#it made my equestrian heart melt

[itzmematthias]

I can’t forget how cute my crush was while interacting with a horse yesterday 🥺

The soft tone of his voice is still ringing in my ears…

[z-rayed]

Finally Together - Sebek x fem!MC

“A/N: Hello! This is my first drabble for a while and I tried my best, hope you like it!

Characters: Sebek Zigvolt x fem!MC, Malleus Draconia, Lilia Vanrouge, Riddle Rosehearts (mentioned)

The sun was shining so brightly I put the palm to my forehead. "Ugh, hope my eyes won't hurt after this. Maybe I should have stayed with Ace and Deuce..." I took a glance of my surroundings: a field full of equestrian club students practicing. Lots of barriers. And most importantly, Sebek riding a horse gracefully. He looked even more majectic than usual. His sportwear definitely showed his great body, and these muscles made no doubt Sebek was training a lot. I couldn't help myself staring at him but at least I tried not to drool. I really missed seeing him like this. Well, it wasn't like we talked a lot that week. But I didn't even know how much I needed to do it before.

As it seemed, Sebek noticed my presence and definitely saw me making googly eyes while looking at him. Couldn't tell I hid it, because I could stare at my boyfriend whenever I wanted to. He told something to Riddle and, after Heartslabyul dorm leader nodded, he rode his horse straight to me. I pulled my palm back from my forehead.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was as loud as usual, but with me he always tried not to be too loud. Sensitive ears and stuff. He pulled his horse right beside me and quickly got off. "Don't you have something to do today?"

I smiled at him and shook my head. "I don't. Well, I could do my homework but..." I stopped myself and bent my head a bit, now looking at my toes. That's when I felt something on my shoulder. I looked up, seeing Sebek's worried face and a hand on my shoulder. I sighed. "I just wanted to see you. I mean, you were so busy with protecting Malleus, training and... I missed you." A quick laugh escaped my lips. "Couldn't even concentrate on anything so... here I am. Are you mad at me?"

I already knew the answer but still I wanted to make sure, to hear it myself. His face softened a bit, a slight blush appeared on his ears. How adorable.

"No, I'm not. I'm sorry we haven't seen each other for a week. You know, I need to serve young master and-"

I put a finger on his lips, making him blush even more. "I know, don't worry about it. I just came to check on you... You're looking good, riding a horse like this." And here we could see the blushy mess of Sebek Zigvolt. Sorry, love, I couldn't help myself. But I wouldn't tell him for sure.

"There's still way to go. I want to be as good as Riddle-san!" I laughed a bit. He always put an effort to praise the people he respected. I put a hand on his and stroked it a bit while smiling affectonately at him. He returned the smile and it made my heart melt. These smiles were rare but that was why it was a blessing to see them.

I finally stepped away from him. "Sorry I took your time from training. I'm glad you're alright. Guess I'll-"

"Wait." He took my hand in his and pulled me closer to him, embracing tightly. Well, that was unexpected. He usually tried to avoid any sort of showing us being in relationship. I hugged him back, looking at him expectantly. "I missed you too, you can't even imagine how much I wanted to find you but I couldn't. I'm really sorry." He pulled away from me a bit, only to take both my hands in his. "I apologise for asking you this, but can you wait for me a bit longer, please? I'll finish my practicing and we can spend some time together."

Now it was my time to take initiative. I stepped closer to him so there were only centimeters ledt between us, my hand still in his. I nodded slightly and kissed him on the cheek. "Of course, love. I'll wait for you." Finally I turned around and started walking towards the exit. I was sure Sebek after blinking some times turned completely red but it only made me feel better. Guess it was right for me to come to him.

***

"Can you come to my room? I'm finished with training."

Huh? Weird, Sebek didn't usually invite me to Diasomnia and we usually hung up at Ramshackle dorm, sending Grim either to Ace and Deuce or just to sleep. But invitation to his room? Was it a step further in our relationship? I wasn't sure whether I was happy or just surprised with this message, but I managed to type short answer and rushed straight to Diasomnia.

When I entered the dorm, lots of glances darted at me. I stopped on my tracks, looking at Diasomnia students shyly and fiddling with the sleeve of my shirt. Why were they looking at me like that? It wasn't the first time at Diasomnia for me, but something felt... different.

"Child of Man?" I slowly turned my head towards the source of sound, my shyness melted away someow. Ah, Malleus, the main reason for Sebek not to invite me over at Diasomnia. He always told me something like he didn't want his young master to see his vulnerability. Goodness gracious...

"Hello, Malleus." I smiled at him, waving my hand. He started walking towards me, and it was like he was floating. He never ceased to amaze me with his magic abilities, but maybe it was because I couldn't use magic myself. "Haven't seen you for a while."

"I am sorry, I was visiting Briar Valley a lot this week and I barely had time to rest. But I am really glad to see you, Child of Man. Do you have a reason to be here?" I smirked. He still talked to me like I was someone from the palace in Briar Valley. Poor Malleus, spending a lot of time not being able to have people to talk without boundaries.

"You know I can come here whenever I want, Mal. Aside of other people, you said it yourself." Before he once again said sorry, I continued talking. "But yeah, I have a reason to-"

"You're here!" I swiftly turned my head and saw a black-green silhouette dashing towards me. Before I managed to understand what was going on, I felt the ground slipping away from under my feet. I shrieked, closing my eyes and clunging to "silhouette", and suddenly an airflow hit me right in the face. Now that was an unpleasant experience. But right after I thought about it, a loud voice resonated.

"I'M SO SORRY YOUNG MASTER BUT I NEED HER, HAVE A GOOD DAY SIR!" Oh my goodness, I felt like my ears were going to bleed. We were definitely going to discuss that.

The airflow stopped and finally I opened my eyes, looking around. What caught my attention was Sebek's horrified face with a sweat on it. I couldn't help but chuckled. He quickly glared at me, which made me chuckle even more.

"If you wanted to carry me like a bride, you could've just asked, you know." His entire face turned into tomato and I bursted out laughing, hiding my face into his chest. I felt his hot breath near the top of my head.

"T-that's not it! The young master was here and-"

"And... what?" I pulled my face from his chest and looked him in the eyes. He put me back to the ground, averting my intense gaze. I sighed and took his hands in mine. "We're couple, my love, and I think everyone, even Malleus, knows that." His face dropped when I mentioned Malleus. Oh no. I put his hands down only to place mine on his cheeks. "Listen, sweetheart. I know you're worried over your image in Malleus' eyes but... it's okay, if he didn't accept us as lovers, I'd reason with him. You mean a lot to me, truly, and I will fight for us, for our happiness." And now he looked dumbfounded. Did I break him?

Suddenly, a big smile appeared on his face and before I knew it he embraced me tight. "You're the strongest human I have ever met in my life. I'm glad I was able to know you like this." It was my turn to blush and smile wryly. His words flattered me not only because they were sweet, but also because I felt special. I returned his embrace, rubbing against his chest. It felt so nice here... I felt safe.

After a comfortable silence in his arms I pulled away from Sebek. He looked really tired and I started to feel worried. I took his hand and moved towards his bed. From the corner of my eye I saw big portrait of Malleus and smiled a bit. That was so like him. When we got to bed I pushed him a bit so he could sit. I knew there were question marks in his glance but I needed him to lay down first.

"What are you doing?" I sat beside him, stroking his hair.

"You need to rest. And don't you dare say you're okay, I see otherwise." I pushed him once again but before I could react he pulled me close to him and plopped into bed with me, his hands on my waist. His smile was tired yet a bit sly. Hah, I knew that game and I was definitely not going to lose it.

I closed the distance and my lips brushed against his. I missed it, I missed his kisses, the feeling of arms embracing me as he wanted to protect me from the world... I missed the feeling of him. As our lips parted, he looked at me as if there was no one in that world, only him and me. I felt our heart beating in unison, our breaths mixing together and our patience running out.

In a blink of an eye he placed his arm on the back of my head and our lips crushed once again. I never imagined him to kiss so passionately, so yearning for my lips to meet his, and it felt so good I was ready to melt. I pressed myself against him, returning his wild kisses.

Our lips parted after only the devil knew how much time. My breath was irregular, my checks flushed, but I was so happy I couldn't even describe it. I didn’t even care about him shouting before anymore. Sebek carefully put my head on his chest, kissing my forehead and placing his chin on it. We lay like that for a long time, resting and not saying anything, but we didn't need it. All we needed were each other.

***

“So she’s with Sebek now, right?” Lilia appeared beside Malleus who stood still after the incident. He slowly turned to his former caretaker and nodded slightly. Lilia’s face curved into a smirk. “Finally he invited her like this, I was worried I needed to make a move myself. Goodness gracious...”

A little smile appeared on Malleus’ face as he started to go towards the living room. He was glad Sebek’s attitude towards humans changed, and he needed to thank Child of Man for that. Lilia followed right after the dorm leader, both thinking about being glad for her appearing in their life.

[horsesandhockeyplayers]

Fourth Line Grinder-- Part 10

Author’s Note:  This beautiful header is courtesy of @whatishockey​ and her brilliant creative mind. We continue with ALL NEW content as EJ and Nell figure out their relationship. Please see the masterlist post to see the 2018 Eddie Read Stakes.

TW: Nell being stupid

Word Count: 5082

Word Count TOTAL: 60,332

Song: Dark Horse - Aaron Watson

Synopsis:  Nell Sayer, often called The Witch for her ability to heal horses that are deemed lost causes, is content with her life. With a job where she makes a good living and her two best friends, Nell is unprepared for the changes a meeting with a once-in-a-lifetime horse and his incorrigible owner brings, knocking her off her feet…literally. If only she were as good at listening to her heart as she is at listening to the animals she loves.

Tag List: @laurenairay, @danglesnipecelly, @hockeylvr59, @whatishockey, @thebookofmags, @princessphilly, @glassdanse, @tippedbykreider, @iangiemae, @kotkaniemi-caufield-mom, @marcoscandellas, @mac-blackwood, @fanficrecsby-e

Part 10

Like many days when my alarms went off in the morning, I was laying on my stomach and there was a heavy weight sprawled across my back. We had been staying in a one bedroom suite at the Le Méridien, because Erik wouldn’t hear about staying at a motel, and our room overlooked the track (I didn’t think that was accidental).

The lights of Arcadia gave the room a muted glow and there was a deep grumble against my shoulder blade as a long arm reached over to the night stand to silence all the alarms. “Peaches, you have literally never overslept since I’ve started sleeping in your bed, why do you have 40 alarms?”

I sighed, the bed was so comfortable and I was so warm being pressed into the memory foam by the 240lb defenseman. “Just in case.”

Long strong arms slipped between me and the mattress of the gods, taking me with him as he rolled over and I was laying completely on top of him. “Five more minutes,” he grumbled into my hair.

Five more minutes turned into 30 and 3 orgasms for me and as EJ hopped up and made his way into the bathroom, suddenly full of pep, I was pretty sure I was going to melt into the bed because I didn’t have bones anymore.

When I accused EJ of being a La-Z-Boy horse owner I didn’t realize how correct I was.

“Erik, you own or partially own like 70 horses. How do you not know how to put a halter on?” I had unwrapped Grinder’s legs when we arrived at the track and after a short walk for him to stretch his legs, I was squatting by his legs rewrapping the standing wraps for the 2 hour trailer ride south.

“Most trainers prefer it if you aren’t hands on.” He was watching me wrap the horse like I was going to ask him to do it, but he was going to have to practice on one of the outrider horses for a while before I let him get near his winning racehorse.

“You have a 200 acre horse farm in escrow. How do you expect to run the place?” I finished the leg I was working on and moved to the next one.

“Hire people duh.” His voice was distracted as he was trying to put a halter on the very patient mare stabled next to Grinder.

“And what if everyone gets sick and you have to feed or clean or something?” I was mostly giving him a hard time but if you lived on an equestrian facility there would always be instances where you needed to handle horses.

“Make sure I don’t piss you off so you’re there to help.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

Dawn was just starting to chase the night away as I pulled onto the 210 to make our way across Southern California before the world woke up. EJ had called it and the trailer had two of Dick’s other horses on it and one of Doug’s. The rest would be shipped down a few days later and as I sipped bad gas station coffee I was relatively proud of the fact I had only yelled at Erik once.

***

The stress that plagued Dick’s barn at Santa Anita had melted and everyone was relaxed and joyful at Del Mar. I loved hacking Grinder bareback around the track in the evening hours as the cool breeze off the Pacific cooled the coastal town. I had even ridden him to the beach. Seeing a racehorse parade through town might be considered commonplace in Europe but it wasn’t in California.

Dick had pitched a fit but I had gone on a long rant about the healing properties of cold salt water and eventually his eyes glazed over and he just waved his hands and walked away.

Erik had gone off on some golf trip with friends and it had been a point of contention for several days.

“You could come, you know.” He tossed some shorts in his suitcase. I’m not sure why he insisted on packing this way, he tossed things haphazardly into his bag and then took everything out again and refolded it with precision.

“But Grinder and work….”

He gave me a dry look, “Carlos will take excellent care of Grinder and Mikey is at Del Mar for the next week, I bet he’d even ride the horse on the beach for you.”

“It’s just a lot of money.” I chewed a cuticle. My bank accounts had never been so padded. I probably could have gone on 5 vacations without worrying about money.

I got another withering look, “You know you never have to pay for anything right?”

I returned it, “You know I’m always going to want to pay my way.”

He set to folding all his clothes, “And I know you have enough money to go on this trip with me, you’re just making excuses, but Nell, you can sit on a beach with a Mai Tai and not feel guilty. You know that right?”

“I know. It’s not that.” I lied.

Erik rolled his eyes, “Yeah sure it isn’t. Go to fucking therapy, Jesus.”

I recoiled at his uncharacteristically harsh words, “What the fuck?”

“I want a partner in life, Nell. That means sharing the things I do, including traveling.” He zipped the suitcase closed and set it by the bedroom door with more force than necessary.

“Newsflash Erik, when you have a FARM you can’t just pack up and leave whenever.” I was pissed now.

“Actually, hiring competent people means I can do *exactly* that because for eight months out of the year I will be travelling most of the time. And no one is sick, no one is about to foal, the horses are literally fine, Nell and Grinder’s next race isn’t for another two weeks.”

“Exactly! I need to be here!”

“No. You don’t. You’re choosing to be here instead of going with me.” He pulled the phone out of his pocket, “My car is here. I’ll call you later.”

“Don’t bother.” My words echoed against the beachy tile of his condo, and he sucked on his bottom lip for a moment as if he was thinking of a retort but instead he just shook his head and headed out the front door, slamming it behind him.

True to his word, Erik had called. And called. And called. It has been 3 days and I had sent every one to voicemail.

He left another message and I deleted it without listening to it. His condo felt empty without him and I thought about packing up my things and going to a long term motel, but somehow I knew that would be the final nail in the coffin. Things had once again gotten complicated and I didn’t know how to escape them. It had only been a few months but our lives were so entangled. There wasn’t an exit where we didn’t see each other because not seeing Grinder wasn’t an option for me. I loved that horse.

The french doors onto the veranda were open and the afternoon breeze was gently blowing through the open floor plan condo. The papers I had spread all over the top of the island rustled. It was one of my mandatory days off and other than hacking Grinder in the evening, I wasn’t allowed in the barn so I was rebelling by doing paperwork which included itemizing my expenses, scanning the receipts, and then mailing the hard copies to my accountant. I was now someone who needed an accountant.

The papers had been spread on the island for several hours and my attention kept drifting to the waves cresting, crashing into the beach, withdrawing, and starting the whole process over again. Why did relationships have to be this hard? Were they supposed to be this difficult or was it just a sign that Erik and I weren’t meant to be?

Finally, I gave up and grabbed a White Claw from the fridge and plopped into a teak chair with plush cushions and threw my feet on to the matching ottoman.

It seemed criminal that I was in such a beautiful place and so conflicted. A male voice speaking Spanish came through the door, though yelling was a more accurate description. I didn’t know why Latino men needed to yell at each other on the phone but they did. Jesus was honestly the only quiet one and I suspected that was a defense mechanism.

I heard him grab a Corona from the fridge and shouted his goodbyes and hung up as he settled into the plush lounger next to mine. He was uncharacteristically quiet for a long time as he stared at the ocean.

When he finally spoke it made me jump, “What the fuck, Hermanita?”

Carlos had never spoken to me that way “Excuse you?”

“The gringo says you’re not talking to him and you refused to go on vacation with him.” He took a swig of his Corona and leveled a glare over the rim of the bottle.

I sniffed and faced the ocean, taking a sip of my drink from the tall can before answering, “I fail to see how that is any of your business.”

“He’s paying for my immigration lawyer and he’s done a lot for you and us, I don’t think you’re being fair.

“Is that all you care about? That I keep fucking him so you can become a citizen?” I turned facing him feeling a chill thrum through my body.

“Dios mio, you DO need therapy.” I tried to interrupt him but he held up his hand. “Your papa, he was it for Mama Sayer. When he passed there was a hole in both your lives that Jesus and I could never fill even if we tried. For you that person is the Gringo and anyone with EYES can see it. So pull your head out of your ass.”

I gaped at him like a goldfish, “I can’t just leave for wherever whenever he wants to.”

He gave me an exhausted look, "If you think that's what he's asking eres mas estúpida de lo que pensé"

There was a hum of energy in my ears, “I think I’m going to invite you to leave now.”

“Think about this, have you put both teeth into this relationship,” He asked standing from the lounger.

“It’s both FEET.” I replied, more than a little happy to correct him.

He rolled his eyes, “Whatever. Have you really been in this relationship or have you been looking for a way out since the beginning? What do the white girls say? ‘Daddy Issues’,” he made quotes around the term and I wrinkled my nose. “Get help Nell or you’ll drive away more than just the Gringo.”

When he left the sun was starting to hover over the ocean.

What I hated most, was Carlos was absolutely right.

I picked up my phone and unlocked it, bringing up Erik’s contact. I stared at it for a long time before I finally settled for calling my mom.

“Nelly Belly! I thought you were too busy to talk to me.”

I rolled my eyes, “No, Mom.”

She was rustling around in the kitchen, “Does this phone call have anything to do with the fact that you’re not talking to Erik?”

“Who told you,” I huffed.

“Carlos and then Jesus,” She sounded distracted and then I heard a distinctly male voice.

“Nance, should I open the wine?”

My mouth dropped open, “Mom are you on a date?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t tell if she was answering the mystery man or me, so I stayed silent. She covered the phone and I heard her muffled voice, “Tom, go ahead and open that white in the fridge, it will pair nicely with the salmon. I’m going to talk to my daughter for a moment.” Her voice came across the 475 miles clear as day then, “Now Nell, what happened?”

Launching into the saga, I barely stopped to take a breath. The sky was fading to purple when I was done.

“Nell, do you remember Dr. Pam?”

“Vaguely, why?”

“She was the therapist you saw after your dad passed.”

A bank of fog was rolling in off the ocean and it was one of the reasons the California coast stayed so temperate, “I saw a therapist after Dad died?”

“Yes, Nelly Belly. You were 8 and your dad died tragically and unexpectedly. Of course I took you to see a therapist. I saw her too for a time.”

My drink was long empty and I swirled the last dregs of the vodka soda around in the can, “Do you think I need to see a therapist now?”

“I think you need to think about what you want in your life and if that is just to work 24/7 with no life then ok. But if you want more, which I think you do, then you need to figure out why you’re pushing EJ away. If he’s not the one for you, fine, but I don’t think you’ll find anyone else half as interesting that will be completely loyal and let you be as independent as you are.” The oven timer went off in the background, “Nell, I have to go, but think about what you want ok?”

I sighed, “Ok. Have a good date with Tom.”

Her smile was audible, “I will honey. Call EJ ok?”

“Ok.”

When the line went dead my phone alerted me to a low battery and I had a reprieve from calling Erik for a bit anyway especially considering he was probably asleep, the waves from a different ocean crashing outside his hotel room.

The air turned chilly as the fog rolled inland and I stood from the lounger and headed inside, closing the large french doors behind me.

Grabbing another White Claw and my laptop, I spent the remainder of the evening researching therapists and online therapy services.

It was well after midnight when I finally made my way to bed and for once I was grateful that I had another day off.

Alone and in the dark, the sound of the waves crashing into the beach floating in through the open window, I unlocked my phone and opened my photos app. Finally, I landed on a photo of Grinder’s win, Erik was kissing me while everyone was still screaming. I had my hand fisted into Grinder’s mane, the other gripping Erik’s arm as he kissed the bejesus out of me. If I concentrated and closed my eyes I could feel his lips against mine.

Before I set my phone on the nightstand, I sent a quick text.

I’m sorry.

*******

Standing on a stool I was attempting to manipulate the gluteal fascia of a very patient, very tall mare when EJ appeared in the door of the stall.

We hadn’t spoken since I sent that text and everything just felt so awkward now.

Erik cleared his throat, “So what’s the story on this one?”

“Five year old, decent allowance mare. Couple hundred thousand in earnings,” I offered with a shrug.

He gave me a thoughtful look, “would she be a good broodmare?”

I blinked, “She’s out of a Thunder Gulch mare by a Giant’s Causeway stud. Nothing to write home about but she would be a good foundation probably.”

He grunted and made some notes on his phone. When he was done he looked up, “Italian or Sushi tonight?”

I hummed in thought, “Italian.”

“I’ll make reservations.”

Just like that the fight seemed to be over and I knew Erik was giving me a freebie. I hadn’t really given him anything but grief since we started dating and well, I felt like shit about it.

A week before the race Dick forbade me to ride Grinder to the beach, so I brought the cold seawater to him. In buckets, in the back of my truck and I soaked his legs. Del Mar really agreed with the big gelding, his coat glowed, he had filled out and developed spectacular muscle and no one would ever guess Erik had picked him up for a few thousand dollars less than 6 months ago. He looked like a champion.

Mikey had taken over riding him full time for his works and I hacked or ponied him in the afternoon.

Erik never brought up our fight during his golf trip again and I had done some research and started an online therapy program. I had video or phone chats with my therapist a few times a week and we had brief texting mini sessions whenever I needed to.

I had just finished one of those mini texting sessions when I put down my phone on the nightstand. Erik was reading the Daily Racing Forum and making notes with a pen.

His glasses were sliding down his nose and I had the irresistible urge to push them up the bridge. Feeling my eyes on him, his gaze lifted and met mine, “Why are you staring, Peaches?”

I lifted my shoulders and let them fall in an exaggerated shrug. The french doors out to the private master suite veranda were open and the sound of the waves crashing into the coast filled the stretched silence.

His phone vibrated on the nightstand and he picked it up, a smile stretching across his face as he read an email. He finally pushed his glasses up his nose with a forefinger and looked incredibly dorky doing so, I couldn’t help but match his smile, “What has you so happy, Handsome?”

“We got the property.”

Putting the racing forum next to his phone, he took off his glasses and set them on top of the pile and pulled me closer to him. “We are now the owners of a horse farm.”

I snuggled into his big body. “I thought they didn’t accept your offer?”

He kissed the top of my head and then picked a hair out of his mouth, “They didn’t because the property had been on the market so long they had leased it. Since we weren’t in a hurry to move in, my realtor worked out a deal where we allow the lease for 6 more months and the details took a while to iron out but I’m going to Denver next week to sign all the papers, will you come with me? You have some things to sign too.”

Stiffening in his arms I looked at my cuticles, “Erik..”

“Nell…” he answered with a sigh.

“You refused to let me put any money into this, so I’m not signing anything.” I picked at a hangnail.

Large hands slid up my arms and one slid into my hair and gripped it in his fist. He pulled my head back, so I would look at him, “Stop being stubborn, Nell.”

I sighed and gave him a hard glare, “I’m not going to co-own an asset I had no hand in purchasing.”

His eyes were tired, “Fine, whatever, I don’t want to fight anymore and everything seems like a fight.”

Fuck. He was right. Pushing the covers down I clambered into his lap, straddling him, “Ok. I hear you. I propose a compromise.”

“I’m listening,” his eyes were wary.

“IF we get married, I will allow you to put me on the deed.”

He rolled his eyes, “Fine, what are you doing on Saturday? I think I can throw some money around and get a judge in the courthouse.”

My fist met the solid rock that was his shoulder and I shook it out, “Ow, I’m not marrying you on Saturday you dork and you know it’s Grinder’s race day.”

“Ok fine, I can be patient, I guess,” he said with his toothless wonder grin.

“Patient!” my protest was halted by his lips. I moaned and melted against him as his tongue swept inside my mouth.

I had taken to sleeping in one of Erik’s tshirts and some simple cotton panties. He broke the kiss long enough to pull the shirt over my head and then his mouth and hands were on me again. He weighed my breasts in his hands as he kissed me and I felt him grow hard beneath me.

Deft fingers rolled my nipples between them and I arched into his hands grinding my hips on him until I felt the head of his cock rub my clit the layers of fabric causing friction.

Moaning into his mouth I changed the angle of my hips trying to rub right THERE.

“Peaches, are you trying to get yourself off,” he asked, breaking the kiss.

I nodded, feeling the euphoria build in my body.

Before I could take a breath my panties were off and he was naked and lowering me onto his erection. Letting me drop, the stretch was just this side of pleasure and I rolled my hips with a small mewling noise. His hips punched up like he was trying to crawl inside my body. He relaxed back against the headboard, “Now get yourself off.”

The delicious friction of the cotton was gone but now I was being stretched and it was an equally scrumptious sensation. I took each of his hands and placed them on my breasts as I rode him. A gasp escaped me as he pinched both nipples and I bucked on his cock. My voice was breathy, “Fuck, EJ.”

He kept the grip on my nipples, forcing the blood from the tips before rolling them again. I bucked again and I could feel the orgasm building. While I kept the pace and he abused my tits, my fingers slid between our bodies to rub my clit.

Erik’s hips started rising to meet mine, “Are you almost there, Peaches?”

I couldn’t do anything except moan as he released my nipples, the blood rushing back into them, as he grabbed my hips and fucked me hard. I came with an emotional cry and I felt him twitch inside me. Large hands held me tight against him, his hips still punching anemically as he came.

Collapsing on his chest I felt the ripples of pleasure hit my body every few seconds like aftershocks and when he finally relaxed, his fingers trailed up and down my spine.

“I love you, you know,” I mumbled against his chest.

One hand brushed the hair away from my face and I felt his lips on my forehead, “I know, Peaches.”

I fell asleep, pressed against his naked body, his semi hard cock holding his cum inside me and I felt any anxiety about our relationship flow out of my body and into the coastal night.

****

On Saturday the sun could barely break through the fog layer of June Gloom. The fog lifted, but it was still overcast when Grinder’s race was called to post.

Unlike his race at Santa Anita, everyone was jovial. I had seen several of his opponents work and I was confident that if Grinder had a clear run, he was going to put the field away with ease.

I had on a simple jersey dress and had dressed it up with some turquoise jewelry The Guys had given me over the years.

With my newfound confidence in Grinder, I was in the owner’s Box with Erik and he hadn’t taken his hand off the small of my back since I joined him.

I wasn’t sure if it was to reassure him or me and eventually I conceded it was a mixture of both.

Grinder had drawn the outside post position and that was perfectly fine with everyone. Mikey had one job and that was simply to keep the big gelding out of traffic and let him run his race.

Without all the pain, Grinder was once again focused on racing and the horse *loved* to run. Workouts had become a challenge because he wanted to race every horse on the track. He was in desperate need of adequate competition or he was going to get bored. Bad things happened when smart athletic horses got bored.

Gripping the box partition, I felt the first flutters of butterflies start in my stomach as I watched Mikey and Grinder make their way to the turf. The statuesque black gelding made the rest of the horses look like Shetland Ponies. At one point he stopped and trumpeted toward the stands as if to say “Hey Losers, watch this.”

The warm up was unremarkable and all the horses loaded into the gate without any problems. The race was as predictable as possible. Grinder broke slow and was several lengths off the pace, trailing the pack into the first turn. He sat there eating the turf with a relaxed, almost lazy stride. Mikey had slack in the reins and the big horse was just biding his time. Halfway down the backstretch he began to close the gap and as the field headed into the far turn he hit another gear and started to pass horses on the outside. The field was good, there were quality horses who were no stranger to the graded stakes races, several had made Breeder’s Cup appearances before and they were trying to qualify again.

I knew I was going to have red imprints around my eyes from the binoculars as I pressed them to my face, like the pressure was going to help me see better. The crowd started to roar at the top of the turn. I could see the minute Grinder decided he was in it to win it. He leapt forward at the top of the stretch, almost leaving Mikey behind and started passing horses like they were standing still. 50 yards from the finish he was alone in front of the front runners and as he flashed under the wire he was still pulling away from his competition.

The description of his win in the next Daily Racing Forum would be “handily.” Even moving up in class, they were no match for him. He had the renowned Pacific Classic next to qualify for the Breeder’s Cup Classic.

The big black horse was barely sweating as Mikey trotted him back to the winner’s circle. EJ pried the binoculars away from my face and put them around his neck, wrapping his hand around mine, “That horse just quadrupled my investment.”

I paused, “What?”

He pulled me out of the box and started making his way to the ground level, “I paid what… $3000 for him? Plus transport costs, training, and you. This win pushed him over the $200,000 mark since I’ve owned him. I’m almost sad he’s not a stallion now. Think of what a foundation sire he’d make for us.”

My mind was swirling trying to picture that much money and I tripped over a discarded tall can. Erik caught me and I tried to pull my hand from his, “Is all you care about the money?”

He gave me a defeated sigh, “Seriously, Nell? Why is everything a fight with you? Of course it’s not about the money, he was a huge investment risk, but I told you from the beginning if he wouldn’t make it on the track I wanted to get him healthy enough for whatever came next.”

It was true, he had said that and I was once again just creating drama, “I’m sorry. I know. I’m just… I don’t know. Too emotional right now.”

Strong thick fingers wove their way through mine and he pulled me into his big body, his voice low, “Half the time I feel like the stereotypical city girl who moved to the country and you’re the wild filly I find trapped in a fence or something.”

“Yeah, I guess I kinda am,” I said, swallowing a smile.

He brought my fingers to his lips, “C’mon, let’s go take a picture with our champion.”

I stood in the winner’s circle for the second time in my life and wrapped my arms around Grinder’s head. He huffed and stood quietly as I pressed my forehead to his, “You did it you brilliant boy.”

It was a little weird not having Jesus there, but Carlos was excited enough for the both of them and I figured I’d just photoshop him into the photo at some point.

Erik had to pry me off of the horse to take the photos and as we posed in front of him, Mikey set his elbow on top of Erik’s head, “Does it ever bother you that she loves this horse more than you?”

The larger man let out a surprised laugh, “No, she wouldn’t be my Peaches if she loved anything more than that horse.”

Carlos muttered in Spanish under his breath and rolled his eyes before waving the jockey off the horse and started taking his saddle off to walk him back to the barns.

The sun was setting over the Pacific Ocean and I was slumped in a camping chair I had set up in Grinder’s stall, nodding off every few minutes.

I felt EJ’s presence before I heard his footsteps over the sound of horses chewing their hay.

The cool evening air was leaving goosebumps on my exposed legs and I regretted not changing back into my jeans.

His hand rested on my head as he knelt down, “You’re cold, let’s go home.”

I sighed, opening my eyes, “I think when we remodel the house we should have a stall in the living room.”

EJ chuckled into my ear as he picked me up. I protested, but weakly, “I can walk.”

His arms tightened around my body, “You never let me manhandle you.”

Grinder took that opportunity to pick up the chair I was sitting in and toss it out of his stall, narrowly missing us.

I reached over and closed the stall dore, sliding the bolt into place and putting a clip on it, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You manhandle me all the time.”

I felt the rumble in his chest rather than heard it, “Well, I like manhandling you. What are you gonna do about it?”

Sliding one of my arms around his shoulders, I ran my fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck, “Right now, nothing,” I sighed.

Smug satisfaction radiated through his body, “Good cause I’m gonna manhandle you some more when we get home.”

I offered a shiver of anticipation.

*******

[sherbet-shark]

oooooo i love your work so much i don't know if i should do a twst request or one your ocs

How about for now some ocs? How would they react with an mc that likes to sew or knit? For example if they tear their uniform the mc would fix it? Or stitch cute designs on a backpack?

A thread of many colors

Author’s note: MY BABIES,, I’m sorry this came so late, This month is a lot, from tutoring swim lessons to college. Things are speeding up :(

Monica would think it’s a cute and helpful talent to have! Since she’s my MC OC, I’d imagine the other mc and her to be pretty close, even if they’re not from her world. She at least has someone that knows how she feels in this unfamiliar place. Her heart would melt when the other MC made her cute backpack designs and proudly placed them in notable areas. And oh my god, IF YOU FIXED UP HER UNIFORM AFTER SHE TOOK A FALL FROM EQUESTRIAN TEAM GOD!! Monica would definitely hug them and be slightly more affectionate to them. It’s touching and sweet to see them fuss over her but still make her blush.

“Hey, I know we’ve stuck with each other thick and thin with everything that’s happened. I know I probably don’t say that I appreciate your efforts often but I do. It’s nice to know that I have someone that can somewhat relate. I can show you some books I’ve been reading, and if you’d like, I can teach you how to ride a horse.”

Ngl, you’re going to get irritated by how fast he RUINS HIS FUCKING THINGS. OH MY GOD, because he likes to go on adventures on his off days, he comes back to his RSA dorm pretty torn up, he’s smart enough to get over his head with things and doesn’t come back bloody, but his clothes are rather homely despite how the headmaster of Royal Sword helps the young student. Despite his bad boy aesthetic, he’ll be happy with the cute designs on his bag, though he might ask you to design MORE THINGS ON HIS BAG. Like an orange rugged cat or a sword or—

“Woah! Thanks, and I’m sorry. Heh… I know I don’t make it easy fixing up my stuff so often. Though I’m pretty surprised you’re sticking with me so much. I mean Royal Sword has plenty of nicer looking boys here. What? You like being my friend and taking care of me,” Zane scoffs and rolls his coffee brown eyes at you while folding his arms.

“You’re weird.”

Wouldn’t happen. Sorry, he takes too much care and prideful to be seen at RSA so unseeingly. But if by the very slim chance you try to help his outfit he’d softly let you down. The intention was pure but he sees nothing wrong.

FINALLY!! HE HAS A SEWING BUDDY!!! He’s not a professional sewing guy but he’s picked up this trait as well taking care of his father and he faintly recalls his mother teaching him how to embroider his name onto a handkerchief before her passing. Your shared love over sewing makes him open up more, he doesn’t know how to knit though. But seeing you knit with such ease makes him admire you even more. He’ll definitely ask you to sew with him on the weekends. He’ll be amazed at the little patches you create for his backpack. Leif will wear these with pride!

“You like to sew too?! That’s great! You knit and embroidered? Wow, that’s amazing! Maybe when you’re free and here at RSA maybe we can sew together?”

Rosealio on his days that he did visit with his sisters at NRC. He found out that you sewed by the beautiful design on your patched up uniform. He’s too shy to ask a complete stranger to make him things. Maybe his big brother could introduce them?

Tag list: @rrasado, @anevilbunnyinthehat, @hey-its-cweepy, @millybesippin, and @luvielle

[vanderlindemorgans]

Cross My Heart (Chapter 4)

Pairing: Agent Whiskey x Reader

Rating: Explicit/18+

Summary: A traitorous Agent Whiskey returns to the United States on the run. Being cast out by Statesman, he soon finds that you’re the only person he can turn to - the embittered former flame from years long passed

Word count: 2.4k

Warnings: Eventual smut, some references to alcoholism and drug use. Reader is in her late twenties but there is an age gap between her and Whiskey. Chapter specific warnings: heavy drinking, someones arm gets broken, also some very vague mentions of a shootout, reader is in denial about being in denial (so the usual pretty much)

Read on AO3 | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Masterlist

You thought it would just be one coffee. One simple mistake as a result of you being extra tired, or something like that. You’d give it to him, hear his stupid little remark meant to rile you up, and then it’d be done - it would never happen again. 

Here’s the thing, though: you kept making more. After that day, every morning when you woke up, you’d grab two coffee mugs and make one for the both of you - yours with extra cream, his straight black. You knew he liked to add a shot of whiskey to his, even though you pretended not to notice when he not-so-discreetly pulled his flask out. Whatever he needed to get through the day, you shrugged, watching him out of the corner of your eye. You certainly weren’t about to judge him for his drinking habits in light of your own less than stellar track record. 

Neither of you dared to mention it so far. You hoped to high heaven that he wouldn’t: his little tease on that first day was barely enough to get under your skin though it had stuck to the back of your mind every morning you woke up. You’re not getting soft on him, are you?

Shaking your head furiously, you let out a low frustrated sigh as you moved to reach out for the bottle of wine next to you once more, flicking off the top and pouring almost a good half of the bottle’s contents into your glass. It was a Wednesday night but you didn’t much care - if the hangover was that bad the next morning, and it never usually was with a shiraz, you’d get some painkillers and get on with your day. The same thought as before repeated itself in your mind again, doing nothing short of vexing you further. Partially because you were worried it was true. Maybe you were getting soft on him. Maybe you weren’t as strong and stubborn as you thought if Jack Daniels had managed to worm his way back into your heart.

No. That couldn’t be it. You tossed your head back and indulged yourself in a rather large gulp of wine, letting the liquid rush down your throat in a desperate attempt to dilute the pitiful nonsense that had filled your head. What a ridiculous thought. You weren’t falling for Jack Daniels charm once more. No, you simply wouldn’t do that. You knew better than that. You knew that underneath that smooth facade was a flitting and emotionally unavailable man, the man who had broken your heart and made you suffer for what felt like evermore. You may have felt pity on him for his fall from grace, but anyone else would if they saw the state of him. Discarding the glass off to the side, you wanted to laugh at the simple absurdity of such an idea. Are you always this stupid with a wine-addled brain? 

Speaking of the devil, you heard his footsteps from up the stairs, taking you by surprise as you were certain that he was asleep by now. You crocked your head to the side, your eyes travelling up the stairwell to the small part of the landing that was in your immediate vision - you couldn’t catch a single sight of him. Shrugging to yourself, you returned to your almost empty glass of wine, feeling that familiar haze descend over your brain with every sip you took. This was fine. You could let yourself be swallowed by the alcohol, maybe even enjoy the fact that your nerves were loosened for just this once. If it could take all that shit away, then you’d gladly let it. And as for Jack? You’d continue on as you were: barely acknowledging his existence, and regarding him as nothing more than a ghost from your past. That’s what you wanted, right?

You’re lying to yourself and you know it.

Blinking your eyes rapidly, you stared out into the space in front of you, your mind lost a million miles away while you were in complete and utter astonishment over those few words that had crossed your mind. Things were quiet, still, even peaceful in a way, only for a second anyhow. That was before the rush came, that incensed anger that flashed across your mind for barely a moment, settling down into something resembling vague annoyance, directed at none other than yourself. Where the hell did that come from? For god's sake, get a grip on yourself. Standing up abruptly, you didn’t even stumble as you advanced back over to the liquor cabinet, dropping to your knees and scanning the tops of the glistening glass bottles under the dim lamp light. Your eyes landed on the bourbon you had stashed at the back and you reached out for it, carefully lifting it above all the others despite your intoxicated state. Resting the bottle against the palm of your hand, you let your fingers trace the grooves in the molded glass, a small bit of hesitation working its way into your mind, hesitation that was swiftly kicked aside in favour of that pesky little buzz that danced around the back of your head, that stupid little crumb of self doubt that refused to fucking leave. 

Guess I’m gonna need a bottle of something stronger to kick this shit. 

___

He didn’t know why he kept watching you. You weren’t doing anything particularly notable - you’d decided to take one of the horses out for a ride, practicing vaulting and the like. He remembered you’d once told him that as a young kid that you’d entered a number of equestrian competitions, and even won a few - he’d seen the trophies gathering dust on the mantle and the cute photos of you posing with your chosen horse, Buttercup, as a child. You explained years ago that you’d stopped participating in competitions but still liked to take the horses out for a spin every once in a while as a way to relax and clear your head. As he watched you now, he could already see the stressors of the day melting away from your visage, leaving only a steely focused expression in its wake as you cleared another jump. 

It was the first time in weeks he’d seen you truly relaxed at all, or showing any sort of emotion other than your usual show of cheerfulness you splashed on for the customers, woven with a current of underlying stress and irritation. Seeing you like this couldn’t help but remind him of better times: you’d taken him out on the horses more than a couple of times when the two of you were together. Jack had always labelled himself as something of an animal lover, ever since he was a kid. He didn’t, and hadn’t, had any pets for a good ten years now though at some point long ago he wanted something similar to what you had - a nice ranch situated out in his home state of Kentucky with a bunch of animals and his family. That dream had seemed so close to him once that he could have sworn it would be a reality yet fate wasn’t so kind to him in that regard. The memory of it all alone hadn’t ceased to become any less painful to him: seeing the broadcast on the news of a shootout down at a local convenience store only to get the call moments later confirming what he’d already feared to have happened most. 

Not a day passed where he didn’t wish he could go back to a time before that day, where even the simple idea of having a family didn’t seem so foreign and unattainable. He felt himself grip onto the wooden bar of the veranda just a tad bit tighter the longer his thoughts fixated on it, though the sound of a piercing shriek immediately brought his attention back to you, his eyes darting around in a frenzy, determined to know what had caused you to cry out in agonising pain. Upon seeing your body lain flat on the ground he rushed forward, vaulting himself over the edge of the varanda and calling out your name. “Are you alright, sugar?” he shouted, throwing open the gate to the ring and racing over towards where you were lying. The faint sounds of you whimpering did nothing short of send him into panic mode, seeing how much it hurt you to move only adding to his worry. “I’m fine, I just...the dumb horse got spooked by something and bucked me off” you groaned, struggling to pull yourself up, leading you to let out another loud yelp when you tried to move your left arm.

Swooping in to catch you before you fell, Jack gently reached for your arm and pulled it towards him, his eyes widening the moment he caught sight of the horrific fracture done to it. “Darlin’, don’t lie to me, you’re not fine. Arms are not meant to look like this!” he stressed, studying your eyes intensely, trying to gauge if you had some sort of a concussion. They were slightly glazed over, and your gaze kept wandering from him as if you were having trouble focusing. “How’s your head feelin’, sweetheart?”. 

“Kinda dazed. Hurts like a bitch as well” you grumbled, leaning your head against his shoulder slightly. Every bone in your body felt like it was screaming at you like some sort of symphony, the pain in your arm being the worst of all. Your vision had also become slightly blurry and kept splitting double every few seconds, only contributing to your general haziness. Your thoughts were running a mile a minute, scattered around your brain and refusing to slow down. Suddenly, you felt yourself being lifted off the ground and up into Jack’s arms, your head lolling slightly against his forearm as he carried you back up to the house. Running through your memory, you couldn’t really remember what had happened fully: you had just made another jump and were circling around the ring to gain speed for another when suddenly you were on the ground and your horse, Molly, was a few feet ahead of you. 

Jack brought you up to the varanda and laid you down on the bench, grabbing one of the old decorative throw pillows you had to rest your head on.“Stay here for a moment, I’m gonna get you some ice, then I’m gonna call an ambulance and get ya to an emergency room” he instructed before ducking back inside the house.

“Is that really necessary, Jack?” you shouted out after him, leading him to stick his head back out the door to look at you incredulously. “Sweetheart, your arm is broken and you're clearly concussed. I think the situation more than calls for it” he replied with a deadpan tone, disappearing back into your house to find you some ice. Resting your head back against the pillows, you turned to see Molly trotting around near the edge of the fenceline, acting as if she hadn’t just thrown you off her back for no apparent reason at all. 

“Yeah, just had to buck me off, didn’t ya? Thanks asshole!” you shouted out, doing your best to ignore the persistent throbbing in the side of your head and the dull ache from where your arm was rested. Thankfully, partially due to the concussion probably, it didn’t feel as bad as before, though at the same time you could have just simply become more tolerant of the pain. Not to say it didn’t still hurt like literal hell or that it was any less easy to take notice of. 

“Honeybee, I get you’re in pain but yelling at the horse isn’t doing anything” you heard Jack say to you as he made his entrance once more, holding a tea towel containing several large blocks of ice in his hand. Muttering out a small ‘thank you’, you took the towel in your hands and pressed it against the swell of your arm, letting out a small hiss the second you felt the sharp sting of the cold on your skin. “I know yelling at the horse does nothing, but it’s making me feel better” you grumbled. 

“Is it? Is it really?” Jack scoffed, subsequently choosing to ignore the sharp death glare you gave him after his flippant remark. “I’ve called an ambulance, they’ll be here to get you to a proper hospital in no time. You really had me worried there when I heard you scream”.

“Oh, so you do care about me after all” you jeered, your signature sarcastic edge seeping through your tone. You shifted slightly to try to position yourself up a little more so that you could face him properly yet as you moved a heavy sting of pain shot through you, causing you to yelp out a little and tense up in response. As if it were instinctual to him, Jack moved towards you and helped you settle back down. “Try not to move too much until the ambulance gets here” he directed. You didn’t know if it was your imagination or not, but you could have sworn his hand lingered on your forehead a second longer than it should have, his fingertips brushing against your skin and leaving a burning sensation in their wake, something that, shamefully so, made your heart skip a small beat. “Now, about me not caring - sugar, when are you gonna accept that no matter what happened between us that I still care about you as a person?” he asked. Shoving those thoughts to the back of your mind, you settled on glaring back at him with a quick witted quip to combat him, because that’s all he was to you: an annoyance, a nuisance, a royal pain in the ass. You were doing him a favour by letting him stay with you. There was nothing more to this.

“Try never, asshole” you snapped, one note harsher than you originally intended. As usual whenever you bit back at his banter, Jack shrugged and rested back into the wall he was standing against. For once, though, you felt bad at snapping at him like that - there wasn’t any need for it, he was only trying to help. Not knowing if you could fully coax the words ‘I’m sorry’ from your mouth, you settled on something less apologetic but still sort of the message across. “But...really, thank you. For, y’know, helping me out here” . 

Jack looked at you for a moment, somewhat taken aback at what you’d said before he softened a bit.“Of course, sugar. Call it returning the favour for taking care of me a couple of weeks back” he answered, giving you that sweet smile of his that hadn’t managed to unweave itself from those old memories. And for once, you allowed yourself to smile weakly in return.

[katehuntington]

Title: Ride With Me (part twenty two) Fandom: Supernatural Timeline: 2008 Pairing: Dean x Reader Word count: ±7650 words Summary series: Y/N is a talented horse rider who is on her way to become a professional. In order to convince her father that she deserves the loan needed to start her own farm, she goes to Arizona for six months, to intern at a ranch owned by Bobby and Ellen Singer. Her future is set out, but then she meets a handsome horseman, who goes by the name of Dean Winchester. A heartwarming series about a cowboy who falls for the girl, letting go of the past and the importance of family.  Summary part twenty two: Y/N is about to take the stage together with her horse Meadow, but stage fright is making it very difficult to bring the evening to a successful end. Warnings series: NSFW, 18+ only! Fluff, angst, eventually smut. Swearing, smoking, alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse. Mutual pining, heartbreak. Crying, nightmares, childhood trauma. Description of animal abuse, domestic violence, mentions of addiction. Financial problems, stress, mental breakdown. Description of blood and injury, hospital scenes, character death, grief. Music: Opening scene: First Defeat - Noah Gundersen, Meadow’s freestyle: Stairway To Heaven, Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin. Follow ‘Kate Huntington’s Ride With Me playlist’ on Spotify! Author’s note: Thank you @atc74​​, and @winchest09​​ for helping me. Also a special thanks to @jules-1999​​, who has offered me her knowledge about rodeo events like these, and @squirrelnotsam​​, who knows Arizona like the back of her hand.

Ride With Me Masterlist

     Y/N dips the sponge foaming with leather soap in a small bucket of water, and softly moves it in circles over the gullet of Meadow’s cognac colored saddle. Making sure to get into the little curves and edges of the beautifully decorated piece of craftsmanship, she picks up an old toothbrush and gently sweeps the dirt out of the grooves; it’s one of the older tricks in the book. 

     The maintenance does a lot of things besides calm the mind. It keeps the material supple, stops it from tearing, therefore saddles and bridles last longer. The leather will be soft on the horse’s coat and prevent sores and irritation of the skin. Clean and shiny tack says a lot about a person. They are usually precise, provident, and have a keen eye for detail. Often perfectionists who leave nothing to chance. Y/N is such a person.

     Dean watches her, adoration on his features. She hasn’t spotted him yet, too focused on the chore. His hands are buried in the front pockets of his jeans while he leans against the door of the makeshift tack room, where she’s working in silence. He notices how loose hairs have escaped her french braid, how she bites her lip while concentrating. He notices the black smear on her cheek, her hands grimy from the mixture of soap and dirt coming from the saddle. He notices all those little things, and all else he loves about her.

     There might be a soft smile on his lips, but his eyes give away how much his heart is hurting. He hasn’t been able to ban the haunting words from his thoughts, nor the realization that came with it; no matter how much time he puts between the past and present, he can’t outrun those dark days.      The troubled cowboy wishes he could tell her, but he doesn’t want to drag his girl into this. She would pity him, be disgusted. She would run as far away as she could, and he wouldn’t even blame her if she does just that. The fact that he is unable to be truthful, has him doubt everything they have accomplished. How can he ask her to trust him, when he can’t be honest with her? When he doesn’t even trust himself?

     Y/N rises from the small stool to get a cloth from her tack box in order to polish the saddle, when she notices a figure from the corner of her eye. For a second she startles, but then realizes it’s her boyfriend.      “How long have you been standing there?” she chuckles.      “For a little while,” he admits, the corner of his mouth pulling into a slightly bigger smile. “Didn’t mean to creep you out.”      “Don’t worry, you didn’t. Fergus MacLeod on the other hand…” Y/N comments, squirting some shine cream on the cloth. 

     Before she returns to her stool again to finish the dirty job, Dean steps closer and takes her hand. Desperate for her to ground him, he lets his fingers trace her stained knuckles, taking the cleaning product from her and putting it aside. He focuses on their hold and keeps quiet, being more tentative than conversational.      “Dean?”      Her voice is laced with confusion and worry, and when he looks up, he sees that her eyes match the warm sound. Willing to do anything to take those concerns away, he cups her face and gently pulls Y/N closer. His lips catch hers, sweetly at first. Dean cherishes the moment when she melts into his touch, deepening the kiss. It doesn’t unsettle him when she unwinds her fingers from his, because he can feel his cowboy hat leave his head, those same fingers now running through his short hair.

     Dean takes his time, eyes closed and his long lashes brushing against her cheek. He draws her in, moving his hand up her side as if he’s afraid she might slip away at any moment. There’s a hint of distress in the way he is kissing her, even though she can tell he is trying to hide it. Knowing that now is not the time to question his reasoning, she gives him what he needs so hopelessly. After a long, intimate minute, in the shelter of the small tack room, Dean parts from her. Y/N hopes to see a smile, but his eyes remain closed as he presses his forehead against hers.

     “What’s going on?” she encourages, gently.      “Nothin’. I’m alright,” he claims, but when she raises her eyebrows at him knowingly, he gives her an explanation, even though it’s not the whole truth. “Fergus MacLeod got under my skin with the way he spoke to you, is all.”      “Oh, you mean the pet names?” She scoffs, shaking her head at the memory. “I wouldn’t read into it. He’s an Englishman; they address women like that.”      “Still…” Dean rubs the pad of his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the grease. He is beginning to find his footing again. “I’m the only one who gets to call you that.”      “And you think I’m the jealous one,” Y/N jokes. “You never call me ‘darling’ or ‘love’ anyway.”      He grins at her mockery, especially when she overdoes the accent. His eyes are still sincere as ever.       “Because you’re my Yankee,” he says softly.

     Her smile becomes brighter, her nickname rolling from his tongue usually having that effect. And for just a second, Dean forgets about all the worry in the world. He kisses her once more, short and sweet this time, daring to take a hold of her gaze now that his mask fits again.      “You stood your ground when that stuck up made that offer on Meadow,” he compliments. “You basically told him to go fuck himself. That was pretty badass.”

     Shyly, Y/N shrugs. To her it didn’t cost her an ounce of bravery or willpower. She has gotten offers on her horse before, although never one this high. But Fergus could offer a billion, there is no way in hell she will ever let Meadow go.      “She’s priceless, Dean,” the cowgirl explains, simply. “I wouldn’t trade her for the world.”      “I know,” her boyfriend acknowledges. “All I’m saying is that many would have considered it. The fact that it’s not even an option for you, just shows how much she means to you.” He pauses, admiring the strong minded woman before him. “She’s your soul horse.”      “My what?” Y/N recalls, curiously.

     Dean chuckles, realizing that it’s not a widely known term. It was Ellen who told him about the special bond between human and horse, when he was younger. It became something that always stuck with him, words he never forgot.      “Every equestrian comes across that one horse in their life. The one that stands out from all the others, that captures you, takes up a huge space in here.” He taps two fingers on his chest, right where his heart is. “The one you have this unbreakable bond with, who you trust and trusts you. The one you will never forget,” he explains. “That’s your soul horse.”

     Y/N begins to glow, because every word he spoke sounds familiar. Dean is right; Meadow is her soul horse.      “I like that,” she says, thinking about his words for a second. 

     Content, she moves past Dean to pick up the polish, in order for her to return to the task she needs to finish.       “What else did the snobby Brit have to say?” she wonders, sitting back down on her stool, beginning to rub the cream onto the horn and the pommel of the saddle.      “He bought Jovi and Ringo, actually,” the cowboy elaborates, turning to the side to check out the perfectly clean bridle hanging from the tack box door. He’s giving himself something to focus on, feeling the soft leather under his fingers.      “Did he! That’s great, right?” she checks, noticing that her boyfriend isn’t exactly thrilled about the matter.      Dean glances at her, forcing a smile. “Yeah, the money is certainly welcome.”      “I bet Bobby is pleased,” Y/N assumes, wiping down the saddle one last time before she puts the cover back on. “Did he say anything about our dance last night?”      “He didn’t. I think he’s lettin’ it slide.” Dean shrugs. “He’s not someone to discuss this kinda stuff anyway, so I’m guessin’ no word about it is good.”      Y/N is willing to accept his reasoning. “Well, alright. If you’re sure it won’t get you into trouble.”      “I doubt it, and even if he’d give me a hard time, it’s worth the lecture.” Dean chuckles, glancing down at his boots. “Fergus made another business proposition, too.”      The cowgirl gets up and lifts the heavy saddle from its stand, carrying it to the tack box and storing it away. “What’s that?”      “He wants me to train one of his horses,” he tells her.      Her eyes grow wide as she shuts the door. “A stallion? Dean, that’s huge!”      The wrangler chuckles at her enthusiasm. “It’s just the one.” 

     “Do you realize that this could be the start of something very rewarding? He owns stables full of licensed stallions. It might be a great stepping stone. I mean, look at Jovi and Ringo; they were sold from under you before you could really shine with them,” Y/N brings to mind. “Riding a talented horse for an owner who has no desire to sell because of the money already coming in with stud fees, is really good for you. This could become your big break.”

     Dean hasn’t even looked at it that way, but he guesses it’s why his girlfriend is so good in her field. She always thinks five steps ahead, seeing opportunities where another person would just see a lot of work.      He remains realistic, though, not wanting to celebrate too quickly. “Well, apparently Cain is a handful, so we’ll see how it goes.”      “Wait… Cain?” She was already staring at him in astonishment, but now her jaw almost drops to the floor. “As in the Quarter sired by Dual Ray. The one that went for 1.2 million at the Derby auction?! Shut up!”

     “Someone watched the news.” Dean grins, the sight of her girlfriend so perplexed being quite amusing. “But, yeah. He’s arriving at the ranch next week. Depending on how bad his behavioral problems are, he’s staying or leaving. I have a feeling MacLeod isn’t telling the whole story.”      “Well, even if Cain’s issues are worse than Fergus let on--” She steps closer, slipping her arms around his neck. “- if anyone can fix him, it’s you.”

     The confidence she has in him astonishes the cowboy. He doesn’t deserve it, her never ending support, her faith. Even now, all he’s doing is bullshitting his way through this exchange. He hopes to God Y/N doesn’t pick up on his insecurities, because maybe if she doesn’t, they can stay in this bubble for a little while longer. 

     Another kiss is pressed on his lips and for just that moment, Dean forgets about the demons that so often torment his mind. Unable to resist her even if he tries, the cowboy reels her in. He can sense his Yankee smile against his mouth and he can’t help to copy her expression. When he can feel her weaken in his hold, however, it is quickly replaced with a look of concern.      “You okay?” he asks apprehensively, his grip on her firmer to make sure she doesn’t go down, but thankfully she steadies.      “Yeah, just a little lightheaded.” Y/N takes a breath. “I’m fine.”      “Did you eat today?” Dean requires, both stern and worried.      “No,” she admits. “I can’t eat before a competition. Nerves and all.”      “Are you kiddin’ me? You’re not up until 8 PM!” he returns, not having any of it. “Yankee, You gotta eat. I’ll buy you somethin’.”      “I wouldn’t be able to take even one bite, Dean. Don’t bother. I’ll have an energy drink before I get on Meadow.”      “Oh, hell no. You can’t do your run while low on fuel,” her boyfriend decides, carefully letting her go when he’s sure she has found her balance again. “How about yoghurt? Or some fruit? Did that really just come out of my mouth?”      Y/N snorts when she notices the double take at his own suggestions, his nose wrinkling in revulsion, as if he just said something vile and doesn’t even know himself anymore.      “Would a smoothie work? I saw a stand by the arena,” Dean offers.      She shrugs, appreciating his efforts and not wanting to deny him. “I could try.”      “Alright.” He leaves a quick kiss on her mouth and picks up his hat, before he intends to leave the tack room. In the doorway he turns around, his body language showing confusion, yet his eyes sparkle.      “I never in my life thought I was gonna say this, but I’m gonna buy a smoothie,” he announces, before shooting her a wink and disappearing.      Y/N laughs now, shaking her head at his comical ways. Bless him, at least he’s trying.

     7.00 PM. Y/N is back in the tack room where she spent most of her morning cleaning her gear. When there was absolutely nothing left to polish, every bit of brass on her saddle and bridle shining so bright it could quite possibly blind the judges once in the arena, she tried to distract herself another way. She did manage to consume the smoothie her boyfriend brought her, though, much to his delight. It helped, because the dizziness has passed, but a stress headache remains. She sat down for lunch with Benny, Jo and Dean, although she didn’t eat anything. Conversation moved past her like the Arizona autumn breeze that’s blowing across the show grounds. 

     Afterwards, she assisted Dean with his last ride of the day, this time in the ‘working cow horse’ class, which is a fun combination between reining and managing cattle. After feeding the horses and providing them with water, the crew went to the arena to watch some runs. It only triggered restlessness in her heart that seemed impossible to calm, and it didn’t take long before she returned to the stable. She spent some time with Meadow, her dance partner tonight, simply sitting in the corner of her box, watching the beautiful animal chew on her hay, completely at ease with her owner’s presence. 

     Now, it’s time to prepare herself. Meadow is already tacked up, waiting in her stall until Y/N is ready, one hind hoof resting on its toe, preserving energy. It’s like the animal knows, since she normally is quite impatient, but right before a competition, she prefers to nap on her feet.      It’s a huge contrast to her human, who has trouble controlling her anxiety. The smoothie she had earlier is bubbling inside Y/N, her stomach unsettled. Trying to calm herself by making sure that everything is perfect, she goes through the familiar checklist in her head while the soundtrack of her freestyle plays on her phone. 

     Dean helped her work out the new routine, thankfully. After setting the bar way too high in her first draft, almost making herself cry when she realized just how impossible it was, he suggested more simple lines, but combinations of the patterns. This is supposed to kick up the degree of difficulty without the floorplan being a tangled mess, and highlights Meadow’s strengths. What she had to figure out next, was what kind of music she wanted to ride to.

     Her boyfriend contacted Ash, who was more than willing to edit the tunes for the intern. When she offered Dean the idea, she knew it was a hit when she saw his eyes twinkle. They took the request to the former ranch hand, who went to work and knocked it out of the park. Honestly, a part of Y/N cannot wait to ride her new freestyle, but she’s also downright petrified. What if she screws up? What if she forgets her routine? What if she doesn’t nail it, with Congress only two weeks away? What if she fails?

     Everything is ready, all she needs to do is change into her show outfit. Y/N strips down, switching her blue jeans and plaid shirt for black. The back of her button up is decorated with golden studs in the shape of a guitar, and so are the cuffs and shoulders. During a freestyle the rider is allowed to ‘dress up’ and add elements in the arena, make a show of it. Although she’s not a fan of the whole circus act, and much rather prefers to let her performance do the talking and convincing, she wasn’t resenting the idea Ash offered when they listened to the soundtrack. Ellen helped her sow on the miniature pyramid-shaped beads, and the end result is better than Y/N could have hoped for.

     The focused competitor slips into her onyx chaps which she just took out, and laces the leather strap through the belt loop of her jeans. She then continues to unpack her cowboy boots, which are the same color as Meadow’s fiery brown tack, shining just as bright. Her brass spurs follow, the rowel jingling when she turns to take a round box from the top, unzipping the lid. The beautiful Milano hat inside has her smile down on the crafted head piece; it was a Christmas gift from her parents. One she received right before her first show with the Quarter mare, the horse who gives her so much more than she could ever hope for.      She picks it up by the crown and places it on her smooth hair which Jo braided earlier, the action raising a sense of pride in her chest. The hat makes the outfit, but it comes along with so much more. It gives back some of the confidence her insecurities took away. She’s a cowgirl, in heart and soul.

     Last but not least, she takes an object from the same container that safeguarded the Milano. Reminiscing, Y/N draws her thumb over the gold plated metal, feeling the edges of the letters and symbols under her fingertip; it’s her State Championship belt buckle. She closes her eyes, the memories of that epic run flooding her thoughts welcomingly. The stadium spotlights, the roaring crowd, her name in bright letters on the scoreboard. And then that indescribable feeling of horse and rider becoming one, the thrill of coming down that centerline and just knowing that this was going to be their moment, the ride of their lives. She will be in seventh heaven if she manages to get even remotely close to the pinnacle they reached that day.

     Footsteps draw her back to reality, the dry ground crunching under heavy boots in the alleyway between the stables. Y/N doesn’t question who it is, Dean promised to help her with the warmup, and since she has stated in her very detailed schedule that she is going to get on her horse ten minutes from now, she is expecting his arrival. Turning around, she meets his astonished gaze in the doorway, his jaw slightly ajar.      “Do you think I’d be showing off if I wear this?” she wonders, offering him a look at the coveted buckle.

     But Dean only has eyes for a different prize. He needs a moment to recover from the sight of his girlfriend. She’s drop dead gorgeous after a morning muck out, with hay in her messy locks and dust sticking to her damp skin. But now, dressed in her black show outfit, her hair braided and her make-up bringing out the color of her eyes even more, he can’t help but stammer.      He chuckles warmly, a blush on his cheeks. “You look - you look amazing.”

     His reaction draws a smile on her lips, but she’s too anxious to really appreciate the compliment. There is a time schedule to be considered after all.      “My State Champion buckle, or a simple one?” she asks him again, not daring to make the call herself.      Dean takes the shiny object, tilting it to admire the award. ‘AQHA State Champion - Maine, 2008’ it says, the inscription curved around a horse’s head, edged in silver and gold.      “Wear it,” he decides. “You won that championship fair and square.”      “Yeah, I know, it’s just that--” She pauses, fiddling to close the buttons on her cuffs. “I don’t wanna fail to meet everyone's expectations.”      The cowboy looks up at her from under his lashes, his green eyes reading her for a second. “Everyone’s expectations? Or your own?”

     Dean has a solid point, but evaluating thought processes is not something she needs right now. She sighs and tries to bury her frustrations, very much aware that she snaps easily when she’s on edge like she is now. It wouldn’t be the first time that she loses her cool with someone who is actually there to support her, it usually being either her parents or her brothers. She doesn’t want her boyfriend to endure the same unreasonable behavior, and so she shrugs at that.      “I don’t know, really. I mean, yes, I expect a lot from myself, but the thought that people on the sideline, like Bobby, Jody, Donna… you, will judge my every move,” she pauses, letting an anxious sigh fall from her lips. “It honestly makes me feel sick.”

     “You shouldn’t let it get to you like that,” Dean suggests, handing her back the buckle.      “Yeah, well, that’s easier said than done,” she returns, the edge of her voice much sharper than she meant to come out. While pulling her belt through the loops, she briefly looks up, noticing his head cocked back slightly while his brows meet his hairline, which triggers her to mutter an apology. “Sorry.”

     He can see the embarrassment in her stance as she turns her gaze to the floor. The slight offense he took desolates, making room for sympathy. He can tell she’s struggling to cope with the nerves and the pressure she is under, pressure she shouldn’t even be experiencing. This competition is a practice run, an environment to test her new freestyle and get back into the rhythm of the shows after a long break. However, he understands that downgrading this event will not do her any good. What he needs to convince her of, is to believe in herself, like he believes in her.

     “Yankee, you’re never gonna fail my expectations. The way I see you doesn’t stand or fall with this performance, or any.” He takes her hands in his, squeezing them softly in order to prevent her from getting lost in that dark forest of negative thoughts. “I get that you want to prove yourself, but it ain’t necessary. The girls already love you, and the fact that Bobby didn’t rip me a new one for kissing you last night proves a point too. All that won’t change after today’s run.”

     Carefully, Y/N glances up, met by the sight of empathy swimming in mystic green eyes.      “I’m here to back you up, okay? I’ll help you with the warm up, and Jo will be there to assist. It’s gonna be fine. Your horse is awesome, your freestyle is awesome, you are awesome,” he reassures, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. “Now get your fine butt on that horse.”      She takes a slow breath, the smile that his words surface saying just how much that means to her. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

     With Meadow’s bridle in hand, she exits the tack room, feeling somewhat lighter than she did ten minutes ago. Dean’s kind words and endless support doesn’t take away the anxiety entirely, but it has enough of an effect to have her believe that maybe, just maybe, she is going to survive this evening. At least he is by her side, not just as her man, but as her trainer as well, and with the way he has been with her so far, she can already tell how different he is from her former instructor. No list of exercises she needs to go through during the warm up, no ‘do this’ or ‘don’t do that’ while she’s preparing to get on her horse. It’s a huge contrast, but one for the better. Maybe Dean is right, maybe it is going to be fine.

     Dean looks up when he notices someone approaching from the corner of his eye, the small framed silhouette with a dancing ponytail unmistakably Jo’s. She has a bucket half full with water in one hand with a sponge floating on the surface, a rag hanging from her back pocket and a groom bag over her shoulder.      “You ready, sis?” she asks, popping her head over the stable door.      “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Y/N sighs, tightening the sinch.      “You’re gonna do great. Especially with your lover whispering in your ear.” She hands them both a headset, one with a small microphone for Dean and one with an earpiece for her best friend. “Keep it clean, no heavy breathing. The poor girl needs to stay focused.”

     The cowboy glares at his cousin, but he bites his tongue, simply because the comment made his girl let out a laugh. Instead he turns on the small device and pushes it in his pocket, secures the mic to the collar of his shirt.      Y/N clips the headset behind her belt as well and pushes the bud into her ear. After holding the bit in front of Meadow’s mouth for her to accept, her owner pulls the crown piece of the bridle over her horse’s ears, securing the straps. Focused on her task at hand, she notices a crucial element missing.      “Crap, Grandpa’s pendant,” she realizes, pushing the reins into Jo’s hand before rushing back into the tack box. 

     A moment later, she returns with a small suede bag in her hand, from which she carefully allows a piece of jewelry to roll into her hand. Curious, Dean watches her pick it up between her delicate fingers, after which she attaches it to Meadow’s bridle. Two beads are laced onto a thin leather cord, and the way she handles the small yet precious object, he can tell it holds much value.      “Is that your good luck charm?” Jo wonders.      “Yeah,” the rider acknowledges, taking back the reins from her friend and leading Meadow out of the stable. “My grandfather gave it to me on my very first show when I was seven.” 

     Y/N has never ridden a test without the jewel, and she can’t picture doing so in the future. The top bead is made from her birthstone, the one dangling underneath represents a guardian angel. While taking her horse outside, she rubs Meadow’s neck, tracing the charm for a second as the setting sun catches the gem. Before she had to say goodbye to the most influential person in her life, she never really pictured anyone when she saw the little figure with wings dangling from Meadow’s browband, but now she likes to think it is him, watching over her.

     A couple of minutes later, Y/N has taken a seat on Meadow’s back, who excitedly walks towards the warm up area with Dean and Jo in tow. Flanked by her trainer on her right side and her groom on the left, a hint of relief hits the cowgirl unexpectedly; she has never been surrounded by a team this solid.  

     The horse and rider enter the side arena, where a dozen others are warming up in what seems to be a whirlwind of sensories. Music reaches Y/N’s hearing, coming from the competition ring and mixing with loud cheers of the spectators. Trainers shout at their pupils from the sideline, the steward calling for the next on the list. In her first loop in a simple walk, someone cuts her off and Meadow pins her ears back, clearly not at ease in the chaos.

     “Can you hear me?” Dean asks through the headset, leaning over the fence of the training field.      The familiar warm yet gruff sound in her ear silences the distractions that have her dizzy in an instance. She looks over her shoulder at the head wrangler, nodding in response.      “Okay, good. Warm her up like you would do so at home. Try to seek a space where it’s not too crowded, you don’t have to use the entire area,” Dean advises, calmly. “Just focus on my voice, alright? Take a deep breath and focus on me.”

     Y/N closes her eyes for a short second and collects herself, doing precisely what he tells her to do. Throughout the warm up he never underlines what she’s doing wrong, but praises her for every right move, building her confidence. For a short period of time it has her wondering if he’s sugarcoating and isn’t giving it to her straight, but minute by minute, she finds it easier to let go of that thought. His encouraging words manage to cast away the fear of screwing up, and before she knows it, she has forgotten about the other riders in the arena, nor does she notice her distracting surroundings. All she hears is his soothing vocals, all she feels is the large animal underneath her, who seems to respond well to their trainer too. Meadow might not be able to hear Dean, but apparently senses the tension oozing from her rider, and becomes more relaxed with every stride.

     It’s five minutes until her starting time, when Y/N halts by the fence, next to Jo and Dean. Her friend and groom for the day takes her cue and approaches her with the bucket, wiping down Meadow’s sweaty skin with the sponge, cleaning the mare up before it’s her time to shine. Y/N takes out her ear buds, since she’s not allowed to compete with them, and hands the headset to Jo, trading it for a water bottle.      “She feels good, doesn’t she?” Dean checks, smiling up at her while he takes the plastic flask from his student.      The woman in the saddle nods. “She does.” 

     “Y/N Y/L/N! Two minutes!”      The rider feels the nerves find their traction again when she glances at the steward who called out her name. She nods in acknowledgement at the man holding a clipboard, and when Jo is done toweling Meadow down, she steers the Quarter towards the entrance of the main arena. The applause that the previous competitor receives grows louder as they approach, meeting the rider on their way over. He seems very pleased with his horse, and the first thing that comes to her mind is that he must have had a good score, a score she needs to beat.  The serene mindset the wrangler got her in, is threatened to be disturbed by the stage fright that grips her by the throat. Suddenly, it hits her; this is it.

     “Hey…” Dean lays his hand on her knee when he detects that he’s losing her again. “Yankee?”      The cowgirl snaps her gaze from the intimidating competition ground to her trainer, who meets her with the most relaxed expression he can muster, despite his worry about her current mental state. He can tell she’s downright scared, not to fall off her horse or anything, but to make a mistake, drop the ball and to have to leave the boxing ring defeated. Right now, the illuminated soil that is about to be her stage isn’t a dance floor to Y/N. No, her eyes tell him a different story, the one of a gladiator in a colosseum, being thrown into the pit for the lions, destined to be defeated, destined to fail.

     “When you go in there, I need you to forget about everything,” he starts off, earning a confused look.      “What do you mean?” she wonders.      “Forget the judges, forget the audience, hell, forget what I’ve told you,” Dean continues, his thumb rubbing her leg soothingly. “The only one you need to listen to, is Meadow. Feel what she tells you and trust your gut when you answer. Let go of all the rest, alright?”

     Y/N nods, wetting her dry lips, shooting another glance at the arena before she looks down on the man who has been able to ground her like only one other person has. Dean seems to know who is on her mind, because he reaches for the pendant attached to her horse’s bridle.      “He’s with you, and I will be waiting right here, no matter what. You got this, Yankee.” 

     The encouraging words close off her throat much like the anxiety did earlier, but this time the sentiment is welcoming. Dean’s pep talk helped her see what is truly important, and that this moment is just a short clip of a larger motion picture. She has Meadow, she has Dean, and she has the memory of her grandfather, along with all the wise life lessons that he taught her. Whatever happens in the coming five minutes, that will not change. She trusts the beacon of support that is the man by her side. But in this very moment, most importantly, she trusts Meadow.

     Y/N breathes in through her nose and exhales slowly, rubbing her horse’s shoulder, more confident than she has felt all week. The gatekeeper opens the fence for the horse and rider, nothing standing between them and the brightly lit competition ring. 

     “The next contestant of the evening is Y/N Y/L/N, all the way from Freeport, Maine. This young lady rides Meadowsweet, a nine year old mare sired by Gunner, and these two have made a name for themselves already. Folks, you are going to be watching the current State Champion and this pair has qualified for the prestigious All American Quarter Horse Congress in three weeks. This will be the premiere of their brand new freestyle, so get ready for a rock ‘n roll ride, y’all.”

     Y/N peers into the grand arena, tilting her hat forward just enough to keep the spotlights from blinding her. She can feel Dean’s fingers slip from her knee, setting her free now that she has taken control. Focused and determined, the cowgirl makes eye contact with the sound technician, raising her hand. Showtime.

     The first tones of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven begins to play, and Y/N enters the arena slowly. The timid music silences the crowd, suspense hanging thick in the air. Meadow moves down the centerline and halts, her head low and submissive, waiting for her cue. The intro finishes, the acoustic notes dying down and leaving a second long silence. Knowing the music by heart, the woman in the saddle squeezes her fist holding the reins slightly, preparing Meadow for what is about to come. Then, right as Immigrant Song rings in her ears, she sends her Quarterhorse into a spin.

With high speed and great technique, the mare revolves on the spot like a helicopter rotor, and after going full circle four times stops dead in her tracks, before doing the exact same movement, only this time turning right. The crowd goes absolutely ballistic, and it’s then that Y/N feels a wide smile spreading on her face; she’s gonna nail this run.

     One small aid is enough to push Meadow forward, the horse shooting down the centerline like an arrow leaving its bow. With only a few yards between the cowgirl and the judges, she sits back in the saddle, signalling Meadow to dig her hind legs into the ground and progress into an impressive sliding stop. It’s bold, because if the maneuver isn’t spot on, the panel will easily detect the error. The execution is perfect, however, and gathering from the entertained and impressed expressions on the judges’ faces, Y/N’s game plan is working. 

     With attitude, Meadow rolls back and races around the arena on a large circle, her long strides evenly powerful and rhythmic, this time to the soundtrack of Whole Lotta Love. With her left hand forward between the bay horse’s ears, the cowgirl peers down the path that’s to come, and after having gone full circle, she switches to a left canter through a flying change and mirrors the previous pattern. 

     The buzz ignited by both the thrilling ride and the response of the audience only fuels her confidence. When she exits the last full speed circle, she transitions into a lope, a collected gate Meadow masters well. The horse and rider combination crosses the arena through a neat half pass. It’s a sideways movement right in front of the judges, the talented mare showing off her reach and finesse. 

     Not once does Y/N have to correct her dancing partner, every small cue effective. Meadow follows the instructions without question, unable to give a damn about the vibrant ambiance. It’s almost as if the animal can read her owner’s mind, a telepathic connection which can only be established when human and horse have that click and share an unique bond. This is what horse riding is all about, this is the ultimate goal. Two hearts beating as one. 

     The music builds up to its zenith and shifts to the finishing electric guitar solo in Stairway To Heaven, by the same famous rock band that has been the backing track to this epic performance. On the diagonal, Meadow picks up speed again, her strong muscles rippling under her copper colored coat. The thousand pound being reaches a speed of forty-five miles an hour, accelerating until the opposite corner, where she performs another perfect stop followed by a roll back. There is not a speck of hesitation or doubt, nor any sign of fatigue, despite a sequential series of maneuvers. 

     After a third stop, she has executed the mandatory patterns, and all that’s left is to go out with a bang. Y/N sends Meadow into one final spin, the tremendous momentum having her dizzy. The sheer power radiating from under her only heightens the high the cowgirl is experiencing, the adrenaline coursing through her veins with the same speed as her horse is turning. After the rapid pirouettes, Meadow breaks off the maneuver on cue in the dead center of the arena, facing the judges. The cheering and whistling crowd almost overrules the dying sound of the guitar strings that are the last notes of the freestyle. Unable to comprehend what just happened, Y/N drops the reins, spreads her arms and folds them around her horse’s neck. Overcome with emotion she hugs her four-legged friend, without words thanking her for the ride of her life.

      Only then the cowgirl realizes the roar coming from the spectators, many of them having risen to their feet. As the commentator praises her performance, she circles Meadow back toward the exit of the ring, waving at the enthusiastic kids on the first row. In that four minute run, Y/N and Meadow have stolen the hearts of everyone who is here to witness the definition of horsemanship. She can’t stop herself from smiling so widely that her cheeks hurt while her horse walks along the bleachers, the mare looking at the applauding audience, seeming to understand that it’s for her. 

     As they approach the gate, the rider hears one girl squeal above all others. Y/N hasn’t even looked in the direction of where the sound came from, but she already knows it’s Jo. Dancing on her feet in absolute delight, she meets her by the fence and high fives her best friend.      “God damn, Sis! You rocked out there!” she exclaims, patting Meadow on her neck as well.

     Y/N laughs full heartedly at her giddy friend, the ecstasy of her perfect run still in full effect. But when her gaze meets Dean’s, that happiness becomes overwhelming. The handsome cowboy is waiting for her, just like he promised. Gleaming eyes match his sly smirk, but there’s more to the expression, sentiment swimming in his emerald greens. The sight of him breaks something inside of her, and she’s unable to keep the tears at bay.

     It’s then that Meadow halts, and just outside of the main arena, Dean steps towards his girl and pulls her into a hug. With her left hand still holding the reins, Y/N embraces the man who she owes so much gratitude. After all, if it wasn’t for him, the freestyle wouldn’t have turned out remotely as good, not to mention that the stress would have done her in. Today he was more than just a trainer or her boyfriend. He was the anchor that kept her grounded, the rock that wouldn’t budge when the waves crashed against her, and the sign that she needed to get out of the maze of self-doubt.      She can feel Dean nuzzle his nose into her hair. “I’m so damn proud of you,” he whispers, words only meant for her to hear.      Moved by his words, she hugs him a little tighter before she lets him go and wipes away her happy tears. A smile that reaches his ears is still there when she pulls herself together again.      “She - she was absolutely amazing,” Y/N stammers, combing her fingers through Meadow’s mane. “The feeling she gave me… I can’t explain it. It was like we were flying.”      “That’s because you were, Amelia Earhart,” Jo quips, clearly over the moon for her friend. “Want me to cool Meadow down so you can wait here for your score?”

     Y/N nods, feeling her horse’s flanks expand rather rapidly every time the large animal inhales; she really gave it her everything. Once the cowgirl has both feet planted on solid ground, she scratches the mare’s favorite spot behind her ear, facing the beautiful Quarter. Meadow presses her large head against her owner’s chest, more to get rid of an itch than to return the love, making her human giggle. Then the rider hands over the reins to Jo, who takes the bay horse away from the commotion. 

     Still stunned, Y/N takes another breath, glancing back into the arena. “Did they call the points yet?”      Dean comes to stand next to her, gazing at the board in the corner, above the bleachers. “No, I didn’t hear anything.”      With her hands placed on her waist, she breathes in, trying to ignore her stomach, which begins to do backflips again. This time, there is not much she can do to influence the outcome, however. Meadow did the best she could and she didn’t make a single mistake; Y/N couldn’t have wished for more. But the new freestyle hasn’t been graded yet, so how the judges will reward the music and the degree of difficulty is still a mystery. The rider tries to tell herself that no matter what number will appear on the screen, she’s satisfied with today’s performance. But as seconds tick by, the suspense builds and eats at her composure.

     She can feel Dean’s hand on the small of her back, fingertips tracing soft, calming circles. The motion helps her to pull her gaze away from the digital board, and she glances at the man by her side. Focusing on him has worked so far, so as the tension rises, she tries that tactic again. The world around her stops, her own breathing the only sound she hears, Dean’s touch the only sensation she feels. For a moment, time slows down. But when her trainer’s eyes widen and his jaw falls slack in disbelief, she’s almost too afraid to look at the definite white numbers that can make or break her evening.

     It’s only when the crowd erupts that she dares to face the verdict, and what she witnesses, triggers her to clasp her hand over her mouth. Completely stunned, her eyes stay locked on the score, convinced that if she blinks, the numbers will change. She barely registers her boyfriend letting out a cheer, pumping his fists into the air and bouncing on his feet like a little kid. Her view is obstructed when strong arms wrap around her middle and lift her off the ground, but when her gaze locks on the display again, it still tells the same story of victory.

     220.5 points.

     Unknowingly, she holds her breath, her heart still beating against her chest so wildly, that her cowboy must be able to feel it too. It’s not just a personal best; it tops her old record by three whole points. She broke through the two-twenties, something she only ever dreamed of accomplishing, yet here she is. Shutting her eyes, her thoughts go out to her grandfather, realizing that she has done her guardian angel proud once more.

     Dean must have sensed that she got lost in her own head, because he brings her back down from the heavens to their world with a gentle touch upon her cheek. He wipes a stray tear away with the pad of his thumb and takes off her hat, looking at her with so much adoration. His hand slips to the nape of her neck, his forehead bowing to gently rest against hers. Radiant light touches everything in reach, leaving what’s behind them in darkness, together with all the worries and fears. The audience doesn’t seem to be applauding the high score anymore, the wolf whistles and bellows of encouragement instead directed at the couple in the spotlight. Dean didn’t need any more motivation, his lips encasing hers in a soft kiss. 

     Closing her eyes, she cherishes the moment and smiles against his mouth when Dean uses her cowboy hat to shield them away from all the extra attention. It is in this instance the equestrian realizes something; out of all the rides that she experienced, either in the saddle or in life, this is the one that will go down in memory.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to like or reblog my work, shoot me a message or buy me coffee (Link to Kofi in bio at the top of the page).

Read part twenty-tree here

[cadetcama]

Hey! I need your The Society fic recs ASAP!

Oh Anon! You don’t know what you asked for! This got a little out of hand but no regrets! I mean, I’m sure I missed some but this is a good list! I’m bolding my absolute faves (which really just means I’ve reread it), but please know, I love all of these and will reread them (if I haven’t already...) 

General AUs: 

when i’m feeling alone, you remind me of home (baby, baby, merry christmas) - by @jjmaybank/wolfchester (updated w/ their tumblr) - Christmas and fake-dating! 

rein it in by @rae-of-fricking-sunshine - a SLOW BURN equestrian AU that makes me want to ride horses and also had several lines that made me lose my mind

we were meant to be but a twist of fate by screwthatloveshit -  childhood friends to lovers - harry has a lot of feelings for allie. it takes them a while to get it together. 

words are too hard to keep on their own by @livinginrhythm - Harry & Allie as coworkers

you’re one of the few things that i’m sure of by @livinginrhythm - quarantine/covid AU with established hallie 

 someday we’re gonna know too much to know it all by @livinginrhythm - only 2/11 chapters posted and its a childhood friends to lovers au that I wanna wear alike a sweater

remember it’s all pretend by @in-my-head-i-do-everything-right - hollywood AU (and also childhood rivals to friends!) 

give me your worst excuses by @new-hams - fake dating!! need I say more? (also i’m a big fan of the song the title is based on)

when we’re underneath the lights my heart’s no longer broken (for a moment) by @brazilianchild - Harry and Allie are cast in Romeo and Juliet... if only the play didn’t have so many parallels to their real lives (SECRET RELATIONSHIP AU)

take my heart and we can hold it together by @livinginrhythm - Harry and Allie as adults, and neighbors

love is what you deserve by @brazilianchild - fake dating! Allie needs a date to a wedding and of course Harry’s willing to go

Season 1 AUs:

every perfect summer’s eating me alive by @screaminghalfpastmidnight​ - halllie as childhood friends, who fall apart to fall back together

the ones we leave behind by @dystopians​ - Harry and Allie get left behind on the day of the field trip. I’m legit checking every day to see if ch 4 is posted. I want to write fics about this fic

we’re all the things that we do for fun by @in-my-head-i-do-everything-right​ - Harry and Allie end up in New Ham alone... what could possibly go wrong?

someday I’ll need your spine to hide behind by restlessqueen (if someone knows their tumblr, let me know!) - A soulmate AU AND accidental bedsharing (what could be better?) 

you’re my best friend (so we’re dancing in this world alone) by @in-my-head-i-do-everything-right​ - another hallie as friends before New Ham

there you are (I hear you calling) by @new-hams​ - Hallie wakes up back in West Ham, seemingly the only two who remember New Ham. A fic that I wish I could erase from my brain to reread for the first time all over again. I want to write fics about this fic too (its a thing for me, just go with it)

i’ll stop the world (and melt with you) - @in-my-head-i-do-everything-right​ - Groundhog Day meets New Ham - Allie’s living the same day over and over

Season 2 fics: 

you should see me in a crown by @livinginrhythm​ - After s1, Allie’s on house arrest. One of the first I read for this fandom, and the one that convinced me to watch the show... 

Swan Song by @dystopians​ - Season 2, Harry realizes he made a mistake, Allie wants a quiet life, and they figure out how to run New Ham 

also, if I mistaged anyone, or you know the tumblr of an author I didnt tag, please let me know!! 

[dabblinginmarvel]

Just Steve

Request: Please may I have a fanfiction with Steve Rogers and he comes back from returning the infinity stones and reader has very low self esteem and thinks ‘why did you come back and not stay with Peggy?’ Thank you!

Plot: Steve surprises you by returning from his mission after the final defeat of Thanos.

A/N: Lord, does this fill that hole the scene left.

Warnings: Endgame spoilers

Word Count Total: 519

Short Imagine #318

Title: Just Steve

You watched him stand on the transporter pad, Stones case in hand, sunlight streaming through the leaves onto him. There was a small ache in your heart that grew with the look in his eyes. You knew it, Bucky knew it.… Steve was going to stay with Peggy in the seventies. Steve wasn’t the type to say anything, but you knew him well enough, which was why you had never told him you had romantic feelings for him. You knew he still loved Peggy. She was practically his soulmate, despite being his first love. You didn’t have the heart to tell him the two were different from each other.

As you watched him wink out of sight, a weight began to drag your heart down in your chest. You were never going to see him again. There was no point in having hope for Bruce to bring him back, so you turned around, a heavy sigh escaping your nose.

“Bringing him back in three, two, one….”

Putting one foot in front of the other, you began to walk away.

“Steve!” Bruce exclaimed happily. You whirled around.

The sight of your shock must have worried Steve, because he rushed right over to you. The concern in his eyes melted away when your shock did. He grabbed your hands and smiled at you.

You couldn’t stop the words from coming out of your mouth, “What made you come back?”

Why had he come back, rather than choosing to stay with Peggy?

“You. When Tony and I picked up the Tesseract and I saw her, I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to be with her. but coming back and seeing you almost die made me realize that wasn’t possible. How could I leave you behind? How could I just let all of history bypass me with all of the knowledge that I have? How could I, knowing that you wouldn’t have stood for it, either? Peggy was the first person I fell in love with, but if I left you behind, I would have regretted it for the rest of my days.”

Your mouth opened and tears slid down your cheeks. “You love me?”

He nodded and bit his lower lip. “Do you love me, too?”

Your smile grew as you nodded.

“Y/N, I want to pursue a life with you. A family, whether it’s just the two of us or more. I want the chance to be with you, because taking the chance to explore a future will be more fulfilling than exploring the past.” He set the shield at his feet. “No more Captain. I want to just be Steve, now.”

Your arms wrapped around him and you pulled him close. “I would like that.”

“Then I just have one thing left to do.” He squeezed you back, then let go and picked up the shield, carrying it over to Bucky and Sam. Bucky stepped back and you knew immediately that Captain America would still protect the world, but Steve was now free to be with you as Sam strapped on the shield with a smile.

- - -

Masterlist on blog!

Permanent Tag List (please alert me if you change your username, want to be tagged for only one character, or if you want to be untagged): @abbybills22​, @breezy1415​, @coffeebooksandfandom​, @cxptain-americaa, @deceivedeer, @dreamer821, @everything-but-the-not-natural, @elxrini, @fangirling-equestrian, @feelmyroarrrr, @hellomissmabel, @httpmcrvel, @iamwarrenspeace, @kudosia, @m4df4n, @marrvelle-fics, @mindlessnerd89, @ms-cellanies, @mylittlefandomfanfictions, @princessleah129, @space-helen, @susiejustsusie, @tea-with-loki, @thisismysecrethappyplace, @wired-girl @wkndfrvr, @wxnchestervevo (tag list is open!!)

Strikethroughs are blogs I can’t tag.

[thestoryofme13]

Lover

A/N: I heard Taylor Swift’s new song Lover and I thought of Roman. Then just randomly chose his partner so here.

Mostly fluff but we over tag

Warnings: Kissing, singing, food mention, wedding, difficulty sleeping, flustering

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

When Roman’s father had told him that a new equestrian was hired to teach him the proper way to ride a horse, he was skeptical, to say the least. But once Roman was forced out of his chambers to take the lesson he became smitten with the equestrian. It was different from every other person he had liked. This was something more. He wanted to know everything there was to know about the stranger.  Roman had always made it a personal promise to not get involved with those who worked at the palace so as to not fuel the rumors but this person? He had to get to know them.  

Their romance had been a whirlwind. From the moment they met, there was no way to tell if they had known each other for 20 seconds or 20 years. 

After three summers of Roman being hopelessly in love with Logan and the love being reciprocated it was clear that three summers would turn into all. 

                                                    ----------------------------- One beautiful fall day it all became real. Exactly like that in fairy tales that Logan would read to Roman on particularly difficult nights. On nights where the Prince would struggle to sleep Logan made sure to pull him out of his thoughts by reading him from a fairy tale book. Logan would always tease that most of them have a much darker counterpart but Roman didn’t care. The man he loved made it his mission to try and cheer him up with something he had once said in passing. So this is what love was? Having someone pay take note of your likes and dislikes then make sure to keep it in mind to help.  

 The palace was covered in deepest of purples and whites for the wedding ceremony. Purple for the royal wedding and white for the perfection of the match. Roman had spent months planning every minute detail so that this wedding would be his dream as well as make Logan feel like he was part of the family and not a bystander but an equal. 

Logan had wanted a small ceremony but Roman and his dad insisted that it was important to show how much the prince had changed. In an effort to compromise the ceremony was kept small and the reception was open to everyone with a small surprise to show the prince’s change. 

Only close family and friends of both parties were invited to the actual ceremony. It was intimate and traditional the way that Logan had wanted and appreciated. While he was marrying into the royal family he was still adjusting to the publicity and people watching his every move. It was nice that Roman had listened to his concerns about the small ceremony and that he was taken into account at every step even if he didn’t give much input. 

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

Roman smiled brightly at Logan from the dance floor as his now husband was still at the table having just finished his dinner, “I would like to thank everyone for coming as well announce a small surprise.” His loud deep voice filled the ballroom as he looked to Logan, “Now Logan. If you would join me down here on the dance floor,” He said with a mischievous smirk.

Logan looked at Roman warily, worried about what he might be getting into but walked down towards his husband who awaited. Roman’s green eyes sparkling brightly as he got closer, “A surprise?” he asked softly.

A laugh escaped Roman’s lips as he pulled Logan close and put a hand on his hip then twirled him, “While I am aware that we’ve already been wed and said our vows I have a few more things to add.” He waved his hand at the band who started to play a slow song, “I’m highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you.” He sang softly, putting his hand on Logan’s cheek as he started a slow waltz, “But from now on, everyone knows that you’re my” He paused for effect, “lover.” He whispered reverently. 

As the words flowed to his ears, a bright blush crept on Logan’s face, “Roman.” He whispered softly as they danced slowly.

The Prince smirked, “That’s my name, lover.” He teased gently, then resumed his singing, “Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close?” He emphasized by pulling Logan closer, “Forever and ever?” He whispered against his husband’s lips.

Logan squeaked as he was pulled closer, melting into the kiss, “We are married.” he reminded in a serious tone to Roman’s rhetorical questions. 

Roman broke the kiss with a soft laugh, “You know that is not what I meant.” He teased softly, pausing the dance and looking out to the all the people in the room, “Ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary peoples,” He announced, “Will you please stand as I take the magnetic force of a man.” He paused to look back at Logan, “To be my lover.”  He whispered, “My heart has been borrowed but now it belongs to you.”

The blush that was already on Logan’s face only got deeper as the people in attendance all stood and watched the couple dance happily, “Roman…..” He whined softly. “All’s well that ends well to end up with you.” Roman continued singing, “I swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover.” His singing was interrupted as Logan kissed him slowly. 

Logan blushed as he broke the kiss, “We’ve already done our vows.” He reminded, “And if you continue I’m going to get more flustered and more emotional.” He said gently. 

Roman beamed, “Fine I will stop but only because you are my lover.” he purred softly as the attendees clapped their hands for the couple.

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

Taglist

@fandersfic-logince

@fandomsandanythingelse

@theonlyjelly-iwillput-inmybelly

@ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2

@ilovemygaydad

@justanotherpurplebutterfly

@watergirl13

@allycat31415

@bubblycricket

@nyxwordsmith

@evilmuffin

Logince Taglist

@a-blog-just-for-sanders @ace-v-p-d

@acrobaticcatfeline @actualcactuss @alextheodd @aliferous-ly @allthemetalsoftherainbow @alyssadashrub @angeliclogan @angered-turtle @aph-roma @apologieslogan @artistictaurean @asalwayss @AskolotlQuestions @asliceofuniverse @asterias-confused-writings @baileystarsketches @blaikleethepanagender @candiukas @captain-loki-xavier @cashmeredragon @catsandrandomness @cinquefoilelove @clueingforbeggs @confinesofpersonalknowledge @countessmissyshort @cripplingchips @deadinsidebutliving @deathbyvenusftw @dementeddracon @depressed-alone @do-rey-me @dreamerhowelll @elusivefalsehoods @emovirgil @etherealweekes @evilmuffin @faacethefacts @faithhopefelony @fanatic564 @ffsas-side-account @funsizedgremlin @galacticallynonbinary @grey-lysander @hanramz-the-fander @happypappypatton @happypappypatton @heir-of-the-founders @heythereprincey @hissesssss @runyou-cleverboy-andremember @ispeakhalflies @ive-given-up-on-it @jade-dragon226-fan @johnnyboylaurens @moltengoldenstardust @justmyshitandmoreshit @k9cat @katesattic @kiwibite @kurna-kovite @lacandra @lana–22 @literaturegays @littlesliceofcake @logan-exe @logically-alone @logically-asexual @logically-sided @louisthewarlock @magicmapleleaf @maximum-fander @mercythemermaids-blog @micha-like-you-find-in-rocks @migraine-marathon @milomeepit @minamishipsit @mollycassmith @multi-fandom-trash-x9000 @muontsy2 @musicphanpie-b @musicsavedmefromdeath @neko-ereri @ghostintimelostintime @nottodaylogic @notveryglittery @nymphaedoratonks @nyxwordsmith @ocotopushugs @on-lock-like-attica @out-of-existence @pandagirl0730 @pansexual-cat @pansexual-cat @paxtonlovestea @pearls-of-patton @pieces-of-annedrew @pinkeasteregg @planetsanders @potterlover394 @princelogical @prplzorua @purplepatton @radioactivebread @raisin-oatmeal-cookie @reba-andthesides @redundant-statements-for-400 @robanilla @roman-is-a-gay @romanssippycup @rose-gold-roman @rptheturk @ruuworld @sanders-fam-ily @sanders-sides-things @sanders-trash-4ever @sanderssides-deathangel @saphirestrike @save-dirk-gently @savingshae @shesavampirequeen @shygirl4991 @silversunshine2012 @siriuswhiskers @smokeyrutilequartz @someshinningideas @spacenerrrd @starlightlogan @strangerthings-and-phan @l-i-t-vocabcards @strangerthings-and-phan @superintrovertfangirl @thats-so-crash @the-feels-are-coming @the-optimism-of-the-ostriches @the-prince-and-the-emo @theanxietyofbeinganxious @thecrimsoncodex @theroyalramen @thesilentbluesparrow @thestoryofme13 @theworldismysupernova @theworldismysupernova @thisisshien @thomas-must-get-to-sleep @thought-u-said-dragon-queen @too-random-for-me @toujours-fidele @trash-can-so-do-i @trashfireiplier @trashypansexual @treblesanders @tree4life25 @tsfanart @unknownsandersfan @unknownsandersfan @urtrashhq @violetmcl @virgil-has-a-houseplant @virgil-is-verge @virgils-hoodie @voices-and-stardust @vulnerablevirgil @wingless-siren @XxxxWitlee @yourhappypappypatton @l-i-t-vocabcards @doodlerodoodlez @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2 @katie-the-noble-fangirl @beetlequail @lemonyellowlogic @analogical-mess @dr-gloom @max-is-tired

[howtohero]

List of Handy Excuses (E)

It’s time for another installment of our highly popular list of handy excuses to use when you want to get out of doing something so you can go be a superhero (or to get five seconds of peace and quiet when your cousin Bethany comes over to visit. We get it Bethany, we know that it’s really rough out there for moon painters. People just don’t want their moons painted as often as they used to. But please, please shut up about it oh my gosh) sorted in alphabetical order by job. So, after a brief 70 or so post interlude, here’s the letter E!

A B C D

E-Tutor

I know that you’re online so that I can tutor you so let me give you some good A-grade knowledge. Being online rots your brain, you’re destroying your precious mind every second you stare at that screen. Logoff immediately. 

Eagle Scout:

If I don’t climb to the top of the nearest mountain every seventeen days they’re going to revoke my eagle scout status, I must be going now. 

Early Childhood Educator

I’m starting a new thing where I just declare nap time at random times and all the kids have to go lay down on their mats and I want to practice a bit so for the foreseeable future whenever we’re in a room together and I shout nap time I need you to immediately go to bed.

Nap time!

Economist

If my calculations are correct everyone in this room stands to make the most possible amount of money if they leave me alone for a few hours or until the spinach monster attack downtown is resolved.

Ectoplasm Harvester

(Anytime you need to head out just knock over a lamp when no one’s looking, blame it on a ghost, and then clear the room so that you can set up your equipment. Then just sneak out and fight that gang of Egyptian-deity themed bikers!)

Editor

Ha, get a look of this fool. They’ve used a subordinate clause when, according to APA guidelines, they should really be speaking in the active voice. If you ask me they should be drawn and quartered for insubordination. Hahaha, oh you people just wouldn’t understand. I must go to my offices immediately. A kick out this will surely be gotten there. Hahaha I slay myself. 

Elder

If I’m not mistaken I believe there are some young whippersnappers out there who could use a good cane wagging and cryptic advice.

(Kudos to you for being a mysterious village elder and a secret superhero by the way.)

Election Clerk

Oh! The numbers from Florida just came in, I better go count them now. 

Electrical Engineer

I have to go figure out why all of the electrical fixtures I’m designing keep failing. 

Electrician

Just cause a blackout wherever you are. Take a wrench to all of your electrical engineer’s meticulously designed electrical fixtures. Just absolutely destroy it. Then you can sneak out unnoticed to go fight the criminals who have been causing intermittent blackouts all over the city. (Spoilers: It’s going to be other electrician superheroes.) 

Elementary School Teacher: 

I have to go grade these spelling tests. It’s going to take me a long time. Some of them wrote in crayon, some of them just glued pasta to the paper to form the words. It’s gonna be a wild night. Don’t wait up.

Elevator Operator

My temperature is really going up. I better go lie down.

Oh that supervillain is definitely going down. (Remember, you can always give up your secret identity if you can make a sick pun while doing it.) 

Embalmer

(As an embalmer, most of the crimes you’re going to fight are going to occur in the workplace, reanimated mummies, people trying to steal the corpses of superhumans, embalming fluid addicts. So you can just tell people that you’re going to work.)

Emergency Services Coordinator

These fools can’t find an emergency unless I literally hold their hands and guide them to it. So if you need me I’ll probably be at a super-crime scene or something.

Emperor/Empress

I’m pretty sure the sovereign ruler of an empire can do whatever they want whenever they want. But if I’m wrong you can say something like “I’m going to conquer a land” or “there is trouble in the outermost territories, I must go see to it.” 

English Male Judge of a Competition Show

I have to go use a loud voice and mean words to make a supervillain regret every decision they ever made which led to them crossing my scornful path.

Engraver

I’ve started doing some freelance work carving names and hearts into random trees across the country. If you need be I’ll be in the woods.

Entomologist

Yet another one of my interns became a bug-themed supervillain so I have to go cooperate with another FBI investigation. Those guys just won’t stop bugging me! (And then actually go fight your ex-intern. And stop hiring interns who express an interest in covering their own body with bugs. Those guys are clearly going to become supervillains.)

Environmental Engineer

I’m gonna go harness the powers of fish to singlehandedly close the hole in the ozone. They said it couldn’t be done. But I’ll show them it cod. 

Environmental Scientist

I’ve got to go deliver a very morose report to the public about the likelihood of our planet surviving into the next century. (As a superhero and an environmental scientist I guess you’ve for some reason decided that the best way to help save the world is to punch crab-wielding bank robbers and monster-truckers instead of developing solution to the problems you’re studying. Neat.)

Equestrian

(Anybody who can do stunts on a horse should be fighting crime anyway so I’m sure everybody will understand when you need to scurry off when a supercrime is committed.)

Excavator

My dog ran off with one of the bones I dug up at work and buried it somewhere. So I’m going to have to go dig up my backyard now so I can find it... again. 

Executioner

Odds are good that the vial I’m using doesn’t have the real poison anyway so I’m just gonna duck out if that’s cool with you guys. 

Explosive Operator

(Just cause an explosion somewhere and run off during the ensuing chaos.)

(No wait that’s probably a crime isn’t it.) [Of course that’s a crime!]

Time to blow this popsicle stand. (And then actually blow up a popsicle stand.) [Again, no, that’s a crime.]

Exterminator

Another bug themed supervillain? That’s it, I got this one.

Oh I just got a call from someone asking me if I could terminate someone for them. I need to go tell them that I don’t do that sort of thing anymore.

Extra

(Just leave without saying anything. People will think you’re honing your craft.)

With these excuses you’re sure to be able to make a quick exit so you can fight crime or skip stones or invent a new sport called “fire sledding” where you set a sled on fire and then go down a snowy hill and see whether or not the snow puts the fire out or the fire melts the snow. Please let us know if we missed any E jobs. (If you’re an esquire you’ll have to wait until we do lawyers in “L”.) If you’ve got a job that starts with another letter feel free to tinker with these excuses to make them fit or use a boring generic excuse like “I need some fresh air” or “my refrigerator is running and I need to go catch it.”

[noisyquokka]

50 Questions Tag

I was tagged by @sapphirebluemt thank you lovely! 💛💕 I'm doing this while very tired (literally 5am) and on my phone, so uh... If I don't save draft and proof read beforehand please bear with me!

1. What takes too much of your time?

Day dreaming and worrying. So much worrying...

2. What makes your day better?

Knowing that I'm cared for and appreciated by someone who means a lot to me. And food 😅

3. What's the best thing that happened to you today?

One of the horses at our rescue followed me around the pasture the entire time I was out there and I'd be damned if I didn't melt! Mayhaps I really missed working on a farm 🤗

4. What fictional place would you like to go to?

Questions like these are hard cause I'm over here like okay the maze runner universe would be pretty dope, but what about shadow hunters! Oof wHat AboUt TeEN WoLf!! The possibilities are endless! :0

5. Are you good at giving advice?

Mm yeah, sometimes. Other times I feel like my advice is complete shit lmao.

6. Do you have any mental illness?

Depression and Anxiety, both diagnosed.

7. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis?

Yeah, shit can be terrifying ngl! 😞

8. What musician inspired you the most?

I feel like Shawn Mendes really inspired me the most. I know there's a good handful of people that became famous from song covers on YouTube and all that, but I really like the way Shawn Mendes has stuck to him and his guitar for the most part, especially on tour. His voice is something relaxing and unique that I can get behind. And he's such a down to earth person, I'd love to meet him sometime and tell him he's doing amazing and how much he's helped me through his music!

9. Have you ever fallen in love?

Yeah, you know how it goes 😶

10. What's your dream date?

Honestly? Roadtripping to the desert or anywhere that's far from light pollution and spending a night under the stars. Just talking and tangled in each other, sometimes just staying silent and listening to the sounds of the night around us. Maybe our playlist is playing softly in the background and the campfire we started has burned out hours ago, while we lay on the trucks tailgate admiring the sky. Oof, I'm gonna cry I want this so bad 😭

11. What do others notice about you?

Weirdly, my nose? Literally everyone always talks about my nose! I don't know why but it's kinda weird. And my eyes.

12. What is an annoying habit you have?

Always thinking I'm not good enough. Annoys almost everyone I've met lmao!!!

13. Do you still talk to your first love?

Yeah, we talk almost every day! We're still great friends 😊

14. How many ex's do you have?

4. And number 4 was one hell of a joke, holy hell! So 5th times a charm? 🤣

15. How many songs are in your playlist?

Roughly 3200. I'm always adding new music!

16. What instruments can you play?

Guitar, violin (although it's been a while, I'm probably rusty as hell!), a bit of clarinet and a bit of piano. I was learning piano before I left for college, I wish I would've picked it up earlier :(

17. Who do you have the most pictures of?

Uhhh.... probably Hyunjin and Wonpil if I'm honest. My phone is just kpop boys n gals and I'm happy with myself 😁

18. Where would you like to go before you die?

Back to my roots! I'd love to go to Poland, Hungary, and Wales. And Iceland or Norway just because the landscapes are so beautiful there and I just wanna see it with my own eyes!

19. What is your zodiac?

Taurus 🐮

20. Do you relate to it?

Here and there, yeah. But I can't say I'm a Taurus through and through. Some of the traits that are tied to my sun sign aren't tied to me individually. As example, Possessive is one of them that I am not!

21. What is happiness to you?

To me, happiness is seeing someone else near and dear to your heart smiling and happy themselves. Even if it's not your doing. You're just happy to see them happy!

22. Are you going through anything right now?

A lot, yes. Partially why I haven't been as active on tumblr as I'd like to be.

23. What's the worst decision you've ever made?

Letting people walk all over me because I'm too nice sometimes.

24. What's your favorite store?

Vidlers! I used to go in there a lot when I was a kid and they had this popcorn maker that always made the store smell like fresh popcorn! Ahh that takes me home 😄

25. What's your opinion on abortion?

I think it all depends on the situation. If a young female is raped or wasn't educated properly about safe/protected sex, then I'd say she's more than free to go through with it. But of course, if you're gonna fool around yet know about protected sex, and not use a condom? I think that's your personal problem and you should experience what other mother's who have planned to have kids have gone through. But again, I personally think abortion depends on the situation and shouldn't be the easy way out.

26. Do you keep a bucket list?

Yeah! And the list gets longer and longer and longer....

27. Do you have a favorite album?

Nah, I've got too much music to have a specific favorite album!

28. What do you want for your birthday?

The jackpot 😂 or just to spend time with my parents and see my dogs again! It's been literal months 😣

29. What are most people's first impression of you?

Standoffish because I'm very shy and awkward as hell around strangers.

30. What age do you seem according to most people?

Everyone always thinks I'm older than I really am! I'll be 19 in May but everyone's gonna be like "are you 22?" NO why do you think that?! I FEEL LIKE IM STILL 14!

31. Where do you keep your phone while you're sleeping?

On my nightstand, otherwise I'd lose it between my mattress and headboard 😅

32. What word do you say the most?

I say "Like" so much! I don't even mean to!

33. What's the oldest age you would date?

See, being older doesn't bother me much. I'd probably date a 25 year old if I'm honest (5 years older). I guess I'd just have to feel comfortable enough around them!

34. What's the youngest age you would date?

Probably at lest 16? I don't know, younger is a hard one for me just cause age and bleh!! Maybe 17... two years is better for me personally...

35. What job/career do most people say would suit you?

All my friends know that I'm good with kids and so I'm instantly suited and qualified to be a teacher?! But I'd rather not cause kids today 😩 I'd probably end up hurting their ego in front of their classmates if they showed me any disrespect lmao. And almost everyone who has heard me sing (like really seriously sing, I'm also a huge dork and purposefully sing off key a lot) have said I could be a singer but I can't sing in front of large crowds so 🤷‍♀️

36. What's your favorite music genre?

Pop or Country, undecided here!

37. If you could live in any country in the world, where would it be?

Probably Norway or Hungary. I love beautiful landscapes!

38. What is your current favorite song?

Miroh or Boxer from Stray Kids' new album 🤙

39. How long have you had this blog for?

I started it in January, so just about 3 months!

40. What are you excited for?

The weekend, I go back to college classes today and tomorrow 😣

41. Are you a better talker or listener?

I'm 50/50

42. What is the last productive thing you did?

Washed the dishes.

43. What do you want for Christmas?

A parrot, lump sum of money, maybe a poodle. Smack me now I'm being greedy lmao

44. What classes do you get the best grades in?

Biochem and Lit

45. On a scale of 1-10, how are you feeling right now?

2; I want to sleep but can't. Someone just knock me out!

46. What can you see yourself doing in 10 years?

29 years old? Stable career, maybe building or buying a house, possibly married although I'm not really worried about that? Maybe in a happy healthy relationship, with a rescue dog or cat.

47. When did you first get your heartbreak?

Year and a half ago.

48. At what age do you want to get married?

As I said before, I don't really care if I marry or not. But if I did find someone I'd want to marry, generally speaking, around 30 would be a good age for me. I'd want to make sure I'm financially stable and happy where I am in my life before taking such a step like marriage.

49. What career did you want to have as a child?

First it was Figure skater, then I wanted to be an Equestrian. I stuck with the animal career cause I wanted to be a vet, and here I am in college for that exact reason!

50. What do you crave right now?

The sweet embrace of death, since sleep would rather screen my calls. That bitch! Insomnia's there for me more than sleep is 😑

Tagging: @janarine @sanflovver @ateeztiny @visualgiggles @jisunday and anyone else who'd like to do this!

[rustylark-jewelry]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Sterling Silver Heart Pendant Necklace with Horse, Dog, Cat. NEW. 18”.

[peculiar-bonds]

Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind: Chapter 6 - Reawakening (ENDING)

Synopsis: While Mane 6 are on a research mission in a small town from another world called 'Earth', they learn about an old myth among the inhabitants: the Slender Man. What is the ugly truth of this haunted town? Will they survive the monster's deadly grasps?

It was a gruesome night for the girls…

Slender Man decided not to show any mercy anymore towards his intruders. They were too many this time, and all of them had to die by his hands. Except for one of them. Kate. Even if she stood in front of him, quite close, he didn’t touch a strand of her hair. Absolutely none. They stared at each other for a long time, and Kate knew what was going on. He was trying to communicate with her.

“I have plans for you, Kate…” the faceless monster told her in her head, with a deep and terrifying voice.

Kate couldn’t stand the pain. Every word that he said felt like a migraine.

“Then why are you hurting them instead? LEAVE THEM ALONE! I’M SICK OF YOUR SHIT!” Kate screams, still unable to stand on her feet.

“Human pest. They’re all standing in my way…” Slender Man telepathically replied to the human hostage.

Kate was in even more pain. She almost curled up into a ball, and yelled among the other ones in danger. “SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

Meanwhile, Twilight was watching the entire scene, and quickly realised that all of this was a distraction. She couldn’t bear the prolonged bloodcurdling screams of her friends, who were slowly strangled by the appendages of the tall monster. But she had no choice, the ‘game’ had to stop; the last page might be the only escape. So she sprinted as hard as she could to the last landmark, while avoiding Slender’s direct attacks. Twilight might not have been the athlete of the group, but she was small, and it definitely gave her an advantage against Slender Man. The captured ones couldn’t resist for much longer; the tendrils were strong enough to break a human’s bones, but they were suffocating them instead. Slender Man preferred to give a slow and painful death to his victims. On the other side, Twilight reached the final destination: the big and leafless tree. The last page was placed on its trunk and the message was “DON’T LOOK, OR IT TAKES YOU”, written in the same style as the others, also containing a small doodle of Slender Man in the down right corner and an X in the upper right corner. Before she could even grab the paper, she felt a sudden stab of pain in her back. She gasped, and looked down. A tentacle pierced her right through the spine, bleeding all over the grass. The pain was unreal, the vision blurred,and death was on its way.

“I’m…sorry…”

The other girls, including Kate, witnessed Twilight’s last breaths in utter shock.

“NOOOOOOOOO!” Pinkie screamed with tears in her eyes, sobbing loudly.

But her cries made Slender Man even madder, and Pinkie was about to have the same fate as Twilight. He impaled her without any remorse, crimson blood oozing from the hole in her body. The creature quickly retracted his tentacle from Pinkie’s corpse and dropped her as if she was a ragdoll. This time, the others didn’t dare to make a sound. The fear was getting stronger and their breaths were getting louder. Each one of them was panting intensely, internally mourning the loss of their friends. Even Kate didn’t make a single move; the headache from before was too traumatising to handle. Slender Man was glaring at all of them, and all of them looked at him in fear, when suddenly, Rainbow Dash’s adrenaline bursted out.

“LET US GO! UGH!” she snapped.

“Rainbow, don’t!” Kate warned.

But it was too late; Slender Man’s tentacles already gripped her neck and strangled it with brutal force. The athletic girl tried opposing resistance, but it was futile; the faceless one was way more powerful. The rest of the girls that were left were watching in pure horror as their dear friend died under the tentacles’ pressure.

They were aware it was their turn. There was no escape. Thus, Slender Man started torturing all of them at once. Applejack and Rarity were also strangled to death,while Fluttershy was impaled, spitting blood from her mouth.

It was a grisly sight for Kate. She was helpless and too weak to stand a chance. Soon enough, Mane 6 collapsed on the ground, limp and lifeless. But there was more; Kate might have been alive, but she was still trapped. She started running in the other direction and look for an alternate escape. But it was no use, because Slender used his tendrils to catch her and lift her up to his level, just like he did before. The girl was petrified; she just couldn’t say anything to confront the monster. It was all over…

Out of nowhere, the other side of the forest was glowing with orange lights. These light beams weren’t ordinary, they were accompanied by several unknown voices. Just like they were alive…

On the landmarks, something unusual happened as well. The Cutie Marks of the Equestrian Girls were magically carved into most of these landmarks, with neon-like traces. The rocks were marked with Rarity’s symbol, the walls with Fluttershy’s, the restroom with Applejack’s, the tanks with Rainbow Dash’s, the tunnel with Pinkie’s, and finally, the tree with Twilight’s.

The orange lights spread across the forest until they reached the corpses of Mane 6. The bright strange lights surrounded the lifeless bodies, lifting them up in the air. Slender Man paused, and Kate was completely stunned. Not only that, the bizarre beams started healing and reviving the girls, while they also formed the everlasting Elements of Harmony: Generosity, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter and Magic.

“What is happening?” Kate muttered, feeling like she was dreaming.

Meanwhile, the girls woke up, glancing at their surroundings.

“No way!” Twilight exclaimed, completely puzzled.

Suddenly, the magic around Mane 6 grabbed Kate from Slender Man’s grasp. The creature tried to get her again, but Twilight involuntarily formed a magic shield that rejected the tentacles.

“Tara, is that you?” Kate wondered, believing that her insanity had progressed.

“Yes, Kate, it’s us, your friends,” Twilight replied with convincement.

At last, Mane 6 made their final move, All of them rose their hands in the air, then pointed them at Slender Man, who was angry that he couldn’t do anything about all of this. His tentacles were still coiling in mid-air, surprisingly showing fear.

Out of each girl’s hand burst out a colourful beam of magic. Inover a few seconds, there were six distinctly-coloured beams that hit the faceless monster; suprisingly, they caused him unbearable pain and agony, signaled by his monstrous scream. For the first time in humanity’s history, Slenderman was completely defeated. He melted and disintegrated into oblivion, then he exploded in a luminous rainbow, very similar to the Sonic Rainboom.

Everything faded to black in the moment.

*next morning*

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. The forest never looked so peaceful. It didn’t take a lot for the others to wake up, without any remaining scratch or scar.

“Girls, we did it! We finally did it!” Twilight exclaimed in excitement, then touched her tiara, which was a true miracle. The other girls fet their Elements of Harmony around their necks as well. It was, indeed, a miracle.

“Um, what the heck happened last night?” Rainbow asked, while rubbing her eyes.

“Whatever that was, I’m glad we’re free from him…” Fluttershy admitted.

“Girls, can’t you see? Our Elements of Harmony! They’re back!” Twilight exclaimed again.

“You owe me an explanation, Tara…” Kate added with a smug expression. “But first, we gotta rest for a while. Don’t you agree?”

Mane 6 nodded at Kate’s statement.

“Perfect! Let’s hang out at my house, it’s not far from this place. My mom would be glad to meet you!”

Rainbow and Applejack felt a bit of distrust, but they had no choice, apparently. Their legs couldn’t walk anymore, so the group went towards Kate’s house. When they arrived, they couldn’t believe what they saw. Kate’s house was really big, placed in the heart of the forest. The sight was beautiful, indeed. Right at the threshold, there was Kate’s mother, Beth Hayes; despite her age, her expression was truly youthful, and her red curly locks complimented her appearance. Still, she had a worried look on her face.

“Kate! You’re finally back, my dear!” she ran away to hug her daughter.

“Good morning!” Twilight greeted.

“Are you Kate’s friends? Come in, I have cookies and I’m gonna prepare smoothies for y’all!” Beth said with an inviting tone, then hurried to the kitchen.

Kate shrugged at her mother’s excessive generosity, but she was glad to see her again, after all. Especially after that night. Before making themselves comfortable in the living room, Twilight and Kate had to take all of the Elements of Harmony and hide them in Kate’s room.

“Listen, Kate, I would like you to keep all of them in a safe place. As much as I’d prefer having them at disposal, in my apartment, I still think it’s a huge risk, hence anyone can come in and take them without having any idea how powerful they are…” Twilight explained.

“What’s the deal with these things, if I may ask? You aren’t from this world, aren’t you?”

“No, we aren’t. But you must not tell anyone about this. Not yet. I want you to keep them safe, Kate, because you’re far away from a potential threat. Do you understand?”

“I do. When will I hear the entire story, though?”

“Soon enough. We’ll come again after we get used to all these ‘human stuff’ and explain you everything. But for now, promise me you’ll keep them out from your mom and any stranger that passes by!” the Equestrian demanded.

“Alright, Tara…I promise. And I’ll wait. Just be careful, okay?”

“I will…” Twilight promised as well, then hugged her new friend from Earth. Kate felt it like a huge responsibility at some point, but she had to deal with it nonetheless. At least she had a purpose once in a lifetime.

Meanwhile, the other Equestrian girls had a wonderful time with Beth Hayes. The mother was permanently cheerful and welcoming to her guests, confessing that it had been a long time since someone came to visit her; not even the relatives bothered to check on her and Kate from time to time. But both of them got used to the situation after all.

“This ain’t fair…those people can’t be called ‘family’, ma’am!” Applejack commented.

“We’ll make sure to pay you a few visits, miss Hayes. You’re a very delightful company!” Rarity said with compassion in her voice. “If it’s no bother for you and Kate, of course…”

“Good Lord, Rachael, I would be very happy to see you again! But I hope not in the same circumstance…” Beth replied with genuine warmth in her statement. “Besides, I’m glad to finally see my daughter having a few friends that truly care about her…” the woman sighed, sobbing and crying for a few moments.

Fluttershy rose from the couch and hugged Beth without hesitating. Later on, the others followed her and did the same; the bond was stronger than ever.

Finally, Twilight and Kate came downstairs, witnessing the affectionate moment from before.

“I see you’re getting along…” Twilight said with a smile on her face. “Come on, let’s get back to the town! We still have school to attend!”

“Oh, come on!” Rainbow Dash protested. “Can’t we stay just a few more minutes?”

“No. We’ve got a lot to do, trust me!”

The others also sighed, then exited the house one by one. “Goodbye, Kate! Goodbye, miss Hayes!”

“Wait, sweetie! Let me give you a few cookies. You didn’t eat anything…” Beth insisted, while offering a paper bag filled with chocolate chip cookies to the petite teenager.

Twilight had no time, nor energy to protest. “Thank you very much! Have a great day, miss Hayes! Bye, Kate!” she said while going out with the others.

Mane 6 simultaneously waved at the two humans from behind, who waved back to them. Finally, they left the yard, then the entire forest, heading towards the town on foot. Towards new experiences as humans…

                                                    -THE END-

                                                     (for now)

[katehuntington]

Title: Ride With Me (part seventeen) Fandom: Supernatural Timeline: 2008 Pairing: Dean x Reader Word count: ±4700 words Summary series: Y/N is a talented horse rider who is on her way to become a professional. In order to convince her father that she deserves the loan needed to start her own farm, she goes to Arizona for six months, to intern at a ranch owned by Bobby and Ellen Singer. Her future is set out, but then she meets a handsome horseman, who goes by the name of Dean Winchester. A heartwarming series about a cowboy who falls for the girl, letting go of the past and the importance of family.  Summary part seventeen: Unable to sleep, Y/N goes over last night’s events, until she gets an unexpected visitor. Warnings series: NSFW, 18+ only! Fluff, angst, eventually smut. Swearing, smoking, alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse. Mutual pining, heartbreak. Crying, nightmares, childhood trauma. Description of animal abuse, domestic violence, mentions of addiction. Financial problems, stress, mental breakdown. Description of blood and injury, hospital scenes, character death, grief. Music: ‘After My Heart + Can’t Help Falling In Love’ - John Michael Howell. Follow ‘Kate Huntington’s Ride With Me playlist’ on Spotify! Please listen to this song during the scene, it’s so worth it! Author’s note: I’m excited for this one, y’all! Thank you @kittenofdoomage, @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish and @winchest09 for helping me. You girls are awesome betas and friends.

Ride With Me Masterlist

     The bunkhouse is silent after a festive night. All the lights out, except for the one on Y/N’s bedside table. Sleep might have come limited the past week, but she isn’t ready to close her eyes just yet. The adventurous trail, combined with the unexpected news about her qualification has her riled up with excitement. 

     Not sure what to do with this new found energy, she has taken out one of her notebooks, which is filled with scrabbles. She won State Championships with a relatively simple floorplan, not wanting to overshoot, but if she wants to leave an impression with the judges at Congress, she needs to step up her game. Combinations between exercises will push up her degree of difficulty, so she decided to change a few lines. Working on her freestyle tonight wasn’t entirely according to plan, but who knows, maybe the tequila and beer will add some creativity.

     She has changed into a comfortable tank top and a pair of shorts, the soft fabric a contrast to the sandy denim she’s been clad in the past days. The temperature is comfortably warm, early October in Arizona much more like summer compared to the autumn days she’s used to in Maine.

     Strangely, she hasn’t been homesick for Freeport at all. She misses her mom and dad, her brothers, but after her time living on campus, she’s used to being away from family. Her father travels a lot for work, and Jaime, her older brother by three years, moved to the other side of the country straight out of the Police Academy, fighting crime in Los Angeles these days. Middle kid Jackson bought a house in Boston and is busy with his real estate firm, while her oldest brother, Jeff and his wife are expecting their first child. Y/N wouldn’t say they have grown apart, but now that she and her siblings don’t share a house anymore, things have changed. They’ve spread their wings, built a life for themselves.

     She checks her phone when a message from Jaime pops up, sending her a selfie in which he shows off his muscles, holding up a fist. ‘Show them what you’re made of! You’re gonna ace that ride!’ he added in the caption. She closes the text, scrolling down the list of messages from family and friends, until she finds one from Jeffrey, which is a little more lengthy. ‘Mom said I had to wait until Dad reached you, so I hope you got the news by now, otherwise I’m in trouble. Congratulations, Sis. You worked so hard for this. I’m really proud of you, and I know Grandpa will be cheering you on from above. You’re already a champion.’ She smiles at the sweet words; she should really give him a call next week.

     Redirecting her attention to the notebook in her lap, she picks up her pen, sketches a new line, crosses it and bites on the pen cap, pondering. Marcel, her trainer at the Freeport Equestrian Center, helped her with the first version. She could get in touch with him tomorrow, she’s sure he will be willing to shed a light on what she has so far. Distance will be an issue, though, and with time being of the essence since it’s only fifteen days before they head towards Columbus, Ohio, where Congress is held, she has to take a different approach.

     What if she asks Dean to help her with the freestyle, or even to come with her to the show? He has helped her a couple of times during training and she appreciates his approach. His suggestions and tips paid off; his methods really seemed to work for both her and Meadow. The head wrangler knows Y/N and her horse well enough to offer advice in bringing out their best qualities, she just hopes he’s up for it. After some drinks, Dean didn’t stick around long. When she asked Jo where he went, she said Dean offered to do the final feeding round. Y/N thought about following him, but didn’t want to draw attention from the rest of the crew; them both gone would’ve raised suspicion and she doesn’t want to put him in the spot of having to explain himself.

     When Y/N noticed his absence, her stomach made an unpleasant flip. The uneasy sensation remained the rest of the evening, not evident, but brewing nonetheless, and it had nothing to do with the alcohol. She wonders if something has changed, maybe. That coming home to the ranch caused Dean to reconsider. Why else would he distance himself?

     Doubtful, she takes a breath, her mind going places she’d rather not be. Still missing a steady foundation for them to start building a relationship on, doubt surfaces again. Deep down she’s scared that the cowboy might back out, which would cause heartbreak she’s not sure she can handle. She cares too much already, she’s too far gone. Y/N is passing the station of just being in love with Dean; it’s growing into something even more.

     Before her thoughts can spiral further, there’s a soft knock on the door. The kind that is soft enough to not wake her had she been sleeping, but loud enough for her to hear if she wasn’t. She slides out of bed, rises to her bare feet, careful not to bump her head against the top bunk like she has so many times already, and crosses her room. When she opens the door, she finds the man who has been on her mind on the other side, locking his green eyes on her. She’s pleasantly surprised to see him with it being past 11 PM already; she expected him to be in bed long ago after the exhausting past few days.      “Hey, what are you doing u--”

     He doesn’t let her finish and bridges the few feet between them, cupping her face with both hands and pulling her into a kiss. After the initial shock, which only lasts a fraction of a second, he can feel her lashes brush against his skin as she closes her eyes and melts into him, allowing him to deepen the connection. Her response takes away the restlessness that weighed on his chest like a chunk of concrete, ever since the thought of her leaving arose.

     They step into her room far enough for Dean to kick the door shut, preventing possible eavesdroppers from tuning in, his mouth never leaving hers. Instinctively, her arms snake around his torso, tracing the lines of his strong back through the fabric of his shirt. There’s a desperation in his touch that’s new to her, the way he longs for this connection is different. Eventually, he breaks the kiss and she studies him when he rests his forehead against hers. His eyes stay closed for a little longer, holding on to the moment while his hands slip from her face. 

     He didn’t want to steal a few seconds while surrounded by the crew, he didn’t want to get in line to give her a quick hug or a peck on the cheek. No, he needed to be with her, just the two of them without restrictions.

     “What was that for?” she wonders.      “Just wanted to congratulate you.” He smiles, trying to mask his concern, and sweetly presses his lips on hers again. “Personally.” And again. “Privately.” And again.      She giggles, triggering him to chuckle as well. He moves his head back to take her in.      “Congratulations, Yankee,” he says, genuine. “You earned it.”      “Thank you,” she smiles, still slightly confused. “Where’d you go earlier?”      “Someone had to feed those poor starving animals,” he jokes. “And since Bobby already had a few whiskies, and Garth is an absolute light weight, I took one for the team.”

     He was quick to take the final feeding round, not just because he was the last man standing. Doing one last check, giving the horses their hay for the night, making sure the stables are shut properly, locking up the tackroom and the cafeteria and eventually the large barn doors after switching off the lights; it offers him peace of mind. It’s a daily routine, a recurring series of actions, done so 365 days a year. Ensuring everything is exactly the way it’s supposed to be in the place where he lives and works, grounds him when he’s feeling restless. It gives him a moment alone, the horses his only company, allowing him to think things over and collect himself again. Tonight was no different, because even though he was relieved Y/N’s father wasn’t the bearer of bad news, Dean felt disturbed with his initial response. For a good few minutes, he thought he was going to lose her, and the anxiety it surfaced was much more intense than he anticipated.

     Y/N keeps watching him as the cowboy is lost in thought. He’s trying to be funny and cute, but that’s not all there is to it; his eyes tell a different story. He kissed her a little too fierce, pulled her in a little too tight. Something is bothering him, and although she doesn’t want to force him to talk, she needs to know what it is before she loses her mind herself.      “What’s wrong, Dean?” she asks, softly, moving her hands up his chest.      “It’s nothin’,” he assures, shaking his head.

     But when the concern remains evident in her expression, he sighs. He doesn’t want her to worry, or think it’s something she’s done. If anything, she’s been absolutely perfect. God, she’s so patient. Even though she needs him, she offers him space. Expressing how he feels might be terrifying, it’s about time he’s fair with the woman who’s willing to wait.      “It’s just that, uh - when your dad called, he… he sounded pretty serious,” Dean admits, looking down. “I thought something might have happened with your folks or somethin’, and that you...”      He pauses, struggling, but Y/N knows enough.      “You thought Dad was going to tell me to come back,” she realizes.

     Suddenly his behavior makes so much more sense. His complete change of demeanor when he approached her table in the saloon after receiving the call, him seeming as nervous as she was when she picked up the phone. The sigh of relief when she told him and Jo the great news, his disappearance from the celebration at the saloon. Dean thought he was going to lose her, and apparently it scared him. Y/N is as stunned by the realization, as she is by the confirming nod he gives her.

     “Well - I mean - it could’ve been, right?” he says, shrugging his shoulders almost apologetically, like he’s not allowed to be worried about a presumption as such.      “I’m twenty-four, Dean. I’m not going anywhere unless I want to,” she reminds him, hoping to offer him some consolation.      “Glad to hear it,” he responds, his hands moving to her waist as he restores eye contact. “‘cause I’d hate to see you go.”

     Heartfelt, the beautiful girl in his arms smiles. She seems to understand the weight of his words, because she crosses her wrists behind his head and urges him to come closer. Dean’s heart swells in his chest when she brushes her lips against his, tentatively at first. His mind calms, the nerves subsiding. Not only is she staying, she also understands what’s going on in his head, and in a strange and unexpected way, it’s kind of liberating. Not having to pretend and put on a mask, not having to convince anyone that everything is fine. He’s gotten so used to telling people he’s okay, the words to express himself prove to be hard to grasp. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll get the hang of it.

     Dean’s mind goes blank when she deepens the kiss, swiping her tongue against his bottom lip. Her arms close around his neck a little tighter, holding him so close he can feel the warmth coming from her skin. She smells amazing, the scent of her shampoo still lingering in her hair, a sweet smell of a flower he can’t name. He presses his fingertips into her flesh, carefully shifting them under the hem of her tank top, even though he knows very well that he shouldn’t. It isn’t going to take long before he will not be able to stop himself.

     She feels him trace her sides, rolling up the fabric of her top as he does so. Normally she would be self-conscious about it, but when she parts from him when running out of air, all she sees in his eyes is adoration and want. Both seem to be waiting for each other, unsure if they should take this further. Afterall, considering what they agreed on, this would be a poor execution of taking things slow.

     Without breaking away from her gaze, his left hand travels down, following the curves of her hips. He adds pressure, gently pulling her against him. What she feels through the denim of his jeans has her eyes grow wide. A delightful tension starts to tangle up in her stomach, sinking deeper. Somewhat surprised that she apparently has this effect on him, she takes in a shuddering breath, gazing deep into his eyes. God, she wants to go there, but is he willing to as well?      “Are you sure?” she checks with him.      Dean doesn’t have to think twice and nods. To hell with it, he’s not going to waste another second.      “I want you,” he breathes, his voice husky.

     It’s all she’s ever wanted to hear him say. It might not be the confirmation of their relationship she’s been hoping to get eventually; it’s better. He wants her. He wants her.

     Free from restraints, she crashes her lips to his and Dean doesn’t hesitate to return the kiss with the same need. All the question marks, the doubt, the thoughts along the line of ‘what if it goes wrong?’ and ‘maybe we shouldn’t do this’ go right out the window.      It wouldn’t matter if they waited longer, because if that wake up call taught the cowboy anything, it’s that together or not, it would tear him to pieces if she were ever to leave the ranch. If he’s going to spend this time with her, he better make it worth her while, and maybe, just maybe, she’ll stay with him in the end.

     Eventually, his mouth leaves hers and begins to descend, his breath tickling her skin as he ghosts down her neck. Willingly, she rolls her head to her shoulder, offering him space to leave marks on her pulse point, then down her collarbone. The hint of delicious pain has her fighting back a moan, which proves to be challenging, especially when his hands roam down to cover her peach-shaped behind. Trying to distract herself and be useful at the same time, she begins to unbutton his plaid shirt, his touch momentarily interrupted until the piece of clothing falls to the floor in a puddle of blue, soon followed by his white undershirt.

     Before Dean urges her closer again, he drags the only chair in the room away from the small table by the window, sitting down and pulling her with him. The wood underneath them creaks when she settles in his lap, her bare knees on either side of the cowboy, holding herself up and leaning into his bare chest. The denim of his jeans stretches over his erection, rubbing against her core. The sheer thought of a few layers of fabric being the only barrier between him and her, sends a surge of heat to dampen her panties. Thank God she chose the lace ones earlier after her shower, the ones she can only wear whenever she’s not spending her day in the saddle. She wonders if he can tell how aroused she is already.

     Dean can. He can feel the warmth radiating towards him and he can feel himself growing even harder, too. His breath hitches and he stifles a groan when she rolls her hips, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Ho-ly shit. This might not be how he originally imagined their first time, in this tiny room with thin walls, this one chair and a bunk bed, but it feels so good. He has enveloped her in his arms, his hands roam her body, not leaving a square inch unattended. Without tearing the seams, he pulls the strap of her loosely fitted tank top over one shoulder, the material shifting down. His fingers then reposition to cup her breast, all while he presses kisses on top. When he moves his thumb over her stiff nipple, she pulls in an audible gasp.      “Sssh…” he hushes. “Wouldn’t want to wake the neighbors.”

     Y/N can’t help it, though. The friction she feels beneath her, combined with the touch of his mouth and his fingertips, is already beginning to build her up. She begins to pant, her lungs pushing out air in quivers. Dean doesn’t stop, however, and continues to knead her breast without hurting her, smothering the sounds she makes with another breathtaking kiss. His other hand has snaked around her waist again, splayed on the small of her back now, spurring her on to move against him. Good God, if he keeps this up, she might come undone without him even actually touching her down there.

     The chair creaks louder when she moves against him, triggering Dean to cringe. The old furniture is either going to break or wake everyone in the bunkhouse, and so he pulls Y/N flush against him and stands up. Without missing a beat or breaking the kiss, she folds her legs around his waist as he walks her to the bed. Laying her down and fitting himself on top turns out to be a little more difficult than he thought it would be, the bunk bed limiting his space, but after some shimmying, he manages.

      He hovers over the woman he’s about to be intimate with, mesmerized by the sight of her laying underneath him, her chest heaving, her eyes lustful. She’s the definition of gorgeous without even trying. Dude, how the hell did you manage to hold back this long?

     The trail of kisses he presses on her stomach has Y/N arching her back, her eyes closed in delight as he travels down. Gently, he opens her legs a little wider, feather light touches electrifying her skin, sending currents towards her center. His hands leave her then, teasingly letting her wait in suspense. She listens, trying to pick up on any sound of him breathing or moving, her senses operating on full capacity. He’s testing her patience like he has done for the past few days. A chill runs down her spine as seconds tick by, but then Dean palms her heat through the fabric of her shorts. She bites her bottom lip at the unexpected connection, her fists clenching the comforter and a moan escaping her throat. This is happening. This is really happening.

     Y/N feels him tracing the waistband of her shorts, before hooking his thumbs underneath the hem. He’s about to drag them down and move in, when they hear a door handle being pushed down. Her eyes shoot open in time to see Dean jerk back and sit up startled, hitting his head hard against the top bunk. The collision of his skull with the solid wood creates a loud bang, followed by a strangled groan. He curses through gritted teeth, trying to make as little noise as possible, while outside the room a door shuts. Horrified, they both stare at the other end of the room, not moving a muscle as shuffling footsteps cross the hall, opening another door and closing it again. A toilet seat is lifted up, the person whistling to himself softly. There can be only one person who needs encouragement to relieve himself: Garth.

     “For fuck’s sake,” Dean hisses.      Y/N is unable to stop a snort, sniggering silently, even though she tries not to.      “You okay?” she checks, trying to sound concerned. Not very convincing, apparently, because Dean shoots her a glare, while rubbing the sore spot on his head.      The toilet flushes loudly and obscenely, triggering the woman underneath him to giggle unstoppably. When he shushes her, frantically holding his finger to his lips, it achieves the opposite, causing him to break character as well. Doing their best to keep it down, she clasps her hand over her mouth while Dean presses his lips together, trying to compose himself.      “You need to be quiet,” he whispers.      “I c-can’t”, she hiccups, tears streaming down her cheeks.

     Garth heads back to his room, either sleep walking or he’s deaf, because he doesn’t pick up on any of the action happening on the other side of the hall. His door closes, the springs of his bed creak as he gets back in, and silence returns.      “Would you stop?” Dean chuckles, poking Y/N’s side when she fails to control her laughing fit.       “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” she returns, struggling to keep it down. “How’s your head?”      “It’s alright,” he claims, ignoring the slight bump when he runs his hand through his hair. “Moment’s gone, ain’t it?”

      She wipes the tears from her face, breathing in now that she’s capable again. Comforting, she reaches for his hand. As much as she would like to continue, the circumstances aren’t exactly ideal. Their first time together shouldn’t have to be clumsy and uncomfortable, in a bed that’s too small in a room with paper thin walls.       “Rain check?” she proposes.      Dean leans in to leave a kiss on her lips. “Rain check. ‘Sides, wouldn’t wanna have to hold back because you can’t keep it down.”      She pokes him in his stomach now. “Don’t get cocky.”

     Dean scoffs, sliding from the bed without hitting his head this time. Grinning mischievously, he turns around, pulling her to her feet as well. The cowboy takes a second to really look at her again, glad to notice the lack of insecurity in her composure. Her hair is messy, strands escaping the loose bun at the base of her neck, ready for bed in her pajama shorts and a comfortable top. She could have felt self-conscious in this situation, especially since their moment together came to an abrupt and slightly awkward end. But she isn’t, she feels at ease when she’s with him. A small smile forms on the cowboy’s lips.

     “You should get some sleep. We’ll skip the afternoon siestas, now that the temperatures are droppin’, so we’ll start an hour and a half later tomorrow. I figured you might wanna train Meadow first thing in the morning?” he suggests, picking up his shirts from the floor.      Y/N agrees, glad that she’s being given the space to focus on Congress. “Dean, about that…”      He glances back, patiently waiting for the follow up.      “I was wondering if you could maybe help me out with my freestyle?” she asks, a little shy.      “Yeah, of course,” the head wrangler responds without hesitation.       “Great,” she breathes, relieved. “And there’s this other thing.”      Dean steps closer, laying his shirt and flannel over his shoulder so that he has his hands free and can lace his fingers with hers. “What is it?”      “I was hoping you could coach me,” she says, looking up at him. “Not just at home, but when I have to compete in Columbus, too.”

     Humbled, he gazes back, the corners of his mouth curving up. Coaching such a skilled rider as Y/N would be an absolute privilege, and with the trainers he knows she’s had, he’s surprised she’s asking him. Sure, the connection they have personally is there on a much more professional level as well, but they are talking Congress here, the biggest show of the year, and possibly the most important one of her career. Apparently, she has as much faith in his abilities to guide her as he has faith in her talent.        “It’ll be my pleasure,” he states.      “Really?” Y/N responds, thrilled.       “Hell, yeah,” Dean says, excited. “I’ll have to check with management if I can get time off for Congress, but I have plenty of days left. Plus, I think Ellen is kinda rooting for us.”      She chuckles, but then does a double take. “Wait, what? Ellen knows we’re together? I - I mean, not together together, I get that we’re not an item--”      “-Ellen knows,” he grins, squeezing her hand when he interrupts her nervous train of words. “I think basically everyone knows by now, except Garth and Bobby.”

     A little uneasy Y/N glances from their hands up into his eyes. Wait… Is she reading too much into his words? He didn’t correct her when she used the term ‘together’. Why didn’t he? Is he worried he might upset her again? If anything, she doesn’t want to push him to oblige to something he’s not ready for.      “Dean, I know we just… I didn’t mean--” She pauzes, collects herself and starts over. “I know you’re not ready for a relationship and that’s fine, we had that conversation already. I’m not trying to rush you.”      “You’re not rushin’ me,” he assures, calmly. “I just needed a wake up call in order to pull my head out of my ass.”      The woman before him hesitates, “W-what do you mean?”

     The wrangler wets his lips, taking a second to choose his words carefully.       “When your old man called, for a minute I thought you were about to hop on a plane and that I was never gonna see you again,” he admits. “And - uh, it kinda freaked me out, to be honest.”      He huffs, barely able to believe what he’s about to say.      “I’m not gonna keep you waitin’ any longer, Yankee. I know I said I want you, earlier, but truth is…” 

     Y/N watches him glance down at their hands again, running his thumb over her knuckles. Nerves close off her throat, because she has a hunch that he’s about to break it to her; he doesn’t want the commitment. 

Tears begin to prick in her eyes, but not from laughter this time. She knew it was going to be difficult to get close to him. Dean keeps to himself, probably because he cared too much in the past and learned his lesson the hard way. The possibility of her leaving spooked him today, and now he’s done. He doesn’t want to risk that kind of heartbreak, he doesn’t want to rely on anyone. Dean Winchester would rather fill his world with a hundred shallow and meaningless flings than with one solid partner, and this is him setting her free, before things get out of --      “I wanna be with you.”

     Her racing mind, which was breaking the speed limit, hits a brick wall. Shocked, she pulls her eyes away from their entwined fingers, gazing at him almost dumbfoundedly. Did he just say he wants to be with me?      “W-what?” she stammers.      “I mean, if you’ll still have me,” Dean adds, a little unsettled by her response. “Look, I know I’m not exactly an open book and that I behave like a dick sometimes when you try to get through to me. I’m stubborn as hell and my communication skills need some work—”

     Now it’s Y/N who cuts him off for a change, closing the gap and kissing him passionately. He eases into her, smiling against her lips and leaves a peck on her hair when she embraces him and buries her face under his chin. Relieved, he allows the breath he was holding to leave his lungs.      “So, what do you say?” he asks, cocking his head back slightly to be able to look her in the eye again. “Up for a challenge?”      “Are we talking about us training together for Congress, or us as a couple?” she checks, regaining her footing again.      Dean frowns and chuckles at that. “Both.”      She doesn’t need time to think. She knew the answer to this question long before Dean was ready to ask.      “Yes,” she beams. “Hell, yes.”

Thank you for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to like or reblog my work, shoot me a message or buy me coffee (Link to Kofi in bio at the top of the page).

Read part eighteen here

[mystic-messenger-writing]

Could I get the RFA (and V if possible) reacting to MC being an equestrian? She's a show jumper, has several horses, including a giant draft horse that's taller than Zen. She's been riding since she was 5 years old and talks to her horses like they're humans. Please and thank you.

This is such a cool request! I don’t have a lot of knowledge about equestrians so I’m sorry if they’re a little shorter ;-; Nevertheless, I still hope that you enjoy!!~

Yoosung

Yoosung already loves horses so you being an equestrian makes you that much better!

He loves visiting the horses and give them check ups

Mainly to show off his vet knowledge to you but still

He gives you so many facts about horses like Yoosung stop already

“MC did you know that horses can sleep both lying down and standing up? Or that they can live to be around 25 years old? Or-”

You need to cut him off or else the two of you will end up standing around all day with Yoosung telling you facts you already know

But when you actually show off your riding skills, Yoosung stands there so impressed that his girlfriend is so cool!

Once you get off, Yoosung is petting your horse, telling them how good of a job they did and how he wants to learn how to ride too

Yoosung wants to visit your horses all day everyday now and seeing how cute he is when he interacts with them, how could you possible say no?

Zen

When you first tell Zen that you’re an equestrian, he thinks that means you take care of and at times ride a cute little horsey

But when Zen sees your horse he is s h o o k

He considers himself a pretty tall and lean guy but your horse is so much bigger than him and he’s seriously so shocked

Zen takes a closer look at them and smiles saying how beautiful your horse is

“Wow MC, a creature that’s almost as beautiful as me, I had no idea such a thing existed~”

With an eye roll, you show off to Zen your riding skills and yet again he’s completely taken back

Zen begs you to let him ride with you and you hesitantly agree

He ends up trying to take a selfie with you on top of the horse and he ends up falling off

Zen gets up, still looking as good as ever, and says that he should probably just leave the riding to you since he doesn’t want to ruin his perfect face to which you happily agree

Jaehee

When you tell Jaehee that you’re an equestrian, she’s a little nervous - She thinks that horses are beautiful animals but Jaehee gets concerned over your safety

So you decide to take her and show Jaehee that not only is riding horses safe but it’s a lot of fun as well!

Jaehee immediately falls in love with your horse even though its height intimidated her

You get on top of your horse and show Jaehee that it’s gently and you ride around slowly at first but then speed up to show off some of your skills

“MC! Please be more careful!”

Once you return to her, Jaehee’s smiling as she claps hers hands so impressed  

You ask her if she wanted to try and ride but she declines saying that she’d rather watch you instead

You’re determined to get her to ride with you in your horse one day but for now, you’re just happy that Jaehee finally realizes that you and your horse are safe

Jumin

Jumin was pleasantly surprised when you told him that you’re an equestrian

He took riding lessons when he was younger at his fancy private rich kid school so he knew all about it

When you took Jumin to see your horse, he was impressed at how well you’ve taken care of it

Jumin has you lead him on top of your horse down a scenic route while the sun is setting

“You’re skills are quite impressive MC. I forgot how much I enjoy horse riding”

After the day is over, Jumin buys a huge stable for your horse and kind of starts getting obsessed

So now at work besides him wanting to start cat projects, Jumin wants create all kinds of new horse projects as well RIP Jaehee

Every weekend you and Jumin go to the ranch and have a nice relaxing day with a picnic and horse riding to go along and Jumin couldn’t be happier

Seven

The minute you tell him that you’re an equestrian, the puns start

You tell him that you want to take him to see your horse but you had trouble finding your car keys

“Hay MC… Quit stallion around here, we have places to go!”

“You’re really causing a stirrup here MC”

“Stop horsin’ around and let’s go MC!”

It’s a miracle that you haven’t smacked this idiot yet

You finally get to your ranch and Seven’s running around like a child, completely in awe when he sees your horse

He begs you to let him ride on your horse but you refuse because knowing him, he’d not only end up hurting himself but your horse as well

The second you turn your back, Seven is climbing on your horse and yells for you

You turn around to see Seven attempting to stand on top of the horse while it’s walking

Of course he falls flat on his face and when you go to ask if he’s alright, Seven nods and asks you if you can teach him how to ride a horse properly

You agree with one condition: no more horse puns

Seven’s sad but agrees because spending any kind of time with you is great but it becomes even better with your horse included

V

“Where’s my camera?”

Of course those were V’s first words when you told him that you’re an equestrian

So when you took V to see your horse, all the boy did was take pictures

You made him set the camera down so he could meet your horse

V gently stroked its head as he smiled seeing how beautiful your horse truly was

Now it was your turn to take a picture because you swore V just has a natural connection with animals

V was nervous when you asked him if you wanted to ride on the horse with you but eventually agreed

He had never felt more alive in his life, the feeling of the wind against his cheeks and having you close to him as the two of you rode made him feel nothing but joy

When the ride was over, V noticed you talking to your horse and went over to say some encouraging words himself

You already knew that V had a gentle soul but seeing him interact with your horse made your heart melt and you made sure to bring him there more often

[dabblinginmarvel]

Clumsy

Plot: Steve and the reader get into a fight over the reader’s clumsiness.

A/N: I feel this, because every time I hold glass, I am terrified I will drop it or bang it on something.

Warnings: Steve yells at the reader

Word Count Total: 447

Short Imagine #146

Title: Clumsy

Steve had been away on a mission for a week and a half and honestly, he was exhausted and looking forward to being with his partner again at home. You made him feel human again.

He unlocked the front door and didn’t see you in the living room.

“Honey, I’m home!”

“In here!” you called. He made his way into the kitchen. You were squatting down, cleaning up a broken vase. He sighed and you apologized.

“What happened?”

“Two left feet,” you replied miserably.

He took a breath. You were pretty clumsy and tended to trip over things (or nothing), knock things over, and spill things. He was tired to getting new things or helping clean up after every single accident, which you tended to average about five per week. When he left, you were getting grape juice out of the carpet, which occurred after you slipped on water that you had spilled moments prior.

It was time for him to put stuff away, so he carried his duffel to your shared room. Moments later, he heard a large thunk and then a swear. He sighed heavily again. When his items were separated properly, he pulled on a comfortable set of clothes instead of staying in his stiff missionwear that went underneath his stealth suit. So far, there had been no further accidents. Well, until he heard a metallic crash of silverwear. Spoke too soon, he mused.

You were putting clean forks away, but you had managed to drop most of them so they were no longer clean.

“Alright, how many accidents did you have this time that I was gone?”

Your guilty look told him all that he needed to know.

“Damn it, Y/N! Could you try to be more careful? We can’t keep replacing things when they are broken!”

Tears sprung to your eyes. “I-I’m sorry, Steve. I try, but you know how clumsy I get. I don’t know why I’m so clumsy. I would give fifteen years off of my life to not be clumsy anymore!” Your sobs punctuated your words and the tears began to trail down your face. Steve’s heart throbbed uncomfortably and guilt settled in.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I didn’t mean it.”

“No, but you’re right. I’m so clumsy and I need to be more careful.”

“You know this and try. I didn’t need to yell. You didn’t deserve it.”

You gave a half-hearted shrug and bit your lower lip, sniffling. He pulled you into his chest and hugged you. You hugged him back, melting into his embrace. His Steve smell comforted you, part cedar-smelling deodorant and part natural body odor.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“I forgive you,” you whispered back.

 - - -

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