#scratch looks absolutely ADORABLE here 💕💕💕💕

[candyheartedchy]

Thank you so so so much @cupiidzbow for such a lovely commission! 💗

[httpsdana]

hey!

love your work! i was wondering if you could do one about pau cubarsi and they get a pet and she pays all her attention to the pet and pau gets jealous or smthg?

thank you sm 💕

Puppy Love~Pau Cubarsi

・❥・prompt list

・❥・masterlist -> part 2

・❥・who I write for

From the moment y/n and Pau brought home their new puppy, Mochi, it was pure love. They'd both been so excited, planning out every little detail: his bed, his toys, the cutest little collar, and spending way too long debating whether “Mochi” or “Tofu” was the perfect name. Eventually, Mochi won out, and now here he was, a fluffy little ball of mischief that they both adored like their own child.

Pau was obsessed from the start. He would cradle Mochi in his arms, cooing, “Mi amor, look at him! He’s already the most handsome boy in the world. Right, Mochi? You’re perfect.”

She'd laugh at his cuteness, running her fingers through Mochi’s soft fur. “Wow, I think I have some competition now.”

Pau smirked, giving her a wink. “Sorry, cariño. Mochi and I? Unstoppable duo. He’s basically my mini-me.”

“Oh, so he’s already dramatic about mealtimes and leaving crumbs everywhere?” she teased with a smile

Pau gasped, clutching his chest. “Excuse me, I am not dramatic, and I clean up my crumbs… sometimes.”

The early days with Mochi were filled with laughter and cuddles, both of them cooing over every little thing he did. The two of them doted on him together, taking turns waking up in the middle of the night when he’d whimper or need to go outside, racing each other to see who could make it to Mochi first when he called for attention.

But soon, Pau’s schedule got a bit busier. He was away more for practices and games, and y/n found herself spending more and more time with Mochi. While Pau was out, she'd have little “puppy and me” dates, complete with treats, belly rubs, and mini photoshoots where she would send the funniest pictures to Pau, captioned with things like, Look at your competition or Mochi says he’s the new man of the house.

Pau would text back immediately. No way. Mochi can’t be half as charming as me. But then he’d send three heart emojis and demand more photos.

One evening, after a long day, Pau came home, eager for some quality time. He walked in to see y/n sprawled on the couch with Mochi stretched out across her chest, his tiny head resting comfortably as she scratched his belly.

Pau stopped in his tracks, crossing his arms and giving her both an exaggerated pout. “I’m gone for a few hours, and this is what I come back to?”

She looked up, stifling a laugh at the face he was making. “Jealous of Mochi, are we?”

He put a hand to his chest, looking utterly wounded. “Me? Jealous? Absolutely. This used to be my spot, you know,” he grumbled, nodding at the spot on her chest where Mochi was curled up. “I used to get those head scratches, too.”

“Oh, bebé, come here,” she cooed, setting Mochi down gently before opening her arms. Pau took his chance, practically launching himself onto the couch to snuggle up to her.

“Finally,” he sighed dramatically, burying his face in her neck. “About time you give me some attention.” His tone was teasing, but he looked so adorable that she couldn’t help but laugh.

y/n wrapped her arms around him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Aww, you poor thing. Mochi just missed you. I missed you, too,” she said, rubbing his back soothingly.

“Oh, good. Because I was about to start howling for attention myself,” he joked, causing her to burst out laughing.

“Maybe Mochi has been teaching you a thing or two,” she teased, ruffling Pau’s hair just like she did with Mochi.

Pau grinned, snuggling closer. “So, you’re saying I need to be more puppy-like? Alright then.” He scrunched up his face and gave a dramatic little whimper, making puppy eyes at her.

She playfully rolled her eyes, laughing as she stroked his hair. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

“Ridiculously cute?” he asked with a hopeful grin, his eyes twinkling as he leaned in for a kiss.

“Alright, yes, ridiculously cute,” she admitted, kissing him softly.

Mochi, clearly curious about the attention shift, clambered back onto the couch, settling down between y/n and Pau, his little tail wagging as he looked up at the two of them.

Pau raised an eyebrow, looking at Mochi. “Oh no, you’re not stealing my girl again,” he warned playfully. “Go on, go chew a toy or something.”

But Mochi just flopped down, resting his little head on her lap, looking far too adorable to move.

Pau sighed, shaking his head. “Unbelievable. My own puppy is trying to sabotage me,” he said, though his face softened as he reached over to scratch Mochi’s ears. “Alright, fine, maybe we can share the lap.”

y/n laughed, leaning over to give Pau a kiss. “Face it, babe, we’re a package deal now. You, me, and Mochi.”

Pau’s face lit up as he kissed her back, pulling her closer. “As long as I get first dibs on goodnight kisses. Deal?”

“Deal,” she agreed, grinning as she wrapped herself up in his embrace, Mochi happily snuggled between them.

From that day on, Pau made sure to reclaim his spot in the cutest ways— “accidentally” bumping Mochi aside to curl up in her lap or dramatically announcing his need for “emergency cuddles” whenever he saw her petting the puppy. The three of them settled into a perfectly fluffy routine, filled with laughter, and many sweet moments.

In the end, they both knew they’d created a little family, with enough love to go around—Mochi included, of course.

[sea-lanterns]

Wait, but you know how there's a ton of stories of young women being given as sacrificial offerings to dragons? What if that is how our dragon ladies meet their Reader's?

Like imagine if they have full like beeg dragon forms, and then their human forms, plus mayhaps a third in-between. So Ningguang just enjoys going for walks through the harbor under the guise of a human. And when looking over a relatively new merchant's goods, she meets you, the daughter of this new merchant, bright smile and friendly beautiful besides.

Suddenly Ningguang is taking more walks, visiting this new merchant regularly, just to see you. To have you smile at her, to hear the sound of you laughing at her rather stale attempts at humor. Its not long before her walks are no longer alone, she soon has you chattering away at her side, and any and all on lookers can see how absolutely smitten she is the entire time.

But the time for the sacrifice comes near. Ningguang is unable to take her walks to see you with all the dealing with the humans in charge. They want their perfect sacrifice to guarantee her satisfaction. And not focused enough, Ningguang accidentally describes you perfectly.

Soon you're being delivered to Ningguang, wrapped in delicate silks and small gold chains hanging from your limbs more for decoration then restraint, a light veil drawn over your features. An offering made in the hopes of maintaining the prosperity of the harbor.

Imagine Ningguang's surprise when such an adorable little thing walked into her den. Dressed to be a sacrifice, the humans who brought you have long left, and expect to never see you again. Shaking like a leave, looking so nervous, but when she finally pulls your attention to her golden gaze, she is surprised to see no real fear at all. More so however, to see you of all people standing there as her newest sacrifice.

It's seconds before the woman that you'd grown so fond up stands before you, the same one who you've fostered a massive crush on, but had no idea how to approach. Now holding your face delicately in golden claws, looking at you with glowing serpentine eyes filled with worry. Massive tail swishing behind her, both scared and pleased to see you here.

Soon gold chains are changed for bejeweled jewelry, the revealing silk wrappings now changed for the finest clothing the harbor has to offer.

And the Harbor has never known a greater peace then this. When their guardian dragon walks in all her glory, for all to see, smiling like a love sick fool down at you clinging to her arm.

I am totally in love with this idea :0

Something about the Reader being a sacrificial maiden for the Dragon! Women is just scratching my brain in all the right places. Maybe if we write this with some lore, it could be like…every 12 years on the year of the dragon, the different nations of Teyvat must offer a sacrifice to the Dragon Women so that they could bless their nation with good fortune.

Usually these sacrifices are stuff like jewelry, riches, expensive food, etc. but one year, the sacrifice is a bit different as the nations have offered a bride to the Dragon Women as the sacrifice for this particular year. That bride being you so that you could please the Dragon Women for another 12 years of good fortune 💕

Ahhhhh you guys are gonna make me write a whole Dragon! AU at this point 😅

[sunshine-on-my-mind]

Hi sweet Meera!!! Thank you for asking for some inspo! I recently had the picture below pop up on my Pinterest and it gives off such a vibe so I thought it would be perfect for this! Create anything you want with it for Matt Murdock please and thank you! I adore him❤️😍❤️

Have the best day! Hugs and love💕🥰💕

a/n: hiiiii Jo!! ohhhh i love this picture, love fall and Mattie 🫶🏽 so this is a short fluffy one, hope you like it. also there is a cameo from a special someone hehe.

Sometimes when the darkness of Hell’s Kitchen became too much, even for the devil himself, he goes to one of his favourite spots in the city, the Central Park.

Especially in Fall, he found a sense of peace when there was a chill in the air, it smelled so nice and he loved to hear the crunch of the leaves.

He sits down on a bench, taking some deep breaths, a small smile on his face, he likes it here. It was calm, it was nice and- wait- what’s that? His ears perk up when he hears little ‘meows’ followed by a voice.

Matt hears soft paws coming towards him and soon a fluff ball nudges his leg.

“Alpine!!” you run after the kitten and see she has found her way to someone. Matt bends down a little and scratches her little head.

“Alpine don’t run away!” Matt hears the voice has gotten closer, he can feel your presence now. He smiles softly.

“I’m so sorry”

“That’s alright, a nice kitten you’ve got there.” You chuckle at that.

“Oh I wish she was mine, but no she is actually my friend and her boyfriend’s cat.” Matt nods.

“You can take a seat of you want, looks like this little one has taken a liking towards me.” And it’s true, Alpine is all snuggled up by Matt’s leg with no intention of leaving. You chuckle with a little huff and sit beside him.

“So, do you look after her a lot?”

“Not really, my friend and her boyfriend absolutely spend all their time with Alpine, but now they are on a holiday and she doesn’t like to travel, so she is here with me.” Matt nods at your answer.

“Well I’m glad I got a chance to meet this little one”, then he looks at you with the signature smile of his “and you.”

And suddenly you all you can do is bite your lip and giggle. Who is this man? That’s all you think about.

“And unfortunately, as much as I’m enjoying our little chat, I’ve to go to work.” You nod and look at the briefcase he is carrying. Suddenly that makes you sad, will you see this handsome stranger again, wait you don’t even know his name.

“I’m Matt by the way, it was lovely meeting you, and you Alpine” He pets her little head and she meows with content.

“As amazing it was to meet like this, wouldn’t mind to meet you on purpose some time.” He admits with a blush.

“Would you like to get some coffee sometime?” He asks hopefully

“With the handsome stranger who likes cats? Yeah I think I’d like that.”

He gives you his card. ‘Nelson and Murdock - Attorneys at Law’ with his name and number on the back.

“I guess I’ll call you then, Matt Murdock.”

With that infectious smile of his, he makes his way out. You keep smiling and looking at him.

“Well I guess it’s true after all Alpine” you pick her up on your lap and she looks at you with those big eyes of her. “you’re quite the wing woman”

[blond3ang3l]

Hiii💕💕💕 Could you please make like a scenario where like white death's s/o has like many many mental problems that trigger extreme anxiety and panic and psychotic attacks and like he has to hold them and grip them for like 4 or 5 hours so that they don't simply kill themselfs for bangging their head so hard in the wall or trashing around and breaking things and like screaming at the top of their lungs nonsense and saying that they will kill themselfs and that they can't handle this anymore. And then like white death gives them kisses and tells them to hit him instead of them and when they calm down she hugs him weakly and she so tired that she almost starts to sleep and the white death then treats their wounds and lays in bed and traces kisses in their body and then they hug and sleep.

I know that this is specific but i really wanted to make this ask.

The s/o is female and if you don't mind can you please make them wear a white skirt?

Sorry if this is not the most interesting idea or if you don't like it.

I adore the way you writte white death and in general.

Hope you're ok and stay hydrated.

Hugs and kisses.

Hiii lovely I’m sorry it’s taking me so long to get your request I swear I’ll do better😭🫶🏽

I’ll be writing this based off of my own attacks so I hope that’s okay!

Tw- self harm, toxic friends, murder

This fucking sucks. You decided to hang with friends but they absolutely fucked up when they decided to poke fun at you. You felt weak and every time someone spoke telling you to calm done god did it just infuriate even more. It was “just jokes” so if you got mad then everyone would blame you for ruining the mood. You were trying to keep it in but when your friend decided to joke about how “whiney” you can sometimes be you lost it.

How did they not catch the god damn hint to shut up. You went silent not laughing at any of the witty remarks and gave them a look that could kill. Hell they made eye contact with you when you gave them the look. Are they really that dumb? They come to your home and fucking start with you, like what the hell?

You screamed at them to shut the fuck up and if they think you’re so annoying then they’d probably liked it better if you’d just off yourself. But to your surprise you were just met with anger. They screamed back at you saying how you can’t take a joke and always do this.

Without realizing you started scratching at your arms. Not just lightly but your nails were basically digging your nails into your skin. Blood soon started leaking from how deep your scratches were.

When Roshan came home he was confused like hell. He knew your friends were here but just who the hell are they yelling at. Upon entering the living room his eyes landed upon you to his horror. You were on the floor sobbing, hands covering your ears and slamming the back of your head against the hard wall. What’s worse is that you were still bleeding and your friends still criticizing you.

He didn’t hesitate to take out his gun shooting all of them. That didn’t stop your attack though, you were to frustrated and couldn’t think.

“Baby? Hey open your eyes for me sweetheart.”

He bent down to your level sliding his hand in between the wall and where you had been slamming it. His eyes softened when you didn’t say anything back instead letting out soft whimpers. He was used to moments when you where non verbal.

You opened your eyes when you suddenly felt a rough hand softly caressing your face. You were met with his loving stare as he wiped your tears.

“S okay sweetheart, I’m here. Just need you to take a couple breaths for me okay?”

You nodded taking a couple of shaky breaths.

“That’s good just like that okay..”

He lifted you up with ease and took you to the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet and resting you on his lap. There was a comfortable silence as he took a damp wash cloth cleaning up your arms and face.

“I’m sorry..”

He cocked his eyebrow at you in confusion

“For this.. i promised you I’d try to step. I really want to and I-I’ve really been trying but I just-”

“Sweetheart m’ not mad at you. I know how hard you been trying and it ain’t your fault that you do these things. No matter how much you want to blame yourself I’m always gonna be here to tell you why it’s not your fault. I know how hard you been workin and I’m proud of you for it okay? M’ your husband and I’ll always be here for ya. I promise that”

This brought a small smile onto your face as your rested your head into the crook of his neck.

“I love you Roshan.”

“I love ya too sweetheart.”

[honeyuuyuu]

any art blog recommendations?

Art blog recommends you say? 👀

I have plenty of them! I’ll try giving as much of a summary of some of their main themes are! These are TWST art blogs tho ^^

Most of these people are older than me and I- errr- I look up to them 👉👈

@bunnwich -> They are a huge Leona simp, and their Yuusona is Yuuta, a green-haired bunny who is also very cool ✨

@beats-7979 -> Tweel simp with incredible art! She had commissions before but I’m not sure if she’s opened shop now but if she does, please do support her! Her OC is really pretty, too!

@leonakingscholarship -> A Leona, Vil and now a Cater simp! Best themes I’ve seen and she loves the Pomefiore aesthetic. She also has really aesthetic and unique OCs!

@loneliness-of-spring -> Another amazing artist who can also fill your dash with the most funniest reblogs accompanied by the most funniest tags. Super cute Yuusona and also met them before irl and they’re really cool!

@daily-trey -> They don’t know me but errrr- hey- love how- it’s just- T*ey- yeah- and your art is very cool, and very funny it makes my day- NONE OF YOU SAY A WORD- I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GONNA SAY MOVE YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM THE KEYBOARD I AM NOT A T*EY SIMP- i think-

@evilcokito -> Incredible art and OCs (Sandra-), and they draw Sam a lot and give a lot of limelight for the staff which is very neat. Also they’re very funny ✨

@comingyourlugubriousness -> Precious Idia simp, with cute art and they are vibing. Very nice and wholesome art, support their commissions too if you can!

@twixxsted -> I HAVEN’T SEEN THEM FOR A LONG TIME BUT TRULY, TRULY, TRULY THEY HAVE INCREDIBLE ART AND A BEAUTIFUL DIVA OC CALLED MUNA PLEASE SUPPORT EVEN THOUGH THEY AREN’T HERE AS OFTEN

@vaporvipermedia -> They have amazing art, a big Rook simp, and they colour so nicely it scratches your brain in all good ways ✨

@tunabesimpin -> Funniest artist I’ve ever met- cute art style and even cuter Yuusona. Need I say more? And they’re a Floyd stan-

@moomoomooing -> Another super cute art style with an even cuter OC! A Leona simp who is very wholesome and I love talking to them they are amazing 💕

@oseathepebble -> A Jack simp with funky OCs and funny memes drawn by them, they are slay ✨

@paporuii -> They have the cutest, comforting art I’ve seen and I always feel very happy when they post something. Not always TWST but it’s always so beautiful and adorable 💕

@cleumuu -> I’m pretty sure you know them they’re like pretty famous but I will reiterate myself: JAMIL (yes they are a Jamil simp) X CUTEST YUUSONA CREATED BY THEM- also they have really cute art of Grim and their overal art style is pretty!

@forgwater -> While they do make a lot of funny meme edits, they have pretty cool art. Most of them are cursed but it really is worth it- it’s funny af- makes me hysterical laugh in a good way-✨

@nicoliharu -> Another pretty famous artist but I will reiterate: Ruggie simp with a Diva OC, they are a power couple but also very cute together. And their art is gorgeous!

@akaipepo -> Not as active but that’s okay. They have beautiful art when you see them absolutely gorgeous 💕

@raix-lv -> Mostly a writer but they make pretty pencil sketch art when they post their own drawings I love them 💕💕

@the-trinket-witch -> Funny Octavinelle simp, funky skeleton OC and they’re art is very cute, but also cool. Idk how to describe it well it’s just very unique and I love it 💕

@thetwstwildcard -> They have very pretty OCs, and one time they drew Aepper’s chibi Sprite as a surprise gift and that was very nice of them! But besides that, very cute and pretty art and I hope they’re doing well!

There’s many more artist, but like goddamnit all of them are talented 💕💕

[carnivorousyandeere]

I just realized there’s no nsfw for Memphis. What’s he into? 🤔

-Moodie 🫶

Haiii Moodie!!! Hope you’re doing well 💕

( MDNI )

CW: exhibitionism, yandere stuff (murder— not a kink of his though, dw), degradation, dumbification, he wants to feel feminine?, mild injury to reader/darling, some masochism

Memphis likes teasing you or his other mates, especially in public; he would also be incredibly excited at the prospect of risky, semi-public sex, or even letting acquaintances or strangers watch. He wants them to be jealous (but probably kills them afterwards so they can’t tell anybody what they saw him and his darling doing~).

He’s also a big fan of threesomes/etc, and would be sooooo happy if you and his other mates teamed up on him at once 😌✨

Whether Memphis is topping or bottoming, he usually starts out bratty and demanding, but inevitably loses himself in the feeling and ends up mewling and moaning like a brainless whore. Memphis loves that feeling of losing his mind in pleasure, only able to obey your words and beg for more. So I guess bratting, and a bit of dumbification here?

He loves being talked to in a degrading way during sex. Call him a useless hole/dildo, your cute little slut, whatever degrading thing you want— as long as you throw in a liiiittle bit of praise here and there.

Memphis also likes feeling feminine here, a lot of the time. Dress him up like he’s your doll, make him wear whatever frilly lingerie or skirt you like. Call him your babygirl, your princess, your good or bad girl. Not sure what to call this, but it just scratches an itch in his brain.

He’s probably going to accidentally scratch you with his claws during.

Also Memphis absolutely loses it with pleasure if you pull his hair while fucking him from behind.

AND OF COURSE— I can’t believe I almost forgot— Memphis loooooves wearing a cute little collar for you at all times. Usually an edgier piece out in public so it looks like a fashion statement rather than your ownership of him, but he adores changing into his frilly little collar with a bow and bell on it for you when he comes home 😏

[myers-meadow]

I normally don't get personal on here at all but I'm just looking to get some thoughts out, and it sorta affects my ability to be a good writer, so I'll put it here.

I had an amazing, inspiring weekend away. It was everything I could've hoped for and more, and now I'm reevaluating my life. I'm thinking so many things, I feel like an open wound, skin scratched raw... A lot feels off. Writing feels right, it absolutely does, especially original stories (and Mischa 🥰). So that'll remain the ray of light in my life it already was before <3

Despite that, it feels like I have to rearrange a lot of things in my life, sort out myself, what I want, what is good for me long term etc. What does this mean for writing? Not much! But it does mean I'm in a super weird and fluctuating brain space - which may reflect on how I respond and interact. All's good though!

Thank you for your understanding💕 and once again for all your adoration for my writing and Mischa 💖💞

xoxo Meadow

[ofallthingsnasty]

I started reading your fics on ao3 and my goodness they are such a treat😍💕 dark and nasty fanfics just hit different('capture kill' and 'through the briar' have me in a chokehold omg😖😮‍💨)

I also feel super happy to find people that feel exactly like I do about Micah from rdr2. Like he is the worst plz shoot him, but he is also just a fascinating character. I hate him, but I also think he's neat( and low-key kinda of funny) haha but I never say it out loud out of fear of getting absolutely blasted by the fandom🙃💀I mean looking at the fact that a lot of rdr2 fix-it fics, fix it by banishing Micah to shadow realm at the first possible moment and everybody making full blown essays of why he's the worst character of all time, is enough for me to keep my mouth shut lol 😭 So its really nice to see that there are people that appreciate his character and Peter Blomquist's fantastic work portraying Micah Bell.

Also are you planning on giving 'capture kill' and 'through the briar' sequals👀? Because I am 100% here for any continuation for either of them🫶

Thank you so much!! 🥰💖💖 I am so incredibly glad you like my fics - especially 'through the briar' and 'capture kill', they've grown to be my favorite stories. A little darkness sometimes (or all the time) is just so... indulgent 😉

And oh my god, anon, you fucking get me. Micah is one of my favorite characters - and the only character I truly loathe but still adore because he's just so damn well-written. He makes me uneasy in the game, to the point I visibly cringe, he is a total piece of shit I just want to punch - but he is such a good character. One of the best villains to me. And exactly, a giant part of that is Peter Blomquist's wonderful voice acting. That man is a fucking magician because you can identify Micah from his breaths alone. He did one hell of a job on that blond bastard and I really admire him for it.

"but I also think he's neat( and low-key kinda of funny) haha but I never say it out loud out of fear of getting absolutely blasted by the fandom🙃💀"

To be entirely honest, I had the same worries as you when I posted 'through the briar'. You have a lot of people on here who send you hate for writing noncon AND there are a few others who hate Micah with every fibre of their being (which is totally understandable, but please don't send hate haha) - I was really nervous to draw the ire of BOTH of these parties. I was fully prepared to get a few nasty comments and otherwise silence on that fic - and I am STILL floored at the sheer amount of positive feedback I've gotten. You don't know how happy every single comment I've gotten has made and still makes me. 'through the briar' was two months of work and a lot of headaches for me and for it to scratch an itch for so many people has been one of the highlights of my little 'career' as a fic writer. Genuinely, thank you so much for your love!!

Regarding sequels, I have written about some scenarios after 'through the briar' happens - here and here. I want to write out the immediate aftermath and that little escape scenario as little vignettes on here, it's on my list!! I am basically waiting for my muse to fully strike - right now, I'm still pre-occupied with getting through One Piece, so that might take a while 🙈 As for capture kill - I am currently working on a little Bill pwp - just a little thing, some years into the future with him - that should be done by tomorrow! Other than that, I have some thirsts/scenarios here, here and here. Both of these fic will probably not get a 'proper' sequel but I don't want to rule it out, I am known to finish WIPs that have been rotting away in my docs for three years 😭 I am however always open to write little blurbs and the like, feel free to ask for anything that might come to your mind!! 🤗 And thank you again for your sweet message, it means so much to me.

[candyheartedchy]

I ABSOLUTELY ADORE HOW SCRATCH LOOKS SO SQUISHY HERE!!! ❤️❤️ And the hand holding!!! 🥺💕💕 I’m happy we got to do the trade!! :D And thank you!!!!!!

Art Trade for @candyheartedchy

Thank you for the opportunity to trade with you, Scratch and you are so fun to draw! :3

[blackbat05]

Wingdog

Frank Castle x Reader

A/N: Really wanted to try and write one more before internship and school starts and messes me up good☠️ Comment and reblog if you can! Much appreciated!

Genre: PG-13, FLUFF and smidge of angst if you look close

Notes: I will be using Jon’s actual dog since this is so fitting. Reader is a pet store owner in this and please excuse me for the lack of knowledge with animals but I really love dogs💕 A little longer than usual!

“Woah buddy! What’s got you in a twist?” Frank twisted the leash around his wrists once more in hopes of reigning in the excited pit bull. He was pretty sure that Bam Bam would run amok if not for the new and improved collar that Karen had bought as a gift.

“We’re just getting your snacks boy.” He tries to soothe him again without much success.

Karen chuckles much to Frank’s confusion. “He must know that she’s at the shop today.”

"Haven't seen her for a while. Which reminds me, thanks for bringing Bam Bam to the store."

"No worries." Karen nods in acknowledgement. “Anyways, she hasn't been at the store lately, told me she was planning some collaboration with the Veteran Hospital.”

“She loves Bam Bam and the little champ absolutely adores her,” Karen gushes. “Or maybe… it’s because someone just wants their snacks!” She gives Bam Bam an affectionate rub on the head, causing his tail to wag even faster.

Frank doesn’t pry further and the rest of the journey goes in silence. Reaching the store, Bam Bam starts to scratch the front of the door with his paws, begging to be let in.

“Alright! Alright! We’re here already!” He grumbles, pushing the door forward. Before Frank can even close the door, Bam Bam manages to get free of his grip, bounding towards a woman in a polo tee a jeans.

“Oof! Hey buddy!” You rubbed his belly before giving a few kisses to his snout. “Missed you too! Hey Karen!” You gave the blonde woman a hug.

“I see you finally made it.” You smiled at Frank, walking behind the counter to get a bag of treats for Bam Bam. Frank cannot explain the strange feeling in his chest whenever he sees Bam Bam adjusting so quickly.

"Uh... yeah. Kind of busy lately." Frank doesn't know how he should continue. He turns to Karen who has an unreadable expression on her face. He makes a note to talk to her later.

"Hmm..." You carefully examined Bam Bam who is contented with his snacks. "He seems to have a little bruising on his belly. I'll examine him just to make sure its nothing serious if that's ok with you?"

Frank feels a hard nudge at his side, belatedly realizing that you were addressing him. He notices Karen stifling a giggle.

"Sure!" He grimances inwardly, cursing at himself for how awkward he must have sound. You don't seem to notice though, as you gently take the leash from his hand, leading the dog to the back room.

Once you were out of earshot, he returns his attention to a smug Karen.

"What was that for?" Frank tries to be intimidating but fails miserably in front of his old friend.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Karen pretends to look at the display case of fish food.

"Really?" Frank huffs. "Horns setting me up with a woman who can't differentiate Colombia and Colombo wasn't enough? And she hated Bam Bam!" He emphasizes on the last sentence.

"Fine. She was a little self-absorbed." Karen waves a hand dismissively. "But she's different!"

Frank arches an eyebrow, trying to shut out the earlier image of Bam Bam licking your face. No. He's not going to risk anyone else.

"I know what you're thinking," Karen frowns, clearly seeing her friend lost in his swamp of thoughts. "You deserve this as much as anyone else."

A moment of silence passes, with the only noise coming from the fishtank filters. She sees that he is still unconvinced, so she goes on the offensive.

"Number one green flag - she loves animals. And I mean LOVE." Karen drags him to the glass panel where they could see you examining Bam Bam who was calmly lying on the metal table. "Plus, Bam Bam adores her! You of all people should know that dogs are great judgement of character."

You briefly look up to see the two staring at you. Perhaps Frank was worried about the little angel. Giving him a thumbs up, you went back to attend to Bam Bam.

His heart skips a beat. He had not felt this in a long time. Since taking on the mantle of the Punisher. Frank sneaks another look at you and your gentle demeanor makes the doubt in his head louder. After all, he was the walking definition of blood and violence.

"I can't Karen. You know why." He's afraid of what will come if he accepts this. He's afraid of shattering you to pieces.

"I'll hurt her like everyone else."

"I get it Frank. I really do. Your need to protect people." Karen gazes into the room where you're still working with Bam Bam. "But cracks do show even in the strongest of rocks."

"She's seen a lot Frank. She's a strong woman. Maybe that's what you need. It wouldn't hurt to try again."

The door opens, signalling the end of the conversation. Karen gives him a significant look, excusing herself out of the store. Noticing the woman's absence, Frank quickly steps in, filling the silence.

"She took an urgent call. Work stuff."

"Ah, of course." With Frank's extended absence and your time split between the store and the Hospital, the air was slightly different with your most frequent customer. You decide to fill him in on Bam Bam before you say something that you would regret.

"Champ is fine. He probably got rough and had a little bruising. Just make sure Bam Bam's careful for the next two weeks or so and it should be good."

"That's great." Frank is truly relieved but he finds himself scrambling for words. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." You suddenly find the leash very interesting, fiddling with it more than usual.

Before the both of you could even register what was happening, Bam Bam moves behind your knees, giving you a hard nudge that throws you off balance.

And into Frank's arms.

“Oh shit!” You flail in his grasp slightly. “I’m so sorry.”

Only when Frank stables you, you finally realize the close proximity between the two of you. Mind going into overdrive, your heightened senses could smell the aftershave on him.

“That’s alright - down boy!” He address the overly excited pit bull who sits down at his side. Frank’s eyes pierces through yours and you decide to look anywhere else except for his chiseled features. Turning positively tomato, you fan yourself, making a fuss of the sudden increase in temperature.

“It’s hot in here!”

“Eh… the temperature’s set to sixty-six.”

You glanced at the control on the wall and wanted to run into it yourself. But you don’t know this… Frank thinks you’re adorable as you laugh a little too loudly to try and avert the embarrassment you created for yourself.

“Um… I was thinking… you free on Friday?”

You stare at him blankly as Frank rushes to fill in the gaps.

“I mean I didn’t see you for a while! I thought it’ll be goo-great to catch up. Over lunch, dinner, or if you’re just a coffee kinda gal.”

“Well, I know this great dim sum place a few blocks down. I close at eight on Friday.” You see the tensed muscles in Frank relax themselves as he finds himself successful in his latest mission to ask you out.

“Yeah, great! I’ll swing by then!” He waves goodbye with his free hand while attempting to get Bam Bam out of the store with much effort.

He finds Karen standing by the pillars, patiently waiting for his response.

“So?”

“Dinner.” Is all Frank grumbles out.

“You actually did it?” She squeals, briskly catching up with Frank. “I didn’t think you would actually do it!”

“Neither did I.” He shrugs, staring at Bam Bam who was a few paces in front of them.

“I guess I just had an awesome wingdog.”

[heartshapedbubble]

Hello, it's me again:3

Can you write some hcs for Luchino (hunter) x s/o? I know you mostly write about his surv identity, but his lizard form wasn't on the "characters that I will not write for" list, soooo...

Since Luchino likes summer and warmth, maybe he and s/o can spend some time outside together? Yk, sunbathing or reading together under the shade of a tree or something like that:D

Hope this request will be ok, but anyway, have a nice day!

nice to see you requesting again !! ☺

also ofc! i'm not limited to only professor luchi - i hope you like this set of hcs🤲💕

luchino diruse spending time outside with his s/o hcs 🦎

luchino is a big fan of outdoorsy activities!

as much as he likes the tranquility and dim lights of his laboratory, he still enjoys the fresh air and the hot weather outside

regularly sunbathes during the summer, but he does it far away from the manor - he would be deathly embarrassed if someone saw him

one time you stumbled upon him sunbathing, laying stomach down on a log and sleeping in the sun

...needless to say he was very embarrassed and shy when he woke up and saw you staring even though you just found it absolutely adorable😭

after his transformation, his clothes tore and it's literal hell trying to find fitting shirts and pants which often makes him feel insecure

and here's when violetta comes to the rescue >:)) !! she made him big, oversized hawaiian shirts out of old summer printed tablecloths for the warm weather and he loves them so much

knows a lot of nice lakes where you two can go for a swim when the heat gets unbearable

he's incredibly good at swimming! it seems weird considering he's a lizard after all, but he was a good swimmer as a human and his lizard abilities just improve his skills a bit more

likes diving and finding various shells, stones and other trinkets at the bottom of the lakes or the sea and brings them to you

if you mention to him that you feel too insecure to wear shorts, swimming suits/pants/two-pieces etc. he's going to do his best to reassure you - he doesn't understand how can you be so harsh on yourself and wants you to feel as pretty as he sees you💕

otherwise loves seeing you wearing summer clothes! always compliments your outfits and tells you how cute you look

big fan of exploring outside - whether it's for research or out of curiosity, it's always two times as fun when he's exploring with you

when you two get tired from all that walking and swimming he suggests curling up near a tree or something

it's a very funny scenario - he prefers the sunlight over anything while you love being in the shade, so he usually sits in the sun and his huge frame gives you enough shade to comfortably lay down between his legs without the sun roasting you

sometimes he just gets tired of the sun so he agrees to lay in the shade with you and read,,

loves when he lays his head in your lap while reading and you scratch his head or gently stroke the side of his face <33 (also he has a pair of reading glasses and it's so fucking funny since they look so small and weird on him)

he also managed to snatch some ice cream/shaved ice from the hunter's side of the manor (bonbon has an ice cream machine option!) and bring them during your walks together

due to his long tongue he eats his ice cream really fast and then snatches a bit of yours when you aren't looking 😭😭

you two often just give up on planning what outdoor activities you'll do and just lay in the warm grass together, if you know how to make flower crowns that's another plus bc he looks adorable with one !

your laying in the grass often just becomes napping together cuz he curls up to you and you two fall asleep while spooning

it's kinda hard for him to kiss you properly since he doesn't have lips so he uses his tongue to kind of?? gently (yet very quickly) touch your cheek or whatever with it like a chameleon (he does it and then when you flinch he acts like he didn't do anything smh wholesome bastard!!!!!!)

while walking he often picks you up and sits you on his shoulder (this is just me projecting on every buff idv character at this point)

his chest is like a soft block of ice it's the best thing to lay on🙏🙏he's also built like an enormous inverted tortilla chip which makes things better

absolutely abuses the fact that his tail is prehensile and uses it to grab you and throw you right into his arms he's smooth as hell

[queridopascal]

okay okay so no filth November

how about "i don't know what i would have done if you weren't here. “ and “ you're just... you're extraordinary. “ with Javi? 💕

Your wish is my command Ari 💖

Pairing: Javier Peña x F!Reader

Warning: fluff, Soft!Javi, yearning, allusion to mutual pining

1K FOLLOWERS CELEBRATION AKA NO FILTH NOVEMBER

The office was completely empty now; well, except for you and Javier.

He had offered to help you archiving and cataloging some documents and evidence related to the Cali Cartel, boxes and boxes full of papers, photos, tapes, and records of all sorts.

You looked around and sighed as you realized that the yellow manila folder with slightly torn edges you were holding was the last thing left on the floor. You handed it to Javier and he shoved it into the last box, closing its lid with a murmured “there you go” before stacking it on top of the others.

“We did a great job.” you yawned softly, eyes threatening to close at any moment as tiredness started to wash over you.

“Oh come on,” he leaned against the backrest of the couch and scratched at his chin. “I didn’t do much other than closing the boxes and writing their content with a black Sharpie.”

You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye and let out a dry laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”

He chuckled and got up, hissing as he stretched a little and complaining about the stiffness in his back and neck.

“I’m serious.” you exhaled. “I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here.”

“I’m sure you would have managed just fine on your own, corazón.”

There was one thing you had learned after spending time with Javier: he was stubborn, arrogant even, but incredibly humble, maybe even too humble sometimes; he didn’t want to take credit for anything.

“You’re just...” you cut yourself off, chewing the inside of your cheek as you lowered your gaze to stare at the floor, too embarrassed to look into his eyes. “You’re extraordinary.”

There was something between the two of you, a chemistry, a bond resembling a magnetic pull, something Javier had never felt before. You and him had always gravitated around each other: glances, subtle touches, smiles or just a simple “Hi” to make the other one’s day better.

“Baby,” he whispered as he crouched down in front of you and lifted your chin up with his index finger. He looked at you and your lips parted as you lost yourself into the rich warmth of his brown eyes, pleading and sweet.

“Javier, I—”

“Can I kiss you?” he asked you almost too straightforwardly, and when you nodded in response, it was as if a dam broke.

His lips were gentle against your own, the kiss was sweet and tender, with absolutely no rush. His mouth parted from yours and he looked at you, eyes filled with longing and adoration, and you thought you could melt right then and there.

You grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled his lips back on yours; he smiled into the kiss and you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him even closer.

“That... that was long overdue.” he murmured once your mouths parted, a beautiful smile painted on his face.

“Yeah,” you giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. “But it was worth it.”

[gretagerwigsmuse]

i absolutely adored this chapter! it literally had everything - fluff, angst, humor, tears on my part, and some little cheekiness!!! also you know this but not everyone else does, but i’ve literally read this chapter like once a day since you sent it to me last week, i think i have it memorized by this point! more below 💕

The uncomfortable dress, the one Danielle had spent hours talking her into, is crumbled in the hallway. The zipper is probably broken, she thinks mournfully, remembering how she had struggled to get the restrictive piece of clothing off by herself. - i think what bugs me most about the dress specifically is that even tho it was uncomfortable, she still could’ve had a good night in it? but the guy decided to be an asshole and not only was she made to feel bad about herself, but she was made to feel bad about herself in something that she didn’t feel like herself in necessarily? like she had to be talked into wearing it? and they just guts me

“Auntie Mary!” Annabeth disappears into her house before she can process what’s happening. - i can perfectly hear annie’s voice in my head and it’s so cute!

Her panic causes her to miss the longing look in Bradley’s eyes. His brain focusing on the width of her hips, the dip of her waist before traveling up and locking on the way her nipples press against the pink fabric. - god he is so horny for her!! but like still respectful!!

He catches up to her in the bedroom, eyeing the messy, unmade bed. “Did we interrupt something?” - awwwwww bubbe 🥺 i know he was so taken aback by this! like the clothes everywhere and the messy bed! yeah it totally looks like she had a wild night (like which she did, but not in the way). like i obviously know why she didn’t tell him she had a date, but they seem like close enough friends that she would mention she was going out that night or busy? idk now i’m rambling

“She knows you better, and frankly, trying to brave the bathroom situation seemed like too much for my first time. So I needed another adult, preferably a woman, preferably you.” - as a 27 year old female this is also daunting for me

“Did you put my clothes in my room?” She blurts it out and immediately wants to hide in her room. “Uhh, yeah.” He scratches the back of his neck, red blooming on his cheeks. “Sorry if that’s weird.” - mary trust me, he wants to be the reason for the trail of your clothes on the floor and then put them away the next morning 🤭 i like that he cleaned up and that he blushes so easily

He shoves something at Mary’s chest. “We are leaving that fucking wand here. She keeps smacking me and telling me her spell isn’t working. That I’m still not “cute” like Bob. Fucking, Bob.” - everything about jake and annie makes me laugh like the whole wand thing, annie oakley, the fact that she still likes bob better, that she’s so comfortable with him? and i like that she has different types of relationship with all of them? like she’s really fleshed out for a little kid? but she’s not overly precocious? she’s written really well

Mary runs her eyes over the woman flirting with Jake. Her body is encased in a red string bikini that perfectly fits her thin, tanned figure. She suddenly feels very secure in her decision to keep her coverup dress on. - oh sweet girl 🥺 i like how she has this thought, but it automatically goes to bradley asking her a specific/personal question? like he’s just so focused on mary and her as a person?

“Annabeth! That’s a pretty name!” She looks down the beach, waving at a group getting ready to leave. “I gotta go, but it was good to see you, Jake. I’ll have to tell Olivia I ran into you when we get back to school! I love your suit, by the way, it’s so cute! Bye, guys!” - i like how tammy is still nice? like so many times in fics the girl the mc compares her self to is always kind of a bitch? like if only to show how wonderful the mc is? i liked that tammy answered annie’s questions and didn’t seem like she was talking down to her, that she seems genuinely nice, and most importantly compliments mary?

Bradley gulps, thankful that his sunglasses block his slow pursual of her figure. She looks incredible. Curves in all his favorite places, and her clipped-up hair shows off the neck he’s dreamt of marking up. - god he’s so respectfully horny for her! and the bronco fantasy of his!!

They spend the next few hours in relative silence under the umbrellas, reading and occasionally chatting or reapplying sunscreen to the children and Bob. - side note, i absolutely do not understand people who don’t bring chairs or umbrellas to the beach?? like what do you mean you don’t have the tommy bahama chairs, umbrellas, and beach cart??? it’s psychotic!!! i need to be off the ground and in the shade sorry but i’m on ssris

Bradley groans, “An N-A-P sounds good. Is there room for me under the umbrella, honey?” - HONEY??? sunscreen on his back?? using her coverup as a pillow?? “wake me up if you need anything” BUDDY YOU DONT EVEN FALL ASLEEP (i know he was screaming when he found out she had a date the night before and recalled the strewn clothes before she clarified to the girls)

“And I felt so defeated that I redownloaded Hinge and updated my profile.” - no because why after every time i come back from my parents house to i go back on hinge too???

“This isn’t going to happen. You don’t look like what I thought you would based on your photos.” and left me with the check for our drinks.” - i’m not kidding when i say i’ve read this chapter like 10 times because i read the google doc so many and then this post at least twice and this part always makes my eyes water

“I know! It’s so fucking ridiculous that that was his reason! Like, I know what I look like.” She gestures to her body, her voice slightly shrill. “I know better than anyone else what I look like….I am so fucking aware of what I look like…” - oh mary my sweet girl! i can totally relate to this part! like i feel hyper aware of myself and the space i’m taking up lately! especially in the summer (pls just let me live in a place where i can wear oversized oxfords and boyfriend jeans all year) and i always try and be mindful of it when i’m on hinge?

“Not in that way? Like objectively, I know Jake is very attractive…” - this is exactly how i feel about the blond man, like yeah he’s objectively attractive but hell no does he do it for me personally give me a dirty blond or a brunette

Her good friend who does things to help her without even asking what she needs. Who frequently brings her an afternoon snack because she gets derailed in the repair shop and forgets to grab lunch before the canteen closes. - this is so soft! i can just picture her surprised smile and bradley’s bashful one when he comes into the shop/her office area! ughhhhh i want it

Who overwhelms her senses every time she sees him. Whose cologne makes her heart skip a beat. Who always wraps her in a warm hug, but never before checking if it’s okay. Whose hands touch her with a level of care that she’s never experienced before. - hugs are so underrated in fics! we need to have more hugging! i just want to feel small in his arms. i know he’s warm too

Who, when she tries hard enough, she can trick herself into thinking that he’s actually flirting with her. That he actually wants her. - oh mary!!! ‘that he actually wants her’ and then we see later that night that he DOES want her! at least physically in her mind!

“Please don’t.” Her whispered plea cuts them off. “Don’t be like Danielle and Reuben and try to tell me how much he likes me. That he has a crush on me. I know he doesn’t, so I can’t let myself think that. I don’t think I could handle the rejection and the disappointment.” - oh sweet girl 🥺 knowing some of what happens in chapter in how she reacts to the end of chapter 4 just proves this

With Annie curled up on his chest and Mary tucked into his side, holding on to his arm and resting her head against his shoulder, the three of them walk down a deserted stretch of sand. Completely unaware of the multiple cameras capturing the sweet moment behind them. - oh my gosh!!! they look like a little family from afar!! annie might be a cockblocker later, but she’s really doing everyone a favor now

She chuckles, “That is the secret. Aunt Lindsey’s secret recipe is that she always bought potato salad from the deli down the road and put it in one of her nice serving bowls.” - lol my mom does this (gotta love the big y)

Her eyes flick towards the shopping cart her goddaughter is sitting in, her pink striped coverup swallowing her tiny frame. - i just love her little coverup!! i used to have one similar

The team has been hitting the gym more frequently since the new year, starting to prepare for a short deployment they have coming up in the spring. - hmmmmm and it’s late january/early february now 🤔 would hate for them to be in a good place or take the next step in their relationship only for him to leave 🤔

He’s golden from spending the day in the sun, and his brown hair is fluffy from the salt water. - the best kind of bradley ☺️

Annie shoved the adults together on the couch and demanded they watch her dance around the living room to Top 40 hits. - kids are so weird i love them

“My leggings were too uncomfortable, so I changed into my pajamas; I hope you don’t mind.” How could I mind looking at your ass in those shorts? - god he wants her so badly

“Do you have an aviator boyfriend somewhere in Florida that we don’t know about?” - try not to sound too jealous buddy

He wraps an arm around her, slipping his hand under her sweatshirt and rubbing her back when she doesn’t protest. - i love this! and how they’re on her pink couch!! ugh i bet he’s so warm

She bends her leg, pulling it further up his lap and freezing when she feels him. “Sorry.” He grunts, trying to scoot away, yelling at himself for making her uncomfortable……“You’re so hard.” She says breathlessly, shocked at how aroused he is underneath her. - my brain stopped working here the first five times i read this

“You’ve been pressed against me for two hours in these tiny little shorts with no bra on, and you smell good.” He shrugs helplessly like he had no control over the situation. - he’s so flustered! and i love that he adds that she smells good? it’s a cute detail and seemed realistic to what someone rambling would say

The other hand runs up her thigh and slips under the hem to hold her hip, thumbing over the lacey edge of her panties. Mary moans as he pulls her further into him, tilting her head and letting her lips brush his. - mmmmmm that text post!!!

She lets herself openly watch as he adjusts himself through his shorts before dragging a hand across his mouth, his eyes only leaving hers to watch the way her teeth dig into her bottom lip. - fuckkkkkk that’s so hot of him!?!???

How she fit perfectly into his hands, like she was made for him. - awwwww bubs!!! you got a bit ol crush on her!!! god i wish it were me

Who wouldn’t want her? - well my sweet darling boy she thinks you wouldn’t 🥺

Mar[r]y Me | part four

pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mariella “M&M” Vertucci (fem!OC)

summary: A love story told through friendship, laughter, and food.

series warnings: 18+ minors DNI, discussion of insecurities, difficult family relationships, discussions of food and alcohol use, an asshole man from Hinge, discussions of body image, conversations on what it’s like to be a fat woman trying to date in today’s society, suggestive language, warnings to be added as needed

word count: 6.6k

previous part | main masterlist

note: happy Friday! I am extremely excited about this part and I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on this chapter!! a big thanks to Jordan for all the yelling in the DMs over this one as I was writing it. and thank you for the love on three and 3.5!

part four - perfect post-beach meal

Ding Dong!

The doorbell echoes through the house, disturbing Mary, but not fully waking her.

Ding Dong!

Her left eye cracks open and immediately shuts, pulling the quilt over her pounding head to block the sunshine streaming through the blinds. I knew I would regret that fourth glass of wine last night.

Ding Dong!

The third ring makes her decide that whoever is at the door can go fuck themselves. Jehovah’s Witness or Girl Scout be damned. If it was important, her phone would be ringing.

Brrrrrring! Brrrrrring! 

The ringer volume alone makes her stomach churn, combined with the brightness of her screen as Danielle’s face flashes at her; it’s an all-out assault on her hungover existence. She questions every decision she’s made since turning eighteen.

Ding Dong!

“Please tell me this is an emergency.”

“Answer the door. Then chug some water and sling back a few Tylenol.”

The line clicks off.

Ding Dong!

“I should have partnered with Brett for chemistry. He was dumb as a box of rocks and couldn’t stop staring at my tits. But I think it would have been a better decision overall.” The doorbell goes off again, somehow sounding more aggressive. “Alright, I’m coming. I’m coming.”

Rolling out of bed and getting her robe on without dry heaving feels like an accomplishment and a half. Her trek to the front door takes an eternity, the previous night’s wreckage strewn through the house.

Her bra lays outside her bedroom door, in the same place she dropped it after her intoxicated brain decided it had to go.

The uncomfortable dress, the one Danielle had spent hours talking her into, is crumbled in the hallway. The zipper is probably broken, she thinks mournfully, remembering how she had struggled to get the restrictive piece of clothing off by herself.

Her heels are unceremoniously dumped next to the front door. What had started as a cute outfit decision had quickly turned into a nightmare accessory and almost resulted in a sprained ankle when the evening took a turn.

She’s glaring at the culprit of her current state - the empty wine bottle and a lone glass - when she catches sight of the time.

“Who the fuck is at my door at 8:30 in the morning.” She exclaims to an empty house.

Ding Dong!

She rips the door open, ready to yell at Reuben for interrupting her much-needed post-cry sleep but loses all of her steam when she comes face to face with Bradley.

“Wha-” She doesn’t even get a chance to finish her one-word question when a tiny body slams into her legs.

“Auntie Mary!” Annabeth disappears into her house before she can process what’s happening.

“Don’t worry! I got her!” Jake - where the fuck did he come from? - hustles past her, following the little girl. “Cute outfit, M&M.”

The exaggerated wink he sends her way reminds her of what she’s currently wearing, the realization washing over her head like a bucket of ice water.

Her bathrobe is covering her favorite silky nightdress.

And nothing else.

She pulls her robe together, tying the knot as tight as possible and clutching the top together with her fist. Her panic causes her to miss the longing look in Bradley’s eyes. His brain focusing on the width of her hips, the dip of her waist before traveling up and locking on the way her nipples press against the pink fabric.

The confusion and stress on her face snaps him out of it. He hands over her favorite drink from Starbucks - something he is very proud of himself for memorizing - and doesn’t say anything until she’s taken a sip.

“We’re babysitting today.” Her mouth opens, but nothing comes out except for a squeak. Bradley’s eyebrows shoot up, “Are you okay?”

Mary’s head drops and she groans, moving her hand from her robe to rub her forehead. He’s not sure what to do, slightly distracted by the cleavage that has appeared, when she turns and waves him into the house. He locks the door and follows her toward her room, slowing down as he takes in the trail of clothing leading down the hall.

He catches up to her in the bedroom, eyeing the messy, unmade bed. “Did we interrupt something?”

“What could you have interrupted?” She questions, taking some pills with a water bottle from her nightstand, following it up with a big gulp of her iced tea. “Why am I babysitting?”

“We’re babysitting. To give Reuben and Danielle a bit of a break. I’m not confident enough to try and watch the baby, but I know I can handle a preschooler.”

“How did I get pulled into this?”

“She knows you better, and frankly, trying to brave the bathroom situation seemed like too much for my first time. So I needed another adult, preferably a woman, preferably you.”

“And Jake is here because?”

“We’re giving Javy a break, too.” She snorts at his joke. “Get ready; we’re going to the beach! They sent us with snacks, sand toys, and enough sunscreen to cover the entire 7th fleet.”

“I need to shower and eat something.”

“Go ahead and shower; we’ve got time. I brought you a ham and cheese croissant.”

“I have some watermelon and baby carrots in the fridge. Can you pack those up and put them in the cooler while I get ready? The cooler is in my office.”

“On it.” He’s already moving toward the kitchen, throwing a thumbs up over his shoulder and forcing himself not to look back where he knows she’s undoing her bathrobe.

She’s brushing her teeth, feeling better after washing away the previous night’s disappointment, when she has the sudden realization that her clothes are still littering the floor. Mary hustles out of the ensuite and can feel her face start to burn when she sees the remnants of her outfit sitting on the dresser. She swallows her pride and walks into the kitchen, which she’s surprised to see has been cleaned. “Where’s Annie?”

“They’re outside, and she’s giving Jake a lesson on… something. He’s gotten smacked with her fairy wand about seven times so far, so she’s either cursing him or fixing him. Only time will tell.” He turns from where he’s washing a knife. “That baggie has your croissant. You ready to go?”

“Did you put my clothes in my room?” She blurts it out and immediately wants to hide in her room.

“Uhh, yeah.” He scratches the back of his neck, red blooming on his cheeks. “Sorry if that’s weird.”

“No! Not- I just-” She stutters over her words. “I wasn’t expecting it! It’s nice, but you didn’t have to do that. You also didn’t have to clean the kitchen. Thank you!”

“No problem; Danielle mentioned you went out with a friend last night, and you might be a bit hungover, so I figured I’d help some; besides, you only had like five things in the sink. It took no time.”

“Well, thank you.” A muffled shout comes from the yard, and Jake storms into the house with Annie tucked under his arm like a football.

“Okay, is it time to go yet? Annie Oakley and I are ready to dig in the sand! Race you to the front door!” He plops her on the floor and pretends to take off, watching as the little girl books it towards the door.

He shoves something at Mary’s chest. “We are leaving that fucking wand here. She keeps smacking me and telling me her spell isn’t working. That I’m still not “cute” like Bob. Fucking, Bob.”

“Jake!”

“Coming, munchkin! Hide that thing now!” As he jogs toward the front door, the hissed instruction breaks the other two.

“We should probably go before our children get into another fight.” Mary giggles at Bradley’s statement, grabbing her beach bag and food, her brain rotating the “our children” over and over in her mind.

“For you!” Annie shoves a seashell into Bradley’s hand.

“Oh, thank you! Look at how pretty this one is, Mary.” He shows off the tiny pink shell before putting it in his pocket.

“You’re growing quite the collection.” Mary mummers, smiling as she’s gifted a tiny lavender shell. The morning had been filled with splashing in the waves and building sandcastles that did not want to stay up, and then Annie wanted to look for seashells.

“So are you.” He puts the shell in his other pocket, the one holding everything Annie has handed Mary. “Jake is going to be so jealous.”

The two adults pause their meandering to look back at their blanket, where Jake volunteered to stay and watch their stuff. Apparently, he’s made a friend while waiting for the other Daggers to arrive.

Mary runs her eyes over the woman flirting with Jake. Her body is encased in a red string bikini that perfectly fits her thin, tanned figure. She suddenly feels very secure in her decision to keep her coverup dress on.

“Hey, how was New York? How’s your family? I feel like I haven’t seen you since the Secret Santa party.” She turns her attention back to Rooster, who has crouched down to assist in the search for more shells. “This one is for mommy? Okay.”

“Christmas was good; family is fine. Everyone was their usual selves, so nothing new there. Although I’m 74% sure my favorite cousin is pregnant again, and no one else has figured it out yet. So, now it’s just a matter of waiting for a Facebook announcement post to see if I’m right.”

She smiles when she hears laughter coming from the blanket; Jake deserves someone who makes him happy. Her good mood disappears in an instant as Annabeth starts splashing in the shallow water, soaking the bottom half of her coverup.

“Oh, Annie!” She stops herself from yelling, knowing the preschooler didn’t do it maliciously. “Okay, how about we have some watermelon and dry off before lunch arrives?”

The little girl sprints up to Bradley, raising her arms to be picked up. “What? You want a piggyback ride?”

She shrieks in joy when he flips her onto his back and starts jogging toward their spot, moving very carefully to avoid hurting her. Mary follows behind them at a slower pace, dreading the visual of what she’ll look like next to the blonde goddess who has joined Jake on his towel.

“There’s my favorite girl!” Jake catches Annabeth as she jumps into his arms the moment Bradley sets her down.

Her tiny hands clasp his face. “Watermelon.” She demands, making the four adults laugh.

“Watermelon, please.” Bradley gently reminds her, already opening the cooler, handing the sunscreen to Mary when she reaches for it.

“Watermelon, please.”

“Come here, baby.” Mary puts her arms out for Annie. “We gotta reapply sunscreen, and then we can have watermelon.”

“Nooo!” She whines, trying to hide in Jake’s neck.

“The sun is hot! We need to make sure we’re protected, kiddo!” Jake assists.

“Jake too?”

“Yes, me too.”

That’s all she needs to allow herself to be sprayed with the sun protectant, insisting on holding Jake’s hand while Mary sprays him down too. She’s happily munching watermelon on Jake’s lap when she asks, “Who are you?”

“I’m Tammy, a friend of Jake’s sister! I just stopped to say hi for a second. What’s your name?”

“Annabeth Fitch! I’m four years old.”

“Annabeth! That’s a pretty name!” She looks down the beach, waving at a group getting ready to leave. “I gotta go, but it was good to see you, Jake. I’ll have to tell Olivia I ran into you when we get back to school! I love your suit, by the way, it’s so cute! Bye, guys!”

Her last statement is directed at Mary, who has pulled her damp coverup off to dry in the sun and is standing there in her black one-piece. Bradley gulps, thankful that his sunglasses block his slow pursual of her figure. She looks incredible. Curves in all his favorite places, and her clipped-up hair shows off the neck he’s dreamt of marking up.

A low whistle interrupts his favorite daydream, the one that includes Mary, the backseat of his Bronco, and the dog tags he never wears but stores in his glove box.

“Damn, Mariella!” Phoenix is leering over her sunglasses, arm in arm with Yale’s very pregnant wife, Kristina, who is pumping her fist and chanting her name. Logan, Bob, and Javy slowly follow behind, carrying beach supplies, while the Lee kids run straight to Annabeth.

“Oh my god, stop it, you two!” Mary laughs, her face red enough that Bradley isn’t sure if it’s from their cat calls or the sun.

“Absolutely not! You look hot!” Kris' attempt at a hug turns into a side squeeze, her belly getting in the way. “We brought pasta salad, but please tell me you have more watermelon. It’s all baby #4 has had me craving.”

“We do! It’s in the cooler behind the pile of children on Jake; help yourself!”

The guys finally arrive with chairs, a cooler, and other supplies. The adults catch up while Kristina lays out ground rules for her kids before handing out sandwiches and bowls of pasta salad to everyone.

The men wolf down their food before starting a two-on-two football game, and the kids beg Bob to help them build a sandcastle, a request he happily completes, leaving the three women relaxing in chairs. They spend the next few hours in relative silence under the umbrellas, reading and occasionally chatting or reapplying sunscreen to the children and Bob. 

It’s when Bradley makes his way back to their spot, carrying the youngest Lee, that things change. He hands the three-year-old off to her mother. “Yale said she was getting cranky, and it might be good to let her chill with you guys.”

“Yeah, it’s almost her N-A-P time. Come here, sweetie, let’s cuddle a little.”

Bradley groans, “An N-A-P sounds good. Is there room for me under the umbrella, honey?”

“Of course, you should put more sunscreen on if you’re going to lay down, though.” She ignores the eyes burning into the side of her face and the jaws that drop when she complies with his ask for help getting his back.

Using her folded coverup as a pillow, he lays on his stomach in the shade and gets comfortable. “Wake me up if you need something.”

She gets exactly ten minutes of peace, just enough time for Andrea and Bradley to fall asleep, before the other two start in on her.

“So, I heard you had a date last night. How did that go?” Kris tees up, casually flipping through her magazine.

“Oh! Where did you meet him?” Natasha’s faux innocence annoys her.

“Well, if Dani told you that I had a date, then I’m sure she also told you how bad it was.” She snaps, staring steadfastly at her book and pretending to read. She isn’t actually reading; she can’t. The words have started to blur together from her tears. “And if she told you how bad it was, then you definitely know we met on an app.”

The sniffle that punctuates her sentence springs the other two into motion.

Nat sits in front of her in the sand, taking the book from her, and Kris holds her hand, her mom voice kicking.

“Hey, woah, okay. What’s wrong? How bad is bad? Did he hurt you?” Mary shakes her head, taking a deep breath to avoid crying. “Want to talk about it?”

“I went home to Brooklyn for Christmas as usual, but with this new job, I get more days off during the holidays, so I stayed longer than normal. Which was a mistake. All it meant was three extra days of my mom complaining about my lack of a love life and how I haven’t given her grandkids - that usual spiel. But she took it a step further this time. She actually tried to set me up with the son of one of her friends from her book club.”

“How did that go?”

“It didn’t. I refused to go. Then there was a lot of screaming - mostly about embarrassing her - and I got the first flight out of JFK that I could. I spent the rest of my holiday week on the couch watching Parks and Rec. And I felt so defeated that I redownloaded Hinge and updated my profile.”

“You met on Hinge?” Nat sounds surprised.

“Yeah, I figured it was better than Tinder.”

“Was it?”

“No, just as many dick pic offers.” The women laugh, Mary wiping her eyes where a few tears had slipped by.

“Anyway, I matched with this cute guy, Jeremy. We chatted for a few days, and he asked me to dinner. We had been clicking, and he seemed nice, plus he hadn’t tried to send me any photos, so I said yes.” She pauses to check on Annie, making a mental note to make an apple pie for Bob as a thank you for keeping the kids occupied.

“So what happened?”

“We met at that steakhouse downtown, Samson’s, and he texted me that he was at the bar. Apparently, there was a wait even though we had a reservation, and I was fine with that. I’ve spent enough time in restaurants to know that shit happens and sometimes you get behind, but it very much was not fine with him. He was incredibly rude to the hostess and the bartender. And then when our table was ready - only like 15 minutes later than planned, by the way, it was nothing - he looked at me and went, “This isn’t going to happen. You don’t look like what I thought you would based on your photos.” and left me with the check for our drinks.”

The small chorus of “what the fuck” makes her start to hysterically laugh.

“I know! It’s so fucking ridiculous that that was his reason! Like, I know what I look like.” She gestures to her body, her voice slightly shrill. “I know better than anyone else what I look like. I know that men don’t like bodies that look like mine. I know that men need to get to know me before they’re interested in me. I know that no one is attracted to me at first glance. I am so fucking aware of what I look like, and I am meticulous about choosing photos that accurately represent what I look like. Yes, they're flattering photos, but they very clearly show that I am fat.”

“Mary! That’s so ridiculous! You’re beautiful!” Kristina scolds her.

“I know I’m pretty, Kris, but I’m also fat. And I’m not saying that to put myself down or fish for compliments. It’s just a fact. I have brown eyes, I have a master's degree in project management, I’m fat.” She sighs. “But guys can’t get past the stomach or the hips or the slight double chin. I could look exactly like Farrah Fawcett, and men still would be stuck on the fact that my thighs are bigger than their heads!”

The group falls silent. Neither of the other women know what to say.

“I know what I just said sounds terrible, but please don’t feel bad. It’s how it’s always been for me; I’m used to it. I know how to work the system, how to figure out if a guy is good for me or not.” She chuckles humorlessly. “Though apparently not electronically; don’t worry, I already deleted my profile for good.”

“I’m sorry we teased you. Danielle didn’t mention this guy was such a dick.” Nat apologizes.

“That’s because she doesn’t know. The bartender was really nice and said she would give me three drinks on the house if I ordered an appetizer to go with it because he was so awful. I took her offer, got severely tipsy, took a Lyft back home, and then polished off the bottle of wine that was taking up space in my fridge. White is always a good accompaniment to crying if you were wondering.”

“Wait, so how does she know the date went badly if you didn’t tell her?”

“After finishing the wine, I realized I wasn’t just tipsy but drunk, and then suddenly, my dress was suffocating me, but I couldn’t get it unzipped. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that when I was getting dressed because Danielle helped me. I remember crying harder and calling Dani when I couldn’t get it. I’m guessing the hysterical breakdown was a clue of how the night went. And she must have talked me through it because the dress wasn’t on my body when I woke up this morning.”

“God, why does everything go extra wrong when you’re sad and drunk?”

“I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure I ripped the zipper of my brand-new dress because I got overstimulated.” She pouts.

“Oh, that’s an easy fix!” Kris waves her hand like she’s waving the problem away. “If you did break the zipper, just give the dress to Logan or bring it by the house sometime, and I’ll fix it for you, no problem!”

“Really? That would be am-”

“What about Jake?”

“What?”

“What about Jake?” Phoenix repeats, “Why don’t you date him? The two of you flirt all the time! And as much as it pains me to say it, he’s a good-looking guy. And - bonus! - he’s way less insufferable than he used to be.”

“Oh! Yes! You two would be so cute together!”

“You know we’re not actually flirting, right? We banter and “flirt,” but it’s all platonic. And Jake is handsome, but he doesn’t do it for me.”

“That man is sex on a stick, and he doesn’t do it for you?” Kristina questions.

“Not in that way? Like objectively, I know Jake is very attractive; there’s no doubt that he’s hot, but I’m not actually attracted to him. It’s the same way with Maverick. He’s a good-looking guy, but I have zero interest in fucking him.”

That sends the group into laughter.

“Okay, okay! I get what you mean!” Nat forces herself to stop laughing, “What about Bradley?”

Mary looks down at the man sleeping soundly on the towel beside her, and her heart twists.

Bradley.

Her good friend who does things to help her without even asking what she needs. Who frequently brings her an afternoon snack because she gets derailed in the repair shop and forgets to grab lunch before the canteen closes.

Bradley.

Who overwhelms her senses every time she sees him. Whose cologne makes her heart skip a beat. Who always wraps her in a warm hug, but never before checking if it’s okay. Whose hands touch her with a level of care that she’s never experienced before.

Bradley.

Who, when she tries hard enough, she can trick herself into thinking that he’s actually flirting with her. That he actually wants her.

Bradley.

“It’s the same thing as with Jake; he’s a good guy, a great friend - good looking, too - and he play flirts with me. But that’s all it is.”

“Mary-”

“Please don’t.” Her whispered plea cuts them off. “Don’t be like Danielle and Reuben and try to tell me how much he likes me. That he has a crush on me. I know he doesn’t, so I can’t let myself think that. I don’t think I could handle the rejection and the disappointment.”

The sound of crying swiftly stops the conversation, Mary running down the beach to where Annabeth is holding her head, cradled in Bob’s arms.

“She tripped and bonked her head on a bucket. It wasn’t too hard, and she’s not bleeding. I think she just scared herself.”

“Thanks, Bobby.” She brushes over his hair affectionately before scooping her niece into her arms. “Come on, baby, let's take a walk.”

She stands and starts making her way down the beach, waving to let the others know everything is okay and trying to soothe her crying goddaughter.

“Hey! Everything okay?” Bradley jogs up to them, rubbing his hand over Annie’s hair, checking to make sure she’s not bleeding. “Sorry it took me a minute, Phoenix slapped me. You okay, Miss Annie?”

Annabeth buries her head in Mary’s shoulder as she explains what happened, big crocodile tears wetting her shoulder. “So we’re gonna walk for a little bit. And then I think it might be time for H-O-M-E. Someone seems a bit T-I-R-E-D.”

“Okay, that sounds good. Just let me know, okay?” He drops a kiss on Annie’s forehead and turns to head back, giving the girls some privacy.

“Rooster!”

“Yeah, sweetheart?” Annie makes grabby hands at him. “Want me to walk with you?”

She easily transfers to Bradley’s arms. With Annie curled up on his chest and Mary tucked into his side, holding on to his arm and resting her head against his shoulder, the three of them walk down a deserted stretch of sand. Completely unaware of the multiple cameras capturing the sweet moment behind them.

“I thought you said the perfect post-beach meal includes your Aunt Lindsey’s potato salad?”

“It does.” Mary grabs the container filled with creamy, dill, red-skin potato salad and smiles at the man working the deli counter. “Thank you, have a good one!”

She drops the clear quart container into their cart and tickles Annie’s neck, making her giggle and try to squirm away.

“Then why are we buying potato salad for dinner?”

After their walk down the beach, Mary called Dani to let her know that she was going to have Annie sleepover at her house while Bradley packed up their stuff. Once she found out she was spending the night with her favorite aunt, Annie immediately asked for beach meal, prompting Bradley to ask what that meant.

“The perfect post-beach meal! It’s something my cousins, and I created when we were younger. It’s a fully-loaded cold-cut sandwich, served with my Aunt Lindsey’s potato salad - a family secret - and a handful of potato chips. Best paired with lemonade.” She explains in the car, inviting him to join them for dinner and a movie in her living room.

He immediately accepts, eager to spend more time with Mary and Annie, the little girl quickly wrapping him around her little finger. “We’ll have to stop by my place so I can shower; I don’t want to drag sand all through your house.”

“Just grab a change of clothes; you can shower at my house. We’re going to have to clean up, too, huh?” She turns around to the backseat, tickling Annie’s tummy, smiling as her shrieks of laughter fill the Bronco. “If we’re going to do post-beach meal, we need to stop at the grocery store for a few things, too.”

She chuckles, “That is the secret. Aunt Lindsey’s secret recipe is that she always bought potato salad from the deli down the road and put it in one of her nice serving bowls.”

Bradley laughs! “That’s cheating!”

“No, that’s being smart and saving yourself a ton of work. If you knew how big my family is, you would realize that making enough potato salad for everyone ends up being an all-day ordeal.”

“How big is your family?” He’s curious. He knows she has a bigger family; every story has a different family member attached to its background, but she’s never given exact details.

“I’m one of four; all my brothers have at least two kids. My mom is one of five, my dad is one of six, and all four of my grandparents had multiple siblings. Thirty-one people on my dad’s side moved from Sicily in 1888 or 1889, I can’t remember right now, and my mom’s side came over before World War II. They set up shop in the city, and everyone has pretty much stayed in the Brooklyn area since then. Last family reunion, there was easily over a hundred and fifty people that showed up.”

“Wow…” Bradley blinks at her unexpected answer. “People still do family reunions?”

“Mine do.” She answers distractedly, searching for an acceptable red onion. “You like red onion, right?”

He’s leaning on the cart when a little hand tugs at the sunglasses hooked into his shirt, his eyes shifting from Mary’s legs to Annie. “I’ll eat anything except for radishes, hard-boiled eggs, and anything Jake grills - I just don’t trust him, despite his self-proclaimed Texas grillmaster skills.”

“Noted. Okay, we just need lettuce and lemonade because I’m not making that from scratch today.” She looks up from the list on her phone. “Oh! You look cute, baby! I think Bradley’s glasses might be a little big for you, though.”

“Ah, she’ll grow into them. Right, peanut?” They both laugh as the shades fall off her face when she nods in agreement. “I think I should hold onto these for you until you get a little bigger.”

“You guys wait here for a minute, I’m gonna grab a head of lettuce, and then we’re basically all set.” She rubs a hand across his back as she walks away, smiling as Bradley realizes he’s losing the argument about what movie they’re going to watch with dinner.

“Ho-le-y shit! Look at that!”

“Oh. my. god. Do you think he’s single?”

“I hope so! That is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

The frantic whispering drags Mary’s attention from the iceberg lettuce display. She watches as a group of pretty, twenty-something girls point and ogle in Bradley’s direction. Her eyes flick towards the shopping cart her goddaughter is sitting in, her pink striped coverup swallowing her tiny frame.

Well, they’re not wrong. He does look sexy.

The muscle shirt he’s wearing shows off the hard work he’s put in recently. The team has been hitting the gym more frequently since the new year, starting to prepare for a short deployment they have coming up in the spring. He’s golden from spending the day in the sun, and his brown hair is fluffy from the salt water. Combined with how he’s entertaining an adorable little girl, who is clearly enamored with him, she completely understands the thirsting happening next to the avocado tower.

“I’m going up to him. How do my boobs look?”

The brazenness of the group leader stuns her.

Absolutely fucking not.

Without looking, she grabs a head of lettuce and hustles back to the cart, grinning at Annie when she points at her. Bradley turns and smiles, pulling her into his chest as he drops the lettuce next to Annie in the cart. “This one has insisted that we need ice cream to round out this perfect meal of ours, and I think I agree with her. What do you think, honey?”

She melts into his hold, savoring the way his arm feels wrapped around her waist. “Well, I do have chocolate sauce and rainbow sprinkles that are dying to be used up. So I think you’re absolutely right; we should get ice cream.”

Bradley and Annie high-five as he starts booking it toward the freezer section, leaving Mary in their dust. She snorts at the ridiculousness she’s brought to the grocery store and starts to follow them.

“Hey!” A voice behind her catches her attention. She turns, vindication spreading through her chest when she sees the disappointed faces of the group of younger women.

“Congrats on him; he’s a beauty.” The leader gives her a thumbs up and a wink like she had just bagged a prize deer.

She laughs in response, giving a small wave over her shoulder as she works to catch up. Knowing that without supervision, Annie will con Bradley into buying five flavors of ice cream.

“Alright, that’s your final number of the night, twinkle toes. Time for bed.” Mary lifts herself off the couch where she’s spent the last forty-five minutes leaning against Bradley.

After dinner and mini ice cream sundaes were eaten and Cars had finished, Annie shoved the adults together on the couch and demanded they watch her dance around the living room to Top 40 hits.

“Time to brush my teeth?”

“Yes, time to brush your teeth.” She swings Annie onto her hip. “Wanna watch that James Bond movie you were talking about last week?”

“Yeah, if you’re up for it?” Bradley gets up when she nods in response. “Awesome, I’ll finish the dishes and set it up.”

“Thank you, I’ll be back after she’s asleep.”

He watches her walk down the hallway towards her bedroom, talking to the sleepy preschooler in her arms before moving into the kitchen. As he washes the ice cream bowls, he thinks about how much he’s enjoyed the day. He never thought the highlight of his week would be fighting for an hour to secure a car seat into Bronco and then spending 12+ hours caring for a four-year-old. But it has been, and he’s enjoyed every moment.

He pours them each a glass of the Moscato he picked up at the store and sprawls on her pink couch, scrolling through his phone while he waits for her to put Annie to bed. It’s not too long before soft footsteps grab his attention, and he gulps when she rounds the corner.

“My leggings were too uncomfortable, so I changed into my pajamas; I hope you don’t mind.”

How could I mind looking at your ass in those shorts?

“Course not; want you to be comfy.” He watches her bend down to add detergent to the dishwasher, her sweatshirt catching his eye. “Do you have an aviator boyfriend somewhere in Florida that we don’t know about?”

“What?”

“Your sweatshirt. I’ve only seen people who come out of flight school with those.”

“Oh, this! I always talked about how I wanted one of these sweatshirts, so when I announced that I was leaving to come out here, my favorite admiral got me one as a going-away present.” She points to her sleeve as she sits beside him, “He even got my call sign embroidered on it!”

“Cute; how come I’ve never seen this before?”

“I only wear it at bedtime. He ordered it to be oversized for me, which I appreciate, but it was so big that it practically was a dress. Dani and I tried to crop it one night, but we didn’t measure, misjudged it, and well…” She lifts her arms slightly above her head, her tummy and the very bottom curve of her breasts coming into view. “Not exactly public friendly.”

He hums, distracted by how if she had lifted her arms one more inch, she would have completely flashed him.

“You, uhh-” He clears his throat, “You ready to watch the movie? I poured you a glass of wine.”

“Thank you!” She hits play as she takes a sip. “Oh, Bradley, you did such a good job picking this out.”

He grunts in response, his brain fixated on the little moan she let out after her second sip.

Twenty minutes into the movie, he pauses it when she squirms for the tenth time. “Are you uncomfortable?”

“Sorry. My back hurts, and there’s not enough room to lay down.”

“Come lay with me. There’s plenty of room here.”

“Really?” She asks as she’s already moving around the coffee table to his other side. “You don’t mind?”

“Just come lay down, Mary.” She slots herself next to him on the chaise, resting her head on his shoulder and throwing a leg over his thighs. “Better?”

“Yes, thank you.” She pats his chest in thanks, and he starts the movie up again. He wraps an arm around her, slipping his hand under her sweatshirt and rubbing her back when she doesn’t protest.

When the movie ends two hours later, she yawns and shifts on his chest as the credits roll. “I liked that a lot; I think that’s Daniel Craig’s best movie.” She bends her leg, pulling it further up his lap and freezing when she feels him.

“Sorry.” He grunts, trying to scoot away, yelling at himself for making her uncomfortable.

A hand on his chest stops him.

“It’s okay.” She quietly reassures him, her hand sliding up to cradle the side of his face, turning him to look at her. “I don’t mind.”

The look in his eyes takes her breath away. He looks hungry. Like he wants her. The way his breathing gets heavier when she sinks her hand into his hair gives her the confidence boost she needs. Summoning all the grace she possibly can, Mary sits up and swings a leg over his hips. His hands guide her onto his lap, her eyes widening when she sits down.

“You’re so hard.” She says breathlessly, shocked at how aroused he is underneath her.

“You’ve been pressed against me for two hours in these tiny little shorts with no bra on, and you smell good.” He shrugs helplessly like he had no control over the situation.

“Bradley…” She trails off when he moans as her hands tug his hair. She leans into him, heart pounding as their chests and noses touch. Her eyes flutter, a quiet whine escaping as she enjoys the way his hand grabs at her ass, big and warm through the thin material of her shorts. The other hand runs up her thigh and slips under the hem to hold her hip, thumbing over the lacey edge of her panties. Mary moans as he pulls her further into him, tilting her head and letting her lips brush his.

“Aunt Mary!”

She sits up straight, balancing herself on his chest. “Annie?! What’s wrong?” She climbs off Bradley, apologizing as she goes.

“I- I- I had a bad dream! Th-the dinosaurs were there!” She wails, tears pouring down her cheeks as she hiccups.

“Oh, sweetie, it’s okay! It’s okay! Those dinosaurs aren’t real. They were just machines for the movie. They can’t hurt you.” She bounces Annie, trying to soothe her. She’s going to kick Reuben’s ass all the way to Australia for allowing Annabeth to watch Jurassic Park. Knowing it’s his fault that she and Bradley were interrupted.

“Can we watch Frozen?” The sniffles break her heart, and she immediately gives in.

Mary sighs, “Yeah, let's wipe your face off, and we’ll watch Frozen.” After the tears and snot are washed away, she settles on the opposite end of the couch with Annie in her arms, wrapping a blanket around them and turning on the movie.

Once the citizens of Arendelle are singing about ice, she risks a glance over at Bradley to find him already watching her. Her heart skipping a beat at the intensity of his stare. She lets herself openly watch as he adjusts himself through his shorts before dragging a hand across his mouth, his eyes only leaving hers to watch the way her teeth dig into her bottom lip. She can’t remember the last time she was this turned on and mourns the fact that she didn’t even get a chance to taste his lips.

Eventually, she breaks eye contact, looking at the movie when Annie points. Bradley doesn’t look away - can’t look away - her cheeks are flushed, and she's still slightly panting. He’s annoyed they were interrupted and feels bad about being annoyed. But he’s never going to be able to forget the way she felt on his lap. So soft, so warm. How she fit perfectly into his hands, like she was made for him. He can’t think about how her hands pulled his hair and how she wiggled on his lap, or he knows he’s going to get hard again. Those 90 seconds are going to star in his dreams for the rest of his life.

She’s perfect. I’m gonna ask her out next week, and we’ll go to dinner somewhere nice. We’ll go to Samson’s. He decides.

I can’t believe that asshole didn’t want her.

Who wouldn’t want her? 

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fic tag | credit for dividers here

[photoboothphotos]

Hey I have read all of your jake peralta imagines and I absolutely loved them. Can you do one where it's y/n being adorable and jake just being in love/obsessed with her. Like he comforts her when he sees her crying, cuddles her at night when they are in bed with her had on his chest like he is protecting her, has heart eyes when she does something cute, maybe they could even be watching a scary movie and hold her close whenever she gets scared and turns her head into his chest, maybe y/n can be the sketch artist at the precinct and one morning she comes in all beat up crying because some robber jerk stole her bag and jake is determined and makes it his mission to find the guy who did this but also comforts her. You know, like moments where Jake cared for y/n and looked at her like she's the purest thing in the world that needs to be protected at all costs. Sorry if this was long lol

Hi Lovely! Omg thank you for being my very first ask/request, I’m really glad you enjoyed me oneshots 🥺💕

I hope this is scratches your itch for cute/comforting Jakey P. Let me know how you like it!

Read Here

[milirii]

Hello! I am going to work tomorrow (in nursing home) and decided to re-memories some of the songs I used to play and sing when I was working there last summer. The music brought me very strong memory of one summer evening when I was singing and literally everyone, including my working pair, just stopped to listen and even those elders who could be a little aggresive or unresponsive were listening and just.. Being present in the moment. (they all have severe alzheimer so.. That was huge thing)

Anyway, I needed to write, but this turned out to be a little too personal to put on ao3. I still wanted to share it so this is going to be here. This isn't even making much sense. I just... Wrote down things. I hope you still enjoy 💚💚. Good night everyone 💕

He had visited the nursing home, where Olli worked, a couple of times in a month almost half a year now and brought some entertainment with him. The man and guitar- performances had been greatly appreciated amongst the most talkative elderlies and Joonas wanted to believe that more quiet ones enjoyed it too. But never has he seen this kind of variation of emotions woken up in his audience. And it was thanks to Niko, who he had dragged this time with him, and Niko’s piano skills and absolutely angelic voice.

Joonas watched with a small smirk when Olli gabed at the sight in front of his eyes. To be honest, he was in awe too, but also too amused to not enjoy Olli’s bewilderment.

Olli came to stand next to Joonas and continued to quietly observe the scenery in front of them. “This is amazing. I haven’t seen her coming out of her room voluntarily in weeks.” Olli whispered and nodded towards an old lady who had sat herself near the piano to listen.

The last verse of Karjalan kunnailla subsided and the sound of the piano died down. Niko reached his water bottle and frowned at it when he found it empty. When careful applause started to fill the empty space the music had left, he turned on his piano seat and smiled at his audience. Joonas’ heart got warmer when he saw the other old man getting up on his seat and walking slowly to Niko to shake his hand as a thank you. Joonas' eyes got almost teary when Niko leaned over to the woman who had forgotten how to speak, but reached to tap Niko’s hand gently and looked at him with clear eyes. Niko seemed to be close to tears as well so Joonas decided to go and rescue his boyfriend from affectionate elders.

“And did you see him dancing when Niko played Heili Karjalasta? He bowed at the other nurse and then they danced around. It was adorable.” Joonas whispered back, pointing subtly. Olli’s eyes got round and his head turned to watch at the man in question, now sitting and humming along.

“There is going to be coffee soon, so maybe you should go and seek a place to sit down.” Joonas raised his voice to speak at the people surrounding Niko and it had the desired effect as the crowd started to scatter around the common room. Only the silent old woman still held Niko’s hand in a tight grip and Niko stroked her hand with gentle movement. Niko seemed totally unarmed and unable to let go so Joonas waved at Olli to come and detach them. When Niko was freed he attached himself right in Joonas’ side and buried his face on the crook of Joonas’ neck.

“This is too much, this is too much..” Niko mumbled. Joonas scratched Niko’s scalp and led them to a more private corner of the room. He understood. First time had been intense for him too and Niko had gotten reactions out of even those who could be easily considered as a passive and not-quite-there-anymore kind of persons. It was raw and honest and it could be overwhelming. So Joonas just let Niko take his time to calm down and get hold of his emotions before addressing the warm tears that were dampening his shirt.

“Love? Are you okay?”

Niko nodded against Joonas’ shoulder and shifted to rest his forehead against it. Long sigh reached Joonas’ ears. He poked Niko’s head with his nose.

“Tell me what you are thinking.”

“I just wasn’t expecting this. I don’t know what I was expecting. I… This is the most honest feedback I have ever received and…” Niko drew a deep breath “They seemed happy. I don't know why I am crying.” Wet chuckle escaped Niko’s lips and he finally turned his green eyes to look at Joonas.

"They were happy. You brought them memories and something good and beautiful in this moment. They appreciate it." Joonas wiped some of Niko's tears away.

"I didn't expect this to be this powerful. I… They deserve to have good things." Niko whispered. "I want to play again."

"I'll be happy to take you with me next time as well." Joonas smiled and pressed a little kiss on the side of Niko's head.