#mama John 💕

[softmamawrites]

And Then There Was You : Chapter 2

the way this chapter made me want to scream because I lost a very big portion of it and had to rewrite it. but I also love this chapter because we get to see bitter bitch John and he’s my beloved.

Warnings: masturbation (I’d like to reiterate, John is intersex, he has both female and male genitalia, it’s talked about a lot in this chapter. this is also my version of that and if you don’t like it…well there’s the door 👋🏻), graphic descriptions of birth (you can skip that bit, starting at week 34, to the little cut off line), self loathing Gale, one mention of men killing themselves, and of course bitter bitch John. Mama John 💕

Words: 11.5k words - I am once again wanting to say sorry for that but I’m also proud of this so….

Moodboard by me

dividers by: @sweetmelodygraphics

thank you to @trashbag-baby666 for listening to me scream, cry, and throw up over mama John 💕

-24 weeks-6 months pregnant-

“It’ll look even nicer with a new coat of paint on it. And don’t even think of getting up on a ladder yourself.” Brady says as he looks at John, both of them standing on the sidewalk outside of John’s new home. The ivory colored home is quaint, a farmers porch stretching across the front of the home. With a sturdy white wooden bench swing sitting there, it’s what originally drew John to it. Benny was happily moving boxes from the bed of his pickup truck, there wasn’t much there.

Maybe 20 boxes all together, it’s whatever John could fit in his duffle bag and then whatever he’s picked up over the course of his time in New Mexico. Meatball barks happily as he rolls around in the grass, tongue lolling out with his feet in the air. Brady looks around slightly at the yard, cataloging in his head what needs to be done. The grass was slightly overgrown, the weeds needed to be pulled, there were some slats of the fence that would need to be repaired.

“Don’t worry, I know you two will tan my hide if I get up there. And I don’t trust myself up on a ladder anyways.” John responds, shaking his head slightly as he rests a gentle hand on his belly. He had swelled out just a bit now, mostly just over his belly button and down above his pelvic bone. But he noticed it when he was trying to button his slacks, he didn’t even need a belt anymore to keep them up. Brady chuckles softly as he nods in agreement and they both step up the four wooden steps.

John hums softly as they step through the screen door, smiling softly when he sees the inside of the home. It would need some stuff done to it, but it was well maintained for the most part. The elderly couple that owned it had done their best, when the wife found out that John was pregnant. She insisted they leave all of the furniture, stating they didn’t need it in the nursing home. She had even made sure to tell John there was a crib upstairs in the attic from when she had her babies.

“I’m so happy you moved down the road from us, that’s so awesome. It’ll be so much fun!” Benny says from where he’s setting one of the last boxes in the dining room. Brady smiling a little as he watches his fiancé, the man was like a giant puppy, just like his beloved husky. The road they lived on was quiet, eight houses in total between both sides. John lived at the end of the dead end road, with a sweet little old lady across from him. Mrs. Ellis whom had already introduced herself, and upon finding out that John was expecting. Had declared she was going to knit him all of the socks, sweaters, and blankets he could ever need.

He was finding that he was being taken care of whether he liked it or wanted it. Benny had been ecstatic when he found out John was pregnant that night all those weeks ago. Proclaiming happily that he had been there when his ma had his two youngest sisters, and he loved babies. He had taken over any heavy lifting that John needed to be done, it was very sweet. While Brady had been quietly taking care of John, he was the one who found the house to begin with. Telling John about it one night when they’d been having dinner together. He had been silently sending leftovers home with John to make sure he had food for the next day. He had even slyly asked one time what John had been craving, and the next day there were chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

John smiles softly as he continues looking around, seeing the god awful floral couch sitting in the living room. A beige colored rug resting in the middle of the floor, a coffee table on top of it. Two red suede lounge chairs sat on the opposite side, almost blocking the view of the big front window. John would have to try and move the couch, he wanted to be able to look out the window. He turns his head as he hears the clomping of footsteps coming into the house.

“You’ve got a big backyard too John! You could get a dog!” Benny calls from where he’s standing in the kitchen, Brady rolling his eyes slightly as he shakes his head. John laughing quietly as he looks towards the kitchen, seeing Benny coming back out with a little pep in his step. Coming over to kiss the side of Brady’s head gently, John smiling softly as he watches them. While many still saw it as wrong to lay with another man, it wasn’t deemed a blue ticket home anymore. So they were free to be together in the eyes of the military, even if they were relatively quiet about it outside of the house. But John was happy to see his friends getting to embrace the love they’d been harbouring for some time now.

“Yea, I don’t think I’m gettin a dog anytime soon Ben.” John responds making the younger man whine a little, before all three of them are looking over to the sound of clawed feet trampling into the house. Meatball having heard Benny’s whine and coming to investigate his owner’s distress. Nudging his nose into the side of Benny’s hip, before the man is scruffing his neck and between his ears. The husky’s foot bouncing slightly when Benny gets a good spot, his tongue lolling out happily.

“Hi Meatball.” John murmurs when the dog pushes his wet nose against the side of John’s belly. His fingers coming down to scratch gently, feeling the dog press closer to him. Before John feels the faintest of flutters, his hand coming down to cup the bottom of his stomach. Pulling both Benny and Brady from their mini argument about getting another dog for Meatball to play with. Brady looking at his friend worriedly, stepping closer to place a hand on his bicep and look at him. Benny moving closer instinctively, both men surrounding their old Major. Meatball whining from where he’s being pressed in between John and Benny’s thighs.

“I think…I think the baby is moving.” The oldest states, his eyebrows drawn together as he tries to figure out if it’s what he’s feeling. Trying desperately not to panic at all, feeling the way Brady’s fingers are gently holding him. Midwife Carole told him every time she saw him that his chances for a spontaneous miscarriage had dropped significantly. But it still didn’t stop those thoughts from rolling in, it didn’t stop him from panicking at every little thing. It didn’t always help when it came to trying to decipher any aches or pains in his body.

“What’s it feel like John?” Brady asks him softly, Benny looking at his boyfriend in slight worry. Both of them had grown to be very overprotective of the older man, taking care of him. Just like he always did for them when they were overseas, he was a mama before actually becoming one. And now it was his turn to be taken care of, it was his turn to know someone was there for him whenever he needed them.

“Feels like flutters…I don’t know how to describe it. Like when someone runs their fingers over your arm, I don’t know if that makes sense.” Both of the men nod their heads in understanding, smiling softly as they look at him. John feeling tears welling in his eyes as he stands there with his friends. Hormones having taken over for just a moment, breathing deeply as he tries not to sob. He didn’t feel alone anymore, not all of the time anyways, he knew he had people around him. He had found a family, even if he lost one, his found one was accepting him for who he was.

-29 weeks pregnant-7 months pregnant-

John sighs softly as he lays in his bed, trying to roll over for the 100th time that night. The ache in his side not going away, the too hot feeling he’s had all day just simmering. He huffs quietly as he tucks a pillow under his side, propping himself up just slightly. He was a belly sleeper, and he couldn’t do that anymore. He had officially popped three days prior, a nice rounded out shape under his shirts now.

Benny told him that it reminded him of a basketball, like it had just been shoved up under John’s shirts. And John had to agree that it did look almost too perfectly round at times, but he could feel it stretching his skin almost too taut at times. Which made him often wonder how he was going to get through the next 11 or so weeks before his baby would be born. He gently drags his hand down his side, feeling the baby respond. An elbow dragging down to follow their mama’s touch, John watching as his belly ripples slightly.

“I feel you little one.” John voices quietly, tapping by his belly button and smiling as he feels the push back. Rubbing his thumb across his skin, breathing deeply and feeling the tears welling. Huffing at himself in frustration, John had never cried as much as he did lately. He was always good at keeping that in check, but lately he couldn’t stop the tears from tracing down his face. Rubbing his hand over his eyes, he lets out a steadying breath. Chest rising and falling evenly, adjusting his hips just the slightest bit to get the pressure off of his side.

Shifting again John lets out a soft sigh at the brush of his shirt against his nipples. Feeling that little pleasurable zing go down his spine, his eyes slipping closed. Breathing deeply, feeling his nipples pebbling under the cotton of his shirt. His cock giving a little twitch of interest in his boxers, core beginning to tingle. John had never been this easily worked up before, not since he was 13 and found out what an orgasm was. Biting into his lower lip as he lays there, before he’s shrugging out of his shirt. The cool air breezing over him now feeling almost as good as the arousal flowing through him.

Licking the fingers of his left hand, he brings his fingers down to gently rub and pinch at a nipple. Whimpering a little, it was almost so sensitive that it hurt, the little nub hardens even more. Making him take in a deep breath, little goosebumps forming on his skin as he rolls his fingers over his nipple. He feels his center beginning to clench around nothing, his cock giving another twitch of interest. His free hand going down to slide into his boxers. Squeezing around himself, rubbing his thumb across the tip.

He wouldn’t produce any slick, not yet anyways, not until he was orgasming and then it would spurt out in little splatters. His core is clenching again in want, feeling the little bud of his clit starting to ache. Breathing deeply he slowly slides his fingers down, to feel himself wet with slick. A little shudder going up his spine, he didn’t usually slide his hand lower than his cock. The only person that really did was Gale, but Gale had also avoided touching his cock.

“Oh fuck.” John whispers as he slides two fingers through his puffy outer lips, swollen and slick already. His hole clenching at the contact, his pelvic muscles tensing at the stimulation. Before he’s bringing his hand back up to his cock quickly, using the wetness he gathered to rub over his tip. Pinching his nipple gently causing another hitching whine to come from his throat. Beginning to move his hand on his length, squeezing and rubbing. That peak becoming clearer for him, within reach now, before he’s slipping away from it.

Groaning softly at the loss, his eyes squeezing shut, trying to focus again while also trying to keep his mind blissfully blank. Feeling as his clit throbs again, neglected and wanting. His walls squeezing around nothing, before he’s huffing softly. Letting go of his cock and turning his head to the side, eyes closing a little tighter. While he runs his fingers through his slick again, whimpering at the pressure. Before he’s trying to slide two fingers into himself, whining at the stretch. The heel of his hand brushing against his little pearl, thighs threatening to close. The pleasure zap almost too much for him, the tender flesh was more sensitive than it usually was.

“Please…please just, oh fuck.” John gasps as he gets a good rhythm, trying to remember what he’s done in the past to women. His heart beginning to thud in his ears harder, stomach spasming with want. He curls his fingers inside of himself, whining lowly before he’s having to pull a finger free. Too swollen and sensitive to keep going with two, his walls tensing again. Palm of his hand grinding into his clit, while his forearm keeps his cock trapped against his rounded belly.

John’s toes curl under the sheets, feeling that precipice coming higher and higher. His feet digging into the bed slightly, whimpers flowing from his mouth freely. His fingers pinching at his nipple again, a high pitched noise slipping free. John working his finger inside of himself a little quicker now, jaw dropping at the pleasure curling around his pelvis. His fingers leave his nipple to go and grab at the pillow under his head.

“I’m, fuck yes, please…G Gale…please.” John gasps out as he’s suddenly slamming into that high. Body tensing completely, lower back arching off of the mattress, his breathing stopping. Before a wrecked sob is coming from his throat, pants falling from between his parted lips. Laying there alone in his bed, skin sticky with sweat, core dimly throbbing, his cock pulsing. His tacky release coating his fingers and the spot of his hip where his tip was trapped during the whole ordeal.

He slowly heaves himself out of bed, legs a little wobbly like a newborn deer. His heart still hammering away in his throat, while he cleans himself up. Wincing a little as the shame begins to flood in, hot tears pin pricking the corners of his eyes. He had touched his core, made himself cum, and said Gale’s name out loud while he did it. There’s nothing that can stop the tears from flowing down his face, shutting off the bathroom light before going back to his room.

Crawling in his bed, pulling his shirt back on, situating pillows, trying to get comfortable. His arm curling around the closest pillow, willing himself not to cry to sleep tonight. It had been awhile since he had done that, he was doing better. He hadn’t thought of Gale in that capacity in a long time. He hadn’t thought of the blond while touching himself since before the stalag. When he had had that one last sad jerk session in the shower before flying the next day with Brady.

Now when he thought of Gale, it was tinged in sadness, longing and yearning in a way for companionship. Just wanting the younger man to be around, but knowing he could never have that. He could never have Gale the way he wanted to, because Gale was in Wyoming living the life that he wanted. And John wasn’t apart of that life, not anymore.

-32 weeks pregnant- 8 months pregnant-

“Hello John, it’s nice to see that you’re resting.” Midwife Carole says smiling as she comes up the walkway for John’s home. Seeing the man sitting in the porch swing, his boot covered foot swaying him back and forward slowly. She can see paint smudged on his shirt, and his hair was curlier today, like he had been sweating. A mug of something resting on the prominent swell of his belly, he turns his head to look at her. Smiling softly when he does, he looked tired, little bags under his eyes.

“Hi Midwife Carole, it’s too nice out to not take advantage of the swing.” He responds before he’s carefully heaving himself off of the wooden bench seat. Standing for a moment to make sure he doesn’t get dizzy or lose his balance at all. Before he’s leading her towards the house, always a gentleman with his greeting of her title, always opening the door for her. The both of them step inside, the home smelling like drying paint going up the stairs. She can see the cabinets in the kitchen have all been replaced, no doubt his friend having done it.

“How have you been feeling? Are Brady and Benny still feeding you meals?” She asks after he’s come back from the kitchen, having refilled his mug with water. Slowly sitting down on the couch, while she sets her bag down on the coffee table. Sitting on the couch next to him, she found it best if they talked for a few moments before any medical stuff came up. John was better than he was the first time they met, he wasn’t as jumpy around her. He still shied away when they had to measure his belly, or had to discuss any of the more personal matters.

“I’m, tired, I haven’t been able to get very comfortable. Feel like the baby is up in my ribs sometimes, makes it hard to breathe. Both of them are usually here for dinner, I tell them I can cook, I don’t know if they believe me or not though.” Carole chuckles softly and smiles as she looks at him, nodding a little bit. Watching as John shifts slightly, eyes flicking over to the bag on the table. Before she’s reaching for it and opening it, beginning to pull out the tools she needs. A stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, fabric measuring tape, and a pinard horn.

“I’m going to listen to your heart, check your blood pressure, measure your belly, and then listen to baby. Is that all okay John?” The man nods his head softly as he looks at her, sitting up a little straighter for her to get to his arm better. Feeling as she wraps the fabric around, before she’s pulling her stethoscope on. And beginning to inflate the cuff, listening intently to the sounds, before she’s smiling at him.

Listening to his heart and lungs next, before she’s gently helping him roll his shirt up over his belly. John looking down at his skin and taking a deep breath, he had always stayed in relatively good shape. Seeing himself stretched out was different for him, he struggled just a little with it. He could see the little stretch marks up by his ribcage forming, he was sure he had more down lower he just couldn’t see them. The hair he had had on his lower belly was thinned out, almost non existent. It almost made him sad, that was one thing that he had that made him feel masculine.

His eyes trail slightly as he waits for her to say anything, pupils catching on the books he has on the table. Brady had found them when he’d went into town, picking them up for John to be able to read. The man having marked things he thought would be best for him to remember. Brady had even found a book with a section in it that contained men giving birth. John had read that part of the book at least four times over now, still trying to make sure he’s prepared.

“Is everything okay?” John asks softly as he sits there, the midwife holding the tape at the bottom of his sternum down to his pelvic bone. John squirming just a little bit at the touch, before he’s letting out a deep breath. Carole smiling encouragingly at him as she measures, feeling the baby kicking at her hands.

“Everything is wonderful John, every belly is different, and we have areas of measurement that we expect to fit into. You fit into those measurements perfectly, your baby is growing wonderfully.” He nods softly and lets out a deep inhale, letting himself relax just a little bit. Watching as she picks up the horn, before she’s gently placing it to his stomach. Resting her ear down to listen, John staying quiet as she does. He wished he could listen too, knowing it would comfort him just a little to be able to hear his baby’s heart beating.

“A nice strong heartbeat, have you been feeling any twinges at all? They would be down here, maybe on the sides.” Carole asks as she gently touches down by his pelvic bone, before touching the sides of his rounded belly. John shakes his head softly, looking down at himself as he tries to think. His body was always feeling tight lately, but he didn’t remember any odd twinges.

“I don’t think so, my skin feels stretched tight as it is. But I don’t think I’ve had any twinges or anything.”

“And that’s perfectly okay, those twinges are what we call practice contractions. As you get farther along you may begin to experience them, especially if you’re doing too much. Or not drinking enough water, it’s important to rest when you can.” Carole informs him, before she’s packing her things away. John rolling his shirt back down, smoothing the cotton down with gentle fingers. Feeling as the baby kicks again, a foot or elbow meeting his palm. Making a little smile flicker on his lips briefly, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to feeling a baby move inside of him.

“I’ll make sure I keep drinking a lot, and I promise I’ll take more breaks. I just, can’t sit still lately. I need to be doing something.” John says as he slowly rises off of the couch, going to lead her out. Wanting to sit back on the porch again, the breeze really did feel nice today. Carole smiles softly in understanding as she listens to him, before they are saying their goodbyes on his porch.

-Gale-

“Is there a reason?” Marge asks as the pair lay in their bed, both of them pink cheeked, a little sweaty. Gale laying on his back next to her, his blond hair flopped down onto his forehead. The man turning his head to look at her, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. Before he’s watching her slowly get up, keeping her nightie pulled up away from her stomach. His drying cum streaking her skin, as she shimmies off of the bed.

“A reason for what Marge?” Gale asks as he sits up, reaching for his briefs on the floor. Listening as she walks towards the bathroom across the hall from their room, the tap turning on. While Gale sits on the side of their bed, his hands clenching the edges of the mattress. Breathing deeply while he lets his shoulders loosen just a little bit, his eyes closing.

They had been tip toeing around one another for the last few months now, the first two weeks of him being home had been like a honeymoon phase. Everyone was so happy to see him back, so happy to get hands on him. Marge hadn’t left his side, glued to him and so proud to show him off to anyone. It had been nice, but nice only lasts for so long. And Gale could feel himself slipping the longer he was home, the longer he was away from John.

He tried, he tried so hard to not think of John, but sometimes when he’d close his eyes he’d see ocean blue. Sometimes when he’d turn his head he’d expect to see the older man, the woodsy smell of John’s cologne haunted him. He missed the way the man smelt so much that he went and bought a pack of Lucky Strikes just to smell. Until it wasn’t enough anymore and he was lighting one up to smoke, that night he had whimpered around a cigarette.

Gale was mortified with himself, he had used his best friend because he couldn’t admit to himself that he loved him. Some of the instances Gale could say it was lust, loneliness, that was what drew the two men together, especially in the stalag. But Gale couldn’t rationalize away the night John came back to Thorpe Abbots, that had been purely Gale being selfish. He needed to feel that John was alive and pulsing under his finger tips. He needed to feel his heart thudding, he needed to know that John was real.

“Is there a reason you won’t look at me when we’re making love? A reason you won’t…finish inside of me?” Marge asks, voice tight and holding an edge to it that has Gale’s stomach curling in on itself. His shoulders tensing all of the way up to his ears again, sitting in just his underwear on the side of their bed. Marge standing just inside of the bedroom door to look at her fiancé. Watching as he avoids looking up at her, and it’s a sudden realization for her.

“Who was it? Was it a Red Cross girl? A nurse?” Gale looks up quickly at that, making something snap in Marge’s chest. She can feel the bubbling anger, but it’s overrun by the overwhelming feel of hurt and betrayal. Before Gale is quickly looking away, his chest feeling tight now, his stomach spasming like he’s going to be sick.

“It was John.” He whispers suddenly, without meaning to, needing to fill the sharp silence between them. He hears the little intake of air from Marge’s lips, peeking up at her again. Seeing the way she’s tensed herself up, her dainty fingers gripping the sides of her nightie. Her soft lips set into a little pouty scowl, before she’s really looking at him again. Scanning over whatever she can consume and see, she’d always been able to see through Gale.

“You’re not telling the whole truth…you may be able to lie to others Gale Winston, but you’ve never been able to lie to me.”

“I used him Marge, I used him and left him. I left him again.” The blond finally gets out, feeling the weight leave his chest just slightly. The air leaving his lungs quickly as he sits there, bringing his hands up to cover his face. He wasn’t going to cry, he wasn’t sure he remembered how to cry. Having taken so many beatings as a child for showing emotion, it was like something had broken inside of him. He had used John just like his dad had used both Gale and his mother, he was no better than the older Cleven man.

“If there’s one thing I know about you Gale, it’s that you aren’t a user. So we’re going to talk about this, and we’re talking about right now. Collect yourself and come down to the kitchen…because this is not the end of this discussion.” Marge states before she’s turning on the ball of her foot and going for their stairs, setting about making a pot of coffee. Neither of them were going to sleep tonight, it was starting to make sense for her. Gale was carrying guilt around with him, more than just fighting in a war like her daddy had said. This was the kind of guilt that pushed men into killing themselves, the kind of guilt that didn’t just disappear.

Gale quietly gets himself dressed, he didn’t want to have this conversation. He didn’t want to lay his cards on the table, he didn’t want Marge to see the parts of himself that he had been hiding. But on the other hand, it felt so freeing to say it out loud. To voice how he had been feeling since he’d woken up naked next to John. The older man nestled into his side, skinny and bony, sleeping so peacefully. Like Gale had been the answer to all of his night time horrors, like Gale had been the remedy that John needed.

Gale gets down to the kitchen, seeing that Marge has brewed a pot of coffee. A mug sitting by the chair he frequently sits in, along with his pack of Lucky Strikes, a box of matches, and an ashtray. She didn’t like that Gale started smoking, but it was something that she didn’t fight, her only rule was not in the house. Tonight seemed to be an exception, he looks at her to see her staring at him expectantly. The man almost skittering to his chair, if anyone scared him, it was Marge. The way she could command a room without even having to raise her voice. Terrified him more than some of the drill sergeants he had encountered.

“You’re going to start at the beginning, and I don’t care if we sit down here all damn night.” Marge states as she looks at him, her usually soft brown eyes holding a slight sternness to them. Making Gale look down, fidgeting a little before he’s lighting a cigarette, pulling it to his lips to take a deep pull from it. His stomach rolling slightly as he tries to collect his thoughts, chewing on his lower lip.

“I, I love him Marge…I’ve loved him since flight school. Since he came into the bunk rooms and declared me ‘Buck��, I tried, I tried so hard to not let it get to me. But he’s, John is an enigma, he draws people in and makes them feel whole again. At first I thought it was just a crush, cuz he was giving me attention and everything. I was wrong, when I, when I had to bail out of my plane, I wasn’t thinking of you. I wasn’t thinking of home, I wasn’t even thinking of my men, I was thinking of John. And how the last time he had seen me was when I slow danced with a goddamn dog.” Gale says with a bitter laugh, shaking his head a little. Drinking from his mug of coffee, cigarette coming back up to his plush lips. Marge watching as he takes a deep inhale, his shoulders shaking slightly with it. Blue eyes looking a little hazy, like there’s a sheen of tears sitting there.

“Then I didn’t die, and he didn’t die, and he came to the camp. And it was like I could breathe again, but he was so battered. He was so beaten Marge, I thought he was going to die, he slept for 3 days when he got there. I couldn’t let him out of my sight, I couldn’t let him go. I needed him close, and I could lie to myself while we were in there. It made it easier, to pretend for even just a minute that he wanted me the way I wanted him. But then I, I left him there Marge. I left him behind because he told me to run, I heard gunshots and I still ran. Because I knew if I turned and went back, John would have been so pissed at me.” The blonde woman watches as he lights his third cigarette, his hand quivering just slightly. She could see that what he was saying was slowly unraveling him. Like he was tugging at the string that he had carefully wrapped around himself to keep him whole when he got back. The man had carefully crafted himself back into a whole human being, and she hadn’t seen it.

“Then I waited…I waited and I waited for weeks for him to come back to Thorpe Abbots…to come back to me. I didn’t deserve it, I didn’t deserve to feel the relief that I did when I heard his voice. Rosie and I landed the plane and there he was, skin and bone, looking smaller than I’ve ever seen him look. It fucking killed me, it gutted me to see him like that. He insisted we go to the club, he insisted we go see the guys who came back before him. I just wanted to get my hands on him, I just wanted to know that he was real. And so…I, I took him back to my barrack room, and I wasn’t going to sleep with him. I just wanted to hold him, like we did when we were in the camp. I couldn’t stop myself once I’d started, I just needed to know he was there and breathing.” Gale says as he breathes deeply, his eyes stinging slightly with unshed tears. Baring his soul in front of the girl who he pledged to love for years to come, he was telling her he cheated on her. But he didn’t feel guilty for that, he didn’t feel guilty for defaming his character, he felt guilty for John. She could see that, she could see that he felt like he’d used John. She wasn’t expecting the next words to come spilling from his mouth in anguish.

“I asked him not to say anything the next morning…I asked him to still be my best man. We flew home, we waited at the train station together, I promised to write, I promised to call. I promised that we would see each other, and I…I haven’t written to him. I tried, I sat down and stared at the paper for hours. I couldn’t get anything to come out, I couldn’t make myself write words that I knew weren’t true.” Gale says, a few tears rolling down his cheeks as he sits there. Smoke billowing from his mouth, flowing out of him and to the window. Marge watches as more tears flow down his face, and she’s sitting up straighter. Not sure how to touch him, not sure if he wanted to be touched right now. So far down in a self loathing hole that she isn’t sure he can find his way back up.

“Gale…you broke his heart. You asked him not to say anything to anyone, you treated him like a dirty secret. You made promises that you didn’t keep…but that doesn’t mean you need to punish yourself still.”

“I don’t know what to do Margie.” Gale whispers, shame filling his tone as he sits there and tries not to cry harder. Breathing deeply while reaching for another cigarette, she rests her hand on top of his. Stopping him from grabbing the pack, getting his pale blues to meet her gaze. Their eyes connecting, the sheen on Gale’s pupils looking shiny.

“I think you know what you need to do Gale.”

-34 weeks pregnant- 8 months pregnant-

John groans softly as he finds himself sinking to his knees in the living room, upper body laying across the couch. His muscles shaking as another contraction rolls up his spine, eyes squeezing shut. He had called the midwife's house, but with the storm outside she wasn’t sure when she’d get there. He had tried calling Benny and Brady, they were both out and he couldn’t get ahold of them. He knew this was too early, Midwife Carole had sounded concerned when he’d told her that he’d been contracting for awhile now. If his timing was right he had been like this for almost 10 hours at this point.

Grunting when he suddenly feels a wet splash between his legs, looking down to see that his water has broken on the area rug. He really hates this rug, but for the moment he’s glad it’s there. Glad it’s there to pad his knees and catch the mess that is still leaking from him. His muscles tensing as another contraction slams into him, eyes squeezing shut while he tries to breathe.

This was not going according to his plans at all, he had felt fine all day yesterday. It wasn’t until he was getting into bed that he suddenly felt twinges up his side. But he thought they were the practice contractions that Midwife Carole had been telling him about. He had been able to mostly go about his day, it had only gotten worse within the last two hours or so. He had been doing the dishes when he felt the ripping pain up his spine.

"Oh fucking fuck." John groans as his shoulders tense up, this contraction harder than the last one. Racking up his spine and making him double over into the couch cushion in front of him. One hand going down to cup his core, feeling like he's being ripped from the inside out. His pelvic bone burning while he tries to rock through it, just like the book taught him. Raising up on his knees slightly he whimpers into the cushion again, toes curling behind himself.

"Oh my god...oh fuck. Oh fuck." John gasps out as he shakes, body pushing automatically as he kneels there. One arm up gripping the couch while the other stays between his legs. Jumping slightly when a flash of lightening fills the entire room, followed by a crack of thunder. Turning his head a bit to watch as the storm rages on, he tries to breathe deeply.

Touching his entrance and scrunching his nose up, he didn't know what he was feeling for. His hips sway slightly as he tries to take the pressure off of his pelvic bone, before he's contracting again. Fingers gripping the cushion under him as he groans deep in his chest. Pushing again on instinct as he kneels there, wetness dripping down his thighs onto his rug. Of course his baby would decide to come during the biggest rain storm of the year so far, an entire six or so weeks early on top of it.

"Okay...okay, it's okay. Mm it's okay." John whispers hoarsely more to himself than anything else as he tenses again with another contraction and push. Biting into the couch cushion as he pushes again, grunting in his throat with the effort. His muscles quivering as he concentrates, a broken sob coming up his throat.

Feeling as the baby descends lower, his fingers suddenly touching gooey hair, knowing it isn't his own. He lets out a soft sob, breathing deeply when he can and pushing down. Biting the cushion harder as he pushes, a low scream leaving his throat at the burning sensation. Before he's shuddering as the head emerges, a wail getting stuck in his throat. He touches gently as he pushes again, feeling the curves of his baby's face.

Tears rolling down his own at the burning pain going through her center, his other hand shooting down to catch the baby. Sobbing openly as the baby slides down in a rush of fluids, John automatically bringing the baby up towards his chest. Crying as he pats the baby's back, shaking a bit from the adrenaline and the pain, bringing the baby away from his body.

Smiling a watery smile before he's trying to clear out their airway, until a wet cry fills the air. A breath of relief coming from John’s mouth, he had been terrified he would be delivering a baby who would never cry.

"Hi sweetheart...hi, I know, it's cold. You're okay, I've got you." John whispers hoarsely as he shrugs off his flannel shirt, shaking a little as the cold air licks at his sweat soaked white undershirt. The baby crying still, John wiping at his eyes slightly, before he's smiling softly. Swaddling the baby up in his shirt and nuzzling their cheeks together.

"Hi Ruth Adelaide'" He murmurs as he brushes his nose against her's softly, her little cries quieting down. Listening to the timber of his voice as he holds her close, brushing his hand over her sticky hair. Another crack of thunder and lightening filling the living room while they stare at one another.

John smiling as he looks at his baby, heart aching just slightly as he sees some of the features that he loves. The little upturn of her nose, soft pink lips, her hair a dark blonde color but curly like John's own. She was so tiny in his hands, fitting in both of his palms with a little overhang from her legs, her skin holding a pink tinge to it under the goo.

Laughing wetly he looks at his daughter, bringing her up for a gentle kiss to her forehead. Before he's groaning at a pain shooting down his stomach into his pelvic bone. Holding her closer to his chest, as he rests a hand on the couch to support himself. Entire body tensing with the pain rolling through him.

"Bucky?! It's Johnny and Benny! Where are you?!" Brady calls as they come in from the rain, soaked to the bone and shivering slightly. Benny trying to turn on one of the light switches, looking up when it doesn't even flicker. Before Brady is heading in from the front hallway, jaw dropping as he sees John kneeling by the couch. Naked from the waist down, a baby cradled in his arms while he looks up. His black curls falling onto his forehead, cheeks flushed a rosy color. Brady drops his jacket on the ground with a wet slop, making Benny look over. His own jaw dropping slightly before he's following his fiancé quickly.

"Oh my god, are you okay? We came to check on you, the power was out at our house when we got back. Jesus Christ John." Brady says slightly breathless, hearing as Benny runs to get towels and a pair of scissors. The older man laughs quietly and nods his head, wincing as another pain flares up his middle. Turning the baby to show to Johnny, a smile forming on the brunet's face. Seeing the baby looking around, alert and curious as John cradles her close.

"Ruth, her name is Ruth Adelaide." John states, Brady smiling softly as he looks at her again. Nodding his head a bit before he's watching as John's face contorts in pain. Brady looking at him in concern, listening as Benny comes running back down with a handful of towels. A baby diaper in one hand and the blanket that Mrs. Ellis knitted together in the other. Stopping and dropping things onto the other end of the couch to free his hands.

"What's wrong John? What hurts?”

“Did you call the midwife?"

"Just feels like more contractions...l know I have to pass the after birth. But this is just like it was when I was having her...I called, she didn't know when she’d get here." John answers, slightly breathless towards the end as he's overtaken by another contraction. Reaching with one hand to grab the cushion, Brady shifting to kneel next to his friend. Trying to support him, taking the scissors from Benny to snip Ruth's cord. Gently handing the baby off to his fiancé, before he's trying to help John. The older man whimpering just a little as he shakes with another contraction.

"You're sure it was just one? The midwife confirmed it?" Benny asks as he carefully puts a diaper on Ruth, the little girl fighting sleep as she lays there. Before he's swaddling her up in the blanket, gently patting her butt. John groans into the cushion where he's got his face buried in, gripping the material tightly. Brady wincing as he watches, reminding himself to never ever do this.

Eyes widening as he watches John tuck a hand down under himself, Benny wincing a bit at the pained sound to leave his friend's throat. John whimpering at the burning feeling of already abused and torn skin clenching with a contraction.

“She said it was one...she listened to the heartbeat last week. Oh my fucking god." John gets out as his eyes screw shut, already feeling ripped from the inside out. Hand shaking as he tries to feel himself again, wincing at the tenderness. Pulling his hand away to see fresh blood coating his fingers, breathing deeply as he leans into the couch more. Brady kneeling next to him wide eyed as he watches, not sure where he can help.

"Do you want to switch positions? Maybe it's the afterbirth? My ma always said it wasn't a pleasant experience." Benny offers as he looks at his friend before looking at his fiancé, seeing the way Brady has gone a little pale. His blue eyes staring at John, watching as the older man rocks slightly while another contraction comes up.

Before Brady is moving to rub John's back softly, peering down to try and see if he can see anything. John not having the energy to bat him away, muscles tensing as pain licks up his spine. Burying his face back into the couch while he pushes again, Brady's jaw dropping again as he watches.

"J John...Bucky I think you're having another one. I swear to god there's another head." Brady says as he looks at his friend, the man groaning while bringing his hand back down. Touching the gooey mess, feeling just like he did with Ruth, a broken sob coming up his throat. Body tensing, back bowing up at the hot white pain flaring through him. Brady wincing as he reaches for a towel to try and help, John pushing again while biting the cushion harder.

"You're doing good John...we've got you now." Benny says as he gently lays a sleeping Ruth down on the couch, coming to kneel on his other side. Brady looking over the broad expanse of John's shoulders at his fiancé. Benny nodding softly as he grabs another towel and rests it on the ground between John's thighs.

A hiccuping cry coming from Bucky's throat, pushing again as he sobs. Tears wetting the cushion and his arm, he was exhausted, he was hurting everywhere. He just wanted it to be done, but he was glad he wasn't alone anymore. Feeling Brady’s warm hand touching his spine soothingly, while he rocks just a little bit. His toes curling again as he pushes once more, sobbing in frustration now.

"Feels stuck in my pelvic bone...can't get it out. It’s gonna break me. Oh fuck." John grunts out after he's pushed another round, Benny biting his lip before he's getting behind Bucky. Grabbing the older man's hips and pushing them forward so he's upright more. Brady watching with a bit of fear licking up his chest, John looked like he was bleeding a lot.

The rug underneath him was soaked, and he had never seen Bucky cry before. But watching as Benny got him into a different position was almost heartbreaking. Listening as John openly sobbed again while he pushed, Benny grabbing a towel to lay across his lap. Ready to help one of their best friends, Brady looks at John again.

"John, you're the strongest person I know." Brady states, watching as Bucky turns his head slightly in confusion. Face pinching up slightly as he pushes, entire body tightening with it. An almost high pitched noise coming from his throat, the baby shifting in his birth canal.

Moving lower now, Benny letting out a soft sigh in relief, he wasn't sure what he was going to do if this didn't work. He just remembered watching the midwife do this to his ma when she was having his youngest sister. Brady offers his hand to John, feeling as he curls his big hand around his own slender digits, squeezing.

"Please, please I can’t. Please just…oh fuck." John whimpers out, his hand reaching back to touch the baby's head as it emerges. His body shaking a little at the strain, Benny bringing the towel up to try and help dab away the blood. John whining at the burning rough feeling of it touching ripped skin, breathing deeply as he pushes again. Brady peeking down and letting out a little incredulous laugh.

"Holy shit! John! It's right there! Keep going!" Brady says as he looks at his friend, wrapping his hand around Bucky's bicep slightly. Squeezing gently while Benny shifts to try and help the baby out. John sobbing as the head comes out all of the way, Benny quickly grabbing for the cord wrapped around the baby's neck.

Unraveling it before John is pushing again, the shoulders beginning to come out. Benny hooks his thumb under one shoulder, carefully and gently helping the baby slide out into the towel. John falling into the couch slightly, panting and shaking, waiting for his baby's cries to fill the air.

"John!? Mr. Egan! It's the midwife, Carole!" A woman calls as she comes rushing into the house, gasping softly as she sees the three men. John quivering where he's kneeling against the couch, a wet cry filling the air from the baby.

Bucky letting out a deep heaving sigh of relief, tears welling in his eyes again as he tries to reach back for his baby. Brady quickly going to help him, Benny passing the baby through John's thighs. Before John is accepting his newborn against his chest, his white shirt was already soaked through. Blood, amniotic fluids, sweat, and probably tears marking the material.

"They’re so tiny...will they be okay?" John asks after they've got him situated so the midwife can check him over. It having taken Brady, Benny, and Carole all to carefully shuffle John around. A towel being placed under him now to cushion his butt, his back resting against the couch in his exhaustion. An ambulance having been rung when John’s power suddenly flickered on, both Brady and Benny hovering nervously.

Placentas had been birthed one at a time, much less intense than either of the babies had been. His legs splayed out in a butterfly like position, adrenaline still coursing through him. Muscles shaking and quivering from all of it, Carole between his legs making sure everything has passed. He was still slightly in shock that there were two babies inside of him and not the one he had originally thought.

The baby in John's arms is staring up at him, pretty blue eyes the exact same shade as his father's. Cornflower blue, with John's nose, pink plush lips just like his sister's. Brady holding her now, smiling softly as he looks at both of the babies. Benny kneeling next to John still, holding a glass of water to help the older man sip at slowly.

"They are both small, but they were also born close to six weeks early. The fact that they both cried after they were born is really important, you did amazingly well John. I'm so sorry I couldn't get here sooner. You have some tearing so I'll have to stitch you, but you did incredibly well. The ambulance is going to have to take you three in, they will most likely keep you for observations too." John nods softly and looks down at his son again, wincing when the midwife adjusts his legs. Rubbing his fingers down the gooey head of his son, dark just like his own hair but straight. Not a single curl in sight, watching as the baby turns his head and roots around slightly. John carefully adjusts him, helping him to his nipple, sucking in a breath at the odd sensation.

"What's his name Bucky?" Benny asks softly as he watches his fiancé hold Ruth, John smiling softly as he runs his hand down the side of his son's face. Feeling as he suckles at his nipple, before he looks over at his daughter. Sleeping peacefully in Brady's arms, he knew he would have to wake her soon to try to feed her too. His hand reaching out to gently brush over her matted down little curls, her little nose scrunching up in her sleep.

"Milo...Milo Curtis." John says the middle name quietly, Brady looking up at him in understanding. Brushing his hand over Ruth's hair gently, watching as her little face scrunches slightly. Smiling a little when he sees some of John’s features shining through. Looking back at John before all of them are looking over at the ambulance pulling up outside of John’s home.

———————

“You must be their mama…my name is Julie, I’ll be watching over them. And from my understanding a happy birthday is in order for these two…December 27th, 1945. They made their arrival a few weeks early eh?” A nurse asks smiling softly as she looks at both of the twins in their little incubators. Ruth had taken her turn to nurse on the ride over, Brady had ridden over with them all. Midwife Carole also staying with John, knowing how terrified John was at the moment.

The twins were doing well all the way up until they had gotten onto the maternity ward, when suddenly Ruth’s little lips turned a blue shade. Then Milo was sounding like he was choking, and both babies had been taken to the specialty ward. While John had been taken to a separate room, Brady had stayed with John, unable to go with the twins. While Carole relayed everything to the doctor on call, explaining what had happened. Before she had promptly told the doctor to leave the room, his derogatory remarks were not needed.

Which was how John found himself with the head midwife at Carole’s clinic coming in to take care of him personally. The man finally being allowed to go in and see his babies, both of them looking tiny. Little breathing tubes in their noses, but they were relatively healthy. The midwife had assured him they wouldn’t be in here long, they just needed a little help with breathing.

But because they had already nursed well from John it was a good sign, it meant they were developed well. They had just made their arrival early, that was the case for most twins according to Carole. She was upset with herself for missing that there were two the entire time, but it was also not an exact science. John had delivered two beautiful, healthy babies with little to no assistance.

“I’m…I’m sorry, what did you say the date was today ma’am?” John asks as he looks at the nurse, the woman smiling from where she’s been gently adjusting the little blankets on the sleeping babies. John staring at her for a moment, before he’s looking back down at his children again.

“It’s December 27th, Carole said you’d delivered both of them mid afternoon. Around 2 and 245, this dang freak storm really knocked a lot out for a lot of people. She also said you did a lot of it by yourself, that isn’t something many mothers can say. You did an excellent job, they won’t be in here for very long.” Julie tells him, John looking at his babies with a little bit of sadness that they were even in the incubators to begin with.

If his body had done what it was supposed to, they would still be safely inside of him still. Maybe if he hadn’t of tried to move the crib, if he had rested more, if he had drank more water, there had to be something that he could have done to prevent this. He watches as both babies sleep peacefully, wishing he could hold them both again. Julie stepping out after a few minutes to give John some time with his babies.

“I’m sorry…mama is sorry.” John whispers as he sits there, the tears beginning to fall before he can stop. His entire body was sore, his groin was on fire, he had stitches, he was bloated still. He just wanted to be at home, he wanted to be up in his bed with his babies in their bassinet.

John lets himself cry quietly as he sits in the wheel chair that was provided for him, situated between the twins incubators. He lets himself feel the emotions without having to tamp them down, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Needing to let it all out, every feeling he had had that was bottled up spilling out.

-2 weeks later-

“Gale…wow, how are you?” Brady says in shock as he looks at the tall blond standing on his porch, Brady wiping his hands off on a towel. Clocking the bag next to Gale’s feet on the ground, the older smiles softly as he looks at his old comrade. Tooth pick tucked into the corner of his mouth, aviators slid into the breast pocket of his button up shirt. He’s trying not to stuff his hands in his pants or wipe his sweating palms down.

“Hey Johnny…I’m sorry to drop by unannounced, I was passing through. Thought I’d stop by and say hi.” Gale responds as he relents and tucks his hands into his pockets, smiling at the younger man. Before he’s being enveloped in a hug, looking up when he hears footsteps.

Seeing Benny coming from the kitchen, not realizing that someone is at the front door as he opens his mouth to talk. Wiping his hands off on a dish towel, fingers stained with cream colored paint. The tanned man having been working on finishing up the second crib for the twins, not that they would need it soon. But Benny was bored, he had two weeks left before he got to go back to the air field.

“Johnny, do you know if Bucky liked that pasta dish I made last time? Was going to make extra and drop it off for him…oh…oh hi Buck.” Benny says eyes widening slightly when he sees the blond, Brady’s body having gone stiff for a moment. Pulling away from Gale slowly, he turns towards his fiancé with a little glare.

While Gale stands there, chewing on the toothpick in the corner of his mouth. Brain finally registering that they’ve said the name of the man he’s been searching for. He had gone to Manitowoc first, but the first person he came across at the bus station had told him John had been long gone. There was plenty of gossip and rumors around town, some as crazy as John being pregnant were floating from what Gale could make out.

“I uh, I didn’t know John lived around here…”

“Yea, not many people do.” Brady responds, his voice slightly clipped now, as he looks at his old Major, seeing the way he shifts slightly. Their eyes meeting as Gale realizes Brady must know something about John that he doesn’t. A little sour twirl starting to spin in his stomach as he stands there, before Benny comes closer. Chewing on his lower lip, knowing he opened his mouth when he shouldn’t have. Gale clears his throat softly as he stands there, taking a deep breath and suddenly wishing he had a cigarette. He had started kicking it about two weeks ago, after he had spilled everything to Marge.

“Does he live close by?”

“Listen Gale, I know to an extent what happened. I don’t know if John would want you to come around unannounced. You can stay with us if you want to, or there’s a motel in town. But, I don’t know if I should tell you where he’s at. He’s my friend too.” Brady states as he looks at his Major, seeing the way he swallows thickly. Jaw feathering just slightly where he’s got it clenched, the tooth pick in his mouth bending just a sliver. Benny looks at his fiancé, before he takes a deep breath. Deciding against his better judgement as he looks back at Gale. Watching as the blond nods his head slightly, before Brady is stepping back into the house.

“He lives down at the end on this side…if you make me regret telling you…Johnny is gonna come for both of us.” Gale nods softly in understanding, before Benny is reaching down for his bag. Quietly sliding it into the house by the front closet, nodding his head at his friend. Gale stepping down from the porch and going down the street in the direction that Benny pointed. Benny not hearing as Brady steps closer to him, leaning against the wall slightly.

“You better know what you’re doing Bernard. Or I’ll hold the twins while John digs your grave.” Brady says from where he’s standing in the front entry way, Benny turning to look at his fiancé. Both of them letting out deep sighs, the door being closed quietly.

——————

John hums softly as he lounges on the porch swing, Ruth and Milo tucked into his chest. They had just gotten home from the hospital two days ago, and John was in the trenches. John was a mess for the entire week and a half stay that they were all there. He had refused to come home without them, they had moved a bed into the room for him. Letting him be close to his babies, knowing it settled all of them.

His foot gently sways them all in the swing, the little breeze ruffling through his hair. The babies sleeping peacefully after their most recent feed, he was struggling with it. Struggling to make sure they got enough, if one wanted to nurse then the other was suddenly wanting to nurse. Or if he finished with one, the other was waking up ready to eat.

His supply wasn’t quite where it needed to be, in his opinion. But the midwife was happy with their weight gain over the last few weeks. Especially Milo, he had been born at only 4 lbs and 1 oz. While Ruth had been 5 lbs even, he had some catching up to do. Both of them were healthy though, and John was healing slowly.

He opens his eyes as he hears footsteps coming towards his house, expecting to see Benny or Brady. The two of them were consistently bringing him dinners, and had made sure his fridge was stocked for him to come home to. Choking slightly on his spit when he sees golden blond hair, gelled to perfection.

“Hi John…” Gale says as he stops on the sidewalk, eyes flitting over the older man, widening slightly when he sees the two babies resting on his chest. Mouth opening before closing, watching as John slowly rises from the swing. An almost pained limp to his walk, slowly coming around the banister on the porch. Clutching the two babies closer to his chest, both of them wearing cream colored sleep gowns. Little bodies tucked into half crescents, tiny toes and feet sticking out of the bottom of their sleepers.

“I, you.”

“Did you come here to take them to your precious Marge?“ John cuts him off, Gale wincing a bit at the almost hostile tone to the older man’s voice. Gale stepping a little closer on the sidewalk, watching as John steps backwards on the porch. His deep blue eyes not leaving Gale’s face, the usual warmth and tenderness that was always there before was now gone. Something twisting painfully in his chest, before John’s words are becoming clear in his head.

“They’re mine?”

“Of course they are yours, who else’s would they be? I know I was the slut on base but I never…” John trails off as he takes a deep breath, frowning softly and turning his head to glare at the tree in his front yard. He hates that tree, but he didn’t want to cut it down either, bringing in a deep inhale trying not to work himself up. Hearing Gale shuffle slightly on the sidewalk, looking back over at the blond man. Seeing him staring at his shoes, glaring slightly at the sidewalk.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Gale questions quietly, trying not to be angry but unable to bury all of it. He deserved to know that he was having children, he deserved that little bit. He looks up to see John staring back down at him, the babies on his chest looking tiny. Curled up in small balls, so little they could probably fit in one of John’s arms comfortably. One blonde haired and the other dark brown almost black, little curls sitting on one head while pin straight hair sat on the other. He couldn’t see their faces, could barely make out their profiles from where he was standing.

“You were the one who didn’t want me to tell anyone what happened. The one who said we would write, call, still see one another. And then refused to look at me when you left…so I took it as a sign. We don’t need you…we’re fine without you.” John says as he looks at Gale, watching as his jaw clenches. The setting sun hitting his face just right, accenting the wetness brewing on Gale’s lash lines. Something twisting painfully in John’s chest, even as he curls the babies closer.

Ruthie making a soft sound, nuzzling close to his nipple through his shirt. Rooting around as she smells her mama close to her, John stiffening slightly as he feels the tingling sensation in his chest. He did not want to pull his shirt up in front of Gale and all the block to see. But the thought of Ruthie starting to cry made his stomach twist and snarl itself.

“They’re half of me; half of you. I deserve to be in their lives John. That isn’t fair.” Gale watches as John slowly lifts his head up to look at him, before he’s stepping off the porch. Walking up to Gale so there’s only a foot of space between them, the blond fighting to keep his eyes up from the babies. Even if he catches the wet patches starting to form on John’s white t-shirt. Seeing the burning fire in John’s deep ocean orbs, his breath catching. Almost able to feel the anger radiating off of the older man.

“What wasn’t fair was how you asked me to not tell anyone what happened. What wasn’t fair was you fucking me and knowing you were going back to Marge. What wasn’t fair was making me fall in love with you just to rip it all away Gale.” John seethes as he stands there, looking at the blond haired man with venom in his eyes. His jaw clenched so tightly that Gale is worried for a second he’s going to crack a tooth.

Flinching slightly at what John has to say, he knew John would never raise a hand to him. If anything it had been Gale who had hit John in the past, he still remembers the crack of John’s nose in the stalag. He still remembered watching the blood bloom, the pain in his own chest a bare minimum to the knowledge that he had hurt the man he loves.

“I…Marge and I aren’t…I left her because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I missed you like someone would miss a limb. I love you John…and I have for a long time. I’m sorry I hurt you. I made a mistake, but that doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to get to know them.” Gale states as he looks at the older man, seeing the way his nose twitches slightly. His fingers tightening just a little around the babies cradled in his arms. Both of them now turning their heads to nuzzle close to his chest.

Gale wanting to reach out and touch their tiny feet that are exposed, wanting to know if they are as soft as they look. The little wrinkles on the soles of their feet looking like velvet. Their profiles more in view for him now, admiring the gentle slopes and curves of their faces. Skin the fresh pink of new babies who haven’t gotten used to the outside world yet.

“I was a good enough hole for you to fuck…you don’t love me Gale. You love what I gave you. Go away and don’t come back. Your biggest mistake was coming here. I don’t need you. They don’t need you.” John states before he’s turning around, wincing at the tugging in between his legs. He can feel that he’s damp and wet, he needs to change his padding. But he refused to let it slow down or hinder his determined march to his house.

Slowly climbing the four wooden stairs onto his porch, he opens the front door and nudges it closed with his foot. Gale watching him go, now understanding how John felt at the train station when Gale went home to Casper. His heart aching like John ripped out half of it and took it with him. He stands there for a few more seconds before he feels the rain drops coming.

[beloveds-embrace]

Hi Noona!! Would it be okay for me to request something to add on to the Taking it Too Far Dukedom au but in which that situation with the rude maid changed reader completely where she turns into some sort of like a cold, reserved duchess now, where she doesn’t take any shit from no one and ignores the rest of the boys who are on their knees begging her for even just a spoonful of attention!!

But what if there’s a twist (You don’t have to add this part, I’m just rambling about a thought 😣😣), imagine reader meets a poor little kid who doesn’t have any family but they snuck into the dukedom and was trying to steal something valuable but was caught by reader who was sitting there watching him the whole time like🧍‍♀️😐. I just picture reader being this cold and ruthless duchess now but still having a soft spot for this random homeless kid who sneaks in and steals her husbands things basically and she’s just like whatever and the rest of the guys are just basically jealous that this little random kids gets all of readers attention and affection loll

Thank you so much for blessing us with your talent that keeps us wanting moreee, I LOVE YOU NOONAAA🩷

I’m not taking requests atm, anon 💕💕 but oh my god the guys being jealous of a kid of all things…. Lol. Lmao, even.

Duchess doesn’t stop at letting the kid steal John’s (non-important) things- just helps him cover it up. But her heart is still so soft despite everything, and the kid clearly has no one… so she also has him stay, even if John disagrees with her decisios. But to be fair, she’s sure he disagrees with her mere existence, so there’s that.

Once the kid is assured that Duchess will not just throw him aside or away on a whim? He’s her shadow. Adores her, adores how gentle she is with him, adores how much she cares for him, and he is quick and clever- able to see the tension between her and her husband + the rest of the duchy, and so he declares himself her unofficial knight.

An easy job, considering how she only cares for his company these days. An enjoyable job, when he can rub in their faces that Duchess (Mama) gives her coveted affection and attention only to him and not them.

[obx-may]

It’s ya birthday -JJ Maybank

warnings: slightly suggestive comments.

summary: jj and sweet, kook reader’s relationship through instagram!

notes: hello girlies🤗. my next few of these should be longer since a lovely anon told me how to add more pics, but I’ve already finished this so here it is! enjoy💕✨🫶🏼

masterlist

liked by jjmbank, kiaraaa and others

yourusername: day date☀️

-comments-

jjmbank: hey sexy😉

-> yourusername: hi handsome😙

sarahcam: my wifey

-> johnbee: wifey???

-> yourusername: yeah wifey. now get lost x

-> sarahcam: 💋💍

heypope: sthgoatt

-> yourusername: to lazy to actually type “stupid things have good outcomes all the time”?

-> heypope: yup!

-> yourusername: okay, real

liked by johnbee, sarahcam and others

yourusername: @jjmbank my birthday boy!!! happy birthday baby, i love you more than words could ever describe🤍

-comments-

jjmbank: love you more mama, thank you for my cake🎂😋

-> yourusername: 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

johnbee: smooch smoosh smooch

-> yourusername: @sarahcam come get your man

-> sarahcam: hahaha wtf john b??😭

kiaraaa: my faves!!!🫶🏽

-> yourusername: ur MY fave!!💞

heypope: ew pda

-> yourusername: you’re just jelly😌

-> heypope: mb a lil

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-> heypope: REALLY?!

[smileysuh]

Big Bear & Bee

🌙 staring. Johnny x afab!Reader

🔮 preview. You swallow thickly, leaning back against Johnny while you gain your courage. You know he’s not the type to force anything on you, and something tells you that if you don’t make this first move, you might miss your chance. Turning in his arms, you look up into the bear hybrid's chocolate brown eyes. Then you’re kissing him, putting all the passion that’s been brewing into the meeting of your lips. You thread your fingers through his soft hair, eager to get close to him, closer than you’ve ever been before.

tw/cw. protected sex, multiple positions (girl on top/missionary), pussy eating, praise, dirty talk, bear hybrid x human, fingering, overstim, size kink, big dick!Johnny, pussy stretching, slow burn, mentions of baby/child fever, sex while she wears a dress, etc... I pet names: (hers) bee, princess, gorgeous. (his) John, Big Bear.

👹 rating.18+ explicit I wc. 15.9k

🍭 aus. hybrid, bear/uncle!Johnny, human/honey shop worker!y/n, etc…

☀️ mlist + an. huge thank you to @sehunniepot for helping me through writing this and being my beta reader- Nikki is truly one of my best friends, and if you haven't already checked out her writing, she's got John fics for days - her Olympian Johnny is one of my favorite fics ever 💕

As a bear hybrid, Johnny has been in many honey shops in his life. He’s frequented hole-in-the-wall mama and papa honey selling places. He’s visited corporate brand locations so big and full of different types of honey that they made his head spin. He’s even given a chance to side of the road, farm fresh honey sellers. 

Even with all of this experience, there’s only one place that he’s truly come to love, and that’s Queen B’s Honey Company. 

Nestled between an ice cream parlour and a fifties style salon on an old street on the side of town, near the farming district, Queen B’s has a certain charm that’s always scratched Johnny’s honey itch just right. 

With soft cream coloured walls, and touches of old wood that line the space in shelves and fill the room with various display tables, the store is somewhere between scandi and revitalized farm aesthetic, a style that Johnny adores.

Housing a wide array of honey, in sticks, jars, canisters and tubs, the honey shop has everything a bear like John could ever need, and that’s not even including all the hand made pottery that sits on the top shelves. Plants are speckled here and there, adding a floral scent to the sweetness in the air that’s inherent to the Queen B establishment. 

There’s art too, all somehow relating to honey, and everywhere you look, there’s a recurring theme of bees and bears. 

It’s a tale as old as time - the bears and the bees -  and one that has always immediately brought the hybrid an indescribable sense of peace.

Even with all of this, however, Johnny’s favourite part about the store has to be the kind workers that calmly bustle around, always quick to lend a hand or ask how his day is going. Specifically, you draw Johnny in like no amount of honey ever could, and he’s pleased to arrive at the store once a week to often find you working.

Johnny might be a big shot club owner and entrepreneur by night, but by day - especially in the comfort of Queen B’s - Johnny sees himself as more of a calm dude just trying to support a local business. Despite his attraction to you, he’d hate to put himself out there and make you uncomfortable - at your workplace no less - so in the months he’s been frequenting your establishment, your short interactions have only ever pertained to honey, and he can live with that. 

The front bell chimes softly as Johnny enters Queen B’s, and Johnny meets your smile with a grin of his own. “Good morning!” you call out, a common greeting that still somehow makes his heart beat loudly in his chest.

“Hi,” he nods, breaking your gaze to inspect the front display, where all your store’s new products are laid out like candy in a candy shop for the honey-loving bear hybrid.

He tries to be nonchalant, but as the only person in the store, Johnny knows he’s captured your attention. There are days when he’s one of a handful, and you often take care of those who’ve come before him, only to head his way and ask if there’s anything you can help him find. Today, he has all your attention, and it takes effort for him not to watch you approach.

There’s something about the soft yellow apron that you always wear, or the yellow scrunchies and ribbons in your hair. Your white t-shirt and blue jean ensemble under your work apron is just as much a part of the beautiful colour scheme, and there’s no three colours in the world that Johnny likes together more than cream, honey, and denim blue, especially on you. 

“We’ve got new honey sticks,” you tell him, as you come to join him by the front display. He loves how you know what he normally buys, that you remember him so well. 

“I see that,” he nods, sneaking a glance up at you. “Are they any good?”

You nod. “Very good, at least, I think so.” You begin to tell him where the honey is sourced - from a local apiary - and the way that the honey sticks are naturally flavoured with the seasonal blackberries, raspberries and other such ingredients that grow in the surrounding area, all organic of course. 

Johnny listens, although half of his mind is much more pleasantly occupied watching your lips. The way you speak has always enchanted the bear hybrid, and he’s more than happy to watch you work hard to give him all the information you can.

“Sounds good,” Johnny says when you’re done. “I might just have to get five of each.”

“I can prepare that for you if you’d like to continue looking around,” you smile. “We also restocked the blackberry honey jars from Overgrove Apiary. I know we were out last week and you got something else, so…well, I called our merchandiser over there and got a new batch just yesterday.”

You're a woman after his own heart…and maybe also his money, but Johnny can never tell if your interest in him is beyond that of a professional. 

“Thanks, I really appreciate that,” Johnny tells you honestly, watching you begin to collect five of each honey stick into a simple brown paper bag for him. 

“Don’t mention it,” you say softly. “Anything for a regular.”

He wonders again if that’s all he is to you, a regular, and Johnny finds himself putting his hands in the pockets of his dress pants, fiddling with the golden ring on his thumb. “It’s nice to be taken care of,” he says finally.

Your eyes meet, and you’re quick to look away, but the soft smile on your face is enough to make Johnny’s heart race again. 

“Is there anything else I can help you with today? Or just the honey sticks and blackberry jar?” 

“I think this is good for now,” he tells you, following when you immediately turn to head to the till. 

It’s a nice silence as he watches you check everything through the system, and when you give him the total, he pulls out his soft, brown leather wallet from his back pocket. He always pays in cash, and despite the fact that he never asks for change, opting to give you a tip that goes into the tip jar, you still ask if he’d like the coins back.

It’s one of Johnny’s joys of the week to tell you, “keep the change,” as he reaches for his brown paper bag of goodies.

“Can I-” your voice draws his eyes, and he wonders what you might ask him. This is not part of your normal interactions, and he holds his breath waiting to see what might come of it. “Never mind, it’s probably a stupid question.”

“Good thing I like stupid questions,” he assures you, giving you the space to continue.

“I was just-” you take a deep breath. “I’ve looked into certain hybrids like yourself enjoying honey, and Winnie The Pooh always told me that bears like honey, but you can’t always rely on cartoons, can you?” Johnny chuckles at the idea. “As a regular, I was thinking maybe I could ask you about your personal experience with our products?” 

“That’s a good question,” Johnny says, thinking about it for a moment. “You know my affinity for the blackberry honey - I’ve always had a sweet tooth - but in truth, all the honey sticks are for my niece. She’s the real addict in the family.”

“Really?” Your eyes have widened, and Johnny thinks it’s possible you’ve never been prettier than this moment. “I always- I mean, in the months you’ve been coming in, I just always assumed the honey sticks were for you-”

“Easy mistake,” he smiles.  

“You’ve never come in with your niece,” you point out.

Johnny nods, looking around the perfect store. “Yeah. There’s a lot of expensive stuff in here, the pottery, the displays- I didn’t want to bring her in and be a bother so usually I pick stuff up before going to grab her from her school. It’s my day to babysit,” he explains, “and it’s nice to start it off with a little goodie bag.”

He goes to reach for the brown paper bag in question, but you’re quick to pull it away from him. “A goodie bag?” you repeat. “If I'd known this was a goodie bag, I would have put some tissue paper in here-” you’re already reaching under the till, taking out some cream coloured paper with golden spots and bees on it. 

“It’s okay-”

“No,” you insist, “your niece is going to love this, trust me.” You press the fun tissue paper into the bag, and the soft crinkling sound makes Johnny smile. “Maybe a bow too?”

“She really doesn’t need a bow-” 

“Most little girls like bows, Uncle Big Bear,” you tell him, reaching for the yellow ribbons next to the register. But then your hands freeze. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just called you Uncle Big Bear-”

“That’s okay,” he assures you.

“It’s not,” you shake your head, averting your gaze, and Johnny corrects himself from earlier. He’d thought seeing you shocked made you cute, but seeing you flustered makes you even cuter. “That was really unprofessional-”

“Trust me, It’s okay,” he tells you again. “Look, if you really feel bad about it, you can call me Johnny. You can say ‘most little girls like bows, Johnny’ and that will be fine by me. How’s that sound?”

He loves the way your careful hands wrap a pretty bow around one of the bag handles even as you look up at him with shy eyes. “Most little girls like bows, Johnny,” you say, voice quiet.

“Then I’m thankful you’ve given me tissue paper and a bow,” he grins. “Thanks for all of this,” he picks up the finished bag of goodies. 

“You’re welcome,” you nod, biting on your lip. “And Johnny?”

He loves the way his name sounds coming from you. “Yeah?” 

“Please bring your niece in. We’re a hybrid and child-friendly store. I’m sure she’d love it here.”

Johnny takes a moment before nodding. “Okay,” he concedes, giving you one last once over before heading to the door. 

When he picks up his niece from school, she’s ecstatic to receive a new and improved goodie bag, giggling over the cream and gold, bee and polka dot tissue paper. She immediately tears into one of the honey sticks. 

While you’re often on Johnny’s mind after his Queen B visits, today, he can’t get you out of his brain. 

You’re halfway through completing a transaction with an older customer when your favourite regular walks into your store. The sight of him makes you do a double take, because today, he’s not alone.

He’s brought his niece in, just like you’d asked him to. 

At about waist-high next to the gentle giant bear hybrid, the little girl looks absolutely adorable. She’s in a yellow and white polka dot dress, with two sparkly scrunchies keeping her dark hair up in pigtails just behind her large fluffy ears. Her hand is clasped in Johnny’s, and her eyes are full of wonder as she steps into the space.

“Thank you for shopping with us,” you say to the lady you’re helping, quickly finishing up so your attention can return to Johnny. 

His niece is tugging on his hand now, attempting to run up to the display case that’s stocked with all your new honey stick flavours.

“These ones!” the little girl insists. “These are the ones you got me last week!” 

“I know, Winnie, I know,” Johnny smiles, joining the little cub in front of the table of treats. “Your favourite was the peach one, right?”

“Uh huh!” The little girl, Winnie, nods enthusiastically. “But I also liked raspberry, and strawberry, and apple, and cherry-”

“Slow down there, cub,” Johnny laughs, bending down to lift his niece up so she can see the display better. “We’ve got all the time in the world to make your choices, right?”

“Right,” Winnie confirms, nodding solemnly as she gazes down at all the honey sticks. 

“I think we’ll be needing a basket,” Johnny notes. “Can we go grab a basket?”

“Yeah!” Her enthusiasm makes you smile, and you reach under your till to grab something to carry their honey in, approaching the two with a heart that’s currently melting in your chest.

“Welcome to Queen B’s,” you say, drawing both of the bear hybrid’s eyes. “I heard a basket might be in order?” 

You hold it out for Johnny, and he gives you a grateful smile while accepting it. “Yeah, thank you,” he adjusts his niece on his hip. “Winnie, this is y/n, she showed me all these new honey sticks last week and wrapped your goodie bag up in a bow.”

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” The little girl grins, flashing a toothy smile that shows her sharp canines are just starting to grow in. 

“She loved the bow,” Johnny tells you. “Didn’t you, Winnie?”

“I loved it, see!” She thrusts out her hand, and you find the yellow ribbon wrapped around wrist. 

“That’s very pretty, Winnie,” you smile, also noting her cute yellow nails. She’s a girl who has an obvious favourite colour, and it’s cute in comparison to the neutral blacks and browns Johnny often wears. 

“Is it okay if she chooses her own honey sticks?” Johnny asks, holding his niece closer to the display stand.

“Of course!” You’re a little shocked by how polite Johnny is. Even after telling him you’re a kid-friendly store, he still double checks to make sure he’s not crossing any lines. 

“Did you hear that, Winnie?” Johnny looks down at the cub in his arms. “You can choose which ones you want, but I promised your mom to only get twenty today. Do you think you can count to twenty for me while you grab your treats?”

“Of course I can!” Winnie insists, reaching out her little hand to circle a bunch of the peach flavored honey sticks. When she pulls the treats back to her chest, she begins counting, and Johnny joins in. The first five are easy, but she begins to falter a little at six and seven.

Johnny is as patient as ever, helping her through to ten before he stops her. “Is ten enough, cub? That’s half of twenty, you know.”

“Ten is enough,” Winnie sighs, dropping her chosen sticks into the basket before reaching to return those she won’t keep. 

“What else?” Johnny asks, beginning to bob his niece up and down on his hip as she surveys the options.

“Two raspberry,” she concludes, and Johnny holds her closer to the tin of raspberry sticks. She plucks two out.

“What’s ten plus two?” Johnny questions.

“Uh…” Winnie looks up at her uncle and you watch him mouth the word twelve, which Winnie announces a moment later.

“Good job,” Johnny praises her. “Ten plus two is twelve. Okay, what’s next?”

“Two cherry.”

“What’s twelve plus two?”

“Uh…” again, Johnny mouths the answer, and Winnie declares “fourteen!” which earns her a few coos of admiration and another ‘good job’ that has you practically melting.

You suppose standing and watching the two is somewhat intrusive, so with a nod to Johnny, you step back, busying yourself on a nearby display case that needs some fixing. 

You listen to the bear hybrids count all the way to twenty, and you hear Johnny congratulate Winnie again for counting so high. 

You’d always gotten the vibe that Johnny is a softy, but seeing him in action is something else, and you find it harder and harder to stop the smile from appearing on your face at all his sweet actions.

Instead of approaching the till, Johnny asks Winnie if she wants to see some of the pottery on the walls, and the cub lets out an excited “Yes!” 

“But remember,” Johnny says, voice turning serious as he puts his basket down and adjusts the girl in his arms, hands going onto her waist so he can lift her high enough to see the tall shelves, “keep your paws to yourself.” 

“I promise,” Winnie giggles. “Uncle John! Look! This one’s a beehive!”

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Johnny nods.

“Very pretty,” Winnie confirms. 

“Maybe I should get your mom one of these for her birthday,” Johnny says. “Do you think she’d like a honey jar?”

Winnie nods enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, yes!”

“Which one, cub? This one? Or…” he moves over a few feet, showing her another ceramic honey pot, “how about this?”

“They’re all so pretty,” Winnie admits. 

“Well, how about you think about it, and when we come back next week, you can help me choose one. How’s that sound?” 

He truly is a gentle giant, and you find yourself grabbing a few extra honey sticks from a display near the till in preparation for Johnny’s approach.

“Okay, cub,” he says as he carries his niece over, “I’m gonna have to set you down now so I can pay.”

“Okay,” Winnie nods, allowing herself to be placed back on the ground. She tucks in close to Johnny’s leg, looking around the store while Johnny sets the basket next to your till.

“How’s your day going?” Johnny asks, flashing you a smile as he reaches into his back pocket for his wallet.

“It’s going great,” you admit. “I was wondering if you’d actually come in today.” 

“I told you last time, Monday’s the day I babysit.”

“And I told you to bring in your niece,” your eyes dip to the small bear hybrid still clinging to his leg, “I’m very glad you did.”

“Me too,” Johnny smiles. “How much do I owe you?”

You give him the price of his twenty honey sticks, moving them from the basket to a pretty goodie bag you’d prepared. Johnny hands you two bills, and as always, tells you to keep the change.

“Wait,” he says when he watches you put five extra honey sticks into the bag, “I didn’t buy those-”

“They’re on the house,” you assure him. “I understand that your sister made a twenty honey stick cap, but I figured, maybe Winnie will share some with you, so… here are extra ones. They’re a different brand, Overgrove Apiary, and they’re all blackberry, which I know is your favourite.” 

“Wow,” Johnny accepts the goodie bag, immediately handing it off to Winnie, who reaches in to tear a honey stick out. “Thank you, I uh… I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it,” you assure him. “And by the way, the ice cream parlour next door has a new flavour out. It’s honeycomb.”��

“Honeycomb!?” Winnie is midway through tearing open the stick in her hands, and she looks up at you with wide eyes.

“You’re trying to get me in trouble with her mother, aren’t you?” Johnny laughs.

“I’d never even think of doing such a thing,” you grin.

“Sure you wouldn’t,” Johnny looks you up and down, and you feel your skin heating under his gaze. “Have a good day, y/n.”

“You too, Johnny.”

You’ve been looking forward to Monday all weekend, and when Johnny walks in at 3:30 with Winnie on his shoulders, all the tension from your long day leaves your body. 

“Hi, you two,” you greet them, coming from around the till to give them your full attention. 

“Hi, y/n!” Winnie exclaims, waving enthusiastically at you.

“How’s your day going, cub?” you ask, looking up at the little girl clinging to Johnny’s head.

“It’s okay,” Winnie sighs. 

“That doesn’t sound okay,” you note, reading her body language. 

Your gaze dips to Johnny and he gives you a look. “Some kids were being mean to her in school today,” he confesses. 

“What?” you look to Winnie again. “That doesn’t sound very nice.”

“It wasn’t,” she confirms with another loud sigh. “They were making fun of my ears.”

“But you have such wonderful ears,” you compliment her, frowning at the fact that the world is still full of people who are very much anti-hybrid. 

“That’s what I told her,” Johnny nods. 

“Uncle John wanted to know their names so he could go and gobble them up,” Winnie tells you, flashing a mischievous smile. “But I told him I could handle it. They might not like my ears, but they don’t know how to dress good either, so-” the cub shrugs, “how am I supposed to listen to girls who don’t know how to dress good?”

You find yourself laughing at her sass, nodding along. “That’s a very good point, Winnie. I have to admit, I liked your dress the first time you entered the shop, and I see you’re in an even prettier one today.”

“This one?!” Winnie looks down at the cream coloured poofy dress adorning her form. “Uncle John got it for me for my birthday.”

“Well, he also has an eye for fashion, doesn’t he?” You smile at Johnny, and he grins back at you. 

“He does,” Winnie agrees. “Even though mommy says he should wear dress pants with a button up, I like his t-shirts.”

“I do too,” you nod. You’ve always liked Johnny’s style, the way he can wear a nice pair of dress pants with a casual shirt and sneakers. 

“You guys are too nice to me,” Johnny insists, and you can see the hint of a blush in his pretty complexion. 

“No such thing as too nice,” Winnie insists, “you taught me that, Uncle John.” 

“I guess I did, didn’t I?” he sighs. “Anyways, you remember our mission today, right cub?”

“A honeypot for mommy,” the little girl on his shoulders nods. 

“That’s right,” Johnny begins to move towards the shelves holding ceramics, and you shadow the pair. 

“Is there anything that stood out to you the last time you were here, princess Winnie?” you ask.

The little girl kicks her feet with joy at the new title you’ve given her, and she nods. “The beehive.”

“The beehive,” Johnny repeats with a sigh, and his gaze shifts to you. “Our little Winnie is nothing if not predictable.”

You enjoy the sentiment, the use of the word ‘our’ as if you’re already a part of their little family. You certainly feel connected to the two bear hybrids, although you’ve only really been getting to know Johnny for a short time.

You hope you can get to know them better.

“Is this the beehive honey pot you want?” you ask, pointing at a lovely handmade ceramic on the top shelf. 

“Uh huh, that’s the one,” Winnie nods, playing with Johnny’s ears as she holds onto his head. “Mommy’s going to love it.”

“I’m sure she will,” you agree. “Let me just get the step ladder so I can reach it-”

“No need,” Johnny assures you, stepping forward and reaching up to grab the honey pot. You marvel at how tall he is- “Here,” he holds it out for you, “would you mind taking that to the till while we grab our twenty honey sticks?”

“I don’t mind at all,” you smile, accepting the ceramic and holding it close to your chest.

Johnny helps Winnie off of his shoulders and the two head to the display case that holds your store’s best goodies. You walk over to the till, scanning the price tag of the honey pot and getting it prepared. 

You wrap it in bubble wrap before placing it in a nice gift bag and adding tissue paper to obscure the pot. This is a present after all, and you take your time making it look nice.

You’re just finishing your task when Winnie and Johnny approach holding twenty honey sticks, and they wait patiently while you scan them too.

“Hey Winnie,” Johnny looks down at his niece, “How about you go take a look at that display case over there,” he suggests, “I’m sure there’s some stuff in it you haven’t seen before.”

Winnie looks confused for a moment, but then she shrugs, skipping off to look at the array of jarred honey in a display case a few meters away.

You cock a brow at Johnny while he pulls out his wallet. 

“Listen,” he says, voice low as he pulls out cash, “I know this might be overstepping, and I’m sorry if that’s the case but… I’d really like to take you out some time.”

“Take me out?”

“On a date,” Johnny clarifies. “Again, shoot me down and there will be no hard feelings-”

“I’d love to,” you tell him.

“Really?” He breaks into a smile, and it makes your heart flutter with excitement.

“Really,” you confirm, reaching for a Queen B’s Honey business card. “Let me give you my number,” you say, grabbing a pen to write your digits on the back of the piece of paper. 

When you hand it to Johnny, your fingers brush, and the contact makes your whole body light up with energy. You can tell from the way Johnny looks down at your number, skin flaring a slight pinkish colour, that he has no clue of the effect he has on you. “Thanks,” he mutters, voice cracking. “I’ll uh, give you a call later.”

“Wow, a call, not just a text,” you smile as you take Johnny’s cash, putting it into the register and counting out change. 

“Let’s just say I’m old fashioned,” the bear grins sheepishly at you. 

“I like it,” you confess. “It’s part of your charm.”

“I have charm?” 

“Tons,” you nod. 

“Good to know.” He licks his lips, looking down at you with those chocolate brown eyes that have always made you feel like melting into a puddle on the floor. 

Winnie returns to grab her bag of honey sticks, and Johnny gently picks up the present for his sister. “Say goodbye to y/n, Winnie.”

“Goodbye, y/n. See you next week!”

“You better,” you grin. “I’ll be eager to find out how your mom likes her new honeypot.”

“She’ll love it,” Winnie says with the confidence that only a toddler truly possesses. 

You adore her already.

“I’ll call you,” Johnny says again, giving you one last smile as you say goodbye and he turns to leave your store. 

You watch him go, holding Winnie’s hand while the little girl skips along. 

You kind of feel like skipping too.

Old fashioned Johnny is sweeter than the honey your store makes, and he calls you on Monday evening to see if you want to go to a fair on Thursday night. “You’re not scared of heights right? I can take you on the ferris wheel? They do fireworks at nine thirty for the kids but uh, I thought you might like watching them.”

He’s a gentleman, and you agree to all his ideas. 

Waiting until Thursday is something like torture, but you somehow make it to the end of your shift and go home to get dolled up for Johnny. It will be the first time he sees you not in a work outfit, and you want to impress him. 

You’d noted how proud he looked of Winnie’s dress when she’d mentioned he’d bought it for her, and you think Johnny might have a thing for cutesy looks, so you find your sweetest dress. It’s still modest, and when you look in the mirror, you realize you sort of look like one of those cute elementary school teachers you’ve seen in movies. 

Finishing the outfit off with red lipstick, you think it’s a happy medium, after all, you will be at a fair with lots of children running around. 

Johnny picks you up from your house, pulling up next to the curb in an old black muscle car convertible that takes your breath away as you approach.

“Wow,” you whisper, looking between him and the vehicle he’s leaning against.

“I should be saying that to you,” Johnny grins, straightening and holding out his hands. “You look amazing. Can you do a little spin for me?”

You allow him to grab your hand, and he helps you do a twirl that makes your dress dance.

“Perfect,” he tells you. “I’ve always liked your work outfit, but this dress is something else.”

“Really?” you beam up at him, allowing the bear hybrid to pull you to his chest.

“Would I lie to you?”  he asks.

You stare into his eyes, and after a moment’s consideration, you shake your head. “No, you wouldn’t.”

You almost think Johnny’s about to kiss you, but then he swallows thickly and turns his head away, looking at the road. “Should we get going?”

“Yes, please.”

He drives a little wilder than the calm persona he exudes when he’s in your shop, and you find yourself giggling as he races down streets. It feels exhilarating to be in a convertible, the warm summer air rushing past.

Johnny grins at you when you laugh, pushing the car even harder to bring you more joy.

You’re already completely dazzled by the bear hybrid by the time you get to the fair, and the night just keeps getting better and better.

He holds your hand as you walk through the crowd, and he even wins you a massive teddy bear at one of the fair games. His baseball skills are no joke, and he easily knocks down all the bottles, triumphantly holding the teddy out to you as his prize.

“For me?” you ask in shock, accepting the toy.

“Of course, everyone needs a Big Bear in their life,” he tells you, and the glint in his smile makes you think you’ve already found yours.

The two of you go on a few rides, with you clinging to Johnny’s side during rough twists and turns. He keeps you and the teddy bear safe, laughing while you scream in delight. It feels like being a kid again. It’s something you’ve never really experienced, being at a fair on a date with a cute guy who seems to want to give you the world.

It’s nine twenty before you even know it, and Johnny leads you to the ferris wheel.

“We should get to the top by the time the fireworks start,” he tells you before pulling out his wallet and stepping close to the teenage boy working the ride. “I’ll pay you twenty bucks to give us an extra five minutes at the top.”

“I can do that,” the teenager nods, quickly pocketing the bill before helping you both onto the ferris wheel. “Here, I’ll take care of the bear for you,” he says, as there’s no way you both will fit on the ride with the massive stuffed animal. The seats are for two adults, and Johnny pulls out another five to give to the attendant before sitting next to you.

The bar is secured in place, locking you in next to the bear hybrid who smoothly puts his arm behind you, laying it across the back of the seats. “It’s a nice night,” he tells you.

“A perfect night,” you agree. “I’m so happy you asked me to do this with you.”

“I’m happy you came,” he smiles. “I wasn’t sure if asking you out while you were at work was a good idea, but, I guess after seeing you interact with Winnie, I just couldn’t pass up on the opportunity.”

“Your niece is wonderful,” you breathe. 

“She’s a good cub,” Johnny nods.

“Seeing as we’re going to be on this ride for a while, do you mind if I ask you some questions about yourself? We’ve spent the whole night doing things, and I don’t actually know that much about you.”

“You can ask me anything.”

“Let's start with what you do for work?” 

Johnny laughs. “Any guesses?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure you’re not a nine to five kind of guy-”

“I’m not,” he confirms.

“You dress so well, part of me wants to say you’re involved in fashion or something.”

“Good idea,” Johnny grins, “but unfortunately no, I’m not involved with any fashion work. I think my job is a hard one to guess, so I’ll just tell you. I run a club with a few close friends.”

“You run a club?” you blink at him.

“Don’t look so shocked, Bee,” Johnny smiles, and your heart does flip flops at the new pet name. “It’s a hybrid bar in midtown.”

“A hybrid bar,” you repeat. 

“Humans are allowed in the front section, but we have a back that’s exclusive for hybrids. It’s a safe space for us, and I’m there a lot, especially during the weekends, keeping an eye on things,” he explains. 

“Tell me about the friends you work with?”

“First, there’s Hyuck. He’s a pretty peculiar guy. Then there’s Renjun, and Yuta, he’s a wolf hybrid. But at this point, I’m friends with a lot of the workers too. We have this raven manager, Doyoung, and I love watching him run around like a stressed chicken with his head cut off-” Johnny smiles to himself. “You’ll have to come by sometime and meet them.”

“That would be nice,” you nod. “I mean, you’ve seen me at work so often, it would be interesting to see you in your own element.”

“Honestly, I’m not so sure the club is my element. It’s a good way to make money, and I don’t have to do much- it’s one of the perks of being a part owner. But if I had to choose between your store and the club, I think I’d rather be at the honey shop.” 

“So you can watch me run around like a stressed chicken with my head cut off?” you tease.

“You always seem so put together,” Johnny tells you. 

“That’s because you often show up when no one else is in the store. You should see what it’s like during a Saturday rush.” 

The bear hybrid laughs. “Maybe I’ll have to pop by, then.”

You’re only halfway up the ferris wheel, and you’re a little surprised when a sudden loud pop marks the beginning of the fireworks. You tear your gaze from Johnny, focusing on the blue and green explosion that’s lighting up the dark sky.

“Wow, this view is amazing!” you exclaim.

“It is,” Johnny agrees, and you can see out of the corner of your eye that the charming man hasn’t stopped staring at you just yet. “I knew you’d like it here.”

He adjusts his arm behind you, finally resting his hand casually over your shoulder, and you immediately tuck yourself closer to the bear hybrid. His large body is so warm and comforting, and you enjoy the peaceful quiet that settles over you both as you watch the fireworks.

The ride moves, bringing you closer to the prime spot at the top of the ferris wheel. You can feel yourself getting giddier- you’ve never been on a date like this. Never experienced something this perfect.

“You’re cute,” Johnny says.

“I am?” You look at the bear hybrid next to you.

“Uh huh,” Johnny nods. “The way your eyes light up when you’re watching the fireworks- I’ve never seen anything prettier.”

“Stop, you’re such a charmer,” you blush, hiding your face against the crook of his neck. 

“Just being honest,” he tells you, stroking your shoulder. 

The ride begins to move again, and you pull away from Johnny to marvel at the view again. 

From the top of the ferris wheel, you can see everything. The whole fairground is laid out below you, twinkling and brilliant. The fireworks are dazzling, filling the sky with colourful explosions.

You turn to Johnny and something comes over you. You want to say thank you, but the words themselves won’t suffice, so instead, you lean close, pressing your lips to his cheek. Johnny practically freezes, and when you pull away, you see a red lipstick stain on his skin.

Johnny turns his head to look at you, gaze darting down to your mouth-

Again, you’re hit with a surge of confidence, and this time, when you lean in, it’s not his cheek you’re aiming for. 

Johnny’s lips are soft, gentle against your own, and then his hand comes up to cup your face. You don’t want to pull away. You can tell he doesn’t want you to either. His mouth parts, tongue gently teasing your bottom lip, and you let him deepen the kiss.

Your body is tingling with energy as you lean closer to him, grabbing at the front of his shirt. When your own tongue darts out to taste him, the bear hybrid lets out a groan, and you mirror it with a pleasured sound of your own. 

A loud bang makes you jump a little in his embrace, and Johnny smiles against your lips, releasing your face so you can turn to admire the large firework that’s just been set off.

“John,” you breathe, “this is perfect.”

“It’s how I wanted our first kiss to be,” he muses. “As much as I wanted to kiss you when I picked you up, I knew waiting would have its rewards.”

So he wanted to kiss you as much as you wanted to kiss him, and the thought has your heart thumping loudly in your chest.

You can’t help but press your lips to his again, smiling into the kiss while Johnny tugs you closer. His free hand slips down to your thigh, and you moan at how good it feels.

It’s shocking how just kissing Johnny is already doing so much to your body- as if some primal instinct is taking over. 

You’re not sure how long you remain lip locked, but when the ride jolts into motion again, you break the kiss, laughing a little as you bury your face against his neck. 

The bear hybrid holds you tighter, and you remain in his embrace for the rest of the ride. 

When you reach the ground again, Johnny holds out a hand and helps you out of your seat. The teenage ride attendant gives Johnny the bear stuffie, and he carries it for you as you walk through the fairgrounds towards his car.

You’re amazed with how comfortable you are with Johnny, and the ride home is filled with as many speed fueled giggles as your drive to the fairground had been.

When you reach your house, Johnny even walks you to the door. 

You kiss him again, loving the way that his size dwarfs your own. You wrap your arms around the back of his neck, not wanting to let go. But all good nights must come to an end, and after a long makeout session, you finally pull away to catch your breath.

“When can I see you again?” Johnny asks.

“Monday?” you suggest. 

“With Winnie?” The bear hybrid laughs. “Are you sure you’re not using me to get to my niece?” 

You grin, enjoying his playful banter. “I was just thinking that you said you work most evenings on the weekend, and I work during the day, so our schedules are conflicting.”

“Right, yeah,” Johnny nods. “What are you doing Tuesday, after work?” 

“You tell me.”

“Movies,” Johnny states. “I want to take you to the movies.”

“Is there anything good showing?”

“Probably,” he shrugs. “I figure anything will be good if you’re there with me.”

He’s such a sweet talker, and you give him a kiss, thanking him for the lovely evening. “I’ll see you Monday, John.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Why are you rushing, Uncle John?” Winnie asks as Johnny speeds down the street after picking her up from school.

“No reason,” he says, although it's partially a lie. 

He’s excited to see you, even if it’s just for a short interaction while Winnie gets her honey fix. However, his niece is right, Johnny is going a little too fast, and it’s almost torture for him to slow down. 

He all but hops out of the car when he parks in front of your shop, opening the back door for Winnie to exit the vehicle as well. They enter Queen B’s Honey with enthusiasm, although the cause of that enthusiasm is very different.

Winnie goes straight for the honey stick display, but Johnny’s much more focused on you. You’re restocking a few honey jars on a top shelf, wobbling a little on your stepping stool, and the bear hybrid is quick to rush to your aid.

“Hey there,” he breathes, steadying a hand on your waist. “Carefull, Bee.”

“Oh, hi, John,” you grin down at him. 

“Hi, yourself,” he smiles, watching you put the last jar in its place.

You turn, resting your hands on his shoulders as you step down to the floor, and Johnny loves the way you’re so much shorter than he is. He could just eat you up-

“Hi, Winnie!” You wave at his niece over his shoulder.

“Hi!” she calls back, and when Johnny turns, he sees his little cub is already reaching to grab a few peach honey sticks from their jar. She’s occupied, and it gives Johnny the chance to talk to you one on one a little, something he’s very grateful for.

“How was your weekend?” he asks.

“Busy,” you laugh. “You?”

“Busy,” he grins. “Was thinking about you a lot.”

“You were, were you?” There’s a twinkle in your eye, and it all but bewitches the bear hybrid who still has a hand on your hip. “Did I really leave that good of an impression?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” he confesses. “Were you thinking about me too?”

“More than I care to say,” you nod. 

“Are we still on for that movie tomorrow?” 

“Of course, unless you’ve changed your mind-”

“Never.” 

“Uncle John!” Winnie’s voice snaps Johnny out of his daze, and he tears his gaze from your lips to look at his niece.

“Yeah, cub?”

“I can’t reach the cherry honey!”

“Oh no,” Johnny says in an animated fashion, letting go of your waist to go help Winnie. “We can’t have that, can we?” He lifts his niece up, helping her grab a handful of honey sticks. “Woah there cub, how many of these have you got already?”

“Just a few,” she insists, adding her new goodies to a hand already holding a large number of peach sticks.

“Just a few,” Johnny chuckles. It’s obvious that Winnie has forgotten her candy cap. “Can you count to twenty for me?” 

“Just twenty?” Winnie whines. 

“You know we’ll both get in trouble with your mom if you have any more than that.”

Winnie sighs with exasperation, putting a few of the cherry sticks back in their jar. 

“There we go,” Johnny grins. “Just peach and cherry today?”

“They’re my favourites,” Winnie insists. 

It’s a shame that his little cub doesn’t take longer choosing honey, as it means there’s less time with you, but Johnny also supposes that he shouldn’t be monopolizing on goodie time. He’ll get to see you tomorrow, even though it pains him to head to the till and say goodbye to you so soon.

“Have a wonderful day, you two,” you grin.

“We will,” Johnny promises. His day is already fantastic now that he’s seen you, and he’ll carry the memory of helping you off that stool for many hours to come. “Don’t work too hard.”

“No promises,” you wink. 

God, you’re perfect.

“Don’t be mad,” Johnny says, which is not a great start to a call thirty minutes before he’s supposed to pick you up for your date, “but when Winnie heard I was going to the theater with you, she insisted on coming because there’s this new Disney movie that’s showing, and her mom jumped at the idea to have her own date night-”

You listen to the bear hybrid ramble with a smile on your face, and when he finishes, he asks you if you’re okay with Winnie tagging along. “I’d love for her to join us,” you tell him. “You know I adore Winnie.”

Johnny lets out a loud sigh on the other end of the line. “Have I ever told you how perfect you are?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Well, you are. Very perfect. Thanks for understanding.”

Half an hour later Johnny’s at your door, but he’s not in the convertible muscle car. Instead, an SUV is waiting on the curb, and you see Winnie waving at you frantically through the window.

“You look amazing,” Johnny breathes, taking in your dress with a smile.

“You clean up well too, John,” you smile, enjoying the brown checkered pants and white shirt he’s wearing. 

“I’m sorry about this-”

“Don’t be,” you assure him. “As I said on the phone, I’m happy for the little cub to join.”

“Yeah,” Johnny sighs. “This was supposed to be a date-”

“It can still be a date,” you tell him, and you truly mean it.

It’s obvious to you that Winnie is a big part of Johnny’s life, and if you’re going to be part of his world too, it only makes sense for you to embrace his family. 

When you get into the car, Winnie is quick to say hello, and she’s practically bouncing in her seat in the back of the vehicle. “It is you!” she exclaims. “Uncle John told me you’d be coming, but I didn’t really believe him!”

“No?” you smile. “Why’s that, cub?”

“Because you’re a princess, and he’s just Uncle John!”

“Ouch,” Johnny laughs, slipping behind the wheel. “That hurts, Win.” He turns the key in the ignition, casting a glance at you. “Do we all have our seatbelts on?”

“Yes, John,” you smile, and your sentiment is echoed by Winnie in the back, “of course, Uuncle John!”

“Why?” he presses, looking over his shoulder at the child in the back seat.

“Because safety is the most important thing!” she all but yells, and you think this must be something of a ritual for the two of them. It’s sweet, and it makes you fall even harder for the bear hybrid.

“Can we turn on my music?” Winnie asks next.

“Of course, cub,” Johnny nods, reaching for the center console, fingers pausing over the play button. “That is, if Miss Bee doesn’t mind the Lion King soundtrack.”

“Not at all,” you assure him. 

Music fills the car a moment later, as does Winnie’s high pitched singing voice. When it reaches the chorus of the song, even Johnny joins in, and you wonder how many times he’s listened to this sound track with his niece.

It’s a soft experience, and one you savor every second of as Johnny drives you to the theater. 

Winnie insists on walking between you and Johnny when she exits the car, holding both of your hands and doing little jumps that force you and her uncle to lift her off the ground while she giggles. 

Once inside, you wait in the concession line and Winnie tells you all about the movie you’re going to see. She’s a massive Disney fan, and you enjoy listening to her talk. You catch Johnny staring at you a few times, and he always flashes you a smile when you meet his eyes.

Johnny gets a large popcorn with extra butter, and when he hands it to Winnie, she notes, “This is as big as me!” 

In the theater, Johnny’s adorable niece once again insists on sitting in the middle, and Johnny lets out a small sigh but doesn’t argue with his niece. When you take your seats, however, his arm immediately goes along the back of the chairs, and his fingers find the back of your neck, gently stroking your skin.

He smiles at you when you turn to look at him, giving you a small wink before he entertains Winnie with a discussion on what colour his tail would be if he was a mermaid. Winnie decides hers would be yellow, and when Johnny says his would be green, she insists his would be brown because he’s a brown bear hybrid.

“Does that make you a yellow bear?” Johnny questions teasingly.

“A honey bear,” Winnie corrects. “And Miss Bee would be pink.”

“Really?” Johnny’s brows raise. “And why’s that, cub?”

“Because she has a pretty pink soul,” the child smiles, looking up at you. “And also, your dress is pink, and I like it.”

“Thank you, Winnie, I like your dress too.” 

Winnie kicks her feet happily and Johnny rubs his thumb along the back of your neck in small, warm circles. 

The lights dim, the movie starts, and you find that you’re thoroughly enjoying yourself. It’s nice to have Johnny’s gentle touch, a constant reminder that - although you’re here with his niece - he’s still doing his best to be attentive to you.

The film flies by, and before you know it, the three of you are exiting the theater. Winnie is dragging her feet, obviously exhausted from a long day at school and an evening movie, so Johnny picks her up, holding her tight to his chest while she wraps her legs around his waist and all but passes out on his shoulder.

At the car, you help Johnny put Winnie into the back seat, and when he closes the door, he turns to you. “Thank you for all of this.”

“Stop thanking me,” you smile. “I enjoyed myself.”

“Me too.” His hands find your waist, and he tugs you closer- only for his phone to ring. 

“Shit,” Johnny cusses, the first swear word you’ve heard from him. “One sec, it’s my sister.”

He answers the call, assuring Winnie’s mom that the movie went well and they’ll be home soon. When he hangs up, Johnny tugs you to his chest again, pressing a chaste kiss on your lips. 

He seems reluctant to let you go, but he opens your car door for you all the same, shutting it gently behind you once you’re tucked inside.

The drive home is quiet, as Winnie has fully passed out in the back seat. Johnny’s hand is on your thigh, and you place your own on top of his, playing with his fingers. 

When you reach your house, Johnny exits the car to walk you to your door, where he kisses you, cupping your face and taking your breath away. 

“I want to see you again,” he says, still holding you close.

“I’d love that.”

“How about Thursday? The club usually isn’t that busy on Thursdays. You could come meet a few of my friends.”

“Okay,” you nod. “I think I’d like that.”

“Perfect,” Johnny leans in to kiss you again, and as much as you’d love to melt against him, you’re very aware that Winnie’s mom is waiting for her back home.

“Drive safe, please,” you say when you finally pull away.

“I always do.”

You laugh. “That’s debatable.” 

“You just don’t trust my driving skills yet,” Johnny insists.

Before you can stop him, he gives you one final kiss goodbye, and when you watch him turn to walk back to his car, you find yourself wishing he didn’t have to leave.

On Thursday night, you face the dilemma of figuring out what to wear for your date with Johnny. The past two experiences had been fairly classic, with a fair adventure and a trip to the movies, both perfectly suitable locations to wear a cute dress. But tonight, you’re going to a club and you wonder how that should affect your clothing choice.

After much contemplation, and about ten different outfit try-ons, you decide to stick with your usual baby doll style. Johnny seems to like it when you dress cute for him, and you’re banking on the fact that the bear hybrid likes you for you, as opposed to the girls who frequent his club in all forms of scandalous attire. 

You’re feeling a little anxious about visiting a hybrid bar, if you’re being honest with yourself. It’s not that you personally have anything against hybrids, you’re just used to only being around one or two at a time. 

You suppose maybe this is how Johnny feels, being a hybrid in a human dominant world, and the thought makes you a little sad. He always gives off such an air of ease and calmness, as if he doesn’t have a bother in the world. You wonder what adversities he’s had to overcome to get to that mentality, or if he was simply born that way.

Before you know it, Johnny’s picking you up. The convertible muscle car is back, and you take a moment to appreciate him leaning against it on the curb.

He’s dressed up tonight, more so than usual. His dress pants are paired with a button up, and its black silky material is soft to the touch when he pulls you to his chest for a kiss. “You look perfect,” he tells you, pinching at your chin and looking you up and down. “My perfect little honey bee doll.”

“I’m happy you like my dress,” you grin, swaying your hips so the skirt picks up.

Johnny grabs your hand, giving you the space to help you twirl while he lets out a whistle of appreciation. “I always like your dresses,” he admits. “I like your jeans and white t-shirt work outfits, but, I mean…when you walked out on our first date in a dress, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”

“Good, I can’t take my eyes off of you either.” 

You wrap your arms around the back of his neck, pulling him into one last kiss before he opens the car door for you and helps you inside. 

The ride is a peaceful one. He asks about your day, tells you about his own, and before you know it, you’re pulling up in front of his club. “You ready to meet my friends, gorgeous?” he asks, reaching over to give your hand a squeeze of reassurance.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” you smile, leaning forward to kiss his cheek before exiting the car. 

When you enter the club, with Johnny’s hand securely on the small of your back, it feels like any other bar you’ve been to. The staff are mostly hybrids, but you notice a few humans dressed  in black too. 

“It’s nice in here,” you tell him, beaming up at the man who makes you so eager to please.

“If you like this, wait till you see the back room,” Johnny grins, leading you past the bar. 

“Oh,” you swallow thickly. “Didn’t you mention that the back is hybrid exclusive? Are you sure we should be going back there?”

“You have a good memory,” the bear nods. “It’s hybrid exclusive, but I'm a part owner, so I figure I can do what I want. Besides, this front section doesn’t have a VIP seating area, and my friends prefer to be in places where people can’t overhear us.”

“Are you planning on giving me some trade secrets, John?” You cock a brow and the bear hybrid laughs.

“Something like that.” 

You reach the back door, where a bunny hybrid looks you up and down, his large, floppy ears twitching before his gaze shifts to Johnny. “Yuta said you’d be coming in tonight.”

You notice a puppy hybrid of sorts standing a few feet to the side, and his beautiful face is unreadable, his eyes fixed on you. 

“Of course he did,” Johnny smiles at the bunny. “There’s not much Yuta can keep from you, is there, Markie?”

The bunny hybrid’s cheeks flare a cute shade of pink and he lets out a cough. “He’s uh… he’s waiting for you in VIP. Hyuck’s there too.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” Johnny says, applying a small amount of pressure onto your lower back which prompts you to step past Mark and through the open doorway. 

Johnny was right about the hybrid exclusive section being nicer than the front, and you hurry to take it all in with your eyes. As you scan the space, it’s hard not to notice a few looks you get from people within the room.

You’re not sure if it’s because you’re with Johnny, or because you’re a human, but when your eyes catch the gaze of a man behind the bar with large, black raven wings, you get the feeling that it might be the latter. 

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here?” you ask, tucking closer to Johnny’s side. 

“Definitely,” Johnny nods, leading you toward a set of stairs that leads to the VIP section. “Especially up here.” He takes your hand as you ascend, and you see a booth with two men sitting in it. 

One has white hair to match his ashy wolf ears, and you think this must be the Yuta that Johnny has mentioned to you. The other man has his back to you, and you don’t see any obvious hybrid markings.

Johnny hadn’t mentioned much about this ‘Hyuck’ friend of his, other than him being peculiar, and you begin to wonder if Hyuck might be human like you. It would definitely make you feel more comfortable.

“Hey, guys,” Johnny greets his friends as you come to a stop in front of the table. “How’s it going?”

Both the men turn to look at you, and like the hybrids at the door, their gaze shifts down and then back up. The wolf is the first to stand, pulling out of the booth to shake your hand.

“I’m Yuta, and you must be the honey girl,” he flashes you a smile complete with sharp canines that glint in the light. “We’ve heard a lot about you.” 

“You have?” 

“Johnny has been talking about you for months,” Hyuck breathes, but he doesn’t stand. “It was good to hear he finally grew some balls-”

“Hyuck,” Johnny groans, a warning in his tone. “Be nice.”

“You love bears probably want to sit next to each other,” Yuta says, slipping into the booth next to his friend and giving you the other side of the bench.

“Thanks,” Johnny nods, allowing you to sit first before he moves next to you, his arm immediately taking its place behind your shoulders. “Have you two been here long?”

Hyuck shakes his head, playing with the glass of amber liquid in front of him, but it’s Yuta who speaks. “Not long,” he assures you both, obviously the more talkative of the two. “Hyuck was here before me though, something about fucking his girlfriend in the staff bathroom-”

Hyuck grins mischievously and you wonder if this is a common occurrence for him.

“Does your girlfriend work here?” you ask, hoping to get into Hyuck’s good graces.

“Yeah,” his gaze shifts to the dance floor below. “She’s the sexy little bunny running around in that cute black dress.”

“She’s very pretty,” you smile.

“It runs in her family,” Yuta comments.

You’re confused for a moment before Johnny is leaning in close to your ear, “the bunny at the door, Mark, is her brother.”

“Oh,” you blink as you look at the men in front of you. “So you’re dating siblings?”

“I wouldn’t call what Yuta does with Mark dating-” Hyuck grins, earning an elbow in the ribs from the wolf on his side. 

Johnny lets out a chuckle. “They’re both being very bad club owners, if you ask me.”

To be fair, both Yuta and Hyuck seem like the types to date their workers, but you suppose you shouldn’t hold that against them. These are Johnny’s friends, and you’re not about to start judging them now.

“So, Hyuck,” you look at the man across from you. “I can’t help but notice you don’t have any uh… any hybrid marks? Let me know if I’m being too forward, but are you human, or?”

Hyuck scoffs. “Definitely not.”

“And before you ask,” Yuta buts in, “his hybrid type is classified information.” The wolf flashes you a wink, and you suppose you should drop the topic. However, you can’t help the pang of anxiety that clutches your heart when you realize you truly are the only human in this back room.

“Johnny,” you look at the bear sitting next to you. “Are you really sure I should be here?”

“It’s fine-” Johnny goes to assure you again, but you can tell from the darkening of Hyuck’s gaze that maybe he doesn’t agree. 

Before you can say anything else, Hyuck’s bunny hybrid girlfriend shows up. She smiles at Johnny, asking if he wants the usual, but when her eyes move to you, and you see her nose do a small wiggle, you realize she’s clocking you as a human. 

“And what can I get your friend?” the bunny asks, and you’re thankful that she’s still being polite to you, but you can’t shake the feeling in the pit of your stomach.

“Actually, I think maybe I need some air,” you admit, taking a deep breath. 

You suddenly feel very claustrophobic, and it might have to do with being surrounded by predatory hybrids. You don’t know what Hyuck is, exactly, but you’re sure he’s something big, because he acts like he’s got the biggest cock in the room. 

“Are you okay?” Johnny asks, standing up from the booth to give you the space to escape your seat.

“Yeah, I just need to go outside for a moment,” you shake your head, turning to apologize to his friends before moving past the bunny hybrid and walking back down the stairs.

You can hear Johnny following you, but you’re in something of a rush as you weave through hybrids staring you down on the dance floor. When you get to the door leading to the front section, Mark stops you with a hand on your forearm. “Are you okay?” he asks, looking genuinely concerned.

“I’m fine, thank you-”

Johnny appears behind you, taking control of the situation as he tells Mark, “She just needs some air.”

The bunny hybrid lets you go, and you scurry to the front door, finally making your escape onto the street where you feel like you can finally take a breath.

Johnny stands two feet away from you, watching you with an empathetic expression. He gives you time to take a few deep inhales before reaching for your hand and pulling you to his chest. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks. 

“I’m sorry, I know I’m probably overreacting-”

“You’re not,” he assures you, cupping your face and giving you a soft smile. 

“I just… I feel like… everyone should have a safe space, you know? And I worry that, as a human, being in that back section was sort of like… invading the sanctity of your hybrid only zone. I’m really sorry, John, but I’m not sure if I can go back in there.”

“That’s okay,” he nods. “Maybe I was being…” he searches for the word, “presumptuous tonight. I wanted you to meet my friends, but I didn’t think too hard about how you might feel in that environment. I’m sorry I put you in this situation.”

“Don’t be sorry,” you shake your head. “I’m sorry-” 

“Well we can’t both be sorry,” Johnny grins. “So maybe neither of us should be. Maybe tonight just didn’t work out, but that’s okay.”

“Really?” Relief floods your system as you look up into Johnny’s soft brown eyes.

“Really,” he leans down to press a soft kiss to your lips. “What do you say about going somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else?”

“How about my place?” he suggests. “I was planning on inviting you after this, but we could go there now if you want. No pressure though.”

You take a deep breath before you find yourself nodding. “I think I’d like that.”

“Good.” His thumb smooths by your cheek. 

“Do you have to go back inside to say goodbye to your friends? I feel bad about making them come down here to meet me only to run away-”

“Trust me, those two would be here watching their bunnies even if we didn’t come out tonight. I’ll just send them a text and explain the situation. We can always meet them another night, at another bar.”

“And you’re sure they won’t hate me?”

“I don’t think anyone could ever hate you, Bee. You’re much too sweet for that kind of reaction.” Johnny smiles. “In fact, I bet Hyuck will be impressed.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because you care so much about the sanctity of the hybrid zone. Much more than I do.” 

“You really think your friends will be alright?”

“Without a doubt.” He leans down to press another sweet kiss to your lips, but this one lingers. When he finally pulls away, you’re left wanting more, but he’s already reaching behind himself to open the door to his car for you. “Let’s go, gorgeous. My house is nicer than this place anyways.”

Johnny’s right about his house, it’s much nicer than the club. You guess you shouldn’t be shocked that he’s got a place just out of town, nestled amongst the trees of the forest. It’s a sleek place to live, and you admire the wood detailing of the upgraded cabin like exterior.

“This is a big house,” you muse, as you follow Johnny up the stone steps. 

“Too big for me, I think,” he admits. “But it was one of the only places I could find with acreage in the forest, and I wanted a space that felt like home, you know? Winnie loves it here, some nights she sleeps over and we have a fire in the back with s’mores, other days I take her on some of the hiking trails- my land connects with the national forest, and we’ve got easy access to one of the better hiking paths in the park.”

Your heart melts a little. You know Johnny is a fabulous uncle, but you hadn’t realized the true extent of it. 

“I love how close you are with Winnie,” you admit. “It can be rare to find a single guy who’s so doting on his younger family members.”

“Then I’m glad we found each other,” Johnny grins. “I’ve had ex’s in the past who would get mad about the time I spend with Winnie, but not you. I really did appreciate how well you took her date crashing that other night.”

“Like I said, it wasn’t a problem. I had a wonderful time.” 

Johnny flashes you a grin as he lets you into his house, and you marvel at the interior being as lovely as the outside had been. 

“Wow…it feels even bigger inside,” you note. “Will you give me a tour?”

“Of course,” Johnny tosses his keys down on an entryway table, grabbing your hand to begin showing you around. 

The lower level has a state of the art kitchen with french doors that open to the outside deck, and Johnny tells you about the barbecues he hosts here. “We even had a family reunion out back two years ago,” he admits. “I’ve got extra rooms, so my grandparents stayed here, and a few of my aunts and uncles- it was a really good time.”

“That sounds like a wonderful reunion,” you smile, enjoying how deep his love for family truly runs.

There’s a large dining room, and a living room with glass windows giving views to the forest. In the corner there’s even a toy chest, and Johnny explains how he bought so many things for Winnie through the years that he just started keeping some at his own house for the time she’d be here with him.

You love that he’s not a man afraid to share his space with a six year old, even if the toy chest does stand out amongst the other furnishings. 

The second level is where the bedrooms are, and Johnny lets you peek into Winnie’s room, where there are even more toys overflowing in baskets. 

Two more guest bedrooms brings the grand total of sleeping locations to a whopping four, and you can’t help but ask the question that’s on your mind. “Do you think you’d ever want to raise a family here? You’ve got more than enough space for it.”

“Oh, definitely,” Johnny nods. “Some days, when I’m here alone, I think about how much nicer it would be to have a few of my own cubs running around…” he licks his lips, pausing to look at you. “I don’t think we’ve ever talked about whether or not you’d want to have kids.”

“But I’m sure you can guess my answer,” you smile.

Johnny nods, grinning. “I bet you’d love to be a mom, and you’d be good at it, too.”

“Thank you,” you feel heat rising in your skin. “I guess my affection for kids is hard to hide, huh?”

“It’s sweet,” he tells you, “just another one of those perfect attributes of yours.”

He pulls you in for a kiss, and you melt against him, enjoying the warmth of his body. 

When Johnny moves away, you’re in something of a daze, and you blink up at him. 

“Saved the best room for last,” he tells you, reaching down to take your hand and lead you down the hallway to the final door. 

His room truly is the most impressive of them all, a master bedroom if you’ve ever seen one. With floor to ceiling windows along an entire wall, and a large space fitting a bed as well as a seating area, tv and fireplace, you think you could be very satisfied spending a lot of time here.

“Wow, John,” you let out a breath. “I can’t believe this is real, I can’t believe you actually live here-”

“So you like it?” he questions, pressing his body against your back and wrapping his arms around you, head on your shoulder. “My bear cave?”

“If this is a cave, I never want to go back to a real house,” you laugh. 

“I might hold you to that,” Johnny says, voice low.

You take a deep breath, closing your eyes to enjoy the feeling of being in his embrace. And that’s when you feel something hard beginning to press against your bum.

You swallow thickly, leaning back against him while you gain your courage. You know Johnny’s not the type to force anything on you, and something tells you that if you don’t make this first move, you might miss your chance. 

Turning in his arms, you look up into Johnny’s chocolate brown eyes. Then you’re kissing him, putting all the passion that’s been brewing into the meeting of your lips. You thread your fingers through his soft hair, eager to get close to him, closer than you’ve ever been before.

You can definitely feel the outline of his cock against your abdomen now, and his hands reach down to find your hips, anchoring you to the front of his body while his tongue glides against your own.

“John,” you moan when his lips move to your neck, “I need you.” 

“Yeah?” His tongue grazes your sweet spot and you shiver in his embrace, closing your eyes and enjoying the feeling of him. 

“More than I’ve ever needed anything,” you tell him, meaning it with all of your heart.

With a groan, Johnny reaches down, grabbing your ass and prompting you to jump so you can wrap your legs around his hips. In just a few steps, he can lower you to his bed, and you expect him to follow, to press you against the mattress with his large body-

But instead, he pulls away, looking down at you with dark eyes filled with lust. “You’re perfect,” he whispers, reaching down to play with the bottom of your dress. “I’ve been dreaming about how you’ll taste on my tongue.”

Your pussy throbs at the idea, and you gaze up at him with a body alight in anticipation. “Then… then you should taste me, John.”

The bear hybrid lets out another groan, and then he’s falling to his knees on the edge of the bed, large hands grabbing at your legs to pull you closer. 

His lips find your calf, and then your knee. When his face is between your thighs, his pretty ears brush your skin and make you shiver.

“Ticklish?” he grins, continuing to pepper your thighs with soft kisses.

“Very,” you confirm, reaching down to pull the skirt of your dress higher, revealing your underwear to the man between your legs.

“Shit, Bee,” Johnny says, voice shaky as he looks at your core. “You’re soaked through your panties,” at first, his words make heat rise through your body, embarrassment- but then Johnny’s taking a deep breath, and he looks up at you when he comments, “It’s so hot.” 

His hands grab at your hips, and in one motion, he’s pulled your pussy to his mouth, tongue pressing against the light pink fabric of your underwear. 

It feels amazing, but it’s also such a tease- you can feel the wetness of his own tongue, but it’s just out of reach. 

“Johnny, please,” you whimper, pushing your hips forward, wanting more-

His nose brushes by your clit and your legs shake on his shoulders, a gasp of pleasure leaving you as you throw your head back and close your eyes. 

His fingers hook in your panties, and it’s a relief when he finally pulls them down your legs, discarding them over his shoulder before diving into your pussy. This time, there’s no fabric in his way, and his tongue licks at you directly, a sensation that drives you completely wild.

“John, it’s so good-” you groan, feeling the need to praise the man who pushes his tongue into your core. 

He moans in response, and the vibration has your body tingling. You could get lost in something like this, and you can already feel your mind going practically blank. All that matters is the here and now, you and Johnny. 

His nose brushes your clit again and a squeal of delight escapes you, your hands flying to grab at his soft hair and fuzzy ears. “John-” 

He pulls his tongue out of your wet hole, licking a full stipe of your pussy before he begins to circle your clit, and you swear you’re in heaven.

You can feel tension building in the pit of your stomach, and you know you’re not going to last long like this. No one’s ever eaten you out before with such vigor, such a need to have you like putty in his hands, and you’re more than happy to comply. In fact, you don’t think you’ll be able to help yourself.

His lips suction around your clit and your legs shake on his shoulders, your grip tightening in his hair, which only makes him groan again. You gasp at the feeling, pushing your hips up, needing more contact-

“I’m close,” you whisper, pussy throbbing as he worships your most sensitive spots.

Suddenly, you feel something else, a finger slipping into your tight hole, and you let out another sound of pleasure. One digit becomes two, and they crook up expertly, reaching a spot that has you crying out.

“That’s it,” Johnny says, pulling just off your pussy, breath teasing your entrance. “I want you to cum, Bee. Want you to cum so bad-”

You let out a strangled gasp from the praise, and when his lips return to your clit, fingers pumping in and out of your pussy, you know you’re going to be a goner. 

You pull on his hair, legs shaking as you teeter on the edge of ecstasy. When Johnny growls, the vibrations are enough to send you over, and your pussy clamps down on his fingers, whole body overcome with pleasure that brings a tear to your eye due to the intensity of it all.

He continues his motions, helping you through your high until you’re wiggling in his gasp. His free hand smooths against your abdomen, keeping you still while his tongue and fingers begin to slow. 

When he pulls his mouth away, you can finally take a full breath, shuddering in the aftershocks of one of the most intense orgasms of your life.

“You’re just like you were in my dreams,” Johnny tells you, pulling his fingers from your core to suck on. He lets out a groan at your taste. “Sweeter than honey.” 

You shouldn’t be in love with Johnny only after three dates, but with lines like this one, you know you most definitely are. In the after haze or your orgasm, you can’t even find it within yourself to care that he has you wrapped around his finger.

“Johnny,” you whisper his name, opening your eyes to look at the man who’s now standing by the edge of the mattress. “Need you now.” 

“Let me just grab condoms,” he tells you, heading for the bedside table while tugging his shirt off. 

Your pussy throbs just at the sight of him. He’s so big and built and bear-like, in the best possible way- 

He undoes his pants, pulling out a condom package that he opens with his sharp teeth. Part of you thinks you should be getting naked too, especially when his briefs come down to join the pants on the floor, but as you watch him roll the rubber onto his large cock, you think maybe he’d enjoy it if the dress stays on… for just a little longer.

When Johnny turns to join you on the bed, you pat the space next to you. He quirks a brow, but follows through, falling flat onto his back. You take the opportunity to mount him, knees digging into the mattress on either side of his hips while you adjust your skirts, letting them fall over you both delicately. 

“You can take this off of me in a minute,” you tell him, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips, “but you’ve always told me how much you like my dresses, so I thought-”

“You look amazing,” Johnny confirms, grabbing at your hips and urging you to grind down against his cock, which is caught between your bodies. “My cute princess.” 

“My big bear,” you smile, lips moving to his neck while you continue to swivel your hips. 

Johnny lets out a groan of appreciation and you kiss him again, tasting yourself on his tongue. You reach under your dress, wrapping your fingers around his cock and squeezing, which earns another moan from the man who makes such perfect sounds.

“How am I going to fit this inside of me?” you ask.

“You can go slow,” he assures you, already panting from your hand alone.

You pull away from his lips, sitting up straight and lifting yourself so you can adjust him beneath you. As you begin to lower yourself on his cock, you find yourself moaning desperately from just the head and the way it stretches you out so well.

You’ve taken some well endowed men before, and the tactic that always worked was small bounces, allowing your pussy to get used to the intrusion as you slowly work your way to fullness. However, Johnny’s bigger than anyone you’ve ever had.

“Relax,” he tells you, rubbing circles on your hips through your dress. “Take your time, princess.”

But you don’t want to take your time, you want him inside of you, completely. You want to feel him everywhere, and soon, you’re fully sinking down on his cock, eagerly bending over to press your lips to his again while you both moan at the feeling.

You begin to ride him, thighs straining with the effort, but the reward is worth the muscle ache, and you get lost in the feeling of his cock splitting you open. Johnny begins to meet your thrusts, abdominal muscles flexing with effort while his tongue invades your mouth and he eats up your sweet sounds.

“As much-” Johnny breaks your kiss, gasping. “As much as I like your dress, I want to see you.”

You straighten again, easily pulling the fabric from your body so all that’s left is your bra. You begin to reach behind yourself to undo the clasp, but Johnny beats you to it, sitting up and easily removing the last piece of clothing keeping you from him.

“Shit,” Johnny groans, cupping one of your breasts with his large hand while his lips find your other nipple. His teeth graze the sensitive bud and you cry out, tangling your fingers in his hair while your pussy clenches around his cock.

Johnny moans beneath you, pulling his mouth from your breasts. He looks up at you with a wildly desperate expression. “Can I take over?” he asks, breathless. “I don’t think I can hold back anymore.”

“Please.” No sooner is the word out of your mouth than his hand is securing around the small of your back and he’s rolling you both, pressing you down against the mattress as his large body dwarfs your own. 

“If it’s too much, let me know,” Johnny tells you, swallowing thickly while gazing down at your form. “I can be rough sometimes, even if I don’t mean to be.”

“I’m sure I’ll be okay,” you smile, cupping his face. “I’ve never actually said this before but… Big Bear, break my back like a glowstick.” 

Johnny laughs. “You got it, Bee.”

His lips find your neck, and you close your eyes, grabbing at his strong shoulders as his hips begin to move. 

Now that he’s on top, he’s somehow fucking you even deeper than before, and each glide of his cock against your inner walls has your toes curling in pleasure. 

He sucks on your sweet spot, making you gasp as his movements get rougher and rougher, the bed beginning to rock from the force of his thrusts. 

“John,” you whimper, body alight from the feeling of him, “Don’t stop-”

He only grins, fucking you harder, one hand lifting your leg higher on his hip so his cock can hit a spot deep inside of you that has you gasping-

“Oh my god-” 

“Close already, Bee?” Johnny chuckles.

“You just feel so good,” you tell him.

You’ve never experienced anything like this, and you’re not sure if it’s due to his big cock, his ability to use it, or the fact that you actually sort of love the guy you’re literally making love to. 

“That makes two of us,” Johnny says, kissing you again and taking your breath away.

You try to focus on his lips, to slow the orgasm building in the pit of your stomach, but it’s hard to distract from the cock that's splitting you open like nothing ever has before. 

“Shit,” your bear hybrid breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against the crook of your neck, “If you keep making sounds like that, I’m not going to last long-”

“Me neither,” you confess, although he already knew that. “John… you’ll cum with me, right?”

“How could I ever say no to you?” he groans, fingers flexing against your hips. “You’re already so tight, if you cum, I don’t think I’ll be able to help myself.”

You moan at his words, stroking your fingers across his strong back. “Please, I’m so close-”

The bear hybrid practically growls, and the sound goes straight to your core, making you throb around his cock. 

“You feel so good, I’m going insane-” you continue your praise, as every time you speak, he somehow fucks you harder. You’re not quite sure where he’s getting his stamina from, but you’ll never be one to complain about it.

Johnny lets go of your hip, and then he’s pushing his hand between your bodies, fingers finding your clit.

A strangled moan escapes you at the contact, your eyes clenching shut as your body is suddenly teetering on the edge-

“Cum for me, Bee,” he pants against your throat, “I can’t hold it any longer.” 

Your entire body tenses as pleasure erupts through you, muscles screaming at how good everything feels. Gasping sounds slip past your lips, and you hold onto Johnny’s shoulders tightly, mind completely blank as the most intense orgasm of your life overtakes you. 

The bear hybrid lets out groans of his own, hips twitching as he fills the condom, fucking you through all the pleasure. When he kisses you, you’re already breathless, and his lips don’t help the situation. You’re completely overwhelmed by Johnny, and you’ve never loved anything more.

As you come down from your highs, his thrusts slow, and he stills on top of you, cock buried deep in your pussy while you both catch your breaths. 

“Wow,” Johnny says, laughing a little to himself as his kisses move to your neck again. “That was even better than my dreams.”

“You’ve been dreaming about me a lot, haven’t you, Big Bear?” you grin, tracing nothings on his shoulders.

“More than I care to admit.” He swallows thickly. “And something tells me the dreams will only continue.”

“They better,” you smile up at him when he pulls away from your throat.

“You’re perfect, you know that?”

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

With one last kiss to your lips, Johnny rolls off of you and stands up. You can’t help but watch him as he heads to the ensuite bathroom. His body is the most perfect thing you’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing and experiencing. 

You take a few breaths while you wait for him to come back, trying to ground yourself. 

After the bathroom, Johnny heads into his walk-in closet, coming out a moment later in a pair of black briefs. “I got you a shirt,” he says, holding it out for you. “As much as I love that dress, I think this might be more comfortable for you.”

“Thanks, Big Bear,” you grin, taking it and putting it on. The fabric swallows you up, and you smile at how good it feels to be wearing his clothes. 

“I was thinking…” he sits on the bed next to you, hand smoothing up your thigh, “I’m pretty hungry after that workout. Can I make us something to eat?”

“I’d love that,” you say, sitting up. 

“Good,” he takes your hand and pulls you to your feet before finding your panties on the floor. “Here, you might want these too.”

You laugh, accepting the underwear and bending over to slip them on.

“So what’s on the menu, chef?” you ask, following him out of the bedroom.

“Well, I know it’s not much, but I was thinking avocado toast.” 

“Sounds perfect,” you grin, padding down the stairs after him to the main floor.

In the kitchen, you take a seat at the large island table, watching him as he heads to the fridge and pulls out a few ingredients. 

You’re once again struck by how wonderful the silences can be with John. There’s no pressure to fill them with words, and you can simply relax while you watch your Big Bear hybrid work.

His muscles are particularly enthralling as he pulls out a knife and opens the avocado, setting half of it down before he begins to peel off the skin.

“Look at you go,” you smile, “opening that bad boy like a pro.”

Johnny flashes you a look and then lets out a laugh. “I used to absolutely brutalize avocados,” he confesses. “Yuta’s dad owns a sushi restaurant in Japan, so he knows how to do all this cooking stuff. The first time he saw me open one of these he nearly had an aneurysm.” 

“Was it that bad?”

“I used to leave the peel on, slice it up, and then try to scoop it out with a spoon,” Johnny grins at the memory. “So yeah, pretty bad.”

You’d never have guessed Johnny would have had such humble beginnings with knife wielding, but you suppose everyone starts somewhere.

You enjoy watching his hands while he works, laying the peeled avocado flat while he slices it in perfect chunks. He’d put bread in the oven at the start, and as he finishes up with the avocado, he pulls the pan of toast out, the colour a nice golden brown.

“Do you make this sort of thing often?” you ask.

“Often enough,” Johnny nods. “Winnie likes her avocados almost as much as her honey.” He places the green slices on the bread, using a fork to press them down before he grabs salt and pepper. 

“Can’t wait to try it,” you grin.

“There’s just one last ingredient though,” Johnny tells you, finding a jar of honey sitting on the counter. You watch as he drizzles the golden liquid on top of the avocado, and you can’t help but find the bear hybrid incredibly charming. “There we go,” he smiles, putting all the pieces onto a plate before coming around the table to join you on the bar stools.

“Cheers,” you say, holding up one slice for Johnny to gently touch with his own.

“To the bears, the bees, and the honey that connects them,” he muses.

“To us,” you agree, picking up on the metaphor.

You know that there’s technically nothing special about avocado toast, but it’s still one of the best things you’ve eaten in ages, and you find yourself groaning after the first bite.

“Is it really that good?” Johnny laughs, watching your expressions with a smile.

“Better than good,” you confirm. “If running a club doesn’t work out, you could always be a chef.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Johnny nods with a smile. “You haven’t even tried my barbecue yet.”

“Something tells me you know how to handle your meat.”

The bear laughs at your comment, and you realize too late the sexual connotation of your words. 

“I didn’t mean-” you go to correct yourself, but you end up face palming instead, letting out a groan.

“You’re too cute,” Johnny assures you, resting a hand on your knee. “Hey, listen, if you want me to drive you home, I can, but… how would you feel about staying the night?”

“Really?” you blink at him.

He nods. “Really.”

“I think I’d love that,” you admit.

“Perfect, then it’s settled. Mi casa es su casa.” 

You smile at the notion of his house being your house. “Since when did you speak Spanish?” 

“There’s still a lot you don’t know about me.” His thumb rubs circles on your thigh.

“Well,” you reach down to cover his hand with your own, “I can’t wait to find out more.”

Johnny had closed the blinds last night, so when you wake up in a literal man cave, you kind of want to see the sun. However, Johnny looks so peaceful lying next to you, his plump lips just slightly parted, his fluffy ears twitching from whatever is happening in his dream land- and you think it would be a shame to wake him so abruptly to the light.

You take the time to appreciate him, wondering how you ever got so lucky to end up where you are now. You’d always had a crush on him, but you’d never expected it to be anything more.

You’re so happy that he’d felt the same way you had. If he’d never made a move and asked you out, well- you don’t want to think about that.

When you shift ever so slightly, Johnny’s eyes open, and he squints at you, letting out a groan. “Are you okay?” he asks, voice gruff from sleep.

“I’m perfect,” you tell him. “Are you waking up now?” 

“It’s too early,” Johnny grunts, pulling you closer and burrowing his face in your neck.

“I guess I’m used to waking up at this time,” you note. 

“Do you have to go? Is there work?” 

“I’m thinking of calling in sick, that is… if you want me to spend the day with you.”

“Fuck, yes please.” His breath is hot against your throat.

“I’m just going to step out to make the call, and when I come back, do you mind if I open these blinds? I know this is your bear cave and all, but if you’re going to sleep a little longer, I’d love some light to read a book or something.”

Johnny only groans, but you take it as an affirmative as you untangle yourself from his grasp.

Five minutes later, the room is lit with sunshine and you’re slipping into bed next to him again. Your family has always been extra close with the owner of Queen B’s Honey, so calling in had been simple, and you’re excited about what your day with Johnny will bring.

You’ve found a book to read, some fiction off Johnny’s bookshelf, and when you get under the covers, Johnny is quick to cuddle up next to you again. “Can I put my head in your lap?” he asks, voice as groggy as ever.

“Of course, Big Bear,” you smile, adjusting to allow him to curl up next to you. He lets out a deep breath once he’s settled, and you smooth your hands through his hair, gently scratching at the base of his ear.

Johnny lets out a deep groan. “Feels good.” 

He falls asleep just seconds later, and you continue stroking him while you read. 

Time flies by, and you’re not sure how long you’ve been reading when Johnny finally wakes up again. He lets out a soft groan, cuddling closer to your side. “Good morning.”

“Hi, sleepy bear.” 

“I had dreams about you,” he says softly.

“You did?” 

“Uh huh,” his hand strokes by your thigh. 

“What happened in your dream?” you press, gently scratching his fluffy ear.

Johnny lets out a laugh. “Maybe I shouldn’t talk about it.”

“Was it something bad?”

“Something good,” he confirms. “It involved a few cubs running around.”

Your heart thumps wildly in your chest. “Wow, John, I didn’t know you were really thinking that far ahead in the future for us.”

“I can’t help it,” he confesses, rolling onto his back to look up at you. “I know we’ve only had a few dates, but… well, I’ve been into you for months. It’s at a point where I don’t even really look at other girls, and I’m fine if you don’t want to be exclusive or anything-”

“Who said I don’t want to be exclusive?” 

A lazy smile covers Johnny’s face, and he sits up, cupping your cheek in his warm hand. “You really want to give this a try?”

“I’d be stupid not to, don’t you think?”

“I mean… I’ve met girls who will only see me as a hybrid, as someone to mess around with for a little while before finding a human partner again. I wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t see a future for us.” 

“Oh, John,” you shake your head, “I’m not like those other girls.”

“I guess not,” he leans in, pressing his lips to yours. 

You feel so blessed to be able to give this a shot with Johnny, a real shot. It’s all you’ve ever wanted, and as he pulls you into his arms, you have a feeling that everything is going to work out better than either of you could possibly imagine. 

☀️ mlist + an. thank you for reading! If you've made it to the end and want something else to read, check out Hyuck's hybrid fic here, or more of Nikki's work on her masterlist here

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🔮 preview. “Give me a sec and I’ll pull off to a residential street,” he tells you, flicking his turn signal on. “It will take a minute or two longer to get home, but something tells me you won’t mind.” He’s literally the perfect man, and you’re working to get his zipper undone the moment you’re off the main road. Johnny lifts his hips, helping you tug his jeans down just enough to get at your prize.

cw/ tw. Exhibitionism, blowing Johnny while he drives, hand job, sex outside in the forest on a car, car sex, unprotected sex, breeding kink, dirty talk, praise, quickie, etc… I pet names: (hers) Bee, Princess. (his) Big Bear, John.

👹 rating. 18+ explicit I wc. 2k I teaser wc. 350

🌙 staring. Johnny x afab!reader

bonus

Going to a baseball game is one of your favourite family outings. Between you, Johnny, his sister, and his sister’s husband, the four adults can handle the four cubs that run around you like excitable little rascals at all times.

Hotdogs and popcorn are cheap, and Winnie, as the oldest of the group of kids, spends the whole game explaining what’s happening to your sons, who are much too young to care about baseball. 

You and Johnny sit on either side of Winnie, each holding a wiggling three year old twin in your arms. Winnie’s mom and her dad are in the row just in front of you, their own two year old in their grasp.

“So now,” the nearly ten year old Winnie explains to the toddler in your arms, “the bases are fully loaded, and the game is almost over, so the guy with the big bum has to make this hit-”

Johnny murmurs the name of the player up to bat, but Winnie ignores him. She has names for each man on the pitch, and it just so happens that the man swinging has the biggest butt. 

The crack of the ball against the bat alights the stadium in cheers as everyone at their bases begin to run, and Johnny stands, holding his toddler while he watches. His baseball cap is backward, but it’s still clear by the jersey he’s wearing that he’s a home pitch superfan. “Go, go, go!” he screams. “Run, butt guy, run!” 

You love him, and your perfect family. 

You stand too, as this last run of the game is important to your evening plans. If your home team wins, Johnny’s sister will take your twins for the night and give you and Johnny some alone time. However, if her away team wins, you and Johnny are on babysitting duty.

“Go, butt guy! Go!” Winnie cheers, and you find it almost comical how the little girl has no clue that she’s helping cheer on the odds of her sweet Uncle John getting laid.

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and thanks to those who reblogged the teaser :)

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@theworld-accordingtocasey - @lydinews - @marsattacks

@saranghaesara - @seuomo - @yushin77

© smileysuh — all rights reserved. reposting/modifying of any fic, reaction, or piece of original writing posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations not allowed.

[avonne-writes]

do you think you could do #8 “Who did this to you?” From your reblog. Maybe like In the stalag when Bucky shows up and goes to give Gale a hug but Gale flinches away. Bucky is immediately worried and try’s to get Gale to spill but it doesn’t work. Blah blah blah, Bucky might see Gale interact with a guard and understands why. Idk take it your own way if you want 😅

Thank you for the prompt! 💕 Sorry for only getting to it now. I went with a different take, but I hope you like it!

8. Who did this to you?

After stumbling inside their quarters at Thorpe, Bucky tries to make his way to his bed blindly in the dark. He counts his steps to measure a distance he knows well by now, but the haze of booze makes his brain sluggish, and the numbers get all jumbled up. Nevertheless, he finds the frame of his cot, locates it with fumbling hands, and lets himself sink down on the mattress with a relieved sigh.

Except, it’s not his cot.

He lands on something simultaneously soft and bony, and gets kneed in the ribs so hard for it that he falls on his ass. Groaning, he gives in to gravity and goes limp on the floor.

"John?" Gale whispers somewhere above him. When Bucky grunts in response, one of their other roommates hisses a shut up their way. "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping." Bucky replies. He feels rather comfortable where he is. At least the room isn’t spinning. Down here, nothing wants to crawl back out of his stomach to show him exactly how much whiskey he poured down his throat to wipe their last mission from his memory.

Slim, warm hands pat at Bucky's chest, trying to locate his shoulders in the dark. When they find a good place to grip and try to pull Bucky up, Bucky turns his head and nips at Gale’s wrist.

"Come on, you big loony." Gale murmurs, completely ignoring the fact that Bucky's mouth is full of the cotton of his shirt. His teeth dig into Gale's arm. Out of curiosity, Bucky bites down harder, until Gale yanks his arm away with an annoyed huff.

"Son of a bitch." He swears under his breath, but a moment later, his hands return. They hook under Bucky's armpits to pull him up by force. "Up. On your feet, Major."

"Don’t want to." Bucky whines.

As soon as Gale gets him vertical, he starts moving to lie right back down, and finds the bed Gale has just vacated. It’s still warm from Gale’s body. He sinks into that heat with a smile, squirming until the dip Gale's body left in the mattress fits his own. Like coming home. His drunken mind imagines it would be just as comforting to climb inside Gale's body. To be one with him. Always welcome, always safe.

"All right." Gale's tired exhale brushes Bucky's ear as Gale leans over him and tugs the blanket out from under his body to drape it over him. Tucking him in like his mama would've. Or a wife.

"Should've left me on the floor." Bucky sniffs. The urge to cry makes his throat tight, but he holds it back. He’s a man, damn it.

"What kind of best friend would that make me, huh?" Gale murmurs softly. He’s so close still. His hands are on Bucky’s back and arm. He should lean in for a goodnight kiss, Bucky thinks. "Go to sleep, Bucky."

"'S your bed."

"You can borrow it tonight."

Fingers run through Bucky’s curls, a ghost of a touch, then there's nothing. Bucky turns his head into Gale's pillow because it smells like him. He falls asleep in a minute.

-

Morning arrives with a dull, heavy pain behind Bucky's eyes that he welcomes like an old friend. Most fellas get cranky when they're hungover, but it just makes Bucky feel alive. It seems as if fewer and fewer things do. Drinking. Singing, dancing, flirting. Gale.

Speaking of - Bucky should find him. Yes, that sounds like the perfect hangover cure. Getting teased by his best friend.

Still fully-clothed and wearing his boots, Bucky climbs out of bed - Gale's bed, he notes, sifting through his blurry memories from last night and coming up blank when he tries to explain it. He figures he might have tried to get in beside Gale, who thought it was better to just surrender his cot. Bucky ought'a thank him for not kicking him out to sleep on the floor.

He finds Gale by the small sink they all share, just finishing up with shaving. He’s stripped down to his undershirt and his hair is not yet slicked back with product but falls over his forehead in soft bangs. It makes him look younger. Pretty, even, if Bucky were being honest. He tries not to be though. Wouldn’t do him any good.

Grinning with all his charm, he walks up to Gale and leans on the wall beside him, his free hand in his pocket. "Hey, Buck."

"Morning." Gale says without looking away from the mirror, but there’s a small smile in the corner of his lips as he slides the blade over his skin.

Bucky has the strangest urge to offer to do the last few swipes for him. "Thanks for the bed."

"You’re welcome." Gale's voice is amused. Although there's a shadow of exhaustion under his eyes, he looks happy, so Bucky feels safe to joke around a bit.

When Gale rinses the blade and starts wiping his face, Bucky nudges him with his foot. In return, Gale flicks water at him, which tickles Bucky into a short laugh. For the first time this morning, Gale's blue eyes meet his and give him a playful look.

"You look like that chow they used to feed us back in Texas." There it is. The teasing.

Bucky grins. "Delicious, you mean?"

For a moment that steals Bucky's breath away, Gale just holds his gaze, but then he turns back to the mirror to comb his hair. "Not the word I'd use."

That's when Bucky notices the bruise on Gale’s forearm. Without thinking, he grabs Gale's hand and pulls it closer to get a better look at the mark. It’s circular, red and purpling in some places, about the width of a set of teeth. A bite mark. When Bucky brushes his thumb over it, Gale’s fingers twitch in his hold.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" Bucky asks with a frown. His protective anger rises behind the wall of confusion in his mind. It’s a fresh bruise, can't be more than a day old. Did Gale get up to something while Bucky was at the pub yesterday?

Gale uses his free hand to hike his trousers higher up his slim waist, shifting in place, but he doesn’t move the hand Bucky's holding to examine the bruise. He just stares at it, cheeks pinking. He’s standing close enough that all Bucky can smell is his aftershave, fresh on his smooth face.

"I reckon it was one of those bed-stealing fellas around here." He drawls.

Bucky swipes his thumb over the mark again distractedly before realization hits him.

"Did I do this?" He asks, horrified. When Gale hums yes, it’s like a rock of guilt falling right on Bucky’s heart. He lets go of Gale's hand and rubs his palm over his own face. His hangover swells into a wave of nausea he swallows back down. "Shit. I'm sorry, Buck. Can’t even remember."

"It was good whiskey, huh?" Gale smiles and picks up the towel he wiped his face with earlier. When Bucky gives him an apologetic look, he swats at him with it. "It’s fine, John."

A memory hits Bucky like a bucketful of ice. Back in flight school, on one of their first longer leaves, Gale actually went home to see his Ma in Wyoming because she was bedridden with a chest cold, and they feared she might pass. She made it through, but for what good, Bucky isn't sure, because Gale rarely ever writes her and hasn’t been to Casper since.

But that one time, he visited his parents. Bucky won't forget how it went anytime soon. The first day Gale came back to base, he was sporting a fading shiner on his right cheek. Dark blue pain under pale skin. He clammed up about how he got it, but Bucky prodded, kept asking the same question, who did this to you? Until Gale confessed that he had a fight with his father. The man was drunk. But it's fine, John, Gale told him, pursing his lips. Nothing that won't heal.

Discomfort ripples through Bucky, bitter on his tongue and heavy in his heart. Gale's smiling now, unlike that day in flight school, but there are too many similarities. Bucky has to, he needs to make it better.

"I didn’t mean to hurt you." He says sincerely.

"I know." Gale nods.

Bucky bites his lip. He can’t think of anything else to make it clearer that he’s nothing like Gale's bastard of a father. There’s so little he can give. He has nothing to offer but his company. "Let me make it up to you. Come to London with me. We could both use a break. Let's go paint the town red."

The tip of Gale's pink tongue pokes out between his lips for a second as he considers it. Instinctively, Bucky's gaze drops to the motion before he looks back to Gale's eyes again. "I don't know about that."

There's a wariness in his voice that wasn’t there before. Bucky hates it. He doesn’t know what put it there, but he wants it gone. He claps a hand on Gale's elbow and gives him a friendly squeeze. "Come on. We can go look at all the sights you wanna see, then I'll take you to a pub and buy you the best ginger beer you've ever had."

Gale gives him a lopsided smile. "Is that a bet?"

Bucky smirks. "A promise." He moves to take Gale's place at the sink, but Gale doesn’t step back immediately, which puts their faces so close to each other that for a split second, Bucky imagines crossing the remaining distance. "Tell you what. We could even split the hotel costs."

A fond light shines in Gale's eyes. He steps away with a chuckle and throws the towel at Bucky. "Go wash your face, Egan."

Grinning, Bucky opens the tap and does just that. That wasn’t a no, he notes. Excitement tingles in his limbs. His blood pumps warm joy through his body with every heartbeat. He has never felt more alive than this, but he wonders if he could. And if yes... would London do the trick?

[g0dspeeed]

Afternoon Walks With The Golden Boy of The Whitetail Militia

"Uncle John?"

The former Herald smirked. He had wondered if the small boy perched on his shoulders was awake or not for such long bouts of silence were rare.

"Hm?"

"Uncle John," repeated River's sleepy voice amongst the ambient hiss of cicadas. "How come we only walk 'round here?"

The 'round here' that River was referring to was the assortment of small hills North of the Whitetail settlement. Adorned with vibrant wildflowers and very few trees, the area made all who trekked through visible for miles. In other words: Everyone could have eyes on the former Baptist of Eden's Gate as he totted the son of Eli Palmer on his shoulders.

"Because your mother said, darling boy, and I'd rather remain in her good graces."

"But it's boring. And my Mama ain't here--"

"Mm, I'm afraid that it's still not worth the risk."

"Chicken shit--"

"Language. And no, I'm simply wise. Believe me, only an idiot would go toe to toe with your mother."

"My Daddy does," chirped the child.

John held his tongue, held back the venom. It was easier to do so these days, censoring himself for the sake of the little ears around him. He exhaled.

"Your father is, ah, a special breed, River."

The Golden Boy of the Whitetail Militia hummed something contemplative. His soft cheek pressed down into the locks of John's hair.

"Is that why you don't see eye to eye with 'im? Or is that only 'cause my Daddy's way taller than you?"

John took another long breath.

Finished this one on a whim 💕

How the Baptist met my precious bebe

[hbowartournament]

rarepair tournament round 2

a huge thank you to everyone that voted, campaigned, and created fanworks for round 1 of this tournament and a special thank you to tierney @kbsd for helping me compile these numbers. we are off to such a great start—198.3% of steals in the first round alone! and now, let round 2 begin...enjoy, and good luck! 💕

i will be posting a roundup of all the steal fanworks from round 1 shortly, but here is a summary of all the round 1 matchups and stats:

there were five successful steals this round:

Bill Leyden/Snafu Shelton over Buck Compton/George Luz

John Brady/Robert Rosenthal over Joe Liebgott/Don Malarkey

Robert Leckie/Mama Karamanlis over Marge Spencer/Bucky Egan

Bill Guarnere/John Hall over Lena Basilone/Vera Leckie

Henry Jones/David Webster over Joe Liebgott/George Luz

these are the ships that had the most steal fanworks:

Bill Guarnere/John Hall: +29.3%

Bill Leyden/Jay de L'Eau: +28.3%

Robert Leckie/Mama Karamanlis: +25.4%

Helen/Tatty Spaatz: +22.0%

Lena Basilone/Vera Leckie: +18.4%

Henry Jones/David Webster: +14.2%

Bill Leyden/Snafu Shelton: +13.7%

Bucky Egan/Marge Spencer: +12.2%

Babe Heffron/Eugene Roe/Renée Lemaire: +4.8%

Lewis Nixon/Dick Winters/Eugene Roe: +4.4%

the most competitive matchups were:

Bill/Jay vs. Helen/Tatty: 50.3% combined steals

Guarnere/Hall vs. Lena/Vera: 47.7% combined steals

Bucky/Marge vs. Leckie/Mama: 37.6% combined steals

there was one tie, between Curt Biddick/Bubbles Payne/Harry Crosby and Bucky Egan/Jack Kidd. the narrowest margin of victory was 0.1%: Bill Leyden/Snafu Shelton over Buck Compton/George Luz (a steal!). the widest margin of victory was 77.2%: Babe Heffron/Eugene Roe/Ralph Spina over John Julian/Ralph Spina.

here are the full matchup results:

ALEX JEFFERSON/BUCK CLEVEN vs. Don Malarkey/Herbert Sobel (x) Alex/Buck: 86.1% Malarkey/Sobel: 13.9%

Moe Alley/Alton More/Smokey Gordon vs. BUCK COMPTON/DON MALARKEY (x) Alley/More/Smokey: 29.2% Buck/Malarkey: 70.8%

Andy Haldane/Eddie Jones/Eugene Sledge vs. CHUCKLER JUERGENS/ROBERT LECKIE (x) Andy/Eddie/Sledge: 34.9% Chuckler/Leckie: 65.1%

Andy Haldane/Eugene Sledge vs. LEWIS NIXON/DICK WINTERS/FLOYD TALBERT (x) Andy/Sledge: 44.8% (+0.5%) = 45.3% Nix/Winters/Tab: 55.2%

ANNA CHIWY/RENÉE LEMAIRE vs. Carwood Lipton/George Luz/Ron Speirs (x) Anna/Renée: 56.0% (+0.5%) = 56.5% Lipton/Luz/Speirs: 44.0%

BABE HEFFRON/EUGENE ROE/RENÉE LEMAIRE vs. Harry Crosby/Howard Hamilton (x) Babe/Roe/Renée: 83.7% (+4.8%) = 88.5% Crosby/Hambone: 16.3%

BABE HEFFRON/EUGENE ROE/RALPH SPINA vs. John Julian/Ralph Spina (x) Babe/Roe/Spina: 88.6% Julian/Spina: 11.4%

Babe Heffron/Joe Toye vs. HOOSIER SMITH/ROBERT LECKIE/STELLA KARAMANLIS (x) Babe/Toye: 41.0% Hoosier/Leckie/Stella: 59.0%

CURT BIDDICK/BUBBLES PAYNE/HARRY CROSBY vs. BUCKY EGAN/JACK KIDD (x) TIE: both ships will advance to the next round Curt/Bubbles/Crosby: 49.8% (+0.5%) = 50.3% Bucky/Jack: 50.2% (+0.1%) = 50.3%

CURT BIDDICK/BUCK CLEVEN vs. Buck Cleven/Bucky Egan/Harry Crosby (x) Curt/Buck: 56.5% Buck/Bucky/Crosby: 43.5%

CURT BIDDICK/BUCK CLEVEN/BUCKY EGAN vs. Jay De L'Eau/Eugene Sledge (x) Curt/Buck/Bucky: 65.0% (+2.0%) = 67.0% Jay/Sledge: 35.0%

BILL LEYDEN/JAY DE L'EAU vs. Helen/Tatty Spaatz (x) Bill/Jay: 51.5% (+28.3%) = 79.8% Helen/Tatty: 48.5% (+22.0%) = 70.5%

Bill Leyden/Eugene Sledge vs. CHUCK GRANT/JOE LIEBGOTT/FLOYD TALBERT (x) Bill/Sledge: 42.7% Chuck/Joe/Tab: 57.3%

BILL LEYDEN/SNAFU SHELTON vs. Buck Compton/George Luz (x) SUCCESSFUL STEAL! Bill/Snafu: 43.2% (+13.7%) = 56.9% Buck/Luz: 56.8%

Everett Blakely/John Brady/Harry Crosby vs. HARRY CROSBY/JAMES DOUGLASS (x) Blakely/Brady/Crosby: 42.2% Crosby/Douglass: 57.8% (+1.4%) = 59.2%

Everett Blakely/Harry Crosby/James Douglass vs. SHIFTY POWERS/FLOYD TALBERT (x) Blakely/Crosby/Douglass: 30.3% Shifty/Tab: 69.7%

Albert Blithe/Eugene Roe vs. BENNY DEMARCO/RICHARD MACON (x) Blithe/Roe: 25.6% (+1.3%) = 26.9% DeMarco/Macon: 74.4%

John Brady/Bucky Egan vs. SID PHILLIPS/EUGENE SLEDGE (x) Brady/Bucky: 22.5% (+0.3%) = 22.8% Sid/Sledge: 77.5%

JOHN BRADY/BUCKY EGAN/JOHN HOERR vs. Stormy Becker/Smokey Stover (x) Brady/Bucky/Hoerr: 55.9% Stormy/Smokey: 44.1%

John Brady/Harry Crosby vs. ROBERT LECKIE/RUNNER CONLEY (x) Brady/Crosby: 30.2% (+0.9%) = 31.1% Leckie/Runner: 69.8%

John Brady/Howard Hamilton vs. LEWIS NIXON/DICK WINTERS/EUGENE ROE (x) Brady/Hambone: 41.7% (+2.7%) = 44.4% Nix/Dick/Roe: 58.3% (+4.4%) = 59.4%

JOHN BRADY/ROBERT ROSENTHAL vs. Joe Liebgott/Don Malarkey (x) SUCCESSFUL STEAL! Brady/Rosie: 48.1% (+6.2%) = 54.3% Joe/Malarkey: 51.9%

BUBBLES PAYNE/HARRY CROSBY/JEAN CROSBY vs. Hoosier Smith/Mama Karamanlis (x) Bubbles/Crosby/Jean: 77.9% Hoosier/Mama: 22.1%

Bucky Egan/Charles Cruikshank vs. ROBERT LECKIE/SID PHILLIPS (x) Bucky/Crank: 21.4% (+1.4%) = 22.8% Leckie/Sid: 78.6%

Bucky Egan/Harry Crosby vs. JOHN BASILONE/MANNY RODRIGUEZ (x) Bucky/Crosby: 36.9% John/Manny: 63.1%

Bucky Egan/Marge Spencer vs. ROBERT LECKIE/MAMA KARAMANLIS (x) SUCCESSFUL STEAL! Bucky/Marge: 55.6% (+12.2%) = 67.8% Leckie/Mama: 44.4% (+25.4%) = 69.7%

BUCKY EGAN/ROBERT ROSENTHAL vs. Joe Liebgott/Joe Toye (x) Bucky/Rosie: 54.7% Joe/Toye: 45.3%

ROMUS BURGIN/EUGENE SLEDGE/SNAFU SHELTON vs. Earl McClung/Shifty Powers (x) Burgie/Sledge/Snafu: 55.9% McClung/Shifty: 44.1%

Romus Burgin/Snafu Shelton vs. DON MALARKEY/SKIP MUCK/ALEX PENKALA (x) Burgie/Snafu: 30.9% Malarkey/Skip/Penk: 69.1%

PAT CHRISTENSON/CHUCK GRANT vs. Eugene Sledge/Smokey Gordon (x) Christenson/Chuck: 56.0% Sledge/Smokey: 44.0%

CHUCK GRANT/JOE LIEBGOTT vs. Curt Biddick/Ken Lemmons/Robert Rosenthal (x) Chuck/Joe: 62.9% Curt/Ken/Rosie: 37.1%

CHUCK GRANT/JOE LIEBGOTT/DAVID WEBSTER vs. Joe Liebgott/Eugene Roe (x) Chuck/Joe/Web: 54.3% Joe/Roe: 45.7% (+2.0%) = 47.7%

Hugh Corrigan/Robert Leckie vs. ROBERT LECKIE/VERA LECKIE (x) Corrigan/Leckie: 18.2% Leckie/Vera: 81.8%

Hugh Corrigan/Spearmint Stone vs. MARY HOUSTON/SID PHILLIPS/EUGENE SLEDGE (x) Corrigan/Stone: 29.9% Mary/Sid/Sledge: 70.1%

Charles Cruikshank/John Brady vs. HOWARD HAMILTON/FRANK MURPHY (x) Crank/Brady: 42.7% Hambone/Murphy: 57.3%

Charles Cruikshank/James Douglass vs. ROBERT LECKIE/SID PHILLIPS/EUGENE SLEDGE (x) Crank/Douglass: 27.6% Leckie/Sid/Sledge: 72.4%

DICK WINTERS/HARRY WELSH vs. Thomas Peacock/Edward Shames (x) Dick/Harry: 59.4% Peacock/Shames: 40.6% (+0.5%) = 41.1%

David Dobie/Lewis Nixon vs. DON MALARKEY/JOE TOYE (x) Dobie/Nix: 46.1% Malarkey/Toye: 53.9%

Everett Blakely/Tatty Spaatz vs. JAMES DOUGLASS/HELEN (x) Blakely/Tatty: 35.5% Douglass/Helen: 64.5%

Buck Cleven/Ken Lemmons vs. LEWIS NIXON/FLOYD TALBERT (x) Buck/Ken: 48.2% Nix/Tab: 51.8%

Tony Garcia/Lester Hashey vs. ROBERT LECKIE/EUGENE SLEDGE (x) Garcia/Hashey: 33.5% Leckie/Sledge: 66.5%

Ronnie Gibson/Jay De L'Eau vs. JOE LIEBGOTT/ED TIPPER (x) Gibson/Jay: 14.1% Joe/Tipper: 85.9%

BILL GUARNERE/JOHN HALL vs. Lena Basilone/Vera Leckie (x) SUCCESSFUL STEAL! Guarnere/Hall: 46.6% (+29.3%) = 75.9% Lena/Vera: 53.4% (+18.4%) = 73.8%

BILL GUARNERE/JOE TOYE vs. Thomas Meehan/Dick Winters (x) Guarnere/Toye: 71.1% Meehan/Dick: 28.7%

HOOSIER SMITH/SID PHILLIPS vs. Jack Kidd/Robert Rosenthal (x) Hoosier/Sid: 61.4% Jack/Rosie: 38.6%

Eugene Jackson/Allen Vest vs. LEWIS NIXON/RON SPEIRS (x) Jackson/Vest: 14.3% Nix/Speirs: 85.7%

JOHN BASILONE/LENA BASILONE vs. Popeye Wynn/Shifty Powers (x) John/Lena: 72.2% Popeye/Shifty: 27.8%

HENRY JONES/DAVID WEBSTER vs. Joe Liebgott/George Luz (x) SUCCESSFUL STEAL! Jones/Web: 44.2% (+14.2%) = 58.4% Joe/Luz: 55.8%

Robert Leckie/Cpl. Ruddiger vs. ALTON MORE/SMOKEY GORDON (x) Leckie/Ruddiger: 36.1% (+3.5%) = 39.6% More/Smokey: 63.9%

ROBERT LECKIE/DAVID WEBSTER vs. Shifty Powers/Ron Speirs (x) Leckie/Web: 53.4% Shifty/Speirs: 46.6%

LENA BASILONE/STELLA KARAMANLIS vs. Carwood Lipton/Smokey Gordon (x) Lena/Stella: 54.8% Lip/Smokey: 45.2%

GEORGE LUZ/DON MALARKEY vs. Eugene Roe/Joe Toye (x) Luz/Malarkey: 59.7% Roe/Toye: 40.3% (+1.4%) = 41.7%

DON MALARKEY/ALTON MORE vs. Robert Oswalt/Eugene Sledge (x) Malarkey/More: 58.4% Oswalt/Sledge: 41.6%

RENÉE LEMAIRE/SKINNY SISK vs. Smokey Gordon/Eugene Roe (x) Renée/Skinny: 63.6% (+0.5%) = 64.1% Smokey/Roe: 36.4%

Shifty Powers/Skinny Sisk vs. FLOYD TALBERT/RON SPEIRS (x) Shifty/Skinny: 41.2% Tab/Speirs: 58.8%

[brotherwtf]

a small snippet from my age gap Christmas fic?

“Used to do this all the time when I was younger, my mama always let me stay home from school on the first snow, would make me hot cocoa and everything, would play all of my favorite records while I sat next to the fire… you want hot cocoa, Gale?” John asks, his voice deep from sleep. Gale smiles, running his fingers through John's hair, imagining a much younger John who was all smiles and missing teeth, cozied up by the fire with his favorite blanket wrapped around his shoulders as white flurries fall outside. Gale's mother never made Gale cocoa, never did any of that. All his mother would do was wrap a warm jacket around him and give him a kiss on the forehead, telling him to stay safe. “Nah, never got hot cocoa when I was a kid, don't even know if I'd like it much,” Gale admits and John pulls away from him like Gale just told him Christmas was cancelled. “Well that certainly won't do, doll, c’mon, I'm gonna make you some hot cocoa and we ain't gonna do anything all day. Nothing all day, baby,” John says, caressing Gale's cheek again and kissing his nose.

coming to AO3 around Christmas time!! can't wait to share this with all of you guys 💕

[anamenooneowns]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖MEETING JJ

an: another moodboard/ficlet ig? is this allowed? um, youre from nyc in this one and moved to the obx, yeah. if you didnt get the memo either with the moodboard you're black and you say a few words in Spanish bc youre also hispanic (idk how to speak Spanish so if its wrong i'm apologizing beforehand😃) enjoy!

DNI IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN AGE IN YOUR BIO. THIS BLOCK BUTTON GOES BRAZY

"Ma, why'd we move here again?" you groaned, tugging at your shirt to generate some sort of cool air as you walked in the sun.

Your mother ignored your question after having answered it for the umpteenth time. Rent was rising crazily in NYC and it was getting more dangerous by the day. And your family down here that she had lost contact with due to her own mother practically begged your mother to come back down and just move in, so that's exactly what your parents did.

The culture down South was something you weren't acclimated to. In NYC, people kept their heads down and kept it pushing, but you were perceived here. 'Good morning/afternoon/evening' along with 'Sir' and 'Ma'am' were integrating themselves into your vocabulary. Still, it was obvious these folks didn't exactly... like you. They didn't like the way you dressed with multiple gold chains on your neck and rings galore, or the fact that your nails were so long, and too many old people commented that they could hang onto your hoops.

It was annoying.

"Oh, mama, go into the beauty supply right there and see if they have products for our hair. Here- take this to pay for it, and get us some drinks too from the deli, it's hot as hell out here," your mother ushered you away, pushing three twenties into your hand.

You sighed and turned on your heel, going into the beauty supply and greeting the cashier before scanning the shelves. Thankfully, they had all the products your family used and it came out much cheaper than it would have in your old store when you paid for it. Next was the store at the corner of the strip mall. Your mother drove you out here since you definitely wouldn't find what you guys needed in the rich part of the island so you had to come to what your extended family called 'The Cut'.

"Dude, I-I'm tellin' you this is the right idea, when have I ever led you astr- fuck," a voice hissed.

You gasped as something wet poured down your front, ruining your crop-top and getting you sticky in the process. Slowly, you looked up, mean mug getting even meaner as you glared at some blond who was looking down at you with his eyes wide and pink lips parted like a damn fish, some other boy behind him.

You were yelling at him, that much he could tell, but all he could see was some phantom light shining behind you and making you look even more ethereal in presence and all he could hear was 'Sha la la la la, la laaaa'.

"He-fucking-llo?" you hissed, snapping your fingers in his face. "Does he have a brain or something?" was directed at his tall, brown-haired friend who sputtered as he tried to apologize for JJ, elbowing him.

"I... huh? Oh, shit! I'm sorry, my bad," he grabbed tissues and started to dry your own shirt for you making you freeze up, eyes widening while John B watched in literal horror as his dumbass best friend dabbed the paper towels against your chest.

Smack!

"Eres un idiota," was the last thing you said before leaving.

And JJ was touching his cheek and looking at the door where you left like a lovesick puppy as your fragrance of vanilla and shea butter lingered. "Dude... I think I'm in love."

an: comments and reblogs are appreciated! thanks for reading💕

[softmamawrites]

And Then There Was You: Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of ATTWY - a little more of bitter John, but Gale is slowly melting that icy exterior. More of the little twinies 🥰 and of course more mama John

Words: 14.4k

Warnings: sad boy hour for Gale in the beginning, bitter bitch John, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, sad boy John, vaginal bleeding (not graphic), medical vaginal examination, stitches removal (not graphic), lactation kink, cumming in pants, cumming untouched, medical anxiety, two grown men having a good constructive conversation

Thank you to @trashbag-baby666 for helping me and listening to me scream about mama John and his little babies 💕

Moodboard by me

Dividers by: @sweetmelodygraphics

“He’s back…and apparently he’s going to sit in the rain.” Brady says as he looks out the front window to see Gale sitting on their porch steps now. The rain having come in quickly, pouring down in an even drizzle. Benny looks up from where he’s mixing the pasta with the sauce, the oven preheating next to him. Watching as his fiancé stands with his arms crossed in the doorway of the kitchen, staring at their old Major.

“You gonna go talk to him?”

“Me? This is your mess, I told you, I warned you Bernard.” Johnny responds as he turns to look at his husband, the Italian man holding up his hands in mock surrender. Before he’s pointing with a noise at the dinner he’s preparing, an extra dish of it to the side to bring to John’s. Brady letting out a deep sigh before he’s shaking his head at the younger man.

Stepping into the hallway and going towards their front door, huffing quietly. Looking through the screen at the way Gale is sitting there still, not seeming to even notice that the rain is hitting him. His blond hair flattened to his head, toothpick long gone from his mouth.

Johnny wonders if he saw the twins, if John was outside on the porch swing. Or if John had seen Gale coming and stopped him from getting any closer. He knew John was upset with him and Benny, he had already received one phone call from the older man. He didn’t blame John, he really didn’t, it took John a long time to tell them who the father was.

Brady had finally managed to get it out of him one night, the three of them had been up in the nursery. Benny finishing up the crib, and building a small bookshelf for the few books John had managed to find so far. John was sitting in the rocking chair that Brady had found at the thrift store. Hands on his belly as he rocked quietly, before he softly told them that the baby was Gale’s.

Johnny had had an inkling, but he didn’t want to push at all. He had known the two Majors were inseparable in the camp, just like him and Benny had been. What he hadn’t expected was Gale just uping and leaving, leaving John at the train station. He didn’t expect Gale to just pretend John didn’t exist ever again, or to abandon him.

Truth be told, he wasn’t sure what was going through Gale’s head. They had exchanged a few letters over the course of the past few months. But neither Benny nor Brady had mentioned a word about John, it wasn’t their place. If Gale wanted to get ahold of John, he could figure out how to go about that. Brady opens the front screen door, letting it close quietly behind him.

“You didn’t tell me.” Gale says softly as he sits on the other man’s porch, the sound of the door opening having pulled him from his little reverie. His hands stuffed into his pockets as he sits there, thinking back to how tiny the babies were. The one having tight blonde curls, and the other dark haired. Curled up into tiny little balls against John’s chest, Gale can feel the tears starting.

“It wasn’t my place to tell you Gale…trust me. John is not happy with us right now. He’s been through the wringer the last 8 ½ months now, we were surprised to run into him to begin with. Even more surprised when he agreed to move down the street from us. I don’t know the entire story of what happened, he refused to tell us who the father was for the longest time. He was trying to protect you still, and I don’t really understand why. It isn’t my place to know his thought process. But he’s a good mama Gale, and I’ll be damned if you are going to hurt him again.” Brady states as he stands there, voice completely even with his arms crossed over his chest.

Looking at the blond Major, hair completely flat on his head. The rain having soaked down into his clothes, looking almost like a drowned rat. Sighing softly he goes back inside to grab a towel, Benny coming back with him. Both of them getting Gale into the house, Benny getting him up and into their bathroom for a shower. Before he’s coming back down by his fiancé, seeing him leaning against the door frame on the phone.

“I know John, I’m not saying to fold to him. I’m saying to give him a chance, it’s up to you if you want to. Now do you have dinner for tonight? Because Benny made that pasta dish you like…okay, alright. I’ll bring it by for lunch for you tomorrow. Give Ruthie and Milo kisses from Uncle Benny and I.” Brady hangs up the phone, groaning softly as he rubs his hands down his face. Benny leaning against the counter across from him, both of them sharing a look. Knowing this is going to be a very long road, John was stubborn when he wanted to be.

———————-

“Milo…Milo please, you’ve got to latch. You’re hungry…mama’s got it right here.” John tries to soothe his son, exhausted from the almost one hour crying session. Ruthie having woken up first to eat, get her diaper changed, she was reswaddled and back to sleep rather quickly. Milo had woken up just as John was laying Ruth back down, screaming like his life was ending. The little boy kicking his legs weakly, while John changed his diaper and then tried to nurse him. Milo fighting him every step of the way, turning his head and screaming louder.

“Shhh bubba…mama’s got you.” John whispers as he stands from the bed carefully, wincing at the tugging sensation in his groin. Beginning to walk the length of his room again, he could feel milk dripping from his nipple. Initiated by Milo’s screams, he knew his son was hungry, why he fought John so hard he would never understand. He gently pats Milo’s back, trying to get him to relax enough to latch on. Adjusting the baby again and looking down into his little red face, tears welling in John’s own eyes. Before he’s trying again feebly to get Milo to nurse, a brief image of the formula in the cupboard filling his mind. Shaking his head slightly he shifts again, sitting on the bed.

“There we go…I knew you were hungry.” John murmurs once Milo has latched on, hungrily pulling at John’s nipple. Making the man wince at the tenderness, rubbing his big hand down the back of the baby’s head. Feeling his downy soft hair, breathing deeply as he feels that tingly sensation of his milk dropping. Milo’s little gulps being heard, John’s eyes closing for just a moment as he sits there. Peeking over at a still sleeping Ruth, letting out a deep sigh.

“I love you Milo.” The man says as he runs his hand over the back of his son’s head, breathing deeply as he sits there. Feeling his little hand coming up to rest on his chest, John’s thumb coming down to brush across his soft skin. Smiling a bit as he looks at him, watching as his eyes flutter, beginning to grow tired. The midwife had told him to not let the babies get used to falling asleep at his chest. But he couldn’t bring himself to unlatch them when they were nursing, especially not when he fought with Milo to get him to latch sometimes.

He feels the baby disconnect a few minutes later, little milk dribbles down his chin as he sleeps peacefully against John’s naked chest. The man rises up slowly, getting the baby wrapped in his blanket, laying him down in his bassinet. John quietly gets into bed himself, getting somewhat comfortable facing both babies on his side.

-2 days later-

John sighs softly as he opens the front door to see Gale weeding the front yard. Going along the fence as he works, having borrowed the weeding tools from Benny. John slowly makes his way down the porch, both babies cradled in one of his arms. He struggled with putting them down, constantly worrying something would happen if he walked away. He would miss a cry, miss a sign they were hungry, one of them would stop breathing, one of them would roll over and suffocate themselves.

Even if he knew rationally they wouldn’t be able to roll over yet, it was a petrifying fear of his. He struggled with even taking a shower sometimes, having begun to roll the bassinet into the bathroom. Both babies usually sleeping when he did shower, he could flick the curtain open to look at them. And that seemed to ease some of his discomfort, holding them and feeling them breathe was what helped him the most.

John would sometimes sit up at night to watch them breathe, laying in his bed or even sitting on the side of it. Counting the breaths that both babies take, terrified that if he closes his eyes he’ll miss something. Sometimes when he closes his eyes he sees Ruthie’s lips turning blue again. Or he hears Milo’s little choking noise as he struggled to bring in air. So holding them and keeping them against his body was his best answer to those thoughts and fears.

“Go home Gale.” John sighs as he steps onto the sidewalk to go and check the mail, he was waiting on his check from the military. He needed to pay the electric bill, pay the water bill, and get some groceries if he had any leftover money. That was part of the reason Benny and Brady were so hard up on making sure he was fed. Gale looks up from where he’s been working, smiling softly when he sees the babies.

Their little bodies curled and tucked into John’s chest, sleeping soundly against their mama. Gale’s eyes watching as John holds them both, seeming to have gotten a good handle on how to keep them both close.

Benny had broken down and told him their names, Ruth Adelaide and Milo Curtis, he had also told Gale of how John birthed them at home, 6 entire weeks early. Ruthie first completely by himself, and then a surprise with Milo. Both Brady and Benny had been there to help that time, the midwife finally showing up just as John had pushed Milo out. It made Gale admire John even more, thinking about how scared John must have been. But John just pushed through to have the babies, and Gale was glad John had Brady and Benny with him for the end of it.

“Good morning John…good morning babies.” He hums the ending as he kneels there in the grass, watching as the older man slowly makes his way to the mailbox. Gale frowning when he sees the little limp that John still has, Benny had mentioned that John was pushing himself too hard. He almost refused any help from the boys, adamant he could take care of the twins by himself. John checks the mailbox, pulling out a few envelopes, a little sigh of relief leaving his mouth. Before he’s turning to head back towards the house, adjusting the littles in his arm. Both of them peacefully sleeping, having kept John up half of the night.

“Benny sent me with food, it’s on the porch.” Gale says as he nods at the paper bag sitting on the porch swing. John tenses for a second, before he’s slowly climbing the stairs, adjusting the twins and grabbing the bag. Going back in the house and shutting the door, Gale letting out a soft sigh as he kneels in the grass. Wiping his brow before he sets off on continuing his task, he knew the lawn had to be driving John crazy. He would run the lawn mower that Benny and Brady have, but he didn’t want to risk waking the babies up. Benny had suggested starting small with John, and this was new for Gale.

John being volatile angry with him was new, he had never made the older man angry with him before. They had always been close, thicker than thieves right away when they met. So seeing this side of John was heart breaking for Gale, it made him nauseous. It made his insides twist painfully, he wanted the old John back. The one who would squeeze his cheeks playfully, smack his hand down on his thigh. Take up the space next to Gale unapologetically, now he seemed like a shell of himself.

-3 weeks old-

Gale quietly walks up the steps of John’s house, feeling as one creeks a bit. Making a mental note to see if Benny had some tools he could borrow to fix it. His head lifting as he hears screaming on the other side of the door, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. Realizing it’s both babies that are crying at the same time, he can just hear John’s voice. Chewing on his lower lip he cracks open the door, the wailing getting louder.

“John? It’s Gale…do you need any help?” He asks, stepping in farther towards the living room, following the screams. Before he hears the crack in John’s voice, getting into the living room. Seeing the chaos that has unfolded, both babies shrieking from where John has them pressed against his chest.

John rocking slowly back and forth with them both, stripped down to his briefs. A bright red stain on the crotch of his underwear, tears tracking down John’s own cheeks as he tries to soothe the babies. He’s leaking milk down his chest to his stomach, the waist band of his underwear sticking to him because of it.

“John, hey John, it’s me Gale. Can I help at all?” Gale questions as he looks at the older man, worried by the blood and the way he’s rocking. Like he’s not even here at this point, all three of them crying together. Gale wonders how many times this has happened, he takes a deep breath. Stepping around to gently lay his hand on John’s bicep, trying to get his attention. Bloodshot eyes opening to look at him, before John is recoiling.

“Go away…just, go away.” John croaks out, trying to get up but wincing and having to stay seated. He had been up on his feet too much lately, he wasn’t resting, he had started bleeding heavier again. Gale sits on the coffee table and looks at him, taking a deep breath again.

Seeing the way John is refusing to look at him now, both babies still hollering. John trying to rock them gently, his midsection sore and irritated, his core was throbbing at this point. He felt wet and sticky in his briefs, he needed to get up and change. But neither baby was giving up the ghost this morning, they had been up since just after 330am.

“John, please let me help. I can take one so you can feed the other, or I could try to change diapers. Just let me do something.” Gale pleads quietly as he looks at the man who holds a chunk of his heart. John finally looking at him, defeated tears in his eyes as he sits there. Before he’s taking a deep breath and sniffling quietly, trying to balance both babies as he goes to rise again.

“Tell me what to grab and I’ll grab it John.” The blond says as he stands up, going to grab the items that John tells him. The babies still screaming, it making Gale’s ears ring and feel slightly numb. He hurries back with two fresh cloth diapers, a few cloth wipes, new sleepers, and a cup of water for John. He watches as John carefully lays Ruthie down on the couch, her little arms and legs kicking as she bawls. Milo wailing from where he’s got his face pressed into John’s collar bone, Gale kneels next to the couch. Gently shifting Ruthie around, her feet kicking sporadically while John rests his hand down to rub over her soft hair.

“I’ve never changed a diaper before…but it can’t be that difficult right?” Gale asks as he looks up at the older man, John shakes his head softly. Starting to explain the cloth diaper to Gale, shifting Milo around in his arms to try to get him to latch. The baby screeching as he tries to pull away, John breathing deeply before he’s carefully turning Milo back. Rubbing his nipple across Milo’s lips, little drips of milk leaking down into his mouth. The baby turning his head to latch on, greedily gulping and pulling down milk. John’s eyes closing at the zing of pain that goes down his spine, trying to adjust Milo slightly.

“There…I think that’s right. Right?” Gale asks once he’s gotten the diaper secured, John looking over at Ruthie. Her screams having quieted slightly, still fussing and turning her head to face John. The black haired man’s hand coming down to gently rub over her head again. Eyes examining the diaper before he nods again, Gale picking up the sleeper he grabbed. A soft pink colored one, Gale carefully getting her dressed before John is going to lift her up. Adjusting how he’s sitting with a wince, hooking his arm under her little body into a football hold. Before he’s leading her to his free nipple, nose scrunching as she latches on hungrily.

“When he’s done do you want me to take him? I can change him.” Gale offers, watching as John sits there holding both babies. Sitting criss crossed, his eyes closing as he focuses on his breathing. He squirms slightly at the pain in his groin, before he’s looking down at his quiet babies. Milo staring up at him, little fingers gripping at John’s chest, while Ruth nurses slowly. Her kicks having subsided, her body tucked into John as she suckles in even pulls.

“He’ll be done soon…you can change him.” John murmurs after a few minutes, seeing Gale nod his head softly. Before he’s grabbing the cup of water and offering it to John, frowning when he realizes that both of his hands are occupied. The blond kneeling up more to bring it to John’s lips, the older watching closely. Accepting the cup against his mouth, sipping at the water slowly while watching Gale with a critical gaze.

“Okay…it can’t be that much different from changing your sister.” The blond murmurs as he lays an almost asleep Milo down on the couch by John. Watching as the older man adjusts Ruth against his chest, the little girl drowsy now. Gale undoes his sleeper, before he’s getting down to the diaper. John watching from the corner of his eye, waiting for what he knows is coming. Gale undoing the diaper and reaching for the cloth wipes, while pulling the diaper down. John biting his lip and bringing his hand up to cover Milo’s face as he starts to pee. Spraying Gale’s throat and shirt, a shocked expression on the blond’s face. It taking everything in John to not laugh, feeling some pee hit his hand where he’s blocking Milo’s face.

“You knew that was going to happen.”

“I did…he’s gotten all of us. He got Benny in the face.” Gale nods softly, trying not to pout at all as he works carefully to change Milo’s diaper. John brushing his large hand across the baby’s soft hair. His little head tilting to the side as he sleeps soundly, John letting out a deep breath. Looking down at Ruth who is asleep on his chest, the man freezing slightly when he realizes he’s been sitting here in front of Gale in just his briefs. He feels a red hot flush of embarrassment take over, eyes closing as he wills the tears not to start back up. Shifting to carefully get up, carrying Ruth to the double bassinet he has down here.

“When you’re done changing him…put him in there.” John murmurs as he slowly hobbles past Gale to the stairs, wincing as he carefully climbs them. Trying to shield his body from view, his stomach was still distended from carrying two babies. His chest a little puffy and inflamed, he knew he had to have bled through to his briefs by now. He was sure he looked like a damn mess, and Gale had seen him like this.

Gale watches him go, admiring the muscle in John’s back and shoulders. His pale skin holding a healthy flush to it now, freckles and dimples on display. Not missing the little limp he has, frowning and wondering how sore he must be at the moment. Brady had said he was doing too much, and the midwife had told John to accept help more often. Gale looks down at the sleeping baby on the couch, his little arms next to his body as he snoozes.

John gets upstairs to his room, going to find himself some clothing that will fit properly. He had been able to adjust the waistband on some of his pants while pregnant. His shirts had been reduced to mostly flannels over undershirts, he couldn’t afford nor find any of the bras that would supposedly fit him. They were supposed to be specifically for lactating men, and he had yet to track any down. Grabbing himself a pair of briefs, slacks, and a black undershirt he steps over to the bathroom. Making sure his padding supplies are all there, pushing his underwear down and sitting to pee. Wincing at the burning over his still healing stitches, eyes closing as he finishes going. Wiping and sighing as he sees the blood, heavier than it was even last night. Midwife Carole was going to have words for him when she came for her weekly visit.

“I know you said to put him in the bassinet…I just, this is just the first time I’ve held him.” Gale says softly as he sits on the couch, Milo in his arms sleeping soundly. John stops on the bottom step, watching them for a moment. Before he sees Gale blink rapidly a few times, breathing deeply and rising. Carefully taking Milo over to set him in the bassinet next to his sister, sniffling quietly. Looking at both of the babies for a minute, seeing himself and John mixed so beautifully together.

“Brady picked up these baked goods…it’s why I was coming up the stairs. I uh, I’ll head back to change my shirt and then I’ll be by to finish the lawn.” Gale says quietly before he’s stepping to grab the box of pastries that Brady gave him this morning. John taking it numbly as he watches Gale, the blond keeping his eyes on the floor. Not wanting John to see that he’d been silently crying while staring at Milo earlier. His lashes no doubt still wet, blue eyes shiny, and cheeks tinged pink.

“You don’t need to come back…you don’t need to take care of the lawn Gale.”

“It’s the least I can do John…” Gale murmurs before he’s stepping back for the front door and heading out of it. Running a hand down his face and breathing deeply, feeling the painful spasm in his stomach. Heading back to Benny and Brady’s house, holding in tears the entire time. Milo had been so tiny in his arms, he just wanted to sit and snuggle both babies all day. Seeing John crying earlier while trying to manage them both had broken his heart. Feeling even worse that John had been doing the majority of this all on his own.

-4 weeks old-

John hums softly as he sits outside with the babies, Ruth laying on his lap staring at the roof of the porch, little fist in her mouth. While Milo sleeps against John’s chest, having nursed himself to sleep after a fitful few hours. John looks up when he hears footsteps coming up the walkway, half expecting Gale to be coming. Mildly surprised when he sees Brady, the brunet opening the gate that Gale had fixed the latch on yesterday.

“Hi sweet Ruthie girl.” Brady hums as he scoops up the little girl from John’s lap, nuzzling her head and kissing her soft baby curls. John resting back a little more into the swing, patting Milo’s butt gently while the little boy sleeps. Brady speaking softly to Ruth, the little girl blinking slowly, having been fighting sleep. She was always enamored when Uncle Brady spoke to her, big blue eyes focusing on him the best they could.

“How did seeing Midwife Carole go?” Brady asks as he rubs Ruthie’s back, John swaying them all on the swing now. Watching as his daughter’s eyes grow heavier, the little girl beginning to lose the fight. Brady smiling as he brings her up to rest on his chest, the men sitting together for a moment. The slight breeze flowing through the air rustling the hair on their heads, making John bring in a deep inhale.

“She told me I need to stop doing so much. And I need to sleep more…but I get scared sleeping Brady. If it isn’t nightmares…I’m watching them breathe. I just, I can’t help it.” John admits as he pats Milo’s butt gently, the little boy curling into his mama more. Letting out a sleepy little whine before he’s settling back, Ruthie stretching her small legs out against Brady’s chest. Brady looks at his friend for a moment, before he’s taking a deep breath.

“Are you scared that if you close your eyes, they’ll stop breathing? Because you know what happened after they were born wasn’t your fault. Midwife Carole has even told you that it could have happened to babies that were born at term. They bounced back quick because of you John, you’ve fed them, you’ve loved them so fiercely that they were able to come home with you. But you’ve got to take care of yourself too…and letting people in to help with that is going to be more productive.” Brady tells his friend, seeing the way John side eyes him for a moment. The swaying of the swing therapeutic almost, John not even seeming to realize he’s doing it anymore.

John swallows softly as he’s suddenly thinking of Gale, and how hard the blond has been working around the house. He’s been trying to get John to open up to him again, John isn’t dumb. He knows exactly what Gale has been doing, it was what John had done when they’d first met. Trying to prove to Gale that he could be trusted, he treated Gale like a skittish horse. But Gale was treating John like a feral cat, something that could claw and hiss at any given moment.

“You’re talking about Gale aren’t you?”

“I’m talking about letting us all in to help you, it doesn’t make you a bad mama. It doesn’t make you a bad person to admit that you need help. I think it’s incredibly strong to say you help.” Brady responds with a little shrug as he kisses the side of Ruthie’s head, snuggling the little girl a little more. Smiling when he hears her little squeaking sound, John looking over with soft eyes. Staring at his daughter and watching as she holds onto Brady’s cross a little tighter.

———————

Gale chews on his lower lip as he slowly walks up the steps to John’s house, carrying the dish of chicken and pasta that Benny had made. Brady had happily volunteered Gale to be the one to deliver it to John. And not that Gale minded, he really didn’t, it gave him more time with the older man and their babies. Him and John had seemed to be on somewhat better terms, they at least were talking.

It wasn’t full blown conversations, but John at least wasn’t shutting the front door in his face anymore. Or ignoring him when Gale was doing something in the yard, he would actually come sit outside with the twins. And sometimes they would eat lunch outside together while the twins slept in their Moses baskets. Gale had missed that, he had missed the warmth that John always exuded when they’d sit side by side.

A gentle knock is placed on the front door, Gale knew the twins might be down for their last nap before bed tonight. He looks up when he hears the door opening, showing off a sleepy looking John. His curls in a slight disarray, rubbing one of his eyes, it reminded Gale of flight school. Having seen many times how the older boy would wake up, stretching his entire body with a tired groan. Gale wanted to run his hands through John’s hair then, and he absolutely wants to do it now too.

“I uh, Benny sent me with dinner. I’m sorry if I woke you.” Gale says as he holds up the casserole dish with the still warm food in it. John hums softly as he looks down at the dish before he’s looking back up at Gale. Blue eyes meeting blue eyes, a sort of softness there that hasn’t been in a long time. Gale feeling his stomach spasm slightly, he really just wanted a John Egan hug. If he could pick anything right now, that would be it.

“Can we, can we start over John?”

“You want to walk back up the porch steps?” Gale lets out a soft exhale, realizing that John is joking with him. Gale looks down at the dish in his hands before he looks back up at John. Eyes trailing over the scar around his right eye, the little crookedness to his nose, his lips looked soft still. And his mustache that he hadn’t gotten rid of even though Gale was sure it annoyed John sometimes. Gale often found himself missing the way it felt dragging across his skin.

“No…can we start over? My name is Buck Cleven, and you look an awful lot like a guy I used to know named Bucky.” John feels the little flicker of a smile forming on his lips as he stands there, looking at Gale again. Seeing the hopefulness in the younger man’s blue orbs, before he takes a deep breath.

“My name is John…John Egan.”

“Nah, I think you look like a Bucky to me.” Gale smiles gently as he looks at John, both of them standing on the older man’s porch. Breathing softly and just staring at the other for a moment, memories flashing behind their eyes.

Flight school, Thorpe Abbots, even the camps, they had been Bucky and Buck, but maybe now they could be John and Gale. Gale and John with their sweet little babies Ruthie and Milo. Gale wants that, he wants to be John’s Gale again, he wants it so badly. He wants to watch his children grow up and to grow old with John, he wants to sit on the porch swing and hold hands while their grandchildren play in the front yard.

He just wants John.

-6 weeks old-

“It’ll be alright John, go take a shower and a nap. I think I can handle them for a few hours.” Gale says nodding his head as he looks at the older man, John looked worse for wear today. The twins had kept him up for a good portion of the night, he was exhausted, trying to clean the house. The midwife was due to come tomorrow for his stitches exam and potential removal. Gale had come over just like he did every morning, and when he saw John nodding off on the couch while the twins slept. He offered to sit with them, he could fix that cabinet in the kitchen while he was here too.

“Just…I’ll be two hours, that’s all I need.” John says, standing on the bottom landing of the stairs, looking nervous. His fingers kept clenching on the railing, eyes darting to where the twins were sleeping peacefully in their bassinet. Gale was standing in the middle of the living room, at the halfway mark between the kids and John. The black haired man takes a deep breath, nodding softly before he’s slowly going up the stairs.

He had been trying to let Gale in more, to let him get to know the babies. Gale still insisted on coming over and fixing things around the house and outside. He had even mowed the lawn, timing it around when the twins would be awake. He was being thoughtful, and sometimes it made John bitter. But Brady reminded him that Gale was trying, he was learning the babies routines. He was being helpful for John, John had been trying to take it easy. He was really trying to listen to Midwife Carole, he was tired of his core aching. The stitches pulled constantly, the bleeding had lessened and essentially stopped. Only spotting now when he was up on his feet for too long, Gale was helping more than he probably realized.

——————

John wakes up with a start, and he instantly knows he slept for too long. His chest aches, it’s too full, every brush of his shirt against his nipples is like a wild fire going up his spine. Scrambling to get out of bed, he doesn’t even wince at the tug in his groin. Heading for the stairs and trying to go down them quickly, searching for the babies frantically. Seeing them both on Gale’s body, sleeping content, dressed in new sleepers. Gale looks up from where he’s been tracing Ruth’s cheeks, her eyelashes fanned out on her skin. Little lips parted as she dozes peacefully, Milo tucked towards Gale’s chest fingers curled in his shirt.

“They…they’re sleeping, why are they. It’s their feeding time, they should be…” John trails off as he sees the two empty bottles on the coffee table. His stomach plummeting as he sees the remnants of the formula in the bottoms. Tears are welling before he can even stop them, not hearing what Gale is saying. A broken, pitiful whimpering sound comes up his throat before he can stop it. Beginning to sob openly as he realizes that Gale fed them formula, the babies had woken up hungry and John had slept through it. Hiccuping on his breath as he stands at the bottom of the steps, he doesn’t realize Gale has gotten off of the couch. Both babies laid down in the bassinet now, the blond slowly walking over to try to console him.

John cries harder as he stands there, guilt eating away at him as he tries to feebly catch his breath. His chest feeling like it’s caving in on him, his breasts pinching and aching. Threatening to start leaking as he stands there, Gale stopping his walk when Milo first starts crying. The blond standing there, trying to figure out where he should go first. Until Ruthie is starting to cry, having been woken up by her mama and brother both crying. None of them hear the door opening, Brady stepping into the house with some groceries. The brunet’s eyebrows shooting up in shock at the sound of all three of their cries.

“What happened? John are you okay? Jesus, Gale?” Brady asks as he sets down the food on the coffee table, seeing the bottles and knowing instantly what happened. Sighing softly as he goes to Bucky first, seeing the way he’s crumpled in on himself slightly. Fat tears rolling down his face as he stands at the bottom of his stairs still. Brady gently wrapping his arms around the older man, pulling him in carefully. John tucking his face into Brady’s throat to sob, Gale standing there helpless. He didn’t understand what he did wrong, John slept for an extra two hours than he originally thought. He didn’t think that would be such an issue, the man really looked like he needed it.

“C’mon…babies need you. They need some milk, bet they’re hungry by now. C’mon Bucky.” Brady says softly as he carefully leads John towards the couch, going to tuck a few pillows around John as he sits. Walking around the coffee table to take both babies from Gale, bringing them back over. John still silently crying as he accepts Ruth first, situating her screaming little body against his side. Tucking her up so she can latch onto him, crying slowly ceasing as she realizes her mama is right there for her.

“You’re alright Milo, yea…mama is right here for you.” Brady murmurs as he gently passes Milo off to John, helping him situate the little boy. John sniffling as he holds the babies close to himself, both of them still fit in his forearms. Their little heads nestled into the palms of his hands, his thumbs rubbing their temples. He wasn’t sure when Gale fed them, so he wasn’t sure how much they would eat. He could hand express some if he needed to, he hated doing it, it was wasting milk and hurt half of the time. John refuses to lift his eyes to look at Gale, sniffling quietly as he holds both babies close to himself.

Brady gently grabs under Gale’s bicep to lead him out of the living room towards the kitchen. The bag of groceries tucked under Brady’s arm now. The blond following behind, confused and not sure what he did wrong. Brady pulls down a plate to be able to make John something to eat, knowing the older man has most likely not eaten yet. Gale standing there next to him, before he’s going to fill a glass with some water for John. Peeking out slightly to see him still nursing the babies, his shoulders tucked down to make himself smaller.

“I…I don’t understand what I did wrong. He needed to sleep…he looked like he was going to fall over Brady.”

“John overcame a lot during his pregnancy, the first doctor he saw back in Chicago before he came here. Told him to expect to miscarry within a week, told him he didn’t have the proper body to take care of a baby. But he carried his babies to almost full term, something the second doctor told him he probably wouldn’t be able to do because of the stalag. He birthed his babies at home, something the first midwife here told him, he couldn’t do. With John’s anatomy she said he shouldn’t even bother, he should just come in for a c-section right away. Something about his penis getting in the way, tearing or something, bleeding out was her “concern”. But deep down she was just being discriminatory towards him, all of them were.” Brady says quietly as he stands there, making John a sandwich. Something he knows the older man can eat while holding the babies. Gale standing next to him, feeling a little nauseous as he listens.

He didn’t know John went through any of that, the older man didn’t talk much about his pregnancy. Benny had told Gale that John was sick throughout it, throwing up and struggling. But he hadn’t mentioned the struggle to find a good midwife that would accept John’s anatomy. Gale knew male pregnancies were not common, because it was still seen as wrong to lay with another man. Most pregnant men were ostracized, which explained why John didn’t go into town often. Benny or Brady usually did any errands that John may need to be done.

“When John had the babies, the midwife told him he might not be able to make milk for both of them. He would have to supplement, and there’s nothing wrong with supplementing. John knows that, he’s said that. She brought the can of formula after the twins came home from the NICU, told him to give it a try especially because there were two of them. It was just another person telling him what he might not be able to do. I like his midwife, she’s been good for John, but she set him on a path of quiet self destruction. He has been bound and determined to make enough milk for the twins. I know for a fact he’s stood over this sink and hand expressed to try and up his supply. And he’s done really really well, giving them the formula today…I know you didn’t mean anything by it. You didn’t know, just, it might have set the progress you guys have made back a little bit.” Brady finishes as he looks at the blond, seeing the furrow to his eyebrows. A guilt ridden expression on his face as he listens, hands tucked into his slack pockets. Leaning back against the counter, breathing deeply before he looks at his friend. Brady looks back down at the sandwich, carefully placing the top part of the bread down. Grabbing the knife to cut it carefully, knowing it’ll be easier for John to lift up.

“I fucked up…I just didn’t want to wake him up. I…he’s probably not going to want me to stay today.”

“He might not…take him the sandwich and try. If he wants you to go, I’ll stay. I want to make sure he’s alright.” Gale nods softly and takes the sandwich and glass of water out to the living room. Seeing John holding both babies on his chest, his shirt still tucked up so they can do skin to skin. The twins both sleeping against their mama’s collar bones, mouths open and milk drunk now. John’s nipples looked puffy and slightly swollen, inflamed like he’s still full of milk. Gale chews on his lower lip as he sits on the coffee table across from John. Wincing as he knocks the empty bottles over, John looking up slowly. His eyes pink and puffy still, pretty lashes still damp from his earlier crying.

“I’m, I’m so sorry John. I didn’t know, I just knew you needed to sleep. I didn’t mean to upset you at all, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are they okay? Are you okay?” Gale asks softly as he looks at the older man, trying not to sound too worried as he sits there. Seeing the way John’s eyes have dropped down, his cheek resting on Ruth’s head where she’s tucked against him. The man holding them a little closer, not wanting to look at Gale at all. The blond sucks and chews on his lower lip as he breathes deeply.

“I’m sorry John, I’ll head home. Just know I didn’t do it on purpose. I promise.” Gale tells him, voice gentle as he sets down the plate and water cup. Slowly standing up and taking a chance to press gentle kisses to the backs of each baby’s head. Heading for the front door and running a hand down his face, his stomach still in knots.

“I know you didn’t do it on purpose…I just need time.” John murmurs before he’s completely out of the living room, Gale turning slightly to look at the older man. Seeing him staring at the sandwich and water on the table, fresh tears having welled in his eyes. Nodding softly in understanding, before he’s going for the door. Seeing Brady standing in the kitchen, giving him a little nod. Gale quietly steps out of the house, running his hands down his face and letting out a deep breath.

-the next day-

“Good morning John, it’s a lovely day out.” Midwife Carole says smiling as she steps up onto the porch, seeing John swaying the porch swing. Both babies sleeping soundly against his chest, he looks up from where he’s been eyeing the fence. Gale had been replacing the boards, working his way around it slowly. John could see Benny’s tools sitting and waiting for Gale to get there. He was usually there by now but it would seem he was taking his time today. Something John was both grateful for and a little confused by, Gale was a punctual man.

“Good morning Midwife Carole.” John murmurs before he’s slowly standing up off of the swing, adjusting the twins and heading for the door. Carole smiling as she follows him inside, her tool bag hitched into the crook of her elbow. The door softly closing behind them both, John leads her into the living room. Gently laying the babies down in their bassinet before he turns to look at her.

John suddenly feels bashful, nobody had looked at his bits since he gave birth. Even before that, examinations always made him uncomfortable. The poking, the prodding, the internal examinations were the worst for him. He didn’t have many, when he joined the military they did exactly one and it still made him cold sweat. The doctor was rough, didn’t use enough lube with the speculum, and John bled a bit afterwards.

“Would you like me to start with the babies? We can take this at your pace John, I’m here to make sure your cervix healed appropriately. As well as taking your stitches out, I will numb you before I do that. But you’re in control here.” Carole says, knowing somewhat about how John feels when it comes to his genitals being examined. That was one thing she had noticed the first time they had done an internal examination, he had gripped the bed underneath him so tightly she thought the sheets would rip. How he shook when she explained what she had to look for with the tools. She had moved their visits to his home after their first initial visit, wanting him to be more comfortable. She had told him he could have his baby, she didn’t realize there were two, in his own home.

“If we do their stuff first, they’ll wake up and cry. And then we won’t get mine done…and I really, I want these stitches out. They don’t, they’re starting to pinch.” John tells her, she nods softly in understanding watching as he takes a deep breath. Before she’s following him up to his room, her bag secure in her hand still. Waiting in the hallway for him to get undressed, before she’s stepping in. Leaving the door cracked open so they can hear the babies, John waiting on the bed nervously. One of his sheets laid out over his lower half, his fingers twisting in it anxiously.

“Just like we did before you had the babies John, go ahead and lay back. Spread your legs out like a butterfly, pillow under your butt, we will talk through this the entire time okay?” John nods softly and lays back on the bed, scooting and shuffling until he’s in the position she needs him to be in. Watching as Carole opens up her bag, pulling out the bottle of lubricant, speculum, mini scissors, and tweezers. She pulls on some gloves, and carefully tucks the sheet up to expose his legs. John letting his eyes close as he lays there, his head tilting to the side. Knowing Carole won’t hurt him, she’s been incredibly kind, understanding, and has helped him with a lot.

“Okay John, I’m going to touch you, your stitches are towards the outside here. So I will check those first, I have some numbing agent here. I’ll use that okay?” Carole asks as she looks up at him, he takes a deep breath as he lays there. Fingers scrunching the sheet for a moment, not wanting to look down at himself. Knowing all he’ll see is his soft cock, and a woman between his thighs.

“You don’t have to numb it…”

“I’m not going to cause you discomfort John, you don’t deserve that. It’s a gel like substance, no needles, it’ll wear off in about two hours.” Carole says as she gently uses her fingers to spread him open. Carefully swiping some of the gel just inside of his vaginal canal, going over the three sets of stitches that she can tell are ready to come out. John tensing slightly at the touch, breathing slowly and deeply just like she taught him.

“While I wait for that numbing to take effect, I’ll spread you so I can insert the speculum. And then I’ll check your cervix, you let me know if anything hurts at all okay?” She looks up and watches him nod quickly, she pulls her hand away to get the tool and the lube. Coating it before she’s shifting again to gently spread his outer lips one more time. Doing a visual examination for a moment, before she’s carefully notching the speculum into him. John’s entire body tensing at the touch, his breath catching in his throat.

“John, do you need me to stop?”

“N no, it just, it’s felt really, tight…I’m sorry.” She nods softly as she waits for a moment, watching as he unclenches his muscles. Letting out a deep shuddering breath before he’s nodding softly, his thighs losing their tenseness. She gives him a moment to breathe, not moving the tool away, not wanting to startle him.

“I’m going to press in now, I’m right here with you. You’re doing wonderfully John.” Carole tells him, pressing the tool inside and watching as he holds the sheets just a smidge tighter. The speculum sliding in slowly, before she’s carefully cranking it open enough. John tensing at the pressure, his stomach sucking in while he scrunches his nose. This was the worst part for him, he knew he was too tight always, he was amazed him and Gale had even been able to have sex that night. He was amazed that Gale had been able to get two fingers into him when they were in the stalag.

“Your cervix healed perfectly John, I was worried when I got here and the babies had already been born. But your body is clever, it knew exactly what it needed to do. And you listened to your body amazingly, I’m going to pull the speculum out not. Deep breath, there we go.” Carole says once John has inhaled and she’s pulling the tool away, setting it onto the little towel she pulled out. Giving him a moment to breathe, and the gel just a few more minutes to numb him entirely. John laying there breathing softly, shifting a little bit and scrunching his nose at the numb feeling in his core.

“Can I take your stitches out now John?”

“Yes please.” John whispers, feeling as she picks up her tools to remove his stitches. Before she’s letting him know what she’s doing, spreading him back open with a gentle touch. Hearing as she snips the sutures, but unable to feel as she pulls them out. John letting out a soft breath as he lays there, knowing she’s finishing up her exam now.

“You have healed wonderfully John, everything looks as it should. You can return to all of your normal activities, if you plan on having sexual intercourse I highly recommend using condoms. You’re still in the height of hormones after giving birth, meaning you can easily get pregnant.” John almost chokes when she mentions sex, he hadn’t had any urges at all. While he was pregnant, yes, he felt like he couldn’t get enough of it sometimes and had to make do with his hand. Now, he was exhausted, bone deep tired, and he couldn’t even fathom having sex like that ever again. Couldn’t imagine how much it would hurt, he didn’t ever want to get pregnant again.

“I, I won’t be having sex again Midwife Carole…thank you.” She smiles at him softly before she’s rising from the bed to clean up her tools. John slowly shifting, wincing at the feel of the lube inside of him. Waiting for her to step out before he’s going to sit up better, using the sheet he’s got and wiping himself up. Nose scrunching as he feels his center, the numbness still there. Before he’s standing to pull on his underwear and slacks, breathing deeply.

“Let’s go take a look at those babies, they look like they’ve grown wonderfully.” Carole says once everything is put away, John nodding softly and following her down the stairs. Both babies sleeping still in their bassinet, John taking a deep breath as he sees them. Before he’s going to pick up Ruthie first, she was always the easier out of the two of them.

“They’ve both gained weight amazingly John, you should be proud of yourself! They look like they’re both nursing beautifully.” Midwife Carole says smiling as she watches him nurse Milo now, Ruthie having nursed after her exam. Laying next to John on the couch, her little fist in her mouth as she gurgles softly. Carole packing away the sling scale she brought with, smiling at her patient. Milo nursing at John’s breast, his little body curled into his mother’s chest.

“Thank you.” He murmurs, looking down at his son before looking at his daughter. His large hand resting on her chest and belly, her little fingers of one hand holding his. Carole smiles softly as she watches the three of them, before looking over at the knock on the front door. John furrowing his brows, the midwife going to open the door for him. Gale standing on the porch with bags of groceries in both arms, looking up before he’s flushing. Remembering now that Brady had said John had an appointment this morning, it was part of the reason he had gone grocery shopping.

“Oh, hello. John would you like him to come in?” Midwife Carole asks as she steps aside to look at the man sitting on the couch. He nods softly, Carole smiling as she comes back to collect her bag. Gale quietly going to take the groceries to the kitchen, softly peering at Ruthie on the couch. A little smile on his lips before he’s heading into the kitchen, beginning to put away the groceries he picked up.

“The twins will need to come into the office in two weeks time to receive some vaccines. Come down to the clinic and we will get them seen right away. They’re doing really well John, and so are you. Do not hesitate to call me okay?”

“Thank you Midwife Carole.” John says softly as he looks at her, watching her walk out of the door with a little wave. Before he’s looking back down at Milo, the tension in his shoulders slowly lessening. Gale quietly steps out of the kitchen, chewing on his bottom lip as he holds the chocolate bar he picked up for John. Feeling awkward as he stands there, breathing deeply while fiddling with the plastic packaging of the chocolate bar.

“I’m…I’m sorry John, Brady had said you had an appointment.”

“It’s fine Gale…it wasn’t just for me. The babies had one too, and she was getting ready to leave. Thank you for going to the store, you didn’t have to.” John responds as he lets out a deep breath, looking up to watch Gale step further into the living room. Holding out the candy bar, a little smile flickering in the corner of John’s lips. Accepting the chocolate, before watching as Gale looks down at Ruthie again. Gently lifting his hand off his daughter’s chest, and nodding softly for Gale to pick her up. The blond smiling a little as he scoops her up into his arms, nuzzling his nose into her soft blonde curls.

“She always smells so good.” Gale murmurs quietly as he sits down on the couch, enough space between him and John for comfort. Ruthie smiling just a little, making Gale gasp softly, John looking over. Worry creasing his eyebrows as he tries to figure out what’s wrong, mind jumping to the worst case right away.

“She’s smiling, John she’s smiling at me. Oh my god, has she done that yet?” Gale asks as he looks at the older man, sitting up straighter to look at Ruth. The little spit bubble smile flickering again, making John smile a little bit. Watching as Gale grins so wide it almost splits his face in two, his large hands cupping their daughter so gently.

“No…she hasn’t smiled like that for me yet.” John responds softly as he takes a deep breath, readjusting Milo in his arms making the little boy let out a sleepy whine. His small hand resting on his mama’s chest, little sleepy pout on his plush lips before he’s settling down. Gale nuzzling his nose against Ruth’s in the softest of Eskimo kisses, feeling her kick her legs slightly.

“I’m sure they have smiled at you, how could they not smile at their mama? You give them everything they could ever need. It’s impossible to keep a smile off of my face when I’m around you.” Gale murmurs as he kisses Ruthie’s forehead again, not seeing the little look that John throws his way. A pink flush having covered over the apples of John’s cheeks to the tops of his ears. Looking at Ruth now to see her going a little cross eyed as she fights going to sleep, her fist in her mouth. Sucking on her fingers, while staring at Gale with the biggest blue eyes. The blond swore they were a darker shade of blue like John’s, but the older man refused to believe it.

Gale snuggles Ruthie a little closer before he’s looking at Milo sleeping against John’s chest. Gale’s hand shyly coming over to touch the back of Milo’s head, running through his downy soft hair. John shifting sub consciously so that he’s leaning closer to the blond. Suddenly wanting to put his head on Gale’s shoulder, able to smell his aftershave from where he’s sitting. Vanilla mixed with something citrusy, maybe oranges, John could never tell. But he knew it well, would be able to pick up the scent in a crowded room.

“Ya know…we make some very precious and cute babies.” Gale states softly, a comfortable silence having enveloped them all. Both of the babies sleeping peacefully against their parents’ chests now. John looks up from where he’d zoned out, looking at Gale who is already looking at him.

“They are very precious and cute.” John responds nodding softly in agreement, before he’s scooting just a tad closer. Resting his head down on Gale’s shoulder, letting his eyes close. Not seeing how Gale’s eyes widen, the blond not having expected John to lean on him. He had missed the carefree way John used to touch him, the warmth that always bloomed from the older man. It was something Gale had been craving, something he could never forget. The blond gently rests his cheek on the crown of John’s head, all four of them sitting together quietly.

-7 weeks old-

John whimpers softly as he stands at the kitchen sink, a shudder going up his spine at the throbbing pain in his right breast. A knot is situated about an inch under his nipple, tender to the touch. Sending sharp zings of pain straight down into his belly. He grits his teeth as he tries to rub his hand over it again, trying to express the milk. Tears beginning to roll down his face, the pain intense and centered in his chest. Watching as drips of milk begin to go into the sink, before its a steady stream as he massages. John hiccups a cry as he works the knot, having to stop and slap his hand down.

“John? Hello little loves.” Gale whispers the ending when he sees both babies sleeping peacefully. Heading farther into the house, startling slightly when he hears John’s choked off cry. Stepping up his speed, until he’s in the kitchen to see the older man leaning over the kitchen sink. His body bowed forward in pain, not seeming to have heard Gale as he brings a hand to the right side of his chest. Gale watches as a stream of milk goes into the sink, his mouth going dry slightly.

“J John…are you okay?”

“No, no I’m not okay. I’m in so much pain right now Gale. My chest feels like it’s on fire, every time I touch it, it makes me want to scream. Every time I nurse one of the babies it makes me want to throw up. I have a clogged duct…and I can’t get it out. I can’t afford a pump, I can’t even find the right supplies for myself. The twins are great at nursing, but they aren’t strong enough to get it out. I’m going to end up with mastitis and they aren’t going to be able to nurse anymore.” John rambles out as he stands there, hand dropping from his chest again. Hot tears rolling down his face, milk still dripping from his right nipple.

A sob bubbling up his throat, trying hard to keep it down so he doesn’t wake either of the babies. Gale slowly steps around so he can look at John better, eyes roaming to try and see what he’s talking about. Landing on his exposed nipple, seeing the scarlet color and how enraged it is, he was used to the puffiness that would show. But not like this, he could almost make out a small lump about an inch down from his nipple.

“Can I help at all? I could go to town to see if they have a pump? I could…I could try expressing it? Maybe it’s like when you’ve got a splinter and can’t get it out yourself because your mind knows it hurts?” Gale offers as he looks at the older man, he hated seeing John cry, it physically did something to him. It made him want to throw up, made him want to walk across glass, it made him feel irrational. John lets out a heaving sigh, his toes curling in his socks against the linoleum floor.

Sniffling wetly as he stands there, both hands on the edge of the counter now. Before he’s looking at Gale and nodding just a little, the blond moving around to get to John’s other side. The older man flinching when Gale brings his hand up, John shakily helping him adjust his grip. His fingers going white knuckled as he holds the edge of the sink, Gale taking a deep breath.

“I’ve never done this before…” John silently shows him the correct motion, a whimper coming up his throat at the contact. Eyes squeezing shut as white hot pain flares in his middle. Gale screwing his eyebrows together, trying to focus on keeping up the pressure. Carefully squeezing again and watching as milk streams from John’s nipple. Gale can feel his heart speed up, a flicker forming in his lower abdomen. Eyes widening just a little as he watches, continuing on with the motions.

“I, I can’t. Gale I can’t, stop please stop.” John gasps out a minute later, tears tracking his cheeks again as he feebly pushes the blond’s hand away. Gale quickly letting go, noticing now that he has drops of milk on his fingers. Before he’s focusing again as John cries quietly, hanging his head between his shoulders. His shoulders shaking with it, tucking in close to his ears. Round, wet tears rolling down his cheeks as he stands there in his kitchen.

“I could try to suck it out? That’s what a pump would do right?” Gale says without even thinking, his stomach twisting and heart speeding up. Sweat starting at his hairline as he stands there, eyes widening like he didn’t mean to say it out loud. John turns his head to look at Gale, sniffling softly. His cheeks tinged pink, eye lashes wet, blue eyes looking like sparkling sapphires from his tears. Gale swallows audibly as he looks at the older man, John staring at him more.

“You’ll get milk in your mouth.”

“I think I’ve swallowed worse…I want to help you John.” The older looks at him still, his jaw working for a minute before another throb pulses through his chest. His shoulders scrunching up slightly at it, before he’s breathing deeply. Nodding softly, both of them slowly making their way to the living room. John checking both babies before he’s turning to look at Gale. Seeing the blond wiping his palms on his slacks nervously, lifting his head to look at John.

“Do you want me to sit? I’m not…I didn’t think.”

“Sit, and I’ll sit on you…just tell me if I’m too heavy.” John murmurs as he slowly climbs up into Gale’s lap, the blond sitting underneath him with slightly wide eyes. Before he feels Gale’s hands gently resting on the small of his back, his slender fingers sending a shiver up his spine. John shifts just slightly to pull his shirt up again, looking down at himself and taking a deep breath.

He was still carrying pudge in his middle, he could pinch the skin that had been stretched from having the babies. His hips were rounder now, he bashed them against things constantly because he forgot they had spread. Breathing deeply he adjusts his body enough so that Gale can reach his nipple without straining himself. The blond looks up at him again before he’s bringing one of his palms up to carefully cup John’s pec. The touch making John’s toes curl behind himself, painful zings already going back up his spine.

“Tell me if it hurts you too much?” Gale questions as he looks up at the older man, able to feel the squish to John’s chest. Something he didn’t remember there ever being there before, he suddenly wanted to bury his face into John’s skin. His other hand was itching to explore the exposed areas of John’s body, wanting to know if he was as soft as he looked. The hard lines of his body had become more gentle, and he had a bruise on his left hip. Fading but still there nonetheless, making Gale wonder what happened for it to occur.

His eyes focus again to look at John’s nipple, hearing the little uptick of air come from the older’s throat. Gale’s fingers soften their hold just slightly, he really didn’t want to hurt John. He wanted to help him, he wanted him to not be in pain. He knew he was going to have to cause some pain to get this to go away though.

“Just…go ahead.” John mumbles, his muscles quivering in the slightest bit from being partially naked in front of someone again. It had been so long since he’d been in any kind of situation like this. He was getting antsy now, worried the babies would wake up, worried this was going to cause even more pain. A fleeting worry of repulsing Gale was simmering low, but peeking down at the blond and seeing the expression on his face told John he wasn’t repulsed. He couldn’t exactly pick out what emotion Gale was feeling, but it didn’t matter much because suddenly there is hot, wet heat wrapping around his right nipple.

A gasping sound gets caught in John’s throat at the first pull of Gale’s mouth against him, that same pain from earlier flaring up. But the feel of the blond holding him close has him almost curling around Gale’s head. Trying desperately not to fight it at all, he feels as Gale makes even pulls. The fingers cupping him massaging just lightly around where the hard knot is under his skin. Tears are springing to John’s eyes as his hands come up to grab at Gale’s shoulders almost pathetically. He can feel Gale’s hot breath against his chest, feel the suction from his mouth, but it’s all static.

The tingling sensation is back, letting him know a letdown is coming. But he’s too stunned to say anything, and suddenly he’s hearing Gale swallowing. John could cry as he sits in Gale’s lap, his knees are digging into the couch and he’s pressing a little closer. Feeling the way Gale’s forehead rests against his chest, the even suckling motion making John’s stomach turn and roll in a way it never has before. Looking down for a moment he’s met with blond hair, and it takes everything in him not to press his nose against it.

Gale lets out a soft sound, one he doesn’t even seem to realize he’s made. Large palm at the small of John’s back tightening in his shirt, holding him just a little closer as he sucks a tad harder. John whimpering at the pain flowing through his chest, almost grabbing at the back of Gale’s head to dislodge him. John’s spine tensing at the pulses of pain that are flowing through him. It felt better than the babies nursing at the moment, only because the suction was harder.

Gale is desperately trying not to grind up at all, thankful suddenly that he tucked his length into his briefs in such a way that he’s currently nestled against his hip. If it were any other way, John would absolutely be able to feel how hard he is. It’s taking everything in Gale to not flick his tongue across John’s nipple, his hand instead flexing where it’s cupping John’s chest. Little huffs of air leaving his nose where it’s nuzzled against John’s skin, Gale could cry. He smells like John still, he smells like that woody cologne he uses. But there’s more to it now, citrus body soap, the slight tangy smell of sweat, and baby soap is lingering.

He feels when John’s hands shift to hold onto him tighter, one hand curling up into the back of Gale’s hair. While John’s cheek is resting down on the top of Gale’s blond head of hair. A little hiccuping sob coming from John’s throat, making Gale shift to pull away. Before he’s feeling John pushing him back, shaking his head quickly with a whispered out plea. Gale moves his slender fingers just a little, able to feel the knot under John’s skin better now. Focusing on massaging it, the whimpering sound sticking in John’s throat really shouldn’t make Gale throb in his slacks.

But he’s got the man he’s been pining after for years in his lap, he’s got his nose nestled into soft skin he’s been dreaming of. Gale is regretting taking John on all fours that night, he’s regretted a lot of things about that night. But not being able to see John’s face, or touch all over him was his biggest regret. He feels John push a little closer to him, the older man’s large hands gripping at him tighter. Gale pushes his mouth closer, sucking just a little deeper, he doesn’t even really notice the taste of the milk hitting his tongue. He’s just desperately trying not to rut up against the man in his lap, he can feel the stickiness oozing out of his tip at this point.

His toes are curling in his boots, his stomach is in knots, he’s sure he’s throbbing in his pants. He doesn’t think John even knows he’s making the little sounds he’s releasing. Little whimpers falling from the older man’s plush lips, Gale could almost call them moans at certain points. It’s unexpected when John suddenly tenses up above him, and his body is curling into Gale’s more. A shudder going up John’s spine, as his fingers tug at Gale’s hair just slightly. Gale must have gotten the clog out, he didn’t feel a difference in John’s milk flowing. But the almost instant relief that seems to make John’s body sag against his is palpable.

Gale’s body is suddenly tightening under John’s, his fingertips digging into the small of John’s back to grip him tighter. A shudder going up Gale’s body, while his teeth just barely dig into John’s areola with a low groaning sound coming from his throat. The feel of John gripping his hair tighter had been enough to throw Gale over the edge. Tossing him into the white hot abyss of pleasure, spurting in globs against his hip. His pelvis pushing up in a little rocking motion, thighs tensing with his toes curling in his boots again.

John’s eyes widen a little as he sits there, the pain in his chest having essentially disappeared when Gale got the clog out. He hadn’t even realized he had tangled his fingers in the back of Gale’s blond hair, or that he had held him closer. But he knew the way the younger man sounded when he orgasmed, he knew how Gale’s entire body tensed up like he’d been electrocuted. He knew the almost pained punched out sound that would escape Gale’s throat. John’s entire body stills above Gale’s while the blond finally detaches his mouth from John’s chest.

“I…I.” John whispers out, throat feeling dry while he hears Gale let out a deep almost wounded sound in his chest. John slowly lets go of Gale’s hair, shifting in the younger man’s lap. Gale’s hands falling limply to his sides, John’s shirt slipping back down to cover him fully. Looking at Gale under his lashes, to see him pink cheeked and a little sweaty. Hair floppy, a few strands falling onto his forehead while he pants quietly.

“Please…don’t.” Gale murmurs as he sits there, his stomach twisting with embarrassment now. The wet spot in his briefs leaking to stain his slacks, his heart hammering in his chest. John carefully climbs off of Gale’s thighs, his eyes unable to stop themselves as they drag down. Seeing the starting of the wet patch, eyes widening just slightly as it’s confirmed for him.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome John.”

-8 weeks old-

John feels like he’s going to throw up, he feels like his stomach is going to fall out of his body. He’s white knuckling the buggy holding both sleeping babies, he can feel Brady gently holding his elbow. The pair of them standing outside of the clinic, women and children moving about easily. Every time the door opens John just about jumps out of his skin, Brady looks at him with soft eyes.

“John…we’ve gotta get them inside for their shots.” Brady says calmly as he stands next to his friend, the black haired man turning his head slightly to look at him. Brady watches as he swallows thickly, before he’s looking back at the doors again. John’s arms quiver just a little as he slowly pushes the stroller up the ramp to head inside. Brady following next to him, briefly wondering why Gale didn’t come with today. But also knowing that John more than likely didn’t ask him to either, they seemed to be doing better. It was hard to tell, Benny and Brady tended to stay away or were busy when Gale was at John’s house.

“Brady, I, I can’t.” John whispers suddenly as he stops walking again once they’re near the doors, Brady turning to look at the older man. Seeing the way his entire body is tensed up, Brady takes a deep breath as he moves so he’s in John’s eye sight perfectly now. John blinking once before he focuses on Brady’s face, the younger man trying to keep his attention. Watching as John’s eyes flick to look at the doors before he’s focusing back on Brady’s face again.

“All three of you are walking in here, and all three of you are leaving together. They are healthy, you have been taking care of them, you have been feeding them. They are bigger and stronger than they were before, these are routine shots. You want them to have them remember?” John nods softly before he’s looking down at the babies sleeping in the buggy again. Laying side by side, little fingers almost tangled together. John takes a deep breath before he’s going inside, Brady following him closely. The four of them going to check in at the desk, Midwife Carole smiling as she sees John and the babies.

“Hi John, oh hello little ones, sleeping so soundly. They look bigger since I’ve seen them last!” Carole says smiling as she gently touches John’s shoulder, he looks down at them and nods softly. They were bigger, he was sure of it, they had been eating non stop lately. John thought at one point his nipples were going to fall off, he couldn’t leave the couch some days because all they wanted to do was nurse.

“Hi Midwife Carole…would we be able to get a weight on them today?” He asks softly, she smiles a bit and nods her head at him. Giving a greeting to Brady before they are all heading back behind one of the partitions. Carole knew it would be best to get John and the twins in and out as quickly as possible. She didn’t want to cause John anymore stress than he would already be under today.

——————-

John hears the front door opening just as he’s pulling the chicken out of the oven, chewing on his lower lip. He knew it was Gale, the blond had asked if he could come over tonight. He had something he had to do in town today that would keep him out later than usual today. And John had already had a busy day, him and Brady had shopped a little in town after the twin’s appointment.

John picking up some more fabric to make them some more clothes, they were growing well. When they’d first come home nothing fit them, everything John had made or gotten was too big. Brady had tried to sew something’s together that would fit them both, but it had been John that had hemmed stuff together. His mother always told him sewing didn’t have gender roles and he needed to know how to patch up his own clothing. It shouldn’t be just his wife’s responsibility, and then he’d joined the military and she instilled it even more.

“Hi sweethearts…daddy won’t wake you.” Gale whispers as he passes by the babies sleeping in their bassinet, curled together. Ruthie with her fingers in her mouth while Milo slept with his little pink lips parted. Gale smiling softly as he stands there for a moment just watching them both breathe evenly. He doesn’t realize John is standing in the doorway of the kitchen watching them all. The older man leaning against the doorway, eyes trailing over Gale’s shoulders down to his tapered waist.

“Oh…hi, I’m sorry. I promise I didn’t wake them.” Gale says once he’s turned around to see John, startling just slightly. Before he’s smiling when he sees the look in John’s blue eyes, stepping over quietly. Gale finds himself wanting to wrap John in a hug, they had been touching more. Sitting close enough for thighs to touch when holding the babies, hands brushing every now and then. They hadn’t ventured too far past that yet, but Gale wanted to. He wanted to brush his lips against John’s, he wanted to curl his arms around John’s broad shoulders, he wanted to just touch because he could.

“How did their appointment go? Brady mentioned they got shots, did it go okay?” Gale asks once they’re both in the kitchen, the smell of garlic filling his nose. His eyes closing for a moment, enjoying the warmth that’s enveloping him now. Before he’s opening them to watch John move around the kitchen with ease. He never expected John to be such a good cook, especially because Benny and Brady insisted on feeding John. They were always sending food of some kind down to the older man’s house.

It wasn’t until Benny let it slip that John was just staying afloat bill wise, that that was the reason they sent food down so often. That and since the twins had been born, John was notorious for forgetting to eat. It was also Brady and Benny’s way of quietly checking in on the older man and the babies. But John was excellent in the kitchen, he moved in the area like it was his second home. Some of the best chicken Gale had ever tasted came from John, even his mashed potatoes were to die for. And Gale hadn’t wanted to touch potatoes since they’d gotten home from the war. Too many months of turnips and potatoes, but now when he knew John was making them, his mouth would water a bit.

“It went well, Ruthie weighs 8 lbs 2 oz. and Milo clocked in at 7 lbs 8 oz. Midwife Carole said they’ve gained weight well, especially considering that they were early. They both cried when they got their shots, that part was awful, but they went quiet once they nursed for a little bit. How did your stuff go?” John asks as he dishes up food for them both, chicken, mashed potatoes, and some green beans all finding their home on the glass plates. Gale going to grab glasses to put some water in, setting them on the table before he’s grabbing the silverware. Both men moving easily around one another, just like they used to.

The pair of them taking seats across from one another, feet brushing as they get comfortable at the small table. Gale cutting into his food and almost letting out a moan at the taste flooding his tongue. John watching the other man, he always got a little thrill to see people enjoying the food he makes. He liked taking care of others, he liked seeing them loved and nurtured.

“I know I didn’t tell you, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I took a leave of absence from the Air Force…but Benny has been talking my ear off about a teaching position they have opening there. So I set up an appointment with the Colonel on base, and I go back in two weeks to start training new cadets. It would put me back in the air but I wouldn’t be flying missions, I would just be training others.” Gale explains as he looks at John, seeing the way the other man has paused chewing his food. His eyebrows furrowing for just a moment before his ocean eyes are coming to meet Gale’s. The blond swallowing thickly, suddenly worried that he’s upset John.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I didn’t know how it was going to go…I didn’t want to put it out there if it wasn’t going to go well.” John nods softly and shifts in his seat, his hand staying down by his plate now. Fork stuck in his potatoes, Gale adjusts where he’s sitting to look at John better. Cautiously reaching across to touch John’s fingers that are resting on the table, feeling as the older curls them up slightly at the contact.

“Will you have to live on base?” John asks quietly, the offer he had been planning on extending dying and fizzling out slowly. He liked having Gale around again, he liked seeing the blond with their kids. He was enjoying the company of Gale being around all of the time. But if Gale was going to live on base, John wasn’t sure how it would work.

“No, no I wouldn’t have to live on base. It would be like Benny, Benny is a plane tester, he doesn’t have to live on base. He lives within a certain mileage so he doesn’t need to stay there, and because my address is their’s now. I wouldn’t have to stay there. I would be home every night, the latest class I would teach would be on Tuesdays. It would start at 4pm, and go until just about 630pm. But most days I would be getting home between 4 and 430pm.” Gale responds as he rubs his thumb across John’s scarred knuckles, feeling the way they clench just slightly.

Before he’s bringing his eyes up to look at John again, seeing him staring at his plate of food still. John’s deep blues coming up to meet his own paler ones, making something in Gale’s stomach spasm. He was having a hard time reading John’s expression, something he did not like. He never struggled to read John before, but John had gotten very good at masking his emotions. It made Gale wonder if that was how John felt when they first met, if Gale had been such a hard nut to crack.

“Would you…would you still see the babies?”

“Of course, as long as you’d be okay with it. I’d love to come and have dinners and still see them every chance I get. I don’t want to lose out on you guys, I just know I needed to do something. I…I want to provide for you guys John, you’ve done a lot. I want to be there for you and I want to help, it’s my turn. I want the chance to be there for all three of you, you’re a package deal and I want to be involved. I don’t want our babies to grow up without me around.” John swallows thickly, looking away for a moment before he looks back at Gale. Seeing the sincerity in Gale’s cornflower blue eyes, feeling as the blond holds his hand a little tighter.

“I’d like you to stay around…I want you in their lives. I know I didn’t before, and I didn’t tell you about them. But I can see that you love them, and they might not be able to talk yet. But I think they love you too…maybe you could, could come for dinner and bedtime with them? If it isn’t too much and you won’t be too tired.” John tells the other man, watching as a little smile starts to form on Gale’s plush lips. Before he’s feeling the younger man squeezing his fingers softly where they’re resting on the table top.

“I’d really like to come for dinner and bedtime with them. I love them…I love them more than I thought I’d love anything ever.” Gale says, the words he wants to add not making their way out of his throat. He knew he loved John, he just wasn’t sure if John felt the same way. And he didn’t want to push John into saying anything he might not mean. If he got to just raise his babies with the man sitting across from him, he would be content. Especially if that meant he got to be in John’s life for as long as John would have him.

[bubuslutty]

NOW YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WERE DOING WITH THAT BOMB AHH WITCH READER FIC 😭💗💗💗

I CAN SEE IT NOW

John itching to help her cook, despite her telling him she's fine as she makes her finest dinner for their adult kids—ahem, most trusted men's arrival?? Mama may be a witch but her motherly senses be tingling and it says THESE MEN HAS NOT HAD A PROPER MEAL, JOHN. 😭

And a certain point where she finally stops for a bit to let the stew she's cooking do its magic, John immediately jumps to the opportunity to give his beloved the most absolute, cheesy and tooth-rotting kiss. I mean, straight up wedding-dip his sweetheart as if a priest had just said 'you may now kiss the bride' 🥲💗

ughshddjhd your mind is amazing 💞💕💖

I'm actually so happy you enjoyed it!! I've got so many ideas for that little universe 😫

your thoughts always make me so so happy so Thank you 🌹❤️

the bear in the witch's hut (all parts)

title: European Robins in my palms

word count: 2.3k

warning: nsfw (like one scene) but all fluffy throughout the whole thing!!!!

John had to take all of his special unit back to his childhood home and farm, at least once. And he didn’t think he’d enjoy it so much, having his brothers with him in his home with his parents and wife, together.

They had to ride for days to get to his village, and Kyle would point out the greenery and mountains, how beautiful these parts of the land were, and Price would smile, proud and happy to be going home, to his love. Simon would be basking in the sun, on the back of his horse, half listening to Johnny and sometimes interrupting him to tell him some of the unfunniest jokes on earth.

And when they would finally reach their farm, Price’s parents and his wife would be waiting for them, by the entrance. Price would hop down his horse, and open his arms for his wife, as she runs and jumps in his arms, kissing him all over and squeezing him tight. John’s witch was not afraid to show affection to her husband, not publicly and especially privately, be damned society’s expectations and rules, nothing will stop her from running to her husband, skirts riding up her naked legs and one of the sleeves sliding down one shoulder and hair a mess. Fuck being proper.

And he loved her so much for that, chucking everything that would make her a proper lady out of the window in favour of loving him so openly, as he truly deserves.

That fact about her would not go unnoticed by his brothers. What a sight she was, beautiful and so inviting in her laughs and smiles. It was more than evident how much she loved him and how much he loved her back.

When her legs were on the ground again, she will turn to the other men, pushing her hair out of her face and grinning like the fucking sun in the middle of summer, sticking out her hand. And she would receive grins and three kisses at the back of her hand.

Price’s parents would greet their son, commenting on his evergrowing beard and bigger build, but then they would turn to the other men, giving each a bone-crushing hug that would warm them from the inside out.

After they will obviously get settled in the cleared-out rooms that Price’s parents and his wife prepared, stretching their tired limbs and getting a proper bath to wash away all the sweat and grim that cold river water couldn’t wash away. You better believe Price will try every trick in the book to get her to stay with him, in his room for the next hours. He knows she has things to do, like helping his parents cook them a proper meal. But he tends to become needy, selfish and straight-out unreasonable sometimes when he’s in the same vicinity as her for the first time in weeks.

He wants his wife, for the love of everything good and gracious. Is that too much to ask for?

But John ends up getting his way in the end, not only he has her help him bathe, but he tried his mighty best to stretch it out as much as he could, like, “Honey, I think you’ve missed this spot on my back- Can you just-”

And his wife would wash his back for him, an amused smile on her lips, indulging him and running a cloth over the muscles and fat under his freckled skin, then she would press her fingers on the knots in his shoulders and dip of his back, making his head drop, feeling immediate relief.

Then she would somehow end up against the wall of the bathroom, skirts hunched up around her waist and his knee keeping her legs spread as he continuously plunges his fingers inside her wet cunt over and over again, while his other hand is covering her mouth so her delicious sounds wouldn't be heard.

And when she cums, she’s shaking all over and her legs are wobbly and Price has a stupid smile on his face as he rubs her back, helping her calm her frantic heart. His darling has then to stand against the wall, holding her skirts in her arms as he’s kneeling by her feet, a cloth cleaning up the mess she’s made of herself between her legs.

“I was supposed to be the one taking care of you…” She mumbled, cheeks hot.

Price glanced up at her and chuckled, “You are.”

.

.

.

When it was nearing dinner time, the witch stepped inside the living room, her sleeves rolled up and hair tied up, interrupting the men’s conversation. “Lads, I have a job for you.”

Gaz, Soap and Ghost all look at Price at the same time. The captain just shrugs and stands up, and they copy him, all following his wife outside the house. And Price can literally feel the excitement coming out in waves from his wife, but he doesn’t ask, he just follows her silently until they’re all 3 metres away from the house.

The witch turns to the men, her lips stretching into a smile. “I need you to catch me a rooster for dinner.”

And as soon as those words leave her mouth, Price smirks, trying to hide it by running his finger through his beard. Johnny barks out a laugh, “Of course, we’ll catch ya a rooster, lass!”

“Yeah, sounds fair, the least we can do is catch our dinner.” Kyle shrugs, hands in his pockets and Simon nods in agreement.

“Which one d’ya want us to catch?” Johnny asked, tilting his chin forward.

The witch grins and points above his head, and he frowns in confusion, turning around. And then he looks around and frowns when there’s no rooster on the ground- Oh, what the shit.

The rooster she wants them to catch is standing right on top of the house, staring down at them in challenge, the wind blowing over its black and white feathers, making the rooster’s body seem larger than it actually was.

“Steamin’ Mother…” Johnny mumbles, squinting his eyes to see the rooster better. Kyle and Simon also seemed to be taken aback, staring at the bird in shock.

The witch started giggling behind one of her hands, angling her body away from the men. Meanwhile, Price didn’t care much and started laughing loudly with his head thrown back, hand on his chest and tears collecting at the corner of his eyes.

“You two are mean!” Price’s mother suddenly scolded by the door, hands on her hips.

“Stop laughing, you mutts!” Price’s father barked out and Price and his wife started laughing even louder, screeching and holding onto each other while the three other men stood there, trying to figure out how the fuck are they supposed to catch that rooster.

“That was a good one, love.” Price said, his cheeks hurting from laughing and wrapped an arm around her waist, kissing the side of her face. As soon as Price said that, Kyle, Simon and Johnny all sighed in relief.

“Ahah, yeah, that was very funny,” Kyle said, glad he doesn’t actually have to go catch the damned bird. Which was still standing at the top of the house and staring at them.

“What do you mean?” The witch said, making Price freeze.

“What do-” Price frowned.

“Catch it.” His wife said, slowly smirking up at him.

When I say Price’s mum literally shrieked, laughing so hard she had to lean against her husband, face literally turning pink.

The colours literally drained out of Price’s face, anything but chasing that fucking rooster.

“I was being serious, John.” She said, bringing a hand up to fix the collar of his loose shirt. “I want you to catch it for me, please?” the witch bit her lower plush lip and batted her pretty eyelashes at him, placing her other hand on one of his biceps and giving it one squeeze.

Price was standing there, with his mouth open. And when she made a noise, tilting her head to the side, saying “So, are you going to do it?” without actually saying anything. Determination swelled in his chest, making his blood pump and he cleared his throat.

“We’ll catch it. For you.” He said, giving her a nod and placing a kiss on her forehead and started walking towards the house.

“Where are you going?” Johnny called out after the man.

“To get my gear.” Price said without looking back.

“What?!” Simon said, the word literally jumped out of his throat.

“Why?!” Kyle said at the same time as Simon.

“He bites.” Was all Price said before the three men ran after their Captain while his mother was still laughing, almost pissing herself.

.

.

.

When they finally caught the rooster and tied its legs, and held it in front of the witch like a damn trophy, they swore they would never underestimate a rooster ever again. They were all panting and sweating, with feathers stuck in their hair and clothes, with arm protection on to not get bitten, but the rooster still managed to bite a hole in Simon’s shirt and pooped on Johnny’s helmet. They didn’t look happy at all and now all have a newfound fear of roosters.

“Are all roosters like this?” Johnny grumbled, cleaning his helmet in a bucket of water.

“Nope, just this one. You don’t even know how many times we’ve tried to catch him, but never succeeded.” Price’s father said, still baffled about how the beast was finally caught after three years of trying to catch him.

After handing the rooster over, the men stood outside the house and watched until it was killed and plucked and they all sagged when the rooster was no longer breathing. The witch giggled at their state and stopped right as they were going to step inside the house to wash for the second time that day.

“Hold on, take your clothes off first.” She said.

“Huh??” Johnny blushed bright red.

“Shoes and shirts off, leave them outside.” The witch added and they all nodded, following her orders. After all, the rooster did numbers on them, their clothes were filthy like they were on a battlefield and just came back for dinner.

.

.

.

The house smelled absolutely delicious. Price’s mouth watered when he stepped inside the dining room, the smells coming from the kitchen while his parents set the table up.

“What’s cooking up, mum?” John asked, bending down to kiss his mother on the head.

“I don’t know, go ask her.” His mother shrugged, a smile on her lips and eyes twinkling.

“Alright?..” Price laughed and left his mum to go investigate the kitchen.

As soon as he entered the kitchen, he was greeted with a ridiculous amount of delicacies (As much as they afford in times of war while living on a farm). There were pies, stews, roasted vegetables and the rooster, bread, cheese and caramelised apples from the orchards down the road with roasted nuts on top and beer. And there were still pots and pans bubbling and cooking up on the fire.

“Honey? What are you doing?...” Price said and the witch jumped, turning around with a wooden spoon in hand.

“Cooking?” She answered, blinking at him.

“You-” John said, noticing a plate full of sausage rolls and couldn’t help but grab one and take a bite, moaning when the flavours exploded in his mouth, taking him up to the heavens and then back down.

“You don’t have to do all of this, my love. This is- This is too much,” Price said after swallowing and snaked his free arm around her waist and pulled her against him, chest to chest.

His witch frowned, “John, when was the last time your men had a proper meal? This is the least I could do for them."

John smiled, feeling fuzzy and warm with love and appreciation. "Allow me to help you, then."

"No way, I've got this under control. You can go back out there." She said, waving her wooden spoon in the air.

"Please, love."

"Nope. No way. Go away, John." She shakes her head and turns around, stirring a pot while it's bubbling.

"At least let me watch you cook." He whined, John Price whined and he wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her from behind.

"Fine. Just don't touch anything." She sighed, rolling her eyes and smiling, stirring. And Price happily nuzzled his face in her hair and went along with her wherever direction she went, literally glueing his body to hers.

This went on for a couple of minutes until she stopped and looked over at the food with her hands on her hips, and called John's mum, telling her to start taking some of the dishes to the table.

And as soon as she puts that damn wooden spoon down, John quickly turns her around and straight up wedding-dips his sweetheart, and cuts off her startled "John!-" with a deep passionate kiss.

When he helps her up, her cheeks are hot and she's panting, eyes wide and lips feeling all tingly. She's just looking at him while he's smiling at her like a love struck fool.

Simon's also in the kitchen, grabbing a plate full of veggies and doesn't give two shits about what they're doing, because all he's capable of focusing on is the food he's carrying and the growling of his stomach.

BONUS:

the second time Price brings his boys over (kyle, Simon, johnny, ale, rudy, horangi and konig). The damn rooster is there again.

“Mum??”

“I see it, John.”

“It’s ALIVE??!!!”

And they have to chase it and kill it again. But his witch manages to hold it in her arms and pet it, “YOU CAN PET IT???” screamed Soap.

And the witch just smiles and tells them it’s a blessing in disguise, a gift, they will never get hungry as long as this rooster is around. And he always comes back, no matter how many times they eat it.

gaz, Ghost and Soap all tell the other guys abt the rooster and instill the fear in them, so now the rooster is some sort of inside horror story lmao.

+

When Price's mum meets alex for the first time, she's hella confused cuz she doesnt remember pushing him out.

“Are you my son??”

And when he opens his mouths, she's "nope, I didn't push you out"

tag list (pls ask to be added or removed): @obiwankenobis-lap @goapgrim @smalldemonlover @silviafantin15 @reveluving @bobastayhigh

[bvckbiter]

UY PILIPINES!! pa hinge po ng more tagalog percy 🤲🤲 I just need to know what his 2nd name is bc you just introduced me to imagining Sally's thick filipino accent yelling after Perseus ____ Gonzales Jackson and I'm obsessed w those doodles

UY PILIPINS TANGINAAAAA!! 🫵🏻🫵🏻 after seeing all the positive reactions to the filipino!percy art, more is definitely on the way, worry not! That being said, I do consistently draw him with those features HAHAHAHAH so even if the art is not explicitly about percy being filipino, hes still filipino there if that makes sense

My cute personal joke for percy’s full name is that he’s Perseus John Paul Jackson so its (PJ)-squared HAHAHAHAHAH and ofc since we Filipinos are very religious but also uhm… dastardly creative with names, siyempre kukunin ni Mama Sally ung pangalan ng favorite pope niya HAHAHAHAH

Other nicknames from Percy that I and my filo pjo twt mutuals have come up with are “percytot,” “utak lumot (seaweed brain in tagalog)” and ik @/blondesupes named him “Perseus Benedict Jackson” so his initials would be “PBJ” like peanut butter and jelly HAHAHAHAHAH

Thank you forda love 💕💕 always glad to have more filipino moots, its more fun in the philippines naman talaga WHAHAHAHA

[liffy-feelin-jiffy]

Team Blue headcanons!

Goggles

His real name is John, taking inspiration from the promo character he’s based off of.

Major ADHD. He isn’t diagnosed, but he knows because his dad who also has ADHD saw the symptoms in him.

He’s bi! Both bisexual and biromantic. He later finds out he’s polyamorous because he has a crush on more than one person.

Might be gender-fluid… Hmmmmm

He’s been in a relationship before with this one girl a while back. (His team did not like her very much) Things actually lasted for a while between them, but not too long before the beginning events of the manga followed, she just left him out of nowhere. It busted him up a little at first, especially since the girl said “I just don’t wanna be seen with an idiot anymore”, but he got back on his feet fairly quick thanks to support from his friends and family. And while it also made it slightly more difficult to for him to feel confident in trying to form relationships again, he kept telling himself that the only thing that mattered was that he found someone who would love him for him, through and through.

It still bothered him, though. For the longest time he kinda felt worried about going into another relationship because he was afraid that they would leave him for the same reason his ex did. It’s why it took so long for him to confess his feelings to his crushes

Adopted by octolings—and I don’t mean like adopted by octoling troopers or some wild au plot shit, I mean he was just adopted by a sweet octoling couple who wanted to have kids but struggled in trying to make their own for a little while so they just adopted him. However, years after they adopted him, they eventually tried again and brought two little octoling twin girls into the world! They’re 6 years younger than their inkling brother and they liked to hang around in Inkopolis Plaza by the shops while he participating in turf wars. (They had to conceal their tentacles and hide their eyes because their parents are worried about how they’d be treated by the public) Goggles loves his entire family to pieces 💕

He’s a total mama’s boy. Whenever he’s feeling sad or clueless about anything, she’s the first one he goes to, even if he has to search an entire college campus to find her (she goes to college as an undergrad). She lets him cuddle with her and lean on her shoulder as he gets to vent about whatever’s going on in his life, and he also likes to ask for her advice because she’s pretty smart. Yeah, his dads always there whenever he needs him, and he doesn’t mind dad hugs and advice from his old man, but he and his ma just have that unspoken connection. But her comfort and advice is all under one condition: he has to help her with math homework (she’s confused with the kind of math those damn professors teach. Goggles always knows his way around that stuff somehow.) Plus, whenever she says is law to him; he always listens to her before he listens to dad.

Yeah, he’s seriously good at math for some reason. He’s also pretty good at explaining it comprehensively, too. Also, fun fact, back when he was in elementary, he got a perfect score on his math test that teacher thought he cheated and he was getting investigated by the school for so long until they couldn’t find any evidence that he did cheat. His teacher refused to give him a 100%, so they just gave him like an 80%. Goggles still has dreams over trying to plead his case over his perfect score and it often ends ridiculously before he wakes up. He’s probably never gonna get over it.

It didn’t take that long for him to find out he was adopted, as he know two plus two does not equal triangle. All that mattered to him was the fact that he loved his family and they loved him

Speaking of his family, they had to let Army live with them for a while since he got kicked out by his grandfather (who’s an asshole) and that’s how he and Goggles got closer together. They ended up renting an apartment together in Splatsville for a short time until they both found more permanent options for themselves

He is pretty much as stupid as everyone says he is, but he’s also pretty clever and creative once you get to know him. He gets a little bit street smart as he gets older

He’s the kind of guy to eat the chess pieces when you’re not looking, baffling the smart guy (either Army or Specs)

He’s a really good guy and he’s one of the kindest people you’ll ever meet, but he’s not afraid to rock your shit if it comes down to it. He doesn’t ever like to get into fights and avoids them when he can, but if you push enough of his buttons then you’re leaving with a dislocated beak and a black eye I can guarantee you that

Continuing off of that, bro is BUILT. He curls his bicep and it be pointing to the sky I tell you. It’s shine could take down a plane good grief. He can pick all of his friends up at once and hold them over his head. They call him the brawn’s over brains of the group. He loves to use his strength to pick up his boyfriends 💜🧡💚

You wanna know who his boyfriends are? He’s dating Rider, Army, AND Skull. How did a dumbass score a triple set of Inkopolis elites? He’s just got that ADHD rizz! (I’ll explain the skullamigorai dynamics in a different post)

Stoner. Ever since he turned 18, his parents revealed their secret weed stash and he never went back 😂. His folks are really chill and he smokes with them from time to time. He also like to invite his friends over to hit that za. He only smokes as long as his little sisters aren’t home. It’s so funny when he gets stoned like he just gets up and walks around, giggling. He also loves cuddles very and he’ll either cuddle with his parents or his buddies. If he’s smoking alone then he gets sad because he feels lonely.

He’s really physically affectionate; he hugs literally everyone he knows. He loves picking up his teammates and swinging them around in a hug. Bobble laughs so hard, Headphones giggles adorably, and Specs demands to be put down while failing to suppress his big ol grin. After the battle against the X bloods, Goggle went to surprise hug Vintage, and to everyone’s surprise, Vintage just… got all teary eyed (bro was going through it. He needed that hug)

While I think he would like AJR & Saint Motel’s music, he’s absolutely NUTS for indie music artists. TheLivingTombstone has to be his number one favorite artist. Also Ink Theory and Yoko and the Gold Bazookas

He and Bobble can communicate without having to communicate (it’s telepathic I tell you)

He has this issue with hearing things correctly and often has to get people to repeat themselves when they say something. Often times he misinterprets what they say and responds quite inappropriately, and in turn he makes himself look like a nut head. His friends, parents and sisters understand but he gets a little bummed when other people give him a hard time for it. He can’t help it :(

He also has this volume issue where he ends up speaking too loud or getting excited or wild when he’s talking about something. Sometimes even he realizes he gets WAY too loud and covers his mouth. He also gets a hard time for that, too. Give him a break

If you ask him for a hug he will squeeze you till your bones pop

Great friends with Prinz! He sees him like a little brother. Same as Emperor, except he sees him more as a big brother. Emperor likes to call Goggles his little pogchamp even though he doesn’t know what it means. Goggles loves it

He has a bed in a nook! It’s very cozy

Knows some martial arts like Jiu jitsu, kickboxing and judo, thanks to Army! Although his dad is the reason he does kickboxing. They even have a giant punching bag in the garage!

He’s the kind of guy who gets hurt all the time and boasts about his scars. “This is where I nearly tore my arm off by jumping over a fence!” “BRO???”

Specs

His real name is Spencer

Also bisexual and biromantic

The tip of his tentacles are purple in battle because purple is his original ink color

Arab ethnicity (why? Because I said so. Free Palestine btw)

He had a teeny crush on Emperor during the king cup arc, but he thought “naaaah he’s way out of my league” plus, he already had eyes for someone else…

After the ranked battle cup, he and Emperor actually started spending more time together as amigos. Emperor invites him over for tea, Specs would invite him and Prinz over for family dinners—which they always attended—and just enjoyed hanging out with Emperor and Prinz in general. Their mother scares the living hell out of him, but she’s polite to him. Specs’ own parents are intimidated by Emperor and Prince, but quickly grew to like them after they’ve seen how well mannered and friendly they are

He’s had a crush on Headphones for almost his entire life since knowing her. He admires her courage, strength and determination to protect her team. He often had fantasies of her being his knight in shining armor (ooooh~) but he never tried to push it further because he always believed she would never reciprocate his feelings. (Plot twist, she likes him too! Bobble and Goggles are just waiting until they start dating)

LOSER IN LOVE! LOSER IN LOVE POINT AND LAUGH HAHA 😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😆😆🫵🏻🫵🏻🫵🏻🫵🏻🫵🏻💥💥

He’s definitely done some second hand embarrassing things to try to impress Headphones. He tried to pick up rapping just to try to “acquire the hoes” (he still kicks himself for ever saying that) and he sounded like a politician with dementia when he performed. Somehow, that made Headphones think: ‘I NEED THIS BOY LOSER EVEN MORE 😫😫😫😫😫’

People often mistake him for being a book smart nerd, when really he’s more of a street smart prep

Dude can cook like a mother. He has recipes of all his mother’s, grandmother’s, and great grandmother’s finest dishes. He also shares some of them with Army in exchange for baking and curry recipes from time to time and they become cooking/baking pals

He’s self conscious about a lot of things, but he does his best to stay determined because he knows his team needs him. He’s not self conscious about his leadership, that’s for sure!

Eats breath mints, why? Because you never know 😁 (they’re also tasty he thinks)

Has a lot of inside jokes relating to Goggles, and vice versa. They insult and call each other everything under the sun and they both find it hilarious. Headphones is concerned and Bobble just shakes her head and laughs

He tried to skateboard once and he fell and nearly broke his ass. He still has that skateboard in his closet, he just fears it

He’s grown up with a lot of sisters in his household, so he’s the most empathetic towards the girls towards a lot of stuff; especially their periods. Sometimes he has some pads or pain pills stored in his locker as backups for the girls, which are usually alongside other medical supplies he keeps just in case of emergencies. It also may or may not be how he found out Aloha was trans… 😂

He’s easily intimidated by anyone. Aloha and Snorkel were playfully teasing him one time in a flirty manner and for some reason his mind registered that they wanted to kill him and hide his body 😭

He got a hit of weed once and he passed out. He vowed he’d never do it again, but every so often you’ll see him in the floor with a blunt in his hand and Goggles teabagging him with full disrespect

He’s an electro swing and jazz fan. Just you wait until he hears electro waltz and he starts kicking his shoes off (Le Monde anybody?)

Mofo can run in heels. CLACK CLACK CLACK

He knows just a little bit of tap dancing. He’s also taken part of a few one act plays in school. Theater kid at heart he is I know he is.

He was almost inspired to make a manual of his own like Army has. But then he realized it would probably be a little too much.

Academically he is rather smart and he is a pretty good tutor, but he’s only below Headphones and Army in terms of academic intelligence

He definitely lost a spelling bee and never got over it

Emperor got him obsessed with country movies and shows. He loves to binge watch them whenever he can

Headphones

Also taking inspiration from the promo kid, her name is Kaori. Last name is Cephalo

Omnisexual with a stronger preference for women, but she happened to like the biggest man loser in the world (affectionately)

Her eyes are orange and so is the tip of her tentacles during battle, because orange is her original ink color

She and Specs have spent the most time with each other as kids, and it’s one of the reasons they’re so in love. Everything they do and say is just so common to each other and they can read each other like books.

She really likes sitcoms and romantic comedies. She loves inviting her friends over to watch with her whenever she can. Specs almost always shows up with something for everyone to eat that he cooked from his family cookbook.

She and Specs have kids; Goggles and Bobble

Headphones was surprised when she got to know N Pacer and realized how much of a nerd she was about some things. They grew a lot closer over tea parties, which Skull and Half Rim were invited to.

She always needs sweetener in her tea or coffee. She also likes flavoring in her water. Her favorite flavor of water is mint leaves with frozen peaches

Everyone often thinks she really mature, when really she’s just waiting to get super duper silly (brace yourself amigos)

She’s generally very nice, and somewhat tolerable towards others, but if you piss her off in some way then she’s gonna get you. You can’t run far and you can’t hide. She will absolutely make you an example not to cross her or her team.

Literally whenever one she sees of her teammates down in the dumps or looking hurt, she’s the first to go up to them and ask “are you ok? Did someone do this to? Give me names, I’ll take care of it.”

She loves cosplaying and making outfits for costumes. Comic cons are her havens. She’s one of the reasons Goggles went strutting around as the Snatcher for Halloween while his sisters went as Hat Kid and Bow Kid. She also loves to wear Victorian and medieval century gothic style dresses, especially to tea parties!

Despite loving frilly dresses, she most likely to wear a tuxedo to prom. She just found herself to look so dashing in one (and Specs is certainly not complaining!)

She and Specs went as a knight and shining armor and a Prince. She is very knight coded to me

She had to have a crush on Skull after they fought and defeated his team. But then she found out he was gay and was all like “Drats, I should’ve known!…. Anyways, I’m sure that Goggles is a teeny bit fruity and he’s currently single, so lemme know if you want his number-”

I know she also had to have had a crush on N-Pacer, but it died down when she realized that N-Pacer just appreciated having good friends for once and Headphones didn’t wanna spoil that for her. She did indeed take one good look at Pacer and think ‘HOCHI MAMA’

She likes music by my chemical romance and punk rock in general. She also enjoys jazz, especially modern pop song jazz covers and she likes to dance to them. She’s got a record player that her uncle gave her as a Christmas present and she loves playing songs on it. She loves to play music and dance around with her friends, especially Specs.

Bobble

Her real name is Bonnie

Autistic blorbo squambly

The tips of her tentacles used to be lime green because it was her original color. But they’ve faded out overtime because she preferred having her team’s color as her regular hair color!

Glitter in her hair glitter in her hair!!! ✨

Japanese ethnicity! She’s knows some Japanese too. She likes to speak it whenever she’s super excited about something.

Aroace flux and she’s in a relationship with 8-Bit (8bibble fans where y’all at)

She has red eyes under her closed peepers. They’re the reason she keeps her eyes closed because she used to scare a lot of kids and get shunned by adults when she had her eyes open. She’s also worried it’s the reason her parents abandoned her

Also yeah btw she lives in foster care. Her parents gave her up when she was young, just not too long after she met her teammates. The orphanage she grew up at had nice staff but she was often lonely when she didn’t see her friends. Other than her eyes, she has no idea why they left her, but she does her best to not let it bother her

She often gets mistakes for Goggles’ sister, and it always makes her laugh. She often wishes she and him were siblings so she could share his nice family… but even then, she kind of doesn’t want to leave the orphanage because she’s seen as a big sister figure to all the young kids there, and she doesn’t want to leave them. They way she sees it, Bobble is the person to them that she wishes she had in her life when she was younger

Has a bunch of vocal stims, one of her favorites is when she’s hopping around in circles saying “adjoop adjoop adjoop!” In this squeaky little voice. I love her

Sometimes Goggles like to join in on her stimming while Specs and Headphones watch them fondly :)

She’s the baby of the team. Specs will let her sit in his lap in squid form while he’s reading, Headphones like to groom her hair and paint her nails as Bobble kicks her feet, and Goggles like to haul her over his shoulder and carry her around while she laughs like like a little girl.

She thinks Rider gives the best head pats. He’s also like a big brother to her! He’s very protective and never minds at all even when it seems she’s bothering him.

Super duper besties with Gloves! He won her over the moment he bought her a panini when she forgot her wallet and now she’ll sometimes cling to him like a monkey. Gloves loves it 😄 They also bond due to their similar sexuality and romantic attraction preferences (they’re both aroace, except Gloves is more sex and romance repulsed while Bobble just doesn’t really ever see anyone that way, but she’s still open to establishing a relationship!)

Mask thought she was unbearable at first, then just two days later and he developed a big fat crush on her. He eventually got over her and just remained friends, but bro has a soft spot for her, no matter what they say.

Same way with 8-Bit, except she had the balls to confess her feelings to her… in a peculiar way that is:

“WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU?!”

“You have a crush on me? Cool! Let’s go on a date!”And they fell in love lmao

Avid my little pony fan. Pinkie pie is her favorite.

She’s a very good artist with a very unique art style. She even does commissions online for a decent amount of money.

She’s weirdly into the horror genre. She loves watching VHS horror and playing scary video games. She can be watching a movie, unflinching at all the gory scenes, while her teams looking at her like 😟 She would’ve LOVED the Walten files if it came out during her time

She always likes to go as something morbid for Halloween. She went as a headless woman once! (Thanks to Headphones’ help for putting the costume together)

She will want to give you a kiss if she sees you feeling down. It’s because she always asks for kisses from her friends when she’s feeling down and they make her feel better. She will also give you kisses if you ask!

She’s the person you go to if you’re feeling down. She hold you and cuddle you and let you cry into her shoulder for as long as you need. She does it all the time with the kids at the orphanage. She’s also a good caretaker if you happen to be sick and bedridden, mostly because she’s had plenty of experience with having to take care of all the other kids at the orphanage.

She likes to listen to LoFi music or any soft video game soundtracks (Undertale/Deltarune/any of that stuff). It helps her fall asleep and strengthens her focus for when she’s studying.

Obsessed with animated tv shows. Those are literally the only shows she watched on tv. She’ll mostly watch stuff that she’d seen during her childhood like maybe TMNT 2012, My Little Pony FIM, Ninjago, Steven Universe, and any modern animated shows that happen to have more defined lore and story. She would absolutely go insane for Rise of the TMNT and I know she would get her entire team to watch the show with her. Same with Lego Monkie Kid (I still need to watch that show)

Wanna know a secret? (She has depression!!!) no, I’m not inserting this headcanon on her because of edgy purposes or as a lazy attempt to make her character structure seem more “interesting”, but I just feel like that there’s so much that’s going on in her life that she chooses to bottle up because she doesn’t wanna bother her friends about it, but in turn, it just makes it all worse and eventually it all crumbles down when she can’t help but cry due to all the stress and built up emotion she’s been hiding away in herself. This girl needs a fucking hug a fucking forehead kiss lord god. No, she’s not suicidal, she just needs someone to be honest with. Probably the first person (or people) she will eventually be honest with is 8-Bit and Mask. When her team finds out what’s going on, you can imagine they’re surprised to say the least, but they do what they can to help little sister- I mean their friend.

These are prone to be updated because ideas be booping around in my head like the dvd player logo.

Also remember: you’re not inclined to agree with my headcanons, as these are of my own ideas and opinions and I just feel the need to express them because I think they’re fun. If y’all like to ship any of the characters I headcanon as siblingish or vice versa, then that’s okay! As long as you enjoy it! Ngl I’m also interested in your headcanons, so if you would like to add some of your own then lemme hear em!

And in case anyone is interested, here’s my head canons for their voices!

[vallkyr]

Imagine a Bake-Off situation, if you will. Out of Quinn Hughes, John Marino, Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini, who 1) fucks up immediately and gets sent home without ever having made something edible 2) tries his best but doesn’t really know what he’s doing 3) cheats their way to the final but ultimately loses 4) actually knows what he’s doing and wins the whole thing ❤

First of all, I absolutely love you for this question 💕 It's also very fitting timing that you're sending it to me while I'm making cake pops for my Halloween party on Saturday

1) As much as I love him, I don't think Mack really knows his way around a kitchen in any way, this boy could probably fuck up a cake mix

2) In some interview Will mentioned that he likes cooking so he probably goes into this with an attitude of "baking can't be that different" But it is. He tries his best but he's a little too casual about the recipe and doesn't get why nothing seems to work out as intended, he kind of saves things and creates something edible but still doesn't get very far

3) Johnny doesn't really strike me as a baker but he's lived alone long enough to maybe have tried making cookies or something before, he's also crafty and somehow weasels his way through but doesn't win because...

4) Quinn is a mama's boy. Look me in the eyes and tell me he's never helped Ellen bake the Christmas cookies or a birthday cake. See, you can't. Nobody expects it but he knows what he's doing and wins the whole thing thanks to all the time watching and helping his mom

[bbynedtime]

Non-verbal Littles Anon I have feelings for you...... little Johnny world's no. 1 Starer. Impeccable. One more thing for Hodgmommy to feel special and superior about lmao. Of course they have a special language only she can translate.

He just goes up to her and she gets distracted by him immediately even if she was doing something actually quite important (entirely her own decision to do this to be clear. Johnny himself is the one kiddo in the universe who will patiently wait for mommy to get off the phone, turn off the stove, etc.) and with Maximum enthusiasm and volume every time she's like "Hello mon petit ange!!! <3 What does mama's precious little lamb need? ^_^" and he just looks at her unblinking for a couple seconds and she nods and goes "I see darling, don't fret" and immediately brings him the exact thing he wants. If it was a toy or something he was asking for sometimes she'll remember to be like "Let's remember our manners and say merci ^_^" and he will dutifully kiss her cheek. Absolutely strange little spectacle for anyone else watching.

Also I feel like Bridgens has a similar ability with little Peglar's drawings. Just a page of scribbles in random colors and he'll decipher at once what it's supposed to be and tell Henry he did a wonderful job and he's so talented and obviously it goes up on the fridge. (He saves Every drawing little Henry ever makes <3 When he's big Peglar himself is like aw John you really don't need to do that! But he just couldn't bear to ever get rid of something Peglar gave him no matter what QwQ)

I'm cryiing i'm crying i am CRRYYYINGGGG💖💘💞💕💝💕💝💘💞💖💖 I NEED TO SCREAM unfortunately brain doesn't want to cooperate much on that but aaaa

It would be so incredibly weird for someone unfamiliar with them akxnjdjss.

Johnny knows The Stare doesn't work with basically anyone else but he'll still try it anyway. Then both him and the CG get frustrated because it Just Does Not work at all. Good thing mama's usually close by 💖

BRIDGENS RECOGNISING HENRY'S SCRIBBLES AAAAAAAA. He'd say: "what a perfect sailing yacht! Well done, Henry!🥰" and the drawing looks like this

When there's not enough space on the fridge they get one of those big magnetic wallpapers to put the drawings there as well. (If they didn't have it already, which i think they would. Lot's of creative stuff to do with it, i think Henry would like it)

[the-offical-raishas-circus]

The funniest freaking thing about Hazbin hotel is that Alastor is canonically a Mother’s boy. It’s just so funny to me. Like, he just killed 5 people and he shows up at his mum’s doorstep like, “Hiiiiii Mama Hiiiiiii it’s amazing to see you~ 🥰 Are you well? 💕💕💕” and he’s wiping blood off his face and his Mum’s like “??????? Alastor Darling are you BLEEDING?????” And he’s just like “it’s just a scratch don't worry mummy I’ll wash it well 😊 Is it dinner are we having dinner together 🥰 oh by the way did you hear about John. Yeah John who used to harass you. Yeah that John. Do you know that he died??? Yeah they haven’t found the body mummy it’s SUCH a SHAME~ 💕💕💕💕🥰”

and he’s mum’s just there like “???? What’s he implying????? He’s a sweet little Angel he CANT have HURT anyone!!! He can’t hurt a fly!!!!! Omg he’s hurt Who hurt my baby 😱” while Alastor’s just there completely and utterly charming his mother and killing anyone who so much as looks at her and she’s completely oblivious.

oh yeah the second most funniest thing is Hazbin hotel? Val. Just Val. He likes lights. He likes lights and HES BALD HES BALD AND HES TORTURING PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAIR