#picked em handsome lean and packing

[balladofthe101st]

i know joe went up to the bar just to flirt with george with the classic, "you come here often?" but george, seeing joe walk towards him, looking so handsome and lean in his class a's, panicked, and before joe could use his line, george blurts out, "corporal toye, there will be no leaning in my company. are those dusty jump wings? how do you expect to slay the huns with dust on your jump wings?" joe, bewildered and flustered, plays along, straightening up and dusting off his jump wings, just to see that sweet smile on george's face. that night didn't go as joe planned but between a couple glass of beers, sharing a smoke, and spending the rest of the evening until the next early morning with george and that goddamn sweet smile of his, joe wouldn't have spent the night any different. next time, he thinks wistfully, next time maybe he'll get a kiss

[cinnaleaf]

「 Rouxed Up | A Very Merry Footballer Ficmas 」

summary: you bring your man home for an american christmas while you try to survive your chaotic family | MDNI 18+

warnings: smut, dom/sub dynamic, dirty talk, language, chaotic family, cultural specificity (black southern american), southern slang, food mentions, mentions of alcohol, humour 🎅🏾: my writer elf worked very hard on this to make it special for the american girlies | pt 4 of my ficmas series wc: ~5.9k

You should’ve known things were going to be chaotic the minute you turned onto the street where you grew up. Houston suburbs were excessive, especially during Christmas. There were overly large brick houses lined with lights that doubled the electric bill, inflatable Santas, reindeer, and other decorations fighting for space in every yard. Your parents’ house wasn’t any different: it was a sprawling 4 bedroom home with a front yard cluttered with holiday decorations, lights, and an inflatable football. Your mom swore it was festive enough to win the homeowner’s association holiday contest this year, but they lost to the neighbors across the street for the second year in a row. 

“I guess they do it big in Texas, huh?” Aurélien asked while sliding out of the car to stretch his long legs.

“Always” you answered back, reaching to pull a foil pan full of red beans and rice from the backseat. “This isn’t real Texas though baby. You’re about to step right into Louisiana as soon as we get inside the house.”

You weren’t exaggerating. After the hurricane, your entire family packed up and started over in Houston. They may have swapped New Orleans shotgun houses for oversized Texas bricks, but the food, accents, and chaos all came with them. Now, you were dragging your French footballer boyfriend into the chaos so he could see what a Creole Christmas looked like. He was hype for weeks, asking you nonstop questions about the food, NOLA bounce remixes, if your family had any relation to Beyoncé, and if anyone in the family still spoke French.

When you walked inside, the house was alive with uncles yelling at an NFL game on a large tv in the living room. Your cousins were running around playing hide and seek in rooms they knew they weren’t supposed to be running around in. The smell of seafood stock cooking hit your nose first – shrimp shells, water, and various aromatic vegetables and herbs were bubbling in a pot so big it could feed a small army. The kitchen was at max capacity as your grandma barked orders while your aunt Beverly was busy icing a pound cake.

“Y/N, baby!” Your grandma spotted you before you could even set the tin pan down. She quickly washed her hands and waddled over to you to pull you into a hug that smelled like a mix of cajun seasonings and White Diamonds perfume. “You finally brought him back with you! What’s his name..Leon??”

“Aurélien.” you corrected her politely, enunciating it so she could get it right.

Aurélien stepped forward with a polite, meet the family smile while your grandma looked him up and down quickly and then put on the glasses that were sitting on top of her head to get a clearer look. “Hmm..he’s tall. Very handsome too. Your taste ain’t too bad, I’ll give you that. You must’ve got that from me because your mama never picked ‘em right when she was your age.”

“I told y’all he was fine,” one of your aunts added while checking the pecan pie in the oven. 

“Nana..auntie..please don’t start” you muttered, trying not to laugh while Aurélien stifled his laughter next to you.

“I’m just saying!” your grandma gave you a dramatic shrug and then turned her attention back to him. “So do you know anything about real football? Not that soccer stuff.”

“Nana!” you hissed, feeling embarrassed by your family already. “He’s literally a professional footballer.”

“Uh huh” she said unimpressed. “I don’t know nothing about that.”

Aurélien grinned, leaning into his perfect boyfriend performance with an almost too good to be true charm. “I know a little bit about NFL. Y/N taught me a few things.”

Your grandma waved him off with a scoff. “Mhm, we’ll see. Don’t let my son hear you say that or he’ll have you on the couch talking about the Saints all night.” Then she turned her attention back to you with a no nonsense look. “Y/N, you’re making the gumbo this year.”

Your stomach dropped. “Wait what?”

“Gumbo. You heard me” she said, already making her way out the kitchen. “You’re always in the kitchen when I make it. Show your boyfriend you know how to cook so he doesn’t go back home thinking we raised you wrong.”

“Nana I’ve never–”

“Better figure it out!” she snapped over her shoulder, dismissing you with a wave. “The stock is on the stove and everything else is over yonder (nearby) in the ice box (fridge). Don’t mess my kitchen up.”

Aurélien looked down at you, amused by your predicament. “You didn’t tell me you were the chef tonight.”

“That’s because I didn’t know” you muttered while the panic set in. You knew your entire family would clown you for years to come if you fucked your grandmother’s gumbo recipe up. They were still talking about the mac and cheese you messed up three years ago by adding cottage cheese, so you couldn’t take any chances this year. 

“Okay..” you sighed and tied your braids into a bun as you made your way over to the sink to wash your hands. Before you could even start getting anything accomplished, one of your little cousins, Myles, came yelling and running through the kitchen out of nowhere.

“Y/N! My mom said your boyfriend has money for Robux. Can he buy me some? Pleaseeee?”

“No!” you snapped, holding up a wooden spoon. “And why are you running in here? You know you’re not supposed to be in the kitchen playing!”

“We’re just playing hide and seek,” Myles said while full of sugared adrenaline. “But I’m not hiding in here..I just wanted to see if I could get some robux.”

“Robux your ass out of this kitchen please” you commanded while wrangling him and the rest of your cousins out of the kitchen.

Aurélien cocked his brow, watching you as you ushered your cousins out of the kitchen area. 

“Baby.. I can buy them some robux, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“No. He’s always begging for something” you muttered, shoving flour and oil onto the counter.

“Y/N!” your other cousin, Gianna, yelled from the hallway. “Can you fix my hair? My mama bumped the ends and I don’t like it.”

“Girl, I just got here! Ask Nana!”

“She said no,” Gianna pouted, slowly dragging her feet toward the living room.

Your mom appeared from another room with her hands full of empty tin pans, scowling. “Why are y’all yelling in my house like this?” Her eyes landed on Aurélien and she softened immediately. “Hi Aurél. You hungry?”

Aurélien flashed the same smile he used on your grandma, but it worked a lot better on your mom. “No ma’am but thank you. It’s good to see you again.”

“Is my daughter treating you right?” your mom asked with a smile on her face while setting the pans down beside some plates. “I know she can be a little feisty…”

“Wooow…” you rolled your eyes, not believing your ears. 

“Is she treating me right?” Aurélien repeated with a laugh, glancing at you as he leaned against the counter. “I have no complaints. She’s perfect for me.”

Your mom raised an eyebrow, amused by his smoothness. “You like that? I guess there’s someone out there for everybody…”

“Mom!” you yelled, reaching for the knob on the stove with an exaggerated huff. “Can y’all chill on me?”

Your mom laughed as she walked toward the living room with the others. “Alright, I’m gone. Don’t mess up the gumbo.”

“Don’t burn the roux Y/N!” Myles shouted from wherever he was hiding.

Aurélien snickered, leaning down to whisper in your ear. “Yeah. Don’t burn the roux baby.”

You gave him a glare, pointing the wooden spoon toward him. “I don’t need your commentary. You’re here to chop vegetables and shut up. Got it?”

“Got it” he raised his hands up dramatically, but was still grinning like he was about to get on your every last nerve.

You turned back to the counter, yanking the fridge open to pull out the holy trinity. Just as you set the onion, celery, and bell pepper on the cutting board, your Aunt Beverly waltzed in with a glass of something that probably had way too much Crown Royal in it.

“Now why do you have this young man standing here looking like a guest?” she asked, plopping her glass down on the counter. “Aurélien you better start chopping! This ain’t Madrid.”

“I was just waiting for my instructions,” Aurélien replied, grabbing a knife. “I’m ready to work auntie.”

“Aww look at him” she cooed, giving you a look. “You better not mess this one up Y/N. He’s fine and he listens. That’s rare.”

You groaned, already regretting bringing him with you for Christmas. “Why is everyone acting like he’s the only man on earth?”

“Nobody said he was,” Aunt Beverly replied, sipping her drink. “But he’s the finest one I’ve seen you bring around.”

Aurélien didn’t even try to hide his smirk. “Thank you auntie.”

“Don’t thank her” you scoffed, shoving the cutting board closer to him. “Just chop.”

Before you could get into a good rhythm of chopping and stirring, Gianna came storming back in the kitchen, looking even more dramatic than before.

“Y/N!” she whined. “Pleaseeee fix my hair. Look at me!”

You glanced over at her, narrowing your eyes over the bumped ends while you tried not to laugh. “Gigi, you don’t need your hair fixed. It looks fine.” You were lying, she really looked like she worked in management at a call center.

“No it doesn’t!” she cried, stomping her foot. “I look like James Brown!”

You almost burst out laughing so you turned your head back to the stove, tucking your lips in to hide your smile while waving her off. “Just go sit down somewhere.”

“Fine” she huffed, stomping back toward the living room. “I’m telling Nana you’re being mean.”

“Tell her! I don’t care!” you yelled back, very unbothered.

Aurélien was at the counter chopping celery while all of this went down, but you saw him chuckling quietly to himself during the ordeal like this was the most entertaining family he had ever seen. “Do you talk to all of them like that? Is that normal?”

“Only when they act like this…” you muttered, dumping a pile of chopped onions into a bowl. “Which is every time I come home.”

“Your family is funny..I like them.”

“Just chop” you repeated while shaking your head. You were anxious your family would have scared him off by now, but knowing he was enjoying every second gave you butterflies.

While chopping, the sound of the NFL game blaring loudly in the background was interrupted by your uncle shouting, “Y/N! You know what you doing in there? It smells like something’s burning.”

You hadn’t even started cooking yet, and somehow your uncle was smelling phantom scents. You rolled your eyes again, ignoring his comments while you poured oil in the pan. A slow grin crept up Aurélien’s face when he saw how annoyed you were getting. “Burning the gumbo already?”

You whipped your head around, pointing the spoon at him. “Don’t start with me.”

With a heavy sigh, you turned your attention back toward the pan and swirled the oil around under the heat as you slowly added in flour. The roux was a life or death situation; you were either going to be a Creole princess, or your family would be on your neck for the rest of the night.

Aurélien stood close to you, leaning in with curiosity in his eyes. “So how do we do this? What’s the plan?”

“The plan is to stir this until its the color of dark chocolate” you said while moving the spoon in a steady circular pattern. “If I stop stirring it’ll burn and get all clumpy. After that, we add the veggies we just chopped to let it sauté, and then we add everything else and let it simmer.”

He nodded, leaning against the counter to watch you. “That’s simple enough.”

“It’s really not” you replied with your eyes locked on the pan. “And you’re distracting me already, so stop.”

“Baby I’m just standing here.” he smirked. “You’re that easily distracted?”

“No.” you shot back, side eyeing him for a split second. You were that easily distracted when he was around, but you weren’t about to admit to it.

“Are you sure?” He dropped his tone, teasing you. “Why are you gripping the spoon so tight?”

“Because I need to keep stirring..” you muttered while refusing to look at him.

“Hmm.” He paused, leaning in to whisper in your ear. “I know something else that grips like that. And it tastes good too.”

You froze for a second and then snapped your head toward him with your eyes wide. “Aurélien!”

“What?” he asked innocently, but his smirk was far from innocent. “I’m just being honest.”

“Stop” you voiced in a tight tone.

“Stop what?” he asked, sliding his hand to your hip.

“That.” you hissed, smacking his hand away with your free one. “I’m not fucking the roux up because you wanna play around.”

“I think you like it though..”

You were going to fire back but then your dad’s voice cut through the kitchen. “What’s it looking like in here?” Both of you stiffened when your dad walked in the kitchen with a drink in hand, eyeing both of you.

Aurélien straightened up and moved his hands back to his sides like he’d been caught. “It’s going well sir. She’s doing a good job.”

“Hmm” you dad walked up to the stove with his brows knitted in nothing but judgement while he stared at the roux. “Still looks too light to me.”

“It’s not ready yet!” you answered back defensively, tired of everyone getting onto you about the roux.

Your dad took a sip of his drink and shook his head. “I don’t know if I want to eat what you’re cooking…”

“Then don’t” you said under your breath so he wouldn’t hear you. Eventually, he wandered back toward another room. As soon as he was out of earshot, Aurélien leaned on the counter, smirking. 

“You look good in that dress, baby.”

“Aurélien....”

“What?” he teased, dropping his voice. “I can’t compliment my girlfriend?”

You huffed a breath and continued stirring the roux as it turned from a caramel color to a rich dark chocolate shade. “Not now.”

He stood behind you, towering over you as he brushed his lips up against your ear. “Later then?”

“Maybe…” you kept stirring with a vengeance, trying not to reveal how flustered he had you. 

When the roux finally finished, you let out a small sigh of relief. You had one hurdle down, but the gumbo was nowhere near being finished. You pushed the spoon against the sides of the pan to check the consistency to make sure it was smooth and velvety instead of clumpy.

Aurélien hovered over you, smiling like he was the one doing all the work this whole time. “You said it’s supposed to look like dark chocolate, right? Looks like it’s done.”

“Mmhmm.” You grabbed holy trinity mixture and tossed it into the pan with a satisfying sizzle and the aroma hit immediately.

He leaned in closer. “Smells good already.”

“It’s not even half done yet.” you said, pushing him back with your hip as you reached for the seasonings. You added cajun seasonings, thyme, and bay leaves into the pot. You reached for garlic powder, but Aurélien grabbed it first and held it out of your reach with another smirk on his face.

“Really?” you asked, giving him a look.

“I’m trying to help” he replied while sprinkling garlic powder in the pot like he was a pro chef before handing it back.

You rolled your eyes, dumping the rest of the ingredients into the pot while stirring. Aurélien watched you like he was mesmerized.

“Baby you look so good right now.”

“I’m literally sweating and I probably smell like filé powder so why are you lying?” you tried to keep your tone light but the look in his eye had you ready to bend over the countertop.

“I’m not. You look good.” He stepped closer to you and brushed his hand on the lower curve of your back. He tilted his head and traced small patterns against your dress. “And you keep bending over that pot like you want something else…”

“Aurélien.” you warned again, but it sounded more like a whine because his hand slid up to your hip at the same time.

“You’re doing such a good job baby.” he coaxed while gripping your hip to pull you up against him. If he wanted to play, you could too – so you lightly grinded up against him while the gumbo simmered on the stove. 

You could feel his breath hitch against your neck as he kissed you there, lightly nibbling on the skin. “Keep doing that.”

You pressed against him even more while his hands roamed over your dress. Just as you were about to push him off of you, the sound of your aunts’ voice drifted into the kitchen from the dining room. They were in a very loud and animated gossip session, so naturally both you and Aurélien froze in place to start eavesdropping.

“Girl have you seen Linda lately?” Your Aunt Kim’s voice cut through the kitchen.

“Who ain’t seen her?” Aunt Beverly shot back. “She’s all over town riding around in every man’s car but her husband’s. Makes no damn sense.”

“Chileeee…” Aunt Kim said with a dramatic drawl. “She has the nerve to be in church every sunday talking about the lord is her shepherd while she’s creeping with half the deacons.”

“Half?!” Aunt Bev cackled so loud it made Aurélien’s eyebrows shoot up. “Girl she’s hitting the men’s choir and the ushers too. And then she has the nerve to come in there with her wig sitting like a top hat. Baby, secure that wig first, then worry about your next man.”

“Not a top hat!” Aunt Kim howled. “She looks like she’s leading a marching band!”

“Mhm. I might tell you a joke but I’ll never tell you a lie” Aunt Bev continued cackling.

Your hand shot up over your mouth to keep from laughing as Aurélien leaned closer to you, confused. “What are they saying?” he whispered.

You leaned back into him, trying to explain without bursting into laughter. “They’re talking about the pastor’s wife. Apparently she’s been messing around with men who aren’t her husband. And her wig game is real bad.”

Aurélien’s face twisted with disbelief. “So she’s cheating and her wig is crooked? That’s crazy.”

You nodded with tears threatening to spill from how hard you were trying to hold back your laughter. “I swear nobody is safe in this family. They come for everybody.”

“She’s gonna end up in somebody’s sermon if she keeps it up” Aunt Kim said, taking a sip of her drink. “And I’m not saying a damn thing when it happens.”

“Nothing?” Aunt Bev smacked her lips. “Please. You’ll be the first one to say something. You haven’t been quiet a day in your life.”

Both women burst into a fit of laughter and you finally shoved Aurélien off so you could work on plating the gumbo over a bed of white rice. When you were finally done, you called everyone into the dining room. The table was already overloaded with food, but the gumbo was the star of the show. You set the bowls down in front of everyone, ready to hear everyone’s reactions.

“Alright” your grandma said as she sat at the head of the table. “Let’s see if my grandbaby did my gumbo any justice.”

Everyone started digging in and you heard the occasional “Mmm!” of approval from mostly everyone. You noticed your dad had his bowl of gumbo off to the side and he reached for some oxtail instead.

“You’re not gonna try it?” you asked.

He shrugged, unphased. “I don’t eat gumbo unless your Nana makes it. Especially if it has seafood in it. You know that.”

“Wow.” You crossed your arms, glaring at him. “You’re really going to do your daughter like that?”

Your dad glanced up at you with a smirk. “The last time you made a main dish for Christmas, you put cottage cheese in the mac and cheese. I don’t trust it.”

The whole table erupted in laughter, including Aurélien as he tried to cover his mouth. A look of defeat appeared on your face and you slumped in your chair. “I saw it on tiktok.”

“Tiktok doesn’t belong in the kitchen on Christmas day. Do that on your own time.” your grandma shook her head, cracking a crab leg to retrieve the meat inside.

When Aurélien dipped his spoon into the gumbo to take his first bite, his eyes widened. “Mmm” he hummed low and deep in his chest, dragging out the sound as his tongue darted to catch a stray bit of broth on his bottom lip. You froze mid bite, hovering your spoon over your bowl as he let out another groan of appreciation.

“This is so good,” he murmured in a smooth voice. His eyes were locked on yours the entire time, and the corner of his mouth curved into a smirk. “Baby you really did this.”

“It’s just gumbo” you tried to keep your voice even, feeling heat creeping up your skin.

“No,” he said, dipping his spoon back in for another bite. His gaze stayed on you as he savoured it, swiping his tongue across his lips in a teasing way. “This is perfect. I see why you were gripping that spoon now.”

You shifted in your seat, squeezing your legs together while your family was oblivious to the way your boyfriend was dismantling every bit of composure in you.

“Aurélien” you hissed low enough so no one else could hear. “You need to chill.”

“I’m just enjoying your cooking baby” he said, leaning in closer and dropping his voice just for you. “And thinking about what else you’re good at.”

Your spoon clattered on the bowl and you reached for your glass of water, downing it like you were dying of thirst. Aurélien’s hand slipped under the table, brushing against your bare thigh. “You okay?” he asked while continuing to rub your thigh in gentle strokes.

You glared at him, feeling the pool of heat in your core increase from his touch. “No. I’m really not.”

Aurélien didn’t stop his torturous strokes on your thigh as his fingers slipped a little higher. It was taking everything in you to control yourself and push his hand away, but you really wanted to grab it and pull it closer. Your family was still as loud as ever, conversing around the table and had no idea what was happening. Your uncles were arguing about the NFL game with one of your aunts, your grandma was fussing with Myles about trying to sneak a piece of cake before finishing all of his food, and your mom was going on about how she needed better lights next year in order to win the HOA decor competition.

Literally nobody was paying attention to you, and Aurélien took it to his advantage. He brushed his lips against your ear and whispered, “You’re tense baby. Maybe I should help you relax in a bit.”

“Let’s go.” you said under your breath, unable to take it anymore.

“Now?”

You shot him a look. “Now.”

Aurélien didn’t need to be told twice and stood up first, excusing himself from the table with an exaggerated excuse about how he needed to stretch his legs so his muscles wouldn’t get too stiff during the holiday break. It was bullshit, but either way nobody cared. You followed a few seconds later, pretending you needed to refill your glass of water.

When you met him in the hallway, his hand immediately hiked your dress up, gripping your hips from underneath while his lips met yours in a messy kiss. His tongue slid against yours as you arched your body into him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

“Your room?” he whispered against your lips, already leading you down the hall. You nodded but you could barely think straight when his lips started trailing down your neck. When you reached the door of your bedroom, you pushed it open quickly, expecting an empty bed but you froze in place when you saw someone’s random baby was asleep.

“Who.. whose baby is that?” Aurélien asked in a hushed tone, baffled.

“I don’t even know” you whispered back, shutting the door as quietly as possible before you started laughing.

You wasted no time grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the bathroom. Once you were inside, you locked the door and leaned back against it with a seductive smirk on your face. “We have about five minutes before someone starts looking for us.”

“Then we better not waste it” he said, sliding your dress back up around your hips. You palmed his dick over his jeans, stroking it against the fabric to make him hard while his hand found their way between your thighs. You couldn’t help the whimper that escaped from you when his fingers started teasing you through your panties. His lips moved from your jaw, then to your neck and you tilted back against the door to give him more access.

“Auréliennn” you whispered in a voice shaky as you dug your nails into his arm.

“You need to be quiet for me baby” His voice was low and filled with lust. “Shhhh.”

You nodded, but his fingers slipped under your panties and met with your wetness, causing you to let out a soft, desperate moan. He smirked against your neck, teasing your skin with the warmth of his voice.

“I said be quiet for me.”

You bit your lip to hold back but he wasn’t making it easy for you at all. He had two fingers inside of you while his thumb rubbed your clit, teasing you until your legs started to shake.

“Please” you whispered, still clutching his arm while you struggled to keep it together quietly.

He pulled back enough to look you in the eyes with a smug expression on his face. “Please what?”

“Please” you repeated, voice trembling with want. “Just hurry.” You gripped the belt loop of his jeans with your hand, quickly unzipping his jeans so you could speed the process up. You really didn’t have much time and you were not about to risk not having the orgasm that was pent up and wavering, ready for release.

Aurélien leaned into your ear, arrogantly whispering in your ear. “You were clenching that spoon like you needed something else to hold onto. I’m about to give you something better.”

“Shut up” you muttered, already struggling to keep composure.

“You don’t want me to shut up” he whispered, brushing his lips against your neck as he spoke. “You love this too much. Tell me how good I feel.”

You gripped his shoulders to steady yourself. “You feel so good,” you whimpered. “But we don’t have time.”

“I don’t care” he cut you off, thrusting his fingers inside you with calculation. Your mouth fell open in a silent gasp as he filled you with his fingers, curving just right in a certain spot that made your legs week. “Take it, baby. Good girl.”

You bit your lip to keep quiet but he was driving you wild. His thumb pressed against your clit, swirling with just the right amount of pressure to make your breath quicken into rapid gasps.

“Aurélien I can’t” you hissed quietly.

“You will” he growled, pulling his fingers out and flipping you around so the front of your body was pressed against the door. His hand smacked your ass and you gasped, feeling the sting disperse from pain to pleasure. “Don’t cum until I say so.”

“Okay” you breathed with your cheek pressed against the door as he yanked your panties down. You heard him pull his jeans down and the anticipation made you shake a little. Aurélien lined his dick up against you, pushing inside you in one deep stroke. You clenched around him the minute he was inside and a mewl escaped your throat.

“Damn. You’re squeezing me already? You don’t even want me to move yet?”

“Move.” you pleaded in a barely steady voice. “Please move.”

“In a rush?” He smirked against your shoulder, pulling out slowly before deep stroking back in. The door rattled under his force and he grabbed your hip to steady you. “You want it like that?”

“It’s too loud” you whined, still trying to catch your breath.

“You’re too loud” he shot back, gripping your neck to tilt your head back. His lips brushed up against your ear as he whispered in your ear. “Be quiet or you won’t get to cum tonight.”

The pressure in your core was building fast and he hadn’t even fucked you like he meant it just yet. You bit your lip hard, trying to quiet your moans. His thrusts were deep, hard and merciless with each one hitting deeper than the last. When he reached around to rub your clit again, your legs started shaking.

“I wanna cum” you whimpered in a broken voice. “Aurélien I can’t hold it.”

“Yes you can” he commanded with his grip tightening on your hip as he stilled his movements to an infuriating pace. “You’re my good girl, right? Hold it for me.”

Your whole body was shaking from the intensity of it, you could feel the coil threatening to spring free with every second. “I can’t,” you whispered with tears in your eyes. “Please let me–”

Your orgasm hit you before you could warn him again or finish your sentence. Your body spasmed and a rush of wetness made a mess on your thighs and his. He froze and looked down before letting out a filthy groan. “Aah, fuck” he hissed, smacking your ass again which made you cry out. “Look at you making a mess all over me. Didn’t I tell you not to cum?”

“I’m sorry” you gasped, still trembling from the aftershocks. He didn’t stop and gripped your hips tighter, thrusting into you harder to drag you to another wave of pleasure that had you reaching behind to try and warn him again.

“You like that? You like being punished for not listening??” His voice was raw as he fucked you into a dickmatized state. “I want you to cum again but you gotta wait for me baby.”

At this point your legs were nearly giving out and your body was barely holding it together as he pushed you closer to another orgasm. His hand slipped around your throat, squeezing lightly. “Tell me you want me to fill you up.”

“Fill me up,” you begged, barely audible. “I want it.”

He thrust into you erratically, burying himself deep inside you as he came while trying to keep his groans quiet. You felt the warmth of his cum and the sensation sent you spiralling into another orgasm even more intense than the last. Your whole body shook as you clung to the doorknob next to you, gasping. When he finally pulled out, you were both a sweaty, breathless, wrecked mess. Your legs were still shaking and some of your braids had fallen out of the bun you tied earlier. Aurélien smirked, brushing a stray braid out of your face and leaned in to kiss you softly.

“I love you” he smiled, looking at you in a teasing way.

“Um..are you sure??? I can’t believe you just fucked me like that…” You were still trying to catch your breath and get rid of the ringing in your ear after all that. You wiped a stray tear from your eye as you freshened up the best way you could. Aurélien’s quickie had you exhausted and ready for a nap after just one tiny round. When you exited the bathroom, you tried to keep it together, but you couldn’t even walk properly.

You stepped out of the bathroom first, trying to act as normal as possible while adjusting your dress. Aurélien followed behind you, looking way more put together than you did. Judging by his smirk, he knew exactly the type of predicament he put you in. The moment you walked back into the living room, all conversation stopped and several pairs of eyes locked on you. You barely made it to the couch before your family started pouncing on you like you were prime entertainment. Aunt Bev tilted her head and squinted at you like you owed her an explanation.

“Y/N, why are you walking like that? What’s wrong with you?”

You tried to wave her off as you sank into the couch, crossing your legs like that would make you any less of a target. “I’m fine auntie. Just tired.”

“Tired?” Your grandma’s voice cut through the room. She peered at you over the rim of her glasses, full of suspicion. “You sick or something? You look sweaty.”

“I’m not sweaty!” you shot back, running a hand over your face out of instinct.

“Uh, yes you are” Gianna piped up from across the room with her bumped ends still unbumped. “Why are you shiny like that? You was in there doing push ups?”

“Gigi!” you snapped in a cracked voice as Aurélien strolled past you to grab another bowl of gumbo. Myles came skipping over, still fueled with sugar. He stopped right in front of you and scrunched his face up in confusion. “Why your hair look like that? You look a mess.”

Your hand flew to your head, gripping the loose braids that fell from the bun you thought you tied carefully. “Myles, mind your business!” you yelled, trying to tuck the braids back in while your family cackled.

“I told y’all she was sick” your grandma said while shaking her head as if you had offended her. “Sweating. Hair messed up. Tired. She’s acting like she just ran a marathon and she hasn’t done anything."

“Could’ve climbed a big, tall mountain” Aunt Bev added in with a knowing smirk while sipping her drink.

“Or fell out of a tree” Gianna chimed in, snickering like she was hilarious when it really wasn’t all that funny to you.

“Or got hit by a truck” Myles added with dramatics, which earned a loud laugh from your Aunt Kim.

“Leave her alone” she said, waving her fork at the group before she turned to you. “Seriously though, what were you doing back there? You’re sweating like a whore in church.”

You couldn’t even formulate a proper defense before someone else chimed in, but this time it was your dad who was sitting comfortably in his recliner. “She probably fucked the gumbo up just like I said. I ain’t even touch it. I wasn’t in the mood for one of her little experiments today.”

Your jaw dropped as the entire room started laughing at you. Aurélien was silently enjoying every second of it and finally decided to save you, or so he thought. He leaned against the wall while eating his second helping of gumbo.

“Her gumbo is the best I ever had.”

Aunt Bev raised a brow, slyly smiling as she looked between you and Aurélien. “Mmhmm” she hummed, dragging it out while leaning back in her chair.

“I bet it is.”

[allmyn1ghts]

hii <3 could you write somethin with jey where him and r have a child nd r convinces jey to dress up with all of them to take christmas photos? 😭

christmas tings ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

Jey Uso x Reader

Synopsis: you want to take Christmas photos, Jey doesn’t. You always get your way somehow.

Warnings: whole lotta fluff

Word Count: 857

A/N: my first-ever request how exciting!! this is such a super fun n' cute idea, thank you for requesting <33

"You wanna do what now?" your husband questions as he looks up from his phone, staring at you like you have two damn heads. "I wanna take Christmas pictures this year Jey! I think it would be so much fun, dontcha think?" You and Jey had been happily married for about five years now and three years in, you welcomed your beautiful baby girl, Gia. You loved your little family, so why wouldn't you take family Christmas photos?

"Yeah?" he says sarcastically. "Yes, Jey!! And then we can get them turned into Christmas cards and send them out to everyone!" you tell him as you walk over to your shared bed, where he sits, following your moving figure. "Yeaa Im good on that one Uce."

"The hell you mean you good?" now it was your turn to question him.

"I just think that whole Christmas picture and cards thing is a lil corny." he shrugs his shoulders.

"Jey, you fuckin' with me right now?" you raise a brow.

"Whatchu' mean?" he looks back down at his phone, doing whatever he was doing prior.

"Joshua Fatu do not play stupid with me right now.". you fold your arms together, he was starting to piss you off, and that's the last thing he ever wants to do to you. He looks right back up to you, giving you all of his attention. "Okay, Okay, damn girl you got me. Can I at least think about it first?" You continue to stare at him.

"I ain't winning this one, am I"

"Not a chance."

a few days later...⋆˙⟡♡

Today, you planned for a photographer to come to your home and take your long-awaited Christmas photos. You're in your two-year-old daughter's room, getting her ready. "you look soo beautiful my love!" you tell Gia as you finish putting on her shoes. She gives you the cutest smile ever. Behind you, you hear Jey's footsteps coming closer to the room. He's wearing the ugliest Christmas sweater ever, and you love it. You decided the three of you would wear ugly Christmas sweaters to add some fun to the photos. " Well don't you look handsome!" you tease. You pick up Gia and walked towards him.

"I appreciate you being such a good sport, Jey." You give him a kiss that makes him smile ever so slightly. "Look at my baby! So damn pretty, just like her momma" He says taking your daughter from your grasp, attacking her with kisses. "Watch your damn mouth Jey," you say nudging him. "you know she's starting to repeat everything!" you don't realize until after you reprimanded him that you made the same mistake he did. He looks at you with a teasing grin.

"Don't you dare" you smile

"Oh my god, Y/N! Watch your mouth! She repeats everything"

You roll your eyes playfully as he brings the three of you into a hug.

⋆˙⟡♡

"Beautiful guys! Let's get a final one of yall together"

You hold your toddler in your hands while Jey hugs you from behind. The picture-taking had been going on for about an hour or two, and yall were ready to be done. "You know y/n, this ain't so bad." Jey tells you. "you see! I told you it would be fun" you say leaning into him.

"Perfert! Yall look great, the pictures came out great too." The photographer walks over to yall, showing the shots they got. You were in love with them. There were a mix of candid photos and ones you actually posed for. Some had the three of you, just your daughter, or just you and Jey. "Oh, babe!! I love them, whatcha think?" you say looking up at Jey. "My two favorite girls, lookin' beautiful as always". He kisses your forehead and looks at the photographer. "You killed that Uce, 'preciate it."

"I'll send em all to y/n once I get them all on the computer." The photographer begins to pack up their stuff. "Thanks again!" you say as he walks out. "Ion know bout you, but that bed upstairs is callin' my name." You laugh at his comment. "oh absolutely, it's nap time for all of us." You look at your daughter whos passed out on the couch.

⋆˙⟡♡

After a few weeks, you finally received the pictures and made them into Christmas cards.

"Hey Jey, come down here for a sec, I got somthin' to show you!" He comes down the stairs a few seconds later and heads towards you in the kitchen. "Wassup mama?". You hand him the card. "They finally came!" He looked at the card reading the text.

Merry Christmas From The Fatu Family! Love, Y/N, Joshua & Gia. Followed by a collage of many photos taken that day.

"They look great baby, thank you for doin' all this."

"Aww don't get all sappy on me now, I remember how much you hated the idea! Now look at 'chu." You both laughed.

"Yeah yeah whatever you say y/n," he says before kissing your forehead and going back upstairs.

Something tells you this is the start of a brand new tradition in your family.

Thank you for reading!! if you enjoyed please like n' reblog and let me know what you thought in the comments <3

request - masterlist - about me - who I write for

[a-spicy-reader]

THE SHOW

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

English is not my first language so sorry for any mistakes

----

Synopsis Behind the scenes of "The Show," a makeup artist and host Xiaojun engage in a game of teasing and desire. When tensions reach their breaking point, backstage work will never be the same again.

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

O estúdio do "The Show" estava agitado com atividade, como sempre. Como maquiadora da equipe, Mia tinha se acostumado ao ritmo frenético. Mas desde que Xiaojun começou a apresentar o programa, a rotina parecia um pouco... diferente.

That Monday, as Mia was touching up one of the guest's makeup, she felt a heavy gaze on her back. Turning discreetly, she saw Xiaojun leaning against the wardrobe bench, watching her with that smirk that seemed to be keeping secrets.

"Something wrong?" Mia asked, arching her eyebrows.

"No, nothing," he replied casually. "I just thought you were more focused than usual today."

"Is that bad?"

"Not at all. Focus is sexy," he said, winking before walking away.

Mia rolled her eyes but felt the heat rise up her neck. He was always like this – carefree, charismatic, with a charm that seemed tailor-made to unsettle.

On Tuesday, he was sitting in the makeup chair, as he did before every broadcast. When Mia approached with the brush, he smiled, tilting his head slightly.

“Are you going to make me look pretty today?” Xiaojun teased, his eyes fixed on hers through the reflection in the mirror.

“That would be impossible,” Mia replied, feigning indifference.

“Impossible because I’m already handsome?” He arched one of his striking eyebrows, the movement making Mia's stomach churn. She laughed softly. “Impossible because even makeup can’t do miracles.”

He laughed, but there was something else in the way he looked at Mia at that moment – ​​a challenge. She tried to ignore it, focusing on her work, but the tension between them seemed to grow with each touch of the brush on his skin.

Later that day, he appeared in the dressing room while Mia was packing her things. “Did you forget something?” she asked, not even looking at him.

“No. I just wanted to say that I liked your answer earlier. But… I still think you think I’m handsome.” He moved closer, standing close enough that Mia could smell his perfume – fresh, yet woody.

She pushed him lightly, laughing. “Good night, Xiaojun.”

By Wednesday, the game between them had already reached another level. During lunch break, he walked past the corner where Mia was sitting, scrolling through her phone.

“You look tired. Want some coffee?”

“No, thanks.”

“Are you sure? Because I have enough energy to cheer you up,” he said, bending down slightly so that their faces were level.

“You really think all your pick-up lines work, huh?” Mia teased.

“Com você, ainda não sei. Mas estou gostando de tentar.” Ele piscou e foi embora, deixando-a com um sorriso involuntário.

Mais tarde, enquanto retocava a maquiagem antes do show começar, ele segurou a mão de Mia por um segundo a mais enquanto ela ajustava o delineador em seus olhos. "Suas mãos são sempre tão firmes?"

“Only at work,” she replied, trying to keep her tone professional.

“Then I need to see you outside of here to find out how they look.”

Mia let out a short laugh, but the impact of his comment lasted much longer.

On Thursday, the tension reached its peak. Since the morning, the gazes between you and Xiaojun had been charged. He would lean a little closer when he spoke to you, and you could feel the heat growing with each interaction.

By the end of the day, the studio was almost empty. Mia was organizing her materials when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she found Xiaojun, already without his blazer, his white shirt slightly open, his striking eyebrows arched in an amused look.

“Are you avoiding me?” he asked, casually.

“No.”

“Then why do you seem so nervous when I’m around?”

“You’re imagining things,” Mia replied, but her voice wasn’t as firm as she would have liked.

He laughed, leaning even closer. “I’m sure I’m not.”

He leaned against the makeup cart, so close that Mia could feel the heat of his body. His fingers brushed lightly against the edge of the table behind her, and his breath, warm and rhythmic, touched her skin.

“Three days,” he began, his voice low and husky. “Three days of you driving me crazy with this game. But if you want me to stop now, just tell me.”

Mia didn’t say anything. It was as if the words had been ripped from her throat. Instead, her fingers instinctively gripped his shirt, pulling him closer. He chuckled softly, but there was something different about the sound now. It wasn’t playful or teasing—it was something darker, thick with anticipation.

“I knew it,” he murmured, his eyes boring into hers. He tilted his head, his lips inches from hers, but he didn’t kiss her right away. Xiaojun wanted to savor every moment, watch her every reaction.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispered again, almost like a challenge.

“I don’t want you to stop,” Mia finally managed to say, her voice coming out huskier than she expected.

It was like a signal. In one swift movement, he turned her around so that her back was to the mirror, pressing his body against hers. His heat was almost unbearable, and the strength with which he held her was a clear reminder of who was in control at that moment.

His fingers slid down the curve of her hip, up the side of her body as he pressed his lips against her neck. He started slowly, kissing and nibbling the sensitive skin, each touch sending waves of heat that made her entire body react.

“You have no idea how much I’ve thought about this,” he said between kisses. His voice was so low that Mia almost didn’t hear it, but the weight of his words was undeniable.

His hands began to explore, sliding down her thighs until they reached the hem of her dress. He pulled it up slowly, his fingers tracing patterns on her exposed skin, while his eyes, reflected in the mirror, were fixed on hers.

“Look at us,” he ordered, his voice firm.

Mia tried to look away, but he held her face, forcing her to look at the reflection. “I want you to see what you do to me.”

Looking into the mirror, she saw the intensity on his face, his lips parted and his eyes dark with desire. He slid one hand around her waist, while the other gripped her thighs tightly, making it clear that there was no more room for resistance – not that she wanted to resist.

Xiaojun leaned forward, pressing his hips against her. The movement drew a low moan from her lips, and he smiled, satisfied. “I knew you liked this game,” he murmured, his fingers finally reaching the delicate fabric of her panties.

He pulled them aside, the teasing touch eliciting an involuntary gasp from her. “You’re wet,” he commented, his voice almost a growl. “I haven’t even done anything yet.”

His fingers began to play with Mia’s clit, movements precise and calculated. Her body arched involuntarily against him, and a cocky grin appeared on Xiaojun’s face. “Like this,” he encouraged, his breath coming in short pants.

When Mia tried to turn towards him, overcome by an impulse to see him closer, Xiaojun held her hips firmly, keeping her in place. “Stay like this. I want to see you in the mirror while I make you cum.”

His movements became faster, more intense, as her body reacted wildly to his touch. Her moans filled the small dressing room, muffled only by the sound of Xiaojun’s heavy breathing in her ear.

“You’re going to cum for me, aren’t you?” he teased, biting her earlobe lightly. Mia nodded frantically, unable to form any coherent words.

When her climax finally hit, it was like an overwhelming wave that stole all the air from her lungs. Her muscles trembled under his touch, and Xiaojun continued until he was sure she had enjoyed every second of it.

Xiaojun remained against the closed door, his eyes fixed on Mia, as if he was still absorbing every moment of what had just happened. His breathing was heavy, but a slow smile began to form. “You have no idea what you just started,” he murmured, taking a step forward.

“You’re shaking,” he commented, his voice low and teasing. “I’ve barely started.”

Mia tried to regain her composure, but the desire was still palpable. Xiaojun reached out, lightly touching her chin to lift her face. “You know this isn’t going to stop here, right?” he said, his voice a husky whisper. “Every time I see you, it’s a reminder of what I want. And right now… I want it all.”

She shifted, trying to regain control, but his gaze burned, promising more than words could say. He stopped beside her, his fingers running lightly down her arm, sending shivers down her skin.

“Finish your work,” he said, his voice low and commanding, “but this conversation… is not over.”

Com um último olhar penetrante, Xiaojun abriu a porta e saiu, deixando o espaço vazio, mas ainda preenchido com a energia do momento.

[muertawrites]

Same!!! I always have this thought in my head of Wayne telling eddy’s girlfriend or Dustin or just a friend “His mothers dead. And his father is in prison for putting her in the ground.”

!!!!!!!!!!!! that dialogue!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tell the duffers they're out of a job and all it took was a fuckin sentence

i can just imagine like. eddie doesn't talk about his family or his past. just wayne. just his life after ten years old or so.

you don't ask about it. the one time you did he got uncharacteristically quiet. his face totally fell and he got really pale. like all the life just completely drained from him.

"i don't like talking about it," was all he said.

so you avoid the subject.

then one day you're chillin at the house (wayne was able to upgrade after the earthquake) when you find a family picture. they're rare, since what few photos wayne had were mostly lost when the upside down became the right side up, but you can tell this one was salvaged. it's of a younger wayne and a dark-haired woman, sitting at a table. in her arms is an infant with a stark patch of black curls.

"that's julia."

wayne startles you, the way he can always move around so quietly. he walks up next to you and lifts the photo from its place on the bookshelf, holding it so you can get a better look.

"eddie's mom."

"... what happened to her?"

wayne takes you into the kitchen and makes the two of you some coffee. he sets with the photo between the two of you on the table, silent for a while as he finds the words.

"julie was a good woman," he tells you. "had a kind heart. too kind. fell in with my bastard brother thinkin' she could fix him. all he did was beat her blind. when eddie was ten, she was gonna leave. move 'em to chicago. rob found out and wouldn't have none of it. beat her so bad she was unrecognizable. neighbors called the cops, rob was arrested, and julia died in the hospital. i thank god every day that eddie was asleep and didn't have to see none of it."

you notice that wayne's hand is shaking, so you take it to steady him. he grips you so hard your circulation threatens to stop.

"i loved julia like a sister. and she loved her little boy. he's the reason that sick son of a bitch will rot in prison for the rest of his life. went and testified in front of a whole courtroom about the abuse his father did to him. was only eleven."

both of you are weeping at this point. unbeknownst to you, eddie lingers in the hall, listening to his uncle's retelling and biting back his own tears.

"he grew up into a good man. got his mother's soul. handsome as the devil like his father without the evil behind his eyes. smart as a whip, too."

eddie clears his throat. you whirl around, swallowing thickly when you meet his eye. he smiles, the expression half-formed and broken at the edges, and joins you at the table.

"it's okay," he whispers. his voice is choked. "i'm okay."

a few weeks later he takes you to her grave. you bring flowers, and he introduces you to her as if she can actually hear him. maybe she can. the spot is so peaceful, you can almost imagine her sitting there with you, kissing your cheeks and welcoming you into her little corner of bliss.

you and eddie visit julia every year on her birthday after that. you pack a picnic, and eddie brings his guitar and you a book, and you spend the day there. he shares memories of her - how she taught him to sew, how she had the most beautiful singing voice, how her pancakes are still the best he's ever had.

it isn't too many years until you're holding a dark-haired infant of your own, propping her up in your lap as you settle into the blanket for another annual picnic. the little girl giggles as she reaches for her father, tugging locks of his mane and grasping at the guitar pick dangling from his neck (he chuckles when she puts it in her mouth).

you lean in close to the headstone and whisper, so only you and the universe can hear:

"her name is julia."

[bbysamu]

Love Sometimes On A Thursday Night | KUROO Tetsuro

featuring: husband!Kuroo Tetsuro x f!reader

the one in which Kuroo Tetsuro learns love can come in the form of at home spa nights and 24k gold face masks

MAIN MASTERLIST | DOMESTIC BLISS MLIST

Kuroo Tetsuro texted as soon as the man walked through those double glass doors.

“baby, he’s back.”

The “he” in question was no doubt the same one from the marketing department. The marketing lead with the greasy, slicked back hair and a smile that never quite reaches his eyes. The same one who demands Kuroo stay overtime to finish whatever project the marketing team is working on with the promotion team.

“don’t worry, try to get someone else to stay this time. you already stayed late last week. just forty more minutes and you’re free!”

Kuroo groans as he locks his phone screen. forty minutes turned into an hour and forty-minutes because his colleagues had scrambled to their feet, muttering quick “goodbyes” and was out the door before Kuroo realized he was the only one left in the office.

At exactly 8:45 PM, Kuroo trudges through the door and plops down comfortably on top of you, earning himself an, “excuse me, but hello to you too.”

“I miss you” was his muffled reply.

After three years of dating and two years of marriage, you’ve learned that despite his corny jokes and sometimes cheesy ways, Kuroo likes his words straight to the point. there was no need for the “hi and hellos”. he missed you at work today so that was to be the first thing he tells you.

he sighs against the touch of your fingers mindlessly running through his hair. seven years after high school and his hair still the same, messy bed-head aesthetic.

“tough day, huh? did you end up getting stuck with him?”

he nods, sighing again as he relives the memory of forced smiles and nods of agreements until the marketing lead let him go.

“wanna tell me about it?”

“you know I do. but we need to do that thing first. it’s Thursday.”

“oh shoot, it is a Thursday. come on, babe.”

Kuroo gasps, “don’t tell me. you forgot?!”

You smile at his antics, “I didn’t forget per say, I just don’t remember.”

Your husband rolls his eyes, fighting the smile on his face as he pushes himself off of you and helps you to your feet. his hands finds its way to your waist, the two of you making your way to the bathroom.

Kuroo makes himself comfortable on the marbled top, leaning back against the mirror, as you inched closer, examining his face.

“sir, what exactly are you looking for?”

He grins. Even after two years of marriage, this game of pretend was still entertaining.

“ma’am, I've been feeling extra dry lately, especially in my t-zone area. do you have any suggestions or remedy?”

You ponder and Kuroo could see the thoughts running through that pretty little head of yours. He couldn’t stop his hands from reaching out, fingers toying with the hem of your t-shirt, trying to pull you in closer to him.

“sir, this is not appropriate. I have a husband you know?”

“is your husband as handsome as me?”

“nah, he’s more handsome cause his forehead doesn’t look like a whole desert.”

Kuroo pouts, “no fair, y/n! I share with you my insecurity and you just throw ‘em back in my face. tell me again, why did I marry you?”

“my charms,” you retort, not missing a beat as you scrummage through the piles of face masks, moisturizers, serums, and eye creams, “and because I have these.” you wave the face masks in front of him.

“24k gold face masks huh? we feeling fancy tonight!”

you rolls your eyes as he hops off from the counter and opens the drawer, pulling out the matching headbands, one blue, one pink completed with the inscriptions “hers” and “his”. it was a housewarming gift from one of your bridesmaid. you remember the excitement on her face as she handed you the purple-wrapped box, the proud look in her eyes as she explained, “pink for y/n and blue for Tetsuro.”

he turns to you, handing you the blue one as he slips on the pink one. Kuroo insists on using the pink headband with “hers” on it, because he’s yours. And because you’re his (the ring on your finger is proof) you wear the blue one.

“it’s cold!” he grimaces, but tries his best not to move as you carefully line up the sheet to his face.

“alright, my turn.” you turn to him as he picks up the second sheet from the pack.

“how do I look?” he questions.

“I think you look more handsome with half your face covered up.”

Kuroo laughs then pinches your cheeks, “you think you’re so funny, huh?”

“ouch, not so hard!” he laughs again when you rub your face.

“come on, baby, turn towards me and close your eyes.”

you do and instead of the cold sensation of the sheet, you feel his lips on yours. part of you wanted to pull away because its 9:34 pm and you'd both have to be up by at least 6:30 am tomorrow for work. but you stay when you feel the urgency in his touch as your fingers weave through his messy locks.

he pulls away first and you laugh at how crooked his mask had become. his laughter intertwines with yours once he catches glimpse in the mirror and nimble fingers quickly put it back in place.

“alright, princess, your turn, for real now.” he helps you put on your gold sheet and doesn’t let go of your hand as the two of you collapse back onto the sofa.

“wanna tell me about the mean manager now?” you ask, your hand reassuringly squeezing his.

Kuroo opens his eyes and surveys the room. your wedding picture hung in the center of the wall, millions other pictures of the two of you surrounding it. he smiles when he spots his favorite one, the one taken by Yaku two Decembers ago on on a ski-trip with the rest of your friends. you were asleep on his shoulder, mouth slightly open, and Kuroo was smiling, just a little, as he looked down at you like you’re the only one he’ll ever look at for the rest of his life (and as your husband often likes to remind you, you are). Yaku laughed and teased him for being a simp when he airdropped Kuroo the photo. Kuroo laughed along and thought “so this is what love looks like”.

With Jhene Aiko quietly playing in the background, your legs draped over his, Kuroo no longer wanted to talk about the manager, he’d rather you hear about all the happier details of his day, like how he absolutely destroyed the lunch box you had prepared for him, down to the very last rice and how his boss had hinted at a potential promotion. he also wanted to hear about your day, how was your commute, did you learn anything new from that podcast you always listen to?

“Tetsu?”

Kuroo realizes he had spaced out and he smiles, “nah, that man isn’t worth talking about. baby, how was your day? what’d you eat for lunch?”

“you sure?” and he nods encouragingly, smiling as you begin to launch into a detailed rundown of your day.

“so Jen and I went to the new hot dog place around the corner, you know the one I've always wanted to try. it was beautiful, I've never seen a hot dog place decorated so nicely...”

Kuroo realizes while love is sometimes face masks on a Thursday night, love for him will always be you.

stay fetch! xoxo

join my TAGLIST !

[meow-sic]

hi elliot! can you do a drabble or hcs of how kuroo, the miya twins, oikawa, and bokuto would propose to their s/o? if that's a lot of characters, then pls just take your pick but pls include kuroo! thank u so much!! btw i really like your "they accidentally hurt you" post. it provides realism and a middle ground to the usual extremes we see in reader-insert content - idyllic/saccharine vs dark content (•ˇ‿ˇ•)

how they propose to you 𓍢 ᭡

includes : oikawa , kuroo , bokuto !

warnings : some misunderstandings in oikawa’s from a prank lolol , some cursing !

a/n : hi anon! ur my first anon message and you warmed my heart<333 also i lowk got inspiration from bokutos from a spanish music video i watched in spanish class today, sue me lololol

oikawa tooru

he’s just dumb

he thought it would be funny to try to prank you

dumbass

butttttt knowing his luck, it didn’t go as planned—

okay, well, it started off innocent— he planned to try to casually slide it in, maybe catch you off gaurd, then get down on his knee and ask you to marry him!

but, when you were on top of him tickling him, he wanted to get back at you.

and like tooru oikawa, he didn’t fully think it through.

“mei! stop!” he laughed, as a joke. it was supposed to be a joke.

you stopped your fingers that were wiggling by his sides. you slumped on his lap. “what?”

he peeked at you and smiled. “what do you mean what?”

“who’s mei?”

“i didn’t say mei,” he replied, your eyes watered and you got off of his lap. he sat up and stared at you. “y/n? are you okay?”

he got up but you already were in your room, slapping the door shut.

“stupid tooru! you made ‘em upset,” he scolded himself quietly.

when he walked up to your shared room, he heard the sniffles and sobs that came from the other side that broke his heart. he knocked on the door three times before entering.

“honey,” he walked over to you and hugged you. you sobbed into his chest.

“how long has it been going on tooru?” you asked through your sobs.

he pet your hair, “what do you mean baby?”

“don’t act dumb! it’s like—“ you paused. “it’s like you’re trying to ignore the fact you’ve been cheating!”

he thought you knew he was joking. “y/n—“

“if you’re not going to tell me then i’m leaving,” you turned around to start packing your bags.

his eyes widened in panic. “nonono! no, shit—“ he was embarrassed. “i didn’t mean it! it didn’t happen! mei isn’t real!”

you stopped packing, “what?”

“she—it was supposed to be a joke. a joke to make you stop tickling me. it’s dumb because i don’t think things through. but that’s why i need you— i need you to be there so you can stop me from doing the stupid shit that i do,” he looked at you to see if you were looking at him.

and you were, you looked pissed. he sighed and bent down on his knee, pulling out the ring he had gotten weeks ago.

“y/n, i know i’m dumb. but please, forgive me for this stupid prank, and please stay with me forever. don’t leave, please.”

“stand up.”

he did so, and he wasn’t sure what to expect, but a slap across the face wasn’t it.

“you’re a fucking idiot, tooru oikawa,” you laughed, kissing him. “but— i suppose that’s why i’m here. and i’m not leaving.”

he beamed at those words, he wasn’t sure if he smiled wider in his entire life. he kissed your cheek repeatedly, “i love you so much

kuroo tetsuro

PLEASE- he would set you upppppp

giving you hints, to where he is

but not random hints, it would be like a mini time line of your relationship

he would through a lil chemistry is there to mess with you

lovingly, though<3

you woke up alone in bed, a little confused since your boyfriend would always be there— to kiss you good morning.

you rolled over to grab your phone from its charger, looking at the text message from kuroo.

boyfrie tetsu<3

good morning baby<3 sorry i’m not there this morning, let’s play a little— hide and seek game, the prize is a big one!

the first hint: we didn’t quite meet there, but it was where i became your “boyfriend” for the first time

good luck baby!<3

you were confused by his text, and honestly, you almost wanted to ignore it. it’s too damn early for this.

but, you can’t. you knew he was going to be waiting for you, and you can’t leave him all alone.

your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you groaned and started your day. you still got dressed none the less, and went to a café you always go to.

as the barista handed you your drink, you saw a note on it.

dear y/n,

you’re probably here for your morning coffee, but, none the less, this is where we first started to ‘date’! that one guy who wouldn’t stop hitting on you, and your prince charming (aka me aka the most handsome man ever) came to your rescue;)

where we promised each other is your new hint, good luck!<3

you knew where it was once you read the bolder letters. you thanked, and tipped the barista. you were more than happy to remember the memory.

“tetsu, it’s so late out, what if we get kidnapped!” you ranted your anxieties to him.

“kidnapped? you think anyone would dare to fight your prince charming?” he kissed your head as you two walked. “we’re almost there.”

he led you to the bridge that curved over the water like a C shape. you both leaned forward on the cement railing and looked at the moon.

“i’m so in love with you, y/n.” he admitted out of the blue, you looked at him.

“i’m in love with you too, tetsu.” you leaned your head on him, he wrapped an arm around you.

“i know we’re only in highschool. but i promise, i’ll marry you.”

“i’ll be waiting for that day, tetsu. even if it’s till we’re sixty, or if we’re only in our young twenties and being stupid. i’ll be waiting for you.”

you both melted at each other’s words, you shared a passionate kiss.

you ran up to where the bridge was. your pace slowed as your boyfriend came into view. he was holding flowers, and a lock.

you panted, “i hate running tetsu.” you breathed out, he laughed at you. “i know, sorry.”

you stood straight, looking at what he was wearing. it looked fancier than usual. “what’s the lock for?” you asked.

he looked at it and smiled, “i remember, it was our second year of college. you were so mad that they changed the bridge. that they changed the fencing, and couples started to put locks on it.”

“..and?”

“and i was thinking we could do one too?” he questioned. you smiled and grabbed the lock. you bent down and locked it, he wrote both of your initials on it.

you stood up, but your boyfriend stayed on his knee.

“tetsu what are you doing?”

he pulled a little box from his back pocket, a few pedestrians stopped and watched what was happening.

“when we were sixteen, we made a stupid promise to each other at midnight on this bridge. and i promised i would marry you. y/n, i told you ten years ago, when we were sixteen, that i love you.” he paused for a second to look up at your face, which was in shock. “and i still do, so please, keep the promise and marry me.”

“oh my god, oh my god! yes yes!” you got on your knees with him. he laughed at you for getting on your knees with him instead of waiting for him to stand up.

you tackled him in a hug while other people clapped for you two.

bokuto kotarou

tbh this stressed him out

he wasn’t sure when, how, or what to say

you two had talked about marriage and how you two would gladly marry each other

but he wasn’t sure when!!!

he kept the ring on him at all times just incase:)

you and bokuto were just returning from a walk. the snow was heavier than expected by you two, so when you got home to a pile of snow, you were thrilled.

“kou let’s make a snowman! like we did with your old team, c’mon!” you dragged him by the hand to your front yard.

you and bokuto were always childlike in your relationship, you two getting excited at the tiniest things that makes you two act like children. so when you saw the snow, you felt more than joy.

you began by making a small snowball in your hand, and rolling it as you walked around your yard, to form a big snowball for the base. by the time you were done with the biggest snowball, bokuto was done with the medium sized one.

“okay, if we pick it up at the same time, it shouldn’t break,” you lifed the medium sized snowball with him. you set it on top of the biggest one.

“hey hey hey! y/n! let me make the tinniest one while you get the scarf, carrot, and eyes and smile,” he suggested. you nodded and kissed his cold cheek before heading inside to quickly grab the items.

you grabbed a pink scarf, a white hat that kou got you one year, and a carrot and some coal for the eyes and smile.

when you headed outside, you saw the snowman was all made. your insides felt bubbly as your childlike happiness was showing.

you ran out to him. “i got everything kou!”

“okay! you decorate, and don’t turn around until i say so. i have a surprise for you,” he replied. you were confused at what the surprise could be, but you agreed none the less.

you put the carrot in the middle of the snowman’s face. you then placed the eyes, and tried your best to make the smile symmetrical.

you wrapped the scarf around it’s neck, and put the hat on top. “okay kou, i’m done! can i turn around?”

there was a short pause, “okay now you can.”

you turned around to him on his knee, holding out a ring. your mouth dropped open to see writing in the snow.

will you marry me? ♥︎

“yes! yes yes!” you basically screamed, tackling him and kissing him repeatedly.

“the ring! wheres the ring?” he questioned. you both started to dig it up in the snow, laughing at how stupid you two were.

you found it, and slid it on your finger. “i cant wait to marry you, baby.” your hands slid up and down his chest before you kissed him.

[saynotoshityouhate]

Lakeside Picnic

Words: 991

Summary: it’s your six month anniversary with Clyde Logan. He’s got the evening all planned out!

Tags/Warnings: 100000% fluff

It was Clyde who reminded you about your six month anniversary. He said he had everything planned. All you needed to do, according to Clyde, was wear a sundress and bring a light jacket. You had butterflies all week leading up to the date….you always had butterflies thinking of your big bear.

At 7:00pm on the dot, Clyde pulled into your driveway. You would have rushed out the door to meet him, but he insisted on coming to you, walking arm and arm to the truck, opening the door for you and ensuring you were safely inside. A true gentleman.

As Clyde got into the driver's seat, you leaned in to kiss his pouty pink lips. “Happy Six Months, bear!” His lips were the first thing you noticed about him, how his face was always set in a pouty frown. You wanted to know how they tasted, how they felt between yours. And then you heard those lips speak, and you were hooked. His voice was low and warm, like a hug to your senses.

Pulling away from the kiss, Clyde had turned the cutest shade of pink. “Happy Six Months, darlin’. Ready for yer surprise?” You nodded and smiled. Clyde waited until he heard the click of your seatbelt to head out. Sitting on the seat between you was a bouquet of wildflowers. You picked them up and took a deep inhale. “Hope you like ‘em, Mellie helped me pick ‘em out.” You smiled at him, “They’re absolutely perfect.”

Clyde drove his pick-up through town and into the forest. You drove down roads that were canopied with trees. The warm breeze whipped your hair back as you watched the trees bend in the wind. You stuck one arm out the window, dancing to the beat of the music on the truck’s old radio. You were so happy at this very moment.

“Alright, darlin’, this here’s the spot.” He backed the truck down a small path. Looking behind you, you saw you had arrived at the lake. The sun was setting low in the sky, painting it orange, red and pink. “Clyde, it’s beautiful!” He put the truck in park. “Me ‘n Jimmy used to come down here all the time and catch frogs - it’s a special place and I wanted to share it with ‘ya.” Clyde got out of the truck, walking around to the other side to let you out.

Moving to the back of the truck, he held out his hand to help you up into the truck bed, which was fully stocked with pillows, blankets, and a picnic basket. “You really pulled out all the stops, Logan.” You winked at him. Clyde hopped up behind you, helping you set up your nest for the evening. Together you laid blankets down to cover the dusty metal bed, lined pillows against the cab to lean against, and set aside one large blanket for if it got cold later. Clyde gently opened the picnic basket, revealing a dinner made by your man himself. You watched him, admiring the care he took in setting out the sandwiches, pasta salad, and chocolate chip cookies; his face scrunched in concentration. He was so nervous, and wanted everything to be perfect.

Handing you a thermos of iced tea, he raised his own. “Cheers, y/n.” You clinked your beverages together and took a sip. You both ate the dinner Clyde had lovingly prepared as the sunset and the night sky darkened. He wouldn’t call himself a chef by any means, but Mama Logan did reach him a couple things.

You packed up your dinner mess and snuggled up to your handsome date. Your head rested on his chest, hearing his heartbeat. You sighed in contentment. You’d never seen anything so beautiful - the way the moon glittered off the lake, the sparkle of the lightning bugs and the croaking of the frogs.

Clyde placed a soft kiss upon the top of your head, the smell of your shampoo wafting into his nose. You smelled like rosemary and thyme, making every day with you feel like a holiday. Clyde cleared his throat, breaking the serenity of the moment, but he needed to get your attention. You turned your head to look up into his warm, loving eyes. “Darlin’, I know I’m just a simple boy from the boondocks, but lord knows I am twenty times better of a man with you on ma’ arm.” You frowned, wanting to object to his humble statement.

“I love you, y/n. Been wantin’ to say that since the first time I saw ‘ya, that day at the bar. You were wearin’ them paint covered overalls, I remember. It was the day you moved into this town, and into my heart.” Your lower lip jutted out at that statement, your eyes flooding with tears. You couldn’t believe he remembered that day, or that you could possibly make such an impression on anyone, let alone someone like Clyde Logan.

“Bear, I love you too. I love you so damn much it hurts sometimes. And I worried every day that you didn’t feel the same. I’m the best version of myself when I’m with you. I love myself more when I’m with you - you help me see the beauty where I just see darkness. I can’t imagine possibly loving another person more than I love you.” Clyde smiled widely across his face. You reached a hand up to bring his face to yours, kissing him like it was your last. Deep and passionate and full of love.

As you pulled away to look into his hazel eyes, lined with crinkles at the corners from long days in the sun, a huge blue and red firework exploded in the sky, startling you both. You settled back onto his chest, his arm holding you close, as you both watched the fireworks pop over the lake. It really was the most perfect evening.

[coffeecakefanfics]

Rocky Mountain Skies

So I live in the 719 (CO) and I have been DYING to write about it so here’s this hot ass mess Also it’s my first multipart story on tumblr so bear with me (I’ll do a part two because omg) 

Christmas is a magical time of year where families get together and revisit the political opinions of the past month but turn around and gift each other things. For the (L/N) family it was no different. 

(Y/n) waltzed through the bullpen, coffee in one hand, phone in the other.  

“Yes mom I’ll be home for Christmas,” she set her things down and sat at her desk, “No mom I already requested the two weeks off, I’ll be fine,” her sigh caught a few peoples attentions.

“Mom seriously, I get into Denver Sunday at 11, papa already said he’d come pick me up. . .  yes mom I know how old he is but you don’t have time remember, besides it’ll be nice to see him. . . Mom I gotta go I have a meet- yes mom I’ll let you know when I get to the airport. . . Mom I have to go byeee” She clicked her phone and leaned back, letting out a long groan. 

“Mom troubles?” Derek smirked.

“You have NO idea, I love her but she needs to chill,” she smiled. 

“Well I think it’s sweet,” he toys.

“Of course you do, go to work,” she shook her head teasingly. 

“All right, all right,” he laughed and walked off. (Y/n) stayed seated at her desk for a majority of the day, skipping lunch to finish files.  People stopped by to make small talk while she worked, which she happily sat through.  As the day continued on people started packing up their things to head home.  It was quiet, the only people left were (Y/n), Spencer, JJ, and Hotch.  

(Y/n) Stretched, popping her back, before getting up and walking around the desks.  She set her hand on a chair and spun it so the messy haired man was facing her. She smiled at him brightly.

“Hey Spence”

“Hi, uh, is something wrong?”

“No I just wanted to talk to you is all,” she sat on his desk.

“About?” he looked at her curiously.  He watched the way her hair set on her shoulders and framed her face, the way her waist dipped and hips bulged slightly, the way her thighs squished when she sat. He forced his eyes beack up to her and felt his face go a little warm.

“You know in the past three years I’ve been here I don’t think I’ve seen you take a vacation, and it’s none of my business if you save it or whatever but I was curious, why?” her face twisted in thought.  He sat for a second and thought. 

“Well I mean I go “home” occasionally, but I guess I’ve just never had a desire to go anywhere,” he shrugged, “I mean all we do is travel for work so I guess it never really crossed my mind” he smiled at her. 

“Well, I uh, look I have an extra plane ticket back home. My ex was supposed to go with me but we broke things off a few months ago.  So I guess I’m trying to say if you want to, you could come with me.  I mean you totally dont have to and I mean-” 

“To Colorado?” he quirked his eyebrow.

“I mean, yes? but only if you want to, I mean you’re my best friend, and closest one so I figured I’d ask before getting a refund,” she twisted her foot into the ground.

“Do I get a cowboy hat?”

She looked up surprised and laughed, “Duh”

“Then I’ll go”

The two weaved through the airport traffic.  The building was loud and crowded and both were getting antsy.  (Y/n) clutched her bag tight as they maneuvered through the crowds of people.  Finally making it outside, the cold mountain air bit at their skin. A old man stood at the end of a row of cars holding a huge sign 

‘(Y/N) (L/N)’ written in huge letters decorated the sign. 

“Papa!” she cried and dropped her bags, getting swallowed into a hug that itself felt like home.  Spencer stood awkwardly by watching the two.  

“Where are my manners, My Name is Jim (L/N) but you can call me Papa.  You must be Spencer?” The man, Jim introduced himself.  He was only about 5′10″ and was clad in a red and white pearl snap with stained coveralls over top.  His face was covered mostly by a long Beard and Mustache and he had a pair of glasses perched on top of his head. 

“Oh, uh yes sir I’m Spencer,” He smiled at the man who held his hand out.  Spencer shook it gladly. 

“Well we need to get you kids home. Granny is making soup for dinner,” he bent down and picked up (Y/n)’s bag and rolled it to a old pick up truck, may be ten years old Spencer guessed. He stared at the backseat for a second, his stomach turned, maybe this wasn’t the best idea, maybe he shouldn’t have came, I mean I’m being so awkward an- 

“Spence what are you waiting for?, hop in,” (Y/n) called from the back seat.  He blinked a few times at her before jumping in and closing the door. She leaned over to him, “I didn’t want you to be alone back here,” she pulled back and smiled. 

“Thank you,” he breathed a sigh of relief.  As close as they were he had never met her family.  He had spent countless nights sitting on her couch easting Chinese food while they finished files or watched bad movies but he still felt nervous being around her like this. 

“So Spencer, where are you from?”

“I’m from Vegas,” he replied meekly.

“A gambler huh?” The old man grinned at him in the rear view, “you any good?” 

Spencer laughed and shook his head, “I guess we’ll have to see,” he teased back.  Jim laughed and smiled at his granddaughter. 

“i like this one”

“You like him just because you’re bad at Texas Hold em” she playfully rolled her eyes.

“Hey whatever gets the money,” he laughed again.  It was a laugh that filled you with joy.  Spencer finally understood where (Y/n) got hers from.  

“So Spencer, I know a feller like you can’t be single, so do you have a lady back in D.C.?”

“PAPA!” (Y/n) shrieked, “Don’t go running him off already, good god” she shook her head.

“What I’m curious, he’s a handsome man,” Jim grinned. Spencer was full on burning at this point. 

“No sir, I’m single,” He almost mumbled out.

“You know who else is single. (Y/n),” Jim wiggled his eyebrows. (Y/n) glowed the same red that the poor man next to her did.

“Papa oh good god.  Stick to breaking horses not my love life, and besides you’re gonna make him regret coming here before he even sees the ranch,” she rolled her eyes.  Spencer actually laughed.  The two of them were obviously close, it was . . . nice.  It was a nice break from what they deal with every day.  

The rest of the car ride went by semi fast, (Y/n) explained all of her plans for the two of them while they were here.  She was almost glowing with excitement. The wooden fence that stretched along the property line came into view as the truck began up the drive.  A gorgeous two story log cabin came into view behind a row of evergreens.  The wood was a beautiful light brown, and towered over the yard.   A old lady was standing on the porch dressed in a fleece nightgown and brown slippers.  She waved as the truck stopped.  The group jumped out and began grabbing bags. 

“There’s my baby girl,” the woman hugged (Y/n) tightly.  She had her same eyes.  The woman stood maybe 5′2′ and had a pink and white fleeced nightgown on.  Her grey hair fell in neat curls down her back.  Her face was wrinkled and warm, the kind that you know showed so much joy in her younger years. 

“And this must be Spencer, You’re even more handsome in person,” she cood at him. 

“grandma!” 

“It’s alright. Yes ma’am I’m Spencer,” he smiled at her, “It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” he grinned. 

“Oh where are my manners, lets get you babies inside and warm,” she ushered everyone in.  “(Y/n) baby your room is all set up, but um there’s been a change of plans,” The lady frowned. 

“What Dawn is trying to say is that your mom and your stepdad are staying in the last guest room, and your cousin Rita is in the other”

“WHAT!” (Y/n) yelled. “Mom said her the Stepdouch were staying home for Christmas! I was promised to get you two to myself. And Rita!” she was fuming. Spencer set his hand on her shoulder, trying to bring her back to earth.

“We know baby but she insisted that you wouldn’t go see her if she stayed,”

“Of course not, not after what she did!”

“And Rita is your cousin, at least try to play nice,” Jim begged. 

“No, Not after what they did!” (Y/n) was breathing ragged, anger radiating off of her body. 

“Hey, uh why don’t you help me to my room?” Spencer forced her to look at him.  She sighed and grabbed her bag.

“Okay” she grabbed his hand and began through the living room up the stairs.  Spencer admired the “family” room on the balcony overlooking the living room. (Y/n) led him around the bend and over to the room. She popped the door open and let him inside. She followed and closed the door after her. 

“So since my cousin Rita took the guest room we’ll have to share this one, I’m really sorry. I have an air mattress that I can sleep on and you can have the bed. This isn’t how I wanted this to go, I’m sorry,” she spoke almost in tears.

“Hey you didn’t know and I’m kicking you out of your bed, I’ll sleep on the air mattress, besides we can always still do everything you planned. We’ll be okay,” he smiled and held her face.  She let a tear fall. 

“I know but this was supposed to be a fun trip for you,”

“It will be, what’s more fun than two weeks without work,” he smiled and pushed her hair behind her ear. 

“It’s only like one, so would you show me the property?” he smiled.

“Sure, but we need to get you a new wardrobe,” she laughed. 

“Hey what’s wrong with my clothes?” he spun for her. 

“Well for starters you’re in loafers and there’s snow on the ground, and second I do owe you a cowboy hat,” she grinned. “Come on lets play dress up”

The two of them sat in the attic surrounded by boxes of old clothes.  She held up a nice quilt lined coat, identical to the light brown one she had on. 

“That should fit, he was about your size,” she smiled and handed him the coat. 

“Who?” he asked and examined the inside of the coat when it stared him right in the face. 

‘Merry christmas daddy, (Y/n)’ stitched on the tag.  his heart stopped.

“(Y/n) I can’t accept these, these meant the world to you I-”

“Spencer please, I’d rather you have daddy’s stuff than any of those other brats,” she sneered. “It’s the only other thing I got from him when he passed.  He would’ve liked you,” she smiled and pulled a bunch of pearl snaps out.  Spencer's heart leapt.  We slid the Carhart on, it sat nicely against his body.  She looked up from the boxes. 

“Whoa” she gasped. “Spencer you look, just wow” she grinned. 

“Wait I have one more thing,” she rushed off to the back of the attic.  She returned with a box wrapped in red wrapping paper she smiled and handed it to him.  He pulled the top of the box off.  Inside sat a nice dark brown felt hat with a brown leather strap around it.  It was adorned with a small gun charm on the leather strap. 

“(Y/n) this is, this is way too much,” he looked up at her.

“I bought it for you last year, I remember you saying you wanted to be a cowboy so I figured I’d buy it but I forgot it last time so there,” she beamed at him.

“Well, try it on,” she ushered  He set the hat on his head, a perfect fit.  

“Well?” he spun

“You look like a true cowboy Spence,” 

They walked the property talking for hours.  The air grew cold and bit at their cheeks. 

“Hey do you want to see my favorite spot?” she asked

“Of course,” he grinned.  They walked out into the woods behind the house before coming to a clearing.  The sun was beginning to set.  The mountains had a purple haze but the sky was bright blue.  Golden streaks danced across the clouds.  The clearing was full of dry grass and thistles that would become tumbleweeds when it got windy. 

“(Y/n) this is amazing,” he breathed the fresh mountain air.

“This is my favorite part of being home, the Rocky Mountain Skies.  They seem to dance with color.  I forget how pretty they are when I leave,” she smiled and watched the clouds float by. 

“Why did you leave?” Spencer asked.  He turned to look at the girl next to him.  She looked small in her coat and her hair was messy from the light wind. 

“After my dad died. My mom got with my Stepdouch a month later, the will had been “lost” the will that would have granted my this ranch.  The only reason I got it was Papa and grandma claimed they needed a place to live so I mean it’s theirs.  My mom got mad because she wanted to sell it.  and my cousin Rita wanted all of my dads horses, thousands of dollars worth of horses that she and my mom fought over and split the money on.  That wasn’t dads vision, they never cared about this place. Mom moved us into town, So when I turned 18 I left,” she shrugged. 

“I’m so sorry (Y/n)” he hugged her. 

“It’s okay. So why did you want to be a cowboy?” She teased.

“Well I mean every little boy wants to be a cowboy, I wanted to catch the outlaws, or maybe be them I’m not sure,” he laughed. 

“(Y/N), SPENCER, DINNER!” Dawn yelled to them.  

“Race you there” she smacked his chest and took off.

“No fair!” he called after her. 

[leah-halliwell92]

Mr. Telford History Teacher

Summary: You needed one last elective class to fill the second to last category for your minor. Little did you know the one teaching it would have more effect on you than the corse itself. 

(Cred and thanks to @come-join-themurder​) 

Warning: Swearing, mentions of harassment and rape.

You’d taken a seat in the farthest corner of the room hoping for the class to be smooth sailing. It’s not that you didn’t like history, you do. But European history wasn’t something you wanted to...until the teacher walked into the classroom that is.

He did not look at all friendly, was the first thing you thought when he walked in dressed in black, his shades in place and scars under his goatee. The man himself though is another thing entirely. You stared at the man from behind your lashes and nearly gushed at how handsome he is. All height and salt and pepper hair ticking box after box of what your dream man would look like. You resisted the urge to sigh as he quietly set himself up before moving around the desk and leaning on it and taking a look at the now full classroom. 

“You see more cheer in a graveyard,” he commented his accent coming through, a slight grin making his dimples pop under his “Glaswegian smile”. 

You breathed a laugh at his small reference and the shaky sighs of the rest of your classmates. 

“Ah I see a sign of life from the back corner!” He said exuberantly looking in your direction, “What’s your name darlin?” 

“Y/N sir,” you said clearly.

“Manners that’s good,” he said nodding in approval before going through the roster taking attendance. 

You quickly discovered that he could read the dictionary and you’d be happy, his voice doing things to you you’d never thought possible. Tender yet gruff and rich to your ears as he finished reading out names and began to discuss what the course is built on and what we would need to do in the coming weeks. 

Mr. Telford was just about to begin lecturing on the first portion of the set of chapters you’d be looking at only to be oh so nicely interrupted by none other than Jonathan Darby. You rolled your eyes as he made half-assed remarks he made. The over confident prick thinks that because his dad has ten year that he can do anything he wants to anyone he wants. Fucker thinks he’s above the rules cuz daddy rubs elbows with the right people. 

“Shut up Johnny! Some of us actually learn something!” You yelled finally having snapped, “Or do you need me to call your mom again?”

The room snickered as he promptly shut up and sank into his seat. 

You looked up to see a smirk of approval on Mr. Telford’s face. 

The class proceeded without anymore interruptions to your relief, now if you could only focus on what he is lecture. It wasn’t the content that held your attention but the person giving the lecture. Mr. Telford strolled from one side of the room to the other lecturing as he did. You loved how his accent and voice seemed caress each word he said no matter how rough.

You were both relieved and disappointed when you saw that class was nearing its end. 

“Read the syllabus for the important dates and read at least the first two chapters of the textbook before next class, thank you!” He said as students started trailing out of the room. 

You’d just about finished packing and stood to make your way down when Darby towered over your standing form a smirk on his face. 

“You’re going to be trouble,” he said leaning into you getting in your face, “But I like me a girl that fights.”

You rolled your eyes having heard this before and not really in the mood to be intimidated, least of all by wanna be skin head. 

“I’m going to be late for my next class,” you said clearly not amused and moved to side step him when his arm blocked your way. 

“I like em when play hard to get too,” he said giving you an appraising look.

You resisted the urge to gag at that and said, “Do you really not know the meaning of “no”?”

He laughed and said, “Bitches like you say that now but you know you want this.”

You pushed your way through to find Mr. Telford sitting a the desk feet up “reading” the book he’d brought with him. 

“Don’t you turn your back to me bitch,” Darby growled and made to grab me when you both heard.

“I wouldn’t do that lad,” You turned to see Mr. Telford standing up and standing between Darby and you, “Harassing a woman is against the law for one and I’m pretty sure you don’t want your old man to see how it is you really behave when not in his classroom.”

Johnny stepped back hands up in mock surrender a twisted smirk playing at his lips. 

“Nothing happened old man, (Y/N) and I were just having a friendly conversation. Weren’t we?” He asked looking at me.

“Not fucking likely,” you spat glaring at him standing your ground. 

Johnny looked like he would jump at you if he could be backed off as Mr Telford  stood between you fully keeping you away from Johnny’s sight, and reach.

You heard an exasperated sigh and footsteps as Johnny finally left the room.

You sighed in relief letting out the tension that had pent up the moment he cornered you. 

“Are you alright lass?” Mr. Telford asked softly turning to you.

Warm brown eyes bright with concern as he looked you over.

You nod and take out your inhaler. You noticed his eyes widen as you breathed in the medication. 

“Yes I’m asthmatic,” you say to his questioning glance, “Johnny doesn’t know it and it’s gonna stay that way. His old man knows and won’t do shit about what Johnny does so if he instigates an asthma attack he won’t get kicked out but at least it’ll put a black spot on his supposedly flawless school record.”

“But you could die,” Mr. Telford said bluntly, “Is getting him sacked worth it?”

You shrug putting your inhaler away and say, “Better dead than a rape victim swept under the rug.”

He looked sadly at you but nodded knowing it would be true before he asked, “Do you have a class after this one?”

You nod in affirmative and look at him in curiosity as he picks up the book and papers he’d come in with. 

“Come on, I’ll walk ya,” he said with a kind grin.

You were about to decline but thought better of it and held back a blush as he walked beside you to your next class.

“Health?” He asked with a hint of a grin on his face.

You laughed and nodded, “Needed for nursing.” 

“If ya need any more help don't hesitate to ask,” he said sincerely, “And if you need an escort let me know.”

“I couldn’t ask––” You began to say.

“Your not askin I'm offering,” he said kind grin fixed on his face making you blush.

You nod appreciatively and walk into the room to take your seat and saw Mr. Telford make his way back to his own classroom. What you didn’t see was him send a text to one Jackson Teller, who so happened to be sitting next to you, to keep an eye on you during the time that he couldn’t.

Just as you had settled in, a man with impossibly blue eyes and the craziest hair walked in.

“Well come to Sex Education boys and girls!” He said with a playful grin, “Yea we’ll be learning about the do it self but what I will make sure all of you know, boys especially, is how to keep your John protected from all sorts of stuff.”

You laughed along with the rest of the class and figured that this semester is going to be an interesting one. 

Tag List: @ideclareflananigans​ @come-join-themurder​ @miss-nori85​ @xbreezymeadowsx​ @tommyflanagans​

[missmaxime]

Thoughts on the Death flashbacks: Having rewatched the episode again I really do feel like these flashbacks are a lead-in to the end of Beth and Dean’s relationship. I think it’s important to note when the three flashbacks are placed in the episode: right before and or after we focus solely on Beth, like she is reminiscing these three moments in time with him. Times she has fond memories of for good reasons, but at the same time show us the cracks in their relationship that we still see now. What are these pivotal moments? - Beth meets Dean for the first time - Dean asks Beth to prom - Dean meets Beth in the hospital on Prom Night #1 Lead-in to this flashback is the moment just seconds before Beth meets Dean while he’s in jail. Everything between them is at an absolute low, there’s even physically a wall between them. I’m not surprised they counter their burned out relationship by the exact moment it once ignited. Beth tries to remind herself in this episode about the good moments, but I think it’s also very telling those are moment from the first months of when they met – and not, say, when they got their first apartment, or had their first baby, or got married. In the flashback Dean strikes up conversation with Beth while his buddies start a food fight at the diner (Dairy Queen) she works at – perhaps even with an ulterior motive of distracting her while they wreak havoc. He does so by asking for a refill for something ridiculous, because if you’re not Ikea who gives refills for ice cream? But he’s got her attention. And if that attention was genuinely geared towards wooing her he could even have gone the corny way of complimenting her eyes, or her bright smile – but he chooses to focus on the fact that she’s a cheerleader.

This gets interrupted by his friends getting into the food fight, and Beth calls out for him to say something to his friends. In answer he joins into the fight and runs off with said friends, leaving Beth to clean the mess. A little later he returns (and with this, he also doesn’t lose face with his friends) to charm her with an apology and helping her out to clean the mess him and his friends made. Which, as we know, has been a recurring theme between them way into the future. (Not to fangirl out to much about this, but I’m living for the fact that Dean calls her Elizabeth at first, but when she correct him to Beth he goes with that. While Rio called her Elizabeth from the start, and she never corrected him on that.) It’s not hard to see why Beth falls for Dean here, even if we can see the patterns because we know the Beth and Dean from decades later. He’s handsome, witty, popular, the quarterback – and he’s interested in her. Sees her. While he’s the one who made the mess, he cleans it up, telling her that ‘he’s got it’. Something he can do now with spilled food, but we know he can’t when messes become grown-up messes. After the flashback we’re back in the jail, looking at Beth’s reflection in the glass as she stares at herself before Dean takes place in front of her. He’s understandably hurt and upset her actions got him there (and even more because she admits Rio was a part of the scheme all along). Even her voicing a desperate ‘I love you’ doesn’t make him stay, he’s done with her. She says she’ll ‘Fix it’ like Dean promised her in the flashback, but he’s not having it. In the final shot we zoom out, framing Beth with darkness – counter to the flashback where we zoom in on her smiling face. #2 Leading up to the second flashback Phoebe questions Dean, and tries to bribe him with some packs of ramen to tempt him into selling out Beth. She talks about the cheerleader she used to be friends with in high school, and how she got tossed aside when the girl didn’t have any use for her anymore when her Fake ID got taken away. Phoebe talks about how the girl is like Beth, using people and tossing them aside when they’re tired of them – Dean knows very well that’s not Beth at all, not in the context of him at least. In the flashback Dean comes to Beth’s house, where we learn he’s been leaving her a lot of messages. This is 1991 so we’re on analog phone time, not giving Beth an opportunity to see some caller ID, so if she doesn’t want to talk to Dean I don’t feel like it’s weird that Annie answered the phone to hear who’s calling. Annie’s obviously not a fan of him, but we don’t know whether that is because they’ve had some sort of fight or whether she doesn’t like the idea of Beth having a boyfriend altogether. I think this flashback really shows how both Dean and Beth are people who are very image-focused people, albeit for different reasons. Dean arrives in a flashy red sportscar to enhance his popular quarterback persona, Beth chooses to have the conversation outside to shield the outside world from the dire situation on the inside. Again Dean focuses on how Beth is not there for him. He called her five times, but doesn’t ask if she has something going on, or if she’s studying hard for a test, or if any of her friends are in trouble. He states that ‘she hasn’t been to any of the games’ – HIS games, not even shifting it to ‘I didn’t see you with your squad’. It’s all about him. His ‘I thought we were cool?’ entices her to come up with an excuse, doubling down with a ‘I don’t want to be a dick’, even if he clearly already is. Annie steps out of the house, visibly sporting yet another injury (she had her arm in a cast in the 2x08 flashback) and asks Beth about their mom’s meds. Two things Dean could just ask about, even if it’s just a flippant ‘oh, is your mom sick?’ or ‘did that monster hurt herself?’ because both could be explanations on why Beth hasn’t called him back. Yet he ignores all this and goes back to making her feel bad by putting the blame on him, casually working in the ‘oh I was going to ask you to prom?’ in a way like don’t bother if you’re not interested. It’s so unromantic the way he drops this, yet Beth latches on immediately because it’s a chance to do some normal teen stuff for a change and who can blame her if her days are spend taking care of her mom, raising her sister, going to school in the day and working a job in the evening. It’s a tactic Dean keeps using on her as an adult. Scene that comes to mind is that Dean already packed his bag, admits that he cheated on Beth with Gayle, and she’s like - fine, maybe don’t leave. Back in the jail Beth waits for him, but Dean has left a clear message that he doesn’t want to see her. #3 First we watch the girls wait for Eric to get arrested, but we all know how disastrous that ends. Her plan to frame Dean’s friend for her wrongdoings falls through, she failed him. Which piles onto the guilt that Dean’s in jail in the first place. It’s then she searches her brain for a moment when he was there for her, when she truly started feeling that he was going to be her rock. Beth’s waiting in the hospital, she’s not panicked or worried, rather annoyed and tired like this is yet the millionth time she’s here because her mother needed her stomach pumped. We still don’t know for sure what’s going on with the mom, but from 2x08 we know she spends lots of time laying in bed and needs meds, the stomach pumping indicates overuse of a drug (most common alcohol) – I’m leaning to depression combined with substance abuse – but we don’t know for sure. We also learn that the dad is not in the picture, or no one to rely on in the very least. It’s just Beth and Annie. Dean bribed Annie to tell him where Beth is – it’s prom night and he came to pick her up to go to the dance. Now there’s more than one way to read this scene. The first way is that Dean is genuinely concerned about this whole ordeal and he wants to be there for Beth, which is definitely the way young Beth must read into this. Another part of me thinks there’s some self-interest from Dean mixed in as well. If he didn’t go to Beth, he’d go to the prom, dateless – embarrassing for our quarterback star. But helping out your girlfriend with her sick mom is a great excuse to avoid that situation. We know how upset Dean got about being wifeless at the Spa Competition, Beth’s an asset to his image, her not being there breaks his image down. And I’m not saying he’s not interested in her, but from all the conversations we’ve seen them have in the flashbacks none of it really revolves around how Beth is doing. From the start their relationship has been around transactions. Image, deeds, quid pro quo. Even if you can read the ‘do you want anything from the vending machine?’ and the ‘your sister took all my money’ as something fun, it’s yet another reminder that he paid for her time. That she owes him, even if she really appreciates him being there for her. Back to Beth in the car with Eric and the girls, where our girl looks more than unhappy. Like Dean paid Annie to see her, she’s paying Eric to see Dean. Granted the stakes are immensely higher, but the juvenile situation carries on into the presence. While Eric comes up with even more terrible plans Beth’s getting increasingly emotional – which still could be interpreted many ways but I think she realizes that the normal from back then, the happiness Dean provided to her, it’s never coming back – plans executed correctly or not. Dean might still be that guy, but she’s not that girl anymore. Eric talks about how he’s invisible, and how that changed when Dean became his colleague. How beforehand no one saw him as him, but Dean made him feel like he was part of the work crew, called him by his name – it made him feel seen, made him feel like a real person. And that’s of course exactly what young Beth was feeling – she didn’t feel like a real person because no one saw her as Beth the teenage girl. She’s a caretaker for her mom, a mother figure to Annie – a cheerleader to Dean. But in the memory she can recognize that he made her feel like a real person. Eric proposes that ‘They don’t make ‘em like Dean Boland anymore’. And they don’t for him. But Beth also knows that the feeling wears off, that at some point Dean Boland won’t like you anymore when you don’t play the part he signed on for. Eric’s giving up everything to be a loyal friend, like Beth has for over two decades to be his loyal wife. And while she’s technically still his wife, she’s not loyal like she used to be – not financially, physically or emotionally. She doesn’t need Dean anymore to make her feel like a real person. She’s her own real person. --- Beth comes home to Fitzpatrick lounging in her kitchen like he belongs there, helping himself to a cup of tea. Our girl is already on edge what with the father of her kids possibly spending years behind bars, her plans miserably failing, and now this douche want even more of her time. She’s done playing a part to get what she needs, so she goes right to the point. Fitz touches on that she wants more out of her life, which is true. Unfortunately for him Beth has come to the point that no man – not like Dean did in the flashbacks – will do that for her anymore. She’s the one steering the ship, not some guy anymore. But while all these flashbacks Beth is experiencing might put some things in a different light to her, it doesn’t scrub away what Dean made her feel. Because he is the father of her kids, they are what will forever link them together, the connection they both care about deeply regardless of whatever troubled feelings they have towards each other. She might not be a true wife to him anymore, but they are parents to the same children. Her dad wasn’t there for her, but there’s no reason why Dean can’t be there for his kids. ---- So all in all I actually really liked seeing the flashbacks, especially because we experience them through Beth, and how they parallel with the now. In the final scene we see Phoebe looking at the perfect Boland family picture, the perfect image that they both crafted together. But hidden on the backside are the lies and the deceit, yet also Beth telling Dean how to take care of said family. Because she knows she can’t trust him to take care of it, unlike when they were teens and when she’d like to believe he could. Their real personas are on the table, and they don’t like each other anymore, can’t trust each other anymore. To me the final scenes read like the only thing they can still be: parents. I have no doubt they both love their kids, and those four humans will always bind them together, regardless of their relationship status. Beth is giving Dean the only genuine thing she can: her trust as a mutual parent, and the opportunity to enjoy the love of their kids. But it’s laced with melancholy, this is what’s left in the ruins, these four good things. Everything else is gone, and I think they both realize this. 

[jobean12-blog]

Top Shelf: Chapter 4- Read Between the Limes

Pairing: Bucky x reader (book shop AU)

Word Count: 2,267

Summary: You and Nat scope out the new bar on the lower East side. It’s a fun night with a surprise twist. 

Author’s Note: Hey loves! I’m excited about this chapter because my little surprise is here, it’s nothing crazy but it was fun! Thank you all so very much for coming on this journey with me. I know it’s nothing out of the ordinary but I hope it makes you smile! All your kindness and support really means the world to me! Thank you all for reading! Much love ❤❤❤

Warnings: fun girl’s night, flirting, sexual tension, alcohol consumption, sexy Bucky, fluffy sweetness :)

Read previous chapters here: 

Chapter 1: Enchantment

Chapter 2: Cookie Crumble

Chapter 3: Sweet Anticipation

You stare at your phone for the whole ten-minute cab ride. Your thumb hovering over the little arrow. ‘Hey Bucky, just wanted to wish a good night, I’m heading out with Nat, we are trying this new bar downtown😘😘 ,’ followed by the picture you sent to Nat. The grunt of the driver pulls you from your thoughts and you startle, “oh, sorry! Here you go,” you say handing him the cash and throwing your phone in your bag, “thank you!”

The second you ring the bell Nat’s voice comes through the intercom, “get up here, your drink is getting warm!” The familiar buzz of the door has you grinning as you walk up the steps to the second floor, Nat’s music easily heard in the hallway.

Busting through, you dance your way to her in the kitchen, her hand already holding out a drink. “Cheers!” You clink your glasses and take a sip, the cool liquid a burning contrast as it slides down your throat. “So, did you send it?!?!” she asks, her eyes twinkling as she looks you over. “I was staring at my phone the entire way here but never pressed send, I even had the whole message typed out!” She giggles, taking another sip, “well, maybe after another drink you’ll feel more like sharing.”

The two of you finish your drinks, enjoying the small buzz as you dance around the apartment. Around 9 you decide to head over to the bar. “Wait!” Nat squeals, “we have to take a picture!” With a smile you reach in your bag, searching for your phone. You pull it out, tapping the screen, “SHIT!” Nat runs over, “what, whatttt?!?” You scroll through your messages, your heart beating rapidly in your chest, ‘hey, doll, wow, you look gorgeous😍🙌 , I’m not gonna lie, I’m very jealous of Nat right now.’

Nat screeches in your ear, jumping up and down, “omg, you said you didn’t send it!” You look up at her with wide eyes, “I didn’t! My phone must have still been on when I threw it in my bag before. Omg!” She lightly smacks your arm, “omg, what!?! He obviously loves it! What else did he say?”

Looking back at your phone you scroll down, ‘have a great time beautiful, text me when you get home, so I know you’re safe ❤.’ If you weren’t leaning on Nat you might melt right to the floor, “he is SO SWEET!” “Well, what are you going to respond with?” Turning to her you shrug, “I have no idea, what should I say?”

She arches a brow, smiling wickedly, “gimme.” You hold back for a moment but finally give in, handing her your phone, “let me see it first, promise?” “Of course,” she answers, typing quickly. Nat hands you back your phone and you read her reply, ‘thanks ❤, thought you might like it and I’m sure you look gorgeous too😍, I’ll definitely text you later…’

“I don’t know Nat, what if he thinks I’m just drunk or something,” you argue, biting your lip. “So, I mean, you’re only slightly buzzed and let’s be real…you think he’s gorgeous right?” Your lips turn up into a smile and you feel your face heat, “yes, so gorgeous!” With one last deep breath you press send, screeching and throwing your phone back in your bag as if it’s on fire.

“Let’s go! I need another drink!” Nat grabs her bag and pushes you out the door, locking it behind her. You hail a cab and give the driver the address while Nat tells you more about the new bar. You feel your bag vibrate, your body tensing up as you squeeze Nat’s hand. “WELL! LOOK!” Slowly taking your phone out of your bag you light it up, Bucky’s name on the screen, “shit, shit, shit!”

Swiping up you stare at your phone, reading and re-reading his response. ‘You’re making it really hard for me to focus on anything else but you right now, I can’t wait to see you again ❤.’ “Y/n! I swear to god if you don’t speak, I’m gonna strangle you!” You look up and just hand her the phone, unable to talk. Her screams get louder as she reads, “omggggggggg, he seems so perfect. I can’t wait until you see him again too!”

The two of you erupt into a fit of squeals and giggles, earning an eye roll from the driver. Mouthing an “I’m sorry,” in the mirror you throw him some extra tip money and jump out of the car. The new bar, called ‘Attaboy,’ is already packed, a small line forming at the door. “I love these hidden gem places! I’m glad we came,” you say, smiling at Nat.

Your wait on the line isn’t long and as soon as you enter the bar you like the energy. It’s dimly lit with several swivel stools at the counter, the brick walls and dark wood giving it an old time feel. You and Nat find an open spot at the end of the bar and you sit, swiveling yourself toward her with laugh, “what are you gonna have, is there a signature drink we should try?”

Nat pulls up something on her phone, holding up her finger. Your phone vibrates in your bag and you pull it out, seeing Bucky’s name on the screen. With a wide smile you open his text, ‘tonight must be my lucky night because you look even more gorgeous in person 😇😍.’ For a moment confusion takes over, your brows furrowed and an audible “huh” passing your lips.

Looking up, Nat peeks over your phone, “what does he mean, in person?” At the same moment, your ears are caressed by an all too familiar voice, “what can I get you beautiful ladies tonight?” Swinging forward your eyes land on Bucky, his hair neatly tucked behind his ears and his button-down shirt fitting snuggly over his chest and arms.

“Hey,” you breath out, your eyes wandering over him, “what, what are you doing here?” Bucky stares at you for a beat then turns to Nat, “hey you must be Nat, nice to meet you, I’m Bucky.” She grins, shaking his hand, “so nice to finally meet you Bucky, I’ve been hearing a lot about you.” He laughs, throwing you a wink, “all good things I hope.”

Leaning over the counter he brings your face to his, kissing the corner of your mouth like he always does, “hey to you too.” You’re thankful for the counter hiding your legs as you squeeze them together to stop yourself from letting out a moan. “So, to answer your question, I work here. Sometimes. My friend owns the place and on nights when he’s short staffed he calls me in. Since it only opened a few months ago he is still working out schedules and all that.”

“What are the odds,” Nat drawls, eyeing you both with a smirk. “I didn’t know you could bartend?” you say, “any other secret skills I should know about.” His eyes dance with mischief as his mouth tips up into a smile. He opens it to speak but Nat beats him to it, “why don’t you make us a drink first and we’ll tell you what we think.”

“Deal, two of my specialties coming right up,” he says before walking down the bar. You watch, leaning over the counter to catch a glimpse of his ass, “holy hell he looks hot,” you blurt out. “And that kiss on the corner of the mouth, oof,” Nat says, nodding her head in agreement. “I know, I’m literally on fire right now.”

Bucky comes back with your drinks, setting them down, “enjoy ladies. If you’ll excuse me, I have a few more orders to take, but I’ll be back to check in.” Picking up your glasses you clink them together, taking a sip. The smooth liquid goes down easily, leaving the refreshing taste of lime and something spicy. “Wow, this is really good!” you tell Nat, taking another sip. “It really is! He definitely knows what he’s doing…” she trails off, giving you a look. “I KNOW!” you yell whisper, trying to contain your excitement, “I cannot believe we came to the one bar I had no idea he would be working at.” Laughing over your glass you spot Bucky heading in your direction. “So, what do you ladies think?”

“It’s delicious, Bucky,” you say, the alcohol giving you some courage as you crook your finger and motion for him to come close. Kissing his cheek and giggling at the feel of his scruff tickling your lips you whisper, “thank you.” His jaw clenches as his eyes roam over you, the tension thick, “you’re welcome, I’m glad you like it.”

Another patron calls for his attention and he excuses himself, walking backwards with his heated gaze fixed on you. You watch as he finally turns toward the person, once again squeezing your legs together and muttering “fuck” under your breath. “You’re telling me. Shit the tension is nuts between you two and what? This is the third time you’re hanging out?”

Wringing your hands together under the counter you look to Nat, “it’s bad Nat, I feel like I won’t be able to control myself the next time we’re alone. But what if he thinks it’s too fast! He’s such a nice and sweet guy, I don’t want to rush it.” Nat stops your hands, holding them tight, “listen, I know I’m no expert but it’s clear that he is seriously into you, just go with your gut, he doesn’t strike me as a love ‘em and leave ‘em type.”

Nodding, you take another sip, realizing you’ve finished your drink. “Shit, those really do go down easy.” “Can I get you ladies another?” Nat’s eyes widen slightly as you both turn to see a very handsome man standing behind the bar that isn’t Bucky. “Hi, I’m Sam, the owner.” He holds out his hand to Nat and she takes it with a giggle. “You must be Nat and y/n, Bucky mentioned he had guests.”

“Hi,” you say simultaneously. He laughs and you can tell Nat likes him already, her entire body now shifted his way as she asks, “we would love another, please, they were delicious.” Pulling your line from earlier she gives Sam a sultry smile, causing you to giggle. “Thanks, Sam,” you say as he motions for Bucky. “I see you’ve met Sam,” he says as he skillfully handles the bottles of liquor. You can’t take your eyes off Bucky as his forearms flex under the weight of the bottles, his tongue darting out to lick his lips every so often as he concentrates on mixing your drinks.

When he finishes up and places the drinks down you look to Nat who is clearly smitten, leaning over the bar and having an intimate conversation with Sam. “He better be a nice guy,” you joke, eyeing Bucky over the rim of your glass. He throws his head back with laughter, “he is, I promise.” “When do you get off tonight,” you ask him, your body thrumming with anticipation.

“He’s gonna be done in the next 10 minutes, y/n, then he’s all yours.” You and Bucky turn to Sam, his wide grin making you both smile in return. “I am?” he asks, surprised but happy. “Yea, I feel like hanging out behind the bar tonight and now that I’ve got the most beautiful company, I think I’ll be alright.” Nat giggles, giving you a look that says it’s all ok and she’s fine.

“Great! Then, I’ll see you in about ten minutes doll,” Bucky says before leaving to close his tabs. Sam pulls you into the conversation, telling you how the idea for the bar started and how he met Bucky. About ten minutes later Bucky emerges from the back, “wanna go for a walk, it’s a beautiful night.” Giving Nat’s leg a reassuring squeeze, you grab your bag, “I’d love to.”

You say goodnight to Sam and Nat as Bucky’s hand reaches out for yours. Slipping off the stool you leave the bar, the cool night air welcoming on your heated skin. With your hand in Bucky’s you walk around the corner. “It really is a beautiful night,” you say, swinging your arm. He stops, twirling you into his chest, “nothing is more beautiful than you are though.” You’re rendered speechless, his lips so close to your own. When he speaks you feel the warmth of his breath, “I’ve been dying to kiss you since the moment you walked in the bookshop. It’s all I think about.”

You’re not sure what happens in the next few seconds, but he has your body pressed against the cool stone of the building, his thumb brushing over your lips as he leans in closer. “Bucky,” you breathe against his mouth. His fingers smooth over your jaw, gently tipping it back as his lips connect with yours.

He tastes sweet, stealing your breath with every movement of his lips and your head feels dizzy.  Your fingers clutch his shirt to steady yourself. Every cell of your body is electrified as Bucky’s hand smooths over your cheek and down your neck, his tongue pressed to the seam of your lips and, at your grant of access, delves inside. You reach your arms up and wrap them around his neck, pulling him closer until there is no space left between you. Shivers run from your head to your toes before you pull away to breathe and the moment you do, all you want is more.  

@aesthetical-bucky @book-dragon-13 @eurynome827 @amandatar-06 @nd1998sc @captainchrisstan @vherriepie @godofplumsandthunder @fire-flv @jamesbarnesappreciationclub @irishflutiegirl @metal-armed-cuddly-dork @devynsdiary @hiddles-rose​ @hailmary-yramliah @ikaris-whore @itsunclebucky​ @jhangelface0523​ @jewelofwinter​ @jewels2876​ @loricameback​ @littleredstarfish​ @littledarlinhavefaithinme​ @mushyjellybeans​ @marvelgirl7​ @marvelandotherfandomimagines​ @nerdypinupcrystal​ @randomfandompenguin​ @sallycanwait68​ @softpeachbarnes​ @when-the-hell-is-bucky​ @throwmyheartawayagain​ @flyawaybay @nano--raptor​ @the-wayward-robot​

[descendantofthesparrow]

Encore - Part of your world - Part 21 - Valentines Day

*posted two hours after the day ended but i count it!!!!*

=

Harry slowly slipped out of your shared bed at 4:30 am, carefully pulling the black and red duvet back over your shoulders. He pressed a soft kiss to your exposed cheek and snuck over to his dresser, taking out his clothes and changing in the bathroom.

20 minutes later he was finally ready and left a small note on your side of the bed, giving you one last kiss before sneaking out of your room through the portal.

Hours later, you finally woke up, your jaw clicking as you let out a deep yawn and sat up, groaning a bit as you stretched and your back popped comfortably “mmm” you turned to look at Harry's side of the bed, raising your brow to see that he was gone. “Harry?” you called out, slipping out of the bed and walking to the bathroom, checking inside for your handsome pirate fiancé “you here?”

When no response came you sighed, turning back to the bed to go back to sleep for a bit when you noticed a note on the nightstand next to your side of the bed, Harry's handwriting just barely visible.

You walked back to the bed and picked up the note, letting gout a small coo as you read the note.

-good morning my love, happy Valentine's day! I got some plans for us today so just get dressed in something comfortable (bring a jacket) and I’ll come back to pick you up at 2! - your pirate

You glanced at the digital clock on Harry's side and nodded, it was only 9 am so you had 5 hours to kill.

Time to take a bath with your new bath bombs~

-

And with the last touches on your (light/heavy) makeup, you were ready for whatever Harry was planning.

You had decided to wear a combo of comfortable formal yet action ready clothes.

A loose red and black patterned shirt, your favorite pants, your comfortable worn-in ankle boots, and one of your red jackets Evie had made for you that complimented Harry's iconic one.

You glanced at the clock, the red letters reading 1:58 pm, nodding you grabbed your keys and attached them to your hip. As you grabbed your bag which held Harry’s gift, the door to your room glowed and opened, Harry stepping through a moment later.

“yer prince is here…ta…wow” you snorted, shaking your head a bit as you turned to look at Harry, leaning against your dresser and crossing your arms. You smirked as his eyes drifted up and down your body “uh….wow” you giggled to yourself and pushed yourself off the dresser, walking over to Harry and wrapping your arms around his waist, admiring the full black suit he was wearing, thin lighter black stripes on his jacket.

“not so bad yourself babe~” you giggled as his ears turned red at the pet name, you sometimes cringed when you heard yourself say it but watching his ears and face turn red was too cute not to do it.

“Thank yeh” he said quietly, eyes locking with yours for a moment before he quickly pecked your nose and tugged at your hands. “come on, I gotta whole thing planned” you laughed as he tugged you through the still-open portal and into Auradon.

You stepped out onto the deck of the docked lost revenge 2.0 and Harry led you off the ship and down to the docks, nodding towards the forest trails nearby “it’s a bit of a walk, is tha’ okay?”

“Good thing I wore my comfortable boots” you joked, squeezing Harry's hand and swinging them between your bodies as you walked towards Harry's plan.

-

15 minutes of walking and talking, Harry covered your eyes, gently pushing you towards the spot “it's just right ‘ere, don’ worry yeh won’ trip” he whispered in your ear, smiling as you grabbed his biceps and whispered right back.

“I trust you mo leannan*” Harry bit his lip as Scottish Gaelic easily rolled off your tongue and pressed a quick kiss to the back of your neck in thanks.

“Thank yeh bonny, now jus’ a couple more steps” he helped you down a couple more steps and pulled his hands from your eyes, setting them on your shoulder and setting his chin there as well “open”

As you opened your eyes you let out a small gasp.

Harry had taken you to one of the clearings in the enchanted forest near the docks, a midsized wooden table sitting in the middle, a pinkish-red table cloth resting over it with white plates and silverware, two thin candles ready to be lit. your eyes drifted to the two large ice boxes next to the table, one you guessed was filled with the drinks the other food.

“Harry this is amazing~” you squealed, spinning around and pulling him into a gentle kiss, smiling as he quickly wrapped his arms around you and hummed into it. You pulled away, smiling at the pout that quickly appeared on his lips “thank you so much”

“yer welcome my love” he muttered with a dreamy smile on his lips, his eyes drifting back to your lips. You took a step back with a teasing smile and turned, walking over to the ice chests and flipping the right one open, humming happily as you took in the multiple types of soda, juice, and other drinks. You picked your (fav drink) and skipped over to the table, setting it next to one of the plates and turning back to Harry, who was digging through the other ice chest and pulling out the food. “oooh what’ja bring?”

“(fav food)” Harry beamed, bringing over the black food boxes and setting them on the table “serve yerself, imma get the sides n shit”

You happily did so, having not eaten since your small snack in the morning to prepare for the possible large meal Harry was going to give you. Harry was back moments later, setting down a box of mashed potatoes, seasoned rice, shrimp stir fry, baked mac, and cheese, corn, and oven-baked Brussel sprouts “but you don’t like Brussel sprouts?” you laughed, picking up the box and shaking it in Harry's face. He leaned back and pushed it back towards you.

“aye but yeh like em” you let out a small coo and set the box back down, watching Harry go back to the food box and pull out a tall container filled with gravy “’ere we go, a meal fit fer a goddess~”

You looked around, pursing your lips “so then where Uma?” Harry let out a small snort, shaking his head “sorry but you gotta admit Uma is fucking beautiful” Harry laughed again, grabbing a root beer and sitting down, looking up at you with a fond smile.

“aye, she is, but righ’ now I’m takin’ bout yeh my love” you smiled back and sat down across from him, popping open the mac and cheese and scooping some onto your plate. Harry served himself some (fav food) and mashed potatoes, scooping some shrimp stir-fry and rice as well.

You took some of the stir fry, Brussel sprouts, and mashed potatoes. Sticking your tongue out slightly as you poured the gravy on top. You and Harry glanced at each other for a moment before you dug in.

You danced in your seat as the delicious taste of the (fav food) hit your tongue. Harry smiled as you danced, licking his lips clean as he watched you continue to eat and dance “do yer little dancy dance” Harry sang, yelp-laughing as you kicked his ankle gently.

“shush~” you stabbed a shrimp and popped it in your mouth “I’m enjoying myself”

“as yeh should”

-

An hour later and you had finally finished your late lunch/early dinner, Harry doing a quick clean up and packing the food away to retrieve later. He held out his hand for you, and once you took it he lead you to back up the trail that guided you to the clearing.

You stepped closer to him, wrapping your arms around his arm and laying your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes and trusting him not to let you trip or bump into anything.

Harry hummed a tune in his throat, filling the comfortable silence as you walked. Soon you were back at the ship and harry told you to go to his room while he got the last couple of things he needed, as you walked to the set of cabins near the back you turned to see Harry going down into the kitchen.

You opened the door of Harrys room and gasped, Harry and decked out his room to be the ultimate comfort zone, he had several fluffy blankets piled on his bed, multiple pillows, hanging sheer blankets that blocked out the remaining sunlight of the day, and soft led-fairy lights strewn across the walls.

You kicked off your boots and jacket and flung yourself onto his bed, giggling as some of the blankets folded onto you. You burritoed yourself and waited for Harry.

A couple of minutes later the aforementioned pirate stepped through his door, kicking it closed with his foot. “well don’t yeh look all comfy~” he purred, setting down the large bowl and bag on his desk and leaned over you, his arms caging your head.

“I am~” you laughed, reaching from your burrito blanket and pulling Harry on top of you “and you will join me!”

He smiled, pulling your hands off his jacket and pulling out a crystal rose from his inner pocket. You gasped and took it, twirling the fake rose in your fingers “I will, jus’ need ta set up our first movie”

“otay” you chirped back, setting the rose on the nightstand next to Harry's bed and pulling your hand back into the blanket, and watching harry take off his suit jacket, shoes, and grabbing a remote.

He grabbed one of the blankets you hadn’t commandeered and settled onto the bed next to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder as you snuggled into his side.

“sooo” he licked his lips, going through Netflix to find a movie the two of you would enjoy “what are we watchin’?”

You were silent for a few moments as harry scrolled through his suggested movies before a grin spread on your face “Shrek the musical” Harry paused, looking down at you as you just giggled to yourself.

“is it good?” he wondered aloud, going to the search bar and typing in your request.

“it's so fucking good, absolutely amazing” Harry snorted, clicking onto the movie and letting it play.

He grabbed the popcorn and bag of snacks and set them to your left, leaving you to grab what you wanted. “alright, let's watch.

-end of part 21-

* mo leannan = my sweetheart

permtaglist

@queer-cosette @sephiralorange

@lunanight2012 @daughter-of-the-stars11

@musicarose @descendantsobsessed

@remembered-license @random-thoughts-003

@thecaptainsgingersnap @rintheemolion​

@verboetoperee​ @imtryingthisout​

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch42: Maybe Baby Part 2- Between The Toaster And The Fridge

Intro: Steve comes home to a very, special welcome…

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut! (NSFW) No under 18s. Teeth rotting fluff…

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

A/N- More thanks to @angrybirdcr​

Chapter 42 Part 1​

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

The recruits around Steve were laughing, and he had to smile himself. He’d just told them the story about how he had managed to get a flag down from the top of a pole once when he was training, right before he go the serum. He’d taken the pins out of the bottom of the pole causing it to crash to the floor where as everyone else had tried to climb it, including Gilmore Hodge. God, what a prick he had been.

“So, the moral of the story is just because it’s the path of least resistance, it doesn’t mean it’s the wrong path.” Steve looked around at the assembled team, smiling to himself as he repeated the words Natasha had once said to him, words he hadn’t agreed with in that circumstance but here, well, they fit.  “Consider each task on its own merit. Decide what your end goal is and then look for the simplest, safest and least strenuous way to achieve it. Conserve your energy for when there’s no other option open to you because that’s the time that you’ll truly need it.”

With that he nodded to Rhodey and moved to the side of the room, folding his arms across his broad chest as he looked at the assembled trainees. They seemed like a good bunch this lot, receptive to his advice and teaching which was an improvement on the lot he’d had a month or so back in Colorado. They’d been a nightmare and when they were awkward it made being away from his girls so much more of a chore. At least when they were like this, it made him feel like it was worthwhile. He took a few more questions, gave a bit more advice before they called it for the day and he headed back to his room to make sure he was packed, ready to head home the next afternoon. It had been three weeks this time, and whilst he���d spoken to Katie and Emmy every night it still didn’t make him feel any better at being away from them, even though he knew it was part and parcel of his job. 

It also wasn’t helping their baby-making plans either.

His phone was vibrating in his pocket and he smiled when he saw who it was. Flopping down on the bed he beamed at Katie.

“Hey sweetheart.”

“Hey handsome.” she smiled, yawning slightly

“What you been up to?”

“Been busy with this Half Way Home proposal.

“How’s it going?”

“Good, Pepper’s giving it the once over before we send it into the Senate. I don’t think they’ll have an issue, I mean we’re not asking for funding but with them behind us it means the sale should go through easier.”

“Sounds like you have it all planned.” He smiled “Bet Natasha is pleased.” “Hmmm” Katie frowned. “She’s flown off again this evening.”

He groaned “Johannesburg?”

“Yeah.” she shrugged “She won’t give up. Says she owes it to Clint to try.”

“She’s on a hiding to nothing.” Steve sighed “I don’t know what she thinks she can do.” “Who knows, but if it makes her feel better who are we to argue. We’d do the same in her position.” And Steve had nothing else he could say on the matter, as he knew she was right. He had done the same, pretty much.

“Can’t want to get home tomorrow.” he changed the subject, smiling. “Three weeks apart isn’t exactly helpful on the whole trying-not-trying front is it?”

“Not really no.” Katie gave a soft laugh

Steve grinned cheekily “Every time I’ve jacked off in the shower I’ve had this horrible, guilty feeling that I could be washing a little me down the-“ “Oh my God!” Katie snorted as Steve laughed loudly, his right hand flying to his chest “You’re disgusting!”

“You love it!” he smirked, and she sighed and looked at him.

“I love you.” she said simply, and he could do nothing but grin stupidly back at the screen.

“Hi Jen!” Katie greeted as she walked up to the coffee counter, Emmy walking behind it like she owned the place, casually heading into the back to find Brooke.

“Hi!” Jen turned to her, “Usual?” “Erm, to be honest with you coffee isn’t what I’m after today.” she said “Had a disgusting hangover yesterday that I’m still recovering from so can I get a tea and one of those Danishes please?”

Jenifer chortled, “Take a seat I’ll bring it over and join you for a bit.” Katie smiled, paid for her drink and food and headed over to the comfy sofas by the window. Sinking into the well-worn leather she pulled out her phone and flicked through a few emails, pleased to see Pepper had proof read their proposal and made a few minor tweaks. She had just fired it off to her secretary to make the changes and forward on when Jennifer sat opposite her, pushing her food and drink over the table. Katie was that hungry she wolfed the pastry down in about four bits, before leaning back, wiping her fingers with a napkin.

“I think sugar and carbs maybe the way forward today” she laughed “I feel better already.”

“Why is it the older you get, the longer hangovers last?” the woman asked and Katie shrugged.

“Gone are the days I could sink shot after shot and still make it out unscathed.” she rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her tea appreciatively “Being an adult sucks.” She spent a few hours at the coffee shop, leaving Emmy there after Jennifer had assured her it was ok for her to stay, before heading into the city to find Steve a gift. This year, four, was either fruit, flowers, linen or silk. Which was a random combination when you thought about it. But she found a really nice grey linen blazer that would suit Steve, and smirking to herself, bought a silk slip that she could wear to bed. Always nice to keep him on his toes as she had said last year.

She picked Emmy up and then stopped on the way home to fuel up the Camero, As she leaned against the side of the car, watching the numbers tick over on the pump, the smell of gasoline filled her nostrils, almost choking her and she was overcome with a wave of nausea and vomited straight onto the floor.

“Fucks sake.” she groaned, as she managed to compose herself, waiting for the feeling to subside. Thankfully Emmy was too engrossed in something on her phone to notice. Eventually, her stomach stopped flipping and she finished, paid and headed back to the Compound, wondering if she was coming down with a bug. But then, as she walked down the corridor with her bags the strong stench of bleach from one of the labs made her once again feel the need to hurl.  

Something clicked in her mind and she paused, suddenly feeling very hot.

“Hey.” Bruce looked at her as he appeared from the lab. “You alright? You look a bit pale.” “Yeah, fine.” she nodded, swallowing “Just remembered, I forgot to grab something. Emmy, can you take these up to the apartment and go straight to Nat? Bruce do you mind just…”

“No, course not.” He smiled, “In fact, I have something to show you Em. Remember that research I was doing into the…”

Katie didn’t stay to hear the rest, Emmy wandered off after Bruce chatting away, whilst she turned back the way she had come and hurried back to the car. 

***** Steve walked back into the apartment and was greeted by a whirl of sandy fur before Katie appeared hurriedly crossing the hallway to throw herself into his arms.

“Missed you.” He smiled, as he bent to give her a kiss.

“I missed you too.” she pouted, her hands fisting into his light blue button down “Three weeks is far too long, I don’t like it.” “I know, sorry baby.” he smiled “Where’s Emmy?”

“Nat’s” Katie said as she turned and headed back to the kitchen “I know it isn’t our anniversary until tomorrow but I wanted get you all to myself right away.”

“Yeah? Got something in mind?” He grinned, wrapping his arms around her from behind, nipping at her neck before he rest his chin on her shoulder.

“Yeah, feeding you.” she chuckled as his stomach gave a loud rumble “Hungry?” “I’m always hungry.” he pouted, his arms still wrapped tightly round her “Doesn’t help that whatever you’ve been baking smells so good.”

“Saffron buns.” She smiled and Steve let out a groan off delight as his stomach rumbled again “And seeing as you’re so keen to get your hands on one, can you get them out of the oven?” she nodded towards it and twisted away from his hold “I’m almost done with the rest of the food.”

Grumbling slightly at the loss of her warmth against his chest, he straightened up and pulled the metal and glass door open before he frowned. A single bun sat on the tray in the middle of the large oven. What was that about?

“Honey, what…” He turned to look at Katie who was stood behind him, biting her lip. He frowned, before he turned back to the bun in the…

Oh. Oh!

Steve spun round that fast he nearly fell over. Katie smiled at him, her eyes shining at the look of surprise on his handsome face.

“You’re - um. You - you’re…?” Steve couldn’t quite form his words. Katie smiled, as he swallowed hard “Katie…”

“Yeah. Although I think the correct term might be ‘we.’” 

“Sweetheart you…” he looked at his wife, not quite able to believe what she was saying “We’re, really having a baby?” “Yeah.” She nodded, sniffing slightly as she reached for him then with both hands, cupping his face in her fingers. “We are. You’re gonna be a daddy, Steve.”

“Shit!” He exclaimed with a laugh “I’m gonna be a daddy!” with that he pulled her into his arms and swung her up in the air, the same way he had done when she’d agreed to marry him, causing her to laugh before he gently brought her down again, her arms sliding around his neck as he set her on her feet, pressing another kiss to her lips.

“How far gone, do you know?” He asked, pulling back an inch. “Not sure. It can’t be that far but I have an appointment with the ob-gyn tomorrow morning. I wanted to make sure everything was okay after, you know…”

Steve glanced down at her stomach and moved his hand towards it, pausing.

“You don’t have to ask.” Katie smiled softly, taking his hand in hers and guiding it onto her stomach. Steve took a deep breath as his fingers splayed out gently across her belly under her palm, his face shining with pure unadulterated emotion as his eyes stayed focused on his hand.

He had never felt so happy or so alive in his life.

*****

A tiny blip. Nothing more than what looked like static brought tears to both their eyes as Dr Kellet pointed to the image.

“Well, Mrs Rogers” she smiled “from this I estimate you’re roughly eight weeks pregnant.” “Eight weeks?” Steve asked, as he did the maths in his head. Eight weeks took them back to the fourth of July, his birthday…

Katie grinned to herself as she felt Steve’s arms slide around her waist and his lips gently brushing on her neck, his stubble scratching at her skin.

“I’m trying to cook you lunch here.” she sighed as his hand worked beneath the waistband of her denim shorts. Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers skated into her underwear.

“Want me to stop?” he asked as her head fell back against his shoulder and she bit her lip.

“Didn’t say that.” she muttered as his fingers slipped further into her folds, finding her spot. His other hand slipped up her vest top and splayed on her stomach, pulling her back into him further and she let out a soft squeak as he slipped one finger into her. He continued to work her, she was putty in his hands and eventually when he knew she was close he moved and spun her round, pulling her to him, his arousal pressing into her as he kissed her, hard, his hands cupping her cheeks as he backed her into the wall. Her hands strayed down to the buckle of his belt and she quickly undid it, wasting no time as she slipped her hand into his boxers, grasping him hard. He bucked at the touch and let out a hiss.

“Easy soldier.” she grinned into his mouth as he let out a groan, his hands dropping to her shorts. In a flash she was out of them and her underwear and he lifted her easily, her legs wrapping around his waist, back pressed against the kitchen wall.

“Shut up.” he mumbled, kissing her hard and she laughed into his mouth, a laugh that turned into a gasp as he pushed into her with no warning at all.

“Gonna fuck a baby into you doll.” He growled and her head rolled back, banging slightly on the light yellow painted wall. “Say that again.” she moaned.

He punctuated each word with a hard thrust “I’m…gonna…fuck…a…baby…into…you…” he purred, one hand resting by her head on the wall, the other snaking under her top and pulling down the cups of her bra. He rolled each nipple in turn between his thumb and forefinger leaving her grinding down against him for more friction as she kissed him again, hard, her gasps coming thick and fast as he rutted up, his hips snapping back and forth in a fast and deep rhythm. Steve let out a groan, his tongue sliding against hers sending the familiar red hot pokers of desire straight to his belly. His wife still managed to turn him on as much as the first time they’d ever been intimate together, despite there being what felt like a life time of ups and downs since then. If anything he was convinced that’s what made it better. He knew her body as well as he knew his own, every curve, every dip, every scar, blemish freckle and she knew his, each and every single inch of his skin, his limbs. Her hands grasped at his back, sliding up his t-shirt, nails raking down his skin, the stinging sensation causing him to grunt again as his rhythm picked up slightly, gaining momentum as he could feel himself going. “Come on, baby.” He muttered, his forehead pressed against hers “Wanna see you let go.”

“Stevie.” Her voice was a whisper, as her eyes fluttered closed for a second and he felt her thighs tighten around him, her mouth falling slack for a moment as her head tilted back. He moved the hand that was against the wall to her neck, holding her head in place and when her eyes opened again, those beautiful green orbs locked onto his she gave a low, sultry moan and he felt her walls tighten around him.

“Fuck, you feel so good.” He mumbled as the strands in his stomach began to tighten “I love you, so much.” and with a final few snaps of his hips he came with a loud moan, his head falling to her shoulder, lips latching onto her neck as he thrust through his orgasm, before he stilled, both of them catching their breath.

Their baby had been conceived between the toaster and the fridge.

“So from that you’re estimated due date is the ninth April…” Dr Kellet smiled, tapping at something on her computer and then turning to gently wipe off the gel she had placed on Katie’s stomach. “So, do you have any questions?”

Of course Steve did. He spent a full thirty minutes drilling the woman about all the types of things Katie could and couldn’t do. Dr Kellet smiled, before she answered all of them, and some he hadn’t asked, in particular one about how sex was fine up until the birth if Katie was comfortable, warning him in fact that many pregnant women felt a spike in their libido in their second trimester. This caused Steve to flush and Katie to silently snigger.

“And lastly, I do hate to warn you about this as well but the term morning sickness, its bullshit. Should be called All Day Sickness”

“Tell me about it” Katie rolled her eyes. “Smells are the worst trigger.”

“Yeah, that’s very common.” the Dr Smiled “The good news is it should die down, if not go completely by about twenty weeks, but just keep yourself hydrated and rest up to avoid fatigue.”

“Thanks.” Katie smiled at her, “I’ll bear it in mind.”

As they walked back to the car, Steve’s arm curled round Katie’s shoulder and he pulled her closer, dropping a kiss onto her head. She smiled to herself, leaning into his touch as he gripped the scan photo they had been given with his other hand.

“I still can’t quite believe it.” He shook his head, reaching into his pocket for the car keys. “I know.” Katie’s voice was little more than a whisper. Steve turned to face her, his hands linking at the bottom of her spine “I can’t wait to tell everyone.” “We’re not telling everyone until twelve weeks is up.” she said, shaking her head “Bar Tony, Natasha, and Emmy.”

“Now?” He grinned, and Katie laughed as she snaked her arms round his neck.

“So impatient, Captain Badass.” She grinned as she leaned up to kiss him. “But yeah, let’s pay Tony a visit!”

Steve spent the entire forty-five minute journey grinning like an idiot, chatting about plans for nurseries and all sorts of stuff, he was incandescently excited. Katie simply let him go on, his happiness was infectious although she did at one point have to get him to pull over so she could vomit out of the passenger door.

Steve was out of the car like a shot and round to the other side, crouching down, his hand gently stroking Katie’s flushed cheek.

“You okay?” He asked, his face concerned as she reached for the bottle of water that was in the cup holder.

“Get used to this.” She groaned, laying her head back against the head rest.

As they walked up the driveway to the porch, Pepper spotted them immediately from where she was sat on a chair on the grass, Morgan happily led on her tummy on the tartan blanket. She greeted them as they approached and Morgan let out a loud shriek at the sound of their voices.

“Moo, you’ve gotten so big!” Steve smiled as he swept her up and she beamed back at him.

“Well you haven’t seen her in a few weeks.” Pepper chuckled, as Steve gently pulled faces at the infant, causing her to give him a huge smile. “They grow fast.” “You’re not kidding.” Steve mused and Katie smiled, unable to stop her heart blooming at the thought that he would be doing that soon enough with their own baby.

“Hey guys.” Tony smiled, walking out of the house and dropping onto a seat next to Pepper. “Not that it’s not nice to see you but we weren’t expecting you.” “Yeah, well, we err, have some news that we kinda wanted to tell you in person.” Katie glanced up at Steve as he gently placed Morgan back on the blanket and Katie sat on the wicker couch opposite her brother and Pepper, Steve perching on the arm next to her.

Pepper twigged immediately, smiling at Katie who grinned back.

“What’s the matter?” Tony frowned, “Are you sick? Is something wrong with the business?”

“Oh come on Tony, isn’t it obvious?” Pepper looked at him

“Errr no.” he frowned. “What-” he looked at his sister “-what’s supposed to be obvious?”

Katie glanced at Steve who gave her a grin before he turned and looked at his brother-in-law.

“You’re gonna be an uncle, Tony!” he smiled, dropping an arm round Katie’s shoulders.

Tony stared for a minute and then slapped his knees triumphantly, a huge grin breaking across his face. “You’re kidding me! Really? Really?” He leaned forward, intently scrutinizing Katie’s midsection until she tossed a throw pillow at his head. He dodged it, looked at her for a moment before he jumped up and swept her into an enormous hug. She stood up to greet him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Kiddo, that’s, wow, it’s awesome!” He spluttered.

“Thanks Tony.” She sniffed, stepping back as her brother reached up and cupped her face in his hands, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Guys, congratulations.” Pepper gave Steve a hug and then turned to Katie when Tony had finally released her, giving the younger woman a squeeze.  

“Wow, Baby America - you gonna dress him in star spangled diapers?” Tony paused, faltering, as he was shaking Steve’s hand. “Or her, or maybe one of each?”

“One of each?” Steve frowned.

“It isn’t twins.” Katie rolled her eyes

“You gonna find out what it is?” Pepper asked.

“I dunno we haven’t discussed it.”

“Wait, they can find out?” Steve frowned “They can find out what it is before it’s born?” Tony looked at Steve “Remind me how long you’ve been defrosted?”

“Tony.” Pepper warned him before she turned to Steve “Yes, Steve they can.” “But you guys didn’t?” He frowned. “We didn’t want to know.”  Tony shrugged, dropping a kiss onto the side of Pepper’s head before he clapped his hands together. “This causes for a celebration, only not you young lady.” He pointed at Katie and she rolled her eyes “Yes, beers.” he continued chunnering away to himself, heading back to the house.

“You two okay to watch Morgan?” Pepper asked gesturing to where Morgan lay on her back, legs wriggling furiously “Just keep an eye on her, anything she can get hold of she’s sticking in her mouth…”

The two of them nodded and sank back into the chairs and Steve dropped a kiss to Katie’s head, his arm curling round her shoulders as she snuggled into him, kicking off her shoes so she could swing her feet up onto the cushion besides her.

“Happy?” He asked.

“Ridiculously” she responded, giving him a soft kiss.

***** Later that night they broke their happy news to Emmy, only she didn’t react the way they had expected.

“So,” she looked down at her hands as her fingers twisted around one another, the way they always did when she was worried, “does this mean I need to pack my bags?” “What?” Katie frowned, “Why would us having a baby mean you need to pack your bags?” “Coz, well, you’ll have your own kid now.” she shrugged “Not like you’ll want me around.” Steve and Katie shared a look and Steve shook his head, dropping to his knees in front of the girl as Katie sat on the arm of the chair she was in.

“Of course we want you around.” Steve looked at the girl “Emmy, you’re part of our family now, and all this means is that our family is getting a bit bigger.”

Emmy looked up at Steve, her eyes shining with tears, before she looked at Katie, and melted into her arms as the woman gave her a hug.

“You have a home with us for as long as you want.” Katie pulled back, smiling “And besides,” she winked, “you’ll be our chief babysitter.”

Later that night, when she was getting changed for bed, Steve couldn’t help but just watch Katie as she moved around the bedroom in her sleep shorts and bra. The fact she was growing his baby just made her all the more beautiful to him, and when he couldn’t stand not touching her anymore, he threw his legs off the bed and moved to stand behind her, looking over her shoulder into the mirror as she finished cleaning her teeth. One hand came to rest on her hip, while his other hand slipped down, palm spread protectively over her bare abdomen as he pressed tender kisses to her cheek and throat.

"I love you,” he whispered softly against her ear.

She leaned back against him, looking at the two - no, three of them in the mirror, her husband’s head bowed against hers, their child beneath his hand.

For once he fell asleep before Katie, and as she lay there, gently stroking the back of his neck she couldn’t help the immense happiness that overwhelmed her. Things were about to change, again, for them. But this time, it was a change they both welcomed.

**** Chapter 43

**Original Posting**

[barbasbodaciousbeard]

If You Love Someone, Let Them Go: Part 6

Summary: Since starting with SVU, Sonny hadn’t kept much terribly close to the chest. The squad knew about his family, growing up on Staten Island, the classes at Fordam. What was hidden was why he didn’t date. Sonny Carisi was also separated from his childhood sweetheart, a separation neither ever took to divorce. They had the same haunts. They’d grown up neighbors. Their paths crossed every few months, and divorce talks would turn into reminiscing would turn into a night spent together, sometimes sex sometimes just talking until the early morning. It always ended with one of them waking up alone however. How will that change when the squad finds out?

Pairings: Sonny Carisi x Original Character

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

April 2015

“You ready?” Sonny called as he came into her apartment. They’d agreed to skip the pretense and drive together, and Sonny had booked a hotel room within walking distance after confirming she’d be okay with it. His bag was in the trunk, and he grinned when she came out bundled up, the same Fordham sweatshirt she’d stolen under her coat and the little wheeled bag beside her. 

“Ready,” she grinned, stretching up to kiss him, and he felt like he could do anything. He took her bag despite her protest.

“I got us a room for the next two nights. We ain’t gotta stay both, but I thought it might be nice to go to dinner? I got both nights off, too.”

“That sounds real nice. I packed some real people clothes anyway.”

“Perfect. Now let’s get going. Bella said you guys got a make up artist coming.”

“Yeah. She got one and a hairdresser.”

“She’s definitely the one who wouldn’t wanna get herself ready.”

“Yeah. We gotta get there in time. What’re the groomsmen doing?”

“Playing video games and taking turns shaving and showering.”

“Not fair.”

“You look hot. You don’t need hair and make up.”

“You always think I’m hot.”

“That’s because you always are.”

“So are you. I got real lucky on the husband front.”

“You really think so?” She could sense the current under what he said. It wasn’t just Am I hot? but was also Are you lucky?

“Incredibly lucky. I got you.” He slammed the trunk shut, cheeks pink when he settled in the driver’s seat. It was familiar to drive with their fingers laced, and he smiled to see her wedding set in place. Bella had gone by the bakery to surprise her one day, and his sister was very pleased to let him know both rings were on her left ring finger. He’d told the squad the same day he told Olivia, and his ring had been on his hand every day since, the cross the only thing on the chain again.

“Think they’d notice if I do my own make up and hang out with you?”

“She really does have y’all going like two hours longer than Gina did.”

“Yeah. Gina was very ‘Let’s get down to business, get photos, and get married.’ Bella’s way more into the matching robes and face masks vibe. But she’ll be happy.”

“I’ll check in a lot, okay? I don’t like the video games Tommy does.”

“You just like Sims. It’s endearing.”

“It’s kinda fun.”

“You spent six hours building a house once.”

“I had t’make sure it was perfect. They were having twins, Tor.”

“I love you, you absolute nerd.”

“Your nerd.” 

“Damn straight.” Sonny dropped her off at the venue, checking them in at the hotel and dropping off their bags. He stopped by the bridal suite when he got to the venue, thankful the weather moved the ceremony inside now that he was out of the cold. 

“Dominick! No boys allowed,” Bella said, wagging her finger at him, hair in rollers. 

“I know, I know. I’m just bringing Tor the key and her charger, okay?”

“You got her key?” Gina asked, leaning back to look at him and lifting her brow. “That sounds like you’re sharing a room.”

“We are,” Victoria said plainly, taking both items gladly. All the girls had changed into robes, but she’d opted to stay in his oversized sweatshirt until the inevitable photos. A primal part of him liked knowing that.

“That sounds like a reconciliation,” the younger Carisi sang, and Victoria rolled her eyes. “And you two snuck out of the party early like you used to.”

“I’m real glad you approve of our progress, but if you put too much pressure on us, we might break again.” Victoria knew he didn’t mean it and just wanted them to drop it, which she was grateful for. They weren’t quite there, but she trusted he’d probably open up by the end of their weekend together. Even if he didn’t, she’d decided she wanted to start planning to see him more after the wedding. Several late nights with Margy and a bottle of wine had told her that much. If you prove you’ll be there and patient, he’ll probably feel less like he’s scaring you off, she’d told Victoria after another night analyzing their last four encounters.

“Fine. But just know I’m telling ma. Maybe she’ll stop being mean to Tor.”

“Ignore Bella. She’s been glaring, but I think Sonny talked sense into her at Thanksgiving. She’s mad at both of them now.”

“As she should be,” he shrugged, kissing Victoria. “See ya for pictures.”

“See ya,” she grinned, ignoring his sisters’ squeals. This marathon made her kind of tired. Her hair and makeup were done soon enough, and she was grateful the dress was a dusty, dark enough pink in person to look good on her. She liked pink on Sonny, especially since the sides of his brunette hair had started going gray, against the blue of his eyes. The bridesmaids, the two Carisi sisters, Victoria, and a couple of Bella’s friends, all posed together in the matching silky robes before slipping their dresses on. 

“And you thought that pink wouldn’t look good,” Sonny said softly against her ear before kissing her cheek. 

“You like it?” Her hands rested on his shoulders as she smiled up at him, and he felt giddy. It was official. This was how they acted before, no almost needed. 

“I do. Beautiful color on you. And damn, my wife got a figure.”

“You’re the best hypeman,” she hummed as she straightened his tie. “I ever told you how handsome you look in a suit? Or how pretty pink makes your eyes?”

“I can stand to hear it again.” There was the cocky smile he got sometimes. “I’m starting to look old, doll.”

“Nah. Getting hotter.”

“Even with the gray?” He’d been self conscious about it before, when the evenly dispersed gray in his dark hair could be mistaken for a dirty blonde. His temples gave him away now, but she loved it.

“Even hotter with the gray.”

“Stop being gross,” Teresa whined. “It’s like when you were getting ready for homecoming again.” She was rewarded with her brother and sister-in-law’s middle fingers, and Victoria was pleased with Gianna’s disapproval and the picture the photographer snapped. They took pictures, and Sonny was glad when they settled in the back of the venue. He could see the back of Olivia, Barba, Amaro, and Rollins’ heads, and the change in his dynamic with Victoria had him looking forward to showing her off at the reception. 

“Shoes off at the reception. I intercept ma?”

“How’d you know?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m supporting ninety percent of your weight, Tor.”

“Love you.”

“Do I need to hold ya until we walk?” 

“Not enough time to make a difference. But you’re a saint for offering.”

When Olivia saw Sonny with Victoria on his arm, it made sense why he’d been calmer the last two weeks. He’d been texting her more, though he thought he was sneaky enough no one noticed how he smiled at his phone throughout the day. She seemed to smooth his edges, and she and Amanda shared a look over the way the pair watched each other across the front of the venue. The ceremony was a quick enough affair, and Bella had decided to let her bridal party sit wherever they wanted. That led to Victoria stepping out of her shoes, pleased to be spared a big entrance. Heels in hand, she followed Sonny to the table his squad was at before dropping into her seat and giving a wave.

“Means a lot to Bella and Tommy you all came,” Sonny said, taking her shoes and tucking the wall by his chair. “This is my wife, Victoria. Tor, meet Rafael Barba, Olivia Benson, Nick Amaro, and Amanda Rollins.”

“Nice to meet all of ya. I’ve heard a lot.”

“Wish we could say the same,” Rollins said, and Victoria immediately recognized what Sonny had meant. No venom. Just protective of her occasional partner. And Benson was definitely the mother hen, shooting the blonde a look as Amaro and Barba concealed smiles.

“Get it all out now,” she joked, rolling her eyes. “Married into this family nine years ago.”

“Been putting up with Carisi that long? I’ll petition the pope for sainthood.” The three piece suit. The snark. Barba was just what she expected. 

“Think she deserves it,” Sonny chuckled, arm flung easily over the back of her chair. “I can be a pain in the ass.”

Conversation started to flow easily, and he was glad Victoria was tough enough to bite back at Rollins and Barba when they referenced anything touchy. Tommy’s family filled out the rest of the table, and he was glad to see the trial had brought them around to agree that what happened to Tommy was wrong. Teresa and Tommy’s brother gave the speeches, and he liked seeing the squad join in as Bella threw the bouquet and Tommy threw the garter. 

“Bella caught my bouquet, remember?” Victoria smiled up at him.

“Yeah. And Freddy Esposito got the garter.”

“Both of ‘em got married this year.”

“Was delayed for us. Our friends from back then are just now getting married.” 

“We’ve been married nine years and aren't even thirty. I think we were ahead of the curve.”

“But now my baby sister is married and pregnant.”

“Dom, you do know she and I are the same age?” Sonny blinked, squinting at her. 

“You’re fucking with me, right?”

“We’re both twenty-seven.”

“No way Bella’s twenty-seven.”

“I like how you can fully separate me and Bella graduating together.”

“I forget,” he shrugged. “You always picked me anyway.”

“Then married you. Duh. Long game.”

“I hear people making noise.”

“They’re cutting the cake. Amaro has the garter half in his shirt pocket, and a three year old caught the bouquet. The same age you think Bella was when she caught mine.”

“Shut up,” he laughed, pulling her to stand at the edge of the dance floor to watch the first dance. His arms slid around her waist as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

“He wouldn’t have to stoop so low if you’d wear your damn shoes, stellina.”

“Ma, leave her be.” Gianna rolled her eyes, but Sonny squeezed Victoria as the music started. “She’s coming back around. Called ya stellina instead of Victoria.”

It was kind of fun to watch the four members of his work family loosen up around the room. Amaro and Rollins were across the dance floor and not fooling anyone. Barba wasn’t sure what to make of any of the Carisis or Sullivans, but since they’d easily figured out that Olivia was not involved with him, the singles from both families had circled the man who was suddenly the most eligible bachelor. The best part was how hard Olivia ignored his visual pleas to be saved as she talked to one of Tommy’s uncles. It was nice not pretending work and personal life were separate; the squad had taken him in like he hadn’t anticipated, and now his family was taking the chance to accept his squad. 

When the first dance was over, Sonny pulled her onto the dance floor, holding her flush against him in a way he hadn’t been brave enough to before. They’d talked every day the last two weeks, and he’d realized they really had hit the turning point. The songs weren’t slow, so his chest was against her back as his hand splayed over her stomach as they swayed. Both their voices were off key as they sang along to each song with the rest of the guests on the floor. Nick and Amanda were wrapped up in each other, and Olivia and Rafael seemed perfectly entertained, so he didn’t feel bad slipping out after a couple hours. 

“I know you two. Go ahead and dip. You stayed for all the important parts,” Bella had grinned, bumping Victoria’s hip with her own. “I’m the only sober one here, so this is gonna wrap up earlier than anyone realizes. Baby and I gotta sleep.”

“You sure?” 

“Positive, Tor.” That was all it took for Sonny to lace their fingers, duck out of the venue, and start the couple of blocks to their hotel. At first, she wore the heels and walked,  but he quickly realized it was the shoes, not the wine, making her unsteady.

“That’s it,” he said, squatting in his suit. “Hop on.”

“My bag’s heavy.”

“I can handle it, babe.”

“You sure?”

“You don’t hop on, we’re going spider monkey front carry, and we both know that always ends in me tripping more.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and Sonny held her thighs, careful to keep the fabric under his palms to save her some modesty. When they were outside the room, she slipped the key from his breast pocket, helping him push the door open before he dropped her on the bed. 

“Thank you,” she sighed, toeing the pumps off and letting them fall. 

“Glad to be of service.” A little salute as he started to strip out of the suit and hang it. “Thanks for always ditching early for pajamas with me.”

“Glad to be of service.” She hung the dress and tucked the strapless bra away, and when Sonny turned from the closet, he saw her in the oversized sweatshirt again as she pulled the blankets back on the bed. He hadn’t bothered for two. They’d had that option every time but hadn’t used it when they were fighting. 

“Comfy?” He ran a hand through his hair, breaking up the gel before flopping beside her.

“Very.”

“It’s literally nine o’clock. Are we old, Tor?”

“Old? No. Codependent? Maybe.”

“We been living apart a year and a half. Maybe we’re just a clique.”

“Very true. We’re like if the plastics were millennials who had been married a decade.”

“We should write that script.”

“Forget law school. Teen movie parodies based around our marriage.”

“Perfect. I’ll drop all my classes tomorrow.”

“I missed you. It’s been nice talking all the time.”

“I missed you too,” he murmured, watching her with his cheek pressed to the pillow. 

“Regardless of if you’re ready to tell me, I wanna keep talking a lot.”

“I’m ready. I just was going to wait. Don’t wanna ruin our weekend.”

“I feel like you’re going to tell me and realize I don’t care as much as you thought. Unless you fucked somebody.”

“First, last, and only, Tor.” He rolled onto his back, taking a deep breath, and Victoria knew him well enough to know this really was going to be the moment. She sat up, legs tucked beneath her. Leaning towards him a little, she put her hand on his chest and rubbed what she hoped were soothing circles as he put his hands behind his head. When he was nervous, Sonny talked to the ceiling, just needing her to anchor him.

“Just trust me, okay?”

“I trust you, vita mia,” he murmured, and that particular Italian term of endearment let her know it was really happening. “You remember when my hours changed? End of 2011. Became a detective. Acted funny when you took me upstate. A year before I fucked up and forgot your birthday bakery combo dinner.”

“Of course.”

“I was working homicide.”

“Okay?”

“It really fucked me up, Tor. What I seen, it was so bad. The women. There were so many women, and they’d be so pristine. One of them was in a fuckin’ dumpster even. But he took all the time to give her a bath and do her make up and get her dressed. And you know what that always told me?”

“What?” she whispered, taking the hand that went from behind his head to rest on top of hers.

“It was their husband or boyfriend. The person who they trusted. And their faces were so peaceful, Victoria. They knew what was coming. And I’d go talk to people. You know what they’d say? They weren’t surprised. They’d seen it. They’d heard it. Those men hurt their wives and girlfriends. Took advantage of the fact they trusted and loved them. I started seeing you when I saw them, Tor.”

“Sonny,” she whispered, hating the way his voice sounded. It was thick with emotion, and he’d closed his eyes. She was well aware that if he opened them, they’d be rimmed red and tears would be falling. “This is what you couldn’t tell me?”

“You’re so proud of me. I didn’t want to disappoint you. I couldn’t sleep and it hurt so badly. I’d wake up freaking because I thought it was you. I’d never hurt you, but my brain just- I don’t know. And then you’re so good. You deal with cakes and fondant and cannoli and things that make people happy. I was so scared that if I talked about it, it would blot out the light in you. I felt like the only light I had was you. I think I pulled away because of that and it snowballed. When it got so bad, the last six months? It got to the point I thought all that darkness and the stuff I was seeing and the stuff my brain was picturing would- fuck- leak into you through osmosis or something. When I wanted to tell you, my brain would just change the words I wanted to say.”

“Sonny, I didn’t know it was like that,” she murmured. 

“You couldn’t have known. I wouldn’t tell you.”

“I should have figured it out.”

“Don’t do that, doll. If you’re willing to trust me to tell you moving forward, I just want to move forward.”

“I shouldn’t have left, Dominick. You were hurting, and I just abandoned you.”

“I was depressed. I should have told you or talked to someone. Being depressed doesn’t make it okay to neglect you. I need to take care of myself.”

“And I should have stuck with you. Figured out the why.”

“You did though. I’ve known that I can come to you for the last two years. I just couldn’t get past myself. Doc’s been working through it with me. Says I gotta learn that dad bottling it up wasn’t good. It works better for him and ma because she couldn’t read him when they met. I never had to tell you so I didn’t know how. And then dad doesn’t believe in men sharing their feelings. It’s easy to ignore that for the good feelings. I didn’t want you to think I wasn’t tough enough.”

“I didn’t know how to tell you how I was feeling. I knew you saw dark stuff and I was scared to make it worse. I didn’t want to pressure you.”

“Are we okay?” His voice was almost pleading, barely a whisper as his eyes finally opened to look at her. She laid against him, cupping his cheek as his hand flew to rest on hers. They were both crying, and she hated it. She hated to know that it was such a stupid miscommunication. If she’d pressed on it, taken guesses, asked around, maybe she could’ve helped him not hurt. This new squad seemed good for him, and therapy was helping. She probably needed to address their relationship more in therapy, learn how to ask for what she needed. They had to an extent, helping her hold out as long as she had for him to open up.

“We’re okay, Sonny. I’m so proud of you.” She was nudging his nose with her own, not dropping his gaze. 

“Thank you for being so patient.”

“I’d have waited for ya forever. First, last, and only, Sonny.”

“Come home.”

“We gotta consolidate now,” she teased gently. “But I’ll come home.”

“It’s in Brooklyn now. You’ll like it. I didn’t even get rid of that stupid dog statue.”

“He’s a very important dog statue.” 

“I love you, you weirdo.”

“I love you too, nerd.” He missed laughing with her, even when they were both crying. The relief that flooded him was suddenly exhausting. Not telling her had been heavy on him for a long time, but he didn’t expect his body’s physical response to the openness. He felt like he did before he went on this pointless journey to hide the bad parts of his field from her. She knew what he did. She kissed him, slow and sweet and loving, and Sonny’s arms snaked around her. They’d kissed plenty since she left, but there was always a hesitance behind it. Unsureness around their status. Now, he was kissing his wife, not his estranged wife. Even if it took time, they were working towards her coming back home. They hadn’t had sex since their ill fated first run in post separation. It was slow and sentimental, and afterwards, he had a half second of panic she’d disappear. Instead of pulling away like his gut wanted, he curled around her frame, nuzzled into the crook of his neck. 

“I missed that,” he murmured. 

“Me too.” She rested her hand on his, and he could feel that she was smiling in how her cheeks moved. He felt greedy, wanting to feel every bit of her skin he was able to before he fell asleep. When he woke to find her still there, he was relieved, and even better, she’d twisted in the night, leg hooked over his hip and her chest pressed to his. They’d spent most of the night talking or tangled together, so they’d slept in until ten o’clock. He checked his phone to be sure everyone had made it through the night before. Once he reminded his mom he was spending the weekend and really wouldn’t be at Sunday dinner, he settled back in to watching her. After a while, she started to stir, pulling him closer. She’d been right, everything had changed once he told her. He didn’t feel like he had to keep any space between them.

“Morning, beautiful,” he whispered, and she stretched her arms over her head.

“Heya, handsome.” She pressed a kiss to his lips, and it took all his attention not to take her again. He’d made plans for the day, and he was determined to stick to them. Even if they hadn't reconciled, she was a sucker for the beach, even when it was cold, so he’d planned to take her to lunch, take her to get her nails done, and take her to walk the little shops he’d found. It would make her smile, and he’d missed the little trips they’d taken before. Other than going to the cabin, something she’d planned, it had been years between work and school and money. For their tenth anniversary, he was already planning, even though there was just over a year to plan. He wanted to take her back to New Orleans, just the pair of them together now and no disappointment on her part that her mom was there but ignoring her. 

“I planned a day for us.” His hands trailed her spine, and he realized something else had shifted since he told her the reality. While he thought it wasn’t possible, he felt even closer to her. The men in his family, though well intentioned, had always told him it would be viewed as weaker to share his emotional world with anyone. They thought it was a little girly for him to be as sappy with her as he tended to be, tearing up at weddings and when he talked about how proud of her he was. But the bad things? Those were weaknesses that would drive her away. The realization that the depression and inability to separate work from her didn’t scare her off made him realize that letting her see it wasn’t going to break them. Hell, it seemed to bring her closer.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Lunch on the beach. Little walk on the beach after. Manicure- I know you, Tor. Don’t try to say you got one for Bella’s weddin. You love them but won’t take yourself ever- and then we can walk around some of the little shops and stuff.”

“That sounds like a real romantic day, Dom.”

“What can I say? I learned my lesson about not being romantic.”

“I’m excited to come home.”

“Me too, Tor.”

Tag: @cycat4077 @fear-less-write-more

[freckled-petals]

The Relationship: Part 2; Talbott/Reader

Summary: When Talbott’s “fan club” causes him trouble, Penny’s idea for you to step in causes quite the uproar.

Word Count: 5474

Part one can be found here!

——

The night passed fitfully for you. Your head was swirling with thoughts and the room felt entirely too hot. Your mind kept drifting back to Talbott’s hand in yours, and each time the thought entered, you let out an unhappy huff before rolling over. You didn’t want to think about this afternoon. Doing so would be admitting just how electric the contact had felt.

“Merlin, it was just hand holding,” you silently hissed to yourself. You pushed yourself up and out of bed, silently crossing to the window for some air. You exhaled, rubbing your forehead in frustration.

But eventually, your mind reminded you that this was just the beginning. It wasn’t going to just be hand holding. If either of you wanted this to be believable, there would be more you’d have to do.

Suddenly your mind was racing with other thoughts. Some physical contact? Okay, that wouldn’t be terrible. At least, you tried to tell yourself that. If holding his hand had caused such a reaction within you, what would happen when he touched you elsewhere? Merlin, the thought of him touching you elsewhere...

You quickly shook your head, expelling the thought. What else had Penny suggested? Longing glancing? Surely that would be the easiest, right? All Talbott did was scowl and glare, so you were sure you’d be immune from his sharp, deep, piercing, beautiful eyes—stop, you mentally hissed.

As you forced yourself back into your bed, you couldn’t stop the one thought that was screaming in the back of your mind from coming to the forefront. What if he tried to kiss you? You felt like you were going to explode from the heat spreading across your cheeks. You were too exhausted to stop yourself from thinking about his lips - warm and soft - wrapping around yours, tugging, nipping, sucking.

You grabbed your pillow, pulling it down onto your face so your fellow Gryffindors wouldn’t hear your frustrated whines.

——

By the time you had to get up, you were considerably more exhausted than you had been before going to bed. You didn’t know how you were going to make it through the day. The morning dragged on and you couldn’t help but think about meeting up with Talbott after his class. Your mind certainly hadn’t been helpful in preparing you for whatever was going to happen then.

All you knew was that you would be in front of those third years, and you and Talbott would have to be convincing. Whatever that meant set your nerves on end.

As one o’clock approached, you found your breathing growing heavier as you made your way down the the dungeons. Brave of heart, brave of heart, you mentally chanted, steeling yourself for what was about to unfold. You were a Gryffindor. You needed to be brave.

Stepping off the final stair, your eyes settled on a group of students, all gathered around the door where you could pick up Snape’s monotoned voice lecturing. It didn’t take long for your eyes to find a head of curly blonde hair belonging to Isabella Mott. She was closest to the door, periodically glancing in the classroom and giggling to her friends - a few of which you recognized from last night.

Sucking in a breath, you made your way closer to the classroom. Bravery, courage, you mentally chanted, making your way closer to the door. It was only then that you felt eyes shifting to look at you, but you kept your gaze on the classroom, spotting Talbott at one of the tables with his head in his book. You mentally scolded yourself for the little flip in your stomach that you felt.

“You’re the curse breaker,” a voice spoke, pulling you from your thoughts. You turned, finding none other than Isabella Mott grinning up at you. She seemed...excited.

“That’s definitely her,” one of her friends whispered softly, nodding. You thought it was Ella Wilson, but you’d never been great with names.

“I suppose I am,” you responded, glancing down at the shorter Ravenclaw. Her face seemed to light up at that. Once again, you were struck by how pretty she was, and you couldn’t help but be surprised that Talbott hadn’t entertained her advances, at least a little bit.

“So cool,” another friend - the Slytherin, Avery Thorne, you thought - spoke up, arching an eyebrow in your direction.

“How do you balance quidditch and curse breaking?” Madison Lee chimed in, leaning towards you. Okay, you could see how one could get annoyed with the barrage of questions. Isabella was quick to cut in, though, before you could answer.

“What brings you here?” She questioned, gazing at you. You grinned to yourself: it was showtime.

“I’m waiting for someone,” you said simply.

“Us, too,” Amelia Stevens interjected, and the rest of her friends giggled excitedly. Just wait until they realized you were all waiting for the same person.

Isabella grinned, glancing once more into the classroom before turning back to you. “It was really cool to meet you. You’re quite the celebrity at Hogwarts,” she said, and you couldn’t help but laugh. The girl was clearly a suck up.

“Thanks, I guess,” you laughed, scratching the back of your head. You were sure her opinion would change any minute, though. Looking back in the classroom, you noticed the students packing their things, and you felt your heart rate quicken.

“Here he comes,” Ella whispered excitedly, shaking Isabella’s arm as the sixth-year potions students began filing out of the class.

You chanced a glance at the third years, each one practically pushing to get a glance at Talbott. They just about had hearts in their eyes. You glanced back towards the classroom, surprised to immediately lock eyes with Talbott. He’d seen you, and was quickly making his way towards you. You felt your breath catch in your throat.

It suddenly dawned on you that Talbott and you hadn’t even discussed what you were going to do! All you had told him was that you’d meet him, but then what?! You were sure you could feel your heart pounding against your rib cage as he made his way closer.

“He’s so handsome,” Avery gushed as he exited the classroom.

“Hi, Talbott—“ Isabella’s voice spoke but Talbott didn’t even look up. He closed the remaining distance between you two, a soft smile making its way onto his features. You weren’t sure you’d even seen him look so content, and it only made you more self conscious since he was looking at you.

“Hey, you,” he spoke levelly, reaching up to lightly tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. Your face felt hot, but with the way he was looking at you, you couldn’t help but return the smile as you gazed up at him.

“Hey,” you responded, your voice almost getting lost in your throat.

His smile only grew, and not another moment passed before his arm had slid over your shoulder, effectively pulling you into his side. You let out a soft breath and raised your own arm to wrap around his middle, keeping you secured against him. The gasps from the other girls did not go unnoticed by either of you as you began heading away form the area.

“How was class?” You questioned, trying to ignore the uproar from the third years behind you.

“Much better now,” he responded, leading you out of the dungeon.

Once you were a decent distance from the classroom, his hold on you dropped, though you couldn’t help but be a tad disappointed. He was warm and inviting, but you were quick to mentally scold yourself for such thoughts. This was all an act, remember?

“You’ll be pleased to know,” you hummed as you headed towards the great hall for a late lunch. He raised an eyebrow, glancing down at you as he waited for you to continue. “You’re apparently dating a Hogwarts celebrity,” you grinned up at him, and he immediately snorted in amusement.

“Excuse me?” He grinned, taking a seat across from you.

“Isabella Mott. She was practically gushing over me before you came out,” you laughed, grinning at him. “The whole lot of them had questions, actually.”

“Careful,” he warned, though a grin was plastered on his face. “You might have a fan club before we know it,” he joked.

You scoffed, playfully rolling your eyes. “Not bloody likely,” you drawled.

“Perhaps Penny was right about choosing you for this,” he mused, beginning to eat.

“Perhaps so,” you hummed, taking a few bites of the food in front of you. “Did you happen to get a look at their faces?” You questioned. You weren’t able to see anything from how tightly you were pressed against his side.

“Briefly. Pretty amusing looks if you ask me,” Talbott grinned, glancing at you. “I think they bought it.”

“How could they not?” You laughed. You practically bought it. Talbott smiled and nodded in agreement, only to purse his lips moments later.

“I don’t think that’ll be the end of it, though,” he mused, resting his head on his fist before looking off in thought. “I don’t think they’ll give up that easily.”

“Then neither will we,” you said, offering him a smile. “When do you expect we’ll see ‘em next? Dinner?” You questioned.

“Mm, probably,” he agreed.

“Then that’s when we’ll strike next,” you laughed, though you couldn’t help but feel your heart beat quicken at the thought of what was to come.

“Alright,” he said, offering you one more smile, though he didn’t speak any more on the subject. Was he not as affected as you were? Were you reading too much into this? Probably.

——

After lunch and two classes later, you were about to pass out from exhaustion, but at least you only had dinner left to get through.

Entering the great hall, your eyes scanned the room until you found your group of friends chatting amiably. Your eyes met with Talbott, only for your heart to do a little flip as he sent a small wave in your direction.

You made your way closer, smiling as you took your seat among your friends.

“It’s about time. This one’s been watching the door like a hawk for the last ten minutes,” Charlie laughed, nudging Talbott. The bird pun wasn’t lost on you.

“Oh really?” You grinned, glancing across the table at Talbott who was looking anywhere but at you. Had he been waiting for you? The thought was a bit exciting.

“How’s your day been?” Penny questioned from beside you, an eager look on her face. She was clearly hoping to hear about something between you and Talbott.

“Pretty eventful,” you laughed, just as you felt a hand take yours from across the table. Looking up, your eyes met with Talbott’s and a fresh wave of heat spread across your cheeks. Why was he having such an affect on you?!

“So cute,” you heard Tulip whisper from the other end of the table. You had half a mind to retract your hand, but Talbott’s grip remained firm, even lacing his fingers with yours.

“Are they here yet?” You questioned him softly, turning to glance in the direction where the third years had been the other night.

“Right there,” Talbott said quietly, nodding his head to the side. Creasing your brow, you turned, surprised to find the third years at the same table as you. They were a fair distance away, but the fact they were this close at all!

“Merlin,” you scoffed, spotting Isabella angrily twisting her wand in her hands.

“Someone isn’t happy,” you grinned, looking back at Talbott.

“I’m guessing they’ve noticed that Talbott’s off the market,” Penny laughed, glancing between you two.

“With the show we put on earlier, I’d say so,” you grinned, glancing back at Talbott, who seemed to be staring intently at you.

You creased your brow, watching as his eyes seemed to dart along your face. “What is it?” You frowned, gazing at him. His gaze was so piercing and a bit unnerving. “What are you doing?”

“Counting your freckles,” he murmured, continuing to gaze at you intensely.

“What?!” You gaped, your eyes widening.

“Stop moving,” he murmured, clearly trying to concentrate. You were sure to any onlookers, it would look like a passionate exchange. For you, it was making your insides flutter uncomfortably. It didn’t help that he was lightly thumbing the back of your hand either.

“You guys are naturals at this,” Penny giggled, glancing between you two.

“Talbott,” you murmured, flushing deeply. It was a bit embarrassing being under his scrutinizing gaze. “Is it working?” You questioned Penny, unable to look away from Talbott.

“Oh, yeah,” she laughed, leaning forward slightly to glance at the third years.

“You’d think they smelled dungbombs with the looks on their faces,” she said, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Good,” you hummed, smiling at you continued gazing at the boy in front of you.

“Almost finished? I’d like to eat,” you playfully drawled. He remained unflinching for a few more moments before nodding.

“Thirty-one,” he responded, turning back to his own food.

“Huh?” You frowned, gazing at him for a moment longer.

“Freckles. You have thirty-one,” he said simply. You couldn’t help but self-consciously touch the patch of freckles that scattered along your cheeks and nose.

“I-I see,” you murmured, you face feeling hot once more. Just what was he playing at, making you feel like this?!

——

Dinner didn’t last much longer, though you had been sure Isabella was going to scream at you two when the third years left dinner a bit early.

Just to really rub it in, you’d raised yours and Talbott’s linked hand, just to make sure she’d seen. She practically had steam coming out of her ears as Avery and Madison tugged her along.

“Well, that was amusing,” you grinned at Talbott and Penny. “Hopefully they’ll give up soon,” you mused. You didn’t think your heart could stand much more.

You let go of Talbott’s hand - despite his subtle protest that didn’t go unnoticed by you - before standing and stretching.

“I’m going to call it a night,” you yawned and turned to bid your friends good night.

You were unsurprised to find Talbott standing as well, following you towards the exit of the hall. He’d taken your hand once more, gently lacing his fingers through yours before you left the hall.

Once you were out of the boisterous hall, you turned to him, confused why he hadn’t dropped your hand like he had the night before once you’d been out of sight from others. You were beginning to expect that he enjoyed the contact, especially with how often he did it. Surprisingly, you didn’t mind all that much.

“Walking me to my common room again?” You questioned, glancing down at your linked hands that he had yet to drop, before your gaze lifted back to meet his eyes.

“I...was hoping you would accompany me to the library,” Talbott said, momentarily glancing off into the distance. Was he looking to see if the third years were lurking about?

“Why?” You frowned, rubbing at your eye. You could feel the exhaustion hitting you like a wall. “I think the third years have gotten their fill for tonight,” you said.

“They won’t be there,” he responded, glancing back at you.

“Then you don’t need me,” you said. The more he gazed at you, the more frustrated you became. It was bad enough that mere thoughts of him had kept you up all night, but here he was, wanting to continue parading around this fake relationship some more. It was torture...or so you told yourself.

“I...I want you there,” Talbott spoke, his voice lowering slightly. You were taken aback by his sudden admittance - when did he ever like people around? Sure, he’d let down some of his walls around you during the events of last year, but asking for company was completely out of the normal for him.

“I thought you preferred being alone,” you argued, pulling your hand from his to cross you arms over your chest.

Talbott let out an exasperated sigh, looking down at your unamused form. “It’s important we be seen together,” he pointed out.

“Enough people have seen us together today. I’m tired,” you countered, yawning for emphasis.

“It’s...it’s important at the start of a relationship,” he said, keeping his gaze level, though his voice faltered the slightest bit. You wanted to argue that this wasn’t a real relationship, despite what the butterflies in your tummy were telling you, but you couldn’t force the words out. “Just for a bit,” he added, taking a hesitant step closer to you.

“I really shouldn’t,” you frowned, another yawn escaping you. You were so close to curling up in bed, but something about the look he was giving you prevented you from rejecting any further. “Alright, alright,” you sighed, letting out a huff that ruffled your fringe.

“Thank you,” Talbott said softly, reaching down to take your hand once more.

“Just for a bit,” you repeated his words, eying him challengingly, to which he simply smiled and nodded.

You continued to pout, but allowed him to lead you to the library. You were unsurprised to find it as empty as it was given the hour, but you supposed that would give you ample quiet to nap.

“What was so urgent that you needed me to accompany you for?” You questioned, watching as he pulled out a chair for you. It made your stomach lurch pleasantly - which only served to frustrate you more.

“Herbology,” he answered softly. Once you were seated, he disappeared down an aisle, returning a few minutes later with two thick books. “I have a test on bouncing bulbs at the end of the week that I haven’t had much time to study for,” he said.

“Won’t I be distracting or something? Wouldn’t you prefer to study in peace?” You frowned, crossing your arms on the table to rest your head on.

He glanced at you for a moment, silently observing before chuckling softly to himself. “I don’t think you’ll be much of a distraction with how heavy your eyelids look,” he hummed, flipping through a few pages from one of the books he’d grabbed.

“Never discount how distracting I can be,” you childishly argued, though your eyes were already shutting. It was warm and quiet and Talbott smelled rather lovely...you could certainly get used to this feeling.

“Duly noted,” you heard Talbott’s voice respond before everything seemed too far away.

——

You were asleep - not too deep but not nearly as conscious as you could have been - though you were vaguely aware of the hand you felt tangled in your hair. Fingers were lightly moving, massaging and lulling you back into unconsciousness.

——

“Hey,” you heard a soft voice, rousing you from the rather pleasant dream you’d been wrapped up in.

“Mm?” You breathed, your brow furrowing before your eyes flitted open just a crack. You were met with Talbott’s form, gazing down at you with a soft smile. It suddenly came back to you that you were in the library, not your bed, though you were still too tired to really care.

“It’s time to go,” Talbott spoke gently, his head resting on his hand. You noticed the books were gone from in front of him and his bag was all packed. Was he just waiting on you?

“Wh-what...time is it?” You blinked a bit more, groggily sitting up.

“Almost nine,” he said, enough sense to respond sheepishly.

“That’s a few more hours than a bit,” you grumbled, rubbing the cheek that had been resting on your arms.

“I needed to study, and...I was a bit distracted,” he admitted.

“Were you...playing with my hair?” You questioned suddenly, remembering the sensation. Talbott quickly looked away, his eyes settling on a spot on the table in front of you.

“A few people had been walking by, so I figured I’d keep up pretenses,” Talbott murmured, tucking his hand under him.

“It felt nice,” you admitted, your voice thick with sleep.

“Right,” he said, and you noticed the bit of blush coating his tan cheeks.

“Well...we should be off. Pince is making her final rounds,” he said, standing up. He offered his hand to you, and you took it, allowing him to raise you up and escort you out.

Perhaps accompanying him to the library hadn’t been the worst thing that could have happened.

——

A few days later, you were in your afternoon potions class - one of the few times you weren’t with Talbott - absently skimming through your textbook as you allowed your potion to simmer.

“You know, I really can’t stand it,” Merula drawled, lazily stirring her cauldron beside you.

“What is it today?” You drawled, shifting your gaze to the yellow concoction you were working on.

“You’re all anyone talks about. It’s sick,” she glared at you.

“Let’s just face it: I’m a celebrity,” you cooed, repeating the words Isabella Mott used to describe you. It made you laugh to yourself at the very thought. You finally glanced over at her, taking in her look of utter disgust. You lived to see Merula Snyde get ticked off.

“Sod off,” she glared, turning back to her potion.

“Out of curiosity,” you hummed, adding some porcupine quills to your cauldron.

“Who was it that was talking about me. So I know who to send an autograph to,” you teased, smirking over at the Slytherin beside you. Merula didn’t look up, angrily throwing peppermint sprigs into her potion.

“Avery Thorne and Amelia Stevens,” Barnaby chimed in from across the table. Merula shot him a look but didn’t speak any further. “Third years,” he said. Your eyes widened, looking at Barnaby incredulously. They were asking...about you?!

“What’d they want?” You asked, attempting to remain indifferent.

Barnaby creased his brow as if he was trying very, very hard to remember the conversation. “They wanted to know more about you. Classes you had, places you liked to go...oh! How long you’ve been dating Talbott,” he said. There it was. “I must admit, I’m surprised,” Merula spoke up then, crossing her arms over her chest. “I always figured you’d go for some dumb, strapping Gryffindor,” she drawled.

“Talbott’s...strapping,” you said, your cheeks heating up.

“Winger’s a twig,” she said. “Doesn’t suit you,” she challenged.

“We get on just fine,” you defended, narrowing your eyes. Merula raised an eyebrow, only to smirk. Clearly, she’d found a soft spot, and was ready to dig the knife in.

Merula opened her mouth to start, but within moments, Snape was hovering behind you both with his characteristically unamused glare.

“If you insist on incessant chatter, that can only mean you have produced a potion of exceptional quality, therefore not finding need for my instruction,” he drawled unhappily, inspecting your cauldrons.

“No, sir,” Merula and you spoke quickly and quietly.

“Then see to it that you finish in a quiet manner,” he spoke harshly before strolling off. You quickly stuck your tongue out at Merula before returning your attention to your potion. Of course, that just gave you ample time to wonder why the third years had inquired about you.

——

“Something...odd occurred in my potions class this afternoon,” you told Talbott as the two of you headed to your Divination lesson. Your hand was wrapped around his arm while he carried both of your books. He’d insisted, and admittedly, you found the gesture sweet.

“What? Snape crack a smile?” Talbott questioned, grinning to himself and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“I said odd, not impossible,” you grinned, playfully nudging him. “No. Apparently, the third year Slytherins were asking Barnaby and Merula about me,” you said, glancing up at him.

“Were they really?” He questioned, a surprisingly happy tone in his voice. “You think they’re ditching me for you?!” He asked hopefully and you nudged him again.

“No,” you drawled. “Asking about us,” you amended. “How long we’ve been dating,” you said, and his face fell.

“Oh. Bugger,” Talbott muttered under his breath.

“I just hope they don’t start following me around now,” you drawled, exhaling a sigh that ruffled your fringe.

“Maybe we need to be more convincing,” Talbott posed. “So they just give up,” he shrugged.

“It’s worth a try,” you shrugged as well, though you couldn’t help but be a bit excited at the prospect.

——

If you had thought your potions class had been odd, you certainly weren’t prepared for what the next day had in store for you.

It was one of your slower days class-wise, so most of your time was spent catching up on homework or meeting with teachers when necessary, but today was certainly going to be different.

Starting with breakfast in the great hall, you were acutely aware of the feeling of being watched. You couldn’t pinpoint the person...or people, though you supposed Barnaby’s news had rattled you. What reason could the third years have had for asking about you? You were almost certain it wasn’t just curiosity.

After breakfast, you were certain you were being watched. You’d been leaving Snape’s classroom - you had to hand in your notes and had tried to apologize for your dispute with Merula - but after he’d kicked you out, you’d passed the waiting third years who had class. Your eyes had settled on Amelia Stevens and Avery Thorne who were most certainly glaring at you. You tried keeping your gaze focused in front of you, but you knew you’d heard them whispering about you as you passed.

Heading up to your dorm room after lunch to pick up some books for your afternoon lessons, you were certain the third years had it out for you. Whilst on the grand staircase, Madison Lee and Ella Wilson has shoved past you so hard, you’d had to grip onto the railing to avoid losing your footing as the staircase shifted. They’d simply glanced over their shoulders, laughing in amusement. Your afternoon study hall had been the worst, though. You hadn’t thought things could get much worse than almost tumbling to your death on the grand staircase, but Isabella Mott had proved you quite wrong.

You were sitting in the library, your nose buried in A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration when you heard the chair across from you scraping against the floor.

Looking up, your eyes locked on Isabella’s unamused face staring back at you.

“Can I help you?” You questioned, inspecting the third year.

Isabella was looking at you as though you’d set her hair on fire. For such a pretty girl, she had a fierce glare...which was being directed at you.

“Or...not?” You trailed when she didn’t speak. “Look, I’m trying to study, so if—“ you began as more uncomfortable silence came from the third year, but at that, she finally spoke up.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at,” Isabella spoke, her hands clenching into fists as they rested on the table. “All of a sudden, you’re glued to his side?”

Your eyes widened, surprised to find her confronting you about Talbott. This certainly hadn’t been a part of Penny’s plan.

“Talbott and I have always been close,” you said, and her rage seemed to boil over.

“Don’t speak his name,” Isabella snapped, and you noticed a few other students turning to look at the commotion. You were used to dealing with these sort of outbursts from Merula all the time, though, and you kept a level expression on your face. That only seemed to irritate her more.

“And why wouldn’t I say my boyfriend’s name?” You asked calmly, but that only caused the third year to slam her hands on the table.

“He’s mine!” She shrieked, and you leaned back slightly from the harshness in her tone.

“Miss Mott!” A voice called, and you turned to find Madame Pince rushing towards your table. “This is the library,” she scolded. “Take your outbursts elsewhere. Shoo,” she said, ushering the third year out. Isabella was sure to shoot you a final glare as she marched out.

You were sure that wouldn’t be the last outburst you heard from her.

——

You were sure you’d had enough. These third years were going to kill you before the day was out. Deciding you needed to be away from it all, you quickly made your way towards the greenhouses, knowing that no Herbology classes were going on at this time. Entering, you shut the door behind you before leaning up against it and letting out a relieved sigh.

“What are you doing in here?” A voice rang out through the silence, and your body jolted in surprise. Looking towards the direction of the voice, your eyes settled on Talbott sitting on the floor with a pot in front of him. His robe was absent and his sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, his hands almost completely covered in dirt.

“Talbott,” you breathed, resting your hand on your chest as you attempted to slow your racing heart. You took a few steps towards him, inspecting him curiously. “I...I didn’t think anyone would be in here,” you said.

“Clearly,” he grinned, gazing up at you. “What’s going on?” He asked, confused bu your arrival.

“Your fan club has it out for me,” you drawled, lowering yourself on to the ground next to him. “So I figured I’d hide out in here,” you said.

“Brilliant,” he hummed in amusement, only to scowl moments later as the bulb that was sitting in the pot suddenly jumped out and began to bounce around.

“Get back here,” he grumbled, trying unsuccessfully to corner the bulb.

“Still studying for your test?” You grinned, watching as Talbott grew more frustrated.

“No, I’m doing this for fun,” Talbott drawled, shooting you a look before he was able to grab hold of the bulb.

“Professor Sprout won’t be impressed,” you teased, moving the pot closer to him so he could quickly plant the finicky bulb. “I thought you were good at this,” you joked.

“I am,” he grumbled, finally succeeding in planting the bulb. He let out a sigh before turning his attention back to you. “I going to fail this test tomorrow,” he groaned and you couldn’t help but giggle.

“Probably,” you hummed, and he cracked a grin in your direction.

“Thank you for your vote of confidence. You’re really a supportive girlfriend,” he joked, though you couldn’t help but flush slightly at the use of the term.

“Surely there’s got to be other aspects of Herbology you don’t completely fail at,” you joked, looking around the room in hopes that he didn’t realize the affect he had on you.

“You’re so mean today,” Talbott said, but there was no harshness in his voice. Chancing a look at him, you found a smile tugging on his lips as he stood to place his pot by the window. “There is one thing I’ve been working on. Not part of class but I’ve been helping out Professor Sprout in my free time,” he said.

You gazed up at him curiously, watching as he offered you his hand to help you up. You took it, only for your face to heat up when he didn’t drop it. Lacing your fingers - something you’d learned he did each time when taking your hands - he led you over to the opposite side of the room.

“What is it...?” You questioned, glancing up at him. In a decorative pot was a clump of dark, flower-less stems. It sort of looked like it was dying. “You’re not helping your case for being good at herbology,” you teased and he rolled his eyes.

Taking out his wand, he waved it over the stems. You watched curiously, and not another moment passed before heaps of white flowers began blooming out of every section on the stems. They were quite beautiful, and you couldn’t help but smile at the magic he’d done.

“It’s asphodel,” Talbott told you, pocketing his wand. “I help Professor Sprout grow it for Snape and Madame Pomfrey,” he explained, glancing down at you.

“It’s beautiful,” you smiled, lightly touching the pointed leaves.

“Here,” he spoke, quickly snipping off a stem before handing it to you. Talbott Winger was giving you flowers. You were sure this day couldn’t have gotten any stranger. “Just...don’t tell Sprout,” he added with a sheepish laugh.

“It’ll be our little secret,” you answered, smiling softly as you leaned in to sniff the blooms.

Talbott leaned against the table, watching you with interest. He’d yet to drop your hand, and you couldn’t help but find it curious that he was acting this way with no one around to watch. Perhaps this wasn’t as fake as you’d brought yourself to believe.