#like all that shit had to have taken place over like 6 months maybe

[jesbiblesworld]

Idk what the exact timeline is for LITA but for a guy that thought he was straight for like 19 years, Rain sure does take to dick REAL QUICKLY

[d1xonss]

so ours babys a lil insecure bc of reader and his lil age gap he vents it to rick a little and since shes such a social butterfly literally talking and befriending everyone he gets upset and starts to think lowly of himself like theres younger men men who arent busy leading the community so they can spend all their time and affection on her blah blah he gets these crazy thoughts and she comforts him eases all his worries ):

Forever

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Reader

✧ Era : Season 6

✧ Pronouns : she/her

✧ Genre : Angst/Fluff

✧ Word Count : 3.1k

AN ~ Aww sad:(( but we love Reader comforting Daryl, it's one of my favorite things to write. And an age gap too?? I love it. Hope you enjoy!

“You’re ridiculous.” Rick spoke with a scoff.

Daryl’s eyes narrowed slightly at the man, not necessarily because of what he had claimed, but because it almost seemed like he hadn’t listened to him at all.

He already felt a little ashamed going to his friend in the first place to talk about how he was feeling, something the man rarely ever did. But that alone showed how desperate he seemed to be for any kind of advice, willing to put himself out there to express what had been going through his mind recently in hopes of some sort of reassurance.

He didn’t really know what had been going on with him recently, but ever since the group had made it to Alexandria, his insecurities slowly began to eat him alive. He started to take note of his appearance a little more, now that they actually had mirrors in the houses provided for them, seeing for himself how much older and tired he really was. It shouldn’t have bugged him as much as it did, but yet, it seemed to be all he thought about. And that constant loop of thoughts only traveled to another, thinking about how much living on the road seemed to age him, while the woman he was madly in love with stayed so young and beautiful.

She was absolutely perfect, not a single flaw, while he on the other hand had countless ones that he couldn’t seem to just get over and ignore. But that wasn’t the only aspect about her that seemed to cloud over his mind. She was quite the extrovert, making friends everywhere she turned as she was constantly radiating such a good and friendly energy. It even drew him in towards her from the start, falling victim to her charming personality. Though it wasn’t her kindness that made him a little more self conscious than before; it was the fact that a few younger men had obviously taken a liking to her natural sweetness ever since they moved here.

Now he knew that she would never cheat on him, the thought never even crossed her mind, but that still didn’t stop his jealousy from bubbling over to a point of no return. Wanting to beat the shit out of any guy who looked at her for just a little too long. He wasn’t blind by any means, and some of them had a hard time hiding the sneaky glances they were taking at his woman whilst she was just in her own little world.

Though the longer he seemed to stew over it for the months and months they had lived there, it made him start to wonder if maybe she would be better off with someone else. Someone a bit younger, more energetic, more outgoing. Someone that matched her personality better than he did. It was no secret that they were polar opposites, but he always imagined that they completed each other in a way, not even thinking twice about it. However, now that he had all the time in the world to think, it slowly started to consume him, thinking more about how he didn’t deserve her at all. But hell, maybe no one deserved her. 

The man then seemed to snap out of his thoughts, scoffing toward Rick who was looking at him with a small smile, “Man, m’ bein serious.” he grumbled.

“So am I.” Rick shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he tilted his head a bit at him, “I really don’t think you have anything to worry about man. You two are always attached at the hip, she loves you…I think you might just be in your own head about it.”

He sighed heavily as he thought to himself for another moment, his thumbnail in his mouth as he contemplated why he was confiding in Rick in the first place. At this point he had it in his head that the man was just telling him what he wanted to hear. “I dunno…” he eventually muttered in response.

Rick only shook his head, “You shouldn’t be so focused on this. You’ve always known how nice she is, everyone loves her-”

“Man, that ain’t the problem. I already told ya that.” Daryl interrupted with irritation in his voice.

“I know…I know.” he assured, “I guess I just don’t see the connection of how you came up with the idea that she suddenly deserves someone “better.”

The archer shook his head with a light scoff, “Seein her talkin with those guys…something kinda just clicked that she should be with someone more fit for her…” he trailed off for a moment, before pathetically shrugging his shoulders again, “I dunno.”

Rick honestly couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Although, he could, he knew that Daryl sometimes got like this, thinking he didn’t deserve the things that he was given. But he never thought he would be standing here listening to him speak about how you would be better off with someone else. Anyone who even caught a glimpse of the two of you could easily see how in love you were with each other. He swore the sight could potentially make someone sick.

The man then cleared his throat, “Well…if you want to know what I think, I say you should talk to her.”

“Talk to her?”

Rick couldn’t help but laugh at how baffled he looked at the suggestion, “Yeah, talk to her. Besides, I think she’ll have a better chance at reassuring you about this than I will, she seems more fit for the role.” he joked.

But Daryl on the other hand scoffed, not exactly loving the idea, “This shit’s already embarrassing, why would I wanna bring it up to her? Didn’t even really wanna bring it up to you.”

“Thanks.” Rick said dryly before stepping closer to slap a hand on the man’s shoulder, “But just trust me on this, alright? You need to tell her how you’ve been feeling. Because if I know you at all, I know you want to keep this bottled up. But that’ll just make it worse and you know it.”

He was right. As much as Daryl hated to acknowledge it, he knew deep down he was right.

But that didn’t stop him from wanting to put it off every chance he got, pushing it into the back of his mind as he always seemed to do in hopes that it would just go away. Though he knew it wouldn’t, he couldn’t bring himself to want to think about it right now.

He went home later that night utterly defeated and clueless on how to even approach the topic in the first place. When the time dreadfully came around, how would he even bring it up? He was never good with words, especially when it came to something about how he was feeling. It was all just stupid and complicated in his mind, not knowing how to actually piece together the things he wanted her to know. But he knew he had to try.

The front door opened and shut with a small creak as he entered the house, kicking his dirty boots off to the side before he softly called out your name. But all was quiet, not a single sound of your voice calling back to him, to which he only assumed you were still out somewhere in the community. It wasn’t often you stayed out this late, but he silently knew that if someone needed the extra help, you would do it in a heartbeat.

The older man sighed deeply to himself before trudging up the stairs, wanting to get out of the filthy clothes he was trapped in before settling for the night, waiting for you to come home. He couldn’t ever really fall asleep without you there. He didn’t know if it was because he would always worry too much if you weren’t right beside him, or if he just physically needed your touch to relax, but it had to be somewhere in that ballpark. Perhaps both…definitely both.

He entered your shared bedroom with a tired huff, beginning to undo the buttons on his vest before folding it sloppily and setting it off to the side on the dresser. His hands then moved to peel off his dirty shirt that stuck to every part of his tanned skin, raising it over his head before throwing it in the hamper across the room to be washed. He ran his hands through his hair to get it out of his face as he crossed the space to get himself another pair of pants to sleep in, when suddenly his movements stopped short.

The tall, full length mirror that sat off in the corner quickly caught his attention as he saw just a brief glimpse of his reflection dancing behind the glass. He blinked a few times as he knew he shouldn’t look too close, knowing it was only going to add fuel to the already ongoing fire. But a part of him couldn’t help it, seeing as it was too late now that he had taken notice of a few new flaws he hadn’t spotted before. It was like some kind of sinkhole that he couldn’t escape from, looking over the things he hated the most about himself over and over again.

He slowly stepped closer toward the object even though he knew he shouldn’t, seeing himself a little more up close as the moonlight poured through the window just above him to illuminate his figure. His eyes scanned everything he could make out in the slight darkness, seeing the wrinkles that were now more prominent on his forehead. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes from the exhaustion and stress that had been weighing on him constantly. And seeing the scars that littered over his entire body.

“Daryl?”

The man nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of your soft voice from behind him, spinning around to see you standing in the doorway. Your eyes widened a little in surprise. Never had you recalled a single time where you had been able to catch him off guard, accidently sneak up on him enough to make his heart skip. He had always been aware of his surroundings, the man had the instincts of a goddamn cat. So to say you were surprised when he hovered about five feet in the air at your presence, would be an understatement.

You raised an eyebrow at him in slight concern, “You okay?” you asked softly as you approached him with hesitance.

Daryl’s stomach had plummeted to his ass, a heat rising in his cheeks from embarrassment as you caught him staring down at himself for a bit longer than usual. He swallowed thickly as he saw you walking further into the room, nodding a bit quickly, “Yeah…m’ fine.”

Though the way he spoke was far from convincing, his voice coming out a bit higher than usual, and the reassuring smile he tried to send your way being a little too forced for you not to realize. Your eyes narrowed toward him in slight suspicion as you came to stand right in front of him, taking in his appearance. There was something that was clearly circling his mind, you had noticed for far longer than he thought you did. But you always knew when there was something off about him.

You gently reached out to grab one of his hands in your own, “Come on…don’t lie to me.” 

He sighed softly, knowing that he should just bite the bullet and tell you, but he couldn’t bring himself to just yet. “Just…just had a rough day. That’s all.” 

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” you said with a slight shake of your head, watching as he furrowed his brows a little in question. “You’ve been acting off for weeks now, you really didn’t think I was going to notice?”

His eyes widened. Shit. 

A small smirk formed on your lips as you clearly saw that you had caught him in a little white lie. It was written all over his face. You squeezed his hand in reassurance, “I’m not upset…I just want you to talk to me.”

He knew he couldn’t avoid it forever, especially after Rick gave him that little wake up call earlier to just rip the bandage off. But he hoped he could put it off for at least a few more days, wanting a little more time to prepare the things he wanted to express to you honestly. Though he could tell just by the way you were looking up at him, that you wanted answers, and he couldn’t just ignore what was standing right before him.

He sighed softly as he looked at the ground for a moment, before slowly nodding his head, “Alright…” he started, not even knowing where to take this. “Look…maybe…maybe this ain’t workin.” he blurted without thinking.

Your eyes widened a little, “What?” 

Daryl’s eyes then grew as well realizing just how bad that sounded, quickly shaking his head, “No, no, I- I mean…that ain’t how I meant for it to sound at all.” he reassured, before taking another moment to collect his racing thoughts. “I’ve been…thinkin recently and…I ain’t gettin any younger. Hell, I feel like I aged five extra years just from bein out on the damn road for so long.”

You nodded along slowly, not really seeing where this was heading, “So?”

He sighed softly, “So…I’ve been thinkin bout how…maybe…ya deserve to be with someone a little more fit for ya. Someone younger than me…someone who can give ya what I can’t.” he spoke almost regrettably, like he dreaded even saying those words out loud in the first place.

The truth was, he never wanted to let you go, that was a knowing fact that didn’t need to be proved. But at the same time, he didn’t want to hold you back from a chance at a better life. One that you so clearly deserved.

But your expression seemed to soften drastically, now hearing his explanation out loud, it all seemed to click in your head. Why he had been acting off for the longest time, it was because he was just thinking too much about something that meant absolutely nothing. When you first noticed his odd behavior, you automatically assumed you had done something wrong without realizing. But now hearing it out loud, hearing how hurt he sounded, all you wanted to do was hold him and never let him go. Wanting to reassure him for the rest of your lives if you had to that he was truly the only man you would ever want.

A small huff passed through your lips, “Sweetie…that’s what this is about?”

Daryl shrugged a little in response, “Well…yeah. I’ve seen ya makin friends with a lot of the people round here…it just crossed my mind that…maybe-”

“Stop.” you said gently as you moved even closer to him, reaching up to give his arms a gentle squeeze, “Don’t say another word.”

His gaze softened as he stared down at you, regret filling him completely as he saw just how his words had affected you.

“I love you…so much.” you whispered as your gripped his arms a little tighter, “I’m not looking at anyone else…I don’t want anyone else. No one else on this whole damn planet would be a better fit for me than you. I don’t need some younger guy. I’m not even friends with them, they only come talk to me if they have a question about something. And most of them aren’t very bright.” you said bluntly, earning a small chuckle from him. “I just wish you had told me about this sooner.”

He bit his lip a bit shamefully, “I know…m’ sorry. I just thought…ya might be better off-”

“I won’t.” you insisted, “You’re all I will ever need…you hear me?”

A small smile grew on his face upon hearing that, knowing that you meant every word. Though there was still another thing hovering over his mind. “Even though m’ an old man?” he asked half heartedly, though a part of him was still serious.

You rolled your eyes a bit, “Just because you’re older than me doesn’t make you an old man.” you laughed softly, “But if that’s something you’re really worried about…I promise to stick around even when you’re eighty.” you winked.

His lip quirked up a bit in amusement as he reached out to place his hands on your hips, gently tugging you closer, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” you nodded, “You won’t get rid of me that easily.”

You then felt his thumbs start to rub soothingly along your hip bones, still a little unsure if this was truly what you wanted. To be with someone like him. “Ya promise?” he eventually asked.

You tilted your head a bit at him, “Come on…what do I have to do to convince you that I want this forever?”

The man was silent for a long moment as he thought to himself, absentmindedly still running his thumbs along your hips as he stared down at you. The truth was he didn’t really need anymore convincing than what you had already told him. Just by the small bit of reassurance you provided, he felt as though he was lighter, a weight being lifted from his shoulders knowing you were his. But still, he couldn’t imagine a more perfect time to make it even more official.

“Marry me.”

Your eyes widened a little in surprise, not expecting him to be so blunt let alone say those words to you at all. He never really struck you as someone who would want to get married at a time like this, but it’s not like you minded. As long as you were with him, that’s all that truly mattered to you.

Only now it felt as if the wind was knocked out of you, hearing him utter those words so clearly as if he meant it with his entire being. You couldn’t help but laugh a bit nervously, “Don’t joke about that, cause you know I will.”

He smiled down at you, shaking his head softly, “M’ serious.” he assured, raising one of his hands to run his thumb along your cheek, “Marry me.”

A lump began to form in your throat as you felt yourself get a little more emotional seeing how real this was becoming. Seeing how serious he was. He really wanted this.

“Okay.” you whispered with a small nod of your head.

His smile only grew, “Okay?”

You nodded a bit more frantically as a large smile broke out onto your face, “Yes…yes I’ll marry you.”

He chuckled, pure relief and happiness filling him completely as he picked you up in his arms, spinning you around lightly as you squealed in surprise. Though he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to seal the deal as he gently set you back down on your feet, kissing you deeply as he felt you hum into his mouth. A part of him almost couldn’t believe that you had agreed, wanting to truly be with him forever. But then again, with the way you looked at him, with the way you said yes with little to no hesitation at all, he knew. You were his forever.

~ Thanks for reading!

[inkdrinkerworld]

jack of all trades

wc: 3.7k

pairing: handyman!james x teacher!reader [though can be read as any reader]

cw: fluff, life mishaps, handyman!james, mention of a break in, family dynamics [healthy], mention of food

You were fucked. You should’ve just called a plumber from the beginning.

Now your pipes were all wrinkled and your sink wasn’t draining.

Your heart was in your throat as you pulled out your phone and called your brother, Michael.

“Do you know any plumbers? My sink’s pipe is fucked,” you send him a picture and he chuckles down the line. Your brother is a mechanic, but he's got friends in many places.

Places you hope include wherever they hire plumbers.

“Yeah, I’ll call someone. Make sure you don’t use it again, dummy.” you nod, chewing at your cuticle.

“Thanks,” your voice shakes and you know your brother is frowning.

Life had been fucking you with no prep for the last couple months. Someone had broken into your house almost five weeks ago, stolen a couple small pieces of jewellery and fucked with your locks.

You’d had to change the locks, your front door and you’d taken to sleeping in the living room with a three inch knife under your pillow.

That had put you out of money for groceries and your brother had taken over doing it for you till you could again.

Now you can’t wash your dishes and your anxiety is all over the place.

“Stop it, go get ice cream or something. I’ll come over with him if he can swing it, okay?”

“You're the best,” you say earnestly and he chuckles, “I’ll buy shit to make the buns you like as payment.”

Your brother doesn’t deny himself the delicacy- it had taken a while for you to get back into doing things that made you happy and he was also a sucker for them.

“I’ll text you what he says, be safe. Love you.”

You return the sentiment and head out, double checking that you’d locked the gate and the front door.

You’d gotten a pint of orange creamsicle, and a pint of caramel biscuit and cream before getting the stuff to make the buns for your brother.

As you set them all down on your counter your phone pings off.

‘He can come tomorrow morning at 9, I’ll come with him. He’s a good guy though, don’t worry.’

You send your brother a thumbs up and then he sends you a photo of the man you suppose is coming to fix your pipes. He’s good looking, his hair is long in the photo, tied back in a low bun but there’s curls on his forehead. Another thing you notice is how massive he is. He’s broad and muscular but in the photo you’re looking at he’s got a warm smile on his face that shows off a dimple.

He looks friendly enough. Maybe tomorrow won’t be so bad.

You try to sleep in your bed, you don’t want your brother to notice that you’re still on the sofa in the morning, but being so far from the door makes your heart clench and you find yourself dragging your blanket out to the sofa that you’re sure by now has your body’s impression.

“Last night,” you say to yourself as you cuddle your pillow and tuck your blankets under your chin.

Your alarm has you groaning. 6:30 is a nice time, but not so nice when you don’t actually have to go into the preschool to teach, but for parent meetings at 11. Rubbing your eyes, you sit up, legs already moving to the kitchen to set the kettle on.

You go through your morning routine and only feel alive when you have a cup of tea and a bite of the last of sourdough toast you’d made last week. Your phone rings and you already know it’s your brother, “Yes I’m awake, dork.” he might be older than you by four years but you’re really close so the teasing is nice.

“Open the door then, and make sure you have on your glasses.” you flip him off over the phone but walk across the floor, glasses on, to unlock the door.

“Where’s your key?” you ask as you open the door, finding your brother holding two brown paper bags and the man in the photo standing next to him in grimy coveralls.

“I hooked it on the look of my pants, James was being prudish about touching me.”

“I wasn’t,” the beefy man starts, jingling his toolkits as an answer. His voice is nice, deep, cherry and his drawl is a little slow, but still very pleasant.

“Come in,” you step to the side and open the door wider. “Don’t worry about him, he just likes people touching him.” your brother scowls but doesn’t deny it.

“Don’t laugh when you see it, this one already did. I know it’s bad.” you say nervously as James sets down his stuff.

“S’fine, can’t be much worse than some of the other stuff I’ve seen.”

“Come eat, I got you that breakfast cake thing you like.” your brother sets the box before you, sliding over your cup of tea and a bottle of orange juice.

“Did you eat?” you eye him as you sit on the island.

“Shanice made eggs and toast.” you love your future sister-in-law, but the mention of her in the kitchen has enough merit to make your stomach roll in discomfort and your body to produce a gag.

“There’s chicken salad in the fridge and the bread’s there too,” you turn to James, “Do you want anything to eat, James? There’s vegan stuff in the fridge too if you don’t eat meat.”

Your brother rolls his eyes, “He could eat an entire chicken if he really wanted to.” You’re positive there’s a small blush on James’ face. He’s even prettier in person and you’re really trying not to stare.

His hair is tied back like it was in the photo, inky curly spirals slipping out around his ears and the nape of his neck. His eyes are a shade of brown that reminds you of sand- dark but flecked with lighter hues; he’s captivating.

He’s almost as wide as your fridge and his arms are huge, but he looks soft, even with all the corded muscles. You will your eyes not to linger on his hands.

Your brother makes himself a triple sandwich and takes one of your iced teas.

“I’m alright,” he eyes your cup of tea, “I could do with a cuppa though.” you nod and set the kettle on.

“One sugar or two?” He holds up a single finger before opening the cupboards. He hisses and you suppose that’s better than the laugh that bursts from your brother.

“S’not that bad,” you can tell he’s being extra nice when he sees the embarrassed look on your face, “I’ll have to change all the pipes though. Whoever installed these ones used really thin PVC so under the heat it crumpled.” James stands and accepts the tea from the dainty mug without a complaint.

“Will it be super expensive?” you ask, and your brother flicks your forehead. “What? You know I can’t afford many more swings right now.” You only feel a twinge of embarrassed heat licking at your neck as you look between James and Michael.

“You’re such an idiot, I’ll go half with you.” He says and you nod, giving him your best smile but your brother draws the line when you try to hug him.

“It won’t be, but I can’t do it today. The better pipes have to be ordered in, but they only take like a day to get here.” James explains and you nod.

“That’s fine, I’ve got most of my stuff already cooked so there won’t be much dishwashing.” James finishes the tea and pulls out a pen and paper from his bag. “Here’s my number, you can text me in like two days about it if I don’t call Michael first.”

You nod again, thanking him as he gathers all his stuff and moves for the door. Your brother waves him away and then turns to you, frowning.

“You still sleeping on the sofa?” It’s then that you realise you hadn’t put your blanket or your pillow away and scowl.

“I can’t sleep in the bed, my mind just runs wild.” you say as you finish your tea and cake. “I’ve been trying though.”

The door shuts and you realise James has probably heard what you’ve said. Your mouth can’t seem to not run away from you when he’s around.

You brush the slight shame away with the semi-reassuring thought that ‘at least he doesn’t know why a grown woman can’t sleep in her own bed,’ it doesn’t last long, but it mellows the initial sting.

Michael ruffles your hair and you shrug, “It’ll just take some time,” he says softly, “Want me to get a security system?” You shake your head at that.

“You’re already going half and half with me on this, and you paid for my groceries for like three weeks. I’ll be okay.”

Your brother doesn’t look convinced, but he can’t argue with you because his phone rings.

“Work, I gotta go, but think about it okay? Shanice won’t mind either,” you nod but you both know you won’t be thinking about anything.

“Have a good day at work, I’ll bake those buns the second the sink’s all good.”

-

You’re coming back from work the next day when your phone rings, an unknown number. You frown and then realise it might be James.

“Hello?”

“Hi, angel. This is James,” he says, like you’ve forgotten his name over the last twenty four hours.

“Hi James, is everything okay?” you ask, shoving a couple folders into your bag from the passenger seat of your car.

“Yeah, was calling about the pipes. I’ve just picked them up and I’m near-by. Would you mind at all if I came to install them today?”

You stick the key in the ignition, “I wouldn’t mind, but I’m about twenty minutes from my house, would you wait?”

You really hope he can, you want this problem resolved as soon as possible.

“I can, angel. Don’t sweat it,” he says before he hangs up. You do a happy shimmy in your seat before pulling out of the school’s parking lot.

Next, you call Michael.

“James is coming over to fix the pipes today, just in case you know, I go missing or something.”

Your brother laughs, “He’s a sweetheart. Maybe stop listening to your crime podcasts, you’re getting even more morbid.”

“Oh whatever, I’ll stop by tomorrow with the buns.”

“Make sure you get some sleep,”

“Yeah yeah, I’m going now.”

James is in his car when you pull up, a bronco that looks very well kept. “Sorry for the wait,” you say as you unlock your door.

“S’fine, had enough time to have a late lunch.”

You check your watch, “It’s almost four James, that’s more like an early dinner.”

The man lifts his shoulder and drops it with a smile, “It’s been one of those days.”

“Do you want a cup of tea or iced tea?” you ask as you open your fridge. “I should warn you though, they’re addictive.”

“What flavour iced tea do you have?” you smile, James might be someone else you get hooked on them.

“Peach, hibiscus and I think I see one last cucumber melon.”

“Which is your favourite?”

“Peach! It’s not really that sweet though, but if you like it super sweet maybe hibiscus would be better.”

James smiles at the way you ramble as he opens up his toolkit and then the pipes.

“I’ll take the peach angel,” you pass him the glass bottle after tipping it upside down. James takes a long sip and sighs, “That’s good.” you nod and then move to take out a bowl of rice and chicken.

“Do you need me to get anything? To help?” you ask and James shakes his head.

“Not right now,” you think about going to eat before asking,

“Can I watch? Just to know what you’re doing?” then you back track as James doesn’t say anything.

“Not because I don’t trust you to do it well, I just like knowing. Like with my door, I learned how to put it up when I had to change it,” you realise you’re rambling when James smiles and his dimple is visible through his stubble.

“You can watch angel, you can hand me the tools I’ll need.”

You and James make a good team- you’d been nervous at first and then when James was so close you could smell his coconutty cologne you felt your head go a little light but almost two hours later, your pipes were changed.

“Moment of truth is if the water goes down,” you say as you stand, knees cracking in the process.

James nods, “You’re not a bad assistant, if you ever change professions I’ll put in a good word for you.”

You beam at that before opening up the tap and letting the water flow. Not even a drop of it pools in the sink and your heart feels like a feather floating away in the breeze.

“You did it!” you turn to James with a pleased smile and he blushes. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” you exclaim and he chuckles, already packing up his toolkit.

“You’re welcome angel, Michael already paid by the way.”

You shake your head at your brother’s actions, but you can’t find it in you to be upset, not when your sink is fixed. “Can I entice you to have dinner then? I’ll feel bad if you just go,” you tack on when James doesn’t answer. “I’ve got pizza or taco bowls.” you sing-song and that breaks him.

“What kind of pizza?”

It’s how James ends up on your sofa, overalls hanging off his hips, revealing a dark red compression shirt as he holds his plate.

Your blanket is still on the sofa, but you shove it to the armchair.

“Wanna watch anything specific? I’m going through Christmas movies right now,” James’ eyes are wide at your confession.

“It’s the middle of August,” you nod and bite your bar-b-que chicken pizza.

“I’m making a short list of Christmas movies for this Christmas. Last three years in a row I did one.”

James grins, “So I take it you like the season.”

You nod, “If you ask Michael, he’d tell you I was obsessed with it,” you shrug, setting down the slice of pizza.

“When we were kids, I used to go crazy about it. Write letters to Santa with our address and mail it, play Christmas songs all through the month and I was a little excessive with the decorations- especially when I started working and could buy the ones I wanted. It just always feels like a good time- eternal joy and hope and all that jazz I guess.”

James looks around your house now and finds a few trinkets in the space and for a moment he can imagine it decked out for Christmas. “I can see it,” he groans as he takes a bite. “That’s delicious, angel.”

Your face gets hot under the compliment and you give James a small smile.

“What are you watching now?” he asks, taking another bite.

“The Holiday,” you search for the remote and find the movie. “It makes the shortlist every year, but it’s so good.”

James and you watch the remaining forty five minutes, and he nudges your shoulder during the sad parts so you don’t let the tears in your eyes fall.

“Do you think people rent that cottage?” He asks you and you frown.

“I dunno, but if it’s for rent it’ll be so nice! It’s so cosy looking.”

James doesn’t point out that your house looks just as cosy. It reminds him of the houses you see in magazines- not the boring ones that’s all one colour and minimalistic, but the ones that seem to be alive with colour and things.

He’s sure they all serve a purpose- the small statues in one corner near your window, the coasters that look like flowers, it all seems to complement you and your home and James thinks to himself, ‘this is what a home should be.’

He stretches as he stands and you do as well, reaching for his plate that he doesn’t give. Instead he takes your own and walks to the kitchen.

“You’re a guest, guests don’t do the dishes.” you try to get your plate back but it’s no use, James is already washing them and stacking them in the draining board.

“Thanks for dinner angel,” he picks up his toolkit and the bucket of parts that need to be tossed out.

“You’re welcome, thanks for fixing my pipes.”

James waves it off, “I’d say we should do this again sometime, but changing your pipes so frequently isn’t ideal.”

It isn’t till after you hear the innuendo in his words. You do laugh a little in the moment, so James counts it as a win. Your laugh reminds him of that fairy in the show his niece loves- a sweet tinkering, bell-like sound that makes him smile.

“It was nice though. You’re good company.”

You walk James to the door, “Make sure and lock up,” he says kindly and you nod.

You notice that you don’t hear his boots don’t move till he hears the locks click and your heart flutters stupidly at the action.

You can’t like him already, you barely know him. A voice in the back of your head says, “But he’s already so dreamy,” you’re very inclined to agree.

-

You’d thought that would’ve been the last time you saw James too, but three weeks later, he’s at your brother’s house for his summer party and you’re fucked all over again.

He’s not a bad sight to be greeted with, arms exposed in his black tank top and his thighs. They’re thick and you can see the outline of muscle on them, even from far away. There’s a couple smattering of tattoos that peak from the hem of his shorts and you have to stop yourself from drooling.

He’s laughing at something Shanice is telling him, and he looks even more gorgeous.

It should be illegal, you think to yourself, for the man to look that effortlessly beautiful.

“You made it!” Michael says, handing you the drink in his hand before gesturing for you to follow him.

“You said if I didn’t come you’d have called me non-stop. I love you, but that’s annoying.” Michael leads you over to his fiance and James. You hug Shanice and wave politely at James.

Conversation is easy, and James hopes he’s being discrete as his gaze falls to you a little longer than necessary. You catch him once, and the look in his eyes confuses you just a little.

You don’t think badly of yourself, but you’re just in a pair of jean shorts and the top of your bikini- a pretty pink colour, after you’d read an article about lifeguards having a hard time spotting people in pools and the ocean if they had on blues and greens- is exposed by your lack of shirt.

In any case, you didn’t think it was cause for his stares to linger and look so… primal if that was even the right word.

Michael says, “James, do you know any good alarm systems?” as you sip your peach iced tea and vodka. You elbow your brother as James nods.

“There’s a few out there that I’d recommend, why?”

“Don’t,” you murmur to Michael who ignores you entirely.

Your brother doesn’t hesitate as he says, “Someone broke into her house a couple weeks ago and she hasn’t been able to sleep in her room since.”

“Yeah, just talk about me like I’m invisible,” you mutter and James feels anger and fury for you fester in his chest. It blooms rapidly and takes him by surprise.

“You’re not invisible, you’re just a hard head.” your brother says, James is inclined to agree as well- especially after the portion of the conversation he had overheard that first day you met.

“I can stop by the hardware tomorrow if you want, should have some of the ones I usually recommend.”

Your brother smirks and you feel shame and something you can’t yet name balloon your belly.

“Thank you, James,” you say as you finish off your vodka iced tea, already feeling for another one.

As the food comes out, you help yourself; ensuring to avoid James’ gaze because over the last couple weeks he’s seemed to come to know a lot of the bad things about your life. You pile watermelon and pineapple on one side of your plate before picking some fries and a bar-b-que chicken breast. Your hand reaches for a lemonade when a bigger one grabs it.

“I got it angel,” James’ own plate is full too. More meat than fruit but it’s fuel either way so it doesn’t bother you. “Where’re you sitting?”

You point to the seat near the pool.

“You don’t have to be so nice, James. Michael’s mouth is just too big for his own good.”

James rolls his eyes, “I’m not being nice because of him,” he says, taking the seat beside you and handing over your lemonade after cracking the seal. “Or because I fixed your pipes, or anything else.”

You frown as you chomp on a piece of watermelon. “You’re not?”

James shakes his head, digging into his food.

You squint at him and James chuckles, “No, you should feel safe in your house.”

You don’t say anything much after that, overwhelmed by his care- even if you’re stopping yourself from reading too far into it.

“You’re real sweet, James.” you say after a while, spearing a look at him to find his eyes already on you; that same kind of hungry look in his eyes like earlier.

“Yeah?” he hums and for a moment you want him to kiss you. You want to feel the press and the heat of his lips on yours, then you catch the thought. You hardly know him. But you want him and him coming over to install the security system might not go as smoothly as the plumbing had gone. You find you wouldn’t mind if James does something other than install the alarm system.

“Yeah.”

[quellmythirst]

Desperation

Summary: you and your boyfriend move to the city. Little do you know, your ex had plans of his own.

Ex!Reader x Billy Russo

4.3k

Warnings: 18+ ONLY. DON'T BE SHOCKED THAT BILLY RUSSO IS A MANIPULATIVE STALKER. smut, swearing, alcohol, pet names, manipulation, stalking, lying, fluff, reconciliation, exs to lovers, cheating. Dead Dove Do Not Eat.

"Billy?" You think as you walk down the aisle of the grocery store towards the tall man in a dark suit, his hair almost the same as his had been the last time you saw him, "can't be him." You try to reason, he's probably still overseas and you haven't seen him, since… well, since he walked away from you all those years ago. You're just about to turn, having talked yourself out of it when the man turns and sees you.

"Hi,” he rakes his hand through his hair, “is that really you?" he squints, his head tilting to the side in curiosity.

"Billy," you smile, trying not to melt at how happy he seems to see you, “Hi.” you give him a small wave.

"How've you been?" He asks, stepping towards you, "I didn't know you lived in this neighbourhood." Billy lies. He knows you and your little boyfriend just moved into the apartment building next to his.

He wasn’t surprised that it only took a week to memorise your new routine. You always moved like clockwork, just like you did when he knew you all those years ago. It was only when he spotted you last night staring out into the city lights that he decided that it needed to be today. You have been living on takeout for a week and you always did hate that. You’ll need a home cooked meal after a week of moving and unpacking. It's perfect. A perfect place for a chance meeting of old flames. 

"I've been okay," your eyes glance over him. He looks good, better than good. His suit is so perfectly tailored and shit, is that armani? Billy's shiny dark hair is combed back in a way that looks effortless but you know he would have taken years to perfect. You’re so focused on ogling him that you forget to say anything for a second, "We just moved here."

"Good choice,” he says, like he isn’t just itching to reach out and touch you, “it's a nice neighbourhood." He pauses, taking a step toward you, "we?" He asks, trying to feign ignorance like he hasn't kept tabs on you since he got back. Like he doesn’t know about Ash the guitarist or Leo the bar owner or Bobbie the artist. All of them, useless, appalling mimics, comparisons, terrible shadows of Billy and none of them as useless as James the entrepreneur who always claimed he was one shot from making it big.

"Yeah, Jim said there’s opportunity in the city. So we decided it would be easier to move," you shift, why is he looking at you like that? “Be where the action is and all that.”

"Jim, huh. Sounds nice." He takes a step back, hoping that you're going to follow his movement like you always used to. You’re looking at him almost like you used to, except now your eyes are darting to the left, seeing if anyone sees you, if you can run maybe?

"He is." You step forward, "he's a really good guy." He is, he’s nice, reliable, he loves you and he isn’t going to fuck off to a war the moment things start to get real. 

"I'm happy for you." His hand reaches out wanting so badly to touch you after so long. But instead of holding your cheek like he wants to, it lands on your shoulder. Billy smiles so sincerely at you, and says the one thing he’s always known to be true, "all I ever wanted was for you to be happy."

"Hmm. Yeah " you step back from his hand, his intense gaze getting a little too much for you. Your stomach and heart swirling from the way those pretty brown eyes stare into your soul, "well it was nice seeing you. I better run."

"Wait," he calls as you turn to leave, catching your wrist in his hand, “before you go. I'd really like to catch up for coffee sometime."

"I don't know Billy."

"Please, it'll be fun. Can’t we just- It’s just coffee. It’s been what? 5 years?” 7 years, 6 months, 1 week and 3 days. “I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to.”

"One coffee." You give in so easily like you always have, scribbling your number down on one of Jimmy's business cards and handing it to Billy, "in case you deleted my number."

"I didn't."

"Just let me know when you're free."

XXx

"Hey,” Billy smiles as you answer on the fourth ring, “just wanted to see if you were free tomorrow?" Billy says as you answer the call and when you stay silent he keeps talking, "if you're not, that’s cool. We can catch up another time."

"I ah-"

"What's wrong?" He says, instantly recognising your tone. The tone that says you’re angry, but you don’t want to show it. Billy knows you're with him, he saw James. He watched the both of you go up the evaluator ten minutes ago. 

"Now isn’t a good time." you stutter out, hanging up the call. 

Billy picks up his glass, swirling it as he leans onto the large window of his apartment. He spots you in a second. Your hand on your hip while James turns away from you. Billy sips at his whiskey as you pace your apartment. James follows you, his arms flying around wildly. You spin on your heel, as Billy clicks open his phone, easily selecting your number and calling again under the guise of concern.

He knows the moment your phone starts ringing and you flip it over on the counter. James looks like he's yelling now. When the call rings out, Billy flicks open a message as you sit down in what looks like a huff.

Hi, you seemed upset. Hope everything is ok.

James is still swanning about, flapping his arms about as you sit on the sofa. Billy smiles, it took a lot of work to get you an apartment directly opposite his. It was worth every penny to get to see you argue with the man you up tried to replace him with. Like you could ever replace him, he sure as shit had a hard time trying to replace you.

Billy smirks as the theatrics of the rest of the argument unfolds, the scotch in his hand empty as your boyfriend starts to throw clothes into a bag. You follow him, trying desperately to get James’ attention. He should have put mics in your apartment, so he could listen to this man tell you how insecure he is, how he knows he’ll never compare to the love you shared, tell you he knows how much better you’d be without him and how it eats away at him. 

You’re crying, Billy hates it, but it needs to be done. He pours another drink as the idiot finally leaves with his bag. Billy waits. Waiting for the call that he knows is coming. Who else could you call? You don’t know anyone else in the city, there's only one person in this city of millions who knows you well enough to make you feel safe. So, he waits. Waits for the call that he knows is coming.

It only takes 2 hours. He’s been watching you, you cried into the couch for 30 minutes before grabbing a bottle of wine and slipping into the bedroom. He resists the urge to go to you, to wrap his arms around you and dry those pretty tears. An hour later you reappear with a tub of ice-cream and lay down on the couch. He’s on his third glass of whiskey, when his phone starts to vibrate. He waits a moment, setting his glass down before reclining and reading the text.

Kitten: Billy, are you free now? 

Billy: I am. Is everything alright? You seemed upset

Kitten: Fine, just have some time to kill.

Billy: Do you know Cool Beans? It’s on the corner of-

Kitten: yeah, The red brick place? I know it. Can we meet in 30?

Billy: I’ll see you there. 

Billy arrives a few seconds after you, following you down the street will do that. He watched you, your shoulders hunched over, your pace quicker than he thought it would be. You must be desperate to see him. Good. 

He enters the cafe, immediately spotting you sitting at a table near the back wall. You look so beautiful in those yoga pants, your pretty hair tied up in a bun. He only sees that your face is still fresh from where you tried to wash the tears away, when you lift it from your hands.

"Didn't mean to be late,” Billy lies as he approaches your table, "got caught up with a work thing.” his face changes to concern as he gets closer and he can see the red in your eyes. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying?”

"Yeah,” you rub your eyes and smile up at him, “I only just got here."

Billy spends the next hour asking you a million questions, like he doesn’t already know. Sure, he doesn’t need you to tell him, but he loves to hear you talk and the way you tell your story. He loves how talking distracts you and you start to smile. 

You’re on your second cup of coffee and your third piece of cake when you let out a sigh. Small tears run down your cheek as Billy reaches out to hold your hand. “You can tell me, maybe I can help?” he tries to comfort you, without reaching too far too fast.

Resting your head in your hand you look up at him. Whispering about how your boyfriend decided to go on a fishing trip with his friends suddenly. How you thought you’d be spending the weekend together and now you’ve been left in a city you don’t know by yourself. You leave out some of the hurtful things James said to you, brushing them aside as you squeeze on Billy's hand. You really want to talk to him, to sort this out, but he’s screening your calls and all because you had a call from an old friend. You confess all this to him and he just stares at you, his eyes sympathetic and you feel like you’ve crossed a line. “Sorry, you just wanted a coffee and I’ve dropped all this on you.” you start to pull your hand away, but Billy gives you a tight squeeze.

"Why don't you come hang out with me? I don’t live far from here."

"I don't know. I’m sure I’ve already ruined your day.”

“Don’t be silly. It'll be fun. We can watch legally blonde and eat junk food.”

“You promise?” you wipe the tears from your cheek, “I feel like I just lumped all my problems on you and now you’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“I am. I just thought you might wanna see a friendly face,” he pauses, standing up and grabbing your coat, “maybe not be alone.”

“I really don’t want to be a burden.”

“You could never burden me.” Billy helps you slip on your coat, and when you duck away from him he steps in front of you, “I mean it. Never.”

“Thanks,” you give him such a tiny smile.

“I’m just down the street.”

“Alright, lead the way.” you agree, thoughts of sitting alone in your apartment looking over everything. Replaying the fight over and over again/ Wondering where James could actually be, is he going to come back? This is exactly what you need, a distraction and if the distraction happens to be a tall, handsome, expensive suit wearing old friend, who are you to complain? Maybe today is just the luckiest unlucky day ever.

You walk together, your shoulders brushing as you make your way down the busy street. Billy walks you in a circle, around several unnecessary buildings hoping that you don't notice that his apartment building is opposite yours. But as you approach the glass towers you point out your new place on the other side of the road. 

“Weird, what are the chances,” you ponder, thinking it must be fate that Billy lives just across the way from you. Maybe moving to the city was the universe's way of telling you things are looking up. Billy’s changed so much since the last time you saw him on that cold winter night. He’s grown, seems more mature, more at ease in his own skin. But the way he looks at you, the feelings that swim still inside your heart, maybe this wasn’t a good idea. You glance over at him and he’s still smiling at you, in that soft, warm way that calls to you.

“Yeah, that is weird. Small worlds huh?”

“Mm, must be.” You shrug, following him up to the elevator.

When you make it to his apartment Billy tries not to be smug about how much bigger it is than yours. About how his huge windows have a clear view of the city and how you're already taking off your coat and making yourself at home.

“Do you want a drink?”

“Yeah that'd be nice. Do you gave any-”

“Prosecco? I think I have a bottle here somewhere,” He opens the fridge with 3 bottles in it, ready and waiting for you.

“Thanks,” taking the glass he offers you. You relax into the large sofa, resting your drink on your knee. 

“So you had a fight and he left huh?” Billy asks, sitting down next to you. A drink in his hand as his arm spreads out behind you on the couch, “Seems a bit extreme.” 

“Basically. I can't believe he'd be so jealous.” You huff, taking a sip of your wine, “we haven't seen each other in years. And he just- I don’t get it. That he could think-” you roll your eyes, trying not to see the way Billy is looking at you.

“I wouldn't have called if I knew it was going to be a problem for you.” he gives your shoulder a squeeze, “You should’ve just said.” like he would’ve listened, like he wouldn’t have tried again and again.

“I know, he's just being irrational. Hopefully he'll come around.” you shuffle, adjusting yourself on the couch and resting your head on Billy's shoulder. It feels nice, safe. Like for the first time in hours you can breathe again.

“He's an idiot if he doesn't,” he moves to wipe away a tear that's falling down your cheek, “he'd be an idiot to lose you.”

“What does that make you?” you ask, peering up at him, forgetting just how close your faces are with your head resting on his shoulder.

“Biggest idiot ever,” his sincerity beaming into you, “or luckiest man alive, to run into you in that store. Take your pick.”

“Billy.”

“Kitten.”

“Haven’t heard that in a very long time,” the mention of your old nickname sends a shiver down your spine and the blood pumping into your veins like it always did when he called you that.

“Haven't said it in a long time either.” his hand brushes along your cheek, “I missed you, Kitten.”

“Billy.”

“Do you want to watch the movie?” he asks, so softly his fingers gently stroking over your cheekbones, “I can move, if it makes you more comfortable.” he doesn’t want to, doesn't want to ever let you go now that he’s finally got his hands on you. "Or you can yell and scream at me," he suggests, "like old times. “Take some of that anger out on me." He hopes you take the bait, desperately wants you too. But this is important, you need to choose this. Even if he had made getting you to this choice possible. 

“Is that what you want?" you ask, pulling your head back.

"What I want? I told you already, all I want is for you to be happy."

"Oh." You stand, hands on your hips, "how could that possibly be true?" You turn from him as you start to walk away, "I know that's a lie."

"It's not a lie, Kitten."

"It fucking is." You spin, your eyes glaring daggers into him. Fuck, you're beautiful, "you want me to be happy?" You stomp, "I was happy. Once. A long time ago." You shout, stamping towards him with your finger pointed at him. So pretty when you're angry. "You were the person who took that away from me."

"I miss you."

"You miss me?" You slap at his chest, "it's your fault you don't have me!"

"I need you."

"The only thing you ever needed in your life was violence. You never needed me!" You feel the fury in your hands start to shake as Billy lets you slap at him.

"I always needed you," he stops your hands holding them close to his heart, "I needed you so badly it scared the shit outa me."

"So you ran." You pull your hands free, glaring up at him with such defiance in those pretty eyes.

"I did." He reaches out for you, but you step back, "not my finest moment. Probably the stupidest thing I ever did."

"So what now, Billy? We’re just meant to be friends?" You throw your hands up in the air, "pretend like whatever we had is gone?"

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what William?"

"Don't."

"What William? Tell me I'm wrong."

"I think we’re getting too heated. We just need to take a breath." He hopes you take the bait, that you see his lie for what it is. So he turns away, " you don't mean that."

"This conversation is not over, William." He can hear you stomping towards him, "don't you fucking turn away from me again." You shout grabbing him by wrist and slapping in his face when he turns back to you.

"You feel better now?"

"No. You asshole. I don't feel better!" You attempt to slap him again, but he catches your hand in his.

"Stop."

"Fuck you."

"Yeah, fuck me. I'm an asshole." He stares down at you, watching your eyes as he releases your hand. "What are you going to do about it?" His eyes trace over your tongue as it slips over your lips.

"William." Your hand wraps onto his collar pulling his lips to yours and you melt into his kiss. Shit, did he always taste this sweet? Yeah, he did. But with the tang over whiskey on his tongue you may become addicted. His hands slip into your hair, holding your face so close as you cling to him. His heart soars as your body presses into him, his hands unable to control the way they roam over your body.

You can’t stop kissing, neither of you saying anything as you rush to undress each other as he guides you both towards his bedroom.

You fall back onto the bed together, both panting from the lack of air. "Are you sure about this Kitten?" He asks you, he needs to know. He craves it, the knowledge that you want him just as badly as he wants you.

"Is It wrong to want this?" You ask, your hand already travelling down his torso towards his cock, "that I missed it?"

"You miss me too or just my dick?"

"I missed all of you."

"Are you worried he will find out?”

“I hadn’t even-” he cuts off your train of thought.

“We keep this between us." He slows down the pace of your hand, gently pressing kisses into your neck, "I won't tell a soul, just tell me you want me."

"I want you." That's all he needs to hear as he grabs your legs wrapping around your waist as he leans down over you.

“Tell me again.”

“I want you, Billy.”

"Fuck, you’re so wet already."

"I am"

"For me?"

"Yes, Billy."

"Good girl, now open up for me." He says as his cock prodding at your pussy, itching to get inside. He swipes it up and down, gathering your wetness on his cock, "let me in, kitten." He moans as he reaches the end of you.

He kisses you fiercely, the feeling of coming home overwhelms him as he thrusts into you. His hands gripping tight at your hips, his chest weighing down on your as your fingers roam over his back. 

"I missed you," he breaks the kiss, his nose bumping yours as he stares down in your eyes, "did you miss this?"

"Missed you, so much." You moan in reply, your nails digging into his back. You need him closer, need his hands all over you and his marks on your pretty skin and his name on your lips.

"You're so fucking beautiful."

"Billy, you-" you pant his cock grinds into you, brushing against your g spot.

"That's it. Clamp down on me, Kitten." His hands slip up from your thighs, grabbing a better hold at your waist so he can pound his cock into you, "Shit, you feel too good. I need to- slow."

But you're so close, you can't slow down. You grind your hips into him, feeling the head of his cock flexing inside you and making your legs start to twitch, "you're getting close"

"Please don't stop, Billy."

"I won't."  He moves you, grabbing hold of your waists and pulling you up onto his lap. "I got you." His strong arms lift you, fucking you onto his cock, your head barely hanging on as your clit starts to brush against his lean torso. 

Your arms wrap around his shoulders, your fingers in his hair, pulling his head back from your tits and making him look up at you, "I missed you."

"I love you." He admits as his fingers bite into your side, "I love you." You free his hair and his face slides into your tits, exhaling into the soft flesh, biting and pinching with his mouth.

"You-" you try to breathe, "you can't mark me Billy."

"Say that you love me." He moves to the other breast swirling your nip in his mouth, his eyes not leaving yours.

"You can't- he'll"

"Mean it."

You grab at his hair again, pulling him off you as your hand connects with his face, "I love you."

"Do it again."

"I love you." You slap him again, this time following it up with a kiss as his hands slip up your back and cradles you close to him. 

"My Kitten." He sinks you back into the mattress, his whole body towering over you as he moves faster and more desperately. "Fucking perfect Kitten." His cock is so deep inside you when he starts to grind down into you, "cum for me." He keeps it in, the grinding sends your legs wild as your back arches underneath him, "what a pretty girl," he whispers as his lip brush over yours, "cum Kitten." He grips at your thighs, holding your pussy over his cock when you try to squirm away, "cum for me."

You moan his name, along with a garbled cry that sounds like a chicken let loose as your back arches all the way off the bed, your tits push into his chest and your eyes start to cross.

"Keep cumming Kitten," Billy's cock throbs inside of you and the wave still going, "fuck I'm so close." He pulls out just a little, before plunging back in, "where do you want it?"

"Insi-" you try to say as another wave of pleasure washes over you.

"Kitten," he smiles, as his own pleasure is reaching its peak, "you want to take my cum inside you?"

"Yes."

"You want me to fill you up?".

"Please Billy."

"Good girl." He starts to shake, his eyes open wide as he watches you still riding out your own pleasure, "I love you." He screams as he floods your insides with his cum. 

He doesn't stop and within seconds you feel a third wave washing over you and your whole body starts to twitch as your mind goes numb, "I love you." You whisper ,your words hoarse and breathless as you start to gently comb your fingers through his hair.

"Kitten," he whispers into your shoulder as his whole body drops on to you, "you ok?"

"Great, beyond great."

"Not angry anymore?"

"No." 

"Good, I'm going to roll us. You ready?" You give him a small nod and Billy rolls you on top of him. His fingers dance along your spine as you rest on his chest. "I'll grab you some water in a minute. I just wanna hold you a bit longer."

"Mm, this is nice." You start to pepper kisses on his chest, "I missed this the most."

"The angry fight sex?" He laughs, brushing your hair from your face when you look up at him.

"No, the cuddles after." You reach up and boop his nose, "you're always so sweet after."

"How could I ever stay mad at you when you take me so well? My pretty Kitten." He holds you tighter, like if he doesn't you're going to drift away again. “And then you smile at me like that.”

"See, sweet."

"Only for you."

"Hmm," you ponder, still wrapped up in your afterglow, "no one ever loved me the way you do." you whisper the throw away thought.

"They couldn't.” he gives you a tiny kiss on your hand,  “Noone else appreciated how spectacular you are."

"I'm not, I-".

"You are the most incredible person I've ever met. And I never knew what you wanted with me or what I did to deserve you, but I know that my life is not right without you in it. In whatever way I can have you."

"Billy what are we going to do about-" he cuts you off with a kiss.

"Don't." He pleads, "not while I'm still inside you. This is all I need," he gives you a squeeze, "to know that you're mine, that you love me too."

"I'm not yours." 

"You have always been mine, Kitten."

[canirove]

Friends, lovers… and an orange | Chapter 15

Author's note: Big things happening in this week's chapters 👀

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to make it back to the villa, Mase. I ate so much…”

“I told you we should have taken the Vespa.”

“Yeah… Anyway, thank you for this.”

“You’re very welcome” he smiled before kissing her hand, that once again, was tangled with his. 

It was the day before Adele’s birthday, and since her parents had decided to throw a little party, Mason had planned to take her into town to eat together just the two of them one last time. And they had gone to one of their favourite places, the pizzeria they had loved so much all those years ago.

“Can we have some gelato?”

“Addie, are you still hungry?” Mason laughed.

“They say it is digestive, remember? And I need something to help me with it, look at my belly. It's as if I'm like 5 or 6 months pregnant.”

“What?” he chuckled.

“Look” she said, letting go of his hand and touching her stomach the same way pregnant women do. 

“Adele!” Mason laughed. 

“Do I look pregnant or not?”

“You look beautiful.”

“And pregnant” she repeated, trying to ignore how her cheeks were getting warm. “How should we call him?”

“What?”

“My food baby. He is yours, you were the one who took me to the pizzeria.”

“I mean… Since the baby was made at Gialunca’s pizzeria…”

“Gianluca. I like it. Say hello to your pizza son, Gianluca” Adele laughed.

“Hello” Mason smiled, caressing her belly as if there actually was a baby in there. When their eyes met, his hand still on her stomach, they found themselves smiling like two idiots. And then, a horrible sound was heard.

"Holy shit, Addie" Mason laughed. "I felt my hand vibrating!"

"I told you I needed something to help with my digestion. That sound isn't a good sign."

"Smelly Addie?" he smirked.

"That happened once!"

"That I know of…"

"Meh meh meh" she replied, rolling her eyes. "As if you didn't do it."

"I do, but mine smell like roses" he grinned.

"Ha!" 

"They do."

"Then next time you should bottle one and save it for your next perfume."

"Maybe I should. Good idea, Addie" Mason said before both of them bursted out laughing.

“Anyway, gelato?” Adele asked.

“Gelato” Mason smiled. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Elizabeth, you need to relax."

"How do you want me to relax when they've been lying to our faces for months?"

"Those photos may have been taken out of context."

"Toni, have you seen the same photos I have? You can't take that out of context!"

"It can happen. Or have you forgotten that you yourself went through something like this before your wedding?"

"This is different" Elizabeth said.

"How?"

"In my case it was just a bad angle on a red carpet. They were..."

"They are coming. Please behave" Toni said.

"I'll try" Elizabeth replied, taking a deep breath.

"Good morning, mum" Mason smiled, walking into the kitchen.

"Good morn..."

"Adele, are you pregnant?" her mum asked, not allowing her to finish her sentence.

"What?" her and Mason said at the same time.

"Are you pregnant, yes or no? It's a simple question."

"Of course not! Why are you asking me that, mum?" 

"Because of this" Elizabeth said, showing her her phone.

"What the fuck! Did your agency tell you about this? Did you know?" Adele asked Mason.

"I did not" he hissed, reading the headline. Mount-Turlington baby on their way! The couple was caught sharing some cute moments around the small baby bump while in Italy, where they are celebrating Adele's birthday with their families. 

"Anything else you would like to add?" Elizabeth asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm not pregnant, mum. We had been having lunch and I was joking about eating too much and having a food baby, nothing else!"

"Is that true, Mason?" Toni asked him.

"It is, mum. Adele and I haven't... You know" he said, his cheeks turning a dark shade of pink.

"They are telling the truth, Elizabeth. Look at his face."

"Are you dating?" she asked.

"You know we aren't, mum. We are just faking it so the paparazzis would leave us alone" Adele said.

"I'm not so sure of that anymore, tho. Because every time you share something online, I have more and more doubts about you telling us the truth."

"What?"

"She's right, you know?" Toni said. "The more we see you together, the more we all doubt about what you guys tell us. You do look like a couple, and not just online."

"I can't believe this" Adele laughed. "Yes, we are closer than before. But we are not dating, or sleeping together or having a baby. Tell them, Mase."

"We aren't" he whispered, his eyes fixed on the floor.

"See? Look at him! You are lying!" Elizabeth said, pointing at Mason. "Why can't you trust me, Adele? I thought we could tell everything to each other!"

"And we can!"

"Then stop lying and tell us the truth!"

"I already have!"

"No, you have not! You and Mason are together but don't want to admit it for whatever the reason!"

"Elizabeth..." Toni said, trying to calm her down.

"We are not dating!" Adele said.

"Liar!"

"Urgh!"

"Adele! Adele, where are you going?" Elizabeth yelled.

"Somewhere as away from you as I can!" she yelled back, leaving the kitchen.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Is this seat taken?"

"Mase" Adele said, wiping away a tear. "How did you find me?"

"I guess I know you too well" he chuckled, sitting down next to her. "How are you?"

"Angry, sad, hurt, and having the worst birthday ever. How did those paps find us?"

"I don't know. I texted my agency and they swore they didn't call them."

"And do you believe them?"

"I actually do, yes."

"Then how…"

"They believe someone may have recognized where we are through one of the photos we've shared, and tipped the press."

"And they had to find us yesterday when we were being silly" Adele sighed.

"And now you and your mum are angry with each other, and it's all my fault" Mason said.

"What?"

"It's all my fault, Addie. I should have said something else, but I..."

"My mum not believing us isn't your fault, Mason. It's hers. All those articles have gotten into her head."

"But I should have been more convincing."

"You were convincing."

"I wasn't, Addie. Anyone could tell I was lying. My mum noticed too."

"But you weren't lying, Mase. We aren't dating."

"We aren't, but..."

"But?"

"Remember what happened here, under this same tree, when we were sixteen?" 

"I came here to cry after an argument with my mum. Kind of like today" Adele chuckled. "You found me and we..."

"We kissed" Mason said. "You took it as a joke, as something I did to cheer you up. But it was different for me. That kiss is something I've been wanting to repeat many times since that day."

"You... You've wanted to kiss me?"

"Yes. I've wanted to kiss you, and hug you, and touch you and do all the things people in love do. Because I love you, Adele."

"You..."

"That's why your mum thinks we are lying. Because I can't hide my feelings for you anymore."

"I… you..." she mumbled.

"It's ok, don't worry. Since that first kiss I've known that you only see me as a friend, that you don't feel the same for me. And even though with everything that has been happening lately I've been getting my hopes up, thinking that maybe your feelings were changing, today you made it very clear that I was just fooling myself."

"Mase... Mase, look at me."

"I don't want you to see me like this."

"Look at me" Adele repeated, gently caressing his cheek until he moved his face to look at her. "You weren't fooling yourself" she said before kissing him.

The moment their lips touched, it was as if they had traveled back in time. As if they were again those two teenagers sitting under that same orange tree, Mason kissing her to make her feel better. Though this time, she was the one kissing him to make him feel better, to let him know that her feelings for him had changed, that she felt the same he did. 

And this time, their kiss wasn't an awkward or clumsy one. This time both of them knew what they were doing, and they wanted more of it. 

Without noticing it, Adele had moved and was now straddling him, Mason's hands moving up and down her thighs while they kept kissing as if they needed the other to breathe. 

"Addie" Mason gasped when she started to kiss his neck, his hands grabbing her butt and pulling her closer towards him. "Fuck, Addie" he grunted when she moved her hips against him before kissing him again.

Now they were doing it with even more passion, Mason's hands on her hips, helping her move them against him.

"Mase" she heard herself moaning, that sound making them both stop to catch their breaths. 

"Addie, what are we doing?" he asked, resting his forehead on hers.

"I'm not sure" she replied. "But I know I don't want to stop."

"Neither do I" Mason said, meeting her eyes.

"Should we go inside?"

"Your room or mine?" he chuckled.

"Yours is closer" she smiled, caressing his cheek one last time before getting up and running to his room. 

Once there, they were kissing again, and it didn't take them too long until they were just in their underwear, Adele pushing Mason against the bed and moving to be on top of him. 

"Addie..." he moaned when she started to move her hips against him once again, kissing him everywhere. 

"That feels good, doesn't it?" she said against his neck, the feeling making him gasp.

"So good. But it would feel even better if I was inside you.”

"Did you bring protection?"

"Always. It's in my bag in the bathroom."

"Good boy" she smirked before leaving the bed. "We already have enough with one fake baby."

[daydream-believin]

a real stand up guy ba dum tss

summary: you get stood up by an internet man. douxie, your waiter and secret admirer, remedies that jackass’s mistake.

warnings: uh. swearing, alcohol, i’m too lazy to proof, the yooj. oh and doux doesn’t know how to handle this crush without getting slightly into stalker territory sorry. its a red flag but i think its cute. you may not think its cute.

a/n: tumblr was glitching while i tried to post this so idk how many paragraphs i accidentally erased. i mean i tried my best to make that number 0. but anyways if something is off let me know. the challenge for this one is that im not allowed to use italics. which you should know was very hard for me agshjfkgjdjh

taglist: @moppetwithamanbun @alovesongshewrote @blixeon @prismarts @fantasyiswaybetterthanreality @ukuleles-and-roses

okay quick psa i know it’s been years so if you want off the taglist just hmu. also if you were on the taglist and got taken off thats bc tumblr says you don’t exist anymore

uh this was a request. i’m not doing requests tho dont think that. looking back yeah that ask if from march 2022 and this doesn’t even match up to what you asked 😂 im so sorry @rose-writes-shit

you took a peek at your watch. 7:34 o’ clock. letting your head fall into the open palm of your propped up hand, you sighed.

coffee meets bagel boy was supposed to have met you at 7:00.

of fucking course. you let your plucky pink-haired coworker convince you to download a fucking dating app and make a profile, just for the only guy who had actually been interested enough in you to ask you on a real date to stand you up. makes sense.

it’s not like you’ve ever had luck with these kind of things. it’s not like you’ve ever had luck period. your kind might be the black cat of humans.

you’ve spent way too long eating the free bread at a mr. benoit’s of all places. it was the “classiest” establishment in the certain suburban hellscape of california you inhabited, albeit. you took in the scenery for the millionth time that night with a renewed sense of disgust. at least now you had a legitimate reason to hate this place.

your waiter slinked over, and you could tell he felt bad for you with the awkward shuffling gait to the pity grimace on his face.

“so, uh, perhaps more bread?”

you rolled your face towards him, arbitrarily throwing animosity his way with your dead eyes, just because he was there. but soon your compulsive desire to be the funniest pathetic wretch in the room won out.

“i’m considering burning this whole place down right now, actually,” you joked.

he grit his teeth, sucking in a breath, “could i perhaps convince you to do that on a night i’m not closing, instead? tomorrow is my least favorite coworker’s turn, for your consideration,”

“hmm,” you pretended to think, “i’ll do that then, it’s only kind,”

“thank you for your generosity,” he grinned, “now, are you still waiting for someone or?”

-

douxie had been watching you for over half an hour now. not creepily. he swears. he just got a little excited when he saw you come into the restaurant is all.

anddd maybe he might have badgered the host into giving you one of his tables. but again, he was just excited. he’s been looking for an excuse to talk to you for the past three months, after all. forgive him for jumping on the opportunity.

he maybe fancied you. just a wee bit. perhaps a rather large bit. or at least, the version of you he’s cooked up in his head from the way he sees you interact with people at house parties and the things he’s heard from zoe.

but he’s sure he’ll love you. as soon as he gets to know who you actually are. which, hopefully, is about to be sooner rather than later.

he did not anticipate this situation, however. whatever benevolent deity blessed him on this night decided to throw a jar of pickled herring in with the otherwise yummy pastry filled gift basket they left for him.

not long after you arrived at 6:56 pm, not that he marked the time you came in or anything he just happened to glance at the clock around that time, he watched you, how they say, deflate. your demeanor shifted from antsy to sad to downright annoyed.

you were dressed nicely. not fancy, not pretending like this wasn’t a benoit’s. but nice. orderly. like you wanted to make a good impression on whoever it was you were expecting to meet. so either a date, or mayhaps a job interview.

not that you didn’t look nice or orderly on other days. you just weren’t in your hex tech uniform shirt. or in the incredibly casual clothes you wore when he saw you around. you were just. clearly cleaned-up, is all.

whoever it was, it was obvious that they were not coming. doux applauded you for being patient enough to wait this long, but again, they obviously weren’t coming. which, if it was a date, was good for him, but bad for you. very bad for you.

and honestly who does this person think they are? letting you down like this? horrible. disgraceful. this person was a grade A jerk-off. they have to be dead from the neck up to leave you waiting here like this, publicly embarrassing you as you sat at a table set for two all alone at one of the busiest restaurants in town. shame on them.

he was glad you seemed to be in the joking mood, however. and about arson, too. oh, he’s always had a soft spot for arsonists.

he hoped you’ll forgive him for having to do his job. if it was up to him, he’d give you all the bread in the pantry just so you wouldn’t leave. but alas, he had to deal the killing blow.

“now, are you still waiting for someone, or?”

your eyes drifted downward to the empty wineglass in your hand as you swirled it sarcastically as if it were still full.

you sighed, “yeah, no, it’s clear he doesn’t plan on showing,” you looked back up at him ruefully, “i’ll order now. i shouldn’t have waited this long for an internet man, anyway, huh? could’ve made it less pathetic.”

“i don’t think there’s a way to make these things any ‘more’ or ‘less’ pathetic,” he began taking out his notepad, ready to write, “because i wouldn’t call it pathetic at all. getting stood up is a thing that’s done to you, not because of who you are, but because of who someone else chooses to be… unless you stole this guy’s car or something. then it’s your fault.”

you laughed. genuinely.

“no, no, it’s a first date. i haven’t known this guy long enough to steal his car yet. but thanks… that’s. a better outlook than mine. kinder,” you apologized, “… uh, can i have like, the cheapest bottle of white wine you’ve got back there? the whole thing this time.”

“i take it back. that definitely made it pathetic.”

while you shared a laugh, douxie mentally congratulated himself. you had just given him the information that a) you were single and b) you were into men. a good day to be a charming single man, then. he had a chance.

“so are you ordering any real food as well? or did you plan on just having wine and bread for dinner? have to say, i don’t think that’s wise, love.”

“well i suppose i gotta, since, i’ve, uh, eaten three baskets of complimentary bread,” you stumbled over your words for a second there, “and i’m sure it’d make the manager mad if it didn’t, right?”

“right you are. he’s uh,” douxie lowered his voice, “he’salreadybeenonmydickaboutyou so yeah, you gotta. plus i’m just— you should eat something, yeah.”

you awkwardly turned your attention to the menu as you did that thing where you hold it and pretend to look over the menu as you order like you forgot or something, “the duck confit sounds good for tonight, i think,”

douxie snorted.

“no, no, that wasn’t a joke,” you shook your head, smiling fondly, “i actually just like duck, i promise. no sarcasm. i do understand the irony though. i get it.”

he didn’t completely believe you, “well then, one order of duck confit, coming right up. be back shortly, love.”

doux grabbed the breadbasket on his way out.

when he glanced back to throw you a short and unnoticeable but longing stare, as he paused in the kitchen doorway, you were fidgeting with the flowers on the table. he should get that order in now.

-

when your waiter came back with food, he placed two plates down on the table. you looked at him like he had suddenly grown a second head as he took the other seat as well.

“what are you—“

“i called in a favor with the owner. i’m still working but, i’ve got a bit of free time now. if you don’t mind me joining you,”

you shook your head in astonishment.

“not at all,” you smiled, still absolutely flabbergasted that this man would do something like this for you, “you’re douxie, right? zoe’s mentioned you a lot.”

“oH—,” he coughed, “oh, uh, she has?“

“yeah,”

he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, “only good things, i pray?”

“oh, sure. sure. good things,” you took a demure little sip of your glass to torture him with the pause implying the contrary.

he swallowed audibly. nervous, then. what dirt did zoe have on him. you watched as he awkwardly shoved up the sleeves of his shirt, perhaps feeling a bit warm now. it was cute.

you’d be sure to ask zoe all about him later. how could you not. this was the most interesting thing to happen all year. and it’s december.

you racked your brain for what you knew of this guy for conversation topics.

“you’re in zoe’s band, right? the lead guitarist.”

his face lit up at the mention of it, “oh, yes. you’ve seen us?”

“once or twice, i believe.”

it wasn’t really your thing, live music. you mostly hung around the back of the bar when you got dragged to shows. you liked loud, sometimes. just not often. it really depended on how your brain was feeling that day.

“well, you’ve gotta come to the next gig, then, at least. i’m sure zoe’s already invited you?” you nodded. “the venue’s holding a wee little music festival, it’s going to be nuclear,”

“ah, that’s fun,” you smiled. that sounded like hell but now that two very enthusiastic wizards have invited you, you don’t have the heart to weasel your way out of it. you’ll bring the “XTREME” ear plugs.

“but yeah, the bands great. i love that i get to play with my mates now. a team that works as well together as we do is rare, so i really appreciate them.”

“speaking of,”

doux hummed inquisitively.

“what’s going on with zoe and that new girly y’all’ve got on the drums?”

“oh,” he paused to take a sip, narrowing his eyes mischievously, “they’re boning.”

you clasped your hands together excitedly, “thank you! you’ve just won me a betting pool.”

he almost had to spit the wine back into his glass,“hhhh. how many?”

“oh, just the entirety of the hex tech arcadia staff.”

“i’m not sure she’ll be happy to hear that.”

“which is why you won’t tell her, mr. casperan,” you placed your hand over his with a cheshire cat grin.

well, he couldn’t argue with that.

dinner progressed. alas, you can’t say you lingered as long as you wanted to on conversation. you were kinda rushing things because you felt a little guilty doux was getting someone to cover for him while you had your little date. was this a date. it had to be. as mentioned, he’s going out of his way for this, and you can’t imagine he’d go through all this trouble because he wasn’t interested in you. but then again, you couldn’t believe he was interested in you either.

“do you like cryptozoology?” douxie tried his best to ask nonchalantly while he scratched the bridge of his nose to look a little less interested. he was feeling a bit energized since talking about the band. you had been paying attention to him like he’d been paying attention to you, if only in passing.

“a tad more than the average californian wizard, why?”

“well, later this weekend, i’ve got a job exterminating a goblin infestation in the next town over,”

“snelling?”

“yeah, snelling. the guy i was partnering with told me he was backing out this morning, so now i’ll be going it alone. and im sure you know how fighting goblins alone usually goes.”

“makes it easier for them to gang up on you, yes.”

“see, that’s why i’m asking if you’d be interesting in taking his place?”

“well, i’ve got the weekend off and nothing to do,” he knew that, he got the hex tech schedule from zoe every week(to know how to schedule band practice. and, if he also took a peak at your schedule, it was purely accidental. yeah.), “so, i don’t see why not.”

doux grinned, both relieved he wouldn’t be fighting goblins alone, and feeling clever that he found an excuse to spend more time with you, “perfect, i’ll text you the details? but, oh, i don’t have your number do i?”

you were about to ask why he couldn’t just tell you in person right now, but he said that soo hammy. it took .01 seconds to understand what he was doing. you snorted.

“okay, okay, here,” you held out your hand and he gladly placed his unlocked phone in your hand. you made the contact and sent yourself a text of the first emoji he had in his recents, which happened to be🫀. ah, a goth romantic. you gave him back his phone.

“perfect. thank you, love.” he tucked the phone into his chest dramatically before placing in back into his pocket.

you rolled your eyes fondly, “you know, goblin smashing isn’t exactly my idea of the perfect second date, you might have to turn up the charm.”

“oh, i’m sure i’ll make it worth your while,” he let his head fall into his palm propped up on the table, gaze going soft, “so was this a perfect first date, then?”

you laughed, “hardly. all things considered. but—“

“but?”

“but i’m glad it happened this way. i’ve had a good time, mr. casperan.”

he grinned in agreement, “me too.”

you put your hand on top of the one he left resting on the table, and he took the opportunity to take that hand and gently lay a kiss to the top of your knuckles. he lingered for a moment, eyes shut tight to take in the tenderness of the moment.

alas, he has to go back to work now.

doux pulled out your chair and helped you to your feet. you thanked him as he started stacking the dishes.

“should i—?”

“no, god no,” he chuffed, “i’m the waiter, remember? i work here.”

“oh yeah.”

that reminded you. you shuffled for your wallet, but he stopped you.

“i’m paying for dinner, love. go enjoy the rest of your evening, i’ll text you after i close.”

“you sure?” it didn’t really sit right with you, considering he probably took a pay cut by not working the whole time you were on this little “date.”

“well,” he paused, and placed the dishes back onto the table for time being, “you could leave me a tip, if you know what i mean. just a teeny thing—“

“c’mere,” you snickered as you pulled him down by the lapels to kiss him.

chaste, just a peck. but perfect and sweet all the same.

when you pulled back, you watched as douxie held his eyes closed for just a moment longer than he need to before letting that blinding all encompassing smile bloom across his face.

“well then, a very goodnight to you, y/n l/n.”

[narcjsistx]

hi i love your works, they are amazing! if you don't mind could you write a one shot with Baji x reader, where they are 12-13(maybe before boys formed toman or just formed), she can be his friend, classmate, tutor, neighbour, Emma's friend, whatever your prefer, and Baji is so in love with her that everybody can see it and reader also knows it and his friends tease him A LOT. and maybe you can write how he confessed his love and his friends helped him(while they are still 12-13)

HI! thanks for the request, hope you have a good day ❤️‍🩹 and thx for the support!

𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

— I know it too, Baji

You really disliked Keisuke at first. When Mikey had told you that another child would be joining your group, you had been happy; only later did you realize that the child who had to join was the same one who had ripped your uniform on the first day of school. You came home crying about it, and then he disappeared. You knew he was at the same school and year as you, but in fact you hadn't found him anywhere. You had been friends with Mikey since birth, your mothers were great friends, so seeing that arrogant child join your group had bothered you enormously

Only a few months after you started laughing at his jokes. Instead, it had taken you a whole year before you accepted him playing on the same team when you played soccer at the Sano house. In short, you had gone extremely easy on him because you found him extremely annoying

But as we know, girls always have an edge over boys. From the beginning, it became clear that Keisuke was seeking your attention, amused by your aloof demeanor. He probably didn't even remember ripping your uniform when you were 6 years old. In the end, however, it must be said that you became inseparable: you put aside your pride for something that was actually stupid and after a year or so you decided that being his friend wouldn't be so bad

It had been years since you had first spoken to each other. You were now 13 years old, Keisuke had failed his first year of middle school and you had passed. However, he worried relatively little about it given that Toman, a gang built with his best friends, had been born a few months ago. You weren't part of that gang, but you spent pretty much all your time with them

"Overtake Mitsuya, show him how fast you can go!" you say sitting behind him, while you are on his motorbike. It was a beautiful sunny day and together with Mitsuya and Mikey you had decided to go to the beach. The others should have come too, but due to various commitments only the 4 of you had gone. Baji nods laughing, and speeds past Mitsuya's bike, arriving at Mikey's side "Stop being so boastful!" shouts Mitsuya "Say it hurt, loser" you say laughing "It's just dangerous to go that fast with a girl nearby... Baji puts too much trust in your balance" says Mitsuya, making Mikey, who is further ahead, laugh too

"Shut up! You know I'm always careful when I have a passenger" Baji says as he gives more gas, arriving next to Mikey "Or you just want to make yourself look cool in front of Y/n" Manjiro adds, and Mitsuya nods

“I'll kill you, you pieces of shit" Baji shouts, making you laugh. The thing is, you knew Mikey was right too, as more than a few times Keisuke had tried to make himself cooler than the others in front of you. You suspected he liked you and by asking Mikey, he had confirmed it, however you weren't 100% sure. Many times they, like Draken or Kazutora, teased him by saying that he had a more particular behavior with you, however you dismissed the situation by saying that you were simply very good friends

"Be careful Mikey! He might get mean if you say something too much in front of his girlfriend" says Mitsuya, receiving yet another insult towards Baji. This goes on for a while until you get to the beach, where you find a quiet place to sit

The four of you settled down, Mikey along with Baji ran into the water without putting on sunscreen, and you stayed with Mitsuya "They'll both get burned" you say sighing, putting on your sunglasses "Probably" Mitsuya says settling under the umbrella

Spend a quarter of an hour in silence. Mitsuya focused on a fashion magazine and you looking at your two friends in the water: Keisuke often waves at you from afar, receiving splashes from Mikey. You giggle, but find Mitsuya also observing the two boys "He has a thing for you, you know that right?" Mitsuya says "I know... but I don't understand half of his behavior" you say "What do you mean?" Mitsuya asks putting down the magazine, sitting down next to you

"You know... I've never understood his behavior. Since I was little he has visibly treated me differently than his other friends, he almost seems more protective, or maybe he would like to make himself look cooler in my eyes... but I don't think he feels anything. If he tried something would have already been declared, you know well that it would be difficult to keep something so important inside" you say, sighing. The situation had been going on for years now, and you had lost hope a little. Mitsuya remains silent, then suddenly starts laughing "Huh? What are you laughing at?" you ask slightly embarrassed "Oh nothing, sorry, nothing..." he says wiping away the tears born from laughing. He turns back to his magazine and you, sighing, let go of his behavior

From afar, however, you no longer see the two boys. You look better and find them sitting on a rock: Baji is telling something with great enthusiasm, and Mikey bursts out laughing after a while. You see in the two of them the same thing that happened to you and Mitsuya just now, but due to the distance you don't understand what they are talking about

When Mikey sees you looking at them, he yells something while waving at you, getting some insults from Baji. You don't hear what they say this time either, yet it seems as if Baji doesn't want Manjiro to say hello to you

Half an hour later the two boys return and you decide to have lunch. Lunch goes by peacefully with a few laughs and Mikey teasing Baji for deciding to sit next to you, but you don't even notice. You're more focused on thinking why Mitsuya laughed earlier

“Y/n!” Mitsuya shouts, bringing you back to reality "Huh? Sorry, I was thinking about something else..." you say sighing, taking a bite of your sandwich "Don't apologize to me, but Baji has been calling you for half an hour and you still hasn't heard" Mitsuya says laughing, while Mikey makes a very strange face "Huh? Why do you say that?" you say confused, and only now you notice that Baji is no longer sitting next to you, but is back on the nearby rock "Forget it, go over there" Mikey says taking the sandwich from your hand, to eat the rest. You glare at Manjiro, but get up and head towards the rock

It takes you a little while to get near Baji. The boy is sitting with his back turned, and as soon as you sit next to him he doesn't dare look at you "What's happening? Mitsuya told me you were looking for me" you say crossing your legs on the rough stone. Keisuke looks so flustered and you wonder if he's getting food poisoning from the sandwich he just ate "What was in your sandwich?" you ask, finally making him turn around; he seems so confused by your words

"Huh? It was a normal sandwich... why?" he asks confused, and you notice a light blush on his cheeks "You look sick, are you sure you're okay?" you ask “LET THIS GO!” he shouts, making you jump. An awkward silence falls between you

"Look... do you like someone?" he asks in an insecure way, and you look at him surprised for a moment "Um... more or less. It's difficult to explain" you say thus hiding the fact that your relationship right now was complicated "To you?" you ask “I like someone I've known for a while” he says looking down. When he says that it feels like a small boulder falling on you, but you hide it; deep down, you thought it was Emma the girl he was talking about "If you've known this person for a long time you should come out"

"You're right. I like you" he says with a speed that makes it hard to realize what he said "HUH?" you state, turning around quickly, finding him with his face hidden in his hands "You understood what I said, don't act stupid!" he shouts, keeping his face hidden. Feel your heart beating so hard it can leap out of your chest. You look at Keisuke and automatically think that Mitsuya's and Mikey's reactions were like that because they knew what he wanted to do. Your cheeks turn red, and you feel warmer than you might already feel at the seaside

"...I think I do too. And then... I know it too, Baji. I simply thought you had grown fond of me in a brotherly way" you say looking ahead of you, with the beauty of the infinite sea. You see Baji surprised by your words, but a smile comes to his face "Is that a yes?" he asks "It's a yes, Keisuke" you say, feeling embarrassed like you've never felt before, but in a good way

You see the boy quickly stand up, running behind him where, you hadn't noticed, Mitsuya and Mikey were "SHE SAID YES!" he yells coming over to his friends, making you laugh as you remain seated. Only now do you realize how much Keisuke was just afraid to declare himself

[tomholland1996simp]

I love your writing! Is there any chance you could make a Peter Parker x reader one where Peter and y/n do it for the first time? Xx

First time || Peter Parker

Warning: Extreme smut, fingering, riding, kissing, first time with Peter Parker. 18+

Summary: You and Peter do it for the first time as you were both needing sex.

You didn’t know why you had this feeling all day but ever since you saw your boyfriend, Peter, in gym class you have been extremely horny. You and Peter have been dating for 6 months now. And your relationship well hasn’t really been taken to the next step.

You and Peter are both virgins after all. But recently there has been so much sexual attention. Whether you make out with the boy you’re always craving for more. You don’t say anything though not knowing if he would feel the same way.

Today you have been dying though. You really want to loose your virginity to Peter, you really trust him and love him. Before dating you were both best friends so you knew you must be soulmates.

Now you’re sitting on his bed, legs squeezed together trying to release some sort of pressure. You kept looking at him watching him spam the controller as he played. It really turned you on watching his face whenever he died or was loosing his game.

“Peter” You whine finally having enough.

“One second, sweetheart” He said not looking away from his computer.

You gave him five minutes, five minutes and he still didn’t give you any attention. Then an idea rang in your head, “I’m gonna go home” You sighed acting annoyed, standing up pretending to gather your things.

This made Peter turn around looking at you, he quickly turned off his game standing up. “I-I thought you was gonna stay, no, aunt may ain’t here remember. Please don’t go” He pleaded.

“But you’re too busy playing and you said one second and I waited more longer. All I wanted to do was speak to you” You said.

“I’m sorry, okay i’ll listen what’s up” He smiled taking my bag from my hand.

“It’s kinda serious” You said making his smile disappear as he was now worried and scared.

“O-Okay, yeah go on” He gulped.

“Pete, have y-you ever thought about me in a sexual way?” You tilt your head to him, watching him go red.

“I-I, erm no” He awkwardly chuckles.

ouch.

You stood there silently realising that maybe your boyfriend doesn’t like you sexually. “Shit, sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t know you knew, it happened 2 weeks ago I didn’t wanna tell you as I was so embarrassed-“ He panicked embarrassed.

“Wait what?” You ask confused.

“You was awake wasn’t you, when I had that dream” He looked at you. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to have a wet dream about you whilst you was in the bed. You must’ve been like what the fuck. I mean your boyfriend was basically grinding into your ass that night and came in his pants. Oh my-“ He spoke quickly.

“Wait you had a wet dream about me whilst I stayed over and basically humped me whilst sleeping” You chuckled.

“Yeah…wait you didn’t know”

“No, I didn’t know that happened. So you do think about me like that?” You said hopeful.

“Well yeah….Do you?” He moved a strand of hair from your face.

“Yeah, all the time really. Have you ever like done it to the thought of me?”

“Well..I-I, yeah. Two days ago actually. It was because you wore that super cute skirt to school” He groaned hands finding your waist as your arms wrapped around his shoulders.

“The whole point of me asking the question in the first place was because….I…I’m kinda horny” You whisper the last part, him hearing.

“Oh. I…okay” He started to get flustered.

“It’s okay if you don’t wanna do this. But do you wanna maybe have sex? Like right now?” You smirk a little, his head nodding maybe a bit too fast. “Yes, yes. Only if you want to because I want to, I mean I think about it a lot not trying to be-“ You cut him off with a sweet kiss.

“Stop talking, dork. Show me how much you think about me”

And after that Peter linked your lips together. It was slow at first, lips moved in sync as tongues teased. His hands started to traveled down from your cheek to your lower back, fingers grazing your skin. You couldn’t believe this was happening.

The kiss naturally deepened as time passed, elevating you both to the next stage.

"You sure you want this?" He asked against your lips, you nod leaning back to lock your lips but he moved away. " I need to hear you say it, love" He spoke, clearly having confidence.

"I want this Baby, I mean I did suggest it." You almost whine wanting this to happen. He then crashed your lips together again, you took the hint, hands clumsily fiddling with the bottom of his shirt, wanting it gone.

You broke away, allowing the material to be thrown somewhere in his room. Your lips quickly attack at Peters neck, sucking the soft skin, trying to find his sweet spot. You’ve never done this before but you’ve done lots of research.

“Ughh, y/n" He moaned quietly as you found the spot he enjoyed you at most.

Peter then quickly picked you up by holding the back of your thighs, your legs wrapping around his waist. He pressed you up against his door, attacking your neck making marks all over it.

“Peter-you sure you’ve never done this before" You moan once he found your sweet spot.

‘Never’ He said.

Hesitantly, you let your fingers lace through his locks, massaging his scalp provoking him to groan against your neck.

Still holding you, moving away from the door. He placed you in the middle of the bed, now hovering over you. He smiled down at you, "C-can I erm....Can I take this off?" His hands danced at the bottom of your his sweater.

"Yes" you nervously breathe out as his hands slowly pull up the sweater, revealing your black laced underwear. He threw the hoodie on the floor somewhere.

He turned around to look at your body shyly, however you immediately pulled your arms and hands to cover your chest, due to not having worn a bra.

Once he realised that you was covering your chest he got off you, making you panic. But before you could speak, you saw him pulling his belt off then his jeans. Leaving him now in his boxers.

"You don't need to cover yourself, princess. Your beautiful, okay? Every single part of you." He slowly kissed up from your belly to your hands. "I don’t really know what to do, but i’ll try. If you feel uncomfortable tell me"

His needy eyes trailed on your chest, nipples hard from the cool air. "Fuck so pretty. Better than I've ever imagined" He mumbled. His mouth slowly trailed kisses along your breasts, eventually finding its way to your buds. Sucking and teething the sensitive part.

This now was a new sensation, a type of pleasure you have never felt before and it started to feel amazing. Your hands started to go into his locks again, pulling a few strands as he groans against your breasts. He switched to the other nipple, giving it attention it craved.

"petey" You moaned as his hands explore your curves. His lips then started trailing down your torso, travelling down to your lace panties. "I-I’m gonna try make you feel good, y/n/n." His hands now touching your panties.

“Can I?” He said waiting for you to give him a sign of permission. "Please, Pete"

Slowly pulling your lace panties down your legs, he finally was in contact with your heat. He quickly pulled them off your legs, throwing them with your other clothes.

"So I’ll need to like prep you right. I read up it’s better so it doesn’t hurt when…when I… put that thing in."

“Peter I’m sure you can say dick whilst we’re having sex, please baby I don’t mind what you say. Just don’t be shy” You smile sweetly.

“When I shove my dick inside your pussy” He smirks kinda not expecting his words.

You spread your legs a little to help him get more access to your clit. "Don't worry, I'm gonna make you feel good. Can't wait to be in you" You whimpered at his words.

His fingers finally came into contact with your soaked centre. This contact caused you to moan, feeling his soft touch swipe through your folds gathering your wetness. "Your so wet baby"

"All for you Peter" You were shocked by your own words now. 

"All mine? Tell me what you want me to do with my fingers?" Peter smirked looking up at your flustered face. He wanted to speak dirty to you as he knew you like it.

"Uh I want you to- to, fuck me with your f-fingers." You stuttered, scared that you weren't sexy enough for him.

"Yeah, use my thick fingers to stretch you is it? I'll stretch you better than your own fingers ever could." His digits beginning to tease circles on your sensitive bud.

"Yes! I'd feel so full baby. Please put more pressure on my clit."

"Like this?" He teased, following your orders rubbing harsher circles. Your back arched, toes curled. Only sounds that could leave your lips were small pants and moans. Peter continued the movement, coaxing you towards your climax. Once he knew you were relaxed, he dropped his hand to your entrance. A finger slipping deep into your core causing you to clamp around him. "Relax darling, I promise it will be okay? Tell me if it gets to uncomfortable, okay? I don’t know if i’m doing it right. But i’ll help the pain…"

His lips crashed onto yours, getting your mind to focus on something else. It worked. His finger could finally move, pumping in and out of you in slow, twisting motions. Putting his thumb to your clit, he added another digit, stretching you.

The knot started to build in your stomach. The sore feeling turning into amazing pleasure. You felt like you needed to piss.

"Pete, I think I'm close" You whined against his lips. He pulled his fingers out of you, a whine coming out of your lips at the lost of contact of his fingers.

"Sorry, but I want you to cum when I'm inside you" He told you before dipping his head into your heat, collecting all your juices.

"You ready?" He asked, taking his boxers off then grabbing a condom packet. Pre cum already leaking out from his dick, from it being so hard. “Have them as of May said” He chuckled.

"Yeah I need you" As soon as he ripped the condom packet open he rolled it onto his shaft, holding back a moan.

He was about to hover on top of you again until you spoke. "uh- I was thinking maybe, I could ride you?" Peters eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Just wanna try it. You need good pleasure too" you smile at him, he moved to sit where you once laid.

You threw your leg over his thigh, straddling him. His cock touching your heat, anticipation growing every second. This was it. You and Peter were both going to loose your virginity.

"You sure you wanna do this?" You asked and he said 'yes'. But then asked, "Are you sure, sweetheart?"

Instead of answering his question you raised your hips so they hovered over his cock as he held it, you placed your hands on his shoulders taking a deep breath, steadying your nerves. "Take your time angel. If you need to stop or feel uncomfortable, please don't be scared to tell me. Are you sure you want this?" His question didn't need any consideration.

"Yes, Baby boy. I want this. I need you."

Letting gravity do the work, you slowly slid down his cock. The stretch felt funny at first, uncomfortable. The slow pace let you adjust to every inch. Peters teeth dug into his lip, drawing blood as he tried to control the pleasure he was experiencing. As soon as you bottomed, he grunted.

Peter saw your face as you tried to adjust, so he crashed his lips onto your trying to help with some of the discomfort. It's not like it hurt it was just a different sensation to feel.

Ready, you began to move your hips up, the stretch intensifying. Fingernails left crescent shapes in his skin. "ugh..Baby girl you feel amazing fuck."

You moan at his words, "Peter- you are so big." You whined loving the feeling of him filling you up. Your words turning him on even more.

His hands glued to your side, helping your body ride his cock. Eyes flickered between your chest, face and pussy. He watched the way his cock disappeared into you with ease, the way your tits bounced, and the way your eyes were squeezed tight. It was a magnificent sight. "So tight. Take me so well darling. Fuck."

Your pace started to slow down so he decided to flip you both over, knowing that your orgasm is about to come. "Fuck me harder Petey" You moaned out, well more like screamed. You don't even know what came over you, you just enjoyed the pleasure.

Peter started to thrust into you, not too hard but more faster. Your eyes were rolling at the back of your head at the pleasure of him filling you up.

"Fuck...i-I'm ugh-I'm not gonna last long" Peter admitted whilst moaning into your neck as he pounded into you.

"Cum, Peter, Please" You begged nearing your own release. His hips started to meet yours as he fucked you with more pace. Screams ripped from your throat as he ruthlessly hit your g-spot with insane accuracy. Every limb in your body becoming weak, Fingers entangled in his locks, pulling at them making him growl.

"Darling, you close?" He looked down seeing you in pleasure as he kept hitting the spot.

"Yes, pretty boy, I'm- Im gonna—FUCK!"  You clenched around him, suffocating his cock as your body convulsed against his body, your climax a thousand times more intense.

This tipped him over the edge as he released into the condom. The feeling of you clutching him proved to be too much. He started to finish off with slow thrusts to steady out your orgasm.

Peter fell straight on top of you, both of you breathing heavily.

Wow. That was fucking amazing.

Your chests were rising up and down quickly. The room smelt of sex. Peter pulled you closer to him, both your bodies next to each other as you nestle your face into his neck, placing a small kiss.

"Darling, we gotta get you clean up" He said breaking the silence. "No, stay" you told him, his hands playfully going to your ass giving it a little slap making you groan in pain.

"Shit are you okay? Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry." He panicked, never meaning to cause his girl any pain whatsoever. "I'm okay, just sore" you admitted, hand soothing his chest. He placed a kiss on your temple before slowly getting you up, making you want to whine.

He then brought both of you into the shower so you could both freshen up. You both helped each other to get washed and helped washing each others hairs. You both were happy and relieved.

“Let’s go to bed” Peter smiled, now he was in a fresh pair of boxers and you wore a pair of his boxers with one of his science puns shirts.

“I love you” You smiled as he wrapped his arm around you, the covers covering your bodies.

“I love you more” He kissed the back of your neck.

“And I’m so happy we did that” You close your eyes.

“Me too. Go sleep now, goodnight”

“Goodnight, Pete”

First ever proper smut….yes? no?…more?

[dizzyluc]

Incoming vent rant (needed to air out my anger after the past 3 days, considering my pain level I'd say is at a 6 out of 10, and the more constant pain I'm in, the more pissed I get lol...)

This month, let alone this week, has not been kind to me... and it's only Tuesday, THE THIRD ">_> When this month starts off shitty due to something personal related (not health related thankfully, (although it IS insurance related is all I'll say, it could definitely be worse though, but...) it's actually put me in a pretty pissy mood these past few days, which I'm praying Friday it's taken care of, so hoping Friday goes over well) Monday, my "rest up before a long ass week" day, I had to take my car in to get an oil change as my light just lit up, went to a "Take 5" and after waiting 30 minutes, being inside the place that does it, with my car off cause no idea when they would actually just "start" doing stuff... "Oh, we don't have the right thing to change your oil, so we can't do it." THANKS FOR SAYING IT AFTER MAKING ME WAIT (instead of checking real quick if it can be done... then having me wait for everyone that came before me go... although I think they were understaffed too) Then after, I go to a local donut place, that I have been trying to get a coconut flavor for, for WEEKS, even went the day before and they said "oh we will have it tomorrow!" and they still didn't have it... (they have said this 3 times now at this point) pretty much making my outing a complete waste of time. Today being Tuesday? I've been almost crashed into 6+ times (at least twice my mom yelped at people almost creaming me) The donut place, after saying I'd be back at noon today? "It will be ready at 5-6 today!" How. Many. Times... I drop my mom off for her appointment, which normally this one takes 3 hours due to ALWAYS being behind, get a Slurpee... which tasted like a cheap drink... and then every place I went to, for SOME reason, after lunch? Big lines. I get done with the final place almost, expecting to get back and chill and relax after such a hectic afternoon and week so far... (after picking up a pizza cause a good deal usually happened at a certain pizza place nearby on Tuesdays) Mom texts: Oh, I'm just about done, there was no one in the doctor's office today! So we can keep doing errands once you get back! Me thinking... "Can I get just 5 minutes... FIVE. MINUTES." Dealt with more cars trying to ram me (If you go to Florida, be VERY CAUTIOUS about driving here, the people are lunatic drivers, even more so lately it feels like, literally had to slam on my brakes twice today because people THINK THEY OWN THE ROAD, TO PULL OUT IN FRONT OF ME) After finally eating today (I only had donut holes at this point btw today... it was pizza though, but...)

I think my nerves from all the shit happening these past few days finally caught up to me and I got nauseated for like an hour or so, which going back to the donut place didn't help (it still wasn't ready when I got there, it was almost 6 pm) and after they brought it out... it wasn't even the right donuts. "Wait, OHHHH... you wanted the white, coconut donuts we served like, 3 months ago right? With the coconut drizzle? Oh yeah, no that was discontinued." Me thinking: ... I LITERALLY TOLD YOU THIS EVERY TIME "I want the coconut donut that had white frosting, and coconut flakes drizzled on top of the donut" I got whatever the hell they made, got home, let dogs out (while it pretty much was almost raining) and it took me 2 hours to get a shower and now lay down in bed. ... and it just keeps going tomorrow lol... (Gotta be ready by noon, and will be out probably till 6 or so doing "Military Monthly run" aka pick up medicine, pick up veterinarian stuff for dogs, maybe mail some stuff or do a bank run (these 2 not always), followed by pick up cards and any random stuff at the Base Exchange, then the Commissary for almost 2 hours for the family monthly grocery supply [and this is why I call it "grocery day" as it's an all day affair, that literally is dedicated for goods for the month])

[cellythefloshie]

ＩＭＡＧＩＮＥ: Breaking the Rules for Tyler Seguin *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ road wife edition ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Celly’s 300 Follower Appreciation Requested by @starshine-hockey-girl

This blurb features an Original Character, Ella, who was the first Road Wife in the Road Wife Series. If I were to ever write a Road Wife Prequel series, these would be the major events. TW//Mentions of the pandemic as this would have taken place in the bubble. 

-Ella had been fortunate to be allowed to travel with the team to Toronto, and later Edmonton for the bubble 

-it was the only way for the teams to chase the Stanley Cup

-and Ella was one of the few media personnel to be allowed to come

-but it wasn’t without some extra push from the Lightning

-Ella was essential to their regular season success before the pandemic consumed the world

-so they weren’t going to leave Tampa without her

-Toronto had been lovely

-spending each night with a different Bolts players as they took on the east for the eastern conference championship title 

-first, they tackled Columbus

-where they were forced to remember the sweep that had taken them out of the playoffs the year before

-they had won the series 4-1

-then they played the Boston Bruins

-making quick work of them as well in a 4-1 series

-it was the Islanders that gave them the most trouble as they forced a game 6

-where the bolts would win the eastern conference title before travelling to Edmonton for the Stanley Cup final

-their competition: the Dallas Stars

-they had been an unexpected competitor as they had to play Colorado and Vegas who were favourites to win the cup

-but there was no ignoring the star power of the team

-especially when Tyler Seguin was so easy on the eyes

-he had caught her attention the moment she arrived at the hotel

-the Stars had the luxury of being in the same hotel for weeks already while the Bolts would settle in

-but he had very much made himself at home

-Ella would catch sight of him when the teams were ushered into their respective halls for their meals

-or on her way to the pool or weight rooms - areas reserved for the teams and their staff during their stay

-and he very much had eyes for her too

-each time he’d see her it left him smiling

-and leaning over to say something to his teammate that she could not see as his lips were concealed by his mask

-he didn’t approach her until after game 3 of the series when the bolts were up 2-1

-he had noticed something in her

-it attracted him

-but he also noticed that it attracted the bolts team

-she had a unique dynamic with all of them and it left him curiously

-Ella had been in the gym alone when he had come in shamelessly shirtless to

-and she did her best to ignore him

-but her eyes were drawn to how the sweat travelled down his body

-and she found herself changing her routine just enough to draw his attention to her body

-a seductress, she had a refined talent

-one that she had been working on for months as the road wife for the bolts

-but it always helped when she had already sparked someone’s attention

-Ella had only meant to tease him

-a subtle and cruel punishment for catching his stare 

-but it was difficult for her to ignore him

-he was easily the most attractive man on the Stars, and maybe even the league

-she knew it

-he knew it

-and he flaunted it

-she quickly became the one that was staring

-it was only then she noticed just how relaxed he was in the gym

-and that his choice of exercise was focused mainly on his upper body

-“holy shit, you’re injured” she blurted out before she could stop herself

-“nice to meet you too,” he scoffed and she couldn’t tell if he was amused or annoyed

-“I’m sorry I-”

-he brushed it off

-and the two of them made the proper introductions

-“you must be pretty important if they let you travel with the team-”

-“the most important only after the goaltender”

-“oh, you’re a cocky one, I like it. What do you do?”

-“that’s classified”

-and he’s laughing and that’s when she realized just how close they had become throughout their conversation

-he had abandoned his equipment and seated himself on the bench across from her

-she could practically feel his knee against her own as he sat leaned in close

-and she could feel her self-control begin to dwindle

-Ella could feel his warmth

-and the scent of him was intoxicating to her senses

-worst of all any fraternization with another team’s player was forbidden and it made him all the more tempting to her

-“i really should go”

-Ella quickly excused herself and did her best to push all thoughts of him to the back of her mind

-which was easier said than done when she was restricted to the bubble

-where ever she went he seemed to be there

-and then came game 4 

-there was no ignoring him there

-every time he was on the ice her eyes were on him

-and when the Stars scored, and he had a hand in it, he was looking to her

-not even Ella’s camera could hide her from him as she looked through the lens

-he knew exactly where she was

-and when the bolts had one 5-4 in OT, he was quick to find her in the hotel lobby

-“we almost had your boys there-”

-she met his flirtation with a smile but was quick to wave him off

-“I’m sorry, I’ve got some work to do-”

-he followed her to the elevator, his hand reaching for hers to stop her from taking it up all the while slipping a copy of his room key into her hand

-“come and find me once all your work is done”

-her stomach was up in her throat as she slipped the card away and went off to her appointment with Brayden Point

-Ella’s mind was lost on Seguin the entire time

-thinking of the key card that was hidden in the pocket of her pants 

-and it wouldn’t escape her

-not until she was done with her appointment and had ended up at his door

-when he answered he was wearing nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants low on his hips

-and she was quick to draw back the mask she wore and close the space between them

-initiating a kiss

-his hands were quick to find her body, guiding her back into his room and only lingered away to push the door closed

-Ella stumbled back with him

-her hands stripping off her own clothes

-and she felt the rushed air of his swearing against her lips as he left the lingerie she still had on from the appointment with Point

-and she smiled because she know he’d think he put it just for him

-but it left her wishing she had

-Ella had been the road wife since the games in Sweden

-and she had lost a lot of herself since then

-she didn’t get to indulge herself in many things, having to abide by so many rules

-aside from the ones she selectively broke

-she served the men who played for the team

-but in the moment with Tyler’s hands on her body

-and his mouth on hers

-Ella felt like she had control of something for the first time in a long time

-and she wasn’t going to let that moment pass without taking full advantage of it

-she let him guide her back toward the bed

-falling back on it and looking up at him breathlessly

-he was hard for her

-desperate to be fucked after spending weeks abstaining from anything but the occasional handjob

-and yet he hesitated

-his injury

-“how bad is it?” she asked him slowly

-“this could be my last shot at the cup”

-his voice was broken as he spoke

-the injury could be career-ending

-and yet he fought through every game 

-because that’s what you did for the stanley cup

-“where?”

-“my hip”

-she crawled up the length of the bed and took the waist of his pants in her hands carefully

-Ella guided them down so that they pooled around his ankles

-and it didn’t surprise her when she found that he was not wearing underwear beneath

-he stepped out of them carefully as her hands took hold of his hips

-she kissed along his hipbone slowly, dragging her lips along the angles before moving over to the other

-then she guided him back down onto the bed so that he was comfortable among the pillows

-silently she over to straddle him

-she was going to be as quiet as possible to assure they weren’t caught

-Ella began to roll her hips slowly, careful as not to hurt him and coaxing Tyler into a further state of arousal

-arching forward she whispered in his ear, “just relax, let me-“

-the friction was enough to soak her panties with her own arousal-

-the wetness seeping down over his stiff cock

-Tyler grit his teeth as he lay back on the mattress,

-his hands coming up to grip the swells of her hips

-she pressed up onto her knees just long enough to push her panties to the side

-then Ella teased him with her wet entrance

-gliding it from balls to tip and leaving him glimmering with her arousal

-his fingers gripped her hips tighter, trying to guide her down into his cock

-but Ella made him wait

-she kissed his neck and chest slowly 

-her hand reaching down between the both of them to grasp at his cock

-she stroked it slowly, her wetness the perfect lubricant for each stroke

-Tyler cussed out under his breath as she pressed the tip of his cock to her entrance 

-his hips jutted up, silently begging her to take him into her core

-smirking, she obliged oh so slowly

-with her hands braced against his chest she rode him

-and kept him pinned to prevent him from exerting himself

-the last thing she needed was for him to injure himself further

-one of her hands left his shoulder to rub at her clit as she took him in as deep as she could muster

-but that wasn’t enough for Tyler 

-while he was getting closer with each rise and fall of her core around his cock he wanted her to writhe in pleasure

-strong hands lifted Ella from him before guiding her over into her hands and knees

-she opened her mouth to protest but he hushed her quickly 

-then as she were on all fours in front of him he slipped his cock deep inside her

-he fucked Ella hard, his hands gripping her hips and ass tight

-the side of her face was pressed firmly into the bed and she bit her lip to fight back moans

-Tyler was hitting even deeper now, reaching her body’s limit as the tip of his cock kissed her limits with each thrust

-Ella wanted to cry out in pleasure but she was forced to draw in a pillow and bite down on it hard

-only did he seize his movements when he felt her walls flex around him and he came deep inside her

-Ella and Tyler were both left panting

-and as he pulled out of her, he cussed at the sight of his seed

-she had broken so many rules by going to his room

-but she didn’t stop there as he lay out beside her

-and sleep took them both

-come morning Tyler awoke to the sound of her phone vibrating

-instead of waking Ella up he reached out to silence what he thought was an alarm

-only to find a series of reminders of our pregame appointments with 

-and he’s curious

-Ella must be the team's physiotherapist or masseuse 

-which meant she would have a record of their injuries

-and she knew about his so it was only fair

-so he clicked the topmost appointment

-and was shocked to find the terms and conditions of sleeping with one of the players

-“Tyler?”

-her voice was dreamy as she sat up

-but it only took seconds to wake up fully when she found him looking through her phone

-“so this, this is what you do?

-Ella found herself stuttering unsure of what to say in fear of his judgment but he was quick to put her at ease

-“this is fucking brilliant-”

-and then she pleaded with him

-“you can’t tell anyone”

-and he didn’t

-until game 6 when McDonagh interfered with Seguin on the play

-and his emotions high, came the trash talk 

-he looked straight had Ryan and told him “I fucked your wife”

-it left Ryan stoic

-he wanted to react

-but he knew he couldn’t

-not when there was already so much on the line

-this was the game they could win it all

-and they were not going to let the series become 4-3

-while he told the players on the bench when Tyler had said to him the Bolts locked it down and went on to win the game 2-0

-they would end up winning the series 4-2

-and because of her indiscretions

-Ella didn’t get to enjoy a single moment of the Tampa Bay Lightning becoming Stanley Cup Champions

-upon landing in Tampa, Ella was relieved of her wifely duties 

-and after the acquisition of Carter Verhague by the Florida Panthers Ella became the inaugural road wife for the team in south Florida

[robinismywifee]

Back to the Old House - Chapter 4

August 23rd, 2034

[4 weeks, 5 days since beginning of Chapter 3]

Raines age: 16 years, 6 months

Ellies age: 15 years, 3 months

CW: none?

Words: 1920

Masterlist

Raines POV:

Today is the first day of patrol. Maria was super impressed at the gun range and she gave me a week before doing the real patrol job, just making sure I was ready to be around new people, taking me out to eat and shit.

It's been difficult, but I need to pull my head out of my ass.

I woke up early, 6am, patrol started at 7am, but Maria wanted me to eat beforehand. I brushed out the knots in my hair and brushed my teeth, got dressed, just jeans and a black tanktop, as it was still summertime, and my black canvas shoes.

I swung my bag over my shoulder and equipped my holster around my theigh for my gun.

"Hey Maria" I said in a sleepy voice, rubbing my eyes, making my way into the kitchen where Maria sat at the stool infront the counter.

"Hey, you seem tired. You sure you're still up for it?" she said, sipping something out of a steaming mug.

"Yeah yeah, i'm sure- it's just early"

She nodded, "you want some?" she gestured to her cup, "uh, what is it?"

"Coffee" she smiled proud, "oh, no thanks, never had it. Wouldn't wanna waste any"

"You sure you don't wanna try? It has caffeine in it, get you out of your tired mood"

"Not really, i'll be fine with water."

"Would you rather us go to get breakfast or me make you something?"

"Uh.."

Well I would definitely rather stay here to get food, but I should probably go out to eat so i'm not too overwhelmed with meeting this Jesse guy.

"Let's go out?"

Maria smiled, she gulped down the last splashes of her coffee, placing the now empty mug on the table, "i'm glad you said that"

୨♡୧

After I ate only half my food, since it felt like i was gonna puke if I ate anymore, me and Maria left to go to the stables.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't finish it.." I practically mumbled to her as we walked

"What? No. Don't be. You probably have lots of anxiety right now and i'm proud that you even tried. I'm also very proud that you're going out of your comfort zone to do this job."

I felt confused. Why is Maria so nice to me?

she wouldn't be if she knew the real me.

I stayed quiet. Thinking of how happy her words made me feel and thinking of how much I didn't deserve to feel that happiness.

"Hey" Maria waved to the guy who worked at the stables once we arrived, "We're gonna have you take this guy. We found her injured a few months ago but shes healed since, and fully trained. She's a good girl who was in need of an owner. She doesn't have a name yet either, so feel free to name her. This will be both of you guys first time on patrol" Maria smiled, as she handed me the horses rein.

I nodded, getting up on the horse. "perfect, now just follow me" Maria said softly, I followed next to her slowly riding my horse until we made it to infront the exist, I saw 7 other people on horses. They all looked to range from ages 18-30.

"Sorry for the wait. We got new patrol people, this is Raine" Maria introduced me to everyone, as I shyly waved. It felt weird considering i've been in town for weeks now, and yet I only know about 6 people, 2 of them I dont even know the names of.

"Hey Raine! I'm Jesse" one of the people said, it was the guy closest to me and looked to be the same age as me. His smile was gentle and he seemed nice. Maybe this won't be too bad.

"Hi" I awkwardly said, unsure of what else to say as he already knew my name.

"Great, I hope you two become friends as you'll be working together from now on, that is if everything goes well, but im certain it will."

Maria continued to talk about saftey precautions and which partner group was taking which route, Jesse already had taken this route before from when he had did group patrol, so I was basically just gonna have to follow him.

Once the gate opened, every partner group went separate ways, and it was just me and Jesse.

"So, I heard you came in weeks ago and was in the hospital for awhile. I also heard you got out of it weeks ago, where you've been?" Jesse asked in a curious tone, glancing to the side to look at me for my answer. When I opened my mouth nothing came out, he spoke up before I could make an embarrassing scene. "Sorry, that could be very personal, I dont wanna overstep anything.."

"Uh- no it's fine. I- I was just um.. I mean, I was in a coma? So I was recovering.. from it.. i've been staying at Maria and Tommy's place."

God, I sound so fucking stupid. Also im lying. I've been done recovering, i've just been staring at the wall in bed letting my own thoughts consume me.

"Oh, thats cool. Maria and Tommy are nice dudes."

It was awkward silence since I didn't know how to reply, and by the time I thought of just saying 'yeah' it was too late to reply.

"So what's it like being in a coma? I heard you dream some weird stuff- oh, and when people visited you, could you hear them?"

I softly smiled at his excited banter, he actually felt nice to be around and didn't make me that type of uncomfortable yet.

"Uhh, no weird dreams that I remember. Just was sorta blank. And, I wouldn't know. It's not like anyone vistied me"

"What do you mean? Of course she vi-" Jesse started saying, but stopped talking in the middle of his sentance. I scrunched my brows confused.

"Uhh.. sorry," he let out a dry chuckle, "forgot what I was gonna say"

What the fuck was that about?

I nodded, feeling awkward.

"Uhhhmm. So what made you wanna do patrol?"

Jesse asked, "Oh, just thought i'd be good and could help out."

"Nice.." Jesse nodded looking at me, as I stared down at my horses mane. "same.." he said, stretching out the A.

"Welp, Maria had us take a short route since its our first time and we're young, so.. here we are"

Jesse said, once we made it some office type building.

I didn't say anything, we entered it and Jesse signed us in. "You don't talk much, do you?"

"Guess not."

He nodded, pukering his lips and blowing air out. "Hey, you wanna know a fun fact about me?"

"Uh.. not really?" I asked, confused of why he kept trying to talk to me as we searched the building. "Can I tell you anyway?"

I shrug, not caring.

"Okay, well, my girlfriend, is actually the one that found you. You know, like right before you passed out in that coma."

My eyebrow's scrunched, and my face visibly showed confusion. What is he talking about? Ellie was the one that found me and shes not into gu-

"Dina, is her name"

Oh right. They were in groups.

I nodded, "Nice" I said not knowing how else to respond. "I think you and Dina could be friends. You'll have to meet her one of these days"

"No thanks" I said, cutting him off. He looked at me confused, "Oh- I just meant, i'm not really.. a social person, and meeting you is enough for me.. for awhile.."

His confusion dropped as he understood. "Gotcha. Well, still, it's a small town, you're gonna have to meet her eventually. But yeah, sure, take your time"

The rest of the patrol was boring silence broken up with Jesse throwing in information about himself that I didn't need to know. He even told me his shoe size? He's kinda weird. But definitely better then most, he wasn't being weird to me in that way at all and I feel like I could relax around him.

We finished the job and made it back to Jackson. It only took us a few hours since we had a short and recently cleared route. We didn't run into any infected or anything.

The people at the gates said hello to Jesse and welcomed us back, I figured that they didn't know my name. We rode to the stables, the stables were empty except for the same person working from before, and a black haired girl standing off to the side, looking as if she was waiting for something. She looked odly familiar.

Jesse was infront of me when I heard the girl speak up excitedly, "Jesse! How was it?"

Jesse smiled, "Hey Dina,"

So thats her? Fuck I hope Jesse doesnt try and make me introduce myself.

"It was pretty chill, we had a short route and no trouble. No infected or anything."

Jesse got off his horse and put the horse in its assigned stable, while I did the same. I saw from the corner of my eye Jesse and Dina hugging.

I could feel their eyes on me once they stopped hugging. "Raine? This is Dina"

I took a breath before turning around, "Hi" I mumbled, barley audible. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm glad to see you up!"

Are you though?

I nodded slightly, pressing a fake smile that I thought was convincing when in reality it wasnt at all, and then turned around to leave.

Once I left the stables and was out of their view, I heard Jesse apologizing for my behavior.

Why the fuck do I act like that?

I speed walked to Marias with my head down, feeling my heart pump fast. My cheeks were red from embarrassment.

Once I got to the house, Maria was already in the living room, and was alerted by me slamming the door shut that I was back.

She got off from the couch and ran over to me, "Raine? Whats wrong, did you get hurt? Did you get bit?" Maria asked me in a calm voice, but you could hear panic and worry behind it.

"No- no im fine-" I took a deep breath, feeling my cheeks grow more red from being even more embarrassed, since I was starting to have a hard time breathing over it.

"Well what's wrong? Was it too soon to go out?"

I shook my head, bringing my hands to cover my face, "No, I just- I dont know, I think it was just- alot, for such a short time." I breathed out, pushing past Maria to get water from the kitchen.

"Oh, i'm sorry hun, are you gonna hold off on patrol for awhile, or are you gonna stick with it?"

She asked, following behind me to the kitchen.

"No- I can still do it. Im fine. Tomorrow at the same time?"

She nodded, "Are you sure? How was Jesse? Do you want to switch him for someone else?"

I immediately shook my head no. That would just cause more trouble, and I would have to meet another person.

Before Maria could talk more, I took my water and went to my room.

[peligrosapop]

cute that you think frankie coming back is going to solve a structural problem. we have been playing badly for a long time, even with frenkie, but moments of individual brilliance saves us. the fact is that xavi makes tactical decisions that make no sense, anyone can see that the high 8s don’t work, that lewy should stay inside the box instead of roaming around the field, that playing romeu, alonso and a few others is giving up before the match starts

That’s your opinion. We’ve been playing without our best midfielders for 2 months, 2 of our attackers are just coming back from month long injuries and most of our players haven’t been rested enough but our bench is either over 30 without proper game rhythm (not played consistently) or under 20 (very lil experience) so obviously, besides that in the last two games we seem creatively stuck, lack of intensity and the game plan maybe wasn’t the best, I understand your pessimism but we have like 3-4 players that started 2.5 months ago with the team and haven’t had a consistent 11 that play with each other enough to know and feel comfortable with each other,I think, since we started bc of injuries and such. And yea, Xavi is a young coach (went from 1st division in Qatar for 2 years top, payed them 2 millions out if his pocket knowing he wasn’t Laporta’s first choice, to come one of the if the most difficult club to coach as a rookie coach in first division Europe) that makes mistakes, but he also came to a broke club that has been trying to build itself up again with a good team mainly of really really homegrown young cracks, or experienced vets that come for free after being free agents. We haven’t had a core group that has played 3-4 years with each other like Man City, Arsenal, Bayern, Ac Milan etc. Who are left from the starting 11 back in 21-22? Pedri? Gavi? Araujo? Ferrán? FDJ? That’s it? That’s it. And Pedri and Araujo get injured frequently.

This was always gonna be a long project. The fact that the palaca$ existed and we could buy some decent players like Lewy, Raphinha and Jules last year was a miracle and why we won La Liga and Supercopa, if not that would have been close to imposible. We spent 4 million this summer transfer and did fucking miracles. People forget where we are coming from. The trophies came earlier than they should have, really. Look at other team rebuilding. Arsenal? It has taken them 3 years to get where they are now, how many trophies? Girona has gotten where they are bc Mitchel has been there since 2021 with a main core of players and really smart buys/loans from really good scouting (and City group money), how many trophies?. This week was official the second anniversary of Xavi, who came mid season. A total mid-idiot-coach with no tactical skills would have not gotten a 9th place team to 2nd and on the way trashed 0-4 at Bernabeu the team that ended up being Champions of Europe that year. He obv has been experimenting more this year bc he has different players, lots of new ones between new transfers and kids from La Masia that came up and to makeup for injuries. We have won and tied with 5-6 injured players at a time, you know how hard that is? I think people are crazy.

Do I think both the team and staff need to reset? Yea. Wake up and shake it off? Yea? Were the last two games a disgrace? Yes. Should Xavi be sacked? No. Who the fuck is gonna come and coach us anyway? All the options are worse than Xavi. If we push him away, we’re gonna regret it like we did with Lucho. Calma.

We had a bad batch last season too Jan/February with injuries too, and fucking up in Europa, this shit happens. We still won trophies.

[pinkprimrose05]

3 choices. Arc V (Fandom) for 2 and 10. Yuri (Character) for 5, 6 and 7. Yuya (character)for 2 and 15. If you take on all 7 of these questions I will tie you upside down and play whale noises until you chill. Take care!

Put that rope away, yes, thank you- aaaand here we go!

2) my three favorite characters and why I love them so much:

I should preface this by thanking you for my most recent microcrisis, AKA the abrupt realization that somehow, somewhere along the line... the Theatre Kid Agenda™ has discreetly overtaken my top 3 list.

Speaking of the list:

1- You thought this would be Yuuya, but as it turns out... it's Yuuya! lol.

I'd go ahead and wax the usual poetry about the layers and symbols and all that jazz, but you've already seen me gush about that several times over, so I'll just focus on the babyboy factor for once instead. Yuuya may not have wet kitten energy even at his angstiest, but he sure is a sunshine bean of debatable genuity, and that's just as adoptable!

Looking at him alone is enough to make me want to offer comfort ok. I'm stuffing him in a blanket burrito and shipping him off to my place for a long, long break and some overdue therapy. We can cope with life together, cry a little, cry a lot, bake sweets to recuperate, melt into happy little puddles after a good treat, and then nerd out about theatrics and play a few duels to test silly strategies! This kid is my Son and he deserves all the best things in the world, so for every bit of pain he goes through I'm giving him a truckload of comfort.

______

2- You may have noticed this in ARC-V Month, you may have picked up on it through my sporadic, scattered mentions of the guy, but if not, then here's a fun fact: I have more than one ARC-V blorbo.

Introducing the central piece of a great many of my conflicted thoughts, confused feelings, paradoxical opinions, abrupt perception shifts, and eventual (semi-)begrudging affection that had me questioning my taste in pixels for like a whole year:

...Zarc.

I've known this fucker for 5 years, hated him for a solid 3, and then woke up one winter day in 2023 and realized that oh shit, he managed to land himself a spot in blorbo tier. Is this what people mean when they say a character grew on them? Were my feelings playing the most long-winded joke on my mind for 4 years? Trust me, I don't know. What I do know is that maining his deck was definitely an endearing factor, and so was the 3rd ARC-V watch (this is where I started uncovering most of the easter eggs I know about the show, so perhaps the build-up made me a touch biased over time, but I genuinely found the 136-139 marathon more entertaining than annoying for once. We speak not of 140).

TL;DR: I think the lettuce clown is neat. Past me would have a stroke if I told her I'm a Zarc apologist now tho.

______

3- Super Duper Ultra Hyper Extra Mega- ok I'll stop now.

Sawatari is actually the one surprise in this list to me because, huh, I didn't realize how much I liked him over other nearly as cool characters until I put them side by side and pondered who brings me more joy when on-screen. I thought 3rd place would be someone like Yuugo, maybe Serena, but it seems I've taken a spontaneous shine to the banana peel?

(Help how does this keep happening why am I weak to clowns lmao)

See, Shingo's character may be on the simpler side by virtue of being the... designated comic relief, but that simplicity is part of his charm! The mix of charismatic and pathetic aura is a also rare thing, you know- It's not easy to be so cool and cringe at the same time and make it feel natural. That takes skill.

And speaking of skill, Shingo has my respect for always putting up a good fight, even in the games he loses to all sorts of jobber bullshit. He's a genuinely good duelist and a great entertainer, and I love that for him!

______

10) how many fics I've read that are set in it (approximately and making exaggerated guesstimates):

Guesstimate: Around a thousand. I've been around the fandom long enough to read all sorts of fics on ff.net and Ao3 (among other sites), and it sure feels like I've seen a lot, looking back.

Actual number: Approximately 600, rounding down. On Ao3 alone. Huh, I was expecting the number to be like, 200, so this is not too far off, actually! Maybe the reason the fic count feels higher than it is because the memorable reads tend to be REALLY long multichapters. Why are these so common in the ARC-V tag, by the way? Is it the allure of crossovers? The canon divergence AUs?

(The answer is both, and a few other factors as well. Good for us, I say! Longfics are a serious test of commitment, and I'm glad to see and follow so many talented and dedicated authors!)

[oogaboogaspookyman]

Our lovable mouse was always a busy man

He worked long in a hard night just to make those few extra bucks. Minnie had taken notice of this, eventually deciding to ask Mickey about it

Upon questioning him about his struggles, Mickey's patience had finally broke

He'd become irritated, lashing out, as he said horrible things to her. She tried her best to reason with him, but Mickey had none of it, slapping her out of pure anger

A heartbroken Minnie had to run out of the room, with tears streaming down her face. It wasn't long before Mickey had realized the severity of his actions

Filled with regrets, he tried to apologize, but Minnie was nowhere to be seen after that

The guilt-ridden mouse had stayed up all night until exhaustion had taken over

When Mickey had woken up from his deep slumber, he was quick to notice that the house was... Abnormally silent. No birds chirping, no sounds of cars passing by, just pure... Silence

He ran outside as quick as he could, realizing there was only an empty street and a deppressing gray sky

Mickey had walked far down the street, but it always seemed to be heading to the same place, as if it were looping

He grew more hopeless as time passed, it all felt like a bad dream

Mickey tried to end his life many times, but despite his efforts, he just couldn't escape. For three months he had been trapped here, his sanity had began to decrease

The isolation, the loneliness, he couldn't handle it anymore

Until...

"Beep!"

A small, blue haired boy, had approached him, from seemingly out of nowhere, requesting to sing along with him. Mickey was confused nonetheless...

But... What reason did he have to say no..?

RIGHT? :)

[ISOLATED]

.

.

.

[1]

What do you want now?

Isn't this enough?

It's been three months, in pure isolation

*howdy pal!*

[2]

I cannot handle this anymore, the loneliness tears me apart...

*boy golly that sounds rough!*

[3]

I'm all alone, walking down the street

Every single building i already know by name

*that doesn't sound very healthy for a mouse like you!*

[4]

Nothing better to do? Other than nagging?

please help me i'm breaking apart

I'm on the edge of the cliff, holding on by a thread at this point

*that's why i'm here! You shouldn't be alone!*

[5]

♪Down the river, in my unhappy boat, rowing down the stream forever, whistling my little tune♪

*ooh shit yeah no breaking character here- this a vibe hell yea*

(I'm stuck in my own boat)

[6]

Don't you have anything better to do other than bugging me?

I don't wanna be here anymore, why can't you just get me out?

*no i can't get you out, so you should be grateful i'm even here at all, sorry buddy!*

[7]

I'm all alone, walking down the street

Every single building i already know by name

*it's gonna be fine, you worry too much!*

[8]

Nothing better to do? Other than nagging?

please help me i'm breaking apart

I'm on the edge of the cliff, holding on by a thread at this point

*what if we play hide and seek? Let's have some fun, since you're so painfully lonely!*

[9]

*why can't you just smile a little instead of sulking like this?*

Why can't you just help me out instead of bothering me like this?

Just get me out of here, i don't know how much longer i can take it

Just get me out of here, i don't know how much i farther i can walk

*just smile for once, Mickey*

[10]

Don't you have anything better to do other than bugging me?

I don't wanna be here anymore, why can't you just get me out?

*i'm trying to help ya, mouse! You just need to let me help you!*

[11]

♪I'm all alone, eternally walking down the street♪

♪Forever passing by the same buildings every day♪

*this is getting annoying, Mickey*

[12]

Why are you even here

I feel like you're not what you say

There's nothing to worry about!

All you have to do is smile!

(Maybe you're why i'm so isolated)

[:)]

[dyslexicoconut]

Big Dogs Attack the Pentagon

Chapter 1

“This is such bullshit.” The man let out a long groan as he threw his hands over his face as slowly sank into his office chair. Agent Jack Waters had spent the better part of the last year at his desk, working on filing reports and he still wasn’t adjusted to it. Jack looked at his computer screen, a blank PDF he had been working on for the last hour staring at him. In theory, this was one of the simplest forms that could be done, an evidence acquisition form, but in practice, it proved a most daunting task.

“Another day in paradise?”

Jack peered over his desk from his slouched position and over the cubicle wall as a familiar head looked back at him with a toothy grin.

“Hello Tony,” Jack grumbled.

“What's the matter Waters, a perfectly gloomy afternoon spent under fluorescent lights and in 6 square feet of a cubicle not enough to cheer you up?” Jack let out another groan and sank even further into the chair, barely even sitting in it at this point. 

“I know, shocking,” the sarcasm dripping from his words. “This is ridiculous, I shouldn’t even be here.”

“Well clearly someone disagrees with you, Do you ever think-”

“No.”

“That maybe-”

“No.”

“Just maybe-”

“No.”

“They have a point?” Jack forced himself back into a sitting position.

“No, no, no, no they don’t. I can understand a week or two of leave. Maybe, and I mean MAYBE a month, but six? It’s ridiculous! I’m a waste here, there’s someone lesser than me out on the field and I’m taking the seat of some pencil pusher who I’m sure would like to be here more than me.” Jack looked around, his voice getting louder than the hums and beeps of the office ambiance would allow. He turned back to Tony, using a much more controlled voice. “It’s just fucking bullshit.”

“I know buddy, it sucks,” Tony said in as genuine a tone he could muster. “But I’m sure you’re not long for this place, and I doubt they’re holding you for any malicious reason. I’m betting they just lost your paperwork, and this ‘extended leave’ nonsense is just them covering their asses.”

“Yeah maybe,” Jack said, clearly not convinced as he put his head in his hands. A silence fell over them, neither very sure how or interested in continuing to poke this bear. The silence lasted for so long that Jack briefly considered going back to work before Tony thankfully broke the silence.

“Oh, speaking of breakfast, did you hear that they’re taking away the coffee pot from the break room.” as the words left Tony’s mouth Jack whipped his head up, the look on his face as if he’d seen a ghost. 

“No, you’re fucking kidding me. Because of Jerry?”

“I mean legally they can’t say that it was because of him for defamation reasons, but I mean yeah what else could possibly cause it?” Jack, in disbelief, stood up and started pacing around his cubicle.

“God I still can’t believe that happened, how does someone almost drown in a coffee pot?” Jack and Tony stepped out of their cubicles and started walking down the aisle. 

“Yeah it’s ridiculous,” Tony replied, “but as part of the settlement and just to avoid anything else they’ve taken away all the coffeepots on the inner corridors, so if you want any coffee or tea or any of that shit you have to head all the way to the outer-western corridor.”

“Oh god.” Jack let out a groan that put all his others to shame. “God, how far is that even?” Tony mulled over the question for a moment.

“Hmm, well ballpark if you round the three then you get too fucking far. It’s like a quarter of a mile if you’re being generous, which I am.”

“Jesus Christ,” Jack muttered. “They expect people to walk a half-mile round trip just to get a cup of fucking coffee?

“Yup.”

“And we still can’t bring our own coffee in?”

“Nope.”

“What the fuck are we supposed to do then that’s a ridiculous conflict to have!”

“Well,” Tony whispered, “I hear it’s not official, but supposedly the new batch of interns they brought in are kind of exclusively for running coffee.”

“Huh,” Jack muttered, “that seems like a really convoluted solution to a problem that they kind of manufactured. I mean, it feels like the conflict is kind of forced on us just as a way to put in this new gimmick for no particular reason.”

“I mean yeah I can see that,” Tony replied, “but I guess sometimes that’s how life works, and you kind of need to accept the fact that it’s imperfect and move on. Maybe there will be some purpose for it to exist, and whoever made this decision knows what’s best and we just have to wait for ‘pages to turn,’ as it were.” Jack looked at Tony very quizzically, but eventually just shrugged.

They walked for a bit making idle chitchat before stopping at a large window, overlooking several hundred small white crosses. 

“Do you ever really grasp the scope of all this?” Jack asked while staring out the window.

“What do you mean? Tony responded, also not breaking away from the gaze out the window.

“I mean that all my time out in the field was just one random place to another, I never really spent time thinking about where I was.”

“Where you were physically or where you were spiritually?” Another long silence passed, but this one much less uncomfortable. 

“ I guess both, I never really stayed anywhere longer than a month, and after that, I was sent right along to the next mission. It always seemed easier to just make no connections or ties to the places I went, and in return, I’ve never really stopped looking forward. I guess in all the time I’ve been here, I never really thought about where ‘here’ was.” They both continued to look over the wave of white crosses and contemplated for a brief moment before Tony slapped Jack on the back.

“Well,” he said, “ That’s the way things happen down here, in The Pentagon, USA we learn to do them a bit differently.” Tony checked his watch and exclaimed, “Speaking of beans it is just about lunchtime, and I’m thinking we go see if we can make one of those interns grab us that coffee.” Tony turned away from the window and started walking, and after the briefest second, just as Jack started to see the world from a new point of view, he snapped out of it.

“Hell yeah Tony, I could use a cuppa joe!” he yelled, quickly catching up.

[daydreamgoddess14]

My bad habits lead to you pt. 1

MASTERLIST

Sequel to We lie awake in love and fear

From a prompt by @lilacmermaid25:

5 times Ted returns from Kansas for a wedding, one time he returns 'just because'.

Chapter 1

Beard and Jane - November 2023

A sunset wedding at Stonehenge. Rebecca had been to some beautiful weddings - some tiny and intimate, some grand and obscene (including her own to Rupert), but she could honestly say that she’d not been to one in such a wonderful setting. Though it was November, they were lucky - it had been one of those crisp, bright, cold days where you could almost forget it was winter and barely 8 degrees outside. It hadn’t been planned. Beard and Jane had discovered their pregnancy during the summer and calculated the dates back to the night of the gas leak - or perhaps any point during that week really, there was a lot of action that week after all. They’d spent a couple of months debating back and forth on the idea of marriage before deciding that to protect Beard’s UK visa status and parental rights, it was better to have a bit of paper than nothing at all. They’d pulled the plans together in the space of about a month - with a little of Rebecca’s considerable influence and that of a top flight premier league team. She and Keeley got ready in Rebecca’s suite at the nearby hotel they’d dance the night away in later on. Keeley’s room had been taken over by Roy, Jamie, and whoever else had chosen to hang out with them. The two women could hear the music from the next corridor.  

“Roy asked if I’d ever get married.” Keeley said suddenly from the bathroom. Rebecca dropped her mascara wand on the white linen bed sheets.

“Shite. He asked what?! What did you say?”

“I asked if he meant to him or just… generally.” The loo flushed and Keeley reappeared. “I said maybe generally, but if he meant to him then we’d still have a lot to sort out.” Rebecca still sat open mouthed in shock. “Shut your gob before I stick my hand in it. You look like a fish.”

“Sorry, I just… I didn’t expect Roy to be so…”

“Open?”

“Stupid! Surely he knows that you’re both not in that place right now? And what about Jamie?”

“We talked about Jamie. We talked to Jamie. One day, Jamie is going to go off and find someone and eventually want to settle down. Until then, we want him to stay with us for as long as that’s what he wants too.”

“In whatever situation you’re currently in?”

“Yep.” Keeley popped the P.

“Is it working? Are you all happy?”

“So far so good. I know it’s a bit unconventional, but it really does work.” Rebecca smiled warmly.

“I don’t give a shit how unconventional it is, as long as you’re all ok with it. You’re consenting grown up people, you should do what you want. I only want you all to be happy.” Keeley met her eyes in the mirror and smiled back.

“Thanks babe. What about you, how’s it going with Matt?” Matthijs had been kicked out to Roy and Keeley’s room, though his was only a flying visit - quite literally he was flying out of Bristol airport shortly after the wedding ceremony.

“It’s going well. The traveling takes its toll a little, it’s not like he spends a few weeks in one place and then is away for a few weeks - sometimes I think that would be easier.”

“Heard from Ted recently?”

“Yes, we spoke a few days ago. He should be here soon.”

“And how are you expecting that reunion to go?” Keeley asked in a singsong voice.

“Keeley, we spent one night together. We knew it was only one night, it was only ever going to be one night.”

“But you haven't spoken that much since he left?”

“He’s only been gone 6 months. We speak often enough!” Keeley hummed. 

“Well when he sees your dress, he’ll be on the floor and Matt will have to step over him to get to you. Which won’t be awkward at all. God I’m so fucking glad I have first class tickets to that shit.”

“Nothing is going to happen.”

“Matt doesn’t know that you and Ted had one night of wild passion though.”

“One night and one morning, actually. No, he doesn’t. And he doesn’t need to know. He knows that Ted and I are close friends and he accepts that Ted is and will always be, a huge part of my life.”

“But he doesn’t know about the sex.”

“Correct.”

“The mind blowing, life altering, never going to orgasm like it again ever for the rest of your life sex?” 

“Thanks for reminding me. That’s absolutely the most helpful thing you could do, Keeley.”

“Well, I’m not picking fault - he’s a nice bloke, but has Matt ever made you feel the way Ted did?”

“No. Not that the sex is bad, it’s not. It’s very good.”

“It’s just not life altering. Got it, thanks for clearing that up.” Rebecca glared in the mirror.

“It doesn’t have to be life altering.”

“I just remember a certain, very close and very supportive friend of yours telling you that you deserved more. That’s all. And he may not always come with the right answers, but Roy was dead right on that one, Rebecca. You know he was.” Rebecca couldn’t disagree with that. She finished off her makeup and took her dress into the bathroom. It was going to be fine. Ted knew about Matthijs and Matthijs knew about Ted. They would meet, they would shake hands and it would be fine. There was not going to be some silly, unnecessary fight to win her over. She left the bathroom with her dress unzipped to ask Keeley for help when she noticed the tiny blonde had disappeared. She could hear voices and checked the time - it was probably Roy and Matthijs trying to hurry them along for the ceremony. She stepped into the second room of the suite to find Ted hugging Keeley.

“Ted!” She beamed, rushing over to greet him. Keeley moved away and Rebecca stepped into Ted’s embrace. Her head found the spot on his shoulder where she could breath him in and his arms wrapped around her back.

“Hey Becca. Think you’re a little underdressed.” He mumbled into her ear before kissing her cheek. She could feel his large, warm hands directly on her back.

“I’ll get that, thanks Ted.” Keeley said with a knowing grin. The zip slid up and Rebecca adjusted the dress.

“You look beautiful.” He smiled, next to her, Keeley cleared her throat. “You too, Keeley. As always.”

“Charmer. I’ll go and get Roy and Matt and we’ll go to the bar before we head out. It’s cold out there, we’ll need a stiff drink to keep us warm!” Keeley left, leaving the suite door open. Rebecca reached for her shoes, Ted offered his hand so she could step up into them.

“How was your flight? How’s Henry?”

“He’s really good, thanks. The flight was fine”

“And Kansas?”

“It’s still there.” She smiled softly at his reply, cupping his cheek in her hand.

“Oklahoma?”

“Can we Oklahoma later?” He asked.

“Of course, darling.” He held up her thick woolen coat so she could put it on. She took the opportunity for one more hug before they left for the bar. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too, sweetheart.”

“Come on, let me introduce you to Matthijs.”

The bar was beginning to fill up - everyone had the same idea of warming up with alcohol before the ceremony. Trent was pouring brandy into a hip flask while members of the team passed glasses of whiskey down the line. They all stopped for Ted. Various shouts of "Coach!" or "Ted!" rung out and everyone crowded him to shake his hand, clap him on the shoulder, or, in Dani’s case, cry into his arms. Rebecca went to the bar for the usual triple Jack Daniels while she waited for them to settle down. She took it with her to where Keeley stood with Roy and Matthijs. 

"He's a popular man." Matthijs said, gesturing with his glass. 

"Always has been." Keeley smiled, "It's good to see them all together again."

"They've really missed him. Is Dani still crying?" Rebecca leaned over to look around.

"Dani's been crying all week, loves a wedding." Roy grumbled.

"It's sweet, leave him alone." Keeley elbowed him in the ribs. Eventually, Ted was able to make his way over. He greeted Roy first with a handshake, then with a huge hug. 

"Good to see you Roy Kent. Where's our Beardo?"

"Just trimming his beardo. I've sent Will to hurry him up. Nate and Jade are on their way down from their room,"

"Leslie and Julie are just out putting some things in their car." Keeley interrupted. 

"And I think that's everyone organised." Roy finished. 

"Ooh, look at you So Solid Crew!"

"Ted, you know who the So Solid Crew are?" Keeley looked incredulous. 

"I do not, no. They came on the radio one time when I was back in Richmond." Rebecca turned to Ted and gestured towards Matthijs,

"Ted, I'd like you to meet Matthijs. We first met in Amsterdam. Matt, this is one of my very closest friends, Ted."

"Ted, it's nice to meet you." Matthijs and Ted shook hands firmly. Keeley watched wide eyed as the knuckles of both men whitened.

"You too, Matthijs. Heard a lot about you." Ted replied with a tight smile.

"Great, great, love an intro!" Keeley jumped in, grabbing Ted's drink from Rebecca and handing it to him. 

"Whistle! Whistle! Drink up you lot, time to get on the bus down to the ceremony. 10 minutes!"

"I love it when you get all Coach on them, babe." Keeley winked. Jamie came over with her coat over his arm. He held it out for her. "Thanks, Jamie! Are they all ready to go?"

"Nearly, yeah. Hiya Ted." He stepped into the centre of the group to shake Ted's hand, but the elder man grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a Lasso hug.

"Jamie Tartt, how you doin'?! Walk with me, huh? I want to tell you about Henry’s football team." Ted thanked Rebecca for the drink and moved away with Jamie. There were two buses organised to take the team, staff and various plus ones to the ceremony, along with Beard and Jane. At Stonehenge, the sun was starting to set, Ted was able to get Beard alone for a short time while everyone else stood around in small groups. It was a lovely ceremony, short but sweet. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, the cold set in and people started to shiver and pass Trent’s hip flask around until the contents were exhausted. They made their way back to the buses to go back to the hotel to warm up and party. As the groups got off and made their way inside, Matthijs pulled Rebecca to one side. 

"I have to go. I'll see you in a few days?" She nodded, 

"Yes, have a safe trip." He leaned in to kiss her but she locked eyes with Ted over his shoulder, Ted was glaring at them. She turned her face just slightly so that Matthijs kissed her cheek instead. He frowned a little, but didn't call her out on it. As he left, he raised his hand in a brief wave to Ted who didn't wave back. Rebecca stayed outside for a moment, to watch him leave, Ted made his way across the front steps of the hotel to join her. “I do believe it’s your round Coach Lasso.” She said pointedly, turning for the entrance. “I need a drink to warm me up.”

“Is he nice to you?”

“He is, yes. Far nicer than I’ve been to him to be honest. I’ve not been the easiest person to live with in the last 6 months. Anyone inside that hotel will attest to that.”

“And are you happy?”

“I’m not unhappy. Sometimes that’s good enough for the time being. And you?” He hummed softly in agreement. 

“Think you’re probably right. Sometimes you do the right thing just to get to the other side. Does that constitute us both Oklahoma’d?”

“I think so for tonight. Don’t want to bring the place down do we?” She smiled sadly.

He followed her up the grand steps, his hand at the small of her back first remembering the softness of her skin from their earlier hug and then remembering the warmth under his palm 6 months ago as she ground her body against his. The second memory caused his hand to tense against her, gripping the fabric of her dress. If she noticed, she didn’t say a word.

As anticipated, the party was in full swing. The Richmond Team loved any excuse to let their hair down and have fun together. In Amsterdam, they could have gone their separate ways and done what they’d all wanted, instead they tried to work it out together under Isaac’s leadership and favoured spending time together doing nothing rather than doing something alone or in smaller groups. No one was planning on a pillow fight this evening though, to Keeley’s disappointment. They danced and drank and sang long into the night, Rebecca finally collapsed into a sofa  and kicked off her high heeled boots. Ted dropped down next to her, slumping into the seat. The combination of a lot of whiskey and jet lag was beginning to hit him hard. She reached over and used a hand to brush his hair back and out of his eyes, not quite realising what she was doing until her hand was actually in his hair. She drew it back quickly,

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. It was just a, y’know,”

“Subconscious action.”

“Yeah. I haven’t seen you much? No dance for me?”

“I’ve been with the fellas. Wasn’t really sure a dance was a good idea given our history.”

“We’re still friends, Ted?”

“Oh I know we are.” His voice dropped, “I’m just not usually in the habit of fucking my friends, Rebecca.” 

“Is this because of Matt? I am allowed to date. Sleeping with you doesn’t mean that I don’t get a life of my own, surely you date?”

“Of course you are. I just, I wasn’t expecting him to be here.” He ignored her last question. They sat in silence for a short time, watching Jamie and Will leading an impromptu Macarena to a song which was most definitely not the Macarena.

“He’s not here now.” She said, barely above a whisper.

“No he’s not.” He slid his hand across the seat of the sofa to rest next to hers and drew random patterns on her palm with his fingertip. “I’m glad he’s not.”

“Why? Jealous?” She teased.

“I am, yeah. Very.” He caught her surprised look. “Why is that a surprise?”

“I didn’t think you’d be like that.” She replied honestly.

“Rebecca, for as long as I’ve known you, the thought of another man touching you has driven me near insane. The thought of Rupert treating you so badly when he should have been worshiping you made me crazy. And now that I know what you sound like? What you taste like? How you feel underneath me? Well shit Rebecca, I’m sorry but I don’t want anyone else to know those things about you.” He felt her breathing change beside him, saw the flush on her chest. She didn’t say anything, unsure of what to say. Eventually, Roy came over and asked if she wanted to dance. She didn’t bother putting her boots back on, warning him to stay away from her toes.

“So why does Ted look like he’s chewing a wasp?”

“It’s November Roy, there are no wasps.”

“You know what I mean, Blondie. You upsetting him again?”

“Why do I always get the blame? The only thing I’ve apparently done wrong is bring my boyfriend to a wedding.”

“So uhh, which boyf-”

“Fuck off, Kent. You know I mean Matt.” 

“Sorry, sorry. I know. He’s jealous then.”

“He has no reason to be jealous. I’m not, I have never been, in a relationship with Ted. My feelings for him are entirely different and separate to the way I feel about Matt.”

“Ted thinks he’s losing that battle then.”

“There is no fucking battle, Roy.” 

“Do you or do you not care more about Ted? If they were about to be eaten by a shark, which one would you save? Who would get your kidney? Who would you share your last chocolate with? Who’s seen you at your lowest point?” Rebecca glared at him. “I know the answer is Ted. You know the answer is Ted. Ted thinks that the answer to at least 4 of those questions is Matt. Who is a lovely bloke by the way - I’m not shitting on Matt, he’s just had a hard act to follow. It’s like auditioning for something after Chris fucking Rock has just been and impressed everyone.”

“Wish I’d never said yes to a dance now.” She grumbled. “It’s late. I’ve had a lot to drink. I’m going to bed.” Roy pulled her into his arms properly and kissed her cheek.

“Just looking after you, boss.”

“Thank you, Roy.” She stopped on her way across the dancefloor to wave to and hug different groups of people goodnight, letting Keeley wrap her tiny arms around her, and accepting kisses from her very drunk and boisterous footballers. She stopped off to say goodnight to Beard and Jane, Leslie and Julie and Trent, then she went back to where Ted sat on the sofa. Her spot was now taken up by Nate with Jade on his lap. “I’m going to call it a night. See you all later.” She squeezed Nate’s shoulder and smiled warmly at Jade. “Nathan, could you remind the bar to close off the bar tab on my suite once everyone is finished, please? They have the details already.”

“Will do, thank you.”

“You’re in the habit of these small acts of kindness, boss.” Ted smiled.

“I learned from the best. Walk me back to my room, Ted? Just in case I don’t see you tomorrow.”

“Sure thing.” He took her boots from her hand and let her lead him from the room.

They walked slowly down the winding corridors to the rooms and suites of the hotel.

“It wasn’t my intention to make you jealous, Ted. I didn’t think it would be a big deal. You’re living in Kansas, this is the first time you’ve been back. We knew we only had one night, I was never going to put my life on hold, I made my feelings clear and I was never going to try and strongarm you into changing your mind. Not when it came to Henry.”

“I appreciate that. Though I would pay to see you strongarm someone.”

“Next time you visit, come to the club. Roy bears the brunt regularly.” She laughed. When they reached her door, she hesitated. “Would you like to come in?”

“Thought we only had one night? Thought you were happy with M-”

“Don’t.” She whispered, pressing a finger to his lips. “Please don’t. I don’t want to think about that right now.” He nodded, kissing her fingertip. She turned the key in the lock and pulled him with her into the room. He crowded her immediately, hands in her hair, trailing down to her waist and hips, pulling at her dress. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. He unzipped her dress and let it puddle at her feet. He nudged her through the room to the bed. She was overwhelmed by the memories of 6 months previously, her body instantly responding to his large hands and the tickle of his mustache. He deepened the kiss, earning a low moan as Rebecca tried to control her hands long enough to try and remove his shirt. He tipped them onto the bed, the length of his body pressing against her. He pressed his palm against her, grinding it against her clit through her underwear. “Fuck, Ted I missed you.” She felt him laugh against her neck.

“Oh yeah? Sure you missed me or is it something else you missed?”

“Everything, all of you. Please, Ted.”

“No one fucks you like I do.” He pulled back to look her in the eye, his hand not stopping. She gripped his biceps,

“God, don’t stop.”

“No one fucks you like I do.” He repeated, she nodded,

“No one fucks me like you do, Ted.” She gasped With a final, firm press of his palm against her, she threw her head back, coming with a guttural groan. “No one, Ted. No one. Only you.” He removed his hand and she whined with the loss of contact. He slipped her underwear down her legs, then he finished taking off his shirt and worked his way out of his suit trousers. She reached out to touch him but he moved away.

“Not this time, baby. Turn over.” She did as she was told and moved onto her knees. He gripped her hips harshly, she knew there would be little bruises. “Yes?” He leaned his body over her to whisper in her ear. She nodded. “Words honey, I wanna hear you say it.”

“Yes, Ted, god yes.” He pushed into her quickly. She grabbed at the bedsheets under her hands and called out in surprise. He pounded into her, pressing her lower back down and pulling her hips up to meet his. He reached out to unclip her bra and she raised up to her knees so she could remove it. He wrapped an arm around her to cup her breasts and hold her against him as she met him thrust for thrust. He bit her earlobe,

“Touch yourself sweetheart.” He demanded. She moved a hand down to her clit and touched herself as he’d asked. “You gonna come again?” He asked.

“Yes, yesss.” She sighed, desperate for the release she was so close to. He pinched her nipple hard and the perfect combination of pleasure and pain had her moaning and grinding down into him as she came. He held her tightly, kissing her neck and jaw as he spilled into her a second later, her name growled low into her ear. She let her legs relax and moved to lay down on her stomach. He moved with her, holding her more gently now and massaging her hips where his hands had held her so tightly. He kissed the back of her neck and shoulders, sweeping her hair out of the way. “That was intense.” She mumbled into the pillow when she was finally able to speak. “I’ve never seen you like that before.” She rolled onto her back to see him smirking.

“Guess the green eyed monster got to me.” He admitted. “You’re beautiful. Did I hurt you?” She shook her head.

“Will you stay?”

“Do you want me to?” She nodded. She went to clean up in the bathroom first, when he returned afterwards, she was responding to a text. “Will you two be ok?”

“I won’t tell him, if that’s what you mean. I feel awful, truly I do. I just can’t stay away from you.” He pulled her to sit between his legs and held her as they fell asleep.

“I know what you mean honey.”

This time, he was gone by morning. Rebecca woke up alone. A note on hotel stationery on the table by her phone.

If I wake up with you this time, I’m afraid I’ll never leave. - T xo

She considered ordering breakfast to her room, afraid to bump into him in the restaurant. Instead, she texted Keeley to ask for moral support and made sure that she went down with her, Roy and Jamie. Ted was already down there at a table with Will, Nate, Jade and a handful of players. Leslie and Julie were nursing a few players at their table and Beard and Jane were nowhere to be seen. Rebecca gave a small smile and nod as she caught Ted’s eye, but didn’t move to join their table. Jamie and Roy demolished the biggest breakfasts she’d ever seen while she nursed a cup of tea and a chocolate croissant. 

“I can’t believe you’re already going, Ted!” Keeley said sadly when he joined them.

“Just a flyin’ visit this time Keels. Maybe next time I’ll be able to stay a few days.”

“You’d better. I want to see you properly!”

“Good to see you all. I’ll speak to y’all soon ok?” He hugged Roy warmly, and Jamie, then moved around the table to say goodbye to Keeley. When he stopped in front of Rebecca she stood to embrace him. “You take care, Rebecca.” He nodded, dropping a brief, chaste kiss to her cheek.

“Goodbye Ted, I’m glad you could make it.” She watched him walk away before sitting back down next to Keeley who looked to the door then back to Rebecca putting two and two together. “Don’t say a word please, Keeley. Not a word.” She hissed quietly so that only Keeley and Roy could hear. She could already feel the guilt gnawing at her.