#second string updates
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burrowbaddie · 2 years ago
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SecondString Masterlist
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Series Summary: Childhood friends to lovers to nothing. You and Joe had history, you were each others first and then you were nothing. Years later, you guys rekindle the flame but with more obstacles in the way this time.
Chapters: 6/6
Status: Complete
Warnings: Afab!reader, smut, swearing. Oral (female & male receiving), vaginal fingering, penetrative sex, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, cheating! (You are the side girl, sorry.) The warnings will be updated as story progresses.
Join the taglist!
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Chapters ✍️
Chapter One
Summary: You try to figure out how you and Joe got yourselves into this current state.
Chapter Two
Summary: You and Joe decide it’s time to be selfish.
Chapter Three
Summary: You and Joe continue to fall apart and together.
Chapter Four
Summary: You and Joe are expecting, the unexpected.
Chapter Five
Summary: Your perfect life with Joe doesn't exist without cracks.
Chapter Six
Summary: You and Joe try to move on from the scandal.
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deiaiko · 13 days ago
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#23 - Kiss
Masterlist
Previous
Next
Let me know your thoughts in the reblogs <3
☕ Buy me coffee ☕
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kyouka-supremacy · 4 months ago
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(´・ᴗ・ ` )
#Alright lil blog update. Running the reblogs queue again tonight (yay!). Been procrastinating it for like? four months now?#I'm not going to fix the order anymore in a crazy pattern that only I can see. And like the point as always been#“it's only for myself‚ because I like seeing the posts all ordinately lined up ☺️”. But it does start being a problem when.#It actually blocks me from reblogging alltogether. Or makes me end up with 978 posts in the queue and 15584 in the drafts#(lol) (yeah)#Anyways had to write it down publicly because last time I said “screw it I'm not going to post in order anymore”#I lasted exactly one (1) day#Mmmmmmmmhhhhhhhh#I need to make space in the queue so I've set 20 posts in the night / morning for the time being.#Probably going to tag less because again. the posts are piling up. Sorry everyone#So like... After this string of disappointing (and possibly irrelevant?) updates. Feel free to unfollow me etc. etc.#(Mututals included? I really hold no bad feeling I know I post a lot. I don't care about mutualism if we're friends we're friends)#Have a nice day / night!!!#random rambles#Btw for anyone wondering my previous queue lineup was 4 fanarts / 2 other category posts / 4 fanarts / 2 other category posts etc.#(other category could be like. gifsets together. analysis together. textposts of approximately the same length together etc. )#And fanarts had to be coherent between each other for characters / composition / oftentimes color palette#Anyways. Winning over ocd today 💪💪#(I say as I didn't pick this month specifically because the second half of the year starts together with it. Anyways)#ManBreakingChainsMeme.png#Edit: Just remembered this all started because I accidentally hit shuffle queue two or three weeks ago#When it happened I had a mental breakdown and cried for two hours but looking back. Maybe it was really godsent
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britomart · 11 months ago
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hiii vicky trying to send u offbeat and strange numbers in the hope of them being new to you <3 ummm 83..91...46...29
hallo sienna!! thank you for these wonderfully idiocratic numbers let's see what they hold :0
83. i never told you what i do for a living ☆ mcr 91. the sharpest lives ☆ mcr 46. disintegration ☆ the cure 29. bullet with butterfly wings ☆ smashing pumpkins
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ebonytails · 2 years ago
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Commission for @the-starship-system! ⚾️🧢
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buttered-toasty · 2 years ago
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Here. Eddie in perhaps one of my favorite summer fits.
(It is mandatory that you wear this shit shirtless.)
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voxmilia · 30 days ago
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me: yeah i can watch this fucking a.katsuki d.isney/non d.isney theme video i made 9 years ago, im brave
me, 8 seconds in: NOPE, NOPE, CAN'T, I'M TAPPING OUT, I CAN'T DO IT--
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tame-the-lion-writes · 1 month ago
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cat shifter reader x task force 141
(An AU to the AU--based on an ask and the results of this poll.)
No more guns a-blazing or cruel glory. The 141 had their time in the military; now, it was time to slow down.
Of course, when one sticks with the same people for half their life, through thick and thin, there is no going back. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb--and the 141 had spilled enough blood together that it practically ran through each others veins. They were inseparable, bound in both trauma and trust, and to part would dissolve the only stability they'd shared. Snip away red strings wrought both in shared drinks and on the battlefield.
What they didn't expect was the addition of you.
In deciding to retire, the 141 bought an old farm in the backcountry. A weary, rickety place that was practically begging for renovations. The busy work gave them something to do with already-rough hands, so they didn't mind--taking care of the animals, replacing the rotting wood, and updating the plumbing simply meant they could make the place their own. And after the house was fixed up, they got to updating the barn, fixing up a chicken coop, installing new fencing, etc.
It was also during these renovations that they got to know the stray cat who'd been living in the barn attic.
Feral--they first thought. Plenty of farm cats were, and the place had been long unlived-in that they believed no one could have socialized or cared for her. Not to mention that she'd been so riled up with them around; hissing from behind walls, or above while balancing on the beams. Jutting her paws out and trying to scratch them while they worked. They always knew where she was by the jingle of the bell around her neck, tied with a soft silk ribbon as though she were someone's pet let loose. Left on the roadside maybe, and for that, they didn't blame her.
But for the most part, she only occupied the second floor of the barn, and she kept the place free of rats and mice. They couldn't have those running around, so for the most part, they stayed out of her way. And she learned to stay out of theirs.
Until she got sick.
"Haven't seen the kit in a while," Gaz finally spoke, poking at the leftover stew in his bowl. It was already dinner when everyone was winding down for the night, and their beloved foe had been missing for three days. "I'm getting worried."
"I'm sure she's fine," Soap reassured him, shoveling another spoonful in his mouth. "Maybe ran off to the woods or somethin'."
"But it's been rainin' plenty lately," Gaz pressed. "You'd think she'd hole up in the attic per usual."
"We can check in the morning," Price sighed, adjusting himself in his seat. "'Sides, wouldn't do any good to be missin' a barn cat--"
"Tonight."
Soap lifts his head to squint over at the man by the sink. "Didn't take ya for a cat person, LT."
"Wanna make sure the mangy thing ain't dead." Ghost drops his dishes with an ceremonial clink-clink-clink. "Would stink up the place."
But when they finally made their way up the sketchy ladder to the barn attic, and they finally pushed aside all the dusty boxes and rusty equipment, what they found wasn't a cat but a young woman--face red with fever and tangled deeply, restlessly, in worn blankets and stolen clothes. Unknown and without ID--save for the bell around her neck, tied with a soft silk ribbon.
_
Bonus Thoughts:
It's quickly determined that you're only suffering from a regular cold, but on the verge of winter, the barn is no place to stay warm. Hence a quiet moment of deliberation between the boys, standing around, not knowing what to do. Also not knowing if their first assumption--that this is their fussy barn cat--is possible. In any case, they can't just leave you here.
Ghost is relegated the duty of carrying you down the very sketchy ladder (as he is with carrying most things). But not before Price wraps you up like a burrito, in case you wake up and decide to try and scratch again.
"'Mangy thing,' huh, LT?"
"Hope you know she's gettin' your bed."
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dcxdpdabbles · 10 months ago
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DCxDP Fanfic idea: Wrong Number
Bruce prides himself in keeping all of his networks secured. If he didn't make it himself, he had the funds and connections to get him the best working on his systems.
He had backup plans in case the systems were ever hacked, of course, but he had yet to encounter a cyber attack that wasn't beaten away by his firewalls or his team.
Babs and Tim were far more feral when booting out unwanted guests. The level of protection was also transferred to his other systems that weren't Batman-related, just to make sure the connection between Bruce and Batman was never made.
That's why he never really checks his personal phone's caller ID, not the one he gave out as Brucie Wayne, but the one Bruce used for his real life without any masks- civilian or vigilante. The only ones who had the number- and the access- were his children and Alfred.
Not even the Justice League- those who were aware of his identity- knew of this number.
Bruce is in the middle of typing up a report for the next Wayne Board meeting when his personal phone rings. He figures it's Dick giving him a call to update him on his drive home or maybe Jason, as his son was planning on going to college.
"Go for Papa Bruce," He says, knowing his kids hate his phone greeting and doing it deliberately to spite them.
There is a long pause where he can't help but smirk thinking his child is either rolling their eyes or cringing too hard to properly speak. Eventually, a voice cracks over the speaker.
"Hello. I'm selling cookies to raise money for my own star. Would like to buy a box from me?" says a boy, not one he has taken in. The voice is young maybe not even double digits yet. Bruce is alarmed.
"Who are you?! How did you get this number?" He demands, yanking his phone to his face and seeing, with a chill, a phone number out of state.
His system had been compromised. By a child. By accident.
"My name is Danny!" The boy chirps. "I sell cookies. Like the Girl Scouts, but I'm a boy, and I don't scout."
"That's rather fantastic, lad. What kind of cookies are you selling?" Bruce asks to keep the boy on the line while sending an email blast to the others. It's a string of numbers that are code for compromise so they all know to close any communication channel until it's safe to get back on.
"Chocolate chip. Mint Slim. Oatmeal and peanut butter. I made them myself!"
Right. Bruce hooks up his phone, tracing the call. The signal bounces off the call, swinging up to a salute and falling back down to earth. In seconds he has the boy's location. It pings in a small town right outside of Star City.
He sends Barry a private message. His friend is already on the way to the location. He'll get the boy in a few seconds.
"How much for a box of chocolate chips? Those are my favorite." Bruce tells the boy, voice whimsical as his Brucie persona demands.
In an unsure tone, the boy pauses, then whispers, "I don't know. No one ever let me get this far."
"How about twenty for a box of dozen? I'll buy five boxes for each of my kids that live at him," Bruce tells him, and the boy gasps.
"That could buy me one whole night in a hotel!"
Bruce's insides freeze. What did he mean-
"Hey! No! Let go!" Danny suddenly screams. Bruce's heart launches- he hates it when kids get hurt, especially those that sound like Danny- until Barry's voice comes over the speaker.
"I got him, Mr. Wayne. Thank you for alerting the Justice League Hotline." That's code for This is not a threat to you Batman and Bruce allows himself to relax just a little.
"Narc!" The boy shouts, outraged, before the call drops. Barry is likely taking over the situation, which means Bruce can leave it in his capable hands.
After reassuring his kids that he is fine and that they are all safe, he suits up and meets the Flash in the Watch Tower. There, he learns that Danny is only seven years old and has been living on the streets for a while.
The boy had been surviving by baking some cookies to sell on the side of the street- where did he bake them? The boy would not say- until he got the bright idea to try to sell through phone calls like he had seen on TV.
He punched in random numbers at the community center phone and gave his pitch about a star, thinking people would be more willing to buy from him if he had an excellent reason.
Barry had left him with CPS, but he looked devastated about that. It turned out that Danny was a meta and had likely been kicked out of his home once it was found out based on what he said of his parents.
Bruce felt he should assure Barry that Danny was fine and look into his placement to help settle his more sensitive teammate's nerves.
He was unhappy that Danny was not in a good placement; there were far too many reports from a concerned neighbor to make him think it was a safe place. Given the fact that placement had a lot of meta kids that "fell through the cracks," Bruce worried he had just stumbled across a trafficking ring.
He would sick Barry and Jason on them. Just to ensure they wouldn't see the light of day again.
Still, that did not fix his mistake with Danny, the little cookie seller.
Bruce hacked into the system to move Danny. He thought about where he would move the young child but ultimately had him in Wayne Manor.
Just until he could confirm that he would be safe. He certainly didn't think about the adorable little boy who called him with his heart in his hand and got sent to a terrible place for three weeks because of Bruce.
Danny arrived at Wayne Manor with a happy little bounce and a chipper outlook on life than Bruce was expecting. "If it isn't Mr. Narc!"
God, he going to adopt the boy, isn't he?
(Danny has been thrown into a different universe, aged down to a child. He survived by overshadowing people into letting him spend the night baking cookies.
He was thrown into a somewhat typical home, but the nosy neighbor down the street took far too much notice of his overshadowing, and now he was being moved again.
Maybe he can terrorize Mr. Narc now instead? )
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babyleostuff · 7 months ago
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today was (not) a fairytale
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fluff (+ a bit of angst) 𐙚 established relationship 𐙚 idol!mingyu x fem!reader 𐙚 wc: 1.6k
. . . mingyu forgets about your anniversary
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mingyu was a busy guy, that was obvious. but one thing he was never too busy for was you. it didn’t matter if it was just a can you couldn’t open, or a spider that had to be killed - mingyu was always there for you, no questions asked. to be honest, you could call him and tell him you wanted a hug, and he’d drop whatever he was doing just so he could trap you in a bear hug for the rest of the evening. that was how whipped he was. 
and now he was late. two hours. 
at first you thought something had happened - you texted some of the boys to ask if they knew where he was, you called his mom - you even checked the latest news, worried to see any updates about a car accident. 
nothing. 
sitting at an expensive restaurant full of people by yourself was humiliating enough, but what bothered you even more was that it was supposed to be your anniversary dinner. mingyu never missed any milestones of your relationship, he even bought you small gifts on the date you had your first kiss. 
then it hit you - his location. quickly pulling your phone out of your bag, you couldn’t believe your eyes.
he was at seungcheol’s place. 
not bothering to call your boyfriend - it wasn’t like he was answering any of your calls before, so why bother - you called the oldest boy, fiddling with your napkin that you wouldn’t be probably using tonight either way. 
“hey, is everything okay?” seungcheol asked immediately. it wasn’t often that you called him, especially at such a late hour, so he figured something must have happened. 
“is mingyu with you?” you heard some shuffling in the background, and noises that sounded a lot like your boyfriend and hoshi. 
“um, yeah. you want me to pass him the phone?” you could clearly hear seungcheol’s confusion in his voice, but you weren’t in the “shitting rainbows and unicorns” mood, so you didn’t even bother with hiding your annoyance. 
“fan-fucking-tastic.” 
you couldn’t believe he actually forgot about your anniversary. you had been planning this date for such a long time now. getting a reservation at this restaurant wasn’t easy, even mingyu had to pull a few strings and flash a couple of polite smiles, so you could come here on the exact day of your milestone. you prepared matching outfits for god’s sake. how could have he forgotten? 
“tell him not to come back home tonight,” you said, and hung up the phone before seungcheol could say anything. 
you spend the whole ride home trying to keep your tears from falling. you didn’t know what was worse - sitting in a restaurant for two hours waiting for someone who was over at his friend’s house drinking soju, or that the love of your life forgot about something so important. 
the second you got inside your apartment you practically ripped off the dress you were wearing, suddenly almost disgusted by the feel of it on your skin. your shoes joined soon after, and not even five minutes after getting back home you got changed into PJs (for once not being mingyu’s shirt), and poured yourself a glass of wine. 
“happy anniversary i quess.” 
when you were about to turn off all of the lights in the living room for the night, you heard the door open and close with much more force than needed. 
“baby? baby, where ar-,” he emerged from around the corner, stopping right in front of you. you took in his form - hair tousled from the wind, his shirt from practice still on, and shoes on his feet, which never happened - mingyu never wore shoes inside the house. huh, he must’ve been in a real hurry to get here. 
“i’m so sorry, i got here as quickly as possible,” he said, a little out of breath. you had to stop the urge to laugh in his face because what the hell? 
“too bad you didn’t bother to show up where you really were supposed to be, mingyu,” you snickered, anger radiating off of you. your boyfriend knew he was in deep shit the second seungcheol shot him a worried look, and how he would make it up to you, he had no idea. 
“i know, baby-,” 
“don’t call me that. you don’t deserve it mingyu,” you pointed a finger at his chest. just then he noticed you got your nails done to match the design on his tie, and he could swear he died a little bit at that moment. “do you have any idea how humiliated i felt sitting there like an idiot, waiting for my fucking boyfriend who decided to go out with his friends on our anniversary?” 
“i called your friends, your family. i thought you got into an accident for fucks sake,” your voice cracked at the end of the sentence, as you finally felt something else than just anger. the thought of losing mingyu wasn’t something you wanted to think about on your anniversary night. “i was so excited for this, and you knew it,” you took in a shaky inhale, once again feeling the tears brimming in your eyes.  
it took everything from you not to hug mingyu, he looked so… sad, and just so defeated, and that wasn’t something you were used to seeing on your boyfriend’s face. 
“there are a thousand excuses on my mind right now, but none of them will excuse my behaviour,” he sighed, his lower lip trembling. please don't cry, please don’t cry. “i forgot,” he said, straightening his back a little. “i simply forgot, and nothing i do will make up for it.” 
tears clouded your eyes, and you couldn’t help when they started falling down your cheeks, probably ruining the makeup you put so much effort into. if you knew you’d end up crying on your anniversary night you’d use a waterproof mascara. mingyu hesitantly raised his hand, as if he was afraid you’d run away from him, but when he saw you didn’t move an inch, he started wiping off the tears of your face with a gentle swipe of his thumb, almost as if you were about to fall apart. 
“say something. no, yell at me,” he said, and put your hand against his chest. “you can even hit me,” mingyu said, pleading in his eyes. “please, just do something.” 
“i don’t want to yell at you,” you sniffled, wiping off the rest of the tears yourself. “and i definitely don’t want to hit you. i just-,” you looked at him and only then noticed the dark circles under his eyes. did his face get slimmer too? “when was the last time you slept?”
he looked a bit taken aback by your question, considering he was begging you to hit him like a second ago. “to be honest, i don’t know, but i took some naps in the practice room. that’s not import-,”  
“when was the last time you ate?” you interrupted him again. 
his eyes softened because there was no way he just stood you up on one of the most important days of the year, and you were asking him about his well being. “i don't know.” 
i don’t know. hearing those words from a person who inhaled food like a vacuum, and could never say no to a snack broke your heart. how did you not notice how exhausted he was before? 
“oh, mingyu,” you said, tearing up again. “why didn’t you tell me, i would’ve brought you some food.” 
“i know, but i didn’t want to burden you. i knew i’d be fine,” he said, voice gentle. “besides, that’s not important now. let’s talk about how big of an asshole i am,” he grabbed your face in both of his hands, tilting it more upwards. 
“how can you say it’s not important?” you murmured, nuzzling your face further into his palm. “i don’t think i’ve ever seen you without food for longer than an hour.” 
“hey, i don’t eat that much,” you couldn’t help but giggle at his words, and seeing mingyu’s face lit up at your, albeit quiet, laughter, you felt the anger leaving you for good.  
maybe you were too selfish? all you lived for for the past week was the date, but in the process you managed to somehow miss how exhausted your boyfriend was. yes, he did forget, but he was so overworked lately, you couldn’t really blame him, right? and it wasn’t like you were a saint either, you missed some dates in the past too. 
“whatever you’re thinking, drop it,” he said sternly. “don’t try to make any excuses for me. i forgot, okay? it’s all my fault.” 
technically you knew you had every right to be furious at him, hell - an hour you cursed him out with every curse word you knew, but maybe it wasn't the time to think straight, and just give the light of your life a second chance. “i don’t want to fight,” you said, wrapping your hands around his wrists. “and we still have,” you looked over at the clock, “two hours before midnight. we have the wine, and i think i have a pizza in the freezer.” 
mingyu shook his head in disbelief. “there’s no way you’re real.” leaning in, he placed a peck on your cheek, filling your chest with a warm, fuzzy feeling. “you look beautiful by the way,” he whispered, and put his forehead against yours. “i’m really sorry.” 
“i know, gyu. i know,” you whispered. “and mingyu?” 
“yeah?” 
“you can call me “baby” again.”
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taglist (if you want to be added, check my masterlist): @jeonghansshitester @weird-bookworm @sea-moon-star @hanniehaee @wonwooz1 @byprettymar @edgaralienpoe @staranghae @itza-meee @eightlightstar @immabecreepin @whatsgyud @hyneyedfiz @honestlydopetree @vicehectic @dkswife @uniq-tastic @marisblogg @aaniag @daegutowns @carlesscat-thinklogic23 @embrace-themagic @ohmyhuenings @nidda13 @hrts4hanniehae @k-drama-adict @isabellah29 @f4iryjjosh @bangantokchy @mrswonwooo @bangtancultsposts @lllucere @athanasiasakura @chillseo @onlyyjeonghan @haecien @caramyisabitchforsvtandbts @hannahhbahng @valgracia @ohmygodwhyareallusernamestaken @mirxzii @hhusbuds @wonranghaeee @rosiesauriostuff @gyuguys @aaasia111 @tomodachiii @veryfabday @lilmochiandsuga @asasilentreader @mrsnervous @bewoyewo @sharonxdevi @wondipity @gyuguys @raginghellfire @treehouse-mouse @waldau @wonootnoot @hellodefthings @dokyeomkyeom
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rhysazriel · 2 months ago
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Smoke & Light: Part 3 [Plug!Az]
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SUMMARY: A run in with the cops is another reminder of the horrors Azriel faced through his childhood. Maybe one day he'll open up about it, but not today. Today, he's solely focussed on helping you out of a bad trip. (8.2k)
WARNINGS: swearing, reoccurring themes of use of recreational drugs (weed), greening out, teasing, flirting, kissing, dirty talk, use of toys hehe, slapping/spanking, spitting, dom!Az, mentions of Az's abusive childhood.
A/N: firstly, I want to massively apologise for not updating this in sooo long. Life has been busy and I've been reading so much lately that writing slipped my mind. To make up for it, there is some filthy smut in this chapter and I am hoping to be a bit more consistent with the next updates. Thank you for being so patient and I hope you enjoy!!
Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist
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When Azriel was a young boy, he dreamt of becoming a guitarist. It didn’t matter to him then if he was famous or not. Just so long as he was good enough to be able to replicate famous rifts with his own spin, and create his own music, too. 
For his fifth birthday, his mother bought him a children’s guitar, complete with the plastic pics and a leather strap with his initials etched into the fine fabric. He knew, even at that age, that the gift had cost his mother a small fortune. But she didn’t care how much it set her back. The look of pure shock and excitement on her boy's face was worth every single penny she spent. 
He could still remember the untold amounts of sleep he would forfeit to learn a new chord or finally string more than three together at once. By seven years old, he could recreate the first half of Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd—albeit choppy and slightly out of time—and memorise the chords by heart. 
His half-brothers had never liked that about Azriel. His talent and passion for music and the guitar. Even at the ages of five and four, they did not like Azriel. More often than not, they’d plant broken vases and stained cushions for their parents to find, and blame them on Azriel. They knew their father would take away his guitar for a few days to a week as punishment. 
But even then, a week wasn’t long enough. Their hatred for Azriel stemmed long before his love for guitar had grown. From the moment his half-brothers learned how to talk, Az was on the daggered end of their spiteful tongue and manipulative masterminds. As young as he was, Azriel wasn’t blind to the cause of it. He wasn’t blind to his step-father’s hatred for him, that he then instilled in his own blood sons. 
Being what they called a ‘blood traitor’ would always be their main justification for what they did. Azriel had never admitted to anyone the second reason his brothers set his hands alight. But the other thought behind it—the more vicious and calculated thought—was to burn not just his hands, but his dreams, too. 
For months after the incident, Azriel’s hands remained bandaged. He could hardly use them for everyday tasks like dressing and washing and eating. And when they had finally healed enough for the bandages to be permanently removed, he couldn’t play his beloved guitar. 
The strings were too harsh on his sensitive skin. It hurt so much just pressing down on the chords on the neck, let alone pinching the pic for longer than thirty seconds at a time. Azriel had to learn how to play all over again, covered in blisters and burnt flesh. And then his marred skin began to harden and callous and every strum was more painful than before. 
He often wondered if this would still be his life path had the burning never happened. If he would have still met Rhys and Cass, if he would still be selling drugs. He knew he wouldn’t be this well-off financially, but at what cost? What did all of this money mean when it was just him? When he wouldn’t be able to fulfil his biggest dream in life? 
He mostly thought about it all in times like this, when he was spontaneously pulled over by the cops for what they called a “random stop and search”, though they had never given a plausible cause for it. And today would be no different. 
“You stalking me again, Reynolds?” Az asked in a rugged tone as he exhaled the smoke from his cigarette. 
Officer Reynolds, one of the few officers that continuously pulled Az over and searched his vehicle, leaned against the open window with his arms crossed. His blue eyes gleamed with hope of catching something on him this time, though Az knew Reynolds would walk away with another few grey hairs to add to his collection. 
Reynolds was a strange looking man. Not in his features, but in the glint of his eyes and the disturbing tug of his lips whenever he offered a grim smile. He radiated nothing but offsetting energy, one that stunk of noncy behaviour and less than ethical tendencies. 
His iced eyes darted quickly across Azriel’s lap and the passenger's seat, coming up short and settling his gaze on the man again. 
“Random stop and search, nothing personal.” He grinned that awful smile but Azriel paid no mind to it. “Step out of the car, licence and registration.” Azriel was already reaching into the glovebox for his paperwork before Reynolds could even speak. 
He handed them over, opening the door as the officer stepped away, and stood with his hands on the hood of his Mustang. Azriel knew the drill. He’d been patted down and had his car searched more times than he could count in the past six months alone. 
And each and every time, Reynolds always came up short. 
“Got any weapons in the vehicle?” 
Azriel rolled his eyes, looking over his shoulder as Reynolds began to pat down his stomach and thighs. “Do I look like the type that needs a weapon?” 
A dry chuckle slipped from the officers lips as he patted harder down Azriel’s calves and ankles before turning to his full—albeit short—height. “What about narcotics? Any drugs that I should be aware of?” 
Az grunted with another roll of his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 
Officer Reynolds didn’t offer a response. Instead, he bent his body into the driver's side of the Mustang and began stifling through every nook and cranny that his swollen hands could reach. 
Azriel’s foot tapped impatiently as he waited and waited for the search to end. They wouldn’t find a damn thing, especially because of the new addition Azriel had recently added to his modded car. 
But that knowledge of the secret compartment didn’t stop his muscles from tensing just slightly when Reynolds wrapped his puffed fingers around the foot mat and peeled it up. 
Azriel’s stash was well hidden; wrapped and locked in an extended box beneath his footwell that managed to also keep the scent out. He knew it was a matter of time before they started bringing a K9 with them on their searches, so Azriel had to be prepared for that well in advance. 
Especially with how strong the new strain smelt. 
With a huff, Reynolds haphazardly threw the foot mat back down and struggled to clamber out of the car. And just like Azriel suspected, he came up short. 
Reynolds handed him back his paperwork and rested his hands back on his belt, fingers itching for his baton to give Az a taste of the frustration he caused him. Azriel didn’t so much as bat an eye at it. He knew Reynolds wouldn’t touch him. Not if he wanted to keep both his stumpy legs in use. 
“You know, this is getting pretty old. How do I go about filing a harassment charge?” 
Reynolds scoffed. “Good luck with that.”
//
If there was one thing Az liked about having his brothers home, it was the lack of talking his mind did. There was no silence for his brain and thoughts to gang up on him, to have him question every thought and decision he’d ever made. 
Music and guitar usually helped to quiet those demons—the shadows that he had no control over—but the frustration from his earlier encounter with Reynolds had the desire for playing at the bottom of his list. 
Instead, he settled for Nesta’s demand to braid her hair. She knew him better than she let the others know. Since they first met years ago, he became the brother she never had, that she never knew she needed. She was quick to learn his quirks and mannerisms; what they meant and how he felt. 
And he learnt the same for her. 
“You’re doing it too loose,” Nesta huffed, picking at her nails from her seat on the carpet between Azriel’s parted thighs. He huffed, flexing his fingers and undoing the braid. 
“Last time you told me it was too tight and it gave you a migraine,” he retorted back with an exasperated huff.
They argued like real siblings, too. 
“Just do it a little looser than last time.”
Azriel split her hair into three sections once more and slowly started to braid, overlapping the sections and tugging a bit tighter than his previous attempt. Nesta hummed in approval.
They didn’t pay much mind to the others. Rhys and Feyre were cuddled on the loveseat opposite them, Cassian on their left with a bulky pair of headphones on his head as he smashed the buttons of the gaming remote beneath his fingers. 
He was growing frustrated that he was losing, but it didn’t help that his hands were so massive that the pad of his thumb was big enough to press all the buttons at once. 
“Hey, Az… there’s this girl I know…” Azriel’s grunt cut Feyre off before she could say anything else. He tied Nesta’s braid and tapped her shoulders, signally he was done. 
“Not this again, Fey,” he groaned. 
A sheepish smile sat on her full lips, a gentle tint of pink blushing the apples of her cheeks. “I really think you guys would get along, though. She’s super laid back and so gorgeous.” 
Nesta moved from between Az’s thighs on the ground and clambered back onto the sofa, reaching for her tumbler of gin and tonic. Azriel was used to this, to Feyre trying to set him up. Each time, he’d always shut her advances down, but that never stopped her.
Feyre considered it a challenge, and she wouldn’t stop until Azriel agreed to go on a date. Just once, and she’d back off. She was fairly confident that one date would be all it would take for Azriel to fall for her mysterious friend. 
“I don’t need to be set up,” he spoke, finality in his tone. 
Rhys cocked a brow at how quickly Az dismissed his girlfriend but said nothing. He knew Feyre could get a bit too much with it sometimes, but Rhys himself still had hopes that maybe one day, Az would bite the bullet and just agree. 
But Azriel had no plans to do that. He didn't want to be set up on a blind date, and he most certainly did not need nor want his friends involving themselves in his love life—or lack thereof. It wasn’t that he struggled with girls, Mother, no. Not once in his life did Azriel ever have a shortage of pussy.
If he wanted it, he would get it. On his own. Without his brother's girlfriend’s self-involvement. 
His phone chimed from his back pocket, and not bothering another glance at Feyre, Azriel retrieved it to read over the message. 
You: you weren’t kidding. This shit is strongggg x
His heart rate quickened as he read the text again and again. Azriel hadn’t heard from for three days—since that kiss—and now he was reminiscing on the taste of your mouth on his. 
Azriel: I did warn you
You: maybe next time you could write a reminder on my baggie?
A grin stretched across the expanse of his lips, eyes glittering at how quickly you responded. The act didn’t go unmissed by Nesta, who grinned against her staw and wiggled her toes against the side of Azriel’s thigh. She knew that face—that look. 
“Azzy doesn’t want to get set up because he already has a crush on someone.” 
All eyes snapped to Azriel and Nesta at her words, eyes so wide they almost bulged from their heads. They all knew Az was a ladies man, that although he kept his sex life private, he was well endowed in that aspect. But what they had never really seen was Azriel with a crush. 
With someone who was more than a booty call or a fling.
Az narrowed his eyes at Nesta, a hard expression removing his previous smile. The phone in his hand began to vibrate and a quick glance at it had your number filling the screen through an incoming call. 
His heart stammered. 
“I don’t have a crush. It’s just a client.” He stood from the couch, his scarred thumb hovering over the answer button. 
Nesta grinned maniacally, taking another sip of her gin. “A lady client?” Azriel’s response was a pillow launched at Nesta’s face before leaving his family and shutting himself away in his bedroom. 
Az took a deep breath then swiped his screen to accept the call. “Hey,” he greeted, bringing the phone to his ear. “You doing okay?” 
There was a pregnant pause for a moment before your airy laugh breathed down the line and Azriel’s throat began to close up at the sound. “I think I’ve greened out a little,” you giggled, almost painfully. “Everything is spinning and heavy and when I close my eyes, I get seasick… is that normal?” 
Az pursed his lips, biting back his own smile. The fact that you’d managed to text full sentences and then call him suggested you hadn’t greened out too badly. And by the light self-deprecating laugh at your own situation, he knew you weren’t falling in too deep of a hole. 
“It should pass soon, it shouldn't get worse than how you feel now. Where are you?” 
“I’m at home so I’m okay. I just didn’t know what was the best thing to help.” 
Azriel shouldn’t have let your words affect him the way they did. They shouldn’t have warmed his heart and sent it soaring in his chest. But in your slightly vulnerable predicament, out of everyone that smoked in your life and would understand, it was him that you called for advice. 
Not your friends, not your ex. Him. 
“Honestly? Food and water.”
Another pause of silence had Azriel thinking a bit too much again. If you were calling him for advice, this was likely your first time greening out, and he wondered if you’d even be able to handle making yourself food alone. 
After a moment of consideration, he spoke again. “Want me to stop by?” 
Azriel could hear your soft breath through the call. “Isn’t that crossing a line?” you asked in a gentle voice. 
He frowned, brows pinched. “What line?” 
“I’m your client, you’re my plug,” you reminded him, and something about it sent a sour taste to the back of his throat. 
“You’re my friend,” he offered. 
He wondered if you considered that or not, and by the pause of silence once more, he got his answer. 
“I am?” The soft tone of your question hurt him more than it should’ve. It shouldn’t have hurt him at all. 
“Am I not yours?” 
You were considering it, though. In your book, he was definitely your friend. He’d comforted you just a few nights ago after the fiasco with your sister's secret wedding, had bought you food and then… He’d kissed you. Or had you kissed him? 
You supposed he was your friend, but you didn’t think you meant anything more to him than being just another client. Clearly, you were wrong. 
“Yeah… I guess you are.” 
The corners of Azriel's lips tugged upward slightly. “Great, so send me your address and I’ll stop by with some food.”
Perhaps you should’ve told him no, that it truly wasn’t necessary and you could just pick at a couple of leftover cookies you’d baked yesterday. But you didn’t. You wanted to see him again, wondered so desperately if that kiss had meant anything at all… if it would happen again. 
“I have a spare set of keys in a security lock outside. The code is 4369, let yourself in.” 
// 
You didn’t know how much time you had to try and sort yourself out before Azriel would arrive. But as hard as you tried, every time you raised your head you were met with an onslaught of nausea and dizziness. 
You spent around five minutes attempting to regulate your breathing to rid those feelings, but your body remained stomach down on the couch with your face squished against a pillow. 
If you could stomach the feeling of your eyes being closed for longer than five seconds at a time, you probably could’ve fallen asleep. But alas, the sound of a key entering the lock of your front door had your eyes widening a little further and heart stammering against your ribs. 
“Knock, knock.” Azriel’s voice dripped with honey as he spoke into the expanse of your open plan living-kitchen area. 
Though you couldn’t see him from your position, you could hear the faint rusting of a takeout bag in his hand as he closed the door quietly and kicked off his shoes at the door. 
You didn’t need to call out to him for Az to see you. Sprawled on the sofa, just off to his left, he grinned comically, ignoring the unfamiliar swell in his chest. His feet padded closer to the couch, settling the food on the coffee table and the smell of hot, fried chicken wafted through your senses. 
Azriel helping you sit up and handing you the same meal you ordered the last time you saw one another was a bit of a blur. But the second the food hit your tongue and your tastebuds exploded in delight, the nausea slowly dwindled from your senses. 
“You are my saviour,” you moaned around the food, eyes fluttering closed and none the wiser to Azriel’s growing blush. 
Sat in comfortable silence, Azriel didn’t want you to focus on anything other than feeling yourself again. Within a few minutes, you’d both finished your food and your face didn’t seem so sunken and pasty. 
Now, you looked wonderfully blitzed, skin a little brighter than before and a sparkling sheen to your bloodshot eyes. Yeah, you were out of the woods, your body warm and relaxed. 
“You feeling okay?” he finally managed to ask, shoving the last fry between his lips as you nodded at his question. 
“I feel perfectly baked now.” 
A laugh spluttered from his lips at your words as he wiped his scarred hands clean on a paper napkin. For the first time in the past twenty minutes, Az allowed his eyes to gaze across the expanse of your rather cosy living room. 
Soft, golden lighting that warmed the room, plants of varying shapes and colours tucked into every corner and crevice available. Mismatched furniture and draping vines. 
It was cute, all of it. Very you. The wall facing the couch was hidden beneath tall bookcases that were filled to the brim with every type of book he could imagine. Even with squinted eyes, he could make out a few familiar authors amongst your shelves. 
“Have you read all of those?” He threw his gaze to you, wonder and slight adoration in his eyes, though you were sure you imagined the latter. 
“Mhm,” you hummed around your drink. “Some more times than I can remember.” 
You watched him stand from the couch, his tall frame approaching your collection. He was dressed in black again – his simple jeans and sweater combo – and his hair was perfectly tousled and swept down his forehead. 
Eyes on him, his finger traced the spines of your beloved possessions, settling on one in particular that made your breath still in your chest. Azriel gently pulled it off the shelf, hazel eyes examining the near-pristine cover. 
“Careful,” your soft voice warned him. “It’s worth three grand.” 
Azriel’s eyes almost bulged from his head as he turned to you with the most bewildered expression you’d ever seen. It took every ounce of control not to burst into laughter. 
“What?”
“It’s 134 years old. I restored it the best I could. You should’ve seen it when I found it.” 
Azriel’s brows pulled into a confused frown. “Restored it?” 
“Yeah, that’s what I do for work.” 
When his frown didn’t ease, you cleared your throat to continue. “I work between an auction and a museum in the city. I find the old books and restore them, then sell them through the auction, or they go to the museum.” 
His once furrowed brows raised, his eyes darting back to the book in his hand as if he was inspecting the eighth wonder of the world. Azriel finally turned back to you with a smile that borderlined a smirk. 
“That’s actually pretty cool.” 
A satisfied yet sheepish smile found its way to your lips, cheeks warming under the intensity of his gaze. Azriel slid the book back onto the shelf and continued his observations. 
If you were being honest, it was a little too intimate for your liking. No one in your life had ever taken such interest in your books, not your friends or past lovers. It wasn’t like your love for books was much of a secret, but no one had taken the time to get to know them. 
To know your books was to know you. 
You shouldn’t have been surprised that Azriel was the person to do so. In the short time you’d known him, you realised he was full of surprises.
“What about you?” Your voice greeted his ears softly as you cleaned up the trash from your food. Azriel casted barely a look over his shoulder, eyes caught on your limited edition fantasy book set. A part of you begged to take Azriel’s attention off them. “What do you do for work?” 
That seemed to earn his full attention, causing him to turn to face you fully. With an amused smirk, he followed you a few feet into the open kitchen. “You know what I do for work.” 
Ah. 
“You don’t have anything…legal…to keep on the books?” 
He tried to hide his amusement at your words, but to no avail. Azriel’s smirk only grew and he found himself wondering if his answer might make you think differently of him. 
“If you wanna talk…legalities…then I’m an investor in the stock market.” 
It was your turn to hold the raised eyebrows – a look that Azriel was quick to mirror. “What?” He asked. “You don’t think I could work in stocks?” 
“Do you?” You pressed. 
Azriel’s grin widened slightly. “I do. And I’ll have you know that I’m very good at it.” 
You didn’t want nor need to know any more. You weren’t about to outright ask how much money he had, and if he told you out of his own desire, you were certain it would only make you feel like pure shit. 
Your apartment and belongings weren’t much but they were yours. Everything you had, you worked for. You could do without knowing how many thousands he had sitting pretty in his bank. 
Azriel noticed that distant look in your eyes and took a seat at your island. The last thing he wanted was to make you feel uncomfortable. And if he was being perfectly honest, it was appallingly refreshing to speak with a woman about his side-hustle without them swooning or prying for more details. 
And it appeared that it was only now that either of you were realising how different things were the last time you saw one another. When your lips pressed against his and he kissed you back with just as much want and vigour. 
As if remembering that searing moment, your face and chest began to warm. You were quick to turn away from him, needing a moment to compose yourself and the tight feeling in the pit of your stomach. 
You tried desperately to ignore the ache between your thighs at the memory, instead opting to focus your attention on the half empty box of cookies on the counter. Flipping the lid, you offered one to Azriel who took it without much prompting. 
“Tell me if I’m crossing a line, but if you make enough money investing in stocks, why do you still deal?” 
Azriel’s eyes fluttered closed as he took a bite out of the chocolate chip cookie, and you found your eyes zeroed in on the way his plump lips moved and his broad shoulders slacked slightly. 
His eyes opened to focus on yours. “These are incredible.” You offered a smile, waiting. “Dealing is what got me the money to be able to invest. Don’t get me wrong, I’m good at it, but I lost a lot to get where I am. Dealing is steady income for now. It’s not something I plan to do forever.”
You didn’t probe any further, satisfied with the answer he provided and not wanting to push your luck. Your eyes were drawn to his mouth again, flashes of memories littering your mind as your body warmed once more. 
Clearing your throat, you desperately tried to blink away the haziness he seemed to make you feel. 
“You can smoke out on the balcony, if you want.” 
Azriel finished the last of his cookie and leaned forward on the counter. “I didn’t bring anything.” 
Your head tilted slightly to the half-smoked joint on your counter, stubbed out and back in your open tin. “Smoke the rest of that. It’s too strong for me and I know your tolerance is higher than mine.”
Azriel laughed; hearty and rich and deep. It tickled up your spine and reached around your neck and jaw to tug the corners of your lips into a smile. The effect he had on you was growing to be a slight problem. 
“You wanna come? Fresh air will help.” 
He watched you pinch the joint and lighter from your tin and lead him through to your bedroom. It was decorated similarly to the rest of your apartment–twinkling fairy lights and books and plants–and out on the small balcony, you’d managed to cram a rattan loveseat and table with vines wrapped around the short iron guard rail. 
“Here.” You handed him the joint and lighter. “I’ll be back out, I’m just going to change.” 
Azriel sparked up the joint between his lips, taking a long drag as you returned to your room. The smoke hit the back of his throat sharply, almost knocking him sideways. Even he hadn’t smoked a joint this packed and strong in a while. It was no wonder you’d had a wobble with it. 
He took a seat on the rattan furniture, admiring the little view your balcony offered. The summer air kissed his skin, even as late as the evening was. The warmth of it had him shrugging off his sweater and throwing it over the table, taking another deep pull. 
If Azriel was honest, he was quite thankful for the moments reprieve from your presence. He needed to take a second to calm himself down. Az couldn’t remember the last time he partook in something like this with someone who wasn’t his brothers or their girls. 
This was more of a common thing with Nesta, smoking and eating together. Never Feyre, she always preferred a glass of wine, and occasionally Mor would smoke with him when she was passing through town. Never a random girl, never a new friend. 
But that moment's reprieve was ripped away far too quickly, because you were sauntering back onto the balcony and stealing the breath right from Azriel’s smoked lungs. 
He was fucked. Comepletly and utterly fucked. He’d never seen you look so relaxed, dressed in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of mismatched socks. Your hair was thrown up lazily and stray pieces fell out to frame your face. 
Your legs, however, he couldn’t stop gawking. Soft skin and a whole lot of thigh. Azriel forced his gaze to your face again as you took a seat beside him on the loveseat, leaning your back on the armrest and bringing your knees up to your chest. 
Mother above, he could feel his cock begin to strain in his pants, his eyes begging to sweep your body once more to see what lay between your slightly parted legs. From his peripheral vision, he could see you cross your ankles, effectively shielding yourself.
But Azriel was good at reading people, and by the slight flush of your cheeks and the way your eyes grew more hooded by the second, he was more than certain you knew what you were doing and the affects your actions had on him. 
He took another pull of the joint. “You weren’t kidding,” he mumbled, “this shit is strong.” A bubbly laugh fell from your lips at the way his eyes squinted when the drug settled into his lungs. 
“I did warn you.” 
Azriel offered it to you, watching your inner turmoil as you weighed out your options until pinching it from his fingers. “One pull will be enough to keep me buzzed for the night.” 
He watched your lips thin as they clamped down on the roach. He watched your chest rise as your lungs filled with the thick tar until you pulled the joint from your lips and exhaled slowly. You handed it back to him, cutting yourself off completely for the night. 
Azriel took it between two pinched fingers, keeping his eyes on your slightly flushed face as he took another few drags before stuffing the cherry out in the ashtray. His gaze found purchase on your lips again as he mirrored your position on the loveseat, though Az didn’t tuck his knees to his chest. 
“Are we gonna talk about it?” He asked. 
You blinked at him, head tilted slightly to the left. “Talk about what?”
The way his taunting smirk grew made you shift uncomfortably. You had an inkling as to what he meant, but you hoped if you played dumb, he would drop it. Clearly not. 
“About the last time we saw each other.”
Yup. There it is. 
That familiar warmth spread across your face and chest again in waves of anxiety and embarrassment. You couldn’t handle this type of conversation right now. You were mortified enough as it was, you didn’t need to reminisce about your stupid mistake, nor the way he kissed you back as though his life depended on it. 
You let out a long sigh. “I was kind of hoping you’d forgotten about it.” 
Azriel quirked a brow. “Forget about it?” he asked. “You expected me to forget a kiss like that?” 
It felt like all the air had been completely sucked from your lungs. You could hardly breathe, struggling to string a coherent reply together. Azriel continued to smirk at you, bathing in the way he clearly made you feel. Like he was getting off on your flustered state. 
The state he put you in. 
“It’s been replaying in my head for days.” Azriel’s admission sent your mind into a frenzy. You had no idea what to do with that information or how it was supposed to make you feel. 
What you did know, was that familiar burning in the pit of your stomach, that daunting ache between your clenched thighs. And the way Azriel's eyes darkened and slowly traced the silhouette of your figure, you got the hint he felt the same way, too. 
“Yeah?” Your words came out as barely a whisper, lashes fluttering as the weed you’d just smoked began to settle into your bloodstream. 
Azriel inched a hand tentatively toward your ankle, the tips of his scarred fingers brushing against your cotton socks. The touch had your body keening for more, your legs twitching as he slowly wrapped a large hand around your lower leg. 
“Yeah,” he replied, almost breathless. 
He was testing the waters, desperate to get a feeler as to what you wanted from this interaction. Azriel watched you closely, cataloguing every response your body gave his touch. How goosebumps broke across the silky skin of your legs, how your cheeks flushed slightly and lashes fluttered at him. 
“Is that all you’ve been thinking about?” Your husky voice finally broke through the silence. Az raised a brow at your boldness. “Or do you let your mind wander to what else could’ve happened?” 
If it weren’t for the stifling warmth in the air, Azriel was sure he would’ve come in his pants from your words alone. Because he knew that meant you’d been letting your mind wander to something more. 
You allowed him to gently tug your leg down, resting the back of your calf across his thigh. Your covered cunt was surely exposed, but Az didn’t look. Not yet. A sneaky peek wouldn’t be enough to satiate the appetite he had grown for you. 
He needed to bathe and bask and bury himself in your scent. Mould his body to body, meld his soul to your soul. Even then, he would never be able to feel you as closely as he craved. 
“You want me to tell you what places my mind has wandered to?” His eyes were glued to your mouth, watching as your tongue slid out to wet your lips before tugging the bottom one between your teeth. 
It was with a surge of complete arousal and haziness that had you uttering, “I want you to show me.” 
Azriel’s lips were on yours not a moment later when he surged forward to trap your small frame beneath his large one on the loveseat. You could barely make sense of where you ended and Azriel began. 
His scarred hands cupped your face, his tongue massaging hotly against your own. Your legs had wrapped around his waist, ankles locked across his back to keep him close to you. 
It was unlike any kiss you’d experienced before. Passion and need and desire. Pure want and carnage. Like nothing could ever stop him from tasting you again. Like he was savouring every single piece of you. 
“If you want me to show you…” he muttered against your lips, “I suggest you let me take you inside.” 
You pulled away just enough for your noses to bump and make out a blurry picture of him before you. Swollen lips, mussed up hair that you hadn’t realised you’d been running your fingers through. 
“Worried someone might see?” You panted in a teasing tone. 
His eyes shadowed impossibly darker. “I don’t like to share.” 
Squirming beneath his thick body, your fingernails scraped across his broad shoulders, scratching at the cotton of his t-shirt. “It’s not sharing if they’re just watching.” 
Azriel nipped your bottom lip. “Well, I’m a greedy man, and I don’t want anyone else watching you come on my cock but me.”
A breathless moan tumbled off your tongue like hot honey, your eyes fluttering closed at the words he spoke. You hoped this was just the tip of the iceberg with him. Prayed that he was as filthy as he was gorgeous. 
Without another second to get lost in your thoughts, Azriel was gripping your hips, lifting you as he stood. Your legs around his waist tightened as your arms snaked to circle his neck. 
Even in the dark, he moved swiftly, settling your body onto your mattress without missing a beat. He crawled back between your thighs, the moonlight kissing his tanned skin through the cracks of your window. 
His lips were on yours again, searing and eager. Azriel poured every ounce of need and desire into it, massaging your tongue and licking against the roof of your mouth. He tasted like the cookies you’d baked, a hint of smoke and a tang of bud. 
It was intoxicating. He was intoxicating. 
Your fingers tugged at the curled tendrils on the nape of his neck, ushering him impossibly closer. His body flattened atop yours, the grooves of his abs pressing deliciously against your stomach and chest. 
Gods, he was solid. Built like a fucking Greek God and your fingers itched to trace the delicate intricacies of his golden skin. 
“Azriel,” you panted against his lips. “If you don’t touch me right now I’m going to burst into flames.” 
A dry chuckle left his throat as he dragged his mouth across your jaw and down to your neck; kissing and licking and sucking. He nipped at a sensitive spot, begrudgingly tugging himself off your frame. 
Sitting on his knees between your open thighs, he was a fucking sight. His chest heaved as he took a breath, his eyes dark and hair an unruly mess. Excitement was getting the better of you. So much so that when his scarred fingers looped in the neck of his shirt and tugged it up, you all but foamed at the fucking mouth. 
An unexplainable sound squeaked from the back of your throat. He was fucking beautiful. His skin was flawless, abdomen toned with divots of muscle, and dark ink of swirls that adored his chest. 
You could physically feel your arousal seep from your cunt, could feel your clit throb in desperate need for him. You could hardly breathe, your lungs almost crushed by his sheer beauty. 
You could stare at him forever. 
“Are you going to be good for me?” His rugged voice broke you from your trance. You blinked at him. Once, twice. 
Gone was the flirtatious Azriel who once made you blush from teasing. Gone was the light warmth in his smile and cheeky glimmer in his eyes. 
The Azriel before you was cold now. Calculated. He oozed power and dominance and your pussy clenched in anticipation of the pleasure he might inflict on you. 
The Azriel before you held all the control. And you’d gladly surrender whatever you had left to offer. 
“Yes,” you whimpered in response. 
He didn’t reply. Not with words. Azriel’s large palms flattened on your inner thighs as he pried your legs further apart. The calluses of his marred fingers scratched at your silky skin as they inched closer and closer to your core. 
His fingertips grazed at the soaked fabric of your panties. “Look at you, pretty girl.” 
Your lashes fluttered closed, lips parted open, head rolled back. Gods, you wanted his voice on a loop in your brain for the rest of eternity. If he was going to continue talking, you wouldn’t last long. 
“Look at your dripping little cunt.”
You couldn’t hold in the whimper, nor the way you clenched on nothing—so desperate to be filled by him. 
“I’m going to take my time with you.” You knew it wasn’t a threat, but Christ did it sound like one. You were far too pent up to be touched in any way that wasn’t with a cock buried deep inside you. 
Foreplay could come next time, you’d let him spend hours devouring you if that was what he truly wanted. Not now, not when you were borderline going to sob. 
“Fuck me, Az.”
He stilled, eyes on you as his hands halted on your inner thighs. “Please,” you whimpered, “I need you to fuck me. You can do what you want to me next time.” 
Azriel cocked a brow, the familiar hint of him returning to his face for a brief moment. “You promise?” 
Neither of you allowed yourselves longer than a few brief moments to bask in the vow of a next time. Not when he ghosted his fingers across your cunt and you nodded your head quickly, desperately. 
“There’s condoms in the drawer.” Your words came out a breathless pant as Azriel’s toned body leaned over yours. He rifled through your nightstand, blindly reaching for a foil packet when his fingers grazed against something else. Something silicone.
His eyes found yours in the night, a mischievous glint that darkened his honeyed hazel iris’. Your lips parted. “What?” 
From your angle, you couldn’t see what he held in his hands. Not until Azriel leaned back on his knees between your parted thighs, and the moonlight bounced off the hot pink toy in his palm. 
Oh, fuck. 
Without breaking your gaze, Az gently stroked the tip of the six inch object against your panty-covered cunt. You were soaking through the fabric, your thighs trembling on either side of his legs. 
There was no way this was happening. No way he was going to–
“I think I wanna fuck you with this instead.” 
You couldn’t argue with him, couldn’t even muster a single word to leave your lips. No one had used a sex toy on you before, much less a fucking dildo. And yet here Azriel was, eager to please you in the dirtiest ways possible. Even if it denied him his own pleasure. 
“Az—“ 
He held his free hand in the air. 
“Let’s call it a compromise.” His tone suggested there was no room for argument. You clamped your lips shut and continued to take deep, ragged breaths through your nose. 
“If you’re a good girl with this toy, I’ll reward you with my cock later.” 
Later. As in, he wasn’t planning on making you come just once…
You nodded once more, vigorously. 
If it was down to Azriel he would’ve tied you up and taken his time with you anyway. He would’ve told you not to be a spoiled brat and to take whatever he gave you like a good girl. 
But he couldn’t do that, not yet. 
He couldn’t deprive you of the one thing you desperately wanted. But he could take away the thing to cause the most pleasure. Replace his cock with a toy. Watch you come all over it. And then ruin you until you creamed all over him and sobbed from overstimulating. 
Azriel’s cock leapt in the tight confinements of his pants. He was desperate to free himself, touch himself. Have you touch him. He’d imagined the feeling of your lips around his dick for days, let his mind wander to what you’d look like on your knees for him. 
He needed to be patient, he’d be able to stuff your throat full soon enough. He was sure of it. Then he’d let you sit on his tongue and suffocate him until you were both seeing stars. 
“Please, baby.” 
Your pleading voice broke him from his trance and Azriel wrapped two fingers around your panties and pulled them to the side, baring yourself to him. 
And what a sight you were. 
Swollen and soaked. Your pussy glistened under the moonlight, your hips rolling lazily as if trying to chase the touches he wouldn’t grant you. Az wanted nothing more than to bury his face in your warmth and stay there all fucking night. 
But he didn’t touch you, at least not with his own body and skin. Azriel motioned the toy to your heat, teasingly sliding through your slick folds to collect your arousal. You jolted at the sensation, shuddering beneath his touch. 
Azriel leaned over your body, one arm supporting his weight beside your head, the other coaxing the toy through your head, nudging the head against your pulsing clit. 
“You’re gonna keep your eyes on me, and you’re gonna imagine it’s my cock fucking your tight little pussy.” Your chest arched into his, nipples pearled beneath the thin fabric of your t-shirt. 
“Do you understand?” There he was again, that dominant and overpowering Azriel you saw just moments ago. 
You nodded, lips blubbering slightly. “Yes.” 
He cooed you softly, his head dipping down enough to brush his nose against yours. Azriel lined the dildo to your entrance, teasing your hole deliciously before gently pushing through your tightness. 
Your lips parted, brows knit as your body grew taut. His honey gaze dripped into yours, melding you to him as Azriel rolled his hips to mirror what he would do if he was the one fucking you. 
“Such a good girl, taking that cock.” 
Your eyes fluttered closed at his praise, head rolling back into the pillow until his weight shifted above you and a briefly sharp sting met the side of your cheek. Your eyes flew open again, wide and confused. 
Azriel looked down at you, his hand now gripping either side of your cheeks, his gaze much darker than before. 
“I told you to keep your pretty eyes on me.” And then he sheathed the toy deep in your cunt. 
A shriek of pleasure tore through your throat, hands reaching for the warm skin of Azriel’s shoulders. Your nails dragged across the muscles that rippled beneath your touch, scratching at the surface with a cry. 
“Fuck!” 
Azriel began with slow thrusts, allowing you a few brief moments to accumulate to the intrusion. Not much time, but enough. Because after the fourth thrust, he picked up the pace. 
The noises were obscene, your high pitched cries and moans and the squelching of the toy that fucked your sopping cunt. 
Everything was too intense to comprehend. The fullness you felt, the lack of control you possessed. And the way his eyes bore into yours, as though he was claiming your soul to melt with his own. He was hauntingly beautiful, even in his dark demeanour. 
In your hazy state, it looked like even the shadows curled around his figure. As though he was their master, too. 
“You’re so fucking gorgeous, baby,” he praised. “Taking that cock like a good little girl.” 
His voice dripped with sex and arousal, and when he shifted his hips once more, you could feel the thick and solid bulge of his length in his trousers. You wanted nothing more than to feel it, taste it. 
You clamped tightly around the toy, dragging scratches and marks down Azriel’s golden skin. “Please let me come.” You had never begged to come before, had never even asked. But you felt no shame in pleading to the God above you for your release. 
You’d give him anything he wanted. 
Azriel’s own breath grew shaky, unready. “Open your mouth,” he commanded. You listened and complied immediately, eager to please him. 
He leaned closer, pinching your face harder before spitting into your mouth, onto your awaiting tongue. Then he was kissing you, biting you, claiming you. 
Your entire body felt like it burst into flames, hot fire licking at you from the inside out. You couldn’t breathe. Your entire being completely locked and consumed as you came around the toy with a frantic sob of his name. 
Azriel couldn’t cope, couldn’t handle the sound of his name on your lips as you came around something that wasn’t him. Every ounce of self control was crumbling down at the sight of you—of your eyes still fixed on his, your jaw slack and your supple body arching to meet his. 
He’d never seen anything so fucking sinful yet heavenly at the same time. Never felt so connected to someone without even touching them. He couldn’t take it, needed to touch you, feel you, taste you. 
Az pulled the toy from your pussy, dragging it up between your bodies as you desperately attempted to catch your breath. He held it to your mouth, and without command, your tongue swirled around the length of it, tasting your own release with your eyes still boring into his soul. 
And now he had an even more vivid image of what you’d look like sucking his cock. 
Before Azriel could get a taste for himself, that cursed blaring of his phone broke through the heaving silence. He didn’t hear it at first, not until it stole your attention from him. 
“You’re phone,” you muttered breathlessly, barely coherent. 
Azriel dropped the toy to the side of the bed, his hands gentle on your body and face now. “Ignore it,” he breathed softly. 
His lips met yours in a taunting kiss, one so stark opposite to the way he’d treated you just moments ago. The versatility of this man was going to give you whiplash. 
But the phone blared again. And again. And suddenly, neither of you could ignore it anymore. His forehead rested against yours, a frustrated sigh tumbling off his lips. 
“You should go.”
He closed his eyes. He didn’t want to. 
“You don’t wanna come with me? Do some drop-offs?” He was tempting you, desperately wanting to spend more time in your presence, especially if it potentially ended like this again. 
You hummed, considering it. But your body was spent and the idea of being in his car and not being able to have your hands all over him at any moment you pleased sounded like torture. 
“Next time?” You posed it as a question, though the hope in Azriel’s eyes proved that he was more than happy to not only fuck you again, but to spend time with you, too. 
“Yeah?”
You nodded. “Mhm.”
He nosed at your cheek, planting a teasing open-mouthed kiss to your jaw, nosing back up to your ear. “You look fucking breathtaking when you come.” 
Your eyes fluttered closed when he pulled away, your thighs trembling as he knelt and then clambered off your bed. Azriel watched your spent body for a moment, the way your thighs rubbed together as you squirmed, no doubt still horny. 
It pained him to leave you like that, wanting more. But if he didn’t leave now, he likely never would. And that wasn’t something he could afford to do right now. 
So without another word, he bent down to press a kiss to your mouth, and then he left—still high on both the drugs and you. 
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burrowbaddie · 2 years ago
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Sorry Not Sorry
Joe Burrow x Female Reader
Series Summary: Childhood friends to lovers to nothing. You and Joe had history, you were each others first and then you were nothing. Years later, you guys rekindle the flame but with more obstacles in the way this time.
Chapter 5.5 Summary: Your perfect life with Joe doesn't exist without cracks.
Word Count: 4.4k
Warnings: Afab!reader, smut, swearing. Oral (female & male receiving), vaginal fingering, penetrative sex, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, cheating! (You are the side girl, sorry.), the small fight scene, jealous Joe, mild violence, stalker, mentions of bullying
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"Joe, you have had a fantastic season so far. You're glowing; You're making plays: calling the right calls. What has changed from the last season to this season?"
"I'm happy. I feel good. My teammates feel good, so it's all showing on the field." Joe responds with a wide grin.
"Is there something special that's happening? Like you really have a pep in your step these days. You're undefeated. What do you think the chances of getting to the Superbowl are?"
"I mean, we still have some games before we can talk about the big one. But we are going to get there and get that ring. I can guarantee you that." Joe winks and finishes his interview. You turn the tv off and place a blanket over Tate. Dr.Brian had to extend his leave for a year, so you've been adjusting to your position quite well. You're hoping he returns soon because you will be on maternity leave in a few months. Your pager goes off, and Tate jumps out of his sleep.
"Get some more rest. I got a call; it's okay." You tell him.
"Nope. I need to clean something before my boss catches me." Tate follows you towards the ED.
"What's going on?" You ask, making your way over to the commotion.
"This bitch really thinks I have time to sit around waiting for fucking tests! Discharge me!"
"Okay, sir, you need a CT scan; you were involved in an accident, and you need stitches on your head." You say, reading his chart.
"I'm fine, bitch! I want to go home!" He yells, getting in your face. A male nurse pulls him back, but the guy swings at him, knocking him down. He then turns his anger towards you. He grabs your arm and starts shaking you, shouting in your face. You quickly shield your belly out of reflex when Tate steps in, knocking the man to the floor.
"Are you okay?" He asks you. You're shaking and zoning out. Tate grabs your hand while security deals with the guy. You nod, and Mya takes you away to check on you.
"You're six months pregnant. Should you really be working here? You need to be in the office doing administrative work." She wears a look of concern on her face.
"I'm okay. It happens. Thank you, Tate." You turn to the boy, who wears a soft smile. Mya sighs, walking away.
"I didn't know you were pregnant."
"Have you seen this belly?" You laugh, rubbing it. Tate scratches his neck.
"So you have a boyfriend?" Tate's voice is filled with sadness as his eyes drift down. You put together what is happening and sigh.
"Tate. I'm much older than you, even if I had no boyfriend."
"You're acting like your 35. You're in your 20s! It's not that much older."
"I see you as a little brother. I'm an only child, so it's nice having you around." You pinch his cheeks, and he pouts like a child.
"I guess. What's the surprise you have for us next weekend?"
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."
"Unless it's your hand in marriage, I don't care."
"Tate. Behave." You warn him. He nods and tells you he can't wait for the surprise. Fast forward to the following week. You pull into the parking lot of the Paycor Stadium. All three boys' eyes widen with excitement.
"No way! We're seeing the Bengals?! That's my favorite team!" TJ shouts, hopping out of the car as soon as you park.
"It's all of our favorite teams." Trey follows him out of the car to take in the scene. Tate wears a big grin and turns to you to thank you. But your gift doesn't end there. Before the game, you take them to meet some of the players.
"Ja'Marr, you're my favorite player ever! You've been a beast this season!" Trey says, watching Ja'Marr sign his jersey. You take notice of Joe and Tate talking and make your way over to them.
"Best QB in the game. No one can tell me otherwise! Plus, your girlfriend is hot. I have a crush on her for sure." Tate says with a cheeky grin. Joe's eyes drift to you.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I only watch the news because of Nicki. The rack she has is out of this world."
"Tate, watch your mouth." You shake your head laughing.
"But she is really hot. But my girlfriend is this one right here. Hottest woman to walk the earth." Tate throws an arm around you. You giggle and wiggle his arm off. Joe stops signing his jersey and eyeing Tate. You cough, getting Joe back to focus. He returns to signing but doesn't reply to Tate.
"Here. Enjoy the game." Joe walks away, and you shake your head. He can be so childish sometimes.
"You think he's mad because I called his girlfriend hot?" Tate asks you. You nod.
"Yeah. He can be petty like that."
"Ha. I made Joe mad. That's awesome."
"Grab your brothers and let's go get our seats." You tell him, making your way to Joe. Joe is sitting down getting his ankle wrapped when you approach him.
"You are such a child."
"How?"
"Why are you mad right now?"
"Why's he calling you his girlfriend?"
"Joseph, he is an 18-year-old boy with a crush. You are my grown-ass man boyfriend. Get a grip." You run your hand through his hair. Joe places his head on your belly.
"How is she?"
"Sleeping for now. Making me crave hot dogs and a ton of mustard."
"I'll go get-"
"Get ready for your game. I'm going to meet your mother and get our seats."
"I love you, baby." Joe looks up at you, waiting for a kiss puckering his lips together. You bend down, kissing his lips.
"Good luck, Joey boy." You turn to walk away when Joe slaps your ass.
"You know it turns me on hearing you call me that." He shouts after you. His athletic trainer finishes wrapping his ankle. You and the boys take your seat. The Bengals continue their winning streak. Robin hugs you and places her hand on your belly.
"I was so excited when Nicole said she was having a baby. But hearing that it was a false alarm made me sad. I hope I can be a pseudo-grandma to your little one."
"Of course. She's going to get all the love in the world." You tell her. After the game, you take the boys home and drop Tate off at his apartment. Tate was able to save up and get a small one-bedroom apartment with your help. The homeless house you signed off on should be opening in the spring. You made a hospital donor a deal he couldn't refuse; his name was on the project. Basically, you would be able to provide housing for the homeless for a lower cost for up to 18 months until the person could get a steady job. The small changes you've made around the department have helped open up the budget a bit, and with the donor ball coming up, you're sure you can persuade some more donations out of the rich.
At home, you draw yourself a bath, while your frozen pizza cooks in the oven. Your doorbell rings, and Geroge, your live-in security guard, jumps up to answer it. You moved in with Joe a month ago, but he refused to let you be alone, so he hired a guard to stay at your house whenever he was away.
"Where's Joe?" Nicole crosses her arms, staring Geroge down.
"Ma'am, you are not permitted to enter this house."
"Who the fuck are you? You can't keep me out!"
"What's going on?"
"Miss Nicole seems to be drunk. She is trying to enter your home."
"Oh gosh. It's okay. Let her in and get her some water. Thank you." You help Nicole into the house, and she stumbles to the living room.
"Nicole. Are you okay? How did you get here?" You ask her, helping her sit down.
"I fucking drove."
"That's not safe. Here drink some water." You give her the glass George hands you. You let her drink it while you call Joe. Joe is pissed and on his way home when you relay the message.
"Here," Nicole mumbles, handing you a manila envelope. You empty its contents and look over the photos and written messages. Nicole has been receiving the same threats as you. You stare at the negative pregnancy tests. Nicole confessed about not being pregnant last month, which wasn't a surprise to Joe.
"We thought it was you this whole time. After the attack, Joe got really protective. If he knew this was happening to you, he would have done something and-"
"He doesn't care about me. He hates me." She covers her face with her hands crying. You place a hand on her back, trying to console her, but you don't know what to say. Joe slams the door and makes his way to the living room.
"Nicole, what are you doing here?" Joe stands there waiting for her explanation. You get up and grab Joe by the forearm, pulling him to the kitchen.
"She's drunk, Joe. I think it would be best to let her sleep it off here."
"She's probably faking. Nicole is insane."
"Can I use your phone to call Amber? He clearly doesn't want me here." Nicole stumbles into the kitchen. You unlock your phone and hand it to her. Joe rolls his eyes and grabs water from the fridge. Nicole returns to the living room, ensuring you're occupied with Joe. She reaches into her pocket, pulls out a device that looks like a small charger, and plugs it into your phone, downloading everything.
"Fine, let her stay. I don't care." Joe walks off upstairs to the bedroom. You return to the living room, and Nicole hands you the phone.
"No answer. I guess I'm staying here." She whispers. You nod and take her to the guest room. Nicole stops in front of the nursery.
"You're having a girl?" She asks, leaning on the doorframe. You back peddle and stand beside her, looking at your progress in the room.
"Yeah. Her name is still being decided."
"Cool." Nicole rolls her eyes, and you close the door continuing to the guest room. Nicole sits on the bed, taking in this situation while you get her some clothes to sleep in.
"Just because I'm drunk doesn't mean I want to be friendly. I would rather sleep in my own clothes, thanks." She says, shoving them into your arms.
"Look, Nicole, I'm sorry about how we handled things. I'm not saying we should be best friends, but-"
"All I wanted to show you is the envelope. I've been getting the same thing for months. I didn't come here to make friends with you. You and Joe can die for all I care."
"Right. The envelope. Do you know who it might be? We thought it was you, but I guess not. Have they contacted you personally? From a phone or-"
"No. Just envelope and pictures."
"Umm, what do the photos of you and DJ mean?"
"I didn't cheat, if that's what you're asking. After Joe tried to break up with me, I might have had a fling with DJ. I was angry. That's it."
"It's fine. We should take all this to the police whoever this person is attacked me. They could very well attack you next." You warn her. Nicole rolls her eyes and climbs into bed.
"I'll be fine. Trust me."
You sigh and gather the photos taking them to your bedroom. Joe is already in the shower, so you join him in the bathroom. Leaning against your sink, you take a deep breath.
"The same person watching me has been watching Nicole."
Joe slides the shower door open.
"That's what she wants you to believe. Nicole is up to no good. I know her very well." Joe turns off the shower, grabs a towel, dries off, and wraps it around his waist.
"If she's such this terrible person, why were you with her?" Your tone takes Joe by surprise.
"What do you want me to say? She was nice, okay! But somewhere along the lines, her true colors started to show. Even if you didn't come back into my life, I would've broken up with her. She is a scheming, manipulating, egotistical person." Joe runs his hands through his wet hair waiting for you to say something; when you don't reply, he walks off. Joe intended to break things off with Nicole before you, but things happened fast.
"Look, I don't want to fight, but she is being stalked. She doesn't deserve that. I think if we both go to the police, something can be done. We have more evidence here." You shout, shaking the photos. You're getting frustrated that he isn't taking the situation seriously enough for you.
"It's Nicole. She wants you riled up. Why would she drive here of all places."
"Joe! They attacked me! I don't think she would be here showing me this stuff if she was part of it. What kind of person-"
"Nicole is that type of person! I am telling you! I know her. She only cares about her fucking self! She wasn't even picked for the news anchor position. Ask me how she got it. Ask, go on?" Joe's voice boomed through the room. You crossed your arms, shaking your head.
"She exposed Kelly, the girl who actually earned the position. How? Because she blackmailed Kelly into quitting. She's not a good person. That's why I can't take the bullshit she says to you seriously." Joe is calmer, but you are on the verge of tears.
"You knew what she would do to me if she found out about us, and you just let it happen?"
Joe realizes what you're thinking.
"Baby-"
"You let her do this. You should've ended things. Get out!"
"Cheeks, I'm tired and-"
"Get out!" You scream, throwing his clothes. Joe quickly dresses, and you slam the door on his way out. Joe sleeps on the couch while you sit in the bedroom, thinking about everything. If Nicole was playing you, you needed to find out yourself. But if she were telling the truth, you'd be even more of an ass attacking her. You tossed and turned all night until finally letting sleep take you. In the morning, Joe entered the kitchen to find Nicole eating cereal.
"Wifey said I could help myself. Noticed you on the couch. Sorry if I caused trouble." Her smile annoyed Joe, who ignored her, walking over to the fridge.
"Hey, don't be so mean, Joey babe! I came here to talk. Soon the news will break about your infidelity. I'm sure your publicist will contact you shortly. I thought I should warn you in person. " Nicole empties her bowl into the sink and pats Joe on the back.
"Nicole, come on. You know we broke up so-"
"You started seeing her before we broke up. I'm going with that story. Prepare yourselves." She smiles and turns away.
"If the stalker is after you, that means they have something on you too. What is it?"
Nicole freezes up.
"None of your fucking business. Have fun, pretty boy." Nicole leaves the house as you enter the kitchen. Joe tries apologizing, but you tell him you work a double today and will see him tomorrow. Just like Nicole warned him, his publicist calls him.
"When is the story dropping?" He asks.
"We can hold it off for now, but the best thing to do is come forward. Who knows how Nicole will bend this story."
"Cheeks is six months pregnant."
"Jesus, Joe. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"The stress from this story won't benefit the baby or her. So do what you can, Helen. Please." Joe is defeated when he ends the call. He drives to his parent's house to tell them everything. Only his father is home, and Joe takes a seat.
"You look stressed. This season is going so well. You are going to the Superbowl again. I can feel it, son."
"Dad. I need to tell you something."
"You're not doping, right?"
"No. No way. I cheated on Nicole."
"Joe. I don't know what to say. Have you made up with her? I'm sure it was a lapse in judgment, and you guys can work it out." His dad shakes his head, leaning back in his chair.
"Cheeks is pregnant with my child. I broke things off with Nicole, but now she will expose the affair. I wanted to tell you guys before the story broke." Joe can't look at his father as he tells him everything. His father is shocked but not really all that surprised.
"I had a feeling. You look at that girl the same way you did in 6th grade. The best thing you can do now is to come forward before Nicole does and flips the story her way. You have to protect what you love. Your career is meaningful. This could damage your public opinion."
Joe doesn't take much from the conversation besides the fact that his father wants him to protect his career. He should have gone to his mother first. Sure, she would be disappointed, but at least he could get some advice. Joe makes his way to practice trying his best to keep his head focused. As the holidays blend, no story drops. But Joe can't keep calm. He knows this impending doom can drop any day or anytime. You and Joe have been going through the motions since your fight a few weeks back. You decide to pick up shifts just to keep busy and avoid him. When you and Joe are home simultaneously, the words you say to each other are few. He holds you in bed, and you both drift to sleep, ready to start the next day. Except for this morning, when Joe insisted on coming to your check-up. You laid down watching your OB put gel on your belly. Joe couldn't stop smiling as soon as he heard the heartbeat.
"Very healthy heartbeat. She sounds great." Your OB says, helping you up. She looks at Joe, who kisses your head and smiles.
"That's our baby girl in there." He whispers. Your heart melts, and all your passive aggressiveness toward each other goes out the window. Joe offers to take you to lunch, but. You tell him you have to go to work.
"You're seven months pregnant. Do you think going to work for almost 14 hours is okay?"
"I'm chair right now, and it's important I do everything I can. Besides, I'll see you at the charity gala, right?"
Joe kisses your hand and watches you walk away. You go to your office, and Mya stands outside, holding her phone up. You take it and look at the photo a fan took of Joe in the OB's office.
"Rumors are spreading fast about Nicki being pregnant now." Mya follows you into the office. You sit down reading blogs and tweets about the speculation. Joe has attended every appointment, so this was bound to happen soon.
"It's fine. I'm sure it will be okay. Not many people were there." You're lying. This will not be okay, and it's only a matter of time before the shit hits the fan. You don't have to think of something because your pager goes off, indicating an emergency—the rest of the day counties with crisis after crisis. When the day whines down, you finally shower and get ready for the gala. You attend the gala with Mya and work the room. Dr. Brian pulls you into a big hug.
"You've done amazing things. I knew I had left my department in the right hands. The housing you opened, I don't know how you finally got that knucklehead to donate so big but thank you."
"My charm and promised it would be named after him." You smile, rubbing your belly. Dr.Brian takes you to more donors, and you guys get a few people talking about donating to the department. Joe spots you across the room and stands there staring at you. It seems almost unbelievable how beautiful you are. Joe feels like he's starstruck. He wipes his palms on his pants and makes his way over.
"Hey." He whispers, looking down at you.
"How do you know The Joe Burrow?" Dr.Brain shakes his hand laughing. You shy away because Joe's eyes haven't left you.
"We went to school together."
"Childhood friends," Joe adds. Dr. Brain smiles between the two of you and excuses himself. Joe pulls you to the dance floor, and you sway with the music.
"You look so beautiful. I feel nervous. I don't know how to explain it." Joe whispers against your forehead. The smile you're wearing doesn't falter. Being in his arms feels safe and warm. Joe wants to kiss you so bad, but he controls himself. The smile on his face disappears as Nicole makes her way over. You feel a tap on your shoulder and turn around to Nicole, asking you to cut in.
"Nicole, what are you-"
"Nice to see you too, babe." Nicole cuts him off, and you step aside, letting her dance with him.
"Why are you here?"
"My job has someone covering the gala. I am still your girlfriend. Wouldn't it be weird if we didn't attend together?" She smiles up at him. Joe stops and looks over at you, standing to the side.
"Not after tonight. My publicist is telling the public about our breaking up. I found out what the stalker has over you."
"You're lying."
"It took some digging, but Helen probably has even more connections than you. You're a bully even after all these years. The girl that you damn near bullied to suicide, yeah, she spoke with Helen. If it got out, what a bully you were. Would that fit your pretty perfect image?"
Nicole is speechless.
"Didn't think so. Leak anything about Cheeks to the press, and you will hear from our lawyer."
"You can't do that to me. You cannot."
"I tried to end things peacefully, but you took it to another level. Cheeks trust you, but I don't. I know whoever the stalker is, is probably working for you. Goodbye, Nicole. I wish you the best." Joe kisses her cheek and walks over to you, taking your hand. Some people look confused, but Nicole smiles and storms off. You ask Joe about what that was about. Joe shrugs and tells you not to worry about it. So you leave it be. Nicole rushes out of the gala and drives home. There is no way in hell she is going out like that. She lets that night stew for days. Everyone in her path feels her rage, from the poor barista at Starbucks to her assistant.
"It's fucking ugly. If you think I'm wearing that bullshit, you have another thing coming! Find me something else!" She screams at her assistant. The girl nods her head and runs off. The door opens to Ariel, who runs the gossip portion of the news.
"I gave you everything you needed to leak the story. Do it now."
"Joe's pub-"
"Do you like your job? Or do you want to go back to writing stupid little articles? I can and will ruin your fucking career!"
"Okay. I'll do it, but I don't want to get sued and-"
"You let me handle that. Go do your job."
"Is this better?" Nicole's assistant asks, holding up a new outfit.
"Perfect. Everything is perfect." She giggles to herself.
You spent the morning assisting in the ED and finally had some downtime around six, so you went to the cafeteria. With Tate following behind you, complaining about his shift today. Mya joins you, taking her usual seat next to you. You leave them to go to the bathroom you miss being able to hold your pee for longer than 5 mins. You enter the break room, and all eyes seem to be on you.
"Do I have food on me?" You laugh, trying to look at your shirt. Mike turns the tv up, wearing a huge smile.
"Allegedly, Joe has been seeing her for at least a year. Nicole and Joe's reps have yet to make a statement. It seems like the endzone isn't the only thing he has been scoring in. That is all for Ariel's Gossip corner. Back to you guys." Ariel smiles, ending her segment. The camera pans back to Nicole, whose eyes are filled with tears s she wears a smile. Her costar, Malcom, coughs and brings the 6 pm news to a closing. Everyone in the room continues to stare at you.
"Holy fuck. I thought you were seeing Dr. Brian but this- this is so much better. What a fucking cunt." Mike says. Mya slaps him across the face. Your chest tightens, and you run out of the break room before everyone can question you.
Nicole wipes her tears as the camera cuts. People start asking her if she's okay and apologizing. Nicole shakes her head and rushes to her room. She closes the door and starts laughing.
"I win." She whispers to herself.
Joe stands on the sideline, watching the defense play against the Jet's offense. A water boy looks at him and then at his phone, then back a Joe. He whispers to the girl next to him. She pulls out her phone and does the same. Joe focuses back on the game until a benched player approaches him.
"You are the man." He says, slapping Joe's back. Joe thinks he's talking about the game and nods. The game ends with the last play. The Bengals are going to the playoffs. Joe does post-game interviews, and one comment catches his attention because your name is mentioned.
"What?" Joe asks the girl to repeat herself.
"Are you seeing her?"
"No comment." Helen grabs Joe dragging him to the locker room. The guys are celebrating while Helen breaks the news. Joe punches a locker and goes through his bag to find his phone. He has messages from everyone. The calls from his mother won't stop. But the only message that sends his blood boiling is Nicole's three worded message.
Sorry, Not Sorry.
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A/N: Sorry for the cliffy! I'm so busy, so I wanted to get this part out first. Are my tags working idk if you guys get it when I stage you because sometimes I can't tag you? Next chapter will be the aftermath of everything! And we will get to see the stalker for sure! Who do you guys think the stalker is? The reblogs and comments and likes and the team Nicole omg I LOVE IT ALL! It has been so much fun writing this. Don't worry I will be doing the requests this week too! Until next time take care :)
Tags: @joselyn001@savii999@lostaurorax@simpgirl-lat@edenhess @blinkloverx3 @dboanalooaa @nm112495 @mhm-ok-sure@katiehud@blu3jeanbaby@mrosales16@wineauntharry @Cosmolover96 @loviingjihyo @hrlzy @spideybrina @wickedfun9 @dessxoxsworld @Tjb113 @heartsml @munsonrry @blu3jeanbaby
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the-californicationist · 10 months ago
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FaceTime (Price/Reader)
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Warning: video/phone sex
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It was around lunchtime when you usually heard from John. His deployment was stationed in some Eastern European locale, and over there, it would be late at night. He usually texted you throughout the day, and you’d wake up to his updates, but it had been radio silence for at least twenty-four hours and you were nervous.
You tried to stay busy, keeping yourself calm by talking to your friends and calling your mom, but the house was so empty without him. Sometimes you stole a cigar just to smell his smoke in the house again, lighting it on a plate like incense. He’d be cross if he found out, but you knew he’d forgive you. 
You logged out of your work email and undressed to hop in the shower. Then, just as you were about to step in, you heard your phone buzz. Abandoning the running shower, you lunged for your phone, turning it over to see John’s profile photo on the screen, smiling at you.
“John?” You panted, fear crawling up your throat. 
“Hey, love,” he whispered, his voice low and gravelly. He sounded exhausted.
“Thank God. I was worried sick. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he sounded like he wanted to say no, “Everything’s fine.”
That was his code for ‘don’t ask.’ It made you even more concerned, but you kept that to yourself, not wanting to add to his mental stress.
“I miss you, John,” you sighed. 
Then, he was video calling you. You were naked, but he was careful. He would never call you in front of anyone. You swiped up to answer it. 
He seemed surprised to see your bare collarbones. He was shirtless, too. Ready for bed, alone in his bunk. 
“Oh, hey,” he smiled, “Look at you, pretty thing.”
You blushed, 
“Right back at you, handsome.”
He grinned, rubbing his big hand across his chest. You loved it when he did that. There was something so hot about his fingers petting through his thick chest hair, flashing over his pink nipples, warming his tired muscles, rippling and rising with his breaths. 
“Mm, careful, love. I’m already missin’ ya. Start praising me and I’m gonna grab you through this phone,” he joked with you, playfully threatening, flirting through his tiredness. 
“Wish you would, John,” you moaned, testing his limits. If you were lucky, maybe he would take the bait.
You heard the fabric of his sweatpants rustle, and when he repositioned the phone, you saw his pink cock being dragged out, heavy and hardening under its commander’s grasp. You moaned again, more enthusiastically this time, 
“Oh, fuck. I miss that cock,” you propped your phone up on the sink, leaning it against a bottle of soap and the tap. 
You saw your body on the screen, tossing your towel on the counter to show him your entire naked form. Your hands found your breasts, pulling at your nipples, squeezing the flesh for him and for you, feeling better by the second. Your hands were no match for his hands, but it would have to pass. 
“This cock misses you, baby. Why don’t you touch that soft little cunt for me, hm?”
You do as he says, eagerly sinking your fingers into yourself to obey him, sending waves of pleasure through your core as you do. You’re not ready yet, and you work yourself slowly as you watch his giant hand pump his fat shaft faster and faster in the darkness of his bunk. 
“I can’t wait for you to come home, John. I need to taste you again. I want you to put so much come in me that I feel full from it.”
“You like how I taste, love?” His voice was strained. He was concentrating on watching you fuck yourself on your hand. 
“I love it,” you confessed honestly, “You want me to show you how much?”
You didn’t wait for him to reply. You gathered your wetness on your fingers and showed it to him, making sticky strings of your own come drip between your fingers. He groaned, and then he gasped when he watched you lick them clean. 
“Fuck, do that again.”
You dipped your fingers into yourself, coating them with your own fluids and bent down closer to the camera so he could see the gleam of your juices as your fingers slid into your waiting mouth. You used your tongue to show him how clean they were. 
He groaned loudly, a familiar sound, and you saw white streams of come burst from his rosy tip, melting down his shaft like a tall candle. 
“Bloody hell, I needed that.”
You smiled, making a mental note to charge your vibrator before you get in the shower. You needed to let off the insane tension he had just built up inside of you.
You blew him a kiss and he caught it with his free hand, 
“Me, too. Call me tomorrow?”
“No need. Tomorrow, you’re gonna get the real thing.”
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idiopath-fic-smile · 1 year ago
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this one goes out to all my Singin' in the Rain ot3 truthers—
Cosmo Brown had always known it would end like this.
Cosmo was a lot of things—in fact, you could argue he was too many—but he wasn’t dumb.
From the early years, when Cosmo and Don were just kids playing for pennies in pool halls, to their stint dodging rotten vegetables on Vaudeville stages across the very backwaters of America’s backwaters, to their first real breath of success in Hollywood (and then the second and the third and the fourth), Cosmo would catch a glimpse of his handsome, charismatic friend from the corner of his eye—a flash of dark hair, that perfect tooth powder ad smile—and know that for all Don’s protestations, someday the guy was gonna meet a wonderful girl and get married, settle down, and very gently slip off to the far edge of Cosmo’s life.
So yes, Cosmo had seen Kathy Selden coming. Not the details, not her sense of humor or her musical little laugh or the madcap way she really threw herself into dancing with them around Don’s place at 1:30 in the morning—and okay, certainly not the part at the beginning where she had jumped out of a cake at a party, but he thought a fella could be excused for not correctly divining that. 
The general outline of the thing, though, how Don’s eyes followed her around a room...he had been preparing for Don to propose to Kathy ever since she’d tried to throw a pie at Don’s face. And when the happy day came, Cosmo had been ready with his best man suit, his best man speech, a slightly updated version of “Here Comes the Bride” that’d had Don and Kathy laughing all the way down the aisle.
Don and Kathy would buy a house together. They would have a swimming pool and a dog and then inevitably, a small parade of adorable little snot-nosed kids who would call him Uncle Cosmo, and they would spend less and less time with him, not on purpose but busy with the rest of their lives, and ultimately Cosmo would learn to make his peace with it because he’d have no other choice and he would have to try to move on and not live too much in his memories. He could picture it so clearly, he figured if the songwriting gig with Monumental didn’t pan out, he could always return to the backwater circuit with a new act: The Amazing Cosmo of the Cosmos—ladies and gentlemen, he sees the future, he reads the stars, he silently pines for his best married pal and all the while tap dancing!
Don and Kathy inviting him along on their honeymoon, though—that part was a surprise.
“What?” said Cosmo, hands frozen over the piano keys. He’d been busy with a brand-new assignment; on the heels of The Dancing Cavalier, offers were pouring in and he’d taken the first one scoring a movie that didn’t star anyone he was secretly in love with.
Don had looked a little wounded when Cosmo broke the news last week, but a guy had to start making his own way in the world. Besides, orchestrating layers of strings to swell as the camera zoomed in on Don and Kathy blissfully locking lips in radiant monochrome, oblivious to the rest of the world—well, Cosmo knew that dance, he had mastered the footwork, and he didn’t especially feel like a reprise.
It wasn’t lost on him that Kathy had dropped by his rehearsal space alone today. Of course, he had no idea what this meant—he didn’t think it was about the new job; Don didn’t tend to stay sore at him for that long—but Kathy was acting perfectly natural, and so probably the smart thing was to follow her lead.
“It’s a two-week transatlantic cruise,” she said now, gracefully dropping beside him on the piano bench. “We thought it would be nice to see Europe, take in the sights, get away from all the cameras.”
“Ah yes, such a wallflower, our dear Don,” said Cosmo solemnly. “Besieged on all sides by the love of his public, a tragedy of our times, up there with Lear! Hamlet! Caesar! The one with all the Greeks and the giant wooden horse, nay, nay, neigh.” He played a tragic little trill, for effect. Kathy huffed a laugh and smacked his arm.
“You know that’s not it,” she said. “Being watched all the time—we can’t always do what we want. It’s rotten.”
Tell me about it, thought Cosmo.
He was sort of seeing a fight choreographer named Archibald, who came from old money and was a “the third” or a “the fifth” but nice enough Cosmo might even forgive him for that. Archibald was trim and athletic, with dark brown hair that was just starting to go gray at the temples and enough discretion that Cosmo didn’t think they’d get caught. The only problem was that he didn’t laugh at Cosmo’s jokes, seemed to just tolerate them.
“What do you two even talk about, then?” Don had asked, when Cosmo had let this slip over drinks the same night he’d explained about the new movie project. (Cosmo had been trying to spend less time with Don and Kathy since the wedding but Don had said, “C’mon, pal, we miss you” and Kathy had laid one hand on his arm and peered up at him with her big green eyes and Cosmo was only one man.)
Cosmo had frowned, because Don hated Archibald, for reasons that were frankly mysterious. Then he’d looked up and grinned a grin he didn’t exactly feel and said,
“Tell you when you’re older,” and then Don had choked on his dry Martini even though Cosmo knew Don knew about Cosmo’s tendencies. It wasn’t something they discussed, and Cosmo had never properly gone with a guy before, but whenever a big-shot producer started complaining about all the degenerate queers in showbiz, Don always sharply steered the conversation someplace else. It was all very gallant and noble and knightly, and someday Don would play King Arthur and Kathy his lady Guinevere—
“Honestly, sometimes it feels as if we’re living in a fishbowl,” said Kathy now, in the present.
“And so your solution is to relocate,” said Cosmo, “to the biggest fishbowl on this here magnificent earth. The mighty ocean!” He struck up a sea shanty. “Oh blow the man down, blow the man down / way ay, blow the man down…”
Not everyone appreciated his musical flights of fancy, but when Cosmo turned, she was leaning with her elbow on the side arm of the piano, watching him with her chin on her hand and laughing. 
“Just for two weeks,” she said. “So, are you coming?”
“With you two,” said Cosmo, just so there could be no misunderstandings. “On your one and only honeymoon.”
“Yes,” said Kathy.
“As what, your first mate?”
“Sure.” She grinned and threw him a quick salute. Cosmo was almost never attracted to women but in this case, he understood the appeal.
He swallowed. “You are aware of that ancient saying, ‘Two’s company and three’s a fast track to divorce court’?”
“You’re hardly a threat to our marriage, Cosmo,” she said, and he agreed, of course, in both directions, even, but it still stung to hear her say it out loud. For want of anything better to do, he gasped, clutched a hand to his chest and reeled backwards so hard, he threw himself off the piano bench, landing in a somersault on the floor.
Kathy spun around fluidly on the bench to face him, pleated skirt whirling a little, heels of her shoes clicking together. 
“Oh, I said that badly,” she said. “I only mean that it’s more fun when you’re around. We have a better time, Don and me both. Remember the night we decided to make Dueling Cavalier a musical?”
“Do I remember the best night of my life?” Cosmo peered up at her from the hardwood. “Why yes, madam, now that you mention it, I believe it might ring a bell or two.”
“The best—” She frowned for a moment, and he remembered then that as a newly married woman, a newly married woman to Don Lockwood, no less, she’d no doubt experienced any number of evenings that blew that one out of the water.
Even besides that, it felt awfully revealing all of a sudden. Cosmo threw an arm over his eyes. He felt naked. He wished he was naked, because that might at least distract from whatever his face was doing.
“So it beats your time with Archibald, then?” said Kathy shrewdly.
Cosmo uncovered his eyes. He forgot, sometimes, that new as Kathy was to the moving pictures business, she was still a city girl, with a city girl’s worldliness. Also, Don had probably told her; that seemed like the kind of second-hand secrets married people shared with each other. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
“Hardly a topic for mixed company,” he said.
There was a pause.
“So yes,” she said and smiled with a smugness that would’ve been unbecoming were she not as cute as a button.
“What do you and Don have against the poor man anyway?” he groused. “He’s never done so much as sneezed in your direction, and if he did, I’m sure he’d use a handkerchief.”
“For one thing, we know you could do better,” said Kathy, folding her arms.
Cosmo elbowed his way back to sitting, brushing himself off with dignity. “Well, better’s not exactly knocking on my door right now.”
“This town doesn’t have an ounce of sense.” She reached down to offer him a hand up, pulling Cosmo to his feet; she was stronger than she looked. “Listen, two weeks away, it’ll be good for you.”
“What about you two?” Cosmo protested as he reclaimed his spot on the bench, Kathy sliding to make room.
“What about us?” said Kathy with wide eyes.
“Two newlyweds might want some alone time?” he offered weakly.
Kathy shrugged. “I told you, there won’t be reporters or cameras. It’ll be plenty private.”
“What about your matrimonial needs?”
“Which needs?”
His eyes narrowed; she was a terrific actress but suddenly he wasn’t sure he was buying it. Kathy wasn’t dumb either.
“You have to know what I mean. Don’t make me play Cole Porter at you,” said Cosmo. She hesitated, and Cosmo began to pluck out a melody: “Birds do it, bees do it / even educated fleas do it…” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Let’s do it,” sang Kathy, finishing the stanza in her lovely alto, “let’s fall in love.”
Cosmo stopped playing.
“I do know,” she said simply, “of course I do, and we’re not worried about it, alright? Listen, do you want to go?”
Cosmo, who had been carefully not asking himself that question, stared down at the piano keys. Did he want to go? He thought back to that night at Don’s, the three of them giddy with excitement and inspiration and sleep deprivation, running through the house, clowning around and dancing with no audience except each other—he hadn’t felt like a hanger-on then, like a third wheel or an extra limb or a chaperone. He’d felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be, one note of a perfect chord.
Still.
“I can’t swim,” he said.
“They’ll have lifejackets,” said Kathy.
“I’ll have to work.”
“We’ll bring a piano.”
“All my houseplants will die,” said Cosmo.
“All your houseplants are fake,” she said. This was true, although he wasn’t sure how she knew since she’d never been to his house. She sighed. “Remember the night of that first screening, when you were about to expose Lina and instead of explaining what was happening, Don told me I had to sing, that I didn’t have a choice?”
He winced, thinking of Kathy’s heartbroken, tear-stained face before they’d pulled up the curtain and revealed who was really singing when Lina moved her lips.
“Yes, and I feel just awful about it.”
“Well, Don doesn’t,” said Kathy. “Because he knew it would take too long to convince me to do something that mean to her.”
“Mean?” Cosmo echoed. “She tried to trap you in a lifelong contract and steal your voice. A common sea witch wouldn’t stoop so low.”
“But there wasn’t time,” she pressed. “And anyway, he knew how it would end.”
“What’s your point?”
“We already bought your tickets,” said Kathy.
Cosmo gaped at her.
“We’ve cleared the trip with everyone at Monumental and anyway, like I said, we’ll have a piano on the boat.”
Distantly, he was aware his mouth was still hanging open. Kathy reached over with one light finger under his chin and gently closed it. 
“That’s better,” she said, folding her hands daintily in her lap. It was around this time she seemed to realize it wasn’t some routine, that Cosmo really was well and truly stunned. “Of course, nobody is going to force you to go with us if you truly don’t want to,” she said into the silence.
“These tickets,” he said at last, “are they refundable?”
“Gosh,” said Kathy easily, “I can’t imagine they are, no.”
The thing was, none of them were hurting for money or work anymore, so the fact that Don and Kathy might be out even a few hundred dollars didn’t catch at him the way it might’ve some years earlier. No, the thought that really seized his imagination was the mental image of Don and Kathy planning this together, Don and Kathy discussing the matter with each other, maybe over breakfast—toast and coffee in their dressing gowns, so sure it was the right thing to do that they’d decided to just go ahead and make preparations: oh and a ticket for Cosmo, of course.
He could do it, he realized. He could go. He wanted to go. It was foolish, but Cosmo was an entertainer; he’d been doing foolish things in front of a roomful of witnesses since he was in shortpants.
“I’ll pack tonight,” he said.
“Perfect!” Kathy hopped off the bench and straightened out her dress. “And bring something nice to wear at dinner for a night or two; it doesn’t need to be black-tie formal, a good suit will do.”
He nodded. “I shall leave the top hat and monocle at home. Two weeks, you say?”
“Yes, and another half-day on either side flying to the harbor and back.” She reached into her coat pocket, and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “The itinerary,” she said. “Don and I are so glad you’ll be coming.”
“Uh-huh,” said Cosmo. “Say, where is that fella, anyway? What’s the big idea, can’t even stick around to ask his best pal to his own honeymoon?”
“He’s planning the trip,” said Kathy brightly. “Last-minute details. Anyway, he thought you and I should have a chat, one on one. He thought it might help.”
He blinked. “Help what?”
“Help us,” she said.
It was all starting to feel like a farce, like one of those old Vaudeville acts with a lot of fast talking.
“Did it?” he asked.
“I think so,” said Kathy warmly. She turned and began to walk towards the door. “See you at the airport tomorrow. Six AM sharp.”
“Six AM,” he said, and then, foolishly, “You know, I can see why he likes you.”
Kathy dimpled. “Oh, likewise!” She tossed him another smile and then she was heading out of sight down the hallway, shoes clacking rhythmically on the tile.
“Well,” said Cosmo to no one. He felt pole-axed, he decided. He wasn’t sure he had ever felt pole-axed in his life before, but there was no other word for it.
He played a chord, then another chord, then a few more.
“Pole-axed,” he sang, “out of whack, when you are near there’s only one drawback: I can’t be clever, no I lack the knack, Darling, I’m pole-axed, out of whack around you!”
It wasn’t exactly Cole Porter, but he’d take it, he thought, reaching for his pen. There was still an hour or two left before he’d need to race traffic home and dig out his suitcase. Apparently, he had early morning plans.
(ETA: if you didn't see, there is now a second part here!)
(ETA THE SECOND: the whole finished thing is now here!
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amathslutsguidetofandom · 3 months ago
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You just moved in the house next door to Bucky’s and when he welcomes you to the neighborhood, he completely forgets what he was going to say cause he’s stunned by your beauty and he eventually asks you if you want to hangout with him and Steve which you immediately accept🥰
Never Been More Sure
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PAIRINGS: Construction Worker!James "Bucky" Barnes x Reader
WARNINGS: FLUFF, overworked reader, reader needs a break, loud music. Grumpy Bucky
WORD COUNT: 1,644
*not proof-read*
ENJOY!
His grip on the hammer tightens as he hears the base from the house next door increases.
“Jesus,” he mutters, Bucky looks at his watch as see that’s it three in the afternoon. He then looks at Steve, “who the hell would be listening to music this loud at this time of day?”
Steve looks up from the blueprints and squints his eyes at the house next to the one they’re working on and hears the bass he’s best friend was talking about. “Dunno man,” he shrugs.
The house flipping project was not knew to Bucky’s experience, but it was albeit different from his usual construction work, but when the man who own the company, who also happens to be his best friend, tells him he needs some help, Bucky’s up and ready to help.
He enjoyed renovating the house, but what he did not enjoy was the loud music playing from the house next door.
It would always be the same playlist every day, at the same hour, at maximum volume.
He’d always grit his teeth as he felt the vibrations through out the entirety of the house.
***
He parks his truck in the driveway and steps out, Bucky looks up into the sky and see’s the orange hue of the rising sun tainting the blue sky.
He sighs and walks into the house gets all the equipment up and ready for action.
Steve arrives a little while later and sets up too, they talk about random updates on their lives when Steve stops to a specific topic.
“Oh, and the person next door, the one that blasts the music is apparently new to the neighbourhood too,” he says as he uses a hammer to nail in some wooden floorboards.
Bucky pauses as he holds some tiles under his arm, “yeah?”
To which Steve nods too, “yeah.”
***
There is it, again.
The bass.
Bucky shakes his head in annoyance and rubs the bridge of his nose trying to push away the oncoming headache.
Steve had to go and get some caulk for the bathroom, so it was only Bucky working out some things.
“Fuck this shit,” he drops his tools and walks out of the house in his beige construction boots.
He was on the sidewalk to the house next door; he sees the plants on the porch and the little metal porch table and chair on the corner. With each step towards the house, the bass gets louder.
Walking up to the door he clenches his jaw as he hears his heart thumps to the beat of the base, he clenches his knuckles and knocks on the door a bit too loudly.
***
Your mind was too focused on working on your code and trying to find your bug and trying to understand why your program runs on an infinite loop, that you almost did not hear the loud knock on your door.
Your mind reels itself back into the real world, where Freddie Mercury screams through your house about some woman being a killer queen.
You walk to your front door, as you do you feel the base course through your body, providing you’re tension some sort of release. You open the door to see a 6’ something beefy man with hair till his shoulders, the bluest eyes you’ve seen, and a pair of construction vest and a hard hat.
You, however, are cladded in a tank top and red flannel pyjama pants.
“Uh hi, may I help you?” you look at him confuse, like you weren’t totally checking him out a few seconds ago.
I mean you really can’t blame you, when he is doing the exact same thing as you were: checking you out.
***
Bucky taps his foot impatiently waiting for the door to be opened, and when it does the string of cuss words that he had planned to use evaporates from his tongue.
He takes in your messy hairdo and the glasses that perch on your nose.
His heart stutters for a sec, he can’t even bring himself to answer the question you asked. And when you repeat it again, he just lets out a serious of “uh’s” and “um’s”.
You look at him questioningly, wondering what a construction worker would be doing around these parts. Then you remember the house that’s being renovated on your left.
“Oh you the guys working on house next to mine, yeah?” You say as you lean against your doorframe.
Bucky stands straighter and gets himself together. “Uh, yes ma’am,” he nods he scratches his stubble.
“I’m sorry for knocking so loud, ma’am. But I’ve been working on the house for a few weeks now and I can’t help but hear the…. music from your house,” he says looking into your eyes and stuffing his hands into the hands of his cargo shorts.
You blush immediately, “shit. Oh my god, I’m so sorry it’s just when I get locked into my work. I just need some loud base so it does get loud in the noggin’,” you say and tap on your temple, and then cringe.
WHO THE FUCK SAYS NOGGIN
To your luck, Bucky chuckles at your little stunt and nods.
“What work needs music so loud that it can break the sound barrier,” he crosses his arm and gives you a smirk.
Your legs almost turn to jelly at his smirk.
“Well, um, I code…...A lot. I work in Machine Learning,” you say as your wring your hands and laugh nervously.
Bucky raises a brow, impressed at your revelation of what you do for a living.
“Impressive. Well then, I really shouldn’t say anything that would affect your work-,” he starts but you cut immediately.
“No, no, no, it’s my fault I’ll reduce the volume. I should’ve done it sooner, but I was just seriously locked in. I’m like running on five cups of coffee, it’s literally insane. My boss thinks that I am able to code an entire authentication system in two weeks, and that’s where she her screws are loose in her head. Cuz, no one in the entire world can build an entire TWO-WAY authentication system in two weeks. Like who does she think I am Mark Zuckerberg, I can’t-,”
You pause as you realise, you’re going on a rant. Bucky’s eyes are slightly raised in shock.
“Sorry I really shouldn’t be rambling about my job to some stranger, I’ll lower the volume Mr…,” you drag the last bit hoping he’ll finish it off you.
“Barnes, James Barnes. But my friends call me Bucky,” he sticks his hand out and asks for yours, which you tell gladly.
“And don’t worry, we all have those days,” he says giving you a little nod of sympathy.
You smile softly at his efforts and thank him before giving a tight smile and a “See you later” and closing the door of your humble abode.
***
Bucky notices the reduced volume of the music in the following days, he smiles as he can only hear the traces of the 80’s/90’s music you play from your home.
Steve see’s the look Bucky has as he watches your house.
“Have you met ‘em?” Steve asks as he continues to tile the kitchen.
Bucky, without looking away from the house, responds with a yes.
Steve chuckles, “you gave ‘em a piece of your mind? Threaten ‘em? Is that why their music is barely audible now, hmm?”
Bucky shakes his head, “she’s gorgeous, Steve.” He remembers how you were dressed with you first opened the door and it made his heart flutter again.
“Yeah?” Steve asks, with a smirk on his face. Bucky death glares at Steve, to which Steve chuckles at.
The blonde looks at his watch as sighs, “well it’s time for lunch, wanna clock out?” To which Bucky nods to.
Soon they make it to Bucky’s truck and Bucky can’t help but stare at your house.
“Ask her if she wanna join,” Steve pushes Bucky in your direction.
“Should I? I dunno man,” the brunette scratches the back of his neck. Steve just rolls his eyes and shoves Bucky to the stairs leading up to your porch.
***
You excepted there would be a bug in your code. But what you didn’t expect was your doorbell to ring.
You got up and felt your grey sweats unstick from your thighs, you shudder at the feeling.
You make your way to the door and open it up to reveal the man you were secretly hoping it would be.
Bucky.
“Hey Bucky, gosh I hope the music isn’t loud again,” you laugh nervously to which Bucky shakes his head and reassures you.
“It’s perfect, doll. Greatly appreciated,” he smiles giving a soft smile.
You return with your own and then a confused look glazes your face, “oh, great. Then, why are you…?”
Bucky helps you finish the sentence, “My co-worker and I were heading to grab some lunch, just wanted to check in and ask if you wanted to join us?”
“Oh,” you look behind him and see and equally handsome blonde man waving in your direction with a 100-percent-typical-American-golden-boy smile. You nervously wave back and look back at Bucky, “Oh I don’t wanna impose.”
Bucky huffs and chuckles, “you ain’t imposing, Doll. I’m offering.” He raises a brow in question, waiting for your answer.
“How long have you been at your computer?” he asks straightforward. You reel you head back in slight confusion at the sudden change of topic, “uh, since this morning?”
Bucky nods and replies, “you need a break.”
That you didn’t disagree with, since you are desperate for one.
But you feel as though you’d disturb Bucky and his friends lunch.
“You sure I won’t be imposing?” you ask him as you bite your lip.
“Never been more sure of anything else in my life, doll.”
💌💌💌
Hey Lovelies! this has been sitting in my drafts for a while now, and I FINALLY finished it. My deepest apologies @sergeantbarnessdoll for not completing it sooner, it isn't the same as you asked I hope that's all good 🤧🤧🤧.
This was also a fix I was planning to make! ( a fix that included a construction worker Bucky Barnes’s, cuz that AU is soooo underrated)
Lemme know what y'all think!
Till' then,
Stay Coquette-y,
Anya 🫶🏽🕊️🎀
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pforestsims · 8 months ago
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Not much to say other than I'm glad I finally managed to finish these but I still need more bar stuff :S
Bar Decor Set
Download: SFS | BOX
13 decorative objects plus bar mat (tray) and Bar OMSP (single slot, bar worktop height) . Reasonable polycount and texture size (512x256px or smaller, mostly 256x256 px).
Updated : 04.05.2024 - Fixed NonSlip Bar Mat, now it can be placed on all surfaces. 08.04.2024 - edited bar worktop OMSP so it doesn't block bar functions. Added second OMSP for lower bar shelf.
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*Flavoured Syrup features simlish versions of RL product labels.
I used fonts: Simlish Western, Immajer-Simlish, CherryVanilla.
More pics under the cut:
*This is for The Sims 2
If you've downloaded the WIP version please update the files.
Retro Blender mesh and Red recolor was edited, drinking straw box is unchanged.
New stuff: flipped version of straw box (repo), two types of shakers, jiggers & ice tongs, mixing glass, small six pack and separate bottles, glass with straws and empty glass. There's also a bar mat - has 9 placement slots.
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Enjoy!
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Boring technical notes for CC creators:
My Syrup bottle has two recolorable subsets - the cap and Label - both opaque, but there's also a transparent 'Glass' subset with its own TXMT. When switching Label recolors, the glass color changes along with it.
It's possible thanks to 'tsDesignModeSlaveSubsets'. It allows you to have two different TXMTs linked together.
You add 'tsDesignModeSlaveSubsets' to GMND just like you would tsMaterialsMeshName, but the difference is you link recolorable subset to an extra subset inside your mesh. So in case of my bottle:
label = (String) glass
The important thing is to have TXMTs inside your file named as follows:
[CRES name]_[unique subset name]_[suffix shared between subsets]
For example:
[CRES name]_glass_bottle for the glass, [CRES name]_label_bottle for the label and so on.
When creating a recolor for both subsets, it should contain three TXMTs.
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