#really looking forward to the fish for breakfast

[hajikelist]

Cockatrice Ankake and an Eastern Style Meal

Got my trusty clay pot out to make this one. Ground turkey for the cockatrice stir fried with pumpkin and kohlrabi with some soy sauces, ginger, white pepper, and shaoxing wine for seasoning. Used dashi (from the other dish's seaweed soup), soy sauce, mirin, sake, and corn starch for the egg sauce. Came out really well but a bit wet on the bottom so I didn't get as much of the crispy grains I wanted. Maybe because the barley was precooked.

Most of Maizuru's meal I got from the store. They had shochujikomi mackerel in the freezer area that I baked up and I had a bunch of pickles saved up in the fridge that I pulled an assortment of. Made my own simple seaweed soup and onigiri.

So filling, we couldn't even get through half of it tonight. A couple more pics of the components of the bowl below the cut!

[notjustjavierpena]

Nerf

Series Masterpost | Main Masterpost | Support a disabled creator

A/N: There’s a little background to this. Sweet @sawymredfox posted a picture in an inbox that I can’t remember who belonged to but the picture was of a Nerf gun with a note asking for a gunfight over dinner. This one's for you, Wym! 

Summary: Hubby returns from work to a Nerf gunfight over takeaway privileges. Luckily, he has tactical training and quite the appetite.

Pairing: Javier Peña x f!reader (no y/n)

Tags: Domestic bliss, fluff, pregnant reader, javi loves and worships his wife, pussy eating, fingering, squirting, rough piv sex, multiple orgasms, creampie

Word count: 4.7k

Link to this work on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57685981

Nerf

Javier comes home to his apartment like always on a Friday afternoon, fiddling around with his bundle of keys that he fishes out from his pocket to find the one to the front door all the while carrying his work bag in his other hand. He has planned a date night with you tonight and has been excited about it since Monday morning when you suggested it over breakfast. He cannot wait to see you in your shared home, already grinning from ear to ear at the idea of giving his wife a long kiss as you discuss the movie choices you’ve rented at the local Blockbuster. He doesn’t really care about what you insist on watching, easily distracted by you anyway as you watch your movie with curious eyes. He’s more interested in the food that you are going to eat, hooked on the idea of ordering greasy Chinese food to share with each other. 

When he finally gets the door open, the apartment is dead quiet and the noise of Javier throwing his keys on the side table echoes through the hallway. 

“Honey?” He calls out but you don’t reply. 

He takes one step forward only to hear the sound of cheap plastic scraping across the floorboards. He furrows his brow and looks down, noticing the toy gun with a sticky note attached to it. He sets down his bag by the shoe rack and bends down to pick the gun up. 

It’s a Nerf gun, more specifically a poor imitation of an automatic weapon. He checks the magazine and sees that it is full, loads it again, and only then reads the note sticking to it. 

Husband, 

Welcome home. I’m hiding in the apartment with a Nerf gun. Here is the other one… The winner decides what takeaway we’re having for dinner. 

May the odds be ever in your favor,

Your wife

A grin spreads on his face, his senses heightened now that he knows you are watching him from somewhere.

As he pockets the note with as little noise as possible, he smirks with determination and thinks that you have no idea who you are up against. He secures his grip on the toy gun, remembering his tactical training from Colombia, and moves silently through the doorway to the living room. 

He scans the space with his heart beating in his ears but where he expects you to jump out from somewhere, maybe behind the couch where you’ll be relaxing later, he finds nothing. He takes silent footsteps across the wooden floorboards, knowing which creak, as he makes his way through the small space, checking behind the curtain by pulling it open with the tip of the rifle. Not there either. 

“I’m coming for you, esposa (wife),” he tells you tauntingly when he makes a left into the kitchen. You’re usually more into pizza, stringy with cheese and topped with mushrooms, but he really wants that goddamn chow mein from just around the corner. He tightens his grip, on a mission.

He inches forward to see if you are underneath the breakfast table with a cloth that you bought at a flea market a few months back. He didn’t think it would fit the rest of the furniture in the apartment but you insisted, and you were right. He loves the mismatched chairs surrounding its slightly quirky pattern now, pulling one out to make sure you really aren’t underneath the tablecloth by quickly lifting it and aiming.

The kitchen is completely empty, he decides, unless you are hiding in the refrigerator which he seriously doubts. Despite this, the silence is thick with impending doom and he takes a deep breath to steady himself, not about to lose to a person with no experience in the field. He listens carefully, taking a few steps back and suddenly a Nerf dart flies past his ear. 

He whirls around, having noticed the slight movement just in time. And there you are, right in the doorway to the kitchen with a huge, beaming smile on your face, gun pointed at him, and wearing nothing but your white cotton underwear. He fails to concentrate on anything else except your gorgeous body, the only one in this whole world that he has worshiped multiple times and hasn’t lost interest in. He smiles at the sight of your baby bump that has just started to grow round and the way your panties’ elastic band sits across it. However, you play unfairly, a Nerf dart suddenly making its way toward him. 

He manages to duck it, hearing it hit the kitchen cabinets behind him with a soft thud before clattering to the floor. He raises his gun and you squeal with delight, turning on your heel, and running through your shared home. He fires a few darts in your direction without hesitation but none of them get you and you’re gone again. 

“Nice try, baby!” You laugh triumphantly. He follows the sound of your voice, your padding feet, and your giggles that elevate his heartbeat with indescribable warmth and happiness. They lead him to the bedroom, steadily creeping along the walls until he nudges the door open with his foot, gun at the ready. 

He guesses that you’ve stepped into the closet where his shirts hang because you won’t have had time to roll underneath the bed. He makes his way across the floor and swings the door open only to find nothing but his old clothes. He furrows his brow but then tenses up at the thrilling feeling of the tip of your gun poking into his back. He smirks to himself. 

“Hah!” You exclaim with glee, “Isn’t this a surprise? I can’t believe I won!”

His smile becomes more mischievous. You haven’t shot him yet, too arrogant to think that you won’t have to because he’ll surrender. Too bad for you that he is a stubborn man who loves you just a little more than anyone else before him. It’s enough to not let you win as you love it the most. 

In a flurry of tactical decisions and moves, he manages to whip around and grab the gun to fling it out of your hands. It falls to the floor with a clatter and your eyes widen. It dawns on you that you have noticed his plan too late and you end up with a Nerf dart hitting you square in the chest. 

“Gotcha!” Javier celebrates. 

You stumble back dramatically, clutching frantically at your chest after impact to earn a genuine laugh from your husband. You end up on the floor and Javier steps forward to stand with a leg on either side of you. 

“Do you stand down, soldier?” Javier asks, imitating the sound of reloading. When he aims at your chest again, you hold your hands up in mock surrender. 

“Fine, you win take away privileges,” you giggle but still try to reach out for his gun. 

Javier drops to his knees, getting comfortable on your thighs while you start to squirm, “You’re not very convincing, wife.”

“I’m being completely genuine, husband,” you reassure and accidentally push up into him, the slightest friction against his jeans making him feel a stir of desire in the length of his cock. 

Just when you try to reach for his gun again, he throws it next to the other and thus out of your reach. He leans down over you, hovering over your pouting face, and kisses your lips, “You really thought you could beat me so easily? Chica tonta (silly girl).”

The exhilarating feeling of your little game has left him clouded by thoughts of you. His eyes start to wander down your figure, his yearning for you that’s been building since he left in the morning making him unable to stop them. Your chest rises and falls a little quicker underneath his greedy gaze. Your breasts are more full than usual because of the baby growing inside of you and you look so stunning sprawled out on the floor at his mercy that he can’t help but let his hands wander as well.

You arch up to catch his lips in a tantalizing kiss that leaves him short of breath. Warmth thrums underneath his skin, a result of your heat radiating through him even as his fingertips only ghost down towards your waist and stomach. Your skin is electric, soft to the touch, and glowing just right because you are pregnant. 

“Javi,” you breathe softly as your hands come up to tangle in his hair, messing it up after he has had it under control the whole day. He nods but doesn’t keep his mouth on yours, instead lets the tip of his nose trail over your cheek and down your jaw whilst leaving kisses on your trembling neck as he descends. 

“I missed you all day,” he whispers, nibbling and kissing your skin until a thin sheen of spit runs down the pulsing vein along your throat. When he reaches your belly, beautiful and pregnant, he presses several kisses all over the growing bump while listening to you sigh with contentment. He smiles into your skin, briefly resting his cheek on you to look up at your face, “How have you both been today?” 

“We’ve been good,” you hum and run your hand through his hair, flattening it down again by pushing it back as you caress the top of his head, “We’ve missed you though. They’ve been moving around a bit but I think they’ve gone to sleep now… all that running around.” 

“Lots of privacy for us then,” he teases. He shifts positions, scooting backward until he is kneeling between your legs. He pecks your belly repeatedly, “You just sleep, bebito (little baby) while I take care of your pretty mamá.”

“What do you have planned?” You ask, wiggling your hips to try and get comfortable on the hard floor. He smirks at you and crawls forward to yank at the covers on the bed, pulling them far enough off the mattress until the pillows follow. He helps you to lift your pelvis up so he can scoot the soft pillow underneath your hips and then does the same with your head. 

“Can I eat this sweet little pussy, mamá?” He asks, finally kneeling in position again and watching you plant your feet on the ground by bending your knees. His own knees are hurting slightly but he ignores it because he knows he’ll forget it once he gets lost in your cunt.  

“Please,” you swallow thickly after a hitched breath. You nod eagerly with that little expression on your face that he loves when you’re getting treated for simply being the love of his life; all softened features, mouth slightly open, and pleading eyes watching as he goes down. 

Gently, he puts his palms on the back of your warm thighs and pushes your legs towards your chest, enjoying seeing you in the same position that he put that baby inside of you while he still can. You follow his movements without protest, keeping them there while he hooks his fingers under the waistband of your panties. 

“You want it?” He asks while dragging the fabric down over your hips as you nod repeatedly, snapping it slightly from how you barely register that you have to cooperate. He laughs as you do, a tiny giggle escaping you as you hold your legs up with your hands under your knees when he slips the underwear off your feet and tosses it to the side. 

Your pussy is on display for him like this, your pushed-together thighs and your ass slightly elevated from the pillow making it stick out even more. You squeeze around your calves to hold your position and he can see your dripping slit quiver, inviting him in to squish his head between your thighs. 

He flattens his tongue to lick a long, greedy stripe from the cleft of your ass to your clit, feeling you pulse in excitement as he finally touches you with his mouth. He groans at your sweet taste, repeating the move to concentrate on gulping down some of your slick like he hasn’t had a drink all day and Texan summer is peaking. You make him so hard in his jeans that it hurts, the length of his cock straining against the zipper as your sweet scent fills his nostrils. As he eats you out slowly and hears you sigh with pleasure above him, he agrees with himself that he’ll fuck you too. He thought this would be enough but no, you look perfect, swollen and warm below him and he doesn’t want to go through this late afternoon without feeling your heat around his cock. 

“Fuck, baby,” you gasp the way you do when your orgasm starts to tug from within you. He stops only using the tip of his tongue to be more forceful in his treatment. He covers your mound with his mouth, hollowing his cheeks as he sucks at your clit to hear you whine a mhmm…

You gush a little wetness when he releases you briefly, a drop of it sliding down between your cheeks so it accidentally wets the pillow you’re writhing on. Javier doesn’t care right now, will just throw everything in the washer later. He kisses your clit a few times before going in again, this time pressing his tongue against you to wiggle it against your clit that’s now hard from how turned on you are. 

There’s a climb in your pitch, a little higher moan coming out your mouth as he starts to let small flicks of his tongue rain down on your gorgeous clit. He concentrates on getting you there, heart beating in his ears but still managing to listen to your heaving breaths, notice your palms tighten around your legs as you channel the intensity into whatever you can and feel your hips involuntarily move so he has to grab the widest part of your thighs and hold you in place. 

When you start to hold your breath after a particularly long whine, he pulls away to stop your orgasm with the excuse that he has to breathe. You look down at him, releasing your grip around your knees to let your thighs fall out to the sides. You look frustrated, your racing heartbeat evident from the way your pussy pulses in a steady rhythm. 

“I hate you,” you say through gritted teeth, hips lifting off the pillow for just a moment as you chase something, anything to no avail.

“No, you don’t, Mamacita, not with what I’m about to do to you,” he grins, eyes glued to your glistening slit, watching the shine of his own spit covering your delicate skin. He grabs your ankles to plant your feet on the floor like you’d done briefly earlier, only to slide his hands upward over your shins, knees, and thighs until they sit on your hips. He gropes your jiggly thighs for a second, watching his movements vibrate all the way up to your bra-covered tits. They jump a little and he knows he has never seen anything so perfect, catching his hungry eyes and attention for a little too long. When he wants to smirk at you, he sees your pouty face and chuckles, “Alright, I’ll hurry up. Gotta give you what you want when dinner isn’t your call.”

You bite your bottom lip as he descends on your cunt again, tensing up the muscle of his tongue to lick a long stripe between your soaked folds. He moans when your hands find his hair, tugging gently on the follicles of his scalp. When he dares glance up at your writhing body, he can only see your tensed-up jaw as you have thrown your head back.

“Fuck, Javi,” you whine, “F-fingers. Make me come on your fingers, please.”

He can definitely do that. He lets his dominant hand slide down between your legs while he holds himself up with the other one on your hip, keeping your pelvis down as he sucks hard on your clit. Two of his fingers enter you and curl toward the front of your walls, seeming to have a direct line to your spine because you arch your back with a groan. 

Javier hums with pride, fucking you open on his digits whilst hollowing his cheeks around your clit. He drags the pads of his fingers over your g-spot again and again, hearing how your breathing speeds up once more and feeling your heartbeat as you rhythmically start to clench around his middle- and ring finger. He doesn’t have to look, is simply driven crazy by the mere thought of the finger that he wears his wedding band on disappearing into you over and over. 

“I’m coming,” you announce with a cry, barely able to catch your breath at this point. You tug harsher on his hair, pushing your hips up to earn more friction, “I’m gonna come, baby. Fuck, you’re making me come.”

Javier bobs his head slightly as he nips and sucks and licks, moving his fingers inside of you almost frantically to get the reward that he so desperately wants and needs. You squeeze your eyes shut, thighs tensing up and then go completely silent above him for less than a few seconds. 

You come with a high-pitched squeal a moment later, pussy going off into rapid spasms that choke his fingers but not enough for him to stop dragging them out while they curl upward. He releases his mouth from your pulsing clit, withdrawing his head from between your thighs so your arms fall to the floor. You gush all over his hand which he doesn’t manage to pull away, twisting your gorgeous body in surprise as you practically wet yourself on the floor. He tightens his grip on you to keep you on your back, hearing you sob with pleasure as he sinks his fingers knuckles-deep into you again and repeats the move. 

Another gush soaks the floorboards and you are practically levitating by now, enough for Javier to be sure that he has made up for the fact that his pregnant wife won’t get her takeout craving satisfied. He hears how it sounds in his head, knowing immediately that he should decide on that goddamn pizza if he wants to have it easy. 

He snaps out of it to go again at least three times more and when you seem like you can barely handle it anymore, he pulls back but only after a gentle peck on your swollen clit. You squirm in oversensitivity, shaking your head repeatedly while he cannot stop grinning in self-satisfaction. God, how on earth can he of all people have the privilege to make you feel so good? 

It takes a moment before your mind isn’t fogged by fireworks going off between your legs anymore and you slump on the floor with a satisfied smile on your face, a giggle bubbling up in your throat which is the most heavenly sound he has ever heard. 

“Okay?” He asks with a dazed expression, the taste of you lingering on his tongue. He rubs your thigh up and down, feeling the slight dampness from the sweat and wetness of your body. 

You nod in reply, “Mhmm…”

“Made a mess on the floor,” he tells you with a hint of taunting in his voice. 

“Mhmm,” you repeat, no shame in your tone which he loves completely, “You’ll clean it up.”

“Oh, will I?” He laughs quietly at the state of you. It’s true though; he will, and as you nod once more, he is already getting up from the floor with an aching hard-on in his jeans. 

“Yes because I’ll let you fuck me when you get back,” you grin lazily, letting your thighs fall out to the sides even more to show him your wet cunt. He could skip the step where he gets a towel but you’ll complain about it later tonight if he doesn’t nip it in the bud.

He adjusts his cock in his jeans when he is on his feet and undoes the pants on the way to the bathroom, hands gripping the handle on the bathroom drawer a little too hard when he gets a towel. He slings the towel over his shoulder and pushes the fabric of his pants down over his hips, relieved when his cock is only covered by the softness of his briefs. 

When he has patted down the floorboards, just managing to do it before your come has started to soak into the wood, he throws the towel to the side and kneels between your legs again. He looks at you with longing, with a fire in him that feels as if it is getting poured gasoline over it when you look into his eyes with a mischievous grin. 

“Can I have it now, baby?” He asks politely as he pushes his briefs down, letting them sit just below his hips because it feels like too much work to undress completely when he so desperately wants to be inside of you. You nod and hold out your hands to signal that he needs to come closer, and he follows through on your silent request but only after taking a last look at the beautiful mess between your legs that he’ll push into soon. 

When he crawls over you, you unbutton his shirt to reveal his chest and touch him all over. Your delicate hands roam over the skin of his torso, fingertips sliding through the little but sexy amount of hair there until you grab around the small of his back. You pull him in, he moves closer. 

A sharp exhale leaves him as he enters you finally. You on the other hand moan shakily as he fills up every last inch of you, intruding just a little before you relax around him. Your hands slide down and your nails dig into his ass, motioning for him to start moving inside of you. 

Your head falls back when he thrusts once then twice, fucking you slowly but harshly into the floor. It’s so ridiculous to think that he only had plans to kiss you when he came home, maybe making love to you in bed after the film you definitely won’t fall asleep to. He braces himself with a hand beside your thrown-back head, leaning down over you to practically latch onto your throat. He kisses along the beautiful arch of your neck, tasting your salty skin and feeling your throat vibrate against his lips with each noise of pleasure you make. 

You bend your legs to wrap them around his hips, rocking with him as he fucks into you deeply. Your cunt is so wet and warm around him, echoing each of his groans by choking his dick just as he has come to love it after he started fucking you on the regular three years back. Here he is, happily married to you and he is going to be a father. The thought of what you two have together, what you will achieve together, makes him impossibly hard inside of you, especially when you go and do something as stupidly adorable as a Nerf gunfight. He must have you. Fantastic, sexy, beautiful you.

He rolls his hips to hear you say his name, the floor creaking underneath you as you move together. You tilt your head forward again to kiss him, slotting your mouth over his and tasting your sweat and slick on his tongue. You suck at the tip, hinting at how good you are at going down on him and he groans with how wanton you can come off. You’re not just a sweet girl like everyone says.

“There! Oh fuck, th-there,” you break the kiss to yell out for him as he hits an angle that wasn’t even deliberate, the noise bouncing off the walls. The little old lady who lives downstairs from you will be banging on the door tomorrow, gone before you can answer and having left a cheerful yet unhappy note that starts. It's so nice that you enjoy each other. Javier thinks it’s more than nice. 

“Yeah? There, baby?” He does it again to piss off the whole building instead and your fingers dig into his skin with how good it is, “¿Así (like that)?”

“Sí, así (yes, like that),” you sob, your cunt squeezing his dick with how you have another high incoming. He seeks out your lips again but you are busy; your eyes are squeezed shut in concentration on your pleasure and your mouth hangs open as moan after moan leaves it, so he settles for a desperate bite to your jaw. 

“I love you,” he says as clearly as he can muster, his own orgasm creeping up on him as he spears you again and again. He moves a little to go harder and faster, his pace slowly increasing until you need to hold onto him to not go upwards on the floor with the strength behind his hips. You slide your hands up his back, nails scratching in their wake until you pull him into your arms. God, he feels so good and safe when you do that. You are both sweaty, chests sticking slightly to each other from how much effort you are putting into being together like this. 

“I love you too, esposo (husband),” you whimper feebly and tighten your legs around him to keep him where you want him the most. He can hear you are close in the way your breaths fall from your lips. 

“Come for me,” he whispers with a hot breath against your ear that has you shivering on top of everything else, “Por favor, mi amor. Quiero sentirte (Please, my love. I wanna feel you).”

His words send you there, your sounds send him there. You come with a pained noise and then a string of moans, your brows furrowed as your cunt goes off into spasms that he relishes in. They pull his own high from him, his muscles tightening before pleasure washes over him as he fills you up with his spill. It is accompanied by a guttural groan that makes you clench around him just when he thought it was over. He cannot control his hips as he feels it. His pace, albeit slowing down, gets uneven until it comes to a complete halt. 

Eventually, he rolls off of you. The both of you groan as he pulls out, and he immediately reaches for the towel which you place between your legs. He turns his head towards you when you do and as you gain eye contact, the both of you laugh in post-orgasmic bliss. 

You scoot closer by wiggling your entire body. You also decide to share the pillow under your head with him, pulling into the space between you. 

When you rest a hand on your baby bump, he reaches to hold it. Your breaths fall in sync with no need to say anything until you have the energy. 

When that time comes, you look at him out of the corner of your eye, “So.”

“So?” He asks and pulls up his underwear. 

“What did I lose to?” You elaborate while he buttons and zips his jeans. 

“Chinese,” he replies and tries to suppress his excitement in case you start pouting. Instead, you laugh out loud. 

“What? Why’s that funny?” He probably looks confused. 

“I wanted Chinese,” you clarify with continuous giggles. 

“Oh,” he joins in and chuckles, “You never want Chinese.”

“The baby wants Chinese,” you pat your belly with your other hand.

“Must be my kid,” he smirks and rolls onto his side. He pecks your cheek repeatedly. 

“Must be,” you turn your head to kiss him but it doesn’t quite feel enough. So he kisses you again, squeezing the hand on your pregnant belly as he does it and when you giggle against his mouth, it seems like the whole reason he was put on Earth is to do all of this and what’s to come with you.

.

.

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[stevieschrodinger]

Part One Part Seven

“Hey Buddy, you got dressed.”

“Dessed,” Eddie plucks at the sleeve of the pullover, then rubs his arms, copying what Steve did to show what he meant by cold, Eddie even does a fair approximation of Steve's, ‘brrrrrr,’ sound. “Good?

Steve can see from here that the inside of his closet is a disaster; Eddie must have pulled things down while he was hunting for something to wear. Steve figures he can fix it later.

“Yeah, really good. Come on, lets make a grocery list.”

“Go-ser-eee list?”

“Yeah, all the things you like.”

Eddie follows Steve carefully down the stairs, and Steve is pretty sure he can say good bye to the sweater the second Eddie goes outside; at the very least the bottom part will be dragged along the floor everywhere Eddie goes.

Eddie pulls himself onto a seat at the breakfast nook while Steve gets a pad and a pen, “right. What would you like?”

Eddie leans forward so he can see better as Steve writes – Steve’s already listing stuff like milk and bread and coffee and cereal. “Celery. Cucumber. Peas. Apple. Grape. Pear. Many pear,” he’s watching closely, waiting while Steve writes out each word after Eddie says them.

Eddie leans an arm over the table, pointing at where Steve has just written, ‘pear’, “many,” he insists, “many pear.”

Steve crosses out ‘pear’ and writes ‘many pear’ instead, “that okay?” Steve’s sure Eddie can't read what hes writing, but he does understand the concept of ‘many pear’ being two words and not one, which means he’s grasping this whole thing really, really fast.

“Paper,” Eddie adds.

“Okay, got it. More paper.”

“Okay. Stee go out?”

“Yeah, I need to go to work, and I’ll bring the groceries home with me.”

“Go-ser-ee in work?”

“No...I have to go to work to earn money to buy groceries,” Eddie stares at Steve blankly, “wait here.” Steve comes back with his wallet, and fishes out a few dollar bills and puts them on the table, “So I go to work, and earn money,” Steve slides the dollars closer.

Eddie touches the corner of one of the notes, “one.”

“That’s right Buddy, that’s the number one. This is a one dollar bill.”

“One dollar bill.” Eddie repeats dutifully.

“So I take this,” Steve points to the bill, “to the store, and I can get an apple.”

Eddie frowns at the money, “one dollar bill in work Stee...one dollar bill in store...Stee apple?”

“Yeah, yeah buddy.”

Eddie nods, “Eddidie in work? Eddidie one dollar bill pear.”

Steve snorts a laugh at the thought of Eddie in a Family Video vest, probably shouting, ‘no,’ and, ‘bad,’ at customers who put the tapes back wrong. Steve’s pretty sure the general public could break even Eddie’s spirit.

“No buddy, you have to stay here, where it’s safe.”

“Safe,” Eddie points in the vague direction of down the hall; Steve understands what he means, Steve does the same thing to illustrate to Eddie that he’s going out, “not safe?”

“That’s right.”

“Stee not safe?” Eddie cocks his head, frowning spectacularly.

“Oh boy,” Steve sighs to himself. “Okay. Okay Buddy, out,” Steve points, “safe for me, not safe for you.”

“Why?”

And oh Steve is really starting to loath the ‘why?’

“Because...you’re different buddy,” Steve sticks a leg out and points to it, then points to Eddie’s tail where the end is curled on the floor.

Eddie frowns, but doesn’t push it any further.

Eddie’s inside when Steve gets home, and Steve’s kind of glad, it’s definitely chillier now than it was a couple of weeks ago. Eddie might have his tent, but Steve has no idea what kind of temperatures are tolerable for Eddie; he must be pretty fucking sturdy to live in the Upside Down, but still. Steve has no clue if Eddie’s just mimicking him, because Steve has told Eddie it’s cold. He doesn’t even know if Eddie feels temperature like a human. Still, he probably wouldn't be voluntarily wearing the sweater if it was making him too warm.

Eddie’s laid out on the lounge floor, his book open, surrounded by colored pencils. It looks like he’s making an attempt at drawing some sort of tree, surrounded by grass and sky. It’s not terrible; Steve can even tell pretty much what it’s supposed to be, at least.

Steve's got to tell Dustin that Eddie can definitely see color just fine.

“Hey Buddy, you want to help put your things away?”

“Eddidie help,” Eddie follows Steve into the kitchen, “idge door. Idge. Cold in idge. Pear in. Grape in. Celery in.” Eddie chatters the whole time he unpacks the paper grocery bag, narrating everything he’s doing. He eats a pear when he’s done.

“I got you more notebooks, too.”

“Paper?”

“Yeah Buddy, as much as you want.”

Steve dumps a can of spaghetti into a pot on the stove, then turns as he hears a loud scraping noise; Eddie pushing a chair across the kitchen.

“Hang on,” Steve gets it for him, moving it to the side of the stove. Eddie climbs up, sitting on his tail to make himself tall enough to watch Steve making toast and grating cheese.

“You want to try?” Steve offers the wooden spoon to Eddie.

Eddie frowns at it, “warm?”

“Many warm. Hot. Here,” Steve blows on the spoon for a moment.

Eddie leans forward and licks it. Eddie pulls an assessing face, and then finally volunteers, “good bad.”

“Yeah. I get you buddy.”

Eddie turns on the TV when they go into the lounge, Steve sits on the couch to eat, “I think the kids are coming over tomorrow. They’re coming over to watch movies.” Eddie tilts his head, “TV. The kids are coming to watch TV.”

“Max. El. Dust bin. Lu-cas. Mike. Will.”

“You got it buddy, the kids.”

“Kids. Mongrels.”

Steve laughs so hard his toast nearly slides off his plate.

Mike shoves a bag in Steve’s hands as he passes him in the doorway, “Nancy told me to bring this over for Eddie. It’s all Holly’s old stuff.”

Steve looks inside the bag and finds a couple of kids coloring books; neither of them used at all. A handwriting book, the kind where you trace the letters and numbers before doing it yourself. A very basic math book, probably for really little kids, but on the first page is a picture of four plus four, represented with two groups of four apples. Steve’s confident Eddie will like that. There’s a couple of other things, and Steve’s sure it’ll all be useful. It’s actually a great idea. One of the books has pictures of clocks, and the digital time; Steve really should teach Eddie to tell the time. Maybe he could get him a little battery clock for his tent.

“Thanks Mike.”

“Yeah whatever,” Mike grumbles, already making popcorn and generally just helping himself to Steve’s shit.

Steve sits in the middle of the couch, El to one side of him, deliberately keeping an empty space on the other. All the other kids are sprawled out on the floor, eating red vines and dipping into bowls of popcorn. Eddie’s watching from the kitchen doorway; he’s clearly still uncertain about the kids.

They’re all lying quiet though, engrossed in the film. It’s probably half way through when Eddie finally risks it; Steve pats the couch cushion to encourage Eddie up next to him. Eddie does.

Usually he sits like a person, the end of his tail laid on the floor like feet would be, but tonight he pulls it up and curls it under him, all protected.

El leans forward, whispering over Steve, “hi Eddie.”

Eddie nods, volunteers back an uncertain, “hi El,” and then promptly hides his face in Steve’s shoulder.

As Steve suspected, the front six inches of the yellow pull over are worn and filthy, marred with grass stains.

Steve leaves him there for a little while, and waits until curiosity gets the better of Eddie. Steve offers him some popcorn; it’s buttered and salty, and Steve’s a solid ninety percent sure Eddie won’t like it. He’s right. He watches Eddie chew with his mouth open, a look of absolute disgust on his face, for a solid thirty seconds before Eddie finally swallows.

Steve leaves El with the popcorn and goes and gets them a beer to share, it’s the least he can do.

Eddie’s interest in the film seems to waver, depending on what grabs his attention the most. He seems to be watching the kids for...well. Eddie probably thinks of them as loud and erratic; it wouldn’t surprise Steve if Eddie had interpreted them as danger. Even if Eddie’s getting braver, that feeling clearly hasn’t gone all the way away just yet.

Steve feels him twitch, on high alert, every time one of the kids shifts.

Steve offers him a red vine; Eddie sniffs it but crinkles his nose up in disgust.

They decide to put on another movie; when all the kids get up to forage and grab drinks and go for toilet breaks, Steve thinks for a moment that Eddie might make a break for it. He sinks down further into the couch cushions instead; pressing close to Steve.

He doesn’t leave though, and the kids, mercifully, practically ignore Eddie. Lucas says ‘hi’, and Eddie answers, which Steve takes as a massive win.

One of the kids drops something in the sink; it clatters loudly, Eddie sitting up straight, whole body on high alert and turned towards the doorway, one arm flung back protectively over Steve's chest.

“It’s alright buddy, don’t worry. It’s just the kids. They’re noisy sometimes,” Eddie does lower himself again at that, and when he finally looks at Steve, Steve offers his hand. Eddie takes it. The webbing stops their fingers linking together all the way, but the contact has the desired effect and seems to reassure Eddie that there’s no danger, and he’s more relaxed by the time all the kids come back in.

They start the next movie, Eddie nestled right up against Steve, their joined hands resting on his thigh.

Part Nine

[forsworned]

I just got a great idea. Imagine the teenage dirt bag trend with 141, where reader is chill and laid back, and as 141 and reader are in the break room, gaz or soap ask reader about her life before the military and she just goes to her office to get some photos of her and her friends in their teens, smoking weed and in some she has some sick piercings and a skater, or maybe even a motorcycle. I don't even know. I'm just rambling. You can write it if you want but if you don't want to then feel free to ignore me 🫶🏼🙆🏻‍♀️

author's note: and a great idea you have indeed :) i gotchuuu and im so sorry this took me forever to get to

tags: poly 141 antics, cheeky banter, and a lil flirting with the boys ;)

Breakfast is a fan favorite amongst the 141, especially when it involves the sweet and savory aroma of coffee, pancakes, eggs, and your famous potato hash—a dish that's practically a cult fave within the team. As you settle in your seat between Johnny and Kyle with your coffee mug in your hand, the group is chatting about their former glory days before they joined the military.

Johnny nudges you with a playful smirk, still noshing on a piece of toast. "So, hen, ye look like ye had a bit of a wild streak back in the day, aye? Bet ye were a right wee devil." His tone is teasing, laced with curiosity as his cerulean gaze lingers on you.

You roll your eyes at him, but before you can respond, Kyle chimes in, his tone equally teasing, "Yeah, you look like the type who got up to all sorts of dodgy stuff. Proper troublemaker, I reckon. C'mon love, spill the beans." He nudges with a grin.

Price looks over his newspaper at double trouble across the table, before turning the page, causing you to chuckle. "Well," you fish out your phone from your pocket and everyone leans forward in their seats as you scroll through your camera roll. You stop at an album and tap on it before rotating the screen to face them and they can't help the excited noises that leave their mouths.

"No way!" Johnny exclaims, his grin widens as he spots a photo of you leaning against a cherry red muscle car. "Is that a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro!?" Kyle chirps, taking your phone from you and you laugh at their reactions. That gets Price's attention and he leans over to get a gander of the rebellious glint in your eye and the streaks of red fashioned into your hair.

"Christ," He beams down at the photo and then up at you. "looks like you were quite the rebel, eh? No wonder these two pillocks won't stop botherin' ya."

Kyle lets out a whistle as he swipes to the next photo, showcasing you with a cigarette hanging between your lips, clad in a skimpy bikini, leaning against your palms on a beach on a sunlit beach with the sunset casting a tangerine glow. "Cheeky."

Johnny's eyes ream at the photo, taking you in your exposed form. "Aye, look at ye!" His cheeks flush as he tilts his head, peeking up at you. "I gotta give it ya, lassie, yer quite the stunner."

"And still are." Price adds, raising his eyebrows at you. You fluster at his kind words, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

"Thank you,"

"Oi! Look at this one!" Johnny points to the screen again, having a good laugh. You lean into Kyle and giggle at the photo. Grin as wide as your face with an alligator's jaw clamped shut between your hands. "That cannot be real!"

"It's really not as wild as it looks. I was on vacation in Florida, and a local wildlife park had this little show where they let you hold and pose with a baby alligator. They made sure everything was safe and supervised. Super fun."

Price cocks an amused brow at you, sipping his coffee. "Baby alligator, eh? You're quite the thrill seeker."

"Yeahhh, not much has changed." Kyle ribs and the others laugh. It's true though. You were actively pursuing that adrenaline rush, so it didn't come as much of a surprise to them, especially not Simon.

As the laughter dies down, Simon, who was quietly enjoying his tea and observing the situation unfold finally speaks up, "You lot are gettin' too chuffed over this, but I gotta admit..." He leans back, his dark eyes fixate on you and you can't help but take notice of how his mask is scrunched up under his nose, revealing the pale pink of his lips. "Never quite pegged you for a lil rascal. Bet you gave your folks a right headache."

He prods the phone out of Johnny's hand and takes a look at the other photos they were scrolling through and softly snorting at what looks like an image of you on stage, strumming at a guitar and singing your heart out. "But I reckon that's what makes you fit in so will with these bunch of nutters." His lips quirk into a faint smile as he hands you back your phone and goes back to munching on his eggs. "Ain't it always the quiet ones you gotta watch out for?"

Your cheeks blossom with warmth at his comment and the cute little smile that adorns his handsome face. "Well, I didn't think I was all that quiet." You poke your tongue in your cheek, gently prying the phone out of his hands.

His finger seems to biff at your screen as it clatters out of your grasp because his onyx eyes widen at the photo. Skin exposed, revealing the ink that embellishes your lower left hip in delicate, intricate patterns as you're posing sexy for the camera. Your heart plunges to your ass at the realization of it not being in your hidden album.

"Oh—that's, uhhh" You stammer swiftly, locking your phone and shoving it back into your pocket. Your tongue swipes at your lips as you avert your gaze, but Simon takes note of how you nervously twiddle with the spoon as it clatters against the walls of your mug.

Simon's eyes linger on you for a moment longer before he returns to his tea, "well, well, well..."

The rest of the team is still buzzing with the excitement of your heydays as they detect the slight change in atmosphere.

"Oi, what's all of this about, then?" Johnny asks with a mouth full of food. "Give us the scoop!"

But the Scotsman is getting scolded by Price and Kyle for not keeping his mouth shut while he eats. A sheepish smile adorns his lips, rubbing the back of his neck as he apologizes. Simon chuckles, and shakes his head, "Nothin' worth spillin', Johnny. Just a bit of a laugh."

Of course that earns some groans from them, but you can't help but bite your bottom lip and grin when Simon gives you a knowing look. Some secrets are best kept between friends.

masterlist

[hoejosatoru]

Room for One More

Pairing: Fem!reader x Shinichiro

Summary: Seeing how you cares for his little siblings makes Shinichiro want to have a child of his own with you <3

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: changed the sano siblings ages a bit from cannon to fit the narrative, talk of pregnancy, breeding kink, raw sex, fingering, cream pie, some pet names, not proof read

You woke up to a familiar sound: little feet on hardwood and stifled giggles. You felt the bed shift under the weight 2 tiny bodies as they wedged their way between you and your boyfriend.

“Wake upppppp” Mikey whined. You rolled over, finding him poked at Shinichiro’s cheek.

He grumbled, turning into the pillow. “C’mon Mikey, it’s early.”

Mikey snorted. “It’s nine!”

Shin’s voice came muffled from the pillow. “That is early.”

“Lazy!” Emma giggled at Mikey’s comment.

“How about instead of bothering Shin, you give me a good morning hug?” you asked, earning delighted squeals from the two of them. They practically leaped at you, but you received them happily, hugging them tightly. “You too, Izana, you know I can’t get up without a hug.”

Izana was standing in the doorway, watching this all unfold. Being the oldest, besides Shin, you knew he felt like he wasn’t supposed to get in on the “baby stuff.” However, you also knew he really liked it, as he was still very much a child after all. You were always sure to invite him in, so he felt like he was doing it for you, rather than himself. He gave you a big, sweet hug.

“I’m hungry,” Mikey groaned. 

“You’re always hungry,” Izana replied.

“I’ve got an idea,” you interjected. “Whoever brushes their teeth the fastest gets an extra piece of bacon.” Their eyes all lit up and in a flash they were gone.

You leaned over, pressing a kiss on Shin’s cheek. “I’ll make them breakfast, you rest, okay?” Shin had been working a lot lately; the responsibility of the bike shop was a lot for him. This was his first day off in a while and you knew he needed it.

“Thank you,” he murmured, turning to give you a quick kiss on the lips.

You made it to the kitchen just in time to see the kids race in, Izana sliding into his chair first. “We have a winner!” you announced, ruffling his snowy hair. He smiled proudly. The other two pouted. 

“He cheated,” Mikey grumbled.

You were fishing out pans from the cabinet as you replied, “Sore losers don’t get any bacon.” That got him quiet. You got everything you needed- eggs, bread, butter, and bacon - and got to work cooking breakfast. It wasn't long before Shinichiro stumbled in. 

“I thought you were gonna rest some more?”

Shin cozied up behind you at the stove, wrapping his arms around you. “Smells too good to stay away.” You leaned into the warmth of his touch, smiling as he peppered soft kisses on your neck and cheek.

“Eww!” the kids groaned in unison. You giggled as Shin told them to shut up, while half laughing himself. When you finished cooking you gathered around the little kitchen table to eat. Everyone fell silently as they enjoyed their food. Meal times were typically the quietest parts of the day.

Just as you were all finishing up Shin’s phone rang. He looked at the number and groaned. “Shit.”

“Oohh, Shin cursed!” Mikey gasped, making Emma giggled. Shin stuck his tongue out at them. Although he was much older, it didn’t stop the typical sibling dynamics from playing out.

“It’s the bike shop, I gotta take it,” he explained, before slipping out of the room.

“Let's get this cleaned up, yeah?” you said to the kids. They got up without complaint, helping you bring the dishes to the dishwasher and load it up. The kids definitely messed around a lot, but they were great little helpers. By the time you finished, Shinichiro returned with a disappointed look on his face. 

“I have to go into work,” he sighed, heavy with sadness.

“No! We were supposed to have a picnic today,” Emma pouted. She expressed the disappointment you felt. You weren’t angry, if anything you were upset for Shin. You knew he was looking forward to getting some time off and was probably just as upset as you were.

“I’m really sorry,” Shin replied, “It’s an emergency.”

“Is everything okay?” you asked.

“Yeah no one’s hurt or anything,” Shin replied, “We just have this big job that needed to be finished today. The guy who was supposed to do it got really sick and if we don’t complete this we’ll lose a ton of money. I’m so sorry I gotta go get it done.” Shinichiro looked so disappointed, it made your heart ache. It always sucked when he got called into work unexpectedly, but today he looked particularly upset. You knew he hated how much he had to work, despite loving motorcycles. It was difficult for him to be so young and have to provide for himself as well as all his little siblings. His dedication and care of them was something that drew you to him in the first place. “I’m sorry my love,” you replied, “That really sucks, but not your fault. We understand, don’t we?”

The kids were definitely disappointed, but they nodded along anyway thankfully. “It’s okay Shin,” Izana stated, “We can hang out a different day.”

Shinichiro shook his head. “No we already bought everything for the picnic, you all should still go and have a good time.” 

“Are you sure?” you asked. 

“Absolutely. I’d feel worse if you guys didn’t have fun today,” Shin replied. “You’ll all behave for y/n if she takes you to the park right?” This time they nodded eagerly. “Good,” Shin replied. He put his hand on Izana’s head, fluffing his hair a bit. “You’re the man of the house while I’m away, bud. Make sure these two behave.” 

“Hey!” Mikey and Emma grumbled while Izana beamed with the honor Shin had bestowed on him. Shin told the kids to get dressed, giving you a minute alone.

“I really am sorry about this, I was looking forward to spending time together,” Shin said, taking your hand in his.

“It’s really okay, you can’t control it,” You replied, giving his hand a squeeze, “You just owe us extra next time you’re off.” Your light teasing made him smile.

“You got it.” He stole a kiss before the kids could come back down and gag over your PDA. “If you need me at all, please call. I’ll say fuck work if you really need me for something.”

“Don’t worry about it, just do what you need to do and come home to us as soon as you can, okay?” you replied, stealing another kiss while you could.

“Yes ma’am.” With that the kids came racing back into the room. Shin said his goodbye before heading out. You got the kids organized, having them pack up their snacks and toys they wanted to bring with them. When everything was ready, you piled everything into a little wagon, which Izana was happy to put in charge of pulling. 

You held Emma’s hand as you walked to park. Mikey ran head, eager as always, while Izana followed dutifully behind so he could keep an eye on everyone. When you finally arrived, you let them run loose as you laid out the blanket. Despite it being a nice day, the park was fairly empty, giving the kids freedom to do as the pleased. As you watched them run around and laugh with each other, that familiar warm feeling grew in your chest.

Shin’s sibling were not your kids, obviously. You were just his girlfriend, after all. Still you felt such strong affection for them. You didn’t have a big family growing up and you loved being a part of their family like this. It meant a lot to you that his siblings seemed to love you as much as you loved them. 

After running around for awhile, the kids worked up an appetite and joined you on the picnic blanket. You dug through the picnic basket, pulling out everyone’s favorite snacks. You felt a little tug in your chest, knowing Shin had gone shopping to get everyone just what they liked. When you saw his favorite candy at the bottom of the basket you kept it hidden, wanting him to have a little treat to come home too.

After lunch, Izana and Mikey went back to running around and playing some tag-like game. Emma roped you into playing dolls with her, not that you minded. When she got bored of that, she went off to collect little flowers that were sprouted in the park. She brought you back a little bouquet, smiling brightly and filling your chest with warmth. There were a few extra she had for herself.

“Sit,” you patted the blanket next to you. Emma did as you asked, sitting in front of you. You used your fingers to comb through her silky blonde hair, then braided it, weaving in the little flowers she found. When you showed her, she squealed with delight.

“It’s like Rapunzel!” she beamed. 

“Can Rapunzel go tell her brothers its time to go home?” Emma nodded, skipping off to round up Mikey and Izana while you packed everything up. The sun was starting to set as you walked back home. You were surprised how much time you spent out, but you thoroughly enjoyed yourself. It only would have been better if Shin could have joined you. 

When you got home, you instructed the kids to wash up while you started making something for dinner. You kept it a simple crowd pleaser: pasta. 

“How you guys feel about watching a movie after dinner?” You asked as everyone ate at the table.

“Can we make a fort?” Mikey asked.

“Of course,” you replied. The three of them ate the rest of the meals excitedly chatting about how they would arrange the pillows and blankets. Once dinner was finished, they helped you clean up without complaint, eager to get to the fort building. It took a bit of time to get it big enough for everyone to fit while also being structurally sound, but eventually you got it right.

“You guys don't want snacks right?” you joked, knowing they’d be appalled you’d even suggest they go snack less. 

“Nuh uh! I want popcorn,” Mikey replied.

“And m&ms!” Emma chimed in. You laughed, but fetched what they asked for, before climbing into the fort. It was a tight fit, but they all had no qualms cuddling up to you. Emma was squished against your chest, while Mikey rested by your stomach. Izana snuggled up against your leg. 

The kids chatted and giggled at the beginning of the movie, but slowly fell silently as they drifted to sleep. Usually Izana is able to stay up through a movie, but even he was knocked out from a long day at the park. You were wondering how you would get them to their beds without waking them up, when you heard the front door open. 

“I’m home!” Shin announced. When he walked into the living room he laughed at the sight of the blankets and pillows arranged haphazardly. “Shit I didn’t know they were asleep,” he said when he came around tot he front of the fort. Shinichiro’s heart seized at the sight of his little siblings cuddled up to you so peacefully. He already knew he loved you, but it moments like this it was almost overwhelming for him. 

“It’s okay, they’re totally knocked out from today,” you whispered. “We missed you, but I saved you a plate. Why don’t you go eat and then we’ll move them?”

Shin nodded, even though he had the strongest urge to join you guys. His growling stomach was the only thing that pulled him away. He ate quickly, but appreciated the meal you had left for him.

“Thank you for dinner, my love,” Shin said when he returned, “Now lets get them to bed.” Shin gently lifted Izana off you, who stayed asleep while he carried him to his room. Next he took Mikey, leaving you to carry Emma up to her room. All the kids remained asleep on the short walk to their room.

“Your turn,” Shin greeted outside Emma’s door. Before you could ask what he meant, he swept you off your feet and carried you to your bedroom. You both laughed quietly, as he placed you on the bed.

“We missed you a lot today,” you told him.

“I missed you guys too,” Shin replied “You’re so good with the kids, you have no idea how much it means to me.” Shin spent his entire day thinking of you all. It was not the first time you stepped up and helped with the kids, but it never meant any less to him. He loved how you cared for them, treating them basically like your own. Coming home to all of them so cuddled up to you just confirmed what he always felt. “Would it be crazy if I said I want a kid of our own?”

Your eyes went wide. The two of you had talked about having a family, but it had always been casual. Something that was more of a day dream than a true plan. “We aren’t even married,” was all that came out in your shock. You and Shin weren’t traditional by any means, but you always assumed you’d be married before having children.

Shin got a funny smile on his face. “Funny you should say that.” He went over to his drawer, digging through it until he pulled out a little black velvet box. You gasped. “So, I had been planning on proposing today when we were all together. I was really upset when I didn’t think it would happen, but I guess it was meant to be,” he explained, with the sweet grin on his face that had made you fall in love with him. “So, y/n, will you marry me?”

There was only one answer. “Yes, of course.” You threw your arms around him, happy tears streaming down your face. You only pulled away so he could slide the beautiful ring on your finger. “I love it so much. I love you so much.”

“I love you more,” Shin replied, pulling you in for a kiss. He laid you down, kissing you as he straddled your body. You were both giggling, equally giddy and desperate for each other, as if it was the first time being together. Your stripped each other as you kissed, barely letting your lips part. “Fuck,” Shin said looking at you, “So fucking pretty. My girl. my fiancé.”

You blushed and smiled, loving the sound of that. You twirled the hair at the base of his head, just like you knew he liked. It only egged him on more. “Gonna be even better when I can call you my wife.” His hand slipped between your legs, spreading the slickness that gathered. You let out a little satisfied sigh as he teased your clit. “Fuck you’d look so good pregnant. You want that, yeah? Wanna have a baby with me love?”

Maybe it was the excitement of the engagement or the ache of desire you felt for Shin, but in that moment there was nothing you wanted more. “Please Shin,” you begged, “I want that so bad.” Shin smiled widely, slipping his fingers inside you. You let out a little gasp as he pressed into your g-spot, making you impossibly wetter.

“Fuck, gonna give that to you,” he murmured against your skin. He kissed your breasts, his tongue sliding across your nipple. Goosebumps raised on your skin as he continued to work at you. His thumb found your clit, pressing little circles until the bubble of pleasure inside you popped.

You bit your lip, letting out a low, breathless moan as you came. You were still acutely aware that the kids were near by, asleep in their beds. The last thing you wanted to do was wake them up. 

When you were finished, Shinichiro sat up, pumping his hard, leaky cock. The sight of him coupled with the anticipation of getting to feel him raw for the first time made your body drum with excitement. Shin was just as eager, lining himself up to you and pressing himself inside you.

“Fuck,” he groaned, “Knew you’d feel good, but this is like fucking heaven.” He gave slow, deep thrusts, allowing him to savor ever inch of you. “We’re never using condoms again.” You giggled at his enthusiasm, but also fully agreed that this felt better than before. 

Shinichiro grew more needy. His thrusts became faster and harder as he lost himself in the feeling of you. “Can’t wait to fill you up,” he panted softly, “Gonna be the prettiest mommy. Fuck I love you.”

“I love you too, Shin,” you whimpered. Your hands dragged up and down his back, holding him close to you. The faster he moved, the more the pleasure inside you rebuilt. You were getting to the tipping point when Shin let out a low curse and buried his face in your neck. You felt his cock twitch inside you, filling you with his warm cum. The sensation sent you over the edge, making you cum around his cock. You bit into his shoulder to stifle the sound.

The both of you stayed like that for awhile, Shin buried deep inside you, bodies pressed together, breathless and flushed. Eventually, Shin propped himself up on his elbows. He wasn’t far from you by any means, but it allowed him to look at you. His cheeks were flushed with a loving glow that only made your heart flutter more. 

“I really mean it, you know,” Shin said, pushing hair out of your eyes. “There’s nothing more that I want than to have a family with you.”

His sweetness and sincerity nearly brought tears to your eyes. “I want that, too. I’m so glad I get to be a part of your family now.” It was all you had wanted since you first started dating him

He picked up the hand that the ring was on, placing a soft kiss on it. “You’ve always been part of the family, now it’s just official.”

You cupped his cheek, pulling him in for another kiss. “I love you so much.”

Shin only smiled brighter, “I love you more.” The joy you felt was beyond anything you could explain. All you knew was there was nothing more you were excited for than to be build a life and family with Shinichiro. 

[cogentsummoner]

33 for the kiss prompt! 🥰

33. An unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it.

Toshinori's still half asleep when he trudges into the kitchen of the teacher dorms. It's early- the two of you are the earliest birds of the UA staff, and often end up watching the sunrise together. It's one of Toshinori's favorite parts of the day, and something he always looks forward to.

He'd had a sweet dream, though he can't remember much about it. Still, it leaves him buzzing with affection and warmth as he spots you and quietly calls out your name, sleepy smile on his face.

"Good morning, Toshi," you reply happily. You're cooking breakfast at the stove, and he can already see that you've set out two sets of dishes. "Did you sleep w-"

He cuts you off by gently tilting your head up, and leaning down to press a soft kiss to your mouth. It's quick, and chaste, but unmistakably loving and affectionate. It's a good morning kiss.

It's only after he turns to fish the milk out of the fridge that he remembers: the two of you aren't together.

Oh. Oh, that's right. The dream had been- it'd been-

It'd been about you. Scenes of charming domesticity, a togetherness and peace that Toshi had never really known. It'd felt so real, he hadn't realized that... it wasn't.

The milk slips out of his hands.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-" he's repeating his apologies over and over as the two of you scramble with paper towels to mop up the mess. "I'm sorry, I-I'll get the mop, I'm so sorry, that was so inappropriate of me-"

"Toshi!" you say, cutting through his anxious rambling. "One thing at a time, go get the mop."

Once the milk has been mopped up, the two of you sit at the kitchen table together, eating your slightly burnt eggs. Toshinori wishes he were just about anywhere else at the moment- anywhere except here, about to have this conversation with you.

"Did you kiss me because you have feelings for me?" you ask, cutting straight to the heart of the matter as always.

What is he supposed to say? Yes, I've been madly in love with you for months, thank you for noticing? I've been pining after you for so long but I couldn't possibly confess now, now that I've lost even the embers of One for All- now that I'm just Yagi Toshinori?

No. No, he couldn't possibly say any of that.

"I... I had a dream," he says instead. "It... was about us. We were... together- not in a sexual way! We were just- together. And when I woke up, I didn't realize..."

You stare at him for a long moment, and Toshi can feel sweat start to gather on his palms.

"That's not what I asked," you reply bluntly, and he flinches. Of course you'd see right through his sidestep of the question. "Do you want to be together?"

He can feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"Toshi," you continue, voice notably softer. "Please just be honest with me."

There's only one answer he can give. "Yes," he whispers, terrified. "Yes, I do."

"Good," you say, scooching your chair closer to his, and gently guiding his face to look at you, before you kiss him soundly on the lips.

prompt list / accepting

[sim0nril3y]

Seaside

Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Civilian!Reader Scenario: You both spend the day down at the seaside Note: Set in 2014 Warnings: No mask Simon (It's my personal headcanon in his regular life he probably wouldn't wear it), teasing, eating, smutty smut smut, sex, p in v, creampie, canon-typical swearing.

It was a surprisingly nice day, the sun was shining, the sky was completely clear of any clouds and there was even a gentle breeze to keep things cool. Added to the fact that it was a weekend and you didn’t have any plans it seemed like some miracle. Whilst you sat and ate breakfast you mentioned. “Maybe we could go to the seaside?” You suggested and from where Simon was making a tea behind you, he hummed in agreement. Honestly you had expected more resistance but he seemed just fine with the idea.

“Oh, that is exciting.” You giggled happily. “Do you want me to pack some food or should we get something down there?” You quizzed with a pinch in your brow. “Babe, I’m not driving all the way down there without having fish and chips.” He smirked, sipping from his tea. “And ice cream?” You looked up happily. “And ice cream.” He confirmed. “Now, go on. Go get ready.” He coaxed softly watching as you finished your toast in a big bite and then rushed to go get ready.

It didn’t seem to take long. You finally decide on an outfit and then were waiting as Simon approached his keys in hand. “Where’s your jacket?” He asked, his own fleece hung over his arm and arch in his brow. “I won’t need one, Si. It’s a nice day out there.” Gesturing to the window beside you as the sun beamed down. “What about when it gets chilly tonight?” He replied evenly, making a fair comment but not one that you were willing to listen to. There were times when you would do this, act stubborn or rather blatantly ignore his suggestions and typically you would always come around to his way of thinking only after the disaster had happened.

“Simon, I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl.” Then shaking your head and opening the door briskly. “The sooner we get there the sooner we can soak up the sun.” A tired sigh left his lips watching as you walk away from him. “Fine.” He huffed, closing the door and locking it behind him. It was your mistake to make.

The drive down wasn’t too long, but it seemed like everyone had the same idea of heading down to the beach. It was like a fight for a parking and earned the glares of several families when he finally slotted into a space. “Oi.” He growled as you were about to climb from the car. “Look here…” He took your face in hand and took some time applying sun cream to your face, taking his time massaging it into your skin. “I get the feeling you just like putting cream on my face~” You purred which earned you a look of caution.

“We only just got here.” Simon’s voice was even and he saw that cheeky smile that pressed to your lips. “Behave yourself or I’ll drive you home.” He commanded and you laughed and nodded. “Promise~” Then leaning forward to kiss him and he smirked. “You smell like a holiday.” He noted, it was a pleasant smell, one that he wanted to savour for a moment longer before climbing from the car and announcing. “It’s never too early for ice cream, is it?”

It turned out that it really was never too early for ice cream, the two of you took a couple cones down to the stony beach and sat down watching the ocean. Even on a roasting day like this the water would be shockingly cold and still there were people playing in it. You smiled happily as you watched them before turning your attention to Simon, eyeing his frozen treat and he huffed as he held it in your direction to take a lick. “Mmm…” Then holding out your own for him to taste too. “That’s nice, babe.” He approved softy.

A loud calling of music and flashing lights drew you both over to the arcades next. They were crammed with kids and adults lining up to play the penny machines, claw machines, shooting games and anything else that was hidden in there. You even convinced Simon to toss a couple pennies into the machine, whilst you exchanged almost all the change in your purse to win a plastic ring and a lollipop.

Proudly you kept holding your hand out for Simon to observe it. A smirk played on his lips as he observed it for a moment and then said. “Very nice… you put about £5 into that machine to get a 50p bit of junk from it.” “Ah-ah. I won this junk.” You corrected with a big grin playing on your lips. “More than you won, Si~” You teased and this caused him to smirk before pulling you into his side and continuing to walk through the arcade before hearing the roar of laughter and cheering.

The two of you glanced over to see a group of lads gathered around the punching machine, a bag swung down and you would test your strength by hitting it as hard as you could. They were clearly trying to beat the record that was into the high 800s. “Bet you could beat that.” You coaxed softly, hand caressing the strong ink-covered bicep. You both observed for a moment before the group grew bored with not being able to beat it and the second it was free you rushed towards it and placed a few stray coins into it. “You go first.” Simon smirked taking a step back and watching you curl your fist. “Ay…” He caught your wrist before you could swing. “You’ll hurt your hand like that… like this…” He fixed your fist and then stepped back. “Go on. Hard as you can.”

You threw a punch and laughed as you watched the numbers fly up. “Ow~” You shook your hand from the impact Simon gently held it and brought it up to his lips to kiss softly. “Not bad, you know.” He nodded at the numbers that flashed on the screen, proudly announcing your score which didn’t beat the record. “Now, out the way…” He struck your rear in a firm slap. “Let me show you how it’s done.” Pressing the button, the ball swung down again and Simon eyed it for a moment.

His punch was loud, making the ball bang loudly as it swung back. You laughed and watched as the numbers rapidly climbed and climbed. A squeal of delight found your throat as the record was beat and then some. The text of the screen flash proudly the new record way into the 1000s. “You did it!” You squeaked and rushed towards him. Simon laughed collecting you into his arms as if a prize he’d just won. “I’m so impressed.” “You should be.” He laughed and held you close for a moment longer and then settling you back onto your feet.

“Well, you’ll really impress me if you can win me something from that machine…” You pointed over to the claw machine and he huffed. “Fine. But you’re paying.” He pressed a sweet kiss to your forehead and then stalked over.

As the sun was setting Simon brought the two of you fish and chips, you sat happily munching away with the stuffed toy he had won from the claw machine between your legs. A cold shiver ran down your entire frame then. Now that the sun had set a cold breeze was setting in. From beside you Simon observed the way your skin prickled and your shoulders shook softly from the chill.

“Bloody hell…” Simon knew that you’d be too stubborn to speak up and instead of fighting you on it just removed his fleece and handed it on your direction. “Here… before you get hypothermia.” You were quick to climb into the warmth of his fleece, enjoying that way that it smelt of his strong cologne and just of him. “Thanks.” You mumbled softly as you continued eating your chips.

You knew the comment was coming and simply smiled when he said. “Told you to bring a jumper.” Then glancing in your direction. “Just knew that you’d get cold.” A giggle slipped from your lips. “You’re always bloody cold. Like being next to an icicle at night, one that puts their bloody cold feet on you.” It would always rile him up when he was just dropping off to sleep and your cold feet you find their way onto his body. It was jolt him right back awake. “S’not funny.” He grumbled as you giggled and leaned into his side.

“I am always cold and I’m so lucky to have someone so warm and caring to snuggle up to.” You giggled and glanced up at him. “Besides, I knew a really good way of warming up~” There was that same playful lilt to you voice which let Simon know he was in trouble. “How much space do you think there is in the back of the car…” Simon smirked and responded. “Why don’t we find out?”

Night had drawn over completely and the car park was practically empty as you bounced on his rigid cock, from this angle you were hitting all the right spot, the tip of his cock kissing your cervix with every slam down against his lap, whimpering and mewling into his throat as Simon clasped desperately at your waist. “C’mon pretty girl…” Those strong hands clawed hard to slam you down filthily onto his cock. “S’fuckin’ tight… Fuckinghell…” Simon’s voice was practically a growl as his fingers dug into your soft flesh.

By now your thighs were burning, but you didn’t care. It was a perfect ending to this amazing day. The two of you wouldn’t have been able to survive the journey home and besides now you would avoid the traffic.

“S’close, Simon~” You cried softly, burying your face into his throat. “S’fuckin’ deep… Ohgod… C-can I… can… I please…” “Yes, baby.” He confirmed, his hand disappearing between your body so his thumb could rub your swollen clit so softly before grunting as he felt your body swiftly fall over the edge, walls pulsing and body shuddering hard in his grip, even as you body tried to lock tight his hands continued to use your body, bouncing you and extending your pleasure as much as he could. “Goodgirl… good girl… give me everything, babe… goodgirl… Such a pretty girl when you cum…” He praised in your ear causing you to mewl and moan sweetly. “My sweet little thing… cumming of my fuckin’ cock… makin’ such a mess… goodgirl…” He coaxed his hand down your back soothingly.

There were little noises of effort as you continued to bounce on his cock and Simon smiled at how beautiful you looked. “Need your cum…” You whispered breathlessly, using what little effort you had left in your body to try and milk some from him. “Yeah, you need it?” Simon grunted out, glancing down between your bodies to watch his cock disappearing into your tight hole over and over again. “Need it…” You whined, gripping at his shoulders and pressing down harder. “Use me… Give it to me…” You whimpered leaning in to kiss him. “Please~”

He took that as permission to grip at your hips and begin to slam you down recklessly on his cock, using your sweet body for all his pleasure. “Feel… fuckin’ good, babe… won’t last… long…” He warned and sticking true to his words only lasted a few moments before beginning to shoot his seed into your accepting walls, pulling your frame close so he could hold you as he exploded inside. “F-fuck…” He grumbled, seating you fully on his lap and panting against your throat. “Fuck… that was… fuck…” He chuckled lowly. “You’re perfect~”

“So are you~” You giggled into his throat and he stroked his hands slowly up your back, soothing you sensually. “Let me… just stay here for a bit longer and then… then I’ll drive us home~” Turning his head he pressed a kiss to your cheek. “Just rest, love.”

Masterlist | Ask | 23-09-2023

[mama2bears]

Starting Over Again Chapter 8

Warnings: Sexual content - not too much detail, (ONLY FOR 18+), Talk of bruises/injury, sharing shower, nakedness

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updated. Been busy with work. Next chapter will be the last chapter. I already have it finished and just need to do some editing on it. Hopefully I will have it posted later today or tomorrow. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 8

“So what is everyone doing today,” Tyler asked, taking a seat next to you at the table. Most of the team had already finished their breakfast.

“Dani and I have claimed the gaming system.” Boone stated, “but if anyone wants to join us..we can split into teams!”

“I want to send up the drone, get some shots of the area.” Lily said.

“I am going fishing!” Dexter added with a smile. “I see there's a pier a few miles down the road. Maybe I can bring some fish back for dinner.”

Everyone cheered at that idea and started clearing the table to go about their day.

“What about you?” Tyler looked at you with a soft smile, “What would you like to do today?”

“Stroll on the beach, collect seashells, play in the waves a little.” you smile.

“And build a sand castle.” Tyler added with a grin. “Let's do it!”

“Really?” you asked, “You don't think it's boring or stupid or anything?”

“Darling, I'd do anything with you, and to be honest, that sounds like the perfect day.”

“Hey, Y/N..come with me to the RV for a minute?” Lily asked.

“Sure.” you stand and place a hand on Tyler's shoulder and a light kiss on his cheek, “I'll be back in a minute.”

“Okay.” he squeezed your hand and watches as you walked away, lost in thought.

“Earth to Tyler...” Boone was saying.

“Huh? What?” Tyler looked at his friend.

“I said Dani and I are going to grill some burgers for lunch. Lily is coming back for lunch, but Dexter said he wants to grab a sandwich or something at the prier. I was asking what you and Y/N are doing for lunch so we know how many burgers to grill.” Boone grinned, “But you weren't paying any attention to me.”

“Sorry.” Tyler apologized. “We'll probably come back here for lunch. We are just going to be right down there.” he motioned to a stretch of beach that was just out the front door.

“So...I hear you and Tyler are spending the day at the beach,” Lily flashed a smile, leading you into the RV. She rummaged though some boxes and pulled out a bright red bikini. “Here, you can have this...go knock his socks off.”

“Oh..I don't..I don't know about that.” You blushed.

“Girl...go for it!” she winked. “You can even change in here and just completely surprise him once you are there.”

“Thank you.” You smile ducking into the tiny RV bathroom and replacing your bra and underwear with the bikini before slipping a dress back on.

A few minutes later you and Lily come back in the house laughing, causing Tyler to raise an eyebrow, “What's so funny?” he looked at you confused.

“You'll find out later.” you wink at him and Lily giggles.

As everyone parts ways to go about their day, Tyler collects a blanket and you got a few towels before heading down to the beach.

You loved the feeling of the shifting sand under your feet. You know as the sun rises and the temperature heats up the sand will soon become hot, but now, in the early morning hours, it was a just starting to warm up from the cool night air.

“You okay?” you asked, grabbing Tyler's hand as he stumbled and grabbed his leg.

“Yeah, I am fine. Just lost my footing a little.” he gave you a smile, not wanting to ruin this perfect day. Truth was, he would be okay once they got off of the shifting sand, but right now, it was hell on his leg.

You grab his hand and squeeze it tightly, “We can go back if you want.” you offer.

“Never.” he smiled, “I am looking forward to giving you the date you deserve.”

Gradually you both make your way down close to the water's edge and lay the blanket down, tucking the corners into the sand and laying the towels out.

“How are you feeling?” Tyler asks, gently placing a hand on your left side.

“Sore, but okay.” you give a smile, “How about you?”

“Nothing that a little time at the beach won't fix.” he pulls you into a kiss, then takes your hand, “How about we go for a little walk, look for those shells you wanted to find?” he asked, “I hear first thing in the morning is the best time.”

“Well, actually....the best time for shells is after a storm. More shells wash ashore during a storm...but morning would be second best.” you grin as you two walk along the shore line, the waves washing over your feet.

“Oh there's one!” you see a big conch shell rolling in the waves.

“I got it.” Tyler reached for the shell as the waves pulled it just out of his reach.

“Ah, you missed it!” You hurry and reach down to try and catch the shell, only to have the waves pull it out father.

“Oh, well...maybe we'll find another one.” you give in, a hint of disappointment in your voice.

“I'm getting you that shell.” Tyler chased the shell further out into deeper water and made another grab for it, losing his balance and falling into a wave, his head disappearing under the wave for a moment.

“TYLER!” You screamed, “you okay?”

“I got the shell!” He grinned, holding it up.

You push though the waves and run out to the waist deep water where he was and grabbed his arm, “Oh my God, Tyler, are you okay?” you practically were yelling at him.

“Yeah, I am okay. The wave gave me a softer landing.”

“You scared me to death.” you grab his hand and help him stand, “I was afraid you hurt your ribs again falling.”

“I am okay.” he confirmed handing you the shell, “for my beautiful lady.”

“Thank you.” you kiss him softly and hold his hand back to shore. Tyler stops at the blankets and slides his wet pants off, revealing a pair of dark blue swim trunks, then he tried to pull his shirt up over his head grimacing in pain. “What's wrong?” you ask concerned.

“I am trying to get this shirt off.” he sighed, “but it's wet and sticking.” he gasped.

“Here, let me help.” you help him pull the shirt over his head and your eyes immediately go to the bruises covering his back and chest. You carefully run your hand over his chest “I am so sorry.” you whisper.

“Darling, there's nothing to be sorry for. I would rather deal with this pain and these injuries then see you get hurt.” he leaned over and placed a tender kiss on your lips, “I owe you my life. You saved my life that night.” he whispered, “I'll never forget that.”

“You saved my life that night as well.” you whisper.

“And I'd do it all over again.” he leaned in closer to you and captured your lips in a long slow deep kiss.

“Do you need to go back to the house and change?” he asked.

You smile at him, stepping back a few paces, “No...I think I'll change here.” you slide your dress up over your head, revealing the red bikini and heard Tyler suck in a breath.

“Wow...” he whispers.

“You like?” you asked.

“No...” Tyler shook his head, “I don't like it.”

“Oh...” you look a bit taken back.

“I love it!” he grinned, pulling you towards him for a kiss.

You grimace and he pulls back, “Sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you.” he leans over to look at the stab wound, “Is it bothering you?” he asked, softly.

“Little..but not bad.”

Tyler carefully runs his hand down your side and then he notices all the bruises and scars running across your stomach and up your back. “My God, Y/N...I didn't know it was this bad.” anger flashed in his eyes. “He did all this to you?” he asked.

You nodded, “Yeah, but let's not talk about him, okay?”

“Alright, Darling.” he kissed her softly. “What shall we do next?”

“Take a mid morning nap on the beach?” you grin, sitting down on the blanket and stretching out. At least a little rest.

Your side was starting to bother you, and you were sure Tyler was in pain by the look on his face, even if he denied it.

“Sounds good to me.” you laid down next to you and wrapped his arms around you. As you were staring out across the ocean, he was looking at you with a grin.

“What?” you turn towards him with a smile, catching him staring at you out the corner of your eye.

“You're just so beautiful.” he whispered, kissing your lips softly, trailing his lips from your mouth, down your neck.

“Tyler...” you moan as he tenderly brushes his hand across your stomach and pausing at your bikini top.

“Want me to stop?” he asked, desire deep in his eyes.

“What if someone sees us?” you ask.

He glanced up towards the house, “We are far enough down the beach. They can't see us from the house and no one else is around. “Hold on.” he held you close to him and rolled off the blanket, laying directly on the sand and the blanket now covering you. “Better?”

You nod, “Yeah, but we shouldn't be doing this, not with your broken ribs.”

“My hands aren't broken.” he grins, pressing his lips firmly against yours in a long deep kiss. “If you want me to stop, tell me now.” he moaned, ducking his head under the blanket to remove the bikini top.

“Don't stop...”you moaned, feeling his lips and hands caressing your body.

* * * * *

“Hey Boone!” Dani called, looking at her phone.

“What's up?”

“I was just checking our YouTube feed. Someone posted videos and photos of us leaving the hotel and picking up Ty and Y/N at the hospital.”

“Yeah..we got about a million followers. They probably were interested in how T was doing. We never did update them.”

“Maybe...” Dani said thinking, “But they keep asking questions about our whereabouts. It just doesn't seem right to me. Our fans know we are chasing the storms, and if we aren't, that's our private time. They don't ask a lot about where we are if we aren't chasing. This person has posted several times a day.”

“You're right. That is suspicious.” Boone frowned. “Has anyone said anything about us being down here?”

“No. Everyone just assumes that we went back to Arkansas to rest up for a bit.” Dani informed him.

“Good.” Boone nodded.

“Should we tell Tyler?”

“No, that's just going to cause a lot of worry for no reason. As long as no one suspects we are here, then let's not worry them about it.”

Dani agreed, “I'll keep an eye on it and make sure no one discloses our whereabouts if they do see us.”

“Maybe I should do a quick video, give people a heads up?” Boone suggested.

“Yeah...good idea.”

Boone fixed his phone and made sure nothing was in the background to give away his whereabouts and then began, “Hey Hey fan base! I know we have been flying under the radar lately, but as you know, a lot has happened in a short amount of time. Listen, I need ya help. One of our team members has a crazy guy after them. It's personal business and I don't want to get into details, but we haven't had much luck with the police. That's why we've been laying low. Tyler and the team are all doing good, but listen, if you do happen to see us out and about anywhere, please don't disclose our location...for the sake of the team. We'll update you when this situation has been solved. Thank you fans! We love you!”

The sound of the door opening caused them to look up. Boone smiled, seeing Tyler and Y/N come though the door, hand in hand. Both of their hair was ruffled and they were covered in sand, breathing hard with their faces were flushed.

“Hey guys, I am just about to start the burgers.” Boone called, trying his best not to look at the couple. He wanted to say something smart, but he also didn't want to embarrass either of them.

“Yeah, I bet they've worked up an appetite.” Dani giggled.

“We are hungry.” Tyler shot them a look, “Thanks Boone. We're going to take a shower and then we'll be out.”

“Hmm hmm...no problem.” Boone held his laughter in until Tyler and Y/N had went into their room.

“Whoa boy, I bet they're going to have an active week.” he giggled and Dani playfully slapped his head, “Oh hush! What if they hear you!”

“I'll start the shower for us.” Tyler states, kissing you softly, “You wanna head back down to the beach or stay here?”

“Right now that bed is looking awfully inviting. I vote we stay here and watch a movie after lunch.” she said.

“That sounds like the perfect ending to a perfect day.”

You pull out your pajamas and a pair of shorts for Tyler before meeting him in the bathroom. He had already stripped down and was getting in the shower when he extended his hand towards you, “Join me?” he asks.

You let the bikini fall to the floor and enter the shower, where Tyler pulls you into another long slow kiss. He runs his hands slowly over your body, kissing every scar and every bruise as if he could kiss away the hurt.

“You're beautiful and I love you so much.” he muttered against your skin, moving his lips up to your neck and reclaiming your lips as his own.

Boone, Dani and Lily were already eating the burgers by the time you and Tyler finally emerged from the bedroom. All three of them passed knowing looks.

“Your burgers are over there by the grill. We did save you some.” Boone smiled.

“Oh, and don't worry about anything that might of happened on the beach today.” Lily grinned, “I didn't fly my drone over that way.”

“Oh my God, we didn't think of that!” you muttered into Tyler's ear and he laughed.

“So...um...how's the water?” Boone asked as you guys sat down with the burgers.

“Perfect.” you say.

“Well, it was a bit salty.” Tyler grinned.

“And there was a shark.” you grinned, looking over at Tyler.

“I bet that shark's name was Tyler, wasn't it?” Dani laughed and the rest of the team joined in.

“Yeah..it was...it was.” you blushed.

Once lunch was finished, Tyler stood and took your plate and his into the kitchen. “Y/N and I are going to lay down for a bit and watch a movie. When Dexter gets back, tell him we expect fish for dinner!”

“I'll help make something. Don't worry.” you tell Dani and Lily as Tyler leads you into the bedroom.

“What movie?” he asked.

“I don't care.” you crawl into bed and snuggle down into the warm covers and soft pillows.

“Okay.” Tyler flips on Pet Sematary.

You pull the covers up over your head and hide, “That's going to terrify me! The original scared me!”

“Nothing to be scared of when you got me here, Darling.” he crawls into bed next to you and holds you tight. “I think we need to put this day on repeat for the rest of the week,” he whispered, kissing you softly.

“I wouldn't complain about that.” you sigh, snuggling into his side a little closer as the movie began.

Chapter 9 (Final Chapter)

Tag List

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[bellysoupset]

"Hold this," Max said, fishing out one of his many plastic bags from the glovebox and passing it to Vince. The man was leaning against Max's white pickup, more than a little pasty, with a green tinge to his complexion, his lips almost camouflaging against his skin so devoid the color they were.

"What is it for...?"

"Because you look fluorescent green," Max rolled his eyes, "puke bag."

"I'm not gonna be sick," Vince groaned, but got inside the car. He leaned back, closing his eyes and Max quickly circled the vehicle, getting inside as well.

"I beg to differ, you're one of those weird people who genuinely turn green," Max's was a little amused by how transparent Vince was, metaphorically speaking. The brunette kept his eyes closed, but frowned.

"So I've heard..." he gulped down when the car started moving and Max stole a glance at him, focusing on the drive. He hated the uncomfortable silence, Vince wasn't a quiet person and this was unnerving.

"Sooo... What's wrong, is it a bug?" Max poked his bicep and Vince sighed, opening his eyes, seeming a little annoyed Max didn't let him just sleep. The blonde shrugged to himself, Vince could be annoyed all he wanted, as long as he didn't pass out again.

When Max had barged in the classroom, the sight of Vince crumbling down to the ground had been more than a little frightening.

"No, I don't think so," Vince, in the present, said, staring out of the windshield. It took Max a second to realize he was keeping his eyes on the horizon, probably due to the nausea he was clearly feeling, even if denying it, "I didn't have time for breakfast this morning and has to skip-" he gulped down, pressing his lips in a line when a weak gag jolted him. Vince opened the bag in his lap, but didn't bring it up to his mouth, breathing slowly "skip lunch. I think it's just my blood sugar."

"You should keep some energy bars on you," Max scoffed, "aren't you an athlete? I thought your people lived on those."

"My people," Vince snorted, then groaned loudly as nausea caused his arms to get covered in goosebumps, "stop talking about food, please."

"Sorry," Max drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, feeling a stab of guilt. He was so bad at this, he had never taken care of anyone before and it showed. Hell, most days he could barely care for himself!

He also hoped Vince hadn't realized that Max didn't ask for his address, he had driven him and that friend of his home that one time at 3 AM and it was terribly embarrassing that he had memorized it.

They stopped at a red light and Max turned to look at Vince, immediately frowning, "You're shivering," he pointed out. All the windows were closed and the car felt rather stuffy, there was no way Vin was cold, "are you feverish?"

"No," Vince rubbed at at his forehead, "don't think so..? I just feel really cold..." He was pitiful to look at, white as milk and shuddering like he had just gotten out of a frozen lake. Without thinking, Max leaned in to feel his forehead, then realized what he was doing and froze with his hand mid air. Vince snorted, looking at him through his dark lashes, "you can check it, it's fine. I don't think it's a fever."

Max's ears burned and he wanted to die from embarrassment. Instead, he slammed his hand harshly against Vince's forehead, then pulled it back quickly, "yeah, you don't have a fever, you're freezing."

"Low blood sugar," Vince breathed out through his mouth as the car started moving once more, swallowing convulsively and fidgeting on his seat, "are we almost there?"

"Almost," Max sped up a little bit more, they weren't far out, "you're still feeling faint?"

Instead of answering him, Vince simply nodded, too busy taking slow breaths. He leaned forward, mouth hanging open over the bag, causing Max to cringe in sympathy.

"Almost there," he repeated, squeezing Vince's nape without thinking and leaving his hand there when the man didn't shrug him off immediately. Actually, Vince seemed weirdly welcoming of the touch, something that shouldn't surprise Max given Monacelli had been all over him when he was sick, but that did anyway.

As soon as he parked in front of Vince's place, the man shoved the door open and leaned out of it...Then fell.

"Shit, Vince!" Max cursed, jumping out of the car and running around it. Vince had fallen to his knees and he had an arm wrapped tightly around his stomach and was dry heaving on the grass, "shit-shitshitshit-" Max sunk to his knees, holding Vince's shoulder, "hey... So much for not gonna puke, uh?"

As if to answer him, Vince retched once more - silently, he was a really quiet puker - and a splash of bright yellow bile fell in the grass.

Max rubbed his hand up and down the man's back, sighing in a defeated manner. Vince coughed once more, than let out a string of little tiny burps that seemed completely out of place for a dude like him, and was left panting, an arm still around his stomach, his free hand coming to wipe his mouth.

"Sorry," Vince's voice was shot by the acid, raspy and barely above a whisper, "that was gross."

"I see puke weekly, you're fine," Max thumped his back in a lighthearted manner, "you're done?"

"Think... Think so," Vince nodded and the blonde grabbed his arm, struggling to pull him up on his feet. The moment he did, Vin stumbled, but stayed standing with great effort.

"You're sure this is just not eating?" Max made sure he wasn't gonna fall, before grabbing Vince's bag and digging through it to find his keys.

"It's unlocked," Vince answered after a minute of searching, "I... Forgot to lock it."

"I know Doveport is pacific, but geez, Vince," Max frowned, pushing the door open. He had never been inside and it was striking the difference between Vince's place and his own.

Vince's tiny house was smaller than Max's place, everything cramped in one open floor. Nevertheless, it felt like a home. His living room area was a light beige and had a big brown couch, with a small TV rack dividing the "living room" from the "bedroom", a flat screen on top of it and a bunch of books under it. The coffee table was a little wobbly and Vin's fresh laundry was sitting in a bowl there, to be folded and stored away. His kitchen had barely any cabinets, instead everything was inside of jars in open shelves. His bedroom had a pink wall, a bunch of books and one of his football jerseys had been framed and put on a wall, covered in signatures.

"Okay, lie down-" Max guided Vince to the couch, but the man shook his head, pointing the bed.

"Couch's... too small," he stumbled in and finally fell on the bed with a relieved sigh, "thanks, Max, you don't-"

"Where's your food?" Max interrupted Vince before he could say the predictable you-don't-have-to-stay. He didn't wait for an answer, turning around and going through Vin's stuff in the kitchen.

He had almost no junk food, which again was the opposite of what Max expected. A bunch of spices and pastas in all sorts of shapes...

"Here," he found a box filled with energy bars next to his microwave and walked back to the bed area, sitting on the corner, "have a bite."

"No," Vince wrinkled his nose, "too queasy."

"You're queasy because there's nothing in your stomach," Max rolled his eyes, tearing the bar open and breaking a piece of it, "open up, c'mon."

Vince glared at him and Max sighed, lowering his hand. He was being too forceful, he knew that. It was just... Weird being around Vince when he was existing in this weird limbo of crushing on the guy, getting to know him and taking care of someone for the first time. He was both worried and overthinking it all.

"Help me out here, man," Max said quietly, "I don't know what to do."

Vince's shoulders moved down and he nodded, rubbing his face in a frustrated manner, "uhm... Energy bar is too rich," he said after a minute, making a disgusted face, "I have saltines in one of the jars."

"Alright!" Max leaped for them, going through all the jars. Part of him was enjoying the snooping around, he couldn't remember the last time he had been in someone's house... Well, except for his tinder dates, but those barely counted, "who needs that much pasta?" he whispered under his breath, then raised his eyebrows at the fancy set of pans inside the only cabinet. They were all baby blue and looked expensive as hell, "these are cute..."

"Max," Vince sounded amused, "saltines?"

Oh yeah. Max found them in the smallest jar, next to a metal tin filled with cookies, and he came back to the bed, holding five of the crackers as well as a Gatorade bottle.

"Here you go..." He fidgeted, watching as Vince started taking tiny bites, in between small sips of the electrolyte, "better?"

"It's been twenty seconds," Vince snorted, closing his eyes, "sit down, you're making me nervous."

"I'm making you nervous? You're the one who collapsed like a victorian lady," he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms, "are the crackers staying down?"

Vin shrugged, not moving a muscle and Max simply stared, since the man had his eyes closed. Vince occupied most of the double bed and he looked... Weird. Not just the paleness and slight shivering, there was something off that Max couldn't figure out what it was. His curls had escaped the low ponytail and were around his face, making him look oddly like an ancient statue...

"I like your place," Max paced around, like a caged tiger, "are you gonna nap?"

Vin opened his eyes, looking a little amused, "can anyone nap when you're yapping?"

"Oh fuck you!" Max cried out, his cheeks heating up, "I'm just checking if you're alive, forgive me for giving a shit-"

"You helped so much already," Vince interrupted his outcry, moving slightly on the bed, "but I think I'll just nap now, you should go Max."

"Okay..." He really didn't want to leave. Not only he didn't trust Vince to stay alive when he was still that white, but he simply didn't wanna leave this tiny, cozy house.

"My mom is gonna be here in five minutes," Vince warned him, yawning, "you should leave or she's gonna rope you into coming over for dinner, it'll be a whole thing."

Max didn't hate the idea of going to the Monacelli's place for dinner. Still, he let out a huff, "yeah, I should go," he moved around, fishing Vin's phone out of his bag abandoned on the couch and then back to the bed, shoving the device on the man's hand, "get my number, I want you to text me you're alive later."

Vince let out a sigh, before unlocking his phone and handing it back to Max, a clear message for him to do it himself. Once that was done, that was really no other reason for Daniels to stay around a minute longer, so he patted Vince's arm in an awkward way, "text me. I'm serious, or I'll text your mom. I got her number, this is a threat."

Vince scoffed, looking more than a little sleepy, "yeah yeah..." he yawned, "Max? Thank you. Really."

He sounded so earnest. Max nodded stiffly, he needed to get the hell out of there. Liking Vince was a landslide, not even a slippery slope.

"Yeah, no problem," he walked to the door, "but start eating breakfast, Monacelli."

[shepherds-of-haven]

What are the ROs' comfort foods?

Blade: there's a specific meal in Ygrath literally called "soldier's meal" that they would prepare both for the trainees in boot camp (or the Ket equivalent) and that mothers would traditionally prepare for their children when they returned home from war: it basically consists of grilled fish over rice, accompanied by sauteed dark mushrooms, a mountain herbal tea, salted cucumber and radish, and clear "earth-broth" with onions, mushrooms, grains of barley, and a miso-like paste. That's his comfort meal!

Trouble: his answer would be a nice steak, crispy potatoes cooked in duck fat, a beer, and a heaping bowl of honey pudding to follow, but I actually think his real comfort food is a sandwich. sometimes when he's upset, you can observe him going straight to the kitchen and eating his feelings with a massive sandwich. doesn't really matter what's in it, so long as it's on nice slabs of bread and has a bit of nice cheese, lettuce, and tomato!

Tallys: peya, the Elvish stuffed hand bread with nuts and cheese and wrapped in a leaf and drizzled with honey, is definitely one of her biggest comfort foods, but cheese in general is secretly a key ingredient for her too! She just likes nibbling on a little bit of cheese when she's anxious about something. Make her a cheese plate with some fruit and honey (though that part's optional) and she'll be happy!

Shery: definitely baked sweets! Everything she bakes for other people is her comfort food, lol. Sugar and flour and very soft, fluffy textures all the way baby! She tends to like strawberries and cream or angel food cake or fruit tart type sweets rather than really decadent chocolate or extravagant fudgey things, but she'll make whatever! Baking it is as much her comfort as eating it!

Riel: his are definitely sweets, too! Having a tray of little sweets (petit fours, little cookies, little bites of cheesecake) paired with extremely bitter khav or tea are divine ambrosia for him. It's extremely unhealthy but when he's at his peak workaholic stress, you'll often see him working at his desk with only a platter of sweets to graze on, it's so bad...

Chase: he doesn't really derive comfort from food... he has other vices... but if I had to guess, any kind of soup or chowder would inherently be comforting to him, especially since he had a lot of that growing up! He's particularly partial to a pumpkin-eel soup and corn and seafood chowder!

Red: I think he finds bread, particularly soft, slightly sweet bread, inherently comforting, and it's his go-to late-night snack when he's accidentally skipped dinner and doesn't want to fuss with a whole meal but has to eat something. Think of him walking around with half of a brioche roll in his mouth or something! Sticky buns and sweet milk bread was what was usually served for breakfast at the Circle, so it subconsciously brings him back to the days of being a student, having a routine, having the whole day to look forward to, etc.!

Ayla: most meals where there's too much to finish in one sitting are inherently comforting to her... she gets stressed about scarcity of food, so a big cauldron of vegetable soup (until that gets ruined, thanks Halek) or a big heaping pile of really anything where she can just mindlessly eat and process her feelings is comforting to her! This isn't quite a thing in Blest, but one of those huge grazing tables would be a delight for her!

Briony: with her amnesia, I don't think she's discovered yet what is a "comfort food" for her versus just foods she really really likes; she's more in a phase of life where she's trying as many new foods as possible rather than discerning which ones inspire particular emotions in her! I think she hasn't developed enough memories around food (which is sometimes what comfort food entails, that association to a particular experience or emotion) to gravitate towards a particular comfort food yet... but if I had to guess, I think she's drawn towards fried foods or little dumplings and tartlets, like a crab and cheese tartlet that's basically a crab rangoon or something like that! In a modern AU I could also see her being a big ice cream/milkshake/boba consumer!

Lavinet: she's not a big eater, so drinks are more comforting to her than food. When she's had a stressful day, she instinctively unwinds with a nice glass of wine, a cup of hot chocolate, a mug of warm tea, or what have you, rather than seeks out any particular meal or dish! She doesn't really have emotions around specific food like that!

Halek: he finds most foods he grew up with the opposite of comforting, as he thinks most Hunter food is bland and monotonous! (Not everything thinks that, he was just sick to death of growing up in the Reach and having the same-old same-old all the time.) His comfort food is some kind of cheesy pasta: it's simplistic in terms of his cooking aspirations, but there's just something about it that he finds inherently comforting! A nice gnocchi-style dish with a bunch of cheese sauce, toasted breadcrumbs, and broiled under an oven is his favorite!

Mimir: uncertainty

Caine: our boy loves cookies and fruit pies with a tall glass of milk!!

[thelampisaflashlight]

A Lack of Engagement Pt. 3: It Gets Worse

[Previous Chapter: Here. Morning regrets, and a search for dick... That's what we're working with here, expect no less.] Below the cut.

There's something uniquely mortifying about being caught jacking it, even if they are ghouls and they're all pretty open about their sexual escapades, this is a little different.

Rain can feel the building of his orgasm, much to his own horror, continue in spite of Dew standing in the doorway, staring!

He's just frozen there, eyeing Rain's dick with an expression he can't quite read, and then he opens his mouth and-

"Why is it blue...?"

-Rain gives a noise of distress, wanting to curl into himself and perish on the spot, but he can't stop himself from giving his cock one more tug, and somehow that's the one that does it.

He has to grip the counter to stop himself from toppling forward with the force of it, and Dew is definitely going to kill him for cumming in front of him like that!

Except he doesn't.

Dew doesn't make a move towards or away from him.

He lingers, and as Rain comes down from his high, he can see the other man's face growing pinker and pinker.

At some point, Dew holds his hands up, face beet red.

Rain tries to speak, but he's still reeling from his orgasm, and trying to breathe normally.

"Fuck..." he manages, "'m sorry..."

"...Your... Your..." Dew swallows, "I..."

They both stand there for a moment before Dew does something that makes Rain gape at him like a fish.

He shuts the door.

Closing them both inside the room.

Rain isn't sure what's about to happen, but the energy in the room has shifted in a strange way, and either Dew is really going to murder him or-

"...I mean, it's fine, right?" he says finally, "We're... married, so... We've probably..."

The kraken stirs.

"Dew, I don't-" Rain coughs, "-I don't think... Um... What're you doing?"

Dew has his thumbs hooked into his boxers.

"E-Eye for an eye, yeah?"

Rain wants to stop him, wants to grab his hands and stop him, but about partway through that thought, he dares a glance at Dew's crotch, and, well-

"...Oh my fucking god."

He's not sure what he expected to see Dew whip out, but this was not it.

It's about four inches long, flaccid, but wriggling with some interest as Dew takes it in hand.

"That's..."

A knock sounds on their bedroom door and Dew hastily packs himself away while Rain does similar, wiping his hands off on a nearby towel.

"Oi, lovebirds! You're gonna miss breakfast if you don't get your asses up!" Cirrus calls, then, after a pause, "...Don't hurry too fast though, Aether's teacing Aeon how to make pancakes, and I think I smell burning."

Rain and Dew share a look, considering.

Okay.

Okay, okay, okay...

"We're gonna pretend that didn't happen." Rain says finally, and Dew nods, "We've gotta... We've gotta focus up and figure out how to turn things back to normal and find the... giant metal penis."

Dew frowns, but nods his head regardless.

There it is again, that strange hesitance.

Rain wants to say something about it, but he also doesn't want to risk making Dew uncomfortable, although-

"I'm... I'm sorry you had to see my dick." Rain apologizes.

"No, no, I'm sorry I showed you mine!" Dew trills awkwardly, "Don't even... Like you said, let's pretend this all didn't happen."

"Right..."

Breakfast is... tense.

Tense, and burnt.

Aeon tried his best, but even with Aether's help, half the pancakes could be classified as briquettes, and Rain isn't sure if he can drown them in enough syrup to make them palatable.

Dew is struggling in his own way, trying to scoop up a wayward strawberry with his fork and failing miserably, until Rain jabs his fork into it and holds it up to his face.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" he asks the rest of the pack nonchalantly as Dew considers his angle of attack, popping the fruit into his mouth before going back to carving at one of his pancakes, which basically snaps under pressure from his knife.

"Ehn, there's a meeting going on with Copia and the rest of the clergy, something about changes to the hierarchy, but nothing that involves any of us at the moment." Aether explains, "Aside from our regular duties, our schedules are all fairly free for the next week or so until they get everything straightened out."

Rain hums and pokes at his breakfast.

"Maybe we could all watch a movie together??" Aurora suggests, the only ghoul actively crunching on the burnt pancakes, giving Aeon a thumbs up when he deposits more of his charcoal bits onto her plate, looking embarrassed, but proud, "Something scary!"

As others chime in with their assent, Dew nudges Rain under the table with his knee, prompting the water ghoul to give a little push back, the two bump each other back and forth for a bit before Rain notices their packmates looking back at them.

"What about you two?" Aurora asks, propping her head up on the back of her hands, "Unless you have other plans...?"

Dew opens his mouth, but finds himself at a loss for words, looking over at Rain, who thinks for a moment before shaking his head.

"We have a, uh," Rain rolls the word 'date' on his tongue, then eyes Dew.

"I don't want to ruin the surprise." he says finally, "He's been hounding me all morning about it, even broke into the bathroom to interrogate me about what I have planned!"

"I DID NO-" Dew balks, then remembers, flushing bright red, "...actually, yeah, I did..."

The table erupts into laughter, save for Rain, who silently thanks Dew for going along with what he said, because, well, it is the truth, albeit not all of it.

"Ohh~? Loverboy is finally making up for forgetting his hubby's birthday?" Swiss teases, pointing his fork at Rain, "Trying to win back those brownie points, huh?"

Rain blinks, sitting up straight.

"I did not forget Dew's birthday." he says, sounding very offended, "I took him t-"

He stops midsentence, slapping a hand over his mouth as he recalls how the two of them spent Dew's birthday this year.

It had been a special request from his friend that they not tell the others what they were getting up to that day, even if it wasn't anything outright embarrassing, Dew had been adamant that no one else know what their plans were for his birthday.

They'd gone to the aquarium, and had spent the entire day joking about which sea creatures they'd eat or had eaten, and at the end of the day, Rain had gifted Dew a marine biology textbook, since he'd been aching to learn more on a scientific level about the creatures they'd encountered.

Rain himself had purchased an octopus plush for himself, which was absurdly large and difficult to smuggle past the other ghouls to avoid suspicion, but worth it in the end, because it really did bring his room together...

"You took him where?" Swiss probes, watching Rain squirm under the attention.

He coughs into his fist and shrugs.

"Nothing." he says, "Just saying I didn't forget is all."

"Secrets, secrets are no fun, unless you sha-" Swiss starts to chant, but Dew shuts down the nonsense by scooting away from the table and standing up.

"Bathroom."

Rain blinks at him, "Oh, uh, alright-"

"You, too." he adds, grabbing him by the scruff.

"OOOOOOH~!" the other ghouls laugh, "Someone's in trouble~"

"...Shut up." Rain mumbles, letting himself be dragged away by the shorter man.

.

.

.

"So... *come* here often?" Dew jokes, and Rain almost chokes on his spit.

They're standing in Rain's on suite again, having decided, for whatever reason, that talking behind a door that literally does not work is better than standing directly in his -their- bedroom.

"Sorry, that was... Anyway, I wanted to discuss our game plan." he says after helping pat Rain on the back, "We have all week to work unimpeded looking for that statue, after that, it'll be difficult to find a spare moment where both of us can look for it together."

"Right... Even if we could look for it by ourselves, the magic only works if there's more than one person present... at least that's the theory we have going, yeah?" Rain concludes, and Dew nods, "That being said, so far, nothing seems out of place aside from, well, us."

"Us being a couple is a significant change, especially since, based on what I've seen on my phone, we've been together for a while now. Like, years." Dew says, slipping his phone out of his pants pocket, "...It'd be one thing if the statue bound us together with some stupid spell, but this is going too far..."

"I'm sorry." Rain apologizes, "I know being married to me is-"

"I mean, it's one thing to mess with our friends' heads and implant memories of a wedding that never happened, but, like, c'mon, let me remember this stuff, too!" Dew complains, startling Rain, who was not expecting this conclusion, "I kept looking through the pictures on my phone and I don't remember any of this, it's not fair, man!"

Rain tilts his head.

"You... want to remember... or, rather, you'd want the spell to make you think we've been married?" he tries, pursing his lips, "What?"

Dew freezes.

"I... Yeah... Maybe..." he rubs his arm, "It just feels... off... otherwise."

Rain feels an ache in his chest.

"Dew, do you... Are you saying..." he pulls back and sighs deeply, "Dew, you're my best friend. I love you, but I'm not in love with you."

"...Same... Same here." Dew replies, but he can't hide the brokenness in his voice, and Rain remembers then Dew's insistence on trying the statue again.

How he'd said they had to be serious.

...How the spell supposedly only worked if the pair before it were lovers.

But it had worked with them!

It had worked, and the statue had even called them out on it!

So...

Rain watches Dew wipe the corners of his eyes, trying to hide the hurt spilling from them.

...could it have worked because of something one-sided?

"I'm so sorry." Dew whispers, "I didn't... didn't want you finding out like this. Sorry, I... I'm sorry, this is how I feel."

"...I'm sorry, too."

.

.

.

The search for the statue is an awkward one.

Dew is still reeling from having his feelings exposed so easily, and Rain is in the midst of processing this new information, trying to figure out how he could have possibly lead the other on.

It's not that he doesn't find Dew attractive, or that they don't get along -they get along very well- and, sure, Rain did jack off to him this morn-

Rain feels a stirring inside of him again.

Goddammit, he thinks, is this part of the spell?

But...

As they browse the abbey's art collection for signs of one large dick, Rain finds himself thinking back on a lot of things.

This isn't the first time he's thought about Dew like that, but he's always managed to push those feelings down pretty well.

Somehow, it doesn't feel right that he's ONLY interested in Dew's body like that.

He likes Dew, he loves the guy, but... not romantically.

Does he very much want to fuck him though?

Yes.

And that's what has him shoving it all into the back of his mind.

Trying to at least.

It doesn't feel right that Dew LIKES him and that he just... he can't reciprocate it.

If he only wants Dew for his body, that's like a whole new level of leading him on.

Yeah, they're ghouls, they fuck around and move on, but things can get messy when feelings are involved.

Cirrus and Cumulus are a fine example of just that.

He cringes at the memories of their fights when they were together, how hard it had been for them to navigate the balance between the sexual freedom they both craved while being devoted to one another emotionally.

It was all a giant shitfest, until they stepped back and actually talked about what they wanted and realized they didn't click as well as they initially thought, and while they're happier than ever now... Rain can't put Dew through that.

But then again, who says monogamy is what the guy even wants?

They probably talked about all of this at some point, given their relationship status in this version of their reality, but it probably didn't happen over text, so fishing through his phone some more isn't going to help their situation.

He has to find that stupid fucking statue!

But...

Rain looks around the room, searching for Dew amongst the various artworks on display and comes up empty.

He feels a mild panic coming on when he sweeps his gaze over the room and, again, finds nothing.

"Dew??"

He looks left and right.

"Hey, hey, Dew, where are you??"

...He's gone.

Shit, shit, shit-

"I'm right next to you, you jerk." A familiar voice grumbles from beside him, and, upon looking down, Rain meets the disgruntled gaze of a very annoyed ghoul.

"Oh, shit, I-I didn't realize you were there-"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Let's just keep looking." Dew mutters, clearly unhappy, "Let's get this over with already."

"I..."

"...When we get back..." Dew says, "Don't talk to me."

"...For how long?" Rain frets.

"Forever if you want." he replies, hands in his pockets, "Since you're so tweaked out about shit, and this isn't something you get over in a day, or a week, or a year or whatever..."

"I can't just stop talking to you, you're my f-" Rain starts, but Dew cuts him off.

"Yeah, you're my friend, but you're already looking at me like I'm a freak because of how I feel, and I don't think I can come back from that, Rain." he places a hand on his chest, "Shit fucking hurts..."

"Dew..."

[the-angels-share]

In which Xiao gets the childhood he deserves. A Grandpa Zhongli and Xiao adventure.

Out of all the seasons, Xiao loves summer the best. Not only does he get to stay up an hour later than usual, he gets to do things he normally couldn’t the rest of the year. For example, during summer, Xiao gets to sleep in as late as 10 in morning. He can go to the beach and eat ice cream and build sandcastles without worrying about homework. He can watch TV and play outside for as long as he likes, as long as he gets inside the house by twilight. Most importantly, he gets to stay in Grandpa's house for a whole month.

Xiao's Grandpa is Zhongli. Zhongli is the Geo Archon. That means Xiao's Grandpa is the coolest, most awesome being to ever walk the planet. And Xiao gets to spend thirty (30) days with him. Just him and his Grandpa.

No one else in all of Liyue gets to experience that.

Xiao has spent a total of two days in his Grandpa’s house when he receives his first mission as a Guardian Yaksha.

The mission? Make a new friend. Location: The children’s park.

Xiao’s not gonna lie. He did not expect such a daunting task for his first ever mission. However, if there is one thing that Xiao has learned in his eight years of life, it’s that adepti assignments are to be accepted and seen to completion, whether they are given in Rex Lapis’ office or at the breakfast table over a plate of brown rice and grilled fish.

Which is how Xiao finds himself in the park two hours later, clutching his Grandpa’s slacks like his life depended on it.

Don’t misunderstand, though. Xiao is a brave boy. But sometimes, even brave boys get scared too. He’d much rather stay beside his Grandpa, where he can cling to his leg and be safe from the curious glances of the strange mortals in the sandbox.

“Don’t forget your weapon.”

Ah, yes, his weapon. Xiao wanted to bring one of his Grandpa’s many polearms, but Zhongli told him that the Primordial Jade Winged Spear is simply too long, too heavy, and too sharp for eight-year old boys to carry, even if they were adepti. So, he gave Xiao a jumbo bubble wand instead.

“Go on,” Zhongli tells him once Xiao finally let go of his leg. "Remember the plan."

Right, the plan. Xiao racks his brain for the battle strategy he made with Rex Lapis himself on their way here. Look for your target, wait for an opening, and when you’re ready, engage.

And so, Xiao does exactly that. Tightening his hold on the bubble wand, he takes a step forward and scans his surroundings. There, by the swings, stood two blonde kids around his age, blowing bubbles with their own soapy weapons. Target sighted.

Now for the rest of the plan.

Xiao turns to Zhongli. "Don't leave, okay?"

His Grandpa smiles and pats his head. "I'll be at the bench if you need me."

Xiao nods and walks ahead. Well, here goes nothing.

.

.

.

Ninety minutes later, Xiao goes home with two brand new friends, a play date plan for next week, and a gold coin for a job well done on his first ever mission as one of Liyue's Guardian Yaksha.

As Geo Archon and oldest of The Seven, it is only expected that Xiao’s Grandpa would keep a lot of treasures in his house. And, well, Xiao’s not claiming to be a treasure expert, but you know what they say.

Where there’s treasure, there’s a guardian.

That’s where Azhdy comes in.

Of all the odd things in the Geo Archon’s house, the most peculiar one is Zhongli’s pet, Azhdaha.

Xiao is not sure exactly what kind of animal Azhdaha is. His Grandpa says Azhdy is a dragon, but he looks more like a dog to Xiao. Either way, Xiao thinks Azhdy is the coolest, most awesome pet ever. (Even if his name is a little hard to spell).

Some people think Azhdy is scary, but really, he’s just a clumsy creature who’s a little too spiky and excitable. It’s true! Azhdy has funny eyes that look in opposite directions. He can’t see very well, and that’s why he always bumps into walls or people. But that’s okay, because it doesn't matter where Xiao is in the house—when Xiao says, "Azhdy, come here", the sound of heavy paws on hardwood floor will reverberate in the whole house, becoming louder and louder the closer he gets.

The sight of Azhdy running towards him never fails to make Xiao smile. Which is why he doesn’t understand why most people look just about ready to call the Millelith whenever Azhdy pounces on his little body to give him wet dog kisses.

There are days that hold a special place in Xiao's heart. For him, that day is Thursday. It's not because of any particular event or tradition. No, it's because Thursdays mean one thing: spending the most time with his super-duper amazing Grandpa.

For some reason, Thursdays seem to be the day when Zhongli spends the most time at home, away from his duties as the Geo Archon. And for Xiao, that means having his Grandpa all to himself for the day.

As the evening draws near on Thursdays, Xiao eagerly awaits the highlight of his day: bedtime. Not because it means the end of the day, but because it's the time when Zhongli sits by his bedside, tucking him in with gentle hands, a warm smile, and a pat on the head. Sometimes, Azhdy joins them too.

In those quiet moments, the world outside fades away, and it's just Xiao and Zhongli, and sometimes, Azhdy. While Zhongli spins tales of dragons, warriors, and dumplings, Xiao finds out very quickly that the crinkling of old book pages and Zhongli’s smooth baritone are much more effective sleep aides than the bedtime story itself.

Xiao never knows when he dozes off, if his Grandpa ever finishes his story before he starts dreaming. But every time, he wakes up with Zhongli and Azhdaha gone, replaced by the comforting scent of tea and breakfast in the air. It feels like a warm embrace, like he's loved and safe with Zhongli and Azhdy nearby.

Those Thursday nights (and Friday mornings) are the best.

The big building on Wangshu Street, Xiao learns, is called Wangshu Inn. Inn spelled with two (2) Ns. It means hotel, Grandpa Zhongli tells him one day.

Sometimes, when Xiao has been exceptionally good and Grandpa Zhongli feels particularly nice, they go to Wangshu Inn for a bowl of almond tofu. Xiao loves almond tofu, especially the almond tofu from Wangshu Inn.

How Xiao came to like the sweet treat is actually a funny story.

When Xiao was five, he got lost. It was Lantern Rite and he and his Grandpa were out and about on one of their holiday afternoon walks. Captivated by the vibrant sights and sounds around him, Xiao had wandered off and couldn't find his way back to where his Grandpa was.

Of course, being an adeptus, Xiao hadn't been scared. (He was terrified.) Like a brave and dependable Guardian Yaksha, he took it upon himself to look for the correct way home. (Xiao wandered aimlessly, tears welling up in his eyes.) And just as the day began to turn into night, a calming presence had enveloped him. It was Zhongli, his Grandpa!

He had found him amidst the crowd.

Xiao remembers his Grandpa picking him up from under his arms and rubbing his back to soothe him. Then, he brought them both to Wangshu Inn where they shared a bowl of almond tofu.

"You're okay now," his Grandpa had said. Xiao doesn't remember being not okay, so his Grandpa must have been talking to himself. He must've been super scared when he turned and found Xiao missing! He guesses even cool, strong, Geo Archons like his Grandpa get scared too sometimes. (So, maybe it's okay to say that he felt a little bit scared too when he couldn't see Zhongli anymore back in the harbour.)

Xiao doesn’t remember much of that day, but he does feel a surge of warmth and comfort with every spoonful of the soft sweet treat.

In the neighborhood where his Grandpa lives, there's a girl named Hu Tao. She's a bundle of energy, always running around with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Hu Tao is Xiao's... not-friend friend, but whenever they meet, she's full of jokes and stories she's read from whatever book she was devouring that week.

She's smart, just like Grandpa Zhongli. She reads those big heavy books he sometimes sees his Grandpa read on quiet afternoons at the den. She says big, hard to say words, like quick sonic (quixotic) and disk consulate (disconsolate). Sometimes, she recites poems with rhymes and more words Xiao doesn't quite understand. It's okay, though, because when she does, she smiles, and when she smiles, Xiao smiles too.

Hu Tao has a pet bunny named Boo Tao. Boo Tao is a fluffy little creature, but too small to play with Azhdaha, so they settle for sitting together in the grass, sniffing flowers and watching the world go by.

Xiao thinks Hu Tao is pretty. He's not quite sure what "pretty" here means, but whenever she laughs, it feels like sunshine breaking through the clouds.

Sometimes, when the sky is gloomy, Grandpa Zhongli takes Xiao to the cemetery.

Xiao’s only seen pictures of Granny Guizhong but with all the stories that Grandpa has told Xiao about her, it’s as if he’s met her too.

He makes sure to water the Qinxin flowers Grandpa keeps on Granny's grave. He'll take care of the flowers so Granny does not get sad.

Next time, he'll add Glaze Lilies too.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Xiao's hand finds Zhongli's, his small fingers entwining with his grandpa's sturdy grip. His Grandpa smiles down at him, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Shall we see what the harbor has in store for us today, Xiao?"

Xiao nods. He'd be a dummy to say no to Rex Lapis. With a gentle lift, his Grandpa scoops Xiao up into his arms, granting him a bird's-eye view of the lively street below. From this vantage point, Xiao marvels at the vibrant tapestry unfolding before him—the dancers twirling in graceful arcs, the acrobats defying gravity with breathtaking stunts, and the musicians serenading passersby with their melodious tunes.

He thinks he can see Hu Tao and the twins there too.

As the end of summer draws near, the yard of Grandpa's house becomes a haven for crystalflies. Amidst the delicate dance of these enchanted creatures, Xiao clings tightly to Zhongli, his small form nestled in the safety of his Grandpa's embrace.

With each passing moment, the inevitability of parting weighs heavy on Xiao's heart. As his parents arrive to take him home, Xiao buries his face in the crook of Zhongli’s neck, unwilling to let go of the warmth and comfort he finds there. The air is filled with the soft whispers of crystalflies bidding farewell to the departing summer, echoing the bittersweet emotions swirling within Xiao's heart.

Summer has passed, and before Xiao knows it, it's summer again. Out of all the seasons, Xiao loves summer the best. Not only does he get to stay up an hour later than usual, he gets to do things he normally couldn’t the rest of the year. For example, during summer, Xiao can go out on walks with Azhdy while the citizens of Liyue look on with amazement at his very big, very cute pet. He can sit by the park and see if a girl with long pigtails and pretty eyes happens to pass by. Most importantly, he gets to stay in Grandpa's house for a whole month.

Xiao's Grandpa is Zhongli. Zhongli is the Geo Archon. And Xiao's most favorite thing in the whole entire world is him.

[iluvchick3nz]

A little Cubs engagement fic I wrote inspired by @lumosinlove and their amazing OCs. Haz, thank you for this wonderful universe! Go Lions! (And Bruins) 🦁🐻

Leo let out a groan as he stretched in the mid-morning light coming through their curtains, their bedroom warm and a bit stuffy from the summer heat. He felt Logan’s soft hair on his chest, bobbing a little bit with the movement of him arching his back. Logan’s breath was coming out in soft puffs against his pecs, and Leo heard the hitch that signaled he was waking up. Leo smiled, eyes still closed, and felt a hand scratch through his hair.

“Morning, baby.”

Leo turned to look at Finn, who was propped up against some pillows, book in hand and his glasses perched on the end of his nose. He continued carding Leo’s hair back from his head, and Leo tilted his face to kiss his palm gently. “Hi.”

Finn breathed out a soft laugh, pushed his glasses up, then turned to look down at Logan, moving his hand down to rub at Logan’s back. “Up and at ‘em, Tremblay.”

Logan scrunched his eyes and buried his face further into Leo. “Non,” he grumbled. “Nous sommes en vacances. Vacation.”

Finn just laughed, setting his book aside and scooting down the bed to prop his chin on Logan’s strong back muscles. “Breakfast. Gym time. Training.”

“Non.”

“Yon. Professional athletes. We still gotta work out during the summer.”

Logan just groaned even louder, but sighed happily as Finn began peppering kisses down his back, working his way down to the dip of Logan’s waist where the sheets were pooled. “Ouais, feels good, rouge.”

Finn just looked up at Leo, grinning with a glint in his eye, and bit at the fleshy bit of Logan’s skin just beside his spine. Logan hissed, and finally looked up, turning his green eyes on Leo’s face. Leo just bit his lip, grinning, and reached his hand down to press the pad of his thumb to Logan’s mouth, catching on his full lower lip. “Hi, sweetheart.”

Logan closed his eyes and smiled dreamily for a moment, before wiggling his way out of the sheets and scrambling up to straddle Leo’s lap. Leo laughed, opening his arms and letting Logan all but flop down on top of him, tucking his face into his neck where his dark hair was curling as he grew it out. Logan sighed deeply, pressing his lips to Leo’s neck, then reaching one arm behind him. “Fish, ici.”

Finn scoffed, but complied, straddling Leo’s knees and lower thighs and wrapping his arms around Logan’s waist. “Man oh man, you are a bossy one, aren’t you?”

“Non.”

“Uh huh, yon.”

Leo could feel Logan’s grin against his neck, and looked over Logan’s shoulder to Finn, who had been leaning his head against Logan’s hair. He looked up to meet Leo’s eyes, then smiled at him. Leo only had just enough time to smile back before Finn was leaning in and kissing him softly. “Howdy, nutter butter baby.”

Leo just looked at him. “Love you.”

That made Finn really smile, bright and giddy, and he leaned in to kiss Leo harder, firmer. They were abruptly split apart by Logan moving his head back, twisting his torso around and reaching back with his right hand to cup the back of Finn’s neck. He looked between the two of them briefly, kissing Finn gently, then turning to Leo and kissing him short and hard. “Je vous aime.”

A noise escaped Finn that was a mixture of a laugh and a groan, and he suddenly launched himself forward, crushing Logan into Leo’s chest, causing them all to laugh. “What is this, ‘make Finn cry morning’? Stop looking at me like that, holy moley.”

“Oh?” Leo teased. 

Finn rolled his eyes. “Not really, but think of my poor heart right now, Knut.”

Leo snorted. “Last name. Guess I’m in real trouble.”

Logan peeked out at him from under his eyelashes. “That sounds like fun.”

Finn patted his hip. “It might just be, Tremblay.” He sat up and rolled out of the bed, his long, summer-freckled torso on display as he stretched. Logan and Leo just watched him. “Alright, now it’s really time to seize the day.” He turned to look at them, his face softening. “Seriously, you keep looking at me like that and we aren’t making it to the gym.”

Logan just looked at him while biting just beside Leo’s nipple, making Leo jump a little in shock. “Lo, we gotta go,” he chastised gently.

“Non.”

“Yes, ouais, we do.”

“Ways, babes, let’s go.”

Logan just grumbled at Finn’s French, pushing himself up on his elbows, kissing Leo and rolling out of his bed. “Café.”

Finn slipped his arms around Logan’s waist, giving his butt a firm pat and a squeeze. “You don’t deserve to call your sugar monstrosity coffee, baby, but I love the spirit.”

Logan rolled his eyes so hard they almost went back into his skull, but he reached up and squeezed Finn’s cheeks anyways. “C’est du cafe.”

Finn narrowed his eyes but accepted Logan’s kiss anyways, his forehead relaxing. They pulled apart, and looked back at Leo, Finn extending his hand. “Le, you coming?”

Leo nodded. “Just a sec, gonna put clothes on.”

Logan tilted his head, giving Leo’s body a once-over. “You don’t need clothes for breakfast. Mais tu es déjà magnifique.”

Leo blushed, but stood to go over to their dresser. “Yeah, but you know how I feel about my bare feet on the floors. I’ll be two minutes.”

Logan seemed to decide this was acceptable and grabbed Finn’s hand, walking out to the kitchen. Leo stood there for a minute staring at the drawers, listening to the coffee machine start up and Logan and Finn’s gentle conversation. He bit his bottom lip and rung his hands briefly, opening up his drawer and bypassing all the socks in the front, reaching back for a pair of blue wool socks Logan had bought him last winter from a wool shop in New York. They’d arrived in a package, along with a green pair, a red pair, and a note that had said, "Found these when I went out shopping with Alex. They’re handmade by a woman from Patagonia, she owns the shop. I know how much you love handmade things, and how your feet get cold in the winter. Je t’aime, mon couer." Leo had cried when he received them, in the middle of the hockey season in February, only having seen Logan for a few days over Christmas and New Year’s, and briefly during the All Star break. That was always the worst part of the season, the stretch of months in between holidays and summer, where they didn’t have many spare moments to visit one another. It never got any easier, even after managing it for a few years now. Missing Logan was a constant ache, a piece of him and Finn not very far, technically speaking, but not present all the same. Video calls, phone calls, and packages were all well and good, but it would never compare to the feeling of Logan waking up on his chest, of Finn’s arms reaching across to hold both of their bodies. Leo guessed he could only feel lucky to have such a loving, tender ache- not everybody got that. Sometimes he wanted to cup that feeling and pull it close to his chest, where he could guard it and keep it warm and light.

Unraveling the pair of socks, he let the black ring box tumble out into his hand. He opened the lid, taking out the two rings to examine them. Finn’s- rose-gold that would match his hair, the woman had said at the store- was engraved with stars around the band; Leo could still remember the rush he felt the first time he kissed Finn on the balcony, and looked up at the fake plastic stars that were somehow still stuck to their ceiling; a surprise from Finn a few years ago, about two weeks after they started dating. He had walked into the apartment to find Leo cooking at the stove, Logan standing behind him with his arms around Leo’s waist, and held up the bag with such a big smile that Leo had almost melted right then and there. They’d eaten and then spent probably far too long putting the stars up on the ceiling, Logan insisting that they try to accurately replicate the Leo constellation. That had been one of Leo’s free-fall moments, as he liked to call them: those moments where he knew he was already in love, even if it was far too early to say it yet. 

Shaking himself out of his reverie, he looked back down at the rings, rubbing his thumb over Logan’s. The silver matched his necklace, the fleur-de-lis engravings reflecting his ties to the language he used to love them. In the quietest, most tender moments, even if Finn had no idea what he was saying, he always was gentle when he talked to them in French. Often, when Leo couldn’t sleep, they would both just talk to one another, quietly in the dark. In those tired moments, and in the most difficult ones, it was always harder for Logan to express how he was feeling in English, even though he had been speaking it consistently for years now. Leo cherished that trust, that vulnerability that Logan shared with him more than he could ever put into words, in either language. He would just respond to Logan likewise, kiss his hand, brush his hair back from his face, and get so lost in his deep green eyes he wondered how he would ever get back out- or if he would ever want to. The only shame in getting completely lost in Logan’s eyes would be the fact that, if he did that, he wouldn’t be able to look at Finn’s. He supposed having two pairs of eyes to get lost in forever wasn’t so bad.  

They had plans to go out to dinner the following night, at the really nice vegetarian-vegan place Leo had discovered a few months back. Then he was going to take them back to the apartment, where he would make them strawberry shortcake and get down on one knee- and hopefully make them his forever. Not that they already weren’t, but Leo wanted the ceremony, the vows, he wanted his mama and his dad there- he wanted to kiss them and feel that adrenaline of a life-long promise, regardless of the presence of others, and he wanted to dance with them, and take them to bed after-

He inhaled sharply at the last image, his cheeks heating up as he stuffed the rings back in their box and into the socks, shoving them to the back of the drawer. He then pulled on some ankle socks and grabbed some workout clothes from the closet. Logan would probably pout about the fact that he couldn’t press kisses to Leo’s bare chest over breakfast, but Leo didn’t want them thinking he had spent all this time in here just putting on socks. As if on cue, he heard footsteps coming down the hallway and Finn’s tell-tale rhythmic rap of his knuckles on the doorframe. “Le? You alright?”

Leo turned and looked at him, lean body on display, a bit softer from the summer, but still strong. His hands- which Logan and Leo had both agreed that they could stare at forever- were clutching onto the doorframe, making the veins in his forearms strain slightly. Leo bit his lip and smiled, making Finn smile, which quickly turned to confused surprise as Leo rushed forward and gripped his face hard between his palms, kissing him soundly. Leo felt Finn relax and make a soft noise, arms slipping around his waist as he indulged in Leo’s mouth insistently. 

“Hey!” came Logan’s voice. “Ce qui se passe? Am I missing something?”

Leo grinned as he pulled away from Finn, who still had a look of surprise on his face. “What-”

Leo just silenced him with another hard kiss and passed him on the way to the kitchen. Logan was sat at the stools by their counter, eyes narrowed playfully and hands clutched around his coffee mug. “Quoi?”

Leo approached him and wrapped Logan’s legs around his waist as Logan’s arms went around his neck. “Quoi? Tu veux des bisous?”

“Ouais, mais-”

Leo didn’t wait for him to finish, lifting Logan up from the seat from underneath his thighs, causing him to let out a laugh in surprise, which was quickly quieted by Leo’s mouth. Logan let out a groan, a little more wanting than Finn’s had been, and tangled his fingers in Leo’s hair indulgently as his legs tightened around Leo’s waist. Leo could feel that simmering fire, always present beneath Logan’s skin, making its way to the surface. He broke their kiss before it became too heady, their lips breaking apart with a light sound. Logan just looked at Leo, eyes flitting rapidly around his face before breaking out into a devilish smile, eyebrows raised. 

“Jesus,” came Finn’s voice, a little breathless. “Jesus, Leo. Logan. You two drive me crazy.”

Leo just laughed, depositing Logan back into his chair and scooting around to the fridge to get out ingredients for breakfast. “Come on, y’all, the day awaits us.”

Finn scoffed at Leo’s teasing tone, but went to stand behind Logan with his arms draped over his shoulders, both of them watching Leo’s back as he moved around the kitchen. Leo just smiled to himself where they couldn’t see him, and went about whisking their eggs.

***

Sometimes, Logan would be with Finn and Leo and would wonder if he was actually living in a dream. He would just look at them, at Finn’s bright smile and capable hands that held him the way he liked, at Leo’s soft hair and gentle eyes that always seemed to understand him, and he’d just want to melt. Or fall at their feet, and worship them. Or shatter, overwhelmed by his love for them, their love for him, after so long of feeling like he would never be brave enough to love them the way they deserved. And they deserved everything. If he was dreaming, he decided, he would do everything in his power to stay asleep.

They had talked about getting married before, and their future in general, late at night. The past few years, it had mostly been over FaceTime, Logan feeling like he was oceans away from them in New York, even if it was only just three hours. Still, the hockey season kept them busy, and they clung hard to the few times during the season where they could see each other. More often than not, once or twice a month they found time to see each other for a brief thirty-six hour trip in either New York or Gryffindor, but that got hard in the late winter and spring, when the playoffs were approaching. Those months always, for some reason, sparked more and more conversations about their post-hockey life, about their future as a relationship, as a family. Maybe it was because they felt each other’s absence so distinctly in those moments, or maybe because they thought that, deep down, if they were married, if their relationship was somehow more ‘tied-down’ than it already was, then they could convince the league to not split them up- even though that was highly unlikely. They had pondered it, multiple times, sometimes with tears because it hurt so bad, to love so hard and not be near one another; most of the time though, it was with smiles, Finn describing the perfect garden he would build for Leo, and Leo fantasizing about the large kitchen he wanted and enough guest rooms so that ‘all the Tremblays could stay over at once, and the O’Hara’s and the Knut’s, too’. Logan, more often than not, imagined a dog bed and going to a rescue shelter to find one of those mutts Leo liked to pet in the street, and a swingset, and a big bedroom in a house in the quiet part of town, so Finn could go to bed early undisturbed and Leo maybe wouldn’t have as much trouble sleeping. 

For all the times they had talked about getting married, there were only a few times that they had talked about it within the context of them playing on two different teams. Leo had broached the conversation one night, in Logan’s New York apartment, after a regular season game had gone into overtime. Logan thought Leo always looked so good on the ice, with his piercing blue eyes following Logan’s every move. He had felt Finn breathing down his neck a few times against the boards, and it took everything in him not to groan, throw his helmet off, and kiss Finn then and there, hockey be damned. Those games always got Logan’s adrenaline running harder than anything, and afterwards it was only a matter of time before he was ushering Leo and Finn out of Madison Square Garden, or out of the bar where they were with the Lions or the Rangers, and into his apartment, into his bed. Clothes were stripped off, sometimes fast and aggressive, sometimes slow and teasing if Leo and Finn had their way, but always with that gentle reverence, even in the rougher, more grounding touches that Logan loved so much. And with their skin warm against his, their voices in his ear, Finn’s smirk in his eyeline and Leo’s, frankly dangerous, mouth against his thighs, Logan was able to float away for a few hours, with nothing but them, his boys. And they were all his, there with him to overwhelm him and themselves with pleasure and love so blinding he knew, he knew he would forever be changed because he met them, because he loved them, because he got to keep them forever.

It was after one of those nights, when Logan’s desire had finally been satiated- admittedly long after Finn and Leo’s, who had had to resort to just their mouths and hands to finally satisfy him- that Leo had rolled himself over and tucked his face into Logan’s neck, his body heavy on top of Logan’s, peeking out at the both of him with his devastating blue eyes.

“I think I want to get married before we retire.”

Finn, who had been busy stroking up and down Logan’s chest, whose breathing was still heavy in the intensity of his afterglow, abruptly looked up at Leo. “What do you mean, sunshine?”

Leo didn’t answer right away. Logan and Leo were alike in that way, sometimes- in the heaviest moments, it always took them a moment to collect their thoughts. Leo was always more articulate and insightful than Logan was, though. Both Finn and Logan loved that about him, his ability to think so deeply about the most cherished parts of his life. Logan just pushed his nose into Leo’s golden curls, kissing him once, twice, and a third time, holding his lips there and closing his eyes briefly, then glancing at Finn with his mouth still in Leo’s hair. Finally, Leo took a deep breath.

“I just mean… I don’t want to wait for all of us to retire to get married.” He then whimpered slightly and looked away, nose pushing into Logan’s chest.

Finn looked slightly panicked at Leo’s abrupt distress, and climbed over to lay on his stomach beside him, tucking his chin over Leo’s shoulder. “Wow, hey, Le, it’s okay.” When Leo just let out a shaky breath, Finn shook him gently with an arm thrown over his waist. “Leo, Leo, baby, it’s okay. Don’t cry, it’s okay.” He took a deep breath. “I mean, you’re talking about us getting married, there’s nothing that would make me happier than that, quite frankly.”

Leo snorted a little bit at Finn’s humor, but his nose still sounded blocked up. He lifted his head, and Logan saw his eyes bright with tears, a few tracks running down his cheeks. Logan cupped his face tenderly, leaning down to touch their noses together. “Oh, mon soleil, qu'est-ce qui s’est passé?”

“No, nothing, it’s just… I mean, not nothing, I just…” Leo took a shaky breath, and Finn and Logan wrapped him up tighter. “I mean, I know that, Lo, you’re spoken for in New York for a while longer, and Finn and I are going to be in Gryffindor. And I know that even that could change, and I know that it’d be hard, but…” Leo paused, looking at the two of them carefully, so gently that Logan almost could feel himself drowning in him. “I want to marry you two. And I don’t want to wait for hockey to- to let us do that, you know? I don’t want it to be on the league’s terms, I want it to be on ours, and I want to marry you.” Logan held his breath at the last statement, and he thought Finn did, too, by the way in which his throat was bobbing slowly, mouth closed. “I want to marry you. And it’s not ‘just because’, or because it’s just ‘the next step’,” Leo continued, rolling his eyes slightly at himself. “I want to marry you because I want to make that promise to you both. You’re already mine in all the ways that are important, and that matter, but I want that- that unity that comes with the concept of marriage. And I also-” he paused, chewing his lip. “I want to take something that historically hasn’t been meant for us, and make it for us, you know?”

That last part made Logan freeze. Leo had always been much more open and involved in that way in the community than he and Finn had. It was important, for Leo, to always be thinking of the bigger picture. Over the years since they had come out, he had made every effort to take part in the NHL Pride nights, to try and encourage minority youth in hockey, to go and coach training camps and pay for gear to be provided in under-funded communities. Finn and Logan had, of course, gone with him, but it was Leo who had taken the initiative, who had come crying to them one night after a 12-year-old girl had asked him to sign a puck, telling him he was her favorite player, that she played goalie, too, that her and her older sister had painted her goalie pads rainbow colored after she came out to her family. So it made sense, that Leo, laying on them and crying about how much he wanted them, had a desire to challenge the institution of marriage in a very Leo way- with gentleness, with love. Logan sometimes didn’t know what to do with the way Leo carried himself with so much heart- Finn, too. 

Finn bit his lip, a little tearful, but smiling. Suddenly, he raised himself onto his knees. “Sit up.”

Logan furrowed his eyebrows, and Leo lifted his face and stared, his mouth slightly ajar. “What?”

“You heard me,” Finn continued, grinning even wider now. It did pretty things to Finn’s freckles, when he smiled like that. “Uppity up, up you get, come sit across from me. Lo, you, too.”

“Finn, I-”

“Leonardonius, I swear, just trust me, and sit up.”

Logan and Leo complied, Leo sitting cross-legged, Logan with his legs sprawled, one draping over Finn’s, and leaning into Leo’s side. 

Suddenly, Leo’s eyes widened. “Finn, are you-”

Finn waved his hand. “No, no I’m not proposing… yet.” He gave them each a pointed look. “I just didn’t want you crying over something that, frankly, does not deserve for you to be sad over.” He paused, leaning over to brush his thumbs under Leo’s eyes with a kiss to his nose. “Even though you still look very pretty when you cry.” That got Leo to smile, and his posture relaxed slightly, putting more of his weight on Logan.

Logan shuffled a bit, nudging Finn’s thigh gently with his foot. “Allez, rouge, what is it?”

Finn had a hand on each of them, his palms running up and down Logan’s calf and Leo’s knee. “I’ve thought a lot about us, recently. Getting married, that is.” He tilted his head, smiling at them. “I want us to get married, and I think that, if we want to do it before we all retire, I’d like that. I- I think that, like what Leo said… I want you in that way before we retire. And then after, or after at least one of us does retire…” He paused, sniffling slightly. This time, Leo leaned forward and brushed a thumb under his eye. “Maybe we get a house? And- and a tiny human? Or two? Or three, we could be matching. Three dads, three kids, ya know? And a dog, and maybe even chickens! I bet you’d love the fresh eggs, Le, and Lo, baby, you’d look so sexy raking leaves in our back yard, in overalls and plaid, like our very own lumberjack-”

Logan couldn’t take it anymore; he burst out laughing, leaning forward and tackling Finn onto the bed, kissing all over his face. Finn was laughing, too, arms and legs wrapped around him, and Logan felt a warm palm stroking up and down his back. Leo.

Logan scrambled up, forcing his way into Leo’s lap and kissing all over his face, too, until Finn dragged Leo’s face to his for a deep kiss of his own, ending in a burst of kisses to Leo’s cheek. They were all smiling so hard, those kinds of smiles that hurt their cheeks and scrunched Leo and Finn’s noses in the most adorable way. They were kissing each other, and smiling, and laughing, and Logan thought that if this was how happy they were when they just talked about proposing, and marriage, he couldn’t imagine how happy he would feel when it actually happened. 

That had been March, three months ago, before the playoffs. Logan was almost thankful that they had each gotten knocked out in the second round, so as not to have to play one another, but mostly because Logan, perhaps selfishly, savored these long summers more than he could put into words. After all, he wanted to spend more than one night engaged to them before parting ways to go back to his New York apartment. He wanted to bask in that love for months before the season inevitably pulled them apart again. And he wanted to propose to them in their home. His apartment in the city was nice, sure, but it held nothing on what they had created in Gryffindor: the blanket Leo’s mom had made them slung over the sofa, Finn’s books stacked on every available table surface, Leo’s pan collection hanging in the kitchen, the herb garden by the window that Finn painstakingly took care of. Logan wanted to ask them to marry him where they fell in love, where he kissed Leo for the first time, where he and Finn began their middle-of-the-night whiskey tradition again, where he made love to them for the first time, all together, insatiable and high on how in love they were.

The late afternoon sun shone through slightly dusty, stained-glass windows as they were finishing up at the local book store, after having gone to their weights session and then spent the rest of the day wandering around the city. They had gone to the park, where Finn had sat up against a tree and let Logan lay his head in his lap, Leo sprawled beside him on a blanket, the both of them listening as Finn read to them from his and Leo’s latest novel. After finishing the last chapter, Leo had suggested they go to their favorite second-hand book store, which Finn had readily agreed with. Logan was just happy to follow them and listen to them bicker gently over plots, characters, thematic elements- it didn’t matter what they were talking about, really. Logan just loved to be surrounded by their voices. 

Now, he listened and watched as the light from the stained glass casted a purplish hue on Leo’s golden hair, which captured and reflected the color so well. They both looked so good, Leo with a casual white short-sleeved button down and peach shorts, Logan’s fleur-de-lis against his strong, tan chest; Finn with a green long-sleeved shirt, open at the collar and made from some ultra-light, wicking material he had taken to recently, and denim shorts, which he had definitely had since college. Leo said something to Finn, which made him turn to Leo, that look of slightly surprised amusement on his face appearing like it always did when Leo said something snarky to someone. He was good at catching people off guard, his wit so sharp in contrast to his normally gentle and sweet disposition. It seemed he had caught Finn particularly by surprise this time, because it took Finn a second to process what he had said before bursting out laughing so hard he had to close his eyes. He turned his face into Leo’s neck, snorting, and pressed two hard kisses to his skin, one to his neck and one to his cheek. Leo turned his face so his nose brushed Finn’s ear, giggling in his ear. Logan felt like he could look at them forever, immortalized in this moment with their laughter and their smiles. 

He looked down at himself for a brief moment, at the rust-colored shirt Finn had once told him looked good on him a few years ago, in New York, and at his black shorts Leo had once unzipped with his teeth, claiming that they ‘revealed way too much leg, sweetheart, it’s indecent’. Sometimes, Logan wondered how he even compared with their beauty; yes, he knew he was attractive by conventional standards, but beauty was more than that. He was a bit sullen, quiet and intimidating at first, and stared hard at everyone without realizing it. Finn and Leo were effortlessly beautiful in their mannerisms; Finn walked into a room with a smile so wide it drew people to him, Logan no exception, and there was no other way to describe Leo other than that the sun followed him. Or maybe he was the sun- he was certainly Logan’s. He couldn’t compete with that, would never be able to. It wasn’t so much an insecurity, per se, but more of an awe at the way that his boys carried themselves, how they carried him with them, how their beauty somehow included him in its sphere without singling him out. He existed simultaneously alongside it and within it, and at the center of it all was this infinite amount of love circulating him, drowning him, allowing him to exist in the same plane as them forever and ever. Logan at the same time was overwhelmed by it and knew exactly what to do to keep it close. They gave him their love and their beauty, and he in return gave them his, in his own way. 

Logan hadn’t realized he had been spacing out staring at them until Leo’s face appeared in front of his, brow furrowed. “You okay, sweetheart?”

Logan shook his head briefly. “Ouais, mon couer.” He brought his hand up to Leo’s cheek, and Leo placed his hand over his. “Tu es si beau.” 

That brought a blush to Leo’s cheeks, and he squeezed Logan’s hand and bent down to kiss the top of his head a bit bashfully. Logan reached a hand up to scratch his neck, holding him there for a moment. He then felt another presence at his side, an arm around each him and Leo. Finn.

“Hey, hey, there, baby. My baby, hi.”

Logan smiled at Finn’s rambling, at the kiss he pressed to Logan’s cheek. “Rouge.” 

Finn’s body relaxed like it always did when Logan called him that, his head turning to rest right next to Leo’s on top of Logan’s. Leo still had his nose in Logan’s hair, all three of them still and embracing in the quiet, emptying book store. 

Truth be told, Logan knew that they had all felt the shift since that conversation in Logan’s New York apartment. They held each other with a similar giddy, insatiable grip to the one they had when they first started dating. Now though, it was deeper, more developed, with stronger bones, and somehow more passionate than it had ever been. Logan had thought it had been because the season had finally ended and they were all together again, but now he realized it wasn’t just that. They sometimes loved so fiercely, yet so gently, that it was almost like whiplash. They were unsettled, but not in the way that would knock them off kilter. No, they were unsettled in the way that meant they were ready for more. They were aching for it, and Logan knew that he would have to do something about it. 

Tomorrow, after they had dinner at the new vegetarian-vegan place that Leo loved, he would bring them back to the apartment, their favorite chocolate cake from the local restaurant down the street waiting in the fridge, maybe some wine- and Logan would get down on one knee and ask them to be his.

***

Leo was just finishing putting the finishing touches on their supper when he felt two hands grab at his hips. “You need any help finishing up here, baby?”

Leo turned and pressed a kiss to Finn’s head. “No, sweetheart, but thank you. Just finishing off the steak with some butter and herbs, and the roasted veggies are in the oven staying warm.” He shut off the stove and set the steak on the wooden steak board to rest. He stuck a thermometer in. Perfectly medium rare. He thought for a second, then turned around and draped his arms over Finn’s shoulders. Finn was in an old blue knit sweater of Leo’s, and he looked adorably soft in the cool summer night. “You and Lo set the table for me? There are some nice candles my mama sent us from the market, you could light them, if you wanted?”

Finn wiggled his eyebrows. “You trying to romance us, or something? Trying to take us to bed later?”

Leo snorted. “Something like that.” He jerked his head. “Go on, get Lo, he’s in our room getting a sweatshirt. I’ll just let the steak rest and bring it out.” He pressed a kiss to Finn’s mouth and turned back towards dinner, smiling to himself. God, he could hardly wait for tomorrow. But tonight, he wanted to enjoy this last night of them hanging on this precipice, basking in the anticipation of being engaged, even if neither of his boys knew.

***

Logan could hear both Finn and Leo talking in the kitchen from where he was in the bedroom, pulling Finn’s dark gray, almost black, crewneck sweatshirt over his head. Finn had just been in to grab Leo’s sweater, and had left smelling like a mixture of himself and Leo, combining and making Logan’s head feel dizzy. Now, he knew that he smelled like himself and Finn, and reached for Leo’s cologne on the dresser to spray a little on the neckline of the sweatshirt. Perfect. 

As he set the bottle back down, his sock drawer caught his eye. Buried in the back, wrapped in one of his beanies, was the box with Leo and Finn’s rings. Unable to resist the temptation, he briefly glanced at the kitchen, seeing Finn walk up to put his hands on Leo’s hips, and opened the drawer. God, they were so gorgeous, and they’d look even more so with these rings on their fingers.

Logan opened the box, running his thumb briefly over both of them. Leo’s was pure gold, with a small blue sapphire, slightly deeper than his eyes, embedded in the band, soleil inscribed on the inside. Finn’s was a rose-gold- the lady at the shop said the particular shade would match his hair- and a dark champagne diamond- the lady said it would match his eyes. Rouge was inscripted on the inside of his. Logan peeked out at the kitchen again, and saw Finn, all cozy in Leo’s sweater, and Leo, now in Finn's old Harvard sweatshirt, with his blond curls, kissing each other so gently and smiling so lovingly. Logan ran his thumb over the rings one more time before they could catch him, looked down at them, and then closed the box as he heard Finn summon him to set the table.

***

Supper, Leo had to admit, had been a roaring success. He loved having time in the off season to finally cook how he wanted, to take his full time with recipes. He deserved it, the food deserved it, and his boys certainly did. Afterwards, his boys had batted his hands away as he tried to clear the table, and cleaned the kitchen with light-hearted chatter. Leo, a glass of red wine in front of him, was content to just watch and participate from the sidelines. Especially if it meant that one of his boys would lean over- Finn much more easily than Logan, no matter how much Logan grumbled that he was not that short- and kiss him on the forehead. Eventually, they finished up, Logan coming to sit beside Leo at one of the stools, Finn standing across the counter from them, both with a glass in their hands, looking delicate and breakable compared to their strong fingers. 

Finn looked at him, taking a sip from his glass and peering out over the rim. “Thank you for dinner, nutter butter, it was delicious.” 

Leo smiled, cheeks heating up like they did every time one of them complimented him so blatantly. “Thank you.”

Finn just smiled brighter, and reached across to pinch his cheek. “Aw, look at you, so rosy. You’re so pretty, peanut.”

Logan pressed up against Leo’s other side, placing a wet kiss on this cheek. “Ouais, mon soleil, tres mignon.” He looked across at Finn, reaching across to grab at his hand. “Et toi, mon rouge. Si beau.” Finn just took Logan’s hand and kissed it, gazing up through his eyelashes.

Leo watched in adoration, until suddenly Logan got a strange look on his face. It was nervous, sheepish, but he was also biting his lip in excitement. Leo saw Finn straighten up and squeeze Logan’s hand harder. “Lo?”

Logan stood up and tugged on Finn’s hand. “Viens ici.”

Finn came around the counter, allowing Logan to push him into the seat beside Leo. He took both of their hands, kissed each of them. Leo felt himself getting a little lightheaded, his breathing beginning to pick up.

Logan looked up at them, his eyelashes dark, his eyes wanting and his smile bashful. He squeezed each of their hands once more before stepping back. “Ouais, d’accord.” He felt around in the pockets on his dark shorts, taking something out into his hands… and sinking down on one knee.

Leo heard Finn gasp beside him, and his breathing was really picking up now. Finn’s thigh and shoulder were warm against him, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Finn bring a hand up to cover his mouth, a soft 'oh' escaping him. Leo leaned heavily into his side, but he couldn’t look away from Logan, who was smiling up at them and slowly opening a box, two rings nestled inside. 

Logan took a deep breath before beginning. “Ouais, je… I had a whole speech prepared. I was going to do this tomorrow, after dinner, but you two just looked so beautiful just now, and I had to…” He huffed, obviously frustrated with the English. Leo caught his eye, and nodded, whispering a soft 'bon, continue'. Logan inhaled and exhaled with a shudder, before looking between them resolutely. Finn still hadn’t moved a muscle, really, but Leo could feel him shaking beside him as Logan continued. “I never thought I would have this, this overwhelming kind of love. Not because I didn’t think it was out there, but because I was too afraid to want it for myself.” He looked to Finn. “Rouge, you made me realize for the first time what it is to want someone so fully, so completely. I loved you the second I walked through that doorway my first day of college, and I have spent every moment since loving you and wanting you more than anything.” Tears were forming in his eyes as he smiled, gaining confidence as he spoke. “Je t’aime, mon rouge. I love you so much.” He turned those beautiful eyes to Leo, and Leo felt like he was going to fall off of his chair. “Mon soleil,” Logan said, his eyes going so soft, his head tilting. Leo, in his periphery, saw Finn turn to look at him, too. “You taught me how to be brave. You’re braver than anyone I think I have ever known. You showed me how to want, how to love anyway while still being scared, and how I can be scared and brave at the same time.” He looked back to Finn briefly, eyes darting between them. “I don’t- I don’t think I ever would have been brave enough to love, without you, soleil… to love anyone they way that I want.” He bit his lip. “Je t’aime, mon soleil. I love you, and I want you.” 

Leo didn’t know what to do with himself, and he felt Finn grab his hand as he closed his eyes and let a few tears escape. It was release, relief, and love so profound that he was overflowing. He opened his eyes at Finn’s squeeze of his hand, looking at him. Finn leaned over, pressing a kiss to his forehead, and then they both turned to look at Logan with their temples touching. Logan was smiling up at them, then looked down at the rings. 

“Je veux passer le reste de ma vie avec vous deux. I… I want to spend the rest of my life loving you, deserving you, and caring for you. And I want to love you in the next life, and the next, and every one after it. I don’t ever want to stop loving you, and I hope you want the same. Et alors, s'il vous plaît…” At this, Logan looked up from the ring box, into their eyes. They were both frozen under his gaze. “...épousez-moi, mes amours?” 

Finn took a shuddering breath in, a whimper escaping him as tears escaped from his eyes. And Leo…

Leo looked at Logan, down on one knee, jumping the gun because he couldn’t wait for tomorrow, when Leo was also going to propose. And Leo was so overwhelmed by this, how preposterous and silly and so them this whole situation was, that he let out at breathless laugh.

Logan, still smiling, looked at him, brows furrowed. “Soleil?”

Leo laughed again. “Wait here.”

And he stood up and walked out of the room.

***

Logan watched as Leo stepped into their bedroom, still on one knee, as confused as he had ever been. His brow furrowed, his breathing harsh. He had been so sure that Leo would want this. After all, Leo had been the one to suggest getting married before they retired. He wouldn’t say no, surely. Right?

Finn’s harsh breathing snapped Logan out of his reverie. Normally so talkative, Finn was rendered speechless, his fingers resting lightly over his mouth, face flushed with his tears, eyes wide with… panic? Nerves? Logan didn’t know, but he looked like he would fall over and faint. 

“Rouge…”

“Lo,” Finn responded, breathless and soft, hand coming rest at his collarbone. “I- do you…?” He looked frantically at their bedroom before looking back at Logan. 

Logan shook his head. “Rouge, no, I- I don’t-” He breathed in harshly, a soft noise escaping him as he turned to look at the door to their bedroom, voice tight. “Soleil?”

“Ouais, yeah, sorry. I’m coming.” Leo sounded a bit breathless, and a bit… giddy? 

Logan was so confused. 

After another few moments, Leo came through the door, and came to stand over them. He looked so tall from the floor, Logan thought, so beautiful, like an angel. But he was shaking, red-cheeked and smiling, blue eyes shining and a bit mischievous. Both Logan and Finn looked at him, bewildered, until he opened his palm to reveal a box in the center, and opened it with his thumb. 

Finn made a slight yelping sound, slapping his hand hard over his mouth. Logan’s breath caught in his throat, vision going a bit fuzzy as Leo reached down and gently pulled him up by the hand. Logan let himself by guided by Leo’s warm palm into the seat beside Finn, their positions now swapped. Leo kissed his cheek, then Finn’s… and then sank on one knee in front of them. Unlike Logan, who had taken a moment to collect his thoughts, Leo just started talking, happy and energized and so in love.

“I was also going to do this tomorrow, after dinner,” he started, with a wink at Logan. “I was going to take you out to dinner and bring you back and make strawberry shortcake…” Logan heard himself and Finn each let out tearful chuckles. “...but then you sank down on one knee, Lo, and I just thought… this is so ridiculous. This is so silly, and out of order, and so us that it’s perfect, and I wouldn’t have either of you any other way.” He turned to Finn first, who was shaking so hard against Logan’s side. “Finn, sweetheart, I… I remember the first night you kissed me so vividly. Your gentle eyes and hands and words, always trying so hard to give your all to me, to Logan, even if it was hard. Even if it hurt. And you gave yourself to me so fully, and have continued to do so every day, and I love you. There’s nothing else to say other than I love you. And Logan…” He shifted his gaze, and Logan could do nothing but stare helplessly back into his baby blues. “Oh, Logan, honey, I wanted you so desperately I didn’t know what to do with myself. You burn, for yourself, but especially for us. And you were burning for me, and for Finn, and when you finally let yourself have us, I… I was so warm, sweetheart. You make me feel so warm, and I love you. I love you, I love you both so much.” Leo took a deep breath and settled his shoulders. “I told you I knew you were mine in all the ways that mattered, that you are, but that I want to marry you because I want that unity. And while that’s true, more than anything I just want to marry you because you're home. You’ve been home now, for so long now, and I want a marriage with you to be part of the foundation of that home. I know marriage is sometimes silly, and arbitrary, and- and a piece of paper…” Leo rolled his eyes at himself as he started to cry. “I just- I want it with you anyways. I want to write you vows, I want our families there, I want to show our world how much I love you, how devoted I am to you. I want that official promise because I believe you deserve it, and I want you to have all that you deserve.” He looked down at the rings, up at them, and smiled, crinkling his adorable nose in a way that made Logan’s heart skip a beat in his chest. “I love you, and I want you forever. Marry me. Will you marry me?”

Logan didn’t know what to expect, and he knew Leo didn’t either, from the way he was now holding himself slightly stiffly, but they didn’t expect Finn to outburst with a high-pitch, dramatic sob. “Oh my God!” He fanned his face, then pressed both of his hands over his face, fingertips meeting at the bridge of his nose. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!”

Immediately, Leo and Logan burst out laughing. It bubbled out of Logan’s chest, taking him by surprise as he gently knelt on the floor in front of Leo. The floor shook as Finn fell down clumsily beside them, causing them to laugh harder. Logan looked at Leo, pressing his fingers to Leo’s wrist where he was still clutching the opened ring box. “Oh, soleil…”

“Marry me,” Leo repeated, looking between the two of them. Finn’s eyes were moving back and forth, from their faces to the ring boxes they were still clutching. 

Logan looked up at Leo, biting his lip. “I asked you first.”

That had Leo laughing a tearful laugh, shaking his whole body. Logan looked at him in the eyes, holding his gaze.

“Veux-tu m’epouser, mon soleil?” He turned to Finn. “Et toi, mon rouge? Marry me, Fish.”

“Oh Jesus,” Finn said, before he was lurching forward and pulling Logan into a kiss. “Yes, oh God, baby, yes.” Finn kissed him sloppily, indulgently, before eventually letting them part.

Logan turned back to Leo, Finn’s hand still at his neck. Leo was nodding, biting his lips in that devastating way. “Oui, sweetheart. Yes.”

Logan heard Finn’s breath hitch as he and Leo leaned in to kiss each other, smiling too much to make it last long. Logan pressed a series of kisses to Leo’s flushed cheeks, then leaned back and took the rings out of the box. Shaking, he put them on each of their fingers, kissing their hands after each one. Leo let out a breath. “Oh, Lo, it’s beautiful.”

Finn, still crying too much for complete sentences, just let out a tearful 'baby' and clutched his hand to his chest, leaning over and pressing his forehead to Logan’s with a groan. After a moment, Logan felt a nudge at his other side. He turned to find Leo still on one knee, holding the ring box out for him. 

“Your turn, Lo,” Leo said gently. He grinned, then looked to Finn. “And your turn again, I guess.” 

Finn let out a choked sob again, and Leo and Logan looked at him and laughed. “Oh my God, oh my God, this is really happening.”

Leo shook his head. “You’ll be fine honey.” He held the box more insistently out to them. “Marry me.”

Logan smiled so hard he shook with it. “Ouais, soleil. Ouais.” 

Leo leaned in and kissed him hard. Logan had a flashback to the first time he had kissed Leo in public, right in New York City, ‘first kiss day’, as Finn had called it. Leo, normally so gentle with them, gripping him and holding so tightly that he felt wound up and gooey all at once. 

They broke apart after a moment, and Leo took Logan’s ring out of the box, showing him the engraving on the inside before slipping it on his finger. Logan admired it on his finger for a moment before his attention was diverted by another sound from Finn. “Oh, mon rouge,” he laughed.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just- I’m getting proposed to twice today, it’s a lot, okay?” He looked at Leo, who was looking at him with his eyebrows raised in amusement and still holding out Finn’s ring to him. That seemed to sober Finn up, and he whimpered. “Oh. Oh Leo-” 

Leo softened. “Oh, honey, c’mere.” 

Leo leaned in, kissing Finn softly on the lips, thumbs tracing under his eyes where the tear tracks were. He parted after a few moments and took Finn’s hand to slip his second ring on him. 

Leo chuckled. “Well, look at you. Collecting them all.”

Finn wiped under his eyes. “Oh God, I’m going to have to put them on a necklace or something. I don’t know if they’ll all eventually fit, with my-” His eyes widened briefly, before he started crying again. “Oh, my wedding ring, oh God!” 

Leo shushed him gently, pulling him under his arm and kissing his forehead. He opened his other arm for Logan to tuck himself under. Logan went willingly, one arm around Finn and Leo each, clutching them close. Finn was still shaking with his happy tears, although now they were a bit quieter than before. 

Suddenly, Finn looked up. “I for sure thought I was going to propose first. I was going to go to the jeweler next week.”

Logan shrugged. “We beat you, Fish.”

“Twice,” Leo added, jostling them both lightly.

“Hm,” Finn sighed, leaning his head heavily onto Leo’s chest and running his hand up and down Logan’s side. “I love you. I can’t wait to marry you.”

Logan felt himself shiver in excitement. “Moi aussi, mon couer.” 

“Yeah,” Leo said softly. “Gonna marry you forever.”

That set Finn off again. “Peanut, you can’t just say that!”

“I really didn’t think you’d react like this, sweetheart, I’m sorry.”

“I was not planning on getting proposed to twice in one evening!”

Logan rolled his eyes playfully. “Oh, mon rouge.” He looked up at Leo. “Hey, Knut?”

Leo looked down at him, eyebrows raised. “Uh oh. What’s with the last name?”

Logan just bit his lip, glancing at him, then at Finn, who was suddenly rapt with attention and sitting up straighter. “O’Hara.”

“Oh God,” Finn whispered. 

Logan bit at Leo's chest through his shirt, and widened his eyes in a way he knew drove them crazy. “Can I be in trouble?”

Finn groaned and Leo looked down at him, eyes darkening and Logan smiled mischievously. Beside them, Finn cursed. “Fucking gorgeous, both of you. Gonna be in trouble for the rest of our lives.”

That got Leo alert, and he scrambled up, dragging them both with him. Logan laughed as he was ushered into their bedroom and thrown gently on their bedspread. They climbed after him, Finn immediately attacking his mouth, and Leo working a bruise into his neck. Finn pulled back, then looked down at Leo, amused. “Careful there, Knut, or you'll be in trouble, too.” 

Leo laughed, blue eyes shining and a singular dimple appearing, before leaning over and kissing Finn as well. As he watched them, with their smiles, and their mouths on him and each other, Logan thought that there, in that moment, he was the most in love he had ever been. 

***

Finn awoke the next morning to the sound of rain outside of the window, the room cooler than normal due to a drop in temperature. He breathed in heavily and ran a hand over his face, stopping when he felt cool metal brush his nose. Oh. Oh man.

He jerked his hand away, staring at the two rings, identical in color but unique in embellishments, that his boys had slipped on his fingers the night before. He almost got all worked up again, still riding the absolute rollercoaster of emotions of being proposed to not once, but twice in the same night. He hadn't been kidding when he told them it had been a lot: Logan, who at one point he never thought he'd have, kneeling before him and asking to be his forever; Leo, who showed up out of the blue and somehow made everything better, lighter, so brave, just like Logan had said, jumping when he was scared and simultaneously landing in their arms and catching them in his. 

Finn didn't know how he'd got so lucky, squinting across the pillow at Logan and Leo, the latter of which was spooning Logan with an arm around his middle. Logan had one hand on Leo, the other on Finn's bicep, their legs tangled together. Last night had been rolling pleasure, weighed down with so much love that Finn didn't want it to end. They didn't, really, until they physically couldn't anymore. And even then they'd stayed up so long just kissing, evidence of which lingering on all of their necks. Finn reached out and touched a bruise on Logan's neck, making him stir and open his eyes. Leo, perhaps sensing the change in Logan's breathing, also shifted, lifting his head to look at Finn over Logan's back. Finn just stared for a few seconds, until Logan reached the hand with his engagement ring on it out to cup his jaw, Leo tracking the movement with his beautiful eyes. 

“Rouge, ici.”

“Yeah, sweetheart, come here.” 

And so Finn went, pressing his nose into Logan's neck, hand reaching across to grip Leo's torso. He kissed Logan's chest, took Leo's hand from around Logan's waist and kissed that, too, and heard Leo press a kiss to the back of Logan's neck. This, Finn decided, was more valuable than anything else in the world. His boys, in their bed, in the home they created, living the life they shared, with a promise to continue to do so for eternity.

Finn, for one, couldn't think of a happier ending, and so closed his eyes to be lulled back to sleep by the sound of their breathing. 

[pomegranatecrab]

A little fic about tony with a menace cat that is only nice to him:) with some stony of course

The rest of the Avengers move in soon after Steve does, filling the mansion with a range of personalities. Jarvis is unphased by the variety of character, and soon bans Hawkeye from the stove, which Steve thinks only encourages the build up of empty pizza boxes.

He’s eating his breakfast outside, savouring the taste of eggs, the salty richness of bacon and the odd texture of mushrooms, something he’d never tasted before. The silence is odd. There should be bare feeding slapping down the dilapidated road, children ready for the long walk to the library or the corner store, walks Steve usually couldn’t make.

Tony Stark’s mansion boasted a large garden, impeccably maintained and secluded from the bustle of New York. Cobbled paths coil around the large expanse of grass, weaving through beds of flowers, ending at the gazebo that Steve sits in. It overlooks a small pond, home to some brightly coloured fish that had flocked to the surface the moment he stepped onto the platform.

Steve’s watching the orange one he’d dubbed ‘Monocle’ when he notices them.

A pair of his socks, filled with suspicious holes, floating amongst the reeds.

He sighs, scraping his chair as he stands, and is glad that he’s at least tall enough to scoop them out of the water easily, plucking the drenched fabric between two fingers.

There’s a familiar jingle behind him.

Palug jumps elegantly from the stairs onto the table, nose twitching over the bacon. She snaps it up between her teeth, hops onto the chair and politely chews on her prize.

Steve scowls at the cat.

“You-”

“Steve!”

Steve straightens, pretending like he hadn’t been about to engage in a petty squabble with a spoiled house cat.

“Mr Stark.”

Mr Stark waves a hand, rolling on the balls of his feet as he looks around, darting small glances at his face, before settling on Palug.

“Tony is fine, please.” He holds out the book in his hand, faded and worn. “Iron Man mentioned you were interested in this?”

It was a copy of The Gift of the Magi, a thin book with a painting of a woman with long, gorgeous hair on the cover. Belatedly, Steve realises this is the book Iron Man had recommended.

“You didn’t have to go out of your way for me. Thank you.”

Tony smiles. He steps forward to rub a hand over Palug’s back, inciting a heavy litany of purring.

“I first read that at school. The librarian let me take out double the amount of books usually allowed. I’d take them all down to this big tree right on the edge of the school grounds and read until curfew.”

Steve runs a thumb over the wrinkled lines marring the illustration, yellow cracks that web across the fine paper.

“She must have liked you,” he murmurs.

“She said I was the only boy that didn’t carry on like an imbecile,” Tony grins, “high compliments.”

“Thank you,” Steve says, stepping stiffly around Palug, who still gazed at him with beady eyes, despite the content rumbling bubbling from her chest.

He all but books it back to his bedroom.

—-

Steve reads the Gift of the Magi twice and thinks about his old life each time.

He’s jealous, really, that these characters got to make their sacrifices and come back to each other.

But Iron Man had been right. He did like it, and it’s on the third read that he notices the library loan card at the back.

‘Tony Stark’ is etched in careful handwriting in every single box, the dates all varying.

At the bottom a loopy scrawl had been left in black ink.

Mr Stark, you’re the only boy in school who checks this book out. It’s yours. Enjoy your summer.

Mrs Rembly

Steve’s lips twitch.

It’s a bit backhanded, but thoughtful.

[jay-arts-t]

I've returned again but this time I am thinking very much about how when Logan finally regained all of his memories how much he's gotta miss his dad. No, not Thomas Logan- we concern that man with the title of sperm donor. I'm talking about John Howlett Sr. Thinking about that point forward whenever Logan is going through a hard time (all of the time) he just wishes his dad was there because he was the only one who ever gave him comfort as a child (besides Rose but she seemed to be like a sister to Logan.). Thinking about him sitting under a tree on father's day with a bottle of whiskey in hand, reminiscing about all of the years, which seem so few now in his long life, where he'd get to celebrate father's day with his dad. When he was too little to really prepare anything he'd just crawl into his father's bed in the mornings for cuddles, and as he got older Rose or the maids would help him make breakfast. Thinking about them going fishing together, or John sharing some of his own interests with Logan. I like to think he's how Logan got really into vehicles. Yes John was a businessman, he had the family wealth to take care of, but he was a good man too and I think he probably liked working with his hands. So even when Logan remained amnesiac from all of the times his memory was forcibly wiped and tattered, he always found a comfort in working with vehicles because of the time he spent with his dad. And I'm thinking heavily about if Daken/Akihiro (for those who don't know, Daken/Akihiro is Logan's firstborn son from his marriage with Itsu. For a long time they were enemies because of Romulus but eventually they reconciled and Daken is a hero now.) were the one to talk to him about it. They've had a very complicated history with one another, but they've reached a point where they can become close. Daken joining him under that tree silently, trying to think of a taunt to get his father to talk. But the look on Logan's face is too wistful and sullen, so instead he just asks what Logan's father was like. At first Logan scoffs, because he thinks of his biological father at first. He says, "a right bastard who deserves everything he got in the end." and Daken rolls his eyes. "I can smell otherwise. Come on. You can't look like that over a man you call a bastard."

Logan would sigh softly, look over at him for a moment, swallow his pride and nod. "No, you're right. I had a man who I thought for so long was my father, it was hard when I learned I wasn't his son, despite how much he loved me. It felt like I was betraying him by not being his son, and for a long time it made me feel guilty for even being alive. But I don't think he would care if I was biologically his son or not. He wasn't vindictive or cruel. He didn't have a mean bone in his body, which is so different to how I am, and how I've managed to raise you all- or lack thereof-"

"Yeah, I know you aren't the best father. Not one of us will say you are. But you're there when it matters most, and in a roundabout way that makes you a better father than most. If you were a shitty dad you wouldn't have been so merciful to me. You wouldn't have fought for me, even when I hated you and did everything I could to kill you. And the only thing that convinced you to kill me that one time was because it was a turning point in saving the rest of your family from the end of the world. I think we can move past you being a not so great dad. Besides, that's not what we're talking about." Daken reminds him, which surprises Logan. First it's rare that he would even speak so comfortingly. He was used to Daken being cold, precise and abrasive. Not traits that he necessarily resented, he held them often himself. It was just jarring to hear him be so warm.

"You know, maybe you're a bit more like your mom than I give you credit for." Logan tells him. Daken doesn't know how to reply to that other than to punch Logan in the arm as hard as he can. Elder on elder crime. Logan will laugh and rub his arm, "alright alright... But back to what I was saying, my father was kind. Much more kind than most people deserved. My mother didn't like me, I don't know why. Maybe it was because she thought I ruined her life after my older brother died. Even though she was the one who decided to have an affair with the groundskeep. And I guess me getting sick all the time at a young age didn't help her to like me. I remember she'd call me selfish often, because I took so much attention up. My grandfather, Old Man Howlett, would often tell me I was faking it. He also didn't like me very much, but to be fair he didn't like his own son. He wanted my father to be harder on me, rule with a hard hand like how he raised him. But my father wasn't willing to subject his children to the same pain he had gone through. I don't remember much of my older brother, but I imagine he was just as close to father as I was. Sometimes I catch myself wishing that he was still around when I got married to Itsu and had you. Of course I wish I could've raised you. Of course I wish Itsu was still here. But I also wish you could've met my father. I think his kindness would've done a lot of good. He had a way of soothing the soul with a simple touch. He used to pull me into hugs by placing his hand against my head and pressing a kiss to my crown. It got embarrassing when I was starting to grow up, but I would give a damn lot to have that again."

Daken stays quiet for a little while after that, because Logan's pain is so palpable. It always is whenever he shares something. It's rare that he does, and usually it's full of bitterness, and rage, and choked off words because it makes his throat tight and he can smell the salt of pained tears that Logan forces away. But this is a different kind of pain, a pain that Daken is familiar with. This longing for comfort from people meant to protect you. He feels a claw of bitterness pierce his heart for just a moment. The things his father experienced were things he wished for as a child. And while his own adoptive father adored him, it was a limited love that was quickly shattered by the coming of his little brother- and in turn shattered by Daken killing him. But that bitterness and that pain isn't what's needed, those are things Daken has to work out with himself by himself (well no he could go to therapy but this is the Howlett-adjacent family, they're allergic to therapy.). So instead he throws an arm over Logan's shoulder and pats his arm.

"Sounds like he was a good man." He replies and hopes he doesn't sound as awkward as he feels.

"He was. Didn't deserve to die so young. Things would've been so much different if he had lived." Logan sighs and squeezes his eyes shut for a few moments when his pain becomes unbearable. "Lotta shit I wouldn't have gone through if he had lived."

"You almost sound resentful." Daken observes aloud after Logan's second comment. Logan shakes his head, pauses as he considers and then shrugs.

"Emotions are too complex for me to always understand. I'm a man of action, not of words. I guess maybe a childish part of me is mad that he died. Maybe because I've come back from the dead so many times I'm mad at him for being so mortal. It's stupid, I know, and irrational, I know, but, I don't know how else to feel. I miss him. I miss him a lot. I can't stop thinking about him now that I remember him. I remember the way I would run to him whenever I was in pain, no matter what kind. And now I'm always in pain, and I can't help but want to run to him. But he's not here, he hasn't been here since I was thirteen, and I don't know what to do. Sometimes I wish I didn't remember him, even though I've spent so long agonizing over not remembering who I am. I've lost so many people, so many that I've loved so dearly. Yet this is just a hole that won't stop aching and oozing hurt and it's unbearable. But there ain't nothing I can do about it. There's no grave to visit as far as I know. There's no estate to go back to. Ain't no place up in Cold Lake where I can visit the same as it used to be back when he was still alive. I miss him. I miss being a kid and being unaware of all of the pain surrounding me, and all the pain that was in store for me. I miss being able to go into his office and sit on the floor with my back against his desk and read whatever was lying around while he'd work. I miss the times where I was well enough to go run errands with him, even if it was just to stop by the post office or go to the bank. I miss when he'd take me fishing, or he'd take me and Rose on hikes and let us ramble about things he already knew. I miss when I was little and he'd stay up with me while I was in so much pain I couldn't sleep, and I miss how he'd cram himself into my little bed when I needed him to stay because I was scared of being alone... I miss him so much and it hurts."

Well, that's the most Daken has ever heard his father speak... Possibly ever. He doesn't know how to reply other than to hold him a little bit tighter. He knows that him and his father aren't that different from each other, their childhoods aren't parallels but they're pretty similar. A father who cared so deeply despite not being the father, and a mother who cared more for a "better" sibling. For a long time Daken stays silent, because what can he really say? He wasn't the most emotional man. Yes he had a short temper and sometimes his emotions could becoming conflicting and complex, but most things didn't get a reaction out of him. He was cold and calculative. He'd been called a psychopath a number of times and sometimes he believes it to be true. Maybe at least a sociopath instead. So he just continues to sit there beside Logan and let the man calm down himself. When he hears the definitive sigh of Logan sucking it up finally he suggests, "We could make a shrine. If your father was rich there's probably a portrait or photograph of him somewhere. There's gotta be a second estate or some archive."

Logan considers it and nods softly. "There might be. That's a good idea. I think I'd like that."

[thatgirlstrawberry]

Sick Surprise pt. 8 — Dad

In which…

Warnings: fluff, angst, crying, cursing, lmk if I missed anything!!

Spencer Reid x fem!reader

“Mommy, why don’ I got a dad?”

Y/N froze in her place. She was in the middle of making breakfast for Eloise before she had to leave for Daycare and work. “What?” She asked slowly, turning around.

Eloise swayed from side to side. “All my fwiends got daddies an’ I don’t.”

Y/N pursed her lips and kneeled down to her height, pushing a few strands of hair out of her face. “Baby…” She was trying to think of the words she needed to say so it made sense. “Your dad… he didn’t want us.” She nodded sadly. “So he went bye bye.” Eloise furrowed her little eyebrows. “A daddy is someone who is around for his baby. He loves his baby, he loves baby’s mommy.” She nodded. “And he protects his baby. No matter what.”

“Protet? What is protet?” She asked.

The mother smiled and looked into her baby girl’s eyes. “Protect means that a dad would do anything in his power to keep his baby safe.”

Y/N expected Eloise to look sad but instead she smiled and touched her mom’s nose. “Is Spenther m’new dad?”

The woman gasped quietly and didn’t have the heart to tell those hopeful little eyes no. She wished it was Spencer she’d met in college instead of Jake. Honestly, she’d forgotten that she ever had been alone before Spencer. He had been on a case all week so they hadn’t seen him.

“We gotta go to daycare. Go get you sippy, babe.” Y/N kissed her cheek twice and stood up. Eloise’s feet pattered away and she walked into the kitchen to finish packing Eloise’s snack box.

She put it in her diaper bag and slung it over her shoulder, sighing.

God, she wished Spencer was really Eloise’s dad.

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.

Y/N was swamped at work.

It was almost nearing the end of her day when she left to het Eloise from daycare but she still had things to do that if she didn’t het done, she would be fired.

But her and Spencer’s minds had to have been connected because her phone screen lit up with his name. She smiled and picked it up. “Spence! Hi. I love you so much.” She spoke quickly.

He chuckled. “Hi, baby. I love you too!”

Y/N hummed. “How’s the case going?” She asked.

“Oh, we caught him early this morning. I’m actually driving into town now.” She heard the sound of the car on the road in the background.

Y/N smiled and her eyes lit up. “Oh my god! That’s great! Hey, I was wondering if you’d pick Eloisey up from daycare today. I’m gonna be here late. Maybe stop and get something to eat?”

“Yeah, of course! But I’m gonna make my hard working girlfriend a home cooked meal instead of fast food.”

Y/N sighed in relief. “Oh my gosh, thank you baby. I’ll text Jessica and tell her that you’re picking her up instead of me. Make sure you have your ID because they ask for that if it’s someone new.”

“Okay. I love you, see you when you get home.”

Home.

She heated up. “I love you too. See you when I get home.”

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.

Spencer bit his lip as he pulled into the pick up line at the daycare center. A bunch of the kids were already lined up. It was a cloudy day out, not too long until it would probably rain.

He tried to look for Eloise but the woman who was waving people forward waved her hand at him through the windshield. He pulled forward slowly and stopped, rolling down his window.

“Good afternoon!” She smiled at him. “Uh… who are you here for?”

Spencer smiled kindly at her. “Hi, I’m Spencer Reid. Here to pick up Eloise. I have my ID if you need-“

“I’m sorry, Eloise?” The woman shook her head and leaned closer to him as if she didn’t hear him right.

Spencer nodded. “Yes. Eloise L/N?” His eyebrows furrowed and he glanced at the line of kids. He didn’t see Eloise.

“I’m sorry— a Spencer Reid came by just a few minutes ago. He took Eloise home to Y/N.” The woman’s face got bright red.

Spencer put the car in park and got out of the car quickly. “No. No, no.” He shook his head and fished his wallet out of his pocket. He shakily took out his ID and practically shoved it in her face.

“I— I oh my god.” She pressed her hands to the sides of her heads. “Oh no no no.”

Spencer’s chest felt tight. His eyesight was blurry. “You let a four year old get in a car with— what the hell!? You let a kid get in a car with a stranger!?”

The woman bit her lip. “Y-Y/N texted me and said a Spencer Reid was picking her up! And the man that took her said he was you! He even had an ID! I-I—”

“Did she look like she knew him!?” Spencer asked. He decided he’d try to call Y/N. “Call the fucking police, please!”

He clicked on Y/N’s contact and lifted the phone to his ear. “Please pick up.” It rang six times before her voicemail was heard. “Shit!”

He tried her again. Voicemail.

“Yes! Her name is Eloise L/N, she was wearing black leggings a-and a blue sweater— her hair!? I don’t know what color her hair is!”

Spencer took the phone from her and gave the operator all of her information. She had the same hair color as Y/N. The same eye color, the same skin color. Everything.

Spencer panicked, handing the phone back to the lady. He tried Y/N again. Voicemail. “Oh, god. Oh, no no no.” His eyes stung with tears as he paced the concrete.

The other woman who was outside helping with picking was rushing kids to their cars because she knew what was happening.

Spencer called and texted and called and texted but he was yet to get one back. “Come on, Y/N. Please pick up.” He mumbled, trying to keep the tears from falling.

“Th-they said they were on the way and to stay here.” The woman cried. “How could I be such an idiot!?”

Spencer’s chest heaved. “Fuck, Y/N, pick up!”

He called again and this time she picked up. “Hey, Spence! Are they giving you trouble at the—“

“Y/N, I need you to listen to me and I n- I need you to stay calm.” He spoke lowly.

“Spencer? What’s wrong, you’re scaring me.” Her bubbly tone had disappeared.

Spencer took a deep breath in. This would be the hardest thing he’d ever have to say to her. “Y/N, Eloise— Eloise has been— She’s been taken.”

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.

It was silent for a moment. She was trying to figure out she actually heard the words that came out of his mouth right.

“Y/N? Did you hear me?” Spencer asked.

Her ears were ringing. “No…” She shook her head. “No, Spencer. Tell me your fucking with me right now.”

“Y/N—“

“Tell me you’re fucking lying, Spencer.”

She heard a sigh on the other end. “Y/N, I’m sorry but I need you to leave work and I need you to come here.”

It felt like she blacked out by the time she was in her car. She didn’t remember how she got there but all she knew was that she was speeding in the direction of Eloise’s daycare. She was still on the phone with Spencer but wasn’t saying a word even though he was calling out her name.

“Y/N, Can you talk to me? I need to know that you’re focused so you don’t crash.”

Her chest was heaving as she tried to keep the tears from forming in her eyes. “I’m not gonna crash. I’m trying to stay— as calm as I can.” She spoke. She never blinked. “Fuck, Spencer. Why am I not freaking out right now?” She asked, her knee bouncing up and down.

“Because you know that if you were, your car would flip over.”

Y/N nodded, letting air blow from her lips. She shook her head and tried to calm her rapid beating heart but she couldn’t. “I feel like— like I can’t breathe— my baby is gone. M- fuck, my baby is gone.” Her words broke as did her voice.

“Y/N keep it together.” He spoke. “You can fall apart as soon as you step out of that car but I need you to stay calm until you get here.”

Her breath shook. “I don’t know if I can. I just k- keep imagining my Eloisey scared a-and crying and—“

“Don’t focus on that, Y/N. How far away are you?”

She looked at the street signs that flew by in a blur. “T-two minutes.” She spoke.

“That’s good. Focus on those two minutes, Y/N.”

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.

Spencer saw her car speeding down the street and his head was in his throat. She skidded into the rounded drive through and the car stopped. Police sirens weren’t far behind.

Y/N flew out of the driver’s side door a half a second later and she nearly tripped trying to get to him.

She saw Jessica, the woman who knew Spencer was coming to pick her daughter up and instead of walking to him, she pushed Pat him and stepped right up to the sobbing woman.

“Are you fucking stupid!?” She screamed. Spencer shouted his girlfriend’s name and rushed up behind her, grabbing her arms. “I should— let me go! This stupid bitch let my kid leave with a fucking stranger!”

Spencer tugged her into his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around her. The woman’s chest began to stutter as she took short breaths. “My b-aby is gone— oh my god, Eloise is— gone.” She let the tears fall and Spencer held her.

The police sirens stopped and they heard footsteps walking towards them.

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.

Y/N’s leg bounced up and down rapidly. She sat in one of the kiddie chairs inside the daycare staring at the toys strewn about the place. She had been left alone while Spencer and Jessica spoke to the police officers.

Her lips had been torn to shreds, thinking of her poor baby sitting in a dark corner somewhere calling for her. They had sent out an amber alert for her but Y/N’s body still ached with worry. Her head was pounding, ears ringing— she couldn’t think straight.

Her entire life had revolved around Eloise and now, she could be gone forever.

She picked up a stuffed parrot and rubbed it’s soft beak. Eloise loved birds. Anywhere she was she’d point one out. Her first word was “birdie”.

“Y/N?” Spencer’s voice snapped her out of her memories as she looked up at him. There was an officer that stood next to him. “This is Officer White. He wants to ask you a few questions.”

The mother scoffed and shook her head. “I already know who did this.” She spoke lowly.

“Ma’am?” The officer furrowed his brows.

“It was her father. It was Jake Kelly. It has to be.”

—————————————-

Uh ohhhhhhhhh

A little angst for ya… the next chapter will be the last angsty plot line chapter— the rest after will be one shots in timeline form— some will be angsty like fights or whatever but none that stick around really! Thanks for reading!!

Love ya bunches ❤️❤️❤️

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