#lily barber

[agirlwithbigdreamsforher]

MATERNITY

THE NANNY: ONE SHOT

MATERNITY

Pairing: Andy Barber x Annie Johnson (OFC)

Summary: Having a baby and take care of a house is never easy.

Warnings: none I think, just being a momma is hard. If you are dealing with something similar I want you to know you are doing amazing!

A/N: English is not my first language and I was tired when I wrote this, so I’m sorry for any mistake this may have. Enjoy!

Word count: 2232

Disclaimer: I do not give permission for any of my works to be copied, used, translated nor reposted anywhere else but here on this blog. Do not steal what you didn’t work for. Minors and ageless blank blogs don’t interact with me or my works. Reblogs and likes are always welcome. Thank you for reading this work of fiction.

GIFS not mine, you can find the credits in each gif :)

                                     ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Everyone said having a baby was one of the greatest things ones would experience. It was 3:45 when the crying of Lily woke Annie up. Annie got up, walked to her nursery, and took Lily back with her. As Annie sat down, Andy stirred awake.

“What is it?” Andy asked in a groggy voice.

“She is just hungry.” Annie yawned as she lifted her top and placed Lily near her nipple. Andy groaned, turned to his side and went back to sleep. Meanwhile Lily was eating and Annie was drifting off, her eyes were heavy with sleep, she put her back against the headboard and waited until Lily finished. Once lily was done she burped her and took her back to her crib. And this had been her routine lately.

Andy had noticed how tired her wife was, how she cried whenever she thought no one was watching her.

“Honey?” Andy approached her one evening, “You know you can tell me anything, right? We’ve talked about this before I hate it when you hide things from me.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me, ok?” She gave him a kiss on the lips, “I’m just tired.” She smiled but that smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Any took her hand and squeezed it, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She walked passed by Andy and took the hamper of dirty clothes.

“Honey, is 9 p.m.”

“I know, I know, but I didn’t have time to wash these today, so…I won’t be long.” And she left.

It was a Saturday, Lily had woken up 3 times. First because she was hungry, the second because she was wet and the third apparently just because she was ready for the day to begin at 5 a.m. Annie was sitting on one of the stools by the counter when a very cheerful Andy walked in.

“Good morning!” Making Annie jumped, “Sorry I scared you.”

“S’fine.” She yawned and drank from the glass of juice she had.

“How you slept?” he got closer and kissed the back of her head.

“I didn’t, but hey she is sleeping now.” She looked at her phone, it was close to 8:30 “I need to wake her up in a couples of minutes.”

“Maybe you should let her rest.”

“Nu-uh, if she sleeps during the day she won’t sleep during the night.”

“SO, I was thinking last night, and I think it would be good for you if we have a night off. I texted Sharon and told her the 4 of us should go out for dinner tonight. I just need to get a babysitter but I don’t think that would be a problem.”

“Are you insane?”

“Hey!”

“I can’t go out Andy! The house is dirty!” She stood up, “I have so many things to do to go out for dinner.”

“Honey…”

“You better cancel because I am not in the mood to see anybody!”

The day went by and after lunch Andy went to his office to read some files to get ahead on a case he needed to see on Monday, while Annie was cleaning the kitchen. The whole house was a mess lately, no matter how much she cleaned, the house never seemed to stay clean for more than a couple of hours. Her body ached and she felt exhausted. It was nearly 4 p.m. when she put the last dish away, she was ready to sit down for a while to wait for the cycle of laundry to be over. She walked to the living room only to find out Jake had scattered his toy box all over the floor with him in the middle.

“No!” Jake jumped when she heard her scream.

“Hi, mum!”

“No! What is wrong with you?! I just cleaned!!!”

“But I wanna play!”

“I don’t care! I just cleaned! And you…argh!!!!!!”

She felt so frustrated, sat down on the couch and looked at the mess Jake did.

“I just cleaned…” She whispered and then she cried.

“Mum?” Annie was sobbing, big tears running down her face, “I sorry! Dad!!!!”

Jake stood up and ran to his dad’s office.

“Dad!” Jake opened the door.

“What’s wrong, buddy?”

“I made mum cry!”

“What?”

Andy got out of this office and found Annie fully crying, her face was red at this point.

“What did you do?” Andy asked Jake.

“I was playing.”

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

“I just cleaned,” she took a deep breath, “and then this!” Annie pointed to the toys on the floor. “I’ve just cleaned the living room! And Jake did this! And I just,” she cleaned her nose with the back of her hand, “I can’t do this.”

“Ok, ok, take a deep breath.”

“No! I cleaned here and Jake in less than a fucking minute put the place upside down again!”

Once Andy heard her cursing she knew she was pissed. She never cursed in front of Jake.

“Ok, honey. I’m sure Jake didn’t mean to make you upset. Right, buddy?”

“Yes, I sorry, mum! I clean now!” The small boy took the box and began to gather all his toys and put them away.

“No! Leave it! You are grounded!!”

“What?” Jake asked.

“Honey.”

“Go to your room! Now!”

Jake dropped what he had on his hands and ran to his room.

“FUCK!!!!!!!” Andy tried to touch her but she pushed him away. “I just cleaned.” She said one more time. Softer this time.

“I know. Take a deep breath.” Annie followed his breathing when all of the sudden the cries of Lily filled their ears.

“No, please, no more cries.” Annie was so frustrated.

“I got her.” Andy walked to the kitchen where the cries came from, “Come here princess.” He took her out of the baby carrier and began bouncing her as he walked back to the living room. It took only minutes for Lily to stop crying.

“She hates me.” Annie said.

“She doesn’t hate you.”

“She does! She just stops crying whenever you hold her! I feed her! My nipples are sore from feeding her! And she cries and cries! And I can’t make her stop!”

“You are just tired, honey.”

Andy saw her wife blink her tiredness away. The bags under her eyes were deep and dark. Her eyes were still red from crying. Her hair was all over the place and her t-shirt had milk stains on it.

“How about if you go to sleep? I can clean and take care of the kids.”

“No, I…” She stood up and began picking up Jake’s toys, “Can do it.” She threw some of them into the box, “I need to finish, so I can go to the supermarket and buy everything for tonight’s dinner.”

“Honey, no one is coming. The plan was to go out for you not to do anything. And you said you didn’t want to see anyone. I cancel.”

“Very well,” She took a deep breath and clean her tears. “I still have to take out the laundry.” She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

 “No.”

“’m sorry, what?”

“I said no. Go to our room. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“But…” Andy clenched his jaw and stared at her. Annie put the toys in the box and walked away.

Meanwhile Andy was still holding Lily how was wide awake.

“Your mommy is exhausted. You are giving her a hard time little lady.” Lily just coo.

5 minutes later Andy walked in with Lily in her arms. Annie was sitting on the bed looking out the window. When Andy got closer she saw Annie was sleeping while sited.

“Honey?”

“I’m awake!” she turned to see him, “Is she hungry?” she lifted her arms to take Lily in her arms.

“Amm no, but how about a shower?”

“Yeah, I can bathe her.”

“Not for Lily. For you.” Annie just looked at him still waiting for him to pass the baby to her, “Tell you what, you can have Lily while I’ll prepare you the bathroom, that ok?” She nodded, “Good! Be right back.” She handed Lily to her mom and off he went.

When Andy came back Annie was humming a lullaby and Lily was holding her finger with her chubby hand, a toothless smile across her face.

“You are so cute.” Andy heard her whispered to their child.

“That’s because her momma is cute too.” She turned and smiled tiring to him. “Come on, time for a shower.”

Annie put Lily on the basinet, walked to the bathroom and stripped. When her body touched the warm water she sighed.

Meanwhile Andy checked on Lily who was very busy sucking on her whole hand.  He walked out of the room and towards Jake’s.

“Buddy?” Jake was on his bed looking at the ceiling.

“I still grounded?”

“Ammm. Well since your mom grounded you she is the one to decide.” Andy sat near his feet.

“I only wanna play.”

“I know, but you mom made a great effort to clean the house and well you know… It’s just been hard for her now with Lily here. So I need you to go downstairs, pick all of your toys and made a bag, you staying with Luis tonight.”

Jake nodded and ran to follow Andy’s instructions. Andy came back to their room, and took Lily with him.

“Mommy need some time alone, so you are coming with me.”

When Annie finished her shower, she felt a lot more relaxed. She walked to the closet and grabbed some clean clothes. She was about to sit on the bed when she notice Lily was no longer in the basinet. She rapidly walked to the entrance of the room.

“Andy! Do you have Lily?”

“YES! SHE IS WITH ME!” Andy shouted from the kitchen.

Annie took her time to dress, brush her hair and moisturized her body. The TV was on giving her some company with the sound of a show she didn’t know.

Andy was folding the laundry when he notice the time, it was nearly an hour after he heard the water of the shower stopped.

“Let’s check on your mom.” Andy took Lily with him and once he got to the door he opened it slowly. Annie was sleeping peacefully on her side, holding one of the pillows and with the throw blanket covering her legs. Andy smiled and closed the door.

Annie woke up by the sound of the doorbell, the room was completely dark.

“Oh, god” She turned to see the clock on Andy’s side. “7:30, Fuck!  Have to make dinner!” She jumped out of the bed and ran downstairs to find Andy putting food on the table.

“Honey! I was about to go and wake you up.” Andy got closer and kiss her forehead, “I didn’t know what you wanted to eat, so I bought, pizza, Chinese, sushi and Italian. I thought it was better to have options.” Annie didn’t say a word, “You ok?”

“I...” She scanned the kitchen, “Where’s Lily?”

“Sleeping in her baby carrier on her play mat in the living room, turns out Bluey is better than me.” He laughed.

“Where is Jake?”

“He’s staying with Luis tonight. He is very sorry by the way, and before he left he picked up his toys.”

“Ok…I…the laundry I need to take out the laundry and…”

“It’s done and I folded it. Although I put the clothes in the living room because I didn’t want to wake you. But I promise I’ll put everything in the right place after we finish our dinner.” Annie’s eyes began to water and Andy hugged her. “Shhhhh, I’m right here.” He rubbed his hand on her back, “Did you rest.” She nodded against his chest, “Are you hungry?”

“Very.” She muffled against him.

“Alright,” Andy smiled to her and reached for her chair, “My lady.” Annie sat down. “What are you craving tonight?”

“I’ll have a slice of pizza and ammm chow main, please?

“Excellent choice! For drinks we have apple and orange juice, tap water, coke or if you’re feeling a little rebel, wine.”

“Water with ice is fine.”

“Coming right up!”

For the rest of the night Andy didn’t let her lift a finger. He washed and put the dished away, he put all the remained food in containers in the fridge and cleaned the kitchen.

By the time he made it to the room Annie was drifting off. When Andy sat Annie opened her eyes.

“Sorry.”

“It’s ok, no need to apologize.” He lean towards her and kissed her, “I love you, and I want you to know you are not alone in this.”

“It’s just too much some times.”

“Yes, but you don’t have to deal with everything at once.”

“I feel like such a failure.” She sniffed.

“Honey, you are not a failure. You are amazing! Everything you do. You are a great mom and an amazing wife. Don’t you ever forget that,” He kissed her again, “I’m here for you; for everything you need.”

“Thank you.”

“Wanna watch a movie?”

“I don’t think I can’t make it to the end.”

“That’s ok. I only wanna spend time with you. Come here.” He laid down and opened his arms and Annie snuggled against his chest. Andy sighed when the cries of Lily reached their ears.

“I got her.” Andy said, leaving Annie who fell asleep right after that.

[haveyouseenthisseries-poll]

[lilyrizzy]

In the last few years, there has been increasing evidence of a universal law that does not allow Max and Daniel to do well during race weekends where they have engaged in particularly homosexual behaviour. More recent photographs now suggest this law also applies to haircuts (one of them seemingly MUST have a dead trim at any given moment in time)

[princesssarisa]

Listening to the 1950 Met broadcast of The Barber of Seville with Lily Pons as Rosina.

In the "Ah, qual colpo" trio, she pronounces "signore" as "signori."

Now, of course she couldn't help it that some of her pronunciation was "off." She was French, not Italian. Although her mother was Italian, which probably helped her be more fluent than she could have been.

Still, she accidentally sings the plural instead of the singular, so it sounds like she's singing to both the Count and Figaro instead of just the Count. I can't help but think "polyamorous Rosina."

[geekcavepodcast]

Runt Trailer

In order to save her home, Annie Shearer enters her adopted stray dog in a dog show. "Using Runt’s remarkable speed and agility skills, she intends to save her family’s farm by winning the top cash prize at a dog show in London. The only problem: Runt only obeys Annie’s commands when nobody else is watching... She will need to deploy a unique set of her family members’ talents to help Runt conquer London’s prestigious show and save the family farm." (StudioCanal)

Runt is based on the novel by Craig Silvey. The film stars Lily LaTorre, Jai Courtney, Celeste Barber, Deborah Mailman, and Jack Thompson. The film is directed by John Sheedy.

Runt is in theaters in Austrailia now and is releasing soon internationally.

[olives-and-lilies]

Look, even I get side tracked… and @barbarous has my FULL attention. I am WAITING for Leeds to fiddle with the red string Percy uses. I’M WAITING FOR IT. The big gentle man deserves more soft moments.

[casasupernovas]

i binged 'dreamland' today and it was excellent, 10/10, i can't wait for the second series! freema and lily, oh everyone was brilliant!

[oceanusborealis]

Runt - Movie Review

TL;DR – It is a delightfully fun film that gets a bit preachy at times and a little unhinged in places. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and end-credit stinger.Runt – I paid to watch this film Runt Review – There are a lot of things that can make a film Australian: its setting, its production, and the governmental jump ropes it needs to skip through to get…

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Don't Speak 51

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, obsession, stalking, manipulation, reclusive behaviour, disordered eating, dissociation, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Reader is a reclusive loner who ventures down to the library on a simple mission. Her task is complicated by the man she meets there. (f!short!reader)

Character: librarian!Andy Barber, Steve Kemp

Note: ya'll rock.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me 

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

Love you all. Take care. 💖

Amber takes you to a large truck. The man, Curtis, opens the door and she helps you in. It’s an older model with a bench seat. He gets in the other side and slides a key into the ignition. You hug your things tight, staring ahead. Dazed and dull. 

You’re out. You think. This is real, right? 

Amber rubs your shoulder as she keeps her arm around you. Curtis turns on the heat so it blasts on you. You only realise then that your teeth are chattering. 

“Bub, you okay?” Amber asks. You nod and blink at her then the man on her other side. “This is Curtis. He’s a friend.” 

He dips his chin and you look at the dashboard. You can’t speak. Your insides are all shaky. You look over your shoulder at the house. Their house. 

“Go,” Amber says. “Curt, let’s just leave.” 

He shifts and puts his foot on the gas. Amber holds you as he drives. You wiggle your nose and sniffle but the tears don’t come. You’re still afraid. It doesn’t feel over yet. It’s not. 

You look down, your stomach shielded by your clothes, bundled around the tablet and journal. That’s all you have. All you have to prove it was real. If you didn’t take them, you would be sure you didn’t dream it all. 

“There’s the blanket,” Curtis says. 

His voice is grizzly, like a bear. His knuckles are even a little furry. Amber pulls the blanket from between them and throws it over you. 

“I’m just so happy you’re safe. You’re here,” Amber rocks you. “You’re with me. Oh, bubba, I was terrified.” 

You lean into her. Her warmth enshrines you. You turn your face into her shoulder. Just like cinnamon. “Me too,” you whisper. 

You stay like that. When the engine quiets, you feel like you’re still in motion. You don’t move until Amber does. She helps you slide out of the truck but as you land on your feet, you stumble. Your journal slips out and lands open on the cold ground. 

She hops down after you and picks it up. You squeal and grab at it. She can’t read it. It’s yours! She closes it calmly and smiles, holding it out. She tucks it behind your armful. 

“Come on, bub, too cold out here.” 

You let her take you inside. Curtis holds the door again. He’s quiet and patient. He’s scary at first sight but there’s a calmness to him that keeps you from panicking. After the men you’ve dealt with, you should be hiding. 

You set down your things little by little. It’s hard to let go. You leave them on the low bench as Amber and Curtis unlace their boots. You slip off your shoes and look around.

One of your paintings hangs on the wall; a bluebird with a sprig of lily-of-the-valley in its beak. You go close to look at it. You know it’s yours but you find it hard to think that you made that. It looks so cheerful. 

“Pretty,” Curtis comments and you back away from the painting to look at him but your eyes only make it to his chest. 

“She’s talented,” Amber preens, “bubba, let’s get you settled. You want a hot bath?” 

You shake your head. The doctor said no hot baths. You feel sick. Your eyes widen and you scramble in panic. You don’t think as you push between them and race down to the bathroom. You hurl over the sink and whine. 

You hear your sister’s hushed tones followed by her soft footsteps. Her shadow hovers in the door and you crank on the faucet to rinse your mouth. You can barely breath. The acid burns your throat. You can’t tell her the truth. 

“Sorry, I... I’m not feeling well,” you cough and face her. 

“That’s okay. It’s been a hectic day,” she beckons you out. “Well, how about some tea? Ginger, for your stomach.” 

You think that’s okay. It doesn’t have caffeine, you think. You shuffle out after her to the kitchen. Curtis puts the kettle on the stove as you enter. She nods and he nods back. He heads for the door. 

“Call me if you need anything,” he says. 

“Sure, Curt. Thanks again. You don’t know what you’ve done for me.” 

He takes a deep breath, “any time.” 

He leaves and you listen to his steps and the subsequent open and shut of the door. You stare after him. The kettle shakes softly as it heats. You turn back to Amber and you cheek twinges. She’s watching you. 

“He’s your boyfriend.” 

She drops her head and shows her palms, “you got me.” 

“Is he nice?” You ask. 

“So far,” she answers. 

Your chest constricts and you turn your attention to the wall, “mine weren’t.” She lets out a noise, something like a whimper. You shake your head. “No, don’t... feel bad. I don’t want you to.” You push your shoulders up and go to the counter. You lean on it. “You found me and I’m okay now.” 

“Bub, that’s... you’re safe but...” 

“I know. I know. It’s stuck in my head.” You touch your forehead, leaning into your hand. 

She’s silent. You know what she wants to ask but she won’t. Because she loves you. Because she cares. She doesn’t want to hurt you but you hurt her. You heard it in the first note she spoke to you. 

“Let’s have our tea first,” she says as if she can sense your thoughts. 

You nod. 

“Will you get it ready?” You look at the door. “Be right back.” 

“Sure.” 

You go back to the entry way and sift under the clothes. You take your journal. The tablet can wait. You come back as Amber pours the steaming water. She takes a cup and you take the other. You go to the front room and sit on the couch. The mugs clink on the table to steep. 

You clutch the journal in your lap and chew your lip. 

“We don’t have to--” 

“I have to. Or I won’t ever.” You insist. 

“Okay,” she agrees. 

You sit and breathe. It takes a few minutes before your stomach stops churning. You bite down and measure your words. 

“I was with Andy. And he hurt me. So I left. Steve... Dr. Kemp said he could help. I... I thought he would. I thought...” your lip trembles. “I thought I loved him. It’s stupid but I wanted to love him. I wanted someone to love. I wanted him to love me too.” 

Your eye twitches.  

“He didn’t.” 

“Oh, bubba,” she puts her hand on yours. 

“I can’t say... I can’t tell you...” you slip from under her grasp and lift the journal above your lap. You open it. “Will you read?” 

You look at her. She looks scared. 

“You don’t have to but I don’t think I can explain... out loud.” 

“As long as you’re okay with it.” 

“Please,” you beg, “every time I wrote, I wrote to you.” 

You hand her the journal and she takes it with reverence. She pauses and runs her hands over the pages. She puts her head down and her eyes begin to move across the writing. 

Her hand comes up and she covers her mouth. She’s silent and still as she reads. She turns the page and lets out a soft gasp into her palm. It isn’t until she turns the next and wipes her cheeks that you realise she’s crying. 

“Oh, bub...” 

“Just read,” you whisper. 

She continues. Her jaw tenses and her eyes flare as her grief dries up. Her horror turns to anger. She taps her finger at the bottom of the page. 

“What is this?” She flutters the page to the next to check the similarity. 

You know you can’t hide it. Not forever, not today.  

“My cycle. My period,” you explain. “And...” you shudder and your throat locks up. You bring your hands up to your neck and make yourself exhale.  

“It’s not here... or here...” she keeps flipping the pages. “Bub.” 

You feel sick again. You grab the tea and take a gulp. The heat soothes but it cannot heal this wound. 

“Yes.” You sniffle. 

“Yes?” She echoes. “Yes, what?” 

“I have a baby.” 

“What?” She wisps. 

You look down and touch your stomach. “They tested me at the hospital. It’s in there.” 

She slams the book shut and grips it tightly. You’ve never seen her this angry. She stomps around, pacing, then throws the journal and shrieks. 

“They did this too you!?” 

“I let him--” 

“No, no!” She balls her fists. “No, you didn’t ask for it. Don’t you say that. Do you say it!” She snarls and strides around like an animal. “Bub! They—a baby! A--” she stops and sways.  

She closes her eyes and opens her fingers. She flicks her lashes up and looks at you. She walks over to you slowly and sits. She takes your hands into hers. 

“What do you want?” 

“What?” You frown. 

“What do you want to do?” 

You consider her. You left because you didn’t want to burden her. Now you’ve brought home an actual burden. You know what needs to be done. You also know it’s what you want. 

“I don’t want it. It’s not mine. It’s his and I don’t want anything to do with him,” you eke out. 

“Okay, then we will figure it out.” She squeezes your hands. “Together.” 

Your eyes well, “why?” 

“I’m your sister. Why not?” She breathes. “It’s only ever been the two of us. You and me.” 

“I thought... I... they told me you hated me. That I was a burden--” 

“They are bad men. That’s not on you. They took advantage of you and that’s their issue, not yours.” She says. “You got that? None of this is your fault. None of it. Grown men like them know better.” 

You lower your head, “but I... left you.” 

“So? It doesn’t matter. You’ll always have a place with me. Always.” 

You heave into a sob. It’s all coming out now. You can’t hold back. You collapse against her and untangle your hands as you wrap her in a hug. She puts her arms around you and pulls you closer. She leans back with you as your despair pours out in streams. 

“I’m sorry,” you garble, “Amber, I’m so sorry.” 

“Shhh, bubby, shhhh,” she pets your head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing.” 

🕊️

You sleep in Amber’s bed. You just want to be close to her and the thought of being alone is scary. She’s warm and safe. 

When the morning comes, you haven’t got much sleep. It’s hard to relax knowing what’s inside of you. The latent but constant nausea also keeps you awake. You make another trip to spew out your guts before Amber wakes. 

You make her tea. The routine is so simple and familiar. You savour each step. You marvel at the walls that once seemed plain and the house that isn’t so small as it is cozy. 

She smiles, her eyes still sleepy, as you give her a cup. You take your own, chamomile, and stand across the counter from her. You watch her and she gives you a grimace. 

“What?” 

“When’s Curtis coming back?” You ask. 

“Oh, bub, don’t worry about him. I don’t want to crowd you--” 

“But he’s your boyfriend. You miss him already, don’t you?” 

She giggles, “you’re teasing me.” 

You nod and laugh too. 

She rolls her eyes, “he’ll be back when he’s back.” 

“He’s sure strong. And tall. And he has nice eyes,” you goad. 

“Quit,” she sticks her tongue out. 

You almost shake with amusement. It feels good not to be so afraid. “I’m glad you had him, Amb. You shouldn’t be alone. Ever.” 

“He... he’s been a help.” she says. “But, bub, there’s some things we can’t do on our own.” 

You deflate. Right. Back to reality. 

“I think we should take your journal to the police. I found that card you had tucked in there for that officer, Jones? Maybe they can help--” 

“What? My journal?” You yipe. “Please, no, they can’t-- no one else can read it.” 

She sets her cup down and her expression sobers, “I know it’s hard and it’s entirely up to you. Always. I’m not telling you what to do, I’m letting you know you have options. But I want you to think about it, okay?” 

Your nose tingles with unspent tears. She leans forward. “Bubba, there were other children there. Are you sure... you were the only woman? What if they find another like you?” 

You flinch and shake your head, “what? No—no. I...” you tried not to think of it before but you’re not stupid. They won’t just give up, even if it’s not you. 

“Look, you don’t have to decide today. There’s a lot more to deal with. For both of us. So let’s just have one day where we don’t think.” 

You stare at her. You want that so badly but you don’t know if you can stop. The worry stirs constantly, simmering and threatening to boil over. Yet for her you can try. 

“Okay,” you agree. “Let’s do that.” 

[writing-for-marvel]

"I dream of you. all i do, is dream of you."

If I Can’t Have Everything, Then Let Me Just Have You

Andy Barber x Fem!Reader

Summary: When Andy gets jealous of you talking with his colleague, you reassure him he’s everything you’ll ever need.

Warnings: age gap and although exact ages are never mentioned everyone is well and truly of age, jealous Andy

Word count: 700

A/N: this is for @nickfowlerrr’s the seven writing challenge - I spun the wheel for the seven deadly sins and got envy. A big thank you my darling friend @flordeamatista, queen of Andy fics, for not only providing the inspiration for this fic, but helping me with writing Andy for the first time and being my constant cheerleader 🩷 banners by @vase-of-lilies

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Andy hated attending after work functions with his colleagues. He could barely stand dealing with them during the working week, but then to also be forced to give up his Saturday night so his boss could show off the house his old family money had bought him was another level of torture.

You were his saving grace. Part of him felt guilty for dragging the woman he loved along to these grandstanding cocktail parties where you were forced to make small talk with people you didn’t enjoy the company of, but you were also the only person who stopped him from going completely insane.

But at this moment, while he was stuck hearing about how his boss’s fantasy football team was performing, as if he didn’t hear enough about it at the office, Andy saw red as he was subjected to watch Dylan, the office womaniser, chatting you up.

In the back of his mind he knew with absolute certainty that you wouldn’t cheat on him, but the reason his heart clenched and acidic jealousy bubbled in his stomach was because of what Dylan represented: everything Andy couldn’t offer you.

He wasn’t young anymore, he was well aware the prime of his life was past him at this point in time. He had settled into a comfortable routine which didn’t involve a thriving social life which he remembered having with Laurie when they were your age. He was surely not as flexible or had as much energy as a young man fifteen years his junior.

He wanted to be able to give you the world, but all he had to offer was the trauma developed from his tarnished past, which was still following him around like a shadow, his back problems, wonky knee and the remainder of his life which would be distinctly shorter than Dylan, or someone of his age, could promise to spend with you.

The root of his envy was insecurity.

And he was green with envy.

Excusing himself from the one-sided conversation his boss was having, Andy set off with purpose, making a beeline to you, only to find you were already making your way over to him. Relief eased the tension in his shoulders as your gaze found his and a smile tugged at the corners of your mouth.

“Your colleague, the guy behind me, is a creep.” You commented, hooking your fingers through his belt loops and pulling him protectively into you. Andy leaned down and placed a small, sweet kiss to your forehead, not needing to look behind you to know exactly who you were referring to. A sense of satisfaction filled his chest with the notion that you were clearly averse to Dylan’s pursuits.

“That’s not what most young women around the office think.”

“Well he is.” You stated firmly, a look of disgust flashing over your features. “Why does it take me telling him I have a boyfriend to respect that I’m not interested. Why would I want a boy like him, when I already have a man like you?”

Andy smiled, coming to the realisation that he had no reason to be jealous. Perhaps he couldn’t offer you his callow youth, but he did have maturity and experience, which would surely be much more valuable in a devoted relationship.

“You are a dream come true, you know that?” In response to this you scrunched your nose and smiled in a way that made Andy’s heart fill with pure adoration and devotion.

You truly were all he would ever need for the remainder of his life.

“You’re my dream come true too, Andy.” Standing on your tiptoes, arms sling around his neck, you placed a delicate kiss against his lips, neither of you paying any mind to his colleagues who could be watching on. “You’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”

Taking a beat to commit the moment to memory, Andy made a promise to himself that he would never take his second chance at love for granted.

“Let’s go home, handsome.” You suggested, tugging gently on his tie with that mischievous grin which always promised a sinfully pleasurable time. “I have plans for us that definitely don’t involve the rest of you colleagues.”

[agirlwithbigdreamsforher]

NEW BODY

THE NANNY: ONE SHOT

NEW BODY

Pairing: Andy Barber x Annie Johnson (OFC)

Summary: Annie is feeling insecure about her looks so she decided to start a diet. (TRIGGER WARNING)

Warnings: if you feel uncomfortable with this kind of topics, please DO NOT read. Also I want you to know you are beautiful no matter how you look and if you want to lose weight please go with someone who actually knows what they’re doing and not with a crazy diet (or pills) you saw online.

A/N: English is not my first language and I was tired when I wrote this, so I’m sorry for any mistake this may have. Enjoy!

Word count: 1870

Disclaimer: I do not give permission for any of my works to be copied, used, translated nor reposted anywhere else but here on this blog. Do not steal what you didn’t work for. Minors and ageless blank blogs don’t interact with me or my works. Reblogs and likes are always welcome. Thank you for reading this work of fiction.

Pic not mine, if its yours, please let me know to give you credit :) 

                                      ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Annie was in the walk-in closet looking at herself in the mirror, her favorite dress, the one Andy gave her for their first anniversary didn’t fit anymore; It’s been 5 months since Lily was born and now her arms looked fat, her tummy was bloated, not to mention it kinda looked like a deflated balloon, her nipples were raw from breastfeeding, she had stretched marks on her skin and her hips look wider, she sighed, turned around and thought she looked absolutely ridiculous.

She loved being a mom but she didn’t love the way she looked now. Andy was over the moon with Lily, her little princess as he called her. Lily was a carbon copy of him, she even had the same mole on the right cheek; the only thing Lily got from Annie was her eyes and hair.

Annie laid down on their bed scrolling on her cellphone on Instagram, when she saw a post of someone who lose 15 pounds based on an only veggie diet, and she decided it was worth the shot.

It was around 7 when all the family sat down to have dinner. Lily was sitting in her chair on top of the dining table so Annie could watch her. Annie placed Andy and Jake’s plate in front of them, pasta, a steak and a side salad; while she had chopped lettuce and a bunch of steamed vegetables.

“Honey…” Andy looked at her and then her plate, “ammm wanna tell me something?”

“Mmm, I went to Target and bought a new detergent.” she bit a piece of broccoli.

“No,” Andy was thinking what to say, “I mean, about your dinner.”

“Oh! I decided to start a diet.”

“Why?”  Jake said as he ate his pasta.

“Why not?” you raised your brow.

“Fine,” Andy really didn’t want to argue with her “If you want to be on a diet, I’ll support you.”

“Thanks, baby” she kissed him and proceeded to have dinner.

“I have to do diet too?” Jake asked.

“No, sweetie. You’re fine.” Annie said smiling at him.

“You’re fine too, honey.” Andy said with a serious tone and Annie didn’t respond.

It’s been a month since Annie started the diet and doing a bit of yoga in the mornings, but so far she’s only gotten to be in a bad mood, have a constant headache, and feel tired most of the time; which led on her not wanting to be intimate with Andy and pull away every time he tried to hug her or touch her near her waist. She went to the closet and tried on the dress again, she looked the same, in fact she thought she look fatter than last month.

“ARGH! Stupid dress!”

She struggled to take it off and since Lily was taking her nap, she went to have a shower.

Andy was coming back from picking Jake from his soccer practice. He was holding a big paper bag on his hand.

“We’re back!”

The house was silent which was odd since by this time Annie was in the kitchen making lunch. He left the bag on the counter.

“Honey?” Andy walked to the living room, then the office, “Honey, where are you?”

When he finally made it to the room, he found Annie in the walk-in closet, sitting on the floor in one of his shirts, her back against the wall.

“Oh my God, honey, are you ok?” Andy got closer to her and grabbed her hand, it was cold.

“Yeah,” she whispered, “I’m just dizzy.”

“Honey, you’re really pale.”

“I’m fine, I just…”

She was heavy breathing; the dizziness came and went and then everything went black. By the time she opened her eyes she was on the bed and Andy was by her side.

“Hi” Andy’s voice was distant somehow, she blinked a couple of times before she tried to sit down, “Easy there” Andy helped her and handed her a glass of water.

“What happened?” she drank a small sip of the water.

“You tell me.” Andy was not happy at all, she could tell by the furrow on his face.

“I… I just took a shower,” Andy kept looking at her encouraging to continue, “And, I don’t know, I was about to pick some shorts to wear, felt dizzy and sat down, Andy is not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?! You fucking passed out in my arms! You scare the shit out of me! And I’m sure it’s all because of that stupid diet of yours!”

“It’s not stupid.” She whispered.

“Whatever, I’m not in the mood of having a fight. I brought lunch, and you better come down and eat with us.”

10 minutes later Annie came down the stairs with Lily in her arms, Andy and Jake were already eating. He had bought burgers and fries for everybody. Annie put Lily on her chair and went to the fridge, grabbed an apple and came back and sat with them.

“Seriously?!” Andy said annoyed.

“You know I can’t eat that.”

“Fine, more for us.” Andy took a bite of his burger and enjoy his meal while Annie just stare at them.

“I don’t feel well, so I’m just gonna take my apple and go to our room.” She stood up, “Take care of Lily, would you?”

“Shit.” Andy said under his breath.

“Mum is sick, she don’t eat her burger.”

“She’s not sick, buddy.”

Andy was laying on their bed watching TV and chewing on her apple when Andy walked in and stood in front of the bed.

“We need to talk.”

“Ok.” She put her apple on her night stand, “What about?”

“Your stupid diet.”

“I told you it’s not stupid.”

“It is! You barely eat, and when you do, is all steamed vegetables or fruit. Look if you want to do this, I’ll take you to a doctor or something, but you are starving yourself, and I wanna fucking know why?” His voice louder than usual.

“I just…” her eyes fill with tears, “I wanna look pretty for you…” She lifted her gaze to see Andy’s confused expression.

“Honey,” he sat next to her, “You are beautiful.” He tried to caress her face but she pulled away.

“No, I’m not! I’m fat and my clothes don’t fit anymore, and I just wanted to be pretty for you.” By the time she finished tears were streaming down her face.

“Who told you you were fat? Is this why you don’t let me touch you?!” she nodded.

 “No one told me, I can tell, every day that I look myself in the mirror… I look bigger; and the dress you gave me for our anniversary doesn’t fit anymore… I wanted to look like the girl you fell in love with.”

“You still look like that girl, honey” he pulled her close making her sit on his lap “Those beautiful eyes, that cute smile, what’s not to love?”

She hugged him and hide her face on the crock of his neck for him not to see her cry.

“You don’t care I’m fat?” she sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

“Alright, show me where all the fat you’re talking ‘bout is”

Annie lifted her shirt a tad and show him her tummy. He put his large hand on it. “Looks good to me” he said smirking at her, and then proceed to tickle her.

“Stop!” she said while giggling.

“There it is, that laugh!” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Come,” Andy put her on her feet and took her hand. They walked to the closet and stood in front of the mirror, “Off with the clothes.”

“Andy, I don’t want to.”

“You can leave your underwear on, but the rest must be gone, come on. The faster you do it, the faster we finish this.”

Annie took out her t-shirt and shorts, leaving her in only her panties and bra. Andy stood behind her.

“So, where’s the problem?”

“Everywhere.” She took a deep breath, “My tummy looks like a deflated balloon, my arms are fat, and I ammm I don’t like the stretched marks.”

“That’s it?”

“No, I don’t like…”

“You know what I see?” Andy interrupted her and she shook her head, “I see a woman who gave birth to the most precious little girl. I see a good mom and an amazing wife.”

“I feel ugly!”

“You are not ugly!”

“I certainly don’t feel pretty.”

“I don’t understand why. You look perfect to me.” Annie turned and hugged Andy “Shhhh,” Andy hugged her tighter, “Baby girl, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” She sniffed, “If your body changed is because you gave birth. You look gorgeous! Bigger ass though, I like that very much I must say.” He heard a fainted giggled, “And if that dress is giving you a hard time, I will buy you another one, stupid dress, making my girl sad.”

Annie laughed this time.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, honey.”

“Can I put my clothes back on?”

“Sure!”

Once she was dressed again Andy kissed her slowly, holding her waist and keeping her close to his body and then Annie’s stomach growled.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, that actually reminded me of something” He gave her a peck on the nose, “Be right back.”

Annie walked back to bed and soon after Andy came back hiding something behind his back.

“Ok, I need you to close your eyes, and open your mouth.”

“I’m not falling for that… again.” She said and Andy laughed.

“It’s not my… it’s not, I promise.” She did as he said, and listen to the sound of a paper bag. “Now closed your mouth.” The flavor of a French fry filled her mouth and she moaned at the tasty flavor. The wrapped paper was still around the burger and the fry’s package was on Andy’s hand.

“You didn’t thought we actually ate your food, right?” She giggled, “I actually thought you were doing a great effort with your “diet” soo,” he unwrapped the burger, “Double bacon cheese burger and large fries for my lady.”

“You are the greatest husband ever.” She took the burger and give it a good bite, “My god! I’ve missed this!”

Andy sat next to Annie watched her enjoyed her meal.

“Honey,” Andy said while she put a fry on her mouth, “Please, no more crazy diets, ok?” She nodded as she chew her food. “I mean it!”

“Promise.” She gave him her pinky finger and hook his with hers. “I’ll find someone to help me be in shape again.”

“You can work out with me if you want.”

“Pass! You get up really early to work out and considering I have a baby to take care of I rather to work out later, but thank you.”

“That’s not the work out I’m talking about.” He said as he raised his brow.

“Oh!” Andy kissed the back of her ear, “Hehehe, stop, it tickles.”

“Just a bit, come on.”

“It’s the middle of the day, the kids are awake!”

 “Be right back, finish your food and get ready for the work out of your life.” Andy stood, “Kids! Time for a nap!”

[theglassofmiddleearth]

Can I please request Sirius Black being comforted when he's depressed and being looked after by his wife, the reader, during the events of Order of the Phoenix? Can be dot points, a fic, i don't mind! thanks xoxo

Y/N has always been the mother figure of the group, even before she was dating much less married to Sirius. Always coddling the boys, making sure they drank their water and had all three meals. Also their homework. Oh my DAYS Remus was good with due dates but Sirius and James? Y/N needed some anti aging cream for her stress lines early.

Sirius was always getting into trouble and needing Y/N to bail him out be it detention or Azkaban.

Y/N is used to having to cheer him up, taking care of him but that doesn't mean she doesn't feel the same amount of pain whenever she sees him down. He always gives her those sad puppy wet eyes and she coos at him every single time. Kissing away his tears and pressing her forehead to his, reminding him how she would always be there to be the gentle wind that would push away the clouds to bring back the crystal blue skies.

Never feels like a burden, Y/N always reiterates how much she wants to take care of him. How much she doesn't care that he's been whiny and pouty. Y/N always holds his face firmly before kissing his face all over, making him smile before chuckling. She loves his smile, so charming and full of hope. Something she always looks forward to seeing.

Baking him cookies, his horrid mother never did that for him. He loves the ones you make, he says you put something special in them! (It's just a pinch of salt in the chocolate chip cookies.) Also baking WITH him. He's been trying to make pistachio cookies but he just can't make them green enough. (Need to blend the pistachios to make a paste)

Cooking with him. He loves all the domestic things. Feelings he could never get from his old home. Pasta, steaks, soups? Soups are your favourite to make in the Autumn and winter. Especially pumpkin soup during the Halloween season? (We're all just a little basic sometimes) In the spring, toss some salads together and sear some steaks. Maybe even make a nice roast on Sundays.

Washing his hair for him! Y/N running her fingers though his hair, gently massaging his scalp. Very particular about his shampoo and conditioner. He only trusts Y/N with his hair. Well Y/N and his barber. But Y/N has to be there if he's cutting his hair. Just in case!

Silent cuddles or small chatter. He's so comfortable with Y/N to the point where silence can be just as comforting as words of affirmation.

Allowing him to hold her. He's always afraid she'll be taken away from him. Just like James and Lily. He can't lose Y/N too. it would break him completely. Being away from Y/N was already torture enough. Sure enough, he also wants to be held sometimes, his head in Y/N's chest or tummy. Something soft for him to lay his head on while she plays with his hair? A sure fire way to get him to calm down and lull him into a happy state.

Get him to write letters to Harry! Harry always has some silly story to tell. especially with the DA being established. Loves hearing about his nephew's terrible love life.

Remus will always be down for a cup of tea and a chat, after all.. he did get fired ☠️ (Just not during the full moon, he can get quite grumpy)

Allowing Sirius to shift into his Animagus form, giving his dog form a wash and he can lay in the bed with Y/N. MAKE IT CLEAR HE NEEDS A BATH FIRST. Fleas are unacceptable in bed. Or in the house anywhere really.

Allowing him to be clingy and Y/N being clingy back, they may be codependent but hey, he's rich, she doesn't care, they don't need to work. They can spend all day together or helping The Order. But knowing The Order, he probably gets let off easy if he needs time.

Taking long naps, and I mean LONG. Three of four hours MINIMUM. Waking up at Merlin knows when and watching some TV with each other and falling asleep all over again.

Sorry this took so long?!! I won't lie, I forgot I HAD an inbox since I use Tumblr on my phone. I HOPE THIS WAS OKAY. SORRY FOE THE MASSIVE DELAY ❤️❤️

[whynotshaveme]

No More Red Hair For Lily

By whynotshaveme

Due to a lost bet, Lily, a beautiful teenaged redhead, had to visit her small town's barbershop and let the barber who ran it choose her next haircut.

Mrs. Grayson, the barber, had a particular distaste for redheads. Whenever Lily's older brother Colin went to her, he always came home bald as a cueball, his face red from the humiliation that she inflicted on him. Despite the anxiety gnawing at her, picturing her brother after his infrequent as possible trips to the barber, Lily kept her word. With her head down, in a misguided effort to protect her hair, she walked into the barbershop, the bell above the door jangling to announce her arrival.

Mrs. Grayson looked up from her station, her steely gray eyes locking onto Lily's vibrant hair. A faint smirk tugged at the corners of her lips as she recognized the girl. "Look at that red hair. Are you Colin's sister? Are you here for a haircut?" she said, her voice carrying an edge of disdain.

"Yes, I lost a bet," said Lily, "You can do anything that you want to my hair."

Mrs. Grayson smiled and motioned for Lily to sit down. Her heart pounded in her chest as she settled into the barber chair, gripping the armrests tightly. Mrs. Grayson caped her. Then she started to brush Lily's beautiful long hair.

"I don't usually cut women's hair," Mrs. Grayson muttered, picking up the clippers. ", but it will be an act of Christian charity to shave your head."

Lily bit her lip, trying to keep her voice steady. "Please go easy on me. Please don't shave my head."

"No, it's for your own good, my dear. All of this hair must come off," Mrs. Grayson replied. Without another word, she popped the guards off the clippers and turned them on, the ominous hum filling the room.

With tears dripping down her face, Lily watched as the clippers made the first pass, leaving a strip of fair skin down the middle of her scalp. Mrs. Grayson worked methodically, mowing away in swift, brutal strokes. Piles of red hair tumbled to the floor.

"It's always such a pleasure to shave that sinful red hair off your brother." Mrs. Grayson smiled, putting down her clippers. "I'm so happy to be giving you the same special treatment."

Mrs. Grayson then tilted Lily's head back and lathered her scalp with shaving cream. With a straight razor in hand, Mrs. Grayson scraped away the remaining stubble, leaving Lily's scalp smooth and gleaming.

Mrs. Grayson's eyes narrowed as she examined Lily. "Your eyebrows. They're too red. They've got to go."

Before Lily could object, not that she'd be listened to, Mrs. Grayson went back to work. Using her straight razor, the barber scraped off Lily's carefully shaped red eyebrows.

When Mrs. Grayson finally finished, she stepped back to admire Lily's bare, startled face. "There," she said, a note of satisfaction in her voice. "You now look properly humbled like a woman should be."

Lily barely recognized the bald, browless girl staring back at her in the mirror. She felt small and submissive in the barber's chair. That stupid bet wasn't worth it at all. It cost her beautiful hair, her dignity, and her self-confidence.

"Thank you," Lily said finally, reaching for her purse to pay the barber.

"You're welcome," Mrs. Grayson replied. "Tell your brother that he's due for a visit."

Mrs. Grayson took Lily's twenty and then shooed her out the shop. She had to clean up all that hair that was on Lily's head from her floor before her next customer. As Lily walked out of the barbershop, the bell jingling softly behind her and beads of sweat forming on her bald head due to the summer heat, she felt a wave of despair wash over her. As she trudged home, her scalp getting pinker and pinker, she couldn't shake the feeling of ugliness that now clung to her like a stink.

[greenorangevioletgrass]

shorn the sheep (a.d. x t.d.)

Pairing: art donaldson x tashi donaldson

Summary: the origin story of Art's shorn sheep haircut.

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: just family fluff really, art is a puppy but whats new, pre-canon (or in between canon timelines ig)

Notes: my first arttashi fic! Life is crazy but I was inspired enough to write this in two sittings sooooo enjoy! please comment, reblog, talk to me and tell me what you think about it! Happy reading!

**i do not have a taglist. Follow @ficsbygreenorangevioletgrass andd turn on the notifications to be alerted for new fics and updates!**

Art Donaldson likes routines.

He eats the same breakfast every morning –eight eggs and a bowl of oatmeal. Takes the same shower stall in the locker room and does the same pre-match routine down to which shoe he puts on first. He has had the same team behind him for most of his career, from coaches and physios to his lawyers and publicists. He generally goes to the same guy for his haircut too, but he’s in Tokyo for the Japan Open. And while his outgrown curls are starting to piss him off, flying his barber halfway across the world just seems excessive.

Although… looking in the mirror now, he can’t help but wonder if he should’ve done that instead.

Maybe it’s the language barrier (which is more of Art’s fault for his general lack of knowledge in hair-related terms, because the hairdresser speaks English just fine), but what he asked for was definitely not what he got. Then again, maybe he wasn’t being super clear on what he means by ‘tidying it up a little.’

So with a polite straight-lined smile, Art nods and pays and ducks out into the busy Tokyo street. Out of courtesy (or so he convinces himself), he waits until he turns the corner to put his hoodie up over his head.

Ever the drama queen, he only takes it off when he enters the hotel suite, finding his wife sitting on the dining table.

“They fucked up my hair.”

Tashi looks up from her laptop, and the first thing she notices isn’t even the hair. It’s the same pout, same tone she normally sees in Lily at bedtime, which only makes her chortle.

“Goddammit…” Art groans. Is it even worse than he thinks? He pulls the hood back up and tugs at the string until the fabric scrunches around his face.

He turns around towards the bedroom, but Tashi stops him, grabbing his arm and turning him to face her. She loosens the tight strings on the hood, so she can see his new hair properly. Her French manicured nails cards through the short locks, scratching his scalp the way she knows he likes. Her eyebrows furrow in focus as she scrutinizes the length and texture in relation to his face.

“It looks fine to me,” she eventually decides, pushing the top part to the side towards his natural part.

“No it’s not. It’s too fucking short.” Art huffs, resting his forehead on her shoulder. 

Tashi hums, feeling the buzzed ends on the nape of his neck. She’s never felt it this short on him—she’s been there through it all; the mop when he was younger, the swoopy Prince Charming look he had just before this, and even that one year where he grew his hair out past his shoulders. She can definitely say that she doesn’t hate this one.  “It’s just shorter, is all.”

“Makes my ears look even bigger than they already are,” he murmurs into the skin of her shoulder, his annoyance dissipating into sulking petulance in the comfort of her scent and general embrace. 

“Maybe it’ll make you more aerodynamic, Dumbo.” Tashi fiddles his earlobe playfully.

He bites at her shoulder in gentle warning, earning a little laugh from her. “That’s not funny.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with it.” She grins and shrugs. “Art—”

“Come on, this is serious.”

Tashi laughs incredulously. “What is?”

“I’m playing in my Uniqlo gear for the first time tomorrow, and the only thing people are gonna talk about is my hair.”

“I sure fucking hope they’re gonna talk about your game more than your new hair or clothes.”

There’s always a very subtle shift whenever Tashi is talking in coach mode. It doesn’t happen often, but it ticks her off whenever his attention strays off of what’s important. But Art pulls his head up and shoots her an unamused, almost defiant glare. He’s not having it.

He’s been trying not to stress out about it, but his new endorsement deal with Uniqlo is so well-covered (and for good reason—he signed a ten-year deal worth $30 million.) and wearing the brand for the first time on their home ground is a big deal. She knows that.

Art will gladly say it as often as he needs to (and he feels like he doesn’t say it often enough), but he loves Tashi. Her beauty is a no-brainer, but above all, he loves her tenacity and efficiency in her work. It’s why he listens to her, and it’s why he’s been playing better than ever since she joined his side.

Tashi sighs a little, realizing that maybe he doesn’t need a coach right now. “And look, it fits into the clean-cut, preppy aesthetics you got. I don’t see how this can be bad press for Uniqlo, either.”

She does so much for him —eats, lives, and breathes him— and sometimes he feels bad for asking. But he eats, lives, and breathes her just as much as she does, and he craves her constantly. Her firm chides, her sharp wit, her soft side, her fury… Most of the time, he needs a combination of at least two of them, even though he doesn’t know how to ask for it.

“Can we like… not make this about work?”

He doesn’t need to. She knows. 

Tashi softens, rubbing his arms up and down as he pulls her closer. “Baby… it looks good on you.”

Art rolls his eyes skeptically. He can’t help but feel like she needs to say that now.

“It really does! What do you want me to say?” She chuckles, nuzzling his face with her nose. “Hey. You know I’ll be the first one to tell you if it looks stupid, right?”

Art sighs. Tashi has never been very generous with compliments, and he actually likes that about her. She knows how to really make it count. “I know, but—”

“But it doesn’t. You actually look really good. And I… I like that I can see you better this way.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have hair flopping over your eyes like a sheepdog anymore.”

Art gives her a playful smack in the butt, but at least he’s smiling now. And despite pushing him physically and mentally for a living, Tashi likes making him smile.

“But you like it?”

Her hand returns to his head, getting the hang of caressing it. “Baby, it’s your hair.” 

Art relaxes into her touch. He’s gone beyond seeking validation, and has fully entered clingy territory at this time. “Yeah, but you’re gonna be looking at it all the time,” he pouts dramatically. “I don’t want you to hate it.”

“I already told you. I like it.” Tashi cups his face, her thumb drawing faint circles on his cheek. The hair is cropped short enough that it doesn’t even curl anymore on the crown. But the patch of brown in his blue eyes is out in plain sight. The line of his nose is knife-sharp, and she can’t help but remember how it parts her thighs right open. “I like looking at your face like this.”

Art’s mouth quirks to the right. He likes coaxing sweet nothings out of her like no other. “So you just like my face?”

Tashi bites the inside of her left cheek. “I do. I like your face.”

Art pulls her into a sweet kiss, and Tashi happily meets him halfway. He wonders if the butterflies would ever cease one day, but until then, he’s gonna relish in it entirely. Wholeheartedly. Selfishly.

Until…

“Daddy, you’re back!” the unmistakable squeal of their 2-year-old cuts through the quiet, followed by the pitter-patter of her little feet.

Art reluctantly lets go of his wife in exchange for their daughter, throwing the former a fond, knowing look. “Hey, Lilybug!” He scoops her tiny frame up into his arms and peppers kisses all over her cute face.

Lily giggles, arms flailing and pushing him around until Art lets up. It’s only then that the little girl manages a good look at him. She gasps. “Daddy, your hair!”

Art’s heart stops. He never thought a toddler’s opinion would mean so much to him, but he plasters a faux-oblivious look for her. “What about my hair, baby?”

“It’s so… little!”

Tashi chuckles. And so does Art, although he does so in surprise. Of all the adjectives in the English language (that they’ve taught Lily anyway), he didn’t expect it to be little. But in a way, he’s glad. It takes the edge off a little.

“Do you like it, though?” Art turns his head side-to-side and lets Lily assess him, and his heart stutters a little.

Lily has a habit of picking up Tashi’s brutal honesty. Truth be told, she is the spitting image of her mother. She tilts her head the same way, sports the same thoughtful pout too. He may have been off the hook with Tashi, but it would be stupid to have his confidence crushed by the miniature version of her.

Eventually, though, Lily grins and nods. Art breathes out a sigh of relief, while Tashi looks at him like, see?

Lily puts her tiny hands on Art’s cheeks the same way her mother does, fingers flicking on her father’s earlobes. She giggles again. “Daddy looks like my sippy cup.”

Tashi laughs out loud this time. Art is not amused.

But he’ll take it. He scowls playfully and makes a face, pretending to be the sippy cup in question, eliciting more laughter from his girls.

[ellecdc]

Elle, lovely dovey, life is a wreck as usual. So I’ve come to one of my safe places 💗

Now, if you will indulge me (don’t have to, completely up to you), what do you think the marauders jobs after Hogwarts and ect?

awe omg okay I know this wasn't the point of your ask but to be described as one of someone's 'safe places' literally made my heart swell like I can feel it in my throat.

I'm sorry life is a wreck - I've been struggling a bit too lately and am trying to stay positive but we're in this together and that makes me feel a little bit better knowing we'll all get through it <3

Everybody lives AU post-Hogwarts jobs

James: I could totally see him being a Quidditch coach (maybe even a professional Quidditch player?), I saw a fic of him once as the flying instructor at Hogwarts and fucking loved that idea - he'd be so good with kids cuz he's just a giant kid!! Or anything with kids tbh - I don't see him managing well with a Ministry job (ADHD), perhaps a mediwix? like a nursing style job?

Sirius: he is a tough one for me because I do not think a person like Sirius would ever work for the Auror department/Ministry [as he did in canon] - Sirius Black as a person would have huuuuugggggeeee issues with positions of authority. but I also don't know what else he would do. I love the idea of him doing something creative/owning his own business - tattoo artist, chef, painter/potter/artist, barber/hair stylist etc!

Remus: understanding that even in this no Voldemort/everybody lives AU there is still a huge prejudice against werewolves etc. So I think the boys might help him open a business (I always see him doing something calm; florist/plants, books/stationary, the likes), perhaps writing for a publisher/an author, but I also think he would have been offered a position at Hogwarts way earlier as well.

Regulus: I always see him working for the Ministry in some capacity; some cushy political job lol

Barty: I've never imagined him working................huh

Lily: I see her being a healer/working in the medical field.

[olives-and-lilies]

So I finally sat down and am trying to do ACTUAL @barbarous fan art??? Playing with lighting and size first, then we will see where this goes. Percy’s fashion sense and almost selfishness that she tries so hard not to give into with Leed, and Leeds large gentleness paired with an ingrained(?) quiet bit of “danger” (that we saw this last chapter and is just *chefs kiss*) has me by the THROAT. Truly, if you haven’t read it, what are you doing with your downtime??? Below is the original, then a pink tone, and finally a black and white under the tonal shading.