#it’s like the only time I’ll eat ranch

[ak-vintage]

I'll Pick You Up

Pairing: Javier Peña x f!reader

Summary: On your first Valentine’s Day together, Javier shows you how much you mean to him.

Tags/Warnings: 18+ MDNI! Post-canon Laredo Javi, established relationship, Valentine’s Day on the Peña ranch, romantic gestures, all the fluff and sweetness, a little “M-rated” smut (references to other sexual encounters, oral sex (f receiving), P in V sex, creampie).

Word Count: 1.2K

Written as a Valentine’s Day gift for my dear friend Kat @sunshinehaze1! Credit to @saradika-graphics for the dividers.

Read on AO3 | Main Masterlist

Javier Peña has never been the type of man to express his love through grand gestures of romance. Instead, he attends to the everyday.

His hand against the small of your back, ushering you gently, protectively in and out of shops and restaurants and bars. Gas in your car every time he spots it running low. A doorstep delivery of pozole and decongestant when you’re sick. Your favorite brand of body wash in his shower. French vanilla coffee creamer in his fridge, even though you know neither he nor Chucho would ever dream of drinking their coffee any way other than black.

He takes care of you, in his own steady, thoughtful way. But when the subject of Valentine’s Day comes up – the first you’ve ever spent together – you have no expectation that he will have some grand plan to sweep you off your feet. You assume you’ll go out for dinner, maybe some place a little nicer than your usual haunts. A possible bouquet of flowers, a very probable night of spine-melting sex. Nothing fancy. That’s not who Javi is.

But he surprises you. When you broach the topic, he tells you, “I’ve got some ideas. Actually, I think I’d like to surprise you.”

You agree with a puzzled smile, your only request that he at least tell you the time and what you should plan to wear.

On the morning of February 14, you find a note taped to your coffee pot as you’re getting ready to leave for work.

Tonight – 5 PM I’ll pick you up. Dress comfortable. Happy Valentine’s Day, cariño!

He’s in your driveway at 5:00 on the dot, his broad shoulders testing the stitching of a long-sleeved flannel shirt he’s tucked into his signature blue jeans, and you doubt that he has ever looked more handsome. He opens the door to his old pickup for you, offers you a hand to help you up onto the bench like you haven’t ridden in it a thousand times by now. The gesture has heat blooming in your cheeks regardless.

Something by the Eagles hums low on the radio in the background as he drives, knees spread wide, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on your thigh. It’s so comfortable and pleasant, just to sit in the silence with him, that it takes you an embarrassingly long time to realize he is heading in the opposite direction of town.

He’s taking you back to the Peña ranch.

When you ask him why he’s just taking you back to his house, he simply replies, “I’m not taking you to the house, baby.”

You end up turning off the main road at some point, taking a dirt and gravel path deeper into his family’s land, far out of line of sight of the old farmhouse. Eventually, even the path disappears, and you’re left bumping through an open field until he finally comes to a stop in the shade of an old tree, standing lonely sentinel in the middle of the rolling acres.

Beneath the tree, a large blanket covers the scrubby grass, and you spot a basket and a bottle of wine (your favorite kind) resting against its roots.

Javi isn’t much of a cook, but as you unpack the basket and spread out your bounty, you discover that that hasn’t stopped him from going all out. Huge, fresh-looking sandwiches wrapped in butcher paper, a selection of prepared fruits and vegetables, and more single-serve bags of chips than you could ever eat make up the bulk of the spread, though there is a wide, shallow container at the bottom of the basket that he tells you is a surprise for dessert.

When he pops the cork on the bottle of wine, he proposes a toast – “To our first Valentine’s Day. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, cariño, but I promise to keep doing it.”

You hush his smiling self-deprecation with a swift kiss and assure him, “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

When you’ve had your fill of dinner, and perhaps one too many glasses of wine, he finally allows you to open the dessert container. Inside are a half dozen oversized strawberries, gleaming bright red and boasting fluffy green stems. All of them have been dunked rather haphazardly in dark chocolate, a few sporting wide, smudgy thumbprints in the matte brown surface, and you can tell immediately that he made these himself.

“Chocolate-covered strawberries? So fancy!” you cry, delighted, eyeing Javier with a playful grin. “Who are you, and what have you done with my boyfriend?”

The corner of his mouth quirks up in a smirk, his dark eyes crinkling as he sweeps his gaze from your face to the swell of your breasts to the curve of your hips and back again.

“Just thought you might like a little something sweet,” he purrs, his tongue darting out to wet his plush lower lip. And there he is – that’s the Javier Peña you know and love.

He gathers you into his lap, slots your knees on either side of his narrow hips and plants you firmly on his denim-covered thighs. He feeds you the strawberries from his fingers, chases them with kisses. When the chocolate melts and smears across your face, he licks it away slowly, teasingly. When you slip your tongue past his lips, his mouth tastes like wine and sweet fruit.

Eventually the picnic is forgotten. Javier lays you back onto the blanket, spreads you out like his own personal feast, and takes you apart as the sun begins to sink lower in the February sky.

“Mírame, nena,” he growls from between your thighs, dress hitched up around your waist, panties yanked to the side as he buries his face in your wetness. “Look at me while you come.”

You demand the same of him when you have him on his back, his jeans hanging open and pulled down just far enough for you to sink down onto his cock. You can feel his belt buckle and the teeth of his zipper biting into the flesh of your inner thigh as you ride him, but you pay it no mind. In fact, you relish the sting. Beneath you, Javier’s deep brown eyes struggle to remain locked on yours, the muscles in his sharp jaw fluttering as he clenches down and groans into the rapidly-cooling air. Half an instant before you find your own pleasure, you feel the warmth of his release deep inside you, and you follow him over the edge with his name on your lips.

It is well and truly dark by the time you’ve gathered up the picnic supplies, tossed them into the bed of his truck, and made your way to the Peña farmhouse. Javier offers to drop you back off at yours, but these days you spend more nights curled up in his bed than you do your own, so you decline.

You run into Chucho in the living room just as he is heading to bed, the older man a rancher to his core and never awake past 8:30. You chat for a brief moment, and both you and Javier wish him goodnight, but not before he pauses in the doorway, looks you both over from head to toe, and with a knowing smirk, informs his son that he has grass in hair. Javi’s ears burn a vivid crimson as he swipes at the back of his head, and his father’s low, warm laughter follows the both of you up the stairs as your boyfriend quickly pulls you to the privacy of his second-floor bedroom.

Unable to help yourselves, the two of you come together once more under the light of his old bedside lamp, the door firmly locked, bedframe pulled away from the wall, and Javi’s hand over your mouth to stifle your moans. Chucho sleeps like the dead, thank god, but even one comment implying his full awareness of your sex life with his son is enough for you for one day. You can’t be too cautious.

After, Javier is his steady, thoughtful self. A glass of water on the nightstand, a warm, wet washcloth for the mess between your thighs, an extra blanket for the bed because he knows how chilly you get in the night. When he slips under the covers with you, you settle into his arms like that little hollow between his chest and collar bone was made for you. You tuck your head there, threading your arm around his waist, and drop a kiss to his soft, bed-warm skin.

“Hell of a first Valentine’s Day, Javier,” you whisper, face half-buried in him, sleepy smile pressed into his chest. “Don’t know how you’re gonna top it.”

Beneath you, his shoulders shift slightly in what you interpret as a shrug, and his arms tighten their grip around your body. “Me, neither. But I’ve got a lifetime to try.”

[bagholes]

English subtitles for Johanne Sacreblue

You've probably heard of a parody of Emilia Pérez (produced by a Mexican trans woman!!!) called Johanne Sacreblue. The whole thing is in Spanish (and French, obviously), so I translated the whole thing to English (see read more)

While I wasn't involved in the production of the original short, I'm Mexican and I have a degree in Translation and Applied Linguistics, so hopefully you'll enjoy my translation. Please give the video some love and don't give Emilia Pérez more attention!!

!!!!!!!! ENGLISH SUBTITLES !!!!!!!!!

(Hey! I'm a professional translator, and I translated the whole thing in English. Please upvote so more people can enjoy this video!)

Ah, nauseating France.   

Home of wonderful food such as baguettes, croissants, and more.

Lots of wonderful people live here.

Obviously, we’re French. 

This might look like a love story,

but open your eyes and pay attention!

In France there’s rising burglary rates. 

But why tell you about France when I can show you?

Welcome to la France!

♫

Welcome to la France.

A unique and special country.

Where you’ll know what it means to truly love. Love, love from France.

Live the experience of this place. 

[Homer Simpson voice] Wow, classy.

Maitre D': Good evening, sir. Would you please leave without a fuss right now?

Homer: OK.

Welcome to la France

where you’ll get your heart stolen,

and your wallet, too.

Welcome to la France,

but if you’re Muslim, homosexual, or Black,

I want you to stay back. 

Crêpes? Les crêpes? I didn’t shower today. 

I’m not worried. I smell just fine. 

Like rats, sweat, and wine.

The cheese I eat smells better than me,

but my perfume can take care of it. 

I love feeling superior. 

Here’s some rapping just because. 

Oh, mon ami. Merci. Sacré bleu. Comment tu t’appelles? Merci. Déjà vu. Bon voyage! Pizza, kwason. 

It’s croissant, croissant, croissant!

Welcome to la France

where you’ll get your heart stolen,

and your wallet, too.

Welcome to la France,

but if you’re Muslim, homosexual, or Black,

I want you to stay back. 

Hit it, Mbappé. 

Viva Cinco the Mayo!

Long live cakes!

Marie Antoinette! 

Long live cakes!

My fucking crêpe still hurts when I think of you

Part 1: surprise and challenge.

Maybe all those years living in a ranch were good for him.

He wasn’t living in a ranch!

He lived in Mexico City for ten years.

Same thing. It might as well have been a jungle.

Mexicans are savages. 

Do you know what they do to cheese over there?

They eat it fresh!

I don’t think he copied their ways.

He’s still a good Frenchman.

He better be. I expect no less.

He’s my only son. 

All the suffering in Mexico must’ve gotten rid of his rebel nature. 

He’ll be the perfect man. The perfect male successor for the largest baguette company in France.

My son. My manly son. 

Did I already mention that my son is a man?

He’s here!

Maman, papa… bonjour!

Son of a-

[title credits] Johanne Sacreblue. Directed by someone with ADHD.

What were you up to in Mexico?

I learned how to open a beer using a bill.

Jonathan is using a dress, Bridgitte. And he has breasts! What do you think he was up to in Mexico?

Now my name is Johanne.

Nonsense! You’re not getting the company. No way. 

That’s fine. I don’t even want it. 

Honey, it’s your future. You’re our only DAUGHTER. You have to take the position. 

You’ll get the company. End of story. 

You don’t even want me to own the company!

Because I didn’t think it’s what you wanted!

Why did we stop speaking French?

What did you say?

Nothing. I got confused.

I’ll tell you something: remember the Ratatouille? They gave us this letter. They challenged us to the national France competition to decide once and for all what’s better: baguettes or croissants. 

Do you want to enjoy your fortune? Win this competition and manage the company. Or go back to Mexico to eat guacamole.

For the last time, no! You won’t get the company. 

I’m the only one who’s always loved croissants.

I’m the oldest son. It’s my right. 

Your right? How can think that about your brothers?

Any of them could do a good job.

Hugo can’t get over his artistic phase and he’s addicted to sniffing paint thinner!

I’m not just sniffing paint thinner! Yellow paint makes me happy.

Mario Hugo! Good luck with his twangy voice.

Mario Hugo: I agree with my beloved brother, but I love you, my family. 

No one knows what you’re saying!

Dugo is young! Why can’t it be me?

Well, first of all, you don’t have a penis!

Oof. Gotcha.

I’m trans. Other than that, I haven’t changed at all. 

Does it really affect you that much?

I’ve made myself clear: anything that affects our family affects me!

It’s not that we don’t love you, honey, it’s just that… you embarrass us. 

You’re not even an Hugo!

Yes, I am! I’m [French accent] Arturo! (Translator’s note: the rhyme got lost in translation. Sorry about that). 

“Arturo” isn’t “Hugo”!

Yes, it is! Ar-tu-ro!

Where did you get that?

Well… Chofls!! The letter!

The Sacrebleu have invited us to the Great Paris Competition. We will show once and for all what food item best represents our country! If you beat that family’s stupid transexual, you’ll get the company

I don’t know what to do, bestie. I don’t want to own that goddamn company. 

And why don’t you learn how to do something?

Because if I do it, they’re gonna cut me off, and I’ll be an unemployed, 28-year-old trans woman who has no life skills. 

Why don’t you just tell your father that you don’t want to do it and that you won’t do it?

It’s too late. I have no choice. 

Bestie, I’m so sorry you can’t enjoy your fortune with no commitment.

It’s awful…

Good evening, ladies. What can I get you?

I’ll have some French molletes.

I’ll have chicken.

Of course, ma’am. How shall we cook it?

Anything is fine as long as you kill it as cruelly as possible. 

Excellent choice, ma’am.

Anything else? Would that be all?

That’ll be all. Well, actually, I think I also want-

You said that would be all! You must assume the consequences of your decisions. Rot in hell! [spits]

Oh my, what a great service!

I know! They have the best customer service in France! Okay, so are you signing up for the competition?

I really don’t have a choice…

Bestie, you can do anything. You’re stronger than every woman I know, and I’m not just saying this because you used to be a man…

Thanks for the clarification.

You’re gonna compete and you’re gonna win.

Emily, you have no idea how much that means to me. You’re the only reason I wanted to come to Paris. I wanted to see my friend Emily in Paris. It was the only reason I wanted to come tot this city: see Emily in Paris.

Oh là là, I know! Everyone tells me that! What I don’t get is why you don’t want to compete. This is such an honor for France-

It’s just that there’s a lot of things I don’t understand since I came back. Why are we so impolite? Why do we love animal cruelty? And why exactly do we hate Muslims? 

Because it’s fun!

Yeah, maybe, but have you ever considered that it’s wrong?

Oh my God! You’re right! I’d never thought about it! We’re awful!

Oui!

What we do to birds… we drown them in cognac! Why are we doing it? Who thought of that?

I don’t know.

I feel.. dirty! I want to take a shower!

I knew I wasn’t crazy!

Seriously… I never thought that we were doing something wrong. I always thought that people who get minimum wage liked how we treat them. No wonder they sent you to Mexico… You’re crazy.

I got sent to Mexico for being trans.

They sent you to Mexico because you’ve been hallucinating. You’re seeing Marie Antoinette.

I’m not hallucinating! It’s the actual ghost of Marie Antoinette.

Marie Antoinette: don’t listen to hear. She dresses like a Guatemalan. I’m as real as my tragic death. They should behead her for having such damaged hair.

There’s no point in knowing the truth about France. At the end of the day, I’m just an ordinary French millionaire with enough money to live for four days. There’s nothing I can do.

Marie Antoinette: [unintelligible] sleep paralysis at night.

If you win, all of France will listen to you.

Ladybug: Welcome to the most important competition of la France, where France’s most important families will make a very important decision.

Cat Noir: that’s right! We’re here to make a very important decision. What food best represents France: baguettes or croissants?

Our fellow citizens will know what we’re talking about, but for those dirty foreigners that only know how to use soap…

Wear perfume!

We’ll explain the rules.

There’s two events: whoever wins both will be victorious!

The first even will be a race! The first one to reach the Eiffel tower, touch it and say our catchphrase “we give up!” will be the winner!

Without further ado, we’re heading to the competition!

It’s the best race I’ve seen years!

The Ratatouille throw a croissant to the Sacreblue and almost slashes her throat. It’s cat-tastic!

But Johanne takes the lead with 400 rats, and she wins the race!

Rats! Meow!

Here she comes!

Vive la France!

Your love for croissants ends here. What an embarrassment!

Don’t feel bad, honey. I never really expected anything from you. 

Arturo, I’m not gonna lie…

Brother, defeat will only make you stronger.

What?

You’re a great man. You’ll make it. 

Can I have five French dollars to buy yellow paint? I want to paint. 

Later that night in some French dumpster

♫

I’m just a trash man in Paris.

Another piece of trash in Paris.

But I’m also the greatest trash

I’m the trash man.

I’m such trash that I made a fortune using other cultures.

I’m such trash that I enjoy cancelling last minute

because I’m scared 

that they’ll see my tiny baguette.

I don’t have the guts to say that I fucked up.

I’m scared to know what people think of me

If I’m a good guy or just a bald bad guy

I’m such trash that it’s embarrassing.

I thought Karla Sofia was from Puebla.

I’m such trash that I wrote a musical about narcos.

“Penis to vagina, woman to man.”

What the fuck was that shit, bro?

I’m disgusting, don’t you see? 

I’m disgusting, don’t you see? 

Part 2: from hate to love

Why did you ask me to meet you here?

[sigh] I came to ask you to stop fighting over something as dumb as bread.

Baguettes are just bread, but croissants are France itself. It’s in our veins, in our wine, in the air we breathe!

Arturo, wait, don’t do it!

[coughing]

You can’t take a deep breath in France. Dumbass.

Whatever. You’re just saying this because you’ve been away for a long time. You’re nothing but a chimichanga lover. 

Cinco de Mayo!

How dare you!

Does it make you feel good to be a man hitting a woman?

Actually, yes. Now I get why we do it.

I’ve had enough! I can’t take it anymore! What’s wrong with France? Why do they like to hit women? Why do they like racism? Can’t you see that what we’re doing is wrong?

Actually, no. I had never thought about it. I never considered that… Oh my God… We’re monsters! What are we doing? We must put an end to this!

But how?

You’ll do it with me. With your amazing arguments, we’ll change France. 

Do you think it can be done? But how?

Oui, mademoiselle. If you let me win the second event, it’ll be a tie, and they’ll have to listen to us according to the French rules I hadn’t mentioned before. 

I don’t know if I can trust you.

Trust me, mademoiselle. Trust this stinky French heart.

Alright. Kiss me.

Do you want me to kiss you?

Yes. Give me a French kiss.

Here it’s just “a kiss”, stupid

Welcome to the second competition!

This is the most fabulous competition! It’s the racism competition!

That’s right, Cat Noir! And for those stupid Americans who don’t know what we’re talking about, in this competition, participants are given a total of 30 minutes to deport and catch as many immigrants as possible.

Everything is allowed: from making up crimes to blackmailing! 

Each Muslim is worth 5 points. However, participants can get extra points from hate crimes against Muslims, Black people, Latinos, members of the LGBT community, and fans of Emily in Paris!

Let’s watch the racism competition!

We apologize for the technical issues. Cat Noir had a fanatic episode. 

It was amazing! With a great lead, our winner, Arturo, was victorious. So we’ll have to call this a tie. 

Oh! For the first time in more than ten years, we’re getting some words from our ten French emperors!

Stop!

There… won’t be… a tie!

This decision will no longer be postponed. 

 Declaramos abierto el duelo final.

And it’ll happen right now.

Because I love Queen Marie Antoinette.

The final duel…

It’s the fight to the death with baguettes!

Good luck! And may the Frenchest win. Yes. Oui. Oui. Oui.

[Elmo]

Part 3: destiny

Fight to the death with baguettes?!

Fight to the death with baguettes?!

Fight to the death with baguettes?!

I think there’s gonna be a fight to the death with baguettes.

What? Fight to the death with baguettes? What’s that?

Oh, fight to the death with baguettes. I’ve heard about it. I think they’re gonna fight to the death… with baguettes.

[gasp]

Johanne: I don’t want to fight to the death with baguettes with you.

Arturo: Neither do I, but we have no choice.

J: Yes, there is. Haven’t they considered that this is wrong?

No!

Arturo: Papa Johns!

Papa Johns: I pitted your families against you with a little help from whom you love the most… your butlers. 

Arturo: Chofls!

Johanne: Wigles, why?

Wiggles: I’m sorry, madame. I need the money, and you haven’t given me raise in 25 years. 

Papa Johns: I’ll destroy you so the greatest French food gets recognition: French fries!

Johanne: You’re losing a lot of wine.

Johanne: you have a rat on your head!

Papa Johns: this tiny chef taught me his secrets, and I used them for evil. 

Wigles: I think I got Stockholm syndrome due to so many years of labor exploitation.

And that’s how we got away from the bad guy, Mr. French ambassador. 

Controlled by a rat… The nightmare of every French. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s how Johanne Sacreblue and Arturo Ratatouille restored the glory of France. What a captivating story you’ve brought us, full of pain and social commentary. Is there anything else you would like to add before we run out of funds?

Well, actually, yes. As many of you know, I went to Mexico, and my fellow Mexicans asked me to bring a gift to France when I came back, and what a better person to give it to than the ambassador? 

Oh, what wonderful surprise have you brought from Mexico? Could it be some wonderful Mexican tortillas?

Wait… Is that-

Yes, a cake. Un gâteau. 

[Credits]

And that’s the story of how your parents saved la France.

Thanks for telling me these stories, grandma.

My grand-son. My grand-son, a boy…

[sigh] 

♫

Tito, my grandson Tito (translator’s note: another rhyme that got lost in translation. Sorry again). Tito, tito. My grandson Tito. 

You smell like frog legs in the morning.

You smell like you haven’t showered in weeks. 

You smell like a moldy baguette.

You smell like the omelette that I ate. 

You smell like cheese. Smelly, smelly!

You smell like your grandma.

Tito, Tito, Tito, my grandson Tito. 

You smell like snails. You smell like escargot.

You smell like France. 

[janeyseymour]

Chicken Wings and Beer

Summary: You're a Hooters girl, and a certain group of teachers sits in your section. A certain redheaded teacher catches your eye, and you seem to catch hers.

WC: ~2.1k

Hooters- they were at the one and only Hooters location in Pennsylvania after a trip to the King of Prussia Mall. Melissa Schemmenti would quite literally be anywhere else but here with her coworkers. Why did they let Mr. Johnson choose where they should go to eat? Ava is all grins, Mr. Johnson greets most of the women in the restaurant with a smile, Barbara looks absolutely appalled to be stepping into this establishment, and the rest of the bunch looks mildly embarrassed.

You eye the group as they come in and immediately start to pour a tall Yuengling for your regular customer. With a quick check that your shirt is where you like it and a glance at yourself in one of the mirrors, you smile as you make your way over.

“Hey, Mr. J,” you say easily as you set the beer down for him.

“Y/N!” the older man chuckles. “How’ve you been?”

“Same old, same old,” you tell him with an easy smile. Then you turn towards the rest to the group. “My name is Y/N, and I’ll be taking care of youse today. Did we want to put in any other drink orders? Appetizers for the table?”

A few of them order beers while doing everything they can to not look at your chest or at the insanely short shorts you’re wearing. Your eyes slowly turn to the redhead that is sitting right in front of you, and… wow. She’s really pretty. She’s stunning. And she’s staring right at your chest without seemingly realizing it.

“Anything for you?” you ask her genuinely as you lean over the table, giving her a better view. You see the way her eyes go just slightly wider and a blush creeps into her cheeks.

“Uh,” she stutters out. “I’ll just take a Yuengling… please and thank you.”

You recite back the drink orders before getting the approval and turning to get the other drinks while they look over the menu. Melissa’s eyes are immediately trained on your ass.

“Melissa!” you hear one of the women scold. “Stop your staring!”

And although she’s being reprimanded for ogling you, you can still feel lingering looks from their direction.

When you return, the redhead’s eyes are immediately on your figure again. You place the drinks down and slide hers in front of her. She quickly takes a big gulp.

“Did youse figure out what all you want to eat tonight?” you ask as you lean on the table again, giving the hot redhead a nice view. Her cheeks immediately turn red again, and she quickly reaches for her beer again.

“We’ll do the pickles, fifty of the wings with sauce on the side- both ranch and bleu cheese, and an order of fries,” your regular customer tells you as he orders for the entire table.

You look around the group, and they all nod for the most part- doing everything they can in their power to only look at your face. The only one looking at your figure on display is the woman right in front of you- the one that caught your eye just as much as you seemingly caught hers. 

You personally bring everything you can over for them, and when Melissa drops her knife and fork on the ground, you easily bend over and pick it up for her.

“Think you dropped these, sweetheart,” you tease her as you set them back on the table with a wink. She can only stare. “I’m just messin’ with you. I’ll be back with a new set for you.” You take the utensils away and bring her another set. When you do, you make sure to show off just enough for her to stare at you with a smile.

“Thanks,” she says shortly, eyes only trained on your body.

“Can I get you guys anything else right now?” you ask politely, that award winning smile of yours on display this time.

Mr. Johnson waves you off before digging into his wings.

“You guys think I only come here for the pretty women, but I’m actually here for the wings,” the custodian tells his friends. “And Y/N is good company.”

“What’s she doing working here anyway?” Melissa asks. “She could be a supermodel.”

“Putting herself through nursing school,” Mr. Johnson tells the group.

“Damn!” Ava cuts in through a mouthful. “Hot and smart?”

“Wants to do pediatrics,” the janitor throws in. “She’s a good one. Always telling me about how she can’t wait to get out of here and start working at CHOP.”

“So, she’s hot, smart, and good with kids?” the principal asks incredulously. “There ain’t no way.”

“It’s possible,” Melissa shrugs as she bites into a wing.

“You think she’s hot?” Jacob asks. He knows that the second grade teacher bats for both teams.

“Of course she does!” Ava laughs. “She’s only been making eye contact with the girl’s boobs this whole time!”

“She’s single,” Mr. Johnson tells the group, but it’s mostly pointed at the second grade teacher. “Broke up with her girlfriend a few months ago. Poor girl was devastated.”

“Ooh, girl,” Jacob giggles like a schoolgirl. “You should ask her out!”

“I don’t know if she should do that,” Barbara huffs as she plucks a wing off the plate. “With such a… job choice that she’s making right now.”

“I respect it,” Janine shrugs. “If she’s putting herself through nursing school, good for her.”

“Ask her out!” Mr. Johnson eggs on the redhead. “She’s a good person.”

Melissa just takes another swig of her beer. 

You can hear them all encouraging her to ask you out, and you have to let out a soft chuckle as you chat with some of the other girls. They’re all telling you that you absolutely should ask her out.

“I don’t know,” you sigh as you fiddle with the ring that sits on your middle finger. “She’s pretty, but I doubt that-”

“Girl,” your fellow server rolls her eyes. “She’s been drooling over you since they walked in here. I’m sure Mr. J will help you out. If he’s here with her, you know she has to be good people.”

“Maybe,” you shrug. “I’ll think about it.”

A bit later, you bring another beer over for the redhead. You give her a wink and a bright smile before making your way back to the counter.

“She’s still staring at your ass.”

“And she should!” another one of your coworkers smirks. “Respectfully, you got a body on you, babes.”

“You guys are ridiculous,” you roll your eyes.

Only a few minutes later, the patron that you’ve had your eye on heads to the bathroom, and Mr. Johnson waves you over.

“What’s up?” you chuckle.

“What do you think of Melissa? She’s cute, right?” the janitor gets straight to his question.

You laugh nervously. “She’s pretty, yeah.”

“You should ask her out. She’s the best second grade teacher we got.”

You go to respond, but one of the younger teachers begins to protest. “Mr. Johnson! I’m right here!”

“I’m sure she’s a great teacher,” you try to placate. “I’m sure you all are.”

“You been flirting with her since we got here,” the custodian points out.

You bite your lip nervously. “No I haven’t.”

“You ain’t winked at me,” Ava tells you. “You ain’t winked at nobody but Schemmenti. I say go for it.”

“I-” you glance to the other veteran teacher, who is eying you warily.

“Oh, lighten up, Barb!” Mr. Johnson huffs. “Y/N’s a good one, Melissa deserves to have a little fun, and it’s clear these two are-”

He’s cut off by Melissa coming back to the table, and she has to brush past you just a little to sit back down.

Neither of you are expecting to feel that special touch- literally. She accidentally shocks you, and you have no idea how.

You jump just slightly, letting out a small yelp in surprise. Then you give her a sweet smile and tell her not to worry about it, affectionately patting her arm. The woman turns about as red as her hair.

“Can I get you guys anything else right now?” you ask. “Or are we still all good?”

“I think we’re good for right now,” Mr. Johnson tells you. “And hey, think about what I said.”

“What’d you say?” Melissa asks. “What’d I miss?”

“Just telling her to think about her future,” the man covers. Then he shoos you off. With a laugh, you turn on your heel and head over to check on your other table. You sway your hips a bit more than probably necessary, but you can guarantee that those green eyes are trained on your ass, and you might as well give her a show. Then you’re back to where the girls are, and they’re all cheering for you.

“Girl, she’s putty in the palm of your hand,” your coworker laughs. “I think you should just slip her your number.”

“I’ll give you twenty bucks to do it,” another tells you.

You can’t believe your friends. “Girls, I’m not going to do it… for the money. I’m gonna do it because I think she’s hot.”

So, when Mr. Johnson asks for the bill, you write the stereotypical ‘thank you’ on it, adorn with a scribbled out heart, before also writing your phone number down. You make it very clear that it’s for Melissa. As you set it on the table, you hope that she’ll grab it, but the custodian does instead. He gives you a knowing smirk.

“Mel, I think you should cover the bill this time,” he hands over the receipt.

The redhead looks over to him in shock. “No way. You wanted to come here. You pay.”

“Melissa,” Jacob nudges her. “Take the bill.”

“What the hell guys?” She doesn’t reach for it, but she does grab her purse and fish out her wallet. She hands you her card. “Just charge it.”

“Melissa!” Ava says pointedly. “You have to know what she’s going to run it for!” Everybody at the table has now seen that your number is very clearly printed on there, with a note that says ‘for the hot redhead, if she wants to go out sometime’. 

“I’ll see what she runs it up as when I get the notif-”

“Good God, woman!” Barbara has had enough and shoves the check in her face so that she sees the ten digits printed on there. “Take the damn bill!”

Emerald green eyes widen and sparkle as they see what you had written, and you almost feel embarrassed that you shot your shot with her. What if she-

“Is this really your number?” she asks as she looks to you, and for the first time she makes eye contact with you. She finds that your face is even more beautiful than the rest of your body… that your eyes sparkle with mischief and kindness, and everything that she wants.

You just smile at her before taking her card to run at the register. The girls instantly flock over to you.

“So she saw it?”

“Don’t act like youse weren’t watching the whole thing,” you roll your own eyes. You print the receipt to hand back to Melissa and head back over to the table.

“Youse all have a good night,” you tell the group, but your eyes are only on the redhead in front of you. In a rather daring move, you lean down so that your body is only highlighted. Melissa’s eyes go right to your body.

“That is my real number, so… if you ever wanted to get dinner sometime, I’m sure I can squeeze you in with my tight schedule.” You pat her arm affectionately before standing back up and walking to Mr. Johnson’s spot. You give the older man a gentle pat on the back and wish him well, telling him you’re sure you’ll see him soon.

The group heads out, you head back to your station with the girls, and as they’re exiting, you hear a few of them congratulating Melissa, asking if she really is going to reach out.

You wonder the same thing, but work calls. You have their table to clear, a few other tables to check in on, and then who knows what else will happen tonight. As you’re clearing their table though, a text from an unknown number comes through.

It’s Melissa, the first text reads. Then another comes through. Let me know when you can get dinner, and where.

You smile to yourself the rest of your shift.

TAGS: (and let me know if you want to be included!): @schemmentis @thesapphictimelady @marvel210 @itisdoctortoyousir @morgana-larkin @thesamesweetie @doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou @marvels--slut @gwennybriggs @megamultifandomtrashposts @lemz378 @http-sam @melissaschemmentisbranzino @imaginesmultifandoms @sexysapphicshopowner @lilfartbox1 @maybe-a-humanbean @imlike-so-gaydude @sapphicxrat @a-queen-and-her-throne @sunsol-22 @notinmyvocab @melanielaufeyson @dvrkhcld @cosmichymns @sasheemo

[thegloomybat]

Zero

I have sooo many low calorie food brands, but time for a ZERO calorie edition

Idk how i NEVER see posts about walden farms, they literally have almost EVERYTHINGG FOR ZERO CALS!!! BUT, be wary bc some of their stuff aren’t that tasty. I’ve tried the honey dijon dressing, which i’ve never even tried the normal ones and it was actually super good! I didn’t like the ranch dressing. I also tried the chipotle ranch one it was also good! Again BUT, one of the ingredients i found in those is titanium dioxide, which can cause cancer. Obviously i feel like that’s in insaneee amounts, so moderation is key🤷‍♀️ i’ve also tried their coffee creamers, chocolate, pumpkin spice, hazelnut, peppermint mocha, vanilla, and lemme just say at first i was kinda like yikes… but then i got used to it and its actually super good! I would recommend to only use a little cuz i accidentally put a lot one time and it was just WAY too much. Again, moderation. I haven’t tried any other products that i can remember so lmk if you guys try any of them!! Btw these only show the categories there are so many varieties.

Syrup, i haven’t used this and it’s just a tad pricey, but looks good and i would like to try for my coffee! If i get this i’ll do a lil review.

I LOVEEEE chai lattes but they are SO calorie dense. This one is 0!!! And it’s honestly pretty sweet for me, for it being sugar free. Like its the perfect amount. Idk, sugar free items taste exactly the same or even better than the original personally, and feels better bc if i eat any sugar i feel so gross. Maybe i’ve just gotten used to it or something but yeah

Last but not least the classic ol’ diet coke. So yummy keeps you full for a while/curbs appetite and tastes the same if not better than the original. Again, i normally prefer sugar free stuff bc it tastes better in my opinion, it doesn’t taste any different or worse. And normal coca cola has like 30g of sugar that is CRAZY. Also way too many cals.

Again, i found all of these items on the walmart WEBSITE, including a lot of the walden farms products. But some may charge shipping so maybe try finding it on amazon but keep scrolling to find the cheapest options. I <3 zero cal foods

[stevieschrodinger]

TW for Eddie getting hurt (but he's okay). And Human Trafficking.

Link to Part One

Link to Part Three

“Again? Seriously?”

Eddie knows he should keep his mouth shut. He knows he should. He just...doesn’t seem to be able to.

It probably doesn’t help that Eddie is one hundred percent done with this. This isn’t a life. A gilded cage is still just a cage, and Eddie’s getting to the point where antagonizing the guards is a hobby.

“Wear it, or I’ll make you wear it,” the lackey snarls, shoving the flimsy white fabric against Eddie’s chest.

“You fucking wear it!”

And that’s it. The guys an Alpha, he’s like, literally twice the size of Eddie, and it all happens so fast Eddie’s winded by the floor before he knows what hit him. And then it comes, the whistling noise of the cane singing through the air. Eddie is intimately familiar with the noise.

And just like usual, Eddie can’t keep his noises in, he curses, he calls the guard every name under the sun, he screams and starts to cry but in the end is reduced to a compliant heap, the same as every other time.

They strip him naked and splash freezing water on his face, gets rid of the snot and tears and no doubt the flush he has on his cheeks. His feet are burning, throbbing, and Eddie wants to collapse back to the floor to take the pressure off.

He’s shoved into the white dress, “you so much as blink wrong out there and you won’t be standing for a fortnight.”

Eddie dips his head; he knows it’s true. They’ve done it before. So he gives in. They’re breaking him more and more easily. Eddie doesn’t want to give up; he just doesn’t feel like he has the energy any more.

He’s been here the longest, he’s the only one that’s never sold. It’s only a matter of time before his body ends up in a shallow grave out on the ranch somewhere.

He limps into the dining room, freshly sprayed with heavy duty scent blockers. Eddie’s vaguely aware they’re eating lunch, and if his feet weren’t fucking stinging the way they are, he has no doubt his stomach would growl at the smells.

Eddie doesn’t make it that far before he catches Hagan waving a hand at him, “get him out of here, he's bleeding on the rug.” Eddie does his best to oblige, but he can only move so fast with the injuries on his feet.

Hagan, out of everyone here, is not someone you want to piss off. Eddie learned that too, very early on.

"Him," someone says behind Eddie, "I want him."

Eddie turns back again, despite the fact that it can’t possibly be him the Alpha is referring too, there are other male omega here, after all. But no. The Alpha is standing now, and he’s looking right at Eddie.

Well, fuck.

Because as much as Eddie has dreamed of this day, of getting the fuck out of here...that Alpha could be worse. The possibility is always there. This could be a frying pan into fire type situation, and there’s fuck all Eddie can do about that.

Hagan makes a noise, scoffs, "Steve, come on, have a proper look. Don't pick that one. Get a pretty one."

The Alpha is irritatingly good looking at first glance, and he becomes even more so in Eddie’s eyes when he flashes a look of irritated disgust at Hagan, "no, he'll do."

Oh, Eddie ‘will do’ will he? Okay, maybe the Alpha isn’t that good looking, after all.

"Oh," Hagan laughs, "I get it, just gonna' wreck him anyway, right? That's fair, can always get another," and he's laughing again and suddenly Eddie is ice cold with fear. Hagan called this guy Steve; clearly they know each other. Is that the type of Alpha this Steve guy is?

Everyone else is shooed out of the room, and Eddie stands there on his throbbing feet, hearing, to the dollar, how much he’s worth.

More than he thought, if he’s being honest.

Alpha Steve doesn’t even flinch at the price.

Eddie’s certain Steve must be doing fifteen over the limit, which, honestly, he doesn’t care. It means Eddie’s traveling fifteen over the limit away from a place he never wants to see ever again, so it works for him.

"Look, uh, hey, you have a name?"

"Eddie," he answers, but only because he genuinely doesn't want to antagonize this guy right out of the gate.

"Right. Eddie. So. This is...well it's going to sound a bit wild but...I'm kind of here for the FBI. I mean. I don't work for them, or anything, but...I was...asked, I guess, to get evidence. So don't worry about everyone else, they're getting rescued later so. That's. A thing, I guess?"

Eddie just sort of sits there for a moment, feeling stupid. FBI. Rescue??? Maybe he hit his head or he's dreaming or something but...no, his feet are stinging like a bitch and he can very clearly remember how the whole day has gone so far. He’s awake, and this is real.

"Yea. Yeah, I guess that's a lot to take in. But we can talk about it...later? Do you have family? Like, shit, do you have somewhere to go? I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to actually like...buy, a person. Couldn't leave you there though."

The Alpha’s...rambling. Which, Eddie kind of figures now that this guy wasn’t joking when he said he doesn’t work for the FBI. He looks nervous, actually, white knuckling the steering wheel. In Eddie’s experience, if something seems to good to be true, then it almost definitely is. This guy is giving off no scent, and there's no scent in the car anyway. Either it's a rental or something, or this guy wears blockers most of the time. There's even one of those fancy scent diffuser things plugged into the dash. So other than being visibly unsettled Eddie’s got nothing to go off of.

But then, why would he lie? He’s bought Eddie fair and square, and like most Alphas, he’s probably carrying double Eddie’s body weight, plus he knows Eddie's already injured. Eddie could be going from one prison to a...worse prison. But...again, this guy has no reason to lie, right?

"I've...I've got an uncle. Haven't seen him for years. I don't...know,” it’s pretty true, without giving too much away. The possibility that this guy could be serious is...it feels to big of an idea to absorb. Eddie might be free? He'll maybe see uncle Wayne again? This guy is going to just...let Eddie go? Eddie's known, for literal years, that he had two ways out of the ranch, out front, bought and paid for, or out back, in a body bag. The sudden possibility of a third option is so out of left field Eddie doesn't know what to do with it.

"Right, right okay. We can talk to Hopper about it," Steve spots a drive through, "you hungry?"

Eddie has absolutely no fucking clue what a ‘Hopper’ is, but at the sight of the beautiful golden arches, his priorities shift drastically, "oh fuck me yes," Eddie says it with such vehemence that Steve laughs, he’s got a nice laugh, this Alpha. And unless he’s playing the long con...why the fuck would he even worry if Eddie’s hungry? "I haven't left the ranch for two years, and they never let us eat anything like that, it's bad for our skin. Plus, we have to stay thin and pretty."

Steve’s expression changes in an instant, he looks genuinely horrified by what Eddie’s just revealed, “you can have absolutely anything you want.”

Eddie takes him at his word and orders half the damn menu.

Well, Eddie figures, the FBI thing is true, and this is a Hopper, and man he looks like he’s had enough, "you were not supposed to buy a human being," he very clearly tells Steve. Eddie’s feet are stinging a little on the asphalt, but as long as he doesn’t move too much, it’s bearable. And even though he’s still wearing the fucking nightdress, like hell was he missing this conversation.

"I know but-" Steve starts to protest, which Eddie thinks is kind of brave, because if Steve is twice Eddie’s weight, Hopper is basically a giant. Hopper stops him dead with a glare, and Steve hands over his phone and strips off his suit jacket and hands that over too, leaving him in a pristine white shirt.

Hopper waves him off, "you did good."

Hopper does something to the back of Steve's phone, peeling something away from it, before giving it back and then turning his attention to Eddie, "somewhere I can take you kid? Any family?"

"I only have an uncle, but I don't...it's been years, I haven't seen him since I was little."

Hopper rubs is hand over his face, the rasp of stubble loud, before he lights another cigarette, "I'll have to find you a motel somewhere while we figure this out." And that sparks a twinge of...fear. Eddie has lived with a group of Omega for years, and the ranch was a lot of things but...they had meals provided, they didn't have to think about money, or clothes, or anything mundane like that. The prospect of suddenly being completely alone...completely alone and potentially vulnerable, is not in any way appealing.

"He can stay with me." Steve suggests out of fucking no where, "I've got...a lot of space," he trails off, looking kind of sheepish that he even suggested it. At some point, somewhere between the rescue, the McDonalds, and right this moment, Eddie kind of decides, tentatively, at least, that Alpha Steve might just be an alright guy.

Hopper raises an eyebrow at Eddie, Eddie shrugs, playing down his relief, "not like I've had any better offers lately."

Hopper snorts, but he hands over a business card to Steve, "this is highly unorthodox, but...I don't care. I've got bigger things to worry about. Text me any details the kid can give you on the uncle. I'll be in touch."

And then Hopper just...drives away. Steve fiddles with the card Hopper just gave him, and Eddie can see it says FBI and all that good stuff on it. This is feeling more and more real as time stretches on.

"So is there anything you...want? Need?" Steve asks him.

Eddie feels kind of bad about the sheer amount of money he’s already cost Steve today, "I mean, I don't have any cash, obviously, and I heard how much money you shelled out- I mean, do you think you can comp me from the FBI? Man, you didn't even get a receipt for me."

And that...makes Steve laugh, like really, makes him laugh. And Eddie joins in, not that he thinks he’s funny particularly, but because Steve is just so...well. Maybe it’s a relief too, that Eddie is finally out of that place, and the truth of that is finally sinking in. He’s free. Feels a little delirious with the possibility of freedom.

And there’s only one way to celebrate something like that, “can we get milkshakes?”

@stylelovechild @steddieonthen @marklee-blackmore @sticknpokelightningbolt @resident-gay-bitch @somegirlsomewhere @mugloversonly @cryptid-system @weekend-dreamer7

[georgiapeach30513]

Weight of My Sins, Part 1

Summary: You thought life on the ranch was over. Couldn't bear the sight of Kayce anymore, so you fled all the way to Texas. You found a new relationship. You lived. You got a degree. But you missed Montana more than anything, but he wasn't leaving Texas. Now you're back on the ranch, and you and Kayce both lived your life. But that draw to him is still there, even if you're terrified to let those walls back down again. No matter how much you crave him.

Pairings: Kayce Dutton X Reader

Rating: mature

Warnings:  explicit language, 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 5.1K

Series Masterlist

*dividers created by @saradika-graphics

“Stop fidgeting,” Rip’s gruff voice bellows in the truck, and you press your hands under your legs.  Continuing to stare out your window.  The closer you get to the ranch the worse the feeling in the pit of your stomach gets.  This has got to be a bad idea, and nothing good can come of it.  You need a job just as much as you need a place to stay.  And Rip did you a solid in getting John to allow that for you.  Under different circumstances this would be the perfect solution to your problem.  

“You’re going to stay in the bunkhouse, so I’ll have to go over some ground rules with the wranglers,” you roll your eyes as you turn to look at him.  Ever the protective big brother role.  He isn’t your biological big brother.  Just a man that felt sorry for you as a kid, and helped out when he could.  You were his pet project.  And one of the few people he was kinda nice to.  Some things never change. 

“I don’t want you fucking around with them.  And believe me, they’re a bunch of lonely, horny cowboys.” 

“Aww, but you’re not interested in me.  Are you still lonely and horny?” He gives you an eat shit grin, shaking his head.  You are not the least bit worried about the wranglers.  They are the least of your worries.  “What if this doesn’t work out?” 

“Grow a pair of balls and make it work,” he shrugs as the ranch comes into view.  Immediately your fingers start fidgeting under your thighs.  So many memories remained here.  Up until the point that you left for veterinary school.  Anything to help out the ranch.  That’s Rip’s philosophy, even if he won’t say it.  Anything.

“Quit fidgeting!” He growls at you.

“I’m not!” You don’t want to admit that being here is turning your stomach inside out.  Don’t want to admit what just seeing the last name Dutton does to you.  Some things just are better left unexplored.  Especially now that you’re going into his territory.  His home.  

Rip puts the truck into park, and you inhale slowly.  Letting the fresh air fill your lungs before you slowly exhale.  Popping your neck for good measure before you sling the door open, and jump out.  Time seems to stand still here.  Very little has changed, except your age.  “Come on,” your adopted brother says, and you follow along with his long strides.  

Slinging the door open, Rip drops your meager duffle bag on the floor, and every man in there turns to glare at you.  Lloyd gives you a slight dip of his chin, “Welcome back, Bronc,” you nod to him.  The others you don’t truly recognize.  

“This here is like a little sister to me.  You treat her with fucking respect, and you stay out of her damn pants,” clearing their throats they return to their card game, leaving you puffing out a nervous breath before giving Rip a head nod.  “Yep. That’s it,” he says, turning on his heels, and leaving you in this den of bears.  

“Which bunk is available?” 

“One of those back ones,” Lloyd points in the direction without removing his eyes from his hand.  You didn’t expect a grand welcome, but this is pathetic.  Your eyes roam around each of the bunks.  Examining the spaces, looking for anything familiar. 

“He’s not here,” Lloyd answers, finally looking at you. 

“Who?” the old man’s eyebrows lift, as he nods at you sarcastically.  Judging asshole.  You weren’t looking for anyone.  You were trying to figure out how you fit in with these men.  Reaching into your bag, you stuff a few peppermints into your pocket.  You sling your duffle bag onto the bunk before turning to go towards the door, “I’m going out.” 

“Uh huh,” Lloyd answers knowingly.  You didn’t care what the man thought of you.  You need to get out of this room.  It’s stifling being in this bunkhouse.  Hell, it’s stifling being here.  With all these memories.  But ones that you love so much.  You miss it. 

Sighing at your contradictory thoughts, you kick gravel as you walk to the barn.  Getting away from humans, and joining animals.  They were better than humans.  They didn’t offer any words of wisdom, or judgement.  They are just there.  Lifting up a peppermint to one of them, he eats the treat off your hand, and you lean your head against his nose petting him.  

“First night here, and you’re already spoiling my horse, Bronc,” you didn’t have to see him to know that voice.  The one voice that makes you weak in the knees, and sick to your stomach all at the same time.  The one voice that has stuck to you like a bad habit, and you seek comfort in it with every sylablle. 

“Dutton,” you respond before starting to walk away.  He steps in front of you, and you turn to walk the other direction, but he jumps in front of you again.  His mouth turns up into that irresistible smile, and ‘it just makes you angry, and also makes you want to touch him.  The conflicting emotions just don’t stop.

“Why are you feeding my horse treats?” 

“Why are you hiding in the dark?” He shrugs.  A cute smile creeps onto his face, and you bashfully look away as heat flares your cheeks, “Did you follow me out here?” 

“No, I didn’t know you were going to be here.  Why are you here?” 

Somehow him not knowing you are going to be living here floods you with relief.  “This baby wanted a little treat, and I doubt you were giving him anything.” 

“You’ve not changed,” smiling, you let your eyes coast down his body, freezing at an ugly ring on his finger, and your blood turns cold.  Why is he even here giving you any ounce of hope?  He notices where your sight is, and hides his hand, but it’s too late.  Everything from that last night boils in your chest.  

“But you’ve changed,” you try to smile, and it just hurts.  You didn’t expect Kayce to not have a life and live it, but moving on with a wife is not what you expected.  

“It’s complicated,” is the only thing he says as he stuffs his hands in his pocket. 

“It always is with you, Dutton,” you respond, starting to walk away.  This time he doesn’t follow.  You can almost see him standing there with his pretty puppy eyes.  

“We’re separated,” you stop in your tracks, but don’t turn around.  Saying something like that is almost a death sentence.  Separated did not mean they weren’t going to get back together.  It could mean they needed space.  And you weren’t going to be the space he filled.  You sigh, turning to look at him.  

“Mmm, I don’t know if that’s good enough, Kayce,” his smile doesn’t falter.  You used his first name.  Using that name is so much warmer than using Dutton.  When you bring out the last name, he knows you’re slightly annoyed.  

Walking up to you, his calloused fingers brush over your cheeks, and he pulls you in for a familiar embrace.  Caressing your back as he brings you too close.  Like your bodies were made to meld together.  

“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” you respond, pushing out of his hold and you turn to give the horse a kiss.  

Your body is on fire.  Trembling as you take a step back from him.  His scent of sunshine and leather blinds you.  The want for him is almost too strong.  “What do you want?” 

He grunts, “You,” but you shake your head no.  Everything is always so damn complicated with him.  “We are separated.” 

“And yet, you’re still married.” 

“Do you think that if I was happily married I’d be out here after midnight?  I’ve moved back to the ranch, and we rarely talk, unless it has to do with,” his voice goes softer, and your eyes slowly close, “My son,” the twisting of that knife hurts so much worse than hearing he’s married.  “I never meant to hurt you.” 

“Yeah.  And I can imagine how it is with you.  You come here to be separated, and somehow you end up feeling sorry for yourself, and lonely, and then you're driving out wherever, and right back into her arms to play house.  Is that how it goes?” 

“Not exactly.” 

“Why is it different now?” There’s no answer that he could give you that would make you feel better.  You’re left feeling like a junkie, and your drug of choice is Kayce John Dutton.  Always was.  Probably always will be.  

“Because of you.” 

“Oh, no.  I just got here, and you don’t get to come here with your pretty words when I’m trying to do a damn job.  You and your cute ass need to keep things professional.  I don’t need this Kayce.  It’s my first night.” 

“So you don’t hate me?” You could never truly hate Kayce.  You could have your heart broken by him.  Again.  But you’ve never hated him. 

“No, but I’m also not fucking you,” he chuckles as you walk backwards, and out of the barn. 

“Again!” He yells, too loud, and you hope that no one hears the two of you out here alone.  You didn’t need any rumors going around about how you were fucking him in the barn on the first night.  

“It was a mistake,” you wink at him.  Lying in this instance is a way to protect you.  There’s nothing that you regret with Kayce.  Not on your end.  

“And why was it a mistake?” 

“Premature ejaculation,” he looks down at his feet, as he toes the ground, “Due to the fact that neither of us knew what we were doing.  But it sure did get us into a lot of trouble, huh?  Have a good evening, Dutton.” 

“That wasn’t nice,” he peeks up at you, smiling anyways.  

“Nice?  Was it nice that I saw you with some girl in our spot?  You sure were curled up, and enjoying her with your mouth.  Was that nice?” 

“Wait…” you have to rip the bandaid, and let him know that you knew what he was doing.  You should have confronted him then.  Maybe you could have truly moved on and healed.  Maybe you wouldn’t have longed for Montana, and those pretty brown eyes still. 

You shake your head, because you need space from him.  He is crowding your thoughts, and your vagina.  If you didn’t get away, you’d be rolling around in the hay with him.  “I get we were teenagers.  Too young to be fucking.  And too stupid to remain faithful.  

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Like we have a choice,” he stands there smiling.  Not fully defeated by your words.  You weren’t bending to his words and charm, but you also weren’t refusing to talk to him.  “Don’t wear the ring.” 

“Whatever you say, Bronc,” you wouldn’t forgive him if he kept showing up with that ugly thing.  It pains you to know that he went off and married someone and had a child with someone that wasn’t you, and you couldn’t blame him either.  He’d moved on, and in so many ways you haven’t.  

You hope you don’t regret this decision to be here.  Hope that Kayce doesn’t infect your mind, and heart in the way he’s always done.  Knowing that he’s married, even if separated, helps.  And he has a kid.  Time didn’t change your feelings because you still ache for him.  

Separated.  

What did that even mean?  How did he define that word?

How long has he been separated?  Were his sweet words anything more than that?  Would he return to his wife?  He has a kid with her, so it’s not like he can just walk away easily.  Unless he already has.  But how can you be sure that this is it?  It’s the end and he’s never going to be with her again?  And if he was sure, why not going through a divorce? 

No.  You’re here to do a job, and doing a job is what you’re going to do.  You want to be treated just like everyone else on this damn ranch.  You weren’t going to become a love sick puppy for him.  You’re going to enjoy the Montana air.  The view here.  And finally doing something with your life.  And for you.

“Bronc and I are going to take the back,” Kayce smiles at Rip, and the older man’s eyes narrow at him.  

“Why?” he asks, giving you a quick look as you saddle up a horse, ignoring the conversation.  You’ll go where you’re told.  “Why are you bringing up the rear, and why is she even coming out with us?” 

“Because if something happens, we have a licensed vet right with us.  She’s bringing up the rear because she’s never gone out with us before, and this will give her a chance to learn.” 

Rip places his hands on his hips, gazing out to the sunrise, sighing, “I’m still not sure why you’re with her.  Put Jimmy in the rear with her, and — why the hell are you shaking your head at me?” 

“She doesn’t know Jimmy.” 

“And yet she sleeps in the bunkhouse with him,” Kayce clears his throat, and only because the last place that he wants you to be is with Jimmy. “What the fuck is your problem?” 

“Bronc and I are taking the rear.  Jimmy’s got flank.  Is the bunkhouse really the best place for her to be?” 

“Hell, Kayce, she’s not going to learn anything by getting special treatment,” you aren’t getting special treatment from him.  He just wants to make sure you stay comfortable, and be with him.  He needs more time to talk to you.  “Fine,” Rip growls, getting on his horse.  “She’s your responsibility then.” 

“I’ll try to keep her out of trouble.” 

Rip turns his horse around and heads towards the front, “Bronc, you're with Kayce in the back,” you sigh, climbing onto the horse.  Kayce gives you a wink as he climbs on his own, and waits for you. 

“You’re not subtle, you know?” He shrugs, and you can’t help but take a peek at his hand.  The ring thankfully is gone.  He kept his word.  And while it does ease your stomach, there’s still a part of you that knows that still isn't enough.  It’s easy to not wear a ring in private.  It’s easy to pretend it doesn’t mean a thing, but it does.  It should. 

“Are you planning on making sure we’re always together?” He shrugs again.  He’s the one that wanted you in the rear with him, and now he’s not talking.  But maybe you’re just not asking the right questions.  “So how have you been?” 

“Doesn’t matter.  I’m better now,” you scoff, keeping your eyes on the cattle.  “What?  Is my response not satisfactory?  Remember you left Montana.” 

“And you had your hands in some other girl's pants.” 

He winces, sucking air through his teeth, “Are you ever going to let me explain, so I can maybe get your forgiveness?  I told you I was stupid?” 

“Are you ever going to do it again?” 

“Are you ever going to go on a date with me?” 

“Not anytime soon,” you click your tongue, and tap your heels on the horse.  Speeding up a bit more, but he keeps his pace with you.  “Things can’t go back to how they were,” you wonder if he thought any relationship can return to how they were before, or if you’re just the lucky one.  Did he still carry a torch for you, like you did him?  

“So no more sneaking off into my room, doing things we were too young to be doing?” Him and his stupid little smile get you every time.  Not to mention the passion you always felt with Kayce.  You were never going through the motions, you loved every moment with him.  Even your fights that quickly were resolved, and you went on loving each other anyways, and loving harder.  

“Why did you leave?” His voice darkens, and he turns his face away from you.  

“I needed air,” he nods, understanding.  You needed to get away from him.  “Why did you do it?” 

“Kiss someone that wasn’t my girlfriend?” 

“You weren’t just kissing.” 

“Yeah, that’s all we did,” you shake your head no.  That is not what she implied happened.  And just kissing is enough anyways.  “It was stupid.  And I quickly realized that she wasn’t you, and did I say that I was stupid?” 

“You did,” you look over towards him, smiling, “But you can keep saying it,” a comfortable silence settles between the two of you, and you breathe in the fresh mountain air.  Realizing all the reasons that you missed Montana, but also the Yellowstone.  Things are peaceful in their way, of course, but there’s just this home feeling here.  

“Did you miss it?” 

“Do you mean did I miss you?” You turn to peek towards Kayce, and he chuckles, shaking his head.  

“I asked if you missed it as in this?” 

“Every day,” you enjoyed school, and you would do it all over again for the experience, and to say you have a skill.  You did miss some of the people, and now that you’re here you miss some of the people in Texas.  One of the people. 

“What did — did you — I mean,” he clears his throat.  Looking up to the clear blue sky, before back over towards you.  You already know exactly what he’s struggling to ask, and it’s due to the fact he doesn’t really want to know.  “How was Texas?” 

“You want to ask me the real question?” sometimes it’s best to just know the truth, and lay it all out there.  Even if you’re scared to know the answer.  You can learn ways to cope or just get over it. 

Kayce sniffs deeply, and tilts his head to the side in thought, “Did you meet anyone there?” Not the right question.  He’s such a coward. 

“Cowboy up, Kayce.  You can do better than that if you really want to know.  Just ask me like a man.” 

“Are you dating anyone?” 

“No.” 

“Did you?” 

“Was that so hard?” Surprisingly he nods his head.  He can respond but just asking was like pulling teeth, and it kinda gave you a bit of a confidence boost.  “I did.  Was.  I was dating someone.  It was pretty serious, but he wanted to stay in Texas, and I wanted to be back here.  We split amicably, and I packed up my stuff, moved out, and now I’m back here.” 

“What was he like?” His jaw flexes when he asks.  He doesn’t truly want to know what he is like, but you’re going to tell him anyway.  Kayce always had a possessive streak.  It never reached toxic heights, thankfully. 

“He’s a mechanic.  Older than me.  He’s a good guy.  He didn’t have much growing up, but he made something of himself, despite his setbacks,” Kayce just nods his head, refusing to look at you.  You like seeing him squirm a bit.  Not that you’re into comparing, but you didn’t have a child with him, nor were you married.  “I think you’d like him.” 

“Not likely.”  

“He played football.” 

“Definitely wouldn’t like him then.  Let me guess, he’s just a regular ole pretty boy that treated you okay, but it wasn’t great?  Maybe borderline annoyed you?” 

“He’s a good guy.  We were getting to a more steady part of our relationship.  It wasn’t too exciting.  And we never fought,” Kayce snorts, causing you to look towards him.  “We didn’t.” 

“Sounds like there was no passion.” 

“You mean it doesn’t sound like us?” 

“We’re adults now, Bronc.  We’re not going to act like two lovestruck teenagers anymore.  We were figuring ourselves out.  We didn’t know the meaning of compromising.  Now we’re grown,” no, you weren’t teenagers anymore.  He’d definitely grown.  At times you and Kayce just didn’t want to see eye to eye.  There was absolutely no compromising in your relationship.  So him admitting that makes you feel happy.  You left something steady, albeit boring at times, because the two of you couldn’t compromise on where to live.  He wasn’t leaving Texas, and you wanted to be in Montana.  

“So just how boring was this guy?” 

“Tell me about your son,” you counter.  Kayce smirks while looking up ahead to the herd.  You aren’t supposed to go out with them often, but you wanted to see the land again.  “How old?” 

“He’s eight.” 

“You didn’t waste any time did you?” 

“He wasn’t planned, and I was distraught.  I don’t regret him though.  He’s perfect.  Reminds me of myself.” 

“Did you love her?” He goes silent.  His puppy dog eyes scan over everything as he contemplates.  “I think I loved him,” Kayce turns to look at you, his smile now returning.  “What?” 

“Did you ever tell him?” 

“Yes.” 

“So did you lie?” It’s an odd thing to say, really.  It shouldn’t be hard for you to admit that yes you loved him or no you didn’t.  It felt right at the time but hindsight is always twenty twenty.  Now, you’re unsure just how you felt about him, “So what you mean is you didn’t love him like you loved me?” 

“No,” definitely not what you meant.  Right?  All those years weren’t a lie.  You had fun.  You enjoyed yourself.  You loved, and felt loved, and — so easily left it for here.  And Kayce.  “I didn’t say that.” 

“You didn’t have to,” he looks towards you, slowing his horse down, but your mind is racing too much to try and look at him.  You need space again, and yet have to stay.  You want to run, but towards him or away from him?  You knew that the forever there complicated feelings towards Kayce would return the moment you saw him, but you weren’t prepared for this.  And if you left again, those feelings would remain.  Eventually you’ll have to explore those feelings.    

Questioning your relationship was not something you had planned.  You loved him, but could live without him.  It’s why you chose to come here.  Back home.  And to him.  So why is it so hard to admit that out loud, and to Kayce.  Why does this man crowd your brain space, and make you question every decision you’ve ever made. 

The only reason you left Montana was to get space from him.  You needed to breathe and make sense out of everything going on.  And to find yourself without him in it.  Without anyone in your life.  To know you could do it.  Kayce was supposed to give you time to figure this out.  You could have a life out of this bubble.  

This beautiful, amazing bubble. 

“Why did you come back?” 

“This is the place that has always felt like home.” 

“Because it’s where I’m at,” he sure is cocky.  Brazenly full of himself.  Part of this being home is him.  But that doesn’t mean that you are referring to him as home.  It means… “You can deny it all you want, but…” 

Kayce clicks his tongue, and starts a faster gallop, leaving you contemplating what he said.  It’s what he does.  He weasels into your brain, and makes you think and question things.  And then he finds himself in your pants, and then in your heart.  But that isn’t the concerning thing, the concerning part is not fully knowing if he is correct.  And do you want him there?  

“You know what I always liked about that girl?” Kayce looks up at his dad, confusion laced in his eyes.  “She never tried to change you.” 

“Who?” 

“Oh, are you still denying that you had a thing with Rip’s little orphan project?” Instead of responding, his son takes another bite of food.  The two of you weren’t exactly quiet about your feelings for one another, but you also didn’t parade it around.  “I see.  So she comes back to town, being hired on as a personal vet or wrangler, I can’t keep up.  And the first thing she does is go on the trail with you, and rides right beside you?  Okay.” 

John eats a piece of meat, smiling at his son who still says nothing.  “You speak more when she’s around.” 

“Are we going to talk about Bronc this whole dinner?” 

“Still got that same nickname for her.  How do you feel about her sharing a bunkhouse with a bunch of men?” Kayce despises it.  Hates even thinking about someone getting too close to you.  He’d offer for you to stay with him, but you’d immediately jump to conclusions.  You could sleep where you wanted to, but he did have an extra room.  “I see.  Must make you sick to think about all those cowboys around fresh meat. We know Bronc can take care of herself.  But she did just get out of a relationship because he didn’t want to take things to the next step.” 

“He didn’t want to move to Montana.” 

“Where she wanted to get married, and settle down with him,” John shrugs as he wipes his mouth with his napkin.  “She’s quite vulnerable.  Don’t push her, but don’t have her too far away from you,” he nods as he pushes his chair back from the table.  “You should offer her some of the food Gator made.  I’m sure it’s better than whatever microwave food she’s got there.” 

—

There is a lot of freedom being here.  However, the food sucks.  You’ll have to remedy that soon.  Sitting out on the porch, you kick up your feet, and inhale deeply.  Letting the mountains absorb your problems.  Hope that they will, so you have some clarity.  

Even with everyone in the bunkhouse carrying on and playing a game of poker, you feel relaxed.  Today felt good.  You didn’t exactly know what your job here would entail; maybe you’d need to travel to some other ranches and tend to their animals.  But tonight, it’s just you.  And the annoying music coming from somewhere.

You won’t let it bother you.  

You don’t care if it’s annoying ‘country’ music.  What even is that shit?  Nope.  It won’t bother you.  You’ll just sit and eat your microwave Mac and cheese, and ignore whatever is going on over there.  This is your bubble.  Your safe space.  You are calm and collected.  Not annoyed at all.

That music is just very obnoxious, and you swear it’s getting louder.  You could ask them to be quiet.  You don’t even know whose cabin it is.  Someone that works here, obviously.  But it’s like they're purposefully trying to get under your skin.  

You sigh as you stand up stretching.  Going inside the bunkhouse would involve you trying to ignore the wranglers.  While not impossible, you’re now more curious as to who is being obnoxious.  It won’t hurt to go check it out.  

Making sure to throw your garbage away, you start to head towards the door, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Lloyd calls after you, but you don’t listen.  Don’t even turn around.  You have some exploring to do.  

You have to know.  Need to know who it is.  You don’t have far to walk judging by the sound.  It’s close.  Far enough away from the bunkhouse for some privacy.  There’s nobody here that would hurt you.  There could be other things that could be dangerous. 

“What are you doing out alone?!” You spin around, and hit him due to your veins coursing with  adrenaline.  “Ow, you still got an arm on you,” Kayce winces, rubbing his arm. 

“Why the fuck are you sneaking up on me in the middle of the night?” Whisper screaming as you hit him again.  “What is wrong with you, and what is the deal with this shitty music?” 

“So the music worked?” You stare at him dumbfounded, trying to figure out what he’s meaning.  “It got you over here, didn’t it?” 

“You ass, Kayce Dutton.  I was minding my business, eating dinner, and looking at the stars.” 

“Your dinner wasn’t good enough,” you have to look away when he licks his lips.  Causing every fiber in your body to heat up.  Being with him alone in the dark is a sure fire way to get you in trouble.  You’re resisting the urge.  You could fall for Kayce again, just not tonight. 

“Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?” 

“I brought a plate from the lodge,” bare minimum.  Don’t fall for this.  This is barely anything.  You want him to work if he wants to get you back.  And you know you shouldn’t rush into anything serious.  With Kayce it will be serious.  “I can heat it up.  We can dance, talk, watch a movie, sit out here?” he smiles sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. 

“We’re not dancing to this shit.” 

“Of course not.” 

“And I don’t think dancing is something we should do,” he nods his head yes, agreeing to that.  “We can sit out and stare at the stars, and I’m going back to the bunkhouse.” 

“I have an extra bed.” 

“But I won’t stay in it.”

“Why’s that?” Kayce steps too close to you, invading your bubble, and it’s hard to breathe.  Be strong.  Do not fall for this.  If you want to be with Kayce the wait will be worth it.  You want to be able to give you and him the best possible chance.  Start from the beginning. 

“Because I am weak when it comes to you, and I don’t want to be.  So my happy little ass will walk right back to that bunkhouse, and I’m going to sleep there.  And tomorrow is a new day, and you’re going to stop flirting so hard.” 

“I can try and do that,” his hand brushes away the baby hairs off your forehead, and you fight not to lean into him.  Glancing down to his left hand, you count this small moment as a win.  

“Thank you,” you whisper to him before spinning around, and walking towards the cabin. 

“Why?” 

“If I have to tell you it doesn’t have the same gravity,” he smiles serenely before jumping in front of you to open the door.  He’s had that ugly ring off twice now.  It’s a small thing that should not mean much, and yet it does.  You just hope that he keeps it off.  Because you can’t handle another heartbreak like that.

Next

Masterlist

@tis-thedamn-season @theinheriteddutchess

[blouisparadise]

Today we have the third part to our long fic rec list! These fics are all 100k words or more. You can check out the first part to this rec list here and the second part to this rec list here. If you enjoy our rec lists, please be sure to like and reblog this post to help spread the word.

1) There’s No Way Out (But Down) | Mature | 100,210 words 

When Harry had woken up that first day with a light tingling in his fingers, maybe he should have known something was going to go wrong. Now, sat in an empty field in fucking nowhere America, covered in blood, he realises he couldn’t save everyone. He knows his limits, has had them drilled into his head from the moment he was old enough to retain words. He knows he shouldn’t mess with the natural order of things. He knows that what will happen will happen one way or another either way. And yet, he can’t control himself. For the third time, he settles his hands on Louis Tomlinson’s still heart and wills it to beat once more.

2) Invisible Strings | Explicit | 102,431 words

Louis has been struggling with his social anxiety for years now and is completely content with not leaving the house and having no social contacts. It gives him peace and safety. But when his new delivery guy, Harry, wants to get to know him Louis just can’t resist. Together, they find new, creative ways to communicate despite his anxiety. Soon their connection deepens and Louis doesn’t want his protected life anymore and instead tries to fight his social anxiety for the first time in years. But how can you change what became your personality over the years? And how can you feel safe again in a world that showed you exactly how dangerous it is outside? A story about finding your inner strength, healing and love that fights all odds.

3) Nothing Worsens, Nothing Grows | Mature | 102,505 words

Another roadtrip au featuring Harry as the misunderstood hipster, Louis as the bitter psych major, Liam as the one with the secret boyfriend, and Niall as the one who just wants everyone to be happy.

4) Halfway Home | Mature | 103,158 words

Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson were improbable childhood friends, much to Harry’s dismay. They were thrown together each summer when Harry was forced to visit Louis’ grandfathers’ ranch in Black Hills, South Dakota. With each passing year, their friendship blossomed into something more. When trail rides turned to stolen kisses, and tragedies turned to confessions until they could no longer deny the inevitable draw they felt for one another. Though life and their future plans soon set them on different paths. Ten years later, Louis is the proud owner of Halfway Home Wildlife Refuge. Harry returns to the ranch to escape the perils of his past in London, and though their memories still haunt Louis, he won’t let that deter him from his goals. However, someone has been keeping a close eye on the refuge, and possibly Louis specifically, and Harry’s return may have unleashed more than just old passions. There’s a hunter lurking in the Hills, someone who’s decided they’ve bided their time long enough.

5) If I Cannot Bend Heaven, I’ll Rise Hell| Explicit | 109,110 words

It blooms: In 1807, a boy falls for the wrong monster. It eats: In 1969, omegas began to disappear as rumors of the rising of a cannibalistic cult spread like wildfire. It grins: Now, one of the most powerful vampires of the West sits down for an interview to reveal all his sins. “Exodus 7:14-11:10, right before he sent the plagues, he said to Moses; ‘By this you will know that I am the Lord.’.” The vampire said with the ghost of a smile, small, almost intimate. “How can you annihilate something that you cannot touch, something you cannot see? How can you fight against a hungry God?“

6) Darling | Mature | 110,147 words

“Why do you call him darling?” I looked at Liam and felt my features soften. “Because he’s a darling. He’s absolutely the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. He’s a darling boy and I just want all of him and only him.”

7) The Healing Song | Mature | 111,851 words

Louis was carrying the large stuffed elephant like it was a baby, it’s trunk hanging over his shoulder and down his back and it’s front legs were resting around his neck, like it was hugging him. Said elephant was a present from Louis’ close friend Steve, who had thought Louis needed something to hug on bad days and had gifted him with a stuffed elephant the size of a one year old. Steve had been right. Some days Louis did need something to hug, and this elephant was as good as anything. Louis was having one of the rougher days. The harmonious state of the anxiety free life of a fearless Louis had ended the week after he met with Harry. It ended as abruptly as it had started. It was like pushing a button. Lights out. Almost as if the universe said “You’ve had your fun, crazy one, now go be sick” and slammed the door in his face.

8) (But) Baby We’re Everything  | Explicit | 117,618 words 

Harry and Louis broke up almost four years ago when their career paths took them different directions. Louis was hired at a primary school on the outskirts of London, and Harry went on to Cambridge to finish his degree and get his doctorate in education. But now, years later, Louis is a year two teacher at the same school he’s been employed at since the end of University, and Harry just so happens to be hired onto staff after finishing his postgraduate degree. Now that they’re back in each other’s lives, Louis has to face the secret Harry never discovered when he left years prior. Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it?

9) Our Endless Numbered Days | Explicit | 120,815 words

“Harry?” whispered Louis, his mouth dry, his nose pressing against the other’s warm skin. “Mh?” Harry’s humming was gentle, his fingers lightly caressing the younger boy’s arm, his chest steadily rising and falling beneath Louis’ cheek. A couple of seconds passed, and Louis looked up at him in the darkness of the cave, barely able to make out the expression on his face. When he tried to inhale deeply, his breath hitched. He struggled to find the words to tell Harry what he was thinking about. Another couple of seconds passed, and Louis listened to the reassuring beating of the prince’s heart beneath his cheek. He couldn’t. “Nothing,” he whispered, his voice weak. I think you’re half of my soul.

10) Streetlights In The Dark Blue | Mature | 120,867 words

Louis Tomlinson is an investigative journalist. He’s spent the better part of his life researching the psyches of serial killers, and publishing articles to provide a deeper understanding into their methodologies. His pen-name, Orion, is well known around the globe. An alter-ego that keeps his pockets lined, and his identity private. That is, until a letter arrives at his home address. A letter containing a symbol. One dubbed by a serial killer who’d vanished three years prior. The postage stamp? Bainbridge Island. He’d spent so long peering into the darkness, it should be no surprise to discover that something had been looking back. The island presents a host of mysteries. It also houses a nosy witch, determined to break down his walls. And an FBI agent hellbent on shattering his carefully constructed world.

11) Three Men And A Baby | Explicit | 122,978 words

Note: There is a BH mention.

Louis’ life had been going along just fine. Until one morning when his entire world changes when he steps on a piece of lego belonging to a young boy who has randomly appeared in his flat. And with that boy comes his gorgeous father. His flatmate Zayn has some explaining to do but he’s definitely not complaining, instantly feeling connected to these new additions. Over the span of a year, life gets crazy, frustrating, surprising and most importantly…filled with love.

12) Siren Calls Me Home | Explicit | 133,762 words

Harry’s father had warned him. King Edward of Erendor had whispered his suspicions that Prince Louis of Blackmont was descended from the sirens, monsters from cautionary tales Harry was told as a child. A cruel, cold-hearted, and vicious nature wreathed in a breathtaking exterior, with coy smirks and slow blinks used to bend everyone to his will. His beauty was as well known as his cunning, his greed, and his ruthless grab for power. Time only proved the rumors to be true, and Harry made sure to keep his distance from the prince, never once speaking to him, and doing his best not to even meet his eye. Unfortunately, the ghosts of whispered warnings are powerless when one is up against the very tangible experience of being in Prince Louis’ presence.

13) The Compulsion to Find Love | Teen & Up | 140,138 words

The most prestigious English third-level institution, Candling University, accepts omega students for the first time and Louis Tomlinson applies with bright eyes and brighter ambitions. There he encounters personal obstacles, traditional mindsets and a beautiful boy who inverts every prejudice Louis has ever known.

14) Prisoner | Explicit | 140,445 words

When Louis Tomlinson heard the jury’s verdict, the world crumbled before his glassy blue eyes. Sentenced to five years in prison for a medical malpractice he did not commit, he was transferred to a maximum security prison. His days were numbered, he knew. Harry Styles, his cellmate and the monarch of the prison. Sadist like no other. The fumes coming out of his mouth were pure, bitter, flaming poison. Louis swallowed, certain it would be the last time he would ever do so. His body convulsed and his legs felt tremulous. He could have peed himself from the fear. “When I asked for a cellmate to have fun with, I didn’t imagine they’d bring me a little lamb.” If God had created Adam, the devil had created Harry.

15) No Hello Just Goodbye | Mature | 142,502 words

Louis had 9 months to try and convince himself out of it, but he knew from the very moment he saw the dreaded 2 lines that he couldn’t raise the baby. Not when the conception took place against his own will. Adoption was the only answer. He had no problems handing over his child nor did he endure any sort of regret. Or did he? 4 years after giving birth Louis sets out to search for his baby but what he finds instead is something he totally didn’t expect…… Love.

16) Where I Burn To Be | Explicit | 143,346 words

There were very few people who managed to get under Louis’ skin as effortlessly as Harry had, and even fewer who had done it in only a day and a half. It was quite an accomplishment, really. They’d only interacted a handful of times and yet Louis had the insatiable desire to slam the locker into that frustratingly well-defined face that never seemed to hold any expressions other than contempt and arrogance. “That’s right. I do own the skies. And you wanna know why?” he sneered. Without his boots on, Louis was a fair bit shorter than Harry, his eyes pretty much level with Harry’s chin and his socked toes bumping into the boots of the other man, close enough that Louis could make out the tiny scar on Harry’s brow and the individual shades of emerald in his irises. He was handsome, but that only made Louis hate him more. Heart thumping heavily against his sternum and his hands balled into fists, Louis lifted his chin defiantly and plastered a coldhearted smirk across his lips. “Because I’m the best goddamn pilot here.”

17) Your Eyes Are Tired But Keep Them Open Cause You Wouldn’t Wanna Miss A Thing | Explicit | 144,281 words

Louis is an omega in an abusive relationship everyone forced him into; he’s miserable until he meets his favorite student’s uncle, Harry, a gentle alpha with a big heart.

18) Give Me A Way To Breathe (If You Can) | Explicit | 152,100 words

“By decree of the Five Tribes of England, all omegas aged eighteen (18) to twenty-five (25) shall be bred annually at the age of eighteen warranted that they have had one (1) fertile heat. During these years, all omegas must remain unmated and fertile in time for their scheduled breeding session. Alphas between the age of sixteen (16) and thirty (30) will be selected based on physical strengths and medically exceptional sperm quality to breed the omegas. All viable children will be given to selected families. No parental rights will be given to the alpha whose sperm is donated or the omega who bears them. Those who do not serve their tribe by this law will face exile.” Louis’ eyes scanned the breeding letter. Written in a beautiful, careful cursive was the name of the alpha who would impregnate him, and it couldn’t have been more pretentious: Harry Styles.

19) Life And Love Finds A Way | Explicit | 165,244 words

Post-apocalyptic world after a plague had taken out more than half of the world’s population. In the midst of the pandemonium caused by so many people passing away, the population that was left had turned greedy and started attacking each other for food and resources now that there weren’t enough people to farm or work essential jobs. After being shot by a looter while he was on patrol, Harry had decided to leave the police department and move away to find somewhere remote to live. What he didn’t expect was for an omega to weasel his way into Harry’s heart.

20) Inevitable | Mature | 185,917 words

AU where Louis and Harry used to be more than friends, but everything had to change the day Harry introduces Louis to his new girlfriend.

21) I Thought We Were Forever | Mature | 235,556 words

“I need time alone from you.” Louis’ heart skipped a beat. That he had not seen coming. “From me?” his voice shook. Harry nodded, another tear rolling down his cheek. “I don’t understand, H.” “It’s-” “You want to go on holidays on your own or something?” frowned Louis, so very confused. A long silence settled. “Look, there’s no easy way to say this.” murmured Harry and he looked so in pain. “I like someone else. Like Like like. At least I think I do. I’m not sure. That’s why I need time alone.”

22) Boss Bitch | Explicit | 386,901 words

Harry had always wanted to work for this successful mafia; the mafia that everyone knew, everyone feared. Led by none other than the pahntom “L'eue Courante”, whom everyone knew existed, but had no other clues who this person could be. The only thing known was a high heel the phantom once left. So this person had to be woman, Harry assumend. And man, was he wrong.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[ythankucaptainmccoy]

The Cowgirl and The Aviator Ch12

WARNING: Character harm, blood, hospitals, ranch hands being protective, hurt, comfort, trust building and fluff.

Jake didn’t even pack a bag as he booked a flight to Austin and a rental car for when he landed. Bradley even volunteered to take him to the airport. “When you get there tell her we miss her here, and you better apologize on your knees because she won’t accept anything less”, Bradley said. “I will do anything and everything to get her back”, Jake replied. Bradley watched as Jake fidgeted in the passenger seat and he decided to speed a little to get him to the airport.

Once Jake made it into the airport he went through security and ran to the gate only to realize he had to wait thirty more minutes before he could board the plane. He tried your cell phone several times but it would ring before rolling to voicemail. He begged and pleaded for you to give him another chance that he would do anything for you. Even admitting he would go AWOL from the Navy if he had to.

They announced boarding and to Jake it felt like the longest boarding he had ever sat through. You on the other hand were helping Bull and the other ranch hands brand and castrate the young calves. “Nothing like being outdoors and working like this huh”, he said. “I wouldn’t mind having a ranch like this one day”, you replied. Bull noticed how happy you were and he knew that even though you loved Jake you would be okay. 

It was late afternoon by the time you got done and the guys were setting up to cook some dinner. “I’m gonna walk Rebel down to the creek”, you told Bull. “Don’t be gone too long once these guys get the food done they don’t hesitate to eat it all”, Bull jokes. You nodded and walked the mile to let Rebel cool off and get a drink. While there you noticed someone walking down the creek. You figured it was one of the guys coming back from getting cleaned up in the creek as you relaxed.

Jake had just made it to his sisters front door where he knocked incessantly. Evelynn opened the door with a frown on her face and a glare in her eye. “What do you want?”, she asked. “I need to talk to (Y/N)”, Jake explained. “And you think she came here? Even if she was here, why would I tell my jackass of a brother where she was?”, she scolded. “I know she’s here and I have to get her back, Ev. Ever since breaking up with her all I see when I close my eyes is her. I hear her in my dreams and I messed up. I’ll get down on my knees for her. I know now that the photo was all a trick and I should have let her explain”, Jake rushed.

Evelynn had never seen her brother so distraught, not even when he found the girl he was planning on marrying was cheating on him. “She isn’t here right now, but she’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. Until then you better think about what you’re going to say to her”, Evelynn said. Jake was at a loss so he walked out to the barn where he found your cot with your duffle bag. He noticed a picture poking out of the bag and when he pulled it out he noticed it was a picture of him. 

It was an old photo of when he had just joined the Navy, and he knew that Evelynn had given it to you. It was nice to know you still somewhat cared about him. You were taken by surprise when the person that had been walking stopped beside you. “Hey (Y/N) long time, but I told you that I was going to take you back home”, the person said. You knew that voice right away and when you looked up there stood Jackson pointing a gun at you. “Look I don’t want any trouble”, you said. “Well I just wanted you to come home and now I have to resort to making you come home”, he says grabbing your arm. 

You automatically let Rebel go and slapped him to get him to run. To your relief he started heading back to the camp. Bull was helping put more wood on the fire when Rebel came running into the camp. When Bull grabbed a hold of him his eyes were wide and seemed panicked. He knew something was wrong, Rebel wouldn’t have left you otherwise. He told the boys to mount up as he was the first to saddle up and ride off. 

Jackson was dragging you along the creek when you could hear a horse approaching. Before you could distinguish whose horse or who was coming you heard a cry and before you understood you hit the ground hard. When you were able to find your feet Bull had leapt from his horse and tackled Jackson to the ground. They were scrapping and Bull was winning until Jackson pistol whipped him. Jackson got up pointing the gun at him when you leapt into action. 

You had just hit Jackson when the gun went off the first time. You fell on top of him as you both scrapped knowing now that this was life or death. You could hear the rest of the ranch hands on their horses approaching as you continued. You reached for the gun in Jackson’s hand when it went off and you felt the burning in your abdomen. Jackson pushed you off of him and ran, but one of the ranch hands lassoed his foot bringing him down hard as the gun went flying out of his hands.

Bull was by your side in a second as you could hear Jackson yelling for the guys to unhand him. “You're hurt”, you told Bull. He had some blood coming down from his gray hair. “Hun you’re worse than I am. Someone give me their shirt and ride hard and as fast as you can for the house to get help. They might have to call in the airlift!”, Bull bellowed. A shirt was handed to him when you looked down to see the blood soaking your shirt. “This is gonna hurt hun, but I got ya’. Hold on”, Bull soothed. He used the shirt to put pressure on the wound as you cried out and grabbed his arm. 

“Boss, what do you want us to do with him?”, one of the ranch hands asked. “Rough ‘im up”, Bull growled. That’s all they needed to hear as Jackson started screaming for you to help him. Jake was talking with Colton when one of the youngest ranch hands came riding in like his ass was on fire. “There’s been an accident (Y/N)’s been shot and Bull said she might need an airlift to the hospital”, the young man rushed. Jake felt his blood go ice cold as the ranch hand told them what field they were in.

Colton called for emergency services and explained as he handed Jake his truck keys. “They are sending emergency services”, Colton relayed. He told Jake where to go and when the ranch hands came into view he saw you laying on the ground. He barely put the truck in park as he ran to you. “(Y/N) darlin’ I’m so sorry”, Jake said as he kneeled beside you. Somebody had put their saddle under your head to keep you somewhat comfortable. 

“Jake what are you doin’ here?”, you asked. “I’m here because I messed up. I was coming to beg you to take me back. I know now that I should have listened to you when you tried to explain about the photo. I’m a jackass and I love you”, he tells you. The whole time he is stroking your hair and crying. He worries as you start looking tired and too pale. “I love you too. I never stopped loving you even after everything that happened”, you sigh. He sits with you as you start to feel weaker and weaker.

“Jake”, you whisper. “Yeah darlin’ “, he replies. “I feel cold and tired”, you admit. “You gotta hold on darlin’ the ambulance is on its way. You have to hold on for me. I can’t live without you please hold on”, he panics. Bull is on your other side as you glance at him and notice even he is crying. The ambulance finally arrives as they get out to assess you. Jake insists on riding with you in the ambulance as they load you up. 

“Jake”, you whimper. “I’m right here darlin’ I’m not goin’ anywhere”, he tells you. “Jake I’m scared”, you say right before you slip into unconsciousness. Jake loses it at that moment as sobs take hold of him. The EMT tries to assure him that your pulse is strong as he checks the blood bag he had hung up. Jake is overwhelmed at this point and everything is a blur as he walks into the ER and nurses have to hold him back as you're rushed to surgery.

Bull and the others wait for the police to show up and when they do Jackson is in need of a hospital as well, but once the officers hear what happened they insist on taking everyones statement on what happened. When they find that he has a restraining order they automatically read him his rights and take him into custody. Colton, Evelynn and Bull show up at the hospital where Jake is sitting in the waiting room pacing.

“Jake I’m sure she is gonna be fine son”, Bull tells him. Evelynn tries to get him to sit down as Colton tries to get him to talk. Hours go by when a doctor comes to the waiting room to find them. “How is she please tell me she is going to be okay I can’t lose her”, Jake pleads. “She is going to be just fine. The bullet was removed and internal bleeding dealt with. She is still asleep but I can allow at least one family member back to see her”, the doctor announces. “I’m her husband”, Jake blurts. 

The doctor raises a brow, but walks him back to the room you’re in. He pulls a chair up to your bedside and pulls your hand into his. He doesn’t know how long he sits there just watching to make sure you’re still breathing, but eventually he falls asleep. When you open your eyes you notice that you're in a hospital room and that your abdomen is painful remembering being shot. Then you look to your right to see Jake sitting in a chair slumped on your bed fast asleep. You also notice that your hand is in his and you can’t help but smile. 

A nurse comes in to check on you and make sure that the morphine drip is doing okay. “Your husband was so worried about you. Paced in the waiting room the whole time you were in surgery and hasn’t left your side since he came in here”, she says. “That sounds like him”, you croak. “Here honey, let's get you some water. Ya’ sound parched”, she tells you. The nurse pours you some water and hands it to you making sure you have it before letting go. You drink enough to wet your dry throat as she sets it back on the small rolling tray. “I’m going to come back in a little while to check on you”, she tells you.

After she leaves you squeeze Jake’s hand and call to him softly. He stirs and wakes immediately looking up to lock eyes with you. Tears fill his eyes as he lets out a relieved sigh, “I thought I was gonna’ lose you”. “Oh, well I couldn’t leave my husband”, you tease. He smiled and got up to kiss you. You reached up to wipe the tears from his eyes. “Here I am crying while you're comforting me when it should be the other way around”, he says. “I’m fine you look like a wreck. How did you know where I was?”, you ask.

“Well Penny after hearing me confess that I would beg on my knees to get you back told me where you were”, he says. “Well I’m glad she told you and for the record I will wait for you to beg on your knees”, you say. “I get it if you want some space”, he says. “I think we have spent enough time apart”, you reply. “I hope you can forgive me”, he says. “It might take a while, but I’m sure I can in time”, you tell him.

“I can live with that. Oh Rooster wanted me to tell you that they all miss you”, Jake says. “I should probably call them and let them know what happened”, you yawn. “Don’t worry about that now darlin’. Right now you need to rest up”, he tells you. You both sit and talk as Jake tells you how he found out that the picture was set up, and you tell him about working on the ranch. He listens intently as you talk until you start yawning. 

“Get some rest, I'll be here when you wake up”, he tells you. You fall asleep quickly as he watches you for a while before catching some more sleep himself. The next day Evelynn came up to visit and bring Jake some clothes since he came without any. The room you were staying in had a shower, but Jake would only get in long enough to wash his body and hair. Your stay in the hospital was a week to make sure you were healing properly. 

When it came to leaving the hospital you swore Jake was worse than a mother hen with new chicks. He helped you into the truck that Evelynn and Colton had lent to him. Then he drove ten miles per hour under the speed limit. “Jake honey you can drive the speed limit. The doctor discharged me and said as long as I don’t lift anything until the sutures come out I’ll be alright”, you protest. “Absolutely not, these roads are bumpy and I will not risk hurting you”, he replied. You roll your eyes as he continues to be passed by angry drivers. 

When you finally make it to the ranch you tear up when you see that Colton, Evelynn, Annabelle, Georgia, Bull and the rest of the ranch hands are there to welcome you back. Bull gives you a hug much to Jake’s worry as he rants about being careful. “He’s worse than my wife God rest ‘er soul. She used to fuss over the smallest things”, Bull laughed. You laughed along until pain caused you to stop and slightly double over. “See this is why you should rest”, Jake said. 

“I’ll be fine”, you tell him. He continues to watch you to make sure you aren’t over exerting yourself. After everyone welcomes you back Evelynn goes to cook dinner as you offered to help. “Now I hate to be like my brother, but I feel you should sit down and relax. I do have a job that requires sitting down”, Evelynn says. You follow her to the kitchen where she has potatoes that need peeling. Jake had followed you both in as you felt like you were suffocating. “Honey I think I can sit and peel potatoes without a problem”, you told Jake. 

Annabelle came into the kitchen being careful not to hurt you as she hugged you. “I’m happy that you’re okay”, she says. Georgia comes toddling in and climbs right into your lap as Jake tenses. “Wuv you aunt (Y/N)” Georgia said. That brought tears to your eyes as you hugged her then asked her if she wanted to help peel the potatoes. She excitedly clapped her hands as Evelynn handed you the potato peeler. 

Jake finally relented and walked out with Annabelle to find something to do as she pulled at his hand. “I swear he has done nothing but hover since I got shot”, you say. “Pray you don’t get pregnant anytime soon”, Evelynn laughs. “Oh I could only imagine how that would go”, you snort. “I know my brother is a jackass, but he does have a heart of gold”, she replies. “I still love him, but I can’t forgive him just yet”, you whispered. “I understand me and Colton had a moment like that. It took some time, but we overcame it eventually. Now we can laugh about it”, Evelynn confides.

You smiled at that then giggled a little when Georgia got impatient waiting for you to help her with the next potato. Once dinner was done Jake made your plate bringing it to the table for you. You leaned over and kissed his cheek thanking him for being there for you. He seemed to be more relaxed now than he had been all week. “We need to head back to San Diego, but I don’t know if you can handle the drive”, Jake announced. 

“I’m fit for travel besides you can drive my truck this time. Now I’ll admit it isn’t as fancy as yours”, you reply. The next couple of days Bull helps you pack up your gear, and you start to cry. “What’s wrong hun?”, Bull questions. “You’re the closest thing I have had to a father since I lost mine and I hate goodbyes”, you cry. “Oh hun you’re gonna’ be just fine and if ya’ ever need anything I’m gonna’ be right here on this ranch”, he sniffles. “I thought old cowboys don’t cry”, you laugh through your tears. 

He laughs along with you as Jake comes to make sure you’re ready to head back to San Diego. You had already gotten a doctor appointment set up for a check up back in San Diego so you were ready. After hugging everybody and saying goodbye you and Jake hit the road. You received a phone call from the police asking when you could give a statement. You explained that you were going to be staying in San Diego and the officer took down your information so they could come to you.

“I’m probably going to have to testify at the trial”, you say. “I’ll come with you as long as I’m not on deployment and I guarantee that Bull will go with you if I can’t”, Jake replies. The rest of the ride is calm other than the frequent stops that Jake was taking. He told you it was to get snacks or bathroom breaks, but you know that he is trying to make sure you are okay. Jake eventually books a hotel since he wanted to make sure you got the rest you needed.

When you arrive at the hotel you call Bradley to let him know what has been happening while Jake goes out to get food. When you tell him about what had happened he loses his mind. He continues to ask if you’re okay and starts to sound like Jake. The only way you get off the phone with him is telling him you need rest as directed by your doctor. When Jake comes back with food you let him know about telling Bradley.

“Great I bet he is going to hate me even more now”, Jake says. “Honestly I told him that you're a helicopter boyfriend and he agreed that you should be right now”, you laugh. Jake just stares at you as you open your bag of food until you notice him staring. “What?”, you ask. “You called me your boyfriend”, he says. “Well the way I see it I never broke up with you”, you smile. In one swift moment Jake is sitting beside you pulling you in to kiss you. 

“I love you so much. I made the dumbest mistake of my life when I did what I did”, Jake rambles. “I love you too, but you're taking the couch tonight”, you tell him. You hadn’t let him sleep in bed with you as a sort of punishment and he had obliged without protest. You have had some time to heal, but you want to see if he is serious about you. After staying in the hospital and how he has been by you since then it wasn’t going to take long to convince you he was all in. 

That night he slept on the couch as you took time to think about the last couple of months. Even with him being on a couch, but in the same room brings you comfort. The next morning when you wake up Jake is sitting at the small table with breakfast. “Why didn’t you wake me?”, you ask. “You need rest and you looked peaceful”, he tells you. You smile as you get up and sit beside him to eat. Jake waited for you to finish up then went to the front to check out once he got you to the truck. 

While sitting in the truck you could see Jake peeking through the doors checking on you. You smile when he comes out looking absolutely gorgeous in his jeans and t-shirt. When he gets in and starts driving you scoot to the middle and buckle up. It feels like forever, but eventually you both make it to the apartments. You are both tired and before you know it arms wrapped around you and you could smell Bradley’s cologne. 

“Bradley”, you laugh. He pulls away and asks how you feel, to which you respond. Jake waits patiently as you both catch up. When there is a lull in conversation Jake makes his move. “I know you probably haven’t thought about it, but where are you wanting to stay?”, Jake asks. Bradley looks to you waiting for your answer before Bradley takes you aside. “(Y/N), I know that what he did was wrong, but he has been a mess around here without you”, Bradley confides. You look back to Jake as he watches the ocean while you talk with Bradley. 

“You wouldn’t be upset if I go back to staying with him?”, you ask. “It’s your decision”, he tells you. You ponder it for a moment then smile as you realize that even though he had hurt you, you had missed everything about Jake. “Even though he hurt me I still love him. He has some trust building to do, but he is making up for it. I mean he never left my side at the hospital”, you say. Bradley respects your decision as you hug him and head back over to Jake. “Bring me home cowboy”, you grin. Jake smiles and it feels as though the last couple days fade away.

Once inside Jake helps you get ready for bed like he has for the last couple of days. Everything smells like him and your tension just melts away. He goes to walk back towards the living room when you call out to him, “Where are you goin?”. “The couch I figured you would want your space”, he replies. “Not tonight Jake I want you here with me tonight”, you reply. He hesitates at first until you pat the other side of the bed. The apartment is quiet as you both settle in to sleep.

[jrswritings]

Tingles and Giggles - Chapter Seven - Tyler Owens x Reader

Get caught up with Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, and Chapter Six! Masterlist :)

Chapter Seven - Playin' Games

After driving for a half hour, your stomach decided to make an appearance by growling loudly just when the radio was switching songs. Your arms immediately covered your stomach, not like it mattered, you both knew where the gurgle came from. 

“Food is only five more minutes away, think you can last that long or will you wither away into nothing?” He asked, rubbing his thumb along your knuckles. 

“I think I’ll be okay,” you said, rubbing your belly, “I’m not sure about my stomach though.” 

As soon as you rounded the corner, there was a cute little red barn-shaped building next to a little convenience shop. The outside sign read ‘The Barn.’

“Is this where we’re eating? It barely looks like it would fit 50 people!” You said, sitting up in your seat. 

“Yep! My mom and I used to come here when I was a young kid and get breakfast on our way to Wyoming to watch my dad in one of the rodeos out there,” he said, “He started my love for riding but after so many accidents I had to switch to tornadeos.” 

“We’ll have to go to one sometime, there’s plenty of them down in Salado,” you said, “They use one of my parent’s bulls.” 

Once he parked, you opened your door and slid out of your seat. 

“Little lady you get back in the truck and let me open that door for you!” Tyler said in a rush, getting out of the driver's side and jogging around the front of the truck to grab the door. 

“Ty, I’m a grown woman and can open and close doors all by myself,” you said, patting his chest and walking by him. 

“But I’m here so that means you don’t have to,” he said, catching up to you while you walked into the little diner. 

“Let me be independent while also being a gentleman,” you said. 

“Hello, kids! C’mon in and sit where ever you’d like!” The waitress called from behind the small wall of delicious pies. 

Tyler led you over to a booth near a window, rolling up the shade slightly. 

Another waitress came over with menus, silverware, and glasses of water.

“Howdy, my name is Brandi and I’ll be your server, is there anything else you’d like to drink besides the water? We have lemonades, sweet teas, and Coke products,” she said while setting everything down on the table and taking out a notepad. 

“I’ll have a sweet tea, please,” you said, picking up the menu to start mulling over your options. 

“I’ll do the same, thank you,” Tyler said, rubbing his foot on yours under the table. 

“Comin’ right up, sugar,” she said and walked off to the counter with a little too much pep in her step. This started a little fire inside of you that you didn’t know could be lit. 

Tyler saw your facial expression change over the top of the menu as you gave Brandi a slight glare. 

“Calm down, baby girl,” he said softly, reaching across the table and putting a hand over yours, “You’re all I have eyes for.” 

You sighed, looking up at him. “What are you getting?” 

“Well, probably a burger,” he said, glancing down at their menu. 

“I’ll probably do the same,” you said, closing the menu and setting it at the front of the table, “Burgers are usually my, what I call, safe meal. It’s hard to mess up on a burger and fries.” 

“I get that, as a kid my meal used to be chicken tenders and fries,” he said, taking a drink of his water and looking at the menu.

The waitress came back over, setting the teas down on the table, “Alright you two, here are those teas and what can I get started for you?” 

“Let my wife order first, I usually wait to see what she gets before ordering as I most times end up switching because she says mine looks better,” he said gesturing to you with a smile. 

Hearing him call you his wife shocked not only you but the waitress as well. You looked over at him and he winked at you. 

“I’ll have a California burger with no onions, fries, with a side of ranch please,” you said, trying your best to remain calm after being called Tyler’s wife when you two aren’t even dating. 

“And for you sir?” The waitress asked, keeping her eyes on her notepad. 

“I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger with fries,” he said, “Along with a slice of apple pie for us to share, it’s her favorite.” 

“I’ll put your order in and it should be out in 10 minutes, would you like whipped cream on the pie?” She asked, grabbing the menus off the table. 

“Honey, what do you think?” He asked, grabbing your hands on top of the table.

“I would love some, thank you, Brandi,” you said, smiling up at her and rubbing his knuckles with your thumb. 

“Will do,” she said and walked to the kitchen. 

“Your wife?!” You whisper shouted at Tyler. Granted, you didn’t fully mind as Mrs. (Y/n) Owens had a ring to it, but it was more so unexpected. 

“I didn’t like how upset you got by her callin’ me sugar, so I had to improvise and that’s what I came up with,” he said, “Are you sayin’ you wouldn’t want to be married to this teddy bear?” 

“Only time will tell, Owens,” you said, taking a drink of your tea. 

“Playin’ games, are we now, honey?” He asked, leaning onto his elbows that were resting on the edge of the table. 

“No, but need I remind you that this is technically our first date?” You asked him quietly. 

“Nope, I just love seein’ you blush,” he said, reaching over and pinching your cheek softly. 

You slapped his hand away playfully, “Okay Grandpa, you can quit pinching me.” 

“But why? Your cheeks are just too cute,” he said, making his voice sound like he was 40 years older. 

“Oh stop it, baby,” you said, noticing how smoothly that slipped off your tongue. 

“See honey, by the end of the day you’ll be calling me hubby and all will be well in the world,” he said, a cheesy smile coming to his face. 

“Don’t test your luck, Owens,” you said, wagging one of your pointer fingers at him. 

“Alright, alright,” he said, holding his hands up as a surrender. 

“Bacon cheeseburger for you sir,” Brandi said, sliding a basket in front of Tyler. 

“That looks good,” you said, ogling over his burger. 

“See? In five minutes we’ll have different baskets,” Tyler joked with the waitress. 

“And a California burger with fries and ranch for you, ma’am,” she said, “I’ll be over with the pie in a few minutes. Is there anything else you two need?” 

“This will be all, thank you,” he said, looking over at you and then at the waitress. 

As she walked away, Tyler looked at you practically drooling over his burger basket. 

“Do you want to trade?” He asked, nudging the basket towards you. 

“No, no,” you said, “That’s what you ordered, I’ll let you enjoy it.” 

“If you say so,” he said, taking a big bite of the burger. 

You grabbed a few fries and dipped them in the ranch, then stuffed them in your mouth. As you chewed you did a slight wiggle in your seat. Tyler watched you do that while taking a few fries and eating them. 

“Do you always wiggle after you eat fries with ranch on them?” He asked, using a fry to point to you, the fries, and the ranch. 

“Just think of it as the negative, hangry mood leaving my body per se,” you said, taking a bite of your burger. 

“Is it because you love fries and ranch?” He asked, smiling slightly. 

You nodded and grabbed a few more fries while you finished the bite you just took, not wanting to look like you were starving and shoveling the food into your mouth faster than you could chew. 

“I’ll remember that,” he chuckled, taking a big drink of his sweet tea. 

“Here’s that warmed apple pie with whipped cream on top for the lovely couple,” the waitress that originally greeted you said as she placed the pie with two spoons in front of you. 

“Thank you,” you said after swallowing your bite. 

“Is there anything else I can get you, or is it alright if I grab the tab?” She asked, “You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like to keep out of the Oklahoma heat.” 

“Maybe a box and to-go forks for the pie? The burgers have been more filling than I think either of us realized,” Tyler said, patting his stomach. 

“Let me go put it in the container for you, hon,” she said, grabbing the plate and walking to the kitchen. She came back two minutes later with the pie in a styrofoam container, two plastic forks, and the tab. 

“Thank you so much, we appreciate it,” you said, finishing the last of your burger. 

“Of course, sugar! Thank you for choosing The Barn, please come back anytime!” She said, walking back to the kitchen. 

Tyler left cash on the table for the bill and put his hat back on, then slid out of his seat after finishing his tea. He stood up straight, grabbed the container with the slice of pie, and then held out his hand for you. You sucked down what was left of your tea and grabbed his hand while sliding out of the booth. 

“Have a great day!” The older waitress called out as you both walked out the door.

“Damn, you must have scared off the other waitress by calling me Mrs.Owens,” you laughed, “She never came back.” 

“Good!” He said, giving you a wide grin while holding the door open. 

Want more? Here's Chapter Eight!

Taglist: @fanboyswhore9 @faith719

[anabdaniels]

A pretty picture and the scenery is so loud

Paring: retiredchubby!Agent Whiskey x Plus size female reader

Summary: Seeing Jack carrying the cattle grains around the ranch is what it takes to get you worked up.

Word counting: 2.4k

Rating: +18

Warnings: Fingering, unprotected sex, creampie, body worship, Jack wearing that all denim outfit from his last scene in Kingsman (I'm sorry, I'm completely down by how good he looks on that scene).

A/N: This can be read as a part of the same universe of How Much Does Devotion Weight? or as a standalone.

Divider from: @saradika-graphics

Masterlist

It was just another ordinary day, sitting at the table and having lunch with your husband. You and Jack were unworriedly talking when someone called him by the door, you recognized the voice from one of the ranch hands, and, judging by the hour, you already knew that your cowboy would probably be stolen from you.

When Jack returned with an apologetic smile and squatted next to your chair with his hands on your thighs, you confirmed what you already expected.

“I’ll need to get out for a moment, honey. The cattle grains arrived and we have to unload them now.” Jack explained himself with a bit of puppy eyes, aware that it would always work with you. With a soft smile, you nodded.

“Don’t worry, I’ll wait.” Jack smiled and leaned to plant a gentle kiss on your forehead before getting up.

“I’ll get back soon.” He said softly petting your head and walked once more to the front door.

You considered continuing eating while waiting for Jack to get back, but you knew very well that it wasn’t an option; since Jack retired from Statesman and dedicated himself only to taking care of the ranch, you had gotten even more attached to him, loving the perspective of having him around all day and every day. Just accepting that everything on your plate would taste like paper in those circumstances, you put both of your plates in the oven on the keep warm function and walked to the front door either, wanting to see what was going on.

From the porch, you could see the men taking the cattle grains bags to the barn and you started to wonder if it had been a smart idea to take a look at the situation at the very moment you saw Jack throwing a 100lbs grain sac over his shoulder as if it was nothing and carrying it to the barn effortlessly. At that point, you truly believed you could deal with Jack doing this kind of stuff that turned you on at unmentionable levels, but every time it caught you as if it was the first time.

Yes, when Jack worked as an agent you used to feed your dirty thoughts imagining Jack being a badass spy, getting out of tricky situations with his lasso and whip, but seeing him being a full-time rancher right in front of your eyes, produced some new feelings on you. After the first couple of months, you thought you could control yourself better, but then the consequences of the calmer lifestyle started to show up and Jack started to gain some pounds. Him being fit while doing any ranch stuff? You sure could deal after some time. Him being in his full cowboy mode with a soft stomach, thicker thighs, and rounder face? Now that was way too much for your libido.

You did the best you could to contain yourself while watching the whole thing, feeling your thighs pressing against each other as you observed Jack running his hand through his slightly sweat hair before grabbing the last sac of grains and carrying it inside the barn. Aware that you’d need a moment to recompose yourself, you walked back inside home, moving to the guest restroom, laughing when you saw your flushed cheeks then proceeding to wet your face and hope you could put yourself together.

As you walked back to the kitchen, you found Jack resting against the counter while drinking a glass of cold water, the crumbs of self-control you recovered being thrown out of the window; for a moment you thought it could be just your fertile period making you insane, but you knew that it wouldn’t happen so soon, it was just the vision of your handsome cowboy making you feral. You sneaked behind Jack, throwing your arms around him, resting your face against his shoulder blade as your hands slid from his chest to his rounded stomach, making him promptly realize your intentions.

“Need anything, darlin’?” he questioned playfully and caressed your forearm.

“Depends.” You stopped for a moment to ponder your next words “Are you included on ‘anything’?”

“If it’s what my wife needs…” Jack chuckled and turned around, wrapping his arms around your thick waist and pressing a teasing kiss on the corner of your mouth.

“Daniels…” you grumbled already softening on his arms and looking up at him with a pleading gaze, your mind going blank for a moment; God, you loved him so damn much that it was almost unbearable sometimes. Jack was a good man, an amazing husband, and a handsome figure, you couldn’t ask for anything else. He abandoned his agent work with no second thoughts when you finally admitted that it was a complete nightmare for you, he told you it was because he was getting tired of it, after all, he would never leave any breach for you to feel responsible or guilty for his decision. You were more than aware that you had won the damn jackpot with that man.

“What’s going through this pretty head of yours, sugarcube?” he questioned softly nudging his nose against yours as he noticed your distraction.

“Nothing.” You answered with a smile “Well, actually, just the memory of you being the hottest ranch owner I’ve ever seen. Never thought I could envy a sac of grains.”

“Oh, but I can solve this right now, my little dove.” Giving you no time to process what he meant, Jack wrapped an arm around your thighs and lifted you from the ground, throwing you over his shoulder. Instinctively you started to flounder, slapping his back unintentionally a couple of times.

“Jack!” you squealed as you were able to talk “Put me down.” You said chuckling, not wanting him to put you down, but unable to avoid being self-aware of your weight.

“I will, once we’re in the bedroom.” Jack answered as he started to walk, giving a soft pat on your ass as he carried you to the bedroom. You didn’t bother to retort, loving how he engaged so quickly in your goofy dirty thoughts. As he entered the suite, Jack looked around while still petting your butt. “Now, now. Where should I put my precious cargo?” You mentally listed all the places in that room you’d like him to take you, but he was quicker, carefully placing you on the dresser.

You bit your lip, still with your face flushed from the unexpected turn of events and getting redder as you noticed Jack taking a good look at you as his hands sneaked under your dress with no ceremony to take it off; you chuckled as you reminded that you hadn’t bothered to put any underwear when you woke up by the morning. Jack smirked satisfied with what he did, or didn’t, find under your dress: no panties or bra blocking his vision, every inch of your plump frame so beautifully displayed in front of him, the shining wetness between your legs confirming his suspicions about your arousal.

“What should I do with you, hum?” Jack twitched one of his eyebrows with that damn cocky attitude, rubbing one of your thighs and letting his other hand roam over your body, gentling squeezing the soft folds of your belly, and moving to cup and caress your bountiful breasts.

“Daniels…” you whimpered a complaint, aware that he could edge you for hours if he felt like doing it.

“Fine, fine, I’ll be generous with you this time.” He leaned forward, nibbling your jaw before pressing his lips against yours. You softened under his calm approach, being caught off guard when his fingers sneaked from your thigh to your throbbing cunt. You didn’t fight your body instincts, involuntarily rolling your hips against his hand as he touched your clit and teased your entrance, making sure to remind you that the number of dirty thoughts you had with his fingers was solidly underpinned.

As he sensed you getting more eager and responsive to his touch, Jack decided that he could go further on finally turning your horny imaginary scenarios into reality. Calmly he leaned backward, giving you a moment to put your brain to work once more and catch your breath, nothing he didn’t expect, what truly surprised him were your hands jumping over his as he started to remove his denim jacket.

“Keep it.” You asked without thinking much before speaking, loosening your grip on his hands and tilting your head as your brain processed the situation “Please.” You asked with pleading eyes, conscious that you could take Jack’s soul out of him with them.

“You’ll have to start writing down your dirty fantasies so I can properly fulfill them.” He said while shaking his head with an expression of enjoyment, letting go of his jacket.

“I could do that.” You chuckled and wrapped your arms around his neck.

“I’m well aware of that.” Jack raised his eyebrows while passing your legs around his hips. Seeming to need no effort, he grabbed your thighs and took you from the dresser, walking to the nearest wall and softly pinning you against it, making you start to hesitate about the whole scenario.

“I don’t know if this is a good idea.” You wanted so badly for him to fuck you like that, but at the same time, your self-awareness made you terrified of the idea of him not managing to hold you like that for too long, you surely didn’t need to deal with such a situation.

“For Christ’s sake, honeybee, I’ll always have to remind you that you didn’t marry a city boy that can’t even carry all the groceries in one go?” his tone was a bit overdramatic, but the smile insisting on show up on his lips assured you that he wasn’t upset. You smiled and nodded softly, amused by both his comprehensive way towards your concerns and the way he knew precisely what was going through your head.

Once again you allowed yourself to not think for a moment, simply appreciating the way he kissed you slowly, teasingly biting your bottom lip a couple of times, and surprising you once more with how genuinely easy was for him to manage to hold you with one hand as he moved the other between your bodies to unzip his jeans. When, finally, he slowly slid inside you, you assumed it’d be one of those agonizing times when he fucked you slowly when all you wanted was to be dicked down until you couldn’t bear it anymore.

“Y’better hold on tight, sugar.” Jack said in a husky tone and bit your jaw.

You didn’t promptly get what he meant with it, whining involuntarily as he grabbed your thighs firmly and started to pound into you intensively enough for you to feel your whole body bouncing.

And, damn, he fucking loved that sight.

Jack always got almost out of his mind with the idea of having that kind of vision of your tits and belly jiggling like that while he was buried deep inside you, but since you always made it clear that you wouldn’t ride him no matter what, he conformed himself with the products of his imagination, now he wondered how he never thought of that before. He could feed your little slutty thoughts and have that incredible view as a bonus feature.

For a moment, you thought that at some point you’d get too conscious about how the chubby folds of your belly got quite visible or how much your torso bounced at every thrust, but the truth is that you were unable to think about a single shit aside of how good Jack was fucking you, pinning you against the wall with the right amount of pressure and grabbing handfuls of you every here and there, once again making it ridiculously obvious how much he loved every centimeter of your body exactly how it was, giving you no room to start to divagate on your mean thoughts about yourself.

Your fingers twisted on the collar of his jacket, making your knuckles white as you made a lot of noises and begged him to not stop. Your legs tightened around his hips as you dived into pleasure, not even realizing as you started to melt on his hands, choking on your breath occasionally when the fabric of his jeans rubbed on your swollen sensitive clit. Mesmerized with how perfect you looked all cockdrunk and soft, Jack couldn’t do any better than slightly shift the angle of his hips to assure your clit would be constantly disturbed by the denim fabric so you could get your release, because, knowing himself as much as he did, Jack had no hope of last much longer being that worked up about you.

You didn’t bother to try to fight your body’s need, simply leaning your head back and letting it go, clenching around Jack as that burning feeling in your womb dissolved into an orgasm, causing your legs to tremble and get loose around your husband’s hips. Not taking his eyes from you for a single minute, Jack followed right after you, bracing himself on the wall with one hand and biting your shoulder as he released inside you, thrusting erratically as he filled you with every single drop he could until he slowly stopped moving, unconsciously letting his body press yours against the wall while he caught his breath.

The closest you got from thinking straight once more was when you realized that at some point Jack had sat on the bed with you on his lap, still buried inside you and seeming to not care as the mix of your releases started to drop from inside you straight on his jeans.

“Think I’ll take your idea of writing down my dirty thoughts.” You said louder than a whisper, resting your head on his shoulder.

“Go ahead with it, sweetheart. Just be aware that I might want to put ‘em all in practice at once.” He answered playfully while caressing your back.

“There’s worst ways to spend time.” You chuckled and hid your face on the curve of his neck, just allowing your boneless body to take some rest in the cozy lap of your cowboy.

Tagging: @missladym1981

[javierpena-inatacvest]

Chapter 8.5: 007- Peña, Agent Peña

Summary: After Javi's surprise on the Peña ranch, you had already had the best night of your life. Little did you know, your night was just beginning.

Word Count: 4.9K (This is as short as it's ever gonna get, this is just who I am)

Warnings: SMUT (18+), unprotected p in v sex (wrap it up), creampie, praise (oh boy, does Javi tell you what a good job you're doing), semi-public nudity?? (not really, but you'll see!!), mentions of eating/food, mentions of alcohol, mentions of loss of a parent, you and Javi being absolute goofballs and being lovesick idiots

A/N: SO. I finished Chapter 8 and went to go walk my dog, and the song "Would That I" by Hozier came on, and it 100% is the inspiration behind this mini chapter. I literally came up with the idea for this chapter and wrote it in less than 24 hours because Javi and Osita live in my head rent free at all times being the cutest two idiots to ever exist. Enjoy this fun lil bit, it's honestly probably my favorite thing that I've written for this series so far!!!

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“I’m not sure if cold, post sex and first I love you’s is the way that your dad intended us to eat these enchiladas, but holy shit are they delicious.” You and Javi laughed, finishing the last bites of the enchiladas verdes Chucho had packed for the both of you. It probably would have made more sense to eat dinner almost an hour ago when Javi had first taken you out to watch the sunset in the back of his truck, but, no offense to Chucho’s enchiladas, having the most romantic sex of your life followed by Javi telling you that he loved you for the first time seemed to take higher priority to you. 

“These ones are actually pretty good, I will give him that. Thank God he’s finally starting to get better at cooking, a few months ago his food was practically inedible.” Javi shook his head, wiping his face with the back of his hand as gathered both of your cleared paper plates and forks, tossing them into the empty paper bag Chucho had sent them with. 

“Actually? I didn’t know he had come such a long way in his cooking career in such a short time.” You snickered, pulling some of the blankets laying at the edge of the truck bed over you as you scooted yourself closer to Javi, laying your head against his chest as you snuggled next to him. Pulling you closer, Javi wrapped his arm around you, fingers tracing gentle circles along the back of his sweatshirt you were now wearing. 

“Actually. He never cooked until my mom died. One day he called me while I was still in Colombia and told me he had found one of my mom’s recipe books and was gonna teach himself how to cook. When I came home, he insisted on making me dinner every night so he could show off whatever he was learning. I ate a lot of sandwiches after he fell asleep the first few months I was home.” 

“Well despite the terrible food you had to eat, that’s actually really sweet. Glad I came around when I did so I only have to reap the benefits of his good cooking and not suffer along with you.” You giggled as he squeezed you before giving you a playful shake wrapped in his arms. “Can you cook at all, or is this a warning that you’re gonna subject me to your awful cooking too?” 

“I can cook enough. Not a good cook by any means, but definitely not my Pops a few months ago. Can do more than Kraft Mac and Cheese, I’ll tell you that much.” He smirked, poking fun at the first meal you had made. You sat up, giving him the biggest stink face you could muster without bursting into laughter.

“Okay, first of all, rude. Second of all, don’t act like you wouldn’t have eaten an entire second pot if I hadn’t made one for you, Mr. Literally Will Literally Eat Anything Under The Sun In World Record Time.” 

“If I seem to remember correctly, you weren’t doing a lot of complaining after I ate, Osita.” He winked at you as you nudged your elbow into his side before he grabbed you, rolling you over and playfully wrestling you into the pile of pillows and blankets beneath you. “C’mere, Hermosa.” He wrapped his arms around you as you giggled and squirmed beneath him, trying to wiggle your way out of his grasp. You kicked your feet as he kissed at your neck, his mustache ticking you with each peck of his lips. Using all your might, you were able to roll over on top of him, straddling his lap as he lay on his back, breaking free of his grasp.

“Can’t get me that easy, Peña. Wrestling was the only way I got anything from my brothers for the first ten years of my life.” You smirked as you leaned down to kiss him as his fingertips gripped into your hips, pulling you further on to his lap. 

“Could think of worse ways to lose a wrestling match.” Javi’s face smug as he gestured to how you were sitting on top of him, letting out a quiet groan as you started to grind into his lap, feeling him already half hard beneath you. “Careful, Hermosa. Not gonna be so nice if you’re gonna try to play dirty.” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for you to make the next move. 

Still bent over him, you kissed up his neck and jaw before nipping at his ear. “Last time I checked, you liked it when I played dirty.” Your whispers left jaw slack, pressing up into you, his dick already straining against the fabric of his sweatpants. 

“Fuck me.” He murmured under his breath as you began to grind harder into his crotch. “You wanna play dirty, baby? I can play fuckin’ dirty.” You could see the lust filled in the dark pool of his eyes, biting down on your lip, already feeling the slick pooling between your legs with each sway of your hips. “You already wet for me, baby?” 

This man read you like a book- like he had every fucking page memorized. “Mmmhhhmm.” You nodded, feeling how soaked the fabric of your sweatpants already was as you felt your clit rub deliciously against Javi’s dick, hard and heavy underneath you. 

“I know you are, dirty girl. Want me to touch you baby? Want me to make you come before I fuck that perfect pussy again?” You nodded again, frantically shaking your head yes at his filthy words as you worked yourself against his length. He laughed to himself, shaking his head as he watched how blissed out you already were rubbing against him. “Too bad.” 

You paused, shooting him a confused look. “What do you mean, too bad?” 

“You know exactly what I mean. You wanna play dirty, I will too. You wanna come? You get yourself off like this.” He gave you a subtle nod of his head, gesturing to how you were sitting on top of his lap. 

“Are you serious? Javi, c’mon, please.” You rolled your eyes at him as you crossed your arms over your chest, trying to play off how desperate you already were for him. 

“Rules are rules baby. Fight dirty, play dirty. C’mon pretty girl, I know how needy you are, how wet that pretty pussy is for me.” He mewled as he toyed with the waistband of your sweatpants, fingers brushing against your skin. He dug his fingers into your hips, slowly pushing them back and forth against his lap, encouraging you to pick back up your pace brushing up against his dick with every motion. “There you go, hermosa. That’s my girl. Just like that, baby.” He praised as you found yourself rubbing harder and harder against him, slick coating your thighs. With his length, it wasn’t hard to feel how big he was, making it easy to find a sweet spot that brushed up against your sensitive bundle of nerves as you rocked your hips back  and forth over him. 

“Javiiiii, fuck.” You whined, feeling the heat build at the base of your spine as your clit rubbed harder and harder on his covered cock. 

“That’s it, Osita. Doing so good for me, baby. God, you look so fucking pretty riding me like that, C’mon, I know you’re close sweetheart.” His praise had you climbing towards your high, each time you ground your hips into him had you closer and closer to coming undone. His name fell from your lips, moaning as he was gripping your hips again pushing you deeper into him. 

“Javi, I’m so close. Fuck, fuck fuckkkkkk.” You whimpered as you felt the euphoria rush through you, gushing, feeling your pussy throb from the intensity of your orgasm. You slumped into him, face falling on to his chest as you caught your breath. 

“Such a good girl, Osita. My good fucking girl. Did so good for me baby.” He whispered in your ear as hand his hands along your body, trembling at his touch. “Still want me to fuck you, dirty girl?” 

“Yes, holy shit, yes.” You moaned. “Please, I need you so bad Javi.” He helped you pull your sweatpants down, kicking them off your feet as you straddled back over Javi, sitting on top of his thighs. Slipping your fingers under his waistband, you pushed the pants down, revealing his dick, already red, precum leaking from its tip, leaving a stain on his sweatpants. You lifted yourself up, slowly sinking down on his length, each inch splitting you open with the sweetest stretch. Even without his fingers to warm you up, you were so wet that you took him easily, feeling yourself bottom out on his cock as Javi let out an audible groan. His hands reached around, giving you a light smack on your ass before his fingers kneaded into your flesh. You began to raise yourself up and down along his length, swirling your hips as your hands tugged at the hem of his sweatshirt that you were wearing, ready to take it off. His hand grabbed your wrist, stopping you before you could get any further. 

“Keep it on. Fuck, I love seeing you in my clothes.” He bit down on his lip as you nodded, rubbing your hands up and down his chest as you threw your head back, drunk on the way his dick felt hitting against that sweet spot inside you. The hair around his base rubbed against your clit, making you whine as you picked up your pace. “Jesus Hermosa, fuck me. Taking me so well. My sweet girl.” His voice was thick and raspy between his heavy breaths, his eyes glued on your every move as you rode him. 

Suddenly, you felt him shift. Sitting up with his back pushed up against the truck, he wrapped his arms around you pulling you in so you were chest to chest, foreheads pressed against each other. You could feel him thrust up into you, his cock punching that magical spot that made the heat at the base of your spine creep up your back. “Javi, fuck baby, you feel so good. Fuckkk.” You tugged at his thick curls, burying your face in the crook of his neck, the scent of his sweet and spicy cologne clinging to his sweatshirt. 

“I know, hermosa, I know. Fuck, you’re so wet and tight, baby. Gonna give me one more? Soak my dick before I fuck you full of me again?” You wrapped your legs around his waist, digging your fingers into his back as you felt yourself snap, screaming his name as pleasure ran through every inch of you. You could feel how tight you were clenching around his cock as you came, his thrusts pounding deeper and faster into you. It didn’t take long for him to meet his own end, only needing a few more pumps before you felt his seed spill into you, leaking down your thighs and into his lap as you slumped into each other. 

“Fuck, Osita.” He whispered between his labored breathing, lifting his head off your shoulder, smiling at your blissed out face. “Jesus, I fucking love you.” 

“I love you too, Jav. Super romantic with your dick still in me and your cum dripping down my legs.” You giggled, still sitting in his lap. 

“It’s fucking hot, is what it is. Fuck me, you’re so sexy. What the fuck did I ever do to deserve such a beautiful woman who fucking loves me like you?” 

“God, you’re so sweet. Get your dick out of me before I start crying again, you menace.” You both laughed as you shifted off of him, grimacing at the mess you had left behind in Javi’s lap. “Do you have any towels, or leftover napkins? Sorry, I made a fucking mess. So much for those showers before we left.” 

Javi paused for a moment before a sly grin crept across his face. “Ostia, can you swim?

You raised an eyebrow at him, very confused by his question, considering you were surrounded by a gigantic, grassy field. “What? Yes, of course I can swim? Why are you asking me that? How is knowing if I can swim helpful right now?”  

His smile turned giddy, smirking at you as he shimmied his sweatpants back over his legs. “C’mon, get in the truck.” He slid himself off the back of the truck bed, standing up and outstretching his hand toward you. You quickly pulled your sweatpants back on too, following behind him as he helped you out of the truck and picked you up to put you in the passenger seat. 

“Javi, what the hell are we doing? Are you gonna go throw me in a trough or something? Listen, I love those cows, but I am not gonna be happy if you toss me into a bucket full of dirty cow spit water.” You crossed your arms at him, waiting for a response. 

“You’ll see.” He winked at you before shutting your door, hopping over to the driver’s side and starting up the car. 

“You’re lucky I love you.” You grumbled, still crossing his arms at him. He reached over the center console, giving you a quick kiss before pulling away and shifting the truck into drive. 

“I’m a very lucky man, indeed.” You finally shifted out of your playfully grumpy demeanor, melting as Javi stared at you, his sweet, puppy dog eyes making your heart explode every time they landed on you. You turned up the radio as Javi pulled away, heading the opposite direction that you came from, his headlights shining on a thick patch of trees at the end of one of the pastures. Driving a little deeper into the wooded area, Javi put the car in park, leaving you even more confused than when you left. He smiled at you as he shut off the ignition, hopping out the door before coming around to your side, helping you out of the car. 

“God, I thought driving me out to the middle of the field was bad, but taking me out into the woods in the pitch black? You really never are beating these serial killer allegations, I’m afraid.” 

“You’re the worst, do you know that?” Javi shook his head as he grabbed your hand, pulling you along with him as he began to walk through the trees. 

“I’m just saying! Listen, if you really wanted- Hey! Hey! Put me down!” You squealed as Javi picked you up, flinging you over his shoulder as you pounded your fists against his back, kicking and giggling with each step he took. God, was he strong. He carried you like it was nothing, laughing to himself as he watched you try to wriggle your way out of his fireman hold. Letting out a huff of defeat, you slumped further into him, staring at the ground as he took each step. 

“At least I have a good view of your ass from here.” You snickered as he continued walking. 

“You really like my butt, don’t you?” He laughed, rustling you in his grasp, still flung over his shoulder. 

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you are built like a God, Javier Peña. You’re very much proving your point right now carrying my fat ass through the woods.” 

He stopped, setting you down so you were facing towards him, placing his strong hand under your chin before tilting it up towards him. You gazed up at him, a surprisingly serious look spread across his face. “Hey. I love your ass. I love your body. Every curve, every single bit of you. Okay?”  

“Okay.” You softly replied, pulling you in tighter as he kissed the top of your head. “So are you gonna tell me where the hell we’re going, or are you just gonna keep carrying me through the woods?” 

“Turn around.” He nodded his head, gesturing behind you. As you spun around, you saw the moonlight sparkle off ripples of the pond in front of you. Rocks and tall grass surrounded the edges, water from a small stream flowing from behind the reeds into the pond. An old, worn wooden dock sat at the end, hovering over the first few feet out into the water. You turned back around to look at Javi, now smirking at your pleasant surprise with his most recent mystery. “I was out here every day as a kid in the summer. Nothing much, but it was deep enough to swim in. Haven’t been back here since high school, probably.”

“Is this where you’d take all the ladies to woo them with your swimming skills?” You joked, giving Javi a nudge as he stared around the pond. 

“No.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Just me and my friends, sometimes my cousins when they came over, if I was lucky.” 

“Well, I feel very honored to be the first lucky woman to get to see this secret pond.” You replied, slipping your sweatpants off your waist, leaving your bottom half exposed. Javi’s jaw dropped for the second time today watching you strip yourself of your clothes. “What?” You looked at him as your sweatshirt came next, dropping in a pile next to your pants, leaving you fully naked in front of him. “Aren’t we getting in?” You tilted your head at the pond, smirking at Javi who was now speechless. 

“You sure?” He said, gulping as he looked you up and down, your soft skin glowing in the moonlight. 

“Would I be standing here naked if I wasn’t?” You shrugged your shoulders as you raised an eyebrow at him. “You gonna swim in your sweats or am I gonna keep standing here like a naked idiot waiting for you?” Before you could say anything else, Javi’s clothes were on the ground next to yours, leaving you both bare, hidden amongst the secluded trees. This time, you grabbed his hand, running as you pulled him to the end of the dock, abruptly pausing as you got to the edge. “Are there like, weird things in here? It’s deep enough to jump in, right?” 

“Hermosa, just get in, you’re fine.” 

“Okay, but like-” 

“Osita, get in or I’m gonna push you in.”  

“You wouldn’t dare.” 

“You know I fucking will.” 

“Ugh okay, okay! Just promise me-” 

“1…” 

“Javi, wait-” 

“2…” 

“I’m being serious, don’t you do it! Javier Jesús Peña, I swear to God-” 

“3!” 

Before you could finish, Javi had his arms wrapped around your waist, swinging you back and forth, throwing you over the edge of the dock, limbs flailing as you splashed into the water. You peeked your head up, running your hands over your face as you watched Javi laughing hysterically. You flung your hand against the water, trying your best to splash him as he still stood at the edge thoroughly amused with himself. 

“I hate you, I hope you know that.” You grumbled, splashing him again. “Hey, wait, where are you going?” You shouted as you watched Javi turn around, making his way off the dock. It wasn’t long before you regretted asking the question, as Javi quickly turned around, getting a running start as he launched himself off the edge, drenching you as he drove into the water, making waves that splashed against you upon his entrance. You swam there for a moment, waiting for his head to pop up somewhere next to you, when suddenly, you felt something wrap around your ankle, making you absolutely screech at the top of your lungs. You swam as fast as you could back to the edge of the dock, clinging to the edge as you heard more hysterical laughter behind you, turning around to see Javi cackling to himself as you panted breathlessly, waiting for your heart rate to return to a semi-normal pace. 

“Holy shit, I didn’t think I was gonna scare you that bad, Osita.” He came down from his laughter, looking over at you hanging from the wooden planks still trying to catch your breath. “I’m sorry, baby. Are you okay?” He swam closer to you, now seeming like he felt a little remorse for what he had done. 

You took a few more deep breaths before letting go of the dock, looking back at him. Now only an arms’ length away from you, you swam full force towards Javi, wrapping your body around his, trying to wrestle him in the water. “You are an absolute jerk, you know that?” You grunted between your giggles as Javi grabbed you back, spinning you as you thrashed in the water, splashing it in his face before he grabbed your face to kiss him. Your legs locked around Javi’s hips, arms wrapping around his neck as his slipped behind your back, pulling you closer, feeling weightless in the water. He drew away for a moment, taking one of his hands to caress your face, rubbing his thumb along your jaw. 

“I forgive you, I guess.” You smiled as you sat there for a moment, taking in every detail of his face. His messy wet hair, his chocolate brown eyes, the way his mustache shifted above his lips as he smiled, everything about him that made you love him even more than you thought you already could. The way he looked back at you made you feel like there wasn’t anyone else in the world who could ever love you more. 

“God, you’re so beautiful. I love you, Osita.” 

“I love you too, Javi.” 

He brought you in closer, placing another gentle kiss on your lips. He pulled away again, this time with a look of panic washing over his face.

“What? Are you okay?” 

 “Was that your foot?” 

“My feet are wrapped around your waist?” You looked at him curiously. 

Trying his best to keep calm, Javi swam you both closer and closer to the shore, still carrying you with him as you stepped back on to land. This time, it was your turn to laugh at him, suddenly realizing why he had gotten out so quickly. “Not big and brave now, huh?” 

“At least I didn’t scream like you.” 

“Oh shut up.” You giggled as he set you back down, now sopping wet and shivering next to your pile of clothes. “Any way to explain to your dad why the hell we’re both coming back soaking wet?” You grimaced as you started to pull your sweatshirt over your wet body.

“We’re not.” His face smug as he followed suit opting to only put on his sweatpants, leaving him shirtless as you both headed back through the trees. 

“So…. What? You’re just gonna ask your dad to close his eyes and ignore us when we come back inside?” You raised an eyebrow in confusion looking up at Javi as he reached down to grab your hand as you walked. 

“No. To be honest, Pops is probably already passed out in front of the TV, but of course, you can’t walk through the front door without going past him. We’ll just sneak in through my bedroom window and he’ll be none the wiser.” 

You stopped for a second before laughing at him, continuing to walk as you shook your head. “Sneak in? What are we, 16? I know you said you’ve never brought any girls down here before, but I have a very hard time believing this is the first time you’ve snuck a girl into your room, Javier Peña.” 

“Only a few times.” He looked down at the ground sheepishly as you squeezed his hand. 

“I’m just giving you a hard time, Jav. Wouldn’t be my first time sneaking in either.” You admitted, your cheeks turning slightly red at your admission. 

“Really?” He perked up. “You don’t strike me as the type, but do tell.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You just seem like such a rule follower, maybe it’s the teacher in you.” He shrugged as you rolled your eyes. “What’d ya do?” 

“Fair, I guess. I was 17. One of my friends was having a party at her parents house while they were on vacation, and being the rule follower that I am, I asked my parents and they said no. I was so mad because it felt like they always let my brothers go out and have fun and I never got to. So, once everyone was asleep, I snuck out, rode my bike all the way to my friends house, got drunk out of my mind, which is part of the reason why I can never drink vodka again, and by some miracle, was able to ride my bike back home. When I came in through the side door of the garage, my brother David was in there, already waiting for me. He told me that he could hear me singing at the top of my lungs halfway down the block. He took pity on me and helped my drunk ass up to bed and never told my parents. He’s always been my favorite brother. Then, I pretended to have the stomach flu for the next 3 days to cover up for my hangover.” You both laughed as you finished your walk up to the truck, Javi opening the passenger door for you as you stepped in. 

“No vodka, duly noted. You trying to tell me your singing gets even more obnoxious when you’re drunk?” He smiled as you buckled yourself in. 

“You love my singing, don’t lie. But um… maybe… Just a little. You’ll just have to deal with my sober serenading for now, sorry.” You smirked at him as you shrugged your shoulders, Javi laughing to himself as he shut the door behind you. 

……….. 

As promised, you spent the rest of the ride to the ranch windows down, blaring “Go Your Own Way” from Fleetwood Mac, noting that even though Javi had put on the album not long ago, you were a bit distracted to actually listen to any of the songs. If it was anyone else, Javi would have rather been caught dead than singing along to anything, regardless of song, album or artist. But lucky for him, you weren’t just anyone. You were his everything. Javi was sad when you’re singing came to an end, lowering the music as you pulled up to the house, trying to remain as quiet as possible to not wake up his dad. 

“Too bad you don’t have the James Bond soundtrack in your car, I feel like we’re on some sort of secret mission right now.” You whispered, trying to close the truck door behind you as quietly as possible. 

“C’mon, you dork.” He replied, taking you by the hand and leading you around the edge of his house. You both tiptoed along the wood siding of the house, Javi leading you before stopping under one of the windows, slightly cracked open, pushing out of its frame. “Alright, if I lift you up, can you push it the rest of the way open and climb in?” 

“Sure thing, Agent Peña. What number do you want to be, since you clearly can’t be 007, that one’s already taken. I don’t think they’ll let you be the next James Bond with that ‘stache.” You mumbled, stepping in front of Javi as he got ready to lift you up. 

“Will you just get in the window, please?” He scoffed, squeezing his hands on your hips, getting ready to hoist you. 

“Fine, fine, just say you wanna be lame and move on. I’m ready.” As Javi shot you up, your fingers wrapped around the edge of the windowsill, humming to yourself as you shimmied yourself in. 

“Bada boommmm, bada booommmmm, bahnanah.”  

“Are you seriously singing the James Bond theme song right now?” Javi looked up at the window as you pushed open the rest of the pane, now looking down at him. 

“Yeah, at least one of us should have a little fun with this. You need my help getting in?” 

He hadn’t even answered your question before he was already halfway through the window, pulling himself through and landing on the floor.  

“Showoff.” You grumbled to yourself as he closed the window behind him. Wet and uncomfortable in your clothes, you stripped them off of you, drying yourself off from the towel you had left on Javi’s bed from your shower earlier. Javi did the same, shedding his sweatpants and throwing them next to yours before you both crawled under the covers, curling into each other. You pulled the comforter up over you, nestling against the warmth of Javi’s body. Laying your head on Javi’s chest, Javi ran his fingers through the ends of your hair, still damp from your swim. It wasn’t until you hit the bed that you realized just how exhausted you were, barely keeping your eyes open, your eyelids heavy with sleep.

“Javi?” You asked, looking up at him, your voice low and soft, letting out a quiet yawn. 

“Yes, Osita?” He peered down at you, fingers still twisting through your locks. 

“You really love me?” 

He chuckled warmly, planting a soft kiss on the top of your head. “I really do. Con todo mí corazón. (With all my heart.) Get some sleep, Hermosa, I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” 

He paused, waiting for you to respond. 

“Hermosa?”  

The only thing he heard after that were your sweet snores humming against his chest, you already sound asleep in his arms. He gave you one more kiss on the head before pulling you closer, shutting his eyes as he whispered one last goodnight.  “Buenas noches, Osita. Soy un hombre afortunado. Tienes todo mí corazón para siempre. Te amo.” (Good night, Osita. I’m a lucky man. You have all of my heart, forever. I love you.)

..........

Taglist:

@cool-iguana @rhoorl @whyjuliaaa @bbiophiliaa @pertinentpostmortem @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @pedrobaby @fatima-marisa @beboldbebravethings @poodlebae @kittenlittle24 @3sriracha @jungchloee @perennialdoll247 @prettyinpunk85 @partyofone3413 @harriedandharassed

[the-hinky-panda]

Yellowstone: Boss Mare Series - Part V

Jaime Dutton has never considered himself a foodie, someone interested in fusing flavors and doing wine pairings for the regular family dinner. A family dinner that no one can ever seem to get through without an argument, problem-solving a ranch issue, or just childish drama. Half-eaten plates of perfectly seared filet mignon, roasted red potatoes with butter and parsley, the brightest green beans he’s ever seen, left in the wake of another nonsensical theater production. 

The only thing that ever gets completely consumed is the wine. The only one who ever talks is Beth. The only cleared plate of food is his father’s, although Kayce is making good progress at the moment. The only thing that Jamie can think of is how much he would love to enjoy eating. To just sit and have enough brain space to taste what he’s putting into his mouth. 

“Isn’t that right, Jaime?” Beth says, a mischievous glint in her eye. 

He hasn’t heard a word she’s said but he can read the room. Well, he can read Kayce’s cautious energy to know whatever it is she’s said was meant to bait him. And their father’s intense interest in whatever is out the window, despite the darkness of night blocking any view. Jaime’s not going to rise to the occasion tonight. He’s just too fucking tired. Instead, he drops the linen napkin on the table and picks up his plate. 

“Fuck this shit.” He stands up. “I don’t have the energy to deal with whatever bullshit you’ve dreamed up now, Beth.” 

“Oh come on, Jaime,” she calls after him, “I haven’t even gotten to the good questions yet!” 

He storms into the kitchen, pausing before throwing his still full plate of food into the sink. The only thing that stops him is knowing that you made it. You spent the last few hours in the kitchen preparing the meal. He sees all the pots and pans cleaned and sitting on the drying rack while dinner is being consumed. When the dining room empties, you’ll collect the plates and wash them before heading up to your room over the kitchen for the night. But while you wait, he sees you sitting on the steps of the back porch, passing the time. 

A sudden rush of guilt comes over him. Every night they walk into the dining room, no food prep, no cooking time, hell, they don’t even set the table. They just walk in, sit down, and are served. And then the fighting begins. Maybe that’s why they can’t function as a family around the table. There’s no work, no buy-in to enjoy the product of their work. They’re eating in a restaurant every night. Except no one in that room would behave that way in an actual restaurant. 

Maybe Beth. Beth wouldn’t behave any differently. 

Jamie grabs a second plate and an extra fork before going out onto the back porch. You immediately stand up when the door opens, a guilty look crosses your face. He wonders what in the world you could have been doing to cause such a reaction and then he sees the wine glass in your hand. He points to the glass. 

“You’re allowed to have that, you know.” That reminds him that he forgot his own wine glass inside. He sets the plates and silverware down. “I’ll be right back.” 

He goes back inside and grabs a new bottle of red wine, uncorks it, grabs a new glass, and goes back outside. You’re still standing there, cradling the wine glass in your hand, and looking terribly out of sorts. He tips some of the wine into your glass before filling his own and sitting down on the steps. 

“Did you eat?” he asks, setting the empty second plate next to him. 

“I did.” At that particular moment, your stomach decided to betray you and growl. “I’m sorry, I’ll let you eat in peace.” 

“I came out here because you were out here.” He cuts the filet mignon in half. It’s perfectly pink, bordering on red on the inside. He slides a few potatoes and green beans onto the second plate, adding half the steak, and holding it up to you. “If you’re hungry, I’d like the company.” 

“Thank you.” You give him a small smile and take the plate, sitting down next to him on the steps. “I did eat some of the salad.” 

“Just salad?” 

You nod your head. 

Did no one in the family tell you how things work on the ranch? “Gator always makes himself a plate and eats in the kitchen while we’re eating. Or, if he likes what the bunkhouse is eating, he eats that instead. We don’t keep track and we won’t do that with you either.” He points at your plate. “Eat as much and whatever you want.” 

“Thank you.” You pick up the fork and knife and cut a piece of the steak. “I’ve never had filet mignon before.” 

“You haven’t? Well, you cooked it perfectly.” 

“I’ve made it plenty of times. I was just never allowed to eat it. Only the men were allowed to eat the best food.” You seem to realize you’ve imparted some revealing information and shove a potato in your mouth, chewing it slowly. 

He doesn’t ask any questions and lets you keep your silence and secrets, focusing on just enjoying the food. The sun has just set, shadows creeping across the pastures, sneaking up to the barn and bunkhouse. The rhythmic hiss of the field sprinklers add a relaxing white noise effect and Jamie realizes this is the first time in years that he actually enjoyed his dinner at the ranch. 

“I did make an apple cobbler for dessert,” you say as you stack the empty plates between the two of you. “But we’ll have to go back inside and get it.” 

Jamie doesn’t want to risk the quietude he’s achieved by sitting out here with you so he just picks up the wine bottle and refills both your glasses. “Wine for dessert works for me.” 

“Thank you.” 

“For what?” 

You shake your head. “I don’t know. Just being you, I suppose.” 

He sits and sips at his wine, wondering how you can see the person he is when he doesn’t even know who he is.

[hotmessmaxpress]

Horror Au, Interlude: What happened at the ranch?

I was 99% certain that I got an ask about this, but I can't find it. This is a little interlude about what happened when Vale had an anomaly mimicking Marc appear at the ranch. Vale mentions it to Marc in part 1 of the horror au, and this is what he was referencing.

They’ve finished on track, showered, and headed upstairs to eat when the alert hits all of their phones at once. It’s one of the alerts that comes through regardless of do-not-disturb or silent settings, and Vale knows immediately it’s some sort of Anomaly event.

He checks his phone and scans the message. 

Void creature in your area. Take shelter. Lock doors and windows. Arm yourself. Take cover and stay quiet. Do not respond to voices you cannot see. Mercy be with you. 

He sighs and joins Uccio and Max as they hustle downstairs to secure the building. Garage covers come down and rolling shutters are pulled across windows. Vale is reminded, not for the first time, that he should upgrade the security of the Ranch. He pictures automatic safety devices and makes a mental note to workshop that plan with Max later. 

Once the building is secure, he heads upstairs. The boys have gotten the notification and they’ve silently chosen to congregate on the couches in the corner of the room, nervously watching their phones for updates. He settles on the floor in front of the couch, shoulder pressed to Pecco’s leg. The younger rider gives him a gentle, good-natured kick, and Vale turns to smile at him. Pecco returns the smile but he looks nervous, lips pulled taught against his teeth and brow furrowed. Vale pats him on the leg, as much of a reassurance as he can give while they are meant to be silent. 

Silence could mean a lot of things, but most commonly it means one of the void creatures; one of the mimics. 

The ranch is remote enough that it usually feels safe, but Vale has a sense of uneasiness. He isn’t sure how wide the radius is for the detection and alert system, and he wonders how close the monster is to their little sanctuary. 

They’ve been sitting in silence for what feels like hours when they hear it. 

“Vale!”

It’s as if the air has been sucked out of the room. Almost at once, all heads swivel to look at him as the voice calls out again.

“Valentino!”

There’s only one voice that says his name like that; Marc. 

It’s been a long time since he heard Marc say it, and his throat feels like it might close up.

He knows it’s not Marc outside. There’s no reason that the younger man would be in Tavullia; he’s definitely not welcome in the town and there’s no way he’d even make it out to the ranch. There’s no way it could be Marc. 

Still. Vale can’t help but think of what it would be like if Marc were out there. There’s basically no way to survive a void creature. Marc would be doomed, and Vale would have to hear it. 

As if it’s reading his mind, there’s a wail outside. It’s so brutal and loud that Vale squeezes his eyes shut. Pecco’s leg twitches beside him. Another wail follows, and Vale is on his feet before he can really think about it. He paces away from the group, running a hand through his hair. 

His hair, thinning now from age and years of being tugged at by helmets. It’s hard not to think about his age at times like these, when he feels so tired and weathered. He wonders if Marc is starting to feel his age. It’s been so many years since he spoke to him, and the few times he’s been able to bear looking at his face he knows Marc has gotten older. His cheekbones are more defined, and his mouth is framed in laugh lines. His laugh– one of Vale’s favorite things. 

The voice, Marc’s voice, screams outside.

“Please, Vale, let me in. I’m so sorry; I’ll apologize! Just let me in.”

The void creature knows just what buttons to press to mimic Marc in the most painful way. Vale presses his palms to his eyes. 

He knows it’s not Marc. He knows it’s not the younger man, the man who Vale raced against and shared podiums with. There’s no human on the other side of that door.

Suddenly an arm yanks him backward, and a hand covers his mouth to muffle his surprised noise. His eyes snap open and he sees that he’s somehow made it downstairs. He’s within arms reach of the door and its metal security panel. 

Uccio’s hands are a vice grip around him, holding him back. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” he hisses in his ear. 

Vale’s mouth opens as if to respond, but he has nothing to say. He has no explanation for his intense lapse in judgment, or even how he made it down the stairs in the first place. 

“Vale, please,” the thing outside begs. 

Uccio doesn’t let go of him, just guides him back up the stairs. The boys on the couches look terrified now, and Vale doesn’t have the words to apologize. This time Uccio deposits him on the couch next to him, keeping a solid arm around his shoulders. Vale puts his head in his hands but doesn’t close his eyes, suddenly afraid of what will happen. 

He misses Marc. He wanted to let that thing in because it sounded like Marc. Vale is overcome with the thought that he has to talk to the younger man; he has to reconcile, or apologize, or something. He just can’t possibly go the rest of his life feeling like this thing between them is so unsettled. He needs closure.

He thinks about what that looks like, turning scenarios over in his head until the arm is lifted from around his shoulder and their phones chime with the alert system telling them that the creature is gone. 

This time Vale stays put as Max and Uccio take over raising the shades and opening the house again. He doesn’t react as Pecco and Bez playfully argue and throw shutters open, giddy and relieved to be safe. Celestino is immediately loud and talkative, making up for the time spent forced into silence. 

Vale should be joining them, celebrating their safety. He can’t get up, though, because of the lead weight of regret that has taken home in his stomach. He has to talk to Marc. 

[lynzishell]

The Present 💚 Copperdale

Prev // Next

Transcript under the cut:

Julian:  Have you read it yet? Phoenix: No. I don’t know if I can. I’ve just been staring at it for the last hour. Julian: Do you want me to read it? Phoenix: Um. Yeah. Would you?

Julian:

Dear Phoenix,

I’ve written this letter dozens of times over the years. I only hope I can find the courage to give it to you one day. You likely don’t want anything to do with me, and I understand that, but I want you to know how sorry I am. Sorry for abandoning you and your mom, for not being there for you as you grew up, or when she passed, for everything.

The truth is, I wasn’t capable of being the father you needed back then, and that wasn’t your fault, nor was it what you deserved.

I’ve debated many times over the years about whether reaching out to you would do more harm than good. I have a bad habit of taking from people, of sucking them dry, and leaving them worse off than when I found them. So, I thought maybe it’s best that I stay gone, leave you to live your life.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering what’s changed. Why am I reaching out to you now?  Well, eight years ago, everything changed. Eight years ago, I had another son. His mother died due to complications during childbirth, and suddenly there I was, barely a year sober with a newborn baby in my arms and nowhere to go. The only person I had left to turn to was my sponsor. Luckily, his family had a ranch in Chestnut Ridge, and said we could live there as long as I took care of the house and the property and the animals. A lot of work for a single father with a baby. Those first few years were the hardest of my life, but we got through it.

I’m nine years sober now, and Danny will be starting fourth grade in the fall.

He’s been asking a lot of questions lately about family.

I haven’t told him about you yet. I wanted to reach out to you first. If you’re interested in meeting him or speaking to him, I’m sure he’d be thrilled. But, if not, if you prefer to be left alone, then I’ll respect that.

For what it’s worth, I’m not just reaching out for him. Every single day I look at him and I’m reminded of you. I see all the things I missed out on. All the things I was never there for. And it eats me up. I know that’s my doing. It’s mine to live with. But, on the off chance you’re willing to speak to me, I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere this time.

Sincerely, Joseph Vega

Phoenix: … Julian: What do you think? Phoenix: I don’t know. I hate not knowing what the right answer is. Julian: I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer. Phoenix: Doesn’t feel that way.

Julian: Look, all I know is, for the first time the choice is yours. Your whole life, other people have been making it for you. Whether it was your dad by leaving, or your mom by not allowing him to come back. But now, if you want to know him, you can. If not, you don’t have to. But for once, you get to make that choice for yourself. It’s not about deciding what’s right, it’s about deciding what you want.

Phoenix: I don’t want to know him. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have a father, and that’s okay. I’ve made my peace with that. I’m not even angry with him anymore. He’s not worth the energy to be angry. I think it’s great that he’s doing well, and that he has a second chance to be a father. But he’s not mine, and he never will be. Dawn might hate me for it, but there’s no place for him in my life.

Julian: Okay, then we can toss this letter in the fire and never speak of it ag— Phoenix: But… Julian: But? Phoenix: The kid. Danny. I need to know he’s okay. And I need him to know that, if he’s ever not okay, I’m here, I’m his brother and if he ever needs help, he can come to me. I want him to know he’s not alone.

Julian: So, you want to call him? Phoenix: No, I want to see him. In person. Julian: You’re gonna go all the way to Chestnut Ridge? Phoenix: Yeah. Yeah, I am. Will you come with me? Julian: Of course.

[gothamitewriter]

Whumpcember Day 2: "This Is Your Fault"

This is a continuation of my Day 1 fic! Read that one first to find out what happened to Dick.

Characters: Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth

Words: 1387

Warnings: Medical descriptions, arguments between parent and child

Summary: Dick is on the mend, but Jason's still worried, and about more than just his brother. What is it that Bruce wants to talk about?

“Dick you’ve gotta wake up, please,” Jason sat by Dick’s bedside, taking in the battered state of his predecessor. The older teen, and that’s really all he was, only 18, was covered in bandages and had a thick brace wrapped around his neck. A tube snaked into his nose, where Alfred had already finished administering his feed. In total, Dick had been asleep for 32 hours, including the time it took to repair the damage to his throat and to place the NG tube.

“He’ll wake up when he’s ready, Master Jason. In the meantime, you need to eat something. Why don’t you come upstairs, you can help me in the kitchen,” Alfred offered. Jason was tempted, but he couldn’t. Dick’s face was peaceful, the pain meds clearly doing their job, but Jason’s mind couldn’t help but overlay the injuries he knew lay beneath the bandages and brace. The horrific bruising wrapped around his throat in the shape of a too-large hand.

“Sorry, Alfie, no can do. I’m staying right here until he’s better, I don’t want him to wake up alone, he hates waking up alone. I wouldn’t say no to lunch, though.” It was like 3 pm so it was already a bit late for lunch, and Jason hadn’t exactly had much for breakfast either.

“Of course, I’ll bring down something shortly,” With that Alfred left, shoe-falls echoing up the stairs.

Jason took Dick’s hand in his, fingers firmly against the pulse point. He could hear the heart monitor but there was something different about being able to actually feel someone’s heart beat. Just as he took hold, the rhythm quickened, as Dick shifted in the bed.

“Dick? Can you hear me?” Jason asked, still holding on with both hands. Dick’s eyelids fluttered before he squinted against the harsh medical bay lighting.

“Ja-“ Dick cut himself off with a cough, thankfully sounding much better than he had the night of the incident.

“Don’t talk, your throat was shredded by your broken hyoid, it’ll heal but you need to let it rest.”

“Throat hurts.” Dick took his hand back from Jason’s grasp to sign.

“Yeah, no shit. Let me get you some water, but be careful. Alfred said you might have some trouble swallowing for a while.” Jason got up and moved to the mini-fridge where they kept bottled water. Can’t trust Gotham tap water for shit, after all.

“Thanks,” Dick signed one-handed as he sipped slowly on the water.

“Of course. Alfred’s gonna be down with my lunch soon, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see that you’re up. You’re not in much pain, right? I don’t think you’re due for painkillers yet but I can check,” Jason was just rambling at this point, restraining himself from launching himself at Dick and never letting go. He wasn’t going to do that, though, because Dick very much had a broken rib.

“Indeed I will be. It’s good to see you awake, Master Dick. Your throat will be tender for quite some time, both from your unfortunate hyoid fracture and from the feeding tube that needed to be placed. Master Jason, Master Bruce has requested your presence in his study,” As Alfred spoke he handed Jason a plate with a sandwich, vegetables, and ranch dressing.

“Right, um, if you’re still awake when I’m done would you like me to bring you anything from upstairs? A book maybe?” Jason offered Dick, who just smiled and shook his head.

Jason ate as he walked up the stairs. Usually Alfred would make him sit down and have his meal, but today wasn’t a usual day. He was almost halfway through his sandwich by the time he got to Bruce’s office.

“Jason, we need to talk about the other night,” Bruce started as Jason sat his plate down on the ornate desk.

“What’s there to talk about? Dick needed help and so I helped him. I thought you wanted us to be brothers, that’s what brothers do,” Jason crossed his arms, leaning against the wall opposite to Bruce.

“You were reckless and endangered both of your lives. If you had waited just a few more minutes I could have gone with you. You don’t know Bludhaven well enough to be going off on your own like that, Jason,” Bruce stood from his chair, starting to pace in that way that let Jason know the lecture was only getting started.

“If I had waited a few more minutes he could have drowned in his own blood! Or one of those goons that were waking up could have finished him off, or taken him somewhere. I am more than willing to risk going into unfamiliar territory if it means that I save a life,” Jason was getting worked up a bit, just like he knew that he would. He couldn’t help it, Bruce was such an ass sometimes, unable to see past his own protocols and guidelines.

“And that’s admirable, it really is, but I could have lost both of you. You’re so young, Jaylad, I would never forgive myself if you got hurt because I wasn’t there to help you,” Bruce had moved closer, his voice was low and serious.

Jason could never decide if this was worse or better than screaming and throwing things. It was clearly better in every way, and yet, it hurt far more. “Stop worrying about me! Dick did get hurt, Bruce, I didn’t. Nothing happened, I took out a few goons and helped stabilize him. That’s it, you know that’s it. Why are you so hung up on this?”

“You stole the Batmobile, you went out of comms range, I couldn’t reach you to confirm the situation. Do you know how worried I was? How terrified I was that I was going to walk into that warehouse and find both of my sons dead or missing? Dick got injured because he was working without backup, and then what do you do? Go in without backup at the ready. For all you knew I could have ended up stuck in that fight for another ten minutes, and then what? You, a single thirteen year old in brightly colored spandex, practically a beacon for every criminal in Bludhaven.”

“I was saving a life. That’s the job, Bruce. That’s what we go out every night to do. We risk our lives to save people. If you’re going to be mad at me for doing what you’ve trained me to do, maybe you should have never made me Robin in the first place. Not to mention, this is all your fault anyway, if you hadn’t driven Dick away he never would have been without backup,” Jason was almost yelling at this point, tears prickled at his eyes but didn’t fall.

“You’re right, maybe I shouldn’t have made you Robin. Clearly I did a horrible job with the last one. You should be playing sports and thinking about school, Jason, not fighting criminals. That’s my burden to bear, it never had to be yours. I shouldn’t have let it be yours.” Bruce sighed, deflating as he looked at Jason.

“I asked for this, you didn’t force me into it. When Dick left you were on your own out there, I wanted to help you. You trained me and you said I was ready for this and clearly I am.” Why couldn’t Bruce just trust him? He had trained so hard for this.

“You’re as ready as I could expect you to be, but I don’t think I ever thought about just how young you are. I can’t let a kid go out and risk his life for me, that’s not how being a parent works.”

“Dick was out there when he was what, nine? I’m thirteen, Bruce!” Jason was yelling now, tears falling as he saw the direction Bruce was heading.

“And I shouldn’t have let it happen then, either, but I was pretty sure if I didn’t he was going to go kill the man who killed his parents. I’m benching you, Jason. At least until Dick is fully recovered. I need time to think.”

“Fuck you! Robin is mine, mine and Dick’s. And I don’t think that he’s going out in the scaly panties any time soon. Just. Fuck you.” Jason turned and left, sandwich forgotten on the desk.

[we-are-inevitable]

you asked for restaurant au requests so!! restaurant au javid?? and if there is a sauce-related incident i'd appreciate it?? (no pressure though!) - @pigeonwit

OHHH!! absolutely.

edit after writing: this got out of hand. i love them so so much.

———

“Corner!”

That’s all the warning David gets before a body rounds the corner and rams straight into his own. He sees it first, a curly mop of blonde hair, a high-pitched yell, a tray flying out of hands— all too suddenly, David is splayed on his back on the kitchen floor, and all too suddenly, his white shirt is soaked in something chunky and wet.

Racer immediately kneels down next to him, eyes wide as one of the big pans they use to cook up all of the fries. “David! Oh, shit! Man, are you okay?”

“I— Yeah, I’m fine. Get me up,” David says, but as soon as he sits up, there’s a distinct pain in the middle of his back. He winces, and that must be noticeable, because Racer instantly starts asking questions.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, just—“

“No, you’re hurt, aren’t you? Fuck, I am so sorry, I didn’t know you were right there, I’m sorry—“

With a sigh, David grabs onto Racer’s shoulder, slowly pushing himself up to a standing position despite the blossoming feeling of ow currently pulsating through his body. “Kid, you’re okay, okay? You’re fine,” David says through gritted teeth.

Everyone in the kitchen is looking at them by now. David slowly turns to give them all a glance, noticing that something is missing— and just at that moment, Jack walks into the kitchen, smelling like cigarette smoke masked by a high-end cologne.

Jack stops just before the mess on the floor, taking it in with wide eyes, and he quickly looks up and makes eye contact with David. “What the hell happened?”

David sees the nervous look on Racer’s face, so he concedes and says, “It’s my fault. I was leaving and ran into Racer, I fell down and dropped the food. I’ll clean it up.”

“Clean yourself up first,” Jack comments, gesturing to David’s shirt, smeared with all sorts of colors: red and green salsa, garlic aioli, ranch and ketchup— a menagerie of condiments for a menagerie of burgers. “You didn’t get hurt when you fell, did’ja?”

“No, I—“

“He fucked up his back,” Race says from the side, and David gives him a nudge with his elbow. “He’s movin’ slow and it looked like he hurt when he sat up.”

Jack takes the information in, and gestures to the dishwasher. “I’ll give you a ten if you clean this up,” he says, gesturing to the pocket his wallet resides in, and the dishwasher responds with a curt nod. Turning to his linecooks, Jack nods to them as well. “Keep doin’ what you’re doin’. Rush isn’t startin’ for another twenty minutes, I’ll be back in ten at the most. Got it?”

“On it,” Specs pipes up, not even looking away from the task at hand.

With that done, David watches as Jack reaches out, then sighs at the feeling of Jack’s hand on his shoulder. They walk slowly to the manager’s office- a larger room off to the side of the kitchen, with a couple of comfy chairs and a place for staff to eat their food.

“Don’t bother Charlie with this, please,” David says, head lolling just enough to look at Jack. “I’m fine, really.”

Jack clicks his tongue a few times, then pulls out his keyring and unlocks the door. “Charlie ain’t here,” He murmurs, pushing the door open and leading Davey inside, only to lock the door behind them. “He’s runnin’ up to the bank. Register’s almost outta change for customers.”

“Ohhh, okay, makes sense,” David nods, then takes in a deep breath. “So… can I go, if he’s not here? I have tables I need to check on.”

“They can wait. Your health is more important than a table,” Jack says like it’s the easiest thing to understand, and Davey wants to agree, but he never knows. A few good tips could be the difference between eating and not.

But he doesn’t bother arguing with Jack, because that’s never gotten him anywhere in the past.

Jack, after rummaging around in a locker for a moment, comes back to Davey with a clean- albeit wrinkled- white shirt. He sets it down on Charlie’s desk, and walks back to David, and suddenly, there’s a tenderness in his eyes that wasn’t there before— a carefully concealed care. Jack cups his cheek, and leans up to press a soft kiss to his forehead.

With that, Jack makes gentle work of untucking David’s shirt, working the buttons open until he can push the fabric off of his shoulders.

David gulps, and says, “I wish you were undressing me in a different circumstance right now.”

That quip gets a grin in response, Jack looking up at him with bright eyes. “Turn around, you dumbass.” And who is David not to comply? He turns, feeling Jack’s hands on his back. “Hm… It looks a little red,” He mumbles. “You sure you feel okay?”

David hesitates, then nods. “Yeah, I just… I guess I’m taking it slow today,” he murmurs. “If it gets worse, I’ll call out tomorrow. Racer owes me a covered shift anyway, I’ll talk to him if I need to.”

“If you’re sure,” Jack says softly, kissing the back of David’s neck. He then gently turns David around in his arms, running a hand through his hair. “Make sure you let me know if you need to go home, okay? I got a lotta sway over Char.”

David just grins and leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to Jack’s lips. “I’d rather go home with you,” He says softly, then sighs, grabbing the shirt off of Charlie’s desk. “I need to go check on my tables. I’d love to stay in here and have you all over me, but…”

Jack rolls his eyes. “I wasn’t all over you. I was makin’ sure you weren’t hurt,” He defends, though his smile is more than telling.

With a shake of his head, Davey finishes buttoning his new shirt, tucking it into his belt. It’s a little loose on him- it’s likely Jack’s- but he rolls the sleeves up and smiles in Jack’s direction. “Thank you, ahuví,” David says, and gives Jack one last kiss on the lips before they both walk towards the door.

“Ready to hate each other again?” Jack asks, and David squeezes his hand three times. They both walk out, discarding the dirty shirt into one of the trashcans in the kitchen, and David walks back to the front of house with a new smile on his face.