilla on his cheek, the noise of water sprurting out of his mouth and silence that followed after sending you into hysterics. 

The water spilled out of your mouth as you laughed, “Oh my god, I can’t believe you fell for that!” 

Pedri glared at you before giving you a light push as you leaned over trying to catch your breath. 

“This is what I get for trusting you.” 

You stood back up, tapping his cheek empathetically, “You’ll survive.” 

He pulled your hand away from his face, but let his hand rest in yours for a second too long before he dropped it. 

“I’ll get you back for that.” He warned once again taking his position across from you. 

You smiled sweetly at him, “I’d like to see you try.” 

The game went on like that for another 2 rounds before your manager called it quits saying that there was enough footage to post. 

You were drenched from head to toe when he had finally called cut, and you had a disgusted look on your face. During the last round, Pedri had purposely lost and spit water all of your face. 

You had shrieked jumping away from him, but he grabbed your wrists trapping you from getting too far as he drenched you. 

“Pedri Ew! So gross!” You groaned once he finished giving you a mini shower. 

He gave you a cheeky smile, “Told you I would get you back.” 

You rolled your eyes turning to face the camera, “Can we be done yet?” 

Your manager laughed behind the camera, “All good.” 

You smiled once more at the camera before saying bye and letting Pedri finish off the video. 

Once everything had wrapped and you had dried yourself, Pedri came over to you. 

“That was fun!” 

You groaned, walking alongside him as you made your way to your cars, “For you maybe.” 

“Oh c’mon Y/N, don’t be a sore loser.” He retorted, bumping your shoulder with his. 

“I didn’t even lose!” You exclaimed. 

Pedri’s eyes twinkled at he looked at you, “That’s not the way I remember it at all.” 

“Then you must have amnesia.” 

He laughed at your comment, “You know what would probably cure it?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Some kisses.” 

You once again rolled your eyes at Pedri’s cheesy words, but felt your self smile regardless. 

“Fine, but you get nothing if I beat you to your car.” You shouted already taking off in a sprint. 

You heard Pedri yell after you before he started chasing you, “Not fair!” 

You laughed to yourself, feeling so grateful that you had found someone who was just like you. 

[hockpock]

Glasses Review - Firmoo

Hello vision impaired friends, I bring you the gospel of Ordering Your Damn Glasses Online

I have previously ordered from EyeBuyDirect (luxotica/lenscrafters'/America's Best in disguise, sorry.) and Zenni Optical ( most well known online provider, A+ would recommend) and have seen lots of ads for free pairs from a competitor, Firmoo. I have too much prescription for the free pair offers to ever work out from ANY provider, but their fun designs put them on my list.

When my current glasses broke, I was dinking around and saw their current promotion is Buy One Get One Free PLUS 20% off lenses and as lenses are the real $$$ I jumped on that like tigger on crack. I am VERY nearsighted with astigmatism and the average pair of glasses from lenscrafters used to cost me $300 minimum.

After much deliberation with a million tabs open and a poll I ignored the results of for Reasons, I ordered a pair of clear frames and a pair of purple steampunk-y wireframes . Two pairs of HIGH PRESCRIPTION glasses for $87 shipped. I could cry, y'all.

Note: I have an up to date prescription and a nifty app that measures Pupillary Distance or 'PD'. you will need both these things accurate to have the best experience buying your glasses online.

I ordered them 9/22, they shipped 9/25, I received them 9/29 with regular shipping. They came well packed - each pair was in a bag made of cleaning cloth material inside a sturdy plastic case and they come in a foil bubble mailer.

Both pairs feel well made, with lots of attention to detail-

however I did not pay attention to detail or pay extra money for the Re-he-heaaallly thin lenses. So the clear ones are slightly too big and I hate the way the nose pieces sit, while the purple ones are a wee bit small across the temple and heavy to boot. I haven't had dents in my nose like this since I was 12.

the website lists their exchange policy as 30 days, the pamphlet that came with the glasses says 60. Either way it was pretty painless to go into my order history and select "exchange". The form I filled out with my reasons for dissatisfaction promised me I would be contacted within 24 hours.

My 'personal Firmoo consultant', 'Karen', emailed me with a code for the full price before discount of both pairs + standard shipping, as well as the usual customer service canned answers about checking the sizing information and did I know I could upgrade the lenses?

Also I could keep the failed pairs 'FOR NOW', here are some places that accept glasses as donations. (mixed messages, Karen, but sweet!)

New friends are April006, round anodized wireframes with a cute dingly gem thing, and Sandy020 , literal tortoiseshell cat eye frames.

This time I used the site's search terms to cut the temple width and earpiece length options down and double checked the weight of the base frames. (14g vs 24g for the round wireframes before my coke-bottle lenses. RIP my nose. )

New order was placed 10/5 and they arrived 10/17 . (last time I checked the tracking estimated arrival had creeped from the 19th up to the 23rd so grain of salt. This may be a tactic to make the order feel like it got here faster or legit delays. In my case there was a federal holiday involved.)

Complete disclosure I'm gonna grab a pair of pliers and take the little dangly off the wireframes. It makes a noise when I move my head and if I don't fold the frames in the right order when I take them off it'll scratch up the lenses. I ain't gonna remember to avoid that, so off it goes.

The Good:

Large selection, Good Quality, Good Communication. Lots of Off the Beaten Path options for internet weirdos. Firmoo p much always has a promotion going.

My wallet is so happy. SO HAPPY. Frames run $20-30ish to start. lenses will vary with your prescription and options.

If y'all want 50% off your first frames and to give me a $10 credit they have a referral program and my code is T4Z8I2. BOGO20 is a better value but it expires 11/01/23.

The Bad:

Not flexible about lens options- you go down one track and pick your options within that. If there was a way to put tinting on a pair of glasses other than blue light blocking I couldn't find it. (in contrast I believe Zenni lets you choose a range of colors and tint depth on any pair, designed as sunnies or not)

You Will Get Emails. Firmoo REALLY wants you to buy more glasses and post about it and tell your friends and HERE THIS CODE IS ONLY GOOD FOR 3 DAYS, GO BUY NEW GLASSES. They are marketing themselves to fashionable young influencers who change styles every month. Unsubscribe with impunity.

like Zenni, this is a company with the majority of it's functionality based overseas. It's cheaper because you're ordering directly from a factory and not paying Luxotica's markups to itself. Customer service is mostly English as Second Language speakers and there may be delays.

Not For Emergencies. I was able to coast on a pair of glasses from a prescription or 2 ago but it's gonna take time for your order to be made and shipped.

Overall I'm very happy with them and will probably order again.

Next time I have spare money I'm aiming at Wherelight because y'all. they are next down on the list of reputable to shady AF but they have the most amazing WTF designs.

[canonicallyobserving911]

Eddie Diaz's "Ghost of a Second Chance"

IMO, in 7x7, Eddie Diaz will have a chance to see or hear how the life he always believed he was "supposed" to have with a wife and kids is not the life he's been WANTING. Based on his heart eyes and the way he's used Chris as a shield for his heart, his ideal life includes a husband (Buck) and their son (Chris).

Be clear, I ONLY SHIP BUDDIE!

I waited to post this because when season 7 started, it was unclear where the show was going to take Eddie's storyline and it appears the redirection of it that happened prior to 7x4 and 7x5 was not the original plan since it's been confirmed via interviews that Eddie was supposed to be with T*mmy instead of Buck. Also, now that it's confirmed Shannon Diaz will make a return in a future season 7 episode as either a ghost or a hallucination or whatever for Eddie, I decided I was ready to post this.

At the end of season 6 when Eddie asked Maris*l out on a date, I thought about the way the narrative has always shown Shannon is the only person who can help Eddie understand Chris doesn't need another mother. He's been carrying the weight and guilt of their relationship around with him for years because he thought him going to the Army broke her when in fact, they were two broken teenagers who were in over their heads and they were so busy trying to mimic the lives they saw Eddie's parents living that they never discussed what either of them wanted out of life.

Unpopular Opinion: Eddie and Shannon were NOT this perfect high school aged Romeo and Juliet type of romantic couple some people keep trying to make them out to be because the truth is they weren't soulmates and they weren't compatible. While it's true they were best friends, they were never on the same page and they didn't know how to communicate. Instead of talking to each other, all they did was argue and have sex but matured relationships consist of more than just sex, hence the 7x5 depiction of Eddie's relationship with Maris*l. They don't know each other and the episode title, "You don't know me" confirmed it.

Full Disclosure: I'm not a Shannon Diaz fan and it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH BUDDIE! It's strictly because she ABANDONED Chris, her biological son and the fact that she was a teen mother doesn't have anything to do with it because it does NOT excuse her behaviors. Teenage girls who were/are younger than her don't/didn't run out on their kids just because they need/needed time. If she didn't want to be with Eddie anymore that's fine but to leave and not attempt to contact her son for almost two years was NOT ok. She wrote Chris a letter that she wasn't even sure she would send but what happened to a phone call or her sending him a "Hey Chris, I love you and I miss you" email? Even back then there were too many ways she could have contacted him but the CANON FACTS are SHE CHOSE NOT TO. If Eddie wouldn't have called her to interview at Durand she would have stayed gone. Don't get it twisted because she was getting ready to leave Chris again so people should stop romanticizing their relationship and truthfully, so does Eddie. For CANON proof of these claims, all viewers have to do is LISTEN to the things she said to him in 2x17 when they were at the beach and when they were at the restaurant.

Eddie's my favorite character but he's not blameless in any of this either and by his own admission to Buck in 2x10, he left them first. But the difference is he made the DECISION to leave El Paso so he could provide a better life for him and his son even though his toxic mother, Helena (I'm not including Ramon because he had a redemption arc) offered to take Chris from him. He could have left Chris there but HE DIDN'T. He even told Shannon that being Chris' father taught him more about being a man than war ever could.

One last thing, Shannon and Maddie ARE NOT THE SAME! Maddie didn't abandon Jee-Yun, she left because she thought she was a danger to her and she went to get help. She wasn't in Boston galivanting around, shopping and partying like it was 1999, she went to a center for women to figure out what was wrong with her and why she felt like she did then she continued with therapy.

Now back to the regularly scheduled program...

While I don't like Shannon's actions, I do believe she's probably the only person who can help Eddie understand that he doesn't have to marry a "woman" to be happy. Why do I believe this? Well, they were best friends and they were married which means she knows things about Eddie that no one else does. She was the first woman he "pulled" away from and since they were separated for a long time while he was in the Army and after she left them, it's likely she figured some things out about what he really wants that neither of them was ready to confront.

Since 2x1, Eddie's story has been told in bits and pieces and while a lot of people romanticized what he had with her, I didn't because they were young and neither one of them knew what they wanted. Did he love her? He said he did but IMO he loved her as much as an 18-year-old could but I don't believe he was in love with her. Did she love him? She said she did but just like him, based solely on her actions, she didn't know what love was either.

Reminder, the only reason Eddie proposed they reconcile in 2x17 was because she thought she was pregnant again. He said he was looking for a sign and he thought her begin pregnant was it but before that he didn't want to do it. If you don't believe it, rewatch 2x17 and LISTEN to the conversation he had with Bobby. Bobby was the one who told him he would be a great dad to a second child but Eddie wasn't so sure. At dinner, when Shannon said, "I'm not pregnant", he paused then responded, "That doesn't change anything" but she rebutted with, "It does for me".

It appears she finally admitted to him that the life they were trying to live was NOT the one either of them wanted but he wasn't ready to admit it. He was using Chris as a shield like he always does and he was hoping her love for their son would be enough for them to reconcile and continue doing whatever they were doing. He said something similar to Ana when he broke up with her in 5x3. He said, "Chris loves you so much" but he never said he did and now he's trying to figure out where Maris*l fits since she babysat twice while he was flying in helicopters going to fight matches in Las Vegas and to karaoke with TK.

Believe it or not, Shannon was getting ready to leave again. If she wasn't then she wouldn't have brought up the letter she wrote to Chris. Also, she said she was still learning how to be someone's mother (notice she didn't say Chris' mother she said someone's) and she said maybe someday, she could learn how to be somebody's wife (not Eddie's wife but somebody's). Furthermore, when they were at the beach, she asked Eddie, "Is that all I am to you, Christopher's mother?" but he responded, "Shannon?" and deflected the conversation. Then she said if that's what it is then it's ok. She proceeded and asked him what he wanted and all he said was "All of this" with a hand wave out towards the ocean. He never admitted what he wanted and it appears the reason was because he didn't want to say.

In 2x7, while they were arguing, Eddie asked her, "What didn't I give you?" and her response was "You!" Therefore, Eddie always kept a piece of himself away from her and she admitted it to him but he wanted it to work probably for the wrong reasons.

REMINDER: In 2x17, Shannon was the one who said they needed to get a DIVORCE! She knew they needed to move on but Eddie was the one who said, "But we're still married". It appears he was the one trying to hold onto the life he believed they were supposed to have and I think it goes back to the example he saw from his parents.

Here's the thing, in 6x16, Eddie admitted he didn't propose to Shannon, he just said, "Let's get married" after they found out she was pregnant. They were best friends in high school and they started an instant family that neither of them were ready for. When she abruptly died, he didn't have a chance to discuss all the things they'd left unsaid. That's why Shannon has to be the one to tell him that it's ok for him to want who he wants. Who's that? BUCK!

Shannon vs. Buck

Please understand the show has illustrated it time and time again that Eddie wants to marry Buck so they can raise Chris together. If that wasn't the case, then Buck wouldn't have been included in Eddie's flashbacks in 3x15 while he was trapped in the well as many times as he was. He was shown with Chris more than anyone else which means Eddie thinks about the life he wants to have with Buck A LOT!

Additionally, in 7x1, Buck, Eddie and Shannon all sat on Chris' bed in the same spot to illustrate how they're his three parents while the babysitter (Maris*l) was nowhere to be found (related post linked here).

Also, Shannon's romantic relationship with Eddie and her parental one with Chris were constantly contrasted with the relationships Eddie and Chris have with Buck and Buck has always been shown to be the perfect match for Eddie. Reminder, he agreed to have Buck's back in 2x1 but Shannon told him in 2x7 that he never had her back.

Eddie needs to HEAR he can move on from the first person he married from someone other than the people who've been saying it to him. Also, in the past, someone's ALWAYS told him what to do regarding his relationships. He was "strongly encouraged" to marry Shannon because he got her pregnant. His parents and Bobby told him it was time to move on from her in season 4 (YES! His parents did too because reminder, they stopped by their house to eat on their way back to L.A. after they left Austin, TX [in the LS crossover episode, Eddie said it to Judd] and two episodes later, in 4x6, Bobby told him he needed to move on). Then in 6x14, Tia Pepa pushed him to start dating again even though he tried to tell her he wasn't ready.

The point of this post is Shannon is probably the ONLY person who can show or tell Eddie that the life he thought they should have had, wouldn't have ever been because there would have always been someone or something that was pulling him away from her the same way it did when they were married 👀.

It appears Shannon will be Eddie's "Ghost of a Second Chance" but the question is, will her reappearance as a ghost or whatever for the second time in season 7 help Eddie admit the person he's in love with is Buck? Only the showrunner, writers and producers know the answer to that question.

[jae-bummer]

It's Only Lunch

Request: I just binged through My Idol Season 1&2 within a day and I’m in love with the way you write!! Then I saw your requests are open and I was even happier, cause I’m in desperate need of some idol!DK x nonidol!reader fluff :( I don’t have anything specific in mind you can do whatever you want, it can be angsty too if you want, just please give him a happy ending. There’s just not enough DK on this app in my opinion :( I hope you’re doing good and have a great day and if you ever actually write this then tysm!! 🩷🩵

Pairing: Seventeen DK x Reader

Genre: Fluff

.

"Hey, Y/N."

Looking up from your desk and towards the door of your office, you smiled. "DK, what brings you here?"

As soon as his name left your lips, you could see a bashful expression cross his face. Glancing down to his shoes before looking back up to you, he offered a tentative smile. "I just happened to be in the building and thought maybe you'd like to grab lunch with me?"

Blinking back in surprise, you cleared your throat. Technically, you and Dokyeom were coworkers, he an idol (obviously) and you working in the lower levels of management at Hybe. You had been part of the production crew for many a Seventeen project, so you had grown familiar with the guys over the years.

DK, more often than not, was the member that seemed to naturally gravitate toward you. When ordering lunch, passing out water, or resting on a break, he seemed to subconsciously seek you out. His shyness was adorable your first few run-ins, but once you realized he may have had a crush, you were already in far too deep yourself.

"I brought my lunch today," you managed, the words tasting sour in your mouth. "I was hoping I could take it at my desk to work through some things I'm behind on."

It wasn't a lie. You did need to catch up, but you also couldn't admit that hanging out privately with DK scared the crap out of you. He was gorgeous, side-splitting levels of funny, and completely unattainable. You knew if you spent more time around him, it wouldn't be long until you caught feelings.

"Oh," he chirped, beginning to nod. "Yeah, of course, I understand."

"Maybe next time though?" you asked, desperate to see that smile light up his face again.

"Of course," he hummed, giving you what you hoped for, but not nearly as genuine. "I'll stop by again when I'm back in the building."

And that's how the new routine began. At least once a week DK would show up in your doorway and you would think of a new and creative excuse not to fall in love with him.

Nearly a month after his original visit, you were typing out a relatively important email when your favorite nuisance showed up.

"Y/N," he drawled, leaning against the door frame. "I think I know your answer, but I'm here anyway."

You smiled sheepishly, ducking your head in an attempt to cool the heat scorching across your neck. You knew he would likely catch on to your MO, but you hadn't realized how embarrassing being confronted would be. "I'm sorry, DK. Things are so busy with your upcoming promotions and-"

"Can I at least grab your lunch for you from the common area?" he asked, tilting his head. "It'll save you a few steps."

"Sure," you nodded. He was incredibly sweet, which made it suck even more. "It's in the purple bento box."

"You got it!" he smiled, giving a quick spin before launching down the hallway.

You really did need to suck it up and either tell him to quit coming by or accept his advances. Just because you were a coward didn't mean that he needed to suffer. You were better not being perceived by anyone at his level of attractiveness. It would only be a matter of time before you somehow did something mortifying and turned him off forever.

After plugging away at the email for a few more minutes, you furrowed your brow and looked toward the hall. Surely, he should have found your food.

Just as you were about to hit send and head out his way, he appeared again. Holding your bento, his face was twisted in confusion. "This is yours, right?"

"Yeah," you said slowly. "Why?"

"Well," he sighed. "I looked for it everywhere in the fridge but couldn't find it. I moved everything around and was about to give up when I noticed it out of the corner of my eye. It was sitting in the communal sink, empty."

"Empty?" you muttered, standing. Crossing the room toward him, you took the lunch box from his hands. Sure enough, there was not a trace left of the food you had packed that morning. "I bring the same box every day. Who would eat out of it?"

"Did someone new start?" he asked, tilting his head. "Someone could have done it by mistake?"

"I guess," you sighed, dropping it on your desk. "I guess I can order in..."

"Why don't you let me go grab something?" he asked. "We can eat together in your office, so you don't even have to step away."

The hopeful look in his eyes crushed what little self-preservation you had left. This option really provided no wiggle room for an excuse. "I don't want to make you go to all that trouble..."

"No trouble at all!" he smiled, already turning away from you.

"Wait," you sighed, teetering on the line that you had drawn for yourself. "Let me send this email and I'll come with you."

"You will?" he gasped, but immediately schooled his features. "I mean, sounds good."

Mentally preparing yourself to rip off the Band-Aid, you may have spent a bit longer on the email than you had intended. It was difficult to think clearly with DK wandering around your space, peering at every framed picture and book you had haphazardly stacked around.

"Ready?" you asked, after reading through what you had written for probably the thirtieth time. At this point, you would just hit send and hope for the best.

"Born ready," he smiled, his eyes disappearing into crescents. "There's this really cute noodle place right down the street. I was thinking we could go there?"

Your brain fished around in its recesses for the restaurant he was talking about. If you could recall correctly, it was a notorious spot for couples. The thought made you swallow, hard. "Sure."

"Perfect," he hummed. "Madam?"

Offering his elbow to you, you hesitated before taking it. So, this was really happening. You were going to break down and go on a not-date with Dokyeom. He had labeled it as just "grabbing lunch," but why did you feel like it was so much more?

As you would realize later, it was because if you gave an inch, Dokyeom would take a mile. It wasn't long into your walk before he started complaining about it being sweltering outside. The weather was only 24°C, so it was hardly balmy. After peeling off his jacket, he quickly switched up to holding your hand.

Glancing down in surprise to see his long fingers intertwined with yours, you looked back up to him, wide-eyed.

"Is this okay?" he asked cheerfully.

You gave a silent nod before fixing your eyes in front of you again. You were so screwed.

.

Against your better judgement, lunch with DK was a blast. Being around him was so effortless. As you talked over jajangmyeon, it was easy to open up and show sides of yourself that you only reserved for those closest to you. You didn't realize you were even doing it until after you already had, making you go into an overthinking spiral of whether or not you were sharing too much.

In the end, it didn't really matter because Dokyeom seemed to like it that way.

When he returned you to your office, he gave you a long hug before insisting on coming by again soon. After everything, you sat behind your desk, a bit numb in the aftereffects of all things DK.

He hadn't asked for your number and aside from holding your hand, he really hadn't made any advances. His body language was overwhelmingly flirty, but you weren't sure if that's just how he was naturally or not.

"Accept it for what it is," you muttered to yourself, shaking off the cobwebs in your brain. Even if things didn't cross over into "more than friends" territory like your heart was already considering, just having him as a close friend would be fulfilling enough.

No matter how many times you told yourself that DK was just displaying normal, friendly behavior, it was all thrown out of the window when he showed up again the next week.

Carrying a bouquet of what looked to be a mix of wildflowers, he strode up to your desk and sat on the edge. "Now, we've made remarkable progress last week when you had no other options but to have lunch with me. Can we defy the universe and have it happen again?"

You let out a surprised snort. "Maybe if you gave me an idea of when you were coming, I'd be more prepared to leave the office."

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked. "These are for you by the way."

"I would have been only a little heartbroken if you came into my office with flowers that were not for me," you smiled, taking them from his hands.

"So, are you setting me up for a gentle letdown?" he asked, quirking a brow. "Or are you wanting to try the new burger place a block down?"

"I really-"

"Need to finish up this project, so I'm working at my desk," he finished with a soft smile.

"But this time, I really do mean it," you laughed.

"You didn't before?!" he gasped.

Shit. You didn't want to let that little factoid slip. See, this is what happened when you let your guard down around him.

"I may or may not have been avoiding your lunch invitation for a few weeks," you winced. "But you're intimidating!"

"On what planet?!"

"Earth!" you groaned, hiding behind your fingers.

DK sighed before sliding off of your desk and facing you. "I'll forgive you if you come eat with me."

"Well, that's not fair," you pouted.

"Fine," he harrumphed. "I'll just have to take it into my own hands like last time."

"Like last time?" you asked, narrowing your eyes at him.

Covering his mouth with his hand, DK stood as still as a statue.

"You know," you grumbled, crossing your arms. "You're not going to get out of this by hoping I forget about you because you're not moving."

"It would work if you were a t-rex," he muttered, dropping his arms to rest at his side.

"Spill it, Seokmin," you sighed.

"I accidentally ate your lunch last week," he said quickly.

"I'm sorry," you laughed. "You what?"

"When I was grabbing your bento out of the fridge, I had a lightbulb moment," he whined. "I thought if you didn't have your food, you'd be forced to eat with me...so I just...inhaled it. You make excellent bibimbap by the way."

You didn't know if you wanted to laugh or smack him. "You set me up!"

"Because you were avoiding me!" he exclaimed, sending an accusatory finger your way. "You said it yourself!"

"Because you're intimidating!" you repeated.

"How?! How am I intimidating and why is this news to me?!"

"You're incredibly dreamy!" you blurted. "And I was scared that I was going to fall for you, alright?"

DK took a small step back as if you had actually chose to smack him. He kept quiet as his wide eyes blinked at you.

"Please say something," you whispered, pinching the bridge of your nose.

At a painfully slow rate, a smile spread across his lips. "You think I'm dreamy?"

Plopping into your rolling chair, you leaned against your desk, and hid in the fortress of your arms. It was not physically or mentally possible for you to be more horrified.

"Y/N!" DK cooed, immediately stepping around to where you were sitting. Wrapping his arms around your shoulders, he rested his chin on your head. "That is the cutest thing I have ever heard."

"I hate it," you muttered into your sleeves.

"I don't," he chuckled. "And if you haven't figured it out by now, I think you're pretty dreamy too."

"Really?' you squeaked.

"You think I offer to buy lunch and flowers for Mingyu once a week?" he asked. Nuzzling his face into your hair, he laughed again. "I guess we were both hiding something from each other."

"I can't believe you ate twice just to get me to go out with you," you muttered, finally sitting up.

"You're worth the stomachache I had afterwards," he smiled. "I was scared that if I tried to kiss you, the nerves would make my stomach pop."

"Please tell me you didn't eat my lunch again today?" you joked. DK's lips fell into a flat line as he looked away from you. "You didn't!"

"I was prepared to do whatever I had to do!" he gasped. "Now are you coming with me to lunch or not?!"

"Yes," you laughed, shaking your head. "I absolutely will."

[honorary-knight-of-favonius]

Amorist - Pantalone

Summary: Lone adores your talent so much he tries to replicate it.

Warnings: Subby!Pantalone, Toys, Drunk!Pantalone, Fan!Pantalone, Writer!Reader, Dom!Reader, Sensitive Pantalone, Crying!Pantalone, Fem!Reader

I always felt eyes on me, more specifically but I was never sure who it was. All I knew was that these eyes showed up while I was typing away in the coffee shop. I tended to go for writing inspiration and some writing snacks. And yet everytime without fail I’d always feel these eyes. Sometimes when I left my laptop on the table to go to the bathroom I would find a comment on grammar or a sticky note telling me how to enhance a scene or that the mystery person was excited to see what was next.

In fact I once wrote on a sticky note for this mystery person my name and tumblr profile in case they wanted to read other things from me and when I got back from the bathroom it was gone and still grammar was fixed and tips were written down. I was happy to be seen as a good author in person rather than just the internet.

In fact I enjoyed the advice and tips that I’d make it a habit to go into the bathroom for at least 15 minutes to allow the reader to repair what I wrote along with reading it. When I finished my first book there was a sticky note and a company card.  

‘If you're interested in publishing I have a friend who’s willing to help. Just call the number, also. . .Will you be writing a second book? I need to know if Addison marries Evan or Thomas!’ 

Thanks to the amazing advice the reader was giving I didn’t debate long on the decision to call after I did some research. When I got home I called the number on the card and within seconds a throat was cleared. 

“Hello this is Pantalone Harbinger. How may I assist you?” his voice was toned and mellow and soft. 

“I was given your card, I heard you could help me with publishing a book.” A little ‘oh’ passed through the phone along with a ‘I didn’t she’d call already.’ though I’m sure he didn’t notice it. 

He cleared his throat once more before speaking, “That’s right, I own a publishing house. One of my employees said he found a real talent for writing.” The way he said employees was odd but i didn’t question it much. 

“Yes, well. The advice given to me was rather helpful. So I figured I continue to listen to it and give you a call.” I explained. 

“I see, so your interested in publishing, well, if I can help I certainly will, however I must see the work you produce, I know it is rather brash but if you could email me the transcript I review it and email or call you at a later date.” I bit my lip at this, though the offer was good it was too good and well what if he simply used my story as his? 

“I’ll need to sign a contract.” I say

“For?” He asked

“A Non-disclosure agreement,” he hummed, “I need to be assured you nor your company would steal my work and claim it as your own.” The man hummed once more before hastily agreeing. 

“When would you like to sign the NDA? I have some free time in the afternoon tomorrow.” I paused. 

“T-tomorrow?” The man giggled

“Yes, in all honesty my employee is rather pervasive and managed to give an excellent summary of the story that compelled me to fashion up an NDA in hopes you’d call.” I hummed. 

“W-well, I am also free in the afternoon, is there anywhere you’d like to meet?” I ask

“Perhaps my office, I like to keep work and personal life separate, the address is on the card. I'll tell my aid you’ll stop by.” I hummed and he bidded me a goodnight before hanging up. Without many hold ups I sprinted out of my morning class and hurried to the office on the card and with anxiety coursing through my veins I went into the publishing house and then the elevator which took me to the ‘big boss’s office’. When I got there I saw a man without a suit jacket working and I approached him. 

“Do you have an appointment?” He asked. 

“Y-yes? I believe so, Mr. Harbinger told me to meet him here in the afternoon.” The man looked up and seemed to recognize me before hurrying to stand and leading me to the office door which showed a man with black hair and violet eyes, he had glasses in a completely black tux he too had lost the jacket and tie, in fact some buttons on his shirt were undone. 

“Sir, your afternoon appointment is here.” He looked up and smiled before ushering me inside. Once I was seated the aid I can only assume closed the door and left us be. 

“It’s a pleasure, ms. . .” I coughed.

“Y/n, please just address me as Y/n.” I say

“Then please call me Lone, so you wished to have me sign an NDA yes?” I nodded, and he pulled it out and handed it to me. I read it through before signing it first then he followed suit. When he looked at the NDA he blushed a bit, like a fan would before their idol. In fact it was rather endearing. 

“Apologies. If you wouldn’t mind, I'd like to discuss a contract.” He said. 

“S-shouldn’t you read my transcript first?” I asked

“W-well yes, however I meant a potential contract.” I nodded, “So this is how this will go, I’ll need you to send you transcript over to have me review it and when I finish reviewing it I will email or call you to give you my decision on signing a full contract, when this happens I would like to discuss other details of the novel. Does this make sense?” I nodded and he smiled before getting up. I followed him before holding out my hand he took it and with a gleeful smile shook it, “It was a pleasure to meet you Y/n.” I nodded 

“Likewise Lone.”  Over the next week I was riddled with anxiety and when I got that call I was exceedingly nervous but I took it and heard his voice. 

“Are you free to discuss signing a contract with Northland publishing house?” 

���W-when?” I ask

“As early as possible, tonight if we could,” 

“I-I’m free after 10 PM, will that work?” I ask

“Yes, any place you’d wish to meet at?” I bit my lip.

“Umm, Not really.” I say. 

“I’ll set up a reservation at Yue Pavillon, will that be alright.” I chuckled, accepting. The phone hung up and I groaned, I really didn’t have that kind of money. I chose to worry later, but later came much sooner and headed to the meeting place where I saw Lone and he hurried to me saying I was his guest and led me to the table. For the most part Lone was extremely kind, and spoke of my way of writing and my plotline saying it was something he never even saw coming, he also was curious which boy Addison would choose. Eventually after dinner and some glasses of wine he was happily talking to me almost as if I were a friend.

“I-I apologize if I am too involved in the story. In fact when I started I knew I was trapped. I’m so excited to be signing with such talent. In fact I don’t think anything I’ve ever read has brought out as much reaction as yours had. I felt like I was in a trance.” He complimented which caused him to drunkenly ask something, “Speaking of which are those rather, erotic scenes. Were those translated from videos or personal experiences?”

“Personal, I didn’t know how either person felt or how it’d feel and thus I wished to have a genuine telling of the scene.” He giggled. 

“I thought so, it sounded too good for it having a video reference.” He chuckled, “You know, I’m not supposed to ask this but would you be willing to use a night with me as reference material?” Lone asked, his eyes were hazy and the blush he had gained made him adorable.

“I believe it is inappropriate to do such things to someone who would be considered my boss.” I say, within an instant his expression dropped and was all pouty. He bit his lip before lighting up. 

“I won’t be your boss until after you sign the contract, unless you dislike working for people you sleep with.” He sighed, “Oh! I could always assign a different editor, that way your work wouldn’t be funneled to me at all, that would make it so I wasn’t your boss!” He smiled like a child, “We could do that, right?”

I chuckled and reached over to take his drink, “So the editorial manager was going to edit my transcripts? I didn’t think I would have such an honor.” I say. 

“Are you kidding! H-how could I not read that masterpiece! I had to wait for months just to gain the confidence to approach you with stupid post-it notes. I honestly can’t believe such a talented person wasn’t earning money from their work. In all honesty I read your transcript within a day. I wanted to call you the moment after but I chose to read some of your posted work. The way you write is eye-catching and the plotlines, you took hated tropes and made them likable. Then there were those scenes, they were in so much detail and described them so much I couldn’t help trying to replicate them myself, I-I was in a trance with everything I read.” Lone praised, only making me blush in return. He was my mystery reader. 

“You were my mystery reader?” I ask

“I-I. . .I don’t think I should’ve told you that.” He giggled, “It was a funny chance. I was meeting someone in the coffee shop for publishing reasons and when they were describing their drag of a novel I caught a glimpse of yours and began reading it from afar. I was in awe of your talent. Of course that meet-up ended as I wasn’t interested. But after that I made it a goal to stop by that coffee shop to see if you were there. After a few days I learned your schedule.” Lone said, he tried reaching for his drink which I held away from him. 

“I can’t believe you managed to keep your composure when I was sitting in your office a week ago.” I smirked, he whined and I felt his legs become restless. 

“I r-really wasn’t, I made so many slip-ups. Such as the contract and then when you shook my hand, it felt like my body was on fire.” I smiled.

“If I knew you were such a big fan I would’ve given you an autograph.” I say, he whined and covered his mouth. I sighed and stood up, “you offered yourself as reference material, that offer is still open?” I ask

“Y-yes, i-it’ll always be open.” He said, stunned. 

“Then, shouldn’t we head to a hotel? Or would you rather do this in your own bed so you could relive the memories?” I went close to his ear, taking his hand in mine. 

“M-mine, my bed. . .please.” I smiled and helped him up. Lone called someone and a black car appeared and we got in and Lone told them to take him home, thank god I use the subways. When I got to his apartment building he opened the door and let me in. I waited for him to open his door while making sure my hands were on his hips and I was kissing his neck. 

“F-fuck. . .That- T-there!” Lone managed to open the door and I didn’t let him go in, simply allowing him to hold the door open as I continued my kisses. 

“Y/n~ T-The door is opened, we can go in.” I hummed at his words, “p-please? M-my neighbors might see us.” he whined, I sighed and went inside and closed the door before pressing him against the wall. I continued to hold his hips against mine, as my kisses littered his neck. 

“Are you sure you want this? We can still stop.” I say, he turned to face me with an alluring look as he wrapped his arms around my neck. 

“I want this, use me, please?” I smiled and slammed my lips on his as he grinded on my thigh thinking I didn’t realize. I pulled away from him and saw his darling little expression, his lips were pink and plump as he panted. 

“Well, we we going to fuck here or your bed?” I ask, he gulped and hurriedly lead me to his bedroom where I noticed many toys scattered around, there were dildos that were suctioned onto the wood floor, then there were cuffs, blindfolds, gags on the bed, but what caught my attention the most was the magic wand and a chastity cage. He is either really kinky or bought this to replicate my scenes. I watched as he knocked down many of the toys to the floor but I smirked at his eagerness. 

“You really did try to replicate my scenes.” I said picking up a gag, Lone quickly grabbed it hiding behind his back embarrassed. 

“I-I’m not a liar.” He said. 

“I can tell, there's dried cum staining your floor. In fact I find it rather endearing.” I say. He whined and grabbed the belt loops on my jeans pulling me close. 

“Play with me?” He whimpered, I chuckled and pet his head before latch our lips together making him humm happily only to feel something wet against my face, I pulled away to see Lone crying, shit did I tease him to much?

“D-damn it.” He sniffled. 

“Hey, are you alright?” I asked, going on my knees.

“Yeah, yeah.” He mumbled, “T-this happens a-all the time.” I tilted my head. 

“I-I’m not sad s-so please keep going.” I nodded and wiped his tears before pinning him to the bed, He continued to cry but he kept insisting he was alright and he wanted to keep going so I took the bindings I can only assume were on the bed to keep his hands away. Thankfully he had taken his jacket off in the car because it was hot and so he was left in his suit pants and a black button-up. I ripped his shirt open and got rid of his shoes, socks and pants with ease leaving him in his underwear which only had him crying more. I smiled and leaned into him whispering small praises while rubbing my thumb against his thigh. 

“I got you darling, it’s alright your safe.” Lone sniffled,

“I-I told you I’m not sad.” He protested.

“I know, but I want to stare into your pretty eyes.” I say, I soothed him a little longer and his tears became simple sniffles. When that happened I pulled off his boxers freeing his cock which was happily standing proud. I planted a kiss on his tip which had him bite his lip and throw his head back, poor boy is so sensitive. 

“Are you ready Sweetie?” I look up. 

“Mmhmm.” I dove onto his cock having him moaning. I swirled my tongue around the tip allowing him to feel the pleasure his sensitive cock was going through. He began moving his legs, they even started to shake. He was oh so needy, eventually when I went to pull off Lone pushed me back onto his cock by using his legs to hold me in place. I smirked and used my tongue against his slit, having him scream. 

“Y-Y/n! W-wait! I’ll. . .I’ll!” Lone’s legs moved and right before he reached his high I pulled away having a ruined orgasm that had his hips bucking, “Y/n! I-I want more, more, more, please, give me more!” He begged. I hovered over him, wiping some tears away kissing him softly as he whined. 

“It’s alright, I don’t plan on stopping, there’s no need to beg.” He sniffled, “Would you like another?” I asked, he nodded and I wrapped my hand around his cock and began pumping him slowly. I made sure to go slow so the overstimulation could work him back up, Lone was crying again and his legs were shaking. He was moaning loudly despite my actions. I kept kissing him to occupy his mouth when I realized the reason why he had so many gags, it’s because he was loud as shit. I stopped my hand and moved away Lone already looked so fucked out. 

“Would you like a gag Lone?” I ask, he shook his head trying to get me back to ruining him, “Do you mind if I use some toys?” Another shake, so I got up and found a strap that just happened to be strapped onto a large teddy bear, then there was the magic wand and nipple clamps, when I went back to Lone he was squirming. I plugged in the wand and made sure to kiss Lone while I placed a clamp on each nipple which made his whine. When I managed to calm him down from the clamps I turned on the wand placing it on his nipples. 

“F-fuck~ I-I wanna cum!” I wrapped my hand around his cock once more and Lone was whining as his tongue hung between his lips, his eyes rolled back and Lone somehow managed to take his restraints into his hands pulling on them. I smiled, I was working my magic on my soon-to-be-boss, and he was crying so helplessly, but he continued to beg for more as I was already allowing him an orgasm. 

“I-I’m coming! Y/n! I’m cumming!” I kissed Lone’s eyes, having him cum, his cum reached his chest and I turned off the wand and let go of his cock peppering kisses over his face. 

“You're doing so good Lone, You’re being such a good boy.” He was so dazed, but as he was being praised he came back and smiled like a goof, “Would you like one more orgasm?” I ask

“Pwease~~” I smiled and kissed his lips.

“Good boy,” I undressed myself leaving my body in my underwear as I strapped the strap-on to my hips, and moved to lift Lone’s hips just slightly to see a plug in his ass. I smirked and kissed him, “You really planned to have me in your bed tonight huh? You prepped and everything.” He giggled, and I pulled the plug out and replaced the plug with the strap. Lone's tears came out like a waterfall when his toy was replaced. 

“It’s alright darling boy, I got you, breathe, I promise you’ll be alright.” He was smiling as he continued to try and free himself, “Would you like to hold onto me?” I ask

“Pwease, pwease!” I kissed him softly and freed him by rubbing and kissing his now red wrists. When I began moving Lone pulled me into a kiss as tears fell I made sure this final orgasm was slow and passionate to welcome Lone back from his taxing headspace. It didn’t take long for him to cum as he came twice before. When he finished I pulled off of him and out of him, he was so sleepy after his orgasms that I took off his shirt throwing it on the floor. I then went around to gather all the used toys going to find the bathroom. When I did I began cleaning the toys in the bathroom and placed a towel on the counter to allow them to dry. I then brought a wet rag to the room cleaning all of the obvious stains and cleaning Lone himself before gathering the clothes and going to find the washing machine and putting them to wash. I returned back and took out some pj’s and dressed Lone and took a shirt to sleep in. When I finally sorted everything out I moved Lone under the covers and got under them having Lone snuggle up to my body.

[stateswscarlet]

Hi Scarlet! I saw your twt bio said no dms so I thought I would share my successes here that I got from your threads and content!

Bit of a background: I hovered over from the a+p girlies after affirming for 9-10 months for all my desires, using everything they taught and even putting full faith into thoughts and science manifesting. I would affirm almost nonstop (during work, school, even as I was eating/talking to others) for the entire time and I eventually got super frustrated! Not a single manifestation came in or even the slightest movement, maybe a butterfly and a car here and there (looking back at it its because I accepted seeing them internally and didn’t contradict that state, it wasn’t even the affirming). In March-ish I found your account on my timeline and previously I would ignore any states related information because I thought states were the same as dominant thoughts, but something about your thread at the time caught my attention which led me down a rabbit hole (positively!) of consuming your threads. I realized a lot of it actually made sense and explained why I didn’t see success so far.

Anyways so after a few weeks of learning about states I decided to stop overconsuming and stick to your account and edward art ONLY for all my manifestation needs. It was a little hard breaking free from the affirming mindset but I decided to focus on embodying how it would feel if I no longer had to worry about my thoughts and allowed that to wash over me. I used your “embody being the solution” thread SO SO much and I realized I was able to quickly solve all my internal issues using that because anytime I felt stuck, I just had to assume the feeling of being unstuck and what the ideal situation would be! I also fell in love with fulfilling my imagination and although I did care about experiencing it in the 3D, it was more like me not even thinking of it reflecting because its a LAW. I remember you saying you don’t even have to think about stuff reflecting because it does so anyways and my only role is to naturally give it to myself. So here is a list of some of my *bigger* manifestations that came in within a month-ish of me APPLYING states of being after I learned about it:

SP and I got back together after 8 months no contact and 11 months separation

My top choice graduate school which rejected me months ago actually reaching out to me offering me a spot saying the rejection was a “system error”

Free coachella tickets all expense paid in a luxury hotel that sponsored not only me but my boyfriend and 3 friends

My favorite makeup brand randomly sending me a HUGE package of makeup that I never ordered or asked for (I wanted more makeup from this brand)

My dad receiving a random check to clear his entire credit card debt of around a decade

A better job for my boyfriend that pays him double of his last one and has flexible hours that he didn’t need to apply for or interview and hes been loving it!

Free first class plane tickets to Bali this summer! I had already booked normal ones months before but last week I got an email saying my party had randomly been selected for a free upgrade. This happened like a day or so after I for fun assumed the state of someone who has a live of luxury.

I have other smaller successes but these are some of my main ones!I really want to thank you scarlet you have honestly changed my life and I can’t believe it truly was that easy all along! Thank you for your amazing threads, please continue dropping more (I literally have your notifs on haha)

AWW YAYYYYYAYAYS IM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT!! You’re absolutely amazing🫶🏼

I dont even use this platform but just thought I would share this ❤️

[georgegraphys]

WARNING : OPINIONATED, AGREE TO DISAGREE, some speculative things. Mercedes shooter/snowflakes who hate getting their opinions hurt/who close their eyes blind fuck off

I'm a Mercedes defender but you CANNOT say that at ONE POINT in George's career, they can be manipulative af.

Two things can be TRUE, AT THE SAME FUCKING TIME:

1. Mercedes helps and choose George, George loves and choose Mercedes

2. At some point of his career, there were manipulative acts performed by Mercedes.

Let's talk from the beginning

I don't think i need to tell the story about George's powerpoint presentation saga anymore because all of us know it. But shortly,

His manager got a hold of Toto's email > George sent his CV > Toto saw em and invited George > George came ALONE to Toto's office and there were other higher ups > presentation > Toto mesmerized because of how George is very brave to go inside his office and present his "why you should pick me" CV alone without parents/manager > Toto want him in the junior team but can only offer an ass team > George refused for an English team (Carlin Volkswagen) > Toto say "i told you you're wrong but let's keep on contact"

Then George blew his expectations. Did a pretty good season in F3 EU first year. But he got into a financial problem which he later resorted to testing for BMW in DTM as he looked for plan B. He cooked their. First on the record, allegedly beat Audi and Mercedes too. BMW liked George so much that they threw him a $$$,$$$ contract directly. But the testing saga was leaked by an ex-BMW employee who moved to Mercedes and Mercedes came back to George.

Okay, if you're saying "oh awreeee, but george chose mercedes" oh amandaaa, for the second time, it was mercedes who approached george.

Although George in the end DID choose Mercedes, you can't look at this statement and tell me "oh my word! this is so pressure-less! i bet they're having tea over this talk!" 🥰🥰🥰 "Oh but Ari this is normal-" you're talking to me here as someone who will NEVER be in the position of money-less and your dream in the verge of getting over.

The keyword here is "It was absolutely clear from Mercedes-Benz". You are EIGHTEEN or SEVENTEEN with a career most possibly focused on racing. And a powerhouse company said "there won't be an option with Mercedes Benz in the future (if you pick BMW)". And if you look at it, you don't need to be a Law Student or a Comms Student to know that the deal they're offering to George is so fucking ass. Do ALL the sims for Merc, they test you on and off the track. All that and they say "oh but we won't be so sure tee hee~ we'll get back to you in October 🩵🩵🩵". All that while not letting him keep the BMW contract. George did choose Mercedes, but you can't tell me that there is no pressure (or minor gaslighting) at all from a big company who had ventures in GT/DTM/F1 to a 17/18 y.o who had financial problems and is desperate to continue his career.

Second. During this "test" period for George's second year at F3 EU. They also did not allow him to continue with Carlin despite George wanting to because Carlin is supported by Volkswagen. He had to opt for Hitech, a completely new team (rumored to get that discounted price seat in exchange for driver coaching his teammate Mazepin, whose father sponsors Hitech)

You can have a different opinion about this and you might say "eh but that makes sense, it's job obligation" but for me "why let go of Carlin VW when they don't even guarantee anything about George's seat in the junior team"

Other saga of this "shady ass slightly manipulative shit" Merc did? Whatever that Red Bull saga is

The fact that they said this while also thinking about someone else in that Merc seat in 2022 LOL 💀💀💀 Even when George was almost out of his seat in 2020, they'd rather send George to GT or DTM than let him go to Red Bull or other team. In 2020, he was linked to a Ferrari or McLaren seat. You can say "why would you want him-" and I'll say that you only say this because you're in the future now and you know George is in Mercedes. But if you were BACK THEN and he's on the verge of getting his seat grabbed by someone else and his team snoozed around just because they won't let him go, you'd want to bite their neck off too.

But yeah as I said earlier, this is my opinion and some of the red flags I see. You can't 100% glorify Mercedes for helping George. I'm very thankful they helped George throughout his career. George is in his place now partly because of Mercedes. But let's not act like Merc is a divine angel for helping someone out. They did some red flags too. George chooses them, YES. But let's not act like there is absolutely no pressure at all to a minor at that time.

[theworldoffostering]

You guys, I feel like I’m drowning. These past three weeks have felt unmanageable to me. Like, I don’t know how to keep going.

I’m walking alongside (trying the best I know how) the older girls as one navigates this break up and the other tries to transition to college. We got DD a car, but it still needs a few repairs. She was here all afternoon today working on it with DH.

I am waiting for the updated version of Ms. 6’s IEP to hit my inbox to send it off to the school. I am also working on her housing contract. Then I think I can step back for a few weeks. Still trying to figure out what’s going on with graduation. Her mom is back to letting her go to it and maybe allow her to stay for dinner, but it’s Memorial Day weekend and I don’t want to put a deposit down for a dinner somewhere only to have her not be allowed to attend at the last minute. I also don’t want to disappoint her. I’m unsure of how to proceed, so I’m just sort of frozen.

DS takes his civics test next week. You have to pass in order to graduate high school. He has prepared and seems like he will do well. He’s also pole vaulting and doing well at that for being a novice and having very little practice time due to the crummy weather we’ve been having.

Work is a lot right now. It’s to be expected due to the time of year. I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s a lot to slog through.

DH was verbally offered a job this week as a special education teacher. He is supposed to return to school to get his teaching certification in about a week, and is waiting for a letter of intent via email from the potential employer. It’s a lot. We are trying to manage the financial aid piece and we are up against a super tight deadline right now. His interview for the job was virtual, so he’s heading to the school next week to actually tour it and meet his potential coworkers. In the spirit of living in a small town, one of the women he used to live who was in live with him (for real)—the housing situation was work related—works at the school. She has legit not spoken to myself or DH since he and I got engaged so that seems like it will be super awkward (although she is also married now and has kids).

DH is finally seeing a decent therapist and between the therapist and neuropsych eval he had done during fall, it is apparent he is super depressed. Depressed is apparently his baseline and super depressed happens quite a bit. It is helpful to have it identified, but wow, it is a lot to live with. I am really struggling as his wife because he cannot do much and is not really emotionally available 90% of the time. He’s so inwardly focused, that he cannot focus on me, the kids, relationships, stuff that needs to be done, etc. I’m drowning and he cannot take on any of the workload. It sucks.

My endocrin had me take b12 supplements the last three months and my level actually decreased. I’m starting up with b12 injections next week. My TSH is also super, super low which means I’m hyperhyroid and should be losing weight, but I’m gaining which also sucks.

My endocrin is out of network for me which means my injections will be out of network. I have ZERO out of network benefits. The whole healthcare system is atrocious. I refuse to go back to the three endocrins I saw before I connected with my current one. They were all terrible, but in network. I need a super expensive full body scan but I for sure cannot pay for that out of pocket, so I’m waiting to see if my GP will prescribe it when I see him in June.

My crown also broke this week and when the dentist looked at it, I had worn a hole clear through the middle. He said it was due to grinding/stress. I wear a mouth guard religiously at night, so it’s happening during the day. :-/ Cue more medical bills. They glued my current one back on and can’t get me in to work on repair until June. I almost cried when trying to schedule with them because I just cannot even do all of this any more. (It also hurt wicked bad last time they fixed it so I’m somewhat terrified to return.)

That’s my list of complaints/brain dump. There’s more, but I need to wrap up some grading and get dinner going. I miss a life that was easier and less complicated.

[atths--twice]

Planning and Planting

Mulder comes to Scully with an idea to make some changes at their little unremarkable house.

For my bestie, on her birthday. 💓

March 4th

Mid morning 

“Hey,” Mulder said, stepping into Scully’s home office. 

“Hey back,” she said, glancing up from her laptop with a smile. 

“I wanted to run something past you. Are you at a place where you could stop for a few minutes?” 

She turned her head and stopped typing, frowning slightly. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“More than okay,” he said with a grin. “It’s just that, what I want to run past you, I need to show you.” 

“Mulder… is it in our bedroom?” she asked, one eyebrow raising up. 

“No. Not that,” he laughed and then sobered. “I mean if you were interested, what I want to show you could wait. I’ll never say no to that.” He pumped his eyebrows at her and she shook her head. 

“Appreciate the offer, but not at the moment,” she said, smiling before she turned back to the laptop. “Let me finish this last email and I can stop for a few minutes.” 

“Great. Would you like a cup of coffee or something to be ready for you when you’re finished?” 

She swiveled in her chair and narrowed her eyes at him. 

“It’s not in the bedroom, right? You’re not trying to butter me up?” 

“Oh… that would be messy,” he mused, shaking his head, his eyebrows raised as he moved his hands back and forth like a scale. “Good for the skin, perhaps? As opposed to whipped cream or chocolate sauce? Although, not as tasty to lick off. No, I don’t think butter would be good. Definitely not as sexy...” 

She smiled as he continued to talk to himself, shaking her head at how easy it was for him to go off on a tangent. 

“Mulder,” she said. 

“Of course there’s always honey, but that one time… it was so sticky. And while enjoyable, it was also a huge mess. But on the other hand…” He grinned, his eyes far away in the past. 

“Mulder,” she said again, tapping his leg with her foot. 

“Hmm, yeah. What?” He worked at focusing on her and she laughed. 

“No butter. No honey,” she said, shaking her head. “I have to finish this before I leave for my meeting.” 

“No. Nothing like that,” he said, clearing his throat. Smiling, he stepped closer and towered over her, causing her to lean back. Placing his hands on the arms of her chair, he moved even closer. “But the honey was fun. Once we got the amount of usage correct.” 

“It was,” she agreed, threading her arms around his neck. “And the whipped cream.” 

“Hmm, yes,” he breathed, pressing his lips to hers, his tongue teasing hers briefly before pulling back. She leaned forward, still holding onto him, her eyes closed and heart racing. 

Damn, but he was good at that. 

“Coffee will be waiting, Doc,” he said and he extracted himself from her with a grin as she opened her eyes. “Unless you want something else.” 

She let out a deep breath and shook her head, knowing he knew how certain kisses affected her. 

“Coffee it is,” he said, pointing both index fingers at her and then leaving the room. 

“That man,” she muttered, turning back to finish her email so she could find out what he wanted to run past her. 

Ten minutes later, email and other work finished, she closed the laptop and sighed. Pushing from her desk, she stood up, stretched, and walked out to find Mulder. 

The front door was open and through the screen she saw him standing on the porch, looking out across the yard. Smiling, she crossed the room and pushed the screen open. 

“Hey, Doc,” he said, looking at her with a smile as he handed her a travel mug of coffee. “Didn’t want it to get cold.” 

“Thanks, hon,” she said, taking a small sip. “Mmm, it’s perfect.” 

“I know what you like,” he said with a wink. 

“Yeah,” she agreed, putting her arm around his waist and pressing her nails into his side, causing him to yelp. “Yeah, you do.” 

“Okay listen,” he said, removing her arm from his waist and stepping to the side with a heavy sigh. “You don’t have time, I don’t really have time… let’s pick this up later. After Faith’s in bed and asleep. Deal?” 

“Yes, honey,” she said, smiling as she took another drink. 

“Oh you… you’re trouble,” he said, shaking his head as he stepped around her and started down the stairs. “So much trouble.” 

She laughed as she followed him, catching up and grasping the hand he had extended back to her. 

“I’m good trouble,” she said, bumping him gently. 

“When you’re not bad, honey,” he retorted and she laughed again. 

“So, what did you want to show me?” 

“This,” he said, letting go of her hand and gesturing to the field on the other side of their fence. 

“What about it?” she asked with a frown. 

“I think we need to do something about it.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, for one thing, it’s gotten a bit overgrown.” 

“Agreed,” she said with a nod. 

“So,” he said, taking her hand again. “Seeing as it’s just sitting there… what if we made it into a garden?” 

She laughed and was about to tell him that was a crazy idea, but then she saw the expression on his face. 

“You’re serious,” she said and he nodded. “You want to make a garden? Of what exactly?” 

“Whatever!” he said excitedly. “Whatever fruit or vegetable will grow easily in this climate without too much fuss.” 

“But we have the fence,” she said, nodding to it. 

“Then we take it down or change it up a notch, adding a gate, or an archway, that would give us access to it.” He shrugged and she stared at him in amazement. 

“You’re really serious,” she said again and he nodded. 

“I am.” 

“But why?” 

“Well, a few reasons,” he said, squeezing her hand. “We have the space, and then some, as I said. Also, it will give me something to do-”

“And hyper fixate on,” she muttered. 

“That too,” he laughed. “And Faith could help. It would be a learning experience for her… all of us really. What better time to start than now as spring is bearing down upon us.” 

“A vegetable garden,” she said, looking out at the overgrown plot of land and imagining it lush with plants. “You want to till up the land and start a garden?” 

“All that work? Christ, no,” he said and she looked at him. “The cost alone would be far too high. Then if it didn’t work out, it would be a huge mess just sitting there.” 

“So what are you thinking?” 

“I’m thinking more like raised garden beds. Something we could plot out, build and place, and then plant what we wanted in each separate bed.” 

“Fresh peas in one. Tomatoes. Zucchini maybe. Potatoes in another. Yeah. I think I like that idea.” 

“Huh, well that was easier than I thought it would be,” he said, squeezing her hand again. “You know, seeing as you’re in a rather agreeable mood, I’d like to revisit the idea of chickens.” 

“Mulder-”

“It was you that brought them up,” he said. 

“A couple of years ago,” she said, letting go of his hand and staring at him. “And I was joking, so do not come home from that garden/pet store with a few chicks and act all innocent, telling me that they had no one to care for them and so you had to take them in. Promise me you won’t.” 

“I…” 

“Mulder… promise me. Now.” 

“I promise,” he said with a grin and she raised her eyebrows. “I do promise, Scully. One thing at a time. Garden first. Chickens and goats next.” 

“Uh no. No goats. They were never mentioned before.” 

“No goats? Oh, that’s a baaaaad answer,” he said and she could not help but laugh. 

“Don’t push your luck,” she said as he put his arm around her shoulders, both of them chuckling. 

“Garden first, then we’ll talk,” he said and she hummed as she put her arm around his waist and took a sip of her coffee. 

________

And so the garden planning began. 

Mulder watched videos, read blog posts, and created a plan. 

The overgrown grass was mowed and the ground plotted for where the garden would be placed. Wood markers were hammered into the ground with Faith’s help, the little hammer Mulder had bought for her placed back into the loop on the overalls when she was finished.  

“We’ll have lots of vegetables right, Daddy?” she asked, pushing back a braid that had fallen over her shoulder. “Like corn?” 

“I don’t think we’ll do corn this time around, love. But peas and carrots. Maybe potatoes.” He smiled at her as Scully snapped pictures of them working together, both covered in grass stains. 

“Mmm. I love potatoes,” Faith said. “They’re so good.” 

“They are.” He smiled at Faith and then glanced up at Scully. “And we’ll do broccoli too.” Faith made a face and they both laughed. “You like broccoli, Squatch.” 

“I doooooo, but it’s not my favorite,” Faith said and Mulder tweaked her nose. 

“It’s not my favorite either, but we still need to eat it.” 

“I know,” she said with a sigh, as Scully captured another picture. 

___________

Two days later, after dropping Faith off at school, he arrived at home with a large amount of wood in the back of the car and Scully came out and helped him unload it onto the porch. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt as manly as I did ordering all this wood and asking for it to be cut to the length I needed,” he said and she laughed. “I think I’ve finally made it as a man.” 

“Only took you sixty three years to get there,” she said slyly. 

“Hey!” he said, placing a piece down and staring at her. “I’m only sixty two. Don’t be adding years like that until it’s time. I still have a few months to go.” 

“My apologies, sweet husband,” she said, smiling as she walked closer and gave him a kiss. “Did you get all the paint as well?”

“Three different shades of pink. And three different shades of purple.” 

“So manly,” she whispered, grabbing the front of his shirt and stopping anything he was going to say with another kiss. 

When Faith came home, she nearly danced up the steps, seeing all the supplies on the porch. 

“Can we start now, Daddy?” she asked, petting Bella who had come to greet her and looking at the cans of paint. 

“Sure thing. Let’s get you changed and we can start.” 

A large drop cloth was placed on the porch and the four pieces for the garden box were laid out. 

“Okay, we need to line them up and nail and screw them together. Alright, my love?” Mulder asked Faith and she nodded solemnly, her hand on her hammer. Scully smiled at her look of determination and let out a contented sigh. 

The wood was lined up and they all helped to make sure it was secured properly. When it was finished, it was moved out of the way and the next box was made. Once all six were complete, Faith stood in front of them, with her arms crossed and a smile on her face, her hammer hanging from the loop of her overalls again, as Scully took her picture. 

“Send it to Raycho and Unco please. And they can show the twins,” Faith said as she looked at the picture. “They will be proud of us.” 

Next came the painting of the wood, but only one box of each color was finished and left to dry before it was time for dinner, a bath, and bed. 

Mulder was standing on the porch when Scully came downstairs after putting Faith to bed, cuddling her and waiting until she had fallen asleep. 

“You better not be doing anything without her,” Scully warned as she stepped out to join him. He smiled as he looked at her and shook his head. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” 

“What’re you doing?” 

“Just thinking. Throwing the ball for Bella. But mostly thinking.” 

“About what?” she asked, stepping closer and wrapping her arms around his waist. 

“How different my life turned out to be. In the very best way possible.” 

“Mulder,” she whispered, closing her eyes as she laid her head on his chest and tightened her hold on him. 

“One wrong turn, Scully. One thing done differently,” he whispered and she exhaled before pulling back and looking up at him. 

“Yet here we are,” she said softly. 

“Here we are,” he agreed with a smile. “Pink and purple garden boxes and all.”

“Especially those,” she replied, glancing over at them and then back at him. 

“Yeah,” he agreed, holding her close and kissing the top of her head. “Especially those.” 

_______________

Faith was off school the next day, but Scully had to work. As much as she wished to be home and help with the painting, she had to be at the hospital. 

Around lunchtime, while she was in her office eating, she got a message. Opening it, she saw it was a video and she put her headphones in before pushing play. When she did, she watched with a smile the whole way through, her lunch completely forgotten. 

“Hi everybody,” Faith said, waving to the camera, once more in her overalls, streaks of paint on them as well as her hands, arms, and face. “Today we finished painting our garden boxes.” She gestured to the large boxes on the drop cloth that had been moved to the grass. “Daddy moved it to the grass so the sun could help dry it faster. It does that because the sun is a source of heat. Heat warms things up and helps to dry them. They should be done soon. Then we will get the… what’s it called again, Daddy?” 

“I don’t know what you mean, honey,” Mulder said, though he was not seen in the video. 

“The stuff that goes in it,” Faith said, looking up at Mulder as she began twisting her fingers nervously, her expression almost worried. 

“You mean the cardboard stuff we talked about?” he offered and she smiled, her hands dropping as she sighed. 

“Yeah, that. Thank you, Daddy.”  

Scully heard Mulder hum and tears pricked at her eyes, knowing what that hum meant because she felt it too. 

“So, after the paint is dry, we’ll carry the boxes to the spot in the grass we picked already. Then we’ll put the cardboard stuff down and put the boxes on top of that. Then we had the… the…” She glanced at Mulder and let out a deep breath. 

“The compost.” 

“Yeah. The compost. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” 

She looked down and took a deep breath, then another one. Looking back up, she smiled and Mulder hummed softly again. 

“We have to smooth the compost over the cardboard and then when they are all finished, we can start planting right away.” 

“That’s right,” Mulder said and Faith nodded. “What will we be planting, honey?” 

“We have six, big plant boxes,” she said, showing the size with her arms. “So we’re going to grow a few things like peas and carrots. Tomatoes and basil. Broccoli. Potatoes. Strawberries and leafy lettuce.” 

“And this is our first time doing this, so we’re still learning,” Mulder reminded her and she nodded. 

“Right. So we’re going to try it and see how it goes.” 

“But it will be a beautiful garden either way,” he said and Faith smiled at him. 

“Yeah. It will be very beautiful.” 

“Okay. You wanna say goodbye now? We’ll have some lunch and get back to it?” 

“Bye everyone,” she said, waving at the camera. “Hope you like our garden video.” 

The video ended with Mulder chuckling and Scully wiped the tears from her eyes with a smile, aching to see them but knowing she still had a few hours to go. 

When she finally pulled up the road, she could see them still out in the garden area, and she stopped the car in the driveway. Leaving everything inside, she got out and walked over to join them, forgetting about the unavoidable combination of tall heels in soft grass. 

“Oh,” she said as she got stuck and stumbled slightly. “Haven’t done this in awhile.” 

“Ya stuck?” Mulder called out and she could hear the laughter in his voice. 

“Just a bit,” she called back, slipping out of her shoes and then pulling them free from the grass. Walking over barefoot, her shoes dangling from her fingers, she smiled at the sight of them. 

“Hey, Doc,” he said, glancing at her shoes. “Been awhile, huh?” 

“It has,” she agreed, as they shared a smile. He bent his head and kissed her softly, her hand pressed to his chest. 

“I’ll piggyback you out when we’re done.” 

“Okay,” she laughed, kissing him once more. 

“Mommy!” Faith called, running over to her. “Come and see what we’ve done!” 

“Show me love,” Scully said, stepping carefully through the cool grass. 

Faith showed her all the garden beds laid out along their marked spots, the cardboard sticking out the sides, with compost spread out in only two of the boxes. 

“We have to do the rest later because it’s a lot of work,” Faith said, brushing pieces of hair from her face. “And also because the fence people are coming tomorrow.”

“You’ve accomplished so much today, my love. You’ve done so well.” 

“Well, it was me and Daddy,” Faith said, looking at Mulder. “He did a lot of work today too. He lifted the huge bag of compost and pushed it over in the wheelbarrow and I got to sit on top of the bag as he pushed.” Faith giggled and Scully smiled. 

“It’s a good thing Daddy is so strong,” Scully said, glancing at him and looking him up and down. He shook his head as she licked and then bit her bottom lip. “So very strong.” 

“Yeah, he is,” Faith said, tugging on Scully’s hand and pulling her attention away from Mulder. “Look at this too, Mommy.” 

It was a tired trio who entered the house twenty minutes later, Scully given the promised piggyback ride as Faith ran beside them laughing hysterically and Bella barked from within the fence line, racing back and forth excitedly. 

“You’ve gotten so much done,” Scully said to Mulder as they got into bed and he yawned loudly. “Is it tiring you out?” 

“A little at times, but I love it,” he said with a sleepy smile. “Good honest work. Quality time with my girl. Can’t complain about that.” 

“No,” Scully agreed, snuggling close to him, his arm going around her. “No, you can’t.” 

“Hmm,” he hummed and then yawned again as she closed her eyes with a smile. 

________________

Scully and Faith watched from the porch with Bella, who whined behind the baby gate that was still attached to the porch, as three trucks pulled up and Mulder went to speak to the people who would be installing the garden fence. 

Bella barked as she stared through the bottom of the gate, not sure what was happening. 

“It’s just the fence people, Bella,” Faith said, sitting beside her and rubbing her ears. “They are going to make it safe for all of us to spend time in the garden. It’s okay, Bells.” 

Bella whined and then laid with her head on Faith’s lap, as she continued petting her and soothing her as she explained what was happening. 

Scully sat beside Faith, kissing the top of her head and telling her how much she loved her. 

“I love you too, Mommy,” Faith said, leaning her head against Scully’s side. 

Mulder returned to them, smiling as climbed over the gate and sat on the opposite side of Bella, telling them what the people would be doing. 

“They will make the fence and then we can finish the garden,” Faith said as Grey ran up the steps and squeezed through the gate. “Hello, Grey. Are you going to join us?” Grey chirped a meow and laid down in Scully’s lap, purring and kneading against her leg. 

At nearly six, the fence was complete and they all walked down to thank the people. Faith gave them all a lollipop from her special stash and the men and women called their thanks as they left. 

A portion of the old fence had been cut away and a gate had been added, allowing easier and quicker access to the garden. The new fence was eight feet tall, a light hickory color, and it ran along the driveway, nearly to the edge of the road, and down the other side to meet the previous fence. 

The new fence had twenty eight small square cutouts along the top half of each section and a picket fence along the bottom, to help keep out any small and curious animals. 

And the best part was that there was only one gate in and out, keeping everyone inside safe and secure. 

“It’s like a magic garden,” Faith said as she walked around. “I like it in here.” She spun with her arms out, Bella wagging her tail beside her,  and Scully smiled as she watched them. 

“A picket fence,” Mulder said softly and Scully quickly turned to look at him. “Remember when we talked about that? Finding a place to stop running? You said you wanted a place with a picket fence. Maybe a dog in the yard.”

“I remember,” she whispered with a nod, thinking about that night under the stars, the idea of any type of home feeling so far away and perhaps unattainable. 

“It’s taken a long time. A really long time,” he said. “And it’s not exactly the way I pictured it, but…” 

“It’s better,” she said, putting her arms around him. “This is better.” She looked around at the new gate, the halfway finished vegetable garden, and she smiled. “This is beautiful.” 

“Only because of the company occupying it,” he said with a smile and she chuckled quietly. 

“Sweet talker.” 

“I love you,” he said, his expression becoming serious. 

“I love you too,” she said, pushing up on tiptoes to kiss him. 

“We can finish the garden boxes tomorrow?” Faith asked, her arms going around both of them. 

“Absolutely,” Mulder said, pulling back and grabbing her, and then setting her up onto his shoulders.

“Daddy!” she laughed as Mulder smiled and took Scully’s hand to lead them back inside. 

__________

Saturday after breakfast, compost was added to the remaining garden boxes, which was raked and leveled, readying it for planting. 

Sunday morning, a large delivery truck carrying dark wood chips was delivered from a local arborist, to be used to create paths to walk on in between the garden beds. The rolls of cardboard that had been used in the garden boxes were laid onto the grass and then wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of wood chips was placed on top of it. 

Faith created a game as they did, pretending to be an ice skating ninja, who must follow the path to her destiny of truth, but kept getting stuck as she waited for the wood chips to be delivered. 

“I can’t go forward and must not go back. The evil villain is waiting for me. I will just have to wait here and hope the path magically appears.” 

She pretended not to see Mulder as he hurried over, dumping the pile of wood chips in front of her, smoothing them down as he created her much needed path.  

Scully, filling buckets at the wood chip pile, to dump into the wheelbarrow, stopped and smiled at Faith as she danced, kicked and punched the air, and skated on the chips. 

“She has such a great imagination,” Mulder said as he came back, pouring the buckets into the wheelbarrow. 

“She does. Just like you.” 

“Hmm, that’s true.” He smiled as he poured in two more buckets and grabbed the handles of the wheelbarrow. “Gotta hurry. I have an ice skating ninja to save.” 

Scully laughed as he ran off, hurrying through the gate and down the center of the cardboard covered path. 

When the last wood chip had been laid, they all walked around the garden, looking at the job they had accomplished. 

“We did it,” Mulder said. “It was a tough job, but we did it.” 

“Yeah,” Faith said, nodding as she looked around. “I think it looks great.” 

“I second that,” Scully said and Faith frowned as she looked at her. 

“What does that mean?” 

“It means that I agree with you,” Scully explained with a smile. “Sometimes if an idea, or plan is suggested, it can’t happen until someone says, I second it. That means there are two votes for doing something. You said the garden looked great. And I seconded it. That means even if someone said they didn’t agree, we have two votes and they only have one.” She smiled again and Faith nodded slowly, trying to understand. 

“Let me give you an example,” Mulder said as he stretched. “I think we should head inside, wash our hands, have something to eat, and then maybe some ice cream before we start planting the seeds in the garden beds. What do you think, Faithy?” He looked at her with a smile and she grinned back. 

“I second it and three it!” she said, Mulder and Scully both laughing. 

“Then let’s do it.” 

They ate lunch inside, but had their ice cream on the porch, staring out at the new garden. 

“We could get some arched trellises,” Mulder said, as he took a bite. “Maybe not for the plants to grow on, but just to look nice. Add some of that magic Faith mentioned the other day.” He glanced at Scully and she nodded with a smile. “And I was thinking of having a small storage bin in the corner. Not anything too tall or large, but something to hold the smaller things like trowels, small shovels, watering cans, gloves… whatever else we might need. That way it’s all in one spot.” 

“A good idea,” Scully said, nodding as she took a bite. 

“Okay. You almost done, Squatch?” he asked and Faith nodded, eating up the last of her ice cream. 

“Here, Bella. You can have some too,” Faith said, setting her bowl down beside her. Bella’s tail thumped happily as she began to lick it clean. “Ready, Daddy.” 

“Then let’s get to it.” 

By the time the sun was setting, all the seeds had been planted, the beds were watered, and then adorned with markers Faith had made from scraps of wood from the old fence. 

Tomatoes and basil were in one bed. Peas and carrots in another. Potatoes and beans in another. Strawberries were on their own. Green leafy lettuce and onions were together. And in the last bed, broccoli and oregano. 

“Now we wait,” Mulder said as they walked around looking at the garden beds. “And hope the weather doesn’t get too cold.” 

“It’s an experiment,” Scully said, taking his hand. “If it doesn’t work out, what do we do?” 

“Try again,” called Faith, as she adjusted the marker labeled strawberries, with a picture of them drawn on it as well. “You have to always try again.” 

“That’s right,” Scully agreed, smiling at Faith and squeezing Mulder’s hand as she looked at him. “We’ve never done this, as you said yourself. It’s something new and experimental. We’ll just keep trying if this doesn’t work.” 

“Yeah,” he agreed. “It really does look good. A better use than just being an empty field.” 

“Agreed,” Scully said with a nod. 

“So my idea was a good one,” he said and she paused in her steps to look at him, hearing a change in his voice. 

“It was,” she said, looking at him warily and letting go of his hand. 

“Well, seeing as it’s done and looks nice, we can revisit the chickens and goats  conversation.” 

“Mulder,” she hissed, glancing at Faith who had turned her head to look at them. 

“Chickens?” she asked excitedly. “Like the baby ones we saw at the garden and pet  store? The little yellow and gray ones? They are soooo cute.”

“They are cute, aren’t they?” Mulder asked, smiling as he stared at Scully. 

“Mulder,” she warned and he shook his head. 

“Garden first, Faithy. That was the promise I made to Mommy. It’s not completely done yet, so I haven’t fulfilled my promise,” he said and Scully nodded her thanks. 

“But maybe soon?” Faith asked, walking over to them, her hands in the pockets of her dirt smudged overalls. 

“Maybe,” Scully replied, looking at Mulder with a nod. “But let’s give the garden time to grow before we begin clearing space for a chicken coop, okay?”

“Okay,” Mulder and Faith said at the same time, causing Scully to laugh. 

“Good,” she said, looking at Mulder again. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” he said, clapping his hands and looking at Faith. “Now, we need to head inside and get you in the tub, you grub. You’re filthy.” 

“I’m not a grub,” she protested, brushing her hands on her overalls. “Just my clothes are dirty.” 

“So are you, Squatch,” he said, picking her up and quickly turning her to land on his back. “Your turn for a piggyback.” He whinnied as he made sure she was on properly and then he took off at a running gallop as Faith screamed happily. 

Scully followed at a slower pace, looking at the pink and purple garden boxes with the markers inside them, written in Faith’s handwriting. 

“Alright little seeds,” she said softly, Faith’s laughter carrying back on the evening air. “You gotta grow. We’ve given you the means and the space. Now you do your part. Goodnight.” 

She closed the gate and latched it, smiling at the sight of the garden once more before she turned and followed the sound of laughter up the steps and into the house. 

[bobgasm]

kingpin ⦾ six

pairing: robert “bob” floyd x ofc!emery young word count: 2602 warnings: no major disclaimers except that they clash heads a bit

summary: in which she accepts and he meets a ghost

author’s note: *ding* hangman has entered the chat…

five | kingpin | seven

Bob stopped for coffee on his way to the meeting spot Coyote had chosen. He was grateful he’d bought in his right hand to help him track down Decker, and wished he’d done it sooner. Thankfully, Coyote had already found some answers. He didn’t want to talk over the phone. Call it paranoia, but Bob agreed. It was better to be safe than sorry. 

That’s how he found himself down at the docks, phone left in his car with the radio playing as Coyote approached him.

“Have you found him?” Bob asked.

Coyote shook his head as he stepped beside Bob, both men looking out at the container ship being loaded. “He got on a tour bus down to Mexico the Sunday before your father called you,” he told Bob. “Ice managed to find the fake name he was using, but they’ve combed through hours of footage trying to find him getting on a plane. So far, the name is all we’ve got.”

“What name was he using?”

“Richard Floyd,” Coyote revealed. Bob hissed. “I know. I’ve told Mav and Ice that we need him alive. Whatever game he’s playing, we need answers. Can’t get that if he’s cold.”

“Have Ice and Mav check any manifests for our family’s names,” Bob told him. “If he used Richard’s to cross the border, then he’s probably stupid enough to use it again.”

Coyote nodded. “If he’s running, he’s bound to slip up soon. Especially if he thinks we aren’t looking for him.”

“What are you suggesting?” Bob asked.

“How well does Decker know our numbers? People, not money.”

Bob paused to think. “He knows what bank accounts to pay, but not all the faces.” Bob was now following Coyote’s train of thought. “Call Hangman. Tell him I need a face to face tonight. 10pm.”

“Location?” Coyote asked.

“Feathers. Tell him no eyes will see him,” Bob replied, glancing at his watch. “Shit, I’ve got to go. Make it happen.”

Coyote nodded as Bob walked back to his car, quickly hightailing it back to the office as fast as the LA traffic would let him. When he arrived and walked inside the building, Emery was sitting on a chair in the waiting area looking bored. Halo was typing on her computer and Bob cleared his throat.

“Sorry for the wait, Emery,” he apologised, extending a hand towards her. She rose and shook it, the bored look still on her face.

“You were two minutes away from receiving an email from me rescinding my prior acceptance of your offer,” she told him, dropping his hand. 

Bob laughed, though he knew she was being completely serious. “I don’t doubt that. Shall we get started?”

Emery frowned slightly as she looked up at him, not impressed with his laughter or dismissal of her threat. Bob didn’t take it personally, he was used to bigger and scarier men. All he saw was a smart, gorgeous woman trying to make her boundaries known. He’d already overstepped once – he’d make an effort to tread lightly. 

He didn’t wait for her response, instead walking to his office and holding the door open for her. She straightened up, holding her head high as she walked into his office and sat down in one of the seats facing his desk. He cocked an eyebrow in amusement before closing the door and taking a seat behind his desk so he was facing her.

“How was your drive into LA?” Bob asked, trying to keep the mood light. 

He didn’t know why he cared, because a person who was pissed off and sitting in his office wasn’t an uncommon sight. It was something about this specific person, Emery, that had him wanting her approval. 

“It was fine,” she told him. 

For the first time he realised she was wearing a polo shirt with her current employers logo on it. She wasn’t dressed like she had been in her interview, all professional and business-like. No, she was casual, comfy. Relaxed in the chair rather than sitting up pin-straight and poised. She had thin lycra bike shorts on that stopped mid thigh and her hair was in a neat ponytail. 

Bob realised he liked seeing her in both styles of wardrobe. 

“This induction isn’t cutting into your workday, is it?” He found himself asking. 

“If it was, Bob, I wouldn’t have suggested a meeting at half two,” Emery pointed out. “I left straight from work. I have Wednesday afternoons free.”

Bob nodded, grabbing the necessary paperwork from the tray on his desk that Halo had left for him. “Good to know,” he said as he thumbed through each document. He needed her to sign the offer and contract in front of him, but there was paperwork for her healthcare and dental insurances. 

He found the new employee form, as well as the form she’d have to enter into the payroll system, but having it as a hard copy was simply a formality. 

He kept the induction form for himself as he slid the paperwork and a pen towards Emery. She moved the chair closer so she could lean on his desk as she filled out her personal information as well as signed and dated the offer and contract. Bob ticked off the paperwork portion of the induction form. 

When the paperwork was out of the way, he offered to show Emery around. While the actual office space was small, there was also a gym in the building. More of a home gym than an actual one, but it was free for any of the employees of the Floyd’s to use. It was primarily frequented by Feather’s and Dice’s security guards, but a few of the construction guys used it too. 

Otherwise, the actual boxing gym that Payback ran was where all of their other employees trained. 

Bob showed Emery to her office, handing over a set of keys and a diary which housed all of their account logins and alarm code. The keys also had a fob with access to the garage below for parking, as well as the key for the car she was able to use. Bob took her down to show her the garage where the car was parked – it was a black late-model Prius that was fresh off the lot. 

Coyote had taken Decker’s car in to be traded up – a job Bob hadn’t even considered. With the knowledge of a new accountant joining the team, Coyote had done a thorough comb through and downloaded the GPS coordinates before taking it into the dealership. Bob had been given the data to look through, trying to see if Decker had been stupid enough to use the company car for personal use in the weeks leading up to his retirement. 

Unfortunately, the data was clean. Bob had Coyote personally check out each spot in case they’d missed something, but nothing had turned up.

“That’s a nice car,” Emery mused, lightly tracing a finger along the paintwork.

“I should hope so,” Bob replied. “It’s yours.”

“Do you expect me to take it today?” She asked him, pausing to turn and look at him. “Because I can tell you right now, where I currently live, it’s going to get stolen.”

Bob laughed at her admission. “You can do what you like with it. It’s entirely up to you.”

She hummed as she turned back to look at the car. “What else is on the tour?”

“If you have time, I can show you the hotel we’re currently building. My sister is also interested in meeting you, but I’m afraid you don’t meet the dress code for Dice right now.” 

He took the time to glance down at her attire that he’d been trying hard to ignore. Those bike shorts clung to her ass and thighs perfectly. He could only imagine what she looked like out of them.

Emery didn’t bother to suppress her scoff. 

“Are those ‘Hello Kitty’ sneakers?” Bob asked before she could say anything. He wore a shit-eating grin as he met her eyes, embarrassment colouring her cheeks. 

“In hindsight, I probably should’ve changed before making the drive out here,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck. 

She stared down at her feet and Bob felt bad for poking fun, but he assumed her scoff was because he’d been caught staring at her ass. He was trying not to come across as a perv.

“But if you went home to change, you probably would’ve found some excuse to miss our meeting, right?” He guessed. By the way she avoided his eyes, he knew he’d been correct. “Wear whatever you’re comfortable in. So long as the work is done, and you’re able to change for any meetings I might need you to sit in on, I don’t care if you wear Hello Kitty sneakers. Going into Dice and Feathers won’t be a regular occurrence, so don’t worry. Morgan can meet you another time.”

Emery made a soft noise of approval. “I feel like we’ve really gotten off on the wrong foot, today.”

“We have, haven’t we?” Bob laughed and Emery cracked a smile. 

Bob led Emery back upstairs as she declined taking the car for a test drive, finishing up the last of the induction. Explaining where the emergency evacuation point was should it ever be necessary, as well as letting her and Halo get properly acquainted. Halo was there to help with anything Emery needed, coffee, calling suppliers, etc. 

He left Halo to finish getting her set up in her office, as well as giving her a laptop. Bob started filing the paperwork away, trying to keep his mind busy so he didn’t keep imagining Emery bending over in front of him wearing those tight bike shorts. The harder he tried not to think about it, the more he did. 

Halo knocked on his door to let him know Emery was getting herself acquainted with the system. “I’ve passed on that supplier bills are usually paid on the twentieth of the following month, that wages are fortnightly and that if any timesheets weren’t signed off by Morgan or yourself, then I’d follow up.”

“Thanks, Halo,” Bob replied. 

Emery’s own details for her wages sat on a form on his desk that he’d drop off to her shortly. For now, he took the time to respond to any emails about the ongoing hotel build. Some were from suppliers, some were from inspectors, but most were in regards to the interior fittings. Electrical quotes that needed to be approved, so he skimmed over the figures before sending a confirmation email and CC'ing Emery who now had access to the finance email. 

When Bob had finished what he needed to do, he grabbed the form Emery had filled out and dropped it off to her. “How’re you finding things?”

“It’s a lot to sort though,” she admitted. “Mostly trying to organise the emails at the moment. A lot of shit about late payments?”

“I took care of that last week, and if I did it right then you should be able to find the payments in the system,” Bob replied, taking a seat and placing the form on her desk. “For your wages. I have no idea how to create a new employee in the system.”

Emery laughed softly and heat tinged Bob’s ears. “Your previous accountant really left you up shit creek without a paddle, huh?”

“Yeah, and my boat started sprouting holes,” he replied, making her laugh again. “I called Penny, one of the realtor’s I told you about, and she said she’d give you a call with any updates.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“Your sister that you mentioned…do you care for her?”

Emery cocked her head to the side. “Do you mean, am I raising her?” Bob nodded his head. “No, I’m not. Nat’s older than I am.”

“My apologies for assuming,” he said sincerely.

Emery shrugged dismissively. “It’s alright. What about your sister?”

“Older by two minutes. We’re twins,” Bob told her with a smile. “Loves to shove it in my face whenever she can.”

Emery laughed softly. “I can only imagine. Um, I was thinking of heading off soon, if that’s okay? I don’t really want to brave LA’s 5 o’clock traffic just yet.”

This time Bob laughed. “I don’t blame you, it’s no joke. If you need anything else before you go, let me know. Otherwise, keep in touch if there’s anything I can help you with in the meantime.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Bob left her to finish up whatever she needed to and headed back into his office. There wasn’t much left for him to do, except go and see Sam at the hotel, but he’d wait in case Emery needed anything else. She stopped by before she left, only to say she was leaving, and that she’d likely be back on Monday morning. Bob told her to have a good weekend and enjoyed the view of her ass as she walked away. 

Bob arrived at Feathers shortly before ten. He ordered a drink at the bar before heading towards the back, into a room that had no working camera. He knew Coyote would have put a temporary block on the feeds for as long as he needed, knowing what Hangman was like.

Hangman was a ghost, operating in the shadows. If anyone ever needed to reach him, they’d call a number he had monitored. It spoofed through channels all over the world until the number was virtually untraceable. His system was designed to recognise a few select callers, and Coyote was one of them.

Bob wasn’t surprised when he entered the room to find Hangman already waiting for him. He could count on one hand how many times he’d met Hangman in person, and this was meeting number four. 

“Coyote said this was important,” Hangman said, wasting no time on pleasantries.

“Coyote’s an honest man,” Bob replied, sipping his scotch as he got comfortable in the booth. “Our accountant has disappeared. So far we only know that he crossed the border into Mexico using my father’s name.”

Hangman smirked. He sat hidden in the shadows, the dim lighting barely illuminating his face. “I can see how that could be an issue.”

“I need him alive, Hangman.”

Hangman tsk’d like Bob should’ve known better. “Keeping them alive isn’t what I do. You should’ve called Rooster.”

“If I wanted Rooster on this, I would’ve called him,” Bob said coolly. “Decker knows Rooster. I need a face he doesn’t know.”

Hangman nodded in thought. “Your accountant is missing. How can I expect to be paid for this job?”

“It’ll be wired through the usual channels,” Bob assured him. “Half if you accept, and the rest when I have Decker in front of me.”

“Get Coyote to send me a current photo and his last known whereabouts,” Hangman told him, rising to his feet. Bob did the same and shook the hand that he’d offered. “Always a pleasure, Bobby.”

“Likewise, Bagman.”

Bob let him leave, knowing it was pointless to try and follow for a glimpse of his face. Hangman had a unique ability of disappearing without a trace. He never let anyone see more of him than he was willing to show.

When he finally emerged from the room, he looked down the corridor and nodded at Coyote. He walked towards the taller man and downed the last of his scotch.

“He’s in. I’ll get the money wired to him. He needs you to send him a current photo of Decker and where he was last seen.”

“Consider it done.”