#it just makes me so happy to put liquids in tanks

[derp-craft]

I spent far longer than I'd like to admit trying to make this purely aesthetic lil tea bar automated before I gave up and made it only partially automated. Plus some interior shots of the other side. Decorations pending lol

[wutheringcaterpillar]

“You Know I Got It, Come and Get It.”

Pairing: Sugar daddy!Emmett x College!Reader

Summary: A struggling girl walks into a bar looking to drown her sorrows, only for a man to notice her distress, insisting on showing her a good time that turns into something more that neither expected.

Warnings: Slow build, fwb to lovers, oral (f & m receiving), road head, unprotected sex, squirting, p in v, age difference (reader is 21), public sex, daddy kink, praise, happy ending, Emmett is divorced with joint custody, cigarettes

After a long, tiring day of work Emmet found himself at the local bar, having a drink to relinquish the stress from the day.

Two of his men had quit, leaving the project that was supposed to be done today unfinished, but Emmett wasn’t one to complain. Yeah the shit irritated him but, another day, another dollar was his motto for life. He’d just have to finish it himself.

The shuffling of the bar stool caught Emmett’s attention, glancing to the side he saw you, a distraught woman ordering a shot of Jameson and a smirnoff’s. He couldn’t help but notice the way your denim shorts rode up your ass cheeks, and the way your cleavage was nearly falling from the spaghetti strap, black tank top you had on.

The first word that came to his mind when he saw you was hot, but he kept to himself.

You looked rather young to be ordering drinks, so he waited for the bartender to check your id, settling his eyes back on the baseball game, sipping from his budweiser.

When the bartender served you your shot, he knew that he had to indulge in conversation, at the very least see what was going wrong with your night. 

“Rough night?” His voice was gruff but casual, you were rummaging through your purse, looking for a hair tie but oh how he liked your hair down.

The soaked mess and the water droplets dripping down your chest into your cleavage.

You had delicate facial features, plump lips that were glossed, sparking in the dim bar light even.

He couldn’t help but picture your body naked and in unspeakable positions underneath him.

You attempted to respond to the stranger still looking through your belongings.

“Yeah, yeah my boyfriend dumped me off around the corner cause I caught him cheating. I’ll tell you men aren’t shit no offense.” He chuckled, ordering another beer as he finished his off.

“None taken but a true man doesn’t leave his woman in the the pissing rain, no matter what happened. Besides if you ask me he sounds like a bitch that doesn’t know a good thing when he’s got it.” Downing your shot, Emmett didn’t know if he was turned on or scared when you didn’t recoil from the harsh liqour, perhaps both.

When you finally turned to him, his angelic blue eyes placed a trance on you, and the scruff of his beard. Maybe he had a point, it wasn’t men that were your problem it was boys.

Pursing your lips in interest, and narrowing your eyes in on him, you leaned in close, your lips just brushing by his ear.

“Oh yeah? And how would you know?” Emmett smirked in his seat, turning the stool ever so slightly your way, putting on the most devious yet charming smile.

“Cause sweetheart, I was a boy once. To me you need some liquid healing, why don’t I buy your next drink, maybe play a game of pool? The name’s Emmett by the way.” Rolling your tongue over your lips playfully, you nodded, but only under one condition were you going to play.

“If I win, I request a dance. A memorable one that I won’t forget, I’m aiming to have fun tonight. Y/N.

“And if I win I get to take you home with me Y/N.” High stakes it was, either way it sounded like a win-win situation. Grinning, you nodded in agreement only when you left the bar to head to the table, the bartender looked at Emmet in bewilderment.

“How’d you do that man? She’s way out of your league, you made it look so easy.” Emmet winked at the guy, pointing his finger making a comment of how you live and you learn the way to a girl’s heart.

Throughout the game a questionnare took place. You learned a lot about the mysterious, good looking man. He was divorced, has two kids with joint custody, he was a private business owner of an entrepreneur company.

When he noticed you not being able to shoot a ball for shit, he came in behind you, his chest pressed closely to your back while his large, veiny hand settled on top of yours.

You couldn’t help but smile mischievously not even listening to the words coming from his enticing lips, instead pushing your ass back against his crotch.

“Darlin’ I don’t think this is the place. Why don’t we go for a drive and talk first hm? After I win this game that is.” Just as he finished his sentence, he shot the eight ball into the hole, not even having to look. But damn those muscles in that white wife beater he was wearing making you salivate, how you wanted that man to bend you over this pool table right now.

Smirking playfully, you followed his suit. He retreived his denim jacket that was coated in fleece, wrapping the fabric over your shoulders as he tried to shield you from the pouring rain.

You were in disbelief to see what kind of truck he drove. It was black, shiny, tall with four door, looked brand new. The man had money and it was an understatement to say you were impressed. “This is yours?”

“Yep, all 25 grand of it. Hard work pays off honey.” Opening the door for you, your cheeks burned an amber shade of red. 

Giving you the aux cord, he extended his arm to your seat, flexing his biceps as he looked at the back window to reverse, and continue to fix the wheel with one hand.

Lighting a cigarette before pulling out of the parking lot, offering you one in the process.

Oddly enough, he liked your taste in music, but could tell you wanted to sing, yet you weren’t.

“Don’t be all shy on me now sweet peach. If you wanna blast that and sing your little heart you go right ahead.” Your stomach was swarming with butterflies, becoming all hot and flustered in your seat.

And you did just that as you were told, blowing smoke out of the window, feet up on the dash, while the warm summer breeze blew threw your hair, but never taking away the smile plastered on your face.

For the first time in awhile, you were having spontaneous fun and felt infinite in this moment.

When he was getting closer to his house, Emmett found it wise to address what this was going to be.

“Now, I’m not looking for a relationship, no time for one with work in the kids and I’d rather not deal with the heartache if you catch my drift. But I have a proposal.” Sitting up in your seat, you gazed into his ocean eyes with interest, wanting to hear me. You nodded for him to carry on, flipping your cigarette out the window.

“I don’t like seeing a pretty young girl like yourself upset over some lowlife douchebag who means nothing and you seem like a nice, fun girl.”

“Just nice and fun?” You raised a playful eyebrow at him before trailing your hand up your thigh seductively.

“Well that too honey. Tell you what my place is always open to you when you need a break from life, but I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve been dying to know what that pretty cherry tastes like. If you’re not looking for anything serious, figured it’d be a good deal for the both of us.” He had to say no more, and before he knew it your fingers were fumbling with his belt buckle, taking his length fully down your throat.

Emmett sat there a wide spread smile on his face while his breath hitched in his chest from the sudden warmth around his cock.

He was surprised you could take him so easily, no teeth, gagging or anything.

Your tongue swirled around his shaft, lips puckered around the tip of his cock as your head bobbed up and down slowly at first, wanting him to relish in the moment.

He began to drive more careful, worried of hurting you, though you kept rhythym, sucking him sensationally, hallowing your cheeks, deep throating him without a problem, regardless of the potholes.

Emmett stirred in his seat, attempting to stay focused on the road, only one more mile.

“Fuck sweetheart, you’re a natural aren’t you.” He glanced down at a red light, your eyes meeting him while bashing your eyelashes playfully.

A car pulled up in the other lane next to him, seeing the scene and making a disgusted face to which Emmett flipped the guy off, and began to thrust his hips slowly up, needing more. 

When the light turned green, his foot stuttered on the gas making you giggle while your face was stuffed with his rather large member, saliva running down his thighs, making a mess.

Feeling his toes curl, you began to hit that sweet spot repetitively. Picking up the pace your plump lips could feel his dick begin to tighten and swell, his thighs slightly vibrating while the intensity of his orgasm took over him, eventually releasing his seed down your throat.

When you came up, he realized you swallowed his whole load, wiping your bottom lip seductively.

“So how’d I do?” Emmett was left speechless for once in his life, he wasn’t sure he’s ever had head given to him where a girl could take all of his length. If you had to say yourself he was about nine inches, with a heavy girth.

“Oh, you’re going to be trouble.”

Maybe this would work after all.

You imagined a small, run down house with a chain fence and a guard dog but that’s not at all what he owned.

The house had a stone path, flowers and other green plants covering the sides of the sidewalk, the grass was pristinely trimmed. Trees bordering the wooden fenced perimeter, of the large, beige house.

Pulling up into the driveway, seeing your mouth drop open, Emmett smiled, knowing full well that this deal would be worth it.

His house was open to you whenever you desired, every room, every amenity available to you, along with what was in his walllett, in return you gave him the relief he needed. Only thing was, it was a relief for you as well, not requiring the effort of a relationship. No feelings, just sex.

“This is your house?! Who are you?” Exiting the truck, he opened the door for you once more, leading you inside, and giving you a tour.

The living room had a built in aquarium, a plasma screen tv, the kitchen he did himself with a rare stone tile he came across during his time in Canada for a job. 

Then the patio, another project he did himself, with a gazebo, an expensive grill, an outside bar, even an in ground pool that was clearly kept up with, surrounded with a built in deck.

Maybe you should call your ex and thank him for leaving you stranded in the rain.

“Don’t really have friends over other than the Lee’s from time to time and my kids every other weekend. House was a piece of shit when I bought it but trying to fix it up and sell it for good money then move onto the next one. You’re going to have to give me a couple days to make a spare key. But what do you think darlin? We gotta deal?” You looked at him with a playful, mischievous grin before shedding yourself of your clothes, leaving him speechless.

“Oh I think we have a deal daddy.” You ran your finger over his bottom lip seductively, pressing your lips firmly to his in a heated clash before he took you right there on the cool kitchen counter.

Ripping your shorts and panties down your shaved legs, he marveled in your nude body, running a hand down the smooth skin of your back, lightly squeezing your ass cheek.

When his pants dropped and his cock slapped against your sex, you were grinning with anticipation. 

He hadn’t expected for your pussy to look so pretty, and delicate but he knew he was ready to absolutely drown his cock in it.

He ran his shaft teasingly between your already soaked folds, causing you to whimper in desperation and impatience.

“Such a needy little thing aren’t you dear?” Simultaneously, he yanked your head back by your hair, sinking his cock deep inside your aching, throbbing, wet cunt.

The sudden warmth, and tightness taking him by surprise, as the feeling of being so full caused you to moan loudly in pleasure, hands gripping at the surface of the marbled counter.

It had been awhile since Emmett had, had sex, since his divorce a year ago. Never really found the time but seeing your ravishing body on display for him, stuffed with his thick cock turned him into an animal that he forgot lived inside him.

Sending a hard, powerful slap to your ass cheek, he began thrusting into your soaked pussy, watching the entire length of his dick disappear in you, as his balls dlapped against your skin.

His breath was hot against your neck, as he panted harmonious moans in your ear.

“Fuck darlin’ I don’t know how long I’ll be able to last seeing you bent over, taking me so well like this.” 

In a quick motion, you turned stopping him and as if he read your mind, he picked you up effortlessly, and slammed your ass cheeks down on the counter before inserting his lengthy member.

“Oh fuck, daddy! Harder!” He didn’t want to bresk you but he did as you asked.

Drilling into your cunt relentlessly, watching your boobs shake up and down with such velocity.

His lips connected with yours once more, tongues colliding in a battle for dominance, deepening with each kiss.

You smacked your head against the cupboard but didn’t care as he devoured your neck, marking his territory, while you locked your ankles around his back.

The scruff of his beard tickled your skin as he sucked on your skin, like his life depended on it. When he found that sweet spot deep in your core, your eyes fluttered shut, none of the men in your past never findind it before.

He pressed down on your stomach with his free hand, knowing that it helps the process for women to orgasm, as the head of his cock prodded rhythymically against your cervix.

“Em-daddy I-oh fuckk- I feel like i’m going to piss myself maybe we should-. He pulled himself away from your neck, wanting to see that pretty little face break from how much he was pleasuring you.

With each aggressive thrust, and each passing second you felt like you were going to piss but with Emmett’s experience he knew that wasn’t the case.

“Trust me darlin, that ain’t piss. Just let go.” His voice was low, almost like a whisper, but sounded more like a moan. You winced, feeling so full and stretched, until Emmett hit that sweet spot just at the right moment, causing you to gasp and cling to his chest, nails digging into his back. Your toes curled, eyes rolling toward the back of your head as in a split second moment, a feeling of ecstacy, and adrenaline rushed through your veins. 

Gently he pushed you back, sapphire eyes fixated on you delicate, fucked out face, before scanning down, watching your sweet syrup absolutely drown his torso.

“Daddy!” Your thighs were twitching, back arching, as your chest rose and fell at a tremendously fast pace. You felt completely at his mercy, entranced in the man’s face, wanting to remember who made you feel this way, who the first man was to make you cum.

Within seconds Emmett was bursting at the seams, lips dropping subtly agape, moaning loudly with such lust as he emptied his seed into your raw, aching pussy.

You were almost too stunned to speak, needing to catch your breath as you weary head collapsed on his toned chest.

Reaching for the paper towels next to the sink, he wiped himself off, chuckling and smirking.

“Too rough honey?” You shook your head against him, still trying to come down from your high, your thighs weak and still twitching.

Picking you up and carrying you like a baby, he lead you up the stairs to the bedroom, laying that pretty little head down to rest.

“I-I didn’t know I was capable of doing that.” Pulling the blankets up and sliding in next to you, he pulled you close, laying a kiss to your temple as you drifted off into a deep slumber.

In the following weeks, the bills began to add up, your car insurance, loan, phone bill, medical pills, the college debt, you were struggling financially and wanted to cry.

Emmett showered you in gifts, but you were reluctant to tell him about the piling debt, not wanting to seem like you were taking advantage of him and risk losing the on going pattern of having amazing sex all over the house, occasionally in public. 

Mostly it was also the romantic dinners, the way he cared about how your day went, how he was protective of you in public, never letting you walk on the side of the sidewalk near the road, opening doors for you. What if this would ruin it all?

Closing your car door, you headed straight to Emmett’s house, not knowing where else to go. Knocking impatiently, not wanting the neighbors to see you weep, you propped up your hoodie, hiding any evidence of the apparent tears.

Opening the door before he didn’t even have the chance to say anything when you swooshed past him, heading straight for the sofa, burying your head in the pillow, holding back tears.

Emmett sighed, remembering back to the days of being a student, the debt being too much that he dropped out, luckly being smart enough to know how to form and run a business.

Walking toward you, he crouched down to your level, elbows resting on his knees.

“Baby girl, what’s wrong?” You continued to weep, at a loss for words. Yes Emmett offered you money anytime you were over but this was too much and you were frightened that he’d cut you off for asking.

When you didn’t speak, he brought his hand up stroking the silly strands of your hair caringly, whispering sweet nothings to get you to talk to him.

Eventually rising your head, he wiped away those pretty little tears, eyebrows raising expectantly waiting for an answer.

“I-I can’t afford my car payment this month, and if I don’t pay I-“ Emmett stopped your sobbing, scopping you up and sitting you right down on his lap.

“Why didn’t you just tell me sweetheart? You know you’re stressing for no reason. Remember our arrangement?” You nodded through your troubled eyes, looking up at Emmett who you could tell wasn’t fucking around, he was serious.

“Give me the number and i’ll call over and change the card, okay honey?” You nodded, dialing the number as he pulled out his wallet.

The man really gave you anything you needed and want just to be able to have sex with you, though you weren’t going to tell him you’d be willing to for free.

He nodded off toward the upstairs, whispering that there was already a towel and washcloth set out for you along with rose scented bath salts per your request.

Mouthing thank you, you gleefully pecked him on the lips, undoing your top and disposing of your pants.

He hated to see you leave, but loved watching your hips move, and those voluptuous ass cheeks jiggle as you walked away.

After getting off the phone he sneaked into the bathroom, enjoying seeing your head layed back on a towel, eyes closed, relaxing for once as you should be.

But he had another surprise that was sure to lift your spirits even more. Shedding himself of his clothes, he kept the object held behind his back before submerging himself in the bubble bath on the opposite side of the tub, groaning from the heat relieving his sore knees.

“All taken care of sweetheart, anything else you need covered?” Picking up your head, you smiled softy, shaking your head no and splashing your face with the warm water.

When your eyes opened, Emmett held out his hand, the silver key placed in the middle of his palm, suds of bubbles surrounding the metal object.

“Em! When did you get this?” In a hasty motion, you snatched the key from his hand, grinning like a school girl, thinking of how much you’re going to be coming over when his kids weren’t there.

Though part of you wanted to prod, to ask more questions about his life, maybe something small wouldn’t hurt.

“I know it took longer than expected but I went down to the store when I had the time, knew I promised you one and I’d feel much safer knowing you have a safe spot to go.” He held his poker face, thinking it was best not to get emotions involved and push you away, but his mind was on you even when you weren’t around. He was looking forward to texts, hearing your car pull up, seeing your dazzling face, all of it, and it was starting to frighten him. The thought of losing you was starting to scare him.

The next few weeks you found yourself staying with Emmett nearly four nights a week when he didn’t have the kids. 

He’d given you one of his cards to splurge and treat yourself whenever needed, never giving you a limit. The man worked nearly sixty hours a week by choice, but damn did he love spoiling you and seeing that smile light up your face. He’d grown to learn many of your interests, as you did his.

Starting to get used to you falling asleep in his arms, helping him with side projects without him asking.

Eventually introducing you to the Abbott’s during a backyard BBQ. They were kind people, never even batting and eye at the clear age difference, instead asking questions and seeming interested in your life.  Things were starting to change.

“Fucking thing.” Kicking the air conditioner that was broken, you giggled from where you lay on the bed, watching him repaint the wall with a paint roller, cigarette from his lips. 

Having an idea, you quietly removed your shit from behind him as he chattered on about all the things he wants to redo in the house, though nothing need it considering it was all brand new.

Unclasping your bra and removing your shorts along with black laced panties you had on. You positioned yourself at the headboard, spreading your legs and running your fingers in between the fold of your heat.

“Daddy?”

“Yes darlin?” When he turned around his eyes sparked with excitement, cigarette falling into the paint but he didn’t have a car in the world.

He was too focused on your breasts hanging freely, the way your fingers were rubbing your soaked heat, seeing the small amount of nectar dripping out from your glorious cunt, landing ontop of one of his astray shirts under you.

Taking a step forward, he closed the distance by burying his face between your thighs, lapping his tongue over you sweet succulency, not minding the smell of sweat on this hot summer day.

His hand slowly slid up your thigh, eventually resting on your breast, cupping the sensitive skin gently as his tongue rotated in agonizingly slow circular motions around your throbbing clit, releasing a desperate mewl from between your lips.

His free hand teased your dripping cunt before submerging deeply into your tight, warm abyss. The sudden intrusion taking you by surprise. His fingers worked at stretching your tight hole while he ate you pussy like it was the last meal he was ever going to have. Sucking sensual kisses on your clit, his tongue gliding and flicking between your folds while his beard rubbed roughly against your smooth skin.

Your hand reached for the metal headboard in a lustful haze, glancing down only to be met with Emmett’s determined, icy eyes as he passionately devoured all of you, his digits curling inside of your tight, drenched pussy, quickening his motions.

His fingers were much bigger than your own and felt so desirably good filling the void in your body.

“Fuck daddy, more- more please.” Your ass grinded down against him, thighs tightening around his head nearly suffocating him in your sex. His beard burning the sensitive skin. Removing his hand from your breast, he squeezed your leg, wanting you to use all the strength you had to keep him locked in, and you did.

Adding another finger, his pace was sending you over the edge, needing to feel your cum on his face. His tongue was licking, and rotating around your clit so fast that it felt like a vibration.

He never once looked away from your fucked out gaze, noticing beads of sweat forming on your chest, snd your back beginning to arch.

“Daddy-Daddy I’m gonna- Oh fuck!” Your ankles were crossed behind his neck, holding his head in place as you fell to crumbles.

Losing all sense of reality, forgetting where you were as waves of pleasure crashed over you body, painting Emmett’s face with your delectable nectar.

When you legs loosened, he came up for air, wiping his beard with the back of his hand.

Seeing you so weak at the knees, muscles still convulsing from the extraordinary explosion, he wanted to see just how far he could push you.

“Round 2?” Whimpering but also desperate for his cock to be subermerged inside of you.

Panting you allowed him to pull you up from your fragile, tired position on the bed, leading you out the sliding glass door onto the balcony facing the backyard.

“Isn’t someone going to see?”

“Well that’s the appeal of it, risk of getting caught, now lemme see that sweet ass.” 

Pulling down his pants, he bent you over the balcony, stretching your cheeks apart to see that eager, throbbing cunt, still drained from just minutes ago, before fully impaling you with his cock in one swift motion.

If it weren’t for his nails digging into the sides of your hips, you were sure you would have fallen over the cool metal railing that was digging into your torso.

The warm breeze mixed with the adrenaline of possibly someone seeing the private act made you all the more turned on. Your walls tightened around him, your clit sore from being overstimulated as he clutched your ass cheeks, slamming into you relentlessly, the sweat building between your warm bodies. If Emmett was sure of one thing it was that you had the tightest, unstretched pussy he’d ever been in, and fuck was he grateful that you found him as attractive as he found you.

Placing his hands on both side of your head on the rail, he closed the gap between you, his dick as far in your kaleidoscope trench as possible, while he leaned in, whispering sweet words of praise into your ear.

“Look at you, taking my cock so good baby girl….you’re doing amazing…think you can last?” Shaking your head no, your body was more than tired, rendering you speechless for words. Not wanting to push you too far Emmett quickened his pace, watching your ass ricochet off his torso before shooting his cum up into your overstimulated pussy.

When the semester neared an end, you fretted over losing Emmett now that there were less bills for him to pay, diminshing the original agreement. A part of you, though it was against the rules, was catching feelings for the older, mature man. No guy before has ever treated you with such kindness, or put your needs before his own. He was chivalrous, attractive, caring, and now here you were at his door step nervous to turn the lock and see how this conversation would go.

Walking in the aroma of freshly cooked eggs, and possibly ham filled your senses. Rounding the corner he was in the kitchen, cooking with the table already set for two, along with what looked like to be a present.

“Just in time, food’s about done. Have a seat.” He dished out the breakfast onto the plates, filling the porcelain mugs with steaming coffee.

He glanced down, noticing the nervous habit you had of twiddling your thumbs and shaking your leg. Deep down, he knew what this was about, but he had no intention of ending it anytime soon.

Taking his seat, he folded his hands beneath his chin, nodding toward the present.

“Open it.” He tried to hide his smile behind his hands, excited for you to what he had gotten you.

Removing the gold tissue paper from the bag, you pulled out a medium sized blue square box that read Tiffany’s.

Upon opening it, there lay a beautiful, diamond encrusted necklace, holding your birth stone in a heart shaped locket, with the initials of your name, and birthday engraved on the back of the heart. The diamonds shimmered in the sunlight peering in through the window. You wanted to cry, thinking this could be the last gift and last time you see Emmett.

“Em, this-this is beautiful. How much did you-“

“Don’t worry about it. You deserve it and more. I know your college career is nearing an end, and I just want to address the elephant in the room. There’s one more thing in the bag.” Holding back tears, and reaching further in, you pulled out a pair of car keys.

Looking up at confused, he nodded toward the garage, leading you out to his big surprise.

There sat a brand new car, with tinted windows. In Emmett’s opinion your car was a piece of shit, and you needed a reliable one. There were no holding back the tears anymore.

Gasping in astonishment, Emmett came uo behind you, wrapping his arms around your torso, resting his head upon your shoulder.

“You like it?” Unable to form words, you simply nodded before turning and nuzzling your head into his neck, forming a puddle on his warm skin, surely staining his shirt. He rubbed circles into your back soothingly, and slowly.

“Honey it’s okay. I’ve been doing some thinking. How would you feel about moving in permanently?” All of a sudden your tears stopped, and your lips curved into a quivering smile, taken by surprise from his offer.

“But-but our agreement-“

“Darlin’ I’d be a fool to let you go, especially with how close we’ve grown together. What do you say?” 

A week later, all of your belongings were moved in, there may or may not have been some sex involved when you saw Emmett carrying the boxes in, not needing a singular hand of help.

Sitting at the table eating dinner together, it finally felt like things were piecing together, but what was next made you nervous.

“So I was thinking, my kids have a baseball game coming up. I figured it’d be a good opportunity for you to meet them. How would you feel about that?” Stopping from chewing, you placed the silverware down onto the glass table, wiping at the sides of your mouth before looking at Emmett hesitantly.

“Oh Em- I’d love to but is their mom going to be okay with it? Nora’s her name right?” He nodded in return, scoffing not really caring what his ex wife would have to say or think about the subject.

“She’ll be fine, besides, she didn’t ask me about them meeting her new husband.”

So it was settled. 

The drive to the game you were consistently asking Emmett questions about them. The food they like, their hobbies, movies, extracurricular activties.

Emmett smiled and couldn’t help but chuckle at how anxious you were, he thought it was cute seeing you take an interest and at the same time freaking out in the passenger seat, but he did his best to answer all your questions before pulling into the lot.

The sight of seeing the Lee’s calmed your nerves immensely, that was until a woman approached you, with who you assumed to be one of Emmett’s son’s.

“Hey buddy!” Emmett swooped the boy up in his arms effortlessly, while Nora ignored your existence. Bidding her som goodbye and handing Emmett an overnight bag, he rolled his eyes at how immature and inconsiderate she could be.

“Daddy I want to sit down.” He nodded, motioning you follow his lead pass the crowd, holding his son with one hand underneath his bum, while clutching your hand with the other

Nora sat on the opposite side of the bleachers, glancing over at you every now and then with hateful, disgusted eyes while his son sat beside you with Emmmett, the Abbott’s not too far from you guys

“Don’t pay her any mind, she thrives off negativity now that she got promoted to CEO of some big, fancy company.” Lee’s wife was always very friendly, and pleasent toward you, wanting to ensure you were comfortable, and always able to come to her for anything. Even giving you advice on how to manage kids since you didn’t have much experience.

When the game came to a break, his other son came forth.

“Guys, I have someone I’d like to you meet, this is Y/N, she’ll be staying with me, and I know she’s been dying to meet you.” Introducing yourself, his sons were very sweet but entirely focused on the game regardless of the break, still chattering on about the score. A lightbulb went off in your head, talking about the time you used to play softball as a kid. Mentioning how you had too many baseball jersey’s, offering them each one from a MLB game you attended a few years ago.

Their eyes lit up and though Emmett was no sap, his heart melted at the conversation, seeing his boy happy and screaming in excitement.

Perhaps this was a start of something new, something worth lasting.

[fckbatmanhiskidsareminenow]

Kill me slowly, Baby you know I don’t fucking mind

warnings: vent fic about illness, mildly graphic depictions/imagery of physical and mental illness

tim drake centric

title: life waster by corpse (don’t look at me ok im embarrassed)

word count: 912

beta read and edited by the lovely @vespertilionis

Do not cry. Do not cry.

That’s all Tim can tell himself as he stiffly walks back to his car. He knows how this is going to go, he’s not too sure why he got his hopes up. He feels like an idiot.

Finally, in the safety of his car, he actually looks down at the referrals he has been given. One for a CT scan and the other for an overabundance of blood tests. He didn’t ask for either. All he wanted was a referral to see an ENT, but the doctor hadn’t even looked at him before she started talking over him and suggesting other ideas.

There’s a few things we can do before you see an ENT. It’s been a year since he started feeling like this. All he wanted was to see a specialist, someone who would know what was wrong.

It’s probably not what you think it is. Probably?

You’re crazy, nothing is wrong with you.

Nothing is wrong.

Nothingiswrongnothingiswrongnothingiswrong

He throws the referrals across the car before slamming his fist into the steering wheel and letting out the loudest scream he could.

It peters off into a sob when he realises he can’t hear anything. Well, anything but a high ringing. He sits there hyperventilating in his own version of silence.

He calls the CT place while driving, desperately trying to sound like he hasn’t been crying. He almost breaks down when the receptionist mentions he had the same test done around this time last year.

As he pulls into the driveway of the manor, he takes a moment to calm down. Firstly, because he doesn’t want to talk about it, and secondly, because he feels guilty for being upset. At least the doctor was running tests. Sure, she didn’t really listen to him and suggested tests for allergies and anemia, which he is sure he didn’t have, but she still decided to do tests. Other people have been sick for years and don’t have doctors listen to them, so he should be grateful.

Maybe she doesn’t think he’s crazy.

He tries not to think about the fact that if the CT scan comes back and shows his sinuses blocked, the doctor might put him on his fourth round of antibiotics. Even after the other three rounds have completely tanked his immune system. Or that if the blood tests show he is anemic, she might focus on that instead of the actual problem. Like the horrible constant congestion that makes him feel like his brain is being compressed into a liquid that’s going to explode out of his ears and nose. Or that if he does have the disease he thinks he does, he might lose his hearing. He really doesn’t want to think about that part.

When he enters the manor, he heads straight for the cave. He’s hoping for the perfectly healthy distraction of vigilantism. His hopes are immediately crushed when Bruce turns to him and asks him how the appointment went.

“Oh, uh, it went ok. We’re redoing some of the tests we did last year,” he says awkwardly, wishing for once Bruce would notice he didn’t want to talk about it. Once again, his wishes go unheard as the older man just looks concerned.

“You don’t seem too happy about that.”

No shit, man, no clue how you got the title of world’s greatest detective.

He tries to push away the resurfacing anger by laughing, but it comes out wrong.

“Yeah well, last time the results didn’t really get us anywhere. So, I was kinda hoping she would try something else.” Another laugh. Bruce nods and turns away. Either he finally got the hint or doesn’t know where to go with Tim’s response.

Relieved that the conversation is finally over, he starts heading to the computer when he hears Jason scoff.

“Ya know what I think you need? Some concrete to harden you up.”

Harden you up. Fucking whiny baby.

Harden you up. Ungrateful child.

Harden you up. Nothings wrong with you Tim, you’re out of your mind.

Tim stops in his tracks and turns his head slowly to face the older boy.

“What?” he says coldly, causing Jason to raise his hands in surrender.

“Hey! I was just joking with you.” he laughs, and Tim’s eye twitches.

“No, explain it to me, so I can understand how it was supposed to be funny.” He can feel the anger rising again. Jason lowers his arms, looking guilty for his ‘joke’, but Tim couldn’t care less.

“I just meant that you complain a lot. It’s kinda miserable.” He answers, sounding defeated, but again Tim couldn’t care less.

“Why do you think that is Jason? Do you think I’m complaining because it’s fun?” “No—“ “No! I’m not! I am fucking miserable! I’m exhausted and dizzy and I feel like my brain is rotting in my skull! And I’m sick of people not listening to me and thinking I’m fucking CRAZY!”

His throat hurts from screaming. He’s hyperventilating again, but he can’t hear it over the sound of the ringing again. It hurts. He shakes his head to try and clear it, but it just makes the world spin around him. A hand reaches out to steady him but he pushes it away.

“Don’t fucking touch me.” God, his voice is always so much louder when his ears are blocked.

He stumbles up the stairs, knowing he’s probably stomping, but he can’t hear that either.

[kaonarvna]

FROG UPDATE!

We're finally able to tell the frogs apart! And as such, we're finally able to figure out their personalities/different behaviours!

"Log" spends all his day in The Log™, and as a result his camo is BROWN all the time. Log isn't too active, but likes making lots of noise. He cronks often at night, and periodically throughout the day when he hears a cronky noise (car horns, some songs, certain doors, coughing). He doesn't like to jump when he hunts, he sits in place, waits for food to come in front of him, and shoves it into his mouth with his little frog hands. Brutal, but very efficient. He handles really well, doesn't put up any fuss when picked up, but cronks every time he changes location (main viv to feeding tank and back, lmao). (Below is Log, freshly emerged from his log)

And "Rog" spends all his day in a plastic green hide attached to the glass. So he's GREEN most of the time now, at least until late at night. Rog is a bastard. Rog has taken a liking to trying to climb me. If you so much as come near the vivarium doors, he'll lock onto you with intent to jump. You can see the schemes in his little frog face. He seems a little too eager to be handled, and doesn't want to be put down. He wants to climb me like a goddamn tree; he does not do this with my spouse. Just me. Rog seems to recognise me, and is comfortable trying to jump straight at me. Rog is a very eager eater, and prefers to jump at his food rather than shoving fistful of cricket into his mouth. He eats fast and aggressively. When it's time to return to the viv after eating, he doesn't want to let go of my (gloved) hand during transfers. He still likes to hang out on the rock (rog) at night, once lights are out. Rog croaks too, often in call and response with Log. If Log starts croaking for an extended period, Rog cronks in between his cronks. It's so fucking loud. You cannot imagine how loud two pubescent frogs having a screaming contest at 3am can be. (Below is Rog, locked onto me, ready to jump)

At night they both tend to go brown once Rog leaves his hide, and we can't tell them apart too distinctly. We're starting to figure out behavioural difference, though! Only took us uuuuh three months.

I swear frogs are liquid. Depending on how they sit they either look tiny or extremely chunky. They're lush. So happy they're healthy and comfortable in their viv, and have come to anticipate the routine of being fed every other day.

[aplaceinthedark]

chapter ten: DOWN in HELL AFTER ALL

Summary: Down in the Shenandoah Valley, there lay a court consisting of the Grim, the Drowned, the Witch and the Watcher.

CW: supernatural themes, alcohol consumption, bodily injury, body horror, graphic violence, religious trauma, blood, physical assault, minor character death

Every chapter will have a different cw section. This is Bad Omens rpf, so obviously I don't know all the little nuances of the members or their family members.

A/N: Some things are color-coded. If any of you are colorblind lemme know. 

I breathed in, eyes slowly opening, feeling warm and…. enveloped. It was the only way I could describe the fullness I felt. Wrapped in a sweet, earthy scent, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes fully was a tattoo of an eye, a spiderweb, and a rose on a tan neck. And that’s when I realized I was naked. In my bed. With a man.

No, not just a man; Nick. And I was… happy?

The anxiety and unsureness crept in. Barely two weeks had passed since I met him, and last night just… happened. Were we moving too fast? I mean, I sure as hell had no regrets, but… what if he did?

My eyes fell to his chest, where I finally could get a proper look at the lonely tattoo. It was a simple circle made of thorns with occasional gaps, done in a golden ink that somehow looked like liquid gold. I gently traced my finger around it.

Nick made a noise, stirring at last. I tried to snatch my hand away, but he moved the hand that had been tucked up above his head to take my hand and place it back on his chest.

“G’morning,” he groaned, his low voice raspy with sleep.

“Morning,” I said quietly.

“You doing okay?” he asked. His thumb started running circles on my hand, and I felt his other rub circles on my shoulder. I practically melted into his touch.

“Mmhmm,” I hummed.

“Good, good…” His voice trailed off. I felt him shift under the covers.

My eyes were pulled back to the circlet. “You’ll have to tell me about your tattoos sometime,” I said, my finger tracing the golden thorns again. I could see a trail of goosebumps left in its wake.

“That one… That’s for the Court,” he said. He chuckled quietly. “We used to call ourselves the Bad Omens, y’know?”

“No. Why’d you call yourselves that?”

“Because it’s considered a bad omen to see the others. Y’know, like a black cat crossing your path?” Nick said. “Needless to say, we don’t go by that name anymore.”

“I don’t know, it sounds kind of neat,” I admitted.

“Well you’re the only one.”

I swatted at his chest, and he chuckled again, squeezing my shoulders and kissing my forehead. My anxiety from earlier melted away.

Nick slowly trailed kisses down my face until he reached my lips, where he hovered for a few seconds before lightly pecking once, twice. On the third time, he lingered, licking the seam between like a plea for entrance. I had just opened my mouth when he let out a groan of frustration.

I pulled away. “What? What is it?”

“Noah… is out front,” Nick said, slightly out of breath. His lips crashed back down onto mine before pulling away again.

“If he’s going to keep interrupting, then we might as well see what he wants,” I said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Nick sighed forcefully. Noah was about to get an earful.

Nick scrambled to pick up his clothes and put them on as I picked through my dresser for some shorts and a tank top. After I was done changing, I turned around, catching him staring. The way he was looking at me, I was certain he was about to make Noah wait a little bit more, but he then tore his gaze away and walked out.

Noah was indeed waiting on the front porch, drinking the now-warm beer I had left for him last night. To my surprise, Folio was with him. Of course, no Jolly.

Before I could ask, Folio sniffed. "You smell like sex."

Nick sighed as Noah choked on a sip. "You must be a delight at parties," I said.

"I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never been to one." He grinned.

Shockingly, Noah has remained quiet, which I thought was odd since he was so insistent that we got up. I couldn’t tell if he was conversing with Nick in his mind. Which was mildly infuriating, to be honest.

But as Nick pulled out a carton of cigarettes from his back pocket, he spoke aloud, “Spit it out. What’s so important that you had to drag us out of bed?”

“Well, I was going to tell you last night, when we were supposed to meet up. But you guys sounded busy,” Noah said, peering over his shoulder at the last word. My face grew hot.

“Well, you’re here now,” Nick said, a slight edge creeping into his voice. Noah’s eyes flashed, but it was only for a fleeting moment as he turned back around.

I glanced over at Folio, who had just glanced over at me, because when our eyes connected, he just made a face and shrugged. Yeah, that made two of us.

“We searched through the valley last night, but found no trace of any cult activity… or anything, for that matter,” Folio said.

“So if they are meeting, it’s not in the forest,” Noah said.

“They might be meeting in town,” Nick said. “They might’ve learned from their predecessors that they can’t exactly do their dirt work out in the woods.”

My gaze wandered up, and my eyes caught on my security camera. “Fuck! I forgot about that!” I exclaimed. I ran back into the house to grab my phone. I mindlessly scrolled through the app’s footage as I headed back to the porch.

“What are you freaking out about now?” Noah asked. I shot him a look and then pointed above my head to the doorway.

“I might’ve gotten a shot of the people who came to my door yesterday,” I said, going back to scrolling through footage. “Nick, you wouldn’t happen to know the person if I showed you, would you?”

“I mean, probably, yeah,” he said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

“Granted, I don’t know how good it’ll be, since there were a few nights when it would go offline and—“

“That was me,” Noah said.

My head shot up. “That was—“

“Well, couldn’t have you spying on me while I snuck onto your front porch now, could I?” Noah stated.

“Hold up.” Nick grabbed my arm, bringing me back to my phone. “Yeah, I know them.”

I scrolled back the footage until two men’s bodies walked up to the door. And one of them—

“He was the guy at the restaurant last Sunday!” I gasped.

“Should’ve realized something was up when he babbled about the Watcher,” Nick muttered. It was then his turn to go indoors. He came back out with his keys.

“You’re not gonna fight him, are you?” I asked incredulously.

Nick gave me a “don’t be ridiculous” look. “No, I’ve got to get back to Granny’s anyways. I forgot to let her know I wouldn’t be back last night,” he said.

“Dude, you’re 30,” Folio said, making Nick roll his eyes.

“Yes, I know that. I’m also a respectful grandson.”

“Hold on, I’m coming too,” I said.

“Relax, I’m not gonna fight the guy. Once I smooth things over with Granny, I’ll be back.” He kissed my forehead. “Don’t let them bully you.”

With that, he hopped off the porch and walked to his car, which the three of us watched drive off. I then turned to the two men.

“Would you like to come in?”

Folio was the first one in, bounding in and immediately lying on the couch. A part of me wanted to scold him for putting his muddy feet on my couch, but I immediately realized that this was probably the first time he’d been on a couch in ten years. So I let it slide.

Noah didn’t linger. His long strides took him immediately toward the back of my house. Confused, I followed.

“Your family lived here?” I asked.

“Just me and my mom,” Noah said, nudging open my bedroom door with the toe of his boot.

“There’s not a bomb in there,” I said.

“No, something else is in here—“ he said, waltzing in. He made a beeline for my dresser.

“Dude, what are—“ I winced as he easily moved my dresser away from the wall, the sound of scraping wood like nails on a chalkboard. He then pressed on the wall, partially lifting up a section of the wood paneling. “What are you doing?”

He inserted long fingers into the gap and pulled the panel free. Like he’s done this before. “Relax, little rabbit, I’m not ruining the property value of our house,” he said.

“I told you, don’t call me that,” I said, holding my arms over my chest. I watched as he shoved his whole arm into the hole; my mouth popped open when he pulled out a small lockbox. “How long ha—“

“I put it here when I had my doubts about Elin,” Noah said. “I didn’t even tell Nick about this.” He flicked the latch open.

Inside were papers: notebook pages, sketchbook pages, pages torn from books. There was also some little trinkets and ephemera, stuff I didn’t get a good look at before he scooped them up and shoved them into his jacket pocket. He set the empty box on the floor.

“Come on, Folio. We’ve got what we needed,” he said.

“What?” Folio and I said at the same time. Noah unfolded himself and drew up to his full height before he strided out of my bedroom. “Where are you going?”

“Nothing that concerns you, little rabbit,” Noah said.

“Yes, it does!” I shouted. “If… That’s technically my property! Everything in this house technically—“

Noah stopped dead, and I ran right into him. It was like running right into a tree; he didn’t seem that broad with all those layers of clothes. In a semi-dazed state, I was barely aware of him turning around and grabbing me by the throat.

“Hey, No—“ Folio started.

Noah growled, spitting out words that sounded similar to those he had used to command Folio earlier. They must’ve been the same, because Folio stalked outside, but not before he shot me an apologetic look.

“Wh-What are—“ I choked out.

“Listen, just because you fucked Nick once doesn’t mean you’re a part of our little club,” Noah spat out. “So do us all a favor, and keep out of our business, because it’s about to get very, very bloo—“

Noah’s words stopped dead, and he let out a choked noise. He let go of me, and I dropped to the ground, gasping for breath.

Just then, Folio rushed back in. “What? What happened?” he demanded.

“Nick. Something happened to Nick.”

It was like a living nightmare at Granny's. The rainy, late morning on the street was wrecked by flashing lights of cop cars, ambulances and whatever else. The only car I had eyes for was Nick's, and it was motionless in the driveway.

The block was cordoned off by tape and the policemen, so there was no way I could get close to see the damage.

ANYTHING YET?

I gritted my teeth together. I had sped as fast as I could in my car, while Noah and Folio ran through the forest. Something about they couldn't get in my car; not that I wanted them to, not after the shit that Noah pulled. And now, despite hurting me, here he was trying to get a vantage point from me.

HEY. ANSWER ME.

I tried to remain focused on the scene before me, though my dark thoughts were a mess in–

ANSWER ME.

A sharp pain pierced behind my eyes at his command. Fuck you, I don't answer to you!

GET OVER YOURSELF. THERE'S MORE AT STAKE HERE.

God, you think I want anything to do with you? First you pretended to be nice to get inside my house, then you tried to kill me, and now you're all buddy-buddy because Nick might be in trouble? Fuck you.

There was a presence behind me, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I peered behind me and nearly jumped. "Jesus!" I hissed.

"A lot of people say that when they see me," Jolly said. He was wearing a shirt now, and sunglasses blocked his translucent eyes.

"I thought you couldn't leave the river," I whispered. We were in the middle of a crowd after all.

"Rain."

"Really? That's how you can leave the river?"

"Well, this is a really good reason to be away, ya?"

I turned back to Granny's house. "They haven't come out of there yet. I can't tell if Nick's in there or not."

OH, YOU'LL TELL JOLLY WHAT'S GOING ON, BUT NOT ME–

Quiet! I snapped at Noah. Out of the three of you, Jolly hasn't tried to kill me!

HILARIOUS, CONSIDERING HIS BODY COUNT.

I brushed aside that comment. "Is there a way to shut him out?" I asked.

Instead of answering me, Jolly lightly gripped my chin and turned my head to face the house. Where they were bringing out a stretcher. And a covered body.

"Nick–" I jolted forward, but Jolly grabbed my arm. His grip was cold and clammy, and it made my mind reel.

"That's not Nick," Jolly said.

"Then–" Oh god.

Granny.

My stomach plummeted. Possibilities ran wild through my head, but I kept my eyes on the door, half-expecting Nick to also walk out. But my eyes were drawn back to the body as the EMTs loaded the stretcher into the ambulance. They then closed the doors and drove off. Surely Nick would've gone with her if he–

NICK'S NOT IN THERE

There was a terrifying edge to Noah's tone. With how he'd treated me, I had forgotten that he could care for someone other than himself. Granny had probably been a family member to him, as much as she was to Nick.

That's when I saw something flash in the corner of my eyes. Little eyes reflecting light under nearby bushes. With all the doors opening, they must've escaped while no one was looking.

“Come on, vännen. Let's go. There's nothing for us here," Jolly said. Which couldn't be true. Granny was the first person in this town to take pity on me. There had to be something I could do–

“Shit. Hold on,” I said practically leaving Jolly in the dust. I managed to sneak past the few policemen, which wow, they sucked, and crouched near the bushes.

“Jerry... Lydia... c’mere!” I said quietly, and making the cat-attraction sound. It took a lot of coaxing, and maybe the recognized me or the slight scent of Nick, but eventually I managed to make my way back to Jolly with an armful of cats.

“Okay, let's go."

With Lydia and Jerry safely tucked away in my room, cuddled on the side of the bed Nick had slept in, I came out of my room to see only Folio in my house.

“Taylor, I'm sorry about–”

“You couldn't help it,” I muttered. “Was that word he used a command you had to follow?” He nodded. “Then forget it. We have more important things to worry about.”

Suddenly Folio shoved his way in between us. “Seriously? Fuckin’ fighting when something bad might've happened to Nick?" he shouted. “His grandma is dead, he's nowhere to be found. We need to find out where he is.”

I trekked outside, where the rain was absolutely pouring, and Noah stood on my front porch.

“How long have you loved him?" I asked.

“I'm not dignifying that–”

“Answer the question, Davis,” I spat out venomously. “Don't fuck with me right now. I've seen how you look at Nick. Just because you're jealous–”

“Jealous?” Noah hissed, towering over me. “Jealous of what, you? You've barely known him for a week! You think you know Nick? I've known him for fifteen years."

“And you think killing me was going to... what? Clear the way? You were the one trying to get me to stay. You were the one who told me he was lonely. So tell me.. what do you want?" I angrily demanded.

“I wanted you to stay, I didn't say fuck his brains out,” Noah hissed.

“Well guess what? He was the one who initiated. And you know what? It was the best sex I've ever–"

“Jolly,” Noah said, tearing his eyes away from mine. Jolly, who had been sitting in front of the porch this whole time, turned his head towards Noah, “see if you can find anything. You're free to search as long as the rain holds.”

Jolly nodded, standing up and taking off into the woods. I was sad to see him go, as he was the one I didn't feel like was going to kill me in the future.

"Why would he be in the woods?” Folio asked.

"This has the cult written all over it,” Noah said.

My stomach churned. “Why would they want Nick? It's way past the Summer Solstice,” I said.

"That's one thing I can't figure out," Noah muttered. “Granny's death was definitely not natural; Grannies can live way past a hundred years old.”

“Wait, Granny wasn't just a nickname?” I asked.

"No, Granny is a title in their practice. She just happened to be Nick's grandmother as well." Noah said.

“Can't you just... see where he is? Through your mind-talking power?” I asked.

Noah sighed. “I tried. I can't get a feel for him. Which is another reason why I don't think he's okay.”

Something in my stomach fluttered. It’s been hours since Nick left. If something happened to him, it could already be too late. For what though, I had no clue. I was absolutely stumped.

Maybe Noah was right. I barely knew Nick. What claim do I really have over him? I was just someone who stumbled into their territory unwillingly. I hadn’t grown up scared of the townspeople possibly coming after me. I was a stranger.

I was lost.

I leaned back against the house and slowly crumbled to the ground, folding in on myself. What could I even do? I didn’t have magic powers or the ability to change into a form more suited for this. I was just a regular human, someone who couldn’t even decide what gender they wanted to be.

“Hey.”

That’s when I felt hands on my shoulders. I looked up, Folio crouched next to me, but it was Noah who was talking. “We’ll find him,” he said.

“Not for me,” I muttered.

“Maybe not," he said, shrugging, “but let's handle this one problem at a time.”

“We can find the guy who was in the footage," Folio said.

“I don't know where he lives,” I said.

“I do,” Noah said. “And he has easy access to the forest."

“You should... probably stay here,” Folio said, patting me on the shoulder.

“Why?" I demanded.

"I told you it was going to get bloody, didn’t I?” Noah said, standing up. And I’m not going to hold back with Nick's life on the line.”

I swallowed. At least he was warning me. “Fine. Do what you do," I said.

“Oh, we fully plan on it," Noah said, grinning. I swore I could hear twigs snapping with the movement.

Tysm for reading! Next chapter coming soon!

[meowmeowuchiha]

how the snikety snack do I do the whole “set up aquarium keep fish alive and happy” thing?? I was gifted a 3 gal and a 5 gal tank and a bunch of this whit powder nonsense (looks like coke and I’m tired rn so I cannot be bothered to dig it out to figure out what it actually is) I’d like to do a Betta in the 3 gal and like maybe a couple small fish in the bigger one?? Do you have any recommendations? Thank you for your time and putting up with this ramble

DFZCGdgchvj

Okay so

Without knowing what the white powder is I can't tell you anything about that.

As for setting it up, it's going to be the same for a betta as it is for other small fish!!!

Find the substrate you want (gravel is easier to clean, but sometimes people would rather use sand) and after you rinse it (with gravel at least you poke a bunch of tiny holes in the bottom, cut the top off, then run it under the faucet) just dump it in the tank! Typically you want roughly a pound of substrate for each one gallon, but this can vary depending on how deep you want the substrate and the overall footprint of the tank.

Then, select an appropriately sized filter and heater. Personally, I don't recommend anything Tetra brand, as I've heard far more bad than good about it. My top recommendation for filters is the Fluval aquaclear series, as you can decide what kind of filter media you want, can adjust the flow rate, and they typically last a long time. I have the size 20 filter on my 3 gallon (it's recommended for 5-20 gal) and I can adjust the flow rate enough so it doesn't bother my half-moon betta at all!!! For heaters, it's a lot easier. I just have a little aqueon heater for my 3 gallon, and it's worked just fine for me. Just make sure you have a thermometer so you can monitor the temperature of the tank properly, because if you don't, you might not catch it if the heater breaks for some reason.

Then decide on the decor.

That's going to be more personal taste than anything, with the only real exception being if you have fish with very long, flowing fins (like most bettas you'll find in shops). Plastic plants tend to be really rough, and sometimes fish with large fins can knock them into the rough decor and shred them up a bit. So if you get a long finned betta, I recommend either silk or live plants. Most live plants don't require extra care, either! If you want to know more specifically about live aquarium plants, just shoot me another ask. I don't want to do a COMPLETE info dump on you all in one post.

Once you have all that decided, you put it all together and fill it up! If using tap water, you'll need a water conditioner to make it safe. I always recommend Prime. You get the most bang for your buck with that, and it doesn't just get rid of chlorine, but also chloramines, which some places use instead of chlorine. Most other conditioners ONLY remove chlorine.

With the betta, you can typically put one in immediately since they're incredibly hardy, but best practice is to wait for a week or so until the tank "cycles", meaning the nitrogen cycle has stabilized itself. With other fish, you practically HAVE TO wait until the cycle stabilizes. Big chain pet stores and even most local fish stores offer free testing of your water, so you'll know if it's cycled or not. You can also get your own testing kit, and I ALWAYS recommend the liquid test kits, as they're far more accurate and easier to read than the strips. They all have instructions in them and they're easy to follow, even if it can sometimes feel tedious.

Once everything is set up and fish are in there, then it's typically fairly simple.

Turn lights on and off, leaving them on for roughly 8 hours (6-10 is my recommendation if you want to avoid a bunch of algae)

Feed once a day, never any more than the fish can eat within one minute (I prefer pellet foods, as they make far less of a mess and are easier to portion. Bettas will get 2-4 pellets a day, usually)

Change roughly 20% of the water once a week to once every other week, depending on how many fish you have

If any issues like diseases crop up, then you can Google, ask pet store employees (those who work with fish at least), ask others you know who have fish, or ask me again!!!!

Best of luck in your new adventure and don't hesitate to reach out and send me another ask if you need to!!!

[harrywavycurly]

Hi Sarah would it be too much to ask for the reader talking to Wayne about Eddie or just life? Love you🖤

Hiii babes!! It’s not too much to ask for at all!! I hope you like these little random conversations with Wayne!💖

-I went with Eddie being your fiancé and that’s why Wayne is just so used to you✨

*Wayne is used to your rants and he may never admit it but he may kinda sorta love you more lol*

“He said what now?” “He said he doesn’t like it.” “He doesn’t like it? It’s cheese and chicken with rice what’s not to like?” “I added broccoli to his because he needs to eat more vegetables so maybe that’s why he doesn’t like it?” “You added broccoli? You forget you’re dating a man with the eating habits of a toddler.” “Even toddlers eat vegetables Wayne.” “Well…yeah okay that’s true.”

“You said it’s making a weird noise?” “Yeah it rattles when I turn it on.” “Now don’t go bitting my head off okay but is there gas in the tank?” “Uhhh I think so?” “You think so?” “I mean I got here just fine.” “You live two trailers down…” “God you sound just like him when you say things like that.”

“You have anymore coffee uncle Wayne?” “I had a feeling you’d be by so I made an extra pot.” “How’d you know?” “It’s Friday.” “Do I really come over here every Friday?” “Like clockwork darlin. I hear Eddie’s van go down the road and not even five minutes later you’re walking through my front door.” “Well it’s the only time I have to get you up to speed on the neighborhood gossip.” “Well please enlighten me on what’s going on in our neck of the woods oh and there’s creamer in the fridge for you.” “You bought creamer? You just use milk.” “Yeah but you don’t like milk as much so figured if you’re gonna be here every week might as well make sure you can at least enjoy your coffee while you’re here.” “You Munson really know how to make a girl feel special.” “Oh come on and just tell me what you know about the new neighbor that moved in behind Mrs. Thomas’s place.”

“Now hold on a minute where are you?” “I’m at the Lover’s Lake.” “And where’s that fiancé of yours? I don’t see the van in the driveway.” “He’s at work and I hate bothering him at work.” “You know he’s not gonna be happy when he hears you called me first.” “I’ll deal with him later but do you mind coming to get me please? Both of my bike tires are flat I must’ve gone over a broken bottle or something.” “Yeah I’ll come get you. Now you got shoes on right? And a jacket? It’s freezing out tonight.” “Why do you two always ask if I’m wearing shoes? It was one time I drove in slippers okay just once!” “Now what about a jacket?” “I…don’t have one on.” “I got a spare in the truck. I’ll be there in like five minutes.” “You’re gonna call him aren’t you?” “Just gonna tell him you’re fine and not to worry.” “Right as if telling Edward Munson not to worry has ever worked.” “If I don’t call him then you better.” “No you can call him it’s fine.” “That’s what I thought.”

“Now if someone in there makes you mad what do you do?” “Walk away.” “Good that’s right you just walk away don’t pay em any attention.” “Even Tina?” “Especially Tina. You know she’s looking for a reason to ban you from the mini mart for life.” “If you see me running you’ll be ready to haul ass home right?” “That’s what a getaway car is for.” “Perfect I think they even made Hopper come in just in case I lash out.” “But that’s not going to happen right?” “Nope I’m going to be on my best behavior.” “Good now pick up some bananas while you’re in there for me okay?” “You’ve been using them to take your vitamins?” “Yeah it’s not too bad actually.” “Good! Don’t tell him but I’ve been putting some liquid vitamins in Eddie’s oatmeal the last few weeks.” “It’s not a secret. He knows.” “Damn it. I thought I was being so sneaky.”

“I love him.” “I know you do.” “But it’s hard sometimes.” “What’s going on? Need me to whoop his ass?” “No no it’s not him. It’s me.” “Oh come on there’s nothing wrong with you.” “I’m chaos on two feet uncle Wayne I don’t know how he puts up with me. Who manages to get lost in their own home town at least once a month? Me! Who gets stuck in the middle of a fucking lake alone? Me.” “I mean okay yeah you keep him on his toes but he loves you. And I mean he really really loves you. I’ve never…I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.” “I just feel like I don’t deserve him.” “Oh please you two idiots deserve each other. No one else can handle him and sure as shit no one else can handle you.” “We are a couple of idiots huh?” “Yeah but I love ya both.” “You love me more though right? You can tell me I won’t tell him.”

“Can I borrow your ladder uncle Wayne?” “Absolutely not.” “Why?” “Because you on a ladder is a death trap.” “That’s exactly what he said. You two really are related.” “Just tell me what you need it for and I’ll do it.” “I need to change the lightbulb on the front and back porch.” “Is he working an overnight?” “Yeah so it’s just me and Freddy.” “I’ll come by and change the lightbulbs and if you and Freddy wanna come over for dinner that’s fine.” “I’ll bring brownies. I just made some last night.” “Won’t he be upset? You know he loves those damn things.” “I’ll make it up to him don’t worry.” “I…don’t…even wanna know.” “God you two are ridiculous I swear.”

[silkscream]

it’s missing arvin hourssss if you’re open to a req!! the towns in the midst of a heat wave and arvin can’t get over how you look licking a cherry ice pop on the tailgate of his truck

MDNI 18+ ONLY

goddd i miss him sm. you know that humidity is getting the best of him, but he's trying real damn hard to be productive out in the garden pulling weeds so the summer vegetables can thrive.

meanwhile, you're sitting pretty on the open bed of his truck in your halter tank and matching shorts, sprawled under the western sun. you like watching arvin work -- you like the way the veins in his arm flex when he grips the earth, like how when he wipes the sweat off his brow his dirty white tee hitches up just in the slightest to reveal his happy trail. you like those momentary looks he gives you, knowing full well that his eyes are scanning your bare legs before nodding at you casually like he isn’t fully smitten. the twinkly sound of the neighborhood’s ice cream truck’s jingle makes your ears perk up.

“you want a lemonade or somethin’, arv?” you beckon after him once you get to your feet.

“��m good, baby,” he gruffs, fixated now on some sort of carpentry project in the garage. pouting, you skip your feet less than a block to get a treat, batting your eyes generously enough for the teenage clerk to stammer over his words and fuck his counting over a handful of coins. ultimately, your warm face makes him give in, so he lets you off the hook and lets you buy the little girl in line behind you an ice cream, too. he’s bewitched after you wink goodbye.

arvin doesn’t notice your return, which makes you roll your eyes. and you’re not one to be needy, anyways, so you crank up the radio to drown out the sounds of manual labor with doo-wop, and you suck on your cherry ice pop. it’s refreshing, it really is, but what’s more refreshing is the moment arvin looks up to see you in the bed of his truck blooming like a flower with carnation-red lips. 

“is it getting all over me?” you pout. “or do you want some?”

“i want something, alright,” arvin mumbles under his breath. “you tryna put on a little show for me, pretty thing? chrissake.”

“father benjamin says not to say the lord’s name in vain.”

“fuck father benjamin.”

you giggle, pushing the red popsicle deeper into your mouth until liquid dribbles down to your chin. you struggle to clean yourself up, cupping your palm to collect the excess as arvin stares.

“you’re fuckin’ killing me, doll.”

“huh? i’m mindin’ my own fuckin’ business,” you chuckle. “if you’re so desperate for a break, just take one, vinny.”

he sighs, looking back into the garage as he wipes his face with his t-shirt. he does it deliberately -- arvin isn’t one to show off, but he knows what makes you tick -- as he exposes his bare midriff and the defined lines of his abs.

“think i might take a cold shower. think you might need one, too.”

before you can register it, arvin takes a few steps closer to you just so he can kiss you on your neck, lick you down to your chest where he can lap up the sweet slick of the cherry ice pop that had melted and dripped onto your skin without you noticing. you gasp at the feeling and immediately feel a fluttering in your core.

“you’re getting it all over your hands, angel,” he gives you a low chuckle, lips right near your earlobe. “better clean you up, huh?”

it takes less than two minutes for the two of you to walk back into the house to turn on the shower -- water running cold -- but he doesn’t even bother to get you into it. instead, he’s quick to strip off your matching set along with his t-shirt and jeans, whiplash overcoming your senses when he’s got you leaning over the bathroom sink with his mouth licking up the sweat on your neck.

he loves you like this -- submissive and bent down under him with his hand around your throat while the mirror starts to fog up from your desperate pants. the moment you feel him slide into you from behind, your skin feels like it’s on fire, which may be counterproductive considering the heat wave both of you are trying to escape, but both of you are too busy riding the throes of ecstasy to care.

it’s so much -- the feeling of his thick cock, the sweltering heat, his fingers in your mouth. 

“fuck, honey,” arvin grunts into your shoulder. “most beautiful woman i ever seen. shit.”

you moan back unintelligibly. maybe it’s the heat, the sweat, the pheromones working on overdrive, because arvin doesn’t expect to be this close so fast. he’s got your hair balled up in his fist as he thrusts into you, a much more fulfilling workout than the damn yard work consuming all his days.

when he does cum, so do you. your thighs nearly give out, actually, shaking from the impact of him being so deep that the coil inside of you breaks completely. your stomach aches in inferno, but you suppose the pain is worth it if it’s always going to be this honey-sweet.

[penmansparadise]

Steve Harrington ~ As It Should Be

*I DO NOT OWN THIS GIF* *CREDIT TO THE GIF OWNER*

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader with Powers

Word Count: 8.2k

Warnings: S3 AND S4 SPOILERS. Mild language.  Mentions of canon violence.  Mentions of death.  Kind of touches of PTSD or past trauma. Let me know if I missed any!

a/n: I am so sorry that this one took me forever to post!! I was battling COVID, which was not fun, and now I’m traveling. But here it is! This was requested from my Wattpad. I know I said this one was going to be two parts, but I didn’t want to do that. Every time I do that, I make my request list longer, and I’d like to reopen them at some point for those who have been asking me. So, instead, you get this 8.2k long story lol. Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this one even though it took me so long. Just to give you a little insight, the request asked that Y/N have powers like Wanda Maximoff except green, not red. So, I hope I delivered that and portrayed it properly. Because you all liked when I gave you a look into my playlist when I write, I thought I’d tell you what I listened to for this one. I literally listened to one song on repeat, so if you want to be put into the same frame of mind, you can listen to it as well while reading. Thanks to someone who put me onto the Disney movie Descendants after my rant about how amazing Thomas Doherty is, I have been obsessed with the song “If Only” from the first movie. So, if you want to be transported, put it on repeat and read this story lol. My next post will be the much anticipated Robin Buckley x Fem!Reader Smut!! I know you all have been waiting for that one. As always, I appreciate all the support, it really does mean a lot, and I hope you all enjoy!!

§

Bright green liquid coursed through your veins, searing every inch of your body. You writhed in pain as it consumed you. It was all you could see in the darkness. Traces of green pumping through you, stinging as they became visible even through your skin. Just the neon green liquid until Billy’s face emerged out of the dark. Your rapid beating heart slowed as you took in his smiling face. So familiar and comforting – his curls a mess as usual and his bare shoulders and toned arms peeking out from his white tank top. He was bright and happy, just as you always tried to remember him. But then his smile fell, and the shadows on his face turned too dark. You tried to reach out to him, but you couldn’t move. Billy’s figure began to slide back like he was being dragged away from you. The darkness turned into a purple hue, and suddenly and so quickly, Billy was being impaled by the Mind Flayer.

His blood seeped through his shirt, staining its white fabric. Billy’s lips were parted, and you watched as the same tar-like substance from his chest dripped from his mouth. Your breathing quickened again as your surroundings grew clearer. You were standing in the Starcourt Mall, watching the life in your boyfriend’s eyes disappear for a second time. Max’s screams peeled through the air, echoing in your brain. You looked around, but she was nowhere to be found. You were alone. Your heart raced in your chest as you desperately tried to move toward his limp body, but your feet wouldn’t budge. It was like you were stuck in quicksand. Your heavy breathing and Max’s high-pitched screams filled your ears as you willed your legs to move. Tears filled your eyes. You tried to shout his name, but nothing came out. Panic began to rise in your chest as you tried again and again to no avail. You stared at Billy, helpless, until everything slowly began to fade away. All you could see was a familiar shade of green until your eyes shot open.

You sat up where you were, panting. Sweat beaded on your forehead as you finally took in where you were. Your pillows were exactly where you put them the night before, and your blanket was thrown haphazardly over your legs. Photos of you and your friends and posters of your favorite bands covered your walls. You let out a sigh when you realized you were in your room. You lay back on your pillows. Nightmares were the norm for you and have been for over a year. You shut your eyes, trying to steady your breathing, when your alarm went off, causing you to jump. The shrill sound went on for a few moments before you reached over, shut it off, and got out of bed.

Right after you graduated, you got a job at the local diner waitressing. After everything that happened last year, you couldn’t bring yourself to ship off to college. There was just too much to take care of, and you just didn’t feel right leaving. So, instead, you opted to get a job and live with your parents. It was anything but ideal, but it was what had to happen.

Once you were dressed in your uniform, you grabbed a change of clothes and headed out. When you reached the diner, you were on autopilot. Get out of the car. Drop bag off in locker. Clock in and start the day. You had been on autopilot since you got the job last year. The steady regiment of waitressing was the only thing keeping you from completely falling apart. You were in your own little world behind the counter until your coworker tapped your shoulder.

“Hey,” she said, gaining your attention. “You have another table.”

You furrowed your eyebrows.

“What?” You began, already annoyed, as you turned toward the tables. “But I’m already-”

You stopped short when you saw Steve sitting in one of the booths. It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room as you stared at his back. Although you didn’t want it to, your heart nonetheless reacted to the sight of him. You could feel it flutter to life for a brief second before you tore your eyes from him.

“He specifically asked for you,” your coworker said, her voice a little too chipper for your liking.

You turned back toward the tables and let out a breath before squaring your shoulders and moving toward Steve. It had been over a year since you actually spoke to him, which was really sad considering you used to be inseparable. You met each other when you were children, and an immediate bond formed. As the years moved forward, your friendship only grew. The only problem for you was that it wasn’t only a friendship that formed. Much to your dismay, you began to develop feelings for Steve, and by the time you two reached high school, you had a full-blown crush on the boy. You couldn’t help the way your heart skipped a beat when Steve was around or how his smile gave you butterflies. For years, you waited for Steve to show in some way that he reciprocated your feelings, and when he didn’t, you forced yourself to move on.

When Billy and Max moved to Hawkins, you and Billy hit it off pretty quickly. Unlike the other girls at school, you didn’t throw yourself at the boy. In fact, you ignored him for the most part until he found you sitting in the corner of the library one day. You were fully expecting him to be an ass, but he turned out to be sweet. For a few months, he tried to get with you, but you were holding out hope that maybe Steve would come around. But after a while, you had to face reality and gave in to Billy’s woos. You liked Billy. He took care of you and showed you so much affection despite the lack of love he had at home. But even though you grew to love Billy, it was never the same. Your feelings for Steve were always lingering in the back of your mind.

Your relationship with Billy was great. But you only got to enjoy him for a short period of time before the Mind Flayer consumed him. At first, you didn’t know what was going on. Billy began to push you away and get violent. He stopped taking you out and didn’t want to be around you. You thought that it was something you had done until Max told you everything. She sat you down with the rest of the group and explained about the Upside Down and the horrors that lived there. She told you that Billy was just possessed and that he would be alright because they were going to find a way to fix him. But they were wrong. Instead of fixing him, you watched as the Mind Flayer took his life in the middle of the Starcourt Mall, and since then, you’ve been haunted by the memory.

It was after the death of Billy that things between you and Steve began to change. You distanced yourself from the whole group. You didn’t want to talk to anyone or be with any of them. Any time Robin or Steve would try and reach you, you came up with some excuse about being sick or having too much schoolwork. You could see that they were hurt that you were pushing yourself away, but it was the only thing you could do to protect yourself. Even though he wasn’t the one, you loved Billy, and you had to watch him die in the most painful way. You knew that the Upside Down wasn’t going anywhere and if your friends and the man you love still wanted to be involved with it, you couldn’t be around them. If you had to watch any of them die the way you watched Billy die, you would break. So, although it pained you to be away from them, you did what was best for yourself.

Your hands began to shake just slightly the closer you got toward Steve. Even after all those years, your body still reacted the same way to him. Your heart rate picked up, and goosebumps pricked your skin. As you got closer, you realized Steve wasn’t alone. Sitting across from him was a familiar head of curls, and you couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at your lips at the sight of the young boy. When Dustin saw you, he perked up in his seat. You continued to round the table, and when you finally stood between the two of them, your and Steve’s eyes met. You sucked in a quick breath. It felt like you were punched in the gut. It had been so long since you were this close to him and every part of you wanted to fall into his arms. Steve’s lips parted as the two of you just stared at each other for a moment.

“Y/N,” he whispered, and you smiled.

“Hi, Steve.”

You held his gaze until Dustin waved his hand in front of you. You jumped a little as you snapped back to reality.

“And Dustin,” the curly-haired boy said, “I’m here too, you know?”

You chuckled and were happy to see that he hadn’t changed in the year you had been away.

“Hi, Dustin. It’s good to see you too.”

Dustin gave Steve a smug grin and you rolled your eyes as you pulled your notebook from your apron.

“So,” you began, flipping open the notebook and holding your pen, “what can I get you two?”

The smile on Dustin’s face faltered, and he slowly turned his attention to Steve. An uneasy feeling settled in your stomach as the silence grew. When Steve didn’t say anything, Dustin turned to face you again with a nervous laugh.

“Um, well, funny thing,” he rubbed the back of his neck and dropped your stare. “Uh, we’re not actually here to eat.”

Your grip on your pen tightened, and your eyes widened just slightly. You tried to tell yourself they weren’t there for what you thought they were there for. They knew you were still coping with Billy’s death. They wouldn’t try and drag you back into that world. Not after that. But the longer Dustin and Steve avoided your eye contact, the more that thought faded. As you dropped your arms to your sides, your foot began to tap rapidly.

“Then what are you here for?”

You pulled your lips into a tight line when Dustin finally met your stare again and said, “You, Y/N.”

The words hit you like a body blow, and you stepped away from the table, shaking your head.

“No,” you said, doing your best to control your heavy beating heart.

Dustin scooted to the edge of the bench, but when you stepped back again, he froze and put his hands up.

“Y/N, listen. There’s this…monster, and we need-”

“Is it from the Upside Down?” You asked.

Dustin’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Well, yeah,” he said with a light laugh, “where else would it be from?”

You crossed your arms over your chest.

“Then no.”

Dustin’s mouth fell ajar as he looked between Steve to you. He scoffed.

“You didn’t even let me finish!”

“Dustin, the answer is no. I’m not getting involved again. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a job to do.”

You didn’t give him a chance to reiterate. Instead, you swiftly turned on your heel and began walking back toward the counter. You could hear Dustin scoff again.

“Wha-Steve! Do something!” He all but shouted at Steve.

But you didn’t stop. Tears were already welling in your eyes at the mere thought of seeing anything from that horrible place again. Your stomach twisted at the possibility of losing somebody else close to you. You couldn’t do it. So, you kept moving until the familiar feeling of Steve’s hand grabbing yours stopped you in your tracks.

“Y/N, wait.”

You turned to face him, only to be met with his warm and comforting brown eyes. Even after so many years, they still cut through all your anxiety and made you feel safe. Steve didn’t let go of your hand as he closed the gap between the two of you just slightly. It had been so long since you had been that close to him, and you couldn’t help the way your breath hitched at the proximity.

“We can’t do this without you,” he said, his voice low so only you could hear.

Tears clogged your throat as you stared at him. Your bottom lip began to quiver, so you bit down on it and shook your head.

“Steve, I can’t. Not after…”

You trailed off when your voice cracked. Steve dropped your hand and cupped your cheeks, forcing you to look at him.

“Hey, hey, I know it’s been hard. I see the way Max is, and I can only imagine how you’re feeling. But we need you, Y/N. We can’t defeat this thing and end all of this without you.”

At first, you didn’t say anything. Instead, you just held his stare. You thought you had left all of this behind you. It didn’t matter that the monsters of the Upside Down were still alive. After Billy, you told yourself that you wouldn’t get involved again. But now Steve was standing with his hands on your face, staring at you with those eyes like a warm fire on a Christmas morning, and you were melting. You knew you should have told him no and walked away. But you couldn’t. So, you didn’t. Steve never once broke the stare until you finally nodded.

“Fine,” you said. “So, we can end this once and for all.”

Steve’s face split into a wide smile before he pulled you into a hug. Your heart skipped a beat at the feeling of his body pressed against yours. You took a long breath and relished his scent of Mahogany and vanilla. Your eyes shut just briefly as you relaxed into Steve’s touch, something you hadn’t done for a very long time.

“So, you’re in?” Dustin asked, causing you and Steve to nearly jump apart.

You flattened your apron, and Steve ran a hand through his hair, neither of you looking at the other. So, you turned your attention to Dustin.

“Yeah, I’m in.”

“Great,” Dustin said with a thumbs up. “After your shift, Steve and I will pick you up and fill you in so you’re ready for tonight.”

Your eyes widened.

“Tonight? Wait, hold on. You didn’t say-and what about my car?”

“You already said you’re in, so you can’t back out now, and your car will be here after we kill Vecna.”

You shook your head and put your hands up.

“Wait. Vecna?”

Dustin just waved you off.

“I’ll explain later. Steve, lets’ go.”

Dustin didn’t wait for Steve before he showed himself out of the diner. Steve shook his head with a sigh before turning toward you.

“When does your shift end?”

“Seven.”

Steve’s lips pulled upward just slightly.

“Then I guess I’ll see you at seven.”

You stood frozen in place as you waved goodbye and watched Steve exit the diner. When he was gone, you forced yourself to get back to work, but you could hardly focus. All you could think about was what was to come. Although it had been over a year since your last encounter with anything related to the Upside Down, you were still traumatized. You weren’t sure you were even ready to see all of your friends, let alone deal with a monster. But you had already committed, and before you knew it, your shift had come to an end. After grabbing your bag from your locker and clocking out, you changed out of your uniform and walked out to the parking lot. There were only a few cars, so it was hard to miss Steve’s. He was leaning against the passenger side, and when he saw you approaching, he quickly opened the door for you. You dipped your head as you got in.

“Thanks.”

A tiny blush crept onto Steve’s cheeks as he gave you a shy smile.

“Yeah, of course.”

Once he shut your door, he climbed into the driver’s side and, within seconds, began driving. You weren’t sure where the final destination was, but it didn’t matter. Dustin gave you every detail of what was going on. He told you that you were going to meet up with everyone in an RV. He told you about the deaths of the Hawkins High students and how they were connected. He told you about the monster named Vecna and how he’s been in charge the whole time. He even told you that Max was his next victim, and you could feel your heart almost shatter. He explained that the plan was to kill Vecna and said that if everything went right, his reign of terror would end that night. By the time Steve’s car came to a stop behind the RV, you were all caught up on what had been happening since you had been gone.

You followed Steve and Dustin to the RV. Something about the silence was ominous. At that moment, you knew that everything was on the line. Dustin opened the door, and you followed him inside. The conversation that was taking place ceased as all eyes landed on you. It was surreal to be looking at your group of friends again. At first, no one moved until Robin jumped up from where she sat and pulled you into a tight embrace. You couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled out of you as her arms tightened.

“Hey, Robin.”

“I’ve missed you so much. Do you know that?” She asked into the crook of your neck. She released you, and a smile spread across her whole face.

“It’s really difficult dealing with him all by myself,” she said, motioning toward Steve.

The two of you shared a laugh then hugged Nancy and waved at Eddie before moving to lean your hip against the tiny counter. Nancy began going over the plan one more time for good measure. As she started speaking, Steve moved behind you, and you leaned back into his chest as if on instinct. His hands moved down the length of your arms, causing goosebumps to rise on your skin.

“You know, I missed you too,” he whispered into your ear. “Like a lot.”

You turned your head to look at him.

“Well, I’m back now.”

Steve’s face was much closer than before, making your heart race. His hands slid down your arms until his fingers brushed over yours.

“For good?”

You gave him a small smile.

“We’ll see.”

You don’t know how long the two of you stayed like that. Had there been enough time, you probably would have stayed that way for the rest of the evening. It had been so long since you felt normal and safe. But being around Steve again felt like home, and feelings you always had for him were reigniting within you with a vengeance. You were starting to think that pushing him away last year was a mistake, but there was no time to dwell on that. The sound of the RV door creaking open and the group hustling out of it pulled you from your reverie. You moved first, followed by Steve, and soon you were walking toward Eddie’s trailer.

Eddie led the way into his home, and when you entered, you froze. The gate to the Upside Down covered the ceiling of Eddie’s living room. You could feel the anxiety from before trying to claw its way out of you. However, Steve didn’t waste any time as he grabbed ahold of the sheet hanging from the gate and climbed his way into the Upside Down. Everyone looked at you next, and you swallowed down your fear before following Steve’s lead. You climbed up the sheet until you were flipped and fell to the ground, landing on your two feet. You moved to the side, and Steve gave you a small smile before Nancy fell through the gate. You watched as he offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. Much to your chagrin, your heart clenched when his hand lingered in hers for a beat too long. You turned away and moved to the corner of the room as Robin, Eddie, and Dustin fell through the gate. Everyone began gathering their weapons and bags, but you remained glued to the corner you put yourself in. Your eyes followed Steve and Nancy when Eddie blocked your view. He was messing with his belt, then tightening his bandana over his head, and you furrowed your eyebrows at him.

“I wouldn’t worry about them if I were you,” he said without even looking at you.

“What?”

Eddie stopped what he was doing, finally meeting your stare with a crooked smile.

“Steve and Nancy? You were literally just staring at them.”

You opened and closed your mouth several times in an attempt to come up with some excuse, but when nothing came to you, you just dropped your eyes. Eddie chuckled and patted your arm.

“It’s okay. I can tell you with almost 100% certainty,” he stopped and started tilting his head from side to side. “Okay, maybe like 97%, that Harrington’s not into Wheeler.”

You crossed your arms over your chest and raised your brow at him.

“And why do you say that?”

“Because,” Eddie said, leaning against the wall next to you, “he wouldn’t shut up about you the whole time we were formulating the plan.”

Your shoulders relaxed, and your arms fell to your sides.

“What?”

“Yeah,” Eddie began with a laugh, “the guy was determined to get you back. I thought he meant you two were already an item the way he was talking. Turns out, good ole Stevie over there buried himself so deep into the friend zone he can’t seem to dig himself back out.”

Your mouth fell ajar, and you let out a little breath.

“I-I don’t…”

When you didn’t finish your sentence, Eddie just waved it off.

“It’s cool,” he said. “But believe me when I say he’s definitely not into Wheeler.”

Before you could say anything back to him, Eddie was already walking back toward the group. You watched him start goofing around with Dustin, and a small smile tugged at your lips. You never really knew Eddie Munson, but you could tell he was going to be a regular around your friends, and after his reassurance, you didn’t mind one bit. After several minutes, you finally pushed yourself off the wall to rejoin everyone. Steve, Robin, and Nancy were huddled next to the door.

“You ready to go?” Robin asked you, and you nodded.

You all bid Eddie and Dustin farewell before exiting the trailer and heading out into the Upside Down.

Robin and Nancy led the way through the dark woods while you and Steve marched along behind them. Neither of you spoke for a while, the only sounds coming from the hidden creatures of the Upside Down. But then Steve nudged you with his arm.

“I’m glad you came,” he said, earning a smile from you.

“Yeah, me too. It’s nice to have the gang back together.”

Steve helped you over a fallen log and chuckled.

“Robin wouldn’t stop talking about you. I mean, it was like she was bringing you up every five minutes.”

A smirk pulled at your lips as you looked over at Steve.

“I’m told she’s not the only one who had that issue.”

Steve nodded and laughed.

“Oh, yeah, Dustin too.” He opened and closed his hand as he continued. “Blah blah blah. Always.”

“I’m talking about you, Steve.”

His face fell.

“Huh?”

You were trying to contain the giggles that were threatening to burst out of you but failing miserably.

“Someone told me I was all you could talk about while you guys were coming up with this plan.”

Steve scoffed and shook his head.

“Unbelievable. I’m gonna kick Henderson’s ass.”

You let out a laugh. Although you didn’t know Eddie too well yet, you weren’t going to tell Steve it was actually he who provided that information, not Dustin.

“So, you’re not denying it?”

“Well,” Steve began, running a hand through his fluffy hair, “no. I’m not.”

He stopped walking and took your hand to stop you as well. The lighthearted air that was once present was replaced with something more serious.

“Y/N, you have to understand I really missed you.”

You swallowed. You wanted to tell Steve that you missed him too. You wanted to tell him that even though you all are walking into an incredibly dangerous situation, you had never been surer in your life that you made a mistake by distancing yourself from him. But you knew Steve wasn’t done. He let out a breath and dropped his head for a beat before meeting your eyes again.

“After last year, you distanced yourself from us. From me. You’re my best friend, and you just disappeared. I felt like I had no one. Like you were gone too. And it was the worst pain I’d ever felt. So, I used this plan as a way to get you back. And now that you’re here, I don’t ever want to lose you again.”

You could see the pain in his face as he stared at you with intent and shook his head.

“I can’t, Y/N. I can’t go through that again. I-I-”

“Hey, guys!” Nancy’s voice echoed off the bare trees around you. “The house is just around the corner. Come on!”

You looked in Nancy and Robin’s direction, then back at Steve. You could see on his face that something nagging at him. And you waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. Instead, he released your hand and began to move toward Nancy and Robin. But before he could get too far, you reached out and took hold of his arm, forcing him to turn toward you again.

“What were you gonna say?”

Steve’s mouth opened, but he didn’t say anything. He closed it, cleared his throat, and shook his head.

“Later. Let’s get this done first.”

You let go of him and watched him walk toward the other two in your party. A part of you wanted to scream at him to tell you what you hoped he was going to say. You didn’t know if there was going to be a later or tomorrow or next year. If even the slightest thing went wrong with this plan, you could all be dead, and you would never know. But you held yourself together and joined the rest of them at the edge of the wood.

All four of you watched and waited for Erica to give the signal, and when she did, you all left the woods behind and walked toward the house. It looked menacing, with the dark clouds hanging low over the building. When you entered, nothing changed. Black vines littered the floors and walls, and they climbed and wrapped themselves around the railings and light fixtures. Nancy began going up the stairs, and you all followed behind her. You all carefully made your way up the stairs until you were gathered on the second floor. Through another door on the far wall, you could see flashing lights and could hear thunder rumbling louder than before. You nodded toward the door.

“He’s in there?” You asked no one in particular.

Robin nodded and moved to stand next to you.

“Yep. You ready?”

You gave her a weak smile and looked to Nancy to lead the rest of the way. But just before she could take another step, the house began to shake. You looked at the others. By the looks on their faces, it was clear that an earthquake was not something they had accounted for. The shaking grew more violent, sending you bumping into Robin. It felt as if the whole building was going to get sucked into the ground. You and Robin grabbed hold of each other in an attempt to steady yourselves, but it didn’t work. Instead, you fell back into Steve, and Robin had to take several steps to regain her footing. The shaking continued, and just when you thought that was going to be the end, it stopped suddenly. Steve’s arms were around you, holding you steady, and your hands were holding onto Robin. For a second, you all waited for something to happen, and when it didn’t, you relaxed, letting out a collective breath. But then the sound of something slithering along the floor gained your attention.

“Oh, no,” Robin said before she went flying against the wall.

The vines crawled over her body, restraining her. She sucked in a shallow breath.

“Steve! Nancy! Y/N! Help!”

Without a second guess, you all moved toward Robin. You grabbed the vine on her wrist and began pulling as hard as you could. But it didn’t matter how hard you yanked on them; the vines were not moving. You kept trying when, out of the corner of your eye, you saw a vine reach up and grab Steve. When you turned toward him, his body went flying across the room until it slammed into the wall.

“No,” you breathed out. “Steve!”

Fear was a wild thing inside of you as you tried to run toward Steve. But before you could get close, a vine grabbed your ankle, sending you toppling to the floor and knocking the wind out of you. You only got a brief look at it before you were being dragged back toward the wall Robin was on. Your nails dug into the floor as you got pulled farther and farther away from Steve.

“Let me go!” You shouted just as you looked up to see Nancy getting flung against the wall next to Steve.

You kept fighting, but soon you were being pressed against the wall as well. The vines wrapped around your wrists, ankles, and soon your throat. You looked at your friends as panic began to settle in your gut. The vines were growing tighter and tighter, and there was nothing you could do to get them off. Your eyes landed on Steve, and you could feel tears welling in your eyes as you watched the vines choke him. His hands clawed at his throat as he gasped for air. All the fear you were suppressing began to boil over. You were going to have to watch yet another person you loved die in front of you. Your breathing was shallow and erratic as you closed your eyes. Several images and moments in your life played in your mind. You could see Billy dying all over again, the Mind Flayer’s arm sticking straight out of his chest. Then, images of Robin and you filled your head. You saw the first time she slept over at your house when you two laughed for hours. You saw her waving to you during a marching band performance and getting in trouble with the band director. Then, images of Nancy appeared. You saw Nancy practicing her interview skills with you in her bedroom. You saw the two of you hugging after graduating. Then, you saw Steve. You saw a young Steve walking you home from school. You saw Steve’s head in your lap while you watched scary movies on a Friday night. Then you saw the look in his eyes when he first saw you in the diner earlier that day. All the adoration and emotion playing so clearly on his face. It was all so clear in your mind.

Anger began to bubble up inside of you where fear once was. This monster, this place, took one important person from you and has terrorized the people you’re closest to for the last time. Your body began to tingle, and suddenly the images in your mind disappeared. You saw green coursing through your veins again, and then you were back in the secret Russian elevator.

“Erica, be careful!” Robin’s voice echoed in your head and was followed by a loud shattering sound.

Glass was everywhere, and your body burned. When you looked down at your hands, the mystery green goo covered them. The image faded into green, buzzing faster and faster through your body. It felt like you were on fire as the green goo burned its way through you. Your breathing quickened as your body began to tremble. All you could see was the green moving its way through every inch of you. Then, as if it were miles away, you could hear someone calling your name. It was choked and weak, and suddenly you were transported back to reality. Your eyes shot open and were burning a blazing green.

“Let. Me. Go!” You shouted before bursting through the vines.

A bright green aura surrounded you as you floated in the air. You turned toward Robin and used your hands to throw a green ball of energy at the vines restraining her. The vines screeched as you destroyed them one by one, sending Robin falling to the floor. Then, you quickly turned and did the same thing for Nancy and then Steve. Once they were all safely on the floor, they stared up at your floating figure for a beat before you slowly descended back to their level. When your feet hit the floor, the green aura that surrounded you disappeared, and your eyes returned to their normal color. Everyone stared at you in silence until Robin laughed.

“What the hell just happened?”

You looked down at your palms in awe. Although the green was no longer there, you could feel the power pumping through you. You could feel it buzzing through your veins, mixing with your blood. It was who you were now.

“Am I the only one confused right now!?” Robin shouted, throwing her arms in the air.

“No, no,” Steve said, placing a hand on her shoulder, “I’m right there with you.”

The three of them stared at you, and you just shook your head.

“Remember last year when we were stuck in that elevator, and Erica got that green goo on me? We thought nothing happened, but I guess something did.”

You looked back at your hands, flipping them over a couple of times. Robin laughed again and grabbed her head.

“How are you just now figuring this out!?”

You shrugged.

“There was nothing to unleash it until now.”

They all stared at you for another beat before you motioned toward the door behind them.

“Shall we finish this thing?”

Nancy nodded.

“Phase four. Let’s do this.”

Robin and Nancy walked toward the door, and when Steve went to follow, you grabbed his hand, stopping him.

“Steve, wait.”

When he turned to look at you, you froze. It was time. Vecna was waiting mere feet away from you two, and there was no telling whether you would survive him or not. After years of running and hiding your feelings from Steve, you couldn’t let him run into this fight without doing something. So, without thinking any more about what you were doing, you grabbed the back of his head and pulled his lips to yours. Steve reciprocated the kiss immediately, releasing your hand to grab ahold of your face to deepen the kiss. His lips danced over yours to a rhythm you never wanted to forget. His thumbs pressed into your cheeks, but you welcomed the slight sting. You wanted to commit the feeling of his hands and lips on you to memory so you would remember it forever. Before the kiss could get any more heated, you pulled back. Your and Steve’s breathing was both a little labored as you held each other’s gaze.

“I’ve always wanted to do that, so I’m doing it now just in case,” you shrugged, “you know, we die.”

You didn’t give Steve a chance to say anything back. Instead, you let go of him and walked over to Nancy and Robin, putting yourself between them and the door.

“Let me take the lead on this,” you said.

Nancy looked at you dumbfounded.

“But-”

“I’ve got it.”

You start walking up the stairs, each step careful and calculated. The anger inside of you grew the closer you got to Vecna. All the sadness that you once harbored in your heart was replaced with a fury that you were ready to unleash. You could feel the power you possessed getting stronger the more you focused on Vecna. When you took the final step and entered the attic, he finally came into view. He was suspended in the air with vines poking out of him. The second all four of you were in the room, his eyes opened, and you stepped forward. You could feel your power coursing through you, and you shut your eyes for a minute to gather yourself. When you reopened them, they were that same incandescent green from before.

Vecna didn’t say anything. He just watched as you took another step closer toward him. Your anger was a wild beast inside you as you stared at the monster that killed Billy and almost killed all of your friends.

“You ruined my life,” you said through gritted teeth.

He lowered himself to the floor.

“I don’t even know who you are.”

Your hands began to glow green as you said, “You will.”

Then, you lifted yourself off the floor, floating in the air, surrounded by that green aura again. Then, you started grabbing furniture with your powers and sent them flying toward Vecna. First a chair, then a desk, and finally a dresser. Vecna used his vines to block each article you sent his way, only enraging you more. You let out a guttural scream before you started to throw green balls of energy at him. Anger was starting to consume you as you threw ball after ball. Just like the furniture, Vecna used his vines to block each of your attacks. You stopped for a brief second, and at that moment, Vecna sent his vines to grab you. But just before they could latch onto your arms and legs, you crouched down and used your powers to stop them. You groaned as you pushed up into a standing position, then let out another scream as you obliterated them. You squared your shoulders and grabbed hold of Vecna with your powers, lifting him back into the air. You forced his arms to stretch out next to him, earning a pained groan from him. Then, you turned back to the group and shouted, “Now, Robin!”

Robin walked up next to you, lit a Molotov cocktail, and threw it at Vecna. You watched him erupt into flames before dropping him. When he landed, Nancy moved up front with you and Robin, cocked her shotgun, and fired. The loud bang vibrated your whole body. She reloaded, then shot again. You all watched as Vecna stumbled back further and further. Then, Nancy reloaded and took the final shot, sending Vecna crashing through the window and plummeting toward the ground. You all stood there for a minute, staring at the shattered window, until the ground below you began to shake again.

“You guys, I think it’s time to go,” Robin said, taking several steps toward the door.

Nancy holstered her shotgun on her back, then followed Robin, and Steve didn’t give you another moment to contemplate. He took your hand in his and practically dragged you down the stairs. When the four of you made it out of the house, Vecna’s body was lying right where he fell, motionless. Although the ground was still shaking, you stopped and took a moment to look at him, realization finally setting in. It was finally over. Vecna was dead, and you didn’t have to worry about the Upside Down ever again. A tiny laugh fell from your lips. After so much pain and suffering, it was finally over. The ground gave another violent jolt, and Steve tugged on your arm. You took a final look at Vecna before walking away.

The walk back to Eddie’s trailer turned into a run as the earth beneath you began to shake harder and harder. When you finally made it, Eddie and Dustin came running out into the road.

“Did you do it? Did it work?” Eddie asked frantically.

“Yeah,” Dustin added, “why is the ground shaking all of a sudden?”

Nancy proudly stood in front of them and nodded.

“It worked. Vecna is dead.”

The two boys let out a sigh before pulling each other into a wild embrace. You all watched as Eddie and Dustin celebrated despite the ground’s continuous shaking. You heard Robin start to chuckle and couldn’t help but join her. The fear of failure was gone now and replaced with relief. Robin let out a celebratory holler and then started jumping up and down. She grabbed Nancy and spun her around in a hug earning a laugh from the girl. Steve snaked his arm around your waist, bringing you flush with his side, and you leaned your head into him.

“Hey!” Steve shouted over their celebration. “Can we maybe finish this outside of the Upside Down?”

They all froze for a second before hustling through Eddie’s front door and to the gate. You and Steve followed and soon you all were on the other side watching the gate to the Upside Down close forever. It was finally over. Once the gate was shut and everyone had their fun celebrating the victory, everyone dispersed. Dustin decided to stay the night with Eddie in his trailer. Nancy drove Robin home, and Steve said he’d drive you to your car. Around the rest of the group, it was easy to ignore the fact that you had kissed Steve, and he kissed you back. But when the two of you were alone in his car, the air was different. The tension was thick, and neither of you spoke to the other. Instead, for the duration of the ride, you stared out the window and Steve out the windshield. When you got to your car, you mumbled a “thank you” to Steve and quickly exited his vehicle to get into yours. You didn’t wait for Steve to leave before you were driving off. Although you were happy nobody died, you now had to deal with the consequences of your bold actions. But tonight was not the night for that. When you got home, you washed the Upside Down off your body, curled into your bed, and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

The following day, you woke to an empty house, but you didn’t mind. For the first time in a long time, you weren’t restless. You weren’t on autopilot, just getting through the day. After a year of being numb, you were finally alive again. It was a feeling you didn’t realize you had missed. You were in the kitchen pouring yourself a cup of juice when your doorbell rang, pulling you from your thoughts. You made your way to your door, and when you opened it, you were met with a nervous Steve. He was fidgeting and running his hands through his hair, messing up his usually very neat locks. You furrowed your brows at him.

“Steve? What are you doing here?”

He wrang his hands in front of his torso and avoided making eye contact.

“I, um, I need to talk to you.”

Your eyes widened, and your heart skipped in your chest. You didn’t think he would come to your house to discuss what happened. In fact, you kind of hoped you had another couple of days to figure out how you were going to brush the whole kiss off as some freak accident. But that plan was shot as you stared at Steve, nearly pacing on your porch.

“Oh. Okay. Is everything alright?” You asked, playing coy.

Steve shook his head.

“No. I mean, yes, everything is fine. I just,” he stopped and let out a long breath. “We’ve been friends for a long time. Since we were kids, you’ve been one of the few people I can fully trust. You’re my best friend, Y/N.”

Your heart clenched at his words. Steve had never explicitly stated that he only wanted to be friends. In fact, there was always a part of you that held out hope that he didn’t feel that way. That, instead, he had been madly in love with you for years the same way you had been with him. But now that he was standing on your doorstep looking more anxious than you had ever seen him, you were starting to lose faith. Steve ran a hand through his hair for the umpteenth time and had his eyes trained on his sneakers.

“And,” he sighed, “for the longest time, I tried to remind myself of that because I didn’t want to lose you.”

He lifted his stare to meet yours.

“I tried to pretend that I wasn’t feeling the things I was feeling. Then you started dating Billy, and I forced myself to be happy for you because that’s what a good friend does. But every time I looked at you with him, I couldn’t help thinking, ‘That should be me. Not him.’”

Your lips parted at his words. And you wanted to jump into his arms. You didn’t need to hear him say what he was about to say because you already knew. Steve had feelings for you. He always had. You hugged yourself in an attempt to control the elation you felt as Steve continued.

“And when everything happened last year, I wanted to give you space to mourn, but then you just disappeared.”

Steve was pacing in front of you, but you didn’t stop him. Instead, you just watched him walk back and forth, intently listening to his confession.

“It felt like a part of me was missing,” Steve said, flattening his palm against his chest. “I told myself I should just move on. I told myself that’s what you did. But I couldn’t, and when I saw you in that diner, it’s like all my feelings just washed over me like a tidal wave all over again. Then you kissed me, and I knew I couldn’t deny it anymore.”

He came to a sudden stop in front of you, looked at you, and he said, “I love you, Y/N.”

It felt as if your heart exploded in your chest and your body was on fire. You had waited years to hear Steve say those words to you, and now you felt like you couldn’t control the joy that was building within you. Your arms tightened around your torso, and you pulled your bottom lip between your teeth. As you stared back at Steve, you could see the confidence slowly dissipating as his shoulders began to droop. He let out a sigh, but before he had the opportunity to open his mouth to speak again, you cupped his cheeks and attached your lips to his. Just like before, Steve melted into the kiss. It was soft yet passionate. Careful yet fervent. Every emotion and feeling both of you had been suppressing for years was somehow expressed in that kiss. Steve’s hands immediately found your waist, and he pulled you against his chest. You could feel his rapidly beating heart against you, and you were sure he could feel yours. You let go of Steve’s face and slid your arms around his neck, allowing your fingers to curl into his messy hair. Steve sighed, and you could feel his lips turn up against yours. You let the tingles of joy move through you for another minute before pulling away. Your forehead was pressed against his, and a smile spread across your face.

“I love you too, Steve,” you said before pressing your lips to his once more.

Your eyes were shut, and you were basking in the way your whole body lit up at his touch when you heard a familiar voice cheering from your driveway. You released Steve’s lips and looked to find Dustin hanging from Steve’s car a wide grin covering his face. Steve groaned, causing you to laugh.

“This was his idea, and he insisted on coming,” Steve said. “Just in case I chickened out.”

Dustin started pumping his fist in the air as he continued to cheer before you turned to face Steve again.

“Well,” you began with a smile, “I’m really glad you listened to him.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Steve traced the line of your jaw with his thumb before cupping your cheek and pulling you in for another kiss. You didn’t care that Dustin was hollering from your driveway or that you were still in your comfy clothes. All that mattered was that Steve loved you, and you loved him. You smiled into the kiss at the thought. Finally, after all these years, everything was as it should be.  

Tag List: @violetrainbow412-blog @pastel-abyss-x @lilliandanelle @ilovereadingfanfics​ @thatnerdana​

[snoopysfriendwoodstock]

ok so now that we have the playlist you must give us the scarlett summer state of the union!

THANK you for asking. i’ve thought VERY long and hard about this and in true massie block fashion i’ll give both what’s in and what’s out.

IN:

midi/maxi skirts, but mini dresses. maybe it’s because i wear midi/maxi dresses all year long & i can swap up the midi/maxi skirt look w a tank-top or something but i LOVE a mini dress in the summer. all sundresses rock though.

sunscreen. put it on. every day. MULTIPLE times a day if you’re spending a lot of time outside (which you should)

walking two hours MINIMUM a day. this can be around your neighborhood, but if you have the opportunity to get some sort of state park/national park pass you def should. AND BRING A FRIEND!

tinted chapstick/lipbalm. i like the burt’s bees kind in the color rose.

sweet/floral perfume. my go-to perfume remains miss dior (just had a seventh grader stop me during work time to tell me it smelled good every time i walked past his table) 

BIG salads. with a variety of vegetables and a variety of colors and some kind of grain (i like salads with rice noodles in them) & some sort of protein (i like salmon and tofu)

trash books. this does not mean they’re BAD they’re just like candy for your brain. romance novels fast-paced thrillers and young adult books you can finish in an hour. spring is for hefty classics, summer is for lucy foley 

ALWAYS have vegetables & fruit cut up in the fridge for easy snacks. i also suggest having hummus on hand always for vegetables. i also always have chips and salsa available.

FARMERS MARKET! go to one.

linen pants. they are so breezy so comfortable and perfect for june

matching pj sets. perfect for sleepovers which are perfect for making summer feel like it did when you were a kid.

mojitos are my go-to summer cocktail but mocktail wise, a mint lemonade or soda w/ mint and lavender is also fun.

tinted moisturizer or skin tint + liquid blush is my fave combo. i have not found a better liquid blush than rare beauty’s (i wear the shade happy). i literally do not think i will ever run out of this blush. i usually use drugstore brand foundations/face products 

lighting candles in the morning as you’re getting ready. like a middle aged woman i prefer the bath and body works candles but i will get any scent that’s fresh like a clean linen candle <3 i get the same scents my grandma used to

OUT:

the idea of a base tan. do NOT go out without sunscreen just to get tan. be nice to your skin.

the idea of ‘clean eating’. it’s fun to eat more veggies & fruits in the summer that are in season but this makes me feel icky.

the concept of a ‘hot girl walk’. booooo summer is not about. being hot except like, literally. go on the walks bc they connect u to the people u love and to nature.

dressing in a way u don’t like just because it’s ‘on-trend’. i don’t like mini skirts, i’m not gonna wear mini-skirts. in summer especially it’s more important than anything to wear clothes you’re comfortable in.

anyone but me having a birthday. booo! 

having parasocial relationships online. the weather is nice, go outside with real people. 

BRAS!!!!

[sugarmaplewings-fics]

When He’s Not Here

Pairing: Bakugou x reader (x Kirishima)

Warnings: Cursing, implied severe nightmare(s), mentioned character death (just kinda talking about it, nothing actually happened, dw), soft Bakugou (like, really soft)

A/N: I will take this as an opportunity to welcome myself back into writing (although I never really stopped; I just wanted to work on a few personal projects that were just for me :]). Um, I don’t have much to say about this other than I actually like it! I think it turned out pretty well, so props to me 🎉.

This is technically a Kiribaku x reader, buuut TWIST, Kirishima isn’t really in this one. Mostly just y/n and Bakugou interaction. Yeah, fun.

I promise this is fluff. It’s a little angsty, but not to any extreme. Just nightmare comfort and snuggles with Blasty.

Anyway, enjoy!

-Sugar

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You bolted upright, chest heaving, disoriented.

Everything around you was uncomfortably hot—unbearable. A sheen of sweat coated your skin, and the sheets beneath you were damp. Your heart pounded in your chest, making it hard to think, hard to breathe. Darkness pressed around you, only making it easier to see your visions again, playing over and over in your memory.

Desperate, your hands patted blindly around you, looking for something that would make it stop, something to help you feel better.

Your trembling fingers bumped into a warm, solid mound beside you and you latched onto it, hoping to find solace in this sea of fear and nothingness.

“Eijirou?” you gasped, already somehow feeling more grounded as you shook the man’s arm.

“Hm?” Rather than who you’d been expecting, a familiar rough voice emerged from the dark mass beside you.

“Katsuki?” you called out instead.

“What?” He rolled onto his back, dragging a hand over his face. “(Y/N)? What time is—”

You suddenly tackled him into a hug, burying your nose into his shoulder. “You’re alive! Thank goodness you’re okay!” You could sob with how happy you were to find that your nightmare had been little more than just a dream, that Bakugou and Kirishima weren’t dead, and that you were still safe.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” he asked gruffly. “And what’s got you shaking so hard? Was it another—”

“Bad dream,” you affirmed, pulling off of him and straightening. “Just a . . . dream.”

“Oh,” he muttered, sitting up.

“Sorry I woke you up. I was trying for—”

“Eijirou?”

You nodded sheepishly. “Not that I don’t want to talk to you, I just . . . forgot he wasn’t here.”

“Oh.”

Now it was coming back to you. Kirishima was away on a mission on the other side of the country. This was yours and Bakugou’s second night without him, but it still felt so foreign to have him missing from your bed. The sheets felt . . . colder and emptier with him gone. Yes, the redhead had a habit of spreading out in his sleep and snoring much louder than necessary, but both you and Katsuki (though he wouldn’t admit it out loud) had grown quite fond of his presence.

“Need anything?” the blond grunted, bringing you out of your thoughts.

“Um,” you mumbled, thinking. “Maybe some water?”

Bakugou stood without another word, sliding silently out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen. Flicking on the light, he grabbed a glass out of the cabinet.

For as long as you’d been sharing a bed, Bakugou had been aware of your recurrent nightmares. He’d always been a light sleeper, so it was unavoidable that your muffled whimpers and kicking would wake him up. He was there for you when you needed him, yes, but . . . it didn’t take long for Katsuki to realize that Eijirou was just better with this sort of thing.

Bakugou didn’t know much about emotions, or comfort for that matter. He tended to just blast his way through things and hope others did the same. He had more important things to worry about than “feelings”. But he’d be a damn fool to overlook how powerful they could be, especially when it came to you and Eijirou. Hell, even the weight of his own feelings for the two of you shook his world from time to time.

But it just wasn’t something he was good at, and it frustrated him. He had to be the best. The best of the best, especially for someone like you. You were his partner, and he’d vowed to himself to be the best boyfriend to you no matter what. Maybe he was being a coward. Shouldn’t he work on the things he wasn’t good at? Even when they didn’t come easy?

He had to at least try.

Bakugou came back into the bedroom with a fresh glass of water in his hand. You took it from him gratefully, letting the cool liquid clear your mind as it slid down your throat.

“Better?” he asked, his voice low.

“Yes. Thank you.” You set the glass on the nightstand beside you, curling back into yourself.

The blond racked his mind. What did Kirishima do? Usually as soon as the redhead was awake and cooing over you, Katsuki would try to fall back asleep. He knew you were safe with him, so what was the point in doing anything more? Besides, Bakugou’s sleep schedule wasn’t something to be messed with. But now Eijirou was gone, and you needed someone to be there for you. You were more important to Katsuki than sleep. And you were still shaking.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Bakugou finally managed.

You thought for a moment before shaking your head. “It was just a dream. I don’t want to think about it more than I need to.”

“Oh.”

Bakugou sat on the bed in silence. Now what? If you weren’t going to talk, how was he supposed to know what to do?

“What does Kirishima do? When this happens.”

You glanced at the rumpled blankets underneath you, suddenly—for seemingly no reason—shy. “He usually holds me.”

Of course he did. That was your combined solution to everything. Figures.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” you threw out quickly. “I know you’re not really in a cuddly mood right now—”

Bakugou gathered you up in his arms and shoved your body into his chest. You gasped at the abrupt motion but were just as quick to relax against him, suddenly feeling secure in his strong hold. His body was a little different from Kirishima’s; still thoroughly well-muscled, but otherwise smaller and leaner. You breathed in his scent—also different, but still so heavenly familiar and sweet.

“What gave you that idea?” he asked, his chin resting gently on the top of your head.

“You, um, were facing away from me when we went to bed.”

“Tch, dumbass.” He shifted you into a more comfortable position on his lap, kissing your scalp. “Now what?” he mumbled into your hair.

“He . . . talks to me.”

“What does he say?”

“I don’t know,” you whispered. “He reassures me, I guess.”

Bakugou frowned. “How am I supposed to do that if I don’t know what your shitty nightmare was about anyway?”

He felt you stiffen in his hold, and he knew he’d messed up.

“Look,” he muttered. “I know this really isn’t my thing, but please. I’m just trying to help you.”

“Thanks,” you mumbled in a small voice.

Silence.

Bakugou didn’t mind silence. In fact, he generally preferred it. It gave him peace to think to himself, and he hated it when there was something annoying and distracting buzzing around him, especially when it was some dumb, unimportant person.

But you weren’t dumb, or unimportant to him, and this time, he felt truly uncomfortable in the quiet dark. Why weren’t you saying anything? You weren’t exactly the type to never stop talking—you could be pretty quiet yourself, actually—but even you had a tendency to fill the void with something.

If you weren’t going to do it, he might as well just get it over with.

“You said something about me being alive when you woke up, yeah?” he asked you. “Scared of me dying?”

You paused, then nodded, tightly clutching the front of his tank top.

“Nothing can kill me,” he said, trying to approach with his cocky attitude.

“. . . you know that isn’t true,” you murmured.

He scowled. “Are you doubting me or something?”

“No. You’re just . . . no one’s invincible, Katsuki. Not even you.”

Bakugou huffed. This wasn’t going the way he’d hoped. How did Eijirou do this so often? Why had Bakugou never paid enough attention? Now he was starting to feel guilty. Had he been slacking off with you?

“I think you’re amazing, ‘Tsuki,” you went on. “But I’m scared of losing you. Both of you.”

He sighed. “Now why are you worrying about that?”

“I don’t know . . . .” You shrugged. “I guess that the simple answer is because I love you. Of course I worry about something happening. I don’t—I don’t know what I’d do if one of you got hurt, or—or worse.” You bit the inside of your cheek, fighting to keep yourself from crying.

“Hey,” Bakugou said softly.

You nuzzled yourself closer into his chest, sniffling a little and taking a deep breath.

“You know you’re strong, right?” he muttered, brushing his thumb over your shoulder. “I see it in you. I have for years. I trust that you can handle anything. You’ve been through a lot.”

It was your turn to sigh. “But I don’t want to go through something like that.”

“You think anyone does?”

“Well, no. Of course not.”

“Listen. You’re talking about two of the best pro heroes there are, okay? We’ve all got each other and we can take care of ourselves, got that? Worrying about us isn’t gonna do you any favors.”

“I can’t just ‘stop worrying’,” you countered.

“Okay, but don’t put so much into it. We’re here with you now, dumbass. Enjoy it while you can.”

“. . . Eijirou’s not here.”

Bakugou paused, thinking. “‘That what all this is about?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know. Probably.”

“I’m sure he’s safe.” Katsuki rocked you ever so slightly in his arms, settling back into the quiet night.

“Do you miss him?” you asked.

“. . . ‘course I do.”

You smirked. “Aww.”

“Hey!” he protested. “I . . . I’m not scared to say that I love him. Or you for that matter.”

“I know.” You leaned up, touching the tip of your nose to his.

He blinked in surprise at the gesture, but then smiled softly and rested his forehead against yours.

“This is weird to say,” you began after a moment, “but I can’t really sleep without him snoring in my ear like a lawnmower.”

Katsuki barked out a laugh. “Are you kidding? This is the most peaceful night’s sleep I’ve gotten since we moved in together.”

You giggled. “Okay. But don’t you miss his good-night kisses?”

“Tch,” Bakugou grumbled. “Of course not. He’s so clingy and annoying.”

“Oh? That’s not how I remember it,” you laughed. “You love it when he gets like that.”

The blond scowled in the dark. “Alright, maybe it’s not so bad.”

You hummed, resting your head on his shoulder again. “I love you both, you know,” you said. “I can’t wait until things can go back to normal.”

“Shitty hair’ll be home soon,” Bakugou assured you. He chuckled to himself. “Until then, do you want me to snore in your ear for you? How about that? Something like this?” He obnoxiously made a loud, fake snoring noise in the back of his throat, making it sound as gross as possible.

You cracked up laughing, holding him closer to you while your shoulders shook. “Eijirou does not sound like that!”

“Oh, yes, he does,” Bakugou argued playfully. “Believe me, I sleep next to him too. And for whatever reason, you like it.”

You laughed again, and Katsuki’s cheeks warmed at the sweet sound of your mirth. “It’s just too quiet without him! I’m not used to it.”

“Well how about hogging all the blankets, then? And stealing the whole bed? Would that make you feel better?” Bakugou turned your bodies so he could flop on top of you, starfishing his limbs so you couldn’t get up.

“Actually, you do do that,” you teased. “You sprawl out on the bed all the time.”

He pouted. “Do not.”

“Do too.”

“Well how about kisses then? I’m the best kisser there is, and I’ve got two partners that’ll attest to that,” he boasted proudly.

“Ooh, two partners, huh?”

“Yeah, and you’re one of them. Here, I’ll prove it.”

Before you could say anything in response, Bakugou’s lips found yours, kissing you deeply and taking your breath away. Your hand slid up to cup his cheek, holding him in place as he embraced you. His lips were so soft and sweet—he always wore chapstick before he went to bed. You couldn’t help but sigh happily as his mouth moved over yours; gentle, but still with the slightest hint of roughness to it he always carried no matter what.

Eventually he pulled back, letting you breathe.

“I do like having just the two of us here,” you admitted quietly, brushing some of his spiky bangs back from his forehead. “It’s . . . different.”

You couldn’t really see it in the dark, but he smiled. “I like it too.” He leaned in and kissed your lips once more. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” You stroked his cheek with the side of your thumb. “But maybe we shouldn’t be teasing our boyfriend while he isn’t here to defend himself.”

Bakugou snorted. “Eijirou doesn’t care. Besides, it’s all true.”

You chuckled, running your fingers through his hair and scratching at his scalp. “Thanks for making me feel better.”

Oh, that’s right, he was supposed to have been comforting you. He guessed that somehow, he’d done it. His chest swelled with pride. “Sure thing. Are you feeling alright now?”

“Yeah,” you said. “That dream was stupid anyway. It didn’t make any sense.”

“Of course it didn’t.” Katsuki pulled you into his arms again, rolling you both onto your sides so he could face you. “Shitty fucking dream. It’s not real, and it can’t hurt you. I’m here for you, got that? That’s what matters. Nothing’s going to take me away, and I mean it.” He kissed your forehead, pulling the blankets up around your shoulders again. “I fight and win for you, you know. I win for both of you. You two never leave my mind. I’m not stupid and reckless, okay? I’m careful enough so that I don’t get hurt like that.”

“I know.” You rested your head against his chest, sighing in contentment at the feeling of being held by him. It was warm and calming, comfortable and familiar. There wasn’t anywhere else you’d rather be.

“Ready to go back to sleep?” he asked you, rubbing your back.

“Yeah,” you murmured, shutting your eyes.

He hummed. “Good. I’ll see you in the morning, (Y/N).”

“Good night, Katsuki.”

Soon, the two of you drifted off to sleep, and until you awoke again at dawn, you were at peace.

…

“I’m home!” a voice called out by the doorway.

You jumped up from the couch, making a beeline towards the entrance of your house. “Eijirou!” you greeted happily, running up to him for a hug.

“Hey! It’s my darling, wonderful (Y/N)!” he laughed, dropping his bags and hoisting you up in his arms.

“It’s my big, strong manly man!” you countered, laughing.

He brought his face to yours, humming happily as he kissed you several times in quick succession.

“The two of you are going to make me puke.”

Eijirou let you go, setting you back down on the floor to look up at his boyfriend, who’d stepped in to greet Kirishima for himself.

“Katsuki!” he said happily, unfazed. He held out his arms, making grabby motions with his hands toward the blond.

Bakugou rolled his eyes, walking up to the redhead despite his annoyed façade. Eijirou hugged him tight, pressing a long, solid kiss to his lips.

“Group hug!” he said, pulling you in again for another hug, this time with Bakugou in the mix. “I missed you guys.”

“How was your trip?” you asked him.

“Great!” Kirishima said. “I’ll tell you everything about it as soon as I get something to eat, I’m starving.”

“I made dinner for everyone,” Bakugou said.

“So that’s why it smells amazing!” Kirishima kissed Bakugou on the cheek in thanks, then gave you another to be fair. “Let’s go then,” he said, stepping forward. “Although, I guess I should ask; did I miss anything while I was gone?”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Taglist: @aahilovetheatre​ @basicalyrandom​ @hyunmin-1404​ @kqtsukii​ @nabo39​ @pyrofanatic​​ @rainy-skys-and-bright-stars​ @sendhelpimstupid​ @sxngwoos-ash-box​ @xoxopam4​

[english8muffin]

Vogue morning routine

Y/N Y/N/L’s guide to effortless natural makeup

Summary: you are asked to do the Vogue Beauty Secrets video and your two boys decide to join the party

Word count: around 2000

Warning: none, just pure floof!

I apologize in advance if there are any spelling and/or grammar mistakes, English is not my first language (+ this is my very first fic)

HEADLINE Henry Cavill’s new girlfriend, designer Y/N Y/L/N reveals her everyday morning routine in recent Vogue video: Y/N Y/L/N shows off her secrets to the perfect fusion of European and Asian beauty.

You stood in the spacious bathroom of the hotel room, only wearing a big, fluffy, white robe, that was actually Henry’s. But since the man was in the gym, you took the opportunity to lend it and bathe yourself in his musky smell, that calmed your nerves. Last night you started panicking, thinking you would probably look stupid for the entire world to see, luckily Henry and Kal tried to calm you down with cuddles and kisses.

This was the first ‘interview’ you would do, being such a young, successful entrepreneur really caught the attention of the media. When you first started your small online shop, you never would have thought you would end up here. Five years later, with a steady income, the job you always wished for and the man you had a crush on since the first time you laid eyes on him. Being a creative, it really made your heart soar with happiness, seeing all your products, your babies, in new homes where they would make others happy.

You were really proud of yourself. Henry was as well, and he made sure you and everybody around you knew. You were apprehensive at first, being with such a well known actor, who was also much older than you, it made you nervous of what people would say, what the media would say. You didn’t want to tarnish Henry’s image. You knew there were people with a much bigger age gap, but still, people were ruthless. So you both decided to take it slow, being careful with going out in public and social media posts.

You stand in front of the large mirror, which had a camera attached to it and open up your makeup bag. Right before you went into the bathroom, you made yourself a nice cup of tea, trying to stay calm. “Hi! I’m Y/N and today I am going to show you my everyday makeup routine,” you say with a smile, “I am not a dermatologist so please don’t take what I say too seriously.”

You grab a small white washcloth and hold it up, so it was in the frame, “First, I am going to wash my face and put on a few drops of serum,” You dampen the cloth and wipe it over your face and neck. You put a few drops in the palm of your hand and pat them into your skin. “Now I going to use my jade roller to massage the serum into my skin. It’s quite funny seeing so many people use these nowadays. In ancient China they were mostly used by the elite to keep there skin ageless. They would call jade the Stone of Heaven. It’s really helpful for the people who wake up with a puffy face like me,” you chuckle.

Somethimes you’d wake up with puffy cheeks, which led to Henry calling you his chubby bunny in the morning.

“Just a quick tip, and this is for everybody, make sure you always use SPF. I personally use SPF 30 and this one is shine control, since I tend to get an oily skin, but you can also use a regular one or a foundation with SPF in it. Believe me when I say your skin will be thankful.”

You grab the small tube of sun cream and show the amount you’ll use. You even convinced Henry to wear SPF everyday. At first he said he didn’t think it would make such a big difference, but when he realised you were going to be the one to put it on him, he was convinced about its benefits and adamant to wear it everyday. After working the thick cream into your skin, you put on some lipbalm and rummage through the pouch in front of you. When you find the product you’re looking for, you hold it up. “Now, I am going to put on a bit of concealer, this one is from Maybelline. After this, I will use a lighter shade under my eyes and on my acne scars that I have here,” you point and circle around the small cluster of scars on the sides of your cheeks.

Before blending out the concealer, you smile at the lens and put in two bright yellow hairclips, to keep your dark locks from falling into your face. “I probably should have done this at the start,” you laugh. The nerves creeping up a little. It wasn’t that you where a shy person, but knowing thousands of people will watch this, did something to you. You were always a very easygoing person, who could talk with pretty much everybody. But knowing people were going to watch you do something so intimate in a way, and would probably comment on it, scared you a little. While you would be 100% yourself, doing something as mundane as getting ready. If they didn’t like you now, then they probably won’t like you later. And that was what made you so afraid.

The bathrobe falls a bit down your shoulder, but you ignore it, since your hair fell down your shoulders in big waves. “Okay, brows. I used to block them in really dark when I was younger, but now I try to keep a light hand. I’ll use this Got 2B Glued as a brow gel afterwards. The tails of my eyebrows tend to move if I don’t use a strong enough gel. If you’re Asian you will understand the struggle.”

You quickly finish your brows, put some bronzer on your face and eyelids and take out your liquid eyeliner. “Am I the only one that acts like I’m a beauty guru whenever I do my makeup? Like, I’m just acting as if I’m used to this, right now, but to be honest, I was really nervous to do this video for Vogue,” you admit, “they will probably regret asking me,” you chuckle. You finish your eyemakeup with curling your long lashes, thanks to your mother’s genes, and add a coat of mascara.

You take in a deep breath, excited to show everyone the product you had been waiting for. “The next thing I am really proud to show you guys, because I designed the packaging. This is the new limited edition blush and highlighter palette from Dior, which they created for Lunar New Year!” You beam with pride, holding up the elegant looking palette. It had a darker toned glossy finish and the borders were the traditional Chinese looking frames, which were 3D and were surrounded by a wild variety of peonies. In the middle of the lid was your Chinese calligraphy in big golden brush stokes that said ‘year of the Ox’, the clasp was designed so it resembled an antique Chinese coin and on the side hung a jade charm.

“You can pre-order this palette now, I think they will put a link-thingy in de description. I wish you all a happy and blessed Lunar New Year, 祝农历年新年快乐牛年大吉!”

Just as you’re about to add some blush to your cheeks, the bathroom door creaks open and a curly-headed, sweaty Henry pops his head in. Fresh from the gym, and were you thankful for his new intense workout, because he was truely a sight to behold. A cheeky smile graces his handsome face when he spots you in front of the mirror, only wearing his robe, which made his grin widen.

“what are you doing in here? Are you hiding from me? Playing hide and seek is it?” he teases and rakes his large hand through the tousled curls, but just as he’s done speaking, he sees the camera behind you, and blushes. “Oh, I didn’t know you were filming, I’m sorry darling,” he smiles and gives a small wave in the direction of the camera. You led out a giggle, cheeks turning red already, if he’d keep this up, you wouldn’t need to add blush. You couldn’t focus anymore, he looked so attractive, only wearing his black gym shorts and a tight dark blue tank top. Damn that camera, otherwise you would have jumped him. Henry, thought the exact same thing. Seeing you, only wearing his robe and your hair still a bit wild from this morning’s cardio, made him hold back a moan. Those two cute, yellow clips in your hair could have fooled him, because you were anything but innocent.

Before he’s about to close the door again, he blows you a kiss. But his actions are stopped when a big bear makes his appearance. Bolting past his dad’s legs, Kal comes into the bathroom. Henry tries to catch him but misses. The black and white akita excitedly sniffs his head around the sink, trying to see what you were up to with all the stuff lying on the marble counter.

“Kal!” Henry whisper-yelled, trying to stay hidden behind the door. But you could still see his massive body crouched down behind the wood. It was rather funny, seeing the large man so panicked about getting his dog to listen. It kind of reminded you of that one video from BBC were a professor was being interviewed and his baby and nanny showed up in the background. While Henry tried to get Kal’s attention, the dog just sat next to your legs, and smiled when you pet him behind his ear. He was your good boy.

You both knew there was no other option but to keep Kal here, once he saw you do your makeup, he wanted to watch and get his ‘makeup’ done as well.

Henry also saw the look in Kal’s eyes and let out a sigh. Might as well stay with his two loves. He stood up from his position and walked to you, wrapping his sweaty but oh so save body around your figure, and placed a prolonged kiss on the exposed skin just by your shoulder. So far for taking it slow… He pressed himself thighter against your back, hiding his face in the crook of your neck and intertwined your hands, slowly rocking you two back en forth. “You look beautiful, my love,” he whispered, so only you could hear it, at least you hoped the camera wouldn’t pick that up. You let out a little giggle, like the inner schoolgirl you were whenever he was around you.

“Kal loves when Y/N does his makeup as well, don’t you boy,” Henry explains with a smile and looks down at the bear by your bare feet. Kal gives a small ruff and sweeps his tail eagerly. “Did you show them what you made,” he asked you with a wide smile, and looked straight in to the camera, “she worked really hard on that design, so I hope you all like it,” he declared proudly.

You ended up doing your makeup routine with your two boys in the background. Henry left for a few minutes to shower in the second bathroom your hotelroom had, and came back clad in a pair of light jogging trousers and a sweater. Even though you were inside, it was still a bit too chilly to walk around in short sleeves, being mid-winter and all. He just sat on the small wooden bench by the door, still in frame for everybody to enjoy and behold. His hair now damp. He was reading in a book and patiently waiting for you to get ready, occasionally looking up and laughing when you would wet your hands or Kal’s special makeup brush in the sink and pretend to do his makeup. The dog would bark excitedly and give you kisses. “Wow Kal, you look so pretty,” Henry told the big floof with the chuckle.

“Okay, this was my -somewhat- everyday makeup routine! Thank you guys for watching this chaotic mess, hope you laughed a bit, bye-bye, 再见!” How do those vlogger end their videos? Smash like and subscribe?

Behind you Henry looked up from the pages of his fantasy book and arched his brow, “Hey! No shout-out for your special guests? See you all next time!”

WOOHOO!! This is my very first fanfic, I really hope you enjoyed it. Liking, reposting and commenting would mean a lot to me! If you do repost this, please do not edit or copy my work. I worked really hard on this.

Much love, Nahmi xxx

Masterlist can be found HERE!

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[luci-in-trenchcoats]

If I Fell For You (Part 2) - Baseball Caps & Stroller Naps

Summary: The reader gets into the swing of things around the Ackles household and starts having more one on one time with Jensen. He even offers to set her up with a friend of his. When he invites her to a family outing as a friend though, she gets another glimpse that he might not be as put together as he appears...

Masterlist

Pairing: Jensen x nanny!reader

Square: Daddy!Jensen

Word Count: 5,900ish

Warnings: language, mention of death of a spouse/death of a parent

A/N: Things are starting to happen! This was also written for @supernatural-jackles​ Tell Me A Story Bingo!

________

“Good morning,” you said the next day as Jensen walked into the kitchen covered in sweaty workout clothes.

“Morning,” he said, going to the fridge to grab a drink. “Get the kids to school okay?”

“Yup,” you said, Jensen sniffing the air and humming as he walked over to where a loaf of banana bread was cooling in the rack. “Ah, it’s still too hot. Wait another half hour.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “It smells amazing by the way. I don’t think anything’s been baked in this house in six months.”

“I’ve always enjoyed it,” you said, Jensen taking a seat on top of the counter. He chugged down the cold bottle of water, some of it dripping down the corners of his mouth. “Enjoy sleeping in today?”

“You don’t know the half of it. I feel amazing.”

“You look rested for the first time since I’ve met you,” you said. “You should sleep in on the weekends more too. The kids don’t need to be up at dawn.”

“No, they don’t,” he said. “I do love sleep too. You do okay with getting the three of them going on your own today?”

“Yeah. JJ’s old enough to get herself dressed and make her bed and do a few things on her own. The twins are a balancing act but the trick is to give yourself double the amount of time you think you need and you’ll never be late.”

“Not a bad tip,” he said as you finished wiping off a glass and picked up a pad and pen. “Whatcha working on?”

“Ideas for crafts and that sort of thing. You guys have a lot of supplies already so I was thinking of some ideas to do this week,” you said.

“You know...you can stick them in front of a TV too. They have their shows they like. We aren’t big on tracking screen time,” he said. “As long as they play and do some kind of creative thing everyday they can watch TV for a few hours in a row if they want. Our parents didn’t worry about that shit when we were kids, you know?”

“No, they didn’t do that,” you said. He lifted up the bottom of his muscle tank and wiped off his face, your eyes going straight down to the pad so you wouldn’t risk staring. “Any work scheduled for today?”

“I gotta wash up, head to the brewery for a few to check on things. I have some voice acting work I’m doing right now so I go to a place downtown and record that. That’ll be my afternoon. I can handle making dinner tonight. I should be back around four thirty, maybe a hair after,” he said. 

“Alright,” you said. “Anything you need at the store today?”

“Nah, we got plenty here,” he said. He wiped off his face with his shirt again, using his collar this time. You handed him a dish towel and he smiled, rubbing it over his neck and head. “Sorry. I’m dripping aren’t I.”

“A little. Do you work out a lot?” you asked. 

“No more than the average person. Try to do thirty minutes in the morning most days of the week. It’s sort of been my only alone time lately,” he said.

“Are you a runner?”

“God no. I’m not built for that. I like boxing and HIIT, weights, that sort of stuff. Part of my job is to look a certain way so if I’m gonna be the tough guy…”

“You gotta look like a tough guy?” you asked. He smiled and you looked him up and down. “Don’t get me wrong. You’re a strong guy, that’s pretty obvious. But you’re not a tough guy.”

“Oh I’m not?” he asked but there was a lightness to his voice.

“Tough guys tend to be assholes. You’re too nice for that,” you said. 

“I suppose you have a point,” he said, sliding off the counter. He stepped over to the banana bread and picked up the knife nearby, slicing off a piece for himself and popping it in his mouth. “Hot. Hot.”

“I told you so,” you said with a small laugh.

“Tastes delicious though,” he said with his mouth full. You shook your head as he ate another piece and turned to go upstairs.

“Jensen,” you said, pointing at the sweaty dish towel. 

“Ugh, yes mom,” he said, swiping it away with a smile. 

“Thank you,” you said, tapping on your notepad. You felt his presence beside you, not to mention the smell, and turned your head up, Jensen smiling back. “Yes?”

“Aren’t you due for a break?” he asked.

“You don’t really get how this nanny thing works yet, do you.”

“Yeah well...I’m not a shitty boss so I guess you’ll have to get used to that too. Take a break Y/N. Have some coffee on the balcony. It’s a sunny January day. Enjoy it,” he said. You rolled your eyes and he pointed at the back door before he headed upstairs. You bit your bottom lip and glanced at the clock. You had been going for over three hours non-stop and one of those had been spent trying to convince a four year old he had to wear pants to daycare.

You turned to leave the kitchen when you heard a tsk. You jumped and slipped on the rug in front of the sink, falling backwards straight down to the hardwood floor.

“Sorry! Sorry!” he said as he rushed over. “I’m always tripping over that thing.”

“I’m fine,” you said as you sat up with his help. Your ass hurt but you knew you’d be alright. “Maybe we move the rug from the very trippable area?”

He swallowed and stared at you for a long moment before you smiled.

“How about we put it outside your office?” you asked softly. He nodded and you picked up one end of the long strip of fabric. He went to the other end and picked it up, backing up as you walked it over to the other side of the house. You laid it out in front of his closed door, smiling as you straightened it up. “There we go. Safe and sound.”

You headed back to the kitchen, Jensen lingering behind you.

“I was...gonna say you can make...you can use my coffee machine,” he said quietly. 

“Okay,” you said quietly. “Jensen.”

“Hm?”

“Stuff is stuff. This isn’t a museum. It’s a home. It’s gonna change over time.”

“I know. It’s just that rug...it is so damn ugly and I hate it,” he said with a smile. “I wanted to get rid of it the day she brought it home.”

“Wives have a way of getting the last word in,” you said. He chuckled and you got out a mug for yourself. “Tell me to shove it if this is too personal but are you sure you want to get back out into the dating world? It’s rough out there.”

“It is. Until it isn’t,” he said.

“You’re a hopeless romantic, aren’t you.”

“Guilty as charged.” He rubbed the back of his neck and his cheeks flushed for a brief moment.

“Women like hopeless romantics,” you said. “Just don’t get taken advantage of for that. There’s some not so nice women out there too.”

“Afraid I’ll fall for some ditz?” he asked.

“No, I don’t think you’d do that. But someone might hurt you and you’ve been through enough. Maybe just...don’t fall in love at first sight or something like that,” you said. “Alright?”

“Never was much good at that,” he said to himself while you grabbed your coffee mug. “You believe in that sort of thing?”

“I’d like to. But you’re more of the expert on falling in love than I am,” you said.

“Maybe it’s not first sight but within a few days, a week, yeah I knew I was in love,” he said.

“Well if that happens again let me know and I’ll make sure this chick is good for you,” you said.

“I didn’t know my nanny came with bodyguard services,” he chuckled.

“That was under special skills on my resume,” you said as you headed over to the door to the balcony. “You should wash up. Don’t want to be late.”

“No I better not be,” he said. He turned to head upstairs, pausing on the first step. “You know, no one’s an expert at falling in love. Even those of us who were once married.”

“Oh don’t be a hopeless romantic for me getting my shit together too. We’ll be here for years,” you laughed. 

“Just sayin’...maybe we’ll both find somebody. Not that we need anyone to be happy but...you know what I mean,” he said. 

“Men don’t really talk about love like that you know.”

“I do,” he said. You smiled and he returned it. 

“That’s why all the good men get taken early, the ones that talk like that,” you said.

“I was older than you when I got married. Maybe I’ll get married again someday. We���re out there. I promise.”

“Go shower,” you said, waving him off. You slipped outside, closing the door behind you. You leaned over the railing with your mug and let out a sigh. “You have to a be a fucking hopeless romantic too don’t you. Fucking perfect at everything.”

You lowered your head and took a deep breath. 

“It’s a crush, it’s a crush,” you said, closing your eyes. “Just a crush. He’s your boss and a widow and he bought a birthday cake for me.”

You opened your eyes and glanced into the mug, taking another deep breath.

“He’s just nice. That’s it. Even if he’s…” you trailed off. You took a long sip of the hot liquid, not caring you were burning your tongue. Jensen was simply a nice person and that was that. You had a crush on the attractive single dad you were nannying for. There was nothing wrong with that and you knew for a fact it’d be gone by the end of the week tops.

“Ow,” you groaned a few days later. You opened your eyes and heard a knock at the door to your suite. “Yeah?”

“You okay in there? I thought I heard a crash,” said Jensen. 

“I’m fine,” you said, sitting up with a grunt, leaning back against your bed. “Shit.”

“Y/N, are you sure you’re alright?” he asked again.

“No,” you said with a sigh. “The door’s open.”

You peaked through your open door down the hall, Jensen opening the one to the suite and offering a friendly smile. You nodded and he walked inside, frowning at your cut up knee. 

“I got blood on the rug,” you said. “Do we have bleach?”

“I thought we agreed earlier this week a rug is just a rug,” he said, squatting down and looking at your knee. He looked up and saw your overturned garbage can in your closet where you’d been trying to reorganize a few clothes. “Next time use the step stool in the garage?”

“Yeah,” you said, your face hot. “I’m fine really. Just want to clean up the blood before it sets in.”

“It’s a few drops,” he said, helping you stand with a wince. “You got any first aid stuff?”

“Yeah,” you said, Jensen crossing his arms. “No.”

“Come on,” he said, putting his hands on your shoulders and walking you down the hall. “Scraped up knees are my specialty.”

“Jensen,” you said, stopping at the kitchenette island and bending your leg a few times. 

“I’ll be right back,” he said. He left and you hopped over to the couch, stretching your leg out. The bleeding had stopped, just a thin cut on your knee cap where you’d hit it, but you knew you were in for a nasty bruise. He returned with a bottle and cotton ball in one hand, a bandage and ice pack in the other. 

“Sorry,” you said, Jensen setting the items down on the coffee table.

“Why would you apologize for getting hurt?” he said.

“I should have my own first aid supplies,” you said. 

“Ah. So you’re as stubborn as I am when you’re not feeling great,” he said. You looked down at your lap and took a deep breath.

“Am I fired?” you asked. 

“No? Why the fuck would I fire you?” he said. 

“I don’t know,” you said, picking up the bottle of rubbing alcohol.

“Have you been fired for getting hurt before?” he asked, watching you hold the cotton ball against the open bottle top and tip it over, soaking the liquid in. You pretended to not hear him and put the bottle back, wiping the ball over the cut, a deep red mark already on your skin. “Y/N.”

“Yes, I have,” you said. You set the ball on the table and picked up the bandage, trying to angle it over your knee. He rolled his eyes and took it out of your hand, bending down and turning it around, pressing it gently over your skin. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s illegal,” he said as he looked up at you.

“Do I look like I have an HR department I can go to? They were dicks anyways,” you said.

“If you’re ever hurt, big or small, just tell me,” he said. He rested the ice pack over your knee and you sat back, throwing it up on the couch for you to lay there. “Promise I won’t fire you for it.”

“Well if I can’t do my job I’m not much use to you,” you said.

“Are all wealthy people assholes that act like that?” he asked. You shook your head and smiled. “Good.”

“I’ve nannied for eight different families, nine counting yours. Some were very good people,” you said.

“But you were just the help to them, even the good ones,” he said.

“I am the help. That’s the whole point of me being there,” you said. 

“Do me a favor? Don’t assume just because you’re someone’s employee that they think of you as just the help,” he said, picking up the first aid supplies.

“Sorry.”

“Why do you apologize for…” he said, muttering to himself as you looked down. “If I ever make you feel like that, smack me in the head, alright?”

“Alright,” you said quietly. He nodded and left with the items, returning a moment later with some cleaning spray, ducking into your room for only a moment before exiting.

“It’s all clean,” he said. He lingered at the door and put a hand on it. “Leave that ice pack on for fifteen minutes and pop it back in the freezer. Put it back on for a bit before bed.”

“Thanks,” you said. 

“It’s no problem,” he said. He still lingered and you took a deep breath.

“You should call someone, talk to them,” you said. He looked over his shoulder and you smiled. “You seem like you want to talk to somebody tonight is all.”

“I think I’m gonna go for a drive, maybe stop at a friend’s. The kids are all in bed,” he said. “If that’s cool.”

“Yeah go take a second for yourself,” you said. “I got everything here.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Night, Jensen.”

One Week Later

“Y/N,” said Jensen as you washed your car in the driveway on a Saturday morning. You dropped the soapy sponge in the bucket and straightened yourself out. “Got plans today?”

“Uh, I was gonna run to the grocery store in a minute but other than that, no. Need me to watch the kids?”

“No. We were going out to lunch and then going to a little car show was all and we were wondering if you’d like to join us. Totally up to you. My treat.”

“You don’t want me to watch the kids?” you asked. He laughed and crossed his arms at you. “I’m confused.”

“Do you want to hang out with us today? For fun?” he asked.

“Oh,” you said. “That’s okay. You enjoy your time with the kids.”

“How do I make this clearer,” he said, walking over to you and looking down. “I want you to come with us, as a friend, to do something fun, like friends do. This is not work. Come if you want to.”

“You sure you want me to come?” you asked. He rolled his eyes and plopped his baseball cap on your head as he walked away.

“Yes. And wear sunscreen,” he said. “We’re leaving at eleven thirty.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll see you guys then.”

“There’s something about a burger that’s been cooked in a greasy pop up kitchen that just adds to the flavor,” you said as you took a bite of your cheese burger at the car show.

“It’s probably the grease,” he said, walking one hand on his burger, the other holding Arrow’s hand. She wiped her own little hand on his leg and he sighed as he looked down. “Arrow. I got napkins in my pocket.”

“Oh,” she said, wiping her face against him.

“No one mentions this part,” he chuckled. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulders once he was done with his food, humming as he pushed the stroller with a sleeping Zeppelin inside. 

“Dad, I gotta go to the bathroom,” said JJ. 

“I’ll take her and we can catch up with you guys?” you said. He mouthed a thank you to you as you headed over to the women’s room. You used the bathroom as well, finishing before her and waiting outside for her. “All set?”

“Yeah. Can we get fried dough?” she asked.

“Sure,” you said. You let her lead the way in line and got a plate for the two of you, taking a seat at a picnic table so she could dig in. “Taste yummy?”

“Oh yeah,” she said. “Dad likes fried dough a lot too.”

“Everybody does,” you said, taking a piece off the corner.

“Y/N, you don’t have a mom either right?” she said. “That’s what dad said.”

“Well that’s a funny question. I got a mom and so do you. They just aren’t around anymore is all,” you said. “What’s up?”

“I’m happy you stay with us I guess is all. I know you’re not mom and you work for dad but you kinda are and I like it when dad’s happy again,” she said.

“Me too. You doing okay, kiddo?” you asked. “It’s okay if you still miss your mom.”

“I do but I’m not sad anymore. Dad says when I get real old I can see her again so that’s cool,” she said, taking a big bite.

“It definitely is cool,” you said. “Maybe our mom’s are hanging out right now.”

“You think so?” she asked.

“Maybe. I bet they get up to some fun stuff up there,” you said. 

“Me too,” she said. “Dad’s really happy you came with us. He’s been cranky lately.”

“Your dad’s gonna be just fine,” you said as she finished off her food. “So do you like having a nanny? I know that’s kinda new and funny, huh.”

“Yeah but I really like you being home. Dad gets flustered sometimes.”

“Flustered?” you asked with a little laugh.

“He works on a lot of stuff and he didn’t pick me up on time from school and stuff a few weeks ago. Too many chickens in a basket,” she said.

“Too many eggs in one basket,” you said.

“Isn’t an egg gonna be a chicken though?”

“I...never thought of it that way,” you said. You nearly jumped when you felt some hands on your shoulders but JJ was smiling as Arrow climbed up next to you.

“Ah. I see you ladies found the fried dough. Twins you want some?” asked Jensen.

“Yes please,” they said and he chuckled as he went off to buy some more.

“Look at her,” said Jensen twenty minutes later, pausing at a deep blue Impala, the twins both conked out in their stroller. 

“Isn’t that the same car you have?” you asked, lifting up the brim of your baseball cap to get a better look.

“Mine’s a 67. That’s a 63. I love that color though,” he said. “Blue’s my favorite but it looks good on that car.”

“I think it looks good in black,” you said, walking again when you saw JJ a few cars ahead of the two of you. “Where’d you get your car?”

“Work,” he said with a quick smile, hiding behind his sunglasses and hat. 

“Aren’t you an actor?” you asked.

“You have very obviously never seen an episode of my show,” he chuckled. “Which is totally cool by the way. I drove that car in the show for well over a decade. She’s one of my true loves.”

“Ah, gotcha,” you said. “So you’re a car guy.”

“Kinda. I don’t know everything but I enjoy them. What about you, you like-JJ! Stay closer,” he called out when she kept walking ahead. “So do you like cars?”

“I guess so. This is kinda neat, walking around and looking at the old ones. They had more style back then,” you said, walking past a pair of guys your age, one of them looking you up and down as you went by. “Did that guy-”

“Yup,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder, throwing his arm over yours for a few moments. “Looks like he got the message.”

“Jensen,” you laughed. “I wasn’t offended. It’s not like he was gonna come up and ask for my number.”

“I don’t like the look of him,” he said.

“Neither did I,” you chuckled, Jensen dropping his arm from around you. “You’re that guy friend girls have that will do shit like pretend to be a boyfriend and all that stuff, aren’t you.”

“At your service,” he said with a mini curtesy. You giggled and he straightened up, JJ rushing over.

“Dad can I get an ice cream?” she asked.

“How about some apple slices,” he said, reaching under the stroller and grabbing a cooler. He pulled out a little baggie and handed it to her, JJ shrugging and walking ahead of the stroller again. “Shit, that probably means I can’t get ice cream now too.”

“We can always get some on the way home for later,” you said. “I won’t tell on you.”

“I’m putting this on your performance review,” he said. You shot him a side glance and he smirked. “I’m joking. I don’t want to do that as much as you don’t.”

“Thank you for that,” you said, stopping and looking at a red challenger for a moment.

“You like that one?” he asked.

“It’s nice,” you said before you started walking again. You fixed your hat and caught back up with him, Jensen slowing down as JJ took her time ahead of you. “So I should probably know this but what show were you in where you were driving around a muscle car?”

“You really haven’t looked me up online yet?” he chuckled. You shrugged and he laughed to himself.

“I may have peeked at your IMDB page but that was it. Was it that show you were on a long time? Super something?”

“Supernatural,” he said, a big smile on his face. “Yeah, I drove it for that.”

“Oh yeah, that was the really scary show, wasn’t it,” you said. 

“You’re too sweet,” he said, chuckling to himself. “It’s not that scary. I promise. Give it a try sometime. You might like it.”

“I’m sure someday I will. If I’m brave enough.”

“I think you are,” he said, JJ running up ahead again before he called for her to hang back. He sighed and threw his head back. “It never ends, does it?”

“I’m sure someday when she’s older you won’t have to worry so much.”

“I’m gonna worry about that kid when she’s forty years old,” he said.

“That’s cause you’re a good dad,” you said. 

“You haven’t known me that long,” he said.

“Do you love her? Worry about her?” you asked and he nodded. “Well any dad that does that and tells his kid that someday they’ll get to see their mom again to help her grieve when he well and truly doesn’t know the answer to that...you get the picture Ackles?”

“I could be better,” he said.

“Everyone could be better. They don’t need the best dad ever. They just need the best dad for them and you seem like you’re doing a good job of that from what I’ve seen so far,” you said. “You’re gonna screw up but so does everyone. Try to just enjoy it and not be too hard on yourself.”

“You’ve spent a lot of time with kids haven’t you,” he said.

“I’ve been in the mom role more than once as a nanny,” you said. You kicked at the dirt and shrugged. “It’s how I know the difference Jensen. You don’t need me or want me to be their mother. You just need help sometimes. That’s an important difference. Asking for help, especially when you don’t want it but need it, that’s a good dad move.”

He was quiet as he walked, stopping at a yellow mustang. He stared for a moment and swallowed. 

“Thanks, Y/N. That means a lot. Really.”

“Come on dad,” you said, walking away and up towards where JJ was. “Let’s go see if we can find one this one’s gonna be asking for on her sixteenth birthday.”

“Those three are finally down and out for the count,” said Jensen as he walked downstairs to catch you in the kitchen wiping up the pan from dinner. “Thanks for eating with us tonight.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” you said, putting the pan away. He looked out the back window and bit his bottom lip. “Everything alright?”

“You’re not like, hanging out with us cause you think you have to right?” he asked.

“Trust me. If I didn’t want to, I’d be down in my room,” you said. “Besides, I’ve thought about it and you know what, why don’t you set me up with that friend of yours.”

“Really?” he asked, a little alarmed.

“Why not? The age thing doesn’t bother me at all. Unless you think it’d be a problem for him?”

“No, he doesn’t really care about that sort of thing. I think he’d prefer it’s just someone he clicked with, had a connection, you know?” he said.

“Perfect. Why don’t you set us up for next Saturday night then?” you asked.

“I need you to watch the kids next Saturday night. I have-”

“The gala. Sorry, I forgot. Um, just, I’m free whenever. You know my schedule so you can set something up and just let me know?” you said. He smiled and nodded. As you were starting to leave he grunted. “Yeah?”

“I have some friends coming over for a drink in a bit. Small backyard fire. Whiskey and smores. You’re welcome to join.”

“Jensen. You’re not asking because you feel like you have to right?”

“No, not at all. I like hanging out with you. I’m sure whatever you’re binging on TV will be there if we bore you too much,” he said.

“Alright. I’ll be out in half an hour or so. Just wanted to freshen up from the show earlier,” you said. You ducked back to your room, taking a quick shower and changing into some leggings and a flannel. By the time you were out you could hear a slight mumbling and walked downstairs, catching Jensen with some guys on the patio pouring some drinks.

“Hey,” said Jensen when you stepped out of the slider door. “Guys this is Y/N.”

“Ah we get to meet the world’s best nanny,” said the tallest one. “I’m Jared.”

“Rich.”

“Rob.”

“Hi!” said a redhead that slipped out of the door behind you. “I’m Ruth.”

“Y/N. Your hair is kinda amazing by the way,” you said.

“This is what happens when you invite the girls,” said Rich.

“Normally we just talk about Jared’s hair,” chuckled Jensen. You grabbed a chair and helped gather up some snacks to bring over to his firepit, Ruth hanging back to help you.

“Jensen said you live here with him and the munchkins?”

“Yeah. He works so much it makes things easier on him. Are you an actress?” you asked.

“We all are. Only Jared lives close by. The rest of us haven’t been down here since…” she said and you nodded. “I really am happy you’re here. It’s nice to see a smile on our boys face again.”

“He’s a great boss. He’s very kind. We’re becoming friends,” you said. “He’s trying to set me up with his friend actually.”

“Oh which one?”

“Dunno. He just said he’s 42, an actor and is single. Age stuff doesn’t bother me.”

“Rob is a bit older than myself. It really doesn’t matter in the slightest, especially when you’re a little older,” she said. “Jensen says you’re great with the kids.”

“They’re pretty easy going. Normally the parents are the hard part of my job but he’s been great. He really loves his kids,” you said.

“Yes he certainly does,” she said.

By the end of the night you found yourself really enjoying Jensen’s friends. It was clear they cared for him at more than a surface level, especially Jared. You’d heard Jensen speak to him on the phone a few times and call him his brother but it really was apparent they had a special bond that went beyond a typical friendship.

“I’ll catch you guys for brunch before you head home,” said Jensen, waving night to them all as you helped pick up. You were just about finished and heading back for your room when Jensen caught you in the kitchen. “You have fun tonight?”

“Yeah. Your friends are great,” you said, a small pair of footsteps coming down the stairs. You both turned and saw Zeppelin there with tears in his eyes.

“What’s wrong, honey?” asked Jensen as he walked over and squatted down.

“I had a bad dream and I want mommy but she’s gone,” he whined. Jensen instantly scooped him up and held onto him tight, kissing his head. “I want mommy.”

“I want mommy too, baby,” said Jensen quietly. You mouthed go and he nodded, taking Zeppelin upstairs while you finished cleaning up. 

You got up early the next morning and made a big batch of chocolate chip pancakes, plenty leftover for breakfast the next morning. Jensen padded over from the hall where you knew the home gym was, sweaty and tired but a smile came onto his face when he saw you.

“What’s all this,” he asked, getting a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Chocolate chip pancakes make everything better,” you said. He put a few on a plate for himself and sat down at the counter as you made up some more, stealing a few for yourself.

“These are delicious,” he said. You stored away some for when the kids got up, making up your own plate before you dug in. “Sorry about last night. I feel like I ruined the fun.”

“Not at all. He’s a toddler. I literally can’t imagine being in your position. I’d have fallen apart instantly,” you said.

“No you wouldn’t. You care about those kids,” he said. “You push on for them.”

“I know it’s not really my place to say so but-”

“Y/N. I’d prefer if you just talk to me like a friend, really,” he said.

“You made it sound like you were ready to try dating again. Last night you seemed kind of...maybe not so ready.”

“I’m ready. I will always miss her. I’ll always love her. But that doesn’t mean I can’t love anyone else ever again like that too, you know? I don’t believe there is a limit on how much love a person can give,” he said.

“Your wife was a very lucky woman,” you said.

“I was lucky. She was patient with me,” he chuckled. “You guys would have gotten along really well.”

“Can I offer a bit of advice?” you asked.

“What’s that?”

“Keep telling your kids about her, all throughout their lives. They’ll still get to know her that way, you know?” you said. “Tell your future girlfriend too. That’s how you’ll know if they’re a good one for you.”

“Why do you say that?” he asked.

“You’re a kind soul. I would expect your partner would be as well,” you said.

“I hope so. Mine kinda has a permanent handle with care warning label on it,” he chuckled.

“I don’t think so. Just need somebody that understands, not try to fix you. There’s nothing wrong with you in the first place,” you said, taking a bite of your pancake.

“Thanks, kiddo,” he said.

“You’re not that much older, bucko,” you chuckled.

“Nah, I’m keeping kiddo,” he laughed. “You good to watch the kids for a few hours around eleven?”

“Sounds good. Go have a mimosa with your friends for me,” you said.

“Will do, Y/N. Will do.”

______

A/N: Read Part 3 here!

[tsuki-chibi]

MayBee Queen 2022 Day 22: Buzz On

Read on AO3 instead

—

Chloé had just climbed into the bath and settled down with a happy sigh when her cellphone beeped. She opened one eye to stare at the interfering phone in frustration, suddenly regretting not leaving it in the other room.

“Don’t answer it,” said Pollen. She had just made herself comfortable on her honeycomb-shaped floating pillow.

“I have to see who it is,” Chloé muttered, lifting a dripping hand. She wiped her hand on a towel and then grabbed her phone to see who had messaged her, only to see that it wasn’t a message at all. It was an alert from the Ladyblog about a new akuma rampaging through downtown Paris.

“Nooooo,” Pollen whined, recognizing the look on Chloé’s face.

“I know,” Chloé said, staring down at her phone with a grumpy face. Tonight was supposed to be a good night. A relaxing night. She had prepared a bubble bath with her best oils, leaving the air in the room steamy and fragrant. She had a tall stack of interesting new magazines to look through, a glass of chilled juice to drink, and a platter of cheese cubes and crackers to share with Pollen.

She was not in the mood to deal with an akuma.

She quickly opened up the news app on her phone, hoping that the akuma would have already been dealt with by Ladybug and Chat Noir, but no such luck. There was a video with live footage showing that the two of them were still hard at work, and – much to Chloé’s annoyance – both of them looked like they could use some help. She sighed and showed the screen to Pollen.

Pollen sighed too. “I guess we have to go.”

“I guess we do. Damn Hawkmoth.” Chloé put her phone down and stood up, grabbing the towel she’d left nearby and wrapping it around herself. She stepped out of the tub and quickly dried herself off, then swapped the towel for a pair of sweatpants and a tank top – transforming before getting dressed was never a good idea, as Marinette had once found out the hard way.

“We can come back to the bath once we’re done, right?” Pollen said, and Chloé nodded.

“Absolutely. Now Pollen, buzz on!”

Yellow light swirled around the room, leaving Queen Bee behind. She cast one last longing look at her bath before leaving, heading towards the last known sighting of the akuma. Although even if she hadn’t checked the news app, it still would’ve been pretty easy to find given that the akuma was ten feet high and bright purple.

When it was all over, roughly an hour or two later, Chat Noir put his hands on his hips and looked at Queen Bee with a raised eyebrow before saying, “Someone was extra motivated tonight.”

Queen Bee glared back at him. “Someone had just gotten into a bubble bath.”

“Oh god a bubble bath sounds nice right now,” Ladybug said, looking down at her costume with a grimace. Tonight’s akuma had had the ability to spew a noxious liquid. Though the effects of the Miraculous Ladybug had erased the gross liquid, they all still felt dirty.

“You can join me if you want,” Queen Bee said, making a split-second recalculation. Her bathtub was easily big enough to accommodate three teenagers and three kwamis. She’d have to get more juice and crackers, and especially more cheese if Plagg was coming, but that wouldn’t be too hard.

Ladybug stared at her hopefully. “Seriously?”

“Sure. I have a bathing suit that should fit you,” Queen Bee said, eyeing Ladybug for a moment. She was pretty sure she had a couple of suits that she’d grown out of. And Adrien had left behind swim trunks last time he’d spent the night.

“I’m in. My tutoring session got cancelled so I have a couple hours,” Chat said. “After that fight, sitting in hot water for an hour sounds amazing. Come on, let’s go.”

[withoneheadlight]

Towards the limits of maps

~~

Hopper offers him a job, afterwards.

“It’s not much, but It’ll help you get by, pay the bills, ‘till you find something better”

It’s at the station. No less. Consists basically of tidying up the office and replacing the tank from the water machine and keeping the bathrooms clean and generally “Getting some heavy lifting out of our dear Flo’s shoulders” and. The old Billy Hargrove. The one that used to swagger his way around and was all charm and purposeful winks and still hadn’t been permanently scarred from the inside out would’ve gag at the mere thought of it. Accepting a job from the Chief of Police. The Hawkins, Indiana , Chief of Police. But this Billy has trouble keeping his spine from crumbling down on his best days and feels stupidly, shamefully thankful for the way Jim Hopper knows without asking. Understands, without Billy having to say a word so,

He takes the job.

Vacuums the cars. Mops the floors. Buys yellow-bright rubber gloves so he doesn’t actually gag as he scrubs off the toilets. Does his best to get that weight off Flo’s shoulders and Flo―

Flo.

Smiles at him radiant . A warm “ Good morning, dear!” every day ( every , single, day). Asks him how he likes coffee once and then remembers . Insists on still brewing it herself because “I’m kind of an egoist, you see. Love to see people’s faces when I bring it to them. It’s like liquid happiness. Makes people beam . Probably because it’s, you know, technically a drug but― ’guess everybody needs their some” grinning and nudging at Billy’s ribs with a strength that makes him wince like she’s seventeen instead of sixty “But I also kinda like to water it a bit and forget to warm it up if they get me real pissed”.

Flo.

Teaches Billy how to use the squeegee so washing the windows takes him two hours instead like, two days. Makes him type whatever notes have to be typed because “It’s a good skill, boy. And you’ve to start thinking about your future”. Makes him laugh until he goes breathless and has to brace his ribs from the shock of laughter but also from the timid, feather-like feeling of actual, genuine happiness and from yeah, some little more elbowing that kind of makes his chest bloom with warmth. Flo asks him how his day’s going. If he’s feeling well. Brings the back of her hand to his forehead if his eyes look “A little too bright, sugar. Think you should go home early today”. Calls him―calls him sugar. Like Billy’s sweet . Worth having around. Worth “Making my wrinkles even deeper, hon. I swear” Has this effect on Billy, makes him want to take care of her. To be nice . Polite. Better . Earn that sugar she keeps on putting on his coffee and right after his name.

Flo.

Smiles at  him sad and wish you could have it, kid. The day she notices. Two months into the job. Steve Harrington showing up for the fourth time that week. Something about a ‘Plan’, about being ready ‘Just in case’ and a wholla lot more of somethings neither him or Hopper share with him because Billy’s too fragile or maybe too potentially dangerous or maybe just― too blurred into his periphery. Steve Harrington. With his movie-star hair and his movie-star stance and his flashy-white smile and his flashy-white nikes Billy shouldn’t like this much. Leaning on the reception counter to flirt with Flo, tease Billy about how much more cute he looks with his now longer hair. Making it feel like he’s also flirting. With him. Pretending to check him out with a slow, deliberate up-and-down-and-down-and-up stare. Making Billy both want to punch him straight into the nose and let his eyes wander, wander, wonder. Up the unbuttoned collar of his preppy-in-pink lapels-raised polo. Up the trail of dark fuzz coming out and those dots ascending in twos. Trace their route with the tips of his fingers. Two on the hollow of Steve’s throat. Two over the beat of his pulse. Two on the apple of his cheek and then just― fall. Pads on his lower lip and tugging. A wordless question. ‘Can I? Can I? Open your mouth with my mouth. Find out what lies beyond the limit of maps?’.

But Steve. He’s a daydream. An illusion. Will never become real, for someone like him. So he keeps on doing the job. One day at a time. One foot after the other. And the money pays for staying out of Neil’s. Pays for having Max and her flock of nerds over on Saturday nights and those dead hours of Sundays. Pays for having something resembling a life enough for Billy to keep on going. Think about that future Flo keeps insisting on from time to time. Pays for some peace of mind.

Pays for the possibility that, after all, Billy is gonna survive all of this.

So winter passes, and then spring , over this supposedly “Just for a few weeks” ―job and now Billy’s attending the calls, some days, kinda playing the secretary, kinda “ Not much ‘till I retire, kid . So you might as well learn how it’s done. In case you’d consider to―you know. Take it”. Feeling good, and maybe, perhaps. Happy. Feeling like life’s not a burden anymore, at least, when Flo feeds him homemade donuts and drags him into a shopping rampage to get a few things so she can help him to “Make that apartment you live in look more like a home and less like an abandoned mausoleum” and it does , in the end, look more like a home, like ‘A Billy Hargrove lives here’ instead of a ‘Here lies a Billy Hargrove’ and Flo says “I told you” , success making her bold enough to make him buy some new clothes, buy him some more, assault the black hole of Billy’s wardrobe and dig out his old leather jacket, saying “ You look gorgeous, sugar. You should wear this again” making  Billy get a little too emotional, a little too trying not to drop his feelings so they don’t go scattering all over the place, when he asks her,

“How could I― repay you. For all of this”

Truly meaning all, meaning me, when he says this. But all Flo does is snort, shake her head, pat his cheek and tell him,

“Billy, sugar. You repay me every day”

But then her face lights up, all old-lady mischief behind impossibly big glasses. She looks down at the jacket, up at Billy, and then,

“But I’ve heard it’s been a while since you went on a date”

So Billy snickers, ceremoniously puts his old dangling earring on. Invites Flo to popcorn and to that Cobra movie with Stallone. Laughs his ass off for the whole theater to hear from the second row, where he and Flo had to sit because “Can you believe it, sweetie? I can barely see the screen from here but he’s gonna arrest those men wearing his goddam sunglasses”.

It’s only after all the credits have rolled off, the room nearly empty, that Billy spots him. Walking down the steps from the top row, side by side with Robin Buckley. Smile growing and growing and blooming something wild as their eyes lock. Movie-star pretty and as unreachable as if he shared their same sky. And he’s― saying something. To Billy. Something including a “Hey” and a “Glad to see you too, Flo” and then a “Really?” when Flo explains to him that no, she didn’t trip , that’s not the reason why’s she leaning on Billy’s arm “But thank you for caring, hun” . Then she’s explaining the real reason. At length. Going on and on and on about how “This sweetheart here. He’s so caring. Keeps on spoiling me to no end” while Billy feels blood rushing to his face and thinks that they must be there all the time, waiting for when the light is right, just like now: that golden crown and that royal smile. And the seats of The Hawk are red and velvet and the projector’s still running behind him, bathing his body in a sunshine glow and Billy might be feeling a bit dazed, a bit shot through the heart.

It was love at first sight, then. Now. Every single time.

That’s why he’s not fully functioning, not fully at the reigns of himself when Steve glances back at him. Grins. Says.

“Gosh, Hargrove. Makes me wish you’d treat me that well”

And. You see. Billy’s been in Flo-mode for months on end. And Flo-mode means getting the calls with a “Helloooooo!”. Adding dear or hun or sugar at the end of every phrase. Bringing Hooper his coffee and stir his half a spoon of sugar for him with a smile so big his six-am temper goes crashing into it. Hiding Powell’s nicotine menthols and putting the blame on Callahan while trying not to choke-chuckle as they bicker about it all day. Means joking about the daily crossword in the newspaper during lunch breaks. Means being around someone with whom billy can be light.

Means that, against all odds, the paper-thin skin of his scars might hold up, after all. Keep him alive inside. Means Billy’s become sweeter, indeed. Taken down his guard.

Means that, when Steve Harrington tilts his head to the side, all honey-coated eyes and waiting, Billy trips on what’s left of his swagger and falls hard on his knees and mumbles.

“I would. If you’d let me. I’d treat you like nobody else has”

And Steve. It’s minuscule. A work of art. The way those eyes widen just so. The way breath catches on his windpipe. The way that, apparently, it was this what it took, all along, Billy in front of him without his army. Not a conquer but,

A surrender.

His whole heart for the King of Hearts.

And then, Robin Buckley cackles.

Steve breathes out, says “Oh” and then “Wow” and the here and now seems to shake out of its stillness with him. And the damage must be serious because Flo’s hand is tightening around his forearm and she’s got that voice on, the one she uses when Randolph Ferguson calls drunk-as-a-skunk every Sunday morning at seven a.m “You should go to bed and sleep it off, honey” . Conciliatory. But what she’s sayings is “We maybe should get going, sweetheart” tugging slightly at him while Buckley’s laughter sets into a maniac grin even if she’s― not looking at him, but at Steve, drawling something in between her teeth, something with a ‘Told’ and a ‘You’ , but Flo’s very politely tugging harder, waving them away, damaging control at its best, because she knows , and she knows , that billy doesn’t need more breaking, so they’re almost at the door, running away, not unscathed but, almost when Steve,

Calls,

Calls him.

“Billy!” and he hasn’t moved an inch but he sounds out of breath, rasps a “Hey” and at first, Billy thought all he wanted was something shiny. A King. A Crown. A conquer. But then Steve Harrington looked at him with those eyes and Billy knew all he really wanted was to know how love looked written all over them.

So he turns. Sets his jaw. Squares himself to take the blow.

“Yeah?”

How he would look. Close enough to be reflected on them.

“Tomorrow. When you―. Want me to pick you up, when you get out?”

And Buckley’s eyes jump into Billy’s, now. Teeth biting at her grin through the inside of her cheeks. And Flo’s sighing her relief right by his ear. And they’re holding. These scars. They’re holding but also― he can feel it now, where skin used to be worn-out leather and now’s paper-thin, the way Steve might be, too. Wanting. Longing.

To let Billy part his lips with his.

And Billy’s― Static. Thunderstruck. But Flo says,

“At five. Sharp” and her fingers dig deeper on Billy’s forearm but now they’re not tugging away “I’ll make sure of it”

And then Steve smiles and it’s lovelovelove , at every fucking sight. Dimples deep and those two dots right by his check, one last step and then―

“It’s a date” he nods, and he’s what Princes Charming grows into, and Billy wants to ask him once and then remember , make him coffee every morning just so he can see that smile “Can’t wait to see if you meant those words”

(And he does. 

Black. One spoon of sugar. Takes it to their bed. Two years later. Wakes him up with a kiss, makes him smile, falls in love a little more.

In a few hours, they’ll be eating homemade donuts and making toasts at Flo’s retirement party. Billy’s planned on taking her on a date, afterwards.

“Hop’s offered me the job” he says, getting back under the covers and–

That smile .

 “And are you ― gonna take it?”

One of Billy’s favorite things, is that Steve can’t really contain it.

“ Well, I still mean what I said so. I guess I have to”

And then there’s lovelovelove , when Steve brings him to where the limits of maps are waiting, lovelovelove , where Billy’s reflected into his eyes)

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝐖𝐡𝐨'𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐬? (𝐂𝐄𝐎! 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨) 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝙲𝙴𝙾/𝙳𝚊𝚍! 𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚒 𝙹𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚑𝚘 (𝙰𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚣) × 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢/𝙼𝚘𝚖! 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 (𝙵𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎)

𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝚂𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙰𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝, 𝙵𝚕𝚞𝚏𝚏, 𝚂𝚖𝚞𝚝, 𝙳𝚊𝚍 𝙰𝚄, 𝙲𝙴𝙾 𝙰𝚄

𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: 𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚒 𝙹𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚑𝚘 𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛𝚜, 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚘𝚜𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝.

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 𝟼𝙺+

𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: 𝚂𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚕 (𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐), 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚓𝚘𝚋, 𝚐𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚔, 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚢/𝚍𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚢 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚔, 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚍𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚞𝚗𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚡 (𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗), 𝙵𝚎𝚖𝚍𝚘𝚖! 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 × 𝚂𝚞𝚋! 𝙹𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚑𝚘

𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝: @little-precious-baby @yunhoiseyecandy @yunhofingers @brie02 @galaxteez @deja-vux @multidreams-and-desires @rvse-miingi @couchpotatoaniki

⊱⋅ ──────────── ⋅⊰

"I expect all of your reports in and in perfect order by tomorrow's meeting at 11 a.m. And I want all of you in there on time. I will not accept even 1 minute of tardiness. Are we clear?"

A chorus of 'Yes sir' chanted throughout the room, the occupants in their respective chairs starting to disperse themselves out of the room. The hushed groans and complaining did not go unnoticed by Jongho's ears, but he paid no mind to them, having grown accustomed to them. He was a tough boss, and he preferred to keep it that way. He enjoyed having people fear him and be too scared to even ask him something, and all of his subordinates seemed to fall in that category.

"Sir?"

All of them except the almost cherry red head girl who was batting her eyelashes at him, a strand of her hair being twirled around one of her fingers. Without breaking his poker face, Jongho held out the folder he had and fanned it in front of her face.

"Hyunjoo, make copies of these to put into the filing cabinets and make sure to save them into the computer as well."

In a rather abrupt way, he practically threw the folder in her hands, but the girl didn't seem fazed, she still continued to smile even as he turned his back to her and walked out of the room.

"Right away sir! Anything else I can-"

Her enthusiastic question was shut out by the loud slamming of the door, leaving her speechless once more.

Jongho let out a deep huff as he loosened the tie that was practically suffocating him as it did after a strenuous day of having to deal with the ineptitude of his employees. He said absolutely nothing as he walked to his car, and stayed just as silent during the entire ride home, the soft ballads playing on the radio being his only companion at the moment. He didn't even feel like breaking out his heavenly vocals as per usual, all he wanted at that moment was to get to his haven as soon as possible and see the two faces he loved seeing after spending grueling hours in front of a computer and a stack of papers.

As soon as he stepped foot inside the cozy house, his nose was hit with the delicious scent coming from the kitchen. Making sure to neatly place his shoes by the rack next to the door and hang his coat on one of the hooks on the wall, he practically dragged his feet down the hallway before turning the corner. His gloomy expression quickly faltered and broke out into a smile as he was greeted by loud squealing coming from the tiny individual sitting in the high chair.

"Hey buddy. You missed me?" Jongho couldn't keep the smile off his face as he picked up the 5 month old baby, his cheeks still stained with an orange hue. The baby made some incoherent guttural sounds, no doubt trying to convey his feelings as he outstretched his tiny hands and began touching Jongho's face.

"I know I missed you." He placed a tiny kiss on his head before picking up a wet tissue to start wiping off some of the puree residues.

Right at that moment, his wife came in and wrapped her arms around his waist. Placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, she tilted her head so she could look at his face more clearly.

"How was your day?"

He shook his head, not wanting to recall his day.

"Same as they've been since you went on maternity leave. Unbearable."

Rolling her eyes at that, she carefully took the baby out of his hands since it was time for him to take a bath.

"Here. You go on and eat while I clean junior here."

Although the baby grunted softly at being taken away from his father's arms, he eventually relaxed in his mother's embrace, his face nuzzling into her chest and soon afterwards he began nibbling softly at her shirt.

"Oh for goodness sakes! You just ate not even 10 minutes ago. You can't possibly be hungry again." Y/N half heartedly complained, bouncing the baby slightly in her arms.

"Well I mean.... I don't blame him for wanting to drink some of your milk."

Catching her gaze, Jongho sent a wink her way that had her blushing intensely.

"You're unbelievable!" She exclaimed as she stomped out of the room to go bathe her baby.

"You're the one who offered me your tits in the first place." He snorted, trying to contain his laughter as he sipped the glass of water he had in his hand.

"Keep it up and I'll extend my maternity leave longer." She called out from the bathroom, the sound of water running being heard.

"No way! I've gone far too long without my personal assistant helping me keep order in that building and helping me stay sane. You promised me you'd come back tomorrow and I'm making you keep that promise." He warned her.

"Are you saying that as my husband? Or as my boss?" She questioned him.

"As both if I have to." He sternly said.

"Neither one of you scare me.....but since I love you both, I guess I'll keep my promise and come back tomorrow as we planned."

Jongho let out a relieved sigh at her answer as his fingers rubbed at his temple, fork aggressively digging into the vegetables on his plate. He honestly had missed working with Y/N by his side. He was feeling rather antsy and impatient about having her come back into the company. And he knew the other employees were also eagerly anticipating her return, since they preferred going to her to get messages across to him when they were too scared to face Jongho themselves. Not to mention Y/N livened up the atmosphere with her fresh and energetic nature, one of the main reasons he fell in love with her.

As he ate, Jongho began to reminisce about how their story started. Y/N had been recommended by a friend to be his personal assistant and she was very proud to work for such an important CEO, seeing it as an opportunity of a lifetime. Jongho, however, of course was extremely tough on her from the start, just as he was with all his other assistants. None of them lasted more than 2 weeks because they just couldn't handle either all the unbearable tasks he gave them or got frightened off by his stern and aggresive form of addressing them. Not Y/N. Even after having her run up and down floors on wild goose chases at times, she still kept her bright smile and positive energy, never once flinching either when he scolded her for doing something that he deemed wrong, which it never actually was, he just enjoyed nitpicking at her. She broke the record and lasted not just 2 weeks, but over 2 years, earning her the admiration and respect of not only her coworkers but of Jongho himself. He became fascinated by her and that fascination turned into love for her.

He pursued her for quite some time, Y/N making him really work for it as payback for all the harsh times he put her through during her first months working for him. Eventually his persistence paid off as she agreed to not only date him, but actually accepted to marry him when he asked her to. Of course, it was a secret no one else knew about, both of them agreeing that they'd rather keep their personal lives outside of work, not wanting others to talk or gossip about them. So at the company they were simply the CEO and his personal assistant, but once they got home, they were back to being hopelessly in love and enjoying their married life which now included their son.

Jongho felt that he was extremely lucky. Lucky to have such an amazing and beautiful wife who had recently blessed him with a healthy baby boy, gifting him the family he always wanted. He couldn't contain his happy smile as he watched her rock the baby to sleep and eventually put him inside his crib. Tiptoeing out of the nursery and joining him in their bedroom, Y/N raised an eyebrow when she saw his expression.

"You doing good?" She asked him.

Nodding softly, Jongho let out a hum before wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Oh trust me, I'm doing just splendid." He let out a chuckle as he pecked her lips.

When she began pulling away from his embrace, he pulled her back in, this time pressing his lips against hers more firmly as his hands went to the back of her thighs and effortlessly picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. She couldn't help the squeal that came out of her mouth when he pushed her down onto their bed, already feeling breathless as his tongue continued to dominate her mouth. Jongho's hands began to slowly pull her tank top down, exposing her soft and squishy breasts that had grown quite considerably since she started her last months of pregnancy and continued up until then.

"You know it's been so long since I've had you all to myself...." He mused as he nipped across her collarbone.

Taking one breast in each of his hands, he gave them gentle squeeze that had Y/N moaning softly. Giving one of her nipples a few kitten licks, Jongho latched his mouth over it, covering her perky nipple and letting out suckling sounds until he felt her sweet liquid come out of her body.

"And I plan on taking my time with you." He finished his previous sentence as he went back to feeding from her milk.

Y/N's fingers tangled themselves on his hair, back arching to allow him to take more of her succulent breasts into his mouth, which he took advantage of graciously. Just as soon as they were both getting lost in their lust, they were interrupted by the small whimpered cries coming from the room next to theirs. Detaching his mouth from his wife's chest, Jongho groaned in annoyance and rolled over on the other side of the bed.

"Seriously? Can't even enjoy some alone time with my wife because junior over there wants to be a cockblocker."

Slapping his arm, Y/N arranged her shirt and got up to go attend to her baby, leaving Jongho laying there in a fuzzy and whiny mood.

⊱⋅ ──────────── ⋅⊰

Stepping into the floor, Y/N was immediately bombarded by greetings and questions from all of her coworkers. The men were fawning over her and thanking her for coming back on such an eventful day while the women were prying about her baby and other motherly topics. Since it was still early, Y/N thought it wouldn't hurt to show off a few pictures of her little bundle of joy. Taking care there weren't any photos of Jongho, she happily showed off her gallery that was full of images of her baby and herself. All of the people around her began cooing and awing at how adorable he was.

"He's so cute!"

"Simply adorable!"

"Does he look like his dad?"

Before Y/N could even answer that question, the father himself cleared his throat behind the little group. Collective gasps and startled wheezes were heard as the people began to disperse themselves back to their respective cubicles or desks. Donning his usual frown, Jongho side eyed some of the individuals before landing his eyes on Y/N, who per usual remained calmed and collected.

"Miss L/N, although no doubt your coworker are ecstatic to have you back I must remind you that we have an important meeting ahead of us and I don't want any distractions to hinder our plans. I'll let this go just this time but I want no more dilly dallying. Are we clear?"

Breaking out into a soft smile, Y/N put her phone back in her purse.

"Crystal Mr. Choi."

The corner of Jongho's lip twitched at hearing her usual response she'd say to his chastising. Y/N knew it affected him too, but she bit her tongue from bursting out laughing right then and there. Checking his watch, he sighed deeply.

"After you finish setting your space up, please gather up the documents needed for today's meeting and see me promptly at my office so we can look over them."

Just as Y/N was about to open her mouth, she was interrupted by a redhead whom she had never seen before during the time she worked there. The girl pushed herself in between them both rather tactlessly.

"Sir, if you'd like, I could go fetch them for you, I know where they are so it'd be faster given that I sorted them yesterday."

Y/N arched an eyebrow up at the new face, scanning her up and down, taking notice of how tight and short her skirt was, not to mention how snug fitted her blouse was, more than just the tops buttons undone to purposely draw attention to her cleavage. The way she was practically beaming at Jongho did not go unnoticed by her, and it was slightly irritating her.

"No thank you Hyunjoo. I want Y/N to do it. Besides I need to catch her up on what's been going on these past months she was gone."

Before Jongho could take one step, Hyunjoo moved to stand right in front of him, a rather bold move that had everyone bracing themselves for what would happen next.

"Anything else you want to say Hyunjoo?" Although he asked, it was quite obvious Jongho was not amused in the slightest bit. Hyunjoo bit her lip nervously, but decided to speak.

"Sir I just thought since it was an important meeting that perhaps you'd prefer to be assisted by someone who has more knowledge and experience in the matter so that there would be no... hindrances."

Y/N did not like the way she drawled out that last word. She did not hesitate to let out a scoff at the brazen behavior of whoever that newbie was. And she guessed Jongho was not happy by her input either given that he was now crossing his arms over his chest.

"There will be no hindrances. Y/N knows what she's doing and I know she'll do an excellent job. After all, she is and will always be my personal assistant."

Y/N couldn't hide the proud smirk that shone triumphantly on her face, especially after seeing the reddened face of the girl next to her, who gave her a small glare before excusing herself to go to her desk. Jongho brushed past her to go into his office, giving her elbow a light squeeze that went unnoticed by everyone else but that made her feel better about coming back to work. She was practically skipping all the way to the elevator and still skipping about when she came to the room where they kept all the documents. She skimmed through the cabinets, checking the dates to make sure she was looking in the right section when she was startled by a voice piping up behind her.

"Y/N!"

She let out a scream and stumbled back into one of the cabinets, hitting her lower back rather harshly before landing her bum on the floor.

"Oops! Sorry. Not how I wanted my welcome back greeting to go."

She allowed the blonde male to help her get up, scanning her to make sure no real damage was done.

"Yeosang what the hell? Why are you always popping up on people out of nowhere?" She grimaced as she rubbed her butt.

"Gotta have some type of fun while I'm locked up in here organizing, filing and documenting papers here you know." He adjusted the frames on his nose bridge.

"Maybe you could lend me a hand and show me where I can find what I need for today's meeting?"

Clapping his hands, Yeosang reached into his jacket and promptly took out a neat folder out that had several papers inside.

"I figured Mr. Grinch upstairs would have you come get them so I took the liberty of stashing them away just for you."

Y/N smiled as he handed them over to her.

"That and I didn't want that bitch Hyunjoo putting her nasty hands on them as well." Yeosang huffed loudly.

"Who is she anyways? She wasn't here when I was."

Yeosang went cross eyed momentarily, looking like he was losing brain cells as he tried to figure out where to start.

"She started out a week after you went on maternity leave. She's just a secretary, but has offered to do some tasks that were strictly reserved for you as Jongho's assistant, which he rarely lets her do. You know how he is."

Of course she did. More than anyone she knew what her husband was like.

"Well long story short like her dirty rags that she calls skirts, it's quite obvious she's trying to get in the boss' pants and we're all surprised he hasn't fired her yet. It's more than clear he's not interested either, I mean come on. It's Choi Jongho, he only looks at a woman or man to criticize them. I don't think he's capable of feeling romantically inclined towards anyone."

Y/N held her head down, pretending to skim through some of the papers to hide the giggle that was threatening to come out her mouth. She honestly found it hard not to laugh when others talked about Jongho like that. It was funny to her.

"So I take it I should be careful of her trying to take my place?" Y/N snickered amusedly, and Yeosang let out a dry laugh as well.

"Please Y/N. We all know no one will ever take your place. You're indispensable here, especially to the big guy up there."

He pointed a finger towards the ceiling.

"Speaking of which, don't keep him waiting. You know how he hates people wasting his time." He made quotation signals with his fingers while rolling his eyes.

Giving her a hug and proper welcome greeting, Yeosang watched her leave, reminding her to show him pictures of her baby when she got the chance which she happily agreed to share with him.

Coming back up to the main floor, she made sure to smile warmly at all her coworkers, a gesture that would hopefully calm their nerves a little for the upcoming meeting, which seemed to be working. They knew if she was there at least Jongho would be a little less terrifying than what he usually was. As she walked by the cubicles, she paused in her steps when she saw that a certain desk was empty, its occupant missing. Looking at the nametag, her tongue poked against her cheek.

"Mingi?" She turned to the nearest person to her, the tall male looking up from his screen to pay her his full attention.

"Where's Hyunjoo?"

Mingi didn't answer and instead pointed over towards the direction of Jongho's office.

"No doubt trying to suck his dick. That hoe."

Both her and Mingi looked over at the coworker next to him.

"Wooyoung!" Mingi chastised him.

"What? Fire me for speaking the truth." He grumbled as he continued his task of stapling a stack of papers together.

Mingi shot her an apologetic look but Y/N quickly brushed it off. Something told her that she was needed someplace else anyways. Her instincts were never wrong. Peeking into the office, she witnessed in disgust as Hyunjoo ran a finger down Jongho's torso. He looked visibly uncomfortable, swallowing hard as he tried to back away from her slowly.

"Typical of him." She thought to herself. "Acting all high and mighty like he's not afraid of anyone or anything yet when a woman throws herself at him, he cowers like a little baby."

When she saw Hyunjoo press her body against Jongho's, she knew it was time to step in. Slamming the door open, her face had a glaring scowl that was quite the contrast to her usually friendly demeanor. Only few people had ever seen it and it truly shook them to the core, even more than Jongho himself since they grew used to his anger. But Y/N? They desperately avoided incurring her wrath, even if it was such a rare sight to see. And it was producing an instant effect as Hyunjoo immediately backed away from Jongho, the latter already bracing himself for a lecture from her.

"Hyunjoo......I believe your station is right out there." She pointed behind her.

Hyunjoo nodded even though it was a statement not a question.

"So why are you not there?" Her foot tapped impatiently on the floor.

The poor girl apologized and quickly sped out of the office, like a puppy with its tail tucked in between their legs. Once she was out, Y/N shut the door behind her and then looked over at Jongho, piercing daggers into him with her stare as she took slow and careful steps towards him.

"Well.....guess I should probably thank you for getting me out of that-"

Jongho let out a tiny squeak when Y/N grabbed him by his collar and pulled his face close to hers.

"I'm gone for half a year and there's already a skank trying to take my place?" She was fuming, eyes burning a hole into his face and Jongho wasn't going to lie, he was always attracted more to her when she got angry.

"Baby, darling..." He cooed at her, hands going to her hips to rub circles around them in an effort to appease her.

"Don't you 'darling' me Choi Jongho. Tell me, did you enjoy having your little pet rub herself on you?" She demanded as she took his hands off her and slammed her own on the desk behind him, effectively trapping him and keeping him from moving.

"I- No! Of course not!" He exclaimed in indignation.

Y/N scoffed dryly as she reached a hand up and placed it on his chest, mimicking the earlier actions of her rival, except whereas Jongho recoiled from Hyunjoo's touch before, it was now different as he began melting into Y/N's touch.

"I don't really believe you, I think you would have fucked her if given the chance." She didn't really believe that sentence herself but she wanted to spark a reaction out of Jongho.

"Now why would I do that when I have the most perfect woman right in front of me? When she's everything and all I want?" He let out a hum as he ghosted his lips over hers, wanting to desperately kiss her at that moment.

"Oh really now? I'm all you want?" She giggled in a mocking tone as her teeth caught onto his bottom lip and tugged on them slightly.

"Fuck!- yes. You're all I want. You're the love of my life, the object of my desires, the mother of my son..."

Cupping her cheeks, he tenderly kissed her, lips perfectly molding against hers as he tried to convey his adoration for her. When he pulled back, he stayed only a few centimeters away as he nuzzled his nose against hers.

"My wife." He whispered those two words so soft as if they were a solemn prayer not meant to be heard by anyone else.

Although his words brought a sense of warmth and fuzziness inside her, Y/N was not about to let Jongho off the hook so easily. He needed to be reminded of something else.

"You're forgetting something else Mr. CEO...... I'm not just your wife."

Jongho grunted when she suddenly pulled him by his belt loops, her knee coming up to rub against his crotch which was starting to swell up.

"I'm your boss."

He watched with amazement as she dropped down to her knees, her fingers making quick movements to unbuckle his belt. Stiffening when her hands squeezed at his bulge, Jongho heaved out a sigh.

"Don't tease me." He slightly whimpered to her.

Quirking an eyebrow up, she sent him a seductive smirk.

"Wasn't planning on it."

Taking hold of the top of his trousers, she made sure to pull his briefs down with them, freeing his hardened cock that was already leaking at the tip. Running her thumb across his head, she looked up to find her husband flushing a crimson red hue, a soft chortle escaping his throat as he realized what she was doing. Pressing his bulbous tip against her lips, she coated them with a warm gloss before pushing them inside the barrier of her teeth, raking the underside of it. That motion alone already had Jongho's thighs shaking. Her tongue swirled around his shaft, giving the head a subtle suckle. At last, she opened her mouth more widely and drove him deeper into her throat until she was releasing a choking sound, a trail of moisture spilling out from the corner of her mouth. Pulling back, she hummed around his length to further intensify the sensation.

"Oh my god." Jongho moaned as his hands tried to reach towards the back of her head, which were quickly slapped away by her.

"Nuh uh my love, we're playing with my rules right now."

Jongho had to steady himself by gripping the desk behind him, resisting the urge to buck himself up into his wife's throat. He let out sharp gasps and groans when she gave him a particularly long slurp, gurgling melodies practically coming out her mouth. He filled her throat to the brim, his dripping organ stroking against her tongue each time she moved it to and fro. Instinctively parting her knees, she reached beneath her skirt to touch herself, finding herself to be dripping as well. Raising her eyes upwards, she saw Jongho's head thrown back, mouth open and spilling out melodic hums of bliss and lust as his pelvis began to thrust faster against her face, chasing his upcoming release with a determined intensity. Feeling his thighs tighten and his cock twitch, she knew it was only a matter of time before his hot liquid would spurt into her throat. Wanting to please him, her mouth began a mix of lapping, sucking and licking at his length, soaking his flesh until long pools of saliva came trickling down her chin and onto her neck. Her mouth kept moving back and forth, heightening his excitement until he began pumping his climax into her, his seed flowing down her throat which she swallowed generously.

"Oh fuck! Oh God!" Jongho cried out, not caring to keep his voice down as he had just had one of the most exhilarating orgasms after months of only having his hand to keep him company during those needy moments.

Pulling out of his wife's mouth, her lips glistened with a blend of her spit and of his cum. Getting up from the ground, she pulled out her hand that had during this time stayed between her legs, her arousal glowing on the tip of her fingers. Holding them up to her husband's face, she smeared some of it across his lip.

"Suck."

His mouth parted instantly as he graciously accepted her fingers into his wet cavern, licking off the sweet juices from her core. She watched him with utter fascination, always loving how he was always so pliant with her every command. Once sure he had licked her clean of anymore secretions, she pulled her hand out of his mouth and quickly replaced it with her own. Their tongues danced around each other as their arms wrapped around the other's body. Pent up desire and weakened passions were flowing through every touch and caress of their hands. They both realized just how much they had been missing each other's bodies, forgetting about their needs up until that moment. Pulling away with reluctance to catch her breath, Y/N looked up at the already disheveled looking male in front of her and smirked.

"Hop on top of the desk.......Sir." She whispered that last word in his ear, biting down at his earlobe.

His shivering body did not go unnoticed by her and she was more than delighted to watch as he practically cleared the desk, letting papers and other utensils scatter on the floor as he sat up on top of it. Reaching back inside her skirt, Y/N dragged her now soiled panties down her legs and set them off to the side, already knowing what she would do with them later. Climbing on top of Jongho's lap, she took hold of his cock one more time and began to pump him slowly, getting him worked up once more, his soft tender skin becoming erect and hard once again. Noticing the way his eyes peered at her slight cleavage, she used her free hand to unbutton her blouse before pulling her bra cups down enough for her breasts to pop out. Jongho swore he could cum at just the sight of them, nipples poking out and gleaming with the hints of milk oozing out.

"Suck on them. Drink mommy's milk up. After all, they're for daddy too." She encouraged him with a giggle.

His mouth devoured her breasts. He gnawed at the stiff buds of her nipples and suckled against her until her sweet nectar began trickling onto his tongue. Y/N arched her back and began spilling out erotic moans, teeth biting down occasionally at her lip as she couldn't handle the overwhelming pleasure of having her husband feed on her breast milk. Jongho was enjoying himself as well. She was moist to the point of being succulent. His tongue slipped against her fleshy mounds and he could feel himself choking on the rich taste she produced. The more he worked on sampling her flavor, the more she sighed and panted as she pushed her chest more out to him. All throughout this, her hand never stopped pumping at his length.

Jongho whined when she suddenly pushed his face off her chest, a tiny trail of milk being left on his lip. Gripping his base more firmly, she placed him right at her aching entrance and sunk down on him with no warning, causing his breath to hitch.

"I'm gonna fuck you Jongho. Fuck you til you're a crying mess to remind you who this dick belongs to. And you're gonna take it like the good slave you are. Got it?"

He nodded his head furiously, wanting nothing than to feel her take advantage of him, use him as she pleased. With an evil smile, she reached for the discarded panties she had momentarily forgotten about.

"Oh...and I guess we better keep quiet. I know I can keep it down. But you? You need a little help."

Jongho spewed out pornographic sounds as she stuffed his mouth with her panties. He could taste her sex on his tongue but he had no time to fully enjoy it when she suddenly began to bounce herself on his cock. When he tried to grip at her hips, she caught his wrists and slammed them down on the desk, his back hitting against the hard wood, but he didn't care. He was too immersed on the excruciating pleasure of having her tightness press around his cock. The desk underneath them rocked with every one of their sinful movements, no doubt alerting anyone within a few feet near the doorway, perhaps even further down. And that's what Y/N wanted. She wanted to make sure all the people outside finally understood that Choi Jongho was hers, hers only and no one else's. No one could ever take him away from her because she had him wrapped around her finger.

"Look at you, you look so pathetic. My dirty panties in your mouth, my hands keeping you from moving as I bounce myself on your cock."

Once again she felt the familiar twitch of his head warning her he was going to bust at any moment. It only fueled her to grind down on him harder.

"Who would have thought the powerful and mighty CEO would be nothing more than a little slut? Eager to get his dick wet enough to bend down to his assistant. You were so fucking easy my love."

Her mocking and teasing only helped in having him spasm underneath her, his orgasm ripping through his body in such an extreme manner he thought he would go insane. But Y/N didn't let him fully come down from his high when she began rutting herself once more on him, this time with more force and vigor that had Jongho crying out. His eyes began to became filled with tears, muffled pleading incoherent due to being gagged by her underwear. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, another orgasm was being forced out of him, his seed overflowing from inside Y/N's core that it began to cascade down into her inner thighs, droplets even falling onto the furniture underneath them.

"Even with your mouth occupied you still manage to be such a loud brat, I bet this entire floor can hear you. What? Is that what you want? Want all your employees to hear as I fuck you like my personal sex doll?"

Jongho's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he heard her words. He hated admitting it but having her degrade him, talk down to him and reduce him to nothing more than a pleasure toy never failed to make his toes curl.

"Maybe you do and that's fine. I want all of them, especially that little skank to hear as I ruin you. Let them know who's really in charge here."

Y/N's movements became more sloppy as she felt her own climax approaching, her walls squeezing unbearably down on Jongho's dick. Her breasts were jiggling with every move, adding more sensuality to the already wicked image of her riding her husband's body.

"Can you cum once more for mommy? I know you can. Daddy can definitely give mommy his cum one more time right?"

Jongho nodded, grumbling something that was not understandable. With a prideful look, Y/N raked her hands across his chest.

"Fill my pussy up once more love. Knock me up with another one of your kids. Wanna get pregnant once more by you. Fuck!"

She cursed loudly as she began shattering on top of him, chest heaving as she released her juices onto his thick cock, which was also pumping out the last remnants of his seed and coating her walls profusely. Jongho fell into a spiraling oblivion of pleasure, unable to feel anything but his throbbing dick pulsating around her heat as it milked him out of every last drop of his cum. He was in heaven, even if it was a sinful act they just committed.

Y/N let out a hiss as she pulled out of him, a long trail of sticky cum pouring onto the desk and even dropping onto the carpet. Her legs felt wobbly as she tried to walk, the numbness in her feet soon turning into a pins and needles sensation. Taking her panties off his mouth and stuffing them into his pocket, Jongho quickly fixed himself, zipping his pants back up and getting up just in time to catch his darling wife before she tumbled onto the floor

"It's ok my dear. I got you." He sweetly smiled at her and rubbed at her sore lower abdomen.

"I love you." She suddenly said.

Tilting her chin up, he kissed her temple.

"I love you more, so much more." He confessed.

"Enough to let me take the rest of the day off and go back home?" She made puppy eyes at him.

Jongho bursted out laughing at her question, nuzzling his nose against the crook of her neck.

"You're so funny babe.....nice try but no. We still have a meeting today." He reminded her, which earned him a huffing spouse.

"Have I ever mentioned I hate my boss?" She nudged him away, to which he snorted.

"Darling let's be real here. You're the real boss here. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

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