#low sunlight regions

[thetanningguru]

Shedding New Light on UV Exposure: Sunbed Health Benefits Finally Revealed

For years, we’ve been warned about the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, particularly from sunbeds. However, a groundbreaking new study from researchers at the University of Edinburgh suggests that UV exposure may have more health benefits than previously thought, especially in countries with low sunlight like the United Kingdom. The Study at a Glance Published in the journal Health &…

[magistralucis]

@absolut--kurant!

[margieargie]

..."polar tropical forests"? isn't that a contradiction?

[azzayofchaos]

Since my other Nether worldbuilding post was received pretty well... I'm back on my bullshit!

This time featuring zoning and biomes of the Neath: Lore below cut

Nether (noun): the formidable hellscape straddling the boundery between the Fragments of the Overworld and Death's Realms.

Derived from Beneath -> Neath -> Neth -> Nether.

The Nether is most easily accessable through outer regions of the nether, regions that are comparatively closed-off, and lacking in biodiversity compared to the Deep Nether where most Neath civilizations are centered.

The Neth is divided into three primary zones, distinguished by altitude and general climates.

The Calfactory Zone: the largest and most iconic of the three, the Calfactory zone is blisteringly hot and bone-dry, it's most prominent features are its abundant seas and lakes of magma, and the massive Supermagmas atriums that are common above the magma. In the largest of these atriums, the ceiling may be so high above as to be completely invisible from the ground, obscured by an ever present smog of toxic vapor and minerals formed in the self-generated micro-climates that are generated from the rising heat of the lava that begins to cool at a higher altitude.  

In the Basalt Deltas and other biomes around the edges of these lakes, massive pillars of rock and crystals bulwark the more-visible ceiling. 

The most common of this zone’s biomes is the Crimson woods, home to hearty thermal-philic fungi and plants that grow on the minerals and vapors of the lakes. Many are carnivorous in their lack of access to water or sunlight, and these forests contain many sub-biomes and ecosystems of flourishing life. 

The Wastes are perhaps the most desolate regions of the Neath, irradiated deserts of red-rock, brimstone, and sharp sand. Even the vast majority of nether-folk avoid these deserts due to the leftover radiation that rots and destroys anything that waits too long. The only forms of life are particularly robust lichens and bacteria that are happy to sit by the boiling pools of sulfur and mud and toxic sludge that dot the landscape. Growing within the rocks themselves are colonies of amorphous fungus, called geocorpus molds, they get their spores into cracks in the soft netherack and slowly feed on it; the ‘rock meat’ is considered a delicacy in nether cuisine. 

The Temperate Zone: Cradled in the heights of the Neath’s atriums and sat below the roof is the temperate zones; the rising heat of the zone below begins to cool and by doing so, distinct weather patterns form within this zone, leaving it, while still sweltering, a cooler though much more humid climate.

The main biome are the luminescent warped-fungal rainforests that collect the high-rising minerals and odd moisture from the lakes. Liquid is actually present here, though, if it’s not safely filtered through the innards of the various plants and fungi, this water is usually aggressively corrosive, and it is best to shelter from the acidic precipitation to avoid chemical burns. The nether folk and ender local to these rainforests are suited to deal with these conditions and the ender especially do not have trouble with the extreme pH of the water here like they would in the overworld. The zone is lit almost exclusively by the biolumincense of the organisms there and have often been described as false-stars.

In the Deep Nether, the ceiling may give way, allowing one to pass onto the plateaus of the Nether Roof and the yawning void above. The bedrock of the nether roof is jagged and layered in huge slabs, sometimes broken up my mazes of pillar-like structures and shallow, thermal pools of crystal-clear liquid. The kind you don't want to touch of course. fogs may hang low to the ground, but when its clear, or above the fog, the entire universe seems to spill out into the sky. The nether roof was culturally significant and a source of much knowledge and inspiration in the early days, but I'll get more into that in a later post 0.0

The Rime Zone: Plunge deep enough and one might find themselves bellow the lava beds. Here, where the heat can't quite penetrate, the temperatures will drop rapidly to sub-zero.

Namely, the Rime Zone is made up of the soul valleys, flat steppes of cinder and clotted sand, you can imagine it almost with the blindness effect, a fog that pools by your feet, and a heavier darkness hanging from the sky, it feels massive and endless and claustrophobic all at once. Frost collects as crystals on the irradiated, soul-soaked barrens, and the bones of the massive nether wyrms lie fossilized, breaking up the landscape. The sands are also split with patches of crazing on the ground and vents of blue fire that spills out and sets the sand ablaze.

These same wryms can be found sometimes, ancient things that dig through sand and soft rocks and the magma lakes, far and few between and treated with both fear and reverence.

And in the deepest pits of the Neath are the glowing frozen lakes that are colloquially and rightfully called the Gates to Death, glowing blue from beneath their surfaces. Indeed, any further down and you pass into limbo, the edge of Death's Realms.

Extra Notes??:

Soul sand/soil is tread on carefully or not at all, is one form of remnants from the apocolyspe. Like the general radiated rubble present through the Nether, it's a fault of nuclear fallout. Unlike other areas of radiation, its also been infused with the souls of those who didn't survive the joining of worlds. That said, unlike soul sand, soul soil is used productively to grow certain nether crops. It’s minerally and magically dense.

This infused quality is also precent in Nether Debris, resulting in a material that takes magic particularly well.

Iron cannot be found in dense veins and crystals like gold or quartz in the nether, but it's a pretty rich mineral a lot of netherack, giving it its ruddy coloring.

Sorry for this massive rant that no one asked for. If you have questions please feel free to send an ask, I may not have an answer yet but I'll certainly come up with one if I can.

I'm also hoping to do a pass on my headcanons about history and culture in the Nether and then we might start talking about character headcanons since this is also an actual AU.

If you read this far, here's some notes on striders and ghast

[obsessivevoidkitten]

Hellbound Angel

Male Yandere Demon x Male Angel Reader (CW: Noncon, drugged reader, drugged sex, drug-like cum, drug-like saliva, big ol' horse cock, literally equine dick, belly bulge, armpit kink, scent kink, musk, underwear sniffing, kidnapping, general yandere behavior, temporarily mind-broken reader, religious themes, dehydration, forced feminization, reader has minor injuries not inflicted by yandere) Word Count: 2.2k

In the never-ending war against the legions of Hell, the middle ground where most of the fighting was done was on Earth. However, the heavenly forces sometimes deemed an incursion into Hell necessary.

You had been sent on a mission to scout ahead and take note of the coming forces.

Angels were stronger than most demons. Even so, almost your entire squad had been wiped out in a bloody ambush. The other survivors had used the one holy recall scroll to teleport themselves back to heaven.

Each squad sent into Hell is given one and only one. They probably thought you were dead already when they left still with demons in pursuit. They had to act quickly. You didn't blame them. Without it, you were trapped here. Unless you could find a demon's gate that could take you to Earth. That's how the demons made it out. But there would certainly be legions of the enemy at such places.

You had managed to escape the slaughter of your scouting party, but you were injured. Your wings had been hurt as had your leg. Relatively minor injuries, but in a hostile land, they certainly made things more difficult.

To be honest, you weren't exactly the strongest angel on a good day. This was not a good day.

You limped along the rocky landscape, using your holy staff as a walking stick. You stayed low to remain unseen by any wandering beasts or demons as you made your way out of the fiery wastelands and into the white sand desert. Hell wasn't all fire and brimstone. It was the most popular depiction of Hell's most dramatic landscape, but there were other biomes, too. Now you were getting into one of the many deserts Hell had to offer.

It was cooler than the burning wastes, but by no means was it comfortable. Water and food were scarce, the white sands were nearly blinding, and the swirling black sky was a constant ominous reminder that you were not safe.

You could go a long time without food and water. You wouldn't die without them, but after a while, you would wither up and be unable to move. You'd go into a kind of stasis. And then you'd be defenseless.

For days, you wandered. At least... you thought it was days. Despite the perpetually black sky the sun never set. Your lips were chapped, your wounds aching, hope dying in your heart. You had to find an oasis to rest at. Build up your strength. From the limited maps you had seen of this region of Hell there should be one at the heart of this desert, but with your wings and legs messed up it would still take many days still to reach it.

There were several more days of endless marching, hobbling on your injured leg that was getting harder and harder to walk on before you finally saw the oasis in the distance. You tried your best to approach stealthily, going behind dunes and sand drifts whenever possible, and wrapping your white wings around you to provide some measure of camouflage with the white sands. As you got near, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. And out of the smoke stood a demon. It was a trap.

Dark brownish red skin, sharp horns, a tail flicking back and forth, and he stood at least a foot taller than you. He was very muscular, his sweat coated abs glistened in the sunlight. He wore nothing. His long horse-like cock and big nuts swinging freely below a thick patch of black pubic hair.

You caught yourself accidentally staring and looked away quickly before readying your divine staff for a fight. Which was really hard, since you could barely stand without it.

The demon winked and chuckled.

"Do you like it~ There's no harm in just looking, you know?"

He closed the distance between the two of you in a flash and knocked the staff away in one fluid motion.

"As a matter of fact, you can do a lot more than look, little bird. My cum would make you feel so much better~ That oasis you're looking for is still miles away."

"Uh, thanks for the kind offer, but I think I will pass. I'll just be on my way and out of your hair."

You stepped back slowly, hoping to make it to your staff so you could maybe limp away and give him a good smack if he followed. But he wasn't giving you the chance.

"Oh, but you're dehydrated!"

He took a few steps forward until there were mere inches between you. He put a hand on your cheek and thumbed at your chapped lips gently.

"Your lips are all dry. Let me help~"

Before you could decline, he held your head in place and leaned down. He traced and prodded your sore lips with his long slick tongue.

You tried to push him away but couldn't do much in your current condition. And the saliva was having some kind of effect on you.

He slipped his tongue past your lips and kissed you greedily.

Your head grew fuzzy and your legs weak. His spit was some type of drug. It felt... nice...

You resisted it as long as you could, even resorting to biting his tongue, but he ignored it and continued. Moments later, you slumped against him, your head on his muscular chest. The only thought in your head as you passed out was how nice this man in front of you smelled.

He picked you up gently and carried you bridal style. It was fitting since you were certainly his little bride now, as far as he was concerned. He placed a chaste kiss on the top of your head and then started walking towards the underground dwelling he called home.

When you woke up, your wounds had been healed, and you felt a lot better. Though you were still dizzy. There was an intoxicating smell all around you and you didn't recognize your surroundings.

Your first instinct was to jump up and flee, but you were immediately pulled back down and placed in the lap of your demonic captor. His monstrous cock poking out between your thighs.

You looked down and realized you were naked, your soft cock and balls laying on his unnaturally warm prick.

"Let me go!" You elbowed him as hard as you could but he must have made sure you stayed drugged because you couldn't muster up any strength to put into your struggle.

"Let you go? After all the trouble I have gone through to romance you?"

"Romance!? You kidnapped me and I don't even know who the fuck you are, creep!!"

You struggled with renewed anger, smacking your head backwards, elbowing, kicking, and scratching. All amounting to you gasping for breath, tired, while he chuckled at the attempt.

"You're in Hell! I could have raped you and left you in the sand to be killed by any passing monster and that still would have been considered romance."

He placed his large hands on your legs with his thumbs drawing lazy circles on your thighs.

"I saved you from the desert, treated your wounds, let you rest for days, fed you, gave you water, and bathed you. That is damn romantic!"

He started assaulting your neck with little licks and kisses, enjoying how you squirmed in protest while sitting on his equine cock.

"As for the name that you'll be moaning when I bury myself in you, it's Tevrik."

"My friends will come back for me. You should save yourself the trouble and let me go now!"

This was a bluff, of course. They almost certainly thought you were dead. You didn't know if your deception would work, but you didn't expect him to respond with a cackle.

"No, they won't! Rathiel won't let em!"

A shudder went through you at the mention of your boss who had ordered the mission into Hell.

"He's one of Hell's best agents. Gives us lots of intel."

You were dumbfounded and fell silent a moment before regaining your composure and replying angrily.

"Lies from a worthless demon!"

"I'd never lie to you, sweetie~"

He trailed his hands up and down your thighs as he continued.

"How else did we set up that ambush? Rathiel sent you to us. We needed more angel blood. But not yours."

Your blood ran cold as he began grinding into you.

"I picked you out from a bunch of employee profiles just to be my little princess. I'm half angel myself and wanted an angel bride~ We'll rule this region of Hell together!"

He repositioned you on his lap to face towards him as his flared cock grew fully erect.

"You weren't supposed to be hurt in the battle. I'm so sorry about that. I killed the demons who did it."

You didn't even struggle when he positioned you above his dick, hot precum smearing your hole as his cock pressed against it. The betrayal drained the fight from you.

"After the battle, I just followed you for a bit, so you'd be tired. And now here you are. With me."

The precum and smell of his arousal were making you dizzier. The words he spoke brought tears from your eyes.

"Awe, don't cry. After we have some alone time to adjust, I'll take you to the palace~ You'll be royalty!"

You winced as his cock entered you, expecting pain. Surprisingly, there was none. Instead it was like every cell in your body was filled with pleasure.

This couldn't be right. You had to escape. Sex with a demon was a very taboo thing.

You started struggling but Tevrik held you still.

"Shhh, I know you're upset. But just let it happen, okay? I'll make you feel so good."

As his precum continued to dribble out of his dick and into you and as the betrayal by your trusted higher up sank in you once more lost the will to fight.

Why were you fighting anyway? This cock felt so nice. And he was so kind and romantic to go through all this trouble to get you away from your evil boss right?

You relaxed and lay against his chest as he pumped into you slowly. You looked up at him and realized he had your underwear in his hand and was holding it up to his nose sniffing the crotch.

"You smell so good, girly. So good. You feel good too."

"You smell nice too!" Then your brain caught up with the rest of what he had said.

"A-and I'm not a g-girl." Too focused on your pleasure to really care.

"Nah, you're too pretty to be a man. Too weak too. Plus you have this tight little cunt hugging my dick. You're definitely a girly~"

"O-okay."

You blushed because he called you pretty. You supposed he made a lot of sense. You were clearly a girl. You wondered why you didn't know that sooner. It felt right.

He chuckled warmly as you drooled on his chest and made cute little gasps and moans. He couldn't wait until you were moaning his name.

Tevrik didn't pound you, he didn't want to hurt his sweet baby bird. Instead he just rocked his hips into you and enjoyed the effect it had on you.

After you started making those delicious noises his demonic precum began to make you super cuddly. He continued to breed your tight hole while you started nuzzling him and leaving gentle kisses on his chest. He began grinding into you a bit faster and more forcefully, his cock clearly outlined through your belly as it nestled into you as deeply as he could get it.

"Fuck babe, I'm about to bust."

But you came before he did it. Your cock spilling silvery angelic seed on his belly as you called his name and clung to him tightly. The combined sight of you cumming while impaled by his dick while at the same time calling his name just like you promised he would sent Tevrik over the edge. His large balls filled your tummy with hot demon cum. It made you feel warm and fluttery and loved. Like you could feel his emotions through his seed.

You were so tired from all the emotion and sex that you passed out on top of him, nuzzling your nose into the comforting scent of his armpit as you clung to him.

Tevrik smiled. You were just so precious. Sadly, he knew you'd regress back into struggling against him. But that was okay. He would keep reminding you how the angels threw you away and keep breeding you full of his drug-like semen. Soon you'd crave it. He'd bed you constantly until you needed it. And then breed you as much as you wanted him to after that.

Yeah, it would take a while. But he had all the time in the universe.

Tevrik sighed with content and closed his eyes, taking your underwear and putting it back up to his nose while he relaxed with his cock still deep inside you.

You may have been in Hell, but Tevrik was in Heaven.

[boypied]

GOLDEN BOY.

pairings: husband!logan howlette x male reader

summary: you wake up next to logan after a night in vegas, and you both have matching dollar store rings on.

requested by: anonymous

mentions: swearing, talking of sex.

The bright golden rays from the morning sun peaks through the barely opened, patterned covered curtains. The sunlight perfectly frames a glow across your eyes as they slowly flutter open, and you're met with a pristinely white ceiling that must've been painted recently. Once your eyes finally adjusted to the light that was burning your eyes, you suddenly felt a throbbing pain in your forehead that must've been from all the alcohol you drank last night.

You bring your hands up to your face as you slowly begin rubbing your eyes until you feel someone cold press against your face, pull your hands away from your face, and your eyes adjust to your hands as you watch them become unblurry. Your eyes immediately focus on the grey coloured plastic ring that is wrapped around your ring finger, "what?" You mumble out under your breath until you immediately stop yourself dead in your tracks when you hear loud heavy breathing next to you.

You slowly begin to turn your head when you're met with a large hairy man that has a mutton chop styled beard and spikey hair that gives the illusion of kitty cat ears. Your eyes widen in shock and slight fear as you stare down slightly at the half-naked man in your bed. You slowly lift the duvet cover to look under to reveal that the naked and hairy man in your bed is entirely in his 'birthday suit' and he happens to also be very, very blessed in the penis department.

You swiftly drop the duvet, and you turn to face the large glass door that leads onto the balcony. You admire the view from afar until your body freezes in fear as you hear the sleepy man's breath slow down and become regular. You slowly turn to face him to see his piercing orbs burn holes into your back, and now they dart up to meet with your own eyes. "h-hello?" You mumble out with fear and confusion laced in your tone as Logan just lays his head back and grunts out in a low tone.

The silence in the room is deafening until Logan pulls the duvet off his naked body to expose him for his entirety, not that you haven't already had a sneaky peak. He gets up and stretches his body slightly as you watch how his back muscles flex and contort until he stops stretching. You watch as Logan walks over to the long mirror that shows off his full body, and you finally hear him mutter out some words, "hookers don't usually stay the night." he grunts out between coughs as he clears his throat, your eyes widen in shock and slight offence as he thinks you're a prostitute.

"I'm not a hooker," you say to him in a groggy tone as you've just woken up. Logan turns around to face you as you nervously climb out of bed, and you walk over to the mini bar to grab a light morning snack. As you have your back facing him, his eyes widen, and Logan lets out a loud gasp as he reads the slightly smudge writing that is on your back. "Logan's cum-slut husband" he mumbles under his breath as he reads it out, you turn around to face him as you stare at him confused "what did you just say?" You say nervously to him as you walk back over and sit down on the bed as you try to keep eye contact with him and you pray that your eyes don't wander down to his nether region where his big, thick monstrous cock hangs.

Logan looks down at his hands and notices a shiny yet obviously cheaply fake ring wrapped around his ring finger. His eyes dart up from his hands and over to yours, where his eyes find the exact same colour and cut of the ring wrapped around your finger. You pick up what Logan is so shocked at, and you let out a loud gasp when you notice the same rings. You jump out of the bed, and you both stare at each other in shock. Your eyes nervously wander around the room until they settle on his perfect abs until you whimper out in panick and your hands dart up to cover your eyes, wanting to wake up from this nightmare... or maybe this dream.

"So.." Logan mumbles out as he keeps eye contact, his tough exterior down dropped off to reveal and match the awkwardness that is spread across the room. "We're married," he says bluntly, and your eyes widen as hearing him say this out loud just shows how real this situation is. "It seems like that, doesn't it." Your eyes look down at the white heavy-weighted duvet that you've pulled up to cover your body. You dip your hand down your back as you slide into your underwear, and you gently graze against your asshole and you feel a sticky substance drip out of your hole.

Your eyes widened, and you let out a loud, shocked scream, "YOU CAME INSIDE ME!" You pull your hands out your underwear and you go over to him bringing your cum soaked fingers to his face, Logan just bursts out laughing "I must've really liked you then honey" his tone sultry and slightly seductive. You roll your eyes and wipe his cum down your shirt getting it off your fingers, "this can't be happening, we have to get annulled" You say bluntly to him as your nervous exterior breaks away and you're now in action mode.

Logan's face contorts for a moment before a smirk grows on his face, "No, can do honey." He says as he walks his naked body over to the bed as he lays against it, pulling the duvet over his legs. "What?" You mumble out as a response to him, denying the separation, "I mean no, I always said if I got married I would only do it once with no divorce" he says as he clears his throat and he turns his face to meet yours. Your eyes widen in disbelief as your body slowly sinks down against the bed, and you pull the duvet over your entire body.

You both lay in the shared double bed, your bodies so close together that the warmth of the bed is entirely made up of both yours and his body heat, you turn your head to the side to meet Logan's soft eyes that are staring at you. Logan admires your face for a moment as he slowly begins to reach out and grip your hips, pulling you closer and closer into his warmth. You don't fight it, you don't push away, you embrace his warmth as you lay your head against his hairy chest, tracing your hands up and down his abs.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" You mumble out in a soft tone, "some parts seem like I handle my drink better." He says while smirking as he slowly brings his hand up to your soft head of hair as he begins to caress your head. "You seemed to love every bit of what I was giving you," he whispers seductively down to you. It takes a moment for you to realise what he means, and you cover your face in embarrassment, which causes Logan to let out a loud, deep laugh. You snuggle your face closer against his chest as you slowly drift off to sleep against your husbands body.

taglist ~ @starboye @mailmango @ghostking4m @kingchaospostsstuff @crispysoup318 @inhumanshadows @its-ares @gayaristocrat @cronasluvr @irlsamcarpenter @lucerothings1 @gaefaeyae @dqrkhold @sluttyhusband

[chleem]

Not a big deal pt4

miniseries; basketball player drew x high scl student reader

Summary: You lose your virginity to a random guy at a frat party miles away from your home. A few days later, you find out that he’s your brother’s competitor, for the regional colleges’ basketball tournament. 

Genre: strangers to lovers, smut, angst, fluff

Warnings: cursing, age gap (18 & 24), protected sex (read at own caution

⋆.˚ please dont copy or translate my work!

♡⸝⸝ p3 | index | p5

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The ringing of your phone jolts you awake, no longer dreaming. 

Your head throbs, the bright sunlight seeping through the curtains only adding to the ache. The loud ring of your phone makes it hard to focus, and for a moment, you can’t quite piece together where you are.

But the arm wrapped around you reminds you of just where you are, and who you’re with. 

Slowly turning your face, you find yourself looking into Drew’s. He’s asleep, completely unaware to the loud ringing. His features are relaxed, eyelids closed, his breathing slow, and a small smile sits on his face. 

What is he dreaming about?

You focus on memorizing every inch of Drew’s face, studying the soft lines, the way his lashes rest against his skin, the gentle curve of his lips. 

A strange mix of disbelief and nostalgia swells inside you. He looks so much like the Drew from four years ago—the one you lost your virginity to. 

Part of you wonders if he’s still that same person, or if he’s changed just as much as you have.

Your phone quiets down eventually, your caller giving up. 

Well, at least you thought so. The ringing comes back, and this time, it causes Drew to flutter his eyes open. He rubs his eyes, yawning as he focuses his gaze to you. The small curve of his lips from earlier is replaced with a grin that stretches ear-to-ear, and his eyes hold a lazy look.

“Morning, baby,” his voice is deeper in the morning, a raspy coat layered on.

You mirror his smile, the nickname causing your heart to skip a beat, “morning.”

“How long have you been staring?”

“The whole night,” you teasingly say, which earns a low chuckle from him.

“No wonder I had a nightmare,” he jokes back, his arm going around you once again and pulling you close. He nudges his face into your neck, a groan escaping probably from the loud ringing phone, “who’s calling?”

You frown, your hand reaching behind you for your phone on the nightstand. 

You glance at the screen, Luke. Your brother? Why on earth is he calling now?

“I just woke up,” you say, forcing out a groan, trying to sound as casual as possible. You can hear Luke moving around on the other end of the line—his footsteps shuffling. 

“Shit, were you in a fucking coma? Open the fucking door.”

What. 

Your heart sinks at the sudden shift in his tone, a sharp tension filling your chest. That last part… Open the door?

You push Drew away, immediately sitting up. “Um, what do you mean-“

“I’m outside your room. Did you not hear, I rang the-“

The rest of Luke’s words fly by your ear. You were wide awake now, the weight of the situation sinking in. 

Luke’s outside of your door. Drew’s naked in your bed. 

You know Luke. You know how he reacts to things like this. And it’s not going to be pretty. His temper is explosive, like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

You cover your microphone, and whisper to Drew, “get. out.”

“What?” Drew chuckles, his voice dropping to a softer tone, confused by your sudden urgency. “Why are we whispering?”

Right after, Luke stops himself mid-sentence, his voice cutting through the line, sharp and loaded with suspicion. “…wait, are you with someone?”

“Get out,” you slap Drew’s arm to get him moving, mouthing the words, “Luke’s outside!”

Drew’s eyes widen the same way yours did before. He stumbles off the bed, catching himself just before he crashes to the floor. It would be funny if you weren’t on the risk of getting caught by your brother. “No, just, just give me a minute, yeah? I’m getting ready-“

You get out of bed too, the phone propped on your shoulder. Drew and your clothes are scattered around the floor, mixed together.

You put the phone on speaker, setting it on the nightstand as Luke's complaining echoes through the room. Quickly, you put on your nightgown, searching for a clean pair of underwear.

You glance at Drew. He’s in his boxers, scrambling to find his pants. Is he trying to get caught? “Hurry,” you whisper-yell, looking around for his clothes.

Drew shoots you a blank stare, moving to the other side of the bed.

“Are you done yet? My legs are dying-“

“Almost! Just wait, okay?” You yell back at the phone.

“Y/n, seriously, been out here for forever-“

You find his button-up from last night tucked under the couch, and you toss into his arms. A chuckle escapes his lips as he barely catches it. 

Drew walks past you with his shirt unbuttoned, tie and jacket in his hands. He grabs his shoes, and gets ready to open the door. 

You quickly pull him back, “are you stupid?” You mean that with all your heart; Luke is literally on the other side of the door, and he wants to open it? 

Instead, you swing open the bathroom door and shove Drew inside. "Stay here for a while, alright?”

"What, no—“

You slam the bathroom door shut without another word, then quickly turn to the front door, your hand already on the handle. You take a deep breath, trying to steady your nerves before facing Luke. 

Forcing a smile, the door opens, impatience written all over Luke’s face. “Finally,” he mutters, brushing past you. His rudeness isn’t a surprise—it’s just how he is.

You mumble something under your breath, closing the door behind you. Luke’s already sprawled out on your couch, legs propped up casually like he owns the place.

At the same time, both of you spot the wine glasses on the coffee table, their presence suddenly hanging in the air, adding a layer of tension you can’t ignore.

“Alright, where is he?” Luke asks, his voice low but demanding as he sits up, scanning the room to find the owner of the other glass. 

Your first instinct is to stop him from getting anywhere near the bathroom. You quickly sit down beside Luke, your hand pushing him back onto the couch. “It’s... yours,” you say, the words coming out quicker than it should. 

Luke looks at you, confusion flickering in his eyes, then down at the wine glass, before he narrows his gaze. “What are you talking about?” he asks, his tone sharp now, sensing- no, knowing something's off. 

“Y’know, it’s a nice hotel, let’s have some coffee,” you say, a lame attempt at sounding casual. You grab the glasses, and with the coffee maker in the small kitchen, you press the open button. 

Sneaking a glance at your brother, his gaze never leaves you, his tongue poking against his tongue. 

“Latte? Oh, they have espresso,” you continue, keeping your voice steady, scrolling through the options. 

“No,” his voice stops you, and you turn around, watching as he gets up. “I gotta leave anyways.”

This time, the smile on your face isn’t fake. “So soon?”

“Yeah, just came to check on you,” Luke gives you a tight smile, his hand reaching for the door handle. “I’ll send an Uber, ‘kay?”

You nod, a bit too eagerly that shows your interest in him leaving. 

Although still suspicious, Luke gives you one last glance before opening the door and stepping out. “Take care of yourself,” he says, his voice quieter now, almost like he's unsure of what to make of the situation.

The door clicks shut behind him, and for a moment, all you can do is breathe, your shoulders relaxing for the first time since he walked in. 

Finally. 

Opening the bathroom door, you look around for Drew. 

Only to find him laying in the bathtub, fully clothed, his tall figure awkwardly trying to fit in the small space. His arms are thrown out to either side, and his fingers fidget with his ring. 

You lean against the doorframe, and when his blue eyes peek at you, a smile appears on his lips. “Hey,” he says, “made myself a home here, I guess.”

You chuckle at his words, and you sit down at the edge of the tub. “Real comfortable there.”

Drew lets out a breathy laugh, shifting lightly. He glances at his watch, the smile fading just a bit, “I’ve got to go too.”

Right, team practice. 

A brief, almost impulsive thought crosses your mind—to ask him for his number, to stay in touch. Is that a ridiculous thought? You’re not sure. You’re not even sure why the idea is lingering, but it feels... right, somehow. Maybe because, despite everything, you don’t want this moment to end so soon.

At least, not with this Drew. 

Your chain of thoughts breaks, with a tough tug on your wrist. 

When you’ve come to your senses, you’re in the tub with him, seated in his lap. 

The warmth radiating off of him is ridiculously comfortable, the blue eyes almost smitten as they look into yours. 

You lean into him, closing your eyes, instinctively tilting your face toward his. You can feel the breath between you both, the tension building, and just as you’re about to close the distance—nothing.

No contact.

You peek at him through one eye, a little confused.

A throaty laugh escapes him, full of amusement. 

Shyly, you move away, only to be pulled back towards him, his hand finding the back of your neck. 

And then, he finally kisses you, gentle yet affectionate. 

It feels different than last night; The kiss feels deeper, more meaningful, and the thought that it might end soon makes your chest tighten with an ache. 

To last longer, you rest your arms around his neck, thrusting your tongue deeper into his mouth. 

Another chuckle escapes Drew, and he pulls away this time. 

With hooded eyes, you catch the soft smile on his lips. “Tryna get me in trouble?” The teasing tone in his voice makes your stomach flutter, along with the way he stares at you. 

“Maybe,” you giggle, and with a roll of your hips against him, he groans, his hands squeezing your waist. He rests his head at the rim of the tub, and you take the chance to kiss his neck. 

“Could be late-“ his words come out hushed, as your tongue grazes over the soft skin of his neck, “a minute or two.”

“Mmhm,” you bring your lips back up to his, and you kiss him again, this time, hungry and demanding. Your hips roll against his, and you could feel his boner poking your inner thigh. 

Your heart speeds up at the thought of doing it right here with Drew, in the bathtub. 

One of his hand slips under your nightgown; kneading your ass. 

It’s the way his blue eyes lustfully stare up at yours, that you continue rubbing your pussy against his lower abdomen. 

Drew readjusts his position, to allow the dent in his pants to rub closer to your wet pussy, your hips riding off the closeness. His low grunts sounds like music to your ears, the occasional rise of his hips offering more satisfaction to your core. 

“You like that?” Drew's voice, low and raspy, breaks the noise of soft moans and grunts, as his hand gently tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear. “Grinding on my cock?”

Fuck. Your brain races with the thoughts of last night, his cock buried deeply in you. The hard length fucking the senses out of you. 

“Drew…” you moan out, sounding more desperate than expected. Your hands clutch on his suit jacket in tight fists, bouncing yourself on his clothed length. 

A breathless chuckle leaves his mouth, his other hand resting at the back of your neck. You feel the rough and cold material of his ring against your jaw, his thumb grazing the skin of your bottom lip. 

“Don’t stop, baby,” he coos, and you feel his dick twitch beneath you. The subtle movement sends your mind into further frenzy, encouraging the orgasm building inside of you. 

Ring! Ring! Ring! 

This time, the sound comes from inside the bathroom, in the tub, the phone that lays beside Drew’s thigh. 

You don’t even glance at it, consumed with building your orgasm. 

He’s not gonna answer anyways-

Drew picks it up, a mischievous grin on his face. “Hey,” he breathes into the phone. 

A moan escapes your lips, and he sticks two fingers into your mouth, deep until it hits the back of your throat. Gagging, you cough out, which makes Drew chuckle softly, a mumbled “sorry” escaping his lips, followed by a quiet, ‘shhh.’

You feel a knot grow in your lower stomach, as he raises his hips and thrusts into yours. You suck at the fingers in your mouth, the ring rubbing against your cheek. 

“Nothing- I’m working out,” he forces out, speaking into the phone. There’s a certain thrill in his voice, a hint of excitement that lingers as he speaks. 

He couldn’t be honest and say currently having your sister ride against my cock.

Although, the thought turns him on more, and he feels another twitch down at his dick.

“Mhm,” he hums mindlessly into the phone, leaning his head back. His mouth parts in awe, forcing his eyes to stay open. 

The hand on your ass grips tighter, averting all the desire to moan there. 

Whimpering against his fingers, you feel the knot inside of you come undone, the warm juice flowing out and definitely staining your underwear. 

You stop sucking his fingers, and you send him a lazy smile, your hips moving slower to ride your orgasm out. When you glance down at his pants, you can see the light stain, yours or his unsure. 

“What, no-“ his brows furrow together, listening in on whoever’s on the other line. 

You move back further until you’re no longer on his lap; tilting your head to study his face. 

But Drew’s hand catches yours, and guides it to the bulge in his pants. He’s still hard. 

You almost moan at the feeling of his thick length underneath your fingertips, Drew stifling back moans too. 

With that, your hands work its magic; palming and massaging his dick, as Drew tries his best to listen intently on the phone. 

“Mhm, yeah,” he agrees into the phone, his voice hitching slightly to hold back moans. You chuckle quietly at that, your hands continuing its touching of his clothed length. 

His hand reaches for you once more, and when you straddle his waist again, it slides to the back of your neck. His lips crash against yours almost desperately, as if he couldn’t get enough. 

Your hands cup his face, kissing him back with the same urgency. 

Drew groans into your lips, but not before hanging up on the phone. It drops inside the tub, the loud thud ignored by the both of you. 

His orgasm flows through him; the liquid spilling out onto his boxer briefs. 

The kiss breaks, and you both lean your foreheads together, gasping for air.

It’s silent, only the distant sound of AC running. 

Then, a breathless laugh slips from you as you process what just happened.

“Who were you calling?” You ask, genuinely curious. Your thumb rubs circles on his cheek, a smirk tugging on the corner of his lips. 

There’s the same mischievous glint in his blue eyes, causing your stomach to twist slightly. “Best if you didn’t know,” he murmurs, his grip on your waist tightening as he straightens up.

You furrow your brows, ready to ask him more. 

“You wanna have lunch together?" His suddenly asks, his voice softening. 

The question catches you off guard. You pull back slightly, meeting his gaze, your mind racing. Is it... a date? Of course it is. But... is that what you really want? 

Well, four years ago you would’ve loved to go out with a dude named Drew.

But the reminder of your brother meeting with you later flashes by. 

“Can’t,” you shrug apologetically at him, as the hand on the back of your neck starts to play with your necklace. 

Having some fun of your own, you run your hands through his hair, the short strands brushing against your fingers. “Okay…dinner,” Drew suggests instead. 

His blue eyes now stare pleadingly into yours, biting on his lower lip as he silently waits for your answer. 

Okay. You’re leaving tomorrow night, it wouldn’t hurt to have a private meal with him. 

You nod, reaching up to gently pull his lip away from his teeth, a soft smile tugging at your own.

The look in his eyes softens, a hint of curiosity flickering as he leans in a little closer. His hands leave you, reaching for his phone. ”Number?” he asks, his voice barely a whisper. Just as you’re about to tell him, he adds, “not your brother’s, though.”

Your eyes furrow at his comment; what’s that supposed to mean?

But he just shakes his head, finding his own joke amusing, “no- never mind. Go ahead.”

Slowly, you tell him his number, and soon enough, you hear your own phone ringing in the background. 

“Thanks, I’ll text you,” he kisses your cheek, gently shifting you off of him, “now, I really need to go.”

You watch as he gets up, and you immediately miss his warmth. He gets out the tub first, but not before turning around to offer his hand. 

You smile at the simple yet soft gesture, and take it, letting him help you out the tub. 

“I might see you later,” you tell him, as Drew leads you along with him, to the door. 

“Really?” Drew’s hand catches the door handle, pushing it open. He turns back to face you, and with your hand still in his, he takes the opportunity to place a gentle kiss there. “I’m looking forward to that already.”

Why can’t he just skip practice? 

“Alright,” you smile, taking your hand out of his, patting down the roughed part of his suit jacket, “get out of here.”

His lips curve into a half-smile, and he gives a playful shrug as he takes a step back. "Bossy," he teases, his voice light but warm, “see you.”

The soft click of the door closing echoes in the quiet room.

 With your back against the door, you slide down to the floor, your legs pulling up as you wrap your arms around them.

Blush creeps onto your cheeks as your mind races, replaying the moments with Drew—the look in his eyes, the feel of his lips on your skin, the way he seemed so different, yet so familiar.

You close your eyes, leaning your head against the door, trying to shake off the warmth still lingering in your chest.

Why does it feel like there's more to it than just... whatever that was? You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know one thing for sure: this wasn’t how you imagined your visit here to be like.

——

You’ve never been to a real basketball stadium before. 

At first, the staff was unexpectedly rude, shutting you down before you even had a chance to introduce yourself. Just as things seemed hopeless, the manager stepped in, recognizing your name and quickly handing you a ‘visitor’ badge.

He guides you through narrow corridors, until you make it into a more promising section of the place. The air was filled with the scent of fresh gear, and before you knew it, you passed by one of the locker rooms. You catch a brief glimpse inside - a few tall, fit, shirtless dudes who walked around, chatting away. 

Even at your grown-up age, seeing half-naked guys still made you fluster, averting your gaze. 

Following the manager, the path leads to a visible court ahead, the bright lights blinding into the small tunnel. The loud sounds of dribbling and sneakers squeaking against the hardwood floor echo, growing louder with each step. 

Stepping out the tunnel, the staff leads you to the front seats, finding one that isn’t occupied by towels or bags. 

Something about an empty stadium with only its players sends a weird feeling to your brain - the scene surreal somehow. 

“Thank you,” you smile at him, who just nods, walking away. 

Sitting down on the black leathered seat, you look out at the court, taking in the players currently practicing. 

Your instincts kick in, and you scan the floor— spotting Drew, even with his team members running around and dribbling. He's easy to find, his tall frame and confident stride standing out as he lines up for a three-pointer. 

The ball leaves his hands with a smooth flick, arcing toward the hoop, and you watch as it swishes through the net. 

Shit. It’s the way he nonchalantly grabs another ball from the rack, dribbles it once, twice, before casually sinking another three-pointer, his expression completely unbothered that gets you. Other than your heart, something else is throbbing inside of you. 

Like magnets, your eyes focus solely on Drew, even more when you realize the waistband of Calvin Klein peeking out from his shorts. And of course, the v-line that follows-

Thwack!

A ball hits you square in the face, snapping you out of your trance. The sharp impact leaves you blinking, momentarily stunned. 

Slowly, pain creeps into your right jaw, mostly centered there. 

Great. Sitting down for what, not even five minutes? 

As you raise your hand to your face, trying to steady yourself from the blow, the blurry figure of a man slowly comes into focus. He looks flustered as he stammers an apology, but you don’t respond. The pain in your jaw is all-consuming, your head still spinning from the unexpected hit.

“What the fuck, man!”

The loud yell of your brother cuts through the stadium, sharp and full of anger. You don’t even have time to react before he’s charging toward you, his face red. Without hesitation, he roughly shoves the man in front of you, sending him stumbling back a few steps. 

For fuck’s sake, your brother’s outrage might be more frustrating than being hit by a ball…. Does he always have to cause a scene? What a drama queen. 

Even with the pain radiating through your jaw, you manage to drag your hand up and pull the edge of Luke’s shorts. The movement is slow, but it’s enough to make him turn around immediately.

“Shit, y/n, you okay?” He tones his voice down, his features softening as he sits down beside you. 

The lights above you start to drown out; which was because of the crowd gathering around you. They pretend to take a break- but everyone knows it’s to catch a glimpse of a fight threatening to erupt between Luke and his teammate. 

The ache is unbearable, and yet you still manage to lock eyes with Luke. Through clenched teeth, you choke out, “you idiot.”

Luke's eyes widen, guilt flooding his features. Hesitating, his hand hovers near your shoulder, unsure of what to do. 

“Get me an ice pack, dummy,” you rasp, voice thick with frustration. 

Luke winces at your tone, and you catch the muffled laughter from his teammates. 

“Okay, okay,” he mutters, “I’ll get it.” He hurries off, without another word. 

The guy that hit you with the ball apologies once again, and you reassure that you’re okay. Your eyes drift over to the other players, who immediately pretend to be busy with something else. 

You sigh, closing your eyes, as you lean back into the chair. The noise and ruffling of bags fade away as you focus on the pain, trying to relieve it. You place your hands in your lap, relaxing yourself. 

But not even a minute in, a soothing, familiar voice brings you back. 

“Hey baby,”

You crack your eyes open, and there he is, standing in front of you, a concerned smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His blue eyes stare down at you, the gleam in them brighter than the stadium lights. 

Drew.

Your brain immediately replays the scenes of this morning— his lips against yours, his hands all over you, and the call during the…sex? 

He doesn’t wait for an answer; simply sits down beside you, his presence warm and steady. You can feel the tension in his body as he watches you carefully, fidgeting with his hands that lay on his lap. 

The uncontrollable ache in your chest isn’t from the pain, but rather nervous. Fuck. He probably saw the whole process of Luke getting mad! Now you’re embarrassed. Your face is definitely swollen, red, ugly-

“Um, I’ve been hit…multiple times too,” he carefully starts, and you avert your gaze to his face, locking eyes with him. “Ice packs don’t, really work.”

You furrow your eyebrows at him, your lips in a small frown as you wonder where he’s going with this.

His eyes flicker to his teammates, who are clearly stealing glances at the two of you. The quiet murmurs around you seem to make him shift slightly, though, and suddenly, you’re acutely aware of the space between you two. His body scoots closer, letting his knee rests against yours.

The contact is casual, but it sends an unexpected jolt of warmth through you. You catch yourself glancing down at where your legs meet.

His voice lowers just a touch, teasing, “kissing…much better.”

You blink, caught off-guard by his words. The smirk on his lips only deepens, his gaze locked on yours. “Official recommendation?” You manage to say, reflecting the teasing tone back at him. 

He shrugs, sending you an air-kiss, his lips pursed in a playful manner. “Worked in the past.”

“And how many…have you offered?” You jokingly ask, a small smile now present on your lips, as your body relaxes itself in his presence. 

Now it’s Drew’s turn, taken aback by your reply. You giggle at that, as he licks his lips, nodding slowly. He rests an arm over the back of your seat, fingers brushing your back and burning the skin there. 

“You caught me,” Drew says, readjusting his hips to angle his body inches closer (even more close; if that’s even possible) to you. “…just wanted to kiss you…again.”

The words are barely above a whisper, but you hear it. 

You swallow, trying to keep the flutter in your chest under control, but the soft touches he starts giving on your back makes it hard. His fingers rub circles on the bare skin that your top doesn’t cover; making your heart skip a beat. 

It feels like you’re back in high school again, a silly crush. 

Or rather, the specific crush you had on the Drew from WCU. 

Drew’s gaze flicks down to your lips for a moment, a slight shift in his expression that’s almost too subtle to notice — but you catch it. His eyes meet yours again, and you can sense a change, something a little deeper in his look now, less playful and more... intent.

“You okay?” he asks, his voice now softer, changing the topic. The teasing from before has faded, replaced by something a little more earnest. “Feeling better, at least?”

“Yes,” you reply with a smile. The pain was long forgotten since he sat down. “Thank you.”

He shakes his head lightly, before muttering, “as long as you’re okay,” the sincerity in his voice palpable. You feel a strange warmth spreading in your chest, the kind that makes you forget all the chaos around you. 

“Um, do you like the place I sent?” Drew changes the topic, and you quickly understand what he’s referencing—he texted you with an address earlier, just before practice. A restaurant that looks like it belongs in a hidden corner of an old European city. 

You get ready to say yes, that it’s great, but of course, your eyes drift over his shoulder, and you see the faint image of Luke running over. 

The moment- over, just like that. 

You quickly look away from Drew, and sensing the change, he sits up, adjusting his position away from you. His hand back in his lap, his knee no longer resting against yours; he creates an invisible border between you two. 

It stings for a moment; but your brother reaching you distracts it. 

“Here,” Luke hands you the ice pack, breathing heavily. You take it, placing it against your jaw as Luke’s eyes flicker over to Drew beside you, acting nonchalant.  “Starkey.”

Drew looks up at the call of his last name, a tight smile on his lips, “yeah?”

“In my seat,” Luke replies, his voice casual but the tone carrying an underlying edge, even though the other seat beside you was empty. 

To which, Drew glances over your shoulder, at the said seat. But Luke doesn’t follow his gaze. Instead, his eyes stay locked on Drew, and you can almost feel the tension between them, thick and unspoken. Drew's posture shifts slightly, and for a moment, you wonder if he’s going to protest.

But he doesn’t.

With a small shrug, Drew stands up, walking past Luke to the court. He doesn’t turn around for another glance; and joins another teammate to practice. 

Luke drops to the chair that was previously occupied, and his body relaxes, his features softening. “You alright?” He asks again. 

“Took you long enough,” you complain instead, turning your body towards the court. Unknowingly you had your body shifted over to Drew when he was still sitting here. 

Luke doesn’t react; his glare enough to melt the ice pack. “I could get him benched, y’know?” 

You glance at him, surprised by the seriousness in his tone. "What?" You ask, raising an eyebrow, your heart sinking slightly. “Drew? He was just checking up on me-“

“Smith, the one that hit you.”

Oh. 

Well, unless it was Drew, you truly cared less. 

“No, Luke, it was an accident,” you shrug, trying to sound sincere. Your eyes follow Drew on the court, as he successfully jumps and bats the ball out of the other player’s hands. 

“Yeah…no,” Luke mutters, clear that he’s definitely telling the coach. His eyes follow your gaze, and he pokes your shoulder roughly to get your attention. Tearing your eyes away from Drew, you send him a glare. “What did, uh, Drew talk to you about?”

“Oh, um,” you stutter slightly, but ultimately shrug, playing it casually, “he asked if I was fine. That’s all.”

Luke looks at you, clearly not persuaded. 

“Nothing big,” you add on, sending him a smile. 

The ice pack starts to melt in your hands, and noticing it, Luke reaches over to a bag (probably his) and takes a towel out. He hands it to you, but you just narrow your eyes at it, unsure. 

“Relax; it’s unused,” Luke says, and reluctantly you take it. You wrap it around the ice pack, putting it on your jaw again. “I don’t think so- Starkey’s full of shit.”

“More than you?” You tease, earning another poke on your shoulder from him. 

A part of you wanted to know what your brother meant; another part of you didn’t. Even if he was an asshole, you didn’t want to know. At least, not now, when it’s your vacation, and this lovely dream is washing over you. 

“I’m hungry,” you cut whatever Luke wants to say, standing up. “Is the, I don’t know, food court open?” 

Luke watches you stand, a teasing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he watches you, clearly weighing whether or not he should push further. But you can tell he’s deciding against it.

“Nah, that shit’s ass,” he says, a smile tugging on his lips as he stands up. He throws an arm over you, adding extra weight to your shoulders. “I’know a place.”

The strong smell of his sweat hits you; the aftermath of practicing all morning. Your face scrunches up in disgust, as he leads you to the tunnels again, “shower first, you smell like shit.”

He laughs, unfazed, and squeezes your shoulder. 

And as the two of you walk towards the locker rooms, Drew watches, his eyes lingering just a second too long. 

——

The lack of effort your brother brings truly is, amazing. Blows your mind every. time. 

The restaurant he brings you to is the same one as last night, expect well, it’s noon, menu’s different, and oh, you’re sitting outside. 

“Anything else?” The waitress says, as she bats her eyelashes over at your brother. 

With a cocky grin on his face, he gestures the waitress to lean forward. And when she does, he whispers in her ear, causing her to nod enthusiastically. Great, now he’s even flirting with the staff. 

“Food will arrive shortly,” she shyly says, walking away. 

Once she’s gone, the discontent is evident on your face, the frown deepening as you cross your arms. “Seriously?” You almost bark at him, causing him to flinch. 

“What?” He shrugs, oblivious to your frustration. 

“It’s the same place as last night,” you tell him, gesturing around. 

“…that’s why we’re here,” Luke says, with that stupid grin on his face, “Hawk players eat here free.”

Your eyebrows furrow deeper at his words, your gaze shifting to the stunning garden view. Now that you’re really looking at it, the place is beautiful—a secret little oasis that could’ve come straight out of a fairytale.

It’s Luke’s rough kick under the table that snaps you back to reality, your attention shifting to him as he gives you a…rather serious look. 

“So who were you fucking last night?”

“Luke!” You whisper-yell at him, glancing around. Okay, not a lot of people sitting outside. “You can’t just ask that-“

“C’mon, I’m not a fucking idiot,” he interrupts, leaning back in his chair. It’s clear he didn’t buy whatever you said this morning, his eyes scanning you with the annoying know-it-all look. “You forgot how well I know you, y/n.”

With a roll of your eyes, you press your lips together. No way were you telling him. 

Luke scratches his eyebrow, a frown taking over his face. He falls quiet, clearly lost in thought, before his eyes light up with some idea. “How about this…a secret for a secret?”

How ridiculous. This isn’t some middle school game.

“Luke, forget it, I’m not telling you who it was.”

“Ha! So you were with someone,” he exclaims, gently tapping the table. 

Your shoulders drop in exasperation, and you give him a seriously? look. 

Maybe because it’s the first time (other than Zack) that your brother has actually caught you with someone. The thought makes you cringe, the idea of him knowing about that part of your personal life. It’s always been a no-go zone, same for him. 

You open your mouth to tell him off, but he starts his own conversation. 

“I fucking hate Drew Starkey.”

The sudden mention of his name catches you off guard, and you freeze, the words hanging in the air. The change in your brother’s demeanor is immediate—his usual cocky attitude replaced with something colder, sharper. It’s unsettling.

However, can’t help but think, Okay…so he is sharing a secret. 

“What?” you ask, your voice barely a whisper, unsure whether you actually want to know more. You’d already cut him off earlier, back at the court.

“I tried…I tried liking him, and shit, it’s impossible,” Luke laughs, running a hand through his hair. “I guess I’m still petty after all these years, but-“

His eyes meet yours, and seeing how confused you are, his tensed features relax slightly. He looks at you like you're missing something obvious, like he’s just about to reveal a truth you've been blind to.

“Do you not fucking recognize him?”

You swallow hard, feeling your stomach tighten. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen your brother truly hate someone, different from his usual short-tempered self. 

“Fuck- he’s the guy I lost the championship to? WCU? Setting my career back-“

His words fade into the background, replaced by a loud sting in your mind. 

You blink, feeling the weight of the conversation pressing down on you as you slowly sink back into your seat. The cool surface of the chair feels oddly grounding against the storm of thoughts swirling in your head.

Drew—that Drew, the one who had been your brother's rival, the one he'd spent years trying to beat—the one you lost your virginity to. 

The one…you slept with last night. Fuck- that’s why he looks so familiar! The face, his attitude, his jokes- shit. 

The memories come rushing in, vivid and jagged, each one like a slap in the face. 

You can almost hear the loud music from that frat party, the sound of Drew's voice as he took away your first time - when he rejected you. 

“I really like you,” he suddenly admits. 

“But you don’t want me,” you say, finding his sudden confession really stupid, not at all flattering to hear. 

“Don’t say that.”

“But that’s what you said.”

“Do you like me too?”

You blink again, trying to steady your breath, but the air feels thick. 

Your chest tightens, the pressure of everything unsaid between you and Drew settling heavily on your shoulders.

You’ve always thought you were over it—over Drew, over that night, over everything. But the realization hits you now, sharp and unexpected: you weren’t.

You force yourself to focus on Luke’s voice again, but it’s like you’re hearing it underwater. Everything feels muffled, distorted. 

“I mean, every time I see that fucking face, I just wanna-“

Shit. Tonight. Your date with Drew. 

“-Worse, coach thinks we’re ‘prefect’ together, so I always have to look out for him-“

You no longer have the courage to meet him, the confidence you’ve gathered all destroyed, shattered by your own thoughts. It’s as if every word Luke says is a reminder of how messy everything with Drew really is.

“Fuck- I deserved that win more than anything,” he mumbles on, pettiness written all over his face. 

Luke’s words echo in your mind, but you don’t respond. 

Your thoughts are loud enough to drown out everything else.

——

Drew sits on the edge of the fountain, just outside the restaurant. The stone surface feels cool beneath him as he stares at the water, the soft ripples catching the dim light.

It’s been nearly thirty minutes, and ever so often, his eyes flicker upward, searching for any sign of you. He’s trying to steady his nerves, but the longer he waits, the more the uncertainty gnaws at him.

Did you stand him up?

He checks his phone screen again- hundreds of texts but none from you. 

A bitter smile tugs at his lips as he stares down at his lap, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all. He’s just here, waiting, when the answer is so painfully obvious.

“Not a big deal,” Drew mutters to himself, trying to convince his racing thoughts otherwise. He repeats the words again, more firm this time, “not, a big deal.”

He sighs, his eyes darting around as he avoids the curious stares of passersby. The minutes drag on, each one heavier than the last. He waits. waits. and waits.

But you never show up.

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

word count: 6.5k

ִ ࣪𖤐 a/n: FINALLY. i sat down, stared at my laptop, and the words just exploded out of me. sorry i took so long T_T be a bae and ignore any typos xo

do you guys like smaller or bigger fonts? just found out how it change it, and must say, damnnnn. the difference it makes is crazy.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Adventure: Along the Kobold Street

Folk in Eldriton have been complaining about the muddy streets for over a generation, ever since their humble settlement grew from Eldrit village into a proper town. Traffic and merchant wagons churn the streets to mud even days after the rain, and the party notably have to slog through it to reach the inn on their first night.

Imagine everyone's surprise when folk awaken to discover a fresh swath of new cobbles along the town's main thoroughfare, appearing as if my magic in the dead of night. Some are wary but others are perplexedly elated, and the general mood is only further confused when it's discovered that the mayor's manor has been stripped down to it's wooden skeleton while he slept inside it.

Adventure Hooks:

Garbed in only his night shirt and clinging to a third story support beam, the mayor hollers at onlookers, alternating between demands for rescue and threats thrown at those carrying off his furniture and possessions, which have been neatly laid in the street for all to see. The frame of the disassembled manor creeks ominously, threatening collapse, and intercession by the party will likely earn them a significant reward if they don't bring the whole structure down on themselves. Or they could nick some valuables before the guards arrive and make a run for it.

The culprits in this perplexing case turn out to be warren 568, a collective of kobolds who've been moving into the region over the past couple months after their underdark tunnels brought them close enough to the surface to hit sunlight. They've proven themselves to be fine enough neighbours buying up provisions and trading tin with the local craftsmen, but there's an inevitable clash of cultures going on here. The kobolds don't get town people, why their leaders are allowed not to pull their weight and why an inefficiency like the muddy roads was allowed to persist. Then a couple of weeks back a few of their proquirers got to chatting with some market people and they overheard the rumour that the mayor never got around to seeing the roads paved because he was too busy building out his impressive home. "Ah" say the kobolds to themselves, already working out the logistics "we're good neighbours, let us fix that for you."

Days later, an old warehouses collapse in the night and tiny tools are found amid the rubble. The rumormill turns and folk start to whisper that the kobolds are intent on taring down all their houses in their mad act of "generosity". As it turns out, this is a ploy by a few of the local materials merchants to oust the kobolds for undercutting them. They hope to turn the unrest over the manor into active distrust.

Obviously aggrieved, the mayor wants the kobolds gone, and is willing to offer the party a tidy reward to infiltrate their mine and collapse some of the tunnels, bodycount be damned. If they keep to their principles and abstain from this bloodmoney they'll eventually be called in by the local reeve, apparently the mayor found bigger idiots with less scruples and she wants the party to find them before they instigate a massacre.

If the worse comes to pass and the mine collapses, the party may find themselves trapped in the underadark with some very distraught kobolds and no obvious way back to the surface.

Finally, if you're running with a new group of players or starting a fresh campaign consider using Eldriton as your "first town", a stopoff after the tutorial dungeon where the heroes were perhaps sent on a mission from the reeve so they can know her ahead of time. This adventure is pretty low stakes but offers a lot of opportunities for the group to decide who they are, be it opportunistic thieves, armature detectives, callous sellswords, or agents of order.

Artsource

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Some Geology Vocabulary

for your next poem/story (pt. 1)

Abyssal plain - A flat region of the deep ocean floor.

Aeolian - Describes materials formed, eroded, or deposited by or related to the action of wind.

Braided stream - A sediment-clogged stream that forms multiple channels that divide and rejoin.

Colluvium - A general term applied to loose and incoherent deposits, usually at the foot of a slope or cliff and brought there chiefly by gravity.

Conchoidal - Resembling the curve of a conch shell and used to describe a smoothly curved surface on a rock or mineral; characteristic of quartz and obsidian.

Devitrification - Conversion of glass to crystalline material.

Dune - A low mound or ridge of sediment, usually sand, deposited by the wind.

Ephemeral lake - A short-lived lake.

Estuary - The seaward end or tidal mouth of a river where freshwater and seawater mix.

Euhedral - A grain bounded by perfect crystal faces; well-formed.

Fenestral - Having openings or transparent areas in a rock.

Fluvial - Of or pertaining to a river or rivers.

Friable - Describes a rock or mineral that is easily crumbled.

Granoblastic - Describes the texture of a metamorphic rock in which recrystallization formed crystals of nearly the same size in all directions.

Hermatypic - Describes a type of reef-building coral that is incapable of adjusting to conditions lacking sunlight.

Hot spring - A thermal spring whose temperature is above that of the human body.

Isthmus - A narrow strip or neck of land, bordered on both sides by water, connecting two larger land areas.

Lacustrine - Describes a process, feature, or organism pertaining to, produced by, or inhabiting a lake.

Lithify - To change to stone, or to petrify; especially to consolidate from a loose sediment to solid rock.

Lunar tide - The part of the tide caused solely by the tide-producing force of the Moon.

Source ⚜ More: Word Lists

[livingforstars]

A Violet Moon - July 31st, 1996.

"Checking out the Galileo spacecraft's cameras during its December, 1992 flyby of Earth's Moon, controllers took this dramatically illuminated picture through a violet filter. The view looks down on the Moon's north polar region, with the Sun shining from the left at a low angle, and the direction toward the Moon's North pole toward the lower right. Across the image's upper left stretches the smooth volcanic plain of the Mare Imbrium. Pythagoras crater, 65 miles wide, is near the center of the image - mostly in shadow, its central peak just catches the sunlight. On July 30th, 1996, the Moon made its closest approach to Earth and was full for the second time in July. The closest point in the Moon's orbit is referred to as Lunar Perigee, a mere 221,797 miles at 8 hours UT. The second full Moon in a month is known as a "Blue Moon"."

[lamemaster]

Kidnap Fam Gets Kidnapped

Request: @asianbutnotjapanese Listen LISTEN!! Maedhros is my favorite Alright But this is so unsettling, disturbing and the anxiety?😨 At first I was like okay it's fine ZombieMae but then I was like?????! Oh God I don't know if I love it and bury it down and forget about it.

Genre: Zombie au

Pairing: Maedhros x gn Reader

Summary: Stories told of the first of the ships arriving from Aman, its golden flags shimmering in the sunlight. Soaked in the ichor of the Valar. That was how it began, the first corruption. The last of the great eagles had spoken of it, their golden blood staining the shores of Aman.

AN: First of all sorry for how long this took. Second- this isn't the traditional zombie au but it's got the spirit. I hope you like it! I did not intend for it to be this goofy but boy do I like crack fic humor lol (somehow zombie Maedhros is pookie-coded)

The coying scent of a decaying bog filled your nose, followed by the sharp tang of monsoon pine. The contrasting smells teased at your senses, threatening to overwhelm you with a migraine.

Forests were like this, deceitful and alive with memories. They still clung to the Firstborn, their cherished ones who once walked beneath their shadows.

But this was no longer their sanctuary.

Cloaked in the dark of night, you crept through what had once been elven lands. That was before the plague. Before the disease hollowed out the dwindling numbers of the Firstborn who remained in Middle-earth.

Men, it seemed, were untouched by the plague.

The elders whispered that it had been the work of Mandos himself, the God of Death, corrupted by the relentless passage of time. Once the Prophet of Doom, Mandos had become doom itself, plunging Arda into darkness again.

Stories told of the first of the ships arriving from Aman, its golden flags shimmering in the sunlight. Soaked in the ichor of the Valar. That was how it began, the first corruption. The last of the great eagles had spoken of it, their golden blood staining the shores of Aman.

Now the Firstborn had returned to these lands, but they were no longer the elves who had sung to the stars. Their vacant eyes hid the will of Mandos.

You crouched low behind a bush, wary of the trees shuffling suspiciously nearby. Away from sight, you pulled out your map. Rivendell had to be close.

Elrond’s map was your only guide, the closest thing to an accurate depiction of the region.

The faint rustle of the Bruinen confirmed it. You had come closer than anyone had dared before.

The mission was supposed to be simple, or so you kept telling yourself.

Kidnap the minstrel son of Fëanor, the one luring the Avari into Mandos’ lair.

It sounded straightforward enough.

You groaned, forcing down your doubts with the liquid courage in your flask.

While the plague could not touch men, its victims had no such boundaries. Villages had been raided. Children and cattle taken, along with women. Only cold, lifeless carcasses were left behind.

The plague had changed everything.

Elves who once wept for felled trees had turned cannibal, their cruelty surpassing even the orcs, creatures that had once been twisted forms of their kind.

The most terrifying among them were the Feanorians.

Bound by their unbreakable oath, they were Mandos’ fiercest servants.

Many had tried to kill the Seven Doomsmen. Fire, swords, poison, even sorcery had failed. Death was Mandos’ domain, and death could not stop the plague.

The only solution had been imprisonment. The weaker ones had been chained, bound with the hymns of Varda to soothe their rage. But these methods failed against the sons of Feanor.

None of them had ever been captured.

Until tonight.

From your pouch, you pulled out the lock of Elrond’s raven-black hair, placing it in the clearing.

If anything could stir Maglor Fëanorian’s conscience, it was his adopted son, or so Elrond had hoped.

The scent was sure to draw him in. All you had to do was wait, acid ready in hand. A splash to his eyes would cripple him long enough to bind and gag him. After that, you would run to the nearest town, where your party awaited.

That had been the plan.

But the elf you picked up felt far larger than what Elrond had described.

No. This one was missing a hand.

A curtain of red hair brushed against your face, and the realization hit you. This wasn’t Maglor. This was someone worse. Maedhros.

Nelyafinwë.

There was no time to hesitate. Hauling the wrong elf onto your spooked mare, Leia, you whispered a promise to treat her later.

Maedhros, draped awkwardly in a cloak, groaned and ripped at Leia’s mane in his pain. The mare, impatient with his antics, snapped at him hard enough to draw a yelp.

“Good girl,” you muttered, gripping the reins tightly as Leia trotted through the night, her breaths sharp and uneven.

Elrond was going to kill you.

Of course, that was assuming the mountain of an elf in front of you didn’t do it first.

For now, Maedhros seemed more preoccupied with rubbing at his damaged eyes. The acid would leave him blinded for a week. A week of pain for him, and perhaps a moment of peace for you.

With his suffering eyes hidden behind a blindfold, Maedhros was still the very picture of elven beauty. The plague had failed to strip the Firstborn of their otherworldly grace. If anything, Mandos had enhanced it.

Elves were what men could never resist. With their predator’s allure cloaked in perfection, they were a trap for the Secondborn, captivated by flawless features and haunting charm.

Sitting across from Maedhros, you tried your best to feed him lembas, the closest thing to calming his mind. Yet the stupid elf kept going for your fingers, snapping like a feral creature.

Leia, your ever-patient mare, turned out to be a better disciplinarian than you. With one sharp, annoyed snort, Maedhros froze. After a reluctant pause, he finally opened his mouth, accepting the morsel of lembas.

“I know this is no substitute for Vala blood,” you muttered, guiding another piece toward him, “but trust me, you’ll want to be sober to meet Elrond.” He chewed, his movements finally more controlled.

“ You lot have traumatized him enough already. He needs a parent,” you said, your words tumbling out in a nervous ramble. “Maglor would have been better, but I think you’ll do. Maybe. Hopefully.”

You sighed, shaking your head. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t kill both of us. You know what I mean?”

The question hung in the air, rhetorical. Or so you thought.

Maedhros answered it with a sickening pop of his shoulder, the sound sending a shudder racing down your spine.

Bound and subdued, Maedhros listens to the voices curling through his mind. They come in layers. His lord’s commanding presence, intertwined with the ghostly, persuasive echo of his father’s voice.

He remains pliant under your hold, his every movement deliberate, his compliance masking the storm within. The whispers weave themselves into him, insidious and unrelenting.

“Do not run, my son,” Feanor’s voice purrs, brimming with a chilling mix of affection and command. “Find their weakness, my dearest Nelyo. Uncover the fault lines of Arda’s last hold for our lord.”

This is the way. Maedhros will obey. He will do whatever is required to restore his father’s glory. Feanor, alive again, is no longer a memory but a shadow of the brilliance he once was. This existence, this chance, is a mercy granted by Mandos.

And for that mercy, Maedhros will give everything.

“Follow the mortal,” Mandos commands, his voice cutting through the whispers like a blade. Maedhros freezes mid-step, his sudden stillness sharp enough to make you glance back warily.

“You will be our mole,” Mandos continues, his tone crackling with malice. “The doom of men is near.”

The whispers grow louder, swelling until they drown out Maedhros’ thoughts completely. They dull his mind, sinking it into the numb, blissful haze of his lord’s power. This borrowed peace, stolen from the dominion of his brother, blankets his every sense. It is comforting, suffocating, and absolute.

“Bring us the fall of the Peredhel, Maedhros. Do it.”

The words burrow into him, deep and unshakable, sealing his purpose.

And so, he follows you.

In the fractured world cloaked in darkness, hidden within the fortress of doom, Mandos had unearthed the means to ensnare the Secondborn. The boon of death lay cradled in his palm, a gift as cruel as it was powerful.

The final mystery of Arda rested within his grasp, and the Children of Eru were now his. His to own. His to toy with as puppets. Mandos was no longer merely the keeper of souls; he had become the master of Arda itself.

Yet, as with every tale that shaped the fate of Arda, this one came with the most unlikely of heroes: a broken elf haunted by whispers of the past, a weary mortal clinging to the last threads of hope, and a horse whose temper could rival Tulkas himself.

[myromanempiree]

gυιℓту αѕ ѕιη…?

a/n: its secret santacotar time!! My beautiful recipient is @shadowsingers-mate with an elucien piece! I really hope you like it <3

PLEASE NOTE: this is in no way related to the guilty as sin drama, the song just fits :)

Summary: what made Elain return the necklace? 1.1k words

Warnings: mentions of elriel, nipple play, elain is lwky a horny mess

Elain stood there in the living room, alone.

After what she had perceived to be the perfect to start something, something to distract her from the dull singing in her chest, Azriel had left her alone. Not even a whispering shadow to keep her company after his abrupt exit, paired with a nearly panicked, yet cold, "this was a mistake."

She couldn't help but wonder if the shadow singer had been correct.

It was hurtful, at the least. She didn't particularly feel anything magical for the male— aside from the sensation in her lower region— but how he departed was jarring. It was rather rude, even, providing no explanation after nearly kissing her lips which previously had been untouched for a time just shy of two years.

With a long, drawn out sigh, she began making the trek back to her room,not bothering to look back into the corridor in hopes he'd come back and finish what he started. To be frank, a lingering part of her, a traitorous part of her that sings along to the melody of the warm glowing thread strung to her rib, rejoiced that the male didn't come back.

She ran lithe fingers along the wall, gaze trained on the jewel-toned ruby slippers that Mor had so intently stated matched her complexion, quote— 'gorgeously.'

A low huff leaves her lips as she dreamed open the door leading to her bedroom, the room decorated abundantly in all sorts of fauna Rhysand and Feyre had so graciously provided. Wide, heart-shaped leaves from the tropics of Summer drape over a macrame hanger, vines decorate the walls, and flowers from every part of the Continent and Prythian sit patiently in clay pots. Waiting for the warm glow of the sun that currently hides in the night.

She could resonate with them, sunlight always cheered her up and cleared her hazy mind from any lingering visions.

As Elain walked to her bed, she unclasped the necklace the Shadowsinger had given her and placing it on her desk. Looking at the delicate glass rose, its pink tint turning pale from the silver-white light of the moon. Now that she looks at it, without the haze of lust, the night diminishes its beauty.

With a deep, slow breath, she pushed the thoughts aside and slipped off the slippers, climbing into the welcoming embrace of her bed, bringing the pink, yellow and blue quilt up to her chin and falling asleep.

The sunlight filters in through the stained glass of her greenhouse, the lush greenery steadily moving in the warm breeze, and the comforting scent of soil fills her nose. Her gloved hands bury into the soil to properly distribute the damp clay and slit. Patting the top of her creation with a contented smile. Leaning back to peel off the gloves, delicately setting them down onto the glass table. 

A familiar click of slightly heeled boots along the cobbled paths, echo in the otherwise quiet greenhouse. Strong arms wrap contentedly around her waist, a warm face burying into her neck. “Hello, my love.” Lucien said softly, kissing along the gentle curve of her neck.

“I apologize for being late, Helion dragged on the meeting.” he murmured, pulling her against his chest, “You’re alright… I suppose.” She said, smiling up at him, dimples forming into her cheeks, turning in his gentle embrace to wrap her arms around his neck, guiding his lips to hers.

“You suppose?” He began with an amused chuckle, before sobering “I missed you dearly, Petal.” He said, thumb circling along her waist, kissing her again before his soft lips travel down her neck, a low groan leaving his lips.

“I’m desperate, my love. It’s been so long without holding you in my arms.” He said dramatically, pulling her closer. 

“It's only been two hours.” Elain chirped back at him, running a hand along his cheek and twirling a stray braid from his mess of hair. Eyes meet, the male's gaze anything but expectant, only full of adoration and hunger. A roll of her eyes caused him to immediately loosen his grip on her, blinking away the lingering hunger. A dash of mischief fills her eyes, her hand gently tugging on the collar of his shirt. 

“I never said no, my love.” 

With that simple permission, he kissed her passionately, pulling her closer, taking bits of her skirts into his fists, almost to restrain himself from eating her alive. A soft sound escapes her lips as he nibbles on her bottom lip, urging him to pick her up, pushing her gloves off the table and setting her on it. “Lucien–” she said, gasping and nosing under his ear as he kissed her pulse, feeling her heartbeat creciendo under his lips, causing him to groan in her ear, a soft croon more than anything.

“Mother, I love you so much it hurts.” He said, grinning against her neck as she shivers in his hands. He immediately began pulling at the laces of her corset, huffing against her skin as it fell, pulling the puffed chemise down with it. Exposing her to the warm air of the green house. Lucien eyes (eye?) dilate at the sight of her exposed for him, only to let out a soft groan as she teasingly tugged on the golden thread intertwining their souls as one. 

Lucien looks up at her again, eyes quietly asking her if she is alright with this. When she nodded, he began to kiss along her clavicle, teeth slowly and delicately dragging along her shoulder, encouraging a soft moan to fall from her lips. Gasping softly as he took her breast into his mouth, running a warm tongue along the bottom and coming up to suckle on her hardened nipple. 

         He  held her against him and continued his ministrations, large fingers moving up to pinch at the spare his mouth wasn't on. She could feel his heartbeat under her fingers as she set her hands onto his chest. Pressing her face into his hair. “Darling” she weakly cooes. Kissing along his forehead lovingly.

But just as he descends lower, her eyes flutter open, revealing her dark bedroom, everything the same. 

        Her hand flies up to her heart, feeling the beat against her fingers, matching that of Lucien's in her…rather erotic dream. A searing blush kisses her cheeks, all of sudden feeling hot. She stood up out of her bed, shucking off her lace robe, and beginning to pace around. 

       ’Why on earth would I have such a dream?’ she thought to herself, flapping her hands to urgently fan at her face. Though, deep down, she knew why. And it only little had to do with the glowing in her chest, it was because of the male attached to the other end of it.

        Eventually, her legs grew tired from pacing, and she was sure she wore a divot into the floorboards. So she sat down on her bed, staring at her shaking hands. Before eventually looking up, a dull glimmer caught her eye. Turning to look at it. It was the rose necklace Azriel had gifted her, it was beautiful, but in the wake of the fluttering butterflies in her stomach that the mere dream of her mate, it felt…abysmal. 

       So she stood up, scooping the glasswork into her hands, taking the trek back to the living room.

Upon seeing the glimmering tree, she set the necklace back into the pile of presents. Walking away without looking back.

a/n: it feels good to get the pen out :))

[just--space]

Rocket Transits Rippling Sun : The launch of a rocket at sunrise can result in unusual but intriguing images that feature both the rocket and the Sun. Such was the case last month when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center carrying 53 more Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. In the featured launch picture, the rocket's exhaust plume glows beyond its projection onto the distant Sun, the rocket itself appears oddly jagged, and the Sun's lower edge shows peculiar drip-like ripples. The physical cause of all of these effects is pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air deflecting sunlight less strongly than pockets relatively cool or compressed air: refraction. Unaware of the Earthly show, active sunspot region 3014 -- on the upper left -- slowly crosses the Sun. via NASA

[jomindraws]

Another sketch of various species of Jom'Gol flora. This time, these sketches represent the Flavumplantae, a large and fairly diverse supergroup of Chlorophylla. These ones reside in more unstable regions on the planet where normal groups of Viridiplantae cannot, or in regions where light is not exactly ideal (such as farther north/south regions where light rays may come at a low angle during summer/winter, or in cave systems/understories where light scarcely reaches).

The various carotenoids, which distinctly give them their yellow/orange coloring, absorb slightly larger parts of the spectrum than a typical Viridiplantae might. These carotenoids (namely xanthophyll and lutein), in turn feed the chlorophyll for increased energy.

These plants also typically create large fat reservoirs (such as tubers and gourds) during sunlight-rich and warm periods to use as energy later on during darkness or winter.

Because of these advantages, these plants will typically dominate megaflora niches between the 25-40 degree latitudes north and south (and as stated before, any areas that might allow select nonvascular Flavumplantae to grow in caves or forest understories).

[mermaidgirl30]

✨ Dancing With Fire Part 4: Keep me from drowning, don’t let go, never let go ✨

Masterlist

A/N: I love writing this story so much and hope you all are enjoying it as much as I am 🥹 This soft, protective Joel is everything ❤️ Comments and reblogs are always appreciated 😊

- Chapter Summary: Joel takes you on a date, the best date of your life. But will reality crash down and ruin the moment? Will you lose sight of what’s in front of you and focus on the brewing storm back at the theater? This chapter has some angst 🥹

- Word Count: 11.9k

- Tags: No outbreak!Joel Miller, protective Joel, angst, fingering, oral, cream pie, abusive dance partner, tension, longing, porn with plot, smut, dom! Joel (reader mid 20’s, Joel in his early 40’s) No use Y/N, reader’s nickname is Sunshine

- Rating: Explicit (18+ Only MDNI)

- Pairings: Joel x fem! reader, Joel x you

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

You awoke slowly to the soft hum of Joel’s slow breaths and the trickle of sunlight that crept through the top of the window. You were laying across his broad chest with your arm hooked around him, not willing to let go. His strong arms held you close to him as his fingers slowly went up and down your scalp, putting you in a lull somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.

His scent was all over you, covering your hair, your body, and the sheets smelled exactly like him. Mint, mahogany. And there was a faint hint of coffee. It wasn’t sweet or sugary smelling, it was just like the smell of a fresh pot of black coffee. And somehow you knew that’s how he took his. For only knowing him a short time, you felt like you knew him for years. Just like an old friend who came back into your life unexpectedly without so much as needing an introduction because you already knew them.

It was strange really. How close you already felt to Joel. This wouldn’t end well if you were already getting this attached, but maybe he’d stay. Maybe this one wouldn’t get away. Maybe he’d choose to stay.

You rolled over and faced him as a huge smile spread across his face, sending crinkles around his sleepy eyes and messy curls that stuck to the soft pillow. He looked flawless, happy, and so pretty.

“Mornin’, sunshine,” he drawled in a half asleep low rasp that sent butterflies through your lower region.

“Morning, handsome,” you beamed.

He took his hand and ran it across your cheek affectionately as he pulled you and in and brushed his lips against yours, hanging there for a few seconds before he pulled away, still caressing your face intimately.

“You hungry?” he asked as his thumb danced down your jaw.

“Starving,” you replied.

“Want some coffee?”

“Yes, please,” you said eagerly.

“Okay,” he laughed. “Why don’t I start a pot then. I can get the shower ready for you.”

A shower sounded absolutely amazing right now. You were still laying in last night’s ruined sheets, and his scent was all over you. Something you wanted to hold on to. You would remember exactly how he smelled because that was now your most favorite scent. Something you wanted to keep with you forever.

“Sounds perfect,” you smiled.

He gently uncurled himself from you and hopped out of the bed, pulling some black boxers on and headed for the bathroom. You laid there and took in the sights of his bedroom in the glow of the sunlight. His walls were creamy white with a poster of Pearl Jam hanging above the dark brown dresser. There was a large walk-in closet next to the master bathroom that could fit piles and piles of clothes and shoes. The wooden floors were spotless as if they’d been polished recently, and a car magazine laid against the small nightstand next to the bed. It was a cozy room, and he definitely kept the place clean.

Joel came out of the bathroom a couple minutes later with a grey fitted t-shirt on, with his bulging biceps hugging against the sleeves. He was so ridiculously hot. How did you ever get so lucky?

“Shower’s ready for ya. I put a washcloth and some towels on the counter. But take your time gettin’ up. It’ll be ready when you are.”

“Thanks, Joel,” you said with a smile as you rolled over to look at his perfect dimples.

“No problem, sunshine. Oh, how do you like your coffee? Black, sweet, sugary?”

“Sweet and sugary. If you have creamer, just go ahead and put in a lot. I like it almost white with how sweet I make mine,” you responded with a giggle.

“So, what you’re tellin’ me is that you're sweet just like your coffee is?” he asked as a smile tugged across his face and his eyes lit up with crinkles pulling at the sides of them, making him look extra adorable.

God, he’s so cute.

You laughed at him and nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“I usually just take my coffee black, but I have plenty of creamer and sugar in the fridge, so you’re in good hands.”

You were in the best hands. You were in Joel’s hands.

“Now how did I know you took your coffee black?” you asked as you cocked your head at him.

“Guess you just know me so well, sunshine,” he smirked. “I’ll go get some started. I’ll leave ya to it then,” he said as he headed out the bedroom door and into the kitchen.

You laid there for another minute until you dragged yourself out of the comfy bed and headed for the bathroom. When you stepped in, you gasped at how large it was. There was a massive jetted bathtub in the corner. Next to it sat a big, tiled shower with a sleek glass door that connected to the inside. The white countertops had an embedded sink and a spacious mirror. Decorative soaps sat in a blue dish and a soft, velvety bath mat sat in front of the shower door. It smelled like lavender and mint in here. It smelled like Joel.

You opened the glass door and turned the shower knob to hot as water cascaded down the shower head and poured down the drain. You grabbed the crimson washcloth and headed into the shower, letting the warm water cover your messy hair and run down your body as you washed the sweat and stickiness off from last night.

As you started to lather the shampoo through your hair, you thought of the events of the previous night. Of how Joel had reached out and pulled you in for a kiss. Of how soft and delicate his lips felt against yours. Of how good his thick fingers felt as they explored every part of your body thoroughly and articulately. Of how his rough tongue felt against your center, how it lapped up the slick that he made come from your body, of how fucking good he felt inside you as he worked your body over and over again as he set off fireworks inside you, making you explode more than once. That man was a menace, and you wanted to experience it again and again and again until your body was fully his. You’d give everything to him, anything. You were his to take. Fully and unconditionally.

As you rinsed your hair out, you saw Joel’s outline through the shower door. It looked like he was putting some clothes on the sink. Maybe a hoodie and sweatpants? You couldn’t see clearly through the fog of the glass. It was too muggy.

“Hey, I put some clothes on the counter that you can put on after your shower. I didn’t know if ya had anymore clean clothes with you, so I thought these would fit ya. Just want ya to be comfortable,” he said over the noise of the running water.

He was such a sweetheart.

“Oh, thank you, Joel. That’s really kind, you didn’t have to,” you said through the shower door.

“It’s no trouble, darlin’. Well, I’ll let ya finish up. I’ll be out in the kitchen.”

Something pulled at you as you saw Joel standing in the bathroom. Something deep and churning inside you that you needed to push down, but you couldn’t. The pressure was already building inside you. Up, up, up until you couldn’t stand it anymore. You wanted him in here with you. You wanted to see him in all his glory, in all his massive muscles under the glistening hot water as he hugged you to his body and devoured every part of you that he could reach.

You were being selfish. You’d already had him last night, but you wanted more. Needed more. He was like a fresh spring of water in a dry desert with nothing else around for hundreds of miles. He was what quenched your thirst, what made you thrive and feel alive. And you needed him. Now.

Before he could step out of the bathroom you called to him, almost desperate like as you whispered his name. “Joel.” It was just loud enough for him to hear because he stopped in his tracks and slowly turned your way. He must’ve heard the need in your voice, must’ve felt that pull that he had on you. Must’ve known that you needed him right here, right now. Must’ve heard you calling him in your mind. Touch me, hold me, kiss me, devour me, love me.

Love me. That was a new one. That was uncharted territory. It was too soon, too much, too fucking quick. But you felt it. You felt the way he was pulling at your heartstrings, felt every single bone in your body calling for him like he was the one. But he was the one. The one that had come to your rescue, the one that had saved you, the one that truly cared for you. He was everything you had ever wanted and more. And you were falling hard and fast for your knight in shining armor, Joel Miller.

You saw him take a few steps back into the bathroom and stare into the foggy glass door as if he could see right through it, could see you staring back at him as you coaxed him in with your mind. Touch me, touch me. After a moment of silence, you saw him rip his shirt over his head and pull his boxers down to the ground. He then opened the shower door and stepped in, quickly closing the foggy door and turning towards you as he towered over you.

He looked directly at you as he took you in from head to toe, his eyes sliding up and down your body slowly. He was feasting on you, tasting you with only his eyes before he hungrily devoured you with his mouth and hands.

You drank him in. Starting with his disheveled messy curls, his warm brown eyes, his smirk that raised at the corner of his mouth, his broad shoulders that towered over you, his massive biceps, his veins that spidered down his thick arms, his big hands, his muscles that expanded around his abdomen, his built thighs, and oh. His thick erection that was planted hard against his stomach. Already firm and ready to take you.

He cupped your chin and lifted your eyes to his as you stared into warm, chocolate pools. They made you feel like putty in his hands.

“You called?” he asked as a smirk played on his lips.

“You came,” you said as you breathed out a breath you had been holding in.

“I’ll always come when you call, sunshine.”

Oh.

There was a thick cloud of tension in the room as the fog got heavier, as the steam spread over the glass, as your heart was beating a thousand miles per hour just from Joel looking at you with those deep brown eyes.

Another second passed and he wasted no time. He pulled you in as he grabbed the back of your neck and crashed his lips down on yours. He backed you up to the wall, and you opened your mouth wide for him, inviting him in. He slithered his tongue into your mouth and twisted around yours as you caught the taste of fresh brewed coffee. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in closer as his body connected with yours. He drank you down as he continued kissing you over and over again as his hands slid down to your waist and stopped at your hips. He placed his large hands around them and dug his fingers into your hips which caused your center to throb for him.

Please, please, touch me, taste me, love me.

As if he could read your mind, he broke the kiss and skated one of his hands down your thigh. He slowly, slowly inched it up your inner thigh as he teased you, tormented you. You’d have to beg for it.

“Please,” you begged, already on the verge of coming undone.

“Please what?” he asked with a devilish smirk on his mouth as his eyes started turning darker shades of coal.

“Touch me, pleaseee,” you pleaded.

“You don’t have to beg, sweetheart. I was already planning to,” he teased.

He took his hand up higher and higher until he was trailing his thumb up and down your folds, gently spreading them and gathering slick around his thick fingers. He had barely touched you and you were already falling apart around him. The effect this man had on you was scary, horrifying. He was a lot, but you craved him. You were rabid, starving, thirsting for him and only him. So you’d let him take you in any form he wanted. You were his to take.

Take me, take me, take me.

“Christ, you’re dripping for me, baby. All this for me?” he asked as he took his thumb and popped it in his mouth, sucking all your slick off as he smirked down at you with black blown pupils.

Fuck. He was a menace, an absolute savage. He’d be the death of you. You just knew it.

Your mouth dropped open as you watched him taste you on his tongue, as you watched him lick his fingers clean nice and slow. He was building you up, making you drip even more for him. Another wave of slick pulled from you, and you licked your lower lip slowly in anticipation of him touching you again.

“Joel, I’m so wet. So wet for you. Please,” you begged as you reached out for him and grabbed his flexed bicep.

“So needy, sunshine. Don’t worry. I’m gonna take good care of ya. Gonna work ya nice and slow, show you just how good I can make ya feel,” he purred.

He took a step forward and cupped your chin, pulling your eyes up to his. “Eyes on me, sunshine. Focus on me,” he instructed as he took his other hand and started sliding up and down your soft folds as he spread them wide and trailed the tip of his thumb up higher and higher until he was right where he needed to be. He took the pad of his thumb and began slow, meticulous circles over your throbbing clit, starting up that building heat in between your legs.

You moaned as he worked you nice and slow, building up the pressure in the back of your spine as you watched his dark eyes become primal. His black pits hungry for the taste of you. “That’s it, sunshine. Tell me how good I’m making you feel. Wanna hear those pretty moans,” he groaned as he sank two fingers into you, sliding up and down, up and down, making you want to lose yourself right there to him.

You heard the wet, sloppy noises as he brought his fingers in and out of you as your slick coated his fingers, heard the sloshing of your throbbing clit as his thumb continued circling and circling your sensitive mound. It was the sound of him claiming you as you poured out your everything to him, and it was so fucking hot.

You moaned out a low, guttural sound as he worked you over and over, up and down, up and down, feeding your pooling arousal, feeding your hunger for him. “Fuck, Joel…” you moaned as you hooked your arms around his neck, your breathing ragged and muddled.

“That’s it, baby. Say my name. Doin’ so good. Such a good girl. Now let go. Come for me. Almost got ya there,” he grunted as he curled his fingers up inside you, hitting that soft, spongy area that had your legs trembling.

“Joel…I’m gonna…I’m…” your voice trailed off as you couldn’t finish your sentence. You were too fucked out, his fingers were too much. He was too much.

“That’s it, sunshine. Come for me. Let me see that pretty face when I make you orgasm,” he growled from deep in his throat, making your eyes go wide at how dominant he was being.

He pressed deeper into your spongy walls, grew more meticulous with his thumb pressed against your clit. You couldn’t hold on anymore. It was dragging you under, threatening to combust at any second.

You felt the slow tingle start to take you down. The pressure in your spine broke as you clenched around his fingers and felt that white, hot sensation start to take formation all over the entirety of your body. You felt your mouth drop open into an O position and felt your wobbly legs start to crumble beneath you. Joel made sure you stayed stable as he held you up as he wrapped an arm around you, wanting you to ride it out for him safely.

You felt your walls flutter around his fingers as hot liquid started pouring down, covering his fingers, his hand. You moaned his name as you let the orgasm take full effect on you. You were breathing hard and throwing your head back as you kept your eyes barely open, keeping your eyes locked on his pitch black eyes.

“Oh, that’s a good girl. That’s a good fucking girl,” he growled as he curled his fingers up again and again, sliding his fingers deeper and deeper until you could barely take anymore. You were so sensitive right now, it was almost too much.

“One more, give me one more, baby. I’ve got ya. Come for me one more time,” he demanded, talking you through your next building orgasm as you were already so close, almost there.

You cringed up as you felt your eyebrows cling together and your eyes on the verge of tears, but it felt so good, so fucking good. He hit the spongy part over and over again as you felt the white heat return. One more hit and you were gone. You felt your entire body become full of bliss as your orgasm washed over his thick fingers, felt yourself surrender completely to him. You were now his and his alone.

“Fuck, Joel,” you moaned as you scratched your nails down his neck.

“I know, baby. I know. Did so fuckin’ good for me, my perfect girl,” he praised as he slowly took his fingers out of your aching cunt and eagerly licked the slick into his mouth, watching him swallow it all. It was so fucking hot, so intimate, so feral. You loved it.

He caressed the side of your face and placed a gentle kiss on the top of your head as he held your tired body against him. He was so…good. The perfect combination of dominant, sweet, protective, and caring. Oh, so caring. You were head over heels for him, lovesick. And you needed more. Now.

You waited a couple minutes until your breathing slowed down and then placed your hand on his rock hard chest. “Joel?”

“What is it, sweet girl?” he asked with warm honey eyes staring down into yours.

“Need you,” you breathed out as you stared into his searing eyes, watching them turn darker, more carnal.

“Need me inside you?” he asked as he backed you up against the wall, caging you in as his broad shoulders shielded you from the water.

“Yes, please,” you begged.

He took his hand and stroked it up and down your jaw as he slid down to your chin and pulled your mouth up to his, hanging just under an inch from meeting his inviting lips. He ghosted his lips across yours as he slid a hand behind your thigh, picking it up and hooking it behind his back.

“Gonna take ya nice and slow, beautiful.” He pressed his lips to yours and kissed you deeply as he picked you up and wrapped your legs around his waist. You felt his erection press against your aching cunt, and then he slowly plunged into you as you felt his thick cock spread you open and split you in half. You were so sore, but he felt too good inside you as he gently started thrusting in and out of you nice and slow, working up another building orgasm.

You moaned into his mouth as you squeezed your legs around him. From this position you could feel all of him, feel every single vibration in your body as his cock drove in and out of you faster, bottoming out at the back of you as you scratched your nails up and down his back as you kissed him harder, more passionately.

He broke off from your lips and trailed kisses up your neck, sinking his mouth down on the most sensitive areas as it sent a wave of slick down your center. You moaned for him, letting him know how good he felt. “Feels so good, Joel. More, give me more,” you begged.

“You want more? I’ll give you more. Hang on tight,” he demanded. He started thrusting deeper as his cock hit the back of you over and over again. He crushed you against the wall as he angled your hips higher as he sank his cock into the spongy, soft part of your walls. It immediately set off the start of your orgasm as you felt the building sensations around your spine start to slowly disperse to your lower regions. He pressed his thumb to your pulsing clit as he rubbed careful circles around the over stimulated area.

“Oh fuck, Joel, I’m gonna come, I’m gonna…” you moaned.

“Go on, come for me, sunshine. Let go,” he whispered against your mouth.

All it took was one more press to your clit and one more thrust to your spongy insides, and you were done for. You felt yourself clench around his thick cock and let yourself spill all over him. Your head went foggy as you moaned his name loud as you hugged him tight around his neck.

“Such a good fucking girl, took me so well. My little ray of sunshine,” he praised, making you dizzy from the name little ray of sunshine.

He thrusted in and out of you faster, harder, and then he was clenching his jaw up and knitting his eyebrows together as his dark pupils expanded over his eyes. One more thrust and he was spilling his seed all inside you as he painted the inside of you white, claiming you as his own.

“Fuck. Feels so good inside you, sunshine. Never felt or tasted anything quite as sweet as you.” He pressed his lips to yours and slowly pulled out of you as his seed spilled down the inside of your thighs. That last line he said to you had you swooning. As sweet as you? Fuck. You were in trouble.

You stared up at him and ran your fingers gently through his salt and pepper scruff as water cascaded down his now slicked back hair. He groaned and leaned into your touch as his eyes turned to warm, honey eyes. Your favorite color eyes.

“So what you’re saying is I’m the sweetest girl you’ve ever met?” you asked flirtatiously as you batted your long eyelashes at him.

“Mhm. The sweetest thing to ever land in my arms. You’re such an angel,” he purred as he ran his thumb affectionately against your cheek. You placed your hand over his and squeezed. You never wanted to let this man go. He was yours, just as you were now his.

“Now, let’s get you cleaned up. I’m sure you’re starving now,” he replied as he took the washcloth and ran it up and down your back, cleaning your soaked inner thighs and center gently as he made sure you were clean from head to toe. He was so caring, so thorough, so gentle. You couldn’t get enough, you’d never get enough.

After you both got cleaned up, he wrapped you in a soft, warm burgundy towel before you stepped out of the shower. The mirror was encased in fog, and steam covered the entire bathroom. It smelled like lavender, sex, and him. It smelled delicious.

“You like pancakes?” he asked as he looked you over as you brushed out your tangled hair.

“Do I like pancakes? Absolutely!” you giggled.

“Good ‘cause I’m gonna go make you some breakfast,” he said as he ran a towel through his hair, making it stick up in all directions that left him with a head full of dishevelled hair. You smiled as you ran your fingers through his wild curls as you smoothed them down to perfection.

“Not without me you’re not,” you smiled.

“Deal,” he replied back with a crooked smile that lit up his dazzling brown eyes, making your insides flip flop from how pretty he was. “Well, I’m gonna get dressed and warm up the coffee. Don’t worry, I’ll make yours extra sweet, just like you are.” He kissed your forehead and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door carefully behind him.

You sighed and leaned against the counter as you internally screamed, not able to get the ridiculously huge grin off your face. This was the happiest you’d ever been. He was what made you happy. He was what you’d been missing. Joel Miller. The man of your dreams.

You quickly dried off and went to grab your clean pair of yoga pants from the other room and threw on the grey hoodie that Joel had left for you. God, it smelled just like him. The coffee stench was all over the warm material. You wanted to keep it for yourself, revel in his scent until it was clinging to your skin.

You dried your hair and brushed out the now smooth, clean locks of long hair as the waves tumbled down your shoulders. You took one more look at yourself in the mirror and nodded. Good enough.

When you walked out to the kitchen, Joel had a fresh cup of coffee waiting for you on the counter, along with ingredients to cook the pancakes. It smelled fresh like cinnamon and apples in the room, and it made your mouth water. You took in his figure as he leaned against the kitchen island. His broad shoulders filled the button-up plaid shirt, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows like usual. Veins corded his lower arms and wrapped around the backs of his hands. His dark jeans fit him just right as they hugged his muscular legs. His curls were tousled, and he looked ridiculously handsome in the sunlight that was basking from the kitchen window. He must’ve heard you come in because he slowly turned and smiled up at you.

“There you are. I put your cup of coffee right there. Why don’t ya try it and see if ya like it,” he nodded to the porcelain beige cup on the edge of the counter.

You picked it up and smelled French vanilla and cinnamon, your favorite. You took a sip and let the sweet flavor run down your throat as you swallowed the warm liquid. Your eyes lit up as your taste buds hit the super sweet flavor. “This is the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had! What did you put in it?” you almost yelled as you took another big gulp.

He smiled and spun the spoon around his cup of black coffee. “Just some cinnamon, milk, French vanilla creamer, and some sugar. It’s not too sweet is it? I put a ton in.”

“No, no. It’s perfect! Really,” you expressed fervently.

“Oh, good. Glad ya like it, sunshine,” he smiled. You blushed at the nickname.

“So, pancakes?” you asked as you looked at all the cooking materials on the counter.

“Mhm, got everything we need. Let me get the stove goin’,” he said as he moved over to the clean, black stove and turned it on. “You want some bacon and eggs?”

“Sounds good to me,” you nodded.

“Alright. Well, I’ll get the bacon and eggs goin’ and you start on the pancakes. Sound okay?” he asked as he grabbed the carton of eggs out of the fridge.

“Sounds like a plan.”

He smiled and got to work cooking. You started reading the back of the pancake mix directions and then went to mixing all the ingredients together. After stirring the eggs and batter together, you poured some mix in the metal pan and placed it over the stove, keeping an eye on them while they cooked.

Joel brushed up against the back of you as he reached for the butter, gently gliding his hand over your hip as he went back to finishing the scrambled eggs. A small smile crept over your lips as you decided to do the same to him. You went to grab a plate from the cabinet above him and slid your hand up his exposed lower arm, grazing your fingertips along his broad shoulders as you turned around and pulled your hand away from him. You heard a quiet hum come from his chest as you could feel a warm smile encase his lips, and it just made you smile more.

You continued the back and forth, the slight touches, the gentle caresses, the flirtatious acts. It was exactly like how you’d picture a happy couple in a romance film. That’s how it felt with Joel. It was so easy, so natural, effortless. It was like you two had been dating for months. It was strange how easy it was, so carefree.

When everything was finished cooking, you grabbed a plate and fork, but there was only one thing that would make the cinnamon pancakes that much better. “Do you have whipped cream?” you asked Joel as he raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his face.

“Whipped cream huh? You really do have a sweet tooth, don’t ya?” he laughed.

“Sure do,” you beamed.

“‘Course ya do, darlin,” he chuckled. “Here ya go.” He grabbed a can of whipped cream out of the fridge and handed it to you. When you took it, you grazed his fingers as you swiped the cool metal from him.

“Thanks,” you said. When you opened the can and sprayed some out on top of your pancakes, you were feeling flirtatious and wanted to try something. You sprayed some on your finger and rounded the corner of the kitchen island. When Joel turned your way, you spread the creamy whipped cream across his cheek as some dripped down to his salt and pepper scruff.

His eyes went wide in surprise as he stared down at you, a shocked expression lit up on his face. “Oops,” you replied innocently, putting the whipped cream behind your back on the counter.

“Oops?” he mocked as he wiped the whipped cream off with his finger, cleaning off the cold substance from his cheek.

“It was an accident,” you replied as you broke out into a laugh.

“Mhm, right. C’mere,” he smiled as he hooked his arms around your waist and pulled you to him as you squealed at the playful scene. He smeared the whipped cream on your mouth and pulled you to his broad chest.

“Got ya back,” he said with a low chuckle that rumbled through his chest. Before you could respond, he pulled you in and crushed his lips against yours as he cleaned the whipped cream off with his warm tongue. “Mmm delicious,” he smirked as he pulled back.

Your cheeks went crimson as he caressed your cheek and kissed the top of your head in a gentle, affectionate way. “Go on and eat before your food gets cold, sunshine,” he said as he grabbed his plate and went to sit on one of the barstools. You followed after him and took the seat next to him as you took a bite of the pancakes. The sugary goodness slid down your throat as the hint of cinnamon and whipped cream mixed together. It was delicious and super flavorful.

“You did good on the pancakes,” Joel smiled as he scarfed down another bite, nodding up at you.

“I did my best,” you smiled.

“I could get used to this. Cooking with you more often…” he said quietly as he trailed off, digging his fork into a crumbling scrambled egg.

“Yeah, I think I’d like that too,” you beamed.

After finishing your food, Joel took your plate to the sink and rinsed it off as he put it into the empty dishwasher. “So, I was thinking. Maybe we could drive down to the beach today. I know this amazing seafood restaurant that I think you’d really like. Since you told me how much you love clam chowder, I know the best place for that. And if it gets cold, I have a blanket in the back of the truck. Maybe we could watch the sunset, if ya wanted.”

You watched him wash the last dish with his back turned to you, his broad shoulders hugging the red plaid shirt, making it impossibly tight over his massive muscles. You sat there with your elbows on the counter and your hands under your chin. You were admiring him in full. Admiring the thoughtful man that planned the entire date out with things that you’d like to do. You were swooning at how thoughtful and kind he was. He was really trying to impress you and he had passed with flying colors. You just couldn’t get enough of listening to that deep, southern, charming lull of a voice. It was completely hypnotic and soothing, a voice you’d never get enough of. You got lost in your thoughts, and Joel had to pry you from the hypnotic trace you were under.

“What do ya think of that, sunshine?” He looked over at you as he wiped his hands off on a beige hand towel and laid it back on the counter.

“Sounds absolutely perfect,” you said dreamily, a slow smile curling up over your lips.

Joel smiled at you and nodded. “Perfect. Well, let’s try to head out in half an hour. Go on and finish getting ready. I’ll finish up in here.”

“Okay.” You gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before you turned back towards the bathroom to finish getting ready.

The red Chevy quietly hummed on the highway as you headed to Brighton Beach. Journey played softly through the speakers as Joel gently trailed his hand up and down your thigh affectionately, making tingling sensations run through the course of your body. You brought your hand down on his, and he smiled up at you as he squeezed your thigh softly.

“You miss Florida?” Joel asked as he looked at you from the corner of his eye.

“Mmm yeah. I do. I miss home. The sunshine, the white sandy beaches, my family,” you replied in a quiet voice.

“I’m sure ya do. You hear from your family often?”

“Sometimes. They know I’ve been busy, so they don’t call too much. I kinda wish they would.” Your voice came out lower than you wanted it to as you looked out the window, watching the fall breeze blow past you as a pair of seagulls flew by high in the bright sky.

Joel must’ve felt your somber mood because he tightened his grip on your thigh and looked over at you. He had a concerned look on his face as he flicked his eyes over you. “You alright there, sunshine?”

“Mhm, I’m fine,” you said with tight lips.

Joel hummed under his breath as if he didn’t believe you and turned his eyes back on the road. It was quiet for the next few minutes as you gazed out the window, watching the tall buildings and cars go by in a blur. The only thing that was keeping you grounded was Joel pressing slow circles with his calloused thumb against the top of your thigh. It was soothing and peaceful. The calm to the storm that was churning inside you.

You watched the beach come into view as you saw the gentle, blue waves roll in and out as they lapped in and out of the shoreline. The sun shined down on the boardwalk as people walked up and down the way with dogs on leashes and couples strolling hand in hand. It wasn’t too busy, just the right amount of people out on a cool, breezy day.

“I was hopin’ takin’ ya to the beach would bring you a little peace. I know you’ve been missin’ home, so I thought this might help and make ya happy,” he confessed as he turned down the narrow street, only a couple miles from the beach now.

“Oh…” You turned your face towards him and gave him a sincere, heartfelt look as your eyes started to water. “You did this…for me?” you asked barely above a whisper.

“That’s right, sunshine. I love when your face lights up when you’re happy. Just wanna see that glow shine bright over that beautiful face.” He brought your hand up to his lips and gently kissed your knuckles, grazing his lips softly over the back of your hand. Your breath hitched in the back of your throat as he brought your hand down in his lap and held it tight, his fingers curling around yours as he stroked his thumb across the top of your hand.

Oh. He was doing this all for you. For you. To see your smiling face, to make you happy? What an incredible man…

Your entire body was tingling from the gentle caresses he was stroking across your hand. Your heart was so full, beating only for the man that held you close, for the man that would do anything to make you happy. He was so…wonderful. Joel was sensational, amazing.

Joel found an open parking spot right next to the beach and parked the truck. When you hopped out, you hugged the hoodie closer to you as the cool breeze ran through you. Joel locked up the truck, and you followed after him towards the beach.

“The restaurant’s just a couple blocks away. You gettin’ hungry at all?” he asked as his shoulder gently brushed your arm.

“Actually, yeah.”

“C’mon then, sunshine. Let me show you the best seafood place in New York.” He took your hand and guided you forward, leading you to the restaurant. It didn’t take any convincing at all. You’d follow him anywhere.

Joel was right. The food was amazing, fresh, and the best clam chowder you’d ever tasted. It made you miss Florida even more. After the delicious meal, Joel took you back over to the beach, where you spent the rest of the evening.

He took your hand in his and entwined his fingers into yours as you walked along the shoreline, each wave lapping closer and closer to your feet as the waves blew in nice and slow. You focused on the soft crashing of the ocean waves, took in the salty, breezy air, listened as the seagulls sang their songs to each other, focused on the calming serenity the ocean always gave you. It felt heavenly to be back at the beach. You didn’t realize just how much you missed it.

“It’s so beautiful here,” you smiled as you looked out on the shining, blue waters, feeling Joel’s hand clasp around you tighter.

“Yeah, it sure is,” he answered with a sigh. You looked over at him, but he wasn’t looking at the water. He was looking at you.

Oh. You blushed and continued walking along the warm, smooth sand. Your free hand tugging at the strings of Joel’s hoodie and then stuffing your hand into the fleece pocket.

“You cold?” Joel asked as he eyed you up and down carefully.

“A little,” you nodded.

“Let me grab the blanket out of the truck real quick. You okay right here for a minute while I go grab it?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” you replied.

“Alright, be back in just a second.” He turned and walked up to the truck, kicking up dirt from the back of his heels.

You turned and watched the waves come in and out to the shore. It was quiet here now. Barely anyone around. It was like you and Joel had the entire beach to yourselves which was actually really nice. This date had turned out perfect. And now you were going to watch the sunset with Joel Miller? It really couldn’t get better than this.

When he came back, he wrapped the tan, fleece blanket around your shoulders and guided you to a dry patch of sand in the middle of the beach. When he sat down, he spread his legs and folded you into him as he brought you back to rest against his broad chest as his arms circled around your waist. His right hand found yours as he entwined his fingers in yours and leaned his head against your shoulder.

God, it felt good. So romantic, so right. Being in his arms like this made you feel so protected, cared for, seen. You never wanted this day to end, never wanted your time to be over with Joel. And you hoped it never would have to because that would break you into a million pieces, and you were already broken. A shattered vase that kept cracking every day you had to step into that theater. Into that dark, cold lion’s den as the hyenas circled you, waiting to drag you down without a fighting chance to make it out alive.

“You know, I don’t make it out to the beach that often. Haven’t actually been here but once before,” Joel replied as he looked out into the blue horizon.

“You not really a beach guy or what?” you asked as you dug your feet into the soft sand.

“No, no. I like the beach. Guess I just don’t like goin’ by myself. It’s always better with company.” He slid his thumb over yours as the calloused fingers dug into yours, the perfect combination of rough and soft.

“When I was back in Florida, I’d go out to the beach every day and just sit there, taking in the sun and crystal clear water. It was my happy place. It always calmed me down, brought me peace after a hard day. So thank you, for bringing me here. I really needed this.” You shifted your weight and leaned back into him as your head leaned against the crook of his neck.

“Anytime, sunshine, anytime.”

The next few minutes were silent as you focused on the muted lapping of the waves against the sand. The sun was starting to set in the far distance as the sky turned a murky orange and red hue as sunlight painted the vibrant canvas in the sky. A pair of brown pelicans flew off in the distance as they disappeared behind the tall, lit up lighthouse that was off to the right of the beach. It was just like you were in Florida. Almost. Not quite as pretty, but it felt like home away from home.

Home. You missed home so badly. Your family, your friends, your dog, Sandy. You didn’t quite realize how alone you really felt in this state until you were cast as the swan queen. Didn’t really know the true meaning of loneliness until you felt extremely isolated and cast out at the theater with your strict coach and your back stabbing dance partner. It was all weighing heavy on you all of a sudden, crashing down on you like a tidal wave.

You took a deep breath, taking in the salt water air and listening to the water in the distance, focusing on how it lapped at the edges of the sand as it gently rolled back into the ocean gracefully. You closed your eyes and focused on each calculated breath, pretending you were back home, pretending that you were in the presence of your mom and dad, remembering how proud they were that you were following your dreams out in New York.

Dreams. Those dreams felt like nightmares now, just like a cold, sharp knife that drove down into your back, starting at your shoulder blades and working nice and slow all the way down your spine as the blood pooled down your body, emptying you of every ounce until you were washed up and dead to the world. That’s how it felt at the theater with all the fakes and demanding instructors. You felt picked apart, unalive, and wasted. And it was tearing you apart completely.

Your dream was to be a star in a huge ballet, one that you’d been dreaming about ever since you were a little girl. You swore to your mom that you’d get the part when you were older. You’d show all those other dancers who was the best, who was worthy. And that’s exactly what you did. You got your wish, so you should be grateful. Instead, you felt like your feet were chained to the floor and your arms were tied behind your back, unable to escape, unable to do anything of free will but dance until your feet bled and your body broke down from exhaustion.

This wasn’t what you wanted anymore. At least not here. Not with this company. It might be different if you had a less strict instructor, maybe a different dance partner that didn’t threaten you for not giving them what they wanted. Maybe if you had some nice girl friends, ones that were supportive. Not ones that tried to take your place and laughed when you fell or got yelled at.

But you wanted to dance. You wanted this more than anything. You wanted to be the swan, but it was getting so hard. Every day felt like a nail to your ankles, the metal slowly pulling you apart piece by piece. And the anxiety, the depression, the weight of the entire show. It was getting too much. It was too much. Too wearying, too demanding, too crippling. It was getting too heavy, and you knew it. But you pushed through every day somehow, always finding the will to go back in that auditorium and dance your heart out. But where was your heart now? It was long lost at sea, adrift in the murky waters of the dark depths of the ocean, lost to the void.

“Do you ever just want to run away? Go someplace far away, just for a little bit?” you asked quietly as you kept your eyes on the calm, salty water in the distance.

Joel shifted behind you as he brought you closer. “Sometimes,” he replied in a subdued voice.

“I think about leaving all the time…” Your voice tainted off on the last word, your voice barely above a mere whisper.

“Where would you go?” he asked as he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head, making your insides shiver against his touch.

You thought for a minute, letting your racing thoughts calm a bit. “Somewhere far across the ocean. Maybe back home. Maybe someplace where it was quiet and I could hear clearly inside my own mind,” you sighed as you sat forward, just barely out of Joel’s grasp.

One more day. Only one more day until you had to go back to that god awful auditorium. Back to being chained to the floor while they threw you to the wolves, screaming at you as the wolves tore you apart, ripping you to shreds as you screamed bloody murder without so much as a single hand to save you. You wanted it to be over, needed it to be over so you could breathe again. Instead, you were suffocated day after day in that theatre of horrors.

Only one more day. One more day. You tried to focus on the calming waves that lapped at the sand, but the hurricane was coming down on you hard in your mind. Your insides were being ripped apart by the shrouded winds, the riptides pulling you under as the waves crashed over you, sinking you into the deep abyss with no way out.

Stay in the light, keep your head above water. Swim, swim! Harder, faster, keep afloat, keep your head up. But the tsunami was closing in on you, the voices completely drowning out any comprehension you had just seconds ago. Instead, it was all taken over by voices from the theatre. Carlotta, Pierre, all the other dancers.

Faster, sharper arms, point your toes, practice longer, again, repeat it a second time, be vigilant, no breaks, you don’t need to eat, keep your head up, smile. Where are you going, little swan? Don’t leave, let’s have some fun, come on now, don’t be shy. Swan!

You shook your head and tried to drown out the voices, but you couldn’t. You were losing the battle fast as your mind turned dark, and then suddenly you were pulled under the deep depths. Drowning and sinking as you ran out of air. A wave of anxiety hit you so hard that it felt as if you were underwater. Suffocating and screaming for help. No one could hear you, no one except for Joel…

You bit your lip hard as you held back a choked breath as you focused on the calm water, where there was peace in front of you. But it didn’t work, it didn’t work. A silent tear escaped your eye and slid down your face slowly as you felt the cold moisture glide down to your chin. You discreetly wiped your eye with the sleeve of the hoodie, but Joel noticed. He always noticed.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” he asked as he tried to get you to look at him as he reached out for you, his hand soft against your shoulder.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” you lied in a clipped tone, your eyes focused on the damp sand just feet from you.

“Now I know that’s a lie. C’mon, baby. Talk to me. What is it?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.” You sniffled a little as you held back tears, not wanting to dump your problems on him.

“It’s not nothing, I hear you tearing up. Now look at me,” he said as he reached out his hand and grazed it against your cheek.

You shook your head and said no, but he tried again anyways. “Look at me,” he demanded in a soft, lilty voice as he cupped your chin and turned your face towards him. You kept your eyes down on the ground as you felt the tears building again, almost threatening to spill if you gave in. You couldn’t, you just couldn’t.

He called your name softly and it hit your heartstrings as they pulled and split apart. “Look at me, baby. That’s it,” he encouraged as you pulled your eyes up to meet his gaze, and that’s when you broke. When you saw those deep, concerned eyes staring down at you, you couldn’t hold it in. Couldn’t pretend anymore that you were okay because you weren’t. Not in the least bit.

You crashed into his arms and wrapped your arms around him tightly as you let the tears spill freely. Let the weight of everything crash over you as the panic set in. Joel enveloped you in his arms and stroked the back of your hair in slow, gentle strides as he tried to soothe you of your breakdown.

“Hey, it’s alright. You’re safe. You’re with me. I got you, I got you. Shhhh.” He soothed you as he kept his hand running through your long locks as you quietly cried into the plaid material of his button-up. You stayed like that for a few minutes, tucked into his side, trying to compose yourself again as you washed away all the tears before you could speak again.

Joel’s warm embrace and his gentle touches against the back of your hair were so soothing, so peaceful. He was your anchor, pulling you out from the dark depths of the sea and back into the light where you could breathe freely. He was like a fresh breath of spring, the one thing that could calm you down and ground you back to earth.

You were like a willow tree with low hanging branches getting pulled every which way. Carlotta, Pierre, the other dancers trying to drag you out of the ground, take all your dying roots and rip them out of the soil. But Joel was the one thing that could keep you rooted. The one that could tether you down to the ground and keep your roots alive with water and special care. He was like oxygen to your lungs, keeping you thriving and vibrant. A life spring of water just for you, to keep you alive.

As you brought your face out of his chest and looked up at him, he cupped your chin and wiped away the last remaining tear on your cheek with his calloused thumb. He was staring down at you with warm, honey eyes, his eyebrows knit together as his forehead creased in concern.

“It’s the theater. Ain’t it?” he asked with a knowing look written all over his face.

“Mhm,” you hummed out.

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked as he caressed his thumb gently over your cheek affectionately.

You nodded slowly. “I just feel so overwhelmed. It’s too much. They’re demanding too much out of me. And everyone is so unkind, and I just feel like an outsider and no one wants me there. And I feel so alone, so painfully alone. Like I could cry out for help and no one would hear me. Nobody heard me but you…” you said in a tense, hushed voice. Your breathing coming out shallow as you stared into those brown pools of honey as they melted into yours.

“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry…” His voice trailed off as he stroked up and down your back soothingly, taking away your panic slowly but surely. “I’m sorry they’ve made ya feel that way, that they made you feel so small, so fragile. But listen to me. You’re a rare gemstone. A delicate, beautiful dancer. You are so special, so fucking special. And you deserve the world. You deserve to be treated right. You deserve much better than how that sick, twisted ballet company treats you. You deserve so much more, sunshine. So much.” His knitted brows relaxed, but he was staring at you so passionately, so intensely that your mouth was slightly agape at the words that just came out of his mouth. You were speechless, didn’t know what to say. All you could think was how wonderful he was and how had this man ended up in your life at the perfect time.

“I wish I could take it all away from you, all your worries, all your tears. I don’t like seein’ ya cry and definitely don’t like seein’ ya hurt. If ya want to walk out of that theater, then I will gladly support you in that decision. They’re breaking ya, sunshine. And I don’t wanna see you broken, baby. I wanna keep you in one piece. Wanna see you shine like I know you do.” He gave you an encouraging smile as he pulled a lock of hair behind your ear as he gently grazed your jawline with his thumb.

“How did you stumble into my life at exactly the right time I needed you?” you asked in disbelief as your eyes got watery again as you ran your fingers gently through his salt and pepper scruff.

“Guess I was sent there for a reason and that reason was you. To find you, my sweet girl.” He continued to graze his thumb over your jawline and cheek, sending bursts of serotonin through your racing heart, silently calming the hurricane in your body.

“Joel, you saved me. If I wouldn’t have met you, I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done at this point. You pulled me back into the light, showed me that I’m not truly alone here. You’ve been so very careful and gentle with me, and I just can’t thank you enough for keeping me afloat when I was constantly getting dragged under the deep end. You’re so…important to me.” You kept your eyes locked on his as he pulled you in closer. He picked you up in his lap and held you against his chest as his arms wrapped around you, blanketing you with warmth.

“And you are important to me, sweet girl. Such a little ray of sunshine when you smile. My pretty girl.” He pulled you in and softly kissed your lips as he hugged you to his body. You kissed him back as you wrapped your arms around his neck, taking in his mahogany scent as you drank him in. When the two of you pulled apart, he kept you close to his chest as he held you securely. You’d never felt that safe in your entire life.

“What are you gonna do?” he asked as he looked over your shoulder at the setting sun, watching as purples and pinks swirled together in the orange, amber sky.

You sighed as you answered back. “I’m going to stay. I need to see this through. I just need to get through these two months. I need to, for my own sanity. I want this part. I want to dance. I’m just afraid I’m losing my passion for it because this company has been the absolute worst experience of my life, and it’s doing everything in its power to drag me down.” You cringed up as your eyes turned somber and your insides felt hollow.

“Hey, look at me.” Joel cupped your chin and turned you to face him. He kept his eyes directly on you as he spoke. “You are the swan. You are powerful, passionate, beautiful, graceful, and a force to be reckoned with. You are so talented and gonna knock ‘em dead on opening night. Use that gift of yours to light up the stage. And if you’re ever doubting yourself or thinkin’ you’re not good enough, just think of me. Because I believe in you. You are more than good enough, you are perfect. I’ve never seen anybody else dance quite like you do. You’re one of a kind, sunshine. And you’re gonna go big places.”

“Oh, Joel, that’s…that’s…” You couldn’t believe he had just said those beautiful things to you. God, you were so head over heels for this man. He was so good, too good. “You’re amazing,” you finally breathed out, finishing your sentence.

“Nah, I wouldn’t say that. Just wanna make ya happy, wanna take care of ya,” he smiled as his brown eyes flashed your way.

“You do, Joel. You do,” you nodded.

He smirked down at you as he planted a quick kiss to your forehead. “Don’t focus on your instructor or any of the other dancers. Just try to keep your mind cleared, relax your body, take some deep breaths, and think of me if you start to panic. Let me demonstrate. Okay, look at me. Eyes on me,” he instructed. You followed his instructions and kept your eyes on him.

“Good. Focus on me, only me. Nice deep breaths,” he said as he inhaled and exhaled nice and slow. You followed his lead and did as he said. You instantly felt better after about a minute, but looking at his soft features really helped. Being in his presence and his arms helped.

“Alright, nice job, sunshine. That’s what I want you to do every day. Just focus on the music, on how your body is feeling, then focus on me. I can calm ya down, make sure you’re not drowning in all of the chaos. I’ll keep ya in the light. I always will,” he promised as he grazed his thumb over your bottom lip, sending electricity through your spine.

“Is that a promise?” you asked with hope in your eyes.

“Yes, it’s a promise,” he nodded.

“No one’s ever cared about me the way that you do…” you whispered, overwhelmed with emotions that were stirring like a tidal wave inside you.

“Well, I care a great deal for ya, sweetheart. I’m really glad I met you, my sweet girl.”

You smiled up at him and he returned the same warm grin. He slowly pulled you back in and locked his lips with yours as he gave you a passionate, steady kiss. He tasted like coffee, honey, and your future. It was etched in the crease of his lips, a promise to be yours forever. You could taste it, feel it. And you knew, you knew then. You were in love with him. You were so deeply in love.

You spent the next half hour safe in his arms as you watched the sun gracefully go down behind the fluffy clouds. The sky was lit up like a paint canvas. Extraordinary colors encompassing the clear sky as shades of purples, pinks, oranges, and reds danced together, mixing into a beautiful ray of water colors. The water gently lapped at the shore as you heard dolphins whistling at each other offshore in the far distance, barely seeing their tails leave the water as they slapped at the surface gracefully. The salty air filled your lungs and set a wave of calmness through you. And it was almost like you were back home. Almost, just almost.

You were almost at peace, the stirring storm inside you calmed for now. And it was all because of Joel. Your undying light in a sea of darkness when you could barely find your way out. He was your peace, and he saved you. Again. And he’d continue to save you. For as long as you needed him. Your gentle, brooding savior. Your rescuer.

Yours.

As you drove back to the city, you let the evening lights fade into view as you rested your head against the cold widow. Today had been absolutely perfect, the best date you had ever been on. Joel was such a romantic, a sweet southern gentleman. And you were a complete hopeless romantic for him and his brown syrupy eyes. Never wanting to forget this day as it was grounded into your brain for eternity.

As the glow of the tall buildings came into focus, you realized just how close you were to being back at your apartment. That’s where Joel was taking you, back to your place. Back to that empty, lonely room where your mind would slowly eat you alive until you were a puddle of anxiety on the floor.

“I hope ya had fun today, darlin’,” he drawled as he turned a corner, stopping at a red light as he looked over at you.

“I had the best time with you. Thank you for doing that. For taking me on the best date, for taking me to the beach, for everything.” You smiled at him as you pushed a hand through his messy curls. He groaned at the response of your touch, a deep sigh running through his chest as he hit the gas pedal when the light turned green.

“Anytime, sunshine. I’m glad ya had fun. I’d like to uhh do it again sometime, take ya on another date. If you want to, that is,” he said with a blush flushing his exposed neck, his nerves driving the rest of the sentence out of his mouth.

He was so cute when he was nervous. Especially when he was acting all shy. He was absolutely adorable when he was like that. “I’d love to go on another date with you,” you beamed at him, your smile meeting your cheeks as your wide grin spread across your glowing face.

“Good, that’s good,” he smiled as he focused on the dark road ahead of him.

You were just a few blocks from your apartment now, almost time to say goodbye to Joel. You didn’t want to. You didn’t want to be alone in that quiet, empty place. Didn’t want to be alone with your thoughts because that’s when the racing anxiety would crowd your mind and take over, sending you into panic attacks and hysteria.

Three more blocks, two more blocks, one more block. You didn’t want him to leave, you wanted him to stay. Don’t go, don’t go. Stay, stay with me. Your mind was a mess, you were a wreck. You wanted to go back to his place with him, wanted him to wrap you tight in his arms again under his warm sheets where it was safe and sound. Wanted him to take away all your worries as you got wrapped up in him completely, wanted his calloused fingers to explore every crevice of your body again as you fell apart again and again under his touch. You couldn’t ask him any of this though. You were being selfish. It was too much, you were being too much.

The truck came to a complete halt as he parked right next to your blue painted door, the engine humming softly as the background noise of the radio faded away. You didn’t want to get out, you just wanted to stay. Stay with him. Stay, stay, ask him, ask him.

Joel turned towards you as he put an arm across the back of your seat, taking a moment to breathe before he spoke. “I had a really great time with ya today. You’re pretty good company.” A warm smile encompassed his lips as his pretty brown eyes honed yours.

“Yeah, I feel the same,” you smiled back. “Joel, thank you again. For being there for me, for showing me I’m not truly alone here,” you said quietly as your voice trailed off.

“Oh, sunshine.” He hooked a lock of hair behind your ear as he grazed his calloused fingers down your jaw, sending vibrations buzzing through your body as it drowned out the anxious thoughts. “You’re not alone, not as long as I’m here. I’ll always be here for ya, whenever you need me. I’ll always come to your rescue.”

You could feel a tear trying to break free behind your eyelids, but you choked it down. Now was not the time for tears. You just smiled and nodded at him, mouthing thank you in response. He pulled you to him and your lips locked together as his fingers gently entwined in your hair, feeling every smooth surface of his lips against yours.

When the kiss ended, you had a hard time pulling away. You wanted to stay where it was warm, where it was safe. But it was time to go inside. You couldn’t keep him here in the truck all night. Even if you wanted to.

You hesitated to grab your practice bag that sat underneath your feet, but you slowly fetched it as you brought it up to your thighs unhurriedly. It felt like the biggest weight on your chest as you knew you were about to get out of the Chevy, leaving Joel and entering that lonely, miserable apartment that only reminded you that it was almost Monday.

Instead of throwing a sad, muted expression, you gently smiled up at him as you said your goodbye. “Well, goodnight. Today was perfect.” You put your hand on the cool metal handle and barely pulled, opening the truck door the tiniest bit.

“Goodnight, my little ray of sunshine. Can’t wait to see your pretty face again.” Little ray of sunshine. You loved that nickname. He grazed the side of your upper arm as you felt the slow burn all the way through the thick fleece material of the hoodie. It pulled low, and you could feel it in the back of your spine.

You sat in place as you looked out the tinted window, staring at your pale blue door with the number four staring holes into your eyes, taunting you to come back into its empty, hollow abyss while it tore your mind apart. You stared absentmindedly ahead of you, not wanting to get up, not wanting to leave the comfort of Joel. But you had to. You had to.

It’s like Joel had a sixth sense around you, he could always feel when something was wrong. He could read your emotions, feel your racing thoughts like he could hear them in his mind too. Maybe he was just so in tune with your body now that he could tell when something was wrong, when something was off. But before you overstayed your welcome, you opened the passenger side door fully and scooted to the edge of the leather seat, almost jumping down onto the concrete.

Before you could get far, Joel shot his arm out and latched his hand around your wrist, stopping you before you could walk away. You slowly turned and you could see his gaze steadily on you as he ran his other hand through his wild curls.

“Do you wanna come back with me, stay the night again? You don’t have to if you don’t wanna, but I just figured maybe you’d want to. Don’t really wanna leave ya alone in there tonight. I’d feel better if you came back with me so I could hold you in my arms again. Right where you belong…” He trailed off as his words came off quiet and calm, the air around you thick with tension.

He wanted you to go back with him so he could hold you in his arms? Oh…

You felt your eyes widen as the realization set in. “Oh, uhhh actually, yeah. There’s nothing else I’d rather do,” you said earnestly as you stared at him with glistening eyes.

“Alright, go get your stuff then. I’ll be waitin’ out here.”

You nodded as you pushed yourself out of the truck, grabbing your bag as you searched for the keys at the bottom. You grabbed them up and placed the key in the lock, twisting and pushing the door open. You were welcomed with the cold air and dark room. You flipped the switch on and got busy gathering up clothes, toiletries, and practice clothes. In case you stayed Sunday night too.

When you finished up, you locked up the apartment and climbed back in the truck as you slammed the door and buckled your seatbelt up.

“You have everything?” he asked as he watched you place your now full bag on the ground.

“Mhm,” you hummed.

“Good. Let’s go home then,” he smiled as he put the truck in drive and pulled out of the parking place, taking his place on the road again. He gently grabbed your hand and kissed the back of your knuckles, grazing his plush lips against your soft skin as he brought your hand down into his lap, entangling your fingers with his. It felt so good, so right. So very right.

Home. He just said home. It wasn’t your home, but it felt like home. He was your new home. That’s exactly how he felt. He was your sanctuary, your safe space, your light.

He held you so tight that night, his calloused fingers trailing up and down your body as they soothed you, comforted you into a gentle lull of sweet dreams. This was what Heaven felt like, what having a guardian angel felt like. And he was home. He was your home. Joel.

Tags: @amyispxnk @burntheedges @dugiioh @ladamari68 @shmaptainshmerica07 @blueseastorm @joelalorian

Part 5

[dougdimmadodo]

Common Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)

Family: Asparagus Family (Asparagaceae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Unassessed

Adapted to life in deciduous forests with dense canopies that limit the degree to which low-growing plants can access sunlight, Common Blubells survive by rapidly developing and reproducing during the early spring before the trees around them develop their leaves. In the later spring and early summer, as taller competing plants develop leaves, the flowers, stems, leaves and even roots of members of this species wither as they enter a dormant state until the following spring, with only an onion-like subterranean bulb, packed with sugars produced through photosynthesis during the non-dormant period, remaining; come next year's spring, the sugars in the bulb are used to facilitate the rapid development of new roots and leaves, allowing the bluebell to repeat the process year after year. Common Bluebells can reproduce both sexually (producing 5-12 small, pale-purple bell-shaped flowers that droop notably to one side when in bloom, with each flower possessing pollen-producing "male" organs and pollen-receiving "female" organs, with any flower that is pollinated developing into a small seed-filled pod that drops its seeds as the plant goes dormant) and asexually (with new but genetically identical bulbs, known as "daughter bulbs" developing as offshoots from the sides of an existing mature bulb, known as a "mother bulb",) and as they thrive in shady deciduous forests and are unable to easily disperse their seeds or bulbs over any great distance, it is not unusual for the understory of a forest that supports members of this species to be completely dominated by them during the spring - such forests are referred to in some regions as "bluebell woods'."

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Image Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/56132-Hyacinthoides-non-scripta