#smart coatings market

[reedintelligence]

Smart Coatings Market market Forecast By Industry Outlook 2024-2032

Smart Coatings Market Growth Strategic Market Overview and Growth Projections

The global smart coatings market size was valued at USD 4.92 billion in 2021. It is expected to reach USD 18.74 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 18.2% during the forecast period (2022–2030).

The latest Global Smart Coatings Market by straits research provides an in-depth analysis of the Smart Coatings Market, including its future growth potential and key factors influencing its trajectory. This comprehensive report explores crucial elements driving market expansion, current challenges, competitive landscapes, and emerging opportunities. It delves into significant trends, competitive strategies, and the role of key industry players shaping the global Smart Coatings Market. Additionally, it provides insight into the regulatory environment, market dynamics, and regional performance, offering a holistic view of the global market’s landscape through 2032.

Competitive Landscape

Some of the prominent key players operating in the Smart Coatings Market are 

AkzoNobel

Sherwin-Williams

Axalta Coating Systems

Ppg Industries

Rpm International

Ak Coatings

and Specialty Coating System

Clariant

Dupont

Optical Coating Technologies

Burke Industrial Coatings.

Get Free Request Sample Report @ https://straitsresearch.com/report/smart-coatings-market/request-sample

The Smart Coatings Market Research report delivers comprehensive annual revenue forecasts alongside detailed analysis of sales growth within the market. These projections, developed by seasoned analysts, are grounded in a deep exploration of the latest industry trends. The forecasts offer valuable insights for investors, highlighting key growth opportunities and industry potential. Additionally, the report provides a concise dashboard overview of leading organizations, showcasing their effective marketing strategies, market share, and the most recent advancements in both historical and current market landscapes.Global Smart Coatings Market: Segmentation

The Smart Coatings Market segmentation divides the market into multiple sub-segments based on product type, application, and geographical region. This segmentation approach enables more precise regional and country-level forecasts, providing deeper insights into market dynamics and potential growth opportunities within each segment.

By Layer Type

Single Layer Coatings

Multi-Layer Coatings

By Function

Anti-corrosion

Anti-fouling

Antimicrobial

Self-healing

Self-cleaning

Anti-icing coatings

By End-User

Automotive

Transportation

Marine

Construction

Aerospace and Defense

Healthcare

Stay ahead of the competition with our in-depth analysis of the market trends!

Buy Now @ https://straitsresearch.com/buy-now/smart-coatings-market

Market Highlights:

A company's revenue and the applications market are used by market analysts, data analysts, and others in connected industries to assess product values and regional markets.

But not limited to: reports from corporations, international Organization, and governments; market surveys; relevant industry news.

Examining historical market patterns, making predictions for the year 2022, as well as looking forward to 2032, using CAGRs (compound annual growth rates)

Historical and anticipated data on demand, application, pricing, and market share by country are all included in the study, which focuses on major markets such the United States, Europe, and China.

Apart from that, it sheds light on the primary market forces at work as well as the obstacles, opportunities, and threats that suppliers face. In addition, the worldwide market's leading players are profiled, together with their respective market shares.

Goals of the Study

What is the overall size and scope of the Smart Coatings Market market?

What are the key trends currently influencing the market landscape?

Who are the primary competitors operating within the Smart Coatings Market market?

What are the potential growth opportunities for companies in this market?

What are the major challenges or obstacles the market is currently facing?

What demographic segments are primarily targeted in the Smart Coatings Market market?

What are the prevailing consumer preferences and behaviors within this market?

What are the key market segments, and how do they contribute to the overall market share?

What are the future growth projections for the Smart Coatings Market market over the next several years?

How do regulatory and legal frameworks influence the market?

About Straits Research

Straits Research is dedicated to providing businesses with the highest quality market research services. With a team of experienced researchers and analysts, we strive to deliver insightful and actionable data that helps our clients make informed decisions about their industry and market. Our customized approach allows us to tailor our research to each client's specific needs and goals, ensuring that they receive the most relevant and valuable insights.

Contact Us

Email: sales@straitsresearch.com 

Tel: UK: +44 203 695 0070, USA: +1 646 905 0080

[medicaldevicesindustrynews]

Construction Glass Coming Good for Making Green Buildings

There is nothing hyperbolic in the fact that the global construction sector is growing like wild fire, particularly in the developing countries like India, China, Japan etc. The intensifying construction activities and developed infra are the core evidences of the booming construction sector, all over the world. The construction industry is always on the lookout for much-improved, reliable and…

[castellla]

i like the phrase 'manic features' specifically, because features really gives a 'sick-ass touchless trashcan by simplehuman at bed bath and beyond that costs $499.99 and also cooks, cleans, and fucks your wife if you're both into that' kinda vibe.

[mynicosensesaretingling]

When the Snow Falls

a Lando Norris x reader story

Request: Can you write me Christmas market date with Lando including first kiss? 🙏🏼Childhood friends to lovers, I always got dragged to karting racing by my dad and that's how we know each other.

Warnings: none , written in my notes app

Note: I guess I am officially kicking off the christmas season with this one. It’s my first time writing for Lando but I most certainly hope you enjoy it <3

——

The year was slowly but surely coming to an end, with Christmas just around the corner you found yourself on your way to your first Christmas market visit of the season. For as long as you could remember, Christmas markets had always been your favorite part of the holidays, and this year, it felt even more special—because you were going with Lando.

You’d known Lando Norris practically forever. Your dad had dragged you along to karting races when you were both kids, and you’d quickly bonded over the long hours at the track. Back then, you didn’t care much for racing, but you did like hanging out with him. Already as a child, Lando had managed to make everything fun—whether he was sneaking you snacks from the paddock or teasing you about how bored you looked while your dad obsessively watched the races.

Even years later, when Lando’s career took off and he became a Formula 1 driver, things between you didn’t change. Sure, he got more famous, busier, and a lot harder to keep up with, but whenever you saw him, it was like nothing had changed. Well, almost nothing.

Lately, things had been… different. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but something between you had shifted. There were moments now where he looked at you just a little too long, where his jokes seemed to hold a new kind of meaning or where his hand lingered on your shoulder, sending chills up your spine. You’d always been close, but lately, you found yourself thinking about him in a way that friends shouldn’t—like the way his smile would make your heart swell with joy or how the sound of his voice made your chest tighten just a little.

And now here you were, approaching the Christmas market bundled up in your favourite scarf and a thick coat, with snow lightly falling around you. Letting your eyes wander over the scene in front of you, you could easily tell that the market was packed, the sound of music was mixing with the lively chatter of the people, various colourful lights were twinkling overhead and the winter breeze carried the smell of seasonal treats and mulled wine. The whole place looked like something out of a Christmas movie.

You spotted Lando waiting for you near the entrance, hands shoved in his pockets, his breath fogging in the cold air and snow flakes adorning his wild curls. When his searching gaze found you, his face lit up with a grin that sent warmth all the way to your toes—despite the freezing weather.

“About time!” Lando called out with a teasing smile. “I was starting to think you ditched me for someone more fun.”

“Like who?” you shot back, chuckling as you walked up to him. “I’m only here for the free hot chocolate.”

“Harsh,” he said with a dramatic sigh, shaking his head. “But understandable.”

You rolled your eyes, but couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of your lips. That was the thing about Lando—he made everything easy. With him, you didn’t have to try too hard to be funny or smart or interesting. He just got you. Always had.

Lando bumped his shoulder lightly against yours, a playful spark in his eyes. “Come on then, let's see what else we can find to complain about.” he teased. But his words held a warmth that wrapped around you like the winter chill never could. You knew he wasn’t just talking about the market—it was his way of reminding you how comfortable everything felt when it was the two of you.

As you linked arms and wandered into the market, the festive lights twinkling overhead, you felt that familiar feeling of comfort settle over you, the kind that only ever seemed to come when you were with Lando. Despite everything—the years, the fame, the distance—it still felt like it was just the two of you against the world, like it had always been.

“So,” Lando said as you passed a stall selling Christmas ornaments, his breath visible in the cold air. “You still remember how much you hated coming to the karting track back in the day?”

You laughed, gently shaking your head at the unexpected throwback. “I didn’t *hate* it. I just wasn’t obsessed with it like you were.”

“Liar,” Lando teased, nudging you playfully. “You looked absolutely miserable every time I saw you.”

“Yeah, because my dad was way more invested than I was,” you shot back with a grin. “But you made it bearable. I could always count on you offering me an escape from the racing madness.”

He smiled softly at that, and for a second, the teasing glint in his eyes vanished, replaced by something else—something that made your heart skip a beat. “Well, you were mine too, you know. It wasn’t all about the karting.”

Your breath caught in your throat, and for a brief moment, the bustling market seemed to fade around you. You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could, Lando pointed toward a stall up ahead. “Come on, let’s get you that hot chocolate you came here for in the first place.”

You followed him through the crowd, the energy of the market buzzing around you, but your thoughts kept circling back to that look in his eyes. There had been something different about it—something that made the air feel just a little heavier between you.

Whilst you had been lost in thought Lando had bought two steaming cups of hot chocolate and you only found yourself snapping back to reality when the driver carefully handed one to you. “Here. This should keep you from freezing to death.”

You took it gratefully, cradling it between both of your hands, a satisfied hum leaving your lips when you felt the warmth seeping through your skin . “You’re the best.”

“I know,” Lando said with a cocky grin, but there was a softness in his tone that made your heart flutter.

As the two of you wandered deeper into the market, sipping your hot chocolate and chatting about everything and nothing, the playful banter flowed naturally. It always did with Lando. But even between all the sarcastic comments and dry jokes you could feel something unspoken hanging in the air between you, a tension that had been building for months.

The festive stalls blurred together as you walked, but then something caught your eye. You stopped in front of a small wooden stall, the soft green of mistletoe sprigs hanging from the awning, each tied with delicate red ribbons. You stared at them for a moment longer than you meant to, your stomach doing a little flip as the realization of what mistletoe symbolized hit you.

“You know what they say about mistletoe…” Lando said, his voice suddenly becoming a little quieter, a little softer. He was standing close—closer than usual—and when you looked up, his eyes were fixed on you, not the mistletoe.

Your breath caught, heart racing as you noticed the change in the air between you. Trying to steady yourself, you gave a small smile and raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? And what exactly do they say?”

He took a moment to reply, his gaze still locked on yours. “Apparently, you’re supposed to kiss under it.”

For a moment, the world seemed to stop. The noise of the market, the lights, the people—it all faded into the background. It was just you and Lando, standing there in the middle of the market, the snow falling softly around you.

Your senses where overwhelmed with how close he was now—so close that you could feel the warmth of his breath on your skin, could see the soft, nervous flicker in his eyes. For a split second, you thought about backing away, about brushing it off with a joke like you always did.

But you didn’t. Instead, you stepped forward, almost closing the space between you. “I guess we should follow tradition then,” you whispered, your voice barely audible over the sounds of the market.

Lando’s eyes flickered to your lips, the desire in his eyes as clear as day before all of sudden his lips found yours. It was soft and tentative at first, like he was testing the waters, but when you didn’t pull away, the kiss deepened. His hands gently cupped your face, pulling you closer as the years of secret longing were finally revealed in his every touch.

When you finally broke apart, breathless and a little dazed, Lando was smiling that familiar smile, the one that never failed to make your heart race. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.” he admitted, his voice low and a little nervous.

You smiled back, your heart still hammering loudly in your chest. “Me too.”

Lando let out a breath of relief, his forehead resting gently against yours. “Good. Because I was starting to think I’d never work up the nerve.”

His confession coaxed a soft laugh from your lips, your hands resting on his chest. “You, nervous? That’s a first.”

“Only with you,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper and eyes holding his heart. He leaned in to press a soft kiss to your forehead before readjusting and pulling you into a warm embrace. “I guess we’re not just childhood friends anymore, huh?”

“Guess not,” you whispered back, not trusting your voice as a feeling of warmth spread through you that had nothing to do with the hot chocolate or the twinkling lights above.

And as the snow continued to fall gently around you, you remained in Lando’s embrace, your head resting against his chest as you found comfort in the rhythm of his heartbeat. Your eyes followed the sparkling snowflakes and the world around you seemed to slow. With his arms wrapped securely around you, you felt a sense of calm wash over you, like all the chaos and uncertainty that had been swirling in your life had finally come to a halt. You couldn’t help but contently hum as you felt like everything was finally falling into place. The way you fit against him, the warmth you shared despite the cold, and the quiet peace between you told you everything you needed to know.

[tired-biscuit]

farmer boy!kiri driving me insane as per usua

he’s everyone in town’s favorite guy!! big and dependable and so funny!! local housewives make it a point to wear their prettiest dresses to go and visit his stand at the local market.. but he doesn’t fall for it..

doesn’t fall for anyone until you move into town.. you work at the local bakery and sometimes visit him when the bakery needs an expedited egg delivery..

he’s so smitten with you, you’re pretty, smart and he can’t take his eyes off of you.. makes it a point to lift the heaviest things when you’re around in an effort to impress you..

little does he know how smitten you are with him.. how you purposely promote custards and egg tarts just so that your bakery needs more eggs and milk.. and you have an excuse to go see him again <3

all these meet-cutes until he finally works up the courage to ask you on a picnic.. where he lets you feel his muscles like you’ve been dying to from the start.. where he lets you take off his overalls and lifts up your skirt..

where the sun warms his and yours’ skin and where only the flowers know what happened next :3

(he ate you out and bred u <3)

18+ / fem!reader

you’ve been dying to touch and feel his biceps for the longest time now because you’ve seen the way they tighten and turn exceptionally prominent whenever he picks up and tosses those big sacks of flour that you keep ordering for your bakery from him and him only.

he always greets you in the friendliest way possible whenever he swings by to deliver you the goods; a polite nod of his head and a warm “hey there, darlin’” never fail to make you weak in the knees. the combination of it, that’s sometimes even accompanied by a rather playful wink, turns your brain to goddamn mush. goodness, you’re so into him that it’s getting kind of absurd!

but to be fair, how couldn’t you be? he’s pure eye candy, with his sharp facial features, fiery eyes and messy hair of the exact same shade that he keeps tied back with the help of a single elastic, and that exposes the sides of his neck, as well as the nape, in the most delicious of ways.

his skin is tan and sun-kissed from many days spent working outside under the blazing sun, and his back is broad; he carries any kind of weight with seemingly no trouble at all. the faded, well worn jeans that he usually throws on whenever he drives to town make his ass and thighs look absolutely divine as they hang off his hips.

the sight of them makes you feel like a sleaze from the way they coax you to ogle at him so openly again and again. stealing glances as he moves around your little storage room where you keep all your ingredients, all you can see is his tight physique, his big hands, how appealingly thick his fingers are; coated with a thin layer of white powder coming from the flour.

he’s a working man, oftentimes dirty with sweat and grime whenever you just happen to be passing by his land and spot him coming back from the fields, but surprisingly enough, he keeps his nails clean whenever he comes to see you.

and it doesn’t stop just at the nails. even his face lacks the sheen of sweat his line of work usually tends to induce, because unbeknownst to you, he doesn’t leave the house before he scrubs it clean. his signature white t-shirts — each one usually adorned with a logo of his favourite sports team — are crisp and constantly smell of pleasant laundry detergent; like they’ve been freshly washed every single time. and if his hair just happens to be a mess that day — stubborn strands, bedhead and whatnot — he makes sure to hide it underneath his trusty baseball cap just so you don’t have to see it.

altogether, it shows that he’s trying to impress you. that he’s putting in the effort.

and that effort is almost enough to make an already smitten girl like yourself admit defeat and fold right then and there; in the storage room of your little bakery. to make you rest the flat of your palms against one of the shelves, and bend right over at the middle.

until the fat of your ass is peeking from underneath your pretty sundress, no panties in sight, and he’s got drool nearly dripping from his mouth at the discovery. until his fat cock is nice and snug, sheathed inside your soft cunt, and his heavy balls are tightening from the way you’re invitingly wiggling your hips against him and hurrying to make him all sticky and wet with your arousal so that he can slide in even further, even deeper.

just by looking at him, you know he’d fuck you nice and slow, and so deep that it’d make hearts form in your eyes right before they’d cross. quiet grunts would fill your ear, his breathing ragged as it tickles the side of your neck and cheek. his calloused hands would be warm against your hips; dusting flour over your dress and skin, and providing a steady weight that you could lean on and rest your tired body against any time you’d wish.

there’d be constant pressure in your lower belly — overhelming but the good kind nevertheless. the slapping of skin against skin, the stretch, the sweat coating both of your brows. the pounding, the pleasure, the passion that’d be so intense that you’d end up feeling it in the goddamn marrow of your bones even.

and then, the climax. the white noise and bliss as every nerve end buzzes with electricity that’s powerful but mellow at the same time. the feeling of warm cum eventually leaking from your poor little pussy, down your thighs, dripping onto the floor; causing a mess you both chuckle at whilst cleaning afterwards.

his forehead pressing against your spine as he hunches his back because of the prominent height difference and waits for his cock to slowly soften whilst it’s still inside of you, still stretching your velvety walls. your clothes sticking to your salt-riddled bodies as you attempt to catch your breaths and not say anything too brash or embarrassing to each other.

you want him to rail you and fuck your brains out in this tiny storage room so bad. he’s just such a… man. bulky and strong, simple and endlessly kind. his heart is as big as his tits are, and much like the rest of him, you can’t help but leer at them, too as the mixture of the summer heat and your baked delights turns too much for him to bare in that exact moment and he swiftly loses the crisp white t-shirt just so that he can survive it.

watching him as he throws it over his shoulder and keeps it there, you start to think that you could take such good care of him. that he could take such good care of you. you can already see it; a cozy house, a couple of kids. hard work, animals and endless love. fresh lemonade and cookies. creaky wooden furniture and movie nights on the world’s comfiest couch. domestic bliss.

he’s the type to kiss you goodbye and hello again whenever he walks through the front door.

your daydreams end abruptly when he tosses the last sack of flour onto the neat little pile and turns around to look at you with a face that’s all of a sudden vividly red like a tomato; from his neck to his forehead, from one ear to the other.

you’re still blinking, sweetly batting your eyelashes up at him by the time he finally gathers enough courage to ask you a question you’d thought you’d never get the chance to hear from him.

he wants to take you out on a date, huh?

[milkypompon]

Pink Interface

pairing: Nathan Bateman x F!Reader

summary: Nathan made you a period tracker... but it's nothing you'll find on the public market.

content: Fluff, talks of sex, period pains

wc: 1.1k

a/n: Nate... baby, your love language is being smart, an ass, and being a smartass.

Ex Machina Masterlist || Main Masterlist

–

A blanket of snow coats the ground, steadily thickening as it dusts the sky. Foxes usually come out to frolic, but today, there weren’t pawprints pressed against the white fluff.  They’re probably curling up in a hollow den. 

It’s hardly to be jealous about, given that you were pressing against shoulder to shoulder with Nathan as you trek up the mountain together — his warmth, a welcome pleasure, seeps into your body.

But this morning, out of all the goddamn days, you saw a familiar red stain. 

You wanted to postpone the hike, but he looked forward to it all week, and you didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news. If anything, your hand-washed panty hanging on the towel rack would’ve been a giveaway, but you steered him away from the bathroom before he could see it. 

You claimed you nuked the toilet after drinking the annoyingly healthy green smoothie he made before the hike. 

Nathan frowned, “That’s an oddly graphic scene I didn’t need to imagine.”

At least it worked. 

Now, here you were, suffering from your own doings because you didn’t want to see a pouting Nathan. 

You clutch your midriff and come to a halt. “Nate, could we take a break?”

He frowns at your pained expression. Usually, you were the one dragging him up the mountains — pointing to the fox tracks or the last place you two sat down to drink hot chocolate. But now you’re a few paces behind him. There was definitely something wrong.

Snow crunches underneath his boots, making his way to you to hold you. His hand slips underneath your puffer jacket and thermal long-sleeve, you writhe under his touch. He’s confused at first before he begins to connect the dots. 

“Jesus Christ… are you pregnant?”

Your mouth gapes at the stupidity of his question. 

The pause was long enough for him to ask again, “Are you… pregnant?”

You huff and shove his shoulder. “What the fuck? The opposite, you dumbass! I’m bleeding out my uterine lining!”

“I know what a period is!”

“You had me there going for a sec because you spend more time with your vaginaless androids.”

He gives you a sideways smirk. “Hey, give me some credit. I started doing that when we got married!”

Then, Nathan sighs, a mix of relief and embarrassment washes over him. “Besides, can you blame me? We fucked in the rest-stop cabin after our hike last time.”

A ping catches both of your attention.

Your eyes land on his smartwatch. “I thought it was your scheduled wellness day today. Still got people messaging?”

He presses on the square screen and mumbles, “Oh, there was a bug in the code. Now it makes sense why I’m only finding out now.” 

“Huh?” 

Nathan gives you his signature smile — pearly whites that made women swoon and closed business deals… or when he was withholding information.

You were positive that it was the latter in this case. 

He wraps an arm around you and walks back to the facility. “I’ll tell you when we get there.”

The last time you let him build up anticipation, he revealed an android clone. He claimed it was for you to use when he was out on business trips as long as he had access to the live feed. You weren’t shocked, to say the least, considering this was Nathan Bateman.

Equal parts genius and horny. 

At this point, you wouldn't be surprised if he made one of you, too, so he could watch the androids fuck each other. 

–

You shed your jacket and settle into the crook of the couch, curling in on yourself to suppress the pain.

Nathan kneels in front of you, combing his fingers through your hair. “Baby, tell me what you need. Tea? A hot pad? Snacks?”

“You’re stalling.”

“Am not.”

“We’re not toddlers, Bateman. Give it to me straight.”

“Don’t get weird with me, ‘kay?” He sits on the couch and tugs you onto his lap. 

You roll your eyes, shifting your weight on him comfortably. “If you made an android of me so you can watch it have sex with Masturbateman, then color me utterly not surprised.”

He frowns and thumbs your hipbone. “I spent hours perfecting it, and that’s the name you gave my android?”

“That’s what you got out of that conversation?”

Nathan cups your asscheek and squeezes it. “If you keep getting snappy with me, I won’t show my new project.”

You huff but give in, nudging your face into the curve of his shoulder. 

He leans forward to grab his tablet from the coffee table, the screen displaying… a period tracker?

“What’s up with the pink interface? That’s such a gender stereotype.” You prod just to piss him off, but it does the opposite.

He grins as if he’s been waiting for you to ask that question. “The color is sampled from your urine mixed with endometrium when you’re nearing the end of your menstrual cycle. It’s aligned with hex code #FAA0A0–”

You steal his words from earlier today, “That’s an oddly graphic scene I didn’t need to imagine.”

“But look at this. It detects your four phases by inputting your BMI and medical history.” Nathan’s lips curl up. “You have a really regular cycle, y’know?”

You snort. “You’re the only man who would say that as a compliment, you fucking nerd.”

“Yeah, well, I’m just telling you the facts.” He pats your thigh. “Anyway, do you have a preferred date when you want your period?”

“Uh, what?”

“I can program the app to delay your period indefinitely. Want a three month break? It’ll happen. Want it to never return? Easy. So, what’ll it be, baby?”

“You’re doing overtime on the god roleplaying…”

He laughs, amused at your reaction. “Hey, I’m just answering your question. I can tell that it’s a big headache for you, so I figured I’d extend you an olive branch.”

“Wait, how did you link this up to my body in real time?”

“What do you think I’ve been sprinkling into the green smoothies?”

You pinch his cheek. “I’m not one of your androids, Nathan.”

“Suit yourself.” He shrugs. “But, you’re right. My androids wouldn’t complain.”

You hide your teasing grin behind a hand. “It could be easily solved if you get me pregnant, but we both know how you feel about that.”

There’s a quietness as he places the tablet down. Neither of you discussed this unless it was in passing when you’d comment on how cute baby mittens are and wondered what their blended food tasted like. 

He was well aware that raising a child wasn’t like building his projects. Raising a human was more difficult than creating artificial intelligence that could pass as a human. 

Nathan blurts, “I want you to have my babies.”

–

Nathan's hips thrust into yours, he leans into your ear and whispers, "The tracker tells me when you're ovulating too."

You say in between moans, "Mmm, I'm gonna shove you off, if you don't shut the fuck up."

I'd love to hear your thoughts and my inbox is always open for requests or if you want to chat!

[aka-indulgence]

Man of the Hour

Decided to make a lil snippet of that J&H idea…

Dr. Sans Aster has been gone for a concerning amount of time, so you decide to pay him a visit (only because you’re a good neighbour.) Instead, you see a face you hadn’t hoped to meet.

——————

It was a miserable night. You tuck your coat tighter around you as you approach the Aster Manor. It looks so welcoming during the day, but at night… it looks haunted, almost. You wonder how Sans likes living here.

It’s been a while since you’ve seen the good doctor. Usually you take a detour to or from the morning market, passing by his residence, and calling up to him in his room on the 2nd floor. After a few times, usually you’d be greeted by the window opening and the skeleton leaning out. Sometimes he’d appear from his labroom window, after an overnight bout of unknown experiments. (The monster kept much to himself, and in a roundabout way instead made him more popular.) For the past few days, however, the window has remained shut, and you haven’t heard any sound of activity from the upper floors.

You would’ve asked others but after a conversation with a friend,

“You talk about Sans a lot. Do you have a thing for him?”

You’ve decided against making your infatuation with the doctor too obvious.

Nevertheless, your morning conversations with him has been a comforting consistency that you miss severely. You’ve tried ignoring it, but today you caved. After another morning of no response, you decided to visit the abode after sundown- if the doctor was busy during the day, surely he’d be resting by now?

You walk up to the dimly lit door and reach for the knocker.

Thunk

Thunk

Thunk

 … You didn’t have to wait long before you hear what sounds like smart shoes approaching the door on the other side. You get excited, gripping your coat.

But when the door opens, it isn’t Sans that answers the door.

A deer monster looks at you, his outfit that of a formal servant’s.

“Yes?”

You try not to show your disappointment. But surely… this didn’t mean Sans was absent.

“Good evening, sir… I’m sorry to have bothered you this late at night, but, is Dr. Sans home?”

“Dr. Aster?”

You mentally smack your face- you can’t seem too intimate with him. Your friends would tease you while other people would think you’re being disrespectful.

“I’m sorry, miss. The doctor has been away from home for three days now.”

“Th… three?” Concern floods your voice. “Did- did he tell you where he went?”

“I’m afraid not. The doctor goes on many excursions, often without telling his servants. Just last month he traveled for a week before returning.”

“A week…?”

“He returned every morning. But he informed us only to look for him if he’s been gone for more than a month.”

A month?! That’s even worse than you thought!

He could disappear for a whole month…?

“What is he doing?”

“He does not tell us, miss.”

You frown. “So I assume he isn’t here tonight?”

“No. I’m sorry I could not be of more help to you,”

You sigh. “That’s alright. At least I know a bit more about what he’s doing. Thank you for the information.”

The deer monster bows and closes the door as you walk out of the yard.

You have a bad feeling about this. Not to mention the nasty rumors around town…

There was a new face in town. One unwelcomed by everyone. A man named Horruer just… appeared one day. You’ve never met the man, but you’ve heard nothing good about him. There were rumors of him having ties to Sans, though the story varied from person to person. Your friend believed in the rumor of him blackmailing the doctor.

“He has servants and a house, and I think Dr. Aster funds him..? That sounds highly suspicious to me.”

She said he had a frightening appearance, but hard to describe. Just that he was also a skeleton monster. Some people thought he might be an estranged family member. You don’t know what Sans has to say about it all, though. You hoped Sans was safe, that he didn’t owe the man any favors.

You were deep in your thoughts. Missing his smile, how his soft eyelights would glow when he laughed during the few times you met the doctor out of home, drinking tea together. He was such a smart man… a conversationist, liked by all. His topics were engaging, and he was surprisingly humorful.

Would it be too hopeful to imagine him liking you back..?

Distracted, you don’t register the large body in front of you, and crash into a wall of a man, and stumble forwards.

Before you could mutter apologies, the man starts snarling, a primal sound.

“idiot- don’t you use your eyes when you-?!”

You startle, standing at attention after you turn around. What you see isn’t a face, but a chest. You swallow before you bring your eyes up to see… a new, but known face.

A big red eye is looking down at you. You watch the pupil in its center shrink into a pinprick, edges sharpening. You’re frozen under his stare- despite never having seen him, it’s obvious who this stranger was.

Mr. Horruer.

He was maybe twice your size, in height and width. Almost as big as the large front doors of Sans’ manor. His shoulders were broad, and so was his chest. He was built like a fortress of bones. Though he wore proper clothing, he didn’t look the part. His outer coat was unbuttoned and lopsided. His waistcoat covered more, but the top and middle were unbuttoned. His tie was undone, draped under his collar. His coat didn’t seem old, but it was crinkled.

His teeth was jagged- you aren’t sure if they were sharp canines or if they were simply messy. His eyesockets were mismatched, unlike Sans’. One socket housed the large red orb that peered down at you, while the other was dead, devoid of light. Your eyes trailed up to his head, seeing something peek out of his hat…

The monster gasped, teeth becoming set as he holds it down, covering whatever it was. You flinched- you weren’t thinking. You’ve heard that Mr. Horruer was neurotic about never being seen without his hat. You heard of Mr. Enfield having a rough bump with the skeleton and almost knocking his hat off- the altercation almost turned violent.

You felt your fingers grow cold. The man was more terrifying than what you’ve heard the townsfolk have said. You’ve met many monsters in this town but Horruer was truly monstrous. Just looking at him made your spine tingle unpleasantly, like there was instinctual in you that told you this man was dangerous.

You hear a crack, and see his bony hands turned to fists beside him, and his breathing grow louder, every breath causing his upper body to rise and fall. His teeth was still set, and his eye hadn’t moved.

Your body screamed- you were in danger.

“I-I’m so sorry. I di-didn’t see anything. So sorry, Mr. Horruer,” you stuttered, taking a few frightful paces back before you turned on your heel and ran home.

It was crass, clumsy, impolite, and frankly, unladylike. But you didn’t want to know what Horruer could do with his hands, and you didn’t want to find out if the rumors of his aberrant ‘hobbies’ were true or not.

He looked like he was itching to kill me.

You felt something red burning a hole into your back as you fled.

…

…

…….

“... (y/n).”

[gunthermunch]

[Transcript under the cut]

WG: breathe, this is normal you big baby Lucas: right. right. normal. FAMILY. WG: i used the front door? Lucas: okay… WG: we all hide the keys on the same spot, blame mom. WG: you know, never check under the rug first that's the toy one, always dig a hole next to the weird rock, that's were the real key is? Lucas: yes, i know WG: see? all legal Lucas:-doni't worry, I love seeing you! i just- thought you were at Gunther's…? WG: that's old done story man, i'm on my way yo San My now. WG: thought of seeing our little booger boy while on the road today- by the way what happened to you? you're like, massive Lucas: oh i. WG: it's whatever congratulations. oh right. your phone Lucas: thanks! it's warm WG: it was under my butt Lucas: … WG: …you're expecting someone's something? Lucas: what? no WG: are you sure? look at me in the eyes Lucas Munch Lucas: knock it off.. it's… nothing. WG: fine, sure! Lucas: …stop looking at me. WG. wanna get me off your back? feed me

WG: so what do you do for fun round here? Lucas: hmm… i'd say i have the most fun with Clarita wg: who's that? new friend? Lucas: ah! she's the cow, dummy WG: really, Lucas? Lucas: what? WG: really, Lucas? Lucas: hey this is fun to me! i'm fine this way! WG: are you… saying this is all you do? Lucas: no? i also go to the market every day. mostly to grab new flowers and sell stuff. WG: well good luck with that WG: anyways, do you have any spare bucks laying around? Lucas: i knew it! WG: then why didnt you just put your money down earlier, huh? Lucas: Lucas: my coat, left pocket WG: you're the best. WG: and i swear i'll give it back by your birthday Lucas: uh huh WG: the hell. don't play smart with me WG ruffles Lucas' hair aggressively Lucas: owowowow OKAY!!!- WG: well, see you later Lukey WG: -also, say hi to Max for me Lucas: yeah sure, no biggie

Chat Max: and i thought i was messed up yknow Lucas: ahahh dont be mean to her!! or about her! Max: anyways. i need to rest ttyl Lucas: sleep well!!!!!!!!!!

sent two weeks ago

[ohnococo]

Eyes On You | MMA Fighter!Sukuna x F!Scientist Reader

Summary: Sukuna takes a keen interest in you after a meeting discussing having him promote the protein powder you helped develop.

Notes: A one shot within the mma!au, though this isn’t part of the main canon of Fight Night. A request for @rosemaydone321

Warnings: public sex, mutual masturbation, rough sex, cum shot

You hated being dragged along for these sponsorship meetings. It wasn’t your thing: sucking up to clients, listening to them negotiate fees, nodding the approval you’d already detailed and reviewed with legal in emails over the product claims in the ad copy. That didn’t stop you from getting dragged along though. Kusakabe, the company’s marketing lead, absolutely insisted that you added an air of legitimacy to the product just by sitting there. You drew the line at his suggestions that you wear a white lab coat to these meetings. There was no need to give some performance of your job, because it was simply something you did and did well, not needing to add niceties or fakeness to bolster your accolades. Not like most of the other people in this room laughing louder than they needed to, smiling wider than necessary.

Not the subject of this meeting though. In lieu of making conversation and underhanded suggestions of sponsorship requirements or costs, his focus was on you through most of it, face unamused by his manager’s banter. He seemed much more interested in watching you squirm under his gaze. You aren’t exactly sure what it was he seemed to get out of it, brows raised, peering down his nose at you as he leans on one hand and waits for your side of the table to agree to what he wants without even having to be the one to ask for it. It feels like he’s judging you, staring into your mind at every little thing you were thinking. It makes it hard for you to listen, not that you really needed to. All they asked was that you “look smart” and “use some science-y words.” All your years of education and experience to be told to look smart when you were smart. It almost made you regret getting into the health and fitness business.

The only thing making these meetings semi-tolerable was at least knowing Kusakabe was good at dealing with these people, having done press management for fighters himself in the past before deciding it was too much stress for the pay. He had to put out less fires this way, now he just helped the company push protein powder via sponsorships and deals. Or in this case, a very important brand deal with a highly sought after man like Sukuna. His being reliable, and doing most of the talking, made up for you being forced to be here rather than where your costly degrees had given you access to. It still didn’t make his client-facing persona any less grating though.

Sukuna leans forward, picking up his glass of water on the long table separating you and your coworkers from him and his management, and Kusakabe makes a show of acting impressed by him to pay him a compliment. It was usually what these men liked most.

“God, look at the size of his hands! No wonder you’re a menace on the ground.” Kusakabe mimics wrenching an opponent’s arm back, but Sukuna seems to be too concerned with watching you intently to be plied by the praise. Though from how disinterested he seemed the entire meeting you were beginning to think flattery wouldn’t work on him anyway. Kusakabe nudges you, encouraging you to join in, “Can’t claim that’s because of the protein powder, can we?”

Sukuna’s lip curls into a sneer, and you feel a small sense of camaraderie that he was just as put off by the charade of it all as you were, though you note this was the first time someone hadn’t been taken in by Kusakabe.

You’d have to tease him for it later when he lets the facade slip on your way back to the more comfortable lab-based aspects of your job. He knew the product inside and out. Not on a chemical level like you, but he was knowledgeable.

You found his penchant for playing dumb exhausting though, and since Sukuna seemed to as well you take the chance to speak your mind for once. “Don’t be stupid.”

For the first time since this meeting had started, the large man across from you actually looks amused, lifting his head from where it was resting atop his hand with the smallest hint of a smile.

“Don’t mind her. You know how brainy types are, right?” Kusakabe deflects, trying to recover from his parried compliment.

That wipes the smile off of Sukuna’s face, and he turns his steely gaze to the man next to you. “She’s right. You were being stupid.

Kusakabe looks frightened for a second, with your new client’s ability to intimidate even without threats, then his business brain kicks in, forcing that fake smile back onto his face as he laughs nervously. “Of course I was!”

He was, really. A claim like that would be preposterous. It was already a stretch for them to try and act like any of the considerable musculature before you was due to your product anyway. A body like that wasn’t built by a year’s worth of free product and the promise of a sizable check…

From the corner of your eye you can see Kusakabe deflate a little, before redoubling his efforts with Sukuna’s management, having noted they were much more receptive than the brooding man who was the guest of honour here.

The meeting wraps up without further incident, except for you spending the majority of it trying to look unbothered by Sukuna’s unwavering gaze. As Kusakabe walks you back to your little hideaway many, many floors down from the fancy meeting room, he places a lollipop into his mouth in lieu of heading outside for a cigarette to calm his buzzing nerves.

“If I didn’t respect you so much I’d have asked you to show a little leg to make that whole thing easier for me.”

It catches you off guard, “Firstly, if you respected me you would have kept that little thought to yourself. Secondly, what are you even talking about?”

He twirls the sweet by its stick on his mouth, pulling it out to gesture at you broadly. “I’m talking about the sexy eyes you were getting the whole damn time. Typical meathead, thinking with his dick.”

“Sexy eyes? Do you mean scary eyes? He looked like he was going to eat me alive.”

Kusakabe laughs as he leans against the wall while you press your keycard to the sensor for the entrance to your floor, “Yeah he wanted a taste of you, all right.”

The door beeps, then the locks click signifying your entry was permitted. Kusakabe’s, however, is not, so he waves at you over his shoulder as he heads back towards the elevator, “I’ll let you know when they decide on the deal.”

“I don’t care.”

It was all the same to you, and while your interest might have been piqued despite the brutishness of being ogled for nearly an hour and a half, your job there was done. Whether he promoted the protein powder or not, or made an appearance in a few commercials or print ads, had nothing to do with you past this point. Hell, it technically didn’t have anything to do with you before, but Kusakabe was adamant your quiet presence made a difference.

When Kusakabe approaches you in the lobby three days later, walking alongside you as you make your way to your car to head home, you think maybe you might care just a little. Enough to see it through at least. He looks serious, disappointed even, feigning having to deliver bad news, before he’s breaking into a smile and patting your back the way he always did when asking you to celebrate a victory that wasn’t yours.

“We did it. Sukuna’s team is signed on.”

“You did it.” You assert. No amount of money would have made you go on all the networking luncheons and meetings he spent his time in to soften people up. One was your limit, agreed to after a lengthy begathon from your coworker, so you let him ask you to come to a celebratory meal with the rest of the marketing team as usual, so you can also shoot it down as usual.

“Well, how about food and drinks tonight to celebrate, eh?” He acts like he might make it sound appetising by phrasing it like that for the dozenth time. But then he adds, “Their team is coming too. Sukuna insisted on paying. He asked us to bring everyone from the meeting too, and that includes you.”

This was a little unusual. It was a rarity for anyone other than the direct lead to be invited out, even if it was his company card getting thrown on the table for it. You can’t say you aren’t interested, even if the thought of being watched through the whole meal intimidated you. So you say yes, and Kusakabe is taken aback, smiling wide and patting you on the back like it was some feat to actually get out of either your lab, your office, or your home.

—

The meal is as insufferable as the meetings usually are. The ass kissing is somehow even more intolerable now that you know the contracts are signed so it was all even more unnecessary theatrics. Sukuna seems more focused on people in the room other than you, bordering on outright ignoring you, save for a few glances down at you in your seat across from him at the table.

It forces you to reckon with the fact that you had possibly been a little self-indulgent, coming to this meal to see him, to see if he was as interested as Kusakabe had seemed to think. You did trust his judgement after all, he had a good read on people, but now you’re just confused. It closes you off from the room even further, starting to feel awkward as your coworkers are drinking fast, bordering on making themselves a nuisance with their boisterous talking and laughter in the little reserved room of this restaurant.

Once they’re shuffling round seats, talking to each other, taking shots, cheersing again and again to a supposedly great fortune this year long contract - with a hope of renewal - would bring, you’re just sitting quietly at your seat in the corner, waiting for Kusakabe to finish his loud story to one of Sukuna’s team so you can say goodbye and leave.

Then, your interest is piqued again, as Sukuna breaks off from the few people he was speaking with, coming to sit down next to you. He peers down at you and you find yourself sitting up a little straighter, blinking when he speaks as if he’d made some sudden frightening movement.

“Are you always so quiet?”

You couldn’t tell if he was trying to be rude or not, but you answer honestly. “Yes.”

It surprises him that you don’t come up with some defence, and that you were comfortable with your quietness, his brows raising gently as he appears to be scanning you head to toe all over again. It has you feeling tense, swallowing hard as he’s silent, though not in the same way you were.

He catches that, smiling with a predacious twinkle in his eye before he leans a little closer than necessary. “Don’t be scared. I only hurt people who have it coming.”

You don’t know if it was supposed to intimidate you, but it worked. It made your hairs stand on end, your mouth feel dry, but it also made a familiar heat pool low in your stomach. He’s caught onto something that lets him know that too, flashing his teeth at you.

“I said don’t be scared.” He says it like an order, leaning back in the seat he’d taken, looking out at the room and you take the opportunity to try and calm yourself a little without being obvious about it.

He crosses one leg over the other, putting an arm over the back of your chair. “They’ll be shitfaced by the end of the night. Half of them already are.” He swings his head slowly to look down at you, “Why aren’t you?”

You shrug. Because it didn’t interest you, maybe. Because you were bored enough that it couldn’t even help anything and would leave you with a hangover that wasn’t worth it tomorrow morning. You don’t tell him any of that though, deciding that you didn’t want to volunteer any unnecessary information right now.

So you answer with the same question, “Why aren’t you?”

There it is again, that smile that would be outright terrifying if you were one of those people that ’had it coming.’ Then, he tempers the smile, running his tongue over his teeth before relaxing into a more neutral expression.

“If I’m partying I’m not holding back, and this is technically business. But,” he leans in, close enough that you’re holding your breath, eyes wide, “maybe we can have our fun some other way…”

You lick your lips, trying to keep your breathing under control, trying to temper whatever had clued him in to his effect on your body before because by now you were absolutely soaked. He doesn’t let you have that control though, bringing a hand up and brushing your lower lip with his thumb and tilting your head up towards him. He’s so close you’re sure he’s going to kiss you, but instead he speaks.

“You need to do something with all that nervous energy, or you’ll wind up passing out.”

He’s mocking you, you know he is. You don’t exactly like to feel so frail in front of him but you can’t deny how your body was reacting, or that you might just be considering letting him kiss you within eyeshot of several of your coworkers. But he doesn’t. He pulls back and stands, eyes barely visible with how low he has to look to gaze down on you.

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

Then, he just walks away, leaving you blinking, unsure of why he’d announced his departure with such weight. You catch up to his thinking as he stops at the entryway to the little private room you’d all been dining and drinking in, and quirks his head to the side, raising his brows in a face that wordlessly communicates, ’well?’ before he’s walking away.

It leaves you blinking again, swallowing hard, looking around the room as if to ask what you should do. No one was looking back, all involved in their own discussions. You take a breath, wondering why you suddenly felt the need to confer over something you very much didn’t want anyone else here to know you were even considering. Then, you realise even as you stand to follow along the path Sukuna had taken, it was because you knew it was probably a very, very bad idea.

When you reach the bathroom, you see it’s unlocked. You grab the handle and take a deep breath, half hoping he’d been joking, that he hadn’t even come into here and instead walked outside to get some air and laugh at the dirty little scientist who really thought he was inviting her to fuck in a public restroom. The door is only open a little before Sukuna is in view, very much waiting for you as he’d said, and very much stroking his frankly intimidating cock.

With the way your blood rushes downward between your thighs you almost feel lightheaded, and it’s as if your legs are moving of their own accord as you enter the bathroom and shut and lock the door behind you.

“Anyone could have come in here and seen that.” He laughs at the way you refer to his monster of a cock as that, but it doesn’t stop his slow strokes.

“But you came in here.” He’s still mocking you. And you’re still taking it, responding by grabbing at his shirt, and looking up at him. It spurs him on to release his grip on his cock and kiss you, one hand in your hair the other on your hip.

The force of his kiss borders on painful, teeth clashing with yours, tongue pushing into your mouth like it was his to claim. Then he’s gripping your ass, hoisting you up onto the sink, and only parting from your kiss once his hands migrate downward and feel how wet you already were. He spreads your legs wide, shoving your sensible grey dress upward to unveil the wet patch on your panties and smiling wickedly.

“Were you this wet in that meeting?” His eyes flick upward to meet with yours, and you feel defensive, like he was accusing you of being unprofessional.

“N-no.”

“Don’t lie to me.” He tugs your panties down, hard enough you have to reach behind yourself to grip the sink and keep yourself from sliding off. “I thought you were supposed to be smart.”

That doesn’t help the defensiveness bubbling up inside you, competing with the arousal. “I am.”

He gives you a pitying look, like he wasn’t so sure anymore, “Then be a smart girl and get that cunt ready for me.”

He takes a step back, resuming his slow strokes on his cock, waiting for you to perform for him. Your fight is gone with the way his words have you letting out a horny little whine at the sight of him touching himself. He lets out a pleased groan at that, and if you hadn’t already cast caution and logic aside for a moment you’d be embarrassed at how enthusiastically you begin moving your fingers through your wetness for him. He nods approvingly, picking up his pace a little as his silent encouragement only makes you go further, bringing a knee up to perch one of your feet on the sink, giving him a better view as you circle your clit and let out a stifled moan.

He doesn’t let you work your way up like that for long though, “Go on, fuck that cunt open for me.”

His words are only getting filthier, and it makes your head spin, letting a louder moan slip out as your mind goes blank and you do just as he says. You didn’t know you could be so needy so fast, knuckle deep with two of your fingers, rocking your hips into your movements the best you can without slipping from your precarious position. He flicks his wrist, twisting his hand as he strokes his cock, and his deep groans have you sliding a third finger in, knowing your fingers will hardly approximate his girth. The obscenity of it all is getting you close, breath hitching, eyes struggling to keep focused as your legs get shaky.

Then he’s got you by the wrist, pulling your hand away, and replacing your fingers with his cock in one steady push. You wrap your arms around him, moaning and clutching at his back, squirming until he has to hold your hips still to bottom out inside of you properly.

You’re so full that it’s like you can’t think, mind needing to reset as your body takes over all the work for you, rocking against him, begging him with soft whines until he’s chuckling at your desperation.

“All of your little coworkers are going to hear us if you don’t keep quiet.”

His words are undercut by his actions, as he starts fucking into you in long, deep strokes, only speeding up to snap his hips against yours just as he’s bottoming out, and you find yourself taking it happily as he hits all the right spots inside of you.

The force of his thrusts has his pants slowly shifting from his hips and down his legs, heavy belt buckle hitting the tile floors with a clang as they pool around his ankles. His pace is unaffected, the more pressing matter being your pussy squelching obscenely around his cock.

“Oh- oh my god, oh my god…” you’re clinging to him, despite being in no danger of falling now that he was gripping you so tightly, mouth open and incapable of stopping the little whines coming out with every thrust.

He puts a hand over your still open and panting mouth and chuckles, low and breathy, “Not such a quiet little mouse now, hm?”

You’re still talking now, babbling into his palm about how good it feels, how bad you need him to make you cum. Even with how muffled it is you can still feel how it’s making him throb inside of you, and you clench around him. His hand on your mouth, large enough that he was gripping your entire jaw, and the other hand firmly locked onto your hip, are the only things keeping you from being a fucked out puddle on the floor, too close to do anything but take it as your moans get higher and louder.

As he starts climbing towards his end as well, he doesn’t even pretend to hold those sounds in anymore, releasing your face to have his other hand on your hip, and you resume your desperate talk unrestrained as he fucks you hard enough your head is left lolling. You’re lucky enough to have him obliging your every request, namely because they all centre around begging him to keep fucking you. He does it happily, until he’s growling his approval as you grip him tight, creaming around his cock as he fucks you right through your orgasm until he’s right on that edge himself. Suddenly he pulls out, pulling your dress higher and out of the way as he pumps himself roughly til he’s cumming hard, coating your pussy and thighs.

You lean back, until you’re against the mirror with the faucet uncomfortably pressed into your back, catching your breath, watching him squeeze out the last of his cum as he takes in the view of his handiwork. Then, when the stars behind your eyes have dissipated, and you look down at the mess, the reality of what you’ve just done settles in.

“Oh God…”

Sukuna only smiles at you and helps you off of the sink onto your shaky legs to begin cleaning yourself off. As you both make yourselves look presentable, something you’re putting much more effort into than him, he offers you a playful, “You’re welcome.”

You shoot him a look, much less warmed up to him now that the haze of lust has worn off.

He pats you on the back, then runs his hand down until he can squeeze at your ass. “You look much more relaxed.”

He takes a final look in the mirror and gives you another smile, still hungry despite having his appetites satisfied. “Looking forward to working with you.”

[thisisawonderfulusername]

sir snuggles henry!sherlock holmes x reader requested by: anon summary: your niece finds the help of sherlock holmes to find her teddy bear. warnings: a child? just fluff lol word count: 1.3k a/n: i'm back baby, and with 2 new obsessions (sherlock and wakanda forever lol). thank you for this request!!! sherlock would be an amazing father and you can't change my mind on that

your niece, iris, was practically the light of your life. not having your own kids to take care of, your brother and his wife were more than happy to leave her with you for short periods of time. 

this summer, he got assigned a month long trip out of london for work, and he wanted to take the opportunity to have a small 'couple's retreat' and they were more than happy to leave iris with you.

it's only been a little more than a week out of the 4 she'll be with you, but it's already proving to be a challenge.

today, was a whole new level of trouble with her.

after you guys had gotten home from the park, you had put her in bed for a nap- but the problem was, she didn't stay there. before you had put her there, she was going on about her stuffed bear- sir snuggles- and how she lost it.

you told her you'd find it after her nap, but clearly that wasn't a good enough answer for her. 

while you read in the living room, she hatched a plan for getting her bear back.

"have you seen sherlock holme's latest case in the papers? my, he's a clever one." you look over the daily newspaper as you speak to your dear friend, a smile on your face. 

"attractive, too.” she responds with a grin. “have you heard of sherlock holmes, sweety?" the lady you were with asked iris, and at the time she shook her head and listened as the two of you went on about this famous detective. 

iris' eyes widen at the memory. "sherlock holmes!" he'd surely be able to find her beloved sir snuggles, you were constantly talking about the cases of his that had been published, expressing how smart he was.

peeking her head out of the room, she saw that you had your back turned, so she ran to the back door where she snuck out into the backyard. 

she'd have to find sherlock holmes and get him on this case.

-

flat two-twenty-one b was quiet as sherlock sat in one of his armchairs, papers from recent cases strewn about as he flipped through the newspaper. 

the day was a boring one, having no new cases to solve and no one to chat with.

he would have gone to the park or the market for a stroll, but he already had everything he would need here and he didn’t see a reason to leave.

so sitting and reading it was.

that was until there was a knock at the door. he looked up at it for a moment, almost wondering if it was a figment of his imagination, but sure enough there was another few knocks after a moment of no reply.

he stood from his chair, tossing the newspaper to the side and going to open the door. when it opened, he saw no one.

but then he heard a small voice.

"mr sherlock holmes?"

he looks down, and surprisingly, there's a little girl gazing up at him. 

his eyebrow raises and he glances up and down the hall for someone who could possibly be her guardian. when he saw no one, he looked back at her. "yes?"

a bright smile spreads across her face at the confirmation. "i’m iris. i lost my teddy bear. can you help me find him?"

"i'm not sure about that," he says wearily, "perhaps we should get you back to your mother."

she shakes her head, "she's not home, mr sherlock." she tells him, "i'm with my aunt y/n. she always says how clever you are." she smiles brightly.

he chuckles softly, rubbing the back of his neck, "really? well, you must be worrying her, so how about you-"

"-it'll only be quick, sir!" she pleads, "sir snuggles needs me."

hearing the name she appointed the bear, he sighs softly. he notices the dirt on the skirt of her dress, "have you been to the park today, miss iris?"

her face lights up at his question, "how did you know?" she questions, amazed.

"you have dirt on your skirt." he grabs his coat, stepping out of his flat. "let's go find this sir snuggles."

-

"why, that looks like it could be your footprint, doesn't it?" he points out in the dirt as he crouched down.

she gasps as she sees it, placing her foot in the print to see if it matches with her shoe. "it is!" she says excitedly.

sherlock can't help the smile on his face, "well, let's follow your steps, then. that should lead us to sir snuggles."

iris nods her head, not giving him a chance to properly stand up before she starts running in the direction the prints came from. he quickly follows.

a minute later, they pass a tree, and something catches his eye. he stops, looking over and seeing a small bear on the ground next to the trunk.

"is this sir snuggles?" he calls out to the girl who was still running along, picking up the stuffed animal and brushing some dirt off of the fabric.

when she turns, he watches as her jaw drops. "it is!" she yells, running back to him. "thank you, mr holmes!" 

"well, i couldn't have done it without your help." he smiles as he hands it back to her. 

there seems to be a light in her eyes, "do you think i could be a detective?" she asks hopefully. 

the question warms his heart, "it looks like you're well on your way. let's get you home shall we?"

as she led him down the sidewalk, they heard a sudden shriek.

"iris!" you grab attention from passing people when you see her, "iris, you get over here right now!"

it's then that you notice the man holding her hand and your eyes widen.

"you! get away from her!"

sherlock is surprised by the fact that a crazed woman has come from seemingly nowhere, yelling at him to get away from the young girl he had befriended- which he does admit, seems pretty suspicious. 

"but aunty y/n, it's sherlock holmes!" she tells you excitedly as you run to her. 

hearing the name, your eyes widen. "what-"

"you're always saying how clever he is, so i asked him to help find my bear!" she holds up the stuffed animal, "and he did!"

it's as if all words in your vocabulary disappeared into thin air, leaving you to stare in shock.

when he realizes you're not going to say anything, sherlock clears his throat. "it's, uh, a pleasure to meet you."

you're broken out of your disbelief and you blink a few times. "yes, same to you- iris, you shouldn't have left and you certainly shouldn't have bothered mr holmes." you scold.

"but aunty, i couldn't find sir snuggles." she pouts. 

"it's no bother, really." sherlock chuckles, "do you happen to be the aunt who, so i've heard, says i'm clever?"

heat begins to rise to your face and you look from him, to iris, and back to him. "well, plenty of folks say that, mr holmes." you clear your throat.

"but you and your friends always say he's very attractive!" iris pops in, causing your breath to catch in your throat for a moment. how much had she been listening to your conversations?

avoiding eye contact with sherlock, you shoot a pointed look at iris. this girl just loves to embarrass you. "i think we should be going now." you take a quick turn on the subject. 

you spare a quick glance to him as you grab your niece's hand, "i'm terribly sorry for the bother." 

"it's really okay-" you turn on your heel and quickly begin to walk away, until his voice raises slightly, "wait, miss!"

you pause, squeezing your eyes shut and biting your lip. you glance down at iris, before looking behind you and seeing him swiftly making his way toward you. "yes?" you ask, slightly nervous as he looks at you.

"i didn't catch your name." 

[age-of-greta]

The Sun

The Sun presents a feeling of optimism and fulfillment. It represents the dawn which follows the darkest of nights.

Author’s note: hi!!! Welcome back to The Sun :) no posting schedule for this one, just as soon as I can crank it out. Please ignore my typos. I hope you enjoy this little chapter!

Pairing: Josh x reader & Jake x reader

Warnings: cursing, angst, adult content

Word count: 4.3k

PART 2:

It had been a few weeks since the show and things were going better than you had anticipated. You steered clear of Jake and he didn’t try to reach out to you either. But to your surprise you had been spending a lot more time with Josh than you thought you would. It was as if things were slowly getting back to how they used to be. Before… everything else. Typically, after work most days you would meet Josh for pizza, drinks, a movie, shopping. Really any excuse you two could find to hang out together. On the weekends he would accompany you to farmers markets and come over to cook dinner. Last weekend he had even stayed the night, both of you making a pallet full of blankets and pillows in your living room. You were elated with your newly rekindled friendship. Even Jake couldn’t put a damper on the happiness that Josh had brought into your life in just a few short weeks. But you were betting he would still try. Tonight you were all going to a local fair that was in town. Originally it was just you and Josh planning on going, but then Sam and Danny caught wind of it. Of course they wanted to go and you couldn’t exclude Jake. So it was a group night you had supposed. Josh was still coming to pick you up so you two could sneak in a few shooters to mix with your slushees. A silly notion that made you feel like a teenager again, but somehow Josh made it fun.

You grabbed a pair of light washed jean shorts with frayed edges and paired it with a cropped ribbed white tank top with an image of a western pin up girl in red. Under the pin up it read “save a horse.” You snickered at how Josh would get a kick out of it. You threw on your black high top converse and a few small gold necklaces, hoops, and rings. Finally you did a messy half up half down hairdo, coated your lashes in mascara, added some bronzer and lipgloss, then sprayed yourself down before admiring how cute you looked in the mirror. Tonight would be fun.

**

Josh sat at the kitchen island sending a quick text to you that he would be on his way shortly.

Jake bounced around the corner and rolled his eyes at the small smile on his twin’s face. “Going to spend time with my ex-girl friend again?” There was a hint of annoyance in Jake’s tone as he opened the refrigerator scanning for a beer to peak his interest.

“She was my friend first.” Josh says, letting out a sigh.

Jake cracks his beer and scoffs. “Right.”

“Okay, then. See ya tonight.” Josh mutters, grabbing his keys and heading for his Jeep.

**

“Malibu? Really Josh?”

“What? Would you rather have had Fireball?”

You make a face. “Bleh, no. That has always been your drink.”

He smiles at you. “See? Then Malibu will do. It goes well with the flavor blue anyway.”

You let out a laugh. “Mhm yes. The flavor blue! My favorite. So complex… so blue.”

He nudges your shoulder. “Smart ass. I know they says it’s blue raspberry or cotton candy. But it all tastes the same. It’s like-“

“Blue?” You cut him off.

He huffs a laugh. “Exactly. Thank you for admitting it.”

You smile at him appreciating how his antics compliment yours. “Okay okay. The sun is starting to set, we need to go get in line before it backs us up all the way to Michigan.”

Your attempts to get there early were feeble. The line was massive. You and Josh made small talk, but you barely shuffled in. Almost an hour had passed and you could finally see the gate. You thought about downing your Malibu shooters that you had stuffed in your bra many times while in line, but decided against it. Josh’s phone began to ring and he answered, but you didn’t pay too much attention. Still daydreaming of what it would be like to be in the front of the line.

“Ah fuck okay. Yeah we are near the front. You better hurry, I'm not waiting on you.”

That had gotten your attention. You turn to look at Josh who was shaking his head. “Sam. They just got here and saw this line.”

Soon enough you could see them all heading your way, including Devan? She had herself tucked by Jake. She was dressed somewhat less business casual with her hair in a loose ponytail and gray romper with black flats. You turned towards Josh when they all finally made their way to your spot, still trying to avoid his twin.

“Hell of a line huh? Maybe don’t record this part of the tik toks.” Danny jokes, nudging Devan.

That’s why she was here. To film content for social media. For whatever reason that made you feel happier inside.

Once you finally all made it through the gates you were a bit mesmerized by all of the lights and aromas. You felt like a kid again and you were ready to let loose and have fun.

“Tilt a whirl first?” Josh turns to you with a big smile.

You nod. “You read my mind.”

As you two head off towards that direction you're halted by a voice. “Josh! Wait! I need to get a shot of you by the lights!”

“Oh yeah sure. We're just going to head over to the tilt a whirl ride really quickly. Maybe after?” He offers.

Devan claps her hands. “Oh good idea! We’ll come with you to get some filming in.”

You cringe a bit at the thought of everyone now doing everything together.

The line for the first ride wasn’t too long. It took maybe 10 minutes to get to the front. Devan was filming Danny and Sam almost the whole time. The gates opened and you and Josh headed off to find a suitable cart for you two. You sat down and debated ways to spin faster.

“It’s definitely left and then right!” He shouted animatedly trying to prove his point.

“No no Joshy it’s right then left!”

Both of you laughed as you tried to latch the bar down.

“Hold up. Sorry we have to put three in each cart.” The ride operator says, coming by and unlatching the bar.

You frown at the thought of a stranger coming and squeezing in next to you or Josh. But it’s not a stranger who comes. It’s Jake.

“Funny seeing you two here. Dev is filming Sam and Daniel for this one. Mind if I squeeze in Sug?”

You give him a flat smile as he climbs in, ridiculously close to you.

The operator comes by and latches the bar, squeezing you all even closer to one another.

“You know we spin this left to right to go faster.” Jake states matter of factly.

“Thank you! That’s what I’ve been saying!” Josh exclaims.

The ride begins and Jake and Josh both begin working on spinning the wheel. Immediately the cart begins to spin and pushes you closer into Jake. You begin to giggle like a schoolgirl at the adrenaline rush as all of you work together to spin.

“Try my way now!”

You put your hands on the spinner, accidentally grabbing Jake’s hand. You briefly glance up at him and see him smiling at you in pure adoration. That made a lump sit in your throat. You hadn’t seen that look from him in forever. You all begin to spin the way you had suggested and you know it’s faster as your body now smashes into Josh’s.

“Okay I think you were right!” Josh says through laughter.

“Nope.” Jake says as he grabs the wheel and starts to whisk it the other way.

“Jake!” You giggle as your body presses back into his.

“I’ve got you Sugar.” Jake replies, rather valiantly.

You aren’t sure exactly what you saw due to all of the commotion, but you swear out of your peripheral you saw Josh cut his eyes at his brother.

You couldn’t be sure so you chalked it up to your imagination. The ride began to slow down and you knew you were going to be dizzy. All three of you were left panting and smiling ear to ear when the ride fully stopped.

“Can we at least all admit I was right?” You asked, trying to tame your hair.

“Never.” Jake replied with a smirk.

**

The next ride you had gotten on was the Himalaya. The ride that slung you to one side and went fast to various songs. It was your favorite and you were so happy to be on it with Josh, although you were sure you had crushed him just a little bit. Jake had ridden directly behind you with Devan, while Sam and Danny were in front of you. You loved the ride, but you and Josh were more entertained by Danny crushing Sam.

“Can we get a funnel cake or something? I’m starving.” Sam whines while stretching after the torture of the ride.

“Oh that would be a good tik tok!” Devan yells, furiously tapping on her phone.

“Is everything for social media?” You whisper to Josh.

He grins at you. “Apparently.”

“Let’s take the chair lift to the other end of the fair and we can get funnel cakes there. Okay?” Danny offers.

“Deal.” Sam says.

You all make your way to a rather short line to get on the lift.

“Your shoe’s untied.” Josh says, pointing down to your unlaced Converse.

“Good catch.” You say, starting to bend down.

Josh throws his hand up. “I got it.”

He kneels down and starts intertwining the laces.

“And they say chivalry is dead.” You joke.

“Josh!” You two swivel your heads to see Devan waving wildly. “Josh! Come up here! I need more shots of you!”

Josh glances at you with an annoyed look.

“Come on, I barely have any footage of you!” She continues.

Josh flashes a disappointed face at you before shuffling his way up front to catch the next lift with Devan. You watch as they quickly get seated and take off. Then you watch Sam and Danny pair up for the next one leaving just you and Jake.

“I guess we’re chopped liver huh?” Jake pokes.

You glance over at him. He’s leaned up on the railing looking incredibly handsome with his navy shirt hardly buttoned. His silver pendants dangle on his chest, dancing on his tanned skin.

“Apparently.” You reply coolly.

“You know,”He starts, walking up to the front of the line with you. “I really like your shirt. I believe I have a cowboy hat somewhere at home.”

You roll your eyes at him, but still crack a smile. He’s pleased with himself as a smirk overtakes his face.

“Next!” The operator yells.

You and Jake walk over to the footprints and get ready to sit. He glances over and gives you a wink before you both plop down and are off.

“Wow what a view huh?” Jake states, glancing around at all of the lights.

“Oh yeah. Look at all of those porta potties.” You retort.

Jake laughs. “Grandiose I suppose.”

You laugh back at him.

His eyes catch yours. “I miss that laugh you know. Hearing it so carefree on that spinning ride… It brought me back. Made me think of the good ole days I guess.”

You offer him a small smile. “I don’t know how you even remembered it. All we ever did was fight Jake.”

He furrows his brows slightly. “Oh come on. I don’t remember it that way. In fact, I remember a date just like this. That random mall had the half set up carnival. I won you a teddy bear.”

You smile at the memory. “Yeah, but we left mad at each other. Arguing like always.”

Jake sighed and paused. “We fixed it when we got home if I recall correctly. We always fixed our problems Sugar.” Jake says in a suggestive tone.

“I wouldn’t say they were fixed. We both know there was only one thing we were ever good at.” You say, giving him the side eye.

A smile creeps across his face. “Were? Let’s not talk in the past tense, Sugar. I bet we would still be good today. Hell, better even.”

A dust of pink spreads across your face.

“Jake! Y/n!”

You take yourself out of your trance and see Danny turned around pointing a camera at you two.

“Smile!”

Jake slides closer to you and throws his arm around your shoulder. Resting his head on yours. You give a meek smile, suddenly aware of how this photograph will look.

“Aw so cute.” Danny laughs before turning around.

“So what’s on the agenda for the rest of the night Sugs?”

Jake asks, nonchalantly.

You click your tongue. “Hm probably going to get pizza and go home. I need to send a few emails. Exciting things.”

“Care for some company?” He asked, with a small smile.

“Oh tempting.” You say, unamused. “But I have an early pilates class.”

“Smoothie after?” Jake smiles and raises his eyebrows at you in question. “I’m just kidding Sug. Don’t look so uptight.”

You flash him a smile and shake your head.

He extends his hand out to you. “Truce? I mean we can be friends right?”

You scan his face, looking for a reason to say no. You falter finally and shake his hand. You feel the calluses and let your mind wander for a half of a second. “Truce.”

He smiles, pleased with himself. “We could be more than friends in certain ways even.”

Yoh groan at him. “Jake.”

He holds his hands up in defense. “Okay okay. Friends it is Sug.”

**

After you had finally gotten off of the chair lift you had tucked yourself back by Josh. Everyone had split off to grab their own food. Danny and Sam had made it back first with beer and pretzels, snagging a table for everyone.

“Josh oh my god! They have dill pickle pizza!” You say, lightly slapping his arm in excitement.

“What? No way.” He whips his head around.

“Yes! We have tried to find some forever. Remember that night we stayed up high out of our minds trying to make one with homemade garlic pesto?”

Josh fake grimaces. “Don’t remind me. Ya know I’m fairly certain that apartment still smells like garlic.”

“Good thing you don’t live there anymore. Come on!” You link arms with him and hurriedly shuffle towards the pizza truck to get your coveted dinner.

Josh put an order in for your pizza while you went off to get your slushees. You had both reconvened at the table.

“Okay, watch my six.” You said to Josh as you started to attempt to grab the shooters from your bra.

Josh understood the mission and got up, making himself bigger to cover you. Both of you sneakily emptied two little bottles into your slushees.

“Okay I will say Malibu does go great with blue.”

Josh cracks a smile at you. “I’ll never steer you wrong kid.”

Eventually everyone else joints you guys back at the table, munching down on the various high caloric fair food.

“Is that pickle pizza?” Sam asks, nodding in your direction making a face.

“Yes Sam it is. And it’s the greatest thing I have ever put in my mouth.” You say, biting off a piece.

“Mhm.” Jake says, catching your eyes with a knowing smirk.

You don’t acknowledge that.

“It’s actually fantastic Sam. You want to try some?” Josh offers.

Sam turns his nose up. “Ew pass. I doubt it’s even vegan friendly.”

“I’ll try some.” Devan says.

You had almost forgotten she was there. She had been unusually quiet.

“Here you go.” You say, handing a piece to her.

“Oh wow.” She says taking a bite. “That is a lot of garlic. I can only imagine how bad that’s going to make your breath for days!” Devan laughs.

You make a face at her.

“I happen to just love your garlic breath.” Josh says, poking your arm trying to ease the tension.

You let out a small half laugh. “Guess we’ll have to quarantine ourselves together since we have the garlic plague.”

Josh licks his fingers and smiles brightly at you. “I could think of worse fates. At least the vampires won’t get us.”

You giggle at him and Devan rolls her eyes.

“Sooooo what’s next?” Danny asks, slurping up his dark beer.

“Oh let’s ride the fireball coaster and then the skull crusher!” Sam exclaims.

“Yes to the rollercoaster, absolutely not to the skull crusher.” You say through a sigh.

“Oh how come Sug? Don’t tell me you’re chicken?” Jake antagonizes.

You shake your head. “Not a chicken. I just use common sense. A ride called a skull crusher doesn’t entice me. You guys do know that they assemble these rides in like 2 days and that one flips and goes upside down. No thank you.”

“Bock bock bock bock bock!” Sam mocks.

Josh laughs. “Hey come on, give her a break.”

Devan giggles. “Yeah! Besides that will be better anyway so I can get footage of just you four on the ride.”

Josh makes eye contact with you and snickers as you return the favor.

**

The coaster was a lot of fun and you were a little surprised that you had felt the effects of the two little shooters. You and Devan watched as the boys all waited patiently in line to get on their ride. She was fidgeting with her camera. Not really speaking to you, but finally she broke the silence.

“You know.” She began, clicking through settings. “Next time we are trying to film, it might be a good idea for you to stay behind. You’re sort of a… distraction for Jake and Josh.”

You furrow your brows at her. “Except Josh and I had been planning to come here. Like by ourselves. Before any of this was hijacked with social media bullshit.”

She doesn’t look up at you and just shrugs. “Here, backstage at shows, meetings at smoothie places.”

You scoff at her. “What is your problem?”

She looks entirely bored of this conversation. “It’s nothing personal, I just don’t think you understand how their lives are now. Everything is for their careers. Millions of people would kill to have what they do. So this social media bullshit is very necessary to continue building their futures. That’s why they hired me. I’ve been meeting with them for over six months now and ever since you came along those two have been different. So it might be best if you keep your distance.”

You feel the sting of her words. Was she right? You blink rapidly. “You don’t even know them.”

She cocks her head at you. “And you do?”

You feel a fire begin to flame. “Yeah I do. I really do. I especially know Jake. He and I are very familiar with each other. Does that bother you? Is that what all of this is about?”

Her face turns bright red.

You hadn’t even noticed the ride had stopped and they were getting off. You saw Josh approaching you and quickly wiped the scowl off of your face.

He wrapped his arm around your shoulder as you two started to walk around. “Did you see that- Woah you okay?”

You nod your head. “Yeah, I’m good.”

He raises his eyebrows at you. “Are you sure? What happened?”

You clear your throat. “It’s nothing. Just creative differences I suppose.”

He looks over at Devan, who has attached herself right back to Jake. “What did she say?”

“It’s nothing. We’ll talk later.” You say dismissively.

Josh gives you a long look before nodding. “You wanna get out of here?”

You suck in your cheeks and nod.

“Okay boys I think we’re going to head out. I’m beat.” Josh says, stretching his arms out.

“Aw boo. We haven’t even played any games yet!” Sam says, sticking his tongue out.

“That would be a really good clip. If I could get you all on camera throwing darts or something.” Devan adds.

Josh looks at you, as if asking for permission. You lightly nod your head, not wanting to give Devan any more ammunition.

“Fine.” Josh pinches the bridge of his nose. “One game.”

One game turned into three. All of them played a round of balloon darts, in which Sam won a whoopee cushion. Then they played a water spraying game, which Danny had won. Lastly they decided on the horse race game determined by ball rolling. It was a close race, but Jake took the win.

“Okay you can choose your prize young man.” The lady said.

Jake turned around and smiled at you. “Whadda think Sug? Anything catch your eye?”

You wrack your brain, thinking of how to play this in front of everyone. “I think you need to get what you want Jake. Something to sit in your room and remind you of your immense victory.”

He huffs a laugh. “So no friend for teddy then. Yeah, just hand me that little guy.”

The lady gives Jake some tie-dyed frog. He smiles at it in his hands. “Here ya go Dev. For all your hard work.”

She giggles and takes it. “Oh, thank you!”

It takes all of your willpower not to groan.

“Okay! Well then, I think we are all set. We will catch you guys later.” Josh says, throwing his arm around your shoulders and giving you a squeeze.

Jake gives you a weird look, you just throw up your hand to wave and follow Josh.

It’s a rather silent walk back to the car, but when you finally make it Josh lets out a huge sigh.

“Tell me about it.” You say with a small smile.

He pats your hand and starts the engine. “So you gonna tell me about what all that was about?”

You huff. “Devan. I don’t know, she just hates me. She said I’m a distraction and I’m hindering your futures essentially.”

Josh makes a face at you. “What?”

You nod. “Mhm. Says my arrival has disoriented you and Jake.”

Josh takes in a breath and shakes his head.

You swallow thickly. “Which I guess… maybe you. I have been taking a lot of your time lately. But Jake? No, I don't even speak to him.”

Josh presses his lips into a line. “I guess we need to talk about it.”

You furrow your eyebrows. “What? Should we spend less time together? Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take away-“

“No, no. Not that at all. You don’t take up my time. In fact, I’m more than happy to spend my time with you.” Josh says clears his throat. “I mean you and Jake.”

You felt relief at the beginning of his words, but confusion at the next. “What do you mean?”

He sucks in his cheeks. “You know what I mean.”

You let out a small laugh. “Josh, I assure you I don’t.”

He taps his fingers on the wheel. “The tension between you two, the glances, the flirting.”

You scoff. “There is none of that. Jake can be a jackass, you know that. But there is none of that happening. I will not go there again.”

He’s quiet for a minute. “I just don’t want you getting hurt again.”

You shake your head. “Won’t happen.” You grab his arm slightly. “I promise.”

Josh gives you a glance before nodding. He offers you a small smile that you return. It starts to rain now as you’re driving back to your place. The warm streets, being cooled by droplets falling from the heavens. Josh has something soft and pretty playing through the car and you begin to feel melancholy. Much like the rain, soft tears began to roll down your cheeks. You quickly wiped them away, not even sure why they were there. Was it Jake? After everything you can’t deny that spark that he ignites. Was it Josh? The way he cared for you so deeply even after you had discarded him. Was it both? You had no idea, you pushed those thoughts all the way to the back of your mind.

Josh had walked you inside holding a coat from his backseat over your head to shield you from the rain. You giggled as you both tried to make small maneuvers up to your porch without losing the coverage of the coat.

“Whew thanks Joshy.” You said, flicking water off of your arms as you fumbled around for your keys.

“My pleasure. I had fun tonight.” He says with a bright smile.

“Me too. Would you like to come inside for some ice cream? I think maybe we could make sundaes and watch that Stanley Kubrick documentary that we never finished?”

He beamed at you. “I would love nothing more.”

**

The next morning you woke up happy. Josh always puts you in a good mood. You two had stayed up for hours just enjoying each other’s company.

“Hey! Yeah I’m grabbing my smoothie now and I’ll head your way after.” You said, holding your phone up to your ear while wiping sweat from your forehead.

“Great. Drive safe, see you soon.” Josh replied on the other line.

You threw your bag into your car and waltzed over to the smoothie place from your pilates gym. You were so excited to spend another day with Josh. He was taking you rock climbing, a brain child that was born from your conversation last night. When you opened the door you swiveled your head around. Nothing. Just a few hipsters in expensive athletic gear sipping on over priced smoothies. A twinge of guilt stabbed you in the gut when you realized you were disappointed that Jake wasn’t there.

****

• thank you for reading :)