#maybe a nod about ryan’s character?

[bobbie-robron]

[wwilsonbarness]

sweetie

pairings: dbf!bucky x y/n reader

summary: after yet another failed date your dad’s best friend Bucky cheers you up.. 

warnings: smut 18+ only (unprotected sex, oraL (M & F receiving), fingering, creampie, cockwarming, praise kink, safe word(mentioned not used), innocence kink), age gap (reader is early twenties, bucky is mid 40’s), use of pet names, swearing, body shaming (not from reader or bucky), insecure thoughts (reader) - let me know if I missed any :)

word count: 4092

a/n: I’m a slut for dbf!bucky so I had to use him for my first time writing smut🤭 go easy on me please i tried😭

Feedback, likes and reblogs are much appreciated :) 

I do not give permission for my work to be copied, reposted or translated on any other platform.

masterlist 

“Y/n?” 

“Yeah! Hey, Ryan right?” He just nodded and sat opposite you, clearly not caring he had shown up 20 minutes late. .

“You’re not what I expected” he tried to play it off with a chuckle but you just looked at him in shock, completely confused.

“What were you expecting?” 

“Someone a little.. you know” he pauses for a moment and looks you up and down before continuing, “it doesn’t matter” Before you could question what he meant you hear a familiar voice come from behind you. 

“Y/n, how are you sweetheart?” As you go to turn your head you feel a cold hand on your shoulder, instantly telling you who was there. 

“Buck! What are you doing here?” 

“I’m picking up some dinner on the way home from work, just spotted you two over here and thought I’d say hi” He looks over at your date with a slight smile. Bucky had always been protective over you, ever since he started working with your dad, he’d always be over at your house for some reason or another, but you’d never complain. You’ve secretly been crushing on him for a while now, there was just something about him that you loved, not to mention he was the hottest guy you’ve ever seen. 

“Oh right, sorry! This is Ryan, my date” You point your hand towards him, “Ryan, this is Bucky, one of my dad’s friends” Ryan stands up and holds his hand out waiting for Bucky to shake it. 

“Nice to meet you Bucky” So he doesn’t lack all respect it seems.

“Call me James” He tightly squeezes Ryan’s hand, maybe too hard as Ryan tries to pull away slightly. You couldn’t help the blush creeping up onto your face. Bucky only introduced himself as James to people he didn’t like, come to think of it you had only heard him introduce himself as James a few times. Once when you brought a boy home in your first year of college, to the creepy neighbours who moved into your street whilst Bucky was over for dinner and one of his colleague’s. He must have a good judge of character because all of those people turned out to be total dicks. 

“Well, I won’t take up any more of your time, have a good night you two” He leans down to give you a hug, and whispers into your ear, just loud enough so Ryan can hear. “See you later sweetheart” He turns to Ryan and nods before leaving. You feel your mood drop as he walks away, you were sad that he was leaving, especially with it meaning you were stuck with your sad excuse for a date. You pick up the menu and go to ask what he’s thinking of getting before the waitress interrupts.

“Ready to order?” Before you can respond asking for an extra few minutes Ryan answers for you. 

“I’ll have the pasta special  and she’ll have the chicken salad.'' You shoot him a confused look, similar to the look the waitress is giving you both. You couldn’t believe he was ordering for you, and ordering you a salad at that. God, you could not wait for this night to be over already. 

Surprisingly the conversation from there wasn’t that bad, he asked you about your job to which you explained the recent job you’d gotten as an elementary school teacher. Things were looking up until your food arrived. “I hope you didn’t mind me ordering for you, salad is always a safe choice, you know?”

“Do you have a problem with how I look or something?” He didn’t even seem shocked or embarrassed when you asked. 

“I’ve just never dated someone as big as you”

“what?” Was he serious right now? You’d gained a little weight recently due to stress eating but you didn’t think other people would notice, or point it out.

“Do you not think you could lose a few pounds? You’d look so much better, especially with a dress like that on.” You could feel the tears forming in your eyes as he spoke, little droplets gathering on your eyelashes. You tried to stop your voice from shaking before answering him. 

“I don’t think this is gonna work out” 

He rolls his eyes and scoffs. “God. Women are so sensitive these days” You didn’t want to show him how he was affecting you so you grab your jacket and walk out without looking back. You’re only outside for a couple minutes before you hear that voice again, along with a car horn. You lift your head up and see Bucky parked just ahead of you.

“You okay sweets?” 

“Buck, you’re still here?” you begin to walk towards him.

“Mhm, food took a while to come out. What’s wrong, are you okay?” 

You quickly wiped away the tears that were rolling down your cheeks “I’m fine, just wanna get home” 

“Hop in, I’ll give you a ride home” 

“Are you sure? I don’t wanna-“

“Don’t be silly, you know I don’t mind” you force a small smile out before making your way to the passenger side. 

“How was your date?” You turn to him with a look that makes it clear it was not a good time. 

“He was an ass” His gaze softens on you and he puts his hand onto your thigh and rubs circles over it with his thumb. 

“I knew it” He notices you trying to smile and softens his tone, “I’m sorry sweetie, come on I’ll take you home” 

“Thank you” He softly squeezes your thigh before moving his hand to focus on driving you home. You missed his touch already, it made you feel safe like you had someone who cared but it also excited you, making your body heat up. You quickly threw that idea out, he was your dads best friend, he would never think of you that way. 

Your apartment isn’t far away, the car journey only lasts around 10 minutes. It was a mostly quiet car ride, Bucky didn’t try and make you open up about your date but he was worried, you seemed really upset with whatever had happened. “Are you sure you're okay?” 

You tried to answer without letting your shaky voice show but you failed, “I just wanna get in and get changed out of this dress” You rub your hands over your dress to try and make yourself look better, you couldn’t help but think you looked bad after Ryan spoke about you like that. When Bucky parks outside your apartment you sit  in silence for a moment, you didn’t want to get out because it meant Bucky would be leaving you. “Do you want to bring your food in? It’ll be cold by the time you get back to yours” 

“That would be great, if you don’t mind” 

“Course not Buck” You both get out and walk up to your door. Bucky noticed you playing with your dress on the way, “you look real pretty in that dress” You turned to him as he spoke to you, surprised with what he said.

“Really? I thought I liked it too but, I, I don’t know” you trailed off slowly. 

“Whatever that asshole said to you, don’t listen to him. You look great” 

“Thank you Buck but you really don’t have to say that” 

“I mean it sweetheart, you look gorgeous” You smile up at him, a little less forced this time. It takes you a minute to compose yourself and find your keys but you finally manage to unlock the door.

“Sit down, I’ll get you a plate” 

“Bring two” he shouts through from the couch to your kitchen. 

“Okayy” you're slightly confused but take two plates out the cupboard along with two beers from the fridge, “but why do you need two?” 

“So you can have some” you weren’t in the restaurant too long, did you eat anything?” 

You were tempted to pretend you weren’t hungry but you really were starving. “Is there enough to share? I left before I could eat my salad” 

“Salad? you went to an italian restaurant and ordered salad?" Bucky laughed. 

“He ordered for me” Bucky stopped laughing as soon as the words left your mouth, and he started shaking his head. 

“What a dick, here” he unpacks his bag of food and lays them on the table in front of you both. “help yourself to as much as you like, lucky for you my eyes are too big for my belly” 

“So where'd you find this guy anyway?” 

You sat on the sofa for an hour or so and explained the whole story, including everything that happened on the date. By the end of it Bucky was angry, angrier than you’d ever seen him. He pulls his hand up to your face and cups your cheek, “Don’t let some boy make you feel insecure, you don’t need to change for anyone, and anyone would be lucky to have you” 

No one had ever spoken to you with such kind words and you could feel the tears forming again, you tried to play it off. You were embarrassed for being so emotional. “I’m sorry, just no one ever speaks about me like that” 

“You deserve to hear it everyday, and I really mean that” 

“Thank you buck, and thank you for sharing your food.” 

“Anytime sweetie” 

“I’m gonna go get changed and then I’ll clean this up okay?” 

“Sure, take your time” 

Only a couple minutes pass before Bucky hears you calling his name from your bedroom. 

“Y/n? are you alright” worry had set in fast, faster than it probably should’ve but he cared about you alot. he practically ran through, only stopping when he walked into you. 

“Where's the fire jesus” he puts his hands on your shoulders to try and steady you both. 

“I heard you calling my name, are you alright?” you couldn’t help but smile at his concern for you, it was nice to have someone who cared for you. 

“I’m okay, my hair’s just stuck in my zip, can you help me with it?” you reply as you walk back into your room, Bucky following you close behind. 

“Yeah, come here” you turn your back to him and lift your hair that isn’t stuck out of the way” 

“We might just have to cut it off” you playfully slapped his arm. 

“You wouldn’t dare” he places his hands to your hair and begins to work its way out, the touch of his fingers sends shivers all over you, you try to stifle the moan you make but you can tell you failed. 

“I'm just kidding don’t worry, there you go that should be it out” he says but he doesn’t move his hands. instead he turns you around and looks into your eyes. “You really are beautiful, especially in this dress” he loves to lean into your neck and whispers quietly, “even if I would prefer to see it on the floor” Yet again you couldn’t stop the blush appearing onto your cheeks, did he really say that?

You pull your head back a bit, Bucky starts to think he made you uncomfortable but it was quite the opposite, you pull his face towards you and push your lips together, it was a deep kiss, slow with an intensity you hadn’t felt before. You begin to pull away slowly, scared of overstepping but he pulls you back up against him, his hand cupping your hair, not too tight so you could pull away if you wanted to. His lips were soft, different to what you expected but it felt good. He pulls away slightly, but you can feel his grin against you. 

“You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that”  he says whilst catching his breath. 

“Really?” he hums in agreement. “What else did you want to do?” you feel his grin grow even more. He pushes you back a bit towards your bed and you follow him. 

“You sure you want to do this?” 

“I’m sure Bucky, please” 

“Just say red if you want to stop, okay?” you nod your answer. “I need words sweetie” 

“Yes buck” 

“Good girl” you can feel your panties getting wetter the more he talks to you, you desperately need him to touch you. 

“Bucky please” he could hear the desperation in your voice and it made him laugh, he loved having this effect on you. 

“What do you want, sweetheart? tell me what you want me to do to you” You got shy all of a sudden and it took a minute to find your words. 

“I want you to touch me” Bucky trails his hand down your body and stops between your legs. 

“Here?” he rubs circles over your clit through your dress making you moan and grab into his shoulder. 

“Fuck.. please Bucky” he takes his hand away, you pout up at him. 

“Take off your dress. and lie down” you do as he says, as he watches you with a grin on his face. It doesn’t take you long before you're laying down and Bucky crawls on top of you. He starts to kiss your neck, slowly making his way down to your breasts. “Can I leave this on?” he asks pointing to your bra, you just nod. Thank god you chose this lingerie set today. “You look so sexy in it, making me so hard baby” You let out a little laugh at him,”You’ve gone all shy on me sweets” 

“I'm sorry” Bucky shakes his head.

“Don’t apologise, it’s cute” He continues kissing you slowly, stopping when gets to the band of your panties. He begins to slowly take them off, “still okay?” 

“Yes, please buck. I need you” you whisper to him. 

He throws your panties onto the floor and opens your legs, biting his lips as he sees your pussy glistening in front of him. “Such a pretty pussy”

He lowers his head down and licks his lips before rubbing his fingers over your pussy, collecting the slick already gathered there. He brings his fingers up to his mouth and slowly licks them. “You taste so sweet baby” you feel your cheeks flush at his compliments, “Sweetest thing I ever tasted” he speaks before lowering his head back down. 

He presses his finger to your clit and pushes down a little, making you whimper. “Bucky please” you try to roll your hips up to get him closer to you. “Please buck i need you”

He doesn’t say anything but in the next second you feel his tongue against you. “Fuck Bucky” it was so much better than you were expecting. 

“Aw sweets, you're so wet. Is this all for me?” you nod again, biting your lip. He had hardly touched you and you already felt better than you ever have with anyone else. 

You tried to close your legs to escape the overwhelming feeling but Bucky pushed them open again and looked up to you. this was something you’d dreamt of seeing, having him looking up to you from between your legs. you couldn’t believe this was really happening.

“Gotta keep them open baby, so I can make you feel good” you nod down at him, as you nod he teases his finger around your pussy making you throw your head back. 

He lowers his head again and brings his tongue to your clit and begins to roll his tongue over it. You start to move around, the feeling is too much, he lifts his arm up to your stomach and presses down slightly to stop you from squirming. He uses his other hand to tease your pussy, “Fuck, your so tight sweetie”, he lifts himself up a little and brings his hand to your mouth and holds out two fingers. “Spit on them” you hesitate at first before dropping your spit onto them. 

When he gets back done to your legs he lightly blows on your clit, making you moan out. He begins to tease your hole and starts putting one finger in, slowly, “Fuck, i can’t wait to get my cock in you baby, your so tight” he pushes his finger in and out slowly a few times before adding in another. You can’t help the moan that leaves your lips. you don’t care how loud you’re being, it feels too good.You could feel the ache in your pussy getting stronger, your orgasm fast approaching, you’d never come this fast before. 

“Bucky, please don’t stop” he doesn’t stop, he speeds his fingers up feeling you tightening around them. “Oh.. Fuck. Bucky please I'm gonna- I’m gonna come. Don’t stop” you throw your hands around you, grabbing onto the covers and squeezing them as hard as you can.

“Come for me baby” a few more thrusts of his fingers and you come, your eyes roll back, your orgasm leaving you whimpering, Bucky drops his head down and licks your come. “How do you feel sweetie?”

“Good” is all you can manage, still trying to catch your breath. 

“You did so good baby” he crawls back up to you and plants a kiss on your lips, you can taste yourself on him. You feel his cock through his jeans touching your stomach and reach down for it. 

“Bucky?” you ask shyly. 

“Yeah baby?” he pushes your hair out of your face and cups your cheek.

“Can I touch you?” you slightly squeeze his bulge as you ask, batting your eyelashes up at him. 

He chuckles a little at how shy you are. “Of course you can sweets” he lays down beside you and guides you to sit up beside him. you start to unzip his jeans pull them down before he lifts his hips up making it easier for you to remove his clothes. When his jeans are off you see his cock jump up, it was a lot bigger than you had ever seen before. nerves started to slowly set in, what if you couldn’t make him feel as good as he made you? 

It was as if Bucky could read your mind, he saw the concern in your eyes and started to reassure you. “Sweetie, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to” 

“I want to” you reply quickly before quieting down and slowly continuing “I just don’t know if it will be as good as you made me feel, I don’t wanna disappoint you” 

“You could never disappoint me baby, I'll help you if you need it okay?” you nod your head, and trail your fingers up his thighs before reaching for him. You grab the base of his cock, your hand doesn’t reach around it fully so you bring your other hand beside it. “Fuck baby, that already feels so good” his praise gave you a bit more confidence. Quickly gathering some spit in your mouth, you drop it down onto the tip of his cock, and use your thumb to rub circles over it. He was feeling so sensitive he couldn’t stop his groans leaving him, “fuck Y/N, keep doing that” you did just that, whilst your other hand slowly rubs up and down his cock. 

“Can I put it in my mouth?” Bucky's a bit taken aback by your sudden confidence but he doesn’t hesitate to answer. 

“Please do” you move closer to him and settle between his legs, you lower your head down and lick his tip gently before bringing your tongue down to the base and working your way back up slowly. “Fuck, baby you keep doing that and your gonna make me come.” His praise was making your cheeks flush and he noticed, so he kept going. “Baby you're doing so good, it feels so. fuck. so good” You begin to put his cock in your mouth, going as far down as you could before bobbing your head up and down. Bucky places his hand on your head and slightly pushes your head down further, “fuck sweetheart, your gonna make me come.” 

You speed up, wrapping your hands around his shaft where your mouth can’t reach, Bucky was moaning and whining loudly beside you, his breathing was speeding up. You could tell he was about to come, you wanted him to come in your mouth, you needed to taste him.

“Baby, I’m gonna come, oh god I’m gonna come” he expected you to pull away from him but you keep going until his come shoots down your throat. “Fuck baby, fuck that was good” you look up to him, come dripping out your mouth and smile. “You look so pretty covered in my come sweetheart” He smirks at you, making you blush yet again. You use your finger to collect the come dripping out your mouth and suck on it, which makes Bucky’s cock twitch. 

You look down and see that he’s still hard, so you crawl up to him and whisper into his ear “could you fuck me?” so quietly he hardly hears you. 

“Sweetie you gotta speak up” you pout at him, but repeat yourself. You could feel your pussy throbbing, you needed him inside you. 

“I want you to fuck me Bucky, please” He turns to you

“Lie down” you immediately do as he says. “I’m gonna fuck you like the good, dirty girl you are” he grabs his cock and stroked himself a couple times to get it ready for you. “Remember to use the safe word if you need me to stop okay?” 

“I remember, but please just fuck me. I need you” he brings his cock to your pussy, pushing just the tip in. “Go slow please, you're bigger than I’ve ever had” Bucky felt a hint of jealousy over the thought of anyone else being inside you but he pushed it aside and focused on you. 

“I’ll be gentle don’t worry sweetheart” He brings his tip out and pushes slowly back in a couple times, letting you adjust to him. When it becomes easier he goes in deeper, nearly halfway in. You moan in the mix of pain and pleasure, he was stretching

you but it felt good. 

“Fuck Bucky, you feel so good, keep going please” He pushes in further, rubbing circles over your clit as he does, making it easier for him to fit inside you. 

“Shit baby, you're so tight. squeezing my cock so good” He hadn’t even fucked you properly yet and you could already feel your orgasm coming close. 

“Bucky fuck me please, just fuck me” he bottoms out inside of you, hitting a spot you didn’t even realise existed within you. “OH my god Bucky, keep going. please. It feels so good” 

“Such a good girl for me, taking my whole cock” your moans make him fuck you harder, chasing the release he so desperately needed “So good sweets, you feel so good” 

“Fuck, Bucky. duck me harder please Bucky” 

“You want more?” he thrusts into you harder as he says each word. “Fuck, you’re gonna milk my cock” you can feel your orgasm coming at you with full force.

“Buck I’m gonna -fuck I’m gonna come, don’t stop please” 

“Aw baby you gonna come all over my cock?”  you nod your head, unable to form words at this point “oh fuck. you're squeezing me so tight I’m gonna come. You want me to come inside you? Want me to fill you up?” 

You nod quickly, trying to bring yourself to speak. “Please, please Bucky come inside me please” 

“Always using your manners, sweets, even when you're so drunk on my cock hmm?” You wrap your legs around his waist and pull him towards you.

“Bucky please” you were desperate for your release at this point. He lifts your hands and puts them either side of you, each of his hands pinning yours down and towering himself over you. 

“Oh fuck. Come with me baby. Come with me” He’s thrusting into you so hard, hitting that spot again and again. Your legs begin to shake as your orgasm crashes through you. “Fuckk.. Oh my god Bucky” 

“So. Fucking. Good.” he replies, just as his cock crashes into your pussy. “You milked me so good, such a good girl baby” 

Bucky goes to pull out of you but you stop him, “stay like this please? Just for a little bit”

He cuddles into you as close as he can without moving out of you, and places a kiss on your forehead.

“Anything for you sweetheart”

[corroded-hellfire]

I don’t have a great idea or prompt but your As You Wish Older!Eddie absolutely stopped me in my tracks and I think about him daily 😩 idk if you’d prefer a totally different universe to write older!eddie but I got thinking about As You Wish Eddie and just wondering what like a different night with him and reader maybe Pre-AYW where they’re a lil cuddly but shouldn’t be or post-AYW date night where things actually go well and it’s happy for them both and Eddie’s efforts are appreciated (looking at u Brittany 😒)

I swear, I didn't intend for this to be so long. Yet here we are. This is Pre-As You Wish. Thank you so much for this request! I love writing this little gang so much.

Words: 11.8k

“But I want one,” Luke says with an overdramatic sigh. He flops back on the couch, arm dropping above his head, reminding you of a swooning Southern Belle. 

“You’re being silly,” you tell him, reaching down to ruffle his brown curls. “It’s not that I just said no, you can’t have one. There are literally no cupcakes in the whole house, kiddo.”

The five-year-old acts as if your words have wounded him, curling up himself and holding his chest with both hands as if he’s been stabbed. Where did he get this stuff?

“Will die without frosting!” Luke says weakly. You can’t help but laugh at his adorable antics as you kneel down near his head. There’s no doubt that he’s the most entertaining part of your job. 

“Oh no,” you say, copying his dramatics. “We’re going to lose Luke!”

Without opening his eyes, Luke gives his head a nod, letting his tongue loll out of his mouth. The front door opens and your heart soars, though there’s a brief flash of panic that it’s not the parent of the children that you want to see. When the sound of heavy boots being kicked off reaches your ears, you relax, but stay in character for your game with Luke. 

“Eddie, come quickly!” Your tone is teasing, and you throw him a smile over your shoulder to let him know that you’re only fooling around. Eddie’s smirk says he’s game to play along.

“What’s wrong with my boy?” Eddie says, faking a gasp and coming to kneel next to you at Luke’s side. 

“He says he’s dying from lack of cupcakes,” you say, placing your hand on your heart. 

“Frosting,” Luke grits out, making both you and Eddie hide snorts of laughter. 

“Right. From lack of frosting,” you amend. 

“It’s such a shame,” Eddie says, shaking his head. “If only he could hold on for two more days until his brother’s birthday.”

Luke pops open a bright blue eye, peeking at his father. “Oh yeah.”

“Oh yeah,” Eddie mimics his son’s voice, wrinkling up his nose. 

“What kind of cake?” Luke asks, abandoning his theatrical game and sitting up on the couch.

“I’ll tell you if you give me a hug,” Eddie offers, and Luke launches himself at his dad. Eddie laughs and presses a kiss to his temple. “Vanilla cake. Vanilla icing.”

“Strawberry’s better,” Luke says. 

“Then we’ll have that on your birthday,” Eddie says, mussing up the little boy’s hair before standing. “Where’s Ryan?”

“Taking a bath,” you say, standing up after him. “We finished his homework, and he said if he takes a bath now, he can read before bed instead.”

Eddie grins and shakes his head as he unzips the navy coveralls he’s wearing. Your eyes can’t help but trail his hands, rough and calloused from manual labor, pulling down the zipper so he can shrug his top half out of the garment. 

Luke gets bored now that none of the attention is on him, so he scurries to his room to find something to keep him occupied. 

“That kid,” Eddie says, his tone full of adoration for his oldest son. “I have no idea where he gets it. The brains, the books. Certainly not my genes.”

“Hey, you’re smart,” you argue with a pout. Eddie lets out a chuckle and walks to the kitchen, you hot on his heels. “I’m serious!”

“Sweetheart, I barely got out of high school. Can’t tell you the last time I read a book.”

“There are different types of intelligence, Eddie. I mean, last week! All I said to you was that my car was making a growling noise and within two minutes you knew what was wrong with it. Without even having to go outside and look at it. Jesus, I don’t even know the names for half the crap under the hood. And I guess I’ll just have to lend you a book, huh?”

Eddie smiles at you. A real, open face, full of teeth smile. You take a seat at the kitchen table, unsure if your wobbling knees would be able to hold you up after seeing that grin aimed at you. 

“You’re the best,” he says. A warmth tingles all over your body at his praise. “You wanna stay for dinner?”

The answer to that question depends on what time it is. When your eyes scan over to the clock hanging on the wall and see Brittany is due home in five minutes, that makes the decision for you. 

“Can’t,” you say, eyes sliding back to Eddie where he’s digging through the freezer. Probably in search of something to make. But you notice that he had been watching you, seeing you look over at the clock before answering. 

“Probably have a paper you need to finish,” Eddie says, giving you an out as he resumes his search. 

“Uh, yeah,” you say. But you still have those precious five minutes to be alone with Eddie and you don’t want to waste them. Your mind scrambles for something to talk to him about. “Should I bring Ryan’s present over tomorrow? Or do you want me to wait until Monday?”

Eddie’s brow pinches in a frown and he closes the freezer. “Why don’t you just bring it to the party?”

“His birthday party? Oh, I didn’t realize I was invited.”

Eddie stares at you incredulously. His jaw drops open and he lets out a laugh. “Of course you are. Britt never told you that?”

“No,” you say with a shrug.

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie groans and rubs a hand over his hair. His tongue pokes out to lick over his lips before he speaks again. “I know she told me she invited you. Because I said I’d do it, then she said she’d handle it.”

“Maybe she forgot?” You try to give her the benefit of the doubt, but Eddie knows better. He doesn’t want to get into it with you, though. Lord knows you don’t need to hear about his marriage issues.

“Well, you are invited. And don’t worry, it’s not going to just be a bunch of little kids. We’re having a barbecue out back, around the pool. Some old friends of mine, my uncle, Britt’s sister and her family, and then a handful of Ryan’s friends. You can bring someone if you want. Your sister, friend, boyfriend, whatever.” Yeah, he was fishing for information that shouldn’t affect him either way, but here he was. Is he proud of it? No. Is he going to stop? Probably not. He knows he’s too attached to you but he’s convinced it can all be a fantasy in his head and everything will be fine. At least that’s what he tells himself. 

“Yeah, I’m free Saturday,” you say. “Um, not sure if I’ll bring anyone. Probably not.” Your best friend, and roommate, knew about your feelings for Eddie, so that would just make you nervous she would accidentally spill the beans and ruin everything. There’s no way you were telling your sister about how you feel because she’d just tell you that you’re being stupid; that you’re a kid with a dumb crush. And maybe that’s true, but you didn’t need to hear it from her. 

Pushing yourself up from the table, you grab your bag from the counter and slip it on your shoulder. 

“See you tomorrow?” you ask.

“I’ll be here,” Eddie says, half of his mouth quirking up into a smile.

You shoot him one last smile over your shoulder before heading down the hallway to say goodbye to the kids.

Fridays are the days you only have one class, which means you get to sleep in a little longer than usual. Except for today, when the phone on your bedside table jars you out of your slumber, the piercing shrill going right through you.

“Who the hell,” you grumble to yourself as you push yourself up onto your elbows. Reaching over, your fingers graze the receiver and tug it to your ear. The anger at being awoken dissipates when you hear the telltale sign of machinery and tools clanging. Even before your favorite voice in the world answers your greeting. “Hello?”

“Hey! Oh shit, did I wake you up?” Eddie asks. You debate lying, but the hoarseness in your voice would call your bluff. 

“Yeah, but it’s fine. My alarm was about to go off anyway.” That was a lie, but one he couldn’t catch you in. “What’s up? Boys okay? You okay?”

Both of you notice the lack of checking in on the last member of the family, but neither of you cares either. On his end of the phone, Eddie can’t help but grin to himself, trying to hide it from the other guys in the shop. First, your early morning voice was just about the cutest thing he’s ever heard, now your worry for him and the boys has his heart kicking up its pace. 

“Yeah, everyone’s fine,” Eddie says. “Just wanted to ask a favor of you, if you don’t mind.”

“Anything.” You could slap yourself for how eagerly you said it. For all you know he’s going to ask you to spend the day with Brittany, which might actually kill you. But who are you kidding? You’d do it if he asked. 

“Well,” Eddie says with a sigh. “Britt kind of dropped the ball. Again.”

It’s not a shock by any means. Squeezing your lips together, you internalize the sigh you so desperately want to let out and pinch the bridge of your nose. 

“She, uh, was supposed to pick up Ryan’s cake from the bakery after work today, but apparently,” Eddie pauses here to huff a humorless chuckle, “she forgot to ever order it. Do you think you can swing by the grocery store and get some vanilla cake mix and vanilla frosting? Ryan didn’t know, thank God, so he won’t be disappointed that it’ll have to be homemade. The kids will want to help with it but by the time I get home there won't be enough time to bake it, let it cool, and frost it before they have to go to bed.”

“Oh, Eddie, of course,” you say. The boys loved baking; you know that from experience. Together you’d made countless cookies and brownies. “Do you need me to grab anything else from the store?”

“No, no, that’s all. And I’ll give you the money for it when I get home, I swear.”

“Eddie,” you say with a chuckle. “It’s fine, I can buy birthday cake ingredients for one of my two favorite little dudes.” 

“Nope, you’re getting that money back,” Eddie says, and you just know there’s a smile on his face as he says it. You can practically hear it. 

“I see why Luke is so stubborn,” you say as you lay back on your pillow. Maybe if you close your eyes and tug your soft purple blanket up to your chin, you can pretend you’re being a normal girl having a conversation with the guy she’s head over heels for. Not a conversation about your job with your boss, who has a wife, and is over ten years older than you. Just Eddie. 

Eddie scoffs on the other end of the line, bringing a dopey grin to your face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says. “That kid is nothing like me.”

“Ha!” you bark out, making Eddie laugh, the sound like a shot of whiskey hitting your bloodstream. “Pretty sure Luke isn’t your son, he’s your clone.” Literally, the fact that the five-year-old has blue eyes is the only noticeable difference.

“Okay, okay,” Eddie concedes. “I guess I better get back to work before my boss charges me for half the phone bill.”

“Bosses, right? Such a pain in the ass.”

“Listen, you little smartass,” Eddie says through a laugh, a blushing smile making your own cheeks hurt. “I’ll quit my job right now and take yours.”

“Trade you,” you say, knowing he has to get back to work but not wanting to let him go. “I’ll fix the cars.”

“All right,” Eddie says. “Just tell me where the carburetor is located.” Wrinkling up your nose, you stay silent, only proving Eddie’s point. “Uh huh,” he says, voice sounding smug. “So, I’ll go replace the brakes on this Honda and you’ll go to class, hit the grocery store, and take care of two little monsters for a few hours, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you say. “I’m clearly the winner here.”

“You are,” Eddie agrees. “Okay sweetheart, I’ll see you later.”

The term of endearment isn’t new. He’s called you that countless times, along with a variety of other nicknames. He’s probably even said it over the phone to you before, you’re not sure. But the part that’s currently giving you the feeling of pop rocks exploding in your stomach is that anyone who can hear him on the phone at work right now probably thinks he’s talking to his wife. Or girlfriend if they don’t know he’s married. But he said it to you. Something about it makes you feel giddy. 

“Bye, Eddie.”

“Bye,” Eddie drags out the word before the line goes dead. 

After starting your day off by talking to Eddie, you don’t feel the need for your usual cup of coffee. You’re already wide awake. The day seems to be better than a usual Friday, an extra pep in your step that you can only think of one explanation for. Class seemed more interesting, traffic didn’t seem as bad, even finding a parking spot at the notoriously crowded grocery store was easier. 

Strolling down the baking aisle to find the supplies you need, you hum along to the cheery pop tune playing over the store’s speakers. Your eyes scan over the shelves and snag on a box of vanilla cake mix. Dropping that into your basket, you search for the matching frosting. As you look at all the baking supplies in front of you, the sprinkles catch your eye. Which leads you to looking at the tubes of food gel that you can write on cakes with. Pursing your lips as you look it over, you shrug and think, what the hell? The sprinkles and food gel get added to the shopping basket. Now all you’re missing is the vanilla frosting. Which you discover was right in front of your face the whole time, making you roll your eyes at yourself as you snatch it off the shelf. Purposefully keeping the grocery bag in the backseat, and not in the trunk, your next stop is to pick up the munchkins from school. 

The pickup line at the elementary school is long, but you don’t mind. It usually moves pretty quickly, and the radio station is currently playing Billy Joel. Eddie teases you all the time about your love for the singer of Piano Man, but he does at least admit that the man is talented. 

Two bright faces come up to the windows of your gold car, Ryan grinning and waving, and Luke hooking his pointer fingers into his mouth and pulling them wide while sticking his tongue at you. Leaning across the center console as much as you can with your seatbelt still on, squishing up your face and sticking your tongue out in turn. Luke giggles and opens the backseat, climbing in and over the bag to sit behind you. 

“What’s this?” Luke asks as Ryan climbs in behind him. 

“For Ryan’s birthday,” you say, smiling at him over your shoulder. “We’re making a cake when we get home.”

They both cheer as you pull away from the curb and towards the exit off of school property.

Having baked with them before, you knew it could get crazy. Flour usually ends up all over the three of you and the floor. Eggshells seem to get in the batter no matter how much you try to avoid that. But making Ryan’s cake has them amped up to a whole new level.

“Luke, not yet!” You hold the bowl above his head so he can’t pour in the oil that’s not supposed to be added until after the eggs. Mixing a bowl that’s at eye level with you is a difficult task, you find. 

“I got the pans!” Ryan holds up the two round pans that will bake the layers of his cake.

“Perfect. Can you spray them?”

“With this?” Ryan asks, holding up the non-stick spray can.

“Yes, sir,” you tell him as you set the bowl down on the counter. “Okay, Luke. Now you can add the oil.”

Once the cake is in the oven, you clean up as best you can while the boys work on their homework at the kitchen table. You’re sweeping the powdery substance off the floor when Luke asks how you spell your name. Going slowly so he can focus and write it down, you tell him.

“Why?” you ask. “What’s it for?”

“Homework,” Luke states simply.

“What’s your homework about?” you ask.

“Gotta draw and write the names of my family.”

The broom stalls in your hands at his words. Quickly, you sweep up the debris and walk to look at Luke’s paper over his shoulder. There you are. All the way to the left of the paper, right next to Eddie. It goes, you, Eddie, Luke, Ryan, and Brittany. At the bottom there’s a brown blob. You’re not sure what it is, but your mind is a little occupied with the idea that Luke considers you part of the family. The pressure of warm tears presses behind your eyes, but you refuse to let them come any further. Not sure if he’d understand your affection through words, you bend down and press a few kisses to the top of his dark brown curls.

“What’s that?” you ask, pointing to the spot at the bottom of his paper. 

“My dog,” Luke says with a sigh.

“Is it invisible?” you ask, making a show of looking around the kitchen. 

“No,” Luke says with his boyish giggle. His little legs swing underneath the table since they’re too short to touch the ground. “The dog I want.”

“He needs a name too, you know,” you say, tapping at the blank space where the name should go. 

“She!” Luke looks up at you, frown pinching his adorable features. “I want a girl dog.”

“My apologies,” you say, bowing your head to the miniature Eddie. “She needs a name, then.” 

“Nala!”

“Like The Lion King?” you ask.

“Yes!”

Once you help Luke sound out the name so he can add it to his paper, you take a look and see how Ryan’s homework is coming along. 

“Look at you, whizzing through these math problems,” you say, ruffling his honey brown hair. “Little genius over here.”

He gives you a bashful smile and goes back to his work. The boys finish up just as the timer tells you that the cakes are done. Carefully removing them with the ugliest blue and brown checkered oven mitts you’ve ever seen, you place both round pans on top of the stove and turn off the oven. 

“Now the icing?” Luke asks.

“Not yet,” you say, slipping off the mitts. “They have to cool first. But do you wanna see what I bought to decorate them?”

Both little boys kneel on the chairs, laying the top half of their bodies on the table so they can watch you unpack the grocery bag. Luke’s eyes widen when he sees the can of frosting and you’re pretty sure there’s some drool forming in the corner of his mouth. The sprinkles make Ryan happy, his face lighting up and grabbing the jar. 

“So many colors,” he says as he turns the jar around, tilting the sprinkles so he can watch them slide from side to side. The last thing you unpack is the writing gel and neither kid seems to care.

“What is it?” Luke asks.

“You use it to write on the cake,” you say, flipping the box over and showing them the picture on the back. “We can write ‘Happy Birthday, Ryan!’ on it.”

“We can write anything?” There’s a mischievous glint in Luke’s eye that has you raising an eyebrow on him.

“What is it that you want to write?” you ask. 

“Butt,” Luke says, a throaty and immature laugh coming out of him. 

“No,” you say. “Maybe you can convince Daddy to let you write than when it’s your birthday cake.”

“That’s so far away!” Luke says, flopping back in his chair dramatically. 

“Are you coming to my party?” Ryan asks as he slides out of his seat.

“Sure am, buddy.” You pat the top of your head as he walks by you to get a drink from the fridge. “You excited?”

“Eh,” Ryan says with a shrug of his small shoulders.

“Eh? Why eh?” you ask, frowning at him.

“My cousins are gonna be there,” Ryan answers before taking a sip of water. “They’re mean.” 

“Just Sasha,” Luke says to his brother. “Nat and Dmitri are nice.”

“I guess,” Ryan says. 

“Are these Mom’s sister’s kids?” you ask, taking a seat at the table.

“Yeah,” Ryan says. He walks over and leans against you, so you wrap your arm around him and press a kiss to his forehead.

“But there’s gonna be lots of other people there,” you tell him. “It’s going to be so much fun!”

A small smile comes to Ryan’s face, and he nods his head. You’d personally keep this Sasha away from Ryan if you had to. He deserves to have fun at his birthday party, not worry about what some mean kid might say. 

“Okay,” you say, patting Ryan’s arm. “Who wants to play Hungry Hungry Hippos while we wait for the cake to cool?”

Of course they did, so that’s what you spend the next hour doing. The first time, you let them win. But after that, they were beating you just on their own pure speed. It looked like Luke was going to crack the back of the orange hippo.

Standing up once another round has finished, you walk over to the cake to see if it’s still too warm. It’s down to room temperature so you help the boys clean up the game before setting the decorating items on the kitchen table. 

There’s a stereo just on the other side of the wall of the kitchen, in the living room. Decorating calls for some music, you decide, so you open your purse and find the mixed tape that your friend made for you. Usually, mixed tapes are just that: a mixture. But this one was made up of only Billy Joel songs; your favorites all on one convenient tape. First making sure that the thin glossy material of the tape is all on the left side, showing it’s been rewound, you click the tape into place and press play. The opening notes play as you make your way back into the kitchen. 

What's the matter with the clothes I'm wearing?

Can't you tell that your tie's too wide?

Maybe I should buy some old tab collars?

Welcome back to the age of jive

Luke starts to dance in the middle of the kitchen, mostly consisting of head bobs and moving his shoulders back and forth, but it’s still cute. Keeping one eye on his theatrics, you bring the cakes over to the kitchen table and set each on a plate. The pop topped from the frosting, the gel tubes out of their box, and sprinkle jar ready to rock and roll, you put two plastic knives on the table for the boys to use. 

You're just scooping a large dollop on the top of each cake when the front doorknob jingles and all three of your heads turn in that direction. Eddie steps inside and tosses his keys down. He takes a step towards your direction but halts mid step as he sees the three of you looking at him.

“Hi?”

Luke slides down from his seat and runs to his dad, Eddie scooping him up effortlessly under his armpits and holding the little boy against his chest. 

“Daddyyyy!” he roars.

“Luuuuuke,” Eddie answers, deepening his voice to match the one Luke tried to use. Eddie’s head turns towards the stereo and then he looks at you, eyes narrowed and a smirk on his lips. “You’re subjecting my children to Billy Joel now?”

“They deserve to hear what good music sounds like,” you answer with your own smirk. Truthfully, you love the music that Eddie listens to, it’s just fun to mess with him. 

“Daddy, do you wanna help decorate?” Ryan asks, eyes wide with hope. Eddie could never say no to that face.

“Sure thing, buddy,” Eddie says as he sets Luke down. “Just let me get cleaned up and changed.”

As he heads down the hall, Luke climbs back onto his chair and starts to smooth the white icing around on the yellow cake. 

“More,” Luke says.

“I don’t think so,” you say, eyeing the cake in front of him. “That’s plenty. Just move it around more.”

He lets out a huff, sounding just like his father. 

“This good?” Ryan asks. His cake is completely covered on the top, now just the sides need to be done. 

“Good job,” you tell him. 

Eddie comes back into the kitchen, a pair of sweatpants hung low on his hips and a gray t-shirt, arm tattoos on full display for you to enjoy. There’s nothing inherently sexy about the clothes but seeing them on Eddie is making you feel hot all over. He takes a seat at the table, next to Ryan, and looks over the sprinkles and colored gel.

“You didn’t have to get all this,” Eddie says to you, but you just wave him off.

“I knew he’d like it and I was right.”

“Okay, seriously, how much do I owe you?” Eddie asks.

“Nothing,” you say with a laugh. “Keep your money and ice your son’s birthday cake.”

Eddie smirks and gives you a mocking salute before picking up a knife to help Ryan cover the sides. Once both cakes are sufficiently coated, Eddie stacks them, and you touch up any frosting that got messed up. 

The song on the stereo changes to Just the Way You Are and the slow melody has Luke closing his eyes and swaying in his seat, making you chuckle. Ryan picks up the sprinkles and makes them rain down, colored speckles brightening up the plain white dessert. 

Don't go trying some new fashion

Don't change the color of your hair, mmm

You always have my unspoken passion

Although I might not seem to care

Little fingers grab your hand and pull. Turning towards Luke, you see him trying to pull you over to the middle of the kitchen. 

“What?” you ask as you get up and go where he leads you. Once he gets you where he wants you, he keeps a hold of your hand in his and wraps his other arm around the back of your thighs, since it’s the only part of you he can really reach. He starts to sway back and forth, and it dawns on you that he’s trying to slow dance with you. The adoring grin on your face as you look down at the little boy has your cheeks hurting for the second time today. His big blue eyes return your gaze, his own smile just about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. Luke quickly tires of the slowness, letting go of you and drifting back to the table to try his own hand at the sprinkles. 

“Hey!” you say, jutting your lower lip out at Luke for abandoning you on the dance floor. 

Ryan’s pouting next to him, where he’s still trying to get sprinkles to stick to the side of the cake.

“You can’t just leave her there!” Ryan says to his little brother. He looks down at his sticky little hands and then back to you. His mind must deduce that he can’t dance with you like this. Plus, he’s still working. “Daddy, you dance with her.”

Eddie’s eyes widen for a second as he looks at Ryan, but the look is quickly gone, replaced by that damn smile that drives you crazy. The man rises from his seat and takes a few steps over to you and you feel like your heart might actually explode. Is he really going to dance with you? This has to be a dream. 

Eddie extends his hand to you, which you don’t hesitate to take. He pulls you to him, causing you to giggle and a flush to move up your cheeks. One strong arm wraps around your waist and you think that this just might be the best moment of your life. His other hand, rough and calloused from years of manual labor, holds your smaller, softer hand. When you drape your other arm over his shoulder, hand so close yet so far from the curls at the base of his neck that you always want to play with, Eddie starts to sway back and forth with you. Feeling his body pressed against yours, arm wrapped around your body, hand holding yours, you begin to feel lightheaded. It’s because your breathing has sped up, you realize, and you have to manually take control of your lungs, telling them to inhale longer and exhale fully. 

A surprised giggle leaves your lips as Eddie lets go of your waist and twirls you around by your hand. He’s smiling when you turn back around to face him, his eyes bright and shining. 

I said I love you, that's forever

And this I promise from the heart, mmm

I couldn't love you any better

I love you just the way you are, right

The emotion of the lyrics as Eddie pulls your body back against his has you feeling like you’re underwater. Everything is in slow motion and sounds are garbled, but it’s perfect. You’re sure your skin is on fire and you’re not sure how Eddie isn’t scalding his hands on you. 

Eddie looks down at you as you dance, his dark brown eyes locked on yours, never looking away. Normally, you’d shrink from anyone looking at you this intently, but it’s Eddie. It feels flattering and warm and intimate in a way that you don’t know how to describe. There’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing. First you danced with Luke, then his dad, at Ryan’s insistence. It’s completely innocent. 

As the song comes to a close, Eddie dips you, grip tightening on you as you squeal at the surprise. He chuckles and pulls you back up to your feet. When he takes his hands off you, you feel suddenly cold. Like something is missing. Eddie bends at the waist, bowing to you, so you give him a curtsy in return.

“That’s how you dance with a lady,” Eddie says, giving a playful, barely-there smack on the back of Luke’s head. “Gonna have to teach you to be a gentleman, I see.”

Luke ignores him, finishing up his sprinkle job, but you think there are more sprinkles on Luke than the cake. Ryan hands you a red tube of writing gel, and Eddie a yellow. He has the green one gripped in his small hand.

“Okay, I want you to write ‘Happy,’” Ryan tells his dad before turning to you. “And I want you to write ‘Birthday.’ I’m gonna write my name.” 

Following his instructions, Eddie goes first. He takes his time, tongue poking out in concentration as the yellow gel slips out, curling into the letters weaved by Eddie’s hands in the air. When it’s your turn, you realize you have the longest word to write. As you’re halfway through, the song changes to Uptown Girl and a smile ticks onto your face.

“My favorite,” you say as you curl the H in birthday. It comes out looking pretty good if you do say so yourself. Ryan takes his time with his name as well. Glancing over to Eddie, you see he’s staring off into space, zoned out, mind far away. 

Uptown girl

You know I can't afford to buy her pearls

But maybe someday when my ship comes in

She'll understand what kind of guy I've been

And then I'll win

The beginnings of a smile twitch at one corner of Eddie’s mouth and you’d give anything to know what he’s thinking about so intently. 

“Done!” Ryan announces, breaking Eddie from his trance.

“It looks great, buddy,” Eddie says, patting his oldest son on the back. “Let’s put it in the fridge now.”

Ryan nods and Eddie’s careful in carrying the plate. You open the refrigerator door for him, and he slides it on the top shelf.

“There we go,” Eddie says as you close the fridge. He looks over and sees Luke covered in frosting, sprinkles, and somehow the gel, even though he didn’t touch it. “Luke, you need to go take a bath.”

The boy pouts but slides off the chair and walks down the hallway.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Luke!” you call before he can get into the bathroom.

“Okay! Bye!” he calls back. 

“Come on, Ry,” Eddie says. “Help me clean up.” Eddie grabs the sponge and groans, shooting you a playful glance. “Can't believe you made a mixtape of just Billy Joel.”

“I didn’t make it,” you say, grabbing the kitchen towel and swatting Eddie with it. “My friend Paul made it for me.”

“Oh?” Eddie asks, raising an eyebrow. Ryan takes the can of icing off the table along with the gel tubes, and Eddie runs the sponge over the green tiled table. ���Paul, huh? You know, guys usually make mixtapes for girls they like.”

“Mm,” you hum, cheeks warming. “Love songs, I believe. And Paul’s majoring in music so he makes tapes for everyone.” 

Eddie’s tempted to tell you that you should have Paul introduce you to new music, but he can’t bring himself to suggest you spend time with another guy. A college guy, especially, your own age and who you probably hang out with. His grip tightens on the sponge, the water and suds squishing between his fingers. 

“Making a mess, Dad,” Ryan says with a giggle, poking at a bubble one of the suds produces. 

“Go wash up with your brother, okay?” Eddie says. Ryan stops in front of you and holds his arms out for a hug, which you eagerly return.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I can't wait.”

Ryan grins up at you when you release him from your arms. “Me neither! Bye.”

“Bye, sweetie,” you say, giving him a wave as he heads down the hallway. Towel still in your hands, you wipe down the table with it as Eddie puts the sponge back in the sink. The next Billy Joel tune is on and you’re humming it to yourself before you start to sing along.

Who knows how much further we'll go on

Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone

I'll take my chances

I forgot how nice romance is

I haven't been there for the longest time

There’s a smile on your face as you sing the words, the lyrics bringing Eddie to mind. Not that he isn’t always on your mind. 

“Sing those lyrics to Paul?” Eddie asks.

With a frown, you turn to face him. “No. Paul and I aren’t anything. Why?”

“You had a lovesick expression on your face,” Eddie says, his voice a little harder than usual. Did you really have your emotions playing across your face like that? 

“Oh, Eddie,” you say with an over dramatic sigh. “It’s just because I love Billy Joel so much.”

Eddie flicks a few water droplets at you, and you giggle when they hit your face. 

“God, I’m gonna puke,” Eddie says, trying, and failing, to conceal a playful smile. 

“What?” you ask, giving him wide innocent eyes. “You don’t like Billy Joel? Huh, well that’s okay, Eddie.” You walk over to your purse and start to rifle through it, Eddie’s eyes tracking your every movement. “Here, maybe this will be better.” New cassette clutched in your hand, you go over to the stereo and stop the Billy Joel tape. 

Eddie crosses his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow as he waits for you to switch to whatever God awful – he can only assume – music you’re going to put on. The new tape snaps back into the stereo and you’re strolling back in the kitchen to drop the Billy Joel tape back in your bag as the opening notes on this particular tape start. 

“No,” Eddie says, eyes narrowing at you when he starts to recognize the song. You pay no mind to him as you zip your purse back up, singing along with the lyrics as they start.

Life is a mystery

Everyone must stand alone

I hear you call my name

And it feels like home

“You’re honestly subjecting me to Madonna?” Eddie’s eyes look like they’re going to pop out of his skull. Ignoring his words this time, you keep singing along and twirl until you’re standing right in front of Eddie. Looking up at him with a mischievous smile, you grab his hands in yours and try to get him to dance along. He refuses, but you just keep standing there in front of him, moving your hips back and forth as you keep singing.

When you call my name, it's like a little prayer

I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there

Eddie’s breath catches in his chest. The image the lyrics evoke in his mind is not something he should be thinking about – let alone with you right in front of him. 

I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there

The line keeps repeating in his head on a loop accompanied by the image of you on your knees in front of him. Looking up from below him, your beautiful eyes wide and your lips pouted. Fuck. Why did he decide to put sweatpants on? Shit, he needs to get out of the kitchen before you can see his boner. 

“Uh, those two have been in the bathroom a dangerously long time,” Eddie says. Mercifully, you stop moving your perfectly sculpted hips when he speaks, giving Eddie a moment to compose himself a bit more. “Better go make sure they’re all washed up before I start dinner.”

“Okay,” you say, taking a few steps back from him to go collect your tape from the stereo. You pop it back in your purse and slide the bag onto your shoulders.

“See you tomorrow?” Eddie asks, turning his body towards the hall to better hide himself. “Party’s at one.”

“I can come by early and help set up?”

Even when desperately trying to usher you out of the house, he’s anxious to get you to come back as soon as possible. “Sure. Twelve? Little after?”

“I’ll be here,” you tell him, giving him a smile that’s not doing any favors for the hard on in his pants. 

He gives you a smile in return, along with a wave before he heads down the hall to the bathroom where the critters are probably making a mess. 

As if picking out a bathing suit to wear for any other occasion wasn’t frustrating enough, now you have to pick one that Eddie would see you in. Impossible as it was, you managed to pick one. It’s a one-piece dark green suit with cut outs along the sides, exposing the sides of your ribs. It became the winning suit mostly because of how well it holds your boobs up, though. The girls are on display, but not about to fall out of your suit. A pair of denim shorts and a faded white t-shirt are your choices to throw on top of it. You scoop up Ryan’s gift and head out the door.

When you park your car in front of the Munson residence you can tell the backyard is being set up. Luke’s loud voice sounds from around the house, chattering away to who you can only assume is Eddie. The sound of patio chairs scraping against the pool deck drowns out the little boy’s voice, but you hear Eddie hum in agreement with something he said. Just that little sound from Eddie has an involuntary smile spreading on your face and you head to the side of the house where the gate to the backyard is located. 

“Luke, can you move that chair over? The one by the grill.” 

Eddie catches sight of you as you come around the corner of the house. His face lights up and it almost causes you to trip over your own sandals. When he goes to open his mouth to say hello, you hold your finger up to your lips, eyes darting towards Luke and back again. Eddie nods, a smirk playing over his lips. Slowly so as not to make a sound, you put Ryan’s gift down on the table closest to you and kick off your shoes. Luke’s back is still turned as you tiptoe closer to him. Striking, you reach out and snatch the small boy in your arms, hugging him to your chest. Squeals escape his tiny frame as he wriggles in your arms, and you press kisses to his cheek.

“Got you!” you call over his laughter. 

Eddie’s chuckling as he watches the two of you, untangling a string at the end of a “Happy Birthday” banner. 

“You scared me!” Luke says. 

“That was the point,” you say as you tickle his sides. He wiggles his way out of your grip and gives you a playful push. You pretend to stumble back, as if his strength was just too much for you. The triumphant look on his face melts your heart and you just want to snatch him up again. But before you can, Eddie’s voice calls for you.

“What’s up?” you ask, strolling over to the man.

“This ladder is kind of wobbly, can you hold it for me while I hang up the sign?” he asks.

“I can do it,” you say, holding your hand out for the banner.

“You sure?” Eddie asks, arching an eyebrow. 

“Yeah,” you say. “I trust you holding the ladder more than I do me.”

“If you insist.” He hands over the sign and you climb a few rungs up the ladder. Eddie’s hands hold the ladder on either side of your body, and he feels his cheeks flush when your ass is right at his eye level. Giving himself just a moment to enjoy the view, he decides not to be a perv and look up to where you’re securing the banner above the back door. 

“How’s it look?” you ask.

Your ass? Perfect, he thinks to himself. 

“Uh, looks good,” Eddie says. You climb down and are boxed in by the older man’s arms as he still holds on to the ladder. His lips quirk to the side as your eyes meet his. “Looks, um, really good.” 

Eddie bites his bottom lip, only breaking his trance when the back door opens, and he instinctively wraps his arm around you to tug you out of its way. The door bangs against the ladder and Ryan winces as he steps outside. He’s about to apologize when his eyes take in you standing there. The fear in Eddie screams that Ryan’s eyes went wide because his arm is around you, so he quickly drops it. But really, Ryan is just excited to see you. He runs over and throws his arms around your middle, burying his face in your stomach.

“Hey, you! Happy birthday, Ryan.”

“Thank you!” Ryan pulls back, giving you a grin. 

Eddie folds the ladder in and picks it up, your eyes immediately drawn to his muscles flexing in his Iron Maiden tee that he probably cut the sleeves off of himself. 

“Luke!” Brittany shouts from inside and it seems like all four of you in the backyard tense at the sound. Her footsteps are quickly approaching the back door and Luke groans, shuffling himself closer to you and Ryan. The door hinges squeak and Ryan’s grip tightens around you. 

“There you are,” Brittany says, eyes locking on her youngest son. Her eyes glance briefly over to you, then back to Luke. “Hi.” 

It takes a moment before you realize she was talking to you. “Uh, hi, Brittany.”

“Luke, come inside and help me. Eddie, you need to get the towels out of the linen closet.”

“Okay,” Eddie says. He ruffles Luke’s hair and prods him along to follow his mom inside.

“Need me to do anything out here?” you ask. 

“Uh…” Eddie slips his hands into the pockets of his black jeans and looks around the patio. “Not gonna light the grill til people start getting here. Chairs and tables are all set up. Oh!” He snaps his fingers and walks over to pull a box off of one of the deck chairs. “Can you put the birthday tablecloths on the tables?”

“Of course.” Bending down, you press a kiss to the top of Ryan’s head. “I put your present right over there. Wanna take it inside?”

“Yes!” 

For the next forty-five minutes you help the Munson’s around the house, setting up decorations, putting the snacks into bowls, and trying to keep Luke from shaking Ryan’s gifts around to try and figure out what’s inside. You're pulling the burgers and hotdogs out of the fridge in preparation for Eddie to grill when the man in question walks into the kitchen, Iron Maiden shirt still on, but his jeans exchanged for a pair of silver swim trunks. 

“Where are the boys?” he asks.

“Getting changed into their bathing suits,” you say as you knock the fridge closed with your hip.

The doorbell rings and Eddie heaves a sigh. “And so it begins.” He heads out to answer it and comes back in with an older man whom you recognize from photographs. Still, Eddie introduces the two of you.

“This old geezer is my Uncle Wayne,” Eddie says, playful smirk set on his pretty lips. 

“Ah, you must be the young lady the boys are always talking about.”

Wayne offers his hand which you shake with a polite smile on your face. Eddie hopes neither of you notice the pink tinge over his cheekbones because he knows he’s guilty of talking about you more than he probably should. 

“I guess that’s me,” you say. 

“Grandpa!” Luke runs in and launches himself at the older man. Wayne laughs and catches the young boy, swinging him up into his arms.

“There’s my troublemaker,” Wayne says.

“Fitting nickname,” you say with a giggle and Luke sticks his tongue out at you.

“Tongue to yourself,” Eddie says, tugging on one of Luke’s curls.

Over the next hour you’re introduced to so many people that you sincerely hope no one expects you to remember them all. There’s Brittany’s sister Sandy and her three children (that you can already tell are a handful), Eddie’s friend Dustin that you’ve heard so much about, and you definitely remember Steve Harrington—because he’s so handsome.

“Hi,” you say, offering Steve your hand to shake. His wife Nancy and their four kids have already come in and gone out to the backyard, but Steve was lagging behind since he was getting the presents out of the car. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Steve says, shooting you a smile. Maybe it’s his old high school insecurities kicking in, but Eddie quickly claps Steve on the back and sends him out by the pool. 

But your favorite people you think you’ve today are also old friends of Eddie’s from high school. They came into the house bickering, but somehow it was in an adoring way that let you know it was them showing affection for one another. The man was tall, taller than both Eddie and Steve, and had an infectious smile. His wife had her fiery red hair up in a high ponytail and their baby in her arms.

“This is Lucas, Max, and little baby Tiffany,” Eddie tells you. Tiffany looks up at you with wide dark eyes, a gleeful expression on her chubby little face. 

“Oh, she’s precious,” you coo, smiling at the happy little girl. “How old is she?”

“Eight months,” Lucas says, looking adoringly at his daughter.

You end up sitting with the little family outside by the pool, on a deck chair next to Max while she holds the giggling baby in her lap. Ryan is happy, splashing away in the pool with his friends. It warms your heart to see the normally quiet boy laughing so loudly and having the time of his life. Eddie’s at the grill, flipping hamburgers and surrounded by Dustin, Steve, and Lucas. You’ve never seen Eddie with his friends before. He’s relaxed, spatula in his hand, and an easy smile on his face. They’re all laughing at something Dustin said and it brings joy to your face.

“Oh, shit,” Max says from next to you, drawing your attention away from Eddie.

“What’s wrong?” you ask, turning to face her. 

“I left her favorite pacifier in the car,” she answers with a sigh.

“Do you want me to go get it?” you offer.

“I’m not sure where it is in there.” Max stands, holding Tiffany on her hip. “Would you mind holding her while I go check?”

“Not at all,” you say, a smile on your face as the little girl beams at you. Max hands her over and her tiny fingers go right up to your mouth, making you giggle.

“I should be back in five minutes. But Lucas is over there if you need him.”

“Oh, we’ll be fine,” you assure her, shrugging your shoulders. “It’s my job.”

Max gives you a smile before heading back into the house.

“Well, hello, Miss Tiffany,” you say, holding her on your hip. She babbles in the language of babies, and you tilt your head. “I know. I agree.”

Eddie looks up from the grill to say something to Steve, but over his friend’s shoulder he catches sight of you holding Tiffany. It feels like his heart is going to liquify and melt right out of his chest. He’s always wanted a baby girl. But he also did not want to have any more children with Brittany. But seeing you, the girl he has a completely inappropriate crush on, holding a baby girl? Smoke is going to start coming out of his ears, joining that from the grill. 

“Uh, Steve, watch the grill for me? Just gotta ask what some people want to eat.” Eddie’s not even really looking at Steve as he shoves the spatula in his hand, moving past his group of friends and walking over to you. As he gets closer, he can hear you talking to Tiffany in that squeaky voice all adults seem to talk to young children in. The baby is giggling and waving her little hands around and it makes Eddie smile.

“Well, seems like you made a new friend,” Eddie says, coming to stand beside you so he can admire the girl as well. 

“And she’s just the sweetest little thing,” you say, still in the baby talk voice. Tiffany starts to fuss a little in your arms, but you’re quick to readjust her position and hike her up a little higher on your hip. It seems to have done the trick because she rests her head on your chest and looks up at Eddie with her large dark eyes. 

“Hey there, Tiffany,” Eddie says. She blinks at him, dark eyelashes kissing her cheek. 

“Isn’t she beautiful?” you ask.

“Absolutely,” Eddie says, eyes glancing at you. 

“I want one,” you say, only half joking. As if Eddie couldn’t want you any more than he already did, you had to go and say that. He can’t help it, he leans in and brushes a soft touch over Tiffany’s thin brown hair on the top of her head, Eddie’s head practically resting on your shoulder as he does it. He wants this so bad it hurts. His heart is in a vice grip and every day the handle seems to turn it even tighter. 

It’s affecting you as well. You’ve always wanted kids and loved being around them. It’s why you became a babysitter to begin with. But holding this sweet little girl with Eddie standing so close to you? You can’t help it, you close your eyes and let the fantasy take hold that this is your and Eddie’s baby in your arms. The warmth of his body is radiating over to you and the baby lays gently against your breast. The boys are having fun in the pool, and this is your little family. 

“Got it.” Max’s voice breaks you out of your illusion. She’s brandishing a green pacifier in the air as if it’s a trophy, the prize she’s been searching for. As soon as Tiffany catches sight of the pacifier, it gains all of her attention. She makes grabby hands for it and Max is quick to pop it into her mouth.

“Thank you so much,” Max says as she takes the baby from your arms.

“Not a problem. She was a little angel,” you tell her.

“She gets that from me.” Max smirks at Eddie, as if she’s expecting his bark of laughter even before he does it. 

“Uh huh,” Eddie says. “Check that red hair again, I’m sure you’ll find some horns growing beneath it.”

“I’d flip you off if my child wasn’t in my arms,” Max says.

“Then thank you, Tiffany,” Eddie says, leaning in towards the baby. She reaches out and tugs on one of Eddie’s curls.

“See? She said that’s what you get for talking like that about her mom,” Max says. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie says. “What do you want to eat?” He then asks you and pats your shoulder before walking back over to the grill.

The kids aren’t thrilled when they have to come out of the water to eat, because they know they’ll have to wait for a half hour afterwards before they can go back in. But Eddie had been prepared for that level of boredom from these rambunctious rugrats and had a few games set up for them on the back lawn. It wasn’t much, but the kids seemed to enjoy playing with the bean bag toss and the horseshoes. 

Once the half hour is up, you’re ambushed by Ryan who insists you come in the pool. Trying to tell him that you don’t want to seems futile since he has the double advantage of having those adorable puppy dog eyes and the fact that it’s his birthday on his side. He cheers when you agree, and the sound draws the attention of his father who had been talking with Wayne. But his gaze has been captured elsewhere when he sees you strip your white shirt over your head, revealing the green swimsuit beneath. When you bend over to take off your denim shorts, Eddie loses all coherent thought in his head. You turn to face Ryan fully, which also has you facing Eddie head on. His eyes take in every inch of you. From the way the bathing suit lifts your already impressive breasts, how the cutouts on the side of the suit tease him with glimpses of your soft, smooth skin, to the way the material hugs your hips just right and your long legs are left bare. They look so inviting and the only thought that goes through Eddie’s mind is that he wants to mark them up. Make that soft skin turn purple and red under his adoring mouth. 

You follow Ryan into the pool, taking one step at a time. The deeper you get, the colder it gets, so your muscles tense as you wade into your waist. Eddie chuckles as he sees you gritting your teeth, your shoulders pulled up to your ears, and your arms held just above the water, but not touching. 

Luke swims over and throws himself at you, making you squeal as the water from his body and the splash send goosebumps down your skin. 

“S’cold,” you say to Luke who only giggles in return. You wrap your arms around his small waist as he clings to you, arms coming up to encircle your neck. 

“Throw me?” Luke asks. 

“Yeah?” you ask, and he nods his head wildly, wet curls bouncing and shaking water everywhere. 

Moving your hands to the sides of his tummy, you bend your knees to coil your energy up before tossing the five-year-old into the deep end of the pool. He makes a splash, showering some of the other kids in the pool–who you were careful to avoid when throwing him. Luke pops back up, laughing as he shakes the water from his head like a dog coming out of the bath. 

“Not far enough!” he shouts as he swims back over to you. 

“Well, sor-ry,” you say, wrinkling up your nose at him. 

“Daddy throws me farther,” Luke says. 

“Well, your daddy is stronger than I am.”

“Daaaaaaddy!”

You wince at Luke’s volume, him taking full advantage of not having to use his inside voice.

“Luuuuke,” Eddie replies, strolling over to the edge of the pool, hands on his hips.

“Can you come throw me?” Luke asks, treading water. He has to squint his blue eyes in the sunlight to see his father semi clearly.

“Didn’t I just see you flying in the air?” Eddie asks, gesturing towards the deep end of the pool. 

“Apparently, I’m not strong enough to throw him as far as he wants to go,” you say, tilting your head as you look up at Eddie, attempting not to ogle him. 

“This kid and his high standards,” Eddie says with a sigh. He reaches down, whips his shirt off, and all attempts not to blatantly stare become futile. The muscles rippling in his lithe frame as he tosses the shirt back onto an empty chair have you biting your lip to keep in an inappropriate noise. 

Eddie steps forward, letting himself just drop into the pool with an effortless grace. It causes a large splash that smacks both you and Luke in the face but judging by the smirk on his face when he resurfaces, Eddie did it on purpose. “All right, come here you little hobbit.”

You watch Eddie grab his son and place his hands under Luke’s armpits. The excitement is clear on Luke’s face and it’s contagious, bringing an adoring smile to your lips as you watch the father and son. Eddie double checks to make sure there’s a clear path to throw Luke, then tosses him towards the deep end, the little boy grinning the whole time he’s in the air. Luke was right–his dad throws him farther. Ryan swims over, wanting a turn as well, which leads to most of the kids in the pool wanting to be thrown in the air. Eddie obliges, but you can tell that his muscles are getting tired as the children start to fly less and less farther into the deep end. 

“Okay, okay,” Eddie eventually says, his breath labored from all the activity. “That’s enough for now.” He dips under the water to cool down and when he comes back up, you swear he moves in slow motion like some cheesy movie moment; the beads of water dropping down his skin, his hair shaking out around him, curls weighed down from the water. It’s enough to make you go feral. 

“Hmm,” Eddie hums, eyes narrowing as he looks at you. There’s a mischievous look on his face and it makes you raise your eyebrows at him.

“Yes?” you ask.

“I think I have enough strength to throw one more person,” he says, sly smirk painting his features. 

“No,” you say with a laugh, shaking your head as you try to swim away from him. But he’s too fast. Too fast and too strong as he wraps an arm around your waist and pulls your body back against his. The bare back of your shoulders is pressed up against his naked chest and the goosebumps that dot your skin are certainly from that and not the cool temperature of the air now that you’ve been in the water so long. Eddie spins you around so you’re face to face with him, and the ferocity of the turn has you reaching out to place your hands on his shoulders to steady yourself. You’re practically nose to nose with him, so you decide to take advantage of the moment and take him in. The darkness of his beautiful eyes. The smattering of freckles that dust the bridge of his hose and up his cheekbones. How plush and pink his lips are, even if they’re slightly chapped. Your eyes follow a droplet of water as it runs over his pretty mouth, down his strong chin, then plops back into the pool.  

“Ready?” he asks, voice low. Closing your eyes for a brief moment, you silently thank God you’re in a pool that will keep anyone from seeing how your thighs clench together. If he kept talking to you like that, you’d do anything he asked of you. 

“Yes,” you breathe out, as if it’s the only answer you could give him. His grip around your waist tightens, fingers against your bare skin showing through the suit’s cutouts, and you can feel his muscles flexing under your hands that still rest on his shoulders. There’s a small twitch of Eddie’s lips before he’s throwing you, sending you backwards into the water. Holding your breath as you go under, your skin still tingling where his hands had been on you. Body floating back up to the surface, you let out a huff of air once you break the surface. Laughter bubbles out of you as you wipe your eyes, whipping your hair out of your face. 

Ryan’s cake is next, and the expression of pure joy on his face has you feeling the pressure of tears behind your eyes. All of the little dancing flames extinguish with just one breath from the newly crowned seven-year-old. Luke is eager for a slice of the cake, not only because he was dying from lack of frosting earlier in the week, but because he was part of the labor that put this confection together. 

As the party winds to an end, you’re thoroughly tired, but it’s only fair that you help clean up since you helped set up. In your mind, anyway. Eddie disagrees, practically trying to take empty plates and dirty forks out of your hands when you try to clear the tables. Most of the guests are gone when Sandy, Brittany’s sister, grabs her keys and rounds up her three kids.

“Oh,” Brittany says, coming into the kitchen where you and Eddie are. She grabs her purse off the counter and slides it onto her shoulder. You’re not sure when she changed from the small string bikini she had on before, but she’s now wearing jeans and a nice blouse. “Sandy and I are heading to the store. I’ll be back.” Then she’s out the door. No further explanation. No asking if he needed her to pick up anything. Just leaving him with the remnants of a child’s birthday party, all the burdens falling on him. Or they would have, had you not been there. You would never leave him on his own like this. Your nails dig into your palms, and you drop your hands behind your back so Eddie can’t see. He doesn’t seem all that surprised, though. His eyes stay on the door for a few moments before he sighs and brings his attention back to wrapping up the leftover burgers. 

“You okay?” you ask in a small voice. Anger and empathy battle each other in your head, one for the bitch who walked out the door, one for the beautiful man standing in front of you. 

“Yeah,” Eddie says, putting the burgers in the fridge. “Surprised she didn’t dip out earlier, to be honest.”

Unsure of what to say, your hands twitch by your sides for a moment before you’re striding forward and wrapping your arms around his middle, laying your head against his shoulder. Eddie hesitates for half a second before his arms come up to encircle your waist, his head resting on top of yours. Neither of you says anything, just stand there in the quiet kitchen, holding onto one another. In both of your heads there’s a little voice telling you that this hug has gone on for too long for it to be considered appropriate between boss and employee, but neither of you care. You’re only jostled apart as you hear the backdoor open on its squeaky hinges. Reluctantly, you let go of one another and don’t meet each other’s eyes as Wayne comes into the kitchen with Luke, both of them bringing in trash from the backyard. As Luke steps towards the sink with the half-filled cup of fruit punch he’s holding, he trips over his own feet and the red liquid goes flying, landing right on the front of your white shirt. The cold drink makes you gasp as it soaks through the chest and stomach. Luke’s eyes immediately widen, tears welling up in them and you forget all about the bite of the wetness. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” you say, crouching down and rubbing up and down his arms. “Aw, don’t cry, sweetie. It was an accident.”

“I’m sorry,” Luke says, a few tears spilling over the brim. You wipe them away and shake your head.

“It’s okay,” you say. “I promise.” Luke nods and you help him throw away the rest of the garbage he brought in. 

“Luke, why don’t you clean up the floor while I get her a shirt to change into?” Eddie asks. Luke nods his head, letting out one more sniffle before he stands on his tiptoes to get the paper towels off of the counter. 

Wayne pats your shoulder, and you give him a smile. “You’re real good with them.”

“Thanks,” you say. “They’re the best.”

“I have to agree,” he says with a gruff chuckle before ushering Luke back outside so they can bring in anything that was left out there.

“Here,” Eddie says as he comes back into the kitchen. He offers you a white raglan shirt with black sleeves. You hold it up in front of you and see the emblem of a red devil’s head, fire and other accessories surrounding the face. 

“What’s Hellfire?” you ask. 

“Name of the D&D club in high school.”

“Oh right,” you say. “I remember you telling me about that. It’s where you met Dustin, right?”

“Yeah, he was–.” Eddie trips over his own words as you slip your soiled shirt over your head. Yes, you’re wearing your bathing suit underneath still, so you thought nothing of it. But Eddie wasn’t expecting it and all activity moves from his brain down to his crotch. How is supposed to keep composed when you just whipped your shirt off like it was nothing right in front of him, the support of your bathing suit basically forcing your breasts into his view? He feels himself twitch in his swim shorts and clears his throat before continuing. “Dustin, uh, was a freshman, yeah.” He originally had more to say, but nothing else comes out. 

As hot as it was when you took your shirt off, Eddie seeing you in a Hellfire shirt, his Hellfire shirt, it makes his brain short-circuit even further. He’s saved from embarrassing himself by stuttering in front of you by Wayne coming back in, throwing out another handful of trash. 

“I’m gonna go see if the boys need help,” you say, shooting both men a smile before heading out to the backyard.

As soon as they hear the door close behind you, Wayne rests a heavy hand on Eddie’s shoulder. His uncle sighs and Eddie turns his head to look at him.

“She’s a real sweetheart, that babysitter of yours,” Wayne says.

“She is,” Eddie agrees. 

“Pretty, too.” 

There’s the slightest arch of Wayne’s eyebrow and Eddie opens his mouth, no sound coming out. He stumbles under the knowing gaze of the man who knows him better than anyone else in the world. Eddie finally manages to nod his head. His tongue pokes out to lick over his lips before he speaks. 

“Yeah, she is.” 

Once the house is back in order and the boys are tucked into their beds, both you and Eddie crash on the couch. Brittany still hasn’t come back yet to the surprise of neither of you. But if Eddie was completely honest with himself, he’d rather his wife stay out and have you stay here with him. 

“Today was fun,” you say, letting your head drop to the back of the couch.

“It was,” he agrees. “More than I thought it would be. But also, way more exhausting.”

“You should get some sleep,” you murmur, shifting yourself so you can head out. But Eddie has other plans, nodding and resting his head on your shoulder. There’s a spike in your heartrate as his hair tickles the side of your neck. Your stomach is full of butterflies and they’re bumping into one another as they fly around. Eddie stays that way until you hear Brittany’s car in the driveway and jostle him awake. 

“Eddie,” you say softly, not wanting to scare him.

“Hmm?”

“Brittany’s home.”

If he wasn’t half asleep, he probably wouldn’t have let out the irritated groan like he did, but it’s too late now. Not like you don’t know the two of them are having issues, anyway.

“I’m gonna head out. “I’ll see you on Monday, yeah?”

“See you on Monday. Oh.” He catches your wrist as you stand up from the couch. “Thank you for helping today. Setting up and cleaning. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” you tell him with a smile. “Anything for my favorite boys.”

On Monday, Eddie’s bent under the hood of a car, trying like hell to unscrew a stubborn cap. The voice of his friend startles him and he almost bangs his head on the hood as he jumps.

“Hey,” Steve says.

“What are you doing here?” Eddie asks, wiping grease on the rag hanging over his shoulder. “It acting up again?”

“Yep,” Steve says, sliding his hands in his pocket. Eddie lets out a sigh and nods his head.

“Okay, I’ll try and work it in today.” He makes to go back under the hood, but Steve’s question has him freezing his movements.

“So, uh, question for you. Are you fucking the babysitter? Because between you and me? You should be.”

[kai-anderson-whore]

Could you do a fluff imagine where Evan is starting to film Dahmer and his mental health isn’t the best and y/n is helping cheer him by visiting him on set, being there for him at home, etc?

Yes so this is kinda short I wanted to write longer I now have work so I apologise I couldn’t write more like I originally intended to do.

You need a break (Evan peters x Reader)

Summary: Evan’s mental health had took a toll since filming dahmer so you decided to cheer him up

Warnings: fluff, mentions of mental health, filming the dahmer series, mentions of Jeffrey dahmer

Word count, 1.2k

•¤❅¤•.•°˚˚°•..•°˚˚°•.•¤❅¤•.•¤❅¤•.•°˚˚°•.

The cold wind clouded around you as you made your way through the busy streets of lox angeles county. Two cups of coffee secured in a cardboard cup holder in hand. You set out to visit your boyfriend Evan peters on set hoping to cheer him up and make his day somewhat better.

You knew that some of his newer roles took a toll on his mental health after playing Kai Anderson in American horror story, but with his newest role of the infamous serial killer Jeffrey dahmer he was spiralling into the darkness once again. You couldn't blame him when he has a role he researches the role non-stop and detaches himself from his co-workers to get into the character.

It was unhealthy but it was his strategy for this role. You just wished he picked something more healthier for his own mentality. You walked on to the set luckily they were on a break, you searched for Evan but you bumped into Niecy Nash, "hey y/n you looking for Evan" she asked giving you a polite smile. "Hey yeah have you seen him I can't find him" you replied the cups of coffee slowly getting colder in your hand.

"Have you tried his dressing room?" She suggested pointing to the end room you thanked her wishing her luck on set before heading to the dressing room labelled peters, you knocked on the door incase he was busy. "Come in" you heard his voice through the door with your free hand you let yourself in seeing Evan on a chair scrolling through his phone doing more research on his role so he wouldn't miss a thing.

"Hey babe" you smiled placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Hey thank you" he smiles as you handed him the Starbucks cup. "So how was it today?" You asked striking up a conversation. "A bit stressful trying to portray the role but got there in the end just doing more research so I get it just right" he sighs clearly in another world right now.

"Maybe take this as a breather to be Evan for a moment instead of focusing on being dahmer for a while". Evan nodded his head at your words but you knew he wouldn't take your advice. "I can't what if I can't get back into the character or mess up the scenes I can't risk it" he protested you let out a soft sigh taking a sip of your bitter caffeinated drink.

"I'm just looking out for you Evan I mean look what happened before and this is a more serious and sinister role, I don't want you to spiral again." Your voice was low almost a whisper. Evan knew that you were looking out for him, he knew it wasn't fair on his own health and for you too but it was his job.

"I know you're just looking out for me and I'm appreciative of that don't think I'm not I am, it's just it's not fair on you having to worry about me" he said running his hand down his face in frustration. "What kind of girlfriend would I be if I wasn't" you teased to lighten the mood a little which kind of worked since he let out a small smile.

"Ryan says we get a break for a few days next week you know for a breather" Evan informed you let out a smile nodding your head. "Well tell you what we'll stay home I'll for a few days off of work and we can just stay at home and relax how does that sound?" You offered since Evan started filming the series you barely had time for yourselves at all. You've been busy with work and Evan with the show only time you both really saw a glimpse of each other was going to bed and waking up in the mornings.

"Sounds great" he smiled at you placing a kiss on your lips. "Right I better get going I was only on an hour break but I'll ask my boss for that little break next week and I'm all yours" you said before placing another gentle goodbye kiss on your boyfriends lips. "I love you" you heard him say behind you. Turning your head facing him once again "I love you too Evan" you smiled leaving him in the dressing room.

��——

The next week came long you were in the kitchen doing some laundry folding the clean clothes up and throwing the dirty ones in the washing machine. Waiting on Evan finishing filming the final scene before his few days off. You wanted the place to comfortable for him so he can take this time to relax.

You spent the day making sure everything was perfect for him. Buying all his favourite snacks and treats for him coming home, you had planned on spending the evening in bed watching movies and stuffing your faces with food. Once you were finished with all the laundry you had some time to space you decided to order some take out from Evan’s favourite place while you waited for him to come home.

About twenty minutes later Evan walked into the door feeling exhausted. Tossing his keys into the little trinket dish you laid by the door sluggishly walking into the living room running a hand over his face. “Hey babe” he smiled lightly seeing you sat on the sofa with some tea. “Hey how you feeling?” You asked noticing his tired expression. “Alright just want to relax with you for the next few days” he sighs plopping down on the sofa resting his head on your lap.

Your fingers played with his hair, his eyes closed feeling more relaxed leaning into your touch. “I went out and bought your favourite snacks and I got takeout from your favourite place, I was thinking we could watch a movie and just have a very chill night” you said now holding his face in your hand’s running your thumb along his cheek bones. Evan smiled nodding his head at you. “Sound amazing babe”.

And if so it was clockwork the doorbell sung it’s little tune. You and Evan got up to answer. “Evan you sit I’ll get it” you instructed he complied sitting himself back on the sofa. You went to the door thanking the delivery driver and tipping him extra closing the door. “Dinner is served” you said setting the food on the coffee table.

After dinner you and Evan went into bed with all your snacks putting a movie on. You both cuddled up stuffing your faces with popcorn. It was relaxing and you noticed it lifted Evan’s mood his mind wasn’t thinking about work anymore. “Thank you I really needed this” Evan smiled looking down at you.

“No need to thank me Evan, I’m just glad your taking a break you deserve it” you replied meeting his gaze pressing your lips on his momentarily. you focused on the movie for another ten minutes till you heard light snoring you turned your head seeing Evan out cold his arm still over your shoulder. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself gently getting out his grasp to put all the snacks away and turn the tv off. You climbed back into bed cuddling Evan drifting into peaceful slumber.

[the-autistic-vulcan]

Brothers and Sisters (Platonic!Ryan!Ken x Human!F!Reader) @that-kid-fromtheplayground

Request: Hey I was wondering if you could write something fluffy for platonic!Ryan!Ken & fem!Non-Barbie!reader? (context: reader is made to be similar to Chelsea, but not Barbie's sister, and by that I mean being a young aged doll to be probably 12-13-14.) Maybe reader sees Ken as a brother/dad figure and is a total sunshine about it? +bonus points if you add a little something about Ken wanting to take care of the reader when he was in his 'Kendom' phase <3 Hope I am not asking for too much! <333

Genre: Fluff

Description: Though you may not be a Barbie, that never stopped you from getting easily attached to a certain Ken

warnings: talks of patriarchy (down with it imo)

a/n: I am not very well-versed in Chelsea's character, but I tried my best TT

Ever since you were consciously aware that you were the only girl in your respective family, one thing was clear: you wanted a brother.

However, you never wanted a younger brother, you know, the ones with sticky fingers, obnoxiously loud or just completely insufferable. You wanted an older brother - the kind that is unconditionally protective, teasing and a little bit dim-witted, what could you say? You wanted to keep the wits, that's for sure. However, an older brother was certainly a stretch and it's not like the real world could exactly hold up its end of the bargain.

That was, until you were on the boardwalk of Venice Beach and you saw two brightly-coloured blondes in leotards and roller-skates, almost straight out of the 80s. Naturally, your curiosity got the better of you and you followed them around like a lovestruck puppy. You followed them on your skates and a rocket ship, boat and car drive later, you were in Barbieland.

Ken, once he was back on the beach and doing his thing, he saw you, looking a little clueless and, in a way, overwhelmed - he may be just Ken, but he had a heart of gold.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asks, putting his surfboard down.

"Um, I uh, how did I get here?" You ask.

"Well, a bespoke number, roller-skates and a rocket ship later - here you are!" He said, his arms gesturing the grandiose affair. "You seem lost, what's your name?"

"...Y/N." You say. "And you're Ken?"

Ken nods, "Yep."

"Huh, my mom never let me play with Ken dolls, she thought I'd...get ideas..."

Ken tilts his head in slight confusion, but he just rolls with it - from then on, he knew to look after you and, even though an older brother was what you asked for, you didn't expect him.

~~~TIME SKIP TO THE KENDOM~~~ Let's just say you were not too keen on all of the Kens having house parties until midnight, but you endured it and stayed in Ken's Mojo Dojo Casa House for the time being - this patriarchy has spread like wildefire, even Ken, who's been looking after you has done it.

One night, he saunters into your room to check on you.

"Hey," He asks in his most manly voice possible. "You okay, little girl?"

You just nod, a little nervous. "Ken...are you okay?"

He holds his exterior and closes the door, then he gives in. "No...you wanna watch TV?"

"Yeah, ok." You pat an area on your bed for him to sit and put on a calm movie - it was a chick flick - something, at this point he wasn't too proud of.

"Hey, if any of the other Kens find out, you're dead." He jokes.

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

a/n: Yeah, not my best fic, but hey, first time for everything right

Please like and reblog! Do not pass as your own.

[eddiediazismyhusband]

(Please don't apologize. You may call it pessimism but I see it as realism and I truly appreciate it. I've seen people SO excited to see the cast back this week and all the excitement about the new season, optimism for canon buddie, what hair/tattoos/wardrobe might look like. And I feel bad because I don't want to rain on anyone's parade. But I cannot be bothered about whether Oliver will keep his fluffy hair or have any new tattoos or Ryan's mustache because I don't want another season of boring, repetitious storylines that don't do anything to the characters, especially those of color (thinking of the cartel and Mara right now)

I'm hopeful that because season 8 will be a full 18 episodes things won't have to be as rushed or thrown together at the last minute as season 7. But yeah, please don't apologize for your opinions because you're not the only one thinking similar thoughts <3)

im moreso apologetic because i dont WANT to be a debbie downer but its like…. ive been burned by shows (this one included) far too many times to be super optimistic and excited over things that could very potentially not be good for us… like i’ve said, most of the people i know with that mustache are awful human beings and when you add in the fact that gerrard also has a mustache like that AND that tim has been showing so little care for eddie as a character/care for poc characters as a whole it doesn’t seem far fetched to me that tim could very easily commit one of the most egregious acts of character death by veering eddie so far off the natural path simply to create cheap drama

like im so glad we seem to be getting fluffy hair buck… unfortunately fluffy hair buck doesn’t negate the fact that he’s currently in a relationship with a racist and that they’re ignoring 6 years of subtext built between he and eddie to try and further reiterate their “totally platonic dude bro” relationship, on top of giving eddie a look that exudes macho straight republican man…

(and don’t get me started on the fucking cartel plot or the mara plot bc what the actual fuck is wrong with tim minear 💀💀)

i just want them to stop dragging their feet on buddie while seemingly writing everything else as this whirlwind of convoluted messy nonsense drama plots and actually decided if they’re gonna commit to just ship/queerbaiting or to the subtext and plot theyve infused into the story since eddie’s literal first episode.

like personal feelings aside for the mustache, i think we’re giving the writers too much faith in portrayal of queer characters to actually say that it’s eddie “embracing queer culture” simply bc it looks like eddie mercury… we’re talking about the same writers who gave the main wlw couple a cheating plotline, have boiled down buck’s sexuality to just sex, and have relied on playing into stereotypes of mlm/wlw side characters rather thsn actually putting time and thought into it… like it’d be one thing to say “it’s a nod to freddie mercury” if the show has actually shown any kind of care beyond using sexuality plotlines for cheap drama (henren) but the reality is that they haven’t shown us that we can trust them in that way yet.

and who knows maybe it IS a nod to freddie mercury, but we don’t know for sure and im not going to set myself uo to be disappointed yet again when its just as likely to be s nod to them making eddie an antagonistic character with gerrard… yeah, that plot wouldn’t make sense for eddie as a character but neither did the vertigo plot so who’s to say tim wouldn’t go for it?

at the end of the day, i am just not looking forward to s8. nothing yet has given me any inclination to actually watch it until we are shown that they are making strides to actually tell a meaningful story that doesn’t rely on minorities for tokenism plots or putting them through needless pain again. yes this show is a drama, but there are other ways you can create drama (hell it’s a show about first responders) than putting poc characters through the fucking wringer time and time again, profiting off their pain, while simultaneously telling lowkey racist stories that involve the fucking cartel coming out of nowhere to burn down a LA fire captain’s house???

so yeah, i’m just not feeling great about it. i also don’t wanna rain on anyone’s parade but i don’t wanna get my own hopes up when i would just be setting myself up to be let down yet again by these writers

[savemeafruitjuice]

Tickletober Day 7- Fidget

First week down! Honestly, it's crazy to get so much writing done, but I really hope I can keep my motivation up and get enough time to do everything. Wish me luck I guess?

Also, this was an interesting idea I had, and wanted to explore it a bit. Enjoy!

Lee: Leonardo

Ler: Karai

TW!: MILD SWEARING! ANXIETY FINGER PICKING! (Like, pulling on the skin around your finger, just in case)

THIS HAS SPOILERS FOR LATE SEASON TWO! Just a heads up!

(This is not a ship. These two are SIBLINGS!! Please respect that.)

Why did he feel so.. awkward? Like he can't even have a normal conversation with his brothers, let alone Karai.

Their dynamic had been a bit different ever since.. Miwa?.. found out that she was a Hamato. Having a sister was weird, especially because she was older than them. There were so many things that were missing in their lives, and now they had a chance to make up for it.

Their family had taken a couple days to warm up to each other, but it was difficult for Karai to gain the trust of the younger brothers- especially Raph.

Even so, there weren't as many fights between them as there had been, and Leo had found himself peacefully enjoying their time spent together. More focused, more relaxed..

Except for today.

For some reason, Leo found himself stuttering over his words in front of everyone, using the the wrong moves for training, and even held his katana wrong, the blade facing him. Everyone would give him a weird look, but other than a disapproving comment from Mikey, no one really said anything.

And so he sat on the ground, hoping maybe television would make him feel better. One of the earlier seasons of Space Heroes was on, but even that made him feel weird. Captain Ryan's voice actor sounded so much younger than he would later on, that watching it made him seem incompetent, and inexperienced.

All of the things Leo couldn't be as a leader, and all of the things that no good leader should be. Especially his hero.

"Hey, Leo. I heard you were screwing up a lot today. Guess your 'perfect' act wore off, huh?"

The blue-themed turtle winced, turning around to greet his sister. His hands pulled apart, having been picking at the skin of his fingers, and he gave her a wave. "Uhm- Hey.." There was a slightly pause, but soon enough, she came and sat next to him on the ground. "Did- you want me to pause it?" He asked, head tilted to the tv.

"Nah, I wanna see what kind of nerd show you've been watching. What's it about?" That brought a smile to the younger's face.

"W-Well, it's about this hero, Captain Ryan, and he's the captain of a space ship." He explained, gesturing towards characters as they appeared on the screen. "He and his crew go through space and fight aliens, that- that kind of stuff. It's really cool. Captain Ryan has the best catchphrases like- ever."

Karai nodded, listening to his little spiel for a couple minutes. Eventually, the episode that was playing ended, and Leo started on a whole other rant, and the elder placed a hand on his shoulder to bring him back to real life.

"Hey, woah. Give me a minute, I'm losing track of it all now." Leo cut himself off, bringing his knees up to his chest. "Oh, sorry. I get carried away when it comes to Space Heroes."

The turtle wrapped his arms around his knees. Karai shook her head. "No, you're fine. Just gotta give me time to process what you're saying." She crossed her legs, slouching a bit now. "It's nice to hear about things like shows. Anything interesting, really."

Leo hummed, still feeling a bit embarrassed about going on a tangent. "Did you not watch any as a kid?" she shook her head. "The Shredder didn't want me exposed to things like that. I mainly just trained, or went to talk to friends, or.. was influenced into hatred."

The younger cringed slightly. The Shredder really was awful.. "Yeah.. That makes sense, I guess.." The heavier topic made him feel bad, and he went back to pulling at the skin on his finger. Karai watched for a second, then put her hand on his shoulder to get him to stop. "You shouldn't do that, it could get infected."

Leo huffed, but it.. didn't sound annoyed? More like he was about to laugh. She looked at him, and he quickly went to change the subject. "Uh- so! What.. did you want to do now?"

Her brows furrowed slightly. "I want to know what's so funny. Are you laughing at me for trying to help? That's really low."

By now, the kunoichi had already made the connection, having seen a couple of tickle fights between the brothers within the last couple days of her being here. Leo immediately shook his head, though a smile formed on his face when her hand moved a little, so that it was resting more on the base of his neck.

"No! No no, I'm not laughing at you, I just.. thought of something funny that happened." Karai didn't look impressed. "Oh, really? And what is it that's so funny?" Leo's face went pink as he tried to think of something, shoulders scrunching slightly at the anticipatory touch. Her hand curled into a claw form, fingers digging slightly into the side of his neck and shoulder. "..Or will I have to make you tell me?"

Leo's hand went to grab hers, to pull it away, or something, but he was slapped away. "No, you're going to tell me what you found so funny just now. I want to know." "It's nothing! Really, you won't even care!"

"Then why is it such a big deal to not tell me?" She maneuvered slightly, scooting behind him. One leg propped against his shell, and the other wrapped around his torso. Karai began gently dragging her nails up his neck, and Leo immediately squeaked, shoulders shooting up the rest of the way to protect the sensitive area.

"EEK! Noho- wahait! I cahahan't!" Karai only smirked, reaching her other hand over to carefully pull his head to the side, smushing his cheek into his shoulder so that she could keep tickling. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me. Unless.. maybe you like this?"

Leo frantically squirmed, legs now drumming out on the ground as he tried to arch away. She had him held in place; he couldn't even move his head! He weakly slapped at her leg, face burning brighter by the second. His voice kept breaking, but through his struggles he finally got an idea. He could just pull his head into his shell!

It took a couple seconds of fighting with her hand, but his head successfully retreated inside his shell. Karai looked puzzled for a second, holding onto his shoulders to peer into the hole of his shell. "Wait.. you guys can just.. hide in there? What the hell, that's really useful."

The leader was having trouble stopping his giggles, and shrieked when she dug into his underarms instead. For a second, he flailed, then pulled his arms into the safe space as well, then his legs. "Pfft- Ihi- hehe I cahan't Karahai!"

The elder turner his shell around, grunting with effort because of his weight. "Don't think you've won just yet.." She laid his shell down on the ground, plastron up, and started scratching at his belly. "Are your shells ticklish too?"

As it seemed, they were. Very much so, in fact. Leo screeched, squeaky laughter filling the room as soon as her hands made contact. "BAHAHAHAH! KAHARAI! NOHOHOO! SNRT-"

"Noho way! Did you just snort? You guys are so funny." Leo let out a whine at the tease, unable to do much more than rock slightly, as he was basically immobile.

They were in a stalemate, Karai using her nails to scribble along his plastron, demanding to be told what he found funny, as all the turtle did was laugh and laugh. Well, until she decided to explore more of his shell, and raked her fingers down his sides.

"GHKAHAHAHAH! NAHAH- OKAHAHAY WAIHIT! SNRT- I GIHIHIVE UHUP! PLEHEASE!"

"No, you wait. I told you what you need to do."

"PLEHEASE- I LIHIHIED, IHIHI LIHIED! THEHERE WASN'T AHAHANYTHING FUNNY!"

Karai gasped in mock-offense. "You lied to me? I thought we were supposed to be family, but you lied! You don't deserve to be let go!"

Leo snorted again, spewing out pleas and 'sorry's. She scratched harder at his shell, sending overwhelming tickly sensations through him. On bare skin, it would've been painful, but on the hard exterior of the bridge of his shell, all it did was force the blue-themed turtle into uncontrollable laughter.

"IHI DIHIDN'T MEHEAN TO! IHI'M- SNRT- SAHAHARRY! PLEHEASE!"

Unbeknownst to him, Karai was smiling fondly at his crazed state, though her nails attacked him like he'd just committed an unforgivable crime.

"Sorry Leo, but this is your punishment. I'm going to make sure you never lie to me again."

-----

I thought this would be harder to write, if I'm being honest, but I actually really like it! All of my years of watching 2012 helped me write her dialogue better, I guess. Anyways, happy first week of October! 🎃🌕🪦

[fluentmoviequoter]

Promises from Your Side

Requested Here!

Pairing: Javier Esposito x fem!neighbor!reader

Summary: Your neighbor Javi is flirty, but you try not to read much into it. When you're targeted because of a case he's working, you learn that he means everything he says and feels the same as you.

Warnings: angst, r is attacked (not graphic), mention of staying in the hospital, Spanish petnames, fluff and comfort

Word Count: 2.4k+ words

A/N: This is my first time writing for Javi!!! I hope it's okay and he's not too out of character. (I also haven't finished Castle so there's def no spoilers.) Please feel free to let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy!🤍

Javier Esposito is the life of the party and the NYPD detectives. So, when you hear him sigh heavily on his way down the hall, you’re surprised. His eyes are on his feet when he comes into your view, and you stop with your key in the lock to watch him.

“Are you okay, Javi?” you ask softly, pulling your hands together.

“Better now,” he flirts. His eyes rise to yours, and he smiles, but it’s not the same as usual. Something happened; you can tell that much.

“Do you want to talk about it, or…”

“If we start talking it’s not going to be about my long day, chica.”

You press your lips together and look down. Javi flirts with you as often as he can, and though you have an ever-growing crush on your unattainable neighbor, you constantly tell yourself it’s just his personality.

“Sorry,” he adds.

“For what?” you question.

“You looked away again. I’ll try to control myself.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it. Or don’t,” you joke lightly.

“Is that a challenge, hermosa?”

Javi steps closer to you, and you smile as you nod. Even if Javi Esposito is the definition of ‘out of your league,’ there’s no rule that says you can’t have a little fun with him, right? Javi extends his right hand with his head cocked challengingly. You wipe your hand on your top before you place your palm on his. Javi wraps his fingers around your hand and pulls you closer.

“Game on,” he whispers.

“I think you’re already losing,” you murmur, though your breathlessness tells Javi he’s doing the opposite of losing.

His phone buzzes in his pocket, and your hand falls to your side as he retrieves it. You watch Javier’s expression change as he reads the message.

“I have to go back to the station,” he tells you without looking up. “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

“Sure, you will, vaquero.”

Javi leaves without acknowledging your Spanish (and ego-boosting) nickname, and you know that whatever case he is working on must be rough. As you enter your apartment, you remind yourself that Javi has plenty of people who can help and comfort him. Maybe one day you’ll challenge yourself to tell him how you feel about him. Today, the idea alone gives you shivers.

“Nice timing, Ryan!” Javi yells.

“You just got here; how are you already mad at me?” Ryan replies.

“It’s probably your fault,” Castle interjects.

“No!” Javi argues. He turns to point at Castle as he accuses, “It’s your fault. This entire case is your fault, and now everyone we care about is in danger!”

“How was I supposed to know a homicidal maniac would get obsessed with my new book?”

“Boys!” Beckett shouts. “This isn’t helping. If we want to get this guy off the street before he does something else, something worse, we have to keep working the case.”

“Wait,” Ryan says. “Nice timing on what, Espi?”

“The text about someone targeting our loved ones,” Javi answers. “What else?”

“I didn’t send you a text.”

Castle stands and walks toward the murder board. Beckett asks to see the text and reads it several times with her brows pinched. Javi shifts on his feet, worried about you and wondering how this qualifies as working the case.

“It’s not that hard to hack messages,” Beckett points out as she returns Javi’s phone.

“Even easier to send a text when you’re in the room with the phone,” Castle adds.

“Castle, what?”

Castle points to a note on the murder board and explains, “He was here.”

“You may be getting closer but it’s still ice cold,” Ryan reads. “This is a restricted area. I’ll check the cameras. Javi, find the sign-in sheet. Beckett, Castle… do whatever it is you two do.”

As you sit in bed and think about Javi, someone knocks on your door. The clock on your phone says it’s a few minutes after 10 p.m., and you know you aren’t expecting company. You stay in place, assuming the person is at the wrong apartment, and will realize in a moment. A minute ticks by slowly, and there’s no second knock.

“That’s what I thought,” you mumble.

In the dark, you let your thoughts wander back to the conversation with Javi in the hallway. He pulled you close, flirted, and called you things that you’ve never thought of yourself as. You smile to yourself, but a quick tapping noise draws your attention. It stops quickly, but you keep your eyes on the door. The lights in your apartment are still on, so you decide to walk out of your room and see if something fell. The building is old, so you’re used to odd noises here and there, but the tapping is one you haven’t grown immune to.

When you step into your living room and see the door standing open, you realize that what you heard was far worse than the floorboards creaking above you. Turning quickly to retrieve your phone, you don’t see someone reach for the light switch. You run into your room when the lights turn off, but the footsteps behind you are faster than yours. You’re tackled to the floor before you can get your phone to call for help.

The man above you leans his weight against your shoulders to keep you pinned down. “You’re special,” he says.

“I’m not,” you argue weakly. “I’m not.”

“That’s not what Detective Javier Esposito of NYPD Homicide said.”

“He’s just my neighbor.” Your voice drops halfway through your sentence, and the man above you laughs at your growing shyness and fear.

“Let’s see if he keeps talking when he has one more murder to solve. What did the character say again? ‘It stays in the family, blood or other.’ Rick Castle was onto something this time. Some families just need to go away.”

“It’s just a story,” you say through scared tears.

“And yours is ending.”

He raises one hand, and you brace yourself for a hit. When his hand slides to his pocket instead, you choke on a cry and close your eyes. You continue to think about Javi, but this time, you can only imagine him coming home and saving you.

“Shocker,” Javi grumbles as he looks through the sign-in sheet. “Half of them are illegible.”

“How’s the camera looking, Ryan?” Beckett asks.

“The camera is in that corner over there, so we can see a lot of people’s back walking past the board, stopping beside it to talk or waste time. But nothing else. The lights glare on that side of the board, too, so I can’t even tell what time the note appeared.”

“That’s great,” Beckett sighs. “So, what do we do instead?”

Javi’s phone rings. His brows raise as he reads the caller ID, but he answers quickly and greets, “Hey, cariño. Miss me already?”

“Who is he talking to?” Beckett whispers.

“It’s Javi,” Castle points out. “That could be anyone.”

“No, it couldn’t,” Ryan adds.

“Talk to me,” Javi requests. Javi says your name as he stands, and Ryan gestures in a see? motion. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Javi demands.

With each hit the man above you delivers, and every threat that he makes, you go farther into your bedroom. You use your hands and feet to push you, and even though he follows you into a corner where you’re pinned, you know that you are going the right way. When Javi first met you, he gave you something for ‘those long nights when he’s away from you.’ The taser has been in a drawer since then, but this is one of those nights.

“Pinned yourself in a trap, didn’t you?” the murderer taunts. “You shy types make it too easy.”

He turns away from you, and you take the chance to pull your taser from the drawer. As you depress the trigger and the man tips backward rigidly, you scramble backward, away from him. The man groans before he crawls forward to stand. You push yourself against the wall and raise the taser again.

“I’ll be back,” he threatens shakily.

You watch as he staggers out of your room. He slams the door behind him, and you hear something snap on the other side. The front door closes loudly too, and you know you only have a few moments to call for help. After you get your phone and make sure the taser has another cartridge in it, you crawl into your closet and duck behind your hamper. Tears continue to stream down your face and your breathing comes in ragged, shallow exhales. You count to 100, ignoring the pain radiating throughout your body, then dial Javi’s number.

Javi answers after two rings, and you don’t consider the fact that you’ve never called him while he was at work before until he says, “Hey, cariño. Miss me already?”

You don’t answer, but his voice causes a buried sob to well up, and it breaks through, interrupting your labored breathing.

When Javi speaks again, he’s more serious than you imagined he could be.

“Talk to me,” he requests. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Javi,” you cry. “He’s coming back.”

“I’m on my way.”

You hear two voices, male and female, call Javi’s name. He doesn’t answer and you see a mental image of him leaving his partners Beckett and Ryan – who you’ve met once – to get to you. Of all the things Javier Esposito is or claims to be, you always knew he was a good guy beneath the flirting and meaningless advances.

As Javi rushes out, Beckett and Ryan look at each other and shrug. They know about you and Javi, probably more than you and Javi do. Despite his track record for flirting with every woman he sees, the way he treats you has always been different.

“Mi cielo, breathe,” Javi reminds you. You hear his car engine rev as he speaks.

You close your eyes and try to pretend that Javi is sitting beside you, but until he is, you won’t be okay. And even then, you’ll have injuries and pain to think about.

“I’m here,” Javi says. “I’m going to kick your door in. It’s just me.”

“He’s coming back.”

Javi kicks the front door open, and you flinch harshly at the sound. Your phone drops because of your sudden movement, and Javi breaks your bedroom door down before you can retrieve it.

“Cariño!” Javi calls.

You push the hamper out of the way and look up at Javi with tearful eyes. His eyes darken before he steps toward you. Slowly, he kneels beside you as his eyes roam your body. You look down slowly, but Javi stops you with a kind hand on your chin.

“You tased him,” Javi whispers. “Good job.”

“How do you-“

“Officer found him in the bathroom.”

“He said he’d come back.”

Javi sits back and pulls you into his arms. Your injuries are worse than what he expected to see, but he needs to hold you just as much as you need to be held. With your face against his shoulder, you inhale deeply and whisper, “Thank you.”

“Por siempre y para siempre,” Javi promises softly.

Carefully, Javi removes his arms from around you and moves backward. He helps you stand and demands you go to the hospital. When his hand slides into yours, you don’t argue with his instructions.

After two nights in the hospital, you return to your apartment building. Both of your hands are clasped around one of Javi’s as he leads you to the elevator. He hasn’t left your side since he found you hiding in the closet, and you aren’t sure you can survive being away from him again.

The elevator doors open, and you step out and then stop. Javi steps back to stand beside you and looks into your eyes.

“Javi, I don’t…” you begin, your voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t go back in there.”

Javi smiles as he shakes his head. He whispers for you to follow him, and you do so without a doubt about your safety or well-being. You stop outside his door, then happily accept when he invites you inside.

“Look, I know that our relationship isn’t… ordinary. I flirt and you get shy, but I mean it,” Javi says. “I want you to stay here as long as you want. You’re safe here, and I won’t let anything happen to you again.”

“It’s not your fault, Javi,” you respond.

He smiles brightly, and you tilt your head to the side in question.

“You didn’t say no to my offer of staying,” he explains.

“I don’t want to say no.”

“Good. Let’s get you comfortable, and I will be the handsomest nurse you’ve ever seen.”

You roll your eyes, but as Javi begins fussing over what you should wear to be comfortable and how the pillows are arranged, you understand that he really does mean it all.

“Javi,” you call.

He stops by the kitchen island, on a mission to get an ice pack for your bruised side and a fresh bandage for the cut above your eyebrow.

“I, um, I have a crush on you. I’ve had it since we met,” you admit.

“I had a dream just like this once.”

“Me, injured on your couch and admitting that I like you?”

“You didn’t have so many bruises.”

“Thank you, for everything.”

You lean back and hiss in pain. Javi reprimands you gently for doing that without his help, but you have to breathe sometimes. He’s been at your side, doing anything and everything he can to help you since before you arrived at the hospital. And he really is the most handsome nurse you’ve seen.

Someone knocks on Javi’s door, and he raises a finger to you before he opens it. Ryan looks over Javi’s shoulder, sees you on the couch, and nods.

“I just came to let you know we found the officer our guy paid $20 to pass along the message to us. Genius, right? But I can see you have better things to focus on. Take your time, man,” Ryan says. “Feel better!”

“Thank you,” you call.

“Don’t talk to him,” Javi says as he returns to your side. “That’s not good for your recovery.”

“So, I never get to meet your friends even after I almost died for one of your cases?”

Javi pulls you under his arm and against his side. You lay your head against his chest and listen to his heartbeat.

“Do you think I’ll ever stop being scared?” you murmur, running your finger along Javi’s shirt. “That I’ll stop thinking about him when I close my eyes.”

Javi shifts his arm to hold you tighter and dips his chin to look at your face. “You will. I promise you will.” You nod, and Javi asks, “Want to know how I know?”

“I do.”

“Because I’ve got you. And I’m not going anywhere.”

[ratherembarrassing]

Geeta Patel on helming House Of The Dragon’s slow-burning season finale

The director discusses pulling off Alicent and Rhaenyra’s reunion, those Game Of Thrones nods, and more

House Of The Dragon closes its second season without big battles or dragons setting cities ablaze. Despite that lack of action, “The Queen Who Ever Was” still feels monumental because of the charged reunion of Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) that promises to turn the tides when HBO’s drama returns in 2026.  

Their conversation isn’t in the source material Fire & Blood, and it’s not the only creative liberty HOTD takes in the finale. Another big swing comes in the form of Daemon (Matt Smith), whose latest haphazard vision features a cameo from a Targaryen family member and two major Game Of Thrones characters. Clearly, the Ryan Condal-created adaptation is attempting to pave a unique path for itself

To do so, the show entrusted Geeta Patel to bring these key moments to life. The director had previously helmed two other HOTD installments, along with episodes of Ahsoka, The Great, Dead To Me, Superstore, and The Mindy Project. This year, she also produced and directed Hulu’s true-crime drama Under The Bridge, which earned series star Lily Gladstone an Emmy nomination. 

The A.V. Club spoke to Patel about how she framed Rhaenyra and Alicent’s big talk, why Daemon’s visions were her favorite part of the episode, and going back to her roots with projects like UTB. 

The A.V. Club: When did you find out you would direct the season-two finale? What did you want to achieve in the episode? 

Geeta Patel: Ryan called me after I had finished working on my season-one episode “The Lord Of The Tides.” I wanted to do a good job on it so I was just happy that he was happy enough to invite me back. It was a very nice surprise to do the finale. After that, I got all the episodes, read them, and saw what needed to happen, which was that we needed it to feel like a big rising action moment. I challenged myself to bookend the season premiere, so I went back and watched that the theme of it was sacrifice for duty. So I kept looking for opportunities to come full circle on that theme in the finale. It’s all in the writing because [episode writer] Sara Hess and Ryan had already spent probably a year making sure of it. So it’s just my process of understanding and finding my way through it visually. I also just wanted to make sure that the scene between Alicent and Rhaenyra was building off of the scene in episode three, which I also directed, I don’t think coincidentally. Maybe that was Ryan’s intention that we were all working together again. 

AVC: You directed the only two scenes that Olivia and Emma share in the season. Their conversation in the finale carries way more emotional weight. What did you all want to evoke with their interaction here?

GP: We wanted to feel as if there was that sacrifice made for duty and that Rhaenyra is pressing Alicent against the wall to do what she’s never done before, which is to take action. What’s interesting is that these two women were friends to begin with, and then it became an eye-for-an-eye type of relationship. Now there is so much pain behind them that this scene is a wrestling match with pain and forgiveness. They both were telling themselves, “I’ve moved on. I can’t feel anything.” But all we saw was emotion. All we saw were these two friends who still loved each other and yet had gotten a divorce. And you ask yourself, Why are they both in this room again? 

It’s because they couldn’t stay away from each other. Yes, we can reason that it’s because of the kingdom and the realm. But when they come together, they are young girls again. Both actors together become a little juvenile and innocent with their facial expressions, like Olivia biting her nails again. Emma contours their face like a child with exaggeration. That made it grounded and real. My hat is off to Sara, whose writing brought so much humanity to the scene. It was like watching a great film with two people who’ve taken this long journey together. It could have been boring, but the writing made it nail-biting and heartfelt. 

AVC: At some points, they’re close and face-to-face, while at other times, Alicent is moving around almost manically while explaining herself. What was your directive to the actors? 

GP: It’s a very collaborative experience. When we work on a scene like this, we’ve had rehearsals beforehand where we talked about the point of the scene. I mean Ryan, Sara, Emma, Olivia, and myself. What we came to is that the shift in the scene is when Rhaenyra says, “A son for a son” and then Alicent agrees. That’s what we’re building to, so if we think about that tone-wise, we’re already at a 10. 

The truth is also when we started the rehearsal, Emma and Olivia are such talented actors, they ran through it and started walking, and I was just watching. There is something to be said about allowing the performers to just be the characters. I do this quite a bit as a director. I say, “Okay, go ahead, do whatever you want to do.” I check that one moment that we know is about the shift and make adjustments along the way, some of which are technical because we want to make sure we can make the day if we have too many camera moves. I also thought it was lovely that at one point, there was a silence between them, so I asked them to keep that and exaggerate it if they felt it was right. I just said, “Don’t worry, keep going; we’ll keep rolling.” So those moments were beautiful and came from the two actors and me experimenting within the parameters set out. 

AVC: What was it like to prep with Ryan and Sara for this critical scene? 

GP: Ryan and Sara are extraordinary in that they’re very easy to approach. One of the things I love about the show is we got all the episodes before we started shooting, so I would write all my notes and questions, mainly questions at that point. So much of what Ryan and Sara want for the show is between the lines. For example, in the first season when I did episode eight, it was about linear analysis between Rhaenyra and Alicent in that episode. I remember thinking even back then that they never say what they’re feeling, but it’s intentional. That’s a great part about Ryan’s vision for HOTD, and that’s why it’s so exciting to work on it because it feels very real even in a world with dragons in them. 

I asked them questions, but it was not for them to change the script. Instead, it’s for me to understand what’s intentionally not on the page. And then from there, we start molding the scenes together. I’m constantly checking in with them about what I’m thinking. I push their buttons and say, “No, no, but what about this?” Sometimes they’ll say things like, “No, you’re wrong” or “Okay, sure, let’s try it.” So, at that point, I’m trying to serve them and challenge their vision in a way. 

As we start shooting, we usually have rehearsals for the bigger scenes, and Ryan, Sara, or one of the writers would come to help us understand what the writers intended. A lot of times, what we found in the finale rehearsals is there’s something we needed [to set up] for season three, so it had to be this way. It’s valuable to have the writers there with you the whole time because they know more than we do. Or sometimes there’s a change to another episode, right? So then they’ll make sure that we check that. A lot of things in this episode had to do with the tone of the characters since we were introducing a few new ones. 

AVC: I presume one of the questions was about Daemon’s visions of things like Rhaenyra on the throne, him in the water, the Night King, and Daenerys. What went through your mind as you read it in the script about how you’d execute it? 

GP: In the script, it was exactly like that: a list of the moments in his vision, almost like bullet points. Ryan and Sara wanted it to feel fragmented. So my first question to them was [about] what they want out of it in terms of story because it’s such a visual moment. And they particularly didn’t want it to be too literal. So they wanted me to run with it. Their main point to me was that this vision has to change Daemon’s point of view. It has to tell him Rhaenyra belongs on the throne, and everything he’s been doing this season or thinking about how his wife is putting him down and he’ll never work for her isn’t true. He needs to see that he’s part of something bigger than him, which was a huge undertaking. [It was] a huge challenge for me that definitely had some sleepless nights involved because Daemon is inherently someone who only thinks about himself. He is not someone who learns lessons easily. So we needed this to be powerful, and yet there are no words in it until the very, very end. 

I sat down with the storyboard artist, took everything they told me, and started filling in the blanks of what I thought we needed to get to what they were saying, finding transitions visually between them to give it an organic feel. Ryan wanted the tone of this scene to feel like something specific to HOTD and unlike anything you’ve seen in fantasy television before, or even in Game Of Thrones. So I spent some time looking to give it that treatment. I was quite honored. That was one of my favorite moments in my career as a TV director, to give this my voice and put it together with the storyboard artists. Once we came up with it, I presented it to them. I’ll never forget that day.

AVC: What was it like to put Matt Smith and Phia Saban in a scene? We rarely see Daemon and Heleana together.

GP: It was fun to put them together, and I think they both enjoyed it too. It’s magical because Matt had been playing in this different dimension in season two.  For Daemon, it’s exciting to find someone who shares his powers. Phia has always played this person who is lost in her universe, and now there’s someone else in it. So it’s random, but it also makes sense. 

AVC: One of the new faces you introduce is Admiral Sharako Lohar, played by Abigail Thorn, who was originally a male character in the book. Her scenes with Tyland Lannister bring a degree of comic relief. Was it refreshing to have this aspect in the finale?

GP: What’s great about Sara is she also has a comedy background, and it comes across in her effervescent writing. As a director, I’m trying to take her writing and make sure that everything I’m doing with it works together along with lighting, blocking, and tone. The second film I made, Meet The Patels starring my brother Ravi, is about my family, and it’s a comedy. What I learned while working with him was that a lot of comedy came from improvisation, feeling very comfortable, and having the space to play. As I started directing TV comedies, I would constantly work with the actors in that way and try to support them and give them space to do many takes. I know sometimes people say, “Oh, this great director can get a scene in two takes.” That’s fine, but I do love pushing the actors to take advantage of their talents. So many actors might say, “I can’t improv,” and I look at them and reassure them and say, “I’ve got you; if it’s not good, I’ll throw it away.” 

So when it came to this finale, it was the same thing. I would say [to Abigail and Jefferson Hall], “Go ahead, let’s do this” and later move to, “Okay, now forget everything I said and do whatever you want.” It’s like an exercise in theater, and these are excellent performers. Matt Smith particularly also loves to play, as does Emma, and when they do, every take is different. As for Abigail, when the audition process started, I think Ryan knew she was the one. She was so great to work with. If you look at the Lohar scenes, you don’t know much about her background. Abigail and I wanted to make sure that her character felt very lived-in and had history. I wanted to give her all the tools she needed so that when she said something, it was coming from a deep, authentic place. We spent a few weeks on and off training, and she would improv moments of Lohar’s history. We had one of our esteemed dialect coaches play against her. We played out her childhood, who her mother, father, and sister might be, where her pain comes from, and everything leading up to this episode. It helped shape her voice, the way she moved, and her tonality.

AVC: The finale ends with a montage revealing where every character stands. It’s a big season-three setup. Were you nervous about pulling that off?

GP: With the final montage, my biggest fear was it would be boring because it’s so many images. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t, as a director, treating everything similarly. We wanted the montage to have rising stakes for the impending war. When you have that many images, we need to keep up the pulse of the sequence. So the first thing I did was to ask myself if I could break it into three acts and what the shift point would be so it doesn’t all feel monotonous. The big thing I settled on was a sacrifice, which is Aegon. His placement had to come at the two-third mark. I had hoped it would give the montage its shape and sustain it. It also tells a story because, in the previous scene, Rhaenyra says to Alicent that she hasn’t sacrificed anything, and they decide it’s going to be a son for a son. The montage is to show everyone’s going to war, but Aegon has now left. So the stakes have changed. What’s going to happen now? It’s an interesting way to leave the season. 

AVC: This year also saw the release of Hulu’s Under The Bridge, which you directed and executive produced. What drew you to it? What was it like to bring personal experience along with your expertise to this undertaking? 

GP: Yeah, so I’ve been looking to do a pilot for a few years. There are exciting episodes like House Of The Dragon, of course, but I’ve been wanting to direct a pilot. When I read the script for Under The Bridge, about an Indian girl in Canada who was bullied and killed, I couldn’t stop crying. I was bullied around the same age of 14 for being Indian, and that still stays with me. It’s shaped me. I know UTB is a true story, and I felt so bad that it happened. At the time early on, the project was small and no big stars were attached to it yet. There wasn’t a lot of money for this project. While developing it, it was about what angle and perspective to take, and when that was done, I got the job of directing the pilot. 

The next thing was to make sure the performances felt real and that we were doing Reena Virk justice. I particularly had four young actors who hadn’t done much yet simply because of their ages; they were 12 to 15. None of them had done anything that resembled UTB’s tone, which was going to be very 8 Mile and Fish Tank. In a method similar to HOTD, I spent a few weeks and weekends workshopping the characters with the actors. We improvised their histories. It was very hard for the girls, and it was hard for me to watch. We also worked on their voices. Vritika Gupta, if you hear talk, it’s very sweet. When she’s playing Reena, her voice goes down. UTB was a labor of love. Again, I had a collaborative showrunner and studio. I said to them in the beginning that I can deliver a show that’s just like something you’ve seen before, or I can deliver what you want, but you’ve got to give me time to work with these talented actors. 

AVC: As someone who’s directed big-budget dramas, TV comedies, and gritty documentaries, how do you think playing in different genres has developed your skillset? What do you want to work on next? 

GP: I grew up going to India almost every year of my life, and I’ve constantly recognized a clash of cultures. So I’ve always wanted to work on topics of civil and social justice through my work, which is how I started in the documentary space. But then I realized quickly that doing it was preaching to the choir because a lot of liberals were watching the movies made by me, a liberal. So when I entered the entertainment industry, I planned to hone my skills and come back to doing those kinds of things and expanding my audience. I want to make a difference. So it’s been eight years that I’ve been trying to hone it. The three episodes of HOTD feel like the Olympics for me. It’s what I’ve wanted to do for years along with the comedies. 

Now it’s time for me to switch gears. I want to bring more South Asians to the screen. I am working specifically on stories like that, which have my voice, having now learned whatever I have. I have an entirely Gujarati language film I wrote because everything doesn’t have to be in English anymore. You can make shows and films from other backgrounds. I don’t mean a Hindi-language Bollywood film, but something even more different. I mean, we watched and loved Squid Games, right? So I’m going back to my roots to explore these topics of race and gender. I also want to make things that are classics that I could watch over and over again like When Harry Met Sally. 

[ken-dom]

A Few Things About Holland

Holland March x afab!reader

1.6k words

Summary: A little birthday surprise for Holland

Author’s notes: Goosecord likes an event, so this is just a little something to mark Ryan's birthday by celebrating his characters!

Warnings/content: nsfw, blindfolding/sensory deprivation, hand job, blow job, making out, mentions of alcohol and smoking, cunnilingus

One thing you learned pretty quickly about Holland was how insatiable he was. He could never keep his hands off you, but more than this, you’d never guess he was entering his 40’s with a refractory period of mere minutes and the sheer amount of cum he could produce in one release – and not just once, but over and over again in the same night.

Holland also had stamina, and a surprising amount of skill. He could keep going for hours before he gave in to his own pleasure, with delicate fingers and a precise tongue bringing you to the brink over and over again, his cock leaking steadily in anticipation, before he finally gave you what you both wanted most; to be filled to the brim with him.

He had his moments, of course. There were more than a handful of times he just couldn’t get it up no matter how he tried, because he’d drank too much for his dick to work or because he’d passed out before he could finish what he’d started. But he always, always made up for it, and so he was exceptionally easy to forgive.

Especially with those sparklingly wet, piercingly blue puppy dog eyes, intense on yours as he apologised, his fingers sliding expertly through your slick folds, sloppy lips crashing onto yours after you inevitably breathed, ‘It’s ok, baby-’

And he was loud. Deliciously so. You relished in the sounds you could elicit from him in the simplest of ways; his whimpers when you traced your tongue slowly over that juicy vein running down the length of his thick shaft, the way he groaned and threw his head back when you pumped his cock just the way he liked it, the whine of relief you always got out of him when he was really horny and you finally sank down onto him, feeling him throb inside you as you enveloped him in your warmth.

But for his birthday, you wanted to give him something a little different. Something he wouldn’t forget in a hurry, and which he might even beg for if he liked it. Maybe it would even distract him from killer bees for just one day if you got it right.

He’d returned home with you from a romantic dinner (as romantic as it can be when he accidentally tripped up the waiter with his long leg stuck out from under the table whilst trying to sweet talk you, and spilled spaghetti bolognese down his own tie while trying to kiss you Lady and the Tramp style), hanging back in the kitchen to down one last drink with a cigarette before he joined you in bed (he would never bring his cigarettes into the bedroom as a rule and you’d always happily wait for him).

A few minutes later he was with you, entirely intending to worship every inch of your body for giving him a thoughtful and fun day.

But tonight, for his birthday, you would stop at nothing to make it about him.

‘Holland, baby, don’t put that away,’ you asked with a soft, seductive tone as he loosened his tie.

‘Oh?’ He cocked his head, licking his lips thoughtfully as he considered that you had already stripped down to your underwear and made yourself comfortable in bed.

‘Come here, lay down for me.’

Quick as a flash he was laid beside you, cock already eagerly straining inside the confines of his tight trousers.

‘Do you trust me?’ you cooed, stroking his cheek. 

He nodded.

‘Are you ok with me… trying something a little different tonight?’

Another, more eager nod. God he was irresistible. 

You kissed him so passionately yet so briefly that his head lifted from the pillow, his lips following after yours as you pulled away.

Then everything went dark.

You’d straddled his lithe waist and whipped the loose tie from around his neck, tying it swiftly around his head to cover his eyes.

‘What’re you- oh-’

The friction of fabric as your palm dragged over his cock made him shudder, a thick bead of precum wetting the inside of his boxers.

Your weight vanished from above him then and he turned his head frantically from side to side, trying to figure out what you were doing, but you returned soon enough, having hastily unfastened his trousers, whipping them off with his underwear in one rapid motion.

His cock sprang up, slick and pink and leaking a steady stream of creamy precum. You ran one finger up from the base to the tip, collecting a drop that had trickled down and watched him shiver, balling the sheets in his big fists.

‘Sensitive tonight, hm?’

Holland only whined in response. He couldn’t quite make the connection with his cock throbbing like this, but taking away one of his senses seemed to concentrate all the delicious sensations you were causing in his body right to his core.

His back arched off the bed when your hand wrapped lightly around his length.

‘Woah, don’t cum yet, baby, I haven’t even started,’ you joked, but then you realised he was biting his lips together, shaking his head, and that one pump of his cock would have him spilling over the edge. ‘Oh, Jesus… alright, how about-’

Relieved that you’d released your grip, he sighed as he felt your weight shift above him. You were straddling him once again, careful to not press yourself to his strained cock, and your lips met his in a tender, languid kiss. This ought to keep him simmering without having him climax in record time.

He moaned into your mouth as your lips parted and your tongue slid against his, sweet alcohol and bitter smoke spreading over your tastebuds. It tasted like heaven.

His fingers were driving into your waist instead of the covers now, hard enough to bruise the tender flesh, and you smirked against his mouth, hoping he would mark you there just from a kiss.

‘Holland?’ you muttered against his lips.

‘Mmh?’

‘I’m gonna touch you again now, ok?’

‘Mmhmm-’

He wanted to see you, to look into your eyes and sense the comfort you brought him in such simple ways as the tenderness of your touch and the way you handled him.

But he didn’t crave it for long. 

You slid your body down between his thighs again, but instead of feeling the touch of your hand, he felt a familiar, warm, wet heat; the same you’d just shared with him in a kiss, as your tongue slid against the underside of his cock, lapping at his precum before pulling upwards to swirl over his tip and swallow him down.

‘F-fuck! Jesus!’

Every minuscule movement seemed amplified by a thousand when he didn’t know it was coming, when he couldn’t see what you were doing and preempt your next move. He needed to find a way to calm himself, but he was at a loss.

His hands felt around frantically for your head, fingers slipping into your hair for something to grip to attempt to remain grounded — but he didn’t try to control your movements. He just wanted to feel them, know they were real and that this wasn’t some ridiculously sexy fever dream after which he would wake up coated in sweat and cum.

You bobbed your head, your fist massaging the base to account for what you couldn’t fit, hollowing your cheeks as you sucked hard.

‘Wait! W- JESUS!’ he shrieked, torso lifting off the bed, and you thanked your lucky stars Holly had stayed at her friends that night because you were pretty sure the neighbours three doors down would have heard him.

And with that, your cheeks were full, mouth bursting with his seed, a thick rope spilling and spilling until you couldn’t keep up with swallowing what he was giving you and the creamy slick began to dribble out around his cock and onto the sheets.

You popped your lips from around his cock, and smiled up at him, wiping your wet lips on the back of your hand, smearing his release over your face.

Holland looked beautifully wrecked, breathless and sweaty and red faced, mussed golden hair stuck to his forehead, the tie around his eyes loose and slipping down at one side. As his cock softened, twitching with aftershocks, a last few drops of cum pumped pathetically from the tip.

‘Wow,’ you breathed, crawling up to lay beside him to slip off his makeshift blindfold and push his hair away from his face. ‘You with me, baby?’

He nodded, leaning into your touch with a needy little whine.

‘If I didn’t know better I’d ask if it had been a while. Felt good, I take it?’

‘Too good,’ he groaned, snuggling into your side. ‘Blindfolds. Fuck. Who knew?!’

You chuckled, kissing the top of his head. You didn't break it to him yet that you'd been thinking about tying his wrists up too next time.

He sighed and then stiffened against you a little as a thought occurred to him. ‘Can I do that to you?’

‘Absolutely.’

And there it was, that unbelievably eager boner pressing into your thigh already. You smiled.

‘Right now? You sure? It’s your birthday, Holland, this was supposed to be for you.’

‘But I want to. Please? It can be an extra birthday gift for me? Please?’

‘Alright,’ you agreed easily, the heat pooling at your core throbbing with a need you couldn’t deny.

Holland tugged the tie from your hands and sprung up, fastening it around your eyes.

There was one more thing you had been surprised to learn about Holland. He could be weirdly competitive in the bedroom. Perhaps not competitive as such, but exceptionally generous. He seemed to keep score of every orgasm, and was never satisfied if you weren’t ahead of him in number.

‘Hey, let’s see if I can make you cum faster than I did!’ he breathed, excited.

‘Doubt that,’ you snorted, then immediately ate your words as you groaned, Holland’s fingers hooked around your underwear to allow his tongue to drag through your folds and circle your clit.

‘Wanna bet?’

[dragonydreams]

Cake is a Love Language - BuckTommy, HenRen

Title: Cake is a Love Language Fandom: 9-1-1 Rating: General Audience Pairings/Characters: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Tommy Kinnard, Hen Wilson/Karen Wilson, Denny Wilson, Mara Driskell Additional Tags: Double Date, Cake is Love Summary: Tommy thanks Hen for introducing him to Buck, so Hen invites them over for dinner. Timeline: post 7x06 Word Count: 2,494 Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over these characters. I am merely borrowing them from Reamworks, Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision, Ryan Murphy Television, and 20th Television. Betas: Thank you to @medieshanachie for looking this over for me.

Read on AO3

The doorbell rang as Hen and Karen were getting the kids ready for school the Monday after Chimney and Maddie's wedding. Hen was a little harried as she opened the door to see a man standing there wearing a shirt with the logo for her favorite bakery.

"Andy, what are you doing here? I already picked up my order," she said, thinking of the single cupcake in the fridge decorated in the bisexual flag colors she planned on taking in for Buck.

"Hey, Hen. This isn't an order you placed, but something that was ordered to give to you," Andy said, holding out a box and envelope. 

"Who's it from?" she asked, accepting the package. 

"Can't say, but they knew what you like," Andy said, turning to go.

"Hang on, let me grab my wallet for a tip," Hen said, quickly.

"Already covered," Andy said and waved as he headed back to his car.

Hen closed the door, more curious than ever, as she carried the box and envelope to the kitchen. 

"Who was that?" Karen asked.

"Delivery," Hen said. She opened the box after setting it on the table where Denny and Mara were eating cereal. Inside were four cupcakes.

"Cupcakes!" Denny exclaimed. "Can I have one now?"

"No, finish your cereal," Hen said. "We'll have them for dessert tonight."

"Who are they from?" Karen asked, obviously sharing the same thought as her son.

Hen closed the box and put the cupcakes in the refrigerator and then opened the card. Her eyebrows rose as she held the card out for Karen to see. 

Thank you for convincing me to fly into a hurricane. - Tommy

Karen laughed as Denny asked what the card said. 

"It's from an old co-worker, Tommy," Hen said. 

"You think that's about Buck?" Karen asked, quietly.

"Oh, definitely," Hen said. "We should have them over for dinner. Soon."

"Tell Buck to let us know when Tommy's next free night is," Karen said. 

"I will," Hen said. She pulled out her phone and scrolled to find Tommy's contact info. 

You're welcome. And thank you for the cupcakes. I'm going to ask Buck, too, but Karen and I would like you to come for dinner the next time we all have a night off.

Tommy replied immediately. 

We'd love that. I'll have Evan coordinate our schedules.

"Evan, huh," Hen muttered. 

"What's that?" Karen asked.

"I texted Tommy to thank him and invite them to dinner and he said Evan would coordinate our schedules," Hen relayed. 

"Who's Evan?" Karen asked, confused.

"Buck," Hen said. "That's his real name."

"I don't think I've ever heard anyone call him that," Karen said.

"They don't. He introduced himself that way when he first started but said to call him Buck, so we do. Maddie's the only one who ever calls him Evan anymore, aside from his parents."

"Interesting," Karen mused.

"Very," Hen agreed.

~~*~~

Buck was already upstairs by the time Hen arrived at the station. She quickly changed into her uniform before heading up. She found him sitting at the table, grinning at his phone.

"I suppose this isn't much of a surprise, but I still wanted to give this to you," she said, placing the boxed cupcake in front of Buck. "Welcome to the family."

Buck's face lit up. "Maybe not, but it is very much appreciated." Then his face scrunched up in confusion. "I thought we were already family."

Hen nodded to the decoration on the cupcake. "That family."

"Oh, right," Buck said, blushing. "Um, yeah, thanks."

"I got the flag right, didn't I? I know we haven't talked about it yet. And there's no rush to label yourself," Hen rushed on, suddenly realizing she may have been presumptuous. 

"Hen, it's perfect," Buck assured her, taking her hand in his. "It's the right flag. I'm definitely bi. I still love women, but have recently come to realize that I also really like men."

"You know, I always thought you might be, but since you never talked about wanting to date men, I didn't want to make you confront something you weren't ready for," Hen admitted. 

"I probably wouldn't have believed you," Buck agreed. "I had no idea that what I was feeling for Tommy was attraction until he kissed me. I just knew I wanted to spend time with him."

"If you were confused, you could have talked to me," Hen said, a little hurt that he hadn't.

"That's just it, I wasn't confused," Buck said. "It was like everything suddenly made sense. Like that thing that I've been searching for so desperately was suddenly right there. I wasn't confused, I was at peace."

"That's beautiful," Hen said. "I'm so happy for you."

"I'm happy, too," Buck said. 

"Karen and I want to hear all about how you and Tommy got together over dinner the next time our shifts all give us a free evening. I already told Tommy when I thanked him for the cupcakes."

"He followed through with that?" Buck asked.

"He did. I assume you told him which is my favorite bakery?"

"Yeah. When he told me he wanted to send you something to thank you for introducing us I told him that cake is your love language and gave him the number to call," Buck said.

"That was very thoughtful, thank you," Hen said. "Tommy already said yes to dinner, so once you have his schedule, he said you'd coordinate on his behalf."

"I look forward to that," Buck said. 

The bell went off then, so Buck stashed his cupcake in the fridge before they both ran for the engine.

~~*~~

It took about a week for everyone's schedules to align, but soon Buck and Tommy were ringing Hen's doorbell.

Denny was hovering behind her as Hen opened the door. He and Mara had eaten earlier, but he wanted to say hello. 

"Come on in," she greeted them. "Tommy, it's so good to see you again."

"Thanks for having us," Tommy said as he followed Buck into the house.

"Hey, Buck," Denny said, coming over to give Buck a hug.

"Hey, Denny, loving the new hair," Buck said. "How'd it get so long so fast?"

"It doesn't feel like it was fast. I just haven't seen you for a while," Denny said. 

"I guess we haven't," Buck agreed.

"Who are you?" Denny asked Tommy.

"Denny, this is Tommy, he's Buck's… date?" she said, unsure of what label they might be using. "Tommy, this is my son, Denny. Tommy used to work with me at the 118, before Buck joined us. He’s the one who sent the cupcakes.”

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Denny," Tommy said, holding out his hand to shake.

Denny shook it and said, "You, too. Those cupcakes were so good."

Tommy laughed. “I’m glad you liked them.”

Hen looked over to see Mara hovering in the doorway, clutching her blanket. "That's Mara over there. She's a little shy." Raising her voice she asked, "Mara, would you like to come meet some of my friends?"

Mara shook her head and retreated from the room completely. 

"We’re going to play video games while you have your dinner," Denny said. 

"You're not joining us?" Buck asked.

"Nah, we already ate," Denny said. "I'll see you later."

They all watched him go after Mara. "Mara's our foster daughter. She's had a tough time settling in but she's been opening up to Denny. He's being the best big brother," Hen explained.

"You're very lucky," Tommy said. 

"We are," Karen said, joining them. "Sorry, I had to get dinner out of the oven before it burned."

"Tommy, you remember my wife, Karen," Hen said. 

"It's a pleasure seeing you again," Tommy said. 

"You too," Karen said. "Dinner's ready, so let's move this to the dining room."

Karen looped her arm through Buck's and led him to the table with Hen and Tommy following close behind them. 

Once the couples were seated on either side of the table, Buck said, "Ladies, you have outdone yourselves."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Hen teased.

"Except perhaps another dinner invitation," Karen added.

"That's all I'm after," Buck said. 

"Is he always such a shameless flirt?" Tommy asked, amused.

"Always," Hen answered at the same time that Buck said, "Hardly ever!"

They all laughed and began to serve themselves. 

After they'd all had a few bites, Hen said, "Thank you again for the cupcakes. Although I don't feel like I deserved them. Chimney's the one who brought Buck and Eddie to Harbor, not me."

"Don't worry, I got Howie a nicer wedding present than was necessary in thanks. I'd never hear the end of it if I hadn't. Besides, he may have been the one to physically bring Evan into my life, but he wouldn't have been there if he hadn't anticipated you calling in air support to go after Captain Nash and Sargent Grant. We all know better than to ignore your hunches."

"You know, I had a hunch about you," Hen admitted, leaning back in her chair as she looked at Tommy.

Tommy blinked. "How? I was completely in the closet when I was at the 118."

"After Gerrard left, you stopped talking about girlfriends. If you mentioned dating at all you used gender neutral pronouns."

"I didn't think anyone noticed," Tommy admitted. 

"I'm sure most of them didn't, but I'm well familiar with that game," Hen said. 

"Anyone in our community would recognize those signs," Karen added. 

"I probably wouldn't have, but I also got caught out by trying to keep neutral pronouns," Buck said. "That's how Maddie found out about Tommy. I slipped up. Granted, it was the first conversation I'd had after our first date."

"You also came out to the team pretty quickly," Tommy pointed out.

"And what a way to come out," Karen said. "You've gotta tell me, was that planned?"

Buck and Tommy shared a look and grinned.

"Not exactly," Tommy said.

"I mean, Tommy was always going to be my date for the wedding," Buck added.

"But I hadn't exactly planned on coming straight from a fire covered in soot," Tommy continued.

"And I couldn't resist kissing him when I saw him," Buck said, blushing. 

"You didn't tell him his face was covered in your soot?" Hen asked.

Tommy laughed. "Oh, I did."

Buck was grinning. "It saved me the trouble of making some big announcement."

"True that," Hen said. She raised her wine glass. "To nonverbal announcements."

They all clinked glasses. 

"So that's how you came out, but how did you get together?" Karen pressed, leaning forward in her seat, eagerly. 

"Yeah, so do you remember when Eddie had to stay behind on light duty because he'd sprained his ankle during a basketball game?"

"You mean when you pushed him during a basketball game?" Hen clarified.

"Chim?" Buck asked, guessing that Chimney would have given his partner the play by play.

"Chim," Hen confirmed.

"After I took Eddie to urgent care and then got him settled with pain meds at home I went to talk to Evan. Eddie and I had been hanging out a lot since the rescue and I didn't want Evan to think I was trying to come between their friendship," Tommy said.

"I was kinda jealous," Buck admitted, bashfully. "But not just because Tommy was spending so much time with Eddie, but because Eddie was spending so much time with Tommy." 

"I get that," Karen said. 

"Luckily, so did Tommy," Buck said. "He understood better than I did because I didn't realize it was because I was attracted to him until he kissed me."

"Damn, Kinard," Hen said. "Way to just go for it."

"I've gotten pretty good at reading signals," Tommy admitted. "And if it didn't go the way I'd hoped, it's not like I can't take a punch."

"Eddie's the hitter, not me," Buck said.

"No, you're the pusher," Hen drawled.

"Ooh, ouch," Buck said, hand to his heart, everyone laughing.

Tommy brought a hand up to rest against the nape of Buck's neck. "Luckily, Evan didn't pull away and he agreed to a date that Saturday."

"Which I totally ruined by being an ass when Eddie and Marisol showed up at the same restaurant," Buck said, leaning into the touch.

"He did not," Karen gasped.

"Oh, he did," Tommy said, taking a sip of wine. "Their appearance sent Evan running for that closet."

"I was caught off guard," Buck said, "and I reacted badly. Very badly. After dinner, Tommy ended the date early and left me at the restaurant."

"Can't say that I blame you," Hen said, earning a slap on the arm from Karen.

"I didn't actually blame him. I understood why he'd behaved the way he had, but also I knew that Evan needed to really think about whether or not he wanted to date me," Tommy said.

"Which I did," Buck rushed to say. "Eddie talked sense into me after I told him that he'd interrupted a date and not just a dinner between friends and he convinced me to call Tommy. We met up for coffee the next day and I invited him to the wedding."

"After buying me truly disgusting coffee," Tommy said.

"I guessed at his coffee order," Buck admitted.

"Why didn't you just order him a black coffee with a handful of creamers and sugars?" Karen asked. 

"Because if I'd gotten it right he would have been impressed," Buck said.

"Do you still take it–?"

"Yes," Tommy rushed to say. "I take it the same way, which Evan hasn't figured out yet."

Hen tapped her nose and pointed at Tommy. "Gotcha."

"How many cups of bad coffee have you had to drink by not telling him?" Karen asked.

"Way too many, but I'm not giving in now," Tommy said. 

Buck turned hopeful puppy dog eyes on Hen. 

"No," she said. "You won't get it out of me. Unlike some people on our team, I can keep a secret."

"So you're going to make Tommy suffer through my guesses rather than allowing me to bring him the perfect cup of coffee?" Buck wheedled. 

Hen glanced at Tommy who shook his head. "Yep."

Buck gave an exaggerated pout and Tommy used the hand that was still on Buck's neck to pull him closer until he could kiss the pout away.

Hen saw the way that Buck melted into the kiss. She looked over to Karen who had the same soft look on her face that she knew was on her own.

Hen leaned over to whisper in her wife's ear, "I don't think I've ever seen him so relaxed and happy in a relationship before."

"He really is happy," Karen agreed. "They both are."

"Stop talking about us," Buck teased. "We're right here."

"You were a little busy," Karen pointed out.

"Our ears still work," Buck countered. 

"And yes, we are happy," Tommy said. 

Lifting her glass again, Hen made another toast. "To happiness."

The End

[hollybee8917]

Blueprint for Romance

Chapter 1: Sparks on the Fourth of July

Characters: Chris Evans, Bekah Baker (OFC)

Plot: Chris, an actor, meets Bekah, an architect, and falls faster for her than he does for anyone else.

Word count: 2321

Warnings for this chapter: Language

A/N: Big thanks to @joannaliceevans-fanficblog and @cevansbaby-dove for proofing this! Y'all are awesome!

“Hey, Chris! Come on back, man!”

Chris Evans stepped through the gate and grabbed his buddy Jason’s hand and pulled him into a hug, “Thanks for inviting me.”

Jason nodded, “Of course! The party is just starting. Tara, Carly and Ryan are in the back with the kids. Your mom pulled got here about five minutes ago with Shanna. Lisa is currently talking to Tara’s parents. My parents should be here soon. There are a bunch of other people coming too.”

Chris nodded and made his way to the backyard. Music was playing and the kids were splashing in the pool. Carly waved, “Chris! I’m so glad you finally got here! Tara has a story to tell you!”

He laughed and grabbed a beer from the cooler. Tara began her story but Chris didn’t really listen. Zach Jarvis, Jon Leonard, Mark King and their families all wandered through the gate and with each arrival, Chris’ face fell a little more.

“Hey, you okay?” Tara wrapped an arm around Chris and he returned the gesture.

The actor sighed, “Yeah. I just… Sorry, it’s a bit ridiculous.”

The woman shook her head, “Not at all. I know it’s hard seeing everyone so happy. You’ll get there one day.”

Chris could only exhale lightly. Tara hugged him once more, “You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really. I’m gonna go get another beer. You might wanna keep an eye on Winnie. She’s about to go jump in the deep end and I know she doesn’t know how to swim yet.”

“Oh shit.” Tara turned and ran toward her young daughter.

Chris laughed as he watched Tara grab her child. Isaac Harden approached him and handed him a Stella Artois. Isaac smiled sheepishly, “Hey man, I hope you don’t mind but my fiancée invited a friend to come. I ran it by Jason and Tara and they said it was okay. Just wanted to give you a head’s up. I doubt she will cause any trouble but just in case, do you want me to keep her away?”

“No, it’s okay.”

The friend tilted his head, “I hear she’s cute. And single.”

A scoff escaped Chris, “Is that why Alaina invited her? Is it a set up?”

Isaac laughed, “Naw man. I wouldn’t do that to you. That’s some shit Jon or Kath would do. The friend’s name is Bekah.”

Chris shrugged, “Okay. So?”

With a sniff, Isaac replied, “I haven’t met the girl before but Alaina says she’s gorgeous and sweet. She also says that Bekah has like 7 properties around the world.”

Cocking an eyebrow, Chris bit back, “You think that impresses me?”

“Did I mention that she has a master’s in architecture from Oxford University? Alaina tells me that Bekah is amazing. I haven’t seen it yet though. Whenever she gets here, I’ll have Alaina introduce you to her.”

“Whatever. I’m gonna grab some food. You want anything?”

Isaac shook his head, “I’m good right now.”

Chris nodded and made his way into the house where people were milling about the table grabbing food. His mother pulled him aside, “You okay, baby boy? You seem a bit down.”

“I’m fine, Ma. I’m just hungry. You want anything?”

Lisa replied, “I’m okay. I’ve been snacking a little bit here and there.”

He smiled back at her, “Once I have a little food, I’m going to head back outside.”

“Okay baby.”

He walked around the table and piled his plate full of cheese, crackers, fruit salad and a couple of sandwiches. Then he went back outside to mingle,

Chris was sipping on his drink and talking to she walked through the gate. He stopped mid-sentence and could only stare. Her chestnut hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and the sunlight made her green eyes shine. She was a bit taller, maybe five foot and seven inches tall and lean. In her hands, she held a twelve pack of Stella Artois beer, a container of homemade cookies and a bottle of wine. Alaina greeted her and her smile took Chris’ breath away.

The woman wore a light red and white sundress with a polka dot ribbon in her hair and white flats. Her sun kissed skin perfectly contrasted with the shade of red in the dress. Things started to grow dark for Chris and he realized he had been holding his breath. Now, though, he couldn’t start letting air into his lungs. The actor started to tilt.

“Chris!”

As he hit the ground, he felt his nose being pinched closed and air being pushed into his lungs. Slowly he took a deep breath then began to cough. His eyes opened and he saw her leaning over him. He sat up and tried to catch his breath. Lisa sat down next to her son, “Are you okay, Chris?”

With a gentle smile, the woman before him said, “Easy. Your lungs are hungry for air. Take slow deep breaths.”

The woman’s voice was soft and melodic, “Hi Chris. I’m Bekah.”

He slowed his breathing, “Thank you, Bekah.”

Jason extended his hand and helped Chris to his feet, “You scared us pal.”

Bekah stepped back, “You are feeling okay?”

Chris gulped slightly, “I’m better now. Thank you for helping me.”

She smiled again, “Of course. Take some water. I would slow down on the beer. Just my recommendation.”

Then she walked away. Chris’ eyes followed her the entire way. Tara tilted her head and looked up at her best friend, “I think she’s the one, Chris. Go talk to her.”

“It’s embarrassing. I just passed out in front of her, Tara. There’s no way that she’d ever consider me.”

His best friend of over twenty years bit back, “Just give her a try. You never know. I saw how she looked at you. She’s interested.”

“Not after what just happened.”

“Give her a fucking chance, Chris.”

“Honey,” Lisa broke in, “She’s glancing at you. I don’t think it’s out of concern either. She seems curious and interested. Go talk to her.”

Reluctantly, Chris looked over to where Bekah was sitting. His eyes met hers and he dipped his chin as if he was asking permission to approach her. Bekah tilted her head with a smile and nodded.

The actor made his way over to the brunette and she motioned for him to sit down, “I was talking to your friend about your time in the theater. I’m a bit of a thespian myself. Were you more musical or non-musical?”

Chris bit his lip, “I was more into musicals. You did theater too? What plays did you do?”

Bekah laughed again, a melodic sound, “It’s easier to say what plays I didn’t do. Honestly, I didn’t do a whole lot of theater. I was too busy with my acting career.”

“Acting career? I thought you were an architect.”

Bekah glanced away for half a second then focused her attention back to Chris, “I’m an architect now but I did some acting from the ages of eight to fifteen.”

Leaning back, Chris scratched his cheek, “Anything I might have heard of?”

A short pause filled the air then Bekah waved her hand, “Oh just small things. My first gig was a reoccurring role on a little show called 7th Heaven.”

“No shit? I knew someone on that show. And that’s not exactly a little show.”

“Yeah, I know. You dated Jessica Biel for five years. A couple of those years, I was on the show. It’s a small world because Jessica is a good friend of mine. Or she used to be before she went off her rocker with the anti-vax stuff.”

Chris let loose a long laugh and Bekah joined in, “I’m kidding of course. Jess is a great person and a good friend.”

The man beside her stood, “Do you want anything to drink? I’m gonna go grab me a beer.”

Bekah followed his lead and stood up, “I’ll join you. I could use a Stella right now.”

As the pair approached the cooler, Chris turned to Bekah, “So what other ‘small’ things have you done because I doubt they’re small.”

The woman beside him rubbed the back of her neck, “A cult following series called Harry Potter, a fantasy trilogy no one has heard of called Lord of the Rings and a little known sci-fi movie called Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.”

Chris all but dropped his beer, “Say again? Those aren’t small things!”

“Oh and I did this silly little superhero film starring some guy named Chris Evans as the Human Torch. I can’t quite remember the name of it. The Incredible Quad? The Fabulous Foursome?”

“The Fantastic Four.” Chris cocked an eyebrow in amusement.

She smiled broadly at him, “That’s it! I never had any scenes with the guy but I hear he’s lovely to work with.”

Chris smirked, “I wouldn’t know.”

Retreating back to the shade of the trees, Chris and Bekah sat at a small table that had been set up for the party. As they talked, Chris found himself completely enamored with this girl. She made him laugh so easily and it was obvious that she may be interested in him so he pushed a little further, “So why did you quit acting?”

Bekah sighed, “Honestly, I was tired of the lights and the cameras and the exposure. I went to my parents when I was sixteen and told them I was tired of the limelight. I didn’t want to be a child actress anymore. They accepted it with grace. I was about to graduate high school so I wanted to focus on other things like college and relationships that were crumbling.”

“You graduated high school at sixteen? And you went to college after?”

“I did. But I feel like we are talking too much about me. I want to know more about you.”

Chris shuddered a bit, “My life isn’t all that interesting.”

“Nonsense. I’m sure over your twenty plus years of acting, you have seen and experienced some stuff. What is the most exciting place you have filmed?”

The actor leaned back and raised the bottle to his lips, “I filmed in Costa Rica once. South Africa and Namibia were cool too when I went there. As for most exciting? I would probably say filming in Costa Rica. How about you?”

“Oh, most definitely New Zealand. I went to a set in Auckland and shot on a green screen. I also went with a couple of others to the area of the Shire. It was beautiful. I have filmed in London as well and that’s quite the city. If you have to pick a comfort character that you have portrayed, who would it be?”

Rolling his eyes to the sky in thought, Chris thought a moment then answered, “I know the most logical answer is going to be Steve Rogers but as my comfort character, he doesn’t quite make the cut. If I really had to choose? Fuck, that’s really hard. Hmmm. I’ll have to think about that. What about you?”

Bekah opened her mouth to reply but her phone rang. Glancing down at it, she threw Chris an apologetic glance, “I’m so sorry. I have to take this.”

As she walked away, Chris heard her say, “Hallo, das ist Frau Baker. Was brauchen Sie?”

Chris sat in shock unable to comprehend the fact the woman knew German. Tara and Lisa wandered over. Plopping down in the vacated seat, Tara smirked, “So, how’s it going?”

The man looked between his best friend and his mother, “She speaks German.”

Lisa spoke up, "Well, that's new. You’ve never been with a girl who knows German before."

Tara gasped "Chris, she's amazing! You have to ask her out."

He looked over to the side of the yard where Bekah was speaking animatedly on her phone. Tara poked him, “Earth to Chris. Pay attention to us.”

Lisa shot Tara a look, “Take it easy. He’s obviously interested in her. He just needs time.”

Tara made a face, stood and walked away. Chris turned to his mother, “Do you think I actually have a chance with this one?”

His mother put her hand on his arm, “It will only happen if you make it happen. Whether or not you have a chance is up only to you.”

Bekah returned to the table just as Chris was about to respond to his mother. With a smile, she addressed Chris and Lisa, “I’m sorry for interrupting but I just wanted to say how lovely it was to meet you both. I’m afraid I have to dash. I wish I could stay for the fireworks but something has come up with my Germany office. I have to leave in the morning to handle it.”

The older woman returned the smile, “It was nice to meet you too. I hope we see each other again.”

But Chris stayed silent. Lisa prodded him in the ribs and he yelped. Bekah’s lips twitched for half a second, “I hope so too.”

She turned and wandered over to Jason and Tara where she said her goodbyes. As she walked to the gate, Lisa poked Chris again, “If you don’t do it now, you’ll never know.”

He jumped to his feet and followed Bekah around the house, “Bekah, wait.”

She turned and almost hopeful asked, “Yes?”

“I wondered if you would like to go on a date.”

A wide grin spread across her face, “With you? Sure.”

“Great! Um, when?”

Bekah tightened her ponytail, “How about Friday of next week?”

“That sounds amazing. Do you wanna do dinner or..”

“Dinner sounds wonderful.”

His heart soared, “I’ll see you then.”

Bekah tilted her head, “Hand me your phone.”

“Why?”

“How else will you get ahold of me, silly?”

Feeling a hundred feet tall, Chris did so and Bekah input her information. As she turned to her car she stated, “I like pizza.”

[satoru-is-the-way]

Please write one where the reader and Tenoch are at an interview and she doesn’t like how Tenoch calls his shorts shame shorts, she likes to call them the sexy shorts. And the reader wanted to shorts to be a little tighter and shorter and there’s just a lot of teasing and it’s cute.

A/N: OMG I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!! HE IS SO CUTE WHEN HE CALLS THEM 'SHAME SHORT' AHHHH

Fandom Master List if you want to read more Namor or Tenoch reads!

Warnings: Suggestive ideas, suggestive content, hot make out, all PG-13, and yeah. Lmao

Tenoch X Reader

"Shame Shorts"

"Please welcome Tenoch Huerta and (Y/n) (L/n)!!" Jimmy Kimmel announced and the audience cheered. Tenoch and you walked outside by side waving at your fans. This felt like a dream come true. After all these years of acting, this was your big break. You quickly hug Jimmy before settling down. The host started by asking Tenoch how landing the role of Namor was. Of course, he retells the hilarious zoom call including the 'I never drown before' line. You and everyone else laugh at his story seeing the comedy. 

"What about you (Y/n)? How does it feel being the Queen of Talokan? Did your zoom meeting freeze as well?" Jimmy smirked. 

"No! I almost choked on my drink when my Agent said Ryan Coogler requested a Zoom meeting. We talked about the character and his idea for the movie. I didn't hesitate to say yes. But unlike some I knew how to swim.", You chuckle as Tenoch grins putting his head on your shoulder. 

For the past year, you and Tenoch have been inseparable. The teenager's crush on both sides had been obvious to everyone but you and Tenoch. You never revealed this to anyone but after the call with Ryan, the curiosity got the better of you. He mentioned Tenoch Huerta would be playing Namor. The King of Talokan and (Y/c/n)'s husband. So you googled him. Oh God had you been surprised by this sexy man. 

The interview continued, finally landing on the topic of their outfits. Jimmy mentioned how kids missed dressing as Namor or (Y/c/n) for Halloween. Tenoch shook his head no. The host then pulled out a picture of Namor's comic outfit. 

"So instead of going full speedo, you went boxer brief shorts?" Jimmy asked and you see Tenoch nod. "Did you or the producer name this call?"

"Thankfully the producer."

"But I did I ask for a full body suit with muscles included….but I didn't get that." He adds, causing everyone to laugh. "So I call them the shame short."

"Same shorts?!" Jimmy chuckled. You rolled your eyes. 

"I don't see them as shame shorts. In fact- I asked them to do the speedo." You admit finally. 

"Is that why they talked about making them shorter?!" Tenoch looked at you flushed. 

"Yes. But for reasons they did not. I honestly was upset about it." You add having no shame when the audience chuckled. "However they did make the shorts tighter than originally planned. I asked for them to be tighter around the crotch area but sadly they said no." 

"(Y/n)! You are making us blush!" Jimmy said. "Tenoch, did you know this?" 

"N-No! I had no clue!" He adds turning to you crossing his arms pretending to be upset. 

"I mean look at him. We all know the internet simps for this sexy man. So I was doing all of us a favor…for him to show off all his assets." 

"(Y/N)!" Tenoch blushed. The crowd whistled when Jimmy pulled up a picture of Tenoch's shirtless body. 

"See what I mean?!" You laughed and pulled Tenoch against you. 

The show ended and you both left the stage. He moved in front of you. His cheeks still have a faint tint of red. "You!" 

"What Tenoch? I was being honest." You laughed and took his hand going back into the waiting room until your shared car would be ready and heated properly. 

"What assets are you talking about anyway?" He questioned sitting beside you. The man smelled like warm spices, his dark brown eyes gazed into your (e/c) orbs. It had been a hard month containing your feelings for Tenoch. 

"Your-...area." You answer shly 

"Maybe in the next movie, I could get a new outfit. I will wear a speedo if…you go topless?" 

"TENOCH HUERTA!" You yelled playfully, slapping his chest. He grabbed your wrist. For a second there is no sound. You two simply stared at each other. Tenoch slides his hand up your arm to your shoulder and cupped your cheek. In an instant his lips captured yours. You tangle your hands in his soft hair. He moved you back on the couch slightly on top of you. 

"Tenoch (Y/n) the car- oh…Sorry…By the way make sure to tell Winston he owes me $25." Jimmy said before backing out of the room. 

"They had a bet on us?" Tenoch whispered, standing and takes your hand. 

"I guess so." You chuckled. 

[kittenwalker]

Take a break (evan peters) x (fem!reader)

WARNINGS : mentions of dahmer the show

Evan recently took up the offer of being in a new Netflix production directed by Ryan Murphy. But it wasn’t a normal fictional character, it is a real-life monster. Jeffrey Dahmer, an evil creature that made people suffer for his benefit. You tried talking this out with Evan as he asked you what you thought of his new role, and to say the least, you weren’t happy about it. You already have seen what his previous American horror story role did to him, he immersed himself in the role too much and he's going to do it again. The previous character in Cult was a shitty person but he was fictional, his new role isn’t. It’s going to be 10 times harder as he did way worse things and he did exist. Evan was a method actor, meaning he would go to long lengths to embody his characters. He would watch documentaries, get into the mindset of the character, he becomes the character.

It was scary to see the process of him starting to sink. During the first few weeks of the new series, all you’d see him watch or do all involved Jeffery Dahmer. You could just see his smile slowly fade away, but thankfully the series was coming to an end. Giving him a chance to rest and take another much-needed break. Today was the last week of the filming, and you have decided to take care of Evan tonight.

You went and prepared all the ingredients to make his favourite dish, pasta. 9.33 pm, he’s not coming back in another hour; gives you time to cook it. You were thinking that maybe you could help him unwind for the night, watch a movie while eating something that would not take effort. While you were almost done cooking the pasta, you heard the front door opening and footsteps behind you. Looking back you saw a very exhausted Evan, making you frown. He still had some residue of makeup left and his hair was just a blob of mess.

“ Hey love, dinner is almost ready “

“ I don’t feel like eating, sorry “

Offing the stove fire and abandoning the food, you walked over to his side. Wrapping your arms around his neck, he fell into you and broke. You could hear his muffled sobs, as his beautiful face got covered by ugly tears. Patting his back to assure him he had someone.

“ Bad day? “ you whispered

Feeling him nod against your shoulder, getting the hint that he doesn't want to talk.

“ Hang in there, just a couple more days“ you leaned in, kissing him on his temple. As you leaned in to kiss him, you smelled his hair and its stank of gel and hair cosmetics.

“ Mhm you smell bad, you need a bath. Let’s go “ you chuckled softly

Pulling his arm, you dragged him into the bathroom. Closing the toilet lid, you made him sit on it while you got ready a bubble bath for him. The warm water came out from the faucet while you were pouring some soap in, making it bubble up. Once the bath was made, you wanted to keep the food in a container until you felt a tug.

“ Have a bath with me “ Evan whined

“ Alright big baby “

Stripping off all your clothes, Evan stepped in first. Cooing at the feeling of the warm water, you then stepped in next; sitting in between his legs. Closing your eyes as the feeling of a nice warm bath soothed both of you. You slightly moved to face Evan but were careful not to spill the bubbly water out. Breaking the silence you asked if he wanted to talk about his day, and he groaned in response.

“ I’ll take that as a no “

“ It’s just… hard, his mindset is just so unbelievably dark. Also whenever I read the script, I just think about all the real people who had to experience and suffer through it; the trauma that had affected them. Sometimes this role… keeps me up at night, not letting me sleep.“

You could tell this role is taking a big toll on Evan, and it’s way worse than his Kai character. He puts most of his time studying about him and trying to make himself into him. Even if you told him he needed a break, he would always reject that idea and said he just needed 5 more minutes. But that 5 minutes turned into the whole day. So right now you’re going to suggest something you know he won’t like.

“ Evan I think you need another break, this isn’t good for you “

“ I can’t “ a tear slipped out of his eye and grabbing his face, you cupped it and made him face you.

“ Oh Evan, Ryan isn’t forcing you to do any of these roles. You have a say in this as well, remember that you can always say no. I know you feel like you owe something to Ryan as he made you famous but you proved that you didn’t need him. You won multiple awards in movies that didn’t involve Ryan. He even respected you for taking a break previously, and I think that respect isn’t going to disappear. “

Lightly you placed a kiss on his lips, bringing him into a hug as you sat on his lap. Messing and massaging his blonde hair while he just laid his chin onto your shoulder.

“ I don’t want to tell you what to do love, but it just hurts to see you struggle like this. “ you said as you turned his head to face you, swiping a tear that had fallen out from his face.

“ I hope you know how grateful I am for you and how much I love you. I feel like I don’t tell you that enough, and I want you to know that without you I really don’t know what to do. As cheesy as that sounds, it’s true. “

“ Mhm I think I know a bit of how much you love me “ you joked

“ Hey, I’m serious y/n. I want you to know “

“ Action speaks louder than words, “ you said while pointing to your lips

Evan jokily rolled his eyes, giving a warm loving kiss. You sat there drawing circles on his back as Evan began to fall asleep on your shoulder due to his tiring day.

[centrally-unplanned]

i’d be really interested in your thoughts on GRR Martin’s latest blogpost going at the HotD writers and showrunners

(Spoilers for all of the Dance of Dragons)

I went to look, not knowing it was out, and it was fucking deleted! That promises some spice, fortunately you can't escape the Internet Archive if you are a name as big as GRRM. So let's see what we got...

Ah, I see why it was deleted:

In Ryan’s outline for season 3, Helaena still kills herself… for no particular reason.  There is no fresh horror, no triggering event to overwhelm the fragile young queen

GRRM!! You can't leak script details!! That is definitely somewhere in your contract. Very minor of course, but still, if you made me bet this line got him a call from the PR rep at HBO. Anyway, onto the meat of the post.

So to summarize he outlines two points: one is the removal of the "Sophie's choice" plot with Blood & Cheese's murder of Aegon/Helaena's child, and the other is the butterfly effect of removing their third child, Maelor, whose later death triggers Haelena's suicide and other events at King's Landing. I see where GRRM is coming from but overall I think he is a bit too beholden to the trees of his story to see the forest here?

First, Blood & Cheese: in the "book", the two assassins find Helaena and her two sons, and to fulfill their mission of "a son for a son" make her choose which one they will kill. She chooses the younger Maelor, and then they kill the older Jaehaerys instead, and mock/shame her with the knowledge that she chose to kill the surviving child. In the show this doesn't happen - Helaena's "choice" is about identifying which of her two children is the boy, which honestly is dumb. The show should have just cut the "choice" angle (watching your son be murdered is trauma enough), or make it instead some actual choice, like her giving up her son's location to spare her own life or something. GRRM is right to say the book scene is more coherent.

However! The book scene is also...just Sophie's Choice? The 1982 film starring Meryl Streep? Like it is...exactly what happens in that film, beat for beat. That is now so famous as to be its own trope? It isn't a twist or a play on the concept, it is just the concept ported in wholesale. And to be clear, in the "book" that is fine. Because the "book" isn't a book; it's a chapter in a history retelling, it is like 40 pages long, this event is maybe two paragraphs. In something like that, a little bit of a nod to a famous movie is fine, right? The scene isn't relevant or big enough to require a bespoke identity.

But in a 4 season TV adaptation of that ~40 page story, these scenes are way bigger. This moment is very "drama central" in the episode. And I don't know...I kind of think a 1-for-1 copy of the Sophie's Choice plot would be, hm, a little weak? Like I might roll my eyes a little bit watching it, now that it is front and center. I can't say Condall was thinking that - GRRM mentions things like budget & hiring child actors for the change, totally valid concerns ofc. But it would be my instinct as Condall, and I also maybe wouldn't want to say that directly to GRRM if that is what I was thinking lol. So I think Condall had the right idea to try to give the scene a unique "twist", even if he failed on the execution.

As for the butterflies, GRRM is concerned that removing Maelor will have distinct consequences down the line that can't be undone, a "butterfly effect". And to not beat around the bush, he is being stubborn here - in real life you can't control butterfly effects, but stories are fictional. You can bend the currents of destiny to your will. Helaena can have other reasons to commit suicide (her relationship with Aemond is already fuel for that), and she isn't that important of a character, you can have other reasons the townsfolk turn against Rhaenyra.

And those reasons are already going to be different, they have to be, because in the TV show Rhaenyra is the good-natured protagonist; in the books she is a cruel tyrant. The butterflies are already here to roost; you can't hold sacred to any of these plot points, the show is too different from the books. As an artist you have the power to figure that out, and while canon is very important it can't rule all, not this far down the river of changes at least. It is the same with those other changes he hints towards at the end of the essay; of course there are changes at the end, they changed the beginning!

At one point he mentions that you can't replace Maelor's death with her daughter Jaehaera dying, because:

Jaehaera can’t be killed, she has a huge role to play as Aegon’s next heir.

And, no? No she doesn't. GRRM what are you talking about, no she doesn't! She is married off to Aegon III as part of the piece deal and then kills herself a few years later out of grief over her family at the age of 10. This is a minor plot beat, this can easily be changed. You gotta kill your darlings man. If they wanted to do this swap they totally could.

All that said, I myself love the death of Maelor at Bitterbridge; it is one of the peaks of the Dance's theme of the way war makes monsters of its participants. A town of smallfolk, split between blacks and greens and fear of reprisals from both sides, spirals out of control and tears the child apart in the fight. It is a great scene in the books and I would be sad to lose it. Though with only 4 seasons of runtime, and after the way they burned sunlight wastefully in Season 2? You gotta cut some stuff, and I can't blame them for trimming side stories like these.

But I do, truly, get why GRRM is upset at these changes. It is just very hard to separate yourself from the things you create like this. I really don't expect that of him; for that reason this critique is quite a soft one.

[sfb123]

Hands Down

Chapter 3: "True"

Catch up here!

Pairing: Liam x Riley

All characters belong to Pixelberry

Summary: Can Liam and Riley still find their way to each other despite Riley turning down Maxwell's invitation to Cordonia?

Rating: G

Word Count: 3,714

Song Inspiration: True - Ryan Cabrera

A/N: Thank you @charlotteg234 for helping me with the opening part of this.

Other than that, it hasn't been pre-read, so please excuse any errors. I'm really terrible at grammar. 😬

Tags are below the cut/in the comments. If you'd like to be added or removed, please let me know!

In the days following his coronation, Liam worked tirelessly to assure the people of his country that, despite his unconventional decision, Cordonia would be stronger and more prosperous than ever under his leadership. The council had rebranded what was supposed to have been his engagement tour into an introduction tour, which would not only serve as a chance to begin solidifying alliances and good-will with other world leaders and political taste-makers, but a chance for him to show everyone just what King Liam’s Cordonia could be.

However, even with the nonstop calls, meetings and interviews, his mind couldn’t help but drift to Drake’s words. 

I’m pretty sure it was obvious to everyone but you that she was into you.

You mean to tell me that you’re not even going to try?

He hadn’t planned on trying. He assumed that by turning down Maxwell’s invitation she wasn’t interested. But once again, he thought about what Drake said and considered Riley’s point of view. If he had been put in her place, he would have made the same choice. Maybe there was still hope. 

Liam decided that before he began his tour, he needed to fly to New York and find her. He had spent months thinking about her, even if she wasn’t the one, perhaps it would give him some closure and allow him to move on. When his final meeting of the week was finished, he boarded the royal jet and made his way to the states. 

When they landed, Liam requested that they go straight to the bar. He couldn’t wait any longer. As his SUV traveled the streets, his mind and heart were racing, thinking of all of the things he wanted to say, and reminding himself not to come on too strong, or get his hopes up too high. 

The car slowed to a stop in front of the bar, and Liam’s head guard, Bastien, walked around the vehicle to open Liam’s door. The young king paused for a moment, taking  a deep breath to prepare himself. He was ready for a life full of deals and negotiations, he had been trained for it since childhood; but having to be open, and speak his heart was something completely foreign to him. 

“Sir?” Bastien’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. 

Liam nodded in acknowledgement and stepped out of the vehicle, moving toward the door. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he was hit with the nostalgia of the last time he was there. 

“Just a second.”

His breath caught in his throat at the voice calling from the kitchen. 

She’s here. 

His heart began racing as he neared the stools surrounding the bar. Just as he approached, Riley emerged from the kitchen, eyes trained on her notepad as she jotted something down. 

She looked even more beautiful than he remembered. She kept her focus on the task in front of her as she walked past him and straight to a table, slipping the customer the receipt she had been writing on. 

As soon as she turned around, Riley locked eyes with Liam and she froze in her spot. She wasn’t expecting to ever see him again. 

“Hello, Riley.” 

She stood in silence for another moment, trying to process the fact that Liam, the man she couldn’t seem to get out of her mind, was standing in front of him. “Hi Liam.” She managed to choke out. 

Shaking off her surprise, she jumped right back into waitress mode. “Can I get you a table? Are your friends here with you again?” She paused for a moment, suddenly remembering what he had been doing in their time apart. “If you’re here with your fiancée, I can give you a quiet table in the back.” 

“No, it’s just me this time.” He smiled at her. She didn’t know, she hadn’t been following the social season. He wasn’t sure whether or not that was a good sign. “I was actually hoping to speak with you, if you have a moment?” 

“Oh, um…” She took a look around the bar. It wasn’t very busy, but there were customers that were going to need her attention. “Yeah, let me just check on a couple of tables. You can sit if you want.” She motioned to the bar. He nodded and took a seat on a stool. 

After visiting each of her tables, and refilling a couple of glasses for the patrons at the bar, she stepped up to the spot where Liam was sitting. “Sorry,” she apologized. “Can I get you a drink?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” He took a deep breath and searched her eyes, hoping for some kind of sign that she had missed him, or even thought about him once since he had left, but she had a wall up, he wasn’t even sure if she was happy to see him. 

“So, how was your social season?” Riley asked, unsure what else to say. 

“It was… eventful.” He mused. “My father officially stepped down from the throne.”

“Oh, wow. So you’re an actual king now?” Liam nodded. “Congratulations.” She noticed that Liam seemed uneasy about his sudden title change. 

“I suppose. It was unexpected, and there was a lot behind it that made it a bit… bittersweet. But I knew I would end up here eventually.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“So how does your fiancée feel about the sudden fast track to queen?” She asked tentatively. She really didn’t want to hear about the woman he chose. She was probably smart, well spoken and gorgeous. Everything Riley felt she could never be. 

Liam let out a breath, grateful that she brought it up first. “I don’t have a fiancée. I didn’t pick anyone.” 

“But I thought you…”

“I was supposed to,” he took one of her hands in his, feeling emboldened by the moment and deciding to just dive in. “Riley, my whole life I’ve known I needed to put my duty to Cordonia above everything else. That included any ideas about romance, or marrying for love. As I went through my social season, I would try to weigh out my options, but my mind kept going back to our night together. I couldn’t pick any of those women because none of them were you.” 

Riley stood in stunned silence, overwhelmed by Liams words, and the familiar, calming feeling of her hand in his. She felt him squeeze gently and she cleared her throat to compose herself. “I don’t understand.” 

“I want to be with you, Riley.” It was a bolder statement than he intended to make, but he didn’t regret saying it.  

She felt as though her heart was going to leap out of her chest, she still didn’t understand. How could this man, this king, this handsome, kind king have spent the last few months with women throwing themselves at him, and he’s standing here telling him he wants her. It didn’t add up. 

“Riley?” His voice brought her out of her thoughts. She studied his expression, and noticed a vulnerability in his eyes. 

“But… how would that even work?” She pulled her hand out of his and stepped back. “You’re on the other side of the world, the time difference must be insane.” 

“It’s six hours,” He responded. “And I’m here now.” 

“But not for long. You’re going to have to go home and rule a whole ass country. You honestly think you’re going to have time for me?” 

Liam smirked, she was getting flustered, he took that as a sign that his feelings were returned. “The logistics can be figured out. And I will make time for you, no matter where I am, or what time zone I am in. You’re worth it.” 

Riley’s brow furrowed in confusion. “How do you know?”

“Because I can feel it.” He replied, his eyes intently locked on hers. “Riley, there’s something between us. I felt it that night, it’s practically all I’ve thought about since we said goodbye, and I felt it again the second I walked through the door and heard your voice.” 

“But…”

“Please,” he pleaded. “Just let me take you on one date. If after that, you can tell me that you truly don’t feel the connection, I will walk away and never bother you again.” 

Riley didn’t need a date to know there was a connection, she was feeling everything he was. But she still had so many questions and doubts about the whole thing. The smart thing to do would be to say no, realistically, this would never work. All of the concerns that ran through her mind when Maxwell invited her to Cordonia came flooding back.

But did she want to do the smart thing? That’s what she thought she had done last time, and she’d been regretting it ever since. Riley had always played it safe and done the smart thing. She never took risks, and she was right where she had always planned to be. For the most part. 

The hopeless romantic inside of her, the side she had silenced once before, was screaming at her to say yes. Love wasn’t logical, it wasn’t smart, it was a risk. Some of her favorite love stories included a visit to the seawich, trusting a fairy godmother, or taking a chance on seven strangers in the woods. 

“Okay.” She answered softly, still unsure about where this would lead. 

“Okay?” He repeated her hopefully. She nodded in response. “Wonderful!”

Riley smiled coyly at Liam’s excitement. “I’m actually free tomorrow night if that works for you?” 

“Absolutely. I’ll pick you up at your apartment at seven?”

“Sure.” 

Liam breathed a sigh of relief and stood from his barstool. “Perfect. You’re at the same address I walked you home to?” 

“You remember?”

“Of course I do, I remember everything about that night.” He noticed a blush come over Riley at his response. “Maybe I could get your number though, just in case?” 

Riley smiled, her eyes flitting to the floor. “Sure.” He handed her his phone, and she put her number into the contacts. 

When she handed the phone back to him, his fingers lingered on hers for a moment before he pulled away, placing it in his pocket. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”  

Riley watched Liam exit the bar, her eyes watching on the door until one of her customers called for her attention. She took a few orders and began mixing drinks, her mind drifting back to Liam and their conversation. She was nervous, terrified really, about going out with him. She couldn’t help but get ahead of herself, trying to figure out how a relationship with that much distance would work. Or why he would even want it to.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Daniel enter the bar and come up behind her. “Holy shit,” Riley startled at his voice, nearly spilling the martini she had in her hand. “Sorry,” he smiled apologetically at his friend. “But it was important. You should have seen the smoke show I just passed on my way in here.” 

Riley smirked to herself as she placed the drink in front of her customer and moved back across the room. She had a feeling she knew exactly who he was talking about. “Blonde hair, blue eyes, a little over six feet?” 

“Yes, he was in here?!”

“That’s uh…” She picked up a rag and began wiping down the bar, avoiding eye contact with Daniel. “That’s Liam, the guy from the bachelor party.” 

His jaw dropped. “Prince Charming?” She nodded with a small chuckle. “What was he doing here?” 

Riley recapped the conversation for a stunned Daniel. She had given him a full rundown of their time together when she had returned to the apartment that night, but hadn't mentioned anything about him since. However, Daniel knew better than to think it was just a fleeting moment to her. He’d never seen her light up about anything, or anyone the way she did when she was recalling every last detail of Liam and their evening together.

“But you said yes, right?” Daniel asked hopefully. 

“I mean yeah, how could I say no to all of that?” Riley shrugged. “But I don’t know.” 

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Come on Ri, I get it, you’ve got this whole don’t see how great you are thing, and that’s your vibe. But seriously,” he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “This man has already done more for you after knowing you for a couple of hours than your last boyfriend did all that time you were together. Take the hint. He wants you.” 

“How does a relationship like that even work?” She continued to protest. 

“First of all, it’s a date, not a relationship.” Daniel corrected her. “Second of all, if it gets to that, you figure it out. And then you invite me to your lavish royal wedding, because technically this is all thanks to me.” He winked. 

“Alright, alright, I’ll go.” Riley chuckled. “What are you even doing here? It’s your night off.” 

“I wanted to be your last customer.” He smiled, taking a seat at the bar. “I’ll have my usual, barkeep.” 

***

The next day, Riley spent most of the morning rifling through her closet, trying to assemble the perfect outfit for her date with Liam. 

“Daniel, help!” 

Daniel rushed into Riley’s room to find clothes scattered over every inch of the space. “Holy shit Ri, what happened here?” 

Riley looked up at Daniel from her seat on the floor, gripping onto two shirts. “What do grown ups wear on dates?” 

“Oh Riley,” he dropped down on his knees by his friend’s side, wrapping his arm around her. “Just relax.” 

“I can’t relax. I haven’t gone on an actual date in almost four years. I was just a kid. And this isn’t just a grown up date, it’s a grown up date with a king. Fuck,” her eyes went wide and she turned to face Daniel. “Am I supposed to wear a ballgown?” 

He didn’t want to make her feel worse, but Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle at her panic. “I don’t think he’s expecting that.” He pried the shirts out of her grip. “Listen, he asked you out because he likes you, you don’t have to get all fancy. That’s what he turned down to come here to find you. Just be yourself, cute and comfortable.” 

“But what if he’s taking me somewhere fancy? Guys like him don’t go to hole in the wall pizza places, or burger joints.”

“Or dive bars?” Daniel retorted with an arched brow. “You’re overthinking this. Here,” he reached behind her, picking up a green high low dress. “This is perfect. Wear it with that leather jacket you have. Classy and cool, you’ll be ready for anything.” 

“Daniel, it’s perfect!” She wrapped her arms around him and brought him into a hug. “Thank you.”

“Of course, but listen,” he pulled back, looking at her with concern in his eyes. “You need to relax, you’ve got this. He asked you out, he flew halfway across the world for this date, safe to say he wants it.” 

“That’s the problem,” she huffed, standing up and laying her dress on the bed. “He was supposed to pick a fiancée in his own county. He didn’t and then he came here, because of me. Do you have any idea how much pressure that is? He barely knows me.” 

Daniel followed her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “That’s what first dates are for.” 

Over the next few hours, as Riley got ready for her date, Daniel made sure to be there to guide her back when she fell too deep down the rabbit hole of worry and self-doubt about how the evening would go. 

She was putting the finishing touches on her look when her phone chimed. It was a number she didn’t have saved, but the second she saw the message she knew who it was. The butterflies in her stomach kicked into high gear, Liam had arrived. He didn’t have her apartment number, so he couldn’t ring them to be buzzed up. She gave him the number and called down the hall for Daniel to buzz him in. 

Riley slid on her shoes and made her way down the hall, where Daniel was waiting in the living room. She gave him a nervous smile. “Do I look alright?” 

“Like a princess.” Daniel grinned. She rolled her eyes, making Daniel laugh. “You’ve got this Ri, trust me.” 

As the elevator made its ascent to the fourth floor, Liam’s fingers tapped nervously against his thigh. He had spent all day preparing for this, it needed to go perfectly. The doors opened, and he stepped into the hallway stopping in front of the door marked ‘11D’. He took a deep breath before lifting his fist and wrapping gently. The door opened, and Liam’s breath caught in his throat when he laid his eyes on her. 

“Riley you look,” he paused, taking another moment to admire her from head to toe. “Stunning.” 

“Thank you,” he caught the blush in her cheeks just before her gaze dropped. 

They stood in silence, not believing that they were actually here. They had both imagined this moment, but neither thought it would ever be more than that. 

“I brought you these.” Liam broke the silence, holding up a bouquet of roses. “I wasn’t sure what your favorite flower was, I hope roses are okay?” 

Riley smiled, taking the bouquet from Liam and lifting them to her nose. “They’re perfect.” Liam let out a sigh of relief. “Let me just go put them in some water, I’ll be right back.” 

While Riley was in the other room, Liam took the opportunity to look around the apartment to try to learn a bit more about her. The decor wasn’t exactly what he had pictured for her, and she didn’t appear to be in many of the photos. He found it curious. 

“Ready?” Riley pulled him from his thoughts. 

Liam smiled and offered his arm to her. “Absolutely.” 

He led her out of the apartment and to the elevator. As the cab made its descent, the pair stood in silence, Liam noticed that Riley seemed nervous. He could understand that, he was nervous too, but there was also an uneasiness about her that concerned him.

“Is everything alright?” Liam asked tentatively, hoping the evening was not about to end before even getting started.  

“Yeah,” she smiled up at him softly. He felt his heart flutter at the sight. “I’m just a little nervous is all.” 

Liam grinned as the doors opened. “Understandable,” he raised his arm, signaling for her to exit the elevator. Once she stepped over the threshold, he followed behind her. “I’m pretty nervous too.” 

“You are?” 

“Definitely,” he assured her as they moved outside. He walked her to the SUV that was waiting in front of her building, opening the door for her. He slid in behind her and closed the door before continuing. “If we’re being candid, this is actually my first real date.” 

Riley contorted her face into a look of disbelief. “Yeah, okay,” she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“I’m serious!” He chuckled. “Growing up as part of the royal family, things were different. I was introduced to women, but our time would be spent at courtly functions. It was nothing like dating as you know it.” 

Riley nodded in understanding, a brief silence coming over them. “As a matter of fact,” he continued. “I wanted everything to be perfect tonight, so I did some research on first dates.” 

“You did?” She smiled. ‘That’s actually really cute.” 

“I’m very glad you think so.” 

“Well, since we’re having truth time,” Riley took a deep breath, and looked down at her hands, which sat in her lap. “I guess I’m just a little worried that after all this time, and after everything you did to come here and ask me out, I’m not going to be worth it.” 

Liam’s heart sank at her confession. The last thing he wanted was to put any pressure on her, and he especially hated that she was worried she wasn’t enough. He realized in that moment that he may have come off a bit stronger than he anticipated when he had seen her the night before.   

“Riley,” he said, gently placing his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “I’m so sorry for putting that pressure on you. I assure you, while my feelings for you did have a part in the decision I made at my coronation, it wasn’t the only reason.”

He went on to explain his conversation with Leo, and how it had inspired him to forge his own path. He also told her about the conversation he had with Drake later in the night; leaving out the part about how obvious it was to everyone how she felt about him. She was already feeling insecure, he thought that would only make things worse. Instead, he told her that Drake suggested the best way to find his happiness was to go back to the last place where he felt truly happy.

“And you picked the night we met?” Riley asked.

“I did,” he smiled softly at her. “Riley, I can’t predict the future. I don’t know where this is going to go, if it goes anywhere at all. But what I do know is that when I was with you that night, I felt comfortable, free. It was something I hadn’t felt for a long time, and it meant a lot to me.” 

Riley felt her cheeks get warm as she dropped her gaze to her lap. “It was a pretty great night, wasn’t it?”

“Absolutely, and that’s the only expectation I have for tonight. To have a pretty great night, with a pretty great girl.” He placed his index finger under her chin, tilting it so their eyes were locked.

Riley looked into his eyes and was met with a sincerity that gave her butterflies. At that moment, all of her questions and worries were gone; replaced by anticipation and excitement of what the evening, and the future, held. 

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Hands Down:

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